“But you have your own money and lands.”
“That is true, but our families have a symbiotic relationship. What is good for De La Cruz is good for us. They have special abilities and we aid them in other areas.”
He was telling her something, yet nothing at all. For some unknown reason, something in his voice sent a shiver down Colby’s spine. “What are they like?”
“There are five De La Cruz brothers. The others are all much like Rafael and Nicolas.” Juan paused for a moment. “Do you do this work by yourself every day?”
There was a hint of censure in his voice, although she could tell he tried to keep it out. “My brother helps me and I had a man, Pete Jessup, working for me.”
Juan leaned on his pitchfork. “The man found dead.” He made the sign of the cross reverently. “That was not a good place for you to be riding by yourself.”
Colby shrugged carelessly. “I do it all the time. Someone has to.”
He shook his head. “It is not safe. That is not a good place. It felt . . .” He made the sign of the cross a second time. “It felt evil to me. I do not think those men would have allowed you to leave had Senhor Everett’s rider and I not been there watching.”
“I could have handled them,” Colby said, not certain she was telling the truth.
“This cannot continue. The things you do are too dangerous.”
She shoved a hand impatiently through her hair. “Fortunately for me, I don’t have to answer to anyone.” There was sheer defiance in her voice and an open challenge. “I run this ranch, Mr. Chevez. That means I have to ride everywhere and work like a man.”
“But you are not a man,” Juan pointed out patiently. “Don Rafael will not allow this to continue. He is a man who will have his way and it is not good to oppose him. If he decrees otherwise, do not attempt to defy him.”
Colby stopped working and looked directly at him for the first time. Her green eyes blazed at him. “Rafael De La Cruz may be a big man where you are, but here, on my ranch, in my little corner of the world, his opinion means this.” She snapped her fingers. “He doesn’t rule me or my brother or sister.”
Juan shook his head slowly. “You do not know Don Rafael,
senhorita;
he is not like other men. You are Armando’s daughter and therefore
minha sobrinha,
my niece. You do not wish to claim the relationship, but I must look after you the way he wanted us to. I do not want you to test this man.”
Did she hear the faint sound of fear in his voice again? “Why should you worry? Rafael De La Cruz has nothing to do with me. Hopefully he will be gone very soon.” As soon as the words left her mouth, fear almost amounting to terror gripped her. The thought was unbearable. It was more than grief, an inconsolable grief. The mark on her neck throbbed and burned in protest.
“Don Rafael is a very influential and powerful man. He is not like other men.” Juan was obviously searching for the right words. “The De La Cruz brothers are not as we are. They are formidable opponents and make harsh, unrelenting enemies.”
Colby kept her smiles to herself. Obviously Juan knew Rafael and his brothers were gifted with unique talents, which she had begun to discover through her own touch of those gifts. He did not want to betray a confidence, yet he was attempting to warn her. She found it rather sweet. “I doubt that I could do anything to make Rafael notice me enough to make him my enemy. I’ve seen him in action. Quite the ladies’ man.” Even saying the words seemed to hurt, but Colby didn’t want to examine too closely why that might be.
“You mistake him, Colby,” Juan said. “Don Rafael is a man of honor. And there is something different about him since he has shown interest in you. I saw him with the little one. He was very gentle with her and protective. Don Rafael has never shown much interest in children. He has rescued them when it was necessary, but as a matter of duty, not the way he was with your sister. I have never seen this unusual behavior in him. And he is different with me, more open in his emotions.”
She didn’t want to think too much about Rafael. She rubbed her eyes and could tell they were beginning to swell severely. Tears were streaming unchecked down her face now and she couldn’t stop them. “I think the fire somehow hurt my eyes,” she murmured by way of explanation. “If you go home, Rafael would go home too. I had the impression both brothers were anxious to leave here immediately.”
Juan looked at her closely, his eyes dwelling on the strange mark on her neck. “I am afraid it is too late for that,” he said ominously. He looked very alarmed, his gaze remaining on the blemish, all at once speculative.
