Creatus (Creatus Series) (6 page)

“I want you to turn it off,” she snapped.

“Okay.”

She bit down on her lip, nodding as if pleased, even if somewhat confused. “That was easy enough.”

He reached for her hand again. “You’re here. You’re safe. Maybe you’ll stay with me, maybe you won’t. But I don’t need to watch you anymore. You’re a grown woman.” She nodded again, a small smile lifting her cheek. Had she thought he’d argue with her? “I’m not a controlling type of man, believe it or not. And even when I say stay with me, it doesn’t mean you can’t live your life. It just means we’ll always be together.” He lowered his head and stared into her eyes. If he was going to tell her everything, he might as well start with an important factor. “Explanation one, Kristina. My kind doesn’t separate. Once—rather, if you decide to stay with me, we will be together forever.”

Her eyes sparkled, a playful gleam lighting inside of them, and he could swear they turned greener.
She pulled her free hand up on the table and leaned her chin on her fist, staring at him. “But what if someone like me, liked someone else of your kind. Is that allowable?”

Derrick
jerked upright in his chair as if she’d plunged a knife between his shoulder blades. Now that she was with him, the thought that she’d even think… “Never,” he said seriously. “It just doesn’t happen.”

“Oh, I understand.”

“Do you? Once we—”

The waiter brought their waters and appetizers out on the same tray, halting their hushed conversation. He placed everything on the table and then pulled out a pad and pen to take their order. He looked to Kristina first. “Ready to order?”

“Yes. I’ll have the Chicken Romano.”

The man turned to Derrick
, and he spilled out his entire order without giving him a chance to ask any questions. “I’ll have the chopped salad to start. No croutons. Vinegar only. Then, I’ll have a double order of the Ahi Tuna. Only, don’t sear it. And no side dishes or sauces. Just the tuna, please.”

The server wrote everything down without comment, but as every waiter had ever done
before him, he gave him a confused look as he turned to leave. Derrick had learned to answer every question with finality before they asked, saved him from a lot of additional queries. Thankfully, sushi had become so popular in the last few years that most people no longer questioned his eating habits.

“Two orders again? Raw?”

“Explanation number two,” he said in a low voice so only she could hear, one of the reasons he wanted to eat outside. “I can’t eat cooked foods.”

She absorbed that, filing it away, it seemed, and then she whispered across the table, “At least you don’t drink blood.”

“Not quite,” he rejoined, watching as her eyes bulged as he met her playful comment head on. “People only thought we were.”

Chapter Six

Kris
bolted upright. Her phone buzzed on the table, jolting her out of the trance she’d fallen into after Derrick’s remark about people thinking they were drinking blood. She glanced at the caller ID. “It’s Beth. It’s after three. She’s back from shopping,” she babbled incoherently in her frazzled state. “I should talk to her.”

Derrick reached across the table, covering her hand and the phone. “Please—”

“I remember,” she interrupted, gulping the lump in her throat. “Don’t say anything about you.”

“That isn’t what I was going to ask.” He squeezed her hand. “Please don’t take her call. Beth knows you’re okay. She just wants to talk, and you want an excuse to walk away so you can clear your head, but I don’t want you to leave yet.”

Tears filled her eyes and she didn’t even know why. She didn’t care what he was; Derrick wasn’t dangerous. She just felt—she didn’t know what she felt.
Scared
, she thought. Frightened of the unknown. Kris glanced at his warm and gentle gaze. She wasn’t afraid of Derrick. She needed to snap out of this. The phone stopped ringing, and she glanced at it, feeling as though she’d let go of her lifeline. As if she’d be content in letting Derrick’s mysterious dark waters engulf her, absorb her, providing her life-sustaining oxygen from now on.

“Kristina, you asked me to tell you
… and I don’t think I have a choice now. When we…” He paused as if collecting his words. “I don’t know how to explain this… without pressuring you. No. Not now, not here.” He shook his head again. “Can we just eat? Then we’ll go somewhere and talk, okay? I promise I’ll explain everything.”

“Yeah,” she choked out. Her mouth was so dry. She picked up her water glass, removing the lemon, and
drained it. As he watched her warily, she picked up an oyster, deciding to try to relax and enjoy their date. She doused the shellfish with horseradish, then slurped it out of the shell and threw her head back. “Whoo! Love that rush!”

