Barbie- The Vampire Hunter Boxset

by Lucinda Dark

  I scowled and yanked my arm back, surprised by how easily he let go. "I got it," I snapped. "I'll take care of it."

  "I'm not saying it to piss you off," he said.

  I knew he wasn't, but that didn't make my irritation lessen. “I’ll talk to it,” I said without looking at him. “I’ll make sure we come to an understanding.”

  “Make sure that you do, Mav,” he replied. “We can’t have any more distractions. We nearly lost Barbie the last time. We have to be more prepared this time or we actually could.”

  We could more than lose Barbie, we could lose her and our lives. I’d seen the wreckage left behind by Arrius Priest. I had no plans to let that happen again.

  “Like I said,” I repeated, stomping away. “I got it.”

  Chapter 15

  Barbie

  Instead of Maverick, it was Torin waiting for me when I got out of my final class. Narrowing my gaze at him, I stomped over and glared up into his perfectly placid face.

  “Ready to go?” he asked. But he didn’t wait for a response, he took my books from my arms, spun me around, unzipped my backpack and stuffed them inside before zipping it back up and steering me away.

  It all happened too quickly for me to say or do anything. I opened my mouth, intending to lay into him when he quickly clamped a hand over my lips. “Not here,” he warned. Without thinking, I sank my teeth into his palm.

  He stiffened, nearly stumbling, especially when I let my fangs come out to play. I nipped him, licking the small droplets of blood I drew with my tongue. I could hear his heartbeat pick up and it caused a responding reaction in me.

  Torin sucked in a harsh breath and as soon as we were out of sight, he turned me, his fingers gripping my hips as he picked me up and threw me over his shoulder. “Too dangerous, Sweetheart,” he hissed as he stomped towards the side exit. Annoyance slid through my veins, but instead of fighting him, I let Torin carry me out into the parking lot. When we got to his motorcycle, he put me down and slung one thick leg over the seat. “Get on.”

  Again, I pushed down my instinct to argue and did as he commanded. I took the helmet he handed me and slid it on, doing up the straps and tightening them before I clambered onto the back of his bike—even though I didn’t need it anymore, it would have looked odd if I didn’t wear it. I wrapped my arms around his middle as he kicked up the stand and revved the engine. The motorcycle rumbled to life between my thighs making me clamp down harder on Torin as he kicked the thing into gear and sent us speeding out of the parking lot, cutting across the line of cars waiting to get out.

  Torin drove us straight back to his guesthouse. As we passed the main mansion, I lifted my head—staring hard at the dominating structure. Everything had been locked up tight, though. All of the shutters had been closed and it looked, for all intents and purposes, abandoned. Guilt reared its ugly head. I didn’t like that Torin had to stay here all by himself. It didn’t feel right. But at the same time, it wasn’t like he could move in with the McKnights.

  We pulled up in front of the familiar guesthouse and he cut the engine. I reached up and unbuckled the straps holding my helmet on and dropped it into his waiting hand as I climbed off the bike and turned towards the smaller, much less intimidating house. If anything, it reminded me of the house I’d lived in with my parents and brother. I shook my head. I didn’t need those old memories popping up now. I turned, placing my hands on my hips as Torin got off the bike.

  “What the hell is going on?” I demanded. “What happened with Maverick yesterday?” Torin eyed me as he passed by and headed up the front steps of the guesthouse. I growled, pivoting on my heel to follow him. “I swear to fuck, Torin fucking Priest, if you don’t—” I was halfway through my not-so-veiled threat when he spoke up.

  “I know what’s happening with Maverick, but it’s up to him to tell you,” he said as he unlocked the front door and held it open for me. I stormed past him into the interior, flinging my backpack off and onto one of the living room couches.

  “You’re keeping secrets from me,” I said plainly.

  Torin shook his head and sighed. “Not intentionally,” he replied. “It happened before Rome and he—”

  “Before Rome?” I swore. I could feel a vein in my forehead throbbing. I clenched my fists at my sides and inhaled and exhaled in a slow motion.

