The following night on Sunset Strip
Gio finished his task, and headed to his car. Where the hell did he put that keyfob? So forgetful lately; too much on his mind, too many strange things happening.
Finally, in the back pocket of his pants, there it was, the elusive keyfob.
“Thank God.” Groaning in relief, he was grateful he didn’t have to look for a station to give him remote electronic access to the car.
Loading his package in the trunk, he turned to get in to head back to Serenity Tower when a woman passed by on the sidewalk. He did a double take. Was that…? Sliding back out of the car, he hurried onto the pavement sparkling with embedded glass.
Squinting, he wondered…could it be?
“Thalasia?”
The woman didn’t stop, but, fuck, it looked like her. Gio followed her and when he finally got a look at her face, he moved to intercept her and gently took her by the shoulders. “Thalasia, it’s me, Gio.”
She looked at him with blank eyes. “Gio?”
“Yeah, you know me. I mean, not well, but I’ve been looking for you. I wondered if you were okay.”
She wasn’t. He could tell, she looked at him as if he was a complete stranger. Oh, fucking shit…had that bastard…?
He caught her eye, and used compulsion to cut through any crap.
“Do you know your name?”
She didn’t respond at first, but the look of confusion increased. Her eyes moved back and forth like she was searching for the answer. “No.”
The simple answer told him all he needed to know.
“Motherfucking asshole,” Gio hissed.
Thalasia winced.
“No, not you, honey. Look, I’m going to help you. Come with me. Please, I won’t hurt you.”
He pushed that last command with compulsion so she would come with him without question or panic.
“Get in this car.” Gio gently sat her in his car and got in the driver’s side.
He’d looked for her after they’d gotten her boss, but he couldn’t find her. It seemed logical that she’d just taken off before she was somehow implicated in his crimes. She’d known he was vampire, was likely Villioth’s blood-bond and sex slave.
Too bad for her that she hadn’t just gone. What he’d done to her was so much worse.
Villioth had purged her. He’d removed any memory she had of her life, and while she was still technically functional, she had no idea who she was, how she’d lived, where she was, or anyone or anything that had defined her life. She was an empty slate, a lost soul. It was one of the cruelest things a vampire could do to someone.
Catching her eyes again, Gio promised. “I’m going to take care of you, Thalasia. That’s your name, Thalasia. Is that familiar at all?”
Shaking her head, she dropped her gaze. “All I know is that I’m nobody. That keeps repeating in my mind.”
Fuck that fucker! He’d seen cruel before, but this one was one of the worst.
“Look at me again. You are not nobody, you’re a beautiful, vibrant, smart woman, and your name is Thalasia. We have some work to do, but you are going to be perfectly fine. Believe me.”
“Perfectly fine. Okay.”
Gio smiled when something struck him. “I’ve become the champion of vampire-damaged women. I wonder what my superhero name would be.”
Serenity Tower was ahead on the right.
“We’re almost home.”
Thalasia watched his face for the rest of the ride, a spark of interest in her eyes.
Two weeks later on the coast of Oregon
Ife watched the sea, each wave as mesmerizing as the first time she’d seen it in France, but this time she was alone. This time there was no one at her side and nothing to influence this moment. It was terrifying…and freeing. A high moon cast silvered light on the pale sand where she sat, the air warm, sparkling water at her feet.
Her dress felt oppressive and unwelcome, so she lifted it over her head and dropped it to her side. Naked now, she burrowed deeper into the sand that still held the heat of the sun.
After a rough year, she needed to escape for a while, and she was here for one thing, and one thing only…to do nothing. Nothing for her to fix, no one to take care of, no one needing her. All she had to do was take care of herself and enjoy the nights. So many times, people forgot to stop, appreciate, and just…be.
For the next two months, Ife’s only job was to enjoy every moment, trouble free. Vampires didn’t do it often, but today she began a much-desired vacation.
She fell back into the sand, and drew in a deep cleansing breath.
“Heaven,” she sighed.
Up on a hill, near a lookout designed to stop and enjoy the scenery, Jack Remington had pulled over to watch a bright full moon set over the sea and grab a sandwich. How long had it been since he ate? Shit, there were a lot of times he didn’t remember to eat.
Lifting the paper, he looked at what Stacey had packed for him. Ham and swiss on wheat with mayonnaise. That would do nicely.
Leaning against the concrete railing, he sighed. Not enough of these quiet, trouble-free moments. He took a bite of the sandwich, and moaned. Oh, that was good. He’d have to thank Stacey for thinking about it. She might be the best assistant he’d ever had. If she kept this kind of shit up, he’d give her a trophy saying so.
“What I wouldn’t do for a few months off,” he told the surf.
When was the last time? Oh, yeah, six years ago, for a few weeks, he’d spent some time with a cute little hottie in Oklahoma. Grinning, he took another bite of the sandwich. His father had busted his ass for that, but it had fucking been worth it.
Nope, not too many company sanctioned days off in his business. His family had been in it for centuries, from his great-great grandfather right up to his father, himself and his younger brother.
Chinging interrupted his peaceful moment. He’d ignored the last two calls, hoping to avoid his father.
Jack lingered before he pulled his fone out. “Yeah?”
“Where the fuck are you?”
“Took a moment to take a breath. Why?”
“Kurt needs you.”
“Didn’t he have the night off?”
“Got in trouble, so answer your fucking fone and go help him.”
“Yeah, yeah, I’ll call him.”
Ringing off, Jack let his finger rest above the return call button while he watched the rolling sea and silvery sparkles dancing on the waves from the low moon.
Something bright white on the sand below caught his eye. What was that? It fluttered like a huge white bird and fell to the sand. Laying his fone on the wall, he reached inside his car for binoculars and focused them in on the white shape.
It continued to flutter from where it lay on the sand, but it wasn’t a bird. A piece of fabric maybe? Moving the binoculars to the left, he saw another shape, and used the electronic zoom to move in closer.
Whoa. A woman lay on the sand, naked, full breasts lifting to the sky, a hand lazily drawing circles in the sand. He zoomed closer on the breasts, well aware it was an invasion, but he was an overworked horny guy and what guy wouldn’t look at such a spectacular body? Those were seriously lickable nipples. Moving lower, to the pale hair between her legs, he lingered on a place he liked to call heaven.
Moving back up, the binoculars showed her face, in repose, hair as pale as the moon blew around her as she tried to capture and contain it. Suddenly she sat up and turned to face the hill where he stood.
Now he got a good look at what he thought might be the most beautiful face he’d ever seen. The light from the moon and the effective optics of the binoculars revealed pale eyes, probably blue, that he thought might actually be able to see him watching her. It was impossible, of course, without ancillary optics. Still, he lowered the device and watched her form as she stood and kept staring up at the hillside.
Fuck, he wanted to see her standing, that body displayed for his eyes only. Bad boy, he chided with a grin.
Anyway, he fucking had to go and see what his little brother needed. Reluctantly, he lowered the binoculars, and as he walked back to his car, he redialed the missed call.
“Yeah?”
Kurt’s voice was calm. “Hey, I need you. I found the group that was on Barkley’s radar.”
“Aw, shit. I was heading home to crash.”
“It’s night. No sleep for vampire hunters, J. I sent the coordinates. See you soon.”
Shaking his head, Jack slipped behind the controls of the car and snapped his tazer back on his belt. Time to go to work again.