Grave New Day

by Lina Gardiner

  “But you woke up in excruciating pain? And thirst?”

  He nodded. “I did. It lasted for days and days, and I thought I would die. They fed me some sort of foul fluid. They’d put it on my bedstand when I was asleep. I never saw a physical person until that man touched me and I could move again. The whole ordeal was strange.” He hated the feeling of impotence that assaulted him every time he tried to remember his past. What was it that he couldn’t bear to remember? “Besides some rather disconcerting violent images, I’m beginning to remember things about you.” He badly wanted to reach out and run two fingers along the line of her jaw. To touch her glossy hair.

  “If we could find out where you were, maybe we could get some answers.” Was she deliberately ignoring his reference to their intimacy? Probably.

  He shrugged. “I have no idea where I was. There were crosses and prints of the Virgin Mary on the walls. I didn’t see any people except the tall, blond man in the suit.”

  Jess nodded. “I think I met him at your …” She hesitated and looked up at the roof of the four story building, again.

  “At my?” Their rooftop spy was still up there, and Britt’s head shifted fractionally.

  “It doesn’t matter. Suffice it to say I’ve met him. He told me I’d see you again. I’d certainly like to meet him again and ask what the hell is going on.”

  “I have no idea how to contact him.”

  A lone pebble dislodged from overhead, along with a nasty looking vampire with spiked black hair.

  Britt watched as Jess’s vampire-hunter instinct took over. She’d taken a fighting stance and held her knife in plain sight in her right hand. The watcher’s eyes were rabid and his teeth as feral as any wild animal. His grin disappeared instantly when he saw Britt. “Holy hell, I heard you were dead.”

  “Evidently the rumor was greatly exaggerated,” Britt said as he pushed back his wide shoulders and glared at the vampire in front of him.

  “Doesn’t matter. It’ll make me even richer when I bring you both back for the bounty.”

  One quick glance in her direction proved Jess’s eyes had gone black and her teeth just as sharp and deadly as the vampire from the roof. She didn’t speak.

  Their attacker dove to one side as if to go for Britt, then quickly changed his attack and sprang at Jess instead. She tapped the heel of her boot and shot out one foot, staking him in the femoral artery. Blood spurted like a hydraulic fuel leak, but quickly slowed due to his inherent ability to heal himself. The vampire even pulled a piece of gum out of his mouth and stuck it into the hole in his leg. His expression darkened, and he growled, “I just bought these new pants.”

  He’d been paying closer attention to Jess, so when Britt grabbed the back of his collar and hauled him backward into the nearest alley, it caught him by surprise. He probably wouldn’t get a second chance to learn from his stupidity.

  Britt cringed. Several people were walking down the sidewalk toward them. With a big, bad vampire on the verge of attacking, the last thing they needed was hapless humans in the mix.

  He pulled the vamp deeper into the alley so no one would get hurt. Regret spiked him when he saw the look of failure on Jess’s face and she realized he’d reacted before she had a chance. Did his quick thinking smack of the John Brittain that Jess knew, or had he done something out of character?

  In silence, she followed them to the darkest corner of the alley. When they were out of range of any other people, she glared at the vampire. “Do you know where James is?”

  It jarred her to see Britt holding the vampire in midair while he flailed helplessly. Britt never had vampiric strength.

  “Who do you mean? Your partner? Yeah, I heard about him.” The vampire grinned widely, showing all of his vicious teeth, then struggled to free himself again. “I heard he got tired of you and your do-gooder world. Now he’s a real vampire rather than a washed out half-breed. And soon you’ll be next, hunter. You and your boyfriend here.”

  Britt scowled at the idiot seconds before he grabbed him by the throat with his other hand? “You can always try, but you seem to be at a distinct disadvantage right now, in case you haven’t noticed.” Somehow his voice had become deeper, more menacing. He didn’t know how he’d managed that, but it seemed to work. The vampire stilled.

