Embrace the Darkness (Darkness Series) (21 page)

“Dhampirs instinctively know they weren’t conceived in love,” Vincent said, his voice filled with such sympathy it made her ache. “I suppose that’s why they hunt vampires.”

“Retribution.” Yeah. She could understand the need to retaliate. She wanted to drive a stake through Surratt’s heart and send his sorry ass to hell. He may not have killed her mother, but he’d created the vampire who had. That bastard was dead. Surratt wasn’t.

“When I was a boy in Bosnia,” Vincent continued, “a woman gave birth ten months after her husband died.”

“Babies are late all the time.” Crap like that was how vampire legends got started. Then again, vampires were real. Maybe dhampirs were too.

But that doesn’t mean I’m one.

“True,” he added. “But the child was never sick and she had extraordinary senses. I was forbidden to go near her. The entire village believed she was a dhampir. They feared her father would return to the village to visit his family and feed on others. They ostracized her and her mother. Once she reached puberty, she used her talents to track and kill her own father. Then she sold her services as a vampire hunter. She blamed her father for the way others treated her and her mother. And she sought revenge. It’s what dhampirs do. And you have those same survival instincts.”

“Even if my father isn’t my father and I am what you say, I’m not about to go on some vampire hunting spree,” she said with disgust. “Do you really think I have so little control over my own destiny?”

“Instinct is often too powerful to ignore,” Vincent said, a note of sadness in his voice. “Ask any vampire. No matter how hard we fight the instinct to feed on blood, we cannot win. It’s as much a part of our nature as the color of our eyes.”

“But vampirism is a virus. And I don’t have a damn virus,” she argued. “I might not have any control over the color of my eyes, but I damn sure have control over my actions.”

And once she solved the Lifeblood murders, she would choose to settle the score with Surratt. That wasn’t vengeance. It was justice. She might not have a reason to kill him, but she would do whatever was in her power to ensure he didn’t convert another mortal or turn another murderous vampire loose on the world.

“I want justice,” she reiterated in case Maxwell wasn’t paying attention. “But I have no interest in becoming Amber the Vampire Slayer.”

“Amber has a mind of her own,” Gerard said with a smile. “She’s not going to kill anyone, mortal or immortal without justification.”

Then he dragged her under his arm and held her close. She felt like a frightened bird sheltered by its mother’s wing. She snuggled closer, absorbing his strength. “If Nicolas is her father, he didn’t use glamour and he didn’t rape her mother. I may not have been able to track him but I didn’t sense any animosity. And from what Amber has told me, he seems to genuinely care for her.”

Every muscle in her body stiffened. “My mother didn’t have an affair,” she argued.

Gerard rubbed her back and spoke softly. “You don’t know what happened back then. You were only five when she died. At least consider the possibility that she and Nicolas had some sort of relationship and that you were conceived in love.”

Was Nicolas her real father? Did he love her?

More than Greg does?

The childish thought made her bristle. Gerard continued to hold her in his big, gentle arms.

“She needs to locate Nicolas,” Vincent said. “He’s the only one who knows the truth.”

“You won’t be satisfied until you hear the truth from him,” Gerard added, giving her a gentle squeeze.

The truth might be something Nicolas didn’t want to share—or she’d want to hear.

“I can’t talk to anyone tonight.” She felt drained. Exhausted. “I just want to sleep.”

Would a month be long enough? A year?

Megan looked at her as if she understood her spiraling emotions. “Maybe we can finish this conversation tomorrow.”

Nerves tightened Amber’s muscles. Her neck and shoulders ached. “I’m not up for another ride on the vampire express. Just call me a cab and I’ll check into a hotel.”

She avoided looking at Gerard but felt him stiffen beside her.

“Nonsense. We have plenty of room.” Megan gave her husband a pointed look. “Don’t we, Vincent?”

He grunted in response and looked at Gerard. “She stays, you stay. Somebody’s got to keep an eye on her.”

Gerard’s lips curved into a familiar half smile. “You’re not afraid she can take you. Are you, Vin?”

Another snort from tall, dark, and menacing. “No. I just don’t want to wake up with a stake poised over my heart.”

