John The Deliverer Read online

  "Don't flatter yourself," Maddie shot back at him. How did he know? Stupid, she thought, he's a vampire. He can probably read your mind. Her face burned even hotter, remembering the fantasy she had been enjoying just before she spied him at the bathroom door.

  Raven pushed away from the vanity and moved toward the tub.

  Maddie sunk lower still, hoping her bubbles didn't disappear completely. This situation was getting more and more dangerous by the minute. Just how was she going to get him out of here?

  Raven eased himself into a sitting position on the edge of the tub and resumed filing his nails. "You deny that you've been thinking about me then?"

  Maddie glared defiantly at him, hugging her arms across her breasts as tightly as she could. "Why would I be thinking about you? A vampire. Humph."

  "I see," Raven said, sighing. He placed his hands on his knees and looked at her as if she were an imaginative child. "I guess I'm going to have to explain a few things to you before we go any further."

  Oh God, what was he going to do now? Bite her neck? Suck her blood? Make her into what he was? "Please," she said softly, "Don't hurt me."

  Raven looked as if he had been slapped. His brow furrowed and his dark eyes winced with a hint of pain. "Do you fear me?" he asked.

  Maddie bit her lip. She feared him and she desired him. Both at the same time. But right now, fear was the major emotion. He had somehow gotten into her house and trapped her in the bathtub. After the argument Raven had had with Devlin at the Mall, Maddie didn't know what would happen next.

  She also wasn't sure of the best way to play this out. Should she be her normal, defiant self? Or should she be demure and let him see just how scared she was? He hadn't tried to hurt her, not yet. But they were alone in the house. No one knew Raven was here. Leah wasn't supposed to call until in the morning and Maddie wasn't expecting anyone else to call or stop by. She bit her lip and gazed up into his handsome face. For the first time in her life, she wasn't sure how to answer someone's question.

  Raven took a deep breath and slowly let it out. He turned toward her, his leather creaking. Maddie dipped even lower still in the water, wetting her hair at the nape of her neck. Raven raised a hand toward her face. Maddie held her breath. She didn't take her eyes off of his, didn't even blink, as he ran a long finger down the side of her cheek. "Don't be afraid. I'm not going to harm you. I'm here to protect you."

  "From what?" Maddie whispered.

  "From Devlin Morse." Raven's eyes traveled over her face, then hesitated at her mouth.

  Maddie sucked in her breath. His eyes could undo her. Their dark mystery drew her in and she shivered. If only he were normal. Hell, if only he were human. If he were human, this little predicament she was in might turn out very interesting. But, as it was, the closer he moved toward her, the more dangerous the situation became.

  Maddie knew from her research the legend that a vampire could seduce a woman with a mere look. She wondered if that was what Raven was doing to her now. Seducing her. And what did he mean when he said he was here to protect her from Devlin? Devlin was also a vampire. Didn't they run in packs or something? But Raven had confronted Devlin at the Mall. And it wasn't what you would call a friendly confrontation. Did Raven want her all to himself? If he did ... why? "What do you mean you're here to protect me from Devlin?" she said. "You're both vampires. I would think that you would get along."

  Raven's eyes moved to her own, their darkness smoldering with emotion. Which emotion, Maddie wasn't sure. Maybe he just wanted to ... wanted to feed on her. The thought made her tingle low in her belly. Angry at herself, she shoved the thought away.

  A corner of his mouth quirked up in a smile. "You believe I am one of them," he said.

  "One of who?" Maddie asked raising her chin. She would make him say it. Admit that he was a vampire.

  Raven glanced away from her for a moment. Shook his head slowly from side to side. Then he looked back at her. "You believe I am one of the monsters. A vampire."

  Maddie shrugged her shoulders under the water, causing a wave to flow over her. "Well, aren't you?"

  Raven smiled a true smile then, his eyes dancing with amusement. Maddie felt her own eyes widen as she saw the elongated canines gleaming in his seductive smile. "I'm not a vampire, Madison."

  "But, your teeth," she said. "You have fangs."

  "Yes. I had almost forgotten." He touched her chin with his fingers, moving her head just enough so that he could look in her eyes. "I have fangs, yes. But they are not real."

