B005EMAYWS EBOK (21 page)

Summer’s eyes locked with his and in that brief instant, the power of the vampire and the wolf clashed. The wolf was not intimidated by the vision of death that emanated from her eyes, he kept moving toward her.

It dawned on her that at any moment the wolf could leap on her and tear her throat out. The animal was large enough that he could easily sever her head. Anton would know how to kill a vampire. He would be aware of the fact that tearing the throat out and severing the head was one of the few ways that an immortal could be killed.

Summer got on her knees, trying not to make any sudden movement that would provoke the wolf into an attack. She could only hope that enough of Anton was still in the wolf that he would not lunge at her and rip the flesh from her bones.

The wolf had stopped, but his eyes never waved from her face. Summer cautiously got to her feet and stood up. The dread that she was feeling went beyond fear for herself. If he attacked, could she bring herself to destroy him in order to save her own life? Summer knew that she could not knowingly kill him.

Her only option was to try and outrun him. Just as she made the decision to flee, the wolf leaped at her. Summer was knocked to the ground, her head missing the tree by mere inches. She braced herself for the pain of his teeth slashing at her throat, but instead she felt a warm tongue on her cheek.

The wolf licked at her face, and then pinned her down by putting all of its body weight on her. He was heavy, but not too heavy for her newfound strength as a vampire. With a little effort, she could have thrown the wolf off of her, but she remained still. It did not appear as if he would attack, but was simply preventing her escape.

Summer closed her eyes and willed herself to be calm. The changing was not something that she was unfamiliar with, but before she hadn’t been a natural enemy of the wolf like she was now. She felt the weight on her shifting, and the wolf growled.

When she opened her eyes she saw that the beast within him had withdrawn, but his eyes were still those of the wolf. He stared down at her, the hunger in those eyes so different than the bloodlust that possessed the vampire. His gaze was full of turmoil and passion.

Summer was unable to resist the urge to touch him and she reached around to caress his back, enjoying the feel of his firm muscles against her hand. Her hand then moved to his hair. She had missed the warmth of his body and how his hair felt when she ran her fingers through it as they made love. She let herself get lost in the feeling of his naked skin against her, separated by only the thin material of her dress.

With no warning, his mouth came down on hers. Even during the most intense moments of making love, his kiss had not held so much hunger. She could feel the heat of his stiffening flesh against her bare leg and the sensation made her trembled with need. Her hand slid down his back to his hips and she pulled him closer, squeezing his body against hers.

Anton’s lips strayed to her neck and the feeling of his teeth scraping against her neck added to the desire that burned within her. To be so close to him - to know that he hungered for her - was as tantalizing as the delights that his touch promised.

“Take me,” she whispered.

“And your vampire?” he whispered, his lips so close to her ear that she could feel his heat.

Summer just shook her head. She did not want to tarnish the moment with unpleasant memories. Instead, she reached down to wrap her hand around his thick arousal, squeezing and stroking him at the same time.

A deep growl radiated from his throat and he lifted off of her long enough to flip her over onto her stomach. His large hands were on her waist, pulling her hips up to him. Moving her panties out of his way, he mounted her with a single thrust of his hips. His animal instincts took over and he savagely plunged into her swollen - wet core.

Summer’s body erupted in a fiery inferno of passion. She was literally crazed with need and would have killed to reach that peak of utter and complete ecstasy that she knew he could give her. At the same instant that she felt him explode within her, she was swept away by her own blissful release.

Anton held her hips tightly. They were still joined when he leaned over to rest his upper body on her. She felt his long hair cascade over her back and was instantly aroused by the sensation. Summer was in awe at how easily he could stir her passions.

Taking a deep breath, Anton pulled away from her and gathered her into his arms. He brought one hand up to gently caress her face. “You’re so beautiful. I can understand how he could desire you so.”

Summer shook her head, a denial on her lips. Before she could utter a word, he silenced her with a deep kiss. When the kiss ended he told her, “I don’t want to know. Tonight you are mine.”

Getting on her hands and knees, Kathrina retrieved the book that she’d hidden beneath her bed. Instead of turning on the lamp, she grabbed the small flashlight that she kept in the drawer of her nightstand. The cover was made of very old leather that was worn and scuffed in several places. There was no writing on the front of the book, just a weird symbol of two entwined snakes. The symbol was strangely familiar, like she’d seen it somewhere before, but just couldn’t place where.

Opening the book, she wasn’t too surprised to see that the pages were made of antique parchment and the script was handwritten. It appeared to be someone’s journal, but there were no dates to the entries. Unfortunately the words were in a different language, possibly ancient Greek.

With a deep sigh, Kathrina was ready to close the book when she noticed several loose pieces of paper tucked in-between two pages. The paper looked much newer than the parchment in the book. She pulled the pages out and examined them. They appeared to be a translation of the text to English.

Kathrina began reading the entry on the first page.

I have been cast aside and left behind because I dared to oppose their plans for this primitive species. What they have created was not the slave race they intended, but monsters. I can only wonder what will become of these altered beings in the generations to come. They have even mated with the primitives, creating born vampires, all of which were left behind as I was.

Kathrina jumped at the sound of a scuffling noise outside her bedroom door. As quietly as she could, she slid the book beneath the bed. Whoever was outside her door continued down the hall. It was too risky to read the manuscript while her father still roamed the house.

She had no doubt that the ancient manuscript was the Book of Anu, and that it contained information that they were forbidden to know. When her father slept she would continue reading. With the insight that she might get from the book, just maybe they would have a fighting chance of overcoming their enemies.

