Be Not Like (Vampire Assassin League Book 33)

by Jackie Ivie

  NO SERVICE

  “Blast it!”

  She’d forgotten she was in the middle of a frozen wasteland. She’d need a SAT phone. A quick scan of the room gave her the information she needed. A SAT phone rested in a base on the nightstand...beside a king-sized bed. Her heart ticked up a notch as she viewed not just the phone. Her room was a lover’s dream. Medieval-themed. Richly appointed. There might be electric lighting, but it didn’t manifest. All manner of candles flickered from the settings throughout the space, giving off a golden glow.

  But that bed.

  It rested atop a platform, majestically overseeing the rest of the room. The towering headboard was constructed of more ornately carved wood. The footboard barely reached the mattress height. That item looked especially cushiony. That impression was assisted by the white tufted velvet coverlet resting atop it, in stark contrast to the plethora of dark red satin covered pillows.

  Eska jumped onto the mattress, bounced several times with glee before snagging the phone. Oh. This bed was going to be perfect!

  It seemed to take forever for the call to connect. She was about to jump down and pace before Nigel answered.

  “Greetings, you’ve reached VAL Headquarters, where your satisfaction is our only goal. Have you seen our new bargain pricing?”

  “Nigel!”

  “Oh. Hi there! It’s Eska the Eskimo! Long time, no—.”

  “I need to speak with Akron,” Eska interrupted.

  “Um. He’s not here right now.”

  “Can you call him?”

  “I can try. He might not take my call though. I’ve been a bit...um. I think he called it pesky. I mean, honestly. Isn’t that something mosquitoes are?”

  “Nigel!”

  “All right. All right. Cool your jets already. I’m dialing. Man! Siberia must be really wild this time of year.”

  She heard a dial tone and then Akron’s voice. Relief filled the breath she eased out. She hadn’t even realized she’d been holding it.

  “Nigel. Please. Everything is fine. Truly. You need to cease this helicopter grand-parenting. I already told you I’d apprise you of any change.”

  “I know you did, Sir. And I wouldn’t have called except I’ve got Eska the Eskimo on the line.”

  “Eska is not an Eskimo. She is Inupiaq.”

  “I know that. She knows that. Heck. Everyone knows that. But it sounds so rad. Eska the Eskimo.”

  Akron gave a heavy sigh. “Eska? Are you on the line, then?”

  “Yes, Sir.”

  “Excellent. What can I do for you?”

  “I need to ask about that man in the dungeon.”

  “Which one?”

  Eska straightened. “We have more than one man in the dungeon?”

  “Wow. And here I thought Siberia had changed,” Nigel inserted.

  “I don’t think we’ll be needing you, Nigel. You may disconnect.”

  “Oh, come on. This is some totally awesome stuff. Let me stay. Please? Maybe I can help.”

  “Surely you have better things to do.”

  “None that come to mind.”

  “Why don’t you hack into the Hunter system again? Check on their progress...or lack thereof.”

  “Already on that train wreck, Sir. They’ve got a live feed on the search and rescue operation. It’s rather entertaining, but...also tragic. Really engrossing. Yet gut-wrenchingly terrible. I can’t stop watching. It’s like I have a front row seat to fate, but I’m powerless to alter anything. Know what I mean?”

  “Yes. Exactly. I am also impressed.”

  “At what?”

  “Immortality comes at a price, Nigel. You are discovering some of it.”

  “Wow. That’s profound, Sir.”

  “Haven’t you heard that ignorance is bliss, Nigel?”

  “Hasn’t everyone?”

  “Well. It’s true. Eska? Is it possible you are still there?”

  “Yes, Sir.”

  “Excellent. How can I help you?”

  “I just found my mate.”

  Nigel let out a whoop.

  “I see,” Akron said.

  “You see? Come on, Sir! Lighten up. This is the most totally awesome thing that could happen to any vampire! It deserves more than a mediocre ‘I see’!”