  Okay. Now she was mad. She moved up in the tub, raising herself just enough not to expose to expose too much of her nakedness. "So, you are just dressed up for Halloween then. Did you think you were going to scare me into submission or something?" she asked, her voice rising. "Is that what this is? You think you can scare the Vampire Queen into a roll in the hay maybe?"

  Raven looked taken aback and eyed her warily. "Hardly," he said. "I have my reasons for my appearance and believe me, they have nothing to do with you."

  "Well!" she said, flinging a hand out of the water. Raven swung his head to the side just in time to escape the wet slap across the face that was heading his way with a vengeance. He caught her hand in his and held it firmly. "What was that for?"

  "You insulted me," Maddie said, coming to a full sitting position. She jerked at her captured wrist. "Let me go."

  Raven held her arm tighter. "I did not insult you." He reached out and caught the other hand as it came around to connect with his face. "Would you just calm down."

  Maddie was incensed. How dare he insult her like that? He was the one who was following her around. He was the one who broke into her house, presumably to get closer to her. And he was telling her to calm down? "How dare you come in here, looking like a fantasy come true, then tell me your appearance has nothing to do with me? That you aren't trying to get close to me by dressing up as the hero in my book. Telling me you're here to protect me ... what are you laughing at?" Maddie jerked at her arms again but he held them fast. And he was laughing. At her.

  "I'm not dressed up as the character in your book," he said, his laughter lowering to a chuckle. "This is the way I dress when I am working. What you see is what you get." Raven pulled her closer to him. Close enough so she could breath in his scent--the odor of pine and leather. Suddenly, she realized her upper body was totally out of the water, her arms clasped tightly in his hands. Again, she was trapped.

  Raven leaned forward a bit, his eyes searching her face. "So," he said in a low voice, "I am your fantasy."

  Maddie tried to breathe. He was so close, so exciting. And she was so vulnerable in this position. No matter how much she struggled, she couldn't get her hands free. "I didn't say that," she whispered.

  His eyes jerked to meet hers, his face within an inch of her own. She could feel his breath on her lips, warm and inviting. "Yes, you did," he said.

  "No."

  "Yes." Raven moved forward, brushing his cheek against her own.

  Maddie closed her eyes and forced herself to contain the moan that was threatening to escape from her lips. He was her fantasy. She had made the mistake of telling him that. But she would never admit it again.

  "What kind of fantasy am I, Madison?" he breathed against her ear, sending a shiver through her.

  "You're not..." Then his mouth found hers, cutting her off.

  White-hot heat surged instantly through her as his mouth devoured hers. Maddie's insides turned to molten lava as he thrust his tongue between her lips.. Her passion took over and she moaned deep in her throat as she took his tongue into her mouth and gently sucked it deeper. Then her hands were free as he slid his own into her hair, holding her face so that he could deepen the kiss. Excitement rushed through her as by instinct her hands rose and snaked around his neck, tangling her fingers in his silken mane.

  Raven's hands moved from her face and moved slickly over her shoulders, burning a path on her sensory heightened skin. Maddie shuddered under his t
ouch, wanting more. Wanting so much more. He nipped at her bottom lip, then ran his tongue across it slowly, tantalizingly. Maddie opened her eyes to find his. Dark burning desire glowed in their depths.

  Her body was like a live wire, vibrating with pure want. She no longer cared if he was a vampire. It didn't matter. She wanted him. Wanted Raven. Damn being normal. This ... this man was just too sexual, too tempting to her wild side.

  Then, in the blink of an eye, Raven stood.

  Maddie almost fell forward into the water, feeling as if a part of her had been ripped away. Had she done something wrong? Was he not attracted to her? Again, she felt way too exposed.

  Raven gazed at her with hooded eyes, his breath heavy, his nostrils flaring. Like an animal in heat, Maddie thought as she looked up at him. She watched him swallow, then seem to mentally shake himself. With a deep breath, he straightened to his full height, towering over her again. Embarrassed, Maddie desperately tried to cover her nakedness. "I'll leave you to get dressed," Raven said, his voice ragged. He turned and started for the door.

