Run the Gantlet (2 page)

Do not fight it. It is meant to be.”

His vampire father had merely shrugged his shoulders. “It is fate and you must deal with it.”

Vampires were pragmatic. Things were either black or white. The problem was, the more mortal blood in his veins, the harder it was to be pragmatic.

Then there were the dreams. Arrow had seen the woman’s face in his dreams so many times that he knew every line and every curve of her almost as wel as his own. Problem was his dreams never told him when she would appear and Arrow just did not expect it to be today. His hands curled into fists. Damn fate. He had been having the worst luck lately and this just added to it. After he had managed to extricate himself from the mess in Serawych, he had hoped for some peace, easy sex and uncomplicated blood flow, but no, he had to deal with some puny-assed human. “I am just not in the mood for this today.” But then any day would not be good as far as Arrow was concerned. This was going to screw up his life. “I just know it.” She was almost upon him.

Arrow could feel it. The overwhelming urge to take off grabbed at him. He sighed. If he had learned nothing else Arrow knew running got him nowhere. He had to face life and deal with it.

For centuries most of his lovers were happy to provide whatever he needed from them. Arrow cal ed no one his and so far that had worked for him. Yes, he had been lonely but not enough that he wanted to take on a woman ful -time in his life. That was just wrong for a vampire. They needed freedom to be, do and take whatever they desired when they wanted it. If he believed the curse that was muttered by the Scottish woman a thousand years ago he was going to be stuck with not only the dreaded monogamy but mortality as wel . Neither concept worked for Arrow. He was seven hundred years old and he had grown accustomed to his lifestyle. “I am not going to change for some flibbertigibbet of a mortal.” The scent of the approaching woman fil ed the air.

Lilacs and roses. Old-fashioned yet beautiful. Al of Arrow’s senses were on red alert. He knew he had to be careful how he handled this.

“Damn it, why me?” That was the part he stil did not get. Why out of al the possible choices of mortal men had he been marked as the one? His mother, also a mortal, had simply smiled and explained that some things were destined to be and that he could not fight his fate. He had been born to love her. His mother’s words stil echoed in his ears. Born for one person alone? Love? That was crazy. After seven hundred years of walking the Earth and enjoying the delights of many women, Arrow had almost forgotten the whole business with the Scottish wench. Until now.

When the woman came into view, Arrow swore.
That would be right
. Make her luscious just to make it harder. Her spiked heels clattered to a stop before him.

“Oh no fucking way.” Her eyes were wide with shock and disgust.

Arrow was angry at her look of disdain. It made him feel as if he lacked something and no woman had ever made him feel that way before.

“Hey, it’s not like I want you either, mortal, so just keep moving.” Though how she did in those ridiculous ankle boots was beyond Arrow. They were decorated with chains and studs and looked delicate but sturdy enough to kick in a wal with those sharply pointed toes. His eyes traced up the curved legs covered with net stockings to a gypsy black skirt that was cinched with a studded belt at her waist. The white gauzy peasant blouse she wore did nothing to hide the shape of her ful breasts. It was peasant Goth and yet it suited her.
And why the fuck can’t I look away from her
? Arrow was a past master of cool disinterest. Yet al he felt at that moment was his bal s tightening in anticipation.
No, not her. Down, boys.

“Touch me and I’l drop you like a rock.” She stood her ground, hands on hips and eyes narrowed.

Arrow snorted in amusement. She had to be kidding. She was five nothing to his six-foot-three frame. “That’s hysterical, shorty. I would be al over you before you could stop me.” Dark brown eyes looked back at him in anger as her crooked lips narrowed. She was no beauty but she was fascinating in a sensual way. Hot and wild—that was it.
Oh hell, what am I thinking?
I do not want this one.
Arrow held his hands up and away from his body. “I have no intention of touching you.” He deliberately bared his fangs but the woman did not flinch.

“Is that supposed to scare me, fang face?”

Okay, that was cute
. The way she said “fang face” made Arrow smile. “You talk tough.” He normal y liked that in women. It made their surrender so much sweeter.

“I am tough.” She tossed her hair in dismissal. “Now be a good little vampire and let me pass.”

