The Vampire's Temptation Page 5

  When they came into their power, the Cheld were as strong and as fast as vampires, and they possessed special abilities that could be disconcertingly unpredictable.

  And yet this vivacious, arresting woman had somehow gone unnoticed. He would bet the rather large sum of money in his bank account that her father had given her the vampire hunting blood that coursed through her veins. Trouble was, no matter how deeply he dug, Kenton could not find any records of a Thomas Fiore who had fathered Alessandra and Garrett. Hell, he couldn’t even find any records of a Thomas Fiore ever living in the state of Pennsylvania. Kenton planned to pay a visit to her hometown, to her father’s grave. But in the meantime, he needed to deal with the meddlesome Scotsman.

  If Lawrence proved meddlesome enough, perhaps he’d attempt to kill him again. It had been some time since he’d last tried.

  “What’s next?” Toni’s boyfriend said as they stepped out into the night.

  Kenton refrained from comment. It had taken him all of five minutes to detest the self-righteous businessman, who had an extremely high opinion of himself. Of course, Kenton’s siblings had often accused him of the same failing, but that did not make him any fonder of Toni’s boyfriend. He’d caught Alessandra’s eye more than once over dinner telling him she felt the same way about her friend’s boyfriend.

  “Murphy’s?” Tyler asked.

  He watched as Toni and Alessandra exchanged a glance. For a woman who had apparently been warned her life was in danger, no doubt at the coffee shop, his date had held up remarkably well.

  She was as brave and bold as she was beautiful. And she made Kenton want to do something he hadn’t done in centuries.

  Turn and walk away from a threat.

  “Didn’t you say you had an appointment tomorrow morning?” Toni asked Alessandra. “Maybe we should call it a night early?”

  “What kind of appointment?” Tyler asked, about as subtle as a knife to the gut.

  Alessandra looked up at Kenton, not flinching, and said, “A massage appointment.”

  He felt the tug of a smile. Offering her the crook of his arm, he said, “Well then, I suppose I should be getting you home, Miss Fiore.”

  She hesitated, and he took the opportunity to link his arm with hers. His only regret was that his long-sleeved shirt didn’t allow for him to feel the touch of her soft skin against his own.

  She is your enemy. Remember it. Remember what they did to Father. To Mother.

  “I’m kind of tired too,” Toni said behind them, no doubt to ensure he was not left alone with Alessandra. He listened to the other couple’s footsteps as they followed them. They turned onto Main Street and walked back toward Alessandra’s tiny home.

  “How did you come to live here?” he asked Alessandra.

  “A job fair,” she said. “When I came for the interview, Toni was one of the first people I met. I was staying at the inn downtown”—she waved a hand to indicate the Stone Haven Inn a few blocks behind them—“and had just come back from the interview. Apparently I looked a fright. She asked if I needed directions—”

  “Because you were standing stock-still in the middle of the sidewalk,” Toni said from behind them. Her tone carried the fondness of a sibling.

  “It was my first real job interview, and I guess I was a little nervous. In any case, if I remember correctly, I was admiring the inn’s balcony, which reminded me of the French Quarter. And the rest, they say, is history.”

  “Friends and roommates since?”

  “Yep.”

  “So you’ve been to New Orleans then. That’s the second time you mentioned New Orleans. Have you been more than once?”

  “I have.” They stepped over an uneven section of concrete as they walked past a series of well-preserved row houses. “Three times. It’s my favorite city. Have you been?”

  Though she made small talk with apparent ease, Kenton could hear the slight hesitation in her voice. Gone was the sweet sincerity and ease with which she’d spoken to him that very morning. She would never tell him anything unless he soothed her fears.

  “Many times. You said the inn reminded you of the Quarter?”

  They walked past the wrought iron gate and continued down the stone path toward Alessandra and Toni’s small, bright-purple house. The only two-story on a block of taller buildings, what it lacked in size it made up for in character. Impeccably maintained, with a large front porch and two hanging flower baskets in the front, it was as picture perfect as the woman who stood next to him.

