To Love (Vampire Assassin League Book 21) (6 page)

“I’m trying to have a serious conversation here, Cullen.”

“Oh. Verra good. Serious.”

“Well, to do that I need you to cooperate such a smidge. You good with that?”

Marla turned back to him. Her heart did a palpitation she’d never felt before and wasn’t ready for. She almost slapped a hand to it. What was worse, his hand hit his chest exactly as she would have, at the exact moment she thought it.

“Cullen?”

“Ah. Thank the gods. You feel it, too,” he said.

“What?”

“The mate bond.”

“The...
what
bond?”

“Ah.
Ionmhainn.
It’s the Gaelic word for beloved. You are my mate. That is what
anam-charaid
means. Actually, it translates better as soul-mate. It is what every vampire craves. And what this one has finally found.”

Her brows rose. So did her temperature. The look he gave her was indescribable. She felt singed. Electrically zapped. And completely surrounded by all kinds of intensity. It was probably what a shock victim felt just before lightning hit. While on water. In a thunderstorm. She heard him speak again, but it sounded like it came from a long distance off.

“You look a bit peaked, lass. You’re na’ going to faint on me, are you?”

It might be a stone slab they sat atop. It looked hard. It would’ve felt harder if he hadn’t caught her to him.

Well. He’d done it. He’d told her. Not everything, but she knew the basics. She took it well. She didn’t look like she’d faint. Or rage at him. Or react unfavorably. And she felt nice in his arms.

Very nice.

Cullen gazed into her dark eyes, trembled with how it felt to be close to her, but otherwise, didn’t move. It was a bit harder than he was used to. He’d stayed immobile and watchful for entire nights before. He’d never had this experience, though. Having his mate and regaining sensation was such a gift. The tremor had emotion behind it that he had difficulty stanching.

Then she sighed. It was a pretty heavy one. Air brushed his chin, throat, chest, and then it got troublesome as she licked her lips before she looked away.

“All right. I believe you.”

“That’s nice.”

“You aren’t lying.”

“Of course na’. A Corrick clansman never lies. We might embroider about the truth a bit, but that’s the extent of it.”

She pushed on his shoulder. Cullen actually released his hold. It wasn’t easy. She wavered in place as she regained her seat. And then she pulled in a large breath. He matched it. It still felt unbelievable. He was afraid if she looked up she’d mistake the expression on his face. She’d wanted seriousness. So he complied again. And then she started speaking and sent his heart into palpitations that hurt.

“I...really should be going. Um. It’s been really nice. Last night was...well. I can’t really describe it, but uh...I think I should go. Crap. I don’t even know where I am. I’ll probably need my passport. That’s going to be difficult. But, what the heck. I’ll worry about that when I have to. First things first. Where is the door?”

“We canna’ go out yet, lass. It’s still daylight.”

“Give it a rest, Cullen. Okay?”

She was moving away from him, using the edge of his
feile breacan
to slide atop the stone slab. Cullen grabbed at the mass of plaid in his lap and that stopped her. For a moment. She just scooted off the material and onto bare stone.

“Give what a rest?” he asked.

“Your story.”

He growled. His fangs tingled as the sound throbbed outward. She flashed a glance to him, eyes wide. And then she looked away again. He hadn’t meant it to sound as menacing as it did.

“Please don’t tell me you’re going to turn into a male chauvinistic asshole now. I think I have enough to deal with already.”

“The lone thing I might turn into is a vampire. As I just told you.”

“I really can’t deal with this, Cullen. Not right now. I mean, I was open to the idea of a new beginning. Starting a new chapter in my life. But meeting a guy who thinks he’s a vampire is a little off the map. A lot more than I was envisioning. Okay?”

“I do na’ think it, Marla Sanders. I am a vampire. I swear it. I am over seven centuries old. I’m immortal. And I have certain powers. One of them is speed. I can move so rapidly it’s akin to flight. Surely you noted that last eve?”

She shook her head. She didn’t look at him.

“No? Then explain what happened at Stonehenge. You were there. You took the stake from my back. You saved me. If I was na’ immortal, I would have died.”

“I’m not a doctor. I don’t know. Maybe you received excellent emergency care.”

“I’ve
nae
wound, lass. No scar. Na’ so much as a scratch. Would you be carin’ to check?”

“Don’t do this, Cullen. Please?”

“I do na’ understand. You just said you believe me.”

