Forever (Book #3 in the Fateful Series) (3 page)

Muttering, “I wish I knew,” along with a string of French words, which she figured were a volley of profanities, he made for the blade and lifted it from the decorative hooks it was nestled in.

“Is it made of silver? Does that work on them?”

“It’s steel,” he grumbled before adding with a deep frown, “I have no idea if it’ll damage them or not.” He grabbed her by the arm and pulled her close behind his back.

The door exploded into millions of splinters. Diving for cover, Ethan’s hand connected with her back when he shoved her to the floor. As she landed roughly on her stomach and grunted in surprise and pain, she heard the sword clatter against the polished wood flooring when he landed next to her, shielding his head from debris as well. Danielle felt bits of sharp wood drag at the exposed skin of her legs and arms.

Shoving the hair out of her face and tossing a look over her shoulder, she saw three werewolves trying fiercely to get past Merrick, Cedric and Casanova. Before she had any time to recover from the shock of it all, Ethan had picked up the sword, and hauled her upright again as he made for the window. He shoved it open, but in the next second he slammed it shut.

She saw why as they backed toward the bed again. Pieces of wood dug into her bare feet with each painful step. Spinning away, they both dove onto the bed as a werewolf flew at the glass and crashed through it. Worse than hearing a car crash, the sound of breaking glass was followed by vicious snarls and shouts. Driven by a crazy need to see what was going on, Danielle lowered the hands she’d tossed over her face and craned another look over her shoulder. Even obscured by the hair that had fallen over her face,  she could see the beast had landed, its knees bending with the impact before straightening, its spine uncurling as it rose upright. It shook like a dog trying to dry itself. Danielle threw an arm over her face again. Shards of glass showered the room like droplets of rock-solid water, clinking against anything hard it hit. Danielle felt a few pieces hit her, but it seemed they didn’t hit hard enough to do more damage than a few minor abrasions.

Silence fell when the werewolf stilled and she rolled to her back, instinctively moving to the other side of the bed. Ethan scuttled along with her, but he kept the sword trained on the creature. Again sweeping the hair out of her eyes, Danielle wondered what this thing meant to do. It swung its hideous face toward her and Ethan. Its head cocked sideways as it watched them with glowing, yellowish eyes. Baring its teeth in a devilish sort of smile, it stalked closer. Ethan held his sword higher, his hand steady, and his face pinched into a deep determined scowl.

Danielle really hadn’t realized how big werewolves were until she saw this one close up. Way too close.  The creature towered above them, stretching high into the peaked roof of their room. Because she could still partially see the man underneath, she knew it wasn’t Lucas. While the image of the beast looked holographic in a way, the man had also transformed into an enormous monster. It reached for her. Pure instinct pumped into her veins and she mentally prepared to defend herself, even knowing deep down, that any of her skills wouldn’t likely make any difference. Ethan tensed beside her. “Don’t. You can’t let it touch you.”

Before she had a chance to respond verbally to Ethan or react physically to the monster advancing on them, Seth and Beon flew through the opening, further removing bits of glass that had clung to the frame. Together they captured the werewolf and dragged it snarling and spitting back out the window.

The doorway had also been cleared of werewolves now, and Beon and Merrick reentered the bedroom along with a couple of guards she didn’t know the names of yet. They were always getting new faces in the ranks of vampires watching out for them, and she doubted she’d ever get used to it.

“Are you all right?” Beon asked, protecting them from his cursed gaze while shoving up his sleeves as he moved to clean up the larger pieces of the door littering the floor.

Danielle nodded, as Ethan replied, “We’re okay.” He set his sword down on the pale blue coverlet. The mattress and bedding sagged beneath its weight. His shoulders sagged as well. With relief or defeat she couldn’t be sure.

“It didn’t touch you? Or rather, more importantly, it didn’t scratch you?” Beon asked, the pile of wood in his arms growing.

“No, but that was horribly close. How did they get past you?” Ethan asked with a sharp note of concern in his tone.

“They had someone helping them; someone with magic. But whoever it was remained hidden, so we couldn’t see who it was.”

Ethan’s frown turned into a glower. “Was anyone hurt?”

“No, just stunned. They were able to magically bind some of our men so they couldn’t move. But it seems the spell, or whatever it was, has worn off.”

As Danielle imagined what this meant for them and their continued lack of privacy, she couldn’t help but feel relieved when Beon left to discard the wood. Would he insist they turn now? She wouldn’t be surprised if he suggested it, or rather, demanded it. They’d been pretty much defenseless, like a pair of kittens left undefended against a gaggle of vicious and hungry wolverines. Beon may have left the room, but five vampire guards remained as they went to work at cleaning up the mess.

