Infinitas 1 - Warriors of Faith (10 page)

Channing looked down at Sara, who was acting as if she’d just seen the latest Haute Couture collection from Paris.
How could he choose another weapon other than hers?

»No, no that’s okay.
I’ll try yours.«

He turned towards the target, which was located about fifty yards from where they were standing and aimed.

»Stop, wait, not one handed!«

Channing put both of his hands on the gun, but Sara still had something to complain about.

»Give it to me and then stand behind me with your hands on mine.« He followed her orders and put his arms around her.
He bent down a little lower to view the target at her level, but the real target he was trying to hit was actually right in front of him.

»See.
This is a great way to aim.«

»Uh-huh, absolutely wonderful,« he whispered softly looking at her.

Her scent drifted directly into his nose.
Her hair was tickling his face and Channing couldn’t concentrate on anything else.
Sara clouded his thoughts and took him totally out of operation.
She turned around in his arms and they looked into each other’s eyes.

»I’m serious, Channing.«

»I am too,« he said leaning forward to kiss her.
Sara fired her SIG in surprise, the bullet shooting off into the neighboring range.
Then she set her weapon down on the table and put her arms around his neck.

He was surprised that she was returning his kiss. Actually he’d expected her to resist.
But as usual, she seemed to react differently than he’d expected.
He loved that about her. She was unpredictable, strong and independent.
He dug his hands into her long red curls as she leaned her head back to take in his kiss.
He carefully ran his tongue along her lips and she willingly let him enter her mouth.
She tasted like sweetness mixed with a trace of adventure.

»This doesn’t mean anything,« whispered Channing to her.
He smiled slightly because judging by the way she’d kissed him, it did actually seem to mean something.

»It’s in our nature.
It’s just the way we are.«

Another kiss.
»Of course!« she twisted herself out of his arms.

»What’s wrong?« he asked surprised.

»It’s just like you said.
It doesn’t mean anything.«

He was losing his patience.
Just in that second she’d wanted him and in the next she’d rejected him.
He grabbed her arm, ran up the stairs with her and pushed her into his room.
Channing was furious.
He was angry about her games, but he was madder at himself for letting it happen.
He pushed Sara onto his bed and bent down threateningly over her.
His hands were clenched in fists on either side of her head.
His blood was boiling and his fangs grew out farther than ever before.

»Tell me that you don’t want it.
Tell me that you don’t feel anything ... Tell me you don’t want me, Sara!« Larger than life and threatening with a piercing gaze, Channing hung over Sara waiting motionless for an answer.

»I want ... I don’t ever want...« she couldn’t say anything else.
Channing let her go abruptly and stood back up without taking his gaze off of her dark green eyes.
Sara’s lips closed forming a thin line.

»Damn it!« he turned away and walked over to the window.
He rested his arms against the windowpane and heard the rustling of the bedspread and when the door closed softly, he painfully closed his eyes.
Why had he let himself get so involved?
He hadn’t wanted to.
Surely she wasn’t afraid of him, but he was making a fool of himself and for what? His pulse was racing so fast it was pounding in his ears.
The silence was weighing like a heavy burden on his soul.

»I never ... want to be without you again!«

Sara’s voice was incredibly close to his ear. »Do you always give up so quickly?« She nestled her cheek into his back. »Go, as long as you still can, Sara.«

»I can’t.
I haven’t been able to since I saw you sitting at the piano.
I knew than that I belong to you.
Long before you drank from me.
From the first moment I set foot in your apartment in Paris.
Our prophecies are always fulfilled.«

Channing turned towards her and saw the soft expression on her face.
They were standing directly across from each other, but were not touching.
Then he shook his head slightly.

»No, I don’t believe you.
That’s what you think you feel because it’s written in that damn book of yours.
Everything that I am to you is everything that you want to see in me.
Take some time and think about it, and yes, you’re right, this doesn’t mean anything because it’s just the way we are!« He pushed his way past Sara and left his room.
After a few seconds, the front door slammed shut.

Philippe Orlandie strolled down First Avenue from the harbor towards Pike Place market.
His backpack was loaded heavily on his back.
He stopped in front of a bait and tackle shop where a few people had gathered to watch a street artist perform.
Philippe joined the group.

