His skin looked a bit paler than before. His hair was a little longer. The black locks skimmed his broad shoulders. He wore a battered black, leather coat, a dark shirt, and loose jeans.
The guy was big—way over six feet. She had to tilt her head back a bit to stare up at him. No, to glare up at him.
“I was told everyone on your team died on that last operation.” She should have been on that team. But someone, somewhere, had passed on the word about her relationship with Sullivan and she’d been yanked at the last minute. Reassigned to some bullshit security detail.
When she’d gotten the news about the slaughter—Sadie couldn’t stop the shudder that worked over her body. God, but she could still see those photos—it had been a bloody massacre. One look at those photos, and she’d almost fainted. Because Liam was one of the victims. Or so she’d thought.
Normally, Sadie wasn’t the fainting type. More the kick-ass, make-’em-sorry type, and that was just what she was about to do. Make the Irish devil very sorry that he’d ever been born.
He grabbed her. His hands locked around her shoulders, and he lifted her up onto her tiptoes. “I missed you.”
What? Lying jerk—
Then he kissed her. His lips were firm against hers, slightly cool, and—oh, hell.
Her mouth opened. She gave a little moan when she felt the strong thrust of his tongue. The guy had always been one hell of a kisser. He knew just how to move his lips against hers. Knew just how to use his tongue. Sliding it against hers. Teasing her mouth. Tasting. Sampling. Taking.
A ball of heat in her belly had her rubbing against him. Pushing to get closer. She didn’t want soft and easy, she’d never wanted that.
Hard. Wild—that was the only way she’d take a man.
And Liam, damn his black soul, knew it.
His hands smoothed down her body. Locked on her ass. Squeezed. His erection pushed against her belly. Long and hard. Thick. Oh, she remembered it well.
She remembered too much.
That was the problem.
She tried to pull back, but Liam’s hold didn’t weaken.
Sadie twisted, putting some of her enhanced strength into play. Oh, damn, but the man’s tongue…
His hold tightened.
Too strong. What the hell?
His mouth lifted, just an inch. “Fuckin’ missed you,” he rasped, then captured her lips again.
Ice blasted through her veins. Fuckin’ missed you. He hadn’t looked like he was missing her when he’d been all over the redhead.
Bastard.
Sadie purred, a low, rumbling sound.
And bit him.
The coppery taste of blood flooded her mouth.
Liam’s head jerked up. He stared down at her, and his eyes, the beautiful eyes she’d seen in her dreams for so long, flickered sickeningly from blue to black.
Shit.
Not playing anymore, she shoved against him and managed to break free of his hold. Stumbling back, she lifted her hand to her mouth and shook her head, struggling to deny the truth that was staring her right in the face.
No, not Liam.
He licked away the drops of blood on his lips. “A ghrá, you do know what I like.” A ghrá. One of his Irish endearments—one that used to make her heart leap, but now had her tensing.
Liam smiled at her, but it wasn’t the boyish smile of the man she’d known.
It was a hard grin. One that showed the sharp points of his too long canines.
Her nostrils flared. Scents assaulted her. The same smoke she’d smelled before. The alcohol.
Liam. The crisp scent of an ocean. The sweet fragrance of clovers.
Ireland.
He didn’t smell like decay or death.
Impossible.
But his eyes were black and his teeth, they were too long.
Sadness filled her. She knew his type. Knew what drove them. So much darkness.
Liam was lost to her. His kind lived for terror and fear.
True monsters.
She’d never thought she’d have to do it, but it looked like she might have to kill her ex-lover.
Hell. Could she do it? A tremble shook her body, and, for an instant, she didn’t see his face.
No, she saw the pale face and shining eyes of Jasmine. Her friend smiled, and blood trickled down her neck.
Sadie blinked, and Jasmine was gone, but Liam, a new Liam, still stood before her.
