Of Blood and Sorrow Read online

  “Connor.” I held up my hands. “It’s okay. He just came here looking for me.” I then motioned to Nicolas. “Come on. I have a driver for us tonight. I think I need a coffee too.”

  Nicolas and Connor remained where they were, glaring at one another, until I tugged on Connor’s arm.

  “Get in and drive. I told you he wasn’t going to hurt me.” I looked down to see what he had and snorted. “Did you just sharpen a stick you found? You’re so lame.”

  “Hey, it’s self-defense. Always gotta be prepared and all that.” Connor turned enough to help me into the car. He didn’t let the vampire out of his field of vision.

  “A wooden stake would work if it was solid enough and you had enough force to get it through someone’s ribcage.” Nicolas strolled over to the car and flashed a grin at Connor. He slipped into the back seat next to me. “With a vampire’s body, though, you’d need something like Thor’s hammer helping you drive it in.”

  “Mjölnir would be able to crush any creature’s head. Don’t have to worry about a stake.” Connor slid into the driver’s seat and shut the door. “I bet a zap of lightning from the hammer would be enough to set a vamp on fire too.”

  “I think it might fry anyone, not just a vampire. This is Mjölnir we’re talking about.”

  “Did you see the new mov—” Connor was cut off by my poke to his side.

  “Enough nerd talk. Next you’ll be arguing if Batman was really a vampire or not.” I didn’t want to waste time with idle chatter, but it was strange and kind of a relief to see the two guys getting along on some level. A geeky level, but I fell into the same nerdom sometimes too.

  “Nah,” both of them said at the same time.

  “Batman had demon blood and didn’t know it.” Connor winked at me in the rearview mirror.

  “That actually does make a lot of sense.” Nicolas relaxed, one arm over the back of the seat. The nearness of his hand to the back of my neck made me hyperaware of him.

  “Yes, whatever, thrilling. Drive to Starbucks,” I told Connor and then twisted to look at Nicolas. He was smirking. “And you, you’ve got new clothes again.”

  “Sure. I went shopping. I can’t wear the same thing over and over again.”

  I did not just hear him say that. Did all his brain cells die when he overdosed?

  “You can’t keep going out and doing stuff like you’re normal. You’re a vampire. There are demons hunting you.” And why hadn’t the Allu found him yet? I breathed in, holding it. I had to tell him. He had to realize the scope of what happened, yet part of me wanted to not let him know. “We met your sire earlier. She’s looking for you too. You know her. Hessa.”

  The smile fell from his face. An almost comic look of shock stretched his handsome features. Nicolas didn’t blink. He didn’t even sway when Connor took a sharp corner into the Starbucks parking lot. Connor parked in the farthest, darkest corner.

  “Hessa.” Nicolas finally regained movement. He laughed and then kicked open the door. He stared up at the night sky, hands tugging at his hair. “Hessa. I never knew.”

  Connor and I exited the car with more care. We stood to one side, hot breath misting in the air.

  What was going on in his mind right now? His expression was one of stunned mirth, but misery tickled my Phage senses. A surge of possessiveness tightened my stomach. Silly to feel that way over a guy I barely knew. Well, I knew more than I let on. All those memories of him were still bright in my mind.

  “How could I not know? I even fu—” Nicolas caught himself and glanced embarrassedly over at me. “Well, I was with her. She never bit me or anyone that I saw.”

  “All those drugs, your senses were messed up.” I said softly.

  “I wasn’t high. Maybe a bit drunk. I didn’t do the hard stuff, remember? It was just near the end…” He frowned. “She kept giving me drugs. New stuff. Potent shit. Why would she do that?” He made a distressed sound. “Fuck, maybe you were right. Maybe I was a vampire cocktail.”

  Connor stifled a laugh and went serious with my glare.

  I wanted to do a little jig. He wasn’t happy with the news. In fact, his grief swirled to tantalize me. A little taste told me it was bitter. I didn’t need to be a Phage to tell he was angry. Which probably wasn’t a good thing. People did dumb stuff when they were mad. “I don’t know why, but it won’t be good whatever her reason was. This is another point why you should be far away from here.”

