Deny Me If You Can (9 page)

“... While yours just happened to stop by.” Shane placed his weight on his other leg. “So what are you going to do now? You have about three hours left.”

Jaromir shrugged. “
Three hours with plenty of fun. When they are up, give her the blood and let her save her sister. I intend to start courting her after that. Make sure someone follows her home.”

Shane nodded. “That won't be a problem.”

“Make sure that she has around the clock surveillance when she leaves, but without her knowing it. I don't want anything to happen to her. She is my priority now. Without her I will die.”

Shane snorted. It was obvious he had a hard time believing wh
at he was hearing, but at least he took it seriously.

“It's that bad, huh?” Shane asked.

“You have no idea. Maybe one day you will find out.” Jaromir chuckled again when he saw shock return to Shane's face.

“
Oh, I hope not. I'm happy as it is.”

“
I'm sure you are. That is why ...”

Jaromir's sentence
died out when unpleasant feelings came over him. He felt an intense fear. It went straight to his heart, making it beat a thousand miles an hour. He gasped and knew that something was wrong.

“Megan ...”

Jaromir ran for the door.

“Do you really think that you can hide from me, bitch!” Megan heard Jillian roar.

Jillian was pillaging through the attic. Old books flew in the air along with clothes and other precious articles. Megan heard glass break when it hit the floor and loud bumps from books now and then. Jillian's nose was bleeding and it was turned in an unnatural angle after Megan's attack. She had hit Jillian in the face with a vase in self-defense. At first Megan had regretted doing it, but when she realized that Jillian couldn't pick up her scent any longer because of her injury, it became easier to hide. The attic was huge with plenty of boxes and corners to hide behind. Megan stood hidden in one of the corners and peeked around it only to see Jillian throwing a porcelain doll that went into thousands pieces with a shattering sound when it hit the floor.

“You're going to pay for this!” Jillian yelled.

Jillian was furious, her breathing was heavy and her crazed appearance gave her a scary look. She would kill to defend what she considered to be hers. Gone was the attractive brunette. In her place stood a vampire who was maddened from anger, possessiveness and passion. Her heavy make-up was smeared and her thick hair stood on end. Megan didn't doubt for a second that Jillian would break her neck the second Jillian got her hands on her. It had been close just before Megan had hit Jillian in the face with the vase. The hit had distracted Jillian long enough for Megan to run away and hide.

Megan's heart was pounding hard
. Staying brave was not easy. Her adrenaline had kicked in high, making her feel fear like she had never felt it before. She was sweating, shaking and was barely able to stand because her knees wanted to give in.

Megan saw that Jillian tried to sniff in the air, but when Jillian was unable to scent her, her fury rose to new levels. Her anger filled eyes loomed over everything
in the attic and at that moment Megan was grateful that she was able to hide.

Megan had no idea what to do. The exit was
behind Jillian, meaning she was trapped. There was no way for her to get by Jillian without being caught, but she had to do something. She couldn't just sit here and wait for Jillian to find her. That was like signing her own death sentence, because sooner or later Jillian would find her. It was only a matter of time, but Megan's brain refused to work with her. No idea came to her mind. She could only blame the stress she was going through. Trying to calm her rapid breathing was almost impossible. Her fear kept her heart beating painfully. Her palms felt sweaty and a headache wasn't far away. The last thing she had expected was for things to take this turn. She had only come here to get her hands on Jaromir's blood, and look where it had lead her instead, to an attic, hunted by one bloodthirsty vampire. The other vampire who hunted her didn't count right now. Compared to this, Jaromir's little game was just that, a game. He had never wanted to hurt her. He had only wanted her to run from him for a few hours while he sought her out. If she lost his game, she had a passion filled night to look forward to. That was a hundred times better than the outcome Jillian had in plan for her.

Where was Jaromir now? This would be a good time for him to show up, a very good time. Megan looked toward the exit, but there was no Jaromir. Damn. This didn't look like it would turn
out well. There was no way she could fight a vampire, especially not a crazy vampire.

Megan wonder
ed what went on inside Jillian's head. Apparently, she believed Jaromir was hers and no one could tell her otherwise, not even Jaromir. It was obvious the two of them had a history together. His irritation with Jillian had been even more obvious. He didn't want anything to do with her anymore. It wasn't just something Megan knew, it was something she felt, literally, because of the bond. His irritation hadn't calmed yet after Jillian had walked in on them. Megan didn't care about their common past, everyone had one, but it made her happy to know that Jaromir would never touch Jillian again. It made Megan feel victory. A victory that was short lived. However things ended tonight, they would end. She would go back to her own life and try to keep on living the way she had before coming to this place. But she would never forget ...

That was ... if she made it out alive.

Jillian's pillaging became even more frantic. It seemed like she had gone berserk. She went crazy on everything in her way. She threw precious books, painting, and other memory filled pieces all around her. She ripped apart the beautiful dresses to tiny pieces. Megan wished she could stop Jillian from destroying everything. To someone these things were precious and had a value beyond money.

Jillian stopped in midair, as if a thought had suddenly crossed her mind. Megan watched her from her hiding place with fear
lingering through her body. She was unable to calm down, and when Jillian turned toward Jaromir's book, Megan knew what she intended to do.

“No,” Megan whispered to hers
elf. She couldn't allow Jillian destroy the book. So many other things had already been destroyed by Jillian's nasty hands.

