by Jane Hinchey
"Okay. So we think she's involved. The next question is why? Why does she care what you are? What difference does it make?" I loved how he believed me straight away, that he was immediately on my side. My heart softened even more. Alex Carter was well and truly under my skin.
"That's the part that doesn't make any sense. I've no idea. But in the meantime, while I'm trying to figure it out, I want to give her a wide berth. Let's bring Vince Santiago in for questioning. She'll find out after the fact."
18
Vince Santiago was a difficult vampire to find. He was expert in covering his tracks, and so far we had no leads. Except for Crimson Mist nightclub. But even then, if Vince was behind the abductions, he wasn't taking patrons from the club. Maybe that was where he targeted them, snatching them later. The trouble was, it was all guesswork until we got the man himself into an interview room.
To complicate things further, word had gotten back to Carter's pack about our relationship. My stomach still clenched at the word, at the thought of what it meant. A relationship? Me? Am I insane? But I couldn't deny the way I felt about Carter, and once that door was opened, there was no closing it. I'd wanted no strings sex. He was happy to provide the sex, but he'd made it clear that for him, there would always be strings. And now I was starting to feel that way too, curious about what we could be together. And it scared the ever living daylights out of me. I didn't need the added pressure of his pack, and I wondered how they found out. I hadn't told anyone about us, but maybe Carter had. It wasn't like it was a secret, but I wasn't shouting it from the rooftops either.
My biggest worry? He'd realize he'd made a colossal mistake in being with me, that I'm damaged, incapable of love. And eventually, it would wear him down and he'd walk away, but we'd be forced to see each other, work with each other, every day. My chest ached at the thought.
"You're thinking too hard." Carter had finished the call he'd been on and stepped up to my side, lacing his fingers with mine. I glanced down at our clasped hands and couldn't help the involuntary curve of my lips. I liked holding hands with him. I liked touching him. I liked him altogether too much.
"Was that your pack?" I nodded at the phone he'd shoved into the back pocket of his jeans.
"Don't worry about them." He brought our clasped hands up and kissed the back of my hand.
"Carter." I sighed, pulling us both to a stop. "Did you just bail on the pack?"
"No. I simply refused their invitation. I've got plans with you."
Our first official date. Dinner at the Witches Brew. He knew it was my favorite place, that I was comfortable there, and he was going out of his way to make sure I was comfortable, that I didn't bolt.
"Carter, your pack are already wary of me. I've had voicemails from April today, asking me to put the pack first and terminate my relationship with you. Which reminds me—how did they find out? Did you tell them?"
"Travis was waiting for me when I got home. He smelt you. All over me. I didn't have to say anything." He resumed walking, tugging me with him. "Look, I'm sorry about the pack bullshit—and that's what it is. They've no business interfering. Ignore them, that's what I'm doing."
"But, Carter…" My mind was a whirl with the implications of what this could mean for him. "They're your pack. Your family. You can't turn your back on them."
"I'm not. But I won't have them trying to run my life either. Just because April got it into her head that I'd be a good mate for her cousin Storm, doesn't mean she has a say in my love life. I choose you. End of story."
"But you need a wolf to mate with," I whispered, worried about the implications of...everything.
"Nope. I don't. I'm not an Alpha. I'm not obliged to take a wolf as a mate. Naturally, the pack would be ecstatic if I did, but it's not pack law. Plus, they know you, Raven." We'd stopped on the sidewalk again, and he released my hands to cup my shoulders and stare directly into my eyes. "They know you're a good person and they know you make me happy. They'll come around. I'm not worried and neither should you be. Now. Can we please just enjoy our date?"
He leaned down and nibbled gently on my lower lip, distracting me from my troubles. Which weren't really my troubles. They were his, but the guilt was eating at me until his distraction tactics worked and I didn't give a flying toss about his pack, or anyone else. Pulled tight against him, his mouth ravaging mine, he was all I needed, all I wanted and I was contemplating stripping him naked and having my way with him against the restaurant wall when a group of teens walked past, laughing and telling us to get a room. Slowly disengaging, Carter lifted his head, his eyes dark with desire, his breathing heavy.
