Blood and Sand

by Elizabeth Hunter

  “Let me…” He pierced his tongue and licked up, sampling the heady flavor of her blood and the salt on her skin as he healed the tiny cut. He wanted more. “Natalie—”

  “Stop,” she whispered, placing a hand on his chest. “Are you going to bite me?”

  He stilled immediately. “Do you want me to?”

  “I… I don’t…” Her eyes were round and uncertain. “I don’t know.”

  He groaned and pulled her close, leaning his forehead against hers as he tried to gather his control. She was frightened. This wasn’t the way it should be.

  “One day,” he said in a low voice, “I want you to crave my bite.”

  She blushed again; he stopped breathing. Her scent was too tempting.

  “Does… I mean, doesn’t it hurt?”

  As if on cue, a low satisfied moan of female pleasure echoed down the hall from Tulio’s chamber. Baojia looked at Natalie, who had turned toward the noise, her mouth falling open a little.

  “No,” he said. “It doesn’t.”

  “Oh. I didn’t think…” She backed away, untangling from his arms, distancing herself. “I mean, she’s so much older than him.”

  Baojia cocked kaojeded herhis head in confusion until he remembered that Cirilda was probably in her fifties. “He is far older than her, Natalie.”

  “Oh.” She shook her head. “Of course. I just… She looks older, so it’s kind of confusing.”

  Humans were often strange about age. They put so much stock in appearance. “Remember to not judge their relationship by human standards. They have been together many years. I know he’s very fond of her. I doubt her age troubles him except as a reminder that their time is limited.”

  He saw her look thoughtfully down the hall as the sounds of carnal pleasure turned to more intimate, muffled conversation. He heard a low laugh from Tulio, then another quick exchange between the vampire and his lover.

  “He wouldn’t make her a vampire?” she asked quietly.

  “No. If he did, it would change their feelings toward each other. It is a different kind of relationship and would break their connection as lovers.”

  “Someone else, though?”

  He shrugged. He doubted there were any immortals Tulio trusted enough to change Cirilda. Any vampire who sired her would have her loyalty and an unbreakable bond for eternity, possibly interfering with her loyalty to him. “She may not want to become a vampire, Natalie. I don’t know.”

  “What will happen to her?”

  “I imagine he will take care of her until she dies, unless she wants to leave. He is an honorable man.” Why was she so troubled? “Are you worried about her?”

  She shook her head and moved farther away from him, which displeased him. “No. It’s none of my business.”

  “But you are worried about something.”

  “I, uh…” She stood up and grabbed her purse. “I’m worried about the case. What’s our next step? Are we leaving soon?”

  She was lying, but she did have a point. They had little time to waste. He needed to drive to Los Angeles, find a safe place to keep her, then speak to his father. Ernesto wouldn’t be pleased, but there was little he could do about that. This problem of the murdered humans had landed on his father’s back porch, courtesy of a visitor from the south. It could be an isolated challenge to Ernesto’s authority from a rebellious underling, or it could be a more dangerous test from the cartel. Either way, the time for sentiment was over. His father would have to deal with this, and he’d have to speak to Baojia.

  “Wow.” Her laugh was tense and nervous. “Whatever it is we have to do tonight, it doesn’t seem like you’re looking forward to it.”

  He stood up and walked to the kitchen to leave a note for Tulio. Who knew when the vampire would leave his bed? “Let’s get on the road. We have a long way to drive tonight, and I have a meeting that can’t be put off. Our host won’t mind if we see ourselves out.”

  She was quiet in the car all the way to Los Angeles. She was quiet as they exited the freeway in Pasadena and headed toward Matt and Dez Kirby’s house. She was just… quiet. Baojia almost wished she would start the incessant chattering again. His mind raced back to their kiss. That was when her behavior had changed. But she wanted him as much as he wanted her. Though she had backed away from his bite, she had been as affected by it as he had been. He was certain.

  But perhaps he had been wrong. Perhaps she still feared him in some way. The thought sickened him. He had never taken a woman who was unwilling.

  “Natalie?”

