Chapter 2

Elaine lay awake for hours that night, seemingly incapable of finding sleep. It was not that she wasn't tired. On the contrary, her body was screaming at her for her sleep. But she could not make her mind stop racing. Could her search for justice finally have come to an end? Or at least the beginning of the end? Here, deep within the Carpathian Mountains, had she finally found what she was looking for?

But it was more than that. More than just vampires. It was him. Every time Elaine shut her eyes or even so much as blinked, she saw him and his blazing eyes. Swirling storms of grey blazing from the darkness, from the depths of eternity. Even just imagining them did strange things to her. It made her blood burn.

Why hadn't she pulled the trigger? Not that shooting a vampire really would have done that much good, but Elaine could not help wondering. What had kept her from it? So what if he had the body of a god and a pair of eyes to match? Appearance had never had that much effect on her before. No, it was more than that. It was his aura. Elaine just had not felt in danger from him. Quite on the contrary, he seemed to pull her in, to beckon her. Seemingly with nothing more than his eyes and his will. There was no immediate danger that she could sense. But why? None of it made sense! Why was he in her room? How did he stop her in her tracks with just one look? Why did he seem less dangerous to her than to Jordan? Why was he preventing her from sleeping? Why did she keep thinking about him?

And suddenly everything fell into place in Elaine's mind. Of course! He, whoever he was, was a vampire. And vampires preyed on young women by seducing them! Even the organization of vampire hunters she worked for warned her of that much. Was that what this vampire was doing? It had to be. Why else would he be in her room? Why else would he make her feel so…what exactly did she feel? Elaine hadn't the slightest clue, but now she was forming a plan.

If being seduced by a vampire was what it took to get close to them, to learn about them, then Elaine would do it.

For whatever reason, that realization seemed to bring her some peace of mind. Any normal woman be scared out of her mind to see a strange man in her room, let alone to discern that he was a savage vampire trying to seduce and do God knows what with her. But Elaine was not normal, and she had known that all her life. She would do what she had to.

Yet one tiny detail kept catching her: weren't vampires supposed to have red eyes? She had no explanation for that. Somewhere between forming her plan and thinking about that one tiny catch, Elaine drifted off to sleep with the early rays of dawn.

It was dusk when Elaine finally awoke. She squinted groggily at the clock and groaned. It was a normal occurrence for her to sleep all day after nourishing herself with blood, but it did disgust her. She felt like one of them. At least Jordan was good enough to understand, or not judge at any rate. Still grumbling, Elaine forced herself out of bed and into a warm shower. The blood certainly had undeniable effects. Her body felt a hundred times better and senses were keener than ever.

After she had pulled on a pair of jeans and a sweater (nothing too fancy, since she still had to wait for another call before she had another job), a wave of guilt and longing washed over Elaine. Chewing her bottom lip over masochistic intentions, Elaine gave in and withdrew a photo from her briefcase. Tears stung her eyes as she examined little blonde girl in the photo. Waves of curls hung wildly about the girl's cherubic face, and her smile illuminated her eyes. Dark eyes, like her mother's. Cecilia, my little girl, Elaine thought longingly. Why was she out here instead of at home with her daughter? Was it really fair to Cecilia to have her mother gone so often?

"Hey, kid. You hungry?" Jordan stuck his head around the door without knocking. Elaine bristled slightly, but Jordan quickly spotted Cecilia's photo clutched in her hand and knew that he was disturbing her moment of private lamentation and inner struggle. Elaine had a lot of those moments.

"No thanks, I'm ok for now." The open door brought in smells wafting up from the kitchen downstairs, making Elaine's stomach knot and bile rise. She always disliked food the most after drinking blood.

Jordan hesitated though he expected as much. She was never really hungry. "How long will they last you?" It caught her off guard. He had always known that she took samples of blood for herself, and he knew what she did with them. It was always something he tried to turn a blind eye to and never brought up. The less he acknowledged it, the easier it was to pretend Elaine never drank blood.

