B00528UTDS EBOK (9 page)

A smoky haze began to gather in front of her, slowly taking on the shape of a man. Fascinated, Sarah watched the outline of his body as it turned solid. His hard body was like chiseled stone, his skin stretched tight against his taut muscles. He was pure perfection, with his dark skin and male physique. His black eyes were magical. That was the only word that she could think to describe them.

“You called my lady,” he nodded to her.

Sarah was dazed and unable to respond. She knew that witches had familiars, but they were usually cats, or some other type of animal. She’d never heard of a familiar that was a man.

“I’m sorry. I was expecting a cat,” she muttered.

I can be whatever my lady would like me to be,” he said with a sly smile. He again dematerialized, and became no more than a puff of smoke, before taking the shape of a raven.

“Wow, this is awesome.” Sarah laughed. “What is he … a ghost?”

Jeanie cleared her throat. “He is an earth spirit, and will appear in whatever form he can be most helpful. The fact that he appeared in the form of a man, suggests that your hormones are running at full speed.” Her aunt gave her a look of disapproval.

“Oh,” Sarah blushed.

It was true. She’d practically been on fire since her encounter with Darrien. She guessed that her familiar would accommodate her in those ways too, if she wanted. That he’d appeared in that particular form, made it all too obvious what had been occupying her mind, and now Aunt Jeanie was aware of it.

“Why is it that he has you in such a fever?” Jeanie asked.

Sarah didn’t want to answer. How could she tell her aunt that she wanted a vampire, the same vampire whose purpose had been to kill her?

“You don’t have to tell me, I think I know,” Jeanie said, shaking her head. “He is weaving a spell over you and it’s dangerous. A vampire brought your mother a lot of pain, and no doubt it will be the same for you.”

Sarah shrugged her shoulders. “It doesn’t matter. He said he was going away.”

Worry lines creased Jeanie’s forehead. “Hmm … well we’ll see.”

* * * *

The little bell above the door of the Déjà vu tattoo shop jingled as she stepped inside. For the first time since she’d met Dash, he was actually working on a tattoo. A young girl in her early twenties was lying on her stomach in the work chair. It had been placed in a flat position, so that it resembled a small bed.

Dash didn’t bother looking up from his task. The small tattoo gun he held in his hand hummed as it moved slowly across skin. Half of the girl’s back was covered with tattoos. Nicole could not make out what the tattoos were, but they were full of symbols that appeared to be some type of ancient writing. She was naked from the waist up, wearing only a tight black leather skirt. Her dark hair was styled in two ponytails. The look struck Nicole as too young for the girl’s age.

“What do I owe the pleasure,” Dash asked her.

The girl looked up and seemed startled to see Nicole standing only a few feet away. “I must be getting rusty, I didn’t even smell her,” she directed her comment to Dash.

“Well then.” Dash put a finger to his head, as if he was concentrating intently on trying to remember something. “I believe there’s a bit of cow blood, some vitamins, and some liquefied liver. But I can’t tell you more than that.”

“Okay, but I do think you are meant to do something with that recipe,” Nicole told him. Spotting a metal chair placed against the wall, she sat down.

“I could have told you that,” Dash said, as if it should have been obvious.

“There’s something else. I need to ask you a favor.” Nicole approached the subject of the second reason she’d come to Dash’s shop.

“Oh no! Whenever you need something, it usually means I’m going to be dodging wooden stakes and holy water.” Dash’s face twisted in a grimace.

Nicole laughed. “Really Dash, I know you are much braver than you let on.”

Dash turned his attention back to the tattoo he was doing. “You think so do you? Well I have news for you. I can’t even watch a zombie movie. Those things are creepier than hell.”

Again Nicole laughed. “You’re kidding right?”

“So what is it you need?”

“I wanted to ask you if you would go to Romania with me … to the Castle Arges. I need to look for Alec. We haven’t heard from him since he left.”

Sophia started giggled so hard, that Dash had to pull the tattoo gun away from her back.

“You’re a mortal and you want to go to the Castle Arges?” The girl’s laugher filled the small shop. “Do you have any idea who lives in that castle?”

Nicole shook her head.

“Well I’ll tell you,” Dash said looking at Nicole as if she’d completely lost her mind. “Luciano lives at the Castle Arges. He makes Omar look like a schoolyard bully. Besides, have you thought that maybe he just doesn’t have any cell phone reception where he is? That place is practically at the end of the earth.”

