Blood Thief Box Set (Alpha Billionaire Vampire Romance)

by Flynn, Mac

  I grasped Simon's arms and hid beneath him. "W-what the hell is that?" I whispered to him.

  His eyes narrowed. "A Phantom, a hollow human soul."

  The Phantom chuckled. It was an empty, raspy sound. "As hollow as yours."

  Simon helped me to my feet and pulled me behind him so we both faced the Phantom. "If your mistress expects you to destroy us then she will be disappointed."

  It shook its head. "Not I." The creature stretched out its arms on either side of itself. A dozen pair of red eyes opened behind it. All of them glistened with malevolent glee, and several held up their long, sharpened fingers. "We are to destroy you."

  I pressed my body against Simon's back. "I hope you have a plan."

  He glanced over his shoulder and flashed me a smile. "Always."

  Simon grabbed my hand and swung me towards the wall just as the Phantoms dove at us. My back slammed into the wall at the same moment the Phantoms covered him in their black bodies.

  My eyes widened and I stretched out my hand. "Simon!"

  A raspy scream emanated from the center of the darkness. One of the Phantoms on the top of the pile was sucked into the center. Then another. And another. The remaining Phantoms flew to the ceiling and revealed a dark, hunched form of Simon. His clothes were torn to shreds and he were covered in claw marks. Blood dripped onto the floor and caused ripples in the puddles.

  Simon straightened and raised a clenched fist. He opened his hand and revealed four small piles of black dust on his palm. Beneath the pile was a small slip of white paper. The Phantoms hissed, but didn't approach him. He dropped his hand to his side. The dust floated to the ground and soaked into the floor. The paper remained pinched between his fingers.

  "How?" the lead Phantom hissed. "How did you know?"

  Simon smiled. "I am well aware of the gorgon's contract with you. Now-" he raised his hand. The slip of paper stood upright and I glimpsed black writing on both sides. "Who wishes to be the next challenger?"

  The Phantoms hissed and lunged at him. Simon sliced the air with the paper as though it was a dagger. Horrible screams and screeches echoed off the brick walls. I clamped my hands against my ears and cringed, but I couldn't take my eyes off the fight. Simon cut into the Phantoms and hacked off limbs and heads. With each slice they either turned into dust immediately or flew back and clutched at their missing body part. Their bodies crumbled at the severing and the sickness ran up through the rest of their forms until they, too, finally crumbled to nothing.

  In a half a minute only Simon remained. He tucked the paper into what remained of his coat and rushed off the dust that had settled on his shoulders. He turned away from the scene and walked over to me.

  "Are you hurt at all?" he asked me.

  I shook my head. "No, I'm good. But you-" I reached out to touch his bloodied arm.

  Simon drew back. "I am fine. The wounds will heal in time."

  I frowned. "Those cuts don't look fine." My eyes fell on the pocket in which was hidden the paper. "And what was that thing you used on them?"

  "A talisman that wards off evil," he explained.

  I snorted. "So how come you can handle it?"

  Simon chuckled. "Very deftly." He offered me his arm. "Shall we leave before we are interrupted again?"

  I took his arm and frowned as he led me down the sewers. "By more Phantoms, or something else?"

  We wound our way through the twisting maze of smelly concrete and brick. The heady stench of Simon's blood filled the sewers with a fragrant flower smell. "Both. Georgina is as competent as her sister in her dealings, and I have no doubt she has gathered a formidable group of assassins around her."

  I looked up at him and narrowed my eyes. "If you knew she was so dangerous why'd you go to her first? Wasn't there a fluffy bunny we could have met with?"

  He smiled and shook his head. "Unfortunately, no, but we will pay her cousin the promised visit."

  I swept my eyes over the dark area. "If we ever get out of here. . ."

  Simon chuckled. "Have Faith."

  My shoulders drooped. "Okay, that's just milking things a little too-ah!"

  We rounded a corner and the floor beneath me disappeared. I grabbed Simon and pulled him down into another new and exciting abyss.

  CHAPTER 5

  The drop was a short ten feet onto another hard floor. I sat up and groaned. "I am getting really tired of falling down holes."

