Alexi held her clothes and purse in her lap while she stared out the side window. As soon as Greg turned from the parking lot, she relaxed against the seat. Thankfully, no one had seen her leave with Greg. The night started on a high note, then declined steadily. She’d never felt so embarrassed in all her years. When the female werewolf had walked into the bathroom and witnessed Greg licking her, Alexi wanted to hide her face in the sand like an ostrich. Adding to her growing list of problems was her misguided judgment of Greg. She’d totally pegged him wrong. She’d thought he was different, but in reality he was like any other man looking for action. Could the night get any worse? She didn’t see how it could.
“The woman, Vickie, who walked in on us…does she live nearby?” Alexi glanced at Greg while he steered through the neighborhood. She hoped Vickie lived near the entrance of the community, far from her so she wouldn’t run into the woman much.
“She lives a couple houses down, in the cul-de-sac. It’s the two-story yellow house with a long front porch.”
“The cul-de-sac up ahead?” she asked with a slight tilt of her head. Great. She lived close by.
Greg slowed the car, preparing to turn into her driveway. “Yeah. She lives with her husband, James. They a very nice couple, honest people.”
Alexi lowered her gaze. Candid neighbors could spell trouble for her.
Greg parked the car in front of her garage door and cut the engine. “If you’re worried about Vickie saying something, you don’t need to. I’ll talk to her, although I’m sure she won’t say a word about us.”
Alexi tensed at the thought of Greg trying to smooth out the matter. She preferred to handle the situation herself. Since she’d put herself in such an awkward position, she’d find a way to make it better. Confronting the werewolf and apologizing, no matter how embarrassing, seemed like a better choice than to rely on a man for anything.
“That’s all right. I’ll speak with her myself.” She pushed open the door.
Pain radiated in her feet as she walked around the car, but she kept her lips sealed and refrained from showing her discomfort. The shoes would go in the trash before the end of the next hour. Holding her purse and dirty clothes in her arms, she headed for the entrance to her home. Greg followed. His heart and footsteps reminded her of his close presence. They stopped in front of the door and Alexi dug into her purse.
“Is there something I’ve done to offend you?” Greg asked, and she looked up.
“No. Why do you ask?”
“Well, every time I offer assistance, you give me the cold shoulder.”
“I appreciate it. Really, I do. But I’m more than capable of handling matters myself.”
“By no means am I implying you can’t. I just want to help.”
She gazed into his blue eyes as he took a step toward her. A sense of tranquility washed through her and in a split second she wanted claim his lips and mold her body to his. Then a breeze drifted under the oversize shirt she wore. She chilled and snapped back to reality. They both stood practically half-naked, outside where anyone could see them. It was not a good time for even a small kiss.
She grabbed the handle on the door and pushed it open. “I’m very grateful you want to help, but I don’t need it. I’ll be fine.”
Greg followed her inside and they stopped in the entryway, facing each other.
“Do you always leave your doors unlocked?”
She looked at her purse in her hand, then the door. Warning bells went off in her head. Corey had her keys. She’d walked in the house without them.
“Did you lock it?” Greg asked, as if he sensed her unease.
“I always lock the doors. I didn’t set the alarm this time because I haven’t figured out how to work it yet.”
A cricket chirping from the back of the house stole her attention. “Did you hear that?”
Greg’s chest expanded and his nose twitched. He headed toward the kitchen. Alexi followed, anger growing by the second. Small chirping sounds from outside trickled into her home. At first, she wondered if she’d left a window open, but she knew she hadn’t. Feeling highly alert, her canines dropped from her gum.
Greg stopped in her dining room at the side of her black dinner table. He gazed at her patio. “Was that hole in your glass there when you moved in?”
Alexi stepped around him and spotted the cutout portion of her patio. Her body warmed from the fury rushing through her veins. “Son of a bitch.” She’d thought nothing worse could happen, but she was so wrong. Less than thirty hours had passed since she’d moved into her new home and already someone had broken in.
Greg peered at the floor. “There’s small tire marks here.” He pointed out.
