Of Blood and Sorrow Page 15

  Whoa, wait. Was she goading him or flirting? I gripped the arms of the chair.

  “Hessa is worth less than the scum she has working for her.” Abdiel spat and his chest puffed out. “I would rather eat my own intestines than serve her. If it’s one of the Allu, then it’s one I don’t know. And I’ve been very thorough.” It gave me chills the way he said the last part. “And what about you, Lady? You know everyone in the community as well as I do. I’m not the one with a vampire in my basement.”

  She bared her sharp teeth and then laughed, dark and womanly. “I see you speak the truth. I do love a demon with the courage to accuse me of betraying my own.” The Lady’s look was more a leer this time. “So tell me, before our human friends come back, what have you discovered that might finally help us with this unnatural problem?”

  “Hessa’s using demons to make drugs. Not just any drugs.” Abdiel glanced over at me. “Drugs that she hopes her vampires can ingest through the humans to make them stronger and possibly gain the demons’ powers.”

  My mouth dropped open. It was ridiculous. Such a thing wasn’t possible.

  “They can’t feed on Mutts, even those with only a little demon blood. They also can’t feed a lot on the humans taking the drugs, but I heard last night that Hessa was close to finding a way.” Abdiel stated.

  “Find her crypt, nest, or whatever those things have these days. Find it and tell me where it is. There will be a fire like none other.” The Lady flared with her intentions.

  “I’m working on it.” Abdiel replied through clenched teeth.

  There was a knock on the door and the Lady’s light extinguished as she took on her human guise. Abdiel answered it and excused himself. He left the room without another word. The humans thought nothing of it. Just another detective hurrying off to do his work.

  They would’ve known it if there had been a fight. Oh, what a fight that would be between one of the most skilled Allu and the Lady. And if it was something other than a fight, no. I wasn’t even going to let my imagination go there.

  The Lady laid an arm across my shoulders. She leaned in and whispered, “I do like that demon. It’s a pity he won’t come into my house. It’s not like I bite the heads off my mates anymore.”

  Aleo was cremated, and I answered some questions for the officers. It was a blur. When the Lady drove us back home, I sat numbly and barely breathed. The Lady ordered me to sit down and eat something, but the ancient demon had only a short time to fix something before she shuffled off to her room.

  “Don’t leave the house tonight, Erin. I know you have your own mind, but Abdiel can find the vampires. There’s nothing more you can do.”

  “I don’t think I have the energy. Thank you for dinner, Demi.” I only finished half of what was on the plate. I couldn’t eat anything more. My stomach twisted and roiled. It was a relief when the Lady left me for the night.

  At the same time I heard the Lady’s bedroom door click shut, the shower turned on in the basement. I stood, taking the rest of the food to bring down and offer it to Nicolas. Then realizing he probably wouldn’t want that type of food, I put some tin foil over the plate and slid it into the fridge. I made sure there were fresh grounds and water and turned on the coffee maker.

  By the time the coffee was done, the shower turned off. I took two mugs to the basement and nearly dropped them when he walked out of the bathroom naked. The light illuminated him from behind and cast a long and lean masculine figure. His mussed hair framed a perfectly chiseled face. And between his legs…

  Desire blazed as so many dirty thoughts filled my mind. Delicious dirty thoughts.

  No! Why was I thinking about taking full advantage of a sexy vampire when I should be grieving? Slamming myself out of that train of thought caused me to stumble. I hissed when some coffee sloshed over my hand and turned my back to him.

  “Erin,” he said, fast behind me. “Are you all right?”

  “Yes, fine. Can you put on some clothes?” I was very aware he was behind me without a stitch of clothing on. Every inch of me was tuned to him.

  Nicolas removed the mugs from my hands and put them on the table beside the television. He then took me gently by the shoulders and led me to the bathroom. My legs were stiff, but they obliged just so I didn’t get turned around to face him.

  “Let’s put that hand under some cold water. You can’t tell me it doesn’t hurt.”

