by Jane Hinchey
She didn't see him move. She did, however, feel his hand grab her by the throat and shove her back into the wall. Her training kicked in. Her dad had brought his girls up never to be the victim.
Swinging her forearm up, she dislodged his grip with her right arm while delivering a cracking blow to his nose with her left. He let go, both hands going to his nose, which was streaming blood. She brought her knee up into his groin, hard. When he doubled over, groaning, she delivered another forceful punch to his stomach, putting everything she had into it.
Hoping she'd bought herself enough time, she rushed to the front door. She wasn't foolish enough to believe she could outfight a vampire, but if she could buy herself enough time to get in her truck and get away, that was a win in her books.
She wasn't fast enough. The vamp pulled himself together by the time she reached the front door - a mere three seconds later. With an outraged snarl, he lunged for her back. She half-turned, managing to get a leg up, her boot landing against his stomach to try and hold him off. He grabbed her ankle and twisted, pain shooting up her leg and forcing her to twist her body in the same direction or risk him snapping her bones.
She found herself face down on the floor, one very angry vampire sitting on her back, crushing her.
"Listen up, bitch," he snarled in her ear. With no other options open to her at that particular moment, Georgia complied.
"Zak Goodwin has a ring. My boss needs it. You've got one week to deliver the ring. Before you protest again, know this - I not only know where you live, I know where your sister lives. Understand me?" Georgia's heart froze at the obvious threat to her sister. "Understand?" He shook her when she didn't respond. She nodded her head, unable to draw breath to speak with him crushing her lungs.
"One week. I'll be watching. Tell anyone about this and your sister gets it." His hand wound into her braid, pulling her head back before slamming her forehead into the floor. Pain exploded behind her eyes then everything went black.
Georgia wasn't sure how much time had passed before she came to. She struggled to a sitting position, a hand going to her forehead where she could feel a huge lump. Her head throbbed and she knew she'd have a wicked bruise. Feeling shaky she clambered to her feet. Making her way into the kitchen, she searched for an ice pack to put on the swollen lump on her forehead and some painkillers.
On the fridge door, a photo was stuck beneath a magnet. It was a picture of a ring - she assumed it was the ring Zak had that these goons wanted. She squinted closer at the design woven into the band. Wait...it was the same design as the dagger, only on a smaller scale. How could that be? Scrawled across the bottom corner of the photo were the words, "I'm watching."
Head hurting too much to think of the mess she'd managed to find herself in, Georgia shoved the photo into a drawer.
After taking some painkillers, she slowly climbed the stairs, holding a bag of frozen peas against her aching head. In the bathroom she turned on the taps to the bath, knowing she was going to be sore tomorrow. Her hip ached where the vamp had twisted her leg, and her ribs felt bruised where she'd hit the floor and he'd sat on her. Thankfully she didn't think anything was broken.
As the bath filled, she examined her injury in the mirror. The skin hadn't broken, but a bruise was already forming. Despite the swelling, she'd probably gotten off lucky. Stripping off she eased her aching bones into the soothing water, settling back with a sigh, for once in her trouble-strewn life at a loss as to what to do.
Even if she wanted to, she didn't know how she'd get the ring away from Zak. She'd have to watch to see if he ever took it off. But then what? How would she steal it out from under him? It crossed her mind that she could simply tell him about the vamp's visit, but could she risk her sister's safety? Would the vamp find out and hurt her sister before Zak could do anything about it? And there was no guarantee Zak would protect her sister, or even be inclined to do anything about the vamp who'd visited her. It wasn't a risk she was prepared to take.
There was no hiding that bruise, Georgia admitted the following morning. The unattractive lump had gone down, leaving a dark bruise the size of her palm reaching from her eyebrow to her hairline. She'd considered styling her hair differently to try and hide it, but there was no way, so she pulled her hair back into a high ponytail instead, letting it swing down her back.
She'd just let herself into Zak's house, hoping to get upstairs to the bedroom before anyone saw her, but her luck had clearly run out. Zak himself was moving down the hallway from the back of the house, coffee cup in hand.