  “Nigel. We are using a satellite phone system. As such, we do have a bit of leeway with time to exchange information. And why? Because no one, as of yet, has figured out how to track these calls instantaneously. Are you getting my drift yet?”

  “Yes, Sir. Got it. Zip the lip. And that was a great use of slang, by-the-way.”

  Akron’s sigh echoed through the earpiece. The phone trembled in her hand. That was a new experience, too.

  “And now...I’ll continue? Eska? Am I to infer that this has something to do with the man in the dungeon?”

  “Yes. It’s him. My mate.”

  “I see. Nigel. Put the Tunguska compound on lock-down immediately.”

  “On it.”

  Eska heard a whir of sound somewhere out in the hall. Her hands instantly felt icy and her belly had a sick-feeling she hadn’t felt in centuries. She swallowed nervously.

  “Eska? I shall be in contact with you shortly.”

  “What? You’re ending this connection?” Nigel asked.

  “Yes. That is exactly what I am doing.”

  “Right now?”

  “Ignorance, Nigel. Remember? Oh. And before I forget – cease offering a bargain price structure for our services. We don’t have it.”

  The line went dead after Akron’s answer, and then her cell phone rang. Eska didn’t even question how as she snatched it up and pressed connect.

  “H-h-hello?” She had a tremor to her voice. That wasn’t an auspicious way to start this.

  “Where is he, Eska?”

  “Hank?”

  “Hank?” Akron echoed.

  “The man in the dungeon. He told me his name was Hank. Oh. Wait. He said it was Henry. I...changed it to Hank.”

  “He told you his name was Henry?”

  “That...isn’t his name?”

  “No. That is correct. He can definitely claim to be Henry.”

  “Please don’t say he’s my assignment, Sir. Don’t make me kill him.”

  “He is definitely your assignment, Eska. But this is not a hit. He is not to be harmed. In any fashion. Understand?”

  “But he’s being tortured with Holy Water now.”

  “Heavily diluted, my dear. Anything stronger would burn. Pit his skin. Leave nasty-looking sores all over him.”

  “Ugh.” Eska shuddered.

  “Precisely my point. Now. Tell me where he is.”

  “Still in the dungeon.”

  “You didn’t release him?”

  “Please don’t get angry, but I was going to free him, and then things turned strange, and...well...” Her sentence dribbled off as a blush warmed her cheeks, throat, and then everything that had felt icy. Another sign of renewal!

  “So, what did you do?”

  “I ran away.”

  Akron burst out laughing. The phone buzzed with a volume it must not be able to transfer. She had a difficult time hearing his next question.

  “You left him shackled?”

  “Yes.”

  He chortled again. “Oh. This is classic.”

  “You’re...not mad?” she asked.

  “Oh, no. Not at all.”

  “Truly?”

  “I will admit to being slightly overwrought earlier. And I hope now I sound relieved.”

  “He must have done something really terrible.”

  “Henry? I mean...Hank?”

  He’d paused before the nickname, and then chuckled again. That was a distinct clue. Eska considered it for a moment.

  “You know him well, don’t you?” she asked.

  “We met once, actually.”

  “And yet you have him chained?”

  “Anything else is too dangerous to consider.”

  Eska�
�s eyes widened. Her breath caught. Her heart pounded mightily for several seconds before she exhaled. “Hank...is dangerous?”

  “You could say that. Yes. Exceptionally so.”

  His voice deepened ominously. An instant flash of electricity shot through her, startling and then stimulating. She’d been chasing excitement for so long she’d forgotten how it felt to experience it. Her breasts quivered. Nipples tightened. Her thighs trembled. And all manner of tingling hit her lower belly. This was so thrilling!

  “How can a college boy be dangerous?” she queried.

  “He told you he’s a college boy?”

  “He didn’t use the term boy. I did. But...isn’t it true?”

  “I cannot dispute it. He is definitely still in college.”

  “He’s being held against his will?”

  “For the moment.”

  “No wonder he’s so livid.”

