“Oh Tam, please let me find you alive and well.” Megan said softly to herself as she made her way through the airport trying to locate a car rental agency.
A short time later, Megan stepped into her hotel room and dumped her luggage on the floor. It was already getting dark. She should have been here hours ago, but there was an unexpected 5-hour lay over in New York, before they started the cross Atlantic journey. Walking over to the phone, Megan studied all the instructions for a moment then picked up and dialed room service. After she ordered, she picked up her suitcases and lugged them to the bedroom and unpacked them, putting her clothes in the closet and in the dresser drawers. The room was beautiful. It was a suite actually. It had a kitchen, a living room and bedroom. The bathroom had an oversized whirlpool tub that Megan mentally made a note to herself to check out later. The colors were earth tone with rich browns, oranges, reds and yellows. It made Megan feel as if she were experiencing the fall months back in the New England states, warm and homey.
After she was done unpacking her suitcases, she took a quick shower. By the time she was dried off, she heard a knock at the door. That would be her room service. Slipping into one of the hotel robes, she went to the door and opened it. Megan stepped back and gave the bellhop room to pass by and he entered her room and placed the tray a small dinning table just off the kitchen. Megan grabbed her purse and pulled some bills out and handed it to the bellhop. He thanked her and left the room, closing the door behind him.
Megan pulled out a sheet of folded paper from her purse and sat down at the table. It was her list of things to check while she was here. It was a very short list. She really couldn’t do anything until she went through Tamara’s belongings, so she knew the first thing she needed to do in the morning was to meet with the manager of the hotel. Megan was staying at the same hotel that Tamara had stayed at and apparently her belongings were still there. She had checked with the registrar’s office upon checking in and they confirmed that Tamara had never checked out, though she had not been seen in several weeks. The lady at the desk had informed her that she would have to speak with the manager in the morning if she wanted to gain access to Tamara’s room.
Megan finished her meal and readied for bed. She was exhausted from the long flight and the time change was wreaking havoc on her. Pulling her robe off, she slipped into a soft peach silky nightgown and slid under the covers. She was asleep instantly.
“I thought you were going to keep her from going?” Valerian stood in Nicolae’s living room the next evening, watching him pace in front of the fireplace.
“I was, but she apparently went straight to the airport after leaving my office last night.” Nicolae snapped as he turned to face Valerian. Valerian grinned. Nick gave Valerian a warning look that would have scared lesser men to death. He raised his finger at him, “Don’t even.”
Valerian’s grin only widened. “So, the heart of stone has a chink in it. A little slip of a girl has managed to do in a few hours, what no one has been able to do in over 800 years. Truly amazing.”
“Shut up, Valerian. I care no more for this woman than I do any other mortal.” Nicolae growled. Valerian attempted a serious look for his friend’s sake, but his lips kept twitching.
“Sure, Nick, what ever you say.”
Nicolae cursed under his breath. “I don’t have time for this foolishness, Valerian. Are you coming with me or not?”
Valerian sobered at once as he gave his friend a quick bow. “I am your humble servant, Nicolae.” He looked up and met his friends dark gaze, “You can count on me, amico mio.”
Nicolae nodded, “Alright. Now listen, I’ve got some loose ends I must tie up here before I can go to Romania. I want you to go now and watch over Megan.” Valerian was nodding, smiling. Nicolae took a menacing step towards Valerian. “Do not reveal yourself to her, Valerian, I am warning you. Watch over her and make sure no harm befalls her. Tell me at once if Rovenski make an appearance.”
Valerian gave Nicolae a dramatic bow, waving his right hand out in front of him. “I will endeavor to do your will, Nicolae.” Valerian straightened up and grinned at him.
Nicolae looked at him with concern, causing Valerian to falter. He’d never seen Nicolae look at him in such a way before. “Valerian, do not attempt to fight Rovenski if he shows himself before I arrive. He is very powerful, he could easily crush you, my friend.”
Valerian laughed off Nicolae’s seriousness, “You really need to lighten up, Nick. Don’t worry; I can take care of myself. I promise I won’t face off with Rovenski by myself. I’ll see you in Romania tomorrow night. Ciao.” And Valerian was gone.
