Prologue
Being a vampire was a lonely existence. Ethan Hale had walked the earth for the last five hundred years, surviving by stealth and by hiding his true nature, knowing that humans were not yet ready to accept and welcome the existence of vampires. The world had changed over the centuries. But not enough…
There were others of his kind, but vampires were solitary creatures, trusting no one, walking alone. While they might socialize occasionally, and his kind could call upon another of their brethren for help, they never stayed very long in the company of others. He had three brothers that he would give his own life for, however, in the end, they all dwelt alone.
The only hope of relief from his lonely existence was to find his soul- bonded mate. That life changing event had never occurred for Ethan and he had wandered for centuries without a soul.
Ethan and his three brothers fought the good fight, and popular vampire myths were often a topic of jokes among his brethren. Vampires were not “made,” they were born. Living, breathing, flesh and blood with extraordinary powers and, yes, a need for blood to survive. The only thing that they lacked was a soul. Their soul-bonded mate held that tightly inside of her own, keeping it safe and protecting it until the day that it would be transferred to her vampire in a mating ceremony as ancient as the vampire species.
Vampires were not the monsters of lore, however, there were times when self-policing was necessary, which meant that Ethan, his three brothers and several others of his brethren had to unite to defeat a fallen that had given in to bloodlust. Killing aimlessly was against the code of the vampire. If one of his kind became too frenzied while feeding, and killed, the lust for a blood kill would become permanent, making them beyond redemption. They would become a fallen, and immediate extermination of fallen vampires was the only hope of survival for his kind. Human detection would mean the destruction of his entire species. Although the vampires might laugh at the incorrect lore and the misunderstanding of true vampires, humans would see them as evil abominations that needed to be hunted and extinguished.
Vampires did not kill indiscriminately. They took blood when they needed it and left the human donor with no memory of the incident.
And their one true mate? That was no myth, that was real, but finding one’s mate could not be rushed, as Ethan and his brothers had discovered over the last several hundred years of waiting. All vampires were born male, their female counterpart a human with a genetic difference. The human female mate was born with her soul combined with that of her vampire mate, a genetic mutation that meant that she had to call her mate to her, before he lost his life force. Female mates did not live beyond their thirtieth year unless they became bonded with their vampire.
Ethan was among the oldest of his kind who had yet to find his mate. Had she already passed, failing to call him to her? Had he not heard her call? It had been so long for him that he had stopped waiting. A vampire lost his ability and desire to have sex after the age of one hundred and it had been over four hundred years for Ethan. He had stopped believing that she awaited him or that she was yet to be born. He had accepted it, but it didn’t stop the yearning and loneliness that were now a part of his existence.
His brothers, who were also unmated, had similar thoughts - it was those thoughts had driven them all to work for The Vampire Coalition. They were all past the age for mating and had to accept that, for them, a mate was no longer a possibility. Perhaps he and his brothers would not have mates, but they could preserve their species for those that could. Mated vampires were happy, contented, living a life that was complete and filled with joy. Ethan and his brothers wanted their breed to continue its existence on this earth. It was what they lived for, their cause, a ray of light and hope for ones who lived in darkness. If they had nothing else to live for, they could remain in that ray of light by preserving the future for others of their kind. If they didn’t have The Coalition and their goals, they knew it was possible to become the hunted instead of the hunter.
Come to me. I need you.
Chapter 1
Ethan Hale sat up in bed, his heart pumping, sweat dripping from his body so profusely that it saturated his bedding. He was panting as if he had just battled a dozen fallen.
I’m dying. My life force is draining away. Come to me.
The voice was weak and soft in his mind, a faint whisper with a female softness that sent a shiver down his spine. He recognized the voice of his mate from pure instinct, a certainty that had nothing to do with logic.
Another seeks me, but he is not you. Please come to me… before it is too late.
“Who seeks you? And why? Help me find you.” He spoke aloud, although it was not necessary. He sought her in his mind, trying to reach her through the weak psychic connection. Something was…wrong. She sounded distant, depleted. It was still day…long before the sun would set and the connection was fragile.
Ethan tried to rise, but it wasn’t possible. Nothing could pull him from his day sleep except his mate, but he couldn’t function before twilight. He fought and struggled, frustration and anger driving him. He couldn’t rise. Damn it! He couldn’t rise! His body refused to cooperate and his mind was sluggish.
Nothing drove a vampire like the need of his mate. It was feral.
