Born to Darkness Book 1 in the Immortal Destiny Series: Vampire Romance Paranormal (5 page)

“No, you are not a vampire, but if I did not have the self-control that I do, or if I were another vampire … you would be dead now. Is that what you want?” he asked harshly.

Nicole shook her head. “This one … he’s not like that. He’s basically a closet Light Seeker.”

“Do you really think the Light Seekers don’t kill?”

Nicole paused. Actually she hadn’t thought about it.

“They are killers … the same as I.”

“Well he didn’t feed on me,” Nicole shot back.

“But he could have … that’s my point,” he growled.

“Why do you care anyway? I am just a human … the vampire’s food, remember?” Nicole frowned.

Alec seemed startled by her question. For a fraction of a moment, a look of confusion entered his eyes.

Maybe he didn’t even know why he cared?

“Tell me about your vampire.” Alec leaned one shoulder against the wall, his manner once again calm.

Nicole hesitated. She didn’t think that Alec would believe the story. She wasn’t even sure she did.

No doubt Dash thought it was real, but was it?

Could a vampire be delusional?

“He says he saw this place of light, and that it’s real. He also said that vampires are forbidden from being there because they were banished thousands of years go,” Nicole explained.

Alec’s lips spread into a smile. “That’s the most ridiculous thing I’ve ever heard. No one has seen this place. It is legend … a myth.”

“Tell me something Alec. Why do you think vampires are what they are?”

He opened his mouth to say something, but closed it again.

“Do you think vampires just happened?” she asked.

“We are just what we are,” he shot back.

Nicole shook her head. “That’s a copout and you know it. There is a reason for everything. Nothing is just chance.”

“Okay, then tell me. Why are we like we are? What are vampires?” he asked, his voice dripping sarcasm.

“That is what you can find out from Omar. I’m sure that’s what he is hiding. I don’t believe vampires are cursed mythical creatures.”

Alec reached out and pulled her to him. “And how would sweet Nicole have the slightest idea of what a vampire is?”

This time Nicole was the one left speechless. The fact was, she didn’t have the slightest idea of why there were vampires. Before that night in the Lafayette Cemetery, she’d been sure no such thing even existed.

But there had to be a logical reason why they existed. The first vampire had to be created somehow.

“Let’s walk and enjoy the night,” he told her.

Nicole nodded and followed him out the door.

The night was relatively quiet. In the distance, she could hear the laughter of a woman. Somewhere in the darkness - sirens blared, but these sounds were not uncommon in the city.

The street was dark, with few lights. Normally she wouldn’t have dared to be on the streets at night, but tonight she was with Alec. As long as she was with him, she knew she’d be safe, from strangers anyway.

As they walked, a comfortable silenced settled between them. Nicole didn’t mind - she was still trying to collect her thoughts and analyze her feelings for Alec. Just being close to him was addicting. The more she was with him - the more she wanted him. 

“Alec … what about Ethan? Aren’t we going after him?” She broke the silence.

“In time,” he answered.

“Won’t they kill him?” She was alarmed.

A sudden thought occurred to her. “Can they kill him? I mean … I thought vampires couldn’t be killed.”

“Yes they can be killed. Anything that lives … can also die.”

“But vampires are not really alive,” she put in.

“We are alive … just a different kind of alive. When we turn, our bodies die and are reborn to darkness. I believe it is the darkness that dwells in the soul, that gives us life.”

Nicole shook her head. “Then you would all be evil … and I haven’t seen any evidence of that.”

“Don’t be fooled, Nicole,” he warned.

What he was saying didn’t make sense. She knew Ethan was a good man, and there wouldn’t be any convincing her otherwise.

“What about Ethan?” she asked again.

“They won’t kill him, at least not yet.”

“How do you know this?”

“I think they’re using him for bait. This is why Victor went through the trouble of letting me know. I doubt he just happened by, while they were taking Ethan. Victor wouldn’t have bothered with Ethan.”

“So you don’t trust Victor?”

Alec shook his head. “No … I think they are using Ethan.”

“Is he as powerful as you … this Victor? He was in that vision with you last night … in the bed, touching me. How could he do that without you knowing he was there?”

