Authors: Lori Perry
"How did you find me?" Cassie squealed and jumped into Orlando's arms.
"You are my mate Rhamah, I could find you anywhere." He brushed her joyful tears away. "I would never stop looking for you." Michael watched the reunion and wished for Ana.
"Where is she wolf!" Orlando tucked Cassie behind him protectively as Michael lost his patience.
"I need you to take us to Diviana. I'll not tell you until you swear an oath to take us safely there."
"I vow it! Now, where is she!"
"Danielle." Orlando whispered, with a knowing look. He’d purposely put her in harm’s way for his mate. If given the chance, Michael would gladly sacrifice anyone to protect his own mate.
Horror and disbelief flashed in Michael's eyes before he traced to the empty drive below. He didn't question the truth of Orlando's revelation. He felt it. And he had just allowed her to be taken, right from under his nose.
His eyes clouded red with rage as he turned in the direction the Jeep had been heading. Every other scent and sensation was burned away, only
she
mattered. The path they took became as clear as a glowing thread.
Ana, I'm coming.
Danielle was thrown to the ground scraping her arms and chin, her bound wrists wrenching behind her as she instinctively tried to break her fall. The men didn't ask questions, didn’t demand knowledge; they seemed to be waiting for something or someone. They laughed and spoke in a foreign language as Danielle lay motionless on the ground.
The sound of metal being ripped apart made the men jump to their feet, quickly falling back into an attack formation. Whatever they had been waiting for seemed to have arrived. Danielle shuffled on her knees into the corner; something was tearing through a solid steel door with the roar of an approaching tornado.
A wet crunching and painful wale from the entry of the building made her cringe and try to work her cuffs under her legs. This was a nightmare and she desperately needed to wake up. The sounds kept coming in all directions as if a war had broken out in the ware house. Moments later it was silent; but she had no intention of looking. She'd rather not see her death coming, fear was always worse than pain.
"An…Danielle?" The familiar voice was soft and probing. "Are you hurt?"
Danielle jerked around at the sound of Michael's voice. She was now certain that she had fallen down the rabbit hole. Michael had arranged for her kidnapping, stood by and watched it happen, then he came to her rescue.
What the hell would he do next!
"You're all right now Rhamah." He stroked the dirt from her face and smoothed her hair. "Don't look." He warned as he reached behind and quickly snapped her cuffs in two.
She cold clocked him the moment her hands were free. His face barely twitched, but her knuckles felt like they'd been slammed into a brick wall.
"Ow! Get away from me!" She shook her fist out and staggered to her feet.
Michael's face was concerned and he reached for her again.
"Don't you dare touch me! I'm not falling for the whole
I'm your hero
crap. You planned the whole thing! I saw you at the hotel!" Danielle tried to get around him, but he stepped in her way. She changed direction and he matched her.
"Where is everyone else?"
"It's just me. Keep your eyes closed." He needed to shield her from the carnage he had just wrought. He couldn't chance her seeing his world as humans assumed it was; needed to give her the necklace so she could see how it truly could be. He lifted her easily then traced to the hotel room. Carrying her to the bed Michael noticed Orlando and Cassie embracing near the window. Hope rippled through him as he laid Danielle on the bed then looked her over quickly, making sure she wasn’t injured.
"You vowed to take us." Orlando's voice was unwelcome as he stared at the face of his mate,
so close
.
"And I'll keep my promise." He glared at Orlando. Now was not the time to make demands or force Michael to do anything; timing was critical in securing her safety. He'd been this close to saving her a number of times, and the familiar panic crept through his chest. He needed to explain everything to her; needed to protect her. "Who is after you?" Michael demanded in a tone more gruff than he intended.
"Your kind." Werewolves and vampires used to be enemies, but over the centuries, their feuds died along with their hatred for one another.
"Why do they seek you?" Michael needed to know what he was up against since he was going to be aiding a wanted wolf.
"I turned down a proposition." Orlando hung his arm over Cassie's shoulder, pulling her small form against him. Knowing there was more to the story; Michael narrowed his eyes and opened his mouth to probe the subject further when Danielle began to stir.
"Danielle?" Her eyes fluttered open. It seemed she was the center of attention as Orlando, Cassie and a brooding Michael peered at her. For a moment, she shrunk back against the mattress before shooting from the bed; slamming her back against the wall.
"What the hell is going on?" She swiped her tangled hair from her face then pressed her palms to the wall at her sides demanding an explanation. Orlando stepped forward.
"Don't." Michael growled, his lip curling back to reveal glistening white fangs.
Fangs?
She now knew she had gone completely insane. Flashes of her dream mingled with reality, she was dizzy and swore she'd been drugged. One second she was in the warehouse and the next her hotel room; with a snarling
vampire.
"Danielle…" Michael stepped around the end of the bed toward her, palms out.
"Stay the hell away from me." She lifted a shaky hand to stay him. "You can explain this shit from there."
"I need to show you Danielle. You wouldn't believe my explanation."
"The hell you do! What kind of sick shit are you guys into? Tell me what the hell is going on!" She was trapped in some horror/psychological flick, and she'd be damned if she would be the bimbo on the floor, scooting along on her ass to get away from the monsters.
"I'm a vampire Danielle, and you are my mate." A hysterical laugh came burbling up.
"A vampire? And what are you," She looked at Orlando, "are you a vampire too?"
He exchanged a worried glance with Michael. "Werewolf."
"Ah, I see. Of course you are." She scrubbed her face with her hands then pushed away from the wall and straightened her T-shirt. Getting caught up in their bullshit was not about to happen. "I need to go, keep the bounty. I don't give a crap anymore."
