Beating Hearts

by Lucretia Stanhope

  “Even if Warren is stronger than I am, he doesn't have the passion in his heart that I do. Once I get my hands on him, I will not let him go. I am going to make him pay for every single unhappy thought or moment he caused you.”

  She smiled but was still worried. Again, her mind went to the reasoning that Nick had taken on Teddy at full health and now he was going to Warren, who was stronger. She felt a strong pull to just turn around and run away with him. It was too late for that though.

  He pulled off at a familiar exit.

  “Is this the same place he met you before,” she asked.

  “Yes, it is far enough out that Warren won't sense you as more than being alive somewhere. I don't sense him in a solid way, so we are good.”

  When he pulled over and stopped the car she felt her heart start to race.

  He got out and walked around to her door. “Come on now, where is my brave Kate tonight?”

  “I'm here, just gathering my thoughts.”

  He heard Paul walking up and gave her a hand to help her up.

  She got out to greet him.

  “Hello kids, we ready?” Paul asked.

  “Yeah, she's a little jittery, be nice. I will call when Warren is away,” Nick said to Paul, and then turned to Kate and kissed her.

  “Be careful Nick,” she said.

  “You two be careful.” He got back in his car and pulled off.

  Chapter Twenty-Nine

  N ick parked outside of the club and waited. He sensed Warren, and sensed his agitation.

  It startled him when his phone rang.

  “Do come inside,” Warren said when he answered. “I can tell you didn't bring me what I wanted.”

  “I'd rather we talk privately.”

  “Is this to happen tonight then? I must say I was enjoying playing with Kate. I assume you ate my messenger.”

  “I'm leaving now, Warren, you can follow me and we can face this with dignity, or you can stay here and play games, in which case you will force me to handle it otherwise.”

  “Are you threatening me, Nick? You are going to come here, to my fucking town, and threaten me?”

  Nick started his car, hung up the phone, and drove away slowly.

  It didn’t surprise him when he sensed Warren a few miles back. If he knew anything, it was that Warren didn't respond well to being disrespected.

  He drove on, Warren followed, but not too closely.

  Once they were a safe distance away he called Kate.

  K ate turned to Paul. “Thank you for helping us, again.”

  Paul stepped back a little from her. “I will always help Nick. We should be cautious though because I had no idea you would be quite so tempting.”

  “Can I do anything to help with that? I can spray perfume or something?”

  He laughed. “No, just try not to, well don't, certainly don't get excited. He'll call soon.”

  She gave him a weak smile and they walked back to his car. They got inside and both of them left their doors opened despite the chill, just so her scent wouldn't be thick in the air.

  “How do you know Nick?” she asked.

  “Good lord it has been so long. We met at a bar, not one like Warren's, this was well before vampires were outed.”

  “Did you work for Warren too?”

  He looked at her, puzzled. “Nick told you he worked for him? Yikes, and that didn't scare you off?”

  “It might have if we hadn't already been through so much. I know he won't hurt me.”

  “I would say you must be very special, but I already know you are.”

  “What do you know or feel from that drop of blood? I don't mean to pry, but since Warren also, well, I just want to know what he knows about me.” She looked at him and smiled.

  “It doesn't work like that. That's just movie crap. I don't hear your thoughts. I don't know your past.”

  “But you said you knew I was special, like you knew something.”

  “I know Nick, and I know what Nick thinks of humans. Not a fan to be sure, but he loves you. I see what he sees in your eyes, the spark of life that we have lost. I get it, a little.”

  “So what does having a drop do then, besides make it so you can track me?”

  “It makes me want to kill you, I am afraid to say.”

  She backed up a little. “You really mean that, don't you?”

  “Yes. When you were far away I felt a little tug. It was a little craving that made me feed more than I would normally. It feels like I am missing something, empty. The closer you get, the more I feel like I need something. Now that you are right here beside me, I feel like I need to drain every last drop. My fangs actually hurt.”

  “Jesus,” she said, and got out of the car. “Paul, are you serious?”

  “Well, yes. I thought you wanted to know what Warren would be thinking. I won't bite you. Nick is my friend and I promised him I wouldn't. Warren made no such promises and I doubt he has ever denied himself any craving. Also, as a second generation, he will be feeling this craving on a stronger, much more visceral level.”

  She kept the car between them and stood at the hood. “Is that why Nick won't, even when I offered to help him?”

  “You offered? You offered, and he declined? He really must love you, Kate.” Paul watched her and tried hard to resist the strong pull he felt.

  “Haven't you ever loved like that?” She noticed his eyes flash black for a second.

  “A very long time ago,” he said, looking sad. “You can sit back down. I really won't hurt you.”

  Her phone rang, startling her.

  It was Nick.

  She answered with a trembling hello.

  “Go, go now, be fast and get the hell out of there. I love you, Kate.”

  “I love you, Nick,” she said, and hung up, then looked to Paul. “You ready?”

  “Let's do this then.” He gave her a worried look. “Before we go, I should at least try to make you seem tainted.”

  She stepped away from the car and gave him a terrified glance. “Paul?”

