Awaken (Vampire Nights Book 1)

by Sharon Stevenson

  He moved to the wardrobe and kept his voice low as he spoke, “We need to hide, and we need to keep quiet.”

  He slid open the wardrobe door and laid her inside. She got into a sitting position and put her back against the wall as he got in beside her and closed the door. It was a roomy, though not quite a walk-in, but it still felt wrong to be sitting inside.

  “How quiet?” she whispered into his ear.

  He turned to face her, keeping his voice low, “We need to not speak at all.”

  She raised her eyebrows, and he could see the apprehension in her expressive face as she slumped back against the wall.

  He shrugged at her by way of apology, worry beginning to nag at him as he stretched out his enhanced hearing. He closed his eyes, ignoring the pain as his stomach cramped. Starving himself had seemed like such a good idea at the time, but he was really beginning to regret it now, if only for the inconvenient side effects. His concentration was too split to really allow him to hear anything beyond the beating of Skye’s heart and the increasingly shaky sounds of her breathing.

  He opened his eyes as she leaned into him, whispering into his ear. “Can’t you fight him?”

  He wished it were that simple. He could tell by the look in her eyes when she pulled back that she was confused underneath the apprehension. She’d never met a vampire before, so he doubted she’d ever met a witch either. The relationship between the two was a double-edged blade. Witches had created the first vampires, binding human body and soul to a demonic soul looking for a way to walk the earth. Witches were the original makers of vampires, and retained complete control over the vampires they created. Though vampires could become makers too, it didn’t happen as often because of the risks involved.

  He leaned in and whispered, “He uses magic. I can’t fight that.”

  Her eyes widened. She opened her mouth and closed it again. Shaking her head, she leaned back against the wall.

  He wished there was something more he could do to keep her safe, something other than hiding like a coward, but the truth was there was nothing. If Brody’s father decided to kill him, a simple word spoken would be enough to end his life, doubtlessly engulfed in flame as he seemed so fond of doing to the vampires his son became attached to. He smiled wryly just thinking about it. Brody had saved him, but he might also become his death. If it wasn’t for Skye, he could live with that thought.

  He glanced at her, her eyes closed as her lips moved soundlessly. She was counting silently, it seemed. Her breath was shaky on every exhale to begin with but normalized as her lips kept moving her count into high double digits. He promised himself he’d find a way to get her out. He knew Brody would do what he could to stop his father. He just needed to have faith in that. As soon as this threat had passed, he’d get Skye out of the brothel. After that…

  He shook his head. After didn’t matter. All that mattered was getting her out of harm’s way.

  Chapter Twelve

  Skye started counting the seconds, trying to calm her quickening heart. That she was hiding in a wardrobe with a vampire, in a terrifying game of hide and seek that might end with her death, she couldn’t quite believe. It was too crazy. Every time she thought she had the monster of the day figured out, the rug was yanked out from under her. Apparently the guy who’d brought her here wasn’t a bad guy. She was going to take that with a pinch of salt. Then there was the vampire she was locked in the room with, who hadn’t tried to hurt her at all and actually seemed to want to protect her. Unless this was all some kind of mind game. She groaned inwardly at the thought of that. She was already attracted to Theo and starting to think of him as a good guy, but going by her past choices she could hardly trust her own judgment.

  She opened her eyes when she got to one thousand seconds. The distraction tactic was just not working anymore. She told herself there was air and she wasn’t really trapped, but she was beginning to squirm about it. How long would they have to hide like this? She seriously needed another distraction. She turned her head to look at the vampire. He seemed tense, every muscle straining as his crouched position gave away the fact that he was ready and waiting for an attack. Her worry grew as she took in his furrowed brow and clenched jaw. He was freaked the hell out.

  The built-like-a-tank vampire was scared. This didn’t bode well for her plan to live through this weekend from hell. There had to be a way out of this. Then something hit her, hard enough to make her gasp in a breath. The guy who’d brought her here had used magic, that was what the blinding light had been, the last thing she remembered about that night. If he was Theo’s friend, truly, then surely he could use his magic to get her out of here?

