"You are trying to annoy me," she said instead of telling the truth.
Tyr"s lip threatened to curl up. She was right. He was trying to annoy her and he enjoyed doing it. However, that was not his test and he knew she knew it also.
Feeling vulnerable in the middle of the large bed, she moved with purposeful leisure to the floor. Her limbs tried to hurry, but she held them at bay. She wouldn"t let this creature know he scared her.
Jaden winced as her lower back cramped. Lifting her arm over her head, she stretched the tight muscle. Then, seeing Tyr watching her, she dropped her hand to the side. Pride came over her face and she refused to let him see her pain.
"By the way, I don"t care what happens to you. I would just as soon see you dead," she muttered arrogantly. Tyr grimaced.
"And should I worry about what will happen to you?" Tyr began to take pleasure from their banter. The feeling was very rare and never lasted more than a brief moment. However, with the feisty hunter, he found himself paying more attention than usual to the words of another.
"What do you mean?" she asked in confusion. Seeing the intensity in his eyes, she stepped back suspiciously. "Why would you worry about me?"
"You are mine."
Jaden s.h.i.+vered at the firm finality of his words. They left no room for argument.
"You are my indicium," he continued. His low tone curled around her like a warm blanket in winter--safe and enfolding. She was not deceived. "You are marked, my familiar."
Jaden couldn"t find the voice to speak. His words were so possessive, as was the look he gave her as he said them.
"You are my slave and I your master," he continued, low, dark, seductive.
Jaden wasn"t sure if his lips were moving, but the last caught her attention. "No, I"m not your slave. Slaves obey their masters and I"ll never obey you. Aside from a scratch, you have no claim on me, nightstalker."
"I saved your life," he answered. Tyr didn"t touch her, but he knew that she could feel him. He let her feel him caressing intimately along her skin. His eyes narrowed languidly, urging hers to do the same. A breathless moment pa.s.sed between them, stretched out in a cloud of immeasurable time. The world faded until they were the only two in it.
"No," she managed at last. Her words were a husky defiance. Jaden"s nerves jumped from her skin to his. She didn"t fight the sensations of her body, needing all her power to fight the pull he had on her mind. Weakly, she said, "You only spared it. My life cannot be saved."
"Why do you seek death, dhampir?" A spark of honesty moved past his face as he released her from his hold.
"I...." Jaden couldn"t continue. She shook her head, not able to answer. Moisture crowded her eyes and burned her nose. The dull ache that haunted her unfurled beneath her ribs, offering its pain to her heart. She blinked it back before he could see what he was doing to her.At her silence, he closed some of the distance between them. His face, though mainly devoid of expression, beckoned her to finish her answer. His hand lifted to gently cup her cheek.
"Enough," she growled in anger, stopping his progress before he could get to her. Tyr"s hand dropped to his side. Jaden could feel the kindness he tried to force on her. She was no fool. She knew a creature like him couldn"t feel what he was trying to offer her.
It was all a deceitful lie. Knowing it as such did not make it easier to resist. Her hands balled into fists. Abruptly, she said, "I do not belong to you. I may be marked, but I am not yours! All you will find here is a fight. Now, tell me your business or leave. I have no interest in speaking with you further."
"My business?" he repeated.
"Do you even know who lives here?" she asked with a discourteous roll of her eyes.
"You mean your uncle?" Tyr"s lips curled. He wasn"t scared. It had been an infinite time since he felt fear. At her pointed look, he whispered, "Yes, I know all about your uncle. This is his home."
"Then you know what he is capable of," she said with a gallantry she didn"t feel. "You know what he will do to you if he finds you."
"I know," he murmured. I know more than you"ll ever realize.
A chill crept up her spine. She backed away from him, moving towards her vanity. Tyr"s eyes followed her with ghostly precision.
She stared violently at the icy orbs--so cold was his look compared to hers. There was no fire in him. She could feel the morbid calmness of his soul swirling in her blood. It was like a euphoric drug--mind numbing with its potent aloofness. This creature was beyond feeling, beyond regret or redemption.