Animalistic. Instinct. The need to protect his woman, to shelter her from all harm ripped through his useless body. Her pain and her need became his, and there was nothing worse than not being able to protect his mate. The instinct was there already and they had not even bonded.
I don’t know who seeks and stalks me, but it is not you. I feel the evil.
I’m growing weak. You must come to me.
Ethan’s heart nearly exploded from his chest while he fought the seductive call of his day sleep. “Tell me how? Please.” His voice was desperate now as he clenched the wet sheets, trying to feel her essence. It was so elusive, barely there, but he had to reach it.
Please find me…
Her voice floated away lightly, fading to… nothingness. The connection was completely severed.
Ethan felt himself being dragged back into his day sleep. He resisted, tearing at the sheets, pounding the bed. But the day sleep was relentless, pulling him into a dark abyss.
“Nooooo!!” His cry was an anguished howl as the darkness consumed him.
*****
Brianna Cole woke with a frightened cry. Her eyes popped open and she had an immediate awareness of her surroundings. I’m home. In my own bed. Her heart pounding and her breath shallow, she sat up and looked around her bedroom.
“Nothing here,” she whispered to herself as she shivered and rubbed her arms to warm herself despite the warmth of her bedroom.
She was always cold these days. Since she had been suddenly struck down with a rare and mysterious form of leukemia six months ago, she was constantly chilled to the bone.
Brianna was just grateful to be in her own home. Although her family and friends had objected, she had obstinately stuck to her guns and remained in her own house where she felt at peace. She hadn’t been able to return to her job as a social worker, and more often than not, she was in the hospital getting a transfusion or some other experimental treatment. When she wasn’t being poked and examined like a lab specimen, she needed to be home. It was the only thing that kept her level and sane in a world that had been turned upside down by her illness.
Brianna knew she was dying. She didn’t need a team of experts to tell her that she was slowly fading away. She could feel the weakness, the slow draining of her spirit.
But I connected with him today! I called him.
She shook her head as the notion popped into her head involuntarily. Connected? What in the hell did that mean? Yet somehow she knew it was significant, that calling him meant something.
Brianna sighed as she pulled herself out of bed and rose to her feet.
Stretching lightly, she cursed her weak and aching body as she made her way into the kitchen, her hungry feline tangling around her feet. She picked up Mr. Wiggins, named after a wonderful old gentleman she had worked with who couldn’t keep the cat, and stroked him, enjoying the soft feel of his fur against her cheek.
“I’m just not ready to die yet, Wiggs,” she told him softly as she continued to rub her cheek against his fur. “I don’t feel like I’m supposed to die.”
It was denial. She hadn’t yet made it to the acceptance stage of her impending death and maybe she never would. It seemed like she had been stuck in the denial stage since her mysterious illness had struck. If she didn’t hurry up, she would probably never make it through the stages of anger, bargaining, depression and acceptance. It seemed like she had been stuck in denial since the day her illness had been diagnosed.
She dropped Wiggs to the floor lightly and dug through her cupboard for the cat food. She filled the bowl and set it on the floor. Wiggs, who was plump to begin with, devoured the meal like he hadn’t eaten in weeks.
She raised an eyebrow. “Greedy little devil.” Wiggs eyed her briefly with a look she could have sworn was kitty disdain before returning to his gluttony.
Brianna sighed as she plopped onto a stool at the breakfast bar and watched Wiggs make a pig of himself. She was still tired, but filled with a restlessness that she knew would never let her sleep. Truthfully, she didn’t want to sleep anymore. Tomorrow she would be back in the hospital for another transfusion and she wanted to enjoy her one day of freedom.
She needed to call her mother and let her know she was still among the living. Maybe that was a bad expression to use with Mom. Brianna decided she would just check in and leave out the black humor that didn’t usually go over well with her concerned parent. She’d just let her mom know that she was doing fine. If she didn’t, her mother would come running over to check on her.
Denial! Denial! Denial!
As Brianna headed for the shower, she decided she really didn’t care if she lived out the rest of her short life in that particular stage. If she only had a limited time in this world, she would enjoy it in any stage she damn well pleased.
She stopped in the bedroom to gather a clean pair of jeans and a shirt, frowning as she caught a glance at her reflection in the mirror over the dresser.
