Not His Vampire: Vampire Romance (Not This Series Book 3)

by Annie Nicholas

A gargoyle met her gaze. His head bent to the side as if confused by her appearance. “Trixie? Is this some sort of vampire initiation thing?”

  Her mouth dropped open, but she had to stay quiet. The scream went inside and her ears popped. The only sound she made was so high pitched she was sure only dogs and werewolves heard it.

  Nick steadied her with a hand to her elbow. “Easy, darling.”

  “Will you stop startling me? I can’t afford to die again. I’m not a cat shifter with nine lives to spare.”

  Nick dropped his chin to his chest. “Sorry about that.” He tossed her a furtive glance. “Why are we whispering?”

  “Never mind that.” The gargoyle was her deliverance. “Can you fly me to the ground?” She tried to untie Viktor’s complicated knot with no result. She glanced up.

  The vampire smoothly crept over the stone as if his palms and soles were made of glue.

  A rattle caught her attention. “I can’t. I’m castle locked.” Nick held a familiar chain. Eoin had a weird prisoner fetish. She and Angie would have a talk about this if Trixie ever saw her again.

  Viktor dropped behind her. His body a velvet heat to her back. “How long did he say you had to remain?”

  The gargoyle shrugged. “He hasn’t spoken to me yet. Just locked me to the wall and blew flame.”

  Viktor nodded. “He’s probably trying to let his anger cool so he doesn’t smash you into gravel.”

  She noted the scorched stone skin on Nick’s wings. “We can’t leave him here.”

  The vampire sighed. “Trix—”

  “I’m climbing down a wall for you. The least you could do is help me free Nick.”

  “May I remind you, he’s the reason you’re a vampire.” Viktor’s breath caressed the back of her neck, sending a shiver down her spine.

  “It was an accident.” She lasered the gargoyle with a warning look. “He’ll stop startling people.”

  Nick pressed his hand over his heart. “You climbed down to me. I didn’t follow you. It’s not my fault this time.”

  They both stared at the gargoyle in silence.

  “Fine, I promise to behave. No more scaring vampires.”

  She pressed her back to the wall as Viktor reached for Nick’s collar.

  “This isn’t made of the same material as my collar. This is just plain steel.” His thick arm brushed over her chest. Desire shot through her nerve endings. He was so close she could breathe him in. The muscles in his forearms bulged as he struggled with the metal.

  “Steel trumps stone,” responded Nick.

  The collar groaned and warped until, with a loud cling, it snapped open.

  Nick threw his meaty arms in the air, his mouth open and a cry of victory apparent in his features.

  Viktor slapped his hands over Nick’s mouth. “I am surrounded by amateurs. Silently.” He withdrew from crushing her against the castle and her body ached from the sudden loss of support. “Fly Trixie to the ground. Right below me where I can see.” He pointed to the spot. “Attempt any trickery and anything the dragon has done will seem like a mercy once I am finished with you.”

  Ice flowed in her veins at Viktor’s tone.

  Nick scowled and waited as Viktor untied the sheet from both their waists. The material fluttered on the wind like a deranged angel on a binge.

  She watched it glide and a coat of sweat covered her skin as she did the one thing she told herself not to do. She looked down. The sweat trickled along her legs to her bare feet. Her knees turned into Jell-O and she struggled to stay standing. Her jaw moved but she couldn’t ask for help, her tongue had packed its bag and abandoned her. Her feet slid on the sweat. The ledge was narrow. Like a rag doll, she slid off the castle wall.

  “Trixie!” Viktor cried out, his demand for silence broken. He dove after her, caught her in his arms, and then cradled her body to his.

  She squeezed her eyes shut, clenching her teeth in preparation for the worst pain ever. She waited, nails digging into Viktor’s arms.

  And waited.

  Their momentum jerked to a stop.

  She opened her eyes. They hovered a foot off the ground.

  Viktor grinned down at her and straightened his legs to stand. She could see Nick above them. He gripped Viktor by the shoulders, wings extended like a parachute.

  Viktor set her on her feet. “Why did you jump? I just do not understand you.”

