The Vampire's Warden

by S. J. Wright

  I got the gate closed just as she reached the truck. Grinning at her, I shook my head.

  “No, you don’t, little miss. And I will get you back into your pasture. You can be sure of that.”

  She tossed her head and reared up, then turned and loped off towards the woods.

  “Stubborn bitch of a horse.”

  Still swearing, I got back in the truck and headed up to the house.

  The rest of that day, I tried to keep myself busy around the house, but there was not much I could accomplish with my ankle all messed up. I did manage to get several loads of laundry done. About halfway through folding the last load, I realized I was running on fumes. I could not remember the last time I had gotten a decent night’s sleep. After I finished folding the last of the laundry, I hobbled upstairs and put on my warmest flannel pajamas.

  The plan was to make myself a sandwich and a cup of caffeine-free tea, watch a little of the evening news and then fall into my bed. As I was spreading a thin layer of mayonnaise on a slice of bread, there was a knock at the front door. I was damn sure it was not an encyclopedia salesman. Probably a vampire. Wonderful.

  Maybe if I did not answer the door, the creature would go away. Wishful thinking. I laid the knife down and left the kitchen, swinging my crutch before me and made my way through the entry hall in my fluffy white house slippers and peered outside. A dark, familiar figure stood on the porch.

  Michael. I groaned and unlocked the door.

  He was the first vampire I had ever met. He was cool, sarcastic, and utterly gorgeous in a bad-boy sort of way. He was also, as far as I knew, totally attracted to me. The feeling was mutual. I had been able to avoid any serious physical entanglements with him so far, but I was sure that was not going to last very long. There was definitely a spark between the two of us that seemed to grow more alluring every moment we were within each other’s sights.

  Pulling the heavy wooden door open just an inch or two, I looked at him through the screen. The determined set of his jaw reminded me that we had a lot to discuss.

  “We need to talk. You’re going to have to invite me into the house, Sarah.”

  I snorted, “Yeah, like that’s going to happen.”

  One of his dark eyebrows rose slightly in annoyance, “Would you rather come out here?”

  “It’s cold as a witch’s tit out there tonight. I’m already in my pajamas.”

  “You know I won’t hurt you. I’d suffer through a thousand days in the sun before I’d allow anyone to hurt you.” He murmured with deep sincerity. I studied him. The smooth planes of his face were clear of any sarcasm. He was serious. Unwillingly, I felt a tiny smile beginning to form on my face.

  “Prove it.” However, I was still smiling. I could not help it. He had the most engaging little half grin on his face, and between that and his dancing blue eyes, I was bound to give in. I felt heat pooling in the pit of my stomach. He was right. We had a lot to discuss, and all my instincts told me emphatically that Michael would not attack me. Well, not in an effort to injure me. Any physical attack would more likely involve him removing my clothes first, which was not a threat to anything except my own personal sense of emotional stability.

  Stepping back and pulling the door with me, I said lightly, “Please come in, Michael.”

  He sauntered in, firmly pushed the door closed and looked around doubtfully.

  “Are you alone?”

  “For now, yes,” Hopping along with my one crutch, I headed into the den with its soft, casual earth-toned furniture and large television, sat on the plaid arm chair and put my injured ankle up on the matching ottoman. I crossed my arms over my middle and watched him carefully.

  “Katie went back to school.” I told him.

  Instead of taking a seat on the long sofa, he stood at the windows, looking out through the wide wood blinds into the dark night. He looked delicious. He had dressed in a pair of dark jeans that fit him just right across his butt. He wore a long-sleeved gray fleece pullover and his rich brown hair had been recklessly styled. The dark waving locks still looked damp.

  “Where do you shower?” I asked suddenly.

  “That’s an odd question, given everything that happened last night.” He turned and cocked one dark eyebrow.

  “I’m curious. About a lot of things.”

  He shrugged and turned, “Since you’re so curious, I’ll indulge you for now.”

