Staked (7 page)

His
benefactor
? That could be taken a
lot of ways, but she was only concerned with two of those options.
Neither would lead to anything good.

She didn’t have the wherewithal to resist
either. She’d better get this show on the road, pronto. “Listen...”
She stood. “If you require anything, just go for a walk along the
beach. I’m sure you’ll find what you need.”

“Are you going somewhere?”

“I’m going to take a nap. My energy will
replenish faster that way.” And that’s all that mattered because
the sooner she got away from him, the better.

Ava moved away from the table and cut through
the side gate leading to a outdoor bedroom on the far side of the
terrace. The bed looked inviting, but she stepped inside to take
care of a few things in the bathroom first.

Twenty minutes later she emerged in an
oversized nightshirt, brushing her hair as she made her way to the
bed. Sliding between the sheets, she laid the brush on the
nightstand and tried not to think about Stone and where he might be
or what he might be doing.

Ava stared up at the stars in the sky and
tried to imagine her ancestors voyaging across the universe to
settle on an entirely different planet. Karellians had been
star-trekking outside their galaxy for nearly a century when they
made the first trip to Earth. They were by definition a nomadic
people, so it really didn’t surprise Ava that she felt no
recordable measure of homesickness when she traveled outside her
base year. The things she missed most were the technological
conveniences. There was no family for her to feel a sense of loss
over. Her mother was dead. Had been since Ava was thirteen. And
Ava’s father was still in that hospital. She used to go see him,
but he had no clue who she was, and that hurt more than not seeing
him at all.

Ava was alone in the world—except for Mickey.
He was the brother she’d never had, but would’ve liked to. And that
was enough, for the most part, except on nights like this. Lonely
nights. The kind of night that made her think about guys like
Dexter Stone.

She shouldn’t let her thoughts go there, but
with Stone she couldn’t help herself. He was like a magnet to her
steel; she had no choice but to be drawn to him. Fighting the lure
to become one with him was strong, stronger than any attraction
she’d ever experienced. Even Lucien. And that one had been a power
force within itself. But Stone, he was different.

Every time Stone looked at her, his gaze
caressed her as surely as if it were his own hands. All he had to
do was look at her to show her his touch. How his hand could skim
over her cheek and down her neck, where he’d stop momentarily and
let the thrill of him stun the vulnerable spot on her throat.

Stone’s embrace was like heaven and euphoria
all rolled into one. Inside it, she could feel herself melting into
him, becoming one with him. His touch was a talented one, leaving
her brimming in ecstasy wherever his hands caressed her body. When
he kissed her, it took her breath away.

“I feel like I’ve come home after a long
journey away,” his lips whispered against hers.

“I know,” she said, wanting him to kiss her,
take her, make love to her.

But his embrace, his kiss, even his presence
and the way it all made her feel was nothing but a spell. A spell
she had to break. Sex with Stone was out of the question—no matter
how much she thought about it. Wanted it. If she allowed him to
enter her, then he’d end up turning her.

Ava’s greatest fear.

Mental warning signals shook her out of a
deep sleep.

To her dismay the bed was empty, save her.
She felt a mixture of sadness and glee that Stone was not there
with her.

Ava threw the covers back, dropped her bare
legs over the side of the bed and touched her feet to the cool tile
floor. She went through the gate separating the rooms on the
terrace, looking for Stone. He wasn’t at the table—the place where
she’d last seen him before she left to go take her nap.

She peered inside the house but there was no
sign of him. Scanning the vicinity outside the patio area, she
caught sight of a silhouetted figure down on the beach near the
water’s edge. His back was to her but she knew it was him. He was
standing there, just looking out toward the ocean. Ava wondered
what he was looking for. She’d already told him there was nothing
out there. It was the truth, even if he didn’t believe it. She
thought about walking down to where he was, but before she reached
the first step on the stairs leading to the sand, he turned and
headed back toward the house.

There was an extra spring in his step, his
color was better, and there was something new in his eyes.
Satiation. Stone had fed.

