Nova must have spotted the look in Deb’s eyes as her words trailed off to nothing. What could she say? She had never told her friends about the nightmares and right now they were at their worst. Yet, the expression of hurt and worry on Nova’s face was too much to bear. “Look, I would love for you to stay, but there is something I’ve never told you.” Well, actually, there were a few things and suddenly Deb wanted to tell her friend all her secrets. Wanted to tell her that she was a vampire. That if she concentrated she could walk, run, jump and do so many things that the wheelchair felt like a yoke around her neck again, just like it did in the early days. But she could not do that, in fact, Nova would think she was also insane so instead she revealed her shame. “The problem is that I have nightmares… and they are bad. I wake Mace and Brett every night because I scream in my sleep. If you can handle that, I would love for you to stay.” Even though it would make changing and her new life more difficult but she would love it, almost wanted it and wondered if her friend could cope with her new future. “The thing is I think you would be worse off.” Nova’s smile had dropped and her eyes were full of disappointment. “Of course, if you still want to stay you can… I can always put you in the furthest room.” No, it was not disappointment but sympathy.
“I would love to, even if it’s just for a few nights to give me a break and maybe I can help you out,” Nova said. “I can Google nightmares to see if there is anything we can do to stop them.
Deb smiled; it was typical of Nova to think that any problem could be solved with a computer.
“Now, you wanted me to look into something? Do we do this here or at your place?” Nova asked.
Deb decided they would be better at home. The thought stopped her. That was the first time she had thought of it as home. “My place. We should be able to get your bike in the back. Come on let's pick up some muffins and ice cream. I’m feeling hungry.”
As they left the bar, she wondered what Vince would think about her bringing Nova home and whether she would ever be able to tell her friend. Maybe they could work on why she was in danger, of course, to do that she would have to tell Nova what she was.
***
Summer got out of the Range Rover and walked towards her house. Something was wrong, but she could not quite grasp what it was. It seemed to race around her mind just out of reach and she knew that her life could depend on it but still it slipped from her and left her feeling sick and weak. Isaac had his arm on her shoulder and she had a smile on her face. They had told her friends they were going to a party at the gallery, but they were really sneaking back to her place to have sex. Part of her giggled; it was good to have secrets, good to be in love, but another part of her mind was terrified. It knew that if she did not get out of here that she would be dead.
She opened the white front door and walked into a modern hallway. The house was big and beautiful. Full of yellows and white, it seemed to exude the sunshine, but right now for Summer, she would rather be anywhere else.
Isaac shut the front door and spun her around to face him. The delighted part of Summer expected him to kiss her and then take her in his arms and carry her upstairs where they would make glorious love. But the part of her mind that was trying to overcome his compulsion wanted to run screaming down the road.
Isaac reached out and took her chin in his hand. The gesture was not kind and he forced her eyes up to his, hurting her neck and jaw in the process. That broke the compulsion and her terror surfaced, battling out of her as her hands flew up to claw at his face. Her nail caught his cheek and ripped the skin but he had her held tight and his icy blue eyes bore into hers and as his cheek healed, he spoke.
“You are my lover; we are happy and in love and you will do exactly as I say when I say. Go upstairs, remove your jeans and lie on the bed. I have one phone call to make and then I need to feed.”
Summer tried to fight the compulsion. But her terror seemed to be bundled in a box with the lid closed and the box was then wrapped in paper, over and over and then it was buried deep down inside of her. She felt a grin come to her face and instantly she was happily racing up the stairs. “Don’t be long, lover. I miss you already.”
Isaac took out his phone and called the number Dagmar gave him. So far, he had not let on to the older vampire that he knew his identity, but things were getting complicated. Deb appeared to be just a disabled human girl, insignificant and beneath them, but he had seen her change. He had witnessed her running through the woods at night. Of course, his first thought was that she was pretending and fooling her friends, maybe for sympathy. But the more he watched her, the more he began to understand. Then he realized that two other vampires were watching her and guarding her, though if he was honest, not very well. He knew she was special. There was something about her that he could not put his finger on. Something that had brought Alix and Vincent back together after all these years. Even though she looked weak, when he met her eyes, he felt a shiver go through him. It was a difficult situation, he had taken the commission and if the client wanted her dead then dead she must be, but… What if she was the protector the prophecy spoke off?
His phone was ringing and he still had not decided what to say. His order, The Guild of Vampires, believed the prophecy was for the good of their species. They believed that it heralded a new beginning where there would no longer be a need to hide in the shadows, but many others feared the change. Feared that it would destroy them or worse still would subjugate them under human rule.
“Report,” Dagmar said over the line.
If his lungs took in air, he would have breathed in deeply, and Isaac found himself going through the motions. “The girl is different. So far I do not know why or how, but she is not entirely human.” He wondered if this was the right play, but it was too late now.
“Have you seen her change? Is she vampire?”
The answer he should have given was yes, but the problem was she was not always vampire. When she sat in the chair, he could smell the human on her so what should he say? “So far that is not my understanding.” Had he just lied to a client? He could face the final death for that.
“I have had another follow her, Alix Sakharov. He owes me a debt of honor. He also says she is not vampire; tell me, is he telling the truth?”