“Somethin’ you should know, Sadie.” His brogue thickened, deliberately, she knew. “I didnae exactly survive that ambush…”
Her hand lifted. Traced the line of his cheek. “I know.” Soft. “And I hope you understand…”
A line appeared between his brows. “Understand?”
She knew her smile was broken. Her hand dropped. Do it. Don’t think. She reached for a nearby chair. Lifted it and shattered the wood in a blink.
“Sadie—”
Her kind moved fast, always had. Her right hand locked around the broken chair leg. She raised her hand, preparing to plunge her makeshift weapon into his heart. “I’m not killing you—I’m killing what you’ve become.”
His black eyes widened.
Vampire.
Sadie drove her stake straight toward his heart.
I’m sorry, Liam.
He reacted too slowly. Liam swore, trying to twist back, but he was trapped against the wall.
The wood drove into his chest. He grabbed her wrist, holding tight, fingers clenching around the delicate bones.
Sadie James was a hell of lot stronger than she looked. Her golden eyes were determined, but her mouth, that sweet, beautiful red mouth quivered.
He could feel his blood rushing out. Soaking his shirt front. There were screams around them. Folks had turned at the sound of the shattering chair.
The wood was in his chest, about an inch and a half deep. But it wasn’t in his heart. He’d managed to turn just enough—
“She’s killing him! Oh, my God, that crazy bitch is killing him!”
He knew the voice. Susie. Sharon. He couldn’t exactly remember the redhead’s name. She was the one screaming, but she didn’t seem to realize that the bar she was in…well, it wasn’t exactly normal.
Folks there weren’t going to lose any sleep over another vampire getting staked. Hell, he could see the faces of the other vamps in the bar. Smiling bastards. They were afraid to take him on, but they were sure happy to let someone else take a stab at him. Or a stake, to him.
“Love, I don’t want to hurt you.” Truer words he’d never spoken. But Liam had already died once, found the whole experience to be a damn nightmare, and he didn’t plan on passing over again.
He could break her wrist. Snap it easily. And if he had to, he would.
The trembling lips rose into a grimace. “Hurt. That’s all vampires do. They hurt, they torture, and they kill.”
Pretty accurate—for most vampires. “I’m not like that.” The stake was digging deeper into his flesh. Not a killing wound, but it still burned—and his kind didn’t do so well with blood loss.
He could see the doubt in her eyes.
Fine. His teeth clenched. So be it.
Liam snarled—and attacked.
He lunged forward, and the stake drove deeper into his chest.
Sadie stumbled back and her hand finally, finally, fell away from the stake when she tripped over the remains of the chair and tumbled onto the floor.
He stared down at her. Beautiful Sadie.
Soft locks of blond hair fell around her heart-shaped face. Her mysterious eyes glared up at him.
His hand lifted. He grabbed the end of the stake. Yanked it out. Felt the rough splash of blood.
A choked cry. For an instant, his eyes lifted and met the redhead’s shocked stare. She looked like she was going to pass out. Instead, she turned and ran, as fast as she could.
The band kept playing.
He tossed the stake onto the table. “That hurt, Sadie.”
S
he barred her teeth at him. Teeth that were too sharp for a human’s. Why hadn’t he noticed that before? “It was supposed to.”
His head cocked. Sadie. He’d wanted her from the first minute he saw her. Petite, curvy, with that come-hither smile and those fuck-me heels she liked to wear.
Most of the men in his unit had fantasized about her. There was just something about Sadie James.
Something stirring. Something untamed.
A fire, a passion that he’d never seen before—or since.
His gaze slid over her. She hadn’t changed much. Her hair was a little shorter. Maybe she was a bit thinner. He didn’t like that. His eyes narrowed as he studied her. She still had great breasts—full and high. But her hips weren’t as curved, dammit. He’d sure liked her lush hips.
His stare skated back to her face. Such a lovely face. Wide eyes. So golden. A straight, sharp little nose. High cheeks.
A beauty, no denying it.
One that had nearly taken his heart. Then, and now.