“Still, I’m worried,” she told him.

“You’re just asking for trouble,” Dash frowned.

“You don’t seriously believe that he’s worse than Omar do you?” Nicole was doubtful. She couldn’t imagine anyone being worse than her Uncle Omar.

“I don’t know about being
worse
than Omar … if you are asking if he is as evil, but he is deadly. He can kill you without ever touching you.”

“Oh come on?” Nicole said in disbelief.

“It’s true … so I think I’ll be passing on this trip. I’d prefer to stay home and watch zombie movies all night,” Dash smiled. “Besides, I just don’t get into that whole Dracula scene.”

He didn’t say anything until they had stepped out onto the sidewalk in front of the shop. “ I really hate that I can’t read you … because I have to actually ask you. Are you sure you don’t mind if she tags along? I know she’s a bit naïve. She only turned a few years ago, and I don’t think she was all there to begin with.”

Caroline stared at the blood-covered chicken coop, her fragile features twisting in disgust. All the chickens were dead. The creature had drained their blood. In a feeding frenzy, he’d spilled as much as he’d consumed. Now there would be no eggs to get her through the winter, and no meat to make broth.

“Lord Rousseau!” she called out. “Why do you do this to me? You take my husband, and now you take my livelihood.” She did not expect a reply. The predawn sky was already purple with the coming sunrise.

“Come and talk with me Caroline.”

The deep voice came from the darkness beyond the barn doors, near the chicken coop.

Caroline shook her head. “You are evil
monsieur
.”

His dark laughter drifted from the barn. “Evil you say? Are you not the witch?”

“I do not kill,” she screamed at him.

Again she heard his deep laughter. “A witch and a vampire
mademoiselle
… two of the most misunderstood creatures on earth. Why can’t we be allies?”

“I would not join with evil,” she replied, her voice hot with anger.

“Come here Caroline. Let me look at you. Or are you afraid that your powers are not strong enough to hold back a mere vampire?”

Caroline would not let the creature intimidate her. That would be a mistake. She boldly walked to the barn door. He was inside - hidden within the shadows, his only protection from the rising sun.

Darrien continued. “I know you did not love him Caroline. I saw him hitting you … I heard your baby daughter scream while he was taking you against your will. Is that not also evil?”

Caroline closed her eyes. His words were true. Her love for her husband had faded long ago. Almost from the beginning, he’d proven himself to be a monster. Though Darrien had actually released her from a living hell, she could not let her heart embrace the thought.

Was it fear, or the thrill of being so close to him … so close to death?

His lips were on her throat, kissing her softly “I could not let him continue to torture you Caroline. When I saw his fists hitting your face, the only thing I could think of was that girl that would pick wildflowers from the fields near our château. The girl that would watch me as I rode by, as if she wanted to say something but never dared.”

“You killed him purposely!” Caroline choked on her words.

“Regretfully, I must confess to that slight indiscretion … that darkness of which I could not contain,” he whispered, kissing her neck.

“You followed me here?” she accused, her voice shaking as she tried to ignore her body’s response to his touch.

“Yes, I have been watching you for a long time. I watched him court you, marry you, and then take you away. I had to know that you were cared for.”

“They all believe you to be dead. I believed you to be dead.” The words caught in her throat.

Darrien laughed. “Yes, my father is quite good at cleaning up messes.”

“I loved you!” Caroline sobbed, the emotion finally getting the best of her. “And then I thought you were dead. You never came to me.”

“Regrettably … you now know why.”

Caroline shook her head. “I was just another commoner … someone for you to play with.”

Darrien lifted her chin so that he could look into her eyes. “You are many things Caroline, but common is not one of them. I would have come for you, but I did not want to bring this darkness into your life.”

He pulled her close, wrapping his arms around her. The coolness of his body was repulsive, but yet so erotic. Her body yearned for him, even more than when he’d been a living - breathing man.

The stillness was shattered by the terrified screams of her child. Caroline’s heart leaped into her throat. Pulling away from Darrien, she ran for the house.

* * * *

Sarah sat straight up, her screams vibrating off the walls. It took several minutes for her to relax enough to breathe normally. Again she’d dreamt of Caroline, but it had been more like a memory than a dream. She’d been Caroline. She’d felt what Caroline felt, knew what she knew. Sarah was still shaking from the terror she’d felt when she’d heard the child’s screams.