Romance: Military Romance: Protected by the SEAL (Contemporary Hero Bad Boy Navy SEAL Romance) (New Adult BBW Alpha Male Virgin Protector Short Stories) (36 page)

He lashed out at the villagers gathered there, grabbing the closest one and tearing into him without drinking a drop.  He cast the man aside and reached out with both hands, plucking two men from the small group and slamming them together so forcefully that they died instantly.

Only three men remained and one was Gavin.  Gavin, who had left him for dead in the woods.  Gavin, who had killed his one true love. 

Dallin focused on Gavin, and the other two men took the moment to flee, neither looking back.  Dallin picked Gavin off the ground and threw him against a tree, leaping into the air and closing the distance between them. 

He moved in until he was inches from Gavin’s face and kept his voice low and menacing.

“I will not kill you today, but someday I will.  I will come for you when you’re least prepared.”  He took a breath and waited, enjoying the terror he saw in the coward’s eyes.  “And I will take my time with you.  You will know the pain that you’ve caused me today, and you will never sleep soundly again.  I will come after you.  Until then, never forget that all of this death-this is all because of you.”

He turned his back on Gavin, his eyes settling on his sweet Esther as she lay on the ground where they’d shared tender kisses so recently. 

Gavin ran through the woods, heading straight for the village.  Dallin didn’t pay him any mind.

He knelt beside Esther, holding her wrist against his mouth.  He bit her, draining, pulling all the blood from her before he sliced his own wrist with one sharp fang. 

He held the wound against her lips, tears streaming down his face as he begged her to take a sip.  Only one drop of the vampire’s blood had entered his mouth, and it had been enough.  If he could get her to drink just a drop, she would live for eternity.

He yanked the stake from her breast, screaming in anguish before he attempted once more to force his blood past her lips and down her throat.

But she was long dead, and nothing he did would revive her.  He laid out beside her, willing the torturous sun to end his life and release him from his pain.

Still hungry and fading fast, he fell into blessed darkness beside his love.

***

Epilogue

A soft voice called to him in the distance, and he blinked in the waning afternoon sun.  His skin was hot, but he was still very much alive.

He shook his head, trying to shake off Esther’s voice calling to him.  But it wasn’t Esther. 

With a start he jolted awake, dragging Esther’s body backwards as he moved away from the cloaked figure before him. 

Her face was barely visible in the shade of her heavy garment, but something about her seemed so familiar.  Confused, he looked down to see if Esther was still there. 

She was as dead as he’d left her, and the pain welled inside him once more.  Unimpeded by the stranger before him, he wailed softly and buried his face in Esther’s hair, inhaling the scent of her.

A hand touched his shoulder, and he was surprised by the contact.  He turned, looking again into the large hood and trying to see the face in the outline.

“Shh, Dallin.  Don’t weep.”

“Do I know you?”

The woman chuckled, reaching out with her gloved hand to wipe the tears from his cheeks tenderly.  A memory pulled at him, but his head was spinning from the grief and hunger.

“Sweet Dallin, do you not recognize your own mother?”

He sucked in a breath, watching with trepidation as she slowly pulled back the hood.  The sunlight hit her skin, which immediately reddened with the contact.  She replaced the hood, but he’d seen enough.

Genevieve Upchurch was indeed sitting before him, looking very much like she had the last time he had seen her.

“You’re a vampire?”  His voice was incredulous, and he almost laughed at himself.  It wasn’t hard to believe, considering what he was becoming.

“Come now, my child.  We don’t have time to dawdle.”

Dallin stood, bending down to scoop Esther up.  Genevieve shook her head.

“We can’t take her.  I know your heart aches with a pain that won’t be healed, but there’s nothing to be done for her.  She is gone from this world and beyond saving.”

She looked around, grabbed his hand and dragged him further into the clearing and north, toward the part of the forest that was forbidden.  Dallin could hear movement in the woods behind him, but the source was impossibly far away. 

Their legs moved swiftly beneath them, and already they were miles away from where he’d left Esther’s body.  He tried to stop, but Genevieve pulled him.

“We cannot pause.  We’ve more dangerous enemies than mere humans.”

“Where are we going, Mother?”  He tried to yank his hand from her grasp, but she was impossibly strong and his heart wasn’t truly in it.

“Home.”

