Chapter Sixteen
“I seem to be asking this a lot lately,” Sheree said, looking up at Derek, “but where do we go from here? What am I supposed to do now?” She was in over her head, she thought, treading in unfamiliar territory. Even though she had been certain vampires existed, she had never really expected to find one. Certainly not one she found as attractive and desirable as Derek. Just her luck, she mused glumly. She found a man who excited her and he wasn’t even a man, at least not in the usual sense of the word. “Does your sister know? I mean, what you are?”
“Yeah. It’s hard to keep a secret like that from your family.”
“How long have you been a vampire?”
“Since I was thirteen.”
“Thirteen! That must have been terrible. How did it happen?”
“I’ll tell you about it sometime. Right now, there are a few things you need to know.”
“Like what?”
“For starters, you can’t tell anyone about me.”
“Who would believe me?”
“It doesn’t matter. For your sake and mine, this has to be our secret.”
“All right. I promise. What else do I need to know?”
“Never invite a vampire into your house.”
“A little late for that bit of advice, don’t you think?” she muttered dryly.
“Invitations can be rescinded, so if you want me to leave, just say so and I’ll be gone.”
“Really? Just like that?”
“Just like that. Most popular vampire lore is true, which is why it’s been around so long. I know you have a wooden stake in your possession. You need to keep it sharp and carry it with you whenever you leave the house. It’s more effective if you dip it in holy water. Vampires are strong, but their flesh is easily penetrated with wooden stakes or silver-bladed knives. If you think your life is in danger, never hesitate to strike first.”
He paced away from her to look out the front window, debating whether to tell her that his mother and Logan were also vampires, and that Mara was his mother, not his sister, then decided such information was on a need-to-know basis, and right now, she didn’t need to know.
He turned to face her again. “Do you have any questions?”
She shook her head.
He didn’t have to read her mind to know she was still reeling from what he’d told her. “I’d advise you not to go wandering around alone after dark. And to stay out of Goth clubs. Oh, one more thing. Vampires are pros when it comes to hypnotizing people, so if you meet someone you think might be a vampire, don’t look into their eyes.”
“Have you hypnotized me?”
“Not exactly, but I’ve erased things from your memory. Things you remembered anyway. I guess I need more practice.”
“The two men who broke into my house? You killed them, didn’t you?”
“Yeah.”
“Were they hunters, too?”
Derek nodded.
“It all sounds like something out of a horror movie. Vampires and vampire hunters. I . . . thank you for looking out for me.”
“It’s the least I can do, since I’m the one who put you in danger in the first place.” He blew out a breath. “Like I said, I’m sorry I got you involved in this. Take care of yourself.”
“You’re leaving?” She should have been glad. He was a vampire, after all. But the thought of never seeing him again made her heart ache. It made no sense. She should be terrified of what he was, running for her life. But, strange as it seemed, she wasn’t afraid of anything but losing him.
“It’s for the best, don’t you think?”
“But . . . who’s going to protect me if you go?”
“You probably won’t need protecting as long as I’m not around.”
He was right, of course, but . . . Rising, she closed the distance between them. Resting her hands on his shoulders, she went up on her tiptoes and kissed him.
At first, he didn’t kiss her back; then his arms went around her and he pulled her body against his, his mouth devouring hers in a kiss that burned away every thought, every need save the flame that smoldered between them, growing hotter and more intense as his tongue dueled with hers.
“Sheree . . .” Holding her away from him, he took a deep breath. “Damn, girl, what are you doing?”
“I don’t want you to go. Please, Derek, I’ve never felt this way about anyone else. Maybe it won’t last, maybe it isn’t even real, but shouldn’t we find out?”
“Oh, it’s real enough, love. Don’t ever doubt it.”
“I hear a ‘but’ in there somewhere.”
“I don’t want to see you get hurt.”
“I’m willing to take my chances.” Moving closer, Sheree ran her hands over his chest. “Are you?”
She was old enough to know her own mind, he thought as he took her into his arms again, and there was no denying that he wanted her more than his next breath.
Muttering, “I just hope you don’t regret it,” he lowered his head and branded her lips with his. Right or wrong, he intended to stay with her as long as she would have him.
Mara glared at her son in disbelief. “Have you completely lost your mind? How could you do such a stupid thing?”
“She had a right to know,” Derek said. “I put Sheree’s life in danger and she needed to be aware of it. Don’t worry, I didn’t tell her about you or Logan.”
