A Taste of Twilight (6 page)

“I
gave
the seminars and there’s nothing amusing about date rape! Women have far less control than men, but there are certain things we can do to decrease our chances of being victimized.” Her practiced speech ended and she was faced with the reality of her situation. “I…we were…flying.”

“I had to bring you somewhere safe. My house is surrounded by shields. As long as you stay here, they can’t reach you.”

“What are you talking about? Who can’t reach me?”

“Jessie.” He took her hands between his. Her fingers were ice cold. “I do have enemies. I thought our last run-in had ended their irrational need to best me, but apparently I was wrong.”

She licked her lips and drew her hands out of his grasp. “How does killing your fans best you?” Her gaze darted about the room, taking in the massive tester bed and the marble-top dressers. “This is your house?”

“Would you like something to drink? This could take a while.”

Jessie glanced from the bed to Rafe and shivered. Her skin still tingled and the faint humming hadn’t left her ears. He flew her to his house to protect her. Her muddled brain slowly began to function. Flew! He wrapped his arms around her and…

“What are you?” she asked again.

“We’ll get to that. You need to relax and listen. Where will you be most comfortable?”

“I suspect what you’re going to tell me isn’t going to make me comfortable anywhere.”

He smiled, pushing his hair off his forehead. “I suspect you’re right.” He took her hand and led her from the bedroom. “Etoro and I were friends a very long time ago. We had a falling-out and our friendship turned to rivalry.”

They stepped out into a massive living room. Vaulted ceilings accented the railed gallery, extending along two walls. Doors opened off the gallery, but Jessie could only guess at the purpose for the rooms. An informal eating area was situated in one corner of the main floor, with a gourmet kitchen accessible through a wide archway.

“Nice house,” she muttered. “Where are we?”

“Upstate New York, not far from Saratoga Springs.”

She wasn’t sure exactly where that was, but the detail seemed unimportant given the means by which they’d arrived. “So, you believe Etoro is killing your fans?”

“Etoro and Natalie. They allied against me long ago.”

“They want to vote you off the island?” He just stared at her, so she shook her head. “Never mind. What makes you so certain it was them and how am I involved?”

“I believe the others were bait to draw you into the—situation. You are the object of the competition.”

“Competition?” Connecting the word with seven brutal murders made Jessie’s stomach lurch. She pulled out one of the dinette chairs and sat. “What makes you think it’s them?”

He opened the refrigerator and looked at her over his shoulder. “Soda, wine or beer?”

“Could I talk you out of a cup of coffee? My head is pounding.”

“Of course. Will coffee take care of your headache? I might be able to scrounge up an aspirin or Tylenol.”

“Let’s start with the coffee.” He ground coffee beans and filled the coffeemaker with water as she looked around the immaculate house. “You don’t spend much time here, do you?”

“Why do you ask?” While the coffee brewed, he retrieved a mug from one of the cupboards.

“It just doesn’t look lived in. More like a show home.”

“I bought the place seven years ago and I’ve probably slept here twelve times. I have an apartment in Manhattan, but I spend the majority of my time in hotels or at the band house.”

“The band house?”

“We bought a house in Falls Church not far from the Carousel. We go there to work on new material and hide from publicity hounds.”

“I can’t believe Pyrite has been together for thirty years.”

He filled the mug with coffee and brought it to her. “We weren’t always Pyrite, but the members have been mostly the same…for a long time. Do you take anything in that?” He nodded toward her steaming mug.

She shook her head and he sat down across the table from her. “This smells wonderful.” After taking a careful sip, she met his gaze. “Back to Etoro and Natalie.”

“In the basement of the Carousel, I sensed Natalie. She’s stronger telepathically than Etoro.”

“The psychic bug.” It all seemed surreal. Telepaths, vendettas and people who could fly. How could she take any of it seriously?

She swallowed hard. She was sitting at Rafe’s kitchen table in upstate New York. How could she not take it seriously? “Natalie was using Dalton to spy on you?”

“Basically.”

“Is Dalton in danger?” She set down her mug and tucked her hair behind her ears.

“They delivered the message, so they should have no further use for your friend.”

“What message? I still don’t understand.”

He averted his gaze and folded his hands on the tabletop. “I don’t know how to explain this to you without just saying it.” He fidgeted, obviously uncomfortable with what he needed to reveal.

“Just say it.” Tension banded her chest and she retrieved the mug, needing something to do with her hands. Cocky Rafe Steele was squirming like a guilty schoolboy. This couldn’t be good.

“I’m a vampire.” He turned his face back toward hers as golden light ignited in the depths of his dark gaze.

She slammed the mug down and stood so abruptly her chair toppled. “Bullshit.” Even as she muttered the word evidence flooded her mind. His clairvoyance, the grace with which he moved—for fuck’s sake, he could fly!

Other images rushed in as her mind continued to reject the obvious conclusion. Dalton marching across the Green Room like a robot. Her most recent vision replayed. Bellita writhed as two entities swirled around her naked body. Gold, like Rafe’s eyes, the mist encircled Bellita’s wrists.

“They slit their wrists to conceal the bite marks.” She shuddered. “You’re all vampires.”

He stood as well and rounded the table, his eyes dark again. “Etoro and I were court musicians in Ferrara, Italy.”

“Court musicians?” She took a step backward for every step he advanced. Her self-defense course didn’t anticipate the existence of vampires. How the hell was she supposed to protect herself from this?

“I’m not going to hurt you.” Had he read her expression or her mind? She had never felt so helpless in her entire life. “I can smell your fear, and humans tend to transmit when they’re upset. I don’t need to access your mind. You’re blasting me with your thoughts.” He crossed his arms over his chest, gaze filled with frustration. “I brought you here to protect you. If I wanted to drain your blood or ravage your body, why wouldn’t I have attacked you in the car?”