Colby sighed heavily and, to keep from self-consciously covering the mark like an embarrassed teenager, added another flake of hay to the feeders. “Just say it straight out, Mr. Chevez. You can’t have it both ways, you know. One minute you can’t be implying I’m a good influence on him and the next that he might in some way be trying to harm me. If there’s some reason you think I’m in danger from Rafael De La Cruz, you may as well tell me.” Her gaze settled on his face. “I’m not afraid of him.” That was a terrible lie, but she persisted, trying to force Juan into admission. “Has he threatened me in some way? You don’t think he was responsible for what happened to the stable, do you?” She would have looked
at him challengingly but her eyes were far too swollen. And she was tired. Her arms and legs felt leaden. She wanted to lie down in the hay and go to sleep.
“Don Rafael would never do such a thing.” Juan sounded horrified at the mere suggestion. But he didn’t look horrified; he looked worried. “I think we should go back to the house; you are unwell.”
A protest began in her mind, but she did feel terrible, the skin on her face and forearms already burning fiercely. Her eyes felt like red-hot needles were poking into them. Even within the shelter of the barn, she felt the light poised to attack. Worse, she was constantly thinking of Rafael. He was invading her mind to the point of driving out every practical thought she had. No matter how strong her will was, she couldn’t seem to stop from thinking of him, needing to see him. Colby had never considered herself a woman who would need a man so much she pined for him, yet she wanted desperately to hear his voice, to touch him, to see for herself he was alive and well.
“Please,
senhorita,
the sun is burning your skin. I am most concerned, perhaps I can take you back to the house.” Juan had already made up his mind to take her back. He could see she was in trouble and he was being as polite as possible. If anything happened to her, Rafael would hold him responsible. He was very worried. Colby’s skin was blistering in the sun, and her eyes were very sensitive to the light. Very much like what happened to the De La Cruz brothers. Juan had never seen the phenomenon in a human. Now he was really alarmed and wanted to talk with Julio.
“I should check on the kids,” Colby capitulated, “and get the vet out again to check on the horses.” She longed for the relief of the coolness of the ranch house. She wanted to gather Ginny and Paul into her arms and have everything return to normal once again. More than all of that, she needed desperately to see Rafael, to touch him. To know that he was alive.
Where are you?
Rafael lay locked deep within the earth. Around him the rejuvenating soil offered a soothing comfort to the terrible burns
over his arms and face where the unrelenting sun had beaten down on him. He had not been able to leave Colby until he was certain the danger to her was past, so he had stayed far longer in the morning hours than he had ever managed before. His eyes, even lying in the earth, burned and wept from the sunlight. Even obscured by the heavy cloud cover, he had paid a high price to be with her.
Why had the vampire’s scent been near the stable, yet the cause of the fire human? Was the vampire using a puppet—a human servant—to destroy Colby? Nicolas was right, he had no choice but to bring her fully into his world where he could protect her at all times.
On that thought came another much more disagreeable one. It was difficult to lie helplessly in the ground while Colby was facing danger without his protection. How would she feel if she lay beside him deep within the earth and little Ginny was in danger or in need? His heart gave a strange lurch. The issue was far more complex than he had first considered. It would be much simpler if he only thought of himself, his own needs and desires. A savage fury seemed to burn through his soul. Colby would wither away beneath the earth, her gentle compassionate soul devastated at a separation between her and her younger siblings. She loved them as if they were her own children. A fierce, protective love, with every fiber of her being. The way he wanted her to love him.
His swearing was eloquent, the words echoing harshly in his mind. He had brought her partially into his world without a thought for what it would mean to her and her life. Her dreams. For what was important to her. She was uncomfortable without him, restless, and the sun was beginning to climb high. Colby was an independent woman, she wasn’t even certain she liked him. She was confused by her inability to keep from wanting him, her need to touch his mind, to know he was safe. Rafael could only lie helpless beneath the ground knowing he had contributed to Colby’s distress. No, it was more than that; he was directly responsible for her distress.
