Vampire's Kiss

by Valerie Twombly

  She reached for it then glanced around the room to make sure no one had popped in. Satisfied she was alone, she slid to the floor and crawled under her father’s desk. Flashbacks of hiding under the heavy mahogany furniture when she was a little girl came flooding back to her. The fit was tighter than it was as a child, but a sense of comfort still surrounded her. She focused the light onto the front of the envelope and stared at her name. Maybe if she concentrated hard enough, looking at her mother’s handwriting would somehow bring her mother back. Bile filled the back of her throat and she swallowed. Opening the envelope, she pointed the light at the paper.

  Dearest Kaitlyn,

  If you are reading this then that probably means one of two things. Either your father has passed or you are closing in on your thirtieth birthday.

  She wiped away a tear. Her mother was correct on both accounts. Her birthday was next month and the thought of being alone caused an ache deep in her chest.

  No matter what the circumstance, it’s time for you to be made aware of your heritage. You are the descendant of a god. I’m sure there are many questions that have arisen in your life. Like the dagger your father gave to you and the fact that you have probably taken to killing demons. Most humans can’t see them unless a demon chooses to be seen. You, however, are special. Just as I was and the women in our family before us. Unfortunately, our creator, your real father the Phoenix god, has never made himself known to us. The blade that you hold is called the dagger of Embara and it will kill any immortal.

  I know your father told you that he adopted you. You were only a baby when we met and he fell instantly in love with you. He also accepted both of us for what we truly are. Special.

  Katie looked away from the page and blinked. Her real father was a god? She had always known she was adopted, but this was crazy. “Well it seems you were truthful about the dagger, Mr. Ruiz.” A pain started behind her eyes. While being the daughter of a god seemed illogical, so had everything else about the day. She would try and reserve judgment until she finished the letter.

  Our race is dying out. I can’t even tell you if there are any more like you left in the world. Many have been killed by the demons before they could bear any children.

  I need you to read this next part carefully, your life may depend on it.

  She pressed the letter to her chest. Her breaths increased until the threat of hyperventilation loomed over her. “Holy fuck. There’s more?” How much could she be expected to handle in one day? She steadied her breathing and drew from the strength deep inside her. While afraid to continue reading, the need to have some kind of answers nagged at her, so she brought the flashlight back up and pointed it at the page.

  If you do not mate with an immortal before your thirtieth birthday, your powers may overwhelm you and could kill you. What you don’t know is before I met your father, I was mated to a Kothar demon. Yes, there are many good demons in the world and he was able to help me complete my transformation. However, he was killed only six months later and I was left alone. Soon after I became pregnant and gave birth to you. Thank goodness my mother had lived long enough to explain our heritage and the fact I may one day mysteriously become pregnant.

  After your birth I met your father and, well, you know the rest.

  “No, mother. I don’t really know and what the hell kind of transformation did you have?” She let out an exasperated sigh and rubbed her temples. In less than five minutes she’d learned about good demons, Immaculate Conception and some kind of transformation, yet she hadn’t learned shit. She was almost afraid to read further.

  Since I have no idea what kind of power you will have, you need to seek out an immortal. Perhaps the Kothar can help you as well. An ugly war has been foreseen, you may have already noticed an increase in demon activity. It has been told Hell will open up and the vilest creatures will spill out and taint humanity.

  Katie pressed her palms into her eyes. “No pressure or anything.” So now her mother was telling her to seek out a demon?

  The other task you must consider is finding the book of Mitne. It is a long-lost text that is believed to be hidden in the Valley of the Kings. We were always taught that the Phoenix god had a hidden chamber in that sacred region of Egypt and inside would be all the answers we seek. To my knowledge none have been successful in finding it and all who have tried perished. I wish I could tell you more about who you are, but know that you are the descendant of a god. You are capable of many good things.

  I love you, Katie, and I know how you must be feeling right now. You have a difficult road ahead of you and unfortunately you will travel it alone.

  She snorted. “No, Mom, I don’t think you have a clue how I feel right now. I don’t even know.”

  There is a second packet inside the safe. It contains a map of where the tomb is thought to be located. Whatever you decide, I know you will be successful. Please be careful.

  With all my love,

  Mom

  “Be careful?” How could her life have gotten any more messed up? She clicked off the flashlight, wanted to be alone in the dark with her thoughts. Thoughts that were a jumbled mess. She had always been a strong woman. Her father had raised her to stand on her own two feet and when he’d given her the dagger, they had talked about the supernatural. She had to wonder why he didn’t tell her who she really was. Had he even known? Katie understood there were creatures in the world that nightmares were made of. Her instinct had always served her well and at the moment it screamed at her to find the tomb.

  She rubbed her temples, the pain behind her eyes turned into a full-blown headache. “Damn it, Mom. Your letter only leaves more questions than it answers. Will I really die if I don’t mate?” What would she encounter if she went to the Valley of the Kings? More information would have been nice in helping her make a choice.

  “Oh, hell!” She crawled out from under the desk and stood. Flicking on the flashlight she again dug through the safe until she found a large manila envelope. Pulling it out she moved back to the desk. This time she opted to flip on the lamp. Rolling her shoulders, she glanced around the room. The sensation someone watched her crawled up her spine, but she was alone, or so she hoped.

