She cleared her throat.
“I’ve never heard of that stuff. Can you live off of it?”
“The anticoagulant in it gives the blood an almond flavor that I quite enjoy. Would you like to try some? Or anything else? I think I have some soda.”
Little lines formed across the bridge of her nose as she scrunched it up with distaste.
“I think I’ll pass.”
“Your loss.”
Sonnet put her hand in her pocket and retrieved the sketch that Mr. Lindon had given her, placing it on the table between them.
“I know this is kinda primative, but do you recognize this guy?”
Looking down at the drawing, he said, “Yes, I’ve seen him around.”
She let out a surprised breath.
“Are you kiddin’ me? You recognize him? That’s great!” She stared at the picture, again inspecting the crudely drawn scratching of a desperate man. It really did suck. “Are you sure? That’s pretty crappy. I only showed it to you because it’s my only lead. Well, that and the area where the attack happened. I know how you blood-suckers hunt territorially. Uh, no offense.”
He lifted his glass of blood.
“Obviously, none taken.”
With curiosity getting the better of her, Sonnet set the paper down.
“Is that your only nourishment, or do you still take a bite out of the natives every now and again?”
Bane brought the blood to his lips and drank. He didn’t stop until every last drop was finished. He set the empty glass down.
“I only drink from the can. The flesh is too tempting, even for me.”
His tongue swiped across the smooth, plump surface of his lips, removing any remaining traces of red.
Fragrant fresh air swept across Sonnet’s face as the back door swung open. Peeling her eyes from Bane’s lips, she glanced to the left, catching the sight of an aproned grey-haired lady’s rearend as it retreated into a walk-in pantry at the back portion of the kitchen. The door slammed shut behind her and then flew back open seconds later. She stepped behind the massive island in the middle of the room, bending over to disappear behind it. All that was left in view was a loose bun, with bedraggled wisps of hair sticking out of it, at the top of her head.
“Where’s that damn waterin’ can?”
There was a rustling sound, and then a pot went flying at top speed across the room, barely missing the vampire’s head.
“Bane, have you been movin’ my stuff around again? What did I tell you about touchin’ my things? I told you not to, that’s what!”
“Calm down, Hazel. Your watering can isn’t even in the kitchen. It’s probably in the garden house, with the rest of your equipment.”
“Dontcha think I checked in there in the first place?”
Another pan went flying across the room, but that time, Bane plucked it out of the air and set in gently on the table.
He looked at Sonnet.
“Sorry. I just need a second to calm her down, and then we can finish our talk.”
Finding the entire scene comical, Sonnet swallowed a laugh and waved him off.
“By all means, handle your business.”
Bane nodded, thankful, and hopped from his seat. He was by the old woman’s side in a blink, kneeling next to her. His hand settled around her elbow, and he guided her gently to her teetering feet.
She dragged a hand though her loose strands of hair and blew out an exhausted breath.
“Thanks, child. My hip ain’t what it used to be, ya know. I coulda broke it or somethin’, and all because you moved my can.”
Bane touched her face. It was a light, gentle sweep across her cheek with the back of his fingers.
“Perhaps I forgot about moving it, Hazel. I’ll go get it for you right away. Will that do?”
Hazel nodded as she straightened her long, swishing skirt and adjusted her apron.
“Make it quick. I got work to do.”
Sonnet looked at Bane through different eyes after the kindness and warmth of that touch. At first, she thought she’d find the mysterious blue-eyed vampire holed up in a den of sin. But after witnessing the interaction between him and the little old lady, whom he obviously cared for, she couldn’t help thinking that maybe he wasn’t as big a monster as she’d first suspected. But that didn’t prove that he wasn’t capable of ghastly deeds. It just proved he could care for someone. He was still a vampire, with sharp fangs and an appetite for human blood, even if he did claim to only drink the canned stuff.
“As you wish.”
He walked Hazel across the room and eased her out the back way. Before he disappeared through the door, Bane turned his eyes on Sonnet.
“We’re leaving once I come back. I think I know how to find your vampire.”
With that, he closed the door. Sonnet shoved the picture of the culprit in her pocket and stood. So far, all her plans had been falling into place. If her luck held up, there was a good chance she could find Kelly, hopefully alive, and maybe get her home, in the loving arms of her father, in time for breakfast.
Of course, it could also mean that the worst was yet to come. Sonnet stuffed a hand in her pocket and pulled out her keys. She bit down hard on her bottom lip, a nervous habit, as she prayed for a positive outcome.
Chapter Seven
“Sonnet, come and ride with me. It’ll be quicker,” Bane called out.
Sonnet was already on Emely’s motorcycle, her fingers around the key in the ignition.
“I can’t leave the bike here. My friend Emely’ll rip out my entrails if somethin’ happens to it. It’s her baby.”
He laughed and opened the passenger-side door of his car for her.
“I promise it will be safe if you leave it here. Usually, my home is a fortress. I only kept the gates unlocked for you.”
So he had left everything open for her on purpose. How the hell did he know she’d hunt for him? She glanced over at Bane, as he stood next to a sleek black Mercedes, and came to the conclusion that the how wasn’t as important as the why. Against Sonnet’s better judgment, she decided to ignore all unanswered questions for the moment... as long as she was getting what she wanted from him.
