IK3 (24 page)

dark eyes never leaving her face, his hands inflaming her tight nipples as he

kneaded her breasts. Her blood was on fire. Chloe tossed her head feverishly

on the pillow, her body undulating wildly beyond her control. She felt Gavin

lift her buttocks, giving her much more welcome depth and pressure. Sparks

flew around them as Gavin ground into her, hard and demanding now, and

the volcano exploded.

Chloe lay gasping for air, Gavin beside her, a leg and arm protectively

draped over her side. “Oh, my God.”

‘Shhhh,” he whispered and rose up to lean over her. Dipping his head, he

licked her throat. Chloe felt a sharp sting and then, complete, blissful

nothingness.

****

bodies of the two bikers lay slumped and cursed. Not that cursing helped

him, but by his own horns, what had gone wrong?

Beside him, Sigurd, in his small form, snorted. “These were the men you

hired?”

“Careful, dragon. I don’t take insults lightly.”

“Just asking. Balor won’t be happy.”

Lucifer’s eyes flashed red. “I’m not ‘happy’ either.” Looking around the

campsite, noting the ashes of a small fire and a pup-tent still pitched, he

walked over to where the stake and chain lay on the ground. Crouching

down, he picked up the manacle. The metal was twisted. Someone—or

something—had pried it open and not used a key.

“The damn vampire tracked her here.”

Sigurd blew a puff of smoke. “I can take care of him.”

“Debatable,” Lucifer said. “He’s not human, remember? Anyhow, Balor needs

him alive for now. So far, Landon has been able to follow the GPS. When the

platter is found, you’ll have your chance.” He rose, scanning the area again.

“There were three of them. I wonder—” He broke off as he spotted some

clothing near a bush. He walked over, stopping so abruptly that Sigurd

nearly bumped into him. Scarface’s shredded body lay crumpled beside the

trail.

“That’s as good a job as I could have done,” Sigurd said, tilting his large

head for a better angle, “only there’s no blood.”

“He’s been drained, stupid.”

The dragon snarled, more smoke emerging from his nostrils.

“Don’t even think to incinerate me, dude. You won’t win.”

Sigurd lifted his head with distain. “I would not think to start a fire in these

dry conditions. The mountains provide a good lair. I have some respect for

the environment, you know.”

Lucifer laughed. “Respect? What do you know about respect?”

‘Probably as much as you do.” He poked the lifeless body with a claw. “I

thought vampires didn’t kill victims anymore.”

Lucifer sobered. “You’re right. There hasn’t been a vampire killing in

centuries. I wonder why he didn’t kill Scarface like the others.”

“Maybe he was avenging his girlfriend.”

“His girlfriend? They may be having sex, but that’s no big thing. Not enough

to draw attention to himself, anyway.”

“If he cared for the woman, he might.”

Lucifer started to laugh again. “What the hell do you know about human

relationships anyway?”

Sigurd looked smug. “I would protect Morgan.”

“Morgan? The slut?”

His scales rattled, the ones on his neck cresting to spear points. “Do not call

her that.”

“Dude. Morgan looks out after Morgan. She’s hardly the ‘damsel in distress’

type. What do you think you are? One of Arthur’s damn knights?”

Sigurd’s scales rattled again. “Maybe that wasn’t such a bad time. I was

there when knights defended their lady’s honor.”

“So was I. What—” Lucifer didn’t finish his sentence, instead looking down at

the bloodless body. This was just the kind of thing one of Arthur’s knights

would do. Had any of them survived Camlann? He frowned as he recalled

Balor telling him Lancelot had. And Lancelot had found the spear.

If Lancelot had survived, others may have as well. There had been rumors

that one knight, in particular, had never been found.

Lucifer looked up, his eyes glowing red. He knew exactly who the vampire

was.

Revenge would be sweet. It had been a long, long time coming.

Gavin knew when he’d failed to mesmerize Chloe the first night he met her

that she was different, yet he had not sensed that she might be immortal. In

fact, everything from her somewhat zany personality and bizarre orange hair

to her stubborn tenacity proclaimed her human. It wasn’t until he tasted her,

that he’d had an inkling.

