He caught his weight on his arms as his knees went weak for a moment. Leaning into her, he brushed soft kisses across her lips. Her hands stroked over his back in slow circular patterns. She seemed to be savoring the moment and he could understand the impulse. He didn’t want to let her go but they needed to get somewhere more comfortable. There was also the chance that she might not want to come with him. He’d love to pick her up and just haul her away with him.
“Do you want to come to my room with me or do you want to go back to your room?” He brushed the hair away from her temple.
She bit her lip and was silent for a moment. “With you.”
She’d taken so long that he’d gotten a little nervous. As much as he wanted to give her the time and space she seemed to need, he didn’t know how much longer he could hold back.
* * * * *
Serena knew she’d had a close call last night. Just after she’d come, she’d seen the white flash of his fangs. He hadn’t bitten her but just the fact that his fangs had descended meant that he’d wanted to do it. How long would he be able to resist his urges? She hadn’t been able resist the need to be with him last night. She didn’t try to fool herself that it was going to get any easier to stay away from him. Somehow the man had tapped into her inner sexpot. That part of her wanted him whenever and however she could have him. And God, did she want him to bite her. She’d been close to begging him to bite her. At least tonight they’d be surrounded by people hunting that damn rogue Daniel. The man couldn’t be caught soon enough for her peace of mind. Living with Marcus, even with the option of sleeping in a different bedroom offered too much temptation. Serena didn’t know if it was just her imagination but lately she’d been having some strange feelings. She felt an ache in her gums sometimes when she was hungry. Then there was the fact that when she did eat something, she never felt quite satisfied. She just hoped that it was her mind playing tricks on her. She didn’t want to think about the other option. The doctor had told her that she would go through the transformation but she hoped it wasn’t happening now. She had no idea how she was going to handle it. She knew nothing about being a vampire.
“You look a little thoughtful, is something wrong?” Marcus slid a quick glance over at her as he steered the car through light traffic.
Yeah, my life is coming apart around me. She clamped her lips tightly together. The desire to say that or something like that was too tempting. She knew she could just sit there and say nothing. The man was already suspicious. She didn’t need to give him any more reason to watch her.
“I was just thinking. Nothing’s wrong.” She shrugged and turned toward him.
“What were you thinking about?” he asked.
Vampires and becoming one. He would have to ask that. She decided to keep as close to the truth as possible without revealing her secret. “The rogue and vampires in general.”
“We’ll catch him. It’s just a matter of time. What were you thinking about vampires? If you have any questions, you can ask.” He stopped at a red light and took the time to slant a smile over at her.
“Mostly I was thinking about the old myths and how they’re so wrong. You know—the garlic, the sunlight and the three bites. If someone knew of vampires, and just the legends’ existence indicates someone had some knowledge, how did they get everything so wrong?” She licked her lips and rubbed her hands down the sides of her black skirt, over her thighs. She was an expert on one of those myths. A single bite. Not even a really deep or long bite and here she was almost fully transformed into a vix.
“Information passed through many people and just outright superstitions are to blame for most of it. The myth about vampires bursting into flames when sunlight touches them, I don’t know where that one came from. There might have been one or two vampires whose natural rhythms pushed them to a nighttime existence but there’s nothing that I know of in the history that would cause it. The bites, there might be an explanation for that. In the past, it was harder to be alone with a person of the opposite sex. A person might be bitten three or four times before the change was noticed.” His attention was focused on the road as the light turned green.
She just had to ask because part of his explanation made her too curious to ignore it. “How did the fact that they couldn’t be alone with each other lead anyone to think that it took a certain number of bites. Especially since the one who was bitten most likely wouldn’t have talked about it.”
He raised a brow and gave her an arrogant look. “It’s not obvious?”
“If it was, I wouldn’t ask. Now stop being arrogant and tell me.” For effect, she frowned and glared at him.
“The way I understand it is like this. The two are only alone a few times. Then the woman’s parents or guardians discover that their little girl isn’t human anymore before she’s even married to the vampire. Maybe her fangs come out when she’s threatened or emotional and they see it. They assume that he had to have done it when he was alone with her. Basically, it was a supposition by scared people trying to make sense something they didn’t understand.” He shrugged. “The real problem when that happened was keeping the woman from being killed by her own family.”
She didn’t want to ask anything more specific. Too many questions might make him suspicious. She was already half afraid that she’d drop her makeup bag one day as he walked into the bathroom. In her mind, she could just see the bottles of pills spilling out and one of them rolling to a stop just in front of his feet. Some of those medicines had only one or two uses. It wouldn’t take him long to discover her secret if that happened.
“We’ll be at the club in a few minutes. Jason will meet us there. Are you ready to get back to work?” he asked.
“I’m ready to catch that damn rogue and get back to my normal life.” She folded her arms across her chest. If possible, she’d like to get out of Marcus’ house before he became really suspicious of her.
He laughed softly. “Are getting tired of being with me?”
