Lyric most certainly did fear vampires. She was terrified when she recalled the slime Griffin had saved her from. She didn’t see Jade the same way. He had already proven himself to be different. With his scent still on her skin and a pleasurable ache between her legs, she couldn’t have been happier. If only she could lie in bed all afternoon and enjoy the afterglow.
As it was, duty called, and she had little choice other than to get up and get ready to meet the other Scarlet Ladies. They were going to spend some time practicing their routine before the show that night at one of the clubs where they performed regularly. Fridays and Saturdays were always booked up for the dance troupe. In just over a year, they had become a regular name in the local nightlife.
Frisk wound his way around Lyric’s ankles as she moved about the kitchen, fetching tea and making toast. Even her furry friend seemed to notice how lost in thought she was. She seemed to eat in a robotic fashion, her mind elsewhere. Naturally, a shadow of doubt rained on her parade. She couldn’t help it when a thought flickered through her mind, unbidden.
What was she thinking would happen with her and Jade? Was he going to just stand by and watch her grow old and die? The alternative was beyond ridiculous, not to mention irrational.
She gave her head a shake and quickly tidied the kitchen. It wasn’t worth thinking about. All she knew was that she would settle for any time with him, even if last night were the start and the end of it. That thought didn’t sit so well with her so she shoved it aside. This wasn’t the time to be a love-struck, swooning female. She had to focus on the here and now, not think about the way he made her feel nor the fact that the thought of never seeing him again felt like someone was carving a hole in her insides.
It hit her then, like a waking dream, shocking her to the core. The vision flashed behind her eyes for the briefest of moments, but she saw it clearly. The image was her with extremely pale skin and glittering eyes paired with razor sharp fangs. Then it was gone as fast as it had come. Uncanny. For a moment, she almost doubted that she’d really seen it.
Try as she might, Lyric just couldn’t shake Jade from her thoughts. On her way to the club to meet the girls, the visions she’d had recently haunted her. She couldn’t know anything further unless she had another vision. She had a job to focus on, yet she couldn’t help but worry.
Once she was fully immersed in her working environment, she began to relax. Jade was a vampire, and she was not. Whatever the future held would be revealed in good time.
By the time Lyric was all dolled up and ready to perform, the excitement she always felt was flooding her. The sun had since set, and the club was beginning to fill with people. She kept reaching into her purse to check her cell phone for missed calls. Nothing. After she’d checked for the fourth time, Storm took notice and raised her eyebrows in question.
“What’s with you, Lyric?” She asked, a smile quirking her painted red lips. “Who are you waiting to hear from?”
Blushing, Lyric debated on how much to tell, but this was her best friend. How could she resist? “I saw him, last night. The vampire.”
“What? I had a feeling that’s why you snuck out of here so fast. Tell me everything.” Storm looked intrigued. She waited for Lyric’s response while trying to secure a sparkling hair accessory into her blonde mane.
“He took me out, and we talked. It was nice.” Lyric couldn’t help the giggle that came out. She was a terrible liar. She turned to the mirror, pretending to fix her lipstick to avoid Storm’s scrutiny.
“You’re hiding something. Come on, tell me.” Storm gave her a nudge. “And please, help me with this damn hair piece?”
Lyric set to fixing the other dancer’s hair, using it as a way to avoid making eye contact. “Maybe I’m hiding a little but only because I don’t want to jinx anything.”
“You’re completely glowing, lady. There’s only one thing that gets a woman glowing like that. I want details. Ouch.”
“Sorry,” Lyric grimaced as she fought with the hairpiece. “There. How’s that?”
“Better, thanks.” Storm gave her head a toss, ensuring everything was in place. “So, when do I get to hear all of the juicy bits? I can’t believe you slept with him already.”
Before Lyric was forced to answer, Brit breezed into the room, barking out orders. “We’ve got five minutes until show time, girls. Are you all ready? Get lined up in the order you’ll be going out.” She clapped her hands for effect, and Storm rolled her eyes.
