by Lexi C. Foss
Hers skipped a beat as I looked down into her eyes. Her breath shuttered and a cool sweat broke out across her skin. The unmistakable smell of a turned-on woman tickled my nostrils.
“Jasper, I warned you.” Her voice trembled as she spoke.
“You did, but I’m warning you. This is the last time that I will offer myself to you. The next time this happens, it will be you begging for me.”
I lowered my lips down over hers, and she moved her head, leaving me with a clear shot at her ear. Running my tongue down the rim of it made her snarl and hiss like a cat. Then, I let my fang get hooked into the tiny golden hoop earring, tugging on it as I pulled away from her. She moved the stake closer. She was bluffing, but I wrapped my hand around hers and forced it away from me. She was powerful, but her skill relied on her catching her opponent off guard with her sensuality and speed. She could never overpower a vampire. Especially, one already in her face.
Releasing her hand, I stepped away and motioned toward the door. She released a long breath through her nose and jerked the door open.
“Goodnight, Sam,” I called to her as I walked away. She didn’t speak. She didn’t have to, because I knew she still wanted me. I just needed to find out why she wouldn’t give in to her desires.
Once I became a vampire, I didn’t become completely nocturnal, but until recently with the development of a sunscreen to protect our skin, I would have to stay indoors. I’d bought my house in Chelsea, a church conversion, simply for the gothic feel and the irony that a vampire now lived in a converted church. I’d had all the religious symbols removed. The only one that remained was a glorious stained-glass window with a colorful mandala surrounding a cross. I just avoided it as it cast colors around that sitting room. Most vampires had aversions to holy symbols, but unless they were doused in holy water, they didn’t do any physical damage to us.
I rolled over in my bed, kicking off the black silk sheets. The clock ticked loudly, and I knew I couldn’t go back to sleep. Samaire had filled my every thought since I’d left her. As much as I wanted to focus on catching this vampire, I also knew that she would be gone the minute we did. I already had a list of suspects.
Staring at myself in the mirror, I sighed. “You are a sap and an idiot,” I said.
“Did you say something, Sir?”
“Holy shit!” I said, spinning around to see my, well, he was my butler, standing behind me. Bishop Tollar had been a part of our family for many generations. One of the few vampire servants that my family retained over the years. “Bishop! I didn’t hear you.”
“It was my vampire stealth,” he replied with no emotion. I huffed out a laugh and turned back to the mirror.
“Bishop, what does someone wear to a Rave?” I asked.
“It would depend on the music. What kind will be playing at the gathering?”
For a formal guy, Bishop knew everything, which is why I convinced him to move into the small house in Chelsea until my next sleep.
Our family rotated in a generational sleep to avoid drawing attention. Many of our family members had left England, and therefore it didn’t matter to us what they did, but those of us who stayed behind would rotate in and out of long sleeps. I’d been out of my sleep for almost forty years now even though I didn’t look a day over twenty-five, which was how old I was when my father turned me. I was the last biological son of Baron Eden. His parents and their adopted children were currently sleeping soundly at our estate in the country.
Many of the peerage rotated as we did. In fact, I didn’t know of a vampire family within the ranks of society that didn’t. There were a few minor families, but generally we didn’t associate with them. We’d perfected these practices over generations to keep our secret safe, our money flowing, and our power within the upper ranks of British society intact. I enjoyed the sleep. Waking up to a whole new world provided me with a clean slate. When I saw Samarie Bashir, I knew she would make this life worth living.
I was a murderer. I drank blood. I didn’t regret it. I’d given up hating myself ages ago. Now, I just wanted perfection, and I’d do whatever it took to have it.
“I don’t know.”
“There multiple variants, but honestly, Sir, I’m not sure you have anything in your closet that will fit the lifestyle,” Bishop said.
“You are probably right about that. I’ll go casual, and whatever happens, happens.”
“As you wish, Sir.” He turned and left the room, but I called him back.
“Bishop, any advice on getting a woman to fall madly in love with you?”
“I wouldn’t have a clue, Sir. Perhaps you should try just having her fall only slightly in love with you and go from there?”
I smiled, but he was completely serious. “I’ll try that.”
“Good luck. May I add something?”
“Of course, and you don’t have to ask.”
“If it is the slayer, try not to get staked.”
“Good point.” I paused for effect. “Get it? Point?”
“I do get it, Sir, but I suggest you avoid that line with her.”
He walked out of the room as I chuckled to myself. I’d just donned a pair of baggy cargo shorts and one of the few t-shirts I owned that wasn’t classified as an undershirt when my phone rang.
Eagerly, I answered, “Hello?”
“Meet me at The Old Red Lion off Kennington Park Road,” Samarie said.
“Well, good morning to you too, sunshine,” I said. She groaned.
“Just be there. Do you know what to wear?”
“Of course, I do. Age old vampire, remember?”
“Yes, well, you’ve been asleep for half those ages. I’m not completely convinced you are awake now.”
“Are you teasing me, Slayer?”
“I don’t tease. Especially not you.”
Ouch. I reminded myself that it would be worth it in the end.
“What time?”
“Eleven.”
“Oh, that’s past my bedtime.”
