Whisper to Me (Borne Vampires Book 1) (26 page)

“Abomination! Men, kill this-this thing!”

Before she could pull her gun to defend herself, Simon
pulled her back out of the way as Alexander and Faeroes pressed the tips of
their blades to bodyguards’ hearts. Rathe had Fredrick by the throat, lifting
him off the ground as he snarled in his face.

Fangs long, eyes blazing, Rathe tossed Fredrick
away. “Mariah is not an abomination! I warn you only once — try to harm her, I
will kill you.”

On his feet, jerking his suit straight, Fredrick glared
at him. “You just signed your death warrant, Romulas.” He and his men
disappeared.

Faeroes was the first to speak. “Well, I guess we
just declared war.” His dry humor won him a lethal glare from Rathe.

Scowling, Alexander laid his sword on his
shoulder. “Why are we allowing Fredrick and his men to leave?”

“What do you suggest we do with them?” Rathe asked
him.

“Kill them,” he stated bluntly. “Silence Fredrick
and you may have your chance to speak with the Elders without dying first.”

“No, we will allow him to return to Julius and
convey our intent.”

“He called Mariah an abomination! Hell, Fredrick
would have killed her right here, in front of us, if we hadn’t stopped him. How
can you allow him to still live for that?”

Shaken at how much Fredrick hated her, she
flinched when Rathe tried to touch her. “You were right. To the Borne, I am
less than the undead.”

“Not to me. Not to them.” He pointed at the
vampires, who nodded their agreement.

Alexander glared at him. “Fredrick will tell the
Elders about her. They’ll send the Enforcers to kill Mariah and Kai. We have to
stop them first.”

“Alexander, I know how you feel, but to make
changes, we must attempt a peaceful talk with the Elders. If it fails, we’ll
take direct action next.”

Alexander gave him a puzzled frown, but stayed
silent.

In her chest lay a dead weight, as if her heart
had turned to stone as she saw only death and destruction in their future. “Rathe,
you can’t go to New York. It’s a trap.”

Tucking a wayward curl behind her ear, he said
quietly, “I know it is.”

“Why are you going then?”

“Because we need to force the Elders to show the
Borne how far their duplicity has gone. How they made pacts with monsters at
the cost of our children’s souls and lives.”

Staring out at the ocean, she heard him say to the
others, “I suggest you use tonight to carefully think over if you want to stay
and fight with us. I’ll not think you cowards if you want to leave and fight
another day.” She gasped when Rathe swept her into his arms. “Excuse us, but I
need to speak privately with Mariah.” And he jumped off the cliff with her.

✝✝✝

He had only one thought in mind as he flew to the
hidden cove. Landing on the sand, Mariah clung to him as he claimed her lips,
savagely kissing her. Their clothes melted away and he laid her down on them.
She gasped when he left her soft lips and molded his along the slender column
of her throat. His hands roamed freely over her body. He bent to claim a ripe
bud, suckling deep, releasing it. Turning, he paid the same attention to her
other breast before working his way down the flat of her stomach.

Shivering with anticipation as he pushed her
thighs apart, Mariah moaned, burying her fingers in his hair as her hips moved
in time with his thrusting tongue. When she hovered close to climaxing, he rose
above her and plunged deep inside her. Groaning as her silken muscles
reflectively tightened around him, driving Rathe to a furious pace. He heard a
soft growl emanate from her, surprised when she rolled him onto his back. Her
beautiful amethyst eyes glowed fiercely in the dark, her teeth long with the
intensity of her emotions. Her tight sheath held him as her hot mouth trailed
down his throat. Her sharp teeth scrapped his skin, he kept hoping she would
her sink her fangs into him and feed on him, but she didn’t. He growled in
frustration.

