Dark Savior Chapters 1 & 2

Chapter One

         Doubt, helplessness, anger, sorrow and despair were only a few of the emotions tumbling around in Ebony White’s head as she slowly shuffled down the main street of the small town she lived in her whole life. The fall day with its crisp, cool wind and coppers, golds and reds meshing together, coloring the leaves on the huge trees along the way was beautiful, but she didn’t notice. Instead, she was trying to come to terms with the mind-numbing news her doctor had just delivered to her a mere ten minutes earlier.

         “I’m sorry Ebony,” Dr. Brown had said. “Your cancer is terminal and cannot be treated. Under the best circumstances you have two years, but it could be less depending on how aggressive the cancer grows.” His forehead had been creased with concern as he delivered Ebony the jarring news. Ebony had sat dumfounded, trying to figure out how a small headache now and then had turned into cancer. Dr. Brown had offered her his sympathy and support, but by then, her body had turned blissfully numb from shock and her brain had barely registered his words as she left the office.

          Continuing down the street, her brain raced, trying to make sense of all the tragic events that had been thrown at her throughout life. She gripped life with a tenacity she knew came from the many times her mother had told her to live life to the fullest, make the best decisions you can and have no regrets. The advice had always gotten her through whatever life threw at her, however, she wasn’t sure if those words would be enough this time.

         Two small boys with their ruffled blonde hair and rosy cheeks ran by Ebony jerking her out of her dismal thought pattern. They continued past her, dodging in and out of others walking, oblivious to everyone and everything but themselves. How wonderful it would be to be that young and care-free once again. It was amazing how twenty-seven could be viewed as so young and so old depending on the circumstances. If she thought about the fact that she was still a virgin, twenty-seven seemed ancient. On the other hand, having terminal cancer, twenty-seven seemed astonishingly young.

          Her best friend, Avril, whom she had met at the library on a bitter, snow covered day, five years ago still chuckled at her ‘old-fashionedness’ about waiting for her wedding night to give up her virginity. Five years ago, on a bitter, snow covered day, Ebony was at work in the town’s small library when Avril Taylor had come in for a short respite from the cold. A conversation between her and Avril about life in general started them on their journey to friendship.

          Oh no, how would Avril take the news. She would put on her determined face and tell Ebony that she would stand by her and they would get through this. No, she decided right then and there that Avril would not find out until the deterioration of her physical appearance started to give her away. She wanted to enjoy what time she had left without sympathy interfering. How was she going to get through this?

          The townspeople were window shopping, chatting to one another and taking in the freshness of the beautiful afternoon, but Ebony wanted nothing more than to avoid any conversation at all costs. She truly loved her town and the people in it, but she didn’t think she could muster a smile and casually chat with the townspeople as she normally did on this particular day.

          Seeing the approaching alleyway, Ebony veered off the street and headed straight for it. Approaching darkness usually had her avoiding the shortcut through the alleyway on her daily route home. She wasn’t necessarily afraid. This was probably one of the safest towns anyone could live in. But the claustrophobic feeling she got walking down the tight alleyway at night was a bit smothering. Not to mention her rampant imagination trying to convince her that someone or something was watching her. The couple times she had taken the alleyway at night, had her feeling as if the walls were closing in on her or constantly looking over her shoulder looking for her invisible follower. Good grief, maybe she should quit watching so many scary movies. No, definitely couldn’t give those up.

         Taking off work early to go to her doctor’s appointment saw her walking home two hours earlier than normal in the late afternoon sun and the chance to avoid conversation made the alleyway her choice route. Feeling as if her brain were enveloped in thick fog, forcing every thought to fight its way out, she kept her head down, hurried around the corner and ran smack dab into something solid. She thought one of the building’s crumbling brick walls was her obstacle until she reached out to steady herself and caught a handful of someone’s coat.

         She looked up, way up, until she was staring into the eyes of what had to be the sexiest man on the planet. Clear Eyes the color of the ocean close to the shore with just the right mixture of turquoise and blue, glistened down at her. Realizing she was gaping, she snapped her mouth shut, righted herself and eyed the stranger some more while retaining her hold on his coat.

