A Vampire’s Salvation

Alexis Morgan

Life imprisonment has a whole new meaning when you live for centuries…

It’s been fifteen long years since vampire Cord Kilpatrick was sent to prison for his business partner’s disappearance. Chancellor Olivia McCabe is the only investigator who doesn’t think he’s guilty…and she’s the one woman he can’t stop thinking about. When Olivia gets the chance to prove his innocence and has him released into her personal custody, Cord is tempted by the beautiful vampiress more than ever. Can he hope to find salvation from his past and the passion he’s longed for in Olivia’s arms?

Contents

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 1

The sun had disappeared beyond the horizon more than three hours ago, yet the night air still hung heavy and damp with the day’s heat. Cord ignored it just as he ignored everything except the rhythm of the work. As part of the prison’s night crew, he’d been at it since sunset and had at least another six hours left to go.

Swinging the pickax up and over, his shoulders ached with the effort despite fifteen years of practice. On the downward slide, his vampire strength drove the steel blade deep into the asphalt, sending a jolt straight up the handle that jarred every joint in his arms and back.

Raising it up; slamming it down. Again and again, each swing of the ax marking another minute of Cord’s life lost forever, wasted in this hell. The clank of his chains played in counterpoint to the sound of steel biting into stone.

“Break!”

The overseer barked the order a second time although there was no need. To a man, the entire crew had all stopped working as soon as the guard had checked his watch and opened his mouth.

Cord hobbled over to join the break line. Each man was allowed two ladles of water. He drank the first one, poured half the second one over his head, and then gulped down the rest. The water helped cool him down and restore his energy, but only a little. What he really needed was blood, preferably straight from a pulsing vein.

He closed his eyes and tried to remember the spicy taste of fresh blood, rich and coppery and full of life as it poured straight from his lover’s neck. It had been fifteen long years since he’d last had that particular pleasure, way back before his business partner Dwayne had gone missing, and Cord had gone to prison for his murder. Now he lived on outdated blood and old memories.

Cord slammed the door shut on that line of thought. To look back at the past made no more sense than looking beyond the next half hour. As a vampire with no future, nothing mattered other than losing himself in the monotony of the work assigned him. Life imprisonment had a whole different meaning when a man’s existence could be measured in centuries.

“Break’s over!”

Cord shuffled back to his place in line, automatically adjusting his gait to the length of chain that connected his ankles, always a few links short of a comfortable step. He retrieved his pickax and went back to work. Up and over and down, the clang of steel against stone. But before he could reestablish his rhythm, the closest guard stepped into Cord’s line of vision and waved to catch his attention.

Cord stopped midmotion and lowered his tool to the ground. “Yes, boss?”

“Kilpatrick, you’re wanted!” the guard yelled, jerking his head in the direction of where the jumbo prison transport was parked. “Report to the crew boss.”

Cord nodded, doing his best to hide his shock. In all the years he’d been loaned out for road work, he could count on the fingers of one hand the number of times one of the convicts had been allowed off the line except during breaks. Two of those times it had been because the convict in question had dropped dead while working. Twice prisoners had to be subdued by the guards when they lost control and tried to escape.

But it was the fifth occasion that still sent a shiver of cold fear straight up Cord’s spine. The convict involved had been serving time for murder, found guilty even though the body had never been found. Under Coalition law, murder carried a mandatory death penalty. In cases where the corpse wasn’t found, the execution was placed on hold only until such time as the body was eventually recovered.

Throughout the years, that night had played out over and over in Cord’s mind like a 3-D horror movie. It started with the convict being called away from the line. He’d innocently approached the transport where the crew boss was waiting. At the last minute one of the Coalition’s top executioners stepped into sight. As soon as the convict spotted the chancellor standing there, he’d frozen in place for a heartbeat before he broke and ran.

The chancellor caught up with him in seconds. At least the guy had made the execution quick and merciful. The worst part was how everyone had just gone on with their assigned duties as if death had meant nothing to any of them.

Maybe it didn’t, but for Cord it was the stuff of nightmares, especially since he’d been tried and convicted on even less evidence. He wasn’t sure exactly what he was feeling as he walked toward the transport, but he was very much afraid that it was relief. One way or another, his time in hell was about to end. Cord approached the crew boss, doing his best to look respectful and only mildly concerned about what was going on.

Sure enough, just as he reached the transport, the side door opened and a chancellor stepped out. Not just any chancellor, either, but Olivia McCabe, second only to Ambrose O’Brien, the top dog himself. What had happened to bring the biggest, baddest female chancellor in two generations all the way out here? A curiosity to be sure, and certainly not reassuring. Of course, if Cord were about to die, it was nice of the Coalition to send their very best to carry out his sentence. He supposed he should be honored.

He wasn’t. To make matters worse, the mere sight of Olivia McCabe left him frozen in place, speechless and horny as hell. Thanks to her silver-blond hair, flashing pale green eyes and incredible body, she always had that effect on him.

Olivia walked toward Cord, her expression unreadable. When she got within arm’s length, she stuck her hand out. Cord just stared at it, not knowing what to make of the friendly overture. After a second, Olivia let it drop back down to her side.

“Cord.”

“Ms. McCabe, I wasn’t aware that you were due for another visit. I’m sure there was no mention of it on my appointment calendar.”

The chancellor smiled, her amusement genuine. “Gosh, Cord, I’d hate to think you weren’t glad to see me.”

“Any reason I should be?”

If Cord sounded bitter, they both knew he had reason to be. If the chancellor was there to end Cord’s existence, he planned on meeting his end with dignity.

Olivia looked past him for several long seconds, focusing instead on the mixed bag of prisoners breaking up the asphalt behind them. What was she thinking? Pity for the poor bastards slaving away night after night? Satisfaction that justice had been served? Cord didn’t know and frankly didn’t care.

“Look, I don’t mean to be unsociable, Ms. McCabe.” He waved his hand in the direction of the work party. “But as you can see, I have pressing plans for this evening. Is this a social call or did you have a real reason for stopping by? I’m fairly certain this place isn’t exactly on your way home.”

Olivia’s brows snapped down, her fangs flashing. “You used to be a better host, Cord, and since when does your voice sound like a pissed off bulldog?”

Cord’s own canines dropped down in a defiant show of aggression. “My vocal cords were severed in a knife fight two months ago. They didn’t heal right on the outdated blood they feed me, not that it’s any of your business.”

Cord was in no mood to play games. He forced himself to ask the hard question, his voice a harsh rasp. “Let’s cut to the chase, Chancellor McCabe. Did you finally find Dwayne Delaney’s body?”

Olivia’s expression softened just a bit as she nodded. “We did indeed.”

Cord straightened his shoulders. He had little left to call his own except for his pride. No matter what, he’d show no sign of weakness. “Then I guess you’re here to end this party for me.”

The chancellor nodded. “I am, but not in the way you think, Cord. Delaney’s body was found two days ago. But here’s the kicker—the coroner’s preliminary report says he’d been in that shallow grave for no more than ten to fourteen days. The doc will be able to pinpoint the time of death more accurately when the tests are all finished, but that could take another week or more.”

The chancellor’s smile was more genuine now. “However, all things considered, I suspect you have an irrefutable alibi for that particular time frame.”

Chapter 2

Cord’s knees melted away as the import of Olivia’s announcement finally sank in. When he felt them start to give, he lurched over to lean against her transport, holding himself upright by the ragged edges of his self-control. Olivia opened the door and motioned him into the front seat. Inside, Cord laid his head back and closed his eyes, waiting for the world to quit spinning backward. Finally, he looked up at the chancellor who now held Cord’s fate in her hands.

For the first time, he allowed himself to use his private nickname for her. “I’m sorry, Livi, but you’re going to have to spell it out for me. What exactly does all of this mean?”

She squatted down so they were eye to eye. “It means that I drove all the way out here to pick you up and bring you home myself to make sure there weren’t any glitches. I went to the judge who ruled on your case and had him order you remanded over to my personal custody before all the paperwork could be processed. That’s not exactly normal procedure, but I convinced him I needed your help with this investigation.”

Before Cord could ask another question, the chancellor’s expression turned grim.

“By the way, when I contacted the warden about all of this, I got the distinct impression that you’re not his favorite inmate. That jerk wanted to keep you locked up until we catch the actual killer or at least until the coroner’s report officially clears your name.”

