Chapter Three #2
myths prove true in this strange place. The vampire more than makes that case
since he’s walking around in the daylight.
“Hey, vampire guy, shouldn’t you be all crispy and fried by
now?” I ask bluntly because he seems like a blunt kind of man. Vampire. Dude. I
don’t know.
Dellacourt stops in his tracks and laughs. “Damn, she really
is from the Earth plane. Darling, the vampires there are idiots who got lost
and can’t find their way back. I read all the DLs on the subject. Horrifying
stuff, really. You see, your sun is different. It has a bad effect on my kind.
It puts us into a weird fugue state during the daylight hours, and if we get
caught in it, we sort of explode.”
Reeve presses on, ignoring Dante’s explanation. “Don’t go
filling her head with nonsense. Don’t believe a word he says. Vampires like to
make themselves seem more important than they really are. The Earth plane is
one of the inner planes. It’s why it’s protected the way it is. Everyone knows
we all came from there originally. There was a heavenly plane and the place
where the demons come from, and there was Earth.”
See, this is information I’m interested in. Also, vampires
are real on Earth, but they’re not like the vamp in front of me?
Dante shakes his head. “We’ll have to agree to disagree, but
I for one am thrilled I’m not an earthbound vamp.” A shudder goes through him.
“Apparently, the animals there aren’t fit for consumption, so they end up
eating a diet made up entirely of human blood. Though I’ve heard your kind
tastes spectacular, sweetheart. I’ve often thought that if I could get a trade
route onto the human plane, I could make a ton of money selling human blood.”
Reeve frowns at the vampire. “Don’t go scaring the poor
girl.”
“Mr. Dellacourt doesn’t scare me, exactly, though I find him
slightly repugnant,” I admit, eliciting a snort of agreement from Cara. “I do
want to know more about these planes thingees. Like how does one travel between
them?”
The vampire utterly ignores my very reasonable question.
“Oh, no, that won’t do. The name’s Dante, sweetheart. Please, all the beautiful
women call me Dante. And I’ll have you know I am considered extremely
good-looking.”
I shrug and walk on. I suppose he’s attractive. He’s tall
and lanky but seems strong. His hair is a thick reddish gold and cut in a
stylish fashion. It’s long and spiky and probably requires a lot of upkeep to
look that messy. I noted his eyes are green before they were covered by his
sunglasses. “You sound like a used car salesman.”
“His sister runs one of the biggest corporations on the vamp
plane, but Dellacourt here is only allowed to oversee the family’s computer
chain. They rebuild old machines,” Reeve pipes up, seemingly eager to pile on
to Dante.
“Yep,” I say with a satisfied smile. “Used car salesman.”
We’re getting close to what appears to be a massive arena.
It’s circular and constructed from a combination of wood and stone. There are
several arches that appear to be entryways. A roar of approval rings from the
arena, nearly shaking the ground around me.
Dante pulls on Reeve’s arm, getting down to one knee. All
previous sarcasm has fled, and in its place is an earnest desperation. “I am
begging you. Give me half an hour. You can delay half an hour. Look, Beckett
Finn is in the woods somewhere hunting. I’ll pay his fee to enter the
tournament. His brother is dying. He needs her. Don’t you owe your king
something?”
The vampire knows Beck? I hate that my heart does a weird
flip flop when I hear his name.
I am not this girl. I am not this girl. I am not this
girl.
“Reeve of the Gentle Hills is forever loyal, Dante,” a soft
voice says and my whole body reacts.
When I turn, Beck stands mere feet away. He’s removed his
vest and changed into dark pants and a different shirt. He holds that long,
ornate sword in one fist as he moves toward the arena.
“Excellent.” Sarcasm pours out of the vampire. “I just spent
the better part of the day running around a freaking forest searching for you,
and here you are, looking fresh as a daisy. Cian said you had gone hunting. I
went to your brugh when I heard about the tournament.”
“I told Cian I was hunting because I didn’t want to get his
hopes up.” Beck speaks to the vampire, but his eyes don’t leave mine.
He’s gazing at me like a predator preparing to pounce. His
gray eyes blaze through me, and I know exactly what he wants. He wants to take
me away from here. He wants to go somewhere private where he can lay me down
and spread my thighs.
And I might let him. Might. Probably.
“Are you going to make big puppy eyes at the woman for the
rest of the day, or are you going to go kick some ass?” Dante asks.
Beck shakes his head and walks straight up to me. “You’ll
have to forgive my cousin. He’s a bit of a pain. You’ll get used to him. He
can’t help it. He’s a vampire.” He leans over and brushes his lips against
mine. He sets his forehead on mine and seems to breathe me in for a long
moment. I can’t help but feel drugged simply by being this close to him. I
wonder what magic he works because I don’t push him away. My hands move to his
waist, and I’m not sure why, but it feels right to be with him. “I know you’re
scared but remember my promise. We’re in this together now. I won’t let you
down. And, love, please remember anything I do, I do to protect you.”
This is when I should pull away from him, demand he never
touch me again. I simply stand there, letting the moment lengthen between us
until he sighs, kisses my forehead like I’m something precious, and steps back.
And I watch him.
As he walks toward the gates of the arena, he shouts back to
Reeve. “What did he promise you to try to get you to put off the tournament?”
“Half a million in gold, Your Highness.”
Beck stops in his tracks and turns to look at his cousin, an
expression of shocked awe on his face. “You broke bastard. You didn’t have half
a million even before your sister cut you off.”
Dante Dellacourt shrugs elegantly. “If I’m going to lie, I’m
going big. There’s no use in doing something halfway.”
Beck shakes his head and turns back. “Take care of her,
cos.”
The vampire smiles down at me and gallantly offers his arm.
“Well, we have our orders, my lady. Come along. Let’s find a good seat and pray
Beck doesn’t get himself killed.”
I allow the vampire—the flipping, freaking vampire—to escort
me into the arena. My heart pounds, but I put one foot in front of the other.
Whatever happens in here will change my life forever.