Dancing with the Devil (Nikki & Michael 1)

She listened to the rhythmic flow of his breathing and tried to match it. Gradually, she felt the tension begin to leave her limbs.

"Relax, relax.” Michael's voice was a whisper that soothed her soul. “Allow our thoughts to touch, become one."

Heat danced through her, warmth that burst like an explosion through every fiber of her being. It was a caress, a lover's kiss, and nothing like the invasion she'd imagined. The fire that burned when they touched was nothing when compared to the inferno they raised as their minds became one. Concentrate, Nikki

The cool breeze of his thoughts whispered through her. His mind ran like a wave before hers, separate yet united with her own. She could see his thoughts before he spoke them. See his emotions, a blaze of color that almost left her blind. Could see the areas he wished kept hidden, vast tracts of forbidding darkness.

Find Jake, Nikki.

She reached for the watch. The metal was cold against her skin, but her hands twitched, burned by the images rushing from the fob. Her senses leaped away, following the trail that led to Jake. Shapes began to form. She felt a tremor of fear, only to have Michael chase it away. Concentrate on Jake, Nikki. See him. Feel him. Become one with him...

...Pain throbbed through his temples. Jake cursed and ran a hand through his hair, only to stop when he felt the sticky dampness matting it all.

What the hell? He struggled into a sitting position and tried to remember what had happened. Cold stone nudged his butt, and a breeze pulled at his wet clothes. Where on earth was he? The air was heavy with age and the scent of decay. Somewhere ahead in the darkness he could hear the steady drip of water.

It had to be a cave of some kind. But how in hell had he gotten here—wherever here was?

"Hell is an apt enough description of this place, my friend." The words came out of nowhere, reverberating around the walls. Jake tensed, studying the darkness.

"Who are you? What do you want?"

"Questions.” The stranger's voice dripped cold sarcasm. “Always questions from my captives." Jake swallowed. He knew who had him. Knew why.

"Nikki won't be fool enough to fall into your trap a second time."

"We shall see.” The darkness moved, forming shape. Became a man with the eyes of a demon. It was easy to understand Nikki's fear, Jake thought, studying the muscular form warily. He wasn't psychic, but he could feel the power that oozed from the man. And those eyes ... they were almost hypnotic.

Don't look, he thought with a frown.

"Interesting,” Jasper murmured. “You have a certain ... strength I did not expect." Jake made no comment and studied the darkness beyond Jasper. There had to be some clue as to his whereabouts—some way to warn Nikki not to come after him.>Michael turned her around and pulled her towards him. She leaned her cheek against the warmth of his chest, and wished she could stay in the safe circle of his arms forever. Why couldn't the rest of the world just go to hell and leave her alone? Better yet, why wasn't there a way to simply turn back the clock to the time before Monica and Jasper had walked into her life? Though that would mean not meeting Michael. Perhaps some good had come out of this whole mess, no matter how brief it was meant to be. After a moment, she sighed and pulled away. “If Jasper's moved in the daylight, he's stronger than you thought."

Michael shrugged, finally removing his dark glasses as he glanced at the sun. “It's nearly five, and the winter sun is weak. Besides, it was probably the zombies who grabbed him."

"Just how much do you know about Jasper?"

He shrugged a second time. “As I've said before, he and I are old foes. I make it my business to know my enemy."

"Do you make it your business to keep your allies in the dark?" A wisp of annoyance ran through her, though his face was impassive. “I only tell what needs to be known."

She clenched her fists and tried to ignore the desire to yell in frustration. “Well, right now I need to know everything I can about Jasper."

He nodded, though his dark gaze was suddenly distant. “As I said earlier, he's a twin. He and his brother survived the San Francisco fires of 1906, but the rest of their family did not. We're not sure when they both changed, but we do know it occurred shortly after the fires, when they were fifteen.” He hesitated, his face grim. “Even so, Jasper was responsible for the murder of at least five people before his rebirth." She shifted from one foot to the other and tried to ignore the need to move. Finding Jake would take all the caution and cunning she could muster—and every scrap of information about Jasper and his need for revenge. “You mentioned the royal ‘we’ again."

Michael sighed, though it was a sound filled with annoyance. “I am a member of an organization known as the Damask Circle."

"Are you all vampires?"

"No. But neither are we all what you'd term human."

Human. The bitter emphasis he placed on that word spoke volumes. He'd heard her thoughts, all right. She bit her lip and glanced away from the accusation of his gaze. “And this circle of yours goes around killing people like Jasper?"

"Yes. So people like you can rest easier at night."

People who fear what cannot easily be explained. People who cannot trust what their hearts know to be true. She closed her heart to his thoughts. This wasn't the time to argue about her refusal to trust. “Is that why you killed Jasper's brother?"

Again Michael hesitated. Pain rose briefly through his soul. She wanted to reach out and tell him she understood. Instead, she clenched her fingers and waited for him to continue.

"No. I killed Jasper's brother because he murdered my brother, Patrick." Revenge. Everything was based on revenge, and it could end up killing them all. “How often have you and Jasper met in the past?"