Blood Judgment (Judgment Series)

by Nickie Asher

  A moment later, a slightly-past-middle-age man greeted them. “What’s this about?”

  “You have a wanted vampire living in this building. I need to know what apartment he’s in.” Framer produced a photograph and the warrant and handed them to the manager.

  “That’s Saranna Daniels’ cousin,” The manager said. His wife’s eyes were huge with surprise.

  “Saranna Daniels?” Framer didn’t need more vampires to deal with, but he wasn’t surprised.

  “The girl in apartment six. He’s her cousin.” The manager handed back the photo and warrant.

  “Maybe he’s her boyfriend,” Framer said.

  “No. I’ve seen her hanging on another young man. He lives there too.”

  Framer handed the man a folder. “Look through these photos and see if you recognize any of them.”

  The manager took the folder and thumbed through the stack of photographs. He looked at one for a moment and handed it to Framer. “This one. He’s her boyfriend.”

  Framer snorted. “They’re both wanted. They’re dangerous. They’ll put up a fight. Are all these apartments occupied?”

  “Yes,” the manager said. “But everyone, except an old lady in apartment two and a couple in apartment eight, will leave by seven-thirty.”

  “Good. Let the place empty out. We’ll tell the people in two and eight to get out until this is taken care of. Then we’ll get the males out of here.”

  “What about the female?” The manager’s wife asked. Her hands fluttered about as if she didn’t know how to keep them under control.

  “The female will be taken, too. But she isn’t wanted, so she’ll be set free once she’s processed. The males will be put down immediately. You won’t have to worry about them coming back and causing trouble.”

  “Oh, my.” Her eyes darted between him and her husband “I hope you aren’t going to shoot the place up.”

  “We take them down with tranqs. Besides, they aren’t as difficult during the day when they need to sleep.”

  “Oh, thank heavens. I’d hate to see the building torn up.” She still looked unhappy about the matter. “If you’ll excuse me a moment, I have fresh baked pastries. You may as well have some with coffee while you’re getting ready,” she said and scuttled away.

  IN MINUTES, light would spill across the sky and they would be trapped.

  Julian paced, needing to do something, anything, to get them out of danger. He stalked into the bedroom and checked the street through a slit between the heavy drapes. Three uniformed men conferred among themselves.

  The possibility of Saranna being captured and processed was more than he could stand. Yet, there was no way for him to lead them out. He knew the exact moment daylight broke over the city and sprung the trap.

  He returned to the living room. Two pair of eyes settled on him, hope and fear warring on their faces.

  He’d never felt so helpless. And worthless.

  Saranna’s cell phone rang. She snatched it up. The rapid conversation ended with Saranna saying, “Thank you, Mrs. Baxter, you’ve saved our lives.”

  She tucked the phone in her pocket. “The landlady said for us to go to the basement. There’s a hidden space under the stairs.”

  “Why is she helping us?” Suspicion swept across Vali’s face.

  “I don’t know, but we don’t have a choice.”

  The relief in her voice sent the heat of shame through Julian’s blood. He should have been able to get them out. Instead, he’d failed to protect them. He snarled, wanting to refuse aid from a human.

  “Come on, we don’t have time to spare,” Saranna said.

  Julian tucked the pistol in the back of his jeans and Vali struggled off the sofa.

  Saranna headed for the door, but Julian cut her off. “No way. I’m going first.”

  She didn’t argue.

  Julian opened the door a crack and surveyed the empty hall. Satisfied the officers hadn’t entered the building yet, he stepped over the threshold and waited for Vali and Saranna.

  They hurried to the stairs at the end of the hall. The steps leading down into the basement were carpeted, but steep and narrow.

  Vali hobbled down the steps with Julian and Saranna pinning him between them. “Thanks,” he said at the bottom. “Don’t know if I could have made it alone.”

  Julian and Vali followed Saranna to the underside of the stairs.

  “She said the wall is a thin panel that slides,” Saranna said.

  The wall appeared to be ordinary sheetrock, but when Julian placed his hands on it and pushed, it slid, revealing a small closet-like space inside. “Come on.”

