by Merris Hawk
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Red Rose Publishing
www.redrosepublishing.com
Copyright ©2006 by Merris Hawk
First published in 2008-03-06, 2008
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NOTICE: This work is copyrighted. It is licensed only for use by the original purchaser. Making copies of this work or distributing it to any unauthorized person by any means, including without limit email, floppy disk, file transfer, paper print out, or any other method constitutes a violation of International copyright law and subjects the violator to severe fines or imprisonment.
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Truth or Dare
By
Merris Hawk
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This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are products of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, organizations, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
Truth or Dare by Merris Hawk
Red Rose Publishing
Copyright© 2007 Merris Hawk
ISBN: 978-1-60435-121-7
ISBN: 1-60435-121-7
Cover Artist: Merris Hawk
Editor: WR. Gabbidon
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced electronically or in print without written permission, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in reviews. Due to copyright laws you cannot trade, sell or give any ebooks away.
Red Rose Publishing
www.redrosepublishing.com
Forestport, NY 13338
Truth or Dare
By
Merris Hawk
CONTENTS
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
More about the author
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Chapter One
Cameo tugged her hem down as she looked at herself in the full-length mirror. The halter dress was made of soft red silk, held up by one small button at the back of her neck. The short hem showed off her legs and the front was daringly low-cut. Her back was completely bare, and she knew the thin silk jacket wasn't going to provide any warmth. Even the matching red shoes were impractical. Looking herself over again, she frowned at her reflection. She looked like a sex toy and it made her want to change.
Why was she even doing this?
The answer being she owed him. He'd saved her from his own kind once, nearly losing his life in the process. They'd been almost certain they were going to die that night, waiting in the dark for a chance to escape. Cameo had played his game of questions and answers with him, like truth or dare. It was the only time she'd ever seen him drop his ‘asshole’ facade and be himself. They'd shared some of the intimate details of their lives and found a question that neither of them could answer. In an impulsive act of lunacy, she'd given him her number and got his promise to call if he ever discovered the answer.
He hadn't called until tonight.
She answered her phone and recognized his voice immediately.
"Can Cameo come out to play?"
"Play what?” She knew better than to just agree with him.
"Meet me at Murphy Park. Play arm candy for a couple of hours. Think you can handle that?"
She didn't like being rushed and he knew it. He was usually a pain in the ass and she knew it.
"Where's the party?” Would he tell her what his plans were?
"Sundown."
The Ash Born dance club? She thought it over. He needed her help for something, but it wasn't going to be quite the picnic he made it sound like. She knew enough about him to figure that out.
"Tick tock, Cameo. Ten ... nine ... eight—"
"Okay, I'll meet you there in ... two hours.” Cameo had ignored the ripple of anticipation. After all, there couldn't be anything too dangerous about wearing a dress for a couple hours.
"One.” He disconnected.
Some people just had to have the last word. Cameo kept her sarcasm to herself and went to dig through her closet for something to wear that would fit the ‘arm candy’ description.
"Cami, your cab's here!” Lexi's yell carried all the way to Cameo's room.
Lexi was excited for her. Cameo hadn't gone on a date in months—never mind anything else—and this was the best excuse she could come up with for tonight's escapade. She sure as hell wasn't going to offer any other information. She'd told Lexi to mind her own business and maybe this time things would work out.
Yeah right.
How do you tell a potential boyfriend that he can't come to your place because you live in a secret underground fortress with a bunch of Freaks, or that your best friend turns to stone at dawn every day? Cameo accepted the fact that she couldn't have a normal relationship with a guy and tried not to think about what that meant for her future.
Slipping on the silk jacket, she made her way to the door.
Lexi waited for her and nodded her approval of the outfit, then held up a circle of blue foil.
"Oh, uhh, Lexi, I don't think I'll need that.” Cameo side-stepped her friend to avoid the condom.
"Just in case.” Lexi tucked it into her coat pocket as Cameo opened the door.
Sex wasn't going to be an issue tonight, but she couldn't tell Lexi the truth. She hustled down the steps and into the cab.
Lexi waved and called after her, “Have a good time, Cami! See you in the morning!"
Cameo rolled her eyes and gave her friend a weak smile as the cab pulled away from the house.
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Chapter Two
Cameo paid the driver and stood on the sidewalk until the cab was out of sight. Walking down to the end of the block, she then turned right, heading into the park. She didn't want anyone to know what she was up to tonight, especially her friends. They thought she was going on a date, which wasn't entirely a lie. She just didn't tell them that her destination was an Ash Born club and the date was ... Kezred.
Lexi would have a fit if she found out. Damien would be worse, much worse. He might be Lexi's boyfriend in private but everyone else knew him as the leader of the Warders in the area. As a Warder, it was his job to protect the oblivious human population from the vampires that stalked them. Cameo didn't know if he hated Kezred personally, they did know each other, or because he was a vampire and Damien was a Warder. Maybe Damien didn't care which and she wasn't going to ask anytime soon.
