She fisted her hand so it wouldn’t tremble as she reached into her purse. She pulled her cell phone out and scrolled through her favorites list. She almost didn’t hit the Send button. If this vampire was half as dangerous as the last one she’d faced, there wasn’t much Charlie could do.
She sent the call. No matter what he said, Charlie was a better fighter than her and she needed all the help she could get.
Out of the corner of her eye, she glanced at the vampire. He was dressed relatively normally in jeans and a flannel shirt. Except he wasn’t looking at the menu. He was eyeing the people in line.
Charlie answered on the third ring. “Hey, stranger.”
She forced herself to smile. “Hey you. Listen. I think you should come get subs with me. I’m here right now and could really use your expertise.”
How good was the vampire’s hearing? Would he be able to hear Charlie? Please don’t say anything stupid...
“Are you okay?” he asked.
A woman in front of Ella finally noticed the man. Her jaw dropped; she turned to the man next to her and whispered something.
The vampire approached. “I’m sorry, what did you say? Did you say I look like the guys they talk about on the news?”
Yep, the hearing was just as strong as ever.
“Something’s going on. I’ll have to talk to you later,” she said into the phone and hung up. Would that sound too suspicious? Something was going on.
The woman took a step back and her partner moved between her and the vampire. “We don’t want any trouble.” He held his hands up to show he wasn’t a threat.
“Well, I do,” growled the vampire. He grabbed the man by his shirt and threw him into the counter, breaking the glass and probably a bunch of the man’s bones in the process. The woman screamed and everyone scrambled toward the door.
Except for Ella.
Her eyes widened at the violence as her hand reached into her purse. She looked at the people scattering around her and knew she made a mistake. The vampire stared right at her.
She should’ve run like the rest of them. Now she stood out like a sore thumb.
The woman screamed again and he turned back to her. “You don’t remember me or anything that happened today.”
She stopped screaming as her brows furrowed. She turned in a slow circle, taking in the chaos around her.
The vampire strode to Ella. She looked to the door, but customers were still squeezing through the opening. She’d never make it to the street before he caught her. The kitchen was her best bet.
She scrambled on the tile floor, but the vampire was in front of her before she’d even taken two steps.
She couldn’t control her nerves anymore. Her heart was about to beat out of her chest as she tried to take in enough air.
The vampire leaned toward her and sniffed. “You’re different. Do you taste as good as you smell?”
Ella pulled the small spray canister out of her purse and he smiled. Apparently he wasn’t afraid of pepper spray.
Luckily for her, there were no spices in this special formula. She pulled the trigger, dousing his face with water saturated with silver. He grabbed his eyes and screamed.
She ducked under his arm and ran for the kitchen. There had to be a back way out of this place. She ran past the stainless-steel refrigerators toward the first door she saw. She turned the knob and pulled, only to come face to face with a broom and pile of cleaning supplies.
Crap. She looked behind her and saw the other door, clearly labeled with an “Exit” sign, but there was no time to run for it.
The vampire charged into the kitchen, running straight into the sink holding all the dirty dishes, causing the spoons and bowls to clatter to the floor. “Get over here, you bitch!”
Ella crouched down behind one of the counters. The whole kitchen was a big rectangle with an island in the middle that served as a prep station.
She heard him move closer and she inched in the opposite direction.
“I can smell your fear, you little cunt. You have any idea how much I’m going to enjoy ripping your fucking throat out?”
Her hand frantically dug through her purse. If he was still blinded, this might be her one chance.
She must’ve been too loud. The vampire flew over the island, landing in a crouch just in front of her.
His eyes were swollen and blistered, but it didn’t detract from his huge smile, showing off very sharp-looking fangs. “Miss me?”
Ella shoved the silver knife into his chest and relished the sight of his smile disappearing. “By the way,” she twisted the blade into his heart, “I taste fantastic.”
She left the knife in as he sunk to the floor.
Was he dead? It was hard to tell when she couldn’t see his eyes.
Pounding footsteps came from the dining area. Ella bent down and ripped the knife from the vampire’s chest, readying herself for the next attack.
When Charlie ran into the kitchen, she let out a sigh of relief. “Charlie!” Without thinking, she ran to him, jumping into his arms, and the tears broke free.
“Oh my God, Elly. Are you okay?” He stepped back, smoothing her hair out of her face.
She shook her head. “This is bad. They’re going to come for him and when they find out what I did...”
He looked over her shoulder and stiffened.
Must’ve seen the dead body. Could he tell it wasn’t human?
Charlie shook his head. “It’s okay. It’s all gonna be okay. The police are on their way and they’re going to take care of everything.”
Ella stepped back. “No. The police can’t know. They control the police.”
“I’m sure they don’t control the entire police force. Especially not in such a small place.”
Sirens sounded in the distance. “I need to get out of here. Don’t tell them what happened. Promise me.”
His brows drew together as he took in what she was asking, but he eventually nodded. “If you insist.”
“Thank you,” she mouthed as she turned and ran out the actual exit. She forced her steps to slow to a walk as she focused on keeping her heart at a steady pace.
