It wasn't until she and Kaige were cuddling in bed after making love for a second time that Savanna finally put a name to the emotion she'd been feeling down in the sauna. She was in love. For the first time in her life, she was in love. With the gorgeous, sensitive, mysterious, damsel-in-distress-saving, I-only-like-to-comeout-after-dark kind of guy she'd always wanted.
Savanna could hardly believe it. They had only known each other for a week, but she couldn't deny what she was feeling. Somewhere in between waking up in his bed that first time and making love in the sauna that afternoon, her heart had decided that Kaige was absolutely perfect for her. And she didn't see any reason to go against what her heart was telling her.
She idly ran her finger up and down his bare chest, wondering if she should tell Kaige how she felt. According to Cosmo, it would be way too early in their relationship to declare her love. But she and Kaige didn't exactly have an ordinary relationship. Besides, she couldn't think of a more romantic time to tell him than after making love.
She took a deep breath, all set to say it, when a knock sounded on the door. Startled, she lifted her head from Kaige's shoulder to give him a curious look.
"It's probably just the butler," he said.
Pushing back the blanket, he got out of bed and pulled on his jeans, then walked over to the door, running his hand through his dark hair as he did.
Blanket clutched to her breasts with one hand, Savanna pushed herself into a sitting position as Kaige opened the door. While she couldn't see the butler with Kaige's broad shoulders blocking the way, she could hear the man's cultured voice saying he wanted to let them know that the Counsel members had arrived.
"That was fast," she said to Kaige when he closed the door.
He lifted a brow. "You heard?"
She nodded and pushed back the blanket with a sigh. She had been all psyched to tell him how she felt, but she supposed her declaration of love would have to wait until later. "I guess we should go down and introduce ourselves then."
Though Kaige agreed, the look on his face as he swept her naked body with that heated gaze of his told her that he'd much rather stay in bed. So would she. Maybe she and Kaige could say their "hellos," and then slip back up to their room without anyone noticing.
When they walked into the living room ten minutes later, they found it filled with vampires. Though it was impossible to tell how old any of them were, in appearance, they seemed to vary between their late twenties and early fifties. At their entrance, conversation ceased and everyone turned to regard her and Kaige appraisingly. Jensen immediately came over to greet them, a tall, slender female vampire at his side, whom he introduced as his wife. Pretty with long, blond hair, Kira had an easy way about her that made Savanna immediately like the other female.
As Jensen made the rest of the introductions, Savanna tried to keep all the names straight, but it was no use. In addition to the two female and three male Counsel members, there were half a dozen security operatives, as well as some administrative assistants.
Since there weren't enough bedrooms in the house for everyone, it was decided that the assistants would stay in a nearby bed and breakfast. While there wasn't any room for the security operatives, either, they needed to be close by, so some cots would be set up in the cottage for them.
While the assistants were milling around, grabbing up their bags and figuring out which vehicles they were going to take, one of the security operatives came over and introduced himself.
"I'm Zane Bradford," he said. "I'm the team leader for this mission. Jensen gave us a short briefing on what happened at your place. I just wanted to say that I'm impressed with how you two handled yourselves."
Savanna gave him a rueful smile. "Kaige did all the real fighting. All I was doing was trying to stay alive."
Zane shook his head. "Don't put yourself down. Staying alive is the most important thing. It sounds like you did what you had to do. I know a lot of vampires who couldn't have done half of what you two did."
They talked for a little while longer before Zane had to leave to get the other operatives set up in the cottage and work out the guard rotation schedule. By then, all of the assistants had gathered their belongings and left for the bed and breakfast. Everyone else had come back into the living room where drinks and hors d'oeuvres were being served.
Realizing she and Kaige wouldn't be able to slip back up to their room unnoticed, Savanna resigned herself to spending the evening with the Counsel. Though they had all been cordial when Jensen had made the introductions, Savanna wasn't sure how they'd feel about having a newly turned vampire sit in on their meeting. But as it turned out, since she and Kaige had been the target of the rogue vampires' attack, the Counsel members were eager to get their take on things.
Over a dinner of delicious roast pheasant, she and Kaige told them everything, starting with the attack outside the Goth club and finishing with the break-in at the condo. They left out the more intimate details, of course.