Ethan brushed the debris from the blankets and looped an arm around her, carefully tucking her tousled hair behind her ear after he lifted her shoulder strap back into place. His eyes roved her body as though he’d only said they were “okay” earlier, but was checking her more thoroughly to be certain. Aside from some minor abrasions from the wood and glass, she was fine. He plucked a few bits of door from her hair and tossed them to the floor, but winced and looked at his fingers more closely. He’d managed to get a splinter. His frown further deepening, Ethan’s hand left her back to try and drag it out of his skin.

“Because they’ve changed tactics,” said Merrick, drawing Danielle’s gaze away from Ethan, “we’ll need to change how we handle the full moon as well from now on.” He’d arrived with a broom and dustpan, his eyes downcast, just as all of the guards remained once the sun had set each night. Sweeping up the shards of door and window, he added, “I’m sorry they got this close. We’ll make certain they never get a chance like this again.”

How can he promise that?
Danielle mused. If the werewolves were helped by someone with powerful magic, she and Ethan might need to be locked away for safety. The only thing that could be secure enough, she decided, might be inside one of the cement rooms for turning vampires. Surely that would keep werewolves out if it kept vampires in, right? Wouldn’t that work against the spells? Was it a witch doing this, or worse, a more powerful sorceress? Perhaps then even a cement-constructed room wouldn’t keep the monsters out.

After taking in the state of their bed, Cedric muttered to the other guards as though she and Ethan weren’t there. “We need to change the bedding as well.” Returning a few moments later with a new comforter, he instructed them to move to the bathroom once a path was cleared of sharp hazards.

Measuring Ethan’s expression, Danielle wondered how he was dealing with this, with being treated almost like a child now that he was mortal again. Of course, she knew he had been an active member of The Order, and probably still felt like one, but the guards hadn’t been treating him like that lately. Like her, he was just their charge ... someone to protect, someone to care for.

Ethan’s brows were still drawn low over his eyes, the color darkened by the shadow of his lashes. He swallowed, leaning back against the vanity. Taking her hands into his, his thumbs glided over her knuckles in a simple caress. She watched his face, waiting again for a response that was slow in coming.

Gazing just past his shoulder, she looked into the bedroom and could see Cedric strip the bed of the coverlet. Pieces of wood and glass clattered against the polished floors and made soft thumping sounds against the red and tan area rug bordering the bed. The vampire checked the blankets and, apparently deciding they were okay, he tossed the new white comforter over the mattress. Someone else she couldn’t see had started up the vacuum.

Danielle swung her attention back to Ethan, where she discovered he was watching her, his expression guarded, like his mind was filled with things he didn’t want to share with her. Taking in the lines bracketing his tired eyes, she understood why he’d been avoiding her gaze. “They’re going to turn us again, aren’t they.” It wasn’t a question.

Chapter 3

Internal Turmoil

Ethan knew Danielle didn’t want to be turned. He even knew how much. In those sad puppy eyes staring up at him, he couldn’t escape the truth of it.

He took a breath to reply, but paused when she pled, “Please, Ethan, I can’t do that again. It hasn’t even been that long since we turned back. A few months, maybe? I remember it all...” Her desperation-drenched words dropped to a weak whisper before trailing off completely. She shuddered with obvious repulsion. Ethan felt it shimmy through her body from head to toes.

She didn’t have to spell it out for him to gather her meaning. This girly-girl of his may have a tough side, but she was all girl deep down, and no genuine girl that he knew of would be fond of drinking blood, of killing for it, or of being cursed. Certainly he knew of many women who’d chosen to be cursed, but most of the ones he was acquainted with hated that part of the curse. Nadia had, which was why she’d asked to be cured. And Sophia desperately missed eating real food, but for Beon’s sake, she’d remained cursed. Danielle hadn’t been a vampire for very long—a few weeks at the most, perhaps. She’d fight going back to that life, and was clearly desperate not to. So what was he going to do about this bloody rubbish wreaking havoc on what was supposed to be their quiet married life? He could tell, or rather, could sense that she’d wanted to defend them with her karate skills. If she’d been a vampire, it certainly would have worked for her, but as a mortal, he had to remind her to restrain herself.

“You may go back to bed now,” called Cedric from the bedroom. The vacuum had been shut off; apparently their bedroom was safe for them to sleep in again.

