Bitten

by Kim Faulks

  He had the nerve to laugh.

  “What’s so funny?”

  Jared shook his head. “You. I’ve never seen you act like this before. I mean, it’s like you’ve changed.”

  And that’s how I felt—changed. I gritted my teeth and waited for him to finish laughing, muttering the words once more. “Non-negotiable.”

  “Done.” He grinned. “Do I need to sign a contract for this too?”

  His words slowed my speeding heart. “Contract? What contract did you sign?”

  He blanched, the smile died and another took its place. A smile I was familiar with—a false smile. “None, nothing. It’s just that, for this to happen you have to sign some papers. I’ve already looked them over and I spoke to Sasha about them, it’s just a formality, really. They want to know you’re not going to run to the police after they… you know, bite you.”

  I searched his gaze. “Seems like you know a lot about this already.”

  “It’s for you. I wanted to know what you were walking into. I wanted to make sure you were safe. As soon as you sign they schedule the dinner, so I wanted to know everything up front.”

  “And the money? Do you know what that will be?”

  Stars collided in his eyes. His tongue snaked out, to wet his lower lip before disappearing. He looked hungry—no, he looked ravenous. “The opportunity to spend time with you goes to the highest bidder, and apparently…” He moved closer, brushing the hair off my shoulder before piercing me with his gaze. “They pay a lot more if the women are… inexperienced with sex. It makes the blood taste better they say.”

  Blood. The heat drained from my face. The thought of someone biting me churned my stomach. “Did she say if it hurts? The biting, I mean?”

  “No. They… apparently they take the pain away so… it feels good.”

  Feels good? I swallowed, trying to ease the desert inside my mouth. “So when do you want to do this?”

  “We’ve got three days, three days to do this and get the money to Rurik. I was thinking tonight.”

  There wasn’t enough air. I fought against the vice around my chest and inhaled. “Tonight?”

  “The sooner we get this done, the sooner we can move on. I want that, do you, baby?”

  I nodded and wheezed. “Yes. Tonight then.”

  The mood between us changed. Jared stepped away and busied himself pulling on clothes, while I was rooted to the spot, wondering what the hell had just happened.

  My day passed by in a blur. Jared made calls and arranged a meeting with some woman. I passed the time, doing what I do best—I cleaned. The bathroom sparkled when Jared walked in, all smiles and excitement. “Why don’t you have a shower and we can head over. I had Sasha put in a good word.”

  I dropped the scrubbing brush and straightened. “Now?”

  “Yeah, she’s pretty busy. I mean I had to beg and plead for her to see us at such short notice. You still want this, right? I mean, you haven’t changed your mind about marrying me, or anything?”

  I shook my head. “No I haven’t changed my mind about marrying you.”

  He took a step and gripped my shoulders, pulling me to my feet. “Then how about you put down the brush, have a nice hot shower and let’s get this over and done with, so we can spend the rest of our lives together.”

  His hands were so strong, his voice so sure. He pulled the brush from my hand and peeled off the rubber gloves. He planted a kiss to my forehead before he whispered. “I’ll give you some privacy, but I’m just out here okay? They’re going to love you, baby. They’re going to take one look at you and fall in love.”

  His hands dropped from my shoulders and he took a step away, lowering his gaze from my face to my body and whispered, “They’re gonna pay baby, hell yeah, they’re gonna pay.”

  Kol

  I wrenched on the handbrake and stepped out of the car. This was it, no return. The debt was paid and now I’d come to collect—Nova Flynn was mine.

  The void swallowed my excitement before I hit the front door of her building. There was a hollow, a stillness that I felt to my core. The steps were a blur as I climbed to the third floor. The metal lock snapped under the force of my hand and I strode inside.

  The place was abandoned, void of life… void of her. The small cabinet at the entrance looked out of place. Had they run? No, she wouldn’t do that. Not Miss, I pay my debts, even if I have to sell my dead mother’s damned home.

  What kind of woman does that?

  One that is loyal.

