Tall, Dark, and Vampire (Dead in the City)

by Sara Humphreys

  They’re down there. His voice touched hers on a whisper. His eyes flicked open, and he pointed to the corridor to the right. I sense movement, and it feels like something big. Not rats. I think there are two or three.

  Once a cop, always a cop. Olivia looked at him with pride, and a smile played at her lips. It makes sense. This tunnel will take us to the Village, and there’s an entrance to the street by Washington Square Park. Stay sharp. Chances are their nest is somewhere around here.

  Doug nodded, and as they moved toward the inevitable battle, Olivia prayed he would be as deft at kicking ass as he had been at everything else.

  * * *

  Chapter 12

  The need to kill pulled at him and hung around his neck like a fucking albatross. The image of Miranda’s mutilated body flashed through his mind as he and Olivia made their way through the network of tunnels. He used his rage to drive him forward as they followed the stink of the rogues—the monsters that killed two of the only people he cared about.

  He didn’t love Miranda, but she was a good woman and didn’t deserve to die. But then again, neither did Tom, Brittany, or Ronald Davis. He vowed that if it was the last thing he did, he would eviscerate the motherfuckers who were responsible.

  Lost in his thoughts and focused on the path in front of them, he didn’t hear the sounds at first, but Olivia did. Her delicate hand grabbed his, and they came to a halt, crouching in the tunnel back-to-back with guns drawn, both of them struggling to discern which direction the footsteps were coming from.

  “They’re coming from both directions.” He squeezed her hand and took solace in the weight of her body leaning against his.

  “Damn it,” she whispered. “They’re herding us like fucking cattle.”

  “And it sounds like a lot more than two or three.”

  “Go,” she shouted. “There’s an abandoned subway tunnel about twenty feet ahead on the right. Shoot anything that moves.”

  Doug kept her hand wrapped in his and started flying down the tunnel, but as he rounded the corner and went through the opening to the abandoned subway, something slammed into him, cutting him across the face or biting him. Doug squeezed off several rounds as he flipped through the air before landing on both feet. He watched two vampires explode with bloodcurdling shrieks.

  She landed at his side, and they quickly realized they were outnumbered—badly. She shifted her position so they were back-to-back, and as they drew their other guns, Doug and Olivia took in the horrifying scene that surrounded them. Standing on the abandoned, broken tracks, they were surrounded by at least twenty vampires. Snarling, drooling, and wild with hunger, they began to close the circle.

  “Sweet Jesus,” he whispered.

  “I doubt he’ll hear you,” she said as her body tensed against his.

  They started firing, and all hell broke loose. Doug hit several with the UV rounds, and they burst into flames in shrieks of agony. As he reloaded, two rogues leaped on him and started biting his neck. One tried to bite his arm, but the two layers of leather he wore afforded him some protection.

  Doug roared in fury as he grabbed a small wild-eyed woman and threw her into the wall just before putting a bullet in her head. He tugged the other one off his back and ripped his head off in one swoop. Strength and pure power flowed through him as he fired his weapons and killed one creature after another. Rapid gunfire, bursts of flames, shrill death cries, and clouds of dust filled the air, stinging his eyes and coating his mouth with dusted vampire.

  Olivia moved faster than he thought possible and killed several more with the sure shot of a sniper. He ducked as she threw silver stars past his head that sliced through two vamps like butter. He reloaded and shot several more, turning them to ash, but when he swung around to check on Olivia she pointed her gun and screamed, “Get down.”

  Doug ducked as she discharged her weapon and turned a charging vampire into a cloud of ash. The cavernous space fell silent as the two of them, covered in blood and dust, looked around to be sure they got them all.

  “What the fuck was that?” Doug asked in a low voice as he scanned the room. “So much for two or three. There had to be at least twenty of those things. Who the hell is making all of them?”

  “I don’t know,” Olivia said. “Whoever did this started making these vamps awhile ago, and at the rate they’re growing, the city will be overrun in a matter of weeks. Rogue One wasn’t here, and I don’t remember seeing Moriarty in the melee.”

