Almost on cue, her head waitress, Marie, led a scared-looking young girl over to her table. Callista smiled warmly. Dinner was served. She bid the girl to come sit beside her and asked the waitress to bring her companion something warm to eat. While the girl sat inhaling her dinner, Callista began to pick through her head. She already knew hunger would ultimately lead to the girl's death. Better to know who would come looking for her before she drained her body than after.
"You have no one?" Callista asked. Even she was surprised at the level of compassion that flowed from her voice.
"Not really," the girl said between bites. "My parents gave up on me a long time ago."
"What about aunts? Uncles? I'm sure you have grandparents."
"They don't care either. I don't think they ever did."
"You shouldn't say things like that my dear," she said stroking the girl's gritty hair. "Families never stop loving their kin."
"They do if they never wanted the kid in the first place. My parents live for their next high. The rest of my family has done everything to get them clean, but it never made a difference. I've pretty much been invisible since I was five."
Perfect! Callista thought, fighting a smile. She turned the girl's face to her and smiled. "Would you like to stay here for awhile? I'm sure I could find something for you to do. I have a couple of apartments above the restaurant. You could stay in one until you get on your feet."
"You'd do that for me? You don't even know me."
"Honey, I know what it is to be alone in this world." Callista patted her hand and slid out of the booth. "Come on. I'll show you around first and you can give me your decision after."
She waved to Marie, who nodded, and quickly headed to the table they'd just left, dishrag in hand. Only Marie and one other person knew Callista's true nature. Thanks to them, Callista had been able to feed unnoticed for the last ten years. Before that she'd been on a first name basis with every cop in town. The bad thing about having a well known establishment like hers was that everybody noticed the less fortunate souls she took in from time to time. Dirt had a way of sticking out like a sore thumb in an uppity place like this.
The girl followed Callista up the stairs. When the door to one of the apartments swung open, the girl dropped her dirty backpack on the floor and stepped inside. The place was gorgeous. It had a cozy log cabin feel, but there was nothing backwoods about anything in it. The furniture looked as though it had never been used. The plush carpet was so clean the vacuum lines were still visible. She walked towards the huge picture window in the kitchen thinking how lovely it would be to have coffee every morning and watch the sun rise.
Callista stepped in behind her and brushed her hair off her shoulder. She saw the tears welling up in the girl's eyes. Before she could open her mouth for the inevitable snotty thank you's and filth-ridden hugs Callista struck. Charity case turned to victim in a second. Her fangs sank deep into the girl's jugular vein. She could feel her victim's heartbeat quicken; her muscles tighten. She let their minds connect and willed the young woman not to fight.
The girl's body went limp. Callista felt the fear take hold. Inside the girl's mind she could see the usual mental fight taking place. Her brain told her to move, to hit, kick, something, but her body refused to obey. There was no saving herself now. Blood rushed from her body to Callista's. The girl's heartbeat pounded in the vampire's ears, fueling her hunger.
Callista felt a wave of warmth wash over her own body. The girl's knees buckled. She took her to the floor, refusing to let go. She needed the blood too badly. No, she enjoyed taking the blood too much to let go. Besides, it wouldn't be long before the girl's heart gave out. She glanced up to see her flawless reflection in the mirror and smiled. Even fang deep in dinner she still looked beautiful.
Within minutes the girl was dead. Callista licked the corners of her mouth clean and took her cell phone out of her pocket.
"It's over," Callista said softly. "Tell him to come upstairs and get her."
"It'll be a while," Isabella's sweet voice replied. "Dalton's got the night off."
"How distracted is your mother?" Very distracted if she were lucky. She crossed the hall and went inside a second apartment.
"She's too busy to miss me," the young woman said. A warm shiver ran up the girl's spine. Maybe Callista had finally given her offer some thought. "Was the girl's blood not enough?"
"Satisfying as it was, it has left me wanting more," Callista told her.
