Venom & Vampires: A Limited Edition Paranormal Romance and Urban Fantasy Collection

by Casey Lane

  And I did believe him. He was telling the truth. I was in no danger from him. I breathed a sigh of relief at instinctively knowing this. Although that was promising, I did not know this man and I was here against my will. That was still kidnapping. Besides, even if he believed the things he was saying, there was always the chance that he was delusional and crazy and it didn’t matter. He might change his mind in an instant and start getting violent. That was a crazy person thing to do.

  I looked at Cade. “Well, I still don’t want to be here. I want to go home.”

  “I can’t let you,” Cade said.

  “Then this is by definition kidnapping.”

  Cade frowned at me. “I do want to point out that you’re sitting in the front seat.”

  “But you’re not letting me go home.”

  Cade sighed. “Well, if I need to kidnap you to keep you alive then so be it.”

  I met his eyes. “You’ll be arrested.”

  Cade’s eyes didn’t waver from mine. “We’ll see. You might come around and realize I’m not so bad…and that I’m not trying to kidnap you.”

  I laughed, looking away because it was getting uncomfortable. “Yeah. Sure. You won’t get away with this.”

  Cade sighed. “I really am trying to help you. Can’t you just go along with this? It would be so much easier.”

  “Nope.”

  “Well, let’s talk about it when we get to Big Sur.”

  “But this is so ridiculous. Why would a vampire be after me? Seriously?” I asked and then added. “I mean, providing that they exist in the first place and I definitely don’t believe in them.”

  Cade sighed. “Like I said, they do exist.”

  “But it’s daylight. So, couldn’t we do this later? Like after I finish work today?”

  “No.”

  “I’m sorry, but I don’t think a vampire is really after me. I want to go home.”

  “Look, you can’t go home.”

  “But why?” I asked.

  Cade sighed. “Because you’re in danger.”

  “But why? Why me? Why now?”

  “I told you before. I didn’t have time to get into details with your grandmother and honestly, I didn’t even think about asking. Miriam just wanted me to get to you and I’m doing as she asked. There was no time and it was urgent.”

  “Well, it’s kind of important, don’t you think?” I was frustrated. Why was this happening to me? “Do you just normally do as my grandmother asks even if it’s insane? In the middle of the night? You just drop everything?”

  Cade turned toward me, seemingly earnest and took my hand. “For your grandmother, yes. Look, I owe her and your grandmother made it very clear that I was supposed to protect you. Trust that. I’m not going to hurt you. I promise. I will do whatever I can to help you and keep you safe.”

  I knew he would. His hand was enveloping mine in his grip. It was rough and worn, like he spent a lot of time working with his hands. I looked at him again. He seemed like the rugged outdoor type - completely not my type. I was never outside. Yet, I had a sudden urge to pull him toward me. Currents of electricity were flowing from our connected hands. I looked at his mouth, his lips. I shook myself. What was wrong with me? Was I already having some sort of Stockholm Syndrome reaction? I pulled my hand out of his.

  “Why are we going to Big Sur?” I asked, hoping that Cade hadn’t noticed the momentary pause on my side of the conversation.

  Cade kept his eyes on the ocean as he answered. “I have a cabin there. Your grandmother said that I just had to get you out of town for a few days and that she’d take care of everything else. My cabin is secluded and there would be no reason for anyone to connect us together enough to find it as long as I got to you before the vampire did.”

  Staying alone for days with Cade in a secluded cabin. It either sounded like a hot romance or the premise of a horror movie. At this very moment, all logic pointed toward horror movie and if it was up to Cade, it would be a supernatural one. Vampires. Seriously? This was surreal.

  I tried a different tactic. “Well, what about my job? The IRS is auditing us. I need to be at work today. It is practically the worst day ever for me to miss work.”

  “Sorry. They’ll just have to be okay without you until you get back. Everyone gets sick.”

  “Not in my industry.”

  “Sorry.” Cade didn’t look apologetic at all, though.

