A Venetian Vampire

by Michele Hauf

  She needed to know more. She needed to make sure she had all the right people in all the right places. And that if she allowed anyone to stand on her side, it was someone she could trust.

  With a decisive nod, Kyler took the egg back to the open safe and set it inside. A regretful sigh was necessary as she closed the door and then returned the red book to its normal position. The false wall slid shut.

  Plucking up her backpack, and undressing along the way, she climbed the stairway and padded into the bedroom. Slipping into the bed and snuggling up to the warmth of her lover’s body, she smiled as his arm slid across her stomach and he hugged her close.

  * * *

  Dante nuzzled Kyler’s slick black hair and inhaled her sweet scent. Her blood scent that he’d sipped with lacking caution earlier. No regrets. Never. Yet he’d known when she’d gotten out of bed that she intended to take the egg and leave.

  So her return to the bed? She’d thrown him off his game. And, while unanticipated, he liked it.

  Chapter 11

  After shutting off the shower, Kyler heard her phone ring. She stepped out of the tub, dripping onto the rug, and picked up the cell phone tucked in the pocket of her folded pants. It was King.

  “You are still in Venice,” he said. A statement, not a question.

  She pulled the bathroom door open an inch. Dante had gone down to collect the paper, he’d said as she’d gone in to take a shower, and she could find him out on the patio.

  “I’ve been waiting for your call,” she said. “For the handoff?”

  “Right. But did you actually steal the egg?”

  “Uh, yes? Hasn’t it been on the news in Paris? You sound as though you don’t believe I actually went through with it. I told you I could do it, and I did.”

  “I never doubted you, Kyler. I’ve had some issues with the party I was going to have you hand the egg over to. Can you bring it to Paris?”

  “Yes. But I’m not sure I can get out of the city today. They have increased security at the docks.”

  “Is that so?”

  He didn’t sound convinced. A heavy sigh preceded, “Don’t take your eyes off that thing, Kyler. It means the world to me.”

  “I know that. Don’t worry, I—” Dare she ask him for the truth? If he was really a vampire hunter?

  “You’ve proven exceedingly skillful,” he said. “I trust you. You’ve my number now. Text me when you’ve left Venice.”

  “I—”

  The phone clicked off, and she almost dropped it. While King was a stern man of few words that meant volumes, she suddenly felt as though he had assigned her to do this, and if she failed he would punish her. Weird.

  If Dante were right about King being a vampire hunter, what had she gotten herself into? She could hardly walk up to King now, hand over the egg and not expect a stake to the heart. Had she signed her own death warrant the moment she’d looked into the man’s big brown eyes and asked him for vampirism? He could have been plotting for her to be his instrument of acquisition the moment she’d told him she was a thief.

  The more she thought about it, she realized it was feasible.

  Had she been that stupid?

  Tugging on her pants and a blue top she’d hastily shoved in the backpack, Kyler then pulled out her makeup case and drew on eyeliner. No blush necessary. When she’d finished her lips, she straightened the bathroom a bit because she didn’t like to leave behind clutter.

  Of course she’d head back to Paris. It was where she lived. If not, King would find her.

  She had to go to him and learn the truth. But could she do that by herself?

  * * *

  A fine mist dusted Dante’s bare shoulder. He reclined on a wicker chair on the narrow patio with his bare feet up on the wrought iron railing. The local newspaper lay unopened on the small round iron tabletop. Pale green paint flaked from the railing and into the canal. He should see to some freshening repairs on the exterior before winter.

  The drizzle was coming from the opposite side of the palazzo, so it didn’t touch the patio. And the cool mist felt nice on his skin—he’d not pulled on a shirt this cloudy noon—so he wasn’t inclined to move as Kyler strode out and leaned her elbows on the railing. She wore slim black pants and a fitted blue top that was cut low to reveal her deep cleavage. Color really was her thing. He wished she’d burn the awful 80’s band T-shirt; it had been an insult to her beauty.

