“Hey, Doc?”
Riah looked up to see Andrew in the doorway. “Hi, A.J.”
“Everything okay with you? I saw some other folks in here on my last round.”
She nodded. “Things are fine and everyone else has left. It’s just me now.”
He narrowed his eyes and seemed to study her face. “You sure everything’s okay? I don’t mean to be rude, Doc, but you look a little…I don’t know…not like yourself.”
She didn’t feel like herself either. “I’m just thinking about a case.”
“Well, if you’re sure. I can take a look around if you want.”
“I’m okay, I promise.”
He stayed in the doorway, his eyes still narrow and appraising. Then his face seemed to clear and he shrugged. “Okay then. I’m here until six if you need me.”
She nodded. “Thanks, A.J. I’ll be heading out shortly anyway.”
“Why don’t you let me walk you to the car?”
She smiled at the former navy man who was so very serious about his current job. “I’ll be fine.”
“Hey, Doc…” He didn’t return her smile. His hand was again resting on the butt of his gun.
“Yes?”
“Humor me.”
Chapter Fifteen
It took less than twenty minutes for Destiny to return to the Public Safety Building. Had to love the lack of traffic in this place. Too bad she couldn’t stay longer. Behind the gates that shielded the staff from the general public, the cars had thinned since her earlier visit. Only one remained.
Destiny watched for about an hour before Riah came out the door. Artificial light rained down harsh on her pale skin. By any standards, old or new, she was striking. That she hadn’t aged a day didn’t hurt either. Even so, the years had done something to her. It took Destiny a few moments of studying her face before she realized what it was. Riah was infinitely more beautiful now, as if time and knowledge gifted her with the only thing it could. Maturity in heart and soul made her even more alluring.
It was difficult to hold onto restraint. Destiny ached to reveal herself to Riah, to confront the woman who’d haunted her dreams. She wanted to touch her firm breasts, kiss her full lips…wrap her fingers around her throat.
She didn’t. Not yet.
Instead, she watched while Riah chatted with the handsome security guard before getting into her car and driving into the night. This time, Destiny didn’t follow Riah as she’d done earlier with the other woman. She watched until the taillights of her car were long gone.
Now, it was simply a matter of patience. She might not like having to wait, but after the many years already, one more night was nothing. The reality was, in twenty-four hours, the long-awaited vengeance would be hers.
Destiny smiled, unbuttoned the top three buttons of her sweater, and put a hand beneath each breast, adjusting them until they almost spilled out of her sweater. Once the man turned his back to where Destiny stood and began to walk in the opposite direction, she leapt over the fence. Her movements were silent as she landed inside the secure area. Her long hair fluttered before settling around her shoulders in a golden cloud.
“Excuse me, ma’am.” He must have sensed her and now turned toward her, a flashlight shining on her face. His brow wrinkled and his eyes narrowed. One hand drifted to the gun at his waist. “What’re you doing here?”
She smiled into the directed light, a hand over her eyes. Her tongue slid slowly over her bottom lip. “Looking for you.”
He lowered the light so it no longer blinded her. His hand didn’t move from the gun. “Do I know you?”
He was very attractive—for a human. She broadened her smile enough that her lengthening canines were visible, pearl-white and glistening in the inky night. “Not yet, but you will.”
She covered the distance between them in less than a second. The flashlight clattered to the asphalt, the light whirling across the black parking lot like a carnival spotlight. His hand was no longer on the gun.
*
For a moment, Colin stood frozen in the bathroom doorway. Ivy’s hands captured his attention as they moved from button to button, the fabric of her shirt falling away to reveal her full breasts. Her bra was pale pink, which wasn’t a color he’d have associated with a woman who made her living amongst the dead. Black, yeah—pink, never. But, he liked it…a lot.
Her shirt fell with a swish to the floor. Her pants followed. In her bra and panties, she made his blood rush straight to his cock, finally propelling him into motion. He drew her against his body and covered her lips with his. His tongue demanded as he cupped her ass, pulling her tight against his hard-on.
She smelled as good as she tasted. Her scent was light, easy, as if she’d just stepped in from a fresh spring rain. He could spend the rest of his life holding this woman and inhaling the wonderful scent unique to her, especially if she was naked.
The rest of his life? The thought was extreme enough he almost stepped away from her. Yeah, that was gonna happen. This whole hunt had him off his game in more ways than one. They were just going to fuck, right? None of this make-love crap. Not his style. Until now. It was impossible to even convince himself this was just a casual hookup.
He used his lips to trace a line down her neck to the swell of her breasts, concentrating on nothing but the taste and feel of Ivy. Thank God, he’d checked into a decent hotel instead of some dive on the edge of town, as he was often prone to do. Maybe God really did have a hand in this.
Ivy pulled his belt free and tossed it aside. It landed on the floor with a thud. She had his pants unbuttoned, unzipped, and at his ankles so fast it barely registered in his foggy brain.
Oh, naked,” she murmured, her breath hot against the bare skin of his thighs. “I love a man daring enough to bare it underneath his jeans.” She kissed the hot skin of his hip.
With her face mere inches from his cock, it throbbed hard. “Less laundry,” he whispered back, his voice strangled.
