His Dark Embrace (21 page)
Thorne woke with the setting of the sun. A single breath, and he knew Sky wasn’t alone in the house. A second breath told him the visitor was her brother, Sam. So, the boy was alive.
Rising, Thorne dissolved into mist. Moments later, he reappeared in his own house, where he took a quick shower, then pulled on a pair of clean jeans, a long-sleeved gray T-shirt, and a pair of running shoes. Whistling softly, he walked across the street and knocked on Sky’s door.
He had to laugh at the expression on her face when she saw him standing on the porch.
“What are you doing out there? I thought you were upstairs.”
“I was, but I needed a shower and a change of clothes.”
“You could have showered here,” she said, smiling up at him. “I could have washed your back.”
“Sounds nice, but I wasn’t sure how your brother would feel about that.”
“How’d you know he was here?”
He tapped the side of his nose. “Vampire, remember?”
“Oh, right.” She kept forgetting about his preternatural senses. “Well, get on in here.”
Thorne followed her into the front room and sat beside her on the sofa. “So, how is he?”
“Not good. He’s got amnesia.”
Thorne rubbed a hand over his jaw. “I’m surprised they let him come home.”
“Me, too. I’m worried about him. He looks ... haunted.”
“Well, I’d say that was normal, considering what he’s been doing and where he’s been.”
“I know, but ... he’s so thin and pale. He doesn’t remember how he got wounded or what caused him to lose his memory. Of course, he doesn’t remember me, either.”
Thorne slipped his arm around her shoulders and gave her a squeeze. “I’m sure he’ll be fine, in time. He’s young and resilient. And he’s in good hands.”
“Thanks.” Sky leaned into him, grateful for his nearness. She wasn’t afraid of anything, not when Kaiden was beside her. “Maybe you could read his mind and find out what happened?”
“Maybe. It depends on what caused his amnesia.”
“What do you mean?”
“If it’s a physical problem, then there’s not much I can do. If he’s burying something unpleasant, something he doesn’t want to remember, then I might be able to help, depending on how deeply he’s buried it. I can try, if you want.”
“I don’t know. Let me think about it.”
“Sure.”
“I’m so glad he’s home, but I really think he needs to go back to the hospital where they can treat his amnesia.”
“I guess that’s something the two of you will have to decide.”
She looked up at him, her eyes filled with worry. “What if he starts having flashbacks or he decides to, oh, I don’t know, just take off without telling me?”
“Calm down, Sky Blue. Letting your imagination run away with you won’t help.”
“I know. You’re right. I just can’t help worrying about him.” She smiled wistfully. “That’s funny, isn’t it? Sam was always the one who looked after me.”
“I guess that’s what families are for. You take turns looking after each other.”
“Was your family like that?”
“Not hardly. My parents were all about appearances.”
“What do you mean?”
“My father was landed gentry.”
“I’m not sure what that means, exactly.”
“Back in the sixteenth century it meant a landowner who was untitled. Land equaled wealth in those days. My father lived off the rents he collected from tenant farmers. Class was all important at the time. My parents were somewhere between the aristocracy and the middle class. My mother was very conscious of her place in society, always worried about making a good impression on her betters. I didn’t care about any of that. I was more interested in ...” He paused as he reconsidered his next words.
“In what?”
“Mostly wenching and gambling.”
“Wenching? Why doesn’t that surprise me?”
“I seem to be down to just one wench at the moment.”
“That’s right, mister!” She punched him in the arm. “And you’d better keep it that way.”
“Yes, ma’am, that’s my plan.”
“Good.” She snuggled into his arms again, and that was how Sam found them a few minutes later.
Feeling suddenly self-conscious, Skylynn sat up and put some space between herself and Kaiden. “Sam, come on in.”
He entered the room warily, as if he expected to be attacked. She noticed he had showered and shaved and changed into a shirt and a pair of jeans he had left behind when he enlisted. Keeping his gaze on Thorne, Sam sat in the chair next to the fireplace.
“Sam, this is Kaiden Thorne.” Sky watched her brother’s face, searching for some sign of recognition. “He lives across the street.”
Sam nodded, his expression blank.
“It’s good to see you again, Sam,” Thorne said.
“Yeah, thanks.” Sam muttered.
“Maybe I should leave you two alone,” Thorne suggested. “I’m sure you have a lot of catching up to do.”
Sky looked at Kaiden, her gaze searching his.
Thorne reached for her hand. Her fingers tingled at his touch, and then she heard his voice in her mind.
My being here is making him uncomfortable. It’ll be better if I go.
