by Helen Bell
“Mom?” My voice was a whisper, yet somehow she heard it.
With her back to us, she froze, then turned to face me. I almost didn’t recognize her. The sweater and pants on her slim body were rumpled. She looked at me through a tangled mass of matted blonde hair, her eyes puffy and red-rimmed. Lines of worry and fatigue adorned her face.
Gideon nudged me gently, and with haste, I corrected myself. “Mrs. Newbern?”
She stared at me for a moment before her lips formed a strained smile. “Yes, how can I help you?”
“I, uh, I … I’m Zoey’s friend, Britt. I have—had, uh, a few classes with her.” I stopped, struggling to contain the storm of emotions stirring inside me.
“Are you all right?” Concern filled her voice.
No, I’m not. It’s me, Mom. Sydney. I’m alive, and I’ve missed you and Dad. I want to—
Gideon came to my rescue. “Mrs. Newbern, we hope we’re not interrupting, but Britt’s just worried about Zoey. She left without a word.”
“My husband and I are worried as well. It’s unlike her to shut everyone out and disappear. We think her recent behavior is related to what happened to her sister, Sydney. She went missing. Never came back from a trip with her friends.”
“I’m sorry to hear that. If there’s anything we can help with, Mrs. Newbern, we’ll be happy to,” Gideon told her.
“Thank you. I appreciate it,” my mother said. She was about to hand us some flyers when my dad stepped out of my house.
In faded jeans and a jacket, he approached us. “Honey, is everything okay?” Lines of weariness etched his face too. They both needed a good night’s sleep.
“This is Britt, Zoey’s friend,” my mother introduced me.
His stare swung to Gideon, inspecting him, and then returned to me. “Has my daughter spoken to you? Do you know where she is?” He sounded desperate for some good news.
I felt bad I didn’t have any to give him. “No. I’m sorry. One day she stopped coming to classes and answering her phone.” At that, my father sighed with disappointment.
“When was the last time you talked with Zoey?” Gideon asked them.
“About a month ago. She called us and …” My mother’s voice cracked, eyes glossing over.
My father continued for her. “She said she was leaving for another country and never coming back home. She demanded that we don’t look for her.”
“First Sydney and now Zoey. Oh, Robert, we’ve lost our daughters. Zoey’s gone, and Sydney must be scared, all alone out there.” She burst into tears.
My father drew her close to him and stroked her hair, comforting her. “We can’t lose hope, hon. We raised two strong girls. They’re survivors and resourceful. They’ll be fine, and we’ll find them.”
They were a wreck. I burned to reveal my true identity to ease their pain, but I couldn’t risk it. Not when he might be watching. Seeing my parents falling apart was too much for me, so after my mother stopped crying, I apologized and told them we had to go.
Back in the cab, Gideon gave the driver the address of Wo Hop, and we drove off. I looked outside the window, silent. A swirling vortex of emotions reeled through me. Gideon, sitting next to me, stayed quiet too, letting me have some time to myself. When we reached the city, the cab driver pulled over on a side street. Gideon paid him as I got out, noticing we were two blocks away from Wo Hop. It was nine p.m., and the street here was mostly empty of people.
“Is Thomas expecting us inside the restaurant?” I was still in emotional turmoil, and it showed in my voice.
“He is, but we don’t have to go over there right now. If you need more time or anything else, just say so.”
“No, I’m fine. Really,” I lied. “I don’t need anything,” I turned around to start walking, but before I took a step forward, he grabbed my hand and flipped me around to face him again.
“I think you do.” In one motion, he pulled me into his arms for a deep hug. His musky, woodsy smell engulfed me at once. I inhaled it deep into my lungs, closing my eyes and burying my face in his rock-hard chest. He was cold; his touch, however, spread heat throughout my body. For the first time since my ordeal had begun, I felt safe. Protected. He was right; I needed this. His embrace. Arms wrapped around him, I stared up into his eyes. So blue. So bright. So beautiful. Silence fell over us until a pedestrian walked past us, breaking the spell between us.