Her thoughts ran away with her. What was it
like...to sink elongated fangs into vigorously pumping veins? To
drink until you’d had your fill? Having the power to spare or take
a life—

The thoughts coming to Ava mortified her. Why
did she care what it was like to feel and do these things? It
wasn’t something she wanted.

Was it?

Maybe there was something to the legend.
She’d never bought into it before, but now she wasn’t so sure. Was
there a vamp out there who was destined to turn her? Ava’s mother
had thought so. But as it turned out, her mother had been mistaken
about the particular vampire’s identity.

Ava shook her head, trying to dismiss
thoughts of her traitorous mother. If Ava was in danger of being
turned, it was all because of Selinda Valentine.

Stone stepped onto the patio and stopped
beside Ava. His eyes met hers with a smile. “How was your nap?” A
touch of smug entitlement lit his face and a smirk fueled his tone,
suggesting he knew she’d tossed and turned because he wasn’t there
with her.

“Served its purpose.” She gave an
insignificant shrug and looked away. “I’m ready when you are,” she
said. “We’ll leave just as soon as I explain to you what’s going to
happen.”

“What’s going to happen is that you’re going
to get me my jewels.”

“Well, yeah. Pretty much.”

“What does that mean?”

“It means I’m going to reimburse you with a
set of jewels of equal or greater value.” Ava rolled her eyes,
trying to sway the disappointment to the back of her mind. She
didn’t get why it bothered her that it was all about the jewels for
him, but it did.

“You sound like an infomercial.” He grinned
at her and it made her heart do somersaults.

Oh, no
. She let out a sigh that didn’t
make her feel any better after the fact. How could it? She was
doomed if she didn’t get away from Stone. And fast.

* * *

Diamond Beach, New Jersey

It figured that the one place Ava hadn’t been
since the eve of her thirteenth birthday—and had purposely avoided
since—was the one place Lucien had thought it a good idea to hide
Cole from her.

Ava tightened the drawstring on her pouch,
stuffed it into her pocket and tried, but failed, to look past
Stone—a man far more dangerous to her than Lucien had ever been.
Something in his eyes softened, as if he was finally accepting what
was happening around him. At least she wouldn’t have to deal with
his doubt right now, and that was nice.

She scrutinized their surroundings and
checked her MPD. They’d landed in the alley behind the pub across
the street from the very spot where Ava had been brought for the
ceremony on the eve of her thirteenth birthday. That day had ended
in disaster. This one could not.

They made their way through the alley and up
the side street to the corner of Pittsburgh and Atlantic Avenues.
The street was deserted. Only one of the four streetlights at the
intersection was working and it was across the street,
kitty-cornered from them. It left their side of the street dark and
menacing-looking.

“Let’s go check the pub,” she said, turning
the corner. “I doubt Mickey and Skeet are here yet, but let’s have
a look.”

They went to the middle of the block and
peered in through the window. No sign of them. Ava shot off a
message to Mickey on her MPD. Seconds later a chime signaled his
reply. They were forty-five minutes away.

Forty-five minutes
? Ava looked at
Stone. “How fast does your guy drive?”

Stone shrugged. “Depends....”

“On...?” She waved her hand impatiently.

“His mood.”

Ava shook her head. Being dependent upon
someone else’s mood had just landed at the top of Ava’s
things-that-annoyed-her-most
list. Sitting around waiting
for Skeet and Mickey to show up posed a potentially critical
error—Lucien could show up at any time and move her bounty.

“I’m going to get Cole,” she said, and moved
back into the street.

Stone followed her. “Where is he?”

Ava pointed in the direction she was headed.
“In that motel.”

Stone followed her into the motel’s courtyard
and around to the sidewalk lining the doors to the rooms. Ava
passed each room, reading each one looking for Cole’s imprint. She
found it at room number eight. Looking at Stone, she pointed toward
the door. “He’s in here,” she said, just above a whisper.

“Should I kick the door down?”

She glared at him. This was no time for
jokes. “Give the door a hearty rap,” she said. “When he asks who it
is...tell him pizza delivery.”

“What do you think the chances are that he’s
ordered a pizza?”

