He held out his hand. “It’s a fair request. After all, I’m willing to let you keep the knife in your boot as well as the one strapped to the middle of your back.”
Damn vampire. “Whatever,” I mumbled as I handed him my gun. “Let’s hurry and get this over with.”
The bastard had the audacity to laugh. Pocketing my gun, he started for the door. I heard him murmur, “I haven’t had this much fun in a long time.”
Truthfully, I hadn’t either. Smiling, I peeled myself from the wall and stumbled after him.
Having grown up in the ‘bigger is better’ lifestyle, I was no stranger to extravagance, but what I walked into was something other than extravagant. It was breathtaking—a throwback to a time that only existed in history books. Everything from the paintings on the walls to the rugs on the floors told a story.
“Exactly how ancient are you?” I asked as I followed him through the house and into a large, opulent dining room.
“It’s rude to ask a person’s age,” he chastised.
Before I could give him a smart-ass response, two women entered the room. I had to admit, I was surprised. The word nourisher conjured images of emaciated, anorexic, half-dead humans. These two looked the exact opposite. In fact, they appeared downright robust. Huh. Interesting.
“Ladies, come in. I’ve asked you to the main house tonight for a special reason.” I caught the looks of adoration on their faces as he pulled each of them in for a quick kiss on the cheek. Although his actions seemed more fatherly than creepy, appearances could be deceptive, especially when it came to vampires. He claimed they were just nourishers, but I couldn’t help but wonder if that’s all they were. The thought caused a flare of jealousy to ignite in the pit of my stomach. I quickly dismissed it as a case of hormonal deprivation—which made sense as I hadn’t had sex in almost two years. I was contemplating taking Ayden up on his offer when I noticed the three of them staring at me.
“As I was saying, this is Naya and Anya,” Zack angrily clipped.
What’s his problem? I thought about asking but then decided I didn’t care. Instead, I focused my attention on the two girls.
“Hi, I’m Di—"
“Ortha!” he said, cutting me off. Giving me a stern look, he continued, “This is Diortha. She will be filling in for Tamara until she returns. I thought it would be nice if you got to know each other over dinner.”
I shot him a scathing glare. Are you fucking kidding me? Diortha? Who in their right mind would name their kid Diortha? No one, that’s who! His dark eyes twinkled with humor, and I wanted to cause him bodily harm. No, I wanted him to get me off, and then to cause him bodily harm.
Zack claimed he had business to attend and took off for who knows where, while the three of us found a seat at the table. Thankfully, my plan worked. The minute they saw my neck, I was in. Over dinner, we talked about the origins of my name. With a mental eye-roll, I told them my mother named me after the goddess Diana—which was actually true—and my great-grandmother, who was named Ortha. My great-grandmother was actually named Ethel. At least he hadn’t introduced me as Diethel. After that, we talked about where we were from and how we ended up in this specific line of business. Apparently, it was an honor to be a nourisher. In fact, both girls had come from a long line of nourishers. By this point, I was kicking myself for not having read those damn books. When my turn came, I said I kind of fell into the position. This, of course, got me odd looks, so I quickly changed the subject.
“I’m so sorry about your friend Tamara. I overheard Zack and Victoria talking about her.” Leaning forward, I drew them in with a whispered, “They said she might not make it.” The idea was to tell a secret and hopefully get one in return.
Naya let out an indignant-sounding huff. “Yeah, well, she should have listened to us.”
“Naya,” Anya warned.
“No, I’m tired of everyone going on about it. If she hadn’t left with Jessie, she wouldn’t be in this position.”
“Bad dude?” I asked while shoveling a forkful of delicious tasting Mac-N-Cheese into my mouth.
“He’s not that bad of a guy,” Anya cut in. “He’s part-owner of Venom. That’s a popular bar in Charleston.” I was very aware of what Venom was as well as where it was located. “That night, he wanted us all to go to SangreLa. Have you heard of it?”
Boy, had I. SangreLa was a notoriously nasty blood club. “The blood club?” I asked.