He had gone to ground near Colby’s ranch house, better to feel the first vibrations of danger to her. He had felt so close to her the night before, lying beside her on the bed, listening
to her breathing. She was so beautiful. Not just her body, but her heart and soul. She seemed to shine from the inside out. Not one of the firefighters who knew her, not one of the ranchers, had entertained the idea that she could have set the fire for the insurance money. There was something about Colby that just drew people like a magnet. And made them believe in her.
He lay with his body a dead weight, unable to move a muscle as he contemplated the problems he was facing. He didn’t want Colby above ground where he couldn’t protect her. He wanted to be with her. Not wanted, he
needed
to be with her. He would not go through another day unable to sleep the healing sleep of his people,
terrified
of losing her. He wouldn’t do it. He would complete the ritual and drag her kicking and screaming into his world. Consequences be damned. She belonged with him. Was made for him, his other half. He had a right to her. Once in Brazil he could make amends, win her love. She would be locked to him for all time. Eternity. She wouldn’t be able to leave him and she would have to learn to accept her fate.
Rafael tried to force his mind away from her in an attempt to close himself off and regain his enormous strength. He could hear her heart beating. He could feel her above the earth, her heart seeking the reassurance of his. He could feel her mind tuning itself in an attempt to find his. He had succeeded in making two blood exchanges. She was already partially in his world. Alarm hit him hard. Her skin would be sensitive to the sun, her eyes would water and burn.
Colby was used to being out in the harsh sunlight, she wouldn’t think to protect herself. He made a concentrated effort and touched her, mind to mind, partially to alleviate her distress and partially to relieve his own. At once he felt her pain, the burning of her skin and eyes. She was hungry, yet she was having trouble eating. She needed to touch him often and she was terribly confused by the unfamiliar need. A low sound escaped, a groan of despair. How could he have been so selfish? He had thought only of his needs, his desires. He hadn’t stopped to think of the consequences to her. Colby would suffer terribly this day and it was through his own selfishness. In that moment, he hated himself.
Rafael knew he had no choice now, he had to take her back to Brazil with him where he could adequately protect her, yet she wouldn’t be happy without Ginny and Paul.
He could never make her happy without her younger siblings.
The thought crept unbidden into his mind and stayed there. A thorn. The truth. He heard her then, the soft cry of her heart to his.
Where are you?
It took tremendous strength and willpower for him to overcome the paralysis and lethargy of his kind at the hour with the sun climbing high. He reached for her with his heart and mind.
Colby?
The lightest of touches. An inquiry.
Colby tried to fight against the terrible pain in her eyes, plus the blinding headache that was so relentless she felt her head gripped in a vise. Her eyes were streaming and swollen and hurting so bad she kept them closed most of the time against the onslaught of the sun. Her forearms were red and small blisters were actually forming. Colby was a redhead, but her skin had long since become accustomed to the sun. She couldn’t believe she was so sensitive. She urged her mount to pick up speed and covered her eyes with one hand, nearly unable to guide the animal. Juan reached out and took the reins in silence, leading her back to the ranch house.
She heard the sound of a voice stirring softly in her mind, a flutter of butterfly wings brushing against the walls of her mind. Rafael. His voice was unbelievably mesmerizing and her heart latched onto it immediately. Why had she been so afraid that something terrible had happened to him? It had been a stone weighing her down, crushing her until she could barely think straight.
Rafael!
She couldn’t keep the relief out of her voice or mind.
I am resting. I will come to you this evening. Sleep and allow Juan and Julio to aid Paul with the work this day.
He slipped a slight “push” into his voice, but already his strength was gone, ebbing away from him into her mind.
Colby knew something was wrong with him, she could feel it, his need for rest, for healing.
You’re hurt. I can feel pain in your mind.
It is your pain.
Don’t lie to me.
Lifemates do not lie to one another. I feel your pain as my own.
He gave a small sigh.
The sun took its toll on me as well. I heal quickly. You must sleep, querida.
Colby tried to probe his mind further to assess his injuries, but it was impossible. She gave up, the task too difficult in the face of her waning strength.
I think we both need sleep, Rafael.
She was shocked at how easy it was becoming to communicate with him. How right it felt. As if they did belong together, two halves of the same whole.
You’ve brainwashed me.