Silver Dagger

by T. L. Sinclare

  "You bring him to my club, he becomes my concern." He trailed his gaze up and down Nick's body. "He doesn't wear your mark, but there's something different about him." Gayle pursed his lips and stared as if he was trying to figure out a puzzle. Light and flirtation left his eyes, leaving behind an intense intelligence and curiosity. Strange, protective instincts welled up inside Madeleine. It was silly, of course. Nick was a vampire—only a half-vampire to be sure—but still, he was probably more than capable of dealing with the situation. That didn't stop Madeleine from worrying. She didn't like the way Gayle stared at him.

  "Come here," Gayle commanded.

  "Leave him alone." The words were out before Madeleine realized she'd said them.

  A flicker of irritation crossed Gayle's face before it was replaced by a teasing smile. It was so fast that she almost thought she'd imagined it, but she'd learned too much in the past few weeks to discount her intuition. Until she learned otherwise, she was going to accept all insights as true, and there was something about Gayle that she didn't quite trust, something beyond the façade he presented.

  His lips curled into an amused, mocking smile. "Your pet's protecting the cub. Is he hers?"

  "He's mine," Stephen corrected. "Whether he bears my mark or not. Leave him alone."

  Gayle shrugged, and Madeleine was a little less sure she liked him. "Whatever you say. But there is something different about him. His heart isn't right. I'll figure it out."

  "Don't bother."

  "Oh, Stephen, my love, you know I can never resist a puzzle." He stared at Nick for a moment more before turning back to Stephen. "I take it you're coming in?"

  "I need to see some people."

  Madeleine shuddered at the quiet statement. For a moment she'd forgotten why they were here. During the strange necking session and Gayle's arrival, that anger seemed to have faded from Stephen. It now returned full force.

  "Stephen, think about my insurance rates," Gayle whined as his shoulders sagged forward.

  Madeleine couldn't help smiling. He was as changeable as the wind, and she wasn't sure she trusted him, but he was amusing. Stephen's grim face didn't change.

  Gayle held up his hands in surrender. "Oh, fine, come on in." He turned and walked away. "But she might want to lose some of that jewelry."

  Stephen ignored the comment. "Nicholas, go with Gayle. He'll keep you safe." The young man took a deep breath and followed Gayle inside. Stephen turned the opposite way, dragging Madeleine behind him with the grip he still had on her hand. He stopped when they were in a dark, secluded corner of the parking lot.

  "I need to focus here, Madeleine."

  He seemed to have a message beyond the words he was saying, but she didn't know what it was.

  "Okay."

  "I can't afford any more distractions."

  What distractions? The tight set of Stephen's jaw stopped her from asking the question.

  "Okay," she agreed again.

  "I mean it, Madeleine. Stay out of my head."

  "What?"

  "No more fantasies. No more hot little dreams." Madeleine rocked back on her heels and stared up at him as he repeated, "Stay out of my head."

  "Are you crazy?"

  "Very close to it, I'd imagine." The long line of Stephen's fangs still shone in the light. He hadn't calmed down. She knew from experience that they only appeared when he was angry or aroused. He seemed to be both tonight. The thought came to her mind unbidden, but she didn't push it aside when it arrived—was the rest of him hard? The lingering ache of desire curled in her stomach. And the knowledge that she had the power to arouse him lit a flame of need. Without much effort she conjured up an image of the two of them together, naked, bodies touching, searching. She let the dream wander freely through her mind and ease into her body.

  "Damn it, Madeleine," Stephen growled seconds before he captured her mouth with his and pulled her hard against his body. A brief flash of triumph flared in her head but then it was gone, replaced by pounding desire. She didn't care how they'd gotten here. She sank her fingers into his hair and sucked on his questing tongue, drawing him deeper into her mouth. His large hands held her hips against his erection. She groaned.

  Arousal flowed through her, into him and back. Each wave building on the other. She lost all awareness but Stephen. His desire spiraled through her body like a trail of hot smoke, sinking into the tiny crevices. She had to have him. Now. She stepped back and brought him to her. The cool door of a car supported her from behind as his weight pressed down on her. Yes, now. Her hands moved to the long line of buttons on his shirt.

