Kiss Hide Bite: A Vampire Romantic Thriller

by Anna Rainn

  “What makes you think we want you to come out?” The vampire’s smile widened. His teeth were fully visible now.

  “What do you mean?” My heart was racing faster. He wasn’t going to kill Caleb in front of me. No. “Let him go, please! I’ll do whatever you want.”

  “Good,” the nameless vampire nodded. “Invite us in.”

  I couldn’t.

  “I’ll come to you,” I pleaded. He said nothing, just waited, his insane face staring back at me.

  “Don’t,” Caleb started. The vampire’s figure didn’t move, only his arm seemed to make the slightest gesture, and Caleb’s face crashed against the glass right next to the door. I couldn’t stifle my scream this time. The baseball bat finally fell out of my loose grip colliding with the floor as I jumped back.

  “Stop, please.” I tried to stop the tears from coming and failed. Blood was running down Caleb’s forehead and into his eyes. There was no other way.

  “Come in.”

  Chapter 35

  Running was pointless. Fighting back was out of the question. There were nine vampires all in all; standing my ground against just one of them was impossible. None of them made a move on me. They just slipped into Black and Foam through the back door, led by the vampire with the blood-chilling grin. He wasn’t smiling now, though; he moved easily dragging Caleb behind him. The second human hostage the vampire party held didn’t need to be pulled; she walked obediently behind the vamp leader - a redhead with a bad boob job and mascara tracks on her cheeks. It was the girl who had followed me into the Starbucks bathroom to warn me against going home. The rest of the party formed a half-circle behind her.

  “Move it, cheeseburger,” one of the vampires smiled at me, showing off his teeth.

  I fell in step with the redhead. Caleb walked in front of me. Black, his T-shirt was black, not red. How did I forget this? The red thing I spotted outside was probably the girl’s hair.

  “Where are you going?” I asked loudly in an attempt to alert Evie. Caleb and the lead vampire were turning the corner; the Black and Foam main area will be fully visible within seconds, and so will Evie. If anything happens to her, it will be my fault.

  “Why are you going into the café? I’m right here!”

  “Shut up," a voice came from behind me.

  The vampire leader stopped and turned, silencing his boys with a wave of his hand.

  “Why are we here? You really don’t know, do you?” He asked in a calm tone, gently pushing Caleb away. The seemingly mild shove sent Caleb crashing down. He collided with one of the wooden tables and fell to the ground with a thud.

  “Leave him! He has been though enough. I have let you in as you asked, and you have me now. Kill me and get it over with!”

  I realized with relief that Evie was no longer at the counter. I hoped she had gone out the front door the way she had come. Witnessing whatever was going to happen to me, and probably to Caleb too, would scar her for life. Whatever I say to those vampires won’t change the fact that like me, Caleb has seen, and that I was probably not enough to feed nine vampires. Everybody here was as good as dead.

  “Why don’t you let our dear Caleb here tell you why we’re not interested in takeaway?”

  The redhead’s eyes darted to me, then moved back to the floor quickly. Caleb staggered up, leaning on a chair for balance. He too was avoiding my eyes.

  “Go on," the vamp leader urged him on, obviously enjoying the show.

  “I’m sorry, Marissa,” Caleb mumbled. “This wasn’t supposed to touch you.”

  “What the fuck are you talking about? You know these people?”

  He shook his head. “Just her," he pointed at the human girl.

  “Oh, don’t act so innocent now,” the vampire leader said, “I’m Osmond. Now, you know me too," he said civilly, then he turned to me. “Our little friend over there has something that belongs to us, to me, he has my blood. He was meeting this traitorous cow to move the item, but they were busted! And he said he hid the item here. Now, he will lead us to it. Right, Caleb?”

  “Is this true?” I asked, taking a step back and nearly bumping into one of the vampires behind me. They had moved in closer soundlessly.

  “Bianca gave it to me,” Caleb whispered. “I met her in the parking lot the night she died. She called me earlier, said she wanted to see me urgently. When we met, she said she needed to leave something with me for safekeeping.”

