Kat shook her head, confused, her mind bombarded by questions. “But what do you mean that he isn’t like other humans? How so?”
“I’m not sure of all of the details. All I know is that many have tried to kill him, and they have failed. Because of his father’s choice to abandon his destiny, Luca was somehow afflicted. Cursed to walk this world as long as I do. Beyond that, I know nothing. I do know he won’t rest until I’m in ashes. Clearly he plans to wipe out every vampire linked to me until he makes that happen. Be careful, Kat.”
She could only stare at the pattern on the dark carpet. Arden spoke the truth. That much she could tell. Yet she didn’t understand. She’d known there was more to Luca than what met the eye, but she never would have guessed anything this outrageous. He couldn’t be killed as long as Arden was alive? There had to be more to it. The question was, how much would Luca be willing to share with her now?
“I will be,” she murmured. Chewing her pinkie fingernail anxiously, Kat was overwhelmed with the sudden urge to see Luca. “I should really go. I’m sorry to barge in on you like this, Arden.”
“You’re not leaving yet, are you?” He moved toward her, and she automatically backed away. “At least wait until those two have come back with news that nobody is lurking out there. You could have been followed.”
“If he wanted you so badly, wouldn’t he just come in here?” she asked, careful to sound neutral and casual.
“I don’t know much about him. Other than that he is ruthless and prepared to kill anyone he has to. Including his own father.” Arden stared off, as if seeing a memory behind his eyes. “Malcolm wasn’t part of this coven for very long before Luca staked him. I believe you were living in Europe at that time. Maybe it would have been better if you’d stayed there. Safer.”
If only Arden knew she was plotting against him with the very same man he was warning her about. He would be livid. Of course, Kat wasn’t so naive as to believe Luca was not a danger to her. He certainly could be. He was also the first man who had touched the emotional side of her since she’d become a vampire. She was already in way over her head.
“I’m going to leave.” Kat spoke firmly. Arden would do anything to persuade her to stay. “I’ll let you know if I hear or see anything myself. Have a good night, Arden.”
“Kat, please,” he said quickly, his controlling nature slowly rearing its ugly head. “Stay awhile. We could hunt together. It could be like old times.”
“I’m afraid you remember those times a little differently than I do. I can’t give you what you want from me. You have to accept that.”
The energy in the room crackled with the power of his anger. The sudden heat in the room had nothing to do with the fire burning in the hearth. Kat’s inner nature responded by growing defensive. If he wanted to get confrontational, she would make him sorry. As far as she was concerned, Luca couldn’t possibly kill Arden fast enough.
“And you have to accept that you wouldn’t even be walking this planet right now if it weren’t for me.” He didn’t let her take another step before he was there before her, blocking her path. Grasping her tightly by the upper arms, he gave her a shake that made her teeth rattle.
“Get off me!” Using metaphysical power against him would work, but she knew it would only cause him to come back at her harder. And she couldn’t best him in a power battle. Staring up into his fury-filled eyes, Kat felt nothing but pure, raw hatred.
“One day you’re going to realize that you don’t belong to this world. And all you have is me. Eventually you’ll grow tired of being the lonely, desperate creature you are. And when you do, I will be here to say I told you so.”
The urge to spit in his face was overwhelming. Instead she bit out, “Fuck you.”
The sound of the slap that echoed throughout the room was almost as bad as the pain. Her ears rang from the blow, and the entire left side of her face burned.
She was saved by the return of the two vampires Arden had sent out. They both looked uneasy when they realized they had walked in on a strained personal moment. It gave Kat the chance she needed. Breaking away from Arden, she all but ran for the door. He angrily shouted her name, but she didn’t look back.
Dashing out into the night, Kat ran. Her feet barely touched the ground as her supernatural speed carried her. She hated Arden’s ability to overpower her. Nobody had ever incurred her wrath the way he did. Cursing him with undying vehemence, she gave a small cry when Luca stepped from the foliage at the end of the driveway.
She would have barreled right into him if he hadn’t caught her by the arms, steadying her on her feet. Kat was flooded with relief when she saw him. Arden’s pathetic flunkies hadn’t found him after all. She’d been worried.
“What happened? What did he do to you?” Luca searched her face, his hand going to her split lower lip. “You’re bleeding.”
“It’s nothing.” Fearfully, she glanced back at the house, expecting to see Arden coming after her. “Let’s get out of here. I can’t stand to be here another minute.”
With a grim nod, Luca took her elbow and guided her along to his SUV. The pain in Kat’s eyes was like a punch to his gut. It physically hurt him to see her look so terror stricken and panicked. She’d obviously been smacked around, which poured gasoline on the fire that fed his desire for Arden’s destruction. He had half a mind to storm up the driveway to the house and bust Arden’s chops. It was common sense that kept him walking with the shaken vampiress at his side.
Luca realized with mild shock that he was touching her. He hadn’t thought twice or hesitated to do so, and she hadn’t stopped him. The instinctive urge to comfort her came naturally. She was in need, and the man in him sought to appease that need. The walls were coming down between them. Kat was no longer either vampire or woman in his eyes. She was Kat. And as much as he hated to admit it, he was starting to see her as his. Strangely, he felt okay with that.