  I frowned. “Fine. Well, I need to call them then. I don’t want to get fired if I can help it. I have to at least call in sick. So, can I make a call then, Mr. Kidnapper?”

  Cade cringed at his nickname, but didn’t budge. “I don’t think that’s a good idea.”

  “But this is my real life. You are taking me back to my life after this is all over, right?”

  “Of course.”

  “So, I need my job and if I don’t call, they will either fire me or send the police to my house to see if I died in my sleep.”

  Cade eyed me wearily and after a long pause said, “How about I call them?”

  “Okay,” I automatically reached for the phone in my pocket, while mentally cursing myself. I could have secretly just dialed 911. I quickly frowned, though, realizing that I didn’t have my phone and noticing that I was still in my nightgown. My cheeks flushed pink and I pulled the blanket that had fallen to my waist up and under my arms.

  “I don’t have my phone.”

  “I could have told you that.”

  “Why didn’t you grab it?”

  Cade stared at me.

  “Oh, that’s right, because I’m being kidnapped.”

  Cade ignored me and fished around in his pockets. “I’ll use mine if that will shut you up. What’s the number?”

  I blinked at him. “Uh. I’m not sure.”

  “You work there.”

  “But it’s saved in my contacts.”

  “Okay,” Cade suppressed a smile.

  “Let me think,” I’d had to rattle our phone number off to people before and I’d said it thousands of times. “Can’t we just go back and get my phone?”

  “No. I’m not taking you home until it is safe.”

  I frowned. I had to try. “Okay. I think this is it.”

  I rattled a phone number off to him and he punched it into his phone. I watched him as he listened to it ring. I held my breath. Was it too early for someone to be at work? What time was it?

  Cade started talking into the phone. “Yeah. Hi. I’m calling in for Seraphine Winters…”

  This was it. An opportunity. I got ready and then faltered as Cade looked at me curiously. Why was he looking at me like that? What was wrong? I froze. The person on the other end of the line said something and Cade listened.

  Cage raised his eyebrows. “Do you work for a massage parlor?”

  “What? No.”

  Cade hung up, laughing.

  I thought about the number I’d given him as I felt my cheeks burn pink. I’d reversed the last two numbers. I was not going to acknowledge my mistake especially since he was still grinning. “I think I have it now.”

  “Alrighty.”

  I ignored his sarcastic tone and rattled off what I thought had to be the correct phone number.

  Cade dialed and listened into the phone. “Yeah, hi. I need to call in sick for Seraphine Winters.”

  He paused. “Well, I’m her boyfriend and she’s too...”

  My boyfriend? I cringed. I hoped Edison didn’t hear about this. I didn’t want him to think I was taken when I was so close to going out for a drink with him.

  I mentally stopped myself right there. That wasn’t important right now. It was work. This was it. A chance. Cade’s phone number was on their caller ID. I opened my mouth to scream. Cade barely even glanced at me as he clamped his hand over my mouth. I reached up to pull his hand off. It wouldn’t budge. He had a really strong grip. I pulled.

  “…sick to talk. Thanks. Bye,” Cade hung up the phone and let go of my mouth.

  I glare
d at him.

  He stared back at me. “Do you have something you want to say?”

  “Why did you do that?”

  “Because you were going to scream.”

  “And what if I was?”

  “I did what you asked.”

  “I didn’t ask to be kidnapped.”

  “Are we back to that again?”

  “Yes.”

  Cade sighed. “Okay. How do I prove to you that I’m actually trying to help you? I just called you in sick.”

  “That buys you more time.”

  “And it ties me to you. We just used my phone. I talked to one of your coworkers. The police could track that. It creates a witness.”

  Logically, that was true, but I was still here against my will so I ignored him. “Let me call my grandmother. I want to talk to her. I don’t understand why she hasn’t called to talk to me herself.”

  Cade nodded. “Okay. Fine, if that will settle all of this for you then great.”