Her hips rocked in a hypnotic rhythm as her hands
pinned his shoulders down as she had her way with him. Grasping her narrow
waist in a bruising grip, he held her tight as he lifted his hips off the
ground and drove inside her, grinning as she wildly tossed her head back, her long
hair spilling over his thighs, heightening his senses to overload. They became
one power and all fury, joining the storm in their passion. A strangled cry escaped
her as she shuddered from the cataclysmic pleasure as she found her release. Shouting
his to the thunder, a flash of white lightening ran jagged across the dark sky.

Mariah collapsed on his chest, laughing. “It
appears we did it again. We’re never going to hear the end of it when we return
to the mansion.” She jumped to her feet. “I want to swim!”

“After you.”

They ran to the sea, diving into the foam-curled
waves, the cool water revitalizing their worn out spirits. He swam alongside
her, fascinated how the moonlight cast her skin in marble and shadows. Catching
her to him, she threw her arms around his neck and playfully nipped at his neck
as she wrapped her legs around his waist. Trusting him to keep her afloat, she
leaned back in his arms. Water swirled, caressing her full breasts, nipples
dusky and ripe.

Wanting her again, she smiled at him as she curled
one arm around his neck and reached her hand down between them and grasped him.
Using the muscles of her thighs, she rose above him and impaled herself on his
erection. Her slick, hot sheath slid over him. She gripped his shoulders and
rode him. Teeth lengthening with the force of her desire, she sank her teeth
into the thin skin of his throat.

Mind and body focused on her as she set the wild
pace and suckled his blood, he was a helpless prisoner, held in the throes of
their passion. Throwing his head back, he shouted as she gasped, climaxing with
him. Rathe found his legs were shaking as he carried her out of the water and
set her down on their clothes. He saw her eyes glisten before she looked away.

Pulling her into his arms, he whispered, “Don’t
worry. The Elders will not be so bold to harm me openly. It's against their
political souls.”

Pressure built inside him, the desire to tell her
how he felt when she was near him, how she made him smile, how she shattered
his world when she touched him, kissed him, made love with him. But he stifled
it, building the wall in his mind, hardening his heart. If he were killed, she
could move on, as long as she didn’t know how much he cared for her. How much
he.… He stopped himself from uttering those binding words, denying his feelings
so she may live when he was gone.

The rest of the night they held each other, gazing
at the sea, trying not to think what the next rising might bring them. When the
dawn broke the darkness, they dressed. Rathe lifted her in his arms and flew
back to the mansion. The others had already gone to ground, except for
Alexander, who was waiting for them.

“Did we get a little carried away?” He raised an
eyebrow at her.

“Rathe’s fault.” She thumbed at him.

He grinned. “What can I say? She brings out the
worst in me?”

Chuckling, Alexander said, “Her mother did the
same to her father.”

“I personally think we bring out the best in you,
men!”

“Yes, yes, you do,” he said with a small smile. “Without
you and Kai, I would not have had the strength to fight back the darkness and
would have truly become Damned.”

“The same goes for me, Mariah.” Rathe took her
hand in his. “You’ve given us reason to live. A reason to fight for.”

“Then do me a favor.”

“What’s that?”

“Don’t die!”

Chapter Seventeen

At the next rising, Mariah asked Anya, when she leaned
against the car beside her, “What’s your thought on them leaving for New York?”

Lydia answered before Anya could, “Personally, I
think it sucks.”

“I agree,” Anya growled. “This whole thing sucks.”

Like-minded, she kept silent when Rathe approached.
Anya and Lydia left. Sensual and powerful, dressed in tight jeans and a black
t-shirt, he wore a heavy leather coat, his sword strapped to his back. His
breathtaking features were fierce, determination in his eyes when he placed his
hands on the car hood, beside her hips, as he leaned into her.

“You will stay close to Alexander. If something
should go wrong, he will take you and Kai to safety. Behave while I’m gone. Please?”
Leveling his gaze so she couldn’t look away, he waited for her to reply.

Holding back her tears, she refused to shed them. “I
will do as you ask,” she was barely able to whisper. He yanked her to him,
holding her tight as he buried his face in her hair as she held onto him.

