Lisa Jackson's Bentz And Montoya Bundle Part 154

Hours?

She had no idea.

A nightmare?

A bad trip?

She hoped to G.o.d so. Because if this was real, then she really was situated on a couch, on a stage, wearing nothing, her long hair twisted upon her head, her limbs unmoving. It was as if she were playing a part in some eerie, twisted drama, one that, she was certain, didn't have a happy ending.

She heard another whisper of antic.i.p.ation.

The red light began to pulse softly, in counterpoint to her own terrified heartbeat. She imagined she could see the whites of dozens of eyes staring at her from the darkness.

G.o.d help me.

Gritting her teeth, she willed her limbs to move, but there was no response. None.

She tried to scream, to yell, to tell someone to stop this madness! Her voice made only the tiniest of mewling noises.

Fear sizzled through her.

Couldn't someone stop this? Someone in the audience? Couldn't they see her terror? Realize the joke had gone too far? Silently she beseeched them with her eyes. Slowly, the stage became illuminated by a few well-placed bulbs that created a soft, fuzzy glow punctuated by the flickering red lamp.

Wisps of mist slid across the stage floor.

A rustle of expectancy seemed to sweep through the unseen audience. What was going to happen to her? Did they know? Was it a rite they'd witnessed before, perhaps pa.s.sed themselves? Or was it something worse, something too horrible to contemplate?

She was doomed.

No! Fight, Rylee, fight! Don't give up. Do not!

Again she strained to move, and again her muscles wouldn't obey. Vainly she attempted to lift one arm, her head, a leg, any d.a.m.ned thing, to no avail.

Then she heard him.

The hairs on her nape raised in fear as cold as the Northern Sea. She knew in an instant she was no longer alone on the stage. From the corner of one terrified eye she saw movement. It was a dark figure, a tall, broad-shouldered man, walking through the oozing, creeping mist.

Her throat turned to sand.

Panic squeezed her heart.

She stared at him, compelled to watch him slowly approach. Mesmerized by terror. This was the one. The man the vampyre-lovers had whispered about.

She almost expected him to be wearing a black cape with a scarlet lining, his face pale as death, eyes glowing, glistening fangs revealed as he drew back his lips.

But that wasn't the case. This man was dressed partially in black, yes. But there was no cape, no flash of red satin, no glowing eyes. He was lean but appeared athletic. And s.e.xy as h.e.l.l. Wraparound mirrored sungla.s.ses covered his eyes. His hair was dark, or wet, and was long enough to brush the collar of his black leather jacket. His jeans were torn and low-slung. A faded T-shirt had once been dark. His snakeskin boots were scuffed, the heels worn. Something about him was familiar, but she couldn't place his face.

Eager antic.i.p.ation thrummed from the darkness surrounding the stage.

Once again she thought this was a far-out dream, a weird nightmare or hallucination that was now as s.e.xy as it was frightening.

Oh, please...don't let it be real....

He reached the couch and stopped, the sc.r.a.pe of his boots no longer echoing through her brain, only the hiss of expectation audible over her own erratic heartbeat.

With the back of the lounge separating their bodies, he slid one big, calloused hand onto her bare neck, creating a thrill that warmed her blood and melted a bit of the fear that gripped her. His fingertips pressed oh-so gently against her collarbones and her pulse jumped.

A part of her, a very small part of her, found him thrilling.

A hush swept through the unseen crowd.

"This," he said, his voice commanding but low, as if addressing the shrouded viewers, "is your sister."

The audience released an "ahhh" of antic.i.p.ation.

"Sister Rylee."

That was her name, yes, but...what was he talking about? She wanted to deny him, to shake her head, to tell him that what was happening was wrong, that her nipples were only stiff from the cold, not from any sense of desire, that the throb inside the deepest part of her was not not physical l.u.s.t. physical l.u.s.t.

But he knew better.

He could sense her desire. Smell her fear. And, she knew, he loved her for her raging emotions.

