B005EMAYWS EBOK (22 page)

He stared down at her, his eyes angry but there was the suggestion of something else in his intense stare - passion. “Are you really so clueless sweetheart?”

“Let me go,” she hissed.

His mouth was on hers and he was kissing her with a fervor that came near to sweeping her away. She resisted the urge to return his kiss, reminding herself how easily a woman could be enchanted by the vampire. Though she was now one of them, she was not entirely immune.

When he pulled away, the murderous rage in his eyes was gone. “I love you,” he whispered. “I need you.”

Summer again tried to push him away. “No … you don’t love me or you wouldn’t have done this. You mistook my compassion for you as something else, and now you want to use me to replace the woman you lost.”

“Let you go so that you can go to the arms of your wolf?” he laughed. “You are deluding yourself. He is your enemy. The wolf may take you to his bed, but he will try and destroy you in the end.”

“I don’t believe you,”

Marius shrugged and kissed her again, this time with more urgency.

“I could take you now,’ he whispered, backing away just enough to let his eyes travel down her naked body. “You are a lovely sight sweetheart.”

Summer was ready to respond with a string of insults when she heard the door open. The room was suddenly filled with bright moonlight that permitted her to clearly see the look of disbelief on Anton’s face.

Marius jumped up, ready to defend himself if Anton should spring on him. “What is the matter wolf man? Did you think that you could really satisfy the lusts of a vampire?”

Summer shook her head. “Don’t believe him Anton.”

“Vampires … you just can’t trust them,” Marius smiled.

The wolf entered Anton’s eyes, and Summer knew it was too late to turn back. One of them would die tonight, and she feared it might be the one she loved. She couldn’t take that chance.

Snarling, his face began to morph into something unrecognizable.

“Anton … don’t,” she begged.

Enough of the man still remained that he heard her pleading with him. He turned sharply in her direction. As abruptly as the wolf appeared, he retreated. Anton fixed furious eyes on her.

Summer’s eyes rested on Marius. Though her heart belonged to Anton and not the vampire, she felt a strange revulsion at the thought of destroying her maker. Anton sensed her hesitation.

“You belong to him … not me,” he told her before turning and walking out the door.

“Anton! No … don’t go. It’s not true,” she called after him.

He either did not hear her calling to him, or chose to ignore her. Summer ran to the door. “I love you,” she screamed in desperation.

Anton kept walking, not even bothering to look back.

Her grief was unbearable. Summer threw her head back and wailed like a wounded animal.

If it were not for the sound of Marius’ laughter, she would have went into a downward spiral of dark despair. Instead she turned on him.

Her eyes shimmered with the light of the vampire and the fury that was consuming her. “That will not be a problem now,” she hissed as she began moving in his direction.

“Now wait sweetheart. If you do destroy me, doesn’t that make you the killer that he despises?”

His words did nothing to deter her, she continued taking slow - purposeful steps, her lips spread in a dangerous smile. “You are the one that made me a killer,”

“Think about it Summer. Who was it that walked away from you, and who was it that came looking for you?”

“It was because of you.”

“He left because he does not believe in your love for him. He cannot trust your love because he believes you have the heart of a monster.” Marius took a step back.

Summer stopped.

Marius’ words rang true. If Anton really cared, how could he have walked away from her without at least listening to what she had to say?

“Summer … I can give you everything you need and more. I can give you forever, he would eventually wither and die.”

Her fingers felt as if they were being mangled as the claws of the jaguar emerged. Baring her fangs, she rushed at him. Ready for the attack, Marius held up one arm, and on impact, he sent her soaring across the room.

“Your venom may be deadly,” he laughed, “but first you must get close enough to bite me.”

Summer recovered quickly and jumped to her feet. Crouching down, she was ready to leap at him again. But before she could make her move, she saw him pull something out of his jacket and come at her.

With centuries of practice, his movements were a lot swifter than hers. Almost before she realized what was happening, he was on her and covering her face with a piece of cloth. The chloroform didn’t work as quickly on her as it would have before she turned, but with enough of the substance, even a vampire would succumb.

The last thing she could remember before slipping into unconsciousness was the harsh odor stinging her eyes.

A full moon hung suspended in the endless black sky, blanketing the mountains and valleys with its enchanting silver light. The mournful howl of a wolf cracked through the stillness of the night, shattering the illusion of solitude and tranquility.

