Wulf's Redemption (Borne Vampires Book 3) (12 page)

“I’m getting better. The dead blood is almost out
of my system. The gypsies we met told me that I’ll recover fully, especially
with their blood healing me. I’ll be fine and online, hunting sickos and the
Damned again.”

Mariah chuckled. “Just what I’ve always wanted for
my child, to hunt monsters.”

Laughing, too, she replied, “Got to admit, we’re
good at it.”

“Yes, we are. Take care, sweetie, and watch Alex’s
back as he will always watch yours.”

“I will, Mom. I love you.”

“Love you, too. See you in Berlin.”

Ending the call, she closed her eyes and reached
out to Mina. Surprised when she couldn’t link with her, she opened her eyes and
stared at the cell phone in her hand. Should she call Mina? Mom said Rathe
wasn’t as mad, but then again he had a way of not forgiving either. Later, when
her gifts were stronger, she would try again to link with Mina.

Tossing her cell phone back in the backpack, she
took a good look at herself in the mirror. Big mistake! A complete stranger
stared back at her. Hair wild and free of the usual braid she wore, face
smeared with dirt, her long nails were dirty, too. Lord, she hated being
untidy. Here she was with a ripped, blood-dried tee-shirt, a bullet hole to
boot, a gaping reminder of her near death experience. Shuddering, she went to
the claw-foot tub and turned the hot water on, switching it to shower. As the
water heated up, she undressed, careful not to lose her cross. Not sure where
to put her clothes, she placed them in a pile next to the door. Stepping under
the spray, she sighed happily as hot water cascaded over her sore muscles.

Taking
a white washcloth and a homemade bar of honey-oatmeal soap, she scrubbed away
the dirt and the awful couple of days lost in the forest. When she felt
sufficiently clean again, Kai reached for a plastic bottle and flipped the lid,
smelling the contents. Roses.
The
most perfect
scent of red roses she had ever smelt! Pouring a generous amount in the palm of
her hand, she set the bottle down and lathered her hair. The creamy mixture
fused and mingled with the dark red strands of her hair, bringing peace and
ease to her troubled mind.

Her
tranquility ended with the crash of the bathroom door hitting the wall. Before
she could react, the white linen shower curtain was thrown back. She faced her
attacker, eyes widening when saw it was Alex.

“What
the….”

Alex
shouted at her, “Why are you telling the gypsies to ready themselves against
the Damned?”

“Because
they are in danger! Haven’t they spoken to you about the police visiting them
today?”

Alex
opened his mouth to reply, shutting it abruptly. His eyes dropped from hers.
She frowned, looking where he was and nearly swallowed her tongue when she
realized she was naked with water cascading down her curves. His anger deflated
and hunger replaced it. The blazing heat in his eyes consumed her. Wherever his
gaze travelled, it burned her, marking her forever in possessive intensity. He
hadn’t cleaned up yet. Accustomed to Alex clean cut and his face void of facial
hair, he sported a scruffy beard and for the first time, she saw him losing
control … control over his appearance, his emotions, and his attraction to her.
Regret and desire struggled within him; she saw it in his eyes, on his face as
he fought not to stare at her.

Grabbing
the shower curtain, she used it as a shield. “The Damned are here, as are the
human vampire hunters.”

“How
do you know?” he demanded, clearly not willing to calm down.

“Mary
told me about the murders not far from here and the slayings in Magdeburg. The
Damned are here, and you know it! Now, I have shampoo in my hair, and the water
is cooling. Wait for me downstairs,” she ordered.

He opened his mouth to retort, but she’d already
shut the shower curtain, cutting him off. Kai ducked her head under the spray
of water, rinsing her hair out, shaking. Alex had just seen her naked! A major
part of her wanted him to throw back the curtain and join her — make love to
her. She waited with baited breath, praying he’d do it. The slamming of the
door as he exited the bathroom was her answer. Tears burned her eyes, clogged
in her throat as she faced yet another rejection from Alexander Walker. Or
Wulf. Whatever his name was, jerk was the most accurate name currently to label
him.