  My teeth ground under the strain as I clenched my jaw—too fucking loyal. My boots echoed in the empty space. I’d rehearsed our conversation a thousand times in my head… the debt’s been cancelled. Leave the dickhead boyfriend, run, before he traps you….

  Hey, human. You don’t owe any longer. Go, do what humans do—just not with that asshole….

  Um, Nova. The debt’s been wiped, you’re free to do whatever you want to do. Before you leave, I want… just one… I imagined running my fingers through her hair, pulling strands of her hair free and inhaling the sweet scent before she backed away and took off screaming. One moment alone with her.

  One moment to show her everything I could give her. That fucking idea sounded alien. I didn’t do relationships… hell, I didn’t do anything that vaguely resembled a relationship. I reached for my chest, feeling the swell of that petrified stone clench and squeeze—fighting for damn life. The damn thing wouldn’t let me rest. It drove me to do things I wouldn’t do—it drove me to do things for her.

  The sharp stench of alcohol lingered in the room. I headed for the bedroom and smothered a grin at the crumpled bed sheets on her side of the bed. I could still smell her lingering body, still hear the whisper of my damn name. Fuck, I wanted her. I wanted her more than I’d wanted anything in a very long time. The other side of the bed was undisturbed. Had she finally woken up to her senses and kicked the gutless rat out?

  The thought stretched my smile until I caught the ring box on the bedside cabinet. That haunting fucking throb pummeled my body with a lifeless beat, and then stilled. My body was silent—no pulse—no damn haunting beat. Nothing but shock. One stride and I had that insignificant piece of plastic in my hand—yet it was significant. The spine cracked as I shoved the top open.

  The thing was empty.

  Empty.

  The creases of the slit whispered, ring… but what kind of ring?

  I tossed the box through the air. It hit the wall and clattered to the ground. Cold rage shook my body. A fucking ring? Was she that stupid—who’d marry a fucking dead man?

  I searched for the broken box and instead found a business card. I dropped to my knee and snagged the end, pulling the embossed thick paper free.

  Sasha Merc

  Blood Courtesan

  I swallowed hard and read the card again… and again. Outside, thunder cracked through the sky, yet the power was inside me, tearing a hole through my chest. No, she wouldn’t be this stupid… she wouldn’t sell herself, not to a vampire, not to anyone. I knew who ran the Blood Courtesans. They’d hunted me relentlessly to taste their services.

  Human woman… blood and sex. I slammed my walls shut to the memory. Still the colors burned just as vivid as though I was a newborn vampire once more. She was no one. A woman alone amongst a busy city street. A random, a loner—but she’d haunted me all these years. Vampire were quiet then. Humans didn’t know of our existence—even if they did it would be useless against me.

  I was the abomination. A day walker. A night hunter. I was a killing machine, cold-blooded and merciless—she never stood a chance.

  The three days we were inside that cavern was a blur. Fueled with hate and hunger, she was mine… until she was no longer. She was barely alive, out of her mind with the venom from my bites.

  Drunk on blood, I couldn’t control the devil. It was who I was born to be.

  Had the smug human prick put her up to this? I crumbled the card in my hand., opening my fist and lettin
g the remnants scatter on the floor.

  Find her. Find her. Find her. That fucking thud in my chest whispered.

  Save her. Save her. Save her.

  I snarled and the dangerous echo filled the apartment for a second before I walked out. The downpour outside was violent. Rain pummeled the windshield filling the interior with the deafening roar, and for a second I was lost in the sound.

  This wasn’t my problem. She wasn’t my problem. I had no right meddling with her life.

  The rain churned, just like the dangerous thoughts inside my head. Walk away. I swallowed hard. Just walk away and pretend you never knew her. Let her live her life.

  I glanced to my chest—would my own body betray me, or would it let me leave Nova Flynn to her own destiny? The wet splotches on the white cotton looked like tears. I throttled the steering wheel, leather squealed.

  Fuck. I twisted the key and let the growl swallow the roar of the rain, before shoving into gear and tromping on the accelerator. The back wheel slipped before the traction control bit and threw me back in the seat.

