Read Highland Vampire for Free Online Page B

savor the sound of his deep, smooth voice. Maybe Barbara was right. Maybe it was time to ask herself some hard questions.
     
    Jankyn stood by the two horses he had chosen and waited for Efrica. Glancing up at the bright, full moon, he felt an ancient urge stir to life within him. His kindred would be out on the hunt tonight. It had been a long time since he had participated in one, and he found himself wishing he were back at Cambrun, racing through the hills and woods alongside his brethren.
    Coming to court had, perhaps, not been wise. David may well have found himself a wife, but being among these people made Jankyn all too aware of what he was, and what he could never be.
    He did not think he had ever felt so alone. Not one of the women he had bedded had eased that feeling. The fact that, even in the throes of passion, he had to closely and continuously guard his secrets had only added to that sense of utter solitude. He suspected it was one reason he was so strongly attracted to Efrica. She knew what he was. He could be free with her.
    His dissatisfaction had begun to grow a long time ago, however. Watching Cathal and Bridget, seeing their family grow, had bred it. This journey had honed it to a sharpness he could not easily shrug aside. He did not want to spend his long life alone, taking a lover now and then among his own kind, and doing little more than existing until, one day, he ceased. A piece of him would continue on in whatever children David bred, but in all other ways, he would leave no mark upon the world. It was a sobering, even chilling, thought.
    Seeing Efrica hurrying toward him, Jankyn silently cursed. She made it even harder to shake free of the somewhat maudlin humor he was sinking into. He ached for her, hungered to smell the sun upon her fair skin and in her glorious hair. Jankyn had the feeling she was his mate, but he could never claim her. The blood of his ancestors was strong within him, which made him a creature of the night. Efrica was a creature of the light, more so than her sister. The shadows he had to cling to in order to survive would slowly smother her.
    As he helped her mount, he let his hands linger upon her small waist a little longer than was necessary. Jankyn ignored the frown she gave him, mounted his horse, and silently signaled her to lead him to her cousin's. He knew he should not take full advantage of the attraction between them, but decided the occasional, small, stolen delight could do no harm. Except to make his dreams even more of a torment, he thought ruefully.
    The house Efrica led them to was on the far southern side of the town. Set behind a thick, high wall, the main part of the house looked like many another. Here and there, however, someone had stuck a room on the side. The gates that led into the courtyard in front of the house stood open, only a scowling, white-haired man silently watching them.
    "Efrica? Be that ye?" demanded the man as Jankyn helped her dismount. "I was about to lock the gates."
    Efrica gave the man a hug and a kiss. "I ken it. 'Tis why we hurried. I apologize for coming at such a late hour, but 'tis impossible to come during the day." She hastily introduced Jankyn to her cousin, not surprised to see Malcolm's sharp green eyes narrow in thought. The man was already searching his keen memory for some information on the Clan MacNachton.
    "Come in. Come in and tell me what ye seek."
    Following Efrica and her somewhat ill-natured cousin, Jankyn listened to her explain why they were there. Malcolm kept looking at him, curiosity warring with fear in his eyes. Somehow this man knew about the MacNachtons, at least enough to make him feel uneasy. As they walked through the house, Jankyn could see that almost every conceivable place had been turned into storage for books, ledgers, and scrolls. The man kept the main living areas relatively clean, simply lining the walls with shelves where he could, but most of his home was dedicated to his work. Somewhere