In Darkness We Must Abide: The Complete Second Season: Episodes 6-10 (6 page)

Vanora willed herself awake, yet the world remained unchanged. Pinned to her bed, she was vividly aware of the approaching vampire. The power emanating from the vampire surged around her. It was wicked and enticing all at once. Cold prickles flowed across her flesh, her skin burned by the icy touch of the vampire’s presence. Vanora lay trapped on her bed, unable to call out or move.

The vampire stopped at the edge of the mattress, staring down at her. She could see that he was bare chested, his long legs clad in black leather. White hair fell in waves over his shoulders. Kneeling on the bed with slow, seductive movements, his face drew terrifyingly near, the purple fire of his eyes bright in the darkness. The light of the moon glinted off the silvery strands of his goatee.

“
You don’t yet know who I am, and that’s how it should be. I need you to wait for me. Wait for the time when we can be together. Yet, I cannot resist seeing you just this once.”

Vanora strained to speak, but her lips remained frozen. Only her eyes were blessed with movement. The vampire lowered his head, tilting it so that his face disappeared into the gloom. He was so close, she felt as if her heart would stop from fright. Yet, the darkness within her craved to hold him close to her trembling body. That realization terrified her even more than the vampire.

“You look so frightened. There’s no need to be,” he whispered. “I would never hurt you.”

One of his hands caressed her face gently. It was the strong hand of a warrior and it felt soothingly wintry against her fevered face. As his fingertips traced her lips, her terror began to dissolve.

What was happening to her?

The bliss sweeping through her limbs untethered her body. Raising her hand, Vanora caught the vampire by the wrist. Beneath her unsteady grip, she could feel his incredible strength. His long body settled over her like a cloak, trapping her beneath him. His face was so close to hers, his lips brushed lightly over her chin and mouth as he spoke.

“We belong together, Vanora.”

“
No,” she protested, finding her voice. It sounded shrill.

He slid a hand through her hair affectionately. “I love your hair. It’s so long and white. Like mine.”

“Please, let me be,” Vanora gasped. She couldn’t abide the sensations his touch created within her. It was a betrayal of all she held to be true.

“
Don’t be afraid, Vanora. My little white witch. My love.”

The vampire’s mouth captured hers in an ardent kiss.

A dark essence flowed out of the depth of her soul, filling her with desire. It screamed with triumph, free at last. Vanora felt the great wings of her power reach out to embrace the vampire. Everything within her cried out for him. She was complete in his arms. Whole at last. Not lost, but found.

Vanora lost herself in his kiss. His lips and tongue were so cold against the warmth of her mouth. The sharp tips of his canine teeth raked her tongue, but she didn’t care. He was hers and she was his. Tangling one hand in his hair, she wrapped her legs around him, relishing his weight between her thighs. Dragging her other hand down his back, she felt the muscles beneath his smooth white skin.

“You feel it,” the vampire whispered against her mouth.

“
Yes,” Vanora panted.

Trapped within the web of their joined power, she invited the seductive touch of the vampire. His hand gripped her thigh, pulling her hard against the erection straining beneath the leather of his trousers. It was then that she felt something hard against her shoulder blade. It was cool metal. Distracted by the sensation, she tilted her face from the vampire. His mouth descended to her throat, lightly biting her, but not drawing blood. Through the haze of desire, she realized the bit of metal was her cross.

The wicked carnality she had felt at his kiss began to fade as Vanora concentrated on the discomfort of the cross pressing into her skin. It warmed, pulsating beneath her. Mentally shoving away the sinister force enveloping her emotions, she struggled to regain her sense of self. The cross became unbearably hot, slashing through the vampire’s seduction.

Vanora’s mind came sharply into focus as her body numbed to the vampire’s ardor. Their mingled auras no longer felt like salvation, but slavery. Her heart and soul cried out for Armando, and she felt sullied by the touch of the vampire.

“Wait,” she whispered, pressing him away.

