A Guardian's Passion Read online

  Trinity became frantic when his manhood sprung free and she fought harder, but he was too strong. Tristan roughly pushed her legs apart and thrust up into her. Trinity screamed. The pain was like nothing she'd experienced before. Mentally blocking Tristan’s savage abuse of her body, she turned her head and looked over to where Clarissa lay. Her dark eyes were wide in horror and tears were streaking down her pale face. With the amount of blood seeping from Clarissa’s wound, Trinity knew the blonde was dying, but Clarissa gave her a weak smile and mouthed ‘I love you' before the dark eyes closed slowly.

  “NO!” Trinity shouted. “Please do not leave me.” The blonde remained unresponsive. Clarissa was dead. The shock was too much for her body to absorb and Trinity lost consciousness.

  When she awoke later, she was in a dark, dank space. Looking around she was shocked to find that there was sand underneath her—a cave. She was in a cave. She tried to raise her head, but it fell back limply. There was an excruciating pain in her neck. She felt a ripple in the air and gasped when the sand spewed up a few feet from where she laid. Tristan floated from the hole in the ground, his arms crossed over his chest. His eyes suddenly snapped opened and he gave her a wicked smile.

  “Did you miss my companionship?” He lifted his hand and before her eyes, Trinity saw his appearance change. One moment he was all covered in dirt and the next he was squeaky clean and dressed in a fresh set of clothes—all black. “I have a few people to visit tonight, before we leave on our journey. I need to be in Naples urgently.” He came to stand over her, causing her to recoil at his nearness. “You have proven yourself to be a good bed toy, thus I will take you with me. But first I need to go and deliver your final farewell to your father and brother. Your mother, poor thing, tried to use a cross on me, but instead I used it to on her to scratch out her eyes before killing her.” He laughed at the choked sob that escaped her lips. “I need to go now. I will wake you when I get home.” He disappeared right in front of her eyes and she quickly closed them to block out the image.

  Hot tears streamed down her cheeks as her mind filled with the horrendous memories of what had happened earlier. Clarissa was gone. Her mother was too and soon her father and Jeremy would join her. She wished she could have warned them, but with her hands and feet tied together, it was impossible to move. For the next few candle marks Trinity lay there, allowing the insects to crawl over her naked body as she silently said a prayer for everyone whom she had lost.

  The boardroom was eerily quiet. The master vampires were all staring at her intently, while Inger and Joan were dabbing at their eyes. Even Michael's eyes had a suspicious shine to them. Trinity looked away. She didn’t tell the story with the intention to generate pity. She didn't want their pity.

  Tahlia rose gracefully to her feet and walked over to where Trinity sat. She placed her hand on Trinity’s shoulder and a slight bitterness rose in Trinity at the gesture. Only now do they fully trust her. She briefly considered shrugging off the hand, but just as quickly curbed the urge to do so. No matter how calm and civilized the woman appeared, Tahlia was not someone you should mess with. She had seen her in action.

  “For eighteen years you have lived with us and none of us even suspected the horror and pain you were keeping inside.” The black eyes were gentle. “I give you my promise that you will have your revenge.” Tahlia returned to her place at the head of the table. “We should all be vigilant. Tristan will strike were it will hurt the most—our loved ones. Each and every Clan vampire is family and we should take care of each other.”

  Joan and Michael answered a few more questions from the others, but Trinity sat quietly staring unseeingly at the table top. The meeting adjourned soon afterwards and Trinity was the first one out of the boardroom. She walked to the lounge where she stood staring into the lit fireplace. All those memories had left her emotionally bruised. If only she had someone to go to—someone like Gabriella.

  Trinity missed the innocent hugs they'd shared when she was feeling lonely and needed the touch of another being. Sometimes at night she would go to her, crawling into bed with Gabriella and holding onto the teenager and simply allowed the girl’s presence to ease the loneliness that had dogged her for so long.

  She needed Gabriella tonight. Not the teenager who was like a little sister to her, but she needed the woman. She needed the woman Gabriella had become to cradle her in her arms and heal her battered soul. Trinity shrugged into her leather jacket and made for the door.

