by Kiersten Fay
“No, Brian. Don’t come over. I’ll see you later at work, Okay?” She’d only just kept herself from moaning the last, Lex’s ruthless attention driving her toward orgasm. When he did that thing with his tongue she loved, she rushed out. “Okay, bye!” and then hung up the phone to snap at Lex. “You villain!”
Lex chuckled and then sucked her tender flesh between his lips. Tipping over the edge, she threw her head back and screamed.
That evening, Kasima typed the final sentence of an email and hit send. Brian hadn’t shown up for work. At first she figured he was out on assignment, but was informed around nine that he’d called in sick.
Her previous night’s very public and hasty exit from the event during Brian’s speech stymied any post-engagement workplace jubilee. Folks gave her a wide berth, though she’d caught more than one glance at her very naked ring finger.
Kasima wondered how much Brian might have guessed about what had happened last night after she’d left the event.
Is there something you’d like to tell me?
That strangeness in his voice now held new meaning. Was he hurt? He couldn’t have seen her leave with Lex, but someone else might have and relayed the information.
Though she had never intended to hurt him, Brian’s gross misjudgment of their relationship was entirely his own doing. Yet she still felt partly responsible. Perhaps she shouldn’t have assumed they could retain a friendly relationship.
As they’d dressed this morning, Lex had commented, “Am I going to need to do something about him?”
“No,” she’d replied. “I’ll take care of it.” They just needed to have a blunt conversation face to face, after which Brian would have zero doubts. They were never getting back together.
As the hours passed, she filed down her daily stack of paperwork and emails while replaying her night with Lex. He loved her. Whenever that popped into her head, she caught herself absently smiling. So much happiness couldn’t be contained by one person. It shouldn’t be physically possible. Yet it somehow lived comfortably inside her. Had burrowed deep, snuggled in, and made a home. She finally knew how her parents felt when she’d caught them gazing dreamily at one another, their hands intertwined. She’d finally found that deep, divine connection she’d been searching for.
Who would have guessed she’d find her soulmate in a vampire? Who’d have thought he’d wind up being the sweetest being she’d ever met? Around lunchtime, he’d called her…just to see how she was doing. He’d worried Brian might have upset her at work.
Swoon.
When she told him Brian hadn’t come in, she could practically hear him rolling his eyes. Then she told him, “I think I’m going to go to his house after work and have it out with him.”
“I’d like to be there with you if you don’t mind.”
“I don’t know if that’s such a good idea.” Would Lex’s presence inspire hostility in Brian? She’d never seen Brian jealous of anyone, but with Lex, he might be.
“I’ll just be there for your protection. He was one red-neck shy of an old-fashioned shotgun wedding last night.”
She laughed at the absurdity of it all, then sighed. “Alright. What time does your shift end?”
“I’m scheduled for a double shift till midnight, but Cortez and Naia are back from their honeymoon, so I can have someone cover my later shift and I’ll meet you at your place around six.”
“Sounds good, I’ll see you then.”
At five, she clocked out and headed to her car. Dark clouds were building from the west. The scent of coming rain permeated the air. Lightning lit up the distant sky. Perhaps tonight she would set up her camera and finally catch that perfect storm image.
On her way home, she passed the turn that led to Brian’s place. She slowed. She didn’t believe a chaperone was necessary for a conversation that should be had in private. Plus she really did worry Lex’s presence might needlessly needle Brian.
She nibbled her lip.
Although she thought it silly to wait, she’d promised Lex, and she wouldn’t go back on her word. Even though a part of her felt it was cowardly not to face Brian alone. She’d have someone in her corner, while he had no one. At the same time, she was grateful for Lex’s support.
She drove on.
As she pulled into her driveway, she found herself wishing it was already six. She itched to see him, to hear his lustrous deep voice and wrap herself in his strong embrace. She wondered how a human/vampire relationship would work in the long-term, if one day he’d ask her to turn for him. Would she? At the moment, that was a question she wasn’t ready to answer. It would take a lot of consideration, and it was early yet in their relationship. There’d be time enough to broach the subject down the road.
