“I bet neither of you realized a stake through the heart isn’t only the most effective way to kill a vampire, but it’s also a less messy and quicker way to kill. A stake will stop a vampire for the time being, but eventually, like all wounds on a vampire, the heart will heal itself, expelling the stake from the body, allowing the vampire to come back to ‘life.’” Vivienne used her hands to make marks around the word life. “To stop this from happening, you need to burn the body. But how do you set fire to a body without causing the flames to spread and burn everything around them?”
Alastor scratched his head.
Gareth thought back to the day he was attacked. He remembered Morgana lighting the end of the stake she had pushed into the bald vampire’s heart, even though she had already killed him with the arrow, or so he thought.
“You need to light the end of the stake?” Gareth answered slowly.
Morgana winked at him.
Gareth smiled, pleasure coursing through him. He had one up on Alastor this time.
“Yes, another lesson in vampire lore.” Vivienne continued, “By lighting the end of the stake like a candlewick, the fire will spread down the stake through the vampire, burning only the body from within, reducing it to ash.”
“Like internal combustion?” Alastor gave Vivienne an incredulous look.
“Yes.” Vivienne seemed pleased, but her face quickly turned serious again. “Now, Morgana and I will show you a few moves which will enable you to better defend yourselves as well as kill and stake other vampires. Morgana will demonstrate your first lesson… target practice.”
Morgana nodded, moving to stand in the middle of the basement, facing them both with her eyes closed. Attached to the wall behind her was a Styrofoam mannequin Gareth realized he hadn’t noticed before. Morgana concentrated, her breathing steady, her body poised. Suddenly, she turned, and with precise aim, she threw the stake in her hand. Like a precision-throwing blade, the stake embedded into the Styrofoam exactly where the mannequin’s heart should be.
Alastor whistled low again.
“Impressive,” Gareth said. “But did you know a vampire won’t be standing still, waiting for you to attack?”
Alastor laughed.
“Gentleman,” Vivienne snapped.
Gareth and Alastor quickly grew serious. Vivienne made one scary vampire when she was angry. “This is no laughing matter. You need to learn to throw a stake first. Better to kill a vampire before it reaches you than to kill it in close combat. Depending on the skill level of the vampire, you just might lose.”
Gareth and Alastor nodded gravely.
“Who wants to go first?” Morgana asked.
Gareth walked to the center of the room.
Vivienne handed him another rubber stake. “For your first few training sessions, we won’t ask you to close your eyes. You will just practice aiming for the fake vampire’s heart.”
“Will the rubber even dent the fake vampire?”
“How old are you… over a hundred years old?” Vivienne speculated.
“About one hundred and fifty, give or take a few years.”
“You should have plenty of strength to embed the rubber into the Styrofoam. It’s not stone.”
While Vivienne was speaking, Morgana moved closer to Gareth. Not only could he sense her there, but he could feel the warmth radiating off her body and smell the blood swirling in her veins. Her blood, it was always her blood drawing him to her. All thoughts of training were forgotten. All he wanted to do was turn around and kiss her.
“Stand with your feet apart,” Morgana demanded. “Right foot back, left foot in front. torso in, stand tall.” Her hands were on his stomach and back, straightening his posture. He became distracted again as he imagined what her hands would feel like sliding across his naked body. He coughed, trying to clear his mind. He stepped back. “Yeah, I got it.”
Morgana flashed an impatient expression. “Well, then go for it.”
He shook his head, trying to concentrate but noticed Alastor making silly faces, obviously trying to distract him, all the while breathing in her scent. He was drowning, big time.
A clatter of noises brought Gareth back to reality. Alastor had attempted his first throw of the rubber stake. He had missed the Styrofoam mannequin completely. The stake had bounced off of the white brick wall, landing on a table of tools and weapons.
Gareth turned toward Alastor. “It was my turn, bro.” Though he was grateful to get his mind off Morgana.
