Unafraid (2 page)

Business was hopping at Bella Notte and Tessa
felt like she was being pulled in ten directions at once. Giovanni,
the head chef, was out with the flu and his back up had screwed up
several of her orders. On top of it all, one of the regulars had
too much to drink and was being loud and obnoxious. He kept
dropping things and asking her to pick them up. He grabbed her ass
when she got close while waiting on the table across from him. The
guy was such a sleaze.

At the end of her shift Tessa changed into
her street clothes. It was too chilly to walk home wearing the
requisite black dress all the waitresses wore to work. When Tessa
exited the ladies’ room, the obnoxious customer exited the men’s
room and stumbled into her, grabbing her ass again on his way back
to his table. She held her temper until he turned and eyed her
suggestively.

“Now that I’ve seen what’s on the dessert
menu I’m ready to order. Why don’t you come rest your pretty little
feet at my table while we talk money?” he smirked.

“Why don’t you kiss my ass?” Tessa couldn’t
hold her tongue any longer. He crossed the line and she would not
put up with his disrespectful, not to mention disgusting,
proposition. The jerk’s face reddened with anger. He reached out in
the narrow hall to clutch her arm roughly and jerked her into his
chest.

“You will watch that mouth of yours. Do you
know who I am? I could buy and sell your ass. You should be
grateful I’m interested.” He stopped his tirade abruptly when
Tessa’s hand came up to slap the insult out of his mouth. The
asshole released her arm and backed up in shock. Of course, that
was when Sal, the manager, decided to make an appearance. He spun
around, disappearing back into the kitchen. He returned with her
purse and grabbed her arm with his plump fingers before marching
her through the restaurant. He bumped several tables on the way
past and apologized to the diners for the disturbance.

Sal shoved her roughly out the door and
tossed her purse at her feet. “We are no longer in need of your
service. Do not come back,” he huffed before shutting the door in
her face. Taking a deep breath, she bent to retrieve her purse and
a jacket she hadn’t noticed before. It didn’t belong to her but she
was not going to go back inside to fetch her coat. She would surely
be arrested for the commotion she’d cause if confronted with either
of those idiots again.

Tessa was stuffing her arms into the jacket
when it hit her. Oh, God. It was the dream. Things hadn’t played
out exactly as she’d dreamed them but the results where the same.
She stood on the sidewalk in shock while people walked around her
on their way into and out of the restaurant. This was it. She would
come face to face with her fantasy and a nightmare this evening if
she walked down that dark alley. Slowly, she moved out of the
walkway and lowered herself to the ground to rest her back against
the rough stone exterior of the business that been her only source
of income. It was all too much to absorb and she needed a moment to
think.

Tessa was frightened to her core. How could
she possibly believe in the existence of vampires? Ten days ago she
had been terrified of the black-eyed creature with sharp fangs that
had invaded her dreams. Night after night he returned to harass and
captivate her until finally she was left with a feeling of resigned
acceptance. Things happened that there was just no explanation for.
Nobody believed in her clairvoyant ability either, but it was very
real and her belief in herself was backed up by the many dreams
that she had watched play out in her waking life. So how could she
assume any other manner of being or people with other psychic
abilities couldn’t exist? She couldn’t.

She had never been wrong. The fact of the
matter was that sitting there pondering her fate would do nothing
but put off the inevitable. He would find her tonight whether she
sat there warming the sidewalk with her ass or if she walked
straight into his trap, and it was a trap. She was sure he meant to
feed on her. Well, wasn’t he going to get a surprise? He was just
out for dinner, but he was about to find his “mate” as he’d called
her so many times in the dream.

As Tessa gathered her courage and got to her
feet she realized that she was at a distinct advantage. She knew
what was coming. Her sexy vampire didn’t have a clue that his life
was about to change. That bolstered her spirits a bit. Real life
events didn’t always play out exactly as they came to her in her
dreams. This was her chance to grab her fear by the throat and
choke it into submission. She would go to the alley to find her
fate, but she would not go meekly into the unknown. Her dreams had
brought her to this moment but she would not run like a frightened
child as she had in her sleep. There were only two blocks between
where she stood and the place he would find her. Tessa strode off
with her head up and purpose in her step. She would meet her future
head on and welcome it with open arms.

