Redemption (14 page)

"That's for lying to me, vamp," Timber said with a grin.

Jack wasn't nearly as amused as he rubbed at his offended jaw and tried not to reveal how much the human's punch had actually stung. William began to chuckle as he stepped forward and thrust his hand out to Timber. "Nice one," he congratulated as his hand was swallowed within Timber's.

Timber turned to Jack and thrust out his hand. "No hard feelings."

Jack gave his jaw one last rub, his pride felt almost as bruised as his chin but he supposed he'd deserved it. He had lied to the man after all. Jack took hold of Timber's extended hand and shook it. The occupants of the tavern, realizing that there wasn't going to be another brawl, went back to what they had been doing. "No hard feelings."

"Good, let me buy you a drink while we catch up."

There wasn't much time to catch up but it would be good to have Timber on their side if he chose to stick around this town. Jack turned to find Hannah standing a few feet behind him glowering at Timber. He had to bite back a smile at her fierce expression as her eyes slid to him. "Are you ok?" she demanded.

"Perfectly fine," he assured her. She didn't seem at all appeased though as she continued to stare at Timber like he was something she was contemplating eating. "Would you care to join us for a drink?"

"Are you kidding me?" she retorted.

He couldn't help but grin at her. "No."

She rolled her eyes and shook her head. "I will never understand men."

"Believe me miss, we don't get you womenfolk either," Timber informed her as he rubbed at the scruffy beard covering his jaw. His nose had been broken again since Jack had last seen him and the bridge of it had a bump in it. His brown hair was longer as it tumbled around his broad shoulders, but he looked much like Jack remembered from a few years ago. Timber had vanished a year before the war had started, having moved onto some new town and some new adventure. He'd always gone out and disappeared for a few months at a time, but he'd turn back up again eventually. When he hadn't popped up again Jack had assumed the man was dead.

"Are you going to join us?" Jack asked her again.

"No, I'm going to help in the kitchen," she answered.

Before he could say any more, she hurried past him and into the kitchen. Jack pulled out a chair and slid into it, he had to fight the urge to rub his still throbbing jaw as Timber grinned at him in a highly annoying way. "Where have you been?" William asked as he dropped into the chair beside Jack and gestured for the young waitress.

"Around," Timber replied. "I had planned on returning to you guys after a few months but unfortunately some of my not so legal activities landed me in a cell in a town about a hundred miles from where I last saw you. The only reason I was set free was because of the war and the overturn of the vampires that had been holding me. Imagine my disbelief when I reemerged to a whole new world, and was informed about a certain vampire prince that I'd once shared many drinks with."

Jack was well aware of Timber's deft stealing abilities. For a man his size, he had amazingly fast fingers and a love of picking pockets and purses. He also had a love of fighting. Either one of those loves would have landed him in someone's dungeon.

"You weren't the only one that was surprised," William assured him as he took a sip of his drink.

"I'm sorry about your father by the way. He was a good man," Timber said to William.

Some of the color faded from William's face but he lifted his glass and tapped it against Timber's. Jack was reminded of the fact that the one year anniversary of David's death was tomorrow, something neither he nor William had acknowledged yet. "He was," William agreed

"Good job by the way," Timber said to Jack. "Glad that old prick was finally taken care of, even if he was your father."

Jack pushed the glass in front of him aside. "I was glad too. We may actually need your help here, if you'd be willing to give us a hand."

"Do I get to fight?"

"More than likely," Jack assured him.

Timber released a hearty laugh as he cracked his knuckles. "Then count me in."

***

Jack closed the door as William, Timber, and Marvin disappeared into the woods behind the tavern. They had decided it would be best to leave town as undetected as possible. Jack didn't know what Calvin might do if he thought they were plotting against him. He threw the lock on the kitchen door and stood there for a minute with his hand resting on the doorknob.

William would be ok, Marvin seemed like a decent vampire and Hannah and Lucas both vouched for him. Even still, he didn't like the idea of him out there without him.
No one goes in alone,
he thought. But William wasn't alone, not with Timber to watch his back, and once he made it to the town he would have Braith's men also.

