B004SOYUR8 EBOK Page 4

  “Now you may not believe this, but you see … I hang with this motorcycle gang sometimes. We were out riding one night and we found this little midget dude walking along the highway.”

  Nicole could not help but smile at the way Dash told the story with such animation.

  “Well if you knew me … you’d know that I have a bit of a tendency to overeat. This little man seemed like he could be a nice morsel to hold me over. I let the others go ahead, and I stopped to talk to him.”

  Nicole began to wonder how much of what he was telling her was real, and how much was made up, but she continued to listen quietly.

  “It was a funny thing,’ he continued. “That little guy knew exactly what I was as soon as he saw me.” Dash shook his head. “It was like … really strange. Well he said I didn’t have to do what I was doing, and he handed me this little clear rock. He told me if I closed my eyes, I would see a different way.”

  Dash opened the fridge. “Sorry I need a bit more.’

  Nicole turned away so she didn’t have to see him drink. “Isn’t that awful?” she asked.

  “Oh no … with my recipe it taste just fine refrigerated. I been trying to get the others to catch on to it.’

  “Anyway …” Nicole reminded him about his story as she glanced at her watch. The hour was getting late, and she wanted to make sure that she could catch up to Alec when she was done talking with Dash.

  “Well I did close my eyes like the little guy told me, and it was like I was somewhere else. I was in the light. It was a place like here … but where there were creatures of all types. But no vampires.”

  Dash paused a moment before continuing. “He was there with me … it was like real magic. I asked where all the vampires were, and he said that vampires couldn’t be there because they had been banished thousands of years ago. The next thing I know I was back, and the little dude was gone. He slipped right away from me.”

  “Dash, do vampires use drugs?” Nicole asked, doubtful that there could be any reality to such a fantastic story.

  “You see! That’s why I don’t tell anyone.”

  “Well you have to admit it sounds a little farfetched,” Nicole told him as she got to her feet.

  Dash shrugged his shoulders. “That’s the story.”

  “Where can I find this Omar?” she wanted to know.

  He started laughing so hard he nearly doubled over. “No … tell me you are not thinking of going into Omar’s nest. A bit of a girl like you!”

  “You could help me if you want,” Nicole told him with a half smile.

  “Well now …I have a lot a work to do here.” He motioned to the chair she had been sitting on.

  “Dash … can I ask you a question?”

  “Guess that would depend on what it was.”

  “When did you turn?” Nicole found Dash fascinating and she wanted to know more about him.

  “I can’t remember a lot before I turned … but I think it was in the 80s.”

  “What’s it like?” she wanted to know.

  His mood turned somber. “She wants to know what it’s like.” His laughter was again dark, with just a hint of danger in it. “You are cold … always so cold. And there is the constant hunger. For those of us that crave the light, it is eternal hell.”

  “I’m sorry. You seem like you could have been a nice guy … before you turned,” Nicole told him.

  “What do you mean before I turned? Lots of people think I’m a nice guy now.”

  “Of course, I just figured since you feed off of blood … that might be a bad mark.” Nicole tried to lighten the mood.

  “Well there is that,” he said, his face twisting into a harsh grimace.

  “Thank you for your story. It really was interesting.”

  “What’s your name girl?” Dash asked her as she was leaving.

  “Nicole,” she told him.

  “Well Nicole … do yourself a favor and don’t go looking for Omar. He will kill you without a second thought. Your friend is a lot more capable of taking care of himself than you are,” he advised.

  * * * *

  Nicole spent the next hour looking for Alec. She went to the club, and though the other band members were there, Alec was absent. After leaving the Dark Wind, she drove by the house that he’d taken her to the night before. It was dark and empty.

  She should have been waiting for him when the sun went down.

  Nicole was left with nothing else to do but go back to the office or home. She didn’t think that she could sit around at home while she knew Ethan was in danger, so she went back to the office. Maybe she would look around to see if there were any clues in Ethan’s office to where Omar’s clan was located.

  When she walked in, she was only slightly surprised to see Alec sitting in her chair with his legs propped on her desk.

  “It’s about time that you showed up,” he glared at her.

  “Well I’ve been out looking for you,” she told him, wondering why she felt that she needed to defend herself.

  In a blink of an eye he was standing next to her. “I smell another on you. Who have you been with?”

  Nicole opened her mouth to say something, but no words would come out. She hadn’t even decided if she wanted to tell Alec about Dash and what she’d found out.

  “Do not deny it sweet. I can smell him on you.”

  Alec’s eyes had that look of hunger in them again and Nicole felt her breath quicken as she imagined him sinking his teeth into her flesh. The thought was almost as erotic as the carnal images that slipped into her head whenever she was near him.

  “I have seen another vampire,” she admitted. “I wanted to talk to him about something.”

  “Are you mad?” he thundered. “Does the word vampire not mean anything to you? Humans do not keep company with vampires.” His lips were on her neck, kissing her until she trembled.

  “Then why are you here?” she whispered.

  For a long time he said nothing, and then he answered her with a question. “What do you want with the vampires? You long to lie on a bed of satin, with the grave to blanket your sweet body … but why?”

