Bad Mouth

by Angela McCallister

  Her eyes narrowed. “And why would you have those?”

  “Hunting Slavers requires tranquilizers for the bystanders. Notice I didn’t say innocent. An outright killing spree would draw too much attention, and the last thing we need are the Ancients finding out about these humans.” He took her hand. “Come with me.”

  He led her past the bathroom to a room at the end of the hallway. So this was his bedroom. It was very spacious, about half as large as the open living area. The decor continued the same clean, uncluttered aura, but the tones were warmer with wide, dark cherry dressers and a heavy headboard standing over his massive bed. As in the living area, one wall was a window overlooking the Sound.

  “I can’t believe I fucked you, in a car no less, and never made it to a bedroom,” he said. She managed an exasperated huff. He watched her study the room for a moment before he headed toward a closet. When he disappeared into it, she followed him.

  “You have a walk-in closet? You never wear anything but T-shirts and jeans,” she said as she entered. She stopped short, her eyes wide. A few suits hung near the front and several pairs of shoes sat in an organizer near the floor, but the rest of the closet was outfitted like an armory. Blades, rifles, shotguns, pistols, crossbows, and other unidentifiable armament covered the walls. He checked a couple of drawers before he found the syringes. Turning toward her, he froze and then laughed.

  “You’re so fucking cute,” he said.

  “What?” She couldn’t take her eyes off the arsenal.

  “It’s pest control, my sweet.” He nudged her backward with his body and nuzzled her throat. “Don’t you have some other firepower you’d rather ogle?”

  Her belly flipped at the brush of his lips over her sensitive skin. Oh yes, she certainly did have better things to ogle. He lifted her feet on top of his. She let him walk her backward to the bed as she worked his shirt up and over his head. The tingle of desire racing from between her legs made her thighs quiver.

  “I missed you,” he mumbled against her temple. He rained kisses all over her face and down her neck. He went lower, stripping her shirt away as he went. “I didn’t know what I’d do if you didn’t understand, if you didn’t forgive me.” He was talking against her breast. When she giggled, he started to draw back, but she wrapped her arm around his head.

  “Don’t stop.”

  He tossed the syringe on the nightstand, guided her flat onto the bed, and tugged her slacks down without leaving her breasts. The scrape of his teeth over her nipple was like a live wire. Her legs folded over the back of his thighs, tugging him closer on top of her. She struggled with his jeans until he sat back and jerked at the button, which flew across the room.

  He pushed his jeans and briefs down his strong, lanky legs. She wet her lips as she watched. He was incredibly sexy naked. Kade had the form of a Greek god. Of course, he’d had centuries to sculpt the perfect body.

  His hand went to his long, thick shaft and stroked it. “I love the way you’re looking at me.”

  Her cheeks grew hot, partly with embarrassment but mostly with brazen need. His bold sexuality surpassed her real-life experiences with men, as if those men had been merely a few diluted warm-ups.

  He lowered his body between her legs, and his voice softened. “Are you sure about this?”

  “Yes. Be careful with me.”

  “Always.” He cupped her chin. “I won’t hurt you, Val.” He tipped her head slightly, the red glow of his eyes brighter as he fixed on the pulse of her throat. His breathing grew heavier. “Goddamn, I don’t think I’ve ever been this excited in my life. I could bust right now.”

  His tongue laved her throat, and he groaned. She didn’t feel his fangs when they bit into her, only his lips against her skin. A blast of pleasure rippled over her. Arousal seared her veins, its fire exploding along every nerve. The intensity turned her feral. She cried out and thrust her hips against him rhythmically. Her fingernails dug into his back.

  “Please! Oh please, Kade,” she cried. She’d gone completely out of her mind and into a world of animal sensation. If he didn’t do something now, she would burn to death.

  The suction at her neck strummed her core as if his fingers flicked her there. Her breath rasped in and out. She was going to climax, and he wasn’t even inside of her. He growled against her throat. Without warning, he ripped her panties away and then he was in her, meeting her thrusts with his own powerful strokes.

