UnGuarded (24 page)

“How? It’s impossible for you to leave
Earth!”

A sly smile curved his lips. “Did I tell you
that Huron is the epitome of black magic? Once we figure out where
you are, he can summon your return. We opened a portal to the
underworld last night, offering a reward to anyone that might know
anything about what happened to you and where you are.”

I stared at him, knowing the truth behind
each word he spoke. If Huron really was a voodoo priest, then I
knew what Luke promised could really be done. But now I feared
getting found would be my biggest problem. At last I asked, “You
must be in pretty deep with Huron. Didn’t you already cash out your
debt?”

“Huron is my friend. His willingness to help
me is much deeper than any debt.”

I sat down in the padded barstool next to
Luke. “Well, then, I owe you both…my life.”

“If that’s the case, then walk away from
Cole,” he smarted, but I knew he meant it.

I shook my head, tension building in my
chest. “I knew there was a price for your helping me!”

“You know that isn’t true,” he replied
curtly. Then in a monotone of resignation, “When we meet again,
I’ll let you know what I find with your charge.”

That statement got me beaming again. I
clapped my hands together. “Thank you!”

In a whoosh of air his lips brushed my
cheek, and then he was gone.

20

LIGHT GLINTED TOWARD THE FRONT of the cave,
and a musky heat simmered on my skin. I rubbed the sweat from my
brow, noticing the small movement didn’t hurt. Luke’s blood in my
dream had really healed my broken body of the real world. The
thought brought an instant pang in my heart, though. Once Luke got
me out of here, would Cole still want to rekindle our relationship?
Would all this extra blood I’d ingested make any kind of difference
in Cole’s decision to overlook it and be together? Surely, I hoped
not. But only time would answer such concerns.

And hopefully time would carry away those
confusing feelings I got every time I was with Luke. This whole
sleepwalk thing might put somewhat of a damper on that, though. I
was anxious to hear back from Luke, and not just because I needed
to know if Caitlyn was okay and the ritual had worked, but also
because I was lonely and he was the only one who could reach me.
Okay, maybe I did care for him a little more than that. As boring
as this desolate place could be—when I wasn’t fighting for my
life—I had plenty of time to think about Luke, and my inexplicable
connection to him. So far, I’d only reasoned it down to this: Sure,
I cared for him, maybe even
loved
him on some crazy level,
and I knew I couldn’t blame it on all the blood he’d loaded me up
with. But regardless of that, I was
in love
with Cole.

Distant howls of the worm-like beast kept me
from leaving the safety of the cave. I’d nodded off a few times,
but with no visits from Luke. My anxiety became
desperation—waiting, waiting, waiting. I still called for Raphael,
and my prayers sounded more like begging instead of praising.
Please let that ritual have worked. Please let Caitlyn be awake
and well. And please help me figure out a way to get the heck out
of here.

By nightfall, the freezing temps had
returned. I huddled up against the rocky wall, letting my hair fall
over my arms for a little warmth, and trying my best to handle the
state of boredom I’d fallen to. In an effort to stay sane, I tried
thinking happy thoughts about Cole, focusing on the time we had a
picnic near the Rocky Mountain National Park. That had been when
the whole idea of him drinking my blood was introduced to our
abstinent relationship.

Cool, crisp air brushed along my skin and I
cuddled up closer against Cole’s body. He was warmer than usual,
and I knew that meant he’d just recently fed. Our view from this
private little oasis he’d found was spectacular. The snow-tipped
mountains on the horizon gave the appearance they’d been dipped in
white chocolate. The blueness of the sky was swirled with white
fluffy clouds resembling cotton candy. The red- and blue-checkered
blanket we sat on was spread out inside a small clearing between
the pine trees. My back was nestled against Cole’s chest and his
arms wrapped around my body from behind.

“How’d you become a vampire?” I asked
curiously, hoping the answer wouldn’t frighten me.