The growl that emanated from the vampire was terrifying. His hands tightened possessively on her body.

“Help me,” she said, thinking rapidly. She took hold of the top of her pajamas.

The vampire chuckled, gripped the fabric and yanked the tank top over her head. As it came free, Vanora caught hold of the chain of her necklace, yanked the cross forward, grasped it in one hand, and shoved the silver pendant against his skin.

With a roar, he jerked away from her, crashing onto the floor.

“
Get away from me!” Vanora rolled off the bed. Her legs felt wobbly and unsure causing her to stumble. Bracing herself against a bookshelf, she kept the glowing cross between her and the vampire.

“
Vanora, you cannot deny me” the vampire said ominously.

“
Don’t say my name! Don’t come near me!” Vanora fumbled around in the dark, holding her cross out before her. She found the floor lamp and twisted the knob. The light refused to switch on.

“
You’re making me very angry!”

“
Stay back!”

The vampire towered over her, his tall form intimidating in its deadliness. The muted moonlight washed over him, revealing his beauty and perfection. “Come here! You’re mine!”

She let out a sob, knowing that everything he said was true. She was his. Some dark power had granted her to him, but she refused to accept that edict. This was her life, her heart, her body, and her mind. She would choose for herself.

“
Get out!” Vanora advanced on him, the cross burning her hand.

A strong, supernatural wind howled into the room, tossing his hair about his face. “You’re mine! I will not be denied. I will come for you at the appointed time.”

Vanora rushed him, the chain of the necklace threaded between her fingers, the cross against her palm. She struck him, the cross erupting in blue flame when it touched his chest. “Your invitation is revoked!”

With a scream of rage, the vampire hurtled backward through the doorway, across the living room, out the open door onto the balcony, then over the railing into the night sky.

Vanora could hardly stand as the adrenaline left her system. Clutching the glowing cross, she flipped on the light in the living room.

Rhonda lay on the floor, her long hair covering her face.

“No!”

Falling to her knees beside Rhonda, Vanora rolled her best friend onto her back. Rhonda moaned and dragged her eyes open.

Relieved laughter spilled from Vanora’s lips. “You’re okay!”

“
Was I sleepwalking?” Rhonda yawned, then looked about in confusion. “I kept dreaming that some hot guy wanted me to open the balcony door and let him in. That’s what I get for going to bed horny.”

Collapsing beside her friend, Vanora pressed the cross to her own heart. “Oh my God. You scared me. I thought something had happened to you.”

Rhonda winced, rubbing the back of her head. “I think I fell down.”

“
But you’re okay!” Vanora’s relief was overwhelming.

“
Yeah. I guess.” Rhonda stared at Vanora for a long moment. “So, what’s with the topless look?”

Vanora hugged herself, shivering in the aftermath of her terror. “I forgot to put it on.”

“Uh huh. You’re so weird sometimes.”

It took nearly an hour for Vanora to stop shaking. Rhonda, not understanding what was happening, went back to bed, leaving Vanora awake. Feeling sullied, Vanora shed the clothes she’d been wearing and threw them in the waste basket. After a hot shower, she then stripped her bed, changing the sheets and comforter. At last, she climbed into bed and curled up beneath the covers.
It was then she saw a single white rose resting on the bed stand.

Picking up the rose, she hurled it across the room at the waste basket near her desk. The vampire had to have left it, which meant he had also left the one a year earlier.

Leaving the light on, she waited for the morning to come.

“This is unacceptable,” Aeron declared, prowling about the small living room. His tall body trembled with his barely subdued rage.

Lorelei sat in Armando's desk chair, swiveling it back and forth, an irritating smile upon her lips. “I told you she’s annoying.”

Armando watched the two visiting vampires from where he leaned against the wall, arms folded over his chest. It was difficult not to reveal his great pleasure at the news that Vanora had rebuffed Aeron. He'd been aware of his Master's growing obsession with Vanora, but had been surprised when he'd insisted on visiting Austin.