“Tell me what he did to you, Kat. You’re shaking.” He opened the passenger door of the SUV, wishing he didn’t have to let go of her.
She motioned silently for him to get into the vehicle. Once they were on their way, she began to speak.
“It’s nothing, really. Just Arden being Arden.”
“Here.” Luca pulled a package of tissues from the console between their seats. “That’s fucking abuse, Kat. I don’t care who or what you are, abuse is never acceptable. Don’t talk about it like it’s all right for him to do that to you.”
She laughed humorlessly then. “There is nothing I want more in this world right now than to watch that fucker burn.”
Luca was touched by the bitterness in her voice. He had no idea what her past with Arden had held, but judging by her bruised face and bloody lip, it couldn’t have been anything but torture. He looked over at her, watching as she dabbed at the blood. The need to protect her, to avenge whatever Arden had done to her all these years, seared through him like an instinct he couldn’t deny.
“You’ll get that moment. I promise you.” There was no hiding his anger. It laced every word he spoke. “I’m not going to let him live a night longer than necessary.” His knuckles turned white as he gripped the steering wheel with deadly strength. As an afterthought, he added, “Did you get anything worthwhile out of him?”
Kat turned toward him, and he clearly saw the curiosity that flickered across her face. Did she have to be so damn beautiful? He could have stared at her all night and never tired of it. He returned his focus to the road, conscious of the way she studied him. His pulse quickened, sending a warm wave of heat to his nether regions. He longed to touch her again, to discover what she felt like everywhere.
“I got a few things, yeah.” Kat’s tone changed. There was a hint of suspicion in it when she spoke again. “He knows exactly who is after him. He told me about your father. He also told me about you—well, what little he really seemed to know.”
Anxiety crept up inside Luca. He was worried about what Arden might have told her. �
�Oh? And what was that?”
“That you aren’t like other humans. You don’t age, and you don’t die. We clearly didn’t start out as allies, but if we’re going to operate as such, you’re going to have to be honest with me.”
Luca sucked in his breath and held it until it felt as if his lungs would burst. Could Arden know the truth about his curse? That he had to kill the vampire’s entire bloodline? God, he hoped not. It was something he’d started wishing weren’t so. He couldn’t look at Kat and admit his fate was directly tied to whether she lived or died.
“I’ll answer anything you ask me.” He glanced quickly at her so she could see the honesty in his eyes before turning his attention back to the road.
“How can that be?” She sounded puzzled, as if she’d been turning it over in her mind. “How is it that you’re so different? There’s clearly much more to you than I ever would have guessed.”
Where did he even begin? Luca was willing to share, but if she didn’t know she played a bigger role in all of this, he wouldn’t tell her. He couldn’t give voice to the words and tell her it wasn’t only Arden’s death that would set him free but hers too. She was a gorgeous woman with a feisty spirit and a tender heart.
And he wanted her.
“My father’s betrayal to his cause, his choice to join the undead, resulted in a curse on me. I haven’t aged a day since.” Luca could feel her watching him intently. “I won’t resume living a normal human life until Arden is dead.”
He didn’t lie about his need to kill Arden’s whole bloodline; he merely left the detail out. And he felt like a jackass.
“Is that it? You don’t have any supernatural abilities or power?”
“Nothing more than additional strength and speed. I heal at a human rate. I get hungry, tired, and have the same needs and desires as anyone else.” He couldn’t help but smile at that. Oh, he certainly did have desires.
“But even vampires can be killed. Surely you are not completely indestructible.” She laughed in disbelief.
“No, I suppose the same things that can kill you can also kill me. Other than the sunlight, of course. Otherwise, I’m not all that different from you. Talk about irony.”
They cruised through the city streets, each lost inside their own thoughts. Luca squirmed uncomfortably. He barely knew her, yet still he cared. He was about to ask her what their next step should be regarding Arden, but she broke the stillness before he could.
“You’d think that most humans in your situation would avoid killing Arden, simply so they could live as long as they like. Does that have no appeal to you?”
“It did once. Honestly, the novelty of living forever wore off fast. Watching everyone around me live a normal life, unable to relate to them or even to get close to them—it’s not worth it.”
Luca saw her nod in his peripheral vision. Her tongue flicked out to caress her cut lip, the action slow and sensual. Immediately his heart increased its tempo, and heat flooded his groin. Touching her had been all he could think about since she’d run headlong into him. He most definitely wanted to claim her as his own, to make mad, passionate love to her. And perhaps to touch her deeper with a soft caress that transcended the physical. The porcelain-monster illusion had been shattered. She might not have been human, but she was flesh and emotion as surely as he was.
“No,” she said with a sad smile. “It isn’t worth it.”
Luca was drawn to her obvious pain, wishing he could ease it, and he hated that it was all happening so fast. His lack of control over his changing feelings was frustrating, and he would have cut them from himself if he’d been able to. The entire situation had all been much easier before he’d started to look at her as his.
“So…” Luca felt the need to speak but hadn’t the words to fill the awkward space between them. Did she have any idea what was going on inside him? “What’s our next step? If you have any ideas on how we can get into Arden’s with as little trouble as possible, I’d love to hear them.”