“You really want to know?” His lips were so
close to my ear. The thrum of his soft, sensual voice sent
gooseflesh across my arms, and my reply got caught in my
throat.

I bobbed my head slightly by way of my
answer.

“I’d been discharged from my service in the
army for about six months and had been staying with my mom. I
could’ve found some place on my own, but money was hard to come by
back then, and my mom had begged me to stay and help her out. My
dad had passed on years before that, while I’d been off on one of
my missions. So I guess you can say I felt sorry and stuck around
for her benefit.” His arms squeezed a little firmer around me, then
he laced his fingers through mine. “One night I came home from
running errands and there was a brand new TV sitting in the corner
of the room. Back then, we only got black and white, but it was
still the greatest invention we’d ever seen. The Olympics were
playing, and she was so excited for us to be able to sit and watch
them from our own couch. We’d been doing that for about an hour
when there was a pretty loud banging on the door. I got up, but Mom
insisted for me to stay and not miss anything on the TV, and then
she went for the door.”

Cole got choked up. He stole a moment to
clear his voice, and continued. “Her screams were the worst sounds
I’d ever heard. I ran to the door as fast as I could. There was
blood smeared everywhere—along the doorframe, the back of the door,
and a big puddle of it on the wooden floors. There was even some
red splattered on the yellow curtains at the window several feet
away. But my mom wasn’t there.” His voice was tense and strained.
“I ran outside, screaming for her, but I couldn’t see her anywhere.
It was dark, no moon or stars that night, and our nearest neighbor
was two miles away. I searched around the front of the house and
out by our shed. Then I thought I heard something over by the house
and I sprinted straight over. He was waiting for me on the front
porch. I’ll never forget watching his creamy white hands brushing
along the white railing, leaving a smeared trail of red everywhere
he touched. I wanted to run, but I couldn’t. It was like my feet
were frozen in place. I couldn’t take my eyes off him. Selene, he
was the most beautiful person I’d ever seen.”

When Cole didn’t say anything else, I
wriggled around and placed my hands on his cheeks. “It’s okay,” I
said soothingly, staring straight into his eyes glistening with
pink.

He didn’t flinch or try to look away. “I
never saw my mom again after that night. It was June 10, 1936. I’ll
never forget that date for as long as I live—or whatever you call
it since I’m technically dead. I’ve been living seventy-six years
as a vampire. I was twenty-seven in human years that night when I
was turned.”

I wiped a few tears from his cheek, then
threw my arms around his shoulders and held him. He returned my
embrace without another word. But my curiosity led to a question I
hoped wouldn’t upset him further. “What was his name? The vampire
who turned you.” I pulled back enough to look at Cole’s face. His
eyes had dried up, but he still looked so sad.

“Phoenix”—that name spoken with vehemence.
“And once I’d adjusted to my new life, so to speak, I tried to kill
him. But he got away and I’ve never seen him since. Though I’ve
heard plenty of rumors about him and the innocent people he’s
killed.”

I knew this wasn’t the best time to ask, but
I had to know. “How many people have
you
killed?”

“Selene—”

“I want to know,” I pushed. “It won’t change
how I feel. Trust me.”

“Yes it will.” His voice full of defeat.

“Cole, I love all of you, even the parts
where you made mistakes.”

“But you’re so freakin’ perfect!” he
exclaimed, a hand waving at his side.

“No, I’m not,” I countered, then sealed my
lips. The last thing I needed was him feeling more guilty because
of me. And the truth was, I’d never really done anything
wrong
before I fell in love with him. “Wrong” being a
questionable word to describe it, since I didn’t feel like my love
for Cole was anything but perfect.

“Look at us.” He shrugged his shoulders,
then brushed his fingers through my hair. “You’ve broken so many
rules to be with me.…” His words trailed off as our eyes locked
together.

