Courted by the Vampire (3 page)

“I told you—no! I
have to be at work tomorrow.” Hannah stood firm, her hands planted on her hips, and glared. “You’re seriously deluded if you think otherwise. I’m calling the police.” She scrabbled for the house phone, but it fell off the table and onto the floor with a dull thud. “Get out.”

“
Get away from the door.” He grabbed her arm, pulling her to him. “If you do not move now, I will be forced to manipulate you until you obey.”

“No.” As she looked into his face, her breath caught at the fury reflected
in his icy eyes. “There’s nothing you can do to convince me otherwise.” She crossed her arms over her chest.

“As you wish.”
The bounty hunter brought his mouth crashing down on hers.

Stunned,
she stopped her struggles. Was that what he meant by manipulation?

Two seconds later, her blood sizzled through her veins as
he moved his lips over hers. He grasped the curve of her hips, and he held her against his body as he stroked his tongue on hers with delicious accuracy. In an effort to remain upright, Hannah clutched his shoulders then sucked on his bottom lip, purely for the pleasure of it. Fear was temporarily lost as warmth flowed into her body at the frenzied contact. As he grazed the underside of her breasts with his fingers, tiny flames ignited under her skin. Just when she would have given him an all-access pass, he weakened his hold.

“What the hell?”

His lips parted in a smile. “Now that you are in a more docile frame of mind, get away from the door. I will not repeat the action.”

She yanked her arm out of his grasp, angry with herself because he made
her forget the urgency of the situation with one simple kiss. “Bastard!”

The door to her apartment burst apart with such force that bits of the
white painted wood were flung all over the room. She barely had time to think before Edwin shoved her to the floor with his body over hers in a protective stance.

Chapter Two

Edwin kept his head tucked against hers for a second longer than was
necessary. The woman smelled good. He inhaled again in order to properly identify the scent—violets and jasmine. The combination was at once Old World and contemporary. He approved. She beat a hand against his chest, bringing him back to reality.

“Mr. Mason?” She paused and when he didn’t answer, said, “Edwin? Let
me up.”

“You are unharmed?” His senses on high alert, he stared at the being that
lingered in the broken doorframe as wooden splinters floated in the air around them. Short, squat, and extremely smelly, the goblin toddled hesitantly into the room to kick at various bits of rubble. Slobber oozed down its chin, pooling on the floor by its three toed feet.

“Of course I’m unharmed, but look at my apartment!” She scrambled to
her feet then teetered on a broken photo frame. “There goes my security deposit.”

“I think that is the least of your problems.”
He stood then glanced around the woefully inadequate living space. He did not understand how the woman had existed on so minimal square footage. “The goblin is a scout. Somehow they followed me here.”

T
he high-strung female emitted a snort. “That’s all well and good, but what do we do about him right now?”

“We will try not to antagonize it.”
The goblin waded its ponderous way through the living room in an apparent attempt to seek them out. Its hairy green hide trailed stink and slobber behind its misshapen body. He hated goblins.

“Can’t it see us?”
Hannah clutched at his arm, digging her nails into his forearm.

“Their eyesight and hearing isn’t very keen. They have tremendous upper
arm strength and are very hard to kill.” Edwin extricated himself from her grip. How much did she know about the paranormal world? She was not sufficiently terrified enough to warrant a first time meeting. “Generally, only an explosion can expel a goblin. That is the reason they are sent in first. They are like a two-footed plague.”

“
It’ll destroy my apartment.” Her whine grated on his nerves.

“That would be the logical conclusion.”
He grabbed her arm then skirted around the goblin as it proceeded to bite into a wooden bookshelf. He shuddered. Goblins were foul creatures. “We must go. Time is of the essence.”

She dug her heels into the carpet. “Where? I do have
obligations here, you know. I just can’t go gallivanting around the country. I have a job, rent to pay.”

Frustration coursed through his veins. Perhaps the prophecy was wrong.

“…the one who wields the power of the Light will challenge the Dark and defeat it even beyond Death…”

No matter how many times he had tried to puzzle out the meaning of the
words, he simply could not understand. “The things on the periphery of your life do not concern me. My job depends on you, and whether you cooperate with me is a moot point. I will bring you with me one way or the other.”

