Tempted

Chapter 5

Sarah opened her mouth, unable to scream.

Faster than her brain could catch up, Max whisked her behind him, leaping for the intruder. The gun discharged, ripping into Max and sending him sprawling in the wide guest chair. He bounded up, hurdled the desk, and sent papers spiraling.

He caught the Kurjan around the middle. They crashed into the side door, splintering the wood into pieces. Odd green lasers shot from the gun, forming round holes in the ceiling. Max pummeled the weapon and it spiraled in the air, landing under the guest chair. Punches so fast they blurred together were followed by pained grunts.

The Kurjan was several inches taller than Max, who had to be at least six foot seven. Yet, Max had bulk. Fast, well-trained bulk. He connected with an elbow in the Kurjan’s swirling purple eyes, following with a punch that cracked the Kurjan’s ribs. They popped like sparks in a fire.

Dr. Robard jumped up and skirted the desk, smacking into Sarah. “Run.” His long, tapered fingers dug into her arms. “Run, damn it.”

Frozen, she couldn’t move, her gaze on the deadly fight.

The Kurjan wrapped his legs around Max’s waist and twisted to the side, throwing him against the wall. Then he started toward her.

She shrieked.

Max flipped to his feet, grabbing the Kurjan by the belt and yanking him back.

Sarah turned to run, tangling her feet with Dr. Robard’s and smashing him into the chair. They crashed to the ground in a tangle of arms and legs. Her chin landed on his shoulder. Pain cascaded through her face. Holy hell, that hurt.

Robard sprawled beneath her, his glasses askew. She shook her head, levering onto her hands and knees. Cold tile chilled her palms as she tried to regain her balance. Panting, she scrambled back and turned her head toward the fight.

Max lifted the Kurjan, swung his torso, and slammed the monster onto the desk. Glass shattered. Sarah ducked, yelping when a piece cut into her shoulder. She grabbed the chair and pulled herself to stand.

The Kurjan flopped to the floor unconscious, landing between the chrome legs of the desk. Blood ran down his impossibly white face and into his thick hair.

Max panted, blood dripping off his chin. “How many more are here?”

Dr. Robard scooted back, pulling his legs away from Sarah’s feet before standing. He wiped sweat off his forehead. “He’s the only one. Been waiting for you two hours. Hiding in the closet.”

Sarah rounded on the doctor. “So. Believe me now?”

“Yes.” Sorrow filled the doctor’s intelligent eyes.

Wait a minute. Sarah slowly pivoted to face Max. “You knew. All the guns, knives, and weapons were because you knew he might be here.”

Max shrugged. “When your website went down, it made sense we’d come for your records. They probably sent this guy after we escaped from the motel. So, yeah, it was a possibility.”

Sulfur scented the air. Faster than a whisper, the Kurjan lunged for Max, stabbing a blade into his shoulder and a fist into his face. Max stumbled back, fangs shooting out his mouth. He growled, grabbing the Kurjan and throwing him through the double-paned window.

The animal screamed as sun bit into his flesh. Blisters erupted on his skin. Smoke billowed up, and he sank to the ground. Dead.

Max slowly turned to face her, fangs out, one eye a bright pink, the other the muddy brown.

A vampire. A real vampire. Sarah’s ears filled with a dull roar. She stepped back as a haze dropped over her vision. Then the world turned dark and she dropped to the floor.

Sarah awoke as the helicopter landed and the rotor died away. She blinked. Warmth surrounded her. Strong arms held her, and a steady heartbeat thumped against her ear. The scent of fresh cedar filled her senses. Max. Her butt rested on his thighs. The desire she’d been combating flared to life again.

Reality slammed spikes beneath her eyelids. Vampire. The man was a monster. She shoved him, struggling.

The side door opened and he stepped out onto a rooftop. His boots crunched gravel. The wind whipped into her hair. One hand cupped her head, pressing her into his chest. “Settle down, Milaya. You’re safe.”

A muffled sob rose from her chest. She shut her eyes. Concentrate . She needed to focus to get out of this mess. Tight muscles shifted and Max maneuvered out of the wind, quickly descending a flight of stairs and dodging through a doorway. He removed his hand and Sarah lifted her head.

Fall-colored patterned wallpaper covered the walls, reminding her of the principal’s office at the elementary school where she used to teach. Inside the penthouse of a hotel, Max took long strides across marble to place her gently on an embroidered sofa. Then he backed slowly away.

She scooted to the edge in case she needed to run. Vibrations wandered through her ... slow and lazy. The couch was new. The person—a woman—who’d hand embroidered the intricate leaves had enjoyed the process, humming the entire time. Sarah settled herself. “You were shot and stabbed.”