Her fangs were showing again. “I had to remind the bastard what the penalty was for unlawful imprisonment. After I pointed out that I could always order a complete review of all his records, he told me where I could pick you up. I’ll be keeping an eye on him, though. I don’t trust the little weasel not to trump up some bogus charge against you just for grins. As soon as you’re officially in the clear, I will be launching that review.”

She rose to her feet, her smile definitely looking deadly. “In fact, I’ve already frozen his files so he can’t spend the next few days cleaning house. I’ll teach him to mess with me or my clients.”

Cord hated to feel grateful to anyone, especially someone who’d been part of the legal machine that had sent him to prison in the first place. But for her, he’d make an exception.

“Thanks, Livi. I owe you one.”

“Like heck you do. We both know that if we’d all done our jobs right fifteen years ago, you wouldn’t have ended up here at all.”

He met her gaze head-on. “But you’re here now, Livi. That counts for something.”

The chancellor looked uncomfortable with Cord’s gratitude; or maybe it was his pet name for her. “Let me get one of the guards to remove those shackles, and then we’re out of here.”

The ride back to New Eire took more than five hours, most of them spent in silence while Cord tried to come to terms with the abrupt change in his circumstances. Along the way, he devoured the cooler of fresh blood packs that Olivia had brought for him. Gods above, when was the last time he’d been able to drink his fill? Already he could feel his former strength returning.

As they left the guards and prisoners behind, Olivia had offered to swing by the prison to pick up any personal items Cord might want to retrieve, but he’d told her not to bother. He didn’t want souvenirs from the total disaster his life had become. His ruined voice and the permanent scars on his wrists and ankles from the shackles would be enough of a reminder.

A couple of questions needed to be asked. “Does my family know? How about Francine?”

“Not yet. Ambrose thought we should keep this quiet for the time being.”

That was all right with him. He didn’t want to think about why the woman he was engaged to let him rot in prison for fifteen years without a single word, not even a notice that their engagement was officially over. Yeah, there was a thought guaranteed to warm a man’s heart. The funny thing was that after fifteen long years, he could barely remember what Francine looked like.

Had he ever really loved her? He’d like to think he had. Maybe. After all this time, who the hell knew or even cared?

As they pulled up in front of an elegant brick home, he looked over at his escort. “Impressive. Definitely a step up from where I’ve been living.”

Olivia shut off the engine. “It’s Ambrose O’Brien’s place. He wanted to talk to you, so we’re staying here for the day.”

Cord hadn’t seen his old friend since the trial and wasn’t sure he wanted to now. Looked like he had little choice in the matter, though, since the man himself was headed straight for them.

Cord rolled down his window. “That’s quite a place you’ve got there, Ambrose. What did you do? Rob a bank?”

Was the big, tough chancellor actually blushing? “The place belongs to my wife’s clan.”

Okay, that was news. “I hadn’t heard you’d gotten married. I guess congratulations are in order.”

The chancellor smiled. “Thanks. Her name is Miranda Connor—well, Miranda O’Brien now.”

Cord recognized the name. Her family’s estate was in the same district as where his family lived. “Will she mind you dragging your work home with you?”

“It was her suggestion, actually, and she sends her apologies for not being here to meet you. She still has to spend a lot of time on family business, so she’s back at the estate conferring with her mother.”

Or maybe Ambrose was protecting her from a potentially violent vampire who’d just spent fifteen years in prison. If so, Cord really couldn’t blame him.

Olivia walked around to open the passenger door of the transport for Cord since he hadn’t yet managed to do that for himself. After living fifteen years in lockdown, it was going to take some time to get used to being able to open a door and walk through it anytime he wanted to.

He followed Ambrose up the steps to the porch. Before they went in, Ambrose turned back to face him. “I assume Olivia told you that we’ll be needing your help in the investigation.”

Suddenly all that blood Cord had chugged down wasn’t settling all that well. “What are you not telling me?”

Ambrose frowned at his associate. “I thought you were going to explain everything on the way here.”

“I thought it best to wait until Cord had a chance to get some rest.”

Although she was talking to Ambrose, Cord was painfully aware of the fact she’d kept those intensely intelligent eyes pinned on him. He didn’t need this, didn’t need her pity, but apparently he was going to be stuck with Livi for the duration of the investigation.

“I don’t mean to be rude.” Although that was a lie. “Can we take this circus inside?”

She nodded and led the parade. “We’ll only be here until we can leave for your place at sundown.”

His place? He no longer had a place to call his own. His family had filed the papers to disown him about five minutes after the chancellors had hauled his unsuspecting ass off to jail. He hadn’t heard from any of them since, which was just fine with him.

So what was his personal chancellor up to? Right now he was too tired to ask. Ignoring Livi, he spoke to Ambrose. “Look, I’m really tired. Could you point me to someplace I can crash for the day?”

“Sure thing. It’s been an eventful night for all of us. Give me a minute to lock up.”

But once again Livi stuck her pretty nose into Cord’s business. “I can show you, Cord. I’m going to turn in, too, and your room is right next to mine. We need to get an early start because the drive out to your cabin will take most of the night.”

He started up the stairs first, thinking about what she’d said. Last time he checked, he didn’t own a damn thing, much less a cabin. He didn’t want to rise to the bait, but he had to know. He looked back over his shoulder at her as they walked up the stairs.

“Okay, I’ll bite. What cabin?”

“The one your grandmother left you in her will.”

His grandmother had died? When? She had been his sole supporter out of all of his extended family. And of course, none of the rest of the family would’ve thought to tell him of her passing. A dizzying wave of absolute fury mixed with grief washed over him.

Everything that had happened in the past few hours all hit him at once, short-circuiting his brain and sending him pitching headfirst back down the steps. He made a grab for the railing but missed. His last thought as he tumbled backward was, “This is going to hurt like a bitch.”

Chapter 3

“Cord!”

Livi caught him just before he took a header off the staircase. It was a struggle to stop his fall and keep her own balance. But thanks to her superior chancellor reflexes and strength, she managed to hold on to Cord’s limp body and the railing long enough for Ambrose to give her a hand.

They each took one of Cord’s arms and dragged him the remaining distance to the second floor. Luckily, his room was close by. They heaved him up onto the bed and then stepped back to catch their breath.

Ambrose gave her a narrow-eyed look. “He’d been holding up pretty well, all things considered. What did you say to him that sent him over the edge?”

She flinched under her boss’s scrutiny. “He asked me about the cabin. Turns out he didn’t know about his grandmother’s death. I figured his family and the bitch wouldn’t be bothered to tell him, but I thought the lawyers would have.”

“Maybe you should have kept that particular fact to yourself until he had time to get his head around being out of prison.”

At least Ambrose sounded more disgusted than truly angry when he added, “But then it was probably only a matter of time before it all overwhelmed him.”

She nodded her agreement. “Not to mention the prison had been feeding him only outdated blood for the gods know how long. There are laws regulating how much of that crap they can give the prisoners and how old it can be. It’s just one more thing I’ll be investigating once our boy here is completely in the clear.”

Her boss’s fangs flashed as he spoke, punctuating the anger in his voice. “Damn straight.”

Her own were on display, as well, making her wish she could be alone with that scum warden for five minutes. He’d think twice about mistreating someone like Cord again.

“Do you want help getting him out of those clothes?”

Ambrose shook his head. “I’ll take care of it. You go get some sleep. You’re going to need to be at your sharpest to deal with his clan. I can stay with him awhile to make sure he’s all right.”

“Okay. I’ll be next door if you need me for anything.” Or if Cord did. Especially if Cord did.

She wanted to be the one to stay, but couldn’t risk giving her boss any more reasons to suspect that her interest in Cord’s case was anything more than professional. The truth was she’d been fascinated by Cord Kilpatrick from the very beginning. Fresh out of training, she’d been one of the investigators on his case fifteen years before when he’d first been charged with murdering his business partner. Unlike the head investigator, Olivia hadn’t believed Cord was guilty even then, but hadn’t been able to prove any different.

Once he’d been convicted—sentenced to death but with the mandatory stay of execution—she’d volunteered to oversee his case. For the past fifteen years, she’d visited him in prison four times a year, twice the norm required by law.

At first she’d been hoping that he’d remember something, some small detail that would either break the case wide-open or at least convince her that he was actually guilty. Watching his hope for a reprieve slowly die over the years was one of the hardest things she’d ever had to do.

Later, she visited because she suspected that she was the only one who’d ever bothered to make the effort. He never seemed particularly happy to see her, but at least he accepted the few things she’d brought him—cookies, books, magazines. It got harder to face him each time knowing that she only served as a reminder of the world that had turned its back on him.

