Everlasting Embrace

by Amanda Ashley

  “Alex, please don’t feel guilty. It’s normal to look for comfort when you’re grieving. You’re only human, after all. At times like this, people need each other more than ever.”

  “You don’t understand…dammit, I shouldn’t be feeling like this about you…about anyone…so damn soon.” How was he to know if this was real or not? What if he was making the same mistake he’d made with Paula, confusing comfort and companionship for something deeper and more lasting?

  “Good bye, Alex,” she said quietly. “It was nice meeting you. I hope you find what you’re looking for.”

  As Alex watched her turn and walk away, every instinct he possessed screamed at him to go after her, warning him that if he let her go this time, Fate might not be kind enough to let him find her again.

  “Rylee!” he cried. “Wait!”

  She didn’t stop, but it didn’t take him long to catch up with her. He passed her, then wheeled around to face her.

  She came to an abrupt halt to avoid running into him. “Alex, leave me alone.”

  “I can’t. I know it’s wrong but I just don’t care.” He jammed his hands in his pockets to keep from reaching for her. “I don’t know how to explain it, but I feel like…like…hell, I don’t know. I mean, it sounds crazy, but being with you…I…it feels like I’ve come home.”

  “That is crazy,” she agreed.

  “Yeah, I was pretty sure you’d think so.”

  She laughed softly, her eyes crinkling at the corners. “I know it’s crazy because I feel the same way about you.”

  Alex stared at her, dumbfounded. “You do?”

  “I’m twenty-seven years old, and I’ve never felt this way in my whole life.” She started walking again, and he fell into step beside her. “Life’s funny, isn’t it?”

  “Yeah, funny,” he muttered ruefully.

  They walked in silence for a time. Alex wasn’t sure how it happened, but after a while, his hand was holding hers. She didn’t seem to mind.

  When they came to a large flat-topped rock, Rylee stopped. “Let’s rest for a while.”

  Alex sat beside her, his hand still holding hers. He gazed out at the ocean, thinking it wasn’t big enough to hold his guilt, or deep enough to wash it away. And yet, sitting there beside Rylee, he knew an incredible sense of inner peace.

  He sighed when she rested her head on his shoulder. Lifting his gaze toward heaven, he murmured a silent prayer of thanks for the woman at his side, hoping, pleading, that whatever it was between them would last.

  CHAPTER 6

  Sylvi looked at Magdalena and shook her head. “I still don’t think killing the wife of a hunter was a wise thing to do. And not just any hunter, but a member of the notorious O’Donnell family.”

  “Wise?” Magdalena exclaimed. “Wise? He destroyed the love of my life! Eduardo and I were together for two hundred years. Two hundred years, Sylvi! Was I just supposed to let his killer go unavenged? Pretend it never happened? I don’t think so!”

  “What if he comes after you?”

  Magdalena snorted. “He doesn’t know who I am, or where I live.”

  “He didn’t have any trouble finding Eduardo,” Sylvi reminded her.

  “And I didn’t have any trouble finding him!”

  “Too bad he wasn’t home.”

  “I wouldn’t have killed him even if he had been there,” Magdalena said.

  “Why not?”

  “That would have been too quick, too easy. I want him to have time to grieve for his wife the way I’m grieving for my Eddie. I want that hunter to hurt the way I’m hurting, although that’s probably impossible. There’s no way he could have loved that puny mortal woman the way I loved my husband.” A pair of crimson tears leaked from her eyes. “Two hundred years, Sylvi. And now he’s gone.” Magdalena slammed her fist on the table, cracking the wood. “When I feel that O’Donnell has suffered long enough, I’m going to hunt him down and kill him.” She smiled, a hungry, predatory smile. “Not too quickly, of course.”

  CHAPTER 7

  Rhys lifted his head as a familiar scent filled his nostrils. Glancing over his shoulder, he saw the O’Donnell kid striding toward him.

  “Hey,” Alex said by way of greeting.

  “Hey, yourself. What are you doing here so late?”

  “I didn’t feel like going to bed.”

