JARHARIS (10 page)

CHAPTER TWELVE

Jarharis
grasped the amulet in his fist. He wasn’t of the habit of asking for help—and he wasn’t quite certain whether he would be granted his request—

 
“I need to infiltrate Aston’s sanctuary without chance of being discovered.”

He felt a mysterious pull on his body beginning at his head and traversing along his tall muscular frame. He held out his arms and felt the force warp around his cold flesh, encompassing his chest and racing across his hips. He sucked in a quick breath and realized that his request was being fulfilled. Puzzlement congealed inside his brain. Was the powers of the amulet his for the using? Did the magical stone cater to his every whim?

He stood amid the trees and waited for the force to deliver his plea. Should he get his desire, he could safely travel through the woods and infiltrate Aston’s stronghold without fear of detection. A measure of reassurance settled inside him. It would be easier to direct Selena’s club members when he knew about Aston’s domain from the inside.

Trusting that the amulet had delivered anonymity for him, he rose into the sky and relied on his keen sense of perception to direct him to Aston’s hideaway inside the dense woods. The darkness seemed intensified by the gathering of clouds overhead. The moon was obscured and no stars shown against the blackened sky. He hovered above the treetops, his keen eyes discerning the object he sought.

He doubted whether a house actually stood within the woods. Aston was more than likely secreted away inside a cave and its entrance was probably hidden beneath a fallen tree or some other obstruction. Vampires were notorious for concealing their sanctuaries. Their very lives—or dead state—depended on their ingenuity to deceive mortal man—for it was mortal man that arrived armed with wooden stakes to drive through their hearts.

He shuddered with the thought. For too long now he had diverted the attentions of mortal man from his own sanctuaries.
Devising first one plan then the other to distract prying eyes.
Even with all his care taking in the matter, the thought haunted him that someday an adventurous mortal would
ferret
him out and he would be at their mercy.

He lowered his body to the ground, easing onto the dense carpet of pine needles and underbrush covering the forest floor. Quietly, he moved among the trees, his feet gliding effortlessly as he peered behind tree trunks and inspected fallen boughs. His ears pricked up to any noise sounding within the leafy confines. The aroma of fresh earth and rotting timber permeated the air.

He had walked midway into the grove of trees when he caught a glimpse out of the corner of his eye. He halted his feet, holding very still and staring at a wisp of mist that suddenly rose from the ground. He watched, certain that he had found the hideaway belonging to Aston as the vaporous cloud grew and formed upon the ground. A shape started to emerge—arms, legs and torso. Finally he gazed upon the fully formed body of a tall male, dressed in a long dark cloak. His senses told him he was a vampire and that he had risen from the very spot upon which he stood.
Jarharis
watched the creature rise upward into the air, veer between the boughs of nearby trees and disappear.

He’s off to feed.
Jarharis
waited until he was certain the creature wasn’t returning then he walked over to the spot where he had first seen him rise. He stood in the spot, sensing a great hollow space, a cavern, beneath his feet. Within moments, he called upon his vampire powers and vaporized, seeping into the earth under his feet. His body floated downward, falling through the great chasm beneath the earth. Coldness engulfed his limbs as he sought a solid form to grasp. He sensed the floor of the cave finally and drew upon his powers to change into a bat.

Within seconds, he was hovering near the ceiling of the dark cave, his eyes searching the dank interior for signs of movement. Rustling noises came to his ears, pulling his attention in various directions. Directly in front of his hovering form nestled a gathering of bats, hanging from the rough stone ceiling of the cave by their sharp talons. He held still and tried to sense their reaction to his presence. Gathering no alarm, his confidence grew with the knowledge that he was indeed undetectable.

Listening intently, he heard other noises coming from within the chamber. He flew on, carefully keeping to the ceiling and following the sounds deeper into the cavern. His sharp eyesight caught a glimpse of light and veered in its direction. A large opening gaped before him, descending down into the bowels of the earth. He folded his wings and dove through the opening, dropping quietly into the lighted shaft.

A series of blazing torches revealed a large chamber, its walls craggy. Numerous hooks and long chains hung from the ceiling. He gazed about, spying the leather bra and shorts he had seen Tanya Sills wearing in the vision showed him by the amulet, lying on the floor. He quickly inspected the opening before following other illumination further into the cave.

He entered yet another room and heard voices, a male and a female. He hovered near the entry and looked beyond the narrow opening. The walls were slick, as though they had been chiseled to enlarge the space. He saw them then, Aston and Tanya. She was naked except for her spike heels. She was
laying
on a mound of dirt, her legs spread, her hands bound with leather straps above her head. Aston stood over her, his legs braced apart, a scowl on his face, a massive hard cock bobbing in his crotch.

