by Jinni James
Aspens Vamp
By: Jinni James
*A sequel to The Wolfs Maine*
Aspens Vamp by Jinni James
Copyright 2013 by Jinni James
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or by any information storage retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher.
This is a work of fiction. Names, places, characters and incidents are the product of the author’s imagination and are fictitious. Any resemblance to persons living or dead is entirely coincidental. All characters in this book are 18 years of age or older.
Warning: the unauthorized reproduction or distribution of this copyrighted work is illegal. Criminal copyright infringement, including infringement without monetary gain is investigated by the FBI and is punishable by up to 5 years in prison and a fine of $250,000.
Acknowledgements
First I need to thank all of my friends and family for all of their love and support. No one pushes me better than they do. They are my rock.
My awesome editors at D-Rated Novelists that have been fantastic with this project.
My cover artist and fellow author Elaina Lee with For the Muse Designs. She has done all three of my covers so far and she is brilliant.
All of my new author friends I’ve met through Facebook. You guys are unbelievably supportive and I feel so blessed to a part of this circle of amazing people.
Fans! The old and the new! I feel truly blessed and honored that not only have some of you read my books but you love them as much as I do. I am grateful for my fans more than you all will ever know. I hope I continue to make your day a little brighter with my books in the future.
Thank you!
Chapter One
"Damn it Daniel! If you’re going to spank me at least pull my hair, too!"
"Chill out Jaci. It was just a little pat on the ass. Now come on."
There are days when this man drives me absolutely crazy. I don't care if he is trying to teach me how to live as a newly turned vampire, he still drives me crazy.
I've only known Daniel for a few months or so but we clicked from day one. He reminds me a lot of myself which is why we bump heads all the time. I didn't even want to come to Aspen, Colorado but Daniel talked me into it. I wanted to go somewhere sunny and I fought hard for it too, given how I'm not a fan of the cold, but he assured me that now things like coldness would not bother me anymore. In fact, he said I will probably feel more at home in Aspen than anywhere else in the world. I was skeptical but given how he would know more about being a vampire than I do at this point, I gave in.
Daniel has been trying to explain how my life is going to be totally and completely different from now on. Ever since that asshole Nicholas bit me I can tell how my body has changed. I'm faster, quieter, and stronger, my skin is perfection, my eyes now have a red tint to them, and probably the biggest change of all, I have to consume blood in order to stay alive. Daniel explained now that I am a vampire the blood in our systems doesn’t last long at all. Our extra abilities eat up the blood supply we have, so in order to keep up we have to consume blood from humans. He explained if we did not get blood in our systems that it would feel a lot like if you go a day or two without eating any food but a hundred times worse. Our body will start feeding off itself until we eventually die because of lack of blood. I am not going to lie. I absolutely hate the idea of feeding off people.
Luckily, right after my change I didn't have to run out and start feeding off people because Avalon, John, Michael, Lena, Andrew, and everyone else had me hooked up to an IV so I had plenty of blood before I woke up. We don't have to feed every day but it helps to feed every other day or every couple days, so that is reassuring as well. Although, the longer we go without feeding the weaker we will become. I was worried about the sun but Daniel assures me that I will not go up into flames. In fact, he mentioned a lot of vampires enjoy the sun but it does eat up blood supply so you have to consume more, which sucks because I love the sun but I hate feeding off humans even more. Daniel says I'll get used to it but I doubt it. He has been a fantastic teacher these past few months. He has taught me how to control a human’s mind in order to feed from them. They don't even realize what is happening, for most it's pleasurable. He also taught me how much to take so I don't end up killing anyone.
The first couple times I tried I got too close to ending someone’s life, but luckily Daniel was there to stop me. I would have never thought that blood would taste good and the thought of it still gives me chills, but once I start it is so hard to stop. I am still learning but I am doing much better.
Right now Daniel is teaching me how to fight. I am stronger and faster but I need to learn how to use these special abilities. After watching the fight go down between Nicholas's posse and us, I realize just how important knowing how to defend myself is. I knew I had a reason to hate that man.
From the first day Avalon introduced me to Nicholas I hated him. There was just something about him that I could not put my finger on. Now I know. Not only was he a vampire, he was a jackass. Lucky for us he is now a dead jackass. Who would have thought that Avalon going out and meeting John would turn into such a crazy mess? Everything changed for her and for me as well. Avalon finds out John is a shape shifter, that Nicholas is a vampire, that she herself is a shape shifter, that her parents were as well, and that John was basically handpicked for her by her mother. Then Nicholas comes after everyone and in the process he bites me and now I am a vampire among a bunch of shape shifters. All except for Daniel. Having Daniel around might have just saved my life. Lord knows I could not have done all of this without him or without any of my friends really. A lot of good came out of our little adventure last year. Avalon met John, fell in love, and found out who she really is and Lena was able to come clean with all of us about who she really is and it looks like a new love is developing between her and John's friend Andrew.
