by Lisa Olsen
I wasn’t sure if he was making a subtle dig at me or not. Sure, I had the most experience with the actual feeding, but I was willing to bet he’d been on far more hunting trips than I had in the course of his life at Jakob’s side. “This is all about you. Where would you feel comfortable hunting?”
“Let’s go down by the docks, yeah? There’s bound to be someone afoot even at this hour.”
“You mean like Pier 39?”
“I had something less touristy in mind. Like the Dogpatch.”
I wasn’t too familiar with that part of town, but I agreed. The point was to take him somewhere he wouldn’t mind hunting on his own. He was right, there were still people out on the street when we turned toward Pier 70, though there were less businesses open to frequent. He pulled the dark sedan to the side of the road and killed the lights.
“Are you nervous?” I asked when he made no move to get out of the car.
“Nervous? What for?”
“This is your first time actually on the prowl. It’d be normal for you to feel unsure how to go about it.”
“I’m fine.”
“Great, so what’s your plan then?”
His mouth turned down in confusion. “Plan? Why do I need a plan?”
“You don’t want to get caught, do you? You have to have a plan of attack. You can’t grab someone off the street and sink your fangs into them, you have to get them alone first. Now then, I’ll dispense with the step by step lessons since I’m sure you’ve seen this done a bajillion times, but this is a good time to work on your compulsion to lure them away. First you should pick a likely candidate though. Are you going for a guy or a girl?”
His lips curved a little. “Does it matter?”
“I guess not.” We hadn’t had that conversation over whether or not he should feed from the opposite sex and I didn’t feel like I could place that demand on him. “You ah… you might find a guy to be more vigorous since you’re so hungry though. Less chance of killing him.”
“Is that so?” he seemed to consider. “I suppose you’re right about that. One vigorous male…”
I was pretty sure he was making fun of me now, but I kept silent about it, turning my head to look out the window. Most of the people I saw were women, ladies of questionable repute loitering against the side of the building. There were a couple of guys though, huddled together on the front steps of a house, passing a joint back and forth. It might be hard for Rob to get them apart, so I dismissed them as likely subjects.
“Got him,” Rob growled, popping open the car door.
“Which one?” I asked, but he was already getting out of the car. “Rob? Hold up…” Frak. We were supposed to discuss his plan of attack first!
Rob strode up to a car I hadn’t noticed, a dark Escalade parked near the corner. Inside were two figures involved in a heated argument, one of them decidedly male grabbed the woman roughly and shook her hard enough for her head to wobble. She begged and pleaded with him to listen, but there was defeat in her voice, as if she didn’t actually think he would. His fist pumped out seconds before Rob reached the car, sending the woman’s head cracking back against the window.
Rob tore the door open without hesitation, grabbing the guy by the neck and hauling him out of the car. “Out with you,” he barked.
I saw a leather jacket over a bare chest, skinny and emaciated, his jeans crusted with… I didn’t want to know what. His dark hair stuck out at strange angles that could’ve been deliberate or a serious case of bed head, his shadowed jaw adding to the overall disreputable image. He might’ve actually been good looking once, but there was something wrong with him that I couldn’t put my finger on. Maybe it was his eyes. They were red and bloodshot, glassy, and utterly devoid of humanity.
“You lousy cocksucker. You think you can put your hands on me?” the guy sputtered as soon as he recovered from the shock of being pulled out of the vehicle. “Is this your boyfriend, April? I have news for you, asshole, I own that stupid cu…” He never got a chance to finish that charming sentence as Rob’s fist crashed into his stomach and all that came out was a funny squeak, his face turning purple as he struggled to pull in a breath and couldn’t.
Rob grabbed him by the upper arm and dragged him off down the street without bothering to reply. So much for practicing compulsion. No one did more than stare though, slack-jawed as he hauled him away and I followed along, catching up as Rob ducked next to an abandoned liquor store. The guy had his breath back and flailed in his grasp, howling obscenities.
