by Sandy Lynn
With just a single sip of the vile liquid, he was ensuring that he would become deathly sick. It may not kill him, but he knew he’d wish for death. Unlike humans, his kind could feel the poison and rejected it quickly in an attempt at preservation. But right now he’ didn’t care about the pain, he’d risk it for even just a few minutes of the forgetfulness that humans found in the alcohol.
Placing the bottle against his lips and tilting it, he drank deeply, shuddering with the taste.
Striding out of the man’s house, he went to the house of a nearby sorceress that he kept as an occasional lover.
“What are you drinking, lover? Do you know—”
“I know exactly what I’m doing,” he told her in a tone he knew would stop the questions.
“If you wanted comfort you could have just come straight to Peg. I’ll take good care of you, I always do.”
Removing his pants without his assistance, Peg teased his body as he finished off the bottle of vile liquid. He wondered if it would bring the blissful numbness that it gave humans. And how long he would have to wait before it took effect.
When he was undressed, she pushed him onto the bed, handcuffing him to the frame. Removing a fat candle from a drawer beside the bed, she lit it.
“Would you like to talk about it?” she asked before biting his stomach.
“No.”
Wisely she allowed the subject to drop. Nothing she did, however, was able to distract him. He didn’t even enjoy it the way he usually did when she drizzled melted wax on his chest and stomach.
Not letting her know he wasn’t into their play, he mechanically drew moans from her as he thrust into her body. He didn’t find release, but that was no reason to neglect her.
When she collapsed on top of him, completely sated, he looked up at the ceiling.
“That was amazing.” She sighed. “I love it when you come to see me.”
“Peg, I want you to do something for me.”
“Name it, lover. Should I pull out the whips?” she purred.
“I want you to enchant some ink for me. I want a tattoo and I don’t want it to ever disappear.”
She sat up, still straddling him. “Do you know how much magicks that will require?” she exclaimed.
“A better question would be do I care. No, I don’t.”
“And if I refuse to do it?” she replied angrily.
“Then when I walk out that door we’re done. And I’ll make certain everyone knows we’re finished.” He didn’t even raise his voice, but she blanched like he’d just slapped her.
She knew the only reason she hadn’t been hurt was people knew she and Duncan were lovers. None made the mistake of thinking he loved her. But the last time an angry vampire had threatened her, she’d spread around that she was his favorite lover. Everyone knew he wouldn’t be hurt by her loss, but she’d made sure they would think he’d be pissed.
“It’ll take me about a week to prepare the proper spells…”
“Fine, now get these damn handcuffs off of me before I break your bed.”
The second the restraints were off, he was leaning over her trash can, throwing up.
His hand covered the tattoo etched into his skin, hidden for now beneath his shirt. His relationship with Peg had ended soon after the design was completed. She’d been horrified when she saw the claw marks ripping through his skin, but he didn’t care.
The picture was not for her. It was his final lesson from Thomas. One he’d allowed himself to forget, for a while. In his line of work he couldn’t have friends. They were a weakness he couldn’t afford. They made him vulnerable, open for attack. They were made targets—if only to find out if he’d become soft. A way to get revenge on him, the only way they could ever truly hurt him.
Every time he saw the bloody claw marks he’d been reminded of the pain being close to others caused.
Melissa didn’t seem to mind the design of his tattoo much.
The thought of her brought a smile to his face. But it faded when he thought about what she’d been through. No one should have to suffer as much as she had, and he had a strong feeling she hadn’t even told him the entire story. He would never blame her for not baring her entire soul. To do so left a person completely vulnerable. It opened them up to a pain that made torture look pleasant, and could easily rob someone of their soul.
Remembering his own past made him protective of her. Being forced to kill his friend and being abused by those who swore to protect you weren’t truly the same, but they did infect a person with similar feelings.
No one should have to feel as though they had to walk the earth suffering in silence and feeling that they couldn’t afford to allow anyone close to them without risking that person’s life and happiness.
For years Duncan had refused to get close to anyone, refused to go through the pain that killing Thomas had caused, again. Though no one ever knew how badly that particular job had hurt him, the truth was, he’d never been the same afterwards. Not until Bram entered his life.
For some reason the stubborn vampire decided Duncan shouldn’t have to be a loner, and befriended him. Bram had ignored his rudeness, his threats, until Duncan finally allowed himself to consider him a friend. Chuckling, Duncan remembered it had taken Bram over ten years but he’d never given up. He never pried into his past more than Duncan was willing to discuss, and he was the only person who was still living to know most of it.
It was thanks to Bram that the symbolism of Duncan’s tattoo had evolved into a something different, something less bleak. Instead of forever remaining a reminder that he couldn’t be close to anyone, it became a reminder of his past.
He had never regretted getting the tattoo, and just as quickly discovered he could never regret who he was. To dwell on the past, on the cold-hearted bastard he’d been was the road to madness. Plagued by guilt he would also be plagued with images of his victims, though none of them could ever be termed innocent. Too many faces to count, to remember, his guilt would quickly push him into insanity.
