by J. S. Scott
You’re laughing. I can feel it. Who are you?
Ethan sobered as he felt her anxiety. “I’m here to help. I would never harm you.”
I believe you. I’m not sure why… but I do. What’s happening to me?
The connection was strong and Ethan floated down to the window of her house, finding it easily as the connection strengthened even more. He flashed himself into her bedroom and immediately felt the sense of evil that was stalking her. He braced to confront it but as soon as he’d flashed into the bedroom the presence seemed to flee, completely and totally, leaving only the essence of his mate.
“I’m here now. Everything will be all right. You’re safe.”
It’s gone. Thank you. I’m so tired…
Her voice trailed off and the connection broke. She slept the sleep of the innocent.
Ethan moved soundlessly to the side of the bed, looking down to get his first glimpse of his mate. His heart ached, beating in a wild rhythm as he saw her light blonde hair peeking out from a mound of blankets. She was beautiful and more precious to him than anything he had ever coveted in his entire existence. She was the one who held his soul and his future sanity in her fragile hands.
She looked so…delicate. Ethan glimpsed the dark markings around her eyes, taking in her slight weight, and the worry lines around her mouth, present even in her sleep.
He reached forward to touch her temple lightly. It was rude to invade her thoughts, but he wanted to know what caused her angelic appearance to be marred with worry.
Whatever was worrying his mate would soon be gone. He’d make certain of it.
Pain seized his body and he grunted as his fingers found and sought a mind connection. She’s sick. She’s dying. He felt the pain of her treatments, the torture her body had been through. She had fought bravely… but she was losing the battle.
He watched as her other memories sprang forth, most of them happy. At least she had led a peaceful life until the mysterious illness had hit her. He removed his hand, reluctant to invade too much into her thoughts without her permission.
Dying. Dying? That was so not going to happen. Ethan knew exactly what she was dying from, and it wasn’t the rare blood disease her doctors had diagnosed. She needed to bond with her mate. She was twenty-eight years old. Almost twenty-nine. Damn it! Why hadn’t he heard her sooner?
Ethan’s gaze caught a picture on her nightstand. His mate was in the photo along with her mother, and either a friend or a sister, someone he hadn’t picked up in the memories he had seen. He smiled, noticing she looked vibrant and happy in the image, the three women hugging each other and smiling.
He stroked her hair and kissed her on the forehead. He could touch her while she was sleeping without consequence. But the moment they touched consciously…
Ethan flinched. How in the hell could he mate her when she was this fragile? The vampire mating and bonding process was rough. The mating was volatile and he would be engulfed with primitive instincts, completely wild. Once the vows were spoken and marks were joined, there was no turning back.
Damn it…he needed time, and time was something that this woman didn’t have a lot of, judging by her frail appearance. The bond between mates was instinctual but he still wanted to get to know her. She would be frightened at discovering the truth of her existence, and she had to go into the bonding willingly.
Ethan left the bedroom and pulled out his cell phone. He called his brothers to see if they had dug up any information. Although vampires were psychic and could draw each other’s attention through their minds, only mates could actually hold a conversation easily. With anyone else it was easier to just pick up a phone.
Nathan was the only one with any information. He had heard a rumor about some of the fallen who were stalking mates. They were picking the as yet unprotected mates who hadn’t bonded.
Ethan slammed his phone back into his pocket. The bastards! They were preying on the weak. Mates who didn’t know who they were yet! Mates who didn’t know that they guarded the soul of a vampire!
Although drinking from another born vampire was poison to a fallen, taking blood from a mate who had not yet called her vampire to her was powerful. The blood of a vampire’s mate was more potent than a normal human’s and its power would absorb in the fallen’s system, making them stronger. If a fallen got close enough to a vampire’s mate, they could smell her, sense her. Ethan shuddered at how close the son of a bitch had been to his woman.
Just as he was about to head back to the bedroom to look in on his mate, he felt an uneasy twinge that made the hair at the back of his neck stand on end.
