John The Deliverer Read online

  He hoped it wouldn't come to that.

  He hoped he could save them all.

  * * * *

  Madison awoke, pleasantly sore. After taking a quick morning shower, she threw on jeans and a sweatshirt, then headed for the kitchen for a much-needed cup of coffee. Tinker slinked behind her, meowing.

  "Hang on," Maddie said, turning on the coffee maker. "I'll get your breakfast." While she filled the cat's bowls, she wondered just how in the world she was going to find Raven.

  She had no idea where he was staying. No idea where to even start looking for him. But she couldn't let him think she didn't want to see him again. Last night had been a dream, her fantasy come to life. She loved his strength, his character and knew he was the man for her. And the sex ... the sex had been intense. Maddie was not going to let that go. No way.

  Cat fed, Maddie poured herself a cup of coffee and went to get the morning paper off of the front porch. She opened the front door, bent down and snatched the paper off the step. Closing the door behind her, Maddie took two steps toward the kitchen before she stopped dead.

  She held the paper out in front of her, snapping it open to the front page.

  "Oh, crap," she said. There was a quarter-page photo of her looking bemused, while Devlin and Raven were apparently arguing. It looked more like a supermarket tabloid photo than one in her hometown paper.

  Maddie cringed inside, already anticipating her parents' reaction to this latest slip. "Just great," she said, crumpling the paper in her fist and stomping toward the kitchen.

  She sipped at her coffee, then the phone rang..

  With a heavy sigh, Maddie answered. "Hello, Father."

  "Did you see this morning's paper, Madison?" His voice boomed in her ear.

  "Yes."

  "Well?"

  Maddie was suddenly tired of trying to explain herself. She was a grown woman, after all, with her own life. So what if two vampires were fighting over her in the middle of a mall food court? If she wanted to hang out with vampires, that was her business. "Well what?" she challenged, ready for battle.

  "What do you have to say for yourself? Madison, those two men have fangs for goodness sake. What are you trying to do to this family?"

  Maddie was beginning to shake with anger. "Number one, Father, I'm not trying to 'do' anything to this family. I can't help that I have two ... men arguing over me in public. Number two, the reason they have fangs is because they are vampires." Maddie grinned, picturing her father's face turning red with anger.

  "What are you saying? Vampires? What have you got yourself mixed up in Madison?" Her father's voice was at sonic-boom level and Maddie held the receiver away from her ear.

  When her father stopped ranting, Maddie spoke calmly and clearly so there would be no mistake. "Father. I am a grown woman. I know I have been a disappointment to you all of my life but I guess you're just going to have to live with it. You have dear sweet Lauren to shower with affection, since in your eyes, she is the perfect one." Maddie paused for breath. Her father started to say something, but Maddie ruthlessly cut him off. "Shut up, Father and just listen." Maddie actually heard his mouth snap shut. She continued. "I am going to live my life just how I want to. I don't care what people think. And as for what I have myself mixed up in ... well, I'm dating a vampire Father. He's the one in the photo. The one with the long black hair. And yes, he has fangs." Maddie laughed, finally feeling free. "Isn't life just full of surprises, Father?" she asked, then she carefully replaced the receiver on the hook, cutting him off.

  Taking a cleansing breath and feeling lighter than she had in years, Maddie retrieved her laptop from the coffee table in the living room and connected it to the phone line in the kitchen. She booted up and dialed on the Internet, effectively tying up her phone line. She didn't think her father would call back soon, but she didn't want to take the chance. Besides, she wanted to do some research and see what she could find out about Raven and this Devlin Morse.

  While she waited for the connection to go through, Maddie sipped her coffee. She couldn't believe how good telling off her father had felt.

  Damn, I should have done that years ago, she thought.

  She set her cup down and started to type. "Okay, John Raven, where are you?"

  * * * *

  Eric Raven stirred in his sleep. He opened his eyes a crack. Though he knew it was full daylight outside, the basement of the empty house the clutch had found in River Bend was almost pitch black. The others couldn't tolerate the daylight. Eric, not being fully turned, had no problem with it yet.

