Rare Vintage
This book is a work of fiction. The names, characters, places,
and incidents are products of the writer’s imagination or have been used
fictitiously and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to persons,
living or dead, actual events, locale or organizations is entirely
coincidental.
Samhain Publishing, Ltd.
577 Mulberry Street, Suite 1520
Macon GA 31201
Rare Vintage
Copyright © 2009 by Bianca D’Arc
ISBN: 978-1-60504-381-4
Edited by Bethany Morgan
Cover by Angela Waters
All Rights Are Reserved. No part of this book may be used
or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission, except in
the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.
Original Copyright 2006
First
Samhain Publishing, Ltd.
electronic
publication: February 2009
Rare Vintage
Bianca D’Arc
Dedication
With deepest appreciation to my family, who have stood by me
through all my career choices. Thanks also to Bethany for her great advice and
steady hand at the reins. And to my readers, who make each day a joy and give
me a reason to keep writing.
Chapter One
Kelly sat back in her office chair, staring at the computer
screen. A heavy sigh ruffled the wisps of hair fringing her forehead. Things at
the vineyard had been in upheaval since the Master vampire of the region, Marc
LaTour, had moved in. Well, at least for her.
The blasted man seemed to be there every time she turned
around, watching her with those dark, mysterious, ancient eyes. Since she
worked in the evenings to be on call during most of the hours when her best
friend, Lissa, and her new husband, Atticus, needed her, she had precious few
moments of daylight when Marc couldn’t corner her.
Just last night he’d dangled that damned yellow Lamborghini
in front of her again, revving the engine as he brought it out of the mansion’s
twelve-bay garage.
“Just taking your car for a spin,
ma petite
,” he’d
called to her from the driver’s seat. “Wouldn’t you like to join me?”
“No, thank you.” She’d been as firm as possible and turned
away as he laughed. The hardest part was she’d have loved to take a drive in
the expensive machine. It was the man she needed to avoid if she wanted to keep
her sanity.
She’d heard the sports car roar down the driveway a minute
later. Marc infuriated her. He’d attempted to give her the car as a gift, which
she’d flatly refused, but he persisted. He was like a dog with a bone, and she
was the one whose nerves were being chewed on.
Kelly had moved in to one of the many guest rooms at the
mansion a few weeks after Atticus and Lissa were married. Her lease on a small
apartment in the city had come up for renewal, and she took the opportunity to
move out. She’d never enjoyed the hour-long commute each way from the city to
the vineyard. She’d been working for Lissa and Atticus since shortly before
their wedding as the couple’s assistant. It made sense for her to move into the
mansion where she worked and one of her best friends lived. They certainly had
plenty of room in the grand building.
Things had rolled along well until Marc showed up with the
yellow sports car and a suitcase in tow. Marc had apparently decided, in his
high-handed way, that he needed to move in with his friends while his own house
was being renovated. Atticus and Marc were long-time associates and close friends.
They were also both immortal.
They’d known each other longer than Kelly had been alive.
Centuries, in fact. It still boggled her mind to think that her best friend,
Lissa, was now as immortal as her new husband. The thought of living forever
was intriguing
¾
even mildly tantalizing
¾
but not practical for Kelly. Just the
thought of drinking blood made her shiver. No, she preferred to live a normal
life without the need to drink blood. Well, as normal as it could be when one
of her best friends was a vampire.
Kelly returned to work, whiling away the hours until sunset
when Lissa and Atticus would awaken. Marc, too, unfortunately. Not that he was
unattractive. In fact, he was one of the most devastatingly handsome men she’d
ever met, but he was way out of her league.
She sat back, staring at the screen again, lost in thought.
Kelly jumped when a breath of warm air sizzled past her ear.
It was Marc, of course. He was hovering close, just over her
shoulder. She could feel him, though he hadn’t made a sound as he approached.
Only now did she hear his slow breaths and the deliberate way he inhaled her
scent as if he was smelling a rare perfume.
“I thought they made it clear to you that I’m not a snack.”