He was making a dog out of balloons for a little girl.
Everyone clapped enthusiastically.

Philippe pulled his drawing out of his jacket pocket and walked up to a couple standing close by.

»Hi, I was wondering if you could help me.
I’m looking for this woman. Her name is Sara.«
He held up the drawing so that both of them could see it.
They shook their heads and the man said, »Great picture, but sorry, I’ve never seen her before.«

Disappointed, Philippe walked on.
It went on like this the entire day.
Everyone he showed the picture to had never seen her.
What had he expected? That they would bump into each other on the first day?
He pulled up the collar of his jacket since the weather was everything but pleasant and made his way through the crowd.
An old woman had been watching him and quickly ran after him.

»Young man, wait one second!« she called out rushing up to him.

»May I have a look at that drawing?«

»
Oui Madame
, with pleasure.« He handed the small picture to her. »Well, young man, if I’m not mistaken, this is Sara Keane.
She’s an actress at the theater here.
Go to the 5th Avenue Theater and ask about her.
I’m sure they’ll be able to help you there.«

»
Merci Madame
.
Thank you for your help.
It was very friendly of you.«

The theater box office had just opened up and hardly anyone was waiting in line. A middle aged blond woman was selling tickets.
Philippe put on his best smile and spoke to her in French.
This usually worked with women who just couldn’t escape his French charm

»
Madame
, I need some information.
I am looking for a woman who, I think, works here. I sketched her portrait, but wasn’t able to finish it before she left.
Unfortunately, I lost her address, but maybe you can help me.« He handed her the drawing. »Yes, this is Sara Keane. She was one of our actresses, but she doesn’t work here anymore.«

»
Merde
, I’m sorry, I don’t want to be impolite, but could you perhaps tell me where I can find her?«

She looked into his trusting brown eyes and felt that she couldn’t just send him away.

»Well, as far as I know, Sara owns a house up in Blue Ridge on the beach. It’s located on a cliff.
Ask when you get up there.
I’m sure there’s someone who can help you.«

He smiled and said good-bye, winking as he left.

Wounds

Chapter 10

»
D
on’t you vampires need any sleep?« Eva was lounging comfortably in Shia’s arms running her index finger along his lower arm.
He laughed softly and the deep rumble in his chest made Eva sigh in comfort.

»Not much, anyway.
We rest after we’ve fed or after a battle, so that our bodies can recuperate faster.
But we really only need to sleep a few hours.
Only little humans need a lot of sleep,« he said provocatively running his hand tenderly along the contours of her body.

»What happened to you last night?«

»We ran into a few of the hunters of darkness.
We were able to save the women, but more creatures kept coming out of every hole.
Something’s up here in Seattle and I’d love to figure out what.«

»Who do you think is behind this?«

Shia shook his head slightly. »I don’t know, but we’re going to find out.«

He ran his fingers along Eva’s breasts, which rose and fell with each breath.

She stretched her body greedily towards his touch and let out a sigh.

»I don’t want you in any danger.
I’m worried about you, Shia. Even though I know you can’t die.«

He raised his shoulders and thought about this a minute.

»Have you ever thought about how it would be to live forever?«

Eva wasn’t ready for the question. »What do you mean?«

»You’ve studied myths.
I’m sure they’ve dealt with this question.«

»No, they haven’t.« Eva twisted out of his arms and sat up. Hesitantly, she said, »that question usually comes up when someone, who’s immortal, is dealing with someone who has forty, or if things go well, maybe fifty years to live.
And who maybe could still be seen a maximum of ten years in public.«

Shia sat up and looked at her confused. »You aren’t talking about the both of us, are you?«

»Yes, that’s exactly what I’m doing.
And if you’re honest, it’s exactly what you think too.
Be realistic.
In twenty years people will either think that I’m your Grandmother or that you’re a freak who goes for old women so that you’ll inherit their money. Only that I don’t own anything I could leave to you.«

He shook his head. »That’s crazy Eva.
How old are you? Twenty-eight? Maybe thirty?«

»Thirty-six and in November, I’ll be thirty-seven.«

»Oh, then we can be thankful that it’s only March, otherwise I would be dating an old lady ... No, that’s really crazy, Eva.«

She pushed the covers aside and stood up.

