by Raven Steele
Lucien maintained eye contact with Eve, who looked more pissed than scared. Her eyes bulged when Bill squeezed harder on her neck. He shook his head at Lucien, a grin teasing the corners of his mouth. Behind him, Charlie barked orders at the hotel staff.
Eve’s eyes glazed over until the jade color grew lighter and lighter turning almost white. Her pinched expression relaxed, and she displayed no signs of stress, despite the fact that that a was vampire squeezing the life out of her.
With Eve’s physical change came a variation in the air. It felt electric and pulsated with invisible life. Even Bill seemed to notice, and he looked around anxiously as if trying to determine the source.
Just then, a blast of cold air rushed through the room with a ferocity that turned over tables and chairs. Glasses and plates shattered on the ground, and the four vampires were tossed across the room, including Bill whose body whistled through the air like a deflated balloon.
One of the vampires came crashing down onto the leg of an overturned table; it pierced his heart, and he burst into a cloud of ash. Lucien guessed his death was intentional.
A second vampire landed near Charlie, who had a gun pulled and pointed. One blast from it sent the vampire into a violent fit; his body jerked and twisted in ways Lucien didn’t think possible. Charlie jumped on him, trying to get a good shot at his heart with a wooden dagger that he had removed from his boot.
The ballroom was almost entirely empty now. Chaotic screams found their way in from the foyer, and in the far distance, a fire truck’s siren wailed.
In the center of the ballroom, Eve stood alone, her hands outstretched at her hips and air swirling around her, lifting her gown and hair. Electric energy cracked, making it difficult to breathe. Her eyes rolled into the back of her head, and she collapsed to the ground. Lucien was there to catch her unconscious body.
A long-haired vampire rushed at Lucien at the same time. Lucien dodged and kicked him in the back, sending the vampire to the ground and sliding across the floor. With a lifeless Eve in his arms, Lucien backed up to the corner of the room, unsure whether he would make it to the exit in time.
Bill, who looked abnormally calm, strolled toward him. The long-haired vampire recovered and moved toward Charlie who’d just finished stabbing the stunned vampire in the heart.
“Charlie!” Lucien yelled.
Charlie glanced up just in time to see the fist of the vampire smash him in the face. The crack of his nose breaking echoed in the large room. Charlie joined Eve in unconsciousness.
“I should’ve recognized you before, Lucien,” Bill hissed.
Lucien kept backing up toward the south exit. “We all make mistakes.”
Bill followed. “I can only imagine the kind of reward I’ll get when I kill you and capture her.”
“That’s what the other Bill said right before I killed him.”
Bill raised his eyebrows. “Thank you for saving me the time.”
The long-haired vampire circled behind Lucien. Lucien needed to do something before he became trapped.
“Why don’t you put the girl down? I need to make sure nothing happens to her while I kill you,” Bill threatened.
“Good idea.” Turning sideways, as to keep both vampires in view, he carefully laid Eve upon a circular table that still stood. Her dress absorbed the spilled wine on the table, staining her white gown red.
No longer holding precious cargo, Lucien let all the powers of his vampirism take over. When he turned to face Bill with fangs extended, he was more than ready for a fight.
Bill opened his mouth to talk, but Lucien attacked before anything could be said. He tackled Bill’s midsection and slammed him to the ground. He attempted to straddle him, but the long-haired vampire jerked on the back of Lucien’s jacket and pulled him off Bill.
Lucien twisted out of long-haired’s grip by rolling into a backwards summersault. He arched upward with his hands at his shoulders and kicked long-hair in the face. Blood spurted from his nose. Lucien turned to face Bill again but Bill caught him off guard by driving his fist into Lucien’s ribs. Lucien grunted when several bones snapped.
Bill stepped back, smirking at him. “We will get what we want.”
Just as Lucien caught his breath, long-hair tackled him and together they crashed on top of an overturned table. Lucien rolled toward a wooden chair to rip off its leg. He barely managed to snap it off before long-hair grabbed his foot and twisted.
