Salvation

by Eden Robins

  If he could do that to her while she was fully dressed in the middle of a parking lot, she knew making love with him would be incredible. Truly the “little death” it was meant to be. If he had undressed her in that parking lot, she probably would have let him. If he had touched her naked body, she would probably be begging him to make love to her. Even his words about how he would make love to her had turned her on. The phrase “deep, hard, fast and dirty” had created images of the two of them in her head. Images she was going to have a difficult time getting rid of.

  Nevertheless, Sabrina would get rid of them. She couldn’t, wouldn’t, let Eric do this to her again. Getting caught up in his seductive web was unthinkable because she didn’t know if she’d make it through once it was over. And she knew it would be over. Eric wasn’t the type you take home to mama. She knew that now. When things got too serious or too challenging he removed himself from the picture. End of story.

  She didn’t want to think about anything else. Especially not her part in their break-up, her refusal to open completely to him or her unwillingness to let him see who and what she really was. Instead she wanted the memory of him telling her he wasn’t falling in love with her and that they should stop seeing each other to brand her mind. That, and the aching hole left in her heart, helped her remember why she didn’t want Eric to watch over her. Walking into the office of Sundown Security with her head held high, she was determined to make Vlad see her side of things.

  “I’m sorry, Ms. Reyes,” Vlad said, running his fingers through his hair and sighing loudly. “As I’ve been trying to explain to you for the last half hour, Eric is the only security specialist able to handle your case in the way it needs to be handled. His history and experience make him uniquely able to protect you.”

  Sabrina wanted to argue as she sat across the desk from Vlad. He had invited her into his office, offered her chamomile tea and proceeded to calmly refuse her request for another security specialist. She had been hopeful that he would listen to reason when he told Eric to wait in his own office while they talked privately. If it had been Eric she were discussing this with it would have been easier. She would have gotten angry and they would have had a heated argument. Maybe it would have resolved nothing, but it would have felt better than this inevitable sense that she would not be getting her way on this issue.

  Yet she couldn’t get angry about it. Besides the fact that he was one of the most handsome, charismatic men she had ever met, Vlad also seemed to have a calming effect on her. That and his reasonable, rational explanations as to why she needed to have Eric as her bodyguard left her at a loss. And she didn’t like to be at a loss.

  “Aren’t I the client, Vlad? Shouldn’t I have some say in choosing who guards me?”

  Sabrina felt petty suggesting this, but she was desperate. She didn’t think she would survive being with Eric much longer. There was just too much energy, too much chemistry between them. So, as much as she didn’t want to admit it to Vlad, she spoke the words that she had kept as a last resort.

  “Eric and I don’t mix well, Vlad. As you probably already know, we have a past together. Before coming here this evening, Eric showed me that he isn’t over that past. He acted inappropriately and that’s unacceptable to me.”

  Vlad’s eyes narrowed dangerously. “What exactly happened?”

  “Well, he was walking me to my car. Just as I got ready to open the door, he grabbed me from behind and began kissing and touching me,” Sabrina explained, feeling nauseous by her confession. “A campus guard came up on us and I was extremely embarrassed by the whole situation. Needless to say, my reputation at the school is very important. Of course I want someone who can properly protect me, but at the same time I won’t tolerate that sort of behavior. I hope you understand.”

  “I do understand your concerns, Sabrina,” Vlad said as he stood up and began pacing the room. “Let me address each one in turn. Although technically we are guarding you, it is actually the university that’s paying for your security. So Dr. Dow is really the one who hired us. Having said that, I will agree that Eric’s behavior is unacceptable and you should in no way be expected to tolerate it.”

  She had won.

  Eric would be out of her life. She was happy about that. Wasn’t she? Shouldn’t she be? So why did sadness suddenly fill her heart? Why did she feel like she shouldn’t have said anything about her and Eric’s encounter to Vlad?

  She didn’t have time to ponder it. Vlad’s next words caught all her attention.