"Only blood?" Isabelle didn't even try to hide the disappointment in her voice.
"Part of it," she answered. "You've made such an enticing offer I find myself unwilling to ignore it any longer."
Excitement raced through her body. Isabella couldn't believe her luck. "Which apartment are you in?"
"First one across the hall from the staircase." Isabella's heart began to pound. "Now remember. This comes with the promise of blood. Are you still willing?"
"More than."
Isabella hung up the phone and quietly ducked out of the kitchen. Not that it mattered much. Her job washing dishes didn't really start till later. Callista had always believed in keeping more on the shelves than would ever be needed. Lucky her, she thought with a smile.
As she hurried up the stairs, she ran her fingers through her chin-length brown hair. "Might as well try to look like you belong outside that damn kitchen," she mumbled under her breath. She reached the door unsure of whether or not she should knock. "Callista?" she called. "It's me."
"Come in," Callista cooed. "Don't you know it's rude to keep a woman waiting?"
Isabella pushed the door open and slowly walked inside the dark room. This was a moment she wanted to savor for the rest of her life. Her first time with a vamp. The vamp's first time with a girl; a woman. The experience for both of them was going to be amazing.
Callista stepped naked into the moonlight shining in through the picture window. Her long auburn hair was draped over her shoulders, hiding the treasures Isabella had longed so badly to see. To touch. To kiss. She gently kicked the door shut with her foot and quickly locked the door. By the time she turned back around Callista was standing right in front of her.
"Turn your head, love," Callista whispered. "I want to taste you first."
Isabella did as she was asked and braced herself for the pain she knew would come. Callista's cool hand caressed the pulsating vein on her neck. Isabella's eyes rolled shut when she felt her tongue on her neck. Then came the searing pain of fangs ripping through her delicate skin. Desire quickly replaced pain.
While Callista fed, Isabella ran her hand down the vampire's side. Her silky skin felt wonderful. In fact, everything felt that way. Even the fangs buried in her neck. Isabella's fingers traced the curve of Callista's breast, her thumb brushing gently across her nipple. A muffled moan made her smile. She slid her hand gently across her chest, pinching Callista's now rock hard nipples. Another moan.
Callista's leg slipped in between hers, her toes tracing the inside of the woman's muscular calves. Isabella moved her fingers down her stomach, kneading, massaging. Callista's breath caught as Isabella's hand slipped between her legs. Her body tensed when the tip of Isabella's finger rubbed softly against her clit. She hadn't realized until then how wet the woman's gentle touch made her. Why on earth had she waited so long?
As she licked the blood from Isabella's neck her body relaxed. Her head rolled back as she slowly thrust her hips against the fingers sliding in and out of her. Isabella kissed her neck, licking down to her chest. Her lips closed on Callista's nipple. She smiled, happy to be where she was and also elated to have the insurance she'd been trying to secure for months.
Overhearing her thoughts, Callista went rigid. Suddenly everything was wrong. This little twit was going to jeopardize everything. She pushed the girl away, digging deeper into Isabella's mind. For Isabella, it was either she tell her mother she'd been attacked by the hungry vampire or Callista pay her whatever sum she required to stay quiet.
"Why would you do such a thing?" Callista asked angrily.
"You think you're the only one with an agenda?" Isabella asked, licking her fingers clean. "I want out of this shithole and you're my ticket."
"My dear, you couldn't be more wrong."
She grabbed Isabella by the neck and pulled her body to hers. Within seconds, Callista's fangs sank deep into her jugular vein. The girl fought, but her desperation was no match for Callista's anger. Just before Isabella passed out due to blood loss, the vampire let go. She fell to the floor helpless to defend herself.
Callista ran to the kitchen and ripped open the top drawer. She found the butcher knife right where she'd left it and returned to her victim. She straddled over her and sighed.
"Mom won't help you now," Isabella gasped.
