by KA Young
“You mean Joe’s Porsche?” Dan’s eyebrows shot up. “That car was his baby. He wouldn’t even let me drive it.”
“Well, it’s mine now and I think Julie’s life is worth a whole hell of a lot more than this stupid car.”
We got into the car and I took out the medallion. I held it with both hands and closed my eyes, hoping that it would trigger whatever was supposed to happen. Yes! In an instant I had what was like a perfect visual map. I knew exactly where to go even though I had never traveled there before. I put it back in the pouch, opened the garage door and flew out of the driveway. I tore down the streets like a bat out of hell, driving right out of town and onto a dirt road that didn’t even register on the car’s GPS system. Not that I was surprised.
I pulled the car into a thicket of trees, turned off the lights and stopped. Dan was extremely pale. He hadn’t spoken the entire way.
I took out the medallion again, double checking my location. We would have to go the rest of the way on foot.
“You okay? You don’t look so good.”
He forced a smile as he took my hand in his.
“I’m okay. Things could have been so different for us, you know. I was going to help you. We were going to mourn Joe together and, when you were ready, I would be there, waiting for you to see how much I love you.” I reached out and stroked his cheek. He leaned in, his head close to mine.
“Please, Anna; I need to feel your lips on mine.” I allowed him to kiss me. His kiss was tender at first then changed to extremely intense. I tried to pull away, but he held me in place, pulling me closer. His lips began to feel like ice against mine. My hands were chilled against his chest. He growled and it wasn’t a human sound.
When his mouth trailed down my throat, I stiffened. “Dan, what’s wrong? You feel ice cold.” I felt his teeth grazing my neck and he pushed against my head, exposing more of my neck to him. Right when I began to feel uneasy, he shoved me away, exploding from the car. I sat there for a second, stunned.
Get it together, Anna. This is a whole new world you’re living in. It’s Dan that’s out there. I jumped out and ran around the car, examining it. He had ripped off the entire side of the car. I ran after him into the woods.
I tripped over something and went to my knees. Looking back I could see it was a human male. He was dead, and his neck was torn. Oh shit! I got up and scanned the area, immediately noticing a pair of glowing eyes hunched over another guard. My instincts screamed vampire!
I stood still as a statue, recognition dawning on me. It was Dan. He threw another dead human guard to the ground, his face and shirt covered in blood.
“Dan? Why is this happening to you?” He rubbed his hands over his white face and took a cautious step toward me.
“It wasn’t supposed to happen this fast. I was supposed to have a week before the change.”
“What are you saying, Dan?”
He stepped into the moonlight, showing me his face. He opened his mouth and sharp fangs protruded from his gums.
I took a step back and scanned him from head to toe. He was noticeably several inches taller and massively more muscular. His nails were also darker and came to sharp points. They looked more like claws than human nails now.
This shouldn’t be happening, but it was. I never wanted this kind of life for Dan; he wasn’t meant for it.
“I ingested vampire blood then stabbed myself in the heart with a spear. It should have taken longer for me to complete the transformation. I wanted to help you and then tell you because I don’t want to frighten you; I just needed to feed so badly and I could smell your blood. I could hear your heart pumping blood through your veins. I had to get away from you. I’ll learn to control the urges. It’s not possible for me to hurt you.”
He slumped against a tree. I could hear the truth in every word he said. Now that I was no longer leery of him, I sat down beside him and touched his face. It was so cold against my hot skin. I was fascinated.
“Why did you do this?”
His body tensed and, when I heard a scratching sound, I looked down at his hands. He was literally clawing the bark off the tree.
“That sick bastard, Eli,” he gritted out. “Thinking he could claim you and toss me around like a rag doll. Fuck that! I’ll rip him apart now.”
I wasn’t so sure about that, but no point in adding fuel to the fire. I lay my head on his shoulder.
“Your mother is seriously going to love this. Her elder son was married to me, a Nephilim warrior and now, because of me, her younger son turned himself into a vampire. You just can’t make this crap up.”
