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  The Link

  The Pearl Vampire Chronicles

  Volume One

  By

  Dara J. Nelson

  The Link © Copyright 2010 by Dara J. Nelson.

  All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, without written permission from the author except for the inclusion of brief quotations in a review.

  This is a work of fiction. All of the characters, organizations and events portrayed in this novel are either products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any similarity to real persons, living or dead, is coincidental and not intended by the author. Adult content – parental discretion is advised.

  ISBN-10: 1-453-76552-2

  EAN-13: 978-1-453-76552-4

  Prologue

  The first time I actually saw him was down on the pier. I didn’t really feel that surprised though, which was odd. I was trying to figure out why, but wasn’t having much luck right now because the fog seemed to be not only surrounding me but also in my head. Just looking at him for a second and my normal thought process seemed to have flown the coop. I’d gone for an evening walk, and though the waterfront was not the safest place to be alone, I loved the sound of the waves lapping up against the fishing boats that were docked for the night. So, safe or not, this was where I usually walked. But I wasn’t completely crazy. I carried my mace and a whistle, just in case. But this man never made me feel like I needed to close my fingers around it, the way I did when so many others passed me. With this guy I felt strangely comforted and safe.

  He was standing at the end of one of the piers. But he wasn’t looking out at the water. He was facing me. I swear he was watching me. I felt a chill go down my spine, not because I was afraid, but rather because I felt, oddly, protected. That and he was absolutely, drop-dead gorgeous. I slowed my pace a bit and watched him. I was a little confused because he seemed so familiar. But, hell, a face like that I’m sure I would’ve remembered. His wavy dark brown hair rustled in the breeze. While staring at him, I almost walked off the path into a lamppost. I stopped myself just in time. I smiled and shook my head at how ridiculous I was and then turned and continued on the path by the water. I turned once more to look back at him…and he was gone. “Figures,” I said.

  This continued for several nights (luckily the rain was staying away. In this part of the Pacific Northwest it’s hard to get two dry nights in a row any time of year and this was spring). Each night he would be standing in the same place and each day his face continued to be foremost on my mind when I was at work. Who was this man and why did I feel as if I already knew him? Why did I feel so drawn to him? Why did it seem like the hardest thing for me to do was continue on my walk instead of walking right up to him and wrapping my arms around him? It truly felt like my arms belongedaround him.

  On the fourth night I saw him again, always in the same place as before. I smiled at him and then made my turn along the path. I turned and looked at the water one last time;my eyes marveling at the last of the sun dancing on it, then turned back, looked straight ahead, and stopped in my tracks. He was there, about 100 feet in front of me, sitting on a bench on the edge of the path, watching me. I was confused for a moment (how did he get there so fast??). I wasn’t sure whether to turn back. If I continued on I would have to walk right past him. Why didn’t that bother me or scare the hell out of me? What was it about him that seemed so damn familiar? Why was my heart pounding, not from fear but from anticipation? Why did I feel so incredibly safe right now? Shouldn’t I be nervous that there was a strange man watching me? Absolutely, but those nerves just weren’t there at all. I thought hard and then my subconscious finally released it. All my life there had been moments when I felt like I was being watched. Not watched by something creepy or bad, but by something good, something that made me feel safe. There were even times when I thought I saw someone, someone in the shadows, someone who was there one second, then gone the next. Gone in the blink of an eye. I’d never actually seenhim, but I knew it was a man and I knew what I felt like when he was around. This man had been a part of my life and a part of my dreams for as long as I could remember. I would swear this was that same man, right here, right in front of me, but how could that be? He couldn’t be much more than thirty, there’s no way he could be the same man, could he? Yet, when I looked at him I felt exactly the same way. I felt the same familiarity as I did when I sensed him before. I felt the same way I did when he showed up in my dreams, only this time he didn’t fade when I awoke. This time there actually was someone watching me and I almost felt relieved that this time he didn’t seem to be going anywhere. He watched me as I thought all of this through, patiently waiting while I made the decision to turn away (kind of rude, I thought) or keep going (is that really smart? My head said no, but….). Intrigued, I decided to continue on, planning to just walk past him, maybe offering a polite hello, but definitely feeling kind of silly for all the emotions running through my head right now. But as I approached the bench, he stood, faced me and said,“Good Evening Sarah, I believe it’s time to properly introduce myself.” I stopped dead in my tracks.

  “Ummm, hello?” I managed to say. “H-h-h-how do you know my name?” I stammered. He smiled and it lit up his whole face. It was breathtaking. It would have floored me, literally, if he hadn’t gently reached out to grab my elbow and steady me. It was a smile that made my heart sputter. My pulse was racing.

  “Oh,” he said, “I know a great deal about you. My name is Matthew Pearl and I was really hoping you would sit with me for a moment and let me explain.”