  She poked him in the chest. “We will not speak of this again.” Like she would explain she’d slipped on her own damn sweat.

  Viktor eyed Nick. “Go before I regret helping you.”

  “Trixie, I need to ask you one thing before I go.” Nick still hovered above them. “How does your sister feel about cross species dating?”

  She slapped her forehead, but this night could get weirder, so why not? “Honey, you don’t want to date my sister. She’d eat a nice gargoyle like you alive.” The trail of broken hearts that led to their apartment was miles long. “You should find a nice girl.” She loved Ruby. She was Trixie’s rock, but she used men like toilet paper. Nick, well, under all that stone, he seemed vulnerable. Ruby really would eat him alive.

  “Is that a yes?” He scratched his head.

  “It is a yes.” Viktor spoke before she could. “Go buy her flowers or pineapples or whatever your kind does. Go now.” He waved his arms at Nick, shooing him away.

  “Viktor…” She glared. He’d just set a gargoyle after her sister, and she was more worried about the monster.

  The vampire searched the night sky. “I cannot believe the dragons did not hear our commotion.”

  In the distance, she could faintly hear a woman crying out Eoin’s name over and over. “Is she in trouble?”

  Viktor stared at her as if she’d grown a second head.

  Oh, were they… “I was joking. Don’t be so serious all the time.” She turned her back to him so he wouldn’t see the blazing blush scorch her cheeks all the way to the tips of her ears.

  “We are lucky they are occupied.” Viktor’s long strides made it easy for him to outpace her. “They will not notice our absence for a few hours.” He scooped up her shoes and handed them over. “Watch your step. There are shards of glass from years of castle abuse.” He waited as she slipped her feet back in her sneakers before marching on.

  They turned the corner of the castle and he led her to an old stable. Viktor slid the door open and the stable turned out to be a garage. “Now this is more like it.”

  A spread of cars lined the long, narrow space. The building seemed in better condition than the castle.

  “I remember when Eoin stored horse carriages in here.” Viktor strolled between the vehicles, trailing his fingers over the hood of a red sports car. He then broke open a metal cabinet that vaguely looked like a safe. It was empty. “Fuck, Eoin removed all the car keys.”

  “He what?” She spun around, expecting the dragon to land. “He knew you would try to escape.”

  “Bastard. He is always one step ahead of me.”

  “Why can’t you run to the city?” she asked. It seemed strange for a vampire to be car dependent.

  “I can, but then I would have to leave you behind.”

  She sighed. “Because I’m too young to keep pace with you.”

  “There are many dangers to traveling in the open. You will learn this in time. The number one problem is sunlight. You must always think ahead about shelter.” He scanned the sky. “We have time to walk to New Port, then we would have to hide before leaving for Riverbend.”

  “Giving Eoin time to find us.” Her respect for the dragon leveled-up with every encounter, but so did her admiration for Viktor. He didn’t know how to surrender. “I can hotwire that black sedan.” It was an older model that wouldn’t have any of the computer systems the modern ones had. “Think it still runs?”

  Viktor’s smile turned salacious. “Trixie, Trixie, you make me curious to find out what other secrets you hide.”

  She went to the toolbox against the f
ar wall and pulled out what she would need.

  Viktor crouched outside the car, watching her work under the steering wheel. “Why did you learn this?”

  “To survive.” The car started with a smooth purr.

  Chapter Fourteen

  Trixie triggered Viktor’s protective instincts. It had been a kindness to set Nick free. He understood this in a cerebral manner, but in their world such weakness would be preyed upon. She needed a predator’s skillset to survive as a vampire and he wanted to be the one to provide it, but he had an interspecies incident to prevent. She deserved a better environment to learn in than running into the heart of dangerous shifter territory blind. What kind of sire was he to place her in that situation?

  A selfish one.

  The largest vampire nest was in the center of New Port. All nests in the tri-city area called him Master, but he was not attached to any of them so as not to show favoritism. Being old and powerful also meant being alone. Trixie needed teachers and a safe place to stay until his return. She could not afford for him to be possessive. Time among her people would allow her to grow strong. Staying at his side? Well, he had never been known for his self-control.

