Night's Promise

by Sandy Lynn

  Chapter Fourteen

  Melissa looked in the mirror. She looked so different. On the phone, Duncan had told her he had a surprise for her tonight, and he didn’t mean the piercing. She felt giddy. Was tonight the night he’d propose? The night he’d change her? Whatever it was, she wanted to look special. She wasn’t sure why she’d allowed Mona to talk her into buying the slinky black dress the previous night, but now she was thankful the woman had insisted.

  Standing in the bathroom, she even spent extra time on her hair, pulling out her hated curling iron and twisting the long strands into something that looked elegant. She didn’t care if his surprise was Duncan simply telling her he loved her, she wanted to look special for him tonight.

  He’d never know precisely how much he meant to her. She paused, her hand freezing before she could apply the eye shadow. Well, he could know if he looked. Closing her eyes, she searched for him. She still wasn’t very good at the telepathic communications, but she could feel the warmth radiating from the door that would lead her to Duncan. It was always there with her now that she’d tasted his blood. That thought more than any other managed to bring her peace.

  Smiling at her reflection, she sighed happily. There really wasn’t anything to worry about. Her stepfather couldn’t or wouldn’t touch her. She was surrounded by wonderful friends, and people who loved her—even if one of them hadn’t exactly said it yet.

  It doesn’t matter. He wouldn’t change me if he didn’t love me. He shows me he loves me in everything he does, the way he holds me. He can tell me when he’s ready.

  The thought brought no bitterness. Being inside his mind, seeing what he saw, she felt the happiness that surrounded him when she was near. Stepping away from the counter, she put on her low heels and carefully walked downstairs.

  As she passed the kitchen, the phone rang. “Hello?”

  “Hey Mel. Are we gonna see you at CS tonight or do you and…do you have plans?”

  “Gareth, I’m on my way to the club now. I think you’ll be shocked when you see me.”

  “Why, did you finally cover the hickeys?” her brother grumbled.

  “Gareth!” She heard Lalita yell in the background. “I’m telling you this minute if you don’t shut the fuck up and be happy for your sister, you can just go back to sleeping in your own bedroom. And no, I won’t be there.”

  She couldn’t help chuckling at her friend’s threat. They were absolutely perfect together.

  “Fine. La says I have to play nice. You’ll stay long enough for me to see you? Maybe even let me dance with my baby sister?”

  “It’s a date. Just because Duncan and I are together doesn’t mean I won’t be your little sister. It doesn’t mean that I won’t have time to spend with you anymore.”

  “I know. I just… Dammit, I feel guilty, okay. If I hadn’t let myself get so wrapped up in La, I’d have known what was going on. Maybe I’d have been able to do something…”

  “I love you, Gareth. I’ll see you in a little bit, my cab should be here any minute.”

  “Okay. Love you too, Mel. Always.”

  She hung up the phone. She knew her brother was just worried about her. That he only wanted to keep her safe. Grabbing her keys she walked out the front door, her head held high. A cab sat, waiting on the street in front of her house. Before she could lock the door, Melissa paused. Her smile faltered as the small hairs on the back of her neck stood up. Straightening slightly, she began to turn around when a cloth covered her nose and mouth. She tried to struggle, to fight off her attacker.

  “Didn’t think you’d be safe from me forever, did you, you little bitch?”

  She began to struggle harder against the man holding her, terrified of what would happen if she lost consciousness.

  “Your freak of a protector couldn’t watch you all the time. And look, you even dressed up for me.”

  Her struggles began to weaken as her limbs grew heavier.

  Must stay awake, she told herself, but her thoughts were sluggish, as though she’d gone on some kind of alcohol binge.

  Everything began to grow black, and she felt Travis’s hand slide over her body in a way that would have had her retching if she weren’t losing consciousness.

  Mustering all the strength she had, she closed her eyes and stumbled through her mind. She couldn’t even see where anything was, her brain was too fuzzy from the effects of the chemicals. But she knew she had only one chance to choose the right door.