"Are you sure the vampire who tried to drag you away said the word, 'claimed'?" asked a dark-haired vampire named Brent.
Savanna nodded. "Yes. Do you know what it means?"
Brent shared a look with the other Counsel members, before turning his attention back to her. "Possibly," he said. "It's a very old word, one that hasn't been used in a long time. It means that the vampire who has been siring these rogues follows a very old code of tradition and has invoked a special privilege reserved for what we used to call clan leaders. In the very early days of our kind, the clan leader would designate one particular female as his special chosen property, so all other vampires would stay away from her."
Beside her, Savanna felt Kaige stiffen. "His property," she said. "Like hell I am!"
Gabriella, the pretty redhead across the table from Savanna, nodded. "My sentiments exactly."
"Wait a minute," Kaige said. "How the hell did this bastard even figure out who Savanna is?"
"We have no way of knowing," Gabriella said. "The vampire who attacked Savanna could have seen you turn her and reported it to his sire. Something about her must have piqued his interest."
Kaige swore. "Well, he's not getting anywhere near her."
"He won't," Brent said firmly. "Once we figure out who he is, he'll be dealt with. Harshly."
Two hours later, however, the Counsel still hadn't come up with an idea on how to track down the rogue vampires. While it was horrible to consider, Savanna was beginning to think that the only way the Counsel was ever going to get a good lead on these rogue vampires was if they attacked again. Hopefully, they could follow the vampires back to their hideout after that.
The Counsel members were still throwing around ideas when the lights suddenly went out, plunging the entire house into darkness. Savanna jumped, startled, and she felt Kaige's arm around her waist tighten protectively. In the dark, she saw Jensen move across the room to look out the window.
"The power is out in the cottage, too," he said. "Actually, it looks like the power is out in the whole area."
Alton, the tall vampire standing by the fireplace pulled out his cell phone and dialed a number. After a moment he frowned. "Zane's not answering his cell, but I have lousy reception, so that could just be the problem."
Gabriella muttered something Savanna didn't catch, but from the tone of her voice, the female vampire was clearly worried.
"I'll go and check it out," Kaige volunteered.
"I'll go with you," Jensen said.
Kaige started to get to his feet, but Savanna caught his arm. "Are you sure you should go out there?" she asked. "What if it's some kind of trap set by those rogue vampires?"
He reached up to tuck her hair behind her ear. "They don't even know about this place. Besides, we have plenty of security patrolling the grounds. I'll be fine."
He was probably right, but she still didn't like the idea of him going out there. She swallowed hard. "Be careful."
Kaige's mouth curved. "Always," he said, pressing his mouth gently to hers.
Savanna chewed on her lower lip as she watched him walk out of the room with Jensen. The moment they had disappeared from sight, she got up and walked over to the window. She watched nervously as Kaige and Jensen made their way across the lawn to the guest cottage.
"They'll be fine," Kira said from beside her.
Savanna glanced at Jensen's wife. Despite the female vampire's reassuring words, Kira looked just as nervous as she did about the men going to check out the guest house.
Savanna looked out the window again to check on Kaige, but he and Jensen were nowhere in sight. She turned to Kira, but before she could say anything, there was a loud noise from the entry-way. Alarmed, Savanna whirled around to see what it was, only to jump when she heard gunfire. A moment later, half a dozen male vampires came into the room, automatic weapons in their hands.
Savanna's stomach clenched. Oh God. What about Kaige?
"No one moves, and no one gets hurt," one of the vampires said.
Savanna glanced nervously at the Counsel members and was surprised to see that they looked remarkably calm.
"Where is your sire?" Alton asked.
The vampire who had spoken earlier smirked. "He'll be here." He lifted his hand and spoke into a microphone clipped to his sleeve. "Objective secure, Master," he reported to someone on the other end. He paused, listening to something coming through an earpiece. "Yes, she's here, Master."
His gaze slid to Savanna as he said the words and she took a nervous step back. This "Master" he was talking to was the one who had "claimed" her, she realized.
Just then, the lights went back on. Savanna squinted her eyes against the sudden brightness for a moment. When she opened them again, it was to see a tall, dark-haired vampire coming into the room.
Savanna stared at him in disbelief. If she weren't so terrified, she might have laughed. Dressed in a black suit and wearing a cape, he looked like he'd come straight out of some Dracula movie.