“Come on, you bastard, show yourself,” he whispered, his voice full of malice. “I’ll show you your own asshole.”
The fallen appeared in front of him and it was not a pretty sight. Fallen looked more demon than man with their glowing red eyes and hairless, sunken faces. Fallen could never get enough blood to regain their former appearance.
Ethan didn’t know this fallen from its former life, but it didn’t matter. He would have killed the bastard anyway. Occasionally, he felt a twinge of remorse and sorrow if he had known the former vampire before he had to slay a fallen. Right now, he wanted to tear this one’s head off just for being in close proximity to his mate.
The fallen landed the first blow, raking razor-sharp claws over Ethan’s face. But Ethan struck hard and fast, pulling a knife from a sheath at his waist as he struck the grotesque figure in the chest, sending it flying across the room.
He might not have time to conjure all of his fighting equipment… but he could improvise.
The figure bounced back, striking at Ethan’s chest with its claws, but Ethan rotated away with barely a scratch.
The fallen tried to stalk Ethan, who wasn’t in the mood to play. He was a vampire protecting his mate and he didn’t feel like doing anything but destroying the threat. He struck hard and fast, landing blow after blow with his knife as he kicked and weakened his foe.
Ethan took a claw to his back as he spun around, trying to take the creature off balance.
Ethan didn’t have a full set of claws, but he had a knife and fury on his side.
The battle raged on as the creature tired and Ethan got his chance. He pinned the fallen into the wall, slamming its left arm over his head as he plunged his knife deep, rupturing the heart of the evil bastard that was stalking his mate.
Rupturing the heart of a fallen was the only way to permanently vanquish it. While killing a vampire required beheading, bleeding dry, or prolonged exposure to the sun, it was necessary to annihilate the heart of a fallen to ensure its demise.
Ethan watched without a twinge of remorse as he muttered sarcastically, “Have a good afterlife, asshole.” He knew there was no real afterlife for the fallen. They wandered aimlessly, absolutely harmless and constantly tortured, for eternity, in another realm. He hoped the bastard enjoyed it, having no pity for any being that would have torn his woman to shreds.
The fallen dissolved until it was nothing but a pile of ash on the carpet.
Ethan heard a gasp and instinctively whirled to defend himself, still in fight mode. It took him only a few seconds to realize that the exclamation had come from his mate.
She stood at the bedroom door, complete horror evident on her face. He felt her fear and he didn’t like it. She should never be afraid of him.
Okay… maybe she had a slight reason to be afraid. His eyes were still wild from battle, his clothing covered in blood…and the living room looked like a war zone.
He shrugged. It was pretty much a normal situation for him, but it was obviously making his mate hyperventilate.
Ethan quickly flipped his hand and the living room righted itself in seconds. With another sweep he changed his clothing and cleaned the blood from his body, new clothing appearing in moments. He couldn’t immediately heal his scratches, but they would disappear soon enough.
Okay….everything good now? Ethan reached for his mate with his min
d… but she didn’t answer. She just continued to stare at him with an appalled look on her face.
Damn. Didn’t work! Ethan thought she would feel better if he cleaned up, but it just seemed to freak her out more. Oh hell… he didn’t know how to act around a woman anymore. Or a human who didn’t know his nature! It had been four hundred years for Christ’s sake! He guessed that perhaps he should hide a few of his abilities until she calmed down.
He started toward her, asking gruffly, “Are you all right?”
You just did your personal grooming in seconds with your magic. The woman is human. She’s probably not exactly okay with that.
Ethan cursed himself as he tried to think of a way to approach her without scaring her. Magic was as normal as breathing in his world. It was difficult for him to remember that she was human and not used to anything that couldn’t be explained by logic.
“Please don’t be afraid. I’m here to help. The demon is gone. Remember me?” Ethan tried to activate her subconscious memory as his mind reached for hers.