Megan stood before a large mansion in the Carpathian Mountains. It had taken her most of the day to sift through Tamara’s belongings and finding her notes with this address and the name “Mikhail Rovenski” written on her day calendar. It was almost dark now. It had taken her the better part of two hours to drive here from her hotel. The mansion was eerie looking as the sun was setting. It was huge, at least three stories from what she could see in the dimming light. It was made of stone and had large gargoyles positioned on the roof and around the door. Megan rang the doorbell. Megan could see no lights on as far as she could see. When no one had answered the door after a few minutes, she tried the doorknob. Naturally it was locked.
“Damn!” Megan exclaimed. She had driven all the way out here for nothing. Well, maybe she could just have a quick look around before it got too dark.
Megan went back to her rental car and grabbed the flashlight she had brought with her. She slowly made her way around the house, not sure what she was looking for, but anything that would give her a clue that her sister had been here. She was looking around where the property met the heavily wooded forest when she found something. It was a woman’s shoe. Picking it up, she examined it closely with the flashlight.
“Oh my god, this is Tam’s shoe.” Megan looked back up at the big mansion, then into the forest. Had Tamara run into the forest?
Megan had taken a few steps into the forest when she felt it. Someone or something was watching her. Evil. It screamed in her head. Whatever was watching her was pure evil. Her heart began to pound in her chest she began to tremble. Her feet were frozen to the ground. Megan gripped the flashlight tightly as she glanced all around her, trying to figure out where the evil might be. Then suddenly he was standing before her. Megan shrieked.
“Well looky here. I was beginning to think that I’d have to go looking for you after all, my dear.” He was very tall and a bit thin, but he was handsome. Not in the same devastating way that Nicolae was, but handsome none-the-less. His eyes were a golden brown color his hair the same golden brown. His eyes mesmerized Megan; they held her frozen where she was.
“Who are you?” Megan stammered unable to look away.
“Why, I am Mikhail Rovenski and I have been waiting for you, Ms. Taylor.” He flashed her a dazzling smile. “By-the-way, your sister, Tamara was positively scrumptious.” When he smiled again, Megan saw fangs and his golden brown eyes began to glow an unholy red. Megan screamed.
Valerian appeared in Megan’s hotel room. The lights were out, but he moved easily through the rooms searching until he was certain she was not there. With a quick flick of his fingers the light in the living room came on and he immediately saw a bunch of papers spread out on the small kitchen table. Moving over to them, his green eyes quickly zeroed in on a slip of paper that had Mikhail Rovenski’s name, address and directions on how to get to his place in the Carpathian Mountains written on it.
“Damn it!” Valerian whirled around and was gone. Nick will not be happy about this. With any luck, Megan had not reached Rovenski’s home yet.
Valerian appeared next to Megan’s rented vehicle. He heard a woman shriek and ran towards the back of the large mansion. As he rounded the corner, he came to a halt and saw Megan standing before Rovenski.
“Ah, shit!” Valerian groaned softly. Nick, we have trouble! I need you now! Valerian sent off the quick mental message.
I am on my way! Came back the reply.
Valerian waited for an opening, and then when he heard Megan’s scream of horror, he concentrated fully on her and sent her a mental message.
RUN NOW! A voice commanded in her head. And suddenly Megan was freed from the spell that held her and she turned and ran. Megan heard Mikhail laugh.
“Oh goody, I just love a good chase.”
Megan ran away from Mikhail Rovenski as fast as she could. She could hardly see in the dark, there wasn’t much of a moon tonight to help her see and she had dropped her flashlight. Stumbling, she was grabbed roughly and spun around. A hideous creature that resembled a man bared his fangs at her. Megan screamed as she jerked away from him, just to stumble into another hideous creature.
“Oh my god.” Megan looked around her and four vampires surrounded her.
“Now, this is no way to treat a lady guys.” Came a cheerful, friendly voice from behind them.
All four vampires turned to face the tall, tawny haired handsome vampire. Valerian hissed, revealing his fangs, threw both hands up, palms out, putting every ounce of concentration and power behind the movement and watched as all four vampires were flung back and slammed into the trees at the forests edge several feet away.
