Whisper to Me (Borne Vampires Book 1) (16 page)

“Wow, that was kinda strange,” Rona commented,
eyeing her suspiciously.

“What was?”

“How that kid nearly left tracks getting away. So,
did
you have something to do with that?
Some kind of vampire mind trick?”

“Have no idea what you’re talking,” she said,
struggling not to grin. Rona shook her head, obviously not believing her.

“David,” she asked, “are you okay with what I told
you and Rona?”

He surprised her when he grinned. “Hell, yeah.
Since I met Rona and you, life has not been boring and,” David took his wife’s
hand in his and kissed it, “I wouldn’t want it any other way.”

“I sure hope you have the same attitude when all
hell breaks loose!”

“Me, too,” Rona squeaked, holding his hand tight.

Eyeing the sun nervously, she tried to smile at
Rona. “Okay, I gotta run for it. Don’t want to freak people out if I burst into
flames.”

David offered, “Mariah, let us get out first and
you walk between us? We can provide cover for you.”

“Oh, that’d be great.”

When they were beside her door, she eased out and
stayed between them as they hurried to the mall. Inside, she sighed in relief. Rona
pointed at a petite woman with short blonde hair, standing outside the
bookstore.

“That’s Ruby. She owns the Book Nook. Wait here.
I’ll talk to her.”

She waited with David while Rona and the bookstore
owner chatted. David rolled his eyes as they waited to be introduced. When they
were, Ruby shook her hand enthusiastically.

“I can't believe our good fortune to have such a
famous romance writer in my little store!” Ruby led her inside, where roughly
thirty women were waiting, books in hand.

Sitting in the chair provided her, Mariah smiled and
took the first book handed to her and began chatting with the excited reader.
When Rona slid a tall latte in front of her, her friend hesitated.

She said to her
mentally,
“Don’t worry, I can still drink coffee.”

Rona stiffened. “How did—”

Winking at her, she drank some. “Thanks, I
definitely needed this.”

Three hours went past, and she had to stretch, to
relieve the ache in her neck and lower back. That’s when she noticed them as
they curiously looked inside the bookstore. Cursing her luck, she hoped the
people in line hid her from their view.

“What's wrong?” Rona asked. Mariah nodded her chin
toward the front of the store. Her eyes widened. “Is that Candy and Sherry?”

“Yep.” She signed another copy of her book. “Are
they still there?”

“No, they're moving on. I didn't know they moved
back to Coeur d'Alene. Damn, that could present a problem.”

“Jeremy’s girlfriend and daughter are the least of
my problems.”

Jeremy Waters. She hadn’t thought of him once since
she’d met Rathe Romulas. How the heck had she pined for her former fiancé when
he’d been so obviously a weak and self-centered asshole?

As her old life walked away, although her world
had been torn asunder recently, her body changing into something not human,
life in danger from the Damned, she could not regret a single moment. Rathe
brought her to life, given her the courage to face her fears — the monster in
her nightmares, and showed her real passion and adventure.

And he was coming for her.

Ruby sat down beside them. “Are you tired? We
could call a break, if you’d like?”

“Are you running low on my books?” Ruby nodded
happily. “Tell you what, when the last of my books sells, we'll quit for the
night. Sound fair?”

“Sounds like an excellent plan.”

Ruddy kept her part of the bargain when an hour later
the last book sold. She held her hands out and thanked everyone for coming.
Mariah hugged Ruby, thanking her for inviting her to her lovely store, and the
people gathered for a wonderful time. While Rona spoke with Ruby, she left, shaking
hands on her way out.

Forty minutes past eight.

Where was Rathe?

David had disappeared an hour ago, wanting to take
the SUV for a test drive. Cruising, she suspected. Hopefully, he’d return soon
so she could leave and get Kai. Roasting coffee beans wafted toward her, making
her mouth water at the delicious aroma. Amazed she craved coffee and not food;
she didn’t question the oddity and went to the coffee stand. Waiting in line,
she noticed Sherry and Candy, who were whispering and pointing in her direction.