Sky nodded. “Thanks for coming by.” Rising, she followed Kaiden to the front door. Lowering her voice so Sam wouldn’t hear, she asked, “Will you come back later?”
“After he’s asleep,” Thorne said. Drawing her close, he kissed her, hard and quick, and then he left the house.
Skylynn stared after him a moment; then, with a sigh, she closed the door and went back into the living room.
“So, things look pretty tight with you and that Thorne guy,” Sam remarked.
“I like him a lot,” Sky admitted, resuming her seat on the sofa.
“Are you gonna marry him?”
“I don’t know. He hasn’t asked me.”
“What if he did?”
“I don’t know,” Sky said, frowning. Did vampires even get married?
“I’m not married, or anything, am I?” Sam asked.
“No. You dated several girls before you were sent to Iraq, but as far as I know, you weren’t serious about any of them.”
“Good thing,” he muttered. “None of them would want me now.”
“Sam ...”
“You don’t know what it’s like!” He stood abruptly, his eyes flashing with anger and frustration. “You tell me this is our house, that you’re my sister. It’s just words. They don’t mean anything. It’s like I’m nobody.”
“Maybe you should go back to the hospital. Maybe they could help you there.”
“Even my own sister doesn’t want me.”
“That’s not true! I just don’t know how to help you.”
“Nobody can help me! Nobody! I’m out of here!”
“Sam, wait! Where are you going?”
“Who the hell cares?” he shouted, and ran out of the house.
“Sam!” She ran after him but he was much faster than she was. She stopped at the end of the block, one hand pressed to her side as she peered down the street. Where would he go?
Telling herself he wouldn’t go far, she went back home to wait.
Fighting tears, Sam ran down the street, faster and faster, as if by running swiftly enough, he could leave the past behind and find himself again.
It was impossible, of course, like so many things in life.
After several blocks, he slowed to a walk. Hands shoved in his pockets, head down, he wandered aimlessly up one street and down another until he found himself nearing a strip mall next to the highway.
Music drew him into a small, neighborhood bar. He paused at the entrance; then, muttering, “What the hell,” he pushed the door open and went inside.
It was a small place with a western motif. A wagon wheel chandelier hung from the ceiling, there was sawdust on the floor, a brass rail along the bar, a picture of a herd of buffalo stampeding across the plains on one wall, several smaller pictures of cowboys and Indians on another. On the small stage located in one corner of the room, a young woman crooned a ballad while a handful of couples line-danced on the handkerchief-sized dance floor.
Sam found an empty stool at the bar and sat down, only then realizing he didn’t have a dime to his name.
He looked up when a bartender wearing a black vest and string tie asked, “What can I get for you?”
“I haven’t decided.”
“Let me know when you’ve made up your mind,” the bartender said, and quickly moved on.
“Can I buy you a drink?”
Sam looked at the woman sitting on the bar stool beside him. “You talkin’ to me?”
“I don’t see anybody else sitting there.” She smiled, a wide friendly smile. “Are you all right? You look sort of... I don’t know, lost.”
“Yeah,” he muttered. “Lost is what I am.”
“Maybe I can help you find your way.”
Sam looked at her sharply. He might not remember who he was, but he recognized a come-on when he heard it.
“I don’t think so,” he murmured, and wondered what the hell was wrong with him. She was the most remarkable creature he had ever seen. Her skin was almost translucent. Hair, like brown silk, flowed over her shoulders in luxurious waves. Her eyes, beneath thick dark lashes, were the deepest shade of green he had ever seen.
“Well, my offer of a drink still stands.”
“Thanks, but I can’t buy you one in return.”
“Did I ask?” She signaled for the bartender. “Now, what would you like?”
Chapter 29
Thorne was sitting in front of the fireplace, lost in thoughts of Skylynn, when she knocked on the door.
“Sky,” he murmured, “this is a pleasant surprise.”
“I need your help.”
“What’s wrong?”
“Sam’s run off.” She shook her head. “I’m such an idiot. We were talking. He was feeling bad about not being able to remember anything and I ... I suggested maybe he should go back to the hospital, and he got upset and ran out of the house.”
“How long ago?”
“I don’t know. Half an hour maybe. I was hoping he’d come back. I don’t think he has any money. He doesn’t remember anybody in town. Where would he go?”
“All right, calm down. I’ll find him.”
“I’ll go with you.”
“I can search faster on my own.”
“But ... oh, right.” She smiled faintly. “Vampire.”
“Right,” he said with a wink. “Come on, I’ll walk you home. It shouldn’t take long to hunt him down.”
