Immortals And Melodies
Blood And Guitars #2
Heather Jensen
Copyright 2012 by Heather Jensen
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles or reviews.
This is a work of fiction. All of the characters, organizations, and events portrayed in this novel are either products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously.
Chapter 1
Trey
I ALWAYS ASSUMED MY high-tech home security system would come in handy if an obsessed fan-turned-stalker crossed a line, or if the overzealous paparazzi tried to get too close, but I was fairly certain it didn’t guarantee protection from the supernatural. If only I had known that photogs and obsessed fans would be the least of my worries.
The night started off like any other. We were at Karatz’s place for rehearsal. We were done recording the album, but he’d offered to let us use his live room as a rehearsal space. Of course, we couldn’t refuse an offer like that. We’d been there for three hours and midnight was fast approaching as we ran through the dozen songs that made the cut for the record. That included a new song called “You Only Live Twice,” which we’d added last minute and decided to make the first single. We hadn’t played most of the tunes since we’d finished recording them, so there were a few kinks to work out. Our tour manager, Roger, was there, too. He was with us for the last tour, which made things easier since he already knew what we liked. He sat nearby and made a list of all the equipment we’d need for the live show. I was just glad I didn’t have to figure all of it out.
The record’s release date was set for the day before Halloween, which meant we had less than three weeks before it would hit record stores and iTunes. It felt great to have the album ready to show the world. My only regret was that Wes would never hear it in its entirety.
“Let’s take five,” I suggested after the last run through of Midnight Poison. I set my guitar down and made my way over to Aurora who was hanging out in the lounge. She’d spent the earlier part of the night on her phone and her computer while she talked to some Web designer about doing a website for her art. Since she was going to be coming on the road with me and the guys, I suggested she consider getting her paintings on the Web so she’d have greater exposure. She’d been trying to find the right person to design a website for a few days now. She handed me a bottle of water and I downed half of it. That was when I noticed she was looking a little out of sorts. “Come on,” I said, offering my hand to her. “Let’s get some fresh air.” She took my hand and let me pull her down the hallway and out the studio doors. Once outside, I took a deep breath, filling my lungs with the crisp night air. Then I turned to look at Aurora. She forced a smile, but it didn’t reach her eyes. “Are you okay?” I finally asked.
“I’m fine,” she said. “It’s just been kind of crazy lately. That’s all.”
I pulled her hand to my chest and wrapped my arms around her. She squeezed me back and let me hold her in silence for a moment before she pulled away.
“You smell so good,” she moaned pitifully, staring up at me from under those thick dark lashes.
I chuckled, taking that as a compliment and bent down to her. Aurora’s lips met mine in a hungry kiss. Her hand went to the back of my neck, pulling me closer. I ran my fingers through her hair and lost myself entirely in the kiss.
When she pulled away, the movement was sudden. I looked up to find her staring at me through luminescent, green eyes. She gaped in surprise, probably because her fangs had unsheathed in the heat of the moment.
“I’m sorry,” she said.
“It’s okay,” I said, taking her hand. “Besides, you know I think it’s hot when I get to see you like this.” I expected that comment to earn a smile, at least, but she just turned away from me to compose herself again. She wasn’t acting like herself and I thought I might know why. “When was the last time you … you know … fed?”
She opened her mouth to answer when O’Shea’s voice rang out from behind her. She stepped into my arms again and buried her face in my shoulder to keep from being seen.
“You coming back in or what?” O’Shea hollered at me.
“Be there in a minute,” I called out. He shrugged and disappeared through the studio doors, leaving us alone again. I sighed, and Aurora looked up at me with questioning eyes that were no longer glowing in the dark. “He’s gone,” I assured her. “But I’m serious about you feeding. When was the last time?”
“It’s been a few days,” she admitted. “But I’m fine. Really.”
“Unless you’re sneaking out while I’m asleep, it’s been more than a few days.” She hadn’t been sneaking out. I already knew that. She insisted it wasn’t safe for us to be apart. I hadn’t argued and not just because I knew there were vampires out there who wanted me dead. We’d spent every minute together since Wes’s death. Every minute except the night before she’d made lasagna for me and the guys. She’d gone out to feed then. “It’s been more than a week,” I blurted out, shocked by the realization that so much time had passed since that night. “No wonder you find me so irresistible.”
She sighed and reached for my hands. “It’s not a big deal. I’ll feed tomorrow night.”
“I’m safe here,” I said to her. “Nobody’s going to come after me while I’m with the guys. There are too many witnesses. Go. Find someone yummy.”
She let out a disbelieving laugh and shook her head at me, but her smile was genuine now. “You’re such a dork.” Then she bit her bottom lip and gazed at me seriously. “Are you sure?”
“I’m sure. The last thing this rock star needs is to be eaten by his hungry girlfriend in the middle of the night.”
She relaxed a little at my joke. “I’ll only be gone a little while,” she promised.
“Stop worrying. We’re almost done here anyway. I’ll just catch a ride home with O’Shea and meet you at the house. I just have one condition,” I said. “No biting some guy who’s hotter than me.”