  He shifted, turning onto his back on the bare mattress. Claire cuddled closer, snaking her long, slender arm across his chest. She had become possessive, not letting him out of her sight for a moment.

  Eric closed his eyes, not wanting her to know that he was awake. At least he could still shield his mind from her. He thought about that last night in Chicago, right before Devlin had summoned them to River Bend to join the rest of the clutch.

  Eric still couldn't believe that he had fallen under Claire's spell, even for a moment.

  But he had.

  And Claire had fastened her full lips on his neck and drank.

  The sensation had been a delicious rush of sexuality and Eric, despite trying to fight Claire's pull, had succumbed. Claire was becoming more powerful in her seductive ways. As she drank from him, slowly, with a lover's passion, he had given himself to her totally. When she drew her tongue over the wound to close it, she moved down his body and proceeded to use her mouth to drain him of his seed.

  Eric hadn't been able to help himself. He hoped it wouldn't happen again. Another bite from Claire and he definitely need a transfusion when this was over. A third, and John would have to handle the matter as he had promised.

  Eric hoped Claire was satisfied for a while. He wasn't sure if he could put up a fight, mentally or physically, if she decided to feed on him again. Even worse, he wasn't sure he even wanted to.

  With a deep breath, Eric tried to settle himself. John, you'd better hurry up and deliver the woman, he thought. Or I may just give in.

  * * * *

  Raven pulled the black suitcase out from under the bed in his hotel room. He opened it, checking its contents. Everything was in order.

  He stood, fingering his father's armored ring on his little finger, while he surveyed his tools.

  Inside the suitcase, there was an assortment of things Raven kept hidden. A bottle of water, blessed by a Catholic priest he knew well. Three slender wooden stakes, made of ash. Two sterling silver crosses, their bottoms sharpened to a point. One large, curved silver knife that looked very much like a farmer's scythe.

  Raven closed the suitcase and placed it by the door. He would be taking it with him tonight, in the trunk of his car. He would take care of the Clutch today, while daylight allowed him some protection, but he needed to find out where their lair was and if Eric was with them.

  If Raven could catch them, asleep in their lair during the day, he would begin. But he had to find them first. He would have to drag Eric out, knowing it would be painful to his brother because he had been bitten, but he would do it.

  Then he would destroy them.

  Fire. Yes, he thought. Fire would be the best way.

  * * * *

  Maddie propped her chin on her hand and scrolled down the screen. Her search had come back with over one million hits on the name 'Raven'. There were web pages on the mating habits of ravens to porn sites with 'raven-haired' beauties. She was getting nowhere. She clicked to the next page of hits.

  "Hmm," she said, leaning forward in her chair. She scooted her coffee cup out of the way. This site looked promising. 'Unkindness of Ravens, experts in Bloodsport'.

  Maddie bit her lip and clicked on the link.

  A page with a black background and dripping blood appeared on screen, along with a warning that if she was under age 18, she'd better leave the site. If over 18, click the pulsing heart to enter. Maddie clicked the hea
rt. While she waited for the page to load, someone knocked on her front door.

  Maddie jumped. "Who could that be?" she asked herself, closing her laptop before leaving the kitchen. It wouldn't do for anyone to come into the kitchen and see some porno page on her computer, if that's what the 'bloodsport' referred to.

  Maddie opened the front door to find Leah, pale-faced, ready to knock again. "Hi," Maddie said, smiling.

  Immediately, Leah reached out and slapped Maddie on the arm.

  "Ow! What was that for?" Maddie asked, rubbing at her arm.

  "I ought to smack the crap out of you," Leah said, pushing past her and into the living room.

  Maddie shut the front door. "Well, just beat me up and make yourself at home." She followed Leah into the kitchen.

  Leah got herself a cup from the cupboard and poured some coffee. "I've been trying to call you all morning. Your line's been busy."

  "I was doing some research online. Sorry." Maddie reheated her coffee and sat down at the table. Leah joined her.

  "You would think that a friend would call a friend in the morning after that warning about vampires last night," Leah scolded.

