Lord of the Night Read online

  Copyright © 2007 by Robin T. Popp

  All rights reserved. Except as permitted under the U.S. Copyright Act of 1976, no part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, or stored in a database or retrieval system, without the prior written permission of the publisher.

  Forever

  Hachette Book Group

  237 Park Avenue

  New York, NY 10017

  Visit our Web site at www.HachetteBookGroup.com.

  The Forever name and logo are trademarks of Hachette Book Group, Inc.

  ISBN: 978-0-446-50378-5

  First eBook Edition: December 2007

  Contents

  Copyright

  Acknowledgments

  Prologue

  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

  Epilogue

  About the Author

  Critics Rave About

  Robin T. Popp and

  TEMPTED BY THE NIGHT

  “Robin T. Popp offers only the best! Yet another great work offering a highly intense paranormal romance that overflows with high action drama. Very highly recommended.”

  —MyShelf.com

  “HOT . . . Popp’s Night Slayer adventures branch out into new territories for even higher stakes in this latest chapter.”

  —Romantic Times BOOKreviews Magazine

  “Mesmerizing and had me on the edge of my seat for the entire ride! Robin T. Popp is fast becoming one of my favorite authors of this genre!”

  —RomanceReaderAtHeart.com

  “Gritty, fast-paced suspense combined with an intense, intimate relationship. The characters from previous books make welcome appearances.”

  —ARomanceReview.com

  SEDUCED BY THE NIGHT

  “Popp spins a suspenseful yarn and many will enjoy this take on vampire romance.”

  —Publishers Weekly

  “One of the best . . . [a] highly original twist on the vampire genre . . . Popp weaves threads of her former sci-fi genre into this vamp series to give a stronger base in reality. It sets the Night Slayers apart from all the other vampire books . . . Popp is a talent to stay.”

  —SR.TheBestReviews.com

  “A fast-paced vampire romantic suspense tale that grips the audience . . . [has] a bit more of an authentic side than the usual supernatural spin . . . the forbidden romance adds to the fun . . . delightful.”

  —Midwest Book Review

  “A good read.”

  —Southern Pines Pilot (NC)

  “Top pick! 4½ stars . . . Gripping . . . intriguing . . . crisp writing and a fast-paced tempo propel this story through plenty of adventure, romance, and thrills. This is supernatural suspense in spades.”

  —Romantic Times BOOKreviews Magazine

  “Thrilling and enthralling . . . if you’re looking for a great paranormal romance, allow yourself to be Seduced by the Night.”

  —RomRevToday.com

  “Chilling, passionate, and very surprising.”

  —NovelTalk.com

  “Highly recommended . . . sensual . . . the pace is breathless . . . Popp pulls a cross-genre twist on this, making her Night Slayer series unique . . . [She] is a talent to watch.”

  —SR.TheBestReviews.com

  “Imaginative . . . I look forward to the next installment of this nicely written and intriguing series.”

  —BookLoons.com

  “I definitely recommend reading [this book].”

  —FreshFiction.com

  OUT OF THE NIGHT

  “Wonderful . . . a fabulous supernatural romance.”

  —Midwest Book Review

  “A paranormal masterpiece . . . it captured my imagination from the very beginning.”

  —Rendezvous

  “Top pick! 4½ stars . . . Popp does a stellar job combining intriguing characterization with gritty suspense, adding up to a major thrill ride.”

  —Romantic Times BOOKreviews Magazine

  “Thrilling all through its action-packed pages. You will be desperately turning pages just to see what is going to happen next.”

  —TheRomanceReadersConnection.com

  “Edge-of-the-seat . . . brilliant.”

  —SR.TheBestReviews.com

  “A new twist makes this story unique and I was thrilled to see that there will be a sequel.”

  —ARomanceReview.com

  “Four hearts! Pulls the reader right into the story . . . the action is fast-paced . . . [the] romance heats up nicely, and the ending is a doozy . . . Popp delivers a surprise or two.”