  “I’m not letting that bitch chase me away.” Nicolas folded his arms, puffed out his chest. I inwardly groaned. “In fact, I should go to the Basement right now and tell her—”

  “Don’t you dare,” I snapped. “She’s ten times more powerful than you. The bitch could break you like a twig. And that would be the least of your worries. She wants you as her new toy and even threatened to make me your chew toy. If you seriously want to do something good, then you’ll stay away from her.”

  “She threatened you?” A dark look settled over Nicolas’ face.

  Oh no. That expression was way too familiar.

  “Don’t you get any ideas. You’ve got the same look Connor and his brothers get when they want to punch someone in the face for me. Let it go. I can take care of myself.” I held up a hand before he could protest. “I can take care of myself because I know to stay away from her. And I live in the safest house in the state, hell, the country. You, on the other hand, aren’t always so rational. Be smart for once. Leave the state and never come back.”

  “I’m not going anywhere.” Nicolas raised his chin as if daring me to try to make him.

  “Then stay away from Hessa.” I gritted my teeth. I was surrounded by incredibly stubborn men. “Hide yourself away. Stop going out to stores or whatever else you do.”

  “Though I’d love to take down the vamp whore myself, listen to E. She’s smart, man.” Connor added. “You’re lucky to have her helping you. She’s one of the good ones. And if I find out she comes to harm through something you do or through anything helping you, I’ll see if I really need Mjölnir to kill you.”

  “Connor.” My cheeks warmed. I meant to chide him, but it didn’t come out that way. Yup, this was why they were always so protective of me. I needed to be firmer with them. But it was so difficult when the Putzkammers were the first ones to ever make me feel loved.

  “If anything I do ever harms Erin, I’ll let you kill me.” Nicolas walked over and held out his fist. Connor bumped his against it.

  “Great.” I shook my head and started for Starbucks. A fist bump meant they bonded. Terrific. “I need coffee.”

  I warmed my fingers with the large black I ordered. I could still taste a bit of the brownie from earlier and didn’t need any sugar to sweeten the drink. I sat with my back against the wall in a far corner. Connor and Nicolas both faced me.

  Nicolas told us about what he’d discovered about vampires. He could enter holy ground, holy water didn’t burn, he could eat garlic, and he could see his reflection. He couldn’t read minds, turn into a bat, or fly. Maybe age would give him those powers? He couldn’t go out into the sun, and he did need human blood, but he could take it from a bag. Neither Connor nor I asked how he had gotten it or what else he had been doing to acquire the things he had, but most of what we knew about vampires was myth.

  It would make it easier for Nicolas to blend in. I was already devising ways he could do some good. I tried to ignore Connor’s suggestion that he could become a real life Batman even though Nicolas found it intriguing.

  “It would attract too much attention.” I hoped my tone held a sense of finality to that idea.

  At the same time, my gaze focused upon a man at the counter paying for his coffee. He wore all black leather and seemed to sense me looking at him. Steve Jobs was the last man I’d expect to see dressed like a biker gang reject. I pressed my knees together as my legs trembled.

  Steve Jobs was dead.

  I gave him a casual nod as if nothing was wrong in the world and prayed Aleo hadn’
t told the Allu I was supposed to be safely tucked away in the Lady’s house. Silently, I repeated to myself that the hunter had no reason to talk to me. None.

  “Connor,” I said in a hushed and urgent way. “Turn and nod to Steve over there. Let him see you with me.” Seeing Nicolas starting to turn, I kicked him under the table. “Don’t you dare look.”

  Nicolas sipped his coffee, his blue gaze dark and demanding answers. Connor glanced over his shoulder, paused, and then nodded.

  The Allu cocked his head and, after a few agonizing seconds, nodded in return. He took his coffee and left the shop.

  “Fuck.” Connor breathed out a long breath. “That was close.”

  “Who’s Steve?” Nicolas asked, stiff from the tension.

  “Steve is Steve Jobs, but not really.”

  “Wait. What? Steve Jobs is dead. Is he a vampire too?” Nicolas twisted toward the window.