  “Like I’ve already told you,” Torin said, “it’s not my secret to tell.”

  “Just answer me this,” I ordered. “Is he going to be okay?”

  Torin’s lack of an immediate answer didn’t exactly give me the warm fuzzies. I glanced at him, frowning as he tilted his head to the side. “I believe he will be,” he finally answered, “but only time will tell.”

  I hated it, but I felt like that was as good of an answer as I was going to get. "What did you bring me here for?" I demanded, switching gears.

  "I'm taking you out tonight," he announced, gesturing to the bedroom door that had been mine when I'd stayed here. "I left some appropriate clothes on the bed for where I have in mind."

  I crossed my arms over my chest and eyed him. "Excuse me?"

  "It's important," he replied. "We're going to a supernos gathering location a couple of hours away. We need to leave soon if we're gonna get there during their high traffic hour. I'm hoping we can find someone who knows something about Esperanza or the hunters."

  He didn't need to say any more. I turned and headed for the bedroom. As soon as I saw what he'd left behind on the bed, however, I scowled and nearly went back out there to punch him. I picked up the skimpy dress with a mutter of disgust. This was not happening. I looked down at my jeans and then back at the dress as an idea formed.

  Thirty minutes and a dull pair of scissors later, I tugged the, now mangled, dress over my head with a small smile. The frayed hem reached my waist and not an inch lower. The tassels I'd cut the lower half into shifted every time I twisted and moved, showing off my pale stomach, but if I stayed still it hid everything. It was a little shocking, to be sure. I'd only cut off a good six inches from the bottom before I'd started to strip it upwards. There was no way the dress could've fit over my ass. As it was, it strained across my chest and molded to my front and back like a second skin. Even as a shirt it was racy, but it fit with the style the dress had originally intended and paired with my jeans and boots, making me feel a lot more in control.

  When I walked out into the living room, it was to find Torin freshly showered in shitkickers, a fresh pair of black jeans, a t-shirt and leather jacket. He took one look at me and blinked. "Please tell me that's not the dress I left you."

  I shrugged. "You should've known I wouldn't wear something like that."

  "Do you know how expensive that dress was?"

  I stared at him. "For as little fabric as you left me, it shouldn't have been that expensive." I mean seriously? Why would a dress with less than half the fabric of a thrift store t-shirt cost ten times as much?

  Torin pinched the bridge of his nose as his eyes slowly slid shut. A breath shuddered out of his chest. "Jesus Christ," he muttered before reopening his eyes, "we're going to a supernos nightclub, Barbie. You have to look like you belong."

  "Don't worry about that," I said with a shrug as I went to the weapons trunk and opened it to pull out a few daggers. Torin knew better than to stop me. In the get up I was wearing, there was no place to take my swords so daggers would have to do.

  As we finished getting ready, he took my arm and led me outside, but instead of steering me towards the motorcycle or his SUV, he took me around the small guesthouse and led me towards the darkened garage on the property. I'd seen it before but had never ventured inside. I'd never had reason or chance to.

  I waited as Torin unlocked the side door and stepped inside. The lights came on a moment later and I followed him, stopping as my mouth dropped open at what lay behind the walls. "Holy fucking shit," I whispered in shock. There were well beyond a dozen cars—of all shapes, sizes, makes, and models. More motorcycles. Some
deconstructed, some looking less like motorcycles and more like alien machines as they were in various states of work. "Why do you have all of this stuff?" I asked as I meandered along behind him as he strode towards the end of the long line up.

  He shrugged. "When you have as much money as my father does, you spend it on whatever."

  "So this is all of his stuff?" I asked.

  "It was bought with his money," he replied stoically.

  I shot him a look, but with his back to me, there was no way for him to see it. "Why bring me here now?"