“I heal fast.”

The view of Mt. Rainier out the floor-to-ceiling windows caught her eye and she turned her head. “So. Vampires have money, huh?” Sarah focused back on him.

His grin matched the humor in his eyes. His bourbon-colored eyes were much lighter and more animated than the contacts he’d been wearing. “You’re a spunky one, Sarah.” Warmth and approval coated his gravelly voice.

“And you’re a sneaky, lying, money grabbing ... vampire.” Anger darted through her so quickly her skin tingled. She leaped to her feet. To think she’d been attracted to him. Yeah. Past tense. She had been attracted to him. Her body called her a liar. Lying to herself was perfectly acceptable.

“Well.” He ran a hand through his thick hair, leaving it sexy and rumpled. “I’ve been upfront, honest, and have no interest in your money. I just haven’t told you everything.”

“You’re a vampire”—or she’d suffered a psychotic break at Brancrest and was in some odd coma—“which is probably why my gift doesn’t work. Why I can’t get images from things you touch.”

“Yeah, sounds right to me.” He glanced down at the rips and tears in his dark shirt. “I’m a vampire and we’re at war with the Kurjans.”

Thoughts zinged around her head like a ball in a pinball machine. “But, you have scars. Aren’t you immortal?”

“I’m immortal—except I can be beheaded or lose all my blood and go brain dead.” His eyes sizzled as he met her gaze. “The scars. Well, we can scar, but it takes some serious effort. I was young.”

Sadness washed through her. She steeled her spine. It was not the time to waver or feel sorry for him. “You’re a vampire .”

“Yeah. We are the good guys, Sarah—and we need your help.”

Oh no, he didn’t. “I helped you already. You have my loony bin records.” Thoughts zinged through her mind until she gasped. “Wait a minute. What did you do with Dr. Robard?” He’d drugged her and had refused to believe her, but the guy meant well. He’d probably helped a lot of truly crazy people. The vampires wouldn’t have killed him to keep their secret, right?

“The doctor is fine.” Max stalked over to a polished dining table and began removing his weapons, dropping them with soft plunks.

She eyed a gun. If she could get past him—

“Don’t even think about it.” Irritation and warning filled his tone.

“Promise me you didn’t kill the doctor.”

“I promise.” His weapons removed, Max yanked the shirt over his head. A nearly healed wound marred his right shoulder. Tanned skin covered hard muscle, his abs tapering to a trim waist. So male.

Sarah’s abdomen heated. Her thighs softened. She shook her head. Her body might want the man, but her brain knew better. “Did you turn the doctor into a vampire?” God, were they going to turn her into a vampire? The idea of tasting someone’s blood made her want to hurl.

Max snorted. “You can’t turn someone into a vampire. We’re born, not made. Just another species on earth.”

Well. That was a new one. “Are vampires and Kurjans related?”

“No. We have the same number of chromosomes, but we’re too different. We must be different races.” He growled the last, as if maybe trying to convince himself as well as her.

“Chromosomes?”

“Yeah. Both vampires and Kurjans have thirty chromosomal pairs.” Max poked at the wound. “Sit down, Sarah. We need to talk.”

She eyed the stack of weapons and sat. “You drink blood?” Was he going to drink hers?

“We need blood like you do. But we only drink blood once in a while, either in battle ... or sex.”

Her body reacted to his low voice, her nipples sharpening into hard points. Sex and biting. Who knew? She sucked in air. “The sun doesn’t kill you?”

“Nope. We’re fine with the sun. But it does kill the Kurjans. Now, we need to talk.”

The man wanted to talk, did he? “My entire reality has come crashing down, numerous times. What bizarre facts do you want to hit me with now, Max?”

“ ‘There are no facts, only interpretations.’ ” He dropped onto the matching love seat.

“Seriously? You’re quoting Nietzsche?” Good looking, tough, and well learned. Who the hell was Max?

“Sorry.” He sighed, rubbing a hand over his chin. “I’ve been studying to teach Janie—the educational television shows aren’t enough. I’m not doing a good enough job with her. Besides, I like Nietzsche.”

“Are your eyes metallic brown or pink?” The question slipped out before Sarah could bite it back. Damn curiosity.

“Both. Vampires have a main eye color and tributary colors that emerge when we’re emotional or stressed.”

“Weird.”

The door opened, and Conn loped to the dining room table, twirled a chair around and sat. “So. Let’s talk.” Dark green, almost metallic, eyes flashed.

“You’re a vampire, too.” Sarah shoved back into the sofa, crossing her legs. Dignity—she needed class and dignity—then she’d stake them. That legend had to be correct. A wooden stake through the heart would kill them. Probably.

