The Night Watch: A Vampire Paranormal Romance (Blood Red Series Book 2)

by W. J. May

  Kallie couldn’t answer. She wanted happily ever after desperately, but was that possible when you had to choose the lesser of two evils. But then a pang tugged in her belly. She needed to help her dad, and she couldn't do it without the help of a vampire. Liam was not up for the job, detective or not, he lost control. But maybe Caleb was the answer to her prayers, and she would never know unless she met him tonight.

  If Jeanna was good at anything, it was hair and makeup. She played up Kallie’s blue eyes with gray and silver eye shadow and made her eyelashes pop with jet-black mascara. “You know what you should do? One of those French braids that you wear on the side.” She pulled away Kallie’s blonde locks and revealed her bite mark. Kallie froze.

  “Ew! What happened? Mosquito get you?”

  Kallie’s heart sputtered. “Spider, I think. It bit me twice. It happened in my sleep. I left the window open.”

  “You need a screen to keep the pests out.”

  You have no idea.

  Jeanna dropped her hair. “You’ll have to leave your hair down, no offense, but Caleb isn’t going to want to nibble on that neck if he sees some bloodsucker already got there first.”

  “W-What?”

  “You heard me. Spiders are blood-sucking monsters.” Jeanna grabbed her curling iron and began to give Kallie’s normally pin straight hair some big, bouncy curls. Then handing her favorite shoes over to Kallie she kissed her fingers. “Perfecto!” she said in an exaggerated Italian accent. “You, my love, are done.” She bowed dramatically.

  Kallie slipped her feet into Jeanna’s sparkly silver stilettos. They were snug, but a little shoe pain never killed anyone. Standing up, she fixed the bottom of her dress, it fell mid-thigh, and had a sweet heart neckline that showed off her necklace perfectly. It was a simple crystal K she wore almost every day. Her dad had given it to her when she turned sixteen, and she loved it. Walking over to the full-length mirror, Kallie had to catch her breath when she saw her finished look. “Oh… Jeanna…” was all she could say.

  Jeanna stepped closer and put a hand on her hip. “You look smoking hot! I wish Liam could see you. He needs to know how badly he messed up.”

  “I don’t want to think about Liam tonight.”

  “Right. Tonight is all about getting to know Caleb. You have to do me a favor, think of it as payment for your makeover.”

  Kallie looked at her best friend’s eyes. “I’m almost afraid to ask.”

  “Just tell me if he kisses the way he looks like he would kiss.”

  Kallie laughed. “What does that even mean?”

  “It means that his lips might be here,” she placed a finger lightly on Kallie’s mouth, “but you feel it…everywhere.”

  Chapter 7

  Kallie knew where the Red Dragon was, but she didn’t trust herself to get there. Her thoughts were too erratic. With the help of her GPS she navigated her way around town and worked to convince herself that she wasn’t betraying her father by lying. Seeing Caleb had nothing to do with personal interest, instead she was trying to stop her father’s savage mafia-vampire problem.

  When Kallie pulled in front of the nightclub, a valet ran out to take her car. She never had a valet take her car before. She stared at the valet momentarily before she realized he wasn’t a carjacker. He’s in a tux for crying out loud… he just wants to park the damn car. She took his hand and he helped her out of the car, while she fixed the hem of her skirt and inwardly cursed Jeanna for convincing her to buy such a short dress. I’m definitely going to give Caleb the wrong idea wearing this.

  As she walked to the main entrance, she was dismayed to find such a long line. She began to walk to the end behind the red velvet rope when she heard a low whistle followed by a smooth male voice.

  “Where do you think you’re going, beautiful?”

  Kallie spun around on the silver heel of Jeanna’s stilettos and thanked her archangel for not falling. “Hey… I…I don’t know.” She laughed. “To the back of the line, I suppose.”

  Caleb was by her side in an instant, his hand slipped around her waist. It felt like it belonged there. With his other hand he handed her one single rose, a pink one that matched her dress. “You’re with me, you’ll never be at the back of the line when you’re with me.”

