A Vampire's Wish Read online

  A Vampire's Wish

  ML Guida

  Buffalo Mountain Press

  Copyright © 2018 by ML Guida

  All rights reserved.

  No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

  Created with Vellum

  Contents

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Epilogue

  Character Tidbits

  A Vampire’s Gift

  Afterword

  About the Author

  Also by ML Guida

  Chapter 1

  London, Christmas Eve, 1863

  Janus Morano hadn’t been able to refuse Major Martin Lear’s invitation to his annual Christmas Ball without creating a scandal––despite the major being his sworn enemy. Janus was the captain of His Majesty’s Army and refusing his superior’s invitation would have added to his list of troubles. He already had enough with trying to keep his wife, Delores Helm, safe. She had refused to listen to him about the vampire hunters that were stalking them.

  But the vampire hunters were here.

  The problem was he had no idea who they were.

  He leaned against the wall and sipped his red wine, scanning the ballroom for a sign of a hunter. He pulled on his ability to read minds, but his attention was immediately drawn to the dance floor. Delores was waltzing with Lear. His gut doubled into a knot. Why did she always have to test his limits?

  The laughing couples and blaring music raked his overstretched nerves. He wanted to grab Delores, make their excuses, and leave.

  But she loved to dance.

  Lear swooped past him, twirling Delores. Her tight-fitting red gown flew up, revealing her delicate ankles. The bastard stole glances down the front of her dress, then whispered in her ear.

  Delores laughed and smiled.

  Janus’s heart beat quicker, simmering his anger. His fangs elongated, and his hands trembled. The wine stem broke, spilling wine and glass on the wood floor.

  “Damn it.”

  Two of Lear’s men raised their eyebrows. One of them gave him a curious stare. “Problems with your wife, Captain?”

  “No,” Janus mumbled. He forced himself to take deep breaths to keep from wringing the man’s neck.

  The two men moved farther from him, speaking in hushed whispers––too far away for Janus to hear what they were saying.

  A waiter holding a tray of wine glasses bowed at Janus. “Would you like another refreshment, Captain?”

  “Yes.” He dropped the remainder of what was left of the shattered glass onto the tray, then snagged another glass of red wine.

  He looked nervously around the ballroom. His little incident of losing his cool must have drawn unwanted attention.

  Stay calm.

  The waltz ended. Restlessness surged through him like a raging river. He hurried across the room. Danger was closing in on them. He could feel it in his bones. He’d have to convince Delores to leave.

  He bowed to Delores. “May I have this dance?” His strained voice could barely spit out the words.

  She stiffened and frowned.

  Lear gave him a dismissing look as if he were a grunt in his battalion rather than giving him the respect of an officer. “Anything wrong, Miss Helm?”

  She shook her head. “No, ’tis fine, Major.”

  The orchestra began to play another waltz.

  Lear held out his hand. “I thought we would continue the dance.”

  Janus gritted his teeth. “Delores.” He called upon his vampire power to compel her. Tingles swept through him and his chest fluttered.

  She raised her eyebrow and a slow smile spread across her face. “Yes, one more waltz. Major Lear.”

  He scowled. His heart slowed and the tingles faded. Ah hell, why could he never control her?

  He suffered another waltz, watching her dance and flirt with Lear. His pulse sped and heat flushed through his body.

  By the time the waltz was over, he was a sweating mess. Lear escorted her back to him.

  “I was just telling the major how dreadful you look.” She flipped her fan across her flushed face.

  Leah had his hand on the small of her back. “She said you had waited long enough.”

  She offered her small hand to Janus. He clasped it and whirled her out onto the floor before she could change her mind.

  She laughed. “Trying to make me bend to your will again?”

  “I’m just trying to make you safe. There are—”

  “Hunters?”

  He leaned his forehead to hers. “I don’t know. I haven’t fully developed my mind reading abilities, and I can’t concentrate with all the music and your dancing.”

  She cupped his cheek with her warm hand. “You’re jealous.”

  He tightened his grip around her slender waist. “Yes, damn it.”

  “You’ve nothing to worry about, Captain. I know what Lear is.”

  He glared over her head at his opponent. “A lecherous rake.”

  “Perhaps, but you’re behaving like an overgrown ogre.”

  Her brown hair was pulled into a loose bun and soft ringlets caressed her tantalizing neck. He ran his tongue over his fangs and was tempted to graze them over her flesh. Her sweet scent of roses set his blood on fire. He wanted her beneath him like she’d been last night, arching her hips as he had thrust his flesh between her long legs. “’Tis Christmas, I thought we could leave early—”

  “Why?” She narrowed her blue eyes that changed to an angry red. “The ball has just begun.”

  He whispered into her ear. “You must control yourself. Your vampire eyes are showing.”

  She jerked her head away. “Stop.” She glared at him, her eyes were the bluest of the ocean. “’Tis because of your jealousy.”

  “Delores—”

  The music ended.