  “Livid? Our...Hank? That’s interesting. I found him cool, reserved, and a bit on the demanding side.”

  “That’s because you are not his mate,” Eska replied.

  Akron laughed again. Her receiver rumbled. Eska yanked it from contact with her skull and rubbed at her ear. She was used to a heightened ability to hear, but none had ever caused pain. This part of reanimation obviously had an unpleasant side-effect.

  “Is there anything else you would like to ask?” Akron prompted after a moment.

  “Is it all right if I release him?”

  “If you wish. But don’t trust him too far.”

  “I won’t.”

  “And don’t let him wander off.”

  “I don’t think he’ll go anywhere. We’re in the Siberian wilderness and he’s in under-drawers.”

  “You noticed that, did you?”

  She nearly giggled. And then blushed again. She didn’t answer. Her voice might give it away.

  “Well. I think that about covers it. I’ll be in your cell range, Eska. If you need me, just call. And now, good bye. And have fun.”

  Oh.

  She intended to.

  CHAPTER SIX

  She rushed back to the dungeon area at almost the same speed she’d left. The lantern light shed a golden glow; a beacon in a morass of dark. Eska stopped just out of view, using the time to tuck stray strands into place behind an ear. Fidget with where the dress hugged her hips. Adjust the lace of her undergarment about her hip. Perhaps she should have taken the time to change. This dress was travel-worn and wrinkled. She had options. She’d packed several gowns, all fashioned in the same basic pattern. Crafted of a similar material. In like colors. Then again, this one was orange, and while she loved vivid colors...orange was her favorite. She had shorter hemlines, though. Leg-baring lengths. And much sexier shoes. Why, she still wore the functional toe-skimming pumps she’d donned for travel. She could have swapped for stiletto heels...

  She smacked her forehead.

  What was she thinking? Changing anything would have taken time. And she’d already spent too much away from everything that mattered. She’d found her mate! A sliver of sensation slid through her, tickling as it lifted goose bumps. Her heart skipped a beat before resuming. Eska put a hand to her breast and almost sighed.

  This was just so exciting!

  She still didn’t know what he’d done to deserve incarceration, but his other explanations had been proven true. His name was Henry. He was a college student. He wasn’t a Hunter. He couldn’t be. Akron wouldn’t allow one of them to continue breathing. And he knew she wouldn’t.

  But she added the real bonus. She had full permission to release him...and he didn’t know it.

  Oh!

  Excitement was too tame a word.

  She pulled in a breath, straightened her shoulders, walked around the corner...and lost the inhaled air the moment she met his gaze. The earlier niggling sensation whooshed into something much larger. It rose through her chest, tightened her throat. Stung her eyes. It was akin to stepping outside on a frigid winter morn in her old village. And it wasn’t just the color of his eyes that brought about the instant response. It was the expression he had on his handsome face. He didn’t just look dangerous. He looked lethal.

  She’d been wrong to call him Hank. Henry may not sound quite right, but Hank was much too casual, and easily too tame.

  “Oh. Look who came back,” he remarked caustically.

  “I said I would.”

  “No. You said you’d be right back.”

  His words confused. Her voice reflected it. “Yes. I did. Exactly.”

  “This is your definition of right back?”

  “I was gone a few minutes.”

  “You were gone eighteen minutes, forty-two seconds. No. It’s forty-three. Going on forty-four.” He paused for a moment. “Now forty-five.”

  “What are you counting?”

  “This water drips at a constant rate of one every three seconds. It’s a simple calculation.”

  “How do you know that’s accurate?”

  “I don’t. I’m usually dead-on with time measurement, but I have nothing for a comparative at the moment except my heartbeat. As an athlete, it normally beats a consistent forty per minute. While resting. I am experiencing two heartbeats for every one drip. Therefore, either the drops are falling at twenty per minute...or this dripping sound is so annoying my heart has been dragged into cadence with it! And I swore I’d keep that part to myself!”