  Falling to the ground, she crawled the last few paces to a door that radiated warmth and happiness, praying it led to Duncan and not a memory of her mother. Opening the door, she just managed to scream out his name before she was sucked into the dark oblivion of unconsciousness.

  *

  He was tired of waiting. He would have grabbed her the night before but she was with this weird bitch. Anytime he’d gotten close enough to her, his skin began to crawl. No doubt she was one of those freaky unnatural creatures as well. Probably a werewolf or siren or something. He’d seen her move around in the daylight, that was when their shopping trip had begun, so he was certain she wasn’t a bloodsucker.

  Travis’s lip curled as he looked down at the unconscious woman in his lap. Soon. With any luck she and her “brother” had that link—the one he swore would let him find Travis wherever he went. But he’d learned just how much bullshit that was. How close had he been to them? How long had he been watching and waiting for the perfect opportunity to strike and never once been detected?

  Now he would just have to bide his time until his revenge could be perfect—just the way he’d always planned it would be.

  *

  Duncan was going through his closet, trying to decide what to wear. He wanted the night to be special for Melissa and not ruin it because he’d just thrown something on. Women were always going on about how they remembered the exact details of any special occasion, and he’d seen his share of disgusted looks when the memory included a less than perfectly dressed suitor.

  Feeling the pocket of his jeans for what had to have been the sixth time, he felt the small box waiting to be pulled out and given to his angel.

  When he heard the desperate scream inside his head, a chill went down his spine, making him feel as though he’d been plunged into an icy cold tub.

  “Duncan!”

  Automatically he began to run for her, to catch her through their connection, but when he tried to go through the door, it was like slamming into a brick wall.

  “Mother fucker, son of a bitch.” He screamed in frustration, grabbing the first thing he could put his hand on and throwing it across the room as hard as he could.

  This is really bad. Beating his fists against the wall blocking him from his love, he’d never felt more helpless. The only way he knew to block a path so effectively was if she’d been knocked unconscious. Had she fallen and hurt herself? No, there was too much terror in her voice for that.

  Someone must have hurt her. His head cleared as his anger began to simmer inside. Anyone from his past would know that’s when he became truly dangerous.

  Reaching for the phone to call her brother—as much as he didn’t want to—he cursed under his breath as he saw the handset across the room, smashed into hundreds of pieces. Taking another deep breath, he grabbed a shirt from his closet and exhaled slowly as he pulled it on. He would just go downstairs to the club and use their phone.

  Concentrating on his breathing, Duncan made his way down the stairs. At the bar he picked up the phone and quickly dialed Lalita’s number.

  When Gareth answered the phone, Duncan got straight to the point. “Have you spoken to Mel recently?”

  “About ten minutes ago, why?”

  “Nothing. I just got this strange feeling,” Duncan lied easily. There was no sense in worrying her brother if this turned out to be nothing. “Probably just my nerves.”

  “Why would you be nervous? Planning on ruining her life?”

  “No.” He hung up the phone and beg
an to dial Jake’s number.

  “What are you doing?” the blonde bartender asked curiously, walking over to him.

  Glaring at her, Duncan growled, his eyes narrowed as he finished dialing the number. She moved to the other end of the bar.

  Jake answered the phone and Duncan forced himself not to growl at the man. “I need you. Meet me at Club Strigoi in ten minutes.” Without waiting for a response, he hung up the phone.

  He strode purposefully to the door, and asked the guard, “Has a bleached blonde by the name of Diane been here lately?”

  The man looked at him like he was crazy. As part of his mind continued to beat on the brick wall, determined to know the second she regained consciousness, he snapped. Picking the hefty man up as though he weighed no more than a small child, Duncan slammed him into the wall. “Have you seen a bleached blonde that goes by the name Diane come to the club lately?” He spoke slowly, carefully enunciating his words.

  “I don’t know who you’re talking about. Do you know how many people I see come and go every night?”

