Out of the Dark (Forbidden Love)

by Danielle James

  “Please, call me Samuel.”

  “Samuel,” Angel repeated, “What brings you by?”

  “There was another body found last night. This time, she was left on a bench on Forty Seventh Street. Same MO, different place. A homeless guy flagged down a cop to report it.” Samuel shook his head. “We think we may have found a connection. It may be nothing, but then again, it may be everything. All of these women had ticket stubs in their homes. From the recent concert you guys performed here in LA.”

  Angel absorbed this information without any expression. He had many fans, so the connection was thin at best. But the idea that this rogue could be targeting girls from his shows bothered Angel immensely.

  “But, like I said, it may be nothing. But just in case, I wanted to ask you some questions,” Samuel continued.

  “Of course, Detective,” Angel said, “I will help in any way that I can.”

  “It’s just the usual stuff. Do you know of anyone who might hold ill will toward you or other members of your band?”

  “I am the clan leader, there are any number of vampires who would be angry with me for one reason or another. I could think of a number of humans as well. Do you think that is what this is?”

  “I don’t know. Right now, I’m just checking every possibility.”

  “As I mentioned before, I really think we are dealing with a rogue vampire. Last night, my men and I sensed a stranger at the Black Horse. We were unable to identify him, and we searched the area. Whoever it was did a good job of shielding himself from me, which would indicate that he is either an old one or a very powerful psychic. Do I think it is our man? I can’t say. But any vampire that hides his presence from me is most often up to no good.”

  “But why slice up the neck? I mean, can’t a vampire rip out a throat just as easily as a wolf can?” Samuel pointed out.

  “Yes, and any vampire who has any inclination of human forensics would know that the wounds were made by a knife. Perhaps he is trying to cover the bite marks, to hide the fact that he is a vampire. Or possibly, he is just screwing with us. Making us run in circles, chasing every false lead. And it is quite possible that he is just a twisted individual.”

  Samuel watched Angel’s eyes as he spoke. The man obviously had nothing to hide, or maybe he was a very good liar. “If you don’t mind, I’m going to have to ask you for an alibi for each night of the murders. And your men as well.”

  “Am I a suspect, Samuel?” Angel asked, raising a brow.

  “Right now, everyone is. But it will be easier to rule you and yours out with reliable alibis. I would also like a list of anyone who might be angry with you.”

  “I will provide you with all the information you need, we have nothing to hide. Also, I would like to get with you after the list is compiled. I do not wish for you to question some of these vampires without one of my representatives.”

  “Humph,” Samuel said, “I have no fear of vampires.”

  “As I am well aware, I only meant to convey that they will be much more likely to cooperate if they know that I am on their ass as well.”

  “Good point, so, can you have this done by tomorrow?”

  “Consider it done.”

  FIFTEEN

  “What news have you brought?” the woman asked, clearly irritated with the disturbance.

  “My Lady, I have learned that the human police are questioning Angel Knight, just as we hoped. They no longer believe it is a werewolf attacking the women. They are nearly certain it is one of us.”

  “Good, have you found your next target?” she demanded, her eyes showing just the barest hint of red.

  “I have, but it will take some time to get to her. She is staying at the Knight estate this week.”

  “Then pick someone else! We do not have time to wait. We have a mere three days to distract him. I will not fail in this.”

  “But she will be the perfect distraction. He cares for her.”

  “I do not care! If there isn’t a dead body with Angel Knight written all over it by morning, I will see you bound and gagged on a pyre. Is that absolutely clear?” she spat, her fangs gleaming in the light.

  “Yes ma’am. Perfectly.”

  The man stalked away, fuming. He would get the red head. It was only a matter of time. He glanced at his list of potential victims. It wasn’t hard to generate, anyone could hack into Ticket Master and gain information about who purchased tickets to any event, as long as they used a credit card.

