His Dark Embrace

He thought of Marie, dead before her time because of Kaiden Thorne. His dreams of having a son to carry on the family name had died with her. He had loved once. He would never love again. So be it. He was the last of his line, and that, too, was the fault of Kaiden Thorne. Just one more reason to destroy the man who had taken Marie’s life. And yet, for all that Girard felt strong and invulnerable, he wasn’t ready to face off against Cassandra. He didn’t doubt for a minute that she would come after him if he killed Thorne. She would always be older, stronger.

His steps slowed. Maybe there was another way to avenge himself on his enemy. True, it would be folly on his part to defy Cassandra and destroy Thorne, but what about Thorne’s woman? She was fair game as far as he was concerned.

The Good Book said an eye for an eye, Girard mused.

But he was thinking about a life for a life.

Chapter 24

Skylynn woke with a smile on her face. For a moment, she simply lay there, her eyes closed as she relived the wonder of the night past. Kaiden loved her. The thought made her giggle like a schoolgirl with her first crush. And that thought made her laugh out loud. He had been her first crush. She had daydreamed about him for years and now, at last, he was hers. And she was his. Totally and completely his.

And he was a dyed-in-the-wool, blood-drinking vampire.

She turned her face toward the window, basking in the sun’s light. And then she bolted upright. Sunlight! Her gaze darted to the other side of the bed, terrified that she might find a pile of ashes. To her relief, that side of the bed was empty.

Where was Kaiden?

Swinging her legs over the edge of the mattress, she stepped into her slippers, pulled on her robe, and hurried downstairs, frowning as the scent of coffee tickled her nostrils.

“Kaiden?” She called his name as she went into the kitchen. He wasn’t there, of course, but she smiled when she saw he had turned on the coffeemaker. A note rested beside it.

Morning, Sky Blue. Enjoy your day. I’ll see you tonight. Don’t forget, I love you forever. Kaiden.

Smiling, she hugged the note to her breast, then slipped it into the pocket of her robe. Kaiden loved her. God was in His heaven, and all was right with the world.

After pouring herself a cup of coffee, she sat at the table, her whole being glowing with the blush of first love. She wanted to sing, to shout it to the world. For the first time in her life, she was hopelessly, deeply in love.

Gradually, her sense of euphoria faded and reality stepped in. So, he loved her and she loved him. If they were a normal couple, they would get married, have a couple of kids, and live happily ever after. But they weren’t a normal couple. And they never would be. Kaiden had been right about that.

She bit down on the inside corner of her lip. So, they weren’t a normal couple. What was so great about being normal?

She sipped her coffee, her thoughts wandering. Would he expect them to move in together? Should she suggest it? If they decided to move in together, it would probably have to be in his house. He would undoubtedly feel more secure taking his rest there.

Well, she could live with that. And she could always go home during the day. Kaiden had suggested she find something to do with her time, and that was probably a smart idea. He had told her she didn’t have to work, but she wasn’t sure she felt comfortable with the idea of having him support her when they weren’t married. So, she needed to find a job. Vista Verde was a small town and there weren’t a lot of high-paying jobs available. But she didn’t need a lot of money. Just enough to pay the utility bills and the taxes on the house. She didn’t eat much. Granda’s car wasn’t new, but it was paid for. And if it broke down, Sam’s VW was in the garage. She drove it once a week or so to keep the battery charged.

She poured herself a second cup of coffee. She had always wanted to work at a pet store. The last time she had gone looking for work, she had taken what was profitable, not what she really wanted.

But times had changed.

“Oh, yes,” she murmured, smiling. “Times have changed.”

A quick breakfast, a change of clothes, and she was off to seek gainful employment.

Skylynn returned home three hours later, weary and discouraged. She had tried every store in town and met with rejection at all of them.

“We’re cutting back.”

“We can’t afford to take on any new help.”

“Maybe next month.”

“You’re overqualified.”

Thoroughly discouraged, she kicked off her shoes and tossed her handbag on the sofa. Padding to the front window, she pulled back the curtain and stared at Kaiden’s house. It was still three hours until sunset.

Pulling a chair up to the window, she sat down, her arms folded on the sill, her chin resting on her arm. What was it like, to sleep without dreaming? To be drawn into nothingness with the rising of the sun whether you wanted to be or not? To live forever and never be sick or tired? To have the strength of twenty men? To be able to move faster than the human eye could follow?

To drink blood? Kaiden didn’t seem to mind. Apparently when you were turned, drinking blood stopped being repulsive. Or maybe you just got used to it. She could think of a lot of things she hadn’t liked the first time. Coffee had been an acquired taste. So had beer and wine and champagne. She hadn’t liked any of them the first time she tried them.

She glanced at her watch, willing the hands to move faster. Why did time pass so quickly when she was with Kaiden and so slowly when she was home alone?

Rising, she went into the den. It had been Granda’s room. His medical diplomas and awards lined one wall. A small mahogany table held his pipes and a box of cigars. An old footlocker sat in one corner. It held the trophies Granda had won in high school, along with an old letterman’s sweater, his high school yearbooks, and a football from the last game he had played in college.

She moved toward the bookcase. It was crammed with paperbacks, most of them written by Louis L’Amour, Max Brand, and Zane Grey. Scattered among the dog-eared westerns were the books Sky had loved as a child. Among them were Lad: A Dog, Little Women, Black Beauty, and the Black Stallion books.

Sky pulled one of the Black Stallion books from the shelf and thumbed through it, remembering how she had imagined herself lost on a desert island with a beautiful black horse. Like many preteen girls, she had longed to own a horse of her own, but Granda had told her it just wasn’t practical in a subdivision.

With a sigh, she returned the book to the shelf. For a moment, she stood there, wondering what to do. She felt a rush of guilt when she realized it had been a while since she had written to Sam.