The morning sun drifted through the sheer window treatments and laid a warm kiss on Rayne's cheek. Her eyes fluttered open and slowly took in the foreign bedroom. As much as she liked it, she still missed her own bed. Lazily sitting up, she rubbed her face and pushed her long hair out of the way. She glanced around the room, allowing her eyes time to adjust to the brightness.
What time is it?
She turned to the clock on the nightstand and was shocked to see it was nearly ten AM. She couldn't believe it. She hadn't slept that late, or that well, for the matter, in quite a while! Was it because the nightmare hadn't come to her last night?
What had changed to make her feel better? Was it the extra security of the house? The comfort of knowing a little more of the truth and being a little less confused? Or could it be that Camden was close by, and she, without a doubt, trusted him to protect her?
At that moment, she didn't really care. She was enjoying the well-rested feeling and thinking how much she could enjoy getting used to it. Pushing the covers back, she swung her legs over the edge of the bed and stretched. The first thing that entered her mind was the magnificent bathroom connected to her room.
The night before, Rayne had come back to her room, afraid that she was on the verge of crying and the last thing she wanted was for Camden to see her that way. The sudden, overwhelming knowledge of how her grandfather had lived the last twenty years was the final straw that toppled her ever-growing pile of emotional turmoil. She had decided that it would do her some good to shower.
When she'd walked into the adjoining room, the sight had nearly taken her breath away. Sand-colored granite and ceramic tile were everywhere, including the monstrous, walk-in shower. It sported multiple showerheads and was complete with a digital keypad to control the water pressure and temperature. A large porcelain tub sat in the corner, with windows on each side and long cream drapes at the edges.
After discovering the Taj Mahal of bathrooms, she no longer had been in the mood to shower. However, now, well-rested and calm, she most definitely was.
Grabbing some clothes from the dresser, she entered her idea of Heaven and took her sweet, precious time pampering herself. It was some time later before she emerged clean, fresh, and relaxed. She hadn't realized how much she had needed a little time to herself.
Just as she crossed the room, her phone on the nightstand lit up, signaling a new text message. "Camden" flashed across the screen.
That's funny...I don't remember putting his number in my phone. She shrugged off the thought and grabbed the device.
"I have a limited supply of treated blood left. I'll be spending my days in my room away from the sun until we have a solid lead."
Before she could reply, another message came through.
"You have free reign of the house, but please don't go outside. If you need anything or just get bored, feel free to stop by my room. I don't sleep. Last room past the study."
Rayne couldn't fight the goofy grin that plastered itself to her face as she tapped out a reply.
"Ok. Going to raid your kitchen. I may drop by, but don't count on it. Your house is huge and there is far too much to get into." She ended the message with a smiley face and sent it. She reread the message and immediately regretted sending it.
Did I just flirt with him?!
What was she thinking? This was not the time or the place to be searching out potential love interests, most certainly not of the vampire type!
She slapped her palm to her forehead and tossed the phone onto the bed. All she could do was cross her fingers and hope that he didn't think she was a total dork. Running her fingers through her auburn locks, now curl-free after an extended amount of time with a straightener, she watched as the phone lit up again. A swarm of butterflies took flight in her stomach, and she imagined herself stomping them down. Stop it.
She quickly skimmed over the message.
"If you get bored, the study has a computer if you feel like doing some research."
At the end of the message was her returned smiley, but she didn't reply. She wouldn't let herself. This would do nothing but get her into trouble if she wasn't careful, and she definitely didn't want to get burned.
Rayne placed the phone in her pocket and left the privacy of her room. Venturing downstairs to the kitchen, she searched out an apple and began her own private tour of the house. It was rather creepy when it was silent and deserted.
Fruit in hand, she crossed the foyer and main entrance to the parlor. She hadn't been to this side of the place before, and her curiousness got the better of her.
She stepped into the mahogany-paneled room and was reminded of the gentlemen's clubs from old mob movies. She wasn't aware that people actually put them in their homes.
Well, not people...vampires.
Even thinking the word felt weird. Would she ever get used to all of it being real? Would this newly-uncovered species be a part of the rest of her life, or was it just a passing phase?