"We'd better go in before we're arrested," he muttered, adjusting his jeans and taking my hand again.
"Right," I agreed, unable to string together a sentence while my mind was occupied with thoughts of him.
He'd booked ahead, and I could feel all eyes on us as the waitress led us to our table. Not surprising given the display we'd just given them all outside. Pulling out my chair for me, Carter waited until I was seated before sitting opposite. I picked up the menu and buried my face in it.
"Are you—nervous?" he asked. I glanced at him over the top of my menu and felt my cheeks heat. I didn't answer, just lifted the menu higher so he couldn't see me.
"I can feel…something coming off you in waves, and it isn't desire. You're nervous." His voice was low so no one else could hear. "Raven." Plucking the menu from my fingers, he leaned forward, elbows on the table, and studied me intently. I looked away.
"Talk to me." He didn't demand, more like begged, and it pulled at my heartstrings. Letting out my breath on a sigh, I gave in, looking him in the eye.
"Yes. I'm nervous. This is my first date."
He nodded. "Our first date."
"Our first date, and my very first date."
"You're...you mean you've never been on a date before? Ever?" Surprise laced his words and I frowned. I got it; I was twenty-eight years old and I'd never dated. I was weird. My face grew hotter and I hated that I was blushing, that he'd easily be able to see the red staining my cheeks thanks to my ultra-pale skin.
"Well"—he cleared his throat and reached over, brushing his knuckles across my cheek—"I'm honored that your very first date is with me. I'll try and make it a good one."
"Right." Pulling out my phone, I glanced at the time, counting down to when I could leave. This was mortifying.
"No, I mean it, Raven. I'm sorry if I made you uncomfortable. I should have realized. You've told me a million times you don't do relationships. I should have figured out that it meant you didn't go on dates either. This isn't how I want our date to go, with you feeling uncomfortable and checking the time so you can leave. Please. Put your phone away. I'll order us drinks and let's just have a good time, yes? No pressure. Don't think of it as a date, think of it as hanging out with me. We've had plenty of meals together before. This is no different."
He was right; we had eaten meals together and spent countless hours together in the past. But this time was different. Now there were feelings and emotions and expectations and I didn't know how to deal with any of them. And I was so scared of messing this up. Carter seemed to have every bit of faith that we'd be fine, our relationship was meant to be, but I'd spent so long avoiding it I couldn't switch gears so easily.
"Okay. A drink would be good." I smiled, determined to put in the same effort he was.
He ordered us whiskey, and the golden liquid not only warmed my stomach, it soothed my nerves and I relaxed, and surprise of all surprises, I had a good time. The food was magnificent, the drinks kept coming, and Carter was attentive, funny, and a great conversationalist. He kept me laughing and I loved him for it. I didn't spare a thought for his pack, what the future held, or try to dissect each and every word and action.
"Well?" Carter paid the bill, then took my hand once again and led me outside.
"Well, what?" I asked, looking up at the night sky. It was a clear night, and the stars twinkled
brightly.
"As a first date, how would you rank it?" We began moving down the footpath, hands still linked. Releasing him from my grasp, I slid my arm around his waist and leaned into him, smiling when he looped his arm around my shoulders and squeezed.
"I'd say it was pretty good."
"Pretty good? Is that all?" He laughed and I could feel it rumble through me.
"Well, I have nothing to compare it to, now do I?" I teased. "I'm going to need more dates before I can give you a ranking."
"Ah, I see. Let me assure you, Miss Black, I see many more dates in your future." He spun me in front of him, hands at my waist, and kissed me.
"Ow," I yelped, pushing back from him.
"What happened? Did I hurt you?" he asked, then cursed and jumped back from me. I twisted to look at the back of my leg where I'd felt a sharp sting. Something had bitten me. Only there was no insect in sight, just a dart protruding from the back of my thigh. I plucked it out and held it in front of me. Then I noticed an identical dart sticking out of Carter's shoulder. He removed it and we both looked at each other.
"Shit," we said in unison.
