Maslow's Needs

by Sheri Gilmore

  Chapter Twelve

  Jessi gasped and opened her eyes. The room still lay in darkness. Her heart raced, pounding against her chest like a hammer. Something wasn’t right.

  She couldn’t breathe. Her mouth opened, and she tried to draw in the stale air surrounding her, but could only gasp with short, shallow breaths. When she tried to sit up, she found herself paralyzed. A strangled croak escaped her throat.

  “D-Dray‑‑” His name wouldn’t form. The sound, a choked whisper.

  Her eyes scanned the darkened room, resting on the deepest grouping of shadows in the corner by the closet. She blinked against the form her gaze told her swirled just above the foot of the bed. A cold, clammy sensation crept over her toes and up her legs.

  The form moved closer.

  Jessi screamed, but no sound could be heard. The sense of dread she experienced as the entity came to settle above her swamped her senses. A weight pressed upon her chest, forcing the last iota of oxygen from her lungs. The chill that had begun at her feet took hold of her abdomen, moved up into her chest, then settled in her throat.

  She could hear herself trying to breathe ‑‑ the sound a harsh stridor. For a second she fantasized she could actually see her breath escaping into the night to be sucked into the entity hovering above her.

  Her binding gone, she managed to curl her fingers into the sheets as she stared up into what looked like red eyes. She tried to escape, but couldn’t move. She couldn’t even blink.

  Jessi! The red eyes moved closer.

  No! Her mind screamed, but, again, no sound issued from her throat. Flashes of Molly shot through her mind. Limbs naked and bloody, twisted in grotesque posture by her killer as he’d taken his pleasure. I’m going to die.

  Not yet, my sweet. I need what you gave Drayden.

  The voice reverberated through her mind, tangling with images of her cousin. Jessi knew this thing and the killer were one and the same. He’d found her and somehow knew who she was.

  Her body perspired and weakened as her life-force seeped from her to it. She refused to think of the monster above her as a human being. No sane, compassionate human would do to another what this creature had done ‑‑ was doing ‑‑ to Molly and herself.

  Where the hell are those astral spikes? Jessi’s momentary anger forced her mind beyond the glow of the red eyes. She remembered the calming caress of the ritual bath. She focused on the image of her astral body, expanding around her, glowing with a healthy force all its own. A surge of power like an electrical current trickled over her body.

  Snap!

  She heard a scream of pain in her mind as her attacker evaporated into the darkness. Her breath returned to her in long, loud gasps. The oxygen burned her starved lungs; she coughed, gagging on the sustenance. With what little energy she could engage, she rolled to the side of the bed. Have to find ... Drayden.

  * * * * *

  “Where the hell is she?”

  Drayden looked down at the hand fisted in the folds of his shirt, then back into the angry dark eyes of Konstantinos. He felt Jarrett move in closer behind him. Drayden held up his hand in a slow movement to signal his lieutenant’s retreat.

  Jarrett stepped back into the shadows of the club.

  “She is fine. Where were you?”

  Konstantinos tightened his grip a second before he released the material in his hands with a subtle push. “I got detained.”

  Drayden snorted. “New girlfriend?”

  “None of your business.”

  Drayden smoothed the front of his clothing. “Why are you so concerned about Jessi? She’s not for you.”

  Konstantinos’s gaze narrowed, and his mouth took on a nasty smile. “Nor for you, either, friend.”

  Drayden’s jaw clenched. He picked up the shot glass beside his hand on the bar. “That’s a matter of opinion.” Bringing the glass to his lips, he swallowed the scalding liquor in one gulp.

  “She doesn’t belong here.”

  Drayden shrugged. He refused to acknowledge what the other goth said, whether he’d been thinking the same thing or not. Hell, he knew Jessi didn’t belong in the darkness of his world any more than he belonged in the light of hers. They had met by fate. The attraction between them could only be fleeting, at best, then she’d return to her world and he’d stay in his. They’d have fond memories ...

  He poured another shot of liquor, hoping the alcohol would numb the part of him that wanted her to stay. He moved to swallow the drink, but paused when he saw the concern in the other man’s eyes. “You like her, too.”