Shutting off the water, she dried off with a
fluffy white towel and stepped out to dress. Second trial of the day. No fresh
clothes to wear. A knock on the door made her jump. Wrapping the towel around
her, she opened it to find Mary standing there with a dark red skirt and white
peasant blouse in her arms.

Great
,
Kai thought with a grimace.
The
Damned and vampire hunters are close, and I have
only a skirt to wear.

Unaware of her dilemma, Mary handed her the
garments. “My mother asked me to give these to you so you won’t have to wear
those dirty ones again.”

Scooping her tee-shirt and jeans, socks, off the
floor, she asked, “Mary, can you toss these into the wash? I need them cleaned
immediately.”

“I do not understand? Aren’t our outfits pretty?”
There was hurt in her dark eyes, making Kai feel like an ungrateful ass.

“Oh, gosh, not what I meant! Sorry! I need to be
wearing jeans when I hunt the Damned. A skirt slows me down. The clothes you
gave me are very pretty! Please, I didn’t mean to insult you.”

Understanding now, Mary bobbed her head eagerly.
“I will wash your clothes for you right away. I’m sorry. I should have given
you some of my brothers’ items. I’m such a child.”

“No,” Kai said firmly, “you are far wiser than
most adults I know. Let’s get my things in the wash, okay? Thank you so much
for doing this for me.”

“Not a problem. Hurry and dress, Miss Kai, we are
building a bonfire, and Omi is telling stories tonight.”

“Is she quite the storyteller?”

“Omi is wonderful at spinning tales for us! She
infuses magic into her tales and makes it so real. I shall go and wash these
for you. Join us outside, when you’ve finished dressing.”

Closing the bathroom door, Kai held up the skirt
and sighed. “Just figures, doesn’t it?” she grumbled to herself. “When I want
to wear a dress, I can’t because I’m fighting. Now the fight is coming and I’ve
got to wear one. Great.” Dropping the towel, she pulled on her underwear and
bra, the skirt. She wanted so badly to speak to Mina. Feeling alone, she envied
Mina who had Sin.

Oh, I’m not
alone
, she
thought bitterly as she slipped on the blouse.
I’ve got Alex, international man of secrets, to
keep me company. Yay.

Squaring
her shoulders, she shoved the loneliness away and took the wooden-handled brush
and worked out the knots in her waist long hair. Leaving it down to dry in the muggy
heat, she grabbed her shoes and walked barefoot downstairs. In the kitchen, she
met Sarah.

“Everyone
is outside enjoying the bonfire. Let’s join them.” Sarah led the way out the
split door and around the gray-stoned house, to where the gypsies gathered
around a roaring fire, piled high with good-sized logs.

Four
attractive men, standing with the women who had graciously donated their blood
to her, were gathered, sipping what smelt like beer. A richer, sweeter scent
than what she normally connected with the yeasty, alcoholic drink. Kai’s mouth
watered at the delectable odor.

“May
I have glass of what they’re drinking?” Sarah looked confused. Kai explained,
“We, vampires, can drink alcohol, coffee, anything really. Its food we can’t
stomach.”

Sarah’s
mouth dropped open in a surprise ‘oh’. “I will get you a cup of our fine ale.
My husband and sons are master brewers.”

“You
brew your own beer? Do you sell it or is it for home use only?” Kai asked,
curious and eager to try a sample.

“We
earn a decent living from selling our brew. And,” Sarah said with a big smile,
“we drink a fair portion of it ourselves.”

Laughing,
she nodded. “The fruits of your labor should be enjoyed.”

“Mama,”
Mary offered, “I will fetch a cup of ale for Kai.” She hurried back to the house.

Kai
waited for the girl to be out of hearing and asked Sarah, “Are visions her only
gift?”

“She
can take an object and read it, see who’d touched or if it holds a secret it
wishes to share with her.” The woman sighed heavily. “As she grows older, her gifts
are becoming more powerful. My husband’s mother says Mary is the strongest our
clan has ever produced, and she is only fifteen. Think what she will be like
when she has fully matured.” Sarah bit her lip, her dark eyes shone with unshed
tears. “It is my fault. I should never have taken the potion to stay young. But
life has a will of its own, and I became pregnant with Mary.” Sarah smiled
ruefully at her. “I’d always wanted a daughter. Now, Mary suffers because of my
choice to live longer to be with my husband.”

