Whisper to Me (Borne Vampires Book 1) (17 page)

“I wanna dance, too.” Candy shot to her feet and
dragged Jeremy down to the dance floor.

Ignoring them, she concentrated on the erotic beat
of the song played, giving into the darkness of her nature as she danced. Her true
nature!

Candy’s nasally voice broke through her fun. “Mariah,
get a grip! It's not like you're going to find a man the way you're acting.”

Glancing at her, she saw Candy sneer at her as she
clung to Jeremy, who avoided her gaze.

Rona challenged Candy, “I'll bet you a hundred
dollars Mariah'll attract the next guy who walks in the club.”

Candy snorted. “Easy money!”

Mariah turned her back to the front entrance and
danced.

A few minutes went past, and Candy exclaimed, “Holy
shit!”

✝✝✝

Looking to see what Candy was staring at, Jeremy
nearly swallowed his tongue. On the brass railing, the tall man braced his
hands, his black eyes fierce, penetrating, as he swept the crowd, unexpectedly
centering on them. A dangerously sexy smile curved his sculptured mouth. Thick,
dark hair fell just above the tall man’s broad shoulders. Clad in a black
t-shirt, faded blue jeans, and boots, the man’s casual style enhanced his
muscles as he walked, bunching and rippling. There was a sexually charged aura
surrounding him, and women congregated around him like moths to the flame. Touching
him, begging him to dance with them.

He ignored them.

People dancing moved out of his way. Hot,
smoldering eyes never left his prey until he molded his large hands around
Mariah's waist, pulling her against him. He moved with her as she swayed to the
music. Entranced by their dance, desperate to look away, he caught the man
grinning at him, his white teeth brilliant in the black lights. Scowling at the
man’s gloating arrogance, Jeremy's anger turned to horror as fangs slowly
descended.

What the hell?

Before he could react, Mariah turned around in the
man’s arms and kissed him. When she pulled back, he grinned at him again, his
teeth looked normal.

Had
he
really seen fangs?

The stranger said to her, “Perhaps, you should
introduce me to your friends?”

She shifted around in his arms, grinning. “Rona,
David, I would like you to meet Rathe, my friend.” The man gave her a sharp look,
but she acted as if she hadn’t noticed it.

“When did you have time to meet a guy? This guy?”
Roma’s eyes went wide.

True to his outgoing nature, David grinned and
held out his hand out to Rathe. “I’m David Ryan and my wife, Rona.”

Taking his hand in a firm grip, Rathe’s smile
actually became genuine. “It’s a pleasure to make your acquaintance, Mr. Ryan.”

“Please, call me David.”

Ever the flirt, Candy held out her hand, giggling
when Rathe accepted. “I’m Candy Waters. Nice to meet you.” When she tried to
draw him closer, he pulled his hand away. Undeterred, she said, “We’ve plenty
room at our table. Have a drink with us.”

Glancing around them, Rathe hesitated. Mariah
seemed nervous, too. He declined her offer. “No, we need to leave.”

“One drink won’t kill you,” Candy cajoled. She made
to take Rathe’s hand again, but was blocked by Mariah.

“Lead the way,” Mariah ordered softly, the warning
in her eyes and stony set of her beautiful face clear to Candy to keep her
hands to herself.

Wary of his wife’s unpredictable temper and
Mariah’s uncharacteristic forcefulness, he let his wife drag him back to their
table. Apparently, Candy had gotten the message and she sat closer to him,
nervously watching Mariah. Since another chair wasn’t available, Rathe sat down
in the one Mariah had used, easing her onto his lap.

Jeremy asked him gruffly, “How did you meet?”

Mariah answered with a slight smile, “I noticed Rathe
needed ... food and helped him.”

Rathe chuckled, as if they shared a private joke.
He clarified, “We met in Arizona.”

Suddenly, Mariah straightened. She shot Rathe a
worried look. He urged her onto her feet. “Forgive us,” Rathe said as he rose
to his feet, “we must be on our way.” His eyes darkened, which was scary to
see, when he focused on Rona and David. “Please come with us.” They stood, as
if they had been pulled by strings upright.

 
Candy
protested, “You’ve only arrived. We haven’t had a chance to get to know you
better.” She licked her lips as her gaze wandered along Rathe’s muscular body,
focusing on his crotch.

