Christ, what is happening to me?
I’ll have plenty of time to think about it all later. Everything about that man is absolutely unforgettable. Every step I took away from him last night seemed grueling. I’ve never felt such a connection with anyone before and it is messing with my mind.
Maybe one day our paths will cross once again, and if that ever happens I doubt I could deny him.
Chapter Five
One week later, 10:40 p.m.
Truth and Consequence
“Tell me you scrubbed her memories, Severin. You did, didn’t you?”
Balancing on the balls of both my feet, I maneuver behind him to swiftly land a high roundhouse kick that throws him momentarily off balance as I reply, “And what if I didn’t?”
Ambrose catches himself before he pitches forward onto the black sparring mats of our underground gym. He whips around to face me, competitive intent burning in his eyes.
“Ooh, he almost had you there, baby,” says Alina.
I watch as he glances quickly over to his lover and grins, “Nah, gotta let the old man get a couple blows in now and again. Builds up his confidence.”
I snort at his banter and reply, “Old man? That would actually be you, Ambrose. And it’s been my experience that the big talkers always have something to make up for.”
“Talker? You’re not the one who had to fight in the French and Indian War, you bastard. I’ll show you fucking tough.”
He drops a shoulder and guns hard for me. I grunt as he connects with my midsection, momentarily lifting me several feet up into the air before I twist away and land in a low crouch. We never trace when we train, it would ruin all the fun.
His eyes now serious, he stares down at me. “You should’ve wiped the human’s memories. You’re the one who helped me create the rules for God’s sake, Severin. You know how crucial they are to our survival. It’s dangerous to deviate and you know it. So, why didn’t you?”
I look away, adjusting my hand guard.
“No way….” Ambrose’s brows shoot up. “You’re shitting me. You fancy this girl? Well, fuck me sober, if this isn’t a first. Tell me the details, you bastard.”
Alina purrs out, “Oooh, yes! Do tell, Severin. We can’t recall the last time you showed interest in anyone, much less a human. Pleeeeease?” She bats her lashes and smiles, all the while looking back and forth between Ambrose and myself, curiosity flaring in her exotic eyes.
I pin him with a hard stare. “Drop it. Now.”
He shakes his head and plants his hands on his hips. “You’d better be careful. If Valdon finds out, even senses your connection, he’ll take her out simply to annoy you, and you can be sure that he won’t be gentle about it, either.”
Ambrose takes his black Everlast training guards off his hands and strides over to kiss Alina. The sexy brunette reaches up to twine her arms around his thick neck before hopping onto him, her long, bare legs wrapped behind his waist. He grips her ass tightly as he holds her up against his shirtless waist and I can’t help but envy their passionate relationship. He grins proudly and shoots me a look before saying, “Later, and don’t wait up.”
I shake my head and watch them leave. It’s not like the thought of Valdon as a threat to Calla hasn’t crossed my mind a thousand times already. Valdon Herceg, the head of the only other vampire faction in this area and my eternal enemy. For the past twenty years we have had an ‘agreement’ with each other. Not anything close to a truce, but an arrangement of sorts nonetheless.
Blood is abundant so it’s nothing along those lines; however we have both agreed to cease fighting each other and to continue upholding the ethical code of protecting our race. No unnecessary killing or maiming, and humans are never to know anything about us. If they do, we wipe them so they don’t run their mouths, possibly leading to irreversible damage to our kind.
Why I chose not to scrub Calla’s is still somewhat of a mystery to me. I knew sitting beside her that night in the vehicle that I should’ve done it. My best deduction is that I wanted her to remember me so the next time I see her we can pick up where we left off. I know that the prospect of any future with a human girl is bleak, but there is something deep within me that is drawn to her like a lost traveler to the North Star. She is unique, different than all the others, and I’ve been restless with the need to see her again. That proud, brave girl has even begun to appear in dreams, which before our meeting were extremely rare occurrences.
Weights slam down in the opposite corner of the workout room.
A rumbling voice asks, “Who were you talking about?”
My eyes land on the newest member of our family, Case Barnard. He’s been with us a little over ten years now and I’ve come to trust the huge man implicitly.
“A woman I saved last weekend downtown. Two men were about to rape her, possibly worse.”
His thick neck twists back and forth in open disgust as he sits on the edge of the weight bench. Black tribal tattoos wind thickly across his immense shoulders. He lifts his shaved head and turns, his dark brown eyes connecting with mine. “The fucking things humans do to their women these days ….” His voice trails off in loathing before he adds, “Makes me wanna fucking turn ’em so I can rip their heads off afterward. Make it more of a participant sport, ya know?”
“Then you definitely would have enjoyed yourself with these two. At least one of them is out of commission for a while.”
“Good,” he mutters under his breath.
Ambrose was right to turn him. He came upon Case late one night as the man was getting off his shift as a bouncer at a strip club. Ambrose would’ve passed right by except what he saw stunned him, and our kind doesn’t shock easily.
Six men were taking turns kicking the shit out of Case. At first, Ambrose just watched from the shadows out of curiosity. For nearly twenty minutes the tenacious man fought them off. We’ve since come to learn that he had banned the group from the club hours earlier.
