Taste For Blood: Pour (Nephil-Vamp Series Book 2)

by Jenna Bernel

  "Oh, you look precious," she said sweetly, as I tried not to gag. Precious, another common Nephilim trait that I certainly didn't have. Before I could politely say, no way in hell, I heard the ding of the bell downstairs.

  "Shoot, my two o'clock bride is here. I have to scoot for a while. Will you be all right up here?" she asked, and I nodded before she scrambled back downstairs to take her appointment. I sighed with relief. She was nice and all, but I really preferred to shop without salespeople hovering, and telling me I looked “precious in pink.”

  I stepped off the platform and went back to the wall of dresses in my size. I started sifting through the assortment, but my eyes felt heavy from the lack of sleep. How could I ever sleep again knowing Alec might be there, waiting for me, and when I was at my most vulnerable? Could I justify things away, because technically, we weren't kissing in the physical sense? I bit my lip at the hot memory. How could Roman be there if it was only a Nephilim Gift? I'm not sure how Cloud Crashing worked, but if Eli and I were Nephilim, or at least part Nephilim, with all of the time we spent together, I was surprised we never discovered that Gift. The moment the thought passed through my mind, my throat went tight. Oh my God, if Eli had the Gift, then maybe I could talk to him. Maybe he knew where he was being kept. I ran to my purse, almost tripping on the silk pink material of the dress, and pulled out my cell phone. I texted Alec immediately.

  Hey, I really need to talk to you--can you come and meet me? I'm at Emma's Bridal in the city.

  Good, you've come to your senses. We'll elope tonight, Alec replied.

  Not funny! Hurry up, I said, hoping he sensed the urgency. I sat down in the ornately scrolled armchair, bobbing my legs anxiously. It would take him almost an hour to get here from school. Five seconds in, and I was out of patience already. I checked the clock on my phone as if staring at it would make time move faster, when a bell rang from downstairs. I didn't look up since even a vampire couldn't get here that fast from Mapleton. I walked to the dresses, trying to distract myself, as I smelled his cologne of rose water and ocean as a pair of hands slid over my eyes.

  "Guess who?" Alec said softly in my ear, and I whipped around to face him. He smiled at me and my mouth fell open.

  "How did you get here so fast?" I asked, astounded.

  "I was in the vicinity," he said causally, like it should be a no-brainer that he'd been stalking me.

  "What!? Have you been following me all day? Did you plant some GPS tracker chip on me too?" I was losing sight of why I called him here to begin with. This was absolutely unacceptable.

  "You ditched school and took off into the city, which, by the way, is the worst place for you to be right now, so of course, I kept tabs on you."

  "I told you, I can take care of myself," I said, gritting my teeth.

  "And I told you that you don't know what the hell you're talking about. How can you take care of yourself when you don't even know what's going on? So please tell me, when are you going to stop acting like a stubborn brat, and let me take you to Roman and Christoph?" he countered, and my eyes turned into slits.

  "That wasn't a very angelic thing to say, Alec. I'm a Nephil-vamp who needs to stay away from vampires. I know enough," I said sharply, turning back to the clothes.

  "I'm no angel, Dani. Just a pissed off Nephil-vamp, who is sick of your games," Alec said to my back.

  "You’re the one playing games. I wanted to know weeks ago who I was and where you came from, but you refused to tell me until you stole Eli away, so you only have yourself to blame!"

  "Oh really? So you wouldn't be planning on doing anything incredibly stupid this weekend, like walking right into the most dangerous club of the underground, which will only accomplish getting yourself killed?" Alec scoffed, and I froze, my hands still clutching a dress.

  "No, I wouldn't be planning any such thing," I denied smoothly, but I knew my reaction had already given me away. Alec didn't fight my answer. In fact, all I heard were his footsteps walking away from me, as I hoped that meant he was leaving.

  Then I heard the zipper of my purse and spun around to look at him. He dug into my bag, and I leapt to his side, pounding at his arm, but he already found The Basement token. He lifted it above his head, out of my reach, and crushed it into dust in his palm, blowing it like a puff of red smoke from his hand. I stared at the cloud of red, my mouth hanging open in shock and disappointment.

