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  This book is a work of fiction. The names, characters, places, and incidents are products of the writer’s imagination or have been used fictitiously and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to persons, living or dead, actual events, locale or organizations is entirely coincidental.

  Samhain Publishing, Ltd.

  577 Mulberry Street, Suite 1520

  Macon GA 31201

  Claimed: Blood Ties

  Copyright © 2008 by Cathryn Fox

  ISBN: 978-1-60504-226-8

  Edited by Anne Scott

  Cover by Anne Cain

  All Rights Are Reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

  First Samhain Publishing, Ltd. electronic publication: November 2008

  www.samhainpublishing.com

  Claimed: Blood Ties

  Cathryn Fox

  Dedication

  To Mark, my soul mate, without you the ride wouldn’t be half as fun.

  Acknowledgement:

  To my wonderful editor, Anne Scott, for seeing something special in my story, and helping me make it shine.

  Earth 3020

  Chapter One

  From his ocean-view turret, perched high above the turbulent, white rapids crashing against the jagged rocks below, Mikel Sare watched her while she slept. Even though Dari Blake lived in the Canadian mountains, sheltered from the vampires that sought her, thousands of miles away from his England castle, he watched her with his mind. Felt her with his soul.

  She knew not of his true physical existence. Thought of him only as her dream man. On those occasions when loneliness stirred his soul and the need to mind meld with her became too powerful for him to deny, he’d enter her dreams. At times he’d find her in the midst of a harsh nightmare. For she had many nightmares. Rightfully so. Nightmares born from her inability to shut out the collective voices in her head.

  But whenever he brushed her mind, the urge to protect her and to possess her overwhelmed him. There existed a connection between them. A special bond. For they were both Nallie, part human, part vampire. The only two left of their kind.

  Mikel blew out a heavy breath. It turned to fog in the chilly night air. He closed his eyes and pulled the salty sea air into his lungs. Wind whipped around him, blowing his long hair off his shoulders, stinging his eyes, biting at his flesh. He reached out to her with his mind and made a light, untraceable connection. For it was all he dared. The psychic joining increased the strength of their signature and could ultimately give away her secret location to Grayson.

  Grayson…

  Mikel’s blood boiled just thinking about him.

  Not only were Mikel and Dari in hiding from the military task-force warriors, they were also hiding from Grayson and his bloodband. As the last female of her kind, Dari’s child-bearing body was a prized possession.

  Centuries previous, under the orders of Grayson, his bloodband had abducted female humans—females with a rare blood disorder—and performed a series of illegal experiments that mated humans with vampires. A powerful breed known as Nallie had been born. To Grayson, he was the marionette and the Nallie were simply his puppets. A breed created to do his bidding on Earth—a rich planet that Grayson was determined to possess.

  Soon, this superior breed began encroaching on Earth, attempting to overcome humans, thus the need for the military intervention.

  Mikel shook his head to clear it. Right now was not the time to be thinking of Grayson, right now was the time to be concentrating on Dari. He stepped into her lucid dream world and breathed in her natural flowery aroma. A smile pulled at his lips. He found her in a meadow, surrounded by wild animals and scented flowers, a place she’d unconsciously retreated to in search of sanctuary after one of her disturbing dreams.

  From behind, her slight build reminded him of a young girl. Even though she was sheltered, untouched and innocent in the ways of the world, Dari was no child. Oh no. Like himself, she had watched many come and go from her immortal life.

  Attributing her difference to a rare blood disorder, Dari had outlived many who knew what she was, who had kept her safe in a commune and her existence a secret from the rest of the world.

  Dari wasn’t really in a meadow, of course. Her physical body was actually deep in the Canadian mountains, sprawled on her linen sheets, drifting between consciousness and sleep.

  His gaze panned down her body. Crouched on her knees beside a bubbling brook, she plucked a vibrant yellow tulip from her garden. She brought it to her nose and inhaled. He loved entering her happy dreams. Unlike his, which were hazy shades of gray, hers were always full of rich color, texture, and the most delectable scents. Her nightmares on the other hand were dark, bleak and would unsettle even the bravest warriors.

