Rogue the Redeemer

by Rhiannon Neeley

  Flinging the sheets of the bed into the air, Kaitlyn let them float down into place. “There,” she said, scratching her arm, the prickling growing stronger. The bed now at least looked somewhat inviting. “And you’d better get in it and quickly.”

  Kaitlyn whipped off her clothes, promising herself that she would pick them up when she woke, and hurriedly slid between the sheets. As soon as she closed her eyes, the sleep of the dead overtook her. Normally—or un-normally since she had become what she was—Kaitlyn felt like she had been struck over the head by a two-by-four when the darkness of vampiric sleep claimed her. She didn’t dream, didn’t move, always waking up in the exact same position as when she lay down.

  This time was different.

  Kaitlyn’s body lay frozen as if in death, but her mind drifted into a dream. Amorphous mist glowed in the dream, lit from within. She floated, drifting into the mist. Someone was waiting for her, just on the other side. Someone who would save her from the dark, redeem her soul and bring her back into the light of day.

  Someone with golden hair and large, ocean-blue eyes.

  As Kaitlyn drew nearer to the one who would redeem her, she felt warmth glowing inside her being. She knew who waited.

  His name was Rogue.

  * * * *

  Rogue knocked on the door to John’s motel room. Lord, he dreaded this.

  John opened the door. “A little late, aren’t you?”

  Rogue held his tongue and stepped past him into the sparsely furnished room.

  John’s room was exactly like Rogue’s except for one thing—the laptop computer, its screen glowing brightly, on the small table in the corner. Rogue sat down in one of the two straight-back chairs at the table and leaned in to look at the screen. A live-chat dialogue was on the screen, the small blue cursor flashing.

  “Talking to the folks back home?” Rogue asked, leaning back in the chair.

  John crossed to the bathroom. “Yes. Madison wanted to know if we had any information yet,” he said, entering the bathroom. He reappeared, a steaming cup of coffee in his hand. “I didn’t have anything new to tell her.”

  Rogue caught the tension in John’s voice. John Raven was an imposing man. Tall, with waist-length raven-black hair and eyes that were piercing and black as night, he could fill a room with the power of his presence. Rogue respected John, knowing that it couldn’t be an easy job being the figurehead of the Unkindness of Ravens. The Unkindness consisted of John, Eric and Dirk Raven—brothers—and their two cousins, Drake and Holt. Colin Moore, the legal representative for the clan had also begun fighting the war against the Horde of vampires. Rogue, the latest edition to the Raven force, was the newest member, coming on board when his aunt, Grace Shanley, had fallen in love with Drake Raven. They all lived at their base of operations—Ravencrest. Ravencrest, a huge, complex mansion of sorts, was situated deep in the hills of southern Ohio. Rogue felt honored that John had taken him into the fold. It was just the excitement that Rogue craved.

  But John, on the other hand, had a wife named Madison and a lovely new daughter named Skylar waiting for him back at Ravencrest. This was John’s first assignment since he and Madison had become a couple and Rogue knew that John wanted it completed as soon as possible so that he could return to his family.

  John sat down on the end of the bed, coffee in hand. “What have you found out?”

  Rogue dreaded telling him but it couldn’t be helped. “All I know is that, yeah, someone is stealing pints of blood and it’s happening sometime during the graveyard shift. Everyone has been questioned and all of them told me that no one has any idea who is doing it or why.”

  “So basically—you got nowhere.”

  “That’s about the size of it.”

  John stared into his coffee, silently thinking. After a moment, he looked up. “How many people did you talk to?”

  Rogue shrugged. “Probably fifteen all together. There aren’t that many who work the night shift.”

  John nodded. “I know. It’s just a small satellite hospital. An off-shoot from the main hospital that’s located twenty-five miles away in Fort Wayne.” John narrowed his eyes. “No one seemed suspicious?”

  “I didn’t see anyone with fangs, if that’s what you mean.” Something whispered through Rogue’s mind, something that had caught his attention. He couldn’t quite grasp it so he shoved it away.

