Damek's Redemption: Legacy, Book 6 (22 page)

He couldn’t fully trust her but he couldn’t let her go.

Oh, she might threaten to stake him while he was sleeping, but there was no way she could sneak up on him even when he was at rest. His instincts had been too well honed over the long centuries to allow that to happen. Plus, a stake to the heart would only piss him off. It would hurt like hell, but he would recover from such a wound. He’d evolved over the centuries to the point where only beheading would end his life. Direct sunlight might give him a hell of a burn and would weaken him immeasurably, but even that wouldn’t kill him.

Plus, he truly didn’t think she would try to murder him, no matter how angry she was with him. Maybe she hadn’t meant to betray him. Maybe she didn’t see the phone call in the same way he did. She was used to being in constant contact with her family and was only doing what came naturally to her.

Something to think about.

The sun was rising over the horizon. He couldn’t see it but he could feel it in his blood, in his bones. He sighed and gave in to the healing sleep of his kind. If Sonia woke and saw him, he would appear dead to her, but he didn’t think that would frighten her. She was tough, his Sonia.

His lips twitched into a tiny smile as sleep claimed him. When they both awoke, they would have a lot to discuss.

Luther glanced over at the man sitting beside him in the truck. Barnes was sipping coffee, looking a hell of a lot bit better than he had earlier. He sipped his own coffee and watched the building just down the road from them. It was filled with expensive condos, but he was only concerned with the penthouse suite. That was the only one with a private entrance, so it had to belong to the vampire.

His phone rang and Luther answered it quickly, hungry for news. “Talk to me, Aaron.”

“It’s a hell of a system.”

There was admiration in Aaron’s voice and it pissed Luther off. “But you can bypass it.” It wasn’t really a question, as there wasn’t a security system out there that Aaron Page couldn’t hack given enough time. The man was pure magic when it came to electronics.

“It will take me a while, but I should be in by noon.”

“Perfect. Keep me posted.” He ended the call and tucked his phone back into his pocket.

“We good to go?” Barnes asked.

“We’ll be ready when the time comes.”

Barnes grunted and went back to watching. Luther stretched his legs in front of him and contemplated what city he was going to move to when this was all over.

Two large SUV’s pulled up about a half-mile away and four men and two women climbed out. The Agostino family looked up and down the long street.

“Where do we start?” Celia asked her husband, desperate to find her daughter.

Vincenzo caught her face in his large hands. “We will find her. I promise you this.” He glanced at his sons. “We will go this way.” He pointed to his left. “Papa, you and Mama can head in the other direction. If anyone catches a scent they call the others. Agreed?”

His sons nodded and started down the road without waiting. They were desperate to find their sister. While Celia and his mama believed the vampire was no threat to Sonia, the men weren’t so sure.

He glanced at his father and Roberto nodded. Sonia’s safety came first, then the vampire. If he was as good as his daughter believed, then they would help him. No paranormal creature deserved to be hunted if all he was doing was trying to live his life. Everyone had that right.

He took his wife’s hand, dropped a kiss on his mama’s forehead and started after his sons. He couldn’t shake the feeling that time was running out.

Chapter Fourteen

Sonia knew it had to be daytime outside, but the privacy screens on the windows blocked out all light, leaving them only the dim glow of the bedside lamp. She’d slept for a few hours, but was wide awake now.

Beside her, Damek was completely still. There was no rise and fall of his chest, no slight breath or snore, nothing to indicate he was even alive. It was frightening and fascinating at the same time.

This was the time of day a vampire was most vulnerable, when the power of the sun pushed them into this death-like sleep. Everything she’d read in The Keepers’ library said he would not wake until sundown. But she knew better. She’d seen Damek up and about late in the afternoon. That spoke volumes about his power. But surely even he slept deep during the day.

She really should just get up, gather her things and leave. There was no point in her staying any longer. But she continued to lie there, her head propped up on one hand, simply watching him.

His features weren’t softened any by sleep. If anything, they seemed harsher, more finely drawn. She reached out and touched a dark strand of hair that rested on the pillowcase. It was soft and silky, such a contrast to the hard planes and angles of his face.

Sonia sighed when her stomach growled. She’d never gotten around to eating the meal she’d ordered at Haven last night and was really hungry. She also desperately needed to go to the bathroom, so she slid out of bed and climbed down the two steps, doing her best not to jostle Damek. He probably wouldn’t wake, but she didn’t want to take any chances.

She grabbed clean clothing out of her suitcase, thankful that the outfit she’d dug out last night was right on the top, and crept into the bathroom, closing the door behind her. Once she’d taken care of her most pressing need, she washed her hands and face. She was pale, but other than that, she looked the same as she had yesterday.

She turned her head to one side, checking the spot on her neck where Damek had bitten her. Nothing, not a blemish or even a red patch. She ran her finger over her smooth skin. It was as though he’d never sunk his fangs into her and drunk her blood.

Even her arm felt great. She twisted it one way and then another, testing it for strength and dexterity. There was no lingering pain from where she’d been stabbed, only a faint white scar. It was truly amazing what Damek could do.

Her hair was as unruly as ever, but her brush was in her suitcase and she wasn’t about to dig around trying to find it. Usually she packed with more care, but yesterday at the hotel she’d simply thrown everything into her suitcase and had no idea where to find her brush. She finger
-
combed her hair until it was as good as she could get it and then pulled on her underwear, socks, jeans and a brown turtleneck sweater.

Sighing, she stared at her reflection. It wasn’t the best she’d ever looked, but she consoled herself with the fact that it wasn’t the worst either. And what did it matter what she looked like? She was alive and healthy and that was all that mattered. Carefully, she turned the handle of the door and opened it, giving a sigh of relief when Damek didn’t move.