  “Nope.” Doug shook his head. “Me either.”

  “This isn’t the nest either,” she said as she inspected the area. “It’s too exposed. Too many tunnels in and out. Damn it. We need another night to find the nest. It’s almost sunrise.”

  Doug wiped the blood away wearily as two more vamps flew down from an arch in the ceiling and right at them. Olivia unexpectedly pushed him out of the way, but he recovered, jumping back onto his feet just as one of the rogues tackled her. She fired, and the one on top of her exploded just before Doug shot the other as it swooped around. As the last one exploded in a cloud of fire and its shrieks echoed around them, everything fell silent.

  Muscles straining, his entire body vibrated, and his senses remained alert as he kept his gun pointed at the cloud of dust. He waited for more, but none followed. It took a moment for him to realize that Olivia was still on the ground and quiet.

  “Olivia?” Panic swamped him when he saw her unmoving, bloody form on the ground.

  Doug went to her side and gently lifted her into his arms. Holding her limp body, horror filled him when he saw the massive gash on her neck. If she had been human, she would have been dead. Her head lolled in the crook of his arm, and her eyes rolled back in her head.

  “Oh my God.” He picked her up and looked around the room, feeling helpless for the first time since this crazy mess started. “It’s okay. I have to get you out of here before more show up.”

  He had some ammo left, but not enough to take on another swarm. She moaned, and he watched as the wound started to close, but it wasn’t happening fast enough, and she was losing too much blood.

  Blood.

  That was it.

  It’s going to be okay, Olivia. He touched her mind with his with an odd familiarity, as though he had been doing it his entire life. Maybe he had. The instant he linked his mind with hers, everything felt like it was going to be okay.

  As he flew through the tunnels carrying her limp body, he wondered if the dreams were more connected to her than he previously thought. He wanted more than answers… he wanted her. There was more to her—more to them. Hell. He glanced at her pale, blood-streaked face, and something inside of him broke as he realized the truth.

  He loved her.

  He loved the woman from his dreams, and no woman he ever met could stand up against that redheaded siren—until Olivia. She was a part of him. This unique, strong, feisty woman was everything he was searching for, but he had no idea what to do about it. Doug found himself in foreign territory in every way possible.

  Unsure of where he was beneath the city, he followed the tracks because he didn’t want to risk bringing her to street level. The sun would rise soon; it was a sense of weakness that lurked along the edge of his senses and grew with each passing minute. Olivia winced, and her fingers curled around the lapel of his leather coat as she nuzzled against his chest and said something under her breath.

  As Doug skidded to a halt, dirt and rocks sprayed from under his boot heels, and he leaned closer so he could hear. She tugged on his jacket, pulling him to her. Her lips brushed against his cheek as she tried to get the words out.

  Sentry safe house. Her voice, faint and weak, wrapped around him like a blanket, surrounding him, comforting him, and assuring him she was still with him. By the abandoned City Hall subway station. Further south. Keep going down the tracks. Looks like an old utility closet.

&nbs
p; “Good girl.” He placed a kiss on her forehead. “Hang on.”

  Doug shot down the tracks, whipping around curves like a train on the rails, praying they weren’t too far from the station she was talking about. As he rounded a sharp curve to the left, the defunct subway stop came into view, and like a freaking light at the end of the proverbial tunnel, he saw a steel door on the right near the main platform.

  He came to a full stop, short of the faint rays of early morning sunlight that came through the cracks in the ceiling. The art deco design of the arches with faded ceramic tiles looked haunting and beautiful amid the vermin-ridden tunnels. It seemed a shame that this architectural marvel was buried here, hidden from the world.

  The steel door appeared locked and rusted shut, but it was a door to somewhere, and if he had any luck, it would be a place he and Olivia could hunker down for the day. Push the Danger sign on the door. Her voice, weak and thready, flickered in his head.