  Rhys nodded. “People are going to think you’re one of us, considering the hours you’ve been keeping.”

  With a shrug, O’Donnell sat on the bar stool next to Costain’s. “Day or night, it’s all the same.”

  Rhys took a deep breath, one brow raising inquisitively. “You don’t smell lonely.”

  “What the hell does that mean?”

  “You’ve been with a woman. She has long blonde hair,” Rhys said, plucking a strand from Alex’s jacket. “She uses almond shampoo. Wears perfume by Yves Saint Laurent.” He sniffed the air. “And likes peppermint toothpaste.”

  “Very funny,” Alex muttered.

  “Am I wrong?”

  “I don’t know her well enough to know if you’re right or not. I just know she smells good.” And tastes better. “Can I get a drink in here that’s not warm and red?”

  “Seems to me you killed a bottle of Jack Daniels the other night,” Rhys said, grinning. “But I’m sure we have more. Gaston, bring my friend a whiskey.”

  Alex reached for the shot glass as soon as the bartender set if down, murmured, “Bottoms up,” and downed it in a single swallow. Signaling the bartender, he gestured for another.

  “I don’t like drunks in my establishment,” Rhys said, his voice mildly reproving.

  “Yeah, yeah,” Alex muttered.

  “This girl, she seems to have you tied up in knots,” Rhys said, crossing his arms over his chest. “All the booze in the world won’t help.”

  “How do you know?” Alex tossed back the whiskey. “Hell, you probably don’t even remember what it was like to be human.”

  “That may be true, but I’ve seen enough drunks to know alcohol isn’t the answer to anything.”

  Alex nodded, his expression glum.

  “So, what is it about this girl that has you so muddled?”

  “What is it?” Alex exclaimed. “All I can think about is her.”

  “Men have been thinking about women since time began.”

  Alex glared at him. “I’m in mourning! My wife hasn’t even been dead for six months yet, and all I can think about is another woman! That’s what’s wrong with it!”

  Rhys made a vague gesture of dismissal. “Life goes on. You can mourn your wife and grieve for your unborn child for the rest of your life, but it won’t bring them back.”

  Alex rolled the empty shot glass back and forth between his palms. “Have you ever lost anyone you cared for?”

  “Once, long ago, when I was very young. And very stupid.” He rarely let himself think of the woman he had killed for betraying his love. Beautiful, deceitful, Josette, dead by his own hand.

  “Did you grieve for long?”

  “No, but she put me off women for a good, long time.”

  “I guess Megan turned you back on,” Alex said with a leer.

  “You could say that. The first time I saw her, I knew I had to have her.”

  “Well, it’s different for you. You’re not human.”

  “I can fix it so you aren’t human, if you think that will help.”

  “No, thanks.” Alex slammed the shot glass down on the bar top. “No way! We’ve got enough vampires in the family already.”

  “So, why did you come here tonight?”

  “Nowhere else to go. I came to L.A. hoping you could help me find whoever killed Paula, but…” He shrugged. “I guess I might as well go back home.”

  “Do you think that’s a good idea?”

  “I’m not learning anything here that can help me find Paula’s killer.”

  “That’s true, but in the meantime, she’s not finding you, either.”

  Al
ex stared at Rhys. “What?”

  “Which word didn’t you understand?”

  “You think she’s hunting me now?”

  “I’d bet your life on it. Are you willing to do the same?”

  Alex swore under his breath. It had never occurred to him that the vampire who had killed his wife might want him dead, too. And then he frowned. “Why didn’t she just wait until I came home that night and take me out?”

  “Being a vampire myself, I’d say she wants you to suffer and worry for a while first.”

  Alex slumped back against the bar. Just when you thought things couldn’t get any worse, they did.

  It was early afternoon when Alex woke after a restless night. Lying there, one arm flung to the side, he stared up at the ceiling. Paula and his son were gone, and Costain was right. Grieving wouldn’t bring them back. Was it wrong to find a few moments of forgetfulness in Rylee’s company?

