by Trina M. Lee
Before we reached the end of the staff hall, I paused near the ladies room, gesturing for Arys to go on without me. I needed a personal moment to refresh and check on my appearance. I also had a wound that oozed two matching drops of blood.
Thank goodness it was Halloween. With all the fake blood in the building tonight, no one would notice a splash of the authentic stuff. But, the wound looked incredibly real.
I’d worn enough to know. I used my hair to hide it as I ducked into the washroom.
It was pretty busy inside. The majority of the stalls were taken, and four girls crowded the mirror. Shit. I recognized one of them right away.
Amanda caught sight of me reflected in the mirror behind her. She was studiously trying to fix fake eyelashes.
“Hey Alexa!” She called over the noisy din of chattering women. “Great costume.
Are you having a good time?”
I smiled at her, but my focus was on grabbing an empty stall and escaping conversation. “Yeah, it’s really pumping out there. How are you? I love the Cleopatra look. Very hot.”
I rushed by before she could stop me, slamming the door of the stall behind me. I willed them all to leave. I didn’t want to come out and get roped into a conversation with Amanda.
The girl is a total sweetheart, but ever since I’d slaughtered her abusive boyfriend, she had developed a strange fascination with me. She didn’t know exactly what I was, but she’d seen enough with her own eyes to know it wasn’t human.
I closed my eyes and counted to ten, thinking hard. When I reopened them, the washroom was quiet. Incredible.
When I came back out, no one was there. I couldn’t believe the projected power of my influence had driven them out.
I wasted no time in wetting some paper towel and wiping up the bloodstains on my neck. After washing my hands, I arranged my hair so that the bite couldn’t be seen. It was sore but pleasurable in the raw pain.
There would be no hiding it from Jez or Kylarai. They would smell the fresh wound right away. My face was especially pale, and I pinched my cheeks in an attempt to bring some color back. After a few minor make-up touch ups, I went to brave the teasing and ridicule of my friends.
It took me a minute to pick them out of the mass of people. The crowd had increased in size since I’d gone outside. I could sense Shaz, but he was nowhere to be seen.
Jez’ golden hair stood out on the dance floor where she danced with a couple of girls dressed as naughty angels. Surprisingly, Kylarai was dancing with them. Julian and Zak were still shooting pool across the room. Didn’t they have anything better to do?
I made my way towards Jez and Ky, shaking my head no when a waitress intercepted me. By the time I reached them, they had taken a seat at a nearby table. Jez’ expression was knowing and amused, but Ky looked astonished. I pulled out the chair across from them and sat down, a silly smile on my face.
Kylarai gave me a more pointed, raised eyebrow look. “I’d ask where you were, but I already know.” She smiled and winked before sipping from some ice water.
“What can I say?” I shrugged, trying for casual. “I couldn’t resist.”
“And, so you shouldn’t.” Jez leaned over to nudge me; an approving smile revealed tiny fangs beneath her ruby red lips.
“Where did Arys go? He took off out of here in a hurry.” Ky looked curious, and I frowned in response.
“He just left?”
“Yeah, right before you showed up. Weren’t you with him?”
“I was. I went to the ladies room.” If I thought about Arys hard enough, I could still feel his presence in the vicinity.
A strange sensation began to unravel as I grew suspicious. Where was Arys and what was he up to? He had been acting a little sketchy since he arrived. Something told me I wasn’t paying enough attention. The intensified power running through me was trying to come to the forefront of my mind, trying to make me aware of something.
“Speaking of the ladies room,” Ky interrupted my thoughts. “Is it insanely busy?”
“Not when I left.”
“Good. I’ll be right back.” She grabbed her purse from the tabletop and got up from her chair. She was soon just a green figure among the rest of the crowd.
I scanned the crowd but saw no sign of Arys. I could still feel him when I concentrated, but that didn’t tell me much.
I pushed my chair back with a loud scrape. “I think I’m going to go hunt down Arys.
