Chosen Darkness (Chosen Series) (3 page)

“Shall we take your wheels, Mr. Rave?” Falyn asked, hurrying into her room to pack an overnight bag.

“Yes,” she heard him say. “And since we’re going to be traveling together, shouldn’t we go by first names?”

His question had her belly doing flips.

“Yeah of course… Alex,” she called back.

“Thanks, Falyn.” His voice came from behind her.

Turning, she saw him standing in her doorway with that odd look in his eyes once more. The buzzing of his cell ruined the moment.

He walked out into her living room to take the call while she scurried to the bathroom to pack her toothbrush and some girly goodies.

A short half an hour later they were on the freeway leaving Portland for the Oregon coast. Falyn’s mind was reeling with more than the case; it was reeling with heated thoughts about her new client as he sat next to her.

With a long sigh she turned to look out the window at the fading daylight, wondering what she was getting into this time.

Chapter Two: Siren Call

Alex was doing his best to keep his eyes on the road ahead as he drove down the dark lanes running along the coastline, but he was having a hard time keeping them off the girl sleeping next to him.

Something about her was far more alluring then he liked. After all, she was working for him and he never mixed business with pleasure. Yet her skin, though not too fair, seemed washed out with the darkness of her hair.

Still, she was stunning. Her eyes were sexy as hell. It was too much of a draw to not look into them when she talked. Normally he was a fan of green but he now found himself liking brown instead.

Shaking his head, he once more tried to push the thoughts of the girl out of his mind. He was failing badly because every time she stirred in her seat, his eyes flew to her. She must be brave because here she was in a stranger’s car but she never showed a hint of worry about it.

Who was this small girl? Why was she making him so crazy after a mere five hours in her presence? He should have been able to drive the whole night, but he was finding it too hard with his thoughts full of the job and Falyn. He kept weaving over the white line.

While a crash would do nothing to him, it could very well kill her so he pulled over on the shoulder. The spot overlooked the ocean which was lit only by the light of a full moon.

He leaned his seat back, closed his eyes and tried to figure out what he was going to do when he found the missing girl. If they found her, now an adult, it would probably be hard to get her to happily leave with him. He would have to use force.

Reason why his employer had hired him in the first place. He’d made Alex aware others would be seeking her, now that the knowledge about her birth was out. While he tried to avoid the jobs with questionable morals, Alex was sure this girl would be safe with her own father.

A loud groan made his eyes fly open. He sat up, looking over at his passenger who was still sleeping but softly moaning now. It did things to him he was not proud of. He was a grown man, so how could one small, very young woman make him so insane?

Alex noticed a lock of dark hair falling down her face. He moved forward to touch it. As he pushed back the black hair, the whole mass slipped back. She was wearing a wig?

“What the hell?” he muttered.

He stared at the cascade of blonde hair falling around her face. It was knotted in a lose bun at the nape of her neck.

Alex was dumbfounded. How did she get all her hair under a wig in the first place? More pressing, why was she wearing a wig at all? He tossed the wig onto the back seat before once more staring at Falyn. The blonde hair went better with her skin tone, yet he somehow felt annoyed because it made her even more pretty.

Pretty was not even the word: she was breathtaking, like a sleeping goddess. He was just about to give up looking at her, when she shifted toward him, laying her head on his chest. The feeling that swept over him made him tense like a bow. He sat there for what felt like hours, not moving because he did not want her to turn back the other way.

Then she really sent him over the edge when she whispered in her sleep.

“Alex.”

He closed his eyes, swearing softly, as he did his best to forget the woman on his chest for the rest of the night.

Alex eventually felt her move away from him as the sun came up. He knew she was awake when he heard her string of cuss words.

“Where is it?” she muttered, messing with her hair.

“You mean that hideous wig?” Alex asked, stretching. She turned to glare at him. “I tossed it on the back seat after it fell off your head last night,” Alex told her with a grin.

The blush which graced her cheeks was amusing as hell.

“Well, I guess the jig’s up. Might as well leave it back there then!” she snapped.

“Trust me, you’re better without it!” He winked at her.

She gave a tight smile as she dug through her bag for a brush for her insanely long hair. It hung to her hips. Seeing this he felt like someone had punched him in the gut.

She turned to him, face framed in loose blonde curls.

“Mind telling me why you wear a wig?” Alex asked. It was bugging him to no end.

“See all this blonde hair?” she asked him, holding up a lock.

He simply nodded yes.

“See these dark eyes and the otherwise dark features I have?” She gestured toward her face.

“Yeah, and…?”

“They don’t really go well together and that makes me too conspicuous. I stand out everywhere I go. Something I would rather not do,” she explained.

Alex didn’t say anything; he just stared at her, taking note of her fair hair paired with her dark exotic eyes. She was right – if he’d seen her in passing, he would surely remember her.

“You ready to get going?” she asked as she put the brush back before pulling her shirt off over her head.

“You have got to be kidding me!” Alex heard himself stutter out loud.

“Excuse me?” she asked, pulling a soft grey sweater on.

“You needed to do that now, with me here?”

She laughed, shaking her head as she put on her seat belt.

“Yeah, it’s cold! Besides, I promise not to take my pants off!” Then she winked, leaving him lost for words.

So, with a shake of his own head, he started the car pulling back onto the road.

She didn’t talk as they drove down the coastal highway. She seemed content to watch the sea pass by them. Yet he was dying to ask what she was. Clearly she must have some kind of gift if she could find people, but he knew some humans had gifts too. Asking her could bring the same question to him, and he was not about to give himself up just to learn more about her, however tempting.

He looked over at her one more time, finding big brown eyes staring right back at him. He gave her a half smile then brought his eyes back to the road. He was sensitive to people’s emotions. He could almost taste them, he could taste lust coming from her.

