After Sundown: Redemption Read online

  Engulfed by horror, Alyssa felt her legs give way. She fell forward, unable to stop herself. Christian’s strong hands caught her.

  “I’m sorry I had to do this to you, palomita, but your disbelief left me little choice. Now you see me for what I am. I, Cristobal Galiano y Pumarada am a vampire. Just as Vlad Maksimovitch and Bazhena Galichanin are vampires. We do exist. Don’t ever doubt it. Even as we speak, I smell your fear and I hear your racing heart. The blood singing through your veins calls to me. Makes me hunger for you in ways you can’t imagine.”

  Christian leaned closer. His lips brushed her neck. Shivers of awareness ran through her body.

  Alyssa felt his warm breath tickle her ear. “The difference between Bazhena and I is that she kills humans and I protect them. That is the only thing that keeps me from taking you right now,” he whispered.

  Alyssa struggled to tamp down the fear that threatened to engulf her. Just as she had always done when she was a child. He was a vampire! Her whole body shook. Her heart beat out of control, her breathing grew shallow and her hands became soaked with sweat. She closed her eyes and thought of that sunset scene she so often visualized in her mind when she felt like she was losing control. The image calmed her almost immediately. The shaking stopped and her heart slowed to a more reasonable pace.

  Okay. The man was a vampire. A vampire!

  Calm down. She forced herself to put that thought on the back burner until later. Right now she needed to get this situation into some sort of manageable form. Christian looked much too threatening for her liking. Falling back on her training as a therapist, she tried the one approach that had helped her in the past.

  Christian knew his words were harsh, but she had to hear them. He wouldn’t tell her everything right now. But she had to know what he was. It was the only way he could do the job he was hired to do. Maybe now she would understand and accept that.

  It had taken him a while to get over his shock at seeing his creator. Bazhena had made him into this creature over two hundred years ago. He hadn’t wanted it. Hadn’t asked for it. Nevertheless, it was his own fault that he’d been turned into a vampire. And he would never forget that.

  Bazhena had told Vlad that she was in the area and had just stopped by for a visit. Christian knew she lied. Vampires are not social creatures. If they had one or two real friends they were lucky. Stopping by to visit a vampire you hadn’t seen in over four hundred years did not ring true. And what did Alyssa have to do with all of it? He would have to find out Bazhena’s real reason for showing up tonight. But he could deal with that later. For now, he needed to calm Alyssa down and then go over her case. Now, more than ever, he wanted to know exactly what had been happening to her.

  The only problem was that he couldn’t calm down. The adrenaline that had made his eyes glow and his fangs elongate had also had affected him in other ways. Alyssa’s scent intoxicated him. The sound of her blood rushing through her veins excited him. And the feel of her silky skin beneath his hands made him long to run his fingers up and down her body. She called to him in a way no other ever had. Frightened by his own admission, he released his hold.

  Alyssa righted herself before she fell against him. She shook her head as if trying to clear her mind. Squaring her shoulders, she met his gaze with her own curious one. Her next words were not the ones Christian expected.

  “So why did you say your name was Christian?”

  “Excuse me?” Christian was dumbfounded by her query.

  “Well, everyone I’ve met recently calls you Cristobal. Why did you tell me your name was Christian?”

  He remained speechless. She didn’t look the least bit frightened! And of all the questions she could have asked, this was not the one that came to mind. He was momentarily sidetracked. Her intelligent eyes intrigued him. He lost himself in their lively depths, only to have her soft chuckle bring him back.

  He frowned. He was on very unfamiliar ground here. He usually didn’t have personal conversations like this with his human clients. “What’s so funny?”

  “You look like I asked you the hardest question in the world. All I want to know is why you told me your name is Christian, when it isn’t.”

  “It is, uh, I mean it isn’t.” He blew out an exasperated breath. “What I mean is that my birth name is Cristobal, but over time I adopted the name Christian.”

  “Why?”

  “It’s a modern version of Cristobal and since I work with a lot of humans, it was easier for them.”

