Destined for an Early Grave (Page 35)

"Get away from me," I hissed.

Those charcoal eyes stared into mine. For a moment, I thought I saw compassion. Then he came forward.

I was terrified. What was he going to do to me? Was he going to take me to the vampire who’d end up killing my family? Would they kill Gregor, too? Was there anything I could do to stop this?

I stared at Gregor, speaking my last words before those cool hands wrapped around my forehead.

"If I get away, I’ll come back to you. If you get away, promise me you’ll come back to me, too."

Then I felt and saw nothing at all.

Chapter Sixteen

HIS EYES WERE THE FIRST THING I BECAME aware of, gray-green and lighted with emerald. Next was his face, hazy but discernible, features clarifying with every second. Finally, his body, and being held in his arms as tightly as if I’d never left them. In the fragmented moments of returning consciousness, it didn’t even seem like I had.

"Gregor," I breathed, dizzy from the deluge of memories.

"Yes, cherie," he whispered. "We are together again."

His mouth sealed over mine. Relief flooded me, and I wrapped my arms around him, kissing him back. Even as he held me tighter and I trembled with the memory of those last horrible moments when I’d thought Gregor was about to be killed, the rest of my life clicked into place.

Bones.

The emotions I felt for Gregor were buried under an avalanche. My memories of Gregor had wormed their way into my heart, true, but Bones already owned all that space.

I turned away, cutting off Gregor’s kiss. "No."

His whole body stilled. "No?"

I pushed on his shoulder with firmness. "No."

His brows drew together, that scar stretched warningly, and his next words were a disbelieving bellow.

"You refuse me?"

My first reaction was to flinch at his anger. Gregor took that as a sign of surrender and pushed me back onto the pillows. I’d been sitting up when this whole trip down memory lane began, but he’d maneuvered the covers off me at some point and put himself conveniently on top of me.

He started to kiss me again when I struck. I might care for him, but this was not going to happen. Too bad Gregor had forgotten I still had a knife.

"Let me tell you something you must have missed these last several hundred years – no means no. I suggest you don’t try any strenuous moves, Gregor."

The silver knife, the same one I now knew had been used to bind us, was stuck in his back. My hand was wrapped around the etched handle as firmly as I’d ever held a weapon. No way would I betray Bones with Gregor, no matter what residual feelings I might still have for him.

The knife hadn’t pierced Gregor’s heart, but the blade was close. He must have felt that, because he froze.

"Ma femme, why would you hurt me this way?" he said in a much softer tone. "If you truly don’t want to make love, of course I will not force you."

"Of course?" I repeated with a snort. "Did you think I’d only remembered certain parts? The blade stays."

"You were needlessly hesitant from your maiden fears, any man would have acted the same," he began to sputter.

"Bullshit. You didn’t do what any man would do. You did what you wanted to do, as usual. I don’t want to hurt you, Gregor, but I don’t trust you enough to take out this knife, so here’s the deal. I remember everything, just like you wanted me to…and now I want to leave."

Gregor looked shocked. "To go back to that hit man?" he spat. "You want to return to Bones, the dog who made you into this – this Red Reaper?"

He flung the name at me like the foulest insult. Far from being insulted, I laughed.

"Bones didn’t make me anything. I’d killed sixteen vampires by the time we’d met. Bones just made me better at it, and he never made me his whore, either. You’re far more of a tramp than I am; how many people have you slept with?"

He gave me an indignant look. "I’m a man. It’s different."

"That sums up right there why the two of us would have never worked, regardless of Bones," I muttered. "Call Lucius, have him come in here. Despite the fact that it would take care of a lot of problems, I don’t want to kill you, Gregor. But if you try anything, I will do what comes naturally, and we both know what that is."

I should have killed Gregor as soon as I sank that knife into his back. Getting my memories back had proved he’d lied to me, manipulated me, and tricked me into binding myself to him. Plus, he was a threat to me and to Bones, since Gregor didn’t take rejection very well. But one, I wasn’t in any condition to fight off Gregor’s people if I killed him – and I was betting Gregor had more than Lucius here. Two, we’d made a deal that didn’t involve me murdering him at the end of it.

And three, the remnant of the infatuated teenager I’d been couldn’t bear the thought of killing Gregor, even though the adult in me knew he had it coming. Still, that didn’t mean I was taking out the knife. If Gregor attempted a double cross, I’d use it.

Gregor glared at me. I didn’t blink. This wasn’t the Catherine he knew. I was Cat, and he hadn’t met me before.

"Lucius," he belted out finally. "Come to me at once!"

After a few seconds, the door opened. Lucius stopped short when he saw Gregor naked on top of me and a knife sticking out of his back.

"Master?" he began. "What – ?"

"Listen up, Lucius." I didn’t glance away from Gregor, only seeing the other vampire from my peripheral vision. "You’re going to get a speakerphone and bring it in here. Right now. You get any other ideas, and you’re the next to die, old pal. Got it?"

"Monsieur?"

"Do it," Gregor said silkily. He’d regained his composure. "After all, I made my wife a promise."

My lips curled at his emphasis, but that was a pissing contest for a later date.

"Glad to know you’re going to keep your word. With luck, you’ll have this blade out in a few hours."

"Hours?" His forehead creased in incredulity.

"You said we’re in Austria," I replied, thinking. "If he agrees to come, it’ll take him a few hours to get here. After he arrives, I’ll pull out this knife."

"You’re calling Bones?"

Gregor asked it with a gleam in his eyes that reminded me how dangerous he was. I bet you were figuring that’s just what I’d do, and you’ve got the trap of a lifetime waiting for him.

"You wish," I said. "But no. Someone else."

Vlad Tepesh didn’t contain his laughter when he walked in the room. It came from him in full-bodied peals that had him briefly leaning on the doorframe for support.