  “You’d recognize her. She’s the bitch that was hitting on Gareth a few weeks ago.”

  “No. No, she hasn’t been by in a couple of nights. I haven’t seen her,” the man told him, his voice whining.

  Hands tugged on Duncan, trying to get him to release his grip on the other man.

  “Duncan, man, calm down. Put the man down and we’ll go find her,” Jake promised.

  Duncan released the bouncer, allowing him to fall into a heap to the floor. Striding out of the club, Duncan climbed into the beaten up truck that Jake drove.

  “Who are we looking for?”

  “A bleached blonde. Goes by the name of Diane.”

  “I’ll make a few calls.”

  Jake began to drive, making phone calls as Duncan sat in the truck, looking out the window. He didn’t know how long he’d been beating on the wall inside his head, but his hands felt bruised from the effort. They could crack and bleed for all he cared, he wouldn’t give up.

  “Can you give me anything else to go on? Those two details aren’t much help.”

  “All I know is that she showed up at the club a month or so ago, and began hitting on one of the regulars.”

  “Damn. It’d be easier to find a needle in a haystack.”

  “I’m going to find her, Jake,” he told the man, his voice lacking any emotion.

  “What did she do to you? Cause the way you look man, this woman’s gonna be lucky if you don’t rip her apart, limb by limb.”

  “Yes. She will.” He looked out the window. “Stop the car.”

  The man immediately pulled to the side, but Duncan was out of the car before it stopped. Door left wide open, he advanced on the blonde and catching her by the throat, forced her against the side of a building. “Where is he?”

  “I don’t know who you’re talking about. Get this freak offa me,” she yelled at Jake.

  “Are you sure she’s the one.”

  “It’s her. Where is he? You are going to tell me where I can find Travis or I’m going to make your life very unpleasant. The whole thirty minutes you have left.”

  She opened her mouth to scream, and he added more pressure to her throat until she was gasping for air. Diane scratched at him, her hands trying to loosen his grip, her nails digging into his flesh, but he never looked away. Easing the pressure slightly, he spoke, his voice devoid of any emotion. “Where is Travis Long?”

  “I don’t know. I swear I don’t. He contacted me. He gave me one of those prepaid cell phones and he called me. The last time I heard from him he said he didn’t need my help anymore. I swear, it’s the truth.”

  “Do you have a number on the phone?”

  “He…he always used a-a payphone,” she gasped.

  Duncan released her. When she straightened, Diane’s hands were around her neck and her breathing was hard. He could smell fear dripping from every pore. “If you are lying to me, there is nowhere you can run that will be far enough.”

  “I’m not lying. I swear,” she repeated, her eyes wide and voice already growing hoarse from nearly being strangled.

  “I hope for your sake you aren’t,” Jake said behind him as Duncan went back to the truck. “Do you remember anything? Trust me you don’t want to be on my friend’s bad side.” A few seconds later, he joined Duncan in the truck. “I’ll make a few more calls.”

  The vehicle remained parked as Jake spoke on the phone. With a sigh, he hung up the phone. “None of my sources know anything, Duncan. Man, I’m sorry. What did this man do to make you want his blood so badly?”

  “He hurt the woman I love.” Looking at his friend he said, “Your sources can’t find anything. It’s time for me to collect on a few favors.”

  Nodding, Jake started the engine. As they began to drive, he said, “Give it an hour, hour and a half tops, you’ll find him.”

  “I just hope Mel has an hour and a half.”

  *

  The first thing Melissa became aware of as she struggled to wake was the large wad of cotton in her mouth, sucking up any moisture. She moved her tongue to dislodge it, and was surprised to discover her mouth was empty. As she woke, her head felt like someone had been using it for target practice.

  She wanted to sit up, to try to remember what had happened. Why was she lying down? She was supposed to meet Duncan at the club. He had a surprise for her.

  A flood of warmth rushed into her mind. “Don’t move, Angel. No matter what, don’t move. Don’t speak, don’t move; concentrate on keeping your breathing perfectly even.”

