Forgotten Kisses (SuperNatural Sharing Series Book 1)

by Rena Marks

  I sighed. “What happened last night?”

  “A couple of bodies were discovered a few blocks from here, the blood completely drained. Both had fang marks. We were questioning whereabouts of your, uh, boyfriend, because one of the bodies was carrying a business card of his. Yet, he insists he doesn’t know either of the women.”

  “Officer, if a vampire is starving it’s possible to completely drain a human body of its blood. But if he has fed recently there’s no way he could drain two bodies,” Julian said.

  “How would we know when you fed last?”

  I lowered my neckline. “Julian fed last night on me. If he drained two women dry, he would not have been able to feed on me. I happen to know he feasted with his usual amount.” I smiled slightly as I thought of his feeding frenzy at the height of ecstasy. “Likewise, if he’d fed on me first before the two women he might have been able to snack on one of them but not drain them both dry.”

  The other officer spoke. “We’re not accusing anyone. But we do need help, especially if this is a renegade vamp. We need help to keep this quiet. You can imagine the public uproar if a vampire serial killer is on the loose. And,” he continued, “we need information. Like what you've given us. We needed to know that a vampire can't drain two women if he's recently fed. We understand so little.”

  He was older than the first cop, with a closely cropped crew cut. His green eyes glowed against dark, golden skin. I’d nearly forgotten how tanned skin looks. I was pale myself. I hadn’t spent much time in the sun since dating Julian. “Serial?”

  “This isn’t the first murder. The previous victim, singular, was also female, attractive and carrying the same business card.”

  I looked over toward Julian. “Is it possible that another species is trying to make it look like a vamp killing?”

  Julian paused a moment and then shook his head. “No. Say it was a werewolf. He may manage to puncture with vampire marks but the smell of blood would overwhelm him and he would be helpless to fight his natural urges.”

  The younger officer spoke up. “Natural urges?”

  “Eating. Chewing,” Julian answered. “A vampire’s natural urge is to merely drink. We do not eat.”

  Both officers had frozen faces, although one had a tic.

  Julian shrugged. “You wanted to learn.”

  “We’re keeping the murders quiet as long as we can. I don’t know how long we can keep doing so.”

  “We’ll see what we can do to help you. Please feel free to contact me on my private line,” Julian said.

  The older officer spoke. “I wondered if we could come into the club tonight. Undercover, of course.”

  Julian shrugged. “Anything that helps you.”

  The officers shook his hand, still avoiding his eyes. They looked at me hesitantly. I looked directly into their eyes, held out my hand and shook the older officer’s.

  “By the way, ma’am, I know who you are. But my name is Ray Gearman.”

  “It’s nice to see you again, Ray.”

  The younger officer held out his hand. I slipped mine into his as he spoke. “Thomas Oser.”

  Julian stepped behind me to clasp me around the waist. I let go of the officer’s hand and smiled.

  “My pleasure, Thomas. And please, both of you, call me Anjelia.”

  The door shut quietly behind them and Julian nuzzled my neck from behind. It had taken me awhile, but I finally understood. He didn’t always touch me sexually. We simply had a continuous need for skin contact. Just like we had a need for me to feed him. He lifted the back of my shirt and the front of his. He pressed his bare chest to my back for as much skin contact as was possible. The sensations of warm familiarity flooded through me, overwhelming in their intensity. We stood together in silence for a few moments, his skin gaining warmth from mine.

  “Thank you for leaping to my defense.”

  “I was worried.” I closed my eyes. “Why didn’t you tell them I'm your sole source of nutrition?”

  “It would have been twisted around. They would have said I could still feed from others even though it did not sustain me. And it would have been one more thing for your city council to use against you. I guess it’s a good thing I didn’t seal your bites.”

  I smiled before leaving the office, heading back to the gym to finish my workday. When I finally closed, I noticed a note stuck to the phone. Julian had an outfit for me laid out in his quarters.