Normally she took pride in her job, knowing most of the time the Coalition legal system worked. Her clients who were sentenced to prison deserved to be there, with Cord being the sole exception.

He’d been different from the very beginning. All through the trial he’d held his head high, cooperating to the fullest, depending on the legal system to give him justice.

Yeah, and look where that got him. That trusting expression in his eyes was long gone, replaced by bitter suspicion, except for a small hint of warmth whenever he called her Livi. His face, while still handsome, was all sharp edges now, carved that way by the brutal life behind bars. His body was muscular, but too lean for his frame, thanks to the poor prison diet.

He moved wrong, too. Even with the shackles gone, fifteen years of shuffling along in chains might be a hard habit to break. Some things he’d get back, like his natural born grace, but some were gone forever.

She made quick work of getting into bed and turned out the light. As she drifted off to sleep, her last thought was that the man who’d haunted her dreams for fifteen years was just on the other side of the wall. Maybe now that she’d gotten him out of prison, she might finally get him out of her system.

Cord jerked awake. What the hell? Habit had him forcing his body to relax while he assessed the situation. Something had torn him out of deep sleep, but the question was what? His fangs ran out, his fists clenched, and his instincts were running on full alert. It finally hit him: the sounds were all wrong.

Cord’s heart banged around in his chest while his brain tried to come to terms with his surroundings. Slowly, the details came into focus. He wasn’t in his cell on his cot. Instead, he was sleeping in a regular bed, one with clean-smelling sheets and a real pillow. That’s right. Livi had brought him here to Ambrose’s house.

The quiet that surrounded him was disturbing. No one was snoring; no one was crying in their sleep; no one was screaming for help that rarely got there in time. Violence had quickly become a way of life in prison, to the point it became normal to wake up at night to find out his next-door neighbor had been killed during the day.

Sitting up, Cord ignored the lamp by the bed, preferring the darkness protected by the lockdown shades on the windows. He sensed it was bright daylight outside, but obviously Ambrose had put him in a room that was safe for a vampire to sleep in.

He didn’t remember going to bed, much less stripping off his prison clothes. There was a gap in his memory starting about the time he and Livi had started up the steps. What had happened after that?

Finally, it all came flooding back. His grandmother had died, leaving Cord her cabin on the family estate. He bet the relatives loved that, but then maybe they didn’t care. Once he died, it would revert back to the family and they probably hadn’t foreseen a day when he’d come strolling home a free man.

He was a free man. How was he supposed to get his mind around the idea? He crawled out of bed, needing to walk off some of the weirdness. The thick carpet felt foreign to his bare feet, his toes digging into the plush fiber. The prison was concrete and iron bars with nothing soft to ease life inside. He paced back and forth in the room, never quite reaching the far side.

It dawned on him that in his head he was back in his cell with only seven feet between one wall and the other. Not only that, his steps were the exact length of his shackles. He stopped moving for a few seconds, and then forced himself to take a long stride and then another until he reached the farthest point in the room. His fingers trembled as he touched the wall before turning around to make the return trip.

After a few rounds, he felt better, more relaxed and in control. He’d give himself another few minutes and then maybe see if he could get back to sleep.

A soft knock on the door froze him in place, waiting to discover who it was.

“Cord, are you okay?”

Damn it, it was Olivia. “I’m fine. Just restless.”

“Okay, good night.”

He listened to the soft sound of her bare feet padding back into her room next door. His mind filled with images of her climbing into bed, her pretty hair mussed and her eyes sleepy. Just what he needed. Wasn’t it bad enough that he’d wasted hundreds of hours thinking about her over the years? Wondering what kind of lover she was. How she’d feel under him in bed, calling his name as their bodies joined and he drove them both hard and fast. Now she was only a few feet down the hall, but it might as well have been concrete walls and iron bars.

Exonerated or not, he’d be the last man on earth she’d take to her bed. Livi probably had dozens of men standing in line to date her, not to mention she had her career to think about.

He stared at the door for a few seconds more before he started walking again, taking another handful of laps just for good measure. By the clock, he still had several hours before he had to be ready to leave with Olivia—or Livi, as he preferred to think of her.

It made her seem more of a woman and less of the Coalition executioner she really was, like maybe she’d made some of those long treks to the prison to visit Cord the man, not Cord the convict. His hands itched to know if those short, silvery curls were as soft as they looked, if her skin was as satin smooth as he’d always dreamed it was.

Damn it, he shouldn’t be thinking of Livi—no, make that Olivia—at all. It only screwed with his mind, and he’d need all his wits about him to get through tomorrow and all the days after that.

He crawled back into the bed, tugging the covers up to his chest and breathing in the scent of fresh sunshine and soap. As the silence settled around him again, he could almost swear that he heard Livi’s soft voice call out, “Sleep well, Cord.”

“You, too,” he whispered and closed his eyes.

Chapter 4

“So what are you thinking about so hard, Cord?”

Livi passed a slow-moving truck before glancing over at her silent companion, wondering if he’d even heard her question or was just choosing to ignore her. As if feeling her gaze, he slowly turned to face her.

“I’m thinking maybe we should rethink this whole mess. I appreciate my grandmother’s gesture of support, but it’s not like anyone else will be throwing a welcome home party for me. Yeah, you’ve already put through the paperwork to clear me of the murder, but you know how the clans are. Understandably, vampires have long memories. I’m not guilty of murder, but I am guilty of dragging the family name through the dirt. That taint is probably only just starting to fade. They won’t appreciate me stirring it all up again.”

Wow, that was the most words he’d strung together at one time since she’d first picked him up.

She changed lanes again. They were only a few miles from the turnoff to his family estate. It was understandable that he was starting to have a few qualms about what lay ahead for him. That didn’t change what she had to do.

“Cord, I can’t worry about what your family thinks. I have an investigation to run, even if I step on a few toes along the way.”

She shot him a quick look. “Besides, once we’ve nailed the killer, none of this will be hanging over your head anymore. Then you can do what you whatever you want, even make a fresh start somewhere.”

Maybe even with someone, but she left that part unspoken.

The lights of the dashboard cast Cord’s face in eerie relief. She wished there was something she could do to ease the pain and hurt behind his grim expression.

He sighed and looked out the side window. “I’m assuming you’ve got a suspect in mind.”

Rather than tell him her own suspicions, she changed the subject. “We’re almost there. You’ll have to give me directions to the cabin.”

The level of tension coming from Cord’s side of the car ramped up big-time. He leaned forward, staring out into the night at the entrance to his family home. One glimpse of the pure hunger in his eyes had her looking away. It was a private moment, not one meant to be shared.

His voice was low and rough. “Turn right and then stop. I’ll have to see if my old code still works. If not, we’ll have to push the buzzer. Somehow I can’t imagine them opening the gate once they know it’s me.”

She pulled up to the keypad. “Do you want to get out to enter your number or do you trust me enough not to go blabbing it all over the district?”

She’d meant that last part as sort of a joke, but his only response was to rattle off a series of eight numbers.

When the gate immediately rolled open, his shock was obvious. “I would have thought they’d have deleted me five minutes after the jail door closed.”

It was odd. “Or maybe they don’t hate you as much as you think they do.”

“Yeah, right. That’s why I haven’t heard a word from any of them in fifteen years.”

She winced. “Sorry, Cord. I wasn’t thinking.”

“Not a problem. Follow the road to the right when it splits. Drive on for another mile, and the cabin will be on your right. It’s set back off the road quite a distance, but you can’t miss the pair of gargoyles at the end of the driveway.”

His smile looked a bit rusty. “Grandmother always said they watched over her. I used to climb on them and pretend they’d fly me anywhere I wanted to go.”

Then he settled back against the seat again and closed his eyes. He was so quiet she almost thought he’d drifted off to sleep, but then he spoke.

“And for the record, Livi, you’re the only person I trust right now.”

All was quiet when they reached the cabin. Cord climbed out of the transport, but made no move toward the front porch. Too many memories and too many nightmares had him all tied up in knots. Luckily, Livi didn’t push him, instead letting him take all the time he needed.

“I spent most of my childhood in this cabin. My parents preferred the nightlife in New Eire to living in the country. Me, I was always happier here. Maybe if I’d never left, my life wouldn’t have gone to hell so quickly. The clan’s finances were a wreck, though, and I had to live in New Eire to stay on top of things.”

He didn’t want to know what Livi thought about that. “I’ll grab the bags.”