  His breath caressed her throat as he sucked from her and rocked his hips against hers. She dug her fingers into the tight, straining back muscles rippling as he surged over her. Her heels pressed into his hard thighs, urging him on faster. Something wildly explosive built higher until she ached all over with its sweetness. When his fangs withdrew, spikes of ecstasy zigzagged like a pinball driving her to her peak.

  “Kade!” she screamed. At the sound of her pleasure, his body tensed against her, and he came with a satisfied roar. He collapsed next to her on the bed, his arms around her, and his leg tucked between hers. His palm rested over the trim patch of pale hair between her legs.

  “Mine,” he whispered at her ear.

  She turned her head and caught his lips with hers. “Mine,” she said.

  His eyes flashed bright with pleasure. “You feel okay?”

  “I feel amazing.” She thought about it. “Well, a little tired.”

  He frowned. “It’s normal, but I don’t like making you weak. You should have let me use my service.”

  “No.” As in no way in hell.

  “Just no?” He gave her a lopsided grin. “At least I won’t have to feed often. I get most of my sustenance from transformations.” His grin faded.

  “What’s wrong?”

  “I’ve never fucked and fed before.” Whatever he thought of it sobered him.

  “Are you…disappointed?” She almost didn’t want his answer.

  “Disappointed?” He laughed. “Val, the earth shifted. I didn’t know it could feel so fucking good. I’ll have a hard time keeping my dick out of you when I’ve got my fangs in. And vice versa, you know.”

  “Do the service girls all react like that?”

  “Like a Baptist girl at church camp?” he asked. She rolled her eyes at him, but he ignored it. “They always do, and it always made me want to heave the blood back up. Nothing worse than getting dry-humped by a horny bitch in heat when I’m trying to enjoy a meal in peace.”

  “There’s no stopping that pit of profanity, is there?”

  He didn’t answer, but he rubbed her with his palm and she tightened her thighs around his hand.

  “Your pussy is like velvet. You wax?”

  She laughed. “Your mouth is going to get you in trouble.”

  “It already has. Anyway, I think you like what I do with my bad mouth.” He slid down in the bed and ducked his head toward the junction between her legs. She pushed at his head.

  “Where’d you send your merry men?” she asked with a laugh. His expression sobered as he looked up at her, and she tensed. “Where, Kade?”

  He sat up. “I wanted to—”

  “To what?”

  “To find Parrish for you. They’re hunting for Parrish.”

  “Why? What are they going to do with him?”

  “Val, he wasn’t created by the Slavers. We don’t know where he came from.” He glanced out the window. “A rogue maybe.”

  “What will they do with him?”

  “They won’t kill him, Val. Unless they have to.”

  “Unless they—” His sudden outcry interrupted her. He bent over, his head pressed to the bed. “What’s happening?”

  “It’s all right,” he huffed. “It’ll pass.”

  His rolled over, his eyes closed and his head tipped back. It was over in only a few seconds, but still alarming. He started to sit up but slid back to the mattress and rolled toward her instead. He reached out for her, pulling her close.

  “Does this always happen after a feeding?”

 
He stroked her hair. “Unfortunately.”

  “You saw, didn’t you?” She felt him nod. “No corpse in the closet?”

  He chuckled against her top of her shoulder. “I’ve never viewed anyone so…clean.”

  “Do you see everything?”

  “Not everything. Only little random samples along the way.” He lifted his head to look her in the eye. “So, uh, sex before me has been a little…bland for you?”

  “You did not see that!”

  His cell rang from the jeans on the floor. Laughing, he dragged himself out of bed and fumbled in his pockets until he found the phone.

  “What?” He was only silent a moment. “On my way.” And then he threw his clothes back on.

  “Where are you going?”

  He didn’t look at her as he dressed. “They found Will. They’re holding him for now.”

  The earth quaked under Val. They had Will, finally. She would see him in his changed form. What would he say to her? Could he even speak? What kind of man had he become? She jumped from the bed, reaching for her clothes.

  “I’m coming.”

  His eyes shot her a warning. “Val, I want to flash there.”