She was intrigued and apprehensive all at the same time. She wanted to know more, but was afraid of what it could mean for her future. Would it be one of those top-secret things, and once you were no longer useful, you magically disappeared? Should she be more afraid than she was?
Circling the room, she examined all the artwork and furniture. She couldn't imagine Camden actually spending time in it. This room was designed for hitmen.
And with that thought, came another. What had Camden done for his four-hundred some odd years? He'd been alive during the more interesting parts of history, World War II, the Prohibition era, the Great Depression. Where had he been when all of that was taking place? Maybe he was a part of the mob at some point.
She pushed the thought to the back of her mind and turned to leave the parlor. Climbing the stairs, she made her way toward the study. Down the upstairs hall, Rayne stood in front of the door, her hand on the handle, and took a deep breath. She knew this was something she had to do if she wanted her life to return to some semblance of normal.
She braced herself and opened the door, the smell of old books and leather filling her nose. A small smile pulled at the corner of her mouth as she imagined her grandfather sitting at the desk and looking up with a smile as she entered. Her heart warmed at the thought, and her fingers subconsciously found the spine of a book. She watched as he leaned back in the chair, his hair greyer than she remembered and the lines around his eyes a little deeper.
One by one, her hand moved from tattered binding to tattered binding, reveling in the sensations and memories each one stirred. She could actually hear the chair squeaking as he pushed away from the desk and stood. She turned the corner, fingers never leaving the books, and watched as he moved around the desk. A smile slowly parted her lips, and a tear welled at the corner of her eye.
Grandpa...She mouthed the words and stared in disappointment as he vanished just as quickly as he'd appeared. Rayne shook her head to clear the remnants of the vision and let her hand fall to her side. What was that?
She wasn't sure what was going on with the nightmares or these hallucinations she seemed to be having, and whether or not she should be, she wasn't scared or bothered by them. Maybe the nightmare was a little scary at first, but she was accustomed to it by now and knew exactly what to expect. Her imagination's manifestation of her grandfather actually had been comforting. It made her feel as though he were with her, watching over her.
She exhaled forcefully and let herself plop down into the desk chair. Silence filled the room as she racked her brain to think of anything that could possibly help their situation, an overheard conversation, a visitor out of place, anything. But her mind was blank.
She placed her hands flat on the desk, feeling the grooves of the wood. Her fingers spread wide and she felt a rather large indention. Upon closer inspection, she realized that it was a compartment. Digging her fingertips into the crevices, she tried to pry it open. With no luck, she began to search for a button that might unlock it.
A chirp from her phone startled her. Pulling the device from her pocket, she knew that it was either from Layla or Camden, and she was secretly glad to see that it was the latter.
"Under the right edge of the desktop."
Rayne stared at the message, hesitating for moment before running her fingers under the overhang. To her surprise, she found a button. Pressing it, she watched as the compartment began to rise and a computer monitor flipped open in front of her.
Her eyes widened as she looked at the phone, then glanced around the room. In the corner behind her, she noticed a small camera tucked into the recess of the bookshelf. As if on cue, another message chirped.
"Yes. I'm watching you."
Something stirred in the pit of her stomach. Was she excited? Did the fact that Camden was watching her make her anxious? She smirked to herself and typed a reply.
"Can you see this?" She put the phone down and held her middle finger in the air.
CHIRP! Another message.
"That's not nice..."
Rayne's heart skipped a beat. If she wasn't nervous before, now she definitely was.
Her fingers skillfully glided over the buttons of the phone, typing another message, but she didn't send it. She couldn't. Messing around with Camden was dangerous territory, and not only physically. She'd been so long with no one but Layla to depend on, she was afraid to get too close to anyone else. She could very easily get used to having him around, and in turn, fall very quickly. A few days in, and already she was aware of a growing fondness for him. She didn't know if she could handle that along with everything else right now.
She scrubbed her hands over her face in an attempt to clear her mind. This is bad. VERY bad. She rested her fingers on the keys of the computer and contemplated what information could possibly help their situation. More than anything, she was looking for a distraction to get him off her mind.
