Dark Hunger (A Sable Hart Vampire Slayer Novel Book 2)

by Megan Hawke

  "Brings me back to Dane," I muttered, frowning at the intersection I last saw him.

  I reached out with my senses and found him instantly. No longer moving. And not far away, either. I so longed to go to him, to be held and caressed by him.

  I severed the shared a link that he suspected, but I denied. I denied it out of shame, really. I created the link when I accidentally bit him. I'm not real sure how I did it. Or even why. It just seemed the thing to do at the time. I shared a link with Gabe as well. Thankfully, they were one way links.

  I opened my mind again, and instantly felt both Dane and Gabe. Gabe was obviously sound asleep. I could tell. Good link. But Dane was anything but asleep. He seemed quite pleased, and then I realized he was aroused. Reminded me of the blonde. I guess he got over my unexpected appearance well enough, and fast enough.

  Turning the engine over, I revved the engine twice, and put her in gear. I headed for Dane. He might not want to, but he would speak to me tonight. I was determined. I had no choice.

  Dane wasn't far. Just five minutes away, inside a small bar and grill. Crazy Joe's was more of a pool hall, really. Country music blared from the jukebox. Goat-ropers and other wannabe cowboys played pool, video games, and pinball. Mostly, though, they drank too much and tried to talk over the too loud Country music.

  I waved my hand before me, trying to disburse the thick cigarette smoke. It was all in vain.

  "Isn't it against the law to smoke in businesses?" I muttered.

  So I held my breath to keep from coughing and gagging. I really don't know how cigarette smokers do it. I would die of suffocation within a week of starting to smoke. Thankfully, vampires don't need to breath. So holding my breath wasn't a problem, but it still burned my eyes.

  Dane was a smoker. The smoky room wouldn't faze him. Hell, he probably enjoyed it. I shook my head woefully, since I'd tried so hard to get him to quit. I had him down to just a few cigarettes a day before I was Changed.

  Looking over the clientele, I was surprised to spot another vampire. He was wearing a white cowboy hat, snake skin boots, and big silver belt buckle. An undead goat-roper. I have to admit, though, he was the cleanest, most attractive man in that place. The majority of the clientele had an unsavory cast, especially the women.

  I finally spotted my ex-boyfriend and vampire slaying mentor in a booth at the back of the room. It was the closest thing Crazy Joe's had to a private booth. Dane was engrossed in conversation with a very familiar woman.

  Heidi Mainz was from a wealthy family, so didn't work. The closest she came to work was being a professional cheerleader. A Dallas Cowboy Cheerleader, in fact. To say she was pretty was an understatement. She was gorgeous, with shoulder length blonde hair, big blue eyes, and bigger silicone tits. Every man's dream lover, and his former hot to trot neighbor. More than neighbors now.

  I wanted to rip her throat out.

  "Well, Heidi, you didn't waste any time moving in, did you?" I said, stepping up beside them.

  "Sable!" Heidi cried, eyes huge. "What are you doing here?"

  I locked eyes with her, and smiled sinisterly, "I'm just out for a bite to eat."

  "Sable," Dane said warningly.

  "If you hurt me Dane will hate you forever," Heidi said.

  That was a gut punch. It hurt so much because it was probably true. Dane didn't stake Anastasia until she threatened me. Anastasia was his old girlfriend Changed into a vampire, and I was at the time the new girlfriend – pre-fangs. If I threatened Heidi, would that make him stake me? I did not want to know.

  I ignored her remark, and turned to Dane. "I need your help."

  "He doesn't date dead people," Heidi said, finding her backbone. Did she think I was trying to steal him back? Probably, since that is how a man thief like her would operate. "Your claim on him died with you."

  Dane and I both grimaced. The thought was painful.

  "I need to know about werewolves," I said, soldiering on. I would not let Heidi get to me. I wouldn't. I was better than that. "I have to find the name of a specific werewolf, and fast."

  "Werewolf?" Dane said, looking uncomfortable in the crossfire between me and Heidi. "Why? Are you going to stake a werewolf? They're still alive. That's illegal."

  "I know the law," I said. "I have a task I have to perform and to do it I need to find a particular werewolf. And fast."

