Vacation with a Vampire & Other Immortals (14 page)

Bain felt the very foundations of his life shake beneath him. He’d had no idea that the connection between he and his Mate would be so all-encompassing. Bracing himself over her, his body still locked deeply within hers, he felt the connection they shared become as indestructible as bands of iron. Once-fragile bonds tightened like invisible coils, drawing them together, making them one.

He felt her heartbeat as his own. He looked into her mind and read the same stunning sense of wonder that had left him shaken. He felt her touch, her fingers on his face, as a blessing, a kind of miracle that he’d never known in all his long centuries of life.

His soul trembled. His heart opened and his eyes were seeing his world as if for the first time. All the long years of emptiness he’d survived were now no more substantial than autumn leaves, lost in a cold wind. Here was all. Here, he thought, looking down into green eyes shining with the wonder of what they had just experienced, was
everything.

Cupping her face in the palm of one big hand, Bain looked deeply into her beautiful eyes and solemnly swore, “I will never let you go.”

E
dinburgh by night was a magical place.

Lamplight glittered on rain-wet cobblestone streets. Laughter and music spilled out of pubs, drifted on the cool wind and floated along the streets, a pied piper’s siren song to the young, or the lonely. Ancient buildings, some tipped weirdly as if leaning against each other for support, lined the roads and cars were parked half on and half off the sidewalks.

The narrow alleyways, or “closes” as they were called here, looked shadow filled, forbidding and every bit as haunted as the city tour guides insisted they were. Edinburgh Castle, once home to a doomed queen, sat atop a hill looking down on the city it had stood watch over for centuries. Moonlight shifted in and out of existence as the ever-present clouds chased one another across the sky.

Bain’s footsteps were soundless and Emma tried to match him. But even in her tennis shoes, she managed to make noise. Alongside a man who moved with such stealthy confidence, Emma felt clumsy in comparison.

Her hand firmly in his, she felt his strength pouring into her and read the steely determination in his mind. She knew he’d wrapped them in an invisibility bubble again so that they could move through the darkened city undetected by humans. But still she felt as though there were unseen eyes watching them.

“Tell me again why we’re doing this at night,” she whispered, whipping her head around to stare down the long, empty street behind them.

He briefly squeezed her hand. “Because there’ll be no one in the archives to gainsay us as we search for the cup.”

“Right. Right.” She knew that. And it made sense, of course. Even invisible, they couldn’t really snatch an artifact, build a living flame and destroy it while there were people in the building. Then she thought of something. “Can we do the flame thing while we’re invisible?”

“No.” One word. Harsh. Sharp. And Emma saw in Bain’s thoughts he wasn’t happy about that. “Maintaining both spells at once is difficult. I can’t risk the flames spreading.”

So they’d be out in the open where anyone could see them. Fabulous. But the archives would be empty and the demon wouldn’t be there. Or maybe good old Derek would be hanging out in the library waiting for her return. That was never going to happen. Emma doubted she’d ever be able to go into any library ever again without ropes of garlic, a cross or two and maybe Bain’s sword, just for good measure.

They are not vampires, Emma,
Bain chided with a deep-throated chuckle.
Merely demons.

Merely? There’s nothing “merely” about demons, O great and powerful Highlander. Thank you.
He shot her a long look and a half smile.
It is good to know you see me as I am.

Emma laughed, as he’d meant her to, and it felt good no matter how briefly it lasted. Honestly, she’d never been more aware. More alert.

Beside her, Emma’s warrior moved with a deadly sort of grace that made her heart flutter and her hormones sit up and shout hallelujah despite how scared she was. Ever since they’d made love in the yard the day before, they’d scarcely been apart. Sex had never been like this before.

Every time they were together, their hearts, their souls, their minds became more intertwined. Now, it was as if she couldn’t tell where she left off and Bain began. She was closer to him than she’d ever thought it possible to be to anyone and still…there was something he wasn’t telling her. Something he kept locked behind a wall in his mind that she simply couldn’t see past.

And that worried her.

He had full access to her thoughts. She felt him, a shadow in her mind, all the time. And now she wondered how she’d ever lived without that intimate touch. She knew he was aware of just how scared she was. How sad she was that she could see no future for them. How absolutely she loved him.