Cameo's knowledge of Warders came from living with Lexi and Damien as well as working with the Cry of Souls, a secret underground facility that allowed the Warders to keep watch on the city. Cameo had spent her fair share of time in the hot seat, watching for danger while Damien and Lexi got to go out and kick vampire butt. Being human, she didn't have the strength or durability of her two friends so it made sense that she stay behind. Truth was, most times she didn't mind but lately she'd had an itch to get out and do something, even a small something, just to prove to herself that she was still in the land of the living.
That thought made her roll her eyes. She was standing in the park waiting for a vampire, not what she considered ‘living’ but it promised a little adventure.
Cameo paced slowly across the front of the park, keeping her eyes on her surroundings. What was taking that vampire so long?
Ash Born. The vampires called themselves Ash Born, though only they knew why. Cameo made a mental note to avoid saying vampire tonight, or any of the other descriptive words Damien liked to use for them. She'd memorized a few of Damien's favorites while he'd taught her some of what he knew. Their main goal it seemed was
to rule the planet and everything on it, to have an endless supply of food and entertainment under their control without the restrictions of secrecy.
Cameo didn't doubt Damien's claim that there were thousands of them, scattered all over the globe, she doubted the Warders ability to stop them from sinking their fangs into positions of power and making their plan a reality. There were simply too few Warders to get the job done.
The Ash Born were Mother Nature's dirty secret. The lines had been drawn centuries before Cameo had been born. The battles are won and lost in the dark of night with no human alive to witness save a very special few. Only one vampire walked the edge of the blade between the two enemies: Kezred.
Danced is more like it, Cameo snorted. Kezred enjoyed himself too much to call it walking. The Warders despised him, the other vampires left him alone and nobody really knows which side he's on. Cameo had come to the conclusion that he's on his own side and just likes to piss off everyone who tries to control him.
Young for an Ash Born, barely a hundred years he'd told her, and yet most other vampires accorded him strange versions of fear and respect. A few months ago, Kezred had helped her find the key to the Cry of Souls. Tonight, Cameo was paying her debt, as arm candy in Murphy Park. There was more to it, she knew there was but Cameo didn't dare think about it too much, or she'd turn right around and leave him to it. Whatever ‘it’ was.
A movement in the shadows, made her breath pause and set her heart pounding. She hadn't brought any weapon other than her suruchin. It was triple-wrapped around her waist like a long silver belt, the weighted ends swinging next to her thigh as she walked. It was nearly useless now. She wouldn't have time to unwrap it before the vampire was on her. A man sized shadow stepped away from a tree and came toward her. Cameo knew Ash Born on sight, they were graceful, predatory and soulless. The figure coming toward her was all of that, but it wasn't Kezred.
Cameo stopped where she was, weighing her options. She could run, but without the vampire's preternatural speed she would be too slow. She reached into her jacket for her cell phone. The approaching figure stopped. Did he think she had a gun?
"Piss off, Fucktard, this one's mine."
Kezred's voice behind her made her jump, and Cameo realized that it was his presence that had given her a reprieve.
The other vampire stared for a few seconds before he turned and walked away. She rounded on Kezred, giving him a disgusted look.
"That was charming."
"Yeah, so I'm a poster boy for the socially deficient. Let's go."
He started walking back toward the street, and Cameo had to take a couple of quick steps to catch up.
"You said arm candy on the phone; I'm assuming that means the dumb blond routine?"
"You're perfect for it."
She pulled up short. “Are you calling me a bimbo?"
"No, bimbos are nice and warm; any man you touched would get frostbite.” Kez stopped and looked back, He wore his jackass smile, the one that said; I know this is bullshit, but I make it look good.
"You're such an asshole.” Cameo started walking again.
"I try."
She would have gone right past him, but he kept up with her easily.
They moved down the street side by side, never touching. Cameo was pissed. First off, because from the moment she'd agreed to help, she'd felt like the word ‘sucker’ was printed on her forehead. Secondly, because the pissier she got, the happier Kezred seemed to be.
She'd known he was a sarcastic pain in the ass, but she'd agreed to help anyway. He'd stuck his neck out for her so she owed him. And owing him meant that tonight she was walking down the street in three-inch heels with a dress that barely covered her assets.
Why had she put the thing on? Because it was the only dress in the closet that didn't look like it was for a funeral, that's why. The frivolous result of giving in to Lexi's peer pressure.
Kez didn't seem to notice. He'd ditched his usual outfit of jeans, boots and t-shirt, and replaced them with a charcoal grey suit and silk shirt. His long cinnamon hair was tied back with a silver clip. The boots had been replaced with shiny black shoes. Even the ever-present leather trench coat was nowhere in sight. So they were both playing dress-up tonight.
[Back to Table of Contents]
Chapter Three
Kezred stopped so suddenly that Cameo wobbled a bit on the heels.
"What is it?"
