She dropped to her knees beside the bloodied girl. A hysterical laugh tore from her throat, more terrible than the awful sobs from before, and Aiden held his breath.
“It’s not her. It’s not Melanie. It’s her clothes, but it’s not her.”
The sound of shattering glass brought them both upright. A rusty tool dropped to the ground several yards away.
“It’s Melanie, I know it is!”
Kate took off at a run for the nearest door, with Aiden and Remann close behind.
* * * *
Kate was sure she’d never been so exhausted in her life. An absolute bone-tiredness left her trembling and aching. A dull headache pounded in her temples, and her eyes were swollen and gritty. Nausea welled up inside her as Aiden helped her into the passenger seat of his Mercedes.
Melanie suffered from exposure, dehydration, malnutrition, and pneumonia. She was a fighter, though, and the doctors said she was stable. They believed she would make a full recovery thanks to her rescuers.
When questioned by authorities, Kate hadn’t hesitated in telling them she’d received an anonymous tip from a caller about Melanie’s whereabouts. They seemed skeptical, but Kate guessed they didn’t want to waste man hours pursuing the matter further. Until Melanie was strong enough to give a statement they were willing to let things rest. Kate was sure she could convince her sister to keep the secret.
Reluctantly, she’d left her sister’s side at the insistence of her mother and stepfather. They had felt she needed a night in the hospital as well, but she refused to consider that.
Her mother had worried over her. Her stepfather had questioned Aiden and Remann for nearly an hour before he was satisfied his stepdaughter was in safe hands with them.
Aiden came to the conclusion that Melanie’s feral friend hadn’t had the heart to kill Melanie, and perhaps had hoped to change her. He could only assume she’d worn Melanie’s clothes to throw investigators off her own trail. Unfortunately, that truth would remain a mystery along with who had changed the girl.
It was noon and the sun had at last pierced through the heavy mist that boiled off Lake Michigan. The sunlight stung Kate’s eyes as they pulled up to the mansion. Too tired to move, she waited as Aiden came around to open the car door. Remann pulled up in his SUV. Aiden scooped Kate into his arms and carried her into the house, Remann holding the door for them.
Aiden carried her to her bedroom and laid her on the bed. Her limbs felt like lead as he removed her shoes.
He turned to his brother. “Remann.” Aiden’s gaze was on the floor, and he placed his hands on his hips.
Remann lifted a hand. “It’s understood, my brother.”
There was another nearly imperceptible exchange between the twins. Remann looked to Kate. There was sadness in his mismatched eyes as he studied her for several moments.
“My lovely Kate, I shall leave you to the care of my brother. I’ll be going away for a while, and I will say my goodbyes now.”
He bowed low, then turned and left her and Aiden alone.
* * * *
Aiden’s heart went out to his brother. He could see in the way Remann looked at Kate that she had captured him almost as completely as she had Aiden. He took a seat next to her, studying the patterned comforter.
“Kate, I did what I had to do. Please understand that.” He didn’t expect forgiveness from her, or for her to understand. He only waited for her to confirm her horror and revulsion at his true nature.
“She is my sister. I would have died to protect her.”
“As I would die to protect my own. Kate, it is my duty.”
Kate yawned and rubbed her puffy eyes, fighting her exhaustion. “I don’t really understand your world, or how I could ever fit into it, Aiden.”
His shoulders slumped. Kate fiddled with the comforter before meeting his eyes. Emotion swam in the gray depths. He wouldn’t give up on them, not yet.
“I don’t know how things will work between us,” he said. “But I sincerely want to try.”
* * * *
Aiden’s intriguing eyes searched hers, pleading with her in unspoken emotions. His hands found her hand, and he clasped it between his warm grasp.
“Can you give me a chance, my darling Kate?”
Kate’s heart both melted and raced. She blinked as tears blurred her sight.
“I love you, Aiden.” It was spoken on a breath as her body flooded with the emotions she’d worked hard to suppress before.
Her sister was safe, and now she had her life to get back into order. And her life would now include this incredible and sexy man—no, this vampire. Her mind reeled for a moment as it was all so unbelievable, but she was happy. A wonderful feeling of peace and joy filled her.
