Deceptive Changes: Kat LaMond Book 1

by R A Baker

  I calmed down as we drove farther away from the house. “I want to thank you for helping me.” Sven tilted his head. “I mean for coming with me and being my bodyguard.”

  “You’re most welcome. I’m sorry that you and your men had a falling out.” He actually seemed sincere.

  “I think we should get some sleep,” I said and tried to think of some place to sleep.

  “Did you have any place in mind?”

  I shook my head. “I don’t know where I can go. I suppose to a hotel.”

  He turned left at the next light and drove us out of town to a hotel chain. He parked the car and got out, then opened my door, and we walked into the lobby arm in arm.

  We got a room. It wasn’t perfect but it was a place to sleep away the afternoon and evening. Sven took the key from the receptionist and guided me to the room. I rolled my suitcase to the closet and left it standing there. I had to keep up the act but it was hard when Sven was looking at me. I had a brilliant idea, and when I say brilliant, I mean stupid. “Do you wanna get a drink?”

  “I don’t think you should be drinking after something like this.”

  My mouth fell open. “What are you, the alcohol police or something? If you don’t want a drink, I’m going out anyway.” I walked to the door. Sven was there. He placed his hand on mine and stayed me from opening the door. “Let me go. I’m going out whether you like it or not.”

  He sighed. “Okay. I’ll go with you.” He took my hand in his and opened the door.

  We left the hotel and found a restaurant-bar. The restaurant was closed but the bar side was open. It was dimly lit so you couldn’t see the floor or the stains on the bar seats. Sven snagged us a back table. He guided me into the chair and ordered whiskey straight.

  The whiskey arrived and I tossed it back. I breathed fire for a minute while the whiskey travelled down my stomach, warming me.

  Sven pushed his glass over to me and asked, “Do you want to talk about it?”

  “Talk about what? It’s over. I can’t go back. I’m done with this mess.” I sipped at the second glass of whiskey. I didn’t want to get too plastered but I had been truthful when I had asked to get a drink.

  “You know Todd didn’t want me to go and yet you asked if I would.”

  I chuckled. “Yeah.”

  “Why would you do that?”

  “Do you not want to be here? I figured out of anyone you’d be happy to be with me in my time of need.” Maybe I pushed it a little but he seemed to think about it.

  “I am happy that you chose me to be with you. I’ve wanted this moment for a while now. It seems a whole lifetime ago that I first tasted you.” I gulped and swallowed the rest of the whiskey. I waved my hand.

  The waitress came over, a tall bleached blonde with big breasts that stretched her t-shirt to the breaking point. She gave Sven the once over and wiped at her mouth. I ordered two more whiskeys and a bottle of beer. She barely registered what I said since she was staring at Sven. He wasn’t even paying attention to her. Sven didn’t look at her but kept his eyes on me as he said, “Get the lady her drinks.” The waitress flicked angry eyes at me and sauntered off.

  “If I remember, you tasted me when I needed you calm.” I blushed at the memory. It wasn’t even that embarrassing considering what I’d done not but four or five hours ago. The waitress came back and brushed against Sven with her big boobs as she set the drinks on the table.

  When he ignored the touch she whispered something in his ear. He scooted his chair back and looked at her. “Can’t you see I’m with my wife?”

  She looked at me and then back to him. “I don’t see any ring, baby.” My eyes widened. I was sitting right there.

  “Just because I don’t wear a ring, bay-be, doesn’t mean I want to fuck you.” She leaned away from him and licked her oversized lips. “Leave now or I’ll get your manager.” Sven spoke quietly but the way he said it caused even me to gulp in fear. Fear finally entered her eyes. I guess she didn’t want to lose her job. Sven waved his hand at her and she turned on her heel, her blonde hair swishing his face.

  He didn’t even watch her leave. He held out his hand to me. I looked at it. “Why won’t you hold my hand?”

  Oh, right. I was supposed to be the pathetic loser who had a fight with her boyfriends. “I guess I haven’t gotten over the fact that it’s truly over with them.” I hoped the lie worked. “By the way, I won’t be able to get any more alcohol from here.” He lifted an eyebrow. “You pissed off the waitress. From the look I got from her, I’ll be lucky if she doesn’t jump me in a dark alley.”

