After Sundown: Redemption (16 page)

“No, Christian, finish. I need to hear it all.”

Her voice sounded toneless, without feeling.

What was she feeling? He could delve into her mind, but he didn’t want to do that. She had to tell him of her own free will. He would wait until she was ready.

“I learned Bazhena was a vampire that night. She killed the man. Then let his drained body drop to the ground. She walked right over him towards me, as if he were just another piece of furniture she needed to maneuver around. She took a handkerchief and daintily wiped the blood from her lips. Her callous attitude towards it all made me realize that this wasn’t the first time she had done this, and it wouldn’t be the last. As she approached, I regained the ability to move. I backed away from her in horror. Tried to keep some distance between us. Her eyes flared with anger. She asked me where I was going and I told her I didn’t want to see her ever again, that I was getting married. That Elena and I were going to spend the rest of our lives together. I told her it was over between us.”

“What did she do after you told her that?”

“Something that should have warned me of upcoming trouble. She did nothing. She stopped following me and let me walk out. All the while she continued to smile at me in a way that wasn’t normal. She looked cold and calculating. Over the next couple of days, I tried to forget that night. Tried to concentrate on Elena and me. Tried not to remember the horror I had seen. I shouldn’t have done that. I let my guard down and Elena died because of that.”

“What happened?” The dread in Alyssa’s voice was obvious. She knew that whatever he was about to say, it wasn’t going to be good.

“Bazhena came to my home two nights after she killed that man. And she wasn’t alone. Elena was cradled in her arms. Dead. Completely drained of blood.”

That image of Elena, dead in her arms, rose up like a monster. Bile rose in his throat as he remembered how Elena had looked, so still and pale. Small spatters of blood on her cheeks marred her beauty. Then Bazhena moved the scarf around Elena’s neck aside. The gaping wound was horrendous. It looked as if someone had gnawed their way almost completely through her neck. Christian tried to erase the image of Elena from his mind. He tried to forget the savage satisfaction on Bazhena’s face as she held his dead fiancée in her arms. But it stayed with him.

He knew Alyssa was waiting for him to continue, but he didn’t. He was done. It was enough, for now.

He was grateful Alyssa didn’t push him to continue. Neither of them spoke. Silence stretched between them until they reached their destination. The Plaza Hotel’s lights shined bright, making the building stand out like a beacon against the dark desert mountains. The people walking into the hotel were just as bright. Women were adorned with jewels and sequined dresses and the men decked out in tuxedos. Christian pulled the car around to a lesser-used entrance and parked. He got out, walked around to Alyssa’s side and opened the door for her.

Alyssa didn’t get out.

He waited a minute or so, but nothing happened. Curious, he bent forward and looked into the car. Alyssa sat stiffly in her seat, looking straight ahead. Not moving, not looking at him. Nothing. Just sitting there, staring out the front window.

Chapter Eight

Alyssa could see it all.

Everything Christian was telling her.

She didn’t know how—she didn’t want to know.

She just wanted it to stop.

The images bombarded her mind. Uninvited. She couldn’t get them out.

Elena lay so still. Her head tilted to the side at an odd angle, leaving her neck exposed. It looked half eaten away and blood still dripped from it. Her eyes were open, but unseeing. Dead.

Bazhena laughed, satisfaction written all over her face. An evil leer curved her bloodstained lips. Discarding Elena like a piece of trash, Bazhena dropped her on the ground. Then she went after Christian. Her movements were too fast. One minute she was standing over Elena’s dead body, the next she had Christian in her hold. Alyssa felt his disgust, his anger, his sadness and his fear. Bazhena pulled him to her. Her mouth opened and her sharp incisors drew closer to his neck. He struggled with everything he had, up until the moment her mouth touched his neck. Then everything changed. Desire and pleasure like nothing he’d ever felt before exploded inside Christian. Instead of pushing Bazhena away, he grabbed her head and pulled her tighter against his neck—

Christian touched Alyssa’s arm. The images shattered into a hundred pieces then skittered away. No! She wanted the pleasure back. Yearned for it. How could she live without it?

“Alyssa. What is it? What’s wrong?”

Christian’s voice brought her back to the present. The sound of it soothed her restlessness. Helped her focus on his face. The concern she saw was a comfort. It would be okay now. She’d be okay. Taking a deep breath, she counted to five and then exhaled. Again. She started to relax a little. The tightening in her body slowly loosened.

“It’s okay, Alyssa. You’re going to be okay.”

“H-how did you do it?” Alyssa gasped.

Christian’s eyes grew wide, his face tightened. Alyssa could see it. He knew what she was asking. He knew what she had felt, but he pretended not to.

“Do what?”

“Make yourself leave Bazhena. Live without that kind of pleasure?”

His eyes turned cold. No emotion showed. It was as if he just turned himself off.

“I had to. I couldn’t let someone control my whole life. I couldn’t belong to someone with everything I was.”

Alyssa stared deeply into Christian’s eyes.

“Neither can I,” she said.

Ignoring his outstretched hand, she got out of the car and walked away.

She knew Christian would have to catch up with her, guard her tonight and protect her life. But afterwards, when all of this was done, it was over. That yearning to belong to someone, like she had felt in Christian’s memories, scared her more than her father’s overbearing, controlling ways ever had. She could not,
no
, she would not let someone take over her life like that.

