Ryker grunted his agreement. “Let’s take the subway.”
“Good idea.”
Ryker led the way down the street to the nearest subway station. I took the subway every day, but I don’t think I’d ever get used to the disgusting smell. I wrinkled my nose as we stepped out onto the platform, the stench of urine and sweat clinging to my nose. Was it just me, or was the smell worse than usual?
The ground rumbled beneath my feet with the sound of the approaching train. A horn blared, and I clutched my purse close. I’d had it stolen once before, which is why I’d invested in a bag with a cross-body strap. Still, the memory of a man in a mask ripping my bag away from me and tearing up the subway station steps still haunted me every time I stepped foot on a subway platform.
“Are you all right? Afraid something will get stolen?” Ryker asked. He glanced from my face to my hands clutching my purse close.
“I’m fine,” I said with a tight smile.
The train pulled up to the station before he could respond. Dozens of New Yorkers slipped out of the train onto the platform. As soon as the doors were clear, I rushed forward to get inside along with dozens of others.
This time of night, the train was packed—frying my nerves. I hated being squeezed up against strangers, gripping the bar above my head for fear I might fall. The train lurched forward, and I stiffened my legs to keep from falling. My knuckles were white around the plastic handhold.
“You don’t like subways,” Ryker guessed. “Why didn’t you say anything?” His breath was hot on my neck. He stood behind me, only a scarce couple of inches between us.
I shook my head in an attempt to get myself together. “It’s not like I’m deathly afraid of them or anything.”
He snorted softly.
“What? I’m not! I just don’t like being so close to dozens of strangers.” Seriously, who enjoyed that?
His hand rested on my hip, simultaneously calming and grounding me, while also sending a shiver through my entire body. My legs swayed, suddenly made of jelly.
“Everything will be fine,” he assured me. His voice was low and rugged, not helping my jelly-legs one bit. “I’ve got you.”
I nodded slightly as his chest pressed against my back. His body helped to steady me, and though he had been a stranger just last night, I relaxed.
By the time we pulled up to our stop, my heart had stopped racing, and my legs stopped wobbling.
Ryker guided me out of the train car and into the station. We reached the street without a word. A bracing rush of air tore my hair from my shoulders and sent it whipping against my face. I pushed it aside, trying in vain to tuck it behind my ears. This must be how Gloria felt. That girl had a lot of hair to tame.
The thought of my friend sent a shot of cold through me. I hadn’t checked my phone in awhile. Had either of them answered?
While Ryker inspected the street, I yanked my cellphone out of my purse. I unlocked the screen and checked for messages. I had about a dozen from Gloria and Jamie, wondering what happened last night and if I was okay. Neither of them understood why they’d left, only that they needed to leave and quick.
My eyebrows furrowed as I read their messages. They made no sense, and were seriously shit excuses, but at least they were alive. I typed out a quick reply, letting them know I was safe and would call them when I could.
“The bar is around the block,” Ryker said. He nodded down the unfamiliar street.
“Wait, bar?” I slipped my phone back into my purse and looked up to inspect the street. Where the hell were we?
“Yes,” Ryker said. “Your friend left an address for a bar.”
Well that made about as much sense as Ryker being a vampire. “O-kay,” I said, stretching out the word. “Maybe she moved into an upstairs apartment?”
Ryker’s jaw was steel as he led the way down the street. There was something he wasn’t telling me. From the sudden tensing of his shoulders, I had a feeling I wasn’t going to like it.
“What’s going on?” I asked cautiously.
He glanced my way. “The address is to a vampire hangout.”
My eyes widened. “Are you trying to tell me that Eli is a vampire?”
He shrugged.
“That’s impossible,” I said. “First of all, vampires aren’t real. Second, I’ve seen Eli in full sunlight, so even if she were a vampire, she couldn’t step into sunlight without burning alive or something, right?”
“Right.” He said nothing about the vampires being real thing.
We turned the corner, and there it was. A neon red sign across the street read: Crimson Kiss.
