Embrace the Darkness (Darkness Series) (28 page)

Gerard cocked a brow. “I thought you needed proof.”

Reid winced, his expression pinched and bitter. “You’re right. I did.” He turned back to Amber. “I was ridiculed for believing in the paranormal as a kid. So, I stopped believing in anything I couldn’t prove years ago. But there’s enough evidence here to prove vampires exist. Besides Delaroche, we have Richard Baxter’s autopsy report. Right?”

“Right. And now Weldon has Axel,” she reminded him. “So, he’s either dead or a vampire. Either way, we need to save him if we can.”
If it’s not too late
.

“I wonder if Carl knows about Weldon,” Reid said, as if talking aloud to himself. “Maybe he’s the reason Surratt and Carl are working together.”

Gerard jerked him to his feet. “You said Matheson didn’t mention specifics. That sounds pretty damn specific to me.”

Reid clawed at Gerard’s hands until he released him. His face was pale and his hands shook when he brushed down his shirt collar and said, “I’m dealing with vampires, cloning, and secret organizations. So, cut me some damn slack if I happen to forget a few details.”

“Withholding vital information could cost Amber her life,” Gerard growled. “Is that what you want?”

A flush stained Reid’s cheeks. He looked at Amber, his expression rueful. “You know I’d protect you with my life, but I’m having a tough time dealing with this.”

“Been there,” she said with a commiserating sigh. She was
still
dealing with it.

He raked a hand through his short-cropped hair. “I quit believing in anything I couldn’t see, touch, or feel when my dad walked out on me and my mom when I was ten. He left us for his secretary—his young, gorgeous secretary. Mom had signed a pre-nup so she got nothing. Not even child support because dad claimed he never wanted kids. And she didn’t want to lose me. Dad said he’d fight her for full custody if she demanded child support. And he probably would have won, even though he didn’t want me.

“So, I went from rich boy in a private school to poor kid in an inner city school practically overnight. And my space alien, vampire hunter, super hero fantasies didn’t go over well in the public school system.”

His childhood explained his initial animosity toward Brit Travers. He’d thought Brit disowned Axle, when nothing could have been farther from the truth.

For the first time, she realized just how much she and Reid had in common. His father never wanted him and the man who raised her—whom she never felt close to—wasn’t even her father.

She had to give Greg credit, though. He’d tried. He’d raised another man’s kid as his own—or at least, his mother had. He just never bonded with her. And that hurt more than she cared to admit.

“What about now?” she asked, her heart aching for her partner—and for the lost opportunity to get to know her real father. “You can’t deny vampires are real.”

Reid smirked. “Yeah, but until I see ET in person, I’m not going to believe the government is hiding an alien spacecraft in Roswell, New Mexico. I’m not a gullible kid any more. But Carl was one of those rich kids from my past. So, he knew I was a geek. And I didn’t want anything to do with him.”

“You’re not a geek, Reid.”

“
Ça suffit
,” Gerard said with a groan. “Can we move on to the important stuff—like how Surratt is involved?”

Heat flushed Amber’s cheeks. Avoiding Gerard’s annoyed gaze, she spoke to Reid. “Do you know why Carl is working with Surratt?”

Reid shrugged. “From what I gathered, Carl’s job is to investigate the existence of vampires, find proof, and catalogue them as dangerous or not. The agency will then determine which are threats and which warrant continued observation. Supposedly, Surratt was helping him locate rogue vampires who’ve attacked humans.”

Did the government’s idea of observation include experimentation?

Amber looked at Gerard to gage his reaction. His face showed no emotion. His eyes smoldered.

“The government wouldn’t destroy a vampire they could
recruit
,” he said, his voice sharp with sarcasm. “And since Surratt’s goal is to protect vampires from discovery, it would behoove him to assist Carl in locating and destroying those who’ve attracted human interest.”

Gerard clenched his teeth. The muscles in his jaw bunched as anger simmered just beneath the surface of his calm. Amber ached for him.

His carefully constructed world—a world in which he strived to live as a mortal—was in imminent danger of collapse. And because she was part vampire and part mortal, she could wind up caught in the middle of two worlds at war.

