Night Moves (The Night Songs Collection)

by Kristen Strassel

  “Miss Vaughn. I’ve heard so much about you.” Talis nodded to me. “Please sit.”

  We both did, now it felt like a funeral service in a catholic church. Nothing in this room was alive, except for me.

  “Good things, I hope.” I swallowed hard, not sure where to look.

  “I’ve heard that your boyfriend was found murdered in your bed, and your car was discovered in Pennsylvania. I’ve heard that you and Drake didn’t see eye to eye. And that you were very close with Erin Monticelli. I don’t deal in good and bad, Miss Vaughn. Just the truth.”

  Holy crap. “I understand.”

  “Ryder tells me that he would like to have you under my protection.” She continued. “I’m only considering this because Ryder Maddox is a very important part of my organization. More so now in Drake Bonham’s absence. It is not my concern whether or not you did what you have been accused of. My only concern will be your loyalty to me. “

  “Okay.” I was willing to say anything to make this end. No one in Soul Divider was human anymore, but this woman was a beautifully packaged, refined monster. I had no doubt she’d rip me apart for the slightest mistake. I was almost afraid to breathe, but more afraid of passing out.

  “I haven’t had much luck with humans, and I’ve been alive a very long time. Technology and intelligence may advance, but human nature does not. All of you share certain traits. You all think you’re the smartest person in the universe. And you all think you’re indestructible.” She walked slowly around the room, paying more attention to the furniture than me, something which I felt she considered me at equal footing with. “I have news for you, Miss Vaughn. I’ve proved many of your kind wrong time and time again. It tires me, the stupidity. So, if you’re serious about accepting my protection and all that it means, I want you to see what happens when a human tries to outsmart me.”

  I looked over to Ryder, so wide eyed I was afraid my eyeballs might fall into my lap. I was too afraid to speak. I knew nothing I said at that point would change anything. This woman meant to scare me into submission.

  It was going to work.

  Talis pressed a button on her desk and the big cherry door opened again. Two burly men, dressed in black pushed a man with longish blonde curly hair and a beard in front of them. His face was purple and swollen, blood caked his beard and curls. His hands and bare feet were bound at the ankles, making it hard for him to walk. He winced as each movement must have made him want to scream, but pride kept it inside. He cast his gaze down to the corner of the room, his jaw set hard in defiance.

  “Miss Vaughn, I want to introduce you to Mr. Bradley Bennett.” Talis paused as if she expected us to shake hands. Did she think this was a god damned cocktail party? I looked at the man presented before me, even through his battered appearance I could see he was a good, kind person. There was something about the defeat in his posture that made me see it. I wanted to cry out at the horror, but I wouldn’t give Talis the satisfaction. Instead, I looked up at Bradley and smiled as bravely as I could.

  I hoped no one could see me grasping Ryder’s arm hard enough to break a bone.

  “I thought Bradley, Blade as he likes to be called, fit into my plans quite nicely. But Blade, like all the rest of you humans, thought he was smarter than me. His girlfriend thinks she is invincible. I can tell you humans you’re wrong until I’m blue in the face. None of you listen. So I have to take action. Miss Vaughn, I want you to consider this a warning. This is what will happen if you don’t take me seriously.”

  “I understand.” I wanted to stand up and go, just so I could breathe again. I got the message, loud and clear. Now I wanted to be as far away from this nightmare as possible.

  “Both of you will follow me to Embrace. I know I can trust Ryder to obey. After tonight, I assume I’ll be able to trust you as well, Miss Vaughn.”

  I was going to pass out. The city swirled around us at a nauseating clip. “How can you even drive right now?” I managed to blurt out. “What do you think she’s going to do to him?”

  “She’s either going to make him a vampire, or she’s going to kill him.” Ryder’s voice was flat. He looked straight ahead. I wanted to grab the wheel, cause an accident, but I was too cowardly even to do that. I didn’t want to hurt anyone else, and I certainly didn’t want any harm to come to Ryder.

  “Why is this okay? Why do we have to watch this?” I whined. I couldn’t help it.

  “Because she’s my creator. And you need something from her.” He still wouldn’t look at me.

  “What do you think he did? Or his girlfriend? Why isn’t she here?”

  “I have no idea, babe.” Ryder sighed. “Let’s just get through this and hope for the best.”

  Hope for the best? Really, Ryder? That was a piss poor business plan for life with Talis. No wonder we were constantly in a mess. No wonder other clans wanted to screw with us. We were just hoping for the best, like a bunch of fairy tale characters. I swallowed my fury. The last thing we needed was for this incident to divide and conquer us.

  I couldn’t believe I had to trust my future to this woman. I wanted to do my damnedest to protect Rachel. I needed to make sure that Erin got the justice she deserved. I couldn’t do either of those things from behind bars.

  I hated needing Talis, now more than ever.

  Ryder parked the car in front of the club, next to a black military issue van with blacked out windows. Talis got out, smoothed her skirt and hair, and waited primly for her goons to haul poor Blade out of the back. His bare feet dragged along the pavement. I couldn’t move. I didn’t even see Ryder get out of the car and come around to open my door. All I could think of was Blade’s skin ripping against the asphalt. Ryder offered his hand to me and I stared at it.

  “Really?” I asked.

  “Really. You running away isn’t going to make anything easier for that guy. In fact, it’ll make it worse. If you show her you’re worthy of her trust, maybe she’ll show him some mercy.”

  I hadn’t thought of it like that. “Okay.”