  Bringing her focus back on the envelope, she grabbed an opener and ran it along the seam. Inside was a yellowed piece of folded paper. With great care, she unfolded it and spread it out across the desk.

  “Great. How the hell am I supposed to read this?” It was covered with symbols that appeared more like hieroglyphics than modern writing. Obviously, this was going to take more research and time was not on her side.

  “Oh, damn! How could I forget?” She once met a professor who worked for the Field Museum and his specialty was Egyptian artifacts. She’d have to go back to her office and pull up his information. It was time to call in a favor.

  Chapter Four

  Seth stared at the ceiling of his filthy hotel room. The stench of piss and vomit assaulted his senses and the bed under his back was more like a block of wood with worn out springs and tufts of cotton than a mattress. The voices in his head were particularly loud tonight and it was one of the reasons he chose to stay in this hellhole rather than a luxury suite. He was more comfortable with the riff-raff on the streets than polite society anyway. One thing he’d learned, he could make the voices settle down when he got his fix.

  It had happened by mistake when he’d drunk from a woman a few months back. He’d smelled the drugs in her blood, but she had been the only source of nourishment at the time. Imagine his surprise when his mind went silent. He had relished every second of it until the dark voice came. It seemed there was a price to pay. Either live with the thousands of voices that filled his head or drink from the heroin addicts and deal with one destructive voice. He had decided the latter was far better and he’d been able to control the one dark echo in his head.

  Until now.

  He sat up and threw his legs over the edge of the bed. The clock on the nightstand said it was one
in the morning. It was time for him to troll the ghetto and get something to eat.

  He flashed into the darkness, most of the street lamps either broken or burnt out. Not that he needed the light to see.

  With determination in his step and a hunger that burned his belly, he kicked empty beer bottles from his path and walked down the dark alley. Fire burned in barrels scattered along the sidewalk and bums littered the pavement. He raised his nose to the air and sniffed. The smell he searched for tickled the back of his throat and made his mouth water. He narrowed his gaze and marched forward. Passed a demon that was busy sucking the soul from an old man. The beast looked up with fear in its eyes, but Seth snarled and continued onward.

  Leave it. You’re almost there and soon you will have what you seek.

  The voice was correct as always. Around the corner a young man shoved a needle in his vein and the darkness in Seth became giddy. This would be a fresh taste, something he hadn’t had in a while. He waited out of sight until the addict had finished and tossed the syringe to the ground. Within seconds, Seth was in front of him.

  “How do you feel?” he inquired.

  The druggie looked up, his eyes bloodshot and licked his lips repeatedly. “Fucking awesome.”

  Seth grinned. “Wonderful.” Seth grabbed the man by his greasy hair and jerked his head to expose the vein. Debated taking the jugular, but reminded himself it was messy, not to mention against the rules. He still had a conscience. Barely.

  His fangs extended and sank deep into the pulsing flesh. The man tasted like he hadn’t bathed in weeks, but Seth didn’t care once the warm elixir coated his tongue and went down the back of his throat. Heat filled his belly and the voices began to quiet. Except for one.

  Mmm, tastes so good. Drink it all!

  He wanted to. Didn’t want to stop until he had every last drop. The addicts breathing became shallow.

  You must stop before you kill him. His conscience warred with the dark voice.

  No, take it all!

  He took another long pull. Wanted to jerk away yet unable to. Then Vivian’s image came into view. Her lifeless body taunted him and he shoved the bum away. The man slipped to the ground while Seth wiped his blood-covered mouth on the sleeve of his shirt. He tipped his head back and closed his eyes letting the rush from the drug course through him. For a brief moment in his pitiful existence he felt normal then reality slapped him across the face. He straightened and knelt to check the man for a pulse. Weak but still there. The guy’s body was damaged from drug abuse and the loss of blood wasn’t going to help. Seth backed away with the knowledge he’d just shortened the man’s life.

  He ran his fingers through his hair. “Fuck!” He flashed from the area and stood on the sidewalk in front of the house where he’d left Katie earlier. The neighborhood was silent, a stark contrast to where he’d just left.

  Go take her.

  “Shut the hell up.”

  “Your dark side is showing.”

  He faced Baal. “You can shut the hell up as well.”

  The demon grabbed him by the collar and shoved him against a tree. “Listen up. I know what you did. You think I can’t sense the addiction inside you? You fucking idiot, I’m a demon and I can smell your despair.” He released his hold on Seth. “Damn it. Your curse is growing. There isn’t much of you left.”

  The curse of Drayos. The stain that grew inside every guardian and threatened to snuff out their light. Without that side of them they would become bloodthirsty monsters and humanity be damned. It affected each one differently. Seth had always had the ability to retain a person’s memory, but with the curse he couldn’t let them go. Thousands of people fought for dominance in his mind. Even he was surprised he had lasted this long. His brethren had no idea how bad off he really was.

  He leveled his gaze on Baal. The demon had always been a good friend to the guardians and Aidyn trusted him. Perhaps that was why Aidyn had sent him to guard Seth. “Do me a favor.”

