B00528UTDS EBOK (5 page)

His laughter was dark, but not really threatening. “Yes, I’m aware of that. The Coven of Lazar … progeny of the dark prince himself.”

“Why don’t you just tell me what’s going on and why someone wanted you to kill me?” Sarah’s temper was starting to get the best of her, and his nearness was making her a little uncomfortable.

The intensity of his eyes and the way the wind tugged at the silky strands of his hair, made for a compelling picture. Sarah had to fight the sudden urge to reach up and run her fingers through that hair.

As if aware of her thoughts, a smile touched his lips. “Are you a virgin Sarah?”

Shocked, Sarah’s mouth dropped open. “That’s not your business,” she told him, her face reddening. The initial shock that she felt was quickly replaced with embarrassment.

Of course she was no virgin. How did you get through two years of college without some experience? Remaining a virgin would be impossible for the lusty Fabre women, at least according to everything she knew about her family history. But she didn’t exactly have a lot of experience either.

“Let’s find out.” Darrien pulled her closer to him, and touched her lips with his. Though she knew she should pull away, Sarah couldn’t make herself do it. She was quickly lost in the sensation of his tongue invading her mouth, and his hand caressing the skin on her neck. But there was something else. She could feel his soul burning with the hunger, and a need to consume her - to take in every ounce of her body and spirit.

Sarah was breathless when he finally pulled away.

“You are no virgin. Your hunger for the flesh is almost as strong as mine.” His smile was dark and sadistic, but not like it had been only a short time ago. Darrien seemed to have lost some of that black poison that she had sensed permeating his mind.

Sarah tried to block out what she was feeling, how his kiss had taken control of her senses. She couldn’t let herself get caught up in him. He was a vampire, a creature of myth, and of death.

She had to force herself to say something, anything to break the spell of the moment. “You still have not answered my question. Why did you come here to kill me?”

Darrien grabbed a handful of her long red hair and gently wrapped it around his fingers, caressing it as if he just couldn’t get enough of how it felt against his skin.

He didn’t answer her. Instead, he closed his eyes. It was like he could not bear to look at her any longer. She waited for him to respond, but when he again opened his eyes, they were ravenous with hunger, and his lips claimed hers again.

While her mind was screaming at her to push him away, her heart was fluttering as if she had butterflies in her chest. She returned his kiss, leaning up against him so that she could feel even more of him. He broke the kiss just long enough to bite at her bottom lip, sucking at the tiny drops of blood that flowed from her pierced flesh.

The sensation was too intense for her to feel any fear. Sarah bit at his flesh, a sudden craving for his blood spread through her body until she felt as if she would burn up. He abruptly pushed her away.

Sarah found herself brought back to the moment so quickly it felt like she’d been dropped from the sky to land roughly on the ground. She blinked, trying to remember where she was.

The ride had stopped and the attendant was looking at them as if he’d caught them doing something that they shouldn’t have been doing in such a public place.

Darrien helped her off the ride and led her away from the crowd. Sarah looked up and saw Taylor glaring at them angrily. She was ridden with guilt at the realization that she’d completely forgotten about her friend.

Taylor walked over to them, taking slow - cautious steps. As he made his way closer, Sarah could hear that he was chanting something under his breath.

Taylor’s hand shot out to grab Sarah’s arm, and he quickly pulled her away from Darrien. “We need to go,” he told her, his voice shaking with urgency.

Taylor tried to lead her away, but Sarah stopped and turned back to Darrien. He was still watching, but it didn’t appear that he would try and stop them from leaving.

“You never answered my question,” she called out to him.

Darrien gave her one of his dark - haunting smiles. “I will come and visit you again Sarah,” he answered, loud enough that she could hear him over the carnival music.

After taking a moment to think about it, Sarah realized that she didn’t understand why she’d gone off with Darrien, or why she was so attracted to him. “And I don’t know,” she said, shrugging her shoulders.

“Did you know that the vampire’s spell over the opposite sex is more powerful than even the witch’s spell?” he asked.

“No I didn’t,” Sarah admitted. The truth was she didn’t know that much about vampires at all, outside of what was in movies and books. She’d been striving so hard to be normal that she had ignored her heritage, and any knowledge she might have gained from the coven.

