Chapter 1
Blackness surrounded her. A cold darkness.
No, not cold.
Freezing.
There was a sound. She could hear something. What was it? A drumming that grew faster, louder. The sound matched something she could feel. A merciless thrumming in her chest.
Was it her heart? Why was it thundering? Racing so hard?
Was she going to die?
The thought brought a calmness to her.
Death. That was the black. The cold.
There was heat now, a slow build in her chest, along with a yearning for something she couldn’t define.
It was then that she realized she wasn’t breathing. That her lungs were the source of the flames.
Why couldn’t she breathe?
The cold was the reason
A memory came back to her
There was a sound, an enormous thud. A bright splash of light. A light that spiraled into a kaleidoscope of colors as the windshield fractured. Chaos as the car cartwheeled, flipping faster and faster down the embankment.
The implosion of the shattered windshield as it met water.
A car.
She was in a car.
A car that was sinking, ferrying her to death’s door.
Panic filled her now, burning inside her veins. Almost as hot as her lungs, starving for oxygen.
She remembered.
Trapped.
The seat belt.
She had to get out.
Frozen fingers moved independent of thought. They knew what to do. Had done what was needed countless times in the past. The small rectangular button gave way and she was free.
Terror of drowning joined the adrenaline coursing through her blood, giving her the energy to swim through the remnants of the windshield.
Bubbles streamed from her lips as she fought the overwhelming desire to breath deep.
She didn’t want to die.
She couldn’t see the moon though its light beckoned to her.
Just a little more.
Then, such a small thing, such a normal thing.
A tiny cough.
The icy water that surrounded her now filled her. Another cough and her body fought her, convulsing as it tried to rid itself of the killing liquid. But there was no escape.
This was it.
The end of her.
A shadow blocked the moonlight as her vision went dark.
Sebastian and Alex quit running at the sound of crumpling metal. Alex tilted his head in the direction of the sound and Sebastian raised his eyebrows, putting a finger to his lips. Alex gave a brief nod and they took off.
They stopped again at the edge of a cliff that overlooked the road and river beyond it. There was a scent in the air, similar to the smell of rain on hot asphalt, though it was winter and no chance for rain.
The last tire of a submerged vehicle slipped into the rushing black water.
“You think someone’s still in there?” Alex asked.
Sebastian stared at the spot where the tire vanished. “Most likely. Only one way to find out.” He looked back at Alex, raising his eyebrows. “Shall we?”
“Really?” The thought threw Alex. Sebastian wasn’t one for getting messy. But at his nod, Alex grinned.
“Let’s do this.”
Sebastian jumped down from the cliff and raced across the road. He could hear Alex just a second behind him and smiled. Soon, he would have to apply himself to be faster. He dove into the frigid water.
Had he been human, the darkness would have prevented him from seeing the body. As it was, he only managed a glimpse of an exposed wrist, delicate and pale. A shock of red hair. Then it was gone.
He turned toward Alex and pointed at the car. The younger nodded before swimming away to check for more people. People. Most likely bodies at the point.
He kicked with the current, taking off like a bullet to find her.
There.
Her leg was caught by jutting boulders.
He grabbed the thick fabric of the coat and pulled. She came free and he swam for the surface. Carrying her over his shoulder, he got her to the riverbank. Alex helped him lay her on her back before ripping the coat.
“She’s not breathing.” Sebastian said.
“I may be new to all of this,” He waved a hand at Sebastian. “but I’m not an idiot.” Alex said. “I don’t suppose you know CPR.”
“I kill people. Not save them.”
“Yet here we are.” Alex tilted the woman’s head back. “I can breathe if you can do compressions.”
Sebastian put his hands where he was told but then stopped. “I’ll crush her.” He was an older vampire and his strength was far greater than Alex’s.
“Fine.” Alex shifted his position, hovering over the girl. “Breathe when I tell you. Make sure you pinch her nose. But be careful, Methuselah. Don’t rip it off her face.”
Sebastian watched as Alex carefully began compressing the fragile chest.
