Alabaster Nights (The Josie Hawk Chronicles) (5 page)

“Me? What poison?”

Keller looked for a blanket, found one with a bright floral pattern crumpled in the corner. “Demon.”

Sage cursed under her breath and pointed her finger at him. “Why didn’t you do it already?”

He had wanted to. Wanted it more than anything. “She would hate me.”

“So what? She’d get over it.” Sage ripped the blanket out of his hands and covered Josie. She knelt next to the bed and reached for Josie’s hand.

Jaw clenched tight, Keller shook his head. “Maybe. Maybe not.”

“I don’t understand you, Keller. Since when do you worry about what other people think of you? That’s my bag, not yours.”

Before he could answer, Sage lowered her mouth to Josie’s arm and began to suck, her cheeks hollowing out with each draw.

Keller turned away.

“There’s a lot of poison,” Sage said.

Grinding his teeth, he stared at the pale green walls and rubbed the back of his neck. “Then why are you talking? Get it the feck out of her.” Sage didn’t deserve his anger, but he had to direct it at someone and since he’d already killed the demons, he had nowhere else to go with his feelings. Where was Death now?

Though the poison wouldn’t harm his sister, the sound of Sage taking in Josie’s blood nearly did him in. He braced his hand against the wall to steady himself and locked his knees to keep from crumbling like a sack of useless potatoes. A distraction was what he needed.

Keller spent the next several minutes tuning out the sound of Sage extracting the poison and taking inventory of Josie’s apartment, which was only slightly larger than a closet, in his opinion. She lived here, that was evident in the damp towels thrown on top of the cluttered dresser and the sharp set of knives carefully lined up in neat rows on the chipped kitchen counter. The lack of personal items—photos, trinkets, jewelry—told him either Josie didn’t hold anything sacred, or she’d been hurt too much to cling to keepsakes. He hoped it was the latter. Not that he wished sorrow on his probable mate, but at least if she hurt, she could feel. Keller was cold enough for the two of them.

“It’s done,” Sage said, her voice barely above a whisper. “The wound is already starting to heal.”

“You’ll need to tend to her leg, too.”

“I already did.”

Of course she had. Sage would be thorough where her best friend was concerned. Keller set down the blade he had been gripping and moved to Sage’s side to study Josie. Her skin was still so very pale, but Sage was right about the healing. He watched as Josie’s tendons wove together, muscle regenerated, veins fused.

“She’s strong.” A combination of relief and pride decided to take up residence. So did a slew of questions.

“Yes. She is. I have no doubt she would have made it through this on her own,” Sage said. “But thanks for calling me. She won’t be happy about it, but we helped speed up her recovery.”

“You did and I’m grateful to you.” Keller clasped his hands behind his head and squeezed. The pain caused by his refusal to feed was escalating. He turned to Sage, noted the traces of pink on her cheeks and the drop of blood in the corner of her mouth. Keller reached out and wiped it off with the pad of his thumb. Then he stared at the smear of red, craving…refusing. He moved to the sink and washed his hands.

The mattress creaked. Hopeful, he turned, but Josie hadn’t moved. Sage sat on the end of the bed with her long legs flung over the footboard. Yet another new tattoo peeked out from beneath the hem of her jeans to wrap around her ankle in an intricate pattern.

Sage folded her hands in her lap. “Care to tell me what’s going on with you?”

He crossed his arms over his chest and snorted. How could he explain what he didn’t understand himself?

Sage held silent, giving Keller the time to try and sort it out. In the end, he decided to share his thoughts. “She’s the one, Sage.”

He wondered if she’d even heard him until he looked up.

Her eyes were wide and bright, her mouth hung slightly ajar. “Who? Josie? No,” she said, shaking her head hard enough to have her braids knocking against each other. “It’s impossible. I would have sensed something. Right?”

Keller hadn’t realized he’d moved from the kitchen area until he felt the silkiness of Josie’s hair between his fingers. “You and I both know it’s entirely possible. And maybe you did sense it. Maybe that’s why you called me here.”

Sage swiveled to face him. “I don’t know, Keller. While I’d like nothing more than to see both my brother and my best friend happy, it will never work between you two.”

