The third man advanced a step and with a quick flip of his wrist, he produced a pocket knife. “And if she doesn’t, we’ll cut her!” He leered.
Alexandra’s heart drummed in her chest when the man holding the knife took another step toward her. He looked more forbidding than the others with his towering height, pale skin and the tattered patch he wore over his left eye. She shot a frantic look down the alley. Two solid walls of brick surrounded her on either side, and no doorways offered hope for help. The only way out was through them.
Bubba turned to the man on his left. “Put that thing away, Scratch. I’m sure we won’t need to do any harm. This little lady isn’t gonna give us no trouble, isn’t that right, missy?”
She took a step backward, clutching her studded saddlebag. “I told you before, I don’t have any money,” she said, trying to mask the slight tremor in her voice.
“I don’t have any money,” Weasel mocked in a distorted voice. “We heard you the first time, broad. We just don’t believe you. All dressed up in your fancy suit, smelling real good, and you expect us to believe you don’t have any cash? What are you, some kinda social worker or something? Well, I’ve got some special needs you can attend to.” He was moving closer now, circling her slowly.
Alexandra stiffened, holding her breath as his gaze traveled from her black wedges up her slender, stocking-clad legs to the smooth curve of her hips in the formfitting skirt, her narrow waist and the slightly revealing V-neck of her ruffled blouse.
When his eyes snapped back up to meet hers, he wore a sadistic grin. “Hand over your purse!”
Slowly, she slipped her designer handbag from her shoulder and passed it to him. She was shaking all over, for she knew that they would find nothing in it to appease their greed. She’d been in a rush to leave her apartment that morning, and she’d failed to pack her wallet. All she had was a MetroCard and a few dollars, barely enough for a taxi home.
Weasel snatched the purse from her and his accomplices gathered around to inspect their bounty. The zipper was yanked open and he rummaged through the pockets, discarding anything he thought useless. Her cherry lipstick, followed by her address book and then her notepad, hit the gravel. When he pulled out her mini tape recorder, he tossed it to Bubba, who held it up for inspection.
“I think we can get a few bucks for this,” Bubba commented.
Scratch leaned over to look at it, as well.
Alexandra was grateful for the diversion and she eased to the left as she calculated the distance to the main street. She could make a run for it. She would probably get caught, but at least she’d be near enough to scream and hope that someone would hear her.
Without a second thought, she swung her blazer over Weasel’s head and gave him a firm shove, sending him stumbling into the others.
Not even looking back, she raced toward the ongoing traffic as fast as her heels would allow. She heard an angry growl and then the heavy thud of footfalls behind her. In the next moment, a punishing hand grabbed her arm and she was yanked violently around. The sleeve of her blouse ripped and she was propelled to the right, where she slammed into the brick wall and fell to the ground.
Recovering quickly, she looked up to see Weasel tossing her shirt sleeve aside and storming toward her. She tried to scramble away, but was promptly blocked by a pair of long legs. Scratch stood above her, turning the knife around in his hand.
“I guess you don’t like your pretty face.” He sneered.
Weasel came to stand beside him. “I think we need to teach her a lesson.” He reached down to twist a lock of her hair about a grimy finger.
Alexandra tried to push his hand away. “Don’t touch me!” she screamed.
“Man, shut that bitch up!” Bubba, who was still rummaging through her purse, barked.
Scratch squatted next to her, bringing the knife dangerously close to her face. “Make another sound and I’ll cut you, I swear I will.”
His fetid odor engulfed her and she was forced to hold her breath. Her heart was racing. Only once before had she been so afraid, when she’d gotten the news of her parents’ deaths and she knew she was all alone in the world. Yet she’d survived that, and somehow she’d survive this.
With a laugh, Weasel grabbed her right arm and brought her wrist to his gaze. “Now ain’t this pretty,” he snarled as he snatched away the charm bracelet.
Alexandra sucked in her bottom lip to avoid crying out as the gold chain cut into her skin.