If I miss him and he comes back, tell him I’m looking for him,” I said to Jez.
She waved a hand at me dismissively before sipping from her bright blue drink. “I’ll keep an eye out in case he comes through here.”
Just to be sure, I went around the building once to confirm that he was not inside. I even ran up to the second floor where the atmosphere was more laid back. TVs hung from the ceiling, each playing the same hockey game. My vampire wasn’t up there either.
I hadn’t thought so.
Kylarai said she’d seen him leave the building. I didn’t think twice about going outside in search of him.
Exiting the building brought a welcome relief from the noise. The front entrance was packed with people milling about, most of them smoking cigarettes. A small group of girls whined about the cold fall night as I passed. I didn’t find it too bad.
I lingered near the front of the bar for a minute, searching mentally for Arys. I was certain I felt him down the alley to the left of the building, on the way to the parking lot.
That alley intersected with the one at the back of club, where we’d been such a short time ago. Arys was known to sneak away down the alley when luring a victim into his grasp. Though he hadn’t done that as often since we’d become involved.
Despite being drawn to the alley, my gut instinct was telling me to stay away. I was confused and not liking this one bit.
I stared down the dark alley but made no move to venture further. My senses were straining to discover what it was that was eluding me. I could feel it nagging at the back of my mind, something I couldn’t put my finger on.
Feeling like the first ditzy girl to get murdered in a slasher film, I took a few steps down the alley, then a few steps more.
“Arys?” I called, careful not to raise my voice.
I stopped when I had left the safety of the parking lot lights. I looked up at the moon and tried to use its calming serenity to focus harder. I was able to tune out the rest of the night, staring up and seeing only that glowing silver light in the sky.
The energy of everything around me grew more pronounced and I was able to identify everything from the ground beneath my feet to each star overhead. And that’s when I felt him. I sensed the sudden approach behind me and whirled to face the unwelcome vampire.
“You smell absolutely divine.” The melodious voice was rough, yet dangerously attractive.
It caused my stomach to tighten, a wave of nausea sweeping me. I was suddenly breathing too fast. My mind raced with several thoughts at once. I was already defensive, but I couldn’t see an immediate way out of this.
I stared at Harley with horror etched on my features. He grinned, my worst nightmare come to life. I swallowed hard but didn’t dare speak.
“Why so surprised wolf? Surely you've been expecting me.”
Chapter Sixteen
“Where’s Arys?” The words just came out. I hadn’t meant to ask.
Harley took a moment to look over my attire, successfully making me feel like a piece of meat. I was silently praying that he was not enjoying what he saw. The slow grin that spread across his face caused my hope to die.
“That’s a great question.” His dark eyes glittered in the moonlight as they bore into me. “You’re bonded to him. How is it that you don’t know?”
I shifted uneasily, knowing I’d never make it far before he caught me. “It doesn’t work that way.” Energy danced along my fingertips, summoned by fear and instinct. Like before, Harley paid it little attention. He didn’t fear me in
the least. I wished I could say the same.
“So tell me more about how it works.” He feigned casual very well, crossing his arms over his impressive chest. He wasn’t as well built as Arys or as firm as Shaz, but he could do a lot of physical damage if he wanted to.
“What do you want?” My voice was as shaky as my legs were in my heels. I was regretting my decision to wear them.
Abandoning any semblance of a smile, Harley allowed for a dramatic pause before he said, “You.”
I felt faint, and all of a sudden, I couldn’t breathe. I risked a glance behind me, hoping the entrance to the alley was closer than I remembered it being. He cleared the distance separating us before I could take a step.
I expected a lot of things from him, but a total cheap shot wasn’t one of them. He thrust a rag in my face that reeked of chloroform, and I gagged, trying not to inhale.
Eventually the need to breathe won out, and I had no choice but to draw the harsh fumes into my lungs.