  Saranna ducked inside and Vali followed. One of his crutches hit the door and he almost fell. “Son of a fuck.”

  “Oh, damn. Don’t shut it.” Saranna scooted past Julian and went to the dryer.

  “What are you doing?” Julian said.

  “We need something to sit on.” She opened the dryer and pawed through one of their neighbor’s laundry. “We need a comforter or something soft. I’ll go get the one off the bed.”

  “Like hell you will.” Julian intercepted her.

  “I’m getting it. We can’t sit on concrete all day.”

  He smelled a trace of anger. “Forget it. I’m not letting you go back up there and you can be as mad as you want. A numb ass isn’t going to kill any of us. They will!” He wasn’t about to let her leave the safety of the hidden space.

  Overhead, the men tromped with heavy footfalls.

  He slid the panel back into place, closing them in near solid darkness. His eyes adjusted to the lack of light.

  Vali lowered himself onto the concrete. Saranna sat next to him and Julian sank down on her other side. She was right. Sitting on the bare floor sucked.

  He shifted, seeking some measure of comfort and finding none. From his position on the floor, the day loomed large, stretching out for endless miles of cold, ass-numbing waiting.

  THE THUD of heavy boots clomping down the basement steps snapped Julian into wakefulness.

  “Fuck!” Vali jerked upright.

  “Quiet,” Julian snapped and gripped the pistol. He tracked the sounds of the officer’s movements around the basement.

  Saranna grasped his thigh and squeezed. The scent of her fear, bitter and biting, engulfed him. He choked off a growl and eased to his feet. If anyone discovered the door, surprise would be his ally.

  Footfalls approached, came closer, then moved on in search of a more promising hiding place. Something scraped on the concrete. Something else crashed to the floor. After long, heart pounding minutes, the officer tromped back up the steps and out of earshot.

  Saranna and Vali heaved sighs of relief.

  Julian slid to the floor and sat cross-legged. “Try to sleep. I’ll wake you if they come back.”

  “Can you remain awake?” Saranna looked doubtful.

  “Yeah. Go ahead and sleep. You both need it.” He did too, but he didn’t want them to worry. Their nocturnal nature was a liability.

  He sat ramrod straight while Saranna and Vali drifted into sleep. Even in relative darkness, Saranna’s beauty shone like a ray of radiant sunlight. His brilliant light in the night.

  It would be so easy to love her. So easy to give her his heart. So easy to set himself up to have his guts ripped out when something inevitably happened and drove her from him.

  Better to take what she offered and keep it at that. If it made him a pig, oh well. It was better than being hurt. He’d never had a successful relationship.

  He’d never even had a best friend that hadn’t stuck a knife in his back. Long before Tommy, he’d had another best pal. He’d been sixteen when his best friend hit it off with the new kid in town.

  The new kid had taken an instant dislike to Julian and called him a sissy for playing the violin. Three weeks later, his best friend joined the new kid’s camp and Julian was out in the cold. The complete death of their four-year friendship had come when they called hi
m a queer and beat him bloody.

  The beating had been bad, but the betrayal had been worse. He hadn’t had another best friend until Tommy. And that had really worked out well.

  God, it was best not to dredge up the past. But it didn’t stop there, did it?

  Hell, his own father didn’t want him and his mother had deceived him right up to the day she’d died and left him living a lie.

  He ran a hand through his hair and squeezed his eyes shut. No, he didn’t need any more rejection, or any more lies. He rubbed his arms, but now wasn’t the time for getting relief. Besides, the others would smell the blood.

  He leaned back and stared into the darkness. Right now, keeping them safe and out of the hands of the officers was the only thing to worry about.

  He drew up his knees and rested his head on them. His eyelids slid shut. He jerked upright, eyes wide and staring. He had to stay awake.

  A SCRAPING sound tore Julian from a vivid nightmare of restraints and branding. His already thundering heart slammed into his throat. He launched upward into a crouch and their dark hiding place flooded with artificial light. He blinked, blinded by the brightness.