“Doesn’t matter. He’ll open the door.”

“You sound so certain of that.”

Ava sucked in a big gulp of air. “Just do it.
Okay?”

Stone shrugged, reached up and gave the door
a backhanded triple-tapping with his knuckles. “Pizza,” he said in
a deep, strong voice.

The door opened. “I didn’t order a pizza,
but...” Cole’s brown eyes lit on Stone first and then jumped to
Ava.

He tried to close the door, but she already
had her foot in the way and was shoving it open. Within seconds and
just a couple of steps inside the room she had Cole’s wrists
handcuffed behind his back.

Cole mumbled curses that weren’t flattering
to Ava. She ignored him, closed the door and turned to Stone. “Just
wait here for me. I’ll be back within fifteen minutes.” That’s the
most she could pinpoint her arrival to any destination.

The task was simple enough. She’d take her
fugitive back, turn him in, get another batch of jewels for Stone
and bring them to him. Then she’d be free to end this
acquaintance.

Ava had better stay on course. Otherwise, she
could become single-handedly responsible for making that old legend
a reality.

~~~~

Chapter Five

Ava landed half a block east of the dimly lit
intersection that was just south of the motel where she’d left
Stone. Hurrying along the sidewalk, she thought about checking the
pub for Mickey and Skeet. Her better judgment told her that was the
thing to do, but her heart wanted to go to Stone.

Reaching the intersection, she made a right
and headed for the pub. The pull to cross the street was strong,
but her legs carried her toward the tavern. She was better off not
putting herself in the position of being alone with Stone. Nothing
good could come from being alone with him. Nothing good at all.

Ava opened the door and stepped inside,
seeing Mickey and Skeet seated at the bar. Mickey looked over his
shoulder. She gave him a slight nod and turned back toward the
doorway, knowing it’d only be a matter of seconds before Mickey
followed her out onto the sidewalk.

“What’s up?” Mickey asked, coming outside.
“Where have you been?”

“It’s a long story.” She looked both ways and
headed into the deserted street. “But Stone’s waiting at the motel
over there.” She nodded toward the building across the street
without looking to see if Mickey and Skeet were following her. They
were.

“Why are you here and Stone’s over there?”
Skeet and his suspicion caught up to her.

“Again, long story,” Ava said, more
interested in making her way across the street. “That of which I’m
sure Stone will fill you in once I give him these.” She pulled the
new pouch of jewels she had for Stone out of her front pocket and
held it up. “Then you two can be on your way.”

Skeet laughed. “Did you two have a lover’s
spat?”

Reaching the other side of the street, Ava
stepped up onto the sidewalk and cut her eyes toward Skeet. She
sucked in a breath and shook her head. Responding would only
encourage him. Best to leave it alone. Get through the motel’s
courtyard, give Stone his pay and get the hell out of there. The
farther away from him, the better.

Stone. His name stormed through her thoughts
like wildfire, burning every inch of her soul with unease. It was
almost as if his soul was calling out to her. Ava studied the SOS
and decided it was coming from Cole’s hideout. She couldn’t swear
Stone was still in the room, but she had no reason to believe he
wasn’t. She doubted he’d go anywhere before she reimbursed him. All
she did know was that somehow, someway, she was being dragged
along, as if there was some invisible thread attached to her and
she was being reeled in.

The pull stopped abruptly, leaving Ava
swooning in front of room number eight. She knew it was unlocked.
All she had to do was reach for the doorknob and open it. But
somewhere along the way fear had filled her to the brim and it was
now bubbling over. Ava was scared. Scared of what she’d find
inside.

She hadn’t a clue what was on the other side
of the door, but she could guess it wasn’t good. Something internal
urged her to open it and find out. She twisted the knob and the
door swung open with ease.

Stone lay lifelessly on the other side of the
room with the gleaming silver of a metal stake piercing his chest.
The sight clogged Ava’s throat with horror. Her heart died a little
at that moment. That invisible thread that had, moments before,
dragged her toward him, returned and sucked her across the room to
his side. Ava fell to her knees.