Love's First Bite: Bad Boys and Alpha Vampires Boxed Set (6 book bundle)

by Eden, Cynthia

  Rachel glowered at him. “Positive. I checked her pulse. No one can lose that much blood and just get up and walk away.”

  “Maybe someone reported the incident and they’ve already picked her up,” he suggested.

  “I’m not sure how the Parisian police work, but back in New York we don’t clean up a crime scene this fast,” she said. “Where’s the tape? Where are the homicide detectives? Someone should still be here canvassing the neighborhood for witnesses.”

  Gabriel stiffened. “Are you with the police?”

  “I’m a homicide detective,” she said absently.

  He inhaled again. “Have you been drinking, detective?”

  Rachel tensed. She didn’t like his tone. “I had a few flutes of champagne with dinner, but I know what I saw.”

  “Is this perhaps an elaborate ruse to get out of a trespassing charge?” Gabriel asked.

  Her almond-shaped eyes narrowed to glittering slits. What was it with the Parisians? Were they deaf or did they just ignore everything a tourist said? “Listen, if you don’t believe me that’s fine. Just point me in the direction of the nearest police station so I can report the incident.”

  “Okay.” Gabriel reached for her arm to turn her toward the station.

  She winced when he touched her.

  He instantly released her. “Are you injured?”

  “I’ll live,” Rachel said, sounding irritated. “This isn’t the first psycho who’s bit me. Doubt it’ll be the last. Though this is the first one who thought he was a friggin’ vampire.” She snorted. “He had to be drugged out of his mind to be able to rip through my leather jacket.” She shook out her arm, but it did little to ease the pain.

  *

  Gabriel maintained a placid expression, but his gut churned with tension. She’d actually used the term vampyre to describe her assailant. Could this be the same man the Trackers had been hunting for months? He’d never let anyone live before. Was Rachel the first? It seemed unlikely, but what other explanation was there?

  There was only one way to know for sure if Rachel had been bitten by a vampyre. “May I see the wound?” he asked.

  She shrugged and unbuttoned her coat. The second she slipped the leather off, the scent of blood filled the air. Gabriel swallowed hard. His nostrils flared to draw in the delicious fragrance. Merde! He carefully examined the wound and hoped she didn’t feel his hands tremble.

  “That looks bad. You’re going to need stitches.” He fought the urge to lick her arm from wrist to elbow.

  Rachel glanced down. “It’ll wait.”

  “You really should get that seen to.” He looked away as his mouth began to water. The damage certainly looked like something a vampyre could do, although it was in an odd location. Most vampyres preferred to feed from softer tissue. Neck, breast, and inner thighs were the preferred locations, but in a push inside the upper arm would do. But this wasn’t on her upper arm. It was on her forearm. There was no reason to bite someone there. Maybe a dog had attacked her? That made more sense than a vampyre. “We really should get you to a doctor.”

  “Police station first. Hospital second.”

  He found her stubbornness oddly alluring. At least he did until they climbed into the taxi. Being confined in a taxi, surrounded by the smell of blood, had driven Gabriel nearly mad with the desire to feed. By the time they reached the police station, he’d nearly leapt out of the vehicle while it was still moving.

  Without a body to back her claims, Rachel was just another tipsy tourist who’d been mugged. The police would take a report, check out the scene, then it would be filed away never to be seen again.

  Rachel came out of the station two hours later, cursing under her breath and scowling. When Gabriel stepped out of the shadows, she startled and clutched her chest.

  “Stop sneaking up on me.” She glared at him.

  “I wasn’t sneaking,” he said. “How did it go?”

  “Just peachy. Can’t you tell? They’re going to contact my captain in New York. That should be an interesting conversation.” She muttered something unintelligible about stupid men under her breath, then looked around in confusion. “What are you still doing here?”

  He held up his hands in defense. “Nothing nefarious I assure you. I believe I said you needed to go to the hospital to get that wound cleaned and stitched. I’m here to take you.” He gave her a gallant bow.

  *

  Despite his easy charm, there was something off about Gabriel. It wasn’t how he talked and behaved. He’d been nothing, but courteous. Or even how he moved. For a big man, he was incredibly light on his feet.

