“Are you sure you want to do this?” Michelle asked once again before they entered the building.
“I have to. It’s all there is left to do. The only place I have left to look for Lauren.”
As a response, Michelle opened the door for her. The girls ascended the stairs silently, yet both looked at each other as they approached the desired floor. Alex felt it and she was sure Michelle did too; a thickness in the air, a rattling of their collective equilibriums. And the smell…god what was that? The further they went, the more a feeling of foreboding came over them.
They headed down the final few feet before the apartment when Michelle suddenly stopped Alex in her tracks, pointing to a spot on the floor in front of them.
“Was that there the last time you were here?” She pointed to two small holes and drops and smears of blood surrounding them and on the wall to their right.
Alex placed both hands over her mouth and shook her head, not knowing what to think or say. The blood’s surface shone in the ceiling light. This had only occurred recently.
Michelle pulled out her handgun and switched the safety off. “Stay here.”
“No way,” Alex replied, suddenly whispering. She had no idea if what was behind the door was listening right now. “You’re here because of me. I’m not letting you go in there alone.” Alex tried to sound brave, but the fear was evident.
“Stay behind me then.” Michelle cocked the gun and with a swift kick, the door burst open. It was pitch black inside save for the flickering static of the TV screen. Michelle pointed her gun left and right.
“Put your back to mine,” she whispered. “We need to find a light switch. Whatever you see, remember: don’t run.”
They walked forward step for step, Alex not questioning anything Michelle said. Michelle passed the hallway, letting her weapon lead her forward.
“We’re not alone are we?” Alex asked.
“Keep a lookout,” Michelle commanded.
“Why? What are you going to do— Oh my god!”
Silence was the answer. Michelle had headed for the only source of light in the room, and Alex finally realised why that was so. A body was lying face down in front of the TV.
Michelle held up her free hand, pointing at the body’s head with her gun. In the flickering darkness Alex couldn’t tell if it was breathing. With her foot she rolled the body to its side.
Michelle gasped.
Alex screamed.
Ryan was dead; his throat had been torn out, as well as everything in his chest cavity. For such an extensive wound there was minimal blood. The air was thick with the stench of Ryan’s internal organs—the foul stench that Alex could barely stomach. She gazed over Ryan’s corpse as the static of the TV gave his waxy skin an eerie hue. Looking further down to see a clump of muscle and bone protruding outward, Alex had a brief image of something exploding out from within. She could see what had happened, just not how. It would take someone of impossible strength to cave in his chest, snap his ribs, shred his lungs and rip his heart from his body. His face was frozen in a look of intense horror.
Alex felt bile rising in her throat and turned and ran for the door.
“Alex! Don’t run!”
But it was too late. A shape leapt from the shadows and bowled into Alex, tumbling them both out into the hallway. Alex glimpsed Michelle raising her gun when she suddenly had an arm wrapped around her throat, dragging her back, away from Alex. Michelle snapped her gun up and fired backwards repeatedly without looking.
Alex screamed for help but all it did was make the creature on top of her laugh wickedly.
“I love it when you bitches struggle!” it squealed. It turned his head and saw the continuing fight with the other creature and Michelle and smiled. He turned back to Alex who tried desperately to move, to rise, all to no avail.
“You thought to bring two on two? A fair fight? That’s how you intended to slay us? Pathetic,” he said. She looked back at him as he raised his right hand, the fingernails extending, his eyes glued to Alex’s spine. “You should know that I never fight fair.”
Alex scrunched her eyes and screamed, anticipating the deadly swing of his hand when she felt she could move again. Alex turned her head back and froze. Her attacker was off her, slammed heavily against the wall beside the door, feet dangling. His arms were pinned there, being held.
Just then the man who held him, snarled and roared directly in her attacker’s face, nostrils flared in fury. Along with a set of…canines.
“I don’t fight fair either,” Dante seethed.
Chapter Fifteen
Not So Pleased To Meet You
Dante stood over Alex, holding the thrashing vampire at bay. Still he heard the jumps in her pulse and the shortness of breath. Clearly, she was terrified.
“Where is the one you made?” Dante roared.
In answer, Vickrant snapped at Dante with his fangs. Dante smiled as he grabbed Vickrant by the throat and raised him slowly upwards, as far as he could reach.
“Tell me…” Dante began, “and I’ll make your mate’s death quick.”
“Fuck you, traitor.”
With no more than a flick of his arm, Dante vaulted Vickrant into the opposite wall. The force was like an explosion. Powdered cement, blood and chunks of brick burst out from the impact. Vickrant crumbled to the floor in a heap, leaving a messy outline of his body still in the wall. Within two seconds Dante had entered the apartment, flung Leticia off Michelle and sunk his teeth into her throat. Leticia screamed, trying to fight him off but she was clearly much weaker than he was. Soon, she stopped struggling and Dante let go once he had drained her dry, leaving her nothing more than a still mass on the floor. Vampires needed blood in their bodies in much the same way as humans. Without it, they were useless. Dante found Michelle, though not easily seeing her even with his enhanced vision. She was sitting with her back to the wall. Dante knew who it was, but she was currently little more than a pulsing glow to him, a blur that blended in almost perfectly with the background. She was so much smarter than he gave her credit for. The brightness of her outfit strained his eyes, as they would any vampire.
