Dead Sexy (32 page)

Vasile was waiting at the door when Nadia's father arrived.

"The moon will rise shortly," Stefan announced.

Vasile nodded. He would have preferred to avenge Nadia's death himself, but he couldn't deny Stefan the right to avenge his daughter's death.

Vasile understood the need for vengeance all too well. His yearning to destroy Santiago burned as bright and hot within him as it had the day he destroyed Marishka. A day he would never forget. A day that had changed his life forever.

He had loved her from the moment he first saw her dancing in front of a Gypsy wagon. In the fire's light, she had been enchanting, her body moving fluidly to the strains of a Gypsy violin.

He had loved her, and had thought she loved him. While he had been blindly pursuing her, she had been meeting Santiago on the sly.

Santiago. He spat into the dirt. He would not rest until he had destroyed the bastard.

But first he and Stefan would pay a visit to the villager who had killed Nadia.

With a feral cry, Vasile shifted and ran into the night. He did not look back to see if Stefan followed.

It took only minutes to reach the house of the man responsible for Nadia's death. Light shone from the windows. Smoke curled from the chimney.

Vasile could see a woman inside, preparing the evening meal. For all the conveniences of the modern world, few had reached this small village, whether by choice or fate. A corral held a flock of sheep. Two large dogs slept near the gate. One of them woke as Stefan approached and immediately began to bark a warning.

Moments later, the door of the cottage opened and a man emerged, a lamp in his hand. "Who's there?" he called, peering into the darkness. "Is anyone there?"

When the dog continued barking, the man walked toward the sheep pen.

The other dog was awake now. Vasile quickly dispatched them both while Stefan stalked the villager.

The man never knew what hit him.

Regan woke knowing that the moon would be full that night. It was something she had dreaded every night. Filled with a sense of apprehension and with her nerves on edge, she skipped breakfast and had a thick chocolate malt for lunch. She cleaned house with a vengeance, straightened the kitchen cupboards, did her laundry, and washed her car.

She went out for an early dinner and ordered a steak, rare, and ate it with gusto, even as she was inwardly repulsed.

Shortly before dusk, she changed into a pair of old sweats and sandals and drove to Santiago's lair in the Byways.

He was at the door waiting for her when she arrived.

He stood back, allowing her entrance, then closed the door and keyed in the lock code.

"So," she said. "What do we do now?"

"Whatever you wish. I can lock you in my lair, or we can drive out to the country and you can run under the moon. The choice is yours."

The thought of being locked in the vampire's lair, with his coffin, gave her the creeps. "Do we have time to get out of the city before the moon rises?"

He nodded. "Is that what you wish to do?"

"I think so." As she said the words, she was surprised to find she was looking forward to running through the night. In spite of her revulsion at being a werewolf, there was an undeniable thrill to being a wolf, a sense of freedom that she had never known before.

Santiago took her in his arms, one hand stroking her back, her hair.

"What are you doing?" she asked. "Shouldn't we be leaving?"

He pressed a finger to her lips. "I will carry you there."

Before she could question him further, they were out of the city.

Regan turned in a slow circle. They were in a heavily wooded area. Tall trees surrounded her on every side. For all she knew, they could have been hundreds of miles from the nearest town.

"Where are we?"

"A wild animal sanctuary outside of Clanton." Clanton was a large metropolis about eighty miles from the city.

"I've heard of this place. People aren't allowed in here."

Santiago glanced at the sky. "In a moment, there will not be any people here."

Even as he spoke the words, Regan felt the familiar but unwelcome burning sensation that signaled the onset of the change. She looked at Santiago, who sensed what was happening and obligingly turned his back to her. Hands shaking, she threw off her top and stepped out of her sandals and sweatpants. She hadn't bothered with a bra or panties.

She howled with pain as the werewolf took control of her body, transforming her nails into claws and her skin into fur. Her bones stretched and shifted until the change was complete. She howled again, this time with triumph, as she bounded into the darkness, her nose testing the wind for prey.

Quickly shifting into wolf form, Santiago ran after her. He had long ago accepted his existence as a vampire. He reveled in his preternatural powers and strength and his expanded senses, but there was something about being a wolf that surpassed even that. There was a wildness, a sense of freedom and exultation that was unmatched in any other form.

He soon overtook Regan and fell in alongside her.

And the fun began.

They flushed a red fox, a couple of deer, a bull moose, a pair of coyotes, and a jackrabbit.

Regan went after the rabbit.

Santiago watched her with a wolfish grin as she gave chase, laughed inwardly when the rabbit eluded her snapping jaws by diving into a hole. Lifting her head, she howled her frustration to the moon and the stars.

He saw her stiffen as an answering cry was borne to her on the wind. Moments later, three wolves materialized out of the shadows. Fangs bared, hackles raised, they walked stiff-legged toward her.

