Ironic Sacrifice Read online

  The genuine empathy and desire to help in Jayden’s eyes almost undid him. “I could tell you, but it would be better if you asked Max.”

  She raised a brow. “Why can’t you tell me?”

  “Because, she would never forgive me, but she would forgive Max anything. Also,” he added with a wink, “the man’s tongue gets awfully loose after a few pints.”

  “Well, in that case, I better get my costume ready. Speaking of, yours is nice. It looks authentic.”

  Silas looked down at his kilt, and plaid draped over his shoulder, fastened by the McNaught crest. “It’ll be even more so when I wear my sword. Now would you hold this bowl for a moment?”

  Jayden smiled with wry amusement when he filled the bowl with full size candy bars. “I’ll bet your house is a favorite stop.”

  He grinned, showing a hint of fang. “Aye, it is. I don’t know why.”

  ***

  Silas sighed in relief when Max and Jayden, with a reluctant Akasha, headed out the door a few minutes later. The moment they were out of sight he pulled out his phone and called a few of his strongest vampires to keep watch over them. Caution was imperative these days.

  Razvan had received another message from Selena, this time threatening “dire consequences” if they failed to give her Jayden within a month. They had agreed to keep this information from the ladies for now. Razvan believed that Jayden’s mind was still too fragile to handle too much undue stress and Silas was worried that Akasha would lose her temper and try to confront Selena herself.

  To make matters worse, Razvan still had a spy among his Spokane vampires. While he worked on weeding out the traitor, Silas was trying to track down Delgarias. He’d already sent a letter to the Elders informing them of Selena’s actions, but he had little hope they’d do anything. After his trumped up trial in Amsterdam, he had few allies among them. There was only one he could call a friend amongst the Elder’s council. But Ian Ashton, Lord of London had the typical stiffness and lack of imagination that was stock of the British aristocracy, so it was hard to tell how seriously he would respond to the threat.

  Delgarias was his only hope for sorting out this situation. But so far, the ancient vampire was nowhere to be found. It was a regular occurrence with the Thirteenth Elder, but lately it drove Silas mad. The son of a bitch had a knack for disappearing when he was needed the most. In fact, if Delgarias had been around four years ago, Selena wouldn’t have been able to cause as much trouble as she did the first time.

  Silas admired Akasha’s sexy pirate costume as they walked down the driveway, pleased that Jayden persuaded her to wear it by threatening to call Xochitl and tell her if she didn’t. Her bottom looked luscious in the tight-fitting trousers. Silas struggled to tamp down the lust. It wouldn’t do if his kilt stood up before the eyes of the approaching trick-or-treaters

  ***

  The Halloween party at the Powder River Saloon turned out to be a lot of fun. Besides the dart tournament (which Akasha won) George’s wife had organized party games and “trick or treat walks” in which she had everyone line up to pull out paper bags from a huge garbage sack behind the jukebox. The bags contained treats like candy, chips, disposable lighters, and pepperoni sticks. But there were also “tricks” like dog biscuits, toilet paper rolls and George’s old socks. Before Jayden could toss away an old ace bandage, Max informed her that there was over a hundred dollars hidden amongst the “tricks.” Sure enough, she found a buck rolled up in the bandage.

  When the festivities wound down around midnight and Akasha was occupied with another dart game, Jayden decided it was time to seek her information.

  “Max?” she tried to speak softly, yet still be heard over the din. “What happened to Akasha?”

  He blinked at her suspiciously before darting a paternal glance at his business partner. “What do you mean?”

  She took a deep breath and began. “When I first met her, I shook her hand and I saw people being shot. I think they were her parents. And then I saw her in a home where she was abused by a crazy lady, then she was on the streets, and well, a whole bunch of stuff. I was wondering if you could maybe explain it.”

  Max scratched his beard. “Have you asked her?”

  She blushed. “Yeah, and she doesn’t want to talk about it. But even though I haven’t known her long, I really care about her.” she said quickly before he could respond. “I know she’s suffered a lot, and that’s probably why she drinks so much, but if she keeps drinking like that, it’s going to ruin her life.”