  Major Lear walked over to them. He bowed and held out his hand. “May I?”

  “Why of course, Major.” She rested her hand on Janus’s arm. “Could you fetch me some refreshment? I’m parched.”

  Janus stiffened and gave her a tight nod. Struggling not to unleash his anger, he left quickly to retrieve her some damn punch.

  Each time the music ended, Janus traded waltzes with Lear. The man never stopped putting his hand on Delores’s lower back, peering down her gown or leaning too close to her. Rage pumped through Janus’s veins, and he had to force his hands in his pockets to keep from strangling Lear.

  Janus had Delores on the dance floor. “It’s midnight.”

  She pouted. “I suppose you want to leave.”

  “Yes.”

  “Very well.”

  He escorted her out of the ballroom, not even allowing her to say good-bye to their host.

  In the carriage, she crossed her arms over her chest and stared out the window. Janus sighed and leaned back in the leather seat. It was going to be a long night.

  The carriage swayed back and forth as the horses clomped on the snowy streets. The silence nearly drove him mad, but he knew better than to press her when her chin was tilted and her eyes were blazing. He’d only make things worse.

  The carriage stopped. Delores threw open the door and marched up to their flat. He shook his head and followed her inside. He pulled off his leather gloves and slammed them on an end table. “You must not be fooled by Lear’s charms. He’s a bastard.”


  She stood in front of the fireplace and gripped the mantel. “He’s a major in His Majesty’s Army and he was our host. I was merely trying to help your career, Captain.”

  “By throwing yourself at my rival?”

  She tossed her wool shawl on a chair. “You’re impossible.”

  “Delores, you’re too trusting, too naive.”

  “No, I’m not.” She whirled around. “I danced more with you than I did with him.”

  The firelight outlined her beauty. Desire flooded through Janus. “You were counting?” His husky voice shook with passion.

  “Yes.” Her voice was a soft whisper, beckoning him to taste her sweet lips.

  He grabbed her and kissed her. She molded her luscious body to his and returned his kiss with fervor. Heated blood raced through him, ending at his throbbing cock. God, he was a slave to her.

  She broke off the kiss. She rested her forehead on his chest. “Janus, you have to trust me. I’d never betray you.” Her breathless voice sounded so sincere, but he was still afraid of losing her.

  He held her close. “You don’t know men like Lear. He thrives on destroying women’s reputations. It gives him some sick satisfaction. I won’t let your reputation be tarnished. You’re my wife, and I won’t allow him to tear us apart.”

  She freed herself from his embrace. “I’m not a fool.”

  He grimaced at the defiance in her tone. She was pulling farther and farther away from him.

  And it terrified him.

  “Delores, I want you to stay away from him.” He lowered his gaze. “For your sake and mine.”

  She stepped away and shoved his hand off her arm. “Are you threatening to kill him or me?”

  He winced. God, why was everything so difficult with her? “I’d never harm you or let anyone else harm you. I love you.”

  Her frown lines disappeared, and she looped her arm through his. “I love you.” She reached up and gave him a quick peck on his lips. “But I can protect myself.”

  “Delores if anything happened to you, my heart would shatter.”

  She put her hands on his chest and skimmed them up around his neck. She nuzzled his throat, brushing her lips over his skin. “Nothing is going to happen to me.”

  “Delores.” The soft brush of her lips quickened his blood.

  “When you first found me on the road after those bandits left me to perish and asked me if I wanted to live, do you know why I said yes?”

  Trying to concentrate and not give into his lust, he gasped. “No. Why?”

  “I gazed upon the most handsome man I’d ever met. You were beautiful. I wanted to live so I could gaze upon you, even if it was just one more time.” She unbuttoned his double-breasted jacket and slipped her hands underneath his shirt, fingers toying with his nipples. He sucked in his breath and his heart sprinted. He couldn’t think.

  He captured her parted mouth and tasted her sweetness, the lingering of wine. God, he wanted to take her there in front of the fireplace and lick her satiny skin.

  “You’re the one who cast a spell upon me.” He nuzzled her neck. “You’re light to my darkness. I’ll always be able to find you. Even in death, I’ll find you.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “I’ve given you my heart.” He put her hand over his chest, which sent shivers through him. He struggled to breathe. “Do you feel my beating heart?” His voice was harsh as he tried to talk.

  “Yes.”

  “Our love is imprinted on our soul. If one of us dies, the deceased can come back in this life and the living could sense their presence.”

  “So, we can find each other?”

  He hesitated as he looked into those curious blue eyes. “It’s not that simple.” He ran his finger down her cheek. “The rebirth takes away memories and those memories must be rekindled. I need you to stay alive. I can’t go through the pain of losing you.” He clasped her hand tightly. “I don’t want to live in darkness again.”

  “You won’t.”

  Her strong voice failed to alleviate his uneasiness. She was fearless to the point of foolishness. What if he wasn’t there to protect her?

