Tall, Dark & Fangsome ib-5

by Мишель Роуэн

  “Then again, he is an amazing kisser.”

  “I think I’m going to kill you.”

  Even though she said it half-joking it worked to sober me up a little. “About that…”

  “Killing you?”

  “Yeah.”

  “Go ahead. I’m listening.” Her lips turned up at the sides until she realized I wasn’t kidding. “What is it?”

  “My curse isn’t getting any better—as you just witnessed. In fact, it’s heading straight downhill into the Village of the Damned.”

  “You don’t think you can learn to control it?”

  I shook my head. “Not forever. I have a small grasp on it right now because I’m… well, let’s just say I’m well-fed at the moment. But as soon as my stomach starts to grumble, I’d suggest that everyone should clear out.”

  “So what are you going to do?”

  “All I can do is try to protect the people I care about. Hell, I need to protect the people I don’t care about, too.” I took a long shuddery breath that I didn’t really need anymore.

  “I’ve asked Thierry to stake me if we can’t find a solution to this. If I turn totally bad, then there’s no other choice.”

  Her eyebrows went up at that. “You asked him to kill you? And he agreed?”

  I nodded and tried to hold back the sudden surge of panic. It did sound horrible, but there wasn’t any other way. If he didn’t stake me personally, the Ring would send their people in to do it, and I’m fairly certain their method wouldn’t include attacking me with fluffy bunnies.

  “I have another idea about what you should do,” Janie said.

  “What?”

  “Stop being a damn chump. Stop accepting all of this bullshit that’s being thrown at you and start fighting for your life.”

  I frowned at her. “Is this tough love?”

  She shrugged. “It’s my opinion. Take it or leave it. I just think any kind of action is better than sitting around and waiting. In fact, Quinn and I are going to try to find where your buddy Gideon has Amy hidden away right now.”

  I felt the reminder of my friend’s impending danger like a third slap in the face. “How did you even know about that?”

  “George filled us in when we got here. Since he knows where Gideon’s hotel was, we’re going to start there. It’s better than nothing.” She turned away from me toward the bedroom door.

  “Listen, Janie…”

  “Yeah?”

  “If things take a serious nosedive and Thierry can’t… well, you know… then I want you to…”

  The silence weighed heavy for a moment between us.

  She nodded firmly. “You won’t even feel it. It’ll be like getting your ears pierced.”

  “We are talking about the same thing, aren’t we?”

  “My staking you when you turn completely black-eyed, batshit, crazy evil?”

  “Yeah, but I remember getting my ears pierced hurt like hell.”

  She shrugged. “What can I say? I’m not great with the pleasant analogies. I’ll make it quick, though. Don’t worry.”

  Don’t worry? Sure. Easy for her to say. “Well, good. Thanks.”

  “Janie,” Quinn said from the doorway. “We’re going to take off and start looking. You’re coming, right?”

  “Yeah,” she replied. “Be right there.”

  Quinn looked directly at me, and I saw that the disgust and uncertainty in his gaze had been replaced with concern. “You okay?”

  “I’m doing my best.”

  He nodded. “You need anything, just ask.”

  Well, I just asked your fiancée to stake me, I thought. How’s that for a favor?

  “I’ll do that,” I said instead.

  Janie reached forward without hesitation and touched my shoulder. “You are going to make it, you know.”

  “You think so?”

  “I know so. You want to know why?”

  “Why?”

  “Because you’re invited to our wedding.” She smiled. “And FYI, cash is preferred since we’re not registered anywhere. Between running for our lives and getting used to being a vampire, I simply didn’t have the time.”

  “Totally understandable.”

  She took Quinn’s hand. With a last look at me he turned and they left my room. Had I known I’d be having a parade come through there today I would have spent a little time cleaning up. Luckily I was too distracted to be embarrassed by my messy tendencies, which I just noticed included a pink bra hanging precariously from my closet doorknob.

  I stood there for a few minutes thinking about what Janie had said.

