Whisper to Me (Borne Vampires Book 1) (18 page)

“A vampire like you?”

“No, he’s not like us.” She dropped her fangs,
like Tereza, Anya, Simon, Faeroes, Mina, and Rathe. “We have souls. The Damned
don’t.”

Instead of fear, Rona grinned. “Way cool! Okay,
so, you are a Borne, and the bastards who attacked Kai were the Damned?”

“Vampires attacked Kai?” Upset, she demanded of her
kid, “Why didn’t you call me?”

“Because,” Kai explained patiently, “that’s what
they wanted. I was the bait, Mom. Jarrod is mad. Really mad. He’ll never stop
hunting us until he has us and makes us like him.”

Concerned, Anya told Faeroes, “We must leave
here.”

“I know, my love. But honestly, I have no idea
where would be a safe place for us to hide. Our enemy has established he has
connections everywhere.” He appeared as worried as his wife. “Rathe, do we
leave or fight?”

“We kill them all. I’m done running. Jarrod wants a
fight, let’s give it to him.”

“Can we make our stand here?”

“We have the advantage of three telepaths and
three Slayers.” The finality in his steely gaze and the determined set of his
jaw, she knew Rathe was done running.

Anya corrected him, “Five Slayers.” She gave her
husband a cool look, and he nodded, pride shining in his eyes.

“Yes, five Slayers.” Rathe winked at his mother, who
rolled her eyes at him. Mina grinned.

Worried, Mariah asked,
“Rathe, will we be able to return to our old
lives?”

“Life as you and
Kai knew it is over. The world, as we know it, will change when we declare war
on the Damned.”

Rathe said to David and Rona, “I entrust you to
guard Kai and Lydia while we sleep. Beware of the ghouls. They do their
master’s bidding. You can tell what they are by their foul smell and blood-shot
eyes. Trust Kai and Lydia, they’ll know who is friend or foe. Everyone, seek
rest. At the next rising, we will surely meet our enemies.”

Just then the front door opened, Lydia and Simon
entered the house. Lydia grinned when she saw her. “Well, I guess our adventure
is ongoing, huh?”

“Sure is.” A chill swept through her and she held
her daughter tighter. “Kai, I love you.”

“I love you, too, Mom.”

“Sweetie, would you show Lydia to one of the guest
rooms?”

“Sure.”

“David, set the house alarms and do not invite
anyone into the house.”

“Don't worry, Mom, we'll be fine. I love you.” Kai
hugged her before hugging Rathe, surprising him. “Goodnight, everyone.” She
waved at Lydia, “This way to the guest rooms.”

Mariah watched the girls walk upstairs before she
left the house after Rathe and his family. David closed the door behind her, the
sound of the deadbolt locking audible. Rathe’s family had already made their
graves and they turned and floated down into them. Anya was in Faeroes’s arms,
Mina in her mother’s. Simon winked at her before he disappeared into his grave.
As one, dirt covered them.

Rathe asked her, “Ready?”

When she nodded hesitantly, he leaned down and
kissed her, maneuvering her until their bodies completely touched. With a sweep
of his hand, the earth opened and a grave was made. He held her tight as they
floated down in the dark soil, cradling her to his rock hard body. As much as
it felt right to be with him, fear choked her at being buried alive.

“Relax, Mariah. Sleep in my arms. Sleep.”

Giving into his ‘will’, she closed her eyes.

✝✝✝

Panting hard at the vicious attack upon him, Jarrod
realized Mariah was gone. “Son-of-a-bitch!”

How did she break the spell binding the vampire
inside her? Who exchanged blood with her? Anger boiled and festered in a mind
already consumed with revenge and destruction.

Denied, denied, denied!

She was a vampire now — a vampire who had full
possession of her precious soul!

“Bitch, I’ll make you pay! I will force you to watch
me suck your precious daughter dry and then I’ll fill her with my blood. I will
let her rip out your throat and let her feed off you. Afterwards, you will
submit to my every pleasure and plead for mercy as I defile you and your
darling brat,” he screamed, his chest heaving as rage consumed him.

A call rang on his bodyguard's cell phone,
diverting his red-hazed glare to fix on the ghoul. The burly man answered it,
watching him warily. “My lord, it's for you.”

Snatching the phone, Jarrod snapped at the caller,
“What?”