  Chapter One

  It’s a good thing the bench was there, I’m not sure my legs would have held me up much longer. This gorgeous man, with a voice that flowed so smoothly and sent shivers down my spine, already made my knees weak. Although I tried to be graceful, I couldn’t help but just flop down on the bench. Of course, if I could have seen inside his face, I would have known that he was just as nervous, but for many different reasons. His dark smoldering eyes threatened to swallow me up as he sat down next to me. His voice trembled slightly as he turned to me and said,“Sarah, I’ve waited so long to actually meet you. As I said before, my name is Matthew, and, well, there’s no easy way to say this, though I’m fairly certain that you’re already aware of me, but I’ve been watching you for many years.”

  I blinked once, twice, shook my head a bit, certain I had heard wrong. “Excuse me?” I said, as I was trying to do the math in my head. He really looked younger than me, how could he POSSIBLY be the same person that I’d always felt watching me?

  He smiled at the confusion on my face, lightly touched my hand and said, “I know it’s a little overwhelming to hear, but…” I waited for more but he suddenly stopped talking and pursed his lips. He had a look of pain on his face that really made me want to reach for him. I suddenly wanted nothing more than to make him feel better.

  “What?” I asked, “What’s wrong?”

  He smiled again and gently shook his head, “No, I’m truly sorry, but no more for tonight, I’ve said enough already, I have to go now.”

  My mouth fell open, “You’re not serious. Please tell me you’re kidding. Y-y-you’re leaving me? I, I mean,you’re leaving?” I stammered. Why the hell did I just say you’re leaving me, I thought. God, I really hope he didn’t catch that.

  He smiled and lightly touched my cheek, his cool finger definitely not the only thing that sent a shiver down my spine. “I’m sorry, but yes. But I promise I will see you again, soon. Tonight is only the beginning. Goodnight Miss Sarah,” and with that he turned and was gone.

  I sat there for a while, unable to move. Finally I shook my head.“Get a hold of yourself, you probab
ly just imagined him anyways,” I mumbled. I stood and walked home in a daze and then went about my normal evening routine - dinner, dishes, a little reading, and finally, bed. But sleep took much longer than usual to come because I couldn’t let go of his beautiful face, his tenderness, his soft voice. I got up at five a.m. for work the next day, tired from the lack of sleep, yet strangely energized.

  Things continued like that for the next few evenings. He was always waiting for me in the same place. My heart would soar when I saw him. He would offer me his arm and say, “Good evening Miss Sarah, it’s so nice to see you again.”

  “It’s very nice to see you too, Matthew,” would always be my reply. We’d walk and he would make small talk, never revealing too much about himself or his life, but at this point I really didn’t care. He’d ask me about events in my life - birthday parties, high school graduation, camping with the family. When I answered him, I sometimes caught him finishing my stories for me. Almost like he already knew them, “And then your feet got tangled up, you fell, hit your head and had to get stitches,” he said as I was telling him about a game of tag in the street in front of my parents house with my best friends when I was twelve.

  I hesitated for a step, wanting to ask him how he knew that, but something stopped me. Maybe he can read minds or something, but he’ll tell me when he’s ready, I told myself. I actively ignored the confusion and slight panic in my head - if he can read minds, what if he’s seen the thoughts I’ve had in my head, thoughts about him… and me, thoughts that I probably shouldn’t be having so soon, but I just couldn’t help myself. I blushed. It was dark enough that I hoped he wouldn’t see, although his hand tightened just a bit on my arm.

  I enjoyed being with him so much that I tried to ignore some of the odd things that he told me - the fact that he looked so young, yet he said he’d been watching me for a long time. I had three explanations so far - one was the mind-reading thing. Two - was… well he was pale white and looked so young yet seemed to know things about my past that… Okay, move on to number three, my mind said. Three - he was crazy. I had been alone for so long now, it was just so nice to have some company in my life. Even if he was a nut job, he was a sweet, gorgeous nut job… I could live with that for now.

  I was strangely anxious and upset the night the rain came back. The wind was blowing and it was pouring. I thought about my walk, I really wanted to see him again. I even put on my coat and opened the door. But when the lightning flashed and the thunder clapped instantly after, I shook my head and said to myself, “Don’t be stupid.” I turned and sadly went back inside. I was completely distracted as I ate. Iput on my pajamas and curled up on the couch to read a book, with the college basketball game on in the background. But my mind was only on him. After thirty minutes I realized that I hadn’t turned a page and I had no idea who was winning the game. I sighed, set the book down and went to my laptop to check the weather for the next evening. I was desperately hoping the rain would be gone. Suddenly there was a light tap on my door. The top half of my door is glass and my heart jumped into my throat when I looked up and saw that it was him. How did he know where I lived? I scanned my memory trying to remember when I had told him as I walked to the door. I smiled as I opened it. “May I come in?” he said so politely.

  “Of course, please do. I was missing our walk tonight, so I’m really glad you’re here,” I said. As he hung up his coat, he said, “I found myself missing our time together too, so I decided to not let the rain get in the way of it.”

  I smiled as he followed me to the living room. We sat on the couch and I started to turn off the game (it was the middle of the college basketball tournament), when he made my night by saying, “No, don’t turn that off on my account. I like basketball. Who did you pick to win the brackets?”