  “You were there when she died?” I asked, breathless. It couldn’t be. Caleb had left nearly an hour before me that night. I clearly remember the parking lot being empty when I first stepped out of the door. It was the sudden appearance of what I later knew was Bianca's car the alarmed me.

  “No! I have nothing to do with what happened to her. She drove off after we spoke, and I int back home. She must’ve come back for some reason.”

  The group behind me was spreading into Black and Foam as Caleb spoke to me.

  “Okay, it was great catching up,” Osmond interrupted. “I’ll buy your story. Where is the blood, Caleb?”

  “Will you let us all go if I tell you?”

  One of the vampires laughed. Another snorted.

  “Yes,” Osmond’s face broke into his death smile. The stretched lips were more answer than Caleb and I needed.

  When Caleb hadn’t spoken for a few seconds, Osmond signaled to his men wordlessly. Two pairs of cold hands fell on me from behind and pulled me to a nearby chair. My body pushed and pulled on instinct, but just like I knew all along, it was pointless. Caleb didn’t attempt to resist, and neither did the girl. She let the vampire handling her move her without a hint of resistance. It was another day at work for her, except today was probably going to be her last day. No farewell party, no we will miss you notes, just her warm blood on the wooden floors of a small café in the middle of the night. Like Bianca. One of the vampires produced a thick rope from his pocket.

  “You’re Nick's girlfriend, aren't you?” One of the two vampires tying me up asked, his hand lingering at my wrist, feeling my pulse. He licked his lips. “I bet he feeds on you. I don’t buy his whole high horse act. It would be impossible to resist,” the inched his face closer to me, his gaze touching on the nape of my neck. “Does he fuck you before or after he sucks your blood?”

  “Be nice to her, Tom. She belongs to Nick,” Osmond said, moving closer. “Now, Marissa, are you going to tell us where the blood is or is Caleb going to? I don’t care who has been keeping it as long as I get it back.”

  The vampire in front of me started stroking my hair, gently brushing it back to expose my neck. My breath heaved. My buttondown was too low cut, and too much of my skin was exposed. I remembered Bianca in the parking lot, held up by Justin as he drained her life.

  “I don’t know what you’re talking about,” I tried to ignore the monster crouched in front of me and reason with Osmond.

  “Tom," Osmond said, and the vampire in front of me closed the small distance between us. His tongue was rough like a cat’s licking my neck. His teeth were hard.

  “Enough, please!” Caleb screamed. “She knows nothing!”

  A cold fang scratched my skin. I squeezed my eyes shut, tears escaping between the lids.

  “I’ll tell you!” Caleb said. “Just please don’t kill us.”

  “We’ll kill you quickly, no feeding. How about that?” Osmond offered generously.

  “It's okay, Caleb. I'm not mad at you.” I said, preparing for what's to come.

  Caleb’s voice was as calm as mine had been. “I lied earlier. It's with Nick.”

  “What?” The word was a hiss.

  “It was here, but I gave it to Nick at the party yesterday. Detective Chase’s party.”

  A loud crash came. My eyes flew open. A whole line of french presses was on the floor. More crashing filled the electrified air of Black and Foam. Not so calm anymore, Osmond was pushing all the mugs off the shelves in a fit of rage.

  "Where is your phone?” He screamed at me
, his eyes nearly glowing even in the well-lit interior.

  “In the staff room,” I nodded in the room’s direction, and one vampire moved there instantly. He returned with the phone less than a minute later. Wouldn’t it have been great if I only had this phone in my pocket when all this started?

  "Call him,” Osmond said, standing in front of me. Tom was no longer needed. The vampires already had the information they were after. He receded to the back with his friends.

  I took a deep breath, looked at the phone Osmond was holding close to my mouth, and I spoke.

  “Hey Siri, call Nick.”

  Chapter 36

  “Hello.” Nick’s voice was faraway, subdued by the sound of whipping wind around him. He was out on his bike, probably going for a ride to clear his head. If I was going to live, I needed to say the right words and get the right reactions out of him. Questions of whether he cared enough to show up and give up the precious blood he was holding on to will be answered soon.

