Killing the Bloodlust

by Terry Spear

  “Yes, ma’am. An elderly man called from here. Said you seemed lost and disoriented. Asked if we could check into it.”

  So the vampire hunter did care what happened to her, in part. The notion warmed her marginally.

  The other officer opened the car door for her. “And a Cpt. Robert Parker called and said he saw you some distance from here. Said he couldn’t stop at the time, some kind of emergency.”

  Emergency. Liar. She wrinkled her brow. If he were a host, why didn’t he call his master and relay where she was?

  “The captain thought you might have needed aid, so he wanted us to check into it. Several squad cars have been looking for you for a couple of hours now. Can you tell us what happened?”

  She crawled into the car. “Yes, but can I tell you on the way back to the hotel?”

  They climbed into the car. She stretched out on the back seat and closed her eyes.

  “Ma’am?”

  The next thing she knew, the car door opened and let in a fresh breath of cold air. “Ma’am?” The word came from some distant place. “Ma’am, are you injured?”

  She opened her eyes. Exhausted, was more like it. “I’m sorry, officers. I just need sleep really badly.”

  They exchanged glances.

  “I pulled duty for a couple of nights. That means I have to work around the clock with no sleep. I’m fighting the urge to sleep right now.”

  “Can you give us a statement?”

  “Sure. A man with dark hair and eyes grabbed me outside of my hotel room. I must have blacked out. The next thing I knew, I was in a two-story home. I couldn’t say what it looked like, because I ran out of it and never looked back.”

  “And? Did he molest you?”

  “He intended to, but got distracted. Anyway, I escaped…then you found me.”

  “Do you know who he was?”

  “Oh, he had a ponytail and stood six foot. Broad-shouldered, no scars or anything. Someone called him Nicolai.”

  “There were others in the house?”

  “Yes. Sorry, I’m really tired. Maybe twenty, men and women. I didn’t know any of them, and none mentioned names.”

  One of the police officers handed her a card. “If you think of anything else, call me.”

  “Thank you, officer.”

  Only specialized units dealt with the clean-up of vampire carcasses. The regular police force had no interest in apprehending the rogue vampires. That job was better left to the experienced hunters. But she couldn’t tell the police officers she was a huntress. Not if she didn’t want to face losing her job.

  “We’ll help you with your bag and make sure you get settled in your room.”

  She smiled. At least the humans were helpful.

  The hotel manager’s face lit up when Crystal walked into the lobby. “Thank God, you’re all right, dear.”

  “Yes, thank you for reporting me missing and for taking care of my luggage and purse.”

  One of the police officers lugged her suitcase toward her room, while the other reported back to his office. Crystal glanced around the area, wondering if Nicolai or his minions watched her. Then she caught sight of Robert in his convertible. If it didn’t put her more at risk, she’d have given him a piece of her mind. For now, getting into her room and sleeping the rest of the night away was about all she could manage.

  She thanked the officer again, then bolted her door.

  Robert stared up at Crystal’s motel room window as the lights turned off inside. He rubbed his chin. A late night shadow of prickly growth already covered it. He shook his head as he thought about the woman. Crystal Anderson was beyond comprehending. She visited Nicolai, Dimitri, and his minions regularly, then claimed to be hiding in Robert’s car to flee them? Please. Couldn’t she have thought up something more plausible than that?

  She was an accomplished actress. She’d acted scared to death. What had she planned on doing? She’d have caused him to wreck his vehicle, then called for her bloodsucker friends to put an end to his life. That’s what she would have done. He couldn’t have allowed it. That’s why he had to ditch her like he did.

  Something about her blue eyes had seemed to plead with him in earnest. He’d driven slowly to see if she would chase after him, pleading further. But she didn’t. She just watched him, as if he were her knight in shining armor, leaving her behind to fight her battles alone.