“
She's mine! How could she reject me?” Aeron stopped before Armando, his purple eyes filled with rage. “It's these modern times! It’s warped women!”

“
Yes, absolutely,” Armando agreed, nodding.

Aeron continued his pacing. “I felt her power respond to mine. It was perfect synchronicity. Yet, she forced me out of the apartment and removed my invitation. Why?”

“Because she's a stupid little girl?” Lorelei suggested.

Aeron paused long enough to glower at his favorite offspring. A vampire at fifteen, Lorelei's youthful beauty was beguiling, but her eyes were cold fire. She smirked instead of withering under his glare.

“Maybe you're right,” Aeron said after a beat. “This era extends adolescence.”

Armando merely nodded, playing along with the conversation. Aeron was not used to failure. It was impossible for his Master to accept that Vanora simply did
not
want him.

“
It may not have been the wisest decision to come to her tonight, but I wasn't about to let her mother reveal any more information about me. That witch continues to aggravate me from the grave.” The albino vampire's Welsh accent was thicker than normal. “I should have killed her sooner.”

Lorelei rolled her eyes. “Like that would have helped. Carys being as powerful as she was in life
, and still
is
dead, just reveals that the prophecy is true. She’s the mother of your future queen. So stop being so melodramatic.”

“
Seeing Vanora made me...foolish.” Aeron stopped behind Lorelei's chair and rested his hands on her shoulders. “You were right, Lorelei. I should have let you deal with her birthday. Now is not the time for us to be together. I rushed her.”

“
I told you, I should've killed her roommate. That would've kept her distracted.” Lorelei's eyes blazed a dangerous red. “I could still kill her. Right now.”

“
What's the point in killing Rhonda?” Armando asked, disengaging himself from the wall.

“
Because it would be fun to kill Rhonda?” Lorelei licked one sharp fang. “And delicious.”

“
You're not ready to claim Vanora. She needs to remain safely tucked out of sight. Austin is perfect. It's filled with young people.” Armando gazed steadily at Aeron, willing him to see the logic in his words.

Aeron's his long fingers stroked Lorelei's golden curls. The gesture amused Armando. Aeron treated Lorelei like a favorite pet most of the time, though the girl didn't seem to mind. She practically purred under his gentle ministrations.

“Armando does make a valid point, Lorelei.”

Lorelei scoffed, disagreeing.

At least his Master was wise enough to acknowledge that he was right in this matter. Armando had argued with Aeron for weeks about him visiting Austin to see Vanora. The Spanish vampire had been concerned that it would possibly draw Aeron's enemies to the city, but Aeron had been adamant. The reports from the private investigator that had saved Armando from Aeron's wrath initially had also made Aeron's obsession with Vanora worse. Though Aeron claimed to have waited over a millennium for her to be born, he was swiftly losing patience now that she was on his life's stage. Aeron was particularly frustrated about not being able to bring his war against the Seven Sisters to an end.

“
She's already run once. Do you want her to run again?” Armando arched an eyebrow.

“
Aeron, I still think we should lock her up somewhere. Let Armando watch over her until the time is right.” Lorelei narrowed her eyes at Armando, her smile coy.

“
Tempting, but again, it may draw unnecessary interest to her.”

Armando found his Master's words amusing considering the immense risk he had taken coming to the Americas just to see his future queen. If Parthenia or her lover, Althea, had trackers on Aeron, Vanora could be in danger.

“Armando can take care of it for Aeron, can't you? You're all noble and strong.”

There was a mocking lilt to Lorelei’s voice that made Armando uneasy. Though he'd been careful not to reveal his true feelings toward Vanora, he knew Lorelei was vigilant in protecting Aeron's interests. Armando loved Aeron as a father, brother, and friend. They'd spent nearly a century together warring against Glaucia, the fiercest of the Seven. Yet, his devotion to his Master's cause was compromised by his love for Vanora.