Vampire Awakening (11 page)

Giving him a strange, blank look, she turned and ran into the woods. Only slightly relieved he turned and faced his cousin.

“You're too late, Russ.” He stalked toward the other vampire, ready for the fight he knew was coming. “Her memories are now my memories, and I know what you did.”

“Her memories? That's what you think this is about?” A strangled laugh came out of Russell, stunning Caleb with the hysterical sound of it. Further evidence to him that Russ had indeed gone over the edge and straight into insane. It would at least explain why one of the finest warriors he'd ever known had gone on a killing spree. The other vampire moved even closer, giving Caleb a glimpse of a dagger in his hand.

“What the hell are you doing, Russ? You planning on stabbing me with that?”

“Not you, dumb ass. Her.
Your
woman. She is yours, isn't she?” The feral gleam in his cousin’s eyes gave him pause. He didn't like the intent he saw there. Whatever happened he had to protect Abby at all costs. “You're planning to take her as a mate, aren't you? You’re feeling that uncontrollable grip of love that makes it hurt to breathe. Am I right?”

“Russ, don't you get it? It doesn't matter anymore. I know everything Abby knows, so there is nothing to gain by killing her. I know you killed that innocent woman, and I witnessed you kill the drummer. It’s over.”

“Dammit, Caleb, are you that fucking blinded by a wet cunt? I didn't kill her, your bitch did.”

Caleb stopped, totally confused. He couldn't figure out Russell's trick, where he thought he would get with these lies.

“Still don't get it? Well, how about I put it in plain English for you. I did not kill Marissa. I loved her—she was my mate. We had planned our long lifetime together, and your woman came upon us at the exact moment I was turning her.”

Caleb’s steps faltered. What he said couldn't be. He'd seen Abby's memories, and Russell had turned on Abby like a rabid wild animal. Caleb watched Russell relax his stance, although his gloved grip on the dagger got tighter and he stabbed it around in the air seemingly unconsciously.

“This is the same one, you know.” He raised the blade into direct line with Caleb’s vision. “The same one your bitch stabbed me with. The steel blade I could handle, the problem was the silver in the handle that had seeped into my bloodstream. It weakened me. I couldn't fight back. I couldn't finish the feeding.”

A twinge of truth rang through him at his cousin's words. Could it be? Russell's earlier rage seemed to be subsiding, to be replaced with a pure sadness even Caleb couldn't deny. A few minutes more, and he would have no trouble overtaking the other male. He needed to keep him talking.

“Tell me what happened, Russ.”

“I drained her, Caleb. You know the ways. Drain them to the point of death and then rebirth them with your own blood. Just as I drank the last drop from Marissa, Abby stabbed me in the back with this.” He waved the dagger wildly, getting agitated again. “If she hadn't stopped me, I wouldn't be alone right now without my mate.”

A grief stricken wail filled the air around them as they both turned to see Abby standing behind him. “No, it can't be true.” She walked forward toward them, and Caleb, using a preternatural speed, grabbed her before she could get too close.

It was that weakened moment that Russell used to make his move. Before Caleb could turn to protect himself, sharp claws scraped across the front of his neck, and the familiar, sweet scent of blood filled the air. He twisted and turned, trying to escape Russell's wild grip, but he held on. They both went down to the ground hard, Caleb slamming his head on the gravel.

Despite the buzzing in his head, Caleb managed to wrap an arm around his Russell and roll. Twisting his head, Caleb’s fangs caught the flesh of his cousin’s arm, ripping into it, scraping against bone and filling his mouth with the male's blood. An anguished male scream sounded right next to his ear. Bucking against his heavy body, he flung Russell across the clearing and into a tree. Caleb ran after him as he sprang back from his landing in the soft grass.