“Hey boss, it's me, Reggie, in Coeur d'Alene, Idaho.
I received a fax of the woman you're searching for. Good news. My bouncers told
me she was here. Want her brought back to
The
Inferno
?”

Vengeance could still be had. “No. Let her think
she is safe. Well done, Reggie. I shall personally reward you when I arrive in
good ole' Idaho.”

“Uh, my lord, I cannot in good faith accept such a
gift,” there was a hitch of fear in Reggie’s voice.

“You have the girl I sent you to retrieve, do you
not?”

“Well, um, boss, you see there’s a problem with
the girl.”

“What kind of problem?”

“The men I sent to bring Kai Jordan here … well, they
haven’t returned yet. Not answering their cell phones either. I’m on my way to
check out the situation.”

Pinching the bridge of his nose, Jarrod struggled
not to crush the phone in his hand. “Do not bother. They’re dead.”

“How? There’s been no Slayers or hunters here since
we took control of Idaho, Washington, and Montana.”

“Who else could dispatch our men, Reggie?”

“It’s Faeroes and Anya Romulas, isn’t it?” Reggie
didn’t hide his terror this time.

“It appears so. How many vamps have you and your
people made so far?”

“A hundred. I put them on the plane, at dusk, as
you ordered.”

“What?” Cold shock hit Jarrod.

“I-I received your orders to send them to you.”

“You said the orders came from me?”

“Yes, my lord. By fax. Did I make a mistake?”
Reggie’s voice trembled.

“How many of my children have you kept with you?”

“If the Slayers killed those I sent to bring the
kid in, I have only nine, and they’re in Spokane.”

“Nine?”

“The rest were sent to you, my lord, to San
Francisco. As was requested,” Reggie replied nervously.

“Did the fax say
why
I wanted my children here?” Jarrod asked,
his fury barely held in check.

“You … I mean the fax said you were preparing for
war and wanted them with you.”

If they were on their way, why hadn’t they
arrived?

“Reggie, hold back and stay out of the Slayers’
way. I’m flying out immediately and will bring men with me. We’ve Slayers to
destroy.”

“Yes, my lord.”

Jarrod tossed the cell phone back to his
bodyguard. “Prepare my jet. We leave in an hour. Find Alexander and bring him
to me.”

“My lord,” the bigger of the two bodyguards said,
“do you want us to investigate where the new recruits are?”

“Yes. I—” Jarrod stopped when the door to his bedroom
opened and a young vampire named Warren hurried toward him and fell to his
knees, bowing his head.

“My lord, Alexander called and told me to tell you
the planes carrying our recruits have crashed.”

Jarrod roared, throwing his coffin across the room.
Clenching his fists, he stopped when the young vampire’s words sunk in. “Planes?
Only one was coming in from Idaho. Where was the other from?”

“Oregon, my lord. Alexander is at the Oregon
wreckage, my lord.”

“How did he know?”

“When we’d awaken, he went to fax Mariah Jordan’s
picture to our clubs in Idaho and found the orders to send the recruits still
in the fax machine. He called to divert them, but it was too late. They were
already down.”

“Why am I only being told now?”

“I do not know, my lord. I’ve only received his
phone call a moment ago, confirming the crashes. Perhaps it took Alexander time
to find their location?”

“Call Alexander and tell him I want the traitor found
and brought to me, in Idaho. Tell him I am on my way to claim my brides. Warn
him that nothing else had better happen in my absence, or I will be forced to
find another second-in-command!”

“Uh, my lord, you-you—” Warren pressed his face to
the floor.

“Me what?” he roared, his patience gone.

“You can’t take the jet. Alexander has it. I-I
will call him and tell him to send it back.”

“Shit,” Jarrod screamed, his glamour slipped.
Throwing open the balcony doors, he went outside. Grasping the railing, he
squeezed, twisting the metal as if it were tissue paper.

“Do it, Warren, and make certain he does so with all
speed!”

Chapter Thirteen

Blind. Cold. Unable to move.

Where am I?

It came crashing back on her.

Buried alive!

Opening her mouth to scream, Mariah inhaled clumps
of cold, gritty dirt. Lungs burned, suffocating from no air, and the weight of
the dirt pressing down on her, she was dying. Just as she was about to give up,
the dirt erupted off her, and she felt someone grab hold of her jacket, yanking
her out of the grave.