“No. I said you weren’t lying.”

“Are we speaking the same language? Because none of this is making sense to me,
Ionmhainn.
”

She sighed again. This one ruffled the material before her, lifting dust motes. It wasn’t his shroud. He hadn’t had one. There hadn’t been a body to bury or mourn, although they searched years for him after his supposed escape. This shroud had been crafted after Culloden. He watched it waver and then it stilled. The material was in need of cleaning and starting to show its age. She was right. It was about time he moved to a better abode.

But not without her.

“Please don’t call me that,” she whispered.

“But, it’s true. I have walked the face of the earth for centuries. Undead. Isolated. Alone. The only thing that could change that was finding my mate. My beloved. You, Marla Sanders. You are my
anam-charaid.
”

“We just met, Cullen. Nobody falls in love that quickly.”

“Are you saying last night did na’ happen?” he countered.

She shook her head again.

“Then you’re claiming it meant...little?”

He didn’t realize how he’d tensed up for her reply until she shook her head again. The relief was tangible. Just about every muscle felt it as they uncoiled and cooled.

“Then what are you saying?”

“I’m saying that you aren’t lying. You fully believe you’re a vampire. You also believe you’re seven hundred years old. That’s what I said. That’s what I meant.”

Cullen smiled. Stretched. Used the time to elongate his canines. He’d have a slight slur when he spoke, but that couldn’t be helped.

“I am a vampire, Marla-love. It isn’t a belief. It’s
nae
story. It’s a fact. And I have some more truth for you, if you feel up to hearing it.”

“Really? What?”

“You are partway to becoming one yourself. Perhaps more. I already told you. I was na’ careful enough last eve. I lost control. We shared blood. It has been so long. And you are so bonny. So womanly. I said I may have gone too far. I meant it.”

She turned her head, and gave him the open-mouthed look he’d seen before. Her eyes were just as wide. This time she really did look close to fainting. And then the most obnoxious pounding happened from somewhere above them. It sent heavy throbs of sound through the crypt and disturbed all kinds of dust and cobwebs and other things he’d rather not name. The area beyond his shroud was alive with the accumulation of centuries of debris as it rained down, dimming the light. She was right. No man brought a woman to a place like this. Especially one he loved.

“Hello? Anybody down there?”

The roof opening to the crypt lifted, flooding the interior with late evening light. Marla immediately cried out. Cullen had her bundled in his plaid and atop his lap before another ray of sun could reach her. And then he tilted backwards so he could yell up at the open portal.

“Nigel! You asshole!”

“Oh. Fine. Call me names. Hello to you, too, Mister Big, Bad and Bully-the-little-guy MacCorrick.”

“Shut the hatch!”

The door slammed. More debris filled the air. It was accompanied by a dark shape that swooped down, banged into the rectangular holder of Cullen’s shroud, ripping it free before the kid landed with a grunt on the floor. Cullen shoved ancient cloth off his head and pushed it behind him. He ran a hand through his hair to clear any dust next. Then he swore under his breath as Nigel regained his feet. The kid was completely covered with a black cloak that doubled his size. It took a few moments for him to unfasten it and pull it off.

“Sorry. I thought you were immune. Wanna share my new UV blocking cape?” He shook it out before folding it to hang over an arm.

“What do you want?”

“What do I want?” Nigel picked at dust specks on his cape as he talked. “Well. A couple of blond bimbos with big boobs would be nice. I don’t even care what blood type. Course, there’s not a blond anywhere in sight except me, and I’m only that shade in direct sunlight. What am I saying? I’m in ‘back-of-beyond’ Scotland. There’s rarely any sun and nothing in sight except a few sheep. Well. I suppose if I get desperate for a snack, I’ll know where to look.”

“What are you doing here?”

Nigel finished picking at his cape and looked over at Cullen. “Is that a joke? I feel like I finally got ungrounded. I’m here to assist as needed and learn what I can. Dad sent me.”

“Dad?”

“Uh...don’t repeat that to him, okay? I mean the big guy. Akron.”

“Akron sent you?”

“He actually accompanied me. He’s worried about something. Won’t say what, but I can tell. It’s like I’m the baby chick and he’s not ready for me to leave the nest or something. And it’s stupid. It’s not like I haven’t been in the field before. Just because I didn’t tell him Angelique had taken up with a Hunter—”

“Akron’s here?” Cullen interrupted him.

