Death Times Two

by C. J. Ellisson

  My tongue laps at her ragged flesh, the enzymes in vampire salvia close her self-inflicted injury and my small bite wound. A tremor washes over her during my ministrations. Heat floods my face as I think about spreading her out on a bed and triggering those tiny tremors all night long.

  Slowly I sit up, cradling her wrist in both hands, unwilling to break the magical connection we’ve shared. The sickening sound of wet fabric peeling from the floor does the job of killing the moment just fine.

  The clouded, lust-filled look in the reaper’s eyes fades. But if I’m not mistaken there’s a hint of interest still lingering in their blue depths. Just maybe… maybe if I play my cards right I’ll be lucky enough to have her share my bed. After we reap the rest of the ghosts, of course.

  “Thank you,” I say, wishing I could take her in my arms and hug her for the incredible gift she’s given me—not just with her healing blood, but in allowing me to drink from someone without having them despise my very existence. “You have no idea what that meant to me.”

  She snorts and looks away, perhaps embarrassed by my intense scrutiny. “I’m pretty sure I wouldn’t get a bonus if the client helping me died.”

  My heart plummets. Is that all I am to her? Just a client? Time to change her thinking. I’m not above crude fraternity tactics. I’ll make her see me as a man, not a vampire.

  I stand, feigning nonchalance, and look over my ruined clothes and the broken phone lying where Lisa discarded it.

  “I’m sure your boss would have understood. After all, they didn’t exactly prep you for this job.” I glance away, like my next actions are totally normal. “Not that I’d want to be dead for good. Not yet anyway.” I grab the soiled hem of my t-shirt in both hands and yank it over my head. “Too many things in life worth living for—even in this altered ‘undead’ state.” I flash her a little fang when my head reappears. Using the inside of the tee, I wipe my face and arms of any remaining residue.

  Lisa takes a sharp inhale of breath. “What… uh, what are you doing?”

  I lean down and unlace my black boots, toeing them off while I glance up at her. “Getting rid of my bloody clothes.”

  Her face turns beet red. “Oh, yeah. That makes perfect sense.”

  Noting my socks are free of stain, I straighten, hands going to my waistband. Slowly I open my jeans, watching her every reaction. She audible swallows and her hand goes to her throat.

  “You don’t mind, do you?” I ask, mischievous smile in place. Not that she’d notice. She’s staring too intently at my hands.

  “Mind?” she squeaks. “No. Not at all.” She waves a hand at me. “You go on with whatever you need to do. I’ll uh…” She looks around wildly and hoists herself up from the floor. “I’ll shut the door so we can leave.”

  She falters in her step when the metal of my zipper rasps in its descent. I know she’s dying to turn around. Hell, if the situation was reversed I’m sure I’d be blatantly ogling her, mother of three or not.

  By the time she finishes with the door and closes the window shutter I’ve got my boots on and have balled my soiled clothes into a nearby trashcan. I venture behind the bar for bottled water and towels, hoping to clean up whatever remaining glop might be on my head and neck.

  I crack open a water and lean over the tiny bar sink, wishing the ski lodge had showers like the gym. Cool water cascades over my head and trails into the metal sink. Perfect time to ask for help. She’ll be able to approach me on her own and stare her fill without censure.

  “Hey, can you give me hand?”

  Lisa clears her throat. “Uh… Sure. What do you need?”

  “Come see if I got all the gore off.”

  “Okay.” Relief sounds in her voice. “I can handle that.”

  Lisa joins me behind the bar. I’m wearing the black boxer briefs my aunt gave me and in my spare time I work out like crazy—what the hell else is there to do in the Army or the long winters of Alaska? Sure, I might look silly walking through the tunnels in underwear and boots, but if it gets her checking me out and possibly thinking about having sex with me, then I don’t care. I’m not above a little blatant flaunting.

  “You have a little on your back,” she says.

  I thrust a bar towel toward her and the bottle of water. “Here. Can you get it for me?”

  She moves closer, the heat of her body nearing my hip. Water trickles onto my back, to be followed by Lisa’s tentative wiping. “So… what do we do now? We’ve still got quite a few ghosts to reap, right?”