  His teeth scraped against her neck and she shivered. “That’s not true,” she breathed.

  “I can feel it in you. It seeps from every pore. You fear us, not because you fear death … but because you fear never being able to reach that final climax that is death.”

  Alec slipped his hand into her shirt, and beneath her bra. His fingers squeezed at her budding nipples. The feeling was painful, but arousing.

  “Alec,” she moaned.

  “Why are you interested in the Place of Light?” he asked her while still caressing and squeezing her breast.

  Nicole tried to concentrate on what he was asking, but all she could think of was the searing need that his touch aroused. “I am interested in finding Ethan,” she gasped.

  “Let me relieve your suffering. The feeling will be like nothing you have ever experienced,” he told her.

  Nicole shook her head. She must focus on something other than having sex with Alec. She wanted him way too bad, and if she let go now, she would be lost. There was no doubt that she would become his feeder, and this type of death was not what Nicole considered, alluring.

  “Alec please … you are not being fair.”

  “What did you want with the vampire sweet … some of this?” he asked, sinking his teeth into her neck, just barely breaking the skin.

  Startled, Nicole yelped and moved away from him.

  When she grabbed her neck, a couple of drops of blood got on her hand. Horrified, Nicole stared at the blood smeared across her pale skin.

  “Does this mean …?”

  “No you are not a vampire, but if I did not have the self-control that I do, or if I were another vampire … you would be dead now. Is that what you want?” he asked harshly.

  Nicole shook her head. “This one … he’s not like that. He’s basically a closet Light Seeker.”

  “Do
you think the Light Seekers do not kill?”

  Nicole paused. Actually she hadn’t thought about it.

  “They are killers, the same as I.”

  “Well he didn’t feed on me,” Nicole shot back.

  “But he could have … that’s my point,” he growled, his anger coming through.

  “Why do you care anyway? I am just a human … the vampire’s food, remember.” Nicole frowned.

  Alec seemed startled by her question. For a fraction of a moment, a look of confusion entered his eyes. Maybe he didn’t even know why he cared?

  “Tell me about your vampire.” Alec leaned one shoulder against the wall, his calm reserve back.

  Nicole hesitated. She didn’t think that Alec would believe the story. She wasn’t even sure she did. She believed that Dash thought it was real, but was it? Could a vampire be delusional?

  “He says that he saw this place of light, and that it is real. He also said that the vampires are forbidden from being there because they were banished thousands of years go,” she explained.

  Alec’s lips spread into a smile. “That’s the most ridiculous thing I’ve ever heard. No one has seen this place. It is legend … a myth.”

  “Tell me something Alec. Why do you think vampires are what they are?”

  He opened his mouth to say something, but closed it again. “We are just what we are.”

  Nicole shook her head. “That’s a copout and you know it. There is a reason for everything. Nothing is just chance.”

  “Okay, then tell me. Why are we like we are? What are vampires?” he asked, his voice dripping sarcasm.

  “That is what you can find out from Omar. I am sure that is what he is hiding.”

  Alec reached out and pulled her to him. “And how would sweet Nicole have the slightest idea of what a vampire is?”

  This time Nicole was the one left speechless. The fact was that she didn’t have the slightest idea of why there were vampires. Before that night in the Lafayette Cemetery, she’d been sure no such thing even existed.

  But there had to be a logical reason why they existed. The first vampire had to be created somehow.

  “Let’s walk and enjoy the night,” he told her.

  Nicole nodded and followed him out the door.

  The night was relatively quiet. In the distance, she could hear the laughter of a woman. Somewhere in the darkness, sirens blared, but these sounds were not uncommon in the city. The street was dark, with few streetlights. Normally she wouldn’t have dared to be out on the streets at night, but in Alec’s company, she knew she’d be safe, from strangers anyway.

  They walked through the darkness in silence. Nicole didn’t mind. She was still trying to collect her thoughts and analyze her feelings for Alec. His very nearness was an addiction. The more she was with him - the more she wanted to be with him.

  But then there was Ethan. What were they going to do about him?

  “Alec … what about Ethan? Aren’t we going after him?” She broke the silence.

  “In time,” he answered.

  “Won’t they kill him?” she was alarmed. Nicole thought they should go searching for him now.

  “They won’t destroy him, at least not yet.”

  “How do you know this?”

  “I think they are using him for bait. This is why Victor took the trouble to let me know. I doubt that he just happened by, while they were taking Ethan. Victor wouldn’t have bothered with Ethan.”

  “So you don’t trust this Victor?”

  Alec shook his head. “No … I think they are using Ethan.”

  “Is he as powerful as you … this Victor? He was in that vision with you last night … in the bed, touching me. How could he do that without you knowing he was there?”

  His features darkened. “He has no manners. I was preoccupied, or I would have sensed him.”

  “Oh,” Nicole reddened as she thought about the vision the night before.

  “Who were you … before?” she asked.

  Alec was quiet, and Nicole was beginning to think that he would not answer. Finally he turned to her. “I was a knight, under King Edward III.”

  “Wow! How interesting. It must be amazing to see a world so different than the one you were born to.”