  “Hmm?” She t kHmmeles, finurned her head toward him, a polite distance in her eyes, and he realized what was wrong. Their kiss on the couch in Tulio’s cave had affected her. But then came the questions. And if he’d learned anything about Natalie, it was that she didn’t ask needless questions.

  What will happen to her?

  She hadn’t been asking about Cirilda; she’d been asking about herself.

  She was human. He was not. And she was pulling away from him before she got too close. If he was human, she would have taken him as a lover, perhaps more. But he was not human, and she was not a vampire. His eyes left hers and turned back to the road.

  He had been wrong. Despite appearances, Natalie Ellis’s survival instincts were very well honed.

  CHAPTER TEN

  He just left.

  Baojia dropped her off at Dez and Matt’s house, spoke a few words to Matt, then disappeared into the night. She should have felt relieved. For the first time in days, she didn’t feel like she was being kept. And she was free of the annoying vampire who bossed her around, stole her phone, and kept her as a prisoner—albeit a very well-treated prisoner. She was at her friends’ house, sitting in their kitchen, enveloped by warmth and light and people with pulses. But… the feeling of unease bombarded her as soon as his car pulled away.

  “I feel like I’m going crazy,” she said as she collapsed at the table. Dez sat across from her, rocking a sleepy Carina as Matt made her some tea.

  “Welcome to my world.” Dez reached across and squeezed Natalie’s hand. “I’m so sorry you got pulled into this.”

  “I’m not,” Matt said. “Well, I mean if you were going to pursue this story, I’m glad you got pulled in on this end and not when you were a body found out in the desert.”

  “Thanks, Matt.”

  “You’re welcome.” He set down the tea. “I’m not going to lie—you’re not in a good position, Natalie. You know about the vampire world, but you’re not employed by a vampire and you’re not under anyone’s personal aegis. You are—by your own admission—pursuing a story that could expose a lot of very dangerous secrets. And you’ve attracted the attention of a very unpredictable representative of the Mexico City cartel.”

  “Mr. Mysterio called me ‘his’ in front of the other vampire out in the desert. And the ones in Mexico. That mean anything?”

  Matt shrugged. “Unless he’s actually been biting you, that doesn’t mean much.” Suddenly he narrowed his eyes. “Has he?”

  Natalie flushed and Dez slapped Matt’s arm. “Matt!”

  “What?” He stood and went back to the kitchen, still frowning. “It’s a fair question.”

  “No. No biting. But Baojia promised to keep me safe.” She swallowed the lump in her throat and asked the question that had been circling for days. “Can I trust him? Really?”

  Dez nodded. “Totally trustworthy, Nat. He’s the one who guarded Beatrice for years, and he guarded her grandparents. He’s one of the good guys. If he promised to keep you safe, he’ll keep you safe.”

  “As much as he can,” Matt muttered.

  “Hey!”

  “Dez, you’re used to hanging around Gio and Beatrice, both of whom are immortals answerable only to themselves. Baojia is not his own man. He’s under Ernesto’s aegis. If Ernesto wanted N nHmmel">

  “Hand me over for what?” She lowered the mug she’d been about to drink from.

  “Have your memory era
sed, most likely.” Dez reached over and took her hand. “Ernesto is a very civilized guy.” She shot her husband a glare when Matt snorted.

  “Baojia said he wouldn’t erase my memory again,” Natalie said. “I don’t want—”

  “It wouldn’t matter what you wanted,” Matt said quietly. “Ernesto’s a decent enough vampire, but he has one priority: Ernesto. If it doesn’t serve his interest to protect you, then you’ll be on your own.”

  “No, you won’t,” Dez said firmly. “Because you have friends.”

  “Dez…” Matt’s voice was a warning.

  “I know what you and Baojia talked about, but it’s ridiculous for her to be staying here and not tell Gio and Beatrice.”

  “Wait, Beatrice?” Natalie put two and two together. “B? That’s… Gio and Beatrice?” She felt the curl of panic in her stomach. “Who’s Gio? And are you telling me?” Her voice was getting louder by the minute. Her heart was racing, and the room started to close in on her. Natalie tried to quiet down when she heard the baby start to whine, but Matt and Dez’s comments from before suddenly hit her.