With teeth clenching at the constant interruptions, Ethan reached for the bathroom door and shut it, hoping the guards would catch the hint and leave. He pulled Danielle close and hugged her tight. Still she didn’t weep. He was grateful for that. When his darling Danielle shed tears he became desperate to soothe her, to make everything all right. She wasn’t an overly emotional woman in his opinion ... well, perhaps when she was with child she was a bit more so, but he’d loved her like that.... A constricting sensation seized his heart at the reminder of the baby they’d lost. Mentally shaking it off, he brutally forced that line of thinking aside. They’d get back to that one day, when it was safe to try again, but not yet.

Drawing a measured breath in and then releasing it slowly, he considered their options. If they didn’t turn back into vampires, then what? How could he keep her alive and mortal in a magic world that wouldn’t leave them alone? With his thoughts returning to his earlier ideas, Ethan again wondered, how could one escape the moon?

His thumb moved over the ridge of her cheekbone as he looked into her eyes. The bathroom was dark except for a shaft of bright moonlight angling down through the skylight. It spilled over her hair in a way that reminded him of when they’d first met in that dark alleyway. When she’d whirled away from Lucas, the look on her face said it all. Her eyes were rounded with shock that her defensive moves had failed against Lucas. Next, her lips were parted with surprise at running into him. And then even more than either of those things, the overwhelming bewilderment that she’d somehow recognized him as she focused on his gaze. When his magic took effect, he had been reluctant to stop staring into her eyes but he had to.

“Ethan,” Danielle whispered, “I
can’t
do that again.”

 Her fingers clutched at the waistband of his pajama pants because that was all she had to grab onto. They were cold against the skin of his hips, but even though the sensation was slightly shocking, he liked it and didn’t flinch away. Finally he said, “I’ll see what I can come up with.”

“Really?” she asked her expression hopeful. “But what if Beon—?”

With two fingers landing gently on her lips, he quieted her. His stomach quivered when he touched her full mouth ... in a good way. His stomach always quivered at her nearness and he didn’t think that would ever change. “I’ll handle Beon,” he said, letting his hand fall away, even though he’d rather maintain the contact that warmed his fingers with her breath.

“But last time—”

“I know.” He hugged her again, his hand lifting to her hair, to the back of her head, where he pressed enough to get her to rest her cheek on his shoulder. She resisted for a brief moment before relaxing under his touch. The tempting idea of
just
him going back to vampirism was there. It was always there, always niggling at the back of his mind like a persistent insect.  But for her he’d try to find another solution because, he reluctantly admitted, it hadn’t exactly saved her from harm last time.... “Trust me,” he murmured against her soft brown hair which smelled like the pumpkin pie conditioner she’d been using.

“I’ve heard that before.”

A gusty laugh escaped him. “Haven’t we had this conversation before?”

Danielle rose up onto her toes, released his pants and slung her arms around his neck. “Probably,” she said in a tone that conveyed she knew she
should
trust him but, as usual, was struggling with patience in the matter.

Watching her nibble at her bottom lip in a way that was an enticing mix of sexy and cute, he realized with a surge of panic that he didn’t want to lose her, not ever. He was in love with her and had been for so long it seemed he couldn’t remember a time not loving her.  So what was he going to do to keep her safe? Certainly she had what he considered amazing defensive skills. But just as in the past, those skills were useless against cursed or magical beings. Reconsidering his earlier idea of remaining weak, he thought about the threats again mounting against her safety. Lucas was still out there, and Ethan knew him well enough to know he wouldn’t give up on trying to hurt her. As a vampire he could have taken on Lucas, could have joined in the fight, could have guarded her when the werewolf entered their bedroom. Desperately, he’d gone for the sword, knowing it wouldn’t be enough. What if he did turn back into a vampire, just for a while....

“Are you really okay with being mortal, especially now?” she asked as though she’d managed to read his mind.

“Yes,” he said more slowly than he should have, probably because he was forcing sincerity into the one word even though he didn’t completely believe it. Feeling a little uncomfortable under her gaze, which always saw more than he wanted, his eyes darted from hers momentarily. But when his gaze returned, he could see everything she didn’t want him to see too. Danielle really didn’t want him to go back to that, probably just as badly as she didn’t want it for herself.

Her head tipped to the side as she considered his expression. Gentle waves of brown hair swung down over her arm. One hand left his nape when she swept it through her tresses, dragging the strands out of her face. Her hand returned to his neck, her fingers found his hair, and suspicious eyes locked with his. “But don’t you miss it? The power, the immortality, the—“

“Do
you
miss it?” Ethan countered his eyebrow lifting.

“No.” He noticed the lack of hesitation in that response as well as the sharp conviction in her tone.