  “If she does, I’ll be there to protect you.” He winked at me and moved his hand closer to me. “Just take my hand, Katja. I won’t bite, promise.”

  Instead of grabbing his hand, I grabbed the beer. I tossed back a couple swallows and then gripped his hand. His hand was cool to the touch and made me shiver. “You’re cold.”

  “I haven’t had anything to eat in a while. Sorry,” he said but made no move to take his hand away. I finished my beer.

  I could feel the alcohol hit me. “I need to use the little girl’s room,” I slurred out.

  I stood up and almost tripped over the chair beside me. I held out my hand to catch my fall but Sven was there with his arms wrapped around my waist. He righted me and brushed his lips against mine. I pulled back, mumbled a ‘thanks’, and walked away from him.

  I walked into the bathroom and found a clean enough stall. I really didn’t have to go. I had used it as an excuse to text Todd. I pulled out my backup cell phone and told Todd about what had happened. A moment later I got a ring back. “Don’t ever fucking call me again,” I said after he said my name. I texted him not to call my phone since Sven was in the other room and could hear us.

  I waited for a minute and then I really did have to pee. I finished and washed my hands. By then I got the text. Our plan was in good standing. Thorn had been released now that I wasn’t anywhere near him. Beatrice was happy to have her vampire back. Life was good.

  I deleted the messages even though I wanted to save them. I missed them so much and it’d only been a couple hours. I stumbled out of the bathroom. Sven looked at me with relief. I tottered on my heels as I plopped down in my seat. “What happened?” I asked.

  “That waitress came up to me the second you left. I was propositioned again.”

  “It’s your lovely vampire self. People are drawn to you.” I batted my eyes at him. I was going to play this up as best I could. I had gotten much better at this seduction business.

  “Did someone call you?”

  I blushed and nodded. “It was Todd. He didn’t get any words out since I didn’t want to talk with him.”

  “Where did the cell phone come from?”

  “I have a backup cell phone in case I lose my regular one. It’s for work, really. I’m not supposed to use it but last night at dinner I might have mentioned it to Todd.” I smacked my head with the flat of my hand. I grabbed a glass of whiskey but Sven’s hand stopped me from bringing it closer to my mouth. He shook his head. He brought the glass to his lips and sniffed.

  He pretended to start drinking it when the waitress came over. “Hey, baby, I don’t think you want whiskey. Here’s a scotch.”

  “Thanks just the same, bay-be, but we’re leaving.” He stood up and looked at her. She was almost half a foot taller than Sven but the look in his eyes made her back up. He held out his hand to me. I took it and we started to walk out.

  I tugged on his hand. “I have to pay the bill.”

  “It’s been taken care of, honey.” He pulled me along with him. He opened the door to the car and helped me in. I was still going for more than just tipsy. He got in and drove us away from the bar.

  “What was in the drink?”

  “She had slipped a sedative or something in the drink to get you out of the picture.”

  “How did that happen?”

  “When you were in the bathroom. She was all flirtatious and suc
h. She blocked my view and I heard her slip something into your drink.”

  “Thanks for saving me. Again.” This whole thing was making me feel like the biggest heel ever.

  “That’s what I do, Katja. Your life is always worth saving.” He kept his eyes on the road but I could tell he was tense. His hands tightened on the steering wheel.

  “Why so tense, Sven?”

  “I…I didn’t think you’d notice.” Duh, drunk, remember, Katja?

  “I noticed your hands. They’re nearly whiter than usual.” I pointed to his hands.

  “I don’t think this is the time to talk about why I’m tense.” He refused to say anything more even as I asked questions or tried to engage him in conversation.

  >< ><

  He parked in the hotel parking lot and guided me to our room. He opened the door and helped me to the chair. My alcohol haze was nearly gone. I might be able to do the seduction thing but I was truly a lousy liar.

  I watched him pace the room. I tilted my head and nearly tumbled over. I guess my alcohol buzz wasn’t as far gone as I had thought. Sven was right there helping me keep my head up and my body. “’M ‘kay,” I slurred.

