Part Two
VOICES
“There are such beings as vampires, some of us have evidence that they exist. Even had we not the proof of our own unhappy experience, the teachings and the records of the past give proof enough for some people.”
“Swear to God, I thought I could handle this. Truly. I mean, the power of my tendencies is freaking amazing. I can do some outlandish shit. Even Gilles is impressed. But in becoming fearless, I’ve become reckless, and that’s not so good. While Victorian looks deceiving—I mean, he’s absolutely beautiful—I know the depth of his desires. He freaking tells me all the time—inside my head. He wants me as badly as Eli does, and I’m scared it’s going to come down to an all-out war. The thing is, what am I willing to risk to stop it?”
My back hit the sand as I dropped to the ground,
avoiding the blade Eli’s mother had freaking flung at me. Before I
could blink, Elise was over me, her tiny bare foot to my throat. As
my eyes met hers, she shook her head and sighed.
“Riley, sweetheart,”
Elise said, her voice even, sweet, her heavier French accent
enticing. “Never drop to your back. Crouch, oui. Jump, oui. But as
you can see, being on your back leaves you vulnerable.” She wiggled
her toes against the sensitive part of my throat, then removed her
foot and extended a hand to me. I took it and, with amazing
strength, she helped me up. “In any situation.”
“Yes, ma’am,” I said,
mortified that a very proper lady in her late fifties with
delicately painted pink toes and weighing no more than a hundred
and ten pounds could kick my ass. I brushed the sand off my skin.
“Crouch. Don’t drop.”
She smiled. “One
hundred and four pounds,” she clarified, reading my thoughts as the
Duprés frequently and freely did. “Seth,” she called
out.
“Yes, ma’am,” he
replied, leaving the gathered group, including all of the Dupré
siblings, by the surf and running up to us.
“Join your
sister.”
Seth glanced at me
and wagged his dark brows. “Yes, ma’am,” he repeated.
I scowled at him.
Suck up, I mouthed. He merely
grinned.
Elise, dressed in a
pair of knee-length white Bermuda shorts, a pale pink tank top to
match her toes, and her hair pulled back into her signature stylish
ponytail, studied us. The late-afternoon sunlight winked off the
various rubber practice blades (we didn’t want to get stuck)
sheathed around her slim waist, her thighs, and over both
shoulders. She looked too petite to have the ability to carry such
a load, but I knew she had the strength to toss me two hundred feet
into the sound if she wanted. She was wicked strong, wicked fast,
and wicked lethal, despite her sweet looks.
“Phin, Luc,” she
called, grinning at me. “Come here.”
My eyes met Eli’s
briefly as his brothers jogged across the sand. He offered no
smile, no cocky grin—only that profuse stare that seemed to pierce
my insides, clear to my soul. It made me shiver.
Phin and Luc circled
Seth and me, as Elise barely seemed to shift in the sand. Their
eyes bored heavily into us, like hunters stalking prey. The boys
were just as armed as their mother, and this was nothing more than
a test of reflexes. Seth and I had no blades—just our wits and
superfast tendencies. Hopefully, they were superfast enough;
neither of us wanted to get nailed on the noggin with a rubber
blade. With our backs pressed together, Seth turned his
head.
“No dropping,” he
whispered. “I got Phin and Mrs. Dupré. You take Luc.”
“And now they know
our master plan,” I hissed. “Clear your mind, Bro. They freaking
cheat.”
All the Duprés on the
beach laughed, and in the next breath, Phin and Luc
lunged.
Seth leapt; I
crouched. After that, I could keep track only of what I did and
hoped my brother could handle himself. Luc got too close; I
relieved him of three lower body blades before he realized it. I
heard the whir of another rubber blade through the air and I
turned, gauged the weight and distance of the sound, then raised my
hand and caught the blade Elise had thrown by the hilt. Three more
followed, rapid-fire, and with a speed that amazed even me, I
caught each one and flung it into the sand before the next one
reached me. Luc lunged again. I leapt over him, grabbed the blade
sheathed at his shoulder, and landed in the sand behind him. A dull
pain in my thigh made me drop. Luc had thrown the one remaining
blade at his hip at me. Prick. I winced, and he grinned. Good thing
I healed fast these days. Whatever bruise appeared would be gone
within an hour. And because of my mixed Arcos blood, my own wasn’t
quite as potent as it was before. In other words, the Duprés didn’t
continuously want to latch on to a major artery as much as before.
Lucky me. I turned to watch my brother.
Seth jumped over Phin
and had both his shouldered blades flung into the sand. Phin
already had the rest of his blades removed. Seth landed, swept
Phin’s shins with blinding speed, and had those blades out of their
sheaths, too. I blinked, and by the time my eyes focused again on
my brother, he was circling Elise. The intense look of
concentration, determination, and intimidation on his face was more
than shocking. Seth was a guy raised to respect not only his
elders, but all women. Presently, he looked as though he wanted to
take down little Elise Dupré in her pressed white Bermudas and pink
toenails.
By now, the crowd
gathered at the surf had come closer, and the boys who had once
been almost-newlings cheered and whistled as Seth and Elise circled
each other. Jack and Tuba, Zetty, Estelle and Preacher, as well as
Eli, Gilles, and Josie, drew close. Elise still had two blades—one
on her hip, the other on her shoulder. With wicked speed, she
whipped the hip blade at my brother. He crouched, reached up, and
grabbed it, in midair. The boys hollered.
In the next instant,
Elise threw the last blade, and this time, Seth wasn’t as lucky. It
nailed his shoulder, and I winced as he did. Then, so fast, swear
to God, he lunged at Elise, grabbed the blade before it landed on
the ground, and hit her full force, taking her to the sand and flat
onto her back. He had the blade in his hand, the tip at her
throat.
Wow. Freaking,
wow.