"He'll be ok."

He'd been so focused on the door that he hadn't realized Hannah had come up behind him in the kitchen. Leaning against the door, he turned to study her as he folded his arms over his chest. "I'm sure he will be," he agreed. She glanced behind him and slid her hands into the folds of her dress. "How is your back feeling?'

"Oh, it's fine," she replied nonchalantly.

"Let me take a look."

The alarm that flickered through her eyes confused him. She looked like a rabbit preparing to bolt from a dog as she glanced frantically around the kitchen. Then, she focused on him again and her shoulders straightened as she walked over to him and turned around. "I'm not going to bite you," he told her with a laugh.

She shot him a look over her shoulder that probably would have made many a man cringe but it only made him smile sweetly at her. Tugging on the zipper of her dress, he pulled it down to the middle of her back. He peeled it open far enough to reveal the tender pink skin of her back. The sight of her bared flesh caused his chest to constrict as his fingers slid over the creamy skin of her shoulders.

"Does it still hurt?" he asked.

"Not too bad."

Though it looked better, he didn't dare touch it as he carefully pulled the zipper back up. She jumped a little when he rested his hand on her shoulder. "Would you like some more blood?" he inquired.

"No." She didn't meet his gaze as she turned toward him. "The sun will be up soon."

"You can sleep, I'll keep watch."

"If Calvin comes during the day..." her voice trailed off, her eyes remained locked on the window to the left of him.

"He won't come today. Was this your worst experience with the sun?"

"No, once when I was a child I decided that I was tired of being locked indoors and I was going to play with the other children. I was outside for two minutes before my father brought me back in. I was blistered from head to toe and my parents were terrified that I was going to die. I was pink for months afterward but I never tried to go into the sun again."

He couldn't resist taking a strand of her silken, chocolate colored hair between his thumb and forefinger and rubbing it. Her mouth parted as he slid his fingers from her hair to her cheek. He couldn't bring himself to stop touching her as his fingers twined back through her hair and he clasped the nape of her neck.

His eyes searched hers; he waited for her to tell him no as he bent closer to her. He shouldn't be getting mixed up with her, he knew that. He would be moving on when this mess was taken care of and she was young, but even still he couldn't stop himself from pressing his lips to her luscious, rosebud mouth.

He'd met and known many women over the years but none of them had affected him the way that she did. The instant that his lips touched hers, he felt an immediate connection to her the likes of which he'd never experienced before. He couldn't get enough of touching her, tasting her. There was no grief when he was with her, there was no past. There was only the here and now and the pleasure she gave so freely to him.

She leaned closer to him; her hands fell to his waist as her chest brushed against his. Ever so tenderly, he teased at her lips with his tongue until her mouth parted. The taste and smell of her engulfed him as she pressed closer. He savored her in deep pulling waves that left him shaking and lost to her. His arm snaked around her waist as her legs gave out. No, there had never been another woman that had affected him in this way he realized as he lifted her up.

A gasp escaped her as her hands grasped hold of his shoulders. He tried to remember the burns on her back, but he was drowning in her, lost in the sensation that only she had been able to arouse in him. He was spiraling out of control and he welcomed it completely as his lips moved from her mouth to her cheek and finally to the delicate hollow of her throat.

The low moan she released only drove his frenzy higher as her head tipped back. Bloodlust slammed into him and before he knew what was happening his fangs had elongated. The driving urge to taste her, to have her fill him consumed him. He'd never tasted another vampire before, never even been tempted to, but now...

Now it was the only thing he wanted to do as his fangs pressed against her tender flesh. Her delicious scent caused his mouth to water. Right there, her vein was
right
there
. He could take her blood before she even knew what it was that he intended to do. Red filled his vision as his hands clenched on her and she pressed even closer to him.