Amber had to hand it to him. Vincent nailed the brooding vampire persona perfectly. All he needed was a dark cape and creepy organ music. The man was handsome as sin and just as dangerous. “I hate to disappoint you Vamp, but I left my stake in my other business suit.”

A smile twisted his mouth.

Gerard chuckled. “You might as well give it up,
mon ami
. She doesn’t scare easily.”

“Forgive Vincent,” Megan said. “He’s not worried about himself so much as me. He’s overprotective.” She gave her husband a reproving look and turned her attention back to Amber. “The guest rooms are upstairs. You and Gerard take your pick.”

“Gerard doesn’t need to stay.” She’d never fall asleep with Gerard in the house. Her body tingled whenever he was near. “He still has time to get back to North Carolina before sunup.”

“I’m not leaving you, Amber,” he said softly at her ear.

She jumped and turned her head to meet his gaze. His eyes darkened. Desire twisted her insides into a tight knot of need.

“Afraid I’ll go after your clone without you?” she said, trying to ignore the hot flush of desire.

“No. I’m afraid he’ll come after
you
.”

Fear quickened her pulse, but she forced a smile. “I thought I was the vampire hunter.”

“You are. But for some reason, my clone wants to capture or kill you.”

Despite Gerard’s large comforting presence, cold settled in her chest. “You think? That damn thing came at me like a rabid squirrel on crack. It’s like he was targeting me.”

“He didn’t track you to Lifeblood.”

“Gerard’s right,” Megan added. “He was there at the normal time I report to work. If he was waiting for me and then saw you, he might have sensed what you are.”

“I don’t think so,” Gerard’s gaze was distant. Concerned. “I think he sensed your connection to me.”

“You’re not just guessing. Are you?” Amber stared at Gerard until he met her gaze. “You’re aware of your clone on a sub-conscious level. And he’s probably aware of you—your thoughts. Your feelings…” But she did
not
want to think about Gerard’s feelings. Not now. Maybe never.

He shifted his body away from hers. “I’m—I don’t know. I thought I was just imagining it. But recently, I have sensed—something.”

For the second time since their arrival, Vincent’s eyes shone with something other than anger and hostility. “If Dr. Weldon created the clone then we can reasonably assume they’re together. Find one. Find the other.”

“And how do you propose we find Dr. Weldon?” She so needed her Trazadone for a good night’s rest. But she’d have to settle for whatever sleep she could get and skip her meds. Her purse was in Asheville. And her meds were in her purse.

Vincent and Gerard exchanged glances. Gerard nodded. “It might work.”

“What might work?” Megan and Amber asked in unison.

“I obviously have some faint connection to the clone,” Gerard said. He looked at Amber. “And you have the instincts needed to track vampires.”

“Why do you need me to track him? Can’t vampires track other vampires?”

“Only if we already have the scent and the trail is fresh. We know a vampire when we encounter one, but we can only find a vampire without a fresh scent if we're connected by blood. And despite our shared DNA, the connection I share with my clone is weak. But I think you can help me find him.”

“And what if I don’t want to hunt vampires?” Would they come after her?

“You want justice. Don’t you?” Vincent snarled.

Guilt warmed her cheeks. “Yes. But I can’t just storm some mad scientist’s laboratory without a warrant. And how am I going to get a search warrant for a cloned vampire?”

Seriously? They’d lock her in the booby hatch and throw away the key. And Reid? Ha! He didn’t believe in anything he couldn’t prove. And how the hell did one prove vampires existed if they didn’t want you to know?

“You’ll be looking for a kidnap victim, not a vampire clone,” Gerard said. “Dr. Weldon kidnapped Axle.”

“Is he still alive? Is he still...”

“Human?” Gerard supplied.

Amber swallowed thickly and nodded. “If he’s a vampire, how do we know he’s not a blood-thirsty killer?”

“Is that what you think of me?” he asked, his eyes beseeching.

“No, but…” She left the rest unspoken. What the hell did she really know about vampires?

“Relax, Gerard.” Megan stepped forward, taking Amber’s arm. “She’s got a lot to assimilate. Give her time to figure out how she feels about it before expecting her to deal with it.”

“She doesn’t have time,” Vincent snapped. “If Weldon has perfected cloning then the balance of nature is in peril. We have to stop him.”