The Lord of the Flies boys cheered, and I glanced at
Eli. He gave an approving nod. I couldn’t see his eyes—they were
covered by his shades—but I’d be willing to bet they shined with
pride for my brother.
“Hey, punk,” Luc
said, pulling my thoughts back. “Get your ass off my
mother.”
“Sorry, Mrs. Dupré,”
Seth said, jumping off Elise and extending a hand to help her up.
She took it, and his cheeks turned red.
“Well done,
sweetheart,” she said, brushing off her sandy backside. She put a
hand on his bare shoulder. “You sincerely impress me.”
Phin propped an elbow
on top of my shoulder and leaned close. “Your brother has serious
gifts,” he said. “Not many can best my mother.”
I smiled. “It’s his
extreme Southern mannerisms that make him so deceiving. I bet Elise
wouldn’t allow it to happen again.”
Phin grinned. “You’re
probably right.” He glanced down at my thigh. “How’s the
leg?”
I followed his gaze
to the place where Luc’s blade had hit my thigh. I shrugged it off.
“Barely hurts at all.” The red splotch had started to turn purple.
It wouldn’t last long.
Had I been there, I’d never have allowed that blade,
rubber or not, to reach your beautiful body.
I jerked my head
around. So profound was Victorian’s voice, it’d sounded as though
he was standing right beside me. He, of course, wasn’t. I’d known
from his last message that he’d be back. I pushed my thoughts, and
his voice, out of my head—for now, anyway. My eyes cast around the
gathering. No one looked concerned. No one but I heard the voice
inside my head. I wondered why Eli couldn’t. He and the other
Duprés could read my thoughts. How was it they couldn’t hear
Victorian?
Because, love. It is I injecting your mind with my
thoughts. They’re mine alone, meant only for you. See the power I
possess?
“Go for a walk with
me?” Eli said, suddenly behind me, his arms snaking around my
waist. He pulled me close. “I’m a little tired of sharing you with
the whole Dupré family.”
“Some would call that
stingy,” Phin said.
Eli led me away.
“I’ve been called worse.”
I glanced over my
shoulder as we walked, shrugging off Victorian’s voice in my head.
My vision caught my brother. Seth waved. “See ya, Ri.” I smiled
back. “Later, Bro.” I’d been a little clingy with him, once I’d
awakened this last time. The impact of what could have truly
happened to Seth hit me hard, and I was petrified that I’d lose
him. Estelle had been the one to tell me to back off a bit, and
with only a little resistance, I had. God, I just loved him so
much. The pain and fear I’d gone through when the Arcos brothers
had taken him almost did me in. I’d worried until I was sick from
it. Damn, I couldn’t help it. He was my brother. But I’d chillaxed
a bit since, and I trusted him. I mean, Jesus. He could fight like
something out of a movie. It was amazing to watch.
“Are you going to
make me interact with you through your thoughts,” Eli said, his
mouth brushing my ear, “or what?”
I stared at
him.
“Supper in thirty
minutes, da both of you,” Estelle called after us. I glanced over
my shoulder at her and the setting sun gleamed off her flawless
dark skin. “I mean dat, girl.” She grinned.
“Yes, ma’am,” I
answered, and threw her a smile. “We’ll be back.”
“Hmm, you’d better.
Naughty child,” she answered, then turned and headed up the beach
with the rest.
“Do you know what I
can do to you in thirty minutes?” Eli whispered against the skin of
my throat as we walked. His hands caressed the bare skin of my
exposed stomach, grazed my belly button, slipped below the waist of
my board shorts, then skimmed upward and gently tugged at the
string tie holding my bikini top together. His lips moved down my
neck and over my shoulder, and I shivered.
“All talk and no
action, Dupré?” Completely turned on and burning at his touch, I
egged him on, bending my head to the side as Eli’s mouth moved
against my skin. I grabbed his ass. “God, do you seriously need
thirty minutes—”
So fast, my head
spun, Eli whipped me around to face him. The waning afternoon sun
behind him, he looked down at me, a small shift in breeze rustling
his tousled hair. Blue eyes, dark with desire, stared so hard at
me, I thought he would devour me, right there. “Trust me,” he said,
his voice low. “I want to.” He slipped his hands over my waist, my
buttocks, and pulled me against him. He was already hard, and he
throbbed against me, the seam of my board shorts grazing just the
right spot. I gasped. “Come.” He grabbed my hand and
pulled.
“Oh, don’t worry,” I
promised, allowing Eli to drag me fast up the beach, putting
distance between us and the others. “I will.”
There really was
nowhere else for us to go but the water; the small barrier island
was void of most maritime forest, and what little of it there was
housed Preacher and Estelle, and the rest of the camp. That left
either the wide-open beach, or the water.
Eli read my thoughts;
he pulled me into the warm surf, let my hand loose, and dove under.
I did the same, and we both broke the surface. Eli glided to me,
gathered me, and lifted my hips, pulling me onto his lap. Beneath
the water, his fingers kneaded my lower back, and I draped my arms
around his neck. For several seconds, we simply stared, the rising
tide lapping at our skin, and he studied me with such intensity, I
nearly looked away.
“Don’t,” he said,
grasping my jaw to make sure my gaze remained on his. “Look at me,
Riley.”
I did, and my heart
skipped a beat. It was almost a painful act to accomplish, fully
looking upon him. Eli’s beauty was so great; it literally stunned
me every time my eyes raked over his features and his body. With
his hair wet and sideswept, and water glistening off his lean
frame, my breath involuntarily hitched.
“Yeah,” he said so
softly, I barely heard him. “That’s what you do to me, too.” He
tucked a loose wet strand of hair behind my ear. “I can’t get you
off my mind. Ever. You’re all I think about.”
I smiled. “You’re a
horny vampire. I get it,” I said.