“You betrayed me!”

“No, Master! I did not!”

“You sent the newspaper reporter and her little gang to destroy
Minyon
.”

Tanya fought the restraints on her wrists and ankles. Her nipples were red peaks thrusting atop her global mounds. Her chest heaved with fright as she stared up at her angry master. “I didn’t, Master. You must believe me.”

Jarharis
listened and tried to discern whether they were still playing sex games or if Aston was on to Tanya’s plan to have the vampire club destroy him.

Aston lunged at Tanya suddenly, throwing his body atop hers and bringing a loud scream from her throat. She fought her restraints and the vampire, wrenching her legs and flailing her arms until the leather straps broke, flying in bits against the cave walls. She yelled loudly and clawed at Aston’s back as he
lunged
his long cock between her legs. She dug her long talons into his back and brought blood oozing from the gashes.

Aston levered his upper body onto his elbows and slammed a fist into Tanya’s jaw.
“Fuck me, you good-for-nothing-whore!”

“I love you, master!”

Jarharis
hovered near the ceiling and considered his options. He could materialize and catch Aston at his weakest. His mind was consumed with fucking Tanya and berating her at the same time. He wasn’t aware that he was in his midst. And surely Tanya was too fearful for her well being to aide him. He considered taking advantage of the moment. It would be for the better—should he destroy Aston and end the vampire club’s plans to battle him.

He gazed down at the fucking pair. Tanya had ceased to fight Aston. She dug her claws into his back and
lunged
her hips upward, meeting his mighty thrusts. Aston spread his legs wide and drove his cock deep into her cavity, wrenching her body against the hard surface. Finally he bellowed loudly when orgasm came upon him.

Suddenly from the adjoining chamber,
Jarharis
heard voices. Realizing he had missed his chance to attack Aston, he watched as three other vampires strode through the narrow opening, one trailing the other. They were males, with thin bodies and flushed faces, having just fed from the looks of the blood splatters on their clothing. They eyed Tanya sprawled on the dirt, her naked body no longer concealed as Aston got up. He stood to one side, his skinny chest heaving as he tried to catch his breath. “Who wants to fuck the whore?”

The vampires glanced at each other and smiled.

Tanya rolled to her side and sat up, stretching to loosen the bindings on her ankles.

“Lay down,” one of the vampires ordered. He ripped his pants off and gave Tanya a shove. He mounted her body and stabbed her crotch with his engorged cock.

The other vampires drew close to the thrashing couple and
watched,
their mouths hanging open and drool dripping from their red lips.

Aston laughed and strode from the chamber.
Jarharis
followed, silently flapping his way along behind the naked vampire.

Aston made his way through to the dark passageway leading to the entry chamber and rose upward to the ceiling. He hovered for a moment then disappeared.

Jarharis
quickly followed, vaporizing into a mist and seeping through the earth onto the forest floor. He materialized just in time to see Aston transform and rise into the air.

Jarharis
followed him, certain that he was going to feed since he had viewed his ashen face while he fucked Tanya. He hoped that Selena and her club friends had gone home for the night and wouldn’t encounter Aston. The vampire was enraged that Tanya had betrayed him and would be set to take his revenge out on any unsuspecting member of the group.

Aston flew into the heart of the city where the nightlife was plentiful. The streets were crowded with couples strolling along unsuspecting, and singles rushing about as though they had definite places to go.
Jarharis
stood in the shadow of a building and watched Aston as he penetrated a group of males just leaving a bar.

At first nothing happened, Aston appeared to be one of them. He situated himself between two burly men and clasped their shoulders, laughing along with their revelry then suddenly, he grabbed one of the men by the neck and ripped his flesh, drinking his fill while the others stood nearby gasping at the carnage, helpless to aide their friend. When Aston had drained the body, he dropped it to the sidewalk. A resounding thud seemed to sound above the noise of the city before he reached for another member of the group. He bared his fangs threateningly as a show of warning to the others while he sank his teeth into their cohort.

Jarharis
watched the sight, steeling his senses against the urge to interfere. His own thirst had not been quenched for the evening and he licked his parched lips. Hunger gnawed at his ribs. Still he remained immobile and viewed the horror that Aston wrought, hating the murderous vampire for his careless carnage.

When Aston had drank his fill, three corpses lay at his feet, drained of all blood. One man remained, in a trance, his body motionless. Aston waved his hand and the man jerked into motion. Spying his dead friends on the sidewalk, he screamed and ran from the scene, his hands waving wildly above his head. Aston threw back his head and bellowed with laughter.

Jarharis
paused, realizing he might as well kill Aston and be done with him. His anger at seeing Aston’s treatment of the men he murdered had turned into rage.