She followed him around to the back of the transport and popped the trunk. After he retrieved their suitcases and headed for the front door, she followed behind him with the box of groceries they’d brought. He made a second trip back for the big cooler of blood that Ambrose had provided for him. It wouldn’t last Cord more than a few days, but then he didn’t plan to be there that long.

Inside, he stood back to watch Livi’s reaction to his grandmother’s home. It was just as he remembered it, which surprised him. According to what Livi had told him, it had probably been vacant for at least two years.

“Somebody’s been taking care of the place.”

The chancellor blushed. “You’ll find out anyway, but just so you know, your family contested your grandmother’s will. When the judge turned them down, he also ordered them to maintain the cabin until you decided what to do with the place.”

“I don’t suppose you had anything to do with that.”

She didn’t respond, which was answer enough. Instead, she asked, “Which way’s the kitchen?”

“Through that door.”

He set the luggage down by the stairs that led up to the loft and followed Livi. While she put the perishables in the refrigerator, he checked the cabinets for supplies.

“If you’re hungry, I make a mean omelet.” Then he frowned. “Or at least I used to. It’s been a while.”

“Sounds good.”

While he busied himself getting the ingredients together, he was painfully aware of Livi watching his every move. Thank goodness his grandmother never rearranged anything, so it didn’t take him long to have bacon frying and the eggs ready for the skillet. When Livi seemed relaxed, he pounced.

“So you think Francine is behind Dwayne’s murder?”

The chancellor merely smiled. “I wondered how long it would take you to figure that out.”

He turned the bacon. “There were only three people directly involved in the finance business Dwayne and I started. He’s dead, and I didn’t do it. That leaves Francine. I don’t know if I believe she would be capable of murder, but you must have your reasons for suspecting her. What are they?”

Livi sipped the tea he’d made. “She never broke the engagement contract. I kept wondering why when most vampires would have done so at the first hint of a scandal.”

Cord had wondered the same thing himself. “The last I heard, her clan had almost died out. Maybe her clan leaders pressured her to maintain the connection to mine.”

Livi stared at him over the rim of her mug. “Sorry, but from what I’ve heard about Francine, I don’t see her as the type to martyr herself for her clan. Besides, there isn’t a court in the Coalition that wouldn’t have declared the contract null and void if she’d wanted out, with or without her clan’s approval.”

After giving him a few seconds to mull that over, she did some pouncing of her own. “Did you know that she’s now the CEO of your clan’s business holdings?”

Okay, he wouldn’t have seen that one coming. “How the hell did that happen?”

“After they found Dwayne’s body, I finally read the fine print of your betrothal papers. Seems there was a clause inserted in the standard contract that would only come into play if you were to die before the marriage was…um, consummated after a legal marriage ceremony.”

Livi blushed, her eyes dropping down to stare at her tea before she continued. “Seems Francine would retain the same rights she would’ve had as your wife. Once you were convicted and sentenced to death, she invoked that clause. The bottom line was that it gave her control of everything. Not just your private business holdings, but also your controlling percentage of your clan’s financial dealings.”

When she looked up at him again, her pale eyes were ice-cold. “Seems your loving fiancée has a real cutthroat talent for getting rich, especially when she does it using other people’s money. There have been complaints in the clan, but legally there was nothing anyone could do to stop her.”

He thought about that as he cooked the omelets. “That’s such a different image of her than I remember. But you’re right, something doesn’t jive. I would never have agreed to a clause like that. Are you sure it’s part of the original agreement?”

The badass chancellor side of Olivia’s personality was definitely at the forefront right now, her fangs showing when she smiled. “We’re checking into that. I wonder how she’ll react when she learns her long-lost fiancé is back among the living and therefore legally back in control of the Kilpatrick finances. By the way, that ruling is part of the official decision by the judge who remanded you to my tender care. Things could get interesting.”

Cord’s own fangs ran out to full length. “Interesting is one word for it.”

The truth was he was less interested in Francine and the clan’s money than he was in the amazing possibilities of being in Livi McCabe’s tender care.

An hour later, the dishes were done and the sky was getting lighter in the east. Too late for any of the dear relatives to come calling, which was an immense relief. They were probably huddled together trying to figure out how best to banish him from their midst. Tomorrow would not be any fun at all, and he’d need to be at full strength to face that bunch, not to mention Francine. It was time to go to bed, unfortunately alone.

His grandmother was never one for fancy technology, so closing the shutters meant cranking each one shut by hand. Sunlight was no danger to Livi with her mixed human-vampire blood, but she helped him secure the cabin.

He also double-checked to make sure both doors were bolted and barred shut. Even if someone else had a key, they still wouldn’t be able to get in. If Livi was wrong about Francine, or even if she wasn’t, there could be a wild card out there who wouldn’t be happy to have Cord out of prison and out to regain his position in the clan.

When everything was secure, he met Livi at the steps. “You can have the bed in the loft. I’ll take the couch.”

The thought of Livi in that big four-poster, curled up under one of his grandmother’s hand-pieced quilts had him hard and hurting. It had been more than fifteen years since he’d last had sex. As prison life had weakened him, he’d eventually lost the urge. But now, after two days of fresh blood and fresh air, all those desires were coming back with a vengeance, due in large part to the woman standing in front of him.

She looked puzzled. “There’s only one bedroom in a cabin this size?”

He kept his eyes focused on the lumpy couch where he’d be spending the long daylight hours alone. “Yeah, my grandmother didn’t want to encourage unwanted visitors. She turned my old room into an office as soon as I moved out. When I came back for a visit, I always used the couch.”

Livi started up the stairs, but stopped on the first step and turned back to face him. “We’re adults. We could just share.”

Gods above, he so didn’t need that image burning in his head. The woman had to have more sense than that. But then again maybe not, considering her skin was flushed rosy with heat, her heart was racing and those beautiful fangs were peeking out over her lower lip.

“Livi, go upstairs and go now.”

He grabbed on to the newel post with both hands and held on for dear life to keep from tossing her over his shoulder and pounding up the stairs as fast as he could. “Because if you don’t go right this minute, we’ll be doing a lot more than sharing a couple of blankets. It’s been too long for me. I have no control.”

She didn’t budge. “And what if I want you out of control?”

Chapter 5

Gods, she was treading on the far edge of a major breach of chancellor ethics, but right now she simply didn’t care. She’d been craving this man’s touch for fifteen years. If he thought his control was shaky, well, so was hers.

When he didn’t immediate answer, she backed up a step and then another, forgetting that retreat would likely trigger a male vampire’s predatory instincts. Cord’s dark eyes flared wide, and his head tipped back as if to better scent her arousal.

When he lunged for her, she retreated up two more steps before he caught her. Her brain might not be functioning all that well, but her body knew exactly what it wanted—demanded, and right that minute.

His hands, rough and callused from years on the road gang, grasped her arms, pulling her back down the steps to slam up against his rock-hard body. The jolt fed the growing ache inside of her. Sweet gods, yes, she wanted this, wanted him.

Cord’s mouth ravaged hers with exquisite thoroughness, his tongue sweeping across hers, only to move on and trace the length of her fangs. She reciprocated, imagining how it would feel when he took her vein at the same time he took her body, impatient to experience it for real. She wrapped her legs around his hips, bringing the center of her need in direct contact with the bulge of his erection. It wasn’t nearly enough.

Then Cord ripped his mouth from hers. “Livi, we’ve got to stop this now. Please.”

Why? He clearly wanted her as much as she wanted him. He made no effort set her down, to back away, but the pained expression in his eyes made it clear he meant business.

A bolt of pain, born of both bitter disappointment and acute embarrassment ripped through her chest. She let her feet drop back to the floor, determined to regain her dignity and to ignore the burn of tears in her eyes.

Cord allowed her to put a small distance between them. But when she would have run up the stairs, he stepped in front of her.

“Livi—”

“No, Cord. No explanations necessary. You made yourself clear.”

He reached out to wipe a tear from her cheek with the pad of his thumb. Gods, even that little touch was enough to rekindle the craving she had for more of the same.

“No, I didn’t.”

His big hand cupped her cheek, lifting her gaze up to meet his. She blinked when she saw the heat reflected there. Okay, maybe she should hear what he had to say.

“I’m listening.”

The tension his stance eased just a bit. “I’m still not a free man.”

That was so not true. There was no way she’d let him go back to prison. “But, Cord—”

He shut her up by swooping in to brush a soft kiss over her lips, stealing her breath away.