“Yeah. Tamara knows we’re not allowed in blood clubs, but since she’s obsessed with Jessie, and it was Jessie’s suggestion, she ditched us and went anyway.” I wanted to ask why they weren’t allowed in blood clubs but had a feeling I should already know the answer.
“Does Jessie go there a lot?” I asked.
Naya rolled her eyes. “He’s friends with the owner, or so he says.”
This was starting to get interesting. “You think he’s lying?”
She shrugged. “I think he’ll say anything to get into Tamara’s pants.”
I decided not to push for more.
By the time dinner was over, the three of us were fast friends. They asked if I wanted to join them and the others back at their place. I told them I still had training to do, which seemed to do the trick because neither of them questioned it.
Zack appeared right as they were leaving. Before I had a chance to speak, he muttered, “Not here. We can talk in the car on the way back to your place.”
“Gun,” I said as I followed him back into the tunnel. He handed it over, and I asked, “Do you all live here in the main house?”
“There are five other houses on the property, two of which belong to the nourishers. Gunter, Victoria, and Alana live with me in the main house, and the rest are scattered throughout the other three houses.”
Once we were on the road, I told him what I’d learned from the girls.
“I think we should stop by Venom for a drink and pay Jessie a little visit. What do you say?”
“I can’t tonight.”
I wanted to ask why but didn’t. It wasn’t any of my business. So why did the thought of him with another woman bother me? Because I had issues, that’s why.
Zack pulled in front of my apartment building, his nose turning up in disgust. “This place is a cesspool.”
After the academy, I moved back to Charleston. Both of my parents were gone by then, and my sister was busy traipsing across Europe. I could have purchased a fancy row house in the historic district, or even a house on Folly Beach, but then I’d be known as the rich girl. I wouldn’t have been taken seriously. So, I found a place that I could afford on a rookie’s salary. Through the years, I’d made it mine. It was the only thing I’d ever had that was all mine.
I didn’t tell Zack this. Instead, I decided to let him in on a little secret. “When I joined the police academy, my mom disowned me. Keep in mind, I already had enough money to last ten lifetimes, but that’s beside the point. She felt I was an embarrassment to the family name and that by disowning me, she would bring me to heel. You see, I was the only one who ever told her no, and she hated me for it. She hated me for being different, for defying her, and for wanting to forge my own path. She died with that hatred. So yes, Zack, this place is a cesspool, but it’s my cesspool.”
Before he could reply, I exited the car and started for my apartment. I felt him behind me—this dark, deadly, force of nature that made me want things I shouldn’t.
My apartment was on the second floor. As we reached the door, I turned to face him. “We need to talk to Jessie, the sooner, the better.”
Sensing my irritation, he said, “I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have said that. How about I pick you up here at eight tomorrow evening?”
“Great, I would ask you in, but I’m tired, and you have somewhere to be, so I guess I’ll just see you tomorrow night.”
He took a step forward, and I jerked back, only to be caught by the apartment door. His head dipped, and I thought he was going to kiss me—I wanted him to kiss
me, but instead, his mouth moved to my ear, and in that dark, sexy voice that made my insides tingle, he said, “Your parents were fools not to realize what a prize you are.” My heart galloped wildly inside my chest as he turned and started down the hallway. When he reached the stairwell, he paused. His eyes came back to me, and his lips split into a wicked smile. “Just so you know, Ayden prefers men. Goodnight, Diortha.” He winked, then let out a sexy-as-fuck roar, and was gone.
I stood there with my mouth gaping open. Oh. My. God. He had read my mind! It took a moment for his comment about Ayden to sink in, and I burst into laughter. Ayden loved men about as much as I loved women—as in, not at all. Jealous vampire. I considered going after Zack, but then Tymon called, and I got caught up in filling him in on my meeting with Zack and what happened after. I didn’t tell him about the bite, or that Zack could read my mind. I definitely didn’t mention the insane sexual attraction, or how I turned into a crazed nympho whenever the guy touched me.
After the call, I took a long, hot shower—where I touched myself as I fantasized about Zack. Feeling somewhat better, I then hauled the stack of books from my living room into my bedroom. I found the book titled “Vampire Life Through the Ages” and turned to the section on nourishers. Within five minutes, I was asleep.