  “Don’t be a chump” was the general theme.

  I emerged from the bedroom in time to see George, Janie, and Quinn head out the front door and off on their wild goose chase to try to find Amy.

  How odd that they’d leave Thierry and me alone after what had happened earlier. Did they trust me again so easily?

  But no, when I turned around I saw the reason for their mass exodus. Barry sat on the couch. He stared at me with a dark expression of grief on his face. There was no doubt in my mind that he already knew what had happened to Amy.

  “She’s going to be okay,” I told him.

  “This is all your fault.” There was a catch in his words that made me feel worse than I already did. He sounded more upset than angry.

  Also, he was right. This was my fault.

  “I know. And I’m sorry.”

  Barry frowned. Maybe he didn’t expect me to come right out and admit it.

  “If Amy dies—” he began.

  “If Amy dies then you have permission to stake me since I won’t want to live anymore,” I finished.

  So that was three people I’d given permission to do the deed. I really should start an Excel spreadsheet to keep track.

  “That won’t be necessary,” Thierry said. He stood by the front door, his arms crossed over his chest. He wasn’t making eye contact with me at the moment, in fact, he seemed to be avoiding looking at me at all after our little make-out session from hell. “I have faith that Quinn, Janie, and George will be able to locate your wife.”

  “But what if they don’t?” Barry argued. “We have no idea where she is. And if that bastard harms a hair on her head…”

  “Can’t you sense where she is?” I asked. “If you concentrate really hard? I mean, you’re her sire, right?”

  He shook his head. “That is a very rare bond that Amy and I are not lucky enough to share. I love her so much, but I can’t find her. I… I can’t help her.”

  Even though the two of us didn’t get along very well, it made my unbeating heart ache to see him in such distress over the woman he loved.

  “It’ll be okay,” I said simply. “I’m leaving now to find Gideon, too. When I sire him he’ll let Amy go. It’s simple.”

  “No, there’s nothing simple about it.” Thierry grabbed my hand before I made a move toward the front door. “It’s too dangerous.”

  “It’s too dangerous if I stay.” I shrugged away from his grip.

  “And what will you do after you follow his wishes and make him possibly one of the most powerful vampires who ever existed? Do you think that he’ll give a damn who lives or dies? Gideon Chase is a selfish, self-serving hunter who is thinking of nothing more than his own survival.”

  “He’s in pain. The hellfire is burning him alive.”

  He glared at me. “After everything that’s happened, why the hell are you still making excuses for him?”

  I felt a rise of anger. “You’re overreacting.”

  “Am I?” he replied dryly.

  “Yes, you are.”

  “But, master,” Barry said. “We can’t simply sit here and wait helplessly.”

  Thierry crossed the room to stand in front of Barry. “It’s too risky to send Sarah out there alone in her current condition.”

  “She’s willing to go.”

  “Sarah is obviously not herself right now and can’t be trusted out o
n her own.” He eyed me, and I knew he didn’t mean to sound cruel, he was telling the truth. After what had happened in the bedroom I couldn’t very well blame him.

  Barry eyed me and for one of the few times since I’d first met him—it felt like an eternity ago but it was only three months—there was none of the usual distaste in his expression, only fear and worry. “What do you think, Sarah? You’re Amy’s best friend. Will she be all right?”

  I shook my head. “I… I don’t know.”

  I felt the nightwalker at the edges of my consciousness. She was chomping away at my control, little by little, like a bloodthirsty Ms. Pacman, but I held tight—the latest infusion of master vampire blood had helped again.

  “You don’t know?” Barry’s face reddened. “That’s not good enough.”

  There was stony silence for a full minute.

  “I’m going to prepare some of that coffee George made,” Barry snarled. Without waiting for a response, he stood up from the couch and went into the kitchen. I could hear the cupboards and utensils slam and clank.

  I took a step toward Thierry. “I seriously need to go.”