"Morning, want a cup?" He indicated his mug.
"No, I'm good thanks," Georgia kept moving but he intercepted her at the bottom of the stairs. His free hand grabbed her arm.
"You're hurt."
"Just a bruise, I'm fine." She tried to shrug his hand off her arm, but he held on. He turned her to face him fully.
"Who did it?" he growled, anger darkening his eyes.
"Geez, settle down," she complained, not meeting his eyes, "no one 'did it'" her fingers using air quotes, "I tripped and smacked my head into the door frame. No big deal."
He knew she was lying. Her heart was racing and she refused to look at him.
"No, you didn't."
"Leave it." She took off up the stairs, hoping he wouldn't notice her limp. Her leg and hip were still painful from the twist and fall, and her ribs ached with each breath. She let out a sigh of relief when he didn't follow her.
Work was hell. Each movement caused her injuries to flare in protest. She was kneeling on the floor, laying out the basic framework for the bed, pain radiating through her body. With a groan, she straightened. God, she felt like crap. It was time for another dose of painkillers.
Before she could get the strip of pain killers out of her back pocket Zak came striding into the room, determination in every step.
"That's it," he snapped, hauling her to her feet. She cried out, her muscles protesting at the sudden movement. "I've been feeling your pain all morning. This is more than a bump on the head. What the fuck is going on, Georgia!" His anger made her bristle.
"Oh stop trying to be the hero," she scolded. "This isn't one of your books."
He closed his eyes with an exasperated sigh. "Christ, woman."
Georgia swayed before him, her hand reaching out to steady herself against his chest. Her body hurt everywhere - she'd pushed herself too hard today with her injuries, and she was paying the price.
He pulled her into his arms and she struggled, causing more pain.
"Let me go," she whispered, pain making her fragile and she hated it. It hurt so much she thought she was going to be sick. Maybe she had some broken bones after all.
"The longer you struggle, the longer I hold you," he murmured. She stopped struggling and he smiled. "Relax."
The air changed, she swore she could see a white glow, like an aura surrounding them. His warm palm rested against her bruised brow, before slowly moving down, seemingly knowing where she was hurt and heading straight to her sore spots, laying against her ribs, then her hip. Each place he touched flared with a sharp hot sting followed by a strange tingling sensation, the pain slowly easing before disappearing altogether.
She felt dizzy and slightly sick, her knees giving way beneath her. He supported her weight, moving them across the floor before sliding down the wall until he was seated on the floor, positioning her on his lap, her back resting against his chest, her head falling back on his shoulder.
Georgia knew she should protest, but she simply didn't have the energy to move. He'd done something to her. Her bones felt like limp strands of spaghetti, but at least the pain was gone.
"You've healed me," she murmured.
"I have." His voice rumbled against her back.
"You're not a vampire. You would have healed me with blood."
"You know about vampires?" He sounded surprised.
"I know about all sorts of creatures," she admitted, "have ever since I was a kid."
> "That explains it." He absently stroked her arm. "You're psychic?" he guessed.
"Mmmm." Her eyes drifted closed, whatever spell he was weaving around them was working. She was sleepy, relaxed, more comfortable than she cared to admit. She'd just steal a few minutes, she told herself.
"You're something...just can't get a read on you," she admitted.
"Well, you're half right. I'm a half-breed. Half vampire, half angel."
Georgia's eyes opened and she turned to look at him, not lifting her head from his shoulder. She wasn't surprised by his admission. Or afraid. He looked down at her. Their faces were so close their lips were practically touching, his dark eyes burning into hers. He was so goddamn sexy.
She felt something pushing at her mind and squinted her eyes at him.
"What are you doing?"
"Trying to read your mind."
"Is it working?" God, why was she so lethargic? She knew she should be angry at him for the intrusion, yet she couldn't seem to stir herself to react.
"No. For some reason, I can't read you."
"That's good."
