Dying to Date (9 page)

Did she think he was acting? He might be. After all, there had to be more to the story than a necromancer desiring a vampire and deciding to date her. But if he hadn’t helped his grandfather kidnap her, then what reason would he have for pretending to want her?

In a relationship wrought with lies, perhaps that one detail was true. Maybe he did want her just as much as she did him. A wave of relief surged through her, so strong it nearly sent her to her knees. She hadn’t admitted, even to herself, how much she wanted this one thing to be true. Knowing she hadn’t been the only one caught in the whirlwind of desire that claimed her every time they touched gave her strength. In this, at least, they were on even footing.

“Melissa,” he said, giving her a little shake.

“All right,” she yielded. “You want me.”

Some of the tension eased from his body. “That’s something at least.”

“Doesn’t change anything,” she forced herself to say. He didn’t need to know how much she’d wanted to hear their time together had mattered, even if only in a physical way.

“Nothing important,” he agreed. His fingers found her chin and tipped her face up toward his. “But at least you know you’ve got the power to bring a necromancer to his knees.”

“That silver tongue of yours will get you in trouble.”

“Maybe you’ll believe me one day.” He pulled her close, his mouth a tantalizing breath away from hers.

“Sure, when the sun rises in the West. But I wouldn’t hold my breath if I were you.”

“Maddening woman.”

“My middle name.”

A smile tugged at his lips as he drew fingers down her cheek. “We need to get back on the road.”

“Miles to go and all that.” It would be so easy to close the distance. To press her lips to his and let him block out the world for another few moments. Her gaze flicked to his lips.

“Exactly.”

Step back,
she ordered herself.
You have more willpower than this.

Unfortunately.

Melissa stepped out of his hold, mourning the loss of his touch even as she tried to convince herself she didn’t. Her body didn’t care what Tarian was. All it wanted was more of his pleasure-inspiring touches.

Grabbing the plastic bag from the ground, she headed for the car. With every step she felt Tarian at her back like a silent shadow. One she was far too attuned to.

Though to give credit where it was due, the silence in the car was far less uncomfortable when they pulled back onto the road. Instead of brooding over Tarian using her for his own purposes, her mind had his kiss on repeat. If only he could shake her distrust as easily as he stirred her libido, this trip might not be the nightmare she’d feared.

…

He’d made a mistake. He shouldn’t have kissed her. Shouldn’t have given in to temptation.

In the grand scheme of things, the feelings of two beings made no difference whatsoever. They had a mission to complete. One that did not necessitate any more contact than was needed to ensure their survival.

He’d had no reason to kiss her.

Except she’d looked at him with such loathing. Such distrust. It should be nothing new. After all, he’d destroyed his fair share of her species over the years. But he’d never held one first. Never seen the way they laughed, enjoyed the sound of their voice, hungered for their touch.

Not until Melissa.

With her, he couldn’t separate what he knew had to be done and what he wanted to do for his selfish own ends. The opinions of her kind never mattered to him—except this time it was everything.

He didn’t want her to hate him.

Tarian closed his eyes at the ridiculous thought. Their happy ending would be reaching New York and having Melissa warm up to him enough to stop the axe that was about to fall on his people. Nothing more. Her forgiveness was not part of the equation.

And then she’d looked at him, her expression so lost he’d reacted without thinking. All that mattered was wiping the desolation off her face.

Now he had to pay the price. The taste of her lingered on his lips. The memory of her fingers sliding through his hair, her body pressing intimately against his, ran on a constant loop in his mind. And, like a starving man, he craved more.

Get a grip
. He could keep his hands to himself, and not give her yet another reason to dislike his race. This mission was too important to entangle with inconvenient feelings. More than just their lives depended on their success.

I will be strong,
he promised. Strong enough to protect her from anything.

Even himself.

Chapter Nine

Melissa couldn’t remember ever being as happy to see a Motel 6 sign as she was right then. They’d spent the last half an hour looking for a place to stop for the night and though the silence had been far more companionable since their stop, a break from Tarian would be a welcome respite.