Megan froze as she watched the four vampires fly back threw the air. Her gaze snapped back around to the new vampire in amazement. He hadn’t even touched them. Intuition told her that he was there to help her, but that did not stop the fear that continued to freeze her to the spot. Valerian moved towards her as he saw Rovenski approaching.
“Are you alright?” Valerian asked her softly. Megan could only nod her head in answer. “You must do as I say, if you want to get out of here alive.”
“Well, well, well. Look who we have here. Valerian Romano.” Mikhail Rovenski smiled as he approached. “Last time I saw you, you were just a fledgling. How is Nicolae by-the-way?”
Valerian turned to face Mikhail and placed himself protectively between Mikhail and Megan. “Megan.” Valerian spoke softly to her. “I want you to go to your car and leave. Do you understand?”
Megan nodded her head numbly then realized that he couldn’t see her and answered, “Yes.” And she ran.
“Rovenski.” Valerian acknowledged the evil creature before him. They were the same height and of the same build, but Valerian was well aware of the fact that Rovenski was a good 500 years older than he and if forced to battle, Rovenski would win, hands down.
Damn it, Nick, where are you? Valerian called out silently, not at all happy about this situation. Valerian may live carelessly, but he had no wish to cease his existence yet.
Megan ran as fast as she could towards her car. She was sobbing and trying to dig in her pockets for her keys. She stumbled and began to fall. Strong arms reached out and caught her. Megan screamed and began to struggle thinking more of those hideous vampires had come.
“Megan.”
Megan stopped struggling as she recognized the voice. She’d only heard that voice once before, but she knew that she would never forget it as long as she lived. Her head snapped up as her eyes met Nicolae’s dark gaze. Megan was too stunned to say anything at first, but then she remembered the devil behind her.
“We, we have to, to go. He, he, oh god, he’s a vampire. He killed Tamara.” Megan began to sob. Nicolae pulled her into his embrace, wrapping his arms tightly around her.
Nick! Nicolae’s head snapped up and he pushed Megan towards her car.
“Go now! I will meet you at your hotel.” He didn’t wait for her answer, but hurried around to the back of the mansion. I’m here, Valerian.
Nick rounded the back of the mansion in time to see Valerian fly through the air and land at his feet in a heap. Valerian groaned and rolled over to look up at Nicolae.
“It’s about time.” His face etched with pain.
Nicolae bent down to help his friend stand, “Forgive me, my friend.”
“Nicolae! I am so honored!” Mikhail suddenly appeared before them. “How long has it been, my brother?”
“Not long enough, Mikhail and I am not your brother.” Nicolae responded, his voice low and dangerous. “Valerian, make sure Megan gets back to her hotel safely.”
Valerian rubbed his sore ribs, “Are you sure?” He asked, afraid to leave his friend alone with Rovenski.
“Don’t worry, I can handle Rovenski.” Nicolae never took his eyes from Mikhail.
“Alright. Call if you need me.” Valerian shape shifted into a while falcon and flew off.
“You’ve killed enough, Mikhail. I am ending this here.” Nicolae growled.
“Tsk, tsk, tsk. Are we still sore about Marianne, Nic? That was 1300-years ago. But I must admit, she was quite tasty.” Mikhail prodded.
“Enough!” Nicolae replied angrily. “It ends tonight, Mikhail.”
“You know, you and your friend just ruined a perfectly good dinner.” Mikhail teased unmercifully.
“You will stay away from Megan, Mikhail.” Nicolae warned his voice was low and dangerous.
“Or what, Nick? You can’t stop me now anymore than you could stop me with Marianne.” Mikhail laughed. “I have plans for Ms. Taylor and I will have her. All the more so now that I know what she means to you.”
“She means nothing to me, Mikhail. I only came to help her find her sister.” Nicolae answered his voice cold and hard.
Mikhail laughed, “I’m not ready for you to catch me yet, Nicolae and you were always a bad liar. I will enjoy the hunt.” And with a dramatic twirl, he was gone. Catch me if you can.
