by Kat Cotton
Sleep with Clem Starr. As if.
I’d never purposely been a virgin. I’d just never had sex. Most of the time, it was something I didn’t even think about. It wasn’t like I’d spent centuries craving it, but I wasn’t against the idea, either. I was very fussy. When you’re me, you can’t do it with just anyone. And what other being could compete? Maybe if I could clone myself, sex would be more appealing.
Not Clem Starr. Never Clem Starr.
She dressed like a sixteen-year-old punk, and she was way beyond sixteen. She wore too much eyeliner, and her hair had way too much regrowth. She had a potty mouth and thought she was hot stuff when it was just her dodgy sex aura.
And she was in love with Kisho.
Not that I wanted her relationship with Kisho to go too far, either. That would make life difficult.
This matter had become too complicated. I needed to go spend time with Vlad. He was way less complicated.
Except I couldn’t.
I leaned over to pat Hellhound.
“Hellhound!”
That damn dog had eaten my cake. He licked the last traces of cream from his mouth. A few crumbs had been mushed into my expensive quilt.
I’d thought at least my dog would be loyal, but I had nothing.
I COULDN’T STAY IN my room forever. For starters, there was no food in there since that thieving dog had eaten my cake. Hopefully, when I came out, Clem Starr would’ve gone home.
She hadn’t. Of course she hadn’t. Not when there was food and coffee on offer. Freeloader.
“You still here?”
“Obviously. We got more cake, if you want some.”
“I don’t want to eat your cake.” Then I realized those words were loaded with suggestion, so I ran out of the room.
“Come back, Nic. Stop acting like you’re going through puberty. You have gone through puberty, haven’t you? Or were you turned before you could?”
I stopped and spun around. “I was 24 when I was turned. The perfect age. Too old to get acne, and too young for wrinkles. Frozen in this perfection for eternity.”
“So, you were the perfect human but hadn’t had sex?”
“Things were different in those days.”
She laughed. “Yeah, right.”
Sometimes it bugged me that I didn’t have an exciting “life before I turned” story. I mean, Kisho wasn’t exactly the most striking vampire, but he had that whole “my father is the Vampire King” thing going on. And Andre had a zillion stories of conquests, both as a human and as a vampire. Luis had been married. He’d wanted to turn his wife too, but she’d refused. He’d stayed with her until the end, watching her wither and die.
Actually, that wasn’t such a great story.
Since Clem wasn’t going to leave me alone, I sat down.
“Do you have that mirror positioned there so you can watch yourself looking gorgeous in the moonlight?” she asked.
“No.”
“You so do.”
“You think I look gorgeous.” I couldn’t keep the triumph from my voice.
“Well, actually, Nic, we need to talk. You might think you’re not the kid’s bitch, but you’ve definitely let your standards slip. What’s going on with that?”
I didn’t need a lecture on personal grooming from her. A woman with chipped nail polish who wore her skirts way too short. Way, way too short.
“Have they gone to feed my unicorn baby?” I asked. I needed to know he was being fed.
“They said something about taking him hunting.”
“Hunting! He can’t hunt. You know. You saw. He’s not in control.”
She shrugged. “They said they can control him.”
“Do you think so?”
“Well, they controlled him at the bloodbath that was your last motivational talk.”
She got up and walked to the kitchen. I followed her. I needed to know something.
She put her dishes in the sink, which was a step up from her normal slatternly ways. I stood behind her, my face almost touching her hair. Then I tapped her shoulder so she turned around.
As she faced me, I ran my hand from her shoulder down her arm. Our bodies didn’t touch in any other place, but we stood very close.
“I need to know something, Clem,” I said. I kept my voice low and husky, with my gaze caressing her body. “Why did you say you didn’t want to sleep with me? That really hurt me.”
Then I shot the smile. The sad and slightly pained smile. The “you broke my heart a little” one.
She smiled back but didn’t answer.
Her heart raced, and her body warmed. She twisted her right leg around her left. Every single sign pointed to one thing. She wanted me.