  Maddie let out a tiny laugh. "Oh. That. Um, I'm sorry. I was just..."

  "Oh I know. You were just fantasizing about these two men fighting over you.," Leah said, flipping open the newspaper on the table in front of her, "Or should I say two 'vampires'?"

  Maddie smiled crookedly.

  "Maddie, I'm worried about you." Leah tapped her finger on the photo. "These guys do have fangs. You can see them clearly in the picture."

  "There's no need to worry," Maddie said, flapping her hand. "Raven wouldn't let--"

  "Raven! Raven. That's all I've been hearing." Leah leaned back in her chair and scowled at her friend. "Have you gotten yourself involved with this Raven? Last I knew, you were afraid he was going to show up at the Mall and when he did, you called me to warn me not to walk outside by myself for fear that one of the two would attack me."

  Maddie cradled her coffee cup in her hands. "I guess you could say I am involved with Raven." She looked up at Leah. "He, um, spent the night last night."

  "What!" Leah slammed her hand down on the table. "Are you nuts?"

  Maddie clutched her coffee cup, remembering the way Raven had made her come just by sucking on her nipples. She especially remembered the way he had 'fed' upon her. Replaying it in her mind, just thinking of that long, powerful tongue, she was becoming wet. "Oh no," Maddie said, "I'm definitely not nuts."

  Leah narrowed her eyes. "You had sex with him, didn't you?"

  Maddie ran her tongue over her lower lip. "Oh yeah."

  Leah got up from her chair and before Maddie could stop her, she had Maddie by the head, cocking it back to look at her neck. "What are you doing?" Maddie said, grabbing Leah's hands.

  "I want to see if he bit you." Finally she let go. "Well, he didn't bite you on your neck. Should I look some place else?"

  Maddie ran her hand over her neck. "No. You should not." She grimaced, rubbing at the back of her neck. "Sit down, Leah. You're supposed to be my friend, not jumping up and trying to choke me."

  Leah plopped down into her chair. "Okay. You went to bed with a stranger last night. Now I know you haven't had any in a while and damn, that Raven is something to give you a thrill but Maddie ... the guy has fangs. Either he's a vampire or a vampire wanna-be. Now which is it? Does he want to drink you're blood? You didn't drink his, did you?"

  Maddie started laughing. "Okay Mother. No, he does not want to drink my blood. No, I did not drink his. Yes, he does have fangs but it has to do with his job. Part of his 'uniform' you might say."

  "What kind do job would require you to have fangs, Maddie? Think about it." Leah raised an eyebrow.

  Maddie sighed. "He's a..."

  Leah cocked her head, waiting.

  "A vampire hunter," Maddie said.

  Leah stared at her for a moment. Then she shook her head. "You fell for that?"

  Maddie frowned. "Okay, look. I told my Father off this morning because he couldn't handle my picture showing up in the newspaper again. Now don't make me tell you to keep your nose out of my sex life. You're my best friend. I don't want to be mad at you."

  Leah sighed. "You're being careful, aren't you? I mean, this guy is a bit strange."

  "I'm a big girl, Leah. Raven may be strange, but he's the best damn lay I've ever had. And I'll tell you something else," she leaned forward. "John Raven is the man I've been searching for all of my life."

  "Is he that good, that you think you're in love with him?"

  "I'm in love with him, but not because of the sex. Haven't you read my book? The vampire in my book is Raven. I've lived with him in my head for years. Now he's here in the flesh and I'm not going to let him get away." Maddie didn't mention the part about Raven's strong sense of family. Even though he looked like someone who stepped out of a vampire movie, Maddie felt a bond with him that she had never felt before.

  Leah shook her head again. "Well, if you say so. But I'm still going to keep an eye on you."

  Maddie reached over and grasped Leah's hand. "You can keep an eye on me but when I'm with Raven, don't you dare watch." She wiggled her eyebrows up and down comically.

  "I'm not promising that. From the way you talk, if the sex is really that good, I just may want to watch."

  "Oh yeah. The sex is that good. Better than good."

  Both women burst out laughing.