She didn't know what he was thinking; if she did she would run screaming from here and never look back. Vampires didn't share their blood with each other, not unless they were linked like Braith and Aria, or Ashby and Melinda, and they were most certainly
not
linked. That was the last thing he needed in his messed up life. He wouldn't be staying in this town, she wouldn't be able to leave and he would only hurt her in the end. Women weren't something that he got attached to and he had no place in his life for one right now.

Before he did something that he couldn't take back, before he took from her something that she wasn't willing to give, he released her and took an abrupt step back. Her eyes were wide as she gazed up at him, her lips still wet. Her hand trembled as it fluttered to her mouth. "I'm sorry," he said briskly.

She gulped as she shook her head. "There's nothing to be sorry for."

"It won't happen again."

He didn't miss the disbelief and loss that flitted over her features before she thrust her shoulders back and rose to her full nearly five foot eight height. "Make sure it doesn't," she replied crisply before gliding past him and out of the kitchen.

He hated the disappointment and regret that filled him, but it was for the best. She was young and inexperienced and she deserved better than him. No matter how badly he desired her, he simply couldn't do that to her. He wasn't the sticking around type, he never had been and he'd never planned to change that. The click of the lock settling into place on the shutters sounded as the sun began to rise over the horizon.

Hannah was still seething and more than a little confused when William returned with Timber, Marvin, and a dozen large men and women she'd never seen before. They were all clothed in matching brown pants and forest green shirts with the emblem of a wolf on the sleeve. She had expected more fanfare, something to mark them as the king's soldiers, but there was nothing other than the patch, their sober expressions, and reserved demeanors.

They had brought coins with them though and they were looking to spend them, something she was eager to help them do as she served them drink after drink. She didn't know how they could consume so much alcohol and still stand and talk normally but apparently it was something that they were used to as they remained seemingly unaffected by the booze.

She didn't know what the king would think about them drinking so much, but Jack didn't seem to have a problem with it as they all drank and exchanged cheers with an enthusiasm that made it seem as if brewing beer was going to come to an end.

It took all she had not to accidentally spill one of the drinks in Jack's lap like she yearned to do. She was trying to ignore him but she was annoyingly mindful of the fact that he was there at all times. She was entirely aware of his smile and his laugh and her fingers twitched as they fought the urge to knock that smile off his face. She'd never had a temper, now she could feel it simmering beneath the surface like a teapot ready to boil over.

All she wanted was for him to get out of her town so things could go back to normal, so
she
could go back to normal, but the thought of him leaving made something inside of her shrivel and become as hard as a dry old prune.

A loud cheer went through the crowd, glasses clanged loudly. She paused as the name David was mentioned multiple times. A frown marred her brow as she glanced around the room and then at the wooden calendar on the wall. She hadn't even realized what date it was but as she listened to them all celebrate she began to understand why they were so rambunctious tonight.

It had been one year since the old king had fallen, the new regime had taken over, and David had been killed. She was trying not to feel any sympathy or understanding for Jack, but even still her heart went out to him as he slapped William on the shoulder. The human grinned at him, but though he was smiling she sensed a heavier weight upon his slouched shoulders tonight.

They were strangers, she didn't know them; she shouldn't care if they were grieving and trying to drown their sorrow. Even as she thought this, she knew she was wrong. She'd come to care for Jack and William more than she was willing to admit. Her hand shook as she grabbed a pint glass off the table and placed it on her tray.

"Thank you sugar."

One of the king's soldiers went to slap her on the ass but faster than a lightning strike, Jack grasped his hand and slammed it on the table. "Don't touch her," he said in a tone of voice that made even the hair on the nape of her neck stand up.

The man's eyebrows shot up but he sat back in his seat and gave a brief nod. Though she could still hear the hustle and bustle surrounding her, Hannah glanced around to see if anyone else had noticed the exchange. Ellen was playing her flute, she hadn't missed a note, but her eyes were riveted upon Hannah's. Jack released the man's hand, lifted his glass and saluted her with it. She didn't know exactly how to take that but it definitely set her teeth on edge.

