Whisper to Me (Borne Vampires Book 1) (8 page)

“Shouldn’t we wait until she’s back to normal?”

Chewing on her thumbnail, his mother seemed to
ponder his question. “Rathe, have you enforced the blood bond with her?”

“Yes.” he said tersely, steeling himself from his
mother’s censure. “I know I should have broken the blood bond, but I couldn’t
leave her defenseless.” Forcing the words out of his mouth, every fiber of his
being resistant to what he was about to say, “Should I break the blood bond immediately
and distance myself from her?”

“No,” she said firmly. “You and the medallion are
keeping her safe. If she dreams of Aidan, her very soul is in jeopardy.”

“Mother, I broke the First Law! If any of the
Elders catch wind of it, I’ll be brought before them and put on trial.”

“Damn your father for writing in that stupid law,”
she grumbled, folding her arms.

“Mother, Father was only protecting us and the
humans.”

The frosty glare she shot him gave him pause. “Son,
your father did a great many things he
thought
were in the best interest of the Borne,
never
for the humans. I loved him with
all my heart and soul, but I was not so in love that I did not see his
weaknesses, or observe his many mistakes where the vampires and humans were
concerned.”

Before he could formulate a response, she dropped
her hands to her sides. “Relle risked her life to protect this woman. We must
honor her decision and protect Mariah and her daughter. They are in grave
danger.” She bit her lower lip, tears in her dark eyes. “Poor Relle. She was a
brave woman with a loving heart. The world is a colder place without her in
it.”

“Mother, dawn approaches. I’ll speak to Mariah and
ask her what she wants to do.”

“I think we’ll head down to the cellar early. Good
sleep, my son.”

“Good sleep, Mother.” Pressing a kiss on her cheek,
he said to his siblings, “Good sleep.”

Mina hugged him. “Don’t worry, Rathe. We’ll figure
a way to keep Mariah and her daughter safe.”

Hugging his little sister close, he smiled. “Yes,
we will. Off with you.”

Simon asked as they returned inside the house, “Will
you sleep outside?”

“Yes. Bolt the cellar door behind you.”

“Will do. Good sleep, Rathe.”

“You, too.” Rathe said as he went upstairs.

Entering his bedroom, he found Mariah standing on
the other side of the king-sized bed, her back to him as she stared out the
windows exposing the ocean view. Before he could open his mouth, she turned to
face him and lifted the medallion she held in her hand.

“Rathe, who am I being protected from?”

✝✝✝

 
“I don’t
know.”

Liar! Second time he lied to her! Why would she
need to be protected from Aidan? He was dead. Wasn’t he?

“I will inquire about Relle’s death and find out
who her clan gave their allegiance to. Perhaps they can fill in the story about
Relle and why she did what she did.”

“Like a vampire master?”

“Have you heard the term before?”

She made to tell him about the green-eyed vampire,
but something warned her to keep silent about him. “In movies and such.”

“Yes, in a way, it is like the movies. Noble Borne
families use the gypsies as day guardians. If she was sent to protect you, it
could possibly be another vampire is trying to protect you from the one in your
nightmares.” He crossed the room and stood beside her. “Mariah, where is your
daughter’s father?”

Steeling herself against the familiar rush of
pain, she replied softly, “He was killed before she was born.”

“Murdered?”

“No, it was an accident.”

“I’m sorry.”

“I’m not.” He stared at her, surprised. She
explained, “We were eighteen. He demanded I have an abortion. I refused. He
told me that if I wouldn’t end the pregnancy, he would. I never met someone so
hateful, so determined to end a life. I tried to call the police, but he knocked
me out. When I came to, he was gone. I managed to get home and saw on the news
that he’d died when he lost control of his motorcycle.”

“I’m sorry you had to endure that.”

She shrugged a shoulder. “One of the reasons I’ve
hidden my daughter is because of Sergio’s family. If they knew she was his,
they would try to take her from me, even if she is half Rom.”

“Sergio was Gypsy?”

“Since a Gypsy saved me, handed me to a Gypsy
family, I got pregnant by a Gypsy, this is getting really weird for me.” She
paused. “How long do you think it will take for me to become normal again?”

