Good, the Bad, and the Vampire

by Sara Humphreys

  Trixie stilled and studied the timid vampire carefully. Something was definitely up with Suzie; she’d probably had one of her wonky visions.

  “Damn, did you have one of your vision thingies,” Trixie whispered. She moved carefully toward Suzie, not wanting to freak her out. “Was it about me and…Dakota?”

  Suzie didn’t look at Trixie but nodded her head furiously, sending a long lock of pale blond hair tumbling free from her ponytail.

  “Yes.”

  “Right.” Trixie ran one hand over her hair. “So you know that we’re bloodmates?”

  “Uh-huh.”

  “Does anyone else know?”

  “Yes,” Suzie whispered shakily. “I kind of spilled the beans on that. Sorry.”

  “Awesome.” Trixie cracked her knuckles but paused when Suzie flinched. “Don’t sweat it. Shit happens. You might as well report to the rest of the coven that we shared the dreamscape last night; no telepathy or anything else so far. Besides, I don’t think Dakota knows what’s going on. And it doesn’t really matter anyway, because I am not blood bonding with him. Daywalking isn’t worth giving up my freedom.”

  “Are you angry or scared?” Suzie lifted one shoulder. “I can’t tell which.”

  “No,” Trixie said a little too quickly. “I mean, jeez, I don’t know. I never really thought I’d find a bloodmate… It’s kind of freaky. I see how Maya, Olivia, and Sadie are with their guys, and it’s like they’re addicted to each other or something. It’s like there’s no choice in the matter. I guess now that I’m really faced with it…yeah…I’m kind of scared and I’m a little pissed. It’s like my future and my life are no longer mine to control. I don’t like it. It reminds me of being human.”

  “Oh, I never really thought of it that way.” Suzie let out a soft hesitant laugh. “I know what you mean about feeling out of control. I feel like that all the time.”

  Trixie’s heart broke for the frightened girl. Suzie was always quiet and painfully shy, but this was the first time she’d seemed truly sad. Trixie silently scolded herself for being abrupt with the girl and immediately softened her approach. Getting pissed at Suzie wouldn’t help anything. None of this was her fault.

  “Is that what you wanted to talk to me about? Dakota?”

  “No.” Suzie’s lips quivered and she started fiddling with her fingers again. “It’s something else.”

  “Okay,” Trixie said slowly. She stood in front of Suzie and gathered both of the woman’s hands into hers, giving them a reassuring squeeze. “What’s going on? Is it Damien? Did something happen with him?” She dipped her head, trying to get Suzie to look at her. “Because you know that boy has it bad for you, something fierce. When are you gonna put the poor man out of his misery and hook up with him? He digs you.”

  “I know but…” Suzie’s mouth curved in a small smile and she giggled briefly. Then the smile faded, replaced by an air of sadness. “Anyway…it’s not about him.”

  “If it’s not about me and Dakota or you and Damien, then—”

  “It’s about the girl in the woods.”

  Her words were barely audible, but they hit with such force she may as well have shouted. A cold blanket of dread settled over Trixie.

  “How do you know about her?” A swirl of anger and fear rippled in her gut, and she fought to keep her voice even. If Dakota had blabbed, she was going to hang him upside down on a cactus wearing nothing but those damn cowboy boots. “Suzie? Who told you about her?”

  “Nobody told me anything. I’ve had visions of you with her before, and then tonight…I saw something else… She’s in trouble.” She jerked her head up to look Trixie in the eyes, and her body started to shake. “Or she’s going to be. I’m sorry…I don’t know when but I think it’s soon.”

  The dizzying hand of panic grabbed Trixie by the throat. She had to push through it and keep her attention on Suzie. Freaking out wouldn’t help Chelsea.

  “It’s okay. I was out there last week and she was fine.” Trixie gently took Suzie’s face in her hands and forced her to look her in the face. “I know you don’t have control over these visions, and that a lot of the time it looks like a mixed-up mess…but I need you to concentrate. Chelsea is very important to me. Okay?”

  “I know.” Suzie nodded, her mouth set in a determined line. “That’s why I’m here.”