“I knew it. I knew you were lying. Ha-ha. You can say you don’t want me, Clem Starr, but your body betrays you. I had to test you.”
She jumped back, then slapped my face.
Nothing proved it more than that.
IT’D BEEN THREE DAYS, twelve hours and fifty-two minutes since I’d seen my unicorn baby. They’d said I was obsessed, but obviously I wasn’t. I was worried about him, though. He must miss me.
When Kisho got back from the warehouse, I asked him how Vlad was.
“He’s fine, Nic.”
“I need more detail than that.”
“It’s probably best you don’t know too much.”
“Something’s wrong? Something’s wrong, and you don’t want to tell me. I knew this would happen.”
“Nothing’s wrong. You’re just going to obsess over every detail. He’s healthy and strong.”
“But he’s missing me, right? He’d be missing me like crazy.”
Kisho didn’t reply, but he had that twitch in his face: the one that happened when he lied or held something back. I knew my unicorn baby couldn’t survive without me.
“Tell me, Kisho.”
“He’s not said a word about you.”
Kisho obviously lied. Maybe that was part of their plan to freeze me out. That’s what it had to be. They wanted to freeze me out so they could take over training Vlad. They wanted to be close to him, and they couldn’t do that with me in the way.
Part of me realized how crazy my thoughts had become, but part of me knew I was right. I had to do something, or Vlad would forget me completely.
Tonight, after they went to bed, I’d go to the warehouse. No one had to know. I just needed to check on Vlad, make sure he was okay and give him some attention. Just five minutes. That was all. It wasn’t like I needed to see him, but maybe he needed to see me.
Chapter 44 Nic: Rock
“Vlad,” I called.
“Sleepy,” he answered.
I walked over to his nest, where he lay curled up and still half-asleep.
“Pretty man.”
See, he hadn’t forgotten me. Kisho must’ve been lying. Vlad had probably been upset, wondering why I hadn’t been to see him.
“How are you doing?”
He jumped up. “Tasty?”
“No tasty. I just needed to check on you. I’m sorry I haven’t been to see you. I’ll be able to soon.”
He grinned. “Kisho?” he asked. “Luis?”
How come he called them by their names? We were supposed to be bonded. That meant he should be closer to me than anyone.
“They aren’t here. Just me.”
I smiled and smoothed his hair. Those guys hadn’t even brushed it. It didn’t shine unless you brushed it every day.
“Do you want to show me your routine?” I asked him.
He shook his head. “Sleepy,” he said. Then he curled back up.
That was strange. He always wanted me to watch him.
I sat beside him while he slept. Occasionally, he did cute little snuffles.
Eventually, I had to return home. I couldn’t risk being caught sneaking out, not with the pack being all weird with me. When I got back, I cut the engine of the car and let it roll into the garage so no one would hear me and snuck in the back door.
Except, when I got inside, I saw that the entire gang had gathered in the living room. They didn’t notice me come in, though. Instead, they were staring at something.
The window at the front of the house had been smashed.
“Nic, where have you been?” Andre said.
Jeb picked up a rock and showed me. “It came through the window.”
Glass covered the floor. Kisho had a dustpan and broom, cleaning it up.
“It’s probably nothing,” I said.
“It’s not nothing,” Andre said. “It’s a warning. The Northside Gang are sending a message. They know where we live, and they’re after us. People don’t just toss rocks through your windows for nothing.”
My stomach churned. He was right. And that meant one thing.
“Shit. If they’ve tracked us down, they can find Vlad. He’s not safe.” I picked up my car keys. “I have to get him.”
Andre grabbed hold of me. “He’s not the immediate concern here. The pack’s in danger.”
I fought him off. “The pack can look after itself. I need to look after Vlad. He relies on me.”
Andre exchanged a glance with Jeb. What could they do, though? They couldn’t stop me.
“You need to settle down,” Andre said. “The kid will be okay.”