  He ran his hands through his hair, the feelings she stirred in him, dangerous to his very existence. No way was he falling for the woman. He had to call the police and hope they found her in time, in the event she had told the truth. He sucked in his breath. She didn’t tell the truth. She couldn’t have. No one ever visited with vampires as she did, without being one of them.

  She was one of them. If he was to live, he had to remember that.

  Before Crystal could have a nightmare, the clock alarm jangled her nerves early the next morning. She rubbed her eyes. They felt as if she’d been in a sandstorm in the West Texas Panhandle as scratchy as they were. Somehow, the little bit of sleep she managed made her more tired than before.

  She dragged herself out of bed and after changing, headed into work. Only this time, she wore a wrist knife at both wrists, and a knife at her waist.

  The boss wasn’t in, so she made it her priority to check out Robert Parker. Since he’d taken the swimming survival training with her, it meant he served in the same division. That narrowed it down.

  She called the headquarters. “Hello, I run the staff duty roster for the division, and I’m trying to locate a Cpt. Robert Parker. Could you tell me which unit he’s with?”

  “Yes, he’s with the AG Company.”

  “Thank you.”

  She hopped up from her chair, then grabbed her cap. Thankfully, she had two spares because the other sat in Nicolai’s bedroom still.

  She poked her head into the sergeant major’s office. “Is the colonel around?”

  “Out sick for the day.”

  Yes! “Oh, I’m sorry to hear that. I have to head over to the AG Company. Won’t take me long.”

  “Yes, ma’am.”

  With a spring in her step, she readied herself for the confrontation with Cpt. Robert Parker. She only hoped he’d be in an office where she could confront him properly, without anyone else seeing or hearing them.

  When she arrived at the AG Company, her heart sank. An officer walked out of the redbrick, two-story building at an angle to her, looking very much like Parker. But when he headed for a pickup truck, she took a breath. From the back, he looked just like Robert. But in green fatigues and hat, with short cropped brown hair, and same build, many would have looked alike.

  She strode across the parking lot to the front door of the building. The metal door creaked as she pulled it open. Everyone in the building would know of her arrival she felt.

  Inside, she glanced at a directory. Second floor, second office, Cpt. Robert Parker. Now, if only he was in and no one else was there, she could get this business over with.

  The wooden steps creaked with her weight as she climbed them to the second floor. She walked down the long nondescript hallway, the floorboards also making squeaking noises announcing her arrival. Sensitive to sound, a hunter’s special genetic trait, she winced as every noise made a lasting painful impression. She just knew Robert was waiting to pounce on her as soon as she entered his office. The building smelled old and musty, the indoor-outdoor mottled brown carpet needing a facelift, shampoo or something.

  She stopped in front of the room where his redwood sign hung prominently on the door. Captain Robert Parker, Records Chief.

  Four doors opened into offices on either side of the hall. Most of the doors sat slightly ajar or fully open. Not Parker’s. She hesitated at the closed door.

  If she knocked on the door and had to say who she was before entering, would he allow her in? Maybe he wasn’t even in the office, or was speaking to someone else behind the closed door in an official capacity.

  She
grabbed the doorknob. A captain emerged from an office two doors down from Parker’s. His brilliant red hair made his blue eyes sparkle as a sprinkling of red freckles dotted his nose. He winked at her. “He’s in, but if his door’s closed, he’s most likely busy.”

  She moved away from the door. “I need to see him.”

  “Maybe I can help you.”

  “I’m afraid this has strictly to do with Robert Parker.”

  “Well, he gets all of the interesting business.”

  He glanced down at her nametag. “You’re the female officer who showed up at water survival training.”

  “You were there?”

  “No. Couple of the other guys were though.” He grinned broadly. “Sorry I missed the training.”

  She imagined she was the topic of discussion.

  Parker’s door opened. Crystal flattened herself against the wall so Parker wouldn’t see her. A pretty blonde second lieutenant walked out of his office. She smiled at the other captain, ignored Crystal, then strode toward the stairs.