  Theo’s gaze was on hers now, his frown deepening. She leaned in to whisper in his ear, and stopped short just as her hand landed on his shoulder. The piercing sound of the phone cut through the silence. Terror gripped her. Why the hell was the phone ringing?

  She stared at him as he rose to his feet. It rang, and rang. She could barely stand it. Rising to her own feet, she was careful not to jostle the clothes hanging around them. He held his arm out as she moved forward, her hand reaching out for the door. She looked at him and he shook his head. The ringing was ceaseless. Her stomach churned as a million thoughts rushed through her mind.

  He opened the door slowly, and left the wardrobe, closing the door on her. Her heart hammered in her chest as she stood alone in the darkness, waiting. The shrill noise stopped and she held her breath, one hand clamping over her mouth. The tense few seconds before Theo spoke made her feel sick. She didn’t like this. Not knowing what was going on, freaking out that she might be fated to die today. She moved a little closer to the door to listen in to his conversation. He’d shut the door to protect her, or he’d shut it to keep her out of the loop. She couldn’t decide which was more believable. But she was damn well going to find out.

  Chapter Thirteen

  The damn ringing phone had Theo second guessing himself. At first, he’d assumed the obvious, that the threat was gone and Stacy was calling to let him know. Then suspicions had formed. Would Brody’s father do it to drive him out? The monitor in the reception area would be black from the room being in complete darkness. Maybe that wasn’t enough for him to believe the room was empty. He was certainly sneaky enough to do something beyond just coming into the room and checking it himself. He let the ringing stop and counted to ten before he picked up the receiver and dialed reception. He almost hung up immediately, certain that Brody’s father would answer. He hesitated and decided not to cut the call. If Mr. McIntosh answered, he’d ask to be released from the room to go meet the guy. That would leave Skye out of it. He’d never have to know about her.

  “Theo,” Stacy’s voice was low. “He’s gone.”

  “He’s gone? Already?” Suspicions formed. He wasn’t a quick visit kind of guy.

  “He’s coming back. The place is on lock-down for the night. He checked the register and there were no hourly clients tonight. So we’re all stuck here until morning. He’s coming back for a thorough inspection then.”

  “Translation, we’re screwed.” He swallowed. All it gave them was time. “Where’s Brody?”

  “That would problem number two. Liv and Brody were forced to leave. I’m freaking out up here, I’ll be honest. I’m scared.”

  “You don’t get to leave after your shift?”

  “It’s a lock-down, so that would be a no.” He could practically see her shuddering.

  “What’s the point of this?”

  “We don’t know. At least, Brody didn’t seem to. Liv didn’t seem to care, not that she ever does. I don’t know what to do. I don’t know what this is about. He did something to the external phone lines and there’s a signal blocker in place so I can’t even call Brody.”

  “Unlock the door to my room. I’m coming up there.”

  “You are?” He wasn’t sure if he could hear relief or panic in her tone, it seemed like a combination of the two.

  “I’m bri
nging the girl Brody brought to my room.”

  “Okay. Okay, I’m going to have to send someone to unlock it. The automated system is down. I don’t know why.”

  “That’s probably a good thing,” he said, wondering how much worse it would be if she let all of the vampires out at once. There’d be pandemonium if they knew what was going on. Being at the mercy of a witch was enough to strike terror into any vampire’s heart. Knowing they were sitting targets for a witch with a vendetta would create complete chaos.

  “Okay. Shayne’s on his way.”

  “Good. I’ll be waiting.” He hung up as the wardrobe door opened quietly. He turned as Skye stepped out of the wardrobe. “Do you want the good news, or the bad news?”

