Flowers and Fangs (Stake and Dust series, Book II) (22 page)

Sloane inhaled sharply. It wasn't as if the
thought hadn't crossed her mind, but to hear Derek voice her fears,
it made it all so real. "But you're forgetting, Kylie's not dead
yet and that's all I need to know."

Silence followed. She glanced at each of the
Hayes siblings, so similar with their stances and green eyes.
Tremayne didn't beam with hope either, but she would stand her
ground.

Wade cleared his throat. "He didn't say
anything about vampires tagging along." Wade lifted his broad
shoulders in a shrug. "I'm just saying."

If there was going to be anyone who would
backed her up, she hadn't expected it to be the hunter who wanted
her dusted.

Derek cursed under his breath, but then threw
up his hands and nodded. "Tremayne could shadow you and we could
keep a safe distance away."

"I have earpieces stashed in my truck," Wade
offered.

All eyes were on Tremayne then, waiting for
his stamp of approval. Finally, he gave in with a sigh. "It's not
the worse plan I've been party to and it just might work. Tim won't
pick up on my heartbeat like he would a human's—at least not until
it's too late."

"We could put a tracking device on Sloane,"
Cassandra said, coming to stand beside Tremayne. "This will ensure
we don't lose you," she said to Sloane.

"Even with all the precautions," Derek
leveled his gaze on her, "it could all go to hell."

She understood the odds, but she couldn't
give up hope. "I'm doing it." She met Derek's gaze head on and
didn't back down.

Wade let out a low whistle and flicked the
rim of his Stetson. "You've met your match, brother." He actually
threw her a smile.

Derek shook his head. "You're crazy, Sloane."
His hand snaked out and he pulled her flush against him and kissed
the top of her head. "But so am I." He looked at her with a
half-tilted grin. "Let's do this."

As the others headed toward the house, Sloane
held Derek back. "I have to ask something of you."

"Anything."

Her lips twitched. "That was easy."

He smiled. "What can I say, I'm a push over
when it comes to you."

She didn't know how she'd lucked out. If it
had been one of Derek's brothers who had found her first, she
wouldn't be having this conversation.

For a moment she wished they'd met again
under different circumstances. They could have been good together.
"When this is over, will you look in on Lad, make sure he's okay."
She licked her lips that had suddenly felt dry. "He's my dog and
I—"

He placed a finger on her lips to silence
her. His gaze swept over her with longing and maybe a little of
regret. He had to know when this was all over they would have to
part company. "You have my word. I'll take care of Lad as long as
it takes until you can take over the job." He tucked her hair
behind her ear. "You're strong, Sloane. You'll get through this.
And when you're ready, I'll be waiting for you."

She was about to protest that he didn't have
to promise her anything. She didn't know how long it would take for
her to learn all there was to know about being a vampire. She
doubted there was a crash course. However, Derek wasn't interested
in her reply. He swallowed her words beneath his lips. His kiss was
tender, yet demanding that she yield to him. She stepped into his
embrace and let him take her under his spell.

Chapter Twenty-Nine

Waiting for Tim to text her the location of
the meet proved the worst kind of torture. She glanced at Derek's
journal. He'd been noting the differences of each vampire sept he
came across, trying to update the old journals his family had in
the archives. She wanted to read it, but right now she couldn't
concentrate. She'd only skimmed over a few of the entries, but
retained none of it.

Cassandra and Wade were in the kitchen,
chatting as they drank coffee. She wasn't sure if Cassandra needed
another caffeine fix. She was already revved with energy. Wade and
caffeine seemed a lethal combo, too, but in taking down Tim maybe
it wasn't such a bad idea. Tremayne and Derek made a quick trip to
Derek's parents' house. They needed a vehicle that could take the
mountain roads with ease and had room to seat everyone.

Bliiippp…
Sloane jumped at the sound
of her phone alerting her to a new message. She grabbed the phone
resting on her thigh and stared at the screen. "Tim's text is in,"
she shouted and everyone halted what they were doing and rushed
into the living room, looking at her expectantly.

"Well?" Wade asked. "Where's the vamp hiding
out?"