Breathe. Something he hadn’t had to do in quite some time.
He lowered his head to hers and took his first deliberate breath in almost two centuries.
“Now. Give her two one-second breaths.”
Her skin felt odd against his as he sealed their lips. Cold. Damp. But with a hint of heat. She hadn’t been gone long.
“Good.” Alex said, resuming his compressions. What he was doing was harder than he thought. Such a fine line. It wasn’t so bad when he was a human. A lot harder to collapse a person’s chest and the compressions actually took effort. The hard part here was not applying too much pressure. Sebastian was right. He would have finished her off. That was if she wasn’t already gone.
“Breathe.” He said and watched as the brown head in front of him lowered.
“Go-.” The body beneath him jerked and he moved to the side, turning her as the river water bubbled then poured from her lips.
Sebastian rose and stood to the side, just watching. There was nothing else he could do for her.
Alex glanced up at his friend. They made eye contact and Sebastian simply shrugged. “We’ve done what we could.”
Looking back down, Alex ran his hand down the back of the coughing woman. Finally, she grew still.
Sebastian squat beside the youngest of their group and pushed her wet hair off her face. Her eyes were closed.
“What now?” Alex asked. “Do we take her home?”
“We save her to eat her? That seems a lot of trouble for one meal.”
“No, not that. I mean...” He trailed off. He was young for a vampire and still had empathy for humans. He didn’t want to save her only for her to die from all sorts of complications. “We can take her home, get her warm while calling for an ambulance.”
“And the others?”
“Why are you asking me? It was your idea to save her.”
Sebastian still didn’t know why he did it. It was like someone had whispered into his head, telling him she was important.
A sharp gasp pulled their attention back to woman. Her eyes opened and Alex knew he had never seen anything as beautiful or terrifying than the glowing blue. As fast as he, she reached out and grabbed Sebastian’s hand. The glow faded from her eyes, only to reignite between their joined skin.
She collapsed back, unconscious. As her hand dropped, Alex saw the bright red mark on Sebastian’s palm.
“What was that?” Alex asked, jumping to his feet. “What in the fuck was that?”
Sebastian said nothing, simply stared at the mark on his palm. He knew what the sigil was. Had seen it. How did she do it?
“Don’t do this. Don’t go radio silent. Talk to me. What in the hell just happened?” Alex reached out to grab the elder vampires hand.
“This is what happened.” Sebastian’s voice was low. He held up a finger and let the nail elongate. Before Alex realized what was happening, he knelt by the woman and grabbed her hand. Pressing the nail into her palm, he pulled.
Nothing happened.
But as Alex stood confused, maroon drops splashed onto her pale skin. Sebastian stood and raised his palm. Blood dripped from the gash.
Sebastian’s lips twisted into a smile. “So, yeah. We take her home. When she wakes up, we make her take it off. Failing that, Gideon might know how to remove it. After it’s gone, she’s mine.”
Alex wanted to argue. Don’t kill the human.
But watching the blood drip from his friend’s hand, seeing what she did, well, he couldn’t find it in him.
The darkness lightened.
Was she in heaven? She knew she died. Could remember it vividly. So cold. So wet.
Slowly, she began to realize that she could feel. She was laying on something soft. She was warm.
Could this be the afterlife?
There was something new. The softness dipped. Was she on a bed?
“You’re awake.”
The voice startled her and she opened her eyes.
There was a man sitting beside her, close enough to touch. Was he a doctor? Was he a demon or an angel? She would guess angel because he was beautiful. Mesmerizing hazel-green eyes caught hers and she looked away.
“Am...” Her voice trailed off and she held a hand to her throat. It ached. Was it because of thirst or because she drowned?
“You are very much alive.” The man beside her said.
He couldn’t be a doctor. There was no long white coat. No charts. No beeping of machinery. Where was she?
Her heart started to race at the same time her mouth went dry. Did she survive only to find something worse?
“You have nothing to fear from me.” The man rose to his feet, giving her space to breathe.
