B00528UTDS EBOK (13 page)

Sarah was still Sarah, but she was also the young woman at the same time. She could feel what the woman felt - knew what she knew.

The minutes ticked by but she was unaware of it. She lost herself in the memory of her lover. She remembered the last words he’d spoken to her.

“The one who did this … was someone else. He was corrupt with hate and envy of another man,” Lex stepped closer to her. “I see that monster entering your soul daughter. Do not let hate twist its way into your heart.”

* * * *

Unexpectedly, Sarah found herself back in the moment and the scene in her head was gone. The man had released her hand, but not before she had seen his dark secrets. Now she knew why he was here. He wanted redemption.

She felt something else. She had been shown the girl’s sorrow and loss for a reason. It was a warning - an omen.

“You killed your daughter’s lover,” she accused. “And now you seek forgiveness by saving me.”

A mixture of shock and sorrow clouded the man’s features. “You are a very talented young woman, but you do not know the whole story” he told her. “It makes no difference. With the power of both the immortal and the witch, I can see how you would be such an asset.”

“To this battle between the sisters and the vampires’?” Sarah asked, turning away from him. She did not believe that she was strong enough to do battle with the evil that pursued her.

“And how would you know?” Sarah asked sarcastically. She wasn’t sure if she was angry for the intrusion, or she was beginning to accept her fate and did not appreciate the lycan’s efforts to save her from the inevitable. At least if she had turned, she could go to Darrien and he would have no reason to turn her away. Of course this would do nothing to cure him of his delusion that she was Caroline.

Lex held out his hand. “Come with me into the light. If my suspicions are correct, you will be fine.”

Sarah shook her head. Why should she trust this stranger, this lycan? He was a natural born enemy of the vampire.

“I believe that you were born with a natural resistance to the poison of the vampire,” Lex voiced his thoughts. “If this is true, it makes you an even more valuable asset to the cause.”

“What does it matter? They will only find another way to be rid of me?” Sarah looked away.

“I can take you somewhere where you will have some protection from Omar’s followers,” he told her. “I can take you to your sisters when the time is right, but first you must take my hand.”

She still hesitated. Finally Sarah allowed him to lead her into the light that was coming through the open basement door. She braced herself for the blistering heat and the scorching of her skin, but nothing happened.

“Now let’s go upstairs,” he urged.

Sarah followed him up the stairs and into the kitchen. Again she felt nothing. She was no different than she had been the day before.

“Why would I crave blood?” she asked.

“I will explain everything, but you may want to cleanup and dress first,” he advised.

* * * *

From St. Peter’s Square the view of the Vatican was ethereal, almost eerie in a way. He stood next to a large fountain. Water gushed from the top of the fountain and spilled over the sides of the marble. Illuminated by pale yellow light, the water resembled liquid gold.

At this late hour, few visitors remained in St. Peter’s Square. Alec’s eyes scanned the faces of the people that were still milling about, wondering which of them might be his contact.

Father Rovati had reluctantly promised to meet Alec in the square, but that was only because the good father had no idea that he was meeting with a vampire - one of the foulest creatures to ever roam the earth, at least according to the church.

The priest approached him from behind, but Alec was not taken by surprise. His keen sense of hearing had detected the man’s footsteps from quite a distance away.

“Mr. Norwood?” the man asked, his voice firm and confident.

He turned around to face the priest. Alec was a sight with his long hair blowing in the soft night breeze, and the way the light reflected in his icy blue eyes – eyes that were distinctively those of a vampire. The average person would have thought Alec was different, maybe even attractively so, but the good father was not the average person. No, this priest was the advisor to His Holiness the Pope, in all things paranormal.

The priest stood at least a good foot shorter than Alec. The black coat the man was wearing seemed almost too warm for the season. His short-cropped silver hair and the deep crows feet around his eyes told Alec that Father Rovati was well beyond his prime, but the man’s dark eyes were sharp, and he knew what Alec was.

“How dare you come to this holy place?” Fury oozed from the man’s words.

“I come seeking your help,” Alec told him with a smile.

“What help could I possibly be to a creature of evil?” Father Rovati’s eyes followed Alec’s every move, but he did not back away, nor did he show any sign that he was ready to flee.

“But it
did
exist?” Alec felt his excitement grow.

Alec would have stopped the man, but something told him he would get no more information. He was once again on his own, but this time he at least had some idea of where to look.

Leaving St. Peter’s Square, Alec headed toward the underground cities of the dead. Now he would search in the catacombs.

