Cherry Stem (Vampire Cherry Book 1)

by Sotia Lazu

  I wasn’t sure if he was asking me or her, but I nodded.

  “What the fuck is wrong with you?” The girl looked too young to be out and drinking. She tugged her top away from her chest. It was soaked. “My mom will throw a fit if she sees this. Does vodka come off silk?” Yeah, she was okay too.

  Alex flashed her his badge. “I think you should go home and start washing it now.”

  “Hey. I’m over twenty-one.” She rummaged in her purse, but he stopped her with a hand on her wrist.

  “You’re not. Don’t make it worse by showing me a fake ID.” When the girl turned away with a huff, Alex grabbed my arm. “Let’s go. We have one more chance of finding him.”

  I frowned, unsure what he had in mind.

  “He thinks Sheena sent us. He’s probably going after her now. We can catch him at her place. If she’s smart, she took your advice and skipped town, but we have to hurry in case she didn’t.”

  I was slightly upset he thought of it before I did. I let him lead the way out the door but didn’t keep my mouth shut. “You know, it was pretty stupid of you to try to block his way out.”

  “Seriously? You think what I did was stupid? You jumped on him.”

  “Yeah, well, I tried to surprise him.”

  “And how did that work out for you?”

  “He was definitely surprised. And he couldn’t dust me in the middle of the dance floor. He could have snapped your neck, though. You didn’t have to play the hero.”

  “I’m pretty sure I’ve told you this—and numerous times—but I’m a cop. I’m supposed to go after threats to society, and that’s what I did.”

  “Well, you didn’t have to. I’d have it under control if he hadn’t seen you.”

  “But he did. And I had to act before he hurt you or anyone else.”

  I couldn’t blame him for that. He’d done his job and followed his protective nature. “I guess we both did what we thought best,” I said. “Just please be careful next time.”

  “You too. No more leaping into trouble. Though you were kinda brilliant.” He pulled me to him and kissed me hard, until I found my hips bucking against his.

  Seconds later, when I told him we wouldn’t be waiting for his car, he retracted his last statement.

  Once we were airborne, a thought made it through the adrenaline fuzzing my brain—why was Willoughby shocked to see Alex with me? He’d referred to Alex as my boyfriend when he sent me that threat via Mark.

  Altitude doesn’t do much for carrying sound, but I thought I’d try to share that thought with Alex. Looking up at his face, however, made me decide to leave it for later. He was paler than me, and his eyes were squeezed shut. He more than didn’t like to fly.

  I was contemplating that, when the wind stole my pretty wig, which had until then been a real trouper and stuck to my head as if with superglue.

  Thank goodness Sheena’s house was soon within sight. I lowered us as gently as possible and pretended her red doormat held me too entranced to pay attention while Alex emptied the contents of his stomach a few feet behind me.

  Chapter Twelve

  I HAD EVERY INTENTION of letting Alex save face after his projectile vomiting by allowing him to kick open Sheena’s front door, but he said stealth might be a better option.

  I tried the doorknob. Surprisingly it turned and the door swung open. Nice way of staying safe, Sheena.

  I was prepared for Willoughby to jump out at me, but not for was something solid landing hard at the back of my head as soon as I set foot over the threshold. “Ow.”

  I twirled to see Sheena squinting at me in the darkness, a frying pan in hand. “I thought you were him.” Her tone didn’t hint at a profuse apology.

  “What the hell are you still doing here?” I slammed my hand on the light switch, and the hallway brightened. I heard movement behind me, and out of the corner of my eye saw Alex blocking the entrance with his body, his back to us. I resumed glaring at Sheena. “I told you I’d kill you if I saw you again.”

  She didn’t seem half as disheveled or as drunk as she’d been the previous night. “Well, one of you’s gonna do that, anyway. Better you than that creepy asshole.”

  I grabbed the pan from her hand and smacked her thigh with it. It was not a playful smack. If I’d gone for her head, she might have gotten her wish to die at my hand. “You shouldn’t be here. He’s coming for you.”

  “I thought you didn’t care.” That sounded mocking.