“Subtle,” I mumbled.
Ryker smiled as he took my hand and led the way across the street. I flushed as he squeezed my fingers. He was surprisingly cold, yet his hand warmed in mine. Maybe he just ran cold, bad circulation or something—that didn’t make him a vampire.
He paused outside the door. The bottom half of the building was painted entirely black, while the brick of the top remained unblemished. The windows were all tinted and thick curtains blocked me from peering inside.
Ryker took my elbow in hand and forced me to look at him. “When we go inside, I want you to wait at the bar. I know a few people here, and I’m going to see what they know about Eli.”
I raised an eyebrow. “Are you trying to side-line me?”
His lips twitched. “No, I’m trying to keep you safe.”
I couldn’t help rolling my eyes. “Listen here, Prince Charming, I can take care of myself.”
His smile grew wide enough to flash those sharpened canines of his. “I know.”
My cheeks heated. Then what was he telling me to sit at the bar for?
“Just trust me,” he said, raising his eyebrows.
As I stared into the red-brown of his gaze, I realized I did trust him—at least a little bit. He hadn’t done anything to hurt me. He hadn’t tried to take advantage of me, or locked me in the loony bin like any normal person would have done. Instead, he was doing everything in his power to help me. All because he didn’t want to let a “demon with amnesia” run around on her own.
I narrowed my eyes at him. “Fine.”
Ryker laid his hand on my back again. He guided me to the door, opening it for me before gently urging me inside.
The second we stepped through the door, copper assaulted my nose. I inhaled sharply, white stars flashing across my vision. What the hell?
“It is a vampire bar after all,” Ryker explained next to my ear.
My entire body stiffened as Ryker led me to the bar. Once I sat down he ordered me a soda. “You good?” he asked.
I nodded, though my entire body felt anything but good right now. My gut twisted with something unfamiliar and saliva filled my mouth. My eyebrows furrowed as I stared at the bar. I breathed through my mouth, trying to get rid of the smell of blood filling my nostrils.
Ryker hesitated for only a moment longer before slipping off to the back, which was lined with black leather booths. The entire place was done in black with dim lighting and a smoky atmosphere.
It definitely screamed vampire hangout.
“Here you go.” The bartender set a napkin on the bar in front of me, placing a chilled glass with dark soda inside.
“Thanks,” I mumbled.
The man flashed me a polite smile before slipping down the bar to help someone else.
Again, I breathed deeply, but it was like I could taste the air. Copper lodged in my throat until I could hardly breathe. I closed my eyes and counted down from ten, just like I did when I felt a panic attack coming on. But instead of panic rising in me, there was something else. Something I didn’t quite understand.
“Good evening, love. I don’t think I’ve seen you around here before.” A man sat next to me, dressed in all black with pale skin and slicked back hair. Again, his look screamed vampire.
It was so cliché it almost made me laugh.
“It’s my first time,” I said. I took a qui
ck drink of my soda, and the burst of sugar helped to calm the need clawing up my throat.
“Are you a fledgling?” The man tilted his head as he looked me up and down. His nostrils flared. “Oh, you aren’t a vampire, are you?”
I shook my head. “Nope.”
Maybe this was some sort of roleplaying thing, or a themed bar where everyone pretended to be vampires. I had to admit, it could have its appeal. Sip martinis all night while you dress up and pretend to be something other. It might not be my thing, but I bet Gloria and Jamie would enjoy it.
“Let me guess…” He smirked as he eyed my exposed thighs. “Succubus?”
I snorted. “No.”
He hummed softly as he sipped on the thick red liquid in his martini glass. An amused smile twisted my lips. They even had blood cocktails. How cute.
“Well you’re certainly not human,” he said at last.
I rolled my eyes. He laughed. “I get you’re sticking to the theme, buddy, but I’m only here for a few minutes. You don’t have to act with me.”
The man raised an eyebrow. “Theme?”
I motioned at the bar. “The vampire theme. It’s cute, really, but I’m not sure I’m into roleplaying.”
