“You are not a one-night-stand. I don't care what happened or will happen. You mean so much more to me than that.” His voice cracked.
“If that’s even a little bit true, then don't play with me.”
“I meant no disrespect.” He lay down on his bed propping himself up with his elbow.
Why did he have to be the one to protect her? He loved safeguarding her, but he could only treat her as a duty, not the loving mother of his child. End of story. Laima’s warning rang loud and clear.
He stared at the ceiling and Sarma rolled on her side. “You barge into my mind uninvited. You come into my life when I don't want you to, unwelcomed.” She paused. “Reinis, I need to ask you something, and if you have any fondness for me at all, you'll tell me the truth. I expect nothing less.”
His eyes widened, and his ears perked up. “Turn off the light,” he whispered, sliding a curved knife from under his pant leg. He snuck toward the door.
“I told you not to mess with me. I'm not turning off any lights until—”
He flicked them off without touching the switch. Sarma gasped as if surprised by his action. He strode toward the window and peeked between curtains.
“Stay inside. No matter what, don't go outside. Or open the door. It’s Gatis,” he whispered, already smelling the lowlife’s stench.
Sarma inched down between the bed and the wall and slipped underneath. Her stomach churned, and every muscle in her body tensed. She tried to breathe shallower. Hiding from a creature like Gatis felt fruitless—he was cruel and vile. She understood that now. Could vampires be killed? What if he killed Reinis? Fear crept into her throat and the urge to scream gripped her, but for everyone’s sake, she stayed quiet. Only her heartbeat thumped in her ears.
Reinis’ catlike vision penetrated the darkness. He picked up Gatis’ foul odor and spun around to find him crouched between a bush and the Jeep. Gatis’ temples were spider webbed and black.
Reinis charged him.
Gatis leapt into the air, throttling Reinis against the ground, punching him several times in the face, knocking away the knife. Reinis barely felt the blows. He flipped Gatis, slammed him down, and rammed his fist into his mouth.
“Stay. Away. From. Sarma.” He punctuated each word with each blow to Gatis’ face. Reinis’ fangs extended in rage. His pupils shrank, almost disappearing in the green of his iris.
“She's fair game. A bestower like every other fucking human. And you imprinted her, didn’t you? Your coven will find out, Reinis. You’re doomed.” He jerked his face out of the way, but Reinis anticipated his moves and planted his fist every time. Gatis heaved him off, bounding to his feet.
What the hell? Shit. Gatis figured out that he’d imprinted Sarma. What could he do about that?
“That’s none of your damn business.” Rage roared through Reinis, and he knocked Gatis off his feet with a swift kick. Though it was true, he couldn’t stand to hear anyone talk about her like that. Wrestling on top of him, Gatis ground a tight lock around Reinis’ neck, cutting off his air supply. Not phased, Reinis could hold his breath for a few minutes.
Gatis tightened his grip around Reinis’ neck. “To hell it’s not! No human relationships allowed. And you imprinted her. You’re dumber than I thought. And you’re dead, Reinis. You’re dead!”
Reinis kneed him between the legs. Vampires had many powers, but they perceived pain. Gatis curled in agony. Reinis swept the knife back through the air and plunged it into Gatis’ upper shoulder.
“Sarma is not a game,” Reinis snarled. He retracted the blade and swiped the knife down to stab him again. Gatis lurched to one side barely escaping. Reeling, he stumbled away and leapt into the air, flying off into the night.
He hunched over, leaning on his thighs to catch his breath. Gatis was right. As soon as his coven found out, he’d be dead.
Chapter 26
Reinis thundered through the door. “Where are you, Sarma?”
Sarma pulled herself from under the bed. Cool, night air rushed into the room as he slammed the door behind him. “Oh god, look at you.” She gasped and covered her mouth.
Blood dripped from his eyebrow and lower lip, his face was swollen and bruised.