  I wanted to tell him the vampire council was threatening to kill my entire family, but I wasn't sure he even cared anymore. I doubt he knew about the vampire council, and probably wouldn't believe me if I told him. Knowledge like that was enough to make a vampire slayer piss his pants.

  "Again, why?"

  Before I could answer, Heidi piped in, "Are the undead cold to the touch? Are you stone cold now?"

  She said it loud enough to carry. Several men turned to look, their curious eyes locking on me. Talk about feeling self conscious. I was pleased to see Dane was shocked by her behavior.

  "Heidi, if you'll just give me a few minutes, I'll be out of here," I said. I was trying to be reasonable, even though I really wanted to squeeze her head until it popped like a pimple. I should get points for trying. "Then you can have Dane all to your lonesome."

  Miss Cheerleader didn't want to be reasonable, though. I saw her suck in a deep breath. I didn't know if she was going to shout at me, or scream "vampire!" at the top of her lungs. Didn't matter. I locked eyes with her so fast she grunted.

  "Shut up and sit there until I'm through," I said.

  She just nodded, blank-eyed, and released that big breath in a long gush.

  "What the hell?" Dane cried, jumping to his feet. "Release her! Release her right now!"

  "But if you'd just...," I said, but he wasn't listening. Dane only had eyes for Heidi. "Whatever."

  I released Heidi. She blinked and looked around, then her eyes went wide.

  "Sable hypnotized me!"

  "Bull. I didn't hypnotize you. I mesmerized you, which is more like an enchantment," I said, knowing I should keep my mouth shut but lacking the wherewithal to do it. "Besides, it wasn't that bad. I didn't make you piss yourself, or drop to all fours and bark like a dog."

  "Stay away from us," Dane said in the most threatening tone I ever heard from him.

  "But..."

  "No buts, stay the hell away from us," Dane said, helping Heidi to stand. She acted unsteady on her feet, but I could tell she was in full command of her facilities. The bitch was acting, playing it for all it was worth. "I have nothing to say to you, and have no desire to speak to you again."

  I just gawked at them as Dane ushered Heidi away. When they passed the nearest pool table I noticed three of the players were glaring daggers at me, holding their sticks like clubs. Dane noticed as well.

  "I wouldn't do anything stupid if I were you, boys," Dane said, then glanced back at me. "She threw a Harley-Davidson across a parking lot and completely over a strip club. And that was on her first night as a vampire."

  I smiled sweetly, then gave them a wicked wink. They shifted uncomfortably, shifted their eyes between each other a moment, then returned to their game. I left.

  Chapter 5

  Saturday night was a bust. I went home to an empty house, and slept the day away without a chance to speak with Desiree. Nothing went right. I'd be lucky if Heidi didn't convince Dane to stake me.

  Sunday wasn't looking any better. Oh, Desiree was there waiting with my breakfast when I woke up, and all hooker sexy. You know, dressed for streetwalking in a black leather halter top, matching short-shorts, and stiletto knee boots. She still worked for Boney, peddling her sweet chocolate rump to horny men for fifty dollars a pop.

  I tried to talk her into retiring when I moved into her house. Desiree wouldn't hear of it. She wouldn't live off my nickel, and she didn't have enough saved to retire on her portfolio. Yeah, I know. I was shocked to learn she had a portfolio. The hooker business was more lucrative than I thought but Desiree was a very beautiful woman of thirty-one. I bet the johns fell
all over each other to get to her bed.

  Strangely enough, she loved her job. Go figure.

  I spent the first hour after sunset arguing with Desiree about whether or not I should tell my family of the threat. I thought I should, but she was against it. She argued that the vampire council might kill one of them as a warning if they thought they would lose their leverage. The thought of "sacrificing" one family member to save the rest was unacceptable.

  I bowed to her advice, since Desiree knew more about the vampire council and their ways. It wasn't easy. My family was in danger. Don't you know I was hatching dozens of plans in my head to whisk them all off to safety. Just none of them were truly doable.

