Kiss of Death (Blood Brothers Book 1)

by Annie Harland Creek

  Evan answered the front door after the tenth knock. By the time he arrived, Anna raged.

  “Where is he?”

  “Oh, Miss Anna. How nice of you to—”

  Anna forced her way past the elderly employee, stepping into the foyer.

  “Derrick! Get out here this minute or I swear I’ll stake you.”

  “Master Derrick is sleeping at the moment, Miss Anna.” Evan hobbled over to the staircase and stood protectively at the base. “I’ll tell him you called.”

  Anna pushed past him. “I’ll tell him myself.” She bounded the staircase, two steps at a time leaving Evan confused and mumbling protests, in her wake. She stormed from doorway to doorway opening and slamming doors as she searched for the right room. Finally, at the end of the hall, she discovered a room that seemed to fit the bill. Although she struggled to see in the darkened room, she could smell him. His musky, Armani enhanced scent permeated the room and, for a moment, she had to remind herself of her anger. Reaching her outstretched arms in front of her face in the dark, she touched something cold and hard.

  “Derrick?”

  “Anna? What are you doing here?”

  Anna balled up her fist and took a swing at where she guessed his face would be. It hit something solid. Her wrist crumpled and pain shot up her arm. She screamed more from the frustration than the pain.

  “You broke my wrist you bastard!”

  “I’m sorry.” He caught her hand and fondled the swelling joint. “I don’t think it’s broken, just sprained.”

  “Damn wall.” She felt around the ink black room for somewhere to sit and found what appeared to be the foot of a large bed. “I was aiming at your face.”

  “Well, you were on target. You hit me on the chin.”

  She mumbled an expletive under her breath as she cradled her wrist in her other hand.

  “If it makes you feel any better, it will probably bruise.”

  “Good.” Anna mumbled as she rocked on the edge of the bed supporting her throbbing right hand. “I wish I’d knocked your stupid head off.”

  She sensed Derrick’s movements as he approached her. He appeared to have no difficulty navigating a darkened room. Of course he wouldn’t. She now understood how he was able to do it. When he touched her arm, she pushed him away.

  “What is the matter, my little Firecracker?”

  “I’m not your little anything.” She pulled away from his contact. As angry as she was, his touch melted her bones but she was determined to remain annoyed. He had violated her trust and she wanted him to know it wasn’t okay. She rose and felt her way around the walls of the room. It seemed massive.

  “Where’s the damn light switch?”

  A surge of white flashed before Anna’s eyes and she blinked until her eyes adjusted to the light of the crystal chandelier that Derrick had switched on. Its radiance so bright she fully expected Derrick to burst into flames.

  “Better?”

  She scanned the room and discovered that other than being completely closed off and sealed from the sunlight, it was a rather spectacular bedroom. Her whole house would fit inside it with room to spare. Well, not quite but damned close. Anna did a quick mental inventory of the décor but her focus was drawn to the larger than life king-size bed. Her fingers itched to glide over the black silk sheets that lay crumpled on the edge but she controlled the urge, determined to stay angry. When she turned back to Derrick, a lump caught in her throat. He stood at the foot of the bed, completely naked and obviously pleased to see her—very pleased indeed.

  “Will you stop pointing that thing at me?”

  Derrick reached for her. She held him at arm’s length with the heel of her hand and sat on the edge of the bed.

  “Shouldn’t you be in a coffin sleeping until dusk?”

  “The bed’s more comfortable. Care to join me?”

  Anna swallowed another lump. Since the earlier vision, her memory of the previous night had returned in full. All the x-rated segments accentuated by vivid and very physical reactions. It was as though her skin was marked by his touch. It remembered every stroke of his fingers, every lap of his tongue and especially the parts of his body that she found hard to ignore while he stood naked before her. Even now, her nipples strained against the lace of her bra as she tried not to think about how well they fit together. She imagined how soft those sheets would feel against her bare skin as he— No. She couldn’t allow her hormones to control the situation. She shook her head to dislodge the images. He bit you damn it. Focus on that.

  “How could you do that to me … and don’t try and make excuses this time. You bit me and then you tried to erase my memories. Why would you do that?”

  Derrick’s jovial expression turned solemn. His eyes lowered to the floor as he offered his excuse.

  “I was only trying to help you.”

  “How? By turning me into a vampire or by taking away my free will?”

  “I would never try and turn you, Anna.” He sat beside her on the bed but kept his hands to himself although it was a struggle. He desperately wanted her, now more than ever. The sight of her on his bed made him harder than he imagined possible.

  “But you took away my memories. Did you intend on making me some type of sex slave? Use me then make me forget after every interlude?”

  Derrick stifled a laugh. He knew this was a serious matter but Anna’s colorful imagination never ceased to amaze and delight him.

  “If you remember mon amour, you seduced me. I am, first and foremost a male. As you women like to point out, sometimes our brains go south of the border. It’s hard to stay focused sometimes, especially when a beautiful, naked woman straddles me in my office.”

  Color spread across Anna’s face and chest and she lowered her eyes as he continued. “I’m a vampire, Anna. There, are you happy now, I’ve admitted it. You can’t seduce a vampire and not get bitten. You literally screwed the demon out of me.”

