Tall, Dark and Paranormal: 10 Thrilling Tales of Sexy Alpha Bad Boys

by Opal Carew

  “No, I can’t understand how you feel, Adonis. We have to think of more than your sexual needs.”

  His blood heated. “I want her forever, Danai, not just to bed.”

  “And you know you can’t have her. Not as a vampire.” She placed her hands on her hips. “What’s gotten into you anyway? You said you’d have no problem taking her to Piaras. With your charming ways, you’d sweep her off her feet and before she knew it, she’d do what neither of us can do... kill Piaras. But no, now you’ve succumbed to her charms.”

  He slipped the sharpened blade into its leather sheath. Was his sister jealous? He’d never seen her so annoyed over any attention he’d ever paid to a woman. Of course, he’d never paid this kind of attention to any woman. “You’ll need to see her at her uncle’s house. When you gain entrance, you can let me in.”

  “You’ve got to be insane.” Danai furrowed her brow and crossed her arms.

  Exasperated, he took a deep breath. “You can do it. She knows you. Just tell her family that you were concerned about her. That she called you and was crying about being returned home. You wished to know if there was anything you could do for her. But whatever you do, sweet talk yourself into the house.”

  Danai shook her head. “And how will I say I know her? She won’t have been allowed to have any friends other than huntresses. They’ll know I’m not one of them.”

  “Just tell them you’re not from around here. But make it some place other than the east coast.”

  “It won’t work, Adonis. They’ll ask me millions of questions. Why am I here, alone? Why am I not married? I’m Rachael’s age and like her, I should be married. They won’t believe me. And because of the trouble you’ve caused, they’ll be distrustful of any who try to get near her. I can’t believe what you’ve done.”

  He couldn’t tell her how he’d decided the whole scenario once Gregory had come to visit her to ensure Rachael’s safety until they had to see Piaras. Danai would think he’d lost his mind. But he didn’t trust Piaras. So now Danai had to get him into the hunter’s house. There was no other way. “Tell them the truth to an extent. You refused to marry the hunter in... well, make some place up. And left there to get a new start. Just get into her uncle’s house.”

  “You’re going to get yourself killed. Even if you were a hunter—which you no longer are—you would have to have permission to pursue her. If they find you in the house trying to see her... “

  “They won’t catch us.”

  She groaned. “I didn’t think I’d ever see you throw all our lives away over a woman.”

  “She’ll help us to get them back. One way or another.”

  “You don’t plan on living either, once she dies, do you?”

  “Just get into her uncle’s house, Danai. That’s all I ask of you.” He wasn’t about to consider what would happen to either of them when they faced Piaras. All he could think of was getting into the house and seeing Rachael again, touching her, holding her tight, and kissing that sweet velvet mouth of hers.

  And then taking her away to the most odious of tasks. Teaching an unproven huntress how to kill some of his vampire kind—the ones who murdered for sport—and hoping to hell she’d have enough natural hunter skill to pull this off.

  ***

  Rachael tried to act nonchalantly when Uncle Tobias motioned to her to sit in the hot seat in his conference room at his home. Like a jury, her cousins, Michael and Zachary, and two of her uncle’s cousins, Brent and Curt—both white-haired and distinguished looking gentlemen—sat across from her in a semi-circle in green leather chairs. The conference table, that comfortably seated twenty-two, was shoved against the wall out of the way. Gregory and two other suitors, both dark-haired like Adonis, came late and filled the remaining seats while her uncle paced before her.

  The walls were covered in burgundy and forest green floral wallpaper, disguising the real purpose of the room—the hunters’ local staging area for making plans to destroy rogue vampires—the bloodsuckers who murdered for the pleasure of killing, most as bloodthirsty as Piaras himself.

  She held her hands on her lap, not knowing what else to do with them. As ice cold as they were, she felt like sitting on them, while another chill of worry trickled down her spine. Despite the anxiety rising in her blood, she tried to remain calm, taking a couple of deep breaths, but attempting to be subtle about it.

