Everlasting Embrace Read online

  EVERLASTING EMBRACE

  AMANDA ASHLEY

  Everlasting Embrace

  Copyright © 2020 Amanda Ashley

  All rights reserved.

  This edition published 2020

  Cover design by Cynthia Lucas

  ISBN: 978-1-68068-188-8

  The characters and events portrayed in this book are fictitious. Any similarity to real persons, living or dead, is coincidental and not intended by the author.

  No part of this book may be reproduced or stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without express written permission of the publisher.

  This book is published on behalf of the author by the Ethan Ellenberg Literary Agency.

  You can reach the author at:

  Email: [email protected]

  Website: www.amandaashley.net OR www.madelinebaker.net

  EVERLASTING EMBRACE

  Love comes in many guises. Little does Rylee Wagner realize that her chance encounter with a stranger on the beach will turn her whole life upside down. Her heart goes out to Alex when she learns he’s mourning the deaths of his wife and unborn child. Still, there’s no denying the instant attraction between them.

  Alex O’Donnell is immediately drawn to Rylee. She’s young and beautiful. Her compassion for his loss is a balm to his wounded soul. But there are things he can’t share with her. Like the fact the he’s a vampire hunter, or that a vindictive vampire is responsible for the deaths of his wife and child.

  Alex knows he should stop seeing Rylee. Every minute he spends with her puts her life in danger. But once he holds her in his arms, he prays that it will be an everlasting embrace.

  BOOKS BY AMANDA ASHLEY

  “Born of the Night” in Stroke of Midnight

  “Midnight Pleasures” in Darkfest

  “Music of the Night” in Mammoth Book of Vampire Romance

  A Darker Dream

  A Fire in the Blood

  A Whisper of Eternity

  After Sundown

  As Twilight Falls

  Beauty’s Beast

  Beneath a Midnight Moon

  Bound by Blood

  Bound by Night

  Dead Perfect

  Dead Sexy

  Deeper Than the Night

  Desire After Dark

  Desire the Night

  Donovan’s Woman

  Embrace the Night

  Everlasting Desire

  Everlasting Embrace

  Everlasting Kiss

  His Dark Embrace

  Immortal Sins

  Jessie’s Girl

  Maiden’s Song

  Masquerade

  Midnight and Moonlight

  Midnight Embrace

  Night’s Kiss

  Night’s Master

  Night’s Mistress

  Night’s Pleasure

  Night’s Promise

  Night’s Surrender

  Night’s Touch

  Quinn’s Lady

  Quinn’s Revenge

  Sandy’s Angel

  Seasons of the Night

  Shades of Gray

  Sunlight Moonlight

  The Captive

  The Music of the Night

  Twilight Desires

  Twilight Dreams

  DEDICATION

  For my readers, who, like me, can’t get enough of Rhys.

  TABLE OF CONTENTS

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Chapter 23

  Chapter 24

  Chapter 25

  Chapter 26

  Chapter 27

  Chapter 28

  Chapter 29

  Chapter 30

  Chapter 31

  Chapter 32

  Chapter 33

  Chapter 34

  Chapter 35

  Chapter 36

  Chapter 37

  Chapter 38

  Chapter 39

  Chapter 40

  Chapter 41

  Epilogue

  About the Author

  About the Publisher

  CHAPTER 1

  Alex O’Donnell stared at the headstone, his lips moving silently as he read the words hand-carved into the stone by his father.

  Paula Jane O’Donnell

  Beloved Wife and Daughter

  Taken from us too soon

  “Too soon,” Alex murmured.

  Unbidden, came the memory of the night just over four months ago when he had come home and found Paula dead. Guilt ate at his soul. Had he been home where he belonged, she would be alive today. But no, he had been determined to go out and make one last kill.

  And it had cost him everything.

  He remembered that night as if it had happened yesterday. Coming home, entering the kitchen through the garage door, knowing immediately that something was wrong…

  He had stood there for several moments, letting his eyes adjust to the darkness, while he listened for any sound that would indicate an intruder was still in the house.

  It hit him when he left the kitchen and stepped into the living room.

  The scent of blood.

  Fresh blood.

  Adrenaline pumping, heart pounding, he ran down the hall toward the master bedroom and switched on the light.

  Paula lay on the bed, her eyes wide and staring, a gaping hole in her throat. Splashes of bright-red blood stained the sheets, the pillow case beneath her head, the bodice of her nightgown, the bedroom walls.

  Taking a deep breath, he moved woodenly toward the bed and dipped his fingers in her blood.

  “They won’t get away with this,” he said hoarsely. “By your life’s blood, I swear I’ll find whoever did this and make them pay.”

  Turning away, he dropped to his knees and emptied the contents of his stomach on the floor. He had seen death before. Hell, he had caused a lot of it, although he wasn’t sure you could kill a vampire since, technically, they were already dead. He had seen his brother, Brandon’s, body after a female blood-sucker killed him. But this…

  Alex closed his eyes and retched again.

  When he could manage it, he regained his feet and covered her body with the bedspread.

