Dark Ghost (31 page)

Teagan.
 

Her stomach plummeted and rolled at the silk and velvet brushing through her mind so intimately.

I am there. In your thoughts. In your memories. You traveled all the way to these mountains alone, determined to heal your grandmother’s mental illness. If you could not help her, you planned to move back in with her and take care of her. You are a woman of great courage who will do whatever it takes to care for those you love.
 

It was absolutely true that she would have moved in with Grandma Trixie and taken care of her rather than see her in a hospital. She would have consulted with the best doctors to learn how to care for her. But she would never, under any circumstances, abandon her. Grandma Trixie had taught her that.

Unconditional love. She’d known that always, her entire life. She’d always had that from her sisters and her grandmother. They didn’t mind when she panicked, but it was a weakness – a character flaw – and she’d never been able to overcome it.

She took another breath and stared down at the ground below her. It was far, far below her. She felt the first wave of uneasiness, the tightening that heralded the full-blown panic. She hated being out of control.
Hated
it.

She forced herself to scan the ground below them, seeking beauty, seeing the landscape from a different perspective. Too far down. So far down. She hated heights. Flying was very cool. Maybe the coolest, but it wasn’t her thing. She couldn’t be up this high without her stomach lurching and her mind freezing.

Do you know what I would like to do with you right now? You brought the beauty of shifting and flying back to me. You are magic, Teagan, my magic. Still, with all this beauty, all I can think about is kissing you. Being inside of you. That is the most beautiful of all places. You are so perfect.
 

Her mind and body went from frozen to melting, just that fast. His voice, soft, sensual, mesmerizing.

I especially love your breasts. Your nipples are perfect. I love how sensitive they are. I love how wet you get for me, so ready, and you never hold back. You give yourself to me all the way. You put everything out there for me. So sweet, sivamet. So beautiful.
 

The terrible panic was gone. She was hot and wanting him, but thankfully she wasn’t screaming hysterically.

Wow.
She sent the word into his mind when she could find a breath.
Not a single one of my climbing friends ever thought to say that to me when I was freaking out. I think it was quite successful.

And true.
 

There was a trace of humor in his voice. Mostly it was all velvet and silk. She felt his pride in her and didn’t really understand why.
You know it doesn’t make any sense at all that you feel that way about me.
Teagan really felt compelled to tell him the exact truth.

I see you, Teagan. The real you. That is the one I have fallen so hard for.
 

Her heart stuttered. She knew her reaction to him wasn’t strictly physical. She knew it was impossible to fall in love with someone so fast. She couldn’t love him. Could she? She knew him better than she knew any other person on the face of the earth, including her family members. She was in his mind and he was right, it was impossible to stop the flow of information back and forth.

She could see his honor and integrity. For him, she really was the only woman in the world and he would do whatever it took to make her happy. Of course, he was arrogant and bossy, but she supposed with his past, his abilities and the longevity of his life, he’d earned the right to a little arrogance.

He was gentle and kind and compassionate. He didn’t complain about his life. He accepted the centuries of hunting the vampire. He accepted the terrible wounds and the loneliness that came with that. He accepted her for exactly who she was and with all her failings, with every fault, she was still the only one. His. That made her happy in spite of being so afraid of the future. Very happy.

T
he small village was nestled next to the mountains, sitting in close as if for shelter. It was fully dark by the time the two owls made their way to the outskirts. The rain was falling softly, more than a mist, but not quite raindrops.

They shifted on the very edges, out of sight, clothing themselves. Andre had provided the clothes for her, but Teagan insisted on creating her own very cool designer boots. She’d never been able to afford them, but she certainly had studied them often enough and she could replicate them, so she did.

Teagan turned her face up to the moisture, letting it wash over her face, the feeling against her skin wonderful. Exhilarating even.

“Teagan,” Andre said softly. “This is dangerous. You are no longer human. There are people who would murder you just for being different.”

Like her own grandmother.
Like her own grandmother.
The thought of it had a lump in her throat, choking her.

Andre swept his arm around her waist and pulled her beneath the protection of his shoulder. “Your hearing is more acute. Turn the volume down if it gets too much, but listen to conversations. We need information, whether or not Jashari’s body was found and who his friends are. It is essential we keep a low profile. That is going to be difficult because you are a beautiful woman and a stranger here.”

You are a beautiful woman.
That made her glow. “Andre, I hate to have to break this news to you, as much as I want you to believe that, but you’re the only one in the world who thinks I’m beautiful.”

She slipped her arm around his waist because she liked being so close to him. His arm circled around her. Her arm made it halfway and the angle was awkward. He was way taller than she was. She settled for slipping her fingers into his back pocket. The moment she did, the intimacy of the action moved through her like a soft shimmering fire. She had never wanted – or dared – to do such a thing and yet now, it seemed the most natural thing in the world.

He leaned down. Close. His lips brushing her ear. She swore his tongue touched that sensitive spot just behind her ear. “I have a little bit of news for you,
csitri
. Men find you attractive. Very attractive.”

