Whisper to Me (Borne Vampires Book 1) (9 page)

A throaty laugh escaped Anya Romulas. “I like her.
Observant.”

Faeroes waved his hand and the lampposts illuminated,
chasing away the dark. Shaking his head, he grinned. “Anya, you are
incorrigible. Rathe, is that the young lady you seek?”

“No, the one beside her is the little hellion I’m
after, the one who keeps getting into trouble!” Rathe strode up to her, looking
furious. “Just once could you just obey me?”

She opened her mouth to reply when he interrupted
her, “What the hell were you thinking coming into town by yourself?”

Furious at being reprimanded like a disobedient
child, she piped off, “Actually, I was thinking I was hungry and wanted to get
something to eat. Remember,
you
told
me to eat so I’d get better faster.”

Anya’s laughter bubbled forth. “I really like her.”
Curling her arm around Faeroes's, she grinned at Rathe, who glared back at her.

“Don't encourage her, Anya. She's trouble enough
without you adding to it.” Disgruntled, he asked her, “Well, did you eat yet?”

“Yes, thank you for inquiring. Oh, this is Lydia.”

Rathe extended his hand out to her. When Lydia
didn’t take it, he reassured her, “Rest easy, Lydia, we are not like those we
destroyed. You are safe.”

Tentatively, she shook his hand. “Thank you for
saving us. I can't believe I'm finally free of Garret and his friends.” She was
about to tell them more when Simon appeared.

Dressed like any other twenty-year old, Simon
shoved his hands in his jean pockets as he approached them. “Evening,” he said
with a smile to Lydia.

Cursing softly under his breath, Rathe demanded, “Simon,
what’s wrong? Where are Mother and Mina?”

“They’re at the house, safe. I just thought you
might need my help.”

Rathe looked like he was about to explode. Mariah
stepped in and smiled at his youngest brother. “Simon, would you take my friend,
Lydia, back to the house. I'd really appreciate it. She could use a shower and
a safe place to stay for the night.” She could feel the vampires’ eyes on her,
sensed their surprise at her request, except for Simon who squared his broad
shoulders.

“I would consider it an honor to assist your
friend. My lady?” He offered out his arm for Lydia to take.

Smiling at his antics, she warned him, “Be careful.
Lydia can read minds.”

Laying his hand on his heart, he said, “I promise
to be on my best behavior.” Lydia placed her hand on his forearm, blushing.

Deftly catching the keys she tossed him, Simon
asked, “Want me to take your dogs back with us? Mina is begging to play with
them.” He rolled his eyes.

“I can imagine. Mina does seem a bit on the lonely
side with so many adults around,” she said gruffly as she handed him the dogs’ leashes.

He straightened. “Yeah, I guess it does get kinda
lonely for her, huh?” Simon asked Lydia, “Are you hungry?”

“I’m starving!”

“We’ll stop and purchase takeout for you.”

Watching them leave, she sighed and faced Rathe, who
ran a frustrated hand through his hair. Anya and Faeroes just grinned.

“Rathe has a bad habit of not introducing me to
his family. I’m Mariah Jordan.” She held out her hand to Anya, who grasped it
in a friendly handshake.

“Mariah Jordan? I've read your books! I can't believe
we have a real celebrity in our company.” Anya's smile broadened. “I am Anya. My
husband, Faeroes
—
Rathe's
other brother.”

Faeroes inclined his head. “What a pleasure to make
your acquaintance, Miss Jordan. My mother said you were an extraordinary woman.
I must say, since you can handle our foul-tempered Rathe,” he added, winning a
glare from his brother, “you are special indeed.”

“Faeroes, I hunger,” Anya pouted. “The night is
young, let us enjoy it?”

“Rathe, will you need us?”

“Go on, I can handle one woman
—
I think.” He glared
down at her. “See you at the mansion before dawn.”

“You need to feed, Rathe. I feel you weakening.”
He nodded to Mariah before they left them.

“Is it true?” He made to leave, she stopped him. “But
you fed last night? I-I saw you.”

Cursing under his breath, he steered her toward
the Boardwalk. “Let’s just say between ambushes, machine guns, rocket launchers,
and vampires wanting to make a meal out of you, it has left me in a serious bind.
I’ve not had the opportunity to take in my body’s full requirement yet.”

