Courted by the Vampire (8 page)

“It is enough. Too many stories of people end in tragedy and thus the
reason ghosts haunt the places that meant the most to them in life.”

Hannah stared at the phantom as she came closer. “I doubt Diana of the
Dunes is a haunting type of ghost.” Her confidence in that statement wavered as the ghost floated their way. She glowed with a soft luminescence.
If I were a ghost, I would like to have a shimmer—not to mention a figure—like hers.

“Supernatural envy does not become you,
spatzi
.”

Hannah glanced into his face just in time to catch his wink.

The ghost was upon them.

She looked askance at the attire of the specter.
Who dictates that clothing on paranormal types is optional?
Edwin laughed beside, her but she ignored him.

Tall and willow thin, Diana of the Dunes drifted to a stop about five feet
from them. Questions clouded her softly glowing eyes. Long masses of dark hair draped in profusion about her shoulders and back to strategically conceal her breasts from view. Soft folds of gleaming fabric slung low on her hips and trailed behind her on the sand as she floated seemingly with little effort over the ground. Did ghostly figures take classes on how to be seductive in their newly dead bodies? When she caught Edwin’s eye, vindication flooded through her when she saw his lips twitch.

The ghost was not amused. “Why are you not afraid? Whenever humans
see me they usually run away.” She continued hovering above the sand to gently bob in the breeze from the lake.

Hannah shrugged. “After what I’ve seen this week, I’m not going to let a
ghost terrorize me.” She tamped the urge to pass her hand through the apparition. “Are you Alice?”

She nodded but said nothing more, just floated silently.

“We’re looking for a friend. We were told you hold the secret to his whereabouts,” Hannah continued. She ignored the fact the specter circled Edwin, a look of curious interest on her luminous face.

“Ah yes, you are in search of the vampire who is being held hostage.” The
ghost pointedly ignored Hannah. “I have heard of your exploits, even here in the wilds of the Lake Michigan shore. You are becoming well-known in your field for your skills at tracking rogue paranormal beings.” She circled around him once again.

Hannah
peered right through her to catch the bemused expression on Edwin’s face.

“I hardly think my skills are superior to any other in my field. I carry out
my assignments as efficiently as I can then move on to the next.” He passed a hand through her ghostly middle, curiosity in his eyes. Hannah was immediately envious, as the ghost shivered with apparent pleasure. “Can you answer our question?”

“Yes, and can you do it soon? It’s rather cold here at night,” Hannah
suggested. She dug her blazer out of her bag and thrust her arms into it. She tried not to think about the sweat and other things caked on the garment.

Alice’s elegant shrug wasn’t lost on Edwin.
His eyes darkened. “Some humans are more sensitive to a ghostly presence than others.” She turned her full attention to him and flicked her long bluish tresses over her shoulder to bare a perfect breast. “I can make the human go away. I can make certain I belong solely to you for all eternity. There are ways that beings not quite human may join together.” Her smile was possessive as she gazed at the vampire. She circled around him and drew a spectral finger along his jaw.

Hannah rolled her eyes.
Snap out of it, Edwin! I can’t believe you’re being propositioned by a ghost!

She is being polite.

Annoyed, Hannah waved her arms through the ghost, pleased when her form temporarily dissipated and reorganized itself before Edwin once again. “Enough of the romance and blatant flattery. Do you or do you not know where we can find Duncan?”

Alice’s
sigh whistled like the wind. She glared at Hannah, or would have glared had her eye sockets not been fathomless holes into the fabric of time.

W
hen she turned back to Edwin, the eyes were perfectly normal once more. “Duncan was being held in a high rise building in Chicago but he has since been moved to another location. I do not know the exact direction.”

“That’s not very helpful—” Her words were abruptly cut off when Edwin
tread on her foot.

“Alice, can you tell us who will have the answer we seek?”
He asked in a diplomatic voice as the corners of his lips lifted upward in a tiny grin.

When the ghost shrugged, her hair fell into place, hiding her chest. “You will need to rescue a princess. Horace the Black holds her hostage.
Once you find her, give her this.” A velvet bag fell out of the air and landed with a dull thud at Edwin’s feet. “She will either answer your question or Horace will kill you. Either way, it doesn’t concern me.”