  “Not so fast, girlfriend. Where’re you off to?”

  Trinity turned to find Inger standing in the door leading to the boardroom. There was a deep sadness in the clear blue eyes. Trinity was relieved to see no pity in the other woman’s eyes.

  “I need fresh air,” she said as she studied Inger. She had a vague idea of why Inger had sought her out. Tonight, however, Trinity had bared enough. She was not ready to dredge up any more painful memories.

  “It will do you good. Just be careful out there,” Inger said in a gentle tone, stunning Trinity who had expected the brunette to want to talk to her.

  “I will,” she said and left.

  †

  Inger stood there, with fresh tears welling up in her eyes. How was it even possible for one being to carry around such pain? She doubted if she would’ve been able to survive such a horrific experience. Inger wiped at her eyes. She needed to be with Paloma right now. She turned to Genevieve standing behind her. The woman’s usually twinkling eyes and bright smile was absent. Inger placed an arm around the shorter woman’s shoulder.

  Genevieve might not have given birth to Trinity, but Inger didn’t doubt the siring bond when it came to the two women. Genevieve loved Trinity fiercely and it was there for anyone who cared enough to look, to see that. The vampire probably experienced Trinity’s pain first hand since they shared a blood bond.

  She had witnessed the mystical workings of a blood bond by having observed her parents. There was that one time when a group of renegades ambushed and killed a Clan vampire. Inger was in the kitchen with Tahlia and Paloma, making herself a sandwich, when another hunter brought the news. Except for a small flare of anger in her mother’s eyes, Tahlia had accepted the news rather gracefully. They had resumed their conversation calmly and Inger had thought that all was well until a distraught Jemima burst through the kitchen door. Startled, Inger had watched as Tahlia rose to her feet to accept her wife’s comforting embrace. Much later when she had questioned Paloma about what had happened between her mothers, Paloma had explained the sire bond and how emotionally attuned people were who shared a sire bond. Looking closely at the vampire, Inger could see that Genevieve was suffering.

  “She is going to see her,” Genevieve said suddenly.

  Inger frowned, perplexed. “Who?”

  “Gabriella Talos.”

  Inger cocked her head as she looked at Genevieve.

  “Are we talking about Dr. Gabriella Talos—the Gabriella Talos?”

  Genevieve suddenly looked worried.

  “Maybe I should not have said anything. She trusted me to keep her secret.”

  Inger's eyes sparkled. She was already devising a plan. “She needs someone special, Viv. She needs to love again.” Inger pulled Genevieve farther away from the others. “Tell me everything.”

  “She will be very angry, but you are right, she is very lonely.” Genevieve smiled sadly. “After hearing all she has suffered through, I am willing to suffer her wrath if it means she can find love again.”

  †

  Paloma was frustrated lying next to Inger later that night. She had tried everything to entice her lover. She had rubbed herself against Inger, ‘accidentally' brushed her hand over Inger's naked breast—three times, but still her hints were ignored. Inger only got like this when she had something very important on her mind. The silver eyes studied Inger like a hawk looking for clues to this strange behavior. After a long while, she decided not to beat around the bush any longer.

  “I need you, m
y love.” She anxiously awaited Inger’s reaction, but when it came it floored her completely.

  “We need to go see a sex therapist,” Inger said distractedly, staring up at the ceiling, still wearing her reading glasses.

  “What for?” Paloma asked carefully, completely stunned.

  “You need to be patient, baby,” Inger admonished softly and turned to look at Paloma for the first time since they'd gotten into bed about fifteen minutes ago. “I will make an appointment for us for next week. In the meantime we’ll have to cut down on sex, because I want it to look believable when we go to see the therapist.”

  “But why, Inger? If we do not need the help of a sex therapist why should we go see one?” Paloma sat up and the sheet dropped in her lap, exposing her breasts.

  Inger's eyes fell on the soft mounds and it was with mild satisfaction that Paloma sensed the hunger building inside Inger.

