Vows of a Vampire (2 page)

Aubrey sprinted along the slick street toward her car. The sound of her high heels crunching on pavement helped drown out Gil’s voice.

“Wait, I can explain.”

She looked over her shoulder and caught a brief glimpse of his silhouette in the doorway, a white silk shirt slung around his lower abdomen, his hand out in an innocent gesture. Did he think her stupid? Any hint of virtue had been destroyed in a single moment. Eleven torrid months together and this was how it would end. Wasted time she could never get back.

“Can we at least discuss this?” His reverberated words were empty and meaningless.

“Fuck off,” she screamed while fishing the car keys from her purse. They were the only two words she could manage.

Aubrey unlocked the door of her Buick Skylark and opened it part way. Her eyes locked on the fuzzy stuffed bat she kept on the dashboard, a gift from Gil on their six month anniversary. It had been a romantic evening. Dinner on the veranda of their favourite restaurant, candlelight, soft violin music playing in the background. She’d had her fill of sumptuous beef tenderloin slathered in a port sauce, garlic and parsley mashed potatoes and roasted vegetables. He’d fed her bites of decadent French vanilla Crème Brulee in between telling her how much she meant to him. More surprise followed with an invitation to dance, the hauntingly beautiful Unchained Melody playing, and oh, the passionate sex until morning. He’d made love to her body with an attention she never expected. The bat had been a souvenir from the hotel where they’d stayed to attend the Halloween Ball also taking place there. They’d never made it down but instead sat in the hot tub talking about their future.

A future now over. Aubrey grabbed the stuffed animal and pressed it close to her chest. Why did men always ruin things when she started to get comfortable? It was as if they’d read her mind and would do anything to take away her security. She looked into the bat’s eyes and shook her head. Any reminder of Gil would be too painful, even the cute ones. Aubrey kissed its cherubic face and tossed it to the ground.

She slid onto the plush leather exterior, slammed the door and started up the car. Her hands shook as she fumbled for the windshield wiper switch. A layer of raindrops swished to the side, and she pulled away from the house, refusing to give Gil another look.

Darkness enveloped the slick road. Aubrey drove slowly through the neighbourhood despite the adrenaline rushing through her veins. The last thing she needed was to get into a wreck.

What a blind fool she’d been. Late-night meetings, his toned-down public displays of affection, and the so-called business calls after midnight. All the goddamn signs she should have seen. Naïve little Aubrey struck out again. Same song and dance, different dance partner.

“Bastard,” she shouted inside the car. For five minutes, she spouted one obscenity after another until her voice gurgled from an onslaught of tears. The words wouldn’t change Gil’s selfishness, but they did help her feel better.

In their time together Aubrey never once questioned his loyalty. She knew the rules of dating. Don’t act jealous, give the guy space, allow for nights of male bonding, don’t try and change them, and be accommodating in every way possible. Short tight skirts, cleavage baring tops, and flimsy lingerie were all plusses, too. From her mental checklist, she ticked each rule off. Where had she gone wrong?

Aubrey glimpsed at her appearance in the rear view mirror. Her looks weren’t plain Jane. Men frequently complimented her and did double takes when she walked by. She flaunted her assets in sleek designer clothes that showed enough to spark interest, but not in poor taste. Her long, raven mane hung straight to the rise of her bottom, and she worked hard to keep a slim, size six figure. While she didn’t consider herself gorgeous, she was hardly just another pretty face. She didn’t have a problem attracting men, but for some reason she couldn’t keep them.

The car sped up and she watched the white lines of the road flash by. Aubrey repeatedly replayed the scene she’d witnessed. How could Gil stand there doe-eyed and say nothing, with the paper-thin blonde in his arms, bare-naked. No apology, no last minute pathetic excuses, only her pride on the line. She couldn’t help think he’d planned it. He wasn’t mature enough to end it like a real man, so he’d taken the cheap way out. It made perfect sense to her crushed ego.

The rain started and made the road difficult to see. Bright headlights from oncoming traffic burned her eyes and the car started to careen out of control. As if watching a movie she felt helpless to do anything, overcome with panic and fear. A tinny taste rose from her stomach as she swallowed.

Her breath hitched, lungs tight as she realised the car was going over the edge and she would die.

Chapter Two

Varick roamed the mansion, his mind preoccupied. He paused in front of the Grievance Hall and laid his head against the gilded door. If only his mentor were still alive. There’d be peace among his brothers. There’d be peace within himself. With a heavy heart he pushed open the door and entered. He knelt beside Dante’s tomb and traced the letters of his name, etched in gold.

Ten years to the day and time hadn’t lessened his pain or eased the empty void. The coven—his coven—had become unsettled and no longer united. He didn’t know how to mend the situation. Each passing day only made him feel more like a failure. The great leader was gone, and he was a sorry substitute. Others looked down on him and he saw the disappointment in their eyes.
  

Unable to stay longer, Varick rose from his knees. A sudden violent wave of panic rocketed through his being, nearly toppling him. He reached out toward the wall to steady himself. Bile crept into his throat. He’d never experienced such a powerful force before. It took him only a minute to understand.