We both laughed for a few minutes; there was nothing else for us to do. He kissed the top of my head and stood, helping me up.
“Come on; let’s go.”
I followed the path the medallion led us on for a couple of hours while Dan kept glancing at the sky. I guess he was worried about daylight. We finally came to where the visual map ended. It looked like an old, dilapidated barn. This couldn’t possibly be where he held her. I kicked open the door and peered around the place. Hay was everywhere and the place reeked. Dan and I looked at each other, both wrinkling up our noses. His senses must have improved with his change, like mine had. It was quite an adjustment.
“What is that god-awful smell?”
“I think it’s mold spores growing in the hay.”
He looked at me with raised eyebrows.
“What? I saw a documentary on growing mold in college.”
“You sure this is the place? It appears to be empty.”
“I’m positive this is the right place. From what I have learned about this new world I’m living in, appearances mean absolutely nothing.”
“Okay then. Shall we?”
He took my hand and we walked in. We had only taken a couple of steps when we literally fell down into the floor. Dan pulled me on top of him while we were in the air and broke my fall with his body as we hit the ground.
My breath left me on impact. For a minute or two, I was a little disoriented. I sat up slowly, taking in my surroundings. We were surrounded by red-eyed, rotting skinned yetzer hara. The smell was so revolting, I gagged.
“My guest has arrived!” A musical voice rang in the dark cave. I could feel the opal getting warm on my skin. I turned around, looking for the owner of the voice as Dan and I jumped to our feet.
“Is she harmed? I gave instructions for her to be escorted here unharmed.”
“She is unharmed, master. It was the human guards’ fault; they did not alert us to her arrival.” The wet sound of their response disgusted me. He walked down the stone steps, clapped his hands, and immediately the torches blazed hot and bright, allowing my eyes to finally meet his.
He was beautiful. Bronzed skin, crystal blue eyes and caramel-colored hair that reminded me of a horse’s mane because of its thickness. He stood at the same impressive height as a warrior. I couldn’t take my eyes off him. “Ah, I suppose we have our vampire friend here to thank for that.” He walked up to Dan.
“You will kindly remove yourself from my female, or I will remove you and trust me when I say that it will be a most unpleasant experience for you.” His tone held the promise of pain.
Dan flashed his fangs in anger as I began to unsheathe my sword. I sought my flame and reacted. In a flurry of movement that I had learned from Torch, I began slaying the yetzer hara. I took out five of them in less than a minute, slicing straight through their necks, one by one. I felt like a hot knife cutting through butter. I turned and saw Dan taking out the final two. He spat out the black blood afterward, clearly disgusted by it.
Nyoka applauded loudly, a small smile playing across his lips. “Well done! That was very well done! I am truly impressed. I never expected this much so quickly. You are truly a phenomenal creature.”
Dan sprung; leaping high in the air, but Nyoka caught him by the throat midair and snapped his neck, causing his lifeless body to fall hard onto the ground.
“Dan!”
I dropped to my knees beside his body. I couldn’t believe I had lost another person I loved.
“Be at ease. He is a vampire and will rise again, that is, unless I stake him.”
I leapt to my feet and pulled both my daggers. “I would advise against that. As much pleasure as I would receive from an intimate blood dance with you, we haven’t the time at present, and regretfully, we are not alone. You forget; I have your sister.” I froze.
I hadn’t forgotten. That piece of information was all I was thinking about. “You will not harm my sister,” I warned as I ground my teeth together.
“How fearless you are, choosing to face an unknown force head on. Come, I will take you to your sister. No harm has come to her.” He held out his arm to me.
“What about the blood on my floor?”
He laughed and, as much as I hated to admit it, it was a beautiful sound to my ears. “All for effect, my lovely. I had to find a way to get you to come to me of your own free will.” He offered his arm once more. “Come.”
I took his arm.
“Take the vampire to his quarters. He and I will have words later.”