  Konstantinos signaled the bartender, then turned to Drayden. “She’s ... a friend.”

  “You have a lot of female friends.”

  The Greek smiled. “Yeah, but not like her.”

  That brought a smile to Drayden’s lips. He raised his glass. “To Detective Jessi Tanner from ‑‑”

  “‑‑ Podunk, Mississippi.” Konstantinos clinked his glass to Drayden’s. Both men swallowed their drinks, sucking air through their teeth afterwards at the bite of the liquor.

  “Don’t let her hear you say that.”

  Konstantinos snorted. “Too late. She all ready did.”

  “Ooh. The wrath had to hurt.”

  Konstantinos shrugged, turned, and rested his elbows on the bar while he stared out across the crowded floor. “She called me a ... ‘frickin’ goth Yankee,’ slammed a door in my face, and refused to bathe with me. All in the same hour.”

  Drayden threw his head back and laughed. “That sounds like her.” He took another shot, then turned to mimic the other man’s stance. “She hasn’t punched you yet, huh?”

  The Greek frowned. “No, why would she?”

  “Hmm, don’t piss her off. I’ve seen her in action. She might be small, but she could knock a man on his ass ... quick. You’re lucky.”

  “I’d say you were the lucky one when it comes to Detective Tanner, vampire.”

  Drayden heard the innuendo, but his only response was a raised eyebrow. He liked the Greek the more they talked, but he wouldn’t discuss the sexual relationship between Jessi and himself with the other goth. Some things were private.

  “Where is she?”

  Konstantinos’s voice had grown hard again. Drayden had to admire his determination to protect his ... friend.

  “She’s ‑‑”

  Screams erupted from the end of the room, patrons scattering in all directions. Both men turned to see Jessi, pale and naked, stumbling from the back hall.

  “Shit!” They spoke and moved in unison toward her. Drayden reached her first and caught her as she collapsed. Her breaths were ragged, and her eyes rolled back into their sockets.

  “Jessi!” He shook her to bring her back. The sight of this vibrant woman, whom he’d held in his arms just a short time ago, in such a state of agony shook him to his core. He eased her to the floor and brought her trembling body close to his chest, rocking her back and forth. “What happened?”

  “Killer ... the killer.”

  Konstantinos raked a hand through his hair and cursed. He knelt beside them and reached for her arm.

  Drayden pulled her away from the other’s touch. He gave the other goth a glare, baring his teeth, while he felt his nostrils distend with his fear and anger. “Don’t fucking touch her.”

  The Greek’s lips thinned in apparent anger, but he didn’t attempt to touch her again. “She’s in shock. We need to get her someplace warm.”

  Drayden scooped her up into his arms. He looked at Jarrett. “Find my brother.”

  With that, he strode from the club through another door leading into his apartment, Konstantinos close on his heels. He didn’t argue the other man’s presence. He knew the Greek cared for Jessi. His anger needed to be directed toward himself.

  He indicated the wall behind him with his head. “Light switch is there.”

  With a click, fluorescent light flooded the darkened recesses of his apartment. He continued into the bedroom. The sight of the s
heets wet with her perspiration and strewn across the bed and floor bore witness to her attack. Drayden closed his eyes against the surge of hatred and guilt that assailed him.

  He eased her down to the mattress and grabbed the sheet to pull over her shivering body, but she jerked up, looking around the room. A crazed light flashed in her eyes.

  “No, he’ll get me here!”

  She would have bolted, but Drayden caught her and pulled her onto his lap, holding her as tightly as possible. He recognized the hysteria and confusion. The bastard had tried to drain her life-force. He’d kill him.

  He kissed her forehead and smoothed a hand over her arm. “It’s okay, now. I’ve got you.” He rocked her and continued speaking to her in calm, soothing tones, willing her with his voice to settle. After about ten minutes, he felt the tension leave her body.

  “She’s asleep.” Konstantinos paced the floor, fists clenched at his side.