  “You can’t.” He held up a hand to stop me. “And please, Sarah. Don’t come any closer to me. I’m still feeling a bit shaky from earlier.”

  I froze in place. “I took too much blood.”

  “It’s not the blood, it’s—” He raised his silver eyes up to lock with mine, and I felt the full weight of his gaze on me. “Your nightwalker brings out my own darkness. It disturbs me.”

  I cringed. “I know. It’s disgusting.”

  He shook his head. “No. I find it disturbing because… because I like how it feels. When the darkness takes me, everything seems much too simple. The worries of the world fade away and there is only the darkness and the pleasure it brings.”

  I bit my bottom lip. “That sounds kind of sexy, actually. But you’re saying that’s a bad thing, right?”

  He made a small sound, almost a laugh. “I made the decision a long time ago to avoid all that brings about that darkness in me.” His brows drew together. “No vampire I’ve ever met has had the same problems with control I’ve had. None that weren’t nightwalkers to begin with.”

  “There are lots of vampires who aren’t all that picky about where they get their blood from.”

  “Yes, but their desire for blood is not so… addictive as mine.”

  I turned over what he was saying in my head. “So you think you might have a little nightwalker in you trying to get out?”

  “Perhaps.” I could tell by the strained expression on his handsome face that it had taken a lot for him to admit this to me.

  I shook my head. “Nope, not possible.”

  His frown deepened and he looked at me. “As one who’s witnessed my darker side more than many, I’m surprised you’d say that.”

  “Nightwalkers don’t feel guilt when they’ve had their midnight binge. You? You’re all about the guilt. Nearly seven hundred years is a long time to hate yourself. I bet you were a self-loathing human even before you met Veronique, tending your sheep or whatever people did back then for a living.”

  He quirked a dark eyebrow. “I wasn’t a shepherd.”

  “Then what were you?”

  “I was an innkeeper. I operated several inns and taverns before the plague came.” His eyes got a faraway look for a moment. “Strange. I haven’t thought of that in a very long time.”

  “So, you were a medieval Donald Trump?”

  “I suppose you could say that.”

  That made me smile. “Seems fitting, actually.” I reached out to touch him and he didn’t pull away from me. “I know you had a hard time in the past. Being a vampire isn’t the easiest gig in the world, is it?”

  “You’ve handled yourself remarkably well.”

  “Are you kidding me? Do I need to pull a transcript of my past misadventures? I’ve fought tooth and nail against it since the night I was sired. I didn’t want to be a vampire. I hated it. And just when I was finally getting used to it, it went and got worse on me.”

  “Sarah—”

  I shook my head. “I can feel her right now, Thierry—the nightwalker who wants my life and my body. I can feel her clawing her way to the surface. I don’t know how much longer I have but I want you to know one very important thing.”

  His expression was tense. “What is it?”

  “That I don’t want to be normal anymore. All I want is to be happy. With you.”

  He pulled me closer to him. “I swear, Sarah, I will do whatever I can to fix this.”

  “I can fix it, but I have to go now.”

  “No. You’ll stay here.” His grip on me tightened. “I will find Gideon and I’ll do whatever it takes to stop him.”

  My stomach sank. “You mean you’ll kill him.”

  “If that’s what it takes.” His eyes narrowed at me. “Would his death affect you? Would you mourn Gideon Chase after all he’s done?”

  I guess I didn’t answer quite as quickly as he wanted me to.

  “I see,” he said, and his open expression closed off to me behind that annoying, cold brick wall he had.

  “You don’t see anything.”

  “Gideon’s vision perhaps is much clearer. He seems to cherish your dark side while I restrict it. I suppose you’ll have to decide for yourself which of us is correct.”

  A flash of anger pulled my darkness forward and I actually felt my eyes turn black as my vision narrowed and blurred at the edges. “Dammit, Thierry—”

  Barry emerged from the kitchen with a tray of coffee and there was even one on there for me. “Here, master. Drink this.”

