by Cynthia Eden
Her gaze drifted down his chest. “They…shot you.”
“With vamp tranq. Dumbasses. That was their cock up.”
Cock up. Mistake. Right. Sometimes, he used some old British slang. She used to find it cute, charming—
No. Rose slammed the door on their past. That door had to stay shut, if she was supposed to keep her sanity in place.
His hand still reached toward her. “I want this to be your choice. I need it to be.”
She blinked.
“Come with me. Trust me. Right now.”
But she couldn’t. After everything that had happened between them, maybe because of everything, she couldn’t. Sometimes, there was just too much blood and pain and death for trust. “Stay away from me.” She kept her back to the wall as she edged toward the mouth of the alley.
“Rose…You need me.” Frustration cracked in his voice.
Every time they were together, things just ended in pain. Or her death. “Stay away.” Then she gave up trying to creep out of his sight. She turned and ran, heading for escape like the desperate woman that she was.
Two vampire hunters had come for her? Who’d sent them? The government? No way would she become Uncle Sam’s prisoner again. She wouldn’t be anyone’s prisoner. And trusting Julian? No, not possible.
Not with the dark truths she’d learned about him.
Julian Craig wasn’t some hero. He was as far from a white knight as it was possible to be. He was darkness. He was death. He was the monster that she should have feared from the very beginning.
Her high heels clicked as she ran for the parking lot. She didn’t hear Julian behind her, but then, he was too good to make a sound. He hunted like the deadly panther that he was.
And his victim never saw him coming, not until it was too late. By then, his claws would be at his prey’s throat and there would never be a chance to scream.
Her breath heaved from her lungs and she used her vamp super-speed to get her ass away from that alley. Thanks to Julian’s blood, she could move that fast again, but the speed wouldn’t last without more blood. She needed to hurry and put some serious distance between herself and him.
And…
She knew just how to get that distance because Rose had just spotted a familiar blond figure. Her intended prey before Julian had appeared and tried to ruin her night. The blond man from the club was just climbing into the front of his dark SUV. She rushed to the side of the vehicle and grabbed the door before he could close it. “I need a ride.” Her voice came out breathless and a little too high-pitched. Hardly the controlled vamp.
The blond blinked at her. “You…wait…what?”
She risked a glance over her shoulder and—shit—Julian was stalking out of the alley. He looked pissed. “I need a ride really, really badly.” She tried to inject power into her voice as she said, “You’re going to give me a ride.” The compulsion had better work. She’d gotten that temporary power boost from Julian’s blood, so it should work but…
The man blinked. “Uh, you want to get in the car?”
“Absolutely!” She took those stumbling words for an invitation and raced to the other side of the vehicle. She hopped in—
“Rose!” That deep bellow came from Julian. Oh, hell. He was running for her.
“What’s your name?” Rose demanded of the blond as she reached over and took the keys from him. She cranked the SUV.
“Simon. Simon Lorne.”
“Wonderful. Great, look, Simon, you need to get us out of here.” Julian was almost at the SUV. “Now.”
He shoved down the gas pedal and they tore out of the parking lot. As they fish-tailed out of there, she heard a long metallic groan, and Rose looked back, frantic, to see that Julian was right behind them. He scratched the SUV. He was that close—close enough to claw the side of the vehicle.
“Faster,” she urged Simon. “You need to drive one hell of a lot faster.” Because she knew the panther would be giving chase.
Simon didn’t argue. Maybe her compulsion power was just working extra well. He got them away from the club and they hurtled down the little two-lane highway. Her heart was about to burst from her chest, and Rose kept looking back, terrified that she’d see a panther’s golden eyes staring at her.
But he wasn’t there.
“You…having some trouble with your boyfriend?”
“He isn’t my boyfriend.” Okay, so he had been once. A long time ago. “He’s just a problem from my past.” She had quite a few of those. Rose exhaled and forced herself to turn back around and face the front. Slumping in the seat, she said, “Just take the next left. There’s a small motel there. You can drop me off and then just forget you ever met me.” His world would be much safer once he forgot her.
“Why would I want to forget?” The SUV drove past the road that opened onto the left. “You’re the vampire I’ve been looking for.”
It took a moment too long for his words to sink in.
Too long.
Her head whipped toward Simon, but he was already moving. Simon kept one hand on the steering wheel and with his right hand, he drove a syringe into her throat. The needle jabbed into her skin and she felt a hot liquid pour into her.
Dammit.
“You took out my backup in the alley, but I think I can manage to bring you in alone.”
“Think again,” she gritted out. Then she leapt toward him. Rose drove her elbow into his face and heard the crack of bones. She grabbed for the steering wheel, but he was fighting her. The SUV swerved into the next lane—and Rose heard the loud blare of a horn.
“You’re going to get us both killed!” Simon yelled as the SUV flew off the road. It bounced hard and hurtled straight for a tree.
“Lucky for me, I’m already dead.” She closed her eyes and waited for the impact.
It was just as hard and brutal as she’d expected. Glass shattered. Metal groaned and she heard Simon screaming.
Chapter Two
Julian Craig jumped off his motorcycle and rushed toward the wreckage. He could smell blood and the acrid odor of gasoline in the air.