“Thank you, dear lady, we appreciate your time.” Edwin nodded.

“If you change your mind, Edwin Mason, you may find me here at the lakeshore every evening after midnight.” With a last, scathing glance at Hannah, Alice glided over the sand. She disappeared somewhere over the dark waters of the lake.

“I’m beginning to hate this scavenger hunt we’re on.” Hannah stooped
and snagged the bag the specter left. When she untied the strings, a dainty gold watch fell into her hand to gleam in the moonlight. “Why would a princess want this?”

“I do not know, but we need to keep moving.”

“Why do we have to go back in the forest?” She groaned. “I hate that forest.” She sat dejectedly on a large piece of driftwood to don her socks and shoes. “Can’t I just stay here in a hotel nearby and wait for you?”

“
Spatzi
, whining does not strengthen your character no matter how hard you try.”

Chapter Seven

Hannah spent the next two hours hiking through the unruly underbrush of the forest. She constantly tripped over tree roots she suspected moved themselves directly into her path. At one point they were forced to back track because Edwin had followed the wrong trail. Deep into the night, she put her foot down—literally, she dug in her heels. “I can’t go any further.” She rubbed her sleep-deprived eyes and yawned. “You’ve got to understand that while you may be used to walking all over creation, if your splendid muscles are any indication, I’m not. My entire existence is taken up of reading books and stocking them on shelves and maybe the occasional trip to the grocery store.”

“We wil
l stop soon. I will require rest as well.”

Of course you will.
Hannah sighed and plopped down on a rotten log. Her legs finally gave out, her feet hurt, and her leg muscles burned. “This is as far as I’m going tonight, Mr. Bounty Hunter. You may do your worst to me, but I’m not moving.”

“I would imagine you will, once those carpenter ants decide to take a
stroll up your pant leg,” he rejoined in a conversational tone.

As
she jumped up, she knew he wore a smug little grin. She was so tired she wanted nothing more than to smack it from his handsome face. “How do you know there are ants here?” She slapped the seat of her jeans, immediately worried the annoying insects had indeed crawled on her.

Edwin’s laughter blended with the nocturnal sounds of the forest, a
wonderful accompaniment to Nature’s symphony. “It is a perfectly logical assessment if you take into account the deterioration of the log, the time of year, and the fact it was rather enjoyable to see you move so quickly.”

“How rude!” With one last swat at her backside, she stuck her tongue out
at him in the darkness. As she walked ahead, she peeled off her blazer and wiped her forehead with it. Damn the sticky summer air in Indiana! No wonder people in tropical islands wear skimpy clothes. “That was a dirty trick, and I don’t appreciate it.”

“There was no trick involved
. It was a matter of simple deduction.”

She heard the humor in his voice, and the fact he was joking around
tempered her anger. “Call it what you want, but it still doesn’t discount the fact I’m going to drop at your feet if we don’t stop to rest soon.” She launched another smile into the darkness when he twined his fingers through hers. He gently but firmly pulled her through the trees as debris crunched beneath their feet.

Since she met Edwin, she had done more in that short span of time than
the last five years of her life. He was like the Army rolled into a sexy vampire form. Those days had also been the most hectic, the most strange, and the most interesting she’d experienced. Yet, he remained a puzzle. She didn’t fully understand his drive and desire to track down not only the confined vampire but also the apparent mastermind behind the disturbance in the paranormal world.

Warm tingles flittered about the periphery of her mind. Edwin
probed into her thoughts again. “What do you want, and why can’t you just ask me your question like a normal person?”

His laugh warmed more than
her consciousness. The little frissons of excitement that danced along her spine had nothing to do with her thoughts.

“I wanted to know if you had a preference as to where you wanted to stay.”

“You’re such a liar.” She made a big show of glancing about the darkened forest then laughed. “That wasn’t what you wanted to say.” A grin stretched her lips. She stopped walking in order to block everything else out of her mind to concentrate on his. It was almost as if she walked through a very heavy fog. She could see nothing. She could feel nothing except a thick blank wave of resistance.