“And I’d break them again, and again, and
again!” I shot back. “I’m never giving up on you, or us! I love
you, Cole.” My lips found his in a surge of emotion, full of
longing and need. He pulled me closer, deepening our kiss and
sending waves of euphoria through my veins. I leaned back,
momentarily breaking apart to admire his beautiful features. My
fingertips traced along his perfect creamy-white skin, feeling the
smoothness of his cheekbones, then exploring his chin, down to his
neck, and finally tracing along his collar bone, gently tugging on
the neckline of his tee shirt. “You’re the most gorgeous person
I’ve ever seen,” I panted, lowering my lips to his ear.

“Thirty-two,” he said as he unsnapped the
top button of my shirt.

“What?” I asked as I nibbled on his earlobe,
feeling his body shudder with pleasure.

He pushed me back so we were facing each
other. “That’s how many people I’ve killed. Thirty-two. Most of
them were accidents. I couldn’t help myself when I was a young
vampire. But I swear to you, once I was strong enough to control
it, I never killed another person.”

My whole body went numb. When I didn’t
respond, he shook me. “Selene, I need you to say something.”

I swallowed hard. Thirty-two innocent
people. My stomach turned with grief for the humans I never knew.
But my eyes were on Cole, looking deep inside at who I knew him to
be, and my feelings for him would never dissolve over things he’d
done in the past, before we’d ever met. With that realization, I
gave a small smile and said, “Thanks for being honest with me.”

He cupped my cheeks. “Does this change
things between us?”

My head moved slowly right, then left. He
could’ve told me one hundred thirty-two and it wouldn’t have made a
difference with my feelings for him. A sudden wave of emotion
compressed in my chest, making it tighten as my heart sped up. Cole
arched a brow—obviously he’d picked up on my increased pulse too.
In a blur he was on top of me, arms pressing against my sides, eyes
gazing dreamily into mine. There were a few oddly placed pinecones
beneath the blanket grinding into my back, but I forgot all about
them once his lips meshed with mine. Heat spread across my face,
descending down my neck. My body swelled with need and I arched my
back trying to get closer. Moans of pleasure rumbled out of my
throat, then were swallowed back as the kiss intensified. I locked
my legs around him while trying to force his body even closer to
mine. His hands trailed up to my head, gently tugging my hair, then
grabbing large handfuls and yanking with enough force to make me
cry out. But it didn’t hurt long. Carnal vibrations rippled down my
spine, moving deeper, awakening something inside me that I’d never
experienced before.

The fear of becoming fallen forced me to
push him away. “We can’t,” my voice ragged.

“But I want you,” he growled, his face
barely an inch away. With a hand he held my wrists above my head—I
didn’t remember him moving them—and with the other traced invisible
lines on my face, soft, sensual caresses with his fingertips.

I released a deep breath, my body trembling
with need—and caution. “The consequences…”

His lips crushed mine, reigniting the flames
that had barely been put out from before. I tried to move my hands
but his grip tightened, leaving me unable to budge them. Using his
other hand, he rubbed my bare arm, tickling the sensitive skin with
his touch. Once he reached the tip of my shirtsleeve, his fingers
brushed along the top of my chest, finding the next button and
flicking it open. Our kiss grew deeper as he moved to the next
button, then the next. It wasn’t long before my light pink corset
blouse fell to the sides, exposing the pink lace bra beneath.

Low, vibrating groans erupted from his mouth
as his lips drifted along my chin and down to that sensitive area
on my neck. With my hands still secured above me, I rocked my body
against his, my need swelling beyond what I could handle. When his
tongue flicked out along my skin, just above my thundering pulse,
my whole body erupted with pleasure. I cried out—or maybe that was
him as our voices seemed as one—but the sound was drowned out once
his lips returned to mine. Realizing my hands were no longer bound,
I grabbed the bottom of his tee shirt, yanking it around his
shoulders, over his head, and blindly tossing it to the side. My
fingernails gently traced the curve of muscle in his lower back,
then moved leisurely all the way up to his shoulder blades. Our
kisses grew sloppy, his tongue rolling around mine, and I dug my
nails into his flesh, making him growl with delight.