Claws and Fangs

by Laurann Dohner

  He nodded.

  Her gaze narrowed, and she realized why he wouldn’t speak. “Fangs out? It’s okay. I’ve seen them before.” She glanced at the bag. “I’m not sure how to feed you. Should I put it in a glass with a straw?”

  “Just bring the bag to my mouth,” he rasped, his white fangs showing when he spoke. They were long, menacing things. “I won’t bite you.”

  She hoped he meant that as she crawled closer to him and grabbed the towel she’d used on her damp hair. She settled it over his chest up to his neck, not wanting any blood to spill and drip onto her bed, and carefully put the bag against his lip.

  He struck fast, the sharp tips of his teeth puncturing the plastic, and she was amazed at how quickly he drained it.

  She removed it when he was done and watched him. “More?”

  “That’s good.” He licked the blood from his lower lip and fangs and kept his mouth open as they retracted, not hiding it from her this time. “Thank you.”

  “Sorry it’s cold.”

  “I’m used to it. We store human blood in the fridge at the club. Just don’t freeze it.”

  “I’ll remember that.” She dropped the empty bag on the towel, wrapped it into a ball and tossed it toward the bathroom. It hit the tile floor just inside. “Here’s the deal, Lethal. I’m not okay with killing you if you were being honest about what you do, and if you don’t kill people. I’m willing to give you the benefit of the doubt regardless of my inner voice wanting to bitch-slap me for stupidity.” Her gaze wandered down his body, hesitated at the sheet across his lap, then rose. “You’re not like the other bloodsuckers I’ve met, and it’s not just because you’ve got a rocking bod or beautiful hair.”

  His eyebrows shot up in surprise.

  “I’m not dead either. You’re hot, you know it, and I think it would be a shame to waste you unless you’re a monster. I’m going to do a little research on you, find out if a lot of people have disappeared or died around that club you use as a nest, and if not, I’ll let you go. If I find a string of missing persons or death reports, you’re baked goods. Do we understand each other?”

  “Yes.”

  “Perfect. Now be a good vampire and relax. Do you watch TV?” She nodded toward the corner. “Sorry it’s not a big screen, but just having this place is a drain on my finances. I’m going to consider you a big serial killer if you try to escape.”

  “Fair enough.”

  She hesitated. “I’m going to check my clothes and grab something to eat. Behave, Lethal.” She lifted the remote, turned on the news, and left the bedroom.

  Lethal watched Lacey closely as she disappeared. He cocked his head, heard her bare feet on the carpet as she moved around the other room, and lifted his arms. The handcuffs she’d used were quality ones but he smirked. He could easily snap them. His arms relaxed.

  He inhaled slowly, breathing in his surroundings, and concluded that she’d lied. She lived alone but the smell of fresh air promised freedom if he wished to escape. A sealed location wouldn’t have much if there were no windows or doors easily accessible. His gaze traveled the room, saw where a cabinet had been recently moved, and he smiled. It didn’t belong in a bedroom, looked out of place. He guessed it now covered a window she tried to hide from him.

  The human intrigued him. His lass was a smart one. He listened to a microwave drone, then ding. He heard her sigh. The smell of a TV dinner wafted into the room and he grimaced. He wouldn’t feed them to one of the stray dogs who haunted the alley behind the bar, yet the sexy blonde ate it.

  He closed his eyes and tested the restraints on his ankles, shifted his legs, and knew he could free himself if he wished. He hesitated. He should just leave but curiosity held him in place. He wouldn’t hurt her, never would. He opened his eyes when she tried to sneak up on him.

  She peered at him with a hint of fear, which she believed she hid, and hesitated outside the door. He refrained from smiling. She was damn cute and that big nightshirt showed a lot of leg. A hundred things he’d enjoy doing to her filled his thoughts. Stripping her out of the garment topped that list.

  “I’m still here.”

  “I see.” She stepped into the room. “I worried the handcuffs wouldn’t hold you but they’re police issue.”