  "Because," he answered as he made it to the other end of the long garage where a wall of keys rested. His arm lifted as his head turned back and forth. He scanned the keys until he seemed to find what he was looking for. He snagged a set from one of the hooks, turned and pressed a button. A couple of spots down, a sporty looking vehicle with a nearly flat front flashed its headlights. "If we're going to the club, we need to go in style.”

  I moved to the vehicle and stood in front of it. “That’s not a fucking car,” I said. “It’s a damn spaceship.”

  Torin smirked as he approached and clicked another button. Automatically, the car doors began to lift up on their own, moving steadily upward instead of out like a normal car. “It’s a Lamborghini Veneno,” he said as he pushed me towards the passenger seat. “Get in.”

  I approached the side of the car and slid into the interior. It smelled brand new. Like leather and cleaner. I scooted down into the seat and reached for the seatbelt. The door closed and the engine revved to life. I sucked in a breath as Torin put the car in gear and pulled out of the line up as one of the garage doors opened.

  I should’ve known better.

  Chapter 16

  Barbie

  Watching Torin drive the fancy car was like watching a child play with his favorite toy. I'd never seen him smile so much. Or perhaps I had and just couldn't recall. Whatever the case, I was entranced by him. A little terrified of the vehicle, though I knew I was safe, I couldn’t stop staring at Torin’s grin. The car's speed reached past a hundred and twenty miles per hour and kept getting higher. I had the feeling that speed was another reason he'd chosen this car. I wondered just how far we were going. The clock on the dashboard read just past five.

  “So, what is this place?” I asked, crossing my leg over the other in the spacious passenger seat. I felt like I was sitting in an airplane cockpit rather than a car seat.

  “I told you, it’s a supernos nightclub,” he said, glancing my way before returning his attention to the road in front of him.

  "And we're going there because we can get information on Esperanza?" I asked.

  "Or hunters," he replied. "Maverick's going to be out of school for the next week so he'll be looking more into the hunters your parents might have had contact with, but it can't hurt for us to ask some questions while we're here."

  I settled more firmly against the seat. "I didn't think vampires had clubs and stuff," I said.

  His lips twitched. "Why not?" he asked.

  "I don't know." I shrugged, turning my face away. "It just never occurred to me. Why can't they just go to normal nightclubs?"

  Torin's breath was loud to my sensitive ears as he sighed. "Vampires live a long time, Barbie," he started. "And in that time, they make a lot of money. It's kind of hard not to. Money for supernatural creatures is as much a need for survival as it is for humans. Perhaps more so. But there's also a lot of other supernatural creatures other than vamps—demons and witches for example. Doesn’t it make sense for them to want to relax and be themselves every once in a while, too?" He glanced my way, catching my gaze with a look that spoke volumes.

  I hummed in my throat. "Point taken," I responded.

  "And there are supernos that don't have the same ability to keep up their human looks for long—faeries for example."

  "Faeries?" My eyebrows shot into my hairline. "You're joking."

  He shook his head. "No, they're quite real," he assured me. "Along with banshees and werewolves and warlocks. The list goes on."

  "That's..." I didn't know what to say. Unexpected? Was it really though? If vampires and witches and demons were real then why wouldn't other creatures be? I huffed out a breath. "Okay, then you think one of them will have information on Esperanza?"

  He shrugged. "Lots of witches go to this club, I'm hoping if we ask enough, we might get something useful."

  When I had nothing further to add, we both grew quiet. The first hour passed in silence and then I reached for the radio, turning it on and letting music fill the car. We passed the time like that for another two hours until the sun began to set beyond the horizon and I grew fidgety from sitting for so long.

  "Are we almost there?" I asked.

  "Almost," he promised. In the distance, I saw a large sign announcing that we were approaching a city. Tall skyscrapers shot up on either side of the car as Torin turned off of the main highway and drove down a ramp that led us into what looked to be a seedy side of a larger metropolitan area.

