Kiss of Death (Blood Brothers Book 1)

by Annie Harland Creek

  And you think this wasn’t? Anna found it difficult to keep the words to herself. Instead, she asked, “Why does it have to finish early? Wouldn’t you like to come in for a while?” You can’t leave yet! Not until I get to the bottom of this.

  Derrick leaned back against the door of the car and folded his arms across his chest as his eyebrows drew into a frown. “You hardly talked to me all the way here. Why the sudden mood swing?”

  Anna gazed down at her feet, buying time while she tried to think of an excuse. “I’m sorry if I seemed distracted. I was … disappointed that our dinner was interrupted. It was going so well.”

  “It was beginning feel that way. Especially after you acknowledged my friendship with your father.”

  Anna grinned. Derrick had gifted her with an excuse to draw out the evening. “Exactly!” she said, a little too enthusiastically. “I mean, it would mean a lot to me if you came inside and told me a bit more about your conversations with my father.”

  Derrick shook his head and grimaced. “As much as I would like to come inside, I think I should find out why we have unexpected guests at the manor.”

  She grabbed his arm and edged closer to him as she lowered her chin and pouted. “Please, Derrick. I’m feeling a bit rattled by all those unexpected guests, especially that Torke guy.” She involuntarily shuddered as she recalled his features. “I’d feel much safer if you came in for a while.”

  Derrick’s shoulders drooped. He sighed and nodded. “For a while.”

  She held tight to his arm with both hands as they walked up the path to the house, worried that he might change his mind. He had every right to wonder about the house guests. They were the strangest group of people that she had ever met. She worried about David. They had left him outnumbered and despite Derrick’s insistence to the contrary, she knew he was in the company of dangerous creatures who may or may not have his best interests at heart.

  “Do you think David will mind being left alone to entertain your guests?” That was a reasonable question, right? Something quite normal to ask?

  “David is in charge of that particular group of people. I guess you’d call him the director. A spiritual guide perhaps. It was David who called the meeting. That’s the reason Evan called me inside … to warn me they were coming.”

  “Warn?”

  “Evan thought their presence would disturb our meal, which it did. He was giving us the opportunity to sneak away before you were bothered by their … peculiar ways.”

  “Why did David call a meeting anyway? Wasn’t he out on a date?” Anna unlocked the front door and stepped inside. Derrick remained on the porch.

  “A matter of great importance came up. Evan informed me that while he was out on his date David was made aware of a serious matter that needed urgent attention.”

  “What was that?”

  “I wouldn’t know, Anna. Maybe you should ask David?”

  “Maybe I will.” And while she was at it, she’d pump Evan for information too. Hopefully, the elderly servant would be the talkative type.

  “Wine?” she asked as she headed towards the kitchen.

  “Ah, give me a minute.” He disappeared and returned with a bottle of the red she had enjoyed at dinner. “Why don’t we drink this?” he offered as he took the wine glasses from her hands and poured them each a glass.

  With hands on hips she said. “You expected to be asked inside?”

  “Not expected … hoped. I asked Evan to put a bottle in the car.”

  “I can live with that.” Anna tapped her glass against Derrick’s in a toast. “What should we drink to?”

  “To Jake. A fine man and a good friend.”

  Anna raised both her glass and her eyes to the ceiling. “To Dad.”

  A flood of emotions bubbled to the surface. She had been raised to be better than this. Better than the person Patrick had forced her to become. For the last couple of days, she had pushed her grief down deep, focusing solely on her efforts to discover as much as possible about her new partner. She lowered her head, hoping to hide the tears that threatened behind her eyes.

  “I’m sorry if I’ve stirred up painful memories.”

  Anna raised her head as Derrick took the glass from her hand and gently eased her onto the sofa. He positioned himself beside her, their knees touching as he took her hands in his. His compassion soothed her, comforted her, and informed her that she was safe in his company. If he was indeed a blood sucking fiend, he wished her no harm. Not at this moment anyway.