Her light laugh distracted him for a moment. At least until she dipped her head and licked the tip of his cock while her hands moved to his feet. His concentration was shot. The touch of her tongue against his hot tip made him shudder all over. Her hands pushed at his shoes, and within a few seconds they were off, along with his pants. Her tongue continued to stroke the length of him while her hands moved up his legs to his butt and beneath the shirt he still wore.
Then her lips closed over his cock and he shuddered all over. Eyes shut, his hands in her hair, he felt his control slipping. Everything tightened and he was afraid he’d come right now.
He was surprised when she stopped. Slowly, she slid her hands up his body until they stood together. She kissed his nipples, his neck, then his lips.
“Still want dinner?” she whispered.
Laughing, he pulled her to the bed. He pushed her down, then covered her body with his. “Oh, I’m hungry all right.”
“For?”
“I think you know.”
Colin held her hands above her head and kissed her neck before turning his attention to her perfect breasts. She wiggled beneath him and struggled to free her hands.
“You know I have you captive,” he said when he raised his head while he still held her hands immobile. “I’m a big tough vampire hunter, remember?”
She smiled and raised her eyebrows. “You weren’t so tough a minute ago.”
“Touché.”
He released her hands and continued kissing down her body until he reached the patch of dark curly hair. It was time to make her squirm. He licked her clit and she bucked against him. Her moans encouraged him and he licked her again. Her fingers snaked into his hair. A little more full attention was just what she needed, and he slipped two fingers inside. She was hot, very wet, and her back arched.
“Oh, my God,” she whimpered. “You’re killing me.”
He pressed a kiss against the inside of her thigh. “But it’ll be a sweet death.”
“I’ll get even,” s
he said breathlessly.
“Promise?”
He moved his fingers inside her and she bucked against his hand. “Oh, yeah.”
When he sensed she was ready to explode, he slipped his fingers out and moved up to kiss her lips. As he gazed down into her dark eyes, he felt something he’d never experienced before. He loved Ivy Hernandez, and it didn’t matter that it went against everything he believed in.
“You’re so beautiful,” he murmured.
She let out a sigh and grabbed his ass with both hands. “Enough with the small talk, mister big, bad vampire hunter. Time to put out.”
With a smile, he entered her. He moved against her, in and out, faster and faster. Her moans mingled with his, and when he came, the explosion shook him to his soul.
Afterward, he lay next to her, holding her close with his heart pounding. He kissed the top of her head and thought love had to be about the greatest thing in the world.
*
Riah drove toward Adriana’s. The house was dark and the streets deserted, past time for decent people to be in. In fact, it was just about time for decent people to be crawling out of bed and preparing for the new day. Riah kept going and barely slowed in front of the house.
It had been so many years since Riah truly loved another, and now her emotions were all over the board. Adriana managed to touch a part of her dormant for some five centuries, give or take. All that time, Riah’d done quite nicely without feeling anything for another, particularly a mortal. Her friends and lovers, for the most part, had been other vampires. It was safer, both physically and emotionally.
Of course, when she’d come to this country, things changed. She’d learned to trust humans because she’d had little choice. It was either trust them or fail. Many along the way surprised her with their capacity for understanding and willingness to be her friend despite her past.
People like Ivy and Adriana. It was fine and good when it was simply a matter of dealing with trust and friendship. Adriana had pushed the stakes up a notch. The last thing Riah ever thought she’d find herself faced with again was love.
She idled down the boulevard, the lights of her car cutting through the slight fog rising from the river below. She liked this time just before the world rose. Unlike most, she moved between daylight and shadow with relative ease. It left her alone during hours like these when the creatures of the night returned to the shadows. Despite the urge to do otherwise, she drove past Adriana’s house.
Once home, she strolled down the hall to her bedroom and stripped, leaving her clothes on the floor where they fell. After showering, she slipped into a silk robe and went to the small cooler. It was necessary to feed even when it was the last thing she felt like doing. As she drank, she gazed up. In the portrait, a ruby pendant glistened around Meriel’s neck. The intricate gold work was magnificent, and Riah smiled, remembering the night she’d given it to her lover.
Jonathan Verian was a master craftsman much sought out in their elite social circle. It took some doing, but Riah managed to sweet-talk him into creating the beautiful trinket. The look on Meriel’s face the night Riah gave her the necklace was worth all the effort it took to get it made.
Riah turned away from the portrait, chills sliding up her back as she recalled the last time she’d seen the necklace. Beautiful was the last thing it had been at that awful moment. She closed her eyes and envisioned it as clearly as if she was standing right there. It didn’t sparkle in the moonlight because it was smeared with crimson blood and tangled around the neck of Meriel’s cold, lifeless body.
She pushed the memory away and walked to her bed, only to stand and stare at it. Rest was impossible. After a full minute of doing nothing, Riah turned away from the big bed and went to her bag. She pulled out the copy of Colin’s map she’d made at the office. Spreading it out flat on her desk, she clicked on the lamp. Light spilled down, making the marks and notes come into clear focus. In fact, they seemed to jump off the page.