  He gave her a long steady look. “With all the shit that girl’s been through, it’s a wonder that all she does is drink. If it had been me, I’d either have killed myself or been out of my mind.” He gulped down the rest of his beer and signaled for a refill before he leaned closer to her and lowered his voice further. “Fine, I’ll tell you, but if she finds out, she’ll kick my ass. During the Gulf War, there were a bunch of top secret government experiments in an attempt to create the perfect soldier. Akasha’s father was one of the soldiers experimented on. Somehow his genes were mutated and he and his fellow lab rats ended up with superhuman strength, extreme endurance, and a few other goodies. But for some reason, the higher-ups were unsatisfied with the results. They ordered the experiment to be terminated, meaning the soldiers.”

  Max lit a cigarette. “Akasha’s dad managed to escape. He met her mother, married, and passed his mutation along to his daughter. Eight years later, the government goons found them and they shot down her parents right in front of her. The only reason Akasha knew how old she was then was because she had finished blowing out eight birthday candles only minutes before it happened.”

  “Oh my God,” Jayden breathed, horrified by such a tragedy. “I couldn’t imagine.”

  The bartender came to collect his empty glass, and Max requested a large pitcher before he continued. “Somehow she ended up in an orphanage, and then later in a foster home. The foster lady was one of them religious nuts. You ever seen the movie Carrie?”

  Jayden nodded, dreading to hear the rest of the story.

  “Well this bitch was ten times worse than Carrie’s mom. They shut her down after she starved a three year old boy to death. She said he was ‘fasting.’” He grimaced and lit a cigarette. “And there wasn’t a kid in that place that didn’t have a bruise or a burn or damaged knees from hours of kneeling. But Akasha ran away long before the lady’s abuse was found out.” He swept another look around the bar to make sure no one was listening.

  “Anyway, she spent over two years on the streets sleeping in cardboard boxes and sharing canned beans with the other bums. One of the bums was a crack whore, and she sent Akasha away because her pimp noticed her and had ‘Johns’ that would love a little girl. So I guess there really are hookers with golden hearts out there.”

  Jayden took a small sip of wine and pushed the glass aside, her stomach roiling with revulsion.

  The bartender came with a new pitcher of beer and a fresh frosty glass. Max paid and waited until he was out of earshot. “When I met Akasha, she was taking food out of my garbage can. She’d been living in my shed. This was in Montana in the early winter. If I hadn’t caught her then, she would’ve gotten frostbite or hypothermia. It damn near broke my heart.” His voice cracked and he coughed. “Anyway, I made a deal with her. I wouldn’t turn her in to the system if she’d stay with me and help out around the house and in my garage, just with the legit stuff, mind you, she didn’t know about the chop shop thing I had on the side. She became like a daughter to me, of course, I wasn’t a very good dad, since I’m the one who taught her to drink and smoke and cuss and all that.

  “We had some good times, that was for sure.” He grinned in remembrance. “Girl handled a wrench like she was born with one in her hand. I discovered her strength when the jack stand slipped out from a car I was working on. Akasha grabbed the El Camino, which probably weighed over a ton and held it up long enough for me to get out from under it. That’s when she told me a
bout how her parents died. But she didn’t know about the government’s involvement at the time. Still, we suspected people looking for her. So when the cops showed up to arrest me, I told her to run. God, I wish I hadn’t.” He wiped a tear from his eye and Jayden shivered in dread of his next words.

  “She was raped at gunpoint on the side of the road that very night. That’s another reason she’s scared of guns. First her parents get shot, then that.”

  Jayden could only manage a sympathetic murmur. Her throat locked up with tears. She knew Akasha had a bad childhood, it was etched into her eyes, but this was more horrific than she imagined.

  Max ground his cigarette into a pulp in the brass ashtray. “She got the bastard though. Knocked the gun out of his hand and beat him to death with her bare hands.”

  “Good,” Jayden said, meaning it with all her heart.

  He nodded in solemn agreement. “Then she took his car and drove until it ran out of gas. She ended up here in Coeur d’Alene, and was immediately picked up by the cops and placed in a group home.