He paused, as if he was unsure himself. “I don’t know. Maybe what you saw was not a vampire?” Taylor started walking toward the exit. “That might explain why the banishing spell didn’t work.”

Sighing, Sarah followed him out the exit gate. “I think you are taking all of this a little too seriously. Besides, Aunt Jeanie already knows about him.”

Was he still watching her?

Why was he the only thing that she could think of? Had he looked into her eyes, and cast some type of spell on her that had taken control of her mind and body? Sarah closed her eyes and tried to forget how she’d felt when he’d kissed her.

It was no use. His presence was as strong as if he were still standing beside her. Sarah turned away from the carnival lights to see that Taylor was standing by the truck, waiting for her.

She could not hold it against Taylor. He was concerned about her, that’s all. Sarah continued to the truck and got in. She smiled at her friend.

“I really am sorry that I worried you,” she told him. “But I don’t regret spending a few minutes with him. He’s different.”

Taylor frowned. “Yeah he’s different all right. He’s a freaking vampire!”

* * * *

Darrien watched the young man drag Sarah away and a dark shadow of fury descended on him, but he pushed it away. His anger would do little to convince her of the truth, and her need to get away from Sutter Point.

When she’d been in his arms on the beach, bravely facing death, he’d felt compelled to kiss her - to love her. He saw Caroline in her face that night, but he hadn’t been sure she was Caroline, not until tonight when he’d once again held her in his arms. The connection was still there. She was his beloved Caroline, the woman that had ripped apart his soul and left it open for the darkness to consume him.

Caroline had returned to him, just as she had promised. But he’d been sent by an ancient to kill her. Darrien would not do it. He would not be responsible for her death again. This time he would save her, even if she again refused immortality.

He had tried to give Caroline life, but she would not take his blood. Now that Caroline was Sarah, she had wanted his blood. She’d wanted his blood with a hunger so great that he had nearly been taken away by her erotic - all consuming need. This time he would not offer her immortality, but instead he would give her the blessing of being free of his love. She did not need to know the pain of loving an immortal, not again.

He would see that she was safe and then he would return to the darkness that had become so much a part of who he was. But could he hold that darkness at bay long enough to do what was right this time, or would his hunger for her be too much?

The Lafayette Cemetery was beautiful beneath the early morning sun. Bending down, Nicole lifted the jug of water and poured some of it into the brass container that was attached to the base of the Trenton family tomb. When it was half-full, she took the blue and white daises, and arranged them in the vase until they were exactly the way she wanted them.

Though it had taken a long time, she could now smile when she remembered Jay. His memory could still bring on the tears, but now they were less frequent. She tried to remember the joy her little brother had given her, and not just the sadness of his loss.

If it had not been for Alec, Nicole’s grief would have eventually drove her into an abyss of darkness. How ironic that a creature of darkness would be the one to bring new light into her life.

The man stood only a few feet away. His approach had been so silent that she hadn’t a clue someone had been watching her. The stranger’s dark eyes were not unsympathetic, but he seemed guarded. He was an older gentleman. Nicole guessed that he was probably in his mid fifties by the lines on his face and the white streaks of gray in his black hair.

“I’m sorry. Do I know you?” Nicole asked.

He shook his head. “I’m afraid that I’ve never had the pleasure. My name is Lex,” he told her.

Nicole got to her feet. Though she didn’t flee from the stranger, she was cautious. She’d grown so accustomed to being on the lookout for Omar’s vamps, that she now treated all strangers with suspicion.

“The lycan,” he finished for her. “Yes that is what I am. My pack is known as the
Vilka.
”

“What information do you have about my sisters?” Nicole asked. She had wanted to meet Ethan’s mysterious informant for some time now. She wanted the opportunity question him herself.

Nicole hesitated only a moment before deciding that he was not a threat, and sat down beside him. Although she was a born vampire that could live in the light, and without blood for nourishment, she still had some of the instincts of the vampire. Wariness of the lycan was one of the instincts bred into her.

“This is true,” he agreed. “But she has not reached the point that she is ready. To expose her now could be disastrous for all three of you. The one that you need to worry about is still out there somewhere, and probably unprotected.”

“What can you tell me about the other one then?” Nicole asked.