Angels and Hunters (Stoker Sisters 2) Read online

  His response, from his toes to his fingertips, ran through to his heart with painful accuracy, surprising Keegan for all its intensity. He’d never been a man of the heart, a man to allow emotions to come into play. While he’d had his fair share of meaningless encounters over the years, no one had ever touched him. No one had ever come close to touching his heart.

  Until…

  “Damn it.” He slammed his fist on the desk as he watched Ashwin pull a chair out for Sadie. She gazed lovingly at him, coquette and absolute putty in the fallen prince’s hands. “Of all the men you could have… Why him? How could you possibly waste your time with him?”

  Keegan closed his eyes a moment and reminded himself what he was dealing with. Sadie was a vampire. As attractive and pretty and wholesome as she was, as human as she appeared, as sweet and tempting as she could be, she was ultimately no better than any other bloodsucker out there.

  As Martha came up to greet the happy pair, Keegan deliberately ignored the fact that she and Frank had proven vampires could lead sensible lives.

  He clicked off the computer and stormed out of the office, stomping with anger as he made his way up the steps. He was ready for battle and questioning Sadie’s reasons for her choice in men would have to come later. For now he had to get to her before Ashwin succeeded in luring her to her own demise.

  As he reached for the handle and prepared to push the door open, he heard loud shuffling outside. He froze. Already? He knew word of his escape would reach Skars quickly, but he’d made the rookie mistake of thinking he’d have ample time to go safely into hiding.

  Backing to the wall beside the door, he pulled a stake out and prepared for a quick kill. The door creaked open, slow and hesitant, as if the intruder knew of the danger that lurked inside.

  The dark figure, lean and tall, entered, his nostrils taking in a long and loud intake of air. In the time it took for Keegan to raise the stake and prepare to plunge it deep into the intruder’s heart, the lean figure turned and gasped at the sight of the raised stake.

  “Keegan,” the young man shouted. “It’s me, Ethan.”

  “Crap, Ethan.” Keegan let the stake fall to his side, but his fingers still grasped it tightly. “I could have killed you. What are you doing sneaking in here like that?”

  “Man, I’ve been looking for you everywhere. So many of our men were down, I was sure you were among them. Or worse still…”

  “How are they all?”

  “Despite fatal wounds, despite mutilation, every man is back on his feet and ready to fight again. All except one. I’m afraid we’ve lost Drew.”

  Keegan nodded thoughtfully as he gazed at the floor. While it always pained him to hear of the loss of one of his men, he was grateful it wasn’t worse than that. When he’d left the park he’d felt certain a dozen or more men had lost their lives to that battle.

  “There was so much blood everywhere,” Keegan said. “I thought I’d lost them all.” He looked up to see Ethan smiling, eager to respond.

  “You won’t believe me.”

  “Try me.” Keegan tried to hide his exasperation.

  “A vampire, a woman, she went around, with lightning speed. So fast I was barely able to make her out, barely able to see her for the most part, but she was there, like some dark angel sent to give a second chance to the fallen and fatally wounded.”

  “A dark angel? What are you talking about?”

  “I’m saying she brought them back to life. She mended the wounded, stopped the blood from flowing. She saved your army, and she used her own blood to do it.”

  Keegan chuckled, at first with disbelief, but then he realized who his young friend was speaking of. There could only be a handful of vampires who had that ability. One of the Ancients.

  “I thought that Master Vampire, Skars, was the only one capable of doing that, but I swear, this vampire was a woman. She moved fast, but she had curves. Definite curves, and in all the right places.”

  “For crying out loud, Ethan. You’ve seen a woman before…”

  “Yeah, but this one… in a black cat suit, and man did she fill it out.”

  Keegan reached for the door. “That was Delilah.” The very vampire he’d been sent to America to hunt down. Skars had been explicit in his orders; kill Delilah. “After all these years she’s finally decided to show herself. I wonder what brought her out.”

  “What does all that mean?” Ethan frowned.