  The Blood Courtesan office was in the heart of the city, nestled deep in the Vampire district of Boston. Cars and buildings flew past as though they were frozen. Still I pushed the car faster, using every horse under the hood. How long had she been there? Please don’t let her do anything stupid.

  Please don’t let the false love of that piece of shit blind her.

  I smashed the accelerator to the floor as I hit the Expressway. Half of the city had become nothing more than a shell. Businesses closed, humans fled for houses where the vampire population was low.

  But there were those who saw an opportunity—an opportunity to provide the two desires my kind loved—blood and sex. And business for them was booming.

  I wrenched the wheel to the left, taking the off-ramp fast. Still it wasn’t fast enough. Houses blurred, deserted streets whipped past until the hulking glass building came into view.

  The Combat Zone was a perfect place for us. We’d bled the prostitutes dry and ravaged the drug dealers. No one peddled anything on these streets unless they peddled it for us. Blood was the new cocaine and pussy was always a viable market. The smart vamps saw an opportunity to combine the two and forced top dollar for the sweetest honey.

  Nova Flynn would be perfect. One look at her and any vamp would cut a check before she even blinked.

  The warning alarm dinged incessantly behind me as I lunged from the open car door and ran. My boots squealed on the polished wooden floor. I slowed long enough to find the listing floor for Courtesan Inc. on the thirty-fifth floor.

  The neon sign for the stairs beckoned. I glanced at the elevators, then pivoted and headed for the heavy door. I pushed my legs faster, pushing undead muscles harder than every before, still it wasn’t fast enough. Please… please let me find her in time.

  Twenty, twenty-two, twenty-four, twenty-six…. That heavy thud in my chest sped, rippling through burning muscles as I climbed floor after floor.

  Thirty… thirty-one… thirty-two… thirty-three. I barreled through the thirty-fifth floor to the sound of laughter… Jared Scott’s laughter.

  The fluorescent lights burned my eyes as I spun finding a bead on the chortle. Rage burned me from the inside. The crisp white hallways were harsh. They needed color—and I was ready to paint the place red.

  Three heartbeats filled the room, but there were more than humans here. I glanced to the tempered glass, designed to give night-time vampires a little slack on their leash. Isa Dermott turned her head as I slowed my steps and entered the offices of Courtesan Inc. Her smile widened, eyes brightened as she dropped her gaze, and scanned me slowly.

  I wasn’t here for her. Nova stood behind Jared with pale skin and wide eyes. She didn’t belong here… she didn’t belong anywhere near this coven. She belonged with me.

  The three vamp bouncers lingered against the wall. Eyes dead ahead, faces passive. They wouldn’t make a move, not unless I acted first. I guess it was time to act first.

  “Nova.”

  She jumped at the icy tone in my voice and turned. Her sudden exhale rocked me. Her sweet spices were bitter, filling the room with the scent of fear. I fought that animal part of me that liked the taste of her terror and softened my tone. “I don’t know what’s happened here. But this is not a place for you. Please, let me take you home.”

  The word please felt alien on my tongue. Playing to emotions had never been my strong point—even before I became a vampire.

  “Kol.” The sound of my name on her tongue sent a shiver along my spine. Her eyes were wide with fear, her pupils nothing more than pin pricks. I could smell her terror, taste her panic like acid in my mouth. I cut a glance to the bouncers before turning back before she noticed.

  I reached out, palm up, fingers extended. “The debt has been paid, Nova. You’ve no reason to be here any longer. Come, let me drive you home. Let me take care of you. You’ll never have to sell yourself for me. You’ll never have do a damn thing unless you want to.”

  Nova took a step toward me, one small wordless plea.

  “Wait up. Nova’s not going anywhere with you.”

  My lip curled at the sound of Jared’s whiny, pathetic voice. I imagined his blood on my hands. I’d be so quick, one snap of his little neck—he’d be silent forever. I kept my focus on her amber eyes, imploring her with my soft tone. “I’d hoped to do this a little more… privately. Trust me, Nova. You can do that, can’t you?”

  Jared lunged, striding to meet me stare for stare. “You’re fucking crazy if you think my fiancée is going anywhere with you.”