“Oh really, perhaps you should take the time now
and feed?”

“What and leave you alone? Woman, trouble finds
you wherever you go.”

“Rathe, you eliminated all the vampires who hunt
the Boardwalk, so I’m quite safe. Go and feed.” When he hesitated, she laid her
hand on his chest, feeling the heavy thump-thump of his heart beating. “Rathe,
please, for my sake, you must take care of yourself. Especially since we just
learned a vampire is searching for me!”

“Oh, honey, he isn't just a vampire; he's
the
strongest, sickest, and most
cunning of them all.”
 

“You know him?”

Rathe smiled sadly at her. “He was once my best
friend.”

Stunned by his admission, she didn’t have the
opportunity to question him when he fixed a stern eye on her. “Stay in the
light, where I can see you.”

“Fine. After you’re done, we’ve got to talk.”

✝✝✝

God in Heaven, it
was
him haunting Mariah’s nightmares!

Already he had the Damned searching for her. There
would be no place safe for her and her daughter to hide now.

Forcing himself back to his current problem, Rathe
searched the beach for a donor. He found a surfer sitting in the sand, just far
enough out of the lights to give him privacy to do what he needed to do. Hypnotizing
the young man into compliancy, Rathe sank his teeth into his throat.

As it had since he turned sixteen, the monster arose
inside him, demanding him to drain the boy. Clamping an iron will on his
hunger, he slowed his intake of the boy’s blood. Hearing the slowing of the
human’s heart, he released him and placed an illusion around the puncture wounds,
keeping them hidden until they’d healed. Wiping the kid’s memory clean of his
feeding on him, he sat him down on the sand to rest.

Seeking another donor, he found a young couple cuddling
on a blanket. They easily succumbed to his will. After feeding on the man, he
laid him back down, and made to take the girl. Seeing her hand in her boyfriend's,
the look of trust on her youthful face, he could not bring himself to feed on
her. He erased their memories of him and set them to sleep, too. Walking back
to the Boardwalk, he pondered the two lovers.

Why hadn’t he found a woman to love like Faeroes
had? Why didn’t any of the women he’d known spark life in him the way Mariah
Jordan had? God, why was he always alone?

A little voice inside his mind whispered,
You’re not alone anymore. Mariah is with you.

Not for long. She had to return to her daughter,
to her life. To ensure she had a chance to have a normal life again, he had to
kill the leader of the Damned, as he should have done thirty-five years ago,

“Rathe, what’s
wrong?”
Mariah's worried voice interjected into his mind,
startling him. How in the hell did she keep breaking past his barriers?

Entranced at how her eyes sparkled like gems, he
gazed into them, sinking deeper and deeper, losing his doubt and loneliness for
a brief time.

“Mariah, come to
me.”
Focusing his will on her, he ‘encouraged’ her to comply.

Her husky, seductive laughter swirled within his
mind as she crooked a finger at him, beckoning
him
to
her
.
Chuckling, he shook his head when she met him at the edge of the boardwalk.

“Woman, I must be getting soft. No other human
resists me the way you do.”

With a wicked grin, she rose on her toes and whispered
in his ear, “We can change the ‘soft' part, if you kiss me.”

His nostrils flared, his heart thundered in his
chest as he grew hard at her suggestion. Everything in him wanted to kiss her,
make love to her. Instead, he took a cautious step back and gruffly asked, “Are
you still hungry?”

Disappointment drew her lush mouth into a frown. “No,
but I am thirsty, especially for a latte.”

“What is a latte?”

“I'll show you.” She took his hand in hers,
leading him to the coffee stand and ordered a latte called a Nutty Irishman.

When the girl handed her the tall cup with a lid on
and two hot pink straws stuck in it, Rathe paid for it. Inhaling the rich,
nutty aroma, he figured out what she had ordered. “Ah, so you are one of those
who are addicted to espresso coffee.”

“Guilty. Do you want to try a sip?” She offered
him the cup.

Cautious, he took a small sip. Rearing his head
back when the caffeine hit his tongue, he made a face at the bitter taste. “It's
all yours. Damn, that's got quite a punch to it.” Coughing, he tried to
maintain his dignity while she happily sipped away. “So, what would you like to
do for the rest of the evening?” They walked the paved path on the outer edge
of the amusement park, meeting only a few people along the way.