  He’s the one who guarded Beatrice for years…

  Gio and Beatrice, both of whom are immortals…

  Natalie whispered, “Are you telling me Beatrice De Novo is a vampire?”

  She took Dez and Matt’s silence as an affirmative.

  Dez was pale. “Um… yeah, about that—”

  “A vampire?” Natalie scooted back, looking around a kitchen that suddenly didn’t seem so familiar, owned by people she thought she knew. Only those people didn’t work for vampires or have best friends who turned into vampires. “She’s a vampire?”

  Matt said, “Dez, give me the baby. She’s freaking out.”

  “She didn’t used to be a vampire!”

  Matt took the baby and Dez walked over to Natalie, putting a hand on her shoulder.

  “Natalie, breathe.” Dez’s voice sounded like it was underwater, and Natalie jerked away from her touch.

  Not real. Not real. Not real.

  Every time she thought she had a handle on this crazy new reality, something else slapped her. She thought she knew these people, but she didn’t know anything. Suddenly, she was desperate to see the one person in this weird new world who seemed normal despite everything. But he was gone. He’d left her. Was he coming back?

  “Baojia…” She took deep breaths. “Where—?”

  “He had to go to Ernesto’s, Nat.”

  Breathe. Breathe. Breathe. He wouldn’t abandon her. He’d be back. He promised. And for some crazy reason, she believed him. When he was there, she felt like herself. Even when the crazy happened, he made her feel like everything was going to be okay. He had to come back.

  “Don’t panic. You’re going to be fine. It’s all going to be fine.”

  “It’s not going to be fine!” she screamed. “I don’t want to know all this. I want to go home!”

  The baby woke and started to cry. Matt took her out of the room while Dez put her arms around Natalie and made soothing noises in her ear.

  s.

  “It’s okay, Natalie. It’s going to be okay.”

  “He needs to come back right now and take me home. And… and he needs to tell me what happened that first night.”

  Dez blinked in confusion and pulled back. “What are you talking about?”

  “The one I can’t remember. Every time I bring it up, he changes the subject. And I don’t… I need to trust him.” She was shaking, but at least the tightness in her chest had eased. “I feel like I’m losing my mind, Dez. I feel like this is a really bad dream I’ve been having for days, and I need… I just need to know I can trust him, because—”

  She broke off. Why was it so important that she trust him? She was here, with her friends, but she wanted him. His silent, steady presence that made the impossible real.

  Natalie remembered the feel of his hands teasing her hair on the couch at Tulio’s. The dry, amused laughter when she made a joke. His fierce protectiveness. The sensual promise in his kiss. Running through it all was the current of desire that had caught her. If she was honest with herself, it had swept her up days ago when she’d bumped into him at the bar. How much was a lie? How much was the truth?

  I never lied.

  “I’m falling for him,” she whispered, sitting down in the chair again. “And I can’t.”

  Dez sat across from her. “For Baojia?”

  “I can’t. I can’t. I’m so stupid. Of all the… He’s not even human. I don’t—”

  “Just stop. One thing at a time.” Dez pulled her into another hug. “I don’t know what to say. I wish I knew what to say. Beatrice knows him better, but he and Gio don’t get along, so—”

  “Who’s Gio?” Her voice sounded numb. “Why don’t they get along?”

  “Do you ever stop asking questions? It’s a long story. And Gio is Beatrice’s husband. They met back when she was in Houston, but then he left when she came out here for school. And… a bunch of stuff happened. They were married a few years ago.”

  “And Gio is a vampire.”

  “Uh huh.”

  “And so is B.”

  “They both are now.”

  Natalie let her head fall to the table and the tears come to her eyes. “I give up. Logic has no place in this world anymore. I’m falling down the rabbit hole. Taking the blue pill. Or the red one. Whatever.”

  Dez started rubbing small circles on her back. “You’ll get used to it. I remember being pretty freaked out when Beatrice first told me. Want some wine?”