  Mmm, the taste of her lingered on his tongue. While on the gondola, she had said she was going to resist sex with him. Allow a bite, sure, but she’d been determined not to continue the sex part of their relationship. He’d never agreed to that. And of course, her resistance had been futile. But even as he sensed her need to pull away from their intimacies, he wanted to pull her closer.

  What was up with that? And really, what was up with him? He’d told her about his childhood and his mother’s death. And then he’d ignored his caution against biting another vampire. Perhaps it had simply been a relief to share that painful memory with someone who offered him understanding. Sharing blood had, in a manner, sealed their trust for each other.

  Crazy, but...he wouldn’t question it too much.

  Indeed, they were alike. Both had sought vampirism as a means to erase the terrible memories from their pasts.

  “Cloudy day,” he said. And to avoid all thoughts of relationships and sharing emotions, he tried for a mundane topic. “We should go museum hopping.”

  The look she delivered him arched up her brow and the corner of her mouth. She wore dark eyeliner and her lips were a matte red. So sexy. Yet blatantly all business.

  “Have you ever seen the museums in Venice?” he offered.

  “No.”

  “Very well. Then after we can indulge in a bit of shopping.”

  “I hardly feel vacation mode is proper considering what we’re involved in right now.”

  “Then what did you have planned? To sit vigil in my office, eyes affixed to the safe? We can’t do anything until the security checkpoints are closed. I’ve checked the news. They are still operating full force. I give them another day, and then we’ll make the attempt to bring the thing off the island via a private taxi.”

  “I have to get out of this city today, Dante. For my own sanity. Of course, I expect you’ll follow. You’ll be lurking in the shadows somewhere.”

  “Really? I’m not much of a lurker.”

  “I find that hard to believe. What about when you go after a bite?”

  “I welcome my donors into my arms.”

  “Of course. Do you always bite women?” She turned and, crossing her arms over her chest, eyed him with an insulting look.

  “No. I seek all sorts to feed my hunger. Depends on my appetite. Men tend to have denser, saltier blood. A woman’s blood is sweeter. Less iron, too. I hate that metallic taste.”

  “Such a connoisseur.”

  “You’ll develop a palate as the years pass and the decades turn into centuries.” He stretched his arms behind his head and clasped his hands behind his neck.

  Kyler’s eyes took in his abs, but she quickly looked away. “I suppose.”

  “You really want eternity, Kyler? Isn’t immortality enough? It’s a long time no matter how you toss the coin.”

  “A stake will prove that statement wrong.”

  He sighed. To tell her the truth about the spell or not? She’d hate him for lying all this time. He couldn’t fathom why King would tell her the lie unless he also did not know the real truth of the spell. In which case he may need to keep Kyler in the dark until he stood toe to toe with the vampire hunter. He could no longer tuck away the egg and hope everything would go back to the way it had been. King was involved. He had been looking for the spell since the 1950s when Zara had betrayed him and stolen it—he su
re as hell wasn’t going to relent now.

  Kyler leaned her thighs against the railing and crossed her arms under her breasts. The blue fabric caressed them and screamed out an invitation to Dante. He’d take it, but he wasn’t feeling the love from her this dull and misty noon.

  “What’s going on between the two of us now?” she asked.

  He shook his head. “What do you mean? I thought we were cautiously guarding our dash for the prize?”

  “We are, but...we shared blood last night. And it was the most amazing thing I’ve ever experienced.”

  Same for him. But confessing that shared intimacy didn’t feel natural to Dante. Putting his emotions in the fore. Exposing himself like that. He had to stifle a visible shudder. “You think we’re like boyfriend and girlfriend now?”

  “Oh, no, never.”

  His jaw muscles clenched at that quick response. Really? What was so terrible about being his girlfriend? Did she despise him so much then?

  Not that he wanted a girlfriend.

  Did he?

  Seriously, what was going on with him that he was struggling with his rules about women and how often he fucked them and then how quickly he left them?

