Heart of the Vampire: Episode 1

by Tasha Black

  “You know what?” One of them yelled. “Fuck you, Sullivan.”

  Sullivan? Was there a Sullivan checked in right now?

  Drew thought about it, but was drawing a blank. Then again, she didn’t have a ton of contact with the guests while working the night shift.

  “No, fucking way you can talk to me like that,” the other one shot back.

  “No, just fuck you, Sullivan. I’m done with you.”

  Dru didn’t relish approaching them by herself. But there was no one else around. Of course, Howie never seemed to be around when anything unpleasant needed doing, Chester would be long asleep in his cottage, Gert and Constance were off-duty at night, and neither Hailey nor Zander would be back until their shifts began.

  She had the sudden urge to go find Viktor.

  Come on, Dru, she coached herself. It’s just an argument. You’re a grown-up. You can break it up.

  She stopped and took a deep breath, then stepped into the dining room.

  The solarium had gone silent.

  Footsteps thundered toward her.

  Before she could make herself scarce, Brian Thompson charged out of the solarium, nearly smashing into her on his way out to the lobby.

  She gasped and stepped back, smacking her hip into the corner of the table.

  “Ow,” she said quietly to herself.

  By the time she got back to her desk, Brian was long gone.

  She hoped he was ashamed of himself. Who acted like that? And who had he been yelling at?

  Whoever it was, they must have left through the exterior door of the solarium.

  On a whim, Dru pulled up the guest log and began going through names.

  Hazel & Honey Van Buren - Amethyst Suite

  Brian Thompson - Opal Room

  Tyler Park - Agate Room

  Jeffrey, Jenna, and Angie Wilder - Topaz Room

  Viktor Stryker - Sapphire Suite, Onyx Room, Quartz Suite

  Oscar Hawkins - Pearl Room

  Johnny Smith - Ruby Room

  Paid Hold for H. Channing - Emerald Room

  Paid Hold for E. Tuck - Amber Room

  There were no Sullivans anywhere on that list.

  She shook her head and bit the end of her pen.

  It was possible that the man Brian Thompson was arguing with hadn’t left the solarium to go outside.

  Maybe he was still there, or he had gone into the sitting room.

  Suddenly Dru was as eager to lay eyes on the man as she had been anxious not to before.

  You’re bored, Dru, just get some writing done.

  But the idea was in her head.

  She put up the Bee Right Back sign, then slipped back into the corridor and headed to the sitting room.

  A fire was crackling in the fireplace, but the leather chairs and tables were empty.

  She stepped through the doorway into the solarium, soaking in the fragrant air.

  It took a bit of looking through the trails of trees and foliage, but the solarium was empty too.

  She went back out through the sitting room and into the corridor, figuring she would stick her head into the kitchen, just in case.

  But before she made it to the kitchen, a big, familiar, male figure strode down the hallway toward her.

  “Hey there,” Brian Thompson said.

  He stepped close enough that she had to press her back up against the wall to avoid his big frame brushing up against her.

  “Sorry I almost slammed into you back there,” he said, putting a hand on the wall behind her head. “You okay?”

  “I’m fine,” she said, moving to duck under his arm.

  He grabbed her shoulder with his other hand, trapping her.

  “You’re a pretty little thing,” he said. “I’ll bet you get lonely up here at night on this mountain.”

  “Not really,” she said. “I have to get back to the desk.”

  “Don’t rush off,” he said. “Let’s get to know each other.”

  16

  Dru felt her heart threaten to pound out of her chest.

  “I have to go,” she repeated.

  But Brian was leaning close to her, so close she could smell the onions on his breath and feel the heat of his gut against her stomach. Light from the lamp on the hall table twinkled in the gold cross he wore.

  Adrenaline crashed through her veins and she tried to twist her shoulder out of his hand.

  But his meaty paw only clenched onto her more tightly.

  “You’re a feisty little thing, aren’t you?” he asked, sliding the hand that was on the wall to grab her jaw.

  Moving on instinct, Dru jerked her right knee up with brutal force into his crotch.

  “Fuck you, bitch,” he choked, not letting go of her.

  Frantic, she tried to wrest herself out of his hold, but he was too strong. She flailed her free hand until her fingers closed on the base of the brass lamp on the hall table. It was heavy, and would probably do some pretty serious damage when she slammed it into his head. Dru decided she was okay with that.

  “Enough,” a calm, masculine voice said from the end of the hallway.

  Dru turned to see it was Viktor.

  She released her hold on the lamp, shame and relief washing over her in equal measures.

  “What do you want, weirdo?” Brian snarled.

  “The lady has asked you to unhand her,” Viktor said lightly.

  There was a single instant of throbbing tension.

  Then Brian let go of her so fast she stumbled.

  Viktor was already at her side somehow, taking her arm.

  “Are you okay?” he asked.

  “I’m fine,” she said, looking down.

  “Do you want to alert the police?” Viktor asked. “I saw everything. I would be more than happy to provide a statement.”

  She shook her head, not wanting to spend one more minute thinking about it.

