Dalakis Passion 4 - Eternal Brothers (19 page)

prominent against the white of her skin. The thought that he might never touch her soft
flesh again, never feel her beneath his hands and his mouth almost brought him to his
knees. She was already a part of him and he needed her more than he needed his next
breath.
"I followed him one night and before he could drain his victim of blood, I..." Zane
swallowed hard and blinked away the salty tears stinging his eyes. The dark, garbage-
filled alleyway was as vivid in his memory as it was that night. The night air had been
cool and his boots had made no sound as he'd stepped over the refuse. The stench had
filled his nostrils, permeating his flesh. Even after all these years, some nights he swore
he could still smell the odor on his skin.
"I drove a stake through his heart. He didn't die. Not right away." Blood had
spurted everywhere, covering his father's chest, covering Zane's hands. "He turned and
faced me, staggering toward me. For a minute, he seemed like his old self and he smiled
at me, told me he was proud of me and then told me to finish the job."
He ignored Sophia's stifled sobs, rushing to finish the story. "As I drew the ancient
sword that I'd brought with me, he told me to find the rest of my family.
Told me to
read his journal.
Then I killed him."
Those four simple words said so much, yet so little. He'd been forced to slay his
own father, and in doing so, he'd sentenced his own mother to death. Zane could still
feel the whoosh of the blade as it split the night air, the feel of flesh and bone being
severed like a hot knife though butter. His father's body had hovered in the air before
simply crumpling. The head had rolled to Zane's feet, the sightless eyes staring up at
him.
"I burned the body and then returned to our home."
"Your mother was dead as well." The sympathy in Laurel Rose's voice almost
shattered his tenuous composure.
He sucked in a painful breath. "As you know, your life is connected to that of your
spouse. When one dies, so does the other."
"Oh my God," Sophia whispered under her breath, but Zane could hear it as if
she'd yelled it. Surely she'd scorn him now. A man--no, a creature--who'd killed his
own father and mother.
"I gathered my belongings and burned our house to the ground." The flames had
shot up into the sky, lighting it for miles around. He didn't tell them that he'd trashed
the place first, destroying the crystal chandeliers, the fancy dishes and silk dresses his
father had bought to try to make Zane's mother smile. He'd taken the ancient, jewel-
encrusted family sword, the one he'd used to kill his sire, and slashed the furniture and
the drapes, trying to dispel the fury that had filled him. He hadn't even been sure he
was going to burn the house itself until he'd knocked over a candlestick and it had set
his own bed ablaze. It had seemed fitting somehow to let it all burn.
Ashes to ashes.
Dust to dust.
"Did you ever find your family?" Delight was curled up close to her husband, his
arm tight around her.
"Yes." He'd known who his family was for years. "It was all there in my father's
journal, just as he'd promised."
"Who are they?" Stefan was staring hard at him now.
The resemblance was there, but one important piece of the puzzle was missing.
Zane reached up and plucked the color contact lenses out. The hard emerald-green eyes
that stared back at him from both men were very familiar. They'd been his father's eyes.
And they were the same eyes that stared back at him from the mirror every morning of
his entire life.
"I was born Zane
Dalakis
. My father and your father were brothers. I am your
cousin."
Chapter Fourteen
Sophia tried to concentrate on finishing another article, but it was almost
impossible. The words blurred in front of her eyes and her focus was shot. She pushed
away from her computer and leaned back in her chair. She was so tired, but she knew
she wouldn't sleep. Heaven only knows she'd already tried. But all she'd done was toss
and turn in her bed while her mind tried to make some sense out of everything that had
happened.
After dropping his bombshell, Zane had barely given the
Dalakis
family time to
acknowledge him before he was insisting that the men needed to go out into the city
and try to stop another murder from taking place. He'd ignored her attempts to try to
talk to him alone and she'd finally given up, knowing that their need to stop the crazed
murderer who was running around was more important then her personal life.
In the end, Zane and Stefan had gone out to scour the city, especially the cemeteries.
