Only a loosely-draped, faded white rope stood between us and the water. The air by the harbor’s edge was salty and humid, but differed from that of a beach. It was a part of the city, the very heart of it. And this time of year, the water reflected its name.
“I like it best here in the fall,” Ashley said, leaning all of her weight on the thin rope that separated us from the fish. I stayed back, determined not to slip and fall off of a fifty foot concrete wall into the icy depths below. “The algae does its whole crimson tide thing, like a territorial display that says this place belongs to vampires.”
“Maybe it does,” I replied, as I stared out into the red water of Scarlet Harbor. Before I moved to the city, I had thought the water turning red was just like the leaves. It was like Scarlet Harbor just knew what it was to be autumn more than any other place. But after I’d met Ashley, after Bennet and everything that I had learned, it was difficult to see the same beauty in the water. Maybe Ashley was right, maybe the red was a warning to the world, claiming this territory for those like Walter.
“Since when do you believe anything like that?” Ashley asked.
“You’ve been telling me about vampires forever,” I replied.
“Yeah, but I never changed your mind,” Ashley said. She studied my face.
I wasn’t sure what to say.
“Are you feeling bad about what happened in the alley? Because you know I’m fine, right?” she asked.
“I know.”
“And you don’t have to protect me,” Ashley said. “I’m a big girl. Strong. Independent. Totally capable of defending myself.”
“I know you are,” I agreed. And she was right. I did feel guilty that she’d been attacked. I wished there had been something more I could have done. “If you could go back to that night, what would you change?”
“That’s easy,” Ashley said. “I’d have told you to let blond and deadly finish. Maybe I’d be a vampire right now.”
“You could have died,” I said.
“Sure,” Ashley replied. “I could have. But anyone can go at anytime. That’s no reason not to live.”
I stepped over to my best friend’s side, next to the ledge, by the little rope. Maybe she was right. Not that it would have been okay for her to die, but that it’s okay to really live.
We watched the sky grow darker, and glow with warm autumn shades. The sun sank behind us, behind sky scrapers that reached for the clouds.
Ring ring. I looked to Ashley as she slid her phone from her pocket. “It’s Scott,” she said, beaming with glee.
“Answer it,” I said, before she had the chance to start bouncing in place with excitement.
I turned toward the sunset, and considered running for the park. Scott had perfect timing, really. Ashley could catch up with the man that made her giddy. And I could be with mine.
“Uh huh,” she said, grinning from ear to ear. “On my way.”
Then Ashley slid the phone back in her pocket and narrowed her eyes at me, like she wasn’t sure exactly what to say. So I made it easy.
“I should go too,” I said.
“I don’t mean to ditch you,” Ashley said. “I’ve been having fun. It’s just-”
“Really,” I said. “You should go. Plus I have a date. So it’s me that’s ditching you.”
“Thanks,” Ashley said, then squeezed my hand before racing off down the brick sidewalk along the harbor. “We’ll catch up again tomorrow,” she called over her shoulder. “Promise.”
“Have fun,” I hollered back, then turned around and headed toward the park as quickly as my human legs could carry me. But what I found there wasn’t Bennet.
Chapter Nineteen
Bennet
The brief window of asylum I’d bought for Hannah had ended at sunrise. There was no time to lose. My eyes shot open, signaling sunset. The daylight hours between had meant nothing, but now the others would rise. If he hadn’t already, Yeke would soon send another to complete the task with which I was charged. And I could not let that happen. I would not allow harm to come to Hannah.
There was no question as to where I would find her—in the park, waiting for me. And I had to reach her first. I threw on my shoes and ran. Up from the windowless cellar, I emerged from behind the bookcase. Through the shell of a house, I raced, out the door, and along the water's edge. She had to be there. I had to get to Hannah.
To the left was the harbor, boats coming and going from the docks. To the right were homes and shops overlooking the water. I followed the brick path I always took to meet her, the one that ended at the edge of the little forest. My first instinct was to keep running into the trees, to reach Hannah. But the little hairs that rose on the back of my neck told me something was wrong. I stopped dead in my tracks and listened for the thrum of pulse, the scent of blood, or any sign of what had followed me.