The End

Bonus Story 7 of 17

Chapter 1

This was supposed to be a relaxing weekend in the country for me. It’s been a family tradition for the past fifteen years to come out to this lakeside suburban town. I’d been looking forward to this break since the beginning of summer. The thought of coming out here to this beautiful town is what helped me get through the last few weeks in the city. I’ve always hated New York City in the summer—too many people, too humid, and everything stinks.

I really needed the rest and relaxation that this place provides me. I was also looking forward to catching up with friends and family that I haven’t seen in years. Unfortunately, I won’t be getting much rest and definitely won’t be seeing any friends and family this weekend, except for my stepbrother, Cody. He’s the absolute last person I wanted to see. I’ve never gotten along with him.

He’s my stepfather’s only son and he’s always acted like a spoiled, only child. There are no boundaries with him. There are no rules that he isn’t afraid to break. When I first saw his bad boy ways, I figured that I would talk to him. I’m almost ten years older than he is, and I thought that I might be able to get through to him. But did he listen? No. He made fun of me for being a goody two shoes, going to law school, and actually working a well-paying job. All of that was a joke to him. It seemed like all he wanted to do was ride around with his friends and try to sleep with as many girls as possible. It always made me so angry when I saw a girl, sometimes two, leaving the house in the early morning hours.

I brought up the subject once to my mother and stepfather. I told them that he would probably end up getting one of those girls pregnant or catch a disease or who knows what. Did they take me seriously? No. They told me that I take things too seriously and that if I had a boyfriend I wouldn’t be worrying about what my younger stepbrother was doing.

For the last few years, I’ve only seen Cody on holidays —Christmas, Thanksgiving, and New Year’s. It’s always awkward between us, or at least, it is for me. Whenever I see him whispering and laughing during those family gatherings, I have the impression that he’s making fun of me. He’s the reason I usually dread going to family events.

I’ve been looking forward to coming out to the family country house, because Cody never comes here. He loves being in the city during the summer. I figure he’s attracted to the skimpy outfits and all the flesh on display.

He’s never been to this lake house before, but he should be arriving within the next hour. As I found out last night, none of my other family members will be coming out here.

They all cancelled at the last minute for one reason or another. I couldn’t believe it, when I heard the news. I thought everybody in my family looked forward to these weekend country getaways, but I guess I was wrong.

It would be Cody and I all alone in this house. The thought of having to spend time with him made me angry. I had the sneaking suspicion that he’d somehow planned it this way. Maybe he wanted to get revenge on me for having told my parents about his sneaky behavior with girls. Maybe he was still angry that I thought he needed my advice.

I sighed and walked out onto the front porch. The cool breeze lifted my long floral skirt. I watched as the leaves rocked gently from side to side. The sun was beaming in the clear blue sky. There was so much space out here, so much land and wildlife. I loved watching the deer, rabbits, and badgers. Life was so much different out in the country. All I wanted this weekend was to enjoy this peace and serenity in solitude. But that wouldn’t be possible, not with my obnoxious stepbrother around.

I couldn’t stand him but I couldn’t get him out of my mind—his cocky smile and glittering green eyes. I had to admit that he was attractive, at least physically.

Anxious for his arrival, I paced on the front porch while sipping a cold glass of lemonade. It tasted delicious and helped calm me down a bit, but it still didn’t take my mind away from Cody. It was pathetic and frustrating. Why was I thinking about him so much? Why did I keep seeing his smiling, mocking face?

It was probably because there wasn’t much going on in my life besides work. It was tough to make it in the city as a single woman, and I’d done a pretty good job so far. However, my social life was really suffering. With my thirtieth birthday only a few months away, I was starting to worry that I would never find someone. I was afraid that I would end up becoming one of those New York women who uses work to forget about just how stressed and unhappy she is. I didn’t want to end up like them. I desperately didn’t.

The sound of a car coming down the long dirt road that led to house snapped me out of my daydreaming. Could that be him?

I hurried down the front steps of the porch to get a better look at the road.

The car was coming right towards the house. I felt my face getting hot and a tingly sensation flooding my stomach.

Chapter 2

I went upstairs to one of the bedrooms and looked out the window. A black mustang came to a stop right in front of the house. I could feel my heart beating in my chest. I didn’t know what was wrong with me. I never got like this. I was usually so calm and collected. I was always the responsible one, the person my friends would count on to help guide them through their tough times. Now here I was acting silly because I would have to spend a few days with my annoying stepbrother.