"A while," she replied vaguely. He nodded. He was used to her vague responses by now, but that didn't mean that he wasn't hurt. It seemed like she couldn't trust him. Still nodding, Jordan muttered something about a pretty waitress and started to shut the door, but Elaine suddenly stopped him. "You saw him, too, didn't you?"

Jordan froze. Why did she have to bring him up? The man in her room who growled at him like a wolf and disappeared into thin air. Just because Jordan was enabling Elaine's vampire hunting fantasies did not mean that he was ready to believe them too, let alone see a flesh-and-blood vampire. He kept telling himself that he was only in on this because the pay was better. "Yeah," he conceded, "I saw him too."

Elaine did not even blink. Of course Jordan saw him. Because he was real, not some figment of her imagination. "We finally found them, Jordan. Vampires." She had waited so long to find the evil that tormented her life, and now it seemed she finally had. But why didn't that mysterious man in her room seem evil?

Glancing around the hallway quickly, Jordan slipped into Elaine's room and shut the door. "Do you want to broadcast that to everyone?" he whispered harshly. "If what you told me is true then we're right in the heart of them. Walking on their land, eating their food, breathing their air, eyeing their women." She glanced at him. "Ok, I'm eyeing their women. But aren't we supposed to suspect all the reclusive natives here? How do you know this guy wasn't a scout sent by them? We're not exactly inconspicuous; we don't blend in. I think we're in danger here, Elaine." She didn't respond. He gaped at her in shock. "You're ready to bleed for this, aren't you? You're ready to die for your cause, if you have to."

Elaine ground her teeth and looked at the picture of the little blonde girl in her hand again. Elaine was determined that whatever she and her mother suffered from, her daughter would never have to. "If I have to."

"I'm going to eat," was all Jordan could say. Shaking his head and muttering angrily about zealots, he shut the door and left her to her own suicidal thoughts.

00000

The healing earth ruptured in a spray of soil and rock as Constantine Tempest burst from the belly of the Carpathian Mountains into the welcoming night air. The inhaled the sweet fragrance of the night, listened to the call of the wolves. In this night, he even added his own howling call. The world was alive for him again. He was a changed man, he knew, different even from the night before. Now he knew why he was different, now he knew what he was hunting.

Primitive instincts as old as life itself beat at him. First and foremost, hunger. Hunger had always beaten at Constantine, gnawing at him from the inside. For three long millennia, it had threatened to consume him and turn him on his fellows. And for three millennia he had sought to sate it, and never succeeded. But tonight he hungered for sweeter blood.

And tonight he would not be caught off guard. Elaine. Constantine held her name in his mind as he soared through the air in the shape of a mighty falcon. How exhilarating it was to fly again. Tonight he would not allow a human with a gun to run him off. It was not that he was out of his element, more that he had simply been caught off guard. In truth, had Elaine's male not shot him, Constantine had no idea what he would have done. But he was ready now. She had issued the threat, the challenge, and Constantine was more than ready to play her games. But Elaine was not some average prey; she was no vampire to hunt or weak human to feed from. She was his lifemate, and as such she deserved the best he could give.

And he was more than willing to oblige. And now, with emotion racing through him like he never thought possible, with each new feeling more driving and powerful than the last, Constantine was certain that this was going to be greatest game he had ever played.

Elaine wanted a vampire, did she? Very well, Constantine would give her one.

00000

"You can't just call here whenever you feel like, you know," Brian's voice snarled from the other end of the telephone.

"I want to talk to my daughter," Elaine replied in an equally steely tone.

"So now you want to be a mother? Well maybe you can explain to your daughter where you've been the last three years."

"I would be there now if it weren't for those papers you gave me."

"And somewhere on those papers it explicitly states what times you can call and visit. Try sticking to those. Maybe it'll give our daughter some sense of normalcy."

"Put my daughter on the phone," Elaine repeated. She definitely didn't miss her married life. Brian grudgingly complied.

"Mommy!" Cecilia's voice rang through the receiver.

"Hi, baby. I miss you, love." She really did miss her daughter. It made her heart ache worse than anything else.