“Ah, love…” Because she had been. He shook his head and felt real regret as he stared down at her. “You made me lose my meal.” And his fuck, but they’d get to that, later.
Her brows rose. “Tough shit, vampire.” In a flash, she’d bounded to her feet.
Fast. Too fast.
Just as her teeth were a bit too sharp.
His nostrils flared. Her scent surrounded him. The wild scent of a forest. The rich scent of woman.
Odd. Humans usually smelled like food to him. Blood and sex.
But Sadie—there was a heavy fragrance that clung to her. A deep scent. Heady.
His cock tightened.
He’d wanted her like mad when he was a human, and, being a vampire hadn’t made the desire lessen.
It had just made the hunger more dangerous.
“I cried for you.” The words seemed ripped from her. Her hands were clenched. Her small body taut.
The heart many humans foolishly believed didn’t beat inside of him began to thunder against his chest. His hand lifted. The back of his fingers brushed over her cheek.
Soft. So fucking soft.
“Sadie, soon you’ll bleed for me.” A promise.
Sadie wasn’t getting away from him.
Besides, the woman had tried to kill him. She owed him. Blood, sex, everything.
She blinked. Shook her head. Blond strands of hair bounced against her shoulder. “I’m not your prey, vamp.”
Vamp. “Liam.” He said his name deliberately. Just how much did Sadie know about his kind? She knew how to kill them, obviously. When he’d known her before, he’d thought she was a human, just like him.
One who didn’t know about the true darkness waiting just behind the closed doors of the world.
She caught his wrist. Jerked his hand away from her face. “Don’t touch me. You lost that privilege a long time ago.”
The anger inside began to boil. “You’re playin’ with fire.” The last warning he’d give her.
Liam figured he’d been a pretty good sport so far. He’d let her attack him. Nearly stake him. He’d even let the sexy blond eat his head off with her insults.
But enough, well, was enough. The wound in his chest was slowly closing, but his shirt was soaked with blood. He needed to drink soon, and he hadn’t been kidding when he said Sadie would be giving him her blood.
In the next two minutes, he planned to have her pinned against the wall, her soft body pressed to his, his teeth piercing her pale throat.
He could hardly wait to taste her blood on his tongue.
“I’m not afraid of fire, asshole.” That chin of hers lifted. Stubborn. She’d always been stubborn—and there hadn’t been much that Sadie had feared.
But, that had been before…
She cast a disgusted glance over his body. “And I sure as hell am not afraid of you.” She spun around, took a step away from him. “See you later, vamp—”
Liam grabbed her. Jerked her back and shoved her against the wall of the bar. He leaned over her. Pushed his weight against her and trapped her against the wall—just as he’d planned. Her breath panted out. She twisted, snarled, but she didn’t break his hold.
Sadie was strong, but he was stronger. “I told you, already, you made me lose my prey.” His head lowered. His mouth hovered over her throat. His teeth were burning, stretching. The already sharp canines elongated in preparation for that sweet bite. “Now, I’m going to have to take you.” His mouth opened. His tongue swiped over her flesh.
Fucking delicious. Tangy.
His cock was rock hard. His teeth were ready.
Time to take a bite.
She shook against him. A small tremble. His lips widened. Teeth pressed right over her pounding pulse.
And her claws—damn claws—dug into the bloody mess that was his chest. “Not so fast, vampire.”
His head lifted. He gazed into her eyes. Eyes that were shining, no, glowing, with some kind of bright light.
His breath heaved out. “Well, well…” Looked like he wasn’t the only one who’d taken a walk in the Other world.
Sadie James, the best lover of his life, the beautiful dream he’d held in the darkness of his heart, wasn’t human.
She bared her fangs and growled.
He smiled.
Then Liam ignored the fiery pain of those wicked claws. He moved fast, ducking his head and sinking his teeth into the side of her throat.