“Yes. As is Jase, and our brother, Dage, who is also our king.” Conn nodded.

“The king you’re trying to save.” She glanced at the table of weapons. No stake there. “I need a stake.”

Conn shrugged. “Stakes don’t kill us.”

Well, that figured. She sighed. “Where is Jase?”

“Going through your records in the adjacent penthouse.” Max leaned forward. “Tell us about the night you saw the Kurjan, Sarah.”

Chills swept down her back. She clasped her shaking hands together in her lap. While she didn’t want to discuss it, there was no reason to hide anything, especially since Jase was currently reading Dr. Robard’s reports. “Fine. I went to my brother’s office one night to ask him about the latest financial report from the Mercury lab. The head office is kept separate from the labs, and Andrew works there in downtown Seattle.”

Sarah’s grandfather had raised her and Andrew when their mother had abandoned them. He left the majority of stock in the pharmaceutical research company to her, but Andrew ran the business as the CFO. She had always wanted to teach, and her grandfather had strongly encouraged her to follow her dreams. “The company will always be here, Bella,” he had said, his strong voice reassuring and safe.

Memories flooded into Sarah, and she caressed the threaded embroidery on the couch, allowing the seamstress’s joy to comfort her. “I should’ve had Andrew removed years ago. But I felt sorry for him. He’d already been through hell when Grandpa took us in.” Max had been through hell as a kid, too. Yet he’d turned a bad childhood around, becoming a protector. Maybe she should’ve cut ties with Andrew years ago.

She sighed. “The reports showed an outlandish amount of funding being allocated to research, and that didn’t make any sense. There were no protocols, no blind studies, nothing.” Her voice shook, and she coughed the nervousness out.

Max reached over and placed a calloused hand over hers.

For a brief moment, she allowed the warm strength to reassure her. “Well, that night I got to the top floor and heard noises from the smaller conference room. Figuring Andrew was inside, I headed that way.” She’d do almost anything to take that moment back. Just turn around and leave.

“What did you see?” Max asked quietly.

“Well, I turned a corner and ran smack into Lila Smythe, who was one of our marketing analysts.” A pretty redhead, the thirty-year-old had been with the company for nearly five years. The terror in her eyes as she grabbed Sarah would forever haunt her. “Lila was trying to get to the elevator very quietly. She shoved me and whispered we had to run.” So much fear had been in her terse voice Sarah hadn’t even questioned the woman. They’d run back to the elevator and pressed the DOWN button.

Sarah took a deep breath. “Male voices rose, arguing, and one was yelling something about a virus and how the vampires had found a way to stop the catalyst. That he needed the new data. None of it made any sense to me. Andrew stormed out of the conference room followed by ...” Her voice trailed off as she hesitated. God. She knew what to call him now. “A Kurjan.”

Max flipped her hand around, tangling their fingers. “What happened next, Sarah?”

“We pounded on the elevator door.” They’d pounded so hard. “The door finally opened. Fast. He moved so fast.” In less than a second the Kurjan reached Lila, hauling her up. “He sank his teeth, I mean fangs, into Lila’s neck, and pulled.” Blood. So much blood squirted out and Lila’s head rolled to the floor.

Sarah gagged. She slapped a hand over her mouth, sucking air through her nose.

“Deep breath, sweetheart. You’ve got it.” In one smooth movement, Max deserted his spot on the love seat and sat next to her on the sofa, dropping a heavy arm over her shoulders. “Keep breathing.”

Conn leaned forward, an odd silver ripping through his green eyes. “What then?”

Andrew rounded the corner, his hair mussed, his face pale. He stopped short. “I thought Andrew would help me.” Sure, they’d never been close. “But, he didn’t,” she whispered. Andrew glared at the Kurjan and asked how the hell he was supposed to clean up the mess. “The Kurjan’s name was Erik.”

Conn exhaled. “Interesting.” He cut his gaze to Max. “Franco’s brother, the scientist, is named Erik.” Conn focused back on Sarah. “Franco is the Kurjan leader.”

Max gave a short nod. “How did you get away, sweetheart?”

“I jumped inside the elevator just as the door was closing. I went immediately to the police station to report everything about the killing, a virus, and vampires. The police didn’t believe me.” Yet they’d sent a car to check out the scene.

“What about Lila?” Max asked.

Weariness lowered Sarah’s shoulders. “The police found her, right where she died. Andrew had an alibi—said he wasn’t even there.” She’d always wondered how much he’d had to pay his three poker buddies, one a retired judge, for the solid alibi. “The police determined I wasn’t strong enough to decapitate someone like that.” So they’d started searching for a dangerous killer.