Ivy was right. Whoever this Destiny was, she was making serious tracks toward Riah. It still rubbed her wrong because she didn’t know this vampire. It also didn’t help that Colin and his cronies had managed to wipe out nearly the entire vampire community. In some respects their success should make it easier for Riah to figure it out. It didn’t. Destiny was completely off the radar.
When her computer booted up, Riah logged on to her secure ME site. She glanced at the first location Colin marked, then plugged in the name of the city and waited while the search engine did its work. Thank God for the Internet. A few seconds later, she hit pay dirt. An hour later, Riah managed to successfully search each location noted on the map.
Her notes in order, she laid down her pen and pushed back in her chair. “Sweet Jesus,” she muttered.
*
Colin stood at the window while Ivy slept peacefully in the bed, her dark hair spread out on the pillow. She was so gorgeous. She looked good in clothes, but naked—she made him hard all over again. It wouldn’t take too much to make him jump right back into bed. Except she needed her sleep and he needed something else.
He turned his attention back to the window. His cell phone rested in the palm of his hand, the ringer turned to vibrate. In the last half hour, the wind had kicked up and the trees around the hotel bent and swayed. A storm was on its way.
Almost an hour had passed since he crawled out of the warm bed, and the wait seemed interminable. When was the damn phone going to ring? Things were rapidly getting out of control. He wasn’t so much concerned about taking down Destiny. Quite the opposite, in fact; he was locked, loaded, and ready for bear. The anticipation of destroying a bloodthirsty vampire wasn’t what had him feeling so twitchy.
It was two things. Or, to be more accurate, two women: Ivy and Riah.
Woman number one was completely unexpected. Ivy made his blood pound and his heart soar. Though he was always in control, the minute she touched him, he was a goner. Never in his wildest imagination could he have seen this coming.
But it was happening way too fast. He knew what it took to win in battle against the creatures of darkness. The formula was very simple. Two critical elements: patience and time. Worked for him every time—at least as far as vampires were concerned.
This thing with Ivy was neither patient nor slow. It was hot, fast, and all-consuming. It went against everything he was and everything he believed. On those rare occasions when he did let his body rule, he still didn’t jump in bed with women he barely knew. It was all about satisfying a need without emotion entering into the mix. He understood it; the women he slept with understood it. No one was hurt and everyone walked away satisfied while still friends. More of a friends-with-benefits kind of thing.
With Ivy, it went beyond a friendly encounter. The two of them were neck deep in passion while he was supposed to be concentrating on keeping the world safe. Hunting and sex simply didn’t mix. Not once in all his years had he allowed himself to be preoccupied with sex when he was on a vampire’s trail, and he sure never fell in love.
All his very workable and trusty philosophies went into the crapper the minute Ivy showed up. She was a dark-haired addiction he craved like any dedicated alcoholic. He thought about her all the time. He could smell her even when she wasn’t there. He itched to touch her the second he saw her. But oddest of all, it wasn’t entirely about sex either. Just to be with her was as important as being able to make love to her. He wasn’t sure what to do about it either. He also wasn’t sure he wanted to do anything about it.
If all that wasn’t confusing enough, he had Riah to consider. The bottom line with her was crystal clear. It was his sworn duty to destroy her. She was a destructive creature of the night, an unholy affront to the world as he knew it. She and her kind had massacred his family. Vampires took away any chance he might have had for a normal life.
Instead of football games, dates, and dances, he spent his formative years learning to hunt. He’d dedicated his entire life to destroying that which had ta
ken those most precious from him. And, until now, it’d been easy.
Now, things were muddy. It was bad enough that Riah and Ivy were close friends. He could probably work around that fact if he rationalized it for a good long while. But he liked Riah. She was smart, kind, and trying to accomplish something good in the world. She was everything that went against the nature of a vampire. Nothing had prepared him for this reaction.
How exactly, then, could he pull his sword and take her head? How exactly could he not pull his sword and take her head? His world was so much nicer when everything was black or white, good or evil. He didn’t like shades of gray one little bit.
The phone in his hand vibrated. He glanced at Ivy, happy to see she still slept peacefully. Heading to the bathroom, he pulled the door shut and flipped the phone open.
“Yes,” he said softly.
“We’ve uncovered some interesting information about your new friend.”
He didn’t know if he should be excited or afraid. “Go ahead, Monsignor.”
When he snapped the phone shut some fifteen minutes later, he was even more conflicted. What Monsignor discovered made so much sense it made him wonder why it hadn’t occurred to him earlier. At the same time, it complicated his life even more. He was struggling before the call, but now a full-out war raged in his mind. Either way he looked, it wouldn’t be good and someone would get hurt.
A few days ago, his life was simple. Track down vampires. Kill vampires. Make the world safe for the humans who never even knew he was protecting them. Simple suddenly seemed to have taken a permanent flight out the window. Yeah, he was still in the track-down-vampire mode. He would still kill vampires…he just wasn’t so sure he could kill all the vampires. It sucked, it really, really did.
Chapter Sixteen
Something was wrong. Riah bolted upright, then stilled. The house was silent, empty, and dark as a crypt. Did she hear something or simply sense it?
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