He didn’t know that for sure. The gang had been here. They could’ve followed me. They could be at the warehouse right now. They couldn’t kill him, but they could take him hostage, even torture him. He was in danger, and I needed to save him.
“That’s where you were, right?” Andre said. “You snuck out to see that kid.”
I pushed him away from me.
“Let him go,” Jeb said. “He’s not up to leading us. Let him go and take that kid with him. Good riddance.”
“That’s not what we want,” Andre said. “Nic, you’ve got a problem. We need to help you. Luis, you and Shelley check that the kid is okay. Make sure no one follows you. Nic, you stay here.”
“I’ll go.”
But the entire pack glared at me. They didn’t understand at all.
“We need to fight back,” Jeb said. “Look at Nic. He’s in no fit state to fight. He’d just be an obstacle.”
Whoa, what was going on here?
“I can fight,” I said. “I took out most of the gang singlehandedly.”
“That’s how this trouble started,” Luis said. “I’m going now. I have my phone if anything goes wrong.”
“Bring him home,” I told him. “I’m not going to rest unless he’s here with us.”
After they’d left, I paced the floor. All the horrible scenarios I could think of flitted through my mind. I’d been a terrible father to that baby. I should’ve made him come home in the first place, forced him or even drugged him. Hey, we could drug him now.
“What would work to drug Vlad?” I asked. “Or magic. That would be okay so long as he comes home.”
Kisho had gotten the vacuum cleaner out to clear up the rest of the glass.
“Nic,” he said. “You have break the bond with that kid. Not just for your sake but his as well.”
“What do you mean? The bond saved him. I’m keeping him safe.”
I sat down on the sofa. The wind in through the broken window. That was two windows broken now, plus the basement door, one ugly swan ornament and my faith in the pack.
Kisho sat down as well.
“You’re too connected to him. The gang know he’s your weakness. Because of that, they’ll use him as leverage. They could’ve followed you to the warehouse tonight. They could track him down. If they captured him, you’d do anything to protect him. That would just make them hurt him more. Sure, he can’t be killed, but there are so many other things they can do. Nic, you have to let go of him or he’s going to be a target. More than you are yourself, more than the pack is. It’s not just the Northside Gang. Anyone who knows you will try to get to you through that kid.”
I curled up in the chair, not wanting to think about this or admit to anything.
“You’ve made yourself vulnerable, Nic. And you’ve made the pack vulnerable. We can’t continue like this. When you became leader, there was an intrinsic promise in that. A leader protects his pack. You have to make a choice, Nic. It’s either the kid or the pack, because you can’t protect both.”
I wanted to punch Kisho, which was a rare thing indeed. I wanted to scream at him. But the look in his eyes was one I’d never seen there before: a look of absolute resolve. He’d never questioned my leadership before. He’d never gone against me until this thing with Vlad.
I opened my mouth to speak, but the words wouldn’t come out. I knew Kisho was right. I had to cut the bond. I had to destroy it to keep everyone safe. That was what a leader did. No matter how much it hurt me.
Chapter 45 Clem: Agreement
“No way. Just, no. Not going to happen. Triple no with a cherry on top. Not Nic’s cherry, either.”
If anyone else had suggested that I sleep with Nic, I’d have cut them, but I couldn’t do that with Kisho.
“It’s not like you don’t want to,” he said.
“Yeah, Clem Starr, you’ve proven that,” Nic said. “You want me. You want me bad. Just give in to your desires. What’s holding you back?”
I looked him over. Physically, there was not one reason why I’d say no. Sure, he was a bit short, but he had a perfect body. Maybe not quite so perfect as Kisho’s, but certainly one of the best bodies I’d ever seen. Broad shoulders and sensual hips. I had to admit the virgin thing was a total turn-on too.
But he was Nic. We didn’t sex.
He reclined in his wingback chair, legs crossed and his hands elegantly folded. The chair was perfectly positioned to catch the moonlight, and the mirror was angled to catch him. It was so contrived.