A flash of light glimmered, a reflection from the streetlamp. Shining metal cut through the air with unnatural speed. I twisted, and the blade sliced across my chest, barely missing its mark. The cut was deep and wide, six inches of stinging pain that would take time to heal. Heat escaped me, crimson soaking my tattered shirt.
His face was stone, a soldier without joy in his duty. Short brown hair framed his tall, square forehead. A dimple marked the center of his chin. But his eyes, his eyes were as red as the water below, and just as cold. I recognized the guard from Yeke’s mansion, a servant to our psychotic ruler. And the sword in his hand was as deadly as the vampire wielding it. It was too late.
With the flick of my wrist, I pulled Tyr’s blade from my belt. The ornate seax had been a gift from my sire at the completion of my training. And every time I held it, I thought of him. The pearl hilt felt natural in my grasp, an extension of my form.
He bared his teeth, and held his blade low and to the side. I had no time for this. I had to reach Hannah.
The guard circled slowly, working for an advantage. I followed his lead, step for step.
“You don't have to do this,” I said, though we both knew he did. All of us did as we were told—as the King commanded. And this man owed me nothing, no bond worth trading his life for mine. Disobedience meant death. And my reaper was here to claim his prize.
The guard said nothing, and swung across the space between us. I jumped back as the wakizashi glided through the air and missed its mark. His blade was longer, by two times. I had to be faster by three.
The sharp sword swooped down toward my shoulder, and I met its swing with my seax. The metal clanged on impact.
Again the guard charged, faster with each strike. I deflected each assault with my blade, but found no opening to make one of my own.
“Yeke Mongke is no leader,” I said, keeping my gaze locked on his. “Everyone knows. Working together, we could find Tyr, free him from his chains, bring him back to take his-”
Ignoring my words, the guard charged. This was it. His blade swung high, hit my shoulder, cutting through to the bone. I winced, but fought through the pain, and took the only shot I could. Blade held straight out before me, I leaned into the attack, into his blade, and sank my knife into the center of his chest. The wakizashi clattered to the ground, leaving a stinging, throbbing wound where it had been. I couldn't move my left hand. My left arm. The red faded from the guard’s eyes, replaced by a greyish blue. Color drained from his face as he held both hands to the wound in chest. Eyes wide, he sank to the ground, first to his knees, then to his side. He turned and looked up at me.
“The order was given. You can’t kill us all,” his voice was soft, though the message clear. My intention wasn’t to kill him. He would live, just as Walter had. But his words meant more were-
Shock. Piercing pain. The first point shoved through my still-working shoulder. Before the tip withdrew from my flesh, the second stabbed into my back. The sharp tip slid between my ribs, causing immense, blinding agony.
It took too long to turn. My blade arced clumsily, catching a black sleeve. My vision swirled, a bl
ur of moving figures. There were three. The world spun as my head bounced off of the bricks. Heat pooled beneath me. Three of Yeke’s servants stood above me. Each cut, stabbed, and drained my strength. I didn't fear the death that awaited me. Only the repercussions of failing in my task. My eyes closed, and I pictured her—electric blue eyes, long, black hair, fair skin, sweet smile. How could I protect her? She was all that mattered. Hannah.
The sound of distant voices beckoned me. Their yelling held some kind of value, though I couldn't say why. Heavy footsteps. I opened my eyes. Black boots twisted away from me. The world was sideways, blurred, the bricks cold and unforgiving on my throbbing head.
Yeke's guards ran, though the cause was still unclear. Then I blinked again, and saw her by the edge of the trees. I tried to yell, to warn her to run. I couldn't move. There was no strength left.
With silken black fur, Hannah was one with the night, a majestic creature beyond compare. She stood tall, a she-wolf staring down death, and ignoring it for one last look at me. Hannah. I tried again to call out to her, but no words escaped me. She must have come to help. The guards charged toward her. I extended my fingers, tried to move. I had to help her. But my body failed me.