  “Anna. Are you all right? You glazed over there for a moment.”

  “Oh, sorry.” Anna blinked away the tears. “It’s been a strange night.”

  “Would you like me to leave?”

  “No! I mean, no. Please stay a while longer. I was just thinking about my Dad, that’s all. I was wondering … how did you meet him?”

  “Let me think?” His fingers lightly brushed her hands as he spoke. The sensation so intimate, so arousing she could barely concentrate on his story. “It was around seven years ago. I had been out for a stroll one evening and found myself outside your father’s gym. There was a commotion out the back and I followed the sound of the voices around to the back alley. Your father was trying to evict a couple of hooligans from the building and they had no intention of leaving until they’d caused significant damage. I offered my services.”

  “So in other words, you beat the hell out of them?”

  Derrick’s laugh came out of the blue. So did Anna’s reaction to the delicious tones in his warm chuckle. Her skin prickled from the top of her head to the tip of her toes.

  “Not as serious as that my little firecracker, but let’s just say … your father never had trouble from those particular people again.”

  “So, he invited you to become a partner in order to protect his business from thugs?”

  “Not straight away.” He held up the wine bottle and Anna accepted a top up. “We became friends first. It was around six months later on before we decided it was in both our interests to join forces, so to speak.”

  “I wonder why Dad never mentioned you.” She gasped and lowered her eyes. “Sorry, that sounded a bit rude didn’t it?’

  “Not at all. It’s a perfectly reasonable question.”

  He leaned back on the sofa but kept their skin to skin contact. She shivered as his shirt gaped open, exposing his chest. Heat flooded her cheeks. She was grateful for the distraction when Derrick continued his story.

  “Your father once told me that he worried about you in the ‘big city’ and didn’t want to add to your concerns with his own problems. According to him, you have control issues.”

  “Is that what he told you?” She shook her head in disbelief. How could her father think she had control issues? Just because she wasn’t comfortable being told what to do? Or was it the need to keep to a routine in order to cope? Maybe … maybe he knew her better than she knew herself? “What else did he tell you about me?”

  “He told me how much he missed you. How he detested Patrick Miller for hurting you and driving you away, although, he never thought the man was good enough for you in the first place.”

  “Is that so?” Anna kicked off her shoes and tucked her feet up under her as her body relaxed. It must be the wine. Warmth spread over her. She yawned and stretched out her arms behind her as sleep threatened to take her. She imagined how it would feel to curl up and sleep in his arms. “Tell me more?”

  “Such as?”

  “Why would you want to invest in a run-down gym when you could just as easily start a better one in competition?”

  “I had no real interest in owning a gym. I only suggested the partnership in order to help your father. Until I met Jake, I was a bit self-absorbed.”

  “So, you’re not perfect after all.” Her hand shot to her mouth and her eyes widened. Did I say that out loud?

  “I don’t ever remember saying I was.” He leaned closer, his cool breath icy against her cheek. “Did you form that
opinion yourself?”

  “You’re changing the subject.”

  “I thought I was the subject?” he flashed his dimples. “Fine. Ask away.”

  “It’s my fault Dad had to take on a partner isn’t it? I crippled him financially with the failed wedding reception.”

  “No. No, I don’t believe that.” He slipped his arm around her shoulders and drew her into his body. “The fitness industry is a fickle business. It was a slow year.”

  Anna knew she should object to the physical contact but her body betrayed her, warming to his touch. She leaned her head against his cool chest and took comfort in his arms. “So you don’t think it was my fault?”

  He kissed her forehead. A small gesture, but filled with intimacy. “Just a twist of fate.”

  “Derrick. Do you think … did he ever say anything to imply that he was disappointed in me?”

  “Never! Your father loved you more than anything else in the world. He told me so daily in words and actions. Did you know he kissed your photograph every time he entered this room?”

  “I had no idea.”

  “I have a confession to make, Anna.”