Abby watched the two men fly at each other and crash to the ground in a jumble of limbs and leather. She turned her head, searching for something to use as a weapon, when she spotted her dagger on the ground. She hadn't even realized the vampire had dropped it. She picked up the blade Marissa had given her. The last gift she had given her. Her warning that Abby carry it with her at all times ran through her head again.
Come on, Abby, you never know what might be out there. Do this for me. Take it and promise you will carry everywhere
. She had thought Marissa was just being paranoid, until she’d come upon the creature attacking her best friend. Or at least that’s what she thought she’d seen. When he'd turned into the faint light and she'd spied the blood and fangs, she'd panicked, stabbing him to the hilt of the weapon right between the shoulder blades. She remembered the sick sucking sound the knife made as she pushed it past skin and muscle.

She turned back to the men, prepared to save Caleb by any means necessary, but the two men were wrestling and fighting around on the ground at a speed her eyes could not track. It was impossible to tell who was who in order to offer any kind of help. With every blow, more blood flew, and she noticed their leathers looked slick with one or both of their blood. She watched mesmerized as the two snarled, baring fangs, looking every bit like the wild beasts they were.

She shivered at the thought. 

Vampires. The very word invoked a fear she'd buried and now couldn't hide from. But this was Caleb she was thinking about. He wasn’t simply a vampire with no soul. He was the man who awoke in her a primal need and desire. The man she loved. And she believed with everything she had that he loved her every bit as much as she did.

She had to help him, couldn’t let the other man take him away from her.
Dear God, Marissa, it’s my fault you died. You were to become a vampire.
That thought gave rise to another that hadn’t even occurred to her yet. The whole situation with death and vampires surrounding her seemed so bizarre.

How had her memories conveniently disappeared when Marissa had died? Was it some sort of posttraumatic stress disorder? Oh hell, Caleb was a vampire. She’d suspected he had some pretty big secrets but this was all too absurd.

Caleb broke free from Russell’s grip around his neck, stumbling backward toward Abby. He would protect her. The warm flow of blood slid down his throat from the damage he’d already sustained. He would need blood soon, or he’d be in serious trouble. Time to end this mess with his cousin.

“Enough of this bullshit, Russ. If what you say is true about your life mate, then the family will take that into consideration when judging you.”

“You think I give a shit about that anymore? I don’t care about anything anymore except making her pay for what she did to Marissa.” Russell pointed at Abby and Caleb saw red. Protect Abby. Save Abby.

“Stop being a dick and be reasonable. How would Abby have known what was going on? How could she? It was a horrible accident. One you both will have to get past.”

“I’ll get past it when she’s dead, cousin. Not before.” Catching him off guard, Russell leaped past Caleb in a blur of black leather and captured Abby around the neck. His sharp-tipped claws encircled her throat, squeezing hard and nicking her skin. Abby’s fresh, dark red blood spilled through Russell’s fingers, enraging Caleb. The scent of Abby on his cousin pushed him past the edge. Rushing to save her, Caleb stopped short when he saw Russell’s eyes bug out and his body jerk unnaturally. His cousin’s fingers loosened from her neck and fell with the rest of him to the ground, where he saw the answer. Abby’s silver spelled dagger was buried in his cousin’s chest, blood oozing around the handle. He grabbed for Abby as she began to fall.

“I’ve gotcha, darlin’.”

“I’m sorry, Caleb, I didn’t have a choice.” Her hoarse whisper broke him. She worried about him when a madman had nearly crushed her throat. She probably had no idea how easy it would have been for Russell to snap her neck and end her life in less time it took to blink. His stomach roiled with anger.

“You were supposed to run.”

“I can’t believe you’re a vampire.” She poked at his arm.

He grabbed her hand and brought it to his mouth. He could feel his blood rushing out and his body growing weaker by the second. Nevertheless, that was secondary to his need to fix all the damage he’d caused.

“It’s not a secret I am allowed to tell. Ever,” he emphasized. “There are severe consequences to vampires who don’t keep our existence a secret. They’re usually long, painful and often end in death.”

He watched her consider each word he spoke. He wouldn’t blame her if she didn’t believe any of it. If the tables were turned and she was the vampire in question…

“But Marissa knew. Your cousin was turning her. Is it different then?”