  Chapter Fourteen

  Skye stepped out into the well lit hallway and squinted. Being in near complete darkness for so long had messed with her. Theo steadied her as followed her out of the room. The guy who’d unlocked the door was well over six foot tall and bigger than any guy she’d ever seen in real life, in a bulging mass of muscles kind of way. Theo was movie star hot, with a body that looked like he hit the gym three times a day. This guy was terrifying. He looked like he could snap a person in half with his little finger. She kept a few steps back as he walked them along the corridor.

  She’d overhead that the man who might kill them was gone, but that he was coming back, and worse, he’d locked the whole place down. There was no escape. But there was time to figure out some way out of this, for both of them. She glanced at Theo. He put on a smile for her benefit when she caught his eye. He seemed even more handsome in the normal lighting. He wasn’t quite six foot tall, but he was more than a few inches taller than her 5’6” frame.

  “So why is this happening, exactly?” She felt she had to ask.

  Theo was the one to answer, “We don’t know. Mr. McIntosh is unpredictable. He does these things for a reason, but we rarely seem to find out what that reason is before it’s too late.”

  Ominous. She shivered as she followed the body-builder up a carpeted set of stairs.

  “I want my shoes back, and my bag.” She half wished she had a jacket to add to that list of demands too now. It seemed a little bit nippy outside of the room.

  “You look cold,” Theo said.

  “I might be,” she said, shrugging.

  He stopped walking. “I’ll be right back.”

  She watched him run back down the hall. The body-builder turned and she shrugged at him, kind of wishing Theo hadn’t left her alone with the guy. He glanced down the hallway, shaking his head.

  “The reception is just through these doors.” He headed up the rest of the stairs.

  She looked back before she followed him, slowly.

  He held the door open for her and she breathed a sigh of relief when she saw the plush looking reception area and the ordinary looking girl with poker straight dark brown hair standing behind the front desk.

  “Please, tell me you’re human,” she asked her.

  The girl smiled. “Got it in one.” Her gaze drifted to the huge vampire and Skye caught a strange mix of fear and adoration in her eyes before she got her focus back.

  “So what are you doing here?” Skye had to wonder.

  “I kind of work here,” she said, holding her hand out as Skye approached the desk. “Stacy.”

  “Nice to meet you. I’m Skye.”

  She nodded. “I heard. This is Shayne.” She nodded to the body-builder vampire.

  “I assume you want these back?” She passed the bag and Skye’s trusty wedges over.

  “Yes! Oh, thank you. I’m so glad I have these back.” She felt one step closer to getting out of the insane situation as she slipped her feet into her comfiest shoes.

  Theo’s return surprised her, because not only had he covered up with a shirt, he had a leather jacket in his hand that was apparently for her.

  She let him put it over her shoulders. The lining was cool against her skin, but she knew it would warm her up in no time as she slipped her arms into the sleeves. It had an inner pocket that was just big enough to squeeze her little clutch purse in to so she didn’t have to carry it.

  “Thanks,” she told him.

  He nodded slightly before he turned to Stacy and Shayne.

  “We need a plan.”

  Stacy jerked back as the scary-big vampire moved behind the desk. The hurt in his eyes didn’t linger long, but it was visible enough to notice. Skye glanced at Stacy but the girl was too busy averting her gaze and fidgeting next to the vampire. She was stuck where she was between the vampire and the desk, close enough to touch, and apparently it was freaking her the hell out.

  Skye found herself smiling. How could a girl who worked in a place full of vampires be afraid of them? There was something about this one too, some weird energy between them that she was guessing came from an attraction that might be one sided. Or not. She’d have to watch the guy more closely to figure that out.

  He cleared his throat and looked up. “There’s an emergency exit out through the basement level, but we’re not sure if it might be a trap.”

  “Does he know about it?” Theo asked, rolling up the sleeves of his shirt.

  “Brody created it, so he shouldn’t.” He shook his head. “We can’t know for sure. He always seems to be a step ahead in these situations.”

  “Marina,” Stacy breathed, glancing at the vampire briefly before dropping her gaze.

  Shayne nodded. “That would be a prime example. It may even be the reason for the lock-down.”