“I’d be hard-pressed to manage that,” she said, grinning.
“Take your time. I’ll be fine,” I insisted. “See you back at the house.”
“I won’t be long,” she added. “Now get back in there before my mouth starts watering.”
I kissed her cheek and headed back inside, wondering when it had become so normal to send my girlfriend out to hunt for someone to drink. The guys and I wrapped up rehearsal just twenty minutes later. I caught a ride with O’Shea back to my place, finding that I’d beaten Aurora back to the house. It wasn’t until O’Shea was pulling away and I was letting myself in the front door that a sick feeling arose in my stomach. I pulled out my keys and reminded myself not to forget to set the security alarm as the lock clicked and I opened the door. I had only taken one step inside when, in a rush of air, I was shoved forward and slammed into the wall in my entryway. Something, or rather someone, had pinned me to the wall with strength I couldn’t define. The wind was forced from my lungs and I fought to draw in breath as my ribs tried to expand against the pressure of the wall at my back.
“Where is she?” The vampire’s voice rasped.
“Who?” I coughed.
“Don’t play stupid, human. The proditor. The betrayer … where is she now? Don’t tell me she’s just left you alone for the curious to sample?”
“She’ll be here any minute,” I choked out, hoping it were true. “If I were you, I wouldn’t stick around to find out what happens next.”
“Is that a threat?”
�
�Not at all,” I insisted, my voice stronger now. “It’s a promise.”
Then came a weightless sensation followed by the shocking realization that I was flying across the room.
Chapter 2
Trey
I SMASHED INTO THE opposite wall with a thud. Stars burst before my eyes as I fell, my head bouncing off the marble floor as I landed. The pain was unspeakable. It was like a volcano of molten lava was erupting out of my skull. I heard the vampire laughing across the room, but the sound was muffled by the pounding in my ears. I forced my eyes to remain open, despite the fact that everything I saw was blurry, unwilling to let the vampire out of my sight for a second. The vampire closed the front door and walked slowly toward me. I tried to roll over, but he was on top of me before I could sit up, his hand at my throat. I gasped for air with my lungs screaming in protest.
The front door flew open again. At the same time, my alarm system decided that I wasn’t going to punch in the code, and it started wailing. The sound made my head want to explode. My attacker looked up upon Aurora’s entrance but didn’t relax his grip on my windpipe. In a blur of speed, the vampire was ripped off of me and smashed onto the floor at my side. Aurora had the other vampire pinned, his throat exposed.
“Are you okay?” she asked me without taking her eyes off the intruder.
“Yeah,” I coughed, even though I wasn’t. Blood ran down the side of my face and I wiped it away with my hand, not sure how bad the cut was. I sat up slowly and that seemed to convince her that I wasn’t going to black out from the blow to the head.
“What did you expect to gain by coming here?” Aurora demanded of the other vampire.
“I was curious,” he said, grinning maniacally. “Surely there’s a reason you would betray your own kind to be with this human. Although, I can’t imagine what that reason might be. Do enlighten me.”
Aurora snarled at the other vampire. “Give me one reason I should let you live.”
“You wouldn’t kill another vampire,” he dared her.
“I’m well within our laws to take your life,” she added. “You attacked first.”
“A human,” the vampire insisted.
“He’s as good as changed,” Aurora stated. “He is under my protection and that is enough. I should make an example out of you.”
“Don’t bother,” I said, causing Aurora to pause. “He’s obviously weak. Not worth the mess.” I gestured to the room. “Then there’s the whole mess of getting the blood stains out of the Persian rug and everything.” Then I continued silently in my mind, knowing she would hear. If someone saw this guy force me inside and he doesn’t walk away, I could have another scandal on my hands. We really don’t need the police snooping around while we’re trying to lay low. He knows he’s no match for you now. He’ll leave us alone.
Aurora seemed to be considering my thoughts and, for a moment, the determination in her eyes made me think she just might kill the guy anyway. Admittedly, a part of me wanted her to do exactly that. Just when I thought she might tear into his throat with her razor-sharp fangs, she released her grip on him and took a step back.
“If you ever come near either of us ever again, I will hunt you down and make you wish you were dead.”
The vampire hesitated only briefly and then in a flash he disappeared out the open door. Aurora turned her attention to me, but I pointed at the alarm box on the wall. She rushed to it, punching in the code and silencing the alarm as she shut the door. She was at my side an instant later, helping me to my feet. The room seemed to be spinning and I didn’t have a choice but to lean on her for support. My phone rang from my pocket and she pulled it out and answered it. It was the alarm company wanting to know if everything was ok. She held the phone to my ear long enough for me to assure the woman on the line that it had been a false alarm and that everything was fine.
“You’re bleeding,” Aurora said as she helped me to the couch. I lay down while she studied the left side of my forehead. “I never should have left you alone.” I opened my mouth to respond, but she was gone already, disappearing into the kitchen and returning only seconds later with a wet rag. “Where else does it hurt?” she asked, brushing my hair to the side and pressing the cloth to my head to stop the bleeding.
