“Where to first?”
“I want to stop at that new dress shop that just opened up, but let’s eat first.”
“I am so glad you said that.”
They both walked toward the little Italian restaurant, Paste Alimentary. Kayla held the door open for Lana and followed her in. Immediately the smell of fresh baked bread and pasta sauce filled her senses. Kayla’s stomach growled loudly, and both of them laughed.
“Ciao, signore. Table for two?”
Nodding, they followed the portly and slightly balding man to a booth in the back. Italian music played overhead as they sat down and took the offered menus. He rattled off the specials and promptly left.
“What are you getting?” Kayla glanced at all of the selections.
“I don’t know. Everything looks so good. I swear I’ve been eating like a cow lately. My pants are already getting snug.”
Laughing, Kayla laid the menu on the table and sighed. “You look beautiful. You have that pregnancy glow going on.”
The waitress stopped by, a young girl who didn’t even look old enough to be working, and set two tall glasses of water on the table. They gave their orders and leaned back in the booth.
“So, when are you going to take me to see Aleksei and all the special abilities he has?”
Lana looked up and smirked. “You seriously want to see?”
“I told you I did. How am I supposed to believe you’re with a vampire without any proof?” Of course Kayla believed Lana. She knew no one in their right mind would have made up a story about vampires running the hottest club in Stone Brooke.
Lana chuckled and took a sip of her water. “Well, if you want, after we’re done here, I’ll take you over there.”
There was a long stretch of silence, and Kayla had the feeling Lana was on the verge of saying something.
“Listen, about Adrik.”
Uh-oh.
“Before you even go there, I have known Adrik for a long time. We’ve had our differences in the past, but I care for him, and I want his friendship.”
Lana held her hands up defensively. “Wait a minute. I wasn’t going to say anything bad about him.”
“You weren’t?” Kayla had just assumed Lana was going to reveal a deep, dark secret of Adrik’s by the way she started her sentence.
“No, I mean, I’m not going to get into the fact that you never mentioned him to me back in high school, or the fact that you felt you couldn’t confide in me about how you felt for him.” Lana smiled, showing that even though her words could have made her seem as though she was hurt, she really wasn’t. “I want you to be happy. I just want you to be careful. That’s all I wanted to say.”
Kayla looked down at the table and felt her face heat. She felt like a real ass. “You really are great. Aleksei is so lucky to have you.”
“I know.” They both started laughing just as their food arrived.
Thirty minutes later, they both leaned back in the red vinyl booth and breathed out in bliss. The waitress took their plates and left the bill. Kayla watched Lana as she stirred her iced tea with her straw. She could tell there was still a part of what had happened to Lana that haunted her. It was like a shadow that covered her expressions. No matter how much Lana tried to appear happy, Kayla could see the veil every once in a while.
Kayla reached across the table and grabbed Lana’s hand. Lana looked up, clearly startled, and then smiled.
“Is everything okay, Lan?”
“Yeah, why?”
“No. I mean is everything really okay? How are you holding up with the whole…kidnapping thing?” It still sent shivers down her spine to think of the horrid event. Lana looked down, and Kayla could hear her swallow.
“I mean, Aleksei’s great, and I know he tries to be supportive, but I can’t seem to let it go. I know those monsters are still out there, and I worry that they’ll find me. I am more worried about them hurting the baby.” Lana moved her hair off her shoulder and glanced up. “I worry that Dorian and Stefan are just waiting in the shadows.”
She visibly shivered, and Kayla squeezed her hand tighter. “Hey, you have nothing to worry about. Aleksei would never let anything happen to you.”
“I know, but you didn’t see the look in Dorian’s eyes when he smiled at me. I still have nightmares, probably will for a long time.”
Kayla got up and sat in the booth next to Lana. Wrapping her arms around her best friend, she tried to soothe and comfort her. She couldn’t even imagine what it felt like, what she still must be going through.
Figuring changing the topic was a good way to start to get Lana in a better mood, Kayla leaned back and nudged her shoulder. “Come on, babe, let’s go shop till we drop.”