  “Don’t.” I reached across the table and stopped him from turning any farther. “What Connor means is that the demon looked like Steve Jobs, but he really was one of the Allu. Having no faces of their own, they wear the faces of the dead. Usually they don’t wear anyone famous out in public, but maybe that one liked to unsettle people.”

  “That’s just… not right.” Nicolas failed to find an appropriate word for what the Allu did. I knew exactly how he felt.

  “Those are the ones hunting you.” I had to make sure he understood the danger he was in. “They love death and destruction. To fit into this modern world, they usually join gangs, become thugs or bounty hunters. They’re so indiscriminate about whom they kill, they’ll even kill one of their own. We’ve had six or seven funerals for them over the years I’ve worked at the funeral home. Their ceremonies are, well… You can tell him, Connor.”

  “They like to mutilate the bodies. Each attendee gets a turn. It’s like they try to one up each other.” Connor’s mouth twisted with his disgust and fear.

  “And you let them have their ceremonies in your place?” Nicolas gaped.

  “This is what my father says: The Allu are going to have the ceremonies whether they have them there or not. They don’t like to clean up after themselves. What happens if humans find the corpse? What if they discover the existence of demons? It’ll be war. So we have them and we clean up, for a price. And since money means little to the Allu, they pay well. Hell, all our demon clients pay really well.” Connor shrugged.

  Connor didn’t think much of the business, but it was a rare commodity. Demons came from all over the country to be able to have a funeral for one of their own. Aleo was a business genius, and he had his family financially set for generations. Of course, he and his sons would likely live for generations themselves.

  “Besides, Abdiel isn’t as bad as the other Allu. He’s sort of their leader around here,” Connor added.

  “Says you.” I shuddered. “I think he’s far creepier because he acts rational.”

  “Well, what your dad said makes sense. People would freak out if they knew demons lived right next door to them.” Nicolas took another drink, not even blowing to cool it down. “Just how many demons are out there?”

  Connor and I exchanged a look before both of us shrugged.

  “I don’t know. Hundreds. Thousands,” Connor said.

  “At least that. Pure demons are uncommon, but there are so many who have mated with humans over the centuries. I would say at least a fifth of the human race has a bit of demon blood and doesn’t even know it.” I thought my own estimation was modest. Demons once outnumbered humans, and when the humans grew in number and became frightened of them, demons hid themselves in plain sight as humans.

  “Damn. Who knew?” Nicolas shook his head.

  “Uh, we did.” Connor rolled his eyes.

  I whacked Connor’s arm for that answer. “It was a rhetorical question.”

  “You two look human. How does being a demon make you any different?”

  “We’re only part-demon. Mutts, we call ourselves.” I considered Nicolas’ question, wondering if I wanted to tell him exactly what made me different.

  “Yeah, my mom’s human and my dad’s part-demon. My brothers and I look completely human, but we live longer, got better constitutions, stronger and faster.” Connor did a silly ninja move with his hands. Yeah, boys.

  “I bet your brother could have crushed me last night if I were still human. He was solid.” Nicolas nodded and looked my way, awaiting my reply.

  I was saved by the revving of motorcycle engines in the parking lot. Though, saved was far from the right word. Steve had friends with him.

  “We need to leave now.” Even the large coffee hadn’t given me this much of a rush. I slowly rose, acting as casual as possible, and buttoned my coat. I wound the red scarf around my neck, but only a few loops so that it hung past my knees.

  “I think they’re just out there talking.” Connor stood too and didn’t look as alarmed as I felt.

  “I don’t care. Steve’s a poor hunter. Let’s not assume his friends are too.”

  “Rear door by the bathrooms?” Nicolas kept his back to the windows as he got up and zipped his jacket. His movements were too smooth, not entirely human.

  “Yes.” I hissed and forced myself to walk at a normal speed. Everything in me screamed to run. It was already bad enough I had been seen out in public when I was supposed to be cloistered away in the Lady’s house. Princess or not, I was doomed to be locked away in a tower.