“Who are you?” She pushed past the ache. “Where am I?”
“My name is Gideon and you are in my home.”
“How-.”
“Two of my friends brought you here. They pulled you from the river.”
“The car accident.” She frowned. “Is the other driver okay?”
He tilted his head. “There was no other driver. Not that they saw.”
She shifted, sitting up in the bed. “Why would they leave? How long has it been?”
Gideon looked at her for a long minute before he finally spoke. “You’ve been here for two nights.”
He was confused. When Sebastian had told him what happened, he was certain he was dealing with a witch. But standing in front of her, he knew that wasn’t the case. Everything about her screamed human. Just a girl. But the brand on his friend’s hand showed otherwise.
Unfortunately, there was nothing he could do about it.
Which meant she had to remove it.
He eased back to her and resumed his seat at her side.
She didn’t bolt from the bed and he took a breath. He didn’t need it, but he would be able to smell a lie.
She looked a lot better than the drowned rat that was carried in that night. Her hair was full of flames, long and lush, curling gently at her waist. Her green eyes gleamed with life in the lamp light.
“Who are you?” He asked.
“Eve.” She glanced back at Gideon. “Thank you for helping me, but I think I should go. I’m sure I’ve been a burden.” She moved to pull down the blanket before realizing she was in a nightgown. Wait. She was in jeans, a sweater, and a coat. It was the dead of winter. Heat rose in her face.
“How... I mean... Who...”
“It’s okay. Calm down. My housekeeper took care of you. You’ll find your clothing in the top drawer.”
He smiled as she slumped back on the bed.
“But, no, you won’t be going anywhere just yet. You’re still recovering.” If Sebastian had his way, that would never happen. “We also have a situation that needs resolving.”
His lips thinned as she looked at him and there was a look in those beautiful eyes. A look that brought her fear roaring back to life.
“You said-.
“I know what I said. And it’s true. You have nothing to fear. From me.” He pressed his fingers to her temple. “Sleep.”
Fluttering lids covered terrified eyes and she went limp.
“She’s human.” Gideon told the angry vampire in front of him.
“She can’t be. Humans can’t do this.” The red of the rune was a darker, not the neon red from before. “Damn it, Gideon, I eat people. I don’t protect them.”
He slammed his hand down on the desk, hiding his new vulnerability.
“Destroying my furniture won’t make it go away.” Gideon leaned back in his chair. Despite the severity of the situation, he enjoyed seeing his stoic friend angry.
“And neither will destroying her. At least for now.” His fingers curled, digging into the wood. “As soon as she gets rid of it...”
“Well, I would suggest not mentioning that when you talk to her.”
“I’m not a fool, Gideon.” Sebastian pushed away and stalked his way to the bar. “Where is Alex?”
“I asked him to fetch the car. I’d like to store it here. Maybe we can learn something from it.” He leaned forward and rested his chin on his finger tips. “I have a question for you.”
Sebastian poured a whiskey into a rocks glass. Gripping it, he turned to his friend. “Ask.”
“Why did you save her?”
How could he answer that when even he didn’t know? Why did he bother? He could have ignored that little tug inside him that pulled him to the river. She would be dead and he wouldn’t have a protection rune burnt into his palm.
He gave a brief shrug before tossing back the whiskey. Though he couldn’t get drunk, the taste was something he could never give up. He didn’t need food. Didn’t need water. For that matter, he didn’t need oxygen. But he could still enjoy the flavor. Finally.
“I was bored,” he said.
“Bored?” Gideon’s eyes showed his disbelief
“That was part of it.” Feeling every one of his years, Sebastian sat in the deep leather chair across from his friend. “It was something new, different. After so many years of killing, I was curious to see what it would feel like to save.” He gave a slight chuckle and looked at his hand. “That curiosity has been satisfied.”
Gideon gave him a tight smile. “What happens if she doesn’t remove it?”
Sebastian looked back up at his friend, an inferno of rage blazing in his eyes.
“Her life will become a living hell.”