Derrick grinned, seemingly more at ease that she wouldn’t bolt. He dropped an oyster right out of the shell into his mouth. No toppings of course, as everything else he’d ordered. So he ate raw foods. Many people did. He was just joking about the
blood-drinking comment she realized.

Kris
glanced at her phone’s screen as it lit up. Beth had left a long message. But then she noticed there were two more messages. She picked up the phone and glanced at the three missed calls and messages. Her work was one. That wasn’t a surprise; she’d already assumed they’d fired her. But the other message was from an unknown caller. “Hmm…” she pondered. “I don’t get many wrong numbers. I’ve had the same number for six years.”

Derrick rubbed his hand across his chin. “I’m sure it’s nothing.” He finished off his oysters within seconds and then his eyes flicked to her plate. “Are you going to eat yours?”

She laughed. “No. Go ahead. I guess it takes a lot to fill a man your size.” She pushed her ice-filled tray toward him. “How big are you anyway?”

He raised a brow. “You mean, how tall am I?”

“Mm-hm.”

“Not so tall. Six-four. My brother’s six-six.”

“That’s tall. I’m only five-four.”

“I know. You’re cute. Dainty. I like it.”

The waiter interrupted them again to remove their dishes. She almost wished they’d decided on pizza so they could just sit and talk. But then it hit her. No cooked foods… that meant no pizza. Say it wasn’t so. How could someone live without pizza?

Derrick ate every
last morsel of his salad, and when their meals arrived, he finished off both portions of his fish. “I’d offer dessert, but I think we’ll find something more appetizing at the market,” he said after the waiter cleared their plates.

“Deal!” She grinned wide. Dessert was her favorite part, and she just wanted to leave anyway, anxious to hear more about the unusual man in front of her. She stood and he rose with her. “Let me take a quick bathroom break, and I’ll meet you
upfront.”

He bobbed his head, but a look of concern washed over his features.

Kris stepped toward him, resting her hands on his chest. “Derrick, I’m not going to disappear, and I won’t say anything to Beth. I promise.”

He dipped his head and rested his hand on hers. “Would you do me a favor, then?”

“Anything.” She owed him her life on at least two occasions she was aware of.

“Could you not listen to your messages until we talk? I know who the unknown caller is, and I’d like a chance to explain.”

Chapter Seven

After purchasing gelato for Kristina and fresh fruit for him, Derrick walked inside a gift shop and bought the first two afghans he saw. He escorted Kristina across the street to the Christopher Columbus Waterfront Park. It was much nicer when the wisteria-covered trellis was in bloom and the trees were full and green, shading the red brick walkways, but even winter had its appeal. The season was ending, and so would the quiet and peaceful nights. Warmer evenings meant more people would be on the street, which meant more crime.

It was only four-thirty, but the sun was fading behind the buildings and the temperature was dropping fast. Most tourists had already left for the warmth of their hotel rooms, so he and Kristina would have the park to themselves.

Derrick located a secluded spot under a deciduous tree, overlooking Boston Harbor. He layered one of the afghans on the grass and then held his hand out to Kristina. Lowering his body to the ground, he pulled her down beside him. He folded the other blanket around her shoulders and then wrapped his arms around her. The warmth in his body cranked up a notch as she leaned against him. For several minutes, they stared out over the water.

In a matter of moments, the nighttime sky had transitioned from the pastel periwinkle color of the day to a deep indigo. Only a sliver of the moon rested above the horizon as if an artist had used the smallest brush he owned and just whisked a thin white line onto his canvas.

Sweeping Kristina’s hair off her shoulder, Derrick pressed his lips against the side of her neck and inhaled the fresh clean scent of her skin. She rarely wore perfume, which was fine with him since he had such an acute sense of smell. He appreciated her natural aroma along with a hint of raspberry, which must come from her body wash. He’d always been able to pick her out among a crowd, even if she was out of his line of sight.

“I have something for you,” he whispered. “No matter what you decide, it’s yours, and I want you to have it.”

