Everlasting Desire

by Amanda Ashley

  Looking over the man’s head, she smiled at Tomás.

  “Take him,” Tomás said. “You’ll never know what it’s truly like to be a vampire until you’ve made your first kill.”

  Shirl licked her lips. The urge to drain her victims dry was always there when she fed, but so far, she hadn’t succumbed to it. She wasn’t sure why, but it was a line she was reluctant to cross.

  “Are you a vampire or not?” Tomás challenged. “Sooner or later, you have to let go of your old notions of right and wrong. You’re a predator now. He’s prey. Take him!”

  Shirl gazed into the frightened eyes of the man caught in the web of her embrace. She knew Tomás was watching her. How could she disappoint him again?

  Experiencing a moment of regret, she smoothed the man’s hair from his brow, then glanced at the woman on the blanket. Was she his girlfriend? His wife? Did they have children waiting for them at home? Feeling the weight of Tomás’s gaze, she thrust the troubling questions from her mind.

  After a murmured, “I’m sorry,” she lowered her head, sank her fangs into the man’s neck, and drank.

  It was intoxicating, the taste of his blood, the thrill of power that moved through her as she subdued his struggles with her superior strength.

  Chapter 32

  Rhys didn’t have to wait long to discover Villagrande’s intentions. He had spent the evening with Megan, kissed her good night, and tucked her into bed a little after 1 A.M. He was outside, taking a turn around the house, when his cell phone rang.

  “Costain? It’s Nicholas. Winchester has been destroyed.”

  “How do you know?”

  “Winchester wanted to watch the football game tonight, so the two of us went to his place. We were playing poker later when Villagrande showed up. He destroyed Winchester before I realized what was happening.”

  “Why not you?”

  “He needed a messenger boy. He told me to tell you he’s taking over the West Coast. He said you can either swear allegiance to him or he’s going to destroy the rest of us, one by one. And then you.”

  “Where’s the rest of the Council?”

  “Here, at the meeting house. We’re all here. What are you going to do about Villagrande?”

  “I wish I knew.”

  “None of us are strong enough to take him.”

  “I know. Have you told the others what happened?”

  “Not yet. I called you first.”

  “What did you do with the body?”

  “I left it where it was.”

  “Okay, I’ll take care of it.”

  “What do you want me to do?”

  “Stay there until you hear from me. No one’s to leave the house, understood?”

  “Yeah.”

  “And don’t say anything until I get there.” Muttering an oath, Rhys ended the call. He lingered on the porch for several minutes, his brow furrowed. He needed to dispose of Winchester’s body, and then he should probably meet with the Council members and let them know what was going on.

  “Dammit!” Rhys dragged a hand through his hair. He had to decide what he was going to do. Villagrande had laid down an unmistakable challenge, and it was up to Rhys to answer it.

  “So, what’s it gonna be?” he muttered. “Stay and fight? Or tuck your tail between your legs and run like a damn dog?”

  He grunted softly. Why hadn’t he thought of it before? There was a third option, and one he might have to use if things got any worse.

  Chapter 33

  Erik Delacourt frowned when his cell phone rang. When he read the time, he knew it couldn’t be good news.

  Daisy looked up from the book she was reading, a question in her eyes.

  “It’s Rhys.” Erik mouthed the words before he answered the phone. “What’s wrong?”

  “I’m having a little trouble with Villagrande,” Rhys said. “I could use some backup from someone I can trust.”

  “Villagrande!” Erik exclaimed. “What’s going on?”

  “He’s after the West Coast.”

  Erik uttered a short, pithy curse. “What makes you think that?”

  “He said so.”

  “The killings across the country?” Erik asked. “Were they…?

  “Yeah. You’re lucky he didn’t get hungry in Boston. He made his way here one body at a time. Earlier tonight, he killed a Council member.” Rhys didn’t mention Adrianna. That feud had been between her and Villagrande, and Villagrande had the right to settle it as he saw fit, even if Rhys disagreed with his methods.

  Erik swore again. “What do you want me to do?”

