Breathless (Blue Fire Saga #1)

CHAPTER 11. STRANGE MEETINGS

  It was an odd-looking vine. Large, striated leaves clung to the corner of the building, inches from Stefan’s face, their shadows hiding his dark, motionless form from the noisy students milling about in the nearby yard. He watched them idly, not hunting now, for he had been given no permission to do so. It would be awhile before he was allowed to take a human again, but there was nothing to stop him from observing or even mingling with them if he chose. So far, no one in the yard was of much interest to him—until a new arrival caught his eye. Tall and blond, she stood by herself a few feet from the back steps. Not beautiful, but near enough. Something about her tugged at him, made him want to get closer. A lust and a hunger, yes, but different in some way. The pull was thrilling, but disconcerting. Different was intriguing. But different could also be dangerous.

  Backing farther into the shadows, he let his eyes sweep the yard and surrounding grounds, alert to anything amiss, anything out of place. Sensing nothing, he circled the yard slowly, keeping to the shadows and pausing every few steps to peer into the darkness, listening intently and sniffing the air for danger. All seemed as it should be. Satisfied, he turned his attention back to the girl and studied her more closely.

  She was still alone, standing with one arm held against her waist, sipping a bottle of water with the other. Her face was tan, her skin smooth, her eyes startlingly blue. She rotated her head from side to side, taking in the other kids, but not looking all that interested in joining any of them. She looked uncomfortable, like she knew she didn’t quite fit in here. She was right, he thought. She didn’t fit in. He wanted to find out why.

  He eased out of the shadows and headed casually in her direction, avoiding any move or look that might attract her notice or be regarded as threatening—just another partier wandering outside, someone who would notice her only when he got closer. She would think it was chance that brought him to her, not a purposeful act.

  He had approached within a few paces when she sensed his presence and turned toward him, her face tightening into a guarded, but inquisitive look. He flashed a friendly smile. At a party like this, she would be expecting guys to hit on her, but his easy manner, practiced over the centuries, was natural, unthreatening.

  “Hi,” he said. “You having any fun?”

  Leesa studied him for a moment before replying. This guy was different from the other guys here, she sensed immediately. He spoke with a hint of an accent—exotic, perhaps European. He wore his long-sleeve black button shirt untucked over black jeans, but the loose shirt couldn’t hide the slender, athletic form of his body. His hair was even blacker than his clothes, if that were possible, pulled back into a tight ponytail. His clothes and hair made his unusually pale face seem almost to float in the moonlight, and a bristly soul patch appeared so dark against his pallid skin it looked like a tunnel into his chin. Handsome, she thought, and sexy, too—in a more raw, sensual way than the Maston guy.

  “Not really,” she said guardedly.

  “Me neither.” He grinned. “I’m Stefan. How about you and me not have fun together for a couple of minutes?”

  Leesa laughed, her unease diminishing. “Sure, why not? I’m Leesa.” Stefan made no move to shake hands, so she kept hers at her side.

  “So, Leesa, what brings you to this not-so-fun party? This doesn’t really look like your kind of thing.”

  “It’s not,” she admitted. “My friend brought me. I’m trying to learn how to fit in. She’s inside, chatting up some guy.”

  Stefan pursed his thick lips. Sensual lips, she thought.

  “Why do you care about fitting in?” he asked. “Fitting in is overrated, if you ask me.”

  Leesa swept her eyes up and down his black-clad form. “I can see that,” she teased. “Tell me, do you have something against color?”

  He smiled. “Not at all. I’m especially fond of red. But black helps me disappear into the night, if necessary,” he added in a low, flirtatious tone.

  “Why would you need to disappear?” Leesa made a show of looking about the yard. “Got a girlfriend around somewhere?”

  He laughed. “No, no girlfriend. Not for a very long time, I promise.”

  There was something strange about the way he said it, some seriousness in his tone despite the laugh. She believed him, but felt like he had told her something far deeper than she’d asked. Maybe she just wasn’t used to talking to sexy guys. God knows she’d had little enough practice at it.

  “You from around here?” he asked.

  “No. San Diego.”

  “You’re a long way from home. You miss it?”

  “Nope. I’m happy to get away, actually.”

