by Amy Faye
She relaxed in Jason's arms. What was the point? What was the point of any of it? She was nobody, and one of the most powerful men in the country wanted her dead. Within twenty minutes he'd had a SWAT team coming to take her in. What was going to stop him? What could stop a man like that?
The feeling of Jason's hand behind her head, holding it up, the feeling of his eyes on her made her return to the world, made her look up at him. He seemed worried.
"Everything's going to be alright."
He didn't sound like he meant it. Sarah wondered blankly for a moment if he wasn't even more worried than she was. Then his lips descended on hers once again and the fire of arousal lit in her belly again. If he was going to keep kissing her like that, he might have to deal with the consequences.
She brought her arms up around him. He felt like a buoy, the only thing keeping her afloat in the rough night she'd been having. His body was strong, was there, but more than that—it was real. She could hold it, and whatever happened from that moment on…
From the way that Sarah was laid across his lap she could feel him hardening against her as he ran his soft fingers through her hair. He broke the kiss for a moment, just long enough to hungrily capture the soft skin of her neck between his lips, teasing out a soft moan.
His lips traced the line of her collarbone, then the line of the top of her skirt, skimming across her full breasts and to the space between them, each kiss leaving a warmth that spread out across her skin, spreading the feeling of pleasure until her entire body buzzed from the electric stimulation.
Then he stopped, his lips pulling away from her, and Sarah let out a soft groan of disappointment at his mouth's absence.
"I shouldn't," he breathed. Something in his voice sounded strange, erotic and yet distant. "I don't know if I can guarantee… It wouldn't be fair to you."
"You've already done so much," she said, tracing the hard lines of his body through his shirt. "Please. Let me do something. I need to pay you back somehow."
She slid from his lap and put her hands between his knees. His face showed signs of doubt that Sarah felt in her own heart, doubts she hoped didn't show as clearly on her own face. If she was going to make this happen, if she was going to try to show him that she had control of herself, then there was no room for doubt.
His knees spread with her gentle pressure. She let her hands drift up his thighs, her fingers gently moving across the hardness in his jeans, then moving off again. It had been a long time. Too long. She was too inexperienced, too unsure of herself. She barely remembered what a cock felt like in her hand.
What if he didn't like it? She tried to ignore her doubts and started to unfasten the button that held his jeans together. Her hands shook softly, but if Jason noticed then he didn't show any sign.
She was doing this as payment, she reminded herself. They had saved her life. Twice. Now all she had to do was perform a little… "service" for them, and then things would be even.
When she put it that way, thinking of it as something that she had to do mechanically, a job she had to do, it was easier. She grabbed the zipper and pulled down softly, his hardness pressing out against the confines of his jeans before finally being released.
She wasted no time in pulling down the waist of his boxers and freeing his member to the open air.
It was bigger than she'd imagined it to be, bigger than the only lover she'd had before. Now that it was out and in front of her the courage that she'd managed to build up for herself seemed to be fading quickly. Could she even fit that inside her mouth? Would she be able to fit it inside?
As she reached out to touch it a thousand doubts came into her mind at once. Would he think that she wasn't good enough? Would he not like it when she tried to do it for him? What if he wasn't attracted to her?
Her fingers touched his shaft and it twitched. Sarah looked up to gauge his reaction. His eyes were closed, and he leaned back. He seemed to be struggling to keep control of himself. What could he be thinking?
Sarah wrapped her fingers around it, gave it an experimental tug. Jason's face lost the mask of composure for a moment and he inhaled sharply. She moved her hand again and he sucked in a breath. Was she doing this to him? Such a powerful, attractive man, brought to his knees by her?
She kept her eyes on his face as she ducked her head in, kissing the tip. His skin tasted salty on her lips. His body jerked when he felt her mouth on him, but she ignored her doubts. Her lips had to stretch just a little to accommodate his size, perhaps too generous, but she pushed past her discomfort.
This wasn't about her, this was about him, and making him feel good. Making him feel like it was worthwhile. She looked up again to gauge his reaction. The way that his hands searched for anything to get ahold of, the way that his expression was forced into that same neutral mask, all said that she was doing something right.
Sarah started moving slowly. As she began to move back on she enjoyed the way that his hips jerked ever so slightly, trying to meet her movements, an uncontrollable thrust to try to get deeper. It filled her throat and for a moment she was afraid that she was going to choke—and then he relented, pulling back until he was nearly out of her mouth completely.
She ran her tongue along its length, enjoying the movements of his hips as she pleased him. She couldn't resist asking, "does that feel good?"
His ragged breathing was her only reply, so she took it in her hand, giving it another experimental tug before she took it back into her mouth. She enjoyed the way that he moved, the way that she felt as if she was the center of his world as she sucked his cock. If this was how all women felt doing this, why would they ever want to stop?
"You can stop," he groaned above her. "I'm going to—"
Sarah didn't stop. Her tongue moved in time with the bobbing of her head, sucking hard, until she felt him jerk once, twice, harder than before. She knew what was happening only a half-second before he came, the salty, bitter taste filling her mouth. She swallowed.