  “It does, but I can do it while you get dressed.” I tried to sound insistent but could hear more of a plea in my voice instead. Why did he never listen to me?

  Nicolas chuckled and kissed the back of my head. He released me and let me tend to my hand as he dressed. The burn healed before I took it out of from under the faucet. I examined it under the light and gnawed on my lower lip.

  “All better?” Nicolas came in and took my hand in his. He peered at it and raised his brows. “Wasn’t bad then at all.”

  “Nope, not at all.” I’d healed fast. Faster than I had ever before.

  “Good.” Nicolas continued to stare down at my hand and then slowly lifted his head to look me in the eyes. Damn, he was so gorgeous. “Thanks for the coffee. I do appreciate it. But I’m going to need something more tonight. I’m barely controlling myself right now, and it’s only because I’m with you.”

  Should I be offended at that? Wait, no.

  I didn’t need to guess what he needed. He had been hurt by the Lady’s light during the day. And I wasn’t sure if he had fed the night before or not. My breath caught and my eyes widened as I realized what he was asking of me.

  “I’m not going to find you a victim.”

  “No, I know.” He smiled and kissed the back of my hand. “I don’t need to drink from a person. If you could get me some blood. I could go to the Red Cross, take a few bags myself, but I don’t want to take the chance of coming across any people. It’s not that hard to break into it.”

  “Break into the blood bank?” I blinked and then snorted as I finally gathered my wits. Or, at least, put them into semi-order. “I’m not a thief. I don’t know how to do such things.”

  “Then I’ll go.” Nicolas shrugged, walked over to the bed, and sat to put on his shoes.

  “No.” I shook my head and followed him. “It’s too risky. Isn’t there another place? I don’t know. Some dealer selling blood? Can you feed from a squirrel or something?”

  “I have no idea about a dealer, but I don’t think so. As for squirrels or any other animals, yuck.” He scrunched up his beautiful face.

  I ran my hands through my hair, twisting strands as I thought about the situation. I didn’t want him to leave the house nor did I want to go myself, but I couldn’t break into a place to get what he needed. He couldn’t feed from animals or me.

  I paused. Did I actually just have that thought? A small shiver went down my spine. It was worse that I was disappointed I couldn’t be a donor for him.

  To have his mouth on my neck, tongue licking my flesh. Kisses and teasing nips before he bared his fangs and buried them in me. Locked together with my life flowing into him, feeding him my very essence.

  “Why are you staring at me like that?” Nicolas reached up to tug a still hand from my hair.

  Yup. Too many paranormal mystery novels for me.

  “Nothing, nothing.” I took a step back. “Maybe we could call someone?” My heart beat too loudly. “I don’t know if Cort or Paul would help, but perhaps I could get them to send Abdiel here.”

  “This is too much trouble for just me.” Nicolas stood. “I’ll go out, get some blood, and then I’ll be back in no time. Vampire speed and all.”

  “No.” I repeated and put my hands on his chest to keep him in the room.

  “You want to keep me all to yourself, hm?” His body language changed, loose and sinuous. He wrapped an arm around my middle and pulled me to him. A smirk played across his pale lips. “I want to lick those spots all the way from your ankles to your neck and everywhere in between.”

&nb
sp; My cheeks warmed super quick. Heat zipped through my body to every part he mentioned, especially the parts in between.

  Nicolas cupped the back of my head and brought our mouths together. When he had kissed me before, it had been tender, but not this time. His mouth mashed hard against mine and his tongue darted in with a twirl. I moaned and clutched at his shirt.

  His hand slipped under my sweater and slid from my side around my back. His fingers caressed up my spine, along the trail of spots. I wound my arms around his neck as he turned us to ease me onto the bed. Fire burned through my veins. There was nothing I wanted more. I had to have him. My tongue rolled with his and scraped against one of his fangs.

  Both of us pulled back.

  I blinked, clearing my head. What the hell was I doing?

  “I’m sorry. Don’t stop. We’ll just have to be careful.” Nicolas dipped his head toward mine. I inserted my hand between our mouths.