  Everyone kept his eyes focused on her, watching for any kind of reaction that she might have that would give her away. And she was certain she was giving herself away big time. But how could she not when she was the only huntress in the room and all of the hunters were looking to condemn her for her behavior? Even though she had to admit her actions were pretty damned condemning.

  Michael had sat in the hot seat three months ago the third such time that she knew of for going after vampires on his own, which was the reason her uncle had finally forced him out of the League of Hunter’s circle. But huntresses never sat in on the proceedings in this region. Unless, like she, the huntress was the reason for the inquisition. She didn’t remember any of the other huntresses having a reason for getting in this kind of trouble though.

  She licked her lips and swallowed hard as her uncle faced her. His stormy gray eyes glared at her, and she met his icy look ounce for ounce.

  “Who is this Adonis Cameron?”

  “A hunter.” Her words squeaked out, and she cleared her dry throat.

  Zachary swallowed, his Adam’s apple bobbing. Did he feel sorry for her? Michael’s expression, on the other hand, was hard and cold as a block of ice. She figured since he’d been in her place before, he would show no mercy. But then, he’d always been the stronger of the two brothers where emotions were concerned. And she assumed his hardness was meant to get her in line before she really got hurt.

  She couldn’t bear to look at Gregory or her other suitors. She turned her attention back to her uncle who just stared at her.

  “Rachael, did you hear me?”

  Oh hell, he must have questioned her about something else. “I’m sorry, Uncle Tobias. What did you ask me?”

  “Where did you meet him?”

  This was going to be the difficult part. She spent some time at the library researching about vampires and at two of her married cousins’ homes playing with their children and visiting with their wives, Mary and Trish. But she tended to be a homebody and didn’t go out a lot except in the past to take care of rabid-acting vampire dogs... and the whole family knew it.

  “Rachael?”

  “At... at the library.” Three of the men hmpfd in response. She wasn’t sure which ones.

  Gregory’s steely expression didn’t change. She couldn’t tell what he was thinking.

  Then she figured she’d blown it now. Hunters didn’t spend their spare time in libraries. Certainly not one who was as much of a hunk as Adonis. Plus her hesitant answer didn’t help.

  “Which library?”

  “The main one.” Finally she spit out an answer without sounding like a mouse, only now she felt like a rat for having lied to her family whose only concern was in keeping her safe.

  But she nearly always used the main one and her cousins at least, would have known that. Plus it was much bigger, easier to run into more people there.

  Everyone was watching her. Uncle Tobias tapped his foot on the floor. “Did you hear me?”

  Jeez, she’d done it again. “I didn’t sleep well last night.” She rubbed her temple. “What did you ask me?”

  “Why didn’t you sleep well?” He shifted his attention to Zachary who straightened his back. Was her cousin supposed to have made sure she slept well also?

  “I had nightmares.” Of one hot sexy vampire desiring her, plying her with his heated kisses, lulling her under his spell.

  “About what?”

  “You don’t want to know about my nightmares.” Or at least she really didn’t want him to know about her nightmares.

  “I want to know everything that’s g
oing on with you. It seems I’ve been too lax with you of late. What about these nightmares you’re having?”

  “I don’t remember them.” She shrugged. “I just woke—you know how you do—but can’t remember the nightmare.”

  One of her uncle’s cousins folded his arms, his expression unrevealing, but she still felt he didn’t believe her.

  Uncle Tobias was rubbing his chin, watching her. “What about this Adonis Cameron? How come he knew you were a huntress? And how did you come to know he was a hunter?”

  She glanced down at her hands. If she looked into his eyes, he’d surely be able to see she was lying. On the other hand, her avoidance of his gaze would indicate the same thing.

  She looked up at him. “We bumped into each other. He was reading a book on antiques, and I thought I heard Trish’s daughter speaking. I turned and the man came out from behind a bookrack. We collided. I had a whole handful of mystery books that I dropped, so he helped me pick them up. Then he noticed the dagger at my waist.”