  “You’re a cop?”

  She blushed. “Uh, no. My ex-fiancé was, and he kind of left a few spare ones in our apartment when our relationship ended. He forgot them in my nightstand.”

  Lethal detested the jealousy that rolled through him at the thought of another man touching her. “What were they doing there?”

  “What do you think?” She lifted her chin. “That’s why I’m hoping my bed can hold you. He couldn’t break free, but he wasn’t a bloodsucker or nearly as big as you are.” She walked closer. “Do you know all the vampires in the area? Beth’s killer was average height, had short brown hair, and he moved really fast.”

  He shook his head. “I need more than that. I’m aware of those of my kind who have set up ‘nests,’ as you call them, but I believe the one who attacked your sister is on his own. Loners are harder to find since they hide in the shadows and change locations often. They’re like rats in the sewers. They only come above ground to feed.”

  “That would explain why the ones we catch always smell so bad.”

  He hesitated. “What was listed as the cause of your sister’s death?”

  “The police thought it was a homeless guy on drugs.”

  “That’s probably why we missed it. We take note of serial killers and murders that have the same MO or mysterious circumstances. Vamps tend to have a routine when they take victims. Her death was probably considered a random crime. Your team consists of family members of victims?”

  “Yes.”

  “That’s how you’ve been successful in catching them. You know the details and locations of the killings.” He cocked his head. “What led you to my club?”

  “One of our guys dated a girl who talked about going there, and she suddenly came down with a bad case of anemia. He put it together.”

  He grimaced. “I see. I’ll have a talk with some of my members about taking less blood.” His chest expanded as he took a deep breath and blew it out slowly. “What else do you know of your sister’s killer?”

  She cautiously sat at the end of the bed. “I have a copy of the surveillance video from the library. My ex got it for me before he decided to leave. You could watch it. Maybe you’ll recognize him. I left a copy at the club for your friends.” She chewed on her bottom lip. “Were you telling the truth? Just be honest. Please? Will they go after him for real?”

  “Yes. We call them rogues. The days of killing for feedings are long past and it’s barbaric. They risk exposing us all when they take human lives, and obviously that isn’t something we want.” He paused when she didn’t appear to believe him. “The last thing we need is police investigating excessive numbers of missing persons or deaths. We live in secrecy, keep a low profile, and that’s how we survive. Otherwise we’d be hunted to extinction.”

  “You honestly don’t kill people when you feed?”

  “I don’t. There’s no need.”

  “I bet.” Her gaze ran down his body and she frowned, obviously not liking his answer.

  “The women who visit our club are willing, and I don’t hurt them. They all walk away healthy and very much alive. The woman with anemia should convince you of that. She would be dead if we killed everyone we took blood from.”

  “Do they know what you are?”

  He shook his head. “I can seal a bite mark with my tongue. I distract them and they never even realize I’m taking blood. They just think I’m nibbling on their bodies.”

  He noticed how her lips compressed into a tight line. She tried to appear nonchalant but failed. He wondered if it bothered her that he took blood unbeknownst to his donors, or if she might not like the idea of him with other women. He hoped for the latter. A little jealousy implied she might like him enough to offe
r up her neck.

  “It doesn’t hurt?”

  “No. I’m told it’s pleasurable.” His cock stirred, thinking about Lacey in his arms while taking her blood. “It’s been a while since anyone has fed off me. But I don’t remember it being painful.”

  “Let me guess. A woman turned you?”

  “Yes.”

  “Big shocker.”

  He forced a smile. “I believe that’s a compliment, Lacey.”

  “Where is she? Will she try to find you?”

  “No.” He pushed back the memories that always angered him.

  She studied him closely and he figured anything she thought up would be worse than the truth.

  “She turned my friend and me the same night. She wanted two strapping men to protect her, and we did for a long time, despite not liking her. We’d have to take her down for being rogue if she were alive today. She enjoyed the kill far too much.”

