A man stood up from behind a counter and glared at us for a moment before he recognized Nikolai.
He sauntered around the counter and leaned against the glass top, eying the two of us. His black hair was done up in a stylish manner that didn't match with his occupation. He had a thin mustache and goatee. His blade of a nose held Clark Kent glasses, and he wore a dark purple dress shirt and black slacks. Like the other fae I'd met, his appearance looked slightly off, as if someone had created him from a description of humans without actually seeing one. He was too long, too narrow.
“Nikolai,” he said with a faint hint of an accent I couldn't place. “Who's your friend?” The shop owner eyed me slowly. I glanced down at the green dress Emma had loaned me. To my astonishment, there wasn't a drop of blood on it. Well at least I didn't look like a Christmas ornament: a very morbid Christmas ornament. Though there was no red, the fabric was dotted with darker green where the drizzling rain had stained it.
“Ash,” Nik murmured.
The shop owner stepped forward, took my hand, and kissed it like they do in the movies before whispering, “Pleased to meet you Miss Ash.” He didn't seem to notice the fact I had just been crying. Or maybe he didn't realize I didn't always look red and puffy. Or maybe vampires who cry don't become hideous like normal women. I couldn’t tell you; I didn’t have a mirror on hand.
I smiled. I couldn't help it. It's like a reflex to a girl when a strange, attractive man pays attention to her in a suave, debonair fashion. The fae’s hazel eyes glowed in the artificial light. I felt my lips tweak up into a smile as I took an involuntary step toward him.
“All right, Drake, leave off,” ordered Nik as he stepped to my side. Drake smiled at Nik, a look of perfect innocence clouding his features.
The sudden fire growing in my blood eased as the fae looked away from me. What just happened? But the minute he released me, the guilt reestablished itself. Its return was almost physically painful. I didn't deserve to feel relief, even for half a moment.
Drake returned to leaning against the glass counter. “And what can I do for you Nik?” he asked as though he hadn’t just tried to seduce me with his eyes.
Nik pulled out the list, now decorated with our notes, from his back pocket and handed it to Drake. “Know where we can find any of these items?”
Drake chuckled. “You realize all these items are part of a rather large collection celebrating Charles the Fifth?”
Nik rolled his eyes. “Not exactly an answer. Did you forget Drake; you have a debt still unpaid.”
Sheesh, another debt. Stupid supernatural favors. At least this one would help us. The proprietor's smile faded into a scowl. “True. A debt I am keen to discharge.”
“Answer my questions to my satisfaction, and I will consider your debt repaid.”
Drake forced a smile to his lips, the wheels in his head turning. He suddenly made up his mind and said, “Of course. Haven't seen these items in a long time.”
“When was the last time?”
He laughed again. “Oh, centuries now. I was involved in the making of this breastplate,” he tapped the paper, “But of course, that is not common knowledge. Kolman Helmschid was his name, if I remember correctly. The blacksmith, that is. Last I heard of the breastplate, it was stolen from the Louvre a couple decades ago.”
“And being human, Kolman is long dead,” hinted Nik.
“Undeniably.”
“And you have no idea where any of it might be now?”
Drake hesitated a moment. “Your guess is as good as mine.”
Nik and Drake began talking in circles, neither relating anything tangible. I lost interest in the conversation. My mind wandered back to the woman I'd just murdered. I didn't think about drinking her blood, how it tasted, or how it felt soothing my burning throat. If I allowed my mind to wander down that road, I'd lose control again.
While the others talked about that stupid Holy Roman Emperor, I started wandering through the displays. As I neared the entrance, a plan started to take shape. Okay, maybe not a plan, but a notion, a vague glimpse of an idea. I glanced toward the back of the store. The others were still talking.
I reached up and silently slipped my fingers into the small bell hanging from the door. I shifted it off its hook, my fingers keeping the tiny clacker from hitting the bell. Once the bell was safely placed on a display table, I slipped out the door. I charged down the street, really regretting Emma's choice of outfit.