  Rachael pushed a curl tickling her cheek behind her ear. “Well, being a hunter, he recognized the ancient inscription on the pearl handle and offered to buy me a cup of coffee down the street.”

  Someone tapped a foot on the floor, and Rachael looked over to see Gregory shaking his head at her.

  “And did you have coffee with him?” her uncle asked.

  “No. It would have been forbidden without your permission since I’d never seen the man before.”

  “Then why in the hell was he in your apartment?”

  “He helped me to the checkout counter, and I left my library card there by accident. He found out where I lived and came to my apartment to bring it to me.”

  Gregory cleared his throat. She looked over at him. Her uncle nodded. “You have something to ask?”

  Gregory stood. “You were at the ball, then returned home. The next morning, you visited Michael’s house, and Zachary returned you home. Once he left, this east coast hunter arrives at your apartment. My question is, when had you gone to the library?”

  “Before I went to Michael’s house.”

  He looked at her uncle who raised his brows. Gregory retook his seat.

  Thank God he probably didn’t know anything about the library’s hours or how the library operated. No one there would have allowed the hunter to take her library card so that he could deliver it to her, and no one would have given him her home address. Unless he was a vampire and wheedled it out of them that way.

  “Any other questions?” Uncle Tobias asked the men.

  “Why did you let him into your apartment, Rachael?” her uncle’s cousin, Brent, asked.

  “He’s a hunter. They don’t easily take no for an answer. He sort of invited himself in.”

  Brent lifted his chin, studying her to see if she’d told the truth. Although he’d always been kind to her, she knew she couldn’t get much past him, and he’d be like the rest of the hunters, no tolerance when it came to a huntress taking matters like this into her own hands. “So you offered him a meal? But Michael says you didn’t have lunch with him. You weren’t hungry.”

  She was lousy at lying. The more she did it, the bigger the hole she dug for herself. “Gregory came to my apartment and found him there. I knew once Gregory took off in a huff—threatening to tell Uncle Tobias—the lunch was over. And frankly, neither of us was hungry after that.”

  “Why didn’t Cameron stay and face us like a hunter should?” Michael asked, eyes narrowed.

  “He intended to. I insisted he leave. He’s about as bull-headed as you are.”

  A smile tugged at Michael’s lips. That, he could understand. And she figured nobody would assume she was lying about that.

  “What about the questions you asked me, Rachael? Why did you want to know if a vampire could see or hear things when he vanished?”

  The men all waited for her answer with baited breaths. She shrugged, trying to appear unshaken by their questioning of her, although deep inside, her system churned with worry that she’d make a slip. “I told you, I was just curious.”

  “And asking why a vampire would want to kill another?”

  “Michael, I just wondered is all.” Rubbing her hands in her lap, she tried to warm them. She swore they had set the air conditioner on high in the room despite it being a cool fall day.

  “Yeah, and that’s why you drove to my place. Just because you were curious. Even though you were forbidden to see me while I was exiled. Why not ask Father or Zachary the questions instead?”

  He had her there. And she had no good answer for him either. “I thought maybe you’d know.” Lame, lame and they all knew it.

  “Rachael,” Uncle Tobias said, crouching in front of her, looking a whole lot less intimidating, “did you think a vampire watched you at some time, but you couldn’t see him?”

  “Sure. In the shadows of the balcony outside the ballroom. I couldn’t see him. It was like he was invisible.”

  “This happened at no other time?”

  She looked at Zachary, the only one she really worried might have heard something more. He rubbed his forehead and wrinkled his brow like he did when he was contemplating something serious. If Zachary had come to the conclusion Adonis was in her apartment listening to them when her cousin was making himself a sandwich because of some of the observations he’d made, the man’s spicy scent in her bedroom, her naked lips which she had made the mistake of saying was due to Gregory’s kissing her, if he suspected—

  Uncle Tobias patted her leg as if to get her attention. “What about the vampire wanting to kill another? Is that what the one on the balcony said to you?”