“Are you coming?”
His smile was full of dimples and primal male. She hated that it was getting harder and harder to refuse him. Those were thoughts and feelings she didn’t care to examine. She sighed.
“Yeah. I’m comin’.”
“Oh, not yet, little fox, but soon enough.”
Face flushed, Sonnet ducked her head as she bent and then sat inside the car. The seats where made out of fine leather, soft and comfortable.
“In your dreams, buddy.”
“Each day since I met you.”
She looked at him, blank.
“Vampires can dream?”
“Vampires can do anything a normal human can do lying down, only better.”
“You think pretty highly of yourself, dontcha?”
Bane shut the door and walked around the car, to the driver’s side. He got in and turned a serious look at her.
“If you wish for me to prove it, all you need to do is ask nicely.”
She shook her head and glanced out the window, the flush in her cheeks becoming a warm blush. Her thighs tightened around a tingling sensation that was building in the junction below her waist, a feeling she tried to fight down by taking deep, even breaths. She cleared her throat, not daring to look at him.
“Can we go?”
Bane’s husky voice lowered as he said, “Whatever you want.”
Sonnet nodded once and stared at her reflection in the window.
“Where are you drivin’ me to?”
“Somewhere I guarantee you’ve never been.”
She turned her gaze toward him.
“Should I be worried?”
Bane’s expression went solemn, his eyes as blue and calming as the sea.
“You never need to worry when you’re with me.”
She f
aced forward, bothered at the way his words somehow made her feel safer.
“Again, I’m not interested in anything more than a workin’ relationship.”
“Even so.”
Darks clouds gathered in the night sky above, and tendrils of fog curled across the pavement as the car pulled away from the house. It was a perfect night for hunting monsters. And for the first time ever, Sonnet wasn’t the one in the lead.
***
The back of Sonnet’s head felt good against the headrest. She closed her eyes and let the music seduce her into a tranquil state, the likes of which she hadn’t experienced in ages. Her norm consisted of grueling training and listening to terrible accounts of murder, torture, and rape, subsequently leading to the hunting of monsters.
She sighed. Vampires, dead bodies, and such were all in her immediate future, but for the moment—the calm before the storm—she was going to breathe.
“We’re almost there.”
Bane’s low voice stirred her from her trance. She opened her eyes and looked around.
“Holy shit, I almost dozed off. Sorry. It’s been a long life.”
“Are you getting enough rest?”
Bane’s concern drew Sonnet’s attention. His was a question only someone who cared for her would ask. She wasn’t sure how she felt about the sentiment.
“Anyway,” she began as she sat up straighter in her seat, “where is this mysterious place you’re takin’ me to? We’ve been on the road for almost an hour.”
He glanced at her with those gleaming eyes of his, ones unlike any she’d ever seen.
“It’s close.”
He reached over and turned down the music. He then opened the center console and grabbed something out of it.
“I need you to do something for me. It’s to help keep you safe.”
She blinked, not realizing that she’d been staring off into space, or more accurately, into the depths of his eyes. She scraped a hand down her face and readjusted.
“What it is?”
“Well,” he said, drawing out the word.
Instantly, she knew that she wasn’t going to like whatever he had to say.
“In order for me to find this guy you’re searching for, I need to know that you won’t come to any harm in the process.” He paused for a beat while looking at her sheepishly. “I need for you to wear this.”
Sonnet’s brows were getting a workout as she looked down at what Bane held out to her.
“Is that a ring?”
“It’s a binding ring. No one will dare breathe on you, let alone harm you in any way, if you’re wearing my insignia—my claiming of you.”
Sonnet stiffened in her seat.
“Nobody’s claimin’ me, Bane. Especially not a vampire. So... no dice.”
He jerked the wheel sideways, stopping the car in a fog of dirt and gravel on the side of the road.
“Then, I’m turning this car around and taking you back to my place.”
Her eyes slashed to his face, which was set with stubborn features, and then to the ring cradled in his hand.
“Are you seriously gonna make me wear that thing?” she spat.
He nodded and looked down at the ring. The piece was fashioned out of a light-colored metal. It had an emblem of a phoenix, with ruby-encrusted fire jetting from its open beak. The bird reminded her of the fountain in front of Bane’s mansion.
“If you don’t wear it, I can’t help you.”
Swallowing a grumble of protest, she snatched the ring out of his hand and shoved it onto her finger. And damned if it didn’t fit her perfectly.
“Fine, I’ll wear the stupid thing. But it’s just for show. It means nothin’!”
The grin that spread wickedly across Bane’s features made Sonnet want to reach over and smack it off his smug face.
“Now, we can proceed without delay. We should reach Phantom City within minutes.”
“Phantom what?”
His chuckle was low and smooth.
“You’ll see, little fox.”
Chapter Eight
Five minutes later, the car pulled up to an abandoned gas station.
Sonnet leaned forward and peered through the windshield at the dilapidated building in front of her. The shop was little more than a cracked and splintered wood frame, plagued with Do Not Enter, Private Property, and Condemned signs hanging from what was left of the exterior walls. The land around the gas station was barren, and in the far distance, a mountain took up most of the landscape as far as the eye could see.