He fought back a groan as he felt his body come to attention in the knowledge she felt desire for him. It did things to him it shouldn’t. He had a feeling his self-control was about to go out the window.

“How old are you?” she asked him, out of the blue.

She turned to him, waiting for an answer. He was trying to figure out her game even as he answered, “Thirty five.” He didn’t even blink at the lie.

He saw her frown. It seemed being thirty-five made him old! He suppressed his laughter waiting for her to say something else.

“Really? You don’t look that old,” she told him.

“I don’t? Well, that’s good. How old are you? Twenty-six?” He guessed super high, hoping to make her mad.

“Close,” she winked.

“Oh, come on! Close? Not even!”

“I could be!” she argued.

“I would be lucky if you were over sixteen!” he muttered under his breath.

“Then it’s your lucky day because I’m nineteen!” Her tone was seductive now.

“Falyn, are you trying to drive me over the edge?”

“Why, whatever do you mean?” she said with faked innocence.

“You are not fooling anyone with that act,” Alex said, glancing at her.

With a big smile, she turned once more to face the window. He figured their little banter was over.

“Do you plan to stop for a bathroom break or food on this trip? Or should I be prepared to starve and pee myself?” Her tone was joking.

“There is some trail mix in the glove box and I have a jug in the back,” Alex returned.

“Um yeah, but I think pancakes and a restroom are more my speed!” Falyn laughed.

“All right. The next exit, I’m all over it.”

He would be too. Hunger pains where pulling at his gut as well but his meal would not come off a menu. After the night spent in the car with Falyn, he needed some space.

“Hey, I think we’ll set up base camp here since the spot we need is only a few miles down the road.” He found himself wondering how she would feel about this.

“That’s a great plan!” she said cheerily.

Of course she would say that! It seemed nothing fazed the girl.

The next exit came up quickly. He turned off the highway. The town they came to was small but it had food along with a hotel. So after Falyn ate they went to check into their room. He’d wanted to get two, but only one room was available.

Falyn had gone off to walk the beach she asked if he would like to join her. He begged off with the excuse he had to do a few more things first.

It was sunset and he needed to feed before it became an issue. In small towns it was harder to find a food source, yet even small towns had scum.

The small buildings lining the dock held two bars. One was classy, the other for the wilder breed of Arch Cape. He picked the latter. Inside it was smoky and dimly lit. Loud music pulsed through the bar. Alex ordered a whisky downing it while he let his mind scan the people around him.

It did not take long to find a lowlife who was more than passable for a blood donor. His victim was watching a woman who, unlike the other females around, was not used to this scene. She was testing the waters on the wrong side of the tracks.

With one rejection already from the woman, the man Alex had honed in on made up his mind to take what he wanted once she left. Alex waited too, watching the man as he watched the woman.

Soon she was heading out. The man also got up. Once the girl was close to her car, the man started to speed walk toward her. He never made it – Alex had a hold of him before he could even let out a yelp. He was down on his back, looking up at a deadly sight.

Alex knew what the man was seeing at that moment. His fangs were out, his eyes a bright red, the look of a predator all over his face. Oh yes, the man was indeed feeling fear.

“You will not touch any female again unless she begs, you got it?” With that demand planted firmly in the man’s head, Alex put his mouth to the man’s throat and found the vein he wanted.

Alex left the loser on the docks. He would wake feeling weak. He would not remember Alex, only the new thought in his head. This man would not touch another woman without her consent.

With dinner out of the way, Alex could get back to the issues at hand. It was now dark and the wind had picked up. Falyn was not in the room when he got back. This immediately made him worry about her. Alex headed down to the beach, seeking her scent.

He found her sitting on the sand watching the dark water. Her hair was pale gold in the light of the moon which peeked through the clouds.

“Do you plan to freeze to death in this spot?” Alex asked her as he came to stand by her.

“No, I was getting ready to head back in,” she told him softly. “Hey, ever swum in the ocean at night?”

Alex froze in his spot, fighting all the urges aroused by imagining her swimming naked in the water.

“A little cold for that, don’t you think?” he asked in a small voice.

“Cold water never hurt anyone,” she answered with a half-smile, as she pulled her sweater over her head.

Chapter Three: Reckless Behavior

Falyn knew she was being reckless as she flung her old sweater onto the sand. She saw Alex’s jaw drop as she stood there in her jeans and red lacy bra. But she was not finished yet – she planned to seduce this man, and by all that was holy, she was going to!

“I know I said before that I wouldn’t take my pants off, but wet jeans are a pain to walk in.”

With that she slid them off. She was now standing in her undies.

“Falyn,” Alex growled, as she ran toward the waves.

“Come on Alex, live a little!” she called back.

She always played by the rules, even if they were only her rules, with Alex she wanted to do anything besides play by the rules!

Alex stood for another minute, staring at her, before he pulled his shirt off then dropped his pants. The moon showed his perfectly toned body as he moved toward the water. She could feel the cold, although she ignored it, the way Alex walked in it was as though he was strolling into a heated pool. He put her to shame. He kept moving until he was in front of her. The waves crashing into their bodies pushed Falyn onto Alex’s hard chest. It was really too bad he’d left his boxers on!

“You’re either the bravest woman I ever met, or the craziest!” Alex scolded.

“I like to color outside the lines once in a while,” Falyn informed him between chattering teeth.

“Hey, those kinds of artist only become famous after they die!” Alex said with a laugh.

“I’ll keep that in mind,” she whispered as another wave pushed her even closer to him.

“Falyn, are you trying to get me into bed?” Alex asked her, point blank.

“Am I being that bold?”

“Any more bold and you would be dragging me back to our room and forcing me onto the bed!” Alex informed her.