"You're the only one I can't read."
"Ever?"
"Ever." She watched him, watching her. Her eyes drifted closed as his mouth lowered to hers. He was like a drug, affecting her senses, clouding her mind. Softly his mouth touched hers, his lips warm. A sigh drifted from her, and he took advantage, easing her lips open, seeking access to her mouth. She gave it up without a second thought. Mouth moving against his, getting hungrier by the second, her tongue dueling with his.
The hand on her arm moved up to her neck, sliding against her jaw and cupping the back of her head, holding her in place while his mouth plundered hers. She could feel his erection grow against her hip, her core tightening in response.
Breathless, she broke the kiss, panting.
"I can't."
"Why fight it? I know you want me just as badly as I want you." His growled words sent a shudder of arousal through her. She needed to put some distance between them so she could think straight.
Before he could stop her she'd crawled off his lap, kneeling on the floor several feet away, not sure her legs would support her if she tried to stand. He let her go, raising one knee and resting his arm on it, as he regarded her.
"Who roughed you up last night? An old boyfriend?"
Oh, so they were back to that. The change of topic was a relief.
"No one. I told you, I did it to myself. Anyway, why old boyfriend? Could be a current boyfriend."
"You're a lousy liar. And I asked around. There's no boyfriend."
"You asked around? Why?" She scooted further away until she was leaning against the opposite wall, the length of the room between them.
"I'd prefer not to have the complication of a jealous boyfriend when I fuck you."
"You're not going to fuck me!" she protested.
"It's inevitable, Georgia. But in the meantime, I can help you with this." His hand waved at her body, indicating the injuries he'd just healed.
"You can't help." She chose to ignore his outrageous claim that he was going to get her into bed. One kiss didn't mean anything.
"Try me. You'd be surprised."
Georgia considered for a moment. Could she put her sister in jeopardy? Would the vamp who'd paid her a visit somehow know if she told Zak? No, she couldn't risk it.
"I can't. Just leave it." Scrambling to her feet, Georgia quickly left the room. It would be so easy to tell him, but there were no guarantees it wouldn't make matters worse. His house in Elen Hills had just been blown to kingdom come for Christ's sake; obviously, trouble was following him around and somehow she'd been dragged into it.
"Fuck it," she heard him curse as she rushed down the stairs. Spending the rest of the day working on the dining table in her workshop seemed the best option for now.
Zak heard the front door slam, followed seconds later by the roar of Georgia's truck.
He sat where she'd left him, the taste of her still on his lips. He'd never had to work at getting a woman into bed before; hell, they'd been throwing themselves at his feet for the past five hundred years.
He was riled and frustrated. He was inexplicably drawn to her, the effect she had on him unsettling. He wanted her, badly, burned with the need to have her surrender to him, but there was something else. He was concerned for her, angry that someone had hurt her, disappointed that she wouldn't confide in him. He'd find out who'd laid hands on her and destroy the bastard. No one touched what was his. He was also unsettled by the powerful emotions he hadn't experienced in years, if ever.
While he couldn't read Georgia's mind, he could read her body. He knew she wanted him, but he also knew something had her on edge and distracted. She projected such a tough girl image, that she could handle anyone and anything that came her way, but he was starting to see the cracks, and if she'd only let him help her, he could spare her all this unnecessary stress.
He also needed to find out what she knew about the first blade.
8
Georgia pulled off a boxing glove with her teeth, body covered in a sheen of sweat, breath rasping in and out of her chest. The bag had taken a fair beating this evening. She'd tried to work off her frustrations on the dining table, but nothing could shake the memory of the kiss she'd shared with Zak - and his certainty that they were destined to take things further. But what rattled her most was his unspoken concern for her, the way he'd held her after he'd healed her, the comfort she felt coming off him in waves.
She'd just pulled off her other boxing glove when a sound outside caught her attention. She focused, searching with her mind. There! A faint tingling. A vampire was approaching. With no time to think she quickly palmed a chisel from the workbench, the blade resting along the inside of her arm, out of sight. Seconds later the thug appeared in the workshop doorway. Surprise briefly shot across his face when he saw her unbruised face.