“Are you all right?” Dante asked Michelle.
“I think she broke a rib…” she said weakly.
Dante got closer and brushed her hair away from the side of her neck, where he noticed copious amounts of blood on one shoulder, the one thing his vision picked up without any trouble. “Don’t worry. It’s hers,” Michelle said with a reassuring hand on Dante’s arm. “I shot her in the face.”
“I heard,” said Dante, impressed, massaging her neck affectionately. The gesture formed a small smile on Michelle’s lips. “Just rest.”
“No argument here.”
Dante again walked out to the hallway. Vickrant was in the same position; Alex was gone. He raised his head to listen. She had just exited the building and was running as fast as she could from the place. He didn’t blame her.
Dante picked up the limp and moaning Vickrant. “Tell me where your child is.”
“I will tell you nothing. What manner of freak are you that feeds on your own kind!”
Dante snapped Vickrant’s jaw to the side, dislocating it in the process. “I am unique. Your blood makes me stronger, and if you won’t tell me what I need to know, there is nothing more to say.”
Vickrant barely had time to scream before Dante bit him.
*
Alex’s feet pounded the pavement, the stitch in her side threatening to cripple her, yet she kept her feet moving. It was a dream, a nightmare, a hallucination. This wasn’t happening. Something, however, told her that wasn’t the case, and she should stop and think. She came to a halt and put her hands on her knees, struggling to catch her breath.
“Alexandra…”
Alex screamed, and tears formed before she could stop them. She was afraid she was losing her mind. Dante was standing there in front of her. How could that be? He stood so perfectly still, his gaze never leaving he
r, though she found she could not look at him. All she could see in her mind was the thick stream of blood on the left side of his chin.
He took a step forward and she could not suppress another terrified shriek.
“I’m not going to hurt you.”
“Just…stay there!”
Dante did as she asked, much to her relief. There was nothing said for some time, Alex taking the time to stop crying while Dante was simply a statue.
Alex took a deep breath. “What do you want?”
“To see if you’re all right. And answer any question you have,” he replied gently.
Alex gave a disbelieving chuckle. “All right then. Who the hell are you?”
“My name is Dante Delavega, though I have been known by many others.”
“How could you throw that guy against the wall like that?”
“I am not normal.”
“Yeah, I could tell that already. So what are you?”
“…Not human.”
Alex paused at this, unsure of what to think. She clearly knew he wasn’t, and the tone of his voice, though light, demanded that she take heed.
“You look human to me.” She felt like kicking herself, but was having a hard time thinking of anything sensible to say. This was no sensible situation.
“Looks can be deceiving.”
“So, what are you then?”
Dante caught her gaze finally and held it. “I am a vampire.”
Alex snorted. “Vampires aren’t real.”
“I assure you they are. I can give you further proof if you wish.”
“No thanks!” Alex said louder than she meant to, holding her hands out before her, as if they would thwart the monster she’d seen back in the apartment. What am I doing here? she thought. Is this even real?
“Alexandra, believe me I have no intention of harming you,” Dante said sharply, snapping her attention back. “I meant it when I said I care about you. There is much more you need to know. If you would only let me explain—”
“Please don’t,” Alex said backing away from him. “I…I can’t. Just please stay away from me.”
“Very well,” replied Dante with a sigh. He looked…sad, Alex thought. “If you will not let me take you home, then please take Michelle’s car. Here are the keys.” He placed a key ring on the hood of a nearby parked car and backed away. “I’m not going to force you into anything. They are there if you want them.”
Alex opened her mouth to answer, though she didn’t know what to say. She closed her eyes and rubbed her temples where a headache was forming. “Just, please go—” she started, but when she opened her eyes again, he was already gone.
*
Another quick knock on the door hurried the last two steps on the other side before it was opened.
“Hey,” said Lauren.
“What the hell is this?” Matt said through a yawn. “What are you doing here?”
“I need a place to crash.”
“Well that’s great, but why are you telling me? What about your lovely boyfriend?” Matt added.
“I wanna come in,” Lauren replied heavily.
“Why here? Don’t you have a home to go to, or several?”
Lauren couldn’t help but appreciate his bluntness and smiled. “You know that’s the best thing about you, your honesty. I mistook it for stupidity but I was wrong. You say what you think. I like that. You have never had a problem telling me what you think of me.”
“Is the world ending?” Matt asked. “Where is all this truth coming from? Wait a minute… Did something happen between you and Ryan?”
“We broke up,” she replied simply, like it didn’t matter that much.
“Well that makes sense then,” Matt said. “Well, for his sake, I’m sorry. Hotties like you don’t come around very often. But why don’t you just go home?”
“Alex and I aren’t really on speaking terms lately.”
“Huh. Did she finally decide you weren’t worth the trouble, or did you get bored?”