Jillian stopped in front of the showcase and looked at the book. Her fingers were widely spread and she had claws instead o
f nails. A shiver went through Megan. The claws looked sharp, very sharp and she didn't dare to imagine the damage they would do to her body if Jillian got her hands on her, but she couldn't let Jillian go through with her plan. Megan knew that the book meant a lot to Jaromir, and that was reason enough for her to try to save it. Jillian reached out and was just about to smash the glass when Megan decided to make a move she knew she would later regret.

She revealed herself.

“Don't!” Megan yelled. “Don't touch the book. Haven't you done enough damage already?”

Jillian froze in place and stared at Megan. It was as if she couldn't believe that Megan actually stood
several feet away.

“Well, well,” Jillian said and straightened her back. “Aren't we a brave one? If I had known that going for the book would make you show yourself I would have done so a long time ago, but on the other hand, it was kind of fun to rampage on all this worthless junk.”

“These things mean something to someone.”

Jillian shrugged. “They do, but what do I care? Mo
st of the things up here belong to Jaromir. If he really cared about these things, he would have locked the door and preserved everything better instead of leaving them laying around.”

“Maybe, but that doesn't give you the right to destroy everything.”

Confronting Jillian was the last thing she should be doing. Megan felt the adrenaline work hard in her body, making her shake all over, but at the same time it didn't feel like it mattered anymore. Jillian would kill her whether she confronted her about this or not, so she might as well go for it.

Jillian grinned and the sight of her sharp
fangs made Megan gulp. “And how exactly are you going to stop me?”

“Um ...” Megan said. She hadn't thought about that and she knew there was nothing she could do if Jillian decided to destroy the book.
Then an idea hit her. “Is that really the outcome you want, Jillian?” Megan said and straightened her back to show a more confident side, but she felt far from it on the inside. “What do you think Jaromir will think of you once he sees what you have done to this place? Do you really think he will like you more or that he will want to be with you again?” Megan shrugged as if she didn't care. “Maybe the way to a man's heart is through destroying his precious possessions, but what do I know.”

Jillian hissed and her gaze turned deadly. Megan hoped that Jillian didn't have
some kind of hidden power in her eyes because a gaze liked that would have killed her a long time ago.

“Jaromir will p
ay for disgracing me. He will pay for not respecting me and showing me the love I deserve.”

Megan snorted. “And then what? You expect him to fall into your arms after the love quarrel?
I'm sure he will quarrel with you, but it won't be out of love or care. He has already shown you what he thinks of you, and after this ...” Megan pointed with her hands to the mess. “... Well, let's say I doubt that he will ever want to see you again.”

“Who do you think you are?” Jillian hissed. “You have only known him for a few hours and already behave like you own
him. The bond is really going to your head. Remember that is all this is; emotions caused by the bond. Without it, you would have never felt what you are feeling now.”

Megan stood stunned. She, who usually had a rapid tongue, didn't know what to say. Jillian's words hurt more than they should. She should not care about Jaromir, but she did.

“Besides,” Jillian went on. “If you think I'm doing this because of love, then you are mistaking.”

Megan's eyes
grew big and she stared at Jillian with surprise. “What?”

“I don't love Jaromir, I never have, but he is mine. He has always been mine. Something that has once belonged to me will always belong to me.”

Megan kept starring at Jillian, unable to understand at first what Jillian had said, then it slowly sank in. Anger grabbed her, making her fear subside in the process. “You are one crazy vampire.”

Jillian grinned and showed her sharp
fangs. “Crazy enough to kill you.”

Jillian lunged for Megan, and
this time Megan didn't have a vase to protect herself with.

Jaromir ha
d never run so fast in his whole life. The game had ended the second he had felt that Megan was in danger. Now he wasn't out to hunt her. Now he wanted to save her, and all he could do was pray that he wasn't too late.

He didn't know what was going on, but he felt Megan's fear. It had been a sharp and painful emotion that had sent his need to protect her into a frenzy. The problem was that he didn't know where Megan was, and Shane
had done a poor job protecting her.

Shane ran right behind him while Jaromir tried to find Megan's scent. It wasn't the easiest. Her scent crossed itself over several times.
She had been running around a lot instead of standing still in one place. That was a smart way to hide from him. It confused his nose, but right now it was the last thing he needed. He had to find her fast. He had to find out what was going on.

Her fear had subsided some, but it was still there. She felt tense. Thankfully, the bond was still new and fresh. It made it easier for him to feel her, but it would
fade soon and within a day or two it would be gone unless they didn't bond for good. He intended to do that as soon as he made her realize that they belonged together.

He didn't want to deny it.
He had already accepted it. Megan was his. She was his mate, his woman, his queen. He would make her see it too. He knew that she felt it, that there was something special between them.

But first he had to save her from whatever was scaring her. Her scent led him up
stairs. He stopped many times and took a sniff before he chose a direction. Shane did the same thing and together they had somehow managed to find the right place after several minutes of frantic searching. Megan's scent led them to the attic. Jaromir knew they were at the right place because her scent became stronger. What worried him was that there was another scent there as well. There was no mistaking who it belonged to.

Jillian.

For a split second, Jaromir smiled to himself. His future queen was smart. Hiding
in the attic was a good idea. The attic was huge with many corners and shadows to hide in. The old scents from everything that was stored in there made it more difficult for him to track her scent. He just hoped it would be easy to find her in there now. Whatever was going on was not good.

Jaromir didn't just experience her fear. He felt his fear
as well. He had never been this scared in his entire life. He had finally found the one who was meant for him, and something told him he was close to losing her before she even became his for good. This chance would never come again. If he lost her, he would be on his own as long as he lived, and he had a long life ahead of him. No other would be able to take Megan's place. A vampire loved once, but once he loved, he loved for life. Within only a few hours Megan had impacted his life in a way no other before her had.