by Rose Pressey
“It’s a long story.” I quirked my brow.
She set the ice cream on the end table and stood. Drips of chocolate ice cream smudged the front of her heart-covered pajamas. I guided Jack across the floor while Jennifer watched with her mouth agape.
Thank goodness for my cozy apartment. It was my safe haven. The hardwood floors were scratched in many places, but that added character and I loved character. Jennifer and I had picked out the silk curtains for the living room. They were a muted gold with a red and green flowered pattern running throughout. The sofa and matching chair were oversized. Jennifer had been nervous about the cream color, but I’d promised not to spill Diet Coke on them. We’d splurged on a new TV not long ago. It hung above the fireplace. It wasn’t too big or too small, but just right. Luckily, Jennifer and I had similar tastes in furniture.
“Would you like to take a shower?” I asked Jack.
A flash of his body ran through my mind. Soap suds cascading over bulging… biceps. Tight abs flexing as the water trickled down, down, down.
“What am I doing here?” His question snapped me back to reality. He looked around. “Did I drive here?” He scowled.
Jennifer’s eyes widened. “What’s wrong with him?” she mouthed. “Has he been drinking?”
I held up my index finger. “I’ll be right back.” I led Jack down the hall and placed him in the bathroom. “Do you want me to grab a change of clothing for you?”
“Um, sure.” He ran his hand through his already tousled blond locks. “Just grab a t-shirt and a pair of shorts from the dresser in my bedroom, I guess.”
“I’ll be back in a jiffy. Here’s a towel.” I placed it on the counter. “Soap, shower gel, mesh-spongey thing, shampoo, conditioner… well, whatever you need is right there.” I pointed.
He leaned over and gave me a soft kiss on the lips. “You’re the best.” If I was the best, then why had I allowed Jack to possibly, maybe, be turned into a vampire?
I smiled. “The mark on your neck is looking better already. Honest.”
I wasn’t lying. It did look better. The red mark was healing already. This technically wasn’t a good sign for his vampire status. Plus, it didn’t change the fact that Jack was acting as if he were in la-la-land.
When I made my way back into the living room, Jennifer asked, “What happened?”
“Hold on one second. I’ll be right back,” I said as I hurried by.
Jennifer followed me out the door and across to Jack’s apartment. So much for her holding on one second. I glanced over my shoulder. Her blonde curls bounced as she marched behind me. I still had Jack’s keys in my hand so I unlocked the door.
“You mind telling me what’s going on?” Jennifer screeched.
“There may have been a little scuffle at my parents’ house.”
“Oh, God, did your dad use that ‘I have a gun and a shovel’ line on Jack?”
“No, no.” I opened the door and walked in. Jennifer followed on my heels. “This place smells like Jack.” I took a big whiff. “That spicy, leather-and-soap smell, you know? God, he smells good.”
Jennifer sniffed. “Why are you in here?”
“I’m getting Jack clean clothes.” We moved back toward the bedroom. It was the same layout as my apartment. “This is the first time I’ve been in his apartment. I’d hoped the first time would be under different circumstances.”
“So he got into a fight? Are you going to elaborate or is it a secret?”
I moved over to the dresser. “The fight was with vampires.” A white t-shirt lay on top. I grabbed it, then spotted blue shorts and pulled them from the drawer.
“And? What does that mean?”
I walked back toward the living room from the bedroom. Jack’s style was simple and classic, I noticed as I moved through the apartment—I liked it. Tan sofa, cherry coffee table, TV, and end tables. Not too modern or flashy. Jennifer followed me like an annoying little dog, yapping at my heels.
“A vampire bit him, okay?” I lowered my voice, as if someone might hear.
“That’s bad?” She frowned as I locked the door behind us, then moved across to our door.
We walked through. Jennifer had left it open. She felt safe since we were the only ones living in the building. I knew after being chased by crazed ex-clients that we weren’t safe. I’d almost been killed a few weeks ago, all because one of them decided he loved me and the other one thought I’d stolen her man. My nerves were still on edge. Not to mention the little vampire incident today.
