He stared at me in horror. “No, not okay. At all. If you’re not out in thirty, I’m coming in to get you.” He pulled a pistol from his waistband and racked the slide. “Silver bullets dipped in holy water.”
I grinned at him. “The silver won’t do much. Unless there are werewolves in there. The holy water will definitely pack a punch.”
He threw his fist in the air. “Yes! I at least got one right.”
“Okay, Buffy, calm down. Let’s be level-headed about this. It’ll be easy. I’ll sweeten him up then stab him in the chest with this dagger.” I pulled it out of the small of my back. I wished I could have had it blessed with holy water, but that would have obviously hurt me, too.
“It still scares me. Please be safe.”
“I promise I will.” I kissed him on the cheek and left the car running, my keys inside, in case he needed a quick getaway.
Dressed in all black, I went to the front door and rang the bell. A tall man in a suit answered. “Can I help you?”
“Yes, I’m looking for Ringo. He’s expecting me,” I lied.
The man looked me up and down, and sensing I was a vampire, as was he, he opened the door. “Upstairs, first door on the right.”
“Thanks, Lurch,” I replied with a wink.
He rolled his eyes—actually rolled them—and said in his deep, Lurch-like voice, “Like I’ve never heard that before.”
I giggled and made my way up the long, circular staircase. Once I was at the top, I rounded the corner and steadied my breathing. I knocked twice on the door and waited for it to open. A woman answered—wearing only a see-through lacy black robe—and looked me up and down. “What do you want?”
Crap. I was hoping he’d be alone.
Without answering, I pushed her down onto the floor and then drove the dagger into her chest. She barely had time to let out a squeak before she crumpled to a pile of ash and lace.
“What the fuck, Dani!” Ringo roared. “If you wanted my dick you could have just said so instead of killing off the competition. Geez!”
I lunged at him with the dagger, but he side-stepped me and I missed. Then, he snatched the dagger from my hand and threw it away. I tried to reach for it, but he grabbed my hair and craned my head back. “What the fuck do you think you’re doing, bitch? You owe me two bodies but think you can come into my home and kill me instead? You’re in way over your head, little girl.”
“Fuck you, Ringo. I’ll never kill Judson. Or that cop. You’re slowly losing your mind. You need to die. You’ve been alive too long.” Then, I spit in his face.
Ringo had once told me he’d been alive since the mid-1800s. It was creepy as hell that he was still existing after all this time. And he seemed to be getting meaner and crazier with every passing year.
“Alfred!” Ringo yelled.
Lurch came quickly to the door and said, “Yes, sir?”
“Take her to the cells. I’ll be down shortly.”
Cells? Oh, shit. “No!” I screamed. “Let me go!”
I wasn’t scared of cells or torture or even death. I just didn’t want Judson to have to live knowing I died for him. Or wonder what happened to me.
Ringo laughed. “I don’t think so. You need to sit in a cell for a while until I decide what to do with you.”
“Fuck you, asshole. Fuck. You. I hate you!” I screamed out as Alfred dragged me by my ponytail down the hall, down the stairs, and then to a door across the kitchen set into the wall. I was grappling at his hands, trying to get him to let me go. It hurt like hell.
“Stop squirming, woman,” Alfred said quietly.
“Let me go, Lurch! I won’t tell anyone, I swear. Just let me go!”
“Sorry, boss’s orders,” he drawled.
He dragged me down a pitch-black and cold stairwell that led to a hall. I could barely see in this place, but I could make out shapes and silhouettes with my enhanced eyesight. Alfred turned and led us down the hallway. The walls were rough and stone-like, but I was thankful the hallway wasn’t very long. A small splice of light shone the very end.
The hall opened up into a large, circular chamber. There were jail cells set along the walls, and in the center was a large desk with four computer monitors around it. Two of the monitors showed what was going on in the underground chamber, one monitor showed what was happening in the grand foyer of the house above us, and the fourth was pointed toward the vast green lawns behind the mansion.
Alfred produced a key from his pocket and opened the lock, then threw me inside. Before closing the door, he told me to be quiet, as I was still yelling. So, he reared his arm up and then backhanded me so hard, I saw nothing but stars and then blessed blackness.
16
Judson
Thirty-five minutes had passed, and I was getting really nervous. The house seemed quiet. Lights were on outside but of course, I couldn’t see anything going on inside, as all the windows had been blacked out. Looked like with paint, but who knew. Vampires were weird.
When all my fingernails had been chewed down to nubs, I knew I had to do something. No way was I just going to drive off and wonder if the love of my life was all right.
Fuck. That. If Daniela was dead, then I wanted to join her. No way was I living out the next fifty years of my life without her. And if she wasn’t dead, she obviously needed help. I wasn’t a pussy. I didn’t leave a woman in distress. I’d never forgive myself for not saving Audrey and the fuck if I was gonna have Dani’s death on my hands, too.