  “We’re doing a friend a favor. I’ll tell you more about it tomorrow.” Inger said as she removed her reading glasses and placed them on the nightstand. She turned shimmering blue eyes on Paloma. “You said something earlier. What was it again?”

  Paloma decided to play dumb. “I said it was fine and that we do not have to have sex until after the appointment.” She had to keep from smiling when she saw a look of dismay that crossed the brunette's face.

  “I didn't say we should NOT have sex at all. I said we should cut down on it, so it would look more believable when we go for our appointment.”

  Paloma nodded and turned so she was lying on her stomach with her head facing away from Inger. She grinned when she felt the soft brushing touch on her back. Ah, an Angel kiss. That says a lot. She only got those when Inger was in the mood for sex or when she felt guilty after an argument and wanted to make peace. She gently sniffed the air and grinned. Tonight though, her baby was in the mood for hot mind-blowing sex. Exposing her breasts always works and she was surprised that Inger hadn't picked up on the ploy already. She felt another soft kiss on her back again. Inger had suffered enough, she decided, and turned towards a slightly flustered-looking Inger.

  “Want to play sex therapist and patient?” she asked softly and smiled at the eager look on Inger's face. “I will be the therapist.”

  Inger snuggled closer to her until she could feel her warm breath on her cheek. Paloma’s desire quickly pulsed to life again as she lifted the sheet to study Inger's naked curves.