Retrieving her cell phone from her purse, she stepped out of her car and dialed Lex.
“Hello, love,” he answered, making her heart soar. In the background, she heard a set of masculine teasing. There was some scuffling. Something rubbed against the receiver like someone was trying to take it from Lex.
A man cried “Ow!”
More laughter ensued.
Lex cleared his throat into the receiver. “I’m about to leave now.”
“I was just thinking.” She unlocked her door and stepped inside. “Maybe we could have a little fun before we go see—
“Brian!” She gasped. Brian was sitting on one of her dining room chairs that had been pulled out to face the door. A gun lay in his lap!
Her heart plummeted into her gut.
“Kas?” Lex sounded rigid, on alert. “What’s going on? Where are you?”
“Home,” she said, too stunned to say more.
Brian aimed the gun at her. “Kasima, hang up the phone.”
She put her hands up, but didn’t disconnect the call. “Brian, what are you doing? Put the gun down.”
“Toss the phone over here,” he ordered, indicating the phone. “This is for your own good.”
Oh, God, he’s gone mad. “Brian, please—”
“Give me the phone!” His expression twisting in a way that made him look menacing. Like some alien creature was looking out through his eyes.
Icy adrenaline sent shivers through her body.
“Now!”
Eyeing the barrel of his gun, trained on her chest, she tossed the cell to him.
He caught it and lifted it to his ear. “Is this the vampire?” Pause. “Threaten me all you want. You don’t get to win this one.” With that he dropped the phone. It bounced once on the carpet. Then he stood and smashed it under his heel.
Her voice shook as she cried, “Brian, this is crazy. What are you doing?”
“You aren’t in your right mind. I’m taking you somewhere safe till his compulsion wears off.”
He still believed Lex had used vampire hypnosis on her. She could see her phone’s screen was cracked, but was the cell still working? If the call remained connected, could Lex still hear their conversation?
If so, she had to get Brian talking. “Where are you taking me?”
“To a place where no one will find us.”
At gunpoint, he directed her out the door and around the corner to where he’d concealed his car behind a line of tall overgrowth. Ordering her into the driver’s seat, he entered the passenger’s side and then shoved the keys into her hand. “Drive.”
Gun trained on her, she started the car and pulled slowly away from the curb. Tiny pinpricks of water dotted the windshield. The drizzle was accompanied by a flash of light and rumble of thunder.
She longingly gazed into the rearview mirror. How far was Lex? He’d have been on the move as soon as he heard the fear in her voice, but Ever Nights was about thirty minutes away. Fifteen if Lex drove recklessly. And he would. He’d be in a rage, with no regard of his own safety. Vampires could take a lot of damage, but a high-impact crash would kill anyone.
She reminded herself, like all vampires, Lex had inhuman reflexes and would make it to her house without incident. Sti
ll he would arrive too late. Even though she drove well below the speed limit, her house was already out of sight. He’d have no way of knowing which way they went.
“Take this right,” Brian directed her. After a few more turns, she realized he was guiding them out of town. Her heart sank with each mile that took her away from Lex.
“Brian, please listen to me—”
“No need,” he interrupted. “I already know what you’re going to say. You think I’m being paranoid and crazy and that the vampire isn’t controlling you.”
Well, basically, yeah.
“But don’t you see? He’s making you believe that way. You can’t even see what he’s doing to you. What he’s doing to us. The way you were with him last night? That wasn’t you. That was someone he forced you to become. He’s completely changed you.”
She shook her head. “You’re wrong. Lex hasn’t done anything—“ Her mind stumbled as his words snapped back like a rubber band. “Wait, what do you mean the way I was with him last night?”