  Thierry absently took the mug of black coffee. “It’s the way it must be, Sarah. Even if you disagree with me vehemently, it’s much too dangerous for you to go to him. Especially being so close to the edge of your control.”

  I glared at him, fighting the fogginess inside me, and tried to calm down.

  Thierry walked toward the window and glanced outside as he sipped from the steaming mug.

  We were silent for a moment as I tried to figure out what to say or do next. I couldn’t just sit around the house all night waiting for news. That was not in line with my “don’t be a chump” advice from Janie.

  There was a sudden crash as Thierry dropped his coffee mug and it fell to the floor, causing a dark stain on the light beige carpet that George would not be happy to see. He brought his hand up to his forehead.

  I rushed to his side. “What’s wrong?”

  He turned slowly and looked past me at Barry. “What have you done to me?”

  Barry’s expression was unreadable. “You didn’t give me any choice. I’m sorry, master.”

  Thierry collapsed to his knees and I caught him before he fell all the way to the ground.

  “Sarah…” he whispered, then his eyes closed and he went limp.

  I turned to look at Barry with wide eyes. “What did you do?”

  His breathing was so fast his little chest went in and out like an accordion. “Odorless, tasteless garlic tablets. I put a few into his coffee.”

  Garlic. It was a myth that vampires were repelled by the cloves. Actually, garlic knocked us out cold. I’d encountered the stuff in darts that hunters used to hit their targets if they didn’t want an immediate kill. It would render the vampire unconscious for a short time.

  A harmless but very effective tranquilizer.

  I touched Thierry’s face and stroked the dark hair back from his forehead. He’d trusted

  Barry and the sneaky little bastard had used that to get the upper hand.

  I was so impressed!

  “You need to go,” Barry said. “Before he wakes up.”

  I eyed him. “He’s going to be furious with you about this.”

  “If it’s the difference between saving Amy and sitting here powerless, then I’m willing to take that risk. Now will you go, or what?”

  “Bossy, much?”

  “I know
the master only wants to do the right thing, but he refuses to see logic when it involves risking your safety. You’ve quickly become his blind spot.”

  He was right. Thierry couldn’t see past his desire to keep me safe. He’d never let me leave the house tonight even if it meant we were risking Amy’s life.

  Also, he obviously didn’t want me anywhere near Gideon again.

  I leaned over and kissed Thierry softly on the lips, praying that that wouldn’t be the last time I ever kissed him.

  Then I got up and looked at Barry. “Wish me luck.”

  “There’s no time for luck. Just go.”

  “Sheesh. It’s not like I asked you for a hug or something.”

  He glowered at me. “Why are you still here? The master will not be unconscious for long.”

  Good point.

  I turned and pushed the door open and left the house, hoping that everything would work out perfectly. I’d had enough experience to know that was an impossibility, but a girl could dream, couldn’t she?

  Chapter 19

  I headed to Darkside, since that was the last place I’d seen the billionaire vampire hunter in question.

  No one was there. The club was closed for business and deserted.

  My cell phone rang three separate times and I knew by the call display that it was Thierry.

  I didn’t pick up. He was probably furious with me for leaving. Probably? Make that definitely. I understood his point—my being out on the streets in my current chain-free condition wasn’t the best decision.

  Another understatement.

  Who cares what he thinks? my nightwalker said. That guy is such a drag. He never lets you have any fun.

  “Is that so?” I said aloud. “Not that I’d take any advice from you.”

  I am you, stupid. And I know what you want.

  “And what’s that?”

  To be free. To have fun. You used to have fun, but ever since you met Thierry you’ve been miserable.

  “That has nothing to do with Thierry. That has to do with being a vampire.”

  You know who’s fun? Gideon. He is so sexy and exciting and life with him would be so wickedly awesome.

  “Wickedly awesome?” My evil inner voice sounded like a Valley Girl.

  Yeah. You liked Gideon, didn’t you? You felt sorry for him. More than you should have.