I had no idea to whom he was speaking; Dan and I had taken out the team of yetzer hara. However, just then, I noticed two bulky men stepping out from the shadows with a dozen more following them through the tunnel Nyoka had emerged from. They weren’t warriors; of that I was certain.
I followed him up the stone steps and out of the cold cave. His hand was warm and comforting, just like Eli’s had been the day he took me to the compound, which definitely perplexed me; how could someone so evil, comfort me with his touch? God, what did that say about me? I shoved that thought aside and focused on my surroundings, I needed to keep my wits about me, not have a freaking melt down. Julie needed me. He walked me down the carved stone tunnels lit by torches and into a well-furnished room where Julie was lying on the bed in the same cotton pajamas she had been wearing the night I left her the note.
She sat up when she heard the door open, squinting as she tried to make out my face. The sight of her in distress infuriated me.
“Anna, is that you?” I went to her.
We embraced, and she sobbed on my shoulder. I patted her back in an attempt to comfort her. “It’s going to be okay, Julie. I’m here now; I won’t let anyone hurt you.”
“Anna, where are we?” She sat up and looked at my hair, and then at the way I was dressed: armed to the hilt and covered in yetzer hara slime.
She looked terrified. I turned toward the door, my eyes glowing with anger as I stared Nyoka down. I wanted to kill him again, but he wasn’t fazed by my reaction.
“Anna… your… your eyes! What the hell is going on here?” She started shaking. I held her trembling frame, unsure of what else to do.
“What’s happening to her?” The warrior stepped up beside me and put an arm around my shoulders.
“She is going into shock. Her human mind can’t accept everything it is attempting to process.”
“Help her!” I demanded.
“You wish for me to help her?” He rubbed his hand down my arm.
“Isn’t that what I just said? She’s my sister!”
“It will require a promise from you.”
I looked at my sister, convulsing on the bed. I didn’t have a choice. “Fine. Make her well and put her back into her own life. I don’t want her to remember any of this. You must also set Dan free and then I will agree to whatever you wish.”
“You don’t even know what you are agreeing to.”
“I don’t care. Make. Her. Well.”
“Done.” He ran his hand over her face and she calmed instantly. Then he called out the door in a language I didn’t recognize. Two burly men came marching in. “Take the young lady home. Make sure you are not seen and, if any harm comes to her or her family, I will decapitate both of you. On your way out, have the vampire removed and placed in a cave outside the compound where he will rise safely. Understood?”
They bowed their heads. One of them picked Julie up and started for the door.
“Wait.” I grabbed hold of Julie’s arm, halting the one carrying her. He looked at Nyoka, who gave his permission. I looked into her peaceful face and kissed her on the cheek then stood back, wiping the tears from my eyes as they left.
“Come, you have had a long day. I will show you to your room where you will have a shower, get into some clean clothes and rest a bit. I will have food brought up to you.” I followed him blindly down the halls and up another flight of stairs.
When we came to a door, he took his heavy set of keys and unlocked it. I walked numbly into the room as he held the door open for me. I could tell someone had gone to great pains to make the room comfortable, despite its location and noticed Nyoka looking to me for some sort of approval on the condition of the bedroom. He took my elbow and steered me toward the back wall, where there was a large window then opened the interior shutters, exposing a stunning view of the mountainside. I inhaled a breath of fresh air.
“I had this constructed for you. You see here?” He pointed to the outside of the window. “This was achieved by digging out the side of the mountain.” I glanced down at what he was pointing to and then sat down in the tapestry chair by the window.
“You will find the en suite bath over here and there are clothes in all the wardrobes. I have to leave you now; I have business I must attend to, but I will return later this evening so we can dine together.” He still held the keys in his hand. “I regret that I must lock you in the room, only until we have time to understand one another. I will be back soon.”
He bowed his head and walked out of the room. I heard the lock engage.
My God, what did I get into this time? I got up and leaned over the window sill. It was a long way down. I wondered if I could jump down without injuring myself. If I did get injured, though, it would heal quickly. However, I didn’t think it would heal quickly enough for me to escape unnoticed.