  In fact, both the vampire and Jess looked at him like he was from another planet. Hell! What had he done now?

  Jess didn’t wait for Britt to drop him, she pulled her blade out and eradicated the vampire with extreme prejudice. The monster’s skin desiccated in front of his eyes. Turned into a dried up mummified version of what he had been. Britt dropped him unceremoniously and wiped his hand off on his pant leg as if he’d been doing this forever.

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  Chapter Eight

  After spending all night on the city streets and coming up empty, Britt’s feet dragged when he followed Jess into her obviously expensive apartment. He needed to know why he was here, and why he felt the urgent need to help this vampire. The apartment didn’t elicit any memories at all. Had he ever been here before?

  Jess showed him the guest room, and gave him fresh towels and a facecloth before she reluctantly went to her room.

  He had the feeling she’d only decided to let him stay to appease her brother and to protect him from those big, bad vampires. Droll, because if that one in the alley was any indication of the threat level, he wasn’t too concerned.

  He had a problem though. Since he’d touched her on the sidewalk, he’d wanted to kiss her again. To hold her in his arms.

  Each time he paced past her bedroom door he halted and stared at it. The urge to go inside grew until finally, taking two big breaths for courage, he turned the knob and opened the door.

  What he saw inside made his mouth go dry. She lay on top of the covers, dressed in that leather outfit he’d remembered so vividly. It hadn’t been his imagination. The outfit existed and she looked exactly like he thought she should.

  Flashes of new memory assaulted him. Bits and pieces that didn’t fit. Unexpected images of her laughing as she gazed into his eyes, of her lying naked on his bed.

  “Damnation, I shouldn’t have let you talk me into coming here, Regent,” he said out loud, knowing instinctively that Jess couldn’t hear him. “I should have gone to my own apartment.”

  He sat on the bed beside her, expecting her to wake up at any moment. She didn’t move. Didn’t even flinch. Finally, he touched the back of her hand. She was as cold as death. He leaned over, listened for any breath coming from her mouth or nose. Nothing. For all intents and purposes she was dead.

  Something about having his face this close to hers made his heart ache. He inhaled her scent. It was an act of desperation, but he needed to know …

  More.

  More than he knew now.

  Staring at her perfect body, flawless skin, and red, full lips suddenly felt way wrong when she couldn’t do anything to stop him.

  Pushing himself away from her and folding his arms across his chest, he leaned against the foot of her bed and waited for her to wake.

  He wanted to be here. To be the first thing she saw when she opened her eyes. He sucked in a long, tired breath and rested his head against the bedpost. He closed his eyes and gritted his teeth until the muscles bunched tight in his jaw.

  “John! What are you doing in my room?” she said in a voice so soft he almost thought he’d imagined it.

  His eyes flashed wide open. Damnit, he’d fallen asleep. Had missed that moment he’d longed for.

  “I had to see you,” he said.

  “How did you get in here?” She sat upright, her hands clasping the blankets beneath her in fisted hands.

  His gaze focused on her luscious lips. The tip of her tongue darted out to wet them. He imagined them …

  “I said, how’d you get in here?” Her elevated voice forced his attention back to reality.

  “I’m sorry,” he began. “I needed to see you.” He he
ld out his hands. “I shouldn’t have come into your room without permission.”

  “Britt,” she said. “What I’m trying to find out is how you got past my security. It’s virtually impenetrable.”

  His eyebrows rose and he glanced at the door, still ajar. A green light blinked on a rectangular console beside the door casing. “I think you must’ve forgotten to arm it, the door wasn’t locked.”

  “That door arms automatically the second I close it,” she said, inching back and swinging her legs off the bed.

  He stared at her painted toenails while they sank into the thick beige carpeting under her feet. He swallowed again and shrugged. It took everything inside him to remain wedged against the end of the bed instead of reaching out and pulling her down onto him.

  Maybe he’d remember everything if she’d kiss him willingly right now. If she’d wrap her arms around him and press her body against his. Especially in that outfit. He swallowed hard.

