Highland Vampire (19 page)

He felt her move. "Callum?" Her trembling body pressed against his side; her slender arm moved over his chest. She ran her fingers lightly over his muscles, then snuggled her face against the hollow of his shoulder. The hardened tips of her nipples branded his skin like burning embers. "I know ye're not real, yet ye feel solid and warm and alive. I can even hear yer heart beating." She let out a small, startled laugh. "The madness is overtaking me now, but I no longer fear it. Nay, I welcome it, because it brings ye to me."

Callum squeezed his eyes closed. His body screamed with wanting her, her silken softness beckoned him, but he controlled himself. He had to tell her the truth. All of it. There was no other choice. And when she learned what had happened, what he had become, he could only pray that she would turn to him instead of running away.

He dragged in a deep breath, drawing her fully against his chest. Her body continued to tremble, and he realized she had reached the near breaking point of emotional and physical exhaustion. His confession might very well destroy her mind. Though he knew a cowardly part of him was relieved at the excuse for a delay, it would be best to wait until she had slept and recovered a bit from all this turmoil.

"Go to sleep, Maev. I'll keep ye safe."

"I canna sleep. Ye've made me all restless and tingly."

He smiled in the darkness, hardly believing that this time
he
was the one who was refusing to consummate their union.

"Shall I dump ye in the cold stream, lass? 'Tis exactly what I had to do on far too many a night when ye left
me
feeling all restless and tingly."

He felt her smile against his chest. "A dunk in frigid water is exactly what I deserve, for I realize now that I surely tried yer patience."

"Ye tried far more than my patience," he said with a chuckle.

Then wrapping his hands around her thighs, Callum gently spread Maev's legs. He rolled her onto her back, before settling himself on top of her, letting his erect penis slide across her wetness. She whimpered and squirmed and he repeated the motion, sliding the warm silken head against her cleft, teasing her where she was so moist.

"What are ye doing to me?" she panted.

"Do ye like it?"

"Too much." She moaned and pushed herself forward. "Put yerself inside me. Please. I need to feel that ye are a part of me."

He gritted his teeth, knowing he could not answer her plea. But he could bring her satisfaction. With one hand, Callum reached between their bodies. Finding the damp nest of curls, he slowly slid one finger inside, searching for the core of her desire. He found it and she gasped.

Then he leaned over and covered her mouth in a desperate kiss. Drawing the tip of her tongue into his mouth, Callum sucked hard until he felt the urgency in her build, felt the sexual rhythm moving through her body.

He touched her more intently, circling her sex with his fingertip until he felt her whole body seize. Her hips came up off the pallet, seeking his touch. Her hands were clenched at her sides, her entire body shuddering.

"That's it, love," he murmured, pressing his lips to the damp flesh of her neck. "Let it happen, let it happen."

Her hands slid around to cradle his buttocks, urging him closer. Then suddenly, Maev cried out, and at the sound of her pleasure, Callum felt his seed explode from his body. It covered her femininity and mingled with the moisture of her own desire.

His lips thinned, then relaxed. He felt like a randy lad, losing control so shamefully, but Maev seemed unaware of his discomfort. She had fallen into a deep, sated, unconscious sleep. Callum rolled to his side, collapsing onto the hard pallet. The fire in the hearth sputtered and went out Maev whispered something and snuggled closer.

Callum kissed the top of her head. He drew the blanket more snugly around them and tucked himself even closer to Maev. He wondered if he had done the right thing by her, for she now seemed to need him more desperately than ever.

Yet his need for her was as great. He needed her passion and her love. He needed simply to talk with her and to have her listen to him. He needed the comfort only she could bring him. Going back to an existence without Maev no longer seemed possible.

And yet being together presented a challenge he did not fully understand. How would she react once she learned the truth about what he had become? He dared not speculate, knowing the pain would be extreme for both of them if she could not accept it.

Callum sighed heavily. Though he had not slept during the nighttime hours for three years, he nevertheless closed his eyes and waited for the reckoning that would come with the morning light.