  —Romance Reader

  “Fascinating . . . reimagines old legends and puts a new ‘spin’ on them.”

  —Huntress Magazine

  Also by Robin T. Popp

  Out of the Night

  Seduced by the Night

  Tempted in the Night

  To Adam, Dakota, Mihka, Garrett, and Marlaine—

  for understanding and for being there.

  Acknowledgments

  As always, I’d like to thank:

  Fellow writers Donna Grant, Georgia Tribell, and Mary O’Connor for letting me rant and rave under stress.

  Agent Michelle Grajkowski—who assumes the role of big gun or cheerleader as needed and with finesse.

  Editors Karen Kozstolnyik and Michele Bidelspach—whose judgments I trust and whose talents I appreciate.

  My readers—as always—you make it all worth the effort.

  Prologue

  Hocksley, England

  Twenty years ago

  As soon as he stepped out of the woods behind his family’s ancestral castle, Erik Winslow smelled blood. His vampire senses had no trouble detecting the sweet coppery scent hanging thick and heavy on the air. He scanned the wide stretch of lawn that lay before him, searching for the source, but saw nothing.

  Driven by a growing fear, he raced across the yard and around to the side where he stumbled to a stop, met by a sight he would never forget. The blood-drained bodies of the Winslows’ manservant, Vince Renault, his wife Sarah, and their young son Robbie lay ghostly pale in the moon-light.

  Erik dropped to one knee beside the boy’s body and pressed his fingers to Robbie’s throat. There was no pulse. He went over to the boy’s mother and found she was dead as well. Twin round holes on the side of both their necks revealed how they’d met their deaths—vampires. Creatures of the night. Like Erik—and yet nothing like him. Erik revered human life while these murdering bastards preyed on it.

  He went to kneel beside his friend. From the slashes across Vince’s face, arms, and torso, it was obvious he’d fought desperately for the lives of his loved ones. As he was a seasoned vampire slayer, it would have taken more than one vampire to defeat him.

  Pressing his fingers against Vince’s throat, Erik was shocked to discover a pulse, one so faint and erratic that death loomed near at hand.

  “Vince?” He touched the man’s shoulder, hoping to rouse him—if only long enough to discover what had happened.

  The manservant’s eyes fluttered briefly before opening. There was a glazed, wild light in the eyes that searched Erik’s face. “Er-ik.” He struggled to make himself heard. “Sarah? Is she . . . ?”

  Erik fought the urge to look at the other two bodies. “She didn’t make it.”

  “Robbie?”r />
  “I’m sorry.”

  “Oh, God.” Vince’s expression crumpled with grief. “My fault.”

  “Easy now,” Erik said as Vince struggled to sit up. “You need to rest while I get the doctor.”

  Vince shook his head. “Kacie?”

  Erik looked around for Vince’s five-year-old daughter but saw no signs of her. Nor did he see Gerard, his great-nephew several generations removed, which was not good. When Erik had left the castle earlier that evening, the two families—Gerard’s and Vince’s—had been together.

  “Find my daughter,” Vince rasped as he struggled to grab the front of Erik’s shirt.

  “I will.”

  “Promise me . . . you’ll take care of her,” Vince gasped urgently. He released Erik’s shirt and held his hand up expectantly.

  Erik gripped it in his own without hesitation. “I promise.”

  As soon as the words left his mouth, Vince’s hand went slack. His eyes closed and he sighed for the last time.

  There was no time to mourn the passing of his friend. With the sense that the nightmare wasn’t yet over, Erik jumped to his feet and continued to the front of the castle.

  As he rounded the corner, he saw more dead bodies. This time, they were vampires. Erik continued running until the sound of fighting drew his attention to a place on the far side of the lawn. His relief at seeing Gerard alive was quickly replaced with grave concern. His great-nephew was an accomplished swordsman, but even he could not defeat four vampires at once.