I didn't know how long it would take for them to realize I'd left, but I figured it was about as long as it took the U.S. to resort to a missile strike—in other words, not long. I turned down the first corner into an alley and ran past a trio of homeless men. They stared at me. No doubt I was an odd sight—a girl dressed to visit the queen running slightly faster than a human should down a dark alley. I turned left on Washington Street and charged toward Sylvester Park. I crossed the park at a diagonal, absently noting the stump of a burned tree. The opposite corner met with Capitol Way, my street. A few more minutes of flat out sprinting brought me to my apartment complex.
Though I was breathing heavily, I felt like I could continue in this fashion for the rest of the night. Cool! I ran up my steps, trying to be quiet, and slipped into my apartment. A small part of my brain acknowledge the fact this was the first time I'd really been alone since I'd been turned.
I slid to a stop in front of the old phone sitting on my desk and dialed the number.
“Hello?” a familiar voice answered.
“Isaac?”
Chapter Twenty
“What are you doing?” my cat asked from his post on the foot of my bed. I ignored him while reaching back to unzip the dress. I paused in my actions, reevaluating the idea of undressing in front of my sentient, male cat. Muffler's whiskers twitched as he waited for me to continue. “It's not like I haven't seen you undress before,” he added in a husky voice that made my skin crawl.
I scooped up the first outfit my fingers found and went to the bathroom. Muffler scurried after me and slammed his face into the door as I shut it. While I changed, I tried not to think about my disturbing pet. Oh well, if I had my way, I wouldn't have long to remember my cat's tendencies. When I returned, dressed in jeans and a long sleeve T-shirt, I spotted Muffler on my bed, looking thoroughly perturbed. He watched me scramble to put shoes and a sweatshirt on at the same time. I was in a hurry to get out of my apartment. No doubt this would be the first place Nik would come looking for me.
“You called the vampire who turned you?” Muffler asked. I tried to ignore him as I wrestled with the sleeves of my sweatshirt. Why wouldn’t my arm just go in? “And you did this… why?”
“Leave this to me.”
Before charging back out of the apartment, I dumped a fresh scoop of food into his bowl. I hoped Josh would adopt him when this was all over. Just as I was exiting the apartment, Isaac's silver car screeched to a halt at the curb. Isaac jumped out and met me at the side of the car. He flung his arms around me in an unwanted hug. I opened my mouth to ask the all-important question when Nik came skidding to a halt a few feet away. Before I could say anything, Isaac shoved me into the passenger side door and slid over the hood of his car in a Duke's of Hazard style. He jumped in and slammed his foot down on the gas. While we screeched away, leaving the smell of burning rubber in the air, I glanced out the window and caught a glimpse of Nik trying to run after us. How futile, I thought.
Isaac drove quickly into Lacey.
“I'm glad you called,” Isaac said as he drove at breakneck speeds. I just nodded, my hands holding tight to the door handle. I wasn't feeling completely calm about it. Isaac came to a stop in front of a large warehouse that claimed to be a flooring company. I couldn't figure out how to ask for the help I wanted.
He took my arm and guided me through the front entrance. To my surprise, it really was a flooring store. We moved to the back, went through a nondescript, metal door, and down a staircase into a concrete basement that gave m
e déjà vu. At the end of the corridor was a set of double doors. Isaac dragged me to them and pushed them open.
Was he in a hurry for some reason?
The room was large but very different from Mikhail's main hall. All the furniture was from the Victorian era: long chaises were mixed in with fainting couches. The walls were lined with hutches and enormous paintings—mostly of landscapes from all over the world. Next to the many couches sat delicate tables decorated with silver candlesticks and doilies.
“This is her?” A short man with a wide belly rose from one of the couches near the fire and stared at me.
Was he a vampire? If so, he was the ugliest vamp I'd ever seen. I thought they were always pretty hot. Nik was. Isaac definitely was. Josh was decent looking. But this dude? Eek!
“Yes sir,” Isaac answered.