The next time Eve opened her eyes, she knew immediately that she wasn’t alone.
There were noises, rustling, clinking.
Was it Gideon? He wouldn’t hurt her.
But the way he said ‘from him’ implied that she needed to be afraid of someone. Was that the person that was in here now?
She cracked an eyelid.
There was a woman standing with her back to Eve, fussing over a cart.
She slowly sat up and the woman turned to her.
“Oh good! You’re awake. Just in time for dinner.” The woman smiled at her. “I’m Essie, the housekeeper here. I also do a little cooking and whatnot. What’s your name, dear?”
Eve couldn’t help but smile at the woman. She was older, stooped in the back a bit, and reminded Eve of her grandmother. Age had done nothing, however, to diminish the light in the woman’s light blue eyes or her energy as she practically bounced on her feet.
“I’m Eve,” she said, sitting all the way up. “It’s a pleasure to meet you.” She held out her hand and for a second, Essie seemed taken aback. As Eve watched, she shook herself before reaching out and clasping her hand.
“Aye, that I can put a name to the face. That is lovely. And such a pretty name too! For a pretty girl.” Essie gently removed her hand and then laughed at the flush on Eve’s face. “By your coloring, might you be Irish?”
“My mother’s side.” Eve smiled at Essie’s delight at having deduced her heritage.
“Well then, that is fantastic.” The older woman looked back at her cart. “Do ya fancy your dinner in bed? Or will you be getting up?”
Oh, to get up. Her muscles felt atrophied by lack of use. To stand. To stretch.
“I’ll get up,” she said and Essie beamed at her.
“Alrighty, I’ll just get you set up over here and be on my way.”
“Thank you for everything. Gideon told me you took care of my clothing. I appreciate it.” Eve swung her legs off the side of the bed.
“It’s fine. You being here has given me something new to do.” Essie looked over the small table by the floor to ceiling window. “This should be good for you. Just leave the dishes when you’re done and I’ll swing by in a little bit to collect them.”
“Are you sure I can’t bring them to you?”
“No, miss.” Essie’s face softened. “Gideon wants you to stay here until he can introduce you to everyone properly. And the house is so big, you’d probably get lost.”
“Everyone? How many people live here?”
“Gideon will tell you what you need to know.” The housekeeper gave her a quick grin. “Now, I must be off. Wouldn’t do to keep the masters waiting.” With a banging of the cart on the door frame, Essie left, closing the door behind her.
Smiling to herself, she finally stood for the first time since the accident. It was a glorious feeling. Putting her arms over her head, she reached for the stars, letting out a moan.
“Is that action really so pleasurable?”
She gasped, spinning, only then realizing there was someone else was in the room.
On the other side of the bed, away from the lamplight, a man sat in a chair, leg crossed, looking every inch the movie villain.
“Who...” She trailed off as he rose, walking around the bed.
“My name is Sebastian. And you are Eve.” He stood behind the chair at the table that held her dinner. Silently, he pulled it back and indicated that she was to sit. Hesitantly, she did so and held her breath as he slid her close. He sat in the chair across from her before speaking again. “I pulled you from the river.”
“You’re the one that saved me.” Her breath escaped in a soft exhale.
Why did she feel waves of anger? Waves of rage. Directed at her?
“Me and Alex.” He sat back in the chair, watching her. “By all means, please, eat. You need your energy. Complications from drowning can still occur days later.” His lips twisted. “I can’t have you dying on me, now can I?”
“Thank you,” she said softly. Though that was no where near enough to express her gratitude.
Eyes the color of chocolate never left her face. Dark brown hair fell over his forehead. Tan skin covered a bone structure that made her fingers ache to sculpt. If only she could sculpt.
Why was she looking at him like he was dinner?
Why wasn’t he speaking?
Why did he hate her?
“You don’t have to thank me. I’m sure anyone would have done the same.” His voice was rich and deep.
She blinked a couple of times before dropping her eyes. She never looked at anyone like that. Ever.Jesus, Eve, insta-lust much?She tried to focus on the food in front of her, but she just wanted to stare at the angry man.