Glaring at his wife, Jeremy made to tell her to
stop when his daughter and her husband stood. “Sherry?” She ignored him and
took her husband’s hand in hers. They left the club. That’s when he saw the
bouncers watching Rathe and Mariah.

“Sorry, but we have to leave.” Mariah took Rona’s
arm, pulling her closer. “Now!”

“Oh! Let’s go, David.” Roma pulled her husband to
her.

“What the hell?” Candy jumped to her feet,
thrusting her hands onto her hips. “We invited you to come here with us, and
you ditch us? You, snotty bitches! Mariah, you’re the worst! You and your
boyfriend think you’re too good to drink with us, don’t you?” With every word,
Candy’s voice rose, bringing the bouncers together as they watched them.

Jeremy tried to calm her down. “Candy, relax. We
don’t want to get thrown out, do we?”

“You always take that bitch’s side! You never
defend me,” she screamed at him.

“Is there a problem here, folks?” A huge bouncer
asked as he and three others spread out in a defensive line.

Mariah smiled and shook her head. “No, sir.” Her
eyes faintly glowed. “We were just leaving.”

Candy snarled, “Yeah, there’s the problem.” She
pointed at Mariah. “That uppity bitch is ruining our evening!”

Jumping to his feet, Jeremy tried to defuse the
situation. “It’s just a misunderstanding, that’s all. Candy, shut up and
relax,” he growled at her.

She took in a deep breath to scream at him when
the bouncer ordered, “Ma’am, calm your shit down.” To Mariah, he nodded toward
the doors. “You, folks, take off.”

“Thank you.” She pulled Rona and David with her. Rathe
trailed behind them, warily watching the bouncers. Rathe glanced back at him
and his wife. His eyes, cold as the graveyard at midnight, bore into him.

Had he really seen fangs?

Naw, it must
have been the lights
,
Jeremy
decided. There were no such things as vampires.

He realized Candy was screaming at him, calling
him worthless and accusing him of having no balls. Having had this done to him
many times before, he waited for her to tire herself out when he saw the
‘Manager’s’ door open and a man, dressed in a dark, expensive suit, exit it. Wearing
a pleasant smile, the man crossed the dance floor, walking toward them. She
went quiet when the bouncers stepped aside for him.

“Have we a problem here?” He appeared amused,
rather than pissed off at her tantrum.

“Yes, we do. They,” she stabbed a finger at the
bouncers, “let that bitch and her friends leave without apologizing to me for
ruining my evening!”

Taking her hand in his, the man bent and placed a
kiss on her knuckles. When he straightened, he smiled at her. “I am Reggie Maine,
manager of
The Inferno
. Let’s speak privately
in my office, shall we?”

Miffed, she shrugged. “Sure, why not. Jeremy, stay
here,” she ordered as she left with Maine.

The bouncers exchanged knowing grins and left him.
Sitting in his chair, wanting to crawl under the table and hide, he noticed
Mariah had left her coat behind. Grabbing it, he shoved the exit door open and
burst outside, searching for her.

Disheartened to see the SUV gone, he walked a ways
and by chance glanced in the alleyway. He nearly tripped over his feet when he Rathe
had her pressed against the building, her legs wrapped around his hips. His large
hands cupped her ass as he kissed her hungrily. Down her throat, he molded his
lips against her skin. Jeremy stood there, rooted to the spot, unable to move,
astonished to see her so wild and intoxicatingly aroused. When the man drew
back and opened his mouth, fangs flashed in the red neon lights illuminating
the club’s signs.

Not thinking, Jeremy shouted at Rathe, “Get the
hell off Mariah, you monster!”

Rathe snarled at him. Red hot flames rippled in
his dark eyes. Mariah's eyes had changed, glowing eerily as the vampire set her
down on her feet and pushed her behind him.

“Can I help you?” Rathe asked softly, arching his
dark eyebrow.

“Uh,” He held out her coat, hoping she took it so
he could pull her away from the vampire. “Mariah, you left it inside.”

She cautiously stepped around Rathe and reached
for it. “Thank-you.”

When she had a hold of it, Jeremy grabbed her hand,
yanking her toward him. Rathe lunged forward, growling. She stopped Rathe short
when she placed her hand on his chest.

Afraid for her and himself, Jeremy clutched her
hand tight. “Don’t touch him! He’s a freaking vampire!”

Laughter bubbled forth from her, startling him. “Really,
Jeremy, you’ve seen too many horror movies. Vampires don’t exist,” she said,
exchanging an amused smile with Rathe.