The petite choreographer paid no attention to her. She was used to the girls joking about her being a drill sergeant. Pushing a hand through her short, spiky, purple hair, she continued to herd them out of the dressing room. After a few last glimpses in the mirror and a touch of perfume or lipstick, the troupe managed to get organized and on their way.
Lyric fell in line with the other girls, and a wave of pre-show jitters swept her. Leaving the brightly lit dressing room to enter the dark backstage area, she was awash with the energy of the waiting crowd. She couldn’t help but be affected by the excitement. Lyric genuinely enjoyed what she did for a living. It wasn’t the kind of thing she would be doing her entire life. Shoving all thoughts of Jade aside for now, she looked ahead to the stage and the audience that awaited.
* * * *
Guilt had no place within Jade when the bloodlust ruled him. He lived for the kill. The tenderness that had awoken in him with the arrival of Lyric in his life was blessedly absent. When his eyes opened at sunset, the hunger greeted him with a vengeance.
He didn’t want to think about what that might have been like if she’d been there with him. Waking up beside her living, breathing body could strip away his control. The blood hunger made him more monster than man. Would he really hurt her in such a state? It was a risk Jade wasn’t sure that he was willing to take.
Even the thought of Lyric drove his hunger to a frenzied state. Again, that image entered his mind, blood splashing down her alabaster skin, spilling from two brutal punctures in her throat. The visual stirred his cock to life, and he cursed. He was no better than a rabid animal in this state. Lyric could never see him like this. There was no question.
Tonight Jade hunted the downtown district where the trendy nightclubs constantly spewed drunken twenty-somethings onto the street. There was no rhyme or reason to whom he would choose; he would do anything to ease the maniacal craving. Whether or not he would be able to leave his victim alive remained to be seen.
Jade didn’t kill every night. The bodies would be piling up outrageously if he did. He did kill regularly though, and he didn’t think that he could ever change. For that matter, it wasn’t something he had any desire to change. It was what he was. Yet, he didn’t feel like that was good enough for Lyric.
Jade laughed bitterly to himself, kicking a Styrofoam coffee cup that lay in his path. He hadn’t cared before. Live or die, they were all expendable to him. Jade had detached himself from any emotion he’d once felt for the human race. He couldn’t even remember what it was like to be one of them. Looking back on it, it felt like someone else’s life.
His usual game of baiting a lone female and luring her out with him held no interest at all. He just wanted to kill and get it over with. Satisfying the pain of resistance was his priority. He’d found it hard enough to refuse the urge to invite Griffin out for a night of debauchery and bloodshed like the good old days. But, what would he have gained by reaching into the past?
A trio of giggling girls brushed past him, one of them eyeing him hungrily as if he were the one on the menu. They were barely legal, so Jade continued to walk without dragging her into the shadows. Frustration turned his mood sour. He ignored a prostitute that glared at him with challenge in her eyes. It was entirely possible that she had reason to.
Welcome to the night. He chuckled at the thought. The night was a very disturbing place to be, a lifestyle all its own. Those who did not truly live among it were blinded by illusions. Beyond the surface, there was more evil than
any six o’clock newscast would ever capture. And, he was dragging Lyric into that.
He shoved thoughts of her from his mind. The way he reacted to the bloody visuals was disgusting him, and he wanted to avoid it at all costs. No more thinking; it was hindering the hunt, reminding him that something existed beyond the dark world to which he belonged.
Acting on instinct rather than thought, Jade prowled along the busy nightclub strip. The next opportunity that presented itself, he was taking. Crossing a side street, he eyed the bar with flashing neon lights on the corner. Too easy. No sooner had he approached than a woman walked out the door, chatting away on her cell phone.
It hit the ground hard; the screen went blank. Jade dragged her down the empty side street before she could cry out in surprise. Pulling her small frame against his hard body, he clamped a hand over her mouth and pushed her hair aside. Biting into her neck, he had enough conscious thought left to avoid a fatal bite. Feeding without the kill wasn’t in his nature. This last minute decision was made purely because of Lyric.