He stiffened. Josie’s hair slid from his hand and settled on the pillow, the red locks a sharp contrast to the pretty yellow sheets. “Why not?” Two words spoken with enough ice to frost the room.

“You’ll smother her.” Sage patted his shoulder, unaffected by his anger. “Josie doesn’t have it in her to be who you need her to be.”

He hadn’t even heard Sage move. Keller blamed his lack of awareness on nutritional deficiency and emotional instability, both of which he had little control over at the moment. “And who do I need her to be?”

“Someone who let’s you lead. You’re too protective, too intense for someone like Josie.”

Since when had wanting to protect someone become a fault? “What if I think she’s perfect exactly how she is?” Josie’s wound sealed closed. The only evidence she had been hurt was the redness that marked her skin from inflammation. She’d stir soon, wouldn’t she? Keller moved to the window, noted at least an inch of snow had fallen since they’d come inside. There would be a lot more before the sun broke over the horizon.

“You can’t know that yet, Keller. You don’t know her.”

“But I will.”

“She won’t let you.”

Keller spun on his heel and nailed Sage with a glare. “She let you.”

Sage flinched. “It’s not as easy as that,” she said on a sigh. “She’s half human, Keller. I’m probably betraying her by telling you that. But you need to know. It’s only part of what makes her so complex and so…difficult. Look, what Josie and I have has taken years to cultivate. She doesn’t trust easily. And she’s more closed off than anyone I’ve ever met.”

“You think I can’t see that?” Keller paced. “I didn’t choose this. I didn’t choose her. But something tells me I would have if I’d been given a choice. I don’t care what or who she is, and it pisses me off that you would think otherwise. She calms me, Sage.”

“Um, yeah. I can totally see that. You’re the epitome of calm right now.”

Keller stood still, glanced at Josie’s sleeping form. When he spoke again, his voice was so quiet he wondered if he’d spoken aloud. “I need her. Am I wrong to think she might need me, too?”

Sage sat and buried her face in her hands. “You’re not wrong.” She looked up. “Is this what you really want?”

“She is who I want, yes.”

“And can you let her be Josie? Can you handle who she is?”

Keller opened his mouth and then snapped it closed. He wouldn’t lie to Sage. Could he let Josie continue on this dangerous path night after night? She’d nearly been killed by a demon—one that wanted the taste of her blood. Why? Demons didn’t need blood to survive. What was so special about Josie’s blood? Keller made a silent vow to himself before sharing a part of it with Sage.

“I understand a Huntress has to hunt. I won’t deny her that. But know this…I will do everything in my power to protect her.”

“Even if she doesn’t want you to?”

“Even if. She is my mate. I know it like I know I need to feed soon or perish.” The thought of dying without knowing his mate, without touching every inch of her body, without tasting her just one time, unsettled Keller on a level he hadn’t known existed.

“Have you tasted her blood at all?”

Keller stiffened, his fangs jutting out of his gums with equal parts need and desire. He shook his head in answer.

Sage nodded, her expression full of understanding. “That would confirm everything.”

“It would,” he said. “But I won’t take it until she’s willing.” He had a plan—one that involved trust. He had a feeling it wouldn’t be easy for either of them. He might not know her well, but he knew with utter certainty, the Huntress was worth waiting for.

“That might be never.”

“I understand. If that’s the case, eternity just got a hell of a lot shorter.”

Sage stood and wrapped her arms around him. “She won’t be easy to love.”

“Neither am I.”

“I disagree. But I’ll help you, Keller. You deserve to be happy.” Sage kissed him on the cheek, brushed a hand over Josie’s hair and let herself out.

Sage was leaving him alone with Josie. It spoke volumes of her trust in him.

Keller swallowed past the lump in his throat and watched the rise and fall of Josie’s chest. He didn’t deserve happiness, but he wanted it.

-5-

The Vampire Sees Red

The street below remained empty, devoid of life except for the falling snow, but danger lurked somewhere on the outskirts of town. Close, but not close enough for him to do anything about it. Even through his hunger-induced fatigue, Keller could practically taste the sinister thoughts of the dark beings. Perhaps he heard them because he walked on the darker side of the line. Or had until he’d met Josie. But why were they here now? What did they want?