  “Right now I’m only concerned about one thing.”

  “And that would be?”

  “A woman.”

  Erik stared at the phone, wondering if he’d heard right. “A woman? You mean, a mortal woman?”

  “Yeah.”

  “Is she in danger?”

  “I don’t know, but I don’t want to take any chances.”

  “She means a lot to you.”

  It wasn’t a question. And Rhys didn’t answer. “I was wondering if you’d come and work some of your black magick on her house. I’m not sure a threshold, even one I’ve warded, is strong enough to keep Villagrande out.”

  “Do you think it’ll come to a fight?”

  “I sure as hell hope not. I don’t think I could take him.”

  “We’ll be there first thing tomorrow night.”

  “Thanks. I’ll owe you one.”

  “Right,” Erik said, chuckling. “Let’s just hope you’re around to pay up.”

  “What was that all about?” Daisy asked after he ended the call.

  “Do you remember Tomás Villagrande?”

  “How could I forget him?”

  Erik grunted softly. Not so long ago, Villagrande had kidnapped Daisy’s father and brother. He remembered it as if it had happened yesterday. He had tracked Daisy’s father and brother to Villagrande’s yacht….

  Going below, Erik followed the vampire’s scent into a stateroom where he found the two O’Donnell men lying on the floor, bound and apparently under some kind of preternatural enchantment. He was moving toward them when he realized he was no longer alone.

  Erik whirled around, fangs extended, and came face-to-face with one of his kind. Clad in a pair of black trousers and a loose-fitting white shirt, the vampire was tall and lean and looked to be in his late twenties, though his aura was much older.

  “What are you doing here?” the vampire asked. His voice was mild, though his eyes blazed red.

  “I know these two,” Erik said, gesturing at Daisy’s father and brother. “They’re not to be harmed.”

  The other vampire lifted one brow. “Indeed?”

  Erik nodded.

  “They violated my lair. They tried to destroy me. I am within my rights to do with them as it pleases me. And it pleases me to kill them.”

  “I’m afraid I can’t allow you to do that.”

  “No? Who are you?”

  “Erik Delacourt.”

  “Ah.”

  “You know me?” Erik asked.

  “I have heard of you. It is said you are a close friend of Costain’s.”

  Erik nodded, wondering if that was good or bad. “Who the hell are you?”

  “Tomás Villagrande.”

  Erik swore under his breath. Villagrande was the Master of the East Coast Vampires, and was even older than Rhys. It was rumored among the ranks of the Undead that Villagrande had been one of the first of their kind, that it was Villagrande who had bequeathed the Dark Gift to Dracula himself. Erik didn’t know if that was true, but Villagrande’s preternatural power was unmistakable.

  Villagrande folded his arms over his chest. “Why do you care if these two live or die?”

  “They’re related to someone I hold dear.”

  “That does change things, does it not?” Villagrande mused aloud. “And yet the fact remains that they are mine.”

  Tension thrummed through Erik as
he summoned his power. If the other vampire wanted a fight, so be it, although pitting his strength against that of a much older vampire seemed like suicide.

  “This someone you hold dear, is it a woman?”

  “Yes.”

  “Ah. And is she young and beautiful beyond compare?”

  Erik nodded even as he wondered what game Villagrande was playing.

  “You are in love with her?”

  “Yes.”

  “An overrated emotion to be sure,” Villagrande remarked, his voice melancholy. “Yet I confess that I, too, have been caught in that snare from time to time. Tell me, are you willing to challenge me in combat to save these two?”

  Erik swore inwardly. He had hoped it wouldn’t come to that, but he couldn’t go back to Daisy and tell her he had failed. Better not to return at all. “If I have to.”

  Villagrande stroked his chin as he contemplated Erik’s decision. “She means that much to you, this woman?”

  “And more.”

  Villagrande laughed softly. “I do not wish to kill you. You have trouble enough. Take them and go.”

  “Just like that?”