Mara glanced at her husband, lounging on the sofa beside her, his long legs stretched out in front of him. “I don’t believe this,” she said. “Our people spent years and thousands of dollars obliterating every scrap of proof of our existence, so that, gradually, mortals went back to believing in the myth and not the reality.” She turned her angry gaze on her son. “Now, we have hunters being killed and stories about it in the newspaper. And to top it off, you decided to tell Sheree. Sheree, who knows where we live!”
“He did the right thing,” Logan said. “The girl needed to know.”
“What?” Mara rounded on her husband, ready to do battle. “How can you say that?”
“Because it’s the truth. What was Derek supposed to do? Just walk away and leave her in the dark?”
“If necessary,” Mara retorted.
“He’s crazy about her,” Logan said, grinning at Derek. “That being the case, he had no choice but to tell her the truth.”
Derek dropped into the chair across from the sofa. He had always admired Logan, and never more so than when he stood up to his wife. Mara might be the most powerful vampire in the world, but Logan wasn’t the least bit afraid of her, even though she could easily destroy him.
“There’s always a choice,” Mara retorted, but there was no heat in her voice.
“You’re worrying for nothing,” Logan insisted. “She isn’t likely to go around telling everyone she’s dating a vampire. Who would believe her?”
“I hope you’re right. At the moment, we have more pressing problems, like finding out if it’s just coincidence that hunters are popping up all over the place, although you know I don’t believe in coincidence, or if someone’s hunting us specifically, and if so, who it is.”
“Okay, wife, where do we start?”
“At the Den, of course. And then we need to find out if any of our old enemies are looking for us.”
“The Den.” Derek sat forward, his brow furrowed. “There were a couple of vampires there a few days ago. I had the feeling I knew one of them, although I couldn’t place her.”
Mara’s eyes narrowed. “What did she look like?”
“She was old. . . .”
“Was she with another old lady?”
“Yeah, how did you know?”
Mara glanced at Logan. “Edna and Pearl.”
“You know them?” Derek asked.
“Oh, yes, I know them.” Mara’s eyes glittered with menace. “They kidnapped you when you were a baby. They were partly responsible for your father’s death.”
“How so?” It was a story she had never told him.
Mara looked at Logan, a question in her eyes.
“Maybe it’s time he knows. Past time, if you ask me.”
Mara’s gaze grew distant. “I met Kyle Bowden at the foot of the Sphinx. He was a brilliant artist and I was captivated by him and in awe of his talent.” She smiled at the memory. “He fell in love with me, and I suppose I loved him, too, in my way. We parted when he discovered I was a vampire. It was about that time I realized I was losing my powers. Not long after that, I ran into Logan,” she said, squeezing his hand. “I hadn’t seen him in centuries. I don’t know what I would have done without him, especially after I discovered I was pregnant. He took care of me, found a vampire doctor to look after me. A few months later, Kyle hired a hunter to find me and your father and I were reunited.”
She glanced at Derek. He was watching her intently, his fingers digging into the arm of the chair. She hesitated a moment before continuing, but there was no point in stopping now.
“Because I was human and pregnant with Kyle’s child, I decided to marry him. I had lost all my powers by then and I was learning to be human again. Unknown to me, the doctor I had been seeing during my pregnancy had designs on you. With the help of Edna and Pearl, he kidnapped you and your father. Everyone in our family tried to find the two of you, but it was useless. Edna and Pearl had some sort of spray that completely masked their scent and yours, making it impossible to follow their trail.
“I knew there was only one way to find you, and that was to have Logan turn me again. I was certain the blood bond between us would lead me to you, and it did. I killed Ramsden when I found him. He had been doing some sort of experiments on your father’s DNA, hoping to discover how Kyle had impregnated me while I was both vampire and human. Your father died in my arms.”
“You could have saved him,” Derek said, his voice filled with accusation. “Why didn’t you bring him across?”
Mara stared into the distance, seeing it all again in her mind’s eye—the cage where Ramsden had imprisoned Kyle, the love in Kyle’s eyes when she cradled him in her arms, Kyle’s voice as he declared he had always loved her, even when he hated her. She had carried the guilt of his death in her heart ever since.
“Why didn’t you save him?” Derek’s voice was sharp, filled with bitterness. “Why didn’t you bring him across?”
“I asked him to let me, but he didn’t want it.” She shook her head. “I couldn’t turn him against his will. He would have been miserable the rest of his life.”