  He stared at her, his gaze strangely penetrating. His dark eyes took on the look of bottomless pools—pools she suddenly found herself wanting to sink into. Dangerous, yet inviting. Flustered, she took a drink from her bottle, breaking eye contact.

  He seemed to realize he was looking too hard. His gaze softened and he rubbed his hand on his pale cheek. “I bet I’d burn to a crisp in California, with skin like this,” he said.

  “Ha! Probably. You from Connecticut?”

  “For the most part, yeah.”

  There it was again—the sense that he was telling her more than he was saying. Before she could respond, he suddenly stiffened. He lifted his head and moved it slowly from side to side, his eyes flicking back and forth. He reminded her of a jungle cat now. Feral, powerful, alert. She thought he could even be sniffing the air for danger, if such a thing were possible.

  He seemed almost to have forgotten her presence. What was going on? One moment he was totally focused on her, almost mesmerizing her, and now it was as if she didn’t exist. What could have drawn his attention so completely? Glancing around the yard, she saw nothing out of the ordinary.

  “What is it?” she asked. “Is something wrong?”

  Stefan knew better than to ignore his instincts. Danger was near—not immediate, but close.

  “I have to go,” he said. He took two quick steps away, then stopped and looked back. “I will see you again,” he promised.

  Leesa wasn’t quite sure how she felt about that promise. He was certainly attractive—she was sure Cali would say “hot”—and his manner seemed friendly enough. But there was something unsettling about him as well, beyond even that brief moment when she almost lost herself in his eyes. She watched him cross the yard, moving quickly without seeming to hurry, gliding across the lawn with a smooth grace that once again reminded her of a jungle cat. His black clothes seemed to draw the shadows into them, making him difficult to follow. In just a few seconds, he vanished into the darkness beyond the yard. A sense of déjà vu passed over her. What was it about her that kept causing hot guys to disappear so abruptly?

  Across the street from the BPD house, hidden by the dark shadow of the ancient maple against which he leaned, Rave watched Leesa limp up the steps with her friend and disappear into the house. He’d been watching her frequently the last few weeks. A couple of times he thought she might have detected his presence, but he was skilled at disappearing and had managed to remain unseen.

  He still wasn’t sure why he was following her. Perhaps it was a sense that she needed his protection, but he knew there was more to it. Something about her pulled at him, and the feeling was unlike anything he’d ever experienced. A warm tingling, so like the first hint of prey, yet so completely different. It was an ignition, surely—but of what? He glanced down at his fingers, expecting to see the faint flicker of blue flame, yet somehow not surprised to see nothing. None of it made sense.

  What was it about her? Sure, she was pretty, extremely so, but he had seen lots of pretty women in his long life. Unlike some of his kind, Rave did not mind humans. He mingled with them now and then, and had even called one a friend many years ago. He knew human women were drawn to him. Over the years, he’d grown skilled at keeping them away without distressing them. But he had never felt the pull in return. Not until now
. He was finding it more and more difficult to stay away.

  And so here he was, watching her yet again. For a little while, he could see her through one of the windows, standing with her friend, but then they moved deeper into the house, gone from his sight, and the night seemed to darken a notch. He was tempted to go inside, but he didn’t like crowded spaces, so he remained where he was, always the patient hunter, enjoying the music and watching the students come and go through the front door.

  Eventually, he grew tired of his vigil and decided to move around to the back of the house for a while. He circled the block and crept behind the row of frat houses. As he drew closer to the party house, he saw lots of kids milling about in the spacious backyard, so he melted farther into the shadows. When he was certain he was effectively invisible, he hoisted himself effortlessly into a leafy tree and found a comfortable perch from which to watch.

  He spotted Leesa near the stairs by the back door. She was talking to someone, but he couldn’t see who. He guessed it must be her friend, but despite the elevation of his vantage point, his view was blocked by a group of tall young men. He hoped they didn’t move and block his view of Leesa as well.

  He loved watching her—the shy downward tilt of her jaw, her bright smile, the way her fingers twirled in her hair when she was nervous. Even from this distance, he still felt the pull.