Chapter Two
It wasn’t supposed to feel good. A vampire’s bite was a degradation. An unforgivable crime against her kind. Blood was sacred. Blood was power.
No, a vampire’s bite wasn’t supposed to feel good, and his didn’t feel good—it felt damn amazing.
Sadie gasped as a hot pulse of lust and hunger shot through her. Her breasts ached. Her sex tightened.
And, humbling as all hell, she found herself arching her throat and offering herself to him.
If her brother had seen her, he would have roared his fury.
Thankfully, Jacob wasn’t around—and Liam was.
She didn’t remember taking her claws out of his chest, but her hands were now curled around the strong width of his shoulders. Holding him tight, pulling him closer.
Sadie could feel his tongue. The press of his lips. The hard bulge of his cock.
Voices buzzed around her. Music. Scents. She ignored them, closing her eyes to the sight of the bar.
She’d been a fighter all her life. It was all she’d known.
But for once, she was tempted to just be…taken.
Taken.
The word echoed in her mind and had her lashes snapping open.
Taken—the name for the vampires who were converted. No, no, what was she doing? She wasn’t some drugged vamp slut. She was a shifter—the strongest of the Other.
“No!” Husky. Not nearly loud enough. Get a grip, girl. You know vamps don’t stop with a sweet “please.”
She clenched her teeth. This was gonna hurt.
Sadie shoved him back a good two feet. His teeth raked over her throat, leaving a trail of fire.
“What the hell?” He swiped his hand over his mouth, wiping away her blood, and she almost slugged the jerk.
Drinking without permission. Vamps always thought the world was their damn drive-in restaurant.
She put her hand to her throat. Shit, it hurt. Another sin for Sullivan. “What do I look like?” she demanded. “A buffet?”
His eyes, still the soulless black of a vampire in hunting mode, swept down her body. “Love, you know how I like to eat—”
She caught the scent then. The wild fragrance of the animal. Fur. Fury.
Sadie shoved around Liam. Her eyes scanned the bar.
Business. Hell, she’d almost forgotten why she’d come into this little shithole of a vampire feeding room, er, bar in the first place.
She had a case to solve. One of her kind had gone rogue. Two bodies had turned up in Miami within the last month. Nearly ripped
to freaking shreds.
Her boss in the Bureau had thought that a vamp was behind the slaughter, but one look at the claw marks and Sadie had known that she was after a leopard.
After someone just like her.
Someone who was in the bar right then.
Her kind could always smell other shifters. Her too-sensitive nose was the perfect homing device.
Her gaze tracked to the left. Followed the scent. Saw the man. Tall, sleekly muscled. Long, blond hair. He caught her stare, lifted a brow, and smiled.
A smile that chilled the blood in her veins.
A vampire lover and a shifter gone bad. Her luck so sucked.
The jerk across the bar lifted his hand and crooked his finger.
Her muscles quivered. Time to give that jerk an ass kicking.
“Who the fuck is he?” The rumbling demand came from Liam. The Irish was heavy in his voice again, blending perfectly with the rage.
She didn’t glance his way. The shifter had caught sight of Liam, not a very hard task. The blond’s eyes were narrowed, his head cocked.
“The new lover?”
Not likely. Her nose twitched, catching the heavy odor of blood. There was so much blood in the bar now. It was a scent her kind enjoyed too much.
A scent that she’d known would draw the killer.
“Stay out of my way, vampire.” Her turn to give the warning. “I’m going to—”
Too late. The shifter spun around, pushing his way back toward the door.
Not that easy.
Sadie raced after him. Three weeks worth of tracking wasn’t about to go down the drain just because she’d gotten a brief case of lust-induced insanity.
Lust…for a damned vampire!
When Sadie bolted away as if level ten demons were after her—level tens being the absolute strongest and baddest of the demon assholes who strolled the earth—Liam followed right on her heels.
He could still taste her blood on his tongue. Sweet but tangy. Absolutely delicious.
Belong To The Night Page 18