They beat him down like a dog and then gave him some more, but every time the man would stagger to his feet and throw out lines like, “Come on, you pussies, I’ve gotten better on the fuckin’ elementary school playground.”
On and on it went until finally a stab wound straight through the chest called in his number. As the men took off on their motorcycles, Ambrose stepped in and fed the dying man his blood. He felt that was the least he could do as a reward for such bravery as he had not seen since the raging battles of The French and Indian War. His loyalty to our faction is total. He rarely speaks, but when he does, what he says is important and everyone pays attention.
My thoughts drift back to the girl. It’s been exactly a week since I last saw her. I’m not waiting any longer.
“Heading downtown, Case. Interested?”
“Yup, gimme time to shower. Meet you at the truck in fifteen.”
I turn to leave and hear him begin another taxing set. He’s got at least three hundred on that bar. Good for him.
As I head for the shower the thought crosses my mind that it won’t be difficult to find the girl because my scent is all over her, like a marker. I’ve felt her blood pulsing within me all week long and it’s ramped my already ravenous sexual appetite up to extreme levels. I want her and nothing else will satiate me. I know that I should feed before I see her because once she is in my sights, I will have only one thought burning in the forefront of my mind: to impale her in two crucial places … at once.
I slide my black track pants and boxer briefs down my legs before I turn the silver handle to ‘on’ and step into the dark stone shower. Training helps us stay in top form. It’s critical because most nights we are on the alert for possible threats such as what happened with the drunken humans, but more importantly, other vampires. We’re territorial by nature and when others encroach on our area without prior permission, well, things swiftly turn ugly.
The tepid spray feels good against my muscles. I run my hand down the ridges of my stomach, then lower to pa
lm my straining cock. I take my time stroking up and down, recalling her scent, the perfection of her skin and hair. I want all of it beneath me, quivering as I thrust into her for the first time.
My breathing turns harsh as I work my hand faster, imagining how she’ll cry out beneath me as I ride her relentlessly, so hard, nearly savage, knowing from her wild spirit that’s precisely the way she needs it. My eyes squeeze shut and I throw a hand out to brace myself against the slick stone as my grip tightens around my throbbing sex. My lips part and I pump my fist harder, imagining how drenched I’ll make her before I push into her, how she’ll beg for me to fill her with my thickness.
I shout out as the orgasm rolls through me with devastating force. My cock jerks several times against my hand and I tip my head up to the ceiling, reveling in the intensity of the orgasm.
A long moment passes before I open my eyes. Into the steam-filled enclosure, I say, “I hope you’re well rested, Calla, because I’m coming for you tonight.”
Chapter Six
Present Day, 11:45 p.m., Downtown Charleston
Things We Crave in the Night
“Damn, girlfriend! This place is absolutely heaving!”
I step off the elevator alongside Kiana and we begin to make our way through the sea of glamorous people. She glances over at me and says, “Let’s go ahead and get our drinks. Looks like it’s already three deep at the bar.”
“Sounds like a plan.”
I take in the wild scene. Mixture is the hottest rooftop club in Charleston. If you’re not dressed to the hilt and up here before midnight, you don’t stand a chance of getting in. Period. The doormen who reign supreme down on the street level are very particular about who they let in. No flip flops or casual wear. I’ve seen them turn people away for simply having a bad attitude. When Kiana suggested that we go out dancing on our rare Saturday night off together, I was hesitant, fearful of running into those two hicks again. But we both agreed that there is no way they would ever go to a place like this. Besides, we vowed to stick together all night.
Afrojack’s “Take Over Control” is thumping hard from several enormous speakers set up on either side of the elevated DJ station. The glistening bodies sway and grind against one another in reckless abandon as the beat pumps through the June air.
“Here you go, Calla.” Kiana struggles to shimmy sideways through the dense crowd impatiently trying to place their drink orders. She hands over one of two frosty lavendertinis, my absolute favorite drink.
I grin at her, leaning in to shout over the throbbing bass, “Thanks. Next round is on me. I just spied a place for us over by the railing. Let’s head on over.”
It’s a feat of balance to cut our way through the chaos without spilling our cocktails yet somehow we manage. Our hips sway with the sexy rhythm as we sip on our martinis and observe the eye candy that abounds tonight.
Kiana’s eyes gleam as she leans into me and says, “Wonder when they’ll start falling into the pool tonight.”
I barely stifle a laugh as I glance over for a glimpse of the long, zero edge pool that’s now almost blocked out by hundreds of legs. It’s inevitable. Someone always gets completely blitzed and falls in. The doorman usually has to wade in and haul their drunken asses out before escorting them to the exit. Normally it happens several times as the liquor begins to flow. I think the idea of jumping into a cool pool of illuminated water is just too irresistible for some intoxicated brains to resist.
“Oh, from the looks of it, any minute.”
My attention shifts as several partiers make space for a group of massive men. There are five of them, all dressed in very fashionable dark clothing. Without trying, they radiate dangerous sex appeal, and even well on their way to being drunk, people are giving them ample space.
