Blood Dreams 03 Endless Night

by Mlyn Hurn

  “Unless I’m mistaken, Fauster’s granddaughter is dancing with one right now. Come on, Blue. We better rescue her before I have to explain how that innocent child got those funny bite marks, damn it!” Simon grabbed Blue’s hand and dragged her behind him.

  Taryn Blue accepted the tall, dark-haired man’s hand when he asked her to dance. She’d been hoping to meet the owner, Damon, once again. “Okay,” she murmured, letting the stranger lead her onto the dance floor.

  Immediately, gyrating bodies, all of them doing their own dance steps to the loud rock music, surrounded them. Taryn smiled weakly and began dancing as well.

  She was frustrated. Of course, she’d only been here ten minutes or so, and this man was the first to approach her. Looking around the dance floor, she wondered if she were dressed more appropriately tonight.

  Getting ready for her night out, Taryn had remembered how Blue and Chey dressed the previous night. Since she didn’t own anything like their clothing, she had gotten out the thick, heavy tomes that once belonged to her aunt. Lamenta would be proud of her, she was sure. A glamour spell with a twist is what was called for, so she rummaged through the old books until she found what she wanted. She had to write it down, because unfortunately, in three hours she would have to repeat it, or risk being arrested for indecent exposure.

  The only problem was that she wouldn’t have Oef with her, and she often used her familiar to perform certain spells. She was hopeful the second incantation would work well enough to keep her covered until she reached home.

  Dancing among the other patrons, Taryn acknowledged she’d come fairly close in her spell casting after all. Her makeup resembled that of the other Goth women present, except instead of black lips, hers were a deep, rich and shining red. Smiling at her partner and matching his steps was easy as he took her hand for a few intricate moves.

  Her outfit made dancing of any kind easy. One-piece latex, covering her from neck to toes, was in the darkest purple imaginable and even included boots. She didn’t need the lustful looks of her partner to know her design was a success. Laughing, she realized that this kind of life could be a heady thing indeed. For the first time, she understood some of the draw towards the darkness.

  Glancing at her partner, she noticed once more his gaze was focused on the narrow expanse of her neck that was visible above the neckline. Awareness of his true nature had come instantly, before he even asked her to dance. Accepting, she wasn’t afraid of him, not like she was of Damon.

  Good Lord! Where the hell had that thought come from?

  He suddenly leaned towards her, shouting. “I am Hector. What is your name, beautiful lady?”

  Taryn opened her mouth to reply, when her arm was roughly grasped, and she was pulled away from Hector.

  “Her name is none of your business, Hector. Stop for a free drink at the bar. In the future stick to the Black Swans, or you can consider Club Hell Fire off your club circuit.”

  Hector glared at Damon Ruthven, but he turned and left without a word.

  Taryn had recognized the voice of the intruder, and she was more than a little thrilled at his action. Perhaps he was attracted to her. She knew she wasn’t as beautiful as Blue or Chey. And she certainly wasn’t as gorgeous as her mother or her aunt AnnaBelle. Instead she saw the face of a wood sprite, her Aunt Lamenta’s description, whenever she looked in the mirror. She’d never be able to dazzle with her beauty, but she was smart, like Jordan. She was clever with magicks like her mother and Lamenta, and, thanks to Pete, she was strong.

  Looking at Damon and ignoring the glare he directed her way, she smiled brilliantly. “Fancy meeting you here! What a lovely surprise!”

  Damon shook his head. “I own this place, remember.” His gaze traveled slowly down her body and then back up. “I thought last night’s getup was bad.”

  Hearing what he muttered, she was insulted, but mostly hurt. Taryn jerked her arm free of his hold, which wasn’t as easy as she’d expected. This man possessed a fair amount of strength. Remembering who his father was, she shouldn’t be surprised. Still, maybe his father had been a silent partner with Count Ruthven and not a vampire at all. Damon looked completely human. The vibes she sensed from him were inconclusive as to his vampire status, which confused her as well.

  “Taryn! What are you doing here?”

