Endless Chase (3 page)

Cristofor Dalakis, the eldest of the three brothers, was indeed the lord of the castle.

At over six hundred years of age, he exuded a strength and solidity that was most impressive, and very imposing at times. Chase had been half afraid of him as a teenager, but also intrigued.

The two of them had become unlikely friends, both of them sharing a passion for the arts. Johanna, Cristofor’s wife, was a classy, friendly lady, as well as a financial wizard. They’d opened their home to Chase, welcoming him whenever he decided to drop in and visit.

Then there was Stefan—the youngest, but the most dangerous of the three brothers.

Now that was one intense man. The only time Chase ever saw Stefan smile was in the presence of his wife, Laurel Rose.

The path ended and Chase stepped into the clearing. The sky was growing lighter, showing patches of pale pink, and the moon was beginning to fade. The silence enveloped him, along with the crisp, clean mountain air.

Tipping back his head, he sucked in a deep lungful and held it briefly before releasing it. With his legs braced apart, his hands spread by his sides and his head back, he felt the stress and strain of the past few months drain away. Even the headaches that had plagued him for the past six months were gone.

This place was truly special.

The entire family would be gathering at the castle in the next few days, as they did every summer. There was no particular reason, except that the Dalakis brothers were very big on family. Which meant that Zane York, a Dalakis cousin who’d come back into their lives about a decade ago, and his wife Sophia would join them. As well, Sam Cassidy, his wife Blythe and their brood of three boys would be here. Cassidy was an 13

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ex-cop who worked security for the Dalakis family back in the United States, but he was more than an employee. Cassidy was family. They were an odd group—mostly vampires, with Chase, Cassidy and his family being the exceptions.

Chase rubbed the back of his neck as he trudged over to a rock that sat in the middle of the clearing and lowered himself down. The surface was cool, but he didn’t mind. With his jeans and jacket on, he was comfortable enough.

A wolf howled in the distance. The sound, long and mournful as it rent the air, disturbing the silence. There were quite a few wolves roaming Dalakis land, but Chase had no fear of any of them. All the Dalakis brothers had an affinity with the great beasts, and Chase had met many of the wolf pack over his years of coming here. He was safer here than he was walking down the streets of New York.

Faint bands of yellow and apricot appeared on the edge of the horizon, heralding the start of a new day. The colors never failed to mesmerize him. As an artist, he always felt that nature was the best artist of all. Outside, there was a never-ending palate of possibilities and inspiration abounded.

Chase mostly sculpted, working in metal, stone and wood, but he dabbled in oils occasionally. It wasn’t where he was most skilled, but he did it mostly for his own enjoyment. His work as a sculptor drove him, a hard, demanding taskmaster. Painting, he did for pleasure and relaxation.

He was on the verge of making a name for himself in the art world. His work was going to be showcased in a prestigious gallery in New York in a few months’ time.

Chase had finished up the last piece earlier than expected and decided to take some time off before the showing.

Not that he’d go.

He kept his face and real name out of the spotlight, going by the single name of Dev, a shortened version of his last name. The last thing he wanted was reporters looking into his personal life, or rather, the personal life of his sister. He would protect Delight, and his family, at all costs.

In fact, he’d been hesitant to agree to this showing at all. He’d made a decent living over the years selling his work through small galleries or to private collectors. Fame wasn’t something he needed. It was all about the work for him.

It was Johanna who’d finally convinced him to go ahead with the showing. She’d had the business end of things taken care of by one of the army of Dalakis lawyers. His identity was shrouded in so many layers of paperwork and companies that no one would ever discover who Dev really was.

When he’d still hesitated, Cristofor had assured him that if someone did indeed discover Chase’s identity, it would be a small matter for one of the three brothers to make them forget it. Chase was continually amazed by the extent of their powers, even after all these years. It would be an easy thing for them to alter or erase someone’s memory. Scary stuff.

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He shifted and caught something out of the corner of his eye, something that didn’t belong. Slowly, he turned his head, allowing his eyes to drift, slightly unfocused. It was a technique he sometimes used when looking at his own work to help him see what was missing.

There.

