Till the Break of Dawn (17 page)

“I’m sorry about Jesse,” he said softly, “but the guy acted like an asshole.”

“Don’t be sorry. You can’t control other people. I’m sorry you had to get involved. Maybe he’s right. Maybe I should have just ended things over the phone, then none of this would have happened.”

“You were trying to be kind. Your intentions were good.” Marcus took a sip of his coffee and within a few seconds he’d stopped smoking.

“Fuck that,” Jamie said. “I can’t believe the way Jesse acted. He had no right. It would have served him right if you’d pounded him into dog meat.”

“Well, someone’s having a bad day,” Marcus teased. “And here I thought almost getting set on fire would qualify me as having the worst day so far.”

“Sorry,” Jamie said. “I’ve been hanging around Terry too much.”

“Speaking of Terry, why did he want to talk to you last night?”

Marcus took another sip of coffee before answering. “It’s about his leg.”

While Jamie and I ate he explained. The P.F.C. has a minor league where hopefuls can compete for a chance to join the organization. The top pick gets to choose whether to join as a werewolf or a vampire.

“What it comes down to is Terry wants a chance to regenerate his right leg,” Marcus finished.

“But will they let him wrestle with a missing body part?” I asked.

Marcus shrugged out of his cloak. His skin looked perfect again. “It’s possible, but I’m not sure. Besides, there may be another option.”

“What’s that?” Jamie asked.

“Turns out he knows a werewolf, but he doesn’t know he knows a werewolf.”

“Huh?” Jamie and I said together.

Marcus waved off our comment and finished his coffee. “I’ll explain later once I get it all sorted out. See, becoming a werewolf is his only choice anyway. Vampires can regenerate, but only from the injuries they receive as a vampire. If you’ve got a scar on your face before you’re turned, well, you’re gonna always have that scar.”

“What if you have the area re-injured? Will it heal properly then?” I asked.

“It will. But it works differently with limbs than with skin. Skin injuries can sometimes be fixed. But if Terry had someone cut off another section of his leg in the hopes of re-growing the whole thing, then that would only work if he was a werewolf.”

“That’s awful. Could David turn him or does his contract forbid it?” I asked.

I knew Marcus wasn’t allowed to make any new vampires, but had no idea if the same rules applied to his furry co-workers.

“Surprisingly, no. But he is forbidden to attack or kill a human which significantly lessens the chance of turning anyone.”

Jamie and I finished eating and put the plates in the sink. While I started to do the dishes she asked, “What’s the consequences of breaking your contract?”

“Death.” He rose and walked to the door before Jamie could react. I already knew the consequences of a breach of contract, but that didn’t mean I enjoyed hearing it again. “If you’ll excuse me, this coffee is running right through me.”

“Do vampires pee?” Jamie asked.

I was just about to scold her when Marcus answered patiently, “Yes. It’s kind of like our tears, like watered down blood.”

“Gross.”

“Hey, you asked,” he called, already halfway down the hall.

All of the sudden Jamie looked really tired. “Now that I know you’re all right, I’d better get going. I figured I’d open the bar tonight since you guys probably need to check on David.”

“Yeah, that’s what we’re planning to do as soon as the sun sets. I’ll come by later and close up so you can go home early.”

“Sounds good.”

When I walked back in the living room I found Marcus stretched out down the length of my sofa. I’d never seen anyone tall enough to rest their head on one end and hang their feet off the other.

“Where’s Jamie?”

“She was tired. It’s her night to open. I told her I’d come by later so she doesn’t have to close up.”

He reached for me and I stretched out down the length of his body. Marcus held me tight and I snuggled my face against the side of his throat.

“I know we never talked about it much before, but how did you end up becoming a vampire? With Terry, he’s interested in getting his leg back. I know you were hurt really bad.” I paused before lifting up enough to look at him. “How bad was it?”

