Carinian's Seeker (12 page)

“Forget everything you ever heard or saw in a movie, sweetheart. There are a lot of misconceptions about my kind,” he crooned, dropping a lazy kiss on the top of her head. She must have figured where his lips were headed next when she scooted away, dragging the blankets up to cover her nakedness. She pinned him with an excited but serious stare.

“Well, what kind of misconceptions?”

Bix swore he heard the gears turning in her head as the scientist re-emerged with logic, reason and tons of inquiries. And she was off to the races.

“I think I’ve figured out the biconvex structure of the red blood cells and how to recreate them in human genes, and how to deal with the hemoglobin deficiency and iron absorption. I can slow the deterioration and aging of organs, but the regenerative properties—”

“Whoa, whoa.” He chuckled, holding his hands up in man’s most effective “I surrender” gesture. “Slow down, Carin. One thing at a time.”

“Okay, what about blood?”

“There are rules to bloodletting. While the meds we ingest help, we can’t get around the need for blood. It’s hardwired into our DNA. But the V.C.O.E…”

“V.C.O.E.?”

“Vampire Council of Ethics,” he continued, “decreed thousands of years ago that we must never
take
blood. It has to be freely given. The same rule stands today.”

“But what if there’s no convenient human around willing to give their blood?”

“Well, why do you think we have such hefty investments in pharmaceutical and biotech companies?”

Her eyes went wide and he practically saw the light switch on in her head.

“You’ve got other pharma and biotech companies working on the very thing
I’m
working on, right?”

“Yeah, sort of. We own blood facilities, which is key since human blood can’t be reproduced. Hemoglobin and Factor Eight, which are used to treat hemophilia, can be manufactured but not the actual blood. So we have blood sources available in every major city if there are no handy humans.”

“What about other Council rules?”

“We must never draw attention to ourselves, which is one of the only reasons we have survived this long. And we can’t kill a human. If we have to feed from a human instead of a plastic donor bag we must only take enough blood to survive. No gorging allowed. And, here’s the big one.” He hesitated for drama’s sake. “Never, ever, steal another vamp’s mate or bond a mate against their wishes.”

The last was spoken with a bit more heat than he intended. Carin cocked her head to the side, her curiosity at the intensity in his voice simmered along the bond.

“It makes sense but why is this particular rule so important?” she asked.

“That damned rule, or the lack thereof, has been the reason for some of the worst battles in history. Look at all the trouble Helen of Troy caused. And all because she’d been stolen from her vampire mate, though history has never identified the man as one of us.”

“So, no vampire bed hopping, eh?”

Bix’s brows rose at her choice of words, but he didn’t interrupt.

“But you don’t get diseases like normal humanoids, so what’s the harm in spreading the love?”

Spreading the love? He’d kill any man, vamp or otherwise, who set eyes on her. He’d skin ‘em alive and…

“It’s not my type of gig,” she said thoughtfully, her expression museful. “But if others want to fool around it’s none of my business.”

He breathed a sigh of relief. Good, he wouldn’t have to kill anyone after all. He’d better explain mating to her a bit more. But only a bit. “Vampire mates are special, Carin. First, we don’t typically fool around with human women. The chance of accidentally exposing our kind is too great. Second, just because a prime male sleeps with a female doesn’t mean they’re mated. It just means they’re fucking. Nothing more.”

“Really?” she asked. Her face was calm enough, but she was suddenly projecting. Now he felt like a cad from the stab of pain resonating just underneath her rib cage. She wondered,
So is that what we’re doing? Just fucking?

Bix reached out and smoothed her hair back behind her ears. He felt her sadness and wanted to tell her she’d already met her mate—him. All they had to do was share blood, truly desire the bondmating, and the bond would be complete. Right now it was strong but could still be broken if she met and mated another prime male vampire. But there was no way in hell he’d allow such a thing. He wasn’t ready to tell her she was stuck with him. Not because she couldn’t walk away, but because he couldn’t afford to let her.