Off to the left, a shadow moved. It wasn’t an animal. None of the animals here would have hesitated to join him. He’d often shared his meadow with fox, rabbits and deer, along with the occasional wolf and bear. They had a mutual agreement to leave one another alone.

“You’re welcome to join me.” He kept his voice low and non-threatening.

An unnatural stillness seemed to swell around him. Chase frowned and sat up straighter, feeling threatened for the first time. At six-two, he was no slouch. His work kept him fit and strong. You couldn’t be weak and work with large slabs of stone or huge pieces of metal. He’d also taken martial arts for years, more for the exercise and mental discipline, than for protection. Still, at this moment, he was glad he had.

Slowly, he pushed himself to his feet. “Show yourself,” he demanded, irritation filling him as the peace he’d so desperately sought trickled away to be replaced by tension.

A shadow detached itself from the trees and he caught his first glimpse of the intruder. He blinked. Twice. Not quite believing his eyes.

A woman strode toward him, no hesitation in her step. She was fairly tall, but was still a half-foot shorter than him. Her hair was black as midnight and cropped short.

Her body was lithe and lean, clad in combat boots, leather pants and a black leather jacket.

As she came closer, the first rays of sunlight hit her face and she blinked, throwing up her hand to shield her eyes. Unable to stop himself, Chase walked toward her. He needed to touch her to see if she was real. They met about halfway, both stopping to stare at the other.

Up close, he could see that her skin was soft and pale, almost porcelain. It was the kind of skin that only babies and young children seemed to have. His fingers itched to touch it, to see if it was as soft as it appeared.

Her chin was rounded, but tilted at a stubborn angle. Her nose was small and perfect, her cheekbones high. But it was her eyes that captivated him. Dark blue, so dark they were almost black. They were the eyes of an old soul. She blinked and her long, dark lashes swept down to touch her cheekbones.

He reached out and traced his thumb over the curve of her cheek. Her eyes flew open and she took a quick step back.

“I’m sorry,” he murmured. “I didn’t mean to frighten you.”

Her eyes darkened even further and her lips thinned. “I’m afraid of nothing.” Her voice was slightly accented. Maybe Russian, or maybe she was Romanian. It was hard 15

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to say. Still, her voice was low and husky, and he liked the way she sounded. He wanted to hear her speak again.

“My mistake.” He inclined his head in apology.

She snorted, but didn’t turn away. It appeared he wasn’t the only one fascinated.

She licked her lips and Chase felt his gut tighten. God, her lips were full and rosy and totally kissable.

“Why are you here?”

Chase felt the corners of his mouth turn up. He sensed this woman wouldn’t back down from anyone or anything. “That’s my line, not yours,” he countered. “This land belongs to extended family of mine. If anyone is trespassing, it’s you.”

“You’re a Dalakis.” Her hands opened and closed at her sides, but other than that, she was as still as a stone.

“Not exactly.” He could sense her growing tension and tilted his head to one side to study her better. She intrigued him. “If you know who owns this land, then you know you’re trespassing.” Cristofor didn’t mind the occasional hiker, but mostly discouraged folks from tromping around the land by posting warnings about bears and wolves. The place was fairly isolated in the mountains so it usually wasn’t much of a problem.

“I’m just hiking.” There was an edge to her words. She turned slightly, easing back toward the shadows, and he saw the crossbow on her back.

“Hunting isn’t allowed.”

“That is for protection only. I don’t hunt,” she paused, “animals.”

Before he could understand the deeper meaning he was certain was underlying her words, she headed back toward the woods. “Wait!” Chase stalked after her, unwilling to let her go. Some dormant instinct within him was screaming at him not to let her leave him, to grab her and drag her back to the castle with him.

Images of the two of them naked in his large bed filled his mind. He shook his head to clear it. He must be going out of his mind. He’d just met this woman trespassing on family land. “What’s your name?” he demanded as he caught her by the shoulder.

She whirled away, crouching, her body in a defensive fighting stance.

Chase held up his hands. “I’m not going to hurt you.” The mere thought appalled him. “I would never hurt you. I just want to know who you are.”

