Tall, Dark and Immortal

by Cat Devon

  Yes, Alex was persona non grata in Vamptown right now, but he was just about to contact Craig or Damon or Zoe anyway when he got the feeling that something was about to happen. There was a change in the energy around the wall.

  Then Keira appeared as suddenly as she had disappeared.

  Chapter Nineteen

  Alex hauled Keira into his arms and hugged her so tightly she almost couldn’t breathe. Not that she was complaining. In fact, she was hugging him just as tightly.

  “Where did you go?” His voice was gruff.

  “Back in time.”

  He didn’t seem surprised by her answer. “Your grandfather?”

  She nodded.

  “Let’s get out of here.” He reset the Water Tower entrance and security cameras before whisking her back to their hotel room at the Palmer House. “Are you okay?” he asked her.

  “I am now. That was quite a trip. My grandfather pulled me back in time to a few days after the Chicago Fire.”

  “Why?”

  “He wanted to talk to me. It was my 1871 grandfather, if that makes sense. He was younger than when I knew him.”

  “You’re sure it was him?”

  “Definitely.”

  “You’ve got the journal?”

  “He burned it.”

  Alex cursed loudly and vehemently.

  “But he didn’t burn all of it.” She held it out. “Only some of the pages. He was going to burn more but I stopped him.”

  “Why did he do that?”

  “They were the pages in some ancient language I didn’t understand.”

  “Great. Just great.”

  “Most of the journal is still intact,” she said.

  “Tell me everything.”

  “We were standing near the Water Tower but it was right after the Chicago Fire. Well, not instantly after. Maybe a couple of days after. I’m not positive. There were no remaining flare-ups but the air still reeked of smoke.”

  “What did he want?”

  “Like I said, he wanted to talk to me.”

  “About what?” Alex said.

  “He wanted to meet his own flesh and blood. That’s what he said.”

  “How did he know about you?”

  “I’m not sure. He’d read the journal so he knew what happens to him in the future. He knew he would marry a second time and have a child and grandchild.” She rubbed her forehead. “I’m still trying to make sense of it. Which came first, the chicken or the egg? Did he read the journal back in time and then arrange for me to stash it in the hidden portal a few days ago? I don’t know the logistics of how it worked out.”

  “So you didn’t know the hiding place was a portal that would take you back in time?”

  “Absolutely not.”

  “Yet another thing your grandfather kept from you.”

  “I know. I confronted him about his not telling me he was a vampire hunter. He said he was trying to protect me by keeping it from me.”

  “What else did he say?”

  “I asked him if he was behind the blood thefts or if he played any part in a plan regarding them. He said no very emphatically. I also asked him why you were on the top of his hit list.”

  “What was his answer to that?”

  “He said that was the original plan but indicated it had changed. He wouldn’t go into details, though.”

  “Of course he didn’t.”

  “He said he doesn’t make the rules. He just has to abide by them.” Seeing the strange look on Alex’s face, she said, “What’s wrong?”

  “My sire Mitch used to tell me that.”

  “Do you think there’s a connection?”

  “I have no way of knowing.”

  “It was so strange to see a younger version of my grandfather. Strange and very emotional. I never got to say good-bye to him before he died. I told you that.

  “So you said your good-byes?”

  She nodded. “He told me I’d do well in the end but he couldn’t be more specific than that.” She paused as her stomach growled. “Travel these days is hard but time traveling is even harder. I’m starving.” She reached for the room service menu near the phone. “I’m thinking of having a burger.” She looked at him. “What about you? Have you, umm … eaten lately?”

  “They don’t have blood on the menu,” he noted drily.

  “I realize that. So what do you do in that case?”

  “I order out.”

  “From the funeral home in Vamptown?”

  “Why are you so interested?”

  “Because I’m a report—”

  “Yeah, I’ve heard it before,” he interrupted her. “You’re a reporter. Your job is to ask questions. That’s also my job. It’s what I do as a police detective. What else did your grandfather say to you?”

  “I did ask him about my tattoo changing.”

  “And?”

  “And he didn’t seem surprised. He said that’s as it should be and that it was a sign of my future, but he wouldn’t tell me any more than that. Wait, he did mention something about a legend dating back to the Crusades.”

  “The Crusades?”

  “That doesn’t ring a bell for you?”

  “Should it?”

  “He seemed to think it was tied to you.”

  “I didn’t become a vampire until the Second World War.”

  “I know that. He used the term The One. Does that sound familiar? Have you heard it before?”

  Alex got a strange look on his face. “Yes.”

  “So you know what he was talking about?”

  “I might.”

  “What does it mean?”

  “That a woman would come into my life and change it forever … for better or for worse.”

  “So you’re saying I’ve changed your life for the worse?”

  “No.”

  “What does sex have to do with it? Did having sex with me tie into the legend somehow? I’m just asking because this is your legend, not mine,” she said, not caring if she sounded snarky. She’d just taken a trip to 1871. She was allowed to be snarky.

  “Meaning?”

  “Meaning it’s not a legend about reporters. It’s a vampire legend.”

