The Vampire...In My Dreams (7 page)

Lynetta batted her long black eyelashes as soon as she spied Dominic at the Hamburger Spot. Her enticing smile was perfectly genuine. And when she pointed her finger at him and crooked it, motioning to him to join her, he knew she was a dream come true.

But I tried to warn him—she’s a vampire! Don’t get near her!

Though usually he liked blue-eyed blondes, this girl’s hair and eyes were as black as shiny onyx—fathomless.

He seemed to glide across the crowded burger hangout to join her.

No, not the burger place. We were suddenly in the darkened alley across the street, the smell of wet asphalt from a recent shower and of garbage cooking in an overstuffed garbage dumpster wafting in the air. How in the world did we get here?

For a moment, I felt disoriented, my stomach swirling with a strange sensation, like I’d been be spinning around in a Mad Hatter tea cup and it had suddenly stopped.

Lynetta tugged Dominic into her arms and began kissing him like there was no tomorrow.

No tomorrow. No…no, there will be no tomorrow if you let her do this!

All at once the noxious odors disappeared. Nothing existed but the woman pressing her body nice and close. Her full lips tasted like forbidden fruit—a sweet wine. The alcoholic content nearly made him swoon with headiness.

No, no, not the wine. The woman. The vamp!

She licked his lips, teasing them apart, then tangled her tongue with his. He groaned.

I could have kicked him. Break free from the vamp’s spell! She’s old! Way…way too old for you. And really bad news.

Her hands held his face still, his eyes closed, he was in love.

Idiot!

And then her teeth grazed his neck. The prelude to the bite.

Break free! I so don’t want to feel this. I tried to break away.

Her lips caressed his throat and he was barely able to stand when she bit him. Hard.

The pain, the syringe-like stabs, the burning sensation, I wanted to collapse. My knees weakened. My senses reeled. I felt like I was falling from a space capsule, kick-dropped into the black void.

Her blood was on his lips, his tongue and down his throat. And then all he recalled was being alone in a dark alley, no sign of the girl, his mind drifting, his skin pale, and strange images were flashing before his eyes.

I didn’t want to see what happened next, my stomach tightening, my fists forming under my pillow, but I was powerless to stop it.

Dominic closed his eyes, trying to block out the strange images floating across his tired brain, but couldn’t. He leaned against the brick wall in the dark alley, his stomach swimming.

I wanted to leave, return home, safe, away from the world I’d found myself in. But I was far, far from home in a different time and place.

The plague had hit England hard and thousands in the city had died. Even the crown prince had taken ill, but just when Lynetta thought she wouldn’t take another breath, something happened. Weak from starvation, she could barely move, but her throat burned as if it were on fire and she craved blood worse than she’d ever wanted anything before. Everyone in her family—her mother, father, aunts and two sisters—had already died, their bodies burned with the rest of the plague victims, their house condemned.

The smells here were even worse than in the alley where I’d just been.

A candle no longer lit the room late that night, yet Lynetta could see as if the room was illuminated by burning tallow. The sound of a rat scurrying across the floor in the dark caught her attention, and she could even hear its heart beating. Every muscle stiff and unresponsive, she rolled off the straw mattress and headed for the rat.

Panic filled me. No, no. Rats carry the plague. Don’t touch the rat!

With a monumental effort, Lynetta dove for the rodent. But instead of crashing into the table where the rat ducked for safety, she half glided, half flew.

The sensation made me feel like I had grown wings, my body weightless and unencumbered. For an instant, I forgot about the rat. But then the gnawing in my belly grew.

Lynetta didn’t think she’d make it in time to reach the scurrying rodent. And she really wasn’t sure what she’d do with the filthy creature if she caught it. But in the next instant, she held it in her hands, bit off its head and was drinking its warm blood. And loving every drop of it.

I shuddered, unable to get the image of fur and blood out of my brain or the taste of the vermin out of my mouth. Raw, filthy blood, yet the taste of it warm against my tongue settled the craving.

“Famished?” a man asked, peering into Lynetta’s room. “My name is Count William Dubois, at your service.” He made a sweeping bow as if she was the queen of England.

I stared at him. My God. He looked like…like Dominic.