  “Uncommitted sex,” she said. “I’m very cool with that. And the bite didn’t bond us. Right?”

  “No. We didn’t take enough from one another. Never,” he replied. “Wouldn’t dream of attaching myself to one person.”

  “Of course not. You’ll walk through the centuries alone and ever hungry.”

  He was not alone. He enjoyed his bachelorhood, thank you very much. As for hungry? “You know, drinking from another vampire doesn’t satisfy the innate need for sustenance.”

  She nodded and stroked her neck. Oh, such a sensual move. His cock hardened, and he didn’t bother to cross his legs to hide that fact.

  “I realized that as I was walking out onto the patio,” she said. “I’m hungry. When you found me yesterday I didn’t have a chance to take more than a sip from my donor. Another curious idiot showed up, and I had to take him out.”

  “Take him out?” Dante gaped.

  “Not kill him. I punched him out.” She rubbed her fist appreciatively. “I’ve developed some awesome skills. Anyway, I need blood. From a human donor who can satisfy my thirst. I should head out. I’ll be back in a bit.”

  She left the balcony. He heard her slip on her shoes out in the foyer, and then the front door closed.

  Dante stepped inside to run upstairs and pull on a shirt. He wore casual jeans today because he didn’t want to risk another dip in the canal in a suit. He didn’t own a T-shirt, so a button-up Hermès shirt would do. A pair of bespoke leather shoes sat on the floor of his bare closet, which he stepped into.

  She’d not taken the egg with her, so he presumed she was indeed after only sustenance. And her plans to leave the island would best be served after dark. He could get behind that. As he would, if she chose to leave without him. Of course he would follow her, as she had guessed.

  As he intended to do now.

  Minutes later, down two zigzagging streets and a covered alley, he’d tracked Kyler to the back of a bakery, where the sweet, cloying dust of powdered sugar coated the street and fogged the air. The rain hadn’t touched this part of the city. Not yet. He spied the footprints marking the dust on the street. An encounter around the bakery door? Two pairs, one with petite footprints, the other wide.

  “She makes everything too easy.”

  On the other hand, he had enjoyed her foray into control last night when she’d demanded he get down on his knees before her. He generally catered to a woman’s demands, so long as they didn’t annoy his sense of machismo. And oh, that bite. Didn’t matter that it could never provide the sustenance he needed. He would never want to rely on such an exquisite experience for survival, only for pleasure.

  He had surrendered to the bite without a second thought. After so many decades of fortitude against such a thing, Kyler had...changed him. She’d made him incautious and wanting, a man who sought to quench his desires before rational thinking held him back. He could have drunk from her endlessly.

  Fool! Not once had he considered such with another vampire. He had to resolve this egg issue and brush Kyler aside before it was too late.

  The scent of blood carried to him. It tasted stale on his tongue. Musty, even. Or rather, dusted with flour and sweet. He slowed his steps, not wanting to startle her or the donor. A few more minutes and she should complete her banal task.

  When a raindrop splattered his nose, he smiled at the surprise and dashed out his tongue to catch the wet. Kind of how Kyler had entered his life with an equal surprise and now all he wanted to do was taste her. Any small part of her she would allow. He needed her.

  Damn it, really? Did he just think that he needed a woman?

  When Kyler turned the corner, wiping her lips with a finger, Dante hooked his arm with hers and strolled alongside her. She didn’t tug away, but her head shake and audible huff told him she hadn’t expected him to follow her and was pissed.

  “Should have expected as much,” he said. “We are tied at the hip, yes? Both hands on the prize. Who will emerge the victor? I believe I will. You smell like pastry and blood. Don’t have to waste my time taking small sips all the time. I’d ask if you are satisfied, but I don’t see how you can be. That took you but a moment.”

  “My drinking habits are none of your business.”

  “No, they’re not. Unless you partake in my bed, eh?”

  “Hmph.”

  “I worry about you, Kyler.”

