Whisper to Me (Borne Vampires Book 1) (12 page)

“When did your nightmares change to conversations?
Why didn’t you tell me before we exchanged blood?” He released her, angrier
than she had ever seen him before.

“He’s says he and I are family. Why would he say
that to me?”

Rathe drew back, as if she had slapped him. His
eyes went wide, and he actually paled. “Did you say family?”

“Yes. He says your kind destroyed our family. All
we have suffered is because of you, the Borne, and the Slayers.”

Scowling, Rathe said, “The bastard lays blame on
others and never takes responsibility for his own actions.” He sighed and
pulled her into his arms. “Ignore him. Block him out of your mind. Once he is
dead, you will be safe.”

Shivering at the finality in his voice, her hope
he would tell her what he knew faded. “I’d better dress.”

When she finished, he took her hand and they
walked up the hill. Her dogs raced ahead of them. Exiting the woods, she
realized it was still early. “Rathe, what do you do during the night?”

“What?”

“What do you do when you are not feeding?”

“Oh. Usually we are on the road. We never stay in
one place long.”

“Is that all Mina knows? Is running all she has
had to learn to live?”

“No, we weren’t always on the run. When we lived
in New York City, at the compound, before my father’s death, she attended school
with others of our kind. Life was normal then.”

“What’s her life to be if the Damned are not
stopped? Will she have to keep fighting and running, until the day she either
loses her life or her soul? What future does Mina or my daughter have if we don’t
fight?”

Near the house, Rathe stopped. “You’re right. We
have no plans for a future. Nothing to live for. We are scavengers. We are what
the Damned once were.”

She took his hand in hers. “No, Rathe, you are nothing
like the Damned. Your father was wrong to have disbanded the Slayers and make
peace with those monsters. It left the humans and the Borne vulnerable.”

“Honestly, I have no idea why he made the
decisions he had. None of it makes sense.”

“You told me there was an epidemic of young Borne
losing their souls, why? Has anyone investigated the cause?”

“When the case was presented to my father about how
many had been slain, it was then my father disbanded the Slayers. Not long
afterward, he was murdered.”

“Don’t you see? He must have known something was not
right and refused to hunt the young down until the reason found out. Whoever
wanted to keep it secret killed him to prevent anyone else from finding it out.
You and your brothers should be out there hunting the demon vamps down,
protecting people from the evil they spread.”

The front door opened, and Tereza stepped out,
closing it behind her. “Mariah is right, Rathe. The Damned are spreading like
the plague, and there is no one to stop the madness.” She took his hands in
hers. “My son, you are
the
most
lethal, most cunning of the Slayers. What Slayer would obey the Elders’ orders to
kill you when they feel as we do about the Damned?”

“Mother, you and I both know the Elders would find
a way to have me brought before them and executed. They will not tolerate
disobedience. I know. I’ve witnessed it.”

“They are fools to have sought peace with the
Damned. With
him
, especially after all
he has done to the Borne!”

Pulling Tereza to him, Rathe kissed his mother’s
forehead. “Where is everyone?”

“They are still at the Boardwalk. When it closes,
they will return.” Tereza sighed. “I shall seek the earth early tonight. My
heart is full of sorrow and loneliness. I am missing your father terribly.”

Sympathy smoothed his tense features. “I understand,
Mother. Goodnight.”

“Goodnight, my son.” She hesitated. Mariah met her
dark gaze and saw her weariness was more than grief. Tereza had seen too much
in her lifetime and it haunted her. “Mariah, I see you have made the decision
to embrace the vampire rising in you. Watch out for your enemy. He is crafty
and uses whatever means necessary to obtain his desires. Lies and tricks are
his weapons. He’ll use love against you. Be wary. The leader of the Damned
bears the Romulas name much hatred. If he knows you are with Rathe, he will
seek to use you to kill my son.”

“He’ll die first before he harms Rathe or those we
love. I swear it.”

A small smile lifted the corners of her mouth as
Tereza nodded her approval. “I believe you will.” To her son, Tereza ordered, “Teach
her how to defend herself against the Damned.”

“Mother?”

“Give Mariah either a gun or a knife.” To her,
Tereza said, “Keep your weapon with you always.” She took her medallion in her
hand and studied it. “Pure silver. Odd, two wolves guarding a cross. This medallion
once belonged to an ancient family — the Iron Wolf’s crest. Strange that it was
given to you, to protect you. Very puzzling.” Tereza peered at the pendent
closer. “The runes are barely visible. One more blood exchange should see the
spell broken. This medallion will still protect you, even if the spell should
be broken.” Handing it back to her, Tereza gave her a small smile. “Goodnight,
my dears.”

