Deceptive Changes: Kat LaMond Book 1

by R A Baker

  I waited in the shadows by the office until he came back out. He grabbed my hand and led me to a room. He opened the door and I just about fainted from happiness. A bed. I flopped down on the bed and curled into a ball. I was one big pain.

  Sven chuckled as I stretched my muscles by curling and uncurling into a ball. I groaned and got off the bed. I walked into the miniscule bathroom and showered. At least they had clean towels and little soaps and shampoos for me to use. By the end of my shower I was much happier and starving. I was pretty sure this motel chain didn’t offer room service.

  I stepped out of the shower, toweled off, and changed back into my dirty clothes. I needed to find a store. Unfortunately, we were miles from any strip mall or Wal-Mart. I stepped out of the bathroom and found that Sven had gone to a fast food restaurant. “Thank you, Sven.” He nodded and held his nose. “You don’t like the smell?”

  “It’s not very appealing. It probably wouldn’t have been even if I was able to eat it.” I looked in the bag and found a couple hamburgers and a salad. I frowned. I was looking forward to fries and lots of never-going-to-use calories. I pulled out the hamburgers and started eating.

  “Have you thought about how they found us so quickly?” I asked in between bites.

  “Yeah. They were probably monitoring any credit card activity.”

  I sighed. That meant I couldn’t use my credit cards or bank cards to get more money. Unless… I shoved the thought aside for a moment and relished my food. I was so hungry that I even ate the salad.

  I tossed my trash away and laid down on the bed. Sven stayed sitting in the chair. “Are you going to get some sleep?” I asked as I closed my eyes. He didn’t speak. I opened my eyes and looked at him. Oh. His eyes held something that my mind tried to hide from. A misguided passion. I rolled my eyes. “I’m going to bed. If you want to join me you can. I plan to sleep in my yucky clothes.”

  I rolled over and was just about asleep when I felt the bed shift. He curled up next to me, wrapping his arm across my waist. I didn’t say anything. I was too tired and fell asleep with him pressed against me.

  >< ><

  I woke to darkness. I stretched and felt an arm tighten around me. Sven sighed, his breath running along the back of my neck. I shivered and pulled at his arm. “I have to go.” He growled and kissed my neck. “Stop that. This isn’t a date, Sven.” He moved his arm from my waist. I slid off the bed and walked into the small bathroom.

  I cleaned up and used the disposable toothbrush to brush the gunk from my teeth without the aid of toothpaste. At least my teeth felt cleaner. I walked out and found Sven standing at the window. “How long did you reserve this room?”

  “For two more nights. I don’t know if we’ll stay here or not.” He turned from the window. His pale skin shined in the street lights. My breath caught in my throat as I looked into his eyes. I blinked and he was standing in front of me. I put my hand to his chest and held him back. Okay, he stayed back because I just wasn’t strong enough to hold him back if he really wanted to close the gap.

  “We should get you some new clothes,” he said quietly. He made it sound far too intimate.

  “I don’t know where there’s a mall or even a Wal-Mart around here.” We were outside the town I lived in, and I was unfamiliar with the current area.

  “I found a strip mall on my way to get you food. If you can wait here alone?” My heart squished at being here alone. How was I to know whether they would find me? “If you stay here for a few minutes, I’ll go over and grab some clothes for you. How much money do you have on you?”

  I checked my pockets. Seventy freakin’ dollars. “Not much.” I handed him the money.

  He pulled me to him and hugged me. “Don’t get into trouble while I’m gone.” He pulled away and walked out of the room. I locked the door behind him and kept the lights off.

  I paced the room for a minute and then pulled out my cell phone. I was pretty sure they couldn’t trace this phone. I texted Todd and let him know what had happened. He rang me immediately. “Kat?” It was good to hear his voice.

  “Yeah. You’re not supposed to call.”

  “Tell me what happened.”

  I updated them on what happened. “I really can’t talk long. I don’t know when Sven will be back with my clothes. He left a couple minutes ago but he’s really fast, so I’ll be quick.” I paused and held back the tears that stung my eyes. “I miss you.”