"Leave or you"ll be sorry," she stammered. "I"ll call my uncle"s men."
Tyr chuckled at the idle threat. He could detect her fear, her rage, her helplessness.
"I thought you would be happy to see me," he answered her. He shook his head slowly, never tearing his gaze away. "You did seek me out."
"I wasn"t looking for you," Jaden said. "I was looking for...."
"For death," he supplied when she faltered. The words hung in the air between them. She could see the dark angel of death himself within this large vampire. In a whisper, he asked, "And in a way you did find it, did you not? So what do you want with death, m"lady?"
"My life is none of your business," she growled. Her b.r.e.a.s.t.s heaved as she gulped for air. He opened the dam in her chest a bit more purposefully, bombarding her with sensations her mind couldn"t interpret. Little explosions snapped on her skin, tingling the roots of her hair. The cords in her throat strained, as she shakily commanded, "Leave at once. I demand that you never come back here. You are not welcome."
"You might not have been looking for me, but you did find me. And I was looking for you." Tyr finally drew his gaze away, taking his disruptive feelings with them. He looked around the room for a chair. Seeing only one, he crossed over to her vanity. Jaden stiffened at his approach. He glanced briefly at her before pulling out the chair. He sat.
"You"re insane," she voiced. Jaden stalked away from him, her body desperate to put distance between them.
"I"ve been called worse over the years," he remarked without censure. His words still rolled out in a whisper.
"Like a Dark Knight?" Her eyes hardened as she remembered herself. She was not going to give him the pleasure of her fear. She took a deep breath, concentrating on her anger. Her fingers ached, wanting to fight him.Tyr smiled at her. He knew she was a woman used to resolving matters with her fists, avoiding the emotion it took to speak. He could feel her desperately wanting to disconnect herself from him, from his feelings. Reclining in the chair, he moved with liquid grace to rest his hand in mid-air.
Jaden crossed over to the window, pulling hard at the curtains to let in more light. Almost instantly, she was sorry for it. She gulped. The blue rays, which permeated from outdoors, bathed over him. The vampire was clothed the same as the night before, in a long antiquated coat that flowed when he moved. His back was to her, but she knew he sensed her every movement. Even if she had the advantage of a surprise attack, she knew she would fail. His size alone gave her reason to pause. Only too well did she remember the breadth of his shoulders, the gladiator height of his form, the feel of his hand slamming into her jaw. And not a single one of her punches had fazed him.
The Viking blonde of his hair flowed freely over his shoulders, long and golden, touching down his back close to his waist, draping over the chair like silk threads. Jaden could detect the stroke of his long, pale fingernails as they moved absently over the wooden arm of the chair. The fingers that controlled the stroking were long and tapered. Veins rose beneath to fabric of skin on his pale hands. They were hypnotic and blue as she stared. The action seemed too gentle for such strength.
"You know your vampires, m"lady," he spoke at length. His words rushed over her like the sprinkling of fine, watery mist, just before one would jump into the full stream of the waterfall to be crushed over the rocks.
"It"s my business to know," she whispered. He sighed and nodded in appreciation.
"And what else do you think to know about me?" he wondered.
"I know you are crazy," she endeavored hotly. Suddenly, seeing the coolness with which he spoke, Jaden wasn"t so sure this man was a myth or a joke. Despite the feeling of newness in his blood, she began to doubt herself. This creature knew too much, saw and said too much. "And you are trying to frighten me. It won"t work. I can tell how old you are. I can feel it in you. You are insignificant--a little vampiric worm crawling through mortal dung."
She did not receive the outrage she expected. Instead, he seemed almost to chuckle. A vague sense of enjoyment flooded her.
Finally, he muttered, "It matters not what you believe me to be. I am what I am. And if I wanted you frightened of me, I could show you fear."
"Spoken like a true wannabe G.o.d," she taunted. Her eyes relished the very idea of her words, as she said, "Careful or your ego will fill up this room and push you out the window. That is unless I throw you out of it first. It won"t kill you but it should hurt."