  “Oh, now you’ve done it,” I said as I jumped up to grab my computer print out to show him. “Now we really have something to talk about. You’re not going to be able to get me to shut up all night.”

  He laughed the sweetest laugh then placed his arm around my shoulders as I sat back down. I melted into him. I instantly felt like I was right where I was supposed to be. We went over my brackets together and he told me who he had picked to win the whole thing. It was a different team than my pick. “Would you care to place a small wager on the outcome?” he said with a smile.

  “Sure,” I said. “How much?”

  “Well,” he replied, “how about a Saturday afternoon, winner’s choice? You win, I’ll do anything you’d like to do, go anywhere you’d like to go… same for me if I win.”

  “Deal,” I said and I shook his hand. He didn’t let my hand go though, he held tight to it, which was absolutely fine by me. He gently moved his hand around and laced his fingers between mine. Yeah, I really could get used to this, I thought as I snuggled closer to him. I rested my head on his shoulder as the final game of the night began.

  I woke to my alarm at five the next morning and shot straight up in bed. I tried to remember when I had come in here - and when had he left? “No way,” I said out loud as reality struck. Did I seriously fall asleep while he was still here? “Nice one, you dork… that’s definitely the way to impress him,” I thought to myself. I started to realize what must have happened. I must have fallen asleep on his shoulder while the game was still on, then he must have carried me to bed, tucked me in and turned my alarm on so I wouldn’t be late for work, which I was gonna be if I didn’t get my butt out of bed right now!!

  I showered, dressed and made it to work with a few minutes to spare, thinking the entire time about how sweet it was of him to let me sleep and how gentle he must have been when he carried me to bed. Normally I’m a light sleeper, but I don’t remember anything after the first quarter of the game.

  I floated through my day, completely unfocused on my work, and ended up leaving a little early. It was going to rain again tonight and I was definitely hoping he would come by. I ate a light dinner and had just sat down to watch the first game of the night when there was a knock at my door. He seemed to notice my embarrassment as soon as I let him in. “Why the pink cheeks, my sweet?” he said as he brushed my cheek. (Oh my God, I thought…he just called me ‘my sweet’…how awesome is that?).

  “I’m so embarrassed. I’m so sorry I fell asleep last night. I swear it had nothing to do with you. I - I just,” I stammered, but stopped when he rested his finger on my lips.

  “Please, think nothing of it. I know how hard you work. I should be apologizing to you for staying so late on a work night.”

  My heart wanted to tell him - there is no such thing as too late when you’re here - but instead I said, “No, it wasn’t too late, really, I just haven’t been sleeping very well for the last few weeks.”

  “Neither have I,” he said as he smiled and winked at me. Holy crap, was he having the same thoughts that I was? The same dreams? I suddenly had goose bumps.

  I tried to change the subject then. “Have you had dinner? I could make you something to eat if you’d like.”

  “That’s very sweet of you, but I already ate,” he replied.

  “Something to drink?”I asked.

  “No, really, I’m fine.” He playfully started pushing me towards the couch and said, “Come on, now, we’re missing the game. Aren’t you worried about losing the bet?”

  “Oh puhlese,” I said as I rolled my eyes. “Not a chance.” I flopped down next to him and snuggled into my favorite spot against his chest. We were both pretty quiet, but it didn’t seem to matter to either of us. The silence wasn’t uncomfortable at all. Just being next to each other seemed to say everything we needed to say and it helped us get to know each other a little better. He gently ran his fingers through my hair. He caressed my arm. He ran his finger down my cheek. I held his other hand and lightly rested my other hand on his leg. It was our first steps into intimate territory and, boy, did it feel right. I was so relaxed and comfortable with him that I started to worry that I might fall asleep again. And I was re
ally hoping he would never leave, but halfway into the second game, I felt him grow very tense next to me. I looked up at his face and his eyes were squeezed shut. I waited a moment then had to ask.

  “Is everything okay?” I whispered. He didn’t answer at first, but when he finally did open his eyes, he was still tense.

  “I’m so sorry, but I have to go now,” he said, but he looked pained as he said it, like he was fighting something. He stood up and pulled me close to him. Then he wrapped me in his arms. Dear God, he smelled so good - I really, REALLY could get used to this. He loosened his hold and I went to turn away but he gently guided my chin back and said, “I really hate to go, but I forgot I had something I have to do tonight. I hope it’s okay if I come back tomorrow night.”

  Ummmm, heck yeah, you better - I thought…but my reply was, “Of course it’s okay. I was hoping you would.”

  “Great,” he said. “There aren’t any games on and the rain is supposed to be gone, how about I be here at sixand we can go for our walk?”

  “I’d like that very much,” I said. And then my heart soared as he hugged me again, and leaned down to kiss my cheek (his lips were soft yet very cold - my mind instantly thought two things: first thought “that’s kind of strange because my house is so warm” …..next thought “he just kissed me - who friggin’ cares that his lips were cold”) .