  "No…" I whispered in a shaky voice. Now what? You had to have that token to get into The Basement.

  "I can't believe what a jerk you are." I spat out the statement like a fact.

  "I can't believe you were actually going to go there. Have you officially gone insane?" he said, holding my arms and facing me.

  "Dani, look at me," Alec said sternly. His masculinity dominated the small space, and his vamp testosterone was practically a visible aura in the room. Harper would have been climbing all over him right now if she were here. I had never felt his strength, his unfettered, powerful strength, until this moment, and I couldn't help my awe of it. A part of me liked how I brought out his protective side. I slowly looked up and met his eyes. They looked like glowing orbs of golden light, twisting in intricate patterns with the cobalt blue, as unique and one-of-a-kind as the couture dresses.

  "I'm here to help you. Let me help you. All this time they thought we should be apart, but the moment I saw you, I knew they were wrong. We belong together. We're stronger together, and I know it'll all work out if you can just learn to trust me again." Alec's eyes lit up even brighter, and at the end of his statement, I thought he really could Trance me, it was so powerful.

  "I can't…" I choked out, the same famous last words before our first kiss, but this time, I knew it wouldn't end that way. He dropped his hands and turned away, unable to look at me, or to show me how much that hurt him. For a moment, a little piece of me came back, that irrepressible need to take away his pain, which reminded me of the dream. For the first time, I felt hopeful that I could find that girl again, in this world.

  "But I'll make you a deal," I continued. He returned his eyes to me and his face perked up ever so slightly as he looked at me with intrigue.

  "I'm listening…" he said.

  "Teach me how to Cloud Crash, and I'll start asking some questions I know you're dying to answer." I put my hands on my hips, waiting, and he eyed me suspiciously.

  "Why? You want to finish what we started in there?" he asked with a cocky smile, and I smacked him on the arm for bringing up our lip-lock.

  "Deal," he said, taking my hands and holding my arms out to look over my pink dress.

  "It's not quite me," I said as he inspected it."I agree. It's not nearly special enough. Let's keep looking," he said with a sincere smile, and walked past me to the rack of dresses. I was glad he walked away, because I lifted my hand to my cheek, and realized I was blushing a shade as pink as the dress.

  Chapter 9: Pool of Red

  "What about the blue one?" I asked, holding it out.

  "I changed my mind, get the pink one. I didn't realize the can of worms I was opening earlier," Alec said, resting his head on the chair back. I had been trying on dresses for an hour, and he was clearly hitting his patience threshold. I rolled my eyes at him and took the dress off its hanger and into the dressing area. An hour was nothing. Kate and I could shop for a whole day and still walk away without a purchase.

  "No one is twisting your arm. You can always go," I said smugly, since I knew he wouldn't.

  "That’s actually not true. I could be in a world of hurt if I left you alone here," Alec said through the dressing partition. "Plus, I like the idea of you changing right behind that little screen, only a few feet from me," he added flirtatiously.

  "Don't be a creep," I replied, sticking my head out just enough to glare at him, as he flashed me a swoon-worthy smile. I pulled my head back behind the partition before it could affect me.

  "Who would hurt you for leaving me all by my lonesome?" I was asking my first real questi
on, as per our agreement.

  "Good. You're actually holding up your end of the bargain. I was getting worried I'd have to ditch you in your sleep tonight. Um… let's see, who wouldn't kill me if anything happened to you is more like it. Christoph, Roman, the entire Nephilim population, all of the above," Alec rattled off.

  "What about you? Do you have a vested interest?" I asked, stepping out in the blue dress, and Alec smiled.

  "I think you know the answer to that. It looks nice on you," he added.

  "Nice? Just nice?" My face soured, stepping up on the platform in front of the mirror. The color was pretty, somewhat reminiscent of Alec's eyes when they weren't sparkling with golden flecks, which was never, at least when I was around him; and another question popped into my mind.

  "Why do you feel so warm whenever we touch? Is it a Nephil-vamp thing?" Alec gave me the biggest smile I ever saw, as he stood up from the chair and walked toward me.