“You said it yourself. According to the law, my engagement to Francine still stands. That’s true, isn’t it, Olivia?”

His use of her real name was like a bucket of cold water in her face. “Yes, Cord, that’s true.”

And honorable man that he was, even after all he’d been through and everything Francine had done, he was going to stand by his word. She had to admire his integrity. Damn the man, anyway.

“Look, I just need to go to bed.”

Although she’d rather run back to her transport and put far more distance between the two of them than a single flight of stairs. She picked up her suitcase and started climbing the steps again. At least this time, he didn’t try to stop her.

But when she reached the top, he called her name.

“Livi, there’s one more thing you should know.”

He didn’t speak again until she relented and looked back down at him. “What’s that, Cord?”

“Come sundown, I have every intention of getting to the bottom of Dwayne’s murder, whether it was Francine or someone else. I’ll need your help with that.”

“That’s why I’m here. I’ll do my job.”

His eyes had taken on that predatory gleam again. “But regardless of how that turns out, I’ll be ending my engagement with Francine. I need to make sure she has no legal recourse against me or my family other than what was spelled out in the prenuptial agreement.”

Where was he going with this?

“I can help with that. If I don’t have the clout, Ambrose will.”

“Good. I just thought you should know what my plans were because you have a vested interest in all of this getting resolved fairly and fast.”

“Why is that? So I can get back to my job?” How considerate of him.

“No, because once I’m in the clear, I’ll be coming after you with everything I’ve got, Chancellor McCabe, and I intend to finish what we started a few minutes ago.”

He actually licked the tips of his fangs and grinned up at her. “I’m going to be all over you, Livi, and I don’t plan on stopping for a very long time. If you’ve got a problem with that, you’d better let me know now.”

She swallowed hard and studied the determination radiating from the alpha vampire staring up at her with pulsing heat in his gaze.

Finally, she shook her head. “I’ve got no problem with that, Cord. No problem at all.”

Feeling much better than she had only seconds before, she smiled back at him and headed for the bathroom to get ready for bed. The sooner they got to sleep, the sooner sundown would come.

Cord was awake long before darkness fell. He’d slept better than he had the prior night, but still had some problems with the silence. He’d paced the floor a few times, once again having to practice taking full steps and ranging around the room in random patterns. Eventually he’d leave the limitations of prison life behind, but it would take time.

He stared up at the ceiling. Livi had been stirring around up in the loft for some time. Was she staying up there because she didn’t want to wake him or because she wanted to avoid him?

No, his Livi wasn’t afraid of much and especially not him. She’d take on his entire clan single-handed if that’s what it took to clear his name once and for all. He liked that about her; in fact, there was a whole lot about his chancellor that he liked, maybe even loved.

He’d always known there was a surprisingly strong connection between the two of them, but he’d never let himself name what it was he was feeling for her. Gratitude for all her visits and caring had been part of it, but it had grown to be so much more than that.

When the top step creaked, he threw back the old afghan his grandmother kept on the back of the couch and sat up. It was tempting to meet Livi at the bottom of the steps, but he didn’t want her think he was about to pounce. Not yet, anyway.

Her smile was a bit shy. “Oh, you’re up. I wasn’t sure and didn’t want to wake you.”

“I’ve been awake for a while.”

She came closer to where he sat. “Trouble sleeping again?”

“Not as much. Mainly it was because tonight promises to be eventful.”

He stood and stretched, taking pleasure in the way her eyes followed his every move. Truth was, he added a few more moves just to bask in her approval a bit longer.

“Want some breakfast?”

“You stay.” She started for the kitchen. “It’s my turn to cook.”

He followed her anyway. “I’ll make the coffee.”

After he set the coffee to brew, he zapped a pack of blood in the microwave. Normally, he’d take it in the other room, but Livi didn’t seem to be bothered by watching a vamp feed. It fact, the whole scene felt surprisingly comfortable. Cozy, even. Definitely a far cry from eating slop at a battered and scarred table with two dozen other inmates.

Livi plunked a plate down in front of him. “I don’t know where you were just then, Cord, but it wasn’t a good place.”

He shook off the effects of the memories. “Sorry, I was just thinking about how weird all of this is. You know, in just two days going from swinging a pickax to sleeping on my grandmother’s couch.”

Her soft green eyes looked at him with sympathy as she came around the counter to where he sat. She brushed her fingers over the short stubble of his buzz cut.

“I imagine the memories will hit you at odd moments for a while to come.”

Even knowing he was playing with fire, he tugged her down on his lap. “A kiss might help ward them off.”

“You think so? Maybe we should test your theory.”

Rather than the explosion of their last kiss, this was a coffee-flavored seduction. His hands ignored all his orders for them to behave, instead learning the curve of her hip, the way her breasts fit his palms, the round fullness of her backside. All perfect, all too tempting.

He pulled back slowly, not wanting her to feel rejected, not again. His smile was rueful as he nuzzled her neck, tasting her skin right over a pulse point. “So much for my good intentions. I swear, Ambrose shouldn’t let you out in the field without posting a warning label on your uniform.”

She laughed as she stood up. “I’ll be sure and pass along your suggestion. I’m sure he’ll get right on it.”

Before Cord could respond, someone pounded on the front door. Just that quickly, Livi, the warm, willing woman disappeared. In her place stood Olivia McCabe, Senior Chancellor for the North American Coalition, her strong features radiating authority and determination.

“Cord, are you ready for this?”

They both knew things were going to get ugly before they got better. Someone he knew had let him rot in prison for fifteen years for a crime he hadn’t committed. His fangs dropped down, ready for a fight.

“Oh, yeah, Madam Chancellor, I’m more than ready.”

Chapter 6

Before turning the final lock, Cord took a deep breath and searched for some calm. His blood was running hot from kissing Livi, and there was a very good chance his soon-to-be ex-fiancée was waiting on the other side of the thick oak door.

For a brief second, he was tempted to leave the world shut outside while he dragged his chancellor upstairs to bed. Getting naked with Livi would be a lot more satisfying than getting down and dirty with Francine over the clan’s finances and rehashing the past fifteen years.

But he wanted more than a one night fling with Livi, and he needed to sever all contact with Francine before that could happen. It all boiled down to the fact he had no future with Livi until he faced his past.

He flipped the lock and yanked the door open. As soon as he did, the vampire standing on the porch launched herself straight at him.

“Cord! Sorry to arrive unannounced, but when they told me you were back, I just couldn’t wait.”

He backed farther into the room, Francine still clinging to his neck. Her performance would’ve been more convincing if he hadn’t seen the absolute fury in her eyes just before she buried her face against his chest.

Olivia stood across the room in full chancellor mode, with her fangs out and her arms crossed over her chest. He shot her an apologetic look as he worked to break Francine’s near choke hold on his neck.

Livi wasn’t as patient. “Ms. Clark, I hate to interrupt this little reunion scene of yours, but I’m here on official Coalition business and would like to get started.”

Francine stiffened and finally let go. When she stepped back, a single tear trickled down each cheek as she smiled at him. If not for the reptilian chill in her blue eyes when she glanced in Olivia’s direction, he might have even bought what she was selling. Had she always been such an accomplished actress?

The two women stared at each other, obviously sizing up the competition. Neither looked impressed.

Francine finally broke the silence. “Excuse me, but you would be?”

Cord would’ve hated having that particular smile of Olivia’s aimed at him. Certain parts of his anatomy were sensitive to that much cold. Luckily, for the moment, it appeared both women had forgotten he existed.

“I would be the chancellor in charge of the investigation into the recent murder of Dwayne Delaney. Also, I’m here to oversee the immediate transfer of control of all clan assets back to Mr. Kilpatrick and to ensure the transition goes quickly and smoothly. I’m sure you would agree, Ms. Clark, that would be in the best interests of everyone.”

If Olivia was all ice and cold, Francine was fire and flames. On the surface, she was every inch the elegant high-born vampire female, from her tailored clothes down to her designer shoes. Cord might be years behind on current fashion, but money always showed. But all of that was simply surface trappings meant to disguise her sharp mind and even sharper fangs.

Francine glanced in his direction, clearly trying to assess where he stood in all of this. He spread his feet wide and crossed his arms over his chest, an unspoken declaration that he wasn’t going anywhere soon.

“Cord, darling, I don’t want to hurt your feelings, but I feel I must be blunt.”

He shrugged his shoulders. “Go right ahead, Francine. There’s not much that’s going to hurt my feelings after the past fifteen years.”

She flinched. “What happened to your voice?”

