by Michelle Fox
Kristos offered me his hand and, when I took it, he pulled me into a hug. Putting his mouth to my ear, he whispered. “You’re not safe yet, love. You may never be safe, not while you're human. I'm afraid if you want to live, you will have to die.”
I sank into his embrace as the truth of his words washed over me. Every choice I had involved death. I could die and lose my mom. I could turn into a vampire and protect her...maybe. Plus she still had cancer and wasn’t in the clear yet. Nothing was certain except someone would die. The idea terrified me.
“Will you help me, Kristos?” I asked in a soft voice.
“You drank of me and we are blood bound now. I will do everything I can.” He planted a chaste kiss on my cheek. “The apartment is not secure. We need to leave.”
So we gathered up my mom. I threw some clothes into a bag, and we ran into the night. Kristos had said he wouldn't turn me against my will, but my life wasn't leaving me much choice. I wasn't free or safe. I wondered if I ever would be again.
The best I could hope for was some time to make peace with the future being forced upon me and come to terms with a past I had never known.
Chapter Nine
Several days later...
If you want to live, you will have to die.
Turning Kristos’ words over and over in my mind, I sipped my caramel latte amidst the hustle and bustle of a very busy coffee shop in New York’s Upper East Side. Fall had decided to give everyone a surprise preview of winter and the crisp air drove people into the small cafe. I watched as they ordered their favorite brew in harsh New York accents and waited for their orders, hands thrust in pockets because the weather had shifted so suddenly that no one had gloves yet.
Yesterday it had been seventy, but today the temperature had dropped to the thirties. They left the shop in self-important whirls of too light coats and hands wrapped around steaming takeout cups, soaking up the heat. What I wouldn’t give for such an easy solution to the chill permeating my life.
In the days since I’d been attacked for a second time and my mother had been kidnapped nothing much had been resolved. For the moment we were safe. Kristos and I were holed up in a faded but respectable apartment while my mom was in a clinic receiving state-of-the-art medical care. Unfortunately, there was no future in mere safety. We hadn’t solved my problems, only hit the pause button on them. I couldn’t go back to school or move forward with my life until we reached a better resolution than simply being good at hiding.
I sighed and looked up at the cafe menu, debating whether to have an espresso too. Vampires kept me up late these days and my caffeine consumption had increased accordingly. That’s when I noticed a dark, swarthy man standing in line watching me intently. He had handsome Italian looks with chocolate gelato eyes and sleek black hair.
When he kept looking at me, I slouched down in my chair, pulling the collar of my coat up to hide my face. It was better if no one noticed me too much. Way too many people would like to know where I was and whether or not I was dead already, and if I was still alive, they would be only too happy to rectify that oversight.
Undeterred by the shield of my coat, the stranger continued to stare at me as if he recognized me from somewhere and then abruptly answered his phone, turning his back to me as he spoke. Shaking his head as if irritated, he rushed out of the cafe without even placing an order. I held my breath as he went and didn’t let it out until the door shut after him. He hadn’t bothered to look at me again so it must’ve just been a coincidence. Maybe I looked like an old girlfriend. That could happen, right? Surely not everyone was out to get me? But I couldn’t shake a little niggle of suspicion. His expression had been sharply intent.
My hands shook slightly as I finished my latte. I probably shouldn’t have even come to the coffee shop, but I was going stir-crazy sitting in the apartment. I needed a change of scenery.
Every afternoon for the last few days, I’d been sneaking down here for a quick caffeine fix. Kristos’ security relaxed when the sun was at its zenith and I could slip out without raising any alarms. It helped that there was an ATM directly across the street from the apartment building, which made it easy to get cash.
I never had enough cash, which was why I’d signed up to be a blood courtesan in the first place—out of financial desperation. Selling sex mixed with blood to vampires was supposed to have been a fast way to earn a large amount of cash for mom’s medical care. Not to mention it had been the only way to raise funds I could find outside of a bank heist. I didn’t have the skill-set to rob banks, but I did have blood. It only seemed logical to trade on what assets I had in order to help my mom.