“Shut it,” Rob growled, slamming him against the wall hard enough to make the siding crack. The burst of compulsion held him there without so much as a moan of pain. Simple but effective, and there was no denying he’d been able to keep him on the hook.
“Careful, you don’t want to break him,” I cautioned, joining him in the alley. “Humans are fragile creatures. It takes less than a pound of pressure to break the skin.”
“You been watching Firefly again.” Rob turned to me with a smirk, and I was glad to see no sign of rage. He was in complete control.
I couldn’t tell you how it warmed my heart to hear him recognize the reference, but I had a point to make. “Still, there’s no reason to tenderize him. I don’t think it’ll make him taste any better.” At least… I didn’t think so.
“The likes of him don’t deserve your pity.”
“Do you know this guy?” Was that why he’d had the neighborhood in mind?
“Known a score like him in my day. Likes to rough up women to make himself feel like more of a man. World won’t blink an eye if he goes missing.” The guy’s eyes bulged at that last part, but he remained silent.
I could appreciate a little intimidation, but I couldn’t be sure that wasn’t what he had in mind after all. “Ah… but we’re going to focus on not killing him, right? Right?” I prompted when Rob didn’t respond right away, his gaze locked on the scummy pimp.
“Course that’s the goal, but I wanted to pick someone I wouldn’t shed a tear over if it went all pear shaped.”
“Ah, then I’d say you picked a good candidate,” I nodded in approval. “Bon appétit.” I wasn’t sure what method of feeding Rob would employ, but it soon became apparent that he hadn’t given the guy any kind of compulsion to enjoy it as the bright coppery scent of blood filled the alley. I tried not to look into the red rimmed eyes bulging in silent pain as Rob took his fill, instead concentrating on the count in my head. I’d forgotten to talk to him about the counting, not that it had worked for Ellie at all.
When I got to the midrange of the danger zone, as I like to think of it, I tapped him on the shoulder, not seriously expecting him to acknowledge me. “That’s enough, Rob,” I said gently. To my utter surprise he pulled away, swiping at his lips with a folded handkerchief. Then again, Rob always was made of self control, wasn’t he?
“Great job,” I approved, impressed by the easy compliance. “Oh, you don’t want to leave him bleeding like that though. You have to…” That prompting was all it took for him to cut his own finger and seal the wounds. “It’s like you’ve done this before.”
“I’ve seen it done a time or two,” he said, wiping his hand clean on the handkerchief when he was done.
“Just one thing left. What do you want to do with your new buddy here?”
“Besides toss him off the pier?”
The guy’s eyes bulged again, and if it wasn’t for Rob’s hand propping him up against the side of the building, I bet he would’ve bolted at that.
“If all you were going to do is bump him off you might as well have kept on feeding.” I sighed in exasperation when his face took on a speculative look. “Not funny. Why don’t we practice your compulsion instead? How about you make him not be a pimp anymore? That’d be useful.”
Rob was already shaking his head no. “That leaves them ladies prey to someone else.”
“Okay then… how about you compel him to be the nicest pimp that ever there was? He can actua
lly protect them and buy them ice cream and stuff. Oh, and make him let them go if they don’t want to be hookers anymore, how about that?”
“Might could work,” he agreed, taking my suggestions far more seriously than my tone of voice intended. “Right then, listen up, Charlie. Did you hear what the lady said?” The guy nodded vigorously and Rob let him speak again. “You can talk as long as you keep a civil tongue in your head, yeah?”
“M-my name’s not Ch-Charlie, it’s Jimmy,” he stammered.
“Like it matters,” Rob scoffed. “Listen up, I want you to do all she said and more. You don’t raise a hand to none of them ladies no more, but you’ll see to it no one else does either. What they earn is theirs, less your ten percent commission. That sounds more than fair, don’t it?”
“Ten percent?” Jimmy’s eyes bulged at that. “How can I live on that?”