  Instead she stared at him like he was a circus freak. She kept looking at the door and then at him.

  So he’d opened the damned door. What of it? She seemed more hung up on the door being open than him sitting on her bed.

  A whirring sound began behind them and he whipped his head in the direction of the metal blind opening and letting muted remnants of dusk through the UV tinted glass. The protective glass made the approaching night look gray-green as the sun sank behind the surrounding scrapers.

  She barely glanced at the window. Instead she crossed the room to her security console and pressed several buttons.

  “Do you always sleep in leather?” he asked, swallowing a lump in his throat. He knew it sounded inane, but he needed to remember.

  She looked back at him. “Not until I started sleep walking recently. I don’t like the idea of walking around the city with next to nothing on.”

  “The thought rather appeals to me.” He couldn’t hold back his wicked grin.

  A flush actually worked its way up her neck. When he’d entered her room, he’d touched her hand, her skin had been so cold, and now his fingertips tingled to find out if the redness had heated her flesh.

  “Back down, buddy. You’re on thin ice with me as it is.”

  “Why? Did I do something to you before I got amnesia?”

  Jess’s back stiffened and her eye’s glistened dangerously. His chance to recapture memories of her through physical contact had passed.

  “Time for you to leave. Get out of my room.” she said. “You’ve crossed the line by coming in here when I’m in stasis. Make sure it never happens again.”

  “I’m telling you, the door was unlocked. I got curious. Thought I might remember more if I saw you sleeping.”

  “Not funny.”

  “I didn’t mean it to be,” he said. “I’m quite serious.”

  “Well, you’re not going to remember me because no matter what Sampson thinks John Brittain doesn’t exist anymore. She tapped her heart with the palm of her hand. “I’ve grieved for him, I buried his coffin. And he would have never come into my room without permission.”

  Shit! He’d screwed up big time. He could see his own reflection in the black abyss of her pupils, and he felt her anger and the cold shaft of energy she drove into him. He braced himself against the bone numbing despair she imposed against his will.

  She heaved an angry breath and shoved his shoulder with one hand. Then she gasped, “How’d you do that?”

  “Do what?”

  “I just shoved you hard enough to send you flying, but you didn’t even budge. Not even a little. And how did you open my nearly impossible security system? The door is four inches thick with an intricate set of deadbolts. Not to mention the double biometric palm and eye print system. How’d you override it to get into my room?”

  He heaved a frustrated sigh. “Look, you must have left your door open. I just turned the knob and it opened. I didn’t do anything special to get inside. And a minute ago, you pushed against my shoulder. How could that send me flying?”

  “Because I’m ten times stronger than you,” she said.

  “If it’s any consolation, I think you gave me a bruise.” He rubbed his left shoulder, rolled it for a second and grinned at her.

  “Bruise? At the very least it should be dislocated!”

  He gazed at her in confusion. “Why would you want to hurt me? I thought we were … friends.”

  She bit her lip and her eyes reverted back to their normal blue color. “I’m so pissed that you’ve put me in this situation, Britt. If I thought for a minute you had any idea what you’ve put me through the last week, I’d rip you apart myself.”

  Her ability to fill his heart hadn’t lessened. His chest physically tightened and warmth spilled through him. He didn’t remember enough, but she set him on fire. Especially when she was angry.

  She stared into his eyes. That simple act made him unable to hide the smoldering desire she incited, and he held her immobile with his gaze—could see in her expression she wanted him too. No longer able stand the suspense, the agony of desire, he dared lower his head to hers. His lips fit hers perfectly, and they moved against hers in a magical symphony, exploring the mysterious depths of taste and touch. She took his breath away.

  While his fingers brushed down the side of her cheek, he inhaled deeply and smiled. “I think I remember that addictive scent you wear,” he mumbled, then buried his face into her shoulder-length hair before he began raining kisses down the column of her neck. It surprised him when she tipped her head sideways to give him access.

