I hadn’t wanted to be rude so I’d rattled off my digits and he entered them in. As soon as I got home, my phone rang. It was him. We’d been friends ever since. At least, we were. I missed him.
I sighed and teleported home to the mansion to change out of my wet clothes and muddy shoes. Everyone would be at the club by now. I wasn’t in a hurry to join them. I would have liked to wait until the bruise completely vanished. But this was my first birthday as a vampire, and I knew they all expected me to be there. My new family. Now that I’d gotten over Lane not accepting me as his mate, as the fog of his essence had eventually stopped tormenting me, I realized how different we actually were. We’d never have made a good couple under any circumstances. I was beginning to enjoy my new life, but I still wasn’t sure how I felt about the whole never aging, living forever thing yet.
It had sort of helped when Magdalena suddenly found herself going through the same life transition as me after Cian, Lane’s brother, had changed her only a few months ago. She’d been dying too, but not from a vampire draining her blood. Her throat had been slashed out of jealousy, by Lane’s and Cian’s horrible and scary Master, Jewels. Man, that lady needed a serious lobotomy. Lady was an overstatement. Jewels was no lady. She had this weird and deranged idea that Lane and Cian should live with her and worship her as if she were some kind of queen—the evil queen of San Francisco. She’d wanted to control all the vampires that resided in the city. For what, I don’t know, maybe some sort of vampire army or something. Like really? We were a free-spirited, peace-loving bunch of vamps who didn’t like killing humans for nourishment. Hello! This was San Francisco, and we liked our individuality too much. That’s one thing I was thankful for. It could have been so much worse. Me, a peace-loving gal who’d never wanted to hurt anyone, could have been turned by a monster like Jewels and succumbed to her ways of killing and domination. Personally, I think Jewels was just infatuated with Lane and Cian. They were twins, fraternal twins, so although they didn’t look identical, they did look similar, both gorgeous with dark hair. And their eyes, oh my, those blue-silver eyes were enough to keep me drowning in them for hours. But I think personality-wise, Cian and Lane were as different as night and day. Cian the more serious one, tried to keep everyone in line. Lane liked to joke around. I think that’s what drew me to him in the first place. I enjoy a guy who can make me laugh. Cian kept his hair short, unlike Lane, whose long, dark waves hung past his shoulders. It’s funny. Before Lane, I didn’t usually go for guys with long hair, but I suppose when a vampire transforms you, there’s a certain amount of instant appeal that comes with it. Don’t get me wrong, Lane is gorgeous, and he swept me off my feet from the very beginning. But those feelings changed.
I kicked off my muddy, ruined heels and shrugged out of my wet clothes before stepping into the shower to warm up. I washed, and as I towel dried, out of habit, I glanced up to look in the mirror. A mirror that wasn’t there. Dammit. There were no mirrors in the house. I guess I should be thankful because looking into a mirror and not seeing yourself is a freaky feeling, to say the least. I blew my hair dry and brushed it the way I usually did so that one side hung down my cheek. I liked to keep the different colors even if I couldn’t see them, I knew they were there, and I remembered what I had looked like before Lane turned me. I was pretty, in my opinion, and never had any problems dating.
Dating.
Josh.
Did I want to “date” Josh? A human? It wasn’t like there were a lot of options as far as vampires, at least ones I wanted to be with. Gage had offered himself to me. He was nice looking and all, actually more than nice. I loved the way his long, blond curls draped over his shoulders. And he was built more like a biker than a rock and roller. But it was the way he’d “offered” that had turned me off. Talk about awkward. Gage was worse than Josh. And Elvis? Well, Elvis was creepy with his dark shades that he wore almost constantly. I liked seeing someone’s eyes when they talked to me. I never knew what was going on behind those dark glasses of Elvis’s.
