She wasn't sleeping soundly though. Eric frowned. Something dark was moving in and out of her mind. Eric could feel her tension. She was having a nightmare. A sudden flash of a vision caused Eric to break the connection with her.
Barack.
Eric glanced at him out of the corner of his eye. It was hard to see him beneath the naked bodies of Susanna and Alison as they moved over him but Eric caught Barack's gaze. Then Barack smiled at him, baring his fangs.
Eric knew then that Barack had been at Lydia's camp.
He closed his eyes again and crossed his arms over his chest. Cleared his mind. Tried to relax.
He didn't dare think about what he was going to do to Barack. Barack would sense it.
Eric wanted the element of surprise.
Needed it.
* * * *
Lydia awoke with a start, sitting up on her cot. Sweat slicked her skin. Her mouth felt filled with cotton. She needed a drink of water. Swinging her legs over onto the floor, she shivered a little, even though the tent was warm.
It was the dream that had chilled her. In the dream, Barack had been chasing her through the woods. Trees reached out to snatch at her clothes like talons, ripping and rending until she wore only rags. Still he kept coming, his eyes glowing yellow with flecks of red through the darkness.
Lydia hugged herself and rose from the cot. She had awakened when one of his hands had caught her shoulder. She rubbed the spot, still feeling the chill of his dream-touch.
She moved to the door of the tent. Stepping out into the bright sunlight hurt her eyes. Lydia cringed, shading them as she headed for the metal cooler where she kept her drinks. She gulped down a whole bottle of water, then wiped her mouth on the back of her hand.
Her thirst quenched, Lydia propped one hand on her hip and surveyed her camp.
Some research project, she thought. All I've managed to do is get myself into an unbelievable situation. Vampires. Lydia shook her head. Her project director, Dr. Taylor, would check her into a mental institution if she ever told him the whole story. But that wasn't going to be a problem. She'd never tell. Who would believe her?
Lydia shrugged her shoulders and stretched her neck as she walked back toward the tent. She needed to air it out. Inside, she unzipped the window covers, allowing the fresh morning air to circulate through the screens into the tent. By the time she returned from her little mission, it should smell nice and sweet, the odor of her frightened sweat gone.
Lydia began to fill her backpack, readying herself for a day of hiking. She was going to find the lair if it took her all day. Eric might get mad at her for doing it but hey, she was a big girl and she wanted to know just what they were going to be up against.
She had intended to follow him when he had left before dawn but Barack had shown up. Then it was too late. Eric had had too much of a head start.
He couldn't possibly think she would just sit by and not help in the attack, could he? Lydia let out a small laugh, shoving a flashlight into her pack. If he did think that, he was in for a rude awakening.
Lydia zipped her pack closed, one more thing on her mind. A bath of some sort. She grabbed a towel and rolled up a fresh set of underthings inside it. Then she fished a pair of jeans and a clean T-shirt out of her suitcase and shoved them into a side pocket of her pack. She took the rolled up towel and attached it to the pack also.
"Okay," she said, breathing a sigh. Now if she could just find some fresh water to soak in. There was that pond she had come upon. The one where she had had the most wonderful dream sex. But that pond was full of algae. She didn't want to deal with that mess again. She knew there had to be other sources of water nearby. She'd just have to find something on her way to find the lair.
Shouldering the pack, Lydia grabbed a granola bar and shoved a baseball cap down on her head. It was a gorgeous day and she was in love. It didn't matter that vampires stalked the woods and her lover actually had fangs.
Lydia was excited and it showed in her step as she took off toward the east. The lair had to be somewhere in that direction because that was the way Eric always disappeared.
* * * *
Barack rested but he didn't sleep. His eyes, open just a crack to look through his thick lashes, watched Eric as he lay on the ledge. Eric was sleeping but Barack still couldn't touch his mind. It was as though there was an invisible wall he couldn't get past. Only vampires could read other vampire's minds and their thoughts were fleeting, Barack knew. But Eric was different. Guarded.