"I miss you too, mommy. When are you coming home?" Cecilia's youth made her slur her words and syllables together in a way Elaine loved.

"Soon, Cece. I'll be home soon, and then I'll never leave you again." Soon, when the vampires were dealt with. And then she could be the mother that Cecilia deserved, the mother that Elaine herself never had.

"Promise?"

"I promise, baby." Tears stung her eyes.

"Daddy says it's night-night time. I don't want to go, mommy. Daddy doesn't tell my story right."

Elaine nearly choked. "You should listen to your daddy. I'll be home soon, sweetie. And I'll tuck you in with Teddy and I'll tell you your favorite story. I love you, Cece."

"I love you too, mommy." Elaine heard Cecilia place the phone down loudly, and she heard in the background as Brian told her to wait in her room. He wanted to say goodnight to Mommy.

"Don't make her promises that you can't keep. You know you're not coming home any time soon." Because of her work, or because of the divorce and custody battle? She refrained from asking, knowing that it would only make things worse.

"I promised my daughter that I will be there to tuck her in, and I will. Don't try to take my daughter away from me."

"I'll see you in court," Briand promised before slamming the phone down loudly.

Elaine closed her cell phone and wondered for the millionth time if she was doing the right thing. She loved her daughter and wanted nothing more than to be there for her. But didn't she have a duty to keep Cecilia safe, too? Elaine knew the dangers that were out there, and wasn't it her responsibility to make sure that Cecilia would never be hurt the way her mother was? Once that was over, Elaine swore that nothing would ever take her away from her daughter again. Not Brian, not vampires. Nothing.

There was only one way forward from here.

00000

Dominov Fane was more than startled when Constantine Tempest burst unceremoniously into the grand foyer of his even grander home. The ancient threw the gold-inlaid doors open with a rush of wind and his eyes gleamed with a fire that Dominov had never seen before.

Dominov was instantly on his guard, leaping up from where he sat and springing into a ready position. But Constantine did not seem to notice. He did not seem to notice anything. On the contrary, Constantine was flying through the hall, spewing off nonsense at a rate that Dominov could barely follow.

"I found her!" Constantine shouted, rushing through the grand hall in a furious haste, clapping Dominov on the shoulders as he went by. "I've found her, brother!"

It was like nothing Dominov had ever seen from his friend before. He was speechless, but somehow managed to mumble a confused, "Congratulations. Who?"

"My lifemate, brother, I have found her! And now I am going to claim her. I have a plan, brother." Uh, oh. Dominov could not say why exactly his heart fell upon hearing that, but he had known his friend long enough to predict the inner workings of his mind. Constantine was brilliant, no doubt, but he did not always possess a great deal of common sense. And social skills certainly were not his forte. Dominov's eyes narrowed in confirmation of his suspicions. "Why are there bloodstains on your shoulder?"

Constantine glanced at his shoulder. "Hm? Oh, her male shot me. It does not matter, brother, I can kill him if I must." Dominov opened his mouth to speak, but could not think of anything to say. What was there to say? In the back of his mind he felt Alena entering the room at the top of the staircase. She must have sensed his confusion and rushed to see what it was because she was wearing only a silk robe. She was soon swept up in Constantine's strange whirlwind of a personality. "Ah, Alena! You look exquisite this evening! I trust Dominov is being good to you."

What? Alena's confusion mirrored Dominov's.

I think he found his lifemate, Dominov responded slowly.

"Oh, well that's fantastic!" Alena cried out in excitement. Much to Dominov's surprise (and certainly a surprise to anyone who had ever met Constantine), the crazed ancient dashed to the top of the staircase, lifted Alena and spun her in a circle before setting her down at the bottom of the staircase. Dominov tensed but Alena did not seem to mind. She always held Constantine in her heart, and rightfully so. "When did you find her?"

"And she is fantastic. I found her last night," Constantine replied in a rush. Alena and Dominov gaped again and exchanged bewildered looks. "She pulled a gun on me."