She whispered, “Please, please, please, stay away.
Leave me alone.”

No such luck.

“Mariah, is it really you?” she heard Sherry, her
ex-fiancé’s daughter, ask from behind her.

Dammit, I should
have influenced them to
not
see me!

She pasted a forced smile as she turned around. “Sherry,
it's been a long time. How have you and your husband been?” Why did she ask
that?

“Surviving. Do you remember Candy?” Really? Sherry
asked her that? How could she forget her? Candy was only screwing Jeremy when
he’d proposed to her!

“Candy, you look well,” she was able to say, noting
with satisfaction the woman had gained a lot of weight since she last saw her.

“I see you’re still selling those smut books. I’ll
never understand why women read such trash. But hey, at least you’re cashing in
on the money train.”

The coffee vender coughed softly, gaining her
attention. “I'll have a double shot, twenty ounce latte, Irish cream and
Hazelnut. What would you, ladies, like?” She pulled a fifty dollar bill out of
her inner coat pocket, feeling the metal of the gun against her back, warmed by
her skin.

Sherry's eyes went wide. “Actually, we could eat.
If you're buying, of course.”

Mariah gave the money to the vender and received
her change, handing it to Sherry. “Dinner is on me.” She waved at Rona, who
looked like she was about to spit nails. Fortunately, David had returned and
had put his arm around Rona’s shoulders, calming her down.

Just when she thought the evening couldn’t get
weirder, she saw Jeremy and his son-in-law make their way toward Sherry and
Candy. Jeremy saw her. Unable to escape the little reunion taking place, she
took her coffee and pulled out a chair at the nearest empty table and sat in
it.

“Mariah? It's been forever since
….
Are you staying busy?”
Sitting across from her, he appeared nervous, glancing often at Candy, who sat
next to him. The dirty looks the woman shot him was getting pretty ugly.

“Yes. Very busy.”

Sherry told her father, “Mariah was signing books at
the Book Nook.”

David and Rona came to her rescue, sort of. Her
friend was giving Jeremy her version of a death glare. Mariah wanted to laugh,
but the tingling down her spine had her straightening in her chair. Searching
for the cause, she saw nothing out of the ordinary around her.

Candy's obnoxious voice brought her back to the
conversation. “Mariah? Hello? We’re planning to go to out for drinks. Want to
tag along?” Candy smiled tightly, daring her to say yes.

To her astonishment, Rona answered, “We'd love to.
Right, Mariah?”

Aghast Rona would accept such an invitation, she
made to decline when Rathe spoke to her,
“Go
with them. I want to meet this stupid male who chose another woman over you.”

“I need to pick up my daughter.”

“I’m here, in Coeur d’ Alene. I’ll get her
and bring her to your house. She will be safe with my family, while you and I
converse with these people.”

“Now why would I allow you near Jeremy? You’re
not exactly pleasant around people you dislike.”

“Accept their invitation,”
Rathe's command was like velvet over steel.

She trembled when pleasure rippled through her,
desire pooling in her lower regions. Soft, deep laughter echoed in her mind as
his touch sent waves of swirling heat all the way through her body. A warm
flush heated her cheeks when Rathe shared images of what he planned to do to
her when they were alone.

“Mariah,” Rona looked worried, “are you fine about
going out? You’ve had a long trip. We could go some other time.”

“Oh, I wouldn’t miss this for the world,” she said
with a grin.

Candy's smile didn’t reach her eyes. “Great. By
the way, have you heard the news? Jeremy and I were married a year ago. Have
you met anyone special?”

“My work schedule keeps me pretty busy.”

“That's sad,” Sherry said, holding her husband’s
hand. “You really should start dating again.”

Jeremy leaned forward. “You should be with
someone. You deserve to find a man worthy of you.”