  “Yeah.” Drayden laid her back against the sheets, then pulled the thicker sheets and blanket around her. He kissed her forehead. “Watch her.”

  “Where are you going?”

  “To put an end to something that I should have taken care of months ago.”

  Konstantinos nodded. “I won’t let her out of my sight.”

  Chapter Thirteen

  Nolan’s demons voiced their needs, shouting at him in the confines of his mind. He placed his hands over his ears, bending over in pain to squelch their demands. Perspiration covered his body from head to toe. He’d been so careful not to let Drayden and his bitch know he watched them, fucking like wild animals in heat, from the bedroom closet.

  Drayden had made her scream in desire, but Nolan knew he could make her scream with pain. His head went back and he laughed ‑‑ long and low. He had. Drayden had left, and she’d gone to sleep within feet of where he hid. It didn’t take much to conjure his astral form and connect to her energy.

  Drayden had fed off her, but instead of weakening her chi, their orgasms had heightened her energy level almost back to normal. She didn’t know it, but she’d fed off his brother at the same time Drayden had fed off her ‑‑ reverse osmosis, if you will.

  Nolan’s breathing burned through his lungs in ragged gasps. The bitch had learned how to use astral spikes. He clutched his forehead. That’s why the voices wouldn’t leave him alone. They were pissed at missing their supper. His memories blurred, and her face appeared as she’d been in Hattiesburg. She hadn’t known about astral spikes in Hattiesburg ...

  Voices sounded down the hall behind him. Drayden!

  “I don’t care what the patrons think. Close the bar and check everyone who leaves. I want him. Now.”

  The pain wouldn’t abate, but Nolan stumbled through the nearest door and discovered the stairs leading to the roof. He hesitated, but Drayden’s and Jarrett’s voices grew closer. He rested against the wall in the shadows of the stairwell. He’d need all his energy if he had to confront Drayden tonight.

  “You cannot turn him over to the authorities, Drayden.”

  “Don’t tell me what to do, Jarrett. He is responsible for that girl’s murder, and he could have killed Jessi tonight if she hadn’t cast a protection spell earlier. He’s certifiable. I’ve known it for months, but didn’t want to admit it. That girl’s death is as much my fault as it is his.”

  “The council won’t condone losing him. He is the rightful heir. His lineage ‑‑”

  “I know he’s supposed to be descended from a fucking alien god, but that doesn’t mean it’s not just legend.”

  “That’s heresy.”

  “That’s fact. The council cannot prove this legend is legitimate. They’re playing to Nolan’s psychoses that he’s some kind of vampire god. Hell, we had the same parents. If he’s a god, so am I. The reality they don’t want to admit is that he’s suffering from alcoholism. Shit, he drinks absinthe like it’s water. Just like our parents.”

  “Your name will not be known to us any longer if you turn him in.”

  “I’m not going to stand by and watch this madness continue. He almost killed her.”

  “Your position in this community is too important. You’d give up ... your family ... for some woman who doesn’t know the first thing about our ways? A cowan?”

  Nolan held his breath, waiting for his brother’s answer. His temple throbbed, and the voices grew louder, urging him to escape, but he waited. When it came, he knew what he had to do.

  “Yes.”

  He waited for the two men to move out of earshot before he climbed the stairs to the roof. He’d have to brave the cold. He couldn’t afford the time it would take to collect a coat. Reaching the roof, he stumbled over a patch of ice. To break his fall, he grabbed the edge of the satellite dish.

  Images merged with his chaotic thoughts to swirl in his mind. He’d killed her. He knew he had, but she was here! The bitch had corrupted his brother against his own people ... She had to die ... again. And so did ‑‑

  The rooftop door flew open, caught by the piercing wind, and slammed into the wall. Nolan turned to the sound of metal crashing into concrete and saw his brother.

  “Nolan!” Drayden stepped onto the roof, feeling his feet slide across the icy surface.

  “She’s got you, bro. You don’t have a clue what you have sleeping in your bed.”

  “What are you talking about?”

  “She’s a ghost; don’t you understand? She’s the girl I killed in Mississippi.”