  “But no more coins.” Her hands halt in their rubbing and I want to beg her to keep touching me. “We’ll need to call Vivian from the hotel and see if she has more stashed somewhere. Is there any on my neck or head?”

  She leans in, pressing her breasts into my side. “Nope. You look fiiinne. I mean good!” she corrects, jumping back from me like I’ve burned her. “You look clean. No more blood.”

  I smile into the sink, well aware of the effect she’s having on me and thrilled I’m able to ruffle her calm in return. Nothing like a brush with death to make you want to embrace everything living has to offer.

  And in this case… that would be one super cute and very flustered reaper.

  I stand and face her, resisting the urge to flex, but just barely. “Thanks. I appreciate it.” I momentarily sway toward her, torn on if I should try and kiss her or not. If she chances a look down there’s no way I’ll be able to deny how she affects me—nor would I want to.

  Lisa nods. As if sensing my intent, she rushes away, toward the closet with the secret hatch to the tunnels. “No problem. Guess we’d better hurry then, eh? Those ghosts seem to be popping up everywhere.”

  I join Lisa and enter the code in the security lock inside the doorframe. I raise the lid and motion for her to proceed down the ladder. I wait ‘til she’s down then I descend, halting briefly to lock up the lid.

  Yup, I’ve got a new goal. When this mess is over, I want to bed Lisa.

  Wonder if she’s averse to sleeping with a vampire?

  I aim to find out.

  Chapter Eleven

  Lisa

  From half way down the ladder Asa jumps and lands solidly in front of me. He straightens and smiles. It’s a struggle to keep my gaze on his face when my eyes want to skate across his naked chest. Man this guy has muscles on top of muscles. I’d give up a month’s worth of soda for one unrestricted touch.

  He flicks his head down the tunnel. “Come on. Let’s get back to the inn so I can call Vivian and find out where more coins are.”

  I nod like a wide-eyed bimbo. My mouth is suddenly dry and I barely squeak out an, “Okay.”

  He leads the way and I’m more than happy to trail behind him. Muscles like this don’t exist in real life—I mean non-supernatural real life. Don Burner, my neighbor, looks nothing like this. Not even in his younger days. Asa’s body is a masterpiece of form. I lick my lips, letting my eyes drink in the sight of him. The black boxers trimmed in red draw my attention to his well-formed buns. Temptation in the flesh.

  He leads the way through the tunnels and after several minutes we end up in the basement. Rounding the desk, Asa picks up a desk phone and dials. I assume it’s to Vivian to find out where more gold is. I’m only half worried because I can’t seem to pull my thoughts away from doing naughty things to him.

  While I’m staring at his ass, he ends the call and turns to me. Busted. A smile stretches across his mouth. “What are you looking at?”

  There’s no good ruse that he’ll believe so I opt for the truth. “Your black boxers.” I smirk. “From an old girlfriend?”

  He sets the phone on the desk. “Actually, they’re from my Aunt Cali. I think they were meant as a joke, but—” He wiggles his hips a little. “I like how they feel.”

  I’d like to see how they feel. Maybe rubbing between my thighs, against my cheek, with my fingers inside the waistband. Instead I say, “That’s sweet.”

  Our gazes lock for a few seconds and I
get the feeling that if I take one step toward him we’ll be all over each other. Too bad we still have a lot of work to do. I wouldn’t mind spending a few hours locked in a dark room with Asa. When he drank from me, the sensation was beyond anything I’d experienced. He thought he’d hurt me. Far from it. All he managed to do was incite my curiosity to a dangerous level.

  I clear my throat. “So, did Vivian have some good news?”

  “Yeah, seems she’s got pirate booty stashed somewhere.”

  I crinkle my brow. “Does that mean your boss used to be a pirate—as in vampire pirate?”

  “Let’s just say she has a colorful past.”

  “And I thought being a reaper was special.” I prop my hands on my hips and sigh. “Now what?”

  “I supposed I should get dressed.”

  Or not. “Yeah, I think I’ll go freshen up, too.”