“Motel just ahead,” she said.

Tarian turned to follow her pointing finger. “Just in time.”

The dawn tugged at the edges of her senses, reminding her soon she’d have to seek shelter. The motel was as good a place as any. With a bit of luck, she’d be in her own room, away from the addicting necromancer in no time. She needed some distance before they got back on the road tomorrow. Tarian would be able to trap her with sweet words and tantalizing caresses if she wasn’t careful, and she didn’t want to stumble into any more mistakes where the man was concerned. Time apart would give her a chance to breathe and harden her resolve to keep her hands to herself.

As she drove into the parking lot she noted the large number of cars. “We might have to find something else,” she said.

Tarian checked his watch. “Let’s grab anything they have. We’re pressing our luck if we keep looking.”

“Next time you flee a pack of maniacs, stop to grab a cell with Google Maps.”

“I’ll make a note of that,” he drawled.

He probably doesn’t want me around a phone,
she mused. Smart man. Though she wouldn’t call for a rescue, she’d never promised not to contact her family to let them know she was safe. Surely there was no harm in that.

Hotels have phones.
She just needed to wait until Tarian gave her an opening.

Tarian pulled the motel door open for her as they walked into reception. A sleepy night clerk jerked upright when they entered.

“Welcome to Motel 6,” he said. “Checking in?”

“Do you have any rooms available for the day? I know the timing is awkward.”

“When will you be checking out?” the receptionist said, glancing at the clock.

“Sunset,” Melissa replied.

“I’ll have to bill you for two nights.” He shrugged in apology. “Or you can wait and check in at noon.”

“Two nights is fine,” Tarian replied. “Do you have a room?”

“Two rooms,” Melissa put in.

The clerk checked his computer before nodding. “There’s one standard king bed non-smoking available.”

“Anything else?” Melissa asked. “Or at least something with separate beds?”

A few more clicks of the mouse were followed by a headshake. “All booked. That’s our last room.”

Of course it was. Melissa wondered if she could shake her fists at the universe without having her sanity questioned. Looked like her bad luck had struck again.

“The king is fine,” Tarian said as he pulled out his wallet. “Paying by cash.”

After only a few minutes, the receptionist handed over the key. “Second floor, on your right,” he said.

Melissa followed Tarian into the elevator. Though it wasn’t the outcome she’d counted on, at least they’d secured shelter from the sun.

That left only one other rising problem.

“This isn’t too bad,” Tarian said as he unlocked their room. “The curtains look thick. You should be safe for the day.”

“Excellent news,” she said, eying the phone on the bed stand.

The room was far more spacious than their last one. At least this motel boasted a cheap level of cleanliness and comfort. If worse came to worse, she could sleep in the small closet to escape the daylight.

“We can get back on the road as soon as you wake,” he told her.

“Sounds like a plan. Want to use the shower first?”

His lips curved as he moved away from the window. “I can do that after you’re out,” he said. Reaching the side table, he grabbed the phone and disconnected the plug and phone jack. “Not that you were trying to get rid of me, I’m sure.”

Melissa sighed. “Is that really necessary?”

He turned back to her, phone in hand. “Do you trust me?”

She stayed silent.

“Then it’s necessary. Can’t risk angering your vengeful father more than he already is.”

He opened the door and disappeared into the hall.

She chewed on her lower lip, debating whether a phone call was worth fighting over. He didn’t have her vampiric strength after all. If he didn’t use his magic, she could overpower him.

But that was a dangerous “if” to bet on.

Tarian reappeared, his hands empty. For a moment he simply watched her, back against the closed door.

“Make any decisions?” he asked.

She turned away, not liking that he could read her thoughts so easily. “I don’t want to fight again.” Ignoring him, she crossed to the wide bed and collapsed backward onto it, bouncing twice on the springy mattress. The tight muscles in her body unwound, as if she’d been waiting for this moment the whole night trapped in the cramped car. It felt so good to simply stretch.