  "Raven?" Maddie said softly.

  He stopped, but kept his back to her. "Yes?"

  "Did I do something..." She let the question trail off, unsure of whether to ask it.

  "Yes. And no." With that, he left the bathroom.

  Maddie bit her lip, wondering just what he had meant. Shivering, she rose from the tub and hurriedly dried herself. She would find out just what he was up to. He couldn't just kiss her until she was ready to spontaneously combust, then walk out the door leaving her to wonder what had happened. He was as aggravating as he was handsome. Tying her robe around her, she whipped her damp hair over her shoulders and started for the living room.

  She wasn't finished with John Raven.

  Not just yet.

  Chapter Five

  Raven paced the living room in long strides, raking his fingers through his hair. What the hell was he doing? He had a mission to complete, a brother in danger and a monster to destroy. But this woman--this small, mouthy woman--had steered him in a different direction.

  This was not good. Not good at all.

  Eric was in danger because of Raven's assumption that Devlin Morse wasn't as devious as he thought. Raven had been wrong about Devlin. Devlin was as evil as the devil himself and just as canny. He had tricked Raven by putting him to this test.

  And quite a test it was turning out to be.

  Not only was Devlin testing Raven's loyalty to the horde, but Madison was testing Raven's commitment to his quest.

  Raven stopped in the middle of the room. Seeing Madison lying in that tub of steamy water had almost been his undoing. He had come here with a purpose. To tell her of the danger that she was in and hope she would give him the information that would release Eric from his bondage to Claire and Devlin.

  "Now are you ready to explain yourself?" Madison asked from the doorway.

  Raven turned toward her. She was a vision of impatience, standing at the entrance to the hallway, her robe cinched tightly around her waist and her damp hair slightly curled over her shoulders. Her eyes flashed with daring as she gazed at him, her chin tilted up defiantly.

  Raven felt a smile creeping onto his lips as he watched her. She looked as if she were prepared for battle. She very well should be, he thought. "Can we turn off some of these lights?" he asked.

  Madison narrowed her eyes at him. "What for?"

  "Because people can see into the windows, can see us, with these lights blazing all through the house."

  Madison looked around the room, then shrugged. "Maybe it's a good idea that people can see in."

  Raven shook his head. So combative. She'd make a wonderful hunter. "I'm not going to attack you if that's what you're thinking."

  Madison's eyes shifted away for a moment then back to him. Raven thought he caught a hint of something, some emotion, in that look but he wasn't sure what it was. Setting her mouth into a thin line, Madison crossed the room to the end table, reached toward the lamp there, and turned it off. She then moved to the floor lamp at the other end of the couch and switched that off as well. One small table lamp beside the rocking chair, glowing dimly in the room, was all that remained. "Does that suit you? Or would you like all of the lights off?" She flapped a hand at him. "For all I know, you can see in the dark, anyway."

  "Would you sit down? We need to talk," Raven said, moving to the couch. He sat and looked up at her. She glared back. "Please?"

  With a huff, Madison sat on the couch as far away from him as she could manage.. She literally radiated tension and Raven didn't know if it was anger or the leftover passion he had felt inside her when his lips had met hers a few moments ago. A frown creased his forehead. Was that what was bothering her? That he had stood so quickly, breaking the heat between them? Could be. But he had had no choice. Either he got out of there or things would have gotten much more carried away than he could allow. He'd better make amends.

  "First, let me say I'm sorry for taking liberties earlier. I was out of line." There was that flash of something in her eyes again. She quickly looked down and fiddled with the belt to her robe, drawing it tighter. When she looked at him again, that flicker of emotion was gone.

  "I wonder why you bothered to kiss me anyway. Was it to show who was in control of the situation?" she asked. "That you could overpower me?"

  "No. To be honest with you, I very much doubt that you can be overpowered. By me or anyone else."

  "Then what is the deal with you protecting me? I'm a grown woman. I can take care of myself."

  Raven draped his arm over the back of the couch, turning toward her. "I have no doubt you can take care of yourself in many situations. But this is different. This is dangerous."

  "I've been in danger before."

