Dark Melody: A Vampire Romance (Immortal Legacy Book 1) Read online

  It was Alec’s voice.

  Relief washed over me, although I wasn’t sure why. He was a vampire, after all.

  I pushed the door open and stepped inside.

  “It’s about time you showed up.” There was a critical tone to his voice.

  “I’ve been looking for you,” I told him, wondering why I even felt the need to defend myself.

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

  I opened my mouth to say something, but no words would come out. Actually, I hadn’t even decided if I was going to tell Alec about Dash and what I’d discovered.

  Now he was even closer, so close that I had goose bumps.

  “Don’t deny it. I can smell him on you.” Alec’s eyes were glowing with hunger.

  My heart was racing as I imagined him sinking his fangs into my flesh. To my surprise, the thought was almost erotic. It seemed that whenever I was near him, carnal images slipped into my head.

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

  “Are you crazy?” he thundered. “Does the word vampire not mean anything to you? Humans don’t keep company with vampires.”

  Stunned by his outburst, I couldn’t think of a single thing to say in response.

  The corners of his mouth dipped into a frown. Before I could stop him, he’d pulled me into his arms. His lips came down on my neck and I felt something akin to a jolt of electricity travel over every inch of my body.

  I had to focus!

  I had to think about Ethan!

  Finally, I gathered enough willpower to pull away. “If I should stay away from vampires, then why are you here?” My voice trembled along with the rest of me.

  For a long time, he said nothing and when he did break his silence, he answered my question with one of his own. “What is it about vampires that you find so compelling? It won’t do you any good to deny this. I feel the curiosity that draws you.”

  I had no answer to offer. He was right. There was something about the vampire that drew me, but I had no idea what it was.

  Was it my morbid curiosity about death?

  “You long to lie on a bed of satin, with the grave to blanket your sweet body, but why?” he asked.

  When his fangs scraped against my neck, I inhaled sharply. “That’s not true.”

  “I can feel it in you. It seeps from every pore. You fear us, not because you fear death, but because you fear immortality. You are afraid of never reaching that final climax that is death.

  Alec’s hand found its way into my shirt and beneath my bra and his fingers began squeezing my erect nipples. His touch was painful but arousing.

  “Alec.” I moaned.

  “What is it about this secret of Omar’s that you are so interested in?” he asked while continuing to caress my breast.

  I tried to concentrate on giving him some kind of answer, but all I could think about was the searing need that his touch awakened.

  “My only interest is in finding Ethan,” I breathed.

  “I know what you really want,” he said, his lips next to my ear. “Let me give it to you. Let me relieve your suffering. It will be like nothing you have ever experienced,” he promised.

  I shook my head, maybe a little too forcefully, which was telling. He knew exactly how he made me feel.

  I had to focus on something other than having sex with Alec.

  I wanted him way too bad. If I let go now, I would be lost. There was no doubt that I would end up as one his feeder. Maybe worse.

  Death was interesting and at times, even alluring, but that type of death wasn’t something that held any appeal for me.

  “Alec, please. You are not being fair,” I breathed.

  “What did you want with that vampire?” he asked. “Maybe you wanted some of this.” Then he was sinking his teeth into my neck.

  I barely felt the pain through the shock. Yelping, I jumped away and my hand flew to my neck. I felt something wet and warm where he’d bit me. When I pulled my hand away and saw the crimson against my pale skin, I was almost dizzy with horror.

  “How could you do that?” I gasped.

  There was laughter dancing in his cold blue eyes. “No need to panic. I barely broke the skin.”

  “Does this mean I’m going to -?” I couldn’t even make myself say the word turn, in order to finish the sentence.

  “No, you are not a vampire, but if I didn’t have the self-control that I do, or if I were another vampire, you would likely be dead now. Is that what you want?” he asked, a harsh note to his voice.

  Giving him the evil eye, I shook my head. “This vampire isn’t like that. He’s basically a closet Light Seeker.”

  Smirking, Alec cocked his head to one side. “Do you really think that Light Seekers don’t kill? Please tell me you’re not that naive.”

  I opened my mouth to come back with something and then realized that I didn’t know what to say. It was something that I hadn’t actually thought about.

  “They are killers, the same as I am,” he said. There was a wicked gleam in his eye that drove home his point.

  “Either way, he didn’t feed on me,” I shot back.

  “But he could have. That’s my point,” Alec growled.

  “Why do you care anyway? Remember, I’m just human. Food for the immortal.”

  He seemed startled by my question. For a fraction of a moment, I thought I saw confusion in his hard eyes.

  I was beginning to think he had no idea himself.

  A calm seemed to settle over him and he leaned one shoulder against the wall. “So, tell me about your vampire.”

  I hesitated. There was a possibility that Alec wouldn’t believe Dash’s story. Hell, I wasn’t even sure I did. Mostly I didn’t, but it was the only thing I had to go on.