  “It means a shift in power is underway.” Keegan stood motionless, pensive as the information was absorbed. Delilah… he’d searched far and wide for her, fastidiously going to the furthest corners of the earth whenever he got a lead. And now she was here, practically under his thumb. “We’re on the cusp of a major war, Ethan. A war that will change things for humans everywhere.”

  If Skars won, there would be a worldwide feeding frenzy. As Dracule’s second in command, Delilah was no doubt preparing to tear Skars down.

  “Dracule’s rules,” Keegan said softly, as though afraid to speak his thoughts aloud. “If Skars wins, he’ll shred those old vampire laws to pieces. We’ll all be reduced to living in utter chaos.”

  Ethan pulled a stake out from his jacket lining. “We’ll fight them. We’ll kill them all.”

  Keegan put his hand to Ethan’s shoulder. Though pleased to see how zealous the young man was, this battle had to be waged with thorough planning and precision. “If the Strigois change Dracule’s rules, battling them will no longer be the same. Our strategy will have to change. Today the ratio of Strigois and vampires is manageable, just barely. But when that balance shifts to the other side, how will we keep up?”

  Ethan stared blankly at him.

  “Dracule’s voice of reason,” Keegan whispered. “His offsprings.” He had to get to Sadie.

  “Dracule had offsprings?”

  “Sadie and Alexis.” Despite his hatred for vampires, he knew Sadie had a kind and gentle heart. He’d spent too much time with her and he kicked himself now for having ignored it for so long. His desire to rid the world of vampires had blinded him to the woman she truly was.

  And Alexis… She had a rough edge and was a tough girl, a girl with too much to prove, but beneath that harsh veneer Keegan knew there was a real girl with a heart.

  Ethan’s lips parted, prepared to question further, but Keegan had lost enough time. He rushed out to find Sadie.

  Chapter 8

  Sadie smiled as Ashwin took her hand and examined it closely.

  “How lovely you are, Sadie. Right down to your fingertips.” He brought each finger to his lips. “Lovely and delicious.”

  He was even more charming and romantic than she remembered. Or had she matured, now more able to take in and appreciate how he treated her?

  When he’d suggested this restaurant, she’d thought it peculiar; after all, vampires didn’t traditionally eat food as humans did. They had no need for it, though some did enjoy the culinary delights some humans concocted.

  But beyond the food, it was the location that impressed her, right on the beach. And the atmosphere, cozy, yet lively, casual, yet so romantic, and that touched Sadie so. It felt very grown up being there, and being with Ashwin only added to that sense of a truly grown up and mature relationship, the kind she’d grown up watching with her parents.

  “I can’t believe that you're back, a hundred years later, and you're still just as charming as ever.”

  He kissed the back of her hand. “I’m sorry I’ve not been around. I’m sorry I couldn’t be with you all this time. No doubt you’ve discovered how difficult it can be to maintain a stable home life when you have dozens, if not hundreds, of hunters chasing you down. We can’t always go where we please.”

  “I didn’t mean to make it sound like an attack, Ashwin. I’m just happy to see you again, happy you finally found us.”

  “Skars made it imperative I find you. His plan to get his hands on you pressed me to find you before he could.”

  Sadie leaned in closer a
nd whispered, “Do you really think it’s safe to talk openly of Skars? His men are everywhere.”

  “This restaurant is a safe haven for vampires such as you and I. Skars’ men would be easily recognized and refused admittance here.”

  “How do you know all this?”

  He winked, squeezed her hand and smiled knowingly. “I know the owners, and I also know their opinion of Skars. They don’t let on at all, but Frank and Martha are vampires.”

  Sadie’s jaw fell slack as she glanced toward the bar to see the pair pass each other, each reaching out to gently touch their partner. “They’re vampires?” She glanced skeptically at Ashwin. “Then why did they let you in? You work for Skars.”

  “I told you. I’m not truly in alliance with Skars. Sure, to the outside world, I’m Skars’ number one man. Even Keegan is convinced of that. But here…” He glanced around, his gaze resting briefly and affectionately on Martha. “They know who I really am, and they know where my allegiance lies. I’ve known them since our years in Europe and they are just as dedicated to Dracule as I am.”