“When you were with him on your couch. You’re never aggressive like that. It proved everything I’ve suspected. I knew something wasn’t right. I knew it. I just needed proof.”
Icy shards sliced her veins. Her grip tightened on the wheel. When she spoke next, her own voice sounded far away, her vision bowing and warping at the edges. “Brian, what did you do?”
“I planted a camera in your living room.” He might as well be telling her Oh, by the way, I watered your ficus.
“You...you...” The road swam in front of her. She took several deep breaths, last night’s private events playing back in her head. They were being recorded. Brian had watched her having sex with Lex.
Nausea churned in her gut and poisoned her blood.
Brian continued. “You’re going to be okay. I think, given time, we can fix you. The compulsion has to wear off eventually.”
“You’re insane.”
“One day you’ll thank me for this. I guarantee it.”
“No.” She met his gaze, her eyes burning with hatred. “I won’t.”
27
The abandoned mill’s silhouette was a dark tomb on the horizon. Somewhere no one will find us.
She shivered as she pulled into the dilapidated parking lot. On the way here, Brian told her he’d been preparing for this and not to worry. He’d stocked up on provisions. They could spend months here if needed.
To him, this place was safe. To her, it was a great monster ready to swallow her whole and pick its teeth with her bones.
The car was still running, and Brian opened his door. Her limbs twitched, readying for action as a desperate plan formed. As soon as he stepped out, she’d slam the car into gear and peel away. She’d have to be fast—
Her fantasy died when he snatched the keys from the ignition. Only then did he exit, coming around to her side, the whole time, keeping her in his sights.
He opened her door and stepped back, waving her out with the gun. Fat drops of rain pelted her head and shoulders. He had her stand a few feet away so he could grab a duffle from the back seat. Then with him at her back, they marched toward the mill.
Shadows from the retreating sun slashed across the building’s decayed shell, scattered rays glinting harshly off the jagged glass in windows.
She had a terrible thought that if she entered the mill, she might never leave it alive.
“Brian, this is madness. Please let me go.”
“Kas, I don’t want to have to gag you.” He hiked the duffle higher on his shoulder.
It was dim inside the mill. Dust motes flared to life against what little light managed to squeak through the cracks and windows. That flower patch she’d photographed days ago had long since dried up, the plant’s withered husk fanning out along the ground as if in its dying throes, it was desperately stretching in search of one last sip of water. Had this current storm come too late for the little guy?
As if in response, lightning snapped like a fiery whip outside. Rain hammered the building’s roof, the sound amplified in the large empty space.
With the barrel, Brian gave her a light push to get her moving again. She edged around a sinkhole toward those rickety metal stairs and Mack’s old hidey-hole. The bum’s things had been removed, as if he’d moved on. She recognized one of Brian’s suitcases leaning up against a wall. Next to the stairs, a thin mattress had been rolled out.
Brian motioned her forward onto the mattress. Her soiled shoes sank into the plush material. He dropped his duffle, unzipped it, and retrieved a set of handcuffs, tossing them to her. “Cuff yourself to the stairs.”
Her hands were almost shaking too hard to do as instructed, but she managed to slap one end of the cuff on the railing and the other around her wrist. She had the presence of mind to leave it lose. However, in hopes of slipping out when Brian wasn’t looking, but he was too clever for that. Once she was secured, he came forward and clicked the cuffs tighter, till they pinched.
“There, now we can relax.” He stowed the gun in his belt behind his back.
Yeah, that’s going to happen. “How long do you plan to keep me here?”
“Until the compulsion wears off.”
“And what if it never does?”
“It will,” he replied with total confidence.
“What if I’m not under any compulsion, Brian? This is kidnapping.”
He just smirked and turned away to rummage through his bag. He pulled out, of all things, a bottle of wine and two glasses.
Seriously? “You think I’m going to drink with you?”
He eyed her for a moment, then returned one of the glasses. “You’re missing out, it’s a great year.” Next he fished out a spool of nylon rope. At her look, he said, “just in case. Be good and I won’t have to use this.”