Lucien rotated his body with the motion to stop his leg from breaking. With his other foot, he kicked at long-hair. Lucien struck him several times in the chest before he finally let go.
Just in time, too. Bill was midair and coming down on top of him, a sharpened wooden dagger in his hand. Lucien rolled away, missing death by a fraction of a second. When Bill landed on the ground, Lucien snatched up a broken plate and whirled it at him. It sliced through a good chunk of Bill's neck. Not enough, but it bought Lucien some time.
Lucien scurried away on all fours, deliberately moving slowly as if tired. Long-hair, assuming Lucien had been weakened, leapt toward him. Just before he landed on Lucien’s back, Lucien turned over and shoved the broken chair leg through his heart. The force was enough to make the vampire explode into a shower of ash. Lucien spit and wiped the dust from his face.
“I can see how you survived,” Bill said. His neck had healed, and he stood near a table against the wall, wiping blood with a napkin from off the front of his shirt.
“Excuse me?”
“Very few men, and even fewer vampires, fight to stay alive like you do. Why do you do it? What makes you want to live?”
The question startled Lucien. “Why do you live?”
Bill shrugged. “For power, money, all the things I didn’t have when I was human.”
“But those things can be taken away.”
“And so can life. So why do any of us bother?”
“To prove ourselves,” Lucien said. Covertly, he scanned the area for anything he could use against him.
“Prove ourselves to who?” Bill asked.
“To anyone who might be watching.”
“And what exactly are we trying to prove?”
“That despite all opposition, we will never give up. We will fight for what we believe in until the very last breath is forced from our lungs.”
Bill nodded. “How very inspirational. To fight for what we believe in.”
Bill reached behind his back and pulled out a gun identical to Charlie’s. He pointed it at Lucien’s chest.
“I believe,” Bill jeered, “that I will become ten times more powerful when I kill you and deliver the woman to the Dark Prince — and I’m willing to fight for it.”
His finger pulled the trigger.
Chapter 24
Lucien prepared to bolt, hoping he could move out of the way from the blast in time. A gun exploded, but it wasn’t Lucien who fell. It was Bill. From behind him, a bloody-faced Charlie lowered his pointed gun.
“Get her out of here,” he ordered, motioning to Eve.
Lucien didn’t argue. He scooped Eve into his arms and moved toward the least chaotic exit. There was so much going on that no one paid him any attention. He escaped to the rear of the building where he used his vampire speed to race through the complex mazes of alleys to the hotel where he could retrieve one of the hotel’s vehicles. It was a good thing Eve was unconscious, or his speed would make her extremely sick.
Lucien drove straight to where he thought no one would come looking for them: his home by the sea.
The time was just past one in the morning. Instead of using the front door, he jumped to the balcony of the master bedroom where he knew he would find a pair of unlocked French doors. He looked down at Eve resting peacefully in his arms. She felt no heavier to him than the jacket on his back.
He set her carefully in bed and laid down next to her. He gently smoothed out her long white gown. Eve’s eyes moved steadily beneath her closed lids. Whatever she did back at the hotel
had taken a dangerous toll on her body.
His phone vibrated within his pocket. He retrieved it and glanced at the screen. Charlie’s number.
He answered. “What?”
“Where’s Eve?”
“At my beach house.”
Charlie paused. “Truthfully?”
“Why?”
“Odd choice for a vampire. How is she?”
“Still sleeping. How do I fix it?” Lucien didn’t like small talk.
“Just wake her up.”
“That’s your advice?”
“Look, as much as I hate it, you two are connected. Whatever magic she used must’ve hurt her mind somehow. Eve healed you once, now you do the same for her.”
Lucien rolled away from Eve and lowered his voice. “She healed me? What the hell are you talking about?”