“Goodnight.” Left alone with Rathe, she was
uncertain what to do next. When she saw he wore an amused smile, she relaxed.
“I’d like a gun please.”

“Why a gun?”

“Because I don’t want to get close to another
demon vampire, like I had at the truck stop, that’s why!”

For the rest of the night, she spent learning how to
shoot the gun she had found in the car. Rathe called it a modified Beretta
92FS. He switched out the clip with another one and handed the gun to her, the
muzzle aimed at the ground.

Taking the gun, she found it was easy to handle,
spooking her how right it felt in her hands. Aiming at the target he had set on
an old log, he took her right arm and had her steady the gun with her left.
Firing one round, the bullet flew harmlessly past the target. Irritated, she
tried again. Missed.

“Don’t aim for the center. You’ll miss every time.
Just concentrate on the whole target and shoot.”

Missed again.

Frustrated, she focused on the paper, seeing the
dot in the center and squeezed off several rounds. Dead center!

“Impressive, except you allowed your emotions to interfere.”

“Why is that bad? When I’m shooting at someone who
is trying to kill me, I think it’s gonna get pretty emotional.”

“Emotion can leave you open to attack mentally.
The vampire seeking to kill you will use all he has in his arsenal, mental and
physical, to bring you down before you can him.”

“Oh.”

“Let’s try again.”

Around one a.m., Mina, Faeroes, and Anya returned and
joined in the practice. It was disconcerting when a sixteen-year-old girl could
out shoot her! Hell, Mina even impressed her brothers with her accuracy. When
Mariah changed out the empty clip, she saw the bullets were regular ones.

“I thought you said the Damned were allergic to
silver. Why aren’t we using silver bullets?”

Rathe took the gun and clip from her. “We don’t
waste silver on practice. Mariah, how are you feeling?”

“I’m fine. Why?”

“Nothing different?”

“I’m not changing, am I?” Defeated, she was never
going to be normal again.

“No, I’m sorry.” He seemed to be genuinely
sincere. “Since dawn is closing in us, I’ll walk you back to your room.” Rathe reloaded
the gun and put on the safety. “Let’s put you to bed, shall we?”

“Where do you sleep?”

“Anya, Faeroes, and I sleep outside the house.
Mother, Simon, and Mina rest in the ground, down in the basement.”

“Oh.” She smiled at Anya and Faeroes. “Goodnight.”

“Night,” they said. Faeroes opened the ground with
the sweep of his hand. He and Anya floated down into the grave, holding each
other as they prepared to sleep. The dirt swept back, covering them. She was
amazed how the ground held the appearance of not being disturbed.

“Wow. So that’s what you meant by going ‘to
ground’.”

“Yes. Our bodies shut down completely. The earth
restores our strength, just like blood gives us life.”

Mina slipped her arm through Mariah’s as they
walked back to the house. Headlights made them freeze. Rathe pointed out, “It’s
only Simon and Lydia.”

The SUV parked near the house, and the two climbed
out. “Morning,” Simon said as he shut the car door.

Amused, Rathe replied, “Morning. Ready to sleep?”

“Yeah. Lydia, will you stay here?” Simon asked
her.

“If it’s okay with you?” Lydia asked shyly.

Simon grinned. “Yes, it’s fine with us. You can
use my room again.” He asked Mina, “Ready, kiddo?”

“Sure.” Mina hugged her. “See you later.” She went
with them into the house.

Rathe stared after his siblings. “Mina has taken quite
a liking to you.”

“I like her, too.”

When they were in her room, Mariah found herself
in his arms as he yanked her to him. Kissing her hard and deep, she rose on her
toes, taking and giving as much as he did. With great reluctance, she put her
hands on his chest, feeling the pounding of his heart under her palms.

“Time for you to sleep, Mr. Romulas.”

Closing his eyes briefly, he opened them with a
mocking smile. “Now who has bad timing?”

“Payback for the times you tormented me.”

“Keep the gun within easy reach, okay?”

“I will.”

He kissed her one last time and left her.

Walking to the window, she waited to see him cross
the lawn where she’d seen Anya and Faeroes had gone to ground. When he reached
the huge tree, he opened a grave and floated backward into it. Lydia knocked on
the open door, startling her.

“Sorry! Are we still leaving for San Francisco
today?”

“I have to.”

“Why? Rathe told you he would protect us.”

“He’s planning to kill the only person alive who
can tell me who I am and why I am the way I am.”

“God, Mariah, you’re planning on talking to the
leader of the Damned, aren’t you?”