If he won’t tell me, I’ll find out for myself.
Hannah closed her eyes tighter. She decisively pushed her way through the murky gray wall, and then suddenly, the swirling, colorful caldron of Edwin’s thoughts surrounded her. She smiled and plunged her full consciousness into the mix.

A myriad of emotions flooded her brain
—happiness, excitement, surprise. Floating on the heels of the first wave was regret, curiosity, sorrow then concluded by anger, hatred, and horror. She shuddered at the force of some of the darker emotions but managed to ignore them in order concentrate on the curiosity. Surely it was a strange and out of place emotion for a vampire hunter.

She
narrowed in on the brilliant russet hue of the emotion. When she delved into it, she found what she searched for. “I would be happy to have dinner with you, but unless I’m wrong, you work during the evening. When would you have time?”

He closed her out of his mind and squeezed her fingers. “When this job is
over is what I meant to say.” He guided her over a group of fallen tree limbs then through a particularly nasty stretch of mud-splattered boulders. “Whether you believe it or not, your little foray past my mental guards is a good thing. You can focus your power.”

With another yawn, she followed him through a heavy carpet of moss and
decaying leaves. She wrinkled her nose at the musty dampness. “Perhaps, but really, I only had to concentrate a little bit.” What was the annual income for a vampire hunter, and how did he collect his fee?

“Come
, you can barely stay upright.” He shouldered his duffle bag and took her bag as well, then tugged her toward a dark and murky section of the forest. “It appears there is a cave of sorts up ahead. It is probably the best we will get tonight.”

Hannah groaned as the cold fact she’d sleep outside sank into her overly
tired brain. “Great.” She stumbled over yet another tree root.
The next thing you tell me will be the state forest around Lake Michigan is in reality an enchanted forest.

W
armth around the edges of her mind must be the unusual sensation of Edwin’s laughter. Her brain shivered as if touched by a feather duster.

“Every place is enchanted to some degree,
spatzi
. You only need to open your mind to see.” He let go of her hand to forage around in the small cave, disappearing into the intense darkness.

She stood alone in the noisy forest and tamped down tightly at the fear
that clogged her throat. Hannah wiped her suddenly sweaty palms on her jeans then squinted into the emptiness around her. She tried to will Edwin to come back. He didn’t.
Something
was in the darkness with her. The baby-fine hairs at the back of her neck stood at attention. The nighttime noises suddenly hushed. She recalled everything she had ever learned while watching nature programs on cable. Didn’t lower species of animals grow quiet when a predator entered their area?

Hannah
swallowed the lump in her throat and tried to concentrate on the area directly around her. She fumbled for her bag before it dawned on her that Edwin had taken it with him. She stepped backward. When an arm clutched her around the waist, her breath caught in her throat. Another hand covered her mouth to effectively stifle her scream.

“Quickly
, come with me. Make no noise, make no sound, do nothing until I tell you it is prudent for you to do so.”

As Edwin’s voice rang in her ear, she nodded her acquiescence and
relaxed somewhat. She was too frightened to enjoy the comfort of his closeness. He guided her through the underbrush to the cave, silent as the night itself.

“The shelter is not big
, but it is currently unoccupied and fairly clean. Do not, under any circumstances, turn on your flashlight or do anything to provoke interest in your position.” His whispered voice brushed over her cheek, sending shivers of excitement down her spine that had nothing to do with their present situation. “Do you understand?”

Hannah nodded, acutely uneasy at the urgency in his voice. She shook off
his hand. “Where are you going? I can feel something out there. Will you be in danger? Do you need my assistance? Can I—” Her flood of words broke off as Edwin claimed her lips. His dark, color-changing eyes flashed in the dim light of the moon. She stepped away then banged the back of her head smartly on the side of the rough cave. “Why did you...?”

“Stop talking
.” He pressed a finger to her lips then leaned in close. “I may be away for a bit but do not worry. You will be protected here.”

“I demand to know where you’re going.”
She clutched a fistful of his shirt, pleased when he paused.