  “What do we do now?” She flopped back on the bed and stared up at the ceiling.

  “I don’t know my love.” He gave in to his compulsion and wrapped her in his arms. This time she snuggled against his bare chest, her fingers curled around the sprinkling of chest hairs. “I tried to take away your memories so I could spare you the pain but obviously that didn’t work.”

  “The pain?” Anna looked up into his eyes. “I don’t remember any pain but I remember pleasure. Lots and lots of it.”

  He was glad that her memories included enjoyment of the experience. It was a night that he would never forget. But, could he risk repeating the experience? There had to be a way to control his demon. A way to take comfort in her without risking her mortal soul. He would talk to David. Consult ancients. Find a way to make it work. He couldn’t lose her, not now, not ever.

  “You were distressed when you realized I’d bitten you. I couldn’t bear to see your tears. It was all I could think of to do. I know that sounds selfish.”

  “You should have given me a choice. That’s what you should have done. You could have told me the truth and allowed me to decide if it was worth the risk.”

  “Where do we go from here?”

  “I don’t know.” Anna shrugged her shoulders and sighed. “My life feels like it’s spinning madly out of control. Too many changes. Everything is happening so fast.”

  “I know there are many complications in your life at the moment, things you aren’t prepared to deal with but there’s something else we need to talk about.”

  “Torke?”

  “Yes, Anna. Do you know why he is so interested in you?”

  “I have no idea what he wants with me but I believe he killed my mother.” She swallowed before continuing. He heard the pain in her voice as she told him, “And … I know he plans on killing me.”

  Derrick grabbed her by the shoulders. His arms shaking as he held her tightly. “He told you that?”

  “He made it very clear, Derrick. He said that I had made my choice and that he was sorry I wasn
’t going to be able to live with it. Correct me if I’m wrong but that sounds like a death threat to me.”

  “I want you to stay away from him.”

  “Fine by me, but I think he has other ideas.”

  “I was afraid of that.” Derrick rose from the bed and began pacing the room.

  ****

  To her horror, Anna found herself staring longingly at his lean, naked body as he walked back and forth past the bed. He suddenly stopped directly in front of her. “I’m not usually out of bed at this time of day. If I’d known you were coming, I would have dressed.”

  “Don’t bother on my account.”

  Derrick dragged her up into his arms. “The way I see it we have two choices…” He kissed a path from her shoulders to her throat.

  “Uh-huh.”

  “I either get dressed so I can focus on you telling me more about your confrontation with Torke or…”

  “Mmmmm”

  “You take off your clothes and join me in bed.”

  “Can’t you tell me about Torke while you take me to your bed?”

  “I have a sneaking suspicion what I have to say will be a buzz kill.”

  “Spoil sport.” She pushed him away with both hands. “Get dressed and say what you have to say.” Although there was more than enough room for many people in the king size bed, she didn’t want to be thinking about Torke while making love with Derrick. It could permanently damage the relationship, if there was one to begin with.

  To Anna’s disappointment, Derrick dressed quickly into a t-shirt and jeans and sat beside her on the edge of the bed.

  “Have you met Torke before that night in the garden?”

  “No never.” Anna shook her head vehemently. “But he insists he knows me. Said he knew my mother.”

  Derrick’s eyebrows joined in consternation. “Did your mother ever speak of him?”

  “Not that I remember, but then again … I was only a child when my mother died. I’ve only recently learned she cast some sort of memory spell on me so she may have blocked that out too.”

  “Memory spell? Your mother was a witch?”

  “I guess so.” Anna agreed with a shrug of her shoulders. “I found a letter in a box that belonged to her. It seems that the practice of Wicca may have been common on her side of the family.”

  Derrick thought for a moment. “There used to be a coven of witches who practiced in this area. Possibly your mother was one of them.”

  “I guess so.” Anna shrugged. “But there is no one to confirm that. Dad never spoke about witches and now that he’s gone, I have no-one to ask.”

  “There may be someone we could question. One of the witches from that coven is still alive.” Derrick informed her. “She was left for dead with the others but somehow managed to survive, despite being very young at the time.”

  “What do you mean, left for dead? How many people besides my mother did Torke kill?”

  “Six.” He informed her. “They tell me that thirteen was the number traditionally said to make up a coven but I have since learned that the number may vary from two to two thousand. This coven was relatively small.”

  “How did they die?” A chill ran down her spine. Would she suffer the same fate?

  “By fire. At least five of them anyway. The other died—”

  “By car accident.” Anna realized the implication. Her mother was the sixth.

  “How did you know?”

  “Because the sixth witch was my mother.” It all made sense now.

  “How long have you known this? Jake never mentioned that his wife had been a witch or that she died in a car accident.”

  “I only found out recently.” Anna looked into his eyes and waited for the reaction that usually came after she admitted her secret. “I was told in a vision.”

  “Your mother … was she psychic?”

  “I guess. She told me once—while we were playing a game—that she had worked as a palm reader. I thought it was part of the game.”

  “And you inherited these abilities?”