At that declaration, he did turn to eye her. Jaden"s breath caught. The ice blue of his gaze softened with tender emotions. For an insane moment she thought he would declare his love for her. His lips parted as if to breathe. Her breath caught. Her heart stopped beating. But the insanity pa.s.sed and in the confines of a mere second heat pa.s.sed over her skin, burning and scorching her flesh. She felt bugs crawling on her clothing, biting with the p.r.i.c.kling of needles, crawling up her nose and into her mouth to stifle her breath. She tried to fall, but her legs couldn"t bend. She was frozen. Blinking, he took the sensation away.
Jaden coughed and wheezed for breath. Bending over, she steadied herself. She closed her eyes, the darkness helping to stabilize her panicked brain. Eyeing her skin, she saw her flesh was unharmed. But the pain had been real and it had hurt worse than anything she had ever felt.
Tyr waved his hand in dismissal of her threats. "Naturally your nasty tongue is learned from your loathsome uncle."
Her eyes rounded in horror. Her mouth opened to protest.
"No, do not take offense, Miss MacNaughton. I am used to women with a sharpened, unrefined speech." Tyr knew that he was purposefully goading her and wondered at it. His interview could"ve been finished before this conversation ever happened.
"What do you know about my uncle?" Jaden whispered. His barb hurt. He was comparing her to all the vampiric low-life trash that he knew. She definitely didn"t need a reminder of how she lacked as a feminine woman. It was not by her choice that she was what she was. Her chest tightened. Through tense lips, she declared, "He is a good man. You have no right to speak out against him, just because he does something about the evilness of your kind. You are a plague and you need to be destroyed."
"Strong sentiment, m"lady," he whispered. Slowly, he came to his feet. "We have the tribal council to attend to our own. Your uncle should stay out of it and so should you. You have no business meddling in the affairs of vampires."
"One of your kind made it my business," she whispered, thinking of her father.
Tyr paused, c.o.c.king his head to see if mention of the man brought her any concern. Her feelings on the matter were closed to him.
When he didn"t speak, she hastened on.
"Your council does nothing. They should regulate their own. Force them to use blood banks or at least let the mortal"s live. But, no," Jaden growled in reckless anger. She charged forward to face him. Leaning up to yell in his face, she hollered, "You feed and spread yourselves around like a virus. You slaughter innocent--"
"And what of your uncle"s crimes? What of your own?" Tyr seethed in return. His voice rose, revealing a smattering of an Old Norse accent. "Are they no worse than some of those committed by vampires? Do you not seek to eradicate us? We who perhaps understand this world as your kind could never? And do not speak to me about the slaughtering of innocents. We hunt for food, as does your kind. I can smell the meat of animals in your veins. And I daresay the charges against Alan MacNaughton are worse than a mere killing of a mortal for food."
"What crimes? I call what I do justice," Jaden fumed.
"Do you little one?" His voice once again dropped to a pa.s.sionless whisper. He shook his head, feeling her lie. His own outburst surprised him. "That is why you sought me out to kill you, because you know you are right and just?"
"You could never understand it." Jaden stiffened, hating him for mentioning her failed suicide and continually throwing it back in her face. She became aware of his nearness. He was too close. She could feel the chill of his body, hitting her like an open refrigerator. Taking a step back, she shook her head. How could he ever understand the dilemma her soul went through? He had no soul.
Tyr leaned forward at her words, only slightly but enough that she could feel him looming in. Jaden edged back.
"You couldn"t possible understand anything I think or feel. You are a walking, talking virus. A disease. A curse. An evolutionary mistake." Jaden paused. She lifted her chin into the air. She could feel the mild rousing of anger in him. It would seem the vampire wasn"t an emotionless void after all. He still had the b.e.s.t.i.a.l stirrings of rage. Finding it in him, she exploited it. "And, like a virus, you live long and are hard to kill. But, give us mortals time, we will find a way to cure you and your kind. And if there is no cure, we will eradicate you."