  It wasn’t until he turned away from the ghastly scene that he saw the message scrawled in blood on the wall.

  You killed my mate

  I have killed yours

  Rot in hell

  Alex had stared at the words, his mind reeling. How had the vampire’s lover found him? He had taken all the necessary precautions to ensure that he couldn’t be traced. There was no license plate on his car to identify him. His home phone number was unlisted, his mailing address was a P.O. Box. He never carried any identification when he was on the hunt. He’d sprayed himself with Scent-B-Gone…

  He swore a vile oath as he recalled that night. The bottle had been nearly empty. He should have gone home for more, but he had been so gung-ho to take one last head, he had used what little he’d had on hand and hoped it would be enough.

  And Paula and his unborn child had paid the price for his impatience.

  He glanced at the bed, seeing the blood-stained walls and sheets in his mind. This was the reason hunt
ers rarely married. Family members made easy targets for blackmail and revenge. He had promised Paula he would give up hunting the Undead. If he had kept that promise, his wife would still be alive and his child with her…

  “They won’t get away with it,” he said, reaffirming the vow of vengeance he had made the night she died. “By your life’s blood, I swear I’ll find whoever did this and make them pay.” And then, as guilt and regret knifed through him, he whispered, “Forgive me, Paula.”

  The funeral had been surreal, the days that followed a nightmare from which he couldn’t awake. The police had come by the house with follow-up questions. He had received numerous sympathy cards from friends that only served to emphasize his loss.

  Day after day, he wandered through the empty house like a lost soul.

  And maybe that’s what he was.

  What he always would be.

  CHAPTER 2

  Late the next night, his father stopped by. “How are you doing, son?” Noah O’Donnell asked.

  Alex shrugged. Although he had been avoiding friends and family like the plague, he was suddenly glad to see his old man.

  Noah followed him into the living room and sank into his favorite easy chair. Alex dropped down on the sofa, his hands shoved in the pockets of his jeans.

  “Mom sends her love.”

  Alex nodded.

  Silence fell between them. They hadn’t talked about Paula or much of anything else since the funeral. Alex supposed his father’s next words had been inevitable sooner or later.

  “Do you have any idea who did it?”

  Alex shook his head. The O’Donnells were descended from a long line of hunters. There wasn’t much his old man didn’t know about vampires. Noah had been hunting the creatures for over thirty-five years. In that time, he had acquired a vast store of knowledge about the current Undead community.

  “What was the name of that vampire you destroyed a while back?” Noah asked.

  “He was going by the name of Eduardo Tietjen. My informant said the vamp had been on a killing spree that covered three states. All his victims were young girls. The parents of the deceased kids got together and came up with a sizeable reward.”

  Noah grunted softly. “I’ve heard of Tietjen. He was one of the old ones.”

  “Yeah. He turned to ash as soon as I staked him.” Only very old vampires did that. The rest just sort of shriveled up.

  “I’ll see what I can find out,” Noah said. “In the meantime, try to get some rest. You look like hell.”

  Alex nodded. That pretty much summed up the way he felt, too.

  They made small talk for another few minutes before Noah stood. “Call your mother. She’s worried about you.”

  “I will.”

  Noah regarded his son for several moments, then wrapped him in a bear hug. “It’s only been a few months, my boy. It will get easier with time. I’ll let you know if I get a lead on Tietjen’s mate.”

  “Thanks.” He followed his dad outside and watched him drive away.

  “Vampires.” Alex spat the word as he went inside and closed the door. He had hunted them all his adult life, hated them for the blood-sucking monsters they were, for the people they thoughtlessly killed, the innocent lives they ruined. His own brother had been murdered by a vampire. And in a cruel twist of fate, his sister, Daisy, had fallen in love with one of the creatures.

  Of course, now that Alex had met a few vampires up close and personal, and since Daisy had recently joined the ranks of the Undead, he tended to view them in a whole new light. Not long ago, he had condemned them all as wholly evil, soulless monsters that were beyond any hope of redemption. But Daisy wasn’t some mindless killing machine who preyed on the lives of innocents, and neither was her husband, Erik Delacourt. Even the feared Master of the West Coast vampires, Rhys Costain, had proved to have an unexpected streak of humanity.

  Alex blew out a sigh. His sweet little sister, a vampire. Maybe it was ironic justice, since she had once been a Blood Thief, stealing blood from vampires while they slept and then selling it on the Internet. It was a lucrative business for those brave enough to attempt it.

  Muttering an oath, Alex filled a glass with Jack Daniels. Carrying the bottle with him, he slumped into the easy chair beside the fireplace and stretched his legs out in front of him.

  He drained the glass in his hand in a single swallow, then poured himself another shot. He had never been much of a drinker, but the way he felt tonight, he knew all the whiskey in the world wouldn’t be enough to ease the pain or erase his guilt. Still, it didn’t stop him from filling his glass a third time.

  And then a fourth.

  He had thought about calling his sister after his father left until he remembered she was bound for some remote island with her vampire husband.

