Angels and Hunters (Stoker Sisters 2) (7 page)

A few more steps revealed they weren’t even human. Had she been so preoccupied with all her mixed emotions surrounding Ashwin that she’d not picked up on the scent sooner?

Her muscles tensed, but not with the intent to kill for fun. Now she might have to kill to survive. The crunch of a branch underfoot caught the couple’s attention and they both turned to her.

Alexis gasped as the woman looked at her.

“Help me, Alexis.”

“Delilah?”

The muscular man, annoyed by the disruption, stared at her for one eternally long moment. His eyes were red and the more he stared at her the brighter they glowed. 

“Please, Alexis.”

An inhuman growl emanated from deep within the young man’s chest. Without even glancing at Delilah, he shoved his hand to her throat, effectively depriving her of air.

Delilah’s eyes widened as her hands reached for his arm.

Alexis remained immobile, her feet firmly planted where she was. Mesmerized by the Strigoi’s eyes, her mind went blank. Fighting a Strigoi once again. After a night of battle, she hardly felt prepared to fight off another Strigoi.

He bared his fangs suddenly, his intent to kill Delilah clear in his demonic eyes.

“Alex…” Delilah croaked.

The tortured call of her childhood nanny finally reached deep into her consciousness, spurring her into action. Driven by the urgency of the moment, she grabbed a broken tree branch and, without hesitation, speared the Strigoi with less effort than she expected.

Still gasping for air, Delilah brought her hands to her sore throat and watched the young man crumble into nothing more than a pile of dust. “What took you so long?” she asked, trying to catch her breath. In the moment the question came out, she shook her hand and waved the question away. “Never mind. I’m just glad you finally came around. I was ambushed and tricked. He had a human helping him who carried holy water and a silver blade. I thought the human was in trouble, but when I got close, she threw holy water on me and stabbed me with silver. Before I knew it, that Strigoi was at my throat.”

“I didn’t expect to see you here and…”

“I know. And I didn’t expect to be attacked. The bastard was strong and a little more cunning than I expected. We’d been going at it for almost an hour when you arrived.”

Alexis looked at the small pile of dust on the ground. She knew she’d had no choice. She couldn’t just stand by and let him kill Delilah. But still… the thought of having to kill another vampire did not appeal to her.

Still staring at the pile, Alexis sensed Delilah’s close presence then the warmth of her arm as Delilah wrapped her arm around her. “Even after a huge night of fighting, you still have the speed, agility and wherewithal to save my life.”

“Sorry I froze for a second there.”

“You know, we’d make a great team. Why, we could eliminate Strigois in no time. I bait them in and you stake them.”

“The bait and stake… how quaint.” Though she tried to sound nonchalant, Delilah’s words of praise greatly affected her. She could hardly remember the last time someone had congratulated her. All Sadie ever did was complain and criticize.

Delilah gave her a tight hug and Alexis was a young girl all over again, only now she’d finally become the favored one.

“Are you out here alone?” Delilah asked. “Where’s Sadie?”

The euphoria evaporated at the very sound of her sister’s name. Why was everyone so concerned with Sadie?

“She’s home. She’s not big on these late-nighters.” Alexis backed away, trying to hide her disappointment. “Besides, she has Ashwin to keep her busy tonight.”

“Ashwin? Are you sure?”

“Well, he was there when I left the house and he certainly didn’t seem to be in any rush to leave. As a matter of fact Ashwin was all over Sadie when I left them.”

“Alexis, we can’t leave them alone. We have to hurry back.”

“Why? They were more than happy to see me leave.” Though she caught the alarm in Delilah’s eyes, she couldn’t imagine what could be so urgent. Sadie wasn’t that naïve in the ways of men.

“Why?” Delilah shot back. “Why?  For crying out loud, Alexis. Ashwin isn’t there on some social call. He was sent by Skars to lure you and Sadie.”

It was her turn to be alarmed. “What?”

“Alexis, he was sent all those years ago to turn you. It was all Skars’ doing. All part of his plot.”

“Everything he did? Everything he said? It was all to…?”

“He’s good at what he does. It’s all so effortless for such a man as charming as he is.”

“But tonight, as he looked in Sadie’s eyes… he was so…” The pain of this betrayal was like no other. Thoughts of intimate moments wrapped in his arms returned to haunt her. Tears welled in her eyes, not only for her, but for Sadie. Sadie was so innocent and trusting. “How could I not have known? How did I not see it?”

Delilah nodded knowingly as she grabbed Alexis by the arm and dragged her out of the park. “I’d love to explain it all to you, but we really have to move it. Once Skars gets a hold of Sadie, saving her will be virtually impossible.”

The few seconds it took to get home felt like an eternity. For all her free spirited ways, Alexis did care about Sadie, more than Sadie would ever know.

From the sidewalk she saw the front door was open and felt a sinking sensation in her gut.

“Sadie,” Alexis shouted as she ran inside. “Sadie!”