Her blood was like sweet ambrosia and he had nearly lost himself in just the

slight sip he’d taken, but it had also told him what he needed to know.

Chloe’s father had been fey.

She turned to him as the car wound its way down Tioga Road toward

Highway 120. They’d had mind-blowing sex again this morning and then

he’d told her.

She’d been quiet ever since, no doubt contemplating.

“How can I be a faerie?” she finally asked. “I’ve never even liked Tinkerbell

and my mother took me to Disneyland more than once.”

Gavin smiled. “We don’t know that you are a faerie. I said you had fey

blood.”

“What the heck is the difference?”

“People—humans—with fey blood have special gifts and skills.”

Chloe gave him a dubious look. “Are you talking about magic?”

“Who knows what magic really is? If people living in the 18th century had

seen an airplane fly, they’d have thought it was magic.” He paused. “You

know how odd things sometimes happen around you?”

“Yeah. I’m a klutz.”

Gavin’s smile widened as he turned his attention back to the road. “Only

because you’ve never learned to control the energy that sparks from you.

It’s too bad your mother didn’t know. She could have taught you how to

handle it.”

“How? You’re not telling me my mother is a faerie too, are you?”

If Jennifer were really Genievre, she was probably more powerful than

Chloe’s father had been, but Gavin couldn’t tell Chloe about immortals.

Besides it being too much information for her to absorb at the moment, he

had the damn Code he’d sworn to uphold. Gavin shook his head. “No. If she

were, she’d have sensed her kind in you. But, you did say she was very

accurate with the Tarot.”

“Yeah, but she always says she’s sort of a ‘channel’ for information to funnel

through.”

“Well, that is one way to harness energy, isn’t it?”

Chloe started. “I used to see the prettiest lights around her sometimes when

I was a little girl. It was usually just before I broke something and they’d all

blink out. I always thought it was all my fault.”

He glanced back over. “You just didn’t know how to control the forces.” It

had taken him a good hundred years to control the urge to drink a victim dry

and he’d had Templar training. Without guidance, Chloe’s powers were

scattered. “Maybe that’s why you are on this trip with me. You’ll get a

chance to use those gifts.”

“I thought I was on this trip so you could protect me from the big, bad

dragon,” Chloe replied, grinning and sounding more like herself.

Gavin didn’t return the humor. “Do not forget the dragon—and Adam

Baylor—have been hunting you. Now we know why.”

“Geez. I’m trying to stay upbeat here.”

“Sorry,” Gavin said and reached over to take her hand, bringing it to his lips

to kiss. “It is just that I now have another reason to protect you.”

Chloe traced his jaw with her thumb. “Which is?”

This time he did grin. “I’ll show you as soon as we get back to the hotel.”

****

She had no idea vampires had so much stamina, not that she was

complaining. Gavin was the best lover she had ever had.

He kissed the top of her head. “Happy?”

“Yeah.” She wrapped her arm around his sculpted chest and cuddled closer.

“Sex is so much better with you. It’s kinda weird—but I feel like I’m a part of

you. Like there’s no you and me. Just us. Oh, Geez. Sorry. I didn’t mean to

get all soupy and sentimental—”

“Shhhh. I like sentimental.” His hand trailed down her spine lightly. “It’s a

side of you I haven’t seen.”

“Yeah, well, most guys don’t like women to get all clingy.”

“I am not most guys.” He ran his finger along her throat were a tiny prick

mark lingered. “In case you have not noticed.”

Heat flooded her as she remembered her body shattering with earth-jarring

force when Gavin brought her to climax and then again, erupting like

Vesuvius, raptured euphoria spreading through her as he drank from her.

“Do you want to make love—” he started to ask as Chloe’s cell phone began

John Lennon’s Imagine.

“That’s my mother,” Chloe said as she leaned across him to pick it up. “Hi,

Mom.”

