Stake and Dust (Stake and Dust series, Book I) (26 page)

Cassandra screamed hysterically, her words
filled with panic. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see she
struggled to be free from her captor's grasp, but she was having no
luck.

He swallowed the berries, choking as they
went down his throat. His captive released him then and he fell to
his knees. He spit out what he could, but he knew it was no
use.

"Now, now, don't worry none, lass," his
captor addressed Cassandra, who was doing a great job of cursing
him to hell and back. "If ya truly love him, if ya truly
trust
him, ya can save him." He lifted a shoulder in a
shrug.

"You're sick," Cassandra grounded out the
words. "Why are you doing this?"

The man chuckled. "Ya really don't know. How
quaint. Ya are a vampire hunter and he is a vampire. The two of ya
should never be and yet…" He tapped his chin with a forefinger.
"Perhaps the odds will be in y'all's favor."

"What are you nattering on about?" Tremayne
choked out. His insides were sizzling like hell fire. He had enough
of this southern imposter, whoever he might be.

"Well, Miss Cassandra Hayes will ya save
him, or should I just take his head and be done with it? It's your
choice."

Her gaze shifted to Tremayne. She didn't
take her eyes off him. "What do I need to do?"

Tremayne swore his captor sighed in relief.
"It's simple, really," the man said. "Ya must let him drink from
ya, is all."

"No," Tremayne bit out. He would not allow
it. It stood against all she believed in.

Cassandra ignored his outcry. "This will
save him?" she asked.

"Aye." His captor nodded and his lips
curved. "Ya do trust him not to drain ya, right?"

"Damn you." Tremayne lunged for the man, but
he kicked him away.

"I would hurry," the man insisted. "He won't
have long before the iron and the poison from the mistletoe create
too much damage to his system. Your blood would prove useless
then."

Cassandra shrugged free from the other man
who held her captive, but in truth, the man let her go.

She hurried over to Tremayne and knelt
beside him. She helped to sit him up and he leaned against the
wall. She pushed up her sleeve to expose her wrist. "I'm offering,
Tremayne."

"No," their captive said, and she turned to
stare at him. "He must drink from your neck."

The sick bastard was toying with them,
making them jump like puppets on a string.
This ended now.
"I won't drink from her," Tremayne spat.

The leader clicked his tongue. "Ya either
feed or she can watch ya die. Love must be both ways, aye? Prove
your love, Tremayne, by showing her ya can maintain restraint when
drinking her blood. Prove to her that ya aren't the fiend she
believes ya to be." He glanced at Cassandra. "Ya say ya love him.
Prove your trust by giving yourself over to him."

Tremayne met Cassandra's gaze. "You do not
have to do this. Let me go. I do not fear death."

Her hands cupped his face and she kissed
him, all her love pouring into him, into his soul.

The sound of their captor's chortle broke
the magical moment. They both stared at him and the man chuckled
again as he gestured toward the wall.

Tremayne did not have to glance up to know
the offensive mistletoe hung above their heads, taunting them to
kiss.

"Do ya not see the irony here?" Their captor
continued to chuckle at their expense, but when they did not join
in on the mirth, he shook his head. "No sense of humor. Well,
Cassandra, what will it be? Death to the vampire scum, or will it
be life to the man ya love?"

Cassandra didn't answer him. She leveled her
gaze on Tremayne. "I trust you." She brushed her hair away from her
neck and tilted her head.

Tremayne squeezed his eyes shut. He wanted
her. He wanted to drink from her, but not like this. Not because
she'd been forced. It may not be by his hand, but it was still the
same thing. "I won't do it."

She opened her eyes and looked at him. "You
have to."

"I won't." He shook his head. "I'd rather
die than force you to do something you loathe."

She scooted closer, her hands on his face,
forcing him to look at her. "I give myself freely. Do you hear me?
I will not lose you, dammit!" She hauled off and slapped him then,
hard, and with purpose.

His head snapped to the side and he stared
at her in disbelief.

"Stop being a martyr." She slapped him
again, and again, until he grabbed her arm and threw her to the
ground. He was on top of her, securing her hands above her head
before he realized what he was doing. He stopped and stared at her,
his breath hard and labored. His fangs exposed, lengthened and
ready to use.