“What balance?” The world she thought she knew didn’t exist. There existed instead, a dark world unseen by mortals and just as real. A world inhabited by vampires—a world she desperately wanted to deny. “Vampires were never in my version of what’s natural so my whole world is out of balance, thank you very damn much.”

Vincent rolled his eyes. “Megan didn’t have this much difficulty accepting the truth, and she didn’t have prior exposure.”

Irritation stiffened Amber’s spine. “Sorry, vamp. But I deal in facts and logic. I have no interest in discovering a new species or curing the world of a heretofore unknown virus. I just want to protect and serve.”

“That’s what vampire hunters do,” Gerard said softly, his eyes pained. “They protect mortals from murderous vampires. And that clone is a killer.” He met Vincent’s gaze. It seemed to Amber as if the two had signed some pact and were about to break it. His voice hardened. “He needs to be put down. Blood of my blood or not. The clone needs to be stopped. And so does Dr. Weldon.”

Amber took a deep breath and let it out slowly. Then she took another deep breath and squared her shoulders. “Then we all need to get some rest. Because tomorrow, we hunt vampires."

Chapter 14

Amber couldn’t sleep. It wasn’t just the bedside lamp she'd left on to chase away the dark that kept her awake. Her bones ached. And her mind was like a hamster in a cage. Running round and round the wheel, moving faster and faster, taking her nowhere.

Blowing out a frustrated breath, she threw off the covers and stood. The antique bed with the high, intricately carved headboard groaned. She glanced at her earrings and necklace sitting on the marble-topped dresser. She’d taken them off to sleep but didn’t want to risk leaving them. She would have slipped them into her pocketbook if she had it with her. Then again, if she had her pocketbook, she’d have her pills.

Straightening the long white gown Megan had loaned her, she caught her sleep-deprived reflection in the mirror.

What the hell am I doing here?

She was a soldier. A cop. She didn’t belong in this frilly, outdated room in the home of a vampire. But it was more than just the room. More than the vampire. It was her.

Dhampir.

A chill crawled over her skin. She rubbed the fine hairs on her arms and shivered. She needed those pills. Otherwise, she’d never sleep.

Would warm milk help?

She slipped on her pants and then pulled the nightgown over her head. Ignoring her bra, she reached for her blouse. The satiny fabric slithered over her skin, teasing her nipples. They pebbled in response, reminding her of Gerard’s kiss. His touch. His lips…

Damn Frenchman is in my head far too often.

Grumbling to herself, she crossed the floor and threw open the door.

Gerard stood guard on the other side, as if she were in the witness protection program. Or as if he were a soldier watching a fellow soldier’s back. Warmth settled in her chest. “What are you doing?”

“Keeping watch.” He gazed at her face, as if memorizing every detail. “It’s another half-hour before sunrise. And thanks to the injections, I can stay up a couple hours beyond that—long enough to ensure no vampire will come after you. So, go back to bed and get some sleep. You’re safe.”

The warmth spread. She leaned against the door jam. “Can’t sleep.”

“You weren’t thinking of leaving. Were you?” he asked, his eyes narrowing.

“My meds are in my purse, and you zapped me here without it. So, yeah. I considered it.”

“You take drugs to sleep?” His tone was disapproving.

So much for the warm tingling feeling. “I
have
a prescription.”

He drifted toward her, his movements graceful—predatory. “You’re much too stressed.”

“You think?” She had a damn good reason for her increased anxiety. Her reality check had bounced.

“I think you need to relax.” He touched her shoulder and spun her around. Before she could protest, he dug his fingers into her tense muscles, massaging the kinks.

His hands were magic. Her head lolled. Tension flowed from her fingertips. The knots loosened.

“Feel good?” His voice was a dark, husky timbre.

“Hmm.” Her body sagged forward on a sigh. Muscles became fluid. Relaxed. Then something changed.

His kneading palms began to caress. Awareness shivered over her skin as sensations became heightened, and every nerve ending in her body became attuned to his touch. Her brain grew sluggish, her knees weak. She could barely stand, barely think. Then Gerard pressed his hardened arousal against her.

A quiver shook her. Desire pooled hot and heavy between her thighs. Her muscles clenched.

Leaning forward, he pressed closer, his breath warm against her neck. “I know something else that’ll feel good,” he whispered in her ear.