  “Just like that.” Villagrande smiled, showing a hint of fang. “Never let it be said that Tomás Villagrande stood in the way of true love. As for your inept friends here, I am surprised they have survived as long as they have. They should wake in half an hour or so. You might tell them to be more careful in the future,” he said, and with a wave of his hand, he vanished.

  “So, what did Rhys have to say?” Daisy asked.

  “It seems Villagrande is planning a takeover of the West Coast,” Erik replied, and quickly relayed what Rhys had told him over the phone.

  “What was that about a woman?”

  “I think our Mr. Costain has fallen in love,” Erik said with a grin.

  “No way!”

  Erik nodded. “I think he’s in love big-time.”

  “So, we’re going to California?” Daisy remarked.

  “Looks that way.”

  “I can’t wait. I’m anxious to meet the woman who finally captured his heart. And maybe,” she said, her eyes twinkling, “we’ll even find time for a midnight stroll on the beach.”

  Chapter 34

  “Rhys!” Megan pressed a hand to her heart. She hadn’t anticipated finding him waiting for her in the garage. “What are you doing here? I didn’t expect to see you until later.”

  “I thought I’d drive you to work tonight.”

  “Oh?”

  “We’ll have to take your car. I left mine at home.”

  She looked at him curiously. He wore a black long-sleeved shirt over a white T-shirt, black jeans, and boots. His hair gleamed like dark gold in the glow of the overhead light. Dark and dangerous, she thought, no doubt about it. “What aren’t you telling me?”

  “Villagrande’s on the rampage again. He killed one of my vampires earlier tonight. It isn’t safe for you to be alone outside of your house.” He paused a moment, then decided she needed to know it all. “And maybe not inside.”

  Megan felt a cold chill at the mention of Villagrande’s name. She had told Rhys she wasn’t afraid of the other vampire, but it had been nothing but bravado.

  Rhys opened the passenger door for her, and she got into the car. She had once thought her life completely boring. And then she met Rhys.

  He slid behind the wheel, switched on the engine and the lights, hit the garage door opener, and backed out of the driveway. “Have you heard from Shirl?”

  “No. Do you think she knows what Villagrande is planning?”

  “Probably.” He pulled onto the street.

  “Maybe I should just stay home tonight,” Megan suggested, and hated how cowardly that sounded. And yet, she didn’t have the physical strength to fight off a vampire, even if she knew how. She didn’t have any super powers. And she was pretty sure a can of pepper spray wouldn’t be much of a deterrent.

  Rhys slowed the car. “Do you want to go back home?”

  “Yes. No. I don’t know.”

  “It’s up to you.”

  Megan tapped her foot on the floorboard, then blew out a sigh. “Mr. Parker’s expecting me.”

  “That’s my brave girl,” Rhys murmured, and hoped neither of them would regret it.

  Things were quiet at the store that night. Megan was ever aware that Rhys was just outside, watching her every move. She assured herself she was perfectly safe, that Rhys wouldn’t let any harm come to her, and yet she felt herself tensing every time a man she didn’t recognize entered the shop.

  She was relieved when quitting time came.

  “So,” she asked when they were in the car on the way home, “what are you going to do about Villagrande?”

  “I’ve called in some outside help.”

  “Really? Who?”

  “Erik Delacourt and his wife, Daisy.”

  “Are they vampires, too?”

  “Yeah. Delacourt and I go back a long way. His wife’s only been a vampire a short time.” He grunted softly. “She used to steal vampire blood and sell it on the Net. Her brothers were hunters. The younger one was killed by a vampire.”

  “And she still wanted to be one?”

  “Not exactly. I destroyed the last vampire who wanted to take over the city. Mariah wasn’t nearly as strong as Villagrande, or as up front about it. She offered a reward for my head. I took hers instead. Delacourt, Daisy, and her brother, Alex, all had a hand in it. Apparently Mariah had a boyfriend. He went after Daisy and almost killed her. Delacourt brought her across to save her life.”

  “It isn’t really life,” Megan murmured, then bit her tongue, hoping she hadn’t hurt his feelings.

  “Maybe not, but she seems damn happy with the way things turned out. I think you’ll like her.”

