Not Another Vampire Book

by Cassandra Gannon

  He’d know soon enough.

  Damien stepped down from the carriage, his body braced for battle. It actually surprised him when several seconds ticked by without an attack. He looked around in confusion and saw nothing in every direction. The entire street was deserted at this time of night; just empty warehouses and moonlight. Why on earth had the human brought them here?

  His eyes easily found Kara in the darkness. The woman stood in the center of a vacant lot a dozen yards away. Turning, searching, she gazed around as if she expected a building to miraculously appear from the gravel.

  “It should be here.” She wasn’t talking to him. Damien could tell from her tone. “It should be here and it’s not. Tanya didn’t write my building into the story. Or maybe it’s just legitimately not built yet. Why don’t I know what year it was built?! Please, God.” She plowed both hands through her hair and looked up at the stars. “I can’t stay here! I have to go home! Let me go home!”

  Damien moved forward, half expecting some mysterious being to answer her. To come down and try to spirit her away. Karalynn’s origins were a mystery, but he knew that something far bigger than even his own magicks was at work. She could vanish at any time, just as suddenly as she’d appeared.

  No.

  An unexpected swell of panic filled him. He’d only just found her. It was too soon. All the animal instincts in his body suddenly wanted to lunge at Kara and keep her from leaving. He could feel his own powers readying, preparing to grab her back from whatever force sought to steal her away.

  … Only nothing happened.

  Just more silence and the scurrying sound of rats.

  His heart began to beat, again. No one was coming to save her.

  Obviously.

  When had anyone ever helped the innocents of this world?

  “It’s just not fair.” As Damien drew closer, Kara slowly sank to the ground and buried her head in her palms. “The building’s gone. What am I going to do?” She looked utterly alone in a way that had Damien’s cold heart shifting in his chest.

  He felt the urge to crouch down beside her and offer comfort, but it was such a foreign idea that he didn’t know what to make of it. Instead, he just stood there a few feet behind Kara and waited. Watching her.

  The dancing curls on her head mesmerized him, tangling together in the summer breeze as she sat there. Wizard Warlocks and most other supernatural beings had straight hair. Only the humans were gifted with curls and Karalynn’s were so lovely. Exotic. Special. Like the girl herself.

  His head tilted, his body aching, his mind trying to process the pull he felt towards her.

  Slade didn’t deserve such a woman.

  “Damien.” She turned and looked at him, her eyes damp. Karalynn hadn’t let any tears fall, but he could see the sorrow on her face. “My building’s not here.”

  “I’ve noticed that, yes.”

  “You were expecting this.” She accused. “You think I’m crazy, but that’s because you have no idea what’s going on. If you knew the truth, you’d know that a building was supposed to be here. Right here!”

  Damien ignored her anger. “I trust that you’ll explain the truth to me very soon.” He’d made sure of it in fact.

  She sniffed and shook her head. “You wouldn’t believe me if I told you.” Now, she sounded maudlin. “Oh hell. What am I going to do?”

  The question wasn’t aimed at him, but he answered it anyway. “You’re going to leave this place and allow me to take you home.”

  “What home?” Her hand came up to swipe under her nose. “My apartment’s probably not built yet, either. I have nowhere to go.”

  “You’ll come back to my lair.” Damien hesitated for a beat and then closed the last distance between them. “You will be safe there.” Against his better judgment, he leaned down to touch her hair. Gods, it was soft. Softer even than he’d imagined. He clenched his teeth against the feel and kept his voice neutral. “For as long as this takes, you’ll be my guest.”

  Guest sounded so much better than hostage.

  He braced himself for Kara to jerk away from his touch. Instead, she leaned closer to him and let out a shaky sigh. “I don’t know how long this will take to fix. I don’t know how to fix it. Am I supposed to live in your mausoleum forever?”

  It took Damien a moment to process her words through his surprise. The woman was letting him stroke her hair with no signs of revulsion. Was this a ploy? “I’m not worried about a timeline.” He finally murmured. “I’m immortal. Years and decades mean little to me.”

  “Well, I’ve only got eight or nine decades and I don’t plan to spend them here.” She bit her lower lip. “I do need a place to stay, right now, though. You’d really just let me crash at your house for as long as I want?”

