“So tell me what happened,” she said when he took the chair across from her. The table was so small, their legs almost touched beneath it.
Luca retold the events of what had taken place at his house. It was more than apparent that Arden knew about him. For whatever reason, he wanted to see Luca for himself. Kat knew that wouldn’t go well for anyone but Arden.
“He isn’t going to stop until he gets his hands on you.” Kat watched as Luca took a sip of the hot coffee. When his tongue flicked out to catch the foam on the edge of his lip, she almost melted in her seat. Distracted by the sensual action, she struggled to focus on what she was saying. “We have to do something before he ups the ante. You’ve taken out a nice number of his people. But if he feels the need, he’ll just turn a few victims to make up for the loss. There is no rhyme or reason to his decision-making process.”
Luca studied her intently. It made her uncomfortable with his scrutiny. She knew he didn’t trust her. She didn’t trust him either. But if they were going to work together, they would have to come to an understanding of some kind.
“I don’t want to give him time to send anyone else after me. It’s just prolonging the inevitable.” Luca ran a hand through his dark hair. His distress was easily discernible. “What can we do?”
“We?” Kat questioned. “Are you sure that you’re willing to do this? You weren’t exactly enthusiastic about it earlier.”
“Well, that was before I knew he’d found my house. I’m not safe there anymore. Neither are my neighbors. I can’t let innocent people die because of some asshole on a power trip. I’m willing to do just about anything to get my hands on Arden and bring an end to this entire mess.”
Kat didn’t miss the way Luca’s jaw twitched. He was keeping something from her. She was certain of it.
“Why do you want Arden so bad?” she dared to ask. “I mean, for a vampire hunter, it’s rather odd that you have this personal attachment to the death of a particular one. Am I wrong on that?”
He gave her a dark look that would have been intimidating if it hadn’t been so damn sexy. He seemed to be contemplating how much to share. Kat shifted in her chair, adjusting her skirt so it hid her bare legs. She didn’t miss the way his gaze followed her movements. Crossing her arms in front of her on the table, she leaned forward. The action drew Luca’s gaze to her bountiful cleavage, and she smiled, pleased with his reaction.
“All right,” he relented. “If we’re going to work together on this, I guess I will have to trust you. I doubt hiding it makes much of a difference anyway. Arden turned my father into a vampire. So you see, it’s become somewhat personal with him.”
He didn’t offer any further explanation. Kat knew better than to prompt. She was getting more out of him by letting it come naturally.
“I see.” She nodded, causing a lock of deep red hair to fall into her eyes.
Before she could brush it away, Luca reached to do so. He looked just as surprised as she felt when his hand gently grazed the side of her face. It sent a jolt of electricity throughout her entire body, unlike anything she’d ever felt before. Luca pulled back quickly, looking both apologetic and confused.
“Sorry,” he murmured. “Do you have any idea how we should proceed from here?”
Kat had more than a few ideas but doubted any of them were quite what he was thinking. She pondered their limited options. She had to know what Arden knew about Luca. If he knew Luca was the son of a vampire he’d turned, perhaps he didn’t want to kill him at all.
She took in the sight of Luca, alive and glowing with health. The thought of Arden turning him into a creature of the night was unbearable. His heart beat steady and strong. The blood rushing through his veins was full of life. Kat tried to imagine him changed, pale and hungry for the blood of innocents. It was beyond disturbing.
“I’ll go to Arden and see if I can get him to tell me what it is he wants with you. Then we’ll have a better idea of what we’re really up against.”
“No,” Luca protested with a vigorous shake of his head. “You said yourself how much you loathe him. Won’t he be suspicious if you turn up on his doorstep asking questions?”
Kat grinned. “I can handle Arden. I’ll play on his sick, disgusting obsession with me and tell him I’ve heard about the vampire hunter in town. If I tell him I’m worried, he’ll spill any plans he has for you just to ease my fear.”