He held it up to the dim light. “I bet I could get a few bucks for this.” He bit into it before stuffing it into his pocket.
“Please,” Alexandra began softly as she tried to ignore the sharp point of the knife that hovered near her cheek. “That doesn’t belong to me. If you want money I can get some for you, but please, I need that bracelet.”
The two men near her erupted in laughter. Scratch traced the smooth edge of the knife against her jawline. “Did you hear that, Bubba? The broad is trying to bargain with us.” He laughed. “Says she’ll give us money if we give her back her bracelet.”
Bubba tossed Alexandra’s handbag aside. “What money? All she has in here is twelve bucks,” he said as he recounted the bills.
Weasel walked toward him. “Jeez, is that all?”
“Cell phone,” Bubba replied as he passed the lavender, rhinestone-encrusted object to him.
Left alone with Scratch, Alexandra turned frightened eyes onto him. He leered at her. He seemed to thrive on her fear.
“I bet you got some valuables under your clothes,” he said as he trailed the knife along her neckline. “There’s only one way to find out now, ain’t there?”
The tip of the blade slipped beneath the top button of her blouse and with a tug, it popped away. The upper half of her top fell open.
Alexandra’s breath caught when, with a grin, he positioned the knife under the second button. Desperation flared though her. She wasn’t about to sit still and allow this dirty bastard to violate her. She grabbed a handful of dirt and gravel and tossed it into his face.
The retaliation came as a surprise and Scratch fell over, screaming from the pain in his one good eye.
“The bitch tried to blind me!” he shouted, drawing the attention of his accomplices.
Alexandra was about to jump up and make a run for it when a loud thump came from somewhere at the rear of the alley. The earth beneath them vibrated and the lid of the big, rusty Dumpster slammed shut. All eyes turned toward the shadows.
“What was that?” Bubba asked.
Weasel shrugged. “How the hell should I know?”
Using the wall for support, Alexandra stood slowly. She shot a glance to the exit of the alley and when she looked back the three men were approaching her.
Scratch, who was squinting, retrieved his knife from the ground. “I’m going to teach you a lesson, bitch!” he spat.
Another sound emerged from the rear of the alley, making them pause a second time. It was a low and ominous growling that was like nothing Alexandra had ever heard before. “Man, what is that?” Bubba asked again.
The noise grew louder and a large figure loomed in the shadows.
Weasel took a step backward. “Maybe a dog,” he suggested nervously.
“Man, that ain’t no dog,” Scratch said.
“Then what is it?”
The dark figure flew from the ground into the shrouding darkness overhead, rattling the fire escape. Incredulously, Alexandra blinked her eyes. The thing had moved quickly, but the brief moment in the light had been enough for her to recognize it. And if she’d seen correctly, then the thing that stalked them was the very creature that had visited her the night before. But…how could it be? She’d been hallucinating, right?
Her three assailants stumbled backward with their gazes turned to the sky. “Where’d it go?” Weasel shouted.
“I don’t know,” Bubba replied as he pulled a short knife from his pocket. “But if it comes down here, it’s gonna get what it’s look
ing for.”
Scratch kicked angrily at the gravel. “Come out!” he taunted. “Show yourself so I can cut your throat!”
Before the last word spilled from his lips, loud vibrations from the fire escape echoed through the air and the shadow sprang forward, disappearing again into the overhead darkness.
Weasel retreated a few paces. “What the hell!” His eyes were wide and fear danced within them. “Did you guys see what I just saw? That thing has wings!”
The low, guttural growls persisted and in the next moment, the creature leaped from the shadows, coming to land before them in a huddled position. Slowly, it rose like a demon emerging from the pits of hell, its wings spanning a full length of about twelve feet, its long tail slashing the night air.