“Listen, just because you’ve got that body and that face and those violet eyes—wait, they’re contacts, right? Just because you have that glowing skin and that shimmer, that does not mean I’m attracted to you.”
He folded his arms and sighed. “You forgot the magical smile. I can’t believe you forgot that. Everyone says it’s my defining feature.”
He smiled at me just to prove it.
“Doesn’t work on me anymore. I’ve become jaded.”
“Bullshit. There’s no jaded when it comes to my smile. It’s not like we’re getting married. It’s not a commitment for life. It’s just sex.”
He said that, but there was a slight tremor in his hands. It wasn’t that easy for him. I guessed waiting 300 years to have sex made it a huge thing. Plus, he had been upset about breaking his bond with Vlad. Well, a grouchy bastard.
“It’d be just weird and awkward.”
“I’ll use protection.”
“Hell, yeah, you will. Like your annoying personality. That’s all the protection you need.”
Nic sighed. “I’ll get your car back from the mayor.”
“In mint condition? Because it’d been ruined, the last I heard. I can’t spend all my money on getting it fixed.”
“In mint condition.”
He smiled at me. Despite what I’d said, that smile made my insides quiver. But no. Still no. Not even with the quivery insides and the car. I just wouldn’t look at him, and then that smile wouldn’t get to me.
“No, wait,” I said. “I’m not negotiating this. That’s almost like having sex with you for money.”
“Yeah, you should pay me.”
He smirked at me. You’d think someone so needy for sex would be a bit more humble.
“Think about this rationally, Clem. It’s necessary for Nic and the entire pack,” Kisho said. “We need you. And also, remember what the priest said. This might be a good thing for both of you.”
“That’s fine for you to say, but when I got back from Japan and was homeless, you never even invited me to stay. Your pack doesn’t give a damn about me, so why should I care?”
Nic could’ve asked me to stay. He hadn’t cared that I mi
ght’ve had to sleep on the streets. He’d expected me to use my own precious money.
“You can live with us,” Kisho said. “After we get things sorted out with the Northside Gang, we’re leaving this city, and you can come with us.”
“Hey, wait up there, Kisho,” Nic objected. “She’s not coming with us. We never discussed that. She’s a liability. So far, we only have one strike against us with the King, but with her along, that’s two strikes. Do you really want that?”
The King. He’d be back, and he’d be after me. I needed leverage here. I could not, would not, fight the King on my own. Even if he did change the vamps into useless statues.
“Okay, I’ll do it,” I said. “On one condition.”
Kisho and Nic both looked at me.
“You stay and fight. No fleeing. No going into hiding. If that ancient, powerful vampire is coming for me, I don’t want to fight him on my own. I’ll die, and that would be a fate worse than sleeping with Nic. I want you all by me. Maybe together, we can defeat him. Or maybe we can’t, but I could use you guys as human—well, non-human—shields while I escape. Either way, that’s what I want.”
I folded my arms and glared at Nic. I didn’t think he’d agree to that, but I wasn’t about to leave town with them, heading to unknown places that might have really awful coffee. I liked it here, and I wanted to stay here. Plus, I didn’t think any corner of this globe would be far enough away to escape from the Vampire King.
“That’s the stupidest thing I’ve ever heard,” Nic said. “No way will we do that. It’s just crazy and wrong. It puts us in way too much danger.”
“We’ll do it,” Kisho said.
God, his voice was so resolute. Who was the leader here? How hot was Kisho when he got all bossy? If I slept with Nic, would that ruin my chances with Kisho? Weirdly, I thought not. He seemed more into Nic and me sexing it up than anyone. There was no way he was watching, though. I drew the line there.
Nic didn’t answer. I’d thought he’d jump straight in and refuse to fight. He stared at Kisho, but he made no comment.
“Come on. You know all this talk about fleeing is just talk,” Kisho added. “If there’s a war, you’re going to be right in the middle of it. One way or the other. He’s after us.”