         He had to be over six feet tall as she was practically bending over backwards to look at him. His black hair looked as if it was slightly windblown and framed a masculine face with a straight nose and a square jaw that was sporting a five o’clock shadow. Full lips, kissable lips, lips that looked as if they were made for feasting upon a woman, formed his mouth. A form-fitting, black T-shirt encased broad shoulders and a wide chest that tapered down to a lean waist where black leather pants were filled out nicely by his muscular thighs. On his feet were black biker boots. The grip she had on his black leather trench coat pulled it open to allow her this fortunate view of his spectacular body.

         She was glad she couldn’t see his behind because if it was even half as nice as the front, which she had a feeling it was, she might actually start drooling all over his boots. Mentally scolding herself for gawking at a complete stranger she began an awkward apology. “Well, um… I’m, uh…. Sorry for running into you. I wasn’t paying attention to where I was, uh… going.” Duh, that was obvious by her running into him. “I’ll just be on my way now.” Never uttering a word, those blue eyes treated her with the same cold stare and his face never changed expression. Couldn’t he have at least acknowledged her apology? Who was she kidding? He probably couldn’t even understand her muttering.

         Ebony felt her neck turn warm and knew the red of embarrassment must be creeping up on her face. She felt as if she was back in third grade talking to a boy she had a crush on. Standing here gawking at some male; however mysterious, dark and gorgeous he may be was ridiculous. She got the feeling he might be dangerous as well; strangely she didn’t feel threatened by him. Finally coming to her senses and letting go of his coat, she started making her way down the alleyway again.

         Hoping he didn’t notice, she couldn’t help but take one last look over her shoulder. Wow, who was he and where did he come from? She knew everyone in town and he was not from around here. She had to quit talking to herself. Losing her life was beyond her control, but she’d be damned if she lost her mind too. She was going to fight this cancer relentlessly as a lion stalks his prey. There had to be a way to beat this.

         Why did she have to run into him at this particular time in her life? She had dated a couple of nice men, but no male had ever really caught her interest. For some reason she was drawn to this dark stranger and couldn’t fathom why. She had no business being drawn to him. Even if he was interested, which he clearly wasn’t, what could come of it? No sane man would want her now that she had a death sentence looming over her.

         Ashe Aleksandrov stood completely still after the little blonde had walked right into him. He was sure shock had something to do with it. The whole 700 years he had been a vampire only one other mortal had ever seen him while he was shielded. That was over 500 years ago. The other mortal was Shara, the woman who was supposed to be his mate and love him forever; the woman who had come perilously close to causing his death.

         Now looking down as the blonde woman gripped his coat, he found himself peering into clear, green eyes that reminded him flawless emeralds. She wasn’t classically beautiful by any means, but her long blonde hair, heart shaped face with hints of pink in her cheeks, pert little nose, full lips and very curvy body made her one attractive package. Short women didn’t usually hold much appeal to him being six foot two, but for some reason he found himself getting a little hot and bothered by her. Nice full breasts, full hips and shapely legs definitely made him forget that she was probably only about five foot two. The woman did wonders to a pair of jeans. He didn’t go for the anorexic, twelve year old boy look that so many women and men seemed to think was the epitome of being beautiful now days. He went for women who looked like women, curvy, full breasts and full hips.

          Blondie was craning her neck backward to stare at him, and he noticed she had a fine neck, a neck that he wouldn’t mind having a taste of. Wondering where that thought came from he was vaguely aware of her muttering an apology for running into him as she righted herself, finally let go of his coat and continued her walk on around him.

          The quick look she gave him over her shoulder as she walked away didn’t escape his attention as his thoughts started swirling in on him once again. Only other vampires or immortals could see him in his shielded state. The only mortal that could see a vampire while shielded was supposed to be that vampire’s chosen one, but there had to be another explanation. Like hell will I go through another Shara episode, Ashe growled to himself as he abruptly turned and started to follow Blondie.

         Keeping a discreet distance, he followed her trying to come up with other explanations as to why she could see him. This had to be a joke his brother, Aiston, was playing on him. Aldin and Estril, his other siblings would never do something this cruel to him, but Aiston lived to torment Ashe and was only truly happy when irritating his siblings or chasing women. He informed Ashe at least once a week that he was a tight ass and needed to loosen up. Aiston felt that playing jokes and pranks on Ashe was one of his missions in life. He felt it would help his big bro enjoy life and be more care-free like him.