Don't do this, she silently pleaded, but she knew he read the warring signals in the dilation of her pupils, the shortness of her breath, the moan that was more wanting than fear. she silently pleaded, but she knew he read the warring signals in the dilation of her pupils, the shortness of her breath, the moan that was more wanting than fear.

His strong fingers pushed a little more forcefully, harder, hot pads against her skin.

"Sister Rylee joins us tonight willingly," he said with conviction. "She is ready to make the final, ultimate sacrifice."

What sacrifice? That didn't sound good. Once again Rylee tried to protest, to draw away, but she was paralyzed. The only part of her body not completely disengaged was her brain, and even that seemed bent on betraying her.

Trust him, a part of it whispered. a part of it whispered. You know he loves you...you can sense it.... And how long have you waited to be loved? You know he loves you...you can sense it.... And how long have you waited to be loved?

No! That was crazy. The drug talking.

But she wanted to succ.u.mb to the feel of his fingers, slipping a little, edging lower, a hot trail along her b.r.e.a.s.t.s, ever-closer to her aching nipples.

Deep inside, she tingled. Ached.

But this was wrong. Wasn't it...?

He leaned closer, his nose against her hair, his lips touching the sh.e.l.l of her ear as he whispered so quietly only she could hear, "I love you." She melted inside. Wanted him. A warm throb rose through her. His fingers rubbed the skin beneath her collarbones a little harder, pressing into her flesh. For an instant she forgot that she was on stage. She was alone with him and he was touching her...loving her.... He wanted her as no man had ever really wanted her.... And...

He pushed hard.

A strong finger dug into her flesh, jabbing against her rib.

A jolt of pain shot through her.

Her eyes widened.

Fear and adrenaline spurted through her bloodstream. Her pulse jumped madly, crazily.

What had she been thinking? That he could seduce her?

No!

Love? Oh, for the love of Jesus, he didn't love her! Rylee, don't be fooled. Don't fall into his stupid trap. Rylee, don't be fooled. Don't fall into his stupid trap.

The d.a.m.ned hallucinogen had convinced her that he cared for her but he, whoever the h.e.l.l he was, intended only to use her for his sick show.

She glared at him and he recognized her anger.

The b.a.s.t.a.r.d smiled, teeth flashing white.

She knew then that he reveled in her impotent fury. He felt her heart pumping, the blood flowing hot and frantic through her veins.

"Hers is the untainted blood of a virgin," he said to the unseen crowd.

No!

You've got the wrong girl! I'm not a- She threw all her concentration into speaking, but her tongue refused to work, no air pushing through her vocal cords. She tried fighting, but her limbs were powerless.

"Don't be afraid," he whispered.

In horror she watched as he bent downward, ever closer, his breath hot, his lips pulling back to show his bared teeth.

Two bright fangs gleamed, just as she'd fantasized!

Please G.o.d. Please help me wake up. Please, please...!

In the next heartbeat she felt a cold sting, like the piercing of a needle, as his fangs punctured her skin and slid easily into her veins.

Her blood began to flow....

CHAPTER 1.

So far, so good, Kristi Bentz thought as she tossed her favorite pillow into the backseat of her ten-year-old Honda, a car that was new to her but had nearly eighty thousand miles on the odometer. With a thump, the pillow landed atop her backpack, books, lamp, iPod, and other essentials she was taking with her to Baton Rouge. Her father was watching her move out of the house they all shared, a small cabin that really belonged to her stepmother. All the while he was glaring at her, Rick Bentz's face was a mask of frustration.

So what else was new?

At least, thank G.o.d, her father was still among the living.

She hazarded a quick glimpse in his direction.

His color was good, even robust, his cheeks red from the wind soughing through the cypress and pine trees, a few drops of rain slickening his dark hair. Sure, there were a few strands of gray, and he'd probably put on five or ten pounds in the last year, but at least he appeared healthy and hale, his shoulders straight, his eyes clear.

Thank G.o.d.