  He watched contentedly for a few minutes, until the group of kids blocking his view edged away, allowing him to see the person she was talking to. The guy was tall and slender, dressed in black. Rave began to grow warm. Vampire? He was surprised he hadn’t sensed the creature sooner. The girl was more distracting than he’d thought.

  Blue fire began to glow unbidden from his fingertips. He curled his hands into fists to hide the telltale glow and willed the heat down, forcing himself to be patient. There was no need to rush. If the guy was vampire, he would do nothing in so public a place. But what was he doing here? And why had he singled out Leesa? Was it mere chance, or something else?

  His mind raced. He had to do something, but this was no place for a fight. Too many humans could be hurt, not to mention the attention a confrontation would bring. But he could not allow the creature to continue working its spell. He felt the heat begin to rise inside him again. This time, he let it grow, careful to keep it under control.

  He saw the guy stiffen, watched his head swing from side to side. There was no longer any doubt about the guy being vampire—he had sensed Rave’s heat and registered the danger. Rave forced his fire down now, locking it inside him. He didn’t want the creature to locate him, merely to let it know the threat was there. He hoped it would be enough.

  And it was. He watched the vampire spin away from Leesa and glide quickly across the lawn and out of the yard. Rave followed at a safe distance, making sure it was truly leaving. Rave considered taking it once they were alone, but decided against it. The vampire was alert to the danger—there could be no guarantee of the outcome. For now, it was enough that the creature was going.

  Rave circled back to the party, his senses on high alert. He probed every inch of the shadows until he was satisfied all threat was gone. Everything seemed as it should. But the game had changed. It was time to talk to the girl.

  She was still outside, arms wrapped around her waist as if she were cold. He was afraid she might head back into the house at any moment, and that would not do. He needed her to remain alone. Running his fingers through his hair, he walked toward her.

  She looked up at his approach. A surprised expression crossed her face. Rave was pleased to see the surprise was followed by a smile. He smiled back.

  Leesa’s body began to tingle as the Maston guy drew nearer. This was crazy. One smile, and already her knees felt weak. He was even better looking than she remembered—his bronze skin flawless, almost like marble in its smoothness, his smile wide and especially bright against his dark complexion. His coppery hair glinted in the moonlight, seeming almost to smolder when the light hit it just right, and a simple bronze medallion on a leather thong around his neck did the same. His clothes—plain brown T-shirt and jeans—fit his athletic body perfectly, especially the jeans. She found herself wishing he would turn around for a moment, and felt herself begin to blush. A minute ago she’d been feeling cold, but suddenly she felt very warm. Her hand moved to her hair.

  “Mind if I join you?” he asked.

  “Yes…I mean, no, I don’t mind.” Her fingers began twirling in her hair. “Yes, you can join me,” she added, struggling to make herself clear.

  His smile widened. “I’m Rave.”

  “Leesa,” she managed to reply.

  “Hi, Leesa.”

  “What kind of name is Rave?” She hated the question the as soon as she asked it.

  “The only kind I’ve ever known,” he said simply.

  She took a breath, and forced herself to stop staring at his gorgeous face. What to say now? She said the first thing that came to mind. “I bet I can guess your last name.”

  He looked amused. “Oh? And how would you do that?”

  “I have psychic powers,” she said, trying to make her voice deep and mysterious, hoping she wasn’t sounding like a fool.

  She reached forward to put her hands on the side of his head—anything to touch that hair—but he stepped back more quickly than she could have imagined and her hands closed on empty air. She tried to hide her surprise—and her disappointment. She etched a look of concentration onto her face instead.

  “It’s…….ummmm…….Mas….Masters. No, wait! Not Masters…Maston. Yea, that’s it. Maston.”

  He laughed, and the sound melted her remaining nervousness.

  “I see you’ve heard about us,” Rave said. “Nothing good, I expect.”

  “My best friend grew up in East Hampton. She told me about your people.”

  Rave put his hand over his heart and sighed with exaggerated drama. “Oh, no! Even worse,” he said, grinning. “Those townspeople tell all kinds of stories about us.”

  “Are any of them true?”

  “Human sacrifice and stuff? Sorry, no. Nothing so exciting.”

  Leesa feigned disappointment. “Drat. I could use the excitement.”