  “She’s dead?”

  “Yes. We didn’t approve of her feeding habits so she hunted without us. She chose the wrong man to feed from and he killed her.”

  “Did you murder the guy for dusting her?”

  “There’s no censure for men wanting to survive. He was justified in his actions.”

  An uneasy look crossed her face. “I need to run some errands. Will you behave?”

  “I will.”

  She fled the room and Lethal frowned. She’d given him a strange look before she’d left. He could hear her bumping around in the small apartment before a door creaked, light footfalls followed, and another door closed in the distance.

  She’d really left.

  A cell phone rang from the floor and Lethal was surprised, realizing she’d forgotten it. He glanced above his head, noted how he could break the bed loose without it showing, and easily freed the chain securing his wrists. He kept a keen ear out for her return.

  A check of her cell phone revealed she’d missed a total of four messages from someone named Jeff. He seemed to badly want to get in contact with Lacey.

  Anger surged. He just bet the human wanted Lacey, with her pretty eyes and tempting body. Too bad he wouldn’t get her. He grinned when he realized she was in the habit of erasing all her outgoing calls.

  He quickly placed a call to the club, still on alert for any sound, and smiled when one of the wolves answered with a cautious “hello,” probably due to the unfamiliar number.

  “It’s Lethal. I’m fine, but clear out the club. It’s been compromised. We’ll move to the forest location.”

  “We have teams searching for you,” Mark growled. “We’re tracking your scent all over the city. The female’s too. It was smart of you to send her with the note to give us her scent.”

  Rage burned. “Did she write that I owe her an honor debt?”

  Mark paused. “We believed you’d been tortured to get you to say that. The club has been cleared of vamps and we have teams waiting here for an assault if anyone breaches it. We’d planned to torture your location from them.”

  “Keep the club clear but call off the hunt on the woman, damn it! There will be hell to pay if anyone so much as bruises her.”

  “Yes, sir.” Mark cleared his throat. “I’m sorry.”

  Frustration rose. “Call off your pack and tell everyone she’s under my protection. I pay you guys the big bucks, and I expect you to do your jobs right. Call Chase next time before you fuck up. Your alpha would never make this mistake.”

  “He’s hunting that rogue mentioned in the note left at the club. He took off right after it was discovered.”

  “And did he order you to track the woman?”

  “No.”

  Some of his temper soothed. “Do as I said. Call off the hunt on her. And grab a pen to make a list of some items I want in my bedroom by tonight.”

  “Yes, sir. Tell me what you want.”

  Chapter Five

  Lacey worried that she’d been gone too long. Had Lethal managed to break free? She really hoped not. She’d had to visit the library. Then she’d thought two scary men had followed her out onto the street, but one of them had gotten a phone call and suddenly they’d disappeared. She’d avoided going straight home to make certain she wasn’t being tailed.

  She reached under the lip of the kitchen island and pulled the hidden gun from the holster. It was loaded, the safety off, as she tiptoed into the bedroom. Bare feet peeked out from under a sheet as she peered around the corner into her bedroom. She relaxed.

  “Sorry that took so long.” She rested the gun on top of the shelf in the hallway and stepped into the room.

  He shrugged. “I’m just lying around.”

  “Cute.”

  He smiled, devastating her with how handsome he looked when he did. “This is the most rest I’ve gotten in years. I should be thanking you. My only complaint is that I have an itch on my lower stomach that’s driving me crazy.”

  “Sorry.” She kicked off her shoes, climbed onto the bed, and tried not to gawk at his tantalizing chest. “Where is it?”

  “Lower right side above the sheet.”

  Her fingernails raked his skin, and he shifted his big body to put them right where he wanted them. It was an intimate thing in Lacey’s mind but touching Lethal wasn’t a chore. She met his gaze and stopped scratching.

  “I did some research while I was gone. There have been some missing-person reports and murders in the news, but not near your club. They’re in the vicinity of where Beth was taken and killed.”

