Taming the Vampire: A Paranormal Romance Novella

by Chloe Hart

  TAMING THE VAMPIRE

  a paranormal romance novella

  by Chloe Hart

  Blood and Absinthe, Book 1

  Smashwords Edition

  Copyright 2011 by Chloe Hart

  All rights reserved. Except as permitted under the U.S. Copyright Act of 1976, no part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, without the prior written permission of the author.

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, or persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.

  Chapter One

  The October night was sharp with the first taste of winter, but Liz Marlowe didn’t feel it. She was restless and keyed up and spoiling for a fight, and a hot pulse of anger kept her warm in her tee shirt and jeans as she hurried along the crowded Boston sidewalks, past all the college students in their turtlenecks and jackets, talking and laughing and putting their arms around each other for warmth.

  She was frowning down at the sidewalk, lost in a snarl of frustrated thoughts, when she went around a corner to escape the throng and slammed into what felt like a brick wall.

  Her reflexes snapped into action and she recovered quickly, jumping back a few paces as she looked to see what she’d crashed into.

  Not what, but who.

  It was Jack Morgan, one of the few vampires in New England she wasn’t allowed to kill and the only one who could piss her off just by looking at her.

  Which he was doing right now, with one eyebrow raised and a slight smile on his face. “Well, well, well. If it isn’t my favorite little ball of hate.”

  “Don’t call me that,” she snapped, before remembering the resolution she’d made the last time she’d run into him.

  Never let Jack Morgan get under your skin.

  His smile broadened. “Why not? It’s an accurate description. Plus it makes your face turn red and steam come out of your ears, and I never get tired of seeing that. I suppose I could call you my favorite elf, but since you’re only one-sixteenth that would seem like stretching the truth, wouldn’t it?”

  She forced herself to stay silent, knowing that anything she said would betray the fact that his shot had hit home. Liz was the only member of the Green Fae clan with such a diluted bloodline. Because of that, she’d felt at a disadvantage among the other demon hunters from the time she was first called as a warrior.

  And Jack Morgan knew it. He was one of a handful of vampires who had allied themselves with the elven clans, and he’d been working with them for decades. He probably knew more about the Green Fae than she did.

  He knew, for instance, that in a clan of warriors known for cold-blooded ferocity and iron control, Liz’s quick temper was considered a serious shortcoming—and an unfortunate result of her mostly human ancestry.

  That’s why he enjoyed making her angry. Because he knew how hard she worked to hide her emotions.

  “I keep waiting for a vein to pop out,” he said. “Right here,” he added, reaching out to touch her forehead.

  A shiver went through her at the feel of his cool fingers against her skin. Before he could notice her reaction, she slapped his hand away and took a quick step back.

  If Jack ever found out she was attracted to him, her life wouldn’t be worth living.

  She loathed Jack Morgan with every strand of her hybrid DNA, so it really, really sucked that he was so goddamned good-looking. He was tall and powerful and built like a gladiator, with black hair and a wicked mouth and icy blue eyes that radiated all the deadly competence she longed to possess.

  She took a deep breath. “Get out of my way, vampire. I don’t have time for you tonight.”

  He raised an eyebrow. “I hope you’re on your way to hit somebody. You look like you need to burn off some steam. Care to take a swing at me, just for practice? You know you want to.”

  “And you’ll just stand there and take it, of course.”

  “Why not? We both know you can’t hit hard enough to hurt me.”

  She had hit him, once. Several times, in fact. The fight had been a test, to see if she was ready to graduate from her training as a warrior, but she hadn’t known that.

  When she and her teacher had come upon two vampires in a dark alley she’d gone into battle mode without any hesitation. She’d been fiercely exultant when she seemed to be winning, until Yana had called out, “Stop!” and Jack had immediately backed off.

  And then proceeded to dissect her fighting technique in a cool, dispassionate tone that set her on edge as much as the things he said about her.

  “She’ll never be as strong as the other demon hunters. Her Fae blood is too thin.”

  “Absinthe could help.”

  “It could also kill her.”

  “Not if she takes it properly, and only on the night of the solstice,” Yana had countered, while Liz kept her eyes on the vampire who’d just voiced out loud the one thing in the world she was afraid of.

  That she was weak.

  Which was why, the day after she’d met Jack Morgan, she’d gone to her best friend for help. Celia was an eighth blood Fae and a spellcaster, and she knew how to make elven absinthe.

  She’d warned Liz of the unpredictability and danger of the brew—too much and you might be pulled into a dark faery realm, never to return—but Liz didn’t care. If there was a way to make herself stronger, to close the gap between herself and the other warriors, she was going to take it.

  She and Jack had run into each other several times after their first encounter, but he hadn’t seen her fight since then. And during that year and a half Liz had been training, going on missions, and drinking absinthe once a month.

  Getting stronger.

  The alley they were standing in was deserted, and a glance around confirmed that no one was coming their way.

  She dropped her backpack on the sidewalk and flexed her hands.

  “That would be great, actually. I could use a sparring partner.”

