Читать книгу Shadow Pact - Tally Adams - Страница 11

Chapter 5

Emily had read everything she could get her hands on about the world her sister disappeared into in the months she’d been missing. While perhaps not a full‐blown expert, not a lot of people knew as much about the legendary creatures of the night as she did. Therefore, as soon as her mind cleared, she knew exactly what had been done to her.

She’d been enthralled . . . by a vampire.

They were the only creatures capable of such an act.

She’d been right about Paoli.

He was an honest‐to‐God blood sucking vampire.

Not really alive, but not dead.

He was undead.

There was no telling how many innocent people he’d killed.

Well, she wasn’t about to be added to his numbers.

Without giving a single warning, she jerked the gaudy silver cross from her pocket and shoved it against his forehead.

Paoli let out a howl of shock and pain. His face contorted demonically, his features twisting into a horrifying mask. He was no longer remotely handsome. Instead, he looked like something right out of a nightmare. His eyes were wide and gleaming with a red light, his mouth open in a scream, revealing the length of very long, white fangs.

Emily stared at those fangs in morbid fascination, unable to look away. She wondered that she hadn’t noticed them before.

Had he sunk them into her while she was unaware?

Just the thought enraged her further.

When he shrank into the back seat, she stayed with him, climbing over the armrest of the car to maintain the contact.

She was no one’s victim.

William grabbed her arm and pulled her away from Paoli even as he maneuvered the car off the side of the road.

Just before they came to a stop, Emily jerked her arm free and jumped through the door in a flash.

With an uttered oath, William threw the car into park and leaped from the driver’s side to give chase. His vision was perfect at night, and he had no trouble locating her, though she was moving faster than he’d ever seen a human go. Annoyance warred with respect as he made three leaping steps to land directly in her path.

Emily almost ran right into him.

One moment, she was running for her life—her heart hammering so hard she could scarcely breathe—but sure she could use the cover of trees to escape the horrible death they had planned for her.

The next moment, he was right in front of her, just appearing out of the dark like an apparition. She came to a stop so suddenly her legs slid out from under her and she landed on her backside right at his feet with a painful thump that knocked the breath right out of her.

Before she could scramble away, a massively strong arm picked her up, and she found her back pinned against his large chest while her legs dangled off the ground. His arm was firmly locked just under her breasts, and she was well and truly trapped.

Panic lent her strength.

She kicked for his shins and swung her head backward just like they taught her in self‐defense class, hoping to make contact with his nose. Her instructor would have been proud. She screamed and snapped her teeth toward his arm like a wild piranha, determined to take a chunk of flesh.

If her dead body was to be discovered here, she wanted to die knowing she’d inflicted damage, at the very least.

Meanwhile, William held her fast, fighting his own battle as he waited patiently for her to wear herself out.

Her hair flew in his face, saturating him with her wonderful scent. It surrounded him and drew him in. Nothing had ever smelled so wonderful, so tempting. Her squirming was enough to test his control in other ways, so he was trapped in a torturous hell of desires and needs.

It had been so long since he’d had a woman, or even any interest in one. Now, the years of celibacy seemed to weigh on him, and his manhood strained enough to make him grateful his pants were made to stretch.

He was holding on to his control by the thinnest of threads. Which made his voice sharper than he intended when she finally started to slow down.

“Are you quite finished with this foolishness?” he demanded harshly.

“Let go of me!” she cried, her voice on the edge of hysteria.

“What’s wrong with you?” he asked, giving her a small shake that jarred her teeth.

“You were supposed to be my savior from the werewolves. But you just took me from them to attack me yourselves,” she accused.

Another booted foot swung into his shin. Her head flew backward toward him again, and William worried for a moment she may hurt herself trying to do him harm.

With his free hand, he braced her head against his shoulder to keep her from using it as a battering ram. He held her until she couldn’t struggle any longer and went limp and panting in his arms. He couldn’t stop himself from running his nose along the sensitive spot right behind her ear and breathing her in.

She went very still.

“Let me make a few things very clear to you, Emily,” he murmured, letting his hot breath lick against her skin. “First of all, I am no savior. I am no hero, and I’m not the good guy. Secondly, neither me nor Paoli has attacked you. Yet.”

The last word hung in the air, heavy with double meaning.

“You’re lying,” she hissed, but her voice sounded less sure.

“I’m not,” he whispered.

His lips brushed the pulse beating like hummingbird wings in her throat, and he heard her sharp intake of breath. It would only take the smallest pressure.

Just a taste.

He turned his face and tried to breathe away the impulse.

“He did something to me,” she accused, her voice now a husky whisper.

“He did,” William agreed distractedly, continuing his exploration of the hollow behind her ear.

Her involuntary shudder and following gooseflesh made him smile hungrily.

“He put you in a brief trance so we could have a private conversation. That’s all,” William murmured throatily.

He brushed his mouth against her throat again, unable to stop himself. Her skin was velvet soft.