"It's not about a bounty Danielle. We are what we say we are." Orlando moved to stand behind Michael. "You need to trust us."
"Oh! Well, since you say so…" What a bunch of freaks. She rushed to the door, wrapping her palm around the handle then paused. "Ok, if you're a vampire, prove it." She spun slowly to face him then leaned against the door, keeping her hand on the lever.
"We don't have the time to play show-and-tell; she'll see when you take us to Diviana." Orlando spoke as if Danielle weren't there, which really pissed her off.
"What is Diviana?"
"She deserves to know." Finally, Cassie joined their conversation.
"I'm still here people." Michael turned to reply but Danielle cut him off. "So how did you become a vampire?" She kept her voice laden with sarcasm.
"It was," He paused reflectively, "probably how you’d imagine it." Skirting around the question was irritating beyond measure, especially when she really wanted to know the answer.
"Does sunlight kill you?" She tried a different approach; that was an easy enough question to answer.
"It depends." Damn it!
"Is there anything you can answer definitively?"
"I
am
a vampire, and I need to protect you, get you somewhere safe; now." He stepped closer to her.
"Protect me from what?" The only thing she knew for sure was that she didn't know anything. Her world had been turned upside down; everything she was certain of hours ago had been blown out the window. As she waited for him to respond, she soaked in his appearance from head to toe; the contrast of his black hair against pale skin, sharp white fangs, strength to destroy six men alone. And then there were her dreams, where he was the immortal star.
"There are others of my kind that want to take you from me. Please Danielle, let me protect you." He broke the silence.
"I'm not going anywhere until you start talking,
vamp
." She eyed him again from head to toe, making sure he saw the disbelief on her face. "Or perhaps you wolfy; would you like to hurry things along by enlightening me?" She almost wanted to tap her foot impatiently as the so-called immortals exchanged glances, probably contemplating what to do with her body now that she could identify them in a line-up.
"Danielle," Cassie said calmly as she stepped around her puffed up boyfriend, "I promise you, they
are
telling the truth and we really need to get out of here." As the three inched closer to her, survival mode clicked in her mind and she pressed the door handle then spun as she flung the door wide, slamming right into the chest of yet another giant man.
Shit!
It's never ending!
"Deacon will be quite pleased when I bring in the lot of you." The newcomer smelled like the dumpster behind her favorite Chinese restaurant back home; three day old sweat mingled with the strange metallic flavor of her previous attacker and rotting dim sum had her stomach turning.
When she took a step back, his hand cinched around her wrist like a vice, a metal ring on his finger biting into her skin. This had gotten out of control; no cash was worth all this. She looked up at Michael to confirm his plan was going the way he wanted but what she saw made her muscles freeze painfully around her spine. His once emerald eyes had gone a deep crimson; the fangs she had glimpsed were longer behind his snarling lips. He obviously didn't care for the slimy man now pinning her to his chest.
"Darius, you will release her." His growl rumbled through her chest and she felt her captor's torso bouncing with laughter.
"Oh please almighty Michael, don't hurt me." He joked stupidly. Cassie was slowly pushed behind Orlando protectively as he began to grow. Orlando's muscles seemed to expand in front of her; hands that were already huge doubled in size as he stepped beside Michael.
"He may not hurt you," it was Orlando's turn to growl his threat, "but I will rip you apart if you don't release her."
Michael relived her death yet again as he watched her squirm in Darius's grip. He would chew his own arm off to save her.
"Release her Darius."
"Or what Michael? You can't win, her many deaths should have proved that to you by now."
"Danielle, I won't let anything happen to you. You have my word." This forced an explosive laugh from Darius then he moved his hand around her neck.
"I should kill her now, but that would displease Deacon." His hand lay loosely against her throat as he spun the sharp ring around his knuckle. Michael's heart twisted at the panicked look she was now stricken with. When Orlando took a careless step toward them, Michael threw his arm out, blocking him from getting any closer.
"Danielle," she refused to look at any of them. Her gaze was glued to a far corner of the room. "Rhamah," her stare glided to his, "close your eyes." Her tears began to glisten and when she followed his order letting her lids flutter shut, they slid down her cheeks. Michael was much older that Darius, which gave quite an advantage in speed and accuracy. But Darius kept that ring too close not to assume there was a poison held within. In the past, his opponents were far more skilled than Darius forcing Michael to hesitate, sealing her fate time and again. He needed to act now; needed to attack with such precision so that ring didn't accidentally pierce her skin.
Michael turned toward Orlando then traced behind Darius just as Danielle's knees buckled. Before Darius could react, Michael crushed the bones of his hand then locked his jaws over his neck, severing his jugular.
"Orlando." Blood covered his face and shirt as Darius twitched mere inches from his mate. Orlando rushed to her side lifting her easily away from the carnage.
"Keep her safe." He stared longingly at Danielle who now lay curled on the bed, her blood splattered cheek being wiped clean by Cassie. Placing his hand on Darius, he traced them away to finish what he'd started then quickly returned to the hotel. He traced to the bathroom and scrubbed the blood from his face and hands then tore the shirt from his back replacing it with a clean T-shirt. Once his teeth were scoured clean, he opened the door to face her. Danielle was now sitting with her back against the headboard with Cassie by her side. He was relieved to see the flush of her cheeks with no trace of tears.
"We must go." He stood at the foot of the bed trying to decipher her expression.
"You're a vampire." Her voice was soft but sure.
"I am." He replied, and then moved to sit next to her. "And you are my mate."