  “Eric, I’d like to see you in my office, right now,” Vlad said, pushing a button on the intercom on his desk.

  “I’ll be right there.” She heard Eric’s muted voice reply.

  She stood up quickly.

  “Well, I guess I’ll just be going then. Please let me know who my new guard is as soon—”

  “Not so fast, Sabrina. I’d like you to stay for this conversation,” Vlad said in a grim voice that reminded her of her high school principal. She had been a pretty good kid, but there had been a time or two she had to see the principal while growing up. And his voice had sounded just like Vlad’s did now. It was the “you’re in so much trouble” voice. She had hoped to never hear that voice again once she grew into adulthood.

  “I really don’t think that’s necessary, do you? After all, this is between you and Eric—”

  “Please have a seat, Sabrina,” Vlad suggested. And the suggestion was a strong one. It was in his voice and his body language. Although she still felt a sense of calm around Vlad, his underlying tone told her he expected her to do what he requested.

  She reluctantly sat back down.

  Eric gave a quick knock on the door to Vlad’s office then walked in. Closing the door behind him, he didn’t even glance at Sabrina as he approached Vlad’s desk.

  “You wanted to see me?” Eric asked.

  “Yes. Please have a seat, Eric. I’ve been speaking with Sabrina and she shared some disturbing news with me,” Vlad explained with a frown.

  Eric’s accusing gaze swung to her.

  Sabrina wanted to crawl under a rock. Since none were in the vicinity, she had to gather her pride around her and face the situation. She raised her chin proudly and met his accusing glare.

  “She did, did she?” Eric asked in an angry voice, turning back to his boss.

  “Yes,” Vlad replied. “She said you acted inappropriately toward her earlier in the evening and you took certain liberties that were not acceptable to her. Is this correct?”

  Eric wanted to strangle Sabrina—again.

  He shot a quick glance at her. Her eyes were wide. She looked like a deer caught in the headlights of an oncoming vehicle. Biting her bottom lip, she looked away, unable to meet his gaze. He turned back to Vlad. How was he going to explain this to him? The vamp would never understand. He was almost always calm, collected and in control.

  Eric admired that in his boss. It was something he himself tried to maintain in his life. Through the many years of his existence, he had learned to discipline himself. Slaying dragons took conviction, dedication, patience and deliberation. Because they were intelligent creatures, hunting dragons down and killing them was no easy feat. That, combined with the magic their kind held, made his job even more challenging. He’d realized early on that he had to approach the hunt in a well-thought-out way. One that left little room for error, because once a dragon knew you were on their trail, they would try to destroy the slayer at every chance. The trick was having the patience and discipline to hunt the creature without them knowing it until it was too late.

  And in almost every aspect of his life, Eric had mastered that control. Every aspect, that is, except when dealing with Sabrina. He couldn’t seem to get a handle on himself when she was around. Losing his cool was something Vlad never did. Maybe this was a good thing. Maybe his boss would take him off this case and he and Sabrina wouldn’t have to deal with each other. That would make things a hell of a lot easier. No more Sabrina in his life
, no more overwhelming, out-of-control feelings.

  “Well, Eric?” Vlad was still waiting for an answer.

  The problem was he wasn’t sure how to explain.

  Sabrina piped in, surprising him.

  “Actually, I wouldn’t say that he took certain liberties,” Sabrina admitted.

  What was she doing? This was her chance to get Eric out of her life. This was it. All she had to do was let go. Let the conversation flow where it naturally would. Then it would be done. Then she could leave Eric behind and move on with her life. No more pain, no more mixed emotions and no more frustration.

  No more desire, no more giddiness, no more seeing his beautiful face, no more wonderful conversations and no more passion. Sabrina could go back to living the carefully controlled life she thought she should be living. She could go back to being comfortably numb.

  Numb? Where had that thought come from?

  “What are you saying, Sabrina?” Vlad asked. As she looked at both men’s faces, Vlad’s confused expression and Eric’s angry one, she knew she needed to explain, and quickly, what she was talking about.