Taking Sky by the hand, he walked her across the street. He paused on the sidewalk in front of the house. Lifting his head, he closed his eyes and took a deep breath.
It took only moments to sort Sam’s scent from all the others.
“Go inside and lock the door,” Thorne said.
“What about Sam?”
“I’ve got his scent. It won’t be hard to follow. Don’t answer the door for anyone but me.”
She looked at him, frowning, and then, remembering Girard, she nodded. “Be careful.”
“Don’t worry about me.”
“I can’t help it.”
Smiling, he drew her into his arms and kissed her. “And I love you for it. Now go inside so I’ll know you’re safe.”
She gave him a quick kiss on the cheek, then headed for the porch.
Thorne watched her run up the walkway. When she reached the foot of the porch steps, she turned and waved, then hurried up the stairs and into the house.
He waited until he heard the turn of the lock before starting off down the street.
As he followed the boy’s scent, Thorne thought about his own past. He could sympathize with Skylynn’s brother even though he, himself, had never lost his memory. Still, when he had become a vampire, he had lost everything that was familiar to him. Fear of discovery had kept him away from his favorite gaming halls and the young men of his acquaintance. And it had forever destroyed any hope, however faint it might have been, of repairing the riff with his parents, something he had not realized he wanted until it was beyond his reach.
Once Death had abandoned him, he had wandered across the countryside feeling lost and alone, cut off from everything and everyone he knew. In those days, filled with anger and resentment, he had often killed those he preyed upon. As a young vampire, those deaths had meant nothing to him. Now, older and wiser, denied the pleasures of home and family, he realized how precious mortal life was. And with that knowledge had come an abiding regret for the lives he had so thoughtlessly and callously taken.
He followed Sam’s trail into a local tavern. His relief at finding the boy was quickly replaced by alarm when he recognized the woman sitting beside him.
Cassandra. What the devil was she doing here?
She glanced over her shoulder as he walked up behind her. “Kaiden. How nice to see you.”
“Cassandra.” He glanced from his maker to Sam and back again. “What’s going on here?”
She smiled as she brushed a lock of hair from Sam’s brow. “I’ve just been buying this darling boy a drink.”
“More than one, I’d say.” It was obvious that Sam was far from sober.
Cassandra lifted one shoulder in an elegant shrug. “I may have lost count.”
Sam glared at Thorne. “What are you doing here?” he asked, his tone belligerent and thick with whiskey.
“I’ve come to take you home. Skylynn is worried about you.”
“Worried? Hah!” He swayed unsteadily on the bar stool. “She don’t give a damn about me. Go way.”
“Really, Kaiden, I’m not going to hurt the boy,” Cassandra said. “I’m just trying to ease his pain.”
“Yeah? Well, I’d say you’ve done a helluva job. I doubt if he’s feeling much of anything right now.”
“What does it matter to you?” she demanded, all trace of sweetness gone from her voice.
“He’s a friend of mine. Come on, kid, I’m taking you home.”
Sam shook his head. “Wanna stay here.”
“You see? He wants to stay here. And I want him to stay.”
Thorne braced himself as her eyes flashed red. It was a warning he recognized. A moment later, her power enveloped him, stealing his breath, pressing in on him until it felt as if he was being crushed.
It took every ounce of control he possessed to swallow the groan that rose in his throat.
She smiled smugly when she released him. “I want him,” she repeated.
Thorne shook his head. “You’ll have to fight me for him.”
Cassandra uttered a word once only seen scrawled on the walls of the men’s room. “Don’t be a fool. You’re no match for me.”
“It doesn’t matter. I can’t go back and tell his sister I failed.”
“Hey,” Sam said. “What the hell are you two talkin’ about?”
Cassandra patted Sam’s shoulder. “Nothing for you to worry about, my pet. Finish your drink.”
“No.” Thorne plucked the shot glass from the bar and dumped the contents on the floor. “He’s had enough.”
“Hey!” Sam took a swing at Thorne, his arms flailing as he lost his balance and started to topple off the bar stool.
Swearing with disgust, Thorne caught the kid before he hit the ground, slung him over his shoulder, and held him there with one hand.
“We’re leaving, Cassandra. And even though you’re older than I am, I want to remind you that the ancient laws still apply.”
“Don’t talk to me about the laws,” she snapped. “I made them.”
“Maybe so, but this is still my territory and you’re here at my discretion.”
And so saying, he turned his back on the vampire who had sired him and stalked out of the tavern.