As much as Arrow wanted to do exactly that, he had to admit the idea of toying with her a bit would be fun.
Good little vampire?
She had spirit. He had to give her that. Arrow did not believe he had to be a slave to a curse but he wanted to check this woman out just for the hel of it before she moved on.

“Or what? You’l drop me?” Before he could move she lashed out and kicked him in the shin. “Hey!”
Yep, those points hurt.
He was immortal but not immune to pain and he had not seen that coming.

“And there’s more from where that came from, fang face.” She looked quite pleased with herself.

“You know it might just be worth taking you to teach you a lesson.” Arrow was pleased when he saw just a hint of fear in her gaze. As much as he liked feisty women, he knew they were never as tough as they seemed.

“Oh please.” She rol ed her eyes at him. “Neither of us wants to be stuck with the other for an eternity, now do we?”

She was right. While his mother had believed in the idea of true love, it didn’t mean Arrow did. If they had sex, then technical y that fulfil ed the first part of the Scottish woman’s curse. Why tempt fate? Arrow was not looking for a wife. Besides she looked liked the cranky kind and he preferred women to kiss and not kick him. And despite the whole immortal thing, Arrow wasn’t the forever kind when it came to women and he was wel aware what would happen if they mated.

“So back off, fang face.”

Arrow leaned back against a wal . He had to be calm. He now knew who she was. That was good. He knew who to avoid in future. He would get the hel out of Brisbane, Australia, before he had to see her again. Arrow stopped and thought about that.
Why should I leave town?
He had found a gang of fel ow vampires here who amused him.
I will just avoid her. I can do that. There are other women much more alluring than her.
Though his mind could tel him one thing, his body was tel ing him another and it wanted her.

“Pass by, mortal. I wil not touch you.” Arrow adjusted his stance to relieve the sudden pressure on his cock. It was hard to believe being kicked in the shin was a turn-on to him.

“Lucky for you.”

“You do know we’l meet again.” They were doomed that way.

Eloise blew out a deep sigh. “Yeah, I do.”

So it weighed on her mind as it did his. “How long do you think you can hold out?” Arrow was aware how much the personal cost of this curse was on her.

“Forever.” Her words were firm and in control. “I‘m stubborn and a woman so I have more patience than you.”

Arrow snorted. “So you’re never gonna have sex?” He saw the shock on her face. “Oh yeah, I know the curse as wel as you, shorty. You remain a virgin until I take you. No other man can touch you.” The woman spluttered in indignation. Where had the feisty shin kicker gone? Arrow’s gaze roamed her breasts. It was a damn shame to leave this one untouched. His cock tightened a little further at the knowledge of how tight she would be holding him inside her body.

“Oh I’ve been touched a lot,” she told him in defiance.

“Your own hands don’t count and never by me, shorty.” And suddenly Arrow wanted to touch and taste. He just knew her blood would be superb. And that body? Infinitely fuckable. This was his woman and—
Head slap. What the hell am I thinking? I can’t touch her. Stop thinking with your cock.

“What?” she backed away from him as if she sensed his thoughts.

“Nothing.”
Everything. I don’t know. Stop looking at her breasts, man.

Her arms automatical y crossed over her chest. “Don’t even think about it.”

“Hey, I’m a vampire I natural y have romance in my soul.” That was his one downfal . He loved everything about women.

“And I’m descended from the kings of Scotland, fang face, and I wil kick your ass if you even think of trying that romance shit on me.”

Romance shit?
Arrow laughed
. This is my soul mate
? He loved a chal enge such as this lady presented. There could be worse fates than being linked to mortal.

“Piss off and leave me alone.”

“Trust me I plan to.” Arrow knew he had to work at directing his blood flow back to his brain.

“Good.” She stomped off past him.

Eloise was shaking so hard she had to stop and lean against the brick wal in between two shops. That encounter had unnerved her more than she imagined it would. First, it confirmed what she had read. Not al vampires were susceptible to sunlight. It depended on how long they had been around.

Madam Cherylene had said “ancient”. Of course Madam Cherylene probably thought anything from the 1960s was “ancient”.