  Now or never. It was time to get real.

  Time for the truth.

  Time to take a risk.

  Swallowing hard, she plunged ahead.

  “What I mean is that Eric didn’t really take certain liberties. I allowed him those liberties. You know about Eric’s and my past, Vlad. It was somewhat tumultuous. That came up tonight as you and I both knew it would have to at some point. It made me angry and I wanted to hurt Eric because of it.”

  Vlad still looked confused, but there was something in Eric’s face that changed. Instead of angry, he looked at a loss. Like he didn’t know how to handle what she was saying. But it only lasted a few seconds, then he shuttered his expression until it was completely unreadable.

  Sabrina hated when he did that, when he closed himself off to her. It frustrated her. Probably because she had done the same thing to him during their time together. She wanted to yell at him, shake him and make him respond to her. But, of course, she did none of those things. Instead she continued to explain.

  “Eric showed me through his actions tonight that I needed to move on. I realized that what he wanted and I wanted were two different things. He showed me just how much he could never give me what I needed. I know now he’s not the man for me.”

  She couldn’t resist that last barb. She wouldn’t be leaving their encounter unscathed. Why should Eric? No longer the naïve woman she was when they first met, Sabrina had developed some claws to protect herself.

  And hurt him.

  “I was angry when I first came into the office, but I realize now that this had to happen before Eric and I could handle this situation in a professional manner,” she explained.

  Vlad studied her silently. Something in his eyes flashed for a moment, and she thought he was about to smile, but then his face turned serious again.

  “So you feel that Eric and you can work together without personal feelings hindering your protection?”

  Sabrina didn’t hesitate. “Yes. I can handle it. How about you, Eric? Can you handle it?” she asked, daring Eric with her eyes.

  Eric didn’t blink an eye. His face remained calm, cool and collected. He gazed at her coldly, as if she were no more than a stranger.

  “No problem. I think Sabrina and I understand each other completely now.”

  They stared at each other silently until Vlad spoke.

  “Fine. I’m satisfied with how this turned out. Since you both have agreed, I’ll go with it. But if I hear even a hint about misconduct, Eric, you’re off the case. Understood?”

  “Understood,” Eric said with a curt nod.

  Vlad stood up, taking a file from his desk.

  “Thank you for coming in, Sabrina,” he said before walking toward the door and opening it. “Eric will escort you back to his office so the two of you can go over the details of your case. I apologize for my rudeness, but I have a most difficult case that must be dealt with immediately.”

  “Thank you for taking the time to speak to me, Vlad,” Sabrina said as she left his office.

  Eric walked out behind her, but as she passed Vlad she heard Eric mutter something to his boss about “trouble with little miss princess”. The amusement in his voice was unmistakable.

  Vlad wasn’t amused. She heard him growl, actually growl, in response.

  Eric chuckled as he lightly placed his hand at Sabrina’s waist and led her to his office.

  “Good luck with that, boss,” he called over his shoulder.

  The front door slamming shut was Vlad’s only response.

  Sabrina tried to ignore the fact that her back tingled where Eric touched her. The sensation traveled straight up her spine. Shivering, she jerked forward away from his touch as they entered his office.

  “Are you cold?”

  Shaking her head, she sat in the first chair available. “No. I’m fine.”

  Eric sat down at his desk and gazed at her a moment longer, as if he were going to say something more. Frowning, he looked momentarily confused. But then his face cleared. Opening her file, he glanced down at the notes that had been written about her case.

  “Tell me a little bit more about this book you’ve written,” he asked without looking up.

  “What do you want to know?”

  Her words caused Eric to glance up. His eyes caught and captured hers. Sabrina felt drawn into those pools of gold as if she could lose herself in them forever.

  “I want to know what you wrote about, what your intentions were in writing this book.”

