Obsessed with the Vampire: A Paranormal Romance (Vampire Enforcement Agency Book 2)

by Kellie McAllen

  She yanked her hand away and jabbed at the call button then headed towards the door. That’s all the warning he was getting. She regretted giving him that much. “My mentoring obviously isn’t doing you any good. Maybe some time in jail will help.”

  Houston dug his fingers into her shoulder and yanked her back. The phone fell from her hands and thumped onto the matted carpet. Caroline dove for it, but Houston kicked it away and grabbed her to keep her from reaching it.

  She flipped her hair back and scowled up at him. “I already hit the call button. He’ll be here soon.”

  Houston sneered at her. “You didn’t even tell him where you were.”

  Caroline jumped to her feet, pushing Houston away. “It doesn’t matter. He’ll know I need him, and he’ll track me down.”

  Roric may not love her, but he’d always felt compelled to protect her. Hopefully that was still true.

  Houston moved in front of her, his wholesome face suddenly menacing. He looked bigger than she remembered. Her heart started pounding loud enough for her to hear it. “Sorry, babe, but I can’t let you go if you’re going to turn me in.”

  She tried to go around him but he stepped in front of her again and grabbed her wrist. She winced in pain. Was Houston really willing to hurt her to keep her from leaving? She twisted, trying to get loose, but he was stronger than her. Her other hand punched at his chest, but he was solid granite. He grabbed that hand, too.

  Her lungs felt like they were pistons as she started to hyperventilate. She forced herself to breathe, to think. She had to get control of herself. How could she get away from him?

  Scowling, she drove her knee up into his groin with a loud grunt and twisted at the same time, tearing her hands loose. His nails raked across her wrists, gouging the skin, but she was free. Houston doubled over for a moment, howling, and Caroline raced for the door.

  He grabbed her hair before she could reach it, though, and yanked her back. Her eyes watered as pain streaked through her head, and she cried out.

  When her eyes flicked past the wooden chair next to the dresser, an idea flashed in her mind. Was she brave enough to do it? Houston grabbed her arm and started to turn her. She didn’t have time to vacillate.

  She sucked in a deep breath, clenching her body. This was going to hurt like hell. With a guttural yell, she flung herself towards the chair. A thick clump of hair ripped from her scalp, and she crashed into the chair as stars swirled in front of her eyes.

  Still blinded by pain, she grabbed ahold of one of the spindles with sweat-slicked hands and pulled as hard as she could. The wood cracked, and the spindle broke loose, sharp and jagged at both ends. She turned towards Houston and shoved the makeshift stake forward as he lunged for her.

  His eyes bulged, and his mouth fell open, his scream cut short, as the stake plunged into his heart. Suddenly, his body went slack. Caroline let go of the stake, and he dropped to the floor, lifeless.

  Caroline stared at him, stunned, her heart and lungs pounding so loud she didn’t even hear it when the door crashed open.

  Chapter 26

  Roric scowled as he slumped down on his couch and put his headphones on, settling in for a long night of boredom and irritation. The phone tap had been in place for several days now, but he’d been putting off listening to the recordings. He couldn’t wait any longer, though. Things were only getting worse, and his agents couldn’t seem to catch a break. No matter where he sent them, the rogues always found somewhere else to target.

  He was irritated that he’d had to spend money the Agency couldn’t afford to waste on a phone-tapping system, frustrated that he couldn’t trust anyone else to listen to the recordings, and totally annoyed that he had to spend his night off going over hours of Serena’s rambling conversations with her new boyfriend. Especially since his own love life was currently in the crapper. A scowl was his default facial expression lately.

  Caroline had the night off tonight. He knew because he was a crazy, stalker ex-boyfriend who kept tabs on her even though they weren’t together anymore. He couldn’t help it. Even though she didn’t want to be with him, even though he knew he was no good for her, he couldn’t help but worry about her.