Anxiety churned in her gut. Her stomach burned. “Surratt protected the vampire who killed my mother. He erases the memories of mortals who discover the truth and then converts them—or hunts them—when those memories return. Why is he working with mortals to identify and destroy vampires now?”

There had to be a trigger—some cataclysmic event that forced the vampire to change his MO.

Tension radiated off Gerard in waves. “Keeping our existence secret is paramount to survival. Surratt’s chosen to sacrifice the rogues to protect the species. He can’t destroy them on his own. If he’s as ancient as I believe, he could have hundreds of vampire descendants. If one of them has gone rogue, it puts his entire clan in danger. If the rogue is from his direct line but several creations removed, the blood link may be too weak for him to control him—but not so weak he can destroy him—or her” He held up a finger. His eyes glittered dangerously. “Ah, but if he manipulates a government agent into destroying the vampire for him, he accomplishes his goal without alienating his other descendants.”

“He’s playing both sides of the fence,” Reid said.

Gerard nodded, his expression now solemn. “And it could very well start a war between mortals and immortals.”

Amber’s fury burned brighter. Her hatred glowed like a beacon in her brain, guiding her emotions. “He’s not some philanthropic vampire looking out for the welfare of immortals. He’s protecting his empire—his vampire following. And he’s using Matheson to destroy the vampires who’re drawing attention to him. He has no interest in mortals or vampires.”

“I don’t know,” Gerard said with a sigh. “His motives could be sincere.”

“Are you frickin’ kidding me?” Amber’s voice raised two octaves. “He created the monster who killed my mother and Andrew. If Nicolas hadn’t destroyed that—creature—he would have killed me too. Surratt did that. He’s responsible.”

“And you could be biased,” Gerard said, his voice as gentle as a cop trying to talk a jumper down from a ledge. “But once he’s gotten Carl Matheson to kill the vampires he’s selected to die, he might kill Carl too—or convert him. He wouldn’t risk erasing his memory. The contact between them has been prolonged—too many memories to erase.” He looked at Reid with pity. “And you’d be just another loose end he needs to kill or convert.”

Reid made a disgusted sound in the back of his throat. “Well, doesn’t that just bite.” He smiled. “If you’ll pardon the pun.”

“The bastard's got to die,” Amber said through clenched teeth, ignoring the fact that she probably
was
biased. Then she looked at Gerard and the fury faded.

He was trying so hard to be fair—to protect mortals and vampires alike. And for the first time since her mother died, Amber didn’t feel quite so alone.

Chapter 19

Gerard leaned back against the sofa, tapping his foot while Amber paced. They were waiting for Megan and Vincent’s arrival from the airport before deciding what to do next. Sheridan was asleep. After being up all day, he’d crashed in the upstairs guestroom around three a.m.—about a half hour ago.

Wimp
.

“Try calling to Nicolas. He knows Surratt. He might know Surratt’s next move.” Was his next move to destroy the vampire hunter? Amber had yet to embrace her “true” nature, but she was starting to use her abilities. Would Surratt see the use of those gifts as a threat? Would he come after her again?

His heart clinched.

Amber stopped pacing long enough to say, “We don’t need him.”

Stubborn woman.

“I’m not pressuring you,” he said, turning to watch as she resumed her pacing, marching back and forth from the sofa to the computer desk. “I just think—”

“Yes you are.” She whipped her head around and glared. “You said he should be here. You said he could have vital information. You said he could protect us if Matheson’s intent was to destroy all vampires and not just rogue ones. You said—”

“I know what I said.”

“Don’t interrupt!” She snapped. “I’m on a roll.”

“Then roll on over here.” He patted the sofa. “You’re working yourself into a frenzy.”

She combed her fingers through her hair. She was wearing it down for a change. The wavy locks touched her shoulders, brushing her soft skin the way he longed to do. His body reacted, instantly hardening at the memory of her naked flesh pressed against his.

He shifted his hips. “Come here.”

“But we need to find the right hospital,” she said almost to herself as she glanced back at the computer screen. “We need to find Weldon.”

He rose to his feet. “We’ll find Weldon and G-2 later. Right now, you need to relax.”

Amber stared. “G-2?”