  Asa inches around the desk and I step back so we don’t touch. No telling what will happen. The sexual tension is humming between us and I don’t think it will take much to set us off. “You need to drink water and get something to eat after donating blood. Let’s meet back in the lobby in thirty minutes.”

  “Okay.”

  I go to my room and after checking in with Vella and the kids, which takes all of ten minutes, I pace. Having Asa around gives me a sense of protection. The idea of waiting in the lobby alone makes me nervous. First of all there are too many ghosts that don’t know what personal space means. Then there’s the werewolves and God knows what else lurking around the inn. Asa has never given me an exact account of who is what and if they’re at the inn. Better safe than sorry, and for me that means sticking close to my vampire bodyguard.

  My stomach growls and I notice bottled water and a bowl of fruit on the table Asa and I sat near earlier. This place is full of surprises. Deciding it’s safer to eat here I reluctantly dig in to an apple and grab the water.

  After half an hour I sneak from my room and ease down the hall until I can peer over the railing. He’s there. Breathing a sigh of relief I descend the steps with as much composure as I can muster. Time away from him and the fact that he’s wearing clothes again have tempered my rampaging lust.

  “Sorry I’m late. I wanted to check in with the kids.”

  “No problem.” He places a hand on my back and leads me toward the basement again. “Everything all right at home?”

  I ignore the heat spreading across my skin from his touch. “Just peachy. My friend Vella spoils them. They’ll be hellions when I get home. Probably sugared-up and sleep deprived.”

  He laughs as he leads me back to the spiral staircase. “Don’t be too hard on them.”

  I glance at him and again see a spark of yearning for a family. “I won’t—unless they start irritating me.” He laughs again and I inwardly sigh. I could get very used to having Asa around. It was a dangerous realization. “I know I’ve asked this fifty kagillion times, but what now?”

  “Vivian gave me some vague directions to the gold. First we’ll find that and then look for ghosts.”

  “Okay, but eventually I’m going to have to eat.” As if emphasizing my situation my stomach growls. I pointedly ignore mentioning the apple. We all know fruit doesn’t count as real food. “You might be unaware of just how delicate this reaping machine is. It thrives on carbs.”

  “Oh shit, sorry.” A grimace tightens his face as we make our way into the tunnels again. “Sometimes I forget you need real food. Do you want to grab something now?”

  “No, I’ll be fine for a while. I drank water like you suggested.” No way did I want to appear gluttonous, even though I was on the fluffy side. “I’ve got stored energy supplies.” I give my butt a slap and rub. Asa’s pupils dilate slightly. “I’m pretty hardy.”

  “I bet you are.”

  Before I can retort with a flirty comment I’m hit from behind by something cold. An icy blade slices through my body. I gasp and grab onto Asa, my eyes wide with shock.

  “Lisa, what’s wrong?” I stumble but he catches me before I go down.

  When I finally focus my gaze levels on an Amazonian-looking woman standing several feet in front of me. I point. “Ghost. Tall. Dark hair and eyes.” I exhale, my body shuddering from the cold still rippling through my body. “She looks—determined.”

  “Bebe,” Asa says.

  The woman smiles but it doesn’t reach her eyes. Then she nods. “I sensed you on the property.”

  I want to believe Bebe’s reap is going to be as easy as Vikram’s but from her expression I think it will be quite the opposite. My fingers tighten around Asa’s biceps. “She says she sensed me.”

  He pulls me closer to him. “Be careful. She’s dangerous.”

  “Yeah—” Another shiver skitters through me. “I got that.”

  The ghost points a long, slender finger at me. “You’re prettier than I thought.” She takes a step forward. “I think I’m going to like being inside you.”

  I take a step backward, dragging Asa with me. “That’s what they all say.”

  “What’s happening?” he says.

  The woman’s look turns calculating and predatory, then she licks her lips and blows me a kiss. “Bebe didn’t happen to ‘like’ women, did she?” We continue to move toward the tunnel on the right.

  “Uh, yeah, why?”

  “Lucky guess.” I dig my fingers into his arm. “We really need to find that gold—fast.”