Closing her eyes, she tried to block out her partner and enjoy a few moments of respite.

The mattress dipped beside her, and she opened one eye to see Tarian, one arm bent to keep him upright while he lay by her side.

She’d been speaking the truth when she’d said she didn’t want to fight. It took too much energy she didn’t have. Instead, she allowed her eyelids to fall once more and avoided thinking about the man beside her.

Silence stretched, wrapping around them far more intimately than it had in the car. She supposed that’s what happened when you added a bed into the equation.

She didn’t want to open her eyes. Didn’t want to acknowledge him. Just for a moment she wished she could push pause on the chaos she’d been dragged into. Three days ago she’d been doodling his name on her files, and now he was both her enemy and her rescuer. The ground was shifting beneath her feet, and she had no idea how to regain her balance.

There were a thousand questions she should put to him. Information she should seek about Dominic and the rebel necromancers. About their trip and what would happen when they reached safety. About him and the reason he’d dated her in the first place.

But it was a far different question that slipped passed her lips.

“Would you ever have told me what you are?”

He didn’t reply immediately, and she didn’t open her eyes. The question was revealing. It showed a vulnerability she’d rather have kept hidden. But exhaustion and the intimate silence were working against her.

“I don’t know.”

A curious pang twisted in her chest. His answer shouldn’t hurt. He was a necromancer, after all. No matter what they’d started in the city, she could never be with him in the way she’d planned. It shouldn’t matter that he’d never intended to be honest in their relationship.

“You wouldn’t have given me the slightest chance had you known the truth.”

“No,” she agreed. She would have run from him as fast as her feet could carry her. “So why’d you do it?” She opened her eyes and turned her head toward him. “Was it just to see if you could get the better of a lonely vampire desperate for a little attention?”

He didn’t so much as blink as she threw back the words he’d used at Dominic’s dinner. Until she’d asked her question, she hadn’t even realized how heavily the phrase had weighed on her. No matter what game he’d been playing when they’d first met, she didn’t want him to see her as some desperate vampire he could use for his own amusement.

“I came after you to stop a war,” he said instead, avoiding her question. “I would have come for any vampire in your position.”

She didn’t flinch. Points to her.

Tarian reached out to touch her cheek. “But my good intentions don’t account for the panic I felt when I heard you were gone.”

Melissa held still, waiting for him to continue.

“I lied about my species,” he told her. “But never, not even for a moment, did I lie about wanting you. You’re not just some lonely vampire I used to entertain myself.”

A painful hope tugged at her even as she tried to battle it back with reason. “I’d be a fool to believe your words,” she said.

“Doesn’t make them less true.”

Not for the first time, Melissa felt out of her depth. For years she’d watched her father play every political and strategic game known to man, but they hadn’t prepared her for Tarian. How much of what he told her was a lie, and how much was truth? He’d promised not to use his magic on her so long as she stayed with him. Seducing her would be an easy way to bring her under his control. His attraction might be real, but that wouldn’t stop him from using it to his advantage.

She had to be strong. To keep him at arms length. If she couldn’t believe him, then she had to avoid letting her libido take charge. Tarian was one temptation that could be hazardous to her health. And heart.

“I need to go out,” she said, pushing up from the bed and the clinging intimacy it inspired.

“What?” he asked as he sat up. “Dawn is coming up fast.”

“I know. But a girl’s gotta eat.”

Understanding lit his eyes. “You’re hungry.”

“Gold star.” She threaded her fingers through her hair. “I’ve only had one small glass of blood in two nights.”

“We’re not exactly in an urban center.”

Melissa shrugged. “I have to find something. Surely there’ll be early morning joggers or someone I can snack on. You have to love athletes. They’re like drinking a diet.” When he arched a skeptical brow she added, “Plus there’s always the clerk downstairs if I get desperate.”

“Or there’s a far easier solution.” He tugged off his jacket.

“No.”

Tarian arched a brow. “You’re hungry. I’m offering.”