“My throat was slit.” He kept his face impassive. “Thanks for asking, but you were saying?”

Francine was having trouble trying to decide which of them to look at. Her eyes flickered from one to the other before finally settling on Cord. Did she think he was the softer touch? If so, she was in for a surprise.

“I was just saying that you’ve been out of the loop on the clan’s business affairs for fifteen years. You can’t possibly expect to transition back into your previous life and pick up all the pieces overnight. I understand that you will want to become more active, but these things take time. Ask anybody.”

Olivia stepped forward and held out a folded sheet of paper. “Actually, Ms. Clark, I did ask somebody—Judge Willard, to be specific. When he set aside Cord’s conviction, he also set aside the clause you invoked fifteen years ago. If you read this court order, you’ll see that as of yesterday morning, all of Cord’s previous holdings and any moneys that have accrued in the interim have reverted to his control.”

Francine’s mouth was working, but nothing was coming out. Finally, she snapped it shut and snatched the paper from Olivia’s hand. As she read it, her face flushed hot, and she stamped her foot in pure frustration.

“You’ll understand that when dealing with this amount of money and complicated business affairs, I will be consulting with my own attorneys before I accept this as valid.”

Then she smiled at Cord. “Of course, now that you’re finally out of prison, we can proceed with our wedding plans. Once we’re married, all of this will be moot.”

She sidled closer and looped her arm through his, probably hoping a physical connection would nudge him over to her side of things. Not so much. He removed his arm from hers and stepped away.

“I’m sorry, Francine, but I can’t in good conscience hold you to our marriage contract. I’m not the same man that you agreed to marry.”

Or the same fool.

Once again, she backed away and regrouped. She was nothing if not resilient. “Well, you’ll be hearing from my attorneys on that, as well, Cord. I’ve stood by you all this time. I can’t believe that you’d abandon me now.”

Olivia entered the conversation again. “Your definition of standing by your fiancée is certainly an odd one, Ms. Clark. According to the prison records, you didn’t make a single trip to visit Mr. Kilpatrick in all of that time. Nor did you write him a letter, send an email or make a phone call. I know. I checked. The judge concurs. He’s willing to entertain a petition from Mr. Kilpatrick for a dissolution of the contract with no penalties. You should have read the fine print.”

Francine looked as if she’d just gotten a whiff of something disgusting. Then she shot a look in his direction.

“You understand why I couldn’t come, Cord. It was bad enough the family name had been dragged through the papers, but there were also some…irregularities on the clan accounts. If we’d continued our association with you, our clan’s reputation would have been utterly destroyed.”

Olivia actually laughed and applauded. “Good one, Ms. Clark. That was quite a performance, although I doubt Cord enjoyed it as much as I did. After all, he’s the one you cut adrift for all those years.”

Francine went on point. “Tell me, Chancellor, do you always take such a personal interest in your clients? Or was it just Cord? How often did you visit him in prison?”

Okay, he’d been prepared to be civil, but he wasn’t going to let Francine sharpen her claws on Olivia. “Chancellor McCabe worked with Ambrose O’Brien to oversee my incarceration, Francine. You’d have known that if you’d ever bothered to ask.”

He deliberately crowded her, letting her taste his fury. “Obviously, you were more concerned about the clan than you were me. But let’s just make this clear—The Kilpatrick Clan is my family name, not yours, and it never will be. Now, you need to leave.”

She still wasn’t ready to give up. “But Cord, think of how things used to be between us.”

Suddenly it was too much—the past tangling up with the present, all of it painful.

He pinched the bridge of his nose, fighting a blinding headache. “Look, I’m sorry, but just go.”

The walls were closing in on him, threatening to crush him. There wasn’t enough space to breathe and no air even if he could. He had to put some distance between himself and the rest of the world. Without waiting to see if Francine actually left, he headed for the kitchen.

Damn it, Olivia was following him, the last thing he needed at the moment. He glanced back at her, hoping she’d take the hint. She’d already stopped, but tossed him a phone.

“Here, take this with you. Ambrose is number one on speed dial, and I’m two. You know, just in case.”

He snatched it out of the air. “Thanks.”

Then he walked straight out the back door and into the night.

Chapter 7

It took every ounce of self-control Olivia could muster not to shackle Francine and drag her skinny ass back to New Eire in chains. Unfortunately, her rational mind knew that would only make a complicated situation even worse. Right now she didn’t have enough evidence to charge the vampire with anything more than being a total coldhearted bitch.

But it was only a matter of time before the law came down hard on Francine, and Olivia would be there to make sure there were no loopholes, no mistakes. Once that cell door slammed shut, maybe Cord would finally really be free.

To come after her. She couldn’t wait.

Francine stared toward the kitchen, a calculating expression on her face. Without glancing in Olivia’s direction, she spoke.

“I have no intentions of letting him go, Chancellor. I suggest you turn those hungry eyes in another direction. Cord Kilpatrick still belongs to me.”

Olivia called on all her years of dealing with the dregs of society for control. “Sounds like Cord has a different opinion on the subject. He also said you should leave. Since this is his home now, I’d suggest you not give me an excuse to arrest you for trespassing.”

The word haughty didn’t do Francine’s obnoxious attitude justice. “You wouldn’t dare.”

No, she wouldn’t, but the vampire didn’t have to know that. Rather than argue the point, Olivia simply opened the door and waited for Francine to flounce her way out.

“I’ll be back with my attorneys. You can tell Cord that I won’t give up without a fight. I’ve spent fifteen years of my life building up the Kilpatrick enterprises.”

“And he spent fifteen years in hell.”

Olivia followed her outside. “By the way, you might also want to tell your attorneys about who Cord has on his side, starting with me and Ambrose O’Brien, not mention Judge Willard, the senior most member of the judiciary. Now go.”

Livi stood on the porch and watched Francine drive away gunning her engine to send up a spray of rocks and dust. Good. It meant that her control was shaky. As long as her emotions were in the driver seat, there was a greater chance the woman would make a mistake.

Back inside, Olivia debated about what to do next. Her first instinct was to go after Cord, just to make sure he was all right.

But she had a feeling he’d been crowded enough for a while. She’d give him a few more minutes and then go after him. She understood that he’d had a lot thrown at him in not very much time. But any long delays would only give Francine that much more time at the helm of his business interests. Even now, the woman was probably trying to siphon off even more of the clan’s funds into her private accounts.

Of course, Francine didn’t know that Ambrose had the Chancellor’s cyber squad watching for the first sign that she was going take the money and run. The woman wouldn’t know what hit her. That thought had Olivia smiling again.

To keep herself busy, she cleaned up the kitchen. By the time she was done wiping down the counter, there was still no sign of Cord. She pushed the chair they’d been sitting in back up to the counter, savoring the memory of the kiss they’d shared and the way his hands had felt on her body.

Most men found her too intimidating, thanks in part to her job, but also because of her athletic build and that she was as tall or taller than most of the male species. Not so with Cord. He treated her as if she were fragile, something to be cherished.

That was okay. She had some pretty strong protective instincts when it came to him. Without letting herself think too hard about what she was doing, she tossed the dish towel on the counter and stepped out on the back steps.

Where would he have gone? Not far, she was betting. Maybe someplace out of his past when he roamed these woods as a boy. She could almost picture him running through the night, playing under the stars and moon.

Closing her eyes, she breathed deeply, trying to catch his scent. There, off to the left, just the faintest hint of Cord mixed with the damp smell of water. If she remembered correctly from the map she’d studied of the estate, there was a small lake or pond near the cabin.

It didn’t take her long to spot an overgrown trail into the woods. Her chancellor night vision wasn’t quite as highly developed as a vampire’s would be, but it was good enough to get her where she was going.

She slowed down when the trees started thinning out, stopping completely when she reached the clearing surrounding the pond. Her heart pounded at the stark loneliness in the silhouette of the man standing at the edge of the water. She had no doubt that he’d heard her coming. Most likely he was also aware of the way her pulse raced at the sight of him.

“Is she gone?”

“For now, but she’ll be back. On her way out, she made sure I knew that you still belong to her.”

“She’s wrong about that, but it’s really the money she wants, not me.”

“Then she’s a fool.”

Cord finally turned toward her, smiling at her in the darkness. “Ah, Livi, you’re good for my soul.”

She took that as invitation to come closer. As soon as she was within reach, he gave her hand a quick squeeze and then let go. She wanted so much more from him, but the simple touch would do for now.