Skylynn breathed a sigh of relief when she opened the door and saw Kaiden standing there with Sam cradled in his arms.
“Is he all right?” she asked anxiously.
“He’s drunk,” Thorne replied. “Where do you want him?”
“Upstairs. His bedroom is down the hall from mine.”
With a nod, Thorne followed Sky up to Sam’s room, waited while she drew back the covers before lowering her brother onto the bed.
“Do you want me to undress him?” he asked.
“Thank you. I’ll wait downstairs.”
In the living room, Sky sank down on the sofa, but she was too keyed up to sit still. Rising, she went into the kitchen, thinking a cup of hot chocolate might relax her, only to find that, after she fixed it, she didn’t want it. She poured it down the drain, then stood there, staring out the window.
What was she going to do about Sam? He had never been much of a drinker before he left home. What other bad habits had he picked up along the way? Had he turned into an alcoholic, or was that just a one-time bender born out of desperation and despair?
She turned as Kaiden entered the room, bemused that she had sensed his presence before he actually appeared in the doorway.
“He’ll be all right,” Thorne said, answering her unspoken question. For a moment, he considered telling her about Cassandra’s interest in Sam, but then decided against it. Sky had enough on her mind without worrying that a vampire wanted her brother. Besides, he was pretty sure that Cassandra wouldn’t bother Sam again. No matter what she said to the contrary, she had always adhered to the laws she had set for their kind.
“Thank you for finding him for me.”
“No problem,” he replied, taking her into his arms. “You know I’d do anything for you.”
She slid her arms up around his neck. “Anything?”
“Just name it and it’s yours.”
“A kiss?”
“Just one?”
“As many as you can spare.” She needed him. Needed to feel loved. Protected. Safe. Needed something to distract her thoughts from a brother who had problems she couldn’t fix, who might have deep psychological scars she would never understand.
She looked up at Kaiden, swamped by a sudden rush of guilt because she was using him to escape reality, and because she had prayed and prayed for her brother to come home and now that he was there, she didn’t know how to help him. One look into Kaiden’s eyes told her he knew exactly what she was doing.
Wordlessly, he swung her into his arms and carried her swiftly up the stairs to her room. A thought closed and locked the door. Still holding Sky, he pressed butterfly kisses to her brow, her cheeks, the hollow of her throat before he carried Skylynn to the bed.
She reached for him, but he gently swatted her hands away.
“Patience, love,” he murmured. “We have all night.”
She gazed up at him, lost in the dark depths of his eyes as he undressed her ever so slowly, his mouth like fire as he kissed each inch of exposed flesh.
He left her for a moment to remove his own clothing and then he stretched out beside Sky, his arms wrapping around her to draw Skylynn close as his lips claimed hers in a long, searing kiss that burned everything from her mind but her need for this man’s touch. The rest of the world seemed to fall away as he rose over her and there were only the two of them locked in each other’s arms.
She felt the brush of his mind against hers and the next thing she knew, they were lying on a blanket in a verdant meadow beneath a summer-blue sky. Birds sang in the trees that surrounded the meadow.
She writhed beneath him, his name a cry on her lips as their bodies moved in perfect rhythm, each one giving pleasure to the other.
She had only to think of what she wanted—a kiss here, a caress there, and it was hers.
She climaxed amid a burst of silver light that seemed to fill her entire being with pleasure almost beyond bearing and then, enveloped in a warmth unlike anything she had ever known, she slowly and deliciously drifted back to reality.
“I feel like I should thank you,” she murmured with a smile. “That was incredible.”
“You’re welcome.” He rolled onto his side, carrying her with him.
“How did you do that, make it seem like we were in a meadow?”
“A little vampire magic.”
She lay there, cocooned in his arms, spent and content, while the perspiration cooled on her body and her breathing returned to normal.
Thorne nuzzled the side of her neck and she felt the brush of his fangs against her skin.
“You didn’t bite me this time,” she said. “Why not?”
“I didn’t trust myself to stop while we were making love.” His tongue slid over her shoulder, making her shiver with delight. “But I wouldn’t mind taking a sip now, if you’re willing.”
“How can I refuse?” she asked with a lazy grin. “You certainly deserve a reward.”
He chuckled softly.
Moments later, she felt the faint sting of his fangs and then a rush of sensual heat that rivaled the pleasure she had enjoyed in his arms.
Closing her eyes, she tumbled into a warm red sea.
Thorne sensed the change in her, knew the instant sleep claimed her. He drew back, his gaze moving over her face and then, unable to resist the allure of her sweetness, he bent his head to her neck once again.
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