I bristled at their refusal. “What do you mean, no?”
“Faith and Kai have accompanied your men,” Jonas added.
I bit my lip. “Are they...?”
“Calmati, cara mia,” Thomas repeated. “Your humans live.”
My temper hit a slow burn. Calm down, he says. Some psychotic vampire from hell beats up my date, terrorizes me, and tortures two, and possibly all four of my best friends, and he wants me to relax?
Yes, both men responded to my angry thoughts.
“Your Faith and Kai are unharmed,” added Jonas. “Your men will live.”
“Now cease your petulance, child,” Thomas continued. “We will finish our business here. Then you come home with us.”
My jaw dropped. Vampires try to murder me and I don’t have the right to be a bit riled?
Dixon chuckled and I shot him a glare. How dare he look so pleased? And undamaged? No sign at all he’d crashed through a window. Maybe I should ask Stella for the short sword then skewer him.
“Worry not, little one,” Thomas said, still tuned into my thoughts. “We have a special place for naughty vampires. It’s called the Deep Freeze.”
Dixon’s expression darkened. “You would not. Over a human?”
Thomas shook his head in mock sadness. “Is that what you see? You always were a bit dense, old friend.”
I hit Thomas with a what the hell are you talking about now look then scowled at Dixon. The latter scrutinized me with renewed interest in his glacial gray eyes.
Jonas’s voice whispered through my head. Show him your true self.
“Oh, not you too,” I muttered, annoyed with the cryptic talk. But without warning, a childhood memory rose, a glimpse of Jonas somewhere dark, surrounded by eucalyptus trees, commanding, “Show me. Show me your power.”
Back in the present my body obeyed. My power rose up like a hot wave seeking a shore to crash against. Demanding a target. My eyes focused on Dixon and recognition dawned on his face. I didn’t understand the look and didn’t care. I reached for him. I wanted to hurt him, make him pay, snatch his heart from his chest and watch it burn to dust in my hand.
My power burned brighter as if fed by my dark thoughts.
Dixon struggled against his huge captors. “No, it cannot be. She cannot be. Impossible. They never survive.”
“Rarely,” Jonas corrected him.
When my hand neared Dixon’s flesh, he bared his fangs and hissed. I fingered the chains of his vest. Yes, I could reach inside, pluck out that frantic organ beating in fear. Its thumps teased my ears, the thuds tickled my flesh. The blood racing through his network of veins flooded my mind’s eye, beckoning me. Suddenly, I was very thirsty.
I pulled on the chains.
“Do not touch me,” Dixon growled.
I yanked harder and they gave way, revealing his scarred torso. I placed my palm over his heart, curling my nails into his giving flesh. It would be easy to push inside. To punish. He’d interrupted my dream date, hurt my friends. Because of him, I was covered in blood and my designer clothes were destined for the garbage can.
I wanted to make him scream in agony, make him beg for mercy. But there would be none. I would ignite his blood, a wildfire in his veins, watch him dissolve into a pile of ash then dump his remains in the garbage along with my ruined outfit.
Yes. Punish, burn, my power urged. I understood. This was real. I could do it. Make him dust. Make him pay.
“No,” Dixon roared, eyes wild. He kicked at me and missed. The goons had stepped back with him, leaving my hand hovering in mid-air.
“Carina.” Thomas covered my hand with his and sent a gentle wash of cool power to douse mine. My rational brain awakened. And panicked.
“What’s happening to me?” My voice shook.
Thomas traced a knuckle down my cheek. “Later.”
I gazed into his green eyes and remembered the softer, kinder Thomas who’d tucked me into bed at night and dutifully checked the windows, the closets and under the bed, fangs bared to scare away the creepy, crawly scary things my childish imagination invented, the things I’d insisted went bump in the night.
The memory relaxed me, the panic subsiding. “Okay.”
“Keep her away from me,” Dixon screeched.
Thomas chuckled. “You should be thanking me for stopping her and sparing your life, Dixon.”
Dixon hung his head. “Thank you.”
“Thank you, what?” The air iced over when Thomas shoved power at the other vampire.
Dixon cringed. “Thank you, Warden.”