“Couple of days. The more food you eat, the
quicker you will recover.”

Keeping her eyes fixed on his shoes, she whispered,
afraid of his response, “My skin burns in the sunlight.”

He placed a crooked finger under her chin, lifting
so she looked at him. He smiled gently at her. “You know, you worry too much.”

“Yeah, I’ve been doing that a lot since I met you,
Mr. Romulas.” Smiling at her the way he did made her heart thump hard against
her ribs. Damn, he was one helluva a sexy man!

“Well, Miss Jordan, you can set your mind at ease.
All will work out, and it will seem a dream.”

“A dream, huh? Beats the heck out the nightmares I
have.”

“Has he tried to speak with you lately?”

“No, so far he’s been quiet.”

A knock sounded on the door before it opened. Mina
smiled shyly at her. “Your dogs wanted in.”

“Thank you, Mina. I appreciate you bringing them
to me.”

“No problem. They’re sweethearts.” Ushering her
dogs in the room, Mina made to enter the room, stopping when Rathe walked
toward her.

“Mariah, we’ll leave you to rest. See you after
sunset.”

“Sure. See you tonight. Goodnight, Mina.”

“Night, Mariah.”

The door closed behind them.

Sighing, she said to her dogs, “Alone again, my
dears.” She tossed back the downy comforter and climbed into bed, drawing it
around her. Her dogs stretched out on the floor.

“No, Mariah,”
Rathe said to her,
“you will never be alone
again. Not as long as I am with you.”
She felt the caress of his
fingertips down her cheek, around her throat. To further her astonishment, she
felt his lips press to hers. Then he was gone.

“Damn! How did he do that?”

✝✝✝

Walking out onto the balcony, he took in the
wondrous sight of the Golden Gate Bridge, boldly illuminated against the night
sky. Observing the near full moon, he closed his eyes and stretched out his
mind, searching for her, as he had for thirty-five years.

Inside his suit jacket, his cell phone pulsed and
vibrated. Pulling it out, he saw Alexander’s name on the screen. Tempering his
excitement, he answered it. “What did you find?”

“My lord, Sheriff Willard was quite cooperative,
but failed to collect conclusive evidence whether or not Mariah Jordan is dead
or alive.”

“Dammit, I need proof of her alive!”

“I cannot confirm, my lord.”

Forcing himself to calm down, he asked, “Alexander,
I value your intake on the situation. What do you think? Is she dead?

There was a pause. “When I spoke to Murphy before
his meeting with you, he was quite certain he had killed her and Romulas.
Murphy’s hunters used a rocket launcher to destroy the cabin, my lord. I saw
the cabin. There is no way she could have survived.”

“Hunters? Where are they? I want you to
interrogate them!”

“I cannot locate them, my lord. Unfortunately,
they caught wind you had collected Murphy and they fled. It would be impossible
to locate them now, especially with their connections.”

“Cowards. All of them.” Staring out at the dark
waters, he calmed. “Mariah is alive. I can feel her. She
is
alive. Alexander, send men to find her,
and when they do, have them bring her to me.”

“Yes, my lord.”

Replacing his phone in his pocket, he braced his
hands on the balcony rail. “My love, we will be reunited and no one shall ever
take you away from me again.
With you
by my side, we will unite the Borne and the Damned. Together, we will rule the
world.
Together, we will make them pay for what they’ve done to us!”

Chapter Six

“Mariah, I know you are alive. I know you
cannot speak to me because of the medallion you wear. I need to speak to you.
Please, take it off and reach out to me.”

He
sounded like Aidan!

Not the
monster haunting her nightmares, but the lover she’d dreamt about. His
loneliness … his desperation called out to her, made her
want
to speak to him. She could feel her hands taking
hold the necklace, drawing it upward when suddenly the chain turned white-hot.
She screamed, releasing it.

He howled his fury.
“You cannot escape your fate! You are destined to be my bride. Forever mine!”