  “Not like that.” He rolled up his sleeve, bit his wrist, and watched as the blood pooled. “Come here. Wipe some behind your ears, on your wrists, anywhere you don't have a cut. I don't want to touch you myself.”

  She walked over and reached toward his arm and did as he asked. “Nick said his blood would only fool weaker vampires. Do you think it will help?”

  “With most of them, yes. It would have been better if Nick had done it, but there are not too many strong vampires there.” He started toward the car.

  She felt herself get tense as they drove toward the city, toward where all her bad memories were waiting.

  “I'm scared.” She watched the buildings pass as they neared the area.

  “I can tell. Please try to relax.”

  “I need to do this,” she said, more to herself.

  “I gathered as much. For whatever reason, it must be worth a great deal to you. Try and think of the reasons you feel it is so worthy, and that might make it easier.”

  She looked at him, shocked that he didn't get it. “People are being sold. Sold.”

  “Demand always dictates what is sold.”

  “They are people. You were a person once.”

  “I was. That was a very long time ago, and now I am very far from a person.”

  “Nick thought his humanity was lost. He was wrong. I think you are too.”

  Paul smiled. “Brave and sweet. I suppose next you will tell me monsters like Warren just need love?”

  “No, Warren needs to die.”

  Paul laughed. “We agree on that much.”

  When they pulled in, she stood to get out of the car and felt her legs start to give. She drew in a deep breath and reminded herself that Warren was not there. Nick was going to see to it that Warren was never there again.

  Paul walked over to her and gave her a reassuring look. “Relax, Kate, your heartbeat will not only tip off anyone paying attention, but it is also d
riving me mad. You are supposed to be here with your owner, relax. Come here, under my arm, try not to touch me too much.” He reached his arm out to her.

  She stepped to him and looked down as they walked toward the front door.

  The doorman looked at Paul and glanced at her before nodding them in, he shut the door and then slid the bolt, locking them inside.

  Chapter Thirty

  K ate looked around the room and dread washed over her as she remembered everything that happened to her there. A flood of faces, faces of hungry vampires who inspected her ran through her mind. The worst image was Warren, him and his nasty fanged sneer.

  “Think happy thoughts, please,” Paul whispered, and walked faster into the crowd.

  No one really paid them any special attention, and she started to relax and scan the faces. The music thumped loudly, and despair filled the air.

  Paul danced with her close. It was awkward and intrusive just as she had remembered.

  She saw so many sad eyes, the eyes of the people she was there to help. She wished she could take them away with her before they had to endure anymore suffering.

  Paul still struggled with the urge to bite Kate, especially since she stood so close, with her warm body pressed against him, and her thumping heart, beating in his mind. He looked around the room, wanting to quickly get the footage they needed so that they could leave, and he could put some distance between them. His eyes fixed on a woman in the corner. “That one looks like a lovely match for you,” he said in a lewd tone.

  Kate glanced up from the floor to look at the woman. She was short and thin, with long blonde hair and a vacant look in her blue eyes.

  Kate hid her head in Paul's shoulder. “Whatever pleases you,” she said, playing along, in case anyone was listening.

  As they walked to the woman, Kate made sure her purse was angled to take in everything.

  Paul was still finding it hard to focus with her so close. The drop of her blood that he tasted seemed to be wrapped around his fangs, pulling them to her, begging him to take another taste, a bigger taste.

  He reached out for the woman, spun her around and nodded, not bothering to inspect her closely. “Let's see how much to add you to my harem,” he said, and clutched the woman's right arm with his free left hand.

  Kate cringed at how roughly he handled her. Even though he was acting, she wished he would have been more gentle. It was still a person, a person who was probably terrified.

  He walked to the end of the bar where Warren usually stood. There was a lanky vampire, dressed in all black, with long black hair, sat there, watching them with his dark brown eyes as they approached.

  “Where's Warren?” Paul asked.

  “He's been called away, I can help you,” the man said.

  Kate kept her eyes down, and held onto an image of Nick, trying to steady herself as more memories threatened to make her run out of there. Not too long ago she stood right there with Paul, just as they stood there now, and as she thought about it, her finger started to ache.

  She made sure to keep her purse pointed the right way as the men talked.

  “I usually deal with Warren. I would like to add this one to my collection,” Paul said, and shoved the woman toward the man.

  “Greedy are you?” he asked, and looked at Kate. “This one is not a pure one. Would you like to pay for a nip before you decide if you want to take her home?” The man nudged her back toward Paul with a shove on her shoulder.

  “Yes,” Paul said almost hissing. He needed a nip to help take the edge off how badly he wanted to take Kate. He figured the extra footage would be good for her needs as well. He felt Kate shudder in his arms, and watched as the man looked at her again, this time with furrowed brows. “Don't worry, dear, you will always be my favorite,” he said to Kate in a patronizing tone. “Women, what can you do?”

  Both men laughed at that, and he gave a few bills to the man before they walked off to the corner.

  Kate sat across from him, sat her purse on the table, and looked down, trying not to watch, but finding herself sneaking peeks.

  Paul sat the woman in his lap, facing forward as he bit her.