And Christian was capable of doing just that. The way he took her the other night. The way he made her feel. That had been only a taste compared to what Bazhena had done to him. And that had blown Alyssa away. If she let Christian stay in her life, there was no way she would escape. She wasn’t strong enough to fight that kind of pleasure. After a while, she wouldn’t want to fight it.

Christian got to her before she entered the hotel. Grasping her arm, he turned her around to face him. He searched her face. She struggled to maintain a calm facade. She kept her expression blank, waiting for him to speak.

He opened his mouth and then clamped it shut again. After a minute, he finally spoke.

“Let’s go in. Stay behind me.”

Christian turned away from her and with one last glance behind his shoulder, walked into The Plaza. She followed close behind. He had explained the procedure, tonight he was mother duck, she was duckling. She followed where he walked, when he walked, never veering to the side, back, or front unless he did.

The picture Alyssa created in her mind of Christian as a mother duck brought a very unladylike snort from her. She couldn’t help it. He was about as un-mother duck-like as anyone she had ever met. The analogy worked in terms of procedure, but otherwise it was just too ridiculous.

She watched him work. Though she was behind him, she knew he scanned the area constantly. Periodically he glanced back at her to ensure she was okay. Every movement he made was calculated. His body completely blocked hers. If someone tried to approach her, he stopped them.

“Ms. Edwards can’t talk to anyone until after the speech.”

People took one look at Christian and obeyed. Alyssa realized that those around them cleared a path for Christian. It didn’t seem to be a conscious action. It was as if they did it through instinct. She noticed a group of people talking in front of them. As she and Christian drew closer, the group didn’t look their way. They all just sort of shifted to one side so that the two of them could pass. It was almost as if they all got the same mental suggestion to move at the same time. Alyssa wondered how much of that was due to Christian using his vampire powers and how much of it was due to the fact that he was an intimidating man.

He stopped abruptly and Alyssa barely avoided running into him. She saw his back stiffen and he clenched his fists tightly to his side. Curious about what could have caused this reaction in Christian, she peeked around him.

It wasn’t a what, it was a who.

Aunt Joyce stood directly in front of Christian. Hands on her hips as she gave him the once-over, then studied his face with interest. The speculative gleam in her eyes wasn’t lost on her. Her aunt thought every man might be a perfect candidate as a husband for Alyssa. If only she knew about Christian.

“Well, Alyssa? Aren’t you going to introduce me to your young man?” Joyce impatiently said.

“He isn’t my young man. This is Christian Galiano. He’s the security specialist handling my speaking engagements. Christian, this is my Aunt Joyce.”

Aunt Joyce held out her hand.

“Hello. Please call me Joyce. It’s so nice to finally meet you, Mr. Galiano. I’ve heard so many good things about you from Alyssa.”

Christian looked at Alyssa. He raised one eyebrow and a knowing smile spread across his lips.

“Really?” The amusement in his voice was obvious.

Alyssa wanted to wipe that smile off his face, but instead smiled sweetly back at him.

“Of course. You’ve been such a gallant gentleman. What could I possibly have to say about you that my aunt would find displeasing?”

Christian’s eyes narrowed dangerously. Warning her. She chose to ignore it.

“Christian has protected me just like he’s been paid to do. He’s very good at his job. Isn’t that right, Christian? And once my last speech is over, he can go protect someone else and I can get on with my life.”

“Alyssa!”

Her aunt’s shocked voice made Alyssa cringe inside. Why was she goading Christian? She was being rude and it wasn’t fair. Maybe it was the frustration. Maybe it was the knowledge that she wanted him, but couldn’t allow herself to have him. Before she could even think about apologizing, Christian spoke.

“That’s right. Once you get through your last engagement, I won’t need to babysit you anymore, will I, Alyssa?”

Alyssa was steaming. Babysit? How dare he?

Christian bent close and whispered. The feel of his breath caressing her ear sent shivers of pleasure up and down her spine. Then the meaning of his words hit her and she stiffened.

“Until that last engagement, you are mine,
palomita
, to do with as I choose. Don’t forget that.” Christian grasped her arm. His hold didn’t hurt, but she wasn’t going anywhere until he was ready.

“I need to take Alyssa to her room while she waits to go on, Joyce. She will be much safer there than the middle of the room. If you’ll excuse us?”

Alyssa wanted to resist, but knew if she did, it would only cause a scene. She didn’t want to do that to her aunt. Not in front of so many of her aunt’s friends.

Her aunt looked confused for a minute, but then she nodded her head and smiled.

“Of course. Nice meeting you, Mr. Galiano, and I’ll see you both later.”

Alyssa calmly let Christian lead her to her room.

But the minute Christian closed the door and released her arm she slapped him, hard, across the face. Or, at least that was her intention. Before her palm even touched him, he caught her hand and pushed it behind her back. He did the same thing with her other hand and held them together with one of his hands. Christian pulled her against him. She shivered when she noticed how good her softness felt pressed against the hard contours of his chest.

“Now where were we? That’s right, you were telling me how to do my job, weren’t you? And I was telling you that I owned you until my job was done. Do you have a problem with that?”

The deep timbre of Christian’s voice told Alyssa he was angry. That and the furious look on his face. Well, too bad. She was angry also. Angry and frustrated about, well, everything.

“Yes, as a matter of fact, I do have a problem with that.” Alyssa lifted her chin and met his gaze without a flinch. “Nobody has, nor will anybody ever
own
me. You
work
for me, period. End of story. Please don’t forget that.”