My Blood To Rise
My Blood To Rise
Part One
A Prince Among Vampires
by Paula Paradis
This is purely a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental. This book may not be re-sold or given away without permission in writing from the author. No part of this book may be reproduced, copied, or distributed in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means past, present or future.
Copyright © 2015 Paula Paradis. All rights reserved.
A Prince Among Vampires
My Blood To Rise
My Blood To Give
My Blood To Bind
Chapter One
“Stupid phone!”
Dara Lachance tossed it into her handbag and slumped down on a bench facing a pond in Central Park. Not even the moonlight reflecting off the water made her feel better.
“What’s wrong with it?”
To her surprise, there was a man sitting beside her. He had one leg crossed over his knee, and one arm draped over the back of the bench. His accent was foreign: Eastern European, Dara guessed.
Though Central Park had a reputation for criminal activity at night, Dara had decided to cut through on her way home from the bar where she’d had a few drinks with her co-workers. Her apartment was too close to bother with a cab. There were quite a few other people on the paths, and she hadn’t felt like she was in any danger.
The man on the bench didn’t look threatening, but he had an air of confidence about him.
Dara looked down at her handbag. “The battery keeps dying. A full charge doesn’t even last a day.”
“You should get a new phone,” the man said with a firm nod.
Dara gave him a closer look.
His brown hair hung down past his ears, and stubble covered the lower part of his face. The top of the beard cut across his angular cheek bones.
He wore a suit without a tie. The top buttons were undone, and Dara could see his chest. He obviously worked out. A white shirt hung tightly around his slender waist. Instead of dress shoes, he wore boots with toes that came to a sharp point.
The instant she looked into his eyes, she couldn’t pull herself away. In that instant, his gaze caught her and held her; she was a fly in a spider web. His essence flowed into her brain and sent her head spinning.
Suddenly, she felt self-conscious. What did he think of her? She’d worn a low-cut shirt; was her cleavage too trampy? Was her brown hair too boring? Maybe he preferred blondes. She might be too curvy for him, too. He might like his women skinny.
An undercurrent of power radiated from him that burned her with its heat. She could barely stand the intensity of his presence.
She tore her eyes away, and felt herself returning to normal. Whatever sensations she had experienced vanished.
He seemed to look at her with renewed interest. “I haven’t seen you around before. What are you doing out in the middle of the night? Don’t you have a boyfriend who could walk you home?”
She stared at him. “Do I know you from somewhere?”
He shrugged. “I just wondered why a beautiful girl like you was wandering around the park alone at night. Some creep might try to pick you up.”
“Is that what you are?” she asked.
He smiled. “I’m not a creep, and I’m not trying to pick you up.”
“Oh? Then what are you doing here? Do you come here often?” she asked, then flushed.
He laughed. “That’s quite the turnaround. Now, it sounds like you’re trying to pick me up.”
Dara stammered, “I wasn’t trying to pick you up. I don’t even know you.”
“Maybe not,” he said, “but if you don’t have a boyfriend, you might
want
to pick me up.”
“Why would I do that?” she asked, blinking.
“Because you want me,” he replied, his voice suddenly low and intense. She couldn’t tell if he was acting or being serious.
“Me—want you?” Dara snorted. She had plenty of experience deflecting unwanted advances. “That’s a laugh.”
His smile faded. “I’m not laughing.”
“Sorry,” she said. “It’s been a long day. I don’t want you to get any ideas.” She wondered why she was still sitting there; she should just get up and go home.
“I didn’t say
you
wanted me,” he countered. “I said you might want to pick me up if you
did
want me. If you don’t want me, then don’t pick me up.”
She stared at him. His reasoning made no sense.
But one thought kept nagging at her. She did want him. That feeling she had earlier about him came back, and she realized she never wanted anyone like this in her life. Something was pulling her toward him. Why else hadn’t she left?
But how could
he
know she was attracted to him?
And how could she want someone so bad who she just met?
She had to fight it. She couldn’t let herself get sucked in by this … spell or whatever it was.
He was probably just toying with her. Why would he want her? She’d had nothing but a string of bad relationships over the past few years; she worked a dead-end job, and lived in a crappy apartment that had a broken heater.
It was time to end this game of his. Taking a breath, she gathered her wits.
“I’m not picking you up. Just get that clear right now. I only sat down here for a minute because I was upset about the phone. In a minute, I’ll get up and walk away, and I’ll never see you again.”
“What’s stopping you?” he asked. “Get up and walk away. You’ll never see me again.”
Why
didn’t
she get up and leave? She couldn’t even shift her weight on the bench.
He edged closer to her. “You didn’t answer my question. Are you seeing anyone?”
She gazed up into his dazzling blue eyes. “No. I’m single.”
His eyes grew wide. “You’re too beautiful not to have a boyfriend.”
Too beautiful? She flushed at the compliment.
“I’ve
had
boyfriends before,” she said, “but they all broke up with me.” Why was she telling him this?
“Oh?” He leaned in, interested.
“Jack, my last boyfriend, said I’m too hard to get along with.” Dara felt her stomach tighten. Why did she say that to a complete stranger. Was she
trying
to sabotage herself?
But she found herself continuing. “He said all I was good for was sex, but that he could get it from somewhere else, and wouldn’t have to put up with someone as stubborn as me to get it.”
The man moved even closer. “I’m sorry to hear that. You must be devastated.”