"Your part in your uncle"s scheming is still to be determined," he decreed. His emotions settled once more into a bottomless pit, devoid of everything. Feeling the blackness, she wondered if it had only been her emotions she had felt mistaken for his. His soul was too long dead.
"What do you mean? Are you here to judge me?" Jaden gasped in bewilderment at his audacity. "How dare you?"
"You did say that we should regulate our own," he reminded quietly. Tyr was glad that they were finally coming back around to the point of his visit. He wasn"t sure he liked the emotions he felt coming from her. They were a strong blend of hatred and anger and determined strength. Though she spewed nonsense about viruses and eradication, he could tell she didn"t believe her own words, but flung them out of a curious mix of desperation and helpless outrage.
Beneath the s.h.i.+eld of hate she built around herself, there was more. Tyr didn"t want to discover what that was. He didn"t need the confusion. It had taken him centuries to determine who he was and he didn"t need her shaking him up with human feelings.
"I am not your own. I hate your kind. You have no power over me," she announced with a toss of her head. As she said the words he glanced at her lips to the mark he gave her, reminding her just how much power he wielded over her. She didn"t even lift a hand to fight him off. Tears threatened her controlled poise. She forced her anger to the surface, but it was hard to hold onto. "Deny it if you wish, dhampir. But you are what you hate. Half of your blood is vampire. It is what you are." Tyr watched her face pale at the harsh truths. Intentionally hurtful, he added, "You are the evolutionary mistake--a half-breed. You don"t belong in either world and you know it, don"t you? Humans will never understand you and vampires will never want you."
"I am none of your concern," she sneered in heated breathlessness.
"Ah, but the crimes against my people are my concern. Come with me to be judged, dhampir." As he insisted on calling her dhampir, Jaden s.h.i.+vered. There was no pleasure in the hard, crackling sound. As it whispered past his lips, it was a curse. She knew he was right. Humans looked on her like a curiosity, something for her uncle"s men to place bets on. Vampires looked on her as a menace, a half-breed, to be destroyed if not a little feared.
Tyr stepped forward. He lifted a hand as if he would cradle her face. Jaden was pulled towards him. Her body ached to touch him. Her eyes ached to gaze upon the beauty of his face, the handsomeness of his blank expressions. There was a serene peace in the void he radiated. This was not the disorder that exuded from most vampires and mortals.
"It won"t take long," he said, not touching. "If I find you innocent I"ll let you go. So long as you stay innocent, no one will harm you. I"ll give you my word on that."
"The word of a vampire?" she whispered, doubtful. She pulled back from his hovering fingers.
Shaking her head, she moved away from him. Tyr followed her with his eyes. Slowly she leaned back on her vanity. She placed her palms thoughtfully behind her, hitting her finger instantly to the silent alarm b.u.t.ton beneath the edge. Without changing her expression, she whispered, "What crimes do you claim to be mine? And what crimes are my uncle"s? I would hear the charges brought up against me before I go to be judged, for I doubt my idea of a crime and yours are the same. You say vampires do not want me then I do not recognize their authority over me."
Swiftly, Tyr"s head darted to the door an instant before running footfall could be heard on the outside stairway. He smiled ruefully, knowing she was trying to distract him while she waited for her uncle"s men. Part of him was disappointed she had called them.
With a slight bow of his head, he answered, "Mayhap you should ask your uncle, Miss MacNaughton. If you truly do not know what it is you have done, then you should find out."
The footfall skidded to a stop and the door to her bedroom crashed open. The thick wood reverberated against the wall but did not break. Jaden spun, seeing Rick"s form in the entryway followed by a handful of partly dressed men. Confusion pa.s.sed over the man"s face as his gaze darted instantly to her window.
Jaden followed Rick"s gaze. But instead of Tyr all she saw was the soft dissolving of mist left in his wake. The window remained closed. Her emotions pulled her to the mist, bidding her to jump after it, knowing if she did he would catch her and sweep her away with him. She held firm and didn"t move, resisting the urge to run. The thick curtain fluttered softly.