Something woke me. It wasn’t a noise, per se, but more of a feeling, as if I wasn’t alone. As if someone was watching me. So why couldn’t I feel them? It took a moment for me to realize my shields were up. I’d been shielding in my sleep. As I was on my side and facing away from the door, I couldn’t see who it was. Slowly, I lowered my shields and was instantly accosted by what felt like a million fire ants inside my brain. Jerking my shields back into place, I screamed inside my head. Shitfuckityshit, that hurt!
“I know you’re awake, little human,” a female voice drawled.
Fear seized my body, my heart stuttering wildly at her menacing tone. Lenora was back. Something told me she wasn’t here for mani-pedi’s and girl talk but to cause me serious bodily harm. She was close, way too close for comfort. My gun was out of reach, but I had a silver-tipped knife strapped to the underside of the bed. It was either me or her. I chose me. Tucking my legs, I rolled from the bed. Luckily, I landed on all fours. My fingers barely grazed the knife when she pounced, and I found myself pinned to the ground with my face pressed to the floor.
I screamed as I felt her fangs scrape across my neck, my pulse racing as I frantically tried to buck her off, but she was too strong.
“You were in my house tonight,” she whispered. “You touched Zacharias, then used my name in a lie against my people. Why would you do that, little human?”
My body froze at the chilling tone of her words. This wasn’t Lenora; it was Victoria. Shit! Zack hadn’t told her about me. “I’m an officer with the PHD. I’m working on a case with Zack.”
“Zack?” she mocked, her voice barely a whisper. I was so dead. If only I could get to the damned knife. “I can smell him on you. I’m going to erase him from your body, and then I’m going to drain you dry.” Like a venomous snake, she struck. I screamed as a bomb of liquid fire detonated through my body. The fire increased with each suck, and I screamed for her to stop while at the same time screaming inside my head for Zack to save me. My thoughts fragmented as she drew the blood from my body, then slowly scattered to the wind.
The last thing I remembered before blacking out was hearing Zack inside my head. “Hold on,” he whispered. “I’m coming for you.”
7
I woke to total darkness. That was my first indication that something was wrong. Where are my nightlights? I had two of them: one in my bathroom and the other beside my bedroom door. During tactical training, the only thing that had nearly broken me was when they dropped us into a pitch-black hole and told us to find our way out. It wasn’t the depth of the hole that bothered me; it was the darkness. Bad things happened in the dark—things that crept on silent feet and struck when you least expected. The fact that I was lying in a strange bed without a stitch of clothing on was disturbing but not nearly as much as the damned darkness.
A trickle of fear rippled down my spine. I tried to draw in a breath but all I could manage was short, choppy pants as tiny tendrils of panic began to dig their ugly claws into my sanity. I was verging on a meltdown when I heard a voice whisper, “Drop your shields.”
The surprise at hearing Zack’s voice inside my head jerked me out of my panicked state. It also kind of freaked me out. Where are you? I thought back at him. He didn’t answer. My fingers grazed across silky sheets. Better yet, where was I? The last thing I remembered was opening the book on vampire living. Everything after that was a blank. The fact that I was once again shielding in my sleep was interesting. This brought me to my next question: Could my shields be blocking my memories? There was one way to find out.
With a deep inhale, I closed my eyes. Yep, my shields were fully engaged—which made me wonder if unconscious shielding was normal. Could my unconscious mind be defending me without my conscious mind knowing it? Yes, I was stalling. I made a mental note to ask Tymon about it later before I exhaled and slowly lowered my shields.
Like a wave, the memories flooded in—Victoria’s attack, my feelings of helplessness, screaming for Zack to save me. With a loud gasp, I bolted upright and reached for my neck. Tears sprang to my eyes as the excruciating pain of her bite ghosted through me. I searched for the marks, but all I could feel was smooth skin. This couldn’t be. She ripped out my throat. I felt her fangs as they tore through my neck, felt the warm blood as it gushed from my body and pooled beneath me. Did I imagine it? Had it been an illusion? If so, it was a damn good one.