Without looking back, she left the room and hurried into the kitchen. She appreciated what he was trying to do, and the fact that Calvin had been scarce since yesterday, but she was beginning to hate this strange effect he had over her. She was beginning to hate the way that he could make her feel so alive and so lost all at the same time. She wished he'd never come to this town, but even as she thought it she knew it was a lie.

"Are you ok?"

She didn't look up at Ellen as she placed the glasses down to be washed. "I'm fine."

"Hannah, what is going on?"

She was tempted to pretend she didn't know what Ellen was talking about, but truth be told she was tired of playing games, she was tired of being confused, and it would be good to have someone she could talk to. "The prince is a jerk;
that
is what is going on."

Ellen chuckled as she shook back her waist length white blond hair. "Well he seems perfectly nice to me."

"He's not," Hannah informed her briskly. "He's an arrogant oaf who is far too sure of himself."

"He is handsome though," Ellen said with a knowing gleam in her eyes.

Hannah stared at her before bowing her head. "He is," she reluctantly admitted.

"When did you start noticing men?" Ellen asked teasingly.

"When Calvin started thinking he had a right to chase me and push me around, when that jackass walked into this town and upset everything."

Ellen grabbed hold of her arm, forcing Hannah to look at her instead of glowering at the closed kitchen door. "He's trying to make things better for all of us Hannah, when this is over you may never have to worry about Calvin again."

"That would be wonderful," she admitted.

"But?"

"But he's still a jackass."

The smile that lit Ellen's pretty face only caused Hannah's temper to rise. "You like him."

"Hardly," Hannah huffed as she folded her arms over her chest.

Ellen laughed and dropped her glasses into the sink. "Who are you trying to kid? I've never seen you look at a guy the way that you look at him."

Hannah hated the heat she felt creeping into her cheeks. "I don't know what I feel for him but he's a prince and I'm an Undesirable, there is no future for us."

Ellen shrugged. "You never know, his brother married a human."

"She's a vampire now, a perfectly normal one, she's not like us."

Ellen's blond brows furrowed over the bridge of her nose as she leaned against the counter. "True, but weirder things have happened Hannah."

"Let's not pretend we live in a fairytale Ellen, it will only lead to disappointment."

Though Ellen's face scrunched like she was going to argue with her, in the end practicality won out. "You're right, but I can dream for you, can't I?"

Hannah smiled at her. "If you would like."

"I would," she said with a brisk nod. A loud, garbled shout turned both of their heads toward the tavern room. "They're going to be at it all night."

"I told Tilly that most of them would probably be staying at the boarding house but they're going to be sleeping on the floor out there if this keeps up."

"That's pretty much a guarantee."

Hannah braced herself before returning to the tavern room, but her constantly turbulent emotions were really starting to wear on her.

***

There was only an hour to go before sunrise when she was finally able to slip out of the tavern for a few minutes of peace and tranquility. Her head was pounding and as much as she was aware of the coming dawn, she was even more aware of the fact that she needed a dip in the lake in order to cool off. She pulled at the collar of her dress as she tried to free it from the sweat causing the thin material to stick to her skin. She'd been correct in her estimate that they would have a fair amount of the king's men sleeping on the floor, but the prince wasn't amongst them and she didn't know when he had decided to retreat to his room.

The cool air felt good against her skin, but not nearly as good as the water was going to feel. She ran through the trees as the smell of the fresh water hit her. Topping the hill, she was almost to the edge of the lake before she noticed the dark head breaking through the surface. Water slid through his hair, down the planes of his high cheekbones, and across his lips.

Her feet stopped as suddenly as if she'd hit a brick wall. Despite her every intention to turn and run back to the tavern, she remained rooted to the spot as he rose further from the water. There were Gods that hadn't been as perfectly built as this man, she was certain of that much as his chest appeared, then his sculpted abs, his slender waist...

A startled cry escaped her, her eyes finally darted away as she realized that he wasn't wearing
anything
. Fire crept through her face as she took a couple of steps back and almost fell on her butt when she tripped over a tree root. Thankfully she caught herself in time, but she'd also revealed her presence amongst the trees.