  There were three that lived near the Black Horse, he noticed. That seemed like a good place to look. With a shrug, he turned down the street and headed for the bar. The hour was growing late, and people would be going home. It was time to turn up the heat, Angel Knight.

  SIXTEEN

  Angel spent hours pouring through his computer files. He looked at any and every grievance he presided over for the last five years. Any person who had been decided against suddenly became a vampire of interest. He tried to narrow the list down to just those he knew to be angry about it, but still, the list was daunting.

  He also typed in all the places his crew and himself had been nightly for the previous month. It was a good thing that Sebastian kept such meticulous records. He would have to ask about any blanks in the database, but there weren’t many.

  Finally satisfied, Angel emailed the list to Detective Corbin and shut down his computer. He hadn’t had anything to eat as of yet, and he was thirsty. Entering the kitchen, Angel found that dinner had gone on without him, the mess already cleaned up. There was a steak in the microwave, and a bottle of wine in the fridge. Angel heated it up, washed it down with the wine, and filled a glass from the blood bottle. The blood tasted especially bland, and he figured it was time to acquire more, fresher supplies.

  He then retired to the library, thinking that a good book would help settle his nerves. He had forgotten that Brea had all the linens taken there. Brea and Keelie were there, cutting and sewing away at the white cloth. Brea’s hair was still tied back, but more escaped the rubber band than it actually held. She was hunched over the sewing machine, cussing at something.

  “Do you have any idea what time it is?” Angel asked, breaking the blue streak flowing from Brea’s mouth.

  “No, is it late?”

  “It is four. How long have you ladies been at this?”

  “For a while,” Keelie answered, “No wonder my back hurts. Let’s take a break.”

  “Good idea,” Brea agreed, shoving her chair away from the machine.

  “What has that poor machine done anyway, to deserve such a thorough cursing?” Angel teased.

  “The damned thing keeps getting the thread tangled up. I will not have one napkin snarled around the edge.”

  “Perhaps I should have a look,” he offered.

  “You can sew?” Keelie asked incredulously.

  “I can do many things,” Angel answered.

  “Have at it,” Brea said.

  Angel opened the panel on the machine, tinkered with something Brea didn’t know what it was, and said, “There. You should have no more problems. The spindle was stuck. I fixed it.”

  “Thanks,” Brea said, rubbing the back of her neck.

  “Keelie, why don’t you find yourself some refreshments? I think Ricco is still up, probably in the sitting room with the TV.”

  “Yeah, I will leave you two alone,” she smiled.

  “Oh, it’s not that, he just thought you might be thirsty,” Brea said in a hurry.

  “I am, and thanks,” Keelie answered, waving and smiling as she left the library.

  Angel stood behind Brea and replaced her hand on her neck with his own. “Mmm, that’s nice,” Brea mumbled under her breath. His hands were like magic, massaging away the knots in her muscles. Unable to stop herself, Brea sighed.

  “You have been working too hard.”

  “No, I haven’t been working hard enough. If you are paying me five grand for this, I am going to earn it. I will not leave here in a few days
feeling like I have let you down in any way. You might want to hire me again, sometime.”

  Angel felt his breath hitch in his throat. He had hardly thought about what would happen when the party was done. Of course she planned on leaving; his was not her home. She had a life to go back to. There must be something he could do to convince her to stay longer.

  “As your employer, I insist you stop for the night. You will do no good if you are exhausted. Come.”

  “But there is so much to do still,” Brea whined.

  “And still plenty of time to do it. For now, I request the pleasure of your company. Would you like to go out somewhere?”

  “No, I’m sorry. I’m actually very tired. I think I would like a hot bath, and maybe watch a movie.”

  “Very well, then, I shall draw you a bath, and see to a movie. What would you like to watch?”

  “I don’t think it matters, in all honesty, I’ll probably fall asleep.”

  Angel led Brea to her room, requesting that she remain on her bed while he made her bath. He filled the garden tub with steamy water, adding a lavender oil to help her relax. He wanted to undress her, to bathe her, to get in the tub with her and ravish her until she could not recall her own name, but instead, he left her alone and went to see about that movie.