Kristina turned in his arms, pulling her knees up in front of her and wrapping her arms around them. She lifted her head to look at him, and he couldn’t resist kissing those delicate pink lips. Just a soft kiss, but it sent a shockwave through his system again. What would he do if she left him? His kind didn’t fall twice. Yes, there was no doubt he loved Kristina. And his heart would break if she didn’t return that love. She was human. Capable of loving and leaving. His parents had warned him, his brother had cautioned him, even Vic had begged him to reconsider when he’d even mentioned Kristina in passing. 

Kristina pulled her head back abruptly. “Are you okay?”

He nodded, realizing a tear had fallen. He’d never cried in his life, had never shed a tear. Even when Janelle had died in front of him. All he felt was hatred. But the thought of losing Kristina… the worst possible loss for his kind. “I’m fine.”

“Derrick. No matter what your secret is, I don’t care. I want to stay with you.”

“But you don’t even know me,” he countered.

“Yes, I do. And I feel something I’ve never felt. For anyone.” She lifted his hand and pulled it to her lips. “Talk to me please.”

“There’s so much… I don’t even know where to start. But first of all, I have something for you.” He reached inside his jacket, pulled out the tiny black box he’d had for six years, and held it out for her.

Kristina eyed it warily. “Um
… well… this
is
fast.”

A laugh shot out of his throat before he could contain it. She was just so darn cute, and again, he couldn’t help but wonder why it
had taken her jumping off a bridge to send him into action. How had he lived so long without her beside him? “It’s not an engagement ring. Besides, marriage isn’t what matters in my world anyway. A commitment is a commitment. A piece of paper means nothing.”

She reached from under her blanket and opened the velvet box. Her eyes widened as she recognized the ring. “Oh
, my God! How did you—” Tears burst from her eyes. “My mother’s ring—actually, my grandmother’s ring. I sold it when I was sixteen.”

Derrick brushed her hair away from her face and kissed her forehead. “I know. I made sure no one could beat my bid.”

Laughter and tears erupted again. “Oh, God. Thank you. I’ve regretted selling it every day of my life.” She slipped the ring onto her right-hand ring finger and then moved to her knees in front of him. “Thank you, Derrick. Thank you for everything. What would I have done without you?”

“Kristina,” he said, his tone serious, wondering where to start. He tilted her face to him, holding on to her. He’d jump right in, he decided, hope she wouldn’t hate him, or think he was a freak as his brother had teased. “I knew your mother. Janelle and I worked together. She was so sweet, so kind.” Kristina’s eyes grew wide again, so he rushed to continue. “We were just friends.” He inhaled a deep breath as he watched a tear roll down her cheek. He rushed to get his explanation out before she ran away from him. “We’d interned together. And I’d been held up that night. I’d been fighting with my brother. I should have been there, stopped that man. I should have killed him—”

She pressed her hand against the side of his face. “It’s not your fault.” She shook her head as she obviously tried to make sense of everything. “You
knew
my mother? Did you…were you—”

He shook his head fiercely. “No. Nothing. Just friends. I’d made a commitment to protect her, though, and I failed.” He lifted Kristina’s hand to his lips. “When my
kind
fall
… in love, I mean… we fall completely. It’s not like a human falls in love. It only happens once. When we
decide
that we want to be with someone… and then make love, there’s a connection. Because of that, though not completely uncommon, casual sex is rare. We only pursue someone we want to be with forever.”

She narrowed her eyes, tilting her head. “So you’ve never ‘fallen’ for a woman.”

“Not in that way… until now.”

Her mouth dropped open a fraction. “But we haven’t
… or did we?”

“No, no. God no. The kiss. Just our kiss. It’s unusual, but I’ve heard it happens. If the desire is strong to be together.” He sighed. “So much to explain. We got off track. You’re not upset that
your mother and I were friends?”

Kristina gave a
dismissive shrug. “I always thought you knew us. The way you looked at me in the alley, the way you were so upset when you pulled that man away from my mother. I recognized you weren’t a random stranger.”

He released a titter of relief. “Okay
… well, that takes a load off my mind. My brother insisted you wouldn’t be able to handle that, let alone the rest of the details.” He brushed her hair back and rested his hand against her cheek.
Just maybe
, he hoped. Perhaps she’d be okay with everything else he had to confess to her. Though his brother thought she’d be upset, Derrick assumed she could live with the fact that her mother and he had worked together. The rest of his secrets, however, might not be as easy to accept.