“I’m fine.” My answer probably would have been more convincing if I hadn’t winced. She used her free hand to pull out her phone. “Who are you calling?” I asked. “Please tell me it’s not 911.”
“Better,” she responded, pressing the phone to her ear. I had no idea what she meant by that, but I closed my eyes and willed the shooting pain in my head to ebb away. “Mark,” Aurora said into her phone. “Hey, I need your expertise.” I opened my eyes again to stare up at her blurry image in disbelief. Had she seriously called the vampire doctor?
“What are you doing?” I asked her. She ignored me and talked into the phone instead.
“I know you’re out of town. I just need to know what to do for a head wound.” She explained to the vampire doctor that I’d been attacked, which was pretty much humiliating, and that I’d taken a bad blow to the head in the process. “How’s your vision?” she asked me.
“Fine,” I said.
Aurora pointed at herself and whispered, “Walking lie-detector, remember?”
I sighed and relaxed into the couch again, knowing I was fighting a losing battle. She and Mark talked for a few minutes about me like I wasn’t there, and then she hung up the phone. She removed the rag from my head to examine the wound more closely. “This doesn’t look like it will need stitches. That’s the good news.”
“And the bad news?” I asked.
“You might have a concussion. Mark thinks it’s safe for you to sleep, though. I can slip into your mind on and off and make sure you’re okay. I don’t think pulling an all-nighter would be such a good idea. You have rehearsal with the guys tomorrow and you’re supposed to be interviewing for a new manager,” she said, putting the cool wet rag on my head again.
“All this fighting off vampires and talk of me being human is making me hungry for a snack.”
Aurora grinned and said, “At least you’re acting like yourself. I’ll grab you something.” She went into the kitchen, and I heard the microwave ding a few minutes later. She returned with a bowl of popcorn, which she set on the coffee table next to the couch. I didn’t waste time digging in. We ate dinner at the studio, but that had been hours ago. Aurora found the remote for the fireplace and turned it on. Flames grew out of nowhere and danced behind the glass. Then, she got comfortable next to me and watched me eat with mild interest.
“I don’t think I could sleep anytime soon, if I tried,” I said. “I’ll sleep later when you’re convinced I’m not going to wind up in a coma. For now, why don’t you take my mind off this headache, and tell me about the Synod.”
“That won’t do much for your headache,” she said.
“Who are they?”
“They are some of the oldest of our kind.”
“How old?”
“Centuries.” Aurora sighed. “I couldn’t even tell you for sure. I do know that they are about as powerful as they come, and you only get that way with age.”
“How many are there?”
“Three in Florida. There are a few assigned in each state to minimize the chaos that comes with the lifestyle.”
“So, collectively, they’re in charge?”
She nodded. “They don’t meet as a whole. Not really. I don’t think that’s happened for several centuries. There hasn’t been a need, I guess.”
I took a minute to process what she was saying. There was actually an entire subculture of vampires that existed right under our noses, right down to a government of sorts. “How … how many of you are there in Florida?”
“Last I heard … about eight hundred.” My face must have shown my shock, because Aurora smiled and added, “That isn’t that many when you consider there are eighteen million of your kind in Florida.”
“Touché.”
“Besides, we’re spread out. There aren’t quite two hundred of us in the Tampa Bay area.”
I crunched a popcorn kernel and swallowed. “Do you know all of them? Around here, I mean.”
“Most.” Aurora leaned forward and grabbed a handful of popcorn, popping one into her mouth. “We know each other, but not necessarily well.”
“So, you’re closest to the others that Antonio made, then?”
Aurora frowned. “Mostly just Mark.” There was a hint of sadness in her eyes, but she covered it quickly, forcing a smile for me. “There is another woman in our Brood, but we’re not close.”
“Her loss.” I grinned at her.
She shrugged. “We don’t have anything in common, and I’ve never been that social anyway. That’s only changed recently because of you.”
“Me?” It was hard to imagine that I was capable of changing anything about Aurora.
“Other than drinks with Mark and work, I didn’t used to have much of a life. Your life, your friends … you just sort of sucked me right in.” She grabbed the blanket off the recliner and lay down on the couch next to me. I wrapped my arm around her and pulled her against me, kissing the top of her head. “I’m sorry about tonight,” she said, her voice suddenly somber.
“Don’t be sorry. There’s no way we could have known this would happen just because we separated for thirty minutes.”
“I should have known,” she said. “My kind are capable of horrific things. It’s just that most of us haven’t forgotten our humanity entirely.”
“I’m still alive, aren’t I? It’s going to take more than one pushy vampire to take me out.” I smiled, knowing how utterly stupid that sounded as I lay on the couch bleeding. “Plus, we’re one night closer to the full moon.”
“Well, that’s the last time I leave you alone,” she said, unable to hide the small smile playing on her lips at my bad joke. I didn’t want to ask what the plan was for the next time she needed to feed. My aching head wasn’t ready for the answer.
Immortals And Melodies (Blood And Guitars #2) Page 1