  Alarms went off.

  Real alarms.

  Whoop. Whoop. Whoop. "Alert. Please step away from the vehicle." The mechanical voice filled the parking lot. "Alert. Please step away from the vehicle."

  Stephen pulled her away. The car alarm continued to whoop in the distance, but Madeleine barely heard it. Breath seemed almost impossible to find as she stared at him. He wasn't gasping like she was, but the taut line of his back, the stretched press of his shoulders, told her he faced the same desire.

  Oh my God, we almost made love in a parking lot.

  "Yes," Stephen answered her unspoken statement.

  "You can read my mind," she accused, latching onto anger to replace the arousal.

  "No, darling, you're transmitting. I'm just receiving."

  "But you can talk to me in my head."

  "Yes. I can transmit thoughts."

  "But how—?"

  "I have no idea, but for some reason, I'm getting your thoughts."

  "All of them?"

  "No. Just the sexual ones." The smile was obvious in his voice. "So if you could please keep your mind off sex for the next hour or so, I'd appreciate it."

  Her eyes popped open. Wide. And she was sure she saw Stephen smile before he turned away. She glared at his back but raced to catch up. She didn't want to be alone in this place.

  Noise and smoke swamped her senses as they stepped inside. She stopped, too deafened to walk farther. Stephen came back and took her hand. She had no choice but to follow. Voices shouted in conversations mixed with the music pounding from the speakers, bringing the noise up to almost unbearable levels.

  A waitress stepped in front of Stephen, pausing to smile up at him.

  "Hi, Stephen. I've missed you. It's good to see you again." The woman's red, ready-to-pout lips seemed to make promises Madeleine had no intention of letting her keep.

  Madeleine stepped to Stephen's side, making sure their clasped hands were visible. "You're hallucinating, honey. He's not really here." The waitress glared at Madeleine with eyes so blue they had to be contact-lens-enhanced. Madeleine refused to back down. She stared back at her until the waitress lowered her gaze and walked away.

  "I take it Blue Eyes is a friend of yours," Madeleine asked casually.

  "Not anymore."

  A path cleared in front of them as they moved past the dance floor, through an open arch, and around a corner. The sound dropped away to a conversation level. Madeleine shook her head, clearing the throbbing away. Tables lit with votive candles in glass holders were scattered around the room. A couple talked quietly in the corner, their heads bent together, hands touching on top of the table's wooden surface.

  "What is this place?" she finally asked.

  "A club," Stephen said, surveying the room. "It's Gayle's."

  She looked out at the crowd. "And most of them aren't human, are they?"

  "It's a mix."

  "It's a hunting ground."

  "Yes."

  After a moment, he moved on, leading her into a dimly lit corner. Gayle and Nick waited. Nick's arms were folded tightly across his chest while Gayle stood draped against the wall, a smug, seductive glow on his face. Nick's eyes looked wild with the urge to run.

  "I didn't do anything," Gayle defended before Stephen even asked. "We were just talking. It's the rest of the room that's freaking out your little friend."

  "I need to
go speak with Thomass. Watch them." Gayle, Nick, and Madeleine all opened their mouths to protest, but Stephen walked away before any of them could get the words out.

  "Oh, great." Gayle stepped up to the edge that looked out over the crowd. "He's going to tear my place up."

  Madeleine watched Stephen move through the crowd. Bodies slid away as he neared. She didn't need to see the look on his face to know that the anger had returned.

  Stephen stopped in front of a table full of people. Madeleine couldn't hear what was being said, but six people at the table stood and hurried away. Only one remained.

  Madeleine didn't recognize him. Even seated she could tell he was tall—probably taller than Stephen. He wore his hair cropped short. It seemed to accentuate the softness of his face. He was handsome but not intriguing. Madeleine had learned that she had a thing for power. Stephen had a power that came from inside. This man was weak. But smiling.