Nicolae’s jaw clenched. He could still hear Mikhail’s laughter floating back to him in the air. Damn! He had almost been too late, forcing Valerian to stand up against Mikhail in order to protect Megan. Nicolae turned in the direction that Megan had left in. He sighed. He was going to have to watch over her now, until he could destroy Mikhail once and for all. Nicolae began to shape shift. His bones and muscles shifted as they formed to the animal he desired. When he was done, he was a huge black hawk. He took flight and soared high into the air quickly locating the car Megan was driving. He soared down next to the white falcon that floated on the wind currents above the vehicle.
That was quick. Valerian’s voice flittered into Nicolae’s mind.
It’s not over, he got away. Came Nicolae’s harsh reply. His voice softened then, Valerian.
Don’t Nicolae. There is no need.
Valerian heard Nicolae’s sigh through their mental communication. He knew his friend felt guilty for putting him in such a dangerous position. But what Nicolae didn’t seem to understand was that Valerian was willing to die for him. They had been through a lot together. They had become friends in Italy during a time when Nicolae had been ready to give up his existence and Valerian was a fledging vampire, stupid and reckless. Nick had needed something to distract him from his darkness and Valerian needed a teacher. A deep friendship had formed from the alliance and both benefited from it.
Chapter 3
Megan stumbled frantically into her hotel room shutting and locking the door behind her. All the way back she tried to process what had happened. She still couldn’t believe that Mikhail Rovenski was a vampire, but she had seen him. She had seen his glowing eyes, his hideous fangs and not just Rovenski, but the others, too. What of that guy that had come to her rescue? He was a vampire too, but why had he helped her? How had he caused those four vampires to fly back through the air like that? Was Nicolae Kristof also a vampire? He had come out of nowhere. Megan clutched at her stomach as it threatened to heave her dinner. Oh God and Nicolae Kristof had shown up. Had she left him to die?
“Oh god, what is happening?” Megan cried softly.
“You should never have come here, Megan.”
Megan shrieked and spun around to find Nicolae standing in the living room. He was alive? How the hell had he gotten here? Was he one of them too? She stared at him in terror, everything in her telling her to run from him, but she was frozen where she was. He was so beautiful standing before her. So tall and muscular, his muscles rippled underneath his shirt as he moved stealthily across the room towards her. Megan couldn’t tear her eyes away from him. She swallowed hard.
“How, how did you get in here?” She asked, her body shaking as he stopped before her. “Stay away from me!”
His dark eyes so cold and intense watched her carefully, “Why didn’t you listen to me?” Nicolae ignored her question. He grabbed her by her arms dragging her closer. He was angry with her and afraid for her. Mikhail had become more powerful than he first thought. Without his protection, Megan would surely die. For some reason, Mikhail was obsessed with Megan, Nicolae knew that Mikhail would toy with her, play cat and mouse with her until he drove her insane before he finally killed her and Nicolae knew he could not let that happen. He wasn’t willing to examine his feelings as to why he felt this way, but he knew that he could not allow Mikhail to harm the woman.
Nicolae heard Megan whimper softly and realized that he was holding her arms too tight and that he was frightening Megan. He loosened his hold slightly and began to rub his hands gently up and down her arms. “You will never find your sister, cara mia. I am sorry.” He said gently, his eyes softening.
Tears welled up in Megan’s eyes and spilled down her cheeks, “He killed her didn’t he?” She asked suddenly forgetting her fear of him as she dealt with her sister’s death.
Nicolae pulled her against him, wrapping his arms around her as sobs racked her body. “Yes.” Nicolae held her while she cried for her sister. He whispered soft words of comfort to her in Italian as his hands soothed and caressed her back. Nicolae wasn’t sure when his caresses turned from ones of comfort to ones of desire, but he was suddenly very aware of the woman in his arms.
Megan felt warmth throughout her body wherever his hands touched her. Desire curled in the pit of her stomach as her hands clutched at his shirt. She could smell him; it was a musky male scent that reminded her of dark nights and mystery. Somehow the tables had turned. One minute she was grieving her sister and the next she was lusting a man she did not know and who could very well be a vampire.