Alec’s features darkened. “He has no manners. I was preoccupied … or I would have sensed him.”

“Oh,” Nicole reddened as she thought about the vision the night before.

“Who were you … before?” she asked.

For a long time he didn’t answer. Just as Nicole was beginning to think he didn’t want to talk about it, he turned to face her. “I was a knight under King Edward III.”

“Wow! How interesting. It must be amazing to see a world so different than the one you were born to.”

“It was so long ago. Most of it doesn’t even seem real anymore.” Again he was quiet, lost in his memories.

“What was your name then?” she wanted to know.

Suddenly his face brightened and he smiled. “Sir Jonathan of Lincolnshire … at your service, my lady.”

Nicole laughed. “A knight … a real knight. That’s awesome!”

She was seeing a side of Alec, she felt few people had ever seen. “You must have been a noble and fierce knight.”

“Not fierce enough, I’m afraid.” His mood turned somber. “I searched for the answers for centuries … there are none.”

Nicole put her hand on his shoulder. “Maybe you were not searching in the right place?”

Alec stopped suddenly and wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her so close that her body melded with his. “Tell me Nicole … are you afraid of me? Do you trust me?”

Nicole’s heart was pounding furiously, as it did whenever he touched her. “Yes and yes.”

His velvet-smooth laughter was so dark - yet so wonderful. “Hold on,” he told her.

She put her arms around his neck and rested her head against his chest. Suddenly the ground was no longer beneath her feet. They were moving through the night so fast that they seemed to be riding the wind. Never had she known such exhilaration, or such a feeling of pure freedom.

Flying high above the city - the lights of New Orleans seemed magical. With the moon and a blanket of stars as their backdrop, Nicole flew through the night in the arms of an Immortal. They stopped moving, but still they were floating somewhere between heaven and earth. 

Alec’s lips were on hers - his tongue forcing its way into her mouth. She relented, allowing herself to get caught up in his hunger.

Nicole eagerly returned his kiss. Even when she felt his fangs with her tongue, she did not pull away. The thrill of exploring the night in such a way - was second only to being in his arms. 

Could she be falling in love with a vampire?

She thought about how crazy her situation was, but only for a moment. Nothing seemed important anymore - nothing but being in his embrace. Nicole had finally come to accept that she wanted him, even more than she wanted to breathe.

They slowly began to descend.

“Let me love you Nicole,” he whispered in her ear.

Tilting her head back, she gazed into his eyes and felt herself falling into that place of no return. They again came together in a searing kiss of need - a need that transcended the cravings of the flesh. In that moment, Nicole knew she was exactly where she should be.

They came down on a soft blanket of grass. Alec slid his hand over her - caressing her, as he removed her shirt and bra - exposing her soft mounds to his hungry eyes. His mouth was on her flesh and she felt an explosion of mind-numbing need course through her body. The pain of his fangs piercing her skin finally pushed her over the edge. She had to have him. There was no way she could deny her desire any longer.

“Alec … I want you,” she gasped. She needed to feel him possessing her - fulfilling her aching need.

He lifted his head to peer into her eyes. “You are so warm … so beautiful my sweet Nicole.”

“Alec … I want to be with you … always. I want you to give me your blood.” She didn’t even know where the thought had come from - only that she was running on pure need.

Her body needed his touch, but her soul needed him. Nicole could not catch her breath. She was being consumed by something she couldn’t even begin to understand. A longing that she must satisfy at all costs.

He froze suddenly.

A chill settled between them and he pulled away. Nicole was left lying in the grass - desperately wanting him to put out the fire that was now out of control.

“You don’t know what you are asking.” His voice was so soft that his words were nearly inaudible.

Nicole felt the chill of the night against her skin - reminding her that her breasts were exposed to the world. She brought her shirt up to cover her nakedness.

Alec kneeled down beside her - reaching out he caressed her cheek with his cool fingers. “One minute you want death … the next minute you want eternity. What darkness is in you that you crave such torment?”

Nicole grabbed his hand and brought it to her lips. “Being with you is the first time I’ve really wanted to live.”