“Hi, Sweetie. Where are you?”

Chloe blushed, then realized her mother was probably not being literal.

“Sonora.”

“Oh, good. Then you haven’t passed it yet.”

“Passed what?”

“Put me on speaker phone, sweetie, so Gavin can hear.”

How did her mother know Gavin was with her? It was early morning—or at

least, she thought it was. Time had a way of slipping by when her mind was

boggled. Gavin grinned as if he’d read her mind. She tried to glare at him,

but it came out as a lopsided smile instead. How could she angry with a man

who treated her body like it was some kind of temple to be worshiped at?

Love-making, he called it. For the first time, she understood the difference.

“Are you there?” her mother asked.

Chloe blushed again, making Gavin laugh. She really needed to focus.

“I’m here, Mom. You’re on speaker.”

“Good. I had the worse feeling of impending doom yesterday, like something

awful was going to happen to you. I just couldn’t shake it, so I went into

deep mediation.”

Chloe glanced at Gavin. She hadn’t wanted to worry her mother about the

abduction, especially since Gavin had saved her from real harm. “I’m fine,

Mom.”

“I know that. A brilliant light flashed through my mind earlier, followed by

the images.”

Chloe was afraid to ask what images. If her mother had tuned into their

ecstatic sex—love-making—she’d have a hard time facing her mother any

time soon. A corner of Gavin’s mouth quirked up, but his voice was neutral.

“What did you see?”

“Do you remember I drew both the Ace of Pentacles and the Knight?”

Jennifer asked and then went on. “I always thought the mountains in the

background on that card were the Sierras since that’s where the gold was

found. But last night, the coin in the hand on the ace turned into a golden

platter and the arch became a tunnel or something.” She paused. “Yet, that

didn’t feel right, so I used some fly agaric.”

“The magic mushroom?” Chloe asked in disbelief. “You always told me that

was too dangerous!”

“I was careful, Sweetie. Anyway, the arch is a covered bridge.”

“A covered bridge?”

“Yes. Actually, it’s the longest one in California and it’s at a place called

Knight’s Ferry. Not far from where you are.”

“You saw the platter there?” Gavin asked.

“I’m not that clairvoyant, even with the mushroom,” Jennifer replied, “but

remember I also drew the knight. That card was you, but it also represented

a place. Knight’s Ferry. Your platter is somewhere very close to that bridge.”

“Thanks, Mom. I really wish you hadn’t used the mushroom though.”

“I had to. I feel like you’re in danger. The sooner you find this thing, the

better. Jennifer hesitated and then she added, “Take care of her, Gavin.”

“I will guard her with my life. You have my word,” he answered as he put an

arm around Chloe and brought her to him.

Even as she reveled in his protective embrace, a disturbing thought flinted

through her mind.

Chloe had the saddest feeling that it would be a really long time before she

saw her mother again, if at all.

****

Gavin said as he looked at the handful of brochures and information Chloe

had collected at the Visitor’s Center at Knight’s Ferry.

“Well, if my mother thinks the platter is here, I don’t want to miss anything.”

She shuffled the papers and looked down the street. “The General Store has

been here for more than a hundred years. So has the bed-and-breakfast

we’re staying at.” Chloe gave Gavin a mischievous smile. “I’m looking

forward to reliving ‘history’ in that bed later.”

“Vixen.”

She let her hand roam over his butt, feeling seductively female as she

savored the fact that Gavin liked what she was doing. He had showed her all

kinds of things he liked last night and this morning and she was ready to

practice all of them.

“If you keep that up, we won’t get any exploring done.”

“What kind of exploring are you talking about?”

Gavin caught her hand. “We’ll do this kind of exploring later. Any ideas of

where to look for the platter?”

Chloe pretended to pout and Gavin brushed her forehead with a kiss. In

truth, she couldn’t remember when she had ever felt so completely happy.

She inhaled deeply, taking in the clean air. The Stanislaus River wound its

way through gulches and bubbled over rocks, some of which were visible in