Forever Black (Nightwalkers 2) (23 page)

There was a desperateness to his voice, "Please…"
His hand squeezed hers as he looked around at the other guests then nervously
back at her. "Don't say you forgot me. Please, don't."

Her brow squished in the middle as she tried to recall. But
it wouldn't come to her. "I know you, but…I can't…" She glanced again
toward the Count. The sight of him frightened her, as did this sweeping feeling
of love for the man who held her hand. She knew what the Count was capable of
and knew these feelings could bring his anger down upon her.

Caleb put her hand to his lips. This quickly got her
attention, and her eyes widened. Staring at him in awe, her lips parted
slightly. He kissed her hand gently as she stared at him like a frightened doe.

His words slipped from his lips quickly, "Forever is
black without you. Like an endless sea of waves that crash upon me, so heavy
they crush my every breath, and I’m forced to breathe in their salty poison. Without
you, there is no happiness, no life. If I left this world and my body behind,
there would be nothing left but my love for you—the love so deeply embedded in
my soul that it is eternal and never ending. Nothing will separate us. Not
even death."

"I need to…" Her words were soft, her eyes darting
over his masked face. She tried to pull off his mask, but he quickly grabbed
her hand and stopped her.

His voice was shaky, his eyes nervously taking in their
surroundings. "I can't be seen here. We must go somewhere else to
talk."

"All right." She nodded then quickly followed him
out to the hall. They retreated to a nearby room away from the other guests.
When they were alone, she spoke. "Who are you?" She took a step
closer to him. Her movements were slow as she placed a hand on his shoulder.
"And why is it that you can speak so closely to my heart?" There was
an admiring look in her eyes.

"It's okay that you don't remember. I don't blame
you." He stroked her chin as he held it in-between his fingers. "I
just needed to see you and tell you one last time that I love you. I love you
more than anything, Ashleigh. Being away from you is driving me insane."

"Love me?" Her long lashes fluttered. Her eyes
were the only feature visible above her lips. "I can feel that. It wears
on your handsome face like a cloud of thick smoke."

He slowly pulled off her mask and revealed the face of his
love. He smiled when he saw her study him.

"And for you, my masked man." She pulled off his
mask. Her face filled with a wicked smile as she slowly raised her chin and
eyed him hungrily. The look in her eyes confused him. She didn't seem to be the
woman he had known. "Caleb." Her brow lowered over her bright eyes as
she licked her lips. Her hands on his shoulders took a firmer grip.

"Ash…I…" He tried to speak as he stared at this
unfamiliar woman. It was as if something had snapped inside her. There was a
psychotic happiness fueling her expression. She appeared dangerous, something
she had never been to him before.

There was a cool seduction in her tone, "Why do you
look at me so?" She stroked his cheek with the back of her hand. Slowly,
she gazed at his bare neck then looked into his eyes. She was so confident,
arrogant. Her every movement showed the incredible power that flowed through
her veins. "I remember you now." Her tongue peeked from her lips and
licked the tip of her fang. Her stare was focused on his lips. "Such a
lover, I can never forget."

"What-what happened to you?" He stroked her cheek
as his worried eyes scanned this dark vixen in front of him.

"I thank you for letting me remember." Her arms
wrapped around his shoulders. Resting her cheek against his, her lips brushed
teasingly against its surface. "How I have missed you." She nipped at
his ear a few times, as she tried to push back the urge to bite him. "Do
you still love me, Caleb?"

"You know I love you." His arms were wrapped
around her waist, but he held her loosely. He wasn't squeezing her tightly like
he normally would.

"Then, why are you so tense?" She slowly pulled
away from his neck, and her eyes fell upon his face. She studied him like she
could read his mind, something that was making him nervous. "You act as if
you don't want to touch me."

"I want to…it's just…" He glanced over to the side
to avoid her intense stare. "I just worry you don't love me anymore."

"Don't doubt me." Her fingers danced over the
surface of his cheek, her touch teasing. "It is you that I love. It’s
always been you."

"Even though the sentence for touching you is
death…" His next words were soft and each one shook as they slipped from
his lips, "I would go to the darkest hell, if it meant I could hold you in
my arms again—even for just a second. I promised forever and vowed to protect
you, but I can't. I'm so sorry this all happened to you."

"Have you come to save me?" A playful grin peeked
on her lips. Her mood was not desperate like his, and she was eerily calm.
"How sweet."

"I promised I would." He observed her strangely
and wasn't sure how to take her words. "I'd do anything for you."

She leaned closer to his ear, her voice smooth as she spoke
into it. "Then, wait for me." She started nipping at his neck again.
Her body pushed up against his, as her grip tightened. "For I will be the
heroine who will free your people from my husband's reign."

"Your husband?" Caleb immediately pulled away from
her. His eyes narrowed on her angrily.

She put her finger to his lips. "
Shhh
…"
She laughed softly, a sly expression on her face. "You misunderstand.
Though I love you, I am still the Count's wife and always will be." She
pushed her body into his, shoving Caleb back a step. Her nose rubbed up and
down the bridge of his teasingly. "You need to know who I am before you
vow to love me. I have evolved, Caleb—I am no longer human."

"I don't care what you've become. I love who you
are."

"You do?" Her long lashes fluttered as her heavy
eyes slowly moved upward to meet with his. "Vow to me your loyalty and
love, and it will be
I
who will
protect
you
." She could see the
deep hurt her words had caused to his ego. "At my side, you will never be
harmed. What is your answer?" Her hand slid down between them and into his
pants. Caleb drew in a deep breath when her fingers tightened. "Vow to me,
Caleb."