No, he could never be the kind of person who regretted taking another’s life, could never regret what he’d done. He was the man he was today because of the man he was so long ago. Even then, Duncan had lived by his own code, refusing to break it. Any who tried to challenge his code were destroyed. He may not have been the best person, the nicest or most gentle man that lived, but he was an honorable man—as much as any assassin could be honorable. His only rule, the only hits he absolutely refused, involved children. In his long life, he’d never claimed the life of an innocent child. He did, however, kill more than a few of his fellow hit men until the gangsters learned the death of children was not something he would permit. If he even knew about it, the job was not completed. The criminals eventually learned to use different methods of torture to “persuade” a person to become compliant.
Looking at the monitors, watching Bram stand on the floor with his arms crossed, he wished his friend would find the happiness he truly deserved. He was the first man Duncan had ever truly called friend, and the only man he would ever stay truly loyal to. Thomas was the closest he’d had to a friend while he was a killer, but Bram was the one who helped him to walk away from his former life before the bosses could all combine their efforts in their desire to get rid of him.
They would have banded together—for a short while—to kill him. They were terrified that some night he would be at their door; a night on which he had not been summoned.
Bram was the man who showed him there could be more to life, and finally given him hope.
Watching his friend in the monitors, he hoped that the pretty brunette he’d seen talking to Bram would return. He’d only been able to get a glimpse of her the night Melissa got into a fight, but it had been enough to know that his friend was interested in her. If it could be more, no one would know unless she came back.
When Bram had told everyone on the staff to let her in the club and find him immediately, Duncan had decided to investi
gate. Going to the security cameras, he watched their encounter then managed to get a picture of her printed from the footage. Duncan gave the printout to Bram, who then made sure all the bouncers were shown exactly who to look for.
Retreating from the memories, Duncan watched the monitors for any sign of trouble. When Melissa entered, his eyes were drawn directly to her.
Could there be more between them than just the urge for him to help her? It had certainly felt like more when he’d held her. Why else would he have promised not to touch another woman so long as they were figuring out what was between them?
It was true, he enjoyed jerking off as much as the next guy—hell some would probably say he enjoyed it even more. But his hand was no substitute to feeling a woman’s warm, wet pussy sliding down his dick. Just the thought of it, the memory of his cock thrusting in and out of a woman was enough to get him hard. He became uncomfortably harder when that woman’s anonymous face became Melissa’s sweet one.
On the monitor, she seemed to be looking for someone. Could he hope that it was him? Or perhaps she had changed her mind about ever seeing him again. That seemed more likely; she was looking for him to say she didn’t want to see him again.
The gods knew it would be the better choice for her.
Giving in to temptation, he left the monitors, going downstairs with the intentions of ending things with Melissa before they went too far. He wasn’t the man she deserved, he never could be.
“Go watch the monitors,” he told the first bouncer he saw. When the man hesitated, Duncan rolled his eyes. “It’s safe enough.”
Damn, a man jerks off one or two—dozen—times and suddenly you gotta tell them if it’s even safe to go in the room.
Staying back, he waited until Gareth left the table to dance with Lalita, thankful his cock softened enough to allow him to walk without a limp.
He didn’t feel up to a confrontation with the man, and knew Melissa would be upset if he hit her brother. And he doubted she would care who swung the first blow.
Bram wouldn’t be too happy either if an incident happened in the middle of his club.
Carefully, he approached her, keeping a lazy eye on the dancing couple, so he wouldn’t be taken by surprise if her brother suddenly appeared.
Drawing closer, he watched Melissa at the table, talking with another woman. He knew they were friends, he’d seen them hanging out at the club together but couldn’t remember the other woman’s name. Her short, auburn hair was styled in a way that gave her the appearance of being sweet and innocent.
Anyone who had ever been around magicks would know better. The woman’s power practically sparked as it flowed off of her.
“Of course I think it’s cute,” Melissa told her friend. “Mona, I swear you are one of the few people that I think can pull off that hairstyle. And no, teenagers don’t count. Seriously, you look fabulous.”
“I’m just worried that now guys will think… Hello.”
“Hey.” He smiled at them, the forced smile turning genuine when he glanced at Melissa.
“Hey,” she answered shyly. After a few seconds, she shook her head. “Mona, this is Duncan, he’s a bouncer here. Duncan this is a good friend of mine, Mona. Mona’s a—”
“I know. I can see the power surrounding her. Pleased to meet you, Mona.” He offered his hand.
“It’s a pleasure to meet you.” She shook his hand, an approving expression on her face. “Not many people would shake my hand, knowing what you do.”
“Duncan’s not like most people,” Melissa said then blushed.
“Well, I think I’m going to go…do something else. That way if Gareth asks me what’s going on, I can honestly say I have no clue. Duncan, it was nice meeting you.” Quickly excusing herself from the table, Mona rushed away from them.
“Is everyone afraid of your brother?” He sat down beside her.
“Well, they’ve seen how he reacted the last time a guy grabbed my ass. We’d just left CS and, to be honest, the guy had to go to the hospital.”