She slipped into her car right as the third police car skidded to a stop outside the sub shop. She spent a few seconds staring at the scene before she could get her shaking hands to turn the key in the ignition.
Ten minutes later, she pulled into her driveway. She looked at herself in the mirror. Shockingly, she didn’t look too bad. A bit paler than normal, but she normally came home sweaty and tired, so this was no different.
She brushed any remnants of tears from her eyes and tucked some loose hair behind her ears as she climbed out of the driver’s seat.
As she started to push the key into the lock, the door opened.
“About time you got home, Elly.”
She forced a smile for Gloria. “Sorry I’m late.”
The teen shrugged. “No big deal. I have to run, though. See you later!”
With that, she was gone and Ella was left staring out the doorway, wondering what on earth could be so important that she had to run off so quickly.
Probably a boy. Gloria was in that young and adventurous stage where every date was fantastic and every kiss was epic. For a second, Ella flashed back to her own epic kisses she’d shared with Lucian.
“Mommy?” A soft voice came from behind her.
She turned around to see Lucian’s pale blue eyes in the face of an adorable, blonde, cherub-looking girl. “Hey sweetie. Did you and Gloria have fun?”
Clara rubbed her eyes as she tried to pretend she wasn’t tired. “I thought you were bringing dinner.”
Ella replayed the scene from the sub shop. “I was thinking it was a mac and cheese kind of night.”
Reno leaped into Clara’s bed, curling into a tight little ball, just as Ella pulled the covers over her. The girl giggled as she reached out to scratch the dog’s ear. Reno sighed at the attention.
He only took up a small
spot next to Clara now, but come morning, he would be stretched out on top of her like a blanket. Ella stroked his short, red fur and smiled at Clara.
“Is Reno gonna protect me?” She lay down.
Ella pushed herself up and flipped the nightlight on. “What do you need protecting from?”
“Monsters.”
Ella put on a disbelieving grin. “I’ve told you a million times. You don’t have to worry about monsters. I’m here to protect you.”
Clara wrinkled her nose. “You can’t protect me. You’re just Mommy. Reno has sharp teeth.”
Ella rolled her eyes down to the sleeping dog right as he let out an ungraceful snore. “He is a mighty defender.” She shut off the main light and returned to sit on the bed next to Clara.
The room was made for a princess. The walls were bright pink with a purple border. The furniture was pristine white, and a purple canopy and comforter covered the bed.
The house she’d purchased wasn’t huge, but it was the perfect size for their small family. Three small bedrooms and a nice fenced-in yard for Reno.
As far as she’d run, she’d never be able to fully escape Lucian. He was all around her. Every time she looked at Reno, she was reminded of the first time she kissed him. Clara was a walking, talking keepsake from the one day they’d had together.
Even the house was one big neon sign that read “Lucian.” After all, he paid for it.
Dad had received a sizable and mysterious deposit into his bank account the same day he’d come for her. She knew it was from Lucian. There was no other explanation.
Dad helped her quickly and quietly move. There was no telling whether Lucian would come back, and the vampire who attacked her was still out there. Who knew whether he was searching for her?
And then she found out about Clara.
She hadn’t realized she was pregnant until three months after she left Lucian, and Clara arrived after another three. She’d been much too scared to go to a doctor during the pregnancy. Luckily Dad could monitor her as Clara rapidly grew.
He was the one who first told her it was a girl.
No one could ever know. What would happen when the races learned about a daughter born to a myotis?
“Are there monsters here, Mommy?”
Ella rubbed her eyes with her hand before she looked down at her two-and-a-half-year-old daughter. Her miracle.
A normal two-year-old would barely be speaking. At this point, Clara looked as if she was four and could form sentences better than some adults she knew. She should probably be enrolled in preschool by now, but Ella hadn’t been able to send in the paperwork.
She would have to get a fake birth certificate so no one knew how fast Clara was growing. Plus, it didn’t look as if her aging was going to slow down any time soon. What would she do in a year when Clara was as big as a second grader?
Ella kept thinking of Lucian locking her away in that old Victorian as though he owned her. What would he do with his own daughter?
“There are monsters, baby, but we’re stronger than them.”
She giggled. “I’m just a kid.”
Ella reached over and tickled her through the blanket. “You’re not just anything. Besides, I saw a monster on the way home tonight and I made sure he wouldn’t be causing any trouble.”
Clara’s eyes widened. “How?”
Ella tightened her lips. She never knew what to tell Clara about the dark side. Clara would be on the run from vampires and myotis her entire life. She had to know the truth.
But who really wanted to teach their daughter about all the things that went bump in the night?
“I sprayed him with my monster repellant and ran. When he chased me down, I stopped him with my sword.”
Clara’s eyes got even bigger and rounder. “I don’t want you fighting monsters, Mommy. I want you safe.”
Ella sighed. “I don’t want to fight them either.” But she would. Every single last one that tried to get between her and her daughter. Even if the monster was Lucian.
She rolled over and wrapped an arm around Clara. “I’m going to sleep with you tonight, okay, baby?”
Lucian materialized in Dean’s apartment, scowl firmly in place. “This had better be good,” he grumbled.