  It actually would be great because I’d save myself the embarrassment of flagging down cars in my nightgown. Although, I will admit, I was a little surprised that he was actually going to let me talk to her. There was no way my grandmother was going to corroborate his story, right? If she was, why hadn’t she just called me herself and told me he was coming in the first place?

  Cade dialed a contact on his phone. Then he held it out to me. I reached for it, but he held it back.

  “You can listen and talk to her, but that’s it. I don’t trust you to not call the police or something on me,” Cade said.

  I ignored him and noticed my grandmother’s name as the contact that came up on his phone. He really did know her. Okay, I’d already known that, but this was concrete proof. She was actually in his phone contacts. But why? And why was he doing her bidding? They weren’t dating, were they? My grandmother was definitely not a sugar mama type. Regardless, ew. I let the phone ring as I tried not to glance over at Cade.

  “Hello, this is Miriam. Please leave a message,” said my grandmother’s gravelly voice.

  I opened my mouth to tell my grandmother to answer her phone when Cade snatched the phone from me.

  “Hang up,” Cade said, doing it himself.

  “What? Why?” I asked, reaching to take the phone and call again. Why didn’t he want me to leave a message?

  Cade slid his cell phone back into his pocket. “Who knows who’s listening.”

  “You have some serious paranoia issues. I just need to make sure she’s alright.”

  Cade shrugged, “I’m sure she’s okay.”

  “Are you psychic?”

  “No.”

  “Then I need to leave a message.”

  “You can’t.”

  “Look, I just want to know what’s going on,” I leaned back into the seat, frustrated.

  “I’m sorry. We can try her again later.”

  I frowned at him. “But you won’t let me leave a message then either.”

  “No,” Cade admitted.

  I looked at him, thinking. “So, are you saying that a vampire might be listening into my grandmother’s answering machine messages?”

  “I don’t know.”

  “But it’s during the day.”

  “So?”

  “Vampires are nocturnal creatures.”

  “I don’t know enough about them. That may or may not be true.”

  “But you believe in them?”

  “Yes,” Cade said.

  “Well, haven’t you ever seen a vampire movie? Daylight usually kills them. Not always, I’ll admit, but…”

  “I don’t like horror.”

  “Okay, that brings up a whole lot of other questions, but anyway if I did believe you and vampires were real and you think a vampire is inside my grandmother’s house then I’d say that it is a really important detail. My grandmother would be the one in danger, not me. Plus, she hasn’t called to tell me about this herself. That is super suspicious. Besides, let’s say I believe your story, how does my grandmother even know a vampire’s after me? I haven’t been attacked. None of this makes sense. There’s something wrong with what you’re telling me.”

  Cade met my eyes. “I’m telling you what I know.”

  “But it’s not the whole story.”

  Cade shrugged. “Look, don’t worry. Your grandmother is one tough witch. She has her coven to back her up if she needs it. I’m sure she’ll be…”

  I blinked at him. “What? What did you just say?”

  “She can take care of herself. I think she didn’t call you because she was going to try and…”

  “No. Repeat what you just said.”

  Cade stopped mid sentence. “What?”

  “The witch part.”

  “Your grandmother is one tough witch and she has her coven? That?” Cade looked confused.

  He was speaking the truth. I didn’t move. Normally, I’d have thought it was part of his crazy delusion. Vampires and witches were both part of horror stories. The problem was that a memory had flitted across my brain. That day.

  It was the day my mother died. I’d spent the night at my grandmother’s house and while I was there I’d had a dream.

  I’d woken up back at home. I immediately went to go find my mother. I headed toward my parents’ bedroom. I stopped in the doorway. My mother’s face looked horrified as she met my eyes. She moved toward me, her eyes shifting to another person in the room. It was a man. He was not my father, although I mostly just equated him with darkness. The night almost seemed to cling to him. He gazed at me, curiously. I reached for my mother, afraid. As if sensing me, she turned toward me. That’s when I noticed it: the blood on the neckline of her nightgown soaking downward.