Alexandra stood frozen with her back pressed against the wall. She couldn’t believe her eyes. The creature was just as she remembered him, tall, powerful and beautiful. For an instant, his transfixing eyes set upon her and a shudder racked her body. Hours ago those penetrating eyes had draped her with lust and blazing desire. Hours ago he’d spread her thighs wide and tasted the very core of her womanhood, when she’d shuddered with a climatic release that would’ve put a wanton to shame.
A scorching heat made its way up her legs and down her breasts, coming to unite in that soft place between her thighs.
Her present danger was forgotten and all she could think was that the creature was real—flesh and blood and not a figment of her imagination!
Marius flexed his wings, assessing the situation.
The three men stumbled backward another step. “Hey, it’s too early for Halloween!” The one called Scratch sneered.
“Man, I don’t think that’s a costume,” Bubba said as he and Weasel staggered away another few paces.
“Oh, yeah? Well, watch me cut that ugly mask off his face!” Scratch poised himself for a fight, his fingers flexing over the handle of the knife. “C’mon, you weirdo freak!”
With slow, confident strides, Marius advanced upon them, his gaze pinned to the man wielding what appeared to be an arrowhead. He’d been following Alexandra when, from the roof of an apartment building, he’d spotted her turning into an alley. By the time he’d discreetly found his way to the roof overlooking the alley, the three men had trapped her. An unexplained rage had filled him as he’d witnessed Alexandra being thrown against a wall. Then when the largest of the trio had brought the tip of his weapon against her chest, severing her button, a new anger had possessed him—the very anger that flooded him now. He told himself that it was due to the fact that the Lunar Ritual had already began and should something happen to her before its completion, his family’s curse would be sealed for eternity.
The man called Scratch charged, his knife held high for the anticipated assault. Marius turned his attention toward his assailant just as Scratch swung his blade. Marius caught the man’s arm, but not before the sharp point slashed his chest. His eyes narrowed on the thin film of blood forming where it had made contact and a deep growl reverberated within his chest. His grip tightened on the thief’s wrist and the weapon fell from the man’s fingers.
Scratch let out a loud, agonizing cry that was cut short when Marius snatched him off his feet by his throat. Holding him high, Marius regarded him with distaste. He was of half a mind to snap his neck and end his repulsive existence, but he hadn’t come to New York to start a laundry list. The man was insignificant. With an aggravated growl, he threw the thief toward the Dumpster, where Scratch hit the brick wall and fell unconscious to the ground.
“Let’s get the hell out of here!” Weasel exclaimed, and he and Bubba turned and fled.
Slowly, Marius approached Alexandra, who remained motionless against the wall. He paused when he came within a few feet of her, his wings folding. His gaze drifted to her full mouth, parted so sweetly as she took small gasps of breath. Her blouse remained open where the button had popped away and he could see the smooth mounds of breasts that he knew were ripe and soft. Yet lust didn’t beset him, for he also caught sight of the red bruises on her forehead and wrist. The knowledge that those men had done this to her rekindled his anger and he wondered how he could feel protective toward someone he intended to kill himself.
She feared him—he could see it in her eyes, smell it even—and she was wise to do so. Yet he was tempted to assuage her worries—to tell her that she needn’t be afraid. He considered the hilarity of such a gesture. He stood before her, a monstrosity, a beast, a prince of hell—to expect her to simply dismiss his appearance was insanity. Then there was the fact that she was his enemy, that before the passing of the Spring Equinox, her blood would be on his hands.
A moan followed by the scurrying of rats sounded from beside the Dumpster. The thief was coming to.
Marius shot a look over his shoulder then returned his attention to Alexandra. “Leave this place,” he growled.
Feeling torn by emotion, he spread his wings again, shrouding her in darkness. Their gazes locked for an instant, hers reflecting unspoken gratitude, among other things. Time seemed to pause in that brief moment, preserving the torrent of sensations between them.
He turned away and took to the air, soaring into the night sky.
Chapter 6
“Ouch!” Alexandra exclaimed.
April stopped wiping the small bruise on her forehead to glare at her. “Now let me get this right. While you were walking in the South Bronx, three men tried to mug you, but you were saved by a man with wings and a tail?”