“A little of both.” She smiled wryly at this.
“So, what? All those years, gone, just like that?”
“Pretty much. I don’t blame her though. Like you said, I am more trouble than I am worth. I really didn’t think it called for taking Dante for herself to punish me.”
“What do you mean?” This had got his attention.
“I’ll talk to you about it if I am allowed in.”
Matt groaned. “All right, come in.”
Lauren took a step forward and into the house. She closed the door and wrapped her arms around Matt’s neck and kissed him. It took a few seconds, but Matt pulled away.
“What are you doing?”
Lauren shushed him, bringing him closer. “Relax.”
She kissed him again, pecking his lips softly.
“I thought you were…going to…tell me about Dante,” Matt mumbled between kisses.
Lauren shushed him again, running her fingers through his hair. “Forget about Dante,” she whispered, running her teeth along his neck, moaning. “Forget about Alex.” Another kiss to his neck. “Let them have each other. Let’s have this.”
“Have what?” Matt whispered.
Lauren reached for his crotch, at his erection straining to be freed. “You can’t lie to me, Matt. I’ve seen the way you look at me, and I can feel it now. I know you want me. You always have. So take what you want. I’m giving you the chance. Because I guarantee I’m going to get what I want from you. It’s gonna happen with or without your permission. Your choice.”
Lauren kissed him again, deeply. This time Matt responded. He couldn’t help it. Not that he had a choice. This wasn’t love; it wasn’t even about sex. It was revenge.
They both crashed to the floor with Lauren straddling him. With her left hand she removed her dress and ripped Matt’s shirt open with the other. She kissed and licked up his stomach to his chest. His hands caressed her toned skin, touching her everywhere he could, or rather, where she would let him. He tried to sit up to kiss her breasts but Lauren shoved him back down again with great force. He reached to hold her but she grabbed his hand and slammed it down over his head. Matt was too overwhelmed to think anything of it.
Lauren guided herself on top of him. He sighed stutteringly as she began to grind and rock, reaching over him so that both of his hands were held by one of hers. Lauren lowered herself towards his mouth. He strained toward her lips, but she put a hand on his cheek and with a quick jerk had turned his face to the side. She fisted her fingers in his hair, keeping him in place. Matt gave her arms wet kisses, as her mouth found his neck. He made an appreciative sound as her teeth pressed again on his skin. He gasped with a sound of pleasure as her mouth filled and then overflowed with the hot, salty liquid.
“I’m mouth-watering, huh?” he whispered dreamily, unaware that it was his blood pooling on the floor. He used his free hand to grasp Lauren’s arse, giving it a sharp slap for good measure. Lauren said nothing, using her tongue to flick him. As soon as her teeth had penetrated his neck Matt had groaned with pleasure, yet gone limp, his interest for sex evaporating as the blood in his body went in a new direction. He lay there blissfully content as Lauren fed. She would make him think he finished the job, drinking until he lost consciousness.
Before long, Matt was still. Lauren positioned herself over Matt’s suddenly supine form, using her thumb to push and suck the last traces of blood into her mouth. Mouth-watering? Please. Even Ryan tasted better. Maybe revenge killing is the blood version of junk food, she thought.
She tilted her head and looked down at her best friend’s boyfriend. He would wake up with a headache, but nevertheless he would wake. She would not kill him. It wasn’t time for that. Yet.
*
She left him on the floor with the front door wide open, walking outside as the breeze brought forth a cool change, and something else. A voice.
“Feels good, doesn’t it?”
Lauren whirled around. “Who the
fuck are you?”
“You may call me Julian,” he replied. “And I asked you a question first, did I not?”
Lauren clenched her fists. This Julian guy was way too casual, leaning against the front of the house without a care in the world. “Does what feel good?”
“Feeding from prey you used to know,” Julian pressed. “I have been around so long, I have forgotten what it’s like.”
“Not that great,” Lauren replied tersely. “I’m about to see an old friend. Maybe she’ll taste better.”
“Ah yes, your flatmate. You will never get close with Delavega guarding her.”
Lauren remembered something her new parents had told her. Newborn vampires are stronger than anyone else. With this thought and how bored she was, she lunged at Julian who, with a crack, disappeared in a cloud of smoke that surrounded her for a few seconds before dissipating.
“My my, such a temper.” He was behind her now.
“You can’t do anything to me. I know I’m stronger than you,” Lauren said, readying herself for another charge.
“Yes, it is rather an annoying thing about newborns. I have been on this earth for centuries and you, being a week old could slay one such as me without much effort. Oh woe to me.”
Another leap from Lauren resulted in the same cloud of smoke, which again disappeared after a few seconds. Julian had resumed his original placing. “Of course, I don’t need to fight just to defeat you. I can keep this up all night. You on the other hand, will need more blood after all this effort.”
As if Julian willed it, after two more failed attempts, Lauren could feel a wave of oncoming nausea and exhaustion. She slumped to one knee. “What the hell?” she muttered, bringing a chuckle from Julian.
Night Walker (Undeadly Secrets Book 1) Page 14