  Jack’s eyes widened and then narrowed, and the fact that she’d actually surprised the smug son of a bitch gave her a rush of satisfaction.

  “This isn’t the ideal place to—”

  “All talk, huh? I knew you were afraid to fight me.”

  Of course that wasn’t true, but just saying it made her feel pleasantly reckless, knowing she was needling one of the most dangerous creatures in Boston.

  Jack took a step closer, his blue eyes lasering into hers. “That stupid cockiness is one of your weaknesses. And someday it’s going to get you killed.”

  This was the most fun she’d had in weeks. “Okay, fine. If you’re not up for a full-on bout, at least let me take one good swing at you. You did offer, after all.”

  He stared at her for a minute, his expression unreadable. “So I did,” he said finally. “Well, it won’t hurt me and it might amuse you.”

  He took a step back and widened his stance, smiling coldly. “I’m ready whenever you are.”

  She let her eyes rove over his six and a half feet, every inch of him covered in hard muscle. “I think I’ll go for the solar plexus.”

  He shrugged. “Have at it, warrior.”

  Hitting Jack’s abdomen would be like hitting a brick wall. But she’d taken absinthe just two nights ago, and she could feel power surging within her. She gave him a sweet smile and then threw a punch with everything she had behind it.

  It hurt like hell, but her warrior bones could handle the impact. And Jack flew back three feet and landed hard against the building behind him.
<
br />   That was the most fun she’d had in weeks.

  “I guess you were right. I really did need to burn off some steam.” She smiled again, even sweeter than before, and started to walk past him.

  Jack grabbed her so fast she didn’t have time to react. He jerked her off her feet and slammed her up against the wall, his hand around her throat and his face just inches from hers.

  “The solstice ceremony isn’t for another two months.”

  As lethal and terrifying as he looked right now, Jack wasn’t squeezing her throat. She could still talk, and she was pleased at how calm, even detached, her voice sounded.

  “That’s right.”

  His blue eyes had never looked more arctic. “So explain to me why there’s absinthe in your system right now.”

  She willed herself to be as cold as he was. “I don’t have to explain a damn thing. I don’t answer to you, vampire.”

  She felt hatred coursing through her veins as she took a deep breath. “‘The enemy of my enemy is my friend.’ Right? That’s the theory behind the Fae’s alliance with you. The demons are a mutual threat, and you work with us to fight them. Maybe some of the Fae are grateful for that, but I’m not. I’m not fooled by your hero act. In the end, I think your true nature will come out. I think you’ll work with us as long as it serves your interests and not a moment more. You’re not in this for the greater good.”

  He seemed completely unaffected by her words. The hand around her throat didn’t tighten and his eyes didn’t so much as flicker. “I never said I was. And you still haven’t answered my question. How much of that poison have you been drinking? You risk death every time you take a sip. Are you so eager to die? Didn’t they teach you the consequences of—”

  She kneed him in the groin, not as hard as she could but hard enough to make him loosen his hold a little, allowing her to pull away and put a couple of feet between them. She faced him now on a hair trigger, her weight forward on the balls of her feet and her arms flexed and ready.

  “They’re my clan, not yours, and they’ve told me everything I need to know.”

  They stared at each other for a few seconds, Liz breathing hard and Jack as still as a marble statue. After a moment she started to walk past him, keeping her senses on high alert in case he tried to grab her again.

  He didn’t, but he dropped one word into the silence.

  “Wait.”

  It was a request, not a command. Because of that she stopped and turned, slowly, to face him again. “You’ve got two seconds.”

  “There’s something out there,” he said after a moment. “Something dangerous. Something we haven’t seen before.”

  Liz nodded curtly. “I know. I’m on it.”

  The “something dangerous” was the reason she hadn’t been looking where she was going when she ran into Jack in the first place. For two days now she’d been trying to hunt down an unseen enemy that had left at least three dead so far, and she hadn’t been able to find out a damn thing about who or what was doing the killing.

  Her blood was hot with the instinct to fight, but her wrath had no target.

  With most of her clan in Alberta—Green Fae from all over North America were gathering to fight a demon horde in the Canadian Rockies—Liz was without backup for the first time since she’d been called as a warrior. This should have been the perfect opportunity to prove herself, to show the clan that she could handle solo missions and dangerous assignments.

  Instead, she’d spent the last forty-eight hours doing recon and had come up empty. All she knew was that other creatures were running scared from this thing, leaving Boston as free of demonic energy as she’d ever seen it—except for this unknown, nameless threat.

  “I think you should alert your clan leaders.”

  “I don’t need to alert them. I told you, I’m on it. I haven’t learned much yet, but I will. If you know anything—”

  “Yeah, I know something. Whatever this thing is, it’s going to be too much for you. If you won’t contact the other Fae, then you need to let me handle it.”

  Liz just stared at him. “Sure, you bet,” she said after a moment. “I’ll hide in my apartment and watch Gossip Girl reruns, and you can take on the big bad evil all by yourself.”