  “Oh, Kat. We miss you too, babe. It’ll be over soon. We have a bead on Cyril and his people.”

  I was relieved to hear that. “When you find out where, let me know. I want to kill him myself.” The hard edge to my voice startled me.

  “I will. Love ya, babe.”

  “Tell Trace and Erick that I miss them.” He made an ‘mmm hmm’ sound and I clicked the phone shut. I went into the bathroom and cried. I was still holding my stomach when I heard a knock at the door. I wiped the tears from my eyes and walked to the window. I looked out and found Sven standing at the door with two bags.

  I let him in. He immediately handed me a bag of clothes. “What’s in the other bag?”

  “Oh. Some toiletries.” He handed the other bag to me. I hugged him and went into the bathroom. I changed into fresh jeans and a t-shirt. I brushed my teeth with a real toothbrush and toothpaste and cleaned my face with the body wash he’d purchased.

  I walked out of the bathroom. “Thanks, Sven.”

  “No problem. It looks like you didn’t get into trouble while I was gone.”

  “Nope. See, I’m not always a trouble maker.” I tried not to cringe at my words. Of course I was a trouble maker, that’s exactly what this whole plan was, to get me into trouble. “How much money do we have left?”

  “About ten bucks.”

  I groaned. I had to get to my safe deposit box. I had over two thousand dollars in a box that I put away in case I needed to leave. “I need to get to a bank.” He looked at me warily. “You don’t understand. I have safe deposit boxes loaded with money throughout the country. I took this silly measure after I killed Antreas. I figured there would be reprisals and I’d need to get out fast.”

  His eyebrows lifted in surprise. “Banks won’t be opened tonight.”

  I rolled my eyes. “I know but…” I stopped speaking. He didn’t look like he was worried. “I know some of the bank reps. They’ll open the door for me and let me get my stuff. I’ve already made arrangements with a few banks. As a matter of fact, there’s one here.” He sighed noisily. “I’m not making this up. I do have to eat, you know. I also don’t think I want to stay on the streets.”

  “How long will this take?”

  “Not long. I’ll call her and set the time for one hour. She’ll be good with that.” I pulled out my cell phone and placed the call. She was more than accommodating. Sven sighed again. “Will you stop sighing? It’s not like I’m doing something too dangerous.”

  He threw his hands in the air. “I’m not arguing with you. I don’t think it’s such a good idea since people talk.”

  Chapter Twenty-Seven

  We left the motel and arrived twenty minutes before our scheduled appointment. I had zero weapons on me so I was useless if we got into trouble.

  We stayed in the shadows until she arrived and scared the crap out of her when we materialized beside her. “You startled me.” She was a petite blonde with a shapely figure and a five carat diamond on her left hand. She opened the bank and walked us directly to the safe deposit room.

  I pulled a set of keys from my pocket and used one to open the box. I grabbed the envelopes that I had stuffed inside and put the box away. “Thank you very much for your help,” I said as I walked out of the secure room.

  She nodded and let us out. “I can’t do this again or I’ll lose my privileges.”

  “You won’t have to. This was all I needed. Thanks again.” We walked around the corner and watched her. She walked with her head slightly down as she got into her car. We watched as she drove a
way.

  I pulled the envelopes from my pocket and counted the money. Yup, two grand. I gave Sven half and stuffed the other half into my pocket. “I don’t need this money, Katja.”

  “I know but you never know when you’ll need a grand,” I said, shrugging.

  We walked off and made it back to our room without incident.

  “I need to find some weapons.”

  “Sorry, I can’t help you with that. I tend not to need weapons.”

  I nodded. I grabbed some pajamas that he had bought for me and went into the bathroom. I looked at the warm jammies that he had bought. The camisole was a bit flimsy but the bottoms were nice and warm. I dressed in the bottoms and left my t-shirt on.

  I walked into the bedroom and found Sven under the covers, his hands resting on his stomach. I walked around the bed and looked at him lying there comfortable. I frowned and then slipped under the covers. I stayed as far away from him as I could. I didn’t want a misunderstanding. “When will you need to feed?” I asked quietly.