It was better if I cooperated for a while, or at least, until I could find a better way out of here.
Chapter 12
Standing under the water in the stone shower, I began replaying the events of the day; everything that happened with Eli, Dan, and what Elise had said before I left. I couldn’t believe that Nyoka handled Dan like he was nothing more than a nuisance, batting him away as if he were a gnat. He was much stronger than I had anticipated.
Elise said he wouldn’t look the same, yet that had been a serious understatement. She didn’t tell me that I would be drawn to him as strongly as I was to Eli. I wish I knew why I wasn’t the least bit afraid of Nyoka. I didn’t know what to do. I saved Julie and Dan; that was crucial. I knew they were safe.
My thoughts shifted to the hairy guys. I was pretty sure they were werewolves. Since I was getting stronger, my internal, supernatural radar was working splendidly.
What a crazy world I had found myself in. I turned off the water and towel-dried off. I needed to focus and stay on constant alert.
I came out of the bathroom and headed toward the wardrobe, wanting to see what kind of clothes Nyoka had chosen for me to dress in. I was not at all surprised to find all the lacy things; countless teddies, panties and push-up bras. The wardrobe was also stocked full of designer gowns, skirts and tops. I opened the other wardrobe. Oh thank God! He had provided me with trousers in flat brown, commando khaki, and camo green, too. There were also four stacks of tank tops and shirts in the same colors beside them. A row of flat brown combat boots sat at the bottom of the wardrobe. I didn’t need to check the size to know they would be a perfect fit, just like everything else.
I chose a black, flouncy skirt, figuring that it would allow for more movement than the pencil skirt, and a low-cut satin tank top. I slipped on a pair of sexy, black, strappy sandals and fastened the daggers to my thighs under my skirt. Then I went to the dressing table he had provided me, sat down and went through the makeup in the bags. I decided to go with smoky eyes, no blush, and red lips.
I styled my hair in a sleek, sexy style, easily done with my new short do. The opal necklace Elise had given me went quite nicely with the outfit. Nyoka wouldn’t find a sniveling woman when he came back. I planned to be ready for this game.
An hour later, I was seated at the small dining table that was brought into the room. The door slowly opened and a young woman about my height with long, bushy hair came into the room carrying a tray of food. She kept her head down as she placed the tray on the table.
“Hi, I’m Anna and you are?” She didn’t respond, but lifted the silver dome lids, revealing filet mignon, asparagus risotto, and tomato basil salad. It smelled delicious.
I reached out and touched her arm. “You’re a werewolf, aren’t you?” She tilted her head up.
“It’s okay, you can talk to me.” I put my hand out, offering to shake hers. Except she didn’t shake it, she sniffed it. That was a first for me. I sat completely still until she was through and seemed satisfied with whatever she had gleaned by my smell.
“Yes. My pack is in service to Nyoka,” she spoke softly. “He is very powerful and a dangerous man in our world; you must be careful around him. I cannot say more.” Her ears perked up, just like a wolf in the wild. “He’s coming.”
She collected the trays and left the room. Her hearing was far superior to mine because I couldn’t hear anyone approaching. It was interesting, that Nyoka had recruited the weres, though. She was right, I had to tread lightly. I wasn’t sure what would or wouldn’t get back to him.
Nyoka entered, dressed in an Italian, tailored, black pinstriped shirt with a blood red tie and black slacks. His smile was blinding and his eyes raked over me as he took a seat opposite me. “I apologize for keeping you waiting. I was detained longer than I expected.”
“It’s fine.” I put my napkin in my lap.
He pulled the bottle of chilled wine from the wine bucket filled with ice. “I hope that you like wine?”
“Yes, I do; thank you.” He smiled as he poured two glasses of a ruby red wine.
I took my glass from him and sipped it, setting it back on the table before picking up my fork and tasting the tomato basil salad. It was delicious. It tasted just as good as the food Eli gave me which caused my eyebrows to go up in question.