“He’s a vampire,” she said.

It wasn’t quite a question, but he decided to treat as such.

“He is,” William agreed.

There was no reason to deny it. Under normal circumstances, Paoli preferred no one know what he was. William respected that and would never reveal his secrets. But the car incident proved she already knew the truth. If she’d been merely suspicious before, Paoli’s reaction to her cross had surely solidified the knowledge.

“But you’re safer with us than anywhere else in the world,” he said.

It wasn’t until they were spoken that he realized how true the words were. Even with his body on fire and his need to pierce her throat riding him hard, he would never hurt her. Taste her, yes. He would taste her very soon. But never hurt her.

It was a strange revelation for him, considering his self‐control had always been lacking with humans. But with her, it was different. He didn’t know why or even how it was different, just that it was.

“We’ll do our best to help your sister. And you have my word, I’ll keep you safe,” he said.

Emily went very still.

He might be willing to keep her safe from others, but who was going to keep her safe from him? Or from herself? She was responding to the pressure of his body against hers and the brush of his lips like a hormonal teenager.

Five minutes ago, she’d been convinced he was about to have her for dinner. Now, she was feeling warm and far too heavy in his arms, very aware of the pressure of his forearm right under her suddenly aching breasts. Every sane thought seemed to be flying out of her head, leaving her a breathless puddle of pathetic.

It was disgusting.

She wasn’t a woman to lose her head over a man or let her loins guide her, and she intended to keep it that way. That was more in Amber’s wheelhouse.

A stab of guilt gripped her chest.

Amber.

She’d fled for her own life without even giving Amber a second thought. Now, one of her would‐be attackers offered to keep her safe, which just served to make her feel worse.

“Why?” she heard her own voice ask in an embarrassingly throaty tone.

It was a fair question. Why would he want to keep her safe? Why had he helped her at the farmhouse, instead of letting the werewolves tear her apart? Why?

William was intoxicated by her soft skin and the overwhelming scent of her essence surrounding him. He was ensnared in a world of his own desires, having some of them reawakened with a vengeance after many years dormant. It didn’t occur to him to be anything but truthful.

“I want you,” he said simply, though there was nothing simple about it.

“Helloooo!” Paoli’s voice broke the spell of the moment just before he appeared beside them, saving Emily from having to try and speak after such an admission.

For one awkward instant, Paoli just stood there and took in the scene, his eyes growing darker and more suspicious the longer he looked at them.

“I was coming to make sure you were both all right,” Paoli said, his voice thick with accusation as he looked at William.

“I’m fine, thanks,” she heard William retort and had to bite back a smile. “We were just discussing your actions in the car, which scared her into thinking she’d been attacked,” William continued in a slightly accusatory tone now himself.

Comprehension widened Paoli’s eyes when he looked at her.

“I’m sorry about that,” he said, and his voice sounded honest and pained. “Humans usually don’t even know when they’ve been hypnotized.”

She gaped at him a moment, unable to believe anyone could see it as acceptable to steal someone’s free will as long as they didn’t know it.

“That doesn’t make it right,” she said with heat.

Despite the fact she was dangling from William’s arm like a rag doll, she still managed to sound authoritative.

“You’re right,” Paoli agreed without a fight. “Please accept my apology, as well as my guarantee I will never hypnotize you again.”

Emily snorted derisively. “How can you expect me to take your word for anything? You’re a vampire.”

She spat out the last like an insult.

Paoli’s casual demeanor disappeared and was replaced with a very formal one. He straightened regally, his eyes flashing but his voice very cold.

“I am,” he admitted slowly. “I have been for a very long time. It wasn’t my choice, and I won’t apologize for it. This night, what I am, what we are,” he amended with a quick nod toward William, “saved not only your life but your sister’s as well.”

Beneath the icy tones, he sounded resigned and somehow sad, like she’d hurt him deeply.

Emily felt small and petty for her harsh words.

He was absolutely right.

She owed them a debt she could never repay. Instead of thanking them for saving her, she’d attacked him both physically and verbally. She looked at him from under her lashes in a suddenly contrite pose.

“Did you take my blood?” she asked.

She hadn’t meant to speak the worry aloud, but the words tumbled out of their own accord. She had to know.

“Absolutely not,” Paoli answered, clearly aghast.

The look of horror on his face was almost insulting, and Emily bristled at his tone.

“You’re under our protection,” he explained, his tone sounding slightly exasperated. “Don’t be offended that we didn’t feed on you. We didn’t bring you as a food source,” he said. “We brought you to help you. And like it or not, you need our help.”

She let out a long, deflated breath of defeat.

“You’re right,” she admitted. “I’m in way over my head here. You guys saved me tonight.”

She offered a weak, apologetic smile, which he returned readily enough, his usual demeaner having been restored. “I’m sorry about the cross.”

Paoli chuckled at that, his eyes twinkling.

“If I hadn’t scared you, it never would have happened. So, I guess I had it coming,” he said, waving her apology away. “Besides, I heal quickly.”

