“SARIEL, wake up.” Worry shattered Crystine’s tenuous emotional control as she lightly shook her friend’s shoulder. Soft snores under the heavy bed blankets cautioned a light touch. Abrupt or brisk rousing could stimulate an immediate and violent defensive response.
Images of Sariel as a small blonde-headed girl in a bloody nightgown, shrill screams cut off by the vampire holding her at arm’s length, gave them both nightmares. Would the encounter with Lukas trigger more restless nights?
After having destroyed the beast, she couldn’t determine the exact nature of the child. Perhaps a new species. From the time they began talking, all humans absorbed a slight taint of evil. This child had contained none.
Further investigation revealed someone had abandoned her on the steps of a monastery as an infant. The monks there had been most adamant in their demand for secrecy concerning the child’s ancestry, never divulging her unique origins. It had taken two days to convince the priests that Crystine could raise the child and keep her from harm.
Upon her arrival, they’d taken great pains to question Sariel about the circumstances of her foster family’s death. Hysterical ramblings of blue, glowing eyes and clawed fingers ripping through bellies summed up the horrific event.
The convincing factor in their deliberations—as a witch and warrior, Crystine stood the best chance of protecting the child. From that blood-filled day onward, she’d raised and trained Sariel to fight evil in its varied forms.
On numerous occasions, her protégé’s puberty had proven intriguing on many extraordinary levels. Instead of teenage angst, Sariel’s special gifts emerged, challenging her witch’s skills at every turn.
“Come on, sleepyhead.” How much of her life’s essence did that bloodsucker take? For reasons which defied explanation, even after that shocking encounter Sariel had lacked any touch of evil. Whatever the vampire had forced her to ingest hadn’t contaminated her with its vile nature. And how could that happen? Perhaps Sariel’s blood overcame whatever she’d consumed.
“Ugh.” Sariel’s low groan betrayed her desire for privacy.
“You won’t be safe until the beast is destroyed.” His aura had radiated tremendous power indicating advanced age. With age came preternatural gifts. Killing it would be difficult but essential for her protégé’s survival.
“While you’ve been snoozing, I’ve conjured spells to help us remain hidden.” If the animated tick found them, as long as their confrontation took place outside, Mother Nature would aid her. Otherwise, the outcome would be questionable. Either way, she’d stand beside Sariel to her last breath. “Let’s go.”
“I’m up. I’m up. Really, you don’t have to holler.” Sariel pushed back the heavy blankets on her bed. “What is that heavenly smell?” With eyes closed and her face tilted up, Sariel padded after the invisible scent trail leading to the kitchen.
The blissful expression on her face radiated nothing but innocence.
“It’s just brownies for our grotto friends.” Crystine’s bark of laughter startled Sariel out of her trance-like state. “I asked the cave fairies to scour our scent from the cavern. This is their reward.”
“What if he goes back there? Can he find them? Would he hurt them?”
Crystine snorted. “Yeah, I’d wish him luck with that one. No way could he catch any of them. Their magick is stronger and even more precise than mine. Who do you think helped me hone some of my finer skills? Only your presence at my side convinced them to teach me a cloaking spell.”
Sariel closed her eyes and sniffed again. “What about us? Aren’t you going to save some for our snack?”
The priceless look of dejection on her friend’s face could soften any heart. “All right. I’ll save a few. Heaven forbid you miss a snack.”
After a thoughtful examination, she added, “Probably need it after what you did last night. What the devil got into you, Sariel? Have you forgotten how we first met?” Worry for her naïve friend resulted in a throbbing headache and an acidic, churning stomach. “We need to talk about this.”
“Crystine, no innate evil dwelled within him. I knew what I detected resulted from his fight.”
“Sariel, he took your blood. That means he can track you. I don’t know if I can block that or not. It will be a very strong tie.” Crystine couldn’t bear to tell her the vampire forced its blood into her. By that time, Sariel’s brain probably couldn’t record the details of the encounter.
“What? Your spells have blocked our presence from demons for years.” Her eyes shone with a dark and terrible fear, eyes that had witnessed the many ways evil demonstrated its depraved nature.
“Yes, that’s because they had nothing to trace you with. Now this one does. I’ve been working all morning. I don’t know how effective this invocation will be. I sensed that vampire was an ancient, which means his powers will be difficult to counter.”