Alexandra, still grimacing slightly, nodded. “Yes, and he had horns, too. And fangs.”
April’s face twisted into a pained expression. “And this creature came to your bed last night and went down on you?”
Alexandra nodded a second time, and when April fixed her with a look of concern, she sighed. “I know it sounds insane, but it happened. I mean, look at me—what other reason would I have for being bruised and missing a shirtsleeve?”
April moved around the couch and sat on the edge of the coffee table facing Alexandra. “It’s not that I don’t believe that some guys tried to mug you. You shouldn’t have gone to that neighborhood alone in the first place. What did you expect? I think you’ve suffered a real hard blow to the head. Are you sure you don’t want to see a doctor?”
Alexandra jumped up from the couch. “No, I don’t need a doctor! I know you don’t believe it, but do you honestly think I would make up something like this? The visions? The creature? Trust me—it would take a much harder blow to my head before I start hallucinating about things like that.”
With a torn expression and a heavy sigh, April slumped onto the couch. “I want to believe you, but listen to yourself. How can you get upset with me for being concerned? I’m sure if I was the one ranting, you’d respond the same way.”
Alexandra walked to the window of April’s apartment. She parted a space in the blinds and peeked out. It was late, but traffic still swarmed the streets below. Her gaze traveled up the buildings to scan their towering peaks. She was looking for him.
Alexandra had gone to April because she really didn’t have anyone else to turn to and she’d been too afraid to go home. The other woman had patiently listened to her frantic recount of the events in the alley and then had offered to accompany her to the police station to file a report. Alexandra had declined, of course. With no witnesses and no solid evidence, she would come across as a raving lunatic. April’s offer to take her to the hospital was also declined. Alexandra felt fine physically. It was her mind that was in a state of frenzy.
“I’m sorry, April. I’m overreacting,” Alexandra apologized, feeling guilty. “It’s just hard to believe that even you don’t think what I’m saying is the truth.”
“Well, I want to believe you, but I just can’t imagine something like that lurking in alleyways or creeping into women’s beds at night, especially not in New York.”
“You’re the one working on the story, for God’s sake!” Alexandra tried reasoning. “
Don’t you think that there’s a remote possibility that this thing is the mysterious shadow that’s been haunting Central Park?”
April’s face contorted. “I write articles about it, but I don’t actually believe that there’s something out there. Well, nothing like that, anyway.”
Alexandra let the blinds snap back into place. “I don’t want to argue about it. I know what I saw, and I know I’m not crazy. Right now I just need to get some rest before my head explodes,” she said.
“Well, you’re welcome to stay here tonight,” April said.
“Thanks.” Alexandra smiled at her friend and crossed the elegant living room to the bathroom.
She turned the light on and looked at herself in the mirror. She wasn’t badly bruised, but then that was the least of her concerns. For now, she had to find out what the creature was, where it had come from and why she seemed to be the focus of its attention. And, more important, she had to find another way to connect with Mady Halman. The bracelet was gone, but she’d seen enough to start an investigation of her own. She didn’t know how she was going to tell Mady’s mother that she’d lost the bracelet, but finding Mady was more important.
The next morning, Alexandra borrowed some of April’s clothes for work. She matched a tweed sleeveless dress with a blue blazer to mask the bruises on her wrist. To hide the small grotto on her forehead, she combed a sweeping bang over it. She really didn’t have the time or the patience to answer any questions.
Later, she sat at her desk in the busy newsroom, completely oblivious to the noise and activity around her. She’d acquired a list of all the blue Mercury vans registered in the area and was comparing it to the lists of registered sex offenders in both New York and Pennsylvania. It was a tedious task, especially without a name to go on, but if there was a match, she was determined to find it.
She was so engrossed in her work, she didn’t see April approaching her desk until her friend tossed a copy of a rival newspaper in front of her. “Look at this,” she said.
Heiress to a Curse Page 5