  John rose from the bed and began to pace, his armor pinkie ring clicking against his coffee mug. “This whole situation doesn’t make sense…”

  Rogue sat back, parking his elbows on the arms of the chair and lacing his fingers together. “What doesn’t make sense? I’m new at this, you know. I’ve only been on one assignment and that one was a doozy.”

  John heaved a sigh. “Okay, you’ve heard this before but I’ll say it again, and then you’ll realize why this assignment is so strange.

  “The Horde of vampires is broken up into small groups called Clutches. Each Clutch is normally a lead vampire and his ‘children,’ vampires he’s made.” John stopped and pointed a finger. “I say ‘he,’ meaning the vampire but as you already know, vampires can also be female.”

  Rogue nodded. He’d heard this all before when Holt had begun his training, but he let John continue.

  “A Clutch,” John began again, “can have many members or as few as two or three. The reason I say that members are usually the main vampire’s children is because we have found that vampires of power—ones that have lived more than one lifetime—normally don’t play well together.”

  Rogue let out a laugh at John’s choice of words but he quickly sobered when John speared him with his gaze.

  “If there is a Clutch of vampires hunting a certain area, we see reports of strange deaths, sometimes animal kills—just things that have no explanation. It’s usually a combination of odd occurrences that tip us off.

  “But here—we only have the thefts of the blood. And not enough blood has been stolen to sustain more than one vampire and evidently it’s one that hasn’t taken live blood.”

  “That’s what made you think that it’s a newborn vampire, isn’t it?” Rogue asked, straightening up in his chair.

  “Yes. Either the vampire is so young that it doesn’t know how to kill or it’s reluctant to.”

  Rogue frowned. “You mean it doesn’t want to kill?”

  “Possibly.” John sat back down on the edge of the bed. “They do sometimes still feel their humanity, feel guilt at having to feed on a person. But their reluctance doesn’t last long. They soon get over their feelings of guilt and their quest to survive takes over. Then, it doesn’t matter what they feed on. That,” John leaned forward, “is when they become a true monster.”

  Rogue knew what John was talking about when he said that the vampires turned into monsters. He only had to see a vampire in action once to know that you didn’t treat an encounter with a vampire like a Saturday night square dance. Either you destroyed them or they destroyed you. There were no friendships to be made.

  Rising from the chair, Rogue felt his lack of a good night’s sleep warring within him. “I’ve made a couple of good contacts at the hospital,” he said, moving toward the door. “I’ll see if I can dig a little deeper and get them to talk.” He winked at John. “Use a bit of my southern charm.”

  “I take it you’re already in good with the ladies.”

  Rogue grinned. “Only way to be. Matter of fact, I have to pick up a sweet young thing tonight and give her a ride to work.”

  “Be careful, Rogue.” John’s face was dead serious.

  “Don’t worry about me,” he said, opening the door. “I won’t let a petty face and a killer body make me jump the rails. Of course, there is a certain kind of jumping I just might be doing when this is over.” He wiggled his eyebrows at John.

  “Rogue—I’m serious. Don’t be messing around on this. You can get us both killed.”

  Rogue’s grin faded. “I know that, John. I’ll do my job.”

 
; John nodded. “Go on, get some sleep. I’m going to go to the police department and see if anything new has surfaced.”

  “See you later,” Rogue said. He walked out into the warm morning light. Walking along the sidewalk to his room three doors down, Rogue felt disappointed and chastised. John’s warning about the girl showed evidence that he still had reservations about Rogue’s seriousness. True, he liked to shake things up. His name suited him perfectly most folks said, but this was different.

  Rogue shoved the key in the door to his room and opened it. Stepping inside, he realized just how tired he was. He tossed his key on the table and kicked the door shut.

  As he undressed and prepared for a shower, he tried to jog his memory. There was something that had struck him tonight but he couldn’t quite catch what it was. He struggled to remember, turning on the shower. Steam quickly filled the small room.

  Stepping under the spray of hot water, Rogue’s mind veered off in another direction.

  Kaitlyn.