"Do it," she challenged him. "Please, I want
you to," she added, tears springing to her eyes and pooling.

He couldn't hold back any longer. "Forgive
me." He buried his fangs into her neck. Her blood pooled into his
mouth, sweet and smooth. He released her hands, hoping she'd push
him away, but she didn't fight him. She pulled him into her
embrace, her hand gently caressing his head and encouraging him to
take. He did, but not so much that it would endanger her. He pulled
away and licked the wound closed, healing it with his saliva.

He sat up and pulled her onto his lap. She
leaned her forehead against his.

"Brava, brava," their captor clapped his
hands. "This is one for the books."

"What?" Cassandra turned and stared at the
empty room. The door stood ajar, beckoning to them. "I don't
understand. That's it? They played their sick game, and now they're
letting us go?"

"Don't act so disappointed," Tremayne said.
"And they didn't exactly let both of us go." He lifted his hand and
the chains rattled in protest.

Cassandra flew to her feet, ready to race
after their kidnappers, but her feet slid to a halt at the door.
She reached for something, but Tremayne did not know what it was
until she turned to face him, revealing a chain with a key dangling
from the end. She strode toward him. "We need to get you out of
here."

He stopped her movements, making her look at
him. "Thank you for believing in me."

She gave a slight nod. Then her hunter
persona fell back into place. "I'm going to hunt those bastards
down and kill them."

He didn't bother telling her he knew where
they lived. With their captor's parting words, he knew who had
taken them, and the silent enforcer… He had his suspicions.

Cassandra could
stake
them later. He
would have a word with them first.

Chapter Forty

Cassandra glanced at Tremayne who added a
snowflake ornament to the Christmas tree. Her heart swelled with
the love she had for this vampire …
this man
.

Tremayne had surprised her this evening with
the tree – one planted in a clay pot. They couldn't harm the tree
spirits, after all. He'd also purchased ornaments of various kinds:
homemade and store-bought sparkly baubles.

"Would you like to put the star on the top?"
she asked as she reached for the glittering gold ornament from the
box.

"Sure, why not?" He shrugged.

With the finishing touches completed, they
stood back to admire their handiwork.

"Not bad," she said. This would be their
first Christmas together, hopefully one of many.

"Aye, lovely." Tremayne's voice was raw and
low, making her glance at him. His gaze slid over her and his light
eyes shone brighter. She even caught a bit of fang when he smiled
and that adorable dimple winked.

"Well, aren't you just the charmer?" She
leaned up and kissed his cheek. "Thank you for this." She gestured
toward the tree. "I know it's not your thing."

"It was my pleasure and..." He shrugged. "It
was kind of fun." He pulled her closer for a more thorough kiss.
"Are you sure you're ready to meet my family?" he asked, his brows
furrowing.

"You don't have to worry," she told him. "I
won't stake them as they enter the house – that would be rude," she
teased.

He harrumphed. "I'm hiding your stakes until
after they've gone," he teased right back.

Her family would have a group coronary if
they knew she was spending the holidays with the vampire she was
supposed to eliminate. However things worked out in her favor. Her
parents were still in Europe, and needed help on a tough case. Her
brothers had taken an unexpected trip to Ireland to hunt down a
kelpie who'd made a popular lake its hunting ground.

Her family was old world. Sure, there were
monsters that needed slaying, but then there were some
preternatural beings that were decent and caring. She had proof of
that first hand. Slipping her arms around Tremayne's muscled back,
she indulged in another kiss and, boy, could this vampire make her
toes curl with his caresses.

The doorbell chimed and she sighed into his
mouth. "More later?"

"Oh aye, that's a promise."

She moved from Tremayne's embrace to smooth
down her dress. She usually wore slacks with pockets; they were
better to conceal weapons, but tonight she wanted to make a good
impression on a family of vampires. She wanted the Graystones to
like her.

"You look beautiful," Tremayne whispered as
he nibbled her ear with a kiss. He had yet to drink from her again,
but he would – eventually.