He released me, and a cold breeze blew a strand of hair across my face. He reached out and tucked it behind my ear. Then he pulled a small dagger from a sheath in his jacket pocket and handed it to me.
“It’s important you keep it on you the whole time we’re in Wo Hop.”
Confusion crinkled my brow. “Why? Does Thomas pose a threat?”
“Not Thomas. At night, Wo Hop turns into a vampire brothel. Some vamps may be aggressive toward a female human.”
A brothel? I’d had lunches in a freaking vamp brothel with my family? I ignored the nausea rolling through my stomach and tucked the dagger under my waistband. We then moved along a row of stores until we reached the restaurant. I peered through the glass doors. The place was closed, the lights out. Gideon knocked twice.
A few seconds later, the door opened. We stepped inside and the door swept closed behind us. Light from the streetlamps streamed through the glass, and from what I could make out, Wo Hop looked the same as I remembered it: a large elegant room with Chinese decorations.
Out of nowhere, a big vampire suddenly appeared in front of us. He glanced down at our hands and said in a placid tone, “No invitation, no coming in. Leave.”
“Well, this is awkward,” Gideon started. “We came all this way. So what should we do?” He crossed his arms over his chest and tapped his pursed lips thoughtfully, then said, “I know!” He held up his index finger. “Here’s a solution: you are going to let us in anyway.”
“Leave,” the man repeated with a blank expression.
“It’s a bit problematic since we really need to get in.”
The big vampire bared his teeth in a snarl.
“Oh, please,” Gideon responded with a roll of his eyes. “Put away those baby fangs before you hurt yourself.”
Heels clacking across the tiled floor filled the room. An attractive tall woman in a black, latex miniskirt and a halter top emerged from the back of the room, which was completely dark.
“What’s the problem here, Igor?” she asked, stepping closer to the vampire in front of us, her mouth stained with blood. She licked her lips and dragged the tip of her tongue across the ends of her upper teeth as she sized Gideon up with thoroughness, obviously liking the sight.
“They don’t have invitations,” Igor answered. The sound of two raps on the door behind us tore her attention from Gideon.
She peered over her shoulder. “Slave, go get the door.” A shirtless guy appeared out of the blackness in the back of the room. He was human, in his early twenties, wearing jeans and sneakers. He shuffled toward the front door, and when he passed by me, I registered the two bite marks on his neck. He opened the doors, revealing three men in the doorway.
The one on the right had dark glasses on his face. He held a long white cane out in front of him and swept it back and forth as he walked inside the room. Unlike the other two guys, he wasn’t holding a card.
When they entered the restaurant too, a vampire came out of a room at our left, green leather pants and a tank shirt molding to his built body. His shoulder-length brown hair was tied in a low ponytail.
He pointed at the newcomers who held cards. “You two, you may proceed to the hallway in the back.”
Without saying a word, they moved to the back of the room and disappeared into the blackness.
His attention switched to me. “As for you, breather. I assume you’re here for a Euphoric Bite. I have five vampires who are skilled in Euphoric Bites, but alas, they’re all fully booked for the next three months. You should’ve made an appointment and come with an invitation. However, since you’
re already here, beautiful …” Stepping closer, his mouth widened in a carnal smile. Long, wide fangs protruded past his lips, and I sucked in a breath. He was an Ancient. “I’ll make an exception and offer myself for the service, but I’m not cheap. It’ll cost you seven hundred dollars for the pleasure.”
His fingers trailed down my jawline, and then over the vein in my neck. Just when they were about to reach the swell of my breast, Gideon’s hand whipped out, grabbed his wrist, twisted his arm behind his back, and then he threw him across the room with a brutal kick to the back. The sound of shattering glass exploded in the room as the Ancient smashed into a table, sending silverware and broken plates scattering across the floor. My stare moved to Gideon, but he was no longer near me.
Standing over the Ancient, he said, “Sorry, Alexander, but she already has someone who can give her a Euphoric Bite. And it’s free of charge.”
Alexander leaped to his feet and swung at him. Gideon caught his fist and squeezed until the sound of breaking bones echoed through the room. The Ancient vamp’s face twisted with pain. “That’s for putting your dirty paws on her.” Gideon’s voice was gruff with irritation.