Derek sat there a moment, trying to process everything she’d told him, and then he left the room.
Mara stared after him. “Maybe I shouldn’t have said anything.”
Logan slipped his arm around her shoulders. “He needed to know.”
“Did I make the right decision when I let Kyle die?”
“It was the right thing to do, darlin’ . He never would have accepted what he’d become. I doubt if he would have endured it for more than a day or two before he would have taken his own life, or found someone to destroy him. He would have hated you for turning him against his will.”
“You didn’t.”
He laughed softly. “There are very few men like me. And none who love you the way I do.”
She nodded absently, thinking about the book she had written while she was pregnant with Derek. The story of her life, it contained everything she could remember from the time her mother had abandoned her. She had written of her years as a slave in Pharaoh’s house, of the night Dendar had changed her and how she had found him and destroyed him for it. She wrote of the men she had known, the enemies she had made, her horror at reverting, her despair when she lost her powers, her mixed emotions when she learned she was pregnant, her joy in holding her son in her arms. It was a story filled with violence and war and bloodshed, of mistakes she had made, of lives she had ruined.
She had intended to give the book to Derek when he was old enough to appreciate it, but the timing had never seemed right. Now, she wondered if that time would ever come.
Chapter Seventeen
Derek stood on the balcony, his hands clenched over the wrought-iron railing. It was his fault his father was dead. If he had never been born, his father wouldn’t have been kidnapped and subjected to Ramsden’s vile experiments.
Derek slammed a fist against the side of the building. How was he supposed to live with that? And what about his mother? Had she been happy to be mortal again? Had he robbed her of the chance to live a normal human life?
Vaulting over the rail, Derek landed lightly on his feet. Filled with nervous energy, he began to run, darting around the trees in his path, vaulting over fallen logs. When he reached the bottom of the hill, he slowed his pace. It wouldn’t do to be seen running faster than the traffic on the street.
But there was no outrunning the past.
He slowed when he realized he was approaching Sheree’s house, and stopped when he reached her driveway. All the lights were out save the one in her bedroom. She was in bed. Asleep.
A thought took him to her side. “Sheree?”
She stirred, a faint smile curving her lips. “Am I dreaming again?”
He swallowed hard. “Only if that’s what you want.”
“I want you here,” she murmured sleepily. “Beside me.”
It was what he wanted, too. What he needed. Sitting on the edge of the mattress, he removed his shoes, socks, and shirt, then slid under the covers.
Sheree turned onto her side, her eyes widening in alarm at the realization that he was really there and not a figment of her imagination. “What’s wrong? What are you doing here?”
“What makes you think there’s anything wrong?”
She lifted one brow. “Why else would you be here at this time of the night?”
He longed to tell her what he had learned about his father’s death, but there was no way to explain it without betraying the fact that his mother and Logan were also vampires, or that Mara was his mother. Stroking Sheree’s hair, he whispered, “I just needed someone to hold me.”
His words arrowed straight to her heart. “Well,” she murmured, wrapping her arms around him, “you came to the right place.”
“Okay if I stay for what’s left of the night?”
Nodding, she snuggled against him, deeply touched that he had come to her when he was so obviously hurting. What did vampires worry about, she wondered. They were, in a manner of speaking, at the top of the food chain. Other than vampire hunters, they had nothing to fear. They didn’t get sick. They didn’t get old. Most of the troubles and ills of the mortal world had little effect on them. So, what was bothering him? Maybe, in time, he would trust her enough to confide in her.
Holding Sheree close, Derek listened to her thoughts. It surprised him that she had accepted the truth of what he was so easily. Perhaps it was because she had been convinced vampires existed. Whatever the reason, being with her was just what he needed.
He held her all through the night, content to be at her side while she slept, to stroke her hair and her skin, to breathe in her scent. For once, her nearness didn’t spark his hunger. Instead, her presence soothed him.
He stayed until the first faint rays of the sun touched the sky.
Derek wasn’t surprised to find his mother waiting for him when he got home. “This is getting to be a habit,” he noted sourly. “Are you gonna tuck me in?”
“There’s no reason for you to feel guilty about what happened to your father,” she said. “None of it was your fault. You’re not responsible for what I did, or for what others have done in the past. But if you need to blame someone, then blame me.”
“I want to see his grave.”
Mara stared at her son. She hadn’t been surprised by much in her long life, but his request caught her completely off guard.
“Well?” he asked.
“I’ll take you tomorrow night.”