  She unbuttoned his jacket and pulled it down his shoulders. “But you have to trust me.” She helped him remove his shirt, which fell next to his jacket. She licked his bare skin. “How could I be with any other man after being with you?”

  Blood pumped through him and his cock pushed painfully against his pants. He cupped her cheeks with his shaking hands. His dazzling gem.

  “You’re so beautiful.”

  She broke away and laid her head on his chest. He loved the way her hair caressed his bare skin and wrapped his arms around her. She was his life.

  But chills whipped down his back. He couldn’t shake the feeling he could lose her and tightened his hold.

  She lifted her head. “Janus, you think every man wants me.”

  “Men do desire you.”

  She bit his lip. “I love you, but I’ll not live in your diamond cage.”

  He planted kisses on her cheeks, her face, her throat. “I just don’t want you to be hurt.”

  “From who? Men who want to dance with me? Your own jealousy?”

  “Promise me you’ll not accept any more party invitations from Lear. Not even for tea.”

  She dropped her hand. “And if I don’t?”

  Disappointment sunk into him at her challenge. “You’ll break my heart.”

  “I’m not yours to control.”

  “No, but you’re mine to protect.”

  She wiggled out from his arms and stood in front of their Christmas tree that was decorated with the ornaments from her grandparents. He had set red and gold presents around the tree. She fingered her favorite Christmas ornament of a white porcelain angel that her grandmother had given her. The angel had Delores’s same hair and the same blue eyes.

  He slid his hands down her stiff arms. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to upset you.”

  She released the angel and escaped his arms again. “I need to go for a walk.”

  For a demure and slight woman, she was stronger than any man and could easily defend herself. He could deny her nothing. But he would never allow her to go for a walk alone in the middle of the night. ’Twas dangerous, even for her. “Let’s take a stroll into Hyde Park.”

  He quickly dressed before she did something rash.

  Neither of them talked as they walked toward the snow-covered park. He tried to hold her hand, but she pulled away from him. Pain sliced into his chest as if she’d driven an arrow into his heart.

  Snow gently floated down around them. The trees loomed ahead of them, their bare branches reaching toward the midnight sky and the twinkling stars above. Delores bent down, and he stopped. His throat tightened. “What are you doing?”

  She scooped some snow and threw at him, hitting him on his arm. She laughed and he slowly smiled. The heaviness in his chest lightened.

  She ran ahead and tossed more snow at him. “Catch me if you can?”

  Her laughter was contagious and he found himself laughing. “So, you want to play, do you?”

  He knelt to grab some snow when tingles crept down his neck. The same horrible feeling he’d been dreading slammed into him, paralyzing his heart and lungs. He jerked his head up. They weren’t alone in the park.

  He drew on his vampire senses and scanned the park. A man watched them from behind a grove of trees. He took deep breaths to calm himself and concentrated. The man’s thoughts came barreling at Janus like a blast of freezing air.

  Kill her.

  He gasped. ’Twasn’t just a thug. ’Twas his worst fear. The man was a vampire killer.

  With vampire speed, he dashed after Delores. “Delores, come here. Now!”

  She didn’t sense the danger. Her blue eyes had changed to red and she sprinted ahead like a little girl. She picked up a fist of snow off a bush and threw it at him. “No, you’ll have to catch me, darling.”

  He was almost on top of
her and stretched out his fingers to grab her, but she darted away from him, disappearing into a row of thick bushes.

  Panic pulsed through him, and he looked wildly around the park, but he’d lost sight of her.

  Heavier snowflakes fell across the park, blanketing benches, tree branches and gardens. He fought back the terror threatening to override him and concentrated.

  Cold gripped him and he shivered uncontrollably, but it wasn’t from the chill. Fear thumped through his veins. Delores was slipping through his fingers. The nightmare was closing in on him. What if he couldn’t find her?

  He pushed back his fear. He drew on his superior smell and immediately detected the soft scent of roses ahead of him. Janus ran through the park, pumping his arms and legs as fast as he could.

  Delores smiled and darted between the trees as if in a game of hide and seek. Thank God, she was alive.

  Snow swirled around her. Tendrils of her hair fluttered in the breeze and cascaded down her back. She blew a kiss at him.

  “Delores.” He was less than ten feet from her.

  A dark cloaked figure emerged behind her and stepped into the light of a park lantern.

  Major Martin Lear lifted a crossbow.

  “No!” Janus’s chest seized up. He was inhaling, but no air was coming in––just cold fear.

  “Delores, move!”

  She whirled around and froze.

  Lear fired. An arrow whizzed through the air.

  Delores ran, but the arrow pierced her shoulder. She screamed and fell to her knees, clutching the arrow.

  Janus lunged into the air, howling and snarling.

  He wasn’t fast enough.

  Lear whipped out a sword and cleaved her head.

  Anguish and horror shattered Janus’s heart, cut down his lungs, and destroyed his world.

  Her blue eyes stared up at Janus accusingly.

  Her death was his fault. He should have protected her.