He studied her for so long, she began to grow uneasy. The way he frowned while chewing his lower lip thoughtfully made Kat take a closer look at Luca. Was he worried?
“I want to go with you, just in case.”
She gaped at him. “In case of what? And what will you do? Run into a house filled with vampires and take them all on?”
His jaw clenching, Luca frowned and looked away, out the window to the night beyond. When he looked back at her, there was a fire burning deep within the depths of his dark eyes that enthralled Kat. “Arden isn’t going to let any of them kill me. He’ll want to do it himself. I only have one vampire to worry about. I want to come with you. As long as everything goes smoothly, he won’t even know I’m there.”
“You can’t come anywhere near the house. You’ll have to park down the road again. It’s better that way.” Kat paused as a thought came to her. “Arden won’t kill me at this point either. But if he finds out that you and I have ever had any contact, it’ll be over for both of us.”
“Not going to happen,” Luca insisted. “I didn’t stake my own father just so that Arden Ashton could take me out.”
The revelation shocked Kat. She couldn’t imagine killing someone she loved. Of course, Kat didn’t love anybody. She hadn’t for a very long time. The pain in his eyes spoke to her, touched her in hidden places. She couldn’t help but wonder if Luca walked through life as bitterly alone as she did. Asking didn’t seem appropriate.
Something had shifted between them with Luca’s admittance. It was as if a door had opened, allowing Kat a glimpse of the man behind the hunter. And God help her, she wanted to see more.
“All right, then,” Kat conceded. “Let’s go to Arden’s. I’m not looking forward to this, but I’d like to get it over with before sunrise.”
“Will there be enough time? I don’t want you to get stuck there.”
She laughed bitterly. “Please. I’d throw myself into the first morning rays before I’d let Arden have me trapped for the day. It’s been a long time since I faced the day with him. That’s a nightmare I’ll never relive.”
Silence fell between them. Luca turned his attention to his coffee mug as if it were the most fascinating thing he’d ever seen. It didn’t take a mind reader to know something was bothering him. Why did she so badly want to reach across the table to touch him? And what would he do if she did?
Kat was definitely not celibate. She had no qualms about taking men to her bed. Never had she wanted one as desperately as she wanted Luca. It was so wrong. She knew it. Wasn’t it?
“All right.” Luca scanned the room, taking stock of those coming and going. “We need a new plan, then. I can’t take the chance of having you get trapped with him. There has to be a better way.”
“No, it’s the best way for me to find out what he’s up to. We can go tomorrow night, right after sundown. There will be more than enough time.”
They stared intently at one another. Luca was tense and incredibly anxious. She could sense the change in his heart rate as its rhythmic tempo increased. It drew her focus, and with additional concentration, she was easily able to hear it as well as smell the heavenly elixir coursing through his veins.
A flood of heat rushed to her loins. Desire for his body and blood together reared its head. The immense hunger for him was almost too much. He was more than just another victim. He held the promise of satisfaction for both her hunger and her lust. The need was powerful, tempting her to answer the call of the bloodlust. Her gums began to itch and tingle, throbbing where her fangs were. If she didn’t get out of there, s
he was running the risk of doing something she’d regret later.
“I have to go,” she blurted suddenly. Gathering her purse, she stood too quickly, almost causing her chair to tip over. “I’ll meet you tomorrow. Just say where.”
Luca jumped up, concern etching lines in his smooth skin. “Are you all right? Can I give you a lift anywhere?”
He followed her to the door and reached to open it for her. Kat wished he wouldn’t. It was really making it tough to drown out the sound of her every instinct screaming at her. For just a moment on their way out, his firm chest pressed against her back. Was she imagining it or did he freeze for a split second?
She pushed away from him. “No, thank you. I’ll be fine. I don’t live far from here.”
Luca’s expression was carefully neutral, but there was no hiding the question in his eyes. If he kept her there much longer, she was going to abandon self-control and start tearing his clothing off. She just might fuck him right then and there. Public place be damned.
“So tomorrow after sunset? I’ll meet you here.”
