The Link (3 page)

When I woke for work the next morning, I was immediately disappointed that he was gone, then thrilled when I found the note on the pillow. In the most beautiful script he had written “You are healing my heart too, Sarah Jensen. And I thank you for that.”

I knew at that moment that I was in love with him. I still wasn’t exactly sure where this was going, but I was so grateful to him for making me feel alive again that it didn
’
t really matter to me.

When I saw him that night, at first all I could do was just hug him. I didn’t even let him in the door. He seemed to know I wasn’t going to let go, so he quietly said, “Ummm, we’re letting all the cold into
the house. Can we at least close the door?” I stepped back and smiled at him, then remembered what I had been doing before he came so I grabbed his hand and pulled him to the couch. He looked at the map and the hiking guide spread out on the coffee table. “What’s all this?” he said.

“
Well tomorrow
i
s Saturday, the weather’s supposed to be decent and I was hoping I could collect on that bet,” I smiled.

“
Really? Yes, I
’
m free tomorrow, but do I get to know what I’m doing?” he said.

“
I kind of wanted it to be a surprise, but you need to dress right so I guess I have to tell you…
we’re going hiking
,
” I replied.

“
Sounds nice,” he said
.
“
W
hat time do you want me here?”

“
Early, if that’s okay. Around eight? Is hiking okay? Do you
like to
hike?”

He smiled at me
.
“Relax, Sarah. Eight is fine, hiking is fine and yes, I do hike.”

We spent the rest of the evening planning our day.
And my heart melted when he took my free hand in his as I was pointing out our route on the map
to him. He hugged me and kissed me on the cheek when he left. As he left, I watched him and thought how wonderful it was going to be spending the entire day with him because I really hated it when he left.

He was on my porch at five minutes to eight for our Saturday hike at my favorite place - Mt Rainier National
P
ark
. It was our first hike together, our first full day together, and it was the first time I almost passed out…
because he kissed me.

It was cold and the trail still had a little snow on it, but the sun was out. There wouldn’t be any rain today. He was wearing a ski cap, a skin-tight long-sleeved shirt (that I couldn’t help but notice accented every beautiful ripple on his chest and stomach) jeans and hiking boots - a very nice change from the ever-present black that he usually wore. The trail weaved up and around a rocky outcropping. I had to stop several times to catch my breath, but he never seemed get winded. As we walked, I decided to ask him a few questions.

“
So, I know you said you were a cop for a while, and you mentioned once that you had also been in the army, what do you do now?
”
I said, trying really hard
not to sound out of breath.

“
I was wondering when you were going to ask me that,” he said, smiling at me. “I’m semi-retired. I own a private detective agency, but I’m not involved in the day-to-day work. I seek out new clients when the firm needs them.”

“
Really?” I said
.
“That sounds exciting and interesting.”

“
Occasionally,” he said,
“
t
he case work is pretty boring and too time-consuming, but I enjoy the sales part of the work usually.”

“
Oh wow,” I said as we came around the corner.
We stopped then for a bit and he patiently waited while I took pictures of the breathtaking view of Mt
.
Rainier that had appeared as we rounded the bend. I thought I was a good hiker, but he was definitely making me look bad.
He never took a drink of water, never seemed to need a rest, he was never out of breath. I was an avid hiker, but he was in amazing shape and I was definitely impressed.

Just as I put my camera away and turned to head down the last part of the trail that would lead us back to the car, he caught my arm, turned me around, lifted
my chin, and floored me by saying, “Thank you for making me so happy, Sarah
,
”
just before
he kissed me, his soft cold lips pressing hard onto mine. Thankfully he wrapped his arms around me because I felt like I was going to collapse…
I was dizzy…
and devastatingly happy.

“
Ummm, you’re welcome?” I finally managed to say, after taking at least a full minute to recover.
Then I smiled, “No, scratch that. How about thank you for making me so happy too.” He smiled
, kissed me once more
then
took my hand in his (again…so cold. My mind wrestled with the answer to this, the obvious one was staring me in the face but this couldn’t possibly be it, could it? This isn’t a movie where my costar is pale white and never ages
.
I
t’s not make-believe. Things like that aren’t real, are they? I pushed the thought back
.
I was too happy right now. I really never wanted this to end). Besides, it didn’t feel that cold in my hand. In my hand it just felt right. We headed down the trail to the car.

He told me he had an appointment when we got back to my place, but promised to
return
that evening.
The rain came back in the early evening, a real downpour, and I grew a little concerned when he wasn’t there at seven, even more so when eight came and went. I was just thinking about giving up on him and going to bed at nine when there was a knock at the door. I smiled as I walked to open it but my smile fell when I noticed the strained and concerned look on his face. I let him in and saw that he was soaking wet. I helped him out of his coat and he slowly took off his boots as I went to the bathroom to get him a towel. What he told me next would change my life.

Chapter Two

He was on the couch when I returned. And he was just staring down at his hands. I hesitantly walked over to him and placed the towel over his head. When he didn’t move to do it himself, I began rubbing the towel around his head, drying his hair for him, my mind again thinking, “I definitely could get used to this.” It felt to me like he was wrestling with something in his head. I knew I was right when he started shaking his head but I wasn’t expecting what happened next. He grabbed my wrists, gently stopping what I was doing, started to stand and said, “NO, I can’t do this. I have to go.”

