Laurann Dohner: Something Wicked This Way Comes, Volume 2

His hands slid under the lass, he cradled her gently in his arms and walked out of the room with her snug against his bare chest. He glanced around his home for the last time. He couldn’t come back. It would be too dangerous.

Both brothers waited near the front door. One of them stepped forward, his arms lifting. “I’ll take her from you, sir.”

The other one offered a hooded cape. “This should shield you from the worst of it. We parked the van in the driveway. We have a team on motorcycles scouting the area. It will be the last thing the hunters ever do if they try to follow.”

“I have her. No one touches her but me.”

“But the sun wi—”

“Just toss the damn thing over my head and wrap it around me.” Anger stirred. “She’s mine and not to be touched by another.”

Both males backed up instantly, alarmed. The one with the cloak hesitated and approached.

“Apologies. I didn’t know you’d taken a companion.”

Blaron stared down at the scarred yet beautiful face of the woman sleeping peacefully in his arms. “Nor had I until I kissed her. She’s the one.”

Shock still reverberated through him. Every vampire wanted to find the perfect companion but he’d never expected to find his. It had seemed more of a romantic myth but nothing else could explain the way they’d both lost their minds the moment their lips had touched.

“Send in a cleanup crew to remove all trace I was ever here and inhale her scent to track where she came from. She lives across the street but I’m not certain which house belongs to her. Pack her up and make it look good when you do what needs done. She won’t be returning.”

Matty was slow to wake, a haze of sleep and erotic dreams tempting her to keep her eyes closed. She may have drifted back off but a big, warm hand on her bare hip slid upward to her lower stomach.

“Wake for me, lass,” a husky masculine voice with a sexy accent rasped near her ear. “You need to eat. I’ve been worried about you.”

Alarm jolted her to full wakefulness as her eyes flew open to stare into the handsome face of her neighbor. Kilt was in bed with her, it was dark inside whatever room they were in, and only a few small lamps gave off enough light for her to see by.

“Easy, lass. You’re safe. We’re underground inside a club a friend of mine owns. My home has been compromised and we’ll stay here until we find somewhere else to go.”

She was pinned by his hand on her stomach, one of his bare, muscular thighs was over the top of her naked ones, and a sheet was tangled between them. “What am I doing here? Where are my clothes?” Her hands yanked the sheet up higher on her chest. Her breasts had barely been covered.

“It wasn’t safe for you to go home. Remember the hunter?”

“You bit me.” She remembered that.

“Aye. I did. I’m sorry about that but I was lost to the passion. You’re fine. I’d never harm you but I admit I took a little much. It made you weak and sleepy. Are you ready to eat? I have a fine meal awaiting you.”

More of her senses were waking once she got past the alarm of being naked in an unfamiliar place with a stranger. The room was chilly, she smelled food, and it was unusually quiet. A vampire had sex with her and had bitten into her neck. She blushed and tried to wiggle away from him. He hesitated and moved his leg to release hers while his hand unpinned her. She lunged away, rolled, but kept the sheet fisted in her hands.

The bed was a large four poster and she gasped when she nearly rolled off the edge. It was higher from the floor than any bed she’d ever been on. She stared down at the concrete floor, knew that would have hurt if she’d taken a dive, and an arm hooked around her waist to drag her butt a few inches back from the edge.

“Careful.”

“Where did you say we are?”

The bed moved as he sat up and she turned to glance down his body. The sheet had been pulled nearly off him when she’d tried to flee. Only part of it covered his hip but there was no missing the condition of his body since the material tented over his lap. Her gaze flew to his face.

“Underground. There’s a club above us but we’re safe. No one knows where we are or that this place even exists. Would you enjoy a bath before your meal? The club serves to both my kind and yours. I’ve been assured the food is top notch.”

She gaped at him a little. “It’s a vampire club? Seriously? Isn’t that a bit obvious if you’re trying to hide your existence?”

“Aye but we fit better in the setting. It’s too cliché to be believable.” He hesitated. “Don’t feel fear. No one will touch you.” He hesitated. “What’s your name?”

Her cheeks burned. She’d had sex with him, shared a bed afterward even if she hadn’t been aware of it, and they hadn’t even exchanged names. “Matty. And yours?”

“Blaron.”

She stared at Kilt. He was so handsome and his long hair against his tan skin drew her attention. The desire to touch him made her hands clutch the sheet tighter. “I should go home.”

He hesitated. “Why don’t you eat first? I’ll draw you a bath.”

He rolled the other way, leaving the cover of the sheet, and she couldn’t help stare at his perfect, beefy ass. It was paler than the rest of him, obvious he had tan lines, and that confused her as he slid off the bed. He bent, reached for something on the floor, and when he straightened, he pulled up a red kilt. He secured it at his waist and turned to face her.

“I’ll retrieve you a robe from the bath. My friend who owns the club has these guestrooms stocked with spare ones.” He walked into the darkness, out of the reach of the dim light, and bright light came on across the room from the open bathroom door. She glimpsed a large tub and he returned holding a blood-red robe.

“It’s a bit gaudy. I apologize. A nice pale blue would be more fitting for your creamy complexion but beggars can’t be choosers. We’re at the mercy of my friend for a few days.”

“Um…”

He stopped at the edge of the bed feet from her, dropped the robe, and arched a blond eyebrow. “Is there something you wish to ask me?”

“You have tan lines.”

“It was from before. You stay the way you were when you were changed. I was a farmer once and spent a lot of time in the sun.”

“You mean before you became a vampire?” It felt odd even saying that word aloud.

“I went to war with my friend who now owns this club. One night a saucy wench came to comfort some of the injured lads in camp. She chose me and I believed I’d gone to heaven when she lured me out into the darkness.” He paused. “I was flattered she seemed to want me out of all the others she could’ve picked. I was a lad, she was pretty, and I thought she wanted to share her charms. It turns out she was looking for some sturdy warriors to travel with and protect her. She turned me and my friend.”

Matty let that information settle. “Where is she now?”

He hesitated. “She died a long time ago. She had a preference for feeding from large humans such as myself. One night she didn’t distract him enough before she sank her fangs into him.”

“I’m sorry.” She wasn’t sure what else to say. “Did you love her?”

He shook his head. “I detested her, she wasn’t likeable, but she taught us how to survive. We owed her and we did our best to protect her. She never allowed us to go hunting with her though. One night she chose to feed off a male who fought back. He was skilled with a sword.”

She wasn’t sure what to say. They stared at each other. He took a step back.

“Dress in the robe, eat, and take a bath. Don’t leave the room. I need to make some arrangements and will return soon.” He stared at her. “No one will harm you but I can’t promise that if you were to reach the club above us. There are unfamiliar vampires up there who don’t know you are with me. It wouldn’t be safe.”