  “This fucking place,” Brian muttered, stomping down the hallway toward the lobby.

  “Stop,” Viktor said quietly.

  Dru was amazed to the see the big man freeze in his tracks, then turn slowly back to them.

  “If you so much as look at her again, the authorities will be involved.” Viktor said. “And I don’t think that would end well for you, Mr.… Thompson, was it?”

  The man gave Viktor a confused look.

  “Sure thing, buddy,” Brian said, his old swagger back.

  He turned and stomped away, shaking his head.

  “Drucilla,” Viktor breathed.

  His eyes were pale blue, and his expression was hungry again.

  Without thinking, she went up on her toes and pressed her lips to his.

  He froze for an instant and then seemed to give in, kissing her back gently.

  Everything about him felt right. Dru’s senses were reeling. His mouth was warm and delicious. She instinctively pressed her form closer to his.

  “Easy,” he whispered against her mouth.

  Somehow, even the word of caution thrilled her senses, and she had to fight herself not to wrap her body around his.

  Viktor cupped her cheek in his hand and pulled back slightly.

  “You’ll drive me mad,” he murmured.

  She had no idea what he meant. If he wanted her, she was his for the taking.

  Hailey was right, she needed this, needed him more than she could have imagined. A taste was not enough.

  “Viktor,” she whispered back, too stupid with wanting to make a coherent argument for herself.

  “Come,” he told her.

  He lifted her in his arms, seemingly without effort, and carried her to the empty lobby and up the staircase.

  Dru closed her eyes and rested her head against his chest.

  He was so strong, his body firm beneath her cheek. She listened for the reassuring drumbeat of his heart, but couldn’t hear anything because her own was pounding so loudly in her ears.

  He opened the door to her room and stepped inside, closing and locking it behind
them.

  She felt a thrill of happiness.

  He placed her gently down on the bed and sat beside her, leaving one arm wrapped protectively around her shoulder.

  “I know you have to get back to work in a few minutes,” he said. “But I think you should rest a little first. You’ve had a scare.”

  “I’m not scared anymore,” she told him. “And it’s after two in the morning. I don’t need to get back downstairs yet. No one will need me for hours.”

  “Drucilla…” he began. But he didn’t finish.

  She would have sworn he wasn’t interested, if it weren’t for the way his body was curled around hers as if he were magnetically drawn to her.

  He gazed down at her, his pale blue eyes hazy with need.

  She held still, unwilling to make the next move.

  “Drucilla,” he said again, the word a surrender.

  When he finally pressed his lips to hers, she felt herself almost swoon with the pleasure of it.

  17

  Dru held herself perfectly still as he kissed her.

  Hailey must have been right. He was older than Dru thought.

  Guys her own age wouldn’t have hesitated to kiss her in the first place. And once they were kissing, it would have been a race to the finish line.

  But Viktor kissed her slowly and carefully, as if she were breakable.

  She felt her whole body grow warm under his touch.

  After a time, he cupped her cheek in his hand, coaxing her jaw open with a light caress of his thumb.

  When his tongue stroked hers, she nearly moaned.

  He tasted like moonlight, and his slow pace made her feel as if he were trying to soothe her lust instead of inciting it.

  It only made her more frantic.

  She slid a hand up his chest and around his shoulder.

  He grabbed her hand and brought it back to her lap, then pulled away slightly.

  “I should go,” he murmured.

  Dru wanted to scream.

  “You’re not feeling yourself,” he said. “You’re excited over what happened.”

  “No,” Dru moaned. “I want you.”

  He closed his eyes and looked away.

  “Please, don’t go,” she whispered, feeling ashamed but unable to keep herself from begging.

  “Lie down, Drucilla,” he said softly.

  “No, you can’t leave me,” she said.

  “I won’t leave you,” he told her, meeting her gaze. “Just lie down.”

  Her heart soared and she leaned back onto the pillow as he stretched out at her side.

  “Rest, my love,” he told her, stroking her cheek.

  She turned her head and pressed her lips to the palm of his hand. He hissed in a breath.

  She met his eyes again and saw that he was battling with himself again.

  Why don’t you want me? What have I done?

  But it was obvious that he wanted her. His eyes were pale as ice, and fixed on her mouth like he wanted to devour it.

  He groaned and dipped his head to brush her lips with his again.

  She closed her eyes, losing herself to the sensation.

  Instead of deepening their kiss, he pressed his lips to her eyelids, her forehead, the shell of her ear.

  She fought the urge to reach for him, and instead allowed him to explore her body with his mouth.

  His hand was against her collarbone, his thumb pressed to the hollow of her throat.

  She could feel her body coming to life under his touch.

  He nuzzled her neck, inhaling her as if she were a fine perfume.

  “So beautiful,” he murmured, caressing her ribcage and the curve of her waist and hip.

  She fought the need to arch her back, but she couldn’t stop herself from trembling all over.

  He cupped her breast in his hand almost reverently, skimming his thumb over the nipple, which throbbed in an agony of pleasure through the material between them.

  “My God, Drucilla,” he groaned.

  She held very still as he unbuttoned her blouse.

