Would it never end?
She rubbed her belly when the baby kicked and clicked the mouse and shot the missile she’d aimed at her prey, annihilating them.
At least she could get rid of some frustration by killing things in a game.
Chapter 3
Her head was pounding something awful, and her chest was aching almost as much. Must have bruised it in the impact of the accident. Starla found some painkillers in the medicine cabinet in the bathroom and decided to take three. She washed them down with a glass of water in the kitchen then set the glass in the sink. When the cat pawed up at her, she scooped him up and rummaged through the cupboards. She was starved and all there was in the cupboards were cans of soup, dry noodles, and rice. Then she spotted the mac ‘n’ cheese and decided it was better than nothing.
“Does he feed you this crap?” Turning, she saw the cat dish on the floor with what looked like some sort of moist cat food in it. At least the guy fed the cat properly.
She set Killer down by his dish and he instantly began to munch away on the gooey food.
“Now for me.” She opened cupboard doors trying to find a pot. Finally spotting one, she took it to the sink and filled it with water. It kind of surprised her that there was running water and power. Since the town was virtually deserted, she hadn’t expected anyone around to continue running things.
Lucky for her there was.
She set the pot on the burner, turned it to high, then decided to check on her prisoner.
He was a cutie pie that was for sure. She was a sucker for a man with long hair, and his jet black mane definitely did a number on her. And those yellow eyes of his looked so damn sexy against his black hair and dark complexion. He had a slight Hispanic look to him. If he wasn’t a vampire, she might just be interested in jumping his bones.
Oh well.
She stopped short upon entering the room and began laughing. She couldn’t help it. He looked so angry. His handsome boyish face was all scrunched up, his brows curling towards his sleek nose and his thick, kissable lips peeled back to bare his fangs.
Damn, he was a sexy vampire!
“Oh, stop looking at me like that.”
“Release me!” he demanded.
“I will. Eventually. Do vampires eat food or just drink blood?”
“We eat,” he hissed it.
“Okay. Do you want some mac ‘n’ cheese? I’m a little hungry and thought I’d make myself some dinner.”
“I’m a little peckish myself but not for mac ‘n’ cheese,” he growled at her in a low, husky voice that sent shivers of arousal throughout her body.
“See, now as long as you make threats like that I won’t be letting you go anytime soon. Are you getting tired of standing? I could sit you on that chair in the corner. It looks comfortable.” She imagined his legs were probably getting sore standing in that same position this long.
“Sure.” He smiled at her with beguiling deceit.
Oh, he was a charmer. “If you’re thinking I’m going to release you to move you, think again.” She marched towards him. “I can move you like this. You’re poseable. See.” She took hold of his arm and lifted it above his head. The look he gave her told her clearly that he wasn’t impressed.
Oh well. So much for having some fun.
“Okay, let’s get you comfortable.” Walking behind him, she hooked her arms under his and dragged him to the corner chair. “Wow, you don’t look heavy, but you sure feel heavy,” she panted as she pulled him towards the chair.
“I thought the same thing when I lifted you up. I nearly put my back out carrying you from the car into the house.”
She dropped him into the chair with little care, then smartly rolled him onto his back. “That wasn’t very nice. I am not fat.” She was proud of her washboard abs. They took a great deal of effort to build and maintain.
She bent his waist, then his knees so he was in a sitting position. “There you go.” When the cat jumped up on his lap, she smiled, giving him a little ruffle on his furry head. “You can’t be all bad if he likes you. Oh, there’s my water. BRB.”
She hurried to the kitchen, carefully taking the lid off of the bubbling pot and dumped the box of noodles into the water. She turned down the burner, then let it cook.
It was rather a nice little bungalow Danny had. Cozy. Homey. So not what she would expect from a vampire. Truth was, she really didn’t know much about them. Other than they drank blood from innocent victims. Her parents had warned her to be careful in her journey to Jacob’s Cove and she’d reassured them she would. They both knew she was more than capable of taking care of herself.
Just like now, keeping the vampire frozen to his spot until she was ready to deal with him.
Stepping back into the room, she saw the disdain he held for her in the steely glare he sent in her direction. She wouldn’t be letting him free anytime soon.
“It should be ready in five, if you want some.” She ruffled the cat’s fur again as he slept on Danny’s lap.
“Now how will I be able to eat if I can’t move?”
Disdain might be too soft of a description for how he was feeling for her at this moment. Hatred might be better. “You can move your mouth so you can chew. I’ll feed you.”
“Well, aren’t I a lucky son of a bitch,” he hissed through gritted teeth.
“Your teeth aren’t always long. Do you control them? Like, can you think you want them to get longer and then they do?”
He let out a long breath before responding. “They get longer on their own, when I’m thirsty or near blood.”
“Cool! So how often do you need to drink blood?”
“Ten times a day.”
She narrowed her eyes as she responded. She wasn’t that stupid. “Right. And I’m Marry Poppins.”
“She didn’t have red hair, or that killer body.”