“You think this is all an act?” He blinked at me, stunned.
“Obviously.” I sipped on my soda while he stared at me like he’d just been told the Tooth Fairy wasn’t real.
“Oh my,” he said. A devious grin tore across his handsome face. “Then what would you call those?” He pointed at a shadowed booth at the back where a man’s face was pressed to a pretty woman’s throat.
“Two people who give zero shits about PDA.”
He snorted. “And this?” He raised his blood cocktail.
“A cute way to add to the theme.”
The man chuckled. “Why don’t you give it a try then?”
I glanced from his red eyes—pretty good contacts actually—to the red liquid in his martini glass. “What does it taste like?”
“Blood.”
Again, I rolled my eyes. “Mhm.”
“If you don’t believe me, why don’t you try it?” He slid the glass across the bar to me.
I stared at it with a raised eyebrow. I’d just seen him drink it, so it couldn’t be roofied. There would have been no time to slip anything into it. Plus, Ryker was here. He’d been kind and helpful so far. If this guy tried anything, I’m sure a scream would bring him running.
What did I have to lose?
“All right,” I said. I took the stem of the glass in hand. It was ice cold, but the rest of the glass was warm. My eyebrows furrowed as I leaned down to sniff the liquid. It definitely smelled like blood, and made my head swim. That was odd. Then again, I hadn’t eaten anything today. Maybe I was just hungry.
“Well?” He nodded at the glass, impatient for me to try it.
I sighed. What’s the worst that could happen?
I took a sip. Copper, and something sweet burst on my tongue. My eyes widened as my heart pounded hard. I kept drinking. That need that had built in my throat intensified and black sparks flooded the edges of my vision.
“Oh, you like it, do you?” the man chuckled softly. His hand slipped onto my thigh, but I made no efforts to remove it.
Both of my hands cupped the martini glass, tilting it back until I could gulp the very last drop. As soon as I set the glass down, my vision began to pound with the beating of my heart.
Images flashed before my eyes of blood soaking a black marble floor. Bodies had fallen beneath my scythe as I’d spun it through the air. Copper had misted the air, and filled my mouth. I hadn’t just loved it—I’d revelled in it. The taste, the sounds, the feeling of pure bliss as I consumed the heart of a woman no older than I.
The scene disappeared as fast as it had come, and then I was staring into the lecherous eyes of the man who’d been sitting next to me. His hand had climbed up my thigh, and slipped under my t-shirt.
“I’ve never seen a creature quite as sexy as you,” the man purred, leaning close.
I licked the last remnants of blood from my lips. My entire body warmed like I’d just soaked in a hot tub. It was almost uncomfortable, but with it came that same need I’d felt at the party. I remembered it now, the sounds of screams and the burning for something I couldn’t quite sate.
I reached into the air, somehow knowing exactly what to do. My instincts called to me, and my bloodlust rushed through my veins like a shot of adrenaline. I wanted to kill—no I needed to. The feeling was so intense that before I knew what I was doing, I stripped back reality with my fingertips, causing a small black rift to open up. I reached into the cold chasm I’d created, and wrapped my fingers around my weapon hidden inside.
The man seated before me pushed closer, his hand slipping under the edge of my panties to clasp my ass. Just as he squeezed, I ripped a long black scythe from the void. The blade curved around the man’s throat. He blinked in confusion as I pressed it close to his adam’s apple.
“W-What are you doing?” he gasped. “If you didn’t w-want—you could have just said—”
With a flick of my wrist, I beheaded him. Blood sprayed from his neck and his body tumbled to the floor. I licked my lips as drops of copper hit my face, but cringed at the taste.
Death and ash. No, that’s not what I wanted. I wanted life. I wanted the blood of the living.
Ringing filled my ears as I stood. Everyone had frozen around me, staring in wide-eyed shock at the girl who’d just killed a man. I didn’t even bat an eye as I inhaled deeply.
Through the ringing, I heard a deep rhythmic pounding. I tasted the air. Beyond the ash of bloodsuckers was the sweet nectar of life.