Avalon finally finished her novel and she and John are traveling right now promoting it at book signings and mixers. I am so incredibly happy for her. Avalon is finally living her dreams. Since Avalon and John are traveling, Daniel decided it would be a good time to travel as well. Spring is in full bloom up in Maine and he thought coming to Aspen would be a good idea given how, for us, the less sun the better. Lena and Andrew decided to stay up in Maine which makes sense considering they are now joined at the hip, plus the sun doesn't bother shape shifters.
So here we are in Aspen, Colorado and I must admit that I love it. I didn't want to like it at all but I do. I thought Aspen was all about the snow but in the spring it is much more. The trees are turning green, the wild flowers are in full bloom, and yes snow still blankets the mountaintops. Since it is early spring we can still ski, which I suck at by the way, and the tourists start to slack off. There is much less traffic both on the streets and on the mountains. It makes perfect sense now why Daniel picked here. We can roam around without anyone thinking we are any different. Sure we look a little different but nothing drastic. We are just a tad on the pale side but no one really seems to pay any attention.
We spend a lot of our time in a beautiful house that Daniel has rented for the season called the Red Mountain Estate. The house is downright breathtaking. It has gorgeous stone architecture with large tray ceilings and fossilized marble. Right when you walk into the entrance you see rich stone walls and a wooden winding staircase that leads up to the decadent living room and luxury bed and bathrooms. Virtually every room has a view of the mountains and the deep rich colors just suck you in, you can't help but feel relaxed. I could stay in this house forever. We have spent the last two weeks here and I am definitely in no rush to leave
. I do miss my friends but this house has five bedrooms so they can visit! Right now Daniel thought the back of the house would be a great spot to teach me a few things about my strength and speed but he is always faster and stronger. It makes me realize just how much I have to learn. He keeps saying it will come to me in time. Time needs to hurry it's ass up.
"Have you had enough for today, Jaci?"
I stand up for the hundredth time, brush myself off, and attempt to go again.
"Are you sure, Jaci?"
I just nod in agreement.
I am determined to knock him to the ground, him and his damn dimples. Seriously the man looks like an Abercrombie model. I crouch down, getting into position then, without warning, spring towards Daniel. Before I can reach him he is out of the way while I was lying on the ground.
"You’re thinking too much. You need to just let your instincts take over. Stop thinking with your mind and think with your body."
I have no damn clue what he is talking about.
"Want to take a breather, Jaci? You've been at this for hours. Do you want to go get some dinner?"
I might as well take a break and pick this back up tomorrow. I'm obviously getting nowhere tonight. I just cannot understand why I can't get him. It has to be because he is more experienced.
"Yes. We can do dinner and a drink.”
After a quick change, we head down to Brunelleschi's Italian restaurant which quickly became my favorite place here and I order the salmon fettuccini while Daniel orders the chicken picatta, then he orders my favorite bottle of wine, the Charles Krug Cabernet Sauvignon from Napa. The food here is absolutely amazing. We eat as we talk and once we make it through our bottle we begin to head back to the house.
The walk out here is divine. The nights are so cool and crisp; it just feels amazing against my new skin. As we are walking I look around to see quite a few more people than usual, women out shopping and enjoying the night life and what not. There are romantic couples walking hand and hand through the shops and a few guys walking right ahead of us. I could not help but notice how they are staring at me. Do I look strange? Am I wearing something awful? Oh God, did a boob pop out? I subtly try to look down to make sure everything is where it is supposed to be which, thankfully, it is. I could feel Daniel suddenly put his arm around me as we walk. It feels strange but comforting right now. I cannot deny the chemistry I feel between him and me, but we have been so busy trying to help me learn how to adapt to this lifestyle that we haven't had a chance to really explore any possible romance between us. Hell, I don't even know if he feels the same things I do or not.
He has been very mature and quite a gentleman through all of this. At the same time it has been months now and I am feeling increasingly horny and staying locked in a house with a man as handsome as Daniel doesn't help the matter. Just looking at him and those dimples of his makes me want to pounce on him right now. But I decide I need to be good as we continue to walk towards the house. So help that man if he lets on that he likes me too. It will be on.
We make it back to the house where Daniel starts a fire in the beautiful stone fireplace then hands me a glass of red wine before sitting down on the couch opposite me. I don't know if he is trying to keep his distance on purpose or if he really doesn't want to be next to me. It's definitely frustrating.
"Daniel, how long did it take you to learn everything you know now?" He seems stunned by my sudden interest in communication but the silence is deafening.
"It varies with every person. I have met a few other vamps who have learned most of what they need to within a couple months. Some learn quicker because they are forced to. You should be happy that you are able to take your time." What the hell does he mean by that?
"Okay, but how long did it take you?" Daniel began looking down at his glass then once he looks back up at me I can tell I am about to get a story that I am not quite sure I want to know.