Had he just imagined fangs? Shit, was he losing
his mind? Driven mad by the woman he married? Finally cracking under her
nagging and unhappiness?

“I-I thought I saw … never mind.” He glared at Rathe.
“You hurt her, I’ll hunt you down. Understand?”

Unimpressed, Rathe replied, “You’d better see to
your wife, Mr. Waters. She doesn’t seem the type to like being left unattended.”

Frustrated, Jeremy glanced back at the club when a
blast of wind hit him. Turning back to see the cause, he found them gone.

His gut clenched. He knew he
had
seen fangs.

“How did you get involved with vampires, Mariah
Jordan?”

Chapter Twelve

Standing on the rooftop of the building across
The Inferno
, Rathe watched the human, resisting
the sympathy he felt for Jeremy Waters.

She shrugged on her coat. “We need to head back to
my house. Rona and David were pretty shaken-looking when they left.”

He nodded. “Yeah, we’d best. Why didn’t those
ghouls attack us?”

“I ordered them not to.”

“How?”

“Don’t know how, I just did it. God, that was
close though. I thought for sure that crazy bitch’s screaming would have tipped
off the vamp sitting in the Manager’s office.”

“Why did Water choose that nasty creature over you,
I’ll never understand.”

“I’m just glad he did, because I never would have
met you.” She smiled at him as she curved her slender hand along his cheek.

Taking her hand in his, he kissed her palm. “Let’s
go before I finish what I’d started down in the alley.”

“Promises, promises.”

Lifting her into his arms, he flew upward and
headed across the lake. Closer they came to Mariah’s house, he noticed there
was a cabin a good distance from it, set back from the beach.

“Whose cabin is that?”

“That’s my guest house. Why?”

Changing course, he landed on the beach and set
her down.

“Rathe, why are we here? We need to go to the
house.”

“Faeroes says everything is under control. Your
friends arrived safely.” He leaned down to kiss her, denied when she retreated.

“Rathe, we don’t have time for this. Jarrod is on
his way.”

Taking her hands in his, he drew in a deep breath
and let it out unsteadily. “Mariah, you are strong, but in order to fight
Jarrod, you need your full strength. Vampire strength.”

“What are you suggesting?” Her eyes narrowed at
him.

“You need to break the spell completely. He will
not stop until he has you and your daughter. Your souls are at risk.”

She sighed. “Nothing more than concern for my
soul, huh?”

Tenderly, he rubbed his knuckles along her soft
cheek. “You know I care for you.”

“Do you?”

Cupping her face between his hands, he leaned down,
staring into her eyes. “Aye, I do.” Slow, languid, they kissed, giving and
taking.

Drawing back, he led her into the cabin. Inside,
there was a queen-size bed, placed near the rock-faced fireplace. He
concentrated on the firewood set in the fireplace and flames ignited, burning, promptly
warming the cold room. Waving his hand, he lit the white candles set around the
one-room cabin.

Mariah took off her coat, tossing it on a chair. Drew
her gun out of her waistband and set it on the small table. Pulling his shirt
off, he watched her as she watched him as they disrobed. Sliding his fingers
through her silky hair, he seized hold her and gently drew her head backward,
exposing her throat for his exploration. Desire swirled hot and sweet. Molding
his lips along the slim line of her tempting neck, he made his way toward the fluttering
pulse. A little moan escaped her lips. Savage need arose in him, but he clamped
it down, needing to give her one last chance to change her mind, praying she
wouldn’t.

He drew back. “If you want to wait, or do not want
to become a full vampire, we can stop now.”

A serene smile curved her mouth, her beautiful
eyes sparkling in the candlelight. “For the first time in my life, I know who I
am. With you, I am whole. I am vampire.”

Her words sealed their fate.

He swept her into his arms, striding to the awaiting
bed and laid her down. Gazing possessively the pale curves of her luscious
body, he fought to bring the raging fire under control. He almost won until she
reached out and trailed her hand up his thigh and around to his buttock, pulling
him down to her. She growled deep in her throat as her hands urged him on.
Sliding between her shapely legs, Rathe grinned when she gasped as he thrust
inside her. Sinking deeper into her heat, closing his eyes at the rapture of her
soft muscles gripping him, she held him a willing hostage. Building the
friction, enjoying the feel of her surrounding him, fueling his desire. He bent
his head and captured a ripe, rosy nipple, hard and inviting, and suckled her
as she arched into him, meeting his thrusts eagerly.