  * * * *

  Raven had spent the day alternating between trying to rest and pacing the floor of the hotel room.. He forced himself to rest because he knew he'd need to be strong for the upcoming battle. What didn't help was that he had exhausted himself by making love to Madison all night long.

  Darkness couldn't come soon enough. But when it did, he had three things to do. Take care of Devlin. Get Eric clear.

  Then take possession of Madison Woods. He wanted to make her his own. Show her that she could be herself with him. Make her part of his family.

  In his mind, she was already his.

  * * * *

  Maddie paced the living room floor while staring at the dusk outside her window. She had spent the whole day trying to find information about John Raven and Devlin Morse but had no luck. The one website that had looked promising, the bloodsport one, had been nothing more than people looking for people who would let them drink their blood during sex. Ugh. That was one thing she didn't need.

  What she did need was John Raven. Here. Now. In her arms. Between her legs.

  Maddie ran both hands through her hair. Damn, she had never been this horny or this frustrated. She plopped down on the couch and rested her feet on the coffee table. Where could he be? Suddenly, she slapped herself in the forehead with the palm of her hand.

  "The hotel," she said. "Why didn't I think of that? He has to be staying somewhere, doesn't he?"

  Maddie jumped up from the couch and gathered her purse and car keys. She'd just drive out to the hotel and see if a John Raven was staying there. If he was there, she could go directly to his room. Maddie slid her feet into her shoes, a smile on her lips. Oh yeah, she'd go straight to his room all right.

  She reached for the door. Opened it. And screamed.

  On the front porch stood the very normal looking Devlin Morse. He smiled widely, exposing his very white, very sharp teeth. "May I come in?" he asked.

  At first she opened her mouth to yell, to tell him to go away. Never invite a vampire in your house, her mind told her crazily. Suddenly, Maddie felt a bit woozy. She raised her hand to her forehead.

  "Miss Woods, you'll invite me in, won't you?" Devlin asked, his voice a smooth murmur.

  Maddie squeezed her eyes shut, wondering why her head felt so fuzzy. "Yes. Sure," she said taking a step back from the door and almost stumbled.

  Then there were arms around her waist, moving her away from the door. She heard the door close. A wave of tingling swept over her, as though her whole body had fallen a
sleep. She felt her knees start to go. "Oh..." she breathed, letting herself fall against Devlin.

  "Are you alright, Ms. Woods?" Devlin breathed against her ear as he drew her into his embrace.

  Maddie struggled to open her eyes. Devlin was danger, a bright flashing red light in her mind. She had to get away. Devlin was a vampire. Devlin wanted her dead. "I'll ... be okay," she managed to say.

  Devlin clutched her closer to his chest, arms wrapped around her. "I think you should lie down. I wouldn't want you to fall and hurt yourself."

  Maddie felt herself being lifted.

  The next thing she knew, they were in her bedroom, and Devlin was lowering her to her bed. Her body still tingled. It wasn't an unpleasant feeling. In fact, it was titillating. Maddie lay on the bed, holding her breath, her mind a cottony fog.

  Devlin hovered over her, arms braced on each side of her, pinning her to the bed. He lowered his face toward hers, his eyes an intense green. Maddie couldn't look away. The closer he came, the more her nerves tingled.. She let out her breath and Devlin pursed his lips as though to take in the exhalation.

  Then, he smiled. "So sweet," he murmured. He placed his hand on her cheek. "Does the rest of you taste as sweet as your breath, Madison?"

  Maddie began to shake. Fear laced through her even as her body betrayed her lust for this ... demon, this monster. Devlin trailed his fingers along her jawline, then down the side of her neck. Raven, her mind screamed as she started to whimper. Devlin chuckled, resting his hand on her throat. He tightened his grip, his hand spanning her throat as if to choke her.

  "I can read your mind, sweet Madison," he said, his voice a low rumble. "Raven can't help you." Devlin snaked out his tongue, lashing it across her lips.

  Madison quivered inside. Although sickened that Devlin's touch was arousing her, she felt her hot juices begin to wet her, her nipples begin to stand at attention, wanting Devlin's dangerous mouth on them.