The goons dragged him down a darkened hallway into the bowels of the warehouse. Jonas followed, pausing long enough to give me a dark stare and an order. “Go with Thomas.”
I opened my mouth to argue, primarily out of habit. I never responded well to bossiness. Baby of the family syndrome, I supposed. But this time, I was dirty, bloody, and sick of being here. I would’ve agreed to go anywhere at this point. I closed my mouth and nodded.
Jonas disappeared into the darkness and I shifted my attention to Thomas. “What’s the Deep Freeze, anyway?” Something horrible, please. Dixon hadn’t suffered enough.
Roland emerged from the hallway. “Cold storage.” He was clean and dry. Must live somewhere in the building.
“Explain.”
“First, we drain him,” Roland supplied. “Then, we lock him in a coffin in a freezer.”
“Why won’t he just bust out? He’s old and strong.” I gave Thomas a pointed look. “It took both you and Jonas to take him down tonight.”
“A vampire drained is a weak creature. And no, cara mia, it did not take the two of us. We were simply making a point.”
“That would be?”
“Dixon tends to forget his place. We reminded him.”
“Sounds like politics.”
“Indeed,” Thomas agreed.
“So what, you’re the chief of police?”
Both Roland and Thomas chuckled.
“No? Then what, sovereign ruler?” I joked.
They sobered, eyes gone vampire black and gleaming.
Alexander slipped his arm around my waist. “That would be the sound of you, hitting the nail on its proverbial head. More or less.”
I relaxed against him, prepared to pursue the subject, but a petite blonde in a black coverall sauntered by. I stiffened with inexplicable wariness. She gave me a sideways glance with serious blue eyes before disappearing down the hall.
I sniffed the air. “I smell sage.”
“Witch.” Thomas explained.
“Lastly, the witch creates a container,” Roland continued with the Basics of Vampire Punishment. “No energy in, no energy out. He is alone. Utterly.”
“And very, very thirsty.” Thomas sounded pleased.
Me, too. Deep Freeze, thus explained, sounded like adequate payback. For now. If Mark and Ren didn’t recover from Dixon’s vicious attack, we would have to revisit my death-by-fire idea.
The clinking of glass caught my attention. Near the bar, a man in a black jumpsuit picked up a head and dropped it in a garbage bag. Ew. I averted my eyes lest I lose my dinner, only to spot others clearing more carnage. Too much blood everywhere.
Double ew. “Who are all these people in the grease-monkey outfits?”
“Housekeeping,” Thomas replied.
“Of course.” My voice was dry. “You can make anything disappear, can’t you?”
Thomas didn’t bother to answer.
Alexander hugged me to his side. “You all right?”
“Yeah,” I lied.
Our first date was terrible, but now that it was over, I didn’t want it to be. I wanted a do-over right now. Unfortunately, it would have to wait.
Nine
“On what planet would you call this outfit casual?” I groused at Stella while surveying myself in the bathroom mirror.
She gave me a bored look.
Thanks to my new pal, I wore a black brocade corset top, tight black s
traight leg stretch pants and too tall, cherry red, slingback platform heels. I’d requested something casual and cozy, and she brought me this? Naughty vampire. I appreciated her collecting clothes from my house so I could hurry straight to the clinic to check on my boys, but…
“I know your English is good enough to understand casual, Stella. Blue jeans or sweats, a T-shirt, ballet flats or sneakers, that’s casual. These are club clothes. Sexy club clothes.”
She shrugged again. “Eh, casual, sexy, what does it matter?”
I adjusted my breasts, trying for maximum coverage and failing. “It matters. This is a hospital and these are fuck-me clothes.”
She stalked up to me. She’d changed out of her bloodied, black spandex cat suit and replaced it with an exact, clean duplicate, so tight it was difficult not to stare at her braless, pert breasts. “And you are stalling.”
Busted.
While Mark and Ren slept off their injuries in the bedroom of my former clinic suite, Thomas and Jonas awaited me in the living room, ready for a big talk, a talk I no longer wanted. Before the bloodbath at the restaurant, I’d craved answers. Now I was tired, stressed, and officially freaked out by my emerging power and its accompanying dark thoughts. Thoughts of frying Dixon. If anyone uttered the words destiny, power, evil vampires, blood, target or mostly human, I’d lose it.