He threw her a small wink.

“Are we all friends again?” William spoke up from behind her.

“You can put her down now,” Paoli confirmed.

Emily breathed a little easier once her feet were back on the ground and William stepped away. With his admission still ringing in her ears, she needed some distance from him.

A lot of distance.

And time to get her body back under control.

While Paoli made her nervous for her life, William affected her in very different ways.

He was clearly the more dangerous of the two, judging by his actions at the farmhouse. But his eyes when he first saw her had a possessive heat that made her uneasy. Eyes that seemed to see into her very soul.

She swallowed hard at the mere memory. He was dangerous to her, indeed.

“Here,” she said as the trio made their way back to the car.

She held out the cross as a peace offering to Paoli and felt a fresh rush of guilt when she noticed him flinch just slightly, though he played it off as surprise.

He stared at the large necklace for a moment, then looked over her head at William on her other side.

“You keep it,” he told her finally. “In fact, go ahead and wear it for now, so you’ll know you’re safe from me.”

Back at the car, she checked on Amber before she got back into the passenger’s seat.

She pulled down the vanity mirror and fumbled to fasten the clasp on the necklace. Both Paoli and William pretended not to notice her check her neck discretely, though she could feel their eyes watching her.

Still looking in the mirror, she glanced in the backseat at Paoli. His reflection smiled and waved at her in the mirror.

“Sorry,” she mumbled, her cheeks blooming with color at having been caught checking his reflection.

“Don’t be,” William told her, definite humor in his voice.

“There’s no reason to be sorry,” Paoli agreed. “In fact, this is a good time to get to know one another a little better, wouldn’t you say?”

As usual, he ignored William’s warning growl.

William could smell her apprehension increase and wanted to kick Paoli. She’d already been through enough for one night. Clearly what she needed was a shower and sleep.

After everything that’d happened, her head must be spinning.

Unbidden, an image of her lying in bed, asleep and vulnerable, rose into his mind’s eye.

He squelched it immediately, but not before he had to readjust his position in his seat irritably. After having no desire for a woman in more years than he could remember, his manhood was suddenly determined to make its presence known.

“All right,” Emily’s voice agreed reluctantly, and he focused on the conversation at hand. “What do you want to know?”

“What were you doing at the farmhouse? You’re obviously not a werewolf,” Paoli said. “Or a vampire,” he added with a teasing note.

She gave a slight chuckle.

“No, just a plain ole human, I’m afraid,” she said.

She gave William a look full of meaning.

“And I intend to stay that way,” she added firmly.

Then she turned back to Paoli.

“I tracked Amber to that location and went to find her,” she said.

“She was missing?” Paoli’s voice had gone from simply conversational to interested.

“For almost a year now,” Emily confirmed. “She ran away with some guy she met. I’ve been searching for her since then.”

“What was his name?” Paoli asked.

“Brian was his first name, but I never found out his last. He was the one you—” She broke off, looking uncomfortably at William.

“Killed,” William finished for her. “Do you know anything else about him?”

As much as William hated to start questioning her too, they needed to know as much as possible. This night was bound to have a nasty fallout.

Paoli was right.

The Coven was going to be angry, and they needed all the information they could get to mount a defense.

“Not much,” she said with a small shake of her head. “It took a long time to find out where he worked. I followed him back to the pack from there. Amber has a long history with men and—” She broke off suddenly and fell silent. “Poor choices,” she said finally.

“What kind of poor choices?” Paoli wanted to know, seemingly oblivious to the prying nature of his question.

Emily looked uncomfortable again. She was chewing the edge of her lip nervously.

“We’re sorry to ask such probing questions,” William said. “But we need to know everything. We broke some rules tonight, and we’ll have to answer for it soon. The more information we have, the better.”

Emily nodded in understanding and gave a deep, resolved sigh.

“Amber’s long line of bad decisions plagued our mother until her passing and has controlled most of my adult life. She got into drugs, prostitution,” she shrugged. “You name it. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve had to bail her out of jail.”

She scoffed and gave a small shake of her head.

“When she said this man could change everything, I didn’t pay much attention. It seemed like every other day there was a new man who could change her life. After a while, I just learned to tune her out.”

There was a long pause.

“We weren’t exactly on speaking terms when she disappeared,” she admitted, her voice sounding somehow small.

“Do you know what they did to her?” Paoli asked.

“All I know is they bit her and something went wrong,” Emily said.

She spared a glance at her sister’s sorry state.

“Is there any way to help her now?” Her voice broke just the slightest bit.

William’s eyes met Paoli’s in the rearview mirror, but neither spoke. They were dancing into dangerous territory, and the question of what would happen to the condemned woman was one they would have to discuss at length.

Privately.

Paoli patted Emily gently on the shoulder; a move that was rewarded with a dark stare from William.

“We’ll try,” Paoli said.

It was the only promise they could offer.