Scooching sideways on the bed, I felt my way over to a lamp. With a flip of a switch, the room came to light. Once my breathing calmed, I took in my surroundings: the elegant bed, the grasscloth wallpaper, plush white carpet, rattan-style furniture, and steel-plated windows. That explained the darkness.
A sigh of relief shot from my lips as I flopped back onto the cushy mattress. I was alive. I remembered Zack telling me to hold on; then I must have blacked out because the next thing I remembered was the two of them fighting. It was an ugly, vicious fight—a gruesomely choreographed dance. A dance between lovers. Even though the thought made me sick, I knew it was true. Victoria’s words now made sense. I can smell him on you. I’m going to erase him from your body, and then I’m going to drain you dry. They also stung. I wasn’t sure I wanted Zack, but I didn’t want him to want her.
As my mind raced through last night’s events, I kept coming back to the same thing; Victoria tried to kill me, and Zack saved me. I thought back to our encounter in the tunnel, how I’d stroked his junk and begged him to finish me off. I laughed. God, Diana, you are such an idiot.
With a flip of the covers, I scooted from the bed. As expected, the bathroom was beyond extravagant with its fancy wallpaper, soaker tub, and massive shower. On the way past the vanity, I made sure to check my neck in the mirror. Not only were Victoria’s marks missing but so were Zack’s. Why this bothered me, I couldn’t say. Well, I could, but I wouldn’t. After all, I was an expert at denial. I smiled at my reflection in the mirror. Damn, for a dead woman, I sure looked good. My skin was all glowy—as if I’d been to a spa and had a hydrating facial. Too bad my hair was a mess. Eww, is that blood? There went my illusion theory.
After taking advantage of the shower, I braided my hair into a long ponytail and went in search of clothes. All I could find was a robe. Great.
The moment I stepped from the room, I knew I wasn’t in the compound. My stomach grumbled at the smell of bacon, and I followed the scent down a winding staircase, across an expansive living room, and into a homey-looking kitchen. A woman stood behind the stove. She was older, probably in her sixties, with gray hair and slightly wrinkled skin. She was also human.
“Come in, come in!” The woman called out. “I was beginning to worry. I’m Selma, Mr. Wylde’s housekeeper.” She placed a glass on th
e island. “Here, have some juice. It’s fresh-squeezed.”
“Thanks.” I took a seat at the island as she moved back to the stove.
“Would you like a cup of coffee and some breakfast?” Her open smile put me at ease.
“Would I ever. I feel like I could eat a horse. I’m Diana, by the way.”
She laughed. “I know, dear. I helped to get you settled last night. A healthy appetite is good. It means you’re healing. Mr. Wylde was so worried. He sat with you until well after dawn.” From her disapproving tone, I took it that was a bad thing.
“Mr. Wylde’s here?”
“Yes, he’s resting.”
I scanned the spacious kitchen, wishing I could see out the shuttered windows. “Umm, where exactly are we?”
Selma flipped off the stove and grabbed a plate from the cabinet. “This is Mr. Wylde’s home. Would you like bacon?”
“Yes, please. His home at the compound?” I could have sworn this wasn’t the compound. At least, not the part of the compound I’d experienced.
“No, this is his personal residence.”
As a plate filled with pancakes, scrambled eggs, and bacon slid in front of me, I made a mental note to ask Zack about it later. My mental notes were starting to stack up.
Mr. Wylde asked that I give you this when you awakened.” She handed me a manila envelope.
After scarfing down the lumberjack-sized meal, I was ready to burst. I was also ready to leave.
“Thank you, Selma, that was amazing. Now, if you’d be so kind as to grab my clothes for me, I’ll call a cab and be out of your hair.” I planned to open the envelope once I got home, but curiosity got the better of me, and I decided to take a quick peek.
“Oh, Mr. Wylde was hoping you would stay. There are swimsuits in the pool cabana if you’d like to take a swim. The pool is heated.”
On the top was a handwritten note. It said, Forgive me. Please stay. Under the note was a dossier on Jessie Patrick. Sneaky vampire.
“Do you, by chance, have a laptop I can borrow?”
Wicked Love Page 70