“No,” he replied
fast. “It’s not that. Well, not only that,” he said. Then, those
surreal blue eyes locked tightly on to mine, and I couldn’t have
looked away if I’d wanted to.
“It’s that whole
danger aspect, right?” I asked, trying for some reason not to be
serious. “You know—you have to be extra careful with me because I’m
still human and you can’t let yourself fully go—” His fingers over
my mouth hushed any more ridiculous words I might have
spewed.
“No, Riley,” he
answered. “I’ve had a lot of sex, with a lot of willing partners,”
he said matter-of-factly. “But none of them reached me here.” He
drew my hand from around his shoulders to rest against his
heart—rather, the area where it should have been. His gaze grew
darker, more intense. “Not one. Only you. Nothing, or no one, will
ever hurt you again, I promise.” His knuckles grazed my jaw. “I
thought I’d be alone forever. Now, I have you.” He shook his head.
“It’s like a miracle or something.”
My heart leapt. No
one has ever made me feel the way Eli does. I know that our
relationship is way more than based on just sex. Way more. This is
probably why I joke around and try to make light of the serious
stuff. I admit—I’m scared. Of what exactly, I’m not sure yet. What
I do know is that I feel the same way toward Eli as he does toward
me. As corny and obsessed as it sounds, I can’t stand to be away
from him for long. I want him close all the time.
“Oh yeah?” he said,
pulling me closer, his smile wide. Then he moved his mouth to my
ear. “That’s what I’d hoped to hear,” he whispered, then kissed my
lobe. “Part of me never wants to leave here.” He pulled back,
meeting my gaze with one that was hooded, filled with a hunger that
I’d never, ever seen in the eyes of a human male. It was . . .
different. I can’t explain it other than it made you feel wanted.
Desired. Craved. Not just like . . . an object of sex for the
moment, but more like . . . like a necessity.
Eli shook his head,
moved his hand to the back of my neck, and lowered his mouth to
mine. The sun had dropped now, and the breeze hitting my wet skin
felt a bit cooler. But with Eli wrapped around me, I hardly noticed
or cared. His lips grazed mine, his tongue slowly caressed, and I
lost myself in his powerful, seductive kiss. And just as I lowered
my hand, pressed against his chest, and trailed my fingers over the
ridges of his stomach, he stopped and raised his head.
A smile—pained though
it might be—tipped his sexy mouth. “And to prove I’m not just some
horny vampire who only wants in your pants, we’re heading back to
camp. Now.”
With a lot less grace
than I’d imagined, Eligius Dupré dumped me right into the Atlantic
and walked back to the beach.
“Wait!” I said,
sitting in the water. “It’s totally cool if you only want in my
pants!”
Eli laughed.
“No.”
I slapped the water
and swore something filthy-nasty in Romanian. After Eli turned and
stared at me in shock, he laughed again, so loudly it resounded off
the palms of Da Island. I ducked underwater to cool my heated,
raging, hormones.
Sitting around a
roaring campfire on a Georgia barrier island at night with a
handful of centuries-old vampires, Gullah conjurers, and adolescent
boys with vampiric tendencies made for a way more interesting crowd
than any other I’d ever hung with in my wild teenage years, or in
my adult years, truth be known. No lie—it was surreal. Bizarre. Oh,
and Zetty—can’t forget the big Tibetan. The fact that he sat across
from me with a pouch of ground-up black cat bone (I pray the poor
thing was dead before its bones were harvested, but I have my
doubts), graveyard dust, and God knows what else Estelle mixed up
made me want to write to Zetty’s mother in Kathmandu and tell on
him. He was one seriously superstitious dude who no longer trusted
me, and it’d probably be a long time before he did. I’d really
freaked him out when I was detoxing on the vampire
venom.
I looked around at my
other fireside companions. Of course, the Duprés were their same
charming, French selves. Phin and Luc sat in conversation, and Luc
was peeling a piece of saw grass and throwing little slivers of it
into the sand as they spoke. Strangely enough, they both looked
serious, and it made me wonder what they were talking about. Gilles
and Elise, next to them, were totally into each other, which I
found pretty cool, given the number of years they’d been together.
Gilles held Elise’s hand, and her eyes lit up when looking at him.
I’m guessing that’s one of a vampire’s greatest perks: When they
love you, they really love you—obsessively, faithfully, and
forever. I liked it.
Josie sat next to
Seth; their heads bent together in conversation. Every handful of
seconds, one or the other—or both—would laugh at some private joke
they were sharing. They’d grown pretty close since the night the
humans had been saved and brought to Da Island, and as long as she
kept her fangs out of my brother’s arteries, I was totally cool
with all that.
The Lord of the Flies gang, all wearing T-shirts and
board shorts, sat huddled together, their bare feet dug into the
sand. Riggs had a stick that he kept jabbing into the fire, sending
a spray of red sparks flying above their heads. Having’ caught my
eye twice already, he raised one eyebrow and grinned. I shook my
head. Just what a juvenile guy needed—the sensual tendency of a
vampire. He’d been bad enough when he was just plain teenage
pubescent Riggs. Now? Good God. I couldn’t help but like the kid,
though. I’d watched him spar with a boy named Jacoby—both about the
same size, same height. Riggs was fast, and he moved with such
grace, he’d seemed to be floating. Like Seth, he’d matured
physically, and he was damn fast. Mentally, as well—to a certain
extent. I’d witnessed his intense concentration while he was
sparring. Gone was the awkward gangliness of a fifteen-year-old. I
was seriously impressed. I felt sorry for all parents of young
available girls in Savannah.
Estelle and Preacher
sat on one side of me, Jack and Tuba on the other side of them.
Every once in a while Tuba would slip me a glance, then grin, his
wide white smile seemingly glowing in the dark.