"I'm sure that's a very promising start," Alena said slowly, giving Dominov a look that said Constantine was clearly unstable. Was he always this crazy?

Yes. But something clicked in Dominov's mind. His eyes narrowed in suspicion. "Last night, you say?" Constantine nodded without looking at him. At this point, Dominov would not have been surprised to see his old friend break out into song and dance. "There was a bit of a disturbance last night. A young woman looking for vampires."

"You heard that too?" Constantine asked absently. He was still rushing around as though looking for something, but not entirely sure what he was searching for. He vaguely reminded Dominov of a new puppy who would run in circles with a sudden burst of energy.

"Every Carpathian within a hundred miles heard that. Mikhail has us all on alert." Dominov had not wanted to scare Alena, but he needed to see Constantine's reaction.

And Constantine did something that Dominov had never seen him do in all three thousand years of life. He threw his back and roared with laughter. "Already causing trouble, is she?" he muttered fondly.

Dominov was almost too stunned to speak. "This is hardly a laughing matter. It means there are vampire hunters in the area. It means she is a vampire hunter."

Constantine waved his hand imperiously. "Yes, yes, vampire hunters. Fascinating." Suddenly he stopped and held Dominov's gaze with such intensity that Dominov briefly wondered if Constantine was suffering from what the modern humans were calling bipolar disorder. "I have a plan, brother, but I am going to need your help. Will you help me, brother?"

How could Dominov say no? He nodded and Constantine immediately began dictating a list of his needs and things that needed to be done quickly. Dominov could tell that his friend was trying hard to keep things vague and not clue Dominov in on what exactly he had planned. Even so, there was a picture being painted in Dominov's mind, and his stomach clenched with every new idea Constantine came up with.

This was the Constantine that Dominov knew. And somehow, Dominov knew that this night would not end well. Constantine would be the death of him one day.

00000

Taking a deep breath, Elaine ground her teeth and made her choice. Pulling on a black leather jacket, she left her room in the inn and made her way outside.

She passed Jordan on the way out. "Hey, d'you finally decide you were hungry?"

"Nope," Elaine replied shortly. She glanced around quickly, then caught his shoulder and whispered in his ear. She slipped her cell phone, her only lifeline, into his pocket. "If I'm not back by tomorrow night, call them and tell them what's happened. Then get out of here, get out of the organization, and take your family and start a new life." Jordan's eyes bulged as he realized the full weight of her words, but Elaine turned and walked away before giving him a chance to respond.

"Where you going?" He made a vain attempt to call after her.

"Out." And she left it at that. The less he knew about all of this, the better. Elaine stepped through the door of the inn and disappeared into the night.

It was the dead of night, the time that rested oddly between the latest part of night and the earliest hour of the morning. The earth itself was still, and the only rare breaks in the silence of the night were crunching leaves that caused the stomach to clench in fear. That time when it seemed that only the creatures of the night – the owls and wolves and more deadly creatures – dared to brave the darkness.

Elaine chose this time of night to seek out her vampire and give herself over to him. She didn't have any real idea where she was going, but she figured the forest was the best place to start. Elaine had racked her mind for all the myths, stories, and legends she had ever heard about vampires. She would have started in a cemetery or a crypt if she could have found one. But since there was not one in the area, she chose the darkest, creepiest place she could think of. That was the forest, with the beasts.

It was not as bad as she wagered on at first. With her enhanced senses, it was easy to make out the happenings of the forest. The calls of owls, the scampering little creatures in the underbrush, the brilliance of the stars, the wind itself seemed to carry a call. Even the presence of the wolves lost their threat and became an exotic thrill in night. Part of her almost felt at home here.

Normally that part of Elaine stayed dormant. The part that loved the night and used enhanced senses and had mental abilities and drank blood. She hid that part, because it was too much like them. Because it felt so right that sometimes she was afraid she really was becoming one of them. But tonight Elaine welcomed that part of her. Something told her that she would need everything she had when she finally came face to face with her vampire. And she kept walking, further and further into the darkness of the forest.