  What he wanted to do was go over to her apartment, apologize for being a controlling jerk, and beg her to give him another chance. But instead, he was going to sit here for another five hours listening to Serena babble on like a lovestruck teenager.

  He was five hours and two bags of potato chips in when he finally heard something interesting. He yanked his hand out of his pants, grabbed his phone off the couch, and hit the rewind button.

  Serena’s boyfriend wanted her to go with him to some party out by the old mill, and it sounded like illegal vampire activity was the main attraction. She hadn’t mentioned anything about it to him. Did that mean she was the mole or just didn’t want to rat out her rogue boyfriend?

  He grabbed a piece of paper and a pen and listened to the clip again, jotting down the information. The party was tonight! It was already after 10; the party would be in full swing. He needed to get some agents over there.

  He sent an APB text out to all his agents then jumped up and zipped up his jeans while he shoved his feet into his boots. He yanked his holster over his chest, adding several extra stakes and sets of handcuffs, then grabbed his keys and dashed down the stairs and out to his cruiser.

  Serena’s boyfriend hadn’t given the address of the place where the party was at, but he’d said enough that Roric thought he knew where it was going down. Sure enough, when he drove down the road leading to the mill, he saw a slew of cars crowded around a notorious crack house. Loud music blared from inside, and people milled around outside, drunk and disorderly.

  He didn’t pull his car close enough for anyone to see him, just waited by the side of the road for the other agents to show up. A raid went better when they surrounded the property and all went in together. Otherwise, the rogue vamps would ghost as soon as they saw the first agent.

  As soon as his agents arrived, Roric jumped out and the others did, as well. He barked out orders, then they took off on foot, approaching the house at vampire speed.

  A guy on the front lawn was sucking on a girl’s neck right out in the open by the light of a bonfire, so Roric pounced on him. He didn’t know for sure the girl was human, but the odds were good. He could always release the guy later if it turned out she was a vampire. Since he caught the guy by surprise, he had the perp’s hands cuffed behind his back in no time. Roric tossed him aside when another vamp came bursting out the front door.

  Roric took him down with a couple silver bullets. He hadn’t caught him in the act, but the fact that he was at the party where illegal activity was happening made him guilty by association. They’d sort the charges out later. For now, he just wanted to capture as many of them as possible. He was tired of playing by the rules and letting the rogues take over his town. He was going to start shooting first and asking questions later. Okay, so maybe he was taking out a few of his personal frustrations, but he needed to take control of something.

  He rushed to join the other agents inside. The place was a madhouse — loud music, no lights, a million people crammed together, jostling each other and hollering and pumping out sweaty pheromones. All his senses were bombarded with distracting sensations. He hated parties. They made him feel claustrophobic and itchy. He’d need a long shower after this to get the stench off.

  He started grabbing people and shoving his nose into them to find the vampires. It almost made him wish there was a way to tell them apart from humans other than by scent. Bared fangs helped, too, but most vamps didn’t walk around with their fangs descended.

  He put bullets in half a dozen vamps, knocking them down long enough that his agents would be able to drag them to the station before they pushed the bullets out and regained control of their faculties. The other agents were doing the same thing, leaving a trail of writhing vampires on the ground.

  There was so much com
motion, he was surprised he actually felt the vibration of his phone in his pocket. His first instinct was to ignore it, but there were very few people in his life who called him just to shoot the breeze, none actually, now that Caroline was out of the picture. So any call he got was usually important. He took half a second to yank his phone out and glance at the screen. He was pumped up on adrenaline already, his heart thumping like a marathon runner’s, but the name he saw made his heart rate go apeshit.

  Caroline.

  There were only two reasons he could think of for her to call. Either she wanted to make up with him, or she was in trouble. Either reason was more important to him than any raid. The last time he hadn’t answered when she called, she’d been in danger, and she’d ended up doing something reckless. He couldn’t ignore her call, even though this was the worst time for it.