  “Shit,” a voice sputtered.

  Julian shook his head and his vision cleared.

  A uniformed man stood before him, gun in hand. The officer jerked the weapon up.

  Julian sprang, landing on him. The man crumpled and they hit the concrete floor hard.

  Julian knocked the gun away, sending it flying out of reach.

  The officer scrabbled for his pocket and brought his hand up with a sweeping motion.

  Julian lunged to the side. A control device grazed his stomach with a punch that knocked him flat. Stunned, he lay immobile, then his body unlocked and agonizing pain cramped his muscles. He writhed on the concrete, twisting from side to side.

  Snarling, the officer regained his feet and pulled a large blade. “Think you’re smart, cocksucker?” He grabbed Julian and yanked him onto his back.

  He raised the blade over Julian’s heart. Unable to defend himself, he hissed in helpless terror.

  Saranna rocketed from the hiding place and leapt onto the man’s back. She sank her nails into his shoulders and wrapped her legs around his middle. Knocked off balance, he fell with her on top of him.

  He slashed backward with the knife.

  Saranna shrieked.

  The scent of her blood burned into Julian. Everything went black with rage, then scarlet with the need to kill and protect her.

  He pushed his body to move. Though his cramped muscles were loosening, he could only thrash on the concrete.

  Saranna ripped at the officer’s face with her nails.

  “Fuckin’ whore!” He flailed with the knife.

  She grabbed his hand and twisted until he dropped the weapon. He yanked his arm away and twisted himself over, unbalancing her and knocking her off him.

  Julian hissed and forced his body to move despite the pain. Throwing himself forward, he shoved Saranna out of harm’s way with his body and locked the officer beneath him. Julian grabbed the officer’s shirt, yanked him upward, and then slammed his head against the floor with a savage blow. Blood poured onto the floor from the officer’s head, triggering an instant jab of pain in his empty stomach. “Fuck!”

  Julian sprang to his feet and snatched the limp body from the concrete. He hauled the still living man under the stairs and dumped him in front of Vali. “He’s all yours.”

  He didn’t wait to see if Vali took the offering. No ravenous vampire would turn down a free meal.

  Julian crouched beside Saranna who sat on the floor, a hand pressed to her leg. “How badly are you hurt?”

  “It isn’t bad. Just a shallow cut. Can you take care of the mess on the floor?”

  He ignored her question. “You sure you’re okay? Let me see it.”

  “I’m okay.” She moved her hand, displaying the slice in her jeans and the cut beneath the denim.

  Satisfied she was alright, he hurried to the laundry sink and grabbed a stray t-shirt. He wet it and went back to clean up the blood. He scrubbed over the concrete until he wore a hole in the shirt, but he wasn’t happy with the result. A stain remained that would look even worse when the spot dried. And wasn’t that frigging wonderful.

  He disposed of the blood-soaked shirt, ducked into the hiding space, and pulled the door closed.

  Low growls, the feral instinct to protect his food in cramped quarters, punctuated quiet sucking sounds as Vali hovered over the officer’s torn throat.

  The scent of fresh blood twisted Julian’s stomach into painful cramps. How many days had it been since he’d appeased his need for sustenance? He wasn’t sure. Trying to ignore the discomfort in his guts and the odor triggering it, he settled in closer to Saranna and picked up the gun.

  Taking out the officer was a bad deal. Now, his companions would search even harder for them. Would they give up if one of their own went missing? He didn’t think so.

  Vali shoved the corpse away and moved closer to Julian. He looked sheepish, but didn’t apologize.

  The warmth in the dark space worked against them. Julian’s eyelids drooped. Vali drifted into sleep and Saranna soon followed. Julian fought to stay awake, but the power of the day pulled at him and though he couldn’t fight the need for sleep, he woke often and listened for signs of danger.

  Sometime later, the repeated calling of a name awakened him. Looking for the husk in the corner, he guessed. Their comrade wouldn’t be answering any time soon.

  JULIAN AWOKE to quiet knocking. “It’s Nellie Baxter. Open up, they’re gone.”