“Yes,” she replied with much more enthusiasm than was necessary. “I’ll be here. Be careful tonight.”
He never said another word, but she got the feeling he wanted to. If he teased her about a kiss, she was going to lose it. That would be it for the both of them. God, what was wrong with her? She felt like a smitten schoolgirl.
She disappeared into the night, refusing to look back, though she wanted to. He was human, and she was not. There was nothing more to it. He wasn’t like the rest, prey that was a temporary but disposable comfort. No, Luca was so much more than any other human man. Unfortunately, his lot in life was to destroy vampires. And that meant her.
Chapter Six
The wrought-iron gate loomed before them like the backdrop of a B-rated horror flick. Arden’s house was a pale silhouette at the end of the driveway. Luca’s heart beat an intense, anxious rhythm in his chest. It seemed to echo inside Kat’s head. It dominated her attention, despite what she was about to do.
He watched her calmly as she made her way to the gate. Kat focused her energy. Directing it with precision, the gate soon opened before them.
“I’m timing you,” Luca said, no hint of humor in his tone. “If you’re not out in an hour, I’m coming in.”
“Don’t be so impatient. You could blow this for both of us. Just stay out of sight, and don’t come rampaging in there without good reason.” With a dismissive gesture, she turned away and walked up the long driveway.
The iron gate slowly swung shut behind her, effectively separating them. Kat could feel Luca’s gaze on her as she walked. She’d tried to make him wait in the SUV half a mile away. He’d refused.
If Arden didn’t already sense her presence, he soon would. She concentrated on staying cool and calm, though she was fearful that she would give herself away. Arden was no dummy. He would instantly be on alert if she gave him any reason to doubt her. She couldn’t let him know she had met Luca. It would bring about all kinds of hell.
The closer she came to the house, the slower her feet seemed to move. Holding her chin high, she pursed her lips and strode up the front steps. She wasn’t going to allow Arden to intimidate her before she’d even looked him in the eyes. The certainty of his impending death drove her, filling her with fire and determination.
Before she could raise a hand to the bell, the large double doors swung open. It was time to see how good of an actress she might have been in another life. Arden waited in the dimly lit foyer, curiosity in his eyes and a smile on his lips.
“What’s going on, Arden?” she cried out, panic in her voice. “I’ve heard there’s someone out there hunting us down like animals. Tell me what’s happened.”
Arden nodded knowingly. His expression grew dark. “Ah, Kat. How nice to see you. Of course the only reason you bother to come to me is to ensure your own safety. How typically selfish of you.”
Fury began to simmer inside her, but Kat quashed it before it could resonate in her energy. If she gave in to the urge to lash out, she would get nothing from him.
“Arden, please. I’m afraid. What kind of person could possibly be able to take down so many of us? It isn’t right.”
His brows came together as he frowned. He was eyeing her closely, too closely for her liking. “Afraid that you’ll be next, my love? I suppose that would put a real damper on your human play. Have you just been reminded of what you are?”
“Don’t be absurd.” She swept inside, then went to him and gripped his arm. “Why must you hold it against me that I have other desires? There is more to existing in this world than feeding and creeping around like a fairy-tale monster.”
“Certainly.” He looked at the plunging neckline of the black satin dress she wore. She fought back the disgusted glare that threatened to form on her face. “Much more to do in this world than feed. Did you have something specific in mind?”
Kat screamed mentally, hating him for looking at her with such a lecherous hunger. Would it never stop? Keeping her emotions reined in was much harder than she’d assumed. Knowing Luca waited for her kept her going.
“Is that it, then? Jokes and insults, but nothing to protect me if he comes for me next?”
Arden rounded on her with temper blazing. “If you were here as I wished you to be, then you would have little reason to worry about such things.”
He was without question a handsome man. Sadly, he was also a born dictator who felt the need to control everyone around him. She had never loved him. And she couldn’t escape him. Partnering with Luca was the only chance she had left to be rid of Arden once and for all. If she could just see it through.