“It's getting late,” Candy said as she stood. “We
should get to
The Inferno
before it
gets too crowded.”

“
The Inferno
?”
Rona exclaimed. “We're going to a nightclub called
The Inferno
?”

She chuckled at her friend's anxiety, having a
pretty good idea it was Rathe who had influenced her to accept the invitation
to the club. “Don't worry. You have me to protect you.” She smiled at David. “Why
don’t you drive?”

“Once we have the house paid off, I'm buying one
of these babies,” he said as they walked toward the exit.

Jeremy frowned, “Buy what?”

David grinned and pointed at the black SUV. “That
baby.”

“Mariah, you own that?”

“Trying it out. I gotta admit, I like it, too.”
She grinned at Jeremy before climbing in the backseat. Closing the door, she sent
a text to her daughter, letting her know Rathe was coming to collect her.

When David backed the SUV out of the parking space
and followed the older car Jeremy and his family was in, Rona said nervously, “Well,
this should be interesting.”

“You have no idea.”

Driving downtown, they went past the trendy shops
and turned down a side street. What used to be an old warehouse was now a
nightclub. David parked alongside Jeremy's smaller car. Loud music poured out
the old building. They sat, watching through the windshield as people formed a
long line down the street to enter what looked like the gates of Hell.

“Rona, you’ve never heard of
The Inferno
before?” She wasn’t sure if she
wanted to go inside the club now.

“Nope. We were here a month ago, helping Mom and
Dad move to Florida, and that,” she waved a hand up and down at the club,
“wasn’t here.”

“I’ll ask Joe later if he knows anything it.”

“Sure, like my brother and his uptight wife know anything
about nightclubs.”

“Okay, the plan is we’ll stay for an hour, have a
few drinks, make up an excuse, and leave.”

“Sounds like a plan to us.”

David nodded his agreement.

Standing beside the car, the ground actually shook
from the bass of the song being played. Jeremy stopped beside her, his hand
brushed hers. Mariah arched her eyebrow at him, warning him to stand back. Before
he could move, Candy shoved her way between them, dragging Jeremy with her. Sherry
and Randy followed them, looking nervous.

Already the line to get inside the club was down
the block and around the corner. Not wanting to stand out in the cold, Mariah caught
the gaze of the enormous bouncer and locked onto his mind.
“Allow us in.”
As if in a trance, he
motioned them to him.

Mariah cut through the protesting crowd, Rona and
David staying close to her. Jeremy and his family were behind them. Handing the
bouncer a hundred dollar bill, she took a deep breath and entered
The Inferno
.

Chapter Eleven

Perched high in the tree next to Mariah’s lake house,
Rathe spread his wings and flew, shifting into his human form as he landed on the
cold, hard ground. He walked past the truck and gazed at the beautiful lake.
Soaking in the peacefulness surrounding him, it calmed the chaos churning
inside him until he heard cars coming down the driveway.

The silver, luxury car parked beside him, and his
family exited it. Speeding toward them was the red sports car he’d rented for
his brother. It skidded to a stop beside Faeroes’s car. Simon and Lydia got
out.

Heart-shaped face flushed, Lydia glared at him. “Why
did you have to give Simon a sports car? I swear the damn thing never went
under a hundred!”

Simon just laughed. “You do have to admit it was
superbly fun.”

“Simon,” Mother asked, giving him a stern eye, “if
you were speeding, why then are you late arriving here?”

Reddening, he hedged about. “We, uh, took a
detour.”

Lydia dropped her eyes to the ground, just as red
in the face as Simon was.

A terrified cry swept through Rathe’s mind, and by
everyone’s surprised expressions; they’d heard it, too!

“Rathe, you
don’t know me, but I’m Kai Jordan and I need your help!”

“Show me what
you are seeing.”