  He lowered himself onto the sofa and crossed one ankle over his knee in a manly gesture, “Your father had indoor plumbing installed in the old cowshed about fifteen years ago. He was kind enough to have a shower put in.”

  The old cowshed had been designated a no-play zone by our Dad when we were growing up. Dad had said that there were tools in there that were not safe for kids to be messing around with. He had padlocked the doors to the shed early on, so Katie and I had never really attempted to get in there. I did know there was a loft there because above the main doors, there was a swinging door that was not locked.

  I had not considered Michael’s living conditions. I was oddly glad that my father had thought of it, though. Then I realized that there was something else that he probably needed.

  “How do you get…?” I stammered.

  “Blood?” He sent me another one of those half smiles that made my insides feel like they were turning inside out.

  “Yeah.”

  “I’m a reasonably old vampire. I don’t require much blood. What I do need comes from animals in the woods. It’s not what I would prefer, of course.”

  Animal blood. Oh, well that was not so bad. Was it?

  “I don’t know whether to believe you or not.” I said. It would have been so easy for him to lie to me at that point. However, as far as I knew, there were no unsolved murders in the area. I considered the possibility that he might be telling the truth.

  “Human blood can be obtained. I was able to secure a regular supply from a blood bank several years ago, but unfortunately my contact there disappeared.” He leaned forward; his clear eyes fixed on me with an intensity that made me draw a shaky breath.

  I cleared my throat, “What happened with Alex?”

  “Victoria drained him and then we both gave him our blood. It took awhile for him to come around, but he seems to be getting control of his faculties.”

  Bowing my head, I pressed my hands against my warm cheeks, “He probably hates me.”

  Michael’s reply was not very comforting, “That’s probably true. And it poses a bigger problem than we first thought.”

  “Why?”

  “Because the containment field can’t hold him as it does Victoria and I and the others.”

  That statement about Alex had me a little perplexed. Alex had been changed into a vampire within the field so it had no control over him? That would be a big problem, given the fact that the perimeter of the containment field was the only barrier we had against vampires and other unusual creatures. I was glad I had not seen a werewolf yet.

  “How do you know?”

  He hesitated, a deliberate frown creasing his beautiful mouth, “He got away from us. Crossed the boundary line and then came back.”

  I turned away from him, “And he’s angry at me. Who told him that it was me?”

  “Victoria. She wasn’t trying to cause trouble.”

  An unladylike curse bubbled from my lips, “Bullshit.”

  Then I recalled seeing my mother before I passed out in my bedroom and my anger was swept away thoroughly by another stronger emotion. Turning to look at him again, I searched his face for any sign of consolation, “Michael, my mother is back.”

  He looked at me for a long moment, a trace of pity looming in the depths of his eyes, “I know. She came to see us. She sensed that Alex was in trouble.”

  “Why was she able to come into the house without an invitation?”

  “How do you know she didn’t get one?” He countered, tilting his head to one side and gazing at me expectantly. Oh, shit. Had Katie invited
her in? I was sure that she would have mentioned that at some point during our conversations that morning.

  “I think the containment field doesn’t work for her either. She was turned within the field like Alex was.” He said quietly, “It doesn’t matter. Now that Alex is a vampire again, he’s of no use to her as a guardian for you. I would imagine she’ll probably take him back to California.”

  I was really hoping all she wanted was to take Alex back. With that thought, I began to feel like a coward.

  I let out a breath, “I really hope so.” However, I would still feel like I had taken the easy way out if that really did happen. I wanted my mother to be gone to save myself pain. I wanted Alex to be human again—to be my friend. I did not have very many friends.

  “With Alex gone, you’ll be unprotected.” There was an honest concern in his tone and his mouth was pressed into an uncompromising line that reminded me strangely of an iron bridge. A bridge to nowhere. Evidently, he did not consider himself my protector.

