Taken by the Others

by Jess Haines

  “Max Carlyle? Any idea who that is or what he wants with you?”

  “I wish I knew,” I said, keeping as straight a face as I could. All I had right now was conjecture. I wasn’t going to tell him anything about the little party I’d crashed or the details about Anastasia’s death. What the police already knew was all that I, Royce, and the Weres who had been present were willing to give on the subject.

  The cop stared at me for a sec, his gaze taking on that flinty, steely look that said, “I know you’re lying to me.” I stared right back, not giving an inch. I’d done this routine with the cops enough times in my line of work to know when to talk, and when to keep my mouth shut. Plus, I knew I didn’t have any other information that would be useful to their investigation.

  “You’re sure there’s nothing, no connection between you and this Carlyle guy?”

  I shrugged, gesturing at Royce. “He’s a vamp, maybe he knows something about it. I don’t have a clue what Max Carlyle wants with me.” That much was true, at least.

  He took some more notes, more than what I’d said. I wondered idly what he was writing down, hiding a yawn with my hand. It was way past my bedtime.

  “Okay. So what happened after he told you what he wanted?”

  “That’s about the time Royce arrived and scared him off.”

  Officer Bowman nodded, rubbing the five o’clock shadow on his chin before jotting down what I’d said on his notepad. I gave a description of Peter, answering the rest of his questions as accurately as I could, though there wasn’t much more I knew beyond what I’d already said. He did ask a couple different ways for some hint of a connection to Max, but I didn’t know what else to tell him. I’d never seen the guy, couldn’t give a physical description, and had no idea where he was from or why he was trying to get his hands on me.

  Royce had finished talking to the other officer by the time I wrapped up my statement. I walked the two policemen to the door.

  “Thanks again, Officers. Hope you find that guy and get him off the streets.”

  The one who had been taking Royce’s statement nodded, tipping his hat at me. “We’ll put out an APB on the vamp. I’m going to arrange for a security detail to keep watch on your apartment for the next couple days in case he takes another go at you. Is your office building where you work secure, or will you need some assistance there as well?”

  Huh. The officer was really going out of his way on this. There were not enough police in this city to cover something so inconsequential as watching out for my ass, even if it was only for a few days. “No, I think I’ll be okay. You don’t have to go to the trouble; I’ll call again if I need help.”

  He smiled and shook his head, spreading his hands a bit. “Sorry, ma’am. If a vamp is after you, it’d be on my head if something bad happened because no one was around to prevent it. Being threatened with kidnapping is serious business. You’re lucky Mr. Royce stopped by when he did.” The officer and vamp shared a look that made me wonder what private joke I was missing.

  I gave a frosty smile and brushed a stray curl out of my eyes. “Okay, whatever you think is best.”

  He apparently didn’t get the hint since he smiled back and gave a cheery wave before heading off down the hall, Officer Bowman in tow. I shut the door behind them and stalked to the couch, dropping down with a muttered curse. Trying to do my job with a bunch of cops following my ass was going to be hell.

  “So, you want to tell me why the cops were so happy to see you and so insistent on treating me like a Fort Knox shipment?”

  Royce shrugged and resumed his comfortable lounging position. “Probably because I donated half a million dollars to their Police Association two weeks ago. I imagine they want to do what they can to ensure I remain so generous the next time they request donations.”

  I blinked. “Yeah, I can see where that would do it.” No wonder they wanted to keep a tail on me. They wanted to be ingratiated with Royce, not protect me for the sake of it. Wonderful. Stifling another yawn, I rubbed at my eyes. “So what were you saying before?”

  He studied me before speaking, looking hesitant. “It’s late, and I can see that you’re tired. I don’t think Max will try anything else tonight, but it may be wise for you to stay elsewhere for a few days.”

  I shook my head, managing a wry grin. “The shields here work beautifully. I think Arnold outdid himself on them. I’ll be okay.”

  “If you insist. I have an idea that might handle this problem, but I don’t think you’ll like it.”