But it was not enough, not near enough to satisfy
either of them. Tilting her head, she exposed her throat to him. Rathe yanked
her hard to him and sank his fangs into her throat. Hot blood gushed into his
mouth. Her fingers clawed his ass, bringing him harder inside her.

“Mariah, feed.” He extended his fingernail into a
claw and pierced his throat, slashing it.

Without hesitation, she drank his blood. Swelling
harder, he moved, stoking their passion to dangerous heights. Bittersweet
pleasure exploded, and as one, they found release. Sated and winded, he levered
his arms, moving part of his weight off her, startled to see her skin flushed,
beading with sweat. Scrambling to sit, he pulled her across his lap, holding
her close. She screamed. Tears of red blood trickled out the corners of her
tightly squeezed eyelids.

“Stay with me, baby. Focus on me. Open your eyes,
Mariah,” he ordered as her entire body shook violently in his arms. It was as
if the vampire in her was fighting the protection spell.

Who would be the victor? Would she keep her soul?

The medallion grew hot, burning him.

“Ouch!” Taking hold the chain above the medallion,
he watched as the runes shifted, changing until none remained and the black
wolves had completely emerged to stand guard the cross.

Her body went lax in his arms. No sign of life. For
a long, terrible moment, he thought she’d died when she jerked in his arms and
her eyes flew open. She gasped and he saw her fangs had dropped.

Mariah was vampire!

Breathing hard, she wearily dropped her head in
the curve of his shoulder. Her voice was raspy as she said with a small smile, “Well,
at least I won’t have to ever go through that again.”

“Woman, you scared the hell out of me!”

He was about to say more when she kissed him, her
fingers tangling in his hair.
 
Reluctantly,
Rathe pulled back. “Why don’t you try and get some rest while you can.”

Stretching out on her side, she snuggled her
backside against him. He curled protectively around her and held her as she
closed her eyes.

✝✝✝

“Mariah, come to me. If you do not, this is just a
taste of what refusing me feels like!”

Excruciating pain exploded inside her skull. Yanking
out of Rathe’s arms, she fell hard onto the floor, screaming as she clutched
her head. Out of the awful pain, the green-eyed vampire’s voice broke past it.

“
Mariah, do not
look at Rathe. Blank your mind. Protect him and those you love. You have the
power to stop him. You are Aidan’s daughter and have his strength. You are Maria’s
child, and you possess her gift to enter people’s minds. Use them to fight
Jarrod. Strike back!”

Slapping her hands on the floor, she felt her
fangs lengthen as she traced Jarrod through the pain he inflicted on her and
followed it back to his mind. It took her a second to realize she was seeing
through his eyes. He stood in an elegantly-decorated bedroom, beside a pearl-white
coffin, heavy gold trim. Pushing outside his mind, she drew back her fist and imagined
herself punching him hard in the face. To her surprise, Jarrod jetted across
the room. Not wasting time to figure out how she did it, she leapt on top of him
and thrust her hands inside his skull and squeezed his brain.

Jarrod screamed, clutching his head.

“I am not yours,” she yelled at him. “Leave us
alone, or I’ll hunt you down and slay you as should have been years ago!” Withdrawing
her hands, she slammed shut the barriers in her mind, blocking her uncle out. Shocked
at what she’d done, she sensed the other’s return.

Or had he ever left her?

“You are
stronger than I dared hope,”
he said, cautious and impressed.

“Are you my enemy
or an ally?”
she asked,
prepared to deflect another attack.

“Mariah, I am not your enemy. You need to leave the
lake house. I will do my best to deter Jarrod, but he is determined to make you
and Kai Damned. If he succeeds, the humans and the Borne will fall to his new
regime. Resist him!”

With determined resolve, she looked straight at Rathe,
who watched her with shock and wariness. “We must leave here. Now!”

“There’s nowhere left for us to run to anymore. We
must make a stand.”

“Fine. Then you’d better give me a crash course on
how to be a vampire because my uncle is pissed, and he’s coming to make me and
my child pay for defying him!”

“What just happened to you?”

Grim, she told him, except the part of her
guardian angel. She kept quiet on him.

“Damn!” He leapt off the bed. “You already know
about crosses, Holy water, and why we use swords.” They hurried to dress. “Our
greatest weapons lie in training, something which you have little time to learn,
so stick with the gun.” He took her gun, checked the clip, and handed to her.
She placed it at her back and dropped her coat, hiding the gun.