“What the fuck?” someone shouted.
I stepped toward that sweet smell, my fingers tightening around the stem of my scythe. I wanted more. I wanted to tear open throats, and rip through chest cavities until all I could smell and taste was blood and the sweet essence of life.
Screams echoed through the ringing in my ears, competing with the beat of the heart I wanted to consume. As I pushed across the bar, searching for it, someone grabbed my arm.
I yanked from their grip and swung. My blade ripped through their middle, cutting them in two. Ash. Another vampire.
I turned back around, but two fierce looking women blocked my path. I held out my scythe in a silent warning. Move or die. No one was stopping me from feeding.
The women snarled and lunged. I ducked, swinging up and through the first’s chest. She shrieked as I lunged at the second, cutting through her arm. Their screams filled my ears, competing with the rhythmic heartbeat I wanted to claim.
“Clara!” someone shouted.
I spun and sliced through the woman clutching the stump where her arm had once been. The second woman leapt away, wise enough to retreat. I pushed forward, ignoring the call of my name.
I reached the booth with the couple engaged in PDA. The man no longer had his face pressed into the woman’s throat. Instead, he stared at me with wide eyes. I pointed my scythe at him and snarled. The sound was feral and I almost couldn’t believe it came out of my mouth.
The woman he’d been cradling tilted her head back against the booth and blinked up at me in a haze. I inhaled deeply. She smelled like strawberries and clover and life. She smelled like everything I wanted to consume for all of time. I bent over her as the man backed off.
“Clara, stop!” a man bellowed.
I pulled back my scythe until the tip scrapped along the woman’s throat. A line welled with blood and my mouth watered.
“Clara!” Ryker grabbed my arm and spun me to face him. I could barely see him past the red and black dots filling my sight.
I blinked slowly, trying to push my way through the bloodlust and remember how I knew this man. Why I was here? “Ryker?” I said slowly. His name sounded strange on my tongue, like something had happened to my mouth. My tongue grazed pointed teeth, and my eyes widened.
“Yeah, it’s me,” Ryke
r said. He squeezed my arms in his large hands. “Come out of it. This isn’t who you are.”
Isn’t who I am? Who am I?
My heartbeat sped up and my eyebrows furrowed. What the hell was I doing? What was going on? I looked from Ryker’s concerned face to the scythe in my hand, its blade coated in blood.
What the fuck?
I dropped it, and the blade disappeared before it hit the ground. My eyes burned and my mind raced. “What happened?”
Ryker’s eyes softened. He bent, hooking his arm beneath my legs. He swung me up into his arms. “It’s all right, now. I’ll get you out of here.”
I barely nodded before the world around me blurred. The next thing I knew, we were outside, two buildings on either side of us. My entire body shook as I stared down at the blood covering my hands.
What the hell is happening to me?
Chapter 9
Nausea rolled through me as I remembered the things I’d done. I wiggled out of Ryker’s arms until I had my feet on solid ground. I leaned against the alley wall, my breaths heaving in and out. I couldn’t believe I’d just done that. I’d hurt people. I’d killed people! How was any of this possible?
“Clara, take a deep breath. It’s going to be all right,” Ryker said.
Even the sweet sound of his British accent couldn’t calm me. I squeezed my eyes shut, trying to push away the images of blood and horror. I’d fucking sliced someone’s head off with a scythe—one that I’d magically plucked from a void I’d created. This wasn’t possible.
“Clara?”
My breathing quickened as I bent over. No matter how much I tried, I couldn’t get my breath back. Nausea kept clawing at my stomach until it rose into my throat. Tears escaped my eyes and spilled onto my cheeks as I vomited the blood from my stomach.
I leaned my forehead against the cold brick wall, a pitiful whine escaping me. I held my stomach, trying to keep from throwing up again.
Ryker rested his hand on my back and massaged gently. “It’s going to be all right,” he cooed softly.
How could he even stand to be near me after what I’d just done? He’d witnessed me killing those people.
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