         That was it, it had to be Aiston. Blondie must really be some other type of immortal and Aiston had found a way to disguise her as a human to vampires. Ashe didn’t know of any such thing ever happening or being done before, but who else could find a way if not his crafty and determined brother? He was going to follow Blondie back to her house and he just bet that his brother would be waiting there to reward her for her good deed. Yes, this was probably one of Aiston’s many women ‘friends’ and he was going to catch him in the middle of his little farce. He was going to kick his prank playing butt all the way back to the estate and make sure he felt guilty enough to leave him alone for a long time. Not having to worry about his brother’s irritating interferences for a while would be a luxury in itself. A slow smile creeping across his face, Ashe quietly continued to follow Blondie.

         Ebony slowly walked along the sidewalk that ran parallel to the pretty picket fence lining her front yard. The whole week she spent last summer stripping off the old paint on the fence and repainting it crisp white was worth it. Avril had helped her out a couple of those humid days and they had taken frequent breaks sitting on her shaded front porch drinking huge, sweaty glasses of ice-cold lemonade.

         She didn’t have much extra money to fix up the old Victorian house and felt it her duty to tackle any job she thought herself capable, and a few that turned out to be a little too challenging. Picking out wall colors and corresponding fabrics for curtains and furniture to obtain that perfect comfortable, cozy, welcoming feel had occupied so much of her time, but she was proud of her accomplishments.
She had envisioned each improvement down to its last detail and made sure each job was done exact before starting the next. It had taken her two weeks to find the unique shade of pale blue paint on the house and the burgundy color on the shutters and porch was breathtaking. A contractor had prepped the house to be painted then she, with Avril’s help of course, had painted it. It took her a whole month to get it perfect and complete. She had turned the house into her perfect home. Unfortunately, right at this moment, the countless days she had spent on the house seemed such a waste. She probably wouldn’t be around for much longer to enjoy it. She hoped whoever ended up with her house after she was gone appreciated all of the work she put into it.

         Ebony made her way up the walkway that led to her porch. Digging her keys out of her pocket, she bent down to pat the huge, yellow tomcat on the head that sometimes hung around on her porch. ‘Hello big boy. How are you today?’ The cat arched and rubbed against Ebony’s hand making her smile. What a coincidence, the second time today that a male had distracted her from her problem. Giving the cat one last pat, she straightened and unlocked the door.

         Leaving the screen door open to let the fresh air in, she set her keys on the side table right inside the entryway. Kicking off her shoes she decided to go have a quick shower before fixing dinner, which would probably consist of some frozen entrée thrown in the microwave. Making her way through the cozy living room with pale green walls, ivory lace curtains, dark stained wood floors and color coordinated furniture with big throw pillows, her head was suddenly wrenched back by a vicious fist in her hair. She was then pushed forward and starting falling face first to the floor. As a scream bubbled up from her throat and pierced the air, her face hit the floor and her eyes begin to water as she felt a heavy weight on her back.

         A piercing scream had Ashe sprinting from his hiding place behind a large tree and running for Blondie’s front door.

Chapter 2

         Ebony tried to force her head around to see her attacker, but the fist in her hair holding her face to the floor was relentless. She had to do something. She couldn’t just lay here and let this horrible person do ‘god knows what’ to her. She felt another scream bubbling in her throat as she tried to wiggle and buck the person off her back. Suddenly her head was yanked back and a cold hand slammed over her mouth, cutting the scream off.

         “Don’t fight me.” The voice coming close to her ear now was so cold and menacing that Ebony instantly froze. Something in the tone of the voice warned her that this person was not playing games and was going to harm her. Tsk, tsk, I like it better when I have to force my compliance. Don’t you have a little defiance in you? I would so love to teach you obedience.” The voice sent chills of dread racing through Ebony’s body.

         Was that a woman’s voice? Yes. Even though it was hard to tell through the gravelly whisper, Ebony was positive her attacker was a woman. She had to get this woman off her and fast. Think, Ebony think. She valued herself as being more than passably intelligent, but her mind seemed frozen and didn’t want to work through the freezing slush.

         “I’m going to take my hand off your mouth now and I promise you, if your scream, it will be the last thing you hear as I slit your throat from ear to ear. Do you understand?” Before Ebony could nod, the woman began shifting her weight off her back, apparently satisfied that she had adequately threatened Ebony into silence. Maintaining the wrenching hold on her hair Ebony’s was yanked up so her back was to her attacker’s front. “Now we are going on a little trip, my master wants to meet you.”