She placed the journal to the side and stood.
"He's at his family's cabin." She'd been there once—way before
Kylie had been born, when Tim's father had still been married to
Tim's mother. She didn't realize the family still owned the cabin.
She assumed it had been sold when the divorce became final.

Derek strode over to her and she handed him
the phone. "I know this area—mountainous with thick forest," he
said. "Easy to get lost there." Derek glanced at Tremayne who stood
with his arms folded over his chest and looking grim. "It's about
an hour and a half drive from here," he added.

Sloane knew she hadn't had nearly enough
training, but they had run out of time. Tim had summoned her.

"You can still back out?" Cassandra
offered.

She met the hunter's concerned gaze and shook
her head. "No, I can't. I won't," she said more firmly. "Let's do
this."

Wade sighed heavily. He didn't particularly
like the idea that she would lead this excursion into hell, but he
proved to be a team player when push came to shove. "I suggest we
get a move on then," Wade said as he holstered his dagger. "Time's
a tickin' and we only have so much night to play with before the
vamps get smoked by the sun."

She did so love his snarky comments.

"I will have a word with you," Tremayne drew
her attention.

"Let's load the van," Cassandra said to
Derek, obviously, wanting him to follow her so Tremayne could speak
to her alone. Derek looked hesitant to leave her side, his gaze
shifting from her then to Tremayne.

Her hand brushed his forearm and his gaze
returned to her. "I'll meet you outside," she said with a
reassuring smile.

He gave her a curt nod and followed his
sister.

"So we're alone," she said, turning to face
Tremayne. "Why the privacy?"

"It would make this easier."

Her brows furrowed. "What would?"

"You need to feed and it would be better if
you fed from me than from the bottled blood."

She shook her head. "I don't think that's a
good idea." She remembered feeding from him the first time and it
had been way to intimate for her taste.

"My blood will make you stronger," he told
her. "It's pure and taking it from the vein will give you a surge
of energy."

"Did Cassandra know you were going to suggest
this?"

"Aye, she knows." He didn't push. He just
stood there and waited for her to make the decision.

"I want to have the best chance to save
Kylie," she said.

"As do I," he agreed.

"Okay." She glanced at his neck, wondering if
she was supposed to bite him there and if she would hit the artery
on the first try or end up making a muck of it by biting him like a
mad dog.

"I'll walk you through it." Tremayne's voice
drew her attention and she felt the heat rise in her cheeks. He
obviously realized what she'd been contemplating.

"That would be good." He took the steps
separating them since her feet suddenly felt like they'd been
cemented to the floor.

He rolled up a sleeve, revealing his forearm.
"You'll sink your teeth in here?" His fingers rubbed the flesh a
fraction of an inch below the palm.

At the thought of blood, her teeth
lengthened. Her hand flew to her mouth in an attempt to hide her
desire to feed.

Tremayne's lips curved.

"I know, I know." She waved him off. "It's
another thing I'll get used to."

"Aye, you will." He bit into his flesh and
offered his arm to her. Blood pooled where he had torn his
flesh.

A growl escaped her before she could stop
herself. She grabbed his hand and forearm for leverage. Her fangs
latched onto his torn flesh and immediately blood flooded her mouth
with sweetness, so warm and pure she couldn't understand why she
had hesitated. His blood was not at all like the bottled blood that
held a tang to it and left an aftertaste. Derek's blood was sweet,
too. Startled where her thoughts had wandered, she tried to pull
away, but Tremayne held the back of her head.

"It's all right," he said. "Relax. The blood
does not control you. Don't think of Derek. Think of how you shall
defeat Tim and save the child."

Tremayne hadn't spoken out loud. She'd heard
his thoughts as he had heard hers. His love for Cassandra flooded
her senses, but the images were fleeting and she wondered if she'd
imagined them.

Once finished, she closed the wound like
Tremayne had taught her. She met his gaze and his eyes glowed with
a reddish hue. "Do my eyes…uh..." She waved her hand in his
direction. "Do they turn colors?"

"Aye. They are a deep reddish hue because you
just fed. They will return to your normal shade in a moment."

"But yours are red, too."

"You fed from me. It's a bond. I don't know
how to explain it other than it's something like how a mother feeds
her newborn child."

