Love's Challenge (Pearl Vampire Chronicles #5)

Acknowledgements

I cannot thank my readers
enough – your comments, praise, suggestions and reviews give me the motivation
to keep writing – I do this for you.  You are the ones who keep Sarah, Matthew
& Carlos’ story going.

To my kids – Jen, Zach &
Clint – you’ve made me what I am today. I love you very much.

Also by the author:

The Link – Pearl Vampire Chronicles #1

The Recruiters – Pearl Vampire Chronicles #2

Malina’s Revenge – Pearl Vampire Chronicles #3

The Return of Jonas – Pearl
Vampire Chronicles #4

Love’s Challenge

Pearl Vampire Chronicles,
# 5

This is a work of fiction.  All of the characters,
organizations and events portrayed in this novel are either products of the
author’s imagination or are used fictitiously.  Any similarity to real persons,
living or dead, is coincidental and not intended by the author.

Caution – Contains some adult subject matter. May not
be suitable for younger readers. Parental discretion is advised.

Love’s Challenge © Copyright 2012 by Dara J Nelson.  .

All rights reserved.  No part of this book may be
reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or
mechanical, including photocopying, without the written permission from the
author except for the inclusion of brief quotations in a review.

Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

ISBN-10:  1
-610-61089-6

EAN-13: 
978-1-61061-089-6

  
Prologue

“It can’t be that many,” I said

“It really is, Sarah,” he said

“But, Matt.  How can eighty-seven vampires go missing in the last six
months?  How is that possible?” I said

He shook his head.  “I don’t know Sarah.”

“No one’s seen or heard from any of them?  At all?” I asked, still unable
to believe what he was saying.

“No.  Nothing,” he said then he looked away and squeezed his eyes shut. 
That’s when I knew.  I knew he was keeping something from me.  I knew he wasn’t
telling me everything.  I took his hand in mine.  I felt him tense up.  He
could sense that I knew. 

“Matt,” I whispered.  “Tell me.  You have to tell me.”

“I know I do, Sarah.  It’s just so hard.  I feel so guilty.  I’m head of
security, I was responsible for them.  I feel like this is my fault.”

“It isn’t.  I know that.  You should know that.  But Matt, who is it?”

He looked at me.  “I’m so sorry, Sarah,” he said.

Okay, this is bad.  He’s stalling now… and it was beginning to piss me
off.

“Matthew Pearl.  Tell me who is missing, right now,” I hissed.

“Stacy,” he whispered.

Stacy was a great friend, a stripper before I had turned her and as a
vampire she ran a top-quality vampire call-girl service.

I gasped.  “No!”

“It’s worse, Sarah,” he said even more quietly.

“Worse?  How could it be worse?” I groaned.

“Missy’s gone too.”

Missy was my assistant in the office, she kept me organized, kept me
grounded,  she kept me sane.

He caught me just as my knees started to give out and wrapped his arms
around me as I sobbed into his chest.  “No, no, no, no, no,” I said between
sobs.  “Oh my God,” I said as I tried to get control of myself.  I pulled my
head back and looked at him.  “When?” I said.  “When did they disappear?”  I
was terrified that I already knew the answer, but I had to ask anyway.  I was
right.

“Last week when we were on the island.”

“Shit!” I said.  “Why does this crap always happen when we’re trying to
have a normal life?  Why?”

He gave me that look.

“What?” I said.

“Sarah, considering everything that’s gone on in our life, especially
lately, do you really think we could ever have what’s considered a
normal
life?”

I grimaced.  That stung.  “Point taken.”  I rested my head on his
shoulder.  “What do we do now?” I said.

“I’m not sure.  I don’t have a single clue.  There haven’t been any
rumors.  Nothing.  There’s nothing.  It’s as if they vanished into thin air,”
he said.

I looked at him and took a deep breath.  “Okay.  One thing’s for
certain.  This place is going into lockdown.  Get anyone back here who’s gone. 
Nobody leaves.  Nobody.  And put the word out to everyone, warning them.  Tell
them they can come here if they want.  They can stay here until we figure this
out.  And you and I are going on lockdown too,” I said.

“Us?  We’re going on lockdown?  What exactly does that mean?” he said.

“It means you’re not leaving my side, ever.  Not even for a second. 
We’re going to work in the same office.  Eat together.  You’ll have to come
with me when I make my rounds in the clinic.  Everything.  All the time. 
Together.  You were ripped from my life once before when Malina kidnapped you and
then I almost lost you now because, well, because I was stupid.  I’m trying to
fix that now.  It would devastate me if you were taken now. I know I wouldn’t
survive it,” I said.

Matt stared at me for a second then he nodded.  “Okay, Sarah,” he said
then his mouth gently came down on mine.  Suddenly the alarm sounded.  “Oh God,
no,” he groaned as he grabbed my hand and we ran down the hall towards his
office.

“What, Matt?  What does it mean?  Not another one.” I said then I gasped
when he nodded.  We burst through the security room door. 

“What’s happened, Derek?” Matt said.

“I… I… I just saw them take Tracy,” he stammered.

“What?  What do you mean you saw
them
?  Saw who?” he said.

Derek pointed a shaky finger at the monitors.  “She was walking through
the courtyard, when these… things… swooped out of the sky, grabbed her and flew
away with her.”