She rushed to her sister’s bedroom and back into the kitchen. There was no sign of her. Returning to the living room, she saw Delilah with Sadie’s purse in her hands.

“No,” Alexis said, shaking her head and refusing to believe she was gone.

“He’s already taken her.”

Chapter 6

S
adie watched the streetlights flash by them as they veered off onto the highway and headed out of town. Ashwin’s car was comfortable and warm, just like his embrace had been. How long she’d yearned for that warm kiss. How desperately she’d wanted to find herself as she was now, alone with him.

It had all happened so fast, she’d not even had time to leave word to Alexis. Smiling, she stared out at the darkened horizon, her skin still tingling at the thought of that heated kiss.

When she’d pulled away from him, his eyes had been filled with such longing, such desire, she never wanted to be separated from him again.

“Do you realize just how special you are to me, Sadie,” he’d asked as his hands had played through her hair. He leaned into her, pressing her to the wall.

“You’ve always left me so confused, what with Alexis and…” Her gaze had left his a moment as she once again thought of her sister. She didn’t want to compete with her. She didn’t want to have to claw her way past Alexis in order to truly win over the affections of this man.

“Alexis could never compare to you, never compare to what you mean to me. You know, for years Skars tortured me. You wouldn’t believe what he put me through. But every time I closed my eyes, it was your angelic smile that came to save me. I can’t count the number of times I thought I’d reached the bottom, the lowest of the low. Skars did everything he could to harden me like all his other Strigois.”

Her heart pounded as she listened to him, wanting more than anything to belong to him. So prevalent was that need that she barely took note of what he’d just said.

“I knew I’d see you again someday. I knew I’d find you. That thought alone is what kept me sane. You kept me from turning into the monster Skars so desperately wanted me to become.”

Though her lips were still warm from his touch and her body ached to get closer still, she pushed him back to look at him, finally allowing her mind to completely process what he was telling her. “You're a Strigoi?”

“You could say that, but I’m not your stereotypical Strigoi. Despite Skars’ every attempt, my mind proved to be a greater opponent than he’d anticipated. The depravity, bloodlust and ruthlessness he fosters among his followers escaped me, though he’s convinced he has me exactly where he wants me.”

“Skars sees everything.”

“Not what’s in my heart, Sadie. He has no idea how you’ve touched me and how your gentle soul saved mine.” He leaned in to kiss her, deep, powerful and all consuming.

Her heart floated on air and the world no longer existed. His hands, his lips, his tongue; it was all more than she’d ever imagined it could be. Though gentle and patient, his every touch held restrained hunger and desire. She could just feel it, hear it and taste it. 

Sensations rushed through her veins, bringing her body to life for the first time in her eternally long life. Was this what love felt like, she wondered. If so, she wanted to love him, now and forever.

For the moment, consequences were inconsequential, tomorrow didn’t matter and her whole world was in Ashwin’s hands.

When he pulled away, she leaned into him, wanting more, needing to lose herself in his kiss. The absence of his lips over hers left her cold and hungry. The embrace had been far too short and far from fulfilling.

“Come with me,” he said through heavy breaths.

“Now?” She looked at him, wondering if she’s heard right. “Where?”

“One of my favorite places here in California. It’s my private little heaven on earth and I want to share it with you.”

“But Alexis. She’ll be back soon and she’d probably want to come…”

He held her close and she knew she would follow him anywhere.

“I want to be alone with you. Completely and totally alone. I want this to be a special time for just you and me.” He teased her with a soft and warm kiss. “As fond as I am of your sister, as charming and delightful as she can be, it’s you I love. It’s you I want to be with, alone.”

She looked at him, wanting so badly to believe every single word.

“I love you, Sadie. The moment I saw you with Keegan… The moment I saw how you looked into his eyes, I knew I couldn’t let you slip away.”

The mention of Keegan’s name brought back the dire situation he found himself in. How could she have been so selfish as to lose herself in Ashwin’s kiss while Keegan was living unbearable torture? “Ashwin, we have to save Keegan. He’s being held by Skars and I have to get him away.”

“You can’t do that, Sadie. It’s more dangerous than you realize. Please promise me you won’t try to help him. Promise me you won’t even get close to Skars.”

“I have to, Ashwin. I can’t just leave him there. If something happened to him…”

“No. I can’t let you do it. I won’t. You may not be too pleased to hear that, but I can’t let you go after Keegan.”

“It’s been a while since you’ve seen me. I’ve learned to take pretty good care of myself over the years. You’d be surprised to see the capable fighter I’ve become.”

“As well as that may be, this is outside your realm. Skars has set a trap. All he needs to do now is wait for you to fall into it. I won’t let him win… not with you.”

“And what will become of Keegan. Am I to live with his death hanging over my head for all eternity?”

“You don’t need to worry about him, I promise.” He shifted and looked away a moment, suddenly seeming unsure and edgy. When he returned his gaze to her it was with fierce determination in his eyes, though he was clearly agitated. “I set him free.”