  “Longer, even.” Better to let her think she had a choice.

  “Thanks.” Kara let him help her to her feet and gazed up at him with a tired smile. “In case you haven’t noticed, my life is a disaster. You should be hiding from me, for your own protection. But, I’d be lost right now, if you weren’t being so nice…” She stopped that bizarre statement short, her expressive eyes focused on something beyond his shoulder. “Son-of-a-bitch.”

  Vampire.

  Damien sensed it before he even turned around.

  Kara shoved past him as Damien turned to confront the threat. It wasn’t Slade. The energy this Vampire gave off was weaker. One of his loyal men, then. Slade had so many faithful followers. Gods only knew why.

  Damien made it his business to learn the names of his enemies and this one was Fibos. Around three hundred years old, he was one of Slade’s younger recruits. Like all the Vampires, he was large and blond, with a fondness for open-throated, white, puffy shirts.

  Damien forced himself to stay still, waiting to see what Karalynn would do. He could kill the Vampire or swiftly transport Kara back to the dungeons easily enough. There was no risk with this boy. Damien just needed to know if she’d betrayed him or if she was in league with the Vampires. His stomach sank as she approached Fibos.

  “Your Majesty.” The young Vampire looked shocked to see her headed his way, automatically bowing. “King Slade has all of us searching for you. Are you safe…?”

  Kara cut him off. “Where the hell did you get that?” She gestured to a square of fabric in his hand. “That’s mine! I recognize it. It’s not like they sell a lot of other knock-off Louis Vuitton around here. You stole my wallet!”

  “No! King Slade found it in the gardens of your home, my lady.” Fibos was clearly eager to acquit himself of any theft charges. “It carried your scent and…”

  “Jesus, you people can follow my scent?!” Karalynn sounded revolted.

  Despite himself, Damien nearly smirked.

  “No, my lady. Well, not far, my lady.”

  “Stop calling me that! How did you even find me?”

  Fibos held out the wallet. “There were strange cards inside this with your name and various addresses on them, so we split up to find you, going to the…”

  “That wasn’t my home, you dope. Or my gardens. But that is my wallet and you had no business snooping through it. What else did the Vamp Squad steal of mine, huh? Is that my cell phone?” She gestured to his other hand. “Unbelievable. Damien,” She turned to look at him for some form of redress. “Make him give me back my stuff.”

  Apparently, Fibos hadn’t processed Damien standing there. Blue eye slashed over to Damien’s still form.

  Damien arched a brow and waited for the show to begin.

  Fibos’ didn’t disappoint. His mouth dropped open in horror, his other hand. “Run, you’re Majesty!” He drew back his hand as if he planned to heave the ‘cellphone’ at Damien in some kind of pitiful attack.

  Damien smirked.

  “Don’t throw that!” Kara commanded in a panicked tone. “You’ll break it and I have a two year contract!”

  Fibos obediently halted his action, switching the pink object to his other hand an
d reaching out for her arm. “My lady, you must come with me.”

  “What? No.” Once again, she jerked away from a Vampire and turned to Damien. Karalynn backed out of Fibos’ range and came to stand next to him, instead. One small palm came up to grip Damien’s sleeve. He could feel the impact of her fingers through the fabric as if it was far more than just his arm she was touching. “Great. Damien, now another one’s trying to kidnap me.” She whispered, nervously. “What is it with these guys?”

  “He will not harm you, Kara Lynn.” All Damien’s emotions were long gone. He could only feel vengeance, now. Still, something like triumph swamped his system as she stayed at his side. This bossy, crazy mortal was the first person in centuries to look at him without dread and horror.

  To Karalynn, he was a protector. She believed that he’d guard her from the Vampires as some kind of selfless, heroic act. For whatever reason, he was in no hurry to change her absurd opinion.

  In no hurry to lose her.

  “Your Majesty, no!” Fibos looked appalled. “You cannot want this creature over the righteous glory of King Slade. He is what every woman dreams of and what every man longs to be!”

  Damien nearly snarled, mostly because the boy had a point. All beings admired Slade. The men idolized him and the women vied for his attention. Kara would be no different in the end. The idea sickened him and being called a creature just made it all the worse. He hated the bitter epithet.