Because sometimes, it just wasn't so. At least not to Kristi. Ever since waking up from a coma over a year and a half earlier, she'd experienced visions of him, horrifying images that, when she looked at him, showed he was a ghost of himself, his color gray, his eyes two dark, impenetrable holes, his touch cold and clammy. And she'd had many nightmares of a dark night, the sizzle of lightning ripping through a black sky, an echoing split of a tree as it was struck, then her father lying dead in a pool of his own blood.

Unfortunately, the visions haunted more than her dreams. During daylight hours, she would see the color leach from his skin, witness his body turning pale and gray. She knew he was going to die. And die soon. She'd seen his death often enough in her recurring nightmare. Had spent the last year and a half certain he would meet the b.l.o.o.d.y and horrifying end she'd witnessed in her dreams.

These past eighteen months she'd been worried sick for him as she'd recovered from her own injuries, but today, on this day after Christmas, Rick Bentz was the picture of health. And he was p.i.s.sed.

Reluctantly he'd helped lug her suitcases out to the car while the wind chased through this part of the bayou, rattling branches, kicking up leaves, and carrying the scent of rain and swamp water. She'd parked her hatchback in the puddle-strewn driveway of the little cottage home Rick shared with his second wife.

Olivia Benchet Bentz was good for Rick. No doubt about it. But she and Kristi didn't really get along. And while Kristi loaded the car amidst her father's disapproval, Olivia stood in the doorway twenty feet away, her smooth brow wrinkled in concern, her big eyes dark with worry, though she said nothing.

Good.

One thing about her, Olivia knew better than to get between father and daughter. She was smart enough not to add her unwanted two cents into any conversation. Yet, this time, she didn't step back into the house.

"I just don't think this is the best idea," her father said...for what? The two-thousandth time since Kristi had dropped the bomb that she'd registered for winter cla.s.ses at All Saints College in Baton Rouge? It wasn't like this was a major surprise. She'd told him about her decision in September. "You could stay with us and-"

"I heard you the first time and the second, and the seventeenth and the three hundred and forty-second and-"

"Enough!" He held up a hand, palm out.

She snapped her mouth closed. Why was it they were always at each other? Even with everything they'd been through? Even though they'd almost lost each other several times?

"What part of 'I'm moving out and going back to school away from New Orleans' don't you get, Dad? You're wrong, I can't stay here. I just...can't. I'm way too old to be living with my dad. I need my own life." How could she explain that looking at him day to day, seeing him healthy one minute, then gray and dying the next, was impossible to take? She'd been convinced he was going to die and had stayed with him as she'd recovered from her own injuries, but watching the color drain from his face killed her and half convinced her that she was crazy. For the love of G.o.d, staying here would only make things worse. The good news: she hadn't seen the image for a while, over a month now, so maybe she'd read the signals wrong. Regardless, it was time to get on with her own life.

She reached into her bag for her keys. No reason to argue any further.

"Okay, okay, you're going. I get it." He scowled as clouds scudded low across the sky, blotting out any chance of sunlight.

"You get it? Really? After I told you, what? Like a million times?" Kristi mocked, but flashed him a smile. "See, you are a razor-sharp investigator. Just like all the papers say: local hero, Detective Rick Bentz."

"The papers don't know c.r.a.p."

"Another shrewd observation by the New Orleans Police Department's ace detective."

"Cut it out," he muttered, but one side of his hard-carved mouth twitched into what might be construed as the barest of smiles. Shoving one hand through his hair, he glanced back at the house to Olivia, the woman who had become his rock. "Jesus, Kristi," he said. "You're a piece of work."

"It's genetic." She found the keys.

His eyes narrowed and his jaw tightened.

They both knew what he was thinking, but neither mentioned the fact that he wasn't her biological father. "You don't have to run away."

"I'm not not running 'away.' Not running 'away.' Not from from anything. But I am running anything. But I am running to to something. It's called the rest of my life." something. It's called the rest of my life."