“Mary’s
not suffering as you think. She is only trying to learn how to use her gift to
better help people. I remember the challenges I endured when I was her age,
except my problem wasn’t visions. I can hear people’s thoughts, read their
minds. My mother helped me understand what was happening and how to control it,
not to allow it to control me.” She sighed. “
Not that I’ve got a problem
now, not since the dead blood was injected into me. The voices have been silent
since then.”

“Enjoy the quiet while it lasts,” Sarah advised.
“All too soon will you hear things you wish you’d never could, especially
here.”

“Does your family resent us being here?”

“No, that is not what I meant. We welcome you and
the Master. I merely speak of the Damned and the hunters. Their hatred is like
poison. To hear their thoughts, it must be awful.”

“Actually, the Damned are predictable. My friend
and I hunt serial killers and the humans are much worse than the Damned. Much
worse. If they are turned, it’s … unpleasant to read them.”

“I understand now why the Depraved, or the Undead,
as the gadjo, non gypsies, call them, are so vicious.”

Kai looked away and mumbled, “That they are.”

Gaeta shambled out of the manor’s opened front
doors, a herd of happy children following her. Ranging from ten to two years
old and cute as cherubs, they danced around the old woman, begging her to tell
them stories. Gazing at the Wulf Manor, rustic and elegant, it was more a home
with the gypsies than it had been when Alex’s family resided in it.

“Do you all live here?”

A soft chuckle escaped Sarah as she, too, observed
the manor. “Strange for a Gypsy to live in a house, huh? It took me a while to
accustom myself to living here, after growing up in wagons. To survive, we had
to make changes. My husband, Herrick, made the decision to reside in the manor,
to protect us from the Nazis. After seventy years, it is … home.” Tears
glistened in her eyes as the proud woman turned away from the manor.

“Sarah, what is it?”

“With the Master’s return, we shall have to move
out.”

From behind them, Alex gruffly told her, “No,
Sarah, you and your family will
never
have
to leave. It is
your
home and your children’s children. I
will not claim it. Not ever,” Alex shot a loathing glare at the house and
stormed away.

She
and Sarah exchanged a startled look. Kai hurried after him, stumbling when
chaotic scenes blinded her. Righting herself, she didn’t have time to wonder
how
she could feel Alex was beyond upset, his emotions were out
of control, and were suffocating her. Wulf Manor brought him anguish and anger
on levels she’d never thought a human
or
vampire could
suffer. Being at Wulf Manor brought him actual physical pain. Flashes of
swords, blood everywhere blinded her. Rage and hatred issued from Alex straight
into her. So much so it left her reeling in confusion when the sadness, the
terrible gut-wrenching grief rushed in to replace it. Forcing it all back, she
pushed mind barriers up; needing the protection against the emotions he was
casting out.

“Alex,
wait!” He reluctantly stopped. His back rigid, he refused to face her. “Please,
tell me what’s wrong?”

✝✝✝

The walls were closing in on him.

Nowhere to run! Trapped between his past and Kai Jordan,
he couldn’t escape the round of questions she would surely fire at him. The
white-haired Gypsy and his son, Michael, exited the stable. Alex nearly sighed
out loud in relief.

The elder bowed his head as he placed his hand on
his heart as he greeted him. “Master, you and your companion are much better. I
am glad. I see we must find a change of clothes for you. Yours are a bit on the
unclean side.”

Grimacing, he checked his clothes, disturbed at
how filthy he was. “We are indebted to you and your family for saving us. How
is it you know me?”

Withdrawing the necklace underneath his shirt, the
Gypsy held out the medallion for him to see it. The twin to his that he wore. “You
gave this to my grandfather, whom I am named after.”

Recognition hit Alex as he gazed into those merry,
dark eyes, the set of the man’s jaw and brow. A rueful smile escaped him. “Herrick
was more a brother than servant. After all these years, I miss his wit and
friendship.”

“He spoke of you fondly. Your brother, too.”
Herrick waved his family to him. “Master, I wish to introduce you to my sons
and my beautiful wife, Sarah.”