"You're wrong again, I'm afraid," Callista said squatting to sit down on the girl's midsection. "Marie owes me more than you could possibly imagine. She knows her place. Now you must learn yours." She put the knife to Isabella's throat and smiled. "You say one word and I will use this. You're death will be slow and painful. You will suffer in ways few people have. Do you understand?" She could feel the girl shaking beneath her. "You get a pass once. That's all. Don't screw it up. Stay here until you can walk again. As far as your mother is concerned, you left early to help a friend."
Callista stood up and turned her back on the helpless lump on the floor. Before she put her clothes back on, she went to the fridge and tossed a bottle of cold water on the floor beside Isabella. The girl tried to reach for it but she was far too weak.
Without so much as a second glance Callista closed the apartment door. She turned to go downstairs when two strong hands pushed her against the wall. Talon. She nearly laughed when she saw the determined look in his black eyes.
"Not now, Talon," she said as she ran the tip of her nail across his bottom lip. "I just ate. You know what that does to me. I'm liable to kill you."
"I can't think of a better way to go," he said crushing his heavy body into hers. "Submit."
"Talon, I can't begin to tell you how much that annoys me. I do not take orders well."
"You do from me," he growled. "You need me and you know it. Now, I said submit!"
She pushed him away, not about to take orders from some mangy pack leader. She did need him, but he didn't need to know just how much. Talon forced her against the wall and cupped her chin with his huge hand, making her look at him.
"Submit."
"Why should I?"
"You killed a shifter," he said, motioning towards the closed door across the way where the homeless girl lay dead. "Cleaning this one up is gonna take a lot more work than usual."
"You asshole!" She tried unsuccessfully to squirm away from him. "Why in the hell didn't you warn me before I killed her?"
"And ruin this opportunity? Not a chance"
He bit her bottom lip. She bit back. Hard. The blood she'd had invigorated her. The taste of his excited her. Her anger coupled with his raw need fed their growing passion. She wrapped her legs around his body and let herself be carried back into an apartment next door to the one she'd left Isabella in. He threw her on the couch and let his jeans fall to the floor. Within seconds her clothes were gone too; violently ripped from her body.
Talon pulled her into his lap, easily sliding into her. "No need for foreplay," he growled.
"So I feel," she whispered. "What's got into you?"
"I smell her," he growled. "Isabella." She pushed him back, but he didn't move far. "Don't worry, your secret's safe with me."
"At what cost?" she asked.
"Shut up and I'll show you."
She started to move her hips, but he held her firmly by the shoulders and set a furious pace of his own. He drove deeper into her. One hard thrust after another. The violence that flowed from him was unbelievable. He'd never been quite this rough before. Her nails tore at his back and shoulders, shredding his tough skin.
Excited by the scent of his own blood, he moaned and threw her to the floor rolling her on all fours. In that moment she was his bitch, and she knew he planned to use her in whatever way he saw fit. He wound his hand into her hair, pulling her head back. This time he slammed into her with the force only a werewolf could possess. Her fingers dug into the carpet as she fought to hide the pain. As he drove deeper, his thrusts grew harder. She actually felt like he'd split her in half if he didn't stop soon. The violence was too much even for her.
Real Man
Callista emerged from her tryst with Talon freshly showered and very sore. He'd used her in ways he'd never done before. The bruises and soreness would be gone in less than an hour, but that didn't mean she had to like the way he'd treated her. She wasn't one of his pack bitches. She didn't deserve to be used like one. Damn him!
"What can I do?" she said, sighing heavily. Now that she had landed herself between a rock and a hard place, she was essentially his play toy now. That was a position she hated finding herself in. "If only you had dug a little further."
"He knew you were hungry," her loyal waitress said, suddenly appearing beside her.
"Yeah. Thanks for the heads up, Marie."
"Sorry, but I can't save your ass every time. I don't have the same gifts y'all do."
"It's not your fault, love. I should have been more careful." She looked around the restaurant surveying her customers. "Anybody catch your eye tonight?"