Through her eyes, he saw Kai was in a living room.
He heard high-pitched laughter. Sharp nails raked down the side of the house.
The screeching sound sent her running to the window and she looked out it. A man
appeared. He was upside down, ginning at her, exposing rows of sharp, gnashing
teeth. Kai screamed and ran to who Rathe identified as her uncle.

The Damned had found her!

The vamp spoke to her, “Kai, don’t make this
harder than it needs be. Jarrod promises to be very nice to you. Don’t worry
about Mommy. She’ll be joining us soon.”

“Son-of-a-bitch!” Rathe exclaimed. “How the hell
did he know where she was?”

Faeroes drew his gun. “Rathe, what’s happening?”

“Jarrod’s men are trying to take Mariah’s
daughter.”

“What? Wait, was it her we just heard?”

“Kai is a telepath. The Damned have surrounded the
house she is in. Shit, I made a mistake, a major one where Jarrod’s concerned.”

“How’s that?” Simon asked, drawing his gun.

“Murphy, who tried to kill us in Arizona, really
was
a FBI agent! Jarrod’s been putting his
ghouls amongst the humans and using them to gather information. And he’s found
Kai.”

“Rathe, they are
trying to break into the house now!”
Kai’s voice was nearly hysterical.

“Kai, do not let
them into the house. The Damned cannot enter without invitation.”

“Like I’m really
gonna do something that stupid! Sheesh.”

Ignoring her retort, Rathe ordered, “Mother, inside
the house with Mina. Simon, you and Lydia protect them. Faeroes, Anya, get your
swords.” When they were armed, he led the way as they flew into town.

“Kai, show me how to get to where you are.”

Following her directions, he found the house and two
vamps on the roof, ripping apart the chimney. The four others broke windows,
growling and snarling, trying to scare Kai and her uncle to run outside so they
could get them. Signaling Faeroes to one side of the house, Anya the other, he
went back up in the air and took out the two vamps. Screams echoed around him
as Anya and Faeroes dispatched the others. Jumping off the roof, he withdrew
the bottle of Holy water and disposed the bodies. Faeroes came around the corner
of the house at the same time as Anya did the other side, but she was dragging
a screaming vampiress, who was kicking and screaming, by the hair.

Tossing the vampiress in their midst, Anya snarled
at her, “Tell them what you told me!’

Crying, the girl rose onto her knees, pleading to
him, “Please, we are only following orders. We didn’t know the kid was under
Romulas protection!”

Squatting down, using his sword as balance, he
asked her, “Why are you here?”

“Jarrod said the girl and her mother were our only
hope to regain our souls. I-I just want my soul back.” She began crying, green
blood coursed down her pale cheeks. Sniffing, she straightened her shoulders. “He
lied, didn’t he? Once you become Damned, there’s no coming back, is there?”

For the first time since he began hunting the
Damned, Rathe found he pitied them. “In the six hundred years I have lived, I have
never heard of such a miracle. I am sorry.”

She nodded and faced Anya. “Please, release me
from this hell my boyfriend condemned me to. I don’t want to kill anyone,
anymore.”

Anya’s hard features softened. She handed the girl
a cross. Hesitant, the girl took it. She clutched it in her hands, her face
contorted in pain as the cross burned into her flesh. “I hereby free you and
may God see your repentance.” She swung her sword and cut off the girl’s head.
Faeroes spoke a prayer as he sprinkled Holy water on the girl’s head and body.

Mariah’s words came back to Rathe. He realized his
teachings as a Slayer
had
been black
and white. Hell, he’d never even considered those who’d had no choice when they
were turned or the torment
they
suffered.

“Rathe,” Anya asked, “why is Jarrod branching out
to remote areas? The Damned always preferred big cities, liking it better to
maneuver without drawing the law to their activities.”

“Jarrod’s taken his declaration of war to heart.” Rathe
walked to the front door. “He’s recruiting.”

“Worse than that, Rathe. Jarrod has his minions
kidnapping people and
forcing
them to
turn.”