“I wish there was someway to repay you, but I don’t have much money and ...” She trailed off again. Did he know that he was making her uneasy? The curling warmth in her belly aside, his stare was making the hairs on her arms stand at attention.
“What are you?” Sebastian asked, taking her by surprise.
“What am I? As in what do I do for a living?” She looked back up, confused as to what he meant.
Why did she have to be so beautiful? She looked at him with so much confusion swimming in beautiful green eyes. After the glow show of that fateful night, he would have been willing to wager on them being blue.
“Sure, we’ll start there. What do you do for a living?”
Even her little frown was adorable. She seemed so honest in her mannerisms. But she had to be lying. Had to be.
Her tongue touched the corner of her lips and he had to forcibly restrain his voice. He could feel the growl wanting out. .
“I work at the library in town.”
She was a librarian.Thatwas what she chose to come up with? Couldn’t she invent something a bit more glamorous?
“Which town?”
Her frown was back. “What do you mean? This town.”
“Well, Eve, let’s pretend this is a test. A test to see if you have brain damage from the drowning.” There was a slightest prick of shame at her flinch but he squelched it. “Where are you?”
“Greenfield.”
He had never heard of it. “What state?”
“Iowa.”
“You’re in Montana.”
Her fork stopped halfway to her open lips. Lips that looked like they would feel a whole lot different if he were to touch them now.
“Why am I in Montana?”
“I was hoping you could tell me.”
She put the fork back down. “I left work. The library closed at nine. I was driving home. A car hit me. How could I be in Montana?”
He took a deliberate breath. Her scent never changed. She wasn’t lying.
She looked around quickly. All of her things. Her purse, wallet, phone, everything was in her car.
“I would show you, but I can’t. Everything I had on me is in the car.” Her already pale face turned white. “My car.” Images of the wreck hit her. Flash of light. Her belongings flying around as she flipped. The water. So much water.
“Eve.” There were hands on her, warm hands. “Eve. You’re alive.”
Alive. Because of this man. A man who felt like he hated her.
She opened eyes she didn’t know she closed. He was kneeling in front of her and his hands cupped her face.
“You saved me.” She reached for him, needing contact.
At the first touch of fingertips on his cheek, he jerked his head back. He had forgotten, for just a moment, that he was furious. “Sorry Eve, you don’t get to touch me again.” He returned to his seat.
“Again?” she asked, still dazed by the images in her head. How could she have touched him the first time? She just met the guy. Sort of.
“Yes.” This word was clipped as he took another breath. Nothing there. Just a human and her confusion.
This wasn’t supposed to be happening. He was going to find her lying, at the very least. But she wasn’t. He was an eight hundred year old vampire. And she trapped him. Shehadto be a witch. Or something worse.
“Show me your hands,” Sebastian said.
“My hands?” Had she ever been more confused? Why would he want to see them? Evidently it was something to do with touching. Essie was hesitant to touch her.
She searched his eyes and found nothing that should worry her. But the fury from before was back, beating at her.
His lips twisted on what should have been a stunning face. But the rage she felt contorted it, making him seem sinister.
“I don’t like repeating myself.” He learned forward, waiting for her to obey him.
Well, bully for him.
“Why should I do anything thing you want?” Eve asked, her own anger flaring, his pouring fuel on the flames. She shouldn’t be mad. He saved her. But she would be damned if he would bully her, bark orders at her. She hadn’t done anything to him. “Why do you hate me? You could have left me. I would be dead and you wouldn’t be sitting there, glaring daggers at me. If you are so aggravated by the sight of me, why don’t you just fuck off and leave me alone!”
Her eyes widened at the sight of his clenched jaw, narrowed eyes. What had she done?
“Because of whatyoudid, I can’t rip you to pieces. But rest assured, there are other ways to destroy you.” His nostrils flared and he swallowed. Fear. So much fear. The scent like a shot of adrenaline, straight to the heart.
