Bound Through Blood (10 page)

Devin was glad he had been there for Salena when she had needed him. He had wanted to knock on her car window, help her out of the vehicle, and take her into his arms to assure her all would be okay. He was terrified, which he'd only experienced once before—when he had witnessed Abigail being burned alive in her home, and there was nothing he could do to help her—and this was not something he cared to experience ever again. He didn't think he could survive that wave of pain again.

Now, shape-shifted back into a black wolf, he raced closer to the road just in case Salena needed him again. Unfortunately, his intense focus on her kept him from noticing the brown wolf watching from one-hundred yards away.

Gabriel had seen Devin's heroism; he'd seen everything. He'd followed his brother and the tasty morsel; for days, he'd been following them.

He saw a definite resemblance between this woman and Devin's last love, Abigail, which must be why Devin was interested in anything other than a meal from her. She'd even smelled like her the other night, but, in the dark, he didn't see all of the physical similarities Yes, he was aware of what his brother was up to; he'd kept a close eye on him and the woman all day now.

Gabriel closed his black eyes and smiled sensually as he remembered the luscious, enticing Abigail. He knew he would have her, all of her, but then something interfered—his older brother. Devin had fallen for the mortal, and since Gabriel only planned to use her for his appetites, he did not feel like challenging his brother for her. Truth be told, he didn't think he would win that fight. He had felt it was useless to take a mate—especially a mortal one—he had all eternity to sample different flavors and certainly would not give that up to be mortal again!

The brown wolf raced to catch up to the car and his long-lost brother, all the while remaining hidden. Devin should have noticed his presence to begin with—his skills must be thrown off by his obsession with the mortal. Well, that would all work in his favor—not that he was worried about facing Devin now—he is a much stronger vampire than he used to be. He even has some new maneuvers.

Salena's heart was still pounding loud and hard in her ears when she pulled into the driveway at Heloise's small cottage. Rushing to get inside, she failed to notice the black cat in the windowsill and the brown owl in a nearby tree. The owl, however, did notice the cat and thought, at least for a second, the cat noticed him too.

Devin perched in the windowsill and watched Salena rush inside. She was still trembling, and that made him sad; he mewed in concern, but she didn't notice. The rain breeze caught Salena's wonderful fragrance of lavender and honeysuckle but also another faint and familiar scent. He started to look around for Gabriel, but then a loud voice inside the cottage caught his attention.

He heard the Gypsy woman exclaim, "Salena, you are in danger! Come, sit down, we must look at the cards."

Salena sat down next to Heloise on the small sofa. "Yes, I know I'm in danger, I ran off the road on the way here. I'm in danger from myself. My hands are still shaking, look," she held her hands up to emphasize.

Heloise was shocked, "Oh no! I'm glad to see you were not hurt, but I'm afraid this is worse than that."

"Great," Salena sighed, rolling her beautiful blue eyes, "Lay it on me."

Heloise shuffled the tarot cards and placed them before Salena on the coffee table while telling her, "I had a dream about you last night, but I don't think it was just a dream. I think it was a vision—a vision of evil forces battling over you. There was a sinister shadow around you. Let's see if I am right."

"Can this day get any better?" Salena asked sarcastically.

Heloise shuffled the deck and told Salena to choose four cards this time. She laid the first three cards on the table before Salena, and then she placed the fourth card horizontally across the top of them. Her aged eyes, full of insight and disquiet, looked at Salena as she flipped over the first card. "This first card is Judgement, in the reversed position. That means it represents trouble from the past; however, it may not be yours, it may be in your bloodline, or," she hesitated and then whispered, "your past life, if you believe." Giving Salena a wink, she continued to examine the card. "Now, the picture of people falling out of their coffins represents something ominous; it looks like the dead are rising."

"Well, we are talking about a vampire, right?" Salena interrupted.

"Yes, but I don't think yours; someone else from your past–or more likely, Abigail's–is haunting you. That is what I am concerned about." She looked at Salena with a worried expression. "This pile," she tapped the second stack and flipped the card, "represents the present. This card is the Lovers; your soul mate is near." She looked at Salena with a curiously sentimental grin, but Salena just shook her head.