  “Hey, Nick Caleb says he gave you something last night,” I paused. “Blood.”

  No answer, just the wind.

  “I need you to come and bring it to Black and Foam.” I stopped for a second and glanced at Osmond before adding, “There are vampires here, Nick. They say this blood is theirs.”

  Osmond nodded at me in approval, then he took the phone.

  “Nick.”

  “Osmond?” Nick asked.

  “Yea.” The vampire didn’t seem happy to be recognized, but he didn’t have many options, did he?

  “Thirty minutes,” Nick said in a clipped tone. “Don’t touch her, or you’re mine.”

  The moment Nick went off the line, Osmond tossed the phone to a table and started moving.

  “You heard him. Thirty minutes, we need this place prepared in fifteen. That’s Nicholas Hayes we are talking about, but if we’re prepared, this will end well for us.”

  I saw the uneasy looks passing between Osmond’s men, but within a minute, they were all gone. Three vampires had slipped out toward the backdoor, probably to retrieve weapons of some sort from wherever the gang had come from. The rest scattered through Black and Foam, some moving furniture around while others hid or lurked at strategic positions. Nick didn’t know how many vampires were waiting for him. I hadn’t told him, and neither has Osmond. He would expect two like Justin and Tyler, maybe three. He wouldn’t foresee nine.

  “Caleb,” I whispered, trying to take advantage of the distraction Nick’s impending arrival had brought.

  Caleb opened his mouth, but before he could answer, the coffee shop was flooded with a blinding light. My eyes closed against the glare, but I forced them open. The two circles of light were coming through the front glass wall, and they were getting bigger. It was the crashing sound that made me put two and two together. The whole glass wall shattered with a deafening bang, shards of glass showering the coffee shop interior as Nick’s motorbike collided with the wall and flew into Black and Foam in a blaze of broken glass and a haze of white light. With a loud screech, the tires come to a stop. Nick jumped off the bike, his leather jacket flaring as he turned around. He emerged from the two light beams cast by his motorcycle, a tall silhouette of doom. A silver glare caught the light, and then a scream pierced the air, followed by the sound of a heavy object falling.

  I have seen Nick fight before. One night not so long ago in an alley, I have stood in a high window and watched him dance with Justin and Tyler. Take her inside, Nick had yelled at Owen back then. I thought it was because he didn’t want me to see him get hurt. But now I knew the truth. Nick couldn’t unleash himself on Justin and Tyler with me watching, or I would’ve known what he was. Now, with nothing to hide, Nick fought as he wanted to that night. He fought as a vampire.

  "You’re a disgrace to our kind,” Osmond spat, taking slow steps toward Nick with something small in his hand, a weapon.

  Another flick of silver glimmered, but Osmond moved out of the way, too quick for my human eye to see.

  “You’re dead. Do you hear me?” Osmond threatened, taking a swing at Nick and missing. I didn’t even see Nick move; it happened too quick.

  “Many have tried, Oz,” Nick answered. “You never learn, do you?”

  From the corner of the café, I could see two vampires closing in on Nick from the right and two from the left. Another swing came from Osmond, who I now saw was holding a silver blade of his own, but there was no blood, no contact with Nick’s agile body.

  I opened my mouth to warn Nick about the four vampires silently creeping closer to him, but he didn’t need my warning. Without looking back, Nick ducked as the first of the four vampires came at him from behind. A muted crash came as the attacker collided with a café chair and fell to the ground. In a split second, Nick was crouched on the floor beside him, turning as the three other vampires approached. He took the fallen vampire’s neck in a headlock, the small body in his grip twisting animatedly in a desperate attempt to escape. Even as Nick pulled a broken chair leg and lifted it up, the monster in his grip turned and bit, the sharp teeth managing to dig into Nick's flesh. The expression on Nick’s face darkened as jammed the makeshift wooden stake into the vampire’s chest, then he let the lifeless body slip to the floor, and turned to face the oncoming attack.

  “To me,” Osmond yelled. The three vampires fell back with nervous glances.