She opened the Internet and typed "Martin Alexander Slade" into a search engine. She selected the first result from the list and waited as an old news article loaded.
It showed a picture of the house she remembered from her childhood. Next to it was another, taken from the same angle, but the house was in ruins. Piles of ash and soot lay everywhere amongst the smoldering rubble. Small plumes of smoke still billowed from the freshly-extinguished fire.
It seemed almost surreal. In twenty years, she'd never thought to do any research on the death of her grandfather. There was never any reason to suspect that his death was anything other than the truth. It had been so matter-of-fact that she never questioned it. She never needed to.
The article went on to tell of an electrical fire that seemed to have started in the bedroom, due to a frayed lamp wire that sparked into a rack of magazines. It read, "Martin Alexander Slade, a fifty-seven-year-old accountant for Legacy Pharmaceuticals, was presumed dead after house fire."
Rayne's stomach churned. She knew that what the article said wasn't true, but it might as well have been. He'd been dead to her all the same. It didn't change the heartbreaking vision she had, that the man she'd loved not just as a grandfather, but the closest thing to a father she'd ever known, had gone through that.
Even knowing the truth, she couldn't get rid of the image. Of course, when you've believed one thing for twenty years, it wasn't easy to change it overnight. Collecting herself, she left the article and returned to the search screen, this time typing in the name, "Dr. Harry Schultz."
The screen flickered to life and pulled up more results than she was expecting. Guess I better start at the top.
The first link pulled up a document on Legacy Pharmaceuticals. It talked about the breakthrough medical technology they'd engineered in the management of blood diseases. It then went on to outline some of Dr. Schultz's achievements, awards, certificates, and degrees. At the very end, it told of his final works.
"The brilliant mind of Dr. Harry Schultz had been working on, at the time of his death, never-before-seen advancements in the curing of blood illnesses. In 1994, Dr. Schultz and his team were in the first stages of testing a new type of drug that showed promise of completely extinguishing these diseases.
The medication only made it to the initial testing phase, and unfortunately, was denied human trials. The FDA expressed concerns about the formula's rapid development, and required that further testing and re-formulation be done.
Shortly after receiving this information, Dr. Harry Schultz was killed during a mugging, just outside of his home in Seattle, Washington.
The fate of his life's work is ultimately unknown. It is speculated that all documents, samples, and tests were destroyed by the doctor himself."
Rayne sat back in her chair and mulled over everything she had read. It wasn't anything that Camden hadn't already told her, but it somehow felt more real all the same. Her stomach fluttered and did a somersault at just the thought of him. Mentally slapping herself, she shook her head. She wasn't fifteen and hormonal anymore! Get yourself together!
Pushing away from the desk, she made her way to the far corner of the room where some particularly old-looking books sat on the shelf. Her fingers gently caressed the worn leather and damaged fabrics of the bindings. One book stood out more than the rest and looked familiar.
It was covered in a rough, maroon fabric that was fraying at the edges, and the gold lettering was nearly rubbed away. Her heart leapt excitedly into her throat as she removed it from amongst the others and saw that just enough of the fabric was left on the cover to show the title, "The Iliad."
She stared for a moment, the memories flooding her mind. It was the exact same book her grandfather had read to her many times. Clutching the book to her chest, she inhaled the musty smell of the yellowed pages.
Finding her way to the straight-backed chair, she lowered herself and carefully studied the book. Her heart was suddenly full of lazy days on the front porch in the swing, listening to her grandfather's deep, soothing voice as the rhythmic swaying lulled her into complete relaxation. The sickness never bothered her there. She didn't allow it.
Flipping open the first few pages, her fingers traced the words as she read them silently. A few lines in and a chirp from her phone ripped her from the moment. Removing the device from her pocket, she couldn't decide if she was excited by Camden's text, or disappointed by the interruption of her reminiscing.
"Can you come to my room? Might have a lead."
Rayne typed out a quick reply and stood. She gently placed the book in the chair, having all intentions of returning to it.