Hence the dawdling in the bathroom complaining about fashion.
Stella arched a brow.
I harrumphed.
I wanted to go home, crawl under the covers in my big bed and pretend I was just another average twenty-something city girl whose biggest problem was choosing the perfect outfit to wear on a Saturday night.
Faith hugged me from behind. “There’s no road back.”
My body relaxed against hers. “You could at least let me pretend for one little minute.”
A knock sounded on the door and Kai peeked in. “Everyone decent?” He waggled his eyebrows.
I shook my head. “Dude, you’re supposed to ask that before you look inside.”
He slipped through the door, giving me the once-over while he kicked it closed with his foot. “Nice outfit. We clubbing it later?”
I waved at Stella. “See!”
“Although you usually don’t go for fuck-me heels for dancing,” Kai teased.
I punched his arm.
“Ow!” he laughed, rubbing the spot. “Just messin’ around. But c’mon, look at those things.” He departed, leaving the door ajar.
Thomas invaded my head. Carina. Enough of this foolishness. Come now.
I crossed my arms. “I’m busy.”
“Thomas is right, Tranquilli Child,” Stella added, clearly dialed into the mind chatter.
“Oh sure, take his side.”
We lose the night and there is much to discuss, Thomas insisted.
“I know.” But I don’t want to talk, don’t want to think about any of this, especially not the battle at the restaurant, blood everywhere, body parts flying—no, oh hell no, la la la la la la—not thinking about it la la la—
Dance music sounded from the bedroom, interrupting my inner chatter. My cell phone.
Alexander calls to you, cara mia. Will you answer?
My stomach performed the excited somersault I now associated with the mere thought of my hot new man. I pushed past Stella and rushed out the door as fast as the high heels would allow. Thomas waved my phone, a taunting gleam in his eyes.
“Gimme.” I grabbed it. “Hello?” My voice was breathy.
“Hey, babe. How’s it goin’?”
“Oh. Hi, Adrian.” I scowled at Thomas for his deceit and mouthed liar. He pivoted and left the bedroom. I glanced at Mark and Ren. Unconscious. Vulnerable. I was reluctant to leave.
“I’ll stay,” Kai whispered.
I nodded my thanks and motioned for Stella and Faith to accompany me to the living room. Faith eased into an overstuffed lounge chair near the kitchenette. Thomas took a seat on the couch while Stella whooshed over to join Jonas at the window. His face contorted in an impatient scowl as he regarded me.
“Rina, you there babe?” Adrian asked, when I was silent for too long. “What’s going on?”
“I’m here. Everything’s fine,” I lied, eyeing the door to the hallway. Escape.
“Right.” Adrian didn’t buy it. How well he knew me. “How are Mark and Ren?”
“They’re asleep now.”
“You?” he added.
I tottered toward the door. Jonas cleared his throat, his eyes warning, don’t even think about it. I paused by the couch. Fine, if I couldn’t leave, then this phone call was my new stall tactic.
I gave my back to the men in the room. “I’m fine. You’ll never guess what I’m wearing.”
“Uh...”
“Those red heels you bought me.”
“What? No. What?”
My lips curled upward. “Yeah, that’s what I get for sending a dominatrix vampire to fetch some clothes from my closet.”
“What else are you wearing? Please say fishnets and garters.”
I laughed. “Nope. Tight black pants. Corset top.”
“Oh, I like that top of yours. So much cleavage to explore.” He let out a fake moan.
“Down boy. You can look but you can no longer touch.”
“You tease,” Adrian chuckled.
“Yeah, yeah, pot-kettle-black, ring any bells for you?” I perched on the coffee table and slipped off the heels. Mere minutes in them and already my feet hurt.
“Loud and clear, babe, you—”
Jonas appeared in front of me and snatched the phone from my hand. He crushed it to bits and let the remains fall to the floor.
“Hey!” I jumped to my feet. “What’s wrong? Jealous?”
I didn’t even see him move.
One second we faced off and the next he pinned me to the wall, my feet dangling off the ground. He hissed, baring formidable fangs. I jerked my head, banging it on the wall. My hands pushed at his chest, but it was like shoving a brick wall.