  Erik started forward to help but stopped short at the sound of a soft whimper.

  Turning to identify the source, he felt a cold stab of fear rip through him. Deep in the shadows, almost hidden from view, Lily Winslow, Gerard’s wife, lay dead. Beside her, their young daughter Jessica battled a vampire for her life. Beyond them, another vampire sat hunched over a body. Two small legs were visible, kicking violently as Kacie Renault struggled—impotently—to save herself.

  Both children were moments from death.

  Erik pulled his sword from the sheath at his back and raced forward. As soon as he was within range, he plunged the blade into the back of the creature attacking Jessica, piercing its heart, then shoved the creature aside as he continued to run, his full attention now on the scene before him.

  Loud, wet, sucking sounds, mingled with the faint choking cries of the young victim, fed Erik’s rage so that by the time he reached the vampire he was consumed by a blind fury. Weaponless, he attacked the creature with his bare hands. When the rage had subsided and rational thought returned, the vampire lay dead at his feet.

  There was no time to think about what he’d done. He looked around, praying Gerard was still alive. To his relief, he saw his great-nephew, wounded but alive, hurrying over to his daughter. Three of the four vampires he’d been fighting lay dead on the ground; the fourth raced across the lawn toward the nearby woods. As Erik watched, the escaping vampire was joined by several others.

  Erik knew that if he didn’t stop them soon, they would disappear and he might never find them again.

  As he was about to start after them, a soft keening noise at his feet changed his mind.

  Bending over young Kacie, he checked her pulse and found it faint but steady. She would need medical attention, but she would live. Feeling the weight of her gaze on him, he looked into her face. The whites of her eyes shone like bright beacons and a fine trembling shook her small body. Erik, not used to being around young children, knew he needed to do something but was hesitant to act. After all, to a terrified child, he would look like one of the enemy.

  The soft whimpers grew louder and Erik couldn’t ignore the small girl any longer. Calming himself so his eyes no longer glowed with their unnatural crimson light and keeping his mouth closed so his fangs wouldn’t show, he reached for her. To his surprise, she moved readily into his arms and buried her face in his neck. It had been a long time since Erik had offered comfort to anyone—much less a child—and he wasn’t good at it. Still, he stroked her back and murmured words of comfort.

  Around them, the night fell silent until only the four dead bodies and the sounds of two weeping children gave testament to the tragedy that had occurred.

  In that moment, Erik made a vow. Someone would pay.

  Hours later, after the town’s physician had come and gone, Erik left his apartment in the castle’s dungeons and went upstairs to find Gerard sitting in the family room, looking worn and defeated.

  “How are they?” He asked, going to join him.

  “The doc gave them both sedatives. They’re sleeping.”

  “How are you?”

  There was a long moment of silence. Erik saw Gerard shake his head, fighting to keep his emotions under control. “We were all here, in the family room, enjoying a quiet evening. None of us realized young Robbie had gone outside until we heard his scream. Vince and I grabbed our swords and hurried out.” He paused, his eyes taking on a faraway look. “There were so many of them. For every one I killed, two more came at me. I didn’t even know Lily, Sarah, and the girls had come outside until . . .” He took a shuddering breath and dropped his head into his hands. “Oh, God. I can still hear her screams.”

  “I should have been here,” Erik said, guilt weighing heavily on him.

  Gerard looked at him, eyes bright with tears. “I’m glad you came when you did. Otherwise, Jess and Kacie would be dead, too.”

  Erik’s thoughts focused on Vince’s daughter. “What’s going to happen to Kacie now that Vince and Sarah are gone? They didn’t have any family left and I made a promise . . .” He let his words trail off because he was in no position to raise a small child. He hoped Gerard would want to help. After all, while he and Vince had been close, theirs was nothing compared to the relationship Gerard and Vince had shared. Giving up Kacie would be like losing another member of the family.

  “In his will, Vince made me her guardian.”

  “Good.”

