Tall, Dark, and Deadly: Seven Bad Boys of Paranormal Romance

by Laura Kaye

  Kenric lifted her chin with two fingers, locking their gazes. Emily stared back at him, refusing to be the one to blink first. He grinned as if he enjoyed their little contest. Then he spoke.

  “Because a part of you remains in me.” He closed the distance, then the sudden realization struck of what he’d meant by those words. Her blood. That was what he meant, and it still flowed in his veins. Her breath hitched at the thought. Kenric froze and stepped back, rubbing a hand across his mouth and chin. “We need to finish what we came here to do,” he stated.

  Emily watched as a complete transformation rolled across his face and body. The vivid blue eyes that had greeted her seconds ago turned to ice. The ease of his posture hardened. This was the master vampire of the Enclave. Powerful. Frightening.

  Sexy as hell.

  “Take me to the lab,” he said.

  Take me to your bed, her body screamed.

  “You’ll go in, find the sample, and I’ll take care of the rest.”

  Emily nodded. The lab entrance loomed a few feet away.

  The lack of cameras and offices made their previous location ideal for Kenric’s arrival. This area would prove more difficult to maneuver.

  Adam worked the night shift in serology. He’d been hounding her for a date ever since she had started working at Elizabeth Bay, making him more likely to hand her the samples without a lot of questions.

  Poking her head around the corner, she gave a relieved sigh. Thank God.

  Adam was alone.

  Glancing back, she held up her hand, signaling for Kenric to hold back.

  “Hey, Adam.” Emily leaned against the doorway to the lab. Adam’s red head popped up from his superfluity of tubes and vials on the stainless-steel counter.

  “Hey back at you, beautiful. What brings you to these parts?” He gave her a big toothy grin.

  A low growl emitted from beside her. She waved her arm at Kenric behind the door, hoping he got the message to keep it down.

  “I was wondering if you could help me with something.” She eased farther in and up to the counter.

  “Sure. What you got?” Adam pushed back from the counter and made his way over to her. He dropped his gloves in the trash and shoved his safety glasses to the top of his head. Stopping in front of her, he leaned against the table.

  “Would you mind checking to see how many samples you have of that John Doe’s blood we had in from two nights ago? Dr. Castle is in tonight on a consult and asked if I would check on it.” She brushed her fingers through a few of her loose curls and tilted her head. “Even though the patient went AMA, he’s still interested in additional testing for study purposes. I know I could have called, but I needed a break.” Emily flashed him her sweetest Southern smile.

  Bull’s-eye.

  His grin went off the charts. He crossed the room to his computer and pulled out the keyboard. “Do you have the medical record number?” He glanced over his shoulder.

  She pulled out the sticky she’d jotted the information on from her pocket, and called out the numbers.

  “We should have two samples in storage,” Adam said before moving over to open the large refrigerated storage unit. He pulled out a wire shelf and, after a couple of seconds, lifted two serum-filled vials. “Yup, here they are.”

  Before Emily could open her mouth to reply, something blurred across the room. She wasn’t sure she had actually seen anything until Adam’s body went limp, collapsing into Kenric’s arms.

  “Is he okay?” Emily darted around the counter and crouched beside Adam’s body, checking for a pulse.

  “He’ll be fine. I only stunned him with a psychic wave. It momentarily interrupts the conscious mind. It’ll give me just enough time to grab these…” He placed the two vials into his pockets, “…and get out of here.”

  He knelt beside Adam, his shoulder and thigh brushing against hers. The pine and spice scent of him drifted to her nostrils, heightening her awareness of his presence. She wanted to lean over and rub herself against him, purring like a cat in heat.

  He glanced her way. “I need you to go and keep a look out. I have to plant new memories for the last few minutes.”

  “Oh, okay.” Emily got to her feet, dusting off her pants as she hurried to the door. Checking the hallway for traffic first, she stepped into the empty corridor. The night shift, most of the time, left the halls sparse. Thank God.