“Beautiful Kate, I love you as well. From this moment on, as vampire and human, we are yet one.”
* * * *
Their lips met in a gentle, but emotion-filled kiss. Aiden pulled back and gently traced his fingertips over the dark shadows beneath her eyes. His heart swelled. This was true joy, something he’d never really experienced in his centuries-long life. He wasn’t sure how it could work, but that didn’t matter to him. They would take it moment by moment and enjoy themselves thoroughly.
He stretched out beside her and cradled her to his body. Kate’s head lay on his chest as she at last gave in to exhaustion. Her breathing slowed, and a peaceful smile crossed her sleeping face. A sense of serenity filled his own body, and Aiden sighed deeply. Nothing in the world had ever meant as much to him as the sleeping woman in his arms.
His gaze focused on the sunlight that streamed through the silvery curtains. Beyond was Lake Michigan, and Aiden watched as Remann’s SUV disappeared down the private drive.
Blood Mercy
Valerie McIntyre is a Hunter in the Order of Terminus. Her job is to destroy feral vampires called Dissenters. During a hunt she is rescued from a tight spot by a sexy male vampire with beautiful, unique eyes. Old heartache warns her to keep her distance from this stranger, yet she finds herself unable to resist temptation.
Remann is in Houston trying to put his life back together when he runs across a tall, sultry vampiress cornered by a pack of Dissenters. Though Valerie appears to be a capable Hunter, he jumps in to lend a hand. She resists his help, and initially his flirtation, but they soon give in to their cravings.
The past catches up to Remann, and suddenly Valerie is in an impossible position—to do her duty as a Hunter she must destroy Remann. Will she be able to drive a stake into his heart, or will she die by the hands of the vampire she’s fallen for?
Chapter 1
“Fuck this.”
Her Source had said the abandoned warehouse was home to two Dissenters, feral vampires who threatened to expose the existence of vampires. As a Hunter in the Order of Terminus, it was Valerie McIntyre’s job to destroy Dissenters and evidence of their activities. Two bad guys were no problem for Valerie—she had highly honed fighting skills.
Now five rather rabid-looking vampires had her cornered and concerned, one of whom was her usually reliable Source.
“Come on now, Sam, what is this?” Valerie asked as her back came up against the dusty brick wall. Her hands out at her sides, she tried to reason with her Source.
“I got me some better friends, Val. That’s all, nothin’ personal to ya,” Sam said before drawing his lips back over sharp, extended canines. A low hiss escaped his throat, and the other four joined in.
Reflexively, Valerie growled, baring her own sharp canines in a threat as the group closed in. “Fuck me,” Valerie muttered as she worked the situation over in her mind.
Before she’d been changed she’d served in the Army during Desert Storm. Of course she’d never seen real combat because of the fact she had a vagina, but she knew a thing or two about tight spots. Five large, male, feral vampires against her five-foot-ten toned physique couldn’t be too bad of odds.
Right?
Another menacing growl escaped her throat
as she sized up each of her opponents. All looked to be street thugs, though at one time they could’ve been accountants or the local mailman. They were the suspected culprits behind several vicious murders of humans in the area. And they had another murder planned for that evening—but Valerie had no intention of being a helpless victim.
Fight to the death; it was what vampires did. The virus coursing within her blood demanded life, and it would drive her to battle until the bitter end. Valerie’s inherent nature expected the same.
“Okay, you Dissenter SOBs, let’s play.”
Sam gave her a snarling smile just as a male flanking him lunged.
* * * *
Remann decided to take a detour to the old warehouse he’d added to his collection of commercial investments. It was just after one in the morning, but vampires didn’t sleep, and he had nothing else planned for the evening.
The building was in an area of downtown Houston that the city hoped to bring back to life. Remann and his brother Aiden often invested in such places and turned them into nightclubs. This was a solo venture, as he hadn’t spoken with his twin in nearly a year.