“Things?  You mean they weren’t vampires?” he said.

“Not like any vampires that I’ve ever seen” he said.  “They had
wings.
”

We both stared at him with our mouths hanging open.  “Wings?” Matt was
finally able to say.  “As in, actual, attached to their bodies, wings?”

Derek nodded.  He punched a few commands into his keyboard.  “Here,
look,” he said.

The center monitor flickered then began playing the tape.  We saw several
vampires in the courtyard.  Tracy must have been shopping in the village.  She
walked in through the main gate, smiling and waving at the guard, Troy then she
continued on into the courtyard.  As she reached the halfway point, several
shadows appeared on the ground around her.  Strange, huge, bird-like shadows. 
Tracy noticed them too.  She stopped walking and looked down with a confused
look on her face.  Then she slowly looked up.  Confusion quickly turned to
horror.  She dropped the bags she was carrying and was just about to scream,
when they swooped down.  “What the…???”  Matt and I both said.  Derek quickly
hit the pause button.  The three of us could only stare… we were completely
speechless. 

My head tilted to the side as I studied the odd creatures.  Three were
male, one was female.  All were completely naked.  All were completely
hairless.  Their hands and feet resembled claws and talons.  Their eyes were
shaped more like an eagle’s eyes than a human’s.  The muscles on their bodies
were chiseled and looked much, much stronger than ours.  Their fangs were down.
 And they were all wearing some sort of tracking collar around their necks.  I
pointed at it.  “Do you see that?” I said. 

Matt nodded next to me.  “Uh-huh.  It’s like these things are somebody’s
pets
.”

“Have either of you ever seen anything like this before?” I said.

“No way,” Derek said.

“No, Sarah,” Matt said.

“I have,” whispered a quiet, shaking voice behind us.  We all whipped our
heads around and stared at Bahiti’s terrified face… then we waited for her to
continue…

Chapter
One

“Ahhhhhh! I got you,” Juan yelled as he tackled Carlos.  Carlos was our
best friend, who was currently in a relationship with a beautiful girl named
Maria (whom I had introduced him to)… and he was also someone that I had been fighting
an attraction to for some time now – ever since Matt had been kidnapped – and
that attraction was definitely not one-sided.  He struggled with it too.

It was Christmas time and we were at my sister Cindy’s house in Texas.  My
sister had adopted Juan and Sophia after their mother was killed when her
apartment building had collapsed.  I knew them and their mother.  All three had
been patients at our medical clinic back at our home Peru.  I had even babysat
them sometimes.  And while Matt and I had briefly considered raising them
ourselves, but with us being vampires and them being human children I wasn’t
sure if that was the best idea.  My sister, on the other hand, my human sister,
had been a perfect choice.  We had all three planned on being here for two
weeks, but the growing incidences of disappearing vampires had required Matt to
leave a few days early.  So Carlos and I were still here, although Carlos still
hadn’t told me why he had shown up at my sister’s house with Matt and me rather
than spending the holidays with Maria, but I knew he would, eventually.  It was
really great seeing him laugh again, though.  He hadn’t been his usual, happy
self lately.  Every time we saw him he had seemed tense and irritated.  I could
only hope that it didn’t have something to do with me.  No, don’t, Sarah, I
said to myself.  Don’t read anything into this.  Yes, the two of us had a
history, sort of: one or two passionate kisses and a whole heap of sexual
tension, but we’d dealt with it, right?  The two of us are fine now.  Best
friends and nothing more, right?  Oh how I hoped that I was right.

We were in Cindy’s living room.  I was playing with one year old Sophia
on the floor in the corner.  Four year old Juan was ‘the cop.’ Carlos was ‘the
bad guy.’  Cindy was the ‘damsel in distress.’  Juan was saving her.  Juan stabbed
his sword (a cardboard tube from Christmas wrapping) into Carlos.  “Ohhhh,”
Carlos moaned, “I give up.  I surrender.  Please don’t kill me.” 

Carlos caught my eye and winked.  I smiled at him and then went back to
entertaining Sophia.  This was our last evening here.  Carlos and I were
catching the red eye home tonight.  I wanted to leave when the kids were
asleep.  I thought it would be easier on them… and me.  “You are going to jail
now, mister bad guy,” Juan said as he grabbed Carlos by the arm.  He led him
over to the ‘jail’ (the couch) and ‘locked’ him in.  Then he rushed over to
Cindy and began untying her from the chair.  As he did, he looked over at
Carlos and said, “You don’t get to scare Mommy anymore,” then he went back to
untying her.  Cindy and I tried not to react, but we both looked at each
other.  It had been so innocent, yet it meant so much.  

Cindy had adopted the kids only a few months before.  Being four, Juan
remembered his Mom and missed her terribly, so he was shy at first and he
called her Cindy.  This was the first time Juan had called her Mommy.  I saw a
tear roll down Cindy’s cheek.  Juan saw it too and said, “It’s okay.  You don’t
have to cry.  I’m saving you,” he said. 

Cindy smiled and said, “Sweetie, I’m crying because I’m happy.  I’m happy
that you saved me.”  The second her arms were untied they were wrapped around
Juan.  She finally pulled back and looked at him.  “Okay, honey.  It’s way past
your bedtime,” she said.  I brought Sophia into my arms and stood up.