  Drayden watched Nolan’s agitated pacing back and forth around the dangerous perimeter of the roof. His words were broken ... not lucid.

  “Didn’t recognize her at first with her hair not dyed, but she’s the same ‑‑ come back to haunt me. I killed her; now she’s back to kill me!”

  “Nolan, they’re not the same woman. Jessi ‑‑”

  “She’s a vampire, too. I turned her, and she’s going to turn you against us.”

  Drayden eased toward Nolan, but his brother stepped back several feet to the edge of the roof. Drayden reached out. “Nolan, stop. This all has to stop. You’re ill.”

  “Shut up!” Nolan clutched his head. “All of you just shut up. I know what I have to do.”

  Nolan looked up; Drayden’s hand dropped. The wild haunted look of Nolan’s gaze caught him by surprise. He’d seen it several times over the last few months, but he’d ignored the truth. A truth he couldn’t deny any longer. His only brother suffered from the same debilitating addiction that had claimed his parents. He hadn’t wanted to see what lay in front of him. He had only wanted to hide from the memories of a childhood filled with his parents’ hallucinations and violent rages caused by absinthe and the twisted fantasies of the council.

  “Let me help you.” Drayden stepped closer, lowering his voice to a calm, gentle tone and letting his gaze stare into his brother’s crazed eyes.

  “No, I know what you’re doing.” Nolan pointed his finger at him. “You’ve always been jealous because I’m the one with the better genes.” He thumped his chest and raised his head. “I’m better than you, big brother. Admit it. You want the power of the Merovech magicians.”

  Drayden kept his glance steady, but eased his body into a position where he could tackle Nolan without sending them both over the edge of the roof. They were eight stories up. Neither one of them would survive. He had to keep Nolan calm, and if that meant agreeing with some idiotic legend, so be it.

  “You’re right. I’ve always been jealous of you.”

  “I’m smarter.”

  “Yes.”

  “Women adore me.”

  “Yes.” His foot slipped, and he grabbed an exhaust pipe extending from inside the building. He saw Nolan skitter backwards and quickly tried to soothe his brother’s paranoid state. “You’ve always had a way with the girls that I could never match.”

  Nolan nodded. “I’m the stronger, too.”

  Drayden closed his eyes against the wave of guilt that assailed him at the pain he heard in his brother’s vo
ice. If he had opened his eyes instead of burying his own insecurities with his past ‑‑

  “I’m the stronger!” Nolan shouted, then jumped onto the edge of the roof wall.

  “Nolan!”

  Nolan’s feet slipped; he fell.

  Drayden rushed forward, grabbing at his brother’s hand as it grasped for purchase on the icy precipice. “Stop struggling. Take hold of my hand.”

  The wild-eyed glaze returned to Nolan’s frightened features. His nostrils flared in anger. “You won’t defeat me, Drayden. I’ll come back. I’ve been training for this all my life. She did it; so can I.”

  “Nolan, don’t ‑‑”

  “I can live forever. I’m immortal.”

  “Stop!” Drayden tried to maintain his grasp on his brother’s hand, but Nolan pulled free. In the mere second of realization that passed between them, Drayden watched Nolan’s gaze clear, revealing a mortal’s fear of death.

  Drayden leaned over the edge, grasping at air, unable to prevent his brother’s fall. He watched the last of his living relatives descend into darkness without a sound.

  When the body hit with a thud on the ice-covered pavement eight stories below, he sat back hard on the concrete roof and stared at the lifeless form, oblivious to the cutting cold.

  A snowflake touched his nose; he looked up into the night sky to see a flurry of white descending upon him and the body below. The goddess had finally decided to let it snow ‑‑ the first of the season. Pure and white to hide all the ugliness in the world.

  * * * * *

  Jessi stirred to find Konstantinos beside her, staring at her with a worried expression on his face. She blinked against the weariness that ached throughout her body.

  “Hi.”

  “Hi, yourself. How do you feel?”

  She frowned and glanced around. “Weak.”

  He nodded. “That’s to be expected. You need to rest and rebuild your strength.”