  “Guess he’s all yours now. Where do you work?”

  “Second Armored Division.”

  He tilted his head back slightly, then smiled again. “I see. Since when do officers from the other division train with us?”

  “They don’t.”

  She marched into Parker’s office and closed the door in the other captain’s face. She couldn’t afford a relationship with anyone, not with Nicolai after her. Hopefully her answer would have discouraged him sufficiently. Of course, the Second Armored Division personnel didn’t train with the 1st Cavalry Division, unless they were performing an exercise against each other…one as the enemy, and the other as the good guys. But anybody who grew interested in her would become Nicolai’s target, too.

  Although Parker narrowed his dark brown eyes at her and opened his mouth to speak, she didn’t give him a chance to say anything. She rushed his gray metal desk. Using her superhuman strength, she shoved it into him, pinning him against the wall.

  He gasped, his eyes widened, then he swore under his breath.

  “You son-of-a-bitch.” She held the desk firmly against his broad chest. “Quit stalking me or I’ll turn you over to the police.”

  “I should never have told the police where to find you.” His words were spoken as harshly as hers through clenched teeth.

  Her adrenaline coursed through her body at an all-time high. The urge to kill him overwhelmed her better judgment. “Next time, I’ll take your car and leave you for dead.” She fought opening her wrist knife. If vampire hunting had given her this kind of drive, she’d have no trouble killing any of them.

  She released the desk and turned to walk away. Just as quickly, he shoved the desk back. She turned to look at him. What was he? Twice now, he showed he had the same kind of strength as a vampire. Yet, she’d never known one who could live when exposed to sunlight. And if he didn’t report back to Nicolai or try to return her to him, was he a vampire from another family? A rival perhaps?

  She had to know. Was he a vampire?

  15

  Crystal crossed the floor to where Robert now stood. This time he prepared himself when she reached out to touch his arm, to see if he truly was a vampire. Her sensory preceptors could determine it, if he’d been turned very long. She jumped when he grabbed her wrist hard. His fingers gripped her so tightly, the nerves in her wrist screamed out in pain.

  The electricity flowed between them, unnerving her. He was a daylight vampire. Did her people even know they existed?

  She twisted her wrist free and shoved him away from her.

  He responded with force, grabbing her shoulders, and slamming her against his maple bookcase of Army regulations. “Nicolai claimed you, didn’t he?” His voice was harsh and grated on her.

  “Let go of me,” she growled back at him. She swung her leg behind him, caught his wrists, and shoved. He fell with a bang when she caught him off balance with her hand-to-hand combat maneuver.

  If anyone heard them, it would sound like they were doing acrobatics in his office.

  A knock at the door stopped her before she completed the maneuver. Although she intended to stomp on his chest with her combat boot to knock the wind out of him, she hesitated.

  “Cpt. Parker?” a male voice, riddled with concern, asked beyond the door.

  Parker glared at her as he sprang to his feet. “Yes.” He opened the door.

  A young private, looked to be no more than eighteen, gangly and unsure of himself, shifted his attention from Robert to Crystal. Her hair had loosened from her bun and now drifted to her shoulders. The private’s eyes widened. “I…I thought maybe there was some trouble, sir. I’ll…ahem, leave you alone.”

  “I’m fine.” Parker shut the door. A slight smile appeared on his face, evidently amused the private thought he was partying with a female captain in his office. But when Parker looked at Crystal, the smile vanished. “Are you finished?”

  “Only if you quit stalking me. I won’t be as nice next time.” She shoved past him.

  “Bloodsucker’s woman.”

  She grabbed his wrist and jerked his arm behind his back, then shoved him against the door. He quickly freed himself from her grasp with a twist and pinned her against the wall with his body.

  The same kind of electricity coursed through her system, filling her with warmth and desire. His aftershave served as an aphrodisiac and despite fighting the urge, she breathed it in as if her lungs craved oxygen.