“According to him, I’m his family.”

“Shit!”

“Yep.” Mariah kicked off her shoes.

“What if you are? What then?”

“If I am, I’ve got to stay away from Rathe. If the
Damned should learn Rathe is still alive, they’ll hunt him and his family down
and take their revenge.”

Lydia pressed her hand to her mouth and slowly let
it fall to her side. She peered at her closely. “That’s the real reason you’re
leaving, isn’t it? To protect him?”

Striving to hold back the pain when she thought
about being separated from Rathe, she nodded. “Too many people have died trying
to protect me. I can’t let him or his wonderful family get hurt or killed
because of me.”

“Together, we can protect them,” Lydia said
firmly.

Smiling at the brave girl, although she could see the
fear Lydia tried to hide, Mariah told her, “Better catch a few hours of sleep.
Today is gonna be a busy one.”

“Well, I guess it won’t be boring,” Lydia said on
her way out.

“No, no, it won’t be boring. Not at all,” she
replied softly, looking out the window as dawn broke the dark horizon. She
didn’t know how she’d find the leader of the Damned, but something in her gut
told her she didn’t have to worry.

He would find her.

Chapter Nine

God, it felt like her blood was on fire!
 

Sweating, Mariah made it across the room and into
the bathroom, stripping her clothes off on her way. Skin itching, flushed in
color, she felt like she was morphing into another person. Turning on the shower,
she sat down on the tub floor, clutching the silver medallion in her hand. She
closed her eyes, praying for the strength to get through it with her soul
intact.

Drinking Rathe’s blood is like a high with some
serious repercussions. Feeling as if she were ‘coming down’, and like an addict,
she wanted more. The thirst for his blood held her in its powerful grip, making
her mouth dry and stomach hurt with the hunger.

“I have to be strong. To face him, I can’t show
weakness. I
am
strong!” She forced herself
onto her feet and shut off the shower.
 

She dried and dressed, quickly combing out her
hair. As she brushed her teeth, she glared at her sallow complexion reflected
in the mirror. Putting her toothbrush back in the bag she’d carried it in, she
took it and retrieved her gun off the night table. Her dogs sat on their
haunches, watching her.

“Let’s go.”

Stepping outside, she recoiled when sunlight
touched her skin, burning her. Where was her sweater? Squinting, she saw Lydia hurrying
toward her, holding a jean jacket and a pair of black sunglasses in her hands.

“Thank you!” The relief was instant as soon as she
put on the items.

“Mariah, I'd better drive. You don’t look good.”

“Do you have a driver's license?”

“I
am
nineteen!” The arched glare she shot her had Lydia pulling out her wallet and
producing a driver’s license. “See, it's valid, too.”

“Good, because I can't drive today.” Hurrying to
the car, when she and the dogs were in, she groaned. “Crap, I forgot their
food.”

“I didn’t. It’s in the back.” Lydia started the
SUV. “You exchanged blood with Rathe, didn't you?”

“Had to. Can’t be weak. Can’t be human to face the
Damned.” She leaned her head against the window. Tears burned her eyes as she
tried to shake off the mind-numbing depression.

Why was she feeling so emotional?

Rathe’s handsome face floated before her eyes, and
it hit her why she was feeling like she was. Separation. Somewhere between
killing vampires, blood exchanges, and awesome sex, he’d become important to
her. Steeling herself against the desire to run back to him, she focused on the
reason why she was leaving him and why she was risking her life to meet the
leader of the Damned.

When they reached town, Lydia pulled into a
grocery store parking lot. “Are you hungry?”

“Orange juice, please,” Mariah croaked out, her
throat parched and sore. She petted Salish's head, reassuring the wolf she was
okay.

Lydia returned in a short time and handed her the
orange juice carton. Twisting off the lip, she downed the entire contents. “Good
thing I bought two.” She gave the other one to her.

“Thanks.” She took it and drank it.

Driving down the Interstate, Lydia kept glancing at
her worriedly. Mariah grabbed the blanket in back and covered her head with it.
Sleep beckoned her. Unable to resist the siren call, she fell asleep.

✝✝✝

“Hey, Mariah, wake up. We’re here.”

Peeking out under the blanket, she saw the Golden
Gate Bridge. Lydia asked her, “Where’s our hotel?”

“It's down by Pier 39, called the Towers.”

Lydia negotiated the heavy traffic to their hotel,
parking at the entrance. A car attendant waited patiently while Mariah leashed
the dogs and led them around the back of the SUV. Lydia handed him the keys,
distracting him so she could put her gun into the black duffle bag. Stiffing in
the dog food and bowls inside the duffle bag, she zipped it and slung it over
her shoulder. She walked the dogs to an area marked for pets and left them
Lydia's care.