Eloise suspected this particular vampire was old but not overly so. She had forced herself to read up on vampires, believing forewarned was indeed forearmed. She knew vampires were either cursed as such or born from a mortal-vampire union and that these individuals had the ability to adapt and evolve with the times. Despite al her research the one thing that Eloise hadn’t expected was a wild, intense need to touch him. She had been so worried about meeting him that need had not been an issue to consider.

“Where the hel did that come from?” she muttered as she tried to control her breathing. Her heart was racing. The vampire was drop-dead gorgeous. Ash blond, col ar-length hair, sexy blue eyes and a body she wanted to crawl al over and lick. There were so many naughty things a woman could do with a man like that. Eloise had a feeling he would encourage al of them. “What am I thinking?” She slapped her forehead. “Snap out of it. He’s bad for you.”

“Do you know what I was thinking?”

Eloise shrieked when the bad vampire in question suddenly appeared at her side. She had heard they were quick. Eloise wil ed herself not to move. This was al about being strong and avoiding temptation. If she flinched she was doomed. Her eyes moved down his body. He was expensively dressed in a fine black leather jacket, black silk shirt and—
Whoa
! His black trousers did nothing to hide the large bulge at his groin. Eloise swal owed hard. That could not be for her, surely? She looked up at his eyes. The desire she saw both scared and excited her.

“Thinking? I’m happy you have a hobby. Now what part of ‘go away’ didn’t you understand?” Eloise knew, despite her bravado, she was in deep trouble.

This man—this vampire—had her total attention and what she was thinking of doing with him was beyond everything she had trained herself not to do or need.

“You’re a pissy little thing.”

“You have no idea, fang face.” She wanted to look away from him but that was impossible. It was like handing her chocolate and tel ing her not to eat it.

“Lets’ get this over and done with, shorty,” he said as he moved closer toward her. “Let’s do the deed.”

“Do the deed? Jeez, how romantic.” This was not how she imagined this would happen. Eloise had expected he would try to sweep her off her feet and that she would stoical y resist because she was too strong to give in to a flight of fancy muttered by a suicidal ancestress. The vampire was acting as if it were a business transaction that they could both walk away from and it wasn’t. That dented her ego. “You dazzle me with your charm—not.”

“Do you want charm, shorty?” He smiled widely. “I can charm the pants off you.”

Eloise did not doubt that for a second. He was al potent male and hard-bodied sex. Al her hormones were on red alert. They wanted one thing and her mind was slapping them into control. “Steady on, fang face. I’m not that desperate.”
My pants will stay on
.

“Come on.” He stood before her, leaving only the barest space between their bodies. “Think about it. We mate, have fantastic sex and then we move on.”

Uh-oh.
His hands went to ether side of her body on the wal behind her. Eloise felt dizzy.
Too close… oh but he smells fantastic and
… “Move on where?”

Was that her voice? Al breathless and low? “We’re screwed. We have to stay together for life when—I mean if—we mate.” When had this become a

“when” situation? Her eyes went to his. Eloise saw the amusement within and something else.
Recognition? Uh-oh.
“I sure as hel do not want forever with you.”

“Shorty, I’m not about to hold you back, besides I don’t like clingy women.”

Eloise was affronted. She pushed at his chest.
Oh my
. Hot, male heat shot up her arms. “I’m not clingy.” She looked at his lips. How would they taste?

What?

“You look clingy.” He smiled. “Whatcha looking at?”

“You ever bite your own lip with those things?” The fangs did not bother her. She had thought they might but they were so much a part of him that they seemed natural and kind of sexy and…
Stop it.
Next thing she’d be kissing him.

“Thinking of kissing me, shorty?”

Whoa! Head spin.
“No.”
Maybe…possibly…no
.
Oh crap. I’m in deep trouble
. Eloise wanted to kiss him more than she wanted to push him away.

“Yeah you were.” He looked pleased. “I’m hot.”

“Oh for God’s sake. Talk about being arrogant.” He was right though. The vampire was hot and she was burning up just looking at him. What would it be like if she kissed him?

“Bet you can’t kiss me and walk away.”

The odds on that bet were lousy. “Oh I could.”
Sorta…probably not
. That was what terrified her. Eloise wanted to kiss him and there had been so few kissable men in her life.