  “Um, can someone clue me in to what’s going on, exactly?” Skye asked, wishing she didn’t feel so out of the loop.

  “Marina would be one of the vampires Brody is close with,” Theo told her.

  “You could say she’s the one he’s closest to,” Stacy added.

  “So, he found out about her, or something?” Skye tried to understand what was going on.

  Theo nodded. “It would make sense.” He turned to Stacy. “Still, if there’s a way to get Skye out of here before he comes back, I want to know about it.”

  “There’s always blood magic, if anyone around here knows how to use it,” Stacy said, shrugging her shoulders.

  The body-builder shook his head. “Brody, but we can’t reach him.”

  “What’s the worst this guy could do?” Skye had to wonder. The atmosphere in the room was tense, and she was getting more and more nervous the longer they talked. “Would he burn this place down?”

  They all shook their heads. Theo turned to her, “It’s a family business. Brody runs this place since his dad retired, but Mr. McIntosh likes to make sure he’s running it a certain way.”

  Stacy folded her arms. “The last time he was here he killed Marina.”

  Skye blinked. “But I thought you said…”

  “Brody was able to bring her back, in a different body,” Theo cut in. “It’s kind of complicated.”

  “Okay,” Skye said, “So he killed her the last time and his son brought her back. Yeah, it kind of seems like that might be why he’s pissed or whatever.”

  “We can’t know that for sure,” Shayne said. “There’s a chance he wants to take Theo out too.”

  “Why?” Skye had to ask. The insanity of the situation just felt like it was multiplying endlessly now. She wasn’t sure how much more she could take in without getting hysterical.

  “He saved Theo from a bad situation. If his father knows anything about that he’ll know how much it would hurt his son to kill Theo.” Shayne looked as grim as he sounded.

  “And he’s all about hurting Brody,” Stacy added, muttering “Arsehole” under her breath.

  Skye took a few deep breaths. She needed to stay calm.

  “So there’s an exit,” Theo said. “Where is it, exactly?”

  “I can take you part of the way there.” Shayne came out from behind the desk with a key.

  “Part of the way?” That sounded ominous. Skye felt her stomach begin to churn. What if
it was a trap? She thought about hiding in the wardrobe again and groaned. She really didn’t want to do that. But… “Isn’t it riskier than staying here and hiding out?”

  Theo looked torn. That really didn’t help with the nervous butterflies in her stomach. He turned his gaze on Stacy. “What about Marina?”

  She shook her head. “She’s standing her ground. She said he can set her on fire again if he wants to. She’s getting bored of her new body anyway.”

  “We think you’re the only ones who might be targeted.” She shrugged her shoulders.

  Shayne sighed. “Not exactly.”

  She frowned at him. “You know what I mean.”

  The hard look she gave him seemed odd considering how jumpy she’d gotten when the vampire she seemed to have a crush on came anywhere close to touching her.

  He shook his head. “Call Mark to wait with you until I’m back.”

  The penny dropped as a Stacy picked up the phone. Skye realized the girl might be at risk too. She opened her mouth to ask why she wasn’t coming with them, when Theo took her hand and captured her attention, whispering in her ear, “Don’t worry. He won’t let anything happen to her.”

  She watched him and knew he was right. All she had to worry about was getting the hell out of this place. As soon as the other vampire showed up to watch over Stacy, they were on their way.

  Chapter Fifteen

  Theo didn’t let go of Skye’s hand as they walked. He sort of knew where the exit was, at least, he knew where the underground bar was that contained the hidden exit. He just wasn’t sure where exactly the damn door was. Brody had mentioned it to him before but told him only one person knew where it was, and that was for the best. Apparently Shayne was the one with the secret, which he wasn’t surprised about considering the vampire was Brody’s right hand man.

  “What does his father think of you, Shayne?” He had to know. It seemed like Shayne was as much at risk as them.

  “He likes me,” Shayne said, with a wry smile, as he glanced back. “So don’t worry. He won’t be setting me on fire anytime soon.”