  “What’s that?” This ought to be good.

  He hesitated again, looking away before speaking. “While I completely understand and respect that you are averse to being bound to anyone, as you know, you are still contractually connected to me. Since you refuse to hide yourself, perhaps we can use the connection we already have to appease Max without any loss to either of us. If you go to him willingly, it may cool his anger enough to listen to reason and accept your explanation regarding Anastasia’s death, where he did not listen to me.”

  “Oh, hell no!” I exclaimed, jerking back from him. Was he crazy? I paused, eyes narrowing. “Wait, you already talked to him? You didn’t mention that!”

  He smiled grimly. “No, I didn’t. We’ve been speaking by phone for the last several months, negotiating a price for the loss of his agent. He isn’t a forgiving sort, and our rivalries from past times have made him exceptionally bitter about Anastasia.”

  “So what is handing me over to him supposed to solve? What does he want me for?”

  Royce’s gaze was dead serious as he turned back to meet my eyes. I was almost too shocked by what he said to notice there wasn’t a hint of compulsion behind it.

  “He wants you to take her place.”

  Chapter 6

  “You are out of your fucking mind if you think I’m going to give myself to him. Especially to be turned.”

  Royce shook his head, gesturing for me to calm down. “He won’t rest until he’s had some measure of vengeance. Taking you is probably the only thing he would consider adequate amends. However, if you went to him willingly, it would ruin any plans he might have of taking you by force. It would also make his claims for retribution look less valid in the eyes of those who enforce our laws. Or if he saw you as more trouble than you’re worth, he may leave you alone and attempt some other means of getting to me. It is also entirely possible that you could use the tools The Circle gave you and kill him.”

  “I can’t believe this.” I was seething and not about to be placated so easily. I got up and stalked to the door, opening it and pointing to the hall. “Get. Out. Now! ”

  With a deep sigh, Royce rose to his feet. He moved closer, but rather than leave, he put one hand on my shoulder and tilted my chin up with the other. I was sorely tempted to jerk away, but stood still long enough to hear him out. However, I kept glaring spitefully into his eyes, making sure it was no secret that I was still pissed at him for even suggesting I deliver myself up to Max or, worse, fight him to the death.

  “I do not want to see harm come to you. I only make the suggestion as I don’t like the idea of leaving you to fend for yourself against Max, and I fear that he might hurt or kill you if he gets his hands on you by his own means. It’s much preferable if we handle this on our terms rather than his.”

  I slowly pulled away from his touch, some of my anger cooling at his explanation. Despite his logic, I wasn’t sure how much I believed him. I was sure he was saying he cared about me because he was trying to save his own ass and saw me as a means of protecting him. After all, I’d done it before.

  “There has to be another way. Whatever that option is, I’m going to find it.”

  He let his hands drop to his sides, sliding them into the pockets of his slacks before leaning casually against the door frame. There was something about the look in his eyes I didn’t like. A winsome smile curved his lips, one that would’ve been warm and inviting if not for the hint of extended fang that was all too vi
sible. “You could always let me turn you. He’d likely lose interest if I did.”

  I immediately regretted having moved so far from my gun, stiffening and taking a few swift steps away from him until my back hit the wall. His gaze darkened, becoming all too predatory as he pushed off the door frame, closing in. Panic threaded through me, though I was clearheaded enough to wonder what brought this sudden hunger to the forefront. Particularly after he’d been taking such pains to be so carefully polite and cordial earlier; he only used this tactic with me when he saw no other way to force me to agree to something.

  Before I could run, he reached out until his hands were pressed against the wall on either side of me, effectively trapping me between his arms. In return, I let out an involuntary squeak of fear, wondering how the hell this had turned so bad so fast. Maybe he just wanted to make a point again. Maybe he was pushing my buttons because he knew this would terrify me. Oh, God, please let him be trying to scare me and not really do anything to me.