“Wait here. I’ll check us in.”

Setting her bag on the polished floor, Mariah
smoothed her wild hair and waited for the desk clerk, a snooty woman with
immaculate hair and suit to match, to notice her. By the time the woman finally
turned a stuck-up nose in her direction, she wanted to slap her.

“May I be of assistance?” Eyeing her with distain,
the hotel clerk’s gaze traveled from her tennis shoes to her wrinkled t-shirt.

“Hi, I’m Mariah Jordan. My agent prepaid a room
for me and my assistant a month ago.” She pulled out her driver’s license and
put it on the marble counter. “Has a fax arrived from Maggie Harrison addressed
to me?” She used the same tone as the uppity woman, who eyed her suspiciously.
The hotel clerk went to check, returning with it.

“Did we have some trouble, Miss Jordan?” the woman
politely asked, handing her the registration to sign.

“You could say that.”

“Mariah Jordan?” a woman asked behind her.

She turned around at the question, and the woman
issued a high-pitched scream that made her jump back, alarmed. Reaching for the
duffle bag at her feet, she saw the woman had one of her books in her hand. A
fan!

“Miss. Jordan, can you sign my book? Please, make
it out to Jeannie. I’m Jeannie.”

“Sure! Sorry, been a crazy couple of days.” She
took the woman’s book and signed it.

“I heard it on the news. I’m so glad they had it
wrong. I love you books! They take me to another world. An adventure I wish I
could really go on.”

“I’m happy my books affected you in a positive way.”

Two older women, who had bluish-silver colored
hair, held out their copies of her latest novel. The taller one gushed, “I'm so
glad we didn't go home when we heard last night that you were … well, we’re
just glad you’re fine.”

“I'm glad you stayed, too.” Mariah accepted the
card key the hotel clerk handed her.

“I’m Dora. My sister, May.” Dora whispered, “Be
careful, Miss Jordan, there are strange things happening lately in San
Francisco. Bad things.”

They left her and entered the elevators when the
doors opened. Lydia joined her, staring at the women before the doors closed.

“That’s so weird,” Lydia said, frowning.

“What is?” She picked up the duffle bag.

“I couldn't read their minds.”

“Really?
Dora
warned me to be careful. Bad things in San Francisco.”

“Great. Little old ladies are warning us
now. We should just leave and head back before we really find trouble.”

“I can’t leave. If you want to, take the
SUV.”

“No, I said I’d stick with you, and I will.
Wow, this place is fancy. I feel out of place here.”

“Me, too.” Mariah admitted as they walked toward
the elevators. “Let's take the dogs to our room. We need to do some shopping.”

When they had the dogs settled, fed, and watered,
they left them in the room, returning to the lobby. Walking down the street,
they found a hair salon and went in. It turned out the hairstylists were fans
of her writing. The girls were fantastic and offered to do their makeup, as
well. After she paid, she invited them to come to the book signing and offered them
each a free copy of her latest novel. The women suggested a clothing store a couple
blocks down, and that was their next stop.

“May we help you?” A tall, curvy clerk asked when
she and Lydia entered the retro clothing store.

“We are in a bind. The only clothes we have are
the ones we are wearing. Can you help us select outfits to replace our lost
ones?”

“I think we can help you there.”

An hour of trying on clothes, a certain madness
took hold of her when she selected a low cut ‘v’ neck shirt made of dark blue
satin. The sleeves long and the cuffs unbuttoned. Next, she chose a pair of
faded hipster jeans and black, heeled boots. To finish the outfit, she chose a
hip-length, black leather jacket. A pair of tight-fitting leather pants and a
sleeveless black satin shirt with a plunging ‘v' neckline caught her eye, and
she put it in the purchase pile. New bras and underwear, socks completed her
list of necessities. Adding several pairs of jeans and novelty t-shirts, the
clerk helped her take her selections to the cash register.

Lydia stepped out of the fitting room wearing a
darling dress in delicate hues of pink and peach. The colors enhanced her
natural beauty. As she twirled around, her shining, curly red hair bobbed about
her shoulders. “What do you think?”

“Lydia, you look beautiful. You need to pick out
more clothes though.”

“I think will.” Grinning, Lydia went to the jean
section.

