The vampire frowned, looking at her. Then realisation dawned.
‘Ah yes, you were the girl from the inn … so long ago now. You were far too exquisite for me to not attempt to turn you, but unfortunately a mob came before I could stay around and see how you fared. You have, just as I predicted, made a beautiful vampire. After all this time, you have sought me for companionship?’
Ruby had to fight herself to not snarl.
‘Hardly. You killed Simon.’
The other vampire shrugged disdainfully.
‘The boy? He was a fool’
‘He was my friend. And you have the NYPD and the local paranormal Alliance hot on your ass. The world has changed, and this is my territory. You need to back off.’
Ruby unleashed her mental powers, intending to freeze him where he stood, but he moved in a blur of motion, too fast her to follow. Damn it. If she couldn’t see him clearly enough to focus on him, then her powers would have no target to lock on to.Out of nowhere the vamp struck her hard on the side of her face, lifting her off her feet and sending her filling into the corner of the room, her consciousness slipping away. She heard a scream, and was only vaguely aware that it came from her.
Outside, Nick had ducked into the alley, took in his surroundings, and climbed the metal staircase at the back of the only apartment that didn’t have a boarded-up door. Instead, it had one slightly ajar. It had to be where Ruby had gone. As he approached the opening he became aware of a presence behind him. He was being followed, and not just by anyone, but by a were. He went to spin round to confront his pursuer then heard a scream coming from within the apartment behind him.
Ruby.
Nick spun on his heel, drew his gun, and ran through the door, going straight into a slight crouch, eyes and senses scanning the room.
‘NYPD, freeze!’ he yelled. The first thing he saw was Ruby huddled on the floor in the corner. She blinked at him, and he released a breath he hadn’t been aware of holding. Then her eyes went wide with horror.
The vamp materialised in front of him as if from nowhere, knocking Nick’s gun from his hand. Even as Nick reached for his flamethrower he knew he was out of time.
Then the vamp froze, releasing his grip on Nick. His eyes burned with hate and his facial muscles twitched as if he was trying to speak, but couldn’t.
‘Nick,’ Ruby’s voice sounded strained, ‘I can’t hold him for long.’
Nick grabbed his gun.
‘Did he admit to killing Simon?’
‘Yes,’ she hesitated before saying, ‘and he’s killed others. He’s the one that attacked me.’
‘Son of a bitch.’
Nick shot the vampire once in the heart, his face devoid of any expression, then reached for his flamethrower. With vamps, you had to be doubly sure.
A sudden blur moved past him, a low growling filling the air. Before he had time to react, Nick saw a large wolf jump at Ruby, his jaw aiming for her chest. As if in slow motion, a crimson stain spread over her vest. Nick shot the wolf in the leg. It yelped, then turn to snarl at Nick.
‘Get off her,’ Nick said, his voice low and dangerous.
‘They’re together,’ the wolf answered. Hearing a human voice coming from the mouth off what looked like a hound from hell never ceased to surprise Nick, no matter how many preternatural cases he worked. On the scale of bizarre, it ranked right up there with the time a harpy had sprouted wings in front of him.
‘No, they’re not. She’s with me. Now get away from her before I switch to silver bullets.’
The wolf snarled again but moved aside. Nick knelt beside Ruby. She was even whiter than usual, her skin taking on a grey pallor, and the wound in her chest wasn’t healing as it should.
‘What’s wrong with her?’ The wolf hadn’t had time to reach her heart, and anything apart from a heart wound, decapitation, or fire – sometimes, a combination of all of them, should be easily healed by a vampire’s body. Ruby’s eyes fluttered, and she reached for Nick’s hand.
‘Sweetheart, I’m here, tell me what to do,’ he said, smoothing her hair back from her face. Her skin felt clammy.
‘She needs to feed before she can heal,’ the werewolf said, matter-of-factly. Nick didn’t hesitate. He lifted his wrist to Ruby and her eyelids fluttered again, but she was sinking into unconsciousness. Cradling her in his arms, he pushed his wrist against her mouth.
‘Ruby, drink.’
For a moment he thought she wasn’t going to respond, then her mouth clamped around his wrist. He felt a sharp stab of pain as her teeth pierced him, then she began to drink. Whatever qualms Nick had harboured about the act before, they were forgotten now. All that mattered was keeping Ruby safe. Her mouth on his wrist grew stronger and her eyes opened fully, staring right at him. He couldn’t read her mind, but her gaze told him all he needed to know; the love in her eyes was unmistakable. With wonder, Nick watched as the wound in her chest under the now torn fabric of her shirt healed, and her usual porcelain pallor returned. She let go, wiped her mouth, then pulled him down towards her and kissed him softly on the lips. When he sat back up, there were tears on her cheeks.
‘Thank you,’ she whispered.
‘My pleasure,’ Nick said, smiling down at her.
He had all but forgotten the wolf, who now padded towards them. Nick’s hand automatically went to his gun, and the wolf stopped, cocking his head to one side.
