Chapter 11
Janelle slowly came awake, a feeling of complete warmth spreading throughout her body. She felt calm and rested. Her eyes opened when she began to hear a faint heartbeat beneath her head. It was then she realized she had been sleeping on Armando's chest.
Images of what they had done flooded her mind. She felt ashamed but had to admit she'd just had the best sex in her life. The terrible ache she felt was eased by him and her body seemed to crave everything he gave her. Janelle's face felt hot as she remembered how he touched her. Armando seemed to know exactly how to arouse her to the point of a blinding pleasure she'd only thought possible in her dreams. And the way he kissed was absolutely sinful, his lips impossible to resist. Still, she felt horrified that she was now in bed with this man when her husband had died only a day ago. Or was it two days? Janelle trembled as she'd lost sense of time.
As the heartbeat became louder, Janelle slowly lifted her head. His eyes were still closed and he appeared to be asleep. For the first time, she studied his face and found it to be ruggedly handsome. He had a strong jaw line along with a sensual mouth. But despite the fact he was sleeping, he still looked worn, as if he had been through some type of trauma in his lifetime.
Then again, maybe that's how you looked after a few thousand years.
At least I only look a few thousand years old. I consider that a compliment.
Janelle gasped at the sound of his voice in her head and sat up. When she realized she was naked, she quickly grabbed the sheet. "I thought you were asleep."
He opened his eyes. "If you can hear my heartbeat, then I am not asleep."
She swallowed. "What do you mean?"
"We as Carpathians normally sleep in the ground during the daylight hours. Our hearts stop and we become lifeless."
Janelle felt her heart begin to pound. "And you say you aren't vampire?"
"No."
"But you drink blood."
He sighed. "Most of the things you know are from human folklore. What is different is perceived as evil."
"But you can turn into a vampire…after losing emotion."
"It is now impossible for me to turn.
Janelle fiddled with a nearby pillow. "Because of me."
"Yes," he replied softly. "You are my lifemate."
"I just…still can't believe any of this."
Armando felt a wave of sympathy for her. Instinctively, he reached out and touched her face, his fingers softly stroking her cheek. "I wish I could make this easier." For a moment she seemed to enjoy his touch but then she pulled away.
She glanced around the room and shifted in the bed. "Can you give me some clothes?"
"Yes, but I need you to picture it in your mind."
"Why?"
Armando laughed softly. "Because apparently you did not like the dress I created for you the last time you wanted clothes."
"So…you really have no idea what women wear today?"
"I have not really paid that close of attention. I have been in the ground for the last few hundred years. I have much to learn."
"Why were you in the ground so long?" she asked. The thought was a bit horrifying to her.
"It was the only way to avoid the temptation of turning. Many of our hunters seek seclusion when they are close to turning vampire. It is their last attempt to hold out until they find a lifemate."
"So, it's probably a shock to you that women wear pants."
He shrugged. "A little. But we did have a few women hunters who were Carpathian. They dressed like the males even thousands of years ago."
"Oh." She looked at him with a puzzled expression. "What do you mean by a hunter? You don't kill humans for blood do you?"
"No. We have provided safety for some humans throughout our history. Our hunters seek out the vampires to destroy them."
"You…hunt your own kind?"
He tried to be patient. "As I have said, we are not vampire. We must protect our females and children. The mind of a vampire is twisted and evil. Many of them believe any female that is Carpathian or has psychic ability will make them feel again."
"And so you kill them?"
Armando leaned back against the headboard. "Only some of us are designated hunters but we all have ability to be warriors when needed."
"What do the others who are not hunters do?"
He shifted uncomfortably. He should tell her what his purpose was to the Carpathian people but he didn't feel ready. The truth was he wanted nothing to do with his purpose. If the Carpathian people thought his sole purpose was singing, he was fine it. His nickname as SongMaker didn't make them suspect anything else.
With the exception of Gregori.