  As though she sensed his presence, she rose to her full height and twisted around. Their gazes collided. His body immediately grew needy as beautiful brown eyes widened in delight. Her face lit up with a smile, dark hair tumbled in disarray over her shoulders. His heart swelled with emotions. The feelings she evoked in him filled him with warmth and left him speechless. He swallowed down the edge of longing, the raw ache of emptiness. For Dari could never really be his.

  She reached out to him, her blue floral dress catching a slight breeze, ruffling around her knees. “Mikel, where have you been?” Her sweet voice curled around him, drawing him closer. “I’ve waited too long.”

  She didn’t drop her flower, leaving it forgotten, left to wilt, like most would. No, she treasured life too much for that. Perhaps that was what he loved about her the most.

  Slipping the stem behind her ear, she rushed toward him, arms extended.

  He circled his hands around her, gathering her in tight against his body. The scent of Apricot Beauty tulips mingling with the intimate, distinct feminine aroma of Dari closed in on him, teasing all his senses, making his legs nearly give. The overwhelming need to make love to her, to join their bodies as one made him fairly mad with longing. He resisted the urge to drop to the ground and drag her down along with him. To claim her mouth, sink into her plush softness and lose himself in her body for an eternity.

  His heart twisted as he brushed her thick black hair from her delicate shoulders. A familiar primal, possessive sound climbed out of his throat. Dari. Sweet Dari. She had no idea he existed outside her dream world. Nor did she have any idea who she was. Or what she was.

  Throughout his younger years, Mikel had been watched over by many guardians. All handing down the knowledge and written literature on the Nallie breed, for fear that Grayson would find his way back to Earth and wreak havoc once again. Mikel knew what he was. That information had purposely been kept from Dari. For her own safety. Grayson wanted her. Wanted to breed her. And should they ever find her… White-hot fury rushed through Mikel. He drew her in tighter, his nostrils flared. He refused to finish that thought because he would always see to her safety, and shield her from life’s harsh realities.

  Years ago, a rumor had circulated and reached Grayson that a baby girl had been saved. If Dari knew what she was, there was a chance she’d harness her power, nurture it, manipulate it the way Mikel had learned to do, and ultimately give away her location. Because Mikel had full use of his psychic powers, the walls around his castle had been equipped with metal shields which gave him a modicum of protection against being detected. This also prevented him from physically leaving his home. Ayden, a young man from the village, saw to his basic needs. Even though the vampires weren’t looking
for Mikel, and knew nothing about a baby boy being spared the sword, if they ever discovered his existence they’d surely be able to find Dari through him. Never would Mikel allow that to happen.

  She tilted her chin, bringing them face-to-face. “Why do you come so infrequently?”

  He couldn’t tell her why. That every time he stepped out on his balcony, exposing himself to the world while he forged a psychic connection with her, there was a chance her signature would be located.

  He pitched his voice low and brushed the pad of his thumb across her warm cheek. “I come when you need me to come.”

  Her expression told him she didn’t believe that for a minute. “I always need you.” Longing colored her voice.

  He grinned, loving her honesty. For Dari knew nothing about deceit. “Okay, I come when I need you.”

  She thrust her pelvis forward, pushing up against him and felt his arousal. A sexy grin played on her lips. “So I see.”

  He frowned and pulled her impossibly tighter. It was never just about sex with her. His brow knitted together. His voice turned rusty, gruff. “I don’t just need you like that. You know that, don’t you?” He hadn’t meant for his words to come out so harsh but he needed her to comprehend that.

  She nodded in understanding, for she too needed him on a deeper level. He slanted his head and looked into her eyes. To make sure she truly believed him. He sensed she did. Lightening the mood, she smiled up at him and he smiled back.

