Shawna whispered the ancient spell, and it turned to look at her—screeching madly. Shawna thought that it was more than just a killer—it was surely insane.
She was glad to have caught its attention, but she wasn’t smiling yet because she was in deep shit and she knew it.
She then shouted out the words her grandmother had taught her so long ago. “
Bearoidh mé—coimeadam
.”
The grotesque thing screeched to the heavens—a long, protracted sound of pain—and folded in upon itself outside her window. As it retreated, it gave her a long look of fury and hate, and just as suddenly as it had arrived, it was gone.
Shawna’s front door flew open with a bang, bringing her head around. When she saw him she reacted with a relief that flooded through her system and she knew must have been displayed on her face, because all at once he was taking over.
Chad MacFare stomped across towards her and demanded, “What happened? What was that?
Och, lass
—
you are hurt…
”
She was holding her arm up as she attempted to maintain the dishcloth tightly around the bloody wound. It was a mess; there was bright red blood—her blood—all over the floor, and when she glanced at it, she felt a moment’s wooziness travel through her brain.
Chad took charge at once. He led her gently to the sink, and when he took off the dishcloth he swore under his breath, washed the wound, and laid a wad of paper towels on the length of the wound before he wrapped it up tightly with yet another dishcloth.
He bent her arm at the elbow and told her to keep it up. His voice was full with confidence, and Shawna had a sensation of comfort as he spoke. “Keep your arm raised, there’s a good lass.”
Suddenly he scooped her into his arms and positioned her on the sofa. “There now, Shawna love—just lay quiet one more moment.”
She watched his movements. They were quick and disciplined. He seemed to know what he was doing as he went to the kitchen and into her fridge. There he took up her stash of disguised blood. He handed her the V8 container. “Drink this, Shawna, while I get some bandages…”
She had a moment of disbelief. He knew. He knew that she needed to drink blood. He seemed to know everything about her. She knew nothing about him. She was stunned as she lay there with her feet up on the sofa and legs stretched out in front of her, sure that she was about to pass out.
She felt him watching her as she sipped the pig’s blood and then when she drank down what was left in the bottle in deep gulps. She felt herself blush. She had no future. She would never have a man of her own. How could she?
She drank blood
…
“That’s my wee lass,” he pronounced and then went to the bathroom, fetched the first aid kit, and returned a moment later.
Shawna watched him as he dressed her wound, which had already begun to heal. She saw his expression as he noted that the wound was beginning to close.
She gauged his reaction before she said quietly, “Well, you already knew, didn’t you, that I am part vampire? Healing very rapidly, especially after…satisfying the thirst, is a part of what I am. I feel the pain of the injuries I sustain, but those injuries have always healed very quickly if I…drink what…I need.”
“Aye, I know what you are, Shawna, and I know what you are not, but even though you have healed, losing as much blood as you have will put a major drain on your—let’s call them…
talents.
” He put up his hand to stop her reply. “I know, yes, that you just replenished yourself, but…you will need time to recoup, which means in the interim you are at your weakest.”
She blushed and looked away from him. “It isn’t human blood, you know…”
“Pig’s blood, I know. My sense of smell is better than you can imagine. Why, Shawna, lass—you are blushing.” He shook his head. “You haven’t anything to be ashamed of—quite the opposite, in fact.”
He had been on one knee beside her while he had dressed her wound. He smiled softly and pushed away a long lock of blond hair that had fallen in front of her left eye. “In fact, you should be proud that you never gave in to the blood lust for human blood. You found a way to get past it. It shows your courage and the power you own.”
“Thank you—but I was only able to do that because of my grandparents.”
“Aye, another thing we have to talk about.”
“Why? What do you mean?” Shawna’s eyes blinked with the sudden fear that shot through her mind.
“Pentim will use them—
to get to you
.” He stood up and took a tour of the room before he came back to frown down at her.
She had digested his words carefully and sucked in her bottom lip. She had to be careful what she said. She didn’t know him, and while her gut was urging her to trust him—could she? “He doesn’t know who they are.” Doubt had lined her statement. Doubt lined the wave patterns of her brain. Where was Chad going with this?
“He
didn’
t know who they are, but I am afraid that Pentim
is
about to find out.” Chad’s voice was dark and grim.
“How do you know that—you can’t know that?”
“Suffice it to say
that I do.”
“How?” Shawna was tenacious. “You have to give me more than that. Look, Chad, you know almost everything about me. I don’t know how you know, but I realize that you do. I know nothing about you. How do you expect me to trust you, put myself in your hands, when I don’t really know who you are—and what makes you tick?”
He sighed heavily. “Shawna—I get visions…” He hesitated. “They aren’t always clear, and the ways in which they end aren’t always written in stone. Things change sometimes…people some of the time alter the outcome through intent, or even by accident, but more often than not…in the end, most of my visions usually play out as I saw them occur.”
“And in this particular vision, you saw
him
—you saw Pentim actually identify, and then find my grandparents?” She had accepted the fact that Chad suffered premonitions or ‘visions’ as he referred to them. She had also realized immediately that the word ‘suffered’ applied in his case. He didn’t want the visions. That was obvious to her.
All of this had begun to make sense. He had probably learned almost everything about her through visions. It explained a great deal about him and his ‘all-knowing’ aura.
“Yes,” he answered somberly. “In my vision I witnessed Pentim’s satisfaction as he acquired the information about your grandmother—and her ability as a witch—from a female vamp that has not always been a part of his clan. However, I did not see him actually capture your grandparents.”