  “I know that. I just didn’t want you to hurt yourself.” He stood up and paced away from me.

  “Sven?” He turned to me. “Why don’t you just go out and feed?”

  “I can’t. I have to be here for you. I don’t think it’s safe to leave you.”

  I sighed. “You can feed from me but no funny business.” I wagged a finger at him, slowly and deliberately.

  “It’s not funny to tease me.”

  My mouth parted. “I wasn’t teasing you, Sven. Seriously. If you don’t feel comfortable feeding outside then I’m here.” He didn’t make another remark. He was beside me with his hand on my wrist. “Nuh-uh. My neck.” I was really hoping that that was the alcohol speaking.

  He made a strangled sound in his throat. “No. If I take blood from your throat it’ll be more than just a feeding.”

  “Maybe I want more,” I whispered. I mentally kicked my ass for that comment. I was a horrible person for doing this to him. I didn’t even think he was the bad guy in this whole mess.

  “Please,” he whispered. “I can’t take this teasing. You know I want you so badly.”

  My heart thudded in my throat. “Just do it,” I whispered back. I bared my neck and tilted toward him. This time I didn’t fall over or even fall into him.

  He ran his hand along my neck and brushed my hair away. He hovered over my neck for a moment. My heart sped up as his lips touched my skin. An instant later his fangs slid through my skin. I grabbed his arm and squeezed as his mouth worked on me. True to his promise, his bite sent thrills through me. The alcohol haze disappeared and I fell against him.

  He pulled back and licked the wound. Good thing too or I’d probably have taken him right there. He looked at me, his blue eyes bright with blood. I shied away from him even as my body screamed to be nearer to him. His cherry lips were slightly parted as he looked at me, as he watched me struggle with my desire.

  He leaned into me. I put my hand on his chest, feeling his muscles. This wasn’t right. I pushed against him. He didn’t even waver from his position. He continued to lean into me even as I pushed against him and tried to pull away. Have you ever tried to do that? It’s bloody hard.

  His arms circled me, trapping me. I shook my head. “No,” I whispered.

  He stopped moving but didn’t let go. “A kiss?”

  I shook my head. He tightened his hold on me. “Don’t make me regret taking only you.” He dropped his arms immediately.

  I leaned back from him, which unfortunately brought my chest to face level for him. I tilted to the side and fall out of the chair to get away from him. I lay on the ground, my feet still over the arm of the chair, stunned. It hadn’t been a long fall but it still knocked out what little air was in my lungs at the time.

  “Are you going to sleep there the whole night, Katja?”

  “Yup.” It sounded absurd even to me. How old was I, fifteen? I sighed and took my feet from the arm rest. I rolled onto my side and sat up. I looked at him. He wasn’t looking at me. He seemed to be listening. “What is it?”

  He held up a hand. “We have to go,” he whispered. The first thought that flew through my head was, did my men find me? The second thought was, did the bad guys find us?

  I went to my suitcase. “Leave the stuff, Katja. We have to go now.” He grabbed my hand and opened the window. It hadn’t been easy or quiet since the hotel apparently had painted over the windows. Why they would do that was anyone’s guess.

  I looked out the window. It was a straight drop to the ground. We were on the fourth floor. I would never survive a fall like that. “No way. I’ll die.”

  He blew out a sigh. “You still have so much to learn about vampires.” He sat on the ledge and dropped. I looked over the edge and found that he was floating just below the window. “Come on,” he whispered.

  To stall for time and the death drop, I asked, “Who found us?”

  “Cyril. His goons are on their way up as we sit here arguing.” I took a deep breath, heard someone pound on the door, and dropped into his arms. We dropped slightly and then he took off, taking my breath with him.

  He flew for a minute and settled on the ground in a thick patch of woods. “How far away are we?”

  “Not far enough. They’ll be on us in a minute. I heard them break the door down. They’ll have discovered us gone and send out search parties to find us.”

  “Where can we go?” I hadn’t figured that Cyril and his people would find us so soon.

  “We can’t stay here,” was all he said. He took me in his arms and ran along the woods for what seemed like hours.