“What about stakes through the heart?” She asked
as he pulled her long hair out of her coat. Smiling her thanks, her heart
skipped a beat when he tenderly brushed his fingertips down her cheek.

“A wooden stake, inlaid with silver, driven
through the heart will slow the demon down, but the head must be parted from
the body to separate the will from the Damned. Fire or Holy water destroys the
body and erases evidence the demon vamp existed.”

“I’ll need a sword.”

“Why?”

“So I can make sure the vamp I kill stays dead,
that’s why.”

“I will protect you.”

Mariah placed her hands on his chest, feeling the
heavy thump-thump of his heart beating under her palms. “Think strategically.
Jarrod will use his vampires to divert you, to separate us. Remember, Damned he
is, but a Slayer Jarrod will always be.”

Rathe stared at her. Finally, he took her hand in
his and led her outside. “We can transform into any creature we want to become.
We have our favorites, something we are akin to. Mine is the wolf. Shape-shifting
is relatively easy. Look into my mind and watch me as I change. What do you
wish to become?”

“Wolf. Is it too difficult for my first time?”

Black eyes glittered with power.
“Follow me.”

He showed her a picture of a reddish-black wolf
with amethyst eyes. Walking her through the process, she could feel her body contorting;
hair grew long and thick on her arms and torso as the woman shifted into wolf. When
she stood on four legs instead of two, she realized she had actually done it, had
really shape-shifted! Taking a step forward, she fell, her tail throwing her
off balance. Shoving her back legs, she stood unsteadily.

Rathe had transformed into an enormous black wolf and
nuzzled her.
“Mariah, your tail is your
balance. Use it to help you walk.”

She took a tentative step forward, then another. Rathe
stayed by her side. Feeling the frozen ground beneath her padded paws, she
sniffed the air, smelling the dry, dusty scent of snow. The wind held
mysterious scents, fascinating her by the newness of it all. She tried to laugh,
the sound came out as a bark and a growl mingled.

Rathe shook his head at her.
“Let’s run.”

After several tries, she managed to run without
tripping. They loped down the sandy beach, enjoying the cold, crisp air. She nipped
playfully at Rathe, who jumped out of the way. As they rounded the corner, the lake
house came into view. Yellow lights shone brightly through the wide windows. Rathe
stopped and looked at her.

“Follow me as I shift back to human form.”

She did as he instructed, and they shifted back
into their natural state. Rathe drew her to him as his warm mouth swooped down,
claiming hers in a knee-weakening kiss.

Reluctant to end the delicious kiss, she drew back.
“We’d better head inside and make plans what we should do next.”

Sighing, he agreed. “Jarrod won’t be coming alone either.”

As they neared the house, the dogs raced toward
them. Bear wiggled joyfully around her, demanding she pet him. Mariah went down
on her knees to hug him. She laughed as her wolf exposed her white teeth in her
version of a grin. Shooing the dogs off, she took Rathe’s hand in hers,
following them back to the house. Enjoying the quiet stillness, giant
snowflakes fell in earnest, blanketing the pine-needle strewn ground.

Rathe was reaching for the doorknob when the door
swung wide open. Kai squealed, hugging her tight. “We've been waiting hours and
hours for you, two, to get here,” her daughter said with all the drama only a
teen could create. Before she could say a word, her daughter asked, “Mom, is it
true? Are we vampires, only like sleepers?”

“Actually, we are Dhampir.” Leading her daughter
inside the house, she told her, “Your grandfather, Aidan Draco, was a Borne and
your grandmother, Maria, was human.”

“Mom, did we inherit our gifts from them?”

“Yes, sweetie, we did.”

 
“Did you
decide to become a full vampire?”

“Yes, so I can protect you. But you have the
choice to stay human, if you want.”

“Hmm, I’ll have to think about that one.” Kai put
her arms around, and she held her daughter tight.

David and Rona were chatting with the mysterious
Anya until they saw them. Rona gave Mariah an arched glare. “Woman, out with
it! What the hell happened at
The Inferno
?”

“The bouncers were ghouls, day guardians for the
Damned. Candy’s tantrum was attracting them to us and … and there was a vampire
in the office next to dance floor. We couldn’t let him know we were there. The
Damned think Rathe is dead, and we need to keep it that way for as long as we
can.”