  He slowly drew her away from the subject. “Tell me what you’ve been doing. I see you’re still gardening.” He looked past her shoulder. A patch of colorful flowers began to wilt, their leaves turning to crisp ash. Like the rising tide, a wave of blackness rolled across her beautiful flowerbed, killing everything in its path. The smile fell from his face. His stomach knotted as a quick flash of angst rushed through him. Sadness was invading her happy thoughts.

  Her face tightened warily. Dark eyes clouded. “I had the dream again.” She pushed up against him, seeking his warmth, his comfort, his love.

  He offered it freely. Dari knew no love. Not the real kind anyway. Her guardians cared for her, but none of them had ever loved her like a daughter or a sister, or even an intimate partner.

  “Which one?” He knew the dream well, but something compelled him to ask anyway. He wasn’t sure why. Maybe he’d hoped it had changed, had gotten better. He bit back a sigh. And maybe they would eventually live normal lives, have a family, picnic at the beach and die like normal mortals. Sometimes he wasn’t sure if it was a blessing or a curse that they’d been spared the sword.

  She dipped her head. A long mane of black hair curtained her emotions. He brushed it from her face and placed his finger under her chin, lifting her gaze to his. Dark, haunted eyes met his glance.

  “The same as always. People running. Sharp teeth.” She shook her head and paused to consider the word. “Not teeth. Fangs.” She blinked and continued. “The flash of metal swords, wooden stakes and arrows. So many flying arrows.” She stopped to shiver. Mikel brushed her arms, absorbing her tremor.

  “And the baby,” he asked. “Was the baby crying?”

  She nodded. “Always.”

  Sadly, the baby she heard crying in her nightmares was herself. Stabbed with a wooden stake that had barely missed her heart, left alone to die like all other Nallie. Like Mikel, Dari’s little body had been discovered and hidden in a commune by the “Dallam clan”, mountain dwellers who, despite knowing what they were, believed in protecting life and believed with proper nurturing and guidance, the babies would grow into loving beings with empathy for others. Later Mikel and Dari had been separated and placed an ocean apart, thus decreasing the probability of them connecting, which would enhance their psychic signature and their chance of being detected by Grayson and his bloodband. It would also keep them from mating, since such a joining gifted them with special powers.

  She shifted to allow her sensuous mouth to reach his. Not wanting to dwell on her dream, she switched subjects. Long lashes fluttered, her warm breath wafted across his cheek. Her eyes caressed him with sultry heat as her face suffused with color. The air around them charged with sexual energy.

  “Kiss me, Mikel.” She snuggled into him. Her hands slid through his hair. The intimate, erotic touch making it most difficult to draw his next breath. “I miss your kisses.” Her voice covered him like a blanket of warmth as her desire reached out to him.

  His gaze flitted across her face. He tilted his head, his blood pressure soared with hungry anticipation as he filled his lungs with her scent. His voice dropped an octave. “There is nothing I’d like better.”

  She gifted him with a smile and poised her lips open, her mouth a hairbreadth away from his. He traced the pattern of her face, and growled as his lips closed over hers capturing her mouth in a slow simmering kiss. At that first delicious taste, his world tilted on its axis. She tasted like sun, honey and flowers, and everything sweet. He pulled her in closer and she melted against him.

  Late-afternoon sunlight poured over their bodies, warming him from the inside out as he became lost in the sensations of her hot, wet mouth. How pleasant that the sunrays didn’t sting their flesh in her dream world, he mused.

  As his passion soared his sharp fangs descended. He was always careful to hide them from her. With the utmost tenderness, and all the while fighting back the vampire stirring his primal need to pierce her flesh and taste her blood, he nipped at her lips, unable to get enough of her. He slipped his tongue inside to join with hers. He felt her hard nipples crush against his chest, alerting him to her mounting arousal. He swallowed the whimper that escaped her lips as he brushed the outside swell of her swollen mounds. Her body practically vibrated. His breathing grew shallow, labored.