"Well, well, well," he murmured, walking toward her. She refused to back away. He was trying to intimidate her, and even though it was working, he didn't need to know that.
"This is going to be easier than we thought." He stopped in front of her and reached out to touch her face. She jerked her head away, which he ignored. "He's healed you." He watched her for a moment, thinking.
"Unless..." he suddenly grasped her by the throat and propelled her back against the wall, "unless you told him about my visit?" he snarled.
"If I'd told him, do you think you'd be standing here now?" she replied, as calmly as she could, even though her heart was thundering in her chest. "He'd have torn this town apart looking for you." Georgia didn't know if that was true; Zak may shrug and not give a damn, but she was going on instinct here.
The thug grunted in acknowledgment. "You've seen the ring?" he demanded.
"He wears it. I don't know how you think I'm meant to get it away from him without him noticing. It's not like I can ask him for it and he'll simply hand it over."
"Find a way," he snarled, backhanding her across the face. The force of the blow knocked her off her feet. Eyes watering from the sting in her cheek she flipped the blade in her hand and lunged for him, sinking the sharp blade into his abdomen. She'd been aiming for his chest, hopefully, his heart, but he'd moved and she'd struck much lower than intended.
He roared in pain. She kept a grip on the chisel while they both struggled for it. It weakened him; if she could just get another shot, she might be able to take this asshole out. It was too hard to try and drag the chisel up through his torso, she wasn't strong enough, but if she pulled it out and then rammed it back in a few inches higher, that'd do it.
She pulled it out and had it raised in both hands, this time above his heart, but those precious few seconds were all the vamp needed. Still bleeding heavily, he pushed her away and fled.
Georgia brushed the dirt off her backside and assessed her injuries. Besides the sting in her cheek and the bruising on her neck, she'd actually come out of this round okay. Not
bad for a human chick.
Zak was waiting for her as she pulled up the following morning. He stepped down the porch and was at the door of her truck before she'd turned off the engine. She pushed the door open, forcing him to step back.
"Geez Zak, bit of space please," she grumbled at him. Hands clamping down on her shoulders kept her from moving as his eyes did a thorough inspection of her body. Her cheek had been a little pink this morning, but tinted moisturizer had taken care of that. Unfortunately, the finger and thumbprints circling her throat hadn't been so easy to cover up. He spotted them immediately, his own hand spanning her throat, measuring the bruises - only his touch was feather soft against her skin.
"Someone grabbed you by the throat, hard enough to bruise."
There was no lie to get her out of it, so she said nothing. His hand moved up to touch her cheek.
"And you're hiding something here." His thumb stroked across her cheek and she closed her eyes, not wanting to enjoy the caress but unable to help herself.
"Who is hurting you?" he asked softly, so close she could feel his breath against her face. She didn't dare open her eyes if she looked into the depths of his she might give in, and she didn't want that; she could handle this on her own. She'd gotten rid of the thug vamp last night with minimal injury to herself - she could do it again. If they found out she'd told him, they'd hurt Skye.
With a soft curse, he stepped back. Clasping her hand in his, he entwined their fingers. Her eyes shot open. He was grinning at her.
"Coffee?" Confused and wary of his change of tactic, she nodded and allowed him to lead her into the house.
Veronica appeared at the top of the stairs, her eyes zeroing in on their hands. Georgia instinctively tried to pull away, but Zak held fast. His eyes locked with Veronica's and it was as if they were communicating. She looked pissed. He looked impassive. She whirled and disappeared from sight, her vamp speed making it impossible for Georgia to follow her movements.
Georgia watched Zak with a frown, confused. After the silent altercation with Veronica he'd led her into the kitchen, made them both a coffee and updated her on the progress in the house as if nothing had happened. He was playing with the ring, turning it around and around on his finger, drawing her gaze.