  “Good girl.” Trixie tucked the loose strand of hair behind Suzie’s ear. “Now, tell me what you saw. Think, like, real hard, okay? Just stay calm and try to remember.”

  “I saw her with a baby. A girl, I think.”

  “Good.” Trixie nodded and some of the tension that had gathered in her neck eased back. “Okay, that’s good. She’s still pregnant, at least she was a week ago, and I don’t think she’s due for a month or so. What else?”

  “There’s a man.” She squeezed her eyes shut and wrinkled her nose. “And he smells funny, like rotten flowers.”

  “That’s her boyfriend, I think. He stinks,” Trixie said quietly. But in the dreamscape with Dakota, right before that thing attacked him, she’d smelled that same stomach-churning odor. “I picked up a scent like that the last time I saw her with him.”

  “I heard arguing… He wants to know where it is.” Suzie pressed her fingers to her eyes with both hands and groaned, as though in pain. “He wants something but she won’t give it to him or she can’t,” she whimpered, a pained expression covering her face. “It burns…”

  Anxiety rippled through Trixie’s chest.

  “Stop. It’s okay, Suzie.” Trixie gathered her friend into her arms and held her shaking body close. Pressing a kiss to her hair, she whispered, “It’s gonna be fine. I’ll go out there and check on Chelsea.”

  “Please don’t go alone.” Suzie lifted her tearstained face and grabbed Trixie’s shoulders tightly, her eyes wild. “I-I might be wrong. I don’t want there to be trouble. Please take Dakota with you. I’d never forgive myself if something happened to you because of me.”

  “I’ll be fine, Suzie.” Trixie kissed her forehead and pulled her into a tight hug. “Chelsea hasn’t had the baby yet, so we have some time, right?”

  “I guess,” she sniffled. “But I still don’t think…”

  “Stop.” Trixie put an arm around Suzie and gestured to the rest of the room. “Look around you, girl. I am pretty sure I can handle a smelly human. It’ll be fine. I’ll fly over there tonight and look in on her. I want to see if I can find out more about this boyfriend of hers.” She let out a sigh. “Shit, I was really hoping he was the good guy that I thought he was. Just goes to show you, you never know. Even the nice guys turn out to be jerks. Come on, I’ll walk you back to the Presidium offices.”

  “No.” Suzie shook her head adamantly and swiped at her teary eyes. “I’m really not the helpless mess everyone thinks I am, and besides, I have to go back to my apartment first.”

  “Come on, no one thinks that.” Trixie knew she didn’t sound as convincing as she wanted to, and Suzie’s doubting expression only confirmed it. “Hey, you’ve only been vamp for, like, two years. You’re still a baby, and I’ve never heard of another vampire with visions like yours.”

  “I wish I was strong like you and the other girls.” Suzie bit her lip. “I feel so out of control and scared all the time. I keep waiting for it to get easier but it doesn’t. It gets worse.”

  Trixie understood that feeling all too well. When she had been a drug-addicted human, her life was nothing but out of control and soaked in fear. Unlike for Suzie, becoming a vampire had stopped all of that. At least until recently.

  “You sure you don’t want me to wait and walk you over there? I have plenty of time. The club doesn’t open for a couple of hours.”

  “I’ll be fine. Besides, Damien is going to meet me at my place and walk me over like he always does.”

  “You’re lucky, Suz.” Trixie pull
ed the door open. “Damien’s a great guy.”

  “He is,” she agreed quietly. Suzie stepped out into the hallway and once again fixed her gaze to the floor. “But…he’s not my bloodmate.”

  “Wait a minute. How do you—”

  “Getting involved with Damien wouldn’t be fair to him, and you rejecting Dakota would be equally unfair. He cares for you, Trixie, and he is your bloodmate. You should give him a chance… Don’t punish him for someone else’s sins.”

  Trixie opened her mouth to respond, but before she could utter a word, Suzie vanished in a blur of speed down the hall and into her apartment, the door shutting loudly behind her. A tsunami of conflicting emotions fired through Trixie as she strode toward her bedroom to get ready for the night. She wished more than ever that she still had that intimate telepathic connection with her maker and her siblings. She’d lost that when each of them found their bloodmate. A painful sense of loneliness crept into her heart, and she fought the surprising swell of tears that threatened to erupt.