  “I’ll be fine. I took enough to tide me over for a week. And the only thing you are worried about is keeping the egg in hand. You can’t fool me. The sex and the bite were great, but they meant nothing.”

  He was taken aback at that statement. The sex did mean something to him. And so had the bite. Yes, it had. Because he’d never have allowed it otherwise. It hurt him to hear her so callously dismiss their intimacy. He was in this...this twosome. Deep. And the fool who had moments ago been thinking to brush her aside and bolt? That man was out to lunch.

  “It means something to me.” The words spilled out before Dante could suppress them. “I adore you, Kyler.”

  “Wow.” She tilted up her gaze to inspect his. “That’s a revelation, coming from a self-professed lover of all women.”

  “Tuck the sarcasm back in, Kitten.”

  “Oh, come on! Sex means nothing to you. And I’m sure you’ve been bitten a million times. And don’t try to convince me otherwise. I’m not that stupid.”

  He realized she supposed it meant nothing to him because of the game they had played. The sex did mean something. And she couldn’t know how much her bite had claimed him. Because the last woman to bite him was Zara.

  Why was he struggling with this? Women were designed to be admired, worshipped, fucked and then scattered in his wake like so many petals plucked from a flower. Was Kyler getting under his skin? Could he possibly be falling...

  No. He would not allow it!

  “Of course. As you say, it means nothing,” he murmured. Yet he clenched a fist near his thigh as he forced a cool, genial tone. “Perhaps we should make plans to take the private taxi this evening. We can gain access to the Veneto with some carefully placed bribe money.”

  “A bribe? Why are you only thinking of this now?”

  He’d thought of it immediately, when the problem had presented itself. But if he had mentioned it then, he wouldn’t have had Kyler in his bed twice since then.

  Nor would he have learned about King. Bless his patience.

  The Council would surely like to know that the man who headed an organization dedicated to exterminating vampires was a vampire himself. Dante didn’t know anyone on the Council, but he had contacts. His tribe leader w
ould be a good start.

  “Now, about that shopping you mentioned earlier...” Kyler strode ahead, and only when he stood there, watching after her, did she pause and look over her shoulder. Lush lashes fluttered and her smile reached into his chest and tickled at his confused heart. “You coming?”

  He’d follow her to the ends of the earth.

  That startling thought had Dante shaking his head as he marched after the lush vampiress with the fickle heart and sashaying hips.

  * * *

  Behind Saint Mark’s square sat the Mercerie, Venice’s high-end shopping area. Tourists and shoppers ranging from jeans-wearing families to silk-and-diamond-bejeweled socialites strolled the tree-lined streets. Dante had escorted Kyler into Hermès, handed over his black credit card and told her to pick out something pretty while he made a phone call. He’d strolled out, chattering away, leaving her to feel like an abandoned puppy.

  That’s why it was so easy for him to love women. It was all surface. He knew the right moves, the right gestures, but he never followed through on them. Probably dangerous for a man who would live for centuries to establish connections with a woman who might never live so long. To show emotion for someone who might wish to attach herself to him, when his boredom level had a very low bar.

  And now with her? She could live as long as him. And once she was granted eternity? What a threat to his freedom!

  With a sigh, Kyler pointed to a couple of scarves that interested her and the saleswoman with inch-long false eyelashes drew them out to display on black velvet. As the clerk arranged them artfully, Kyler glanced outside. Across the street beneath the shade of cypress trees, Dante sat on a bench. The man was actually wearing jeans. Jeans. Wonders did not cease. He was no longer on the phone and now spoke to an older woman. Gray hair topped her round face and a bright red dress swept to her knees, where her support hose met the dress hem. She looked like someone’s sweet Italian grandmother, and she probably was.

  The interesting thing was Dante’s posture. He sat facing the woman, one elbow resting on the back of the bench. His body leaned forward, his head inclined, perhaps to hear her soft voice. When he spoke, he gestured kindly and smiled a lot. They both laughed. He appeared genuinely interested in her.