Caleb shook his head. “Not often. If he didn’t petition the coven for permission in advance, which he didn’t, then he and Marissa would have become one of the hunted. A team would have been dispatched and they’d both been dragged back to Savannah to stand judgment.”

While Abby digested the information he was forbidden to give her, Caleb tried to stand. Shaking, he gritted his teeth against the pain and intense hunger brought on from blood loss. He was losing it faster than he’d thought.

“You should have run. Now it’s too late.” He’d do everything in his power to protect her but her life was about to change and not for the better.

“I started to. But I couldn’t leave you.”

Some of his anger deflated at the display of emotions expressed on her beautiful face.

“I’m really sorry about
him
.” Tears shimmered in her eyes and he nearly lost it. He couldn’t handle it if she cried over his cousin. He didn’t deserve her sorrow and hadn’t in a very long time.

“Don’t worry, Abby. You did what you had to. There was no getting to him.” He drew her close and wrapped her in his arms, ignoring the pain.

“Will he die?” They both looked at his still form on the ground.

“Maybe. Depends on how much silver is on that weapon. The unlucky bastard will probably heal in a few weeks just as he did last time.” He snuggled her body closer to his own, savoring her fresh, womanly scent, reassuring him that she would be okay. “But remind me to never piss you off, darlin’.” Despite his attempt at lightening the mood, his voice cracked.

Her head shot up. “What’s wrong? Why are you shaking?”

“Need to feed.” He tried to hide the quiver in his voice but couldn’t. “Not healing.” He heard the thundering staccato of her heartbeat. The soft swish of her blood calling out to him.

Abby wrenched free and Caleb staggered unable to stay upright. His arm curled around his wound protectively as he breathed through the pain. Already his heart had begun to slow.

“Where? Oh my God. We need to get you help. Let me see.” She pushed his jacket and shirt out of the way and recoiled at the sight of all the blood.

“I’m not just going to let you die now. Not after all this. For pete’s sake, what’s a little more trauma after the bombs you’ve dropped tonight?”

Caleb tried to smile at her sass. Instead he zeroed in on her throat and watched her pulse.

“Caleb!” She waved her hand in front of his face and interrupted his train of thought. He turned his gaze to her face. “It’s not as if this is the first time. I remember now. Don’t be a pussy now and risk your life.”

He jerked in surprise, instinct taking over. Before she could take another breath, he struck, sinking his fangs into her soft flesh. Her cry at the sudden move only pushed him over the edge as he drank deep, savoring the hard rush of her energy to his depleted body. More. He had to have more.

God help them both if he hurt her.

Chapter Six

Abby opened the door of her cottage to the familiar scent of raspberry candles. Her favorite. Her heart tripped in her chest as always at the knowledge that Caleb was waiting for her. Two weeks had passed since she'd gotten her memory back, and she still had moments of grief and guilt over her friend. But she had acknowledged the hard truth that she had reacted as anyone would when faced with a monster in the night. No, not a monster, a vampire. Caleb certainly wasn't a monster. Her mind wandered back to the night of the confrontation with Russell and how she’d almost lost Caleb to his overprotective need to place her above all else.

Her hand flew to her neck as the memory of that bite dragged her to the past. The hot flash of pain had lasted no more than a second before a wave of unexpected pleasure had crashed into her. Her panties grew wet just thinking about it again. Her vague memories of Caleb drinking from her before paled in comparison to the reality of her vampire in the throes of blood lust. With no warning, her body had heated from the inside out and she’d exploded in release from his teeth alone.

The sensual pull had proved almost too much for them both as she’d craved more instead of convincing him to stop. Her breasts ached now for Caleb’s touch. And no matter how many times he sated her lust it was never quite like that night. That desperate frenzy of need, hunger, and lust. Abby shook her head and pushed back at the memories. Tonight would change things as much if not more than that incident with Russell did.

As for Russell, it was hard to blame him too much for his grief stricken actions. Losing Marissa had altered him in a way no one expected him to recover from. Although the coven had disciplined him harshly for the trouble he’d caused after the fact.