Ethan could admit that there were times like tonight that he missed the strength the curse gave him. But as he really measured the consequences of that choice, he realized he didn’t miss it enough to sacrifice his renewed chance at parenthood, even with the threats looming over them. It’s why he consumed the curing candy Lilith had given them as fast as he did. The idea of holding an infant that he helped to create appealed to him more than anything. He’d been imagining what their child would look like and couldn’t seem to stop himself from fantasizing about it frequently. Would the child have his mouth? Would he or she have her thick dark lashes? Would the little plump-cheeked sprite be blessed with his blue eyes and her rich brown hair? Would his child have soft curls just like Danielle did?

Impatience was rolling off Danielle in nearly tangible waves. He sighed with the knowledge that if he didn’t answer her earlier question, she’d just ask it again. “We discussed this before too. I didn’t like having to hunt for my dinner and take a life each night.  The evilness of that curse still haunts my dreams because I lived it for so long.”

“But you were so eager to go back to it.”

“Only so I could keep you safe. So I could help keep our baby safe.” His guts clenched as those words passed his lips. Her eyes blinked rapidly and she looked away from him momentarily, her eyebrows were drawn low over her dark eyes and a little line had appeared between them.
Why had he thoughtlessly brought up the baby?
Ethan mused with a good dose of self-disparagement. From the pout now dragging the corners of her lips down, he knew she was likely on the verge of tears now that he’d reminded her of their loss. Hoping to soothe her, Ethan added, “Please understand this, Danielle. I took the candy first only partly because I knew you’d follow my lead but, more importantly, I want to be a father a million times more than an immortal. If we’re just talking about immortality, then yes, I suppose it would be a tempting lifestyle. But it’s not. At all. For me it will always be a curse and not the gift the others see it as.”

“Then what are we going to do?” she asked in a trembling voice, absently trailing a finger over his naked chest.

Ethan shivered involuntarily and his breath hitched.

They couldn’t live like this any longer, he decided. Their home had been breached. Their limited privacy would be further restricted. And no weapons could protect them against magic. Unless ... his breath hitched again ... unless they used magic to fight magic....

“What are you thinking about?” she asked, apparently measuring the look on his face correctly.

This time he decided to tell her rather than tease her by testing her patience. “We need the aid of the fairies.”

Her eyes rounding with unmasked excitement at seeing those little creatures again, she asked, “Could they help us?”

Nodding, he said, “They have a great deal of natural magic.”

“Like that juice they fed me?”

“Exactly like that.”

Ethan returned the smile beaming up at him, and then moved to kiss her. The eyes looking into his slid closed in anticipation. Exhaling, he let his breath touch her first and watched as she drew it in like a luscious treat. As his mouth connected with hers, he marveled at how the curse had permanently changed that part of him. For some reason his breath held a sort of vampire-magic side effect, and it made their kisses perhaps more intimate and intense than even French kissing. Though he wasn’t about to restrict himself, so on another exhale he also brought his tongue into play.

She murmured a happy sound and then reciprocated. That’s when Ethan decided he’d been wrong earlier. French kissing was still much more intimate and intense than sharing his breath alone because it was a wet and delicious blend of the two. And not only was his breath affecting her, her breath had changed as well. Of course, he’d always liked the taste of her when kissing, not in a twisted I-want-to-eat-her sort of way, but now she’d been touched with the same vampire magic as he had. It seemed to add a whole new level to their kisses.

Ethan wasn’t sure when he’d done it, but almost suddenly he’d turned her around and had lifted her up onto the counter. Danielle wrapped her arms and legs around him. He absolutely loved it when she did that. His mouth left hers and moved along her jaw to her ear. From there Ethan wanted to drag his lips down the column of her neck, but she was extremely ticklish there. So instead, he dropped his mouth to the top edge of her shoulder and moved along until he reached the smooth curve at the top of her arm. With fingers fisting into the silky fabric of her nightgown he paused. In one swift move he could have it up and over ... then a thought occurred to him. Tonight they wouldn’t be sleeping alone, and there were likely guards in the next room which was definitely within vampire hearing range. Danielle would be mortified if he took this any further. Capturing her face between his palms he returned his mouth to hers.

After a few more moments of thorough snogging, he wondered if perhaps he didn’t care what the men in the next room thought about him loving Danielle within hearing distance of them. But, again knowing she’d be upset when they did finally exit the master bath and she was greeted by vampire guards with knowing smirks on their faces, he resisted the urge to strip her.

Releasing her, he dropped his forehead against hers and whispered, “Shall we go back to bed?”