  The way he looked at her, the warmth of his burgundy eyes… she believed him. He escorted her inside, where they took a side door. The bouncers didn’t even flinch as they walked past. In fact, most of them acknowledged Caleb, and one even smiled at Kallie. What world did I just fall into?

  The nightclub had a bar in the center, and to the side was a stage with some risqué dancers. There were couches and different levels. There were even different rooms. Caleb pointed at rooms and levels as he gave her a tour. Each room had a secret entranceway hidden.

  “It’s like a speakeasy,” she commented, still glancing around.

  “Exactly! Want a drink?” Caleb looked at her, but somehow seemed to be watching everyone in the room at the same time.

  Kallie did want a drink but she had to drive home and she didn’t think her father would believe she had gone to Jeanna’s if she smelled like a brewery. “Not tonight.”

  Caleb didn’t push the issue, instead he leaned against the bar and admired her, his eyes roaming up and down the length of her body. He was too calm… too confident.

  It set her on edge. Not knowing what to do with herself, she buried her nose in the rose.

  “I didn’t think it was possible you could become even more beautiful.”

  “Wow. You’re really laying it on thick, huh?” She hated that she noticed how handsome he looked.

  “I tell it like it is.”

  The intensity of his gaze made Kallie uneasy. She tucked a stray hair behind her ear. “Thanks for the flowers… this one would have been more than enough.”

  “One wouldn’t have gotten you here. I needed to get your attention.”

  “Well Caleb, you have my attention. What do you want?” His response confirmed the flowers had come from him, not Liam trying to apologize.

  Caleb reached over and cupped her cheek with his palm. His touch was cool and she closed her eyes for a split second. In a crowded nightclub he had somehow managed to make it a rather intimate setting.

  Kallie opened her eyes and looked at him.

  “I want you safe and happy, that’s all.” He dropped his hand and interlaced his fingers with hers.

  She couldn’t even feel her legs moving, all she knew was that she blindly followed where he led her. Caleb pointed to a couch that was large and L-shaped. As they sat on the far end of it, the occupants on the other end got up and scurried away.

  “Are they afraid of you?” Kallie scoffed.

  “No, they respect me. The show’s about to start, you’ll like it.”

  Kallie looked over at the stage. It was still just a bunch of pale girls clad in scandalous attire. She didn’t think it would be the kind of show she would ever go see. But as the mystical music began, the women didn’t move in traditional ways. No, they were far more flexible than she could have ever imagined.

  “What are they? Contortionists or something?”

  Caleb shrugged. “Or something.”

  Kallie twisted her mouth. She didn’t like how vague he was acting. She sat back and watched the dancers as they seemed to hypnotize the audience with their unbelievable movements. Then, as much as they amazed her with their twists, and flexibility, their speed increased. The women raced around each other, climbing limbs and making dizzying inverted human pyramids— but with that type of speed there was no way that any of these women were human.

  “They’re vampires?” Kallie whispered. “And people come watch them?”

  “Well, of course. It’s a vampire club. We’re all vampires.”

  Kallie’s eyes swam across the room, each figure was paler than the last—and all had red eyes. It felt as though her heart stopped beating in her chest. Like it was too scared to pump blood, for fear it wou
ld wake the dead. “Why would you bring me here?” He was as bad as Liam – no, worse.

  “Kallie, I told you… you’re safe. Every vamp here knows you’re with me. No one will touch you. I swear it.”

  “I want to go.”

  “Why? I told you, you’re safe. I spent the afternoon yesterday in your world, and you won’t even try for a moment to live in mine?”

  “I’m not living in yours…” Her eyes began to sting from the tears she was fighting. What a stupid, stupid idea. “I’m the damn entree.”

  Caleb grabbed her wrist, and locked his gaze on her. “No one will touch you. These vamps—” he quickly gestured around the room, “are the only ones who can help you and your father. They’re part of a secret society of vampires called the Watchmen.”