  He’d seemed genuinely interested in the attack, not to mention showed concern for her. Rachel couldn’t pin down what was bothering her. Maybe she was shaken up more than she realized. She eyed him cautiously, debating whether to accept his offer.

  Did he know something about her attacker that he wasn’t telling her? Her years on the police force told her that he knew more. More what, was the question? That’s why in the end, she acquiesced. Rachel had no idea where the nearest hospital was in Paris. She could be standing next to it and wouldn’t know it given the architecture in this town. “Lead the way.”

  He grinned. The act transformed his face from weary boxer into something altogether unexpected. The change took her breath away. As he continued to stare at her, her heart jumped and her knees turned to jelly. At least Rachel knew she wasn’t dead.

  *

  THREE

  Gabriel waited for the doctor to finish patching Rachel up. It didn’t take long once he found the physician he was looking for. It helped to have one of the Sanguis—the blood—on the inside. Vamp bites weren’t fatal unless a blood exchange had occurred, but the bad ones were painful and did take a long time to heal.

  The doctor drew a vial of Rachel’s blood. Gabriel watched him walk into the other room and drink it. His palate was quicker than any lab test. Since Sanguis blood didn’t show up in a victim for twenty-four to forty-eight hours, he could only confirm the presence of Sanguis saliva and check for contaminants, along with diseases.

  The doctor returned to the room minutes later. “You’re all set,” he said, then met Gabriel’s gaze and nodded, confirming his suspicions. She’d been bitten by a Sanguis, which lent credibility to her story.

  So if that part was true, where was the other victim? He’d have to contact the other teams to see if anyone had been called out to clean up.

  The doctor gave Rachel a shot to stave off infection and help with the pain, then he carefully stitched her up. With any luck, she’d be on the mend in a few weeks.

  Gabriel’s phone vibrated as Rachel was being discharged.

  The text contained two words: Corps trouvé. Body found.

  He cursed under his breath and pocketed his phone as Rachel approached. “All set?”

  She nodded and wobbled on her feet.

  Gabriel grabbed her hand to steady her and awareness flared between them. The warmth of her skin scalded his fingertips and sent shockwaves through his body. He slowly released her and cleared his throat. “We’d better get you back to your hotel.”

  Her soft brown eyes peered up at him and Gabriel felt his chest constrict. He could get trapped in that gaze if he wasn’t careful. The urge to touch her again made Gabriel’s hands itch, but Sanguis and human relationships were never a good idea. No matter how careful one was in the beginning, the human inevitably paid the price.

  “You’ve done more than enough.” She sounded sincere. “I can find my own way home.”

  “Nonsense. Let me at least call you a taxi. I don’t want your last impression of Parisian men to be that of a deranged, dentally-challenged biter.”

  Rachel laughed, then tilted her chin, sending her long brown hair into her face. Gabriel reached out and brushed the downy soft strands over her shoulder. “Why are you so concerned about my impression of the men here?”

  Gabriel hesitated. Anything he said would be far too revealing
.

  Rachel’s lips canted. “Don’t worry.” She patted him on the arm. “You’ve more than made up for the mad biter.”

  He smiled, more pleased than he should be about her admission. He hiked a thumb over his shoulder. “I’d better call you that taxi. Where are you staying?”

  “Hotel Luxembourg Parc.” Her voice faded with exhaustion.

  “Take a seat. I’ll let you know when it arrives.” Gabriel ducked out the front of the hospital.

  *

  Rachel watched him go. She wasn’t quite sure what to make of Gabriel Dumont. On the one hand, he’d gone well out of his way to help her. It would’ve never happened had they been in New York. She could’ve been bleeding on the sidewalk and no one would’ve stopped. Maybe the French were different, but they hadn’t seemed like it at the police station.

  If Gabriel had an ulterior motive for helping her, Rachel couldn’t see what it could be. She didn’t have money, the only thing stolen was her necklace, and they hadn’t been able to find the body. Despite all that, she couldn’t stop the gnawing at her gut that told her that she was missing something vital.