  Simon was seated beside me. He stood and swept his eyes over the small space. I followed his example and saw we were in a small, square room. The walls were a dull, rough gray that reached the full ten feet to the like ceiling. The floor was the same. The only difference was the square outline of the small trapdoor in the ceiling.

  Simon paced the small room. He brushed his hands against the wall and left a smeared hand print on the rough, dusty surface. "We may be in a greater dilemma than I anticipated."

  I glared at him. "Don't tell me that."

  "Would you rather I lied?"

  "At this point, that might be preferable." I stood and brushed off the dust. "And don't forget to sugarcoat it for extra measure."

  Simon paused halfway down one wall and drew back his hand. He slammed his fist into the metal plating. A hiss escaped his lips and he withdrew his hand. My eyes widened as I beheld a large amount of steam rush from his knuckles. His skin was covered in thick, hot blisters. Blood dripped onto the ground.

  I hurried to his side and took his hand in mine. "What happened?"

  He swept his eyes over the room. "I confirmed my suspicions. This is a Revenant Riddle."

  I looked up at him and furrowed my brow. "A what?"

  He nodded at the hole in the wall. "The exterior layer of the walls is made of a thin layer of steel plating , but beneath that are several thick sheets of silver."

  I cringed. "Let me guess, silver hurts us pretty bad."

  He lifted his burnt hand. "I am a very old vampire, and yet the silver nearly scalded me to my bones. One as young as you would lose your hand in such an attempt."

  I shuddered and looked at the hole in the wall. The hole was the size of his fist, and only four inches deep. I glanced back at Simon. "So how do we get out?"

  He pulled a strip of his shirt off and wrapped his hand in the makeshift bandage. "That is the riddle. Unless we are found by Certus and freed, there is only one choice." He nodded at the hole. "We force our way through the walls."

  My mouth dropped open. I jabbed a finger at the hole. "But those walls could be a foot thick, and you barely got anywhere with that much burning!"

  He stepped back to lean against the opposite wall as the hole. A bitter smile slipped onto his lips. "Therein lies the ultimate riddle. Even without blood a vampire is able to stay alive forever within these walls, but what price would be paid? Insanity? Suicide?" He nodded at the hole. "Or there is the choice to keep hitting the wall and hope one's body holds out longer than the wall. Judging by our fall we merely dropped into a lower layer of the sewers and the walls may not be very thick."

  "Those are stupid choices!" I snapped.

  He closed his eyes and shook his head. "They are the only ones available to us."

  I tilted my head back and looked up at the ceiling. The thin crack around the trapdoor was barely visible. I nodded at the trapdoor. "What about the way we got in?"

  He dropped his hands to his sides and scoffed. "The creator of this box would not be so stupid as to leave that without its dangers. The steel coating is probably thinner on those doors, and any attempts to pry them apart would result in quicker and worse injuries."

  I threw my arms up in the air. "We can't just give up! There's got to be a way out of this without us getting singed!"

  Simon leaned his head back and closed his eyes. I stalked up to him and waved my hand in front of his face. "Hello? Are you listening to-" His hand whipped out and caught my wrist in a gentle but firm hold.

  "I am well aware of your words," he commented without opening his eyes.
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  I glared at him. "Then why do I still have the feeling I'm alone in this box?"

  Simon's eyes flew open, but he looked past me. A sly smile slipped onto his lips. He leaned down and captured my lips in a long, passionate kiss that left me breathless when we broke apart.

  I blinked at him. "What was that for?"

  He chuckled. "It was thanks for your beauty and brains." A blush warmed my cheeks, but I didn't have time to soak in his praise before he tugged me to the hole in the wall. He turned us so we faced each other in front of the hole. "You must allow me to drink your blood so I may have the strength to free us."

  I stepped back and glared at him. "I'm not some sort of energy drink you can sip off of! Besides, how do I know these bitings aren't killing me?"

  He swept his hand over the small space. "If you have a better plan than I, I would be glad to hear its details."

  My shoulders slumped and my face fell. "No, but-" Simon stepped up to me and grasped my shoulders.