She wasn’t touching that question. “I want to be in my own apartment. I’ll just feel more relaxed and comfortable there, especially when there’s no danger of attack.”
He pulled into line for the valet parking. She looked around the area. This club was much different from the one they’d last visited. Very upscale, not the type of place she expected to see a vampire who was into the Goth scene. She felt a twist of anxiety in her stomach. Smoothing her hand over her short black skirt edged with silver, she took a few deep breaths. She hadn’t been exaggerating. She wanted this over. She wasn’t afraid for herself. It was the harm he could do to other people that worried her. The man could easily kill someone just to spite those chasing him.
The car door opened and she looked up and saw Jason holding the door for her. She swung her legs out of the car and rose to her feet. He took her hand and guided her onto the sidewalk before he firmly shut the door.
“It’s good to see you. Are you ready to face our rogue again or are you going to leave us to face him?” Jason asked as he urged her toward the entrance to the club.
“The man broke into my house and tried to attack me. I’ll definitely be helping you catch him. In fact, if you weren’t chasing him, I would be after that. Is he here?” She strode easily beside him, her black and silver heels tapping on the sidewalk.
“Not yet. We haven’t seen him here.” Jason’s voice was quiet as they approached the entrance.
“If he sees me, he’s going to know we’re after him again.” She shook her head, angry at herself for her shortsightedness. She should have put on a glamour earlier but she hadn’t realized that they’d be actively hunting him tonight. She’d thought they’d just wait for a call from those trying to track him. The lack of communication of plans was irritating and she intended to talk to Marcus about it later.
“He won’t see you before he’s been spotted. We’ll be called if he shows at another bar tonight.” Marcus’ hand pressed against the small of her back as he fell into
step beside her.
The heat of his palm almost seemed to burn through her thin silver shirt. She resisted the urge to lean into that light touch. Looking over at him, she saw the narrow-eyed glare he was shooting toward Jason. She had no idea what had caused that reaction. Jason hadn’t done anything. Whatever it was, she was certain that the two of them wouldn’t let it interfere with catching the rogue. They were professional enough to put the mission first.
“Come on. Let’s go find a seat out of the way while we wait for word on Daniel.” Marcus leaned close so that she could easily hear him over the heavy beat of the music.
She went with him but doubted they’d find an actual seat in the club tonight. They’d probably be lucky to find an open space along the wall. The club was crowded. He wove a path through the people to the back of the club. She was absolutely floored when he led her to an empty table that seemed to be waiting for them, although she didn’t see anyone standing near it to ensure no one took it. He urged her onto the cushioned seat before walking around to the other side of the table. He slid into it and leaned back. He looked absolutely at ease. A woman in a royal blue dress stopped by their table. The small handheld device in her hand indicated she was one of the staff. They both ordered nonalcoholic drinks and settled in to wait. After a while and several stunted conversational gambits, she decided to use Daniel and the hunt to get a little of the information she was going to need after the transformation.
“How much…” She slanted a look around them to gauge how close others were. There were too many people near to just come out and say blood. They were supposed to be undercover here until Daniel showed. “How much of his special liquid diet would Daniel need to maintain his strength and how often would he need it?”
“Maybe twice a week and around a pint. He won’t be weak because it’s fairly easy to find a donor.” Marcus’ fingers steepled. She saw his eyes moving over the crowd.
The thought of blood was both revolting and intriguing. She pushed the thought of the future away and focused on the information as it pertained to Daniel. They knew Daniel hadn’t killed while he’d been on the run. The man had never hidden the bodies of his kills. He wanted everyone’s attention to be on those murders and the vampires. So somewhere he must have found someone willing to take the chance and give him what he needed.
“Shouldn’t those people have been worried about him hurting them?” She kept her voice just loud enough so he could hear her.
“People on the donor database were warned he could be dangerous. That doesn’t mean that someone who knew him before he went rogue would have believed the warning.” Marcus’ lips pulled into a thin line. “They wouldn’t have called us if he approached them like most of the other donors would.”
She knew Marcus didn’t like that he couldn’t control that part. So Daniel probably had a female donor on the database who liked him enough to ignore all the warnings from the vampires. That did make catching him a little more difficult. Serena wished the woman would show a little more sense and call someone. She didn’t have much hope of catching a break in that way. It would have already happened if the woman thought she was in any danger.
Chapter Seven
They stayed at that bar until nearly closing. She was beginning to think that just maybe Daniel had decided to stay in hiding for another night. She really wouldn’t mind having one night free of worry about the spells cast by that rogue. Not to mention the worry over if they’d be too late to save someone’s life. She’d hunted rogues but none had ever been this unpredictable. Or seemed this dangerous. It could be because she felt so much more stressed than she had before but the fact that they hadn’t stopped him yet worried her. He didn’t seem to have a pattern for his attacks. Usually, rogues stuck to one type of place or had an area where they felt most comfortable, but so far, Daniel seemed to be an exception.