Remann’s cellphone began to buzz. Glancing down, he pulled it from his pocket. He saw that it was Aiden. His brother’s calls came weekly now, but Remann couldn’t bring himself to speak to him. Remann had lost his heart to a woman who’d chosen Aiden instead of him. It was a blow to both his heart and his ego.
Remann had always had a collection of women, particularly Feeders—humans who offered their blood to him in exchange for a tidy monetary compensation. Aiden, on the other hand, had kept to himself for the most part. And now he had Kate. A bitter taste in his throat had Remann swallowing hard.
After parking outside a small side door, he hopped out of his Mercedes SUV, cringing at the oppressive humidity of the May evening. In an alley not far away he heard the long, sad howl of a stray dog. He twirled the key to the building’s door between his fingers, but before he could slip it into the lock, he realized the door had been jimmied open. Frowning, he closed his eyes and listened. A muffled snarl drifted to him from somewhere inside the warehouse. Remann tensed.
“Damn it,” he said as he pushed the door open.
* * * *
The feral vampire’s large frame came toward her in a flash of speed. Valerie whipped out the long steel spike she had tucked in her waistband. She shot out a leg, tripping the vampire as he sidestepped her weapon. She grabbed the male’s shirt and plunged the spike into the beast’s heart. Valerie jerked the weapon back as the vampire dropped before her.
Sucking in hard breaths, she eyed the four remaining Dissenters, who now seemed undecided after her rapid takedown of their cohort. She wiped the spike against the leg of her jeans as she gave the group her most malevolent smile. Cocking her head, she began twirling the deadly weapon nimbly in her hand.
“Well?”
The Dissenters looked amongst themselves as Valerie steadied her breathing, centering herself. In the movies bad guys always go after the hero one by one. Of course, this was real life.
All four vampires rushed forward.
“Excuse the interruption, but you are trespassing on private property.”
The Dissenters threw on the brakes and whirled as a unit at the deep male voice. Valerie’s head snapped up, and she was rather startled by the man who stood across the dingy room. Her vampiric senses told her he was a fellow vampire. Broad-shouldered and muscular beneath tan slacks and a tailored white shirt, he was rolling up his sleeves over large, sinewy forearms as he casually strode toward them. Valerie held her breath.
“Do tell me that the four of you were not about to attack that woman. I find that highly distasteful.”
The vampire beamed a broad, white smile, and Valerie watched as his canines lengthened. He had to be at least six-foot-four, Valerie decided as he came to a stop several feet from the group. His eyes met hers, and Valerie’s mouth fell open. His right eye was a dark brown and the left a pale blue.
Still beaming his open smile, he squared his shoulders and placed his hands on his hips. “May I be of service?”
Though her life was hanging by a thread, a shiver of awareness rushed over her skin. He was all male, all powerful and commanding despite his relaxed air. Valerie swallowed, gripping her spike tighter.
A growl issued from one of the Dissenters. “This is none of your business.”
The stranger’s eyes never left her face as he answered. “I’m afraid you are wrong, my friend. I was born in an era of chivalry, and I simply cannot condone the abuse of a young woman.”
His odd, intense gaze moved to the vampire who’d spoken. His smile began fading as he drew his lips back in a more open threat. His white teeth gleamed in the dull light created by the moonlight streaming through the dirty, barred windows.
“I sincerely hope you’ll understand.”
Valerie’s heartbeat was ringing in her ears. The stale, humid air seemed to be closing tighter around her, and sweat streamed down between her breasts.
Two of the feral vampires rushed the stranger. With little effort, he pitched them to the side like the bags of garbage they were. Wasting no time, Valerie grabbed her Source, Sam, and before he could react she plunged the spike into his chest. Dropping him, she moved to a defensive position as the remaining Dissenter rushed her. A powerful arm came around the male’s throat, yanking him backward. Valerie jumped forward, thrusting her spike into the vampire’s heart. The two others, who had recovered from being tossed aside, were quick kills as well.
The smell of vampire and blood mingled with the musty odor of the deserted building. Valerie eyed her champion warily.