  Swallowing a fierce sadness, I bit out, “I don’t want protection. I don’t want anyone else getting hurt.” My voice sounded snappy and defensive. I could have kicked myself for going overboard with the bad attitude.

  I stared resolutely at the wall, hoping he did not sense the fear in me. Protection sounded great, but after what had happened to Alex, I was terrified to bring anybody else into this. My eyes snapped back to him.

  “Did you find Luanna?” Luanna had been one of the rogue vampires that had been sent to us by the Council. Her mate, Gunter, had been the one who dealt the blow to Alex that effectively ended his life.

  “Yes. We’ve managed to get only a little information out of her. We’ve got her contained for now in one of the larger caves under the meadow.”

  “What did she have to say?”

  “That Gunter acted alone.” His eyes flashed with annoyed rage, “I know she’s lying, but I can’t prove it.”

  “Would it help if I talked to her?”

  “It may drive her mad, having a warm-blooded human so close. She hasn’t fed for days, and she’s much younger than I am.”

  “Well, talk to Victoria about it. If you both agree, then I’ll try.” I hesitated for a split second, realizing that would be a huge error on my part, “But I’m not going out there until my mother leaves. I don’t want to see her.”

  He tipped his head back in exasperation and threw one arm across the back of the sofa, “You don’t have anything to fear from Selena. She didn’t come here to get back her old life, Sarah.”

  My hands clenched into tight knots as hot anger flooded my brain, “I am not afraid of her.”

  When he rose from his seat and moved towards me, I froze. Until that moment, I had not realized how small the room seemed to have become. With him there, the space appeared small, cramped, the furniture tiny and fragile. Almost as fragile as I was. The heat in my stomach began to come alive again, sending tickling little electric bolts into my arms and legs and then centering again low in my womb. I had felt desire in the past, but nothing compared to this thick rolling warmth that stole through me so deliciously. I felt perspiration begin to dampen my palms, but I tried to ignore it.

  The tingling, mesmerizing heat blazed even hotter in my veins as I watched him stroll towards me. There was a blatant elegance in the careless way he moved, from the slight swing of his arms to the fluid action in his long legs. He leaned over me, his eyes cold and calculating, his cool breath swirled over my cheeks like a freezing winter mist.

  “You’re not afraid?”

  I could not move. He was holding me prisoner without chains, without bars of any kind. He held me with the steady, penetrating focus of a hunter who will not be denied his prey. My fingers itched to touch him, to trail over his skin in slow gliding strokes. But he could not have me. No one could really have me. I could not let them. I could not let him.

  Trying to gain any amount of control over the situation, and myself I gestured towards my injured ankle. However, I could not stop looking at his mouth, wondering how it would feel to have those lips locked with mine in a slick, demanding kiss.

  “I would think you might try to be more of a gentleman. I do have a sprained ankle.” I said weakly.

  His striking blue eyes crinkled at the corners as he gave me a slow, sweeping smile. I saw a tiny vein in his jaw pulse and knew he was angry on some level. Nevertheless, any attention from a man that required me to give up any part of myself seemed totally wrong. Then again, what did I know? It was not as if I had ever been in a real relationship. I did not think that Trevor Kincaid counted because although we had had sex, it certainly was not a committed relationship. He had a girlfriend that I did not know about while we were seeing each other. Sweet, huh? Yeah, he was a real winner.

  Michael tossed a dismissive glance over his shoulder at me and wandered back to the windows again. He leaned against the wall, his face turned away from me.

  “Did Alex tell you about the Breath-Giver?” He asked.

  I released the breath I had been holding back, “Yes, a little.”

  “I’ve been wondering what my chances would be if I asked her to change me back into a human as she did Alex.”

  “Oh.” The idea of Michael being human was soul stirring. The possibilities stretched out before me like a dazzling parade. I envisioned him laughing beside me at the kitchen table, eating my French toast. I could see the two of us walking quietly together, hand in hand down the driveway to get the mail. Pretty pictures. But completely unrealistic, I reminded myself sternly. And I was still extremely skeptical of the whole “breath-giver” thing.