  “Tonight. I was going to rest a bit and then go hunting.”

  My stomach clenched at the thought of being alone here once more. It was rather ridiculous for me to fear this when that was exactly what I had planned, getting caught.

  I put my hands behind my head and stared at the dark ceiling. I thought about my guys at home in a nice comfortable bed and I was here, with Sven in a not so comfortable bed. I wondered what Sven was thinking about. Probably something I didn’t want to know about. I hoped my guys were okay.

  “What do you plan on doing tomorrow, Katja?”

  “I don’t know. I planned on taking it by day. I suppose getting on with my life would be for the best.”

  “Are you going into work tomorrow?”

  “I don’t see how since we have no car and we’re far enough from work because of those people. Besides, that’s probably what my…” I sniffled. “Um, the guys would expect me to do.”

  “Do you plan on getting over them anytime soon?”

  I sat up and stared at him. He kept his eyes closed. “Why would you ask me such a callous question?”

  “It just seems that you’re holding onto something that could hurt you later. You should get over them quickly and live your life.”

  “That’s a mean thing to say. I can wallow in grief for a few days, thank you very much.”

  “Don’t get me wrong. Take the time you need. Just know that I’m a shoulder to lean on.”

  “Thanks and all…” I left the sentence hanging when he opened his eyes and looked at me. I jerked back without thinking. “I’m going to get dressed and go out to eat.” Where was I going to get something to eat in this little town at ten at night? I had no idea. I figured I’d just wander until I found an open restaurant. Maybe the receptionist would know.

  I slid out of bed and went into the bathroom. I put my jeans on and walked out. Sven was sitting up in bed. “You were serious.” I just blinked at him.

  He got out of bed. I turned toward the wall when I saw that he was in only his underwear. “Don’t be embarrassed.”

  “Whatever,” I said to the wall. “Just put some clothes on.”

  “I’m already dressed, Katja.” I peeked over my shoulder and sure enough he was dressed.

  We left the motel once more and walked around until we found a fast food restaurant. I ordered some food and tapped my foot until it came. I grabbed the bag of food. Sven walked me back to the room and then took off for parts unknown.

  I sat on the bed and ate my food. I texted Todd but there wasn’t a whole lot of info that I could give him.

  Sven returned an hour later. I was lying on the bed when he came into the room. I sat up and asked how things went. “Did you run into anyone?”

  “Yeah, but I ate him. He won’t remember so it’s not a big deal.” I shrugged at the comment. He tossed his jacket on the chair and flopped on the bed.

  I thought he had fallen asleep when he sat up like strings pulled him. I found it really creepy when he did things like that.

  “What is it?” He held up a hand.

  I got off the bed and grabbed my jacket. This was like the last time. Luckily, we were on the first floor. “They’re here.” How did they find us? I wanted to ask but he pulled my hand. He opened the window and was hit by a fist. He went flying into the far wall. I stumbled back.

  Someone slammed into the door. It wasn’t going to hold long. I went over to Sven and whispered, “Call Todd. He’ll know what to do.” I looked around the room and, of course, no weapons.

  I grabbed the table lamp and swung it at the man trying to climb through the window. He grunted and grabbed the lamp, throwing it away.

  The door splintered open and three big men flew into the room. I backed up and went into the bathroom, slamming the door. I leaned against it while I pulled my cell phone out. I speed dialed Todd and whispered, “They found me,” then dropped the phone.

  I stepped back from the door just a moment before it banged open. The man who had been climbing through the window grabbed me by the arm and dragged me from the bathroom. He pushed me roughly onto my knees in front of the bed. I looked around the room and found that there were four other vampires in the room with us. Sven was still lying on the ground by the door. A vampire was guarding his inert form.

  Cyril walked in with two more vampires at his back. I shuddered as I looked into his eyes. He wanted my head on a platter and I had no way to get out of this. This was a stupid plan, was my first thought. My second thought was, how did they find us?

  Cyril strode up to me and grabbed my jaw tightly. “I owe you a fight, slayer.” I moved my head and tried to get out of his grasp. He dug his fingers into my bones causing me to whimper. He turned, keeping my jaw tightly in his hand, and said, “Thank you, my young vampire.”