Silently, she moved through the room and down the hallway to the kitchen. She needed coffee and maybe some toast or a bagel. A grocery bag sat on the granite countertop and Sonia dug right in. After all, the food was for her. Vampires didn’t eat. At least she didn’t think they did. They needed blood, but she was fuzzy on the whole food thing.

There was a loaf of wholegrain bread, a package of cinnamon and raisin bagels, two cans of soup, a couple of bananas, a half dozen oranges and a bunch of grapes. Not a bad start.

She opened the refrigerator and surveyed the shelves. “Jackpot.” A dozen eggs, some cheddar cheese, a container of milk and a tub of butter sat on one shelf. She could have used some onions, garlic, tomatoes and maybe some feta cheese, but she’d make due. “Toast and eggs it is.”

It didn’t take her long to assemble all the ingredients on the counter. She had a bad moment when she didn’t see any coffee, but since there was a coffeemaker on the countertop she kept looking. After some searching, she discovered some beans in the freezer and quickly started a pot brewing.

As the aroma of coffee filled the air, Sonia broke eggs into a bowl, whisking in a dollop of milk to make them fluffy. She heated a skillet and poured in her egg mixture and then popped several slices of bread into the toaster. She hummed under her breath, wishing she had a radio to turn on. Damek’s home was lovely, but it was large and rather cold. Impersonal, was more like it. There wasn’t much of him here, at least not in the kitchen.

When everything was ready, she plated her meal, grabbed her coffee and wandered into the living room. She wasn’t about to sit at the large dining table by herself. A large flat-screen television was mounted on the wall across from the sofa, but there was no remote lying around.

“Figures.” She plopped down on the sofa and set her mug on the coffee table. “Like most men, he probably has the thing glued to his body somewhere.” Although, she knew firsthand that Damek wasn’t hiding anything on him. He was in that big four-poster bed naked as the day he was born.

“Don’t think about it. Eat.” She shoveled a mound of fluffy eggs into her mouth and followed it with toast, thinking as she chewed. What would happen today? She had to contact her family, no matter what Damek thought about it.

That might not be easy because she hadn’t seen another phone except for the one sitting on the bedside table. Maybe she could take that one without him waking up, but she wouldn’t bet on it.

She shrugged off that worry. She could always leave and find a payphone somewhere. Surely such a thing still existed in the city. If not, she’d check into a hotel and use the phone in the room.

The silence in the apartment was oppressive. There wasn’t even the tick of a clock to break the quiet, only the light hum of the refrigerator in the distance. And this room was dark as well, with only dim recessed lighting. “This is ridiculous.” She set her almost empty plate down on the table and marched to the nearest window.

There was no curtain, only a thick metal shutter. She looked for a handle but couldn’t find one. Resting her hands on the metal, she tried to shove it up. That didn’t work, and she was at a loss as to how to raise it.

Maybe it didn’t open. Maybe it was permanently shuttered to protect him. That saddened Sonia and made her chest ache. This place was so big and lonely and dark. It was hard to imagine Damek here alone day after day, week after week.

A sound broke the quiet and she tilted her head to one side, trying to figure out what it was. It sounded metallic. She hurried down the hallway and peeked into the bedroom. Nope, wasn’t Damek. He was still asleep.

She went back to the living room and turned in a slow circle. There it was again. It was coming from the front door. Was someone trying to get in? Maybe it was one of Damek’s employees. Sonia had no idea what his usual routine was. For all she knew he had a housekeeper or butler or something.

The fine hair on the back of her neck tingled. Something wasn’t right. If whoever was out there was supposed to be here, they’d have a key. Her instincts were screaming that she was in danger. She didn’t question them and started looking for a weapon.

Sonia glanced around the room, searching for something she could use to defend herself. Other than the furniture, there was a smattering of books and artwork on the shelves. Nothing she could use.

She skirted behind the bar in the corner and looked beneath the counter. Nothing. The kitchen. She scurried off, keeping one eye on the front door. The only knife she could find was a small paring knife, which was basically useless. But there was a heavy cast-iron skillet in the cupboard by the stove. She grabbed it and was satisfied with the weight. She could crack a man’s skull with this.

The key to success was to be in the right position when whoever was trying to break in finally succeeded. On silent, stockinged feet, she hurried to the closet just inside the front door. She opened it and stepped in, pulling the door closed so it was open only a crack. Whoever broke in would have to pass by her. Damek was asleep and defenseless. It was up to her to save him.

Luther Kostas drew the large wooden stake from the holder at his back as Aaron finished setting up the last charge on the locks. They couldn’t pick these, as they’d run out of time, so they were going to blow them. They’d have to move fast, make the kill and clear out. No telling what kind of alarms the bastard had on his lair. He might even have a minion or two guarding his resting place. That happened sometimes, and those creatures that protected vampires had to die too.

“Almost ready.” Aaron worked on the last lock while he and Barnes looked on.

Luther knew Barnes was more than ready to kill the vampire for tampering with his mind. Poor bastard would never be the same again. He had seen it before. Once a vampire had messed with a hunter’s mind, the hunter never had the same confidence again. Killing the vampire would help.

“We’re a go.” Aaron moved back to where Luther and Barnes were standing. Barnes held a heavy wooden stake in his hand while Aaron drew a wickedly long knife. They’d behead the vampire after they shoved a stake through his heart. Then they’d burn the body. Luther had learned a long time ago to do a thorough job. Those fucking bastards were tough and could come back if you didn’t do the job right.

Luther nodded. “Go.”

There were several small bangs and they rushed the door, hitting it hard. It popped open into an opulent living room. Most vampires he’d hunted over the years didn’t live this well, which meant this one had to be old and dangerous.

Luther pointed to the kitchen. Better to be safe. Vampires didn’t always sleep where you expected to find them, usually hiding their resting place.