She leaned back until she was sitting on the ground. She'd calmed down, now, she realized. Something about the way that Jason had seemed to enjoy what she'd done for him so much had set her back onto her feet. Now that she was looking around, there was something strange about this place.
It had seemed abandoned, at first. Yet, now that she was looking, most of the trash had been moved off to one side, the floors cleaned. Was this where Jason and Isaiah had been staying when they were in the city? The mattresses, laying in the opposite corner, seemed to confirm.
She looked back up at James, who seemed to finally be regaining his composure. "I think we're even, now," she said.
He smiled, a feral grin that showed off his teeth. Halfway a smile, but halfway a threat, she realized. It set her on edge. He was inhumanly attractive. She'd known that the moment she saw him. Those powerfully blue eyes seemed to see right through her.
"No." His shoulders seemed to set, like he was an animal ready to pounce on her. "We're anything but even."
He took a step, then waited for her to do something. He took another. They were close, now. Close enough for her to feel the heat of his body, remember the taste of his cock in her mouth. Enough to remember the way that his lips had felt on her. She could feel a gentle tingle spreading through her belly, through her entire body.
She was pulled out of the aroused dream by the feeling of her phone, vibrating in her pocket. She'd thought that she had left it at her apartment, but apparently it had been in her pants the entire time. The number wasn't one she immediately recognized, but she answered before Jason could stop her.
He made a motion to grab for the phone but she swayed out of his reach, putting the handset to her ear.
"Hello?"
The other side of the line sounded busy. Dozens of voices in the background, like a party or a busy office.
"Is this Miss Lincoln?"
"Who is this?"
"Miss Sarah Lincoln?"
"Speaking; who is this?"
&nb
sp; "Hi, I'm sorry, we just had to confirm your identity. We got your number from your mother's phone, I'm afraid there's been an accident."
"An accident? Is she okay?"
James made a face as if he wanted to ask her what she was talking about, but Sarah held up her hand. He was going to have to wait for an explanation until she got off the phone. The voice on the other line took a moment to answer.
"She's stable." That seemed to be as much as they were going to say, even as she waited for a further response.
"Stable? What's that supposed to mean? What kind of accident? Where is she? Can I see her?"
"She was in a car accident, and now she's at Detroit Mercy. There appears to have been some serious injury, but the doctors have her stabilized. Once we know more, we'll be sure to let you know."
Sarah wanted to curse. This wasn't the night that she could deal with this.
"Can I come and see her?"
She watched James's lips purse. He wasn't happy about that idea, and she had a good idea why. It would be dangerous for her to be out at night, and tonight of all nights. But this was her mother, the woman who had raised her, and she wasn't about to leave her alone in some hospital bed. That wasn't an option.
"Well…" The voice on the other end of the line, a woman's voice, sounded as if she were weighing her response. "It's past visiting hours, but she's in the ER. If you talk to the desk security, they should be able to let you in."
"Thanks. Detroit Mercy, you said?"
"On Outer Drive, yes."
"Thanks."
She hung up the phone. James looked furious.
"You know as well as I do that you can't go. It's a trap."
"I have to go. It's my mother."
"What if they just lied to you? What if she's not even there?"
Sarah's temper flared. "What if she is? What if Isaiah is there, too, cold and hurt and alone?"
James's eyebrows knit together in frustration.
"You don't know what you're getting yourself into."
"And you do?"
"No, obviously not. I've only been doing this for—" He stopped, anger making his blue eyes look wild. "For as long as I can remember. You clearly know better."
3
Sarah's mind raced. Jason was supposed to be an expert at this stuff. Maybe his advice was better than she'd given it credit for? What if she was running into nothing, or worse, a trap?
The streets were colder, darker than she remembered them. Sure, she didn't usually come by the bad part of town. This part wasn't the worst she'd seen, though. Nobody stalking the streets, looking like they might rob you or do something even worse.
No, she realized now that the warehouses and factories that had once been such a big part of the city made it look like a ghost town, like a whole row of haunted houses, and behind any corner there might be someone waiting to pounce on her.
This was a mistake, but she couldn't go back. What if her mother needed her?
She closed her eyes and took a breath to center herself. This was what she'd decided, and she'd decided to go this way for a reason. As long as she remembered the reason, then she'd be fine. At least, she'd be in control of what she was doing.
It was absurd, she thought, that Jason hadn't understood why she wanted to leave. Maybe if he went with her, rather than arguing, then things would have been less scary, less of a risk. But that wasn't how he saw it. No, he had to be right, and that was all that mattered. She pulled her coat around, protecting against a chill.
There was only a few more miles until she could catch a bus. She turned the corner, finally off of the industrial back alleys that felt as if they were off-limits, and onto a mile road. Dark storefronts dotted the sides of the road, lit sporadically by street lights. Most of them just flickered, providing just enough light to show that they remembered, somewhere, what they were supposed to be doing.