  Soaping himself, Rogue remembered the press of her body against his, the strange light in her arresting eyes. The quick-tongued way she had answered his challenges when they lay in the hall floor at the hospital and again when he had her pinned against the car. He looked down and saw that just thinking about her could give him wood. Exasperated and totally alone in this motel room, Rogue reached for the shower faucet and cranked the temperature all the way over to cold.

  “Holy shit!” he bellowed when the icy spray hit him. He gritted his teeth and stepped directly under the water. He knew he’d never get any sleep if he didn’t wilt his weenie, but Kaitlyn and that flame-red hair wouldn’t leave his mind. As he shivered under the icy fingers of water, he realized that he might have met his match in Kaitlyn Gale. He’d seen two sides of her so far—one a seductress and the other a quiet spoken woman who seemed as if there was some sort of problem in her life. He wanted to know more about her. A lot more.

  Rogue couldn’t wait until tonight.

  Chapter Three

  Kaitlyn’s eyes popped open. She glanced around her bedroom. She looked at the alarm clock beside her bed. The numbers 8:43 glowed an angry red.

  Groaning, she looked at the ceiling. If it was winter I’d be able to get up at five and have some time to get some things done around here, she thought.

  “Damn it!” she yelled, squinting her eyes shut, fists coming down hard on the bed. “I don’t want to be a freaking vampire!”

  She opened her eyes. Everything was still the same. Darkened room, stomach starting to jitter, wanting its thick red sustenance. Kaitlyn sighed. “Get up, girl. Lying here and screaming at the world isn’t going to change anything.”

  Rising from the bed, Kaitlyn took two steps toward the door then doubled over. She gasped, the pain in her stomach white-hot. Sucking in deep breaths and hugging her middle, she stumbled toward the door. One pint of blood last night had not been enough. Her body raged with its unearthly thirst. She crept down the stairs, one hand on her stomach, the other gripping the handrail.

  Finally, Kaitlyn made it to the kitchen. She ripped open the refrigerator door and searched for the package of raw hamburger she had bought last week when she could still actually eat real food. Opening the meat drawer, she pulled it completely out. It clattered onto the floor. Kaitlyn dropped down to her knees beside it. Ripping the white butcher paper off, she dug her fingers into the mound of ground-up hamburger and shoved a chunk in her mouth.

  Kaitlyn sat back on her heels and sucked on the meat, drawing what blood remained from it. Her tongue tingled, the blood wetting it, bringing her taste buds to life. It tasted good. Not like the human blood she had been stealing, but still so darn good. Human blood had a rich blend of flavor. Coppery, salty and a hint of something she couldn’t quite place. This—the blood from the hamburger—tasted of the earth, a strong musky flavor not unlike wild mushrooms. She started to chew and then swallow but caught herself. If she swallowed, her stomach would rebel and she’d lose what little blood she was getting from it. She spit out the now dry hamburger into her hand.

  After getting all she could from the pound of hamburger, Kaitlyn dumped the remains into the garbage disposal and turned it on. It growled angrily. That was the same way she felt inside. Growling angry.

  Throwing everything else in the trash, she put the refrigerator back together and rushed for the shower. She only had half an hour before Rogue would be there to pick her up.

  While she showered, her thoughts were stuck on Rogue. Her body reacted, her sexual appetite kicking in. As she shampooed her hair, her body was on fire with lust and hunger but her mind was on one thing: Rogue had caused her to dream and that had to mean something. She wasn’t quite sure what but—she was going to find out.

  Ten minutes later, Kaitlyn combed out her hair. The doorbell rang. He was early. Dressed only in her robe, Kaitlyn went to the door and opened it.

  A small smile played on his lips as his eyes raked over her scantily clad body. “I’m a little early,” he said.

  Kaitlyn stepped back, fighting the sudden urge to drag him inside and rip his clothes from his body. Her pussy throbbed, wetness dampening her inner thighs. “Come in,” she said.

  He stepped inside. “Nice place.”

  “Thanks,” she said, clutching the neck of her robe. “I’ll just finish getting ready.”