  Keelie was in the sitting room with Ricco, a glass of wine in her hand, curled up against him as the movie was just beginning. “Hey, do you guys care to wait to start that until Brea comes down? She wanted to watch a movie,” Angel said, then, he added, “Unless you wanted to be alone?”

  “No, it’s fine. We can wait,” Keelie answered. Her eyes really were something to look at. “By the way, Angel, thank you for allowing me to help Brea. It means a lot to her that she does a good job here. She can be stubborn sometimes, and she wouldn’t be able to do this alone. But that wouldn’t stop her from trying. And thank you for hiring her. You have no idea how this has helped her get over her aversions to our kind.”

  “I am pleased to have both of you in my home,” Angel said with a smile, “Did she have difficulties with vampires before?”

  “No, not really. When she first came here, a werewolf scared her shitless. I think he was only trying to scare her, but she really thought he meant to kill her. It took her months to warm up to me. Unfortunately, after that, she became very reserved about people who are different.”

  “She seemed to get along well last night,”

  “Tell me about it, did you see her deck that vamp? I mean, he deserved it, but I never thought I would see the day she stood up to a vampire.”

  Angel was unaware that his little minx had assaulted anyone else. This woman got more and more interesting by the minute. “Why did she hit him?”

  “Couldn’t keep his hands to himself,” she replied. “But don’t worry, the guys took care of it for you.”

  “Hmm,” was all Angel could say.

  Brea joined the group a few minutes later, and they all settled to watch the movie. Brea sat beside Angel, sides touching, and he draped his arm over her shoulders. Fifteen minutes into the movie, Brea nestled her head in the hollow between Angel’s shoulder and chest. He looked down at her face only to see that her face was lax, her eyes closed. She really was tired. He shifted her so that she was draped across his lap. With deft hands, he scooped her up under her legs and back and stood up with her in his arms. “I’m going to put her to bed,” he announced in little more than a whisper. “You are welcome to sleep here, Keelie, if you want. Just have Ricco show you where. Goodnight.”

  He left with his precious Brea still sleeping in his arms. Angel smiled as he ascended the stairs, knowing how Ricco liked the wolf girl. He hoped things between them would grow into something, anything.

  Angel had to admit, he was fond of Keelie as well. She was a strong woman, as most wolves are, but she was a good friend to Brea and that alone put her high in his graces. He thought it would be nice to have her around more.

  Angel laid Brea on her bed and carefully pulled the blankets over her body. She looked so much like an angel herself, sleeping so soundly. The first light of dawn was beginning to show on the horizon, and Angel knew he should be getting to bed himself. The rest of the house had gone quiet for the moment; it was that time of day when the vampires were going to bed, and Frieda had not yet arrived to start her daily schedule.

  But he wanted so badly to just lay with Brea and wrap his arms around her as he slept. Without waiting to talk himself out of it, Angel settled on the mattress beside her. He was on top of the blanket, but he was still able to feel the heat from her body. He turned to his side and pulled her to him, her back against his chest. Just for a few minutes, he told himself, curling a strand of her hair in his fingers. Just a few minutes and then I will go to my own room.

  SEVENTEEN

  Angel was lying in a field of lavender. The small flowers were fragrant and soft, the sun shining on his face, warming his skin. The sun! Angel jerked to a sitting position, only to see that he was sitting under a blue sky with white clouds moving lazily with the breeze.

  The sound of laughter drew his attention and, the sun temporarily forgotten, he spun around to see where it came from. Brea was dancing in the very field he was now standing in, wearing a sundress the color of the sunshine. She smiled at him and crooked her finger, motioning him to come to her. Angel moved with agonizing slowness to her side. She wrapped her arms around him and kissed his lips.

  “Je ne comprendre pas,” Angel said in his mother tongue.

  “It’s ok,” she crooned.