So this was about more than just the girl, the man was testing. “Alix is young; he would be able to discern less than I can. I would say that the girl could easily fool him if she is more than what she appears which at this moment in time is unsure.” Stop talking, you sound like an old washerwoman.
“Alright,” Dagmar said.
“What are your instructions?” Isaac had asked the question and now wished he hadn’t. What would he do if he were told to kill her?
“For now, I need you to watch her, to keep close and to report to me anything you find out.”
The older vampire was gone and Isaac relaxed. Maybe he should discuss this with The Guild, but for now, he had better things to think about and he raced up the stairs.
The girl’s bedroom was a pretty pink and cream, very tidy, very organized and she lay with her jeans off on the deep red coverlet. Her pale skin was so enticing and he could feel her blood as it pounded through her veins, could see the pulse of her femoral artery deep within her groin. Wanting to sweeten the pot, he crawled on the bed towards her. Taking her head in his hand, he pulled her eyes to his. “You will lie still and be silent while I drink your life’s blood, but you will feel the fear and terror that I impose on you. You will know that I will kill you and that these are the last moments of your life.”
Pleasure filled him as he watched her eyes widen, smelled the fear that leaked from her pores and heard the surge in her blood as her body pumped it full of adrenaline. Dropping his lips to her thigh, he licked and then bit deeply feeling the hot blood, sweet and full of life as it poured into his mouth. She tasted like heaven and he was lost in the ecstasy of the moment. Thick, warm blood coated his throat and ran down into him, sustaining him, f
illing him with power and life. Revitalized, he drank deep feeling her heart weaken and starting to struggle to beat. Should he kill her?
It was a difficult question, part of him wanted to drink until there was no more, but she was useful. Also, if he started dropping too many bodies, it would draw unwanted attention. It had amused him when he saw that the town turned his first kill into a suicide. Her blood was slowing, yet he sucked deep. Even her fear had started to wane. He knew at this stage she was drifting down on a warm sea and soon there would be nothing. Of course, covering up his kill meant that the town was either corrupt or that they knew how she died. An ah escaped him and blood poured from his mouth to puddle on her crimson comforter. There was another option, he must be careful.
Stopping he scratched his fang over his thumb and rubbed a drop of his blood on her wounds. Instantly they healed and the bleeding stopped. She was too weak, maybe he had gone too far. Quickly he bit into his wrist, tearing his own skin and forced it to her mouth.
“Drink,” he demanded and she did. Even a small amount of his blood would revive her and she sucked hungrily as if she knew her life depended on it. “That’s enough.” He pulled his wrist away and could see the terror in her eyes, could feel the way her heart thrashed against her chest like a frightened beast. Still she could not move as he had compelled her to stay still. Taking pity on her, he looked into her eyes and watched as her pupils dilated. “Forget this, we had a lovely afternoon in each other’s arms and you had the best sex of your life. Now sleep.” He must be careful. If he drained her too far, his compulsion would not work. Then he would have to wait for his blood to leave her body.
She lay back down with a smile on her face and was instantly asleep. Pulling out his phone, he made a decision and quickly typed out a text. This was too big a decision for him, he would hand it over to The Guild. They would either order Deb killed or maybe, just maybe, they would do something good for once.
Chapter Six
With a gallon of chocolate fudge ice cream and four muffins, the girls arrived back at the Coltrane house. Deb felt better than she had in ages and almost guilty because she was so excited while Nova was obviously feeling down. They let themselves in and made their way to her office. With a bowl of ice cream and a muffin each, Deb started to explain. “Before my accident, as you know I was doing some investigating. There were three women who committed suicide and it just didn’t sit right with me.” Deb reached above the desk and took down the folder and handed it to Nova.
Her friend took a spoon full of chocolate fudge and skipped through the file. Deb could see her starting to relax and it felt good to help people even on such a small scale. It was obvious that the file meant nothing to Nova and as she saw the autopsy photo of Maggie Scott, she turned a little green and threw the folder onto the desk.
“Sorry,” Deb said and took a spoonful of her own ice cream. It was her favorite and many a time in the past when one of them needed a little comfort this was their go-to treat. Yet, it tasted like cold glop in her mouth and she had to swallow hard to keep it down. How was she going to manage if she couldn’t eat? At the very thought, she felt her fangs press against her gum line and she could see the pulse in Nova’s neck. In disgust, she nearly threw the bowl across the room but Nova was staring at her.
“Are you okay?” Nova asked.
“Yes, it was just a bit cold. Took me by surprise.”
“Well, it is ice cream and it is your favorite.”
Deb nodded and took another mouthful, finding it easier this time. She would have to persevere and maybe then she could eat food again. All she had to do was take her mind off the food. “This case, if there even is a case, is a little different. Three, well now four women have committed suicide. To me it feels wrong; there was no reason for them to kill themselves and today when I started looking through the files, I noticed all their suicide notes look the same.” Deb pulled out the photocopy she had done earlier.
‘Life’s too much for me, sorry I can’t cope.’
‘Things got too much for me, sorry I can’t cope.’
