by Jen Pretty
He wrapped his hands around my upper arms and pulled me so our bodies touched but then he shuttered and pushed back a step, holding me at arm’s reach.
I searched his face. Maybe I had gotten his signals wrong. I offer myself on a platter and he turns me down. Either way worked in this situation. I faked anger at his refusal. Let it show in my eyes before I shoved him out of the way and went racing out of his office.
The finest bit of acting I had ever accomplished, truth be told.
I laughed at how serious he had looked. I rounded the final corner and dashed through the casino then continued out onto the street. I walked to the city bus terminal and checked the map of the city. It didn’t give street numbers, but I found the street and would have to take city transport to get there. My bank account was empty, not that it had held much money in the first place. When I got that laptop, I would have to stream cash into my account and get my own freaking laptop. This was a ridiculous inconvenience.
I stood at the bus stop, next to a man with a bushy grey beard that smelled of rot and paint.
“You got any change?” he asked me. I still had a dollar and some coins in my pocket, the coins would get me on the bus, and the man smelled just terrible, so I held up the dollar bill.
He reached for it with grubby hands and I snatched it away.
“I’ll give this to you if you go somewhere else until my bus arrives,” I said.
He held out his hand for my bill, I put it within his reach and he grabbed it then went scurrying off like a rat in a tunnel, taking the smell with him.
Dollar well spent.
When the bus stopped in front of me, I stepped on and dropped the last of my money into the slot beside the driver. The coins jingled like a slot machine.
My pockets empty, I sat down behind the driver.
The city slid past in a haze of colour and sounds. Impatient drivers honked their horns as the bass from nightclubs held the tempo of the city. We passed the airport, every square inch lit up like a summer day. Planes with flashing lights landed and took off, timed perfectly. The pinnacle of punctuality…sometimes.
Judging from the map I studied in the bus station, the road I wanted was just ahead so I reached up and pulled the cord and with a bell chime, the bus pulled over and the door slid open to a darkened street.
I stepped off, and the bus pulled away, leaving me alone in what appeared to be an industrial area. There were giant warehouses with tall fences topped with barbed wire. I walked along the dark street until I found the address I was looking for.
A short chain and padlock held the gates securely closed, but I wiggled through between them and got to the other side without having to mess with the barbed wire. I moved to the shadows of the building and walked along the wall, listening for movement or voices. When I got to the back corner, I heard a slow heartbeat inside. It was too slow and fluttery. It could be a vampire, but I was willing to bet it was Ben.
I found a back door. It was locked, and I didn’t know if there were any vampires inside, but I took off my jacket and wrapped my hand in it and then punched the safety glass in the industrial door. It shattered into glass pebbles and made a ton of noise. Any vampire would have heard that. I didn’t wait though. I unlocked the door and stepped into the dark warehouse. It was a vast empty space, but to my right was a rickety staircase that led up. The weak heartbeat was coming from up there. Climbing the stairs, I found another locked door at the top, this one was solid wood, but had a simple lock. I kicked it and it swung open, revealing a dark office space and a bloody gawky Ben, tied to a chair.
On a steel office desk sat his laptop. It was open but set to the lock screen. I flipped it closed and turned to look at the pathetic kid. His chin was resting on his chest and he had several bite marks. The bites left weeping, oozed rivulets down his neck to disappear beneath his black t-shirt.
Little idiot.
I grabbed a box cutter from the desk and sliced the ropes that held him. He tipped forward and nearly landed on his head, but I caught him and hefted him over my shoulder.
I hadn’t seen his security password for his laptop yet. I needed him if I wanted to complete my work.
As I reached the bottom of the stairs, the hairs on the back of my neck rose. I was being stalked. I turned and left the warehouse. Fully aware I had been seen. They already knew who I was. Why they weren’t attacking I had no idea, but I just kept moving until I got to the gate. I set Ben on the ground, and slid through the gate, with the laptop. Then reached back through and dragged Ben behind me.
I was almost back to the bus stop and wondering how I would get his bloody passed-out ass onto the city bus, when flashing lights and sirens of four police cars came flying up and slammed on their brakes, surrounding me.
The cops got out, crouching in the doors of their vehicles, and pointed their guns at me. They screamed to drop the person. Sounded painful for Ben, but I followed their instructions.
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
“Sorry,” I whispered to him when he thumped to the ground and groaned. Seemed the bump might have woke him.
“Get on the ground!” the officer shouted.
“I saved him. You should point your guns at that warehouse!” I yelled back.
They kept yelling at me, so I finally lay down and let them put their stupid flimsy cuffs on me. They still hadn’t realized I was a vampire. Apparently, they thought a woman could carry all hundred and fifty pounds of awkward teenage Ben. They would have a surprise when they got me to the police station.
An ambulance came roaring up as the officer pushed me into the back of the police car, then got in the passenger seat. Another officer slid behind the wheel and pulled away from the scene.
“You better protect that kid. They will come back for him.”
“Shut it.” The officer behind the wheel said as he drove through the city.