Her butt collided with the back of a sofa and half a room separated them. She took several deep breaths. He was right. If he’d wanted to kill her, she’d be dead. And if he’d wanted to fuck her, he wouldn’t have let her go in the dressing room.

“Oh, I still want to fuck you, don’t doubt that for a minute. But let me make this perfectly clear, when I fuck you, Jessica, you’ll want me as much as I want you.”

His gaze caressed her face for a long, silent moment. The rhythm of her heart changed as desire eroded her fear. She’d never met a man before who affected her senses with a look and sent her heart racing with the brush of his fingertips. How would she survive if he ever got serious about this seduction?

“Can I finish my explanation, or would you rather explore the emotions you’re transmitting now?” He softened the question with a gentle smile.

“You were court musicians in Italy,” she prompted, dragging her gaze away from his smoldering eyes. “When was this?”

“The important events began in 1471.”

“1471? You were born during the Renaissance?” Her heart began to hammer all over again.

“I caught the eye of an Italian aristocrat named Antonelli. Her mate indulged her every whim. She wanted me, so Faelon gave me to her.”

“I’m not sure what you mean. Were you a slave?”

Rafe sighed and raked his hair with both hands. “Can we sit? This is all rather complicated.” She moved around the sofa and sat. He joined her, giving her plenty of room. “Vampires can form several kinds of bonds. I don’t want to confuse the issue, so I’ll explain the ones directly pertaining to these events.”

He wasn’t trying to be condescending, but his arrogance annoyed her. “I’ll do my best to follow along.”

“When a vampire takes blood from someone, whether the donor is willing or not, it opens a telepathic link. This link remains active until the blood has been metabolized.”

“Do vampires take blood from each other?”

“Yes. That sort of bond is called an alliance, but let me explain the events in order. Antonelli wanted me, so Faelon took my blood, which made me susceptible to his mental suggestions.”

“You controlled Dalton without taking his blood. Why was it necessary for Faelon to…drink from you?”

“Humans with psychic abilities are often resistant to mental compulsions. During the concert, I told you to look at me. Were you aware of the compulsion or did you simply obey?”

“I felt something unusual then I looked at the stage.” She shrugged. “It could have been either, I guess.”

“You didn’t respond to my verbal command. More than likely, I would have to establish a blood bond to have any control over you.”

“I’ll keep that in mind.” She already had so many questions and he’d hardly begun his story. “You had psychic abilities before you became a vampire?”

He nodded. “Few humans can survive the transformation, but humans with psychic abilities fare better than most.”

Jessie’s heart lurched at his casual statement. “Is that why Etoro and Natalie are after me? If they decide to transform me, I’m more likely to survive?”

“It’s possible. However, knowing them, I suspect their motives are more convoluted.”

“Sorry. Back to Italy.”

He inclined his head. “If Faelon had taken my blood repeatedly, his control would have increased until I was a mindless puppet. We call this a slave bond. Human slaves rapidly weaken and often go mad. This sort of bond is forbidden by the Covenant, a code of conduct by which all vampires are bound.”

“Who enforces the Covenant? Do you have vampire police?”

His gaze narrowed and he extended his arm along the back of the couch. “Are you distracting me intentionally?”

“No. Well, maybe.” During her years as an investigator, she thought she’d seen everything. She never expected to be sitting next to a celebrity, much less a vampire. A part of her refused to accept what was right in front of her. “I’ll try not to interrupt again.”

“There are so many subtleties. I think it might be better if I just show you.”

Before she could object, Rafe pulled her into his arms, cradled her against his chest and sank his fangs into her throat. Too shocked to scream, Jessie clutched his shoulders and tightly closed her eyes.

He is spectacular, my love. You are too good to me.

If he pleases you, he pleases me.

The vision slammed into Jessie’s mind, overshadowing reality. Colors danced before her eyes then two figures came into focus. A petite, brown-haired woman stood beside a tall, blond man. The man stroked the woman’s unbound hair, his bright blue eyes focused on her heart-shaped face.

Faelon and Antonelli.
Jessie heard Rafe’s voice inside her mind.
See the adoration in his eyes? He will do anything for her.

At first glance, the woman looked innocent, almost childlike. Her eyes, however, shone with knowledge far beyond her youthful appearance. The man’s rugged features and piercing gaze would never be described as handsome. Even in the vision, Jessie could sense his supremacy. Predator, ruthless hunter, there could be no mistaking his basic nature. Still, his long-fingered hand touched Antonelli with such tenderness. The contrast was mesmerizing.

Antonelli strolled forward and the vision shifted. A young man lay chained to a bed, naked and utterly helpless. Terror and defiance battled within his dark eyes as he yanked against the leather cuffs encircling his wrists and ankles. It took Jessie a moment to recognize Rafe’s features. His body was thin, lacking the muscular symmetry she’d admired in the dressing room.

I was much younger then.

“Do you understand why you are here?” Antonelli’s gaze swept Rafe’s body before returning to his face. The gag distorted his expression. “You are meant for greater things than you can possibly imagine. I am willing to teach you, to guide you, but you must be willing to learn.”

He shook his head and twisted, fighting the restraints with all his strength. His fury ricocheted through Jessie. He cursed his helplessness and mentally damned the bitch to hell.

Antonelli studied his face, a smile curving her lips. “Such spirit. I knew I had to have you as I listened to you sing. Your voice resonates with passion.” She sat on the edge of the bed and stroked his face. Rafe jerked away from her light touch. “I am not going to hurt you, but I must insist on your cooperation for one month. If you see no value in my lessons at the end of that time, I will release you.”