         Suddenly the front door exploded as Ashe busted through it. In two steps he was upon Blondie and her attacker. The black cloaked figure had a fist full of Ebony’s hair. Ashe couldn’t see any of the attacker’s features because of the black cloak covering him from head to toe. With age-old instinct, Ashe dropped to the floor and kicked his leg out in a clean sweep that had both Blondie and her attacker dropping to the floor. The impact of the fall was jarring enough to cause the release of Blondie’s hair and had her letting out a cry of relief for her sudden freedom. In an instant Ashe was up and lunging for the cloaked figure. Ashe grasped at the figure, only to have his fingers curling around air as his target vanished a split-second before contact. Realizing Blondie’s attacker was immortal, he knew now that it would be his responsibility to protect her.

          When Blondie had stumbled upon him in the alleyway earlier, he had been hunting for Rogues. A Rogue must have observed Ashe and Blondie’s encounter and then seen Ashe following her. Taking out a human associated with Ashe would be a honey-coated opportunity, since Ashe was dedicated to protecting humans from Rogues. No Rogue would pass up a chance for any type of violence, and would jump at an opportunity like this especially if it meant annoying Ashe. After all, Ashe, along with many others of his kind, hunted Rogues.

         Turning, he noticed Blondie sitting on the floor. She was still pretty, even though she resembled a deer caught in the headlights. Her eyes were as enormous as saucers and her mouth moved as if to speak but remained silent. Walking toward her, he held his hand out to help her up only to see her snap her mouth shut and start crab-walking backwards away from him. Realizing she must be terrified and possibly suffering from shock, he stopped and crouched slowly in front of her. Hands up in surrender he spoke softly to her. “Hey, it’s ok. I’m not going to hurt you. Let me help you up,” again holding his hand out toward her.

          It took Ebony a few minutes to realize who this man was crouching in front of her. Not from lack of memory but from shock. No way would she forget tall, dark and gorgeous from the alley. She had thought she was ‘done for’ when the crash of the front door shook the house. Everything after that had happened so fast her head was spinning. Hearing the soft tone of his voice somehow soothed her nerves. Before she realized what she was doing, she was reaching out to take his offered hand. Her small hand was completely engulfed by his big, warm one. She could feel power emanating off him yet he was gentle with her. For the second time today, she was confused by the feelings coursing through her from his nearness. Although she had only been in his presence for a total of a few minutes and didn’t even know his name, he somehow felt familiar. She thought it must be shock and gratefulness for him saving her. She once again found herself staring into his blue eyes. Suddenly her mind cleared and questions started rolling. “Who are you? Why are you here? Did my attacker just vanish? And, what the hell is going on?”

         Ashe thought Blondie was adorable with her ruffled hair and flushed cheeks. His amusement was quickly swallowed by deep, black anger seeping into his chest thinking of how close Blondie came to being harmed, or worse,. Of course, it was purely out of concern for her as a human being. His brain didn’t quite believe that reasoning. He reluctantly let her hand slide out of his and watched it fall limply to her side. She watched him and waited for answers to her questions.

         “My name is Ashe Aleksandrov, I’m here saving you, yes your attacker vanished and I haven’t a clue yet.” He knew she was going to have a hard time with the vanishing bit and could tell she was mulling this information around by the way she furrowed her brow and started chewing on her bottom lip. Too bad, he thought it best for her to know a little what she was dealing with right off so she would know the danger she was in. Maybe then she wouldn’t fight him as hard when he informed her that he would be taking her home with him until he figured this mess out.

         Ebony couldn’t get past the vanishing thing. Knowing it was not possible for someone to just vanish into thin air, she looked at him like he was an alien.

          Yes, it is. So get used to it.

         Now she was definitely going nuts because she was hearing voices. She must still be in shock.

         No you’re not and there are things you are going to learn that will be hard for you to understand, but you must try.

         Whoa. This was really freaking her out. She wasn’t hearing voices, she was hearing his voice talking to her plain as day but his lips weren’t moving. “How are you doing that? Are you some kind of psychic or ventriloquist or something?” Ashe was looking at Ebony as if she were a child and he was trying to figure out how to explain something in terms even she would understand. She had a feeling she wasn’t going to like whatever he was about to tell her, but knew he was going to make her listen anyway.