  She kept an eye on Kenric through the door, not wanting to miss what he did to Adam. His hand slid once across Adam’s forehead and eyes. The tech’s eyelids flickered. Slowly, he sat upright and rose to his feet. Kenric placed his palm to the back of Adam’s head and held his gaze. Kenric’s lips moved, but the words were too soft for her to hear.

  It only took a few seconds for Kenric to complete whatever he’d said before Adam moved away from his hold, returning to his workstation. He slid his goggles into place and his hands into a pair of clean gloves. Adam returned to his work, as if a strange man in black leather didn’t fill up the room.

  Like nothing had happened.

  Emily shifted back and forth on her feet. She’d heard them talk about abilities at the compound. Heck, she’d even experienced his powers of compulsion firsthand. But to watch it unfold before her eyes made her stomach rebel. Dear God, what was she doing with this man—vampire? Why didn’t she listen to her instincts, instead of her heart?

  Kenric strode around the corner and touched her arm, leading them at a brisk pace back to where he’d first arrived. Emily increased her pace and slid from his hold. She couldn’t help it. At the moment, she didn’t want to enjoy the feel of his touch. What he could do with those hands disturbed her.

  Kenric dropped his arm to his side in resignation. He may not have had a woman in his life for centuries, but he understood exactly what her body language said: Don’t touch me.

  What the hell happened? He’d felt her gaze as he’d worked with Adam. Had what she’d witnessed affected her this way? God, he would never hurt her. She had to know that.

  The waves of her ponytail bounced with each sway of her hips. He wanted to reach out, smooth the loose curls at the back of her neck, and tell her everything would be fine. That in fact, he’d die before he’d let anyone harm her.

  At the end of the hall, Emily stopped and whirled, facing him with her back against the wall. She lifted her chin, but her gaze touched everything except him.

  “So, what all did you do to him back there?”

  He placed a palm on the cool wall beside her head, leaning in before answering in a quiet voice. “I did a sort of…reset…on his memory. Took him back to before you were ever there. He won’t remember anything about our visit tonight. You won’t have anything to worry about.”

  A shiver raced over her.

  “It had to be done, Wildflower.”

  “I realize that,” she snapped.

  “Then why are you so angry? You won’t even look at me.”

  Her gaze locked with his. Defiant hazel eyes held him in a silent pissing contest. No woman, including Annice, would have ever challenged him in such a way. So why in the hell did he have a raging hard-on right now?

  “There.” She arched one delicate red brow. “I’m looking at you.”

  “Well.” He lowered his face and deepened his voice. “I don’t know if I would call that looking. More like throwing daggers.”

  She shoved at his chest and maneuvered around him. “I’ve got to get back to work. What else do you need from me?”

  Everything.

  This had not gone as planned. Somehow, he had to get this feisty woman back to the compound for her own safety. He could tell this wouldn’t be an easy task.

  “I need to get into security and make sure our images are erased from our stop at the lab. You head there first to minimize the number of times the cameras capture me. Make sure the coast is clear, give me a call, and I’ll phase to your location just like before.”

  “Fine.” Emily left without looking back.

&
nbsp; Kenric groaned and scrubbed a hand over his face. Damn, she was a frustrating woman. She made him want to fuck her until he couldn’t move and, at the same time, spank her ass. Well, that wasn’t such a bad idea. He leaned against the same warmed section of wall Emily had vacated, a grin begging to be formed on his lips.

  The second half of the mission went off without a hitch. He got into security, removed the recordings from the lab monitors, and replaced them with blank DVDs. The guard wouldn’t remember anything, and with nothing to rouse their suspicions, no one would have any reason to notice a few hours of recording were missing. If they did, it would appear like the recordings had not started until later in the night.

  With the hospital handled, he could focus on getting the redhead next to him to safety and putting an end to Marguerite’s hold on his life.

  He’d lay it all out there for her, exactly what she had to do. She would come to the compound in the morning and stay until he felt it was safe for her to return to her life. With the mood she was in, it would be best if he didn’t leave it up to discussion.