A sudden gasp preceded Sariel’s enlightened expression. “Oh, Crystine, I’m sorry. I didn’t think it through or how it would endanger you. Do you think he’s older than you?”
“Absolutely. He’s amassed great power judging by his aura. We should leave this morning. Our other cabin has better and older warding spells."
A slight citrus tang mingled with the chocolate aroma emanating from orange-peel brownies as Crystine transferred them from the open fire to their wood-plank kitchen table. “I’ve started a pot of stew and bread. After we eat, we’ll leave.”
“If you’ve worked more spells, why leave?”
“Because I’ve just now completed them. You came here unprotected, which means you left a trail.”
“Oh, what have I done? But, Crystine, if he’d wanted to kill me, he would have done it last night.”
“What if he wanted to hold you prisoner as his renewable sippy cup?” It wasn’t worth the slightest risk. Her best witch’s spell would kill the damn beast on her first opportunity.
“I don’t think he meant to harm me. He did say he’d fought demons. Their remains covered his leathers.”
“It’s no secret demons and vampires hate each other. It means nothing. We leave after lunch. It’ll take us that long to get packed.” Within the hour, they’d leave this place for better protection.
A long squeak of protest signaled the pantry door’s age when Crystine shoved it open to rummage in the back. Two large duffels would be all they could carry, for now. They’d return after she’d executed the vampire.
“Here, Sariel, pack our clothes in this one and I’ll pack mine with cooking and other essentials.”
Sariel caught the bag tossed to her. “I’m so sorry, Crystine, I…”
To see her friend’s eyes brimming with unshed tears piled on guilt at not better preparing her protégé to deal with vampires. “We’ll be all right. We’ll figure this out. When you come out, I’ll have something ready to eat. Go ahead, now.”
“What about the artifact he talked about? That seemed real to me.”
“And vampires are always honest? Think, Sariel. What do you know about them, from personal experience?” She hated bringing up that horrific experience yet needed to break through her obstinacy regarding some vampires containing a breath of humanity.
“What if he was telling the truth, and there is some kind of artifact which can destroy mankind? We have to do something.”
“We will. I’ve already thought about it. As soon as we’ve relocated and you’re settled, I’ll search for this supposed ruby, but you’ll need to stay put. I’ve got a hunch that beast will search for you.” Until I finish it off.
“No. I have to help. Besides, he’s probably already forgotten about me.” Worry and guilt etched Sariel’s face. “We’ve always stuck together.”
“Trust me. It won’t forget. That thing’ll probably look for you first thing when it rises. I saw the look on its face.”
Sariel’s tears coursed down and matted her blonde curls together. “Then we can’t stay together. I won’t endanger you.”
Crystine’s two steps brought them face to face to hug her ward tight. It lent little comfort with the enormous and dangerous mess in which they’d found themselves. “Of course we’ll stay together. We will always stay together. Didn’t I promise you the day I rescued you from the clutches of that disgusting thing?” No amount of evil could taint the purity standing within her embrace. “When I adopted you as my own, I meant it. You’re with me until you take a husband. Now, it’s getting late and we need to leave. Go. Pack our things.”
“Can you use magick to help us find this artifact? If so, can you destroy it?”
“Haven’t found evil yet that I couldn’t destroy with the right incantation.” She mentally rejected one spell after another as her smile shrouded a deadly intent. She would do anything to protect her friend. “Finding it might be difficult. Obviously, it’s magickal in origin. That is if the vampire was truthful.” Two for one will be nice.
* * * *
A subdued restlessness settled in Sariel’s mind as she dressed. How had her life derailed and crashed in one night? Their survival depended on practical application of sound reasoning. Now she’d put both their lives in danger.
Her braid snagged in the duffle as she seized it and headed out toward the other bedroom. She’d pack Crystine’s casting books first.
Clothes lay scattered in every direction after rummaging for the necessities. With swift precision, she’d foraged through the last of the dresser drawers before padding back to her own room.
Precious memories, things she’d collected over time, stood on her dresser. They’d have to remain until it was safe to return for them.
Her breath caught with a change in her mental template. A one-eighty spin brought her face to chest with a solid wall of muscle—decidedly male muscle—covered with a leather vest. A strong arm splayed against her lower back while a hand covered her mouth.