Aubrey’s life was in danger.

Varick fled into the night, a dark cape wrapped around his body. The image in his mind startled him. She was going to crash. Through his mind’s eye he watched the scene, as it would happen if he didn’t reach her in time. Her car headed over a cliff, crashing at the bottom of the jagged embankment. She would die on impact.

He soared with fierce momentum. Even a second too late would be disastrous. His energy was low from a lack of sustenance and rest, and he cursed himself. Of all the times to be weak. Besides his solemn promise to Dante, inside he knew another reason for his concern, one that Varick wished didn’t exist. Over the years, the extent of his feelings for Aubrey had grown. She’d become a part of him and it was her life that fuelled him through his pain and despair.

From the jet-black sky he watched her car skid over the lines. Varick descended and caught the front end of her car before it tipped. He forced the vehicle back onto the road and mentally steered it himself using his powers until she was off the freeway.

His pulse pounded. He’d almost lost the one thing left in the world that was precious and dear to his heart. He’d been waiting for the right time to make his presence known. That time was now.

Aubrey’s heart thumped loudly as her car spun around and ended up on a different road. A dark cloud covered her windshield and for a moment, time stopped. She’d held her breath, unable to explain or understand what happened. The car somehow steered itself and continued on until she came to a stoplight at an unfamiliar intersection. She tried to read the street names on the poorly lit signs. Carson and Blowfish. Where the hell was she? There weren’t any other cars and the town looked deserted. She waited while the red light flashed, still trying to catch her breath.

Several minutes passed and the light continued to flash. Things eerily changed around her. Shadows moved along the sidewalks, but she couldn’t make out who or what they were. An unsafe feeling crept up her back.

She cursed herself for not paying attention to where she was going, and tapped her thumbs along the steering wheel.
Come on. Hurry up.
The rhythm of her heartbeat matched the hypnotic flashing red light. On. Off. On. Off. A cool, relaxed calm rose from her feet until her anger at Gil dissipated. The weight on her shoulders melted away. Aubrey was vaguely aware of the shadows crowding around her car. She sensed it, but she couldn’t shift her gaze from the stoplight.

A combination of smells caught her attention, dark aromas she could almost taste. Bourbon. Blood. Sex. Musk. A lustful hunger started in the pit of her stomach.

The light continued to flash. On. Off. Aubrey’s arms rested at her sides and she leaned her head back. Invisible lips brushed along her ear with whispered promises to slake her rapacious appetite. Her body lifted up out of the car. She moved her lips to ask questions but her words were inaudible. The voices soothed her. They promised safety. Someone cared for her greatly and waited for her arrival. Aubrey wondered if they meant her mother.

Fingers combed through her hair and swept along the slope of her neck. Lips teased along her flesh, the heat from their breath penetrating her skin. More fingers slid along her legs, higher toward her inner thighs. The movements promised fulfilled desires and mind-numbing orgasms. Despite her inability to see anything or anyone, she parted her legs, groaning as fingertips prodded beneath her panties and taunted her clit. Hands tight around the steering wheel she ground her hips until her body shuddered.

As she came down from the euphoric high, faint voices floated around her head.

He waits for you.

The flashing red light stopped and the sudden blackout rendered her blind. Her body moved through the darkness on a chariot of invisible arms, her feet dangling beneath her, unmoving, unfeeling. Had she been in an accident? Was she dead?

A crimson red glow came into view, creating a tunnel that looked to stretch forever. Aubrey glanced behind her, unnerved to find the tunnel stretched just as long the other direction. Whatever hands had carried her had disappeared. Her feet touched the ground and she teetered a few moments until she regained her balance. Seeing no other choice, she continued on.

After several minutes of walking into nothingness, a door opened. Aubrey stepped into a blood-red room lit with hundreds of candles. Immediately the amber glow soothed her and prompted her all the way inside. Fascinated, she could only stare at her surroundings. Elegant glass vases filled with roses hung from the blackened stone walls. Sensual baroque music played faintly in the background and beckoned her forward.

“Where am I?” She was startled to hear the sound of her own voice as it echoed off the walls.

“Welcome.”

Aubrey looked around for the owner of the feminine voice, but didn’t see anyone. “Excuse me, wh-what am I doing here?”

“
He
sent for you. I will inform him of your arrival. Please, make yourself comfortable and someone will bring you a drink.”

Who was this mysterious
he
? “Wait, who sent for me?”

“Varick.”

The name hung in the air, as mystifying as the room itself.

A contoured chaise lounge sat in the middle of the room, surrounded by transparent curtains held open by red ropes. It looked luxurious. Something fit for a queen. She walked toward it and ran her fingers along the fabric. Velvet. Sinful. The texture against her flesh nearly brought her to another orgasm. Nothing about the night made sense. Since the moment she’d walked in on Gil, she’d felt stuck in a dreamy haze. Perhaps this Varick person would help her make sense of things.