“This is where I used to come to do all my hard thinking when I was a kid.” He picked up a stone and sent it skipping across the shiny black surface of the water.

“My grandmother didn’t like me wandering too far, so this was the compromise we made. I was far enough to be out of sight, close enough for her to keep track of me from the kitchen door.”

“You two were close.”

“Yeah, well, she was always there for me when no one else was. You would have liked her.” He looked at her out of the corner of his eye. “You remind me of her.”

Livi had to laugh. “You’re such a smooth talker, Cord. For future reference, most women don’t like to be told they remind a guy of their grandmother.”

His own chuckle was rough, but sounded genuine. “Well, I am a little out of practice in these things. Most things, in fact.”

Just that quickly, all the humor drained out of his expression. “I’ve made a decision, Livi, and it’s not going to make you happy.”

“What kind of trouble could you have gotten into out here?” She’d thought he was joking, but now she suspected that wasn’t the case.

“I called Ambrose and asked him for another chancellor to take over the case. He’s coming himself.”

“But why? Is it because of what happened last night?”

He stared out at the water. “Yes.”

“I know I’ve crossed the line. I’ll get my things packed and be ready to leave when he gets here.”

She should have known that a man like Cord wouldn’t have wanted her; she was just the first female he’d been near in fifteen years. Before she’d gone three steps, Cord caught her by the arm and spun her around to face him.

“Damn it, Livi, I knew you’d take it wrong. The last thing I want is to send you away. You’re the only thing that’s keeping me anchored right now.”

His voice was little better than a growl, but it still sent shivers up and down her body. “Then why?”

“I don’t want you stuck in the middle of this mess.”

“It’s my job, Cord. I’m here to see justice done. I’d do the same for anyone.”

Well, not exactly the same, and they both knew it. Especially when he pulled her close for another one of those incredible kisses, the kind where she melted right into him. They shouldn’t be doing this, but she suspected he needed her touch as much as she craved his. It was a promise of what the future might hold for them.

“We’d better go inside. I want to show you what I’ve been following on your family’s finances.”

Cord stopped to stare out at the water again. “Truth is, I’m not sure I want to take over again. Don’t know that I can. I’ve lost so much.”

He threw another rock, sending it pinging off a rock just offshore. “I can still feel the chains around my ankles. I even walk as if they’re still there.”

She rested her hand on his shoulder. “Give yourself some time, Cord. You’ve only had your life back for two days.”

He glared at her, although she sensed the anger wasn’t directed at her. “I’m never going to get that life back. I’m never going to be that naive fool again. He’s gone, dead and buried just like Dwayne.”

“Tell me about your friend.”

“He was human, not vamp or chancellor, but we were born on the same day. His parents were killed in an accident, so he grew up with an aunt who used to live right down the road. We spent our childhoods living in each other’s back pockets. We did everything together.”

The words kept pouring out. Maybe he had just needed someone to listen.

“We went to different colleges, but kept in touch. On breaks we’d get together and hang out. We planned all along to go into business together. Heck, he even introduced me to Francine.”

“Really.” Now that hadn’t been in the files. “How well had they known each other?”

Cord’s eyes narrowed. “Looking back, I’m guessing a hell of lot better than I had thought. They had to have been in on this together somehow. What I can’t figure out is what he got out of faking his death and making it look like I did it.”

“I can answer that.”

Olivia spun around to face Francine. How had the woman managed to sneak up on a chancellor and a vampire without either of them noticing? The answer was obvious. They were too focused on other things. Cord was lost in the past. She was lost in him.

Cord didn’t seem to be at all worried about the gun she had pointed at the two of them. “Do tell, Francine. I’d really like to know.”

“He loved me, and I suppose I loved him as much as I can love anyone. If he’d been a vampire or even a chancellor, there might have been a future for us, but I couldn’t settle for a human mate. My clan would’ve never allowed that to happen even if I were stupid enough to contemplate the idea. When he introduced me to you, we both saw the possibilities. You were too busy trying to stabilize your new company and pour some money back to the Kilpatrick coffers to notice that your fiancée and your business partner spent so much time together.”

She came closer, stepping out of the shadows. “I have to admit, you might have been a whiz with money, but between sheets Dwayne had you beat hands down. Unfortunately, once you and I got engaged, he became unhappy. Seems he didn’t want to spend his short life settling for… How did he put it? Oh, yes, table scraps.”

Her lips curled up in disgust. “And you, Cord, kept postponing the wedding. I have to wonder if on some level you knew something was wrong. Anyway, when I started pushing you to set the date, Dwayne threatened to tell you about us. I offered him a onetime deal, and he took it. He’d fake his death and make sure you were blamed. I gave him enough money to live on until the dust settled.”

She laughed. “The idiot really thought I’d give up all of this to live with him. When he came back demanding more money, I had to eliminate the problem.”

The whole scene became almost surreal. At least he was learning the truth that he’d been searching for. He never expected to be standing in the darkness with the two women in his life, both his past and hopefully his future. If he and Livi managed to survive the night.

To keep the conversation going, he said, “So you did kill him?”

He couldn’t bring himself to say his friend’s name. In a lot of ways, Dwayne’s betrayal was the worst.

Francine rolled her eyes. “Of course I did—I had to. It was a simple business decision. He would have kept draining the money I’d worked so hard to earn.”

“Well, it’s nice to know that you had the clan’s interests at heart.”

As he spoke he shifted slightly, putting himself in front of Olivia. Stubborn woman that she was, she immediately moved back beside him. He liked the symbolism of having her at his side, but wanted her out of danger. However, now wasn’t the time for a shoving contest.

“So, Francine, what’s next on your agenda?”

“Well, you both have to die. I would have thought that was obvious.” Her smile was a little sad. “I’m actually sorry about you, Cord. You gave me the opportunity that made me what I am today. Even if you were willing to honor our betrothal, I really don’t think an ex-convict is the appropriate mate for the CEO of the Kilpatrick clan. Once the world knows you died at the hands of an obsessed chancellor, all the sympathy will be on my side.”

Francine shot Livi a nasty look. “You first, bitch. I told you Cord was mine, but you were out here kissing him anyway even after I warned you. You shouldn’t have thrown yourself at him. Do you really think he’d settle for someone like you?”

With no warning, she pulled the trigger. Cord screamed Livi’s name as he threw himself forward.

Burning pain in his upper arm didn’t stop him from reaching Francine before she could get off another shot. His hands, powerful from years of hard work, fit around her neck perfectly. She fought with every ounce of her vampire strength, but she was no match for a male vampire in his prime.

Within seconds, Francine’s movements weakened, her eyes bulging out as she struggled for the breath he wasn’t about to let her have. The bitch had to die. She’d killed his friend, stolen Cord’s heritage and fifteen years of his life. But her ultimate sin was threatening Livi, his mate.

Someone was pulling on his arm. “Cord, let go of her. We don’t want her dead.”

Yes, he did.

“Cord, we need this done right. She needs to stand trial. Let justice finally have its day. Don’t let her steal any more of your soul. She’s not worth it.”

Slowly, the words began to make sense. “Francine will be tried and convicted. Let Ambrose and his people do their jobs.”

Olivia, his Livi, managed to get in his face, her pale eyes sparking hot with emotion. “Please, Cord. For me. For us.”

His fingers unclenched, leaving Francine gasping on the ground like a fish out of water. He tossed her gun out of reach and then flipped her over on her back to yank her arms behind her, taking a bit of mean pleasure in her small gasp of pain.

“Here.”

Livi dangled a pair of cuffs in front of him, the kind strong enough to hold the strongest vampires and chancellors. He should know. He’d worn them often enough himself. When Francine was trussed up, he rose to his feet, turning his back on the furious woman on the ground.

As soon as he did, his arms wwere full of Livi, and all was well.

Cord threw the dead bolt in total disgust. “Damn, I thought they’d never leave.”

Livi didn’t answer. In fact, she was no longer in the living room. Maybe she was in the kitchen fixing yet another fresh pot of coffee. Between Ambrose and his people and Cord’s own family, there’d been a steady stream of visitors wandering in and out for hours.

As frustrating as things were, at least they’d accomplished a lot. Ambrose had staged a raid on Francine’s corporate headquarters back in New Eire and followed that up with another on her home here on the estate. Between the financial records and Olivia’s newly recorded testimony and report regarding Francine’s confession, it was unlikely that Cord would have to take the stand during Francine’s trial. He didn’t want to think about what would happen to her if they convicted her of Dwayne’s murder, but then he didn’t really care, either.