Mother fucker! He took me out to the middle of nowhere, like some serial killer.
“What the hell is this, Bane? Why’d you bring me to this place?”
She pulled her jacket around her chest to better conceal the hand she was stuffing up her shirt. It was probably an unnecessary precaution, but better safe than sorry was a motto she lived by. As her fingers squeezed around the plastic handle of the squirt gun, hanging practically in her lap, she felt a little better.
“I thought we agreed to work together.”
Bane rolled his eyes at her and opened the door.
“Just get out of the car.”
She pinned him with a pointed stare.
“I swear, if you’re some kinda rapist-serial-killin’ vampire... I’ll... I’ll... kill you! That’s what!”
The two of them got out of the car. Sonnet, with a lot more reluctance than Bane had. Nervous bubbles of panic popped inside her stomach, spreading throughout every nerve ending in her body. But somehow, she found the strength to keep on walking towards him, trusting that he wasn’t out to murder her. Hell, why would he bother to take her all the way out there for that? He could have just as easily drained her behind the private gates of his estate. Besides, there was still something about the vampire that made her trust him.
The closer she got to the rundown building, the more her nerves felt like they were catching fire. Sonnet stopped abruptly and grabbed Bane’s arm.
“Somethin’s not right here.”
His boots skidded to a stop next to her, with a sharp gaze scanning the area.
“What do you mean?”
Sonnet’s fingers crumpled the material at the front of her shirt. And breathing became almost impossible for her.
“I’m feelin’ things that I’ve never felt before. It’s sort of like how I feel when I’m huntin’ vampires, but, my God, it’s a million times worse.”
She dropped to one knee and swallowed a scream. Strong arms wrapped around her shoulders.
“It will be okay, little fox. Take long, even breaths. Work through this. The pain won’t go away, but you can learn to ease it back some.”
“How the hell would you know?” she choked out.
“I know this, because you’re a hunter. And you’re reacting to the presence of several different paranormal species at once, bombarding your senses. And from what I can tell, you’ve never had to deal with that kind of hit before.”
“Do you mean to tell me that there are other paranormal creatures, besides vampires?”
She shook her head in denial, the thought terrifying. And the pain that the additional creatures’ proximity caused her was almost unbearable.
“Tell me what to do. How do I stop this?”
“There is only one way that I know of... but you won’t like it.”
Sonnet clenched her fist around Bane’s forearm. She could feel the outline of bone underneath the flesh there, she was squeezing that hard. She looked up at him with a face almost as pale as chalk, eyes strained, and her mouth working slowly.
“Please. Make it stop.”
In a flash of movement and desperation, Bane flipped Sonnet over. She landed gently, with her back braced against his forearm and the rest of her body cradled in his lap. By the time she was settled, the only words she could muster were soft moans of pain pushed out from between slack lips. The nearly undecipherable whimpers connected to form a horrific string of, “I’m sc... scared.”
&n
bsp; Those words were like an acid bath to Bane’s ears.
“Hang on, little fox. I won’t let anything happen to you. I swear it.”
Sonnet’s arms and legs were still. She groaned and blinked, struggling to push through the pain. But it consumed her fully, too much for her to take. She went limp.
Before he lost it entirely, Bane swallowed a breath before biting into his wrist.
“You’re not going anywhere, Sonnet. I just found you, and there’s no way in fucking hell I’m going to lose you. Not now... not ever.”
His blood-coated wrist hovered over Sonnet’s mouth. The magical fluid dripped slowly, seeping into the slackened gap between her lips. Bane squeezed his nails into his palms, manually pumping the blood from the puncture wounds. But the amount of liquid wasn’t enough; she needed more.
“Shit!”
He brought his wrist up, and instead of biting down, that time, he ripped through the flesh with his razor-sharp teeth, causing the blood to pour out in sheets of red. His lids lowered over eyes full of dark clouds.
“Drink, Sonnet... please. I can’t lose you.”
After only a few seconds, Sonnet’s eyes cracked open. They held an expression of worry and confusion.
Bane’s relief at her recovery was immediate, and that bothered him. It had been a long time since he felt so strongly about another person, where the thought of anything ever happening to her made him weak. He already knew he was forming an unhealthy attraction to Sonnet. The unnatural pull took hold the instant he saw her in the parking lot with her friend, as she turned away, unable to bear the sight of the slaying of his kinsman. He hadn’t told Sonnet yet, but he’d been sent on the same mission.
Kill Sabastian, a rogue, a murderer, and a traitor to the city. The king had ordered him to be culled. And as the blood enforcer to his dark majesty, it was Bane’s duty to make sure the order was carried out.
His eyes closed, and with them, his chin dropped to almost reach his chest. The soft touch of Sonnet’s hand shocked him into releasing a breath he wasn’t aware he’d been holding. The sound of her shaky voice melted over him, fueling his relief. His stubborn little fox was okay.
“I feel better. The pain’s all but gone. How’s that possible?” Sonnet asked as the flavor of copper rolled over her taste buds.
Romancing the Paranormal Page 86