The closer she got to the alley, the more she
felt like she was being watched. He was out there watching her from
the shadows. Tessa turned to scan the street before turning down
the alley but saw no one with the exception of a few girls
staggering out of a bar, just like in her dream. Things were going
just as they should so far but that was about to change. She turned
the corner into the alley and walked a few paces before she stopped
to wait for her pursuer.

The wind kicked up suddenly. Tessa stood
there among the empty bottles and trash blowing in the wind with
both hands on her hips, smiling. Nerves made her stomach queasy,
but she was determined to not let it show on her face. A minute
passed while she anxiously waited, and Tessa began to question her
sanity. Would he show? Was she crazy for believing he would
come?

Suddenly, and without a sound, a menacing
male figure stepped out of the shadows and into the light of a
street lamp. He stopped and stared down at her. The wind gusted and
carried stray pieces of newspaper around the pavement between them.
He was every bit as handsome as she imagined him to be. He was tall
and broad shouldered with dark hair bearing white highlights in the
front that hung over his forehead. The highlights reminded her of
birthmarks she’d seen on a few people in her life, but these were
more numerous and looked as if they’d been purposely placed in even
intervals throughout his bangs. It was breathtaking. Tessa smiled.
The tension of the past week and a half melted away when she looked
into his stunned sapphire blue eyes. This was her destiny. He was
her fate. Tessa no longer feared the tall, muscular stranger. Now
she longed to touch him and verify that he was real and not just a
figment of another dream.

She could see the shock on his face at
finding her waiting for him. She was amused by his dumbfounded
expression. The poor thing was at a loss. The streetlight closest
to the alley shone down on them and he looked deeply into her pale
blue eyes. Many people had complimented her on her eyes. To her
they were a reminder of all that she’d lost. Her eyes were the same
color as each sighted woman in her mother’s family. Her mother
believed the lack of pigment in their eyes made it easier to see
the future more clearly. It seemed the two traits went hand in
hand. She finally found her voice and seemed to surprise him yet
again.

“I was wondering when you were going to show
up.” Tessa rested her hands on her hips and waited for him to get
it together. He looked so confused when he whipped around to search
the vacant street behind him, as if she were possibly speaking to
someone else.

“Are you waiting for someone to meet you?”
The deep rumble of his voice rolled over her exactly as it had in
her dreams.

“
No. I’ve been waiting for you. You are
the man of my dreams, so to speak. Would you like to walk with me?”
She cocked her head to the side and waited for a reply while he
examined her from head to toe. They had met so many times in her
mind that speaking to him now felt natural, easy.

“I promise I won’t bite,” she joked as she
started down the alley, turning her back to him. It was a risk and
she knew it. If she were wrong about him, giving him her back was a
mistake, but she knew down to her soul that he wouldn’t hurt her.
So she put all of her effort into a relaxed stride that conveyed a
complete lack of fear she didn’t possess. Tessa refused to begin
this relationship on uneven footing. She could not show him fear
now.

At first he followed obediently, but the air
around her changed in an instant before she was spun around to face
him. He was clearly annoyed at her dismissal of the danger he
presented to a lone human. The tension of her dream tightened the
air. His fangs were extended and his dark blue irises were solid
black. Terror threatened to overtake her best intentions until
confusion and regret flashed over his face. She had completely
taken him by surprise and his brain was struggling to catch up.
Tessa reminded herself that she had had over a week to come to
terms with his existence. He was playing catch up and likely
warring against whatever instinct drove him to hunt. He would not
hurt her.

“I don’t think I’m the male you were waiting
for, little one,” he hissed into her face.

“Of course you are. You just don’t know it
yet.” Her voice wobbled.

“You have no idea what you’re dealing with,
little one. I’m not one of your timid males.” A growl came from
deep in his throat.

Tessa put both her fists against the hard
muscles of his abdomen and pushed with all her might to put space
between the two of them. The big vampire didn’t move at all, but
the motion forced Tessa back against the cold brick wall behind
her.