  She turned and saw Blue’s glare. She shifted her gaze and saw a man holding Blue’s hand. It wasn’t so much that he looked like Damon, but more in the way he stood, and held his body. “Count Ruthven, isn’t it?” she questioned, hating that her voice sounded shaky. Most likely Damon would interpret it as fear, and no doubt think less of her.

  Simon bowed his head slightly in acknowledgement. “Yes, it is. And you must be little Taryn. Those green eyes betray you, even though the last time I saw you I believe it involved a pink bike. I see you’ve already met my son.”

  Nodding once, Taryn looked at her cousin. “What are you doing here? You didn’t say anything about coming back here tonight.” She lowered her voice slightly before she added, “For more surveillance. Is Jordan outside monitoring this?”

  “Shh, Taryn!” Blue spoke quickly, softly. Then she continued in a louder voice. “I’m alone.”

  “Surveillance! At my club? Who the hell are you people? Obviously, your name isn’t Jane!” Damon raised his voice in anger.

  Taryn stamped her foot in anger. “Damn it! Sorry, Blue.”

  “Fauster would be pissed as hell if he knew you had dragged his granddaughter into your vampire-hunting games.” Simon spoke more calmly, directing his words at Blue.

  “We need to leave, Taryn. Now!” Blue reached out to grab Taryn’s slender arm.

  Taryn jerked her arm free of Blue’s light hold. She opened her mouth to protest vociferously.

  Beside her, Damon interrupted. “Vampire hunters? The two of you? You’re joking, right?” And then he laughed.

  Blue stiffened visibly. “Most certainly not.”

  Simon held up his hand. “It’s too loud down here to be discussing this. You never know who might be listening. Let’s go upstairs, shall we?”

  Normally Damon would have enjoyed walking behind such a lovely woman going up narrow stairs. Especially since the woman was dressed in body-hugging latex. Taryn’s hair brushed her ass with each step, making him want to cup his hands under each cheek and squeeze. Shaking his head to clear his thoughts, he focused on what he had just learned.

  What were vampire hunters doing in his club? He kept the club scrupulously clean and obeyed all the city’s ordinances and laws. All his licenses were legitimate. His father was obviously acquainted with these hunters, which went against everything he’d ever taught Darien and himself. The one name he had recognized was Fauster. Just what the hell was going on here?

  “Please be seated, ladies. How about some more champagne, Damon? Why don’t you order a fresh magnum from the bar?” Simon suggested with a smile.

  Blue grabbed Taryn’s wrist and dragged the younger woman over to sit right beside her on the small sofa. There was less than an inch of air space between the two women.

  Damon noted the redheaded woman was the same one that had freaked out his father the previous night. Tonight she looked damned hot and sexy in her short skirt and laced vest. When she crossed her legs, he noted her knee-high boots with the thick soles. He spoke without really thinking. “I doubt you could do much hunting in that outfit.”

  Damon realized how stupid he’d been when he saw the glare his father shot his way. The look of outraged feminism from the redhead didn’t bother him, but the unmistakable flash of hurt on Jane’s—no, Taryn’s—face did. Doubting he’d be able to fix that mistake until they were alone, he turned away to order the champagne.

  His father began speaking to the two women. “Let’s skip the niceties and get right to the heart of the matter. Obviously, the entire Blue family is concerned about the lengthening of the night and came here believing I hold the answer they seek.”

 
Damon finished the call to the bar and turned towards the seating area in time to see both women nodding in agreement. His father had pulled the chair closest to the sofa even nearer and sat. Damon took a seat on the matching sofa directly opposite where the women sat. Looking over at his father, he asked him without warning, “And are you responsible, Father?”

  Simon turned to glare at his son. “No, damn it, I am not.”

  Damon shrugged and looked from Taryn to the redhead. “Who are you two? And who was the pregnant woman with you last night? I have a right to know the truth since you were conducting surveillance in my club.”

  Taryn glared at him then looked away.

  The beautiful redhead stared for a minute, almost as if she were searching for something inside him. Shaking her head a few moments later, she spoke. “My name is Blue Dampier, vampire hunter. This is my cousin, Taryn Blue.”