Alastor shrugged. “Sorry, mate, ye seemed distracted.”
“Good strong arm, Alastor,” Vivienne said. “But when you’re first learning, it’s wise to use your left arm as a guide. As you advance further, you can refrain from using it.” She turned. “Go ahead, Gareth.”
Morgana nodded at him.
He wanted to impress her, but he also didn’t want to be shown up by Alastor. He lifted his left arm to guide him, pulling his right hand back over his head, he threw the stake toward the dummy. The stake skimmed the top of the dummy’s shoulder, bouncing to the ground.
“Good throw, Gareth.” Vivienne stepped forward. “But your aim could be a little better. Try again.”
Gareth nodded, lining up the throw again. This time the stake bounced off the dummy’s chest.
“Good shot,” Vivienne said.
Even Morgana gave him a crisp nod before her face went back to a glower.
Gareth smirked and his chest swelled. He’d take any praise from her, in any form.
“Put a little more of your strength into it next time, Gareth, and it will surely stick.” Vivienne turned to Alastor and said, “Your turn.”
Gareth’s heart sank. He wanted to keep going until he was able to embed the stake in the mannequin’s chest. “Do you have any more dummies to practice on?”
Vivienne tapped her chin. “We do have the spares to use after we snap this guy in half,” she said, waving her hand toward the mannequin. “We’ve just never needed to set up more than one at a time as Morgana only needs to keep honing her skills. I suppose we could set them up around the room, and you’ll be able to practice throwing the stakes from all different angles, which will definitely come in handy.” She looked over at her daughter, who was now scowling.
“Yeah, great idea,” Morgana said almost begrudgingly, picking up the dummy in a huff to move it off to the left of the room. “When they finally go traipsing through the woods.”
Why didn’t Morgana like them being here? Gareth crossed his arms over his chest. “What’s your problem?”
Morgana stopped. She turned toward him, her feet wide, her lip curled up at the corner.
“Morgana,” Vivienne warned.
“You guys don’t belong out there trailing after a clan of vampires. I’ve been training for years.”
“Morgana, you know better than anyone all new recruits have to begin somewhere.” Vivienne’s tone was quiet but with an edge of steel to it.
“Yes, but they’re barely novices.”
“How about you give us a chance before you write us off as no good?” Gareth stepped toward her. “I have just as much invested in this as you do, even more so because this is my hometown. Alastor and I have built a life here. So how about you go ahead and deflate your pumped-up ego and let us train so we can help you.”
Morgana opened her mouth to respond, then changed her mind. She cocked her head, staring at Gareth, a flicker of admiration in her brown eyes.
“Okay, let’s see what you’ve got.”
Chapter Twenty-One
Vivienne had been training Gareth and Alastor quite vigorously for weeks, running them ragged. They had moved on from stake throwing and were now focused on hand-to-hand combat. Both Gareth and Alastor were becoming quite adept at staking vampires, even if they were staking the fake Styrofoam dummy or using the rubber stakes on each other.
When Morgana wasn’t on patrol or at the campaign office, she would often join them. More often than not, he and Morgana were paired
together. They had established an unspoken truce.
Again today, Alastor and Vivienne had paired off, forcing Morgana and Gareth to work together. Unbeknownst to Morgana and Gareth, Alastor and Vivienne had been purposely doing this the entire time. But today, their goofy grins were especially revealing. Gareth shook his head, turning to face Morgana.
She smiled. “Ready to do this?” She seemed to be in a better mood today.
Maybe she was beginning to accept him and Alastor as part of their team.
Her smile undid him. All these weeks of being around her but not willing to bring himself closer to her had become slow torture. It didn’t help she was wearing her tight white tank top again, showing all her curves. She was just so tempting.
She struck, catching him off guard and hit him right on the nose. “Pay attention, Gareth,” she barked. “You look like you were daydreaming.”