"We've been drugged." He cursed again, shoved the dart into his jacket pocket and took my hand, hurrying me down the footpath. "We've got to hurry, try and make it to your apartment before it kicks in. I'd assume it's a sedative by the way it was delivered."
"Who?" I puffed, hurrying to keep up with his long strides. Then it hit me. "Stop, Carter! We're exerting ourselves. If our heart rate rises the sedative will work its way through our system faster. We need to walk, not run, and stay calm."
"Too late." He staggered and I clutched him, trying to keep my own footing. We must’ve looked like two drunken idiots staggering home after a big night out.
"We can still make it." I gasped, tripping over my own feet. I slowed my steps, tried to keep my breathing even. The horizon blurred in front of me and I blinked to clear it. The world was tilting on its axis and I struggled to stay upright. My mind was foggy and my body heavy.
"Carter..." I couldn't remember what I wanted to say. I could hear him next to me, tried to reach out a hand to him, but I'd lost control of my limbs. I heard footsteps behind me, knew we were in danger and my adrenaline spiked, giving me a boost. Rounding the corner, I saw my apartment building. It was weaving and swaying in a very unusual way and I squinted in confusion. A car roared past, then its brakes squealed. Something clattered to the footpath and I peered down to see my phone. I didn't remember pulling it out of my pocket. Staggering to a halt, I tried to bend down and pick it up, but the sidewalk was dipping and moving and my phone kept moving out of reach. I collapsed on one knee, putting out a hand to steady myself.
"Alex. I'm in trouble." I saw him fall just in front of me. He'd heard me call him by his first name—something I never did—and he'd turned back to me, only he overbalanced and fell. I had to get us help. We were in big, big, trouble. My fingers fumbled and finally closed over the phone. Had I called someone? Was the call still connected? I couldn't think, couldn't focus. My hand flew to the comms unit on my wrist, only it wasn't there. Oh, that's right. I wasn’t in uniform. Off duty. On a date. With Carter.
The footsteps were close, almost upon me. I raised my arm, tried to freeze whoever approached, but they kept coming closer and closer. The more I waved my arm, the more off-balance I became until I collapsed on my back, my breath whooshing out. My heartbeat thundered in my ears, my tongue felt swollen in my mouth, and my limbs had all the strength of a limp strand of spaghetti.
Dimly I heard a car reversing, the squeak of brakes followed by a door opening and closing. Then a dark figure standing over me. My fingers twitched and I tried to summon my power, but nothing happened. Then the figure leaned over me. I tried to focus, to see who it was, but my eyes wouldn't cooperate. Then a sharp sting in my neck. Everything was blurry and heavy and I knew they'd drugged me even further, that I was well and truly screwed. My only hope was that whoever I'd called had heard me.
I didn’t know how long I was out, but when I woke up I felt like shit. My mouth was dry, my eyes stung, and I had a ripper of a headache. I tried to raise my hand to my face and that's when I discovered they were tied behind my back. My wriggling fingers brushed against something and I heard a crinkling sound. Had they wrapped my hands? To stop me from using my power? Letting my head fall back, I glanced around.
I was in a cage. Bigger than the ones we'd found on Wolf Hill. Cleaner too. I was propped up, my legs stretched out in front of me. Looking beyond the cage, I could see old red brick walls on either side of me, and dirty plastic sheeting hung from the roof, creating a small room. Besides the cage, there was a gurney, currently unoccupied, and a huge lamp, the kind you see in operating theaters, and a trolley that at the moment sat empty.
Carter was slumped in the cage next to me, still out cold. I watched intently, reassured to see his chest rise and fall. Alive, just drugged.
It didn't take a genius to figure out we'd been taken by the same assholes who'd kidnapped and tortured the humans. Old red dusty bricks. Medical facilities. Well, you could call it a medical facility at a stretch. My best guess, I was in an old warehouse or factory. It was cold, dim, and I couldn't hear any outside noise.
I flexed my power, tried to see if I could use it to free my hands or unlock the cage. Nothing. Not even a tingle. Whoever had done this had worked out a way to neutralize my power. Clever. Not many people knew that my hands were the key and those that did? Worked at the SIA.