  There was no doubt Dash believed what he said, but was it real? I wondered if it were possible for a vampire to be delusional.

  If I was going to find out what happened to Ethan, I was going to need all the help I could get, which meant I’d probably have to trust Alec. I explained what Dash told me, and then slipped into silence while I waited for him to respond.

  His reaction wasn’t long in coming. Alec’s lips spread into a wide smile. “That’s the most ridiculous thing I’ve ever heard. This secret is nothing more than myth, and I don’t believe there are other dimensions to reality.”

  “Okay then, why don’t you tell me something, Alec? Why do you think vampires are what they are?”

  He opened his mouth to say something but closed it again.

  “Do you think vampires just happened?” I asked.

  “We are what we are.” He shrugged.

  Shaking my head, I started wagging a finger at him. “That’s a copout and you know it. There’s a reason for everything. Nothing is just chance.”

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

  “Maybe you can find out from Omar, whoever he is. I think Dash is right about one thing. Vampires are not cursed creatures. There has to be more to it than that.”

  Reaching out, he grabbed my arm and pulled me to him until my head was resting against his chest. “And how would sweet Nicole know what a vampire really is?”

  This time, I was the one left speechless. The fact was that I didn’t have the slightest idea of why there were vampires. Before that night in the Lafayette Cemetery, I’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 said, taking my hand in his.

  I let him lead me out the door without protest.

  The throng of people on St. Peter’s Street had dwindled and the night had grown quiet. In the distance, I could hear the laughter of a woman. Somewhere nearby, sirens blared, but these sounds were not uncommon. />
  Alec led me to an area of the Quarter where the streets were darker. Normally, I wouldn’t have dared walk the streets at night, but I was with Alec. As long as I was with him, I would be safe, from strangers anyway.

  As we walked, a comfortable silence fell over us. The silence didn’t bother me. I was still trying to put my thoughts in order and analyze my feelings for Alec. Just being close to him was addictive. The more I was with him, the more I seemed to want him.

  “Alec, what about Ethan? Aren’t we going to look for him?” I asked, shattering the calm of the moment.

  “In time,” he said, not bothering to elaborate.

  I was alarmed by his lack of concern. “But won’t they kill him?”

  Suddenly it occurred to me that the reason he wasn’t concerned was because they couldn’t kill Ethan. “Can they kill him? I mean, I thought vampires couldn’t die.”

  “Yes, vampires can be killed. Anything that lives can also die,” he replied.

  “But vampires are not really alive.”

  “We are alive, just a different kind of alive. When a vampire turns, their body dies and is reborn to an existence of eternal darkness. Perhaps it is the darkness that dwells in the soul that gives us life.”

  “No, I don’t think so,” I said, shaking my head. “If you were reanimated by the darkness of the soul, all vampires would be evil, and I haven’t seen any evidence of that.”

  “Don’t let yourself be seduced by that darkness, Nicole,” he warned.

  What he was saying didn’t make sense. I knew Ethan was a good man, and there wouldn’t be any convincing me otherwise.

  “What about Ethan?” I asked again.

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

  Stopping, I turned to face Alec. “But how do you know this?”

  “I think they’re using him for bait. This is why Victor went through the trouble of letting me know. I doubt he just happened by while they were taking Ethan. I know Victor and he wouldn’t have bothered with Ethan.”

  “So you don’t trust Victor?” I asked.

  I didn’t blame him. From the moment I saw the vampire, I knew there was something bad about him.

  “Not at all.” Alec shook his head. “They are using Ethan, but I already have a plan in place.”

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

  A shadow dropped over Alec’s features. “He has no manners. If I hadn’t have been so preoccupied, I would have sensed him sooner.”

  “Oh,” I muttered. The blood rushed to my face as I remembered the intimacy I’d shared with him the night before.

  “Who were you before you turned?” I asked, changing the subject and not just because I was embarrassed about succumbing to the vision he’d stuck in my head. I was genuinely interested in who Alec Norwood really was.

  For a long time, he didn’t answer. Just as I was beginning to think it was something he didn’t want to talk about, he turned to look at me. “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. Most of it doesn’t seem real anymore.” Again he slipped into silence, seeming to lose himself in those memories of that long ago life.

  “What was your name then?” I asked.

  Suddenly his face brightened. “Sir Jonathan of Lincolnshire, at your service, My Lady.”

  “So you were a real knight? That’s awesome!” I laughed, glad for the sudden shift in his mood.

  I was seeing a side of Alec that I was sure few people ever saw. “You must have been a noble and fierce knight.”

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

  I placed a hand on his shoulder. “Maybe you were not searching in the right place?”

  Stopping suddenly, Alec wrapped his arms around my waist and pulled me so close that our bodies were almost like one.

  “Tell me, Nicole, are you afraid of me? Do you trust me?”

  My heart was pounding furiously against my ribs. “Yes and yes.”

  His velvety smooth laughter was so dark but yet so wonderfully sexy.