Alexi followed the path of the tracks with her eyes. They ran from her patio to her basement door. She gasped in alarm. The door was open and she was sure she’d shut it before she left.
“My safe.”
She dropped her purse and clothes and dashed across the room. Her heels clacked loudly on the floor. “My safe!”
Everything from her real birth record, her death certificate, her family’s death records, passports, bank account information, bonds, rare jewelry and currency from various countries were in the safe. More importantly, she’d kept keepsakes her maker took from all his victims, including the ones he turned into vampires, and information on his assets and properties. As if those items weren’t valuable enough, she stored all the names and bank information on her clients in the safe too. Her career would be over and countless lives turned upside down if the personal data fell into the wrong hands, not to mention someone would probably come for her head. She prayed the safe was still in her office.
Panic motivated her and she ran as fast as she could in her heels. She descended the staircase, but her shoes made it difficult for her to hurry. Several steps down, her ankle twisted. She ignored the slight bit of discomfort and continued on her path. A few stairs later, the heel of her shoe snapped. She twisted her ankle and heard another loud crack. White-hot pain she couldn’t ignore raced up her leg. Her knee buckled and she fell forward. She hit her knees and arms as she tumbled down the staircase. When she hit her head, the pain ended and she lost consciousness.
* * * *
Greg watched in horror as Alexi’s body rolled down the stairs. The loud thumps as her body and head hit the steps made his stomach tighten. The snaps of bones breaking sounded the worst. He held his breath and fought the urge to spew. Bones popping and contorting never bothered him when he or others shifted into a werewolf. But witnessing the woman he cared for break her bones was too much for him to handle.
“Alexi,” he yelled and jogged down the steps.
Her body crashed onto the floor and rolled once more before stopping. Fear and panic fueled his racing heart. He jumped down the steps, taking two at a time. She lay motionless on her stomach at the bottom, a leg and arm twisted in an unnatural shape. One shoe with a broken heel remained on her foot while the other appeared missing. A coating of blood on her forehead raised his anxiety. Oh, God, what if she was dead?
Wait, she was dead. But even the undead felt pain.
“Alexandria!” He yelled again near the bottom of the staircase.
He reached the end of the staircase, leaped over her body and fell to his knees. She looked dead with closed eyes and dark red fluid spilling over her pale skin. He placed his hand on her shoulder.
“Alexi.” He hoped for a twitch, something. When she didn’t move, he choked on fear. “Oh, God.”
He ran his fingers through his hair. “Think, Greg. Think.”
Thoughts swarmed in his head while the urge to do something chiseled at his soul. What should he do? How long would she be out? Would she need blood to heal? He’d never dealt with an injured vampire before. Would she try to attack him when she woke up?
As he stared at her lifeless, half-naked body, he didn’t believe she would try to bite him. The lovely vamp had a temper, but she showed great restraint earlier toward Sylv
ia, proving Alexi wasn’t the vicious type. She had independent and stubborn qualities, but not ferociousness.
He considered moving her but hesitated with the fear he might bring her more pain. He wondered if she could even feel anything since she wasn’t responding. Greg glanced around the large, furnished basement. One short hall led to a room on his left. To his right, he saw a living room with furniture on one end and another hall. The wall prevented him from seeing how far the hallway went or if there were any rooms. Turning his gaze back to the furniture, he decided the sofa would seem like a better place to rest than the hard floor.
Greg put his hands under her armpits and lifted her slightly. Her limp body felt heavy and awkward. Carefully, he rolled her toward his body and slid an arm under her legs. He stood slowly, lifting her in his arms. The smell of fresh blood drifted in his nose. The dark substance covered her forehead and she had a gash above her brow. Adrenaline shot through him in his desperation to help her. He couldn’t do anything about her bones, but he could take action to stop the bleeding.
He carried her to the living room and stepped around a wood coffee table to the black sofa. The leather made a low wrestling sound as he slowly placed his precious cargo over the cushions. Ever so gently, he slipped his arms from underneath her.