  “Is that why you were talking to that guy who just left?”

  Leesa was surprised. How long had he been watching? Was he jealous? She hoped so. “Stefan? He didn’t hang around long enough for me to find out.”

  The name rang ominously in Rave’s ears. It was a name he had heard before. Stefan was a very powerful vampire. “You need to stay away from him,” he said.

  The seriousness of his tone alarmed her. “Why? Do you know him?”

  “I know of him.”

  Leesa thought how similar that was to what Cali said about Rave. “What do you know?”

  “I know he is very dangerous.”

  “My friend said the same thing about you. Should I stay away from you, too?”

  Rave did not reply right away. “Your friend was right,” he said after a moment. “I am dangerous. Perhaps more dangerous than even Stefan, though that remains to be proven.”

  He stepped closer, cutting the distance between them in half. Leesa thought she felt the temperature rise a few degrees, but that had to be her imagination—didn’t it? She thought briefly of strange blue fires and deadly kisses, then tried to brush those stories from her mind.

  “But I hope not dangerous to you,” he added softly.

  She studied his face. He didn’t look dangerous, but there was something undeniably powerful and mysterious about him. Could that be why she found him so attractive? She knew girls back in high school who’d had a thing for bad boys, but she’d never been one of them. For now, she would give him the benefit of the doubt. “I believe you,” she said at last.

  He smiled, looking relieved.

  “Why is Stefan so dangerous?” she asked. “What do you know about him?”

  Rave wasn’t sure how much to tell her. If he opened that d
oor, how far would he have to go? “I’m not sure you’d believe me,” he said. “Worse, you might think me crazy.”

  Leesa tilted the water bottle to her lips and drained the last of the water. This whole night was getting stranger by the minute. First Stefan disappeared for no apparent reason, and then Rave shows up minutes later, after she’d spent weeks hoping to see him again. And he somehow knew Stefan. Knew of him, she reminded herself. She needed to learn more.

  “Try me,” she said.

  Rave thought for a moment and decided he had no choice. He had to tell her. The most important thing was for her to be safe, to stay away from Stefan. He hoped she would believe him. “This is going to sound crazy, I know,” he said. “Stefan is a vampire.”

  He saw the shock register in her eyes. But it was a shock of surprise, not disbelief. Unexpectedly, she seemed open at least to the idea of vampires. Perhaps it was the vampire class she was taking; perhaps it was something more. Either way, she didn’t dismiss it out of hand, as he feared she might. As most humans would.

  Leesa studied Rave’s face. She saw no hint of humor or guile. It was the last thing she’d expected to hear, but he was serious. “A vampire? Are you certain? How do you know?”

  “Believe me, I know.” He wasn’t ready to go further just yet. His people worked hard to remain in the shadows, to keep who they were and what they could do secret. “Trust me, please. Whatever you do, do not let yourself be alone with him.” He glanced over her shoulder and saw Cali inside moving toward the doorway. He definitely did not want to talk to both of them. Especially since Cali was from East Hampton. “Your friend is coming,” he said. “I need to go.”

  Here comes the disappearing act again, Leesa thought. But at least this time they had talked. “When will I see you again?” she asked.

  “Soon,” he promised, before turning and heading toward the back of the yard.

  Leesa thought she could still feel the warmth of his presence. “Soon” echoed in her head as she watched him disappear into the shadows.

  “Hey, Leesa, whatcha been doin’ out here?”

  Leesa turned at the sound of Cali’s voice. Her friend was all smiles as she clomped down the steps. Leesa wondered if she’d had another one of those Jager bomb things.

  “Oh, just fighting off the guys,” Leesa said in a tone she hoped sounded nonchalant. “Where’s Andy?”

  “Tending bar. He’s pretty fun. And he’s a senior. He made me another J-Bomb—he got even cuter after that.” Cali laughed. “I gave him my number.” She fluffed her fingers through her hair, letting the cool air hit her neck. “What about you? Talk to any cute ones back here?”

  “Yeah, two of them, actually. I didn’t give them my number, though. Maybe next time.” She would tell Cali soon about Rave, at least, but not yet. First, she needed to try to make sense out of everything that had just happened.