»Maybe age doesn’t matter to you anymore, but I fight against it everyday. And don’t you think that it hasn’t been clear to me from the beginning that what’s going on between us has no future.« She wanted to go into the bathroom, but hadn’t figured on Shia’s speed. Before she’d even reached the door, Shia was blocking it with his naked body.

»Just a second, my dear, what is this all about?«

»What does it look like?«

»You’re my soulmate.
You couldn’t leave me, even if you wanted to.«

»Shia, I’m a human being, a mortal.
There is no way you can connect with me.
The last couple of days have been wonderful, but this isn’t realistic.
You have to wake up.«

He walked up to Eva threateningly and lifted her up into his arms.

»I’ve been alive for a hundred and forty years and nothing has ever seemed more tangible than this, believe me, Eva,« he said carrying her back to the bed.

»I’ll show you how tangible you are to me.« He let her fall to the bed and then leaned over her, pushing the blond hair out of her face.

»Shia, please, believe me.
It’s not going to work just because you want it to.«

He leaned over her and kissed her lips.
Then he stopped and said: »No, it’s going to work because I love you!« Shocked by what he’d just said, he thought for a moment in surprise.
Eva noticed a change in his eyes.
She couldn’t believe his words, but what she was now seeing in his face, touched her deeply.
Even though she didn’t want his love, Shia’s own shock felt like being punched in the stomach.

She slipped off the bed quickly and went into the bathroom.
She got his things out of the dryer and threw them at him so that they landed at his feet.

»Here, your things are dry.
I’m going to take a shower.«

She slammed the door so forcefully that it was clear she didn’t want any company and that she didn’t expect Shia to be there when she finished.

She stood under the shower crying. She hadn’t felt so horrible in such a long time.
She knew deep inside herself that she was right.
It had to end things as quickly as possible, but she’d secretly hoped to spend one or two more days with Shia.

Everything seemed to be coming apart inside of her.
Her head hurt so bad, she thought it would burst.
She wished Shia’s powers would work and he could erase her memory, as if he had never existed.
And if he appeared in her memory, then only as another regular person she’d met and had fallen in love with once.

She let the warm water run down over her face and could feel the heat.
It was the way Shia’s hands had felt on her body when he kissed her.
She started to wash her hair and wash away those thoughts of him.
She didn’t want to think about him and especially not about his kisses.
It was time for her to get back to work and distract herself.
Having a day off was definitely not her thing!

After leaving the bathroom over an hour later, her bedroom was empty as expected and Shia had left with his things.
It was better this way, she said to herself.
Eva smoothed over the covers quickly and made the bed so that nothing would remind her that she hadn’t spend a good part of the day alone in it.
The memories would disappear soon enough, she hoped.

When she turned towards her closet, the thought of spending the rest of the day here alone in her house was unbearable.
She decided to get dressed and maybe stop by the station even though her boss had clearly advised her against it.
What was he going to do about it? Fire her?

Eva chose a light blue blouse and dark blue pantsuit.
Although her insides were sinking into absolute chaos, she wanted for things to appear normal on the outside at least.
She tucked her weapon and badge into her belt and pulled her jacket on over them.
As she came down the stairs to the first floor, she stopped abruptly.
Shia was sitting comfortably in the living room with his legs crossed, waiting patiently for her.

He had showered and was wearing a dark green turtleneck, dress pants, elegant dark shoes and, to Eva, he looked simply irresistible.

His appearance gave him a certain dignity and he no longer looked like a twenty year old kid as he smiled back at her.
His black jacket was resting on the arm of the other chair,

»There you are. Good. Can we go now?« Eva could hardly believe her eyes and ears.

»Where?«

»I though since we spent the whole morning in bed, that you’d be hungry and we could do what all mortals do, and go out to eat.«

»But you don’t eat.«

»Then I’ll just start eating.
It’s not going to kill me.« A smile appeared around his eyes, which annihilated all her careful plans within seconds.
Shia took his car keys off the table and escorted her out to his black Audi, held the door open for her and helped her in.
When he slipped into the driver’s seat, Eva looked over at him inquisitively.