  “No, we’re getting distracted. You need to feed.” I had been ready to get thoroughly distracted, and that unnerved me far more than letting him go out to get the blood he needed. “We’ll go together. That way I can keep you under control, and you can do the thieving.”

  “I like getting distracted. Food can wait.” He purred and smiled that devilish smile again. He pressed our bodies together and nudged a thigh between my legs.

  “Incorrigible.” I couldn’t disguise my groan as anything else. This was the last thing we needed to be doing even though my body was demanding it was exactly what I needed. I was turning into a quivering puddle in his arms.

  “You have that effect on me.” He kissed me again and rubbed his thigh against me more insistently. “Good thing I have condoms in my pocket.”

  “Huh?” What was that weird word? My head dipped back as his mouth moved along to my neck.

  “Condoms. In my pocket. Had to make sure—”

  “Wait.” A different sort of heat flashed through me. He did not. He could not! I pushed him away, unlocking our bodies from one another. “You have condoms in your pocket. When did you get them? And why?”

  “I had them since the other night… at the… club.” Nicolas paused and pursed his lips. “Erin.”

  “You were only acting with Hessa, right? It was all just to help me.” I bared my teeth and felt like a feral animal in more ways than one. Less than a minute ago, I’d been ready to let him fuck me. Now I wanted to hit him. I snarled and hopped up to march into the bathroom. “Condoms. You’re a fucking vampire! It’s not like you can get anyone pregnant or contract a disease. Though if anyone deserves to catch the vampiric clap, it’s you!”

  I not so gently brushed my hair, yanking through the tangles. I glared at myself in the mirror. I was being stupid. He was a vampire and I was a demon. Even if I did manage to help him, nothing could ever work between us.

  “Erin…” Nicolas came to do the door and wisely stopped there. “Please. I still think like a human most of the time. I was always really sure to practice safe sex. I didn’t fuck Hessa while I was gone, but she definitely wanted me. If it meant finding out what we needed to know, I would have had to do it.”

  “Oh, poor you. The torture you must have gone through thinking you’d have to fuck a gorgeous vampire.” I slammed the brush down and hastily braided my hair. Hessa probably would have taken it there. She wasn’t a creature who would be denied. And though I really couldn’t blame him for it, I hated I was reacting so emotionally to it.

  He was quiet for a minute as I worked the braid. He leaned his head against the doorframe and sighed.

  “It was torture.” Nicolas fiddled with the latch. “Hessa was the one who killed me, made me a vampire. She gave me drugs she knew would kill me and kill me slowly. The bitch never really cared. She just wanted a pretty new toy, and in doing so, took everything away from me.”

  When I stopped thrashing about with my own emotions, I opened myself to feel his anguish. His whole life had been taken from him by Hessa. Of course it was horrible for him. My face softened as I remembered why I was helping him in the first place.

  “The only things I have left are my will power and you.” He looked at me, eyes wide and vulnerable. “Please don’t let her take those away too.”

  If I were any other kind of being, I might have wondered if he was lying. I could feel the truth of what he said springing up from fears rooted in sorrow. I reached to trace my fingertips along his finely tapered jaw. “I’m sorry. I forgot. I just got, you know—”

  “Jealous.” He turned his head and kissed my fingers. There was no bright flame there now. Only a gentle and desperate plea.

  “Whatever.” I wasn’t ready to admit to it yet. First thing first. We had to get him some blood. Then we had to survive until Abdiel found Hessa. I tiled my head to the side. Speaking of which… “Do you know where Hessa stays during the day?”

  “Everywhere, anywhere.” He shrugged. “She told me it was safest never to stay in the same place two days in a row.”

  “But does she have regular places she likes to go?”

  “She has favorite hotels, and some of her friends have places. Why are you asking me this?”

  I grabbed his hand and ran upstairs. I found a pen and paper and shoved them at him.

  “Write down all the places you know.” I snatched the phone out of its cradle. “I’m going to call Cort and get Abdiel’s number. He’s searching for Hessa’s daytime place. If they can find it, then they can destroy her.”