Gilles cleared his
throat, and we all turned our heads toward him. The firelight
played against the age lines grooved into his face by life, prior
to becoming a vampire. His eyes, that same shocking Dupré blue,
looked like glass as the amber light from the flames reflected in
their depths. He glanced around. “You’ve all done well and have
worked hard at honing your new skills. I remember, way back when,
after I’d gained my own talents. Not an easy accomplishment.” He
gave a short nod. “I am proud.”
A low murmur ran
through the boys, pride evident on their faces.
“As you have acquired
vampiric tendencies, there are things we will expect of you. You
are all custodians of the city.” Gilles’ gaze searched the group of
boys, and he smiled. “Non. That does
not mean you must clean up, although if the notion strikes you, it
would be an admirable thing to do.”
The crowd chuckled,
and Gilles continued.
“That means you are
now like us—guardians. And things will be expected of you as such.
You will watch over the city and keep the humans safe. If you use
your tendencies against the humans, you will first be brought to
trial, here. With Preacher and his dark ones.”
The boys all looked
around.
“And if they deem it
necessary, we will relinquish your skills from you,” he
said.
Understanding lit the
boys’ eyes but fear quickly replaced it. That meant the Duprés
would have no choice but to kill them. I prayed it never came to
that.
“Now,” Gilles
continued, “we leave here in two days. You’ll return to your homes,
to school, and you will set examples for others your age.” The
smile he gave did two things: It warmed and chilled at the same
time. Weird. “We’ll be watching.”
The boys got up and
headed to their tents. Their silence meant they were thinking about
all that—hard. Good. They needed to. I didn’t want to have to make
any more trips to the police station to bail their asses out for
doing stupid stuff.
“Gilles, stop,” said
Elise softly, playfully smacking Gilles on his thigh. He wore a
pair of plaid Bermuda shorts and a white Da Plat Eye T-shirt and
flip-flops. He cracked my ass up. Gilles rose, pulling his wife up
with him. He eyed me, grinned, then turned back to the small crowd.
“You boys will no longer require as much sleep as before. Don’t sit
around idly. Read. Study. Make your mind sharp. Play sports.” He
thought for a moment. “I always fancied football. Rather, soccer.”
With a nod, he pulled his wife along. “Adieu.”
The rest of the crowd
dispersed. Preacher leaned over and patted my head. “You be good,
child,” he said, his satiny skin shining in the firelight. “Don’t
forget your tea.” He grinned, Estelle giggled, and they disappeared
toward the tents.
“We’re gonna go for a
walk,” Seth said, Josie at his side. “See ya in the
morning.”
“Night,” I said, and
followed them with my eyes until the shadows swallowed them. Eli
and I were left alone by the fire.
“Were you making fun
of my father?” Eli whispered. I sat between his thighs, and his
arms slipped around my waist. “Shame, shame, Riley
Poe.”
I tilted my head
upward to look at him. The glow from the fire flicked shadows
against his face, and I swear, I’d never seen a more beautiful soul
in my life. “I’m not. It’s just . . . funny. I’m used to seeing him
dress so formal. Those flip-flops are a kick in the
ass.”
Eli’s arms tightened
around me, pulling me close. “Yeah, I know.” He settled me in a way
that I didn’t have to crank my neck at such an awkward angle to see
him. “How do you feel?” he asked seriously. “Ready to go
home?”
I thought about it.
I’d experienced short bursts of weird feelings, and I couldn’t
describe them if I tried. They were almost like little electric
jolts. But I didn’t want to attack anyone anymore, so that was a
good thing. “Yeah, I am. Ready to see Nyx and my dog—so ready to
get back to work,” I said. I twined my fingers through his. “I miss
my artwork. The smell of the ink. My music.” I laughed. “I even
miss the hum of the Widow.” I met his gaze. “Just keep an eye on me
for a while, huh? I don’t wanna slip up and accidentally hurt
someone.”
“I guess I can do
that,” he said with a grin. He nuzzled my neck, and his mouth
brushing my skin gave me goose bumps. “I’ll be glad to have solid
walls, a solid bed to take you in,” he whispered, his gaze locking
with mine. “Water sex is great, but I’m ready for a soft bed.” He
shrugged. “Or a hard brick wall.”
Memories of Eli
taking me against the wall in my bedroom rushed through me,
followed by a thrill that made my skin flush. “All that nasty sex
will have to be tuned down a bit, Romeo,” I said. “My brother lives
with me. Remember? Don’t wanna gross him out and scar him
forever.”
His fingers splayed
against my bare stomach, caressing my hip. “I guess we’ll have to
go to my place.”
I studied his face
for several moments, enjoying the rush of sensation that came with
his fingers dragging across my skin. “You don’t feel the urge to
drain my blood anymore?” I asked. “Like before?”
Eli shook his head.
“It’s still there, just not as compelling as before,” he answered.
“Your DNA has changed, Riley. Your blood type is still unique, but
it doesn’t make me crazy like before.” His eyes grew dark as they
searched mine. “You make me crazy now. Insane-crazy. And I crave
you instead of your blood.”
I leaned into him. “I
think I dig that, Dupré,” I said, and slipped my hand up to grasp
the back of his neck, pulling his mouth closer to mine. I grazed my
lips against his, and it caused an immediate reaction in Eli. His
tongue swept over mine, caressed, and he kissed me long. An acorn
popped in the fire, breaking our trance. I pulled back and looked
at Eli.
“Hey,” I said,
scooting back and smiling. “Make the face.”
“What?” Eli said,
then rolled his eyes. “Come on, Riley. Jesus.”
“Make it,” I egged.
“Please?”
Eli studied me for a
few seconds, grinned, then shook his head. “God, you’re a freak—you
know that, right?”
I smiled and tucked a
long fuchsia red strand of hair behind my ear. “Yeah, and proud of
it, too. Now, come on, do it.”