Lucian had remained at home to protect the women. Just before dawn, Stefan had
returned.
Alone.
Sophia had tried to hide the pain that Zane's rejection had caused, but
she knew from the sympathetic glances the others had given her that she hadn't been
successful.
They'd found another body sometime around four in the morning. Just like Janice
Barton, this woman had both wrists slit and her neck cut. All her blood had been
drained from her body. Once again, a piece of paper had been place by the victim with
the
Dalakis
name on it. Stefan had confiscated it and placed an anonymous call to the
police. Then both men had hidden in the shadows, watching and listening until they'd
had to leave with the coming of the dawn.
Cassidy had shown up just as the
Dalakis
family was retiring for the day. He'd
informed them that Blythe was still asleep in his apartment. Once he'd been brought up
to speed on the situation, she'd decided to leave even though Cassidy had tried to talk
her out of it.
Sophia had felt very alone as the former cop had spirited her out a back gate and
taken her several streets over where he'd put her in a cab to send her home. She had the
cell phone numbers of the
Dalakis
family and Cassidy, but she still had no idea how to
reach Zane.
Sophia pushed out of her chair and wandered over to her bulletin board, her gaze
locked on the information and pictures she'd placed there. Her heart ached for the latest
victim and her family. They were innocent pawns in a battle they knew nothing about.
Sophia didn't know the woman's name yet, but she'd spent part of her day at the police
station getting the facts and writing more articles. She wanted to do her part and had
encouraged the public to come forward if anyone had seen anything. It was a long shot,
but it was something.
She cursed as she whirled away from the board. She'd kept busy all day, trying not
to think about Zane and if she'd ever see him again. After last night, she couldn't be
sure. She'd thought they'd shared something special, but then again, her track record
with men was abysmal. Maybe all his talk about them having a connection was just
that--talk.
She rubbed her breastbone, trying to ignore the ache in her heart. Every word he'd
spoken last night was burned into her memory. His pain had cut through her even as
his increasing distance had added to it.
The sun had gone done over two hours ago and she still hadn't heard anything
from Zane. Not that she expected to.
Oh heck, who did she think she was fooling? Closing her tired eyes, she scrubbed
her hands over them. She blinked, but they still felt gritty. Sophia could use about
twelve hours of uninterrupted sleep, but that wasn't likely to happen anytime soon. Her
mind was way too active and she was unable to shut off her thoughts long enough to
allow sleep to take hold.
Besides that, she freely admitted she was nervous about being alone. She, who
prided herself on her ability to survive on her own, was afraid to close her eyes. The
phone calls had unnerved her. She was certain they were from the murderer and that
had her startling at every single sound. The police had wanted her to leave town for a
while, but she'd refused. This was her home and, besides which, she had a job to do. It
had absolutely nothing to do with the fact that Zane was here.
Coffee.
That was what she needed. She was so wired from all the caffeine she'd
already consumed today that another jolt wouldn't hurt her. Her mind wandered as she
made her way into the kitchen. She hadn't eaten hardly anything today and, while she
still had no appetite, she knew she had to eat, if only to keep her strength up. Except her
cupboards hadn't changed any in the past few days and they still didn't contain
anything remotely edible.
Sighing, she turned on her heel and headed for the front door. She'd take herself
out to eat. Right now, she wouldn't mind being in a crowded café, surrounded by other
people. She paused and chewed on her bottom lip. But she'd have to come home alone
after that and that didn't appeal to her at all.
She wanted to scream in frustration. This was so unlike her. She was usually so
decisive and in control. "Get a grip on
yourself
," she muttered. "Zane isn't coming, so
you might as well get over it and move on. You're on your own just like you've always
been."
And that's what hurt the most. She'd almost started to believe that Zane might be
the real deal. Maybe he'd be a man she could count on.
A man who would stay.
Boy, had she been mistaken. He'd taken off as soon as things got tough.