“
Jarharis
!
Jarharis
!”

He jerked around, recognizing Mi’s voice.

The fairy hovered near his ear, her tiny wings beating the air currents in a rapid frenzy. “Selena needs you! Go to her at once!”

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

Fear shot through
Jarharis’s
body as he lifted into the air and headed toward Selena’s apartment. He overlooked all else as his emotions raced to the fore.

If anything should happen to her—
He passed through the night, arriving at her apartment only to find it dark inside. Had she not returned home after the vampire club found the tree blocking the road through the woods? He hovered outside her window and tried to think where he might find her. Was she still with the group of hunters? Were they foolishly out somewhere thinking they could track down a vampire to destroy?

His thoughts melded into a tangled web of worry. Why hadn’t he asked Mi where Selena was? He grasped the talisman hanging around his neck and squeezed it in his fist. “Where is Selena? Where is Selena?”

The charm grew warm in his cold hand. He opened his fist and gazed at it, watching it turn bright yellow against the black night sky. The mist began to swirl within the gem. He pinned his eyes on the sight, anxious to discover where the woman he loved was. His thought jarred his insides.

Did he really love Selena?
He shook his head briefly, not daring to take his eyes off the amulet lying in his open palm. His feelings for the woman didn’t matter right that moment. Mi had said she was in danger and he had to find her. He stared at the swirling mist inside the amulet, wondering if it would ever clear and
reveal
something of importance to him. Suddenly he made out a form and his breath caught up in his throat when he saw Selena lying on the ground, her eyes
closed,
blood on her face. He stared at the vision, his body barely able to hold still.

“Where is she? Where is she?” His voice was a raspy scream echoing into the black night.

Other things began to form within the mist, shapes and things unfamiliar to him. He drew closer to the amulet, trying to figure out what he was seeing. Suddenly it became clear to him. Selena had been involved in a car crash and was lying unconscious along side the road.

He closed his fist around the amulet and stuffed it back inside his shirt, out of harms way. He knew where she was at last. He rose into the air and, calling the magic, turned his path toward the gravel road leading to the woods where Aston’s sanctuary lay. Within seconds, he was dropping to the ground beside Selena’s still body.

She lay in a shallow ditch beside the road, the glare of the headlights illuminating her still form. Her clothes were blood stained and her throat displayed a deep gash.
Jarharis
sensed she was still alive, but she had lost a lot of blood. He glanced around quickly taking in the scene that sprawled across the roadway and beyond into the stand of trees. The car was demolished, its doors standing open, its windows broken. The other passengers were lying about, four all total, silent, unmoving, dead perhaps. He didn’t take time to examine them. Selena was his only concern.

Jarharis
bent over Selena. He could heal his own wounds—any vampire was capable of rejuvenating himself from injuries outside of the wooden stake through the heart, fire, dismemberment or exposure to sunlight—but he didn’t know if he could help Selena. He felt her pulse. It was very weak. He placed his hand over the wound on her throat, pressing slightly, hoping to seal the gaping gash. When he pulled his hand away, he had not made any difference. Distraught, he slid his arms beneath her body and lifted her against his chest. He had no powers to help her. Anguish welled up inside him. The woman he loved lay dying in his arms and he could do nothing to save her.

He threw back his head and released a loud cry of sorrow. Hate for Aston and his band of vampires congealed within his body. If it was the last thing he ever did he would hunt each of them down and destroy them forever. He gazed down at Selena’s limp body, silently promising to avenge her death.

“Give her some of your blood,
Jarharis
.”

He barely heard the voice, his emotions so distraught.

“Let her drink from your vein.”

He jerked his head up, spying Mi hovering near his head. He stared at the pixie, trying to make sense of her words. “No. She would be like me. And I will never turn a mortal into the undead thing that I am. No. I will not put her mouth to my vein.”

“She will surely die then.” Mi flitted upward into the darkness, and disappeared.

Jarharis
lowered his eyes to Selena. She was so beautiful.
And so helpless.
Yet he dared not turn her into a vampire. It was a curse worse than death. He cradled her body in his arms and sat back on his heels.

He had not known the true meaning of being with a woman until he met Selena. Nor had he truly known the pleasures of the female body until he lay with her. She was true perfection in every sense of the word.

Why then am I willing to let her die?
He was shaken by his thought. Could he stand to watch her die? Could he cradle her body and let her pass without trying to save her? He stood suddenly and, clutching Selena’s limp body against his
chest,
rose into the air. He would take her to his sanctuary, lay her on his healing bed of fragrant soil and watch over her, keeping a vigil, until she left him forever.