  Doug threw a prayer to the universe, held onto Olivia with one arm, and did as she said. The door gave way with an ear-shattering screech and swung open, revealing an old utility room with defunct fuses and levers that no longer served any purpose. Doug stepped inside as the door shut tightly behind them.

  He surveyed the small room and marveled at how clearly he could see everything, even though it was black as pitch. Still holding Olivia in one arm, he looked at the filthy floor and grimaced.

  “This place is disgusting.”

  A weak smile played at her lips. Orange lever on the back wall.

  Doug pulled the lever, trying not to jostle her too much, and seconds later the back wall dropped into the floor as lights flickered on, revealing a virtual oasis. Doug whistled as he carried her over the threshold, and the door slid closed behind them.

  The room was approximately thirty feet square with thick beige carpeting and aqua-colored walls, bathed in soft lighting. To the left was an oversized sofa, black coffee table, and a top-of-the-line media center. The right side of the room had an enormous king-size bed and a nightstand. The place looked spic-and-span clean as though the maid service from the Ritz Carton had just been there. Even the bed was made.

  “Now this is more like it.” He kissed the top of her head and carried her to the couch. “This place is nicer than my apartment.”

  He brushed a stray red curl off her forehead, and her brilliant green eyes fluttered open, locking with his. Doug sat down, holding her in his lap. He told himself it was so he could get a closer look at the wound, but that was absolute bullshit. He wanted her close, her body snuggled against his, safe and sound.

  “You need blood, don’t you?” he asked quietly.

  Olivia’s brow furrowed. “Yes, I’m sorry.”

  “Now you’re apologizing?” he asked playfully as he shoved the sleeve of his shirt up and exposed his forearm. “After all the shit we’ve been through in the last twenty-four hours, you apologize for needing a little blood? That’s some weak-ass stuff, if you ask me.”

  “Sorry,” she murmured through a faint smile.

  Doug lifted her head with one hand and held his wrist to her mouth. “Go on,” he said gruffly. “Do it.”

  Are you sure? Her glittering eyes flicked to his as her voice whispered along his mind.

  “Bite me, already.” He pressed his wrist against her soft lips and watched with genuine fascination as her fangs unsheathed and sank into his flesh.

  He wasn’t sure what to expect. Pain, maybe? A pinch, like getting your finger pricked at the doctor? Doug gasped as her fangs pierced his skin because the last sensation he expected was pleasure.

  Warmth washed through his body as a rich wave of pleasure rippled over him and made his dick as hard as a rock. This was wrong. Majorly fucked up.

  Wrong or not—he was harder and hotter than he’d ever been in his life. Doug groaned and prayed for restraint. His fingers curled into a fist, tangling in her silky, red curls as she drank from him. All he could think about doing was stripping her naked and plunging deep inside of her.

  Erotic images flashed through his mind. Memories of the dreams he had over the years and her voice, whispering wickedly in his ear as she drove him to the brink of orgasm. He saw her naked and writhing beneath him in ecstasy as she ran her fingernails down his back. All of these memories came roaring back in living color, tormenting him.

  Olivia’s body shuddered against his as she held his arm with both hands, her lips pressed against his skin erotically, and her tongue flicking back and forth on the sensitive flesh.

  She moaned as she broke her hold on him and licked the wound closed. Doug barely noticed. He felt every spot where her body touched his, and when she adjusted her position the curve of her ass pressed enticingly against his cock, sending another rush of carnal pleasure rippling over his skin. The images in his mind faded, but the physical response was still in full force.

  Doug opened his eyes to find her staring up at him through heavily lidded eyes. The wound on her neck had completely healed. A smile curved her lips, and she pressed her hand against his cheek, brushing her thumb along his hypersensitive skin.

  “Thank you,” she breathed. “You didn’t have to do that.”