It had been several months since they had tried their last effort at chemo, so her blonde hair covered her head in a short, spiky style, but her face looked haunted and old. Dark circles framed her green eyes like she hadn’t slept in days, whereas the truth was that she slept most of the day. And night.
But nights haunted her. She felt a yearning for… something. And then there were the night terrors, a time where she felt something evil lurking in the shadows. It might be the fear of her impending demise, but she didn’t think so. She was still in denial after all and it felt more like a dark presence and impending doom. Every night the unknown entity felt closer, more suffocating. Every night it kept her awake longer, making her shiver under several blankets.
Brianna slammed the drawer, angry with herself for giving in to the fear. She would fight the darkness. If she could fight leukemia, she could damn well shake off this feeling that threatened to consume her after darkness had fallen.
As she determinedly made her way to the bathroom for a nice hot shower, she decided that she would enjoy every moment she had left and leave the darkness behind.
She marched into the bathroom, dropping her clothes on the vanity and stripped, knowing she made that promise to herself every day and it always worked… until the sun went down.
*****
Ethan literally exploded out of his day sleep, angry and determined to find his mate. His eyes were wild and feral as he dressed himself and tried not to choke on the emotions flooding him.
Mine!
His mate was in danger. Ethan felt the tingle of awareness in every cell of his body and he was experiencing the need to protect, the need to kill anything or anyone that threatened his mate.
He just wished someone had warned him about the intensity of the mating emotions. His feelings had always been lukewarm…until now. Now… he was bursting with unbridled emotions, controlled by them, overwhelmed by them.
Sucking in an uneven breath, he tried to gain control of the raging feelings boiling inside of him.
Get a grip, vampire. Think. You can’t save her if you can’t function.
Shit…how was he supposed to function when his world had been turned upside down by one tiny, weak voice in his head?
He grabbed his cell phone and called his three brothers with a brief explanation.
They popped in, literally, moments later.
Nathan arrived first with his usual flare. There was nothing subtle about the oldest Hale brother. He was there in a flash of light so bright that it hurt Ethan’s light-sensitive eyes.
Ethan glared at him, knowing his eldest brother was perfectly capable of showing up with a little less flare. Nathan was powerful and could control the flash, but when he was emotionally charged… he didn’t bother.
Rory arrived without the flash, but was suddenly present with nothing more than a light popping noise that would never be heard by human ears. It was only evident to vampires because of their highly-developed hearing ability.
Liam…arrived like Liam. He faded in softly and without making a sound.
Rory and Liam were twins, and almost impossible to identify from just a glance. All of the brothers were similar in general appearance. Muscular. Tall. Dark hair and the signature brown vampire eyes. And at the moment, somewhat frightening in their unity and intensity.
“Has she answered?” Nathan demanded in his booming, low voice. Ethan clenched his fists, feeling helpless and frustrated. “No.
Nothing.”
“She’s probably not sleeping yet.” Liam answered quietly, always the voice of reason in the terrifying quartet.
“I can’t wait,” Ethan decided as he paced the floor, his body tense, his emotions barely in check. “She’s weak and in some sort of danger. I don’t know exactly what. I have to find her.”
“What can we do?” Rory queried gruffly, knowing his brother was in pain. Rory was generally the cheerful one, but he didn’t appear quite certain how to deal with Ethan in his current condition. None of the brothers were used to seeing Ethan in any kind of emotional chaos.
“I need to know that she isn’t in danger from a fallen. She talked about being sought by another. Something evil. Find out if there’s anything going on with our brethren or another that might cause them to seek her out.” He struggled to think rationally as he added, “Anything out of the ordinary.”
“Done,” Nathan answered. “I’ll investigate the possibility of it being a fallen, while Liam and Rory check with the others.” He motioned to his two brothers who nodded once in agreement. As the eldest of the four, Nathan was good at giving orders. It often caused conflict between the brothers, but not now, not when they needed to come together to help Ethan.
“I’ll try to reach her, try to find her. I’ll call you.” And just like that, Ethan disappeared without a sound, leaving no evidence that he had ever been present.
The three brothers were silent for a moment, each beginning to absorb the significance of what was happening to Ethan.
Liam was the first speak, stating nervously, “He can’t fail.” “Ethan won’t fail,” Nathan replied sternly.
“If he does…he won’t survive.” Rory voiced what the other two brothers could not and did not want to say.
“Then let’s make sure that he doesn’t fail,” Nathan demanded and he flashed away, the others following seconds later.
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