Tremayne was proving a patient lover,
teaching her his ways and what it meant to be an Oiche Sith. Even
if she weren't involved with a vampire, she'd find the history
fascinating. It was in her blood – so to speak – to know all there
was about vampires. Tremayne trusted her and didn't hold back.
Trust was the foundation to a relationship. Without it, a
relationship was doomed.

At the door, she threw him a quick smile.
There was no going back now. She swung the front door open.

Tremayne made the introductions. The tall,
dark haired vampire with blue eyes took her hand and brushed a kiss
across her knuckles. "The charmer is Bram and his lovely mate …
wife," Tremayne corrected, "…is Adryanna."

Adryanna was beautiful with hair the color
of fall leaves. Her lips curved in a friendly manner, immediately
putting Cassandra's worries at bay. Tremayne had told her Adryanna
had once been human – centuries ago.

"I am so glad to meet the woman who has
captured Tremayne's heart." Adryanna pulled her into a warm
embrace.

The last to be introduced was Sheerin, a
studious looking man with hair that could almost be called white.
If he hadn't been a blood drinker, he would be sporting thick
glasses and a pocket protector, but all vampires held a certain
allure, even the nerdy vamps. And by no means would this vampire be
tame. He was as lethal as the rest of his family. Of this, she was
certain.

"It is a pleasure to meet you, lass."
Sheerin bowed and gave her a smile.

For a moment, she had a feeling she'd met
him before, but before she could decipher where, Adryanna
spoke.

"It's been ages since I've seen a Christmas
tree. You must show me yours."

Cassandra glanced at Tremayne with a raised
brow. So he'd told his family about the tree. Tremayne gave her a
sheepish grin. She let Adryanna drag her away, leaving the men to
converse.

* * * * *

Tremayne waited until the women were in the
other room before he confronted his cousins. They both looked
mighty pleased with themselves, the eejits.

"Lovely, lovely hunter you've
captured
," Sheerin said.

Shakespeare trotted in from the other room
and growled, baring his teeth. Bram hissed back and the hound
plopped down on his haunches with a whine.

"Seems Shakespeare didn't like how you
treated him the last time he saw you both," Tremayne said. He had
to carry the hound home after the ordeal in their makeshift
prison.

"Whatever do you mean?" Bram feigned
innocence, but the vampire was a far cry from being blameless.

"I know it was the two of you that kidnapped
me and Cassandra."

Sheerin teetered on the balls of his feet.
"I came up with the sedatives and the idea to use mistletoe."

"
This one's for the books
," Tremayne
quoted with sarcasm. "So help me if I end up in one of your
experiment journals, Sheerin –" He shook his fist at him. "You
chained me with iron and cattle prodded me, dammit. Kicked me in
the ribs, too. I wasn't congratulating you. And what was with that
lousy southern accent? That in itself proved more painful than
anything else."

"Y'all didn't like it?" Sheerin teased.

"No, I didn't like it. I didn't like any of
it."

Bram clasped his shoulder and gave it a
quick squeeze. "My dear cousin, but you shall." He gestured behind
him and Tremayne turned to see Cassandra standing in the living
room, the lights from the tree, glittering behind her like faeries
casting an enchantment. She laughed at something Adryanna said and
her face beamed with happiness.

She must have sensed his gaze. Her eyes
sought his with such love his heart clenched in response.

Bram slapped his back. "Aye, you can thank
us later."

"Happy Yuletide, cousin," Sheerin said. "Or
is it Merry Christmas?" Sheerin shook his head as he strode beside
Bram to join the ladies, still discussing the appropriate well wish
he should use for the holiday.

Shakespeare padded over to him and nudged
his hand with his nose. He rubbed his trusty companion behind his
ear. Cassandra excused herself from Adryanna and sauntered toward
him. He loved the way her hips swayed with each sure step. Reaching
him, she looped her arm through his. "Your family seems…"

"Intense," he finished for her."

She chuckled. "Yes, but wait until you meet
mine."

He groaned, but he couldn't help but smile
as he leaned down to claim her lips. After what his family put them
through, how bad could it be to bring in the New Year with a family
of vampire slayers?