“Why? I know for a fact you can protect yourself.” He couldn’t help grinning at the memory of her punching him. The thought of her doing it again was enough to make his cock twitch with interest inside his pants.
“Yeah, and he knows I can. But I think to him I’ll always just be his baby sister, you know?”
“Not really.” He shook his head. “And I can honestly say I’ve never regretted it. I was glad when my parents didn’t have anymore kids. They said I was more than enough for them to handle by myself. They weren’t sure they could handle another child, especially if I taught it all my tricks.”
“That was so mean of them.”
“Not really, they were absolutely right. I raised a lot of hell in my day. I was forever ignoring all the rules, and doing what I wanted. And they were also right when they thought I’d teach any siblings my tricks. Not all of them, mind you, but enough to make my mom’s hair turn gray. Or should I say grayer? Her beautiful black hair was almost snow white by the time I finished puberty,” he told her with a chuckle.
There was a lull in the conversation. Unable to stand the confusion, the not knowing any longer, he blurted out, “Did you change your mind?”
“About?”
He arched an eyebrow.
“Oh, that. N-No, I didn’t. Why did you?”
She looked afraid; so young and vulnerable that even though he knew he should break things off between them, he couldn’t. He couldn’t reinforce that all men were complete pricks who were only interested in one thing.
He knew men who weren’t like that. Like Bram. Bram was a man who deserved a woman like Melissa. He’d say and do all the right things and quickly help her forget about the horrors in her past. But the thought of Bram holding her in his arms pissed him off.
“No, Angel, I didn’t change my mind. How could I when you look so beautiful?” Looking around, he motioned for the door. “Wanna get out of here?”
“Where would we go?”
“Anywhere you want to go.”
“Even to a movie about knights?” A look of mischief was on her face.
With a groan, his head flopped forward until it hit the table. “Even a movie about knights,” he told her grumpily.
Laughing, she was shaking her head when he looked up. Standing up, she took his hand and preceded him out of the club.
Outside, she stood on her tiptoes to give him a quick kiss on the cheek. “You are something else, do you know that?”
Motioning for him stay where he was, Melissa climbed into a taxi and leaned closer to the driver, whispering their destination in his ear.
She’d made certain he stayed far enough back that he couldn’t hear what she told the driver over his radio.
When the driver nodded, she gestured for Duncan to climb in.
“That was just wrong. I said I’d go to the movies.” He sulked, curious to know where they were going.
“Yes, but tonight I want you at my mercy. I don’t want you to know where we’re going until we get there.”
Arching his eyebrow, he looked around. “And how are you going to accomplish that?”
Images of Melissa leaning, kissing him as her tongue thrust into his mouth filled his head. He wanted to pull her onto his lap, to bury his face in her neck, breathe her scent deeply.
“Hey,” he said, taken by complete shock when she covered his eyes with her hands.
“It’s a surprise.”
Scooping her up, he pulled her onto his lap.
“What are you doing?”
“I’m just enjoying the ride, Angel.” Laying his head against her shoulder, he felt like he was in heaven.
Chapter Six
The look on his face when she took him into the bowling alley was worth any embarrassment sitting on his lap had caused. Of course she’d wanted to pull him closer when he rested his head on her shoulder. She wanted to cradle him to her breast until he helped them both to forget about everything but the present.<
br />
“What are we doing here?”
“You said we could go anywhere I wanted,” she teased.
“Yeah, but I thought you wanted to go to see some movie.”
“Nah. Not tonight. Unless you’re disappointed…I mean, if you had your heart set on seeing some knight movie—”
“Nope, not at all.”
At the counter they ordered their shoes and moved to a lane.
“I didn’t think you were a bowler.”
“Well, I didn’t say I was any good at it,” she told him with a smile. “But it’s fun and it’s not Club Strigoi. And my brother is nowhere to be seen.” She made a show of looking around.
“True. I was beginning to wonder if you were avoiding me, when you didn’t come back to the club.” He picked up his ball and rolled it down the lane, knocking over at least seven of the pins.
“I wanted to give you some space to decide if you were sure you still wanted to go through with the dating thing. I won’t blame you if you’ve changed your mind. After all, not only do you have to deal with my screwed up past, but my brother’s been suspected of doing more than just trying to intimidate guys around me. We get a mystery card with no signature every Christmas, I think it’s from the hospital. But they don’t want him to know how much they appreciate him sending so much business.”
Duncan surprised her by laughing. “Oh Angel, your brother doesn’t scare me. There are scarier guys in this world than him, and you’re with one of them right now.”
“Really? Then why aren’t I afraid? Why do you always seem to want to avoid running into my brother while you’re with me?”
“Because I’m not stupid. Mel, I know you love your brother and I don’t want to hurt you because I had to hurt him.” Rolling the ball down the aisle again, he got a spare. “And you never have anything to fear around me.”
“I’ve already been lucky enough to have one knight in shining armor. What if I don’t need another one?”
“Then I will sigh in relief. My armor was never shiny. It was always more of the tarnished variety.”