  He jabbed at the button and shoved the phone to one ear, putting a hand over the other one to block out the chaos around him, but the sounds coming from the receiver were just as chaotic. It sounded like Caroline had dropped the phone then kicked it. Roric’s blood ran cold at the similarity to that previous, fateful call.

  He sucked in a deep breath and held it when he suddenly heard her voice in the distance. “I already hit the call button. He’ll be here soon.”

  Then he heard a man’s voice, one that sounded familiar. “You didn’t even tell him where you were.”

  “It doesn’t matter. He’ll know I need him, and he’ll track me down.”

  Shit, she was in trouble, and she was counting on him. His heart swelled that she trusted he would come for her, but his ribcage pressed back against it with the harsh reality of the situation. He had to find her. But where was she? The fact that she said he would track her down made him assume she wasn’t at home. Maybe if he listened a little longer she’d give him a clue.

  “Sorry, babe, but I can’t let you go if you’re going to turn me in.” The male voice said, and Roric’s body vibrated with anger.

  The next thing he heard sounded like fighting. When he heard a howl and then a tortured yell, rage ripped through his body, bursting inside him like a parachute that immediately yanked him back. He didn’t know where she was!

  He yanked the phone from his ear and stabbed at the screen, searching for the friend locator app, praying she hadn’t blocked him. His body shuddered in relief when her name popped up on the screen, but something was wrong. The little dot that represented her phone was right on top of his. Was she here?

  It didn’t make any sense. Why would Caroline be at a party full of rogue vampires? But he didn’t know where else to look for her, so he shoved the phone in his pocket and tore through the house on a rampage, ignoring all the other vampires and humans. Nothing else mattered right then except for Caroline.

  He didn’t see her in the living room, so he shoved his way through to the kitchen. No sign of her there, either. A hallway led off of it with several doors on each side. He tried to sniff her out, but there were too many scents jumbled together.

  Roric thundered down the hall, breathing hard and loud. The first door was open, so he swung around the door frame with his gun forward, ready to shoot anyone he saw who wasn’t Caroline, but the room was empty. It smelled strongly of blood, and the sheets on the bed were dotted with red stains. He didn’t take time to worry about what had happened there, he just turned around and head back down the hall.

  The next door was closed and locked. He rammed his shoulder into the door till it rattled open, revealing a small bathroom and a man and woman sucking on each other’s neck. Roric didn’t hesitate, just shot them both. They collapsed to the floor, tangled up in each other’s arms and writhing in agony.

  The next door was closed. Roric didn’t even bother trying the handle, he just lifted a foot and kicked it open.

  A vampire lay on the ground, his body curled around a jagged stake that protruded from the middle of the Astros logo on his chest, his face frozen in surprise. Houston.

  Roric whipped his head to the side. A girl sat in a wooden chair, her hands lying limp in her lap, her face slack and emotionless. He almost didn’t recognize her at first. She was dressed in a sexy, red tank and tight leggings with wild hair, smudged black makeup, and punk metal jewelry. But the heady scent of her blood and sweat perfumed the air, proving her identity.

  “Caroline?”

  She turned her head mechanically towards his voice like a robot, but as soon as she caught sight of him, she leapt to her feet. “Roric!”

  He dropped his gun and thrust out his arms to catch her as she threw herself at him. Her small body crashed into him, the force barely registering, but he stumbled under the weight of his own emotions. She was alive, she was safe.

  He had a million questions for her, but they could wait. All that mattered was that she was okay.

  She wrapped her arms around his middle and buried her face in his chest. He wanted to look at her, but instead he savored her embrace and caressed every part of her he could reach, massaging her muscles that were rock hard with tension. She cried out when his hand stroked down her hair. When he yanked his hand away, it was bloody.

  “Caroline, are you okay? You’re bleeding.”

  She lifted her head off his chest and gingerly fingered her scalp. “Yeah, I’m alright. I just lost a chunk of my hair trying to get away from him.”

