Chapter 2
Two
Blake
We threw the shovels in the back, and I tried not to tear up the lawn too much as I stomped on the gas and the tires spun before getting traction.
Chunks of dirt and grass rooster-tailed behind us, and I ignored the shocked look Aaron gave me as I tried to keep the truck straight, while guessing where the vampire had gone.
“I’d bet he’s headed straight for town. He’ll find lots of blood there,” I said, and once again ignored the gagging sound Aaron made. “Now, do you see why I thought this was a bad idea?”
“What? You’re the one who brought it up to begin with. Just because I was the genius who gave in to you and thought we should give it a try, doesn’t mean all the blame is on me,” he said and tightened his grip on the handle above the window.
“There!” I shouted and turned down the levee road off to the left. I’d barely caught sight of movement before I realized it was the vampire. He was standing at the edge of town when he saw us and took off running again.
“Holy shit, dude, slow down,” Aaron said as he shoved himself back in his seat and gripped the bar above him even tighter.
The vampire turned back to look at us, and I sped up even more. He jumped the canal to the other side but still ran in front of us. “He’s not trying to lose us. He’s playing with us.”
“I don’t care what he’s doing, I just don’t want to die,” Aaron said as he pressed back even more in the seat.
Without warning, the vampire stopped in an instant.
I slammed on the brakes and the truck bounced in the loose dirt as the tires fought for traction while the brakes held tight.
We’d just come to a complete stop when a noise from the bed of the truck made us both freeze before we turned to look.
The vampire was there, stooped over and looking in the rear window at us.
He met our eyes before shaking his head and hopping out.
“Why are you following me?” he asked with just a touch of sarcasm, well, really more than a touch.
“We want answers,” I said.
Just as Aaron said, “We want your gold.”
He stood outside the truck and slowly paced next to it.
The crickets chirped while the frogs sounded all around us.
The smell of the canal, and a slight pesticide smell mixed with a hint of fertilizer and damp earth from the fields, floated over to us.
Just as the thought crossed my mind, the vampire drew in a deep breath.
“Oh, how I have missed the smell of the world. You’ve no idea how tired I am of the smell of dirt and decay.”
“You said I’m your enemy. What did you mean?” I asked, wasting no time getting to the point.
“You, I do not know, but I know your blood, and it is the same as the man who imprisoned me in that coffin so many years ago.” He was thankfully calmer now, and I hoped he would stay calm and not want to kill either of us.
“How would I know what one of my ancestors did? We’ve all lived in this fucking town since the day some asshole decided this was a good place to build.
I mean literally. One of my ancestors came here as part of a wagon train and just never left.
” I’d never told anyone that, and I knew Aaron had no clue and didn’t care.
It was just another story my grandpa had told me anytime I was close enough to listen.
To me, it was one more boring story about the olden days.
He stepped closer to me then and bared his teeth. “I know. I too was on that wagon train, and that relative was your great-great-great uncle, or some other distant ancestor. He was also my human mate that deceived me for a wealth of gold.”
“That can’t be. My grandfather’s great-grandfather came here soon after his uncle and they both bought some land. Neither of them worked in the gold fields.”
“Stupid human. They used the gold to buy the land, and if I had to guess, whatever they didn’t use is still hidden on that land.” He checked his nails again, which had not changed from when he checked them at the grave, before rolling his eyes.
“I told you there was treasure at the old farm,” Aaron said.
“There is no way you could have known that. Let me remind you, you think there’s treasure at every farm.”
The vampire huffed out a bemused laugh. “Are you two mated?”
“Us? Hell no,” I said, and felt my cheeks blaze with heat.
“Sorry, but I already have a girlfriend,” Aaron explained.
“Whatever,” the vampire said with a swipe of his hand. “If you want my help finding the gold, I will help. But for a price.”
“What price?” I asked and braced myself for his answer.
“I will feed on you, the blood of my enemy, once a week until the gold is found.”
“What happens then?”
“Then I will leave. I have no need for gold or the silly amusement of humans.”
Aaron smiled and wiggled in his seat, while I tried to stay calm and keep it all business. “How do I know I can trust you not to kill me?”
“You don’t,” he said, before showing his teeth with a wide, creepy grin. “But I am a man of my word, unlike your ancestor.”
“A vampire,” Aaron corrected.
“Fine, a vampire,” he said before holding out his hand.
I stared at it and tried to consider all the possibilities.