  His red eyes caught mine in their intense gaze. "Yes, your time as a human is growing shorter with each of our bites, but if we do not free ourselves from this room then your time will end here. Do you understand? You will never experience the sun again."

  My eyes widened and my breath caught in my throat. "Then. . .then this really is killing me?"

  He pursed his lips, but gave a nod. "It is sweeping away your mortality, but-" he leaned down and brushed his lips against mine. A sly grin slipped onto his mouth. "Is an eternity with me so detestable to you?"

  A warm thrill rushed through my body. I leaned back and pursed my lips. "Don't you ever know how to play clean?"

  He leaned away from me and chuckled. "On occasion, but this is not one of them." He let his hands slip off my shoulders and took a step back to offer me his hand. The suave vampire partially bowed. "Will you allow me the pleasure of your sweet nectar?"

  I ran a hand through my disheveled hair. My eyes swept over the cramped space. I took a deep breath and sighed. "All right, but don't take any more than you need, okay?"

  I yelped when Simon grasped my hand and pulled me against his hard chest. I looked up into his pale, handsome face with that sly grin. "I make no promises."

  He leaned down and bit deep into my neck. I gasped as a warm rush of lust swept through my body. I clutched onto him as he took me and drank my blood. The world around me grew darker. My legs buckled beneath me, but he held me up. A thick cold invaded my body. I shuddered.

  Simon pulled away. His face was blurry, distorted, dark. He lowered me to the floor and leaned my back against the corner. I couldn't keep my eyes open, but I didn't have to. I felt the vibrations as Simon hammered away at the wall and heard his hissing breath as the silver ate away at his flesh.

  One punch ended not with a clang but with a crunch like a can opener. That was followed by more peeling of metal, and the next moment his arms slid beneath me and lifted me off the blood. The scent of his blood permeated my nostrils. My eyes fluttered open in time to watch us step through the opening in the wall and out into the familiar sewer.

  Simon took a few steps before he stumbled and fell to one knee. My eyes flew open and I gazed upon his white face. He gasped for breath as blood poured freely from the wounds inflicted on him by the Phantoms. His blood dripped onto the wet floor beneath us and formed small puddles.

  I wiggled from his weak hold and knelt on my knees in front of him. I grasped his shoulders and looked into his dim red eyes. "If you need more of my blood then take it." He shook his head. I frowned. "I'm offering it, so take it!"

  He winced. "The amount. . .of blood I need. . .to heal these wounds. . .would kill you."

  I felt the color drain from my face, but I swallowed the lump in my throat and pursed my lips. "But we can't get out of here unless you lead the way."

  "I will. . .direct you," he offered.

  I sighed, but sidled up beside him and hefted one of his arms over my shoulders. "Good thing you don't weight much," I grunted as I raised us to our feet.

  My legs wobbled, but I ground my teeth and trudged forward. And off we went into the dark sewers.

  CHAPTER 6

  I trudged down the dank sewer with my vampire lover leaned against me. His raspy breath made me cringe. "You sure you're going to be all right?" I asked him.

  "I. . .will be. . .fine," he assured me. He tried to put more weight on his own legs, but they wobbled worse than mine and he ended up tilting my direction.

  I winced and righted him. "You look worse than death warmed over."

  He managed a hoarse chuckle. "I. . .have been. . .in worse conditions."

  I arched an eyebrow. "Seriously?"

  He nodded. "Yes."

  "Care to elaborate?"

  He lifted his eyes and focused on the dark passage before us. "Some. . .centuries back. . .Certus and I found ourselves. . .in a difficult situation with a witch. She meant to. . .burn us and use our ashes. . .to make herself immortal."

  I blinked at him. "Does that work?"

  He shrugged. "She evidently believed so."

  I swept my eyes over the ceiling and walls around us. "So how'd you get out of that mess?"

  He chuckled again. "Certus managed to. . .hide some fuel in his mouth and. . .spat it at the witch just before she lit the kindling. It was she who perished in the flames. . .rather than we."

  I sighed. "For once I really wish I could see Certus's face." I glanced at Simon. "Speaking of him, does Certus have something again me? I get the feeling he doesn't like me."