“
Mmm
, I quite agree.” He dipped his head lower, his
stubbly cheek rubbing along her neck, raising goose bumps. “I imagine you’d be
a full seven-course meal.” He punctuated his words by licking the sensitive
skin just over her rapidly beating jugular. “Ah,
l’aparatif c’est marvelieux
.
A very satisfying feast for the senses at that.”
The man had licked her! She could hardly believe it. She was
barely suppressing shivers that wanted to course down her spine. It was
devastating to realize they were shivers of excitement, not revulsion.
This had to stop. The man was a steamroller and if she
wasn’t careful, she’d end up flat. Flat on her back, that is, with him
possessing every last inch of her body, her blood and her sanity.
“Mr. LaTour!” She twirled her rolling office chair around,
making him move back. “For the last time, I’m not on the menu.”
His dark gaze blazed down at her, humor in its depths. “My
proper title is Master, but you can call me Marc,
ma cherie
.”
She rolled her eyes, putting on a brave front. “I call no
man master.”
“Ah, but,
ma petite
, I’m not just a man. For
centuries now, I’ve been something more…and less.” He turned thoughtful as he
reflected on just what he was at this point in his long, lonely existence.
“I know what you are.” Kelly jumped to her feet, emphasizing
her words with a rudely pointing finger, but he liked her fire. “You’re a
womanizer, a scoundrel and someone who believes rules don’t apply to him.”
She was working up a fine head of steam, and Marc enjoyed
the show. Kelly was adorable when she was in a temper. It was just one more
thing that fascinated him about this petite, complex, mortal woman.
“Sadly, you’re right about some of that. I’ve never followed
rules,
cherie
, because for many years, I’ve been the one who makes them.
Alas, I admit to being a bit of a scoundrel as well, but I do object to the
term ‘womanizer’. While it is true I enjoy taking my sustenance from females
more than males, I always leave them well satisfied and with no complaints. In
fact, they rarely even remember me.” Again, that odd pang of something that
could be regret sounded through him. He shrugged it off and stepped into her
personal space, crowding close and tipping her chin up so he could look deep
into her pretty eyes.
“I bet you would remember me though,
ma petite
. It
would be difficult to cloud your fascinating mind, and I believe I like the
idea of you thinking of me years into the future, for I will most certainly be
thinking of you. You are…” his voice dropped to a low whisper, “…eminently
memorable,
mademoiselle
.”
He leaned in, dipping his head as if to kiss her. Her eyes
widened, but she didn’t pull away. She was as trapped as he was. He’d been
dreaming of her for weeks now—wanting to know the taste of her lips, the feel
of her tongue and the passion of her kiss.
“Is there anything I can help you with, Marc?” Lissa’s loud
voice sounded from the doorway, startling Kelly back to her senses and away
from the outrageous invitation in his eyes. Kelly moved, putting space between
them as quickly as she could manage on wobbly legs.
Lissa strolled into the room to stand next to Kelly,
indicating without words that she would protect her human friend, even from the
Master. Kelly knew it was a gutsy move, considering that Lissa was newly
turned, and Marc had centuries of experience on her. But the two women had been
friends since college and were closer than sisters. They’d watched each other’s
backs for many years. Kelly knew Lissa would do anything for her, just as she’d
do anything for her friend.
Kelly was the only one of their old study group that knew
what Lissa had become, though the others had dutifully inspected her new
husband and wished them well. They were all close, but Kelly and Lissa were
best friends. It had always been that way, since the moment they’d met in an
advanced math class all those years ago.
“No, nothing you can help me with, fledgling.” Marc’s smile
was respectful, but just a touch mocking as he reached out and raised Kelly’s
hand to his lips. “Until later,
cherie
.” He left the room as silently as
he’d come, leaving the two women to themselves.
Kelly dropped into her office chair with a troubling mix of
relief and frustration. “Thanks, Lis.”
“If he gives you any trouble, you tell me, okay? I may not
be up to his weight class, but my Atticus can certainly kick his butt
¾
and will
¾
if
he doesn’t abide by our rules in our home.”