  His voice rose in agitation. Eska smiled as she approached him. She took her time. Silk slid across her thighs, sending shivers with each alternating step. The lace bands of her stockings flexed. Her belly quivered, her fangs vibrated, her throat closed off. Even her nipples tightened against the bodice. She watched as he looked there before moving his gaze back to hers. Her steps halted as he regarded her without blinking, and oh! He had such amazingly blue eyes! How had she ever considered dark eyes desirable?

  She licked her lips. Tried to swallow. Searched for something to say that wouldn’t reveal how his proximity altered everything.

  “Sounds like your calculation could be flawed,” she finally remarked.

  “This is a fictitious assignment, so it doesn’t really matter, does it? But, I’ll lay odds I’m close. I even factored in the times when the drip rate isn’t constant.”

  “It’s not constant?”

  “I can speed it up. Would you like a demonstration?”

  He sounded angered for some reason. Eska considered him for some time before nodding. He turned his head to look at the stone above him. Took a deep breath that lifted his pecs and put a lot of definition everywhere she looked. And then he shoved his arms into the air to smack the cuffs together. Chains jangled. The clash of metal to metal was loud. A flash of light accompanied his actions, and then a shower of droplets misted him. His body jerked, he gave a low-pitched grunt, and then he settled back onto his pallet. His arms dropped to his sides. His eyes were closed. He was breathing heavily.

  “That looked...painful,” Eska said.

  “It is.”

  “Then why did you do it?”

  “Because it beats lying here with nothing else to do but listen to that infernal dripping.” He opened his eyes, but didn’t move from regarding the rock above him. “Know something else? The amount of pain seems to increase with each attempt.”

  “Maybe it’s so you’ll cease trying.”

  “Really? You think so?” he asked sarcastically.

  “Are you making fun of me?”

  He sighed. “Forgive me. This has been a hellish day. Or...it’s probably night, isn’t it? I don’t know why I ask. I don’t even know where I am.”

  Several moments passed. Eska took a hesitant step toward him. “You don’t really expect me to tell you, do you?”

  “Actually...I’m starting to think you’re part of the torture package on this joyride.”

  Eska lifted a brow and tilted her head in consideration. His words were intriguing. Was it possible he felt the mating pull, as well? The thought se
nt a jolt of pure pleasure through her. She quivered a moment before licking her lips. She slid another step toward him. Exhaled a trembled breath that showed just how much his comment had affected her. Gathered her nerve, and spoke. “Oh. Be not like that.”

  “Like what?”

  “So...angry.”

  “Are you joshing? I am being held prisoner here!” He thumped the pallet for emphasis. “I’m used to being active! I never laze about with nothing to occupy myself! And then what do I get? You.”

  “That is not a very nice way to talk to someone if you want their help.”

  He snapped his head back toward her. His lids were half-lowered over incredibly blue eyes. Her movements stilled. She wondered if he knew the power of his gaze, and then silently answered it. Of course he must. That’s why he used it.

  “You’re still offering to help me?”

  “I am debating it.”

  “Oh, Eska. Please? I’ll do anything if you’ll free me. Pay any amount! I, um...fibbed earlier. Well...actually, it wasn’t a real fib; it was more a failure to fully disclose.”

  You’re a Hunter?

  Her heart stopped. Cold washed through her. She steeled herself, but her voice still cracked when she used it. “Go...on.”

  “My family is wealthy. Filthy rich.”

  Relief was a palpable entity. Eska couldn’t keep it hidden. She didn’t even try. She was smiling widely as she responded. “Really?”

  “My father is a peer. That means he’s got a title. It’s been passed down since the Hundred Year War with France — never mind. It’s ancient history. I’m sure you don’t care. He’s a lord. And extremely rich. I think that’s why I’m here. I don’t know what the ransom demand is, but if you’ll help me, I will put as many dollars in your bank account as you want.”

  “What makes you think I’d accept that?”

  “I thought you were American. Are you Canadian, then?”

  “What does that matter?”