She shrugged her shoulders. “What do you want to
do?”

“Why don’t I take you to my favorite spot? It’s
only a couple miles down the coast.”

Mariah looked around her and asked in a low voice,
“Can we fly?”

Startled by her request, he inquired, “Shall I
change into an eagle or would you rather I stay as I am?”

Her voice sultry, desire shining in her eyes, she tossed
her empty cup into the garbage and slid her arms around his waist. “As you are.
Later, you can show me how you shape-shift.”

Swallowing hard, he ordered past the tightening of
his throat, “Hold on tight.”

Resting his cheek against the silkiness of her
hair, he held her as they ascended, rising higher and higher into the sky until
the sea unfolded beneath their feet. Rathe flew toward his destination. The wind
sent her hair streaming around him. Inhaling her delicate scent, mingling with
the pleasant night air, rich with the smell of the sea and warm earth, he relaxed,
enjoying the feel of her in his arms. A small cove, hidden in the cliffs, came
into view. He landed on the sand, almost as breathless as she was.

Staring into each other's eyes, they stood. God,
he wanted to strip off her clothes and take her on there, on the beach. Shoving
the desire aside, he shrugged off his coat and laid it out. “Here, have a seat.”

“How do you make your sword vanish?”

Unbuckling the scabbard, he set his sword down and
sat beside her. “We blur them so no one can see we are carrying them, not even
metal detectors can sense them.”

“Cool. Can I do that?”

“No, only vampires can.” He rested his arms on his
raised knees. For a long time, they stared out at dark water as waves crashed
across the shore. Needing to break the silence, he asked, “So, how did you like
your first flight with a vampire?”

She grinned at him. “It was wonderful. I felt
totally weightless, like we were floating on the wind's current. One with the
sky and stars.”

He laughed softly. “Spoken like a true writer.”

“Rathe, where did you get the cross?” Mariah
trailed her fingers along the silver cross he wore. “It’s beautiful.”

“Mina was holding it for me, just in case I didn’t
return.” Lightest of touch, and it still made him grow hard, wanting her to
touch more than his cross.

As if she had read his mind — maybe she had, she
leaned into him. The instant her lips touched his, he was lost. Pulling her into
his arms, he kissed her. Desire rippled through him, arcing straight into her. She
held onto him as he left her delicious mouth, molding his lips to the curve of
her throat. Licking her soft skin, he scraped his teeth against her, causing
her to moan. She arched her head back, offering herself to him. Opening his
mouth wider, he felt his fangs lengthen and slowly lowered them to pierce the
tender skin below her ear. Realizing what he was about to do, he jerked back
and leapt to his feet. Breathing hard, he jammed his hands deep into his jean
pockets, needing to put them somewhere other than on her. Slowly, she rose to
her feet, watching him.

“Is the Damned the reason why you have a gun with
silver bullets in your car?”

Relieved she changed the subject, he nodded. “Bullets
slow them down. The sword kills the demon vampire.”

She stared at his sword. “Does it have silver
inlay?”

“Down the blood gutter and in the hilt, so the
demon can’t lay hand on our weapons.”

“Why are the Damned so allergic to silver? Why the
crosses?”

“We, the Borne, revere the Holy Church and use all
implements adhering to purity to destroy the Damned. Silver, crosses, Holy
water. When a vampire chooses to lose his soul, all he once considered sacred
and pure becomes his destruction.”

She frowned at him as she stood. “Holy water? Is
that what you used on the vampires you killed?”

“Yes, it destroys their bodies.”

She indicated his right hand. “I noticed your brothers’
wear rings similar to yours. What’s the meaning behind it?”

Taking his hand out, he looked at the ring he wore.
When she reached out and touched it, he struggled to repress a shiver as she
caressed the ring, his finger. “It’s a Slayer’s ring. We’re given it when we
take our oath to hunt the Damned and uphold the laws of the Borne.”

“Rathe, why did you call Garret ‘undead’? I
thought he was one of the Damned.”

“We call those who were once human turned vampire
the Undead. A Borne who loses their soul are Damned.”

“So the ghoul is the bottom of the vampire totem
pole, above them is the Undead, then the Damned?” He nodded. “Vampire racism,
huh?”