“Ashley Hawn. So you just turned yourself over to me?” the short man asked, his voice sounding almost accusatory. “Don't get me wrong, I'm pleased that you have. It saves me a lot of hassle in finding you.”
“I'm glad I could help,” I said, my sarcasm increasing with the number of butterflies flitting around my stomach. It was better to be waspish than scared. “What I really came here for… ”
He waved his hand, cutting me off. “For now I will leave you in Isaac's capable hands… until I need you,” he added cryptically.
“But… ”
Isaac took me by the elbow and guided me out of the large room, not letting me begin again. We walked down the hallway and into another room. I took the time to regain my confidence. Like the larger room, this one was done up in antiques. It felt a little as if an old woman dressed in a black mourning gown ought to be sitting in the rocking chair, knitting. Against one wall stood a Queen Anne side table. He moved to it and began pouring drinks—the human kind, like scotch or something else that's brown. I don't drink much of the highbrow liquor. Can't afford it.
He handed me the crystal glass, and I sniffed at the liquid. It tickled my nose. With my stomach in knots, I wasn’t sure this was the best choice; I drank it anyway. Yuck. Isaac chuckled before taking a sip of his own drink. He stepped forward and took mine from me, setting both glasses down on the nearest table. Isaac grabbed me by the shoulders with a speed that spoke of his predatory nature. Then, with no warning, he kissed me.
The kiss was hard, ferocious, and desperate all at the same time. It distracted me from my mission. I forced an image of the black-haired woman into my mind. She would never kiss anyone ever again. The thought hardened my resolve. I would get what I came for—it wasn't this. I pushed at his chest and took a few steps away; he released me reluctantly, confusion wrinkling his very attractive forehead as he stared at me.
“I need you to kill me. For real this time. I know vampires don't die easily. But I'm sure you could manage it.”
Isaac smiled condescendingly at me his head shaking back and forth slowly. “I can't. I needed you as a vampire.”
“Needed me? For what?”
“You'll find out in due time.” Isaac stepped forward, reaching out for me. “Until then… ” he added in a voice that reminded me of characters in my book.
I moved away, placing a fragile looking chair between us. I never had the heroine in my books avoid the hero; then again, Isaac wasn't the hero in this story.
“Please, just kill me now,” I begged pitiously.
“Are you thirsty,” he asked, seemingly out of the blue.
I shook my head, trying not to think of the woman I had recently killed.
“I think you are. You're emotional; it probably means you need to drink.”
“I'm emotional because my life was turned upside down. And you did it! Now I need you to fix the mess you made,” I pleaded, trying to sound calm and logical; I felt neither.
His face shifted from a condescending smile into a sickened glare. His brows contracted and his mouth turned down. I felt a shiver run down my spine, though I wasn’t sure why I should be afraid of him. He’d technically already killed me.
“No,” he snapped. I had never seen Isaac angry before. It was quite the sight. His white skin flushed red with heated wrath, making his dirty blond hair stand out. I took an involuntary step away from him and bumped into the large, elegant bed. “Look Ashley, I need you to be a vampire. A living vampire. I never meant to leave you in the hands of someone like Nikolai. Something far more terrifying showed up and I had to flee. They chased me, leaving you safe. I'm so sorry for abandoning you.”
By this time, Isaac had slowly made his way to my side. I didn't know if I should believe him. But I'd already placed myself in his care. It was a little late to change my mind.
“It’s going to get better. I promise. Besides,” he added in a soothing tone, “this way we have a long time to be together. Hundreds of years, rather than the measly eighty belonging to a human.”
“But I didn't want this. You should have talked to me about it,” I cried out. I wanted to believe him, to believe this was all due to love. But my mind screamed at me to run, or better yet, drive a stake through his heart. He had never appeared to love me when I was human. Why would he start now?
This was not turning out as I had planned.
“I didn't have a choice,” he sighed. “Richard insisted. He had to have you.”
Now the truth comes out! I was right not to trust him. If only I had realized it before calling him on the phone. Stupid Ashley.
“So what? I'm his now?”