  The Watchmen. Hadn’t she read about them that day on her laptop? Was he actually going to come clean and give her real information? Her heart rate went into hyper drive. But, was he telling the truth? Was there really a way to help her father? “They’ve been tracking the ones who hurt him, they are close to finding them, but we need you.”

  “Me? There’s nothing I can do!”

  “You take your dad on the full moon, right?”

  How did he know? “They always change the location…” Kallie figured he should know that if he’d been watching her for the past while.

  “I know, but the next time they want your dad, you have to let us know. You let us know, and I swear to you Kallie, justice will be served.”

  His eyes held such conviction, Kallie wanted to trust him. She threw her arms around his neck and held him close. She didn’t want to hope, but it was hard not to with the look Caleb gave her. “You could really put an end to it?”

  He rested his hand on the base of her back and whispered in her ear, “Kallie… I swear it. Your father can have a life where he doesn’t live in fear. A life where he takes his rightful place. We are his people. He belongs with us.”

  Kallie, overcome with emotion, began to cry softly on his shoulder. “I’m sorry.” She wiped at the tears. “I just want that so badly for him.”

  “I know. Come with me.” He got up and took her into a corner by the bar. There was a giant mirror there that rested from floor to ceiling. Caleb placed his hand on the frame and the glass part of the mirror popped open. Caleb took the false mirror, opening it like a door and stepped to the side so Kallie could walk in. She entered a tiny room, with two couches, a cocktail table, a small bar and a dartboard hanging on the wall. Everything was decorated in black, white and grey. Even the dartboard. It was very calming. Caleb sat down and pulled her beside him. “This is my private room. I come here a lot. It’s pretty soundproof so you don’t get disturbed by the music.”

  “I thought you’re supposed to be protecting me all the time.”

  Caleb smiled. “I do, but sometimes you’re okay and I’m not. Then I come here.”

  A haunting thought crept into her mind. “Is this where you bring your victims? So no one hears them scream?”

  He chuckled. “No one here would care if they heard a screaming human.”

  “Really?” She felt her eyes grow big.

  He waved his hand. “I’m kidding. Nobody brings live food into this place.”

  She shuddered, hating the way he thought of her, and others, as just food. She glanced back at the closed door.

  “Can I let you in on a secret?”

  She turned her attention back to Caleb and slowly nodded her head.

  “Nobody here knows this…”

  She leaned in, wanting to hear what he had to say.

  “I’m like your dad.”

  “What?” She wasn’t sure what he meant.

  “I’ve never dined on human flesh.”

  “Never?” Kallie was shocked to discover that there was another vampire who lived like her father did. “You’re pulling my leg.”

  He chuckled. “No, I’m dead serious.”

  Dead serious? “Then what do you eat?”

  “I have some donors in the neighborhood. They send me blood bags, and in return I pay a handsome fee. They need the money. They have families, mortgages. I help them survive, and in turn, they help me survive.”

  “That’s a good plan.” Kallie fumbled over her own words, at a loss to say anything witty.

  “I do enjoy a hunt though. When I feel the need, I go up into the mountains—take down a bear. You know, the usual.”

  “Yeah… that’s perfectly normal.” She shook her head, unable to relate.

  “It’s the way I choose to live. I told you, Kallie. I have absolute control. I won’t hurt you because I’ve never hurt another person before.”

  “Even my dad has cravings…”

  “The cravings will always be there. It’s like wanting that doughnut, but choosing a salad instead.”

  “You sound like my mom.”

  Caleb knitted his brow for a moment, then relaxed his face into a smile. He pushed her hair over her shoulder and ran his finger over the wounds that Liam had inflicted last night. “This is not acceptable.”

  “It’ll fade.” Kallie had to believe that the tiny marks wouldn’t be permanent. She didn’t want to have to think of Liam every time she looked in the mirror.

  “He will pay for that. He will pay for even thinking he could do that to you.”

  “He fooled me. He’s a Blue. A Blue can’t be trusted. I get it now.”

  “I’m sorry you had to learn the hard way, but it could have been worse.”

  “Yeah, I keep telling myself that.” She took a breath and looked at Caleb, he was doing that thing where he seemed to be admiring her. “What? You keep staring at me.”