  “Because we for sure don’t have enough vampire legends already,” he said.

  “Hey, if you’re going to be pissy about it I’m not going to tell you. I was just curious, though, as to why the reference is The One regarding you and not me. He said it was part of your destiny.”

  “And yours.”

  “Yes, but mine is known as The Longing. Which sounds kind of wimpy to me.”

  “There’s nothing wimpy about any of this.”

  “Why are there two different terms for what from all I can discern is basically the same thing—a reference to the connection between us?”

  “I don’t know. Does it describe how you feel about me?”

  “At times, yes,” she muttered.

  “Which times specifically?”

  She could have said, Like right now. But instead she grabbed the TV remote with more than a hint of desperation and turned on the local news. “Here we are at the Taste of Chicago where the crowds are enjoying everything from pierogi to pizza to these hefty turkey drumsticks.” The reporter waved one in the air. “Come on down to enjoy the fun. And while you’re here, do something good by stopping by the Red Cross station and donating blood.”

  “That’s it,” Alex said. “That’s the site of the next blood theft.”

  * * *

  “I trust you have better news for me this time?” Lynch told the vampire who nervously entered his office.

  “Yes, master.”

  “Excellent. You have Sanchez and the hunter’s granddaughter in custody? Why didn’t you bring them with you?”

  “We don’t exactly have them in custody.”

  “I’m disappointed to hear that.” Lynch reached for the knife he kept on his desk at all times now.

  “Wait, master! I know where they will be within
the next hour.”

  “And how do you know that?”

  “Because we have set up a sting operation to capture them.”

  “I want the hunter’s granddaughter the most. If in doubt, grab her. We can control Sanchez once we have her. He put his own life at risk by taking off from Vamptown with her, which means he clearly has feelings for her. Always a mistake. Feelings lead to weakness and weakness leads to…?” Lynch paused, looking at the other vampire expectantly.

  “Death,” the vampire replied.

  “Correct. What is your name, by the way? We’ve had such a turnover here lately that it’s hard keeping track of everyone’s identity.”

  “I’m Seymour.”

  “Tell me more about this sting idea of yours. It is your idea, right?”

  “Yes, master.”

  “You’re the first one who has mentioned the concept of a plan, so I’m glad to hear you have some initiative. It’s tiring having to do everything myself.”

  “I understand, master. Sanchez will bring the hunter’s granddaughter to the Taste of Chicago.”

  “Why would he do that? It’s not like he can enjoy the food there. Yes, I realize she can, but I don’t know that she is going to be interested in doing such a touristy thing when they are in danger and on the run. They do know they are in danger and on the run, right?”

  “Yes, master.”

  “What about their whereabouts earlier today? Do you have any idea where they’ve been hiding out?”

  “No, master. We picked them up briefly on one of our vamp cams but then they were gone.”

  “What use are those cameras if we can’t track our enemies?” Lynch pounded his fist on his desk, which made the knife resting there jump a few inches in the air. “Who was in charge of that project?”

  “You killed him yesterday.”

  “Good riddance.” Lynch leaned back in his ergonomically designed top-end office chair. “Go on.”

  “We’ll have Keira by this evening.”

  “We’d better,” Lynch said. “Or more heads will roll.”

  * * *

  “You are not coming with me,” Alex said as he strapped on more weapons. He already had several daggers on his person along with several specialty handguns.

  “I’m safer with you than I am without you,” she pointed out.

  Alex wasn’t sure about that but she appeared to be, which should make him feel better that she was no longer trying to escape from him. Her reference to The Longing she experienced had made him hot and hard but there was no time for sex. His gut told him that the blood heist today would be a major one and that this was his chance to catch the thieves red-handed.

  “Admission to the Taste is free,” she reminded him. “There will be a lot of people there.”

  “So?”

  “So you need me to keep an eye out.”

  “An eye out for what?”

  “Vampires,” she said.

  “Right. Because you have a secret way of identifying them.”

  “No.”

  “Well, I do,” Alex said.

  “It’s the glowing eyes and the bloody fangs, huh?”

  “Very funny.”

  “We’re in this together. Besides, what would I do if vamps show up here and try to get in? You said those fledging mercenaries don’t need permission to enter.”

  “You should be safe here.”

  “I should be, but can you guarantee that?”

  “No.”

  “So I’m coming with you. Now tell me the plan.”

  “There is no plan,” he said.

  “You’re a cop. Of course there’s a plan. You just don’t want to tell it to me.”

  “Correct.”

  “Why not? Maybe I can help. Did you ever consider that?”

  “Not really.”

  “Well, consider it now.”

  “I’ll be checking out the area surrounding the blood drive station.”

  “And what will I be doing?”

  “Staying by my side and staying quiet.”

  “That doesn’t really work for me, but setting that aside for the moment … what happens if you find vampires in the area?”

  “They can be in the area as long as they aren’t stealing blood.”

  “What happens if they do steal blood?”

  “I arrest them.”

  She raised an eyebrow? “Really? That’s it?”