  Simon pursed his lips. "Certus is. . .rather protective of me. He treats all others. . .as threats."

  I snorted. "That's a hell of a way to think. Must be pretty exhausting."

  Simon gave a shallow nod of his head. "Yes. I suspect. . .he taught himself to go. . .without sleep. . .in order to protect me." He lifted his head and dug his heels into the ground.

  I frowned and looked from the dark tunnel in front of us and back to his strained face. "What is it? What's wrong?"

  He closed his eyes and his tense stance relaxed. A sly, crooked smile slipped onto his lips. "It seems that the old saying is true."

  I arched an eyebrow. "Which one?"

  "That when you speak of the devil, he will come."

  My ears caught the distant sound of footsteps as they splashed through the puddles ahead of us. I felt my heart pound against my chest, and my instincts told me to find a place to hide, but there was only the blank walls around us.

  Simon raised himself and dropped his arm from my shoulders. "There's no need for that."

  I whipped my head to him and glared. "I told you not to read my-" Two shadows ran out of the darkness and rushed us.

  "There you two are!" came Dolf's voice. He was partially transformed and his long snout glistened in the dark. Just behind him was Certus. The pair of them stopped in front of us.

  I clutched my chest and frowned. "Couldn't you two have sent a telegram or something just to give us a warning?"

  Dolf laughed. "We would if we knew what address you two were at." His playful eyes flickered to Simon. "I wouldn't have guessed you'd trade in a penthouse for a sewer."

  "It was not our choice," Simon told him.

  Certus stepped up to him and pulled a bottle from his jacket. He popped the cork and the scent of fresh blood wafted over us. My pulse quickened as I watched him offer Simon the bottle.

  Simon nodded at me. "Give it to her."

  Certus frowned and held the bottle closer to him. "You are in more need of it, sir."

  I swallowed and took a step away. "H-he's right. Bottles up."

  Dolf stuck out his tongue. "Nasty."

  I glared at him. "Don't werewolves drink blood?"

  He flashed a grin. "Yeah, but not without a chaser of meat."

  Simon chuckled and took the neck of the bottle. He tilted his head back and drank deeply of the dark contents. My eyes widened as I watched the path of the blood repair the damage to his body. He lowered the bott
le from his lips and handed it back to Certus.

  "Excellent. We must compliment the donor," Simon suggested.

  Dolf raised his hand. "Now that that's done, mind telling us why you two decided to go for a stroll through the sewers?"

  I turned to him and raised an eyebrow. "How'd you guys even know we were in the sewers?"

  Dolf grinned and tapped the side of his long snout. "This nose knows. Besides, I met-" he jerked his head towards Certus, "-near Simon's car, and from there we dropped into a manhole and followed the scent." He paused and swept his eyes over the area. His nose wrinkled. "I have to admit this place gave me a couple of wrong turns, and there were these shadow things we had to deal with."

  "Phantoms," Certus corrected him.

  Dolf shrugged. "Shadows. Phantoms. Same thing. Anyway, what made you two decide to come down here?"

  Simon brushed off his tattered clothes. "Georgina of the Four Horsemen invited us to view her latest hairstyle, so we were fortunate only to drop into her graveyard of victims."

  I started back and whipped my head to him. "Is that why you tackled me?"

  He nodded. "Yes. She has performed the maneuver of removing her hat so often any warning of her gesture is nearly impossible to detect."

  "Mind catching me up to speed about this Georgina?" Dolf spoke up.

  "A gorgon, if the word is familiar to you," Simon explained.

  Dolf shook his head. "Doesn't ring a bell."

  "They are a mythical breed of women who hold a head of snakes rather than hair," Simon told him. "One look upon the snakes and the viewer changes to stone."

  Dolf winced. "So it's a bunch of ladies who have bad hair days all their lives? They must be pretty bitchy."

  "And crafty," Simon added. He glanced at Certus. "We must be led back to the car as quickly as possible and taken to the Silver Snake." Certus bowed his head. Simon turned to me and smiled. "Are you prepared for a short run?"

  I cringed. "I don't think I'm prepared for a short shuffle-hey!" Simon had scooped me into his arms.