  “It was so long ago. It doesn’t even seem real anymore.” Again he was quiet, lost in his memories.

  “What was your name then?” she wanted to know.

  “Sir Jonathan of Lincolnshire,” he said with a smile, “at your service my lady.”

  Nicole laughed. She was seeing a side of Alec that she felt few people had ever seen. “You must have been a noble and fierce knight.”

  “Not fierce enough, I’m afraid.” His mood turned somber. “I searched for the answers for centuries … there are none.”

  Nicole put her hand on his shoulder. “Maybe you were not searching in the right place?”

  Alec stopped suddenly and wrapped his arms around her waist. He pulled her close so that her body melded with his. “Tell me Nicole … are you afraid of me? Do you trust me?”

  Nicole’s heart was pounding furiously, as it did whenever he touched her. “Yes and yes,” she told him.

  His velvet-smooth laughter was so dark, but yet so wonderful. “Hold on,” he told her.

  She put her arms around his neck and rested her head against his chest. Suddenly the ground was no longer beneath her feet. They were moving through the night so fast that they seemed to be riding the wind. Never had she known such exhilaration, or such a feeling of pure freedom.

  Chapter Five

  Flying high above the city, the lights of New Orleans seemed magical. With the moon and a blanket of stars as their backdrop, Nicole flew through the night in the arms of an immortal. They stopped moving, but still they were floating somewhere between heaven and earth.

  Alec’s lips were on hers, his tongue forcing its way into her mouth. She relented, allowing herself to get caught up in his hunger. Nicole eagerly returned his kiss. Even when she felt his fangs with her tongue, she did not pull away. The thrill of exploring the night in such a way - was second only to being in his arms. Could she be falling in love with a vampire?

  She thought about the absurdity of her situation for only a fraction of a moment. Nothing seemed important anymore, nothing but being in his embrace. She had finally come to accept that. She wanted him, even more than she wanted to breathe.

  They slowly began to descend.

  “Let me love you Nicole,” he whispered in her ear.

  Tilting her head back, she gazed into his eyes and felt herself falling into that place of no return. They again came together in a searing kiss of need - a need that transcended the cravings of the flesh. In that moment, Nicole knew that she was exactly where she should be.

  They came down in a soft blanket of grass. Alec’s hand stealthily removed her shirt and bra, exposing her soft mounds to his hungry eyes. His mouth was on her flesh and she felt an explosion of mind-numbing need course through her body. The pain of his teeth on her flesh pushed her over the edge. She had to have him. There was no way that she could deny her desire any longer.

  “Alec … I want you,” she gasped. She needed to feel the exotic sensation of him possessing her, fulfilling her aching need.

  He lifted his head to peer into her eyes. “You are so warm … so beautiful my sweet Nicole.”

  “Alec … I want to be with you … always. I want you to give me your blood.” She did not even know where the thought had come from, only that she was running on pure need. Her body needed his touch, and her soul needed him. Nicole could not catch her breath. She was being consumed by something that she could not understand. A longing that she must satisfy at all costs.

  He froze. Pulling away from her, he got to his feet. Nicole was left lying in the grass, desperately wanting him to put out the fire that was now out of control.

  “You do not know what you are asking.” His voice was so soft it was nearly inaudible.

&nb
sp; Nicole felt the chill of the night against her skin, reminding her that her breasts were bare and exposed to the world. She brought her shirt up to cover her nakedness.

  Alec kneeled down beside her, reaching out he caressed her cheek with his cool fingers. “One minute you want death … the next minute you want eternity. What darkness is in you that you yearn for such torment?”

  Nicole grabbed his hand and brought it to her lips. “Being with you is the first time that I’ve really wanted to live.”

  Alec shook his head. “The life of an immortal is no life … it is death of the soul.”

  “No … I can feel your soul. I can feel that coldness melt when I am in your arms,” Nicole insisted.

  He leaned down and tasted her lips, his teeth biting into her flesh as he devoured the kiss she offered.

  “What you feel is the spell of the vampire … nothing more.” As he spoke, his eyes glowed with more intensity than she’d ever seen in them before.

  Nicole swallowed the lump that was forming in her throat. “What about you Alec? What is it that you feel?”

  Alec turned away from her. “I feel nothing. I am a vampire … remember.”

  His words were like cold water in the face. Nicole put on her shirt and then got to her feet.

  When Alec turned back to face her, he was smiling as if the last few moments hadn’t happened.

  “We should get you back.” He held out a hand to her.

  Nicole let him take her hand without saying anything. She was hurting, but she wasn’t even sure why. Was he right? Were her feelings a reflection of some type of spell that he could weave over unsuspecting women?

  * * * *

  Alec left her before dawn, telling her he’d return after nightfall. He assured her they would find a way to help Ethan. Alec asked Nicole to promise that she wouldn’t do anymore about Ethan until he returned, but she couldn’t make him that promise. If she found where they were keeping Ethan, she would certainly do something about it.

  Nicole had tried to find sleep, but it evaded her. For those few moments that she’d been in his arms, she would have given up her soul to be with him. In fact, she freely offered to do just that, but he had refused her.