‘Everything is too much for me, sorry I can’t cope.’
Nova stared at the paper. “Wow, that does look a little strange, but you said there were four women?”
“Yes,” Deb said. “You found these out for me just before my accident but I stopped looking because of, well… you know, things happened. Earlier this week another businesswoman committed suicide. I want you to see if you can find her suicide note and if you can find anything in common with all four of these women. Or maybe any friend they knew who has something in common. I don’t know, but I think someone is killing them and I want to stop it.” Deb stopped and she was almost panting with excitement as she stared at her friend hoping that she could help.
Nova smiled. “Sure I can. Statistical analysis, string theory, finding threads is right up my alley. Any chance I can work from here?”
Deb smiled; it would be good to have her friend here, if only she didn’t suffer a nightmare. “Of course you can but I have to go out. I’m covering a charity car wash for Mace. Want me to pick anything up for you?”
“I have all I need in the panniers of my bike.”
Deb hugged her friend and set off for another exciting reporting job. It was a cloudy and chilly day so she hoped she would not get caught up in things and end up wet.
Deb turned to go, but something stopped her. She wanted to talk to Nova, to tell her about her change. To let her know someone was trying to kill her and to ask for help with finding out why. She turned in the chair her mouth half open, but Nova was already logged into the police database. Her brow was crinkled and there was both determination and satisfaction in her countenance. It could wait till later and maybe with her friend’s help, she could get to the bottom of this.
***
Deb kept her finger on the shutter button of the camera as Luke and Nick leaned across a girl’s car. With their chests bare and big goofy grins on their faces, it looked like they were having a lot of fun. The shots were amazing and as she continued to shoot, the boys started to horse around. Nick threw his sponge and it sailed over the bonnet to catch Luke right under the chin. Deb got the shot but kept shooting as the two started to mock fight. It was good to see her friends having such fun and she wheeled herself a little closer laughing until a sponge missed Nick and spun towards her face. With lightening reactions she grabbed it with her left hand and felt her fangs pressing at her gum line, felt the blood coursing through her neck. Holding the sponge in front of her, she quickly touched her forehead. It felt normal so she peered around the sponge to see Nick and Luke standing in front of her. They wore comic expressions of sorrow and Deb had to laugh before tossing the sponge at them with such force that Nick only just caught it.
“Wow, good throw, Deb,” Nick said turning back to the car.
Deb had enough for the story, she had already finished interviewing and the organizer would text her later with the total amount raised. Despite her misgivings it had been fun but she itched to leave, she had a date or a meeting with Alix. She wanted to see him so much and to get back to Nova and see if anything had been uncovered. She wheeled herself past the car wash and around the corner to the car park. There was a smell, like Vincent or Alix but not. She had been aware of it on several occasions even in the grill earlier if she was honest. The thing was she was learning to shut off her senses and it was only on occasion that she let things get through. A chill ran down her back and she shivered wondering if someone was watching her? The car park was empty. Maybe she would be better going back? Just as she turned, a hand touched her back and she changed coming out of her seat only to be pushed back down by Vincent.
“What do you think you are doing?” he demanded, his brow pulled down and his eyes as cold as ice.
“You scared me. What do you expect me to do when you creep around all the time?”
“I was not creeping. I was following you to keep you safe even though you seem hell be
nt on putting yourself in danger.”
“What do you mean?” Deb could feel the touch of fear replaced with stone cold anger. What right did he have to push her about and to follow her without explaining why?
“I saw you at the grill. You were thinking of telling your friends and now you have one of them living with you. I saw your fangs appear meaning that you wanted to taste her. Do you think they would accept you?”
Deb felt a flush of guilt as she remembered the blood pulsing through Nova’s neck and how much more delicious than the ice cream it had appeared. “They are my friends, they would accept me.” She turned away from him and pushing down on her wheels she moved towards her car. Once again, he spun her around and Deb felt the centrifugal force push her back into the chair. “Leave me alone,” she spat.
“No, I will not leave you to die. You could be important and until I find out, I will keep you alive despite your stupidity.”
He stood before her with his arms crossed and his eyes narrowed. Deb wanted to punch him but, of course, to do that she would have to stand, to change and just as she considered it a couple walked across the car park. They looked at Deb, their eyes asking if she was alright. She nodded and turned back to Vincent. The man was arrogant, attractive and obviously used to getting his own way but if he was to be around, she needed answers. “How can I know what to do when I don’t know why I’m in danger?” She folded her arms mirroring his stance and leaned back in her chair, she had him.
“This is too important for little girls. When you show me you can behave like an adult, then I may tell you but for now you are too big a risk. Get rid of Nova and keep away from your friends.”
“I will not,” Deb screamed at him while pressing her button to unlock her car. She wheeled across the car park and lowered her wheelchair ramp. “Tell me why I’m in danger or I will ask Alix.” As she rolled herself onto the ramp, his face crumpled. Normally he was in perfect control of his emotions but she could see the distrust of Alix. It made her feel nervous, but she needed answers and she would ask him anyway. Then he laughed.
Deadwood: A Vampire Series (The Darker Side of Deb Book 2) Page 3