Whom did Jade really think he was kidding? Avoiding murder once or twice would never make him worthy of her. He was playing a role: the good, remorseful vampire. It wasn’t him though. He did not detest his need for blood. He enjoyed it. And, try as he might to pretend he loathed his existence, he wasn’t fooling himself.
Sucking hard at the wound, Jade took great pleasure in the pained cry it wrenched from his victim. His fingers dug into her upper arms where he held her, leaving angry red marks on her skin. Brutality wasn’t his deal, and try as he might, the craving for the kill was more than he could take. Her blood was warm on his tongue, coating his throat and sparking a fire within his core.
If he didn’t stop now, he was going to kill her. Jade didn’t want to stop, and the harder he tried, the more impossible it became. The frenzy grew within him until it was maddening. If he’d just stop resisting…
Jade shoved the girl away from him, causing her to stumble. He didn’t wait around to see if she was alright. He melted into the night as if he’d never been there. Her shrieks began in earnest, but he was already gone.
The savage hunger still drove him as he strode with stealth down an alley. When he reached a deep point in the alley where nobody else lurked, he unleashed his fury on a nearby garbage dumpster. Lashing out with a fist resulted in bloody knuckles and a blow to his pride. It didn’t make a damn bit of difference, but it felt good to let it out.
A primal sound rumbled low in his throat, a growl. The loss of his victim resonated throughout his entire being. Jade rushed down the dark alley, uncaring and unseeing. He sought one thing. As he neared the end of the alley, a flurry of scents and sound struck him with a new intensity. Pausing to take it all in, he was contemplating his destination when a sound came from behind him.
Turning defensively, he was pleasantly surprised to find a man holding a bag of garbage, staring at him with caution. He would do just fine. Jade lunged at the man, a cool hand snaking out to wrap around his throat. The trash bag fell, forgotten.
This time Jade made no attempt to go easy. His hunger was ravenous, and his will belonged to it. He plunged fangs deep into the man’s artery, overwhelmed by the crimson river that suddenly poured forth. A hot rush enveloped Jade as he drank down the heady nectar. Not once did he hesitate or consider stopping until the life had been drained from his victim and the painful ache inside him eased.
A high-pitched ringing sounded in his ears as the blood and power coursed through him. He could have collapsed against the dumpster and lazily enjoyed the maddening rush. A warm sense of comfort filled him, and his sanity slowly began to return. A smile played along his lips.
Taking a moment to smooth back his disheveled hair, Jade languorously licked his lips before turning to go. This kill had been intense. His prior resistance had enhanced the impact and left him reeling. Try as he might, he couldn’t wipe the grin from his face. Feeling satisfied and eager, he dug his car keys from his pocket and headed for the lot where he’d left his car.
Jade felt so good that he considered calling Griffin. Surely, his old pal would be up for a night of bloodshed and mayhem. The thought was so tempting. Even more tempting was Lyric. She was performing tonight. With the bloodlust appeased, he had no reason not to be there. Watching her dance swept him away to a different place, a world where nothing existed but the two of them. If only…
Relinquishing his hold on the desire to wreak havoc with Griffin, he focused on seeing his beautiful mortal woman. His woman. The thought came so naturally. Jade felt better about himself in Lyric’s presence. The man inside him was free to think, just to be. She made him feel things that he’d never thought he would feel again.
As he envisioned Lyric, her storm colored eyes, luscious lips and body to die for, he groaned. Again, he had to ask himself why he was inviting her into his blood and death filled existence. She saw him as a man despite the fact that he survived on the lives of the living. Regardless of what he was, Lyric looked past that to whom he was inside. And, that made him unwilling to let her go.
* * * *
Music pumped through the building as the DJ spun a series of the latest club hits. The Scarlet Ladies had successfully seduced their spectators who were now enjoying drinks and cramming onto the dance floor. Lyric and the girls mingled among the crowd, answering questions and signing small promo photos. She and Storm had been fending off advances left, right and center. However, for the most part, everyone was polite and respectful.
