Carpathian 06 - Dark Fire

It was pitiful that she couldn't get out from under his spell for even a moment.
    Cullen shook her hand gently. "Do you mind if we get something to eat? I've been traveling for a couple of days and didn't take much time out."
    Tempest walked beside him, relieved that so many people were on the street. Cullen didn't give her a bad feeling the way Matt Brodrick had, but she still preferred not to be alone with him.
    Cullen waited until he had ordered his meal in a cafe they found before he started his explanation. "I'm going to tell you some pretty bizarre things. I want you to hear me out before you decide I'm crazy." He tapped the photograph of her with one fingertip. "Some time ago I joined a secret society that believes that vampires really exist."

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    Tempest felt the color drain from her face, and she sat back in her chair, needing the support. Before she could reply, Cullen held up a hand to stop her. "Just listen. Whether or not you believe there are vampires among us doesn't really matter. What matters is that the people I was affiliated with believe it, and they are out to capture, dissect, and destroy any they might find. Some of them have gone completely off their rockers, I'm afraid. The singer that you're traveling with-and don't deny that you're with her; I've done my home-work-is being targeted by the society. They've already made attempts on her life, and believe me, they'll do it again."
    Tempest drummed her fingers nervously on the table-top. "Why aren't you going to the police? Why tell me?"
    "The police won't believe me-you know that. But I can try to help you and maybe even your friend the singer. This picture was taken at the same place where they found Matt Brodrick's body. He was part of the society, and, unfortunately for you, this picture condemns you in its eyes. They sent me to track you down and bring you back to them to see what they can learn about your group before… disposing of you. And I'm sure I'm not the only one they'll be sending. I want to get you out of here, get you somewhere safe, where you can lay low until they lose interest in you."
    Tempest shook her head. "Just like that? I'm supposed to believe you and take off with you? If all this was true, the only thing I could do would be to warn Desari and the band, go to the police, and hope they catch these nuts."
    "Don't be so damned stubborn," Cullen hissed, leaning across the table, his face inches from hers. "I'm trying to save your life. These people are dangerous. They believe Desari is a vampire, and likely her new boyfriend, too. They are going to capture her or destroy her. Killing her would be doing her a favor, given what they have in mind as the alternative. But you're first on their list, because they see you as a way to get information about her and her troupe. You have to go into hiding, get the hell away from the band. It's your only choice, Tempest."
    "Do they think I'm a vampire? For God's sake, they have a photo of me outdoors in broad daylight. I'm having lunch with you in a diner in the middle of the day," she replied, exasperated but a little afraid.
    Darius was going to kill her when he realized she was having lunch alone with a man involved with human vampire-hunters and Matt Brodrick. Maybe she didn't dare go back to the band. Maybe she would be leading the enemy straight to them.
    "You're no vampire," Cullen said grimly. "I've seen a vampire, a real, honest-to-God vampire. Those idiots in the society have no idea what one of the undead is truly capable of doing. Desari is no vampire either. But they're already suspicious of me, so I'm going to have to go into hiding, too. Likely they'll send their 'military' after me because I know them all, their identities. I've seen their faces and been to their secret meetings. You have to come with me, Tempest."
    Tempest tilted her head to one side. She wasn't a vampire, but there was something definitely different about her. She could hear Cullen Tucker's heartbeat. A loud, strong, healthy pounding that echoed through her own bloodstream. She could hear the swish of water from the kitchen, the clink of individual dishes, the low murmur of conversation between the cook and a waitress. A couple across the room were have a whispered quarrel. She shelled food cooking, various perfumes and colognes, all mingling, overpowering each other until her stomach lurched from the onslaught.
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