  For some reason, Angel could not control his tongue. She was heartbreakingly beautiful, and there was so much he needed to tell her. “Je t’aime, Je t’adore, Je ne vivre pas sans toi,” he whispered into her ear. For whatever reason, he could only speak French.

  Brea tip toed up to kiss his lips again. “I know,” she said, then turned to leave.

  “Attandre! Comment c’est….”

  “It is a dream, silly, and now you need to wake up…” Brea called to him from somewhere he could not see.

  Angel opened his eyes. He could still smell the lavender, he was still very warm. It had been so long since he felt the sun on his face, so long since he had seen the blue sky as it truly is. He was loathe to get up. It was so rare for a vampire to dream, Angel didn’t want to wake up, not yet. But his senses returned and he realized why he could still smell the flowers. He was in Brea’s bed. Alone. The scent of the bath oil he used for her the night before still clung to the sheets. He had not meant to sleep there all day. And somehow, she had risen and left the room without waking him. And the things he had said to her in the dream. I love you, I adore you, I cannot live without you. What would she say if he said those things to her for real? This little woman whom he couldn’t get out of his head had wiggled her way into his soul. He then realized that it was more than just the mating instinct at work on him; she had found her way into his heart. He knew then what he had to do. Angel grudgingly got up and went to his own room to shower.

  “Well, good evening,” Sebastian said as Angel entered the main hall. “It’s about time you got your ass out of bed. That woman is crazy! She’s been working us like mules.” Angel hadn’t meant to sleep late, but he had. It was nearly six thirty by the time he got downstairs.

  Angel let his eyes roam over the room. Brea was truly an artist. She had transformed his main hall into an old 1920’s speakeasy. The linens were sewn and now draped the walls in generous curves and swags, the bar was shining and being stocked, the tables were being covered with alternating white and forest green cloths. But Brea was not at any of them. “Where is she?”

  “Over there, with Gage and Antonio.”

  Angel followed the direction in which Sebastian nodded, and gasped. Both Brea and Keelie were hanging more drapes on the west wall. The problem was, each woman was standing on the outstretched hands of one of his band mates. “Can we go a little to the left?” he heard Brea ask Gage. Gage took two steps to the
left, balancing Brea on his hands. She was holding the material in her hands, her mouth was full of pins. Unbidden images of the two women losing their balance and falling to the hard floor flooded Angel’s mind. Christ, they could be killed, they were only human!

  “What in God’s name are they doing?” Angel gasped. “Are they insane?” he growled as he stomped in that very direction. “Um, Gage, Antonio, are you guys sure this is the best way to go about this?” he asked carefully so not to surprise the men.

  “We offered to bring in some ladders, but they said this would do.”

  “I rather enjoy the view,” Antonio said sheepishly.

  “I heard that,” Keelie mumbled around the pins in her mouth.

  “What if they fall?” Angel said.

  “Now, do you really think we would let them fall?” Gage said with a roll of his eyes.

  “Accidents do happen.”

  “Angel,” Brea snapped, “We have only until tomorrow night to get this done. If you expect this room to accommodate fifty people by the time your guests arrive, then I suggest you let us work. We are almost done up here.”

  “Better watch that tongue of yours, little miss,” Angel warned.

  “Or else what?” she baited him.

  “Or else I shall snatch it from you,” he growled.

  Unafraid, she retorted, “Yeah, I don’t believe you. I think you could find far better things to do with my tongue than ‘snatch it from me,’”

  Angel just stood there with his mouth open. He wanted to shoot back some great smart ass answer, but she was right. And that made his brain travel in a much different direction. Growling in frustration, he clenched his fists at his side and told her, “Get down from there and get dressed. I’m taking you to dinner.” He didn’t wait for her reply, he just turned and walked away.

  “Is that how you get a date from a vampire?” Keelie asked. “I shall have to try that.”

  “No, it is not how you get a date,” Ricco said. “You get dressed too. We are going with.”