Kelly reached out to touch her friend’s hand. “I’m okay, but
I appreciate the offer. I’ll let you know if he gets too far out of line.”
Chapter Two
“My bride is not very happy with you, Marc.” Atticus poured
two glasses of deep red wine and handed one to his companion. The fermented
fruit of the vine was the only thing that connected their kind to daylight—that
was both their yearning and their pain. It was the one thing that could offer
them ease and a modicum of healing. “Can’t you just leave her little mortal
friend alone?”
Marc schooled his expression, but felt the turmoil of
conflict in his heart. “I’m not really sure I can. She calls to me in a way
I’ve never experienced in all my years.” He shook his head as if to clear it.
“But I won’t hurt her. You know me better than that. Besides, I have bigger
fish to fry. Atticus, I need you to step into the role of Master of this
region.”
“Isn’t that your job? You know I’m enjoying every moment I
have with my new mate. We’re still newlyweds after all. If I were Master of
this region, the job would require a lot of work away from Lissa, and I’m a
little too selfish to part from her for very long.”
“Don’t you see? Having found your mate makes you the perfect
candidate to replace me. The rest of our kind see you as more stable and more
powerful just by virtue of having found a mate. That upstart Gibson would never
dare challenge you, though the time is fast approaching when he will challenge
me. I don’t want to have to kill him. The job just isn’t that important to me
anymore. I’m tired, Atticus. I’ve earned my rest.”
“That sounds suspiciously final, Marc. Don’t tell me you’re
considering—”
“Don’t say it.” Marc wearily raised one hand. “No, I’m not
suicidal, but I want what you have, Atticus. You’ve found your one and only.
You have purpose and happiness in your life. It’s been far too long since I’ve
truly enjoyed my endless years on this earth. Being a Master used to be enough,
but after seeing you and your mate together, I realize how empty my world truly
is.” He polished off his wine and sat back. “I want purpose. I don’t want to
just exist anymore. I want a little joy in my life, a little happiness. Is that
wrong?”
Atticus regarded him with serious eyes. “It’s not wrong,
Marc, but I’ll share with you what I’ve never told another soul. When I found
Lissa, I was ready to die. I was nearly gone in fact.” Marc wasn’t as shocked
by the revelation as he should have been. He’d sensed Atticus had been reaching
the point of no return, even as he neared it himself. “As you know, everyone
else aboard that mini-bus died in the initial few moments of the wreck. I took
a support beam through the chest, very near my heart.”
“
Sacre bleu!
”
“Only Lissa lived of those on board, and I was ready to let
myself bleed out and end it all, but then I thought about her. I barely knew
her, but she’d caught my attention during the short drive. Still, I had no idea
she would turn out to be my mate. I just knew I didn’t want to see her die. I
pulled that beam out of my chest and brought her to safety. I struggled to save
her, but the moment I tasted her essence, I knew she was special. When we made
love…” Atticus trailed off, seemingly lost in the memories of that moment,
“…our minds, our hearts, our very souls joined and I knew she was the One I’d
been waiting for through all these centuries.” Atticus shifted his gaze back to
Marc. “My point in telling you all this is that I didn’t expect to find her.
I’d given up hope. Much, as I suspect, you are on the verge of doing. My advice
to you is to just not give up.”
“I will try, my friend, but I do not dare hope that
lightning will strike in the same place twice. You have found your mate after
centuries of searching. I fear my search is not yet at an end, but my patience
and willingness to go on alone is nearing that point.”
“Don’t give up, Marc. She’s out there.”
“I had hope…” Marc hesitated, which wasn’t like him.
“What?”
“When I first saw your wife’s friend, Kelly, I had hope that
she might be—” Marc turned away, reaching for the wine decanter with less than
graceful movements. “But it is a silly hope. I could not be that fortunate.”
“Marc, there’s something I think you should know.”
The somber, tense tone of Atticus’s voice alerted Marc to
the serious nature of what his friend had to impart.
“You know Lissa has some psychic ability,” Atticus began,
seeming unsure of how to break his news. Marc grew even more concerned.