She looked up and down the street. Had she been here before? What was the quickest way to the hospital? There was no bus stop sign in sight. It wasn't hard to believe, but what if this were a less-used corridor? There might only be one every two miles, maybe less than that. Maybe there was no bus route along this road at all.
Her phone was useless. The data had run out a week ago, too slow to bother with and too expensive to boot. The only question she had now was a relatively simple one. Left or right? She closed her eyes. She'd taken left before, when she got to the road with no idea where the right way to go was. She might as well trust left again. She turned and started walking.
She'd gone half a mile before she decided that she'd made the wrong choice. Going through an underpass she realized how dark it was. How alone she was. How anyone could get her here, and she couldn't see a thing. The lights that had lit up the street seemed less and less common as she walked, more and more of them broken or burned out.
She turned to look behind her. There was someone there. She didn't think it looked like Jason. Too thin, his hair a little too short. No, whoever that was, it wasn't the monster hunter.
Sarah started moving more quickly, locking her face forward and keeping herself moving as best she could. As long as she kept moving, everything could be fine. She could make it to a safe place, could find a 24-hour diner and go inside and whoever this guy was…
He'd just walk right on by, because they were just two people who happened to be walking the same direction at the same time. She wasn't being followed. That was absurd. She passed another mile road. She didn't know the area here. She'd heard the name of the street once or twice, which was more than she could say for 'Frazho.'
The street wasn't busy, but it wasn't abandoned, either. She tried not to look over her shoulder openly, but when she looked back to see if the man had followed her, there he was, still a few hundred yards back. Not getting any closer, but not getting any further away.
Could she get back to the warehouse from here? How? She couldn't double back, not with the man behind her. Not if he was a vampire.
When the thought came into her mind she almost laughed again at how insane it all sounded. Vampire? That was preposterous. There was no such thing as vampires. The fear that she was feeling now was childish. She'd just as soon run back and grab her blanket to keep her safe. No. She'd made her decision, and she'd stick to it.
The lights of an all-night convenience store shone in the darkness. She could go there, and let the creep by. Then she'd go back the way she came, find Jason, and either make him come with her or she'd stay with him.
That was the best plan, now that she was thinking about it. As long as she made it inside—she turned, supposedly watching a passing car, and tried to catch a glimpse of the man behind her. He was gone.
Sarah let her shoulders fall slack and sighed. Her pace slowed. See? Nothing to be afraid of. He'd just been walking home from a friend's house, or something. She'd assumed that there was danger for no reason. Now she looked like a fool.
She started to laugh. Stupid girl, scared of her own shadow. A man walks within a mile of you and he might as well have pulled out a gun and yelled 'boo.' She could see the bus coming down the street. If she waved her hands, this time of night, they'd stop.
It was only a half mile. Then a quarter. Then it was coming up, and she stepped up to the edge of the curb…
She never made it.
Strong arms encircled around her waist, pulling her back away from the curb. As soon as she felt them, felt the hands touching her waist on their way, she started fighting immediately. She'd come too far, gone through too much. There was no way she was going to let someone, whoever they were, get her.
The hands pulled her back, no words of warning, until she was out of the light from the streetlamp,, forcing her to confront the fact that no matter how she struggled she couldn't fight.
As she writhed and twisted to escape the strong grasp, she finally turned and glimpsed her attacker. Isaiah had seen better days. He had a bad cut on his cheek, barely held together with some light medical tape. His nose
looked broken, though she'd seen worse before.
What was more, though, was that as her squirms died she saw the way that he winced whenever he had to put weight onto his left leg, the way that his arms stiffened when she twisted. He'd broken something. Multiple things. Badly, it seemed.
"Stop fighting," he finally said, yanking hard and throwing her to the ground.
"You—" Sarah couldn't believe her eyes. Vampires killed people. Killed them all the time. She'd assumed that if you were someone who hunted creatures like that, it came from… planning, from having leverage. Like hunting lions or tigers.
But Isaiah hadn't had any of those advantages. Hadn't had the drop, and he'd been caught in a straight fight without any time to prepare. Nobody should have been able to survive. How had he?
"What are you doing here? Why isn't Jason with you?"
"I—My mom was hurt. She's at the hospital. I have to go make sure she's alright."
"If she's not alright, then she's dead. Just move on." His voice cut like a knife. He looked at her with those smoldering eyes. She had the same feeling that she'd felt in the apartment, as if a laser was pointed at her, burning a hole through her. She shuddered. Nobody she'd ever known could look like that, could do that to anyone.
Never mind to her.
He leaned down and wrapped his arms around her waist, lifting her up like a sack. She could see that it hurt, could see him nursing his arm after he set her back on her feet. The pain didn't seem to hold him back, though. If anything, it seemed to make him angry. The anger only made him more determined.
"We're going back." He started without waiting to see if she would follow. He evidently assumed that she was following, but when she didn't, he turned and stopped.
"What happened? How did you get out?"
"It's fine. We have to get back to Jason."
"No, it's not fine. You should have been dead! You were fighting a vampire, Isaiah. A vampire!"