  I reached out and latched onto the door as he maneuvered the vehicle through smaller—narrower—streets until finally, we came to a better lit area. Still, though, everything looked rundown. The buildings were brick warehouses. The windows were dark—painted black from the inside. There was no sign—no symbol that announced the entrance of the club—except for a long line of normal looking people standing in a row along the sidewalk. Torin bypassed them all and pulled into a nearby parking garage.

  He had the car turned off and was out the door and at mine, pulling it open before I even realized what was going on. Narrowing my gaze on him suspiciously, I took the hand he offered and let him lift me out of the low car. He caught me when I would have shaken him off and started walking on my own.

  "Before we go in," he said, "there are some things you should be aware of."

  "Okay," I said with a frown. "Like what?"

  "Others will know what you are," he stated.

  "They will? How?"

  He shook his head. "Your scent gives you away. You're fairly new, too, and they'll know that."

  "Have you been here before?" It seemed like a silly question to ask considering that he'd been the one to drive us out here, but I asked it nonetheless.

  He nodded. "Once or twice." Torin pivoted away, reaching back for my hand. "Just stay close to me. I'll do the talking."

  “Cute," I said dryly, pulling my hand away as we exited the parking garage, "but I think I can handle it.”

  When I would’ve joined the back of the waiting line, Torin shook his head, grabbed my arm and pulled me along behind him as he approached the waiting bouncer. I waited for him to hand the man money or something, but the large—beefy looking—monster of a man didn’t even look at Torin’s hands. He simply unclipped the velvet rope, nodded once, and let us through. This time, when Torin moved his hand down to mine and gripped it in his fist, I didn’t shake him off.

  The inside of the warehouse was intense. Hard rock music pumped from speakers built into the walls, making it seem like the entire place was thumping with movement. People of all shapes, sizes, and colors danced on a platform floor. And when I said of all colors—I meant it. There were women with skin the color of green scales and men with blue tattoos that moved across their skin as they ground against their partners.

  "You're staring," Torin chastised lightly in my ear as he pulled me closer.

  He was right, but I couldn't help it. Lights flashed from above, throwing the whole scene into some sort of purple hue and then yellow before green and red. I didn't feel like I was living in the real world, but that I'd somehow stepped into a dream landmine and it had exploded on me. I turned in a circle and Torin's hand seemed to slip away from mine without me even noticing. Heat suffused my cheeks as someone passed by me—rubbing a glittery substance down my arm. It smelled amazing—the creature smelled amazing—but it made my head foggy.

  I blinked and could have sworn I saw wings protruding from their
back. Wings that left a trail of that same glitter throughout the club. Panting, I shook my head, blinking quickly as images of small creatures began crawling out of the walls. Creatures with beady-looking, dead eyes and small mouths full of sharp teeth. It was creepy as fuck.

  Barbie! Satrina's voice came from far away. Focus, she urged. It's not real. I stumbled into a hard steel wall—no not a wall, a person. I looked up and up and up some more, but whoever it was merely maneuvered themselves around me and disappeared into the throng of people. I reached for Satrina, needing something stable, and at the same time, she pushed her power into me. With a gasp, I took a breath and felt oxygen pour into my lungs, clearing away the strange visions flitting about in front of my eyes. For the first time in what had to have been several moments, I felt grounded. Torin frowned down at me as he wrapped his arms around me and yanked me out of the way of another onslaught of glitter-ensconced dancers.

  "Pixies," he growled. "Stay away from them. Their skin emits a hallucinogenic."

  "Really?" I scoffed, shaking my head. That must have been the source of those strange images then. “You don’t fucking say.”

  "Yeah," he said, either choosing to ignore the scorn in my tone or not really hearing it. "If you aren't careful or your power doesn't trounce their own, it could make some strange illusions develop."

  “Probably better to avoid that then,” I said nonchalantly as I made a mental note to avoid pixies in the future.

  "Come on, let's head to the bar." Torin's back was my guiding beacon as he led me farther into the club. The music seemed to grow quieter as we reached the bar, but I couldn't tell if that was due to all of the people shouting at the multiple bartenders that darted back and forth, filling orders and delivering drinks.