Alexander slipped from his hold and shouted, “Gideon, you’re dead. You’re not getting out of here with your head intact!” Bright gold colored his irises.
“Watch out,” the blind guy warned as he pushed me to the side, taking a blow meant for me from the very pissed off female vampire. She growled and leapt at him, and her big friend, Igor, joined her.
Two vampires against a blind man. Yeah, leeches, real classy.
I pulled out the dagger under my waistband, but to my amazement, there was nothing for me to do. Like a ninja, he kicked their asses. Then, with a silver stake he whipped out from the inside pocket of his suit jacket, he killed both of them in a matter of seconds. There was no freaking way that dude was blind.
His head turned toward the sound of a fight coming from the back of the room.
“Need a hand, mate?” he asked in an English accent.
In answer, Alexander was hurled out of the darkness. His body hit the floor. Gideon blurred as he moved from the blackness and stabbed Alexander through the heart with a silver dagger. The Ancient vampire burst into ashes.
“Guess not,” the ninja guy murmured, and the shirtless human, who had huddled in a corner, hurried to the front door and left the restaurant. Gideon approached me. Many deep cuts covered his face, but they were already mending.
His eyes were on the ninja dude. “Next time, you think you can arrange a meeting at a nicer place, like somewhere that is not a brothel owned by an Ancient I’m not really fond of?”
Whoa, the blind guy was Thomas? My head snapped to him, and I looked him over. He wore an expensive Italian suit, a black tie, and a white shirt stained with drops of the dead vampire’s blood. His features were strong. Fiercely masculine, he wasn’t handsome in the usual way. His medium-length brown hair was slicked back, and his milky skin was not flawless. He was tall, about six foot five, and it looked like the Change had happened in his early thirties. When he turned to pick up his cane lying on the floor, I got a peek of his deep scar. It ran across his left cheek and ended at his chin.
“Oh, flap off,” he said to Gideon, cane back in his hand. “It was the only location where the bloke was willing to meet with me.”
“The bloke?” I repeated, putting the dagger back under my waistband.
“The boy with the information about Kyla,” Gideon said.
“Who’s the human?” Thomas asked as he headed to the back of the room, then added with annoyance, “We don’t have time to bloody babysit.”
“She can hold her own.” Gideon said as he went after Thomas, who had disappeared into the darkness. Not all of us have vampire-level night vision, so I took out my phone and illuminated the way with it, to a door at the end of the room.
“The human is Zoey’s sister,” I said. “Do you know where she is?”
Thomas paused with his hand on the doorknob. “Zoey’s sister? You’re Sydney?” There was a note of surprise in his voice.
“That would be me. Do you know where she is?” Please say yes, please say yes, please say yes.
“No,” he replied. “Her phone has been disconnected for over a month, and all of her belongings are gone from her dorm room.”
“It sounds like you two spent a lot of time together. What kind of relationship did you have?” I asked point-blank.
“I assure you, Miss Newbern, it was solely platonic. The first time I met her, she brought up her concern about you and wished to get my help as her impotent boyfriend refused to assist. But here you are, all safe and sound.” His tone was accusing, hinting that I’d gone away for a vacation while my family was worried sick about me.
I opened my mouth to explain that I’d been kidnapped when Gideon said, “Not now. I’ll fill him in later.” He opened the door, and we followed him through a dimly lit passage.
I put my phone away and after a minute or two, we reached another door. It opened, and soft electronic music poured out, along with a scantily clad woman. Gideon held the door as she passed through.
Her eyes fell on Thomas. “A blind vamp? That’s a first.” She touched his shoulder. “I’m Sharon, and I can make you scream with pleasure for ninety bucks.” Her fingers trailed the fine fabric of his suit.
He shrugged her hand off him. “Sorry, luv, I’m not in the habit of paying for shagging. Here for business only.”