The car door swung open. A black boot stepped out. Then Cody got out of the car.

He pushed his sunglasses back on his forehead and looked around. My eyes roved up and down his body. He was much more muscular than how I remembered him. He had on light denim jeans and tight white t-shirt. Apparently, he’d been working out—a lot. I’d never really imagined him as the type of guy who spent a lot of time exercising. I figured that he wouldn’t have time for anything except school and chasing girls.

Maybe there were other things about him that would surprise me.

He popped the trunk and pulled out a travel bag. I didn’t know what to do with myself. I didn’t know whether or not I should go downstairs and greet him or stay up here and pretend like I hadn’t noticed his arrival.

My decision was made for me when moments later he began calling out my name.

“Charlotte!” he yelled a few times.

My legs felt weak, and my stomach was full of butterflies. It was so embarrassing that he was making me feel like that. I couldn’t stand him. I should have been angry and annoyed that we would be here together, but instead I was tingling with excitement.

I adjusted my hair in the bedroom mirror, took several deep breaths, and headed downstairs.

I opened the front door. Cody had his head cocked to the side. He was smirking at me. He definitely hadn’t lost his confidence.

“What’s going on?” he asked. “I guess it’s just us two for the next few days.”

I sighed and crossed my arms against my chest. He’d just gotten here, and he was already annoying me. I could hear the sarcasm in his voice and knew that he was already trying to get a rise out of me. I had no idea how we were going to get through this weekend together.

“Yeah, well there’s lots of space here,” I said. “We should be able to stay out of each other’s way.”

“You mean, we’re not going to be able to spend time together?” he mocked with a smirk on his face.

I’ve never been in a fight in my life, but in that moment, I had the urge to run down the steps and grab him by the throat.

“No, I don’t think either of us would really want that,” I said and snickered.

“That’s too bad,” he said, pushing a lock of brown hair out of his face. “I was hoping we would get a chance to talk.”

“Talk about what?” I asked.

He sighed and looked away. A shiver passed through my body. There was something so different about him. Not only had his body matured, but in general, he seemed more mature.

Without thinking about it, I began checking him out. I couldn’t believe how handsome he’d become. He had a chiseled jaw and a few days’ stubble on his face. That was one of my favorite looks on men, but it was hard to find guys who could really pull it off. 

“Just stuff at school,” he said. “I’m going into my senior year and I was hoping you could give me some ideas about what to expect.”

Honestly, I was a little disappointed when he said that. I was hoping that the topic of conversation would be something about all the girls that he was hooking up with. I wanted to know that his bed-hopping ways were behind him. Not because I was really interested in what he was doing. I wasn’t. I really wasn’t.  At least, that’s what I kept telling myself.

I just wanted to make sure that he wasn’t leading girls on and breaking their hearts.

“Aren’t there people at NYU for you to talk to?”

“For all the loans that I’ve had to take out for tuition, I thought there would be. But I don’t know…it always feels like people are just telling me what I want to hear.”

I smiled. I felt his eyes bearing down on me. I covered my mouth.

“What’s so funny?” he asked.

I didn’t know what exactly was so funny, but I kept my mouth covered. He started walking towards me with a frown on his face.

I composed myself and looked him directly in the eyes. He stopped walking a few feet in front of me.

“Nothing,” I said, barely able to suppress my giggly laughter. “You seem like you’re growing up,” I explained.

He smiled. “You could say that,” he replied. “Did you think that I would still be the same wild and crazy kid I was in high school?”

“Yeah, sort of,” I answered.

He started laughing, a bit too hard for my tastes. It seemed like he was making fun of me. The urge to grab him came surging back within me.

“Well, maybe you’re right,” he said.

“What does that mean?” I asked.

He cocked his head to the side and stared at my slyly.

“I’ve got a few girls coming over later,” he said as he slung his bag over his shoulder and began walking towards me again. “I hope you don’t mind.”

I could feel the anger rising in me. There was no way that I would allow him to have girls over while I was here. His lips were pursed but I could see the laughter in his eyes.

“That’s not going to happen,” I said. “There’s no way.”

He smirked. “Is my stepsister jealous that I might have some raunchy fun this weekend?”

“I guess I was wrong about you,” I said.

“We’ll just have to see about that,” he said, walking past me into the house. When he got a few steps inside, he turned around. He looked me up and down and smiled. “You’re looking pretty good these days.”