Ashes to Ashes (Barbie the Vampire Hunter Book 3)

by Lucinda Dark

  "Before we go in," he said, "there are some things you should be aware of."

  "Okay," I said with a frown. "Like what?"

  "Others will know what you are," he stated.

  "They will? How?"

  He shook his head. "Your scent gives you away. You're fairly new, too, and they'll know that."

  "Have you been here before?" It seemed like a silly question to ask considering that he'd been the one to drive us out here, but I asked it nonetheless.

  He nodded. "Once or twice." Torin pivoted away, reaching back for my hand. "Just stay close to me. I'll do the talking."

  “Cute," I said dryly, pulling my hand away as we exited the parking garage, "but I think I can handle it.”

  When I would’ve joined the back of the waiting line, Torin shook his head, grabbed my arm and pulled me along behind him as he approached the waiting bouncer. I waited for him to hand the man money or something, but the large—beefy looking—monster of a man didn’t even look at Torin’s hands. He simply unclipped the velvet rope, nodded once, and let us through. This time, when Torin moved his hand down to mine and gripped it in his fist, I didn’t shake him off.

  The inside of the warehouse was intense. Hard rock music pumped from speakers built into the walls, making it seem like the entire place was thumping with movement. People of all shapes, sizes, and colors danced on a platform floor. And when I said of all colors—I meant it. There were women with skin the color of green scales and men with blue tattoos that moved across their skin as they ground against their partners.

  "You're staring," Torin chastised lightly in my ear as he pulled me closer.

  He was right, but I couldn't help it. Lights flashed from above, throwing the whole scene into some sort of purple hue and then yellow before green and red. I didn't feel like I was living in the real world, but that I'd somehow stepped into a dream landmine and it had exploded on me. I turned in a circle and Torin's hand seemed to slip away from mine without me even noticing. Heat suffused my cheeks as someone passed by me—rubbing a glittery substance down my arm. It smelled amazing—the creature smelled amazing—but it made my head foggy.

  I blinked and could have sworn I saw wings protruding from their back. Wings that left a trail of that same glitter throughout the club. Panting, I shook my head, blinking quickly as images of small creatures began crawling out of the walls. Creatures with beady-looking, dead eyes and small mouths full of sharp teeth. It was creepy as fuck.

  Barbie! Satrina's voice came from far away. Focus, she urged. It's not real. I stumbled into a hard steel wall—no not a wall, a person. I looked up and up and up some more, but whoever it was merely maneuvered themselves around me and disappeared into the throng of people. I reached for Satrina, needing something stable, and at the same time, she pushed her power into me. With a gasp, I took a breath and felt oxygen pour into my lungs, clearing away the strange visions flitting about in front of my eyes. For the first time in what had to have been several moments, I felt grounded. Torin frowned down at me as he wrapped his arms around me and yanked me out of the way of another onslaught of glitter-ensconced dancers.

  "Pixies," he growled. "Stay away from them. Their skin emits a hallucinogenic."

  "Really?" I scoffed, shaking my head. That must have been the source of those strange images then. “You don’t fucking say.”

  "Yeah," he said, either choosing to ignore the scorn in my tone or not really hearing it. "If you aren't careful or your power doesn't trounce their own, it could make some strange illusions develop."

  “Probably better to avoid that then,” I said nonchalantly as I made a mental note to avoid pixies in the future.

  "Come on, let's head to the bar." Torin's back was my guiding beacon as he led me farther into the club. The music seemed to grow quieter as we reached the bar, but I couldn't tell if that was due to all of the people shouting at the multiple bartenders that darted back and forth, filling orders and delivering drinks.

  One that almost looked human—or would have if it weren't for the sharp talons protruding from her nails and her catlike eyes—stopped and eyed Torin. "What are you having?" she demanded rather than asked.

  "Bloody Mary," he said. "Hold the Mary."

  "Ha ha," she replied, turning my way. "You?"

  "Oh, uh, nothing, I'm good," I said.

  She shrugged and said, "Suit yourself," before moving away to fill Torin's order.