It was hard to say how much time passed as Elaine walked deeper into the forest. She did not bother keeping up with her path and was soon lost among the trees. She purposely left the beaten path and was soon tearing her way through the underbrush. Occasionally Elaine would get caught by outreaching branches and thorny brambles that tore her jeans and scratched her legs. The forests became so thick that it was difficult to see the stars, and a light fog began rolling in through the trees. It was then that she felt worry creeping up on her. Why had she given her only life line to Jordan?

Elaine's heart was pounding in her chest when she forced herself to stop. It was not exactly a clearing that she stopped in, but there was a decent gap between the trees for her to rest and collect her mind. Ok, she told herself. I'm ok. I'm in the middle of the Carpathian Mountains, lost in a forest trying to find a man I think I saw, who may or may not be a vampire. I'm ok. It's ok. There's nothing insane in that. Now I just need to find him.

Perhaps he will find you. Elaine froze. Maybe the wind really was calling to her.

And then she saw him. Her vampire.

And he really did look like a vampire. He stood between the trees, his large form seeming to appear out of the night itself. He was dressed like a vampire of old, in black slacks and a black silk shirt with a Victorian style crimson vest embroidered in black. Black ruffles at his collar and black gloves on his hands. His skin was pale and shone silver in the gibbous moon. And his eyes were a grey that seemed to pierce Elaine's very soul. A black cloak billowed behind him. It made him blend seamlessly into the night and blurred the lines where his body stopped and the night began. He was the night.

Elaine had to remind herself to breathe. Maybe this was way more than she bargained for.

For long moments they stared at one another, his eyes never leaving hers. She stared back in pure stubbornness, refusing to let his impossible good looks drive her to blush and avert eyes. She was not a little girl. She could deal with an arrogant man. But an arrogant vampire…? The longer she stared into his eyes, the deeper he drew her in. They were storms, and they dragged her into their depths.

"You are a brave little girl. Don't you know what sorts of creatures roam the night?" It struck Elaine that she had never heard him speak before, but his voice was deep and flowed over her like velvet. She wanted him to speak again. He could have said anything to anyone so long as she could hear it. His voice held promises that whispered to her soul. Promises that spoke to a part of her so deep, so long forgotten, that she had no idea what they were saying.

He smiled. No, his lip curled back in a show of teeth. She saw fangs.

"You are brave but very foolish to seek me out, sweet." He closed his eyes and inhaled deeply, savoring whatever it was that he smelled. He exhaled slowly and ran his tongue over his fangs. "And you do smell sweet." His snapped open and he fixed her with an intense gaze. "There is no telling what a scent like that could make me do."

Elaine was rooted to the spot. Her first instinct was to get angry – what did that fool think she was, some midnight snack? - but that would not help with her plan. Swoon, she told herself, you have to swoon. There was not much pretending to it. Elaine opened her mouth to speak, but no words came out. He smirked in an infuriating way. Elaine narrowed her eyes before she could stop herself. "What do you wa-?"

Elaine did not get to finish her sentence before he moved. He disappeared into the night and left her standing open-mouthed.

"There is no need to be angry." The drawling voice came from Elaine's right, and she spun around to find him leaning casually against a tree trunk, arms folded across his chest. He did not even seem to blink. "Though I rather enjoy it. Such anger, such life." He disappeared again, and Elaine felt a rush of wind sweep over her. He reappeared at her left. "That is what we crave, you know. Life." His voice seemed to come from everywhere at once. He held her in his palm, but by some stroke of good fortune, he did not seem to realize it yet.

And then he was behind her, his breath on the nape of her neck. There was a sound very like that of a cat's purr and something ruffled her hair. But he never touched her directly. For that she was thankful, and at the same time disappointed.

"Do I at least get to know your name?" Elaine managed.

"Constantine," he breathed into her ear. Chills ran down her spine and heat pooled in her abdomen. Then he was back in the place he first appeared, almost floating between the trees. "I am Constantine. Come, sweet. Are you ready to dance with the devil?"