  My heart pounded louder in my ears than the sound of our footsteps. Connor gave a little wave to the girl behind the counter, and she smiled at him. Though I couldn’t see him as anything other than my goofy best friend, he had a cute boyish face girls couldn’t resist. He didn’t often play it up, but I guessed he might be trying to turn attention to himself and away from Nicolas whose good looks were startling.

  As we reached the bathrooms, the front door opened with the bell’s jingle. I could see the Allu in the reflection of the glass. They weren’t looking in our direction, but that didn’t mean a thing.

  I pushed the rear door open and picked up my pace. My scarf and hair blew around me with the wind. I wanted to whoop with joy when we made it to the car. Nicolas slipped into the back seat and I followed. Yet before Connor could sit, someone shouted his name from across the parking lot.

  Connor turned to see a broad man in black leather walking toward us. He wore a face I didn’t recognize, but it was definitely one of the Allu. It was in the way they held themselves, always ready to strike.

  “Putzkammer,” the Allu said his name again as he approached us. “Pass a message onto your father. Tell him—” He stopped in mid-sentence and bashed in the rear window of the car.

  I screamed and ducked under the reach of his arm, but he wasn’t going for me. His gloved hand strained to reach the vampire.

  Nicolas didn’t flee. He snatched the demon’s hand and whipped the arm backward. There was the loud crack of a bone breaking. He then yanked the Allu forward and smashed his face against the car.

  From the outside, Connor grabbed the back of the Allu’s head and hit him against the car a second and third time before dropping him to the ground. He dove behind the wheel, jammed in the keys, and sped out of the lot.

  That did not just happen. It could not have happened. No.

  I knocked against the door as Connor jerked the car right around a corner.

  “We’re fucked now.” Connor hit the wheel with a fist.

  “Maybe not. That one guy could be dead and the others might not have seen us.” Nicolas gripped the top of the passenger seat, his fingers digging into it.

  “I highly doubt he’s dead. Allu aren’t that easy to kill.” Not that I knew any which way, but a few hits to a face that didn’t exist couldn’t have hurt him much. “Plus, Steve knew we were there and probably that we were leaving as they came in. They would also know Connor’s car.”

  “Okay. We’re fucked.” Nicolas agreed.

  “You were already fu
cked before, but now we all are.” Connor growled and kicked the floorboard with his left foot. “What are we going to do?”

  I ran all the possibilities through my mind. We could go back to the funeral home, but Aleo wouldn’t help a vampire. We could go to the Lady’s house, but Nicolas couldn’t enter and the Allu could easily find out where I lived. We could leave town, run off like I told Nicolas to do, but I didn’t want to leave. It was the most logical of all the plans, but I was digging my heels in about it even before I suggested it.

  “E?”

  “I’m thinking, I’m thinking.” I gripped the back of his seat. “We can’t go back home, to yours or mine. Maybe the Flamingo until we get things sorted out?”

  “I moved out of there last night. Got a nicer room at—” Nicolas was cut off by my groan.

  “You moved into a nicer hotel?” I smacked his leg. “One with reliable staff, security cameras, and credit card checks? Seriously? Don’t you think about anything?”

  “Wow. It sounds like you’ve done this sort of thing a lot.” Nicolas shrank back from my outrage.

  “It’s called common sense.” My voice had almost reached a screech. Taking a deep breath, I calmed myself so I wasn’t sounding like a cat in heat. “No nice hotel.”

  “So you don’t want to go to a hotel and you don’t want to go home. I think Dad would help after he finished yelling at us.” Connor had calmed himself a little too. “We’ll stash Nic somewhere, and we’ll ask Dad.”

  “No. Even if he would, we don’t want anyone else caught up in this mess.” I loved the Putzkammers too much to put them in any more danger. I didn’t want them to look at me with disappointment in their eyes. I couldn’t go see them. Not right now. “We really should just leave town.” I sighed, still not happy with that option. “We need to go somewhere no one would expect us to be.”

  “Chuck E. Cheese? The mall?” Connor threw out some suggestions.

  “Nowhere public.”

  “The basement at my mom’s house,” Nicolas said quietly.

  “That’s just stupid.” I shook my head.

  “Exactly.” Nicolas raised his brows.