“I’ve always known you’re different, Derrick.” She ran her fingers down his jawline, a feather light stroke that sent his heart soaring, ready to take flight. “Will you talk to me now?”

He nodded and decided just to spill it all out at once. “We call ourselves creatus. From the Latin word meaning ‘created’. When my kind came here, there was a lot of confusion about what we were and where we came from. But the fact of the matter was, even we didn’t know. We came to this world about four thousand years ago, on what you might call an ark, in an attempt to escape our world we theorize. According to my elders, we were directed to this planet. Only two elders escorted hundreds of toddlers and then destroyed all evidence of our arrival and our technology, taking up residence among humans.

“Everything seemed fine, according to our history, which we are taught in our private schools. Until our diet and strength became known.” Derrick paused to let her catch up with his earlier comment about their eating requirements. “Cooked meat
s and grains are poisonous to our system, as they are to humans. But for some reason, the carcinogens don’t affect humans the way they affect us. It takes years to kill you in the form of heart disease and other maladies, but for us, we get deathly ill and usually die within weeks.

“When humans witnessed us eating raw red meat, they assumed we were blood drinkers and began to hunt us as demons. In order to protect ourselves, we had to kill and go into hiding.”

“Derrick,” Kristina cut in, “are you telling me you really are a vampire?”

Derrick
drew her hand to his chest and held it there without saying a word for a couple of seconds. “Do you feel that?” She nodded. “The myths are just that, myths. I have a heart; it pumps blood through my system. Just because we eat raw red meat, people assume we drink blood. Have you seen anyone eat a rare steak?”

“Yes
… ewww…”

He blew out a breath, and a white puff of smoke encircled them, as the temperature was dropping fast. “Can you handle this, Kristina?”

She bobbed her head. “Yes. My mother actually ate her steak pretty rare.”

“I know…” He sighed and continued, “We are actually a peaceful race, and contrary to popular belief, we are not immortal, and a bullet will kill us just as any other being. We are, however, extremely strong. We estimate that
most creatus are approximately ten times stronger than the average human. We hear better, see better, and we live twice as long. Hence, all the stories that we are immortal, I believe.

“According to my family, when the new world opened up, my kind was the first to arrive. We’d already had relatives who had lived with the Cherokee Indians for centuries. It was a chance at a new life where all the superstitions of the old country would be laid to rest. Everything was great at first. We worked and lived side by side in a new unbiased country without all the superstitious ninnies.

“When America started turning to crime around the turn of the century, it was my family who attempted to curb the corruption. We took to the streets at night as vigilantes, ridding the cities of the degenerates. It is from my grandfather and father that your superhero stories came about.” He tilted her head. “It may sound unbelievable, but Superman, Spiderman, Batman… they were all one type of man; my family. But then, it wasn’t an angry mob we feared; it was the government. The military has been searching for us for more than seventy years.”

“Why?” she asked, an innocent gleam lighting her eyes.

“It started with some of my kind during World War II. A rumor had spread about immortals who had lived in the mountains had come to protect the innocent. We’d been here all along, but someone had remembered tales of their childhood about how my kind would protect a human and nurse them back to health.” He shrugged. “We’ve always been in the medical field; it makes forging documents easier. Anyway, my family had to tone down the protection, as sad as that is. In 1947, a division under the National Security Council got wind of the stories and got very close. We hide well, though. We have our own schools, medical centers, spies within the government, enabling us to stay one-step ahead. It is the one area our entire race agrees upon; we must stay hidden at all costs.”

Derrick stopped and glanced around the darkened park, thinking they should be getting home. But knew he needed to get to the scary part. The detail about his kind that fed the nightmares. “We protect our own no matter what. Until there’s a rogue. As I said, we are mostly peaceful, but we do have our psychos, as humans do. The only problem is when one of my kind is homicidal, they eat their victims.” She shuddered and he rushed to assure her. “Don’t get me wrong. We don’t crave humans. Humans don’t even smell like food. Believe me, if my kind really craved humans, the human race would have been extinct a long time ago.”