  When his fangs sunk in, Kate noticed the woman had a blank look. She had apparently already given up, it was heartbreaking to watch. She wondered how many had bitten her, and if she was addicted? Maybe she even enjoyed Paul's bite.

  Paul fed with a ferocity he didn't usually use, but he could not stop thinking about how close Kate was, how much her blood was calling out to him. Even though the taste was tainted, he drank deep and the woman went limp in his arms. He looked up as he guided the body to the table, and pulled up a hand, wiping his mouth.

  Kate let out a small sound as her hand went to cover her opened mouth. She looked at him with terrified eyes. She felt the room get smaller as her senses told her to run. Every fiber in her wanted to run out of the door, away from the awful place, and away from Paul. She had been trying to convince herself she was safe with him, but she just saw otherwise.

  He was a killer, with no regard for human life. There was a reason Warren recognized him, it was a place he had been to before, and not to help anyone. Her mouth started to open to say something, but no words came out, she just looked from him to the woman.

  Even after having his fill, he found he still wanted to taste Kate. Her fear, the look of terror on her face, and her heart racing were all getting to be too much. He stood and snatched her up from her chair.

  She reached down as he tugged her away and grabbed her purse.

  He pulled her close and they walked quickly back to the man. “Seems I was hungrier than I thought,” Paul said, and handed the man a wad of cash. “This should more than cover her.”

  The man smiled at him. “Yeah, that'll do. Did you want to take another one with you?”

  “No, no, I will be back when the mood strikes again.”

  “See you soon,” he said, and watched as they walked quickly away.

  They hurried outside and were making their way back to his car when his phone rang.

  “Yeah, yeah, we are leaving now,” he said, and then hung up and opened the car door for her. “Get in, Warren is coming.”

  She got into the car, her heart racing a mile a minute. Between watching Paul kill, and hearing that Warren was on the way, she was fighting to stay calm. Paul sped out of the parking lot and headed for the freeway.

  W arren gathered Nick was baiting him, but followed, thinking that he would allow the little game, if the end result was a dead Nick. There was something nagging him though. He was hungry even though he had just fed. It was a nagging hunger.

  His mind flashed to Kate. Could Kate be close, just out of his tracking range? Would Nick have brought her and stashed her away somewhere close by?

  “Where are we going Nick? I smell your bitch and I think she might be more fun than you,” he said to himself as he decided Nick would have to wait.

  He pulled his car to the shoulder and turned around. As he drove in the other direction he felt his hunger start to increase. His instincts were right, Kate was close. He sensed Nick getting closer too, having turned around himself.

  Nick watched Warren's taillights and wondered why he suddenly turned back toward town. He hoped that since he had never been connected with a human, he hadn't misjudged how strongly they were tied. He initially set out to kill Warren tonight, but all he wanted to do now that Warren turned around, was make sure Kate stayed safe.

  He called Paul and urged him to leave as fast as he could, and took small comfort in the fact that they already left. He stayed on Warren's tail to make certain Kate and Paul got away, and that he didn't stay on the road tracking her.

  Once they were back at the club, Nick parked and watched Warren go inside. He sat outside and watched while he waited to make sure Warren stayed at the club, before he started his car and headed to their meeting place.

  Things did not go as planned, again. He could tell by Warren’s reaction and the w
ay he withdrew to pursue Kate, he needed to come back alone and kill Warren.

  Chapter Thirty-One

  A s he neared town again, Warren could sense Kate stronger, her nagging presence begged him to drink more. He followed her trail to his club and stopped tracking, despite the call to stay on the road and follow her. What he wanted even more than her death was to get inside the club and find out what the hell she had been doing there. Her and Nick had obviously been up to something that needed him away. Business always came before pleasure; he would handle her later.

  He walked inside and looked around. There was no indication of any struggles, and nothing felt out of place. He looked around the room and watched as his patrons drank, and danced. He could sense her, sense she had been there, and feel her reach out to him. He walked over to the corner of the bar and gave the lanky vampire a hard, cold look. “Anything out of the ordinary?”

  “No, business as usual.”

  “Any clean humans come in?”

  “No,” the man said, and looked at him as if it were a strange question.

  Warren made his way to the back and to the security room.

  A man looked up to see him when he entered and stood, looking nervous. “Can I help you, sir?”

  “Show me the last hour,” he said in a flat tone.

  Warren watched as the images flashed by in fast-forward. When he saw Kate, who he recognized even with a wig on, walk in under Paul's arm, he grew more puzzled. “Now show me the full room at this time.”

  He watched as they danced, looked around, and as Paul bought and tasted a disgusting damaged woman. Kate sat and watched. He was truly puzzled. Why would Nick want his unbitten lover to come there with Paul and watch him feed? He was stumped, and that pissed him off.

  He stormed out to the floor, back to the lanky vampire.

  “The man who came in with a human and killed one of ours, what did he say?” Warren demanded.

  “He was gonna add one, wanted a taste and ended up killing her. She was damaged and he paid very well. I assumed you would be pleased on that profit.” He grew nervous as he heard the agitation in Warren's voice.