  She refused to tell them where she came from and it really griped their asses, so since she didn’t have any I.D. they somehow convinced the state to make one for her. They made her two years younger than she actually was, thinking she’d get pissed and give up her background.”

  “Oh,” Jayden said. “So that’s what Akasha was talking about when she said that Silas wasn’t ‘playing Lolita’ with her.”

  Max muttered a curse under his breath. “Yeah, and even if that weren’t the case, they didn’t become romantically involved until after she was legally eighteen. Still, there was some ugly talk around town when they got married, but most people understood. It wasn’t like he raised her from a baby or anything.”

  “So, he became her legal guardian when she was seventeen, but really nineteen?” Jayden prodded, urging him back to the story. It looked like Akasha’s dart game was nearly finished.

  “Yeah, and it was the best thing that ever happened to her. Of course at the time she didn’t see it that way.” He grinned. “Here she was, swept away by Prince Charming and taken to live in a castle and offered anything she could ask for, but by then she was so full of fear and pain that she felt nothing but suspicion.”

  “I can understand that,” she said, her heart aching with sympathy. “It likely seemed too good to be true.”

  “But eventually Silas broke through her defenses and taught her to love and trust again.” Max's voice rang with pride and gratitude. “Xochitl and her posse helped with that. As that ancient bloodsucker, Delgarias, had predicted, Akasha finally made friends. Silas nurtured that friendship inadvertently since he was instructed to guard them. Since he pretty much let them all run wild when they were visiting, his house became the official hangout. Hell, from what I hear, those kids practically lived with Akasha.”

  “When did she find out that he was a vampire?” she asked.

  Before Max could answer, the dartboard blared and Akasha dashed over to the bar.

  “I smoked ‘em,” she said and beckoned the bartender for a refill.

  Jayden averted her face and took another sip of wine, afraid that Akasha would discern the naked sympathy on her face. She knew there was more to the story, but after all she’d already heard anything else was hard to fathom.

  Max was never able to tell her the rest.

  Chapter Sixteen to

  On the walk back home, Jayden mulled over Max’s story. It was almost inconceivable that a person could have been through so much and yet be functional. No wonder Akasha drank so heavily. She glanced at the woman walking beside her. She was so tiny and delicate, yet so strong. Jayden’s heart went out to her and she hoped she could be a worthy friend.

  When they arrived home, she watched Akasha step into Silas’s arms and felt a twinge of envy at the love they shared. So far, Razvan had never displayed more than a passing affection for her, only lust, and lately there had been little of that. Was it because of the excitement with Selena’s drama? Or had Hilda, that blonde vampire at the concert, been right after all and he was finished with her?

  Silas bent down to whisper in Akasha’s ear and her husky laugh made Jayden feel like an interloper. Without bothering to say goodnight, she left them in their own little world and headed downstairs. She needed a shower. She reeked of cigarette smoke from the bar.

  When she entered the room she and Razvan shared, Jayden heard the shower already running and her heart skipped a beat. He was back. He was naked.

  With a trembling hand, she opened the bathroom door. The sight of him stole her breath and awakened things low in her body. Through the glass shower door, beaded with moisture and just beginning to fog with steam, she could see rivulets of water running down his lithe muscular form. He looked an aquatic god.

  “Hello, Jayden.” His deep voice echoed in the small room. “Would you care to join me?”

  He still wants me! An inner voice cried out in triumph. For now, another said dryly.

  It took her a moment to find her voice amidst the clamor of hope and doubt coupled with the delectable sight of his nakedness.

  “Sure,” she said, hoping she sounded nonchalant. “I needed a shower anyway.”

  She took pains to remove her costume slowly so as not to reveal her eagerness. The cool air on her skin made her nipples harden instantly. Jayden slid the shower door open and stepped into the steamy cocoon to meet the apotheosis of her desires.

  Razvan’s eyes met hers as he reached for the bar of soap. As he worked it into a sudsy lather his gaze promised dark pleasure.