“Breathe, baby, breathe!” Rathe pounded on her
back as she coughed, spitting out dirt.

Struggling to draw in clean air, she shoved him away
and tried to stand on her own, collapsing onto her knees. Hands braced on the
cold ground, the crunch of Rathe’s boots as he walked was like broken glass
grinding in a blender to her ears.

Hunger slammed her with a savagery she’d never
knew could exist. Closing her eyes, clutching her stomach, she saw the red-eyed
monster that had haunted her nightmares. Roaring its hunger, it suddenly
stopped and like a beast scenting fresh meat, it forced her to see the vein pulsing
in Rathe’s neck. It whispered to her that she needed to feed, to rip out Rathe’s
throat, and drink the life-giving blood — to feel his death as his heart
sputtered and ceased to beat.

Snarling at Rathe when he raised his hand, she
warily watched him as he swept it past her face and body. The dirt covering her
vanished. She rose to her feet, could feel her fangs dropping. Accessing how to
strike him and feed on him, she didn’t have time to react when Rathe took her
by the shoulders, forcing her to look into his eyes.

“Mariah, ignore the beast inside you. Control the
demon.” Slowly and cautiously, he offered her his wrist. “Drink my blood and
ease some of your hunger until we can find you a donor.”

Grabbing his hand and wrist, she sank her fangs into
his flesh, suckling the hot nourishment as fast as she could draw in his blood.
When he pulled back, her first impulse was to clamp down harder, but she
slapped down the feeling, allowing him his freedom.

Wiping her mouth with the back of her shaky hand,
she sat down on the ground. “Why do I want to kill?”

“It’s the demon inside us. It attacks us when we
are weak, hungry, or if the bloodlust is upon us when we battle, or are aroused,”
he replied with a rueful smile.

“Is this why the Borne were condemned? Because of
this-this blood rage?”

“Yes. It’s one of the signs to watch for. When the
demon inside rises and those not taught to recognize it will succumb to the
feeding frenzy and hurt someone.”

Glaring at him, she pushed to her feet, slapping
off his hands when he tried to hold her. “A warning would have been nice!
Waking up choking on dirt and then this … that was a total dick move on your
part!”

“Forgive me. I thought you had met and controlled
the demon when you survived the Change.”

“Where were you?” Feeling stronger, she walked
unsteadily to the lake and scooped water into her mouth, rinsing out the dirt
and blood taste.

“I wanted to scout around before you woke, to make
sure it was safe.”

“Are we?”

“So far, yes.” Lord, he looked so damn upset, she
couldn’t stay angry.

“I’m fine, Rathe. I’m in control and the demon, or
whatever, is gone.”

He reached out his hand and tucked a lock of her
hair behind her ear. “It’ll become easier in time.”

She leaned to kiss him. Loving the way he opened
his mouth and hos his velvety-rough tongue felt, she felt his arms draw her
into his embrace. In his arms, she began to feel better, healing inside and
out. From behind them, the girls' laughter broke them apart.

“Mom, you and Rathe are not supposed to be fooling
around.”

Mina giggled, hiding her smile behind her gloved
hands, while Kai grinned at them. They screamed, running away when Rathe chased
after them. Mariah laughed as they squealed in delight when he effortlessly
grabbed them, carrying one under each powerful arm. Simon and Lydia were walking
toward them, holding hands. They looked so much in love. Anya shook her head,
grinning when Rathe passed Mina to Faeroes, who tossed her effortlessly in the
air. Tereza slipped her arm through Anya’s, smiling at them. In awe of seeing a
family of Slayers, strong and deadly, who had survived vampires and hunters, and
still they could laugh and love after all they have endured and lost.

Flash of headlights distracted her as a car drove
down the long driveway. “Rathe, we have company.” Seeing the driver, she
groaned. “Crap. It’s Jeremy.”

“Mom, be careful.” Kai wasn’t worried — she was
scared!

Jeremy parked behind their cars and was getting
out of his. She glanced back at Rathe and his family. Their fierce, glowing
eyes should have given Jeremy pause, but he kept coming toward her.

“Mariah, I’m here to take you with me.” Unaware or
just too stubborn, or stupid, to see the danger, Jeremy reached out to take her
hand.