  “No.” When he didn’t even slow, she grabbed his arm. “I have to see him, Kade.”

  She didn’t let him turn away while he thought it out. This was too important to let him get overprotective on her. It was her case, anyway. She needed to see Will if she was ever going to heal the wounds he’d left behind.

  “Let’s go.” His lips formed a thin line of displeasure, but he took her hand and led her out of the penthouse. It wasn’t too far by car, only a half-hour drive before they arrived at an empty warehouse. The streetlights were all out except one near the corner of the building, stretching the shadows around the crumbling mass even longer. Graffiti plastered the front wall and red spray paint streaked the double door, barely visible in the tiny light above the entry.

  He shoved the doors open wide, the shriek of the hinges echoing through the cavernous interior. Dust choked her throat and she had to fight back a coughing fit. She couldn’t hear anything but their footfalls as they made their way toward the rear of the building. Gripping Kade’s hand in a vise, she wrinkled her nose at the musty smell of disuse and rust.

  A feral scream of rage tore the silence and seized her insides. That had to be Will. The sound of a scuffle followed and then more silence. Soon she heard the murmur of voices as they approached an office in the rear corner.

  “Are you sure you’re okay with this?” he asked.

  She looked up at the concern on his face. “I have to do this.” He flashed an encouraging smile, and her heart squeezed. “I’m glad you’re here.”

  “Good. Now let’s get this over with.”

  Chapter Twenty-three

  Kade knew what to expect when they entered the office, but he was pretty damned sure Val had never seen a deranged vampire in person. But she was a determined woman. God, he loved her. No weak, watery like or lust for him. He’d fallen hard. He hadn’t seen much of her life after his feeding, but a good portion of what he’d seen involved either Will or himself, and that surprised him more than anything.

  Could it be possible she’d fallen for him too?

  A few days ago, he would have ruled that out. He was the epitome of unlovable. Any of his friends could have told him that, and Ezra often did. But she’d allowed him to feed from her. There’s no way she’d have done that if she didn’t care.

  “We forgot to get a sample.” She whispered as if they had to sneak up on the group waiting in the office. Her voice wavered. He wanted to clear her worry away like it was a physical being.

  “The venom stays in the blood for a while.” He lifted her shaking hand to his lips. “It’ll be all right. I won’t let him get to you.”

  The look in her eyes nearly brought him to his knees. She was a wonder, a miracle. How could she make him so weak and so damned strong at the same time? He would keep her forever, no matter how old and frail she became. But then he’d be left with eternal centuries without her. He could decapitate himself or go to Alaska during their long daylight and lay in the sun hoping that would take him out, but then he had no progeny to take over the Dominorum. His duties would force him to suffer her loss.

  He reached for the doorknob, but Val stopped him. She took a deep breath. Another shriek pierced through the door. Finally, she nodded. He kissed the top of her head and then opened the door.

  Chains around his wrists, ankles, and neck held Will low to floor. That would keep him from finding enough purchase to put any considerable force on the restraints. His red eyes glowed, as they always would, because deranged stayed in a perpetual state of bloodlust. His fangs were full length and bared in fury.

  He looked too thin. Wherever he’d been, he’d been kept from feeding. Someone had to have held him prisoner. At this point, that was a good thing. He’d be weakened by it. He stank of old blood, unwashed bodies, and nasty sex. Kade wished the guys had at least hosed him down so Val didn’t have to endure the filth.

  Ezra seared an angry glare into Kade. “You brought her here?”

  “It’s my investigation, Ezra.” Val stood tall, her shoulders squared, and faced the angry vampire as she would a pouty child. “I wouldn’t let him leave without me.”

  Ezra scowled until he noticed the fading marks on Val’s throat. His eyebrow shot up as he looked between Val and Kade.

  “Well, well, well.” He nodded with approval.

  When Val finally faced Will, her composure slipped. Tears glistened in her eyes. Kade would do anything to protect her from this, but he felt her need for closure.