Eli’s face contorted
in the blink of an eye; jaw unhinged, fangs long and exaggerated,
eyes pure white with a red pinpoint pupil. I jumped, then stared in
fascination.
“Whoa,” I said in a
low voice, completely enthralled. “Wicked.”
Just that fast, his
features relaxed and transformed back into the beauty of Eli. He
again shook his head. “You are one cheap date, Poe. A freakishly
cool, cheap date.” He leaned down and kissed me breathless. “I like
that about you.”
I have to admit—I had
no complaints. And the way Eli made me feel? It was indescribable.
He literally made my heart soar, as if my heart had a motor on it
and were flying up an empty highway. As I leaned back against his
chest, his steely arms wrapped completely around me and his chin
propped on my shoulder, I closed my eyes. Pretending was easy
enough—I was a young girl in the prime of my life, with a hot,
devoted boyfriend, a rockin’ tattoo shop, booming business, a
loving, extended Gullah family, and an adorable brother whom I
loved with all my heart. I could pretend everything was normal and
the world at my fingertips. I could actually almost forget that two
strigoi vamps had bitten me, introduced their wicked-strong venom
into my body, and left me with unpredictable tendencies—and that
one of the vamps wanted me. Badly. And that he would not stop until
he had me.
At some point, I fell
asleep; so relaxed and exhausted that I didn’t remember Eli
carrying me to our tent. I don’t know how long I slept. But I damn
sure remember being awakened....
Riley? Wake up, love. I know you are wrapped in the arms
of a Dupré, and as much as I despise it, for now, I can do nothing
more than accept it. Only because I cannot be there myself and I
wouldn’t dare think of restraining your powerful sexual desires. It
causes me physical pain to be away from you, so the only thing I
can do to relieve some of the anguish is to connect our thoughts.
Imagine me instead of him, Riley, and us blessedly alone. Imagine
my arms holding you, my hands touching you, our bodies pressed
together. Imagine right now my mouth on yours, our tongues
entwined, and my fingers sliding over your soft, bare skin until
they reach a place that makes you lose your mind with desire for
me. I promise, you’d never long for another again. So powerful my
memory is of our short physical time together, I can actually
inhale and smell your scent, taste you on my
tongue—
“Riley, wake
up.”
I darted straight up
and looked around. “What?”
Eli laughed. “Sorry—I
didn’t mean to scare you.” He pushed my disheveled hair off my
face. “Father and Mother are up. Pacing.” He grinned. “Time to
train.”
Putting on my best
poker face, I shrugged off the heady dream-conversation—one-sided
though it may have been—with Victorian Arcos, pulled on a clean
bikini top and board shorts, and ducked out of the tent for two
more days of training. I wasn’t positive how long I could hide the
messages I’d been receiving from Victorian, and I wasn’t sure how
it was that Eli hadn’t detected them yet. He often slipped,
uninvited, into my thoughts. To be frank, I usually didn’t mind. It
was kind of ... a turn-on. Kinky, I know, but I’d never been
accused of being prim and proper. This was one time, though, I was
glad Eli had stayed out of my head. When the time was right, and if
I thought he proved a real threat, I’d let Eli and his family know
of Victorian’s torment of my private thoughts. For now, though, I
could handle it. I’d dealt with horny pervs nearly my entire adult
life, and while Victorian Arcos was a bit . . . stronger, when all
was broken down, he proved to be nothing more than a horny
twenty-one-year-old dude. Add in the strigoi aspect of it and,
okay—you had an extremely powerful, horny twenty-one-year-old dude.
But I was no longer a mere mortal. I had strigoi tendencies. And I
could damn well handle my own freaking self. I knew if I told Eli,
he’d go ballistic, and there was no telling what he’d do. I wanted
this right now. Peace; the newness of our relationship and all that
it entailed. In other words, I was selfish. I wanted Eli to myself
for at least a little while, and minus the stress and anger of
dealing with Victorian. I knew it wouldn’t last long, anyway. All
in all, though, I felt a little down. I knew the past few weeks had
been unrealistic and idyllic, living on a barrier island far away
from the reality of strigoi, Arcoses, newlings, and a world where
human life meant nothing, their blood consumed in the most gruesome
of ways. I had a gut feeling nasty changes were upon us. A fresh
batch of newlings had suffered and survived a strigoi quickening;
they’d be hungry and out of control. They’d feed, kill, as well as
change other humans. It was time to step back into reality, and
this time, I’d go in with my eyes wide-open. I had tendencies. And
I was freaking ready to use them.
Two days later . . .
It felt funny being
back on the mainland. This was maybe because I knew I had emerged a
different sort of human, or maybe because I was keeping a big-ass
secret from the mortals of Savannah. I knew what Seth and I were,
what Preacher and his family were, and what the Duprés were. I knew
Riggs and the other boys were no longer regular teenage guys. I
knew Zetty was more than a big Tibetan bouncer from Kathmandu with
wicked tats on his forehead. We’d all changed. Maybe just knowing
that made things seem so . . . weird. I hoped like hell I’d get
used to it.
Seth rode with Gilles
and Elise (yes, vamps drive and they have a kick-ass liquid silver
Lexus) while I rode on the back of Eli’s bike. Phin and Luc drove
the boys all home, and, as far as their parents were concerned,
they’d all been away at a special camp. At Gilles’ request, they’d
all—Seth included—continued their schoolwork so they wouldn’t fall
behind. A little mind control had to be issued, to the parents,
principal, and teachers, but hey—the job was now done. It was the
weekend, and school started back on Monday. No sweat.
Gilles dropped Seth
and Josie off at Inksomnia, and Eli pulled next to the curb. Before
my ass even cleared the bike’s seat, the front door of my ink shop
flew open and Nyx bounced out like some crazed Jack Russell on
crack, an excited, barking Chaz on her heels. My heart nearly
popped, I was so excited to see my friend and my dog.