  His heart vibrated against his ribs when she caught his earlobe between her teeth at the same time that his mouth moved across her collarbone. He groaned as she nibbled his earlobe then suckled her way from the hollow below his ear to his neck.

  “How could I have ever forgotten this?” His voice sounded pained, even to his own ears.

  He stiffened when she ran both hands across his chest, then lower. Her familiarity with his body proved he still didn’t remember some things. His heart went into overdrive, and he wanted to throw her onto the bed and make love to her.

  Had they been this close? Damnit, that was the problem. He didn’t know for sure.

  “It’s crazy that I know you but can’t remember the most important bits,” he said.

  “Do you remember the police force? Our Black Ops team?” Jess asked, breaking contact and putting space between them.

  He cursed himself for interrupting the moment with a stupid comment. “If you’re trying to distract me, it’s not working,” he growled and pressed himself against her again. A full body press, his hot mouth searching hers.

  “Do you remember anything about your life before?” she asked breathlessly when he finally released her mouth.

  He frowned. “Not really.”

  “Do you remember being a taxi driver?”

  “I was a taxi driver?” He shook his head. “No, I definitely don’t remember that.”

  Jess stared hard into his eyes before he could kiss her again. Analyzed him, stared into him like she knew him intimately. He thought of the memory of her naked and knew instinctively it had been accurate. The way she tilted her head and hardened her expression against him, the way she narrowed her gaze on him, trying to scare him. At the same time, her mouth softened, and her relaxed body language opposed her expression. She wanted him—and the word sexy didn’t come close to the way she appeared to him right now. More like a drink of cool water to a man dying of thirst. A vampire. And she drove him to distraction.

  “Do you remember your wife?” she asked, blowing his lustful thoughts out of his mind.

  Even though he recognized it as a means of self-protection for her, every time she tried to prove he wasn’t “her Britt,” it went straight to his gut. But then again, maybe she was protesting too much. That thought gave him at least some satisfaction. Nevertheless, he was right to be tense, he realized, after that bombshell of information. “I’m married?” He looked down at his shoes,
then looked at her again. “To you?”

  “Not likely.”

  She’d deliberately done that. To be cruel? Or was she afraid of the way he’d been looking at her—or of the way she’d reacted to him? He hitched a sigh and tried to read her. She had a tough exterior, but her eyes mirrored a sadness that was incontrovertible. No matter what emotion she projected outwardly, whenever her gaze found him, it was there, behind her eyes, every time. He’d hurt her, somehow.

  Jess blinked for a moment longer than normal. When her long dark lashes closed and swept her cheeks, he wanted to run his fingers along her high cheekbones and kiss away the sadness that clung to her.

  “No you’re not married to me. Your wife is dead, I’m afraid.”

  “How’d she die?” He winced, knowing he sounded callous, but he couldn’t feel regret for someone he didn’t remember.

  Jess winced and moved away. “We’re wasting precious time. Enough talk for now. We have to find James. He’s in trouble.”

  “And, he’s a vampire?” Britt asked, his head swimming with the sensory overload of information he’d been receiving the last few hours. Mixed in with the sensual memory of what had just happened, he felt damned confused.

  “Yes, but he’s like me. His soul has been partially saved by my younger brother, Regent.”

  “Regent? Isn’t he the priest?”

  “Yes.”

  “I hate to break this to you, but he’s no spring lamb. He can’t possibly be your younger bro…” Britt’s eyebrows shot up. “How old are you?”

  “I’ll only forgive you that question because your memory is full of holes big enough to drive a transport truck through. And—you may have forgotten that its bad manners to ask a woman her age.”

  “Sorry.” He rubbed the back of his neck, feeling sheepish. Even so, he didn’t regret the question.

  “James and I… are both unique vampires. We have partially saved souls, thanks to Regent. We work on the side of humans, trying to rid New York of the vermin vampires.” Her clipped tone told him it was something ‘her’ Britt would have known.