Vampire Betrayed (Vampires Destined) (3 page)

God, the necklace!

Her eyes popping open, Ariana’s hand tightened around the chain she wore. A small, heart-shaped pendant bearing Joaquin’s initials hung from a delicate rope of filigreed gold.

Shaking, Ariana dropped her hand to her side. The blonde had been wearing the exact same pendant. And Joaquin had given it to Ariana a little over a week ago. Had he been preparing her for a feast? Was she just a pawn in his deadly game?

Charon wrapped an arm around Ariana’s shoulders. “Are you okay, sweetie? You don’t look well. Here. Sit down.” She guided Ariana down to the mattress.

 “This can’t be happening.” Her throat felt as raw as her heart.

“I’m so sorry, my sweet. I wish I could have gotten to you sooner, but Joaquin’s best friend had me a little busy.” Patting her leg, Charon sat down beside her. “He’s a damned good fighter, that one.” Her hand went to her throat. “For a few minutes, I actually thought he was going to kill me, as ludicrous as that sounds. I mean, I’m not so easily killed.” She leaned in and peered at Ariana’s face. “Take some deep breaths before you pass out.”

“None of this is making any sense. You’re not making any sense.”

“I can understand your shock, but you have to understand that I got to you as quickly as I could. I’ve been sending you those messages just to keep you on your guard until I could get here.” Her breasts heaved as she pulled in a deep breath. “There was no way I was going to lose another one, and I honestly don’t know how much longer Joaquin would have kept you...alive, Ariana. I’m sorry. May I call you, Ariana?”

As Ariana nodded, pressing her hands against her abdomen in a fruitless effort to quell the nausea, Charon continued her speech. “Oh, honey, I know it’s a surprise, but Joaquin can’t afford to leave witnesses alive. It’s self-preservation which will make him kill.” She fluttered her hands as if uncertain what to say next. “I do believe that killing you will be harder than the others. He got closer to you than any other mortal I’ve ever seen.”

“Is that supposed to make me feel better?” Head spinning crazily, she just wanted the sympathetic woman to leave.

“No, it’s supposed to make you want to stand and fight. Don’t let him come after you when you’re unprotected, honey.”

“So I’ll buy some garlic and a few crosses. I should be safe enough then.”

Charon swept towards the door, but not before Ariana saw the disappointed look on her face. “Very well. I shall leave you alone for now, but hopefully, one day, you’ll see what I’m talking about.”

“Wait a second! You can’t just waltz into here, dump this load of information on me, and then walk out like I’m supposed to believe everything you say. You say you’re a vampire hunter, but that doesn’t tell me a whole lot. Why am I supposed to believe you? You say you’ve been following Joaquin. So why haven’t you approached me before now? Why let him get as close as he’s gotten to me?” Ariana fired the questions in rapid succession.

Turning with a smile, Charon leaned back against the door. “Ah, yes, the inevitable questions. I suppose I shouldn’t be surprised given your profession. It’s all very simple really. I became a vampire hunter when my parents were killed by vampires. Fortunately, a very powerful shaman helped me to become the person I am today.”

“And what did he get out of the bargain?”

“He got me.” Charon swept her hands up and down her body. “Because of him, I have the power to defeat any vampire, to avenge my parents, and to protect innocents like you.”

“So a shaman made you magical?” One of Ariana’s eyebrows quirked upwards. She’d heard a lot of bullshit in her life, but this was beginning to top everything. “Are you taking any kind of medication?”

Charon laughed. “I understand your disbelief. It’s to be expected, but if you believe anything I tell you, believe that Joaquin is a very dangerous vampire. You can’t trust him, but I promise you can trust me.”  She blew a kiss in Ariana’s direction before disappearing into thin air.

Ariana flopped back against the mattress and draped an arm over her eyes. Hysterical tears leaked down her face, quickly followed by gut-wrenching sobs.

She was going crazy. That was the only way to explain the recent events. Sleeping with a vampire, having a conversation with an angelic-looking hunter, and finding out she was now next on Joaquin’s hit list all led her to believe she had spiralled off the edge of sanity.

And she had no idea how she could get back to reality.

Chapter Two

Three days later

Charleston, South Carolina

It shouldn’t matter to him that Ariana had been missing for over forty-eight hours, but the second the polished reporter broke the story on the local news station, Joaquin’s heart cracked.

The screen flashed to the desk anchor who spoke of the police’s involvement in Ariana’s disappearance. Uniformed officers milled around the yard while onlookers huddled together beside the curb.

Yellow and black tape surrounded her home while flashing red lights illuminated the darkness. In the background, the sombre voice of the reporter provided little information. No word on what had happened to her. Neighbours hadn’t seen anything, and her car was still parked inside her garage.

A gifted writer who was popular with the local magazines and newspapers, Ariana had acquired legions of fans, and it hadn’t taken them long to start leaving roses and various gifts on the porch outside her house until the area had been cordoned. Unfortunately, all the sentiments prevented Joaquin from getting back inside. He could track her if he could catch her last scent.

No matter how their time together had ended, he still cared for her. No, loved her. And whether she wanted him to or not, he would protect her. But first he had to find her.

* * * *

Ariana came awake with a pounding head and a dry mouth. With a groan, she pressed a hand against her forehead and cracked open one eye. Charon smiled down at her.

Blinking in surprise, Ariana tried to push herself to a sitting position, but Charon
pressed a hand to her shoulder to prevent further movement.

“No, dear. Now isn’t the time to be trying to get up or move around. You’ve just been through hell.” Charon rose and lifted a glass of water from a bedside table Ariana didn’t recognize. “Here. Have some water.” She lifted the back of Ariana’s head and held the glass to her lips.