  Megan shook her head. Not long ago, she hadn’t believed vampires existed. How times had changed. Her former roommate was a vampire. She was in love with a vampire. And now she was going to meet two more, and possibly one that wanted to kill her.

  Suddenly, her old, boring life didn’t seem half so bad.

  And when Rhys showed up at her door the next night with two vampires in tow, Megan began to wonder if her life would ever be normal again.

  Erik Delacourt was long-legged and broad-shouldered. He could have been the poster boy for vampires, she mused, with his thick black hair and striking black eyes. He appeared to be in his thirties, but with vampires, you never knew how old they really were. His wife, Daisy, looked like she was in her midtwenties. She had heavily lashed green eyes and long, reddish-brown hair. Megan thought she looked more like a country girl than a former Blood Thief turned vampire.

  Megan invited the newcomers into the house. After Rhys made the introductions, Erik and Daisy sat on the love seat, holding hands, while Megan and Rhys shared the sofa.

  One thing about vampire guests, Megan thought as she tried to relax, she didn’t have to worry about offering them refreshments. And then she grimaced because, among less friendly vampires, she would have been considered the snack.

  “Perhaps we should have had this meeting somewhere else,” Daisy said quietly. “I don’t think Megan’s very comfortable, having us here.”

  At Daisy’s remark, Rhys ran his knuckles lightly over Megan’s cheek. “Do you want us to leave?”

  “No, of course not,” she said quickly.

  “You’ve nothing to fear from us,” Erik assured her.

  “I’m not worried,” Megan said, surprised to find that it was true.

  “Rhys has asked me to come here and use my witchcraft to add a protective spell to your house.”

  “You’re a witch, too?” Megan asked, unable to hide her astonishment. Mortals and vampires and witches. Oh, my.

  Erik nodded, his eyes twinkling with amusement.

  “What kind of spell?” Megan asked.

  “Nothing too complicated. It will repel any unwelcome visitors from entering your house. And since I don’t know how powerful
Villagrande is, it will also keep him from materializing inside, uninvited.”

  “You’re sure it will work?” she asked.

  “Guaranteed. Of course, I won’t do it without your permission.”

  “You’ve got it.”

  Erik smiled at her. “I’ll take care of it later tonight.”

  Megan nodded. At this point, she would take all the protection she could get. Since vampires were real, who knew what other mythological creatures might be stalking the shadows?

  “So,” Erik said to Rhys, “do you have any plans for besting this interloper?”

  “Not really. You’ve met him. Do you think I’ve got a chance against him?”

  “I don’t know. I’ve felt his power, and it’s stronger than anything I’ve ever come up against. I guess it all depends on how badly you want to remain Master of the City.”

  “Yeah,” Rhys muttered. “That’s the real question, isn’t it?”

  “Why don’t you just leave?” Daisy asked. “What’s so special about LA?”

  Erik and Rhys exchanged glances.

  “It’s more than that,” Rhys said. “If I leave, it’s like admitting I’m afraid.”

  “What’s wrong with being afraid?” Megan asked.

  Erik and Rhys exchanged glances again.

  Megan looked at Daisy. “Men,” she said. “They’re all the same.”

  “Tell me about it,” Daisy said, grinning. “Man or vampire, it doesn’t matter. You should meet my brother, Alex. He’s Mr. Macho personified.”

  “It’s not just about male pride,” Rhys said irritably. “In the human world, it doesn’t make much of a difference if you’re a coward. In my world, it’s a sign of weakness, and like the song says, only the strong survive.”

  “I guess that settles it, then,” Erik said. “If he wants a fight, we’ll give it to him.”

  “There is no ‘we,’” Rhys said emphatically. “I only asked you here to help fortify Megan’s house.” He took Megan’s hand in his. “And to look after her, if anything happens to me.”

  “Don’t say that!” Megan exclaimed. “Nothing’s going to happen to you.”

  Rhys squeezed her hand. “I hope not, but I have to know you’ll be okay, just in case.”