“
If I refuse, you’ll kiss me again? Ooh, I’m scared.”

Another crash from the goblin signified the being had destroyed the
entertainment center. The television shattered and was followed by a wisp of smoke.

“Oh my
God! Not the TV!”

Edwin’s gaze strayed from the destruction to the woman. He did not
understand her angst over a simple appliance. With a grunt of satisfaction, he yanked her into the hallway of the generic brown warren of walls she called home.

“Wait! I need my bag.” He loosened his grip long enough for her to duck
back inside the doorway and snag the strap of the shapeless monstrosity. “I never go anywhere without it.”

“No more delays.” Edwin cleared his throat, wishing to set her mind
at ease but not accustomed to dealing with recalcitrant females. “I apologize for my behavior. You vexed me with your inability to follow orders. I will not repeat the actions.” As his mind lingered on the impromptu embrace, he frowned. That had not been his best work. “Come.”

“So, your answer to the problem—finding your friend, not kissing me
again—is to kidnap me?”

He
shrugged, and his lips twitched as he marched her down the long hallway so quickly she trotted in order to keep up with him. “It matters little to me how you label the situation.” He pushed open the outside door and dragged the woman behind him, his fingers easily encircling her wrist. “They will watch the airports so we will drive. I believe your car is this way.”

“Who are they, and where’s
your
car? Didn’t you drive here?”

He glanced behind him to catch her outraged expression then he flicked
his gaze to the building. The goblin did not pursue them, only a plume of smoke as orange tongues of flames seeped from Hannah’s bedroom window. “I arrived by taxi.” He sent her a firm glance. “No more questions.”

“How did you know which car is mine?” When he refused to answer the
question, Hannah rooted around in her bag and procured a keychain then dangled it from her forefinger. “Fine, Mr. High and Mighty, you drive since you seem to know where we’re going.” She jiggled the key ring and then frowned when he didn’t take it. “Don’t tell me you’re having second thoughts? My apartment’s trashed and destroyed. I can’t stay here. Are you going to be responsible for the damages? I’ll be sued for sure.”

He stared at her, saw uncertainty reflected in her vivid green eyes.
Unaccustomed need slammed into him as he looked her from head to toe. She was shapely. He remembered the healthy swell of her hips, the fit of her soft curves against his body. Edwin stifled a groan and willed his body not to respond. “I never have second thoughts.”

The complex was quiet, not even a barking dog broke the stillness. When
she touched a finger to her full lower lip, he scrambled to find something else to occupy his mind, glad when his gaze landed on her nondescript four-door compact. “I need to be able to navigate. You will drive.”

She shrugged. “Suit yourself.” As she slipped behind the wheel, she slung
her bag onto the floor of the backseat where it hit with a muffled thud against his. She frowned and squinted as if attempting to see through the shadows.

Any moment now she would question him. He looked forward to it.
“Come, Hannah. We must leave.” Glad for the small bit of action, Edwin dropped into the passenger seat and closed the door. As the engine purred to life, he buckled his seat belt. “You may proceed.”

“Some kidnapper you are. I have to do all the work.” She navigated out of
the parking lot and into the street.

“I did not kidnap you.” Though reproach coated his voice, tiny threads of
doubt snaked through his mind. He had barely skimmed the surface of why he needed her on this trip. If he told her the full truth now, he feared that knowledge would make her retreat further inside herself and in order for his plan to succeed, he needed her to embrace her powers. When she was ready, he would know. “You are simply a necessary part of this operation.”

She huffed. “Where are we going?”

“North.”

“Are you sure? Won’t we need to traipse through the wilds of rural
Europe, the greenery of Ireland or even lurk about a crumbling castle or two in order to find your errant friend? Isn’t that how the stories go?”

He admired her tough attitude as well as her courage. Yes, his original
decision to seek out the one mentioned in the prophecy was sound. Hannah would do well. “Our destination lies in the North. I will know it when we get close.” A tiny smile lifted the corners of his mouth. “Do you have an atlas in your car?”

Her
forehead wrinkled with disbelief. “No, why should I? I don’t travel, especially since I’ve become the resident freak show.” Dark shadows marred the ivory skin beneath her eyes. “I’ll have to move again.”