There were two other male vampires with him, including Overcoat Vamp. Though the scratches on his face had healed somewhat, they were still raw, and the hateful look in his eyes as he glared at her told Savanna that he hadn't forgotten what she'd done.
"You must be the one who sired this clan of thugs," Alton said.
The vampires with the Dracula look-alike bared their fangs at the insult, but he merely smiled.
"I am Darac, yes." He paused, as if waiting for Alton or one of the other Counsel members to say something. When they didn't, he continued.
"That you do not recognize my name only confirms your ignorance. I am the most ancient and revered of all vampires," he said. "I sired generations of our kind before you and your Counsel were ever a thought."
As he spoke, he walked slowly around the room, going from one Counsel member to the next. Savanna watched him warily.
"You should be ashamed of yourselves. You have turned your back on your vampire heritage with your foolish Counsel rules and regulations. It's disgusting," he continued. "Vampires are far superior to any human on this planet, yet you and your Counsel have them hiding their true nature like common criminals."
He stopped in front of Gabriella to regard her with a sneer. "You even allow females to rule. It is a violation of the old ways."
Gabriella flushed and opened her mouth to reply, but Darac had already moved on to stand in front of Alton. "I allow my vampires freedom to be the hunters and predators they were meant to be, while you have our kind feeding from bagged blood instead of hunting their food like they should. You go out during the day, living and cavorting with the human cattle. It is reprehensible."
He regarded Alton with disgust. "But with me in charge, all of that is going to change. We are going back to the old ways."
"You think the vampire world is just going to follow you?" Alton asked.
Darac's lip curled. "Not at first perhaps," he said. "But with their precious Counsel out of the way, they will have no choice but to fall into line. When there isn't any more bagged blood for them to drink, they will do what comes naturally. Sooner or later." He shrugged. "Of course, I had not planned to take control at this point, but after what happened the other night, I knew the time had come. So, I ordered the attacks on the humans, knowing it would draw the Counsel members out of hiding."
He glanced over his shoulder. "Take them down to the wine cellar. I will enjoy dealing with them one at a time at my leisure."
At the command, the armed vampires quickly moved forward to obey. When one of them grabbed her arm, Darac motioned with his hand. "Not her," he said. "She stays here."
Savanna watched helplessly as Kira and the Counsel members were dragged from the room. She was so focused on them that she didn't even realize Overcoat Vamp was heading her way until he was right in front of her. She tensed, eyeing him nervously. If he took one more step toward her, she was prepared to claw up his face again. But he must have known what she was thinking because he quickly grabbed her arm and dragged her into the center of the room to stand in front of Darac.
The old vampire regarded her appraisingly. "You are even more beautiful than your photo," he said, reaching out one bony hand to run a finger down her cheek.
Savanna jerked away from his touch to glare at him. "Don't touch me, you pig!"
Darac smirked. "And you have fire. I like that." He reached out to grip her chin, tightening his fingers and holding her in place when she would have pulled away. "You have stirred desires in me that I thought had been long gone, things I haven't felt in hundreds of years."
Her lip curled. Just the thought was disgusting. "Well, all I feel for you is revulsion!"
"Maybe," he said, releasing her. "But that will change once you become my queen."
"Your queen?" she scoffed. "Sorry, but I'm already in a relationship."
"Oh yes, your sire." Darac laughed. "Since your hearing has not improved very much due to your immaturity, I doubt you heard it. But just a few minutes ago, there were dozens of gunshots from the cottage behind the house. That was my vampires dispatching the Counsel's security team. And your sire, too, I'm sure. So, my dear, you can stop worrying about your relationship with him. He is quite dead."
Savanna's heart seemed to stop in her chest. No, that wasn't true. Kaige couldn't be dead. She would know if he were. Somehow, she would know. Kaige was not dead!
But just the thought of this bloodsucking bastard's minions trying to hurt Kaige infuriated her. That's all it took for her fangs to slide out. With a cry of rage, she jerked free of her captor's hold and hurled herself at Darac, teeth bared.
Darac grabbed her easily and shoved her back toward Overcoat Vamp, who caught her in a tight grip. Savanna struggled against his hold, but it did no good. He had her arms pinned behind her back and all she could do was stand there helplessly while Darac approached her.