She jiggled her cuffs at him and then spread her palms out. Where am I going to go? After he filled his glass and took a sip, he retrieved a couple of sandwiches bound in familiar tight paper wrapping. “You stopped for fast food?”
He tossed one to her. She let it drop to the mattress. He rolled his eyes as he unwrapped his own sandwich. “I assumed you’d be hungry.”
“Funny thing. I tend to lose my appetite when I’m kidnapped at gunpoint.”
He bit into his sandwich, wiping his sleeve across his mouth, and then spoke as he chewed. “You’ll see. When all this is over, you’ll see I was right.”
Sighing, she sank to her mat and leaned against the stairs’ metal railing. She could tell there’d be no reasoning with him. Still, she had to try. “I want you to think about what you’re doing, Brian. Really think about it.”
He tore another piece off his sandwich with his teeth.
“Do you remember that story you did on vampires?”
“I did several. To which are you referring?”
“The one about how territorial they can be.”
His chewing slowed.
“Consider the consequences of your actions. For all intents and purposes, a vampire has claimed me as his. And you took me from him. What do you think he’s going to do?”
With an audible sound, Brian swallowed his bite. He glanced toward the entryway and back at her. Then he rallied. “You think I haven’t thought of that? That I haven’t planned this out?” Putting down his sandwich, he leaned over to pick through his bag once more. “When we came to interview Mack, I realized this was a perfect place to hide you. Out of town. Out of the way. Abandoned. And easily booby-trapped.”
Booby-trapped?
“I’ve ensured there’s only one door in.”
She glanced back toward the entrance, a sick feeling in her gut.
“You remember that story I did last year about the highway bomber?”
She did. Brain was an investigative journalist. There was a reason he’d been specially honored at the awards ceremony. He researched every aspect of a story, making sure to gather all the details and his facts were accurate. Excitedly, Brian had relayed exactly how the cu
lprit had designed his pipe bombs. She’d even joked that he could make one himself.
Outside, the wind began to howl.
“And if the bombs aren’t enough, the special rounds I purchased will be.” From his bag, Brian produced a sawed-off shotgun.
Bombs? As in plural?
Wait. Special rounds? That sick feeling in her stomach turned sour.
“Are you mad?” A regular bullet could take out a human but would barely be a nuisance to a vampire. During the long vampire/human war, special bullets had been created that could drop a vampire in a single shot. With the fighting over, they’d been dubbed highly illegal. Just being in possession of such a bullet could earn a man five to ten, especially if caught by a VEA agent. Vampire Enforcement Agency. The VEA didn’t mess around, and one did not mess around with them.
“Of the two of us, I think my clarity of thought is more reliable.”
Pointing to herself, she said, “Left you for another man”—she pointed to him—“commits armed kidnapping and booby-traps his hideout with explosives. Sure, I’m the insane one.”
“You didn’t leave me for another man. You were duped by a vampire.”
“I wasn’t duped. I never would have met Lex if you hadn’t insisted on going to the vampire’s masquerade. He and I just clicked. That’s all. He’s not compelling me.”
“Oh, no? When he compelled your boss to give you a paid day off.”
“I asked him about that. He said he didn’t.”
“And you believed him?”
Lightning crashed so loud, Kasima jumped. The thunder was right on top of them, and seemed to make the building itself quiver.
Brian fished out his phone, navigated to a video, and showed her the screen. She saw Mr. Dixon sitting at his desk, Lex across from him. The angle of the camera offered only their profiles. The device must have been planted somewhere on the sidebar that displayed Mr. Dixon’s prized golf trophies. “You planted a camera in Mr. Dixon’s office?”
He pressed play. “If I could, I would,” Mr. Dixon was saying. “But if I give Kasima an unscheduled day off, I’ll have to accommodate everyone else in the office. You know what they say. Give people an inch…”