“Ain’t my problem, chum,” Rob said, letting go of him to straighten the leather jacket that hung crookedly from Jimmy’s shoulders. “Guess you’ll have to find more gainful employment if you can’t make a go of it. And another thing, you won’t remember either one of us. Alls you’ll remember is being hauled off by an angry creditor, and he knocked some sense into ya. And for God’s sake, lay off the hard stuff or there won’t be nothing of you left by year’s end,” he scowled, giving him a push toward the mouth of the alley. “Now shove off.”
Jimmy stumbled forward, catching himself before he lost his balance. With a final glance backwards he took off at a shambling jog, hopefully not too damaged by Rob’s rough handling.
“Hey, not too shabby, I’m proud of you,” I beamed once the coast was clear.
“Wasn’t much to be proud of, I done what I had to,” Rob shrugged.
“Are you kidding me? I might not have all that much experience, but that was a masterful display of control you exercised. I was prepared to pull you off the guy kicking and screaming and all I had to do was tap you on the shoulder and you let go of him like a pro.”
I could see that my compliments didn’t sit well with him and he rubbed at the back of his head absently. “I wouldn’t have stopped if you hadn’t been here to ask me to.”
“That’ll come in time. Believe me, it was still an awesome amount of self control.” I took hold of his jacket lapels, pulling him closer. “So take credit where credit is due, okay?”
“Yeah, alright,” he acknowledged with a begrudging smile.
“How are you feeling, did you get enough?”
“I’m in the pink again,” he nodded. “We should see to getting you…”
I cut him off with a sudden kiss, leaning up on my tiptoes to reach him. It was a cinch the next words to come out of his mouth were going to be about getting me home safe and sound, and I wanted to take advantage of the moment of privacy for something I’d wanted to continue since that heated kiss in my study.
Rob recovered smoothly, his strong arms wrapping around to hold me close. We swayed together, giving and taking, neither one of us seeking dominance as we gave rein to our feelings. I wouldn’t have minded it if he’d pressed me up against the dilapidated building and had his way with me, but instead he drew the kiss to a soft close.
“Why did you stop?” I asked, not bothering to mask the disappointment in my voice. Okay, so a seedy alley wasn’t my first choice for an illicit tryst, but I was willing to take what I could get.
“We have to be careful, anyone could spot us together like this.”
Not that I was worried about what Jimmy the world’s kindest pimp would think, but he did have a point. “Then let’s go back to the car and find somewhere more private. Do you still have your place over the garage?”
“You know we can’t do that. It’s too dangerous, someone might spot us in more familiar surroundings.”
“I don’t care. I’m your Sire now. I have the right to take you hunting and people know that leads to intimacy. No one would think it all that strange if we grew closer, physically anyway. We don’t have to let on that it goes as deep as it does.”
“Jakob might not see it that way. He still thinks you’re giving him another shot, don’t he?”
Cripes, I’d forgotten about that. My plans to lay it all on the table sort of went out the window in light of Lodinn’s treachery. “Hey, you yourself have shared some intimate times with Jakob while feeding.” Though how intimate I wasn’t entirely sure. “As long as we keep from declaring our undying love for each other, I think we’ll be fine.”
“And if I can’t?” The corner of his mouth tugged higher.
“Then whisper it for my ears only.”
He leaned in and whispered a string of endearments, starting with how beautiful I was in the moonlight and ending with exactly what he’d like to do to me the next time he got me completely alone. It had me breathing faster, my imagination kicking into overdrive as he wove an erotic picture that culminated with the scrape of his teeth against my neck. But before I could reciprocate, or do much of anything really, I blinked at finding him standing two feet away, with a smug smile over my state.
“Are you trying to drive me insane?” I grumbled, trying to decide if I should follow up with a punch to the shoulder or pin him up against the wall and show him what it felt like to be on the receiving end of such torturous teasing.
“Just giving you something to think about until we can be together as I’d like.”
“Fine, but remember, turnabout is fair play.”
“I’m counting on it,” he grinned, exposing the tips of fangs that still protruded, letting me know I wasn’t the only one who’d gotten all hot and bothered over the exchange. I was still getting used to him with the fangs. Was it weird that I thought it made him look even sexier than normal? “Come on, let’s get you home. I’ve got to get out and keep looking for Jakob.”