I leaned back awkwardly on my cuffed hands. Bunch of idiots. Maybe if I kept my mouth shut, they would release me and no one needed to find out about this.
At the station, they pulled into an underground garage similar to the one in my old hometown. They got out and one of them spoke on the phone for a few minutes before the other one opened the door and hauled me out, smashing my head off the car door frame.
“Did you do that to that boy? Are you a vampire?” he asked. I guess the word had gotten out about Ben’s condition.
I kept my mouth shut as suggested.
“It doesn’t matter, the master of the city will be here soon. You can explain it to him and the Blood Guard.”
Great. I needed to figure out my story before Matthew arrived. The officers led me to a cell to wait for him and the Blood Guard.
I didn’t have long to wait. Not long enough to come up with something believable to tell Matthew. So, when they moved me into an interrogation room where Matthew stood, arms crossed, back leaning against the wall and a scowl on his face, I chose silence.
The door shut behind the officer and the room mocked my silence. Matthew was perfectly still. Not a rustle or inhale. I trained my eyes on the table in front of me. The hair on my neck rose. He was stalking me. I could feel his eyes trace my features like he was trying to find a way into my head.
“I have spoken for you,” he said, breaking our standoff.
All the air rushed out of my lungs like a collapsing balloon.
“They have released you to me.”
I wanted to stand and leave, but he was still leaning against the wall. I kept my eyes trained on the table in front of me, Matthew in my peripheral vision.
“I want you to speak to someone. A friend of mine.”
I raised my eyes to meet his.
“You will do this or I will send you back to live with your father.”
He hadn’t held my father over my head before now. Nodding silently, I expected it, but the betrayal still pinched. I had done nothing wrong but was being punished anyway.
I would have preferred gardening.
&
nbsp; Matthew pushed off the wall and said: “Come on.”
I followed him through the police station to his Corolla waiting in the parking lot.
I slipped into the passenger seat and Matthew took us home.
When he parked in the underground lot and killed the engine, I went to get out, but Matthew grabbed my arm. I stopped but didn’t look at him.
“Did you bite that boy?” he asked.
I shook my head.
He reached over and turned my face so I was looking at him. “Did you bite that boy?” He asked again, looking into my eyes.
“No, Matthew. I did not bite that boy,” I said, holding his glare.
“Thank you, Ren.”
The irony of asking me to tell the truth while using my fake name was not lost on me. I just didn’t feel much like laughing.
“You are to stay in the Casino unless escorted.”
I rolled my eyes.
“Do you understand?” he asked.
“Yes,” I replied with no inflection.
He released my arm and exited the vehicle. I followed him to the lobby where he pushed the button on the elevator.
“Good night,” he said as he turned and walked to the door that led to the back halls of the casino. He stopped and waited there as I got on the elevator. As the doors closed, he disappeared from view and I went up to the top floor, alone.
I wondered if the police saved Ben’s laptop.
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
The next few days dragged by. When I wasn’t working, I stayed in my suite, but by Wednesday night I was ready to bust out. I squished myself into a tiny dress and put on some strappy heels.
Matthew had sent word, through Thor, that he would pick me up and take me out to dine tonight. Matthew himself had been avoiding me. Or maybe he was just busy.
There was a knock on my door promptly at 9pm, and I opened it to find Matthew standing before me in well-fitted jeans and a thin black v neck t-shirt. His wide chest and sculpted abs were on display and I couldn’t help but look. He got a crooked grin when he noticed, but it didn’t stop me from looking. It’s not like his soft blue eyes didn’t rake over my tiny dress and everything it didn’t cover, too.
“Hey,” I said.
“Hey,” he replied. “You ready to go?”
“Yup.” This wasn’t awkward at all.
We took the elevator down to the parking garage, but he didn’t lead me to the Corolla. Instead, he ushered me over to a cherry red, 1968 Mustang convertible. Its glossy paint sparkled in the garage's lighting.
“Holy crap, Matthew. Where has this been hiding?” I asked him.
He laughed. “I keep it in a private garage. Some people who frequent casinos can’t park and I don’t like scratches and dents.”
He put the roof down and I tied up my hair with an elastic from my purse. I wouldn’t be able to entice my prey tonight with crazy wind-blown hair.
The city was stunning from the passenger seat of a powerful car. The engine ripped through the night, and the feeling of freedom rushed in with the wind. Lights of the Strip twinkled off the hood, and I closed my eyes, letting the night take me away.
“What are you thinking?” Matthew asked.
“Nothing,” I replied.
“Nothing?”
“No, Matthew. I’m not thinking anything. I feel like life doesn’t get better than this.”
“How do you know?”
“How do I know what?” I asked, opening my eyes and studying his profile as he steered the car to wherever we were going.
“How do you know it’s the best there is?”
“Because I’ve been living for 200 years and nothing compares to the feeling of a fast car and an open road.”
“Have you been living?” That was definitely his psychiatrist's voice.
“What do you mean? Of course, I’ve been living. I mean, we’re dead, right? But that doesn’t seem to stop me from going about my business,” I replied.
“Hmm,” he replied, cryptically. I considered his words for several minutes, my eyes studying his profile.