  “No, that’s not it.”

  “What if they resist arrest? What if there are a gang of them and only one of you?”

  “This is a surveillance mission only.”

  “So we let them get away with the blood?”

  “There are other ways of stopping them.”

  “Like?”

  “Like instantly sending video to Neville in Vamptown.”

  “Vamptown where the inhabitants want to kill me.”

  “Not all the inhabitants. Damon, Nick, and Ronan can be here in a millisecond along with reinforcements.”

  “You can’t have a vampire fight in the middle of the Taste of Chicago.”

  “It’s the first day of the event.”

  “So that makes it okay to have a battle?” she said.

  “No. It means there will be more blood collected as time goes on. More thefts.”

  “Or maybe your gut is wrong and no one will try to steal any blood at all.”

  “Possibly but not likely.”

  She lifted the hem of the black T-shirt he’d lent her from his bag and sniffed it before making a face. “This smells like smoke from the Chicago Fire. Do you have another one?”

  “No.”

  “Come take a shower with me.”

  “What?”

  “You heard me. Take a shower with me. A really fast one so I can wash the smoke off.”

  “You need me with you to do that?”

  She gave him a long look before murmuring, “There may be places I can’t reach.”

  She blinked and he was nude. “Wow, that was fast,” she said.

  Another blink and she was nude. “Very efficient,” she said approvingly. “Just so you know, we are not having sex in the shower.”

  “Of course we are. It’s going to be fast and hard.”

  “Freaky-fast vampire sex?”

  “Yep.”

  “Okay then.”

  He turned the water on and then turned her on. He was right. It was fast and hard. It was also sleek and sensual. There was no time to focus on how good he felt as he slid inside of her because her orgasm hit full force, her vagina clenching as he drove into her again and again, creating waves of such incredibly intense pleasure that she thought she’d die … but what a way to go.

  Screaming his name, she collapsed against him. Scooping her in his arms, he carried her from the shower to the bedroom, where he set her on the bed.

  Her body still hummed with tiny aftershocks.

  “Are you okay?” he said.

  “OMG,” she said, still breathless from the entire erotic experience.

  He handed her a towel. “I ordered fresh clothes for you from one of the shops downstairs.”

  Looking in the bag, she found a pair of navy-blue running shorts, a Chicago Bears T-shirt, and a pair of sunglasses that would cover half her face. She especially welcomed the clean underwear.

  By the time she looked up, Alex was already dressed all in black, pants and a T-shirt that hugged his chest the way she wanted to.

  “If you keep looking at me that way, we’ll never leave this hotel room,” he said huskily.

  While that sounded very appealing, Keira knew they were on a mission. They needed to solve this issue of the blood thefts and clear her name. She dressed quickly, not as fast as him, but fast enough.

  “Okay, let’s go.”

  They joined the crowd in Grant Park at the Taste of Chicago beyond the entrance gate. “I don’t want them searching me,” he said.

  Right. Because he was armed. “So this isn’t just a surveillance mission. You
are expecting trouble?”

  “I always expect trouble,” he replied.

  The festival was filled with families, women pushing strollers, and teenagers flocking in groups. A dad holding his little girl in pigtails in his arms as she licked an ice cream cone made Keira smile. Her feelings were somewhat bittersweet. She’d never known her father. He’d died when she was a baby. Her grandfather had been the one to hold her and give her ice cream. And now he was gone as well.

  She deliberately pushed those thoughts away and focused on her surroundings. People lined up in front of the most popular booths. The smell of various foods, from pizza to those huge turkey drumsticks, made her mouth water and reminded her that she never had ordered anything from room service back at the hotel.

  “I’m starving,” she told Alex.

  “You can eat later. I’m sensing something … Don’t let go of my hand.” He tightened his hold on her fingers.

  “Okay.”

  They walked on, heading toward the Red Cross station. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw someone. Was that Benji? And Liz? When she turned to get a better look and her hand inadvertently slipped from his.

  An instant later she was gone. Alex stared in dismay at the card that floated to the pavement, marked with the crest of Lynch.

  If you want her back, bring me the journal.

  Chapter Twenty

  Keira was in a cage … and she wasn’t alone. She also wasn’t wearing her own clothing but a skimpy sparkly bikini worthy of a Vegas showgirl instead. A second ago she’d been at the Taste of Chicago with Alex. What the hell had just happened? “This can’t get any creepier.”

  “You’re wrong. It gets much creepier,” a woman with red hair said from the other side of the cage. Like Keira, she was wearing a bikini decorated with a colorful array of crystals. But she had had a chain around her ankle, limiting her movements.

  The cage was in the center of an ornately decorated room with French decor and gilded fixtures. Large darkly tinted windows displayed the city’s skyline. So they were still in Chicago. That was something.

  “I’m not supposed to be here. Uh, where is here?” Keira asked.

  “Lynch’s Petting Zoo.”

  Okay, that didn’t sound good. Keira knew Lynch was head of the Gold Coast vampire clan and no friend of Vamptown. Why had he grabbed her and why had he stuck her in a cage?