Longing snaked through her before she battled it back. “I’m not feeding from you.”

“Give me a good reason why not?”

Because feeding was intimate, and she couldn’t handle more “intimate” with this man. The tiny taste she’d had in the alley still weighed heavily on her mind. All she had to do was glance at his neck, and she wanted to lick her lips in anticipation.

“Legend says drinking more than a drop or two of necromancer blood gives them power over us,” she said instead.

A harsh laugh broke from him. “Look at your history books, Melissa. Your people did a damn fine job of drinking half my race dry. As we are the ones hiding in rural towns, I think you can safely assume there are no ill effects to drinking our blood. Now quit stalling. You’re starving.”

Her stomach rumbled as if to punctuate his words.

“I can hold out till tomorrow night,” she said instead. “When I’ll have more time to hunt.”

“If you starve, you’re too young to control the bloodlust it will inspire.”

She narrowed her eyes. The damn man wasn’t wrong, but no one liked having their weaknesses thrown in their face.

Melissa paced the length of the room. Going hunting this close to dawn was never a safe option. Nor was leaving bite marks on the clerk.

But she didn’t trust herself with Tarian, even if the thought of sinking her fangs into him did fill her with a surge of possessive delight.

Just think of him as any random stranger in your past
, she ordered herself.
A meal is a meal. Don’t make it into more than food. A few gulps and that’s it. Home free.

“Come here, Melissa.”

She turned to see him holding out a hand to her. Still she hesitated. She wanted to hate him. Wanted to rail at him for making her feel small and foolish. And instead her mouth watered, and her body yearned to go to him.

“I’m running out of ways to say no.”

“Think about this logically. This is the safest choice.”

“I’ve never been a room service kind of girl. I’d rather go out for a bite.”

He shook his head. “Don’t be ridiculous. You know I’m right.”

She fought back the urge to hiss at him. “Indeed. I suppose I should be grateful you’re not making me beg at your feet for a meal, necromancer.”

His expression blanked.

Hot shame tore through her even as she tried to tell herself it didn’t matter that she’d tossed his generous offer back in his face. She shouldn’t care about a necromancer’s feelings. Shouldn’t be caught in this confusing situation in the first place. But logic didn’t erase the fact that she did care about the disappointment she read in his eyes.

“Dammit,” she said, whirling to turn her back to him. “This isn’t fair.”

She hated to show weakness in front of an enemy, and yet her body was betraying her. Dawn pulled at her senses, reminding her of the ever-ticking clock that was her reality. If she was going to feed, it had to be soon.

Gentle hands smoothed over her shoulders, and she stiffened. She hadn’t even heard him move she was so agitated.

“I know,” he whispered against her ear, his voice low. “There is very little about this situation I can make right. But this, Melissa, is something I can give you.”

“Doesn’t this unnerve you?” she asked. “We have our fears of necromancers but you have some of us as well. Our fangs are our greatest weapon.”

His thumb brushed over her nape. “I trust you not to drain me.”

Brave or naive?
she wondered, turning in his arms. She could take him out. Leave his corpse in the closet and take her chances on her own. But even as the thought crossed her mind, she knew she couldn’t do it.

Because I need him to stop Lucian from raining havoc down on us all,
she told herself. Not because she’d miss him.

A wry smile twisted his lips. “Think of it this way. In another life, we probably would have ended up here eventually.”

She knew what he meant. If Dominic hadn’t interfered, they’d be happily dating in New York instead of trekking across the country. She’d be gossiping with Abbey about her excellent match and counting down the hours until she could see him again.

She’d be thinking she’d finally found her mate.

Sorrow shook her as she mourned that shattered life, which would never exist again. The necromancers had done more than kidnap her. They’d also robbed her of a relationship she’d waited decades to find.

“You would have let me bite you?” she asked. “Even without me knowing what you were?”

“Our blood doesn’t taste different from any other run-of-the-mill immortal,” he replied. “There would be no danger in it.”