Cranberry Blood

by Elizabeth Morgan

  My gaze slanted to the female by my side, whose focus hadn’t left the door of The Sphinx the entire time we’d been standing here. And we’d been standing in this damn alley across from the club for the last twenty minutes; not that this could be considered unusual for Heather. Strange/bizarre maybe when I first started following her, but what could I say, the kid loved hanging around on rooftops and in alleyways.

  The gentle breeze kept catching her scent—a mixture of strawberries and coconut—and running down the alleyway with the sweet mixture, killing the wretched smell of urine and rotten garbage.

  “So, how do you want to do this, Slayer?” My low tone finally broke the silence.

  “Well, I’m goin’ to go in, and you can follow, if you want.”

  “That’s your plan?” How had this female managed to survive for so long?

  “Pretty much. It’s a public place. He will behave himself.”

  I bit back a laugh. “What makes you think that?”

  “I don’t know. I was just sayin’ it to make you feel better.”

  To make me feel better? Funny little Slayer.

  “If he runs, we follow.”

  I’d been sent to babysit a suicidal Slayer, and all for the sake of a deal. God damn it, I must have been out of my mind.

  Tipping my head back, I inhaled; pulling the scents of central London into my lungs; weeding through Heather’s sweet fragrance; through the putrid smells that lurked in the alley behind us; through the fading scent of cologne, perfume, and car fumes as they danced in the breeze before me, until the hint of decaying earth tickled my nostrils.

  “There are a few Leeches in there. I can smell them.”

  “I know. We will deal with them, but we need Luca. He’s all that matters.”

  She shouldn’t even be running about after the attack. Hell, she shouldn’t have been running around last night, either. Her run-down body needed time to heal.

  She was as stubborn as Sofia said she would be.

  “Let’s do this, then.” I slid my arm around her waist. Every muscle in her body tensed. Not a reaction a guy wanted from an attractive woman.

  “What the hell d’ya think you’re doing?”

  I hadn’t thought it possible for her to go any paler, but she just had.

  “I am placing my arm around your waist and escorting you into the club.” The reply rolled off my tongue despite the fact I wasn’t a hundred percent sure why I felt it necessary to have her tucked against my side.

  She pulled away from me. “Why?”

  Perhaps because there would be a lot of humans in there, and I had no idea how she would act around them. She didn’t get out much, so I had never watched her in such an environment, and I at least wanted to be prepared, but somehow doubted that would be a reason she would want to hear, even if part of her would understand.

  I dropped my arm at my side. “Well, at the moment, I look like an average guy who’s out for some dancing. And you look like a badly dressed undercover agent who watched the Matrix trilogy one too many times.”

  She had to wear the stupid long leather coat because she had to bring her sword with her; she couldn’t have the weapon on her back, so instead, the damn thing was attached to her right hip in a holder, as if she were some medieval knight.

  “That’s because I’m here to catch a Vampire. I’m not here to dance.”

  “Fair enough, but do you think you can muster an expression that looks like you’re out to enjoy yourself instead of looking like you’re going to kill someone?”

  “I am going to kill someone. It will be you in a minute.”

  I would love to see you try, Slayer.

  “We can’t strut over there looking like we’re going to interrogate the bouncers.”

  “I wasn’t planning on struttin’.”

  I stepped toward her.

  She stumbled backward until her spine hit the wall. “What are you doing?”

  Is the Tough Girl afraid of the Big Bad Wolf?

  I would have loved to tease her, but literally knowing what she had up her right sleeve.... Well, teasing wouldn’t be a good idea, because it would hurt me more than it would hurt her.

  I stopped as soon as her breath skated across my chin. The scent of blood and cranberries filled my nostrils as the sound of her hammering heart invaded my ears. Confusion danced in her blue eyes, but like a stubborn female, she refused to be intimidated and look away. I reached around to the back of her head and pulled out the hair-tie holding up her mass of golden curls.

  “What the hell was that for?”