“Not a lot of people know this,” Marcus said, stroking my hair. “I was famous, finally made it to the top. And as soon as I got there I could see it all slipping away. I was still young by most standards, but not in a physical sport like wrestling. Thirty-six is usually time to be on your way out. Even though I was young, I didn’t heal as fast as I used to. I could feel the years of punishment catching up with me.” He paused. It was obvious that what he was about to say was painful. “I was thrown off of a steel cage and through a table. It broke my back and left me paralyzed.”

Tears ran down my face as he matter-of-factly reported the full extent of his injuries.

“My career was over. For the most part it was kept out of the media. People knew I was hurt, but not how badly. I had only been in the hospital for one day when he showed up.”

“You mean Nybras?”

He nodded. “This guy would make anybody do a double-take, even someone under the influence of a lot of pain meds, like I was at the time. He’s about six feet tall, thin, pale. His hair is stark white and he’s got blue eyes that look like they glow all the time. When he walked into my hospital room it made my skin crawl.”

I believed him. The description he gave was enough to give me goose bumps. Before this all I had known about Nybras was that he turned Marcus and he scared the hell out of him. I was beginning to understand why.

“He starts laying out this offer, just like the Devil. He said that my injuries hadn’t healed enough to make them permanent, but if I let them heal I would never walk again. He offered to turn me right then. He said that my transformation would be more painful than most, but that I would recover fully. He told me about the P.F.C., which was in its beginning stages at the time. He said he’d make me a top priority. To be able to do what I love forever sounded a hell of a lot better than never being able to do it again. It was all or nothing darlin’ and I chose all.”

Well, when he put it like that, who could blame him?

“Most people might not have done the same, but after being use to a body that was so athletic, the thought of never being able to walk again terrified me.”

“I would have done it.”

He kissed me softly. “You don’t have to say that for my benefit. What’s done is done. Besides, if I hadn’t accepted his offer I’d be way too old for you now.”

I hugged him tighter, snuggling against his neck again. “I’m not saying it to make you feel better, Marc. I really would. Given the choice of living a short life crippled or eternal life with all the power you have now. Well, that isn’t much of a choice.”

He ran his hands underneath my shirt and started to stroke my back. The effect was so relaxing I had to fight to keep from falling asleep.

“Marcus, how come you didn’t catch on fire or smoke when we left the hotel, but you did when Jesse was here? You had your cloak on.”

“Not at first,” he said, continuing to stroke my tired muscles. “My skin was exposed to the light before I could put my cloak on.”

“Oh.” My reply was more of a sigh than a word. His hands were like magic.

“You should rest.”

I suppose his voice was magic too, because that’s exactly what I did.

*****

I awoke to the sound of Marcus’ voice. Normally his deep rumbling baritone would have been enough to soothe me back to sleep, but he sounded angry. I was still on the couch, but Marcus sounded like he was in the kitchen.

“My contract is not specific on those points.” He was silent for a minute, I assumed listening to whatever the other person had to say. “It makes sense to have someone who can watch over me during the day. David will not live forever.” More silence. “The wording states that I cannot turn others, not that I cannot have a companion! The choice is not yours, Nybras. I’ve had your lawyers go over it very carefully. If you don’t believe me, take another look.”

Marcus clapped his phone shut as he rounded the corner. For just a second I got a very frightening glimpse of what he was capable of becoming. His skin was paler than normal, his fangs were out and longer than I remembered. His hair was floating again on an electric-like current that touched him alone, and his eyes were solid green. He looked like a very frightening marble statue. Nybras must have really pissed him off.

“I’m sorry,” he said. Instantly his appearance returned to normal. There was warmth in his smile and his eyes as he looked at me. “I have to make things sound practical for Nybras. I truly think love is beyond his comprehension.”

Chapter Nineteen

Marcus sat beside me on the couch and for a second or two I just stared at him. His transformation had been both frightening and impressive. And as odd as it might sound, it was kind of sexy.

When I finally found my voice I said, “I thought you were afraid of Nybras.”

“Just because Nybras is my master does not mean I am his footstool.”

“Wow. That sounds threatening.”

He smiled, softening his harsh words just a little. “What it means is that he will not always have complete control over me. He made me, so obviously he is more powerful. That I will continue to respect. But, my contract does not last forever. He doesn’t own me.”