“You should be more worried about me hurting you.” She crossed her arms over her chest.

Chase wished she wasn’t wearing a jacket. He wanted to see more of her body.

He’d bet that her breasts were small but firm. His artist’s mind could picture it perfectly. The soft mounds would be tipped with hard nipples the color of pale pink roses. His cock stirred, pressing against the zipper of his jeans, making him uncomfortably aware of his growing arousal.

He swallowed hard. No woman had ever gotten to him this quickly. “Who are you?”

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She glanced at the meadow behind him and then back at him. “Katya.” She blinked again, moving more into the shadows. “I must go.”

“I’m Chase.” He held out his hand, willing her to take it. “Chase Deveraux.”

She stared at it for the longest time before eventually wiping her palm on her pants and extending it toward him. Her hand was so much smaller than his, but he felt the calluses as they touched. She was no stranger to hard work.

What an enigma Katya was—a tough warrior exterior, but with the face of an angel.

His fingers tightened around hers, unwilling to let go and lose this small contact between them. His body felt tight and alive, humming with energy. After the fatigue of the past few months, it was intoxicating. “Katya.” He said her name slowly, savoring the sound on his lips.

She was staring at his mouth, her lips parting. He couldn’t resist. Tugging her closer, he lowered his head and brushed his mouth against hers.

Heat exploded throughout his body and he moaned as he repeated the small caress.

A tiny cry came from Katya, echoing the passion building deep inside him. He needed more.

Releasing her fingers, he slid his hands around her waist, bringing her body in direct contact with his. He groaned as her thighs touched his and their chests brushed.

It didn’t matter that they were both wearing jackets. It was as electric as if they’d both been naked.

Chase’s entire body tightened, but the tension was a pleasurable one that he hadn’t felt in a long, long time. A grueling work schedule and personal problems had kept his social calendar empty for the past year. Longer. He’d been so buried in work he hadn’t dated in what seemed like forever.

Katya was everything he’d been missing. Everything he couldn’t have, a voice reminded him. Ignoring the voice in his head, he deepened the kiss. Just one taste. One kiss wouldn’t hurt either of them.

Her fingers edged up his arms and around his neck, tugging him closer. He dipped his tongue into her mouth. She tasted like mint, yet the tang of something dark and mysterious lingered. Her tongue stroked his and he groaned, giving himself over to the deep pull of attraction that flowed between them.

Chase didn’t know how long they stood there in the shade of the trees, mouths melded in a mind-numbing kiss. The sun peeked out from behind the mountain, rising higher in the sky. The heat of the morning soaked through his heavy coat. He slanted his mouth over hers, again and again, until they were both breathless, their lungs pumping hard.

Katya was the first to pull away. She looked stunned as she brought her fingers to her lips, touching them. Her mouth was swollen and damp. Chase reached for her again, but she stumbled backward. “I have to go.”

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“Will I see you again?” The words were out of his mouth before he could stop them.

The last thing he needed was to get involved with a woman, especially a complete stranger. He had enough problems in his life right now. That was part of his reason for coming here early. He needed time to think, time to sort out his future. But the thought of not seeing her again ate at his gut like acid. He had to see her.

“I don’t know. Maybe. Probably.” Her words tumbled, one over another. She looked as stunned by her reply as he’d been by his question. Turning, she raced into the woods. He took a step after her, but she’d already vanished. He listened, but couldn’t detect the sound of her footsteps. Obviously, she was light on her feet.

Taking a deep breath, Chase turned back to the meadow, which was now aglow with early morning sunlight. Strolling back to the rock, he gingerly lowered himself down, careful to adjust the bulge in his jeans. At least he had one of his questions answered. He’d been worried about his lack of a libido in the past months. Obviously, all he’d needed was a change of scenery and the right woman to get everything working properly again.

Unzipping his jacket, he pulled it off and tossed it aside. He tilted back his head, soaking up the sun’s rays, letting them soothe his tired body and soul. The ground around him was awash with wildflowers, swaying in the light breeze. Red, yellow, orange and purple, they carpeted the ground and perfumed the air. Lying back, Chase closed his eyes.