Intrigued, I scan the men, who all look like hired killers. The tallest one’s arctic eyes ensnare mine, nearly stopping my heart cold. In an instant and without warning, the vision takes over me and I see myself being held high in the air. His strong hand is locked around my throat, my legs dangling and kicking desperately below me as my terrified screams ring through the night. He smiles at me and squeezes harder, silencing my cries as malice burns in his spine-chilling eyes. Vampire.
My glass drops to the ground, shattering the vision in an instant as my eyes focus once again on the light haired Russian looking vampire who is now staring at me with a completely different expression on his face. It’s one of total surprise swiftly replaced by calculated intensity, so powerful that I begin to tremble. Oh God, he knows!
“Jesus, Calla! What the hell. Are you all right?” Kiana is jostling my shoulder in concern but my eyes never deviate from his petrifying gaze.
It’s crystal clear to me that he knows the vision I just had because he read my mind. Severin said that he couldn’t but this one can and did. My visions are rare but unfailingly predict what is coming. I watch in horror as he quickly says something to the vampire to his right and they begin heading straight toward us. Oh fuck, fuck!
“Kiana, we gotta get outta here, now!”
“Are you feeling sick or something? Hey, let’s go to the bathroom for a second.”
I scan wildly for the most direct path back to that elevator, knowing that it will take a miracle to get past these guys. I’ve already witnessed their inhuman speed. A Jamaican Sprinter wouldn’t stand a chance dodging them.
“No, Kiana, there’s about to be trouble—”
Before I can finish my sentence, a long arm falls across my shoulders and begins moving me swiftly through the crowd. As we wind through the sea of bodies, I look up into Severin’s eyes, which are narrowed and laser-focused.
I hear Kiana’s voice behind me purr loudly, “It’s a good thing you’re super hot. Otherwise we’d have a big issue with each other.”
Who is she talking to?
I try to look back to see that she’s all right and also to determine if the scary dudes are giving chase, but Severin is pulling me so fast that I’m nearly jogging in my stilettos to keep up the pace. Finally we stop at a flight of emergency stairs in the back that I never knew existed. I watch him press on the metal bar of the door and it flies open into a narrow, brightly lit stairwell.
As we start the descent, an impossibly deep male voice calls out from behind us, “Take the girls down with you. I’ll stall them here and trace down to the alley beside the hotel. They wouldn’t be dumb enough to bust the door in with the bouncers watching. Pick me up down there.”
“Done.” Severin answers the huge man with the shaved head.
He’s incredibly intimidating, but I’ve yet to cross paths with one of them who isn’t. In comparison to Severin’s deadly assassin appearance, this one is more like a grizzly bear on a short chain, a very unhappy one.
I decide to hold off on the questions on the tip of my tongue until we make it to the safety of his SUV. I shudder to think what would have went down had they not shown up to save us. The malice in that vampire’s gaze made my blood turn to icy slush in my veins.
Kiana is smart. She has a built-in radar for trouble and knows to roll with it and not balk when things are going down. She’s quiet as we stop at the steel door that leads out into the lobby.
Still not looking at me, Severin instructs us, “Wait here a moment.”
Before I can answer, he steps out into the posh lobby and scans the premises. Then he steps back and grabs each of us by the hand and pulls us out alongside him. I hear him say just under his breath, “They can’t trace down here without the risk of being seen.”
We hustle across the marble black and white checkerboard floor. The uniformed doorman barely has a chance to wish us a nice evening before we are outside, and Severin is demanding the keys for his vehicle from the clearly intimidated valet. He hands the teenager a fistful of cash and swiftly ushers us into the darkness of the backseat. I watch through the tinted windows as he rounds the back of the gleaming silver SUV before jumping in.
The engine roars
to life. He whips out into the heavy traffic that’s lining East Bay Street. We haven’t gone five car lengths before he makes a sharp right turn down a narrow alley that runs alongside the hotel. I lean forward, looking for his friend. I see him step out from the shadows of a brick wall. The Mercedes’ headlights illuminate the man, making him appear impossibly more frightening.
“How did he beat us down here?” Kiana’s question goes unanswered and she seems like she couldn’t care less, obviously now distracted and in visual wonderland, “Mmmm … mmmm.” The sexy, appreciative purr comes from deep in her throat as he crosses to open the passenger door. As he hauls his big frame into the SUV I stare at the thick, swirling tattoos that are prominent around the collarless, skintight Under Armour shirt he’s wearing. I look over at my normally cool, unaffected roommate and watch a blatant mask of lust transform her sexy features. He has exactly what she wants, pure and simple. I know that aching feeling all too well.
Oh God, what have I gotten us into?
* * *
We take off into the night and it doesn’t take long before I figure out where we’re headed. The sleek SUV pulls up in front of our house, and I see the exact same look of disapproval cross his buddy’s face as he looks over to Severin and says in a low, gravelly tone, “Bad part of town. They shouldn’t be living way up here.”
With the subtle interior lights playing off his perfect features, I observe how Severin’s lips turn downward, but he says nothing in response to his comment. He opens his door and seconds later is ushering us quickly out of the back, all the while scanning the seedy street.
Charleston Past Midnight Page 4
