Lone Star Vampire - Virgen Vampire Vixen Part 5

"What now?" Eden clutched the gun in her lap with a sweaty hand.

"We run 'em down." He sped up, plowing through the ma.s.s of screaming Chupacabras like a super-charged bowling ball mowing down a rack of pins. Their shrieks reverberated through the air, and she could feel the sickening sensation of their scaly green bodies beneath the wheels like so much roadkill.

"They didn't move or try to save themselves." Cameron shook his head. "Whoever's after you obviously can call the Chupacabra into service." Reloading, he rolled down the window, shooting one particularly determined little monster clinging to the outside mirror. The creature's head exploded in a red splatter.

Eden winced as a gob of gore slid down the vent window like a slug. "That's a scary thought." She turned away and scanned the road ahead. "What now?"

"We get the blood off the winds.h.i.+eld." He turned a control that showered the gla.s.s with streams of wiper fluid. "And we can't go to the beach house, not after that. Our bad guy planted his little friends in our path to intercept us."

"Where else can we go?" She glanced at the sky. Dawn was drawing closer... she could feel it.

"A safe place." He gave her a quick look. "Trust me."

The funny thing was... she actually did.

Chapter 8.

"Who's Allison Curry?" Eden checked the name on the black mailbox at the end of the sidewalk as Cameron turned onto a paved driveway in front of a tidy Craftsman bungalow.

"My stepsister." Cameron pulled to a stop and opened the driver side door. "Be right back."

She watched as he went to the garage door and unlocked it before raising it manually. It was the first time he'd mentioned anything about his personal life, other than an offhanded comment about having lived in Texas most of his life.

A week ago, she would've thought him too cold and soulless to have a family. Now, she wasn't so sure... of him, of her feelings, or anything else, for that matter.

He climbed back into the SUV and slowly guided it into the garage, pulling them to a stop. Eden could make out a bicycle, some gardening tools, and a few boxes marked "Xmas -- Misc" among the neatly organized contents of the small enclosure.

"Is she expecting us?" Eden twisted around in her seat, looking for a door leading inside. "I didn't see you call anyone."

"She's not home." Cameron shut down the engine and took the keys from the ignition. "Won't be back for a week." He opened his car door again. "Stay here while I lock the garage door and check out the house."

She waited until he returned and had given her the all clear signal before she climbed down from the vehicle.

"Don't walk around the front unless you want to see Chupacabra guts plastered all over the grill." He opened the rear door of the Tahoe and removed their bags.

He led her to a small flight of steps that ended with a door, which he opened with a key dangling from his own keychain. He and stepsis must be close, she mused, or he wouldn't have carte blanche to come and go from her house as he pleased.

Cameron Zane, super chummy with his family. Who'd have thought?

The door opened, revealing a cheerful yellow kitchen. Eden wandered in, touching the Formica countertops and retro dinette set, running her fingertips over the banded leather and chrome chairs. A vintage soda machine occupied one corner, and Bakelite cookware gleamed glossy jade green behind the windowed cupboard doors.

"She has good taste." Eden wandered to the window where a trio of African violets rested on the sill, their leaves edged with brown and their blossoms wilted.

"She's kind of... New Age, I guess." Cameron disappeared through the kitchen door with their bags and came back empty handed.

"Not good with plants, though." She held her right hand over one of the violets and gathered her energy, forcing it out through her palm. The little plant responded instantly, turning lush and green as if it had just been transported from some mythical paradise.

"How did you do that?" Cameron's voice held a note of awe.

She shrugged. "I control the element of earth, remember?" She moved her hand to the other two plants, restoring them to optimum health within seconds.

He leaned against the soda machine, arms folded over his chest. "I forget sometimes that you're not quite human."

She let out a rueful laugh. "I figured you had a hard time remembering that I'm not one hundred percent vampire."

His gaze fell on her with such intensity that she looked away. "Of all the things I think of when I look at you, your vampire side is the least of them."

The room went spotty suddenly. Eden clutched the edge of the countertop to keep her balance.

"What's wrong?" Cameron caught her by the arm to steady her.