Her mouth moved but no words came out. His eyes pinned hers and held them steady. “Remember me,” he ordered softly.
Brianna shook herself, but her eyes were glued to his. He held her captive with his gaze, and she couldn’t look away. “The evil is gone,” she whispered in a trembling voice.
Ethan nodded. “Yes.”
Brianna slid down the wall as though her legs wouldn’t hold her. Her gaze didn’t leave his as she asked in an agonized voice, “What’s happening to me?”
Ethan released her eyes with a sigh. She remembered. Everything! And she obviously wasn’t handling it all that well.
Chapter 3
Brianna buried her face in her hands, trying to make it all go away. Was she losing her mind along with her body?
Her whole being was shaken and she wasn’t sure anything would ever be right again. The only thing that made sense is if everything she had seen in the last several minutes had all been a horrible nightmare.
Please be a bad dream. Let me wake up and find out this was just a nightmare. I’ll open my eyes and I’ll be in bed. The blood-covered guy will be gone.
She uncovered her face. Nope. No change. He’s still here. She sighed, deciding that obviously he wasn’t going anywhere and she needed to understand, whether she wanted to or not.
“Who are you? What are you?” She was stunned, but after the initial shock she realized she wasn’t really afraid of this man. They had spoken to each other while asleep. This man was her savior. She remembered it now and knew he had protected her from the evil that had been lurking around her.
“I wish I had more time to prepare you, but you must realize that there is something happening that can’t be explained by logic, and you have very little time.” He paused and met her eyes. “I’m a vampire. The demon that was stalking you was a fallen, a vampire lost to evil.”
Oh, God. Brianna groaned and covered her face, breaking away from his eyes. In some strange way… it made sense… and that terrified her. But she couldn’t deny they had spoken in her dreams, not to mention the horrific scene that had just played out before her eyes. Oh, hell. I’m dying. What does it matter whether or not this is logical? “Good guy or bad guy?”
Ethan shrugged. “Better than him.” Ethan gestured at the carpet where the fallen had dissolved.
She rolled her eyes. “Name?”
“Ethan. Ethan Hale.”
“Ethan.” She tested it on her tongue. His name was familiar. It was as though she knew him somehow. “I’m Brianna. Brianna Cole.”
“Brianna.” He breathed her name softly.
“I’m not afraid of you, Ethan. And after what just happened I sure as hell should be. Why is that?”
He answered her gently. “You know me. Subconsciously…you know me. Your life is ending so you’re feeling with your senses right now instead of logic. You know that you’re my mate.”
She choked. “Mate? Me? I’m nobody’s mate.”
“You are, Brianna. You’re my mate. My other half. Keeper of my soul,” he answered her, his voice husky.
She looked for some sort of sign that this was a farce, but the guy was completely serious. “I don’t even know you. Furthermore, I’m dying. That’s a pretty lousy mate to have. I think you got screwed. I come with a pretty quick expiration date.” She attempted to make light of his comments, but somewhere in her heart she actually did feel drawn to him.
“You aren’t dying from a rare form of leukemia, Brianna. You’re ill because you are not yet united with your mate. Your life force is fading,” he explained patiently. He walked over and sat next to her on the floor, across from her so that he could see her eyes. “Somewhere on your body you wear my mark. My family mark is a dragon.”
He held out his left arm. On his forearm was the perfect tattoo of a small dragon. It was fierce, multicolored and very detailed considering it was only about the size of a half dollar. “Oh shit.” Brianna felt her heart flutter and her stomach drop. She had an identical marking on her right hip.
The mark had appeared when she had turned eighteen. One morning… it was just…there. She had never mentioned it to anyone. She rationalized it by saying she must have done it on her birthday. It was one of those rare occasions where she had partied with alcohol when she had been underage and had gotten roaring drunk.
“You have it?” It was a rhetorical question that Ethan already knew the answer to, but he asked her anyway.