  Sometimes he feared it was true.

  “Wow.” Karalynn rubbed her forehead like she’d suddenly developed a headache. “I know you can’t help the dialogue, kid. But… wow, was that stupid.”

  Damien glanced at her, sharply.

  “Your Majesty, please.” Fibos couldn’t take on Damien in a fight, so he didn’t attack outright, but he wasn’t forfeiting the round. “The creature can give you nothing. He is the last of his kind. A hunted animal. But we are a noble race of dark knights. With King Slade, you will be revered as Karalynn Donnelly, Queen of the Vampires!”

  Kara blinked once. Twice. And then she started laughing. Really laughing. As if that was the funniest thing she’d ever heard.

  Fibos and Damien both frowned at her.

  “My lady, it’s no joke.” Fibos assured her. “The exalted title is yours. You are King Slade’s Eternal-One. You shall rule the Vampire Isle at his mighty side, the Golden Crown of Mikinlouse upon your lovely head.”

  More laughter. Even harder than before. Not like the high-pitched, slightly hysterical laughter she’d given into back at his lair. No, it was like she genuinely found Fibos… funny. Kara’s entire body shook with her mirth. She was laughing so hard, Damien had to support part of her weight as she leaned against him.

  Obviously, she didn’t believe the boy. Just as well. Damien was in no hurry for Kara to start wanting Slade back. Offering her a supreme seat of power, untold riches, and her own island to rule were not surefire ways to keep her anti-vampire.

  Damien briefly rested his face against the top of her head, because he knew that Fibos would be relating every second of this encounter to Slade and he wanted to piss the Vampire off.

  … And because he wanted to breathe in the honeysuckle fragrance of Kara’s curls. Arousal roared through his body as the delicate strands slid over skin. She was so soft. Every time he thought he’d processed the softness it struck him again. In Damien’s world, no one was soft. The gentle sensation made him think random, crazy thoughts. Thoughts that had nothing to do with vengeance and everything to do with this woman’s body against his.

  Fibos glowered at him. “You have stolen our Queen. King Slade’s Eternal-One. There shall be a reckoning!”

  The young were always so righteous. They had no idea how little justice there really was in this world.

  “He didn’t steal me.” Kara wiped at her eyes, still chuckling. “I asked him for help.”

  “My lady, you don’t know what you’re saying. Damien has beguiled you. You are but an innocent flower caught in the storm.”

  “Oh Lord. Tanya already used that line. Are we recycling it, already?”

  Damien was getting used to comments like that.

  Fibos just looked baffled. “My lady, I truly fear that the sorcerer has you under a spell.”

  Kara snorted. “Oh, he does not. Do you, Damien?”

  “No.” Not yet anyway.

  “See?” Kara waved a dismissive hand. “Look, things have just gotten confused here. I’m not your Vampire Queen. That’s the bottom line, alright? You’re barking up the wrong heroine.”

  “What?” Fibos seemed totally lost.

  “I’m not Slade’s Eternal-One. There was a mix-up. The Eternal-One you want is Melessa Fairfaix. Or possible Fairfield or Fairmont. Just look for a ‘Fair,’ okay? She’s off joining Buffalo Bill’s Wild West Show, right now. Trust me, she would love to wear the Golden Crown of Mickey Mouse for ya.”

  “King Slade can have only one Eternal-One, my lady. If you doubt his fidelity, I assure you, only you hold his heart in your tiny hand. He has waited centuries for you.”

  “Oh yeah. I’m sure he’s waited for me.” Kara rolled her eyes, meaningfully.

  “He hasn’t.” Damien had no qualms about reporting that. Perversely, he hoped that the news broke her heart and she never forgave Sir Galahad. “He sleeps with many Vampiresses in his castle. Sometimes at the same time. I can supply you with names, if you’d like.” He had spies in the Vampire ranks who kept him up to date on everything that happened there.

  “He has a castle?”

  Damn. Perhaps he shouldn’t have mentioned that part. “Just a small one.”

  “It is the largest castle in the universe, my lady, staffed by thousands of servants who would cater to your every desire.” Fibos retorted. “The queen’s room is decorated entirely with gold and precious ruby encrusted furniture.”