“Shh, you’re in danger. Demons are approaching your home as we speak.”
Close proximity with the vampire induced a lightheaded and paralyzing fear. Her gaze darted to the open, empty doorway. He’d made no sound loud enough to alert Crystine.
Before she could issue a muffled scream, her shadowless friend appeared at the vampire’s side. Aleyn’s scowl and suggestive throat clearing revealed his opinion of the beast’s manhandling.
“Crystine’s cloaking spell won’t work on these particular demons, Lukas.” Aleyn’s presence wasn’t a surprise and this wasn’t the first time he’d alerted them to danger. “Demons are coming, Sariel. I’ll go out again and get their positions.” He glided back and forth beside her as his fingers swirled and stroked his goatee.
In short order, he turned to face Sariel, hands steady at his sides. “Sariel, the vampire is here to help you. Trust him.”
Lukas’ arched brow offered his only recognition of her ghostly friend.
Fear skittered across her shoulders, followed by a violent shudder. He could easily snap her in half yet held her gently caged in his steely grasp.
“I’m going to remove my hand from your mouth. There’s no need to scream. I swear on my soul I’ll not hurt you.”
True to his word, the brush of his fingers drifted down, whisper soft over her chin and throat to finally rise and cage her jaw in bands of steel, without pressure.
Her throat, too dry to utter a sound, played host to a large knot of nerves. His dark, feral gaze smashed through her self-protective barriers to yank all common sense from her mind.
“Do you have a soul?” In the back of her mind, Sariel had always wondered about vampires.
When he brought his face close enough so she could smell berries on his breath, she inhaled. He spoke low and calm, as if to a frightened child. His fingers on her lower back swirled with just enough pressure to soothe. Everywhere he touched, instant heat saturated her skin through her clothes.
“Yes.”
Insanity. How could extreme conflicting emotions ravage her body without destroying her? Nausea from fear churned the sudden excess stomach acid, devouring her from the inside. At the same time, a wild excitement accelerated her runaway pulse.
What happened to her courage from last night and why would Aleyn encourage her to trust this thing? Did Aleyn and the vampire share a connection of some kind? Neither mentioned it. Aleyn doesn’t naturally trust vampires.
According to her ghostly adviser, infrequent glimpses of the future remained limited to her training and survival. He’d never given suggestions otherwise. Once he’d indicated something about changing courses in later times but refused to elaborate.
“Don’t you recognize me, Engel?” The vampire’s thick German accent distracted her from fear’s grip as his onyx gaze speared her on the spot.
Late morning sun shimmered through her open window to cast part of his face in shadow, leaving her needing more. What she did recognize was a firm resolve in the chiseled angles and shadowed features. He reminded her of the marble in the grotto, hard and implacable.
His gaze darkened as he stepped closer. The sudden contact of their bodies made her inhale on a gasp. Foreign sensations sweeping through her tightened frame increased her insecurity. Dark, forbidden knowledge in his hooded gaze combined with a carnal, half grin boded ill.
Instead of blood, virtual lava flowed through her veins to scorch each cell, each thought. She wanted to press tighter against him even though her breasts pillowed the sturdy wall of his chest. What continued to draw her? Remnants of his bite? A spell?
“I’m not going to hurt you. I’m here to protect you.” With a feather-light touch, he caressed her cheek with the back of his knuckles and then shook his head as if fighting his own inner battle.
“What? Who are you?” When his gaze jumped to the base of her throat, her pulse leapt out of control. Would he bite her again? Tension filled her body, yet trying to resist his strength would prove futile. She prayed he spoke the truth.
“I am Lukas. I won’t…”
One second she stood in front of this massive creature, the next she was flung through the air to land catlike on her feet between the bed and the outside wall. Shaken, she grabbed at the wall for purchase as the air whooshed from her lungs.
The glimmer of Crystine’s Cliffin blades glinted in the light at the same time Lukas sidestepped. As calm as if reaching for an umbrella, he flashed forward and grabbed her wrists. In the next instant, her steel blades protruded from the ceiling. Force from the strike caused them to wobble.
“What are you doing here, vampire?” Crystine said. “You’ll not have her, not while I breathe. I told you I’d kill you the next time we met.” The next instant, she began a chant, only to have both wrists seized in one of her captors hands while his other covered her mouth.