A sudden rage filled her at the memory of her ex-boyfriend’s words, Dara’s words came out bitter. “If that’s the way he feels, he can go get it somewhere else. There are other fish in the sea.”
Despite her rising anger, another emotion welled up inside her. Attraction. What was it about this man that made her blurt out intimate details of her life to him?
He asked, “I didn’t catch your name.”
“Dara,” she said. “Dara Lachance.”
He nodded. “That’s an interesting name. What is it—French?”
Dara nodded. “But I don’t speak a word of it.” She gave a quick shrug of her shoulders, then shifted on the bench to face him. “And you are…?”
He held out his hand to her. “I am called Andrei Vasile.”
The moment her fingers touched his, her whole being rocked to its core. A clap of thunder echoed through her, and her head spun. He continued to hold her hand.
“Andrei?” she repeated, her voice small. She couldn’t take her eyes of his.
He nodded again. “It’s a pleasure to meet you.”
When he moved away from her, the overwhelming sensation receded.
Dara shook her head, trying to clear it of … whatever that was that had happened.
“Do I know you from somewhere?”
He smiled. “No. I don’t believe you do.”
“I…” she began.
“Would you like to walk with me?” he asked.
Before she could answer, she found herself standing at his side. The moonlight played off his hair and skin, and when his hand touch her arm, her body was flooded once again with that warm sensation.
“Where are you taking me?” she asked.
“What makes you think I’m taking you anywhere?” he asked. “We’re just walking.”
She shook her head. “You’re taking me somewhere. You wouldn’t walk nowhere.”
“What makes you say that?” he asked.
She lowered her eyes. “You just wouldn’t.”
He tucked her arm through his. “I thought you might be more comfortable walking with me than sitting on that bench.”
Dara’s mind cleared. “You didn’t answer my earlier question. Do you come here often? You seemed to know your way around the park.”
“Do I?” One corner of his mouth lifted in a smile.
“I get the impression you spend a lot of time here,” she told him.
Andrei seemed to consider his answer. “What you might think is a long time might not mean the same thing to me.”
“Then I guess you do come here often,” she concluded. “Is that how you pick up girls?”
He shot her a smile. “Is that what I’m doing now? Am I picking up a girl?”
She shook her head. “Don’t play coy. We both know where this is going.” The truth was, ever since she’d felt that powerful sensation, she couldn’t think of anything else. She wanted him like she’d never wanted anyone else in her life.
“Where is it going?” he asked.
“You’re taking me somewhere,” she said, “to seduce me, or whatever you want to call it.”
“I am?” he asked.
Dara nodded. “Yes, you are.”
“And you’re going along willingly,” he pointed out. “You’re letting me seduce you, or whatever you want to call it.”
He touched her arm, and heat rushed to her cheeks.
The stubborn side of her reared up. “I haven’t given in yet, have I? I can walk away whenever I want.”
Drawing his fingers down her arm, he took her hand. “You won’t walk away, Dara.”
Though he held her lightly, she couldn’t break his grip if her life depended on it. Gazing into his eyes, she asked, “What are you doing to me?”
“I’m not doing anything to you, Dara,” he whispered. “I’m holding your hand and looking into your eyes. I haven’t done anything to seduce you, or take advantage of you, or make you do anything you didn’t want to do. I’m not a creep or a loser or any other name you want to call me.”
She could barely get the words out. “What are you?”
He lowered his eyes. “I’m just me.”
“You’re more than that.”
“And what if I told you that you’re more than just a woman,” he replied. “Would you believe me?”
“I’m nothing special,” she replied.
“You definitely are something special,” he told her. “You’re like no other woman I’ve ever met.”
“You’re just saying that.” Her breath was quickening.
“Even now, you could walk away from me, if you wanted, and there’s nothing I could do to stop you.”
“What if I don’t want to walk away?” she asked finally.
Instead of replying, he smiled and continued through the park.
Her heart thundering in her chest, her hand shaking in his grasp, she let herself be led along.
What was she doing? She never picked up guys she barely knew. Yet, she was flushed with anticipation. There was nothing she wanted more than to be with him. He radiated power and confidence. She could only imagine what he would do with her. Whatever it was, she would be happy to do it. The only thing she knew was that she had to be with him.
Chapter Two
He led her to the street and stopped.
Taxis and late night delivery trucks rushed back and forth on the street.
Dara blinked and looked around. She hadn’t realized until that moment that they were out of the park.
“Where to now?” he asked.
She looked at him. “What do you mean?”
“Which way to your apartment?”
Without hesitation, Dara pointed north. “A few blocks.”
They walked for several minutes until they reached the front of an apartment complex. “This is it.”
She started up the stairs, but Andrei hung back.
“Don’t you want to come in?” she asked, stopping halfway up the steps. “I thought that’s what you came here for.”
“I didn’t come here for that.”
Suddenly, she felt silly. She’d wanted to bring him home for the night, but it was obvious he’d changed his mind. “Did I do something wrong?”
“No.” His eyes plead with her. “I don’t want to take advantage of you?”
“It’s not taking advantage of me if you’re going to give me what I want.” She couldn’t pry her eyes from his.
“Dara,” he whispered, “my dear. I didn’t come here for that.”
Had he just been leading her on for kicks? Her voice had an edge to it. “Then, tell me what you did come here for.”
“I came here for you.” He breathed the words.
She felt her blood rushing through her body. He did want her. But why was he just standing there?
“That’s why we’re here,” she said. “Come inside with me.”