  I locked up the gym and headed next door. As usual, the line was already starting, stretching out the door and halfway through the parking lot. I walked to the front of the line and paused. The vampire-bouncer was unfamiliar to me. Still, he looked directly at me and nodded me through. I briefly wondered how he knew who I was. I found it a little amusing, the thought of my picture being shown to new employees. The boss’s girlfriend, I could hear Johnny drawl, admit her with no waiting, ever.

  Johnny was at the bar as usual. He crooked a finger at me but before I could get there he whispered something to the other bartender and headed my direction.

  “Julian said I’m to take you to his quarters to change.”

  I grimaced and then nodded. Undoubtedly another outfit handpicked by Julian. No wonder the girls had insisted on taking me shopping with his card.

  He gave me his arm and we made our way through the crowds and to the back. We reached the master quarters and Johnny sat on the sofa with his back turned toward me.

  Lying across the bed was a scarlet dress in a shiny material I’d never seen. I touched it tentatively. Surprisingly, it was as soft as skin. From the generous amount of material it had, it couldn’t be as revealing as his other outfits.

  “How surprising,” I said. “It’s actually quite modest.”

  “Is it? Well, put it on so I can see.”

  He kept his back to me so I could dress.

  I dropped my clothes and stepped into the dress. One leg at a time, sliding up, up over my hips. Up my waist, arms in the sleeves, a halter tie slipping around my neck and…

  “Where the hell is the neckline?”

  Johnny’s head shot around at the sound of my voice and I smoothed the shiny material over my hips. It was a modest princess cut, flaring out slightly from my waistline. But the plunging neckline, if it could be called that since it was nowhere near my neck, barely covered my nipples.

  “Good thing you’re well endowed. If you moved wrong you might gap the material out otherwise,” Johnny said.

  “I can’t possibly wear this!”

  “Sure you can. You look great.”

  His eyes were glued to my neck. Only a vampire wouldn’t notice how much breast was exposed and focus on my neck instead.

  “Johnny, lower your eyes.”

  His eyes blinked up to my face.

  “Lower them,” I insisted.

  They drifted back down to my neck.

  “Lower.”

  Now they were focused on my breasts. “Oh.”

  He stood and walked over to me. He peered into the neckline and before I could decide if I should be offended or not, he stuck a finger into the material.

  “Here’s the secret.”

  He pulled the material away from me about a half-inch and there was a shiny film over the lining of the dress. He tugged on the clear plastic covering a sticky adhesive on the inner lining. He moved the dress back in place and smoothed the top with his thumbs.

  “Tape.”

  “Oh,” I said, realization dawning, “now it’ll stay in place.”

  Johnny continued smoothing the dress over my breasts, copping a not-so-innocent feel. “Bet you’re glad Julian didn’t send Anna to look out for you, huh?”

  I swatted his hands away.

  We headed back upstairs to see a swarm of people at the bar. Johnny scanned for Julian but I didn’t see him anywhere.

  “Let’s just head to the bar. He’ll show up or I’ll find him eventually,” I said.

  Johnny smiled gratefully. He couldn’t stand to have po
or service at his bar. We entered the bar together and began dual bartending.

  “What can I get you?” I smiled at a thin, pasty white man with shifty eyes.

  “Scotch. Dry.”

  His eyes scanned the bar as he spoke, looking for potential vamps. A junkie. There was nothing more pathetic. He wore a button-up dress shirt with a collar. Disguising the scars on his neck, no doubt. I slid his glass at him. His hands shook as he took it.

  There were always a few who begged to donate blood to vampires, sacrificing their sleep for one more rush.

  “Hello, beautiful.” A blond man took a seat next to the junkie, but his eyes were on me. He was handsome in a beach-boy way. He also had a gorgeous body for a human. Obviously I was now biased, but he was a bit too flashy for my tastes.

  “What can I get for you?”

  “Your number?”

  I smiled. “You’re not my type. But I will get you a drink. What would you like?”

  “What is your type?”

  The junkie answered. “She goes for the vamps.”

  Blond surfer boy looked at me in disgust. “What’s a vamp got over me besides fangs?”