  When her senses returned, she attempted to wriggle free. “Let go of me you…you, vampiric host.”

  His eyes widened. “You think that’s what I am?”

  No. He was a day-dwelling vampire. But she didn’t want him to know she knew.

  “Doesn’t matter. You’re Nicolai’s concubine.” He released her as her face heated with anger.

  “He’ll never have me.” She rubbed her wrists. “And neither will you.” She turned to grab the doorknob, but he seized her arm and held her tight.

  “Why would I want the likes of you?”

  “It’s my alluring personality. It even lured you,” she taunted him.

  “I only used you to…”

  She waited.

  His gaze shifted to her neck, but her hair sufficiently covered it. He released her wrist. “Get out of here.”

  “You can tell Nicolai for me, I won’t ever be his.”

  She clutched the doorknob and twisted.

  “You’re already his.”

  She pulled the door open. No sense in trying to convince a vampire of anything. No matter what she said, they didn’t listen. Her blood boiled with irritation. She attempted to slam the door on her way out. He jerked it free from her.

  In response, she sped down the hall, frustration dripping from every pore.

  Crystal tucked her loose hair back into her bun as she headed for the stairs. Robert couldn’t believe the overwhelming feelings he had for her. His whole body had reacted to hers when they touched, just as if she’d been a vampire. The same strong electric current…only this time there was something more. An incredible longing, too. Then her mouth-watering fragrance, the same flowery sweet scent he’d caught a whiff of in his car, begged him to breathe in every bit of her.

  A few of her honey blond curls still dangled over her shoulders. When he’d found her in his vehicle last night, he’d wanted to run his fingers through the silky strands. Her blue eyes had darkened with desire when they’d touched. She wanted him, too…as her next meal.

  Cpt. Bill Minkle chuckled. Robert turned to see redheaded Bill watching him, his arms folded across his chest. “Boy, I’d like your job. First, the pretty blond-haired second lieutenant comes to see you, then the captain. What do you do that draws them to you?”

  “Lt. Eisley was here on business.”

  Bill’s mouth edged up in a smile. “And the other?”

  “She had the wrong office.”

  Bill laughed out loud. “If that’s the way you want t
o play the game. I couldn’t make any headway with her at all. She wanted only you.”

  “She’s dangerous. Stay away from her.”

  Bill raised his brows, his lips still smiling. “Yeah, well she’s the one whose hair was all mussed up. Looks like maybe you were a bit rough on her. I sent the private to check on you, make sure you two were okay. The whole building rattled with whatever you two were doing in here. Told the colonel you were practicing a few tactical maneuvers.”

  Robert didn’t comment, but instead hurried into his office, crossed the floor, then looked out the window. Crystal stood next to her car, still fiddling with her hair, trying to get all the loose strands off her collar before she got in trouble for it.

  “So, when’s your next date?” Bill’s boots clomped on the floor as he joined him to get a peek at her, too.

  Robert shook his head. She’d felt so good against his body, warm and full of life. But getting involved with a woman like that, would spell his death.

  Bill chuckled under his breath. “Didn’t get a date? Or don’t want to say?”

  Dating a woman like that was out of the question. Robert had every intention of following her until she led him to Yorovitch. With her having an in with Nicolai and his brother, Dimitri, he knew it wouldn’t be long before she led him to their cousin. After Yorovitch had murdered his sister, he’d become the top vampire for him to kill.

  “The captain isn’t the kind that dates.”

  “Just fools around a little on the side, eh? I could handle a relationship like that.”

  “Let’s just say she has a killer of a boyfriend. No one touches her who doesn’t get hurt…killed, rather.”

  Bill grinned at him. “Then he’d better not learn she was here, because from the looks of it, a hell of a lot of touching was going on.” He glanced over at the bookshelf where several regulations laid on the floor in disarray. “Or something.”

  “Don’t you have a job to do?”

  “It’s lunchtime. I came to ask if you wanted to have lunch with me.”