"I don't even date," she said under her breath, "and I would never date a vampire, so you can stop smiling like that's good news."

Heloise gave a low chuckle.

"Besides, he was my great-grandmother's love, not mine."

"Might be one and the same. After all, gypsies do believe in reincarnation. That's why our magic is strong; we are born with the knowledge." Heloise turned over the third and fourth cards simultaneously and sighed. "The six of cups and the devil. These represent your future, but they also refer to the history of you and your soul mate."

Salena huffed, "You mean my vampire? He's the devil card, right?"

"No, not necessarily. Someone was seriously harmed in the past, and there is a karmic debt to settle before the lovers can make their way back to one another and consummate their bonds of truelove. But the devil card serves as a warning; something from the past will try to interfere, just as before. Something will try to stop the lovers again."

Salena jumped up "You mean like another vampire?"

"It would appear so, but I think your truelove will protect you."

Salena massaged her temples for relief of the migraine she was getting and thought back to the flowers and her dream. "I don't understand this," she said with tiredness in her eyes and voice. "A week ago, I had a normal life with a career, some friends, and no drama. Now—" she couldn't seem to finish the sentence.

Heloise took her hand and squeezed it gently. "Child, we will figure this out. We know that there are mystical forces in your life right now. They are the same ones that were in your great-grandmother's from so long ago. Unfortunately, that causes uncertainty. I still see love, but the danger, which is measurable, is also present."

"What does that mean?" the question came out more like a shout.

"It means there are conflicting forces at work right now that haven't been resolved, and I cannot determine the outcome."

"So, what do I do now?" Salena paced the small room, still rubbing her temples. A squeezing migraine had definitely settled in.

Heloise closed her eyes and shook her head. "The supernatural is unpredictable, but karma, either good or bad, will find a way. You will just have to wait and see how things play out, but I think the outcome will bring you love. I think you are on a journey to your soul mate," she winked, "again."

Salena rolled her eyes in frustration. Love had always been a hassle for her, but this is ridiculous. "Can't the cat I took in be enough?"

Devin listened intently to the tarot reading; he was especially interested in the part regarding the past coming back to interfere. He must have been right about Gabriel's reason for being here. The vampire had his eyesight on Salena for a reason. This made all of his muscles tense up and his fangs grind. He'd warned Gabriel to never come back again after what he'd tried to do to Abigail. He could still remember catching his brother with Abigail; she was trapped and defenseless underneath the vampire's body and struggling for her life. Devin squinted his eyes, trying to get the image of Abigail, with Gabriel on top of her, out of his mind. Devin had yanked him off her just in time—if his fangs had broken her skin, she would've been marked as his to do with as he pleased. That was an understanding within the vampire race; it had been passed down by the eldest of them all.

The memory set his blood on boil. He would not let his brother get close to Salena; she would be protected.

A black wolf ran faster than it had ever run before and raced to catch up to Salena and, he assumed, Gabriel too.

Salena walked, like someone in a trance, up the porch steps and, after fumbling for the right key, into her house. After locking up, she went straight to her bed and curled up into a ball. It only took her a few minutes of soft sobs to fall asleep. Unfortunately, her dream wasn't pleasant—at all. She is running through the woods with shadows chasing after her, and they are catching up—fast. Snakes, bats, spiders, and wolves are all over the place. Everywhere she looks, there is darkness and shadows. An eerie howling fills the black air. She tries to run but ends up in a puddle of mud that is too thick to escape; her feet can't move. The shadows and creatures are right upon her now, but all she can do is stand there—stuck—and scream.

Devin was watching Salena through her bedroom window while also trying to sense if Gabriel was nearby. He was out of practice, though, so he couldn't be sure. He watched her toss and turn; it appeared she was having a bad dream. Her beautiful mouth was in a deep frown, and her delicate eyebrows were stitched together.