“They came right at me!” A woman was yelling. A human who was frantically spinning around in the middle of the street, wringing her hands. “Crossed the line and nearly hit me! Must be drunk or—”
He reached the passenger side of the SUV. Rose was trapped inside, penned by the twisted metal. Broken glass was all around her. Blood trickled from her cheek. “It’s okay, love,” he said quietly. “I’m here.” He grabbed that door and yanked it hard, tearing it right from the vehicle. The metal groaned as it gave way, and he tossed it to the ground.
“Dear God.” It was the human female behind him. And she sounded terrified.
She should be.
Julian spared her the briefest glance. “Get the hell out of here.”
She took off running.
He bent toward the SUV. The driver was still trapped inside. The blond wanker from the club. His eyes were closed, but he was breathing.
Julian didn’t really care about that fellow.
Rose mattered.
He unhooked her seatbelt and carefully pulled her from the car. “I’ve got you.” She was warm in his arms. He could feel the stir of her breath against his neck when he lifted her up, but Rose’s green eyes didn’t open.
With her held tightly against him, Julian walked away from the vehicle. The scent of gasoline was growing stronger. If that SUV ignited, Rose couldn’t be near it. Fire was a surefire way to permanently kill a vampire, and Rose wasn’t going to die on his watch—not ever again. That was a vow he meant to take to the grave with him.
“Love?” He eased her down near the road. The woman who’d been screaming before screeched away from the scene in her sedan as her tires left a trail of burnt rubber in their wake. He brushed back Rose’s hair as he searched for injuries. But…
She just had a few scratches. Nothing too terrible. Nothing that should have made Rose stay unconscious this way. She wa
s a vamp. Vamps were strong. Too strong for this.
“Help…me…” It was the blond bastard, groaning and waking in the SUV.
Julian didn’t look at him. “Rose.” He’d said her name, roughly, demandingly, but his touch was tender as he stroked her cheek. “Wake up.”
She didn’t.
Why the hell not?
Icy tendrils seemed to snake around his heart. Fear. He didn’t usually experience fear. Emotions were for the weak, and he didn’t have time to waste on them. But with Rose, it was different. With Rose, everything was different.
He pulled her into his arms once more, holding her tightly, and he turned toward his motorcycle. He’d get her to safety. She was breathing, there was no sign of deep injury…
Drugged.
He stilled, just a foot away from his motorcycle, as the truth hit him. Her unconsciousness was too deep for there to be any other explanation.
“Don’t…leave me…” The human yelled from the wreckage. “My legs are t-trapped! Get me out!”
Julian stared down at Rose’s face. He walked forward, then he very carefully put her on the ground near his motorcycle. “I’ll be right back.” His hand lingered on her cheek.
“Fucking help me!”
The human was getting on his last nerve.
Julian stalked back toward the wreckage. He leaned into the open passenger side—
“Thank God,” the blond gasped. “Thought you were going to leave me here.”
“I am.” Because he’d just caught sight of the syringe on the floorboard. He bent and scooped it up. Broken and empty. “What did you give her?”
“Get me out! Don’t you smell the gas? Don’t you—”
Julian grabbed the guy’s arm. “You drugged her. Were you part of that team in the alley? Were you there for her all along?” Because the club was an obvious place to hunt for a vampire. With drinks flowing so heavily, with people dancing and getting lost in the moment—a club like that one was practically a dream vampire destination. And a vampire hunter would have known that. You just waited there, didn’t you, hoping that the vamp in the area would come in…
The answer was on the man’s face. “Get me out.” Now he was pleading. “And I’ll tell you everything.”
A siren shrieked in the distance. The woman he’d sent away—she’d probably called the cops. He sighed. Humans. Always asking for more trouble.
“You drugged her.” He didn’t need any other explanation. “That was your mistake.”
Fire ignited near the back of the vehicle, flames shooting up into the air.
The human screamed. “Get me out now!”
“Looks like someone is about to burn.” He smiled. “Like I said, you made a mistake.” Then Julian left the bastard. He went back to Rose, ignoring the man’s screams. She was still out cold, dammit.
The blond roared. “Get me out—and I’ll tell you everything I know!”
Julian stared down at Rose.
Her lashes began to flutter. His lips parted as he crouched before her. “Come on. Come back to me.” He let his claws slide out and he raked his forearm, a deep enough cut that blood trickled to the surface. Then he gave Rose that blood, knowing it would help heal her.
At first, she didn’t drink.
The sirens grew louder. The scent of smoke and the crackle of flames were louder.
“He has a muse! She’s locked up! A muse and an angel!”
Rose’s lips pressed to Julian’s forearm. She began to drink. The icy tendrils finally released his heart.
“He’s got a witch locked up, too! The guy wanted a mermaid, but he didn’t get her. The vampire is next on his list—he wants her because she wasn’t bitten or born, but created from magic. Oh, shit, dammit, the flames are almost on me! Get me out! Get me out!”
Rose’s green eyes were open. She pushed his arm away, frowning. “Julian?”
The human screamed again—this time, the cry was ripe with pain.