  She glared at me, probably thinking I had simply pulled her hair like some adolescent. I clasped her left wrist and placed the hair-tie in her palm. She looked down and her eyebrows collided.

  I unbuttoned the top three buttons of her leather coat and bit back my laugh as she slapped at my hands.

  “That’s better.” I stepped away from the girl with a shit load of silver up her sleeves. “Shake your hair a little and you might pass for a Goth.”

  The delicious amount of anger in her expression elicited a smile from me.

  “I’m really gettin’ sick of you undressin’ me,” she snarled, pushing off the wall and shoving the hair-tie in her coat pocket.

  The slight hint of red surfacing in her cheeks and the erratic leap of her heart told me differently.

  “I’ve undressed you once, for medical purposes. Don’t flatter yourself, Slayer.” I tensed, waiting for the stab of silver that was sure to come.

  She ignored me.

  She’d been a mess that night, her shirt so heavily soaked with blood it had stuck to her skin. I had sorted out the wound on her head first and then the gash on her waist, scrubbing away all that blood until I could see the soft, pale peach skin below. For medical reasons, I evaluated every inch of her toned body for wounds that I may have missed, and then I studied her soft curves and each faded scar that marked her smooth skin. My Wolf had both growled and groaned at the exploration, but it proved necessary. I had to be sure I hadn’t missed anything, after all.

  Under all the bullshit talk and “Tough Girl” attitude, Heather was still a woman, one more vulnerable than she would probably ever admit.

  I saw how cut up she’d been after her Grandmother died. How it took her two weeks to leave her house, and how she slowly started widening her hunting area over the remaining four weeks before the night Carlson attacked.

  Underneath it all, she was still human, and in the short time I’d spent in her presence, it was more than obvious to see that she may have forgotten that small fact.

  My focus shifted back to the club.

  “The reason why we are going to walk toward that club arm in arm is because marching over there with sheer insanity playing in your eyes will get you turned away. We need to get in. Acting normal will get us through the door.”

  “You know, you’re actually quite irritating.”

  Her golden curls now fell over both shoulders. The breeze caused a single strand to dance; caused her scent to invade the air once more. She smelled sweet, soft, but with an edge of bitterness. Like a woman should....

  I shook the thought from my head and settled on a smile. “Yeah, but I’m also quite charming, as well.”

  “Whoever told you that, they’re lyin’.”

  Her grandmother had told me that; not that Heather needed to know.

  I slipped my arm around her waist and we made our way across the road. The walls of The Sphinx seemed to bounce as the music inside pulsed through the building’s foundations. To my surprise, Heather’s right arm crept round my waist. Her touch felt light and I could feel the tension in her arm, but the simple feel of her fingertips brushing across my shirt had tingles running through my side. The reaction surprised me momentarily, but regardless, I still found that every impulse in my body ached for me to tease her.

  “Are you coming on to me, Slayer?” I whispered in her right ear.

  She shuddered.

  Small g
oose bumps appeared on the skin of her neck. If not for the mild scent of anger, I might have taken the small shiver as a good sign.

  She smiled sweetly. “Don’t flatter yourself.”

  Laughter slipped from my lips as I gave a slight nod to the bouncers, who let us in immediately. As soon as we crossed the threshold and made our way down the small set of stairs, Heather’s arm slipped from around my waist and her facial expression became shuttered. The light in the club was dim. Multi-coloured neon strips surrounded the bar and the DJ booth; spotlights on the stage swung around, throwing streams of colour in all directions. My nose twitched at the mixed scents; sweat and liquor and pheromones, all of which invaded the smoky air.

  I leant down to speak into her ear. “Do you know what he looks like?”

  She shook her head.

  “Then how do you know which Leech he is?”

  She tapped her eyes, nose, and then ears.

  “Okay. I will wait at the bar.”

  She nodded and pulled out of my hold.

  I grabbed her wrist, causing her to turn and scowl at me. “I will be keeping an eye on you.”

  She rolled her eyes and yanked her hand from my grip, before she waded into the sea of humans.

  Humans; I’m sure some of them thought that since they were in the dark, it didn’t matter how they dressed. They’d think differently if they had my vision.