Wasting no time, he backed away only to hit the back of his foot on the table, creating a loud thump. “Damn it.”
Greg walked around the table, then dashed down the hall. He found four doors, two on each side of the wall. Stopping at the first one on his right, he pushed the door open. The scent of floral soap clung to the air. Finding a long counter with two sinks, he knew he’d reached the right room. He quickly located a towel and washcloth, wet the smaller one with cold water, then raced back to Alexi.
Greg dropped to his knees and started cleaning the blood from her face. He wiped the wet cloth over the area, then used the dry one, repeating the steps until most of blood was gone. The gash on her forehead looked nasty, pink and puffy, but not gaping open. At least she was healing and she didn’t need stitches. He hoped her bones were fixing themselves too.
Holding the dirty towels in his hands, he rose and stared at her. She looked dead as a corpse, but still beautiful in her lacy bra and panties. He sat on the table across from her and wondered what more he could do to help her. There had to be something. But what? He wished he knew more about vampires.
“Greg? Alexandria?”
The sound of Corey’s voice lifted his spirit. He twisted to face the stairs. “In the basement.” He set the soiled towels on the coffee table, then headed for the staircase. The dark splotch on the carpet looked horrible. Damn, she probably wouldn’t be happy.
Corey descended the stairs. “I parked Alexandria’s car next to your car. Did you see the hole in her patio door?” He stopped on the last step, his gaze focused on the stain on the carpet. “What’s that?”
Greg gripped his arm. “I needed you to get Phillip and bring him here.”
“What? Why?”
“Alexi is hurt and I need to know she will be okay.”
Corey turned his head toward the living room. “Is that her? Let me see her.”
Greg nudged Corey to go back upstairs. There wasn’t time to waste. “Please, just do this for me. Get Phillip and tell him I need his help with Alexandria.”
“What happened to her? Is she all right?”
“I don’t know.” He placed his foot on the first step as he practically pushed Corey to move. “That’s why I need you to get him and bring him back as quickly as possible.”
Corey finally took the hint and jogged up the steps. “I can’t believe this. I’m about to ask a vampire for help.”
Greg remained downstairs. “Tell him it’s for me.”
Corey rounded the corner then disappeared from sight. The sound of his footsteps thudded upstairs as he ran through the house.
Alone again, Greg returned to Alexi’s side. She hadn’t moved and the red mark on her forehead remained vibrant. A sick feeling churned within him. He wanted to do something, but was helpless.
He ran his fingers through his hair and paced the room. Phillip could suggest a way to wake her up and help her heal back to normal. Hell, if Greg had to donate his blood, he was more than willing if it would heal Alexi. He glanced at her beautiful body. Sleeping beauty. If only a kiss would wake her. Well, what if?
He kneeled by her and gently glided his fingers over her lips. The coolness of them bothered him. Since she didn’t respond to his touch he decided a kiss wouldn’t matter. He gripped his shirt tangled on her body and tugged on it in an effort to cover her precious goods. His fingers brushed over her skin and he noticed her body felt cold too. She appeared more pallid from earlier. He wondered if heat would help her.
Greg dashed down the hall in search of a blanket. He pushed open the first door on the left this time. An unmade queen-size bed with a black headboard occupied the middle of the room. Ruffled fleece blankets, at least two he counted, were on the mattress. The walls were white and a long antique dresser took up half of a wall along the far back. Knickknacks appeared spread out on top of the dresser, except one item looked like a vibrator. He peered closer. The shape was unmistakable. He shook his head, saddened that such a lovely woman used a machine for pleasure. If he could help her in that area, he would. He definitely wanted to.
Stepping into the room, he noticed another door almost directly to the side of the one he’d come through. The closet, he suspected. Framed artwork leaning against stacks of boxes took up the space along the wall past the door. Stepping past the boxes, he reached over the bed and grabbed a fleece blanket.