  “Why didn’t we think of this sooner?” Nicolas scribbled a list of names as I called the funeral home.

  A member of the local police department answered and only let me speak to Cort after my identity was confirmed. Cort was in a no mood to deal with me, but he gave us Abdiel’s cell number. He reminded me again to stay where I was or he’d kick my ass himself.

  I promised there would be no ass-kicking needed and said goodbye. I dialed Abdiel’s number and got his voicemail. I left a message for him to call the Lady’s house immediately. It only took a few minutes for the phone to ring after I hung up.

  “Abdiel.”

  “Yes?”

  “We have some places for you to check for Hessa. Nicolas wrote down where she likes to stay during the day. Never in the same place two nights in a row.”

  “Yes, I’ve discovered that.” He didn’t sound thrilled.

  I leaned over Nicolas’ shoulder and read off the eight places he had written down.

  “None of that’s new information for me.” Abdiel stated in an annoyed manner. “I’m trying to track her as she goes from place to place. She’s very public for most of the night, but she’s near impossible to follow when dawn approaches. She knows she’s being watched. She’s experienced at this game.”

  “But you’re better, right?”

  “Damn right I am.” He huffed.

  “Nicolas needs to feed. Do you think—”

  “Stay in the Lady’s house. He can suffer.” Abdiel hung up.

  I stared at the phone and put it back into the cradle with a small grunt. “He said—”

  “Oh, I heard him.” Nicolas folded his arms and leaned back in the kitchen chair. “It doesn’t mean I’m going to listen. If Hessa’s busy hiding from him, then I can go out and get what I need with no trouble.”

  He did have a very good point, but the thought of him doing it alone worried me more than being in trouble for leaving the Lady’s house. Everything in me cried not to let him out of my sight just in case something did happen. Or maybe the message was getting screwed up by my hormones. Hormones that were still simmering with unsatisfied lust.

  I nodded. “Let’s go steal some blood.”

  An explosion somewhere at the south side of town rocked the car as we were driving home from the Biolife Plasma Center. I sat rigid behind the wheel of the Lady’s Prius at a red light staring off in that direction. The south side. There was only one important place on that side of town that might flare up like that.

  I flipped on the
left blinker.

  It wasn’t Putzkammer & Sons Funeral Home. It was not the funeral home. Please gods, let it not be the funeral home.

  “I don’t think it’s them.” Nicolas reached over and patted my leg. He smelled of blood from having eaten two bags of what he’d stolen. The sharpness of the scent put me even more on edge.

  But what if it was? I had to know. My chin quivered.

  “I have to check.” I got the advanced green and turned left with an annoyed honk from the car behind me. Along with the Lady, Cort and Paul were the only two people I had left. I wasn’t going to let Hessa have them.

  The nearer we got to the south side, the more it did seem that the smoke was rising from where the funeral home sat along the highway. My hands slipped on the wheel, wet from perspiration. I pressed the gas pedal down as my chest tightened so much I had to gasp for a breath.

  “Erin, slow down.” Nicolas laid a hand over mine on the wheel. “Pull over. Let me drive.”

  I could only go faster, passing several cars on the highway, and then nearly slamming into the ones that had slowed down to gawk at the fire. I put the car in park and didn’t switch off the ignition as I jumped out.

  Running around a bend and up a small hill, I didn’t take note of anything else. Paul and Cort. My adopted brothers. Please let them be okay.

  It wasn’t the funeral home. I let out a small cry that also sounded like a laugh.

  The winery across the street from Putzkammer & Sons burned with various colors: red and blue and some sections of eerie white. I could feel the heat from where I was standing on the side of the road. The smell of the fire was pleasantly fragrant: aged wood and fruity spirits.

  From down the highway, sirens wailed. It would take a few minutes for the fire trucks to get through the slowed traffic. It was a pity the winery had suffered this. It was a lovely place. Aleo had joked how convenient it was to have a winery across the road from the funeral home. Funeral goers could soothe their souls with some good local wine.