  “She obviously does.” Alex sounded pissed off. “Fuck if I know why. So why don’t you tell her why you’re still here, so we can figure out what to do next?”

  Sheena let out an indignant sniff. “Well, I couldn’t book a flight out without using my credit card, and my limo can be easily traced.” Crossing her arms over her chest, she returned my glare. I noticed for the first time that she was in silk pajamas and high-heeled slippers. The woman had no intention of leaving town.

  “You could have taken a bus,” I said.

  She looked more horrified at that prospect than at having her throat torn out by either me or Willoughby. “A bus? I wouldn’t be caught dead in one of those. Nope, I’m staying put.”

  Uh-huh.

  Alex closed his hand around my bicep as I felt the handle of the pan bend inside my fist. I let it drop. It clanged, and I winced.

  “Sheena, you’re in danger. Don’t you get that, you idiot?” I was no longer in control of my voice. A human could hear me from the next house over—a vampire from anywhere within a five-block radius.

  She planted her hands on her hips and lifted her chin. “Why do you care? I thought you wanted me dead. I don’t want to run, and he won’t scare me into doing what he wants any longer. I’m not going anywhere. Let him come.”

  I had no answer to that. I think I growled. She took a half step back, and Alex turned to face me. The extra space she’d given me wasn’t a bad thing; I had some thinking to do. I’d considered killing her myself hours earlier, but the version of her that stood in front of me at that moment was the version I’d known and loved. She was the woman who didn’t give up, who fought for what was hers, and I’d considered her a friend. I wanted to keep that woman safe, despite what she’d done.

  Once we dealt with Willoughby and I knew the fate of the girls she’d handed to him, I’d see what I’d do with her. In the meantime, we had to forget our plan about cornering my maker at her place. I couldn’t go up against him if I had to protect two humans at the same time. My priority became taking Sheena to safety.

  Where might that safety be, though?

  The answer made me grin so wide, I knew my fangs showed. “Alex, grab her.”

  Before Sheena could protest or even blink, Alex had her in a hold she couldn’t escape. And before he realized what was happening, I had my arms around them both and was rushing us out the door.

  “Cherry, what the hell are you doing?” Alex asked through gritted teeth.

  I gave him a quick smile and kicked at the ground. “I’m taking us up, up, and away.”

  Chapter Thirteen

  ACCORDING TO SOME VAMPIRE lore, turning into a vampire means losing one’s soul. That’s not the case in reality. We keep our souls and remain the same people we were prior to our turning. What changes is our perception of limits.

  You see, humans know their time is finite, and no matter their belief system, the majority go through life keeping in the back of their minds the thought that they’ll one day be judged. Vampires consider ourselves immortal. To us, judgment day is so remote it loses its significance.

  What’s more, remorse goes away with time. If we’re not careful, our consciences loosen after the first few centuries, allowing for ever-increasing transgressions. Eventually we act like the soulless monsters we’re believed to be, not because we are inherently evil, but because we reach a point where we have no fear of consequences.

  Or that’s what Constantine told me in one of our first meetings.

  I definitely felt pretty e
vil and soulless as I rang his doorbell.

  Knowing Constantine’s eclectic tastes and need for quiet, I was confident Sheena would get on his nerves in no time, with her flashiness and her incessant chattering when she got excited—and she’d be excited all right. She’d be spending a few days with a drop-dead gorgeous vampire who meant her no harm.

  I could cackle.

  Alex had taken his second flight a bit better than the first one. No physical reaction this time, but his eyes were glazed over as he stood on Sheena’s other side and waited for the door to open.

  I reached around her and squeezed his hand. “How are you doing?”

  “I’m fine. I may barf on your ex, but that’ll make up for the rest of my night.” His thin smile took away from his joke.

  As soon as we’d landed, I’d explained to him and Sheena that nobody would think to look for her at Constantine’s, since he was sleeping with one of the council members. Sadly neither of them was convinced of my ex’s loyalty to me. I knew he hadn’t been, wasn’t, nor would ever be loyal as a boyfriend, but I was also one hundred percent certain he wouldn’t betray me when it came to something so important. He’d been there for me from the beginning. Taught me. Supported me. Even after we broke up, he wouldn’t stop checking in, making sure I was doing okay—when he wasn’t trying to get me to give him another chance.