The wolf kept moving, stopping every so often to sniff the air. The vampire had taken her by flight, but her scent still lingered, giving the lycan some direction. The longer he followed the trail, the stronger the stench of the vampire became. There were more vampires roaming the dark forest of the Wind River Mountains than just the girl and her captor.

* * *

When Summer opened her eyes to the bright light of a lantern, raw pain slithered through her brain. She had to bite her tongue to keep from screaming. Expecting that she would be restrained with chains, she was surprised when she was able to freely move her arms and legs.

Despite the pain in her skull, Summer forced herself to look around. She was lying on the dirt, in what appeared to be a large mineshaft. She remembered the mine and knew that they were close to Beaver Creek. As a child her parents had taken her to see the abandoned Cassandra Gold Mine, the largest in the area.

Her father told her the story. According to legend, the man that started mining the Cassandra had come from the east with his family. While traveling, his daughter died of fever. The mine had been given Cassandra’s name in honor of her memory.

Summer was convinced that’s where she was. The shaft was too large to be any other mine in the area.

From the corner of her eye she saw movement. Marius stepped out of the shadows and knelt down next to where she lay on the cold earthen floor.

“I know you are probably not feeling so great right now, but it will pass.”

“Marius, just let me go. Haven’t you done enough to tear my life apart? I’m not the woman you lost, and I’m not the one that took her from you,” Summer tried to reason with him.

Marius reached down to brush the hair out of her eyes. “None of that matters now. We are together and eventually you will grow to love me as I do you.”

From somewhere in the darkness, Summer heard a soft - whimpering cry. After listening closely for a few seconds, she could tell that the sound was coming from behind Marius. Whoever was crying was hiding within the shadows.

Before Summer could answer, the iridescent image of a woman emerged from the dark. She was striking. It was the only word that Summer could think of to describe how lovely the girl was. She had olive skin and big dark eyes. Though her black hair appeared unkempt, if it had been brushed out it would have been a cascade of black silk.

“She wasn’t sure what the child would be like,” Summer told him, hoping to soften the blow of what she suspected the girl was really trying to say. “That is the real reason she killed herself.”

Marius turned away, a look of sheer torment on his face. “The first time we were together … I spread rose petals across her bed.”

“She is trying to tell you that your quest for revenge is for nothing,” Summer told him.

Marius stared at her, his eyes empty and vacant.

Marius sensed their presence, even before Summer saw them enter the mineshaft from the darkness beyond the reach of the lantern’s light. Turning sharply, his body instinctively shifted into a defensive stance.

These gods of darkness were so beautiful, but yet so utterly depraved. Their black clothing would help to camouflage them as they took to the night for the hunt, but there was no way to overlook that ethereal light in their eyes. These vampires were killers - their souls knew nothing else.

All three vampires were male, and in the few seconds that Summer had to sum up the situation, she realized that she would not stand a chance against them. She might take out one before they destroyed her, but not all three. And they were there to destroy her, she sensed that strongly.

The vampire that stood in the middle was tall, and though his pale skin might have spurred the illusion of frailty to some, it only made him appear more sinister. His dark eyes glittered with the promise of death.

Summer stood up so that she would be ready if they attacked. Even if she didn’t stand a chance, at least she could take one of them with her when she died.

Marius stood his ground, refusing to move.

The vampire pulled a machete from a sheath that hung at his waist. “If this is the way you want it,” he shrugged.

There was a sudden flurry of movement. The vampire swung the machete, but Marius was able to avoid the blade. There was no time to see what would happen next - one of the vampire’s companions was coming at her.

The vampire flew through the air, swooping down on her. She was able to hit the ground and roll out of the way, but she could not avoid the blow to the head when he swung at her.

He was on her with a large knife poised above her throat. Throwing her head to the side, she sank her fangs into his shoulder. With one hand, she swiped at his face with her claws, laying his flesh open.

Before the rapid healing process of the vampire could repair his wounds, he fell to the ground and began convulsing, a few seconds later he was still. Giving no thought to what she’d done, she rolled away from her attacker and jumped to her feet. Glancing at Marius, she saw that he was still holding his own, but there was a deep gash in his side that was seeping blood.