After Sundown: Redemption (3 page)

Bazhena didn’t seem to notice their distaste. She smiled seductively up at Christian. He stiffened in response. Chuckling, she skimmed her index finger down one side of his face. “Don’t tell me you have become a fanatic like this one, Cristobal?” She motioned towards Vlad. “After I turned you we had—”

“That’s enough!” Christian roared, pushing her away from him. Bazhena stumbled back, but immediately righted herself.

“Leave now or I’ll make you leave. And I can promise you it won’t be pleasant,” he warned.

Anger flared in Bazhena’s eyes, then her gaze turned calculating.

“Fine, I’ll leave. You two are about as fun as a wooden stake. If you’ll just give me my little snack, I’ll be on my way.”

Unease slid over Alyssa. This was not good. Bazhena was referring to her as a snack.

“You will not touch this woman,” Christian growled. “She’s under my protection.”

Bazhena’s eyes widened in surprise, then narrowed dangerously as she turned her gaze to Alyssa.

“I thought you would have learned the folly of getting too attached to humans by now, Cristobal. Obviously I didn’t teach you well enough.”

“I’ve learned more than enough since you ruined my life. If you touch her, you’ll regret it.”

“Are you threatening me, Cristobal?”

“Definitely.” Christian’s stony expression gave no quarter.

Bazhena looked like she was about to protest when Vlad left Alyssa’s side and stood next to Christian.

“Will you leave now, or must we exert force?”

Enraged, Bazhena turned her furious gaze to Vlad and shrieked, “
You
will force me to do nothing!”

Before Alyssa knew what was happening, Bazhena grabbed the front of Vlad’s shirt with one hand and lifted him off the ground. Then she flung him across the hall. He hit the wall with such force Alyssa thought he would have been knocked unconscious. Instead he stood up, brushed off his clothes and strode back towards Bazhena as if nothing had happened.

“Tsk. Tsk. Very childish, Bazhena. But so like you,” Vlad said with a condescending smile.

Bazhena slowly retreated. Christian advanced on her. Vlad followed close behind.

Glaring back and forth between them, she shouted, “This is far from over!”

Then Bazhena turned away and disappeared amidst some gathering fog.

Relief washed over Alyssa. That horrifying woman was gone. What happened? How had Bazhena just disappeared into the mist? Since when was there fog during the dry Arizona summer? She studied the place where that woman, or whatever she was, had just been. Why had she wanted to taste Alyssa? And what did she mean by
taste
? The woman’s incisors had been incredibly long and sharp and she had looked at Alyssa with a kind of hunger she couldn’t, no, didn’t want to understand. Dizziness assailed her as questions rampaged through her mind. Her knees gave way beneath her and she sank to the ground. She held her head in her hands as the endless questions and inconceivable answers bombarded her.

“Alyssa.”

Her thoughts scattered. Alyssa looked up at the sound of Christian’s voice. He and Vlad slowly approached her. The look on their faces was wary, carefully watching her. The two incredibly handsome men affected her as they strode side by side towards her. They both moved with a predatory grace that belied their size and each had a kind of magnetism that kept her eyes glued to them. Yet it was Christian who interested her most.

She had to admit it. He was beautiful to look at, but definitely all male. Well over six feet, lanky, but also muscular. His masculine beauty was undeniable. It took her breath away. He had a very pale complexion, full sensuous lips and sharply chiseled features. Thick, arched eyebrows topped his mocha-colored eyes. And his dark brown hair hung loose past his shoulders. Alyssa wanted to twine her fingers in the silky-looking tresses. Christian’s eyes held hers and she couldn’t look away. As if he kept them connected by his will alone.

His gaze called to her in a way that made her think of things she thought long buried. The image of black silk sheets, candlelight and two intertwined lovers lying on a huge bed in the center of a room, filled her head. She lost focus for a moment and swayed. Christian’s firm grasp kept her from falling as he helped her up. But it also broke the seductive spell that had enveloped her.

She snapped her head up and stared at his face. He stood so close she could see the gold flecks sprinkled throughout his eyes. Her gaze ran down his strong nose to his mouth. His lips were curved into that knowing smirk she now knew signaled his amusement. Once again, that smile rubbed her the wrong way. She stiffened and yanked her arm out of his grasp.

“Would you mind keeping your hands off of me?”

Christian’s amusement turned cold.

“Gladly.”

Alyssa watched him walk away and head into his office without another word.

Vlad cleared his throat and she swung her gaze back to him.

“Miss Edwards. Won’t you come into our offices?” Vlad asked gently. “The three of us need to talk.”

He motioned for her to go ahead of him and they proceeded to Christian’s office. Alyssa saw Christian standing behind his desk facing the window. She thought he was lost in thought as he gazed outside into the darkness.

She was wrong. He was well aware of their presence.

“I’ll tell her, Vlad. I know that you have an appointment that you, uh, can’t be late for,” Christian said, still facing the window. He tried, unsuccessfully, to keep the humor from his voice. “So feel free to go. I’ll talk more with you later.”

Christian turned slowly. Though his words were for Vlad, his eyes narrowed on Alyssa’s face.

“Fine,” Vlad said. “Ms. Edwards, I leave you in Christian’s capable
and
professional hands. I’m sure he’ll be able to answer whatever questions you have.”

With one last warning glance at Christian, Vlad closed the door softly behind him.

Nervous, Alyssa sat down. She was alone with a man she didn’t feel quite safe with. The air grew thick with awareness. Christian continued to stare at her broodingly. The silence finally became too much for her. She was not into playing childish games.