"Dawn is coming, and..." She so didn't want to say what she was about to say and spoil the moment, but... "I guess Allison doesn't have any synthetic blood stashed in her fridge."

Something in his expression told her that the moment had crashed to a halt, just as she'd feared. "No, I don't think she does."

Eden nodded slowly. Of course, she could feed on him, either through blood or energy, but she didn't think that offer would be forthcoming. Well, there was always the little trick Master Cain had taught to all of his fledglings. "Does she have any candles?"

"She's a ma.s.sage therapist." Cameron's face relaxed. "She's got candles, oils, sounds of whales making love..."

Great, a nice hot rush between the legs was not what she needed just then. "I can feed on the candle flames and get by until you can run out to the grocery store and get a case of Vlad's for me."

He raised his brows. "Would a fireplace be better?"

She had noticed a chimney outside. "Yes, if you're sure a fire won't make it too hot in here for you."

"That's what air conditioning is for." He beckoned to her. "Come with me."

She followed him through the small living room decorated with shabby chic furnis.h.i.+ngs to a bedroom. A fireplace with a marble mantle graced the wall opposite the queen sized bed.

"I'll have one going in just a minute." He gestured to the bed. "Make yourself at home."

Eden eased down on the edge of the bed and watched him make a nest of small logs from the wood box beside the fireplace. "Tell me about Allison."

He turned the gas control on the hearth and struck a match. "Not much to tell. When my mom married her dad, I was ten and she was fourteen. She was a good big sister." He stepped back, eyeing the small blaze cracking before them. "Still is."

"She won't mind you bringing me here?" She held her hands out to the fire, letting its energy seep into her body, drawing it in with every breath.

"I've crashed here before, when..." He stopped, shoving his hands into his pockets. "When I've hit a rough patch."

She wanted to ask more, but he made a move for the door. "Dawn's coming... you better get ready for bed."

Why did every moment between them have to end that way? Either her nature, or his past, or the danger of their situation barged in like a vengeful intruder every time they got close to the edge.

"Yeah," she sighed, admitting defeat to herself. It didn't matter how much she craved his attention and wanted him. Something would always be in the way. The right time didn't seem to exist. "Thanks for everything."

"No problem." He gave her a look, and for a moment she almost thought he was going to do something, anything, to bring the everlasting dance between them to its logical conclusion. But then he headed for the door. "I'll be right outside on the couch if you need me."

"Okay." She nodded, and watched as he closed the door on her and what could've happened.

She needed him, all right. More than she'd ever hoped or feared possible.

Chapter 9.

It was full dark when she woke up. The sound of the fire crackling reminded her where she was.

And why she was there.

She stirred under the blanket, rolling over to look at the fireplace. Someone had kept a low fire going while she slept, and it blazed red and gold, sending its energy out in waves. She sat up on the edge of the bed and held her hands out to it.

"Sleep well?"

She looked up to see Cameron framed in the doorway. He was s.h.i.+rtless, wearing nothing but a pair of jeans that were tight without being too tight. His usual array of weapons was missing. She could detect only one gun, an automatic pistol tucked into the waist of his jeans. The knife sheaths were nowhere to be seen.

"Like the dead." She grinned at him, letting her fangs show. He chuckled and sat down on the edge of the bed. A week ago, any reference to her vampire side and a show of fangs would've elicited a derogatory remark from him.

Maybe she wasn't the only one who'd begun to question their differences and the feelings those differences aroused.

"I need to make a run to get you some Vlad's and those cheeseburgers I promised you." He stretched his arms over his head, and a wave of dizziness washed over her.

G.o.d, she wanted him. She could admit it now, no more hiding behind flimsy excuses and dismissive thoughts. She wanted him so much she ached with it.

"Just send out for pizza." She threw the covers off, warm from the fire and her own heated emotions. "I can go without the Vlad's until we find a store that delivers."

"It's not good for your health to go for a long time without feeding." He leaned back on an elbow to look at her.

"There are other means of feeding, remember? We talked about it that night at the chapel. There's fire, for one." She gestured to the fireplace. "Energy. Synthetic blood is better, but fire and energy can get me through for a couple of days."