Yet despite her feelings, she’d yet to say the words. Even knowing that he could read them in her thoughts wasn’t the same. If she said
I love you
and then had to walk away, Emma wasn’t sure she’d be able to survive their separation. So she couldn’t say it. Couldn’t make that last commitment.

“You worry.”

“You betcha,” she said, shooting him a glance, then once more looking over her shoulder. The street was empty, lamplight shining like tiny globes of gold in the darkness, spreading pools of light across the damp cobblestones. Pins and needles scampered up and down her spine.

She could swear they were being watched.

“There is no need,” he said, and stopped long enough to pull her close to him for a tight, one-armed hug. In his free hand, he held his sword, ready for battle. “I will protect you. We will find our way.”

“I really do want to believe that,” Emma said, staring up into those icy blue eyes that could hold her captivated with a glance.

“Then do.”

She laughed shortly and huffed out a breath that ruffled the short, red curls on her forehead. “Okay. What was I thinking? I’ll believe.”

One corner of his mouth tipped up and Emma’s body turned to liquid heat as erotic images flashed through her mind. Clearly, her body didn’t care that they were in danger.

Instantly, Bain groaned low in his throat. “Guard your thoughts, Emma. You can’t tempt me here. There are other things we must do.”

“Me tempt you?” She smiled wryly. “Just looking at you makes me want to—” Another very explicit image rolled through her mind.
Her, straddling him, arching her back as he lifted his hands to cup her breasts. Her body encasing his, her hips grinding against him, taking him deeper, higher. Sweet friction as he moved within her. The sweeping sensations of a soul-shattering orgasm ripping through them both…

“Enough!” He cupped the back of her head, pulled her close and kissed her, hard, long and deep. When he was through he pulled his head back and each of them fought for air. “Let us finish this and then I will show you
my
thoughts.”

Emma trembled with the miniquakes she now recognized as foreplay shocks. Almost as good as the real thing, they rippled through her with tiny jolts of expectation that nearly made her forget they were on the trail of a cursed cup designed to hold her blood.

Nearly.

“Okay,” she said, nodding as that thought went through her mind. “Back on track.”

Without another word, he crossed the street, taking her with him, leading her toward the darkened university. A scant few windows shone with the soft glow of lamplight. Mostly, the blackened windowpanes of the school stood out as darker shadows in the gloom. Sort of like empty eyes staring into space. And over all, the hint of danger lay like a thick fog.

“Don’t you feel it, too?” she asked, turning her head toward Bain.

“I do.” His eyes glittered in the light and his features were shadowed, harsh. “There are demons near. They sense the energy barrier.” His hand tightened on hers. “As I can see the trace energy signatures they leave behind, they can sense mine.”

“So the invisibility thing is pretty much useless?” She glanced around, even more nervous than before. “That makes me feel better.”

He squeezed her hand briefly. “The energy field is not a defense against demons. It’s only to protect us from prying human eyes while we do what needs doing.”

But there are no humans watching us.
Emma’s frantic gaze swept the darkness, searching in the shadows, even as she hoped she wouldn’t see a thing. Knowing demons were out there, staring at her, was completely different from actually
seeing
them.

Her stomach jumped, her nerves seemed to sizzle in warning. Suddenly, she felt those watching eyes even more fiercely than she had before. There was dark power out there and it was focused on them. Was it Derek watching them? Or a different demon? Or even worse, a
troop
of demons, all working together to kill Bain and her? And what if the demons didn’t know where to go at all? Were they simply leading the demon threatening her to exactly what he needed?

“Bain—”

“I feel your fear,” he said softly, gaze still moving over their surroundings, scanning, watchful for the slightest movement that might constitute a threat. “Don’t allow it. If the demon follows, I’ll dispatch it.”

“So you’re expecting Derek to show up.”
Great. That makes me feel fabulous.

“I always expect trouble,” he countered.
That way I am rarely surprised.

But Emma felt as if she’d been nothing but surprised for days now. She didn’t know how much more adrenaline her body could take without just imploding.

Then the university loomed before them, the old buildings, constructed of gray stone, boasting mullioned windows, looked like an ancient fortress rather than a school. And, for some reason, that made Emma feel better. Maybe because the man she was with had come from before the time this place was built? Maybe because he belonged, not in a city but on the ramparts of a castle? If anyone could get them through the dangers of tonight, Emma knew it was her Highlander. Pride rushed through her in a wave almost strong enough to quash her terror.