  Saranna nudged him. “Open the door.”

  Julian wished he could trust the landlady as easily as Saranna did. Placing himself between their benefactress and Saranna, he slid the door open.

  The landlady was alone, but she looked distressed.

  He lowered the pistol.

  “They left a half hour ago. But they’ll be back. One of our people fed them some disinformation, but they won’t buy it long.” She wrung her hands. “You have to get out of here and you can’t come back. It won’t be safe. Get the things you need out of the apartment and I’ll take care of the rest for you.”

  “Disinformation? Our people? What are you talking about?” Julian asked. “Why are you helping us?”

  “Does it matter?”

  “Yes.”

  She hesitated. “They murdered someone I loved like a son. I wouldn’t help those government bastards if it guaranteed me a place in Heaven.”

  “I’m sorry.” Julian believed her.

  “I’m a member of the Red Rose Society. It’s my duty and moral obligation to help you. Now come, you must hurry. Gather as many of your things as you can take. I’ll have the rest sent to Stack-A-Box Storage. You can contact me and I’ll give you the code to get in the storage unit.”

  Julian pointed to the carcass in the corner. “I’ll get him out of here before we leave.”

  TWENTY MINUTES later, Julian tried unsuccessfully to stay out of Saranna’s way as she gathered items and stacked them on the bed.

  Twitching with the need to cut himself into relief, he eyed the bathroom. He considered going in there for a quick slice fix. Nix that. Saranna and Vali would smell the blood.

  He didn’t need either of them psychoanalyzing him. He didn’t need anyone to point out what he did wasn’t part of a normal self-help program. He didn’t need to be told hurting himself to feel good was seriously fucked up. He dropped his head into his hands and shut his eyes against the first sign of a blinder headache coming on.

  A heavy knock rattled the apartment door and the quiet tones of Ashton and Slade filtered through.

  Saranna ushered them inside.

  “I have a truck.” Ashton dangled the keys. “We can take a lot of stuff out of here in a couple loads. But we have to get moving before one of your neighbors puts two and two together and calls the cavalry.”

  Saranna looked dismayed. “I d
on’t have any boxes.”

  “Never fear,” Slade said. “We brought packing boxes.”

  Saranna burst into tears. “We don’t have anywhere to go.”

  Julian gathered her into his arms and pulled her against him. She laid her head on his shoulder and he stroked her hair as her tears dampened his shirt. Some mate he was. “Shh. I won’t let anything happen to you.”

  They would have to go to the shelter and throw themselves on the mercy of the pastor. Any place beat the streets until he found them an apartment.

  Vali looked as if he wanted to die.

  “You have a place to go.” Ashton shouldered past them. “The three of you can have our loft. You have no excuses now. Let’s get moving.”

  Chapter Thirty-three

  JULIAN WASN’T crazy about having a bedroom over Slade’s. Saranna wasn’t the quietest female he’d ever lain with and the idea of her brother listening to them having sex was less than appealing. But Vali had already claimed the smallest of the two loft bedrooms. Otherwise, their new quarters were perfect. Better even than the apartment he’d shared with Tommy.

  As Saranna bent to remove items from a box, he admired her backside. Her long hair hung in a silken curtain and he had an urge to run his hands through the strands.

  That wasn’t his most pressing urge, though. He licked his lips. Hunger burned in him and his fangs ached.

  She straightened and caught him ogling her. “I know that look.”

  She sashayed to the door and flipped the deadbolt.

  Glancing over her shoulder, she gave him a little smile that elevated his internal temperature. He stalked forward and wrapped his arms around her, pulling her tight against him. Giggling, she wriggled her backside against his crotch.

  Julian groaned and pushed against her, wanting her to feel his desire. She turned in his arms. “Sweet lover,” she said and slid her arms around his neck. He pressed his lips to hers in a soft, warm kiss. His hands roamed over her back, traced upward over her silken skin and burrowed into her freshly washed, lemon-scented hair.

  He licked at her lips. Moaning, she opened to his insistent tongue. He explored her mouth and licked at her fangs.