Dark-haired and eyed, the man stood six feet tall, his skin pale, his lips stained with blood and lifted upward in a sensuous smile.

“Lynetta Tolliver,” she said, stretching out her hand. He vanished and reappeared before her, reached for her hand, and kissed it with great finesse.

I nearly swooned.

Lynetta nearly did, too, but she didn’t think it was because of the gentleman’s gallantness, but because she was so ill and still starving.

Images of his being with her throughout the centuries passed before my eyes in a series of flickering video clips. Then I watched as another vampire ripped out William’s throat and Lynetta killed her lover’s murderer. It all happened so quickly, it was mostly a blur.

Dangerous and feral, she wanted someone else, someone to replace William, and she began stalking the streets for her new lover.

Spying Dominic Vorchowsky at the teen hangout, she waved her finger at him, drawing him forth, her gaze locked onto his, seducing him, willing him, commanding him. He’d replace her lost love for all eternity.

And he couldn’t resist her allure.

I wanted to scream at the vamp, wanted to fight for Dominic, for his soul, for his life back and I kicked my covers aside, but couldn’t fully wake from the dreams.

Then I settled into a deep sleep where darkness ruled.

***

I waited for Marissa to scream out my name again, but when she didn’t, I knew she just needed her sleep. As did I. At least I hoped she’d be more reasonable when the day dawned.

I squirmed in bed, knowing that by sharing Marissa’s blood, I was destined to visit her dreams, her memories, her past. Just like when Lynetta had taken my blood. I still couldn’t believe how much I looked like the Count William Dubois. I could have been William’s reincarnation. Though I wasn’t. Other than glimpses from Lynetta’s memories, I didn’t know anything about the man.

My mind drifted and my thoughts shifted to a witch’s world—Marissa’s.

I wasn’t sure where I was. A theater, filled with students. I glanced at the stage. A flag embossed with beakers sat on the stage to the right. And a gray-haired old woman motioned to a kid. “Your turn, Debbie Damint.”

“Did you ever figure out what your spell project would be?” Kate asked Marissa.

She smiled. “Absolutely.”

“You’ve been fretting about it all semester and never said a word. So give. What did you come up with?”

“You’ll see.”

Everyone in the spells class took their seats in the auditorium, and then one by one the students showed off their spells, starting with the average classes. Kate conjured up an imaginary dragon which was so real, her teacher threatened to move her to the advanced class—again. But she’d never apply herself in class.

Remnants of dragon smoke drifted off the stage and the teacher motioned for Marissa to show off her spell next. With a spring to her step, she walked on stage. Some of the students were sleeping, some talking to each other, very few were paying attention. But she would get their attention—guaranteed.

She raised her hands and began the incantation. After repeating it for the third time, a swirl of blue water whirled around the floor until the water formed into the figure of a woman.

Her aquamarine eyes large and expressive, her full lips turned up in a slight smile, her hair draping down her slim hips, blending in with her watery cerulean blue gown, ribbons of cobalt contrasting with the lighter blues—she was one of the most interesting creatures I’d ever seen.

The woman epitomized beauty. Sure, Kate’s dragon was pretty cool. But this was beyond extraordinary. An A+ project for sure.

Certainly, she had everyone’s attention. A woman was waving her hand at the stage and Marissa’s teacher was nodding. The teacher hurried up the stairs to the stage, but kept her distance from the water figure. “That is not a proper spell, Marissa Lakeland. Do you have a real one prepared for class?”

I felt horrible. Why wasn’t the spell acceptable? I’d never seen anything like it. Not anything the other students had conjured up came close to this.

“I…I can cast a cupid’s arrow spell.”

Her teacher frowned. “You need willing participants ahead of time. Take your seat.”

The creature stood nearby, her watery skin and clothes shimmering in the bright lights, watching the students.

“But my grade…”

“Zero. You cannot…” The gray-haired woman motioned to the entity. “This doesn’t count.”

A zero. I glowered at the teacher. How could she be so unfair? The water creature was the best spell ever.

Marissa waved her hand at her creation and spoke under her breath, then took her seat next to Kate. Tears ran down her cheeks. Trying to console her, Kate patted her hand. “I could have told you bringing her here wouldn’t have been acceptable.”