Barack closed his eyes completely. If he couldn't read Eric's mind, maybe he could touch Lydia's.
With a smile on his face, Barack settled himself between Alison and Susanna and cast out his mind, searching for Lydia.
* * * *
Lydia walked through the woods, following an animal trail. She had found hoof marks from deer and moose in the soft earth of the trail and figured they led to a water source. It wouldn't hurt to try to do some research either, she thought to herself as she walked along, listening to the birds in the high branches. She did have a life other than constantly thinking about Eric and the vampires.
The trail was wide enough that branches slapping at her didn't trouble her. She did have to step over a root here and there but otherwise, it was very pleasant. She looked up ahead, noticing the trail seemed to widen. She caught the sound of water. Moving water.
Smiling, Lydia hurried on ahead, knowing moving water meant clear water. It wouldn't be algae-ridden but she'd bet it would be cold. It seemed like all of the water in Maine was cold, even in summer. Except for that little episode she had had in the pond. Lydia flushed, remembering how her mind had been taken over. She reached the clearing and was dumbstruck by nature's beauty. Immediately she wished Eric were with her, standing beside her to see this idyllic scene.
Everything was a deep green. The moss covering the rocks at the edge of the rushing stream, the ferns waving softly in the slight breeze that moved through the clearing, the trees standing sentinel over the stream, guarding it with their stature.
Lydia held her breath, amazed at how a place this serene could actually exist. She removed her backpack and walked to the water's edge. Crouching, she dipped her fingers in. The water was cold, but it caressed her fingertips, rushing along in its babbling hurry to get to who knew where.
Lydia smiled, taking her fingers from the water and flicking the drops from her hand. They glistened in the sun like tiny diamonds flying through the air. Lydia sat down on the bank of the stream, took off her hiking boots and socks, then rolled up her blue jeans above her ankles. She'd better see if she could tolerate the temperature of the water before she went ahead and stripped to bathe in it.
She braced her hands on the ground and swung both feet over the water. Taking a deep breath, she plunged both feet in before she could change her mind.
"Holy Toledo!" Lydia squeezed her eyes shut, keeping her feet in the water. The water was very cold but after a moment or two, the shock of it on her skin eased and it felt good. The water moved over her feet, massaging them like a natural whirlpool, but without the accompanying heat.
Lydia turned her face upward, letting the sun dappling down through the trees warm that part of her while swishing her feet in the chilled water. Then a feeling of heat flowed over her whole body, moving softly over her flesh. Down her neck, inside her T-shirt. Over her breasts as if someone hesitated to cup each one before moving on.
Eric, Lydia thought as she opened her eyes and began to undress. He was invading her mind again. Lydia shivered, not from the cold water but from anticipation as she removed her clothes. She knew just what he had in mind and she welcomed it, inviting him into her mind. Into her soul.
Naked, Lydia felt the warmth still with her as she tentatively tested the water again. Stepping into the stream, she gasped. The water splashed up onto her thighs. She waded out further until the water lapped at her womanhood. She feared going any deeper due to the temperature and the swift movement of the water.
It was a treat, finding a stream this deep in the woods. Lydia relished it, even though the water was cool against her skin. She reached under the surface and cupped handfuls, splashing her upper body before she dared duck under. The sun dappled the ripples of the water, glimmering like so many tiny flames. Heat inside the chill.
Exactly the way Lydia felt.
A presence entered her mind again and heat spread through her body liquidly, a hot lava of need. Lydia closed her eyes once more and invited the presence to touch her, please her, however it wanted, whatever it wanted to do with her.
As Lydia swirled her hands in the water and slowly lowered herself, she felt the pressure of a pair of hands, gently massaging her shoulders from behind. Lydia laughed out loud, opening her eyes and looking up through the canopy of leaves.