"It did not take me very long to learn how to be a vampire. I was in love with a vamp before I became one. She was exquisite, absolutely lovely, breathtaking, and stole my heart without even trying. She was quite older than I was at the time. I was a sixteen year old boy in foster care because both of my parents died just the previous year in a car crash. I remember being put with a new foster family; soon they became my only family. They cared for me like they were my parents and I had two sisters whom I adored.
“One day on my way home from school I met Veronica. She drove up next to me in a hot red Porsche. What sixteen year old kid wouldn't be interested in who was driving it? She offered me a lift home but instead we drove to a local coffee house and talked for hours. I had no clue why this older woman would be interested in me. My parents did not approve nor did my sisters but I was enchanted. We were together for two years before I learned of what she was.
“Why I hadn't figured it out sooner I don't know. Maybe I was blind. Maybe she controlled my thoughts to stop me. I couldn't say and I didn't care. Like I said, I was enchanted by her.
“I proposed right when I turned eighteen and we were married six months later. The night of our honeymoon she changed me. I don't know how I made it through the change. It was unbearable but she pulled me through. She loved me. Little did I know at the time that she had a past of which I was unaware.
“She had an ex-husband, lover, boyfriend, I don't know what he truly was but he was an ex that I do know. He found us shortly after I changed. He was furious with Veronica, saying how she stole all of his money along with his heart. How she attempted to kill him and then failed. He said he could not live without her. He killed her right in front of me as I sat there screaming. Just broke her neck right off of her shoulders. I watched as she fell to the floor in front of where I was sitting. Tears poured down my cheeks as I watch my beloved burn after he threw her in the fireplace.
“Next he came after me. He kept saying he wanted his money but I had no idea where his money was. She and I had only been married for a day. He wanted me to find it but I kept telling him I had no clue. So he decided to kill me instead. I had to pick myself up and learn very quickly to fight. I let my instincts take over. I was furious at him for killing the only woman I had ever loved and I was not going to let him kill me as well. I ended up killing him out of rage and threw him in the same fireplace as my Veronica.
“No one was there to teach me how to adapt so I had to learn on my own and I had to learn fast if I did not want to die from thirst. At first I killed a few people completely by accident by taking too much blood. It was a mistake I only made a couple times. After that I knew exactly how much a person could give up and continue to live. I learned quickly how to control their minds because the thought of anyone in pain while I drank from them killed me. I treated it as a gift they were giving me so in return I would give them pleasure from it.
“Shortly thereafter a lawyer knocked on my door. I could tell he was a vampire as well. He told me that right before Veronica and I were married she had named me her beneficiary, which left me with everything. She was a very rich woman, probably money she stole from her ex because it was in an off shore bank account. I changed my name on the account and had it moved. I began to invest in a lot of companies and invested well because I tripled the money in no time.
“So as you can tell, I had to learn quickly. I didn't have to time to adjust. So be glad I am here to help you. You will get it in your own time and I will be here every step of the way to help you in any way that I can."
Daniel's story blew me away. I would have never guessed in a million years that this was his past. I can't even imagine being changed by someone I love only to lose them right after our wedding. How heartbroken he must have been. I am beginning to understand him a little more. The distance he puts between himself and everyone else is making so much sense now. He is scared to get close to anyone. There is only one thing I can think of that might snap him out of this sad mood he seems to be in now.
"Want to go practice some more?"
His hea
d popped up and his face lit up like Christmas. "Hell yeah."
Chapter Two
"Come on Jaci, one more time.” I am growing more and more frustrated.
How is he so damn fast? It's like he knows exactly when and where I am about to go.
"It's okay Jaci. It takes some time. Plus, I am a man and I'm also more experienced in this area. You’re actually giving it away, you know?"
Now he is pushing my buttons.
"What do you mean?" Daniel lets a small grin spread across his face.
"I can tell when you are about to jump towards me. You shift a little in your stance right before you jump. I can just read you. I'll have to teach you how to hide your thoughts and feelings."
Oh that's it. I've had it. I begin to crouch down but I make sure not to make any movement whatsoever. I don't even move my eyes from his. In fact, all I can look at are his beautiful dark eyes.
Suddenly I am more focused than I have ever been. Without even thinking, I launch myself towards Daniel and before I know it, I find myself lying on top of him on the ground. I look up and see his shocked expression and can't help but laugh. However the laughter quickly fades when I realize he is still lying there looking at me. The red in his eyes get darker, he begins taking quicker breaths as his hands tense up against my lower back. I want to ask him if something is wrong or if I hurt him in some way but the way he is staring at me makes me stop.
"I have a very strong urge to run my hand down your back side. I am fighting it right now but it is growing increasingly difficult. You may want to get up." Suddenly I am stunned. I cannot move. I am trapped in his gaze, wanting nothing more than for him to touch me.
"Jaci, in about a second I am going to start something that I am not quite sure I can stop if you do not get up." Little does he know that I don't want to get up. I had no idea he even thought about me like this so hell no I am not moving, but what do I say?