  Nova took a step forward, watching this play out. The slow shake of her head screamed shock. I needed to get her out of here. The guards moved to flank either side of me.

  “Isa, tell the hired help to back away. I’m not here for you. I’m here for Nova.”

  Isa shook her head. Her coiffed blonde hair stuck fast, not a strand fell as she purred. “I chased you for over ten years, Kol, trying to get you to walk into my office and here you are, waltzing in without so much as a kiss hello.”

  She rose in a fluid motion, sashaying across the floor toward me with a wicked smile, a pout that would put any supermodel to shame. But every nerve, every cell in my body waited for Nova to react. I focused on her as though she was the only one in the room.

  Isa stepped closer, murmuring with hushed tones. “You’re better than this, Nova. Better than this.” The bitch waved her hand in my direction. “Kol’s a savage, a loner, uncivilized—he doesn’t understand how to act around humans. He’s lost that side of himself. You’re safer here—with us.”

  I wrenched my head to the bitter, soulless whore. “Don’t listen to her. She’s lying.”

  “Am I? Let’s see; he’s a hired hitman for the deadliest vampire coven in Boston. He’s killed more humans than fucking cancer. Did he tell you he likes pretty human women like you, he drains them and fucks them and leaves them for dead.”

  Nova recoiled, taking one slow step away. A stake to my heart would’ve been less painful. I clenched my fist. I needed time to explain. I needed time to make her understand, but I was losing her. I could see her slipping away. “It was one woman. One human woman and I’ll live with the guilt for the rest of this miserable existence. I took too much blood, I was young and stupid; high on sex and bloodlust. Am I a hitman? Yes, but you knew that already. I’ve never lied to you, Nova. I’ve never manipulated your feelings—never forced you into doing something you didn’t want. I’m not like Jared. I’d never make you sell your mother’s house. I’d never take that from you.”

  “What is he talking about? What house, Nova? You told me the entire place was left to your sister? You told me there was no money.”

  She shook her head, her eyes dulled.

  I reached out my hand. “Take one step, Nova. Come to me, and I’ll take care of the rest.”

  Isa trailed her hand along my arm. I forced myself not to recoil at the touch.


  “I offered my own personal services, Kol. If I remember, I pursued you quite aggressively.”

  I kept my voice low. “You were very… forthcoming in your advances, Isa. But, I’m not here to continue our association.”

  Her chuckle made my stomach harden. “You’re serious? I assumed she’d somehow wronged you, Kol. I’m sorry, but the contract’s been signed and accepted. Now, you know as well as I do what non-negotiable means.”

  I tried to swallow the arid wasteland in my mouth and answered. “I’ll double it.”

  “Really? You’d pay one hundred thousand for a human?”

  The sudden inhale across the room dragged my gaze toward her. Nova’s mouth was slack, her lips parted as she held my gaze.

  “No.” I whispered. “But I would pay that amount for her.”

  Jared’s eyes blazed. He swung his head to the mistress and shouted. “Fuck that. You’re not going to—”

  He was silenced by a wave of her hand. One of the bouncers stepped closer, ending the conversation before it started.

  “Why the interest in her, Kol?”

  I swallowed hard. None of your fucking business would only piss her off more. “I paid her debt, so I stake my claim.”

  She shrugged. “If you’d have come in ten minutes earlier, I might’ve listened to you. But the deal’s done and she has an appointment. The funds have already been paid. I wish I could’ve helped you, Kol. I really do.”

  Her lips curled to a slash of a smile. She swung her gaze around the room and jerked her head toward the door. “Maybe you’d like to stay behind to work out a deal for another time, or do you have an aversion to sloppy seconds?”

  Her sickly-sweet smile would’ve been the one to end kingdoms, and bring a ruler to his knees, for behind that glint in her eye lay pure evil.

  Nova whipped her gaze toward Jared and clutched the air. Her voice was monotone, barely more than a whisper. “Sloppy seconds? What does she mean, Jared?”

  I twitched at the sound of Nova’s voice, the rise in her tone was quickly smothered by my growl.