Carrying several hug bags each, they hailed a cab and
went back to the hotel. In their room, Lydia made known she was starving, so
they ordered room service. While Lydia devoured her steak, she tried the beef soup,
unable to stomach it. All she could think about was drinking blood. The bloody juice
on Lydia’s plate made her mouth water. Breathing hard, she rose from the table
and gazed out the window, the sun lowering in the sky. Nighttime would bring
out the vampires
—
those
with souls and ones without. She chewed worriedly at her lower lip, not as
confident as she was earlier about what she was about to do.

“Mariah, can you still go through the book signing?
Are you strong enough?”

Sighing, she smiled at Lydia. “Signing books is
the least of my problems tonight.”

Petting her dogs, who were sprawled out on the carpet,
their bellies full from the hamburgers she’d fed them. “Don't worry, I'll be
fine. We’d better change. We’re supposed to be at the bookstore around six.”

“I’m done eating. Give me fifteen minutes and I’ll
be ready.” Pushing away from the table, Lydia went into the bathroom while Mariah
dressed in the bedroom.

Wearing jeans, a white tank top under a
lightweight, knitted black sweater, she pulled on a pair of running shoes, just
in case tonight went bad. Rummaging through the duffle bag, she pulled out a
few items she felt they might need later. Handing Lydia the extra handgun she’d
found in the bag, she took the gun Rathe had given her and slipped it in her
waistband, at the small of her back, pulling on her leather jacket to hide it. Leaving
the dogs in the hotel room, they took the elevator down to the lobby.

“Mariah, I know it’s important for you to learn
about your family, it’s just that … we are about to have a conversation with
the
leader of the Damned! I’m scared.”

“We’ll be fine. We’re armed and dangerous.” She
realized she wasn’t scared. Exhilarated, actually was how she felt. The
elevator door opened, and they exited. Nodding to the desk clerk, Mariah pushed
open the glass door. Outside, the evening air cool, she skidded to a stop.

“Mariah?”

“Can you feel it?”

Rubbing her arms, Lydia nodded. “Yes.”

Evil had woken from his slumber.

A long, white limousine pulled alongside them and
parked. The driver opened his door and stepped out of the car. He walked around
the rear of the car and tipped his black hat to them. His cold, bloodshot eyes
met hers, a creepy grin spread on his colorless lips. He opened the rear
passenger door and swept his arm, inviting them into the dark interior.

“Ladies, my employer offers the use of his car and
ordered me to drive you wherever you wish to travel.” The driver's oily,
simpering voice and the rotted fleshy smell around him made Mariah sick to her
stomach, which she hid.

Behind her, she heard Dora’s voice, “Miss Jordan,
why don't you share our cab?”

“Umm, yes,
we would love too.” To the ghoul, she tried to smile
while trying not to gag. “Please inform your employer I am flattered by his
offer, but I promised these sweet ladies I would ride with them to the
bookstore.”

Bowing to her, he tried his best to stay civil.
“As you wish.”

Piling into the cab, they huddled together in the
backseat. As the cab pulled away, the ghoul glared at them as he pulled out his
cellphone out of the inner pocket of his black suit.

Dora said, “Sorry about intruding on your ride in
such a pretty car, but you know what he was, don’t you?”

“Ghoul, right?”

“Yes, he is a day guardian for his maker, a vampire
who has chosen to lose his soul.”

May leaned forward and looked around her sister to
see her. “Miss Jordan, you must take better care of yourselves. One mistake and
you can wind up at the mercy of a very evil and vile vampire!”

Lydia asked, “You protect your minds, blocking in
case they can hear your thoughts, don’t you? It's why I can't read you.”

They preened, seeming quite proud of themselves. May
nodded. “Whenever we travel to San Francisco, we have to guard our minds. The
leader of the Damned is the most strongest of them demon vamps, and he is recruiting.
Especially those who are touched in the head, so to speak.”

“Is that why he sent a car for me?” she asked,
nervously, “To recruit us?”

“Miss Jordan, I’m sure you know by now that he has
selected you to be his.”

“Why me?”

Dora patted her hand sympathetically. “Evil has
needs as do we, humans. Except, boundaries differ for a vampire.”

Confused by what
he
said about family and what the women
shared with her, she had a
very
bad
feeling about meeting the vampire now. The cab pulled to the curb and they
climbed out. Mariah offered to pay the fare, but Dora stoutly refused and
handed a twenty to the driver. Together, they stood outside the bookstore and
nervously watched the sun fall beyond the Pacific Ocean.

Startled, she heard Rathe roar his rage when he
found her gone. Putting up the block in her mind, she shut him out and focused
on the long line of women assembled in front of the bookstore. Later, she would
deal with him.

“Dora, May, thank you for sharing what you know. I
appreciate it.”