  Jack’s dark brows drew close together. “Listen, warrior—”

  “I’m done listening to you. If you find out something useful, I expect you to let me know. Otherwise, stay out of my way.”

  She had to walk a few blocks before she calmed down. Then she checked her watch. Thanks to her encounter with Jack, she was running ten minutes late to meet Celia.

  Music pulsed out of a doorway ahead, and Liz slowed her angry strides and went inside. The cafe was between her apartment and Celia’s, and in spite of an annoyingly superior wait staff they served the best espresso in the city.

  Celia was sitting at a table in the corner. She looked like a student, her red hair caught back in a ponytail and her cheek resting on one hand as she frowned down at the book in front of her, making notes in the margins as she read. The place was a college hangout and Celia fit in perfectly.

  Of course she wasn’t working on English lit or biochem. Liz had asked her to research any way for a demon hunter to augment her power, and when Celia had called earlier today she’d said she’d found something.

  After her run-in with Jack, it felt good to cross the crowded floor towards Celia. Jack always left her feeling unsettled, off-balance, while Celia made her feel grounded and centered. She was loyal and kind and smart, and Liz knew she was lucky to have her—not just as an ally, but as a friend.

  A few minutes later, Liz had completely forgotten those fond sentiments.

  “Have you lost your mind?”

  Celia was grinning at her. “I’m telling you, it’s all right here. A sure-fire way to increase your power for one night. And all you have to do is—”

  “Don’t say it!”

  “—sleep with a vampire.”

  Liz glared at her. “You’re joking. Right? Because I’d hate to have to kill you after years of friendship.”

  Celia held out her hands. “Hey, I didn’t write the text. I just translated it. I spent the whole day inside with a Latin dictionary, while you were at the gym working out.”

  “Yeah, well, you’re supposed to be the brains of this partnership. I’m the brawn, remember?”

  The waiter who’d brought their coffee raised his eyebrows when he overheard that comment from the diminutive Liz, and Liz turned her glare on him. So what if she was five foot four and a hundred and ten pounds? This guy didn’t know her. For the thousandth time since she was called to be a warrior, Liz had an urge to lift an ignorant human male three feet off the ground with one hand, just to see his reaction.

  “You asked me to find you a power source,” Celia reminded her. Liz had the distinct impression she was enjoying herself. “What if this is the only way to save the city—maybe even the world?”

  “Then the city is screwed,” Liz answered, adding sugar to her cappuccino and stirring it with more force than necessary. She took a quick sip before leaning across the table, stabbing her finger in front of Celia’s face to make her point. “If the only way I can save the world is by sleeping with a vampire, the world is toast. So find me another way to stop this...thing.”

  “It’s a small price to pay for—”

  Liz’s eyes narrowed.

  “Okay, okay,” Celia said, laughing. “I didn’t really think you’d do it.”

  “So help me, if you made that whole thing up...”

  Celia shook her head. “What I told you is the exact truth. If you do the ritual and accept a vampire’s seed into your body, his power flows into you. The combination of your strength and his would make you almost unstoppable. It would only last for one night, but that would be enough time to go after this monster and destroy it—once you find out what it is and where it is. The vampire would be helpless while the spell lasted, but everything would go back to norma
l afterwards.”

  In spite of herself, the image of one particular vampire flashed across her mind’s eye.

  Liz folded her arms across her chest. “I bet I know exactly who you have in mind for this...this disgusting...”

  “Well, duh.” Celia cupped her chin in her hand and a wistful look came into her eyes. “Liz, he’s sex on wheels. He’s right here in the city. And he’s helped us before.”

  “He’s helped you, you mean. He likes you. He can’t stand me, and the feeling is mutual.”

  “There’s a thin line between—”

  “Do not finish that sentence.”

  “Most women would kill to be in your shoes. I’d kill to be in your shoes. Jack Morgan is the most gorgeous bloodsucking fiend I’ve ever seen. And you, lucky girl, have the perfect excuse for jumping his bones! You’d be saving the world from unspeakable evil. The mind-blowing orgasm would just be a bonus.”

  In spite of herself, Liz was diverted. “How do you know there’d be a mind-blowing orgasm? Jack’s too handsome to be good in bed.”

  Celia shook her head. “That’s true for mortal guys, sure. The gorgeous ones have no clue. But vampires? Don’t tell me you haven’t heard the stories. Stamina, for one thing. And they’ve got a vested interest in making you come. If you’re in the throes of orgasm you don’t feel it when they bite you, and I think the blood tastes better or something.”

  Liz stared at her. “I can’t believe you’re saying this. Do you mean to tell me you’d let a vampire bite you?”

  She was glad her friend had the grace to blush. “Probably not, in real life. But I have to admit that sometimes, when I’m, you know, fantasizing—”

  “Celia!”

  “They’re just fantasies,” she said defensively. “Who dreams about vanilla sex when they’re alone in bed at night? And why are you being so judgmental, anyway? You know I’m just talking. My fantasy life is all I’ve got these days. Neither of us has had time for a boyfriend since we started this supernatural gig.”