         “First, tell me your name and then I will explain a few things to you while you go get packed.” Ashe started looking around the house and walked towards a door leading off her living room that he correctly figured to be her bedroom.

         Ebony followed Ashe to her bedroom where he was looking through her closet grabbing a couple duffel bags then throwing them on her bed. “My name is Ebony. Ebony White.” Getting angry at Ashe invading her space now she marched over to him, “What do you mean while I get packed? I’m not going anywhere and what do you think you are doing in my bedroom going through my closet?”

         Ashe quirked a brow at her name but figured she probably had her fill of remarks about it throughout her life and decided to keep quiet. “Well, Ebony White, I suggest you get whatever you need for a possibly lengthy stay at my estate.” He knew Ebony was angry and would have found it amusing at another time. Right now he just wanted to get her to safety.

She was amazed at his audacity. “Are you crazy? I don’t even know you and you think I’m just going to your estate. I don’t think so. I’ll make a report to the police and I will be just fine on my own. Now, please leave.” Ebony crossed her arms in front of her chest and moved from the doorway to make room for Ashe to go by. He remained where he was staring at her in that annoyingly male way.

         “Ebony, I’m not leaving and you won’t be fine on your own.”

         “I have been fine …”

         “You will pack and you will be staying with me until I figure this mess out. What do you think you are going to tell the police? You were attacked but then he just vanished? Do you think the police will believe that one? You can’t even describe him.” Ashe was trying to be patient but the need to get her out of here was increasing in intensity minute by minute. He should have used a small compulsion on her and they would have been out of here by now. For some reason, he just didn’t feel right about using her that way. Reading her mind and forcing her will were two entirely different things.

          Ebony could see the annoyance creeping into Ashe’s face as he scowled at her. Well he could just be annoyed all he wanted. This was her house and her life, damnit! “Stop telling me what to do, and my attacker was a woman not a man. I heard her voice, saw her long, red fingernails and that weird half moon scar on the back of her hand.” She took two steps and sat on the end of the bed.

         Well that solved the problem of what Ebony’s attacker was Ashe thought to himself. Every minion was marked with the same half moon on one of their hands. “You can’t protect yourself against your attacker because she was a minion, but I can because I am a vampire and immortal like her.” Ashe watched Ebony, fully expecting her to bolt after this news sunk in.

         Ebony didn’t know if she should laugh, cry, run or all of the above. He must be freaking crazy or belong to some occult.

          Don’t run Ebony. I can catch you easily and it will only make this harder on you. I swear to you I won’t hurt you, and I don’t belong to an occult.

          “Stop doing that! What do you mean you’re a vampire? There are no such things. And, what are minions? Ebony looked at Ashe with an annoyed look and patiently waited for his answer as if she couldn’t wait for the next load of crap he fed her.

          “Look Ebony, I am a real vampire and minions are servants of vampires. And, since vampires can gift any of their powers to a minion for a short time span, a minion can vanish if his master gifts him with tracing. Therefore, I can only assume that another vampire is behind your attack. To make matters worse it is most likely a Rogue vampire.

         Oh brother, this was getting better by the minute. “Yeah. Surrrre. Whatever you say. You’re a blood-sucking creature who can read my mind and disappear into thin air. Anything else? Oh yeah, you probably sleep in a coffin, have super strength, hate crosses and don’t eat food either.” Good grief, he was crazy. Either that or she was in the middle of the strangest dream she had ever had. She ran her hand along her arm and pinched herself. Ouch! Nope, definitely not a dream.

          Ebony, I don’t sleep in a coffin, I can and do enjoy eating, I do possess considerable strength, crosses don’t bother me in the least and I only have to drink blood once or twice a week. You already know I can speak to you in your mind. Now, I’m giving you five minutes to get your things together so we can get out of here. We can discuss my strengths and weaknesses in more detail later.