Without thinking of the consequences, Nicolae bent his head and brushed his lips across Megan’s. Her lips parted in a soft gasp and he took advantage sweeping his tongue in and tasting every inch of her sweet mouth. Megan melted against him and moaned softly. Her whole body was alive and going up in flames. Never had a kiss affected her so much, she didn’t want it to stop. Nicolae crushed her against him, holding her against his hard body. The beast reared its ugly head and roared for release. Nicolae fought for control of the beast at the same time loosing the battle on his desire for Megan.
It was several minutes before Megan’s reasoning began to kick in. She began to struggle and finally pushed away from him stumbling back a few feet. Nicolae’s eye snapped open and they were red and glowing, he bared his fangs at her and growled menacingly at her. Megan screamed as Nicolae turned from her squeezing his eyes closed tightly willing the beast back into it’s carefully guarded cage.
“Oh god, oh god, oh god! You are like him! You are a vampire!” Megan was terrified. She looked frantically around her for some kind of weapon.
“Megan.” Nicolae said softly, gruffly as he turned back towards her, the beast within him under firm control once again.
Megan felt the velvety softness of his voice wash over her. She stopped her frantic search and looked at him. His eyes no longer glowed; they were now a soft chocolate brown that seemed to melt into her very soul.
“Forgive me, cara mia, I did not mean to frighten you. Yes, I am a vampire, but I am not like Rovenski. I do not kill for the joy of it. If I had wanted to harm you, I could have done so easily enough a long time ago. You have nothing to fear from me.” He watched Megan closely. He cursed himself for not having more control. He was 1500 years old, for gods sakes, he should not be acting like a mere fledgling. He should never have kissed her, even if she was the sweetest thing he’d tasted in centuries.
Megan’s breath came out in a whoosh. She hadn’t even realized she’d been holding it. She knew somehow that what he said was true. If he had wanted to harm her he would have done so already. Heck, if he’d wanted to harm her, he would never have saved her from Rovenski. She shook her head as the truth of it settled on her.
“My god, vampires really exist and not just in my imagination?” Megan looked at Nicolae with different eyes now. She was amazed and still somewhat frightened of him, but curiosity kicked in now.
Nicolae felt his lips twitch, “You’d be surprised at what really exists in this world of ours.” He began, “Werewolves, witches, warlocks.”
“I’ve got to sit down.” Megan suddenly felt faint. She started to walk towards the small couch and her legs gave out. Nicolae caught her easily and carried her to the couch and sat her down. “Please, don’t tell me anymore. I’m having a hard enough time dealing with the vampire part of it right now.” Megan leaned back on the couch.
“Your books are quite close to the truth, you know.” Nicolae replied. “Closer than I care to admit.”
“That’s really comforting, considering I made it all up.” Megan studied the handsome man before her. “At least I thought I did. You’d make a great cover for one of my stories, by-the-way.”
“Are you alright?” Nicolae asked, changing the subject. “Did Rovenski hurt you?”
“No, he merely scared the crap out of me.” Megan suddenly remembered the other guy. The one who’d saved her life. “Wait, who was the other guy? The tawny haired one that helped me?”
Nicolae raised an eyebrow, “That would be Valerian. He is a friend.”
“He saved my life. Is he alright?” Megan asked concerned.
Nicolae felt a stab of jealousy, “He’s fine.” He answered flatly.
“Oh good. Well, where is he?”
“Do not concern yourself with Valerian, Megan.” Nicolae began.
“Why not, I kind of like the attention.” Came a familiar voice behind them.
Megan shrieked and spun around on the couch nearly falling off. “God, I wish you guys would stop doing that. I’m going to die of a heart attack long before Rovenski ever catches up with me again.”
Nicolae stood and glared at Valerian. He helped Megan to stand up.
“Damn it, Valerian. I told you to stay out.” Nicolae growled.
“It was starting to rain, Nick. I am not going to sit out in the rain, while you make googly eyes with the mortal.” Valerian stated teasingly.
“I was NOT making googly eyes!” Nicolae thundered. His eyes glowed softly in warning. Valerian ignored him and turned his attention to Megan, who was staring at him in amusement.
“Dio, Nicolae. Why did you not tell me she was a bella una?” Valerian stepped around the couch and swept up Megan’s hand and kissed it. “Forgive me, belleza, for frightening you.”