A hard knock sounded on her front door and she jumped, glaring at the portal. Her
heart was pounding so hard she could feel it knocking against her ribs. Sucking in a
deep breath, she slowly released it, striving for calm. Ignoring the fact that her legs were
trembling and her hands were unsteady, she went to the door and looked out through
the peephole.
She leaned her head against the door and sighed. She wasn't ready for this. Not
now.
"I know you're in there." She could hear Zane's voice easily even though a door
separated them. "Open up, Sophia."
"I'm busy." It might be cowardly, but she just couldn't deal with him right now.
Her emotions were too close to the surface. She had no idea what she might say or do.
"I won't stay." Well, his intentions were certainly clear enough. Straightening her
shoulders, she made sure her T-shirt was tucked into her jeans and ran a hand through
her hair before she turned the locks on the door. She wasn't primping, she assured
herself. She just wanted to present a cool, composed image.
Yanking the door open, she knew she was lost. He looked worse than she did. His
green eyes were bloodshot and his face appeared pale. He was clad in a black T-shirt
that was pulled tight across his shoulders. The fabric was taut around his biceps,
emphasizing their size. She knew that the shirt hid a rock-hard set of abs and an
impressive chest. Her fingers itched to touch him, to soothe him. His jeans were dark as
well, and molded to his muscular thighs, drawing her eyes all the way down to his
scuffed boots and then back up again. When she realized she was staring, she shook
herself and forced herself to look back at his face.
He made no attempt to step inside her apartment, but waited.
She stared at him, held spellbound by his eyes. She'd known that the muddy brown
eyes hadn't suited him, but the brilliant green did.
Sorcerer's eyes.
Beneath the power
and the hard façade, she could sense the uncertainty and it tugged at her heartstrings.
Stepping away from the door, she held it open.
Tension seemed to drain from Zane's large body as he stepped inside, taking the
time to close and lock the door behind him before he turned to her. "I wasn't sure you
would let me in." His gaze rolled over her, examining her from head to foot, lingering
on her breasts.
Sophia resisted the urge to cross her arms over her chest. She hadn't worn a bra and
now wished that she had. Zane had a way of making her feel totally undressed even
when she was decently covered. "You're the one who never came back last night. Not
me." She could have bitten her tongue the minute she'd uttered the words. Damn, she
hadn't meant to let him know that his actions had hurt her. Calm and cool. She repeated
the phrase like a mantra.
His dark brows came together, wrinkling his forehead. "I didn't think you'd want
to see me."
She shrugged and turned away.
"Doesn't matter."
She almost choked on those two
words. The pain in the region of her heart said otherwise. "Look." She rubbed her tired
eyes, still not looking at him. "I know you've got things to do. I don't expect you to
hang around now that you've gotten what you came for."
A heavy hand clamped down on her shoulder, spinning her around. He didn't look
tired any longer. No, Zane's lips were pursed tight into a frown and his eyes were
glittering
with barely suppressed anger. It amazed her how well she could read him.
"What do you think I came for?"
"Information." Sophia tried to shrug off his hand, but his fingers tightened slightly,
not hurting her, but not letting her escape from him either. She ignored the butterflies in
her stomach and the sexual tension building within her. It was chemistry, nothing more.
"You know everything that I know."
His expression became shuttered. She felt shut off from him even more. She had to
get him out of here before she fell totally apart and begged him not to leave.
Straightening her spine, she ignored the dampness coating her panties, resisted the urge
to rub her body against his. She could feel the heat pouring off his large frame, could
smell his unique scent, a combination of musk, sandalwood and pure male essence that
made her mouth water. Her nipples were standing at attention. There was no way he
couldn't see them pressing against her shirt. That couldn't be helped, but she'd be
damned if she'd acknowledge it.
"If you have an email account, I can just send you any information I get. There's no
need for you to come back here again."
"No need." His voice was little more than a guttural growl.
She swallowed hard, fighting back the swell of tears with pure force of will. "Look,
you made it more than obvious last night that you don't care to see me anymore. That's
fine by me."
This time she did pull away from him. She stared out the small window in her
living room, watching the dark street below, trying to distance herself from the pain