Everlasting Embrace

by Amanda Ashley

  “What’s changed?”

  “I fed before I came here.”

  He’d fed. She knew what that meant—he had preyed on some poor, unsuspecting soul. She grimaced as images of Magdalena savaging his throat chased themselves across her mind. “Do you…?” She bit down on her lower lip. “You don’t…?”

  “If you’re wondering if I kill those I drink from, the answer is no.” So far, he thought, remembering his close call with Babette. He didn’t know how he would ever face the poor girl again.

  Rylee stared up at him. He looked so unhappy, so alone, like a little boy who had lost his way. And yet, he wasn’t a little boy. He was a grown man, tall and broad-shouldered, with a firm jaw, chiseled cheekbones, beautiful, deep-brown eyes, and a smile that made her melt like chocolate left too long in the sun.

  Taking a deep breath, she said, “Come in, Alex,” and felt a peculiar tremor in the air as he crossed the threshold.

  In the living room, she gestured for him to sit on the sofa before taking the chair across from him.

  Alex glanced around the room, thinking it looked like her—warm and friendly. The walls were pale blue, the sofa and chair covered in a flowered print. Several portraits in white frames lined the mantel, a pair of large pictures depicting the ocean hung above the fireplace. He wondered if they were photos she had taken.

  Shoving his hands in his pockets, he said, “Please don’t be afraid of me, Rylee. I swear I won’t hurt you, but if you get worried, all you have to do is tell me to leave and the same power that keeps vampires out of your house will compel me to go.”

  If she hadn’t seen how the threshold affected Costain, she wouldn’t have believed him. “How are you getting along, Alex? Truly? Is it getting any easier?”

  “In some ways. There’s no use wishing it hadn’t happened because there’s no going back. I’ll be glad when Daisy gets home…”

  “She’s your sister, right?”

  “Yeah. We’ve always been close, shared everything. Although I never thought we’d both end up like this. How about you? Everything okay?”

  “Not really. I’m afraid to go out at night. It’s hurting my business and making me stir-crazy.”

  “I guess that’s my fault.”

  Leaning forward, she placed her hand on his knee. “No, it’s that creature’s fault. You can’t blame yourself because she’s crazy.”

  “If I hadn’t killed her mate, none of this would have happened.”

  Rylee shrugged. “Split milk.”

  “You’re awfully forgiving,” he remarked, covering her hand with his. “Any other woman would probably hate me.”

  “I don’t hate you.”

  “Rylee…”

  She didn’t know who moved first, but suddenly they were on the sofa, locked in each other’s arms. She closed her eyes as Alex rained butterfly kisses on her cheeks, her temples, the tip of her nose, before settling on her lips in a long, slow kiss that spread through her like a brushfire.

  He fell back on the cushions, carrying her with him, his hand stroking up and down her back as he kissed her again, and yet again. She knew a moment of trepidation when she felt the tension in him, the evidence of his desire.

  He muttered an oath as he released her.

  She sat up and he sat beside her, his head cradled in his hands.

  “Are you okay?” she asked.

  “Yeah. Just give me a minute.”

  She worried her lower lip between her teeth, wondering if she should put some space between them.

  “For vampires, sometimes it’s hard to separate hunger from desire,” Alex said, his voice muffled. “I don’t want to hurt you, or scare you.”

  “You didn’t.”

  Lifting his head, he turned to face her. “It’s late. I should probably go.”

  She stood when he did, then followed him to the door. “I’m glad you came by, Alex.”

  “Me, too. Is it okay if I kiss you goodnight?”

  “More than okay.”

  He cupped her face in his palms, his gaze moving over her face before he kissed her lightly. “Would you mind if I came by again tomorrow night? Or is it too much, too soon?”

  “I’d love the company.”

  Feeling as if he had just won the lottery, Alex kissed her again. “Sweet dreams, sweet Rylee.” Whistling softly, he strolled down the brick path to the sidewalk.

  Rylee stood in the doorway, her fingertips pressed to her lips, thinking the world suddenly seemed brighter.