  First, there was cool air on her chest and then his hungry mouth was raining kisses on her chest as he slid a thumb under the cup of her bra, exposing one breast to him.

  Dru clutched the sheets as he stroked the eager nipple.

  When he lowered his head to lick it into his mouth, she moaned and arched her back in spite of herself.

  He peeled back the other cup of her bra and lapped her nipple, teasing the other between his thumb and index finger and sending her into a tailspin of need.

  Dru could feel him, stiff as steel, pressed against her hip. She longed to touch him, but was afraid to break the spell that held him tenuously close to her.

  She whimpered, lost in unsatisfied need.

  “Oh my sweet girl,” he moaned in sympathy. His jaw was tense with his own need.

  She closed her eyes against the onslaught of sensation.

  He shifted on the bed, moving lower.

  Then his hands were under her skirt, peeling down her panties, sliding up her thighs, pressing them apart.

  She forgot to be self-conscious, spreading her legs wantonly for him and crying out as he fed on her breasts again and cupped his hand over her sex.

  He pulled back from her breasts and looked into her eyes as he slid a finger against her opening.

  Dru gasped and felt herself throbbing around his finger.

  “God, Drucilla,” he whispered, stroking her again.

  Her hips trembled as the pleasure slashed through her.

  He lowered his face to her neck, nuzzling and kissing her tender flesh as he sank his fingers into her heat.

  Dru lost track of her own sounds as his thumb found her tiny pearl, massaging so slowly that she thought she would lose her mind.

  The pleasure was building in her, a hunger so blinding it lifted her out of herself.

  “Viktor,” she cried out as ecstasy obliterated her.

  She felt his teeth graze her neck and then she was falling, falling back down to earth and the bed where she trembled in the arms of this mysterious man who had become her lover.

  18

  Drucilla awoke just before dawn, feeling disoriented.

  “I have to go, my love,” Viktor said, stroking her cheek. “And you have to get back to work.”

  She shot out of bed, buttoning her blouse as she went. “What time is it?”

  “Nearly seven,” he said.

  “Oh, Zander won’t be in for almost an hour,” she said, relieved. “I can’t believe I fell asleep. Want to walk down together and have coffee?”

  A pained expression marred Viktor’s handsome features.

  So, this was the end of their friendship - a one-sided one-night stand and then an awkward morning after.

  Suddenly her chest ached. This hurt more than it should have, given the short length of time she had known the man. Desperately, she tried to force herself to tamp down her disappointment until she got away from him.

  “It’s okay, I totally get it,” Dru said quickly. “I’ll see you around.”

  “Drucilla,” he said.

  “I really have to run,” she gasped, shoving her feet back into her shoes and grabbing her typewriter off the desk.

  “Drucilla,” he said again. Somehow, he had moved across the room and wrapped his hand around her upper arm.

  “Last night was special to me,” he murmured into her ear, sending a tingle down her spine. “I can’t go with you right now, but it’s not because I don’t want to. I want to be with you always.”

  She couldn’t help but smile at his words, and she felt his returning smile against her neck.

  “I’ll see you later, then,” she said, more gently this time.

  It made sense. He was a busy man. He’d probably missed out on a lot more work while spending time with her than she had by abandoning the empty front desk for a bit.

  “Yes, you will,” he said, pressing a kiss to her forehead.

  Viktor walk
ed out of the room, looking over his shoulder to wink at her as he disappeared down the corridor.

  She turned back to her room, depositing the typewriter back on the desk so she could wash up before heading downstairs.

  Last night had been incredible, but also unusual.

  Dru wasn’t the kind of person who got physical casually, certainly not with someone she barely knew.

  But the connection she felt with Viktor seemed to defy their actual relationship.

  She would have thought she was obsessed only because of the intense physical attraction, but what he had said this morning kept echoing in her mind.

  I want to be with you always…

  She felt the same, had felt it since their walk through the woods. Though she hadn’t been ready to articulate it, even to herself.

  Easy, Dru, she warned herself.

  But it felt like whatever had been holding Viktor back in his feelings for her was gone now. And it was impossible not to let herself enjoy both the corresponding attraction and the tenderness she harbored for the man, even though she knew practically nothing about him.

  “I’ll just have to fix that part,” she said to herself as she dragged a brush through her hair.

  She grabbed her stuff and jogged downstairs to the lobby.

  She pulled the Bee Right Back sign from the desk and had just settled in, when Zander came in the front door.

  “Good morning,” she called to him, her happiness making her forget that she was trying not to encourage him.

  His face lit up and she instantly got the sinking feeling that he was going to ask her out again.

  “Hey listen, Zander,” she said, before he had a chance to say anything. “I was thinking about your question last night, and I just want you to know I would hang out anytime as friends. I’m kind of seeing someone right now, and I’m sorry I didn’t say so yesterday. You just surprised me.”

  “Really, you were surprised?” he asked.

  “Well, did you know I had a massive crush on you in high school?” she asked.

  He shook his head, smiling in a very pleased way.

  “Well, there you go,” she said. “People surprise each other all the time. Have a good shift today.”