  “What?”

  “If I get to close to her, kill me.”

  Baal cocked his head to look at the house. “The firecracker?”

  He sighed. “Yes.”

  The demon met his gaze and even in the darkness Seth saw recognition burn in the demon’s golden eyes. “You have a thing for her.”

  He set his jaw, his body stiffened. “More than you know.”

  “Son of a fucking bitch! This is good news. Maybe she can save your vampire ass like Cassie did Marcus.” The tone in the demon’s voice was way too damn happy.

  “No.”

  “Why? Am I mistaken in that she is your mate?”

  He ground his teeth and fisted his hands. “She is.” When the fuck had he realized it? He wasn’t even sure. He supposed the night he’d rescued her he had known but blocked it from his mind.

  Baal stepped closer until they were almost touching. “Then what seems to be the problem? I figure as far gone as you are, claim her and deal with the fallout later.”

  “Therein lies the problem, demon. I am beyond repair and am just as likely to kill her as to mate her.” Even as he spoke the dark voice was busy painting pictures of her naked body tied to the bed. Bite marks. His marks covered her flesh. He swore to Zarek, if he had the means himself he’d take his own head. “You must promise to keep this between us and do as I say.” He closed his eyes. “Do not let me touch her.” He curled his fingers into his palms. Gods he wanted to touch her.

  “Well, isn’t this just a bowl of sour grapes,” Baal snorted.

  The demon had no idea how sour it really was. Finally, he’d been granted a mate, but he was too far-gone to claim her. He fought the urge to rip someone to shreds. He’d spent his entire existence trying to stay as far away from women as possible. Only when his desire for sex and the need for blood had reached a critical point did he seek them out. Always he lived in fear of what he’d done to Vivian becoming another reality. He couldn’t risk the life of the woman inside. Heaven, Hell and everything in between be damned if he killed his own mate.

  Katie managed to sneak out of the house and back to her office without a hitch. She had no idea where the guardian, angel, whatever the hell he called himself, had gone but she was thankful he wasn’t bothering her. The sun began to peek over the horizon and it was going to be an exceptionally warm day for April. Finally, everyone was sick of the cold weather after a long Chicago winter.

  Flipping through her appointment book, she went back to four months ago and ran her finger down the list of clients.

  Bingo.

  Professor Bradford and there was his cell number. She looked at the clock, far too early to call so she decided to shower and change. As she moved from her desk to the hidden panel at the back of her office, she was grateful once again she’d had the foresight to have a secret room built. Tilting the painting on the wall to one side, the panel opened and she walked through. She shed her jacket, unzipped her jeans and stepped out of them kicking them off to the side. Next came her sweater and it landed beside the bed as she marched for the bathroom. She turned on the shower and finished undressing before she stepped under the hot spray.

  Water sluiced down her back and helped to relieve the ache of tired muscles. The past few days had been hell and everything sat heavy between her shoulders. So many things to consider and the letter from her mother had jarred her like nothing else. Reading her words was like losing her all over again.

  She rested her forehead against the shower wall and let the tears fall. In seconds, racking sobs escaped. Ones she had kept bottled up for far too long. She was tired. Tired of being the strong one and for once in her life she wished for someone to hold her so she could fall to pieces. The memory of Seth and his strong arms pulling her close had been like home. Comfortable. She ached for it again and found herself wondering what he tasted like. Would his kiss be gentle or demanding like him?

  With a shudder, she turned and faced the spray, let the water wash her tears away. It was all the time she had to
feel sorry for herself. Weakness would most likely get her killed and love would break her heart.

  There was time for neither.

  She reached for the bottle of gel and squeezed a generous amount onto the sponge. Glided the foam across her skin then did a quick rinse before she washed her hair. She wanted to look over the letter and map again before calling on the professor.

  In minutes, she had exited the shower and dressed in a clean pair of jeans and a lightweight, black, fleece top. A cup of coffee in her hand, she sat at the small desk and read over the letter again. With a sigh, she came to the same conclusion as the night before. If what she read was accurate, she was screwed.

  Impending doom loomed over her head if she didn’t marry an immortal or so her mother said, but she wasn’t really sure what it meant. Maybe this was part of the reason she’d been having trouble sleeping, along with her lack of appetite. Not to mention the damn migraines that continued to plague her. Even a neurologist had found nothing wrong and the prescription he’d given her had done little to touch the pain when it hit.

  She took a sip of coffee and laid out the map. “Great, I wouldn’t even know where to find the demons you spoke of mother.” The dull ache behind her right eye indicated she’d better find them fast.

  Daybreak came and still no movement in the house. Seth had left Baal hours ago. Most likely to get another fix. The guardian teetered on the edge and it would only take a wisp of wind to push him over.

  “Fucking vampire.” Baal shoved his hands in his jeans pocket.

  Baal, any luck?

  Aidyn. Baal was surprised to hear from his friend so soon. That depends on what you mean by luck? Are the two mated yet? No. Have they met? Yes. Talk about giving me a fucked-up job.

  I gave it to you because I knew you could handle it. I have no idea when I will be released.