21 Shades of Night, page 236
“And your son would nearly be ten.”
He still couldn’t believe they’d had a child when Elizabeth hadn’t said so, although at the time, they were more concerned about blood bonding and escaping Scotland. Then again, if they’d had a bairn, Elizabeth must have been certain it had not lived. She wouldn’t have left their child behind.
The troublesome thought sliced into his heart, no matter that he wasn’t sure it could be true. Still, Alena’s suggestions as to why Elizabeth wouldn’t have told him seemed reasonable. But Alena’s feeling so strongly about this, nagged at him the most. She wasn’t telling him something.
“Why do you think she had a child?”
“If you had been making love to her long enough, you would have had a child with her, unless you had abstained. If not, then either she was incapable of having one, or you weren’t able to.”
Ephraim narrowed his eyes. Now she was discussing his manhood? Of course he could father a child... if he’d wanted to, anytime over the last three hundred years. But he’d never desired to, not with the women he’d known. Elizabeth was another story, but Alena was right. They’d never abstained. Why wouldn’t she have had a child?
“Or,” Alena said, “she had one that you don’t know about.”
“There’s no other reason why you think this might be so? Eliz... Alena, have you ever been with child?”
She flashed her eyes at him, hot as a burning flame. “Of course not. I’ve never had a child. I would have to be mated with a hunter to have a child.”
Her words were venomous, but he could understand her anger. Such a thing wasn’t possible for a huntress, unless she’d strayed from the League’s ruling.
“Aye.” He stared out the window, a chill consuming him. “Our destiny is to be together again. No matter what the League intends otherwise.”
She let out her breath in a weary sigh. “You are under contract of death by order of the League. I had no choice in the matter, believe me. I said no, but… I had no choice.” Alena’s disheartened voice was nearly inaudible.
He realized then how hard it was for her to admit it. From the onset, she’d been drawn to him, physically and emotionally. He could sense her confusion and how she was torn between her loyalty to her family, the League, and him. His only chance at survival was in showing her who she truly was and the deep love they had once shared. Would she remember him if he made love to her? He was certain she would.
“You’re assigned to terminate me?” he asked, verifying that’s what she meant by her having no choice.
Tears in her eyes, she swallowed hard and nodded.
He rubbed her shoulder. “But you haven’t done so. David must know you’re supposed to. So my question is why haven’t you?” Just the fact she told him the truth gave him hope.
“I... I asked to be reassigned. I didn’t want this job.”
“Why not? If the League says a vampire has committed crimes against humans and must be terminated, why would you not wish to do your duty? It’s your calling, what you’ve been trained to do.” He had no problem with the League sending hunters to terminate rogue vampires who went on killing sprees. But to categorize him with those vampires incensed him.
She lifted her chin. “I’ve turned down jobs before.” She glanced at him. “Twice.” Watching her driving, she clenched the steering wheel again.
Had she a soft spot when it came to vampire rogues? Neither huntresses nor hunters could afford a heart in the business. “What happened?”
“Both were children. They had killed and couldn’t be stopped any other way.”
Children. He shook his head. A vampire child could be decades older than her and capable of the worst atrocities.
“And me?” he asked. What reason had the League given her concerning his disposal?
“I... I didn’t think I could… eliminate you either.”
“Why not? I’m certainly not a child.”
She chewed on her bottom lip.
“Alena?”
“She... she... damn it, Ephraim, I had our baby. I think.”
His head swam with the notion and his stomach tightened into knots, and all he could think of was holding her tight like he’d longed so to do for so many centuries. His Elizabeth. Not Alena who couldn’t remember him, but Elizabeth, his love, his life. “Pull the car over.”
“But...”
“Pull it over, now, lass.” He spoke with command, but attempted to gentle his order.
She drove onto the shoulder and parked. Before she could say a word, he wrapped his arms around her, buried his face in her hair, and clutched her tightly to his chest. “Dear Elizabeth, you cannot know how much joy you bring to my heart knowing you’re she.”
She melted in his embrace and squeezed him back, her body soft and warm and yielding. “It doesn’t seem real. None of this seems real.”
She was still fighting the notion, but Ephraim was certain she would soon remember everything. But God how he wanted to blood bond with her before it was too late.
“But it is real, lass. You are real. And mine.” When her brow quirked, he added, “As I am yours.”
Most likely fearing her cousin’s response, she pulled away from him to glance at the rearview mirror. “David just got out of his car. He’s walking toward my vehicle.” She sounded worried—scared David and Ephraim would fight to the death if he knew what had changed between them, he imagined.
“Wave at him and drive on.” Under no circumstances would Ephraim tolerate the hunter’s interference in their lives. He’d had to put up with the MacLeods’ intolerance for too many centuries already to endure it further.
“I’m not a secret agent huntress. And I’m not a good actress. Damn it.” She sounded as though she hated herself for failing her mission as she pulled onto the road, and David ran back to his car.
“You are the only one for me, perfect in every way, lass.”
Sutton figured David would question her mercilessly as to what was going on between them once he had a chance. But he ran his hand over her shoulder in a soothing caress. Then he took a deep breath and prompted her about her recollections concerning their child. He didn’t want to upset her, but he had to know what she recalled.