"Who was that?" Rick demanded. Seeing Jaden in her nightclothes, he waved the other men out of the room with a stiff command that was immediately obeyed.
Jaden detected their eyes on her--questioning. It was as Tyr said, they did not understand her. Humans loathed with a peculiar terror what they couldn"t comprehend. They might respect her, but they never understood. Slowly, Rick closed the door behind him so that they were the only two in the room.
"No one," she said.
"Jaden--" Rick began in obvious disbelief. His eyes moved to the window and then back to her pale face.
"It was n.o.body," she hissed through tightened lips. She hated that she had to call him for help. "Just an overbold vampire."
"I know you, Jade. You"re frightened," he murmured quietly. "You"re shaking." "One misjudgment and you think we"re friends?" she questioned incredulously. Tyr"s words echoed in her mind. Half-breed.
Humans will never understand you and vampires don"t want you. Misdirecting her rage onto the unfortunate man in front of her, she snarled, "You think you know me, Rick? You know nothing about me. You"re my uncle"s lackey--that is all. And make no mistake. Nothing frightens me."
Rick stiffened. In short strides his muscular body was across the room, confronting her. His hand shot out to grab her about the arm. Gruffly, he stormed, "You didn"t think sleeping with me was a mistake when it happened."
"I was high from the hunt," she lied.
"If I remember correctly it was more than one time," he said in grim victory. Jaden grimaced. "If you don"t remember it, love, I would be happy to remind you."
Her eyes searched his coldly. In fact, for a fleeting moment, she had been attracted to him. He was strong, smart and witty. He had an easy smile and a good heart. He was loyal in a business when loyalty was to be prized above all else. But their affair was before she discovered he was her uncle"s hired gun. With deliberate slowness she pulled her arm from his grasp. The movement showed no effort as she lifelessly glared at him.
"You"re afraid to feel. I know what you are and that scares you. You liked it when you thought me a civilian. h.e.l.l, you didn"t even mind when I told you I worked special ops for the government. It was fine for me to kill other men in combat. But step on Jade"s precious territory and that changes everything." Rick"s cheeks became red with anger. His breathing deepened. "You can"t stand that I accept you as you are!"
"You should have told me you worked for my uncle. You lied to me," she said with ease.
"You never asked," he said hotly. Rick"s bitterness was palpable. "And you better than anyone should know the secrecy that our lives demand. It isn"t like I could just blurt out what I am over coffee. In fact, you never told me who you were. You abandoned me in the middle of the night without so much as a goodbye letter. It was only by chance that I discovered who you were when I came here to meet with Mack."
During the silence that followed, Rick studied the hard countenance of her face. Her eyes, though focused on him, didn"t see him.
He could"ve left and she would never have known, never have moved to stop him. Slowly, his gaze fell to her lips. Narrowing his gaze, he was hard pressed to hide his frown. Carefully, he said, "You haven"t said how that vampire got into your room or why for that matter."
"The same way he left I would imagine," she sighed, her eyes clearing from the fog. Slowly she turned, walking over to her dresser. Pulling a cotton s.h.i.+rt from her drawer, she tugged her tank off and pulled the fresh one over her head, unmindful of Rick"s watching gaze. She kept her back to him. Rick was not so unaware of her, as he studied the strong line of her back marred by thin scars from her work. He saw the bruise fading from her shoulder.
"I have never seen a vampire dissolve into mist," Rick said. "It must be some sort of trick."
"No," Jaden said. "He"s just a bit different than the others."
When she turned to him, Rick asked, "And why did he come to you? What did he want? For this is a long way to climb for a meal, especially when there are so many sheep below us grazing the city streets. Did he bite you?"
"You saw that he didn"t." Jaden sucked her bottom lip in slightly.
"Then what did he want with you?" he probed. His hand lifted to examine the bruise on her features. She jerked her head away.
"Is he the one who did this?"