Rathe was in front of her and shoved him, sending
Jeremy flying backward onto the ground. “Do not touch her!”

On his feet, Jeremy implored to her, “You have to
leave here.” He jabbed a finger at Rathe. “Candy heard he’s wanted for a drug
deal gone bad. They're coming to kill him. I'll take you and Kai away, hide you
somewhere safe.” Jeremy scrambled back when Rathe took a threatening step
toward him.

“Mariah,” Jeremy implored, “come with me. God,
woman, don’t you understand that I am risking my neck to help you?” When she
refused, he shouted at Rathe, “You son-of-a-bitch! She’s gonna die because of
you.”

Pissed, Rathe grabbed a fistful Jeremy’s shirt and
lifted him completely off the ground. Jeremy yelled, “Let me go, you bastard!”
Trying to break the hold on him, he screamed when Rathe snarled in his face,
fangs long. “What are you?”

She smiled, a humorless one. “I believe you have
already guessed
what
we are.” He
stared, horrified, as she lengthened her fangs before him. “You need to decide
which side you’re on. Ours or our enemies?” She arched her eyebrow in question
at him.

“Are you going to kill me?”

Rathe replied, “It depends, human,
if
you prove useful to us. Have you
heard if a man named Jarrod has arrived at
The
Inferno
?”

“I-I haven’t heard his name before. Is he
important?”

“Have you anything you wish to share with me?” She
asked softly, boring into his mind, searching if he’d seen Jarrod yet. His mind
was a rabbit hole of guilt and helpless anger, she had to pull out or be sucked
into his self-pity.

Jeremy broke out into a sweat. “Do-do you want me
to call Candy and see if she has heard anything?”

“No, I think it wise if you left us. Return here
and
I’ll
kill you.” Jeremy had sold
her out, knew it by the way he kept licking his lips nervously. “Rathe, send
him on his way.”

Rathe threw Jeremy and he hit car. “You heard her.
Leave.”

Faeroes and Anya pulled out their guns, checking
their ammo. Jeremy struggled to open the car door, finally got in, and sped
backward down the driveway, dust and gravel spewing in his wake.

“Well,” Rathe said grimly, “I guess we leave.
Faeroes—”

“Can you feel it?” she interrupted him.
“Something’s wrong.” Listening to the sounds of the forest, she realized it had
gone quiet. She shot a quick look at her daughter, who was holding Salish and
Bear’s collars. The fear in her child’s eyes had her grabbing Rathe's arm. The
smell of rotting corpses hit her.

She shouted, “We have company!”

“Run!” Rathe yelled, drawing his gun.

Anya took Lydia and Mina by the arm, who grabbed
Kai, dragging them back to the house. The dogs ran after them. Simon and Faeroes
stood beside Rathe, shooting the vampires as they dropped out of the trees.
When the vamps turned and ran away, they drew swords and gave chase. Drawing
her gun and held it ready to fire, Mariah heard the laughter echoing out of the
woods, opposite direction where Rathe and his brothers went.

A trap!

Shadows shifted, solidifying into vampires. Rows of
sharp teeth snapping, drooling, their faces gray masks of pure evil, they
advanced upon her. Fifteen men formed a scrimmage, placing themselves in front of
the cars.

Hearing the front door open, she saw David holding
a kitchen knife in his hand. “Get your ass in the house! The Damned cannot
enter without permission!”

Tereza pushed David inside. “I’ll make sure the
house is secured.”

“I’ll stand with Mariah,” Anya said as she
rejoined her, a gun in her hand.

Reaching out to Rathe, Mariah told him,
“Rathe, get your ass back here! Those you chased
are decoys.”

“Son-of-a-bitch,
we’re surrounded. Mariah, run!”

The advancing vampires snarled, their eyes glowed
red and were fixed on her and Anya.

“Anya, you wouldn’t happen to have your sword
handy, do you?”

“Nope. It’s in the trunk. Right where I put it
before we went to ground.”

“Crap.”

“Yep. Have you a full clip?”

“Nope.”

“Shit. We are so screwed.”

