Vampires Realm Book Bundle

Eve returned to gazing out of the window but her agitation remained. It wasn’t just his referring to her as a package again. She had been growing increasingly tense and restless during the journey, as if something played on her mind.

Tor kept a close eye on her as he took the turn that would bring him back to the small airport. She was important to the lady of his bloodline, and also his family’s Chosen Son, Lincoln, and therefore he would do all in his power to protect her and safely deliver her to them.

During their meeting, Lincoln had told him that Eve would become the Chosen Daughter, a woman ranked only below Lilith and Lincoln in the entire bloodline.

Lincoln had also told him that if he failed in this mission, it would be his head. The threat didn’t bother Tor. He had never failed. He had never strayed from his duty. This escort mission was simple in comparison to his previous ones.

All he needed to do was bring Eve to the mansion in Oslo and abide by the rules set out by Lincoln. He had to treat her with the respect she deserved as their future Chosen Daughter, had to protect her with his life, and had to do nothing that might harm her. Easy enough considering all he had to do was put her on the private jet, sit with her a few hours, and then drive her to the mansion after they had landed in Oslo.

Or it should be.

But something about her bothered him.

Lincoln had warned she would be volatile, frightened and in need of care. Tor could see that, although she hid it well most of the time. The male had neglected to mention that she would be such a danger to herself though. He had thought Lincoln overprotective when he had told him to protect her from herself if the need arose.

Tor had the feeling the need was definitely rising, and the more time he sat with her, the stronger the feeling grew.

He flicked another glance at her, catching a glimpse of her profile as light flashed across it, his gaze focused on her deep brown eyes.

Those eyes had shown a hint of vulnerability back at the club. It had been buried beneath the layers of defiance, anger, bitterness and hatred, but it was there. Those darker emotions were keeping her going. They were keeping her strong, but they troubled him.

She wasn’t right.

She wasn’t coping as everyone thought.

He had encountered many newly turned vampires and this one wasn’t dealing with the transition.

If given leave to voice his opinion, he would say that she wasn’t going to survive being in the mansion. It was going to be too much for her.

He knew Lady Lilith had taken months to move from the cabin in the mountains into residence at the mansion. He wasn’t sure how long her sister had been a vampire, but it was going to take more than a few months of seclusion to convince her to embrace life as one.

Tor shifted his focus to her again and drove onto the airport, heading for the hangar where the jet waited. Eve tensed, her mood darkening and emotions rising. Too many to discern but a few stood out amongst the swirling maelstrom.

Panic. Fear. Determination.

Her feelings about travelling to Oslo and facing her sister?

Or something else?

The bitterness came again, a sharp tang in her scent that blacker feelings swiftly followed. Her fingers curled into fists on her lap.

He spotted the small white jet ahead, stark in the darkness. Rain lashed down, the wind driving it across the tarmac, towards the open hangar nearby. Every metre closer they drew to it, Eve’s tension increased.

It was on the tip of his tongue to break protocol and ask her what was wrong when she suddenly turned in her seat to face him.

“I changed my mind. I’m not going.”

Tor frowned and rattled through his orders. Bringing her home went up against respecting her and doing nothing that might harm her. Could forcing her onto the plane be considered disrespecting and hurting her?

His primary objective was completing his mission. That mission was to bring her home.

“Jet is already preparing for take-off. No turning back now.”

She cursed. “You’ll have to carry me onto that damn plane.”

“I have no problem with that. Thank you for giving permission.” Tor drove into the hangar, parked the car and turned off the engine.

He shoved the door open, stepped out and closed it, cutting off her low growl.

Tor opened the back door, grabbed his duffle and slung it over his shoulder, and then picked up her bag. He shut the door, rounded the car and was about to get the door for her when she opened it, slamming the metal panel hard into his knees. She huffed and strode away from him, leaving him to close the door for her.

He bit back a growl and went after her.

She paused inside the hangar and stared at the plane, the breeze whipping her dark hair around her shoulders. Spots of rain landed on her face, glistening like diamonds against her pale skin. He didn’t want to hazard a guess at the last time she had fed properly. She was weak. She hadn’t been able to defend herself against four weakling vampires, a task that should have been easy for her, and he had noticed her shaking in the club.

Before departing, he had pressed Oneiric on the subject and the male had admitted she had refused blood on waking tonight. Tor had the feeling tonight wasn’t the only time she had refused to feed.

Her face paled further and she wrapped her arms around herself, fingers clutching the sleeves of her black jacket and pulling the material tight, as if she needed to hold herself together or she would fall to pieces.

Tor hazarded a step closer and she looked across at him, her large brown eyes showing that vulnerable edge as clear as night now.

The stewardess and co-pilot of the jet lingered nearby, waiting for the pilot to lower the steps of the plane so they could make the short bolt across the tarmac in the driving rain.

The door began to lower.

Tor took another step towards her. Eve swung to face him, grabbed his arm and stared up into his eyes, her panic flowing over him.

“Just give me a minute,” she blurted and clutched his arm, her fingers trembling against his wrist.

His mission was to get her on that plane and their departure time was rolling up on them. He didn’t have a minute to give. Her fingers flexed and her grip tightened. Her dark eyes implored him.

Tor went against every instinct he possessed and led her deeper into the hangar, away from the rain.

Eve released him and paced away, her gaze dancing between him and the plane.

“I’m not ready for this,” she whispered, her soft voice laced with pain. “It’s too much. I need more time.”

“I cannot give you that time. My mission is to bring you to Lady Lilith as soon as possible.”

Eve cast him a pained look and turned her back on him. She wrapped her arms around herself again and shook her head. She looked smaller like that. More vulnerable.

It was strange for him, but he found himself drawn to stepping closer to her and gently asking, “Don’t you want to see your sister?”

“I do,” she said and sighed. “I do want to see her… but I don’t know how she’ll react to seeing me again. She thought I was dead. It’s been five years, Tor.”

The sound of his name rolling softly off her tongue shocked him almost as much as the news that she had turned five years ago and hadn’t seen her sister in that time. He hadn’t known, but now that he did, he understood her reluctance to jump on a plane and meet her sister again.

It wasn’t the only reason behind her reluctance though.

He could see the cold hunger in her again as she turned to face him and her dark eyes locked with his. She hid it well, but it was there, layered with purpose and determination, and a drive that seemed familiar to him.

On top of that burning need that drove her ever onwards was one that held her back.

The need to avoid accepting what she had become at all costs. At the Vehemens mansion, she wouldn’t be able to hide from it any longer. The hunter would have to face the truth. She had become a vampire. She had become the very creature she once hunted and loathed.

Movement out of the corner of his eye drew his attention to the front of the hangar. The stewardess and co-pilot placed their long dark coats over their heads to shield them from the downpour and rushed across the small strip of tarmac to the plane.

The jet’s staff made it on board.

Thunder rumbled in the distance.

Not the distance.

Not thunder.

His senses focused and everything slowed to a crawl.

A violent growl filled the silence, beginning in the belly of the jet, and grew in volume to a deadly roar. Brilliant blinding light drove the darkness back, orange and white flares stinging his eyes.

Tor reacted on instinct to the split-second warning, turning away from the coming blast.

Eve stood immobile, her eyes widening in horror as the eruption tore the Cessna apart, the inferno illuminating her face and warming her pale skin.

Tor lunged for her as the heat of the blast rolled over him.