The liquid provided relief to her parched throat. “Where am I?” Ariana finally asked when the red-haired woman moved away

“You’re in my home. More importantly, you’re safe.”

“Why did you bring me here?” Her mind a blank, Ariana demanded answers. Why couldn’t she remember anything, and why did her head throb liked she’d been knocked unconscious? She eyed her benefactor suspiciously. Maybe she had.

Charon turned, sympathy written all over her face. “Oh, you don’t remember, do you? Poor thing. I suppose it’s for the best really. You certainly don’t need to relive all of that.”

“All of what?” Heart thundering, sweat beading on her upper lip, Ariana clung to the comforter while her gaze did a sweep of the room. Dark drapes covered the windows, but the furnishings were white with cheerful pink accents. Almost as if the room had once belonged to a child.

With a heavy sigh, Charon returned to the bed, one hand extended. “Listen to me, sweetheart. There are some things in life you’re better off not remembering.”

“Like how I got here? I don’t think so.” Her stamina had returned if not her memory. “Tell me what happened, Charon, or I’m making a beeline for that door. Then my next stop will be the police station.”

“Please calm down.” The tempo of Charon’s voice didn’t change. She sounded as calm as though they were simply discussing a favorite movie or food. “The doctor said you shouldn’t get yourself worked up.”

“The doctor? I’ve seen a doctor?” What had that doctor done to her? Trying to quell the panic rising inside of her like a tsunami, Ariana ignored her pounding head and scrambled to her feet. “Why did I need medical attention?”

“You were attacked in an alley, Ariana, and I daresay had I not come along when I had, you wouldn’t have woken up at all. Those guys did quite a number on you.”

Ariana sucked in a breath, and pain stabbed her abdomen. “What was I doing in an alley? How did you find me? What guys?” Her stomach twisting into a knot, she blinked up at Charon. “Were they...vampires?”

“Not even close. They were simply hoodlums.”

“I don’t remember any of this, but I do know I don’t walk down dark alleys by myself. Every woman in America knows better than that. So whatever story you’re trying to spin isn’t going to work.” Though she wobbled a bit, Ariana forced herself to remain standing and even attempted a tentative step forward.

 “You must calm down, Ariana. It isn’t good to get yourself all worked up like this.” The picture of pure innocence, the woman oozed grace and charm, but Ariana wasn’t buying it.

“So if I really was in this alley, how did you find me?”

“I couldn’t leave you alone and unprotected. I suppose it’s a good thing I was just around the corner when I heard your scream.” With a sigh, Charon sat down on the edge of the bed. “I’m sure you don’t remember any of this because of everything you’d gone through the night you found out about Joaquin.”

“That was tonight.” Ariana managed to stumble toward the window. She pushed a side of the drape away see the night sky. Relief flowed through her. Still dark. So she couldn’t have been unconscious that long.

“Honey, that was three days ago.”

* * * *

“We’ve spent the last twenty-four hours searching for her, Joaquin. Perhaps she doesn’t want to be found.” Devlin, twenty years younger and much more carefree than Joaquin would ever be, lifted one shoulder in a negligent shrug. “Especially if she left on her own.”

Joaquin shook his head in slow motion, hearing the words but just as quickly disowning them. “She didn’t leave on her own. Something’s happened to her. I need to get back into her house. I picked up on something, but I couldn’t quite figure it out before the police returned.”

His best friend of over one hundred and seventy plus years, Devlin looked at him for a long moment before replying. “Maybe what happened between the two of you affected her in a way neither one of us can understand. I mean, let’s face it, pal. Finding out your lover is a vampire isn’t exactly ‘hey, Mom, my boyfriend wears fifteen earrings’ kind of stuff.”

“I know that.” The words were bitten out from between clenched teeth. Joaquin didn’t need a reminder of their differences, but as painful as their break-up was, he still didn’t believe Ariana left on her own. 

Hadn’t she been the one telling him she was under a deadline? She wouldn’t walk away from that. “Ariana is a responsible woman. She’d never just run away.”

“And you know this just because you shared her bed for however long it was?” Devlin snorted and crammed his hands into the pockets of his relaxed jeans. “Please. The most you know about her is whether or not she’s good between the sheets.”

Joaquin shot him a warning look before turning away, his hands curled into fists. Devlin didn’t know how close he was to a pummelling. “Regardless, something is wrong. I can feel it.”

“Then I guess the question is, why is it so important?”

“Because it is.”

“She’s a human.” Devlin dragged each word out, leaning the top half of his body forward for emphasis.

“And I’m a vampire. Thanks for the surprising information.”

“I can’t believe you fell for her.”

Joaquin had to leave now before the snarling conversation gave way to a battle. He and Devlin had gone to war a couple of times in their half a century of friendship. Equally matched, neither had really gained the upper hand, but they’d walked away with more mental pain than physical pain.

So it was best to walk away while there were words left unsaid. “You don’t know anything about her, Devlin.”

“You’re right. But I do know she’s gone, and unless you can track her some other way I don’t know about, you have to let her go.”

As much Joaquin hated to admit it, Devlin was right. Ariana was gone, and there wasn’t a damned thing he could do about it.

* * * *

The images assaulted her, both disturbing and sensual. Ariana tossed and turned on the double bed, kicking her legs beneath the blankets.

Dark hair and eyes. Sweat-slicked skin and a possessive mouth. She moaned in her sleep. Warm fingers caressed her breasts, and waves of heat poured over her. Sexy words, questions that didn’t require answers, burned into her brain.

Do you know what if feels like when I’m inside you? Like gliding into warm honey.

She lifted her hips, bunching the sheet in her fists.

When I make love to you, I never want to stop.

The sinfully hot voice continued to caress her.

I’ve never been with a woman like you, Ariana, and I have a feeling I never will be again.