Embrace the Highland Warrior

***

Cody gripped his sword and stepped lightly on the forest floor, ears tuned for any sound that didn’t belong. He sniffed, eyes searching the shadows. Something was there; he could feel it. A soft laugh whispered through the trees. He whirled. A man materialized a few yards away, watching him with red eyes. He smiled, and sharp teeth flashed in the dark. Fangs. A vampire! What was it doing here? Before Cody could lift his sword, the man rushed at him like a streak, moving so fast Cody couldn’t track it.

He learned in the battle at Druan’s castle that the only sure way to kill a vampire was beheading or a direct stab through the heart. Talismans didn’t work on them. He swung his sword as the thing zoomed past, but he missed. Whirling, it came back. Just as it slammed Cody to the ground, it went solid again, with fangs an inch long. He rolled to his feet, grabbed his fallen sword, and braced for the next attack. This time when it struck, he was ready. As he fell, he thrust his sword upward, into its heart. The creature turned to dust in mid-air, particles settling all around him.

Hisses filled the air as more creatures emerged from the trees. They stood out of sword’s reach, their fangs bared. Cody searched out where each one stood, identifying the leader, who stood a little apart from the others, his stance cockier, more sure. When the next one attacked, Cody jumped aside and drove his sword into the leader’s heart. The others hissed and looked at each other. They hadn’t expected him to take the offensive when he was so outnumbered, but he was used to fighting against the odds.

They came at him like bullets, nothing but a blur, until they slowed. He swung left and drove his sword into what he hoped was the thing’s heart, and dust rained down, covering his sword. Two of them hit him at once, flinging him in the air like a rag doll. His bones felt like they shattered, but he clung to his sword. They came at him again, and he rolled painfully to his feet, his blade catching another one in the neck. The swing wasn’t strong enough. The vampire screeched and kept going. If he could just see the bloody things. Cody ducked as another one attacked and then swung harder, finishing off the one he missed. He was tiring, but he had to kill them all before they discovered Shay.

Two were left, but they kept attacking so close together that he couldn’t strike them both. He waited for the first to attack. Using the side of a tree to spring clear, he flipped through the air, leveling his blade at what he thought was its neck. It disappeared, leaving only one.

“Come on, you bastard.”

The vampire stood fifty feet away in human form. He turned his head, looking at the path leading to the cabin, and Cody followed his gaze. Shay stood there, her face pale, eyes wide with shock.

“We’ve found you at last,” the vampire said.

Cody’s blood felt like shards of ice.

“We?” Shay asked, her voice strong. “You’re the only one left.”

The vampire grinned. “Too bad I can’t have a taste of you. The feisty ones are always better. I’ll have to settle for him.” Its fangs lengthened. “No one cares about him.”

Shay’s face darkened; her back straightened; her shoulders squared. “I care about him.”

The vampire turned and streaked toward Cody. Shay ran after the vampire, moving just as fast. She tackled it, and they both rolled into the trees, a mix of swirling colors. Cody stood rooted in place, his mouth hanging open. What the hell?

The vampire looked as stunned as Cody. It attacked again, catching Cody off guard, slamming his head against a tree. As he struggled to remain conscious, he registered several things at once. The vampire, who had retreated, now rushing at him again, and Shay, farther away, scooping up a stick and running after the vampire. No, what she did was faster than running. She streaked after the vampire, driving the stick into the blurred shadow. It turned solid, its fangs elongated, red eyes wide with shock. The vampire disintegrated, but Shay kept coming, moving too fast to stop. She hit the ground and rolled. Her stick drove deep into the earth, vibrating, inches from Cody’s face, then everything went black.

***

“Cody! Wake up!” Shay shook his shoulder. Oh my God. Vampires! Nobody said anything about vampires! What about the demons? “Cody, you have to wake up!” Was he dead?

She heard a twig snap behind her. Her blood froze. She turned. “You.” She was so shocked she didn’t start fighting until the handkerchief covered her mouth and nose. By then, it was too late.

***

Have his eyes always been this sexy, Shay wondered as his head lowered. His body, warm and hard, with all those muscles pressed against her definitely wasn’t the one she remembered skinny-dipping with. Something was different about him inside, not just the body. An edge. His lips touched hers, hesitantly, as if he weren’t sure what he would find. A small sound of surprise, and pleasure, escaped. He tasted good. He lifted his mouth just a fraction. She expected him to apologize, move away, laugh to ease the awkwardness—something. Instead, he kissed her again, this time opening his mouth, letting his tongue tease her lips. She had imagined this in her dreams, but in her dreams, it hadn’t felt this good.

Cody shifted, settling one thigh between hers. He stroked her hair and face, whispering her name as they kissed. He smelled good, like mountains. His lips grew bolder, his tongue slipping curiously into her mouth until she was on fire. The rational side of her brain told her to run, but her hands gripped his T-shirt and moved underneath to feel the bare skin of his back, beginning to dampen with sweat.

Breathing hard, the two started shedding clothes. He stared as her body was exposed, and she got her first good look at his tattoos. He pushed his jeans and underwear down, and she forgot everything else.

Shay gasped as he