  It was all so much to take in. In such a short amount of time, so much had happened. The huge fight with Skars’ men, the return of Delilah, blood in a container… and Ashwin.

  Had a day passed without thinking of him these past years? She knew she’d dreamt of him often, each dream different in location and context, but the sense of the dream always the same; he’d come back to claim her.

  She’d always awakened, alone and feeling lonelier for having sensed him so close only to awake to an empty room.

  And now he was here, his flesh warm against hers, his eyes deep and soulful.

  “Do you trust me, Sadie?”

  “You’ve be gone for so long.”

  “If you are to survive, you must trust me.”

  “I trusted you then. I would have given you my world, and yet you…”

  “I’m a powerful man, Sadie. My ties to Dracule and obligation to Skars secured me a great deal of power, but it was not enough to overcome what kept me from you all these years. The demands of fighting for Skars didn’t afford me the luxury of coming to find you before now.”

  “How long before you simply vanish again?”

  “Sadie,” he said, bringing her hand to his lips. “I’m here for you now, and I have no intention of going anywhere. Please, trust that I have your best interest at heart. Trust that I will do all I can to protect you from Skars. I have every intention of keeping my promise to Dracule.”

  “Dracule?” Sadie repeated. Again, he was going back to Dracule. How was he tied to Dracule?

  “Yes,” Ashwin said. “Or, as the Americans say, Dracula.”

  Startled, Sadie sat back as a young waitress came to take their order. She could barely make out what Ashwin said as he ordered for them.

  “You okay?” he asked once the waitress left them alone again.

  “It’s been such a hyped up myth. And unbelievable legend.”

  “You do know you’re his descendants, don’t you?”

  Staring blindly at the blue tablecloth that covered the small table, Sadie nodded, shook her head, then nodded again. “Yes,” she said softly. “Well, we didn’t really believe it.”

  Ashwin leaned forward, urging Sadie to look at him.

  “Delilah told us, Alexis and I, but… It was just so farfetched, so unbelievable. We didn’t argue, and perhaps Alexis believed it right away, but I just… it doesn’t make sense.”

  “I admit there is something rather amusing about the Stoker/Dracule connection.”

  “Yes. Father’s brother was always thought to have such a fertile imagination. The fabrication of such a beast, such a man. He knew how to reach inside the heart of every woman and create immense fear all while…” Her voice trailed off as she thought of the romantic mystique that so surrounded Dracule.

  “All while evoking primitive emotions many women refused to admit.”

  She smiled, remembering the number of times she’d heard young women yearning to be bitten, yearning for the touch of a man such as Dracule.

  The book may have been romanticized, the man not so much. Dracule was far more intent on maintaining the power he had over the vampires he ruled than seducing young women.

  “Mother and Father. What was their connection to Dracule? How did we come to have such normal parents?”

  “Dracule wanted you to be raised away from the lifestyle he was condemned to. He knew of your mother through the hired help he had at his manor. She was newly married then, and, sadly, barren. Her misfortune turned out to be the answer to Dracule’s problem.”

  “If he did all he could to ensure we would be raised as normal human beings, why did you turn us? Isn’t that contradictory to what Dracule wanted for us?”

  “I’ve questioned that a thousand times. But you were about to die, Sadie. That night, at the fire, your breathing was shallow, your pulse barely distinguishable, and help was miles away. Would Dracule prefer I allow you to die, right there in my arms, while I held within my power the ability to give you immortality? Perhaps, but I wasn’t about to allow it to happen. I couldn’t.” He closed his eyes, his lips pressed into a pensive and solemn line. “I loved you already then. It was selfish of me, I know, but I didn’t want to let you go.”