“You can’t know that. We’ve never been together around other men, unless you call that horrible vampire a man.” She gave a delicate little shudder and moved closer to Andre’s side. He made her feel safe.

“I read minds. You have memories, and the men are in your memories.”

“But they’re
my
memories and I never once thought a man was really attracted to me. So you’d only see that. Right?”

He shook his head.

She stiffened. One hand went to his flat, hard belly. “You can’t really do that. Can you? Andre, can you really do that?”

“Yes.”

“But that’s incredible. How? That doesn’t make any sense. Just by seeing other men in my memories you can read them?”

“I told you, I am a ghost. I can get into heads and see everything. I have always been able to do so. Still, I do not think most Carpathians have that ability.”

“You didn’t tell me that.” She felt nearly breathless with the wonder of Andre. He’d given her a gift by teaching her how to shift and then to fly. More, he gave her the gift of not panicking when she always did. But mostly, he’d given her the gift of acceptance. He really didn’t care if she panicked. She felt his love for her. It enfolded her. Surrounded her. Wrapped her up until she felt she belonged.

“Andre.” She looked up at him. “You aren’t a ghost. Don’t think that of yourself.”

“Everyone else thinks it.”

“I’m not everyone else. I see you. I’ll always see you.”

“Even when you are really angry with me?”

She looked up at his face. It was a beautiful face. Some great sculptor should carve his face in marble. Up so close to him, she could see his dark, thick lashes and the marvelous color of his eyes. So unusual and always changing.

“Teagan.”

Her stomach did the familiar flip at the way he said her name. She smiled up at him as they walked along the main street of the village. She knew he was scanning the entire area, taking in everything around them, searching out any danger that could possibly be coming their way. Still, even knowing that, because she was in his mind, she still felt as if his entire focus was on her.

He didn’t miss one single thing about her. He was aware of the way she moved, her body brushing against his with every step. He was aware of her hair, down, in the way he liked it, cascading down her back and around her face.

Andre liked the sway of her hips and the way her breasts pushed against the material of her top – the one he’d created for her. It fit close, accentuating her narrow rib cage and tucked-in waist. She didn’t really need the lacy bra she was wearing – she really was that small – but he insisted and she suspected she knew why. With every movement of her body, the lace teased her sensitive nipples. It felt delicious and a little bit naughty. The sensation also kept her very aware of Andre and wishing they were back in their cave and alone.

“
Sivamet
, answer me. Your answer is important to me.”

She heard the sincerity in his voice. She was going to have to let go of her anger at him, which wasn’t nearly as difficult as she wanted it to be. She sent him a quelling look from under her lashes. “I’m not turning into one of those women who give in to their man just because he’s amazing in bed.”

His eyebrows shot up. “That has something to do with your answer?”

“Yes.” She nearly snapped the affirmative at him. “Of course it does. You cannot make me angry and then flirt and be all gorgeous and sexy. That’s definitely in the rule books. When I’m angry you can be suitably cowed.”

If it was possible, his eyebrows went higher. His lips twitched, drawing her attention to his beautiful
perfect
mouth, which immediately made her hungry for his kisses.

“Cowed?”

He repeated the word as if he didn’t quite understand it, and maybe he didn’t because he wasn’t only a different nationality, he was a different species. He managed in his utter astonishment to look even sexier than usual. She sighed.

“Clearly” – she injected sarcasm into her voice – “you are not getting the concept. Don’t talk anymore. It’s just better than way.”

“Csitri.”
 

She closed her eyes. He said that word so softly, his accent twisting the sound of each individual consonant and vowel separately, so the word was musical. The notes slid inside of her. Softly. Gently. Just slipped in and melted her. Her fingers tightened on his back pocket. He was hers. This amazingly beautiful man belonged to her.

“I need an answer. Can you still see me even when you are angry with me?”

He asked the question gently. Softly. Just as melodically as when he’d called her
baby
or
little one
in his own language. She knew that, not because he told her, but because the translation was there in his mind.

Teagan looked up at him, her eyes meeting his. What she saw there took her breath away. He looked at her as if there was no one else in his world. As if he wanted to swing her up in his arms and take her back to the cave and have wild, crazy sex with her and then make love to her slowly.

She blushed. She was reading his mind again, not just the telling look in his eyes. “I see you all the time, Andre.
Especially
when I’m angry with you. You’re too sexy for your own good. Well. For
my
good.” Scowling, she clapped a hand over her mouth, as if trying to push the words back inside. “Seriously, I have to learn to keep my mouth shut. You’re already as arrogant as a man could possibly be, which…” She glared up at him, uncaring that her voice was muffled behind her palm. “It is
not
a compliment.”

His fingers settled over hers, gently pulled her hand away from her mouth, kissed her palm – which sent a million butterflies winging through her stomach – and placed her palm on his flat belly again, his hand covering hers. The butterflies just kept fluttering.

“It sounded like a compliment,” he said softly.