  Damon leaned forward, propping his forearms along his thighs and clasped his hands together, interweaving the fingers. “The famous family of Blue, vampire hunters throughout the ages, despite the fact that several members of the family are vampires themselves. In fact, I believe our families are inexorably aligned.”

  “You still haven’t answered by my son’s earlier question,” Simon said quietly.

  Damon didn’t miss the irritated look Blue shot his father.

  She answered, “You remember Pete?”

  “Ah, yes. The fervent officer of the law, and as I recall quite surprisingly, he was Fauster’s steadfast friend.”

  “Some people understand what loyalty is all about,” Blue snapped at Simon.

  A buzzer interrupted their conversation. Damon admitted the waiter with the champagne. It did strike him as odd to be having this to drink considering the tense atmosphere in the room. He popped the cork a few moments later and poured them each a glass.

  Taryn deliberately used both hands to avoid touching his as she accepted the glass he held out.

  Angry at the circumstances that put Taryn and himself on opposite sides, Damon drained his glass and then promptly refilled it. As he lifted it to drink again, he saw the irritated glance from his father. Good, he thought, at least he wasn’t the only one who was pissed off tonight.

  Resuming his seat, he looked at Taryn. “Well, I can’t speak for my father, but I’ve had nothing to do with the longer night business. Have you considered that it might be a demon? After the Hell mouth was sealed in California, some vampires have been convinced one opened up here in New York City, somewhere.

  “I’ve been in my basement… no Hell mouth seen,” Damon joked, unable to resist the urge.

  Taryn shook her head and came to her feet. Without asking, she walked over to the champagne and poured herself another glassful. “Have you seen any proof of one?” She looked at Simon, deliberately away from him. “Is there some new demon hangout?”

  Damon hid his smile at her stance with one hip thrust to the side. Nothing this petite angel did could make her appear tough enough to fight vampires, demons or even the littlest things that merely went bump in the night. “I have a few contacts. I’m sure I could come up with some answers.” He smiled at Taryn, anticipating spending time with her down dark alleys and hanging out in seedy joints looking for nothing.

  Blue jumped to her feet. “That sounds fantastic. I can go with you tomorrow night, if you can get the information that soon.”

  From the silence, Damon realized he wasn’t the only one surprised by the redhead’s unexpected announcement. Blue was a beautiful woman, but he would bet the club on the fact that his father was interested in her. No doubt his father would prefer visiting the alley and so on with her. Improvising, he offered an alternative solution. “How about I get the names and locations of some places and people to check out, and we’ll divide the list?” Damon suggested, lifting his eyebrow to query the others’ agreement.

  Simon stood as well. “Superb idea, Damon. Blue and I will check half and leave the rest to you two. Now, if you two will excuse us, Ms. Dampier and I are going upstairs to discuss some unfinished business that only concerns the two of us.”

  “That was strange,” Taryn murmured softly.

  Damon lifted the champagne bottle and refilled her glass and then his. “All gone. I’ll order us another one.”

  “No really. I don’t normally drink, and I have to still get home tonight.” The words sounded weak to her ears, and she could tell by Damon’s smile that he’d thought so as well. Feeling nervous all of a sudden, she scoured her brain for something clever to say. After a few seconds, she settled for anything. “Uhm… I—”

  “Yes?” Damon had strolled over to his unobtrusive sound system, starting some music.

  Immediately, Taryn recognized it as jazz, and sensual. “Oh… it’s nice of you to offer to help. I guess we really have no reason to ask or expect you to help us. After all, we are on opposite sides of the track, or uh, I guess game is a better way to put it.” The look on Damon’s face as he started back towards her made her even more nervous.

  She turned quickly and moved closer to the windows. Looking down, she saw people milling about, dancing and just having fun. Fun? What was that again? She couldn’t remember the last time she laughed out loud at something. The last few years everything she did was associated with work and her own personal need to know why Lamenta had died so suddenly.

  “You look so serious,” Damon spoke softly.