  Anna lifted her chin and became lost in his eyes. “Yes, Derrick.”

  “I was jealous.”

  “Jealous? Of me or my father?”

  “Both, I guess.” He lowered his eyes and his eyelashes fluttered a little. The butterflies in her stomach took flight as she listened to his confession. “My own father died when I was only in my early twenties and he had never shown me the sort of affection that Jake had for you.”

  Anna took a deep breath before asking, “And why were you jealous of him?”

  “Because he had you in his life. And because—even though it was only a pale imitation of the real thing—the photo was a reminder of your love.”

  An overwhelming sense of guilt washed over her. She reached up to cup his cheek, gaze into his perfect eyes. “I owe you an apology. I don’t know what’s gotten into me lately. I have been so rude when all you have shown me is understanding and kindness.”

  “You have nothing to apologize for. You’ve lost a parent,” he reminded her.

  “Along with my manners.” She added with a shy smile. “But that is about to change. Things will be different from now on.”

  “For instance?” he leaned back against the sofa, his grip around her shoulders tightening as he twisted a few strands of her hair around his fingers. Her heart missed a beat in reaction to the intimate gesture. She lightly brushed his chest with her fingertips as he kissed the top of her head. She felt safe in his arms. Safe enough to forget her suspicions.

  “For instance…” Her fingers traced a path from his square jaw to cup his head in her palm, pulling his mouth down to meet hers, “…this.”

  For the briefest moment, he melted into the kiss but almost as fast, he pulled away.

  “I wish with all my heart that we could be together Anna but I would only end up hurting you.”

  “I’m a big girl, Derrick.” She slid her hand inside his shirt and traced his chest with her fingertips, savoring the feeling as his skin reacted with goose flesh. There was no hiding his attraction. His body told her what his words could not. There was no doubt in her mind that he wanted her just as much as she wanted him. “I can look after myself.” She found his nipple and gave it a squeeze between her fingers, watching with delight as he closed his eyes and moaned.

  “No … you can’t.” he pushed her away and held her at arm’s length. “I am a dangerous man, Anna. I deal with treacherous people every day. You would never be safe.”

  “Treacherous people. You mean vampires?”

  “You’re like a dog with a bone aren’t you? You won’t give up on this ridiculous notion?”

  Anna shook her head. “I have a sixth sense that is screaming at me. You’re a liar, Derrick Corel. The only way you could convince me is if you stay until dawn.”

  “I can’t do that, Anna.”

  “Ah-hah. I knew it.”

  “It’s not because I fear turning to dust or spontaneously combusting if that’s what you think.”

  “Well, prove me wrong. Stay.”

  “No.” Derrick rose from the lounge and walked towards the door with Anna close at his heels.

  “You liar. You’re a vampire and you can’t stay because you fear you’ll burst into flames.”

  The speed with which Derrick turned almost knocked Anna off her feet. He caught her before she fell—holding her firmly by the shoulders. “I fear you, Anna. I fear the effect you have on me, on my body. I can’t think when I’m in your presence. I can’t sleep without dreaming of you.” He kissed her. Hard. Taking his time as he explored her mouth with his tongue. Anna pressed her body into his, wrapping her arms around his neck. He reached behind his head and grabbed her hands, drawing them together in a prayer position in front of her chest. “But we can’t be together. I can only bring you more suffering.” With that, he flung open the door and disappeared into the night. With a roar of his car’s engine, he was gone.

  ****

  Derrick’s dark mood preceded him into the kitchen where he found David clearing away empty wine glasses that contained a familiar sticky residue. He looked around before asking.

  “Have they gone?”

  “They only stayed about an hour—” David barely had time to react when Derrick picked him up by the collar and forced him against the kitchen cabinet. Glass from the door shattered against his head sending shards sailing in all directions. “Hey, bro. That’s a bit of an overreaction isn’t it?”

  “How could you put Anna in danger like that? What were you thinking?”