“Rathe, please stay alive.”

“Watch for our enemy. They might try to take you
and force my hand. Julius is a clever bastard.”
He kissed her. Before she could respond, he vanished. But he left
something behind. Somehow, he had slipped his necklace over her head. The light
of the moon caught the silver crucifix.

“Anya,” she called out as she jumped off the car.
She said she would stick with Alexander and behave — she didn’t promise to stay
out of trouble!

“Yes?”

“How good is their hearing?”

Giving her a questioning look, she arched her
eyebrow at her. Mariah grinned. Anya slowly nodded as she understood the real
question. “Has he blocked you?”

Testing their connection, she found she couldn’t
break into Rathe’s mind. “Yep. Faeroes?”

“Yep.”
 

“You know what I want to do, don’t you?”

“Oh, yeah, and I am in total agreement.”

“Quietly get them ready.”

Anya grinned as she left to organize the vampires.
Mariah went to Rand and Alexander. “Gentlemen, I need your help.”

“Mariah?” Alexander left his question unspoken.

“Yes.”

Grinning, he grabbed Rand’s arm. “Come on, we’re
about to put your hacking skills to the test.”

Hearing Kai and Mina arguing with Anya, she went
to find out what was going on. “What’s the problem here?”

“They want to fight,” Anya told her. “I think
they’re too young.”

Seeing the girls’ determination, she knew they
would find a way to follow them, if they were told to stay behind. “Let them.
We’re all in this now. Do we have swords for them?”

A young man from Alexander's group came forward. “We
brought extras. Do you wish me to show Kai how to use one?”

“Zane,” Alexander frowned at him. “I’ll teach her.
We need dark clothes for Rand’s people. See to it.”

“Yes, sir.”

Anya and Mariah exchanged an amused look, which
Alexander ignored. “Let’s ready, shall we?”

Boots laced, sword strapped to their backs, a gun holstered
at their hips, Mariah braided her hair while Kai and Mina did their own. Anya
brought Kai a cross, slipping it over her head.

“Never take it off, especially when you are
hunting the Damned.”

“I won’t. I promise.”

“How long will it take for them to reach New York?”
she asked Alexander when he returned.

“Three days, if they fly as men.” His cell phone
rang. Stepping away, he answered it. After a minute, he hung up and replaced it
in his coat. His face warned her there was trouble. “Mariah, we have to leave
now!”

“Who was that?”

“A friend of mine. He says an anonymous party has
issued a bounty for the Romulas brothers — dead is the requirement. Five
million dollars each. Every hunter in the USA is searching for them as we
speak!”

“Son-of-a-bitch! The Elders are smarter than Rathe
gave them credit.”

“How’s that?”

“By using the vampire hunters to do their dirty
work, the Elders can keep their hands clean of the Romulas brothers’ blood.
Humans killed them. They’ll order the Enforcers to kill the vampire hunters,
and it’s all covered up.” She rubbed her knuckles, worried. “We need to get
ahead of Rathe and his brothers, to protect them.”

Rand suggested, “Let’s take a plane. It’ll get us
there faster.”

“Plane is an excellent idea. Can you locate us
one?”

“Sure. Let me call a friend of mine at the
airport.”

Alexander ordered to the vampires, “Everyone,
swords off, guns stay on. We’re flying the old-fashioned way.”

Unbuckling her sword, she and the others placed
them in a pile. Alexander issued three men in charge of putting them in duffle
bags and bringing them with them. While Rand chartered them a plane, she went
to her car, grabbing her cell phone and their coats. Tossing Mina and Kai’s
theirs, she slipped hers on. She saw Lydia was worried. Not wanting to upset
the girl, she entered her mind. Lydia was scared she would give away what they
were planning to Simon.

“Lydia, I need you to stay here.”

“Shouldn’t I go, too?”