Alec shook his head. “The life of an Immortal … is not life. It is death of the soul.”

“No … I can feel your soul. I can feel the ice melt when I am in your arms,” Nicole insisted.

He leaned down and tasted her lips - his teeth biting into her flesh as he devoured the kiss she offered.

“What you feel is the spell of the vampire … nothing more.” As he spoke, his eyes glowed with more intensity than she’d ever seen in them before.

Nicole swallowed the lump that was forming in her throat. “What about you Alec? What is it that you feel?”

Alec turned away from her. “I feel nothing. I am a vampire … remember?”

His words were like cold water in her face. Nicole put on her shirt and got to her feet.

When Alec turned back to face her, he was smiling as if the last few moments hadn’t happened.

“We should get you back.” He held out a hand to her.

Nicole let him take her hand, but said nothing. She was hurting, but she wasn’t even sure why.

Was he right?

Were her feelings an illusion - nothing more than the affects of his enchanting vampire spell?

* * *

Alec left her before dawn, telling her he’d return after nightfall.

He assured her they would find a way to help Ethan, but he wanted her to promise she wouldn’t do anymore until he returned.

She couldn’t make him that promise. If she found out where they were keeping Ethan, she would certainly do something about it.

Nicole tried to sleep, but she was too restless. For those few minutes she’d been in his arms, she would have given up her soul to be with him. In fact, she’d freely offered to do just that, but he’d refused her.

She should be thanking him, not pouting because he’d rejected her.

Even when she wasn’t with him, Alec was all she could think about.

She tried, she really did, but it was impossible to keep the memory of his sensuous kisses from intruding into her thoughts. He wasn’t with her now to weave his vampire spell, so maybe what she was feeling was real.

The morning sun was just peeking in through her bedroom window when she finally gave up trying to sleep.

It wasn’t as if she didn’t have anything to do. There were dishes to wash and a floor to vacuum. These tedious - mundane chores would help to keep her mind off of Ethan, and Alec.

After a couple hours of furious housecleaning, she managed to fall asleep on the couch, but her sleep was restless - full of strange images, and his seductive vampire eyes.

When she woke, she felt almost as tired as she had when she fell asleep.

What she needed was some food and a few cups of caffeine, but coffee would have to do.

After fixing a sandwich and a cup of strong coffee, she sat at her living room window, staring out on the world. People milled back and forth in front of her apartment, but she didn’t really see any of them.

The world had changed for her. It would never be the same.

Alec was right. She longed to know what was beyond the veil of death - to see her little brother once more. Had he ceased to exist once he’d taken his final breath, or had he gone onto a better existence? 

If she could only know!

Everyone insisted it wasn’t her fault.

But it was!

He’d been her responsibility that day, and she’d failed him. If she just hadn’t taken that phone call, maybe he would still be alive today.

Finally something outside her dark little world caught her attention.

The little boy across the street was pushing his toy trucks over a mound of dirt. Though the child was covered in dirt, he was so adorable.

Tears flowed over Nicole’s cheeks, and she let them. She didn’t have the will or the strength to brush them away.

She’d do nearly anything to hold Jay in her arms again - to wash his dirty little face.

Ethan’s voice crept into her head.

The Place of Light.

Ethan believed the Place of Light could connect her to Jay again. Now she wished she’d taken Ethan a little more seriously and questioned him about this place. What did he know about it?

For Nicole, the Place of Light gave her a sliver of hope. Maybe she could see her brother - without having to join him in death.

The thought of death hadn’t bothered her in the least, not since that day God took her little brother.

In fact, she wanted to die - she believed she should be dead, that she should be the one lying in some grave, not Jay.

Alec had started to change that. Within the darkness that was the vampire - she’d found a ray of light - a source of strength for her soul.

Nicole blinked rapidly, as if she were coming out of a daze. She’d been so lost in her dark world - time had slipped by without Nicole realizing it. She moved away from the window. It was time to prepare for the night.

* * *

Alec stood in the shadows - out of the sun’s reach. He’d come out too early. Though the sun was almost completely down, he felt the familiar nausea come over him and his skin began to burn.