  He sped down the road winding down the dragon’s mountain, glancing in the review mirror repeatedly for a glimpse of wings. So far, their escape was undetected.

  In the passenger seat, Trixie clung to the bar overhead, knuckles white. The tires screeched when he took the corners at high velocity. Her chest heaved and the scent of fear tinged the air.

  “I have not crashed in years.”

  The lines around her mouth deepened. “Not helping.”

  “You are safe with me.”

  “You know what? I’ve never crashed. Not once. That’s what safety means.” She pointed to the curvy road that descended at a steep angle. “At this speed, this is not what I’d call safe.”

  “When Eoin discovers we are missing, he will hunt for us. Ever been hunted by an angry dragon?” Unfortunately, he had. Not always Eoin. Over the centuries, he had had the pleasure of angering a few others of the dragon race. Those memories occasionally plagued him in nightmares.

  She shook her head, eyes growing darker. She glanced back at the castle. “He wouldn’t kill us.”

  “No, but that would be a mercy in some cases.” He took another sharp corner. “I need to be in Riverbend before dawn otherwise I will be trapped on the road until he finds me.”

  “Wait a minute. You said I. Shouldn’t it be we. I thought I was going with you.” Her glare was sharp, filled with determination. He kept thinking of her as weak, but she proved him wrong. There were not many people who argued with him. Maybe that was one of the things that had lured him to her?

  “I am leaving you with a local nest.”

  “Why make me leave the castle?”

  “Because the dragons cannot teach you anything about being vampire.” He wanted her to have all the things he had not had as a new born creature of the night.

  “Eoin is going to find me.” She gasped. “Are you using me as bait to draw him away from you?”

  He grabbed her hand and pressed his lips to her fingers, her words shards of glass. “Is that truly your opinion of me?” Every action he had taken since her birth had been to protect her.

  The steel in her gaze softened. “No.” She paused as if in thought, then he saw her conclusion dawn on her face. “You’re drawing Eoin away from me. You’re hiding me.” She yanked her hand free. “No, no, no. That wasn’t the deal. We escaped the castle together and go after this crazy witch in Riverbend. I want a piece of her. She almost wrecked Betty’s life and may be doing it to others. I’m going to stop her.” She crossed her arms, chin held high as she glared ahead.

  He admired her loyalty and envied her friend. Trixie sought vengeance and retribution for the wrong doing. She would also get them both killed. “You need to learn control over your hunger first, among other things, before you can become a warrior.” He merged into traffic on the highway that led into the heart of the city. “You must listen to me.”

  “Must?” She quirked an eyebrow.

  He recalled how she’d laughed at the thought of calling him Master. “Should listen to me. Remember what happened when you ran to your sister?”

  She flinched.

  He hated to use that as a weapon, but she had to understand that he was not rejecting her. Not abandoning her. He needed her safe. He also realized she had to agree to stay of her own freewill, otherwise she would run. Viktor would use whatever means necessary to ensure her cooperation.

  Trixie’s shoulders sagged, her gaze dulled. “Fine.” He knew she did not want to cause harm to an innocent. Nor did he want her to.

  Silence blanketed the vehicle until they parked behind the most exclusive club in the city, Onyx. He exited the stolen car and opened her door before she had unbuckled her belt. He offered his hand; her long fingers hesitated before placing her hand in his palm. He helped her out.

  “That was…different.” She tugged the hem of her T-shirt over her jeans.

  “My speed? That comes with time as well.”

  “Not that.” She laughed quietly. “I don’t know any guy who would open a door for a girl.”

  “That does not say much for the men in your life.”

  “No, it doesn’t. That’s why I don’t have any in my life.” She looked at the club’s entrance, the obnoxious neon lighting painted her hair in shades of purple and reds.

  He grinned at her declaration of being unattached. He hadn’t the chance to ask directly, but had not seen or smelled evidence of a man in her bedroom.

  A red carpet led under a canopy, where one of his soldiers guarded the nest door in guise of a bouncer.

  “Onyx is a vampire nest?” She stared at the guard with wide eyes. “I’ve always wanted to go inside.”