Jason appeared at their table and the look on his face was so serious that Serena knew she wouldn’t be getting to sleep anytime soon. The rogue had decided to make an appearance somewhere and he’d been seen by those hunting him. They’d be following him, watching him until more people arrived to help. Jason seemed furious and a little worried. She could only guess at what Daniel had done this time or who he’d attacked, but knew it was probably bad.
“Well, let’s go find the little pest. I’d like to get some sleep tonight before I have to go to work.” She stood and edged out of the booth. She meant every word of that. She just wished this was already over.
“You’ll get your sleep. I think you’re just a little upset that you thought you’d get an early night and it’s not going to happen.” Marcus stepped out of the booth and she felt his hand settle on her lower back.
She slid a glance at him from the corner of her eyes. The man had some definite possessive tendencies. What they had barely qualified as a relationship. They’d had sex but he acted as if they’d been dating for months. She knew he was determined to protect her, maybe even felt a little responsible. There wasn’t anything she could do to change that. The rogue had come after her and she wasn’t going to stop helping with the hunt. Marcus would consider it a failure on his part if anything happened to her. Guilt and desire probably spurred most of it. She didn’t think he had any deeper feelings for her. There hadn’t really been time for them to grow.
They left the club. Jason rode with them this time. It took so long to get to the location that she was wondering if Daniel would decide to run before they arrived. She knew Daniel was brazen and liked to taunt the other vampires but she really didn’t think he was stupid. He always seemed to find a way to escape. She’d like to avoid another chase through the city streets and a wide-open confrontation.
They pulled into an almost-deserted parking lot on the edge of one of the suburbs. Only a few cars and vans dotted the parking lot. Marcus parked the car in one of the slots. That seemed strange, but not as strange as the cars parked at angles near the door of the club with their high beams spotlighting the entryway. It wasn’t time for the bars to close. She unbuckled the seat belt and stepped outside the car. She eyed the long building. Just from the faux wood outer wall, she’d guess that it was a country and western bar. Marcus circled the car and met her on the sidewalk. As they approached the entrance, a man stepped out of the shadows.
“We still have him locked in there and all the exits are guarded inside and out. We don’t have the men to fully surround it yet. Most of our people are still on the way. He has two women who he’s not letting out of his reach. Every time we think we’re going to get one of them free of him, he grabs her. Usually yanking her back hard enough to cause her to scream in pain,” the dark-haired man announced.
“We’ll handle him. Don’t let him escape with either of the women.” Marcus nodded and started forward but stopped. “Put the women’s lives above catching him. There will be other chances to get him if he escapes today.”
Serena raised her brows. That he was even thinking that Daniel might escape wasn’t good in her opinion. They had the man cornered and he shouldn’t get out at all. But she did agree that the lives of the women were far more important than catching Daniel. No matter how much he was inconveniencing her life.
They headed into the club. Serena had never been in a bar when it wasn’t open for business. The sound of her heels on the gleaming hardwood floor echoed in the huge, almost-empty building. The place looked absolutely vast. Men were stationed at every exit and at points through the room but the twenty or so men didn’t make the room seem any smaller. Tables had been scattered around the area but the majority of the space was devoted to a huge dance floor and long bar. A small cluster of people near the back drew her eyes. She recognized a few of them as vampires and a few members of the Protectorate who’d worked with them on the previous nights.
Marcus led the way toward the group. He stepped ahead of her, moving almost completely in front of her. She could still see past him and didn’t try to move up beside of him just yet. She kept her eyes
on the group in front of them, searching for Daniel and the two women he was holding captive. She needed to see if she could find a way to help get those women free. One at a time if need be but hopefully, both at the same time.
“I see you’ve brought the witch with you. Are you afraid of what I’m going to do if you don’t have someone to control my magic?” Daniel’s voice rang through the bar.
He held one of the women by her long blonde hair. The other he held against him. Serena could see two slashes along her neck. The man was a plague to any female near him. That was the second woman who’d be watched and tested over the next month or so because of him. She clenched her hands into tight fists. She wanted to be able to physically take him down. His callous disdain infuriated her. He had to be stopped. If only for the sake of other women and keeping them safe.
“She’ll keep you from doing anything drastic and probably the women from further harm. You’re obviously not getting a second date from either of these two women. Definitely not behaving like a gentleman today, are you?” Marcus kept walking until he was even with the other men.
“These whores. They’re just walking blood bags.” Daniel pulled the blonde’s head back and bared his teeth.
Serena flung a shield spell around the two women. She couldn’t stop him from tugging the woman’s hair but she could stop him from seriously injuring either of them.
A shimmer next to her drew her attention. A Shadow Warrior solidified, still in full shadow mode. He’d probably been here the entire time but for some reason hadn’t interfered. She almost wished he had. She looked at him and cut her eyes to the rogue. Which one of those women was under the protection of a Shadow Warrior? He wouldn’t be here if he wasn’t protecting one of them.
“You have to get her away from him.” The Warrior leaned close and his voice was so soft it carried only to her.
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