Every bar crowd has a lecherous creep. It was only fitting that he would end up finding his way to Lyric. The girls were all dispersed around the club. Only Storm was within earshot when the drunk sidled up.
His sickening grin immediately alerted Lyric to his level of intoxication as well as the fact that he was about to make a very unwelcome advance. Flashing a quick look at Storm, she gave the stranger a polite but reserved smile. He took a large swig out of a bottle of import beer and nodded to her.
“Evening ladies. How about I buy the two of you a drink?” He got too close, blasting Lyric with his sour beer breath. She shrank back and glanced around, looking for a means of escape.
“No, thank you,” Lyric answered, raising her voice above the music. Storm was far enough away that she could pretend not to be paying attention, which is exactly what she did.
“Come on now. Just one drink.” He leered at her with eyes that had to be seeing double from the looks of him.
She shook her head and held up the photos in her hand. “We’re just here to sign pictures and answer questions about the show. No drinks, thanks.”
She made as if to turn away from him, hoping he would just take the hint and move on. His hand on her shoulder felt cold and wet from the condensation on his beer bottle. Glaring daggers, she shrugged him off, her temper blazing.
“How much do you charge for some afterhours entertainment? I’ve got fifty bucks with your name on it.” He cackled and swigged from his beer.
Lyric stared at him as if he was the most revolting thing she’d ever seen. “You’ve got to be kidding me.” Turning her back on him, she made a beeline for a few of her fellow dancers on the other side of the room. The cold, moist hand that landed on her scantily clad behind had her shrieking in surprise and outrage. Of all of the nerve! The action quickly went from grabbing to squeezing.
As she whirled around with her fist clenched, the man was jerked away from her. Jade stood there in all of his dark glory, a scowl adorning his perfect features. He held the drunken man’s wrist at an awkward angle, snapping it like a chicken bone. Lyric heard the crack from where she stood. Her mouth dropped open, and she stared in shock as the man let out a scream.
“Touch her again, you die.” Jade growled out, tossing him aside like a bag of trash. The import beer bottle went flying, spraying foam everywhere.
Lyric had eyes only for Jade. Though she heard Storm’s exuberant gasp of, “Oh, my God!” as her friend looked over Jade, Lyric co
uldn’t look away from the man before her. His hair was loose and wild. He was casually dressed in blue jeans and a black t-shirt that hugged his body, revealing well-toned muscles.
She raised a brow in question and bit her lower lip. Swiftly he came to her, sweeping her into his arms. Her breath was stolen when he kissed her with a bold passion that shocked her delightfully. The thrill that shot through her left her quaking in his embrace.
“Let’s get out of here.” Jade’s voice came low against her ear. His lips brushed her neck and she melted. “Are you free to take off?”
Hell yeah, she was. Lyric wouldn’t have said no to him for the world. Nodding, she glanced around for Storm who was watching them like a hawk. Storm couldn’t have looked more pleased.
“Yeah, just give me a minute. I have to grab my things and have a quick word with Storm.” She took a step back from him and didn’t miss the way his eyes assessed her from head to toe. Flushing under his appraisal, she was secretly delighted at the obvious desire in Jade’s green eyes. The black-and-white bustier she wore was one of her favorites. If the look on the vampire’s face was anything to go by, pairing it with booty shorts and knee-high boots had been a good idea.
She’d barely made it to Storm’s side when the girl was all over her with questions. “Is that him? It is, isn’t it? He is damn fine, girl. You cannot let this one get away.”
Lyric laughed and dragged her friend along, away from Jade who watched them go. “Yes, that’s Jade. And, I feel ridiculously, stupidly, head-over-heels in love with him.”
Storm kept casting glances over her shoulder, wonder written all over her heart shaped face. “For real? Wow. He certainly is delicious. Almost as tasty as that friend of his.”
Lyric wasted no time grabbing her sweater and the bag containing her things. She would change later. If anything, Jade would appreciate her staying in costume.
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