  “Sven?”

  Cyril whipped back to me. “Oh, no, slayer.” Cyril released me and walked back a couple steps, waving his hand. Thorn walked into the room.

  “Thorn?”

  He walked up to Cyril, who put his arm around Thorn. “That’s right, Katja. You wouldn’t have me so I found someone much more powerful than you.” I didn’t hide my surprise but it must not have been that bright because Thorn’s face fell. “Did you know, Katja?”

  I cleared my throat. “I had a good idea.” Cyril stepped over to me and slapped my face. “What the hell was that for?” I asked as I blinked back tears.

  “Don’t speak, slayer.”

  “You didn’t tell me I couldn’t speak.”

  He gave me a look. “It’s in the rulebook,” he said and chuckled. The laugh was actually soft and pleasant to the ears, though his attempt at a joke was flat, to me, but to him, it seemed to amuse him more than anything he’d said thus far. “Your men are nearby.”

  “Didn’t you know that we aren’t together?” I said.

  “What do you take me for? I know that you’re together. You staged a fight so we’d come after you.”

  I heard a gasp and tried to keep forward. I looked to the corner of my eye and saw that Sven was awake and had heard the exchange. I tightened my lips in response to Cyril’s words. “It worked, didn’t it?”

  “That it did, slayer. It was a good thing that each time Sven would go out to eat, he’d call Thorn.”

  I shot my eyes to Sven. That’s how they found us. “Did you give Thorn our location?”

  “He didn’t have to. We put a tap on Sven’s phone. Thorn would keep Sven talking long enough for us to get the location.” He paused. “Ah, your men have arrived.” A moment later Todd strode into the room escorted by two big vampires. There wasn’t enough room to hold everyone.

  Cyril flicked a knife out from somewhere and stabbed my stomach. It was so fast that I didn’t even stop the blow. I squeaked out a cry and grabbed my stomach. Todd shouted something but I couldn’t hear since my blood was pounding in my ears. Pain shot through me as tears leaked out of my eyes. Cyril had left the knife in my stomach. I pulled th
e knife out and whimpered as pain sliced through me again.

  “Now we can fight, slayer.”

  “Are you kidding? You just stabbed me.” I looked from Cyril to Todd. He had tears in his eyes. I tried to give him some nice words, you know, it’ll be okay or something stupid like that.

  Cyril grabbed me by the throat and pulled my face to his. “I promised a fair fight only if you could beat my vampire, since you didn’t, I don’t have to fight fair.”

  I groaned as my stomach flared with pain as Cyril pushed his fingers into the wound. He brought his fingers to my mouth and smeared blood across my lips. He licked the remaining blood off his fingers.

  “Let her go, Cyril,” Todd said.

  “No. She owes me a fight.” He planted his lips on mine and licked the blood off. I fought to keep still. Any movement made my stomach remind me that I had been stabbed, not that I wouldn’t have remembered that little nugget of crap. I even tried to breath shallow but that wasn’t working since my heart was beating a mile a minute.

  Cyril let me go and I crumpled to the ground. I whimpered when I hit the ground in a heap, and screamed when Cyril kicked my stomach.

  I grabbed the knife and waited for him to grab my face again. He didn’t but one of his vampires did. I grunted with pain as I stabbed the knife into the vampire’s heart and twisted. He let me go and fell even as I pulled the knife from his chest. “One down, Cyril.” I clutched at my stomach and looked at him; he just smiled.

  “There are a lot more, slayer.”

  Todd was struggling against the vampire that was holding him and putting up a good fight. I looked at him and tried to smile but ended up grimacing instead. “Come on, Cyril. Are you afraid to go up against me?” Cyril flicked his hand and another vampire came at me.

  The vampire grabbed me by the throat and squeezed. I put my right hand on his arm and pulled but didn’t get much movement. My lungs screamed for air. I used the knife to slash at the vampire’s stomach. He grabbed my hand and applied pressure until I dropped the knife. Great, now I was defenseless.