“You have to be our alibi. If Simon inquires what’s
happening here, you can honestly say you’re holding down the fort.”

Lydia nodded in relief. “Yes, that would be a good
idea, huh? I never was a good liar.”

Lizzy volunteered to stay with her. “Just in case
others might have had a change of heart and show up here. Don’t want them to
think they are still alone.” Several other vampires volunteered to stay with
them, to protect them.

“Be careful, in case the Enforcers come.”

“We’ll be ready, if they do.” Lizzy put her hand
on the butt of her holstered gun.

Rand called out, “Okay, folks, we’ve a plane
fueling and nearly ready to fly out.”

“Outstanding. Let’s head down to the airport,
shall we?”

Kai took Alexander's hand, startling him. Mina
took Anya’s.

“Let's fly!”

They landed outside the airport lights and walked
to the plane, alert for any signs of danger. The plane's engines were humming.
A stewardess stood next to the boarding stairs. She seemed nervous, but was a
true professional as she cheerfully greeted them.

“Welcome. Let’s board, shall we?”

“You heard her. All aboard,” Rand announced
cheerfully.

Vampires using
airplanes
, Mariah thought, shaking her head at the idea. They were just
breaking all the legends and tales associated with vampires, weren’t they?

Inside the plane, she saw the pilot peek out of the
cockpit, his eyes grew round and big. “Hey, man, you didn't tell me I was
flying the Mob.”

Rand ordered, “Just fly, man. We’re on a tight
schedule.”

“Yes, sir.”

The plane’s powerful engines' whine increased as
it taxied onto the airstrip. It dawned on her as the plane positioned to take
off, never could she return to her life as a romance writer. Never again would
she know a life without guns, swords, Holy water, and blood. Her daughter was
now condemned to it, too.

Staring out the window, she tried not to cry, mourning
the passing of a life she loved. Feeling the sweep of an imaginary hand down
her hair, she knew it was Rathe trying to comfort her. She realized it really
wasn’t the end of her life as she knew it.

It was the beginning of a new one.

Accelerating, the plane sped down the runway, slowly
rising into the sky. Watching the vampires’ reaction, she almost laughed as
they found the thrill of flying in an airplane amazing — at first. An hour
later, the fun wore off and the ride became confining and boring, even for her.

They flew throughout the night. Alexander scanned
ahead, keeping their plane off the radar and out of the way of other planes. When
dawn was roughly an hour away, he conversed with the pilot. It was decided that
Richmond, Indiana would be a good place for them to land for the day.

 
Once they
were safely on the ground and the plane parked next to a private hanger,
Alexander summoned the fog. Surrounding the plane and its occupants, it
shielded them from prying eyes.

“We go to ground out in the airfield,” he ordered.
Personally taking care of the pilots and the stewardess, hypnotizing them, he
drank their blood, ensuring contact with them. To the humans, he commanded, “Return
to the plane and sleep. One hour before sunset, have the plane readied to fly
to New York City.”

Alexander escorted her and the girls out to the airfield.
After the girls were in the ground, she nervously made a grave for herself. He
helped her.

“Rest, Mariah. We will be in enemy territory soon,
and you’ll need every bit of your strength you can muster to fight them.”

Drawing in a deep breath, she let it out slowly as
she floated down into the welcoming soil. Reaching out to Rathe, she stopped
herself. Needing to block him, to keep her location secret, she shut down and
slept.

✝✝✝

At the next rising, the fog Alexander had summoned
made it hard even for a vampire to see in. The plane’s engines were running
like he had ordered, but because the fog was so thick, the tower had grounded
all flights in and out of the airport.

While he worked to force the fog back, she
concentrated on keeping her thoughts blank, so Rathe wouldn’t know what they
were up to. To her surprise, he dropped the mind block and spoke to her.

“How are the girls doing with the others?”

“They’re getting
along just great,”
she replied dryly. Someone had decided it would
look really cool if they wore dark sunglasses, even Kai and Mina wore them.