  "What now?" I asked, lifting my voice and my toes as I tried to yell the words into his ear—forgetting for a moment that he could hear me perfectly fine even with all of the noise.

  "Now," he said, pulling me closer as someone tried to plow past behind us, "we find a witch or a warlock and start asking questions."

  "How can you tell them apart?" I asked.

  He scanned the crowd for a moment, searching for something. Whatever it was—a moment later, he found it. “Look there,” he said, gesturing for me to turn and follow his movements. I pivoted, putting my back to his chest as I scanned the crowd.

  Doesn’t this feel nice? I stiffened at that voice that was neither mine nor Satrina’s. Closing my eyes for a brief moment, I regained control and when I opened them, I saw what Torin was trying to point out. A tall man with his back to the crowd on the upper balcony. He had long hair—longer than most. It flowed down his back in waves over the outdated waistcoat stretched over his spine and shoulders. The only way I even knew what it was was due to my mother’s historical textbooks.

  I grimaced. “You can tell he’s older,” I said. “But how can you tell what he is?” I asked.

  Torin leaned down, his breath moving the hair at my ear. My heart nearly stopped beating. “You can feel it if you focus,” he said. “Look at him. Target him with your senses—you should have heightened smell, Barbie. Tell me, what does he smell like?”

  I sniffed, but it was difficult with so much in the room. “I don’t know,” I said. “There’s a lot of scents.” Dozens if not hundreds of scents. All clogging up my airwaves. It was nearly overwhelming. I pressed a hand over my mouth and nose as I pulled back.

  “Warlocks are male witches—they smell like their powers. For him, I can tell that he’s a blood warlock. He smells like iron and dust. I can also tell—from how weak his scent is—that he’s not very powerful.”

  “Do you think he’ll know anything about Esperanza?” I turned and glanced upward only realizing then that his drink must have been delivered because he shrugged, reaching for the bar and lifting a flute-like glass—downing the red liquid inside. I watched the movement of his throat—transfixed as he swallowed. When Torin finished, he urged me away from the counter. My eyes were focused on the deep red stain on his lower lip.

  “We won’t know until we ask,” he said. “Let’s go.” He replaced his now empty glass on the bar top—leaving a few bills behind as payment—and pushed me forward. Even though I was still focused on how his throat had moved as he swallowed what had to be blood, he didn’t give me a chance to pause. Instead, he picked me up bodily and moved me to the staircase that led up to the balcony where the blood warlock stood. My mouth was dry as I caught ahold of Torin’s arm and used it to pull him to a stop.

  He frowned as he looked back, stopping halfway up the stairs. “Are you—”

  I didn’t let him finish. Instinct had me lifting myself against him and pressing my lips against his as I licked at the inside of his mouth—tasting the remainder of the blood he had drunk. I groaned and dove deeper. A shiver stole through me as I kissed him. My eyes closed and I pressed him into the railing, wanting to go further and I couldn’t remember—for the life of me—why that was a bad idea. My hands sank into his hair and yanked his head down as I pressed my mouth to his, parting his lips with my tongue.

  Torin’s head pulled back. “Barbie—”

  “Good,” I muttered, shaking my head as I pressed my breasts to his chest and used my hold on the back of his head to bring him back to me. “So fucking good.” I licked the seam
of his mouth and delved inside. Fuck, he tasted delicious. I closed my eyes and kissed him, sucking his tongue into my mouth. Torin’s hands clasped my hips, and I grinned when I felt the hardness of his cock press against my stomach. A groan rolled through his chest, vibrating against me.

  It wasn’t until someone tried to get past us, jostling our bodies into the railing as they shoved hard—nearly sending both of us over the edge—and they muttered, “Fucking vampires,” that I managed to pry myself away.

  I turned with a snarl and grabbed the offensive piece of shit by the throat. “Excuse me?” I snapped. “You want to repeat that?” My fangs slammed out of my gums and I flashed them as I hissed at the pale, skinny redhead that had so rudely interrupted us.