Mikhail's second in command could be a problem. He was still suspicious of him. Then again, with the crime Armando committed so long ago, the Dark One should be watching him. Armando would never be able to forgive himself. He could only hope to hide it as long as possible from Janelle.
For now, Armando wanted the focus on her. "Others provide what the people need. Some are artisans or jewelers. Each has a special gift." He changed the subject before she could ask about him. "So are you going to show me the clothes you wish?"
"Um, okay." She closed her eyes but found herself embarrassed.
"What is wrong?"
She opened her eyes and found it hard to resist looking at his bare, muscular chest. "Can you really see everything in my mind?"
"Yes."
"I just…I don't like that. It feels like an invasion of privacy."
"As I said before, the bond between lifemates is nothing like a human marriage. There is nothing about you which would make me want to leave you. I love you unconditionally."
Janelle swallowed hard. "You…love me?"
It was amazing to him, but true. He could not lie to her. "Yes. You are perfect to me in every way. I have dreamed of you my entire life."
Janelle exhaled. She was never going to live up to his expectations. He was handsome and beautiful while she was plain looking and boring.
"You are beautiful," he said softly.
She shook her head as thoughts of how many times Randy said she wasn't good enough popped into her head. "I've always been plain. Hardly any men ever noticed me and most women were shocked that Randy fell in love with me."
"It was not love. Your husband only controlled you," he said in a gruff tone. When she stiffened, Armando cursed himself. He was still getting used to his own emotions and the mere thought of her human husband made him feel a burning anger he could not explain. "Forgive me," he said, making sure he tone was now gentle. "It is just that your husband never appreciated the beautiful woman I see before me."
"I'm not. There is nothing special about me. I can't even seem to keep a job."
Armando frowned. "And why do you think you could not keep a job?"
"I don't know. They never told me."
"Or it could be that your husband threatened them," Armando said quietly.
Janelle stared at him. Was this true?
"Search your mind," said Armando, "and think of all the times he was actually happy when you learned you lost each job."
That was partly true. He seemed to always soothe and comfort her so well when she got fired. And Randy used to tell her over and over how much he loved her even if she couldn't keep a job. He said there was nothing wrong with being a housewife even though she never wanted to be one.
"Exactly." Armando tilted his head at her. "He wanted you to be his prisoner and so he found a way."
Janelle felt her chest tighten. "How do you know?"
"I can read human minds quite easily."
"You…were watching us."
"For a short time, yes."
"And that's how you found out about him." Janelle bit her lip for a moment. "You were able to read his thoughts."
"Yes," Armando admitted. "I looked into his mind and found a man who controlled you. Each time you had a job, he threatened to cause trouble for those who hired you. "
Randy had a lot of influence in their small town. For all she knew, he could lie about something her employer did wrongly to her so that even the entire police force might give her managers a rough time.
"How do I know you aren't just saying this to try and convince me you are a better choice? For all I know, maybe you're the one manipulating me!"
Armando rubbed the back of his neck, suddenly feeling tired. He hadn't been in the ground to rejuvenate these last few days and he needed the soil to help him rest. The lowest level of the house did help, but it was nothing compared to the real thing. Yet he refused to sleep in the ground without her. With how much time it was going to take to gain Janelle's trust, he might be completely drained before he could ever truly sleep again.
The logical side of himself took over. He needed to feed. Armando badly wanted to take her blood while they made love. She wasn't ready for that and they needed to go slow. He wasn't sure exactly how to tell her she would also need to feed soon.
He turned his attention back to their conversation. "Lifemates cannot lie to each other. You only need to touch my mind to know the truth."
Janelle hesitated. She wanted to reach out to his mind. It was as if she was actually craving to do such a thing. But she was also afraid. Janelle wasn't sure if she was ready to see what might be the ugly truth about Randy. Deep down, she knew Armando was probably being honest.
And she hated it.
"Close your eyes and show me what you wish to wear,' said Armando gently.