She kissed his neck, her lips against his skin making it
tingle. The feeling was incredible and overpowering. His grip around her
tightened. "Damn it, babe, you're driving me nuts." His hands took a
firm hold of her dress. Licking his lips, he threw his head back. "I can't
concentrate when you're—" His mouth opened wide when he felt her bite.
With her fangs inside him, everything around him disappeared, the extreme
pleasure making his eyes roll back.

She giggled when he dropped to his knees. Following him
down, Ashleigh's knees hit the floor. Using her weight, she shoved his over-willing
body into a laying position. She took her hand from his pants and held the
sides of his head. She tried to drink from him, but she was laughing so hard at
his reaction that most of it trickled down his neck.

When the wound started to heal up, she waited for him to
come to. She stared into his sleepy face, and her eyes drank in his handsome
features, his long, dark lashes hiding his icy eyes from her view. She wanted
to be the first thing he saw when he awoke.

"Whoa…" He laughed nervously as his eyes slowly
opened. He tried to focus on her face, but was having a hard time doing so.
"That was trippy."

"No…" She giggled as she bounced on his hips.
"That was delicious."

"So…" Caleb wasn't quite sure where he was, so his
eyes scanned the room slowly. "What do you mean by being the
heroine?"

"Saving Morgan from Drake." She rose to her feet.
Her movement was so quick it looked like a glitch in a computer screen.
"Your people need a leader—someone strong to protect them from the Count's
rule."

Caleb stood. He rubbed his eyes as he tried to get the dizzy
feeling to leave his head. His whole body tingled, and her kiss made him feel
better than any feeding had. "And you're going to do that?"

"Of course." She watched his movements like a cat
would a mouse scurrying across the floor. "Tell me—how did you come
here?"

"I drove." He laughed as he watched her put her
mask on and hide some of her beauty from his eyes.

There was a very serious tone in her voice, "Did you
bring the jet?"

"Yeah." He ran his hands through his dark hair,
trying to perfect his small Mohawk. "It's at the airport."

"I will tell you what we will do." She pulled on
his suit jacket, yanking him closer like a rubber band relaxing after being
stretched.

An excited smile filled his lips as he stared at her.
"All right."

"Go to the airport, ready the plane, and I will come as
soon I finish my business with the Count."

"Will you be all right on your own? I can—"

"I will be
awesome
."
She leaned forward and kissed him quickly. "Now go, before you are caught.
I will meet with you soon."

"Promise me you'll be okay…" He reached up and
stroked the side of her cheek. There was great fear in his eyes. "Or I
won't leave you."

"I promise." She took his hand away gently then
pointed toward the window. "Now go."

Chapter Thirteen

She returned to the party and blended into the crowd on the
third floor. She stood near the railing, and her eyes scanned quickly for the
Count. He wasn't where she saw him last, so she leaned over the balcony,
sticking her neck out slightly to get a better look.

"Such beauty is a sin to hide behind a mask."

She turned to the sound of the Count's voice. A small smile
peeked on her lips when she saw his outstretched hand. "You have found
me."

"One must look toward the heavens to capture the beauty
of an angel." He laughed softly as he moved closer to her. His hands
slipped around her waist. Cocking his head to the side slightly, he studied her
from a different angle. "In white, you could pass for one, but I know
better."

"For you are a smarter man than most." She put a
hand on his chest. This put some distance between them as she admired him.
"But it was a sin to make me into something this powerful." She
glanced down then slowly up to his eyes. "Where have you been? I've been
looking for you everywhere."

"So, my costume has fooled you?" He reached up and
cradled her cheek.

"Yes." She traced his chin, a slight frown
creeping onto her lips. She was thinking about her plans to leave him. The
guilt of these thoughts were eating at her. "Why could you not dress as a
prince?" She gazed down at his lips, her mind racing as she thought about
this feeling. This love she had for the Count, the love she had forgotten when
she was with Caleb. Doubt hung heavy like a cloud around her, and she soon realized
she didn't want to leave the Count. She loved him.

"It is a game, my love. It supposed to be
challenging." He traced her mouth with a single finger. His touch ignited
a shiver that sprung from her lips and traveled to her toes. It wasn't one of
fear, but of great desire.

She leaned closer to him, turning her head to the side so
she could bypass the long sweeping nose on his mask. "Kiss me,
Drake." Her lips hovered over his as she glanced upward. Her heavy lids
and deep voice showed she was growing aroused. "Kiss me so passionately
that all I can see is you. I need you."

"After the party." He laughed as he pulled away
from her. "The kiss you require is not appropriate in a room full of
guests." He took in her angered expression as he looped her arm in his. "But
when we are alone, I shall kiss you the way you desire."

"May I pleasure you, as well?" She glanced over at
him as they walked.

"Is it not my turn?" He admired her sparkling
eyes. "Can it not be a night focused on you?"

"I want it so badly, I can taste you on my
tongue." She licked her lips as she gazed at the crowd below. "The
salty taste of it mixed with your blood."

"With an appetite like yours, I shall make sure you
have eaten before you get any closer than this."

"So, you are denying me?" She released his arm and
took a step back from him.

"Oh…" He chuckled as he turned around to face her.
"Have I left you disappointed?" He was paused on the stairs, his hand
resting on the railing as he stared up at her. She was standing a few stairs
above him, her body towering over him as if she were standing on a pedestal.

"You are a liar, Drake." Her brow lowered, a
deepness invading her tone as she glared at him. "You have wronged me, and
for such a deception, I will never forgive you."

"I do not know of what you speak."

"You have made me forget…made me into your puppet.
Lies, Drake."

"I did this for us. You do not understand—"

"This is a declaration of war,
my love
." Her lips filled with a dangerous grin. Her tone was
like sweet liquid filling his ears, yet each word cut like a knife. "I
will soon return home to rule over the Morgan Family. No longer do I, nor they,
belong to you."