  “I see. How old are you?”

  “Over two hundred years old.”

  “That old?”

  Alyssa asked him in a way that made him feel as if he should be using a walking cane and residing in a senior citizen rest home.

  “Yes, that old,” he replied irritably.

  “And which name do you prefer?”

  Again, her change of topic and unusual question unnerved him. No one had asked him what he preferred for a very, very long time. Momentarily bemused by her questions, he gave himself a mental shake. He had to get back to business.

  “That really doesn’t matter, Alyssa,” he said brusquely. “The point of this conversation is that I am a vampire and my job is to protect you. Do you understand that?”

  “Of course. I understood that the first time you told me. Do you repeat yourself often?”

  Frowning, Christian studied Alyssa’s face. Her dimpled smile and the amusement in her eyes were unmistakable. The minx was teasing him!

  He couldn’t resist the answering grin that spread across his lips. He was surprised, but also glad to see this side of her personality. She had a sense of humor and she was stronger than she looked. He liked that.

  Alyssa didn’t know where the questions came from. She had used this technique before when she was on unfamiliar ground. Asking ordinary questions usually managed to calm her and the other person down. She settled down immediately and was glad to see Christian also relax. He was puzzled enough by her query that his fangs withdrew and his eyes returned to their normal color.

  Relieved and feeling more in control of her situation, she said, “Okay. So you and that woman Bazhena and Vlad are vampires. But you’re also a bodyguard. And you plan on protecting me from this stalker. Is that correct?”

  He gave her an indulgent smile. “Yes, palomita, that is correct.”

  “What does palomita mean?”

  “Full of questions aren’t you? I think I’ll let you find that out for yourself. Now let’s get back to business.” Christian moved back around to his side of the desk, sat down and opened the file in front of him.

  He motioned for Alyssa to sit across from him. “Please sit down. We have a lot to cover before your speaking engagement tomorrow night.”

  Alyssa remained standing.

  “One more question before we start, Mr. Galiano. Do many other people know you’re a vampire?” She’d been dying to ask that, because the whole situation was just so weird.

  “I’ll answer that on one condition.”

  “What?”

  “That you sit across from me and that you call me Christian, not Mr. Galiano. I think it will make things easier and more comfortable for both of us. Agreed?”

  Alyssa nodded her head and sat down. After all, he and Vlad had just saved her life. She figured that she at least owed him that. This side of Christian intrigued her. He wasn’t mocking her and instigating her anger. They were actually having a civil and somewhat friendly conversation. Pleased by his easy-going manner, she nodded her head.

  “Agreed.”

  “Good.” Christian’s lips spread into a much too satisfied smile and Alyssa wondered if she had agreed too quickly. “To answer your question, no, not many people know what I am. Think about it? Who would you tell? And more importantly, who would believe you? Today’s society is based on science and facts. Luckily, it’s that narrow mindedness which allows us to operate Sundown Security and keep our anonymity. Our group is diverse and talented, but we all ha
ve one thing in common. We can all be categorized as unexplained or unsubstantiated phenomena.”

  “You mean there are others like you working here?” she asked, unable to keep the shock from her voice.

  “Well, I wouldn’t say ‘like me’. We all have our own special talents,” he explained vaguely. “But let’s get down to business. I see from your file that the first incident—”

  Christian looked up as somebody opened his door.

  “Hey, Christian. Who does a vampire fall in love with? The girl necks store. Get it? The girl—uh, sorry. Hmm. I didn’t know you had a client. Talk to you later.”

  Christian’s door quickly closed.

  Alyssa was too stunned to speak. The man who had just stuck his head through the doorway had the face of an angel, a perfect Adonis, with long golden hair. Weren’t there any ugly men working here?

  Frowning, Christian returned his attention to her.

  “Sorry about that. Where were we?”

  “Was that, um, I mean, was he—like you?” Alyssa tentatively asked.

  Christian chuckled. The low seductive sound of it sent a tingle up and down her spine.