"We're here. Don't talk, don't look, and don't smile. Just stick your Ice Princess nose in the air and ignore everything but me.” Kezred placed himself at her side and gave her his elbow; it took a second for Cameo to realize what he was doing and curl her hand around his forearm. He whispered something, and she felt the hair on her arms stand up as a ripple of power washed over them.
"What was that?” The sensation passed over her and faded.
"Our disguise. Unfortunately, it will only cover your appearance, not your voice or your scent.” Kezred reached into an inside pocket and came out with a perfume bottle. “Here, it's the same thing she wears. It'll keep you from smelling like a free buffet."
"Who wears it?” Cameo sniffed the cap; it had a slight musk smell and reminded her of sweet grass. She sprayed her dress with the stuff and offered it back.
"Keep it, I don't smell like food.” He didn't bother to answer her question.
"Gee thanks, I feel so much better now.” Cameo stuffed the bottle in her pocket.
He led her down a set of steps to a grey metal door with a peephole and knocked twice. Cameo felt suddenly nervous, she knew someone watched them through that tiny circle of glass. The door opened wide after a few moments. A tall, lean man stood just inside, and he waved a hand to usher them into a short hallway, closing the door behind them.
She could hear muffled thumping and remembered they were going to a nightclub, meaning lots of sound. Kezred opened the inner door and she knew the door, the walls, probably the entire lower floor of the building was soundproof.
The faint sound she heard from the hall was actually a pounding beat of techno music that thundered through her bones. Kezred walked right into the press of bodies with Cameo along for the ride. The people moved enough to let them through to the other side of the dance floor. Small tables and chairs crowded close together and beyond them were seven curtained alcoves. Five of them had the curtains closed; the middle two were open and occupied. Circular bench seats upholstered in black vinyl held men and women sporting designer clothing and expensive jewelry.
Every pair of eyes at those two alcove tables watched them approach. Cameo thought she could tell the difference between patron and enforcer. One type seemed to project a bored indifference, and the other had that tense, menacing posture common to bodyguards and bouncers.
They stopped a good ten feet away from the tables and Kezred flexed the muscles in his arm, telling Cameo it was time to play. He didn't bow his head so much as he nodded to those at the tables. Cameo copied him and they waited while the spoiled Elite of the Ash Born studied them.
What if they saw through the disguise? Cameo recognized a few of the faces; though she wasn't technically a Warder, she'd helped the Warders fight them off before. She would be recognized easily if they tested the illusion. Her white-blonde hair would be a dead giveaway, really dead.
Kezred wasn't powerful, still he seemed fearless. As if nothing could touch him or he truly didn't care what happened tonight as long as something did happen. He was reckless and unpredictable. Cold, uncertain fear made her eyes widen and her breath quicken. Had she put her life in the hands of a madman who valued nothing?
"State your business.” A black haired man at the back of the closest table raised one thick eyebrow.
"We have come to try the Dawning Stone.” Kezred's voice was lower, raspy and quiet like his vocal chords were damaged.
Cameo recognized the voice and realized exactly who they were supposed to be! She nearly said the names out loud. Squeezing his forearm, she let him know she had figure
d it out and just how much the knowledge disturbed her. Was he insane?
"Wait over there until you are summoned.” The black haired man looked away and flicked a ring-laden hand at them in dismissal.
Kezred stayed in character, smoothly turning his body into hers so that Cameo's face was blocked from their view, hiding her shocked expression.
"Come. We will entertain ourselves.” He maintained that raspy voice as he lifted a hand to the small of her back and urged her to turn and walk into the crowded dance floor.
They moved forward into the crush of bodies and Kezred's hand slipped to her waist. Cameo's brain was still spinning around their disguise when the subject came back into focus ... the Dawning Stone.
Holy batshit! She'd heard of the thing, and she wasn't even a vampire—Ash Born—whatever. It was rumored to be powerful and dangerous. Why was there always a ‘dangerous’ when there was a powerful? If the rumors were half true, the Stone could give vampires the power to withstand sunlight and to stay awake during the daylight hours.
There had to be some sort of drawback or the city would be crowded with Ash Born all day and all night too. Why was it here tonight? Was something special going on? Warlords were the guards and enforcers of the Elites, were they disguised as Tanderious and Silka for a special occasion?
Cameo leaned toward him to speak. Quickly, he turned to face her. His silver-smoke eyes warned her not to say the words out loud. He laid one finger across his lips, then hers. The light touch distracted her long enough for Kezred to give her a push to get them moving again. He never touched anyone, not if he could avoid it. She'd noticed that particular trait when she'd first run into him. He was slick enough about his aversion that you had to pay attention to notice it. His hands would be in his pockets or holding something or he was too far away for any sort of casual contact.
Now he'd actually touched her three times in less than a minute. Was this part of the role he played tonight? It was unsettling and so rare that Cameo couldn't help but focus on the feel of his hand pressing against her back.