  "You feel it too?" he asked, taking my hand. I looked at him in a "duh" manner.

  "That's not a Nephil-vamp thing. That's a you-and-me thing," he said, moving in closer, and standing on the platform until we were eye-to-eye.

  "What do you mean?" I tilted my chin up staring into his hypnotic gaze.

  "When you're in vamp form, you feel cold, right? Well, so do I, except when we're touching. It's like you bring me back to life or something…" Alec said wistfully.

  "Just like you bring me into the light…" The revelation struck me and I stepped away, forgetting I was on the platform. I fell off, stumbling backwards, but Alec caught me before I could shatter the mirror.

  "I think so… See? Made for each other," he said, holding me by the waist, and I felt my heart-rate speed up. I don't know what it all meant, but at the same time, it still felt like my life was not my own. I peeled his hand off my waist and stepped away, clearing my throat.

  "That doesn't mean we need to have a romantic relationship," I stated, looking in the mirror again at the dress.

  "That doesn't mean you have to keep denying how you feel, just to try and control your life," Alec countered. I hated being called out like that.

  "Who is Christoph? He's been mentioned a few times now," I said, going back to the rack to try something else.

  "Like the 7th Circle, Nephilim also have a powerful group who rule our world. They're called the Golden Ring. They're the descendants of the originals sent from the light realm, just as vampires, who are really part-demons that were sent from the dark realm. Christoph is the counter to Stella, the leader of the Nephilim and the King of Golden Ring," Alec answered, and I looked at him in the mirror.

  "So, you’re a double agent? You work for 7th Circle, but really that's just all a front to infiltrate them and take her down?" I asked, squinting at him.

  "Yes, that's exactly it. My loyalty is and will always be to the Nephilim, and I have pledged to fulfill my birthright and restore the Balance even though it means I had to become this." Alec’s tone was slightly disgusted as he looked over himself in the mirror and I recognized the expression. It was the same frustration and confusion I knew when wearing the mask of a demon while your insides didn't match, and feeling like a stranger in your own body. He shook it off and met my eyes in the mirror again.

  "Don't you feel a little better now that you have some real insight into the worlds you belong to?" Alec asked with the tilt of his head.

  "I don't belong anywhere," I said, quietly ending my sifting through the dresses. Alec came up to me and put a gentle hand on my shoulder.

  "That's not true, Dani," he said in a soft, comforting voice.

  "Have you ever met her?" I asked, shrugging off the emotion and continuing my search.

  "Stella is smart. She has a systematic, seemingly foolproof way of keeping those who work for her at arm’s length. She trusts no one." Alec said, sounding frustrated.

  "Find anything?" the shop owner asked, and we both turned around to face her at the stair entry.

  "I'm still looking," I answered.

  "Maybe I can help you. What sort of silhouettes do you like?" she asked.

  "Tight, short and low-cut," Alec answered for me, and I elbowed him as she laughed.

  "You must be the boyfriend," she stated.

  "No, he’s just a friend who thinks he's funny," I corrected, and Alec gave me a side-glance, like it wasn't necessary for me to go out of my way to correct a stranger concerning our romantic status.

  "I like classic, with a twist. It's a masquerade ball, so something dark, but romantic would be nice," I said, and her eyes lit up.

  "I have something in my workshop that would be perfect! I think the dye should be dry by now. I'll bring it up," she said, excitedly bouncing down the stairs, and clearly thrilled at the idea of seeing her new creation on a person instead of just a dress form.

  "Does everyone have to know you're not my girl anymore? Couldn't you just let me have that one?" Alec asked as soon as she left.

  "I'm just stating the facts. Besides, it's going to be hard enough to deal with your new girlfriend tomorrow. Harper already thinks I hooked up with Evan while they were dating. I'm sure it won't go unnoticed that both you and I were not at school today," I said, already dreading school tomorrow.

  "Harper is not my girlfriend," Alec replied like the thought utterly repulsed him.

  "I'll try and remember that when she’s pawing you all over on the dance floor." My voice sounded more jealous than I intended.

  "You won't notice. You'll be off in some dark corner with Evan by then," Alec said resentfully, and my stomach did a little dip at the thought. What would it be like to kiss Evan Clark, my best friend?