He rushed back to Alexi and draped the cover over her body. The length didn’t cover her entire legs, but came close enough. Seeing one shoe still on a foot, he slipped it off and dropped it on the floor. Dark blue polish with light blue polka dots covered her toenails. The sight brought a smile to his face. A vampire with a vibrator and painted toes. Maybe the undead weren’t so different from the living after all.
“Greg.” Corey’s voice trickled through the house and basement. “Phillip is with me.”
As if he didn’t know. The patters of two pairs of feet were an instant giveaway.
Greg headed for the staircase as Corey led the way down the steps. When Phillip’s arctic gaze hit Greg, he wondered if asking the vamp for help was the right thing to do. Phillip’s stony face and dark eyes suggested he was not pleased. Tough shit, Greg thought while he clenched his jaw. Alexi needed help.
“Thank you for coming here, Phillip,” Greg said to appease the vampire.
“A werewolf asking for help for a vampire. I had to see it for my own eyes.”
Corey exchanged a look with Greg as he reached the end of the stairs, but kept silent.
“I smell blood,” Phillip said before he noticed the spot on the carpet and grimaced. “That might be difficult to remove.”
“She fell down the steps and hit her head. I’m not sure if she is okay, or not.” Greg walked next to Phillip as he headed straight for Alexandria’s motionless body.
Corey stood off to Greg’s side. “Did you see her fall?”
The three of them stopped near the coffee table. Greg turned to Corey and nodded. “It happened so fast.” He twisted to face Phillip. “I think she might have some broken bones, and she lost some blood.”
“Obviously.” Phillip crossed his arms. “So, why am I here?”
Greg extended his arm toward her. “She hasn’t woken up. I don’t know what to do.”
“She looks awfully pale,” Corey said.
“Her body is healing. She’ll need blood.” Phillip peered past Greg at Corey, and the vampire’s sandy brown hair fell forward over his shoulders.
“Don’t look at me. I like my blood to stay in my body.”
The vampire looked at Greg.
“I’ll do whatever it takes.”
Phillip smirked. “Such a good little neighbor.”
Gr
egg stiffened at the comment. He was far from little and sure as hell could give the vamp, or any vamp, a fair fight.
“How do we give her blood if she’s knocked out?” Corey asked.
“Duh. You can’t,” Phillip said.
Greg balled his hands as he held back his irritation with the vamp, though he really wanted to take a swing at him. “How do we wake her?”
“A good slap in the face should work.”
“Are you insane?” Greg blurted out. “I’m not slapping a woman in the face.” Vampire or not, he wouldn’t.
“Fine. I’ll do it.” Phillip lowered his arms and casually stepped toward her.
Greg reached out and gripped his arm. “Maybe you hit women in your day, but we don’t in today’s world.”
Phillip jerked his arm free. “Look, mutt, you asked for my help. Do you want it or not?”
Greg inhaled a deep breath as he shifted his gaze to the beautiful woman sleeping on the sofa.
“What if we don’t wake her up? Will she be all right on her own?” Corey asked.
Phillip kneeled on one knee in front of her.
Greg’s duty to protect her kicked in fast. He smacked the vamp’s shoulder. “What are you doing?”
The vampire’s icy glare met Greg’s eyes. “I need to touch her to find out how cold she is.”
“Why?”
Phillip gripped Greg’s hand and shoved it off his shoulder as if he were flicking dust off. “When a vampire is injured, the body will draw from blood within to heal. Our bodies become cold, ashen, and in extreme situations, a vampire can become nothing more than skin and bones.”
“Gross,” Corey said.
“It’s because our bodies are sucking every bit of nutrients in the blood to become whole again.”
“Is there anything else that can help her? Anything at all?” Greg asked.
Phillip snickered. “Do you know anything about vampires?”
Greg lowered his gaze, hating to admit he didn’t know anything about how to care for them, but it was the truth. He’d never imagined he’d take such a keen interest in one, so he never bothered to learn much about them. He knew the obvious–they needed blood to survive. Aside from that fact, decapitation and incineration was a sure way to end their immortal existence. His limited knowledge now put him at a disadvantage.
Welcome to the Neighborhood Page 7