  There was no recognition on Will’s face. His fiery gaze burned into Val with lust and famine as he’d look at any human, like a walking meal. Hungry sounds came from the back of the deranged’s throat, and he strained against his bonds. The vampire was halfway changed, his face, torso, and fingers lengthened slightly, and his eyes at the cusp of that familiar slant. Kade had known he would look this way, had known he’d smell this awful. Had Val known that he’d be so very different?

  “He doesn’t even look like Will,” she said. “Is he aware of what he’s become?” She looked at Kade, her eyes shining. He brushed a tear from the corner of her eye.

  “I don’t believe so, my sweet. I think the Will you knew was gone not long after he transformed, maybe even before he transformed.”

  She nodded in understanding. “He’d changed a lot during our marriage. By the end, transformation was all he could think about. It was like some crazy addiction.”

  “You know you can’t do anything to change an addict,” Guns said softly. His dark eyes held a wealth of sympathy, and Kade was grateful for the man’s compassion. It rarely showed its face. “They have to want to overcome it themselves.”

  Guns would know. He dealt with addicts on a daily basis in his work with gangs. The others murmured their concurrence.

  “There’s nothing you could have done to help him, Val,” Luc said. “And there’s nothing you can do to help him now.”

  If she hadn’t known it before, she accepted it then. Her shoulders shook and she sank into Kade’s embrace, her arms wrapped around his waist and her damp face buried against his chest. He willed his strength into her as he nuzzled her fragrant hair. Her fingers clutched his shirt. She’d have internal scars from this, but her wounds would heal. Maybe she could end that unfinished chapter of her life and free herself for him.

  He lifted his head from her hair and glanced around at his team. They’d pulled through for him. Again. Yeah, even the humans. Luc and Guns were good men, and he didn’t need to taste their blood to know that. How could he have spent so much of his life hating them all? Maybe he’d been as blinded by his early experiences as Val had been by her marriage to Will. Maybe they both needed to put the past behind them

  “So what do we do with T-Rex here?” Declan asked. He shot a nervous look at Val. They couldn’t very well kill Wil
l in front of her. There was no rehabilitation for the deranged. They had to be put down, to put it nicely.

  “This kind of solves one problem, don’t you think?” Ian said.

  “Ah, right!” Luc said, nodding. “We can close the blooding cases.”

  Val eased away from Kade, but kept an arm around his waist. “Right. We have to turn him over to the VLO.” She looked up at Kade, relief in her expression. “We identify him as the one committing the bloodings, all of them. This will tie up all the cases, including the ones committed by the deranged your team…took care of. Then the public can rest in peace, and the legislation would lose some wind.”

  “Two problems solved,” Ezra said, his ever-present grin in full force. “You are one smart lady. Damn, Kade, if you didn’t have dibs…”

  He growled at his friend, though he knew Ezra was only joking. He cupped Val’s face, kissed her forehead, and gave her a direct look. “You know, baby, what they’ll have to do with him.”

  She nodded in reply, fresh tears pooling and then spilling down her pretty, rosy cheeks. He rubbed away the tears with his thumbs. He’d rip out his heart to take this pain from her. It didn’t matter that she hurt over another man. It wasn’t love; it was her beautiful soul, the one he’d tasted a little of, which made him only want more.

  Without warning, the office door flew open, bouncing into the wall. Kade whirled, his fangs readying for battle. A Dominus in the midst of changing form stood in the open doorway behind the team. The two long windows along one wall and a smaller one along another shattered and more Dominorum entered the space.

  His team pulled their weapons.

  Val’s arm tightened on him, but she didn’t scream. He pushed her behind him against the only wall with no windows. She tried to move around him, but he pinned her in place with one hand while he let the change sweep him. His teammates dove into battle with enthusiasm, but were outnumbered as more vampires entered through the broken glass.

  Kade drew his blade but could do nothing to aid his men without leaving Val exposed. A bolt from a crossbow hit him in the shoulder, sending a shock of pain to his middle. He bit down on the agony, not wanting to alarm Val. One of the Dominorum came at him, and he let go of her long enough to engage the attack. He prayed she didn’t leave her safe spot behind him.