Before he could respond, the door swung open and a
dark auburn-haired girl with sapphire eyes met him. “You got them all?”

“Yes, but it’s not safe here for you.”

 
Before she
could respond, Kai was pulled back into the house by her uncle, who shouted, “Kai,
who are these people?”

Rathe looked askance at Anya. “Please explain to
Kai's uncle who we are.”

She gracefully approached the visibly-shaken man.
Her silver eyes gleamed, hypnotizing Joe. “Worry not, we were sent by Mariah to
collect Kai. You will remember nothing of tonight. Vampires are only in the
movies and are not real. Kiss Kai good-bye and forget tonight ever happened,” her
soft voice was lilting, musical with the strong compulsion to obey her.

He blinked several times and grinned. “Hey, if
you’re Mariah's friends, that’s great! Anne will be happier if I spend time
with her and her family. Kai, do you need to pack?”

“No, I’ve got everything ready,” Kai managed to say,
staring at him as if he’d lost his mind.

Her uncle cheerfully took hold her backpack and computer
satchel, carrying them outside. “Well, I guess I'd better hit the road.” He set
them beside Rathe and hugged Kai. “Bye, sweetheart. Nice meeting you all. Oh,
tell Rona that I’ll catch up with her next time she’s in town.” He waved at
them before getting into his car and sped away.

“Who is Rona?” Rathe asked Kai.

“She’s Uncle Joe’s sister. Aunt Rona is with Mom
right now.” To Anya, she said, “That was way cool. Are you like me? Can you
read other people’s minds, too?”

“I can ‘read’ people. Some thoughts come across to
me, but my specialty is hypnotizing mortals to bend to my will.”

“Can you teach me?” Kai asked eagerly.

“I’d love to teach you my tricks, especially how
to encourage men to do as you will.” Anya's eyes sparkled as Faeroes rolled his
eyes.

Rathe cleared his throat. “When you are older,
please! You already possess far too much charm as it is. Learning Anya's
secrets will make you absolutely lethal to mere mortal men.”

Kai's sapphire-blue eyes sparkled at the idea.
Hiding her laugh when Anya winked at her, she asked, “What are we going to do now?”

“You will go with Faeroes and Anya back to your house.
Your mother needs rescuing as well.”

“More than you know. Mom’s at
The Inferno,
and its run by vampires! Jarrod
is waiting for word that I and Mom have been captured, and then he’s coming
here!”

“Have you spoken to him?” he asked, worried the
teen had been exposed to the evilness her great-uncle possessed.

“No, I saw it in the vampires’ minds, the ones who
were attacking us.”

“Never link with Jarrod. Do you understand? He can
poison you with his lies. Make you doubt everything and everyone. He is most
powerful when he smells fear. Thrives on it.”

“I’m not a child. I know how to protect myself.”
Kai crossed her arms, glaring at him.

Faeroes chuckled. “She’s just like Mina. Well,” he
said to him, “it’s your call, Rathe. Do we announce you are alive with you
going into the club or do we send in Anya to pull Mariah out?”

“I’ll go. Maybe since they think me dead, they
won’t take notice of me.” Kai snorted. “What?” he asked, puzzled by her
response.

“Highly unlikely you’ll go unnoticed. Mom’s
ex-boyfriend is there, with his psychotic wife. She’ll be hitting on you like
an addict to crack.”

Unsure how to take that, he looked to Anya for
help. “She’s right. You, Romulas boys, are handsome as devils. You’ll cause a quite
a stir amongst the females.”

“Well, what do you suggest?”

Anya and Kai exchanged a knowing smirk. Kai said
with a big grin, “Have fun!”

“Great. Makes me feel so much better now.” To
Faeroes, he said, “Take Kai back to the lake house and secure the area. We’re
about to have company when Jarrod learns we’ve killed his men.”

“Watch your back, brother.” Faeroes paused. “Rathe,
she needs the spell broken to fight him, you know this right?”