The sun would not turn him to dust, as many believed, but it could make him deathly ill. The light could kill a vampire exposed to it for too long.

From the dark alley, he watched Nicole at her window - watched the grief twist her features and the tears she shed. She was a woman with secrets, but Alec had so far been unsuccessful at pulling them from her mind. He could pick up on her emotions, and a couple of times, he’d heard her thoughts, but she was different. Unlike many humans, Nicole was very good at blocking him.

There were a lot of things different about Nicole. She embraced the darkness far too easily. The torment of her soul was transparent, even if her thoughts were not. She was the very essence of darkness, but yet he could feel a light in her that was undeniable.

How he’d wanted to take her as she lay in the grass, offering up her body and soul to him.

His hunger for her had nearly possessed him to the point that he wanted nothing as much, as to become one with her body. The monster that lived within him wanted to drink of the life essence she’d offered, but he couldn’t bring himself to take her into the shadows completely.

Nicole was becoming an obsession that he couldn’t risk - for his sake, as well as hers. He wanted her more than he wanted to feed. If only her love could replace his hunger - his predatory instinct to kill.

From the moment he’d seen her in the club - watching him - he’d been drawn to her, but why?

Alec turned his thoughts to Ethan, hoping it would cool his desire for Nicole. He was Ethan’s maker, and there was a paternal instinct to preserve his creation.

Tackling Omar would not be an easy task, and though Alec wasn’t exactly a young vampire, Omar was ancient and extremely powerful. Most believed he was one of the first vampires.

What a disaster this was turning into!

All because Ethan couldn’t stay away from those crazy Light Seekers. Now they wanted the girl too.

Last night, after leaving Nicole, he’d found Victor waiting for him at his house with a message from Omar. He wanted the girl in exchange for Ethan’s life.

At first he’d been puzzled that Omar would even think of bargaining, but then he realized it was because the ancient vampire believed Nicole was under Alec’s protection.

That’s why they hadn’t killed her already.

At least that’s what he suspected, though the theory didn’t make a lot of sense. Like any man - vampire or mortal, Alec had an ego, but he was also smart enough to know he was no match for Omar.

Omar didn’t need to make deals with Alec, so why was he offering to do so?

This was troubling. He was missing something - something important.

Technically, he was not her protector, but he wanted to protect her and keep her from harm. His desire to shelter her, and his need to consume her - were at war with each other.

The war raged within him as he tried to come to a decision.

How could he do both, keep her from harm and save Ethan at the same time?

Omar claimed he wanted her because she knew too much. Ethan had broken the code of silence. This was an unspoken rule all vampires lived by. No human should know of their existence, unless they were feeders that would die eventually. Until that death, they would be under the vampire’s control.

Alec had never paid a lot of attention to this code of silence, but he didn’t flaunt what he was. Any person he’d confided in, had eventually become a feeder - sooner or later, succumbing to that sure death that ultimately claims them all.

Closing his eyes, he tried to recall his life before.

It was a foggy night. The world was so much different than it was today. England was at war. In the midst of battle - an explosion of pain ripped through his back.

He’d turned to see the enemy - his sword was drawn and ready to strike. Something else caught his attention, and he’d turned away - giving his attacker enough time to strike again.

The enemy left him on the battlefield to die.

A woman found him as he lay bleeding to death from his wound.

Not a woman - a vampire!

She’d been scavenging the battlefield - looking for the wounded so that she could feed off the blood that still remained in their bodies. Julia would have fed on him as well, but for some reason changed her mind.

Instead, she fed on him until his life force was nearly gone, and then she’d given him her own blood. It had been Julia who brought him into the dark world he now lived in. Much like what he’d done with Ethan, but Julia was different, she was dangerous - her heart as black as the night.

He’d learned what he could from her and then defied her by leaving.

One didn’t normally leave their maker until released, but he left. Nothing could have compelled him to stay after he saw her strip an entire family of their lives. She’d killed them not because she needed to feed, but for sport.

She still followed him - even now she was in New Orleans. Julia had gone to Omar. Alec only hoped she would remain with Omar, and leave him be. Of course that would be too much to expect from someone as vile as his maker.