  “Since we’re finished, I’ve got to get back to work before they fire me.” Emily spun and started to leave, but Kenric grabbed her arm.

  “Wait a minute. Before you go, I have to talk to you about something.” He loosened his grip on her forearm. “I have reason to believe your life may be in danger.”

  Emily turned, her hazel eyes wide.

  “What did you just say?” She stepped forward. “I thought this was it. Wasn’t it you who said, ‘help me with this and there won’t be anything to worry about?’”

  “It has nothing to do with tonight. But I can’t get into it here. That’s why, before I arrived, I arranged for my driver to be here in the morning when you get off work. You’ll be returning to the compound until I can be assured you’re safe.”

  A flash of red raced to her cheeks, and her eyes widened even more. “I will be returning to the compound.” Both hands went to her hips. “You decided?”

  She narrowed her eyes and closed in on him with that dangerous forefinger raised, and dug it into his chest. “Listen up, Dracula, I don’t need you coming into my life and telling me what you’ve decided without a second thought about what I want. You can just take your driver and your decisions and shove them where the sun don’t shine.” She stabbed her finger into his chest with each word for emphasis. “Oh, excuse me. I guess that euphemism is lost on you, Mr. Vampire.”

  Well…shit. Guess the direct, don’t-leave-it-up-to-discussion approach was a bad idea. At least she hadn’t lost her sense of humor.

  “You don’t know what you’re dealing with here. You need to listen to me. My compound is the only place where I know you will be safe.”

  Her body shook as if she didn’t know whether to slap him or run.

  “I’m a big girl, and I can take care of myself. I’ve fought for too long and way too hard for my freedom. I’m not moving in with you and letting you control my life. No way.”

  She whipped around and practically ran down the hall.

  “Emily!” he called to her in her mind, using his powers of projection. “Don’t go like this.”

  She came to a halt a few feet away, grabbing her head with both hands.

  Glancing back, she braced one hand against the wall. “Leave me alone, Kenric,” she cried out. “I’m not going with you.” Tears glistened in her eyes before she shook her head and hurried down the hall—and away from him.

  …

  Emily slumped into a task chair at the nurses’ station. Her chest hurt. It was as if someone had wrapped a vise grip around her heart, attempting to squeeze the very life out of her. How in the world did she let it get this far?

  For sure, the man was crazy. Who the hell did he think he was, telling her he’d decided where she would live? She’d had her fill of dominating men, and she didn’t need Kenric St. James joining her list of bad mistakes.

  “Emily, where have you been?” Shawna’s voice yanked her back to the present.

  “I’m sorry. That phone call was an emergency. I didn’t mean for it take so long.” Emily grabbed her lime green stethoscope she’d left on the desk earlier and rose, meeting her friend coming into the station.

  “I’m just glad you’re back. We have a trauma coming in five. An MVA. I need you to help prepare the trauma room.”

  “Sure. I’m on it.” Thank God for the diversion. A trauma would keep her busy the rest of the night and her mind off one dark and sexy, overbearing man. She had to get him out of her head, because he could not be a permanent fixture in her life.

  Emily grabbed an armload of supplies and started prepping the room. At the counter, she pulled the essential lab materials together for all the blood work she anticipated they’d need.

  She moved a box of four-by-four gauzes to the side, placing the various vacuum collection tubes in a metal holder, when she spotted a vial of blood lying on its side against the wall. Picking it up, she read the name and date scribbled in her own handwriting: John Doe ER 11/13/13.

  Holy crap!

  How in the world had this gotten overlooked? It must have rolled to the back of the counter and gotten covered up during all the chaos the other night. Reflex had her aiming the vial straight for the biohazard container on the wall, but she stopped before letting it drop. An ugly thought loomed in her mind. She palmed the cool tube in her hand.

  She could never do that.

  Could she?