»You drive a German sports car?«

»Audi R8 GT, there isn’t a car with more style.
Five hundred sixty horsepower and it only needs three seconds to go from zero to sixty.
It’s almost as good as sex ... with you.«

Eva threw him an angry look.

»I’m just saying! It’s fast!«

She sat across from Shia in the restaurant in a state of amazement, watching him drink his wine.
He’d sped with her towards the center of the city and turned from Westlake Avenue onto Harrison Street and shortly after parked in front of Kasper’s.
They’d been given a cozy table for two near the fireplace.

Eva assumed that he’d reserved the table by phone because the restaurant was fairly popular and usually full.
He’d even taken it upon himself to order for the both of them.
She hadn’t even paid attention to what he’d ordered, and almost expected one of the guests to jump up and expose Shia for what he really was.
But nothing like that happened.
The female guests, rather, seemed to devour him with their glances and were disappointed to see Shia reach across the table for her and tenderly stroke her hand.

»Do you like it here?« he asked, his gaze drifting around the room.
»Is this what you want from me? To live like a normal human being?«

Eva shook her head disapprovingly.

»No,« she whispered softly, »I don’t want you to put yourself in any danger.
You shouldn’t change your life because of me.« In the mean time, the appetizer had been served and Eva watched in astonishment as Shia put a piece of lettuce into his mouth, chewed it and swallowed.

»How can you eat?«

»Why shouldn’t I be able to eat?«

Eva shrugged her shoulders.

»Well, I just thought you couldn’t any more.
Because you feed differently now.«

»We can eat, but most of us don’t because we don’t have to and we don’t want to waste time doing it.« He smiled and stuffed a piece of bread and herbal butter into his mouth.

»So, you’re eating because I am?«

»I’m eating because I want to spend time with you and you have to eat.
What’s so bad about doing things that mortals also do?«

»I don’t want to put you in any danger.« She said it very quietly, almost a whisper, but Shia understood her.
He took another sip of wine.

»I’m in as little danger as those four people sitting at that round table in the middle of the room.« Shia nodded in their direction.
Eva turned her head and then looked back at him.

»You mean they’re vamp ... I mean, like you?«

Shia nodded smiling. »We’ve been living amongst you for centuries, without you ever knowing.«

The main course had been served.
He’d ordered baked salmon with tomatoes for Eva and a rare steak for himself.
He cut off a huge piece and let it disappear into his mouth.

»How’s your steak? My salmon was great.» Eva tried to continue the conversation on a more harmless level.

»My steak was good, too.
But it could have been a little bloodier!«

Eva’s cell phone started vibrating in her bag just as they’d ordered espresso.
She took the call when she recognized Esposito’s number and exchanged a few words with him before she put her cell back into her bag.

»I’m sorry.
I have to get to a crime scene.
I’ll take a taxi.«

»No, that’s okay. I’ll take you.
I’ll take care of this and you go ahead and go out to the car.« He handed her the car keys and for a moment their fingers touched.

When Shia got back to the Audi, Eva was sitting behind the wheel.
Eyebrows raised, Shia climbed into the passenger seat.
 

»You think you can drive this thing?« Shia asked a little concerned.

Eva smiled knowingly. »Of course!
A car is a car!«

»But this one’s got adjustable suspension!«

»Well, you better buckle your seatbelt then.« She listened as Shia took a deep breath and a low rumble spread through his chest.

She leaned over towards him. »Thank you for the wonderful dinner,« she whispered and kissed him on the lips.
Shia returned the kiss and then pushed her away slightly.

»Eva, I wanted to say something to you in the restaurant, but then your cell rang ... what I said to you at the house ... that I love you ... I didn’t just say that.
It’s the truth, even if I wasn’t aware of it myself.«
He ran his finger along her chin.

»I love you and there isn’t anyone or anything that can change that, not even time.« He pulled her into his arms again and kissed her greedily.
After a moment, Eva freed herself from his grasp and smiled.

»That is, if I don’t end up totaling your Audi!«

Channing trudged along the beach taking large steps as he went.
The wind was ice cold and was blowing right in his face, which was exactly what he wanted right now.
He wished the strong wind would blow away all his thoughts of Sara.
The woman was making him absolutely crazy!