  “I wasn’t thinking. I’m sorry.” David shook the fragments of broken cabinet from his hair. “It was an emergency.”

  “Nothing is so important it is worth putting Anna’s life in danger. Do you understand? Nothing.”

  “I beg to differ, little brother.” He touched his hand to a tender spot on his scalp and licked the blood off his fingers. After scowling at Derrick, he began to sweep up the mess.

  “Well, what is it?” Derrick’s mood grew darker as he considered what could have happened to Anna, alone in the garden with Torke. “What did Torke have to say?”

  “You heard him. He wants control.”

  “I hope you made it perfectly clear that he isn’t welcome here.”

  “It would have been easier to convince him if you hadn’t given him ammunition to use against us.” He shot David an ‘I told you so’ look. “I tried to caution you against objecting to our co-leadership.”

  “Okay.” Derrick took a dustpan from the cupboard and held it as David swept the glass. “That may have been stupid on my part, but hindsight is twenty-twenty. So, is he leaving?”

  “Not yet. He says he has unfinished business here.”

  “What sort of business?”

  David shrugged. “He told me in no uncertain terms to butt out.”

  “Why didn’t you insist?”

  “As you know, he was previously in control of the district and does not readily accept authority. He promised to resolve his problem quickly. There was little else I could do except to remind him that his presence is unwelcome.”

  “So, it’s been taken care of?”

  “Not exactly.”

  Derrick held out the small plastic waste bin so his brother could empty the dustpan but David hesitated. Wrinkles formed on his brow.

  “There’s something I think you should know Derrick.”

  “About?”

  “About, Torke. And Anna.”

  Derrick dropped the bin. “What about Anna? What did he say?”

  “It wasn’t so much what he said, but how he said it. After you left he asked about her.” Before Derrick had a chance to interrupt, David added. “No, I didn’t tell him anything.”

  “What did he want to know?”

  “What was your interest in her? How long has she lived here? But what stood out in my mind was that
I get the impression he knows her or at least of her.”

  “Come to think of it, he was showing a lot of interest in her before you showed up and the way he looked at her…” He shook his head. “Something doesn’t feel right. She wasn’t just a potential meal to him. He seemed angry at her.”

  “Exactly,” David agreed. “Warning bells starting ringing in my ears the moment I joined you in the garden. He seemed both excited and furious. The hate in the air was palpable.”

  “I sensed it too but I thought that the hate was directed at me.” Derrick remembered a crack of electricity he had become aware of shortly after Torke’s appearance. “And you’re sure you didn’t give him any information about Anna?”

  David held up two fingers to his temple in a scout salute. “Scout’s honor.”

  “You’ve never been a boy scout.” Derrick shook his head and sighed.

  “No.” David grinned. “But I’ve bitten a few. They taste like girl scout cookies.”

  ****

  Anna awoke to pounding on her front door. After rubbing the sleep from her eyes, she checked the time on the clock, groaned and struggled into her dressing gown. She was exhausted, both physically and emotionally. The dreams were coming more frequently and the danger seemed more real. She woke many times during the night with a feeling of apprehension, especially after what she had learned from the information she had found on the internet. Information about vampires.

  “Patrick.” She complained after she had opened the door. “What are you doing here at 6 a.m. It’s Saturday morning for Pete’s sake?”

  “I was worried about you.” He barged his way past, uninvited. “I heard you went out with Derrick Corel last night.”

  Anna noticed the way he tried to spy past her into her bedroom, and then strutted into the kitchen to poke around.

  “He isn’t here, Patrick.”

  “I knew you wouldn’t sleep with him.” Patrick announced, almost too confidently. “I just wanted to be sure.”

  “What do you mean by that?”

  “You’re not the type to sleep around, that’s all.”

  “I may surprise you.”

  “Come on, Anna, be serious.” Patrick flopped down on the sofa as if he owned the place, a gesture that infuriated Anna almost as much as his confidence in her fidelity. “It took me years to get you into bed and we were engaged.”