  “What’s going on?” She tried to press him for answers when Duncan took her into his arms. “I don’t remember anything after I spoke to Gareth. Oh gods,” she panicked. “Is he okay?”

  “Your brother is fine, Angel. Remember what I said. Stay as still as you can. Concentrate. What happened after you hung up the phone?”

  Melissa fought to listen to him. He sounded so worried. What could have happened? “I got my keys,” she began slowly, the images becoming slightly less fuzzy. She moved in the bed slightly. “It’s hard. It’s so hard to try to keep my mind and body separate.”

  “I know, Angel, I know.” He caressed her hair. “Please, try for me? I wouldn’t ask if it wasn’t important.”

  “What’s going on, Duncan? Am I hurt? Am I in the hospital?”

  “What happened next?”

  “I left the house. I remember getting this strange feeling, like someone was watching me…” Her flesh began to crawl and her muscles jerked as the rest of her memory returned. She began to struggle, both in her mind and in the bed until Duncan wrapped his arms around her so tightly that she couldn’t move. Feeling his steel grip on her, her body grew still, as though it too were pinned to the bed.

  “Oh gods, he’s found me. He’s got me Duncan, he’s got me,” she sobbed. “Please tell me Gareth doesn’t know. It’s a trap. Travis is going to use me to kill my brother.”

  “No, he won’t.”

  “Yes he will. You don’t know him, he’s evil.”

  “Angel, listen to me,” he told her gently, pressing a kiss to her forehead. “That’s why it’s so important for you to remain calm. As long as he believes you’re unconscious, you’re safe. He’s going to want to make sure you are alert before he does anything.”

  She nodded in her mind. “I’ll try.”

  “No, love, you will. This is one time that try isn’t good enough. I’m going to find you.”

  “No,” she screamed. “I don’t want you to see. Duncan, I don’t want you to see me after he’s—”

  He’s not going to touch you. I promise, Angel, I promise.

  *

  Travis smiled as he hid in the shadows and watched her struggle to remain still. He’d allow her to play her game for now. He’d noticed how she jumped, her delicious struggles. He’d also caught the way her body jerked, as though she were being held still. No doubt she was in touch with someone.

 
It had been a stroke of genius to knock her unconscious before he brought her home. If he hadn’t, he may have had to bruise all that beautiful flesh as he tied her to the bed. As tempting as it had been, he’d managed to keep his hands off of her. But that hadn’t stopped him from looking. First thing she would learn is that she needed to shave her pussy. He wanted her smooth, just the way she would’ve been all those years ago.

  Besides, what fun would it be, punishing her without his intended audience? No, he’d allow her to send her pimp instructions, the few details she could give him.

  He just hoped that she told him enough to help him get there quickly. His dick was already straining inside his jeans at the thought of enjoying her as she remained tied to the bed. She would remain tied to the bed during their fucking until she’d learned to love what he did to her.

  No doubt that wouldn’t take very long. She would surely be thankful he’d rescued her from those things that took pleasure out of draining her blood as they fucked her.

  He’d also taken a good long look at the pucker of her ass. He wondered how many men had been there. He couldn’t wait to bury himself inside of her. But again, he would be careful, making certain that she was unconscious before he flipped her around on the bed and retied her with her ass up.

  More and more lustful thoughts entered his head of how he would use her body, how he would make her scream. Rubbing his hand over his jean-covered erection, Travis wondered if he would be able to wait until their guest arrived to start the party.

  If not, he’d just have to make certain to give him an even better show to make up for starting without him. He was certain he could think of something. The thought of having her mouth around him as he slammed into the back of her throat almost forced a groan from him as his dick got harder.

  His pleasure was almost ruined as he decided she would probably use her teeth in an attempt to hurt him. A smile crept onto his lips as he decided he’d just have to use his fist if she bit him. A few black eyes, or bruises on her cheek should quickly remind her that he wouldn’t be trifled with, and have her working eagerly to please him.