Jerked wide awake, she sat straight up, gasping
for air. Hesitant to take the medallion in hand, she felt it was cool to touch.
Examining it, she saw the runes were nearly flush with the black cross and
something else was emerging — the outlines of two, howling wolves who faced
each other with the cross between them. Flashes of emerald green eyes made her
blink. Taken aback at the hypnotic quality, but they were not a woman’s eyes,
but a man’s. Like the one in her dreams.

As she ran her thumb over the wolves, it sent a
warm tingling through her hand and up her arm, straight to her heart. “Why are
you hidden? Who is not supposed to see you?”

The dogs paced back and forth, letting her know
they needed to go outside. Throwing back the comforter, she jumped out of bed
and opened the door. As she followed her dogs downstairs, she plucked at her
t-shirt, cringing at the wrinkled sight she was. Opening the door, her dogs rushed
outside, barking and playing, making her smile until she stepped into early
evening sunlight.

Eyes watering, she ran to the car, searching for
sunglasses. Finding a pair, she put them on and found relief. The skin exposed
on her arms and legs tingled, but fortunately did not turn red like yesterday. While
her dogs roamed around, checking out the area, she made for the edge of the
property, overlooking the dark green sea. Waves crashed into the golden-brown
sand shaping the small cove below her. Scouting her surroundings, to her left
was a trail leading into the forest. To her right, in the distance, a Ferris wheel,
several roller coasters, and other amusement rides.

“Well, hello, Santa Cruz. Let’s see what you have
to offer.”

Back at the SUV, she found the keys were still in
the ignition. “Well, my babies, if we can find money, we’ll head into town and
eat.” Rummaging around inside the glove box, she found a wad of cash and a bigger
surprise — a handgun. Checking to see if it was loaded, she dropped the clip.

“Silver bullets?” Popping one out, she examined
it. Touching the silver brought to mind images of a sword, Rathe killing the
two vampires at the truck stop. Setting the bullet in the clip, she replaced it
in the gun, and put it back in the glove box.

“Well, babies, we’ve got money. A cheeseburger
actually sounds pretty good today.” Seeing the skin on her arms turning pink
and itched, she sighed. “Suntan lotion is a must purchase today.”

Taking her toothbrush and paste out of the plastic
sack, she brushed her teeth and rinsed, using the last of the bottled water.
Putting them back in the sack, she opened the door for her dogs, and they jumped
in.

“First stop is food for you. Next is suntan lotion
for me.” The sun was becoming harder to bear the longer she was exposed to it.

Driving
down the
dirt road and onto the highway, she was relieved Rathe had dark-tinted windows
on the SUV, giving her some relief. Downtown Santa Cruz was crowded with tourists.
Lucky opportunity when a parking spot opened, close walk for her and her dogs
to walk to the world famous Boardwalk. She left the dogs in the car, windows
down, and went into a nearby pet store, purchasing a bag of dog food and leashes
for them. After feeding them, she went to the pharmacy and purchased the
highest level of suntan lotion she could find. Outside, she slathered the
lotion on. It wasn’t enough.

“I guess it’s gonna take a little longer to adjust
to sunlight,” she said to Salish and Bear, who nuzzled her face. “Stay here, babies.
I need to buy a long-sleeve shirt.”

Purchasing a black, lightweight, long-sleeved
hoodie, she finally found real relief. Hooking the leashes to the dogs’ collars,
she walked them down to the Boardwalk. She smiled as people laughed, enjoying
themselves around the carnival-like atmosphere. Spotting a hot dog vendor,
Mariah inhaled the delicious aroma of roasting franks and changed her mind
about the cheeseburger and went to stand in line. Sensing someone was watching
her, she had the strangest compulsion to use her mind to ‘search’ for the
person.

Surprised she could read they were hunger, so very
hungry, but not for blood. Unable to see if it was a girl or guy, she didn’t
have the chance to find out because it was her turn to order. She purchased
eight hot dogs and ‘felt’ her stalker was behind her. Whipping around to
confront the person, her jaw dropped when she met the biggest pair of brown
eyes she'd ever seen. They belonged to a very thin, petite girl with short,
curly, flaming red hair. She saw in the girl’s mind her disappointment at
having failed to lift the cash out of her pocket. No money to eat with, she had
lost the only opportunity to steal some to buy food with.