“He’s burning.” Julian didn’t move. “Do you want him to live or die?”
Horror flashed on her face. “Live.”
Because she was still a human at heart. She didn’t get that some monsters were better off dead. After the hell she’d been through, he’d thought she would have learned that particular dark truth by now.
“Only for you,” he said then he leapt away from her. If it had been his call alone, that wanker would have burned. In seconds, Julian was back at the SUV. He crawled through the passenger side. The flames ate at his arm, burning the forearm he’d offered to her moments before. Then he was shoving against the steering wheel, freeing the worthless bastard who’d hurt Rose. Julian dragged the guy out of the SUV, and the blond was groaning and moaning the whole damn time.
The sirens were closer now. The human cops would be arriving soon. Not much time for talking…
So he’d cut right to the chase.
He brought his claws up and shoved them against the man’s throat. “Where were you taking her?”
Fear—he could smell it. The guy reeked of fear. A human who was in way over his head. “I-I was…”
“Where.”
“To…to a boat down on the dock. My boss…he has a boat there.”
Julian let his claws cut the fool’s skin. “The name of the boat.” Not a question. An order.
“Th-the Pandora.”
Because the bastard liked to put creatures into a box? “Where are the others you mentioned?” Julian barked at him.
“I don’t know, I swear!” The human was shaking. “I don’t—”
The cops were almost there. The sirens were blasting in Julian’s ears. “I have your scent. Wherever you go, I can find you now.” He smiled and knew his elongated teeth would flash. His beast was far too close to the surface. “Never make the mistake of going near Rose again. If you do, I’ll rip the flesh from your body.”
“Julian…” Rose’s soft voice. “We…we need to leave.”
He dropped the human. Just let him fall into a pile of waste on the ground. Then he turned toward Rose. Now she’s ready to leave with me. Good choice, love. Good choice. Rose was on her feet, but she was trembling—not the hard shakes of the human, but small tremors that rocked her body. He caught her hand in his, and his fingers smoothed over her wrist, a delicate caress that seemed second nature to him.
He pulled her toward the motorcycle. He got on and brought the engine snarling to life. She stood beside the bike, staring at him, her eyes so big and deep.
If a man had a soul, he could get lost in eyes like hers.
But Julian had traded his soul already.
Traded it for her.
The wind caught her thick, red hair, tossing it around her face. His fingers itched to brush it back. Control your shit, man. Focus.
“Get on,” he ordered her as his hands curled around the handlebars. “I’m not in the mood to deal with the cops.”
She glanced back at the human. “Simon…”
Was that the bastard’s name?
She bit her lower lip—a full, plump lip. She had such a gorgeous mouth. She was gorgeous. Heart-shaped face, killer cheekbones, and a body made for pleasure. Damn, but he’d missed her.
Rose brushed back a lock of hair that blew toward her eyes. “Are we going to just leave Simon Lorne here?”
Yes, they absolutely were. If Simon was smart, he’d high tail it far away from the Keys. “Get on,” Julian gritted again. “Simon’s boss may have reinforcements coming. He wants you in the collection.” Something that would happen over his dead body.
He could see the flash of police lights. They’d run out of time.
Rose slid onto the motorcycle behind him. Her legs pressed against his and her arms wrapped around him.
About time. “Hold tight,” he told her. “Because it’s going to be one hell of a ride.”
Then he took off, racing into the night, and the sirens screamed after them.
***
“Sir, sir are you all right?�
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Did he look fucking all right? Simon Lorne squinted up at the cop above him. Blood was dripping in his eyes. His forehead had slammed into the steering wheel on impact, and broken glass had rained into the car. “Need…ambulance.” Something that should be obvious. That freak had cut his throat, and Simon had burns on his arms.
“It’s coming. Just stay still. Help will be here soon.”
Not soon enough. The vampire was gone—taken away by that bastard on the bike. The bastard with the claws and with the promise of death in his eyes. Simon couldn’t even hear the roar of the motorcycle any longer.
The EMTs arrived a while later. Fucking finally. They loaded him onto a stretcher. Put him in the back of the ambulance. Then they started hooking him up to tubes—an IV and some other kind of monitor. They wrapped his burns. They bandaged his neck.
“Didn’t realize…she had a protector,” he said as he stared straight up.
The EMT—a pretty brunette—frowned at him as she leaned into his line of sight. “Sir?”
The ambulance lurched forward, leaving the scene.
The brunette was in the back with him. A man—thin, balding—worked at her side.
“Rose having a protector…that makes it…harder…” So much harder.
The brunette leaned closer to him. “Sir? I think you’re confused.”
No, he was very, very focused. He had to get back to the top of his game, and a pit stop at the hospital wasn’t going to help him. Science never helped.
Magic did.
His hand flew out and locked around her throat. “Harder,” he allowed. “His presence will definitely make things harder, but not impossible.”
Before the woman could scream, he snapped her neck.
Chapter Three
“Stop the bike!” Rose yelled. She tightened her hold on Julian. He’d driven for miles, and he hadn’t spoken a word to her during that ride. She had no idea where he was taking her or what he planned, but she wasn’t just going to disappear into the dark.
He didn’t stop.