I’d meant what I’d said to Josh about not being opposed to trying a woman. Except I’d meant sucking their blood, not fucking one. So far, I’d only taken nourishment from men, with Lane always close by. Men were easier for me. I wasn’t bi-sexual, so approaching a woman wasn’t exactly natural for me. But I suppose if I were starving, I wouldn’t care if the meal were female, male, or someone’s wrinkly old grandmother. Blood was blood when one was in need, though I’d learned over the past several months that some blood types taste better than others. And most become more robust and full of flavor after the human ingests a good meal, particularly one with red meat.
Who knew, maybe tonight would be my lucky night at the club and I’d find some attractive vampire to hook up with and share some intimacy, as well as blood.
I pulled a black dress out of my closet, holding it up against my body to see if I wanted to wear it or just pull on another skirt. My heels were ruined, and I didn’t have time to go shopping. Besides, it was well past the time that any store would be open, and Lane would be looking for me. It looked like the rest of the evening would be a comfy shoe night; I was going with flats.
“What the fuck are you doing?” Lane asked, startling the crap out of me. I turned around to find him standing in the doorway of my room, watching. His arms were tightly crossed over his chest as he leaned against the doorjamb, and his legs were crossed at the feet. He didn’t even care that I was completely naked, and made no apologies for intruding on my privacy. With the scowl on his face, I had a pretty good idea that he was very annoyed.
“I got caught in the rain. I’m changing.”
“I told you two hours. It is now two and a half hours later. Where have you been?”
I threw my towel at him, and he caught it. “I was hunting.”
“All that time? I don’t think so.” He stood inches from me and tilted my face up and to the side with his finger. “How did you get this?”
I cringed at the touch. My jaw hurt like a son of a bitch. My hand instinctively went to my chin. “It’s no big deal. Some jerk slugged me before I had a chance to compel him.”
“You didn’t compel him before you bit into him?”
“No, he was totally into me, and it was in the heat of the moment. I didn’t think I’d need to compel him before. I thought I’d have plenty of time after. But don’t worry, I’ve learned my lesson. It won’t happen again.”
“Chelle, this is exactly why—”
“Please don’t, Lane. I don’t need any ‘I told you so’s,’ okay?”
He stroked his finger down my cheek. His gentle touch and caring mannerisms confused me, as they always did. He spoke very softly. “Does it hurt?”
I shook my head. “No,” I lied, but damn, I didn’t want Lane’s pity. It was bad enough that he already thought I couldn’t handle myself.
I nodded because that’s all I could really do. He had a way of making me forget how strong I was.
“How long ago did it happen?”
I shrugged. “Probably about an hour and a half ago.”
“And it’s still bruised? It must have been a powerful hit.”
“He was a big guy.”
“Chelle, I’m sorry you got hit. I didn’t want anything bad to happen to you. I really do care about you, you know.”
He kissed me on the cheek, and I wanted to wrap my arms around him and cry into his chest and pretend that the caring he felt for me was love. But I knew that was only a delusion. I loved him, but at the same time, I hated him. I hated him for being nice to me. I hated him for what he’d done to me. I loved him for his kindness and for not letting me die. But then, in the same breath, I hated him for not letting me die. Giving me that peace.
I wiped away the tear that trickled down my cheek with the towel he still held. “It’s been a crappy birthday,” I said with a laugh I didn’t feel.
“I’m sorry. Get dressed so we can make it all better.”
I nodded, put on
the dress, and resigned myself to making the best of what was left of my birthday.
The party Lane and the others threw for me at the club turned out to be everything I’d ever wanted for a twenty-first birthday. We drank and danced until about an hour before the sun came up.
Back at the mansion, Maggie caught my arm. “Chelle, before you go upstairs, there’s another present for you. We all pitched in.” She beamed and motioned toward a large box in the middle of the room. “Hurry up and open it.”
I hugged her, then knelt down in front of the box. I lifted the lid and my heart melted with instant love. “A puppy! You got me a puppy!” I picked up the small chocolate lab. “She’s so cute,” I cooed at her and she licked my nose. “This is a great birthday present. Thank you all so much.”