“Shortly after we met, Lissa had a vision. We were closely linked at the time
and I actually saw it too. Marc, the vision was of Kelly—covered in blood. She
was dying, and we both felt that it was no accident. She is in very real
danger.”
Marc felt his tension level double, then double again.
Nothing and no one would threaten Kelly. He would see to it.
“It’s one of the many reasons we convinced her to move in
here, where we could keep an eye on her,” Atticus continued while Marc seethed.
“Aside from the fact that she has knowledge of our existence and had to be
watched anyway, Lissa hoped that keeping her close would help us protect her.”
“You should have told me at once!” Marc exploded, unable to
hold his temper any longer. Atticus didn’t deserve the full brunt of his
outburst. Marc did his best to rein it in. “I expect to know the minute your
mate sees anything else. And from now on, I will be keeping a close watch on
Kelly. Nothing must happen to her. Do you hear me?”
“I do, old friend.” Atticus looked at him with both
compassion and sadness. “But what if you are the threat? Marc, she was covered
in blood and her neck—” Atticus swallowed as his eyes glazed in memory. “Her
throat was in shreds as if an animal had savaged her with his teeth. Lissa
didn’t recognize it, but I’ve seen that once before in my years.”
“Alexandra,” Marc said knowingly, flopping into his chair,
defeat in every line of his body. “When Viktor went mad and savaged her. I
remember it too, my friend. It was a sight so horrible, I will never forget.”
“In the vision, Kelly had the same wounds, Marc. And there
was too much blood. I don’t see how we can save her life if that is truly to be
her fate. Even turning her might not save her with that kind of trauma.”
The men were silent for a moment, lost in their own
thoughts.
“We will keep her safe,” Marc said finally, the steel
returning to his backbone even as his stomach tensed with worry. “Between us,
we can keep watch over her. If it is as you suspect and one of our Brotherhood
will attack her, it cannot happen during the day. And if both of us watch her
by night, if either one of us is the threat, the other can subdue him.”
“I am mated, Marc. Forgive me, but I have no reason to
attack Kelly. In fact, being that she’s my wife’s best friend, I have every
reason to protect her.”
“Then you believe I am the threat.” Marc watched Atticus,
glad to know his old friend would speak honestly with him after all these
years—even on a topic as unpalatable as this.
“I believe you could be. You, or any of our brethren.”
Marc sighed. “So the problem remains. To be safe, she should
have two watchers at all times.”
“She will not agree to it, Marc. She is as stubborn as my
wife. Perhaps more so.”
“Then we don’t tell her. But starting now, we will watch
her. Your mate can help too. Kelly will not be alone if we can help it.”
“And we also have electronic monitors in all the rooms. She
doesn’t know about them.”
“
Dieu!
I didn’t know about them either, Atticus.
Since when did you become James Bond?”
Atticus laughed. “Don’t try to tell me you’re not having
your home wired for sound and pictures as we speak. I’m sure you’re upgrading
whatever you had there to begin with during this renovation. You’d be a fool
not to.”
“You know me too well,” Marc agreed with a grin. “All right,
I assume you’ll let me in on your monitoring system?”
Atticus surprised him by tossing a small black box his way.
It was about the size of an old transistor radio and had similar buttons and
knobs.
“I intended to get your help on this all along. There is
simply too much time where Lissa and I are—
ahem
—otherwise occupied. We
need help if we’re to keep Kelly safe.”
“You mean while you’re off making love to your wife, Kelly’s
vulnerable.” Marc’s mouth thinned into a grim line as he thought of the unknown
threat. “I’ll get help on this. Perhaps Ian would be suitable to take a turn on
monitors while you and Lissa are offline.”
“Better yet
¾
”
Atticus spoke as he poured more wine for both of them, “
¾
Dmitri will be in town for a few days. I’ve invited him to stay
here. Since he’ll be close and has a reasonable excuse for being here, we’ll
ask him to help. He’s always been a trustworthy man. When he goes home, Ian can
take over.”