“P.M.”
“Samarie, I hope you are in a better mood when you see me.”
“Not likely,” she replied, then hung up.
“Rude,” I said to the dead phone line. What if she wasn’t just playing hard to get? What if the intense bodily reaction she had to me was simply a hormonal imbalance or something? I had to operate on the adage that “No means no.” But my cock hardened while imagining her saying “yes” over and over while I was buried inside her. My imagination made reality hard to swallow, and that wasn’t a pun.
I sat on a barstool nursing a bottle of Stella Artois when the scent of cinnamon and anise flooded my nostrils. Turning to catch sight of my prey, I almost fell off my barstool. Her legs were wrapped with the tightest and most holographic shorts I’d ever seen. Her top wrapped around her waist with several strings leading up to what wasn’t much more than a bikini top in black. Over that she wore a piece of jewelry that resembled a bra top and overlayed the bottom piece. Every bloke in the place silenced to watch her saunter up to me and take a seat.
“What the hell are you wearing?” she asked.
“The only t-shirt I own. Would you like a drink?”
“I should start drinking now if I have to stand next to you all night looking like that.” I signaled the bartender as it delighted me that she hated my clothing. Her scent stirred in the room with every glance toward me. “Seriously? That shirt?”
I looked down at the navy tee with white distressed writing. It proclaimed, “Somedays you eat the bear. Somedays the bear eats you.” Oh, and it had an obligatory bear silhouette. I’d bought it knowing exactly what it meant on a predator like myself. I was the bear.
“I like it,” I muttered, trying to play like I was hurt.
“That’s not what you wear to a rave.”
“Well, then you should have instructed me on what to wear.”
“You said you knew what to wear!” she exclaimed as the bartender sat down her lager. He lifted an e
yebrow at her, and I shook my head to wave him off. He chuckled, then moved away from us.
“I lied.”
She sighed heavily. “Just try to stay out of the middle of things. You are going to stick out like a sore thumb in that group. Someone will recognize you.”
“Ah, the paps don’t follow me much anymore. I became too boring for them.” I took sips of my drink. They’d stopped following me, because I had stopped dating the rich and famous of the British Isles. “Where is this party?”
“Down the road. We will walk from here. Are you ready to go?” she asked.
“Eager to party with me?”
“Eager to finish this and get away from you.” Her brown eyes smoldered with hatred. Perhaps I was mistaken. However, I wasn’t giving up now. The stare hurt, but I’d learned to put my hurt away. The pursuit of the goal was all that mattered. I paid my tab using the cash app on my phone, leaving the bartender a healthy tip. His phone dinged and his eyes shot up to me as I waited for Samarie to slide off her stool. I nodded to him, and he back to me. One thing that hadn’t changed over the years was the bond between a man and his bartender.
I’d never met this guy, but he was the epitome of a pub tender. Friendly, quick, and appreciative. I’d have to mark this place as a good one to visit away from my home turf. Not that I was actively hunting anymore. Our human servants provided us with all the blood we needed. They did it willingly, but it wasn’t so far-fetched to see the need for a little more excitement. Of course, that kind of hunt would end with a stake in my heart.
Samarie watched me case the joint and shook her head at me. She knew what I was doing. She spun on her heels and trotted out of the pub.
4
The Lies
SAMARIE
Vampires were predictable. We worked with many of them through E.V.I.E. but they were a means to an end. Jasper had studied the inside of the pub as if he were a dog marking his territory. I stomped out of the room because he disgusted me. Or perhaps, I was disgusted in myself, because I loved the way he looked at me when I walked into the pub wearing this.
“Sam! Whoa! Wait up,” he called out to me as I stomped down the sidewalk. He passed me and put his hands up. “What’s wrong?”
“You stay out of that pub. I didn’t bring you here so you could have a new hunting ground.”
“Sam, you know my family doesn’t hunt anymore. If I did, they would stake me before you got the chance. It would jeopardize centuries of wealth and power.”
“Don’t lie. I saw you looking at that room like a snake ready to strike.”
He put his hands on his hips. “Yes, at the end of the day, I am a dangerous predator. I could take you in an instant and you couldn’t stop me.”
“I could!”
“No, Sam, you couldn’t. You’ve fought new vamps in New York. Fresh ones that just were made. My family has been alive for centuries.” I turned my face away from him, because I knew he was partially right. I had a few surprises. They just weren’t up my sleeve because I wasn’t wearing any. “I swear on my family’s name that I’m not hunting, but it is nice to have a place away from home to get away from the pressures of Chelsea. You know the lifestyle that I have to live. You know that I hate it. That’s how we met. Do you remember that?”
Of course, I remembered bonding with him at that party when I first returned from New York. He knew what I was, but it took me almost all night to figure out what he was. He’s stopped me from staking him that night. We’d agreed to be friends until I pushed him away.
I’d let myself fall under the spell of one of his kind in New York. I swore that I’d never let it happen again. London was my clean slate. I wasn’t letting Baron Jasper Eden fuck it up no matter how much I wanted him.
“I remember, but it was a long time ago. Vampires get bored.”
“Bored is the definition of my life.”