“We all know you’ve always wanted a dog. Just make sure she doesn’t grow up to become a werewolf,” Lane joked.
“Aw, so vicious. Aren’t you, girl?” I giggled. “That’s what I’ll name her. Vicious.”
“Great name.” Lane stood next to me, stroking the pup’s head while I snuggled her close against my chest. She had that delightful warm, sweet breath that smelled like a mixture of wet puppy food and milk. “We had a doggie door installed two days ago. She’s already potty trained and has been using it all on her own so you won’t need to worry about taking her outside during daylight.”
We all spent about an hour playing with Vicious, calling her so she could get used to the name and our voices. I was so surprised to get her. And everyone seemed to be enjoying her.
I was just about to teleport up to my room with the dog when Lane grabbed my arm.
“Chelle.”
“Yeah?”
“Listen. I have another present for you.”
Chapter Seven
Josh
I turned over another time after a restless night with sleep only an abstraction never fully achieved. However, I’d continued with the effort, hoping total exhaustion would finally take over. But it never came. I stretched my arms high behind my head, looking at my ceiling and the bare walls surrounding me, evidence of the deprivation I deserved.
A vision of the woman I’d tried to get to know tonight surfaced before my eyes, my mind fully aware of my cock, hard and heavy, as it lay stiff against my stomach, begging to be stroked. I slept in the nude. Always had. I enjoyed the freedom of movement without the constriction of bottoms of any kind.
I closed my eyes and grasped my erection, imagining that things had turned out differently last night and this morning, as Chelle’s lips tightened around me and I slid inside the warmness of her mouth. Her tongue licking, her palm caressing my balls as they tightened with pleasure.
My hand squeezed around my shaft, working fast, pumping as I imagined her tongue sliding over the tip; sucking me in as far as I could go. The bed creaked with the motion. My heels dug into the mattress, the muscles in my thighs tightened and my balls contracted as a spasm of release shot upward and onto my stomach.
I shivered at the sensation, not wanting it to end, not wanting to leave the imaginary warmth of her mouth with her plump, pink lips wrapped tightly around my cock.
When the shudders stopped and my breathing relaxed, I opened my eyes and glanced at the mess coagulating around my belly button.
“Fuck.”
It had been a long time since a single meeting of a woman had affected me that way. I was no stranger to jacking off, but fuck, I’d never masturbated to the imagined mouth of someone I’d just met.
Sunlight spilled in through the blank, curtainless window, giving the mess on my stomach a glistening glow. Dropping my legs to the floor, I stood and thudded my way to the bathroom, passing the dank, bare white walls. My room, like the rest of my apartment, was vacant of any personality. No color to cheer a broken, beaten heart. No pictures of family or friends. I didn’t have any. I didn’t deserve any. But this stirring inside of me gave me new purpose. I wanted the woman I’d met last night. She ignited a fire inside of me, so strong, like a flame licking across a heavily wooded forest, burning everything in its path. I thought I might go mad if I didn’t see her again.
Chapter Eight
Chelle
It was difficult, but I tried not to get too excited about another present from Lane. He’d made it very clear how our relationship would be. But I couldn’t hide the surprise in my voice when he told me that he had another gift for me.
“You do?” He’d already given me a new phone filled with all my favorite music.
“It’s not something wrapped or even tangible. I’m giving you your freedom.”
I tilted my head, skeptical of what he was saying. “But earlier, you said…”
“I know what I said. But you went out on your own. You survived. Almost without a scratch.” He chuckled as he touched the spot on my chin where the faded bruise still hurt. “So, whenever you want to go out on your own, you can. You don’t need to ask permission or have anyone with you.”
“Really?”
“I think you learned a valuable lesson, and I’m proud of the way you handled yourself. I’ve felt responsible for you ever since I turned you. You know how it’s been, but I think you’re going to be okay. You’ve changed. You’ve matured. You’re not the same young girl you were. You care about human life, and I know you won’t do anything stupid to harm anyone. Though, I will still worry about you.”