We all prepared for
hugs and licks.
“Riley! Seth! Oh my
God, you’re finally home!” Nyx said. Even with a pair of chunky
Goth Mary-Janes, striped stockings, and black leather miniskirt,
she was freaking fast. She launched herself first at Seth, and
hugged him so tightly, I thought my brother wouldn’t breathe for a
week. But Seth wrapped his lanky arms around her just as tightly.
In theory, they hadn’t truly seen each other in almost two
months—ever since Seth began the early stages of
quickening.
“Wow—look at you,”
Nyx said, physically turning
Seth around. He
good-naturedly allowed her to spin him several times. Finally, she
stopped and stared at him in awe. “You’re . . . buff, dude. And
tanned.”
Seth grinned. “Right?
Crazy, huh?” He flexed his biceps. “Check this out.”
Nyx grasped it and
squeezed. Her eyes widened. “Gullah magic did you good,
boy.”
Seth glanced at me,
then grinned widely. “Absolutely. And Nyx”—he wrapped his arms
around her again and buried his face in her neck—“I missed
you.”
Nyx’s big blue eyes,
always full of every emotion she was feeling, misted with tears.
She hugged him tightly, then pulled back; she pushed his hair off
his forehead. “I missed you, too, Bro. It’s great to have you home
again.” She grasped his face gently and peered into his eyes. “I
don’t ever want you to leave again.”
Seth’s cheeks turned
red. “I won’t, Nyx. Promise.” He pulled away and knelt down. “Hey,
boy!” he said to Chaz, and scrubbed him hard between the ears. Chaz
licked his face and wagged his tailless rump.
My brother always
could melt a heart—even a dog’s heart.
“And look at you!”
Nyx said, turning to me. Her eyes widened again as she checked me
out. She pulled me into a big tight hug. “I don’t think I’ve ever
seen you tanned!” She pulled back and held her pale arm next to my
now-browned one. She grinned. “It looks good on you, Ri.” She gave
me another hug. “Gosh, I missed you guys! It’s been so lonely here
without you.” She immediately turned to Josie and gave her a
squeeze; then she turned to Eli and hugged him, too. “Hey, Eli,
it’s good to see you again.” She gave him a broad smile. “Thanks
for returning my family to me.”
Eli returned the
smile and nodded. “My pleasure.”
Nyx’s face suddenly
froze; then she turned. “Oh my God—I have a guy in the
chair!”
We all watched Nyx
hurry inside Inksomnia.
“She’s a great
friend,” I said, really to no one.
“You’re lucky to have
her,” Eli said, then touched my elbow to lead me inside. I whistled
for Chaz, who hurried in ahead of us. The moment the scent of my
ink shop hit my nose, I inhaled. It truly was great to be
home.
For three straight
days, all was perfect; quiet, without the first dream, or further
trespassing of my thoughts by Victorian Arcos. Ned Gillespie (the
guy with tendencies who’d been bitten by Josie many years before)
had nothing to report in regard to any vampiric activity in the
Savannah area. Seth and the guys started back to school, and not
surprisingly, Seth did so with enthusiasm. He’d always liked
school, loved learning, and was a freaking wizard at science. For
all of three solid days and nights, my world was settled. God
Almighty, I wished it could have lasted. Deep down inside, I’d
known better.
Standing at my
station, I cracked my neck, rotated it a few times back and forth
to loosen up the muscles, and patted the bench. “Hop on,” I
instructed an older ranger, maybe late thirties and already adorned
with several pieces of art. “And lose the shirt, sunshine, unless
you think I can ink you through all that camo.”
The man laughed,
unbuttoned his work shirt, and shrugged out of it. “Yes,
ma’am.”
I’d felt like having
a classics day, and to me nothing was better than a hoppin’ day at
Inksomnia, with lots of good-natured customers and old rock
blasting through the speakers. Heart’s “Barracuda” pulled me into
that groove I loved being in when inking someone— especially
someone who was not a tat virgin, like this guy.
“Nice boots,” he
said, climbing onto the bench and lying facedown.
I glanced down at my
thigh-high black boots that ended just where the hem of my black
leather miniskirt began. I’d picked out a Blondie T-shirt, along
with a pair of pink plaid suspenders to wear with the skirt—pretty
kick-ass if you asked me. “Thanks,” I said, giving him a broad
smile. “Ready?”
“I deploy tomorrow,”
he replied, in a heavy smoker’s voice. “I’m always ready,
honey.”
Rangers kicked ass. I
gave him a smile and punched his arm. “Hurry home.”
I transferred the
image I’d sketched and printed out from my computer onto his left
flank—just about the only place left on his back. It was a
wicked-cool skeleton soldier’s head, cigarette clenched between its
teeth, wearing a World War II helmet with the words “Fuck Off”
across the front of it. Gotta love it. Once the transfer dried, I
lined up my ink pots, grasped the needle, and let the Widow’s hum
mix with Heart’s lyrics, and together they pulled me into my work.
I’d preferred to have stayed there, uninterrupted, in my
“Barracuda” zone until the job was done. No such freaking luck. I’d
just finished the helmet’s chin strap and was blotting blood when
the interruption occurred.
I fed last night, Riley. I’ve never enjoyed it—not like my
brother. But it’s necessary for me to live. I promise—I show mercy,
and I feed only when I begin to grow weak, and I take only enough
to sustain me. I do not butcher those I take from. I hope you
believe me. It hurts to think you believe me a
monster.
I froze, needle
poised over skin, and felt my insides grow cold. Victorian’s voice
was so . . . inside me, I could almost feel the tenor of his voice
reverberating off my bones. Now he was sharing his kills with me?
The thought made my blood chill. And, he wanted my sympathy? What
kind of freak-vamp was he? Wide-ass awake and his voice was just as
strong, just as real as if he were in the room, standing right
beside me. I glanced around, just to make sure.