She was dead to him, one way or the other.

The handful of family members who’d showed up had been a mixed bag. A couple seemed genuinely glad to see him. A few were nervous about what was to come next. It seemed Ambrose had frozen a great deal of the family assets until it could all be sorted out. Cord had spent a lot of time and effort reassuring his blood kin that he wasn’t out to ruin the clan for having abandoned him fifteen years ago. Finally, they’d left. He doubted they were convinced, but only time would prove his intentions were honest.

Right now he had more pressing matters on his mind. A certain chancellor to hunt.

Hmmm. No sign of Livi in the kitchen. He tried the back porch, closing his eyes and reaching out with his other senses. No, she wasn’t in the woods, either. Odd.

He finally caught the faintest trace of her scent near the staircase. It was too early for bed.

Or was it? He grinned.

He’d made her a promise that once he was free of his past he’d be coming after her with everything he had. It was hard to chase a woman if she didn’t hide.

Smiling around his fangs, he started up the steps. By the time he made it to the top, all worries that certain parts of his body might have forgotten what they were designed for after years of doing without had totally disappeared.

Even so, this would be different. It had to be because he’d never done this before. Yeah, he’d had sex. But he’d never truly mated with a woman who felt like the other half of his soul.

Livi stood at the window, staring out at the stars. She glanced his way, looking far calmer than he felt, but the pulse point at the base of her throat gave her away. Her emotions were running full bore, even if she was trying to hide it.

He was glad. He didn’t want to be the only one in the room who feared he might disappoint.

“Olivia McCabe, if you don’t tell me to leave now, there’ll be no turning back, not for either of us.”

He prowled forward, unbuttoning his shirt and flashing his fangs. Her smile was all woman and temptation and her eyes followed his every move.

“Last chance, Chancellor McCabe. Once I touch you this time, you’re mine and I’m yours. Period. Got that?”

She nodded, and her tongue darted out to lick the corner of her mouth, the tips of her fangs flirting with him.

“I’m going to strip you down, Livi my love, and taste every inch of you.”

She backed up a step, clearly gauging if she should try to run, not that she’d get far. While she mulled it over, he tossed his shirt over the chair in the corner. After toeing off his shoes, he reached for the buckle on his belt. A quick jerk left it unfastened. Next, he undid the snap of his jeans. Her gaze tracked the slow slide of his zipper, her breathing speeding up when she saw that he’d gone commando. Soon there would be nothing between them except for her clothes.

That wouldn’t last long.

Finally, Livi broke and ran. He caught his lover before she’d gone more than a handful of steps. That small skirmish was over, but the major battle was yet to come.

He swept her up in his arms and tossed her into the middle of the four-poster that dominated the room. It felt so damned right to tumble into a tangle of arms and legs with his Livi in the big bed where he’d been conceived and born. It was only a matter of time before the next generation got its start there, as well. Or maybe on that old couch downstairs. He wasn’t picky as long as he got to spend as much time as possible locked in his lover’s arms.

“You have too many clothes on, Livi.”

She yanked him down for one of her bone-melting kisses. “You didn’t give me much of a chance to take them off.”

“If I had, this might have been all over before we actually reached the bed. The only way I’ve made it through today was imagining you naked—” he kissed her forehead “—and how well we were going to fit together—and in how many different ways.”

His mate blushed, but looked pleased. She arched an eyebrow as she studied the part of him that made it all too obvious how badly he wanted her. “Looks like it will be a tight fit, big guy.”

Okay, now he was blushing. He tugged her uniform shirt up and spread his fingers over her soft, warm skin. “I’m sorry my hands are so rough.”

She caught his hand in hers, brought it up to her mouth and pressed a soft kiss on his palm, a healing benediction. “No apologies necessary.”

Then she traced a line of callus with the tip of her tongue. “These are just a sign of how incredibly strong you are. Fifteen years would have broken a lesser man.”

He closed his eyes and soaked up the warmth of her breath against his skin. Time to do some more touching of his own. Seconds later her shirt hit the floor and her lacy bra decorated the lamp on the bedside table.

Her pretty breasts deserved odes of praise, but they struck him speechless. He offered homage with his teeth and tongue. From the way she writhed beneath him, she clearly understood what he was saying.

While he savored the peach-sweet taste of her nipples, he unsnapped her uniform pants. The zipper cooperated. It was a good thing because otherwise he’d have used every ounce of his vampire strength to rip the cloth out of his way. He loved the sound she made as he slid his fingers down and down and down.

Ah, yes, finally, he found the damp heat he sought, slipping deep to test her readiness for him. This was going to be so damn good. As much as he loved her breasts, he needed so much more right now. He kissed each one in apology, a promise that he’d get back to them and soon. Then, he stared down at the woman who’d been his touchstone of sanity for fifteen years.

“Livi, you have no idea how long I’ve dreamed of this very moment.”

Yes, she did because she’d been having those same dreams herself. With any other man, she might have been self-conscious as he looked his fill. But right now it was all she could do to make sense of the all the sensations flooding through her. Cord’s mouth was so hot as he’d kissed her breasts. The cool of the quilt on her back. The rough but gentle touch of his hands. All of it building and building until all she could do was whimper.

“Cord, please, I need you on me.” She captured his erection with a gentle squeeze. “I need you in me. Take me now.”

“Yes, ma’am.”

He sat up and stripped away the rest of Livi’s defenses right along with her clothes. He settled between her knees, running his fingertips up her legs, starting at the arch of her feet and straight up to the hungry center of her need. She was on fire.

His dark eyes glittered, and she was pretty sure his hands were trembling. That was good because hers were, too.

“Honey, I can’t be gentle about this. It’s been too long, and I need you too much.”

She flashed her fangs at him in invitation. “I want you to take me hard, Cord. I’ve been waiting too long for this to want it any other way.”

Then he covered her, crushing her down into the mattress. With a near growl, he pushed hard to settle deep inside of her. She’d been right. Oh, yeah, he was a big man all over. The fit was tight, but absolutely perfect. The first thrusts skated the sharp edge of pain and pleasure, but her body quickly adjusted as she held on with every ounce of her strength.

The pounding rhythm intensified until nothing existed beyond the sweat-slick slide of skin against skin. He rose up, supporting his weight on his arms, his face contorted with pleasure as he rode them both hard. She wrapped her legs around his, holding him tighter, claiming him for her own.

Finally, he focused on her throat, his gaze a caress in itself. She arched her head back and to the side, offering him her throat, her life’s blood.

A vampire’s primitive nature was never more obvious than in bed. Cord struck fast and hard, his fangs finding and penetrating her pulse. His mouth closed over the wound, pulling hard on her vein in counterpoint to his cock’s thrusts deep within her. Just that quickly, it was too much. She couldn’t hold back another second as the combined assaults on her senses drove her over the edge.

But at least she took Cord racing along with her, shuddering as he pulsed deep within her.

As he licked the wound closed on her neck, she knew nothing would ever be the same again.

For the first time in a decade and a half, or maybe in his whole life, Cord was at peace. Staring down at the woman tucked in at his side, her long legs still tangled with his, he toyed with her hair. He finally knew its texture, and it was every bit as soft as he’d imagined.

“I thought you were there to kill me.”

Livi rose to look him straight in the face, a taste of temper in her eyes. “You thought I’d do that? After everything, you thought I’d execute you right there on that dirt road?”

He smiled at her outrage. “No, I hoped you would, Livi. You were the only bright spot in my life for a long, long time. I know I never acted grateful for your visits, yet I was. But I had become so damned lost in that hell. When I saw you, all I could feel was relief that it was going to finally be over. That you were going to show me mercy and end it all.”

A hot tear dripped off her chin onto his chest. Damn it, he hadn’t meant to make her cry.

“I’m screwing this all up, Livi. I’m trying to thank you.”

She frowned and rolled on top of him, straddling his hips. That little move almost derailed the whole conversation, but he managed to keep his focus.

She poked his chest with her finger. “It’s not your gratitude I want, Cord.”

He caught her hand and kissed it. “Well, you’ve got it, not to mention my heart, my love, my life.”

He’d finally found the right words because her pretty face lit up. “I love you, too, Cord.”

“Show me.”

He flexed his hips to suggest exactly how that could be done. And bless this woman who saved him, she took the hint.

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ISBN: 978-1-4268-8554-9

A Vampire’s Salvation

Copyright © 2011 by Patricia L. Pritchard

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Table of Contents

Contents

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Copyright