“My brother is a Hunter as well. My name is Remann.” The vampire bowed deeply before adjusting his shirt. Several buttons had popped off, leaving his broad, muscular chest exposed. The perfect amount of dark hair dusted over his dark olive skin.
“I’m Valerie. And I had things under control.” Valerie cringed inwardly at the abruptness in her voice. She was still amped over the fight, and the virility of the man before her put her further on edge.
Remann laughed. It was a rich, throaty sound that bounced off the walls within the empty space.
“I have no doubt about that,” he said. His odd eyes were twinkling, and Valerie felt her face flush.
“Well, since you’re here, and you hinted you own the place, I guess I won’t burn it down to cover my tracks,” she said, leaving a question in her voice. Burning was best, otherwise, Dissenter disposal got messy.
Still smiling, Remann cocked his head to the side. “I would rather you not, beautiful.”
Feeling her face heat even more at his flattery, Valerie made for the door. She let out a hard breath. “Fine, I’ll be right back.”
* * * *
Remann watched Valerie leave. His eyes feasted on her tight, little bottom encased in fitted black jeans. Long legs carried her briskly out of the door. He shook his head as he ran his hands down his slacks. Dirt and blood was smeared down the front of him, which he briefly acknowledged in annoyance.
The rumble of a truck engine had him walking to the door. An old, brown, beat-up Chevy truck backed up to the door, and a yellowed camper shell covered the bed.
Remann couldn’t help but appreciate the way her high breasts bounced beneath her black t-shirt as she stepped down from the cab of her truck. In the moonlight Valerie was truly a vision. Her light brown hair was pulled into a tight braid that fell over one shoulder, grazing the top of one of her glorious breasts. Her face was oval with large, soft brown eyes and full lips set into a firm line. A slight scar ran from just above her left eyebrow down her cheek. The small imperfection added to her feminine intrigue.
Heat spread through Remann’s veins and pooled in his cock. Needing a distraction, he moved forward to assist with the removal of the bodies.
“This isn’t necessary,” Valerie said as she tried to wave him away.
“It is the least I can do. Please.”
Valerie shrugged and let out another big sigh.
* * * *
Remann shouldered the bodies with ease as Valerie struggled to drag her share to her truck. His scent filled her head, a strong, vampiric, spicy odor combined with his own unique male musk. It was heady, and though she was immune to the seductive vampire odor, she wasn’t immune to testosterone. She chided herself when she realized she was holding her breath.
“What was that?” Remann asked.
“Nothing.” Valerie ground her teeth together as her mood grew worse. She pulled out several jugs of bleach and a mop from the front seat.
Remann stopped her. “Leave it. It’ll be taken care of later.”
“It’s my job.” Valerie tilted her chin, unable to quite meet Remann’s mismatched eyes.
He gave her a broad smile and crossed his muscular arms over his chest. “I insist. I would much rather take you somewhere away from this…messiness.”
Remann paused, and a strange fluttering sensation erupted in her gut. She shifted her feet.
“I know a bar that serves all night.”
“Is that right?” Valerie frowned. “A blood bar, I take it.”
Unperturbed, he continued. “It’s actually a classy place much in line with my tastes.” His eyes grazed down her figure.
Valerie stiffened. “It’s not a good idea.”
“What could be wrong with inviting a beautiful young woman to have a drink?”
She snorted. Remann was smooth and had playboy written all over him. His pungent, musky scent was enveloping her.
“What the hell,” she said, surprising herself. “Though if it’s anything like the blood bars I’ve seen elsewhere, you can forget it.”
Remann clapped his hands together and beamed his dashing smile.
“Plus, not too long—got to dispose of these guys before they start to ripen.” Valerie nodded her head toward her truck. “I’ll get my change of clothes.”
“Wonderful. Pull your truck inside the building. We can take my vehicle.”
For the most part blood bars were places where vampires could collect, enjoy themselves and the one thing they couldn’t live without—blood. Often the bars became the setting for stomach-turning orgies as blood lust combined with carnal lust. It was a pathetic display as far as Valerie was concerned.
Order of Terminus Page 10