  “I bathed you the night I found you,” he said. “Do you remember?”

  She shivered as she remembered waking up in a deliciously warm bath with him poised over her like a dark angel. His touch had been gentle then, but full of heat. Before she could reply, his soapy hands were working their magic on her again. Every inch of her body was treated to his sensual ministrations and he spent as much time on one area as he did in the last. By the time he was finished, she felt like she was going to melt into a puddle.

  “You had better get your face,” he said, breaking the spell. “I don’t want to get soap in your eyes.

  As she washed her face, she marveled at the intense pleasure that he was able to give her. She wanted to return the favor. When she was finished, her gaze slid down his body to rest on his hardness below.

  ***

  Razvan watched with astonishment as Jayden sank to her knees. He sucked in a breath as her fingers wrapped around his shaft and nearly came out of his skin when her tongue darted out to flick across its tip. Her lips encircled him and she began to make love to him with her mouth. He groaned and braced his hand on the tiled wall, overcome with the sensation of the warm water pelting his shoulders and Jayden’s hot mouth around his cock.

  When the pleasure nearly became too much to bear, he grasped her under her arms and pulled her to her feet. He covered her neck with kisses and nipped her earlobe before whispering, “Wrap your legs around me.”

  With a low moan that threatened to bring him to his knees, Jayden obeyed him. As he lifted her, cupping her delectable rear, her heated core writhed against his cock, but he held her back. That wasn’t yet what he had in mind. Razvan turned her so that the shower spray was drenching her hair, making her look like a water nymph.

  “Hold on to me,” he commanded.

  Her eyes narrowed in confusion as he let go of her and reached for the shampoo. As she clung to him, he proceeded to wash her hair. The mixed sensations of him massaging her scalp as his shaft ground against her clit made her whimper in the most delightful manner. As he tilted her back to rinse her crimson tresses, Razvan licked and sucked her breasts until she was squirming in desperation. Her slippery wetness drove him mad.

  “Do you want me to fuck you, Jayden?” he asked.

  “Yes!” she cried.

  He turned his back to the spray and set his woman down. Before she could say another word, he forced her around
and gave her a spit second to brace her hands against the wall before he thrust into her from behind.

  Jayden’s throaty cry fanned the flames of his lust and he pounded into her like something crazed. Her hips bucked against his, straining to match the frantic rhythm. When her sheath tightened and convulsed around him, he nearly roared in ecstasy as he exploded inside her.

  When he took her into his arms and lowered his head to kiss her, the adoration in her dark emerald gaze was like a spear through his heart. If she would look at him like that forever, he would keep her for all eternity. But he knew better. Jayden was only infatuated with him because he was her rescuer. Once she gained control over her powers and her mind healed… and most of all when she was free from Selena’s threat, a threat which was his fault, she’d want to be free of him. He wasn’t a fool. He knew he had nothing to offer her besides money and skilled lovemaking. Jayden wasn’t greedy. And the lust would fade, it always did.

  He tilted her chin up, noticing with a guilty pang that she had dark circles under her eyes. She had been through so much. And he made it worse by putting her in Selena’s path.

  Razvan kissed her, savoring the delicious softness of her lips against his. “You should get some rest now.”

  When they were tucked into the large bed, he cradled her in his arms and silently vowed to enjoy her for as long as he could.

  Chapter Seventeen

  Jayden watched the glowing numbers on the digital alarm clock on the bedside table while she listened to Razvan’s breathing even out into the rhythm of sleep. Finally the clock blinked 6:30 a.m. The sun would be coming up now.

  She took a deep breath, dropped her shields and willed her mind to link with Razvan’s. In moments she was plunged into his memories.

  ***

  In the spring of the twins’ third century, in the year 1437, Radu fell in love. Her name was Uta and she was the rich widow of one their numerous great grandnephews. Uta was a vision of loveliness with her silvery-blonde curls and wide grey eyes. But every time Razvan looked at her, a bitter taste filled his mouth. When Radu kissed her, Razvan wanted to vomit. He couldn’t explain his hostile feelings for the wench, nor could he completely hide them.