He ran his finger down her cheek. "I'd prefer to have you willingly at my side, but willing or not, I will have you."
"Go to hell!" she spat.
Darac's jaw tightened. "I think it's time to teach you a little respect."
Reaching out, he grabbed a handful of Savanna's hair and yanked her head back. She tried to fight him, but he was too strong. Her neck was completely exposed and there was nothing she could do. The bastard was going to bite her. She struggled even more, but between Overcoat Vamp holding her and Darac's grip in her hair, it was impossible to get free. His breath was hot and foul on her neck, and she closed her eyes, helpless to do anything but wait for him to sink his fangs into her.
* * * * Kaige and Jensen had barely left the main house when they saw armed figures moving through the darkness. At first, Kaige thought they were the normal guards just checking on the power outage, but by the time he and Jensen got to the cottage, he realized how mistaken he was. They arrived just in time to see the Counsel's security team being held at gunpoint by at least a dozen rogue vampires. Even as he and Jensen watched from outside the window, Zane and his team were herded toward the back of the cottage.
"Shit," Kaige swore.
His first instinct was to get back to the main house as fast as possible. If there were rogue vampires here, then they were certainly there as well. Even now, Savanna could be in their clutches. But common sense told him it would be worthless to try and rescue her without a weapon. He needed the security team and the firepower they'd brought with them.
He looked at Jensen. "We need to get in there before those bastards kill them. Is there a back way into the cottage?"
Jensen nodded. "Follow me."
They made their way to the back of the cottage, careful to keep to the shadows. All Kaige could think about was what was happening to Savanna up in the main house. She had to be okay. He couldn't lose her, not when he'd finally found happiness after all these years. He promised himself that the moment she was safe, he was going to tell Savanna exactly how he felt about her.
Jensen led him to the back door of the cottage. They slipped in quietly, Kaige going first. He could hear voices coming from the front room. It sounded like the rogues were arguing. He slowly made his way through the kitchen and cautiously looked around the doorjamb, only to quickly jerk his head back. There was a rogue vampire in the hallway with his back to Kaige. From the way he was standing in front of one of the doors, it looked like he was on guard duty. The security team must be in that room.
Up to that point, Kaige hadn't been too interested in what the rogue vampires were arguing about, but suddenly what they were saying registered. Most of them wanted to kill the security operatives immediately. Only one of the vampires disagreed.
"The Master told us to wait until they take the main house," he said. "We wait until we get the signal. It should be coming any minute."
Kaige exchanged a look with Jensen. His friend nodded. They both knew they didn't have time to waste coming up with a complicated plan. If the rogue vampires got the signal from the house, those Counsel operatives were dead.
Kaige turned and started down the hallway without even bothering to look first. He just prayed the vampire standing guard would be so distracted by the argument that he wouldn't hear him coming. The vampire didn't, at least not until Kaige was a few feet away. As the rogue vampire turned to investigate the sound coming from behind him, Kaige punched him solidly across the jaw. When the vampire slumped, Kaige caught him and dragged him back toward the kitchen.
Once there, he relieved the other vampire of his assault rifle and pistol, handing the latter to Jensen. They went back out into the hallway and carefully made their way to the door the vampire had been guarding. Kaige stood guard in the hallway while Jensen went in to free the security team.
Zane Bradford came out of the room first. He exchanged a quick look with Kaige, and then gestured for his team to head to the kitchen. Kaige and Jensen followed. They would have been out the back door with the rest of the security team if one of the rogue vampires hadn't picked that moment to check on the guard they had stationed in the hallway.
He came barreling into the kitchen, shouting over his shoulder that the prisoners were escaping. Zane stepped forward and quickly took the rogues down, disarming himas he did so. He'd barely gotten the weapon away from him before the rest of the rogue vampires came charging into the room.
Kaige immediately took cover and started firing. Jensen and Zane did the same. They were outmanned, but it helped that the rogue vampires were so wild and out of control that they ended up shooting some of their own men in the back as they all tried to exit the cramped confines of the hallway.
As fast as it had started, the fight was over, with the last four rogues throwing down their weapons and surrendering as soon as it appeared things were no longer in their favor. Zane's team swept in and while half of them tied up the rogues, the others collected up weapons. Leaving two of Zane's team behind to guard the prisoners, the rest of them ran for the main house.