Pouting, she continued on her way, and we entered into a space that looked like the reception area. It was dimly lit by glass-beaded lamps and surprisingly, saturated with the scent of flowers, not blood. The place was filled with a subtle, erotic atmosphere, and the air felt warm and cozy. Two girls, one blonde, the other brunette, sat behind a desk ten feet ahead of us. Both of them wore a black, long-sleeved blouse.
Thomas folded his cane as we walked to the desk. “We’re here for Lucas Smith,” he told the receptionists.
“The human bartender?” the brunette said.
“Yes, him. Where is he?” There was a tinge of impatience in Gideon’s voice.
Their gazes moved to me, and suspicion crossed their faces. The blonde’s focus returned to Thomas. “May I see your cards, please?”
When he told her we didn’t have invitations, she looked at her coworker. “Page Alexander.”
“Don’t bother; he’s dead,” Gideon said. Then, suddenly, screams erupted from a hallway to the left of the reception desk. Vampires, some naked, others partially clothed, stampeded out of it, running from … something. Thomas, Gideon, and I rushed in the opposite direction. We weaved our way down the hallway, which was lined with rooms on either side, trying to spot the source of their fear. When we found it, Gideon moved in front of me protectively. Someone was throwing things out of the last room: clothes, handcuffs, shoes, even a nightstand. Thomas and Gideon slipped inside the room, and I stopped at the doorway, careful not to get hit by anything.
A woman in black leather leggings, strappy heels, and a red top held a guy by his shirt collar as four men trashed the room. “Where’d you hide it, you filthy lowborn?” she demanded from her victim. His face was in bad condition, eyes swollen shut, mouth all busted up, cheekbones bruised.
“Please, I swear to God, I don’t have it.” His voice was choked with pain.
Noticing our presence, they all glanced over at us. One pair of green eyes grabbed my attention, and from that moment on, nothing else mattered. Everything else became a blur. Except for him, the owner of those green eyes, the color of life.
“Look at me, just me,” he spoke in my head.
“Yes, only you. Only you,” I whispered. I would obey his every command, every wish, every desire. Without him, I’d cease to exist—I’d die. “No! No! No!” I screamed when someone plucked me by the waist, pulling me away from my lifeline. I clawed at the arm circling my midriff. Fear, anger, panic—all burst inside me like an erupting volcano. I was flipped around
to face the doorway. The green eyes were gone, and pain ripped through me. I cried and thrashed. Whoever held me tightened his grip. I was rocked from side to side, up and down, as my captor kicked and punched obscure figures coming at us.
“Bloody demons. How bad is she?” I heard a distant voice ask.
“Pretty bad,” my captor answered. “I gotta get her out of here, or she won’t make it.”
“Go. You know who to call. I’ll deal with these cockroaches,” the man fighting alongside the one who held me said.
The noises in the room became weaker, as if I was sealed inside a bubble, the pain almost too much to bear. Where were those green eyes? Those eyes that would eliminate all my agony. I needed them! I kicked and screamed, but it was useless. My abductor wouldn’t let me go. My heavy eyelids fluttered closed. It was cold, and I shivered in his hold. The pain lessened as I drifted in and out of consciousness, and at some point, objects around me stopped moving.
“Lay her down on the bed. I’ll start the IV,” I heard someone say.
“Be careful when inserting it; she’s weak,” the man who had me in his arms ordered.
“I’m a nurse; it’s not my first rodeo. Dr. Harrelson has worked with your friend many times before. He’ll take good care of her,” the nurse promised him.
I was gently deposited on a bed, and I opened my eyes. Familiar blue eyes looked down at me, filled with worry. My lips parted to speak. Nothing came out. My whole body hurt.
“Don’t try to talk,” the man with the blue eyes said, and blackness engulfed me.
Chapter 12
When I woke up this time, it was not to vomit or squeak in pain. The weakness in my body had ebbed away, as had the soreness. I inhaled the clean scent of fabric softener. Surrounded by softness, lying under a thick comforter, I rubbed my eyes.
“How are you feeling?” someone asked.
I sprang up in bed and glanced around the dark room. One moment it was only me in bed, the next, a male’s body was sitting beside me.