  She watched him until he disappeared into the darkness.

  Alex paused when he reached the corner. Lifting his head, he opened his vampire senses, surprised that the power came to him so readily. So naturally. And there it was—Magdalena’s scent, mingled with that of another female. Concentrating, he sent a mental call to Costain. A moment later, the Master of the City stood beside him.

  “What’s up, fledgling?”

  “Do you smell that?”

  Rhys inhaled. “Wonder why Magdalena didn’t come herself?”

  “Beats me. I say we follow whoever this is and see where she takes us.”

  “Lead the way.”

  Alex followed the scent around the corner to where a car had been parked. Rhys dropped down on one knee and ran his hand over the tire tracks. “We can try following these.”

  “You go on.”

  “What are you going to do?”

  “I’m heading back to Rylee’s.”

  “Magdalena wasn’t there.”

  “I know. But that doesn’t mean she won’t show up.”

  “Watch yourself and don’t take any chances. If you sense trouble, give me a holler.”

  “Count on it.” A thought carried Alex back to Rylee’s house. A light still burned downstairs. He stood at the end of the walkway, wondering if he should let her know the latest, then decided against it, thinking she’d sleep better if she didn’t know one of Magdalena’s henchmen had been prowling around her yard.

  In the meantime, he would keep watch over her place until the sun came up. Costain had taught him how to cloak his presence and he did so now, then settled down on the front porch to pass the rest of the night.

  Rhys swore softly when the trail he’d been following merged onto the freeway, the tire’s scent mingling with those of thousands of others.

  But he would recognize it if he found it again.

  CHAPTER 17

  Magdalena looked up when Sylvi entered her lair. “Where is she?”

  “That vampire you tried to turn, he was with her.”

  Magdalena scowled at her. “Did he see you?”

  Sylvi shook her head vigorously. “No. I ran away before he left the house. I’m sorry, mistress.”

  A low growl rose in Magdalena’s throat. If not for the girl’s incompetence, Eduardo’s killer would be in her power now.

  She had intended to turn O’Donnell. As his sire, he would have been hers to do with as she pleased. Where had she gone wrong? Once in her control, she had planned to force him to listen over and over again to how she had killed his pregnant wife and dined on her blood. She could have compelled him to do anything she wished—kill his friends and family, be her slave. And then some other vampire had carried him off, she thought irritably. And the woman, too. “You will go back tomorrow morning and bring her to me.”

  “Yes, mistress.” Sylvi cowered in a corner of the sofa as Magdalena stalked past her, blew out a sigh of relief when the vampire disappeared into the night.

  CHAPTER 18

  In the last hour before dawn, Alex called Rhys at the club. “I can’t stay out here any longer. Can you come and stay with Rylee until sundown?”

  “Sure, if she’s okay with me spending the day in her closet.”

  “I’ll ask her. Hang on.”

  Transforming into mist, Alex slid under the front door, then resumed his own shape and padded up the stairs to Rylee’s bedroom. Feeling like an intruder, he turned on the light, then shook her shoulder lightly. “R
ylee, wake up.”

  She bolted upright with a start, eyes wide with fear—and then surprise when she saw him. “What are you doing here? What’s wrong?”

  “I caught Magdalena’s scent when I left earlier tonight.”

  “She was here?”

  “No, but someone associated with her was. Rhys went to see if he could find her. I thought I should stick around in case Magdalena showed up. After all, if it wasn’t for me, you wouldn’t be in this mess.”

  “You can’t blame yourself for what she’s doing.”

  “Well, I feel responsible just the same. The thing is, I can’t protect you when the sun comes up. So…”

  “So?”

  “I asked Rhys to come and stay with you until sunset.”

  Rylee shook her head. “No. No, I don’t want him here. He scares me.”

  “You’ll be a lot safer with him than with me. And he can be awake during the day, if necessary.”

  Sitting up, Rylee smoothed a hand over her hair. “If you think having Rhys here is a good idea, then I guess it’s okay.” She blew out a sigh of resignation. “He can use the bed in the guest room.”