  Wine sounded… like a pretty good idea, actually. “How many bottles do you have?”

  As it turned out, just one bottle and Natalie was feeling significantly better.

  “Wait, wait, wait…” She and Dez were sitting in the guest room on the second floor in their pajamas. Matt had already put the baby to bed and made a couple of phone calls before he gave Dez a kiss and retired for the night. “So, Beatrice De Novo is a water vampire now—”

  “Uh huh.”

  “And she’s married to a fire vampire?”

  “He’s kind of a badass.”

  “Fire and water.” Natalie wiggled her eyebrows. “Steamy.”

  Dez burst into laughter. “And you’re a little drunk.”

  “Not nearly enough, trust me.” She c s me oflosed her eyes and the pleasant buzz made her sigh. Wine made everything better. “He’s a really good kisser.”

  “That’s what I hear,” Dez said, pouring another glass. “Oh, wait. You’re not talking about Gio, are you?”

  “Who’s Gio?” She frowned. “Oh, right. Fire dude. No, not him.”

  “Baojia?”

  She sighed and fell back into the pile of pillows. “Yes. I hate that he’s so sexy.”

  “Why not just enjoy it? A good kisser, huh?”

  “Very good. Very… thorough. I mean, when he kisses you, you feel kissed.”

  “That makes…” Dez laughed. “…complete sense.”

  “Hush. It does to me.” Her head was spinning now, but she wasn’t sure if it was from the wine or the memory of a very skilled mouth. With fangs.

  “He has fangs. Am I going to cut my lips every time I kiss him? I’m not sure that’s a good idea…”

  Dez ignored her. “I saw him sparring with Beatrice once. No shirt. The view was very nice.”

  “Uh huh.” She nodded. Maybe she needed to stop; it was getting a bit swirly up there. “That’s right, B always did the martial arts, didn’t she? I wonder if I should take some.”

  “Probably. It’s good self-defense. And you might be able to convince someone to give you some one-on-one lessons.” Dez grinned.

  “Don’t encourage me. You know this can’t be healthy.” She groaned and sat up again. “I should drink some water and go to bed. It’s been a very long few days.”

  “You should.” Dez stood up and collected the glasses while Natalie pulled back the covers and slipped into bed. “Sleep as long as
you can. Trust me, with this bunch, sometimes sleep is hard to come by.”

  “Thanks for everything, Dez.”

  “No problem. You’ll feel better in the morning.”

  “Yeah?” She shook her head. “Probably not. Because… he’s still going to be a vampire, and I’m still going to be a human.”

  Dez walked to the door and opened it. “Hey, Nat?”

  “Hmm?”

  “I have no idea how he feels. He doesn’t seem like the kind to wear his heart on his sleeve or anything. But… don’t rule anything out, okay?”

  Natalie had to fight back the urge to cry. Stupid wine. “He’s not like us.”

  “No, he’s definitely not.” Dez’s eyes suddenly took on a depth that the friendly blond woman rarely revealed. “But I’ve seen some pretty amazing things the past few years. And I know we’re more alike than we’re different.”

  More alike than different? Maybe.

  Natalie nodded. “I’ll try to keep that in mind.”

  When she dreamed that night, she was sitting in the sunlight next to him, and he was laughing.

  “You’re ridiculous,” he said.

  “You love it.”

  The smile made the corners of his eyes crease and his teeth flashed in the sun. “I do.”

  He leaned forward, brushing her mouth with his. Her arms opened to welcome him and he embraced her. His skin was warm from the hot summer sun. Brown and smooth under her fingers. He kissed her again and again, teasing her lips apart as he played with a lock of hair at her temple. They were on the beach; she could hear water in t sar

  “Probahe background and the sand was warm under her legs.

  He pulled away, put his hand on her shoulder and shook her. “We have to go.”

  She frowned. He wasn’t laughing. He looked deadly serious, and he said it again.

  “We have to go.”

  Natalie blinked awake. The moon was still visible from the corner of her eye and the room was dark. Baojia was standing over her, a hand on her shoulder, shaking her awake.