“Fine, but we’ll come back to this and I won’t let you go so easily.”
“No arguments from me, miss.”
Chapter Twelve
“How’s Hanna holding up?” I kept my voice pitched low in case she wasn’t asleep, kicking off my shoes in the living room. Mason poured himself a drink, and I waved away the offer of one.
“She’s a serious pain in the ass is what she is,” he scowled, settling his large frame into a heavy wingback chair. “I finally had to compel her to shut up before the urge to strangle her where she stood got to be overwhelming. I imagine Lodinn’s having himself a chuckle over that. You should’ve let him keep her.”
“How can you say that?” I gaped. “I know you’re frustrated, but to wish her back with that, that, that…”
“Shit, I’m sorry, Anja. No, I know it’s for the best that we have her back, it’s just…” His head hung low as the bitterness fled, replaced by a misery that wrung my heart. “I want her all the way back. That girl down there, she might look, smell and even sound like Hanna, but it’s like she’s not there when I look into her eyes. And if you’d heard some of the shit she’s been saying.”
“Like what?”
“Oh, like what Lodinn’s going to do to me after he kills Jakob and they can be together again. You know, fun stuff,” he said, his lips twisted into a sour version of a smirk.
Good gravy, was it as bad as all that? “I know he’s gotten into her head, but I didn’t expect that. I’m sorry, Mason, I had no idea it’d be so difficult. Thanks for sticking around, it must’ve been awful.”
He gave a one sided shrug. “What else was I supposed to do? Besides, in a sick way it was kind of fun to trade barbs with her, even if she was speculating way too much on the color of my entrails. At least she’s talking to me again.”
“We’ll get our Hanna back, I promise,” I said softly. I just had no idea how to do it. Even if we found Jakob, there was no guarantee he’d be able to break the compulsion of another Ellri. I wasn’t even sure if killing Lodinn would release her from his influence or not.
“You know, there is one thing that might bring her back. Not the way she was exactly, but at
least it’d be our Hanna.”
Something about the way he said it made the hairs on the back of my neck stand on end and I was almost afraid to ask. “What do you mean?”
“I have an idea. It’s sort of extreme, but extreme times call for extreme measures, am I right?”
My head tilted to one side as I studied him. What kind of extreme measures could he mean? “Why do I have a feeing I’m not going to like this idea of yours?”
His hands came up in a supplicating gesture. “It’s totally not that bad. I mean it depends on how you look at it. And it’ll keep Hanna safer and that’s the most important thing, right?”
Yep, definitely afraid to ask, but I did it anyway. “Go ahead, tell me your brilliant idea.”
“Okay, but promise me you won’t freak out.”
“Seriously?” How could he expect me not to freak out by prefacing it with a statement like that? “Would you tell me already?”
“Right,” he said, drawing in a long breath. “So, I was thinking. There’s one thing that might break Lodinn’s compulsion and it has bonus side effect of making it harder to kill her.”
All at once I knew what it was. “Oh no, definitely not.”
“It might be the only way to save her from being Lodinn’s slave.”
“Absolutely not. Damn it, Mason. Isn’t this part of why the two of you fought in the first place?”
“Yeah, but I’ve been thinking about that, see…” He licked his lips, eager to continue. “It wasn’t more than an argument, really. Hanna and I argued all the time, it’s something we did. It was just stinking timing that Lodinn happened to swoop in and get her to kick me to the curb. I don’t think she would’ve broken up with me over it, not really.”
“She doesn’t want to become a vampire, she’s pretty much come out and said it to me before.”
“No, you’re right. Maybe it wasn’t in the cards for now, but she was definitely thinking about it for the future, I know she was. Can you honestly say that Hanna would prefer to be under Lodinn’s thumb like this? You know she’d hate it if she was in her right mind. She’s got to be dying on the inside over what this is doing to her. This is the only way to set her free.”