She loved his voice. Plain and simple. There it was. Her entire problem. His voice was sexy no matter what he was saying. Okay. If she was being strictly honest, his voice wasn’t her
entire
problem. There was his really masculine, manly, gorgeous face and his rock-hard, muscles-everywhere body. That was a good part of her problem right there – and the fact that he knew how to use his body. His mouth. His fingers. His… well…
everything
. And then of course, he was a kickass vampire hunter. That was pretty cool. And mostly, he looked at her with that look, the one that said she was his world. Teagan sighed. He had every reason to be all arrogant and confident. She was falling like a ton of bricks.

For the first time she noticed the rain had begun to fall much faster. No longer mist, it should have soaked both of them, but it didn’t. They strolled through the drops without really getting any wetter than if it was still mist.

“Is it really so bad?”

“What?” She was too absorbed in the minor miracle that she wasn’t completely soaking wet.

“The way you feel about me. Is it really that bad? You know I feel the same way about you.”

She stopped right there with the rain coming down and darkness surrounding them. Teagan shook her head. “It’s not the same way, Andre. The way I feel about you is fierce and intense, so much so, that against my better judgment I’m still with you. You feel for me, yes, but you can say no to me very easily. You refuse to get the concept that I wasn’t born in your century. I’m going to have to live with that, and it will be difficult for me.”

“Is that what you think?” Andre’s arm tightened around her. “Teagan, against my better judgment, we are here, in this village.”

She bit down on her lip. She had forgotten he’d objected strenuously to coming here. He didn’t mix with humans, not if he could help it. She understood part of his reason, but what was the harm of walking down the street and feeling normal for a few minutes? Well, her normal.

“I need this.”

His hand moved up her back to the nape of her neck. “I know you do, Teagan. That is why we are here. Just remember, it is imperative to keep a low profile. Stay close to me and always keep your eyes open. This is the nearest hunting ground for vampires.”

Her throat closed for a moment. She hadn’t thought of that. Of course the undead would hunt in the village. The next closest humans were many miles away.

“You’re going to go after them, aren’t you?”

“It is what I do. First, I want you safe and happy. I need to know you have my back on this before I go out. It is necessary that you are comfortable with your new life.”

She pressed her lips together and then decided the best thing to do was just tell the truth. She was who she was. “I’m scared, Andre.”

“Teagan.” That soft loving tone. “I know you are.”

“No. I mean all the time. Every minute of every day. I’m so used to being afraid that it’s a part of me, of who I am. Fear is inside me. In my skin. In my blood.”

They were coming up to a building that looked like it could be a modern day Internet café, when everything else around them looked a little old world to her. He stopped right in front of the wide windows and turned her to him, his arms settling around her back, drawing her close to him, her front pressed to his. Everything else dropped away but the awareness of his hard body tight against her soft one.

“I am well aware of your fears, Teagan, but you are not afraid when you are with me. Not even when you shifted and took flight. You trusted me to look after you. You gave yourself to me and I take that seriously. You are safe with me. You always will be.”

His lips brushed the top of her hair and she felt the sensation go all the way to her toes. She wasn’t
as
afraid, which was kind of shocking because she hadn’t known him that long. But she knew absolutely he would lay down his life for her, this man who had spent centuries alone.

“Don’t ever let yourself be fooled, Andre, I can freeze in a heartbeat and dissolve into hysterical tears.”

“I have seen this in your memories.”

He didn’t sound in the least perturbed. Instead, he used that low, sexy voice that tended to slip inside her skin and wrap around her heart.

“But, Teagan, you always,
always
recover quickly and finish whatever you are doing. You overcome your fears.”

She shook her head. “The fear is there, I overcome the panic.” She felt compelled to tell the strict truth even though his statement sent a rush of warmth through her veins.

Andre tipped her chin up so her eyes met his. “And that is just another beautiful, courageous trait I love in you.”

He dipped his head to hers, brushed his lips over hers gently. Tenderly. She felt that touch almost as deeply as if he’d kissed her hard, with lots of tongue. Her entire body reacted. Her mind. Even her heart fluttered. She stared up at him a little dazed as he lifted his head.

“You belong to me,
csitri
, and that means every vow I made to you, I keep. That means I take care of you. No one hurts you. Not ever. Not physically and not emotionally. Now, call your grandmother, Teagan. You need to tell her you have met someone. Tell her you will be bringing me home.”

She didn’t like anyone telling her what to do. Not ever. But having him declare with absolute honesty, with such conviction, that he would stand for her, protect her,
and she knew he would
, felt good. No. It felt great.

“When should I say we’re coming home?” She couldn’t believe he would actually move to the United States with her. She bit her lip. Maybe she was reading him wrong. Maybe it was a visit. She didn’t want a visit. She wanted to be close to her grandmother and sisters. She wanted to see her nephews and nieces grow up. If she was now like Andre, did that mean her entire family, generation after generation would grow old and die and she wouldn’t?

Teagan raised her eyes to his once again, tears close. “I haven’t asked you a lot of questions about what my future holds, mostly because I was so upset and I need time to process, but will I have the same longevity you have, Andre?”