Life couldn't get any better, she thought, unleashing her hair from her ponytail. She stretched her neck back, letting her hair cascade down her back and into the water. The hands at her shoulders moved over her skin, generating a sizzling heat. Birds sang above her. Squirrels chattered in the trees. Lydia leaned further back, the sensation of the hands behind her buoying her up. She floated on the rippling water, staying in one place, not moving downstream with the flow. The hands ... her Eric's hands ... held her steady, claiming her. How this was possible, Lydia didn't know and didn't care.
Lydia moaned softly as the hands shifted to her breasts, kneading them with skill, rasping against her tightened nipples and sending shivers of lightening down through her to her center. The water cooled her skin but lust heated her from deep inside.
Lydia spread her legs in the water and let herself stand from the float. Her feet found purchase on the slick stones beneath the water, settling two feet apart, opening her to the caress of the flowing water.
Immediately she felt the hands move down low, under water. It felt as if a hot spring lapped at her. Fingers probed, wetting her inside although she was already soaked.
Lydia touched her chin to her chest, her hair falling across her shoulders like a golden curtain as she thrust her hips forward toward the unseen touch, wanting more. Wanting so much more.
As the invisible hands of her unusually quiet lover lavished attention on her lust-swollen nether region, Lydia swirled her hands in the water, then stroked her own breasts, capturing her sensitive nipples between her fingers. She shuddered with fulfillment as the hands below moved to cup her bottom and what felt like a steamy mouth settled over her swollen clitoris. Lydia spread her legs wider, being careful not to lose her footing, and arched her back so that the mouth that was feeding on her could gain access to anything it wanted to taste. A hot tongue, rough to the touch, dipped inside her, then swiped up across her delicate folds sending her quivering to the edge of release. Lydia reared her head back, her breasts thrust forward, allowing him to take her completely as she helped him tease her body into orgasmic heaven by stroking her breasts with her water-chilled fingers.
Her release was wild and raw, a scream ripping from her throat and echoing off the trees. The birds and animals fell silent as Lydia struggled to keep herself from going under the water.
Wave after wave of pleasure rolled over her. She bit her lip, eyes clenched tight, hips bucking against a mouth, unseen and suckling at her womanhood.
It was good, so insanely good, that Lydia felt she would go crazy. As the waves of pleasure began to ebb, Lydia began to see a vision behind her eyelids. It was a figure, a person. First there was only a smile and she immediately thought of Eric. There were fangs glittering in that smile. Lydia wiped a hand across her forehead. The vision was taking shape, now forming a face. She didn't want to open her eyes, wanted to see his face.
Then came the eyes.
Lydia gasped and immediately hugged herself. Her eyes popped open and she shuddered. She turned around and around in the water, scanning the bank.
Fear stabbed her heart.
The eyes in her vision were not Eric's. His were dark and swirling.
But the eyes Lydia had seen were golden, flecked with brown.
The eyes of a wolf.
The eyes of Barack.
Lydia struggled out of the water, almost losing her footing. The animals in the woods were silent still. Lydia reached the bank and began to dry herself, noticing the flush of orgasm pink and ruddy across her breasts. A deep chuckle issued from the woods, surrounding her.
Lydia clasped the towel to her, turning in circles. "If you're here, show yourself," she said, her voice trembling.
"You're mine now," Barack said, his voice coming from thin air.
"Where are you!" Lydia clutched the towel tighter, feeling as if she had betrayed Eric with her wantonness.
"You'll see me soon enough."
Silence.
Lydia began to shake, cold and guilt filling her. Ever so slowly, the birds began their singing again.
Wherever Barack was, he wasn't here in the woods with her.
But he had definitely been in her mind.
"And my body," Lydia said, shivering at the thought. She was cold now. So cold. Hurriedly she got dressed, thankful for the warmth of her clothes. She still felt the rush of the orgasm that Barack had treated her to deep inside her belly. Guilt weighed heavy on her shoulders as she repacked her things and set about finding the wolves lair. She turned toward the stream, meaning to look for a way to cross it, thinking about whether or not Eric would be able to tell Barack had satisfied her sexually, when she noticed something very strange.