  Raven shook his head. This was not going to be easy. "You've got to understand how serious this situation is."

  Madison raised her hands in the air and let them drop. "Well, Mr. Fake Teeth Vampire Wanna-be, why don't you start explaining it to me because I'll tell you what ... this situation is so strange that I couldn't even write about it. No one would believe it."

  Raven stroked his chin with a hand. "Where to begin."

  "Why don't you begin with why you have fangs and look like a vampire in the flesh?" Madison asked, her eyes daring.

  With a sigh, Raven began. "All right. That's where we'll begin.

  "The reason I maintain this appearance is so I'll fit in. My teeth are bonded to resemble the fangs of a vampire and my mode of dress is so that I blend into the darkness. I have to fit in so they don't know that I'm not one of them."

  "What do you mean 'fit in'? And you're not one of them?" she asked.

  Finally, he thought, she's listening. "I am a vampire hunter. I use my appearance to gain their trust so I can get close enough to them to destroy them."

  "So ... you're telling me vampires are real. That they really exist and you are some kind of 'Van Helsing' out to destroy them and save the world. Is that it?" she asked, cocking her head to one side.

  "That is a brief definition of what I do, yes."

  * * * *

  Maddie could not believe what she was hearing. Was he serious? A vampire hunter? Someone running around with a mallet and a wooden stake, throwing holy water and ridding the world of the undead? This was just too bizarre.

  She studied him as he waited for her to say something. John Raven was a striking man. Rugged, with a certain finesse and grace, he draped himself over the couch like a waiting panther. An animal sexuality radiated from him in waves and washed over her body. Why would a man like him, someone who had the assured confidence to be anything that he wanted to be, present himself as a vampire hunter of all things? He looked more like a vampire than one who hunted them, anyway. Was he lying? That was a trick of the breed, wasn't it? Vampires lied like the devil to draw their prey in. "Why should I believe you?" she asked. "Why should I believe you are a vampire hunter and not really a vampire?"

  R
aven gazed at her and without so much as the blink of an eye, he said, "You'll just have to trust me."

  Maddie laughed heartily. She rose from the couch and stalked across the room, running her fingers through her damp tangled hair. "I think I'm losing it," she said. "This is nuts." Suddenly, a thought struck her. She whirled around and faced him. "Did someone put you up to this?"

  Raven raised one dark eyebrow. "I don't know what you mean."

  Maddie paced across the room in front of him, her robe swirling around her legs. "You know, someone at my publisher's. Is this some sort of weird publicity stunt to promote the book?"

  Raven looked at her as if she were three years old. "Why would your publisher set up a publicity stunt without telling you what was going on?" He cocked his head and waited for her answer.

  Maddie stopped pacing. She raised a hand to her mouth, touched her lips. He had a point. Surely her publisher would have told her if it was a stunt to promote the book. They wouldn't scare her like this. "I don't know," she said quietly.

  "This is no stunt. This is serious," Raven said. He waved a hand toward the couch. "Please come and sit down. We need to talk about what we're going to do to protect you."

  "We?" Maddie let out a chuckle. "Who's going to protect me from you?"

  Raven's eyes widened in surprise. He raised his hand, the one with the armored pinkie ring, in supplication. The ring flashed in the dim glow of the tiny table lamp, seeming to catch fire. "It's not me you have to worry about."

  Maddie scrunched up her mouth. Want to bet? She was worried plenty about John Raven and her attraction to him. If they had been in the bathroom a few minutes longer, she probably would have dragged him into her bedroom and thrown him on her bed. But no ... he had stopped it from happening, hadn't he? He had abruptly ended the kiss and left the room. He might as well have thrown a pitcher of ice water on her.

  "Madison, I'm not going to harm you. It's Devlin Morse who threatens you, not me." Raven motioned for her to sit. "Let me explain."

  Maddie bit her lip. She took a deep breath and, returning to the couch, dropped down on it. She drew her feet underneath her robe, a chill starting to creep up on her. "Why do I have to fear Devlin?" she asked. Why did you end the kiss? was what she had wanted to ask. But she wouldn't. She wouldn't let him see it bothered her.