  Doug couldn’t speak. His body was wound tighter than a drum, and the woman draped over him held him captive in every possible way. His heated gaze wandered up her throat and lingered on her full, ruby-red lips. Her mouth parted, and he glimpsed the sharp points of her fangs. He held her tighter, afraid she might slip away.

  “Do you have any idea what you do to me?” he asked gruffly as his hand rested on her thigh. Doug pulled her closer and brushed his fingers along the deliciously sexy curve of her ass. “You ruined me.”

  “I’m sorry.” Her brow furrowed, and she dropped her hand to his chest, trying to extricate herself from his grasp. “I know you hate me for turning you. Your body’s reaction is because of the feeding, nothing more.”

  “That’s horseshit.” He held her in his iron-clad grip, and her confused eyes latched onto his. “My body, and the rest of me, is reacting to you, Olivia, and has been from the first time I dreamt of you all those years ago. When I saw you that night at the club, it was like—like coming home. Something that I’d been chasing my entire life was there in front of me, but like the typical, stubborn asshole I am, I refused to believe it. You are in my head, wrapped around my heart, and buried under my skin.”

  He grasped her biceps and pulled her into an upright position in his lap, tugging her close, so that her face was only inches from his. Her scent filled his head and intoxicated him, but now she was looking at him as though he had completely lost his mind.

  “You ruined me for any other woman, did you know that?” He brushed his lips along her cheek and ran his hand along the curve of her ass as it pressed against his erection erotically. “None of them could even live up to the idea of you, to the redheaded siren who haunted my sleep with promises of perfection. All my life, I thought I couldn’t commit to anyone because of my fucked up childhood or some bullshit notion about fear of commitment. It was all because of you, wasn’t it?”

  He pulled back and lifted her chin with the tip of his finger, forcing those pools of green to look at him.

  “You had my heart before I was even born.”

  Doug brushed his thumb over her lower lip. He watched as she licked the tip of his thumb and took it into the moist cavern of her mouth and suckled. All he could do was picture that gorgeous mouth wrapped around other parts of his anatomy.

  Her eyes snapped open and captured his as her tongue wound slow, erotic circles around the tip of his thumb. Pulling one leg across his lap, she straddled him, pressing herself harder against his erection as she linked her arms around his neck, and he covered her mouth with his.

  Doug buried both hands in her hair, angling her head, and devoured her with equal intensity. He licked and suckled at her p
lump lips, bathed his tongue with hers, and moaned as she ran her fingers along the back of his neck.

  In a tangle of limbs, he reached between them and pulled down the zipper of her catsuit, baring her gorgeous white breasts. Olivia shrugged off her coat, tossing it to the floor and arching back, as she offered herself. Doug took one mound in his hand and lapped at the hardened, pink nipple as she held him to her, urging him on.

  “I want to lick every inch of you and taste every curve,” he murmured against the swell of her breast. Doug flicked the rosy peak with his tongue as he peered at her wickedly. “But you’re wearing far too many clothes.”

  In a flash, still holding her in his arms and with her legs wrapped around his waist, he leaped to his feet. Olivia clung to him as he walked her to the wall and pinned her there. A smile played at her lips as she dropped her legs from his waist and stood. She licked his lower lip as her hands pressed against his chest and pushed him away.

  Before he could protest, she unhooked the ammo belt and let it drop to the floor as she peeled the skintight catsuit from her torso and bared herself to the waist. He grinned and moved forward to take her in his arms, but she leaned back against the wall and kicked up her booted foot, placing it on his chest, keeping him at bay. The spiked heel dug into his chest and probably should have hurt. It only made him want her more.

  “How about a little help?” Olivia whispered wickedly with a nod toward her tall boot.

  Doug’s lips lifted as he held her gaze. He complied with her request and slowly unzipped the knee-high leather boot. He tossed it aside and ran his hands along her calf and down to her perfectly manicured toes. Olivia put both her hands above her head as she switched feet and pressed the heel of her other boot into his chest. Doug made quick work of removing it and tossing it onto the couch with the other.