  Even if she’d been home, Daisy wouldn’t be able to help him. But Rhys Costain…ah, Rhys Costain, venerable Master of the West Coast vampires, might be just the answer. If anyone could help him find the bloodsucker who had killed Paula and the baby, it was good ole Rhys.

  Alex stared into his glass, his thoughts going back in time. He and his sister had been hunting vampires the first time they encountered The Master of the West Coast vampires. Of course, they hadn’t known it was Costain’s lair when they found it.

  Alex grinned wryly at the memory. He had gone inside to take the vampire’s head and come darn close to losing his own instead.

  He and Costain had a hell of a history, first fighting each other and then teaming up to defeat Tomás Villagrande, a murdering bloodsucker who’d had his eye on destroying Costain and taking over as Master of the West Coast vampires. It had taken Daisy, Erik, Costain, Costain’s lady love, Megan, and Alex to corner the ancient vampire. It had been Costain who had delivered the final, killing blow.

  Downing another shot, Alex grinned. “Hell of a battle,” he muttered.

  It wasn’t a fight he was likely to forget. He had suffered a couple of broken ribs, a sprained ankle and a broken arm in the brief, bloody battle.

  During the fight, he had let Costain feed on him. Which meant the Master of the West Coast vampires owed him a favor.

  “You’re indebted to me, ole buddy,” he mumbled as he staggered down the hall to the guest room. “Yep, you owe me big, and it’s time to pay up.”

  Late the following night, Alex stood in the middle of the master bedroom and knew he couldn’t stay in the house any longer. Sure, he could buy a new bed. He could paint the walls and replace the carpet, but he would never forget what had happened here.

  After packing a few things, he called his parents and asked them to put the house up for sale.

  “Are you sure that’s for the best, son?” his father asked. “You probably shouldn’t be making any important decisions just now.”

  “I’m sure.”

  “What about the furniture?”

  Fighting back tears, Alex said, “Sell it. Give it away. I don’t care. Put Paula’s stuff and mine in storage for now. I don’t know when I’ll be back.”

  “Where are you going?”

  “I’m leaving for Los Angeles first thing in the morning.”

  Looking concerned, Noah said, “Keep in touch, son. We’re here if you need us.”

  “I know. Thanks, Dad. Give my love to mom. And tell her not to worry. I’ll call her soon.”

  After disconnecting the call, Alex took one last look around, then walked out the front door.

  He didn’t look back.

  CHAPTER 3

  Alex felt like hell when he reached Los Angeles. It was close to 3 p.m. by the time the plane landed and he claimed his luggage. After renting a car, he drove to Hollywood, checked into the first hotel he saw, and hit the sheets.

  He felt a little better when he woke four-and-a-half hours later. He took a quick shower, decided to skip dinner, and drove out to Costain’s night club, La Mort Rouge.

  The Red Death, located on a deserted stretch of highway outside the city, catered to an elit
e clientele. According to Daisy, only vampires—and mortals who got their kicks from nourishing the Undead—were allowed entrance.

  After parking the car, Alex sprinted across the parking lot and knocked on the door. A tall man clad in a black suit, an impeccable white shirt, and a long black cloak opened the door.

  “May I help you, sir?” He had a voice reminiscent of Lurch from the Addams Family.

  “I’m looking for Costain.”

  “Is he expecting you?”

  “No, but I think he’ll see me.”

  “Who shall I say is calling?”

  “Alex O’Donnell.”

  The man’s face remained impassive, but a slight twitch of one brow made Alex suspect the doorman had heard his name before.

  Taking a step back, Lurch said, “This way.”

  A narrow hallway illuminated by candlelight opened onto the club’s main room. A bar stretched along the far wall. High-backed booths lined one side of the room. A grand piano stood on a raised platform in the far corner. Not surprisingly, the lighting was subdued. Music with a dark, sensual beat filtered through the sound system. A handful of couples sat at the half-dozen small, damask-covered tables located at intervals around the room. An ebony vase containing a single blood-red rose sat in the center of each table. The walls were covered with dark red paper, the floor was polished oak.

  Alex noted several women, all beautiful, all wearing tags bearing French names, as he followed the Lurch sound-alike up a short flight of stairs.

  The man nodded at the door located to the right of the stairs, then took his leave.

  Alex was about to knock when the door opened and Rhys Costain stood there.

  Tall and slim, the vampire had short, dark-blond hair and inscrutable brown eyes. Although Costain was over five hundred years old, he didn’t look a day over twenty-one.

  Costain stared at him, one brow raised. “What the hell are you doing here?”

  “I need a favor.”

  “As long as you’re not here to try to take my head. Again.” Costain retreated into his office, calling, “Come in,” over his shoulder.

  Alex shivered as he crossed the threshold and felt the vampire’s inherent preternatural power wash over him. A quick glance showed walls papered in a dark red-and-gold stripe that made Alex think of Old West brothels. Plush gold carpeting covered the floor. A pair of antique oak filing cabinets stood against one wall. The chair behind the chrome-and-glass desk was rich black leather. There were no windows in the room.