Chapter Five

As morning drew closer, Callum became restless. He left Maev asleep on her pallet and began to prepare the tower. Rummaging through her trunks, he searched for gowns made from the heaviest material. He was surprised to discover that most of the clothing was in excellent condition—clearly she had not worn these garments at all, choosing instead to don her simplest and oldest outfits.

Callum removed an assortment of Maev's gowns and then carefully positioned the dresses across the small, high windows that ran along the inner circle of the tower, effectively blocking out the possibility of any natural light entering the room.

The fire had died to a few glowing sticks, but he could see well enough. He decided to wait until Maev awoke before lighting any torches. He added some fresh water to the pot Maev had simmering near the fire to prevent it from scorching. The cooked meat smelled foul to his sensitive nose, and he wondered briefly if it would make him sick if he ate it.

He decided it was not worth the risk, even though he had not eaten since yesterday. Callum knew from experience he could go for days without feasting on a fresh kill. The lack of nourishment would diminish his physical strength, but his mental capacity would remain intact and that was what he would need most—his wits.

Realizing there was nothing more he could do, Callum positioned himself on the bottom rung of the staircase that led to the tower ramparts and waited, with a growing sense of dread, for Maev to wake up.

Maev awoke so suddenly, she thought a noise must have startled her. She sat up, hoping to see Callum, but the room was bathed in darkness. The fire had gone out, giving Maev no clue if it was day or night.

She felt a draft of cool air, and her skin prickled with gooseflesh. Her mind was still muddled with sleep, her body sore and aching. Maev's stomach rumbled and she turned instinctively toward her mother's pallet, wondering if she could tempt the older woman into eating a hearty meal. But the sight of the empty bed was an ugly, brutal reminder that Brenda was gone.

Maev's breath caught in her throat, and she let out a little sob. At least her mother had finally found peace, though the emptiness of her passing left Maev with a hollow ache inside. She was now completely alone. Well, except for Callum's ghost.

Maev laughed out loud at her lunacy. So this was what the rest of her days were going to be like? Depending on the imaginings of her fragile mind for comfort? She closed her eyes and let out a faint, mortified moan. Just thinking about it made Maev's head hurt and her mouth grow dry.

She reached for her gown and quickly scrambled into the garment. She lit the fire and one of the wall torches, then turned swiftly when she heard the tread of a heavy footstep on the tower stairs. Maev froze, holding her breath.

Callum!

He stared at her, his gaze sweeping from her face down her entire body. There was a glint in his eyes that imparted a strange fluttering in her heart. Maev felt herself blush, remembering her wanton behavior last night.

"Ye're still here," she said. "That means it must be nighttime."

"No. The dawn broke hours ago," he replied.

"Then why is it so dark?"

"I covered the window slits." He made a scornful sound. "The sunlight bothers my eyes."

"Oh." Maev scowled at his comment, unsure exactly what he meant.

He had an oddly frozen expression on his face and seemed unusually nervous, as if he'd rather be anywhere else.

"I have something to tell ye." His mouth contorted into a world-weary grimace of disenchantment and Maev felt the pulse at her neck begin to quicken with fear. "I'm not a ghost, Maev."

She almost laughed. "Aye, Callum, ye're not a ghost or a goblin or a faerie prince. 'Tis my mind playing tricks on me. I know ye're not truly here with me. I know ye're not real."

"Not real? Does this feel like air?" He grabbed her hand and pressed it against his chest.

He was right. His chest was solid, hard, the bone and muscle unyielding. Queasy chills coursed over Maev as she forced herself to hold his gaze. "I know ye feel real to my touch, but it canna be true," she whispered. "Ye're dead."

"I
was
dead. But now I am reborn as a creature of the night, an immortal who must feed on the blood of the living to survive."

The shock of his words reverberated through her entire being. Maev put her hand on the wall to steady herself and commanded herself to breathe. She blinked her eyes several times, wondering if she had heard him correctly. When she had her emotions contained, she turned and looked directly at Callum, who met her gaze impassively. "How is that possible?"

"I was attacked in our bridal chamber on our wedding night. These creatures possess strengths far beyond those of mortal men. Though I fought hard, I was overpowered. And once subdued, I was converted."