In hindsight, I probably should’ve robbed a bank.
I shook my head and gazed deep into my now empty coffee cup. How was I supposed to have known how dangerous vampires could be? Or that I was the top prize in some bizarre game of the ‘sins of the father are visited upon his children?’ The only reason I’d survived so far was because of Kristos.
Just the thought of the handsome vampire sent a tingle through me. In the back of my mind the connection that we shared ever since I’d drank his blood flared to life. I could feel him as if he was right there and pressed up against me. He was sleeping at the moment. While he could walk during the day, he preferred to sleep until the sun set.
Part of the reason why security was so lax during daylight hours was because he was the exception to the rule. The last week and a half had been a crash course in vampires. I’d learned most vampires didn’t have a choice about when they were up and about. The sun came up and they powered down like someone had abruptly removed their batteries. I’d seen it happen to the men Kristos had brought in to protect me. One second they were awake, and the next they were the equivalent of a poseable doll.
As far as he knew, Kristos was the only day walker of his kind. “We are just like humans, Myra,” he’d said with a sardonic smile, his blue eyes glittering with a mixture of amusement and restrained impatience at my constant stream of questions. “We’re all different.”
“Can some of you fly?” I’d asked, idly running my hand over his chest. We’d been in bed—we were always in bed—and I loved to touch him. He was smooth and hard, like a river rock molded by forces of nature I couldn’t comprehend.
He‘d shrugged and ran his hand down my back, reciprocating. “I’ve heard rumors but never seen it myself.”
I’d traced the outline of his pecs, biting my lip as his nipples hardened at the attention. I loved his chest. “Turn into bats?”
Kristos had shaken his head. “No shape shifting that I’m aware of.”
I smiled at the memory of that conversation. I’d peppered him with so many questions, he’d finally silenced me with a long, drawn out kiss that completely changed the subject.
He was a good kisser and an amazing lover, so I’d allowed him to distract me. But during the day, when he wasn’t there to divide my focus, all the unanswered questions swarmed my mind, stinging me with anxiety and worry.
I gripped my coffee cup a little tighter, wincing when it pulled at the stitches in my hand, an unwanted souvenir from the first time someone tried to kill me. I tilted my coffee cup up toward the ceiling as I drank, wanting the last few drops that had collected at the bottom. As I waited for it to flow to my mouth, I scanned the cafe once more, peering out over the cup’s brim. There were maybe five people in the coffee shop now, noses buried in their laptops or smart phones. No one cared about me.
I relaxed marginally then, and contemplated the pastries in the display case. A brownie the size of my hand beckoned me with its glistening chocolate ganache icing. My stomach growled at the sight of it.
Sad, but true: When I died, my ability to eat brownies would die with me. That fact had been established fairly early on in my questioning.
My priorities quickly rearranged themselves to include a brownie, a cinnamon scone and a gingersnap that was bigger than the brownie. If I ate it all in one sitting I invited diabetes and a fiv
e pound weight gain, but those kinds of health consequences weren’t much of a concern anymore.
Some people might call that an upside to my situation, but I was too wound up about things to take it as a plus. It was more stress eating than anything else.
I took the sugary confections to go, and clutching the bag against my chest, I made my way back to the apartment. As I went, I scanned both in front of me and behind me for sinister figures or signs of being followed. I hadn’t seen any cause for concern on my previous jaunts to the coffee shop and today was no different. If I was on the vampire world’s most wanted list, they weren’t working too hard to find me.
The safe house wasn’t as nice as the penthouse suite Kristos had taken me to after the first shooting. I shook my head recalling how we’d both thought they were after him, neither of us realizing it was me they wanted until it was almost too late. My absentee father had made me a hot commodity among the fanged set.