  He rained kisses over the hollow of her throat, licking the vein that pulsed an erotic, luring beat. Working to tamp down his primal urges, he moved his mouth lower, trailing his tongue over her chin and down her neck until he reached the scented crevice between her full, creamy breasts. A sharp breath inflated his lungs, allowing him to breathe in her aroma.

  Mikel ran his hands over the soft contours of her body, hating that fabric separated skin from skin. He was so attuned with her physically, her every thought, her every desire, he knew what she wanted, where she wanted it, and exactly how she wanted it.

  Hunger for her clawed at his insides. She became pliant in his arms and he knew he had to have her. Needed to have her. To possess her. To brand her as his. It was almost frightening the way she consumed him, the way he yearned to have her climb inside of him and stay with him forever. Where he could keep her all to himself and protect her from the world.

  He fisted the hem of her dress and lifted it over her hips, exposing her naked pussy. Dari never wore undergarments in her dreams. How pleasing. Slipping his hands underneath the fabric, he cradled the bare flesh of her backside and squeezed, driving her pelvis harder against his, trying to quell the ache that demanded his undivided attention. Attention he’d plan to give her, again and again.

  He’d had sex before, of course. For the sake of sex. For physical relief only. With Dari it was different. Less physical, more emotional. She was his mate. The one and only meant for him. Unfortunately, with the threat against their lives, he could only make love to her in her dream world. And if he grew careless, prolonging their psychic connection, even that could prove dangerous.

  She pulled back, breathless, and licked the moisture from her plump, kiss-swollen lips. Her flushed face was full of desire, her eyes darkly seductive. “Come see what I found.” She gathered his hand and tugged. Mikel’s fangs receded as he fell into step beside her. She guided him across a bed of freshly cut, crisp green summer grass. The dead flowers had once again sprung to life as happy thoughts filled her mind.

  “Where are you taking me, Dari?”

  A smile pulled at her lips as she extended her hands and tilted her head back to look at him. “Right here.” Arousal edged her voice and made h
is cock pulse.

  He had to admit, she did have one hell of an imagination. Mikel took in the picturesque waterfall spilling over a cluster of rocks. The cool spray reached them on the grassy embankment, moistening their skin and clothes, but doing little to help ease the heat inside him.

  Her provocative pout made him harder than he’d ever been before as she toyed with the top button on her dress. “Will you join me?” she murmured seductively.

  He shot her a sidelong glance and cocked one brow. “Like you even had to ask.” He stepped closer. Her blue floral dress had changed in color, turning crimson red, indicating her mood, reflecting the passion inside her.

  He grabbed her hands and anchored them to her sides. “Allow me.” His nimble fingers worked the row of buttons lining the front. Once finished he slowly pulled it open to reveal her gorgeous breasts. He quickly discarded the flimsy piece of material that had prohibited his gaze from caressing her naked flesh. He slipped it from her shoulders and let it fall to her feet. The bright red dress spilled across the grass like blood.

  He stood back, drew a deep, steadying breath and panned the length of the sensuous woman before him. Her bottom lip caught between her teeth as she in turn appraised him. He registered every detail of her gorgeous curvy body as his gaze shifted to her breasts, to pert nipples that beckoned his mouth.

  Who was he to deny them?

  In one quick stride, he closed the short distance and removed the flower from behind her ear. He brought it to his nose and sniffed.

  “This doesn’t smell nearly as sweet as you.” Dari tilted her head back and exhaled a sexy bedroom moan as he trailed the flower over her lips, her neck and lower until he skimmed her breasts. He brushed the tulip over her nipples, scenting her ethereal, porcelain-white flesh. The enticing combination of Dari mixed with the flora became his undoing.

  Unable to deny his mouth the taste of her any longer, he lowered his head. Flicking his tongue out, he circled her pale mounds, drawing the blade of his tongue closer to the engorged peaks. Dari arched and tangled her fingers through his hair. He blew a heated breath on her wet nipples and watched them tighten in bliss.