“What’s wrong?” Nyx
said from her station.
Mentally, I could do
nothing but shake it off. I damn sure couldn’t tell Nyx what had
happened. I sighed, stretched my back, and cracked my neck.
“Nothing. Just a little stiff.” I grinned at her. “I’m
fine.”
Nyx eyed me for a
second or two longer, shrugged, and went back to work. For once, I
felt sort of glad that Eli wasn’t around. He would have zeroed
right in on my thoughts and all hell would’ve broken loose for damn
sure. Eli Dupré had a short fuse and would go off like a wild man,
had he known Victorian Arcos was tormenting me in my thoughts. Good
thing I was a big girl and could take care of myself.
For the rest of the
day, the voices continued. All Victorian’s voice, of course, but
just when I’d think he was finished, he’d whisper something else,
something unsettling, terrifying, inside my head. It was getting
harder and harder to mask it.
Nyx had just left, my
last customer was out the door, and I was on my way up the steps to
my apartment to wait for Eli when Victorian interrupted once
more.
Does it bother you to know I think of you when I feed? I
feel you must know the truth, for it’s thoughts of you, your body
bare and slick with the sweat of our lovemaking, and my cock buried
deep inside you, your legs wrapped around me, begging me for more,
that keep me merciful. They . . . settle me. Does that make sense?
I confess, it’s a unique characteristic I didn’t have before
tasting your blood. Before part of you entered me, before we were .
. . connected.
“Leave me alone!” I
yelled out loud. “I swear to God—I’ll kill you myself!” My heart,
although uncharacteristically slow nowadays, beat hard, loud, and
my breath hitched as I took the steps two at a time. Just as I
kicked off my thigh-high boots and skirt, I heard the back door
slam shut.
“I’m home!” Seth
yelled.
“Okay,” I answered,
not wanting him to know how upset I truly was.
My mind reeling, I
peeled out of the rest of my clothes, grabbed a pair of black yoga
pants and a sports bra, stretched, and took my frustrations out on
my workout bag. I don’t know how long I was at it, but I never did
hear Eli enter the apartment, or my room, and God knows how long
he’d been standing there, reading my freaking
thoughts.
“You’ve been dreaming
of him again,” Eli said, his eyes hard, his voice low, and
uncharacteristically accusing. “Haven’t you?”
I ignored him, my
emotions on edge, extended my leg fully and, with a quick snap,
kicked the workout bag hanging in my bedroom. I followed it with
three sharp jabs. Anger and a little hurt built inside me, and
after a few more kicks and rounds of punches, I broke a decent
sweat.
Eli’s strong hands
grasped my shoulders and spun me around. “Don’t ignore me, Riley.”
He drew his face close to mine. “Don’t.”
I frowned, totally
pissed. “Then don’t accuse me, Eli.” I shook his hands off. “You
know I can’t help those dreams. You know it.”
Eli stared at me
several long seconds, then shoved his fingers through his hair,
muttered some French expletive, and walked to the window. He looked
at some distant point across the river. “You desire
him.”
Anger flashed inside
me, and I crossed my arms over my chest. “How freaking old are you,
Eli?” I asked. “Sixteen? Oh, no—that’s right. You’re over two
hundred.” I walked up behind him, grabbed him by the arm, and
turned him around to face me. Brilliant blue eyes searched mine,
and I knew he was reading my thoughts; digging through them like a
madman was more like it. “You’re acting like a jealous high school
boyfriend,” I said, a little more gently. I grazed his jaw with my
index finger. “Seriously, Eli.”
Another handful of
seconds dragged by before his face went emotionless, his eyes
dulled, those beautiful full lips that worked magic against my body
thinned. “You don’t deny it, do you Riley?” His voice held an edge,
tinged with a heavier-than-usual bit of French. I’d learned fast
that the heavier the accent, the more pissed off Eli Dupré
was.
“Victorian forces the
dreams on me,” I said harshly. “Just as he forces the emotions
within them.” I stepped closer. “I. Can’t. Help. It.”
Anger pulled his
features tighter. “Do you think this is some game? He is deadly,
Riley. Do you think he has feelings for you? Other than obsession?
He will drain every ounce of your blood in seconds. Regrets might
come after it’s too late.” His eyes grew somber. “I think you enjoy
the dreams a little too much,” he said, moving past me. At the
door, he stopped, staring straight ahead. “You could have come to
me.”
“What would you have
done, Eli?” I said. “You can’t go into my subconscious and change
anything. You can’t make him stop.”
“You don’t know what
I can do,” he said angrily. “You didn’t give me a fucking
chance.”
He moved so fast, I
didn’t see him actually turn and leave. Only the sound of the back
door closing alerted me to his absence.
I walked to the
window overlooking River Street, propped a hip against the ledge,
and stared out into the growing darkness. Soon, it would be
pitch-black outside—everdark (the Gullah pronounced it evah-dock).
It meant, pretty much, everlasting darkness. That was what it felt
like, too—an endless night. Leaning forward, I pressed my forehead
against the cool pane. Eli wasn’t right, not by far. I did not
enjoy the dreams; rather, the internal conversations I’d
reluctantly had with the younger Arcos. Nor did I desire Victorian.
In the dreams, I wanted two things: to continue the turn-on, then
nothing more than for him to stop, to leave me the hell alone; he
never did. He returned to me, time after time, with the most
erotic, out-of-control dreams that make me respond to him in ways
that mortified me. I loathed him. He made me excited. Yet I got a
rush when his voice sounded inside my head.
Worse still,
Victorian had begun speaking to me during my waking hours. Somehow,
he’d gotten inside my head outside of the dreams. The only cause I
could assume to be the reason for this was that we shared the
strigoi DNA. I thought I could handle it. I wanted the bastard
dead. I was the only one who could get close enough to do it.