Down the hall and around the corner, it grew darker and somewhat ominous as she spotted the wooden double doors at the end. Wall sconces on either side emitted just enough light that her eyes didn't take long to adjust.
Really? Cliché much? It literally looked like something out of a Dracula movie, and she couldn't help but inwardly laugh.
Her small hand balled into a fist and had almost connected with the rich, mahogany wood of the door, when it was jerked open to reveal a half-dressed vampire. He wore only a pair of black sweatpants that hung low on hips and left his well-sculpted torso bared for her eyes to drink in greedily.
She was pretty sure a boulder had just lodged itself in her throat, and try as she might, she could not get it to move. It didn't help that her mouth went drier than the Sahara, either, all the moisture being sucked away to pool somewhere near her core.
Camden gave his irresistible one-sided grin and stepped aside to let her enter.
The room was not anything like she had expected. Well, except for the vastness of it, maybe. The ceiling was incredibly high and vaulted, the walls a greyish-taupe color. There were no windows, so the only light was given off by a few of the same sconces from the hall. In the center of the wall opposite the door was a massive, four-post bed. At first glance, she thought it was mahogany to match the doors, but then she realized it was actually dark wrought-iron, twisted and molded into intricate designs.
She slid past Camden, careful not to touch him, and stood admiring the beauty. He closed the door and waited patiently.
Her eyes roved the rest of the space, but kept returning to the massive bed. The comforter was a pattern of squares in black, grey, and white. She hadn't liked the super-modern chic look in the living room, but somehow, the combination of dark colors, wrought-iron, and the bright splashes of color from several of the paintings covering the walls all worked.
Camden cleared his throat, causing her to jump. "Well?"
Rayne turned, eyebrows raised in question.
He smiled. "I'm waiting on your prognosis." His powerful arms crossed against his chest. "I know it's coming, so let's hear it."
She twisted her mouth in mock thought, her green eyes raking over his chest and tattoos, more obviously than she intended. "It works."
Camden's eyebrows rose. "It works?"
Rayne finally smiled and looked everywhere but directly at him. "I like it."
It was then the first time she noticed a large desk against the western wall, which held two large computer monitors. The screen changed on each intermittently. She gestured to the entire room. "Not what I expected."
Camden strode past her and sat in the large leather chair at the desk. "Let me guess: coffins, torches, and chains?"
Rayne nodded. "Well, yeah." She pointed to the door. "I felt like I was walking into a tomb and about to meet the crypt keeper out there!"
He laughed, and she couldn't keep her eyes from his god-like body and her mind away from some very un-ladylike thoughts. "You said you had a lead?" she asked, her voice cracking slightly.
Camden nodded and turned to the computer. "Possibly."
Rayne's expression changed, and she nearly forgot about her nervousness. "Who? How?" She moved closer and dared to rest her arms on the back of his chair.
Camden nodded and took a deep breath. "Paul was the one of us on duty when..." he paused. It was hard to say it out loud, especially to her. He shook his head and continued. "He got a pretty good look at the intruder." He glanced at her over his shoulder. Hopefully, she wouldn't realize that he was leaving something out.
"He was pretty upset that it happened on his watch, and feels like he is partly to blame. He's been at the bar, trying to calm his mind a little."
Rayne held up her hand to stop him. "Wait, a vampire...at a bar?"
Camden nodded. "It's not the type of bar you're thinking of, but yes."
She shrugged and let him continue. "Paul called me earlier and said that he'd met a suspicious character at Madam Laurie's. He was shady and seemed to be keeping a close eye on Paul. He knows it's not the same guy, but there was definitely something off about him, for sure."
Rayne nodded. "Ok. So what do we do from here?" she asked, looking into his cool blue eyes for just a moment. She was suddenly very aware that her arm was resting against his shoulder, and immediately the familiar tingle presented itself. It was odd that his skin was warm. Whether she hadn't noticed before, or it just never registered, she'd expected it to feel cold, lifeless even. Weren't they called the "undead?" Jerking her arm away, she crossed them over her chest in an attempt to look not quite so awkward.