  At the bar, I ordered a cola. My gaze tracked Heather as she moved across the room. Four women at a table nearby turned to stare at me in unison; I had grown used to it. All that animal magnetism shit happened to be true, especially when the human was indeed part animal. But it worked the same for Vampires, or so I’d been told.

  We predators had a natural appeal that ignited the flames of curiosity and desire in those around us, but unless we wanted to warm our bed for the night.... The attraction proved more useful to Vampires, since it made their prey easier to catch.

  I ignored the four women undressing me with their eyes and followed Heather’s movement as she glided between tables. I couldn’t help but notice the inappropriate and leering looks from the male population. No need to worry about protecting her from these pathetic and horny human men, but the image of me breaking each of their necks still slammed boldly in my mind, followed by an approving growl from my wolf. And the idea of doing such a thing confused the hell out of me.

  I took my soft drink and casually made my way across the room, watching Heather as she walked over to the dark corner at the far end of the club. Typical. A dark corner in the back of the room was exactly where a person would expect to find a Vampire. So should I be surprised to see a small group of them, seated there, in the corner at the back of the club? Nope. Then again, Sofia had indicated in her note that that’s where Heather would find Luca. I just hoped to God he was actually there.

  I moved over to the wall and ambled alongside it. Heather approached the eight Vampires lounging in the corner. I stopped three tables away and focused on that area, pricking my ears to hear their whispers through the heavy, banging club music.

  “You’re a hard Vampire to find, Luca.” Heather spoke calmly, her voice no louder than if she sat right next to the Leech she was addressing. Like me, they could hear her through all the noise.

  A unison of hisses erupted as the Vampires’ eyes locked on her. Her focus zoomed onto the one who paid her no attention.

  Luca sat in the centre of the group, his short brown hair slicked back, his skin a pale caramel colour. His expensive black suit made him look completely out of place.

  “Well, you have found me, sgualdrina. What do you want?” He sneered, his Italian accent clinging to each word.

  “I want to know where Marko is.”

  Laughter erupted around him.

  Luca relaxed. A lazy grin settled on his lips as his attention turned from a redheaded human female who rubbed his thigh playfully, to Heather. He wriggled his nose.

  “No one knows that, mia bella puttana.”

  “No point in lyin’, Luca. I know your Mistress is one of Marko’s Bloodlings. You have a direct link to an Ancient. You should be shoutin’ that around. I know I would.”

  “You’re a clever little one, si? What is it you want with Marko?” He placed a cigarette in his mouth and the female lit it. “You wish him to baptize you?”

  He exhaled. Slithers of grey smoke floated before him.

  “Or perhaps you would prefer my Mistress, Marie? You wish to have a direct line to an Ancient, si?” His eyebrow arched. “Perhaps you wish for me to do so. It would be my pleasure.”

  His dark eyes studied her. His lip curled to the right as he took another drag of his cigarette. “Maybe you will give me much pleasure in return, si?”

  I ignored the growl vibrating in my chest and edged closer, wondering why the hell Heather hadn’t shot those fancy little daggers of hers in his puny little head. My teeth throbbed as my jaw clamped down tightly.

  Heather unbuttoned her leather coat.

  Luca sat forward; his interest in the human female beside him vanished instantly. Whatever he expected Heather to do, well, he would be very disappointed. I hoped.

  “Should I take this as a yes?” Luca asked as one of the other males placed his hand over the redhead’s mouth and sank his growing fangs into her neck.

  “No.” Heather opened her coat, revealing the weapon strapped to her waist. “I have no interest in you. I want to know where Marko is so I can cut his fuckin’ head off with this sword.”

  The Vampires hissed and slowly rose from their seats.

  Luca sat back, chuckling to himself. “Pity. I would have enjoyed tasting your flesh.”

  He placed his lit cigarette into the male Vampire’s cheek, causing him to jerk away from the redhead.

  “Kill her,” Luca ordered calmly. He pulled down the female’s top and sank his fangs into her right breast.