They headed over to the Budding Blooms dress shop and walked inside, the little bell above the door letting the staff know potential customers had arrived.
“What exactly are you looking for?”
“I don’t know, something nice.”
“Jeez, that really narrows it down.”
Kayla smiled at Lana’s irritated tone and made a beeline to the back of the store. They had several dresses hanging on display, and she stopped and stared at a delicate-looking white-and-black strapless. She found her size and waved Lana over.
“Oh, that’s pretty.”
“It sure is. I’m going to try it on.” Kayla went into the dressing room as Lana sat on one of the plush chairs just a few feet away.
Slipping on the dress, Kayla glanced at herself in the full-length mirror. The dress had a white Empire waist style with black flower detailing on the bottom. A black satin ribbon was under the bustline and tied into a delicate bow in the back.
“Hurry up and let me see.”
Kayla sighed at Lana’s exasperated tone and opened the door.
Whistling, Lana stood and circled Kayla. “I won’t be able to fit into pretty things like this much longer.”
Kayla snorted and rolled her eyes. “You’re so melodramatic.” Lana scrunched her nose, and Kayla laughed. “So? What do you think of the dress?”
“It’s really nice and shows off your figure. It doesn’t strike me as a dress you’d choose to go to dinner with a friend, though.”
There was speculation in Lana’s voice, but Kayla chose to ignore it. “I need to find some killer heels. Just so you know, I would have worn a dress like this if you and I were going out.”
An hour later, they were heading to Lana’s home that she shared with Aleksei, his two brothers, Milo and Luca, and their sister, Aniya. When they started the slow climb up the incline that would lead to the property, Kayla couldn’t help but appreciate the lush wildlife that surrounded them. Once the mansion came into view, Kayla felt her eyes widen and her mouth drop in awe.
The mansion was spectacular, carved right into the side of the mountain. Lana pulled around the circular drive and turned the car off. They stepped out and headed up the front steps. Lana opened the door, and Kayla followed her inside. The interior was plush and extravagant.
“Wait here, and I’ll go find Aleksei.”
Lana disappeared behind a door, and Kayla walked around what she surmised as the sitting room. Minutes ticked by, and she made her way around the room, taking in each antique-looking item.
“Well, hello.”
Gasping, Kayla turned around. A beast of a man leaned against the doorframe, his arms crossed over his muscular chest.
“Hello.” She assumed the stranger to be one of Aleksei’s brothers.
He pushed off the wall and walked toward her. “You must be the female Lana mentioned.” He moved like a stealthy animal through the jungle, all power and precision.
“I’m Kayla Reilly.”
“Kayla.”
Her name rolled off his tongue like a lover’s caress. Kayla shifted on her feet at the way her body reacted when he said her name.
“It is a pleasure to finally meet you.” He inhaled deeply and closed his eyes. “You smell intoxicating, wild and uninhibited.” He was in front of her so quickly she gasped and took a step back. He took her hand and brought it to his mouth. The gentle kiss he placed on it made her acutely aware of how near he was.
Her heart slammed against her sternum as she watched the very intimate act. He smiled, twin white fangs flashing under the lighting. They were like daggers, big and thick and deadly in appearance. She took a step back, and her hand fell from his grasp.
“Luca, go.”
Kayla turned toward the deep, irritated voice behind her. Aleksei stood in the entryway, his gaze almost bored as he stared at his brother. Kayla looked back at Luca, who was staring at her intently.
“I’ll see you around.” With that he turned and left, without as much as a word to Aleksei.
Kayla watched in surprised silence. Glancing at Aleksei again, she saw his bored look turn humorous as he watched her.
“You don’t have to look so worried, Kayla. We won’t bite.” He smiled broadly, flashing his own set of wicked-looking fangs.
Chapter 3
Kayla sat in the car as Lana drove her back to her house. The whole situation at Lana’s house hadn’t been so far-fetched that Kayla had dismissed it. She did, after all, have a very open mind about the world she lived in. Belief and then actual reality were two different things, in her opinion. The fangs, the mystical powers, the strength, everything Aleksei presented to her had rendered her speechless. It wasn’t that she hadn’t believed Lana, but she had wanted some hard evidence to support her claim. Boy, did she get it.