“Get my mother's bag,” he directed, pointing to the closet. “It looks worse than it is. I’m a little dizzy, but not in pain.” He smiled tightly, sitting on the edge of the bed, relieved Gatis was far away in a vampire coma. Prick would sink into a deep hibernation state to heal, too deep to wake for a while, and wouldn’t be back anytime soon.
Sarma retrieved the vintage doctor’s bag. All the labels on the salves, powders, and amber bottles were written in Latvian.
“Grab the white pouch.” The bleeding only dribbled, but the herbs would speed the healing and provide instant soothing. “Sprinkle some on the wounds.”
“Lie down,” Sarma said.
Reinis did as he was told and she peeked at his chest through his ripped shirt. She averted her eyes and blushed. When he caught her staring she busied her hands by sprinkling dry powder on his face.
“What is this?” She leaned over him, the flap of her pajamas falling open. He stole a glance of her soft breast and tried not to think of how good it tasted in his mouth.
“Close your shirt, Sarma.” He winced. The glimpse of her breast brought memories of her nude, bathed in soft moonlight, on the beach in Latvia. Her bare flesh combined with the rage still circulating within made it near impossible to resist temptation. The last thing he wanted was to lose control. He met her eyes as she buttoned up her top, well aware of the current building between them. Until now, he never experienced how dangerous sensuous thoughts could be.
Instantly, the blood coagulated. Reinis stopped breathing. Not because of the pain, the pain was minimal. He needed to calm the stubborn beast in his pants that demanded to be inside Sarma. He refocused on the question.
“It's ground up yarrow flowers . . . stops the bleeding.” Aching to give into his desires, he commanded his body to stand down.
“I can see that.”
“I'll take it from here.”
With wide eyes, she stared at the wounds closing. As if she didn’t hear what he said, she murmured, “Thank you.”
“For what?” He sat up.
“For defending me against that pig. I’m glad you were here, even if you’ve been nothing but trouble.” A smile spread across her lips.
Her grin and words made the imprint hum in his chest, made him even closer to her. “It’s my job.” The best and worst job he ever had.
“Even so, thank you.” Her voice trailed off, and she glanced away.
He sensed she meant it, but with his knowledge of the truth and his orders not to speak of it, he didn’t want to accept her gratitude.
“Your mother has incredible medicine, but your body is extraordinary.”
“Move away.” He grunted, still pissed about Gatis. And the fact that he wasn’t permitted to experience the intimate moment a second ago only enraged him more.
“I'm helping you, and you're acting rude.” Sarma glared at him, her tone stern.
He shot across the room, accidentally knocking over a lamp that smashed on the floor. “I'm sorry. That wasn't like me.”
Silent, Sarma froze.
He turned away and ran his hands through his hair. He needed to get out of there. Fast. But his mother’s instructions were explicit. He was not to leave her alone.
“I need to help myself. You’re too—”
“Too what? And you! You're too much of a man for a woman to care for you?” she sniped.
“No, never, I don’t think that way. Don't you feel the energy between us? I've felt it since we met, and even more after we . . . after we spent the night together. Gatis is trash. I wanted to destroy him. I'm on the edge of losing control. It’s bad, Sarma. I don't want to hurt anyone. Please.” He didn’t want her to see his fangs extend. This was not the best moment for her to see him like that.
“I sense the
connection, too. And something else. Something I never felt before.” She averted her eyes.
His expression softened. “What exactly?” The wounds healed, and his usual calm returned. He searched her eyes.
“You're hurt, and I want to care for you. But not like I've cared for anyone else. It feels… different.”
“I know. You’re different for me, too. I just need a minute.” He wanted to kiss her on the forehead, wrap his arms around her, but once he started, he wouldn’t be able to stop. “Let’s go outside. I need the night.”
Sarma gathered warm clothes from her suitcase and changed in the bathroom. Outside, under a star-speckled evening, they walked toward the hills. Reinis stalked behind her like a stealth panther. He stopped and leaned against a tall redwood tree, closed his eyes, and inhaled the sweet scent of its bark.
“Try it. It feels good.”
Sarma leaned against the tree and filled her lungs with the crisp, evening air.