Wanting to comfort his love, he shape-shifted into a black cat and entered through the old dog door. The door at the top of the steps still didn't have a lock. He slipped quietly into her kitchen and crept like a shadow down the hallway to her bedroom where he climbed into bed behind her and cradled his body against hers. She began to stir at the motion, so he whispered into her ear, "somn de acum,"
sleep for now
, to keep her deep in slumber. Then, to soothe away her bad dreams, he brushed his fingertips gently along her skin and ran them through her silky hair. As he stroked her, her breathing became slow and steady, and he could feel her racing heartbeat slow down as well. He placed a couple of soft kisses on her shoulder, and when he looked at her face, he was positive he saw a smile grace her lovely lips.

For the next half-hour, he just lies there holding her, caressing her, and washing over her with his love—not having any idea that they were being watched.

Gabriel watched Devin and the woman through the window. It was sickening to watch Devin drool all over this mortal; albeit she is pretty–
pretty enough to eat
—he thought wickedly. She is every bit as beautiful as Abigail was, but that is no reason to fall under the evil spell of a woman and risk the horrid possibility of becoming mortal again. Devin would never learn. Vampires are strong, while humans are weak, and strength always wins out. If Gabriel couldn't stop Devin from becoming mortal again, he would just kill him afterward.

Watching the couple, he also found it disturbing that his brother could lie so close to a beautiful woman without using her body for his pleasure. Gabriel would rectify that mistake as soon as he got the chance, and his chance looked to be right about now. Devin had gotten up, kissed her softly on the lips, and left out the front door.

Gabriel shape-shifted into a brown owl and hid in the treetops—waiting.

Salena was having a peaceful and almost romantic dream. She had been stuck in terrifying black woods, trapped in mud, while hideous creatures came after her. There was also the shadow, which was probably the most terrifying part. Now, suddenly, a strong arm is around her waist, lifting her from the mud and pulling her into a protective embrace. She looks up to see the face of her savior, but it is too dark to distinguish his features.

Her protector whispers in her ear, "It's okay. I've got you now, and you are safe with me." She turns and sees the creatures and the shadow backing off. The entire scene changes; the woods are now her bedroom, and her protector lays her softly on her bed and then climbs in with her. He holds her tightly, caresses her, and whispers words of love. She turns to look at his face; however, just as she does, she wakes up.

Salena felt frustrated for not getting to see the face of her hero before she woke up, but she was also relieved the nightmare part was over. Then she recalled her tarot reading earlier, and her living nightmare came flooding back to her along with anger. Knowing there had to be some mistake, or at least a further explanation, she got up from her nap and decided to head back to the voodoo shops to get one more reading. Hopefully, she would get a completely different one—maybe even a reading about the mystery man in her dream. She just hoped he wasn't a vampire.

Gabriel had been mesmerized by the woman while she slept facing the window he looked through. The undistinguishable difference between her and Abigail took his breath way. Sure, he had recognized the similarities before, but now he really saw them. It had been the perfect opportunity for him to make his move, but he just couldn't stop staring. Now, she was awake and had grabbed her purse and headed outside to her car. Gabriel decided to play a game of chase.

Devin had left Salena's bed reluctantly, but he needed to hunt down his brother. He couldn't—no, he wouldn't—let Gabriel get to her. He remembered perfectly well how sadistic his brother is; well, more so than vampires were already considered to be, that is. This was especially true when it came to a woman Devin loved. He sniffed the air and thought he could catch his brother's scent, but it wasn't strong enough to tell his exact location.
He must be in animal form
, Devin worried. When vampires are shape-shifted, their scent isn't as strong, so Devin shape-shifted himself into a black hawk, so he'd have keen eyesight and smell to track his brother.

Circling her house, he noticed that Salena was awake now and appeared to be going somewhere. He got closer to the house and watched her leave, but at the same time, he caught Gabriel's scent. Unfortunately, by the time he realized where his brother had been perched, it was too late; the vampire was already gone and probably after Salena. Devin, furious with himself, blazed a trail after them. "How could I have let Gabriel get away unnoticed?" he scolded himself. "He must have a new trick up his sleeve." Devin knew he had to end this now—before he became mortal—before it was too late.