  “A vampire? No. He’s an elf.”

  “An elf?” Alyssa thought about the cookie commercial with the happy, little elves running around baking. “But I thought they were, uh, little people?”

  “Think Lord of the Rings. Did you see Orlando Bloom as the elf, Legolas?”

  Alyssa nodded her head, remembering the tall, gorgeous elf on screen. The face that had peeked in Christian’s office a moment ago, would have given Legolas a run for his money.

  “Elves come in different sizes,” he explained. “Now let’s continue going over your file.”

  Alyssa didn’t respond at first. She was trying to digest all of this, but it was way too much. Out there in the ‘woo woo zone’ too much. Fine. She would think about it later. She had to get through this meeting first.

  “Okay, I’m ready.”

  Christian nodded his head.

  “You’re finishing your ten-week motivational and book promotion tour back in Arizona. The stalker has appeared at your first three engagements in the area, but the last one was the first time that he actually tried to physically attack you. Is that right?”

  “Yes.” Alyssa shuddered, remembering the terrifying fear she experienced while being chased through the parking garage.

  “At your first engagement, he left a threatening and disturbing note in your dressing room. The second appearance, he left another note and stole some of your personal items—some of your undergarments. Correct?”

  “That’s right.” Alyssa’s face flamed with embarrassment. The fact that the stalker stole her panties sickened her. The fact that he snooped through her belongings angered her.

  Christian kept his head down as he wrote notes in her file. He must have sensed her embarrassment because he suddenly stopped writing and glanced up at her. She saw anger flare in his gaze for a moment. Then compassion filled his eyes. Reaching across the narrow desk, he laid his hand softly over hers. Alyssa was startled by the gentle act. But the feel of his hand enveloping hers was comforting, so she left it in his grasp.

  “I know this is difficult for you.” He gave her hand a light squeeze. “We’re almost done. I just need to get a few more facts down. You decided to take some action after the second incident? What did you do?”

  “I asked my publicist to speak to the security personnel working at the next speaking location. He set up some additional measures to keep all but my closest people from getting too close to me or my dressing room.”

  “If that’s the case, how did this guy get to you?”

  “After I was finished and things went so well, I felt pretty comfortable. One of the security guards started to walk me to my car. I began to feel silly. I kept thinking about how I was no superstar celebrity. I’m just a counseling therapist who wrote a book that helped people. About halfway to my car, I told the man he could leave. I never dreamed that whoever was stalking me would even think about physically attacking me. Up to that point, all he had done was leave notes and take some of my things.”

  “Then what happened?”

  Christian continued to question the events that lead Alyssa’s publicist to approach their agency for help. She looked at her watch. An hour had already passed since she had entered his office. She needed to stand up. Sitting for this long made her restless. Or maybe just being this close to Christian made her feel that way. Despite the fact that he was asking her questions in a very business-like manner and she was answering him in a professional way, the chemistry between them kept flaring up when she least expected it.

  Alyssa stood and began pacing the room. She couldn’t sit still any longer. Christian watched her with his potent gaze, leaving her hot and bothered. She was tired of his questions. And she was starting to feel like the bad guy instead of the victim.

  Releasing her pent-up breath in a long exasperated sigh, she asked, “Didn’t Vlad tell you all of this?” The irritation in her voice was unmistakable.

  “Yes. But I need you to tell me.” Christian’s expression was too intense.

  She felt like a bug under a magnifying glass. He was studying every word she said, every movement she made, every facial expression, every breath she took. She couldn’t stand much more.

  “Fine. But this is the last time,” she said. “I had just reached into my purse when he grabbed me from behind. Luckily, he lost his grip when I stepped back and stood on his toe with my stiletto heel. I was able to twist around and hit him with my bag. Before he could recover, I kneed him. Then I kicked off my shoes and ran as fast as I could back to the door leading into the lobby. End of story.”

  Alyssa slumped back into the chair. She was emotionally exhausted. It was like she had actually gone through the experience again as she retold it. After her harrowing experience with Bazhena, Christian’s revelation about being a vampire and his probing questions, she was just plain worn out.