  His eyes moved over her from head to toe. “You look pretty good to me right now.”

  Heat flared through Kaitlyn’s body. There was something about Rogue that made her want to be close to him. Desperately. It wasn’t just her sexual hunger, though it threatened to consume her at the moment, but it was a deeper feeling. An emotion that struck her all the way to the bone. Kaitlyn stared into his cool blue eyes. He had the eyes of an archangel, one she felt she could tell all of her secrets to. But also one that had an allure that drew her in completely. Kaitlyn wanted to be with Rogue, in her heart. “I really should get ready for work,” she said, taking a step toward him. He drew her like a warm fire on a cold winter’s night.

  His eyes darkened, a storm looming in the blue ocean of them. “We’re probably going to be late.” He took a step toward her.

  “Do you think so?” Her feet moved again. Closer.

  Rogue pursed his lips and caught her chin in his hand, tilting it up. “I know so,” he said, his voice a deep rumble.

  They came together like a crack of lightning, arms wrapped around each other, hands searching, lips pressing against each other’s as if they wanted to crawl inside each other’s body. Kaitlyn surrendered to him, to Rogue and to her hunger. With a moan, she parted her lips and drew in the taste of him. He tasted of peppermint, a winter fresh taste in the heat of their lust. She flicked her tongue inside his mouth, tempting him. He took the bait and followed her example, sending his tongue exploring. Kaitlyn opened to him, sucking gently on his tongue.

  She felt him draw in a shaky breath, his strong hands cupping her bottom and pressing her against him. Kaitlyn felt a fresh rush of cream wet her core, his erection pressing against her.

  “I’ve got to have you,” he said, his voice rough-textured.

  Kaitlyn met his eyes. “Then take me.”

  Rogue scooped her up in his arms in one fell swoop. “Where’s the bedroom?”

  “Upstairs.”

  He took the stairs so quickly, Kaitlyn had to throw her arms around his neck, holding tightly.

  At the top of the stairs, he hesitated. “Which room?”

  Kaitlyn pointed, glad she has straightened her bedroom before going to bed. He shouldered the door open. “So dark in here,” he said, moving straight to the bed.

  “I work nights,” she said. “I have to keep all light out to be able to sleep during the day.” She hoped that explained the reason her room was so dark.

  It must have been satisfactory because Rogue let out a ‘humph,’ then stood her on her feet beside the bed.

  In a flurry of movement, they stripped naked within seconds. The
y fell onto the bed in each other’s arms, their passion so white-hot that Kaitlyn was amazed the rumpled bedcovers didn’t catch fire.

  Rogue rolled on top of her, his stiff member searing against her core. “Lord, you are the sexiest thing this side of heaven,” he said, brushing her hair back from her face. “I could eat you alive.”

  Kaitlyn wanted to scream. She needed him deep inside her so badly. “Rogue,” she breathed against his lips, “I want you so much.’

  He groaned, capturing her mouth possessively.

  Kaitlyn buried her fingers in his hair, pressing him forward to deepen the kiss. She reveled in the heat that radiated from his naked skin. He pressed against her, tantalizing her core.

  Kaitlyn brought her legs up, locking them around him and arched her hips. “I need you,” she crooned, trailing kisses along his hard jaw.

  Rogue shifted one hand to her bottom and lifted.

  He entered her hot sheath in one stroke, buried to her core. Kaitlyn sighed. “Yes,” she said, rocking her hips up to meet him.

  “Oh, baby, you are so tight,” Rogue said against her ear.

  Kaitlyn clenched her muscles, her pussy gripping him. He filled her completely, perfectly. She dug her fingernails into his back, her lips pressed against his neck as he impaled her with his burning cock, over and over, pumping into her while the bed squeaked.

  Kaitlyn felt as if she would faint from the sensations raging through her body from head to toe. Swirling tides raged within her, building as if blown by hurricane force winds. Tingling shot up her spine every time he surged forward within her. The scent of their sex drove her wild with the need for release. Tension was building throughout her body, streaming toward a liquid center of heat where their bodies were joined as one.