  “I can’t help it. You’re so incredibly beautiful. When Petra assigned me to you, I thought I’d died and gone to heaven. Except I’m already dead.” He winked at her. “It’s like watching an angel all day. Best job I ever had.” Caleb leaned in, but just as his lips were a fraction of an inch from hers, Kallie placed a firm hand on his chest.

  “Is Petra a member of the Watchmen?”

  Caleb leaned back slightly, and licked his lips. This is torture! “She’s here. In fact, she wanted to meet you.”

  “Meet me? Tonight?”

  Caleb licked his lips again, his eyes locked lazily on her own lips.

  I wish he would please stop doing that! Look at the couch, the wall, anywhere but my mouth.

  “Yeah. If you want, I can arrange that.”

  Kallie sat up straighter, her heart pounding against her ribcage. She was suddenly anxious. Was that why Caleb had set tonight up? So she would meet Petra? “I’d like that very much.”

  Chapter 8

  Caleb reached for her hand, and then brushed his lips across her fingertips. “Come with me.”

  He walked her back through the mirror, out past the bar, past the stage and the crowd of vampires who all seemed to ignore the only human appetizer in front of them. There was a wall of books, all vintage antique looking. Caleb pulled a book out, and the wall slid open.

  When they slipped inside, Caleb closed the wall behind them, sealing them in. If Kallie had been impressed by Caleb’s little man cave, she was now totally blown away by this. Caleb’s room was calm in its colors, but this room had rich purples, silvers, pewter, antique gold, and black. It was covered in exotic flowers—all white, in tall crystal vases. In the center, on an elaborate purple couch sat a woman. Her posture was perfect, regal. The woman had platinum blonde hair, pale skin with ruby red eyes, perfect lips. Her body was petite but her long legs gave hint that she had to be tall.

  Kallie tilted her head, trying to grasp what her brain was trying to tell her. She’d never met this woman before in her life. She was sure of it, and yet, she seemed so familiar.

  The vampire stood in the most graceful manner, her silver gown flowed like liquid around her. She glided over to Kallie rather than walked. It wasn’t until Caleb gave Kallie a gentle squeeze of her hand that she realized she was holding his in a
death grip.

  “Kallie Matheson, how long I have waited for this day,” the vampire spoke in a silky voice.

  Kallie hesitated, unsure whether to bow or extend her hand. She had the impression that this woman was some sort of vampire royalty, if that even existed. “It’s…uh…nice to meet you,” Kallie said with all the gusto of a mouse before a lion. “Petra?”

  “I am. But you can call me Pet, if you like. That’s what Caleb and the others call me. The choice is yours.”

  Pet. What an odd name for a vampire… She swallowed hard and straightened. A million questions ran through her head. Where to start… “Sooo, why me?”

  “Why am I interested in lit’l ol’you?” Petra asked with a smile that showed off her sharp white fangs.

  “That’s one of my questions.”

  “There are so few mortals who are worthy of protection. You’re one of the highest on the list.”

  “Why? Is it because of the accident?”

  “Which one?” Petra tilted her head and raised a single elegant eyebrow. She laughed, a Tinkerbell kind of sound escaping her lips. “Let me tell you a story.” Petra gestured to the couches. “Come sit.”

  Caleb smiled at Kallie to reassure her she was safe. The couch was soft and comfortable, but Kallie sat rigid as a statue.

  “A long time ago, I was a mortal, just like you. But I knew that there was more to this world than what we see, hear, and taste. The world is full of answers, but first we must ask the proper questions. Do you understand?” Petra cocked her head ever so slightly, and a ripple of blonde hair cascaded over her shoulder.

  “No.” Kallie felt ridiculous, but she wasn’t about to lie to her. “I’m completely confused.”

  Petra smiled, her red eyes gleaming like jewels. “I practiced witchcraft, and found I was quite good at it. The more I practiced, the more in tune I became with the light. But the earth must always be balanced, so with the light came the dark.”

  “You mean vampires?”