‘A cop and a vampire? Now I’ve seen it all.’
Nick glared.
‘Why don’t you go back to whoever heads your precious Alliance and tell them the score? You’re lucky I don’t arrest you.’
‘For attacking a vampire? Maybe if you guys shared information with the paranormals in this city instead of treating us like second class citizens, we wouldn’t have to take things into our own hands. I’ll see you soon, Detective.’
The wolf loped off, and Nick turned back to Ruby, who was still smiling.
‘It’s okay Nick, it was a natural enough mistake to make. Now that the killer’s been found, myself and the Alliance will be able to go back to our usual strategy of avoiding each other.’
Nick glanced at the dead vampire and sighed. He was going to have to call a clean-up team, but he needed to get Ruby out of here first. He would no doubt get a roasting for not calling in back-up, and the paperwork that would result from this whole mess wasn’t going to be fun. He looked again at Ruby and felt his heart burst with love for her. It had been worth it. He helped her to her feet.
‘Let’s get out of here.’
Nick took her back to his once again, after calling in the clean-ups and left her curled up in bed, sleeping off the mornings exertions, while he went to tie up any loose ends, and face his roasting. He was thinking hard about his future.
Ruby slept, exhausted both emotionally and physically, and woke up feeling renewed, not just from Nick’s blood but his love. Though it hadn’t been the ideal way to introduce him to the act, he had saved her life without hesitation, and the last barrier between them and been broken. With the vampire that had attacked her all those years ago dead, she finally had closure from the events she had been running away from for so long. Finally, thanks to Nick, she could believe she had a future.
When he came back Ruby was awake and she patted the bed next to her when Nick walked into the room, a soft look of desire in her eyes. As Nick sat down next to her however, he looked serious and she sat up in alarm.
‘What’s wrong?’
‘Nothing really,’ he assured her, ‘everything’s fine. As far as the general public will be aware, Azriel’s the killer. I got a warning for going in alone and not waiting for back-up but at the end of the day I brought them the killer, so it wasn’t too harsh.’
‘There’s something bothering you,’ Ruby stated, wondering if it was because of her sneaking off. After all if it hadn’t been for her Nick wouldn’t have gone rushing in alone and she would never have got hurt and needed to feed from him … pain gripped her heart li
ke a vice at the thought that he might be having second thoughts about them.
‘I’m just starting to question things about my position at work. Something the werewolf saidabout the police – the ones aware of their existence that is – treating paras like second class citizens. Well it’s true isn’t it? Back when I was working with just humans I wouldn’t have been authorised to use telepathy and allowed to execute on sight. Not that I regret dealing with that monster today.’
Ruby frowned, concerned but unable to stop herself feeling relieved that it wasn’t her. Even so …
‘If we’re together, that’s only going to compromise your position further isn’t it?’
He nodded.
‘Yeah. So I quit.’
Ruby stared for a minute, not understanding.
‘You quit the police force?’
When Nick didn’t answer, Ruby clutched his arm.
‘Nick, you can’t do that. Not for me. You love being a detective.’ Ruby’s mind was whirling. She wanted to be with Nick more than anything, but she couldn’t let him make such a sacrifice for her. But she realised that although he looked serious – and utterly determined – he didn’t look unhappy. In fact when he spoke again, his eyes shone with enthusiasm.
‘And I still will be. Only a private one. Specialising in preternatural and paranormal cases. I spoke to the wolf pack and their representative at the Alliance, and he agreed it was a great idea – I might even get one of them on my team. There’s a lot more that goes on in this city than a secret police department can cope with, and the Alliance only deal with issues that affect their own security – and they certainly don’t work within the law. It’s perfect, Ruby.’
By the end of his explanation he looked so excited it was infectious and she couldn’t help but smile with him. She kissed him, long and lingering, then he pulled away.
‘There’s more. I want you to work with me. Be my partner. If you want to of course.’
Ruby’s eyes went wide.
‘Really?’
‘Sure; you proved last night you’re more than capable. But sweetheart,’ his tone became serious, ‘you can’t pull any stunts like you did this morning. Whatever you were thinking, it was foolish.’
Ruby looked down. She felt so foolish now for going off on her own, for not confiding in him. When she looked back up there were tears in her eyes again.
‘I’m sorry, Nick, truly. And it will never happen again, I promise. I’d love to be part of this with you, and to be part of your life. I love you.’ As she said it, she knew it was true. Nick kissed her again, harder this time.
‘I love you too, sweetheart.’
She went into his embrace, and their mouths explored each other as they fell back onto the bed. Partners; in every sense of the word.
The Paranormal Investigations Agency series
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Published by Xcite Books Ltd – 2014
ISBN 9781783752874
Copyright © Michelle Kelly 2014
The right of Michelle Kelly to be identified as the author of this work has been asserted by her in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.
The story contained within this book is a work of fiction. Names and characters are the product of the author’s imagination and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
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The Lady is a Vamp (The Paranormal Investigations Series Book 1) Page 6