I studied the house for the millionth time. Obviously, using the front door hadn’t worked out so well for Dani, so I slid into the driver’s seat and drove around to the side of the house. The whole thing took up its own block so when I reached the back, I could see vast lawns sprawling toward the back of the house. There was a swimming pool, and on the east side of the property was some kind of drainage ditch surrounded by trees.
Crap. How the hell was I gonna sneak into there?
“Fuck it, I got nothing to lose,” I said to myself as I killed the engine to the SUV and shoved the key into my pocket, closing the driver’s door quietly.
I crept across the lawn, around the pool, and then tried the back door. Shocked it was unlocked, I slid inside and closed it with a quiet click.
It was very, very dark but I knew I was in a hallway. I kept walking toward a light source I could see at the end. Once I was close to it, someone jumped out and grabbed me from behind, wrapping their arms around me.
Shit.
“Where you going, little man?”
Little? No. I was six-foot-one and this guy was shorter than me. In hopes he was a vampire, I pulled the vial of holy water from my pants pocket and splashed it on his arms. He screeched and let go. When I turned around, I could see smoke rising from his arms, so I quickly jumped on him and pulled out my wooden stake, also dipped in holy water. “Where is Daniela?”
He snarled. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“A woman, she was here a half-hour ago. Where is she?” I held the point of the dagger at his throat and drew a little blood.
“All blood bags are either consumed or put in the dungeon,” he stammered out.
“Where’s the fucking dungeon, you leech?” I was trying very hard not to snap.
“Well, below the house, obviously.”
“Obviously,” I gritted out. “How do I get there?”
He looked up at me with crazed eyes. “Fuck you, little man.” Then, he bucked me off and jumped on me. While I was down, he bit into my neck and I yelled out so loud, I was sure someone was going to come running.
“Ow! You asshole!” I put my hand to my neck, and with the other, I stabbed him in the shoulder with my stake.
He jumped off me, but before he could get away, I tackled him. While he was face-down on the floor, I said, “Where’s. The. Door. To. The. Dungeon?”
“Kitchen door. Kitchen door!”
“Thank you.” Then I flipped him over and plunged the stake into
his chest. After I jumped off, he turned to ash and clothing.
“Cool!”
It took me twenty minutes to find the damn kitchen, all the while growing weak from the blood loss in my neck. Thankfully, the first door I tried led to a dark, steep staircase where I realized the ‘dungeon’ was. It wasn’t hard to find Daniela sleeping in one of the cold, stone cells.
“Dani!” I whisper-yelled, relieved nobody else was around except a couple of other prisoners.
She blinked her eyes open. “Judson?”
“Yes, it’s me. How do I get you out of here?”
“Lurch has the keys,” she murmured.
I was confused. “Who’s Lurch?” I yanked on the cell door, and it opened up. “What the hell?”
She sat up and became more alert. “Wait. It was open the whole time?”
“Hell if I know… let’s just take it as a sign that ‘Lurch’ forgot to lock it and get the fuck outta here.”
“Agreed,” she replied, following me out. “What about those two?” She pointed to the other two cells.
It was then I noticed one of the prisoners looked very familiar. Unkempt blond hair. Crazed eyes. “Holy fuck. That’s Audrey’s killer,” I breathed.
“Are you serious?” Dani asked.
“As a heart attack.”
She bit her lip and looked around. “But we need to get out of here.”
“Not before I do what I need to do.”
“Oh, my God, Judson. You’re bleeding. Have you been bit?” she asked, panic in her voice.
I ignored her and walked up to his cell with my arms behind my back.
“Come here, we’re gonna let you out,” I said to the crazed vampire.
He slowly slunk over to me. “Who are you? You look familiar.” Even his voice sounded unhinged. He had definitely lost the plot and needed to be put down.
“I’m your guardian angel,” I lied.
He grinned and stood right in front of the bars. “Is that so?”
“No,” I said, grabbing him around his neck through the bars with one arm and reaching through with the other and stabbing him in the back. I prayed to whoever was listening that it would hit his heart.
“What have you done, angel?” he asked, true betrayal in his eyes.
“That’s for Audrey. You prick.” I let him go and he slumped to the floor of the cell. It didn’t take long for him to begin to crumble.
When I looked down at him, it was almost like there were two of him, my vision beginning to swim as I grew weaker. We raced up the stairs, snuck through the kitchen, and eventually found our way to the back door.
“Who was that?” Dani asked as we stepped over the pile of ash and clothing in the hallway.
“Guard dog, I guess,” I slurred, pointing to my bleeding neck as we ran.
Once we reached the outside, Dani said, “Sorry about this.”
I looked over at her, confused and weak with blood loss, as she picked me up and ran with vampire speed across the vast lawns to the edge of the property. She opened the passenger door and deposited me in. Then she hopped into the driver’s seat, and we sped off.