She chuckled at the thought of this
warrior-size man being anything like a mother with a babe to his
breast. "Sorry." She pursed her lips, trying to quell her
smile.

His lips curved. "Perhaps I should come up
with a different analogy." His gaze swept over her. "How do you
feel?"

Her heart beat faster, her body felt warm and
her limbs… She straightened her arms in front of her, wondering if
she could see as well as feel the difference. "It's like I have
pent up energy just bursting to be let free." She lowered her arms
and peered at him.

"That's perfect," he said.

* * * * *

Sloane drove her own car, but Derek was in
the van behind her with the others. They were her backup, if she
needed them and she had a sinking feeling she would. An infusion of
ancient blood running through her veins, and a few days of training
didn't make her an expert on taking down vampires and rescuing
young children.

They parked the van snuggled within the pines
and foliage, but within walking distance from the cabin. She
continued on in her car, making her way down the winding gravel
road that led to the cabin's door.

She turned off the engine and sat there for a
few moments, silently giving herself a pep talk. She could do this.
She could meet with Tim and save Kylie.

The crescent moon sat low in the sky with
very little stars to brighten the path and yet with her new vampire
status, her eyesight was as keen as an eagle's, and her hearing was
just as impressive. She could make out sounds of a squirrel
scrambling up a tree and she picked up the flapping of
wings—perhaps an owl or another nocturnal creature. "Like me," she
murmured.

"Are you going to sit in your car all
night?"

For a moment, she thought Derek had spoken to
her. She tapped her earpiece, but then she realized it wasn't
anyone from the van. Tim had spoken to her within the cabin, and
her keen hearing had picked up his question. Of course he'd known
the moment she arrived since his hearing would be as good as hers.
Without acknowledging Tim with a response, she opened her car door
and strode forward.

The cabin door flew open before she attempted
to knock, revealing Tim standing in the archway shrouded in
darkness. He hadn't turned on the lights or bothered to start a
fire in the fireplace. The day had been cool, but now that the sun
had set, the temperature had dropped even lower.

The cold didn't faze her at all, but before
her vamp status, she would have been snuggled in a down jacket.
She'd never be cold again, she thought, but a human in this weather
would be chilled to the bone. Had Tim thought of this when he took
Kylie?

Tim stepped aside to allow her to enter.

"Why haven't you turned on a light?" she
asked in all seriousness, making him chuckle. She hid her annoyance
with a shrug. "I was just asking."

He pursed his lips before he shook his head.
"Why waste the electricity when we don't need it?"

She may not need it, but she
wanted
to
hold onto her old life. She wouldn't give everything up because of
a bite that changed her world. She spotted the light switch and
flipped it on. Tim hissed and squinted his eyes as if the light
physically hurt him. She had to admit her eyes stung, but they
adjusted quickly enough.

"Where's Kylie?" A quick scan of the room,
confirmed the child was not present. She relied on her other senses
and then she heard the distinct sound of a heartbeat—a human
heartbeat—well, at least a heartbeat that didn't thump as hers or
Tim's did.

"She's in there." He pointed to the closed
door. A bedroom, if she was not mistaken. She took a step only to
be halted by Tim's words.

"We could share her," he said and his meaning
was not lost to her.

She whipped around to face him. "She's your
sister, Tim. You love her and I know if you search deep down you'll
remember that affection."

Tim shook his head. His hair fell across his
forehead, giving him a boyish and unsure appearance.

"We have to keep her safe," she forged on.
"Send her away from all this. Then we can be together." She hoped
the lie sounded sincere. Kylie's life depended on Tim believing
her.

"We have to drink blood," he insisted.

"We do," she agreed. "But not from Kylie,"
she added firmly. "Not from your sister."

He glanced at the closed door. Indecision
flashed in his eyes and for a moment, she caught a glimpse of the
Tim she knew and cared for, but then a shadow seeped into his gaze
like a dark stain and his expression hardened. "Her blood…" His
eyes closed as he inhaled deeply. His lips tilted into a grin that
sent chills down her spine. When he opened is eyes they flashed
red. "A child's blood is rich and untainted."