  He shook his head quickly, squeaking out an apology. Torin’s hand clasped my wrist as he reached around from behind and disentangled my grip from the man’s neck. As soon as the redhead was free, he bolted back down the stairs and disappeared out of sight. The rest of the club, it seemed, hadn’t even noticed the little worm’s near death experience.

  Torin used his hold on me and pulled me up the rest of the way to the second floor’s landing. Without even looking at myself in a mirror, I knew I was riding my vampire. I knew my eyes weren’t completely human. And for some strange reason, it didn’t seem to bother me as much as it might have before. She wasn’t completely in control. Yet, at the same time, she was in the back of my mind.

  You’re merging, Satrina said, answering my unspoken question.

  “Barbie.” Torin’s sharp bark of my name drew my attention. I craned my neck back as I looked up at him through the darkness of the club and the flashing lights. I could hear him perfectly—as though there weren’t a million and one sounds vying for my attention elsewhere in the room. “Can you handle this?” he asked, frowning as his brows drew down low over his eyes. He glanced from me and back the way we’d come.

  I didn’t know what he meant by that, but I knew one thing for certain; we weren’t leaving until we got answers.

  “Yes.”

  Seventeen

  Barbie

  I strode around Torin and made my way through the crowd. As I expected, he didn't let me get very far. The wall of heat at my spine was Torin Priest and I had to suppress the urge to shiver under what I knew was a very watchful dhampire. My nether regions were in an uproar, screaming at me to turn and shove him into the nearest dark corner and take him as I'd been planning to in the stairwell.

  Your vampire is all about desire, Satrina reminded me. She follows what you truly want. To control her, all you have to do is focus on something you want and convince her that it's what the both of you want the most.

  Got it, I replied. I slowed my steps as I let a hoard of strange looking people with spots running down their arms bypass us. I wanted to find Esperanza. I wanted it with a burning passion. Because finding Esperanza meant possibly finding out how to kill Arrius.

  Calling forth my animosity for Torin's father wasn't an issue. I let it fill me to the brim—let my anger and need for vengeance consume me until it was all that I was. My desire for Torin didn't disappear, I didn't think that it ever could, but it was overshadowed by my present desires and I let them run the show.

  Once I let my demons out to play, I realized, everything else was easy.

  I found the warlock Torin had pointed out earlier. He'd moved away from the railing and now sat in a more reserved section of the balcony. With his back to the wall, he noticed as we approached and stood over the meager group he'd gathered around him.

  "Well, look at that, a vampire and a—" He paused looking me over. "Another vampire?" He spoke as if the phrase were a question. Perhaps he sensed Satrina's presence further down and it confused him. Whatever the case, we weren't here for small talk.

  "I'm looking for someone," I stated. "Name's Esperanza, she's a black witch that lived not far from here—a few hours—have you—"

  He waved his hand, cutting me off. "Everyone's looking for someone," he chortled and around him, his friends gave their own versions of the arrogant laugh. "What makes you any different?" he asked.

  I blinked, lifting a brow. "What makes me any different?" I let a smile spread my lips into a cruel grin as I stepped forward through the small circle of people.

  "Barbie—" Before Torin could finish what he was saying, I had my hand wrapped in the little pissant's front suit coat. I lifted him, turned, and pinned him to the nearby wall.

  "Honey, if you wanted me to show you what makes me different, all you had to do was ask," I said as I lifted him until his feet dangled. I flashed my fangs. "Do you recognize the name Esperanza or not?"

  Torin flashed to my side, his hand finding my shoulder. I ignored it. "You vile bitch—" the warlock snarled, squirming in my grip.

  I sighed. "You're really not paying attention here," I said, giving him a light shake. "I didn't think the question was that fucking hard, or are you just stupid?"

  He tipped his nose up and scowled down at me. "Blood fiend," he spat.

  "Barbie, let him down." Torin pulled me back and my arm dropped. At the same time, the blood warlock's feet met the floor. His knees crumpled and he glanced up and around with his hand on his throat—though I'd been holding him by his clothes and not his neck. Unfortunately for him, it seemed that all of his little friends had beat feet. I grinned.