  His answer was succinct and to the point. The professional in him was back and in full play. The least Sabrina could do was react in kind. Pulling herself together, she tried not to think about how beautiful his eyes were.

  “My book, The Modern Dragon, is about dragon myths and their impact on society, which, as you know, is my anthropological specialty. That area of study has always been important to me,” she explained. “My intention in writing this book was to dispel the negative aspects of dragon culture that were perpetuated over the centuries. I feel and have always felt that the dragon was given a bad rap, used as a scapegoat by man. In other words, dragon tales were a way for the human race to blame their own evils on something else, something elusive and often mysterious. It’s very convenient to blame someone or something that is not completely understood or readily accessible.”

  “So you feel that dragons were created in the minds of man as a way to blame their wrongdoings on something other than themselves?”

  “Yes, exactly,” Sabrina said with a small smile.

  She was pleased that he understood what she was saying. He and she had always connected in this way. They seemed to intuit each other’s thoughts in a way she never had with anyone else.

  “I can see your point,” Eric said with a nod, but didn’t return her smile. Stubborn man. “Especially in light of the way religious figures, like St. Magnus, supposedly went on dragon killing rampages to help cure mankind of its evil and bring religion to those regions once inhabited by dragons. Again, that would relate back to the need to kill something tangible to save souls. But still another question remains.”

  “What’s that?” Sabrina asked. She was delighted Eric was taking such an interest in her work. She was curious to know his thoughts and answer his questions. She wanted to engage him as they had engaged each other so many times in the past.

  “If dragons are only a myth, then how can they be such a common theme throughout the world, when no dragon-like creatures have ever lived at the same time as humans? Dinosaurs died out millions of years before man. And one more thing, how is it that cultures with no contact with one another could create such similar legends?”

  Sabrina liked his questions. They showed a true interest in her subject, as well as a basic understanding of cultural belief systems.

  “Good questions. I’ll try to answer them the best I can. You
’re right about dragons being a common theme throughout the world. Dragon images have been found on scrolls from China, in Ethiopian sketches, on the Gates of Babylon, in Egyptian hieroglyphs, on the prows of Viking ships, on cliffs above the Mississippi River, in bas relief on Aztec temples and even on bones carved by the Inuit in climates where no reptile could live. You’re also correct about dinosaurs not being around during the time of man. Anthropologists have a theory about this. They believe that dragon tales came from race memories of carnivores who fed off our ancestors while they were still tree-dwelling primates, like pythons, big birds and cats.”

  “How can birds and cats be translated into dragons?”

  “It could have just been a simple case of misidentification and sometimes exaggeration,” she explained. “For instance, Marco Polo described Chinese dragons during his travels to China, but it’s now assumed he was talking about Nile crocodiles, which grow to be twenty feet long. The Greek writer Pliny wrote about ‘dracos’ that lived in India. They were supposedly large enough to eat elephants by dropping from the sky and strangling them. Scientists now think he was passing on an exaggerated description of pythons dropping out of trees.

  “Another explanation is that earlier cultures found the skeletal remains of such giant creatures as beached whales and transformed them in to dragons. Or these cultures could have found the remains of dinosaurs and mammoths. Folklorists say the myth of griffins came from Protoceratop bones found in the Gobi Desert. That dinosaur had a parrot-like beak and bony neck frills. In 1914 paleontologist Othenio Abel theorized that the central nasal cavity remains of prehistoric dwarf elephants led to the legend of Homer’s cyclops. The same could be applied to dragons. A ‘dragon skull’ found in 1335 was later identified as being the skull of a woolly rhinoceros. And an area in Switzerland that has many pterodactyl fossils also has legends of small, winged dragons.”

  Eric tried not to show the confusion that filled him as he watched Sabrina speak about dragons. She was beautiful. She spoke articulately. She was intelligent. She bit her lush bottom lip as she thought how to answer his questions. She was incredibly sensual. Her green eyes sparkled like emeralds, and her cheeks blushed pink as she became excited about her topic.