“You like my body, huh? I work out.” She lifted her shirt to just below her breasts to show off her abs. “I have a daily ritual…which I suppose I’ll have to modify while I’m here. So, let’s talk ritual—oh pooh, the noodles. Hold that thought.” Racing into the kitchen, she quickly drained the pasta then added the powdered cheese. Since there was no milk, she made do without it. She wasn’t too sure how it was going to taste without it, but food was food when you were starving.
She divided it into two bowls, shoved a spoon in both, then carried them back to the living room. “Here we go.” She sat on the arm of the chair, resting her bowl on her lap and holding his in her hand. “Open up?”
He clamped his mouth shut.
“Suit yourself.” Grabbing her bowl she went to the couch, placed Danny’s bowl on the wooden coffee table, and sat down to enjoy her food. “Tell me about the ritual.”
“How do I know you’ll keep your word and let me go if I tell you?”
She finished chewing, then swallowed before responding. “You don’t. What other choice do you have?”
“You can’t keep me like this forever,” he challenged and his yellow eyes narrowed, his dark lashes fanning them.
“Maybe not forever, but long enough. Sure you don’t want any? It really isn’t that bad.” or maybe she’d just gone too long without eating. The last time she’d had something was…the night before at dinner and according to her watch, it was well past lunchtime. A day later.
“Even if I give you what you want, you have to know the instant you release me I’m going to rip your throat out.”
She dug into her bowl, unfazed. “I think I’ll take a shower when I’m done eating. Mind if I use your facilities?” She batted her eyelashes, deliberately, to annoy him.
“Be my guest.”
His voice dipped low and dangerous and gave it an added edge that she found incredibly sexy. “If you’re thinking I’ll let my gua
rd down to shower, then think again.” She stood, grabbing both bowls. “I’m stronger than that. He really is a cute cat.” She left the room to his rapid fire of obscene names for her and set their bowls in the sink, ignoring him. She’d clean them later but first she wanted to get out of her sweaty clothing.
As she passed through the living room in search of the shower she noticed the scowl on his face hadn’t changed much since she’d left the room. Starla left Danny sitting, frozen in his chair, while the cat slept soundly on his lap.
Chapter 4
She had some damn nerve!
Fuming in the chair she had not so gently set him in, the cat sleeping soundly on his lap, Danny listened to the water running in the shower. If only he’d left the city half an hour sooner, or even later for that fact, he wouldn’t have been run off the road by that…witch! Now he was frozen in a chair without the ability to use his arms, legs, or any other fucking body part besides his mouth. And Starla was enjoying a nice, hot shower.
The first chance he got, he was going to bite her good and proper and suck every ounce of her stupid life from her veins.
He felt his teeth elongate and his body yearning to be fed. Danny knew he needed to feed, and soon. There were packets of blood in the cooler in Starla’s truck…which he couldn’t get to because the wretched whore of a woman had him frozen to his spot.
Damn it!
The water shut off and with the silence, he could hear her singing to herself. She had a nice voice…and he was going to enjoy ripping it out the first chance he got.
Killer stretched on his lap, using his claws, and Danny was both grateful he could feel it and pissed off because he couldn’t stop it.
“Claws, Killer! Claws!”
With lazy effort, Killer retracted his nails, gave his body a shake, then turned and made his way up Danny’s chest. When his tongue slid out and over Danny’s chin, he flinched, inwardly and was helpless to the cat’s cleaning.
“Someone needs some breath mints.” But it didn’t deter the cat from his cleaning fest. “You know, you could help me out here and claw that pretty bitch’s face up. It might be enough for her to drop her guard and release me from this hold.”
Killer purred in response and continued his cleaning.
“Aw, that is so cute. He really loves you.”
Danny’s eyes shifted and the instant he caught sight of Starla, his entire body tensed up. Her red hair was damp and tumbling down past her shoulders. She wore a light gray t-shirt that looked vaguely familiar and barely came to her mid thigh—which he noticed were pretty damn sexy.
And obviously she wasn’t wearing a bra because her nipples were pointing directly at him in a taunting stance.
He felt the blood rush to his cock and strained against the tightness of his jeans.
When Killer jumped off his lap, Danny actually regretted it. The cat would have made a nice cover for his hard-on.
“I borrowed one of your t-shirts since my stuff is probably still in my truck. Hope that’s okay? Oh, your teeth are out. Are you hungry?”
He was hungry all right, but it wasn’t just for food. Maybe he should have mentioned to her that arousal was another reason his teeth elongated. “I am,” he growled low and deep.
“Do you want some mac ‘n’ cheese now?”
“Not food. I need blood.” And something else, but he was pretty damn sure she wouldn’t be giving him that anytime soon.
“Well, you’re not getting mine.” She backed off defensively.
At least she was worried he might bite her. That was good. He could just imagine how sweet she would taste. “There’s a cooler with blood in the back of your truck parked in the driveway. Just get me some of that.” But he’d have to settle for packaged over fresh.
Her eyes went wide and Danny was amused at how much larger they could get. “My truck is here?”
“How do you think I got you back here?”
Her shoulders lifted in a careless shrug. “Never gave it much thought. Goodie, I have my stuff. Be right back.”