“Luca? Does killing vampires ease the loneliness?”
He was dumbstruck, unable to believe his ears. That was the last thing he’d expected her to say. They came to a stop at a red light, and he met her searching gaze. Luca was painfully aware of the courage it took for her to ask him that, as it revealed her inner longing.
“No,” he confessed. “It only makes it worse.”
Kat’s eyes closed, and she nodded once. The light turned green; the SUV began to move again. Luca’s palms were sweaty on the steering wheel. His growing erection was throbbing, straining to break free. He was grateful for the distraction of the city traffic. His heart was racing. He just knew she could sense it. It killed him to be so close to her and not know what was going on inside her.
“Could you take me home, Luca? Please?” Her voice was soft and breathy. The sweet, flowery scent emanating from her tantalized his senses.
“Home? Are you sure? I mean, are you sure you want me to know where you live?”
She laughed then tossed her hair in a flirtatious manner that had Luca’s breath coming fast. “Well, I was kind of hoping you’d stay. I mean…we could be lonely together.”
Chapter Seven
His pulse raced, and he was utterly shocked. Luca had to slam on the brakes to avoid rear-ending the car in front of them. Kat’s brazen words had completely blown his mind. But goddamn if she hadn’t given voice to the very desire that had been building within him since he’d first felt those luscious lips.
“How do I know you’re not going to try to drink my blood?” He gave her a sexy wink, accompanied by a grin. Part of him was adamantly against taking her up on such an irresistible offer. That side of him could shut the hell up.
“Oh, I might try to do just that. I’ve been dying to taste you since that night in the graveyard.” There was humor in her tone, and he hoped she was joking.
“Just like that? You and me? Mortal enemies seeking solace in one another. How poetic.”
“Are we? Mortal enemies, I mean.”
Guilt washed over Luca like a crushing ocean wave. He was supposed to kill her. The fact haunted him, and he couldn’t help but feel that it was so unfair. Destiny was a cruel and heartless bitch.
“We’re not?” He chuckled lightly and attempted to sound casual. “Well, I can put the obvious aside if you can.”
“It’s not as if you don’t want to. I’ve seen how your gaze wanders. Look, you’re blushing up a storm right now.” She dug around in her small purse and pulled out a set of keys. “Take the next right and then a left on Woodward.”
Luca’s cheeks burned. This woman was an enigma. He should have known she was catching every covert glance he sneaked at her.
Following the directions she gave, Luca noted they were getting farther from the busy main strips and closer to residential neighborhoods. He was both intrigued and suspicious. What if she was screwing with him, and her whole intent was to find out what it took to kill him? She was a vampire. He couldn’t abandon caution just because she was so damn nice to look at.
They pulled up in front of a pleasant bungalow house, fenced in so it was private and cozy. The neighboring houses were close but not intrusive. She didn’t really expect him to go in there, did she?
After opening the passenger door, Kat hopped out and turned back to him with a fang-baring smile. “You’re more than welcome to come in for a drink. I have some great wine. And a hell of a naughty itch that needs to be scratched.”
The door slammed shut, and Luca was left staring after her as she sauntered up the front walk. The skirt of her dress swept out behind her, just barely touching the ground as she moved. His gaze was drawn to the curve of her ass. Without making a conscious decision, he was suddenly rushing to get out of the SUV before she disappeared from sight.
Was he so hard up to get laid that he was willing to walk into a death trap? Watching her glide along ahead, scarlet hair cascading to her waist, he ached to touch it. To feel it slip through his finger
s as he buried himself inside her.
Luca groaned inwardly, asking himself when attraction had taken over rationality. When you killed for a woman who has death in her touch and heaven in her eyes. He shook off the inner voice, refusing to believe he’d fallen that easily into her grasp. No more thinking. Something about Kat called to him, and he answered, rushing up the front steps with the eagerness of a hormonal teenage boy.
Neither of them spoke a word when she pressed a glass of wine into his hand. Her fingers brushed against his, and a tremor flickered through him. Words escaped him, and really, what could he say? There were no words for how desperately he wanted her.
They faced one another, Kat watching as he sipped the deep red wine. The silence was deafening, yet it was too powerful to break. When she merely gazed up at him with expectation, he reached out to ever so gently stroke her face.
The atmosphere shifted. She leaned into his touch, and something broke inside him. This woman had dominated his thoughts for days that had felt like months or years. He tried to picture slamming a stake into her heart and watching her crumble to dust. And he couldn’t bring himself to face the image.
Those lips—they drew him. Placing the wineglass on the table, he leaned in to her, breathing deeply of her sweet scent. A heady combination of strawberry and wildflowers—it beckoned him to go beyond the sense of smell, to taste her.
When she raised her face to his, openly inviting his advances, Luca couldn’t have turned back if he’d wanted to. Needing to savor every moment, he pressed his lips to hers softly, slowly. The warmth of her mouth greeted him, tempting him to slip his tongue inside. The breath was crushed from him when she responded by flicking her tongue out to trace his bottom lip.
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