He grunted, stepping back, the sharp pain in his nose was palpable. He pinched the bridge of his nose, while the pain subsided and the black dots faded. That had certainly killed his lust.
“Always be on your guard,” she instructed, hopping from one foot to the other, her fists raised near her chin. “Vampires don’t wait for you to be ready. They strike when it’s the best moment for them.”
He nodded, loosening his neck and shoulders. “I get it.”
She nodded, jabbing her fist out again. He blocked her, knocking her hand out of the way.
“Good, good.” But she was moving again, her leg kicking his out from underneath him. “Block with your legs as well. Vampires are animalistic. They only go for the killing strike. If you can learn to change your natural instinct, it will enable you to attack them in other ways, then you have the advantage over them.” She lifted her leg, kicking at his chest.
He moved his hands to catch her foot.
Morgana nodded in approval.
He dropped her foot.
Their hits and kicks then became a blur of flesh as limbs struck and blocked. Morgana was breathing heavy from exertion or the sexual tension building between them, Gareth wasn’t sure. As they trained, their bodies moved closer to each other, their holds lasting longer than was required. Morgana was infiltrating his personal space. Gareth had to adjust his pants, nearly copping a fist to his jaw. His libido had certainly returned.
God, he wanted her. Physically, yes, but emotionally, he still wasn’t quite sure.
When she stepped closer to him, blocking another punch, he twisted her around, locking her against his chest. Her breathing hitched, and she remained still. The warmth of her body against his was stirring feelings he thought he’d never feel for a female again. He leaned forward, breathing in her scent—a mixture of her blood and the floral-scented shampoo she’d used this morning. He was going to kiss her neck, he could feel the urge surging in him.
Morgana stomped on his foot.
He groaned and released her.
She laughed as she spun away—the sound, sweetness to his ears.
He grinned and launched himself at her, her eyes widening in surprise. She ducked, letting him sail over her. He rolled into the fall, standing up and advancing toward her again. He punched. She blocked. He swung his right arm around to her face, but she grabbed his forearm. Her touch was so soft on his skin. He swung his left fist, but she grabbed that too, the two of them staring at each other as he held both his arms above her head. If she weren’t holding him back, he’d have leaned forward and kissed her. Her eyes seemed to want him too, darkening with desire. She was there, inviting him to kiss her, but he couldn’t. He held back. He tugged his arms, trying to free them from her grasp. She slowly released her hands, releasing him. She seemed almost reluctant to let go. They stood facing each other.
“You’ve been improving these last few weeks,” she said.
“I’ve had good trainers.”
Morgana smirked. “Shall we go again?”
Gareth groaned, rubbing his chest. “What are you trying to do, kill me?”
Morgana snorted, “Oh, please, you’ll heal.”
Gareth twisted his mouth into a wry smile. Anything to feel the warmth of Morgana’s body again. He nodded.
She struck at him, quick as a viper, but he was ready, blocking her fist.
Her brown eyes widened and gave a small nod. She threw a right hook, but he blocked it, grabbing her wrist. She stepped forward, her left hand moving back in a jab, but he blocked it with his palm. She was in his personal space again, but this time he welcomed it. He licked his lips, his gaze dropping to her mouth. Morgana’s lips were parted from her panting. Gareth wanted to make her pant harder. He stepped forward, closing the small gap between them, smiling at the shocked look on her face.
To his surprise, she smiled, stepping back. Morgana twisted his arm, flipping him over her head, pinning him down. She leaned over him, grinning, loose strands of hair falling around him, brushing his face. Her brown eyes twinkled with mischief. He liked the feel of her body on top of his. He reached up to brush the hairs away. As he did so, he was transported back to that night.
Her blonde hair fell all around her face, her grin wide and confident as she usually responded when she got her way. But this time, her fangs were showing for the first time.
She’d laughed her cruel, cold laugh before sinking her fangs into his neck.
Gareth pushed Morgana away, sending her flying backward onto the blue mat.