If Camden had noticed, he didn't show it. He continued staring at the screen before turning to face her. "Since whoever this is, seemingly knows who Paul is, he's not going to get close enough to get any information." His expression grew a little more serious. "I'm going to have to go investigate myself."
Rayne agreed. If what he said was true, and she didn't doubt that it was, it seemed as though this person had picked Paul out. They had one chance to get this right. "I'm a big girl. I can handle myself here alone for a while."
Camden sighed and ran his fingers through his already tousled hair. "I know you are, Rayne. I trust you, but I can't leave you here alone. Someone got very close to getting in here before. I can't risk that happening again. You're going with me."
Rayne smiled. The idea of going undercover sounded fun. It was almost mystical and gave her a somewhat naughty feeling.
He seemed relieved as he looked to the clock. "It's one o'clock now. I'll send some clothes up for you to get ready in a bit."
Rayne's brows furrowed in question. "Aren't we just going to a bar? I brought some fairly nice clothes. I'm sure I have something that will work."
Camden chuckled. "I bet you probably don't."
What kind of place was he talking about? What kind of place was this that she couldn't wear regular clothes?
Seeing her expression, he put two and two together and gathered that she was lost. He leaned back in the chair and cockily rested his hands behind his head. He was going to enjoy seeing her reaction when she figured it out.
Rayne inhaled deeply as she watched him make the simplest of movements. The sinew and muscle of his arms twitched and twisted beneath his skin, starting a fire in the pit of her stomach. "Why don't you enlighten me?" she managed to squeak out.
He thought for a moment. "Are you familiar with the phrase 'leather and lace'?"
She racked her brain. It definitely sounded familiar. Then it hit her. Leather and lace was the name of an erotic clothing store back home that sold everything from naughty toys to skimpy leather outfits. Her eyes widened. "Oh no. I am not going into an erotic club!"
He held up both hands. "It's not an erotic club. It's a place where both vampires and humans go. The dress code is usually a little risqué, but there is no open indecency going on. Just a regular club with music and drinks. The rest is just a cover to hide the fact that most of the patrons are...different. Most of us bring our own humans for entertainment, feeding, or whatever. There are private rooms in the back for...other things."
Rayne narrowed her eyes. "And just what are you expecting me to wear?"
Camden stood and placed both of his hands on her upper arms. "It'll be fine. We'll tone it down some."
Rayne's skin was on fire where his hands made contact. She wanted to jerk away, but at the same time, she was excited and liked the sensation.
He gave a reassuring smile. "Just do this for me," he said quietly. "If you don't look the part, then they'll know we're up to something."
She fought with herself for a moment before she finally agreed.
His smile widened. "Good. And afterward, I'll let you beat me up or something for making you do this."
Rayne scoffed. "Yeah, like I would be that stupid. How great of an idea does that sound? Tiny girl punching a vampire. When has that scenario ever turned out well?" she asked, crossing the room and letting herself fall onto his bed. She could have moaned in ecstasy at how amazing the mattress felt. She sunk down into it.
Camden moved to stand directly in front of her. "I can think of a few where it turned out incredibly well, actually."
She rolled her eyes and sat up just enough to swat at his chest. "Don't be a pervert!"
Her hand made contact harder than she meant, and it gave a resounding pop.
Camden faked a pained look and rubbed the spot just above his pectoral muscle. "Hey, I said afterward."
She pursed her lips together as she made a move to stand. "You big baby. I thought you were supposed to be some big, bad vampire?"
His eyes narrowed playfully. "You want big bad vampire?" he asked, a mischievous smile finding its way to his lips.
Oh no.
What had she done? Holding up her hand, she tried to back away from him, but hit the bed and fell onto it. Before she knew it, he had pushed her backwards and straddled her torso, effectively pinning her. He began a relentless onslaught of tickling.
"No! Stop!" she yelled. Her laughter was loud and boisterous, but she couldn't stop it. She didn't want to. Her small fists pounded on his chest and she curled her legs, trying to dislodge him.
His attack continued.
"Stop it! I'll do whatever you want, just stop!" she cried in between fits of laughter.
Camden managed to catch both of her hands and pinned them above her head. He leaned forward, hovering just inches above her.