  Alex had told me before he had gotten hurt that he used to be a vampire and then some strange unearthly creature turned him back into a human. Sounded too farfetched to me, but then again, I did not used to believe in vampires either.

  Michael turned his head back towards me, “What price do you suppose she might ask for such a thing?” The timbre of his voice was ripe with vulnerability.

  I watched the play of emotions cross his face. Hope. Frustration. Passion. However, I remained silent, fearing a return of those heartbreaking scenes that had played out in my head. There were more practical questions to ask. If Michael were human again, what would that mean to the Council? The vampire Council had sent him here because of some crime. If he were human, would they permit him his freedom?

  “Why did they send you here? What did you do wrong?” I finally asked.

  A mysterious grin lifted his lips, “They were afraid.”

  “So you didn’t actually do anything wrong? They just fear you?” I refolded my arms across my chest and met his suddenly hostile stare calmly, “That sounds like a load of horse shit, if you ask me.”

  He shrugged slightly, “They wanted an excuse. They found one.”

  His muscular body turned my way, and he crossed the room in a few decisive steps. I noticed with a startling sense of awe that his eye color had changed. Instead of the crystal-blue hue that I had seen time after time, even in my dreams, his eyes were brilliantly silver and the dark brows arching defiantly over them were creased with tension. He grasped one of my hands, pulled it towards him, and turned it over.

  “Michael…” I breathed his name like a prayer.

  I watched, disbelievingly, as he pressed a fiery kiss into the palm of my hand. I had never before felt the alarming sensation of Michael’s lips on my flesh. It was a moment I would not soon forget. Every other sensation in my body ground to a sudden and silent halt when I felt the warmth of his lips. It seemed as if every other part of my body had gone numb with the shock of it. But the palm of my hand was burning. It was a rolling heat that made me gasp.

  When I raised my head to look at him, all I saw was a blur of motion. He had moved so fast that I had barely realized he was leaving. I heard the backdoor open and the screen door squeak as he passed through to the back yard. Then a terribly cold silence fell over the room.

  I looked at the hand he had kis
sed. There was nothing there. I had expected it to be blistered and red. Curling my fingers into the place where he had pressed his mouth, I leaned my head back against the armchair and sighed. It was a good thing that he had decided to be a gentleman. Because I was positive that the next time we were completely alone, I would not have the will to keep myself away from him. Stupid, sexy vampire.

  Chapter Three

  Katie kept her promise to stay in touch. She called shortly after Michael made his hasty departure. She sounded tired and understandably irritated, but the conversation was amicable, and I hung up thinking that she and I were on the same page. I did not tell her that our mother was back. I figured that the less my sister knew, the better off she would be.

  When I finally climbed into bed that night and turned off the lamp next to me, I still felt very uneasy. I had been anticipating another visit from my mother with a sickening fear. Would she want something from me? What about Katie? My feelings for my mother had morphed into this blackened, lurking phantom that hovered inside my gut and pushed away common sense. It was a heavy burden that caused me to look at myself harshly. I recognized suddenly that I had few real friends. My father had trusted me to run the Inn, but did not have enough confidence in me to encourage me to go to college. Was I even smart enough for college?

  The self-doubt had begun to wear away the fragile threads of confidence that had sustained me for most of my life. I tried to push the dark tendrils of doubt out of my head. There was nothing wrong with me. I was a good person and capable of great accomplishment. Right?

  I flung myself onto my back and pressed my fingers against my cheeks. I could not let this black cloud of self-hate saturate my brain anymore. I closed my eyes and tried to take some slow deep breaths. I am a great person, I told myself. I am worthy of being loved.

  Then I heard a sharp, jarring tap on my window. I jerked back in surprise and stared at the window. What if it were Alex? Or my mother? Tentatively, I pushed the covers off me and put my feet on the floor. Another louder tap sounded, rattling the windowpanes.