  She tore off her clothes and turned on the shower, needing to wash away the bundle of uncomfortable feelings. With the water pouring over her, she closed her eyes tightly and reached out with her mind in a desperate but feeble attempt to connect with her family. They wouldn’t hear her—all of them had bloodmates now and could only telepath with them—but she still felt the need to try.

  I miss you so much.

  The silence that followed was more heartbreaking than ever. Just when she felt everything begin to unravel and she was about to go completely crazy, a slow, familiar drawl filled the empty spaces.

  Now, that’s about the finest thing I’ve heard in a good long while.

  Trixie’s eyes shot open and she looked around wildly, half expecting to find Dakota standing in the shower with her. She yanked open the curtain but found the black-and-white tiled bathroom completely empty.

  She was alone…and yet…she wasn’t. And only two minutes ago she had been bemoaning the fact that she couldn’t telepath with anyone anymore. Trixie squeezed her eyes closed and shivered as she shut off the water. Careful what you wish for. Jeez. Time to nip this in the bud.

  Get out of my head, cowboy.

  You started it, missy. It’s been a hell of a long time since I’ve been able to telepath with anyone. My maker’s been gone the better part of fifty years and I have no siblings or progeny. A sound of contentment, almost a growl, rumbled through his words and sent a shiver over her wet naked flesh. I ain’t gonna lie, if this is one of the perks of bein’ bloodmates, then I am all for it.

  Trixie froze. He knew. Damn it all. Her only saving grace had been that she hadn’t thought he knew what was going on. So much for her having some time to figure everything out. She snagged a fluffy towel off the rack beside the sink and dried herself off with furious strokes.

  You finally caught up, I see? Took you long enough.

  Xavier brought me up to speed, but shame on you, Trixie. Dakota’s gritty laugh rolled around her in annoyingly enticing waves. You knew what was happening in the dream last night but you played dumb. I’ll have to remember that look on your face.

  What look?

  The innocent wide-eyed thing. That’s your tell, darlin’. Next time I see it, I’ll know you’re lyin’.

  Don’t presume to think you know something about me because we shared a totally stupid dream.

  I know you better than you think I do. I suppose the universe knew what it was doin’ when it paired us up.

  There is no us. There’s you. There’s me. And there’s a bloodmate legend. That’s it. We don’t have to participate in it if we don’t want to—and I don’t want to. I am not interested in being bound to anyone or anything. I like my life. If I’m going to be with a man, it will be exactly that—because I want to be with him. Get it? Not because I have to be.

  Silence filled the air and for a moment she thought that he’d broken the connection.

  I couldn’t agree more. His voice whispered through her head in a low seductive murmur. I’ve wanted you since the first time I laid eyes on you. But if you don’t want to commit to a bloodmate bond with me, then I won’t make you.

  Are you serious? Trixie scoffed out loud as she got dressed. You don’t want to force the issue.

  I may be many things, darlin’, but I have never forced a woman to be with me and I sure as hell won’t start now. You have a nice night.

  There was no mistaking it this time. When Dakota severed their mental link, an odd aching emptiness filled Trixie’s chest. She rubbed at it absently, as though that physical movement would make it go away. But it was no use. Dakota wasn’t going anywhere and neither was the unseen connection between them.

  * * *

  Luckily the club wasn’t as busy as usual and Maya didn’t balk when Trixie said she had to leave early. She hadn’t been able to stop thinking about Chelsea or, more importantly, Suzie’s vision. All of Trixie’s protective instincts were on overdrive, and all she could focus on that night was getting out to the cabin to make sure Chelsea was okay.

  Trixie knew she wasn’t a particularly smart person. That had been evident in the choices she’d made when she was human. But she did trust her gut. Her gut—that inner voice that warned her about danger, the one that had grown loud and trustworthy as a vampire—was never ever wrong.