  The junkie answered again. “It’s the danger element. That inhuman strength, knowing they could snap your neck like a twig while giving you the best orgasm of your life.”

  It was my turn to look disgusted. “I just happen to love him. That’s all. I would love him if he was alive and I love him even though he’s dead.”

  Turning to the customer who stood behind the blond, I smiled. “Need a drink?”

  I didn’t wait for his response. I slid him a glass of Red. O-Negative. His favorite. My type. The junkie, the blond and I watched as Julian drained the glass, the blood staining his lips.

  “Hello, my love,” he whispered sensuously.

  I leaned across the bar and pressed my lips to his.

  “Have a good night, gentlemen,” I called out as Julian wrapped his hands around my waist and lifted me effortlessly over the bar. The blond dropped his jaw at his first glance of vampire strength. Julian and I made our way to the dance floor.

  “Showoff,” I whispered teasingly.

  “He was a little too interested in you.”

  “You bought the dress.”

  “You need bite marks for jewelry.” He growled into my neck.

  I giggled. “Don’t you dare, Julian,” I said as I pushed him away.

  He smiled and kissed me some more.

  “I don’t see the officers anywhere,” I said.

  “Anjelia, look at the vampire junkie at the bar.”

  I looked over his shoulder. The vampire junkie was watching us. When he noticed me, he winked and gave me a peace symbol with his fingers.

  “Is that...”

  “Officer Oser. Undercover.”

  “Damn. He's good.”

  Julian and I danced before strolling around the bar, mingling and listening to conversations. We sat for a while with Lily and Nicki. Anna was bartending.

  Then we sat at the bar. Nothing happened. Ever. All night. The only thing that made it bearable was being with Julian.

  We were finally able to corner Oser, still seated in the same spot.

  “Anything?” Julian asked him.

  “Not a thing. But that’s not unusual. It may be slow like this for quite a few nights.”

  I groaned. I hoped we wouldn’t have to do this over and over.

  While I wasn’t a bar-hopper, it did have one benefit. Any humans at Bang’s that I came in contact with didn’t look at me in disgust for being coffin-bait. Because they certainly did at the grocery store and coffee shops around town.

  Chapter Ten

  I headed next door to the gym to relieve Gigi, since her duties were tied between Bang’s and my gym.

  “I'm here,” I announced. “Thanks for watching the place.”

  “Um, that’s all right. I’ll just hang out here, if it’s okay with you?”

  “Sure.”

  I wondered if she avoided going to the bar. She seemed to want to spend a lot of time at my gym lately.

  The phone on my desk rang. Leo's name showed on the caller ID.

  “Hey, Leo.”

  “Hey. Dinner tonight?”

  I looked at the clock. It was nearly dinnertime already.

  “Now?”

  “Sure.”

  “Okay. Shall I meet you at The Subground?”

  “Are you sure I can’t pick you up?”

  “Not necessary.”

  That made it seem too much like a date. I was back to dating Julian and quite happy with it. I enjoyed my friendship with Leo, although I missed riding in the Lamborghini since I'd taken to meeting up with him. Thankfully he’d also stopped talking about queens.

  “Are you leaving right now?” he asked.

  “Yup. I’m as good as gone.”

  We hung up and I called out to Gigi. “I’m going to dinner. Do you want to lock up when you’re done? I’ll be back in an hour.”

  “I’m not busy. I’ll stay and watch the phones ’til you come back.”

  I nodded and went to change clothes. I had to go over to Bang’s where a cocktail dress of mine was kept in Julian’s office. I changed in his office, left my gym clothes and drove over to the restaurant.

  Leo and I often enjoyed dinner together. Other than the fact that I took my meat very well done and he took his rare, we enjoyed it. We'd compromised by simply avoiding looking at each other’s plates. But the conversation was always good.

  We were finishing up dinner when my cell phone rang.

  “Hello, Julian.”

  “My sweet, I heard from Gigi that you are enjoying dinner with our friend, the wolf?”