  He looked up at Stephen and greeted him. The greeting seemed to have no impact on Stephen's mood. His hand shot out, and he grabbed the taller man by the throat and began lifting him from the chair. People at the surrounding tables turned to watch—a blend of curiosity and fear marked their faces.

  "I'd be less concerned about your bar and more concerned about your patrons," Madeleine said. Gayle looked at her. She nodded toward Stephen.

  Gayle started down the steps but stopped himself. The mocking light in his eyes was gone. She could see his indecision. He didn't know who to protect.

  "We'll be fine." Madeleine ran her fingers over the dagger in her back pocket and touched the chains at her neck. "You should help Stephen."

  Gayle followed the trail of her hand across the necklaces she wore and nodded. "Okay. I'll go deal with that. Stay here and try to stay out of sight."

  Madeleine nodded and took a step closer to Nick. She didn't know what was going on, but it didn't look good. Even by human standards, it didn't look good, and she'd seen firsthand the exponential difference between human and vampire trouble.

  ***

  Stephen felt the satisfaction of his fingers digging into Thomass' throat. He couldn't kill the other vampire this way, but he knew how painful the experience was.

  "Stephen—"

  He choked off the beginning of Thomass' protest.

  "I told you she belongs to me. Do you understand what that means? She's mine."

  "I can explain."

  "I'm really not in the mood to talk. Can you tell?" He heard the drop in noise level in the bar as conversations stopped and patrons began to listen. For once he didn't care. Gayle would be pissed. Let him be pissed. Thomass had gone after Madeleine.

  "I had to. The Council—"

  "The Council agreed that I would deal with her."

  "They—they—"

  Stephen knew he wasn't giving him enough air to speak. He didn't care. It felt good to crush something.

  "Stephen, put him down. The entire room is watching."

  He ignored Gayle's command. The rage that had boiled up inside him in the alley had momentarily faltered in Madeleine's presence. Seeing Thomass and his smug smile, it all came back to him—the fury at realizing someone had come after Madeleine. He pulled on Thomass' neck.

  "Damn."

  Stephen looked up at Gayle's whispered curse. After a moment, he followed his friend's gaze. Right back to Madeleine.

  And Matthias.

  The older vampire lounged next to Madeleine, partially hiding her from Stephen's view. Thomass was forgotten. Stephen dropped him and tensed, preparing to jump the forty-foot distance to Madeleine. Gayle's hand stopped him.

  "Too many people watching."

  Stephen growled. Gayle was right. The fiction had to be maintained. He pushed through the crowd, his eyes focused on Madeleine. She wasn't looking at him. She was staring at Matthias. Her eyes were squinted into a tight glare as she listened to him.

  Matthias placed his hand on Madeleine's shoulder. She paused for a moment, as if dazed, then shook it off. Stephen was almost to her. Seconds before he reached her side, Matthias reached for her again. Madeleine wrapped her arm around her back and then jerked it forward.

  Silver glinted in her hand as she held a silver dagger up to Matthias' throat. The older vampire froze. If Stephen hadn't been so terrified, he might have laughed. He'd rarely seen Matthias bested. And never by a human.

  But he couldn't find the humor tonight. Shock flooded the crowded room. The world was watching. Stephen, Gayle, and Thomass, who'd followed them, stepped onto the raised level and surrounded Madeleine and Matthias.

  She didn't know what she'd done. She'd condemned them both.

  "Maddie, put the knife down."

  Her hand didn't waver. "It's him. He's the one who's been whispering in my head. All week long I've been hearing this voice, and it's his!"

  She'd never mentioned voices in her head. "I'll deal with it. Put down the knife."

  The warning in Stephen's voice penetrated her anger, and she drew the knife back. When it had moved an inch from Matthias' chest, the old vampire stepped away and launched himself at Stephen.

  Madeleine watched as the dark vampire lunged for Stephen and she reacted instinctively. She stepped between them. Their bodies clashed. Matthias' roar ripped through the air as her dagger slashed across his thigh. Stephen placed his hands on Madeleine's shoulders and picked her up. As he swung out at the vampire in front of him, he spun around and set her behind him. The crush of bodies couldn't be stopped.