Dammit.
“What was that all
about? You okay?”
I turned and met
Seth’s concerned gaze. I was a balled-up bundle of hot electrical
wires, and I needed to burn off a little energy. It was either that
or bang my head against a brick wall. “It’s nothing, Bro.
Seriously. You wanna go for a run?”
My brother gave me a
crooked grin. “I’ll pass. I’m meeting Josie for a little roof
jumping.” He wiggled his brows at me.
Seth Poe was
definitely enjoying his vampiric tendencies. The kid had serious
free-running talent. I’d been watching him closely, just to see if
anything else, possibly weird, popped up. So far, it hadn’t. I
grinned. “Gotcha. I’ll catch ya later.”
Those fathomless
green eyes stared at me for a moment; then Seth pulled me into a
tight hug. “Love ya, Sis.” Then he disappeared out the
door.
I shook my head,
yanked on my sneakers, and headed out into the early-September
night air, crossed the merchant’s drive, climbed the metal steps to
Bay Street, and took off.
Savannah in September
was still warm and humid, and the brine from the river clung
heavily to the air. I drew it in fully as I ran, the muscles in my
legs stretching with each long stride. I could go faster—much
faster—but that would seriously draw attention. I mean, I can haul
ass. Instead, though, I kept it to a typical human’s pace, crossed
Bay behind a group of ghost walkers, and headed up Bryan Street.
Finally, I found myself alone. Full darkness had fallen, and I
increased my speed, stretching my legs. Long shadows fell from the
lampposts, parking meters, and the massive oaks that lined nearly
every side street in the historic district. Everything looked
distorted. I turned the corner and glanced over my
shoulder.
An arm shot out of
the shadows, clotheslined me, and knocked me flat on my back. I’d
barely felt the sidewalk beneath me before I leapt up, adrenaline
rushing, body rigid, poised, crouched, and ready to fight. I stared
hard into the shadows.
I knew who awaited me
before he emerged.
“My apologies for
using such force to stop you,” Victorian Arcos said in a low,
seductive voice, “but you’re amazingly fast.”
“Thanks to you and
your brother,” I answered. “What are you doing here? They’ll kill
you if they find you.” I met his gaze with a hard one. “Maybe I’ll
kill you.”
Victorian stepped
fully into the lamplight, and again I was stunned by his beauty. He
looked older than twenty-one. Gone was the eighteenth-century
clothing from before. Although he still kept his sleek black hair
long and pulled into a queue, he was now dressed in a loose white
button-down shirt hanging untucked from a pair of worn jeans and
scuffed boots. It was difficult to believe he was so young. Well,
that plus several hundred years. Apparently, my death threat fazed
him nada.
He closed his eyes
and drew in a lungful of air, then looked at me. “I can barely
smell your blood,” he said, stepping closer and inhaling deeply
again. “Your dark brothers must have changed the drugs they use to
mask your scent.” Light reflected in his deep brown eyes, and they
studied me closely, intensely. “I’m glad. I had to see
you.”
A car turned up the
street, and the headlights flashed toward us. In the blink of an
eye, Victorian stepped in front of me, pushing me backward through
the thick, damp grass, and into the shadows of an aged brick
historic house that dominated nearly an entire block. The car
passed; the headlight beams swept above our heads, and then left us
in total darkness. Victorian, who stood at least six feet tall,
moved slowly, crowding me and forcing me to back up. I stopped when
the brick pressed into my back. I felt completely powerless, as
though I possessed zero control of my actions, my thoughts, my new
tendencies—almost as if I’d had a stroke. The younger Arcos took
full advantage.
He stared down at me,
desire radiating off his body in heady waves. “You torture me,
Riley,” he said, his Romanian accent making his words seductive,
erotic. “I think of nothing else but you”—he leaned close, his
mouth brushing my jaw—“and of what I want to do to you.” His soft
lips grazed the skin at my neck, where he lingered, and a flash of
fear mixed with an uncontrolled shiver rushed through me. “Of what
I dream of you doing to me,” he said at my ear. “It causes me
physical pain to stay away, Riley Poe.” His mouth moved to my jaw,
dragging his lips to my chin, close to my mouth. “I want you now,”
he whispered. “I want to keep you forever.”
I was shaking, my
mind numb, my limbs paralyzed, and sensations tingled across the
skin where his lips moved so erotically. I didn’t want this, or his
touch. I couldn’t help but crave it. I breathed, squeezed my eyes
shut, opened them, gathered my strength—God only knew where it came
from—lifted my hands to his chest and pushed. Hard. Victorian flew
backward and landed on his back several feet away. He lay there,
staring at me and smiling.
When next I blinked,
he stood in front of me, close, crowding me once more, his hands
grasping my wrists and grating my knuckles against the brick wall
at my back. He lowered his head, his lips whispering against
mine.
“Your tendencies do
nothing more than fascinate me”—his mouth moved against mine—“and
excite me even more.” He pulled back and looked at me. “What other
tricks do you possess that I might enjoy?” His alluring scent
surrounded me as his mouth covered mine—
“Riley?” A hand
grasped my shoulder and shook—hard. “Riley, wake up,
dammit.”
I gasped; my eyes
fluttered open and I stared, confused, into Eli’s questioning gaze.
Behind him, early-morning sun streamed in through my bedroom
window, casting a hazy glow on his face. He frowned. “You’ve been
dreaming of him again,” he said, his eyes hard and accusing.
“Haven’t you?”
I glanced down. I
still wore the same black yoga pants and sports bra I’d gone for a
run in the night before. I’d encountered Victorian on that run.
Hadn’t I? Or had it all really been a dream? I looked at my
knuckles; the skin across them was scraped raw.
Inside my
head,Victorian’s seductive laugh resonated.
Now, either that
little fucker was messing with me, or I was losing my goddamn
mind.