  She looked up at him then, and her beautiful face was twisted with pain and sorrow, her peridot eyes clouded like cheap rhinestones. He was impossibly fast and strong, immortal and nearly invincible, but he’d trade all that in a heartbeat for the power to take her pain away from her. He stroked her face, desperate to comfort her.

  “I’m so sorry, Roric. You were right about all of it. I never should have turned Houston, or started that support group, or lied to you.” She dropped her head then, and the loss of her eye contact was worse than seeing the sadness in them. She stared at his chest as she continued her confession.

  “I should have listened to you. I know you were just trying to protect me. I wanted to help people, to prove that even though I was a vampire I could still be a good person, but what I did was foolish and dangerous.”

  He sensed she had more to say, but he had to stop her there and correct a flaw in her thinking. “Caroline, no one has any doubt that you’re a good person. You’re kind, loving, loyal, compassionate. That’s why I’m in love with you.”

  She looked up at him again, and the clouds cleared from her eyes, leaving them sparkling like precious gems. “You are?”

  He cupped her delicate cheek in his hand. “Of course I am. Haven’t I told you? How could you ever have doubted that? I’m sorry I tried to control you. I wanted to lock you up to keep you safe so I’d never lose you, but you’re so incredibly brave and smart and strong. You don’t need me to protect you.”

  She grabbed at his chest, wrapping her hands around the straps of his holster, pulling him close to her. “Yes, I do, Roric. I need you, and I want you. I never should have broke up with you. I love you, and you can boss me around all you want. From now on, I’ll listen.”

  He crashed his lips down on hers, devouring her like a man dying of starvation. He was an addict getting another hit after suffering through a detox. She was his addiction. She drove him wild, made him do crazy things just so he could have her, but he was hooked now, and he needed her to survive. He kissed her like it was the last hit he’d ever get, even though he desperately hoped it wasn’t.

  He pulled away when they were both panting. “I don’t want to boss you around, but I do want to protect you. Promise me you’ll be more careful with my most prized possession, and I promise I won’t try to control you.”

  She quirked an eyebrow at him. “Your prized possession?”

  He cringed and shook his head. “I’m sorry, that came out wrong. You’re not my possession. I don’t own you.”

  She sighed and laid her head on his chest, running her fingers up and down his back, taunting him with memories of her raki
ng her nails against his skin as they made love. It made it hard for him to concentrate on what she was saying, but her words were too important to miss.

  “Yes, you do, Roric. You own my heart, and I’m okay with that.”

  He grabbed her shoulders and pushed her away from his chest, just far enough so he could look into her eyes. He couldn’t let this moment pass without daring to ask her to prove she meant that.

  “Caroline, will you mate with me?”

  To be continued in…

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  POSSESSED BY THE VAMPIRE

  CHAPTER 1

  “I’m going to tear your throat open and drain you dry!” His harsh voice grated in her ear as one hand snaked around Caroline’s waist, squeezing tight like a boa constrictor, and the other one clutched her throat, his nails pressing against her jugular. His hot breath puffed against her skin, meaning his fangs were only inches away from her.

  She felt her pulse thudding against his grip as her heartbeat accelerated, and her heavy breathing blocked out all other sound. She instantly latched her sweaty palms over his hands.

  “What are you going to do? Do you think you can stop me?” he hissed at her.

  She closed her eyes for one brief moment, trying to remember what Roric had taught her. With a loud yell, she simultaneously bent her knees, rammed one foot down on top of his, and shoved her elbow into his solar plexus. He grunted out in pain, and his body bowed. As soon as he loosened his grip, she whirled around with her hand extended like a blade and chopped him in the throat then kicked him in the calf.

  He dropped to the ground, groaning and clutching his chest and leg as he rolled back and forth, his face pinched and red, obviously in pain. She gasped and fell to her knees on the ground beside him, her hands waving uselessly over him as she tried to figure out what to do.

  “I’m sorry! I’m sorry! I didn’t mean to hurt you!”