  I braced myself against the wall and put my hands against his chest, trying to push him back as he leaned toward me. I might as well have been trying to move a boulder.

  He stopped of his own accord and stared down at me for a moment. His chest felt solid and cool, only the material of his shirt shifting under my hands. There was no sense of life to him, no heartbeat or shifting muscle or rise and fall of his chest to breathe. This close to me, I smelled mint and copper and, underneath that, the cool, musty, neck-ruffling scent of vampire.

  I tried to find the words to speak, to tell him to stop, but all I could manage was a feeble cry when he took hold of my wrists, pulling my hands off his chest and pressing them to the wall. He said nothing, simply studied me while that gibbering terror romping through my mind didn’t want to acknowledge that he hadn’t hurt me yet. It only wanted to focus on the fact that I was pinned, he looked ravenous, I was the only human in sight, and his fangs were literally inches away from some all too vulnerable parts of my body. Places where the blood runs hot and fast and close to the surface of the skin.

  Why was he doing this? What did he want from me? Panic clawed at my throat, and as he leaned in, his lips brushing against the side of my neck, I found my voice again, letting loose with a shriek as I twisted away. He was going to bite me! This couldn’t be happening!

  “I’d never hurt you,” he whispered, his voice low and soothing. He didn’t touch me save for the velvet soft brush of his lips against my skin, followed by the brief rake of fangs. Hinting at penetration, but never quite sinking in. It was enough to drag a little cry from my lips, too breathy to properly be called a scream. I thought I might just die of fright right then, closing my eyes and trying to remember how to breathe as my heart tried to pound its way out of my chest. “You could stay young and beautiful and strong forever. With me. Think about it.”

  With that, he was suddenly gone.

  I stumbled away from the wall, making a hectic dash for my gun. The rational part of me knew he was long gone, that he’d used that uncanny speed of his to leave this place, but the rest of my frazzled brain was screaming to get the hell away from there as fast as I could. I grabbed up the reassuringly heavy hunk of metal, aiming for the open doorway in case he decided to come back. It took quite a bit of effort, but I eventually talked myself into getting close enough to the door to slam it shut.

  Once it was closed, I locked it and turned around to lean against it, shaking. He was gone. I was safe. He wouldn’t touch me. Couldn’t, not even if he’d crossed the threshold of my door. The barrier would keep him out, I hadn’t keyed him to it, only given him a one-time pass. He could not touch me. He’d done all of this to scare me, that was all.

  I closed my eyes and took deep, panting breaths as I tried to remind myself that hyperventilating wouldn’t solve anything. Jesus H. Christ on a stick, I’d never come that close to being vamp chow before. It was one thing to face Royce in open battle, knowing we were going to kill each other if we could. Quite another to have him go from friendly and cordial to I’m-about-to-eat-your-face-pass-the-salt-please.

  Fuck. I should’ve known better than to trust a vamp. I never should’ve called him. I never should’ve invited him into my home. Never, ever should have let my guard down.

  Right at that moment, I wished more than anything that Chaz was with me so I could hide in the protection of his arms. His strength and courage were unquestionably greater than mine. He never hesitated in his loyalty or when he felt it was his duty to protect me. I’d feel safe for a while if he were here.

  Besides, it was two weeks ‘til the next full moon, so I wouldn’t have any worries of him accidentally going furry on me. Not that it was that big of a deal when he did. As scary as he looked when shifted, as man or wolf, Chaz was nothing but a big teddy bear. Okay, a big teddy bear with fangs and claws that also happened to be strong enough to tear me in two, but unlike Royce, he’d never done anything to overtly threaten me with his nature as an Other.

  My hand crept up to my throat, shaking fingers checking for any signs of blood or cuts. Nothing. He hadn’t actually bitten or scratched me. Still, I’d felt his fangs on my skin. Not just anywhere but on my neck.