“Yes.” She could barely speak. This was all too strange. All too unbelievable.
“Don’t be afraid, Brianna. We were created for each other. This isn’t the way it is usually done. Generally I would meet you. Get to know you. Let you at least get used to me before I dropped this bomb on you. But you have little time. I think you sense that.” His voice was urgent and worried.
“I do.” She answered without hesitation. She did know it. She felt it. “I wish that we could have had more time together.”
“We have forever. But it has to start soon.” His voice was coaxing.
“Ethan… what part of “I’m dying” did you not understand?” She was getting frustrated.
“We can mate, Brianna. You won’t die. You will be with me for eternity.”
“I can’t mate with you! I don’t even know you.” But something inside of her wanted to. Would it be such a sacrifice to mate with a man who made her insides quiver without even touching her? He was the most handsome, compelling man she had ever met and something inside of her yearned for him, was reaching for him.
Besides, her other alternative was dying. Soon!
Yep. Tough choice! I either believe his story and mate with the gorgeous man, or die an agonizing death. It was sort of a no-brainer.
Ethan reached toward her and took her hand in his gently, as though afraid she would shatter, and she felt a jolt of energy go through her body. Just the light touch of his hand was electrifying. “Then know me, Brianna. Open your mind and know me.”
He placed her hand on his temple and her mind flooded with Ethan. Ethan as a young man! Ethan with his brothers! Ethan’s thoughts. Ethan’s battles! Ethan’s emotions. She was utterly and completely consumed by Ethan.
Chapter 4
Ethan was in hell. One touch of her hand on his body brought his senses roaring to life.
His body burned, demanding immediate gratification. He ground his teeth and tried to ignore the burning desire to take her. She was his. He needed to possess her, own her. He wanted to consume her and to be buried in her scent, her body, her mind.
His cock was hard and heavy. It had been a long time since he had felt that particular sensation, but never had he burned like this. He had been with women before he had succumbed to his involuntary impotence at the age of one hundred, but it had been normal desire and sex. This was more like a maniac’s obsession.
She would feel it too, even in her fragile state. It was normal for mates. She wouldn’t be dealing with the same frenzied des
ire as his, but her desire to mate would be there. Her desire to be satiated would be unrelenting…and it would drive him completely mad.
Once they were mated the intense desire and possessiveness would remain… but the frenzied craziness would subside. Once she was his. Once she belonged to him.
He let out an involuntary groan, trying to stifle it, let her have as much time as she needed to know him. She heard and pulled her hand back.
She said nothing, but her eyes spoke volumes. He could see her desire for him and he couldn’t breathe, couldn’t speak, his own need raging out of control.
Finally, she spoke hesitantly. “Can I make it through the mating…the bonding?” Though unsure, she didn’t sound fearful and Ethan was touched by her courage. She was willing to try. This tiny woman had more courage than some of the members of The Coalition.
“We need to build up your strength. I won’t lie to you, Brianna. It’s… difficult. Once the vow is spoken and our marks are joined, every feral and carnal instinct I to dominate you will rule me. It’s something I can’t overcome.” He pulled her close and cradled her against him.
“I want to try. I’m not ready to die. How do we build up my strength? I have to drink your blood, don’t I? I saw it in your mind.” She answered matter-of-factly, but he could tell that she was hesitant.
“We have to exchange blood, but I can make it easier for you.”
“How?”
“Like this.” He lowered his mouth to hers.
*****
The touch of his mouth on hers sent Brianna into a tailspin. Her senses whirled as his mouth took hers in a demanding assault. His tongue teased the seam of her lips and she opened to him willingly. His embrace possessed her, branding her whole body with fire. She lifted her arms around his neck and ran her hands through the rich texture of his silky hair.
His hands moved possessively over her body, leaving a trail of fire wherever he touched.
Ethan lifted her into his arms, never breaking contact with her mouth as he continued his relentless embrace. He carried her to the bed and lowered her gently to the sheets.