I didn’t hesitate more than a heartbeat. He wasn’t leaving this time, not if I had any say about it. I stood in front of him, blocking his path
.
“No,” I said, “you
can
do this, and you are not leaving, Matthew.”

He sank back on to the couch and whispered,
“You have no idea what you’re doing, what you’re getting yourself into, what I’m getting you into.”

I stared at him for a moment, wondering if I should really tell this man that I had only met a little over a month ago, that I didn’t care what I was getting into as long as it meant that he wouldn’t leave, ever.

I decided to throw caution to the wind.
“It doesn’t matter. I don’t care what I’m getting into as long as I’m getting into it with you, Matthew. I’ve been a dead, empty shell for too long.
You’ve helped me come alive these past few months. Now, let me help you. Please, I want to know, I need to know what you’re struggling with. I want you to stay, please tell me, please don
’
t go,” I managed to say before my pounding heart kept me from saying more.

He looked into my eyes and his face softened. He took a deep breath and said, “I just can’t keep this from you anymore.” He seemed to grow stronger when he said this
.
H
e sat up straighter and looked me in the eyes.
“This will be a lot for you to hear right now but please trust me when I say that, once I tell you, we won’t have much time.”

I took a deep breath, nodded my head and waited for him to continue.

“
There are things that will be set in motion, soon, with me telling you what I’m about to tell you and, depending on your response, it could get dangerous for you, for me, for both of us. I’ll have to act quickly to keep you safe…
that is my first priority…
my second is finding a way for us to be together, forever.”

He allowed this to sink in for a moment. I stood there stunned, trying to remember to breathe. I looked into his amazingly deep, incredibly beautiful eyes. I was vaguely aware of his cold hands resting on mine. I glanced down at them and looked at his beautiful pale white, opaque, almost translucent light blue, skin. I turned one hand over, studying it, so smooth, not a single flaw, yet so gentle… and so cold. I looked back up at his face and brushed my finger down his cheek to his jaw line, it was just as cold and smooth as his hand. I cupped my hand over his cheek. As I did this he closed his eyes and smiled, looking like he had been waiting forever for me to do that. I finally stammered out
,
“I
-
I don’t understand, but
please, tell me more.”

He smiled so softly. “I know,” he said. Suddenly he stood and for an instant I was afraid he was going to try to leave again, but instead he turned and guided me to sit on the sofa. He gently placed my afghan over me
, as though he knew
I was suddenly cold and shivering
.
He went to the fireplace and quickly started a fire then he came back and sat on the couch, facing me, with one arm draped along the back and his other hand gently reaching over to hold mine.

“
Okay, Sarah,” he said
,
“
there isn’t an easy way of telling you this, so I’m just going to say it all. I won’t hold anything back. You can ask as many questions as you need to and I’ll answer as many as I can, but I will tell you that this is going to be very hard for you to hear.
A
re you ready?”

I swallowed hard, took a deep breath, tried to say yes, but only managed to nod.

“
There are things that exist in this world that most people don’t know about or don’t believe in,” he said.

“
You’re talking about ghosts…
and vampires, right?” I whispered, because my subconscious
already knew what he was talking about. It’s just that I kept trying to ignore all the clues that were right in front of me.

He stared at me for a moment, then smiled and nodded his head. “Yes, like ghosts and vampires,” he said.

“
And you’re the second one on that list,” I said.

Again he smiled, “Yes, I am.”

“
And you drink blood?” I asked.

“
I’ll get to that in a minute,” he smiled as he said
.
“
F
irst my history, then my diet.”

“
Okay,” I quietly said.

His hands trembled slightly as they held mine and he continued, “I’m breaking all the rules here and that scares me to death,” he smiled at his irony
.
“We really aren’t allowed to do this, but because of you, rules don’t matter to me anymore…
you are the only thing that matters.”

My heart was slamming in my chest - this really can’t be real. My head screamed at me that I should be terrified
.
I mean he did just tell me
that
he was a vampire. Shouldn’t that scare the crap out of me? Either because it was true or
perhaps
he was
completely insane? But, for some reason, I felt strangely calm, relieved actually. Maybe because he was finally telling me what I had seen him struggling with for a while now.

He went on, “My kind have been around for many, many centuries. But we’re very different than how we’re portrayed in books and movies. Our population is small, there are very few of us. We were created and we exist to keep good people safe, to keep evil from taking over. We seek out evil. When we find it, we destroy it.” I gulped when he said this, I was fairly certain I knew what he meant. “Our numbers are controlled and kept low for one reason - so that humans don’t know we exist. The Elders control us.
They are very old, they are very strong and they keep us from knowing too much about ourselves and how we
’
re created. They watch and look for those who are strong and good, and they change them in a secret process at their hidden location.
After a new vampire is created - he or she must stay at their Fortress, where they are taught the reason they were created, taught our rules for existence and taught to control themselves. If a
vampire breaks any of the rules or reveals any secrets, The Elders elite guards, the Enforcers, are sent to bring them back to face punishment.” His eyes flicked to the door when he said this.