Some were not pleasant at all, while others were amazing, so without another word, I shook his hand.
“It has been done.” He sneered before jumping back into the truck. “Take me to your home.”
Aaron’s eyes met mine, and I knew my own matched his nervous stare, before a grin spread across my lips at the thought of finding all that gold. “Come on, let’s do this.”
We drove a short distance to my house in silence.
My parents lived on the same property as the old farm with Grandpa in a newer house that had been built before I was born.
I’d always hated that I lived in the country and wasn’t close enough to walk to any of my friends’ houses, but now I was happy with the privacy.
When I moved out on my own, I rented this house at the edge of town.
It was old and basic, but it was perfect.
I pulled up to the side of the house like I always did, and Aaron glanced over at me when I turned off the engine.
“You ready?” he asked.
“Yeah, let’s see what we’re dealing with.” I had no clue why I said that, but this whole situation was weird, and clearly it was messing with my head.
We got out of the truck, but the vampire was no longer in the back. “Fuck, where did he go now?” Aaron asked and looked around.
“Gentlemen,” he said from above us and dropped to the ground from the roof, and even though he had to be at least twenty feet above us, he landed as light as a feather making no sound.
He strolled up to us, and I wasn’t sure if he was trying to scare us, or if he just enjoyed the drama of it.
But whatever the reason, I was done with the games.
“Just get it over with already.” I held out my arm and this time he didn’t hesitate and wasn’t gentle. I forced myself not to protest as pain shot up my arm, but then something else happened. Visions of the vampire, only it was him as he must have looked before being trapped in the coffin.
His hair was dark and neat under the hat he wore that was the same style as many in the late 1800’s.
I saw him through someone else’s eyes as he leaned in and I braced for another bite, but instead of the sting of pain, he kissed me.
My blood came to life, and I forced myself not to claw at his back to hold him to me and hoped he wouldn’t end the kiss anytime soon.
Pain shot through my arm again, and the mists of the past cleared. “What was that?” I asked. The touch of his lips against mine was so real I had to force myself not to touch them.
“Sometimes, if there is a strong connection between a vampire and their prey, they will experience shared memories,” the vampire explained and narrowed his eyes as he watched my every move. “Did you have such visions?”
“Marlon. Your name is Marlon, and at one time, I was . . . your mate?” The words were foreign, and even though I wasn’t exactly sure what they meant, somehow, I knew they were exactly right. “You and I met on the journey from the east.”
His eyes widened, and he took an even closer look at me. “How can this be? I can taste your connection to the traitor who forced me into the grave and buried me there.”
“Is your name Marlon?” I asked and leaned closer to him.
“What of it? You could have learned that in the vision you claim to have seen.” He turned away, and I knew he still needed more blood.
“You can feed on me again. Just don’t take too much.
” I held my hand out to him again, and when he bit me, he was gentler and took his time.
Our eyes met while he drew more blood from my wrist, and this time I knew he was experiencing a vision.
His eyes flicked back and forth as he watched what only he could see, before jumping away from me.
Blood ran freely down my arm, but for a moment, all I cared about was him. “Blake, your wrist.” Aaron tore off the bottom of his shirt and wrapped it up for me while I continued to stare at Marlon.
“It cannot be. Why would fate deal me such a cruel blow?” he mumbled as he paced away from us.
“You know it’s true. We both saw it. You may not want to believe it, but I can feel it in my bones. It’s true.” Shaking Aaron off me, I stepped closer to Marlon. “I know you, and you know me. You know as well as I do, I’m not your enemy. I am your mate.”
“Blake? What the fuck are you saying?” Aaron asked as he looked between the two of us.
“It cannot be,” Marlon roared, but had not moved.
I slowly walked up to him and took his still dirt-caked hand.
He reluctantly let me. “I know none of this makes sense. But I saw it when you fed from me. We were mates, not enemies, or at least you believed we were.” It was odd to talk about a past that happened way before I was born, but it was as though a veil lifted from my eyes, and I knew what I said was true.
His expression softened. For a moment, he stared at my warm hand where it rested on his that was still skeletal. “It cannot be,” he growled, and bared his fangs. “I fed from the one that trapped me, and it was your blood.”
“Do you not feel the pull to me?” I asked, and it seemed forever before he spoke again, and when he did, I knew without a doubt he hated every word.
“I feel the pull, and I know you could be my mate. But I also know you are my executioner. My love is what trapped me, and I won’t let it happen again.”