"Cali, somebody catches my eye every damn day," Marie snorted. "Problem is they all want you."
"Not all."
Marie rolled her eyes and went back to her duties. Callista was fed. Talon was happy. The dead woman upstairs would be gone by morning and she had a full house to tend to. She couldn't help but wonder sometimes how different her life would be if she hadn't come to work here. Until then, vampires and werewolves had only been myths. Now they were real and three times as demanding as her teenage daughter.
Then again, she and her daughter wouldn't be half as well off as they were now without them. Callista paid her ten times more than the day manager just to keep her secret. She'd even padded her 401K when she saw Talon shift three years ago. Demanding or not, she knew she had it good.
Callista wandered to the hostess podium to check the reservation list. Out of seventy something names, only one was scribbled in that she didn't recognize. Even better, he was already here. She skimmed through the seating chart and smiled. He had been seated just two tables away from her booth. And he was alone. Perfect.
The second she laid eyes on him she knew she had to have him. His long black hair alone was worth a one night stand. She could already feel it draped across her chest brushing her nipples. What she could see of his deliciously lean frame was worth a lot more than that. Stamina would be no problem for a man as well built as he. Her focus moved to his hands. Big hands. Strong, calloused hands. Hands she had no doubt could be firm yet gentle. She closed her eyes imagining how they would feel as he raked them across her body.
After she sat down and looked across the table at him, his eyes captivated her. They were as gray as the sky had been the last time she saw daylight. His face was perfect. High cheek bones. Square jaw. Strong chin. Oh yes, this man was most definitely going to be hers.
"Can I help you?" the man asked, never looking up from the menu.
"Cain, is it?" she asked, slowly pushing the menu to the table. One look at her and he'd be hooked. "I'm Callista."
"I don't care who you are. I'm hungry. I'm tired and I don't have time to waste on some horny bitch." He raised his menu and went back to trying to decide what he wanted.
"Excuse me?" She ripped the menu from his hands. He rolled his eyes. "Do you have any idea who you're talking to? I happen to own this place."
"Whoopee for you. Keep bothering me and you'll have one less customer to worry about."
Callista didn't know how to take his outright rejection. Nobody had ever been able to resist at least smiling at her. Not even when she was human.
"Keep talking that way and you'll find yourself in a position you don't want to be in."
"Is that a threat?" He looked at her face for the first time.
"No love," she smiled sweetly, "it's a bloody promise."
"And that's supposed to scare me?"
"No, just make you see I mean business. If a lady goes out of her way to talk to you, you should at least have the decency to be kind in return. Most men are flattered when I talk to them."
"I'm not most men."
"Obviously." She handed him back the menu. He took it, but didn't look at it again. "What? Hungry for something else now?"
"Not a chance in hell," he said flatly. He leaned across the table and smiled. "I like my women warm."
Her bottom jaw dropped. He knew. How the hell did he know? No, he couldn't know that. Was she coming on too strong? Did he mean cold in that way? Damn, why couldn't he have just fallen for her like every other man?
"What's that supposed to mean?" She held her breath.
"You know exactly what it means, Lilith."
"What are you?" For the first time in years she was afraid. He knew she was a vampire and that was not good.
"Me? I'm a man. No different than any other." He picked up the menu and glared at her. "Now, if you don't mind I'd like to eat and get the hell out of here. The stench that wolf you've got stuffed in the back is putting off is really starting to make me sick."
Callista pushed her chair away from the table and stormed away. Who the hell does he think he is? He couldn't come in here, reject her, order her to leave his table and insult her staff like that. What is he anyway? Obviously not a were. He wouldn't have been put off by Talon's scent if he was. Not a vamp either. His skin was far too tanned.
Cain watched her walk into the back. Frustration seemed to pour off her like a thick layer of sweat. As soon as she was out of sight he got out his phone. "She's here. If you're still sure you wanna do this, come on up."
Seven Deadly Sins Page 11