“When this is finished, Emma,” Bain promised, “I will take you from this crowded city and show you the Highlands. You will love it.”

Emma looked at him and hoped he was right. Oh, she knew she’d love the Highlands. How could she not, with her very own Highlander to show her the country, to make her see it through his eyes? But what she didn’t know was if she’d be alive to go with him. Even her pride and faith in Bain wasn’t enough to convince her that she had a future past tonight. And should she live, how long would she have with Bain before she was forced to leave?

A scuffle of sound reached Emma and ended whatever she might have said to Bain. Before she could react, the world seemed to explode.

Stay down!

Bain’s voice was harsh and loud and brooked no argument. Emma dropped to the cobblestones, their damp cold seeping into the knees of her jeans as she watched three demons rush Bain from the shadows. They were pale, their faces white as bone, their long arms ending in hands curled into claws. One of them howled and the sound seemed to echo up and down the street, sending shivers along Emma’s spine. Her mouth went dry and everything inside her iced over. Fear was a living, breathing entity within her. She felt helpless and didn’t like it.

She never heard Derek approaching from behind her until it was too late.

He snaked one hand around her mouth, and with the other grabbed her hair and viciously yanked her head back. Naked throat arched toward the sky, she sent one quick mental scream.

Bain!

She caught only a glimpse of her Highlander’s furious eyes when he whirled to see Derek with his hands on her. Then the other three demons pounced on Bain as Derek carried her off toward the university…and the waiting Campbell Cup.

Bain was filled with a fury that nearly choked him. Roaring his rage, he tore through the demons he now realized had been sent to distract him. It had worked. He’d been so focused on protecting Emma from this, he hadn’t sensed the
real
attack coming from another direction. Derek had used Bain’s own concern for Emma against him and Bain had fallen for it. That only infuriated him further. It was
his
fault Emma was now in danger.
His
mistake that had put her in danger. Now all he could do was end this battle and get to her as quickly as possible.

Derek would use Emma to open the portal and keep it open. Preventing that from happening should be the most important thing to him and yet, after a thousand years of protecting humanity, Bain realized he didn’t care about the damned portal. If it was opened and he was forced to stand guard over it for eternity, he would. Battling one after the next, every demon hell spat out at him.

The portal was unimportant. The only thing he worried about now was Emma’s safety.

Once that doorway was open, Derek would have no further use for her.

She would die.

Unless Bain prevented it.

With single-minded determination, Bain emptied everything he had into the fight with the three demons. His blade sang as he swung it with fierce abandon. His muscles bunched and cries of agony filled the still night air. A demon claw raked along Bain’s arm and blood flowed freely. He didn’t notice. Another of the demons kicked out at his legs and Bain leaped into the air, avoiding that pitiful attempt to bring him down.

Again and again, he squared off against the three, his body moving in long familiar moves even as his mind sought Emma’s. But her thoughts were closed to him. Was she too afraid? Was she unconscious? There was another explanation, but Bain refused to accept that. She wasn’t dead. Not yet, anyway. Derek had need of her and so would keep her alive. For now.

That thought gave him the impetus to finish the fight in a few blindingly fast moves. First one, then another, then finally the third demon succumbed to his blade until all three opponents were writhing on the street, wet cobblestones shining black with the stain of demon blood.

“You’re too late, Guardian,” one of them managed to say, its words coming garbled from a mouth sliced open by Bain’s sword. “We have the woman and the gates will open.”

He paid them no heed. They were merely the distraction and he wouldn’t be drawn away from his objective.

“She dies tonight,” another one promised, grunting as Bain gave it a kick that sent it sprawling into one of its brothers.

“You lose!” the first crowed, then moaned, clapping one hand to its ruined face.

“We shall see,” Bain muttered, draping the three demons in the finely meshed, silver Guardian netting. The harder they struggled against the net’s hold, the tighter they would be caught. The perfect trap to keep them detained and unable to hurt anyone else. Bain stood, grabbed his sword, then waved his free hand across the demons, wrapping them in an energy field that would hide their presence from all but him.