The view from behind wasn’t half bad either, Danny thought as Starla darted out of the house. Even though the baggy t-shirt had covered up most of her ass, it didn’t hide the roundness of it. He would love to lift that shirt up and take a nice healthy chomp out of her nice, round, firm—
“As requested.”
He gave his head a mental shake and watched her move toward him. He’d been so deep in erotic thoughts that he hadn’t even seen or heard her come back in.
He was feeling the need for sex almost as achingly as his need for blood.
“So, now what do I do?” she asked as she held up a plasma bag.
“Rip the top open and put it to my mouth.”
“How do I rip it open?”
“With your teeth.” Being this close to her, he could actually make out the shape of the areola beneath her shirt. They were large which was perfect considering her breasts were rather large themselves. God how he would love to get his hands on those babies.
“I think not!” She scrunched up her nose, giving the bag a cursory look. “I’ll find scissors.”
Why were women so squeamish? “Oh, just put the bag to my mouth and let me rip it open.”
She hesitated before stepping closer, then slowly extended her arm out until the bag touched his face.
His eyes lifted to hers and he held them there for a moment. It was a challenging stare on both their parts. He bore his fangs, heard her quick intake of breath, then ripped into the bag. He drank the blood down all while keeping her eyes hostage.
If he had the power to seduce her with just a look, he was hoping it happened now.
She blinked, then looked away.
Damn, worth a try. He gulped down half the bag before pulling his mouth away. Her eyes flicked back to him and, when he ran his tongue along his lips, he saw her gaze shift to his mouth. So he purposely took it slow, sliding his tongue first over his bottom lip, pausing before running it over the top. And just before he pulled it into his mouth, he flicked it over his teeth.
“I…well…okay.” She drew in a deep labored breath, then turned away from him and placed the packet on the coffee table. The blood began to seep from the hole he’d made in the plastic.
Maybe he could distract her with seduction.
“I…um… This shirt is really comfortable. Mind if I keep it on for a bit?”
She was flustered. Wasn’t that perfect! “What choice do I have? Not like I can stop you.”
“Still, I wouldn’t want you to be upset at me for wearing your stuff.”
“Okay, if I told you I didn’t want you to wear my t-shirt, would you take it off?”
“Of course.”
He smiled and if the deviousness showed, she didn’t let on. “Fine. Take it off.”
“Okay.”
When she lifted a black suitcase and headed for the hallway, he was dumbfounded. “What are you doing?”
“Going to change,” she added innocently.
Oh man, so much for his fun. “I was kidding.” She paused, narrowed her eyes at him. She had such pretty eyes, even when they narrowed in disdain. “Jesus, it was a ploy to get you to take the shirt off in front of me.”
She crossed her arms over her chest which only emphasized the magnitude of her beautiful mounds. “That wasn’t very nice.”
“Yeah, imagine that, a vampire not being nice. Go figure.”
Her big, brown eyes narrowed a little more at him. “I think I would like to relax and watch some TV. Any idea what’s on?”
“Beats the hell out of me.” It had been stupid of him to think she would actually take it off right in front of him. But a guy had to try.
Grabbing the remote from the coffee table, she plunked her butt down on the sofa, c
rossing her legs at the thighs and clicked on the TV. He watched her as she flicked through the channels, his eyes shifting from her tits to her thighs. The t-shirt had ridden up when she’d sat, revealing even more of her thighs. Damn, he wanted to taste them.
“Oh!”
His heart jumped and this was one time he was glad he was frozen. Her abrupt announcement would surely have had him floundering in his chair.
“I like this movie! It’s a classic.”
His heart thumped wildly beneath his chest not just from being startled. She was damn lucky he couldn’t move. Though, he had yet to figure out which he wanted more. Her blood or her body.
“I have all the time in the world you know.”
He blinked, refocusing. “What?”
“I have all the time in the world.”
She’d lost him. Had she spoken while he’d been daydreaming? “For what?”
“To wait for you to tell me about the ritual.”
She swung her legs up and onto the sofa and for a brief second he caught a glimpse of her underwear covering up what he knew would be one hell of a sweet hot spot. He swallowed and decided he’d go for the body before the blood. “Why is it such a big deal to you?”
She fluffed a couch cushion behind her neck then settled back, crossing her legs at the ankles giving him an even better view of her legs. “Four months ago High Priestess Essema confided in my mother that a ritual had taken place that defied all the laws of magic and that the Dark Mystics were in charge of it. She asked my mother to help her plead to the mystics to break the spell of darkness before too many lives were sacrificed, but the Dark Mystics wouldn’t see her. Well, they actually blocked her, which gave Aunty Essema a nasty headache that lasted for days.”
“I take it this Essema and your mother are both witches as well?”
She nodded. “Some of the most powerful, which I am proud to say, runs in my blood. Anyway, neither my mother nor High Priestess Essema could find out any information on the ritual, only that scarifies had been made, though there was no detail as in what that meant.”
He kept his mouth shut while she continued.
Shiela Stewart - [Darkness 04] Page 3