“That time you had your ass handed to you by a couple of vamps. Remember that? They left you for dead after cutting you good with a Saranton blade.”
Lucien stilled, and his heart raced. That was Eve who had saved him? But how?
“Look, I don’t have a lot of time,” Charlie said. “The shit hit the fan and the Deific is a damn mess.”
Lucien could hear the frustration in Charlie’s voice. And something else. Sadness? “What happened?”
“We found out a bunch of weapons were stolen a month ago from the Deific office in Ireland. They failed to report it. One of those weapons showed up tonight.” He sucked in a shaky breath. “We also learned that vampires killed Michael two hours ago. They must’ve found out he was working with us.”
A small moment of silence passed before Lucien said, “So you have a dead undercover agent in Ireland, whose cover was blown, and a weapon that was stolen from inside their building? It seems like you have someone working both sides.”
Charlie shook his head. “Impossible.”
“Whatever. I have to go.”
Before he could hang up, Charlie added, “Let me know how Eve’s doing!”
Lucien grunted and ended the call.
He rolled over back to Eve and lifted up on one elbow. He stared down at her peaceful face. She healed me. What else had she done for him? He thought back to all those times when he’d felt someone’s presence. Had it really been her all the time?
Instead of anger, a feeling of gratitude washed over him. She had given so much to him.
He lifted his hand and brushed stray hairs away from her forehead. Charlie had said he could heal her but how?
“Eve,” he whispered.
Normally being this close to her would have him thinking about touching her, kissing her, but all I could think about now was waking her up.
He took hold of her hand and squeezed it tightly. Lifting her hand to his mouth, he kissed it lightly and let his lips linger against her skin. He inhaled and breathed in her sweet scent. Wake up, Eve.
Her hand began to tingle within his. The strange sensation spread throughout his body, but he didn’t stop to ponder on it. He continued to think about Eve, about her eyes opening. He pressed his lips to the back of her hand again, willing her to wake.
“Come on, baby,” he whispered. “Open your eyes for me.”
He pushed the thought outward, but it slammed into a mental barrier, as if her mind had closed to him. He shoved harder, gritting his teeth, demanding he let her in.
A mental pop sounded, and he gasped for air as a burst of energy left him. He collapsed onto the bed, exhausted.
A long moment later, he heard, “Lucien?”
He turned his head and looked at her. She did the same; color had returned to her face. Lucien inhaled a much needed breath.
She searched his eyes, then looked up and around, frowning. “Where am I?”
“You’re at my home by the coast.”
“You have another house?”
He nodded.
“How did I get here?”
“After you passed out from using that incredible magic, I brought you here. I was afraid your house or my hotel would be watched.”
Then, as if her memory had just returned, she sat up. “The vampires! They’ve found me. I have to call Charlie.”
Lucien sat up to join her but swayed slightly, his body still weak. “It’s okay. I’ve talked to him.”
She narrowed her eyes at him. “What’s wrong?”
“It’s nothing.” He didn’t want her to worry about him, and he really didn’t want to admit yet that she was right. There was something between them, something powerful that probably did involve magic, but how was that possible?
“I’m sorry I fainted back at the hotel. Did I even help?”
“You killed one of the vampires, and the others were knocked down, giving us the upper hand. You did great.”
She gave a small nod, as her gaze panned the room around her. “We have the same taste. It’s lovely.”
Lucien surveyed the room for the first time. She was right. Their rooms were almost identical. He remembered picking out the artwork decades, if not centuries ago, but as for the rest of it, Scott must have hired an interior designer to match the room to the art.
Eve noticed him looking around. “You don’t come here much, do you?”
“Not really. I prefer to stay in the city.”
She stared at him thoughtfully, then shifted her position on the bed until she was facing him, her legs crossed. “Thank you for saving me, again. I hope you know that’s not why I love you, although it’s a nice perk.” She smiled. “You have given me so much more than life.”