  “Go,” she said.

  Then I woke up, back at my grandmother’s house, screaming. I’d told my grandmother about the dream when she had run in to see what was wrong. My grandmother smoothed away the dream and I’d fallen back asleep almost immediately. For years, I’d thought that the next thing that happened was another dream.

  My grandmother was chanting over me. “Protect her with light. Protect her with love. Protect her from harm. Night and day. This shield shall keep the dark away.”

  Then I felt a soft kiss on my forehead before falling into a deep sleep.

  The next morning I woke up to the news that my mother was dead. As a child I hadn’t pieced it all together. But now, with what was happening, it felt like things were falling into place. Had a vampire killed my mother? Had my grandmother tried to protect her and failed? Had I witnessed the attack that killed my mother? Was my grandmother a witch who’d said a spell over me? Was I actually starting to believe that a vampire did want to kill me?

  A thought ran across my brain and a chill flew through my entire body. I didn’t want to believe it, but I knew it was true. It was happening again. Would my fate be the same as my mother’s? Why?

  I burst out of Cade’s car, running, the blanket falling to the ground as I exited the car. It was just highway and ocean for miles. I ran for the road. I had to flag down a car. I think I surprised even Cade because I didn’t hear his car door open until I was halfway to the road.

  I ran as fast as I could. I had to get away from all of this. It couldn’t be true. I just needed to get back home. I had to get back to the safety of my apartment. Things had to go back to normal. This couldn’t be real.

  Was my grandmother really a witch? Could she really win against a vampire? And why? Why? Why? Why was this happening to me?

  Cade grabbed ahold of me and spun me toward him, engulfing me in his arms. The heat from his body seeped through my skin. It was freezing outside, but I somehow hadn’t noticed. My thoughts stopped. I blinked up at him.

  Cade looked half crazed as I looked up into his face, “What do you think you’re doing?”

  Cade’s body was pressed up against mine, tense and waiting for me to try to escape again. My eyes were locked with his, waging a battle. Could I trust him? My body wanted
to, I thought, as I felt myself molding against him, craving the electric heat emanating off of him. What was I doing? A hot guy was not going to solve this problem. I pushed away from Cade. He finally let me go.

  “Just get back in the car,” Cade watched me wearily, alert for another attempted escape.

  “I’m sorry. I…” I couldn’t tell him about that dream and what had happened.

  Nobody except my grandmother knew. I still had to try and piece together what was happening now. I really needed to talk to my grandmother. Where was she? More importantly, was she safe?

  “Please,” Cade pleaded. “I’m just trying to help you.”

  I looked up at him. “I know.”

  Cade looked at me wearily. “But?”

  “But nothing. I’ll go with you,” I turned and walked back toward the car, leaving him staring after me, dumbfounded.

  I finally believed him. My grandmother was a witch who’d tried to protect me, but now a vampire was after me. Danger was coming. The life I’d built for myself was crumbling. I had no idea how to think about any of this logically. The reality that I’d clung to believing in for all of these years was destroyed.

  Chapter Three

  The car finally pulled up to the cabin. My breath caught and I couldn’t help but think that Cade’s cabin would be a beautiful place to go on a romantic getaway. Too bad that this was definitely the start of a horror movie.

  The cabin was in the middle of a forest of trees and it looked like it was the only man made structure for miles. I knew the ocean was nearby because we’d driven along it for a long while, but I couldn’t see it. Still, the forest held its own sort of beauty. The only unpleasant part about the cabin was that the road had been bumpy and unpaved for the last stretch of the trip to get to it. The area was beautiful. There was a smell of pine in the air mixed with the scent of salty ocean spray.

  In a normal situation, I would have been glad for a getaway like this. Too bad this wasn’t anywhere near normal. Cade and I also hadn’t spoken in the last hour and a half. It had just been spent in uncomfortable silence.