He rolled up to a high-end nightclub and smiled at me before getting out. His smile stopped the whole conversation, and I felt the usual flush of adrenaline the prospect of hunting brought. The nightclub music was deep and fast and I could already smell the hot writhing bodies that would be inside. I stepped out of the car and Matthew took my hand, wrapping it around his arm. We walked into the nightclub queen and king of the night and I wondered if maybe this was the best feeling in the world for him. Vampires loved power and prey.
We were top of the food chain and on the prowl.
We walked to the bar where Matthew ordered us drinks and I scanned the club. It was at least twice the size of any club I had been to. The DJ was on a stage at the opposite end of the space, pumping out loud, throbbing music, and between him and us, was a sea of young, healthy victims moving to the beat.
My skin prickled, and I looked at Matthew to find he was studying me. There would be no talking in here, the music was too loud. I smiled at him and downed my drink, then walked into the fray, leaving him behind. I danced. The lights and sounds consumed me. The scent of warm bodies perked my appetite and drove my hunting instincts wild.
Matthew’s gaze followed me as if he was hunting me and it pushed my adrenaline higher. My teeth itched to break skin and my stomach clenched in anticipation. The room was spinning with beautiful people; I only had to choose one and they would be mine.
I let my eyes scan until I saw what I wanted. A young man, dancing with a young woman. They looked like a couple. The all-American couple. The man was fit, with enough muscle to fill out his t-shirt, and the young woman was slim with long hair and legs to match. Perfectly feminine. They could have easily graced the cover of a magazine as they moved together.
He was perfect the prey. He was tall and his hair was long enough I could run my fingers through it.
I danced in their direction slowly, extending the hunt for my own pleasure. The young woman’s eyes lit upon me once and I ducked behind a tall man. When I stepped back out, her eyes had moved back to her lover.
I moved more stealthily, in a curving line so she wouldn’t spot me. My neck prickled again but I didn’t like the distraction this time. I focused on my prey. Why hadn’t Matthew found his own? That’s when I saw him. Behind the long-haired girl. He was dancing there, just behind her. His eyes were on mine like he was waiting for me to catch up. Or daring me too.
I stepped in behind my victim and my eyes locked on the woman. I flashed my fangs at her and she tipped her head, baring her neck. Matthew did the same and my prey tipped his head too. It was a perfect moment when the room stopped. I wrapped my arms around my target from behind and I slid my teeth into his neck. He was nearly too tall for me to reach this way, but when his knees gave out, I held him and pulled the metallic blood into my mouth. His heart forced more blood out of his body and into mine. Matthew’s soft blue eyes found mine as he held his victim. His forearm muscles bulged below her breasts in a shattering contrast. His sharp hard lines against her soft curves.
I closed my eyes for a moment, relishing the life that struggled to permeate my body. The fleeting sense I, too, was living. When I opened my eyes again, Matthew was still watching me.
My heart’s first beat shook my chest like an old engine brought back to life. It stepped into a rhythm faster than the music. I sealed up the wound I had made and steadied my victim on his feet as Matthew did the same.
Matthew released his prey and pulled me into his arms. His mouth fell on mine. The mingling of blood blossomed between us like a desert meeting the sea. Our tongues tangled. His heart through his chest raced with mine. The life pushed outward from our centers.
The room crept back into my awareness. Matthew moved me to the music and the rhythm of our hearts. I closed my eyes and tipped my head, satiated and energized. Matthew was right. This was the best feeling on earth. No contest.
He pulled me close
r until his mouth was at my ear and he said: “There are more things in heaven and earth...”
The quote floated on my consciousness, just out of reach of my addled mind. I tucked it away to examine later and lost myself in the music and Matthew’s arms.
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
“I told you that you had to talk to someone or I would send you home,” Matthew said, playing the card that always worked. We had left the club an hour ago and my heart had stopped beating, making me grumpy. I wanted to go home to my old life, but apparently, I would now talk to some psychiatrist friend of Matthew’s.
“Whatever, fine. Jesus.” I looked out the window at the freeway. The night had cooled off and Matthew had the top up and the heat on, but it didn’t help the cold I felt in my silent chest.
Finally, Matthew pulled off the freeway into a smaller quiet town. It was 4am, and I did not understand what kind of psychiatrist office would be open at this hour, but whatever. I could make this fun.
When the car parked in front of an office building, Matthew cut the engine and got out. My door opened a second later.
“Let’s go.”
“I was coming. You don’t have to hold my hand.”
He took my hand anyway. I rolled my eyes, but he walked me through the front doors and into the elevator. I tried to take my hand back, but he tucked it under his arm and rested his palm on the back of my hand where it lay on his forearm.
When the doors opened again, we were in a hall full of offices with plaques on the doors. We stopped at the door that read ‘Dr. E P Mallard Ph.D.’
“I’m seeing a duck?” I asked.
“Don’t be a jerk,” he muttered.
I chuckled, and he scowled at me.
“By the way, that boy you saved survived.”
The smile fell off my face.
“The doctors said if he lost much more blood he would have died.”