The apartment building was in the same block as the coffee shop, but on the opposite end. So it only took a few minutes to walk back. Just as I was about to step into the entrance, a cadre of armed men dressed in black spilled down the sidewalk on the other side of the street. They tried to look casual, but the way they scanned the street—as if they were looking for something and knew exactly how to find it—made me nervous. They walked with a purpose and every so often their hands would go to their sides as if reaching for a gun.
I ducked inside the building and pulled the door shut after me. Thankfully, the glass foyer of the building was tinted—you could see out, but not in. Another plus, access required a key card. Unless they were willing to shoot out the glass, they wouldn’t get in. I worried my bottom lip and watched them gather round the ATM I had used to withdraw cash a few days ago.
One of the men seemed to sense my presence and turned his head sharply, zeroing in on my building. He was blonde with an ugly red scar down the side of his face. His gaze seemed to penetrate the tinted glass.
With a gasp I stepped back. My heart raced as adrenaline shot through me, ready for fight-or-flight. My hand shaking, I pressed the key card against the access pad for the second door and rushed inside to the main lobby. When I looked back, the man was still there, watching, but one of his buddies nudged him forward. With a frown, he moved along with the rest of his group.
They spread out as they went, with a few crossing to my side of the street. I could see now that they had earpieces and were communicating with each other. I fled before they reached my door, eschewing the elevator for the stairs. Climbing all twenty flights was out of the question, but I didn’t want to be found waiting for an elevator on the main floor if they somehow gained entry.
By the tenth flight of stairs, my heart pounded like it would explode and my breathing was loud and labored. I staggered into the hallway, thighs burning, and headed for the elevator. It was Kristos who made me think of things like taking the stairs. He helped me keep up with my new action-adventure life style.
“Be ready at all times,” he’d said to me time and time again. “Zig when they think you’ll zag,” was another favorite line.
Hopefully I’d zagged while they were looking for a zig. I shivered even as the sweat trickled down my back from my impromptu workout. That had been close. I should probably stay in for the next few days.
Chapter Ten
The elevator delivered me to the top floor with a soft ding. The doors opened and I jumped because Kristos was standing there, waiting for me.
“Hey, Kristos.” I stepped into the hallway and tried to sound nonchalant.
“Myra,” he said, his voice almost a growl. He took my elbow, fingers digging into me with disapproval, and guided me back to the apartment.
“What are you doing up so early?” I asked, feigning innocence. He was not going to be happy about me sneaking out or the black ops team infiltrating the area. I wanted to delay the bad news as long as I could.
He shoved me through the entrance to our living quarters—a four bedroom with a rather mundane view of the street below. We slept in one bedroom and the rest of his team shared the other three. For a wealthy CEO like Kristos, I imagined it was like living in a trailer park.
“You woke me up,” he said.
“I did?” I thought back to all the times his name had come to mind, wondering which of them had drawn him to consciousness. I still wasn’t used to the link between us. In fact, I hadn’t even noticed it at first. Now, I could feel it, but didn’t know how it worked. Baby steps, I guess.
“The bond we share,” he gestured to himself and then me, “means I can track you, know what you are feeling.”
“Oh.” I paused wondering how that felt during sex. Did he feel the desire rising in me? Could I feel his? I would have to try it the next time we made love.
“I saw the men on the street from the window. They’re looking for you, tracing your debit card. You know you weren’t supposed to leave the apartment and now they know you’re here.” His tone was full of reproof.
I opened my mouth to defend my disobedience, but nothing came out. Kristos was right to be upset. Finally, I asked, “How did you know about the debit card?”