“We don’t have—”

“Make time,” Faeroes said firmly. “It’s her only
chance to survive him.”

Alarmed, Kai demanded, “You’re talking about converting
Mom, aren’t you?”

Anya took her hand in hers. “It’s your mother’s
only hope to survive against Jarrod. With the spell broken, she can save her
soul. If not, Jarrod will crush her and make her Damned. To accept the Change,
your mother can protect you, too.”

“But she’ll never be able to walk in sunlight.
Forced to feed on blood. Is this what my mom wants?”

Rathe laid his hand on her slender shoulder. “I
will not do anything she does not what to do, I promise.”

“Okay.” Kai looked resigned and sad.

Slinging her backpack and computer over his
shoulder, Faeroes took Kai’s other hand. “Your mom is a pretty tough lady.
She’ll be fine. Come on, we need to return to our family. Let’s fly.”

“Fly? You can fly?”

“We sure can.”

“Sweet!”

Shaking his head, Rathe said, “Like mother, like
daughter. We won’t be long.”

Anya winked at Kai, her voice low with conspiracy.
“Adult translation — we'll see them in a few hours.”

Rathe had the grace to redden at the comment.

Kai giggled. She smiled at Faeroes and Anya. “Let's
fly!”

✝✝✝

Candy's annoying voice rose above the conversations
and music, “Damn, we should have a celebrity bribe our way in more often.”

Ignoring her, Mariah concentrated on blurring her
gun and knife, so they wouldn’t set off the metal detector. Walking through
wasn’t a problem, the emotional tidal wave emanating from the people inside the
club was as it ripped right through her, taking her breath away. Combined with
the raw scent of sweat, sex, and pheromones, her body quickened and hummed with
desire. Clenching her teeth, she forced her feet to take her further inside,
and that’s when the sickening-sweet smell of death greeted her.

She stopped at the brass railing, struggling to stay
calm and focused as she scanned the dance floor. The bouncers were ghouls! Positioned
throughout the club, they wore black sunglasses, t-shirts, pants, their bulging
arms crossed and stood like statues as people gave them wide berth.

“Rathe I’m in deep shit here!”
 
 

“I’m on my way to you. Be calm and just act
normal. Are there ghouls or vamps within view?”

“Only ghouls so far. Crap!”

“What’s going on?”

“One vamp. He’s in his office.”

“Can you tell how many ghouls there are?”

Observing them, she cautiously searched who was one and who
wasn’t.
“Six. Humans are at the door, letting
people in.”

“You have your gun on you?”

“A knife, too. Blurred them when I went through
the metal detector.”

“You did?”

“Don’t act so surprised. I’ve learned a
few tricks hanging around you.”

“Good. Find a place to sit with your back to
the wall, face the doors. I’m almost there.”

Leading the way, she went around the throng of
gyrating dancers and found an empty table way in the back. Sitting in the chair
facing the front of the club, like Rathe told her, she had an excellent view of
the entire club here. The bouncers never even looked at her, seeming unaware
she was dhampir. Glad the spell was still protecting her, especially since she
was severely outnumbered. A waitress approached her and her group.

“What can I bring you, folks?”

David made a suggestion, “How about a couple pitchers
of beer for starters?” At their approving nods, the waitress took his money and
left to fill their order.

The sensual music stirred her vampire soul, nearly
as intoxicating as Rathe’s kisses. Excitement rippled through her, arousing
her, setting every nerve and cell on fire as she waited for Rathe’s arrival. The
beer arrived, and Jeremy poured the cold beverage into glasses, handing the
filled ones around. Candy complained about the bitter taste.

“Rona, David, I’m gonna dance.”

Heads turned as she shed her coat. The sleeveless,
black satin shirt clung to her breasts, molded to her curves. Two buttons bound
the garment, the material parting to expose her flat stomach. Jeremy stared at
the exposed skin, making her uncomfortable. Candy hit him in the shoulder.