Epilogue
Daniela
One year later…
I was right. Washington state wasn’t too bad this time of year.
I mean… it was still pretty damn gloomy, but these beaches, though! I had grown up in Colorado… I’d only been to the beach one time when my parents had taken me to Southern California to Disneyland and a trip to the ocean. But I had only been ten years old and barely remember it. These beaches in Washington weren’t as sunny, nor the sand as soft, but the view of the mountains combined with the water was simply breathtaking. And the best part? We could go out during the day without fear of the sun. I could see for miles, and if it looked like there’d be a break in the clouds to allow the sun, we’d simply just go home.
Unfortunately, Innubis had had to give Judson up, but they’d quickly hired the replacement guitarist they’d used when he’d been out for his bereavement period. They didn’t seem too broken up about losing him, and it made me sad that he seemed to be so replaceable. Judson didn’t seem to care, though. He knew he’d eventually find another band—one who took their careers more seriously. And he had. This part of the country had no shortage of start-up bands and he’d quickly found a job as a guitarist in a rock band that, in my opinion, was pretty damn talented.
As for myself… I told my parents I’d taken a job in Washington for a dot-com startup and they’d bought it. I hated being away from them, but video calls were a beautiful thing and I kept in contact with them regularly. For now, I was just waiting tables at a biker bar. The tips were amazing, but I was getting tired of the ass-smacks and cat-calls. But… it was temporary until something better came along. I wasn’t worried about it. All I knew was that bounty-hunting was definitely out for me. I half-considered joining the local police force. I’d have to think about that though. Night shift only for me.
“This place is breathtaking,” Judson said from behind me.
“Beautiful,” I agreed as we sat on the sand, wrapped up in a blanket against the chilly October wind, Judson’s fangs skimming my neck as we sat in silence.
Unfortunately, the bite he’d endured at the mansion almost killed him. He had lost so much blood by the time we got back to his apartment, I’d had to turn him to save him. I hadn’t even asked. I just did it. No way was I losing him. Guessed I was selfish like that.
“Thank you for saving me,” he murmured into my ear.
“Stop thanking me. I did it for myself,” I teased.
“I had no idea sex could be any better than it was when I was human. Boy, was I wrong,” he replied.
I turned around and straddled him where he sat on the sand, wrapping my arms around his neck. He pulled the blanket tight around to cocoon us in. “It’s so much more than sex to me. I knew from the moment I saw you in Bash that you were different. You were mine. You were my soulmate. It was why I wouldn’t kill you. Couldn’t kill you. I just wished I’d been able to take care of Ringo.”
He grinned and ran his finger down my cheek. “Fuck that guy. He’ll never find us. We can live our lives here. Be able to go out during the day. It’s the perfect place for us, beautiful.”
I laughed. “Yeah, us and a few hundred other vamps.”
We’d quickly discovered this part of the state was teeming with vampires. But that was all right. We all got along and seemed to live in harmony—for now. Unfortunately, there were a lot of wolves in this area too, but we both respected each other’s boundaries.
“I love you, Daniela Ariella Diaz,” he said to me.
I kissed his nose. “I love you, too, Judson Daniel Smith.”
THE END
Want More?
Want more of Michelle Dare’s paranormals? You can read about the characters you met in this story in The Ariane Trilogy and the Paranormals of Avynwood series which are available on Amazon and in Kindle Unlimited.
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About CJ Pinard
C.J. is a USA Today Bestselling author living in Colorado but wishes she was someplace warmer. She loves the SF 49ers and has a weakness for expensive shoes. She’s the author of over 30 novels and short stories that contain both fantasy and paranormal romance with kickass heroines and strong alphas. When she’s not writing, she can be found working at a very strange day job, which may or may not have some mild influences on her gripping stories—so strange, in fact, she may just write a book about it one day.
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Never Let You Go
Dani René
The moment she walked into the party, she knew her mista
ke would cost her more than just her heart. He had chosen his prey perfectly, and she wasn’t escaping anytime soon.
Copyright
Copyright © 2020 by Dani René
Edited by Candice Royer
Proofread by Rebecca’s Fairest Reviews
All rights reserved.
No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, scanning, or otherwise without written permission from the publisher. It is illegal to copy this book, post it to a website, or distribute it by any other means without permission, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.
This novel is entirely a work of fiction. The names, characters and incidents portrayed in it are the work of the author’s imagination. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events or localities is entirely coincidental.
Prologue
CREED
The photo I hold between my fingers doesn’t do her justice. The moment I heard her name, I had to come see for myself. My brothers know me well. Even though we’re not related by blood, we’re connected by something far deeper, so much more twisted than the love of family.
The small town I grew up in has always been my salvation, allowing me to toy with my prey. With the forest beyond the houses and a lake set dead center, I’ve been able to enjoy chasing my prey in the darkness, losing myself to the predator beneath.
Wicked Love Page 16