  “Yes, it always has. The wrought iron balcony, I suppose.”

  “Nice night. How about we have a drink on the porch?” Tyler said. “Beer or wine? We’ll go inside to grab the drinks.”

  Bless the buffoon.

  When Toni began to protest, Kenton cut in smoothly, “Beer, if the lady will allow for one nightcap before she retires?”

  He released her arm and, much to his delight, caught the slight nod Alessandra gave to Toni. When the redhead shook her head, Kenton nearly laughed at her tenacity.

  “Go ahead, I’m fine,” Alessandra said finally, taking a seat on the porch swing.

  Toni wanted to argue but didn’t. She followed Tyler inside as Alessandra gestured for him to sit with her. Brave girl.

  He lowered himself next to her, his eyes dropping to her bare legs. The black sleeveless dress she wore left little to his imagination, which, when it came to her, needed no encouragement.

  Extending her legs out in front of her, she set the swing to swaying.

  “The inn reminds you of the Quarter because the wrought iron was designed by Marcellino Hernandez,” he said, “the same artisan responsible for the balconies of Le Petit Théâtre du Vieux Carré and the Cabildo.”

  “How do you know that?” she asked in astonishment.

  He sighed. “I know it as I know all things. A lifetime of curiosity, much like your own.”

  “I’m not curious—”

  “Oh, but you are.”

  He watched as her eyes widened in fear. And something more.

  “And you’re curious about me.”

  “You? But I—”

  “You’re wondering if you are safe with me.” He spoke quickly, lest she should scream. “Which you are.”

  “I . . . I’m not sure what you—”

  He’d told her the truth. No need to point out that the reason she was safe was the shadow lurking just across the street, the man who had been following them all night. If he leaned over and sank his teeth into her, it would leave him vulnerable. Only for a moment, yes, but long enough for Lawrence to do real harm. Not to mention the difficulty of covering up such a thing.

  If his years on this world had taught him nothing else, they’d taught him caution.

  “I know Lawrence spoke to you earlier today. And I’d like to explain everything, if you’ll allow me.”

  She started to stand.

  “Alessandra, I will not hurt you.”

  Tonight.

  He relented. “Lawrence is out there, watching us. And your other unknowing protector will be out here any moment with our nightcap. So rest assured, you are safe.”

  She sat back down.

  “Now please. Allow me to explain.”

  Run. Scream. Do something.

  But her ass was glued to the swing. Or so it seemed.

  “I had hoped to spare you the details, but Lawrence has made that impossible.”

  Oh God. Oh God. So Lawrence wasn’t crazy. Or maybe they were both crazy. Or—

  “You see—”

  “Two beers!”

  Tyler stood at the doorway with Toni just behind him, if she’d ever left at all. Her heart almost burst with gratitude toward her friend. But Kenton wouldn’t speak in front of them, and she had to know what he’d been about to say.

  “Thanks, Tyler,” she said, taking the drink from him and silently signaling to Toni she wanted to be alone with Kenton. Not an easy task when she’d previously made her promise not to leave her side.


  “So, you were saying at dinner you’re an investor,” Tyler began, clueless to the tension around him. Another silent appeal, and this time Toni took the hint. The look on her face made it clear she didn’t like the thought of leaving them alone together, but she grabbed Tyler’s arm anyway.

  “Maybe Alessandra and Kenton would like a bit of privacy?”

  Tyler looked back and forth between them, and when no one spoke, he finally understood.

  “Oh, right. Cheers,” he said, raising his own bottle in the air.

  “We’ll be right inside if you need us,” Toni said, not so subtly.

  When they left, Kenton smiled at her. “If you need a sudden rescue, she means.”

  Alessandra brought her beer to her lips.

  “From certain death at my hands.”

  She took a tentative sip. He said that so calmly. Did that mean he wasn’t a danger—or that he was so much of a danger he didn’t even work up a sweat at the thought of killing someone?