  Unfortunately, Boney still wasn't answering his phone. Desiree said he wasn't around, and that Tawanda was watching over his girls in his absence. Tawanda was one of the three vampires Boney had Changed, so he still had control over them. They were his vampire family, along with all of his minion streetwalkers.

  I tried calling Gabe, but no one was answering his phone at the hospital. The police still had his cell. My mental connection with him showed Gabe to be agitated. Not in danger, though. I'd have been right over there if there was danger. I didn't like practically ignoring him, but I really did have more important concerns to take care of first. Family came first.

  So like the previous night, Sunday was proving to be a night of frustration. I had to do something, so got semi-vamped out and left. Semi-vamped for me was white tank top under a black leather biker jacket, snug jeans stuffed into black thigh boots. I accessorized with wide black belt, big hoop earrings and matching bangles. Oh, don't forget the Beretta Px4 Storm pistol in the shoulder holster under my jacket.

  I drove over to University Park, which was only a few blocks from Desiree's house. I parked down the street from my sister's apartment, and continued on foot. Soon I was within sight of the second floor, two bedroom apartment she shared with another coed.

  "Good," I said, feeling her inside with a lot of friends.

  Talk about relieving a lot of tension. She was safe and happy, and that was enough for me. For some reason, I guess because she was the only member of my family living inside the city of Dallas, well University Park anyway, I worried that she would be the most likely one the council would target if they thought I needed proof they meant business.

  Suddenly, college girls started pouring out of Sabrina's apartment. They were chatting merrily, giggling and such. Just being girls. They were all dressed pretty much alike, in Sabrina's angry girl, pseudo-Goth sexy look. I counted five girls, and one... Campire?

  The lone guy of the group had the aura of a vampire. I almost pissed myself. What was Sabrina doing with a vampire? She knew the danger. Surely she wasn't a minion.

  The six of them piled into three cars, and left. Sabrina was riding with the vampire. He drove a silver Mustang, one year older than mine. I followed, mind reeling. Was the vampire a council spy, placed there to watch Sabrina? Maybe kill her on command? Or was he a rogue, just hunting his prey slow and secretively. Some vampires were more into the hunt, the stalking and seduction of mortals, than anything else. Was that his game?

  The not knowing was killing me. Being around my sister was going to get him killed. Staked dead. I had my vampire staking kit in the trunk. I took it everywhere nowadays.

  They went straight to Deep Ellum. Vampire country. What was Sabrina thinking? I followed them to a small club with live music. After a few minutes, I followed them inside. The hostess let me go in without being seated after I said I was looking for friends.

  There was an edgy rock band playing, whining about how his girlfriend broke his heart. Local band. Not very good. I found Sabrina and friends all stuffed into a booth meant for four. Very cozy. The vampire sat between Sabrina and a blonde coed. Just one of the girls. He wasn't gay, either. He was enjoying the up close and personal contact way too much, especially the way the blonde was stroking his long ponytail.

  Finding a booth behind theirs, I watched the vampire intently. The first time he laughed I saw that his fangs were filed down. On top of that, he had a deep tan. Vampires couldn't lay in the sun, so it was spray on tan. He was really trying hard to hide his true nature. A lot of vampires did that to “blend in.” I still didn't trust him. Not around my little sister.

  With my superior vampire hearing, I could hear every word they spoke. I could also “monitor” the emotional state of all of the girls. I can't do that with vampires. I understood that some vampires could read other vampires. Not me. Not that lucky.

  But the girls were all relaxed and happy. Soon, they were feeling a buzz from the beer. In no time I knew all of their names. Roger was the vampire. Roger Rippner.

  Roger was about six four, slim and looked painfully shy despite being practically buried in pretty coeds. His dark brown eyes were constantly downcast. If he could still blush he'd be bright red most of the time, I'd wager.

  They were there for the band. I didn't understand that at all. The band was terrible. No accounting for taste. But around midnight the little love fest broke up. Three of the girls were heading to a private club, called The Crimson Knot. Sabrina begged off saying she had to catch up on sleep, and the blonde and Roger also begged off for unspecified reasons.

  Sabrina and the blonde left together. The other girls lingered a few minutes with Roger, trying to get him to go with them. But he said he had chores to do at home. He stayed to pay their tab, at which time I got up and left. I waited for him in my car, then followed him when he left.