  “What has stopped you?”

  She snorted. “The cover charge is more than I make in a day.”

  “Master.” The bouncer’s gaze took in Trixie, lingering on her long legs.

  “Bruce, nice to see you again.” He moved into Bruce’s line of sight, blocking the view. “Where would I find Paulo?”

  “He’s below, attending business.”

  “Hello, Bruce.” She held out her hand. “I’m Trixie.”

  The guard gently shook it. “Miss.” Bruce opened the door.

  She leaned close and whispered, “Who’s Paulo?”

  “Paulo is one of my lieutenants. He takes care of the nest’s daily problems, and technically, the nest is below the club.”

  Viktor set Trixie’s hand on his arm and led her inside her new home. “Night life, income, and a hunting ground all in one place.” Compared to the old days, this was a paradise. Trixie would want for nothing.

  He led her farther inside. Laser lights flashed over the crowded dance floor while the music pounded in his bones.

  Trixie glanced down at her attire then at his. “We need to get you a shirt.” She rose on tiptoe to search the crowd. “Everyone looks so posh. There’s no way Ruby and I would have gotten in.”

  He would not apologize for that. If anything, it gave him relief that she had not been one of the nest’s victims.

  “Do any of these people know vampires live here?”

  He chuckled. “Did you?”

  She shook her head. “Hiding in plain sight. Living in the shadows. You know, most people suspect you exist. I mean, if shifters and magical creatures do, why not vampires?”

  “I will not be in any hurry to ever give television interviews like the wolf pack’s alpha.” He could not imagine a faster way to get staked. “We prey on humans. It’s only natural that they would fight back eventually.” As a race, they had seen it happen time and again. As soon as a nest grew too confident in their relationships with humans, they were wiped out. It only took a small percentage of the humans to lead a mob. “No one likes being food.”

  Her gaze followed a young woman gliding to the bar. “Then these people
don’t know they’re on the menu?” Her grip on his arm tightened. “That seems wrong. The nest doesn’t kill any of them, do they?”

  “Who said anything about killing?” Her reaction eased some of his worry. Her soul was still mostly human. “I have not heard of any massacres on the news.” He winked. “If we feed every night, then we don’t require much. The humans are not even aware.” He pulled her toward the elevators, her eyes still full of wonder.

  “How can they not know?”

  “Shh, not so loud,” he whispered, amused by her conspiratorial glance. “Our bite contains a toxin. Once bitten, their memory is malleable. A bite becomes a kiss or a nip on the throat.” They entered the open elevator and road it to the lower levels. “It also helps the bites heal quickly.”

  “We have roofie venom?” Her lips curled with a sinister smile. “That’s terrible.”

  “Well, not so powerful that the human loses consciousness. The effects are short term and are to detract from attention, not draw it.” He ran his hand over his face. Once Trixie’s hunger returned, her charming morals would vanish and the dancers would be dinner. He wouldn’t let that happen.

  The elevator dinged open and they crossed into a cavern. The walls were left as natural stone but modern comforts, such as indoor plumbing, were readily available. Thick carpets absorbed the sounds of their footsteps and electric lighting lit their way.

  Paulo stood in the center of the large gathering room, dressed in pale gray slacks and a white shirt, button undone at his throat. He set aside the file in his hand. “Master Viktor.” His gaze traveled slowly over Trixie from head to toe, absorbing every little detail. “Hello.” He dragged out his greeting and cupped her hand to kiss her knuckles. “I am Count Paulo Luis de Corcoles, lieutenant of this nest. Who may you be?”

  “Patricia Russell.” Breathy voice. “Everyone calls me Trixie.”

  Viktor moved, forcing Paulo back and breaking his hold on Trixie. She had never told him her full name. “Introductions are over.”

  Paulo bowed. “Patricia of the pink hair, a pleasure to meet you.” He gave Viktor a knowing smile. As soon as he had a moment alone with the Count, Viktor would remind him again who was master in this city. But in all honesty, that would not matter to Paulo when it came to a woman. The little bastard would wait until Viktor turned his back to seduce her from him now that he had had a taste.