The stream that had been thigh deep just a little while ago was now no more than ankle deep.
Lydia frowned, staring at the bubbling water. How can this be? she wondered, walking a few feet upstream, thinking maybe she had strayed from the place she had last waded in.
"I did it for you," Barack's voice whispered through the trees.
Lydia's head jerked up, looking for the source of the sound. But there was no one there. She knew he was using his vampire powers to speak to her. He was probably holed up deep in the lair, where sunlight couldn't touch him.
"Shouldn't you be sleeping?" Lydia asked, adjusting the backpack and stepping into the stream. She'd pay for the wet shoes later, she knew.
"How can I sleep when such a sweet morsel is wandering alone in the forest?" he said, his words moving with her as if he were walking right beside her.
"Just lay off Barack," Lydia said, grunting as she started to climb a rise. "I'll never submit to you."
A low chuckle rebounded off of the trees and rocks. "I thought you did just moments ago," Barack's voice whispered through the branches above her.
Lydia shivered in spite of the warmth she felt from her exertions. She was climbing a rise, the incline becoming steeper as she went. Rocks were embedded in the trail she followed. An animal trail up the rise. Lydia wished that she had the surefootedness of a deer because her feet were starting to betray her and slipping on the loose dirt that surrounded the rocks.
Yeah, they're betraying you like you betrayed Eric, a voice echoed inside her head. She stopped on a small ledge outcropping and brushed her hair back out of her face. She had left it swinging free so that it could dry but now it was bugging her. Lydia reached in her pocket and pulled out a scrunchie. With a grimace, she twisted her long hair into a ponytail and secured it.
That ugly word ... betray ... kept entering her mind. She hadn't really betrayed Eric. She had thought it was him in her mind. That it had been Eric's psychic hands that roamed her body. Lydia took a deep breath, remembering the shuddering orgasm she had experienced. Heat flooded her body at the mere thought of that psychic touch. But her face flushed beet red, knowing now the touch had been Barack's. It had seemed a bit different at the time. But anyone would have to admit, she was new to this ... this "mind sex" deal. How was she supposed to know it wasn't Eric? It wasn't like she could actually see him. And she was new to this ... thing.
Lydia sighed heavily and began to climb again. The top of the rise wasn't too far and
when she reached it, she looked down through the trees toward the bottom on the other side. There was a rock fall at the bottom, huge pieces of granite lying atop each other.
Lydia bit her lip. Hmmm. She started down toward the rocks, wondering what secret they might hold.
* * * *
Eric's eyes opened slowly. He took a deep breath, smelling the scent of the vampires and their lust from the dawn. It seemed the two females never got enough. Good thing Barack doesn't mind servicing them, Eric thought as he let his eyes adjust to the dimness of the lair. Eric didn't even want to get involved in that.
It was still daylight, he could tell. A long time until dusk. His body felt stiff, the chill of the rock ledge he was lying on seeping into his bones.
Again, he wished this was over, that he could just take Lydia and run, putting all of this behind them. Eric didn't know what he was going to do when this project was over. He didn't know whether he would continue to hunt with the Unkindness or whether he should retire like John had when he had married Madison. But there was no desk job for Eric. John had control over the Unkindness and Eric, though he could help, really would have no place at headquarters. Besides, that would leave one Raven family member to work on his own, without back up. Eric didn't want to leave Dirk with no one to guard his back.
There had to be some way to continue working with the Unkindness and keeping Lydia out of danger. Eric was just going to have to do some more thinking about it.
He let his mind drift to Lydia. Searching for her inquisitive instinct, he found her essence almost immediately. Eric's eyes snapped wide open. She was close. Very close. Eric looked toward the entrance of the lair, his muscles tense.
In the darkness of the lair, Barack's uncanny yellow eyes stared back at him from his sleeping place by the fire pit. Eric didn't look away, but kept his eyes focused on the vampire's.
Eric The Guardian - Book 2 of the Raven Series Page 11