  Her gut had told her something was up at the cabin but she’d been thrown off her game when Dakota arrived. Damn him and this stupid bloodmate legend. It was messing with her life already, and it had only just begun.

  Trixie flew through the cool spring evening as fast as her powers would allow her. Maybe she should have broken the no-live-feeds rule this one time. The rush of blood from a living, breathing human always boosted her powers. As she whisked over the tall pine trees, the scent of the woods filled her head.

  The lights of the little cabin twinkled in the distance and some of the tension instantly eased from her neck. When the familiar and enticing of scent of sandalwood filled the air, though, any serenity she had found was immediately gone.

  Dakota.

  Anxiety mixed with uncertainty shimmied through her body, and just when she was about to shout his name into the night, the son of a bitch flew up in front of her and blocked her path. She swore loudly and dove around him in midair before coming to a screeching halt. The two of them must have looked like quite the sight, hovering above the treetops, but Trixie didn’t care. She didn’t give a rat’s ass if anyone saw them, because she was too annoyed.

  “What’s the matter, darlin’?” Dakota drawled. He hovered in front of her, the edges of his leather coat fluttering in the air around him. “Surprised to see me?”

  Too irritated to speak, Trixie set her mouth in a tight line as she pointed furiously toward the ground. Not watching to see if he followed, she dropped noiselessly onto the forest floor. If she was going to have it out with him, it was probably not smart to do it up in the air. He had way more battle time than she did, and she’d be able to handle him much easier if she had her feet under her.

  Hands on her hips, she fought to keep her growing frustration under control, to say nothing of the unwelcome surge of desire she experienced with increasing frequency. A subtle disturbance in the air behind her, combined with Dakota’s intriguing scent, let her know the cowboy had landed.

  “You gonna speak to me or are you gonna stand there all night with your panties in a bunch?”

  Trixie kept her gaze fixed on the little white lights in the distance that peeked out between the trees. Seeing the cottage and knowing Chelsea was close gave her some peace. But not much.

  “Why did you come back here?” she asked quietly. “I told you to stay away. Not only that but stalking me is not cool either.”

  Trixie turned around, surprised to find Dakota mere inches away. His towering form filled the space, making the woods feel claustrophobic
as the force of his presence seemed to surround her. The sharp edges and dark curves of his face were highlighted by the silvery-blue slashes of his eyes. They stood out in the moonlit shadows and stirred a flurry of sensations she’d all but forgotten.

  She didn’t know if she wanted to fight him or fuck him. Fear had a funny way of screwing with her senses.

  The air around them hummed with awareness.

  It wasn’t him that frightened her.

  Trixie was terrified of the way Dakota made her feel, the way her body responded to his, and the invisible pull that grew stronger with each encounter. Warmth. A tiny tingling at first was swiftly swelling into a tantalizing burn. A little wasn’t enough. She wanted more of the delicious heat that simmered in her belly every time he was nearby.

  That sensation was addictive; he would be too.

  And the idea of being addicted to anyone or anything else ever again was completely terrifying.

  She did not want to revert to the pathetic human girl of her past. And she’d been a mess. A pathetic drug-addled disaster who had made one bad choice after another. She refused to go back to that girl, to that way of living, ever again. Getting addicted to Dakota or the way he made her feel was not going to happen. If she was this attracted to him before a blood exchange, what the hell would she feel after one?

  Dependent. Needy. Pathetic.

  “Answer me.” Trixie kept her hands at her side and her stance balanced, wanting to be ready for anything. “I asked you—no, scratch that—I told you not to come back. But here you are, bold as shit. So what gives?”

  “Just followin’ up on somethin’.” He shrugged casually. “That’s all.”

  “There’s nothing to follow up on.” She squared her shoulders and lightened her tone. “She’s a regular human woman. Can’t you just let it alone?”

  Silence hung between them and an owl hooted in the distance.

  “Why are you always lookin’ to pick a fight with me?” He tilted his head and the smooth, even sound of his voice curled around her in the dark. “Look at the way you’re standin’. I know a fight stance when I see one, and you shift into one almost every time I’m around. Now, why do you suppose that is?”