“I can see that you are not going to speak to me like I’m an equal person with my own thoughts and feeling, so I will just be on my way. Sorry to have interrupted your evening.”
Without a second glance, Kat strode toward the door, her skirt flowing behind her. As she’d anticipated, he moved fast. His cold hand on her arm stopped her in her tracks, and he spun her to face him.
“So soon?” he asked, a glint of amusement in his eyes. “But we’ve hardly just begun.”
“I didn’t come here to go through the same old song and dance. There is a hunter out there who appears to be perfectly capable of holding his own against a vampire. Forgive me for thinking that perhaps you would be generous enough to tell me anything I might need to know in order to avoid ending up a pile of dust.”
His grip tightened until it became painful. “You know I love you, Katarina. It is you who chooses to deny that and drag out this unending game of cat and mouse. Perhaps if you can’t face the vampire hunter and win, you don’t deserve to live.”
Horror-struck, she jerked from his grasp. His long, sharp nails left bloody scratches in her flesh that stung as badly as his hateful words. Coming here had been a mistake.
“Fine, then,” she replied through clenched teeth. “If he kills me, remember you said that.”
She had just reached the threshold at the entryway when he made an irritated noise. “Kat, don’t go. You know I don’t mean those things. I just get so frustrated with your refusal to give us a chance.”
Turning on him with a glare that would have withered a flower, she was no longer able to hold back. “You never had a chance, Arden! I almost hope that he does kill me if it means finally being free of you.”
Ouch. That surely put an end to her plan. She would get nothing out of him now. Goddamn him!
Silence. A storm of emotions passed over Arden’s smooth face, striking fear into her heart. One day she would push him too far, and he would end the dark life he’d breathed into her. As much as she loathed him for what he’d done, she wasn’t ready for her existence to be over. Not now that she’d found Luca.
The thought struck her like a sledgehammer. If Arden hadn’t taken her by force nearly two centuries ago, she wouldn’t be here now. She would never have known Luca Alexander, let alone run headlong into him in
a graveyard. The realization that she’d formed an attachment to him startled her. Yet it felt right.
That was both terrifying and comforting.
“Arden…I’m sorry. I never should have said that.” Her voice softened, but for reasons unknown to Arden. “I didn’t come here to have a confrontation.”
Instead of reacting, he turned and walked into the den just off the foyer. Slowly, she followed him to the doorway. Two relatively young vampires sat before the blazing fireplace, the limp body of a woman draped on a chair between them. Kat could feel she was close to death. There were many things she would never miss about living in a house with Arden and his minions.
“Get out there and do a perimeter check,” he barked at them. “If you catch even the slightest scent of a human, I want to know about it. Go!”
They leaped to their feet without question and rushed past Kat and out the door. She was momentarily stunned, fearing they would discover Luca. She said a small prayer he had made himself scarce.
“It’s a bigger deal than I’m even aware of, isn’t it?” She realized then that though Arden would never admit it, part of him feared Luca. And she loved that.
With a sweeping motion, Arden gestured for her to take a seat. When she merely stared at the unconscious woman and shook her head, he shrugged and began to pace the room.
“I’m not entirely sure how much of a threat this man is yet. I have been expecting this for a long time now. I probably should have told you.”
“Told me what?”
“This man’s killing of our kind is not a coincidence. He was born to do just that. And because of a curse placed upon him by his father’s betrayal, he is unable to die. He isn’t like most humans, Kat. You must be careful.”
Kat didn’t have to feign her shock. It was completely authentic. “What are you talking about? I…I don’t understand.”
Arden was quiet for a moment. He avoided her gaze when he responded. “He’s a true vampire hunter, born into a family that has always done that very thing. Until his father. Malcolm Alexander was a man who got so close to those he hunted that he began to long for their world. I answered his silent call. Ever since, the son he abandoned has searched for me. And now he’s found me. We are all in very great danger.”
Love in Death's Embrace Page 5