Santiago went to stand beside Regan, his own hackles raised, a snarl rising in his throat. It was obvious from their stance that the wolves meant to fight.

Santiago swore inwardly. Why hadn't he realized there would be wild wolves here and that they would be protective of their territory? He never should have brought Regan here, but it was too late now.

She pressed herself against him as the wolves closed in. Santiago spoke to her mind, telling her not to be afraid, and not to run, but to stand her ground, and then he moved forward to confront the alpha male.

Growling, they circled each other. Santiago felt his blood run hot at the prospect of a fight. He let the alpha male attack first and then, with savage fury, he lashed out. Even so, he held back, not wanting to kill the other wolf. He bit down hard on the wolf's left flank, his mouth filling with the warm coppery taste of blood. Animal blood was never as satisfying as human blood, but now, in the heat of battle, it tasted like the sweetest elixir.

It wasn't until he heard Regan's cry that he realized the other two wolves had attacked her. Enraged, he quickly disabled the alpha male, then went to Regan's defense, but there was no need. She fought like one possessed, biting and snapping until the two females tucked their tails between their legs and ran off. Limping badly, the male followed.

Tail wagging, Regan pranced toward Santiago. She circled him, then rolled onto her back, whining softly.

Santiago licked the blood from her face, stifling the urge to mate as he did so. Even in wolf form, blood and desire were closely linked, but he restrained himself, certain that Regan would be outraged.

With a yip, he backed off, his tail wagging.

Regan rolled to her feet and trotted off into the forest.

After a moment, Santiago followed.

The rest of the night passed quickly. They chased each other through the woods, dined on a deer that Regan brought down, slept beside a shallow stream.

Santiago woke when he felt dawn's approach, his body automatically shifting to its natural form. Regan had done likewise while she slept. He spent a moment simply looking at her, admiring the sheer beauty of her body, the rise and fall of her breasts, the softness of her skin, the wealth of her hair, the shapely length of her legs, her narrow waist, and the curve of her hips. His fingertips brushed her cheek, caressed her throat, slid over her shoulder.

Muttering an oath, he jerked his hand away. He had no right to touch her, should be ashamed of himself for the lustful thoughts tumbling through his mind.

Aware that the sun would soon be rising, he gathered Regan into his arms and raced back to his lair in the Byways. He arrived just as the sun rose over the horizon, felt its deadly heat on his back as he ducked into the building and slammed the door.

Once inside, he went into the bedroom. He settled Regan in his bed and pulled the blankets over her. It was a shame to cover such beauty, he thought, thinking that he would love to crawl in beside her and gather her into his arms, to hold her and make slow, sweet love to her until his body demanded that he succumb to the Dark Sleep.

A soft sigh escaped her lips. Was she dreaming of him? Unable to resist, he slid into her mind and smiled at what he saw…

They were walking through a forest much like the one they had just left. She wore a sleeveless white sundress that fluttered in the breeze. Her hair fell loose around her shoulders, shimmering in the sun like a veil of gold silk. She looked up at him, her eyes aglow with love and desire.

A waterfall appeared ahead and she ran toward it, beckoning him to join her. At the pool, she shed her clothing and slipped into the water. Shedding his own garments, he dove in after her. For a time, they cavorted under the waterfall like carefree children. She let out a shriek when a fish brushed against her foot. Moving closer to the shore, she splashed him and then swam away, laughing. He immediately gave chase. She squealed with mock terror when he caught her, her body writhing against his as she struggled to free herself. Her skin was slick and smooth, her breasts warm and firm against his chest, firing his desire and he took her there, in the shallows near the edge of the pool, slaking his lust for her sweet flesh even as he bent his head and surrendered to the desire for her life's blood…

Regan woke with a cry of denial on her lips, her eyes widening when she saw Santiago standing beside the bed. "Did you… ?"

He shook his head. "It was only a dream." He studied the expression on her face. "Or perhaps a nightmare."

"Whose dream?" she asked. "Yours or mine?"

He lifted one shoulder and let it fall. "It started as yours."

"How can you do that?" she demanded angrily.

"How can you be in my dreams? How can you twist them to suit you?" She started to sit up; then, realizing she was naked beneath the sheet, she pulled the blankets up higher, her eyes shooting angry sparks at him.

"It is just another of my powers."

"What else can you do? What else have you done to me?"

"I can hypnotize you. I can bend your will to mine. I can erase whatever memories you have of me from your mind and your heart."

Her eyes widened. "Have you ever done any of those things to me?"

"No."

She looked skeptical.

"Trust me, Regan. I would not lie to you."

"I don't have much choice, do I?"

"I will never betray you, or defile you, or lie to you," he said, though he knew there would likely be times in the days ahead when, for one reason or another, he would refrain from telling her the whole truth.