He stepped back from the window and closed the flimsy blinds against the snow that had been piling up for the last several hours. He slipped into the bed and pulled the cool sheet up to his waist. For the first time in a very long time, he found the quiet of the night unsettling. He missed the rich sound of Josie’s voice. He wanted to wake her, listen to her mordant comments about how she owned the town, how she’d kick his arse to the next county if he didn’t abide by her rules. So fierce. So stubborn. Instead, he settled for lazily strumming his fingers through her silky hair while listening to the soft sound of her breathing.

He’d rest for no more than a couple of minutes before resuming his post. If his instincts were right, more than a blizzard had blown into Nashville. If nothing else, Keller trusted his gut, and his gut was telling him he wasn’t the only one who’d heard about the powerful blood in Nashville. A town that had more than its fair share of occult beings. A town that required a Huntress to patrol the streets.

From the moment he’d stepped foot in Nashville, he’d known something big would happen. The more he thought about it, the more he realized everything seemed to center around the woman who’d thawed his frozen heart.

He brought a wavy red lock to his nose and breathed deeply before letting it slide from his fingers. His nerves tingled with awareness the moment her hair landed on his arm. Keller fisted his hands and fought for control. Gods how he wanted her. Everything about Josie was intoxicating. Even her temper. Keller smiled to himself. She’d be spitting mad when she woke and found him stretched out next to her, taking up more than half the bed. If he were smart he’d make himself ghost before she stirred.

Not gonna happen. He wouldn’t leave until he knew Josie was back to her old self. A thought trickled in before he could prevent that particular train from derailing. He stopped himself just short of growling. Only one thing—one being—could force him to leave. If his sire summoned him now, Keller would fight the call as long as he could. Being here was more important than any task his sire could conjure simply to punish him. Always to punish. The lack of a crime didn’t matter in the least to the elder vampire. When the sire called, which he often did, the
family
listened…and acted.

No. He had to stay here. What if someone came in while Josie slept? The lone lock on her door was shoddy at best, her weapon stash too far out of reach to do any good. Keller should know. He’d combed every inch of the place while the Huntress counted sheep. If she were as lethal as she claimed to be, why did she keep her knives on the other side of the room? Even with the apartment being no bigger than a double jail cell, she probably couldn’t cover ground fast enough. Not fast enough for his peace of mind. Knowing the tantalizing woman was half-human confirmed his thoughts. Humans were fragile. Josephine Hawk needed him in her life. Keller would watch over her, protect her… He thought back to the demons in the alley. Aye, he would kill for her too. So much emotion and he had yet to taste one drop of her blood. Still…

He knew.

Felt it with every fiber of his being.

The Huntress was the one.

Outside, the wind wailed, its song a lonesome and haunting melody that had Keller inching closer to the warmth of his mate.

The lights blinked out, shrouding Josie’s room in total darkness. Keller looked toward the window, to the soft light shining through the haphazard slats of the blinds. The streetlamps outside flickered once and then, they too, illuminated no more. His vision adjusted slower than usual. The clock was ticking and time wasn’t on his side.

Perhaps the lack of light was the jolt of caffeine Josie needed. Or maybe the shrill sound of the wind and the rattling of the window. Whatever the trigger, she jackknifed halfway off the bed and sucked in air as if she’d been under water for the last forty-eight hours rather than passed out like a hibernating bear.

Keller didn’t move, didn’t speak, didn’t breathe. He simply watched as she slid the rest of the way out of bed and stumbled around the room flicking light switches up and down as if she could will the power to come back. She moved to the kitchen, swear words flying out of her mouth with the ease of a truck driver as she rustled through the drawers. A moment later, a flame danced on the end of a match and a candle came to life. She shuffled to the bathroom, splashed water on her face and quickly brushed her teeth, mumbling to herself the entire time.

Shadows played across her exquisite mouth and highlighted her sharp cheekbones. Her profile intrigued him. Everything about her intrigued him. So much so, he wanted to crawl inside her body and introduce himself to her soul.

Candle in hand, Josie turned, and nearly blew out the flame on a rush of breath. Even in the dark, Keller saw the fury crackling in her eyes.