  "See? You're thinking about it right now," Alec's voice was pure raspy vamp, a territorial instinct. He needed to relax before the human dressmaker returned.

  "Hey, don't go there," I said, guiding his chin to look at me. I stared into his eyes, holding my hand to his face so he could feel the warmth we created. His eyes dimmed. At first, I swear, I could almost see the ruby gem fleck that matched Roman's, but they turned into blue-gold sea glass again before I could verify it.

  "Sorry, this has all been hard on me too, Dani," Alec finally admitted out loud. Even though I saw the pain behind his eyes, I bit my lip to keep from kissing it away. My inner response didn't change the fact that I no longer trusted him with my heart.

  "Here it is," the woman chimed happily, climbing the last step. I instantly dropped my hand from Alec's face. Her presence cleared the tension in the air.

  "Thank you," I said, stepping forward, and taking the garment bag with me as she followed. I looked at her in a, "I got this" expression.

  "Oh, sorry, dear, but you'll need some help with the corset. I'll let you step into the dress and let me know when you're ready," she said giving me more space.

  I took off the blue dress and handed it to her on the other side. Unzipping the garment bag, I stood there in my underwear, momentarily stunned. Wow, I said under my breath.

  "I know," she squealed with excitement on the other side. I flashed for a moment that she was what Kate would be like when we got into our forties, a fountain of joy and positivity. I took the dress out of the bag and carefully slipped it over my head. The top was strapless, with a mesh of intricate corset work that tied in the back.

  "Okay, I'm ready," I told her, holding up the front of the corset as she came around the wall to help me.

  "Oh my God! And I'm not just saying that because I made it," she exclaimed breathlessly as she began to lace up the ribbon at the back. It was hard to tell from this angle, and there was no mirror to observe what she saw, but I still got excited just to see her work of art on my body. She tugged and tied like a pro before guiding me out into the room to see for myself. I stepped out, and Alec's reaction was all I needed. He was standing, but slowly sat down in the chair, as if the sight of me in this dress literally caused his knees to buckle. I walked to the mirror, eager to view my reflection and was struck speechless when I stepped ont
o the platform. This was definitely it.

  The black silk corset top was dripping with little, black crystals that looked individually hand sewn into the bodice, weaving over the bust, and twirling down the center, making my waist look tinier than ever. The crystals diminished as they moved down the skirt, which turned into layers of billowing chiffon. Right at the knee, the chiffon faded from black into red until it was a solid, deep ruby color that pooled at my feet with just a hint of matching ruby crystals to give it more glimmer. It actually felt like the dress was designed just for me. It was beautiful, and I couldn't look away.

  I looked up and saw Alec, still speechless, and all he could do was nod his approval. I smiled.

  "I'll take it," I said, turning to the fabulous designer of the gorgeous dress, and she nodded too, like I'd be crazy not to.

  Chapter 10: Nephil Gene

  "Thanks for the ride," I said to Alec as we pulled out of the parking garage.

  "Sure thing," he said, and I looked in the rear seat again, making sure the dress was okay.

  "Don't worry, I buckled her in," he joked, and I punched his arm before sitting back in my seat. When the woman designer/owner handed me the bill, my eyes about bugged out of my head at the total cost. I just hoped I wouldn't be getting into trouble with my dad. We were already in an ongoing fight because of Missy-Bitchy, and I didn't want him to blow a gasket when he saw the credit card bill. I only hoped that once he saw the dress, he would understand.

  "Now, I just need a mask," I said, getting comfortable.

  "More shopping?" The comment came out as borderline whining.

  "No, I'm done for the day," I said, as he sighed with relief. Thinking of my dad spurred another question for Alec.

  "Why haven't my parents ever told me they're Nephilim? Or my grandma? She tells me everything. Why has she been playing dumb this whole time?" I asked, changing the subject. Alec snapped out of his driving coma as he pondered the question.

  "Most Nephilim here don't know what they are. They only carry the recessive gene, so their Gifts never surface," Alec said, but his voice was shaky, like he was becoming very nervous.