  "So, what'll it fucking be, sparky?" I asked.

  He got to his feet slowly, righting his clothing. “I think ladies that curse are so uncouth," he said coldly.

  “Oh, you’re not gonna like me then.” I stepped around Torin and he put an arm up to stop me.

  “Barbie—”

  I held up my hand, pressed the whole of my palm against Torin’s lower face and shoved him away. “So, why don’t you do us both a favor, hmm, cupcake?” I batted my eyelashes at the warlock. “Either tell us what you know or cry me a river, build yourself a douchecanoe, and float the fuck away.”

  "I think I'll choose the douchecanoe," he replied before attempting to storm through the two of us.

  My lips parted as I made a loud error sound. "Ahhh. Wrong answer." In a flash, I had his throat in my grip and the warlock pressed back up against the wall. “You didn’t think I’d actually let you walk away without giving me some information, did you?” Once again his feet dangled. It was amazing. Even if he was a few inches taller than me, I had the strength to hold him up and I felt like I could do it for hours without breaking a sweat.

  Supernatural abilities, Satrina reminded me.

  "Right," I said both to her and as a signal that the true fun was about to start. I focused my attention on the struggling warlock. "Esperanza," I repeated the name. "Do you recognize it?"

  "I might," he agreed begrudgingly.

  I waited and when it seemed he wasn't willing to offer more than that I sighed. "Don't disappoint me, sparky," I said, speaking through my fangs. "I'm not particularly interested in drinking from you, but..."

  "The black witch right?" he spat out quickly. "That's the one you're looking for. I haven't heard from her in months. I've no clue where she lives or what she's doing. I swear."

  "Can you lead us to anyone that does?" Torin asked over my shoulder.

  The warlock's gaze moved from my face to his as his eyes rounded in a beseeching manner. "Please, I don't know."

  "Yeah, I don't want to hear about what you don't know," I said. "I want to hear about what you do know."

  "Th-there's a coven," he said quickly, nodding sharply as he jerked his gaze back to mine. "They're in the area. Call themselves the moonlight coven. They might know something. Please, that's all I know."

  Torin's breath filtered over my shoulder as he huffed. "Fine. Let him down, Barbie."

  I frowned. "How do we know he's not lying?" I asked.

  The warlock's eyes widened and his brows drew down as he frowned. "How do you not—"

  "She's a new turn," Torin said, reaching up and removing my hand from the man's throat
. He was removing my hand from a lot of people lately. I arched a brow as I looked back at him.

  "What does that have to do with—" I started but he was already answering me.

  "You can tell by his scent and the sound of his heartbeat," he said, shaking his head. "Trust me, he's telling the truth."

  "Your mate's a crazy bitch," the warlock grumbled as he rubbed his throat.

  Without warning, Torin's eyes flashed red and he pressed the man back against the wall with his forearm against his windpipe. "I would watch how you speak about my mate, warlock," he snarled. "She can handle herself, but I will not have her insulted by the likes of you."

  "Got it! I got it! She's the epitome of grace and beauty," the man said quickly.

  As soon as Torin released him, I felt a laugh work its way up my throat.

  "What is so funny?" Torin asked, turning towards me. I shook my head as I laughed harder. “I fail to see the joke,” he said.

  “You—” I gasped, pressing my palm over my mouth. “And I—” I couldn’t stop laughing. The whole situation was just ridiculous. “You really got upset over him calling me a bitch?” Blood red eyes met mine and my laughter dried up. Torin strode towards me, slowly, deliberately, until he stood right in front of me. His hand lifted and his fingers trailed down the side of my face.

  “I don’t like it when people insult what’s mine,” he whispered, his voice deeper—rougher—not completely human anymore.

  That explosive attraction from earlier raged back to life. My gaze dropped to his mouth where I found his fangs peeking out from underneath his upper lip. I dragged my lower lip into my mouth and sucked hard.

  “Barbie…” My name was a warning on his tongue. One that I really didn’t want to heed.

  “Torin,” I said, my breath pumping in and out of my lungs as my chest rose and fell—louder with each heartbeat.