  It was Nick’s turn to advance. It was a steady approach of death, dripping with lethal confidence. I saw Osmond hesitate, his feet moving as if to take a step back, but then he steadied himself. Flanked by his remaining three subordinates, he walked slowly to meet Nick’s sure steps. Then he and Nick were entangled, black linen on black leather.

  The first few punches put Nick at an advantage, forcing Osmond back, but then the three vampires surrounded Nick, and he started fighting on all fronts. Nick slashed, strategically moving back, losing the ground he had gained. With terror surging in me, I realized he was trying to put a solid wall behind him to avoid being circled. The counter came to Nick’s rescue just as Osmond jabbed at him with his knife, providing him with leverage to push and jump into the coffee preparation area. Before any of the other vampires could follow him, Nick picked up my giant Dalla Corte espresso machine and hurled it at them. A howl of pain pierced the air as the 150-pound machine collided with one of the attackers, Tom, knocking him to the ground. The other two jumped in behind Nick, who was already scanning the area for more heavy machinery. When he couldn’t find anything that can do the job, he fished his blade and stake out of his jacket pockets and turned to face the two vampires. He can take them on, I thought with relief, my eyes glossing over the third vampire who was still screaming on the floor. The only problem was Osmond.

  The moment the thought crossed my mind, I wanted to swallow it. But the old vampire had already made his way behind the counter. Nick’s blade found a vampire’s cheek, and another’s hand, but just as he was pulling the blade, Osmond came at him and kicked him to the ground. Taking advantage of Nick’s brief distraction, the two vampires rushed to his sides, and pulled him back, each restraining one arm.

  “Bring him closer,” Osmond instructed, moving out of the way. “I want her to see.”

  Nick simply smiled at Osmond, then he moved to shrug the two vampires off. Watching Nick almost escape, Osmond’s gloating expression melted. He got his knife out, and eager to get Nick out of the way, he made to stab him. Nick broke free and ducked. Three high pitched sounds came in quick succession, and then three thuds as bodies hit the ground. One moment, Nick was being overtaken by three vampires, then he was left on the ground with only Osmond standing over him, and two bleeding bodies at his feet. The third bullet was for the crushed vampire in front of me.

  “Step aside, Osmond,” a deep voice came from behind the blaze of bullets, the tone almost kind.

  A charming smile was etched on the familiar face. The few silver hairs highlighting the dark short cut twinkled under the lights. Osmond took a step back, allowi
ng Marcus to pass him by and pull Nick up.

  “I came as soon as I got your message,” Marcus said, sliding a small gun into his pocket. Silver bullets.

  Nick just nodded, his eye moving from Marcus to Osmond.

  “He has my blood,” Osmond accused.

  “It was you who sent Justin and Tyler after the humans, wasn’t it?” Nick asked.

  “The stupid blood cow thought she could steal my blood and get away with it. After all I have done for her. She served at the club for years, and she stayed alive and unmarked. How many girls can say the same? It was all thanks to me. And to repay me, she steals a vial of my blood and quits.”

  “So you had her killed,” Nick said. “But you couldn’t retrieve the blood.”

  “You’re old. Your blood is old. How could you?” Marcus accused.

  “I’m sorry. I did all I could to get it back before it is put to use,” there was something new in Osmond’s voice now. A few words from Marcus sucked all anger out of him and replaced it with fear. “We thought she had it,” he said, pointing at me. “Justin and Tyler volunteered to hunt her down and take back what’s mine. She was alive, so she hadn’t consumed it. They tried to get her out of the house and question her, but Nick taught her well. The following night, they were going to burn the place down to drive her outside, but that cow over there warned her against going home. Didn’t you, Britney?” Osmond asked the redhead tied down next to Caleb. “So we had to improvise.”

  “Your boys almost killed my partner,” Nick’s voice was low, poison.

  Marcus interfered. “You thought Justin and Tyler could take Nicholas Hayes?”

  “He wasn’t supposed to be there. We had him tied down with details and supposed leads at the club,” Osmond said with what sounded like shame in his voice.