She bit her lip to keep it from trembling. “I was taken for psychiatric evaluation that didn’t go well.”

“You ended up at Brancrest for a three-month evaluation.” Max rubbed her shoulder.

“Yes. I lasted two months before escaping.” There were too many surfaces to touch. Too many tortured souls had left memories in the objects there. “Several times I wondered if I had imagined what happened, if I was crazy.”

“You’re not,” Max said.

Maybe. The fact that her body flared to life the second he sat next to her spoke of some insanity. They were from different species. “So, what now?”

Conn studied her, somehow looking more dangerous in the plush penthouse than he had hiding knives in his boots earlier. “Now? Well, the plan was to buy your stock. We need the data from the Mercury lab of Pringle Pharmaceuticals.”

“Why?”

Conn glanced up, lifting an eyebrow. “Max?”

“She knows most of it.” Max pivoted her to face him. “The Kurjans have created a genetic virus that attacks our mates and messes with their chromosomal pairs, taking them from a vampire mate down to human form, or lower.”

“Mates?” The word set butterflies alive in her stomach. “So your mates have more chromosomal pairs than a human?”

“Yes. We mate a human, and her pairs rise to twenty-seven.”

How in the hell was that possible? “Do you have a mate?”

“No.”

Hope. It leaped through her veins, followed by true irritation. She didn’t care if Max had a mate. A sigh escaped her. She liked the guy. Vampire or not. “What does this have to do with my company?”

Max stretched his neck. “A catalyst speeds up the virus. Our scientists managed to create a protein that binds to the catalyst and stops it ... just in time to save a pregnant mate. But, well, we used some human scientists to do the work—even though they had no clue what they were working on.”

“So?” What was wrong with humans? Sarah frowned. She was human.

“One of them saw potential in the data regarding the protein and sent it to a colleague at your Mercury lab.” Conn grabbed a cell phone out of his pocket. “The colleague combined our protein with an antiviral he was working on for an AIDS treatment, and basically negated the protein’s binding power. Made it useless—so it can’t bind to anything, much less the catalyst. We intercepted the data last week, a day after you’d escaped. Your blog and website showed up, and Max came to find you.”

A loud exhale rippled the muscles in Max’s chest. “We need that data so we have time to figure out the flaw in the catalyst cure before the Kurjans do. They’ll try to infect mates and then we won’t have time to slow the virus before it goes too far.”

She rubbed her eyes with her free hand. “Why not just take the data?” The guys were soldiers. Surely they could break into a lab.

Max’s hand tightened on hers. “Believe it or not, your Mercury lab has the best security measures we’ve ever seen. It’s designated a Homeland Security Research site. We’d likely blow the building up trying to get inside, which we can’t do. Neither can the Kurjans.”

She’d seen the financials for the Mercury lab—no wonder the budget was so high. “What about Andrew? He has access, right?”

“Nope.” Conn read the screen of his cell phone. “He’s CFO of the company, but since Mercury lab also works on U.S. government contracts, the safeguards in that particular lab aren’t known to him. He’s a businessman, not a researcher.”

Max nodded. “Only the owner, or rather, the majority stockholder, can insist on access—which, for the time being, is you.”

“Until the hearing tomorrow.” If Sarah was found incompetent, Andrew would get control of the stock and either sell to the Kurjans or get them access to the data.

“Right.” Conn replaced his cell phone. “We need to prove you’re not crazy.”

Max shook his head. “Not we, buddy. You’re off to Ireland. Go get your mate.”

Sarah tilted her head to the side. She so wanted to know more about this mating stuff, but would ask Max later. “Ireland?”

“Yes.” Conn stood. “I gave her time to, ah, finish schooling before bringing her home. Her time is up.” Three steps had him at the door. “You’re right, Max. But I’m leaving Jase here for backup.” He turned, and those fathomless green eyes darkened. “You’re a very brave woman, Sarah. Thank you for helping us.”

Panic flashed through her as the vampire left. Brave? Not in a million years. Desperate enough to fight? Sure.

Quiet descended. “So.” She kept her gaze on the closed door. “How are we going to prove my sanity?”

“We have a plan.” Max hauled her off the couch.

The world tilted, and she fought the urge to burrow into his warmth. He carried her through the spacious penthouse to the bedroom, and gently released her legs so her feet met the plush carpet. “For now, you get some sleep.” A quick brush of his lips, and he shut the door.

Alone again. Her mouth burned, and the sensitive skin at the back of her knees tingled from his hold. She had two options. One, escape and get the hell away from the mess. Two, seduce the vampire and give in to the painful demand of her body.

Either choice ... danger.