  “He’ll probably rest in a closet.”

  “A closet!”

  “He’ll want a dark place. But don’t worry, if anyone tries to get to you, he’ll know.” Alex cocked his head to the side. “He’s here. You’ll have to invite him in.”

  Throwing the covers aside, Rylee swung her legs over the edge of the bed, grabbed her robe, stepped into her slippers, and padded downstairs. This had to be a dream, she thought. Things like this just didn’t happen in real life.

  After tamping down her trepidation, she eased the front door open. For a moment, she just stood there. He looked just as intimidating as he had the first time she’d seen him. Inviting the Master of the City into her home seemed like a really bad idea, yet Alex trusted him.

  And she trusted Alex.

  The vampire stood patiently, one brow arched as he waited for her to say something.

  Rylee took a deep breath, blew it out in a huff, and said, “Please come in, Mr. Costain.”

  Murmuring his thanks, he crossed the threshold, and she felt it again, that odd tremor in the air, only it was stronger and more pronounced this time. Was that because Costain was more powerful than Alex?

  “I’ll be going now,” Alex said, taking Rylee’s hand in his. “And don’t worry. Rhys will protect you. He’s older and stronger than Magdalena.”

  “Do the two always go together?” Rylee asked. “Age and strength?”

  “Yes, which is why you’re safer with him.” Alex hesitated a moment, then kissed her on the cheek. “I’ll be back as soon as the sun goes down.”

  “Be careful,” she said, giving his hand a squeeze.

  “You, too.”

  Rylee knew a moment of anxiety as she locked the door behind Alex. She was alone with Rhys now, at the mercy of an old and powerful vampire.

  “Okay if I bed down in one of your closets?” Costain asked.

  “Yes. Alex told me you might. Use the spare room upstairs at the end of the hall.”

  “Thanks. And don’t worry. If Magdalena or any of her minions come around, I’ll know it.”

  Before she could answer, he was gone.

  Perplexed, Rylee stared at the place where he’d been standing. How was it possible for vampires to just vanish from sight like that? With a shake of her head, she climbed the stairs, crawled back into bed and pulled the covers over her head.

  It was late morning when she woke up. Her first thought was for the house guest in the spare room. Unable to resist, she scuffed down the hallway and tiptoed inside. She paused in front of the walk-in closet. It held her winter coats, extra blankets, a couple of pillows.

  And a vampire.

  As quietly as she could, she eased one of the sliding glass doors open and peered inside. Costain lay stretched out on the floor, fully clothed, arms folded across his chest. He didn’t seem to be breathing. Was that normal?

  She took a hasty step back when he opened his eyes.

  “Something wrong?”

  “No. No. I was…I mean…”

  “Just curious, were you?”

  She bit down on her lip, her cheeks warm with embarrassment.

  “Satisfied?”

  Too mortified to speak, she closed the door and ran out of the room, her cheeks growing hotter at the sound of his amused laughter.

  After showering, Rylee headed downstairs. She fixed breakfast. Rinsed the dishes and put them in the dishwasher, then went into her office to check her email. But all she could think about was the vampire sleeping in her closet. And Alex. Where did he pass the day? She wished he was the one resting upstairs. She wasn’t afraid of Alex, but Rhys Costain scared the living daylights out of her.

  A glance at the calendar reminded her she had an appointment late this afternoon. After twenty minutes of indecision, she called Mrs. LeDuc to cancel it. The woman declined to reschedule.

  Rylee set her phone on the desk and stared out the window, her brow furrowed. If this trouble with Magdalena didn’t end soon, she was going to lose more clients than she could afford.

  Time and again she glanced at the clock, willing the hours to pass. Finally, unable to concentrate on the work at hand, she padded into the living room and turned on the TV.

  And wished she hadn’t.

  A reporter was on screen, standing in front of a blanket-shrouded corpse. “…body identified as Joseph Fleming was found this morning in front of his West Hollywood home by the mailman. Two wounds in his neck, identical to those found on the other bodies discovered recently, have led police to believe we have a serial killer on the loose in the city. More details as they become available. Jenny, back to you.”