  He popped his head in the door and smiled. The unease she’d felt seconds ago melted under that grin, morphing into something far more dangerous. Rachel didn’t have time for romantic liaisons. She needed to find the psycho who’d attacked her and get Paul’s necklace back. It was her last connection to her partner. She felt naked without its protection.

  *

  The taxi drove off with Rachel slumped in the backseat. Gabriel reached into his pocket for his phone and called his partner. “I’ll be there in ten minutes.”

  “Hurry up or there won’t be anything left to do,” he said.

  Gabriel found his partner, Claude Russo off Rue Balard leaning over the body of a young, blonde female. Her gray eyes were open and her throat had been ripped out like the other victims they’d found. A black scarf lay a few feet away from her outstretched hand.

  Parc Andre was nowhere near Boulevard Raspail where Rachel had been attacked. Had she gotten confused about where she was or was this crime simply a coincidence?

  “What took you so long?” Claude asked, laying out a tarp next to the body. A jug nearby contained a mixture of bleach and water.

  “It’s been a hell of a night,” Gabriel said.

  “Do tell.” Claude rolled the body onto the tarp. He reached for the jug and began to spray the area where the body had been lying.

  “I ran into this crazy American woman down in the catacombs.”

  Claude shook his head. “When will they learn it’s not smart to sneak in there after dark?”

  “That’s just it, she wasn’t down there stealing bones or exploring. She claimed to have witnessed a murder over by Montparnasse Cemetery. She was chasing her attacker, when I found her.”

  “Drinking makes you see things that aren’t there,” Claude said without looking at him.

  “I’d have thought so, too if it wasn’t for the fact she’d been bitten by a vampyre.”

  Claude’s shoulders stiffened. “Then I suppose it’s exceedingly lucky for her that she didn’t catch him.”

  “Yes, it is.” Fear trickled down Gabriel’s spine at the thought of Rachel fighting a Sanguis. She was lucky she’d survived the initial attack. And even more fortunate he’d come upon her before round two.

  “Help me roll her.” Claude indicated to the body.

  Gabriel walked over and grabbed the edge of the tarp and slowly covered the woman, then rolled her up tight. “What do you think?” he asked.

  Claude hesitated. “I think you had it pegged right. The woman is obviously crazy. Who’s to say she was even bitten by a vamp. Could’ve been a dog.” His laugh came out as a congested snort.

  Gabriel looked at him. “No, it was definitely a vamp. I didn’t believe her at first, but the hospital confirmed it.”

  Claude frowned. “So you found the body?” he asked.

  “That’s the weird part. There wasn’t one. I mean I saw blood. Smelled it everywhere, but the bulk of it was coming from Rachel.”

  Claude arched a brow. “Her name’s Rachel. Just how well did you get to know this woman?”

  Gabriel tensed at the underlying implication in his tone. “Not well.”

  “But you’d like to, eh amí?” he asked.

  “She needed help, so I helped her.” Gabriel looked away. He wasn’t sure how he felt about Rachel. She brought out a protective side of him that he thought he’d lost long ago. And her strength and courage intrigued him. They were rare traits in a human female. Rare traits in a human, period. He didn’t know of another woman who would follow her attacker into the bowels of Paris.

  “How does she taste? Good?” Claude asked, dragging his attention back to the present.

  Gabriel shifted impatiently on his feet. “I wouldn’t know.”

  “You didn’t bite her?” he asked, sounding surprised. “It’s always important to know how she tastes before you make her a regular donor.”

  Gabriel glared. “She’s not going to be a donor. Rachel’s already been through enough between the bite and her necklace being stolen. Damn fool is determined to get it back. It obviously has sentimental meaning.”

  “Is that so?” Claude murmured. “It doesn’t really matter what she wants. It’s not like she’ll be able to find the guy, when the Trackers haven’t succeeded. And they’ve been hunting him far longer.”

  “Who says it’s the same guy?” Gabriel asked.

  He shrugged. “It must be. No respectable Sanguis would leave a fresh one lying around without calling us for clean up.”

  “True,” Gabriel said. “But he made a mistake biting this one.”

  “Why is that?” Claude asked.