“Listen, baby, when a vampire male finds the perfect woman for him, he knows. We all have some psychic ability, but he’s attuned to her like nobody else. It’s more than being able to read thoughts and communicate telepathically. It’s almost like they meld, become part of one another. Feel each other’s joy, pain, wants and fears. Once mated, bonded, they can’t bear to be apart. Losing a bondmate is said to be close to experiencing death. I hear it’s a pretty deep thing.” He left his expression wide open, ending his thoughts on a whisper, peering into her soul. He felt her throat clog with unshed tears. But did she really understand what he was trying to say?

Pushing her unruly tangle behind her ears again, she plunged back into the conversation. “So what about daylight? Silver? Garlic?”

He knew the moment her emotional wall went up but decided not to push. She would understand soon enough. He would see to it. In the meantime, he would give her what she wanted. Information.

“We’ve always been able to move around during the day, though it’s not our natural time. It’s uncomfortable but we can build up a strong resistance to sunlight, though it takes a long time. It’s basically an allergy. Too long in the sun and we get a nasty rash. There are plenty of drugs to help us tolerate it. Allergies to silver are real, but we can usually control it with meds. Exposure to silver or sun doesn’t cause us to blow up or turn into ash like on the movies. As for garlic? I actually like garlic.”

She giggled. He loved the sound of it.

“So, sweetheart, vampires are cousins to humans, not a different species altogether. Our bodies need food just like yours, but not quite to the same extent.”

“What about your senses? You know, sight, hearing and the like?”

“It’s true we have keener sight, hearing, smell, the whole nine yards.”

“But how? How do you regenerate? And more importantly, if you bite me it won’t do a damn thing, right?”

Oh, it would do something all right. It would make him hot and horny and begin to close the circle of their bond. But he wasn’t ready to go there. Instead he said, “I can’t turn you, Carin.” Well, it was sort of true. And as much as he was into the woman, he still had a job to do. Catch or kill Sidheon at all costs. “Back to business, love. Are you going to help me with Sidheon or not?”

“Talk about spoiling the mood. Damn,” she snorted. “Well, if I help you what do I get out of it?”

“How ‘bout I keep all your secrets?” He chuckled. He was only kidding, but soon realized it was definitely the wrong thing to say. If looks could kill, Carin would have him drawn and quartered faster than he could form his next thought.

“How ‘bout I spill all yours, Bix,” she fumed in a tight voice. She scowled for all she was worth but he couldn’t let her anger move him. Not one iota.

“Who’d believe you, Carin? Modern-day vampires who can walk around in the daylight? You’re too smart a woman to risk your reputation just because you’re pissed off at me. I can deal with you being pissed off. If it takes down Sidheon and keeps you safe, I can handle it, baby.”

“Keeps me safe? Oh, please. You’ve got your own agenda, here. What the hell do you care about keeping me safe?” She swung her legs off the bed, stormed to the closet and tore through the hangers, snatching down a pair of jeans and a soft sweater off the shelf.

“Come here, Carin.”

“Kiss my ass, Bix.” She yanked on her clothes, sans underwear, and grabbed a pair of sneakers from the closet floor.

“Carin, I said. Come. Here.” His voice was louder and definitely harsher. She couldn’t have cared less.

“I don’t give a damn what you said.” Hell, two could play this game. She was the queen of stubborn piss-off-ivity.

She stilled, dropped her tennis shoes to the closet floor with a loud thump and stood there stiff with anger, cheeks blooming with embarrassment. What in the world was she doing? There was a vampire lounging in her bed.
Her
bed, in
her
house. If anyone should be getting dressed and getting the hell out, it was him. She flung herself around to face him, hands on hips. Damn it, he did it again. Suddenly, he was right there, his nose not three inches from hers. Well, this part of the vampire myth was definitely true. He hadn’t made a sound, yet he moved so fast it was dizzying.

“I am not used to being disobeyed, Carin.”

The quiet menace in his voice was more disconcerting than if he’d just yelled at her. But she was no punk. “Get over it.” She refused to show the intimidation she felt to this oversized, muscle-bound clod of a vampire. Who she happened to be falling in love with. Aw, hell.

“Carin, I’m sorry. I was only kidding when I suggested I’d rat out your research. Really, baby, I didn’t mean it. But I did mean it when I said I need your help.”

“What are you, crazy? Why the hell should I trust you?”

“If you don’t trust me, then trust your heart. Carin, you know I won’t ever hurt you.” He went down on one knee and she felt her resolve melting like snow during a San Diego summer while her knees started to do the Jell-O thing again.