  “Uh—”

  Kenton sighed. “You don’t need them to protect you, Alessandra.”

  His voice was like melted chocolate from one of those chocolate fountains at weddings. Deep and smooth, dripping into a pool of more chocolate below.

  Get a grip, girl. Serial killers could be smooth . . . or so she’d heard. Isn’t that what they said about Ted Bundy?

  “This is going to sound crazy . . . ,” he began. First Lawrence and now him. She was never going to talk to a hot guy ever again. Apparently they were all certifiable. “But your ancestors passed down to you some special—”

  “And how do you know the first thing about my ancestors?” she asked, attempting to quell a rising sense of panic.

  Kenton tried to hide a slight grimace as he drank. Clearly beer wasn’t his thing. So why had he been drinking it at the jazz hall?

  “I know much about you, Alessandra.”

  Every time he said her name, she had to chastise herself for forgetting this was more of a stakeout than a real date. But despite the fact that this guy was clearly bad news, she could not keep her heart rate from accelerating when he looked at her that way.

  “As does Lawrence.”

  “And how do you know Lawrence?”

  He frowned. “We are old acquaintances.”

  So it wasn’t a coincidence that they’d both moved to town at the same time.

  “As I said, this is going to sound crazy, but you have inherited certain . . . gifts. And because of those gifts, Lawrence and his family are a grave danger to you.”

  “Oh . . . that’s just fantastic.”

  Two strange men, both claiming the other wanted to kill her. Now she really was bringing the police into this.

  She stopped the swing, intending to get off, but Kenton pressed on.

  “He arrived first, did he not? Pretending to bump into you on the running trail?”

  “Well, yes.”

  “It wouldn’t surprise me to learn he’d already been watching you.”

  Her mind flashed to the image of Lawrence at the bar.

  “He warned you against me,” Kenton continued. “Likely said I would do you harm—”

  “Kill me, to be precise.”

  “And warned you not to tell anyone.”

  How did he know all of that?

  “I will make no such claims about him.”

  Alessandra looked away from him and out into the night. The street, just a few hundred feet in front of them, was quiet. Despite their location on Main Street, it was a Monday. Only a few restaurants stayed open. Something felt off, but nothing looked off.

  Her gaze returned to the man who was supposedly attempting to do her in.

  “Tell anyone you like. Go to the police. But understand this.” Kenton leaned down to the ground and placed his beer there. “They will not stop him. Nor will they find anything to hold him on. Lawrence Derrickson is both calculating and intelligent. When I understood his intent, I followed him here to protect you. Even now, as we speak, your abilities are beginning to manifest. You will become quite powerful, which means you are a threat to someone like Lawrence.”

  She did stand then. This guy was definitely loony tunes, and while she’d felt a gut instinct to trust Lawrence, she didn’t feel that toward this guy. No, her feelings toward him were a whole lot more complicated.

  He grabbed her hand so quickly Alessandra did not even see him move. She would have screamed, but there was no need. Before she even realized what was happening, she’d released herself from his grip and raced to the other side of the porch. It was as if . . . as if—

  “The strength. The speed. They are part of your unfurling abilities.”

  Heart hammering in her chest, Alessandra tried to recount what had just happened. One moment she’d been standing there with him, the next . . .

  “Earlier today, in the coffee shop. You sensed I was there, and likely Lawrence too, before you saw us.”

  She couldn’t breathe. Lawrence had said the same thing, hadn’t he?

  “Also a part of your bloodline—”

  “Abilities?” she said, her voice as feeble as her thoughts. “I don’t understand any of this. Who . . . how . . .” There were so many questions rushing through her head, she couldn’t pick one.

  Kenton stood but he did not move toward her. The crisp white of his button-down shirt was a stark contrast to his deep black hair. His beauty was hardly human. More godlike. And he stood there, perfectly calm, saying things that belonged in one of her fantasy novels. None of this made any sense.

  And yet . . . somehow it did.

