Bound By Blood (7 page)
Authors: Amanda Ashley
Chapter 9
Zack’s head was spinning when he left Kaitlyn’s house. Who the hell had taught her to kiss like that? In his time, he had kissed hundreds, maybe thousands, of women, but none had ever affected him like Kaitlyn. He hadn’t been kidding when he threatened to have his way with her right there on the front porch—although a bed would suit him better. He wanted to make love to her in every way possible, to caress every inch of her sweet flesh until she cried for him to take her. And at the same time, he wanted to fold her into his arms and make love to her gently, tenderly, all night long.
And nibble on her neck while he was at it.
Returning to the casino, he went to the bar to get a drink, but he wasn’t in the mood for bottled blood. He wanted something hot and fresh. Which wouldn’t be a problem. Standing with his back against the bar, he unleashed his preternatural power. He could almost see it as it flowed through the room like some irresistible, invisible lure. All he had to do was focus on the woman of his choice, and wait.
Within minutes, a buxom redhead wearing a low-cut, skintight green dress and three-inch heels sashayed toward him, her bright green eyes slightly unfocused.
“Hi,” she purred in a soft, Southern accent.
“Hi, yourself.” He smiled as he ran his fingertips over the inside of her wrist. He could feel the blood flowing just below the skin, hear the nervous beat of her heart.
She returned his smile, moving closer so that her thigh brushed his. “Buy me a drink, handsome?”
“Sure, honey.” Grabbing a bottle one of the bartenders had left on the bar, he took her by the hand. “Come on, let’s go someplace where we can be alone.”
“Whatever you want, sugar.”
Zack chuckled as he led her up the stairs to his private suite.
Whatever I want,
he thought as he closed and locked the door.
he thought as he closed and locked the door.
She had no idea.
Chapter 10
Kaitlyn woke to the bothersome sound of her phone ringing. Her first thought was that it was Zack, until she realized she had never given him her phone number, an oversight she planned to remedy as soon as possible.
She smiled when she said hello and heard her father’s voice on the other end of the line.
“Kaitlyn, is everything all right?”
“Of course,” she said, surprised by the worry in his tone. “Why do you ask?”
“It is probably nothing, but there are rumors circulating—”
“What kind of rumors?”
“At the moment, they are vague, with no way to ascertain if there is any truth behind them. All I know is that Nadiya’s name has been mentioned a few times, and that her son, Daryn, hasn’t been seen lately.”
“So you had to call and check up on me,” Kaitlyn interjected, smiling.
“You are my only child, after all.”
“Well, I’m not hiding Daryn, if that’s what you’re thinking.” Nadiya was one of her grandfather’s many wives; Daryn was her son. Kaitlyn had only met Nadiya once, but once was enough. She had never met Daryn.
Her father’s laughter reminded her of home and of how much she missed it. And him.
“Seriously, I’m fine, Dad.”
“You are comfortable there?”
“Of course. The cabin is wonderful, the view is terrific. I was going to go back to my apartment in L.A., but I’m thinking of staying here indefinitely.”
“I see.”
“What do you see?”
“Your mother is listening. She thinks there must be a man involved.”
Kaitlyn grinned. She had never been able to put one past her parents. “As a matter of fact, there is. But I just met him, so don’t go making any wedding plans yet.”
Her father growled on the other end of the line.
“I’m kidding, Dad.” Even though her father had lifted the ban forbidding their people to marry mortals, she knew he hoped she would marry one of the Romanian vampires.
“Kaitlyn, are you still there?”
“What? Oh, yes.” She chewed on her lower lip as she pondered the best way to ask the question that had been niggling at her since last night. “I was wondering—is there a way for me to tell if a man is one of us?”
“You think this man you are seeing is a vampire?”
“I don’t know. But last night, I would have sworn I felt a surge of preternatural power coming from him.” Her father had the ability to detect those of his own kind when they were near; unfortunately, she hadn’t inherited that power.
“Explain.”
She quickly told her father about the events at the casino the night before.
“What is this man’s name?”
“Zackary Ravenscroft. Have you ever heard of him?”
“No. If he was of our blood, I would know it.”
“Maybe I just imagined it,” Kaitlyn murmured. But she didn’t believe that for a second.