  “Hold on,” he told me.

  Wrapping my arms around his neck, I rested my head against his hard chest.

  Suddenly the ground was no longer beneath my feet. We were moving through the night so fast that we seemed to be riding the wind. Never had I known such exhilaration. The feeling was pure freedom.

  Chapter Fourteen

  Nicole

  High above the city, the lights of New Orleans seemed magical. With the moon and a blanket of stars as our backdrop, I flew through the night in the arms of an immortal. Without warning, we stopped moving, but we were still floating somewhere between heaven and earth.

  Alec’s lips were on mine - his tongue forcing its way into my mouth. Relenting, I let myself get caught up in his hunger.

  I eagerly returned his kiss. Even when I felt his fangs with my tongue, I didn’t pull away. The thrill of exploring the night in such a way was second only to being in his arms.

  Was this what it was like to really be in love?

  Could I really be falling in love with a vampire?

  When I thought about just how crazy my situation was, I could feel the wings of a thousand butterflies fluttering in my stomach.

  The thought slipped from my mind. Nothing seemed important – nothing other than being in his embrace.

  This was the moment that I finally came to accept that I wanted Alec Norwood. It wasn’t just simple lust. I wanted him more than I wanted to breathe.

  We slowly began to descend. “Let me love you, Nicole,” he whispered in my ear.

  Tilting my head back, I gazed into his eyes and felt myself falling into that place of no return. We again came together in a searing kiss of need - a need that transcended the cravings of the flesh. At that moment, I knew that I was exactly where I should be.

  I barely noticed that I was now lying on a bed of soft grass. Alec’s hand slid over my skin in a soft caress as he removed my shirt and bra. Now I was completely exposed to his hungry eyes.

  His mouth was on my flesh and I felt an explosion of mind-numbing need course through me. The pain of his fangs piercing my skin finally pushed me over the edge. I had to have him. I could no longer push the feeling aside.

  “Alec. I want you,” I panted. I needed to feel him possess me - quenching the need that was overwhelming my entire being.

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

  “Alec, I want to be with you always. I want you to turn me.” I didn’t even know where the thought came from. I was running on pure need.

  It wasn’t just my body that needed him. My soul needed him.

  I couldn’t even catch my breath. I was being consumed by something that I had no idea how to control and couldn’t even begin to understand. It was a longing that I had to satisfy, no matter the cost.

  Without warning, he pulled away and a chill settled over me. I was left lying in the grass, desperately needing him to put out the fire that was now burning out of control.

  “You don’t have any idea what it is you are asking of me.” His voice was so soft that it was barely audible.

  The cool night air brought on a shiver, reminding me that I was completely naked from the waist up. Snatching my shirt from where it lay in the grass, I covered myself.

  Kneeling down beside me, Alec reached out to caress my cheek with his cool fingers. “One minute you want death and the next you want eternity. What darkness dwells in your heart that makes you crave such torment?”

  Taking his hand in mine, I brought it to my lips. “Being with you is the first time I’ve really felt like living.”

 
Alec shook his head. “The life of a vampire is not life. It is death of the soul.”

  “I don’t believe that,” I said, pushing myself into a sitting position. “I can feel your soul. I can feel the ice melt when I am in your arms.”

  Cupping my face in his hands, he brought his mouth down on mine. I could feel his fangs piercing my flesh as he kissed me.

  Finally, it was Alec who broke the kiss. “What you are feeling is the spell of the vampire. Nothing more.” As he spoke, his eyes glowed with more intensity than I’d ever seen in them.

  Swallowing the lump that had formed in my throat, I asked, “What about you, Alec? What do you feel?”

  Turning away, he stared up into the night sky. “I feel nothing. I’m a vampire, remember?”

  His words were like cold water in the face. I didn’t trust myself to speak without revealing the pain that was eating away at my heart, so I focused on the task of redressing.

  When Alec turned his attention back to me, he was smiling as if the last few minutes hadn’t happened.

  That hurt almost as much as his words.

  He offered me his hand. “We should get back.”

  Although I let him take my hand, I said nothing. I was hurting inside, but I couldn’t be sure why or if it was real.

  Could he be right?

  Were my feelings nothing more than an illusion brought on by his vampire spell?

  Either way, I was determined not to let him see my emotion. I would be as careless as he was about it.

  If vampires really were devoid of emotion, maybe they were the lucky ones.

  Chapter Fifteen

  Nicole

  Alec left me before dawn. He promised to return when the sun went down. I was under no illusions now. His main purpose for seeing me again was so that we could help Ethan escape Omar.

  I should have been grateful. At least he was there to help find Ethan, and I was thankful for his help. There was just a part of me that wished there was more to it, and that maybe he did feel something.

  Trying to sleep was useless. I was too restless for that. When I wasn’t thinking about Ethan, I kept running through the events of the night.

  I must have appeared pretty naive and stupid to him. Even the memory of how I’d acted brought a blush of shame to my face.