"I remember nothing of what happened in our bridal chamber," Maev muttered. Without thinking, she reached out and touched his arm, feeling the solid strength of him. "Who did this horrible tiling to ye? Where did they come from?"

He took a few steps back from her, and Maev let her hand fall to her side.

"These creatures roam the world at will. They live nowhere and everywhere." Callum frowned. "Do ye remember the mysterious woman who appeared in the hall on the night of our victory celebration?" he asked.

"Aye." Maev took a step closer, and Callum turned away from her. His profile looked dark and troubled.

"She is known among her kind as Anaxandra. She saw me fighting the English and decided she wanted me as her mate. If given the opportunity, I believe she would have attacked me that night, but ye interrupted her before she had the chance."

Maev's chest tightened in pain. "Is that what ye have become? Her mate?"

All expression was wiped from Callum's face. "I'll not lie to ye. I have been with Anaxandra, but that was a long time ago. It meant nothing. I didna even enjoy the sexual release; 'twas more like a stud servicing a mare."

Maev winced at his crude analogy, but hearing the truth still stung. The mystery surrounding Callum was now revealed, yet Maev was unsure if she preferred believing he was a ghostly apparition of her mind. This new reality frightened her.

She looked into his stoic face, his remote eyes, and could almost feel the hatred and frustration boiling inside him. This was not the man she had loved and married. Or was it?

"Why have ye come to me?" she whispered. "Why do ye not stay among yer kind?"

His eyes glistened. "I needed ye, Maev. Yer spirit called to me, and even though I knew I should stay away, I couldna."

She frowned and stared up at him. "And now that ye have found me, what do ye want?"

For a moment, Maev saw bewilderment in Callum's eyes. "I just want to love ye, lass. Though I worry if I let myself, ye'll be in danger."

"Danger? From whom?"

"The immortals." His voice grew hoarse, hesitant. "I couldna bear to bring ye more heartache."

She stared down at her hands, rubbing her thumb over a smudge of dirt on her palm. "What more can an immortal do to cause me pain? Humans have already turned my life into a living hell."

"You have no idea what powers the immortals possess." Callum's face contorted into an ironic smirk. "They are wicked, fiendish, evil creatures who do not understand mercy or show compassion under any circumstances."

Maev shuddered. "And now ye are one of them?"

"Aye." He glanced at her with new alertness. "Does it disgust ye?"

Yes
. Maev barely managed to hold back her honest answer. Guilt swept over her, followed quickly by pity and despair for him. It was hardly his fault, and yet she could not easily dismiss his revelations, could not easily accept what he had now become.

"Are ye all right?" Callum asked as he approached her, his hands half-raised as if he feared she might collapse in a heap at his feet.

His words unlocked Maev from her paralysis. She backed away from him, her mind whirling. "No, I am not all right. Would ye please leave?" she asked, with more anger than she had known she felt. "I need to be alone."

Callum narrowed his eyes. "I canna leave the tower. 'Tis daytime. The light burns my flesh."

"God Almighty!" Maev experienced a sharp stab of pain in her midriff. Unconsciously she put her fingers over the spot just beneath her ribs, but the pain did not ease. With a small sigh of distress, she slipped quickly out the door and walked into the gentle flood of sunlight, hardly believing something so comforting and natural could cause Callum harm.

The surrounding forest was deep and thick, and Maev welcomed the feeling of being encircled in its primeval splendor. She walked swiftly, with no particular direction in mind, needing the fresh air and solitude to digest this news that had left her shaken and speechless.

Maev knew she had no right to judge Callum harshly for what had happened, yet the mixture of jealousy and anger dominated her feelings. If he had not flirted with the female immortal, this never would have occurred. Would it? Or had Callum's fate been sealed the moment the creature had seen him in battle?

Keeping her head down as she walked, Maev repeatedly rubbed her temples with her fingers, but the jumbled thoughts and images racing through her mind kept tripping over each other. The air was lightly scented with heather, the sway of the trees seemed to whisper through the stillness, but there were no answers to be found.