  Sadie brought her hand to his cheek and traced a line over his jaw and down his neck. “I’ve often been confused about the sudden transformation Alexis and I underwent. We had no guidance, no way of knowing what we were meant to do, to be. And, yes, there have been moments I wished I’d never met you, but…” She nodded as she thought of the years since she’d last seen him. “I’ve more often found myself thankful. I don’t bemoan the fate I met. I’m grateful.”

  He looked at her, his love evident and clear.

  “You turned Alexis, too,” Sadie went on. “Did you love her as well? Do you love her?”

  Ashwin cocked his brow and smirked. “I’ll admit I may have been confused for a while. Your sister could be very convincing when she chooses. But, no, I’ve never loved her, and I think she’s always known it. I think it’s what pushed her to get my attention all the more. You know your sister. Never one to be outdone, least of all by you.”

  He knew her all too well, Sadie thought as she smiled back at Ashwin.

  “Besides, I thought it would be best if you had someone with you through your existence as a vampire. Someone you knew and loved. For all her flaws, your sister does love you and I knew she’d do all she could to protect you. I would say she has succeeded on that point. You're just as pure and innocent as the day I left you.”

  “Well, I appreciate the thought, though living a hundred years with Alexis hasn’t always been easy. Yes, she has been at my side for many battles, but she has continually entered and left my life over the years, disappearing for months on end only to reappear without warning, and sometimes bringing along a new danger of her own. She protected me all right, but often from the very trouble she brought on herself.”

  The waitress arrived with a bottle of wine and a plate of bite size morsels to sample. Her gaze was intently set on Ashwin’s face, her attraction to him undeniable. She offered a seductive smile that bordered on offensive, as far as Sadie was concerned. After all, Ashwin was with someone. Didn’t the young woman have an ounce of respect for another woman’s man?

  “Thank you,” Ashwin said with a smile.

  The young woman lingered a moment longer than necessary, her eyes riveted to Ashwin’s smile.

  But Sadie saw in Ashwin’s grin what the young woman was unable to detect. Sadie knew that smile. She’d seen it thousands of times over the years. That same smile came to the vast majority of vampires who’d unexpectedly stumbled upon an easy meal. The young woman was in for a surprising turn of events as the evening progressed, Sadie thought.

  “I believe I may have heard of a few of Alexis’ adventures,” Ashwin said when the young woman finally stepped away. “It’s amazing she has survived for so long.�
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  “Tranquility simply does not suit my sister. Where I cursed my fate, she embraced it. And where I attempted to make the most of the power I had, she sought only to abuse it. She managed to walk the line for a long time, but of late her penchant towards…” Sadie’s gaze followed the retreating waitress.

  “I know.” Ashwin squeezed Sadie’s hand, redirecting her gaze back to him. “Don’t mind her,” he said with a reassuring smile. “The owners here are quite aware of vampires’ need for a meal from time to time.”

  “I understand completely.” She felt a blush rise to her cheeks, just as she felt an ounce of insecurity in light of the attractive young woman’s persistence. She didn’t want to be one of those jealous and possessive women, but…

  “You’ve grown unbelievably beautiful since I’ve last seen you. That young wench has nothing on you.”

  “I didn’t mean to…”

  “Besides, I’d say you have your own share of admirers.”

  Frowning quizzically, she looked at Ashwin then followed his gaze to the band of young college men hanging around the bar, looking her way. While two were quick to turn away, one smiled brazenly at her and another even raised his mug of beer.

  Apparently, Ashwin’s presence was no deterrent to these men.

  “I’m a very lucky man, Sadie.” Ashwin brought her hand to his lips then pressed it to his cheek. “And they all know it. What man wouldn’t want to be in my shoes?”

  “Young college men,” Sadie said with disenchanted shrug. “They’ll jump on any skirt that moves.”

  The slow, delicious smile that came to Ashwin’s lips made Sadie thankful she was seated. Her knees would surely have abandoned her. And as his gaze touched her eyes, nose, lips then dipped to the opening of her blouse before returning to her eyes, she felt certain she would succumb to him right then and there.

  “Look around you, my love. How many other women here are attracting as much attention as you are?”