Fuming, I clenched my teeth. If I’d been the teacher, Marissa would have received an A+ and extra credit, too.

A puddle of water sat on the stage where the water creature had been. The next four students slipped on the wet floor, and the teacher, scowling the whole time, stopped the proceedings until she could get a janitor to mop up the floor.

The stage and the students, the teacher and the theater shifted, darkened, vanished.

I opened my eyes and listened for the sound of Marissa stirring, but I sensed her mind was finally cloaked in deep sleep, thank the stars.

If Marissa had been sucked into the dream swap while she slept, I sincerely hoped she hadn’t seen Lynetta kissing me, or how much I’d enjoyed it. I groaned and ran my fingers through my hair. I had a sneaking suspicion she’d be ticked off at me in the morning.

Chapter 7

DOMINIC

Early the next morning, I entered the kitchen. No sign of Marissa yet, though I’d heard her clunking around in the bathroom, so she was probably doing whatever girls do to make themselves presentable.
Poor things.
It didn’t take any time at all for us guys to rejoin the world and still be our handsome selves. Though it helped that I no longer had to shave, which was a remarkable vampiric trait I totally agreed with.

I, the Prince of Darkness, had been certain the love of my life who called out my name with such hostility before she fell asleep truly didn’t wish to see me. Hopefully, the dreams she’d borne were not too disturbing. If Marissa enjoyed a good night’s sleep, she’d be more reasonable. Then she’d see how her new abilities could benefit her. How many other witches did she know that could do the things, whatever they might be, that she could?

Seeing in the dark was one of the most remarkable feats I enjoyed. I hoped if I was saved from being turned fully, that I might still keep some of the more admirable traits…like seeing my lovely soul mate without any kind of light, natural or otherwise. The cursed desire for blood, my skin’s aversion to the sun’s rays, and my fangs extending when angered or hungry for blood—I would thankfully do without.

I glanced out the three big windows where a light oak breakfast table sat to see what kind of day we were in for. To the north, a dark blue wall headed our direction, thunder grumbling in the distance around Dallas, and sparks of lightning flared to light up the darkness. A thick blanket of clouds hung high overhead—another spring storm was headed our way. No sun to bother my sensitive skin. Good, I could go to school with Marissa.

Marissa stalked into the kitchen dressed in black jeans and a black T-shirt with a red universal hazard symbol embossed on it and beneath this in bright red letters, Boy Hazard was written. My lips twitched with amusement. She definitely was. A light floral fragrance she wore wafted in the air, triggering my need to lift my nose and take my fill. Another great attribute at times, my sense of smell had vastly improved. The downside was being able to smell offensive odors better, too. But Marissa’s appearance instantly brought to mind the notion of having a good morning kiss.

She glanced in my direction, scowled, and quickly turned away. I was sure she wasn’t thinking of good morning kisses. Dark circles appeared beneath her clear blue eyes. The low rounded neck of her shirt exposed the two tiny bite marks, but they were barely visible. Only a small bit of yellow bruising marred the area.

Instantly, the human part of me regretted even so much as causing her the slightest bit of discomfort. The vampire side of me couldn’t help but feel I’d claimed my soul mate for all eternity. She was mine now, and I even felt more possessive of her than I had when I first caught sight of her, if that was possible. Even last night, if some guy had made a pass at Marissa at the burger place, I would have been hard put to keep my fangs intact.

My mother had always said it was the same way for her and Dad, well, minus the fangs, when they had first met—love at first sight. Of course, I never believed in such a thing, not until I saw my lifemate. I wondered if I hadn’t been changed, how different it would have been for us? How would I have encouraged our relationship if I hadn’t needed her help so badly?

Marissa whipped around and yanked a milk jug from the fridge. She wouldn’t acknowledge I existed. She was still pissed, but that wouldn’t stop me from trying to get into her good graces.

When my dad was in one of his states of depression—usually over the stresses at work because he had one of those overbearing bosses who micromanaged everything—I found humor often helped to lighten his mood. Sitting down at the kitchen bar, I rested my elbows on the white tile countertop and took on a leisurely posture, as if I joined her every morning for breakfast after having slept the night beside her—beyond her bedroom wall.