She rose slowly from her chair. “I don’t think you understand what dead means. I died. As in non-living. Zombies don’t exist. When a person ‘dies’, they are not capable of harming anyone else. So, get your head out of T.V. land and tell me what my fuckingcorpsedid to you!”
She was still terrified, but her anger buried it, stoking his own.
“Forget talking. I’ll show you.” He grinned and it felt truly evil. Fine.
Before she could wrap her head around the fact that he was suddenly standing in front of her without her seeing him move, her arm was caught in his hand. His other hand held the knife that she had been using to eat. She opened her mouth to scream as he dragged the knife over her skin. Shock locked her throat. Why was she not bleeding? Did he flip the blade? Was this a joke to him?
He was sick, twisted.
She met his eyes and before she could think about the consequences, brought her free hand across his cheek with a startling crack.
“How dare you.” Her voice trembled in her rage. “Let go of me!”
“Look again, Eve. See why you didn’t bleed. See what your ‘corpse’ did to me.” His voice was barely above a whisper. Dangerous. Chills ran along her skin as his fingers tightened, hurting her.
This time, she followed his softly spoken orders. She looked back at her unblemished skin. But then the most curious thing happened. A warm wet trail of red crept along her wrist. Right where he held her arm. Hedidcut her. Had to have, but why didn’t it hurt? Blood dripped from his knuckles. How? With her still stinging hand, she traced the red line. Letting go of her before she touched him, he turned his arm, exposing the gash that ran the width of his forearm.
“What... I don’t... How?” Her anger vanished back into confusion.
Pulling his arm back, he slumped down back into the chair, looking as spent as she felt. “Eve.” His voice sounded tired now. As if his anger had burnt everything inside him, leaving him hollow. “Show me your hands.”
Silently, she held them out, palms up. They were completely normal. He held out his and matched her with palms up.
The hand on the cut arm had a scar on the palm. The scar resembled a set of deliberately drawn lines.
“Were you burnt?” No, she was in the water. She couldn’t be any more bewildered. What did this have to do with her?
Softly, she reached out to touch it. She was amazed that he let her. But she forgot about that as soon as her fingertips brushed the mark. There as a slight burn on her palm. Taking a quick breath, she flipped her hand over. His mark was no longer the color of dried blood.
No.
Now it glowed with the same brilliant blue as the mark on her hand.
“That is what you did.” He leaned his head back, staring at the matching marks through hooded eyes.
“I don’t know what this is,” she whispered, watching as the light dimmed before dying out. “What... What is this? How did the knife cut you instead of me? How could I do this?” It looked a helluva lot like magic and magic didn’t exist.
She dropped onto her chair. “Am I dreaming?” She frowned. “That’s it. It has to be a dream. Or dead. Maybe this is the after life.” Eve looked up at Sebastian’s deep breath. “Your arm. We need to get you bandaged up. This may be a dream, but it’s mine and I don’t want you bleeding to death in my head.” She jumped to her feet. ” Do you have a first aid kit?” She laughed, slightly hysterical. ” I can just make one up, can’t I? They say you can do all sorts of things while lucid dreaming.” She crossed in front of Sebastian and he reached out and took her arm. Not the hand. Never the hand. She laughed again.
“It’s fine. I’m healed,” he said, showing her the faint white line that took the place of a bloody mess.
He believed her. Damn him, he believed her.
She had no idea what happened. And thanks to his pushing and prodding, she now bordered on hysteria.
Her eyes widened at the now perfect skin. “Not possible. Not possible. People don’t do that.” Her panicked green eyes flew up to his. “People don’t do that.”
He groaned at his mistake. Thinking to calm her, show her he was fine, he made it worse.
She shook her head, taking a step back, trying in vain to yank her arm from his grip. “No, not a dream. A nightmare. Yes. A nightmare.”
Well, he was nothing if not that.
With a small sigh, he pulled her closer to him. There was one thing he could do. Softly, he stroked her cheek before touching her head.
“Sleep, Eve.”
She collapsed into his arms.