“Gatis really pissed me off. I almost killed him.” With his hand covering his face, he breathed deeply, focusing his desire, trying to pull the monster back with a shoestring.
He read the desire in her eyes and in her mind. Only a few inches shorter than him, she calculated that if she stood on her toes, she could reach his lips to kiss them. A wave of warmth washed over her body as she studied his mouth.
Instead of fulfilling her need, he turned and knelt down at the base of the tree. It killed him having to do that. She deserved so much better. Many baby redwoods had sprung up around its base. He removed a piece of bread from his pocket, and broke it up around the tree.
“What are you doing?” Sarma kneeled next to him.
“Upuris, an offering to the Gods. To Māra, the Earth, to Dievs, the Sky, because we’re here together.” He spread the pieces on the ground, desperately trying to get his mind off the sexual intensity wound like a tight wire between them.
“I have nothing to offer.” Sarma opened her hands.
“You’ve given more than enough.” Sadness yanked at his heart.
“I feel your sadness.” She grazed his hand.
“It’s the imprint. You never noticed it before you saw me here?” Reinis left his hand on hers.
“When I was alone and quiet, yes. An intense pleasure buzzed in my chest, but I wasn’t aware of it until you came back. I experienced it several times, once at my house and another time in a bookstore. And I had dreams. Two vivid dreams . . . of you. Not like others I’ve had in my life. It was like you were here with me.”
Reinis sensed her thoughts. She didn’t want to talk about the situations in which she had the dreams, and he didn’t push her to share what she believed to be a secret.
“Those weren’t dreams. I visited you in Riga when you were sick, and I came to your house, outside your window, in secret. One day I also followed you in town. You don’t know how badly I wanted you to see me. And I would do it again. I felt your pain through the imprint and needed to know you were okay.” Besides, he needed to protect her. Talking about the dreams made him lose his erection. He pulled his hand away and ran his fingers over the tiny branches of a baby tree shoot. Wind rustled the limbs above them.
Sarma said nothing. “I don’t think you’re a bad person anymore. I don’t know what to say. No one’s ever cared for me like this.” She hesitated a minute as if lost in thought, and then continued. “The day I met you, a strange thing happened with some eggs. They were blood red when I opened them.”
“Velta did it.”
“Horrible. Why?”
“She has problems. She’s always done things like that.” Everything led back to Sarma’s purpose. A purpose he wasn’t able to disclose. He was disgusted with himself. She deserved to know that his duty was to get her pregnant and nothing more. She was so much more worthy than their plans for her. Damn, how would she react?
“But why me and how?” Sarma stood up and leaned against the tree.
He followed her movement and stood parallel to her, inches away, her heat radiating out, but without touching or facing her. “Because I’m her brother, and she’s jealous. She was livid since the night at the club. She harnesses the same energy we use to heal but uses it negatively.” Not quite a lie. Not exactly the truth.
“Jealous? We hadn’t even slept together,” Sarma balked. “That’s scary, though. Could she hurt me?”
“No one will hurt you. Ever. Not the other side of my family, not Velta. No one.”
She lifted away from the tree trunk and stared him down. “This situation is crazy to me. I need to know these things, especially if you’re asking me to help you.”
“That’s what I’m doing here. Protecting you. You’re a strong woman, but vampires are different.” He smiled in his heart. Her physical and emotional strength captivated him. He ached to wrap his hands around her waist and kiss her. “The hierarchy took care of Velta.”
“You keep talking about this hierarchy.”
“As my mother told you, Latvian vampires used to be one coven, before our family divided. Our side has eight elders, my mother being one of them. For centuries, we’ve survived by following our decrees. If we break them, we are punished. The elders are old but not frail.”
“Punished?”
“Death or exile. But between the two, exile is worse because all vampires turn their backs on you. You have nowhere to go. Humans hate us, and vampires don’t want to piss other covens off. But that’s not the only reason we follow the decrees. We do it because we know the little unity we have is what keeps us alive.”
“What a lot of pressure. You have so many things to live up to.”