He shook his head. “The only thing I’ve ever given is death. Don’t speak to me as if I’m some beacon of light in a dark and dreary world.”
“But Lucien, you are the most—”
Lucien shook his head. “You don’t get it. You think I say these things because I don’t like who I am or something? I don’t have self-pity, and you’re treating me like an insecure sixteen-year-old boy with pimples who doesn’t feel he deserves a date to the prom.
“I know what I am, and I know what I’m capable of. This thing with you, whatever it is, has upset my world more than you will ever know. I don’t understand what it is, but I do understand me. So, please, enough of the flattery and mock greatness thing.”
Eve’s face was blank. No crease or wrinkle gave Lucien a clue as to what she was thinking. She reached up and pressed her warm palm to his cheek. “Be happy, Lucien.”
He tried to be upset. He knew she wasn’t taking him seriously, but maybe she was right. Couldn’t he just allow himself to be happy with her and forget who he was?
She lowered her hand and changed the subject. “What did Charlie say? Is everyone okay?”
Lucien swallowed hard, dreading what had to come next. “He learned the electric gun the vamp had was stolen from the Ireland office.”
“Then we need to find it. I can only imagine what a vampire would do with a gun like that.”
“We already have it back. One of the vampires had it on him last night.”
“Good. Anything else?”
Lucien sighed. He knew no other way to tell her other than to just say it. “Michael’s dead.”
“What?” Her chest heaved, and she came to her feet.
“Charlie thinks vampires found out who Michael worked for and killed him for it.”
She stepped back, her face paling. She stepped back again in utter shock. “Poor Alana.”
“I’m sorry,” Lucien said quietly and eased off the bed to go to her. “I really am.”
“It’s going to get worse,” she whispered. “So many more are going to die.”
“You don’t know that. I’m sure whatever this is will pass soon. Vampires can’t stand working together, and they hate having any sort of a leader. Whoever this Dark Prince is will have mutiny on his hands. It’s just a matter of time.”
Eve shook her head. “I don’t think so.”
Lucien knew she was right. He could still feel evil spreading, but he didn’t want to upset her any
more than she already was.
“How do I get out of here?” she asked abruptly.
She glanced around and found the door, opposite the bed, and walked toward it.
“Where are you going?”
“I have to see Charlie.”
“What for?”
Eve whirled on him. “Everything is not fine. People I care about are getting hurt, and it has something to do with me.”
“We’ll figure it out,” he promised.
“Not from here.” She stormed from the room.
Lucien sat there calmly waiting for her to return, as she had no way to get home. He had the keys to both cars in his pocket. The sound of an engine roared to life.
“Damn magic,” he mumbled.
He hurried to the window just in time to catch Eve speeding away in his sports car, her hand out the window waving goodbye.
Chapter 25
Lucien rushed into the garage and jumped into the remaining vehicle, an old classic truck that had been completely restored. He tore out of the driveway and raced toward the Deific, assuming that’s where Charlie was too.
When he arrived and opened the door to the Deific, Don and one other guard stood tall.
“Where’s Eve?” Lucien demanded.
“You just missed her,” Don answered, placing a hand on the arm of the other guard whose finger twitched at the gun on his hip.
Lucien turned around to go back outside but stopped. The air felt different in the lobby. It hummed with power and made the hairs on his arms stand to attention.
He turned back around and asked Don, “Who’s here?”
“Excuse me?”
“Someone new, someone different.”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
Lucien walked around the lobby, eyeing it up and down as if he’d find someone hiding in the shadows. Whoever it was they were old and extremely powerful. The feeling was so strong, he couldn’t ignore it.
“You mind if I go upstairs?”
“Go ahead.”
Instead of taking the elevator, Lucien took the stairs, two at a time; the feeling grew stronger with each step. He stopped at the first floor. The door going in read ‘Records’. Normally he wouldn’t waste his time, but something beyond the door compelled him forward. He opened it and stepped inside.