In the morning, Sheree wondered if she had dreamed the whole thing—Derek’s unexpected revelation of the night before, sleeping in his arms.
Vampire.
Her hand flew to her neck. Had he bitten her again while she’d slept?
Jumping out of bed, she ran into the bathroom. Staring into the mirror, she turned her head back and forth, relieved when there were no telltale marks. But then, there hadn’t been any marks the last time, either.
Gazing at her reflection, she wondered why his news hadn’t frightened her last night, because she was plenty frightened now. What to do? As if in answer to her question, she heard his voice in the back of her mind, warning her not to invite vampires into her house. Good advice, she thought dryly. Only it had come too late!
Slipping on her robe, she went downstairs, then paused at the bottom. What if he was still in the house? She wasn’t ready to face him again, not until she’d had time to think, something she couldn’t seem to do clearly when he was around. But there was no sign of him anywhere.
“The least he could have done was say good-bye,” she muttered, even as she told herself she didn’t care. Attractive or not, he was a vampire and that was the end of it. So why was she missing him?
Feeling foolish, she went to the front door and said firmly, “Derek Blackwood, you are no longer welcome in my home.”
As soon as she spoke the words, she felt an odd tremor in the air around her and knew, in some ancient primal way, that it had worked.
Relieved, she went into the kitchen. She had just put the coffee on when the doorbell rang. She felt a rush of excitement, then chided herself for expecting to find Derek on her doorstep. Everyone knew vampires weren’t out and about during the day.
Opening the door, she was surprised to find Mara standing on the porch. Clad in a bright red sweater and white jeans, with her black hair falling like a cloud of silk over her shoulder, Derek’s sister was as beautiful as she remembered.
“I’m sorry to be here so early,” Mara said. “But I had a fight with Logan and I didn’t have anywhere else to go.”
“No, it’s fine. Please come in.”
“Thank you.” Mara felt a tremor as she crossed the threshold. Even after all these centuries, it still amazed her that something as mundane as a threshold had the power to repel her. Fortunately, humans couldn’t feel it unless they were revoking an invitation.
“I was just about to make breakfast,” Sheree said. “Can I fix you something?”
“No, thank you, I’ve eaten,” Mara said, following her into the kitchen.
“Please, sit down,” Sheree invited, gesturing at a chair. “Would you like a cup of coffee?”
“Not now, thanks.”
With a nod, Sheree scrambled a couple of eggs and slid them onto a plate, then carried it and her coffee cup to the table and took the seat across from Mara’s.
“I’m sorry you had a fight,” she said. “I hope it was nothing serious.”
“Not really.” Mara hesitated a moment, then said, “You must have questions.”
“Questions?” Sheree asked, frowning.
“About Derek. He told me he’d talked to you.”
“Oh. Yes.” So it hadn’t been a dream.
“You’re worried about the vampire thing.”
Sheree nodded.
“How do you feel about him now?”
“I’m not sure. I’m a little bit . . .” She paused, then sighed. “I’m afraid of him. Not him, exactly, but what he is. I’ve seen how strong he is, and . . .” She lifted one shoulder and let it fall.
“You’re wondering if it’s dangerous to be with him? And you’re worried about the blood thing, afraid he might bite you.”
“He said he’s already tasted me, but I’m afraid he might . . . you know. I mean, I don’t want to be a vampire.”
“I’m sure there’s nothing to worry about,” Mara said, covering Sheree’s hand with her own. “Derek would never hurt you, or turn you against your will. What else did he tell you?”
“Oh, about hunters and how to protect myself and . . .” She shook her head. “I can’t believe we’re having this conversation. Anyone else would think I was crazy. Has he ever . . . ever . . .”
“Taken my blood? No.”
“It must have been awful for him, being turned so young.” She frowned. “If vampires can’t go out during the day, what did he do about school?”
“We were home-schooled.”
“Oh.”
“I think you might be good for each other. He’s such a sweet boy.”
“A sweet boy?” Sheree shook her head. Sweet was hardly the word she would use to describe Derek. Handsome, yes. Sexy, yes. But sweet?
“I’ve always mothered him,” Mara said. “You know, he’s very fond of you.”
“I like him, too, but . . . Last night, his being a vampire didn’t bother me, but this morning . . .” She shook her head. “I just don’t know.”
“I understand. But enough about vampires,” Mara said. “How would you like to go shopping with me? Whenever Logan and I have a fight, I always go buy something new.” She laughed softly. “It’s a good thing we don’t fight very often. What do you say?”