“You would not need to keep moving if you would just learn to harness
your gifts. You must practice your skills in order to succeed with them.” Uncertainty swept into his mind again. How did he convince the woman she needed to start using her power if she denied she even had them?

“And you wouldn’t need to kidnap people if you would just learn to
stand up to your family and tell them you don’t want to hunt vampires or various sundry other beings.” She shot a victorious glance at him. “It’s true, isn’t it? You don’t like what you do for a living, but you’re afraid to tell anybody.”

Edwin swor
e his sigh came from his toes. “No, I do not enjoy it. It is a means to an end. At this point in my life I cannot undo what has been put into place by Fate.”

“Why do it if you don’t enjoy the job?” A yawn stretched over her face.
“You look like a guy who knows what he wants. You’re in command of yourself, you’re self-assured, and you’re stubborn.” A faint blush stained her cheeks.
And don’t forget sexy.

His lips curled with a smile. He heard her unspoken thought, just as he
could read everything in her mind. “Family tradition dictates the first-born male child will become a vampire hunter. Individual opinion does not matter.”

“So? A hundred years ago, parents wanted their kids to become farmers,
but you see how that panned out for this country.” Hannah fiddled with the air conditioning vents. “My parents wanted me to become a world famous chef, but when I nearly severed my thumb with a knife, they finally admitted I wasn’t a good match for the industry.”

“This is hardly the same scenario and besides, I am not free to choose my
career.”

Silence reigned in the vehicle. Fifty miles of darkened trees and cornfields
whizzed by before she broke it. “Let’s pretend you could pick a new job. What would you do?”

He
shot her an annoyed glance. She appeared to be uncomfortable with the quiet as well as his presence. “I would do the same thing I am doing now.”

“Let’s say you can’t do that anymore. What else are you interested in?
What do you like to do for fun or hobbies?”

“My lifestyle does not leave room for merry making or the pursuit of
leisure activities.”

“So you’re telling me that outside of work, you never have any sort of fun
at all? You don’t date, play miniature golf, or eat pizza? How do you keep your sanity? If the only thing I did in life was work, I’d go crazy.” Her shapely fingers adjusted the vents in the dashboard to re-direct the air conditioner to blow on her face.

“I have found in my line of work, having a good time is unacceptable.” He
shifted and then moved the seat back as far as it would go in order to accommodate his long legs. Edwin swallowed a chuckle. In her capacity as an Enhancer, she would naturally be more in tune with emotions and the subtle change of atmosphere between humans and paranormals than an ordinary being. He only needed to look at her and she began to appear ill at ease. She would have to learn to control her emotions.

Hannah rolled her eyes. “Why do you talk like that?”

“I do not know what you mean.” He studied the profile of her face. The stubborn set to her chin amused him. He approved of her rounded cheeks and short red hair. She projected a no nonsense air of a woman used to standing her ground.

“Like that. You’re too formal, and you don’t use contractions. It’s
strange.”

“This is how I learned to communicate.” Edwin shrugged. He frowned
and transferred his gaze out the windshield. He had always talked and sounded as he did with her. In fact, all the generations of his family enunciated words in the same way. “My family holds to the traditional ways. This is not strange, at least to me.” Why did the human have such an issue with it? “Why does it bother you?”

“I don’t know. I was just curious, except you made that analogy about
batteries. That’s a modern invention.”

“In some instances, I have been forced to adapt. Conform or cease to
function, but I adamantly refuse to change my speech pattern simply because it irritates.”

“Back off. I didn’t ask you to.” She set the cruise control and wriggled her
feet under the dashboard. “What does your wife do while you’re out hunting paranormal freaks all over the world?” Another yawn.

He frowned. She was too tired to drive the long distance. He had not
considered her physical state before he came to claim her. “I am not married. I have found the addition of a mate would be a hindrance to me. When I took up this occupation, I made a vow never to marry.” Edwin ignored the swift stab of need that sliced through his gut when her green eyes met his. Nothing good would come down that road. “I cannot put a loved one in danger. These paranormal ‘freaks,’ as you so quaintly put it, have been known to become violent if cornered or injured.”

She glanced quickly at him then returned her
gaze to the road. “What if you fell in love? Would you just send her away in order to keep her safe from some sort of imagined calamity that may or may not happen? Don’t you want to come home at the end of the day to someone who cares for you?”