“Here you go.” Handing the girl four of the hot
dogs, who hesitantly took them, Mariah asked her, “What do you want to drink?” The
girl stuffed one of the hot dogs into her mouth and was chewing happily, she
told the vender, “Two regular sodas, please.” After paying, she took the cans
and inclined her head toward the grassy picnic area. “Let's sit in the shade.”

“Umm, thanks. I sort of lost my money.”

“What's your name?”

“Lydia.”

“I’m Mariah.” Pointing to her dogs, “That’s Salish
and Bear.”

Sitting down on the grass, she handed one of the
cans to Lydia, who giggled when Bear began to lick her dirty face. Salish placed
her huge head in the girl’s lap. The wolf looked at Mariah, as if saying ‘we
cannot leave her’.

Eating in silence, she watched the red-hued sun as
it faded beyond the dark waters of the Pacific Ocean. Colorful lights and the
festive atmosphere chased away the worry and fear she had endured for two days
of becoming a vampire. Breathing in the ocean-scented breeze, she choked when
the smell of rotted flesh wafted into her nostrils. Jumping to her feet, she
started when Lydia grabbed her hand in a painful grip.

“Mariah, we’ve got to get to the crowds. They
can’t take you when you are around people, only if you’re alone!”

Lydia pulled her and her dogs across the parking
lot. The girl said, as if she were reciting a ritual, “We have to stay in the
crowds. Can’t get us if we’re with people.”

“Lydia, do you know what they are?”

“They’re coming to feed.” Lydia skidded to a halt,
grunting when Mariah plowed into her back.

Salish and Bear shot forward, the hair down their
backs rose as they growled. Out of the shadows strode four men dressed in
ripped jeans, tank tops, and leather biker jackets. The tallest had a lean
body, greasy straw-colored hair, and cold, lifeless gray eyes. When he grinned,
he had regular fangs.

“Well done, Lydia. You brought us a pretty one
tonight.” The vampire made to approach them, jumping back when Salish snarled at
him.

Alarmed that she had been setup, her concern
subsided when Lydia placed herself in front of her, holding her hand in a
bone-crushing grip. Terror radiated from Lydia straight into her.

“Garret, you will not touch her. She's my friend.” She
looked at her.
“Let me do the talking. They
won’t hurt me.”

“How can you talk to me mentally? Are you a
ghoul?”

“No, I’m a telepath. Garret wants me willingly
to accept his ‘dark gift’ and become a vampire, like him. But I won't, not
ever.”
Garret had forced Lydia to watch as they hunted and
tortured their victims before sucking them dry.

The lampposts went out. Only light to see by was
the moon above. No people. They were on their own with four
very
hungry vampires wanting to make a meal
out of her.

With confidence she didn’t feel, she stepped
around Lydia, glaring at the vampires. “Leave us alone. We don’t want any
trouble.”

Garret laughed. “You're a ballsy bitch. I like
that in a woman. Instead of sucking you dry, I just might make you one of us. Whatcha
think about becoming a vamp?”

“Sorry, buddy, someone already has.” Lydia
flinched and made to run, but Mariah held her by her side.

“Don’t freak out,
I’m not a vamp. A Borne vampire exchanged blood with me. I saved him from
bleeding to death.”
Lydia
relaxed a little.

The vampires glanced at each other, confused.
Garret studied her. “You’re still able to walk in the sunlight. Who is your
maker? Hell, I don't care whose property you are, we’re hungry.” He snarled,
exposing rows of needle-like teeth, his eyes glowing red.

An enormous shadow flew overhead.

Garret shouted at the dark sky, “I know you’re out
there. Show yourself!”

Unable to find him, she heard Rathe say, “Perhaps
you should take care, Undead. She belongs to me.”

“Santa Cruz is our hunting ground. Take your bitch
and leave. Otherwise, you’re dead meat!”