“What?” she demanded.

Christian lifted one eyebrow and gave her that smirk she was beginning to really,
really
dislike.

“I was just wondering how you managed to get yourself into trouble just by showing up at our offices. Does this happen to you a lot?”

Alyssa knew by the twinkle in his eyes that he was teasing. She was not in the mood. She needed answers. Things were getting a little too creepy for her.

“Who was that woman? Why was she so interested in me? How did she disappear, turn into mist?”

Christian hesitated. He wanted to tell her the truth, but she wasn’t ready for that yet. He felt her frustration, her fear. He would tell her what he could.

“She is a vampire.”

“A
WHAT
?” Alyssa shot up from the chair and placed her hands on her hips.

“Very funny. I’ve had enough teasing tonight, Mr. Galiano. Now please be straight with me. What is going on?”

“You want the truth?” Christian advanced slowly. His face became solid granite, his gait aggressive. He had stopped playing, but Alyssa didn’t know if she liked that. This was a different side of him, one she hadn’t seen before.

He drew closer. The air around her became electrified. The hairs on her arms stood on end. Her heart beat rapidly. Her breath grew short. Filled with the primitive urge to flee, she struggled to stand ramrod straight as Christian reached her. Her body started to tremble. She couldn’t control it. She wanted to turn and run away, but suddenly felt paralyzed. Frozen to the spot. She lifted her eyes helplessly to his.

Christian smiled down at her. But it was not a comforting smile. Instead, the predatory grin made her more afraid. She was in danger. Of that she had no doubt. Then he opened his mouth slightly. Fangs like she had seen on Bazhena appeared from below his top lip. Horrified, her gaze fixated on his mouth. He growled low in his throat. Surprised by the sound, her eyes snapped up to meet his. She gasped, barely holding in the shriek of fright that filled her. His eyes glowed with a red light.

Engulfed by horror, Alyssa felt her legs give way. She fell forward, unable to stop herself. Christian’s strong hands caught her.

“I’m sorry I had to do this to you,
palomita
, but your disbelief left me little choice. Now you see me for what I am. I, Cristobal Galiano y Pumarada am a vampire. Just as Vlad Maksimovitch and Bazhena Galichanin are vampires. We do exist. Don’t ever doubt it. Even as we speak, I smell your fear and I hear your racing heart. The blood singing through your veins calls to me. Makes me hunger for you in ways you can’t imagine.”

Christian leaned closer. His lips brushed her neck. Shivers of awareness ran through her body.

Alyssa felt his warm breath tickle her ear. “The difference between Bazhena and I is that she kills humans and I protect them. That is the only thing that keeps me from taking you right now,” he whispered.

Alyssa struggled to tamp down the fear that threatened to engulf her. Just as she had always done when she was a child. He was a vampire! Her whole body shook. Her heart beat out of control, her breathing grew shallow and her hands became soaked with sweat. She closed her eyes and thought of that sunset scene she so often visualized in her mind when she felt like she was losing control. The image calmed her almost immediately. The shaking stopped and her heart slowed to a more reasonable pace.

Okay. The man was a vampire. A
vampire
!

Calm down. She forced herself to put that thought on the back burner until later. Right now she needed to get this situation into some sort of manageable form. Christian looked much too threatening for her liking. Falling back on her training as a therapist, she tried the one approach that had helped her in the past.

Christian knew his words were harsh, but she had to hear them. He wouldn’t tell her everything right now. But she had to know what he was. It was the only way he could do the job he was hired to do. Maybe now she would understand and accept that.

It had taken him a while to get over his shock at seeing his creator. Bazhena had made him into this creature over two hundred years ago. He hadn’t wanted it. Hadn’t asked for it. Nevertheless, it was his own fault that he’d been turned into a vampire. And he would never forget that.

Bazhena had told Vlad that she was in the area and had just stopped by for a visit. Christian knew she lied. Vampires are not social creatures. If they had one or two real friends they were lucky. Stopping by to visit a vampire you hadn’t seen in over four hundred years did not ring true. And what did Alyssa have to do with all of it? He would have to find out Bazhena’s real reason for showing up tonight. But he could deal with that later. For now, he needed to calm Alyssa down and then go over her case. Now, more than ever, he wanted to know exactly what had been happening to her.

The only problem was that he couldn’t calm down. The adrenaline that had made his eyes glow and his fangs elongate had also had affected him in other ways. Alyssa’s scent intoxicated him. The sound of her blood rushing through her veins excited him. And the feel of her silky skin beneath his hands made him long to run his fingers up and down her body. She called to him in a way no other ever had. Frightened by his own admission, he released his hold.

Alyssa righted herself before she fell against him. She shook her head as if trying to clear her mind. Squaring her shoulders, she met his gaze with her own curious one. Her next words were not the ones Christian expected.

“So why did you say your name was Christian?”

“Excuse me?” Christian was dumbfounded by her query.

“Well, everyone I’ve met recently calls you Cristobal. Why did you tell me your name was Christian?”

He remained speechless. She didn’t look the least bit frightened! And of all the questions she could have asked, this was not the one that came to mind. He was momentarily sidetracked. Her intelligent eyes intrigued him. He lost himself in their lively depths, only to have her soft chuckle bring him back.

He frowned. He was on very unfamiliar ground here. He usually didn’t have personal conversations like this with his human clients. “What’s so funny?”

“You look like I asked you the hardest question in the world. All I want to know is why you told me your name is Christian, when it isn’t.”