  “I was just curious. I already said so.” A dribble of perspiration trickled between her breasts despite the chill in the room.

  Michael leaned forward in his chair and pinned her with accusation. “What about when you asked if a vampire could really have feelings for someone?”

  “I will never ever ask another question about vampires my whole life if this is the trouble I get into it for it.”

  “There’s no harm in asking the questions.” Her uncle rose from his crouched position. “We just wonder why you’re so interested all of a sudden.”

  “I’ve always been interested. I’ve checked out tons of books on the subject, but I’ve never found anything that addressed these questions.”

  Gregory stood as if lending weight to his query. “What happened between you and the man while he was in your apartment?”

  A flush of heat rose to her cheeks when she thought of Adonis’s hands on her breasts. “He made passionate, romantic love to me. What do you think?”

  Gregory made a derisive sound under his breath and sat back down. Zachary snickered. His mouth grim, Michael gave his head a shake.

  “That’s quite enough, Rachael,” her uncle scolded. “You have three men interested in your hand in marriage sitting in on these proceedings. Mind your tongue. We’re only doing this to ensure your safety.”

  They were right, of course. And she was wrong, but whatever power Adonis held over her couldn’t easily be quashed.

  “I don’t want you to see this man again. If he didn’t have the courage to speak to me first, he has no right sneaking around, trying to see you behind my back.”

  She bit her tongue to avoid repeating the library story. No use in bringing that scenario up again and possibly getting herself into more hot water if they thought to investigate. Not only hadn’t she been to the library in over a week, but it would show she hadn’t checked out any books for longer than that. So how could she have left her card behind that same day? But she couldn’t fib about having been there some other day, and then have her uncle wondering how long she’d been seeing Adonis behind his back.

  She assumed introducing Adonis as a hunter to her uncle wouldn’t affect his decision about her either. He wanted her to marry into one of the local hunter families. Not someone he didn’t know anything about. And certainly if he’d known Adonis was
n’t even a hunter any longer—

  “Rachael, pay attention. About the vampire who approached you on the balcony, what did he say to you?” Uncle Tobias asked.

  “I... I was shook up. I don’t remember.”

  “You talked to him for several seconds while our men armed themselves. You must remember something he said.”

  She shook her head.

  “We can introduce a truth serum into your blood, Rachael. Maybe you’ll remember some details about what happened that you can’t seem to now because of his frightening you.”

  They couldn’t! Could she keep up the charade while under the influence of the drug? They’d learn the truth. She couldn’t allow it. “You can’t do that without my permission.”

  Uncle Tobias’s brows lifted a little. “If you have nothing to hide, you won’t deny us permission.”

  Tension filled the room, everyone silently waiting for her response, their faces grim. If she’d said that would be fine, she imagined relief would have been visible in at least some of the hunters’ expressions. But even so, concern of what they might learn would keep most on edge. If she refused to give her permission that would most likely prove her guilty. Yet in truth, if she allowed them to use the serum on her, that would surely prove her guilty beyond any doubt.

  Steeling her back, she shook her head, and the men’s expressions changed subtly from a hint of hope to resignation. “I have nothing to hide. But you’re treating me like some kind of criminal.”

  She still thought she might have a choice, but she should have known better. Brent pulled a syringe out of his jacket pocket. They’d already planned this. Damn them. Rachael nearly died. Her heart pounded so hard she felt it would burst through her chest.

  Uncle Tobias motioned to Gregory and Rachael’s other suitors. “You must leave now. You can see her at dinner.”

  Without thinking her actions through, Rachael jumped from her chair. She bolted for the door, escaping her fate the only thing on her mind. Uncle Tobias lunged forward and grabbed her arm. Surprised and panicked, she screamed. As soon as she twisted her arm free like she’d been taught in ju jitsu during hunter training, she tried to make another run for it, but Gregory tackled her this time, wrapping his arms around her like a living, breathing human straight jacket.