“I’m not afraid of you! If you wanted to hurt
me I’d be dead by now, or at least unconscious from blood loss,”
she stuttered.

He stepped in closer so they were chest to
chest. Tessa had to crane her neck up to look into his black eyes.
Holy shit, he was tall. The fangs he now had on display for her to
admire and fear were just inches from her face.

“Are you quite sure about that, little one?”
he hissed.

The fear crept back into her mind at the
threat in his eyes. She inhaled sharply and fought for calm. She
composed herself instantly and laid her head back, turning her face
to the side in order to bare her neck. Her hair fell down her chest
from her shoulder. He breathed deeply, seeming to inhale her scent
and savor it. Tessa prayed she didn’t smell like dinner.

“Do it then,” she challenged. “I don’t have
all night to hang out in a dark alley with you,” she said, facing
the direction they had come from. Her breath suddenly sounded too
rapid.

She stayed very still for several moments,
her neck splayed out, daring him to bite her. He didn’t. Instead he
stared at her with longing and a hunger she could be sure wasn’t
entirely about blood.

“I didn’t think so, tough guy,” she whispered
as he allowed her to push him away. She gave him a smug glare and
his body stiffened. Yeah, he wanted her and she would be more than
happy to provide for his needs. She would find out very soon if her
decision to confront her dream man head on would come with the cost
of her life.

There was a noise on the street. People were
beginning to filter out of the various watering holes and
nightclubs in the area. She stepped around him and began to walk
again, expecting him to follow. He did so without pause. Now what?
Tessa hadn’t thought past finding him, or letting him find her. She
had only one place to go, home to her crummy one room hole in the
wall. Judging by his designer clothing and air of authority she
guessed they were about to add culture shock to the list of things
he hadn’t expected to experience this night.

TWO

Griffin Vaughn looked around the dingy little
space that was the beautiful human’s home and tried not to let the
horror he felt at her life situation show on his face. He couldn’t
imagine why a female so perfect, even a human one, would be living
alone in a dump like this. She had led him down the alley and
around the corner to a four-story brick building that should have
been condemned and slated for demolition, in his opinion. The steps
that led to the rusted front door of the building were crumbling
and missing quite a few bricks. Her tiny studio was as run down as
the exterior of the building but it was clean and tidy. With the
exception of the sofa bed that was still open and unmade, its
simple peach colored bedding still rumpled from the night before.
The bed dominated what little space there was in the room and
instantly Griffin imagined the curvy little human sprawled out
there, awaiting his pleasure.

Neither of them spoke. They had been standing
there watching each other for ten minutes. She was a worthy
opponent to be sure. It was normally Griffin who stared a person
down until they cracked. He never had to utter a word. Eventually
his adversary would collapse under the pressure of his unwavering
gaze. His father and mother had taught him never to tip his hand
before he was ready. Griffin was the only son of the current ruling
member of the Council of the Vampire Nation from the House of
Vaughn. He was a future leader and Councilman in his own right. It
was another reason others tended not to oppose him. His parents had
been preparing him for the position since birth. At twenty-five
years of age he was already a force not to be reckoned with and
nobody wanted to cross him. Griffin could intimidate everyone just
with his presence in a room, but not this sweet little human.

She leaned against the kitchen sink on the
other side of the bed, watching him coolly as he watched her. Her
eyes were a pale aquamarine blue that hypnotized him and stole all
of his usual suave arrogance when it came to women. He had no idea
what to say or even why he had followed her home. He had no clue
why he was there or what she was waiting for. The only thing he did
know was that the air that flowed between them was hot and thick
with curiosity and desire. The first spark would set the tiny
apartment aflame. No, he didn’t know why he had come. He knew he
didn’t want to leave. He suspected part of the attraction was his
need to feed, but there was more to it than simple hunger. From the
moment he began to follow those curvy hips and that long, blond
hair toward the alley, he was intrigued. When he looked into her
clear blue eyes he was captivated. After inhaling the sweet vanilla
scent that clung to her skin while he restrained her in his arms,
he was lost.