  Amid the swirl of fists, fangs glistened and long fingernails raked across flesh. A heavy body slammed into her, knocking her into the wall. The air left her lungs and a sharp pain tore through her side. Madeleine crumpled to the floor and the knife fell from her fingers. Almost instantly she was lifted into someone's arms. She saw a flash of blond and realized it was Gayle who carried her. He stood her on the floor away from the tangle of bodies. Madeleine hunched over, trying to catch her breath.

  She watched Gayle plunge back into the fight and step into a punch meant for Stephen. Gayle pushed another vampire away. "Stephen, get her out of here," Gayle ordered, shoving Stephen in her direction. Stephen paused and looked into the crowd. "I'll take care of Nick. It's you and her they'll be hunting. Go."

  Stephen's strong, familiar hand wrapped around her wrist and started to pull her away. A flash of silver caught her attention. She bent down and snagged the blood-coated silver dagger.

  Blood. Where did the blood come from?

  She raced behind Stephen, struggling to keep up.

  They burst out into the parking lot. The small crowds had formed into larger groups. All watching them. Word traveled quickly. The crowds started toward them.

  Stephen stopped and turned around.

  "Are you okay?" she asked as Stephen reached for her. Blood poured from four matching scratches down the length of his neck, red glowing as black in the dim light.

  He nodded. "You?"

  She returned his nod and held up the knife. "But someone's bleeding."

  "Hold on," he commanded. He lifted her in his arms and the world began to spin. Lights glittered and streaked across the sky. She knew they were traveling but couldn't feel the movement. And then they stopped.

  The club was gone. They were on a deserted street.

  Stephen set her down and took off walking, pulling Madeleine behind him. Madeleine couldn't seem to catch her breath as she stumbled behind him. Fear and adrenaline drained the strength from her legs.

  "What just happened?" Her words struggled with her body's need for oxygen.

  "Half the Vampire Community saw you with a silver dagger."

  "So?"

  Stephen stopped and looked down at her. "Four vampires have been killed by silver daggers just like that one."

  She stared at the knife in her hand. Blood dripped from its blade. Stephen propelled her forward. "But I didn't do it." It was the only protest her fuzzy thoughts could form.

  "I know that and you know that."


  "So we tell them that."

  "They won't believe it."

  "Why not?"

  "Because you're with me. And until you came on the scene flashing a silver knife, I was their best suspect."

  "Why do they think you did it?"

  "The vampires who died were members of the ruling Council. We don't exactly get on."

  "Why not?"

  "Because they made me." She shook her head, not understanding, and he explained, "They converted me as revenge against my father."

  "Your father?" She took a deep breath and fought the blurring edges of her mind. Something was wrong. Dizziness assaulted her, and she blinked her eyes to get rid of it.

  "He was a vampire slayer."

  Madeleine jerked to a stop. "What?"

  "He used to hunt vampires and kill them—with knives just like that."

  Even through her fogged senses she knew the truth—what better revenge against a vampire hunter than to convert his son?

  "Oh my God."

  "Yes."

  He turned and stalked off down the alley.

  Pain radiated from her side like a stitch from running too much. She was about to call to Stephen and tell him to stop for a moment when he stepped onto the street.

  He looked left and right. The dark road was silent, but she knew she couldn't accept what her senses told her. It wasn't safe.

  "I'm going to take you home. You get inside and stay inside until sunup, and then you get the hell out of the city. Don't tell anyone where you're going. Just go."

  "I'm not going to be run out of my life, out of my home. It isn't much but it is mine."

  Her legs wobbled like springs.

  Stephen spun around. Madeleine stepped back at the fire in his eyes. "These aren't some garden-variety thugs that are threatening you. They're vampires."

  "I thought they couldn't get into my house at night. I should be safe."

  "Madeleine, if they rip the front wall off the building, I don't think your home's protection is going to work."

  She was sure he was trying to scare her, and it was working. Protests were slow in forming in her mind. All thoughts seemed slow in her mind. Pride tightened her jaw, and she shook her head.