“I promise you won’t regret this.”
“I know. Just remember one thing, Chelle.”
“What’s that?”
“You’re a badass vampire, and if any guy ever slugs you again, I want you to kick his ass to China.”
I laughed. “Will do.”
He took a step to leave, but I had one more thing to tell him. “Lane?”
“Yeah?”
“Thanks. This has been a great birthday.”
I’d been ecstatic when Lane told me he was giving me my freedom. I couldn’t wait until it was dark again so I could go back out. The thought of Josh and his connection with the press intrigued me. I also couldn’t stop thinking about that vampire who’d looked so familiar to me. I’d racked my brain all day during a rather restless sleep, trying to remember where I might have seen him before. I stroked Vicious’s little head. She’d fallen asleep beside me, curled into a little ball. I knew that I had a memory problem about how my parents died. Alan told me I must have blocked it all out, because I didn’t remember any of it. I don’t even know if I actually saw their deaths or not. All I remembered was waking up at my foster parents’ house, asking for my mom and dad, but no one could tell me anything about them.
Now that I had my freedom as a vampire, I couldn’t ignore the lure of curiosity tugging inside me. As a human, I’d never tried to figure out what had happened to my parents. There’d been something scary about the whole event, and there had to be a reason why I couldn’t remember anything. Something very bad had happened. I just didn’t know what. But now, as a vampire, I wasn’t so scared anymore. My desire to know the truth rose more and more each day. The tug at my heart was like a magnet yanking at my need to find out what exactly had happened to my family. It couldn’t hurt to talk to Josh about it; besides, I wouldn’t mind seeing his gorgeous face again. Maybe he’d have some insight, or better yet, access to past news clippings regarding murders in the city. There were so many unanswered questions revolving around my parents’ deaths.
Chapter Nine
Josh
I was sure I’d completely blown any possibility of a second chance with Chelle, but I had to admit, I was fascinated by her. Though fascinated was an understatement. I was borderline obsessed.
The next evening, I checked out Clint’s bar where I’d first seen Chelle, hoping she’d show up. I made sure the time was the same, but she was a no-show. Before I left, I’d asked Clint to keep an eye out for her and let me know if she came in. He remembered her the minute I mentioned her hair. After the bar, I headed to the diner, hoping maybe she’d stop in th
ere. It had been barely twenty-four hours since I’d run into her—or she ran into me. Well, maybe we ran into each other. But just like the bar, she was a no-show again. It was the same the next night, and the following. I finally decided it was useless and I should just let it go. But there was something so unforgettable about her.
I looked at the cheeseburger in front of me. I wasn’t hungry; I’d only ordered it to have something to do while I waited. Visions of Chelle eating that rare burger and how sexy she’d looked even with the blood dripping down her chin came to the forefront of my mind. I sat in the same booth she and I had occupied the other night, except this time, I sat facing the door. As I picked at the meal I’d ordered, I glanced up just as the same guy from the other night strolled through the door. He glanced in my direction and then headed toward the back on the other side of the restaurant. As he walked, I couldn’t help noticing that his shoes were covered in mud, and some of the sludge fell onto the floor as he trudged his way to the booth. There was something strange about that character. He sat there, like the other night, not ordering anything. He just watched the door. What was he looking for? Or whom?
I’d just popped an onion ring in my mouth when the lovely vision that was Chelle stepped through the door. I waved my hand at her, and she gave me a beautiful smile when she saw me. Her grin was infectious, and I smiled back. I was glad she’d come. I liked her. Who was I kidding? I couldn’t get her out of my head. She took a step in my direction then glanced to her right at the man sitting in the back. She froze, her stride halting, looking like she was about to bolt.
Captivated by a Vampire: Billionaire, Rock Stars, Vampires in San Francisco (Immortal Hearts of San Francisco Book 2) Page 5