  Most of all, though, he’d been the one who’d held me day after day while I wept over losing everything and everyone I’d loved. He’d helped me keep my humanity and not give in to the temptation of the easy way. For that alone, I trusted him.

  The door was finally answered, and Wesley appeared, his attire crisply ironed, in direct contrast to his wrinkled face. He gave us a little bow. “Ladies. Sir. May I help you?”

  “Hi.” I expected him to wince at the informality of my greeting, since he hadn’t at what Sheena and I wore, but he only quirked his lips upward, so I went on. “Is Constantine around?”

  “I’m afraid not, Ms. Stem.” At least this time he remembered me. “If you wish, I can relay a message, however.”

  There went my evil plan down the drain. I couldn’t tell him what I wanted. Constantine would be warned and have enough time to find an excuse not to take Sheena in by the time I finally got in touch with him.

  Alex jumped in. “This is Ms. Herring, who’s wanted by some very bad people.” He pushed Sheena a forward. She batted her eyelashes, and I had to try hard not to giggle.

  “Yes. Very bad,” I said. “We were hoping Constantine could take her in for a few days, until we take care of them?” It was my turn to bat my eyelashes.

  Wesley chuckled. “You can tone down the charm, both of you.” I could tell my companions were as shocked as I was by his temporary slip in decorum. If he winked, I might faint. His face straightened again. “I will make sure Ms. Herring is made comfortable with us while you go about your business.” He took Sheena’s hand and ushered her inside. “Come in, dear. Aren’t you freezing in those clothes?”

  It hadn’t occurred to me to feel bad for making her fly in nothing but her pj’s. Hey, I owed her for the frying-pan-to-the-head bit.

  “We’ll find you something warmer to wear,” Wesley said to her before turning to me. “I will tell Master Constantine to contact you when he returns. And if those very bad men you mentioned are of your”—he glanced from me to Alex and back again—“special circumstances, rest assured they cannot enter this property without my permission. The deeds to the house are in my name.”

  I muttered my thanks, and the door slid shut.

  Alex wouldn’t hear of flying again, so we used my cell to call a cab that drove us back to the Dark Sun. By the time we picked up his car, Alex’s color was back, as was his usual good mood, so we stopped at a twenty-four hour place and he really did buy the eggs to make me the promised dessert.

  When we parked in front of his mother’s house, I had on a face-splitting grin, which only got wider when my phone buzzed and I saw the caller was Constantine.

  “I know she’s annoying, but you have to keep her safe for a while. Just for a few days,” I said in lieu of a greeting.

  “Hello to you too, Cherry. How was your night?”

  If he cared, he could have asked me that when I called him earlier, but he didn’t, did he? He’d been too busy with What’s-her-Name. “Went from fine to crappy to fine again, thank you. Did you hear back from the council?”

  He let out a tortured sigh. “Not exactly. Can we meet?”

  “What? Now you have time for me?” Oh shut up. I resent the implication that I’m petty.

  “I always have time for you, Cherry. Some things are simply beyond my control.”

  Right. Like whom he fucked and how he talked to me when he was with her.

  “I’m deeply sorry if I offended you.” His words were belied by his irate tone. He hated apologizing, but I wouldn’t listen to anything else he had to say unless he did so. “Please believe that I had my reasons. I called you as soon as I became available.”

  “I bet you did. What’s up?” My legs were crossed in a very unladylike manner, with my right ankle resting atop my left knee, and I was tapping my foot against the dashboard. Alex clasped a hand over its top and held it immobile.

  “Now see who’s impatient,” Constantine said. “I called you first, if you recall. You didn’t pick up. I haven’t been home in forty-eight hours because of you, and when I finally get here, I find an insufferable woman waiting for me. She’s been my guest for a little over an hour, and she’s already emptied half my liquor cabinet, Cherry. You owe me, and you’ll repay me by waiting. Tonight I’ll come to where your human lives. After sunset all right with you?”