He shrugged, feeling self-conscious. “Yeah, well, we got to call him something and I’m not real comfortable calling him Clone.”

Smiling, she stepped forward and into his arms. They folded around her, absorbing her mortal energy. Her softness. Her—he wouldn’t call it love, no matter what he felt from her. Until she said the words, he wouldn’t call it anything.

“Yeah. G-2. Gerard Two.” She kissed his cheek. “Definitely not as good as the original.”

She nuzzled his neck. Heat shot strait to his groin. He swelled, aching to be inside her, needing to be inside her.

Pressing his hips against her middle, he said, “Definitely not.”

Her lips grazed his throat. His blood sizzled. She sniffed delicately. “And you smell nicer too.”

Giggling like a schoolgirl, she danced out of his arms and toward her bedroom. Then she cast a quick glance toward the stairs in the foyer before striking an erotic pose in the hall. She crooked a finger and lowered her voice like a teenager sneaking her boyfriend in the house after her parents have gone to bed. “Speaking of rolls, how about a roll in the hay, big boy.”

With a hard-on the size of Texas, he walked toward her as she disappeared inside the bedroom.

Making love to Amber put her in danger. Just knowing him put her in danger. He was a vampire. Trying to live as anything other than what he was put
every
mortal he knew at risk. But he couldn’t embrace the darkness the way Sonia did. He wanted to be mortal again—or as close to mortal as the antivirus allowed. And he wanted Amber—with every fiber of his immortal being.

Ignoring the voice in his head that warned him to stay away from her for both their sakes, he followed his heart—and another more prominent part of his anatomy—into her bedroom and shut the door. Decorated in browns and turquoise, it was feminine without being frilly—like Amber.

“What took you so long?” The sexy smile pasted on her lips didn’t hide the anxiety in her eyes as she stood next to a high brass bed wearing nothing but that sexy pink underwear. Her belt, pants, and silky shirt lay heaped at her feet.

He stepped toward her without hesitation, letting her know without words he’d never turn her down. His need was more than just sexual. He needed Amber’s light to chase away the darkness in his soul.

At his approach, a smile touched her lips. She raised her hands to her neck and unclasped the silver necklace she often wore. Twisting slightly at the waist, she dropped it on the bedside table next to the lamp. “I probably shouldn’t wear this when I’m with you. Huh?”

“I’d appreciate that quite a bit as a matter of fact.”

Her eyes smoldered with undeniable desire. “Done. Now, how about you tuck me in?”

A horde of vampire slayers couldn’t have stopped him from crossing the room and taking her into his arms.

****

Amber melted against him.

All her womanly parts tingled. Her pulse quickened. Curving her fingers around the back of his neck, she tugged him closer. His immortality no longer mattered. She wanted him—if only for one more night, she would have him.

Desire, need, and sorrow shone in the depths of his blue gaze as he lowered his head and took her mouth in a brutal kiss that sealed her fate. She was in love with a vampire.

A bittersweet yearning tempered her lust as he kissed her until her lips felt swollen. Then he touched her breasts through the lacy cups of her bra, bringing her nipples to aching hard points. Her muscles contracted. Heat flushed her skin.

Burning with desire, she worked to free his cotton shirt from the waistband of his jeans. He broke free of the kiss long enough to pull the garment over his head and toss it to the floor.

Muscles flexed. His broad shoulders bulged.

Amber’s breath caught in her throat. Swallowing an appreciative groan, she stared at his smooth, marble-sculpted chest and washboard abs. Coarse brown hair swirled around his navel before thinning to an arrow of darker hair that trailed beneath the waistband of his jeans. A path to paradise.

Hoo-ah!

She hooked her fingers into his front belt loops and pulled his hips flush against her middle. His body tensed. His flat male nipples hardened into tight brown pebbles.

Sucking air between his teeth, he lowered his hands to her waist, cupped her hips and pulled her more firmly against his erection. Moisture pooled between her thighs. Her muscles quivered and contracted.

“
Je te veux
,” he said in a thick, husky voice she barely recognized.

“I don’t know what you just said, but it sounded sexy as hell.”

“I want you,” he growled.

Pulse racing, she reached behind her back to unclasp her bra. Gerard stayed her hand. “Allow me.”