  “I will show you,” he said. “Prove my words to you.”

  She could see his ice-blue eyes from here, the porch lights illuminating the perfection of his face.

  “I’m going to walk toward you, touch you—”

  Why wasn’t she afraid?

  “And I promise, Alessandra, I will not hurt you. Just trust your instincts.”

  It was pretty much the same thing Lawrence had said.

  He took one step, and then another. With each one, her body tingled as it had in the coffee shop. She had nothing to compare it to from any of her experiences before the last couple of days, but it was a sensation . . . an awareness. And it grew stronger with every step closer he took.

  When he was so close she could hear him breathing, smell his clean, musky scent, he reached out.

  And she let him.

  He took her hand, weaving his fingers through her own. The sensation she’d experienced moments before intensified by a thousandfold. It was as if a thousand pinpricks of light had exploded between their hands, although somehow it felt calming.

  Staring at him in wonder, she tried to understand.

  “That feeling comes from the blood which runs through your veins.”

  “Blood? What blood?”

  “I’m guessing it came to you from your father, but I do not yet know.” He squeezed, ever so gently. “Let me help you, Alessandra. I can tell you all I know, protect you from—”

  “That is enough.”

  She pulled back at the sound of a new voice. Lawrence had appeared out of nowhere, stepping out of the shadows. As he walked casually onto the porch, Kenton’s back stiffened.

  “I’d wondered what took you so long.”

  Alessandra looked back and forth between the men, their hatred of one another palpable. A sense of danger washed over her, but the danger was not for her. Rather, one of these men, she sensed, was a danger to the other. Perhaps even a mortal danger.

  For some reason, the thought didn’t frighten her. Though both of these men were easily muscular enough to best her, she had the sudden intuition that they would not be able to harm her. If they tried, she would tear their hearts from their chests.

  Where had that thought come from? She’d never been a particularly violent person. And yet . . .

  “Will someone please tell me what the hell is going on here?” she asked.

  Both men tur
ned toward her in tandem. For the first time since she’d met these enigmatic, beautiful men, they appeared . . . vulnerable. And maybe even the slightest bit nervous.

  Because of her?

  Lawrence frowned. “Kenton has pushed you fully toward your destiny with his insistent and maniacal machinations.”

  Well, she had no idea what that meant.

  “What destiny?”

  “That, my dear Alessandra,” Lawrence said, “remains to be seen.”

  “The hell it does.”

  But before she could demand an explanation, both men were gone.

  Chapter 7

  “Devising more ways to poison Alessandra against me?”

  Kenton had heard Lawrence coming, of course. He’d heard him walking around the house. The ground floor patio behind his temporary home felt too small for the two of them. For such a large home, the three-story Italianate style villa had very little outdoor space.

  Two days had passed since his “date” with Alessandra. He and Lawrence had nearly come to blows, both knowing their disagreement would bear nothing but further resentment and a determination to do what each thought was necessary.

  “Gin and tonic? How evolved you’ve become.”

  Stretching his legs out in front of him, Kenton watched as Lawrence sat across from him. Apparently accustomed to taking care of guests, his maid appeared at the door.

  “Would Mr. Derrickson care for a drink?”

  “Yes, please,” Lawrence said, then grinned at her and added, “I would be grateful for whatever Mr. Morley is having. Thank you, Mary.”

  Kenton did not show his annoyance, either over how comfortable Lawrence had made himself or the fact that he knew Mary’s name. Lawrence undoubtedly knew as much as he did about Stone Haven and its inhabitants. When he’d told Alessandra the man was intelligent, it had not been a lie.

  “There was a time you’d drink nothing but sloe gin even if you had to pick the berries yourself.”

  “There was a time when I did not wish to rip your head from your body.” He pursed his lips. “In fact, no, I am mistaken. There was not.”

  As was his fashion, Lawrence simply grinned. A smile that had been the undoing of more than one human. And vampire. Confuse his good nature with weakness and pay the price. Kenton had learned that lesson long ago.