As I made my way across the threshold, I stopped in my tracks. Jennifer smashed into the back of me. A woman with silky black hair that reached to her waist stood in front of the hall entrance with her back to us. She spun around to face us and propped her hands on her hips. She glared, then with her long legs closed the distance between us in two steps—her fluid movement was almost a glide. With every step, her leather pants swooshed. She looked like a cat burglar, not to mention moved like one.
“Well, well, well. What have we here?”
I couldn’t place her accent. Italian, maybe?
“Who the hell are you?” Jennifer demanded.
“Your worst nightmare, Goldilocks. Who the hell are you?”
“Jennifer Matthews, and you’re in my apartment!”
She reached out and ran her red-tipped finger over Jennifer’s cheek. “Humans. Aren’t they cute?” She looked at me. Her dark eyes were rimmed with the thickest lashes I’d ever seen.
I let out a low growl. I hadn’t meant to, it just kind of slipped out. She stared. Her eyes seemed to turn darker, then she chuckled.
“Do you plan on telling me who you are and why you’re in my apartment?” I met her gaze. If she wanted a staring contest, I’d give her one. I’d come out a winner. My brother could attest to that. He always challenged me growing up, and I’d always won.
“I’m Isabella Blackthorne.” She smiled, exposing her gleaming white fangs.
“Well, Isabella,” I said snarkily. “What is it you want? Before I kick you out on your ass?”
Her eyes narrowed. She snorted and didn’t move her gaze from mine. She reached into her pocket and pulled out a piece of paper. “Here.” She shoved it at me.
As I unfolded the paper, she moved past, nudging Jennifer’s shoulder with her own. Jennifer stumbled as Isabella sashayed out the door. I reached out and grabbed Jennifer’s arm, helping her regain her balance.
“I should kick her ass,” I said.
“Hey, tough girl.” Jennifer yanked the paper from my hand. “She was wearing freakin’ leather. She probably belongs to some kind of gang. You, on the other hand, are wearing linen pants. Do you see the difference? It doesn’t exactly scream ‘badass’, you know?”
“But I’m a werewolf.” I frowned.
“Yeah, so you’ve told me a few thousand times. Doesn’t matter. Linen, leather.” She wrapped her hands together. “They don’t mesh.”
I rolled my eyes. “Whatever.”
Jennifer unfolded the paper and I stepped closer to take a look. The note read: Mr. Jack Chandler. Tomorrow, two p.m. Be here and bring the human. Included was a map of the French Market, a district with tons of unique shops, restaurants, a farmers ’ market, and flea market.
“Why would they want you to meet them there? What’s at the market?” Jennifer asked.
“Other than cute little shops and cafés? I have no idea.”
The water from the shower shut off. I shuddered to think what would have happened if I hadn’t returned before Isabella discovered Jack in the shower. I knew what the note meant: they wanted Jack.
“Don’t mention this to Jack,” I said. “I’ll tell him later.”
I paced the room while I waited for Jack to emerge from the bathroom. When the door opened and he’d stepped out, he’d slipped into his clean clothing. I wasn’t going to lie; a tiny part of me wished he’d forgone the clothing. I know, I know. Not great timing, but what could I say, hormones.
&nb
sp; This was the moment I’d dreamt of. Literally. Jack in my bedroom. I’d wanted him since the moment we had met. But with the craziness with ex-clients and psycho werewolves over the past few weeks it had been impossible for us to grow any closer. The best I’d had was a dream and a few lingering kisses.
Never in a million years had I expected this turn of events, though. I’d never dated a vampire. How did I date one now? Not that I had anything against dating a vampire. I’d never met the right one, I guess. Who was I kidding? I couldn’t keep a date before Jack. Vampire, werewolf, human—it didn’t matter. Well, I guess I could get a date, just not keep it. Jack moved over to where I stood by the bed. His eyes made me melt like butter over a sticky bun every time I looked at them.
“You can sleep here.” I pointed to the bed. My heart thumped. “I’ll sleep on the sofa.”
He shook his head. “No way. I’m fine, Rylie.”