“Perhaps. Your mother wishes to say hello. Take care of yourself.”
“I will. Love you, Dad.”
“I love you, too.”
Kaitlyn heard muffled whispers and then her mom’s voice came over the line.
“Kaitlyn, how are you, sweetie?”
“I’m fine, Mom, really. I love it here. I wish you and Dad could have stayed longer.”
“Me, too, but I guess we’re stuck here at the Fortress for a while until your father gets to the bottom of these rumors.”
“You don’t think one of the other vampires is planning a coup, do you?”
“I hope not. I was here for the last one, and believe me, it wasn’t a pretty sight. Your grandmother sends her love.”
Kaitlyn grinned. Her grandmother, Liliana, wasn’t fond of telephones and refused to use them.
“Listen, sweetie, I’ve got to go. Call if you need anything.”
“I will.”
“All right. I love you.”
“I love you more. Give Dad a hug for me. And give Aunt Katiya and Uncle Andrei my best.” Though Kaitlyn had other aunts and uncles, Katiya and Andrei had always been her favorites.
“Consider it done. And keep us informed about your young man.”
Kaitlyn was smiling when she ended the call. Her young man. She very much liked the sound of that.
Shortly after sunset, Kaitlyn drove to the small convenience store her mother had told her was located on the other side of the hill. “Handy for when you’re in a hurry,” her mother had told her, and added that there was a supermarket in the city.
Kaitlyn only needed a few things tonight. She moved up and down the aisles, quickly picking up the items on her list. She exchanged a few pleasantries with the clerk, thanked the boy who bagged her groceries, and headed for the door, a sack cradled in each arm, only to have a man stumble in front of her, jarring her shoulder and causing one of the sacks to slip from her grasp.
The man was immediately apologetic. “I’m sorry,” he said, offering her a winning smile. “I wasn’t looking where I was going. Of course, if I’d known how pretty you are, I would have run into you on purpose. Here,” he said, when she began gathering her groceries, “let me do that.”
He quickly scooped up the bread, bananas, cheese, and candy bars and dropped them into the sack which had, miraculously, remained intact, and handed it to her.
“Thank you.”
“Eddie,” he said, smiling again. “Eddie Harrington.”
“Kaitlyn,” she replied, and took a step around him.
“Hey, hold on a minute. The least I can do is buy you a cup of coffee.”
“That isn’t necessary.”
“Please,” he said. “It would make me feel better.”
She hesitated. Eddie Harrington was of medium height, young and slender, with a shock of bleached blond hair and dark brown eyes. Had she been an ordinary girl, she would have refused to go with him, but she was her father’s daughter. Blessed with preternatural speed and the strength of ten men, she was confident of her ability to take care of herself.
“Come on,” he coaxed. “It’s just a cup of coffee.”
“All right.”
“Great.” He took one of the bags from her arm and followed her to her car.
He whistled appreciatively when she unlocked the door of the Porsche. “Nice ride!” He put the bag he was carrying on the backseat, then placed hers beside it.
“Thanks.” Kaitlyn locked the car. Wishing she had never agreed to this, she listened to Eddie make small talk as they strolled toward the coffee shop, which was a few doors down from the market.
A waitress showed them to a booth. Kaitlyn sat down and Eddie slid in beside her. It annoyed her that he didn’t take the seat across from her.
Eddie ordered two cups of coffee, then sat back, one arm stretched out on the seat behind her. “So, do you live around here?”
“Yes, do you?”
“No, I’m just laying over for a few days on my way to L.A.”
“Oh? Is this a business trip?”
“You could say that.”
The waitress arrived with their coffee. “Will there be anything else?”
Eddie glanced at Kaitlyn, one brow raised in question.
She shook her head, wishing again that she had refused his invitation. There was something about Eddie she didn’t like, didn’t trust, although she had no idea what it was. He seemed nice enough. And it was, after all, just a cup of coffee. It wasn’t as if she was agreeing to a lifetime commitment.
“Have you lived here long?” he asked.
“No.” She added cream and sugar to her cup. “What kind of business are you in?” Not that she cared, she thought as she stirred her coffee.
“At the moment, I’m just scouting around.”