  I glanced at Alex, who wasn’t looking at me but made no move to get out of the car, either. “You’re not showing up here.”

  Constantine was unperturbed. “Will you tell me where he lives, or will I have to find out by myself?”

  Even if I ended up going with the leaving-Alex-for-his-own-good scenario, I didn’t want Constantine to know more about him than he absolutely needed to. “Will you shut up and listen to me? I’ll meet you if I have to, but somewhere else. I can come by your place.” I doubted Alex would appreciate the alternative I offered my ex, but the first option was worse.

  “I guess that means I’ll have to follow my nose,” Constantine said. “This will probably make me testy when I meet him, so you two lovebirds better keep displays of affection to a minimum.”

  He hung up before I could protest.

  I doubted he could really find us; his sense of smell was enhanced, but he couldn’t go roaming the city, nose in the air. He could always ask Rowland where he dropped me off after the council meeting, however, and I didn’t want to have to test that testy thing, no pun intended. If Constantine and Alex had to meet, I wanted things to go down as smoothly as possible.

  Beside me, Alex said, “I’m guessing he didn’t shut up and listen, huh?”

  Texting Constantine with the address and making it explicit I thought he was a giant ass, I said, “He didn’t. He’ll be by at sunset.” Phone stuffed in cleavage once more, I opened the passenger door.

  I was out of the car when I noticed Alex hadn’t moved from his seat. I walked to the driver’s side and threw his door open. “Come on, there’s plenty of time until then. Let’s make it count.” None of the badness could touch us for a little while longer, and I needed to be lost in him once again. Needed to feel his touch, to connect with him one more time before whatever tomorrow might bring.

  “He’ll be by? Here? How does he know where here is?”

  There was no use in lying. “I let him know where we’re staying.” Before the red flush creeping up Alex’s face had time to translate into yelling, I added, “Not that it was necessary. He smelled you on me last time we met. If he’s half as possessive as he used to be, he’s followed your scent here.”

  “Possessive? Are you his?” His face betrayed nothing. If it weren’t for his heartbeat
rising, I’d think he was making idle chitchat.

  I should have been honest and owned up to how I felt about Alex. I should have told him there was no reason for him to be jealous of my past. I didn’t. It was bad enough that I knew. Saying it aloud would make my choice even harder. Instead I threw back my head and laughed.

  It wasn’t nice of me.

  I can totally admit that I loved every minute of his jealousy, just as I loved every minute of Constantine’s advances. I was convinced Constantine’s interest in me had nothing to do with feelings. He cared about me but wasn’t in love with me. He only wanted me because he wasn’t used to losing. That didn’t make the passion of his pursuit any less flattering, however. It was simple mathematics—one Cherry plus two gorgeous men equaled one giggly Cherry with a heavily petted ego.

  Alex didn’t see the situation in the same positive light. He grabbed what little fabric was covering my breasts, pulled me down, and crushed his lips to mine for a kiss much more possessive than Constantine’s attitude could have ever been.

  I didn’t stop laughing until his hand found its way between my legs and got rid first of the stake and then of my panties.

  By the time our lips parted, I’d made my choice. Not about whom I wanted to be with; there had been no doubt there. I’d decided what I was willing to sacrifice for Alex. Now it was all up to fate.

  Chapter Fourteen

  THE FRONT SEAT WAS cramped, but I am nothing if not flexible, so I did my best to pass one of my legs over Alex’s thighs until I could make myself comfortable in his lap. Ignoring the steering wheel digging into my back was difficult but not impossible.

  My efforts had just panned out and I was more than enjoying myself, when Alex whispered, “Call him back and tell him not to come.”

  “Come? Who?” There was only one person I cared about coming—me.

  I sat there and watch my chances of coming fly out the window as Alex withdrew his hand from my pussy and used it to push at my shoulder so he could look into my eyes. “Call Constantine”—he pinched one nipple over my dress—“and tell him not to come here. We don’t need more vampires with invitations to this place.”