“What do you remember about our baby?” Sutton couldn’t help the darkness that colored his words. He wondered if she was like an amnesia victim—too many details, too many memories at once might shatter her mind—he just didn’t know. But he had to break through, bring his loving Elizabeth to the forefront, renew their vows.
“I remember having a child. I haven’t had one, yet I recollect experiencing childbirth. How could I if... if I were not her? No woman could remember such pain, if they had not experienced it themselves, could they?”
He didn’t think so. If a person had never had a heart attack, or a broken bone, they wouldn’t know how it truly felt, he didn’t think. “You’re my sweet Elizabeth.” He ran his fingers through her hair, enjoying the silky texture, wishing they were in bed together, consummating their love for one another, proving they belonged together forever. He wondered now if she truly had a child, where would he or she be?
Which gave him a new mission. He had to learn if the MacLeods killed his and Elizabeth’s child if she’d had one, or find him or her if the child was still alive.
He switched his concern to the more immediate problem he faced and his anger again surfaced. “Why have I been targeted? I have never done anything to warrant a contract on my life.”
“I was supposed to discover some secret business you’re conducting.”
“Secret business?” He shook his head, not believing anyone would have learned of the potion he’d intended to use to take him back to his Elizabeth. Did they suspect he wanted to eliminate the MacLeod clan of Argyllshire three hundred years earlier?
His desire to do just that had been tamped down over the years. More importantly, his using the drug had forced him to realize he might not be able to make that an option anyway. Blood bonding with Alena and sequestering her to some safe place was his only true solution to their nightmarish dilemma.
“I don’t have any idea what you’re talking about. Can you be more specific?” he queried.
“Not even David knows what it is you’re supposed to be doing.”
How could the League issue a death contract for him based on a supposition? Anyone could wish someone killed. That in and of itself did not make a person, whether human or vampire, guilty of a crime. Only in acting on this wish could the League be pushed into terminating the renegade vampire. Ephraim was no rogue. His private turmoil was his own business.
“I believe the League is getting into the business of genocide.”
Alena glanced at him, her look shocked.
“Getting rid of vampires, whether they are rogue or not, just to suit themselves. Maybe they’d learned of my past with Elizabeth and decided to terminate me for it. You said yourself the men of your clan don’t like it that the women name their redheaded female offspring Elizabeth after the one I loved who loved me in return.”
“That would be illegal.”
“They make the rules and enforce them. Who would object to them killing a vampire they declared a rogue, even if it wasn’t so? Me? I’d be dead. And I’d have no one else to champion my cause.” He crossed his arms over his chest, his blood heated.
“But they can’t do that.”
“It seems they can. And you’re their deadliest weapon they’ve got when it comes to me. I’d give my life to you gladly before I’d ever harm you. You were their perfect lethal weapon. As ancient as I am, even David would have a difficult time killing me.”
Would she bend to the League’s order, taking care of the vampire who they declared too dangerous to live? Or would she go against them and risk her favored huntress position in their society?
Ephraim pointed to the next turn off. “Take the exit, then turn right.” He had to focus on the fight ahead of them to ensure Misty didn’t get killed in the process as much as this other matter irked him no end.
The League had overstepped its authority when it came to him, and he had every intention of fighting them next. No body of hunters would declare him a renegade, issue a contract to terminate him, and get away with it. He only hoped Elizabeth would back him in his decision. She was his Elizabeth, yet she was from a different age and still hadn’t reconnected entirely with her old self, he didn’t believe. Well, of course she hadn’t. If she had, she’d agree to blood bonding with him now.
“What do we do now?” she asked softly.
“What do you want to do, lass?”
She looked at him, her eyes tearful.
“We free your friend, Alena. We destroy the Brotherhood,” he said.
“And the League?”
“How do you feel about it?” He had to know which side of the fence she stood on. Even if she didn’t agree with him now, he intended to sway her to his way of thinking, using one method or another.
“They can’t target those who are not doing anyone any harm. But my father is the head of it.” She took a ragged breath. “I can’t believe he would stand for this, if he’s even aware of the deception.”
Her words warmed Ephraim. He felt she would stand by him.
Ephraim pointed to a narrow cobblestone street where quaint, two-story brick and siding homes lined the drive. “Take a right here. We’ll concentrate on first things first. Freeing Misty.”
They drove another few minutes, then arrived at a two-story, historical, colonial home with a panoramic view of Brannock Bay leading into the Chesapeake. Two brick fireplaces stood at each end while one more sat centered at the back of the house, each towering over the white-sided structure like lean red candlesticks. Ancient oaks hovered over the nearly two-hundred-year old house on either side. Soft green spring leaves covering the branches, whipped about in the stormy breeze. As shady as the place was, it was the perfect vampire retreat.
Ephraim took her hand in his and squeezed, wanting her to remain behind, but knowing she wouldn’t. “The place has four bedrooms, two bathrooms, and two main living areas. I’ll investigate first to find out how many vampires are in the house.”
“How did you know that Misty might be here?”