  The moment he’d opened his eyes, Kenric had taken what he needed from her without a second thought. In a flash, he’d barged into her life, commanded her, and then confined her. Now he wanted to do it all over again. Take control of her every move. So what if she took from him a little of what she needed? She could hold the reins for once. Emily glanced down at the simple sleek vial. So much power contained within a benign tube of blood.

  The nasty taste of bile surged to the back of her throat. Never in her life had she deliberately betrayed another soul. The thought sickened her. So many of her problems would vanish if she could find the right buyer for the evidence this would provide. She’d vowed not to reveal their secret. Her gut twisted. This would be playing dirty. She paced the room.

  But how many times did she have to be the victim before she learned to seize an opportunity that presented itself, for herself? The lien on her home paid. Jeff out of her life. Peace of mind from the debt bloodhounds. . .

  She groaned, slipping the tube into her scrub pocket. The blood was near forty-eight hours old, but with the preservative present in the tube, it was still viable.

  They spoke of extermination if their existence became public. Yet Kenric and the Enclave had plenty of money at their disposal. With enough of the right people hired and in place, the Enclave surely had enough power to make it all go away at some point.

  Emily chewed her bottom lip. With his money, he’d be okay.

  He would never forgive her. But he’d survive.

  The question was, would she ever forgive herself?

  Chapter Fourteen

  Gearing down his motorcycle, Markus rolled to a stop in front of the weatherworn, aged Victorian mansion. With the kickstand in place, he slung his leg over his bike and dismounted.

  He rubbed a palm against his midsection. His gut ached. With each step toward the front door, the misery eating away at his insides became more urgent.

  The pain. This place. It drew him like a tether to a ball.

  Markus lifted the rusted metal door hammer and rapped twice. The porch groaned under the weight of his shifting feet. He glanced back down the isolated, dirt driveway. It was all familiar somehow.

  But when? And why the hell had he been here before?

  The massive door with its peeling paint opened, creaking loudly. Candlelight glowed from within. A large, dark-skinned man dressed in only a pair of black leathers filled the door frame.

  “Welcome, warrior,” he beckoned in a thick Spanish accent. “Our mistress has been waitin
g for your return and report.” He backed away from the opening and, with a swing of his head, indicated Marcus should enter.

  He took a step and a stabbing pain, much worse than before, tore through his abdomen. Markus let out a loud hiss and doubled over. “What the fuck!” he managed to mutter when the pain decided to give him some air, but not before he broke out in a cold sweat.

  A hard and icy hand grabbed his arm and dragged him over the threshold. “Our mistress has just what you need.”

  The need to quench the fire in his gut dueled with his turbulent impulse to get the hell out. But still, he followed the stranger, his feet moving like leaden weights beneath him.

  The musky odor of mothballs and decay assaulted his senses, but even through the murkiness that was his brain, he knew the other scent riding the air all too well. The stranger before him was a vampire, and from the smell of things, he wasn’t the only one.

  Why did I come here?

  “You know why,” a voice in his head murmured.

  “No. No, I don’t,” he mumbled. Bile scorched a path inside his chest. He swallowed, forcing the acid back into his stomach.

  The large, leather-clad vampire came to a halt before a set of heavy wooden double doors. They protested as he pushed them open. Markus squinted from the onslaught of the hundreds of candles that set the cavernous room ablaze.

  Compelled to see and understand what drove him to this place, he forced his gaze to lift.

  A woman with long, flowing black hair lay draped across a red chaise elevated on a dais. She turned her head as he entered the room, inserted a slim finger into a red vessel, then lifted it out and licked the dark thick coating from her flesh. He didn’t miss the satisfied gleam as she sealed the container and passed the item to a male at her side, before rising. Marguerite? He’d never actually seen her face, only Kenric’s recount of her description. But what other female held this much power?

  She called to him. Not with her voice, but within his head.

  The slide of her voice inside his mind—his chest seized. He gasped for air.

  “Breathe, my warrior. Come.” She reached out and summoned him with her hand.