  Chapter Twenty-Six

  Sven stopped shortly before the sky started to lighten. I looked around and found that we were at an abandoned farm house. He set me on my feet and fell to the ground. I kneeled beside him. “Are you okay?”

  He nodded. “I’m still young for a vampire but I have learned some tricks and flying was one of them. I can’t sustain flight long but I’m learning.” He smiled weakly.

  “Is there something I can do?”

  “I could use some blood and a good night’s sleep.” I pulled him into my lap and wrapped my arm around him. His eyes slipped shut.

  “Here,” I pressed my wrist to his mouth.

  My wrist lay against his mouth. My heart started to flutter in panic. I felt my pockets and didn’t find anything but my cell phone. I’d use that as a last resort. I felt around his pockets. I found a small knife hidden on the waist of his jeans. I grabbed it and slit my wrist, gasping as the pain bit through me. Blood dribbled against his slack mouth.

  “Come on, open your mouth,” I whispered and pressed my wrist more tightly against his mouth. I don’t know if it was me speaking or instinct but his mouth started to convulse against me. I breathed a sigh of relief as his hands wrapped gently around my arm. His fangs slid into my skin making me gasp.

  He sucked on my wrist for a few minutes and then released me but kept his eyes shut. “Sven?” He nodded. I let out my breath in a whoosh. “Are you okay?”

  He opened his eyes and looked at me. “I am now.”

  We stayed in that position until my legs fell asleep and my butt was pins and needles. He sat up and pulled me into a hug. I wrapped an arm around him for a second and let it drop. He still clung to me. His voice was quiet and if he hadn’t been right next to my ear I probably wouldn’t have heard him. “Thank you for giving me your blood.” I nodded against his shoulder.

  “I need to stand up,” I whispered equally soft.

  He let me go and I stood up. I walked around for a minute, trying to get my legs to work properly. I hissed as needles stuck in my feet, imaginary but still real feeling. My wrist was bleeding. I wiped at the blood. He grabbed my hands and licked the blood off. I started to pull away. His hands tightened on my wrist, the one that
was bleeding. He slowly brought it to his mouth and licked the wound. I could see the wound heal.

  He dropped my wrist abruptly and turned from me. I watched as he walked a few feet away. I paced as I waited for him to say something. I couldn’t think of anything to say or ask. I just wanted to get some rest and this old farmhouse wasn’t going to cut it.

  “I need a moment,” he said softly and then turned to me, his hands clenched at his side. “Let’s get you to a place to sleep.”

  “Let’s walk. I don’t want to have to donate again.”

  He nodded and walked up to me. “They shouldn’t get our scent too soon. I figure if the wind holds they’ll have a bitch of a time but we should still walk fast.”

  He grabbed my hand and we walked away from the farmhouse. Daylight was peeking into the night sky, chasing the moon to the other side of the world.

  He matched my pace which was very slow to him and he kept reminding me of that fact. I finally had enough of his complaining after hearing it for three hours. I yanked my hand from his and pointed my finger at him. “I am not a damn vampire. I can only walk human fast. If you don’t freakin’ like it go ahead of me.” He stared gaped-mouth at me. “Don’t look at me like that. You’re the one complaining.”

  “You’re right. I apologize. I’m afraid they’ll catch our scent and be on us. I can’t fly because you don’t want to donate and I can only walk as fast as you can. I’ve been on my own for a long while, I’m not used to having to worry about someone else.”

  “I know I asked you to take care of me, in the sense that I needed a bodyguard, but if you want to leave, please don’t let me hold you back.”

  He sighed noisily. He grabbed my hand gently in his and pulled me. “Come on. We’re almost to a motel. We can rest there.” I wanted to complain about how long it was taking but if I wasn’t being pissy about donating blood we’d be there faster.

  >< ><

  We walked another few miles. I pulled out my cell phone and found that it was almost one in the afternoon. I was chilled to the bone and tired. I looked at my clothes as we approached the motel chain. I looked like I had rolled around in a cow field. Sven looked decent. “Get us a room. Here’s cash. Give them false info.” He took the money but rolled his eyes. I guess he knew all about giving false information.