His body felt heavy as he entered his sanctuary. It was then he realized he had not fed while he was out. But one look at the ashen face of his beloved, took all thought of leaving her even for the few minutes it would take for him to revive his body. He held her tightly and hurried through the lavish rooms he had been provided as a safe haven.

Jarharis
entered his sleeping chamber and gingerly placed Selena upon his coveted sleeping space. He felt her pulse and grimaced at its faintness. He levered his head back on his shoulders and cursed all vampires worldwide. Promising he would mount an attack upon Aston and his legion, he kneeled beside the crypt and held Selena’s hand.

Unconsciously, he grasped the amulet hanging around his neck. Without warning, a tremor of hope surged through his insides. He tightened his fist around the jewel and raised his head.

You have no soul to bargain with,
Jarharis
.

The voice sent him reeling backward on his heels. He lost his balance and fell to the floor beside the crypt. Raising his eyes, he searched the darkened chamber for the owner of the voice. But momentarily realizing he was alone, and that the voice was the same that had been speaking to him of late, he got to his feet. He paced back and forth across the room, his brow furrowed, his mind racing. All of a sudden he paused. Had he unconsciously asked the amulet for a solution to his problem? His soul was long ago taken from him. But did he have something else he could bargain with? He went to Selena and kneeled beside the crypt. He would do anything to save her life. He grasped the amulet in his hand. “What can I do to save Selena’s life?”

Serve me.

His brows furrowed. He looked down at the amulet lying in his palm. He had been curious about the gem since he slipped it into his pocket at the witch’s castle and, until that very moment, he had wondered about its powers. He raised the gem and stared at its faceted sides. He had seen visions within it, heard the voice of a deity he could not identify and been privy to have a pixie visit him. He combed one hand through his hair. The exact value of the amulet was a mystery to him. “Who are you?”

The owner of the talisman you hold in your hand.

“But I took this from the neck of a witch.”

The witch was my servant.

He released the gem as though it had burned his hand. He gazed at Selena—remorse filled his insides. “I serve no master.” He took hold of the amulet and lifted it above his head, tugging at the chain around his neck. The links tangled in his hair, snarling painfully and making him wince. “I serve no master!” He shouted the words, giving the chain a forceful pull to get it over his head.

“
Jarharis
?”

He
paused
his hand, the amulet in his grasp, as he watched Selena rise to a sitting position on his fragrant bed of soil.

“What happened? Where am I?”

He rushed to her, inspecting her throat for the deep gnash left behind by the vampire. It was gone. Her skin healed. He gathered her in his arms and pulled her against his chest. Closing his eyes, he held her tightly.

“
Jarharis
, where are we?” Selena pushed out of his arms and swung her feet over the side of the crypt. Brushing at the soil clinging to her clothes, she stood up.

He caught her arm and pulled her against his side. Leaving the bedchamber, he walked with her into the spacious room leading to the door of the house.

“Is this your house?”

“Yes. I brought you here when I found you lying beside the road. Do you remember what happened?”

She pulled in a long breath. “Where are the rest of the hunters?”

He shook his head. “Those in the car with you are dead.”

She gasped and covered her mouth with one hand. “Tanya told us there was another way into the woods. When we came upon a tree blocking the road, we turned around and tried that route.” She combed her fingers through her hair. “I don’t remember much after that. I think the car hit something. But I’m not sure.
Kaleb
is such a shitty driver—” Tears welled up in her eyes. “Oh
my gosh
! Is
Kaleb
dead?”

He stared at her and contemplated his next move. Despite the circumstances surrounding her recovery—he knew his fate was sealed. He would be a servant for eternity because he wanted her saved. He heaved a sigh. Looking at her, ravishing her beauty with his eyes, he thought it was all worth it. He had no future as a mortal anyway—so why did he feel compelled to rip the amulet from his neck and cry foul?

He swallowed down the urge to scream his misjudgment. The sight of Selena healed, her flesh completely intact, her memory of the incident foggy—he should be happy with the result of his plea.

“I have to leave,
Jarharis
. I have to go check on the other hunters.”

“I’ll come with you.”

She turned toward him, a smile on her lips. “Thank you for saving me.” She rose up on her tiptoes and kissed him lightly.

He groaned and wrapped his arms around her body, pulling her tightly against his chest. A wave of warmth filtered through his cold body as he devoured her mouth with his. He pressed her breasts into the wall of his chest and lowered his hands to clasp her buttocks. His ardor grew as he savored the feel of her shapely body. When she tightened her arms around his neck, he relented and allowed himself to agree that saving her had been a good idea.

A gnawing thought
rankled
his mind.
What did Selena owe the Master for her second chance at mortal life?