“Not here, exactly. He’s at the airfield near town. If that place is really a town. I mean, I’ve seen shopping malls with more inhabitants. So. Hey. Tell me. Where’s the babe?”

“Babe?”

Marla was stirring beneath the mound of blanketing. Cullen hoped she wasn’t blistered. If she was, he was taking it out on Nigel’s hide.

“Yeah. You know. Petite brunette type. Has some information we need in order to close out the Lang hit. Marla Something-or-other. Hails from Nevada. Killer looks if her passport photo is accurate. Disappeared from the Wiltshire Station near London yesterday eve. They’re saying she got sucked right out a bathroom window by some random vortex or something. It’s all over the web. I’m betting it’ll be featured on an alien show with crop circles. Come on. Don’t tell me you lost her. Geez.”

Cullen unwound some of the wool from her, but when he pulled it down, static electricity made her hair stick to everything. She really had a lot of hair. The light made it glow like a cloud about her. Nigel gave a wolf whistle. Cullen sucked in a breath.

“Whoa. Mama. That’s her?”

“Marla? Meet Nigel. The youngest member of the Vampire Assassin League.”

She stiffened, putting her back against him. Cullen felt immediate warmth start radiating from where they touched while Nigel bent the cape-covered arm in front of his waist and did some weird bow.

“Hi, sweet cheeks.”

“The youngest member of—? What? Did you just call me sweet
cheeks
?” Her voice rose on the last word.

“Well yeah. You are. And then some.”

“You have got to be kidding me. What are you...twelve?”

“Look. Babe. I am a lot older than I appear. Okay?”

“Oh. Really? You, too?”

“Me? Oh, you must mean, Cullen MacCorrick, Mister Big, Bad, and Gruesome behind you. Nah. I am not as old as him. Then again, very few of us are.”

“Us?”

Nigel looked from Marla to Cullen and back.

“You didn’t tell her about us?”

“I was just getting to that part.”

“Man. You Scots need to talk a little faster, or something. Then again, you don’t do anything rapidly. Heck. I thought MacKettryck was archaic. He doesn’t have one computer or television in his entire castle. Not one. That guy doesn’t even know what digital age means. What am I saying? He missed the industrial revolution. Then again...he’s starting to look like he’s got cutting edge technology compared to you. So. Hey. Marla. Babe. You have a little free time later? After we finish business? And maybe you like heavy petting? I mean I’m really good with necking. Trust me.”

Cullen growled again. It radiated through the crypt, making him sound even more menacing than before.

“What now? You’re acting all big, bad, and jealous, like she’s—. Oh. Wait a sec here. Is she—? No. I am not hearing what I’m hearing or seeing what I’m seeing. You can’t be serious. She’s your
mate
?”

“Aye.”

“Oh. Corn stuffed sheep balls. That is not fair. Just like that? No stinking way.”

Marla answered. “Corned stuff—? Are you seriously standing there, saying this? And expect me to believe you’re an adult?”

“Cullen, my man. It looks like you have got yourself a cougar.”

Marla didn’t seem to like the term. The instant stiffness of her back wasn’t the only indicator. She was also pulling in quick breaths that dragged his into rhythm with them.

“And I repeat myself for lack of better words – you are one lucky bugger. But maybe she has some rocking hot cougar friends. Can I ask her?”

“What is a cougar?” Cullen asked.

“A cougar is a lady who is into younger men. And since I have that permanent condition I am all over this concept. A cougar has experience. Self-confidence. They don’t play games. They have fantastic sex drive. They are ready, willing, and I can go on if you want me to.”

“I can’t possibly be a cougar,” Marla spoke up. “Sounds like I’m hundreds of years too young.”

“True. But in our line of existence, time is a measurement, and age is nothing more than a number. And I repeat myself. You are one lucky bugger, MacCorrick. Why can’t I get that lucky?”

The sound of a heavy metal guitar interrupted. Nigel jumped slightly.

“Oh. Excuse me. Sounds like I have a call. It’ll be the old man. Gotta take this.”

Marla watched as Nigel turned sideways, slid a slim phone from a pocket in his skin tight pants and opened it. Cullen saw it peripherally. He was too fascinated with his mate. She was seated atop his crossed legs. Leaning back against him. Showing off the most perfect neck. Right within piercing distance. She exuded the most amazing scent, too. Like...warmed vanilla and honey.

And then Nigel started talking.