He was telling her the truth. If not, he would have told her that he had seen her grandparents taken, in order to elicit her cooperation.
A wave of desperation swamped Shawna, and she clenched her hands. Her mind worked furiously as she clicked through various scenarios for their protection. A female vamp had discovered her grandparents—how?
“Scent,” Chad answered as though reading her mind. “This particular female vamp has better than hound dog abilities.”
“When does your vision take place—past, present, future?” Shawna wrung her hands.
He reached for her fingers, soothed them, and then held them in his firm grasp. “I’m not certain, but I think soon. That is why I want you to send for them, immediately.”
She tried to get up from the sofa. She didn’t know why—it was a gut reflex. He held her in place. “No, lass…you need to rebuild your strength. That thing—whatever it is, for the moment has withdrawn, but it won’t stay gone. It will come back better equipped, perhaps learned in the style of
your
brand of magic. I suspect it has a coterie of its own, and you will need your full strength when you meet it next.”
“I don’t care about that thing right now.” Then all at once it dawned on her—
the obvious
. “Magic—Chad, are we dealing with some demon of black magic? Could it be some ancient form called out by some cult—a cult connected to Pentim?”
“No.” Chad shook his head. “Not a demon in the true sense, and not connected to the Rawley clan. I know the list of demons and black magic only the most powerful vampires can call on. This thing is not one of those demons.”
“But it is filled with the mana of black magic,” Shawna argued.
“Yes—it has taken form from dark magic, but for now, let’s leave it alone as we can both deal with it later. Now I have to do something about getting you to safer ground.”
“My grandparents first.”
“Call them, Shawna—invite them to stay with me at MacFare. There isn’t a vampire walking this earth that can penetrate Darby Gray—’tis where you all belong until I am ready for
you
to draw Pentim out.”
Things were moving too quickly. She had to consider all the facts. Could he be using her grandparents as a ruse to get her to MacFare, and into his ‘bait’ plan? He could be doing that. She didn’t want to think so, but it was a possibility.
“I have to give it all some thought.”
“Send for them at once, Shawna—think about it later.”
“I have to think…”
“Do that,” he answered impatiently. “And in the meantime, Pentim gets closer and you aren’t ready to take him on, and you will sacrifice them for nothing.”
She pointed to her bag. “Please?”
He handed it to her, and she took out her cell phone and speed dialed. When her grandmother’s voice came on the line, Shawna wanted to hug her and lock her away safely where no one could harm her or her poppy.
She spoke quickly and was surprised that she didn’t have to do too much explaining. Her grandmother had already sensed what was coming. They agreed to catch the next available flight and they agreed to allow Chad to pick them up from the airport. She told them it would be better if no one in Stockton knew about her family connection to them.
When she put down the phone she looked up into his green eyes and sighed heavily. “Don’t let anything happen to them.”
He was at her side, back on his knees, taking her hands. “I promise you that, Shawna lass, they shall come to no harm under my protection. Nor will you.”
“Ah—now that is a different story.”
“At least come to MacFare for this night…while you recoup your power.”
“Fine.” Shawna was tired of arguing. What could it hurt? She saw the surprise light up his handsome face. Obviously he had not expected her to acquiesce so easily. She would go to MacFare—to get a better understanding of just who and what Chad MacFare really was!
* * *
Chad allowed his eyes to stray from the narrow country road as he looked sideways at Shawna in the passenger seat beside him. She was getting under his skin. She was stubborn, resilient, indomitable, and absolutely breathtakingly lovely. She had a huge open heart that would no doubt get her into trouble if he didn’t watch out for her carefully.
There was something else as well that was disturbing—
she moved him
. Deep inside where he never let anyone enter, he felt her fingers winding a path…her fingers!
Her many facial expressions that fascinated him. Her sparkling silver eyes…her full, luscious, pouty lips and her body—och, her body drove him wild. He didn’t want to go there, but he found himself
there
in his head all the time. He had to dissolve those thoughts—they would do him little good.
Och, lad, who are ye foolin’?
he asked himself.
Isn’t it you that kisses the beauty
nearly
every chance you get? Aye, so it is,
he answered himself,
but only to soften
her resolve…
Liar!
someone shouted back at him and made him sigh.
Aye, perhaps I am a liar, nothing worse than lying to oneself. There is no future in getting tied up to her, is there? What can I offer her
—
a life
—
a family
?
Forever
—
you can offer her forever.
Och no—but I can’t
. Shouting again in his head, he argued with himself.
Aye, ye can—it worked for your father,
or would have if your mother had not been attacked and killed before the process
had been completed.
He blinked a silent response, and it was a no. He told himself they never learned if it would have worked.
That last thought made him clam up and shut off the nagging voice in his head. Instead, he managed a smirk of a tease as his chin indicated the backseat. “Brought enough things to stay awhile, didn’t you, lass?”
She sucked in air and released a gasp of irritation. “
Oh I did not
. Only what I needed. I couldn’t decide…so I just brought a few extra things.” She wagged a finger at him. “Don’t even think that I will stay more than the one night.”
“And why not, Shawna love?”
“Because for one thing, I like being independent—having my own place…and don’t call me
love.”
He felt a swift sadness at her rebuke, and he wasn’t sure why. He answered quietly, “If you are thinking I might take advantage of you, I wouldn’t—and besides, your grandparents will be staying with me. I would think that enough chaperoning for you?” Then all at once he was grinning broadly as he bent conspiratorially her way and dropped, “And besides, you aren’t really my type.”