“Be still,” he commanded, voice echoing around the room.
My body complied. I stared into his angry dark eyes, searching for the right thing to say to make him back off. Nothing much came to mind other than, Back off asshole! You get your jollies hurting girls? Can’t stand a little competition, can you?
My temper, not helpful. Like I cared. My mouth opened to utter a scathing comment but a flashback struck.
I cried, huddled in a shaft of moonlight on the ballroom’s cold, marble floor.
Jonas walked out of the gloom, very equestrian in black pants tucked into riding boots, a black shirt and waistcoat. His straight dark hair fell around his shoulders, and even as I sobbed, I thought, ‘How beautiful he looks in moonlight.’
He knelt on one knee in front of me, studied my face. “What causes my little warrior to cry alone in the dark?”
I told him my shame, the only one of my so-called girlfriends who’d never been kissed. They’d told everyone at school, my now ex-friends. The teasing was merciless, cruel. My life was over.
Jonas bowed his head. “A problem easily fixed.” He tilted my chin with cool, gentle fingertips. His lips pressed against mine in a soft, chaste kiss.
My first kiss.
I snapped back to the present. “What? How? That was...I felt—did you?”
Jonas released me. A curt nod said he experienced the memory, too. Face neutral, eyes guarded, he awaited my reaction.
I stared at him with new eyes. New awareness. As much as the adult me wanted to dislike this gloomy and hostile vampire, there was no doubt I loved him utterly. He was family. Jonas, Thomas, Tessa, even the mysterious, absent Uncle Zi. They were all my family. My home. My everything.
A fine tremor overtook my body and my breath rushed out of me. My control slipped, crushed by the weight of my emotions. I closed my eyes against the tide. Tears leaked out anyway.
Jonas’s strong arms slid around me, held me close. “My Little Warri
or.” He placed a tender kiss on my forehead.
I collapsed against him. “I love you, y-you st-stupid jerk.”
His arms tightened. “I know.”
I smacked his back. Asshole. Then laughed through the tears.
Thomas took me from Jonas and crushed me to his chest. “Welcome back, cara mia.” His power washed over me, calming me. The shakes and tears subsided.
“I’m still mad at you,” I complained into his chest, even as I wrapped my arms around him and hugged him back.
He chuckled. “Then all is right in my world. Come.”
He led me to the couch. I sat between the two vampires, wiping my wet face with the back of my arm. Jonas handed me a box of tissues.
“So.” I resigned myself to having the big talk now, but Faith approached with a glass of water and a determined expression.
I accepted the drink. “Thanks.”
She sat on the coffee table, tilted her head, observing me in silence.
“Out with it,” I prodded.
“Your aura is all yours now. Orange and deepest red, gold dust within and without.”
“Uh, thanks?” I joked.
“Power and courage are yours, and the will is strong,” she continued in all seriousness. “Survival pushes at the anger. A driving force.”
Her hands danced in the space between us. “So much gold, so much energy.” She stiffened, eyes glazing over to milky white. Fear jolted my gut. The glass slipped from my hand and tumbled to the carpeted floor. Cold water splashed my feet. I reached for her, but the vampires pulled me back.
“Wait. Listen,” Thomas commanded.
“The Awakening.” Faith’s voice rang out like the solid toll of a bell. Goosebumps blanketed my arms. Something was happening, something unlike her usual mystic viewing moments. Something more.
“An unexpected coupling, though the Heavens foretold the secret. The Earth Star whispered her name to the Mother. And thus the Beloved One, the brightest Star in the blackened sky, was born. In blood, of blood, from Life, from Death. Alive but not truly awake. They tried to destroy the light as the power slept deep within, but the Father, the Father—”
Her eyes flitted from side to side as if she read a book. Jonas squeezed my arm, Thomas leaned forward.
“The Father, The Celtic Chieftain, The Dark Warrior. A massacre in blood and fire. Enemies perished. The phoenix of her power rose out of the ashes. The Darkness hungered, hunted. But the Father and the Chieftain obscured the view. The ultimate protection now undone, the Star recovers her light.”
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