"You can feed off human energy without taking blood, right?" He raised an eyebrow.

If there was ever a time to tread carefully, it had arrived. She took a deep breath. "Yes, it's perfectly safe for the donor."

She watched his mental wheels turning. Finally, he sat up straight. "Let's try it."

She blinked. "Are you serious?"

"Couldn't be more serious." He beckoned to her with his hand. "Come on." When she hesitated, he scowled. "What, am I not a suitable food source?"

Was St. Germain a vampire? "Of course you are." She rose to her knees and positioned herself behind him, drawing a slow, cleansing breath as she placed the palms of her hands against the bare skin of his back. His muscles were knotted with tension. "Just relax, all right? It's not going to hurt, I promise."

"If I'm tense, it has nothing to do with the feeding and everything to do with you in a nights.h.i.+rt." He made a sound deep in his throat.

She froze. "Be serious."

"Once again, I'm being serious." He glanced at her over his shoulder. "For G.o.d's sake, Eden, what's it going to take to make you realize how much you turn me on?" He shook his head. "Do I need to hire skywriters? Do you want it written in blood?" He held up a hand. "Wait, don't answer that part."

She knew his last words were a joke, but what about the first part? If he was toying with her... "How do I know you mean it?"

He took her hand and slowly raised it to his lips, brus.h.i.+ng it with a kiss before lowering it to his lap.

"Oh," she breathed. He was so hard she wondered how his jeans could contain him.

"Oh, yes," he answered. She could hear the unmistakable timbre of hunger in his voice and raised her gaze slowly.

His eyes told her that her moment had finally arrived.

She dragged in a breath as he grabbed her, his hands wrapping around her upper arms. He pulled her roughly against him, pinning her body to his.

She bit her bottom lip, wincing at the sharpness of her fangs. The look in his eyes was pure wildness, telling her the tables had turned and that the predator had become the prey.

She watched his gaze drop to her bottom lip. Every shuddering breath made her b.r.e.a.s.t.s rub against his bare chest, with only the thin red silk of her nights.h.i.+rt between them. There was no sound but their rapid breathing and a clock ticking in the distance.

"Close your eyes, Eden." His voice was a growl.

She let her eyelids fall shut and he released her arms, only to thread his fingers through the back of her hair, just as he'd done that night in the hot tub. He used his grip on her tresses to gain purchase until her head was at the angle he desired.

Her heart clanged against her ribs like a church bell gone awry. Her life hovered on the great precipice between before and after, and she knew he was going to pull her down into the chasm of her own desires, possessing her completely until he'd marked her for eternity.

His mouth came down on hers, lips colliding in a fever of mutual need. His teeth grazed her lips, and her body shook, as if pa.s.sion were a gale-force wind blowing over her.

His tongue parted her lips, and he stroked it against hers, staking his claim to her mouth. She surrendered to his plundering, to the hot swirling motion of his tongue stalking hers, thrusting into her mouth in an unmistakable prelude.

He broke the kiss long enough to lock gazes with her, pus.h.i.+ng her back onto the bed.

She gasped as he took both of her wrists in one strong hand and pinned her hands above her head. He knelt on the bed over her, holding her captive between his knees. With his other hand, he reached for the front of her nights.h.i.+rt, tearing it open in a single motion that sent the b.u.t.tons flying.

"Don't move." He released her wrists, leaving them in place over her head, and skimmed both hands over her shoulders and down her collarbones until he reached her b.r.e.a.s.t.s.

"Even better than I imagined." He framed her b.r.e.a.s.t.s with his hands and let out a curse. "You could make a man your slave with those."

She arched toward him. "Let's try it and see."

He used his thumbs to stroke her nipples, pus.h.i.+ng the swollen tips upward until they reached an almost painful degree of hardness.

Speaking of hardness... she swallowed as he stopped to peel his jeans off, revealing an erection so long and thick she wondered if she'd be able to take it. His c.o.c.k was as perfect as the rest of him, and she reached for it, wanting to feel him beneath her hand.

"Not yet." He moved her hand aside and tossed his jeans onto the floor. "I'm going to touch you first."