Both stilled, but couldn't contain their smiles that slowly began to fade as they stared. Inches apart and noses almost touching, he gently brushed a strand of auburn hair from her cheek.
To Rayne, it felt as if they stayed in that moment for eternity. She was afraid to move, to breathe, even. Emerald green locked with electric blue, each studying the hue of the other.
Suddenly, without warning, Camden pressed his mouth to hers. Rayne's eyes fluttered shut and she pulled against his grip on her wrists. He held tight and his lips became more demanding as his free hand moved to caress the side of her face. His tongue darted out, gliding along her lower lip.
A low moan escaped through her slightly-parted lips, and he took the opportunity to dive inside. Tongue against tongue, wrestling each other in a wet dance, Rayne managed to wriggle a hand away and ran it through his short black hair.
This time, it was him that moaned.
Rayne smiled and leaned up to playfully bite at his lower lip.
"Now you're just being mean," he mumbled, resuming his lip action.
She giggled and repeated the nip. Every nerve ending in her body was crackling and popping with electricity, especially those near her core.
"Be careful," he whispered with a smirk against her mouth. "I bite back."
She continued to meet him match for match, kiss for kiss, in a heated entanglement.
What was happening began to really sink in. What was she doing? Did she really want this?
She hesitated for moment but the moment demanded her attention once again Maybe if she could just get it out of her system, then this infatuation she had with him would go away.
Camden let go of her wrist and supported his weight on his elbow. Rayne took the opportunity to place both hands on his chest and pushed him to the side, sending him to the mattress, where in one fluid motion, she flipped and reversed positions with him.
Now, straddling him, she smiled down at his shocked expression. Apparently he hadn't been expecting that, and that was probably the only reason his superior strength hadn't stopped her.
He smiled up at her and cupped a hand at the back of her neck, pulling her down for another kiss.
Rayne's tongue snaked into his mouth. They fought each other, pushing back and forth, until a sharp pain radiated form the tip of her tongue. She pulled back, her hand covering her mouth and coming away with a few drops of blood.
Camden jerked upright, his face twisted in worry. "Are you ok? What's wrong?" he asked, his sharp white fangs glinting from the corners of his mouth.
She nodded, mouth still covered, and climbed off the bed. "I'm fine," she reassured him. "I just got a little carried away."
Camden climbed to his feet in front of her, moving her hand to see where the blood was coming from.
She stuck out her tongue to reveal a small nick at the very tip that was barely bleeding at all. She was going to take that as a sign. She'd told herself from the start that this was not a good idea, and now she had proof.
His hands rested on her shoulders. "I'm sorry. It just... happens."
Rayne shook her head and stepped around him, trying to play it off as if it were no big deal. "It's fine," she said with her head down, moving toward the door. Her body was nearly shaking from the adrenaline of what had almost happened.
"I should head back anyway. Need to get a nap in if we're going to be out all night traipsing the town." She raised her hand in a pitiful attempt at a wave and opened the door just enough to squeeze through. All but running down the hall, she made it to her room and slammed the door. She leaned against it and panted for air.
"Stupid, stupid, stupid," she said through clenched teeth. Each word corresponded to a thud as she banged her head against the door. "I'm such an idiot!"
She couldn't believe she'd almost let that happen. It would have too, if it weren't for those dental razors he had.
Pushing away from the door, she paced the length of the room. How awkward was it going to be facing him now? As if her ridiculous crush on him wasn't bad enough! She wanted to scream, to let out all the frustration, mental and physical!
Pacing again and again, she tried to reason with herself. He was an immortal vampire with the body of a god. He'd probably been with more women than he could count. Why would he be so interested in ordinary Rayne when he had his run of the mill? It was a spur-of-the-moment opportunity. That's why.
She quit pacing just long enough to fall back onto the bed.
"Smooth move, Rayne." She sighed. "Now what are you going to do?"
A/N: Hellloooo you beautiful
people! I can't thank you all enough for all the reads, votes and comments! I sincerely hope that you are enjoying the story! Please let me know what you think, and as always, read, vote, comment!