“I never thought about it. I did as I was told.” He was a pawn just like her.
“Like now? Like how you’re not kissing me because of your rules? Reinis, please, come closer.”
“I can’t. I really can’t.” He clenched his fists. He longed to be skin to skin with her.
“Why not? I can feel it. I know you can, too.” She closed her eyes, her breath light. “Please, Reinis, I need you.”
Chapter 27
Sarma glared at him. Could he die? Was he telling the truth?
“This . . .” He pointed to himself then back to her several times. “. . . between us is pushing me over the edge. I want you in ways you can’t imagine, but I can't do anything about it. I need to control myself for your safety. I face serious penalties if I touch you. Death, Sarma, or exile. And there are more vampires coming for you. Gatis is one of many. I have a sworn duty.”
“So how come you didn't have a duty not to touch me in the first place? How convenient.”
“You have a right to be angry, but I can't say.”
“Can't say? Oh, just great.” She turned and rushed toward the cabin.
“I can’t say certain things because of the hierarchy.”
“Because of the hierarchy…everything for them.”
Now at the cabin, she shoved the door open and marched in. “What aren’t you telling me?” Her face flushed red. She shot into the bathroom and banged the door closed. Planting herself on the toilet, she grabbed a rag, ran it under water, and placed it on her head.
“Sarma, please. I don't want it to be this way either. We suffer huge consequences if we don't follow the coven. Many could die. Including me.” Reinis’ voice hummed through the door. His kind tone killed her.
He wiggled the locked doorknob.
“Your mother said you don't know my ‘purpose.’ But, it’s obvious you do. What aren't you allowed to say?” Sarma raked the rag over her face.
“If I tell you what I know, I’ll be pulled off duty, away from you. Don't you see, at least this way I can be with you.”
She sensed his heart sink like a burnt-out sun. As if they were one, her heart plummeted too. Be with her? His blatant admission exploded an emotional bomb within her. Tears streamed down her face. She smacked her head against the door.
“What are you doing? Stop it!”
Through he
r sobs, the door unlocked. Why did he have to be so powerful? Why couldn’t he leave her alone? He swung it open, catching her in his arms.
Sarma collapsed into his chest, wailing. She lost her home, job, and her baby. Now a man, no—a vampire—wanted to be close to her, but he was forbidden to touch her.
“My life is broken,” was all she could blubber, clueless on how to explain how she felt.
The longer part of his hair fell on his face. He carried her to bed, placing her gently under the covers. Staying on the outside of the blankets, he curled up and held her trembling body.
“Don’t talk, don’t explain. I'm sorry, Sarma. So sorry,” he whispered, caressing her hair.
“I'm . . . so . . . cold.” Her teeth chattered. Pain poured out of her, and Reinis’ arms eased her. “Turn the heater on.”
Reinis started the gas fireplace and returned to the bed. He wrapped her in blankets and pulled her close. Sarma hurt all over, but his touch calmed her more than she anticipated. He imparted tranquility that soothed her emotional and physical pain. All tension slipped away, every muscle relaxed, and she stopped crying.
“As soon as I'm warm, go to your own bed,” Sarma mumbled.
“Agreed.”
Together they listened to the night. The warmth in her chest grew, bringing a tender intimacy. Occasionally, she sensed his emotions as well. Far away from the highway, the only sounds were the crickets singing, a frog croaking, and an occasional owl’s hoot. Sarma allowed herself to slip into his arms. And then, it dawned on her.
Sniffling, Sarma turned over and locked eyes with Reinis.
“Tell me the truth. Was I pregnant with your child?”
His face tensed, he folded his lips into his mouth, and pressed them together.
“If you respect or care for me whatsoever, you’ll tell me the truth,” she stated clear and firm. She touched his face with deliberate affection for the first time since Latvia.
Reinis closed his eyes, mumbling. “Face death. Lose Sarma.” His voice became solid. “I can’t lie to you anymore, even with the penalties. You became pregnant by me. And it was intentional.”
Forbidden Darkness (Immortal Desire Series Book 1) Page 16