“We’re leaving.
Stay close to Alexander.”
Then
he was gone. She found the block in place.

Alexander
waved his hand. “Tower gave us the okay to leave. Let’s board.”

As they filed into the plane, she sensed something
not right. “Alexander, can you feel it?”

Scenting the air, he growled, “We have company.” He
took her by the elbow, ushering her and the girls into their seats. He ordered
the pilots, “Get the plane in the air now!”

Buckled in, she opened the shade and peered out
the window as the plane taxied onto the runway. Out in the field, where they
had slept, she saw men wearing camouflage clothing and armed with machine guns.
Forming a skirmish line, they made their way to the hanger the plane had been
in. She held Kai's and Mina's hands tight in hers. Concentrating on breathing
evenly so Rathe would not sense her anxiety, she felt the plane rise in the
air, leveling quickly.

Alexander turned around in his seat. “We need to
eliminate the hunters, in case Rathe and his brothers fly this way.”

How did the hunters know they were at the airport?

“Someone tipped off the hunters to our arrival. Crash
the plane. Use it as a diversion. We can jump out before it hits the ground and
circle back and take out the hunters. We can hide the bodies in the wreckage.”

“Excellent idea!” A predatory grin crossed
Alexander's handsome features, reminding her of a wolf. He stood and said to
the others, “We’ve a plan, ladies and gentlemen. After the plane crashes, head
back to the airport and take out the hunters.” They grinned, exposing their
fangs, eager for a fight. “Feed when you have the opportunity. Otherwise, kill
the hunters.”

“Do we fly or shape-shift?” Mina asked her. “Kai hasn’t
learned to shift yet.”

Alexander answered her, “We will remain as we are.
Takes too much time to shift back and forth.”

“I’ll get the door.” Rand went to the door hatch
and had his hands on the release bar, standing ready.

Alexander spoke to the pilots, directing them to
aim the plane for the dark fields below. He signaled to Rand. Unlocking the
door, Rand grabbed the ceiling bars and kicked it open. The plane lurched violently
as the wind rushed in. It began to plunge, engines’ whine high-pitched. Vampires
lined up, holding onto the seats to keep from being thrown around the cabin.
One by one, they leapt out the plane. Rand waved her and the girls next.

“When you jump out,” he shouted, “dive down so you
don’t get caught in the updraft from the engines.”

Nodding, she took Kai and Mina’s hands in hers and
jumped out, pulling them with her. Together, they glided down into the darkness.
Alexander and Anya flew beside them. Twisting of metal crashing was deafening
as the plane catapulted as it hit the ground. Jet fuel caught fire, igniting
the tanks. The explosion sent her and the girls tumbling in the air.

Righting themselves, they took their place amongst
the vampires, who were stretched out into a long line. She saw the pilots and
stewardess were with them, their eyes vacant and staring. Landing lightly on
the ground, they crouched down in the tall grass. Alexander indicated they stay
put.

She nodded. He disappeared.

Adjusting to the dark, she found she could see the
humans' body heat. She flinched when they were snatched and drained by the
vampires. The light dissipating as they neared death. The smell of strong
aftershave put her on alert. Scouting for the human, she found two.

One whispered, “Your friend said there were only three
vampires! That was a plane full of kids dressed up for Halloween!”

“Hey, I just got a call telling me there were
vamps spotted at the airport, in one of the private hangers. It ain’t my fault
he got it wrong!” Angry, he adjusted his camouflaged cap.

A snap of a branch had them spinning around,
switching on their flashlights. In the beam of light, Alexander grinned, his
fangs exposed. “Pardon my intrusion, did I hear you correctly, you seek a
vampire?”

He didn’t give them a chance to answer as he
grabbed the bigger one by his vest and yanked the human to him, sinking his
sharp teeth into the man's throat. The other one screamed shrilly when
Alexander threw his partner away and pulled him to him, feeding on him.