“In a technical way, but in truth, you're mine,” he whispered before trying to wrap his arms around me. I scooted away, his fingers grazing my arms, but I was running out of places to go.
“Maybe I'm thirsty after all,” I said. There seemed a slim chance he would take me outside, where I might be able to escape... or be rescued.
But escape wasn't what I wanted. To convince him to stake me, that was my mission, I reminded myself.
The very thought of blood made the terror and desire envelope me. It is confusing to experience two completely conflicting emotions: to want something so badly and yet be afraid you might get it. As expected, my gums ached, my throat felt raw, and my breath entered my lungs at a painful rate.
All scheming left my mind.
He took me by the hand, led me out of the room and up through the flooring company. Where was he taking me? I couldn't imagine they kept their blood bags in a cooler on the side walk. This was the exact opposite of what I'd hoped for. Maybe escape was a better plan. I couldn't kill someone, not again.
Once out in the cold, damp night air, I was better able to think. I took a few deep breaths, seeking the clarity of mind I would need to make my sudden escape.
I let Isaac lead me away from the flooring company, sure that it would take him some time to find a victim at this time of night, and during that time I could find a chance to make a clean get away from him and his peer pressure.
What a mess I'd made of this whole situation
To my astonishment, there was a person standing on the sidewalk, smoking a cigarette. I had counted on it taking longer to find a human daft enough to be out in this frigid weather.
Isaac dropped my arm and rushed the man. He moved like the Concorde airplane, except without all that crashing. It reminded me of the way Nik and Josh moved. I idly wondered if I'd ever be able to copy them. Isaac grabbed the man by the neck while rounding his body. The man's face contorted into dismay as he tried to struggle against Isaac's inhuman strength. I could relate to how he felt, though that was the last thing I was thinking about. Isaac smiled at me, lowered his lips to the man's neck and sunk his pointed teeth into the flesh. He lifted his head, blood dripping enticingly from his teeth.
The desire I had been battling for the past couple days, or nights, welled up inside me. All the symptoms I'd been trying to ignore became almost unbearable. The pressure in my gums was intense but sudden. I licked my lips and felt my lengthened teeth slice my tongue. My chest tightened and my stomach gave a little flip as I inhaled thr
ough my nose. The smell of the warm liquid cleared any real thought from my mind. It was all instincts from there.
There was no plan of escape left in my brain.
I stepped forward, noticing the terror in the man's eyes. The fear increased my excitement; it made his blood smell sweeter. I took hold of his shoulders and bent my head to enjoy the trickling blood. Just as my lips touched the warm liquid another pair of hands grabbed my head and yanked me backwards, flinging me into the air and across the empty road. I landed on my neck and shoulders, a sickening crack and a jolt of pain cutting through the haze of hunger.
I wanted to get up, but I couldn't feel my feet. Would this heal? Panic!
As anyone might expect, Nik stood between me and Isaac. Isaac dropped the shaken man and rushed at Nik. At the same time, I spotted Josh jogging to the man's side and leading him away. Nik easily repelled Isaac's initial attack, shoving him to the side.
Isaac stumbled away, a very human sounding growl emanating from his throat. He regained his footing and prepared to come at Nik from his side. But Nik was too fast. He skipped away, just as Isaac rushed him again. This time, Nikolai grappled his opponent by the back of the neck as he raced by, and shoved him to the ground. Isaac struggled against Nik, nearly freeing himself. Nik clutched Isaac by the hair and slammed his forehead into the pavement. Isaac went limp and I screamed.
Evidently some tiny vestige of my feelings for him remained. Stupid girl! He's an ass, I reminded myself.
Nikolai turned to look at me, his eyes black in the night, no trace of life or sanity left. I felt a shiver run down my spine as he rushed me. In one fluid motion, Nik picked me up and flung me over his shoulder as he continued away from Isaac's body. The world bobbed as he ran, his shoulder jabbing into my gut. But at least I could feel my feet again.
The Series that Just Plain Sucks: The Complete Trilogy Page 11