“But I want to look after you. It’s the least I can do after the mess I got you into.”
He brushed a strand of hair off my cheek and tucked it behind my ear. “Did I ever tell you how beautiful you are?”
My cheeks grew hot. They weren’t the only things hot in the room, either.
“Your hair is the most beautiful shade of brown. When the sun shines across it I can see the different shades.” He looked down when he said the word sun.
Would Jack ever see sunlight again?
He placed his hands around my waist and pulled me close. My chest pressed against his hard pecs. A tiny moan eased into my throat. Suppressing the urge to howl was never easy with Jack around. He gazed into my eyes, then lowered his lips to mine. My pulse quickened, pulsating rapidly with every touch of his tongue. As his mouth moved from my lips to my neck, I inhaled his electrifying scent.
He leaned back. As I looked into his eyes, I remembered. Vampire. Neck.
“Your skin is like silk.” His eyes glazed over. Jack swallowed hard as he stared at my neck. “I’m so hungry.”
Chapter Three
How to Date a Vampire, Rule #3:
Refrain from mentioning the whole ‘stake through the heart’ thing.
His eyes held a yearning that I’d never seen before.
I stumbled backward, holding my hand across my neck, concealing my veins. “I can get you something. A sandwich, maybe?” Anything other than my neck.
As I sidestepped Jack and made my way toward the door, he followed. Jennifer had already gone to bed. Better she not see Jack like this anyway. What was I going to do with him? Damn. Just when things had taken a turn for the better, this happened. Poor Jack. He didn’t deserve this. He should have stayed away from me when he had the chance.
“I’m not sure what you’re in the mood for.” Ugh. Did I just ask him that? Of course I knew what he had a hankering for—it was red and had a coppery smell. I opened the pantry door, trying to ignore the comment I’d just made.
“You’re welcome to look in the fridge,” I said over my shoulder.
The next thing I knew, Jack had pulled out a steak that I’d put in the fridge to defrost and begun drinking the blood. Ew, ew, ew. Okay, I know I’m a werewolf, and I like my steak just as much as the next werewolf, but I didn’t like drinking the blood. It just wasn’t my thing.
“Um. Okay. Steak is good. Do you want me to cook that for you?”
His eyes lost the sheen and he threw the steak down. “I… I’m sorry. I don’t know what came over me.” He wiped his mouth.
“You need to lie down.” I grabbed his arm and led him toward the bedroom. He didn’t resist. “You’ll feel better in the morning and we’ll figure this thing out.”
Lying next to Jack, listening to his steady breathing and looking at his hard muscular body, was tough. It didn’t make falling asleep easy, not to mention the million thoughts racing through my mind. But I managed to drift off at some point in the night. One, two, three a.m.—I wasn’t even sure. The steady tick from the clock on my nightstand had lulled me into la-la-land, but the sleep wasn’t restful. The early signs of morning had begun. The sun peeked through a few selective rays through the gray clouds.
“Jack.” I shook his arm gently.
He didn’t budge. His hard arm felt wonderful, making my fingers tingle.
“Are you okay, Jack?
He still didn’t answer. There was just the steady up-and-down motion of his chest. He looked so relaxed and peaceful.
Jack hadn’t slept much during the night, tossing and turning. A few times when I woke, I found him staring out the window. Kind of creepy. I’d tried to stay awake so he wouldn’t leave—slip out and hit the meat section of the local supermarket, or worse. He didn’t need to be out there in the big bad paranormal world without knowing anything about his condition or how it all worked. But he didn’t need a babysitter, either. Well… technically he did need one in his current state, but I digress.
I had to figure out how to get him out of this mess. After all, I’d gotten him into it. I knew I shouldn’t have allowed him to come with me to my parents’ home. In order to not be the clingy girlfriend type, I decided I’d go to work—try to make the day as normal as possible.
I wasn’t sure how long Jack would sleep. Until sunset? This was going to be bad for his business. Maybe as soon as his new secretary came in, I’d tell her to cancel his appointments for the day. Was that out of line? I would probably be way overstepping my boundaries by doing something like that. Regardless, I needed to figure out how to fix this mess before he lost all his clients.