“Settle! I mean you no harm. Demons are approaching as we speak. I’m here to help you.”
After jerking her head aside and able to speak, she continued. “The only way they could find us—they followed you.” Crystine yanked her hands from his grasp; her jaw dropped when she succeeded. “You are weak from the daylight.”
“I am not weak. Never make that mistake again.” Lukas snatched Crystine’s body up to dangle in front of him, eye to eye. “I do not wish to hurt one of my Engel’s friends.” After a small shake, he set her down. “We have little time. With the sun high, I cannot fly you both out and to a safe distance. Backup will not arrive in time…”
Aleyn appeared through the exterior wall to hover over the bed. “He speaks the truth, Crystine. Demons are approaching, and quickly. More than you girls can handle.”
“I always feared this day would come.” Crystine’s determined voice rang clear as she briefly closed her eyes and shook her head in defeat. “You’ve never lied to me, Aleyn.” Turning back to Lukas, she added, “Take Sariel. Go. She’s better off with a vampire than demons. Old tick, if you harm her, my soul will haunt you for eternity.”
“No, Crystine! I won’t go without you. This is my fault. I let Lukas take my blood. I’m the one the demons are searching for.” To beg this creature for help was a small matter considering the stakes. “Please, take her and then come back for me.”
A blur of movement brought Lukas to stand before Sariel with an expression of pure determination. The slight caress of her cheek brought a heaviness to her gaze.
“I could no more leave you than my own soul.” Compassion bordering on desperation etched Lukas’ expression.
“Do not fondle her, despicable vermin. You have no soul and if I survive this, I will find a way to kill you.” Crystine closed the distance between them, murder in her eyes.
“That debate is for a later time. There’re at least five demons closing in on your cabin. I’ve called my pilot. He’s on his way, ETA twenty minutes.” With a speculative look at Crystine, he added, “I know you’re a witch. How strong are your fighting skills?”
“I can hold my own, vampire. I’ve been fighting evil for centuries.” Crystine tilted her head to meet Lukas’ appraising gaze. “Sariel is good, though without as much experience. She must be protected at all costs.”
“Crystine—” With Sariel’s world falling apart, she couldn’t find the words to express the depth of guilt in risking her mentor’s life.
“Agreed.” Again turning to Crystine, he asked, “What spells can you hold while fighting?”
“I can hold one in an invisible vice while I fight another.”
“Good. They are immune to my telekinesis. Since they’re coming from different directions, this will buy a little time between attacks. Sariel, you will stay behind me.” Again, with a whisper-soft touch, he held her chin as his gaze rooted her in place. “No. Do not argue. There is no time and I will not risk your safety. Should you fail in this, I will take you and leave your friend for demon fodder.” His brutal words sunk in with ruthless finality.
Tears gathered in Sariel’s eyes when she saw her friend’s approving nod. “Crystine, I…”
“No, Sariel. The devil’s right. This is what’s best for you. What’s your plan, vampire?” She may have acceded for the moment, but Crystine’s feelings toward Lukas flourished in her harsh voice.
“Two demons approach from the front, one from each side and one from the back. We’ll take out the two in front before we face the other three; Sariel will have a clear path to the village if they don’t have reinforcements. I’m sure you know the shortest trail?”
“I’ll not run away while you two fight for your lives.” Desperation clung to her. “I’ve fought demons before.”
“Yes, Sariel. You will. I vowed to protect you and if I don’t see you running, this vampire will take you to safety and leave me behind. Do you understand?” Turning to Lukas, Crystine added, “Normally, I would kill anything on the spot for this. And I sure as hell never thought I’d say it, but…can you control her? Give her an order to run on your command.”
“I will not control the mind of my Engel. She will do as I command.”
Sariel’s fisted hands shook at her sides.
“Time to move.” Lukas held out his hands, palms up. Both swords dislodged from the ceiling and flew into his grip with an audible slap. With a sardonic smile, he reversed the blades and handed them to Crystine. “I assume you can fight the urge to bury these in my back, at least until the demons are gone?” The insolence of his action didn’t escape Sariel.
“Only until this threat is over, vampire. Then all bets are off. I will end you.”
Without a backward glance, he strode toward the front door, his slight chuckle evidence of his arrogance.