His thoughts strayed to Nicole and he pulled his mobile phone from his pocket. He’d not phoned her since leaving New Orleans, and at that moment, every fiber of his being longed to hear her voice.

His main purpose for leaving had been to search for the Book of Anu, but it had also been to give her some space. He wanted her to have time to decide if loving an immortal was something that she really wanted.

Alec put the phone back in his pocket. He would call her soon, but now was not the right time.

Losing himself in thought dulled his senses. Alec did not notice the shadowy figure that followed him from the square, or how the figure was gaining on him.

The constant tap - tap of water did little to improve Darrien’s mood. The dripping water annoyed him, but it was not the only thing keeping him from sleep. His accommodations were not luxurious by any stretch of the imagination, but the sea cave kept him from the sun, and the natural pools of water were ideal for bathing. He could hunt at night, and easily return to the cave before sunrise. Best of all, it was close to Sarah.

But now something was different. There had been a change in the vibes he was picking up from her thoughts. Throughout the day he had felt her despair - her pain, but now he felt a buzz of excitement coming from her. If it were not for the sun that still hung in the western horizon, Darrien would have left his dark haven. He would assure himself that she was okay. But that was not possible - he was a prisoner of the night. Only in the dark could he move about - only then could he offer her the protection that she needed.

Darrien closed his eyes so that he could retreat into himself. The shame that was working its way into his brain was as tormenting as knowing what he’d done to her when she was Caroline. Last time he’d let her die, this time he had taken her soul from the light.

How had it happened?

He’d been so careful to keep from infecting her, but still she had been overtaken by the hunger.

Darrien trembled at the memory of her soft skin and the moist heat of her womanhood. Oh how he’d wanted to take her - sate his hunger with her willing body and quench his thirst with her warm blood. He’d wanted Sarah more than he’d ever wanted anything, but his need to protect her overcame his need to possess her.

He’d mistakenly called her by her former name. Why had he called her Caroline when he knew she didn’t believe? Even now he could feel her pain and knew how he had gashed at her heart when he’d uttered Caroline’s name.

The urge to go to her was unbelievable, but he kept reminding himself that even if he could leave the cave, he could not let himself approach her again. If he was mistaken and she had not yet turned, then being near her was too risky.

* * * *

Closing her eyes, Sarah let the spray of hot water wash away her tension and the grime that had accumulated on her body while she’d held up in the basement. Her mind drifted to the lycan. He wanted to take her away from Sutter Point. Though her sixth sense told her that she could trust him, Sarah could not help but feel that she was moving toward disaster.

Sarah quickly rinsed the rest of the soap from her body and turned off the water, hoping that she would hear more. After drying herself with the towel, she stepped over to the fogged mirror and wiped the moisture from the glass.

Gasping, Sarah swung around to see if the image that she saw in the mirror was actually standing behind her, but the room was empty. When she turned back to face the mirror, Gina was still there, staring at her with those dark - angry eyes.

Sarah began to shake. All of the terror of that horrible night came back, and with it, the guilt for not being able to find a way to stop what she’d known would happen. She may not have known the specifics, but she had known something would happen.

“I’m so sorry,” Sarah cried.

Gina shook her head. “Go now.”

Sarah could not pick up the sound of Gina’s voice, but she read her friend’s lips. It was as if the harder Sarah tried to hear her, the less sensitive she was to Gina’s presence.

And then Gina was gone.

Still shaking, Sarah went to her room to dress. So many people were telling her to leave that it would be foolish to ignore the warnings any longer. Last night she’d been attacked by one of Omar’s vamps, but Darrien had shown up in time to intervene. The next time he may not be there to save her.

Her adept fingers began weaving her long - auburn hair into a single braid. It was not the most stylish way to do her hair, but sufficient for travel, which is what she suspected she’d be doing soon.

What about Darrien?

She’d told him to leave her alone, but now she realized that the thought of never seeing him again was too painful.

Already she felt her heart growing heavy at the thought of leaving Sutter Point without saying goodbye. She had no idea where Darrien stayed during the day, or how she could get a message to him to let him know she was leaving.

As Sarah stood in front of the mirror, the young woman that stared back at her appeared so normal - so middle of the road American. Why is it that she felt so bizarre - like some type of sideshow freak?

A male voice from behind caught her attention. “You are missing him?”

She could see no one reflected in the mirror, but when she turned, Sarah saw Zaltar reclined on her bed. She quickly turned back to the mirror, but his reflection was not there.