The Link

The Link

The Pearl Vampire Chronicles

Volume One

By

Dara J. Nelson

The Link © Copyright 2010 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 written permission from the author except for the inclusion of brief quotations in a review.

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. Adult content – parental discretion is advised.

ISBN-10:
1-453-76552-2

EAN-13: 978-1-453-76552-4

Prologue

The first time I actually saw him was down on the pier. I didn’t really feel that surprised though, which was odd. I was trying to figure out why, but wasn’t having much luck right now because the fog seemed to be not only surrounding me but also in my head. Just looking at him for a second and my normal thought process seemed to have flown the coop. I’d gone for an evening walk, and though the waterfront was not the safest place to be alone, I loved the sound of the waves lapping up against the fishing boats that were docked for the night. So, safe or not, this was where I usually walked. But I wasn’t completely crazy. I carried my mace and a whistle, just in case. But this man never made me feel like I needed to close my fingers around it, the way I did when so many others passed me. With this guy I felt strangely
comforted and
safe
.

He was standing at the end of one of the piers.
But he wasn’t looking out at the water.
He was facing me. I swear he was watching me. I felt a
chill go down my spine, not because I was afraid, but rather because I felt, oddly, protected. That
and
he was absolutely, drop-dead gorgeous. I slowed my pace a bit and watched him. I was a little confused because he seemed so familiar. But, hell, a face like that I’m sure I would’ve remembered. His wavy dark brown hair rustled in the breeze.
While staring at him, I almost walked off the path into a lamppost. I stopped myself just in time. I smiled and shook my head at how ridiculous I was and then turned and continued on the path by the water. I turned once more to look back at
him…and he was gone. “Figures
,
” I said.

This continued for several nights (luckily the rain was staying away. In this part of the Pacific Northwest it’s hard to get two dry nights in a row any time of year and this was spring). Each night he would be standing in the same place and each day his face continued to be foremost on my mind when I was at work. Who was this man and why did I feel as if I already knew him? Why did I feel so drawn to him? Why did it seem like the hardest thing for me to do was continue on my walk instead of walking
right up to him and wrapping my arms around him? It truly felt like my arms
belonged
around him.

On the fourth night I saw him again, always in the same place as before. I smiled at him and then made my turn along the path. I turned and looked at the water one last
time;
my eyes marveling at the last of the sun dancing on it, then turned back, looked straight ahead, and stopped in my tracks. He was there, about 100 feet in front of me, sitting on a bench on the edge of the path, watching me. I was confused for a moment (how did he get there so fast??). I wasn’t sure whether to turn back. If I continued on I would have to walk right past him. Why didn’t that bother me or scare the hell out of me? What was it about him that seemed so damn familiar?
Why was my heart pounding, not from fear but from anticipation?
Why did I feel so incredibly safe right now? Shouldn’t I be nervous that there was a strange man watching me? Absolutely, but those nerves just weren’t there at all. I thought hard and then my subconscious finally released it. All my life there had been moments when I felt like I was being watched. Not watched by something creepy or bad,
but by something good, something that made me feel safe. There were even times when I thought I saw someone, someone in the shadows, someone who was there one second, then gone the next. Gone in the blink of an eye. I’d never actually
seen
him, but I knew it was a man and I knew what I felt like when he was around. This man had been a part of my life and a part of my dreams for as long as I could remember. I would swear this was that same man, right here, right in front of me, but how could that be? He couldn’t be much more than thirty, there’s no way he could be the same man, could he? Yet, when I looked at him I felt exactly the same way. I felt the same familiarity as I did when I sensed him before. I felt the same way I did when he showed up in my dreams, only this time he didn’t fade when I awoke. This time there actually was someone watching me and I almost felt relieved that this time he didn
’
t seem to be going anywhere.
He watched me as I thought all of this through, patiently waiting while I made the decision to turn away (kind of rude, I thought) or keep going (is that really smart? My head said no, but….). Intrigued, I decided to continue on, planning to just
walk past him, maybe offering a polite hello, but definitely feeling kind of silly for all the emotions running through my head right now. But as I approached the bench, he stood, faced me and said
,
“Good Evening Sarah, I believe it’s time to properly introduce myself.” I stopped dead in my tracks.

“
Ummm, hello?” I managed to say. “H
-
h
-
h
-
how do you know my name?” I stammered. He smiled and it lit up his whole face. It was breathtaking. It would have floored me, literally, if he hadn
’
t gently reached out to grab my elbow and steady me. It was a smile that made my heart sputter.
My pulse was racing.

“
Oh,” he said, “I know a great deal about you. My name is Matthew Pearl and I was really hoping you would sit with me for a moment and let me explain.”

Chapter One

It’s a good thing the bench was there, I’m not sure my legs would have held me up much longer. This gorgeous man, with a voice that flowed so smoothly and sent shivers down my spine,
already made my knees weak
. Although I tried to be graceful, I couldn’t help but just flop down on the bench. Of course, if I could have seen inside his
face
, I would have known that he was just as nervous, but for many different reasons. His dark smoldering eyes threatened to swallow me up as he sat down next to me.
His voice trembled slightly as he turned to me and said
,
“Sarah, I’ve waited so long to actually meet you. As I said before, my name is Matthew, and, well, there’s no easy way to say this, though I’m fairly certain that you’re already aware of me, but I’ve been watching you for many years.”

I blinked once, twice, shook my head a bit, certain I had heard wrong. “Excuse me?” I said, as I was trying to do the math in my head. He really looked younger than me, how could he POSSIBLY
be the same person that I’d always felt watching me?

He smiled at the confusion on my face, lightly touched my hand and said, “I know it
’
s a little overwhelming to hear, but…” I waited for more but he suddenly stopped talking and pursed his lips. He had a look of pain on his face that really made me want to reach for him. I suddenly wanted nothing more than to make him feel better.

“
What?” I asked, “What’s wrong?”

He smiled again and gently shook his head, “No, I’m truly sorry, but no more for tonight, I’ve said enough already, I have to go now.”

My mouth fell open, “You’re not serious. Please tell me you’re kidding. Y
-
y
-
you’re leaving me? I, I mean
,
you’re leaving?” I stammered. Why the hell did I just say you’re leaving
me
, I thought. God, I really hope he didn’t catch that.

He smiled and lightly touched my cheek, his cool finger definitely not the only thing that sent a shiver down my spine. “I’m sorry, but yes. But I promise I will see you again, soon. Tonight is only the beginning.
Goodnight Miss Sarah,” and with that he turned and was gone.

I sat there for a while, unable to move. Finally I shook my head
.
“Get a hold of yourself, you probably just imagined him anyways,” I mumbled. I stood and walked home in a daze and then went about my normal evening routine - dinner, dishes, a little reading, and finally, bed. But sleep took much longer than usual to come because I couldn’t let go of his beautiful face, his tenderness, his soft voice. I got up at five a.m. for work the next day, tired from the lack of sleep, yet strangely energized.

Things continued like that for the next few evenings. He was always waiting for me in the same place. My heart would soar when I saw him. He would offer me his arm and say
,
“Good
e
vening
Miss Sarah, it
’
s so nice to see you again.”

“
It
’
s very nice to see you too, Matthew,” would always be my reply. We’d walk and he would make small talk, never revealing too much about himself or his life, but at this point I really didn’t care.
He’d ask me about events in my life - birthday parties, high school graduation, camping with the family. When I answered him, I sometimes caught him finishing my stories for me.
Almost like he already knew them,
“And then your feet got tangled up, you fell, hit your head and had to get stitches,” he said as I was telling him about a game of tag in the street in front of my parents house with my best friends when I was twelve.