“When is your contract up?”

“Twenty-eight more years.”

My expression must have showed how alarmed I was. Marcus laughed and patted my hand. “I signed a fifty-year contract. Don’t look so surprised. Things like this aren’t unusual for vampires. After that I will have fulfilled all of the obligations I owe Nybras for saving me.”

“What will you do then?”

He reached for me and I climbed onto his lap.

“I might retire or even start a business of my own. Who knows? Until then, I’d like very much if you were a part of it all, whatever ‘it’ turns out to be.”

“I’m afraid I won’t look very good in spandex in twenty-eight years. That is, if you want me to be a part of your act.”

He laughed. “No, I don’t think anyone needs to be a part of my act. And if things go the way I’ve planned, you’ll look just fine in twenty-eight years, in spandex, or nothing at all.”

Thunder rumbled so loud the windows vibrated. “How long was I asleep?”

“Only about an hour.” He winked. “You needed the rest.”

I slipped from his lap and went to the front door to have a look outside. The sky looked like a giant bruise, all black and purple and angry. The temperature had dropped enough that the wind whipping my hair about felt almost cool.

“Wow. This came up fast. It was bright and clear when we were out here before.”

“Yes, it was.”

I jumped. Marcus was standing behind me, looking over my shoulder. His cloak was nowhere to be seen. The only thing protecting his skin was the thin undershirt that left most of his upper body exposed and his pants.

“What the hell are you doing?”

“Oh, I didn’t tell you? As long as there’s cloud cover I can go outside like this. I’ve always loved rainy weather. I figured out a long time ago that if I needed to get somewhere during the day, storms are my friend.”

I put a hand over my heart as if that would slow it’s frantic pace. “You could have mentioned that before. I thought you were going to burst into flames.”

“Sit with me for a while?” he asked.

Marcus made himself comfortable on my porch swing, resting one long leg on the seat. The way he positioned himself, I had no choice but to sit between his legs. Not that I was complaining. I rested back against him while he toyed with my hair. We sat there listening to the thunder for several minutes before I noticed he had no heartbeat.

Of course I had noticed this before, but that was a long time ago. It was always a little strange to realize that the man who seemed so very much alive was very much dead. Or undead as the case may be. The difference in me noticing this now and when I had noticed his lack of heartbeat for the first time was; now I wasn’t afraid.

With a soft whoosh, the rain the clouds had been promising finally reached us. It splashed up onto the porch and wet our bare feet. The sound of the storm and the soft shushing of the rain in the trees was like a symphony.

“When I was little I used to love going out in the rain,” I said. “Mamma would always scold me and say that if I wanted to play in the yard I should wait for the storm to pass.”

“I think that’s the problem with your mamma. She’s been waiting her whole life for the storm to pass and has missed out entirely.”

No one had ever summed up my mother quite so well. “You’re right.”

“If you spend all your time waiting for the storm to pass, you’ll miss the chance to dance in the rain.”

Marcus stood up, giving me no choice but to move seeing as how I’d lost my pillow. He reached for me and did a dramatic bow. I laughed as I took his hand.

“You’re not really taking me out into that?”

“Yep.”

“But it’s a flash flood!”

I squealed as he threw me over his shoulder and carried me out into the downpour. Marcus sat me down with a splash. Damn he looked good wet. The storm truly was his element. His pale green eyes looked more alive, his dark hair clung to him adding to the illusion that he was a part of the storm. And when he smiled I thought I might swoon. Just a subtle curl of his lips was all it took. I would have done anything he asked.

Marcus pulled me against him and I laughed again. “I’m too short to dance with you, especially without heels.”

“Then stand on my feet, you sexy little thing.”

I stepped onto his feet and Marcus twirled us around the yard with a grace I had not expected. We laughed and danced to a melody that only we could hear. It was the most fun I’d ever had. For a little while I forgot about everything except the way his wet body felt pressed against mine, the way the smell of fresh rain mingled with his scent so well, and how wonderful it felt to be in his arms again.