Despite how hard I struggled, I couldn’t break free of him. It wasn’t long before the darkness closed in on me.
* * * *
My hands were tied. I was aware of that before my eyes even flickered open. I also knew where I was. The strange, eerie energy of The Wicked Kiss stabbed at me like needles, and I resisted the urge to groan. I didn’t want to open my eyes, not when I could feel my captor’s heavy gaze on me like a weight. Part of me was hoping that this was all a bad dream and I would open my eyes and be in my bed at home. Fat chance.
There was no point putting off certain death. It was inevitable, right? I finally looked up at Harley, acceptance settling in far too soon. I wasn’t usually one to give in without a fight, but my stomach hurt, and my head pounded from the chloroform.
“If you’re going to kill me, would you at least make it quick?”
He chuckled, drawing my attention to his dark eyes. He looked more amused than anything else. I was confused. What did this crazy ass vampire want with me?
“Don’t be ridiculous,” he scoffed. “I’d be a fool to kill such a rare creature as yourself. That would be much like killing a unicorn.”
“Unicorns don’t exist.” I stated, daring to look at my surroundings.
“Exactly.” He let that word hang in the air between us while I absorbed the reality of the situation.
The room we were in was similar to the one where I’d found Kale with its hotel room set up. This one however was twice the size and had a different décor. The carpet was a soft grey; the walls, warm tones of tan accents. Unlike Kale’s room, this one had a full-length sofa and matching easy chair. Wall sconces held candles that flickered away brightly as they were the only source of lighting other than the fire that blazed in a fancy iron fireplace near the sofa and TV.
I was propped against the couch but sitting on the floor. When I glanced down at myself, I noticed that it almost looked as if he had tried to arrange my cape so my underwear wasn’t visible due to my position and short skirt. That was mind-boggling.
Was it possible that Harley had a sense of respect after all?
“So what do you want? It must be good if you were willing to take me by force.” I glared hard, uncertain but refusing to let him cow me. Now that I was pretty sure I wasn’t facing immediate death, I was ready to fight.
Harley was sitting at the small two-seat table near the mini bar and the only door in the room. How convenient.
“Honestly, can you blame me for wanting to get a better, more personal look at you?”
“I’m not a fucking museum exhibit.” I spat the words, and he merely smiled. It was beyond aggravating.
“Certainly not.” He stood and approached me, a pocketknife held in one hand. “It’s up to you if I cut the ropes on your wrists or not. I’m not in the mood to play games.
Yet.”
I sighed. What choice did I have other than to play along? “Fine. I’ll behave myself.
What can I really do anyway?”
“Indeed.”
His approach was slow as if he was trying not to spook a skittish animal. He went down on one knee, knife held ready. I struggled to remain still when I felt the cool steel blade slide between my wrists and the rope that held me.
His close proximity gave me the opportunity to study him. If I had to guess, I’d say he had been mid-forties when changed from human to vampire. He had reached that golden age for men when they start to look better with the onset of years. The lines around his eyes were visible but faint. The hard set to his jaw spoke of more experience in his mortal years than I had had so far in mine. He was astonishingly handsome. But, there was a deep darkness in him. I could feel it like a suffocating blanket, like a spider web I could not shrug off.
When my wrists were free, I sat very still on the floor, waiting for him to move away. Instead, he surprised me by holding a hand out as if to help me to my feet. I stared at his outstretched hand as if it would bite. The look he gave me indicated that I really could trust him not to trick me with something as trivial as a hand up.
Regardless, I chose to ignore his hand and struggled to my feet on my own. I tugged my skirt down and flushed, suddenly wary that he would be aware of my scent. If I thought about it, I could easily smell both Shaz and Arys all over me.
“Here.” Harley strode to the mini bar fridge, pulling a bottled water from inside.
“Don’t tell me you don’t need this.”