  He tried to sound casual but I heard a slight tone in his voice.

  “Yes, I’m here with Leo.”

  “I did not want you to forget you are coming to the club tonight. The officers will be here. And there is something new on the schedule tonight.”

  “I remember. I’m becoming a regular party girl, aren’t I?” I sighed.

  “Good thing you can now exist on less sleep, hmm?”

  “Yes, a very good thing,” I agreed.

  “I love you, my sweet.”

  “I love you too, Julian.”

  I disconnected.

  At least I wouldn’t have to dress for Bang’s. The dress I was wearing for dinner would suffice.

  “Bang's tonight?” Leo asked.

  I nodded.

  “It should be more fun than my night at the hospital.” He grimaced and pulled out his wallet to pay for dinner.

  Leo walked me out to my car, and kissed my cheek. For a brief second, my wolf brand tingled, but the feeling vanished too quickly, leaving me to wonder if I imagined it.

  I drove back to Bang's. As I entered the vamp at the door leaned toward me to speak quietly.

  “The boss reserved a table for you.”

  I nodded and entered, letting my eyes adjust to the darkness. Julian stood onstage, introducing a new vampire.

  “And so, Merrick—once a sorcerer in his human life—believes he can hypnotize anyone to do anything. Shall we put him to the test?”

  The audience cheered and clapping erupted.

  “Who shall we have prove him wrong? Is there a skeptic in the audience?”

  Several heads turned about, laughing among themselves. I was also looking around, my attention seeking out the officers.

  “How about my other half?”

  The audience erupted in applause again and my attention snapped back to the stage.

  “Anjelia, come join me onstage,” he said into the microphone.

  I glared.

  “Come, my sweet. Don’t be shy.”

  Slowly I made my way to the stage.

  Julian held out a hand to help me up the steps. He leaned forward to brush his lips against my cheek as I walked up.

  “Merrick, what hypnosis will you do for Anjelia?”

  Merrick stared at me in a
daze, silent for a bit. He seemed to be unemotionally looking inside me.

  “Do you sing?” he asked finally. His voice was flat, and monotonous.

  Not only am I tone deaf, but I have never been able to sing. I have a naturally quiet voice, even in yelling mode. For that reason, I never made it to the cheerleading squad in high school. Somehow Merrick sensed this. I couldn't begin to figure out how.

  “No, I can’t sing.”

  “Why not?”

  “I’m tone deaf.”

  “For this night you will be a temptress with a voice of an angel.”

  The crowd clapped. I had to tamp down a snicker as I wondered what he would do if he couldn't follow through.

  The stage lights dimmed. A loud click sounded as a spotlight shone on me. Merrick the hypnotist was still cast in darkness. I didn’t know where Julian was, as blinded by the light as I was.

  “You can sense me, Anjelia. But you cannot see me. My voice commands you. It reaches to you. Makes you do things...do things you cannot normally do.” His voice was thick, rolling, sultry.

  Surprisingly, little shivers of pleasure danced over my skin.

  I heard him distantly, as if his voice carried from a tunnel. My mind wandered briefly. Maybe I was getting bored. I was waiting for the part where he told me to relax and go into a deep trance or sleep or whatever. The next thing I knew, I was standing on stage, alone.

  Merrick and Julian were gone and I was singing.

  I don’t know which language it was in but it wasn’t English. I don’t know where the words came from. Then, the voice of the hypnotist commanded me to switch languages. I did so immediately and continued my song in French. After a minute or two, he commanded to switch again. Now I sang in Italian. I sang through several more languages, ending with Japanese. I sang until he commanded me to stop and the stage lights suddenly turned on. I blinked rapidly at the lights, barely aware of the thunderous applause of the audience.

  Julian reached me onstage, his hand out to clasp mine, pulling me quickly to him. “A remarkable performance, Merrick. You have astounded even me.”

  Merrick bowed and Julian escorted me off the stage, handing the microphone to someone else. We walked to our private table, enclosed by curtains, and Julian whispered in my ear.