  “She’s a New York City homicide detective,” he said. “It’s not in her nature to let things like this go.”

  Claude’s head whipped around. “She’s police?”

  “Oui! And I’ve seen her type. She’s determined to find her attacker.” Gabriel slipped a plastic tie around one end of the tarp. “I have to try to find the necklace for her. The sooner she leaves Paris, the better. We don’t need a credible witness running around screaming about vampyres.”

  “She actually used the ‘V’ word?”

  Gabriel lifted the woman’s feet as Claude tied the other end of the tarp. “Yes, but she thinks he’s a fake. She believes he’s had cosmetic dentistry. Thank God for Goths and horror movies.”

  “Oui.” Claude snorted, then wheezed.

  “Are you all right?” Gabriel asked.

  “I accidentally inhaled some of the bleach fumes when I was mixing tonight’s batch of cleaners.” They lifted the body into Claude’s van. “Hopefully the Trackers will catch the killer soon, so your little homicide detective has nothing to do but enjoy the city lights.”

  “It would certainly make our job easier,” Gabriel said. He was used to cleaning up the occasional feeding accident. It came with the job. Murder was something else. Once a Sanguis got a taste for killing, they rarely stopped until they were put down. “Let’s hurry. I want to drop by Luxembourg Parc to make sure Rachel’s okay before reporting the incident to the Sanguis High Council.”

  “Sounds like you’re developing a bit of a soft spot for this mortal. Don’t you know that it’s not smart to play with your food before you devour it?”

  Gabriel avoided his partner’s knowing gaze. “Vampyres don’t have soft spots, remember? They’re ripped out upon our rebirth.”

  Claude’s green eyes sparkled. “Whatever you say, my friend.”

  *

  Rachel could see the woman clearly. She wore a blue sweat suit and a short black cap. The sun had faded, leaving the sky streaked with purple and gray. The trees on either side of her cast long shadows onto the path before her.

  The woman’s pale skin looked nearly translucent despite the blood pumping beneath and gave off a faint musky aroma. The veins networking through her neck were a blue rel
ief against the alabaster. She set off at a brisk pace. Her long red ponytail bobbed as she jogged.

  Rachel’s stomach growled as she watched the woman run.

  The woman’s skin took on a healthy pink glow.

  Rachel’s stomach cramped. So hungry. She licked her cracked lips.

  The woman’s scent changed.

  The succulent aroma was too much to bear. She had to catch her, stop her, taste her. Nothing but the woman’s blood could quench her burning need.

  Suddenly Rachel was moving. Slowly at first, then gaining speed. The distance between her and the woman closed rapidly. The bushes beside her blurred as she raced down the path. She looked at her feet. Were they even touching the ground?

  The woman’s rough pants reached her ears. If she was winded, then she’d start to slow. Not that it mattered. She was faster. Rachel jogged behind her. The woman didn’t seem to notice.

  A hand reached out for the woman’s red ponytail, while the other sealed her mouth to silence her. There was a flash of sharp teeth, then a muffled scream as fangs sank into the woman’s throat.

  A wave of revulsion struck, but was quickly swept away by—desire. Thick, rich, and tantalizing, the taste of the blood flooded into Rachel’s mouth. She wanted more, needed more. Her body craved the completion that blood brought.

  She drank deep. Savoring every drop. It was better than chocolate. Better than sex. Better than anything she’d ever experienced.

  Gaze riveted on the woman’s fragile throat, Rachel watched a crimson drop makes its way over her skin. Her mouth began to water. Such a waste. The woman slumped in her arms.

  The redhead’s heart thumped erratically in her chest. One thump, then three in quick succession. Two thumps. Then there was none. A loud menacing growl broke the silence. Rachel recognized the sound instantly. Her attacker was back.

  *

  Rachel jerked awake and looked around, expecting to see trees and a body. The light from the TV illuminated the carpeting and pale blue walls in her hotel room. Her suitcase was still poking out of the closet where she’d left it. A pile of clothes swallowed the only chair. There was no blood, no body. Nothing was out of place. She glanced at the time. It was nearly dawn. She hadn’t slept long, which was nothing new. She hadn’t been sleeping well since her partner died.