“The tabloids find it interesting. What was the last one’s name? Margo? Margaret?”
“Margorie. She was the daughter of France’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, and my family used me to get into her family’s good graces so we could purchase some land that they own in France, that my father desperately wanted. I’d used her, so the break-up was very public and very ugly. But it wasn’t a break-up for me. I wanted nothing to do with her.”
“You let your family toy with a woman’s heart.”
“I didn’t let them. I think you know I didn’t have a choice.”
“No, you just aren’t man enough to stand up to them,” I said, passing him to make my way toward the warehouse to find the party. He grabbed my arm, spinning me back around to look at him.
“I would be dust if I hadn’t done it.”
“Man up,” I snarled. “And let go of me.”
“No!” I saw the pain and anger in his eyes. It wasn’t for me. He did hate his life. He didn’t hate being a vampire. He hated being peerage. The constant scrutiny. The cut-throat deals. I was surprised his family hadn’t forced him to marry someone this time around. They’d done it before his last sleep. He refused to talk about it. “As long as you live and breathe, I will never touch another woman. My family may make me publicly appear to be with someone, but I want you. I will not stop until I get what I want.”
His advances had always been playful. I felt the passion in this one, and I yanked away from his grasp in fear. My breath hitched, and my heart pounded. I didn’t know what to say to him, so I shook my head and stepped backward. He reached for me, but it was too late. I collided with another man behind me.
“Whoa, there!” the man said as he caught my tumbling body. I was losing control. This was the biggest danger for a slayer. Distraction equaled death. Jude taught me that. Jasper was affecting my ability to do my job effectively.
“I’m sorry,” I muttered to the man whose warm hand steadied me at the waist.
“My pleasure. Are you going to the party?” he asked. I looked up to see that he wasn’t talking to me. He had his eyes on Jasper who lowered his head. His face hardened.
“Hello, Beckett,” Jasper said, reaching for me. I saw the warning in his eyes and drifted toward him while placing my hand just inside my waistband where I’d stowed a small taser. Jasper possessively pulled me closer to him.
“Good to see you, Eden. Didn’t think this was your scene,” Beck said. He’d dressed a little more appropriately in black boots, leather pants, and a green neon plastic vest. He wore charcoal around his eyes and gloss on his lips.
“I’m here with her,” Jasper replied.
“Won’t you introduce me? Just because we are on the wrong side of town doesn’t mean you can be rude,” Beck teased Jasper who cursed him under his breath.
I offered my hand to Beck. “Samarie Bashir.”
“Ah! The Egyptian Ambassador’s daughter. Wow, the rumors about you are not true.”
“What rumors?” I asked.
“The ones that said you are beautiful.” He paused to give me a devilish grin. “No, my dear Miss Bashir, you are a goddess.”
“Thank you for your kindness.” He’d made me feel uneasy, too. I knew that feeling. He was a vampire, and he could very well be the one we were hunting. Jasper’s fingers flexed at my waist.
“Yes, well, perhaps we can meet up inside. I’d love to dance with you.” He looked me up and down as he said it. Then, he didn’t give either one of us a chance to respond before he trotted off toward the warehouse.
“Buddy of yours?” I asked.
“If he is the one, then we are in trouble.”
“He’s a vamp. I gathered that much. What do you know about him?” I asked, trying to focus on the job as we slowly made our way down the street. Jasper hadn’t released his hold on me.
“He is Viscount Beckett Stuart, Heir to the Earl of Richmond.”
Beckett was much higher on the totem pole than Jasper’s family. I also felt there was some bad blood between them.
“And you hate him?”
“Yes. My sister marrie
d into the Stuart family. They dusted her before our last sleep,” he said through gritted teeth. I turned around to look at him.
“Are you going to be able to go in there and keep your cool? If not, I’m going in there alone.”
“There is no way I’m letting you go in there with him!”
I’d had enough. With a quick leg sweep, I put him on the ground and held the crackling taser at his neck. It wouldn’t kill him, but it would hurt like a bitch. “You don’t make decisions for me. I can take care of myself. I did it long before you came along. You are here to help me. Not be a constant pain in my ass.”
He looked up at me and his face softened. “It only hurts the first time in the ass. I’d be gentle.”
I slammed him on the ground as he chuckled. I put away the taser as he climbed to his feet.
“Let’s get one thing very straight, because you don’t seem to get it. I will never, ever fuck you. Do you understand me? There are no circumstances were you and I end up together. Give up this pipe dream. Help me put a stop to this nonsense before the entire vampire peerage is discovered. Can you do that?”
“It was a joke, Sam. I make jokes when there is a crackling bolt of miniature lighting flashing at my neck. Why not an anal joke?”
He wouldn’t take this seriously. I could dump him here, but he’d just follow me into the party. I changed my tactics. “We were good friends. I need my friend tonight. Not this ball of horny vampire. Please.” He grunted at the tone of my voice and adjusted his pants.
“Yeah. I can do that,” he said quietly.
“Thank you,” I replied, then took his arm to make it look like we were together. We approached the venue, and I could hear the pulsing beat of the music. There was a short line, but as we passed the bouncer, he called out to Jasper.