  “Right.” He clasps his hand with mine. “Ready.”

  Bebe strides toward us, a satisfied smile pasted on her face. I’m in big trouble. “I’ve never been more ready.”

  “Run!”

  We bolt down the tunnel. It takes every ounce of stored energy to keep up with Asa. Basically he’s dragging me and I swear there are times when we angle around a corner that my feet lift from the ground. But I don’t complain and I don’t stop.

  After what must be the twentieth turn, Asa slows. My chest is burning and it feels like my lungs are literally in my throat. Even though we’ve stopped running, we haven’t stopped walking. He guides me down another corridor, slightly narrower than the others, and into a room.

  “Vivian says the gold is around here.” He flips on the light. “She mentioned chests. Maybe in one of these crates.”

  The room is rectangular and stacked with wooden boxes. I’m really hoping the treasure is on top because I doubt we’ve got a lot of time. “Hurry.” We race to the first stack and haul down a crate. I turn, scanning the room for a crowbar. “If Bebe can sense me I’m sure she’s on our tail.”

  “No doubt.” The squeak of the lid being ripped free draws my attention back. Asa smiles. “A perk of being a vampire. Big muscles.”

  I give him a coy smirk. “It’s good to know they’re not just for show.”

  “You’ve been looking?”

  I shrug and dig into the crate. Crystal perfume bottles trimmed in gold, an antique doll, but no gold. “Not here.”

  Asa drags the next crate down. I’m willing to let him flex his muscles in the name of our rescue. Again he peels the top off and tosses it to the side. We both rifle through the packing material, but again come up empty handed.

  “Damn it.” I kick the crate. “We don’t need much.”

  “We’ll find it.” Asa drops a third crate onto the ground. “Now what they hell did she say on the call…”

  Just as Asa throws the lid over his shoulder I’m hit from the side by the same icy blast. But this time Bebe doesn’t pass through me. “Asa.” I barely get his name out before the ghost’s fingers wrap around my neck. With one hand she pushes me against the wall.

  “Shit,” Asa says.

  Over Bebe’s shoulder I see him frantically digging through the crate, but then she blocks my view.

  “I think she mentioned a lamp. Fuck I should have been paying closer attention rather than trying to tease you.”

  Her face hovers an inch from mine and her cold breath feels like it’s crystalizing against my cheek.
>
  “Like I said, you’re prettier than I thought,” the ghost whispers. Her chilled lips brush against mine. Thinking she’s going to try and possess me like Ivan, I press my mouth together. “Silly reaper.” She lays her cheek against mine and I have to repress the urge to gasp from the icy bite. “Don’t you know there’s more than one way in?”

  Her hand dips to the waistband of my pants. Holy crap, is she thinking what I think she’s thinking? I’m sorry, but I choose who’s going to get into my girlie bits, and for my first time after my husband’s death it’s sure as hell not going to be icy-fingered Amazonian vampire bitch.

  “Asa, oh my God, you’ve got to stick your hand down my pants!”

  Chapter Twelve

  Asa

  I race to the reaper’s side, all thoughts of finding the gold soaring right out of my head. With more heat pumping through my veins than I’ve felt in years, I willingly, and eagerly, comply with Lisa’s outrageous suggestion. I lay my palm under her shirt against the skin of her slightly rounded stomach, and slide downward, easing past the waistband of her pants.

  She rips her mouth away from mine. “Under. You’ve got to go under my panties. She’s… I can’t believe I’m about to say this—she’s trying to possess me by entering through my privates!”

  I snug her plump breasts more firmly against my chest with one arm around her back, while pressing my lips firmly on hers. My other hand plunges low, cupping the juncture between her thighs. Moist heat greets my questing fingers as I shift deeper; making sure my whole hand covers both entrances.

  “Yes! That’s right. Oh my God, is that so right.” A nervous giggle escapes her. “The coldness has eased.”

  “Is my hand cold?”

  “No, it’s not bad.” I snug my hand closer. “Whew! Much better than an angry vampire spirit trying to force her way inside.” She shivers and I think her reaction has nothing to do with Bebe.