  Rylee switched off the TV, then sat back, hands clasped in her lap. Serial killer, indeed. Was it Magdalena?

  Too restless to sit still, too agitated to concentrate on anything else, Rylee threw herself into housework. She mopped the floors, dusted the furniture, and counted the hours until sundown.

  Costain rose half an hour before twilight. He found Rylee in the living room, folding a load of bath towels.

  Her eyes widened when she saw him and then she visibly relaxed.

  “Didn’t mean to startle you,” he said.

  She shrugged. “You didn’t.”

  He decided to let the lie slip by, unremarked. “Anything I can do or say to put you at ease?”

  “I can’t think of a thing.”

  Rhys grinned at her candor. “Any questions you’ve got that you need answered? We have some time before Alex shows up. He’ll have to…”

  “I know,” she said quickly, not wanting to hear him say feed or hunt out loud. She added a hand towel to the stack on the sofa. “Can I get you anything?” she asked nervously, then bit down on her lower lip, thinking the only thing she had that he needed was blood. And she wasn’t willing to give him that.

  His gaze moved to her throat and then he grinned at her. “No, thank you. I’ll dine later. Mind if I sit down?”

  “No, please do. I’ll be right back,” she said. “I’m just going to take these upstairs.” And so saying, she grabbed the towels and made a hasty escape.

  Rhys chuckled as he watched her go. No doubt about it, she was scared to death of him. Smart girl. She had good instincts.

  Rhys had just opened the door for Alex when Rylee returned to the living room. Her relief at seeing O’Donnell was palpable.

  After greeting Rylee, Alex looked at Rhys. “There’s been another killing in the city. Body drained of blood. They’re blaming it on a serial killer.”

  Costain muttered a vile oath. “Magdalena!”

  “Who else?”

  Rhys paced the floor for a few moments, his expression grim when he turned to face them. “Listen, you two, I’ve been thinking about this situation. I think Rylee should move into my place as long as Magdalena is a threat. My lair is a helluva lot more secure than th
is house. And Rylee will feel more at ease staying there with you than having me resting in her guest room.” He glanced from one to the other. “What do you say?”

  Alex looked at Rylee. “He makes a lot of sense. We can protect you better there than here.”

  She slid a dubious glance at Costain, then shook her head. “I don’t know…”

  “I won’t be staying there,” Rhys said, hoping to allay her fears. “I’ll rest elsewhere.”

  Rylee looked at Alex. “If you think it’s a good idea…”

  “I do. Why don’t you go upstairs and pack a few things?”

  “All right.”

  “What’s Magdalena up to?” Alex asked after Rylee left the room. “If it’s me she wants, why is she leaving all these bodies in her wake? Doesn’t she realize it’s going to draw every hunter in the country? And they won’t be after just you and me.”

  “I have no idea. It makes no sense at all. Hell, I’m not sure she’s playing with a full deck. But at least we know she’s still in the city.”

  “And that’s good news why?”

  “Always pays to know where your enemy is,” Costain said with a rueful grin. “All we have to do now is find her.”

  CHAPTER 19

  Rylee stood in the middle of the living room in Costain’s penthouse, wondering what on earth she was doing in the lair of the Master of the City. Alex had driven her here in Costain’s Jag and she’d had second thoughts all the way across town. She had to admit, the apartment was amazing, and after passing through two thick iron doors to get inside, she certainly felt protected, if not entirely safe.

  “Rylee?”

  She turned toward Alex, who stood beside the sofa, his arms crossed over his chest.

  “You okay?” he asked.

  “Not really.”

  “I guess I can understand that. I’ve turned your life upside down, haven’t I?”

  She didn’t deny it, merely shrugged.

  “Rhys is out hunting Magdalena. If anyone can find her, he will.”

  “And what if he can’t? How long do I have to stay here?”

  “Only as long as you want to. You’re not a prisoner.”