“I’d love to,” Sheree said. “Just let me go get dressed.”
“You did what?” Derek stared at his mother, who was curled up on the sofa beside Logan.
“I spent the day with Sheree. We agreed to keep an eye on her, didn’t we?”
“You were just supposed to keep an eye on her, not become her new best friend. What did you talk about?”
“You, mostly. She’s a little . . . hmm, I guess you could say, conflicted at the moment.”
Derek groaned. Just what he needed. His mother playing matchmaker.
“I’m sorry you’re so upset, but I killed two birds with one stone, so to speak. I kept her safe, and I bought a new Donna Karan gown to wear to Justin’s party tonight.” Turning to Logan, she added, “Wait until you see it. It’s black and slinky. You’re gonna love it.”
“You know I love you in anything. Or nothing,” Logan said with a wicked grin. “So, what excuse did you give for being at her house so early?”
“I told her we had a fight.”
Logan laughed softly, amused by her clever ruse. “Well, since we’re fighting, I think we’d better go to bed and make up. How about it?”
“I’d love to,” Mara said, caressing his cheek, “but it will have to wait. I promised to take Derek to see his father’s grave. You don’t mind, do you?”
“No.” Rising, Logan headed for the door. “I’ll just go grab a bite while you’re gone.”
Derek stared after his stepfather. “He’s upset, isn’t he?”
“No, but he was always jealous of Kyle.”
“What was my father like?”
“He was a good man. Far too good for me.”
“Am I like him?”
“No. You’re more like me. Are you ready to go?”
“Yeah.”
Rising, Mara linked her arm with his.
Moments later, they were standing in the small cemetery located behind Mara’s house in the mountains of Northern California.
It was an old cemetery, surrounded by a white wrought-iron fence with an arched gate. A wooden sign, carved with the words
Rest Ye in Peace
, hung from the top of the gate. A black marble headstone marked Kyle Bowden’s final resting place. The words
Taken From Us Too Soon But Never Forgotten
were engraved beneath his name along with the dates of his birth and passing.
Derek stood beside his father’s marker, his hands shoved into the pockets of his jeans. Overhead, wispy clouds covered the moon, while a lazy breeze whispered through the leaves of the trees. In the distance, a deer grazed on a patch of moon-silvered grass.
He glanced at his mother. Standing beside him, clad in a long white hooded cloak, she looked like a fallen angel. Dropping to one knee, she placed a dozen long-stemmed pink roses on the grave.
Not red, Derek noted bitterly. Everyone knew red roses meant love.
“Did you ever love him?” he asked.
“I thought I did, but the truth is, there was never anyone for me but Logan, only I was too stubborn to admit it. Your father would still be alive if I hadn’t been such a fool. But I’ll always love Kyle because he gave me you, someone who means more to me than anything else in this world.”
“I wish I could have known him.” How could he ever know who he truly was without knowing the man who had sired him? He had known early on that Logan wasn’t his real father. As a child, it hadn’t seemed important. Why was it bothering him so much now?
“When I was kidnapped, were you sorry you had to give up your humanity to find me?”
“No. I had always planned to ask Logan to turn me when you were grown.”
“Why?”
“I was mortal only twenty years.” She gazed into the distance, and he had the feeling she was looking into the past. “I was a vampire for centuries.”
“So, you don’t miss anything about being human?”
“Only the taste of chocolate.”
Derek shook his head. What was it about women and chocolate?
“Anything else you’d like to know?” Mara asked.
“No. Let’s go home.”
Logan was waiting for them when they returned home. “Everything okay?” he asked, glancing from mother to son.
“Fine,” Derek said. “I need to hunt. How about coming along?”
Logan looked at Mara. With a careless wave of her hand, she said, “Take your time. I’m going up to bed.”
Grunting softly, Logan followed Derek outside. Not trusting his son to drive in his current state of mind, he said, “Let’s take my car.”
Moments later, they were headed down the hill. “Are we really going hunting?” Logan asked, “or is this just an excuse to get out of the house?”
“Both. Tell me about my mother.”
“She’s a remarkable woman.”
“Tell me something I don’t know.”
“She’s spoiled. Stubborn. Powerful. But you know all that, too. What’s bothering you?”
Derek blew out a sigh that seemed to come from the very depths of his soul. “I’m feeling lost and I don’t know why. Something’s happening to me. . . .”