I told my arms to pull me, my feet to run. Nothing worked. And dread overcame me. She would die and I couldn’t help her. I had to move. Had to get up. Get the fuck up. But the world only faded to black.
Disoriented and hopeless, I knew it wasn't real. This had to be a dream. Cold. Wet.
His body floated, limp, powerless, and strangled with chains. Hollow cheeks, sunken eyes. My sire was but a shell of the man he’d been. Dark and murky water surrounded him, a body claimed by the sea, yet holding shape. His eyelids opened, and his green eyes met mine. Pain. Sadness. Hopelessness.
Tyr was as lost and helpless as I. It couldn't be. The most powerful vampire I'd ever encountered. This could not be his fate. My chest tightened and I reached for my sire.
Tension in my shoulder, the murky sea began to fade. What was happening? I couldn’t just leave him there. I couldn’t let my maker suffer an eternity in that hell.
The deep cerulean of the sea sharpened into sapphire irises in a field of nothingness. Her labored breath was distant. She was there, Hannah, the wolf that meant everything to me. The woman that I couldn’t save. Was this too a dream?
My eyes peeked open, to twigs and tall grass. Movement, as my body was dragged in slow, short bursts. It was true. It had to be true. Hannah had escaped Yeke's guards.
Her lips brushed mine, tempting, teasing. And I wrapped my arms around Hannah’s bare back, clinging to this perfect moment where we’d been so close.
It had to be a dream. I needed to hold to consciousness. I was no use to her like this.
She was soft, warm, and beautiful. She was everything I’d never known I’d wanted. And I never wanted to let go.
Yet the feel of her slipped from my fingers, the blue of her eyes faded. My chest ached. Fear and grief overcame me. And she was gone. And I'd lost everything. A sound escaped me, the desperate, broken cries of an animal. All that was left was black.
Chapter Twenty
Hannah
If there was ever a time I could have used my best friend’s help, this was it. There was no chance of me dragging a pale, bloody vampire across the city by his arm. I’d get arrested for his murder. Or worse, those bastards would find us. Losing them had been rough, a game of misdirection I could have easily lost. They'd chased me through the streets, back to campus. And with any luck, they still thought I was there. For now we seemed well-enough hidden, at our private place in the woods. But how long could that last?
Given that she was with Scott, Ashley didn’t answer. “Come on, come on,” I growled at my phone as it went to voicemail for the seventh time.
“Sorry you missed me. If you want a call back, leave me something good at the beep.” The same recording. No answer. Fuck. I couldn’t lose him now. I wouldn’t.
“Ashley, please,” I begged the stupid machine. “It’s life or death. Please, please call me back. I need you.”
His face was still cold and pale, even for a vampire. He reeked of blood, and his wounds weren’t healing. I needed to fix this before I lost him. Now. My heart beat erratically in my chest, panic that I was too late.
With the dagger he’d had in his fist when I’d found him, I sliced my forearm. My hands shook, making it difficult to control. The sharp blade was less painful than I had expected. Blood beaded to the surface, and I opened Bennet’s mouth to force him to accept what I knew he needed. Live. Please, live.
Color returned first to his cheeks, then across his face and down his neck. It was working. His teeth grew long, and pressed into my arm as he sucked. It only hurt a little, nothing I couldn't handle. Still, when his eyes opened, I was startled. It was the deep red of his irises, the animalistic need that I saw on his face, and the firm grip with which he grabbed my arm and pulled it to his lips. Instinct told me this was a predator, and that I was his prey. But I knew I had nothing to fear from Bennet. This was the same man who’d saved me over and over again. The man that I dreamed of, yet was even better in reality. I knew it was crazy, but this vampire needed me to save him for a change. And the thought of losing him hurt deeper than it should. For the first time in my life, I looked into the eyes of a man and considered the possibility that I’d found my mate. The idea was both terrifying and exhilarating. With Bennet, I didn’t have to hide any part of who I was, or how I felt.