  Anna nodded. “Not the palm reading but, since I was a child, I’ve had visions about the future and sometimes the past, although most of the time I try to block them out.”

  “Why would you want to block them out?”

  “Maybe you had a great childhood, Derrick, but mine was miserable.” She rose from the bed and paced the length of the room, wringing her hands as memories of her childhood flooded back. “I could barely cope with the empath thing without experiencing visions of the future. All I have ever wanted was to be normal but it’s hard when you can’t determine whether the feelings you are experiencing are your own or those of the people around you.”

  “I guess that is why you were reluctant to share the office?”

  Anna nodded. “That, and the fact that every time I came near you, my head felt as though it might split in two. I don’t suppose that you had anything to do with that?”

  Derrick shrugged. “Sorry about that. I could feel you trying to read my thoughts and I couldn’t allow it.”

  “But, Derrick, I can’t read thoughts, only emotions.”

  “I hate to break this to you love but you were definitely trying to read my mind, whether you knew it or not.”

  “Damn.” She dropped down beside him on the bed and let her head rest in her hands. “It feels like the universe is trying to punish me.” She turned to Derrick, her eyes filling with tears. “What have I done to deserve this? What does the universe have against me just blending in?”

  “You, my darling, would always stand out in a crowd whether you had powers or not. Your kindness and compassion for others is a beacon. People will always be drawn to you.”

  He hugged her to his chest as he continued. “Some people would kill to be able to do what you do.”

  Bursting into tears, Anna announced, “They can have it, I’ve had enough.” Her tears dampened his fresh t-shirt and she scrubbed at it with a tissue as she told him, “I’m tired of blocking the visions but I can’t bear to have them. Is there any way you can take them away? Can you use your vampire powers to help me?”

  Derrick shook his head. “If you remember, I couldn’t even prevent you from remembering our rendezvous in the office.”

  “In a way, I’m glad that you didn’t take that memory away from me.” She informed him, her smile curling in one corner of her mouth. “One last pleasant memory to take to my grave when Torke kills me.”

  Derrick grasped her chin, forcing her to face him. “I will never let that happen. Think Anna. Do you remember anything strange happening in your life recently? Something that might relate to Torke?”

  “Strange? My whole freaking life has been strange!”

  “Such as…”

  “Such as having a compulsion to clean or count whenever I feel things are beyond my control. Such as having premonitions about murders before they happen or photocopiers about to catch fire and knowing people are going to call before they do. Sensing danger.”

  “That power could come in handy,” Derrick told her. “But what I don’t get is why Torke suddenly decided to come for you? Why hasn’t he attacked you before?”

  “I guess I should be grateful for small mercies,” Anna confessed. “But I don’t understand why either.”

  “And Jake? He never told you anything about your mother’s death or about Torke?”

  She shook her head. “Never mentioned it. As a matter of fact, whenever I tried to broach the subject, he seemed to go vague, like he didn’t understand what I was talking about.”

  “Sounds like a compulsion or spell,” Derrick informed her. “She must have performed something on your father similar to what she did to you.”

  “I guess I can understand her concern.” Anna conceded although she wished she understood more about her mother’s reasoning. “But she kind of left us unprotected by blocking our memories. We were powerless against Torke because we didn’t know how to defend ourselves.”

  “
I’m sure she did what she thought was best.” She felt his chin resting on the top of her head. “Sometimes our actions hurt those who we love, despite our good intentions.”

  “That sounds like an apology.”

  “It is in a way. I have made my share of mistakes and I live with the regret but if I ever hurt you again or thought I would never see your face again; I would go willingly into the light.”

  “Nice answer.” Anna murmured against the granite muscles of his chest. “So … I’ll ask you again, where do we go to from here?”

  Derrick flopped back onto the bed dragging Anna down with him. He rolled her onto her back and positioned himself between her legs leaving her in no doubt of his intentions, especially when he began to unzip his jeans. His fingers began to open her blouse, one agonizing button at a time.

  “Not so fast, buster.” She pushed against his shoulders, barely forcing a slight gap between their bodies. I am more than willing to participate in the sex but I need you to promise me that you won’t bite me. I don’t think I could bear any more changes in my life.”

  “I’m not sure if I can keep that promise. Not yet anyway.”

  Derrick climbed off, leaving Anna feeling slightly rejected and somewhat angry with herself.

  “I have no control over my hormones or my physical urges, especially when I’m with you. I have no right to ask you to risk your life this way.” He continued, “I should never have allowed you to seduce me. We should have waited until I learned how to control my demon.”

  “I … seduced … you?” Anna raised herself onto her elbows. “I seem to remember a massage that got way out of control … a law suit in the making in fact. Human resources would have your guts for garters.”

  “My behavior was inexcusable.”

  “You’re damn right it was!”

  “I’ve said I’m sorry, Anna.” His voice trembled. “And if you remember, it wasn’t me who paraded around naked and gave you a lap dance.”

  “That was payback.”

  “So, turnabout is fair play?”

  “In this case … yes.” Anna sat up on the bed and wiggled over to the edge. When her toes touched the floor, she rose to her feet. “I wanted you to know how it felt to be driven to the brink of sexual frustration and left wanting—”