  They hadn’t made plans to meet again. Her business card didn’t include an address, just her phone number and email. But he knew somehow that if he went back to the beach tonight, he would find her there, waiting for him.

  Closing his eyes, he summoned her image—hair like fine, golden strands of silk, guileless blue eyes, skin as smooth and clear as a newborn baby’s. He frowned. Yes, she was beautiful, but it was more than her appearance that made him feel at peace.

  Turning onto his side, he stared out the window. Maybe she possessed some sort of supernatural power like the vampires and the werewolves. She didn’t smell like a vampire, though. He didn’t think she was a werewolf. Perhaps she was an angel fallen to earth, he mused with a smile. She certainly looked like one.

  Shaking off his fanciful thoughts, he closed his eyes and drifted back to sleep.

  It was hours later when he woke again. He lingered in bed for a few minutes, then, throwing the covers aside, he headed for the bathroom to shower and shave. Even though he wasn’t really hungry, he took the elevator down to the hotel dining room and ordered a cheeseburger and fries, most of which he left on the plate.

  Later, he took a long walk. Hands shoved deep in his pockets, he let his thoughts wander. It was no surprise that vampires rose to the front of his mind. They had killed his brother. Turned his sister. Killed his wife and child. And now one of them might be hunting him. And yet, when he needed someone to talk to, he had sought out a vampire. And not just any vampire, but the Master of the West Coast. A vampire Alex had once hunted.

  Not long ago, he had hated all of them. But that was before his sister joined the ranks of the Undead. Before she married Erik. Before he got to know Rhys.

  Damn, but life was strange, he thought as he crossed the street.

  Very strange indeed.

  Returning to his hotel room, he changed his clothes and headed for the beach. He tried to tell himself he wasn’t going there in hopes of seeing Rylee, but it wouldn’t wash. A man could lie to his friends, but he couldn’t lie to himself.

  He parked the car, kicked off his sandals, and jogged toward the shoreline.

  A woman sat on a blanket near the water. Moonlight danced in her hair, streaking the gold with silver.

  She glanced over her shoulder and waved while he was still a good distance away.

  He might have wondered how she had known he was there, but it was hard to think when she was watching him, her luscious pink lips curved in a smile of welcome.

  “Hey, Rylee.”

  “Hi, Alex. I was hoping I’d see you tonight.”

  He dropped down on the blanket beside her—close, but not too close.

  “How was your day?” she asked.

  “Long and boring, until now,” he said, his gaze resting on her face.

  “Mine, too. Have you decided how long you’ll be in California?”

  “Not really. I should probably go home and get back to work.” His first job would be hunting the vampire who had killed Paula and the baby.

  “What kind of work do you do?” Rylee asked. “You never said.”

  “Let’s not talk about that now.”

  She looked at him curiously for a moment, then shrugged. “Have you had dinner?”

  “Not really,” he said, thinking of the burger he’d left mostly uneaten earlier. “Have you?”

  “Not yet.”

  “What are you in the mood for?”

  “Anything you want is fine with me. If you like fish, there’s a great little restaurant at the end of the pier.”

  “Sounds good to me.” Rising, he offered her his hand. “Shall we?”

  The restaurant wasn’t crowded. There were tables at one end, a bar at the other. The lighting was subdued, the ambience suited more for couples than families. Framed photos of tall ships and sailboats and schooners adorned the walls, along with a pair of crossed oars, and a net littered with colorful starfish.

  When they were seated, Rylee ordered a shrimp dinner, Alex ordered lobster and a bottle of wine.

  After placing their order, Alex sat back, at a loss for words. He didn’t usually have trouble making small talk, but tonight he felt as tongue-tied as a teenager on his first date.

  Rylee stared out the window and he studied her profile, thinking again how lovely she was and then feeling guilty for noticing.

  “You’re very quiet,” she remarked, turning to face him.

  He grinned self-consciously. “I haven’t done a lot of dating in my time. I guess I’m a little rusty.”

  “Why don’t you tell me about yourself? You really haven’t said very much.”