  “Sounds cozy.” Karalynn drawled. “Question: Did Tanya think about how comfortable solid metal bedding probably isn’t?”

  Fibos wasn’t done. The little bastard was determined to sell his master as the Vampires’ most eligible bachelor. Which –sickeningly enough-- he actually was. “King Slade has waited for you, my lady. In his own way. The scores of other women he’s pleasured were but sensual training for when he consummates his Eternal Bond with you. They mean nothing to him.”

  “Oh gag.” Karalynn glanced up at Damien. “I hate how the guy’s always a sexual tyrannosaurus and the girl’s always a blushing virgin. Doesn’t that bug you? It perpetuates a double standard.”

  There was absolutely nothing in Damien’s experience that prepared him for a question like that. Since she seemed to expect a response though, he just said the first thing that popped into his head. “I’m never concerned about other men in a woman’s past. After she’s been with me, she doesn’t remember them, anyway.”

  Kara’s eyes went wide, like she couldn’t believe he’d said that.

  Honestly, Damien couldn’t, either. The half arrogant/half sardonic comment had been completely out of the blue. What did this woman do to him?

  Fibos didn’t notice the pause. “There is no need to fear King Slade’s legendary prowess and massive endowments, my lady. He will take your purity with the gentlest…”

  Karalynn gave her head a shake. “Ewww! Let’s just cut the rest of the speech, okay?” She held up a hand. “If there’s God, I will never see the Vampire’s massive endowments. Geez! I can’t believe Tanya actually wrote that. Consider it already edited, and let’s just all erase it from our minds.”

  “Gladly.” Damien muttered.

  “My lady, whoever Tanya is, I assure you she means nothing to King Slade. You alone are his Eternal-One…”

  “No!” Kara cut him off. “I’m not Slade’s Eternal-One! Lord, is it really that difficult to believe that Captain America’s wrong about this?”

  “He is a king, not a mere captain.” Fibos began, loyally. “And Slade is never wrong.”

  Damien snorted, more than
willing to offer Karalynn a list of times when Slade’s fallibility had been more than apparent. Before he could begin reciting them, though, the Flawless King of the Vampires appeared.

  “Eternal-One!” Slade’s booming voice grated across Damien like shards of glass. “I have found you, my love! I shall save you from this creature!” He bounded across the open lot, a sword in one hand and what looked like a pink purse clutched in the other.

  Damien rolled his eyes in disgust. It was either focus on the Vampire’s staggering stupidity or fall into a blind rage. Slade remained so utterly unaffected by his deeds, so uncaring that he’d wiped out Damien’s people and life. The Vampires had butchered Damien’s baby sister and still had the audacity to call the Wizard Warlocks ‘creatures.’ It drove Damien to the brink of madness.

  It wasn’t that Slade’s guilt or apology would make a difference. Damien would still kill him. The festering hatred he felt towards the Vampire was a living thing in his rotten soul. But, he wanted –just once-- for that smug piece of shit to see himself for the monster he really was.

  No.

  More than that.

  He wanted Slade’s woman to see him for the monster he really was. He wanted Karalynn to see that the Vampires were the real creatures. Damien wanted more than her body. He wanted Karalynn on his side of this war. The desire made no sense, but it was amazing in its sudden strength. He wanted Karalynn to see that he was right and to stay with him willingly. He wanted the woman to continuing thinking of him as the hero.

  Even as he thought it, though, Damien knew it would never happen. She was wary of the Vampire now, but soon she’d soon come to love him. Everyone always did. Damien automatically glanced down at Kara for her reaction, already preparing to get enraged with her inevitable fawning over Slade’s presence.

  Instead of being transfixed by the Vampire’s half buttoned shirt, she was gaping up at the sky, again. “Holy crap, he has theme music.” She whispered in astonishment. “Tanya’s given Slade his own theme music for when he rides to the rescue!”

  Damien’s head tilted, listening. She was right. A trumpet and drum laden, heroic ode was playing from somewhere. That was… odd. Damien had an uncomfortable sensation of wrongness as he looked around. Did that always happen when Slade appeared? He suddenly couldn’t be sure, nor could he explain it. Not even the Vampire could travel with a full orchestra.