  I couldn’t imagine the level of self-control it must have taken for him to keep from carrying through and biting me. From what I’d heard, when it came to drinking blood, vampires were as driven by their instincts to feed as shifted Weres who were threatened in their own territory while under the influence of the full moon. Maybe even more than that. Then again, all I knew about that was what the tabloids told me, and they also said that shifted Weres ate babies and were nothing but slavering animals 24-7. Considering what I knew about Weres from my experiences with Chaz and the rest of the wolves from the Moonwalker and Sunstriker tribes, they were probably wrong about vamps, too. Still, I couldn’t be totally sure.

  Okay. Maybe Royce wasn’t completely driven by a desire to feed every hour of the day. He caught me off guard, had me pinned without a weapon and easy access to my throat. So why didn’t he go through with it? Thanks to the contract, I couldn’t slap a suit on him or go whining to the cops. He wouldn’t have to suffer any consequences for his actions other than my wrath (hah!). Did he want me cooperative while he sucked the life out of me or something? Not a chance of that.

  He must have been trying to manipulate me somehow. The more I thought about it, the angrier I got. Was he trying to bully me into seeing him as the better alternative over Max Carlyle?

  That had to be it. Why he wanted me was a mystery I wasn’t going to dig into. Whatever it was, something had to be done about this. I didn’t have the first clue how to find Max, but I did know how to find Jack the White Hat.

  There was an alternative to going along with the vampires’ machinations. The White Hats despise all things with fur and fangs. Though I didn’t agree with their credo or methods, their membership included a bunch of crazies who were insane enough to hunt down and kill vampires, Weres, and the occasional mage. Since Jack was all too keen to have me join Psychos “R” Us, maybe I could use that to get him to help me do something about Max and Royce. Becoming a White Hat wasn’t on my “Top Ten Things to Do Before I Die” list, but maybe if I agreed to help them now and again, they’d return the favor.

  Despite my decision, I now had a new problem. I didn’t have a phone number for Jack, so I’d have to go see him in person. The trouble with going to see Jack (completely aside from his tendency to wave guns and knives in my face) was that he worked at a black market weapons emporium downtown. I did not want the cops to see me go in there. Worse still, I did not want to have a bunch of pissed-off White Hats blaming me for the police raiding their place.

  Unfortunately, the police were going to be keeping an eye on me for the next few days. They’d probably have a tail on me, at least during the night, in case Peter took another stab at snatching me. Since they knew I had ties to Royce, they’d take the duty very seriously, too. I cringed as I realized they’d probably stick ar
ound even longer once they pulled up my records and found out I was contractually bound to the vamp. That was guaranteed to pique their interest further.

  I could contact one of my friends at the station, Officer Lerian, and ask him to get his buddies to lay off. Of course, he’d want to know why I needed the protection in the first place and would probably cheerfully proceed to tell me all the reasons I needed the NYPD to baby-sit me for the next couple of months. And he’d grill me about why Sara wasn’t returning his calls, which was definitely not a can of worms I wanted to open.

  Then another possibility occurred. Arnold was acquainted with Jack and he’d be back in town with Sara on Sunday afternoon. It was technically Saturday morning now. I could tough out one more night home alone. Chaz blowing me off suddenly didn’t seem like such a crime. Inviting him to make up for missing tonight by offering to spend the night tomorrow seemed like a grand idea. I could also call Arnold once he got home and ask him to get in touch with Jack for me. Arnold could ask him to call me and I could take it from there.

  Feeling a bit better for having a plan, I pushed off the door to get my cell phone from where I’d tossed it. Without going into what happened, I texted Chaz that coming by tomorrow was fine and I looked forward to seeing him. As much as I wanted to sob on somebody’s shoulder right now, I didn’t look forward to telling Chaz what I’d done. He’d be royally pissed I’d let Royce in past the shields on my door. Hell, I was royally pissed at myself for letting Royce in. That had been a spectacularly stupid move on my part. I’d trusted the vamp to be civil rather than remembering who I was dealing with–one of the most dangerous of the Others.

  That wasn’t a mistake I’d be making again anytime soon.