“It would behoove you not to demand anything of me at this moment.”
His eyes glittered with anger even as his voice purred in the stifling air.

She planted her hands on her hips and returned his glare. “And if you
knew what’s good for you, you’d lose the attitude.”

For long moments, their eyes locked. Neither blinked. Finally, Edwin
dropped his gaze. “A werewolf lurks outside our shelter. I will warn him away.”

“You’re going to fight, aren’t you?” Her pulse quickened at the prospect.

Frustration prompted his sigh. “Blows will be exchanged, and no, you cannot watch.”

Edwin stepped out of the shelter and arranged a large slab of limestone at
the entrance of the cave. Hannah was happy with that arrangement because at least there was a bit of light. Apparently, he wasn’t done. He piled branches and foliage around the rest of the opening, which effectively shut out any leftover illumination. She was plunged into a total and complete darkness so thick she found it hard to breathe.

Her
head pounded. She gingerly explored the small lump that quickly formed and frowned. “Bastard.” He’d only kissed her to shut her up—again. Heat flushed her cheeks at how easily she could be manipulated by him. But she couldn’t help the small ribbon of pleasure that slithered through her gut at the thought of him. Even now, as she pondered the dimple in his cheek, warmth spread through her body.

Annoyed, she banished him from her mind.

Moving to the limestone door, she expelled good energy in an attempt to move it. Her wish to see Edwin fight was thwarted by her lack of upper arm strength. She dropped to her hands and knees, exhausted. She felt around the relatively cool limestone floor of the small cave for her bag, and she sneezed once at the fine dirt she disturbed.

The cave itself wasn’t large, just as
he’d said. Being only an approximate ten feet in length, Hannah located their bags quickly enough but banged her forehead on the low ceiling in the process. She stretched her hands above her head. She couldn’t stand to her full height, which meant it was probably more difficult for Edwin.

She hated being alone in the dark. As she strained her ears to hear outside,
she was rewarded by the intermittent sound of the locusts as they performed their mating rituals. With one last hope that he could indeed handle the disturbance, she stretched out as comfortably as she could on the stone floor with her bag a cradle for her head, and then drifted into a fitful sleep.

*****

“Hannah, come to me. I’m waiting for you.” The voice called to her through the haze of her mind, the gentleness betrayed by the plague of darkness it conjured. “You can be a very powerful woman if you join us.” She shook her head. The man before her laughed, a terrible, grating evil sound. “I’m giving you the opportunity to join with me because if you do not, there will be more deaths.” With a slight movement of his finger, a door to her right opened. Edwin fell forward into the room to land on his knees, his hands tied behind his back. “Let’s just say that if you don’t join me, I’ll start by killing him.”

Edwin stirred as Hannah thrashed in his arms. In her relaxed state of sleep, he had been able to tap into her thoughts with ease. The dream troubled him, not only because he was in it, but also for the simple fact that Andre was becoming aggressive in his pursuit of her.

“Please, let him go
. I’ll do anything you ask, just leave him alone.”

His chest tightened with an unidentified emotion. Even in sleep, she
strove to protect him. But, he would do the same for her. “It is all right,
spatzi
. You are not in danger. We are safe for the time being.” He whispered the words near the shell of her ear, pleased when she relaxed against him.

“It was a dream?”

“Yes. Andre appears to be very concerned. He now uses me to get to you.” He pulled her flush against him so his body cradled hers from behind.

“When do we leave?” Fatigue colored her voice.
Her tiredness in his mind left lavender streaks.

“It is raining
. You would not wish to hike through the rain, so I did not wake you when I returned.” He shifted her in his arms and let his fingers drift absently over the curve of one hip. “You may as well catch up on your sleep.” Something akin to contentment filled him as they rested together. She would not be easy to dissuade.

“What happened last night? What was out there? Was there a fight? Were
you hurt?”

His laughter echoed around the cave. “I am unharmed and unhurt
, but yes, there was a fight. I had a run-in with a werewolf I know.” He paused long enough to brush his lips against her ear. “He was merely lost. Once I got his attention with a few well-directed punches he went on his way.”