“How is this even possible?” Kayla stared out the window at the passing trees.
“I don’t know. It’s still hard for me to believe sometimes. I thought you believed me?”
Kayla turned around and looked at Lana’s profile. “I did—do—but you have to know how hard it is to understand something, to trust in it without seeing it for yourself.”
Although this was true for many things, Kayla knew it wasn’t the best of excuses. After all, she had faith, and her faith was cemented with her belief in a higher power. This, however, was something completely different.
“I know you wouldn’t lie, especially about something like that, but, well, I don’t know. I am a firm believer now. Have no doubts about that.” Lana chuckled, and soon Kayla did, too. “I mean, what else is out there? What other kinds of creatures are walking right next to us and we don’t even know it?”
Glancing at Lana, Kayla saw her shrug. “It is kind of like I’m in a dream, a dream with really hot guys that drink your blood and own clubs.”
Smiling, she glanced at Lana again, saw her grinning, and couldn’t help but start to laugh.
Lana pulled into her driveway, next to Kaleb’s truck. “When is he coming home again?”
“Actually, I think he gets an extended leave in about a month.” Kaleb left his truck at the house whenever he left on a mission, not that Kayla minded, because just seeing the heavy-duty vehicle was comforting to her, almost as though her twin was watching over her.
“Really? That’s great. I assumed he might be gone for quite a while because he was just here.”
“I know, I thought that, too, but I’m not going to complain.” Kayla slipped out of the car and grabbed her bags. She leaned against the open passenger-side window. “Thanks for coming with me. I had a really great time.”
“Yeah, me, too. Let’s do it again.”
Kayla waved goodbye and made her way to the front door once the Mercedes was out of sight. She unlocked the door and opened it, the instant feeling of being alone a heavy weight upon her.
Her home was where she and Kaleb had grown up. When their parents died, they had left them everything, which to their surprise, was quite a large inheritance. She remembered her mother and father, remembered the love they had for each other and for them. She pushed the thoughts away, because if she let herself go there, she would end up breaking down. She didn’t want to put a damper on the wonderful afternoon she had just spent with Lana.
There were still several hours before sunset, and therefore, before Adrik would be picking her up. Kayla knew they were just friends, but there was a little part inside of her that ached for more. She still harbored feelings for him, but she wasn’t going to let her feelings ruin the friendship they could have.
Setting the bags on the kitchen table, she noticed the blinking red light on her answering machine flashing brightly. Sitting down, she pushed the button on the machine.
“Hey, Kayla, it’s Molly at the hospital. Susie wanted me to call and see if you wanted to pick up an extra shift tonight. I think they were going to float you to a tele floor. Anyway, don’t know if you have plans, but if you want to come in, they’re offering double time. Talk to you later.”
When she had first decided to become a nurse, she thought of how wonderful it was to help people. Now, that may be true a lot of the time, but lately she was getting stuck with the critically ill patients, and it was just so depressing.
She grabbed the phone and dialed the hospital to let them know she already had plans. Double time did sound good, but there was no way she was canceling tonight. When she was done talking to Molly, she hung up the phone and headed upstairs to get ready.
Adrik took the elevator down to the lowest level of the club. The cheesy elevator music grated on his nerves, and he clenched his teeth, thankful when the stainless steel doors finally opened. He wore a pair of light track pants and a pair of running shoes. He made his way through the tunnels that ran below the club and into the training area.
He pulled out his iPod, stuck the earbuds in, and cranked up the volume. Hard and angry rap blasted into his ears and had his blood pumping. He pushed open the double doors that led to the training room and looked around for an empty treadmill. Many of his brethren were down here tonight working out, the smell of sweat and testosterone thick in the air.
Adrik walked over to an empty treadmill and started his routine. He started a slow jog, working up his heart rate and warming his muscles. He needed to work off the adrenaline that was coursing through his veins. He anticipated tonight, and because of that, he needed to make sure he stayed on the level around Kayla.