Janelle sighed and pictured some simple blue jeans and a cotton button down shirt. She gasped as suddenly she felt a wisp of air and looked down to find herself fully clothed in exactly what she pictured.
Armando waved a hand and in an instant he was also fully dressed. "Forgive me, but I must leave for a short time."
"Why?" she asked with suspicion.
"You already know why."
Janelle untangled herself from the sheets and got out of the bed. She backed away. "To drink blood."
"It is how we live."
"How you live." Her stomach suddenly felt sick. This was not happening. She was tied to man who was thousands of years old and fed on humans. What had she done? She was having sex with a complete stranger!
Armando sensed the sudden shift Janelle's thoughts and feelings. He was losing her…again. "I never wanted to hurt you."
"No? Tell that to my dead husband! You're responsible for his death. I don't know exactly how the details as to how he died but can you deny if it weren't for you, he'd still be alive?"
"No, I cannot deny it," whispered Armando. "If I were not here, he would still be with you."
"Just go." She desperately needed to be alone for a moment. "Get out!"
He immediately shifted into mist and was gone.
Janelle put her face in her hands and tried not to cry. She was so confused. She was ashamed to admit she was glad to be free of Randy. What kind of person was she? And all of this vampire stuff was just too hard to believe.
Hoping to get her mind on anything else, she ventured out of the room and back up the stairs. Sure enough, it was still night. God, would she ever see the sun again? Was she now one of these Carpathians?
"Good evening."
Janelle was so startled by the voice that she jumped. A man who was about the same height as Armando stood before her. He held up his hands in a peaceful gesture.
"Forgive me, I did not mean to startle you."
"Who are you?"
He gave her an elegant bow. "I am Mikhail. You are a guest in my home."
"You're the prince?"
He responded with a small smile. "It is unfortunate at times, but yes."
Janelle absently rubbed her arms, feeling nervous in front of him. "How can it be unfortunate?"
"I am responsible for the survival of our species. We have been on the verge of extinction although we have more hope today than ever before. Females are a rare gift for us and the unattached males are desperate."
"Which is why I'm here and my husband is dead.," she said in a low voice. She shook herself, irritated at her lack of manners. "I'm sorry…this has all been a shock to me."
"There is nothing to apologize for as you are the one who has been placed in a difficult situation. I can only assure you that in time you will trust your lifemate."
"How can I trust a man who admits if it weren't for him, my husband would still be alive?"
Mikhail's face suddenly turned serious. "You think this is Armando's fault."
"Of course. He did this to me."
"If you are to blame anyone, it should be me."
Janelle took a few steps back. "Excuse me?"
"Armando came to me so that I would make the decision."
She began to feel cold. "What do you mean?"
"It is against our laws to simply kill an innocent human life. Armando prides himself on never breaking any of our laws. He wanted to seek the dawn but discovered you. He placed the decision before me."
Janelle trembled. "Are you saying…you decided to murder my husband?"
Mikhail straightened but met her in the eye. "Yes."
"Or else you would have decided that he would…seek the dawn. Do you mean…"
"He would commit suicide," answered Mikhail plainly.
"He was willing to do that? Instead of my husband, Armando would have died if you did not allow him to claim me?"
"He was close to turning. I know there was doubt in his mind if I made the right decision as he was afraid of hurting you. I made the decision; it was not him."
Janelle turned away to look out the window at the moon. The man who was now her lifemate had been willing to die. And now he was living with her yet still feeling responsible for killing her husband.
"It may not help," said Mikhail, "but he is in great pain over what happened. He would have died rather than hurt you. But you must also understand, had Armando faced the dawn, the emptiness you felt would have eventually consumed you. You would have not been able to live without him."
Janelle closed her eyes. How many nights had there been like this one where she stared out into the night sky feeling like there was something else? It was as if she always knew she was in the wrong place.
Now she had a new life. She could either choose to resist it or embrace it.