He and Dmitri were close on the trail of the rebels based out of LA. In another day or two, they would locate the nest and kill the bastards.
Assuming they hadn’t already packed up and left town like the last ten times they’d tracked down the nest.
“I didn’t say you had to get here immediately,” shot back Dean, swiveling around in his computer chair.
It was only seven in the evening, so they still had a few minutes before the change would call to them, not that it mattered much in the comfort of their own homes. It sucked to either have to let Dmitri do all the evening legwork in public or suffer the massive headaches that came with holding back the change.
To be honest, it was nice to get away from the vampire for a bit. Normally, he and Dmitri worked quite well together, but lately Dmitri had been a lot to handle.
He was too busy moping over his own damn stepsister, who was unhappily married to a vampire much more powerful than Dmitri. Fucking siren bitch.
Just like the stereotypes, she used her beauty and charm to make all men fall in love with her, only choosing the one who could help her advance the furthest and leaving all the other lovesick bastards in the dust.
Not that all sirens were nasty bitches. Dmitri’s other stepsister was pretty awesome. Unfortunately, that wasn’t the one Dmitri decided to obsess over.
“You said you found something?” he asked Dean.
He swirled back around to his computer. “There’s been another attack. The suspect is described as big, bald, and tattooed. It happened in some small town about forty minutes outside of Atlanta.”
Lucian frowned. “Why should I care?” It wasn’t as though he wanted to sound callous. The fact was, these rebels were killing innocents every day and it was getting worse. He needed to be where he could do the most damage, and he doubted it was in some small town that had one isolated attack.
“You should care because nobody died. Apparently this guy was killed at the scene. News stations reported it last night, but issued rather sudden retractions about an hour later.”
“The cleanup crew arrived,” muttered Lucian. “Do we know who killed him?”
Dean shook his head. “According to the news, it was the owner of the local gym. It happened at some deli or something. Witnesses said he was heroic and ran right in as everyone was piling out. One guy was thrown into the food station and had a broken arm and some broken ribs. Watch this.”
Dean clicked on a video file and played a two-minute segment saying the same thing. The “hero” didn’t want to speak to the camera crew, but Lucian was able to get a decent look at him.
Big guy. Looked like former military. It wasn’t unbelievable that he could kill a vampire. Still not likely.
Lucian leaned back after the clip ended. It hadn’t told him anything new. “You want to go check it out?”
“I figured you would too, after I show you this.”
Lucian got a bad feeling. “What?”
“That district you were tracking the vampires to? A house burned down last night and five dead bodies were found. Didn’t die in the fire, though.”
Lucian took in a deep breath before he turned and punched a hole in Dean’s wall. “Mother fucker!” They abandoned the nest. Who knew where they would be setting up shop next.
“So, Georgia?”
“Fucking Georgia,” Lucian spat out as he teleported away.
Lucian eyed the small gym as he and Dean strode through the double doors. The police station had been a bust. Anyone who knew anything had already had their memories erased. Same story with the news crew and reporters who covered the story.
The gym looked decent considering it wasn’t part of a chain. It was clean and had a good range of equipment. There was
the normal ratio of cardio bunnies, steroid poppers, and people who actually looked as if they knew what they were doing. He let Dean lead the way. This was his find. Let him do the talking.
Lucian was still too pissed to hold pleasant conversation anyway. Neither he nor Dmitri were pleasant company at the moment. At least Dmitri had the Georgia sunlight as an excuse to stay in. Lucian wasn’t allowed to mope and rage until it was dark and he had no option but keep out of the public’s view.
The cute and fit girl at the counter looked up at them and her eyes widened as a huge smile lit her face. “Hey, there.” She bit her lip as her eyes moved over Lucian and Dean.
Just what he needed—jailbait hitting on him.
“Are you here for a membership?” She flipped her hair over her shoulder and straightened her posture. A not-so-subtle way of pushing her breasts a few centimeters closer to him.
Lucian rolled his eyes and glared at Dean.
Dean’s smile took over as he drew the girl’s attention. “Hey, honey. We’re here looking for a Charlie Garret.”
Lucian could practically see her melt as she got the focus of Dean’s full attention. “Follow me,” she said in a husky voice.
She moved out from behind the counter and they obediently followed. Lucian didn’t fail to notice the exaggerated sway of her hips as she led them past the cardio area and into the windowed office.
The man he recognized as Charlie sat facing away from him, typing into a small laptop.
“Charlie Garret?” said Dean.
He turned and eyed Lucian and Dean. Untrained eyes wouldn’t have noticed the difference, but Lucian saw Charlie’s back stiffen.
“I’m Charlie.” He stood and held out a hand.
Lucian and Dean returned the handshake as Dean continued, “I’m Special Agent Dean Gold. This is my partner, Lucian Montclair.”
“Special agent? Am I in trouble?”
Dean shook his head and Lucian tried to appear as nonthreatening as possible.
“We just wanted to ask you a few questions about last night,” said Lucian.
Stealing Fire (Bad Boys Of The Underworld Book 5) Page 12
