Calling for a Miracle [The Order of Vampyres 2] (Siren Publishing Classic) (60 page)

A branch whined high above her and then there was an odd sound. It took her a moment, but she soon realized it was a falling limb. She jumped out of the way just in time, but in her haste her finger must have hit the crossbow’s trigger. The arrow released with a whiz and now was embedded deep in the trunk of an evergreen, the bark seeming to bleed with sap from its wound.

She had fallen on her butt. She could not shake the feeling that she was being watched. Her hands continued to tremble uncontrollably as she pulled out her last arrow and loaded it into the sophisticated bow. Why had she only brought two arrows?

She awkwardly stood up on shaky legs and frowned at the mud that now covered her favorite skinny jeans. She had landed on something sharp and there was a tear at the thigh. She winced as her finger brushed over the tear and she realized she was cut. She took a shuttered breath and decided she should go, but before she even took a step, her body froze as something let out a slow, ominous growl behind her.

She began to hyperventilate. Unable to turn her body in such a state of panic, she merely gripped the bow and stared straight ahead. Suddenly something big jumped from the trees, maybe a mountain lion or a bear, and landed right in front of her. Destiny screamed as loud as she could and turned to run.

She bolted through the woods, branches whipping across her frostbitten cheeks. She heard whatever that thing was chasing her. It was tall, without fur, and had long hair like a person, a female person, but it was also naked and very obviously male. It had red eyes that glowed unnaturally.
Meu Deus,
was that the thing that had been killing the girls in the woods? It was incredibly fast. She cried out for help as she ran. She was too slow.

Claws scraped down her back, tearing her coat into shreds. Pain lashed throu
gh her and she fell to the ground and screamed. The crossbow flew out of her arms and off into some nearby shadow. She turned onto her back and awkwardly crab crawled away from the thing seething over her. Fangs. Motherfucker had fangs.

“
Vampiro,
”
she breathed, truly terrified.

He drew his clawed hand back as if to strike her and she wrapped her hands protectively around her head and screamed, thinking she would never see her brother again. Like a flash of lightning her mind shot off a list of all the monumental things she had yet to experience, true love, notable sex, motherhood. Her life flashed before her eyes and she was suddenly annoyed that there wasn’t more of a flash. The thing growled and she remembered where she was and winced. Before the animal-man-beast made contact with her flesh, there was a crash of noise and a horrible roar. All she could do was hide her eyes and scream for her life.

There were now two things. They were fighting like rabid dogs, clawing and biting at one another in a tumble of movement. Destiny, from what she could see in the dark, could tell that the newcomer was wearing clothing. Was it a man?

In a panic, she scrambled around where she had fallen and let out a sob of relief when her fingers touched on the crossbow. There was a disgusting snap and the animal that had first attacked her cried out angrily and fled, disappearing faster than some sort of jungle cat into the trees.

Destiny watched the dark shadows until she could no longer hear the branches snapping under its retreating footfalls. Slowly, she turned to face the other. Gray-camo fatigues tucked into heavy black boots were planted about ten feet from her. Her eyes traveled upward. A tapered waist so muscled she could see damp ridges pressing through the fabric of his white tank top. His arms were heavily corded with muscle. His bare skin steamed in the cold winter air. He stood with his treelike limbs planted firmly apart and his arms held away from his body as if he were prepared to fight her if need be.

Her eyes moved over his well-worked chest and up his thickly corded neck and then she froze as panic overtook her again. She knew him. It was that reporter she had seen a month or two ago, only not. It looked like him, but this thing had silver cat eyes and fangs. He breathed heavily as he watched her. She held the crossbow in her trembling hands as if the sight of the weapon would keep him at bay.

“What are you doing here?” he panted. Okay, he was obviously pissed off.

She would address that later. At the moment she could only ask, “What are you?”

“You could have died!” he snapped and on instinct she raised the bow. He laughed at her. “What do you plan to do with that? What? Did you get bored with your microphone? Decided you’d move up to bigger and better toys?”

“Don’t come near me! I’ll shoot you. I know what you are,” she warned, still not believing her eyes.

“Put the weapon down, Destiny,” he said firmly and she felt an odd tingling along her scalp. She adjusted the bow and pointed it directly at his heart. He frowned. “I said put it down.”

“No. Did you kill those women?”

He scowled at her. “Put it down! Why won’t you do as I say?” He seemed furious as if she should just dumbly follow his command. “You will drop the weapon and then come with me to the bottom of the mountain. You will forget everything you saw here tonight—”

“Are you crazy? I am going right to the police—”

He growled through his sharp teeth at her and began stomping toward her. He suddenly looked all too menacing. Destiny scrambled backward and whimpered.
Shit, shit, shit!
He was coming after her. She shut her eyes and screamed as her finger pressed down on the trigger.

His growl was silenced with a grunt. She opened her eyes and watched as a stain of red spread across his chest where the arrow now protruded. Unsure what to do, she scuttled to her feet and tossed the bow aside. “
Meu Deus,
I didn’t mean to do that, but you were coming after me.”

He dropped to his knees with another grunt. His hand went to his chest as if he had to touch the wound to believe it. His disbelieving gaze slowly lifted to hers and there was such vulnerability there it was not possible this was the same cocky, self-assured face she had seen only moments ago. He looked at her in sheer panic and wheezed, “Anna.” Then he fell to his side, his blood staining the white snow beneath him.

THE END

WWW.LYDIAMICHAELS.ORG

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Lydia Michaels is an author of paranormal and contemporary erotic romance. She lives in
Pennsylvania
, with her wonderfully supportive husband, beautiful daughter, and her two ridiculously spoiled dogs.

After graduating college, Lydia discovered her love for literature. The only hobby she enjoys more than reading exciting romance novels is writing them! If she is not off spending time with her family you can usually find
Lydia
at her computer working on her next story or hiding somewhere quiet with a great book.

Currently Lydia is working on her next Amish adventure with The Order of Vampyres.
She loves taking a romantic plot with steamy chemistry and pushing the characters through an evolution of emotion by creating real-life challenges any hero or heroine worth their salt could overcome. She presses the bounds of love and surprises readers just when they think they have her stories figured out. Her books are intellectual, erotic, haunting, always centered on love. For more titles by Lydia, please visit www.LydiaMichaels.org.

Also by Lydia Michaels

Siren Allure: The Order of Vampyres 1:
Called to Order

Available at

BOOKSTRAND.COM