  “Doc, do you think we could start with mouth-to-mouth resuscitation?” Inger murmured, huskily as she almost burned Paloma with the scorching look in her eyes. “It's apparently becoming a common practice amongst sex therapists and their patients lately.”

  ~~~~

  Chapter Four

  Sleep eluded her that night. The digital alarm clock on the bedside table stood at 9:30 p.m. when she went to bed and ninety minutes later Gabriella was still wide-awake. After a few minutes of more tossing and turning she gave up any pretense of trying to sleep. She got out of bed and walked over to the sliding door leading out onto the balcony. She pulled the curtain and stifled a scream. She could swear there had been a dark shape standing right in front of her a second ago. Shakily, she took a second look. There was nobody. The balcony was deserted. Her mind quickly went into overdrive.

  Trinity. Could it have been her? Gabriella rubbed over her eyes and sighed. If only it had been her. She shook her head slightly. Whom was she kidding? Trinity had obviously moved on. Why would she hang around after all the hurtful things I said to her the last time? She remembered that brief moment when Trinity had held her tight and whispered that she loved her.

  Giving herself a mental shake, Gabriella closed her eyes. She was being stupid. Trinity was gone, probably holed up somewhere in Europe. Vampires loved Europe, Trinity had told her once. The history, culture, and architecture somehow reminded them of their past lives. They evoke many memories—good and bad. Thinking about bad memories, Gabriella recalled the earlier news bulletin. There was a renegade vampire out there on a murderous rampage. Shuddering, she pulled the curtains shut and went back to bed.

  Curled up in bed, her thoughts returned to Trinity. Where was she? Was she with someone? Was she happy? Was she at least thinking about her? All these thoughts of Trinity were making her more depressed and Gabriella rolled over and punched the pillow. She didn't want to be alone tonight. As angry and betrayed as she felt, she actually missed Jessica.

  Friday nights were their movie nights. They would pick out a couple of DVDs together, order a pizza, and open a bottle of wine. Afterwards they would curl up together, chatting until the effects of the wine kicked in and their baser instincts took over. Saturday mornings, it was out for breakfast at Joni's Diner around the corner, then grocery shopping, and back home to do laundry. Saturday nights were spent attending functions or parties or even just to go out dancing. Sundays they spent indoors, recovering from the hectic weekend rush and psyching themselves up for the week ahead.

  She searched for the remote under her pillow and switched on the TV set. She hated watching TV in bed, but Jessica was adamant they should get a TV for the bedroom. She only understood much later when Jessica would come home with a naughty smile, drag her to the bedroom and slip a porn DVD into the player. She felt a deep aching in her heart and closed her eyes. They really were good together. A lone tear rolled down her cheek and onto the pillow.

  †

  Shrouded in an invisibility spell, Trinity leaned against the balustrade. Thank heavens to Pierre who had taught her the invisibility spell for Gabriella had almost detected her. For the umpteenth time that night, Trinity questioned her wisdom in being here. After she had left the safe house, she had wandered the streets aimlessly for a while until she found herself standing in front of Gabriella's apartment building. As she materialized on the balcony, she could hear the soft rustling of sheets. Unexpected jealousy had surged through her at the mental image of Gabriella and her lover engaging in the sex act. She had to know. The feeling had disappeared just as quickly. She had probed the apartment with her senses and found Gabriella to be alone. She had stepped closer to the door, her eyes closed as she was envisioning Gabriella on the other side of the door. She had been crying, she could sense as much.

  She was still scanning the room, when the curtains opened and she had only a millisecond to hide her presence. But Gabriella had seen her. Maybe not her face, but her shocked reaction afterwards showed that she knew there had been someone on her balcony. She stood there invisible to the human eye, and stared back at her. This was the first time in eighteen years that Trinity had come this close to her. Gabriella was a powerful psychic and would be able to detect her presence from a mile away. The unhappiness she felt had dulled her senses, making it difficult to detect Trinity. Trinity watched as Gabriella pulled the curtains shut and heard the rustling of bed sheets as she got into bed.

  But she'd always been there, watching silently. Trinity was there on Gabriella’s prom night, shadowing the girl, until she was safely back in her room at home. She was there during Gabriella’s college years still watching over her.

  Through a slight gap left by the curtain, she could see Gabriella crying again. Before her hand could knock on the sliding door, it stilled. What if Gabriella turned her away again? Would she have to wait eighteen more years before she had the courage to approach her again? Trinity doubted if she was emotionally strong enough to handle another rejection. Not from Gabriella, no. She dropped the cloak and dissolved.

  †

  Tahlia was in the library patiently sifting through the volumes of books for one to read to Jemima. Trinity's story had upset Jemima more than she cared to admit, but she knew her woman well. She just needed something to distract her for a while and then she would be fine. The door opened and without turning, Tahlia spoke.

  “Can you recommend any good books? It seems you have spent more time in here than anyone else.”

  The door closed softly.

  “Jane Eyre.” Trinity said from
behind Tahlia. “I have read it a few times and find it to be a lovely book.” She came to stand next to Tahlia, looking at the rows and rows of books. “One can never go wrong with a romantic novel. I am sure Jemima would love it.”

  Tahlia's black eyes held amusement when she looked sideways at the young vampire.

  “What makes you think it is for her and not for me?”

  Trinity's dark green eyes were serious when she answered.

  “You, my Queen, know perfectly well what you want. If the book was for you, you would have walked in here, got it, and walked out.” Trinity smiled faintly. “And you do not strike me as the romantic novel type. Your scent is stronger on the covers of the philosophical volumes over there.”

  Tahlia placed the book she had in her hand back into its place on the shelf.

  “Am I that easy to read?” she murmured and reached for the Jane Eyre title. “Jemima is slightly depressed after having heard your life story and I want to cheer her up a little. Are you sure Jane Eyre will do the trick?”

  “Definitely.” Trinity walked over to another shelf and came back with another book. “Take this one along for just in case Jane Eyre does not do the trick.”

  Tahlia looked at the title and the back at Trinity—Lady Chatterley’s Lover. Until tonight she'd always thought that the woman was a gun-toting airhead. Looking closely into the beautiful face of the girl, she realized there is a lot more to the girl than they knew. Tonight's revelation proved that. They had not bit her, as was a custom before strangers infiltrate their coven, out of respect for Genevieve. The Royal vampiress had vouched for Trinity and it would have wounded Genevieve severely had they doubted her trust. Had they bitten Trinity, they would have known everything about the woman and tonight’s revelation would not have been as shocking as it was. She looked back at the book in her hands. She obviously also had a strong sexual side that she hid very well.