His low chuckle did nothing to ease her discomfort over being caught in this position. "You can look, it's safe now."

She didn't want to give him the satisfaction of looking but she couldn't seem to stop her eyes from drifting back to him. He may have been wearing pants now but it was nowhere near safe enough for her to look at him as his chest was still bare and glistening with water, his hair was tussled temptingly and the thin pants he wore were molded to his heavily muscled thighs. She didn't know if he was aware of what his disheveled state was doing to her but she would love it if he put a shirt on. On second thought, she might actually prefer it if he never wore one again.

His eyes gleamed in the fading moonlight as he tilted his head to study her. "Were you planning to go for a swim?"

"No!" she blurted and then mentally kicked herself in the ass. What else would she be doing here if she hadn't been planning to jump in the lake? One glimpse of a naked man and she had turned into a blubbering, rambling mess. But to be fair she thought he could turn any woman into a rambling mess. "I mean yes."

She fought the urge to flee as he took a step toward her. He was so large, so powerful, just
so
much
. She didn't know how to handle him, didn't know how to react to the aura of power and sensuality he exuded. She felt like a complete, inexperienced idiot and she didn't like it one bit.

"The water's refreshing."

She silently thanked him for not commenting on her obvious discomfort, or trying to tease her, both of which she knew he could do. "It was a long night," she muttered.

"It was," he agreed as he bent to pick his shirt up from the ground.

"Your friends are all sleeping on the floor."

"Not all of them," he assured her. "There are more of my brother's men in the woods at the edge of town." Hannah couldn't keep the surprise from her face, a fact he picked up on as he grinned at her. "You never reveal your hand before your ready Hannah. Even though it was the anniversary of our victory, tonight was a show. Calvin needs to think the soldiers are a non-issue, that their time away from the palace, and away from my brother's leadership, has made them incompetent. They're not though, and there are a couple dozen more than what he realizes. It is a show that will get back to Calvin."

Hannah couldn't stop her mouth from dropping open further and further with each new revelation. He was lethal, she knew that. She'd seen what he'd done to Calvin in his house, but now she realized just how calculating and unfeeling he could be too. She couldn't decide if she was more impressed or terrified by the man standing across from her.

"I see," she whispered.

His smile only grew as he came at her like a hawk diving toward a mouse. Unlike the mouse, she thrilled at the prospect of him catching her as he stopped before her. "Did you really think my brother's troops would be so undisciplined?"

"I uh... I didn't know what to think," she admitted.

He brushed a strand of her hair behind her ear. Despite her determination to fight her attraction to him, her traitorous body instinctively reacted to his and she swayed closer. The pupils of his eyes dilated, his index and middle finger pressed against her skin and slid down her cheek.

There was something so irresistible about this man but if she was going to keep her sanity and her heart intact, than she had to resist. She didn't know where she found the strength to do it, but she took a step back from him. "It won't happen again," she echoed his words from a couple of days ago.

Irritation flickered through his eyes as they deepened to an almost charcoal color. His hand fell away and he began to button his shirt. Disappointment and relief crashed through her but she realized that clothing didn't help to ease his appeal as he slid the last button into place.

"I know you won't like me saying this, but you probably shouldn't be out here alone," he said.

"I've been coming to this lake since I could walk," she told him defensively.

"That was also before you pissed off the vampire that used to rule this town."

"Yeah well,
you
helped with that."

"So I did," he replied with a strained smile. "And I'd like to make sure you stay safe."

She wanted to argue with him, simply because she wanted him to go away, but she was tired of fighting with him.

She glanced longingly at the peaceful water before turning to the sky. The sun wasn't brightening the horizon just yet but she'd had enough experience with this time of day over the years to know that it would be soon. "I should go back, there's not much time before the sun rises anyway."

His fingers were so subtle against her flesh that she barely even felt them wrapping around her wrist in order to halt her. "What I said before Hannah, about it not happening again, I didn't mean it to hurt you."