  “If I told you about my life, my family, you’d probably get up and leave.”

  “You don’t come from a long line of ax murderers, do you?”

  “Not exactly.”

  Her face paled a little. “What does that mean?”

  He should tell her the truth, he thought, and maybe he would, once he knew her better. “I’m kidding. I’ve got a place in Boston. The requisite number of parents. A married sister, Daisy. We’re all pretty ordinary. My dad’s retired, my mom’s the world’s best cook. I’m sort of between jobs at the moment. What about your family?”

  “My parents live in San Francisco. I’m an only child. Mom runs a day-care center. My Dad is a police officer, well, a detective.” She shrugged. “I guess we’re all pretty ordinary, too.”

  “There’s nothing ordinary about you, Rylee. Trust me.”

  “I’m going out of town for a few days,” she said after the waitress dropped off their order.

  “Oh?”

  “It’s my Mom and Dad’s twenty-fifth wedding anniversary.”

  “When are you leaving?”

  “In the morning. The party is this Friday night. I probably won’t be back until next Wednesday. Will you still be in town when I get back?”

  “I don’t know.” He hated to see her go, Alex thought glumly, although a few days apart might be a good thing. It would give him a chance to sort out his feelings. He had intended to give up hunting, but that wasn’t an option now, not until he’d avenged Paula’s death. And maybe not then. It was the only thing he knew.

  If what Rhys had said was true, and the vampire who killed Paula would likely come after him, then spending time with Rylee might very well put her life in danger. And if there was one thing he didn’t want, it was another woman’s blood on his hands.

  “Do you need a ride to the airport?” he asked.

  “No, I’m going to drive. I hate flying, and I want to take some photos of the ocean on the way back.”

  After dinner, Alex paid the check, then walked Rylee to her car.

  “I’ll miss you,” she said as she unlocked the door.

  “I’ll miss you, too.” More than you can imagine, he thought, as he watched her slide behind the wheel. “Have a safe trip.”

  “I hope things get better for you,” she said with a wistful smile. ”Goodbye, Alex.”

  Bending down, he kissed her lightly on the cheek, then closed her door, wondering if he would ever see her again.r />
  CHAPTER 8

  Alex lay in bed, his fingers laced behind his head. He wasn’t accomplishing anything here in LA. Maybe he should just go back to Boston. He’d had a text from his dad saying they had an offer on the house. He could move in with his folks for a while, although he wasn’t sure he could bear seeing the pity in their eyes. Still, he had nowhere else to go, no one else who gave a damn what happened to him.

  He grimaced. That wasn’t entirely true. Daisy loved him. And her blood-sucker husband was a pretty decent guy, all things considered. And not a bad artist.

  And then there was Rylee…if he returned to Boston, he’d probably never see her again.

  Unable to sleep, he climbed out of bed, tugged on his jeans, tucked in his t-shirt, and pulled on his jacket. It was second nature to shove a stake into the waistband of his pants and make sure there were a few bottles of holy water in his jacket pockets before he left the hotel.

  Exiting the lobby, he stood on the sidewalk for a moment, then turned left and started walking. The streets were pretty much deserted at this time of the night, with only a few winos huddled in doorways here and there. A cop car cruised by, slowing while the two officers inside looked him over.

  Lost in thought, it took Alex a minute to realize he was being followed. In a strictly reflex action, he whirled around, his right hand curling around the stake hidden under his jacket. A flash of hell-red eyes stared back at him as the vampire rushed toward him. Instinct took over. In a swift move that had become second nature, Alex drove the stake into the vampire’s heart and gave it a quick twist.

  The vampire had been young. Had he been one of the old ones, he would have turned to dust. As it was, he dropped like a rock, a look of astonishment on his face.

  Alex stared at the body. Had the vampire been hunting him in particular, or just looking for any mortal stupid enough to be out prowling the streets alone, late at night?

  “Dammit.” Dropping to his knees, Alex quickly searched the vampire’s pockets and came up with an expired driver’s license that identified the deceased as Jack Giordano, of Boston, Massachusetts.