“Oh.” She sipped her coffee. It burned her tongue, but she kept drinking. The sooner she finished it, the sooner she could get out of here. She should have bought a half-gallon of ice cream at the store. It would have given her a good excuse to hurry home.
“So, I was thinking, maybe we could go out later, take in dinner and a movie.”
“I’m sorry, I can’t. I have a date.”
“How about tomorrow night?”
“I’m afraid you’re wasting your time. I’m seeing someone.”
“Are you engaged?”
“No, but we’re exclusive.” She drained her cup and set it aside. “I really need to go.”
He stared at her, his eyes narrowed, as if he didn’t believe her, but she didn’t care.
She lifted one brow. “Do you mind letting me out?”
“Sure.” He wasn’t smiling now.
Kaitlyn slid out of the booth. “Thank you for the coffee,” she murmured over her shoulder.
It was all she could do to keep from running out the door. She didn’t know who Eddie Harrington was, but he gave her the creeps.
Chapter 11
Zack stood in the shadows alongside Kaitlyn’s house, debating whether to see her again. She was a nice girl, obviously a little naïve when it came to men. He had the feeling she had been sheltered most of her life until she came here to live. He sensed the strength in her, but it was more physical than emotional, and the last thing he wanted to do was hurt her. In all his existence, he had had only one long-standing relationship with a woman, and that had been over a century and a half ago. It just wasn’t smart to care too deeply for mortals. At best, they lived a mere seventy or eighty years; at worst, they died in your arms at the age of twenty, like his beautiful dancer, her mind gone, her body ravaged by disease.
He rarely thought of Colette. She had been a pretty young woman, with bright red hair, a winsome smile, and a dancer’s slender figure. They had spent three incredible years together and then, without warning, she took sick. Within the space of a few hours, she was out of her head with fever. He had taken her to the hospital, but the doctor shook his head and said there was nothing he could do. In a few days, she looked more dead than alive. He had begged her to let him bring her across in hopes that the change would heal her in mind and body, but she had been too far gone to decide, and when he had tried to bring her across, it was too late. She had died in his arms. The memory of her death had haunted him for years. Even now, thinking of her filled him with guilt and regret. He wasn’t sure he was ready to face that kind of failure, of loss, again.
He shoved his hands into his pockets. Best to go back home where he belonged. He was about to head back to the casino when Kaitlyn appeared at the front window. One look and he knew he couldn’t let her go, not yet. He had been alone too long, waited too long to feel the warm rush of desire that spiraled through him whenever she was near, a hunger not just for her blood, but for the sound of her laughter, the beauty of her smile, the chance to hold her close in his arms and feel alive again. And if she broke his heart . . . well, he would just have to live with it, because he didn’t want to live without her.
Zack was leaving the cover of the shadows alongside Kaitlyn’s house when he caught the scent of a stranger. It could mean nothing, he thought. It could be a tourist out for a walk, the mailman, a repairman, except there was no reason for any of them to be in this particular place at this particular hour.
He took another breath, committing the scent to memory, before making his way up to the front porch.
Kaitlyn answered his knock almost immediately, leaving him to wonder if she had been standing by the door waiting for him—or for the man whose scent he had detected only moments earlier.
The look in her eyes when she saw him, the warmth in her voice as she invited him inside, was all the answer he needed.
Murmuring her name, he pulled her into his arms and kissed her until she protested that she needed air.
“Damn, woman,” he muttered.
She smiled up at him, thinking that the awe in his voice and the heated expression in his eyes was the nicest compliment she had ever received.
Standing on her tiptoes, she folded her hands over his shoulders and pressed her lips to his.
Without breaking the kiss, Zack lifted Kaitlyn into his arms and carried her to the sofa. Still without breaking the kiss, he settled her on his lap and wrapped his arms around her. She fit into his embrace as if she had been created for no other purpose than to mold her body to his. Her skin was warm and smooth, her hair fragrant with the scent of honeysuckle, her lips soft and pliable. His body reacted as expected when a soft moan rose in her throat.
“Katy,” he said, his voice thick with desire.
She fanned herself with her hand, thinking one more kiss like that and she would go up in flames. “I think I need a drink,” she said. “Can I offer you something?”