“B-But what if I lose my job? Or Sidheon gets wind of all this?”

“I’ve got your back, sweetheart. With Sidheon, as well as anything and everything else you face in life from now on.”

Now that sounded a bit permanent to her. Did he really see this thing between them going further?

“I meant what I said, Carin. You’re mine, and I take care of my own.”

“How do I know I can count on you to be there for me, Bix?” she asked, never taking her eyes off of his.

“Sweetheart, if there’s anything you don’t have to worry about, it’s me being there. I have a whole lot of years in front of me. I can’t imagine not spending them with you.”

“Right. Say that to the girl you were just trying to blackmail,” she said mutinously as he stripped her naked with blurring speed. Only he wasn’t silent about it this time. Every inch of skin he bared elicited a groan or an intake of breath. The way he looked at her made her feel like the most beautiful woman in the world.

He shook his head. A clear look of regret marched across his handsome face. “I said I was sorry, sweetheart,” he crooned, sliding up her body, brushing his hair along her bare skin as he moved. He stood, looked down at her and waited patiently.

Carin had wondered all her life if she would ever find someone who touched her deeply like this mate business Bix talked about. Well, it hadn’t happened so far. Probably never would. Too bad she and Bix couldn’t… She cut the thought off, not wanting to dwell on what would probably never be. She adored Bix, but that didn’t mean he wanted to do the bond thing with her. Painting on a calm façade, she forced herself to appear indifferent. A moment passed. Then two. Sigh…this wasn’t really working. Not with all the honey-sweet emotion pouring out of him to ooze down through the strange link they shared.

Then again, he’d made it clear that vamps knew when they met their mate. Surely he’d have said something by now, right?

Sighing with a mix of regret and pleasure as Bix sank down to his knees, her anger melted.

“I’ll think about it, Bix. Really, I promise.”

“That’s all I ask, sweetheart.”

Bix’s talented tongue traced lazy circles around her navel. It tickled, making her squirm under his touch. He smiled against her soft skin. Lifting her high in his arms, he carried her back to bed. A loud smack filled the room where his lips planted a playfully sloppy kiss against her forehead.

“I have to go meet a friend. Let’s have lunch tomorrow, all right?” he murmured, tracing imaginary lines across her cheek. His words were low, deep, sending the bottom of her tummy into a flutter like the tail of a kite whipped along by a stiff breeze. And she didn’t want him to leave.

“It’s Friday night. Can’t you just spend the night and let’s make it breakfast-in-bed instead?”

After trailing tender kisses from cheek to cheek, he rubbed noses with her and sighed.

“I’d love to stay, but I can’t. Why don’t you come over to my house right around noon tomorrow? Brunch? I make a mean French toast. Always covered with cinnamon.” He waggled his eyebrows. She giggled.

“Mmm-hmm,” she mumbled, nuzzling the side of his neck. He smelled so good. “I’m a sucker for a milk toast, uh, I mean French toast man.”

“Milk toast? I’ll show you milk toast, damn it.” Bix commenced to tickle her silly. She’d never been tickled by a man before. She decided she liked it.

“I give up, I swear. Go away already,” she cackled, holding her aching stomach.

Pressing a flat palm against her chest when she started to rise, he gave her one last kiss and whispered against her mouth, “I’ll leave directions on the coffee table for you. Don’t get up, sweetie, I’ll see myself out. Can’t wait to see you tomorrow. And be prepared for some deep conversation concerning you and me.”

Whoa, now that sounded serious. And his gaze, hot and smoldering, slid all through her until holding his stare was impossible. She looked away for a moment, then felt his fingers under her chin. Lifting her face for a final peck, Carin watched in amazement as he dressed in a flash and was gone without a sound. Wow, this vampire stuff was pretty cool.

Chapter Ten

Bix and Alaan sat outside of the small warehouse Dan-The-Mouse had slunk to several times this week. He was sure to show up any moment now. Sid had been scarcely seen around the biotech facility and they’d lucked out when an anonymous tip came in. Whatever Sidheon was doing, this was the place to get the goods. There was no one around. While Bix would rather have someone to interrogate, a quick scout of the building would do for now.