A pounding on our apartment door startled me out of my musings. I jumped up and stared at the red letters on the clock, trying to focus my eyes and read the time. Five a.m. Nothing good could come from someone pounding on your door at that hour. I heard Jennifer stumble from her room and to the door. Before I got to the hallway to warn her not to open it, she’d opened the door.
As I opened my bedroom door and made it halfway down the hall, Jennifer called out with a slight alarm in her voice, “Someone is here to see Jack.”
When I reached the living room, I stopped in my tracks. Panic mode set in and I felt the familiar animalistic sensation begin its steady climb through my body.
“We’re here for the human.” The men pushed past Jennifer and stepped into the room, standing with military precision side by side. They were the same men from my parents’ home. One of them was responsible for Jack’s current condition. My anger level grew, and soon it would boil over.
There for the human? They made it sound as if they were picking up a special delivery. No way would I let them sink their fangs into my new boyfriend again. I had to get Jack out of there. I didn’t know these men prior to seeing them at my parents’, although I thought I might have recognized one. Their appearance didn’t necessarily give away that they were paranormal, but their gleaming fangs let me know their vampire status. Both were dressed in black to fit the vampire persona, I guess. One vampire had brown hair with a buzz cut and the other shoulder-length blond hair.
“We don’t have all day.” The brown-haired vampire looked at his watch pointedly. “We want Jack Chandler.”
We were trapped like helpless flies in a spider web. With Jack in the bedroom at the back of the apartment, and the men standing guard at the front door, there would be no escaping. I doubted Jennifer would be able to ward off a couple of large vampires. What could she do, attack them with her fuzzy bunny slippers?
Running away from them wasn’t an option. Shifting was an option, but would I be able to fight two vampires? My only way out of this mess was to act dumb. My brother would say it wasn’t an act, then I’d kick him in the shins, but I digress. I’d hate to have to fight a couple vampires in front of Jennifer. Not to mention getting my nails messed up when I clawed their eyes out.
“Jack who?” Jennifer asked, trying to sound innocent.
Oh, great move. I wanted to stuff a pillow in her mouth.
“I think you know the Jack we’re looking for. Don’t make us use vi
olence on such a pretty girl.” He reached out and stroked Jennifer’s cheek. She jerked away.
Vampires sure were the touchy-feely type.
“Jack isn’t here. He lives across the hall, but he's not home,” I said without missing a beat.
“Where is he?” the tall blond asked with a scowl.
“How should I know? I’m not his babysitter.” I folded my arms in front of my chest.
“Well, you won’t mind if we look around, then?” he asked.
“As a matter of fact, I do mind. How dare you come in here in this early in the morning and act like a couple of thugs? Now get out before I have to get violent.”
Jennifer nodded in agreement. “Yeah, get out of here.”
They laughed. “Isn’t she cute?” the brown-haired one asked the other.
I didn’t like being patronized. I felt the familiar itch on my hands. Hair was sprouting. I didn’t want to shift before I’d had my morning coffee. Being a werewolf was such a pain, but it looked as if these idiots would give me no choice. I guess they were mad because I’d ignored their invitation to bring Jack into their deathtrap.
“I said get out.” My voice raised a couple of levels. “Leave before I have to rip your eyes out with my dull Lady Bic razor.” I didn’t back down, although they might have heard my teeth chattering from where they stood.
“Don’t make threats you can’t back up, little werewolf.”
“You’ll think little when I kick your ass, you bloodsucking freak. Who sent you here? And why are you looking for Jack?”
My stall tactic. Could they sense my fear? They moved forward and I felt my eyes turning the amber hue, the hair growing, all of the usual stages. How would I fight two vampires? Sure, I had werewolf strength, but there were two of them and one of me.
Before I had time to contemplate the thought any further, the vampires moved forward and my pulse thumped wildly. Just as I was about to yell for Jennifer to run, a werewolf lunged through the open door to my apartment.