His heated gaze moved over her from head to heel, leaving no doubt in her mind that she was what he wanted.
“Besides that,” she said, sliding off his lap.
“Wine, if you’ve got it.”
Nodding, she walked into the kitchen and went straight to the refrigerator where she poured herself a glass of ice water. She stood there a moment, taking deep breaths and trying to calm her racing heart. If she could harness the electricity in Zack’s kisses, she could probably light up the world.
After taking one last calming breath, she found a bottle of wine and filled two glasses, then returned to the living room.
Zack was sitting on the sofa where she had left him. He accepted the drink she offered him with a frown.
“What’s wrong?” she asked, taking the seat beside him.
Zack regarded her a moment. For days, his instincts had been warning him that she was keeping something from him. “Who are you really?”
“I beg your pardon?”
“Maybe the better question would be,
what
are you?”
what
are you?”
“I’m sure I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“And I’m sure you do.” Opening his preternatural senses, he tried to read her mind but, again, with no success. “You’re not mortal, are you?”
She stared at him, her eyes wide.
He canted his head to the side, his eyes narrowing. “So, what are you, Katy? Fairy? Werewolf? What?”
Kaitlyn’s heart skipped a beat. Zack hadn’t mentioned vampires, but it was obvious he suspected there was something otherworldly about her. Striving for calm, she set her glass on the end table. It was strictly forbidden for her people to tell anyone else the truth of what they were. It had been drummed into her from the time she was old enough to understand that no one else was to know. “I think you should leave.”
Zack drained his glass and set it aside before gaining his feet. “Not until I get some answers.”
“Are you threatening me?”
“No.” Closing the short distance between them, he took hold of her wrist and pulled her to her feet.
“Let me go.”
He studied her speculatively. There was no fear in her voice, and none in her expression.
“I feel the strength in you,” he mused, and then frowned. No doubt he would have noticed it before if he hadn’t been so smitten with her. “You don’t smell like any vampire I’ve ever met, but I can smell blood in the house.” Still holding her arm, he tugged her along behind him as he went into the kitchen and opened the refrigerator. There, amid the milk, butter, cheese, and eggs, he saw two bags of blood. He sniffed the air, then glanced over his shoulder. “Type AB negative, right?”
Kaitlyn looked at him as if she had never seen him before. “How do you know that?”
He stared at her, one brow arched. “Can’t you guess?”
“You can’t be one of us.” And yet, deep down, hadn’t she suspected that very thing? She shook her head. It was impossible. “My father’s never heard of you.”
“That’s okay,” Zack said flippantly. “I’ve never heard of him, either.” Taking her hand, Zack led the way back into the living room. Resuming his seat on the sofa, he pulled Kaitlyn down beside him. “I guess that explains why I could never read your thoughts.”
“And why I couldn’t read yours.” She grinned, thinking how remarkable it was that Zack was a vampire, too. She could hardly wait to tell her mom and dad. What would her dad think, when he learned that Zack was indeed one of them, and that he had managed to stay under the radar?
“How long have you been a vampire?” Zack asked. With the Undead, appearances were usually deceiving. He was a lot older than he looked.
“That’s a silly question. All my life, of course. And I’m only half. My mother is human.”
Zack stared at her as if she had suddenly started speaking a foreign language. “What?”
Kaitlyn felt her earlier excitement melt away like ice left too long in the sun. “You’re one of them, aren’t you? One of the Others.”
“Others?”
“My father told me there are two kinds of vampires. Our kind, who are born that way. And the Others, who are turned into vampires by an exchange of blood. Our people call themselves the Romanian vampires, although we don’t just inhabit Romania anymore.”
Zack shook his head. “I’ve never heard of anyone being born a vampire.”
“Our people are basically mortal until they turn twenty, and then the craving for human blood comes on us. Once we partake of it, we lose our humanity and our ability to eat human food and walk in the sun.”
“I’ve seen you eat.”
She shrugged. “It’s because I’m only half vampire.”
“Can you abide the daylight, as well?”
She nodded.
He grunted softly. Half human and half vampire. If that didn’t beat all. “Can all your people walk in the sun?”
“No, although my father can be awake and active in his cat form during the day.”
“Cat form?”