“I told you. My hearing is sensitive. So is yours, but you were probably so concerned about Misty’s voice and how she was, that you didn’t hear some of the sounds I detected in the background.” He waved at the bay. “The screeches of seagulls in flight, the lapping of water against a boat. I’ve been here with Kisaro before. Fishing is one of his favorite pastimes. A dock is situated out back where he sets out traps for an evening crab feast. And there’s ample room to launch his boat for a day of striper fishing.”
“If it’s sufficiently overcast.”
“Aye.”
“What’s our plan exactly?”
“Park here. I’ll slip inside, find out if Misty is here first, how many are guarding her, and report back.” He leaned over and kissed her lips, her velvet touch stirring old memories he wished to explore more deeply. She responded by wrapping her arms around him and holding him tight.
“Going into battle with my lady’s love behind me, makes me invincible.” He breathed in her floral fragrance one more time, overjoyed to feel her soft body against his in a loving embrace, longing to have the moment last forever.
She wiped away a tear. “Come back to me, Ephraim. Don’t do this on your own.”
Ephraim. She knew him. Knew of their past. Was relegated to it now. “I wouldn’t think of it, lass.”
And then he vanished in a heartbeat and Alena was grasping at air with her heart in her throat. She couldn’t think of Ephraim and what might be, but of Misty and what had to be done to keep her safe.
Jerking her from her thoughts, David pulled her car door open. “What the hell’s going on?”
She climbed out of the car with her sword in hand, ready to kick some vampire butt. “Sutton’s gone inside to locate Misty. We’re to wait for him, and he’ll—”
David stormed toward the bright red front door. “I don’t take orders from a vampire, rogue or otherwise.”
Alena ran after her cousin. Heart pounding, she wanted to shake David and make him listen. She grabbed his arm and yanked him to a stop. “He can slip inside and find out how many there are and if Misty is even there,” she whispered harshly, irritated with her cousin’s unbridled rashness.
David shook loose from her and headed for the house again.
She scowled at him while she hurried to join him. Typical hunter—strong-willed and bull-headed. He didn’t want to miss out on the fight, but more than that, he didn’t want a vampire ordering him about. Or maybe he didn’t really trust Ephraim. Maybe he believed he would warn the vampires away.
With a quickened stride, their boots crunched on the gravel path. A streak of lightning stabbed a splinter of white into the turbulent water. Thunder grumbled overhead. Gulls screeched. Water from the bay lapped against a small skiff rocking back and forth in the frothing whitecaps. Why hadn’t she heard these things when Misty had spoken to her? Ephraim had to be right. Alena had been so concerned about Misty, she hadn’t paid enough attention.
The smell of fish hung heavy in the air while the breeze whipped around them. Salty water coated them in a cool misty spray and her hair dampened. She suddenly felt a chill, though her blood was hot with the desire for vengeance.
They paused at the door, when Ephraim’s raised voice reached them. “I can’t fathom why you want the woman. What madness is this? You’ll bring the League down upon all of our heads. And for what? Besides, do the two of you really think you’re any match for that David MacLeod? When he finds you...”
Alena held up to two fingers to David. “Two,” she mouthed silently.
David nodded and kicked the door open.
Both Alena and David rushed into the closest of the living areas. Gray leather sofas impeded their progress when they attempted to reach the vampires. Knowing they were outnumbered, the bloodsuckers should have vanished, but Alena imagined they feared the Brotherhood leader’s wrath if they left Misty behind without a fight.
“Get Misty,” Ephraim ordered Alena, while he attacked the taller of the two vampires. “She’s in the bedroom, first door to the right.” In a flying leap, he grabbed the renegade vampire’s throat and pinned him against the wall.
David struck his sword against the other, the vampire armed in the same manner.
Alena ran across the polished hardwood floor to the bedroom where Misty was being kept. She twisted the knob and found the door locked. She kicked it with her boot, the hollow core door giving slightly with every strike. On the fifth determined kick, it gave way and hit the wall with a resounding “bang”!
For a second, the path was clear. Misty was tied and gagged on the bed and no obstacle was in Alena’s path to stop her. Until she took a step toward the bed.
The vampire suddenly materialized before her, his red hair nearly the same shade as hers, unadulterated without a hint of brown or tinge of gold. But his eyes were black as night, except for a flicker of red that looked like a slow ember burning in their depths. And his extended canines were ice white, long and threatening, and bared at her.
Which meant only one thing. She was on his terminal list.
Chapter 10
HAD THE ROGUE vampires in Kisaro’s living room warned the Brotherhood that they were fighting for their lives against Ephraim and David and sent this dark vampire avenger to either whisk Misty away or kill her? Ephraim had cautioned her and David that only two vampires had been in the house. But the one she faced made three.
Adrenaline flowed through her veins, energizing her for the fight. Charging the redheaded vampire in the small bedroom, Alena raised her sword, hoping she and Ephraim and her cousin wouldn’t have the whole bloody Brotherhood to wage war against any second now.
The rogue swept out of her way and hissed when she thrust her sword. She growled inwardly, frustrated she hadn’t killed him outright. She swung her sword to the right, but he dodged her effort.