Behind the vamps, she saw Rathe materialize. A
predatory smile curved his sculptured lips. A dark-clothed man, several inches
shorter than Rathe, appeared beside him. His long, dark hair pulled back into a
ponytail. When he smiled a wolfish grin, his fangs were exposed.

Rathe asked his companion, “What think you, Faeroes,
a bad case of manners?”

The vampires whipped around and faced them.

“I suppose it is to be expected when one makes
vampires out of scum. These children are not even worth the time it took to
convert them.”

“Agreed.”

Pissed, Garret snarled, “We might not have the
privilege of being
born
vampires, but
we kill just the same, you and us.”

“Do we?” Rathe said with a dangerous edge to his
voice, his eyes narrowing.

“Remember, the pact, Borne! Ordered to stand down when
your Elders signed the peace treaty with
our
leader.”

“Where
is
your
leader?” Rathe advanced on Garret. She felt him mentally pressuring the younger
vampire, applying enough pain to make the kid clutch his head and scream at the
invasion.

“I-I can't tell you! He'll hunt me down and kill
me, like he did Murphy.”

She really had seen Murphy killed!

“What did Murphy do to upset him?” Rathe locked his
gaze with Garret’s.

“When Murphy killed Rathe Romulus, there was a
woman with him. She is special and our leader wants her brought to him.”

“Why is he interested in her?”

“Don’t know. He ordered us to find her and bring
her to him. That’s all we know.”

What does the leader
of the Damned want with me?

Rathe’s eyes blazed white-hot as he bore into the
vampire. “
Where
is your leader?”

Screaming, Garret shook his head, as if he were trying
to physically remove Rathe out of his mind. His men snarled at Rathe and
Faeroes, unable to help Garret. Unnerved by the standoff, she thought she heard
the tap-tap of heels on pavement. Glancing behind her, she saw a stunningly
beautiful woman walking toward her and Lydia. Moonlight caught the reflection
of her silver eyes as the woman placed a slender finger on her lush, red lips.
Her golden-blonde hair was swept into a fashionable chignon, leaving long,
curling tendrils to cascade down her slender shoulder. Dressed in black, leather
pants, leather and lace corset, high-heeled boots, and a mid-thigh leather
coat, she looked as deadly as she was beautiful.

Garret and his boys nervously watched her as she approached
them. “Gentlemen,” her voice sultry and enchanting, “
where
is your leader now?”

The scrawniest of the four said, surprising his
companions, “He’s in San Francisco, at his mansion.”

“Is there anything else you wish to tell me?” She
locked her gaze on the young vamp.

“Besides us bringing in the woman, he-he sent
orders for us to search and find the Romulas family. Wants them alive. Huge ass
bounty for them. With Rathe dead, they should be easy pickings.” He licked his
lips. “So, what’s your name, gorgeous?”

“Anya. Anya Romulas.” Lifting her hand to Rathe
and Faeroes, she said with a grin, exposing her fangs, “And they are the
Romulas brothers.”

“Shit!” Garret said to Rathe, “You’re the Slayer?”

Grinning, Rathe gave them a mocking bow. “As you
can see, I am in fine health.”

“But he said you were dead!” Garret searched about
him, most likely trying to figure a way to escape. “We promise not to say a
word. Let us go, man. Please!”

“You feed on fear and murder the innocent. I
cannot allow you to carry on.” Rathe reached into his coat, to her amazement, and
drew his sword out. Faeroes did, too.

Stunned, she watched them kill the four vampires,
dispatching them violently, effortlessly. Faeroes withdrew a silver flask out
of his inner coat pocket. Unscrewing the top, Faeroes sprinkled the contents on
the bodies as he spoke the same prayer Rathe had at the truck stop. He wore a
ring similar to Rathe’s, but it was on his left hand, ring finger. The dead
vampires ignited into flames and were ash in seconds. The ocean breeze swept
away the evidence they ever existed. After they cleaned their swords, they
opened their coats and it
looked
like
they sheathed them inside the lining, except the blades vanished.

Lydia was the first to speak. “Wow! That was much
cooler than in the movies. You blur your swords, don’t you?”