Before she could respond, a tall silhouette loomed
behind the vampires. One of them turned. “Why are you—”

Broadsword in his hand
rose, the newcomer chopped off the vampire’s head. The others stared as the
head rolled past them. Before they could react, he was a blur, slashing and
chopping the vampires’ heads off. The screams were deafening! Stunned, she
watched the last vamp’s head fly. As the tall man surveyed his handy work, he
turned and stepped out of the shadows. His incredibly handsome face pulled into
a fearsome scowl as he cleaned his sword on the coat of the dead vamp at his
feet.

“I know you!”

Emerald eyes ablaze, he said to her, his accent
British, not German, “Mariah, do you see the cabin? See how to get there?”

Confused by the different accent, she didn’t have
time to dwell on it because in her mind she saw a log cabin, high in the
mountains. “Yes. I see it.

“Go there and do not return until I tell you it is
safe to do so.”

“Where is Jarrod? Is he here?”

“I’ve delayed him in Portland. Run!” He was gone.

Anya demanded, “Who the hell was he?”

She laughed a little nervously. “Uh, he would be my
guardian angel.”

Anya’s eyes glittered, and she seemed to be
concentrating. For a moment, Mariah felt a nudge, as if someone was trying to get
into her mind. Anya was trying to read her! She figured she had two choices;
either confront her or ignore her. Fortunately, Rathe and his brothers had
returned.

Staring at the corpses littering her driveway and
front yard, he asked, “Did you and Anya kill them?”

Scowling, Anya answered him, “No, we were saved by
a vampire I’ve never seen before. He slaughtered them and left. Mariah says
he’s
her guardian angel.”

Rathe approached Mariah. “Was he the one you saw
in your dreams?”

“Yes. He said to run because Jarrod is almost here.
Showed me a safe place for us to hide.”

Frowning, he said to his brothers, “Faeroes,
Simon, dust the bodies. Anya, make sure everyone in the house is okay.”

Giving her a hard look, Anya went inside.

“Rathe, why didn’t he stay? What is his game?”

“I don’t know. Was he one of the Damned?”

Frowning, she shook her head. “I couldn’t tell.
The vamps attacking us knew him. They were definitely surprised when he started
killing them.”

“He’s not the only surprise tonight. I thought Jeremy
was in love with you. To set us up like he did, he’s proven he’s as vicious as
his wife.”

“I know.” Her gut twisted, burned as the imaginary
knife of Jeremy’s betrayal — again.

Jamming his hands in his coat pockets, Rathe drew
in a ragged breath and let it out slowly. “I don’t trust the vampire who did
this.” He indicated the bodies as Faeroes and Simon sprinkled Holy water on them,
the corpses burst into flames. “Why did he leave you?” Shaking his head, his
face hardened. “He hides, but why? What has he to fear meeting me and my brothers?
Who is he?”

“Do you think he’s like Jarrod and believes he can
use me to gain power?”

“I don’t know. Until we can speak to him about it,
I consider him an enemy. If he proves otherwise, great; if not, he dies with
the rest of the Damned.”

“Should I take our families to the cabin?”

“No. It could be a trap.” They watched everyone
file out of the house. He said to David, “David, I want you to take your wife,
Kai, and Lydia and get out of here.” Simon made to protest, Rathe stopped him.
“Lydia is telepathic. She can keep them safe. You, Faeroes, and I are heading
to
The Inferno
.”

Tereza asked, holding Mina’s hand, “Shall we
leave, too?”

“Yes. You, Mariah, Mina, and Anya, fly out of
here. Head north. Once Jarrod is dead, and we’ve taken care of his minions,
we’ll find you.”

As he went with Faeroes and Simon to the car,
preparing to hunt the Damned, she felt Anya return to stand beside her. “Anya,
I cannot tell you whether or not the vampire who helped us is an enemy or
friend. All I know is he saved my life when the vampire hunters killed my real mother.
He has saved me numerous times since. I don’t feel he is evil. There is nothing
in his mind like Jarrod’s.”

Softening her defensive stance, Anya holstered her
gun. “I did not sense anything evil either about him. Strange thing is, I
recognized him. I just can’t place where I’ve seen him before.”

“Damn, he was sure handsome, wasn’t he?”

“Indeed he was. The Romulas men are gorgeous, but
that man went beyond. Those green eyes … wow!”

Faeroes neared them and wore a puzzled frown. “Who
are you speaking of?”

“No one, my love.” Anya wore a secretive smile,
making Mariah cough, hiding her laugh at Faeroes’s confusion.