  Roger lived way up in an older section of Carrolton, in a track house – slab foundation, brick, two car garage. His windows were all sealed against light, with crosses prominently displayed in every single window and upon the front door and garage door. His automatic garage door opener allowed him to get in without braving those frightening crosses.

  “Go figure, a vampire working overtime to keep vampires out of his house?” I said. That was just weird. What if he lost his garage door remote? “Sabrina really knows how to pick them.”

  When Roger pulled into his garage, I zipped in behind him. He was half out of his car when I whipped in like that. His eyes were huge with fear. I thought he was going to have a stroke when I jumped out.

  “Vampire!” he cried.

  He cowered from me. Cowered. I felt like crap, like a big old bully or something.

  “Why are you hanging out with all those young women?” I said. “I saw you all at Mystique in Deep Ellum. I was sitting near enough to hear, and they don't know you are a vampire. That seems awful suspicious to me.”

  “They are my friends,” Roger said. “I have to pretend to be mortal. They all hate vampires. They wouldn't have anything to do with me if they knew. I'd be kicked out of The Crimson Knot.”

  “Hmmm,” I said. I have to admit, this wasn't going down like I expected. With vampires it was usually either screw each other senseless, or threaten to rip out each other's throats. Sex or violence. Sometimes both. “Why are you with them? Never mind. You're a vampire, and they are beautiful young women. Duh.”

  “Oh, we're not that kind of friends,” he said kind of sheepishly. “Not that intimate. They see me as a friend.”

  “Bull. You're a vampire. You can have any one of those young women at any time you want,” I said. “Hell, if subtle enough you can soften them up with vampire pheromones and make them think it was their idea.”

  “But if it went wrong I'd lose my only friends,” he said rather pathetically. He really looked shocked by the suggestion. And why was I making such a suggestion? I want to protect my sister, not give him ideas. “Are you going to try to kill me?”

  “Depends,” I said. “Do you work for the council?”

  That totally confused him. I swear, he looked like he was about to shake his head to clear it.

  “What council?”

  “The vampire council.”

  “There's a vampire council? Why?”

  Great, I found a vampir
e even more clueless about the vampire community than myself. Of course he might just be a great actor. I didn't think so. He seemed genuine to me.

  About that time he started edging deeper into the garage, towards the door into the house. So I strode purposely towards that door, forcing him to scramble to the side. Too late he realized his mistake. I smiled at him.

  “I haven't hurt anyone!” he cried. "I don't even feed off minions."

  “Strangely, I believe you,” I said.

  “Then why are you trying to kill me?”

  “I'm not. Yet. If I wanted you dead, you'd be there already,” I said, now standing between him and the door.

  Roger looked all of eighteen years old at the moment. So pathetic. I had a hard time seeing him as a vampire.

  “How long have you been a vampire?” I asked.

  “None of your business,” he said, looking longingly past me at the door. “How long have you been a vampire?”

  “Couple of weeks,” I said. “How old were you when Changed? Sixteen? Seventeen?”

  “Twenty,” he said, brown eyes flashing. “I was a grown man.”

  Oh, I was offending him mightily. Shame on me. Roger wasn't good at hiding his feelings. He was too discombobulated by my position between him and safety. I smiled and turned for his door.

  “No!” he cried, and sprouted huge black wings. I heard them rip through his shirt, and watched awestruck as they unfolded within seconds.

  “Son of a ...!” I cried, falling straight back on my butt. “How did you do that?”

  I've never even heard of a vampire with wings. Most vampires could turn into bats, so didn't need another way to fly. But I couldn't take my eyes off of them.

  “Stay out of my house!” he cried, taking an aggressive stance. “I leave you people alone, so leave me alone.”

  “You people?”

  “Yes. You people. Vampires,” he said, almost hissing the word.

  He snarled at me. Sounded ominous, but without the fangs the threat was less than frightening. What was he going to do, chew on me? But what struck me was the pure, unadulterated loathing he expressed in that one word – vampires. Could another vampire possibly hate vampires more than me?