* * *

In the predawn light, the abandoned streets of the mid 19th century ghost town seemed eerie, even to a vampire. A shiver made its way up Summer’s spine. She could only imagine what ghosts would inhabit such a desolate and lonely place. Since turning, she had found that she was less receptive to the spirit world, though she was not sure if it was because of the turning, or because she had been so preoccupied.

“Why are we here,” she asked Anton.

He brought the car to a stop near an old cabin on the outskirts of the town. “This is where I stay when I’m away from
Outerlands
. We don’t have enough time to get you to Beaver Creek before the sun is up.”

It was true. She could already feel a burning sensation on her skin. Summer followed him through the door and inside the small log building. From the outside it looked as if the cabin hadn’t been used in a hundred years, but inside it appeared clean and comfortable.

There was no need to cover the windows, they already had wooden slats nailed over them from the outside.

“There is a lantern by the bed,” Anton told her. “I’m going to go stash the car.”

While Anton was gone, Summer lit the lantern so that he could see when he returned. Before long he was back. Anton went to work covering any areas around the windows and doors where light might leak through.

Since the night that they made love, he was no longer cold toward her, but still seemed somewhat reserved.

“I can make you a bed in the closet. It is big enough that you won’t be cramped and you’ll be safe from the sun if the door is opened.”

“Thanks,” Summer smiled. She knew that they needed to talk, but every time she tried, he would change the subject.

Eyeing the bed at the far side of the one-room cabin, Summer wished that she could share it with Anton. It had been too long since she’d opened her eyes to find him sleeping next to her.

Looking around the room, she saw that the cabin had just about everything they needed. There was no electricity or running water, but she saw several large jugs of water stored in the corner of the room. A battery-operated radio stood on his bedside table, along with a paperback book. For some reason she’d never really thought of him as someone that liked to read.

Anton disappeared outside and when he returned he was carrying a large blue cooler. The cooler was where he’d been keeping Dash’s recipe. During their trip, he would stop every few hours and buy more ice to add to the cooler. She had to admit, Anton had done a great job of taking care of her.

He placed the cooler on the floor and then went to the closet.

“Please, can we talk?” Summer was getting desperate. She did not want their trip to end with even a hint of animosity between them.

Summer swallowed the lump that was forming in her throat. She had told him to go away, but it was only because she did not want him to hate her. How long would he endure her constant need of blood and the times when she could not control the monster within her, before he finally turned away from her?

Stepping close to him, she wrapped her arms around his neck. Getting on her tiptoes she kissed his lips.

She could not let him go … not yet!

Anton returned her kiss, sensuously exploring her mouth with his tongue. Lifting Summer in his arms, he carried her to his bed. He stood above her, his eyes devouring every inch of her. It was as if he wanted to commit to memory, everything about the way she looked at that moment.

Stepping back from the bed, he pulled off his T-shirt and unbuttoned his jeans. Though she had seen him without his clothes on several occasions, she still found the sight of his body mesmerizing. He was so perfect - so male. Just seeing him could put her into a fever.

He lay beside her and brought his hand up to softly caress her cheeks. While he touched her, his gaze never left her face. She thought for sure she would completely lose herself in his smoldering eyes.

Anton slowly removed her clothing as he stroked her skin in the most intimate places. Last time they’d come together it had been heated, almost violent, but this time he was taking his time. Everywhere he touched her she felt a tingling that quickly turned hot. As his fingers found their way to the soft folds between her legs, she bucked her hips, wanting to feel more of him.

The feeling of his erection resting against her leg fed her frustration. All she could think about was how he would drive into her, and how he would fuel her desire until her need for him was sated.

His labored breathing made it obvious that he was struggling to control his own rampant hunger, but still he held back. His teasing was intolerable and she could not take it another second. Summer pushed him onto his back and mounted his stiff flesh. The moment they came together, he threw back his head and let out a deep groan that almost sounded like a snarl. When he looked at her, she could see the beast in his eyes.

Despite his effort to be gentle with her, their lovemaking turned savage. He bucked against her violently as she rode him with wild abandonment. They reached an explosive climax simultaneously. She felt his body become rigid as he spilled his hot seed in her eager body.

* * *

Summer opened her eyes to the same pitch-black space that she’d gone to sleep in. Though the closet was large, she still felt cramped. She’d gone to sleep after their lovemaking without bothering to dress, but she was wrapped in several blankets that provided her protection against the light and the never ending cold.

Sitting up, she reached over and knocked on the closet door. “Anton … is it okay to come out?”

She waited for an answer, but there was nothing, not even the sound of him moving around.

Concluding that he must have gone out for some reason, Summer thought about opening the closet door to look out. She was anxious to get out of the closet, but if the sun was not down yet it could be risky.

Taking her chances, she turned the knob and opened the door just a crack. The room was nearly as dark as the closet, but she could still see that he was not in the bed. The room appeared to be empty, but just as she was preparing to open the door all the way - she sensed movement near the door.

Summer froze. It couldn’t be Anton. If he were in the room he would have answered her.

Now she wished that she hadn’t called out to Anton. By doing so, she’d alerted the intruder to her whereabouts. As quietly as possible, she moved away from the door. In the end, her effort would make no difference. The door was pulled open with such tremendous forced that it was yanked from its hinges.

The dark figure that stood in the doorway was familiar, but the deadly light in his eyes told her he was no friend. Baring her fangs, a deep - guttural snarl made its way from her throat and she flew out of the closet, knocking him to the ground.

She was strong, but Marius was stronger. As quickly as she attacked him, he had her pinned to the ground. Summer fought to loosen his hold on her, but it was useless.