          Ebony stood, put her most determined look on and started to tell Ashe that she was absolutely not going with him when he gently grabbed her by the arm. Suddenly they were standing in the middle of a large den. Ebony turned ghostly white and swayed as Ashe put his big hands on her shoulders to keep her from falling. He turned his own determined stare on her. It was a stare that told her in no uncertain terms that she was going to do what he said. “Ebony, this is your last chance. I’m going to take us back to your bedroom and give you five, no four minutes now, to get your things together. If you aren’t finished in four minutes, we will come back here with nothing.” Within an instant, they were standing in Ebony’s bedroom again. Ashe knew tracing would most likely scare the hell out of Ebony, but it was the quickest way he knew of showing her that her world of reality was not absolute.

          Ebony abruptly turned from Ashe and started opening drawers and throwing jeans, shirts, bras, socks, underwear and anything else in the duffel bags. Focusing on what she needed from the bathroom next, she kept her mind preoccupied with the task at hand. If she didn’t think about all the ‘vampire stuff” right now, she might not go insane and start shrieking. Or maybe she already was. She carried her small make-up bag, toothbrush and hair dryer into the bedroom and threw them in the smaller duffel bag. She zipped them and stood rigidly with her back to Ashe clutching a bag in each hand so hard her knuckles were turning white.

          Ashe gently placed his hands on her shoulders and turned her around. He took the bags from the death grip she had on them and cupped her chin with his big hand. He stroked his thumb back and forth on her soft cheek. “Look at me Ebony,” he said coaxingly. She looked up with confused and tired eyes fringed with thick lashes. Ashe almost groaned. God this woman was beautiful and had skin like silk. Letting his gaze travel to her lips, he could almost feel how soft they would be if he kissed them. Shaking his head he cleared his thoughts.

         Ebony was so confused. Listening to Ashe’s deep voice, she watched his gaze travel to her lips. His eyes turned black and seemed to burn with desire. She thought for sure he was going to kiss her. Her heart was beating so loud, she thought it would leap out of her throat. The warmth of his hand cupping her was seeping into her chilled skin. She felt the warmth travel down her neck to her belly. Her body was such a traitor. Her mind wanted to fight him, but her body exulted in the anticipation of his kiss and stamped her common sense out like an unwanted fire. She held her breath, waiting for his lips to lower when instead, he spoke.

          “I’m not going to hurt you. You’ve had a terrible shock, but everything will be okay. I promise I will find out who tried to hurt you tonight and it will be safe for you to return home before you know it.” Was he imagining the spark of desire in her eyes? “Now are you ready?”

          Deciding she had no other alternative, Ebony squared her shoulders and gave Ashe a tight nod.

         Ashe was proud of Ebony’s determination and courage. Any other woman would probably be crying uncontrollably or fainting about now. Seeing her small nod Ashe traced them back to his den once again.

          The den was dark and Ebony was too tired to pay much attention to her surroundings. Noticing the books lining the wall and the huge desk in the middle of the room was about all her tired mind could process at the moment. It seemed like hours since her walk home from the Dr.’s office and she just wanted to sleep. She started to sag against Ashe and then she was being carried out of the room and up a huge set of stairs. The warmth from Ashe’s chest seeped into her as he carried her and she laid her head against his shoulder.

         Picking up Ebony and the duffel bags, she felt weightless in Ashe’s arms. Just as he reached the top of the stairs, Ebony laid her head on his shoulder, snuggled into his chest and gave a small sigh. She felt soft and her hair smelled of lilac and warm sunny days. Aware that his body was starting to respond to Ebony as he tried to focus on anything but her closeness, trying discourage the rising hardness in his jeans. Stifling a groan for the second time tonight, he entered one of the many guest rooms off the hall and gently set her on the bed.

         Ebony sighed at the feel of the soft, comfortable bed she was lying on, but missed the warmth of Ashe.

          Ebony, the bathroom is to your left. I will leave a light on and the door cracked for you. Get some rest and we can talk more tomorrow.

         Ebony didn’t even care that Ashe was in her head again. She simply took his advice and felt herself drifting into a deep sleep.

         Ashe knew Ebony was asleep within seconds after laying her on the bed. He pulled her shoes off and tucked her under the comforter. After turning the light on in the bathroom for her, he found himself staring down at her sleeping form. He really needed to get control of himself. She was only a woman. Shutting the door to her bedroom and finding his way to his bedroom next door, he heard his mind whispering, not just any woman, your woman. Mine. He was too tired to argue with himself now. He crawled into his own bed and fell asleep instantly.