A headache pounded relentlessly behind my eyes, and despite my predicament, I gave in and closed them, breathing in slow deep breaths to ease the pain. I must have dozed off because the next time I awoke a man was standing in front of my cage, the big medical lamp now ablaze and silhouetting him so I couldn't make out his features.
"Sleeping beauty awakes." I didn't recognize the voice.
"Who are you?" I tried to see, but all I got was a vague outline. He stepped forward, a baseball bat in one hand, resting on his shoulder. Approaching the cage, he stopped, giving me a good look at him.
"Vince Santiago," I muttered. Should have known.
"At your service." He brought the baseball bat down, slapping it against his hand in a threatening gesture. I wasn't sure I liked where this was going.
"Heard you've been looking for me." He wasn't tall, five foot ten at the most, but he was a big man. Broad shouldered and, despite his overweight gut, I could see he had strength. He had tattoos on the back of both hands, and scars on his face. He smelled of stale smoke and blood. He might have turned at the age of forty-six, but he looked at least ten years older.
"Word travels fast." Considering Carter and I had only started searching for him today, we'd obviously come close for word to reach him so quickly.
Suddenly he swung the baseball bat and I flinched when it hit the side of the cage with a loud clang. I summoned my power and flung it at him, doing my best to freeze him in place, but nothing happened. Whatever they had encased my hands in had successfully dampened my magic field.
"I was coming for you anyway," he drawled. Leaning forward, he flicked the lock on the cage door, reached in and dragged me out. Clenching my nape in his hand, he moved his face close to mine, his rancid breath blowing hot and wet over my skin.
"Oh?" I tried not to gag.
"You just moved up the timeline with your nosy questions. No matter. You're here now. Let the fun begin!" He laughed. The asshole actually laughed. Releasing his grip on my neck, he swung the baseball bat again. This time it connected with my stomach, winding me. I gasped and coughed, trying to catch my breath, trying to breathe through the pain. It hurt like the blazes, but I was pretty sure nothing was broken. He'd nailed me across the softness of my abdomen. If he'd hit higher up he'd undoubtedly have smashed a couple of ribs.
Even though Nate had told me what an evil bastard Vince was, I hadn't expected what followed. The beating went on for what felt like forever, blow after blow, all over my body
. Bones broke, skin split, and I was in a world of pain, delirious with it. I prayed for oblivion, for him to deliver a blow to my head that would end it all, for I couldn't escape. I fell. Unable to keep my balance or break my fall, I smacked my head hard into the concrete floor, but he didn’t let that deter him. He kicked me in the back, rolling me with his boot, and then beat me unmercifully with the bat.
I thought I heard Carter, thought I heard him roar, fight to get out of his cage, but I couldn't be sure.
Vince seemed to enjoy my screams, but eventually, they died down. My body was limp as he swung at me with the bat. I was nothing. Broken and empty and praying for death, my mind left my body, at the pain it was enduring. Instead, I let myself drift, let myself revisit memories of things that made me happy. Carter. My sorrow at his devastation when I die. I prayed he was still out of it and not witness to what Vince had done to me. That the growls and snarls I thought I'd heard weren't from him. I prayed the same fate wasn't awaiting him. I couldn't stand to know he might go through the same thing. Drugged and powerless, beaten to death by a sadistic bastard we'd underestimated.
"Jesus, Vince!" A woman's voice registered on the edge of my consciousness. "What the fuck have you done? I need her alive, damn you."
I couldn't open my eyes; they were swollen shut.
"She is," he protested.
"Barely." There was something familiar about the voice, but I couldn't focus, couldn't concentrate beyond the pain I was in. "Get away from her, you moron. If she dies, you die with her."
"You've got balls, lady." Vince laughed. "No one threatens me and gets away with it." Sounds of a scuffle reached my ears, the familiar whoosh of the baseball bat, and I couldn't help the flinch as I waited for impact. Only it didn't land on me. Instead, there was a loud clang as it hit the floor, then the sharp crack of a gunshot, followed by the sound of a body hitting the ground. Had the woman shot him? Didn't she know you couldn't kill a vampire by shooting it? A stake through the heart or decapitation were the only ways.