The bottle was sealed. I was sure it was safe so I accepted it gratefully. My throat was dry, and after the wine I’d drank, I really needed some water. He waited patiently while I soothed my thirst, but I felt the eagerness emanating from him.
It was hard to shake the images I had of him from Arys’ memories. Bloody images of fun-filled torture sessions, his attack on Arys that brought him to the brink of death and back again, all of it swam behind my eyes. I stared at him unflinching, preparing for anything.
“Thank you,” I murmured, indicating the bottle in my hand. I was uneasy and unable to hide it. Of all of the places for me to end up on Halloween, it had to be here with him.
What was with my luck?
“How much do you know about me?” His question caught me off guard. It wasn’t what I’d been expecting.
My answer was automatic. “Enough to know that I don’t want to know any more.”
His look became appraising, and I glared in response. I had expected his anger, and the fact that he was enjoying this was driving me crazy.
“I’m afraid you have the advantage over me. I don’t know nearly as much about you as I’d like to.”
“And, what is it that you want to know?” My voice was weak, and I coughed. I wasn’t feeling nearly as on the ball as usual, and it nagged at me. I had to get it together.
There was a long pause as we stared at one another. I could only imagine what kind of a fit Arys would pitch if he knew where I was. He must have noticed I was missing by now.
Harley’s dark eyes sparkled with an evil glint that told me I was about to regret my question. “I want to know if you’re a screamer. I want to know if your blood tastes as good as it smells. And, I would love to know if you would beg me to stop or beg me to bite harder.”
I don’t know what I’d been expecting him to say, but it wasn’t that. The look in his eyes had grown hungry and even though he stood six feet away, I felt like he was too close.
I gaped at him incredulously. I had no words for that. I was filled with terror, something that only fed his fire. Try as I might, I could not force my pounding heart to slow back down to a normal pace.
With nothing more than a blur of motion, Harley had a handful of my hair tight in his fist. My breath caught, but I didn’t shriek like I wanted to. I knew that’s what he wanted.
I couldn’t give him that kind of satisfaction.
He exposed the bite on the left side of my neck, and a new panic gripped me. His eyes lit up, and before I had even formed a coherent thought, he leaned in closer, scenting the te
nder wound.
“He must be hopelessly in love with you.” Those whispered words brought the barest touch of his lips against my skin, and I shuddered. “To be able to stop without draining you dry. Blood this heavenly is so hard to resist and even harder to come by.”
I couldn’t prevent the small shriek that did break free when the moist tip of his tongue touched Arys’ bite. I closed my eyes and prayed that he wouldn’t dare bite me.
Against my will, the power rose up inside me as if curious about this close new source of strength. Along with it came the gratifying rush of sexual excitement. It was as unwelcome as it was confusing.
“I can feel him all over you, inside you.” Harley suddenly released me, and I hurried to put distance between us. The way I physically reacted to him wasn’t right. This kind of desire was unnatural.
“Stop that,” I muttered. “Whatever you’re doing, just stop.”
“Come now, Alexa. Surely, you are used to the touch of an incubus vampire. You belong to one.”
Why did I always feel like the perpetual student? “I thought demons were succubus or incubus.”
“What do you think a vampire is, my love? We’re all demons in our own way.” His wicked tone dropped, becoming more physical rather than solely audible. “Some vampires use straight up fear to get the blood and energy pumping for a good feed.
Others rush right to the finish, unable to prolong that powerful moment. And, many like myself and those created by me tend to draw out the energy by using sexual influence as well as fear.”
He paced the length of the room near the door, always so close to the door. “If you can withstand the hungers of an insatiable vampire like Arys, then are you more powerful than any other mortal I’ve ever encountered.
“You are young still but I’m amazed you don’t know more about what you are. That explains why you haven’t effectively turned me to dust already.”
“Yeah, well I don’t know a lot of people quite like me. None to be exact.” I shouldn’t have bothered talking to him, but the silence seemed to enhance his eerie qualities.