  “You told my friends where she was kidnapped, right?” His amusement faded.

  “I did.”

  “It sounds as if there’s a predator vampire who’s been marking his territory. That will help them track him if he’s still sticking to the same hunting grounds.” He paused. “Are you all right?”

  “Yes. I just really wanted to kill that bastard myself.”

  “I understand vengeance, but it’s best if my people handle this rogue. No offense meant but he’d be faster than you.”

  She smiled. “I took you down, didn’t I?”

  “From a distance, with a dart gun. You get a lot of credit for that.”

  She hesitated, thinking about that sword tearing through the top of the van. They’d almost been killed for grabbing Lethal. “I said I’d let you go if I believed you weren’t killing humans.” She liked to keep her word but her heart sped up a little as fear kicked in. “Are you going to kill me if I do that?”

  “No.” Sincerity shone in his eyes. “You haven’t harmed me.”

  He might have some issues with her using him as a boy toy. His ego was probably as large as his impressive frame.

  “Here’s the plan. You’re going to stay one more night with me and twenty minutes before dawn, I’m going to unhook one side of your handcuffs before I leave you the key and run like hell. I still have your shirt, wallet, and jacket. Your boots were left in the warehouse.” She paused. “I bought a faded pair of jeans and flip-flops from a secondhand store that I think will fit you. You won’t chase me because you’ll have just enough time to find somewhere safe to be when the sun comes up after you get dressed. Being arrested for indecent exposure would suck for you. I doubt you’d get bailed out before that annoying sun rose.”

  A dark eyebrow lifted. “Good plan.”

  “I thought so. I won’t be coming back here for a long time, so don’t bother looking. I’m smarter than that. It would be a waste of your time to try to track me through the false name I used for this place.”

  “That’s nice of you to share with me, but I don’t plan to go looking for you.”

  Ouch. Thanks for letting me know the sex meant nothing. “Good,” she replied, surprised that she felt a little let down.

  “Will you and your friends come after me and mine again if we stay at the club?”

  “I don’t control them, Lethal. I won’t ever try to hurt anyone there again, but I can only speak for myself. It’s best if you ditch it and find another location. I think the tea
m believes you’re dead, but they’ll want to take out the rest of your nest.”

  “Damn. I love my club.” He hesitated. “It’s not a nest. I hate that term. I don’t go around turning humans into vampires. They’re annoying as hell.”

  She arched her brow, curious what that meant.

  “Newly turned vamps are very dependent upon their makers. They tend to follow them around like puppies. They fight amongst themselves to be the favorite.”

  “You’re a master though, right?”

  “I’m powerful.”

  “Who’re the vampires you hang out with at the club, if they aren’t ones you made? You said the woman who turned you is dead.”

  “My friend—the one who was changed the same time it happened to me—and I own the club together. We cater to other vampires for a high price.”

  “You’re selling humans?” Her gut twisted.

  “No. We just give vampires a safe place to hang out and feed. It’s equally safe for the humans who enter my club. There’s no killing allowed and they must be willing.”

  “You said women don’t realize what you do to them, so how can they agree?” She had him there and knew it.

  His eyes narrowed. “It stands to reason that if they are willing to have sex with someone, they don’t mind sharing body fluids. They just don’t expect it to be their blood.”

  “Good point.”

  “I’ll miss the club.”

  “I’m sorry.” Lacey glanced around the room. “I know what you mean about hating to lose access to a place you like. This was my hidden retreat when I wanted to disappear. I’m going to have to avoid my team in case they weren’t fooled by the ashes I left behind. I didn’t have a second safe house set up.”

  “You’re safe here, Lacey.”

  The soft tone of his voice drew her gaze back to his.

  “I won’t ever hurt you, and I can speak for my friends. None will come after you. Give them my birth name, if you ever run into someone of my nature who wishes to do you harm. They’ll never touch you.”