Kaitlyn nodded, smiling. “When he wants to be active during the day, he assumes the form of a big gray cat.” One of her earliest memories of her father was watching him transform himself from man to cat and back again. She had thought it was magic until her father explained that it was a gift bestowed on those born to Liliana. Her father used to tease her, saying it was because her grandmother was really a witch. Kaitlyn had believed him until Liliana set her straight.
“I am not a witch,” Liliana had told her. “But there is magic in my blood that gives my descendents the ability to change shape. There is only one real witch in the family, and that is Nadiya.”
Kaitlyn had never known if that was true or not, although it wouldn’t have surprised her. Nadiya Korzha was one of the most unpleasant women she had ever met.
Zack shook his head, thinking Kaitlyn’s people were the weirdest vampires he had ever heard of. He could be awake during the day if his life depended on it, but he was weak, sluggish. He could also change shape, although he preferred something larger and more intimidating than a cat. Most of his kind shifted into wolves; that was his preference, as well.
“Can your father turn into anything else?” he asked. “Something a little more menacing?”
“Not that I know of, but believe me, my father can be plenty scary when he wants to be.”
“What about you?” Zack asked with a wry grin. “Can you be scary?”
“No. And I can’t turn into a cat, either.”
“Too bad,” Zack said. “That’s something I’d really like to see.”
“How long have you been a vampire?”
“A little over six hundred years.”
“Wow! You’re even older than my father! How old were you when you became a vampire?”
“A few months on the shy side of twenty-nine.”
She canted her head to the side, admiring his strong jaw, straight nose, and unlined skin. His brows were inky black, like his hair. “Our people don’t age once the change occurs. Apparently yours don’t, either.”
“Right. We just get stronger as we get older. I’m guessing your people do, too.”
She looked at his hand, lightly holding hers. “We have a lot in common,” she remarked wistfully.
“And that makes you unhappy?”
She looked up at him, mute.
“What is it, Katy?” Releasing her hand, he stroked her cheek. “What’s bothering you?”
“Our people are enemies.”
“What the hell are you talking about? I don’t have any enemies.” None living, at any rate.
Kaitlyn looked at him in disbelief. “Don’t you know anything? Centuries ago, my great-grandfather, Calin Sherrad, declared war on the Others in order to preserve our identity and our way of life.” She had read the story of the war with the Others in the
Journal of Alexandru Chisca
, written long before her father had been born. In it, Chisca had chronicled the war and how it had started because the Others were feeding indiscriminately on human men, women, and even children. Even worse, they had left their kills in the streets and byways to be found by mortals, which had brought out the vampire hunters. Not only that, but the Others had turned mortals into vampires like themselves, causing panic in the streets. The Romanian vampires couldn’t turn mortals into vampires, although an infusion of their blood prolonged mortal life. Kaitlyn’s mother was proof of that. Although Elena was over forty, she still appeared to be in her twenties.
Journal of Alexandru Chisca
, written long before her father had been born. In it, Chisca had chronicled the war and how it had started because the Others were feeding indiscriminately on human men, women, and even children. Even worse, they had left their kills in the streets and byways to be found by mortals, which had brought out the vampire hunters. Not only that, but the Others had turned mortals into vampires like themselves, causing panic in the streets. The Romanian vampires couldn’t turn mortals into vampires, although an infusion of their blood prolonged mortal life. Kaitlyn’s mother was proof of that. Although Elena was over forty, she still appeared to be in her twenties.
Zack grunted softly. “I don’t know anything about a war.”
“I thought everybody knew.” She had learned it at an early age. “It was fought over a thousand years ago.”
“I guess that’s why I never heard of it. But what the hell, that’s old history. It doesn’t have anything to do with you and me.”
“I wish it didn’t.”
Zack frowned. He might not be able to read her mind, but in this instance, it wasn’t necessary. He knew what she was going to say before she spoke the words.
“I’m sorry, Zack, but I can’t see you anymore.”
Eyes narrowed, he stared at her and then he pulled her into his arms and kissed her, hard and long. And just as abruptly, he let her go. “So, that’s it,” he said, his voice harsh. “It’s over between us before it’s even started, and all because of some war that took place over a thousand years ago.”
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