  “Brendan, clear the club!” Heather’s voice broke through the noise.

  For fuck’s sake, what is she going to do? Fight them in the middle of a damn nightclub?

  I turned to the two women at the table beside me.

  “Got a light?” I smiled.

  Red tinted the brunette’s cheeks. She pulled a lighter from her small bag and handed it to me.

  “Thank you.” I accepted it and looked up at the ceiling. A sprinkler head sat just over the table. Ignoring the growing attention that I attracted, I climbed on top of the table, placed the lighter under the head, and lit it.

  The fire sprinklers popped. Bursts of water sprayed the clubbers’ heads; they started screaming and cursing instantly. The music stopped abruptly and the DJ told everyone to exit. To my surprise, they did, and quite rapidly.

  I jumped off the chair and turned my attention back to Heather. The Vampires surrounded her, trapping her in the centre of their circle. Their black eyes fixed on her like vultures finding prey in the desert. They hadn’t yet noticed the bigger predator amongst them.

  My body grew tense, but better to restrain myself from helping her. The Slayer didn’t need any assistance; not yet, anyway.

  Heather stood perfectly still, her sword within its sheath on her hip. She rolled her right shoulder and grinned at the Vamps closest to her.

  Bones began to crunch as their jaws dislocated and dropped down to their chests, pulling the skin of their faces tightly against their skulls. Their black eyes stared at her from under their brows, and their snake-like tongues slithered from their huge mouths.

  Heather flicked her right wrist, aiming her throws at the three nearest Vamps. Flashes of silver flew through the air as her small throwing daggers burst from the catapult hidden in her sleeve. She caught all three in their throats. Then she slipped her hand inside her coat and retrieved her sword. With one pull, she swiped to her left. Her blade sliced the neck of the first advancing Vamp.

  One charged at her back; she spun to the left, slashing her sword through his cheek as he tried to duck. She slipped her blade along her lef
t ribcage and plunged backward into a female, spinning and dragging the weapon upward, cutting the female’s torso and skull in half. None of them seemed to pay any attention to the shower of water falling around them. I, on the other hand, welcomed it. Each drop that hit my skin sent a small shiver through my tense body, cooling the growing heat and need to change.

  At the sound of metal hitting the floor, Heather looked over at the first three Vampires. Her small silver daggers lay at their feet. She tightened her grip on the hilt as they all lunged. She swung the sword, slicing through the female on her right. Her sword flew from her grip as the two males knocked her into a nearby table. One jumped on her; she kicked him in the gut, sending him flying into the wall. I ran, jumping over the two tables in my way, and grabbed hold of him before he had the chance to attack again. With a quick twist, I snapped his neck. The crunch of his bones vibrated through to my marrow.

  Music to my ears. I threw his body to the ground.

  I turned to see Heather struggling, her feet pressed against the other Vampire’s torso. She raised her arm to his mouth and flicked, sending two daggers into his throat. The Leech wailed and fell backward, scratching at his face as the silver slid down into his body. I grabbed his skull from behind and twisted. The distinct snap of his bones bounced around in my eardrums.

  The fire burned beneath my skin, boiling my blood. I needed to change, but didn’t have time, and I couldn’t make myself vulnerable while Heather tried to fight off these idiotic leeches.

  “Finally decided to join in, did you?” Heather asked as she retrieved her sword from the floor.

  “I was just waiting for an invite to your little party,” I growled, my muscles throbbing with tension. Pain sliced through my limbs. Everything inside of me begged to be let go; to let the change happen.... I can’t give over. Not yet.

  Twisting to face her, I faltered, my attention drawn to the beads of water slithering from her wet hair, down her face and neck. Stray strands stuck to her cheeks. Her chest rose and fell in a steady beat. Her leather jacket looked soaked and shining beneath the multi-coloured light. Her blue eyes blazed, and her scent, bitter-sweet, fearless....

  Applause sounded from the dark corner and Luca stood, still in his human form. His black eyes focused on Heather, his hair glistening with beads of water.