  Taryn jumped in surprise. She had not heard him approach! She was the master of the silent approach and nobody ever snuck up behind her, or anywhere else! Quickly she started to move away when Damon’s hand grabbed her wrist.

  “What’s wrong? Why are you acting so jumpy?” he asked softly while his fingers lightly stroked her skin. He promptly closed his free hand around her other arm, holding her captive in front of him.

  Taryn jerked backwards against his strong grip, but he held on tightly until she stopped struggling. Finally Taryn stamped one foot and glared up at him. “You had better let go of me before I hurt you.” She defiantly tossed her head, swinging her hair to her back.

  Damon smiled, which only made her angrier. “You couldn’t do serious damage to anything, vampire or demon.”

  Taryn felt so many emotions bubbling up inside her it was impossible to identify them all. How handsome he looked with his square jaw and the slight curl in his dark brown hair. His eyes were a warm brownish color, as well. She felt the same warmth of attraction and arousal rising inside her as it had last evening.

  “Damn you!” she cursed in frustration. “You have no idea what I can or cannot do. And you really don’t want to learn either!” Taryn pushed against his chest, surprised at how strong he was. He must lift weights and work out, but she still doubted he could match her level of fighting skill, if she chose to cut loose.

  “All I want to learn right now,” Damon murmured as he wrapped one arm around her and threaded his other hand into her hair. He pulled gently to tilt her head backwards. “Is how sweet your lips taste and how drunk I can get from your kisses? Tell me, Taryn, are you allowed to kiss vampires?”

  Damon didn’t wait for her answer. His mouth covered hers instantly.

  Taryn had been kissed a few times before, but now that Damon possessed her mouth she knew that a real man had not kissed her, until now. She’d expected an onslaught… a rough handling. Instead, Damon seduced her one tender side at a time. His lips softly caressed and stroked hers. When she gasped, his tongue began a sensual exploration that would have literally knocked her socks off, if she’d been wearing any.

  It felt completely natural to curve into his body, that little voice in her mind told her, just as it seemed totally necessary to slide her hands upwards and around him. And when his tongue lightly, teasingly touched hers, it was required that she respond in kind. Right?

  He swallowed her soft sighs and then began to lightly kiss just her lips again. His teeth nibbled on her lower lip, and then her upper, soothing the abused spot with his tongue. S
he didn’t even realize that the distance between their bodies had increased until his hand slid inside her form-fitting latex outfit. As his hand curved over her breast, his groan accompanied, and perhaps even proclaimed, the possession.

  “Perfect,” he whispered softly into her ear a moment later. His palm moved back and forth across the hard tip of her nipple.

  “Oh, God!” Taryn cried out and pushed her breast more fully into his hand. One corner of her mind questioned how he had gotten his hand inside her top. As Damon turned his head, she stopped thinking and kissed him this time. But she wasted no time on the niceties like he had. Instead, Taryn pushed her tongue inside his mouth and dueled with his. She needed more. Without conscious thought, she ground her hips against the rapidly hardening cock against her belly. Shifting her body, she moved her hand down and curled it over his hard flesh, thinly covered by his expensive suit trousers.

  Like a bucket of cold water, the touch of her hand stopped him instantly. Damon pushed Taryn away and then he stepped back several feet. His face was hard to read, but Taryn thought he looked shocked.

  She felt adrift as if the sand had disappeared beneath her feet, pulled away by an unseen riptide. “What’s wrong? Did I do something incorrectly? Tell me and I won’t do it again. Did I hurt you?” Her voice quivered, and she hated that.

  Damon might not be as old as his father and sire, but he knew he had just reached one of those crossroads in life. If you do one thing, your life will go in this direction, and you choose the other… well, kiss the good times goodbye. But he wasn’t sure which was the right one, damn it!

  In front of him was a sexy woman who looked more like a child’s toy action figure. Yet her disheveled hair, well-kissed lips and one exposed breast told an entirely different story. For a second he had the out-of-context thought as to how he had managed to free her breast—

  Then he recalled the feel of her small hand caressing his rod.