  “Thank you, Alyssa. I’m sure that wasn’t easy for you. But I had to hear everything from you. It helps me understand the situation better. I just have one last question, then we’re done,” he said softly. Rising from his chair, he walked around his desk.

  Alyssa watched Christian’s progress, wondering what he was doing. He stopped behind her seat. He scooped up her hair and placed it over one shoulder. Then he laid his hands gently on either side of her neck. Alyssa stiffened, but didn’t pull away. He began massaging her tense muscles. It felt so good. She didn’t have the will to stop him. Closing her eyes, she leaned her head forward. His fingers rubbed the back of her neck. Up to the base of her scalp. Down to her shoulders. As each muscle he touched reveled in his ministration, her tension eased.

  After a few minutes, Christian slid his fingers up, along her jaw to just under her chin. He tilted her head back, supporting it with one hand while tracing the contours of her face with the other. Alyssa’s eyes fluttered open. She watched his eyes caress each feature of her face, until they finally rested on her own gaze. She found herself entranced by the desire in his stare. His fingers tightened in her hair, holding her in place. His head lowered towards hers. A yearning like she had never experienced before consumed her, but she tried to fight it.

  “Y-you have one more question for me?” she asked in barely more than a whisper.

  “Yes.” He drew closer. His hair fell forward and its silky texture slid over her cheek. It was as soft as she had imagined. Alyssa couldn’t hold back the moan of pleasure that contact gave her.

  Christian’s eyes flared, then darkened with hunger. “Are your lips as soft as they look?”

  Then his mouth closed over hers.

  Chapter Three

  Alyssa’s supple lips tasted better than Christian had imagined. He groaned aloud when she opened her mouth, inviting him in. He deepened the kiss, suddenly so ravenous that he could barely restrain himself. She had been too much of a temptation to resist. Alt
hough he had tried, the vulnerable look on her face and the need in her eyes pulled at him. His questions had pushed her to the limit. But he had no other choice. If he was going to protect her, he needed to know everything.

  The thought of a stranger going through her belongings, touching her intimate items angered him. One thought roared through his head. She is mine! He tightened his hold, unconsciously squeezing her hair. She gasped against his mouth. Realizing what he had done, he wrenched his lips from hers and stepped away.

  He would not lose control. Long ago he had learned that without it, he was nothing more than a monster. Now was neither the time nor the place for this. Walking over to his office window, Christian once more stared out into the darkness. He ached to turn around and look at Alyssa, but he needed to calm himself first. What was happening to him? This possessiveness he felt was new and not altogether comfortable. No other mortal had affected him like this since before he had been become a vampire. Why did she?

  Elena.

  Just the name of his ex-fiancé brought pain and guilt rushing back to him. Although over two hundred years had passed since he last saw her alive, time hadn’t changed those feelings. That’s what must have drawn him to Alyssa so quickly. Her straight dark hair, pert little nose, plump lips, intelligent eyes and delicately arched eyebrows reminded him of Elena. Other than the fact that Elena had brown eyes and Alyssa had blue ones, they looked almost exactly alike.

  Relief coursed through him. Now he knew why he had been acting out of character. The two women looked so much alike that his ability to behave professionally with Alyssa was impaired. That was about to change. From now on, it would be all business between them. He would get her through her last three speaking engagements. Protect her from harm. Say goodbye. That would be that.

  Alyssa floated in a sea of passion. Christian’s lips moved expertly over hers. Sensations tingled from her mouth, down her body, all the way to her toes. She felt so alive. Every one of her senses became heightened. The feel of his warm hands massaging her neck, the tickle of his silky hair brushing her cheeks, his spicy male scent and the intimacy of his mouth as it explored hers. It all became too much. When his hand tightened in her hair, pulling it slightly, she initially only felt the pain. But as she tilted her head back, so that he could take her mouth more deeply, the pain turned into pleasure. She gasped from sensory overload.