“Because they wouldn’t have looked twice at the ATM otherwise. You used it to withdraw cash for your little outing, correct?” At my nod, he gave a long suffering sigh. Grabbing my purse, he pulled out my wallet and flipped through it until he located my bank card. Holding it up so I could see, he crushed it in his hand. He didn’t even grimace either. Vampires were stronger than humans, I knew that, but it always chilled me to see it up close and personal. He’d thrown Samira out a skyscraper window like she weighed nothing and then the vampire had gotten up and walked off like nothing had happened. She’d only been allowed to live so she could tell her new master that I was a vampire. We were counting on that lie to keep me safe. If everyone believed I’d already been claimed, it made me less of a target. In theory at least.
He opened his hand to reveal my now crumpled debit card. “It’s just luck that you weren’t found. As it is, we’re going to have to move tonight. We can’t stay here now that they’ve traced us to this area. You took a big risk, Myra.” Kristos took the bag of pastries from me and opened it. He wrinkled his nose at the sugary scent that rose in the air. “Is this worth it?”
I thought of the chocolate brownie with its luscious ganache icing and gave a half shrug. In an attempt at levity, I said, “Asks the man who was born before chocolate was invented.”
“No, asks the man who is trying to save your life. At great personal cost, I might add.” He was irritated now and fisted his hands in my hair, pulling me in for a stern, admonishing kiss. While he kissed me, he took my purse and dropped it to the floor. The bakery bag followed suit and he paused just long enough to give me a look.
“What? I was hungry.” I did my best to look innocent and my stomach growled on cue.
He bared his fangs at me, but smiled as he did so. “You left me with nothing to eat.”
“I came back, didn’t I?”
“You were never supposed to go out in the first place.” His eyes narrowed. “You realize both our lives are at stake?”
I evaded his gaze. One, he could play mind tricks on me if I looked at him too long, and two, I didn’t want him to see that I felt guilty. “I was going crazy in the apartment.”
“Go crazy or go dead, your choice, love. Just try not to take me with you.” He kissed me again and pulled my coat off my shoulders, using it to pin my arms behind my back. “You smell delicious, by the way. What did you eat?”
“Just a caramel latte.” I lifted my head to look up at him, aware that the small movement exposed my throat.
He sniffed the nape of my neck, burying his nose there, his fangs just pricking my skin. “The contrast between bitter and sweet is tantalizing.”
“Mmm,” I moaned as I pressed up against his fangs, wanting them to break my skin. I welcomed the pain; it meant I was still alive. Also, the things
he did to me while feeding were pretty spectacular.
He refused to bite and pulled back, releasing me as he did so. “I could have sent someone out for your latte.”
I shook my head and removed my coat, draping it over a dining room chair. The compact apartment layout had the dining room just inside the entrance. “It’s not the same.” I’d wanted the freedom to pretend everything was normal. ‘Pretend’ being the key word. I was probably in the denial phase of my life going to hell.
“A bullet to the head isn’t any fun either.” He made a gun with his finger and aimed it at me. “They’ll either shoot bury you or make you rise to their bidding like a slave. Is that what you want?”
I sighed. “It’s just the suspense is killing me. Sitting here feels like a mistake.”
His expression became serious. “I can turn you tonight.”
I gulped, the offer making my blood run cold. To his credit, Kristos was giving me a lot of space and time to try and process the inevitable. He’d also set my mom up with medical care in a first class clinic under an assumed name to protect her. He was an all around gentleman...if that could be said for a bloodsucking vampire. I trusted him, except for when I didn’t.
I also wasn’t so sure about this ‘become a vampire’ thing.
He gave me a fatherly kiss on the forehead. “You’re going to have to decide soon, Myra. I can’t keep you safe forever.”
I leaned against him. “Thank you for trying though.”
He hugged me and then his hands began to roam my curves. His fingers tugged at the buttons on my blouse.
I put up a hand to stop him. “What are you doing?”
“I’m up. I’m hungry. We have no place to go and some free time before the others wake. In short, we are alone and I plan to take full advantage of that fact.” A wicked grin spread across his mouth as he spoke. “Consider this your punishment for breaking the rules.”
I arched an eyebrow. “You’re letting me off lightly.”