Nicolae threw up his hands and rolled his eyes at Valerians dramatics. Megan giggled, “You didn’t tell me, Nicolae that vampires could be so charming.”
“He is not charming, he is an idiot.” Nicolae growled softly.
Ignoring Nicolae’s strange attitude, Megan stepped forward and kissed Valerian on the cheek, surprising both men. “Thank you, Valerian for saving my life.”
Valerian grinned, “It was my pleasure, belleza.” He brought her hand up again and kissed the back of it.
Suddenly Nicolae was between them, his eyes glowing as he pushed Valerian away from Megan roughly. “You will not touch her again.” His voice was so violently soft, that Megan almost didn’t catch it.
Valerian dramatically placed his hand over his heart, clearly not afraid, “Nicolae, amico mio. You wound me.”
Megan giggled again. She was definitely on brain overload. She couldn’t believe she was standing here in the middle of a Romanian hotel, with two vampires in her room, giggling, while one, who was light hearted and handsome made over her and the other who was dark, brooding and devastatingly breathtaking was acting a bit jealous over it. It was quite comical when one thought about it.
Nicolae didn’t know what pissed him off more. Valerian’s obvious come on to Megan or his own jealous reaction to it. He knew that Valerian was only playing. Valerian knew how he felt, even if he wasn’t ready to admit it yet himself. Nick took a deep breath and let it out slowly. He turned back to Megan.
“We must get you back home. You will be safer there and I can protect you from Rovenski better.”
Megan gaped at Nicolae, “What do you mean, get me back home? As I remember correctly, you told me you did not want the case. You said you couldn’t help me.”
“She’s got you there, Nick. You did say that.” Valerian agreed cheerfully.
Nick turned his dark gaze on Valerian. “If you are not gone from here by the time I count to three, I will take personal joy in removing your head from your body!” He whispered in that deadly voice.
“Nick, really. . .” Valerian began.
“One.” Nick counted.
Valerian looked to Megan for support. Megan simply shrugged her shoulders as if saying, ‘You’re on your own.’
“Two.”
“It was nice meeting you, Megan. Ciao.” Valerian quickly gave her a peck on the cheek, and then vanished before her eyes.
Megan blinked, and then turned to look at Nicolae, who was still glowering. “Really, Nick. Wasn’t that rather rude?”
Nick turned his gaze on Megan and raised an eyebrow. “Get your things together. We are returning to the States.” He commanded, ignoring her comment about his rudeness.
Megan lifted her chin in defiance, “No, we are not. I am staying here and I am going to do whatever I can to make sure that Rovenski is punished for murdering my sister.”
Nicolae stared at Megan in shock. It was a moment before he found his voice and could speak. “Megan, Rovenski will never be punished under human law. It is impossible. The only way he will pay for what he did is if I destroy him. I cannot do that if I have to worry about you. He is obsessed with you for some reason and he will hunt you down and you won’t be able to do a damn thing about it.” Nicolae stepped towards her and stopped only when he was mere inches from her. “The only chance you have is if you are under my protection.”
Megan could hardly breath at his closeness. His unique scent surrounded her, enfolded her in its embrace. Her long dark eyelashes flickered up at him, revealing hazel green eyes. The lights reflected the gold and made them shimmer.
“So does that mean you’re taking the case then?” Megan asked breathlessly. Even knowing what he was, Megan’s body yearned for his hands, his mouth. She swallowed hard.
“Yes, damn it, I’m taking the case.” Nicolae swore softly. He had never wanted anything as bad as he wanted to kiss Megan right then. His body ached with need, to be buried deep inside her and the beast within screamed to possess her blood. His lips brushed over hers once, twice. He inhaled deeply; closing his eyes and then he took a step back to put distance between them.
Megan swayed slightly, her eyes closed. She could still feel the tingle of his mouth on hers. She opened her eyes and looked at him in a daze. His dark eyes were once again cold and hard and unfeeling.
“Get your things, now.” He commanded softly.
Fifteen minutes later, Megan stood before him with her suitcases in tow. Nicolae picked up her big suitcase and a garment bag. Megan grabbed her purse and the cosmetic bag.
“Put your arms around my waist.” Nick commanded.
Megan obeyed and when she blinked she was standing in a strange living room.