Bennet rose from the ground and sat beside me, the fire in his eyes burning more wildly than ever. I lifted my arm for him. “You can have more,” I said. “See, it’s healing already.” And it was, just as quickly as my injuries always did. He had no need to hold back with me.
With a gentle touch, Bennet lowered my arm. Before I could protest further, I found myself in his lap, held tight against his sculpted core. With my legs straddling his, I felt his arousal pressing hard against the seam of his black pants. It was just like before, yet I felt so much more certain that this was right. Need grew between my thighs as I breathed him in, masculine yet subtle, the scent that belonged to the man who could appear from nowhere. I needed to hold tight, and never let go.
“You should have remained hidden,” his voice was deep, a sexy-as-hell growl from within his chest.
“You shouldn’t have let yourself be stabbed,” I replied. An inch between our lips, electricity filled the air.
“I was protecting you,” Bennet said, pulling my hips harder against his abs.
“Likewise,” I replied, meeting Bennet’s intense, crimson gaze.
I craved the feel of him on my bare skin, needed to finish what we had started the night before. My breath grew ragged as I remembered the way his lips had felt, reveled in the sensation of his cock beneath me. Fuck the consequences. I kissed him like nothing else in the world mattered. Because in that moment, it didn't.
His cool palms slid up my back, fingers extending beneath the fabric of my shirt. Warmth radiated through me, desire spurred from his touch, and it wasn’t enough. I shoved my tongue between his lips and delved deep, careful of his razor-sharp fangs. He kissed me back just as violently, filling my mouth with his tongue. Each movement of his lips, of his fingers, made the ache between my thighs grow.
I shoved the jacket from his shoulders, pulled up the damp shirt from his chest. What lay beneath was different than I had imagined. More scarred. I explored each ridge and valley of his toned core. Red, inflamed lines remained from the cuts inflicted by his assailants. More of the same were faded, injuries from long before. I wanted to ask where each mark had come from, but the thought was in the back of my mind. A question for another day. I reached between us and unzipped his pants, while continuing our kiss. A tattoo was inked across his right pec, up over his wide bicep. Another question for later.
When his cock was freed, I rose to my feet. I stood before him, and slowly lifted the hem of my shirt. Bennet watched, devouring every e
xposed inch of my skin with the flames in his eyes. I dropped first my shirt, then my bra, to the earth below. The cold wind blew, hardening my exposed nipples and making every hair stand on end. The pine needles rustled, and the crisp, autumn air filled my lungs. I eased my jeans down over my hips, then let my panties fall with them.
Before the satin fabric hit the ground, I was on my back, tall grass reaching high above me. Bennet’s tongue flicked back and forth over my nipple, forcing a moan from my lips. I needed this connection, to feel him, to know that everything would be okay. I looked down and found him completely naked, just like me. His entire body was toned to perfection, not too lean, not too bulky. His hand squeezed my aching breast as his mouth warmed the other. All thought left me as soon as his thumb touched my clit.
The world was gone except for Bennet and the pleasure he caused. I took in his scent, the cool feel of his skin, the heat in his eyes. His thumb moved faster and faster over my tender flesh, until I knew for sure I would come. Then he slowed, and slipped a finger inside. I gasped as he entered me, making everything that had happened before that moment feel insignificant. I was so close it was nearly painful, just a little more.
“Please,” I begged.
His thumb sped again, this time with two thick fingers curving up inside of me. It was so good. Too good. Bennet watched my face as ecstasy washed over me in waves. My tunnel tightened around his fingers. Hot, even on the icy dirt, my skin tingled from my lips to my toes. As my muscles relaxed, I looked up at Bennet, and smiled in response to his pleased expression.
Bennet slid his arms beneath me and lifted us both upright, so I again found myself straddling him, sitting in his lap. “You’re ready,” he said.
Pierced: A Wolf Shifter & Vampire Paranormal Romance (Vampires of Scarlet Harbor Book 1) Page 9