  Both men fell silent for several long seconds, lost in their respective thoughts. “Tonight is the first time either of the girls have seen me,” Erik said finally. “With everything that happened, I doubt they’ll remember me. It might be best if we left it that way.”

  “What are you saying?” Gerard looked confused.

  “I just think it might be best, under the circumstances, if they don’t know about me.”

  Gerard shook his head. “No—keeping who and what you are a secret isn’t fair to them or to you.”

  Erik gave him a sad smile. “Maybe not, but I think you’ll agree that it’s necessary. Right now, those girls need to feel safe—especially in their own home. Finding out they have a vampire living below them isn’t going to accomplish that.”

  “Are you thinking of moving out?”

  Erik heard the worry in Gerard’s voice and shook his head. He and Gerard had been friends from the moment he’d met Gerard as a small boy growing up in the same castle. He’d watched him grow up and taught him to use the sword. “No. I’ll stay below and be here any time you need me.”

  Gerard sighed. “All right,” he said, finally nodding. “I can make up some excuse why the girls can’t go into the lower levels for now. But when I think the time is right, I will tell them about you.” He stood up, signaling the end of the discussion, and walked to the front door. Erik followed him outside.

  The bodies still lay where they had fallen. Erik stood back as Gerard approached each one in turn to make his final farewells. When he saw Gerard withdraw several small wooden stakes from his coat pocket, he stepped forward.

  “No,” he said, closing his hand around Gerard’s fist. It was bad enough the man had lost his wife and closest friends. “I’ll do it.”

  For once, Gerard didn’t try to argue. He surrendered the stakes, stood, and gave Erik a grateful nod before walking off. Erik stared at the bodies. If they weren’t staked, in two nights they would rise from the dead. Not as primes like Erik, who had been killed by a chupacabra and retai
ned his intelligence and capacity for rational thought. But as progeny—created by vampires—quickly losing their intelligence; degenerating until they were nothing more than bloodsucking creatures that killed indiscriminately for food. They would become the parasites of the vampire world. That, in Erik’s opinion, was a fate worse than the one he’d inherited. At least he could pretend to still be human.

  He steeled his emotions. It was hard enough staking victims he didn’t know. These humans had been his family and friends for the past fifteen years. Losing them under any circumstance would have been bad, but this was heartrending. Erik set about his grisly task and had just staked the last body—that of ten-year-old Robbie Renault—when he sensed the presence of Michael, Sedrick, and Ty.

  “We came as soon as we heard your call,” Michael said as all three hurried toward him.

  The three vampires had been his friends, both in life and in death. Because all four had been killed by the same chupacabra, they shared a psychic link. It was through this link that Erik had summoned them.

  Standing, he quickly told them what had happened. “I want the ones who did this . . . the ones who got away,” he demanded after he finished. “Find them and bring them to me.”

  Michael, leader of the local lair, stared at him, clearly surprised. “You don’t think it was one of my primes, do you?” Erik made no comment and Michael gasped at his silence. “That’s absurd.”

  “Is it?” Erik asked. “I don’t know anymore. I don’t live in the lair, nor do I spend time with your primes. Maybe you have insurgents who don’t like the rule about not feeding off humans.”

  Sedrick opened his mouth to argue but Michael held up his hand. “We’ll look both within the lair and outside it to find your killers. We will find them.”

  “You have three nights.”

  “Three nights!” Ty gasped. “Erik, be reasonable.”

  But Erik was beyond reason at this point. Justice—meted out by him—must be served. “Three nights,” he repeated. “Or the pact is off.”

  “What?” Michael looked angry as the others stared at Erik, eyes narrowed.

  “You heard me. If you don’t bring me their killers, then I will not only kill every vampire I see, I will actively start hunting them, be they prime or progeny, feeding off livestock or humans. I’ll kill them all,” Erik snarled. “This was my family and I will not rest until I have avenged their deaths—as I would avenge any one of yours.”