“I’ve got to go.” Not looking at anyone, he raced up the stairs and out the front door. He stopped a good hundred yards from the house, gulping in air. He’d been with plenty of women physically after her but never had they reminded him of her. Not like Morgana.
Morgana ran after Gareth. Catching up quickly, she reached for his shoulder. “What was your deal back there?”
Gareth looked up to the sky. He couldn’t look at her. He was afraid he would see Mariza again. But why? Was it because he was getting emotionally close to Morgana?
“Look, if you have a problem with me, I’d rather we hash it out now, so I don’t get killed out in the field.”
Gareth finally turned to her. Her dark brown eyes were bulging, her face still red from exertion, and the smell of sweat rolling off her, mingled with the faint smell of her arousal. It was Morgana staring back at him, not her, and he’d never felt so relieved before in his life.
“No. It isn’t that.” He finally spoke, staring as her heavy breathing made her chest rise and fall, her curves emphasized in her tight tank top.
“What then?”
“This.” He pulled her close to him, pressing his lips against hers. They were as soft as he had imagined. He expected her to pull away, but she opened her mouth, allowing him to enter. He lifted her, her legs wrapping around his waist, her fingers fisting in his hair. The kiss deepening as his tongue swirled against hers.
He must have fallen backward at some stage, the ground now against his back. But neither of them stopped. Morgana was now straddling him, her legs pressed against his thighs. He sat up, pulling her closer. She groaned in his mouth, rocking her hips against his.
It had been far too long since he’d been with a woman. He needed to feel the warmth, the pleasure of sex.
He moved his hands down her back when he heard soft footfalls.
They both froze.
“Oh, for feck’s sake. Do ye two have to do that out here?” the Irish vampire sounding disgusted but amused.
Once the lust subsided, Gareth could feel his best friend’s presence.
Gareth and Morgana released each other, looking sheepish. They both turned to Alastor, who, despite his tone, had a smug look on his face.
Morgana quickly disentangled herself. “I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have jumped you.”
“No, it’s fine.” Gareth stood, dusting the leaves and dirt off his pants.
She shook her head. “I shouldn’t have been caught off guard. I should have known better.”
Gareth nodded. “It’s my fault, I shouldn’t have kissed yo
u...” Like you were everything I ever needed but everything I can’t do.
She nodded, but her expression was unreadable. He was dying to know what she was thinking.
“I should go.” She walked past him, then stopped to turn around, raising an eyebrow. “Truce?”
Gareth smiled and held out his hand. “Truce?”
A small smile spread across her face. “Truce.” She turned around again. “Alastor.” She walked off with a slight wiggle to her hips.
Alastor clapped him on the back. “Seriously, ye could have taken her back to the house. I wouldn’t have minded.”
Gareth shook his head. “It wasn’t like...”
“Like what? Because to me, it looked like the two of ye were a couple of horny teenagers about to shag in the dirt?”
“Well, yeah, it was like that.”
“What would have happened if I hadn’t come this way?”
Gareth watched Morgana’s retreat march. “We’d probably be rutting like animals by now.”
“And why is it a bad thing?”
“I can’t let myself get close again, you know that.”
“Aye, but ye can’t keep letting what the she-devil did to ye prevent ye from finding love again.”
“I know, but I just can’t help feeling there’s more to it.”
“Just let it go, mate. She ain’t Mariza.”
Gareth nodded in agreement. Morgana certainly wasn’t Mariza. She had an ego, but generally, she was good-natured. No, his creator, on the other hand, was vile and vindictive.
He knew he should let himself trust and feel that way for someone again, but it wasn’t going to be easy.
He’d been too scarred from before.
Chapter Twenty-Two
Morgana decided to drive to the campaign office. She had been literally running around for weeks on end determined to find her target’s location. It felt good to have something else transport her around for a change.
The Van Wilden Chronicles Box Set Books 1-3 Page 14