  I took Ryder’s hand and let him pull me out of the car. His arm was fully around my waist, almost dragging me through the parking lot like those bullies had dragged Blade. Our hosts waited for us by the front door, how hospitable of them. Blade squirmed enough to make himself more comfortable, the grimace never leaving his face.

  “Just follow them to the back room.” Ryder leaned down and murmured in my ear. I nodded and let him pull me in that direction.

  Before tonight, I had wondered what a vampire bar would look like. Now that I was here, I didn’t really care anymore. Still, I was surprised by the light and bright décor. White and silver walls, and futuristic looking tables and chairs. The room was packed. I didn’t know if it was full of people or vampires. Half naked bodies wandered around like zombies, dripping with blood. So barbaric in an otherwise normal scene.

  My gaze was pulled to the bar. I recognized Tristan Trevosier from his TV show. He was Talis’ cash cow. Immortal Dilemma played almost every night at the Alta Vista, and they made a reality show about the band. His sex appeal was almost tangible, more so in person. I couldn’t take my eyes off of him, even if he wasn’t making a spectacle of himself worthy of reality TV. He lay across the bar, leather clad legs going on for miles. He flipped his long black hair back out of his face as he licked the bare torso of a pretty blonde girl underneath him.

  She wriggled a bit under his touch. I couldn’t tell if it was in pleasure or struggling. She looked out at the crowd, the frustration written all over her face. Interesting. A million girls would give anything to be in her position, and I didn’t expect Tristan had to force a woman to do much of anything. I felt myself melting just looking at him. When her eyes landed on our group, they widened and her mouth formed a surprised O. She looked back to Tristan, and raised her arm to slap him across the face. He peeled away from her, laughing as he pulled her up to sitting position.

  Still watching the exchange at the bar, I bumped into Ryder
when he stopped walking. A man opened a door and we all filed into a private room. It was much more casual than the main bar, with soft couches and end tables lining the walls. We all stood there stiffly. Talis motioned for Ryder and me to sit down. Everyone else remained standing.

  “That was an unexpected little performance.” Talis said, referring to what had happened on the bar. “Did you enjoy that, Blade?” She ran her fingers under his chin as his eyes burned with anger. He still had yet to say a word.

  She turned back to Ryder and me. “For those of you who don’t know, that little slut on the bar under Mr. Trevosier is the love of Blade’s life. She has no idea where Blade is. He simply just disappeared. I guess the mourning period isn’t as long for humans as it used to be. I’m not sure she even remembers you anymore. That’s too bad. You were so prepared to defend her honor.”

  I squirmed, staring at Blade in the middle of the room, but it would have been disrespectful to not give him my full attention. Ryder’s hand found my arm, he squeezed it. This had to be just as awful for him.

  “So what should I do with you, Bradley?” Talis walked in a circle, tapping her finger against her chin. “Would you rather die than watch your precious girlfriend fuck around with someone you didn’t think was worthy of partnering with for the rest of time?”

  “Fuck you.” His raspy voice was little more than a whisper, but he got his point across.

  “Doll,” she ran her hand along his cheek. He winced and pulled away. She caught a piece of his hair and tugged him close to her face. “There’s plenty of time for that.”

  My mind filled with the image of Ryder in bed with Talis. I fought to make it go away.

  “We have to do something.” I whispered urgently in Ryder’s ear. He shook his head but never turned to face me. But Talis, with her supernatural hearing, turned and smiled at me. My stomach churned.

  “Untie him.” She instructed her goons. They did as asked, and Blade shook his hands and feet to regain feeling.

  Talis approached him, smiling. She reached her hands up to rest on his broad shoulders, pushing him down so he knelt before her. He stared up at her unblinking, his eyes filled with hatred and rage.

  Then nothing else went as The Mistress wished.

  Thank you for reading Night Moves. If you enjoyed Melanie and Ryder’s story, please consider taking a minute to leave a review. If you would like to keep up with my latest releases and sales promotions, please sign up for my newsletter.

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  Keep reading for an excerpt of We Own the Night (expected release date, September 1, 2014). I know you’re dying to know what happened with Blade in that room, so here’s a sneak peek of how Melanie and Ryder team up with Blade, Callie, and Tristan.

  Sneak Peak

  “What the hell are you talking about?” I knew I didn’t have much room for negotiation. I couldn’t move, and I wasn’t ready to open my eyes yet. My captor was a pissed off, wild, newly minted monster who had just taken out the most powerful vampire in Las Vegas.

  “Shut up!” Blade roared, kneeing me in the small of my back without loosening his death grip on the hair at the nape of my neck. My torso bowed forward, my eyes widening now as all my muscles protested. He was too strong, even for me. Definitely not human. “You can’t talk your way out of this one.”

  “That hurts,” I whispered, ignoring his demands. Probably not my smartest move, but he was about to snap me in half. “My body doesn’t bend like that.”

  He pushed his knee further into my back forcing me into a complete backbend. Even though it was pitch black in the room, I could see him, his beautiful face. Just the sight of him made me ache. So many good memories. I wriggled my hands free from his grasp, I groped back, trying to reach his leg, his body.

  “Your body will move however I want it to.” He slapped my hands away from him. The cool of his body came close to my face again. “I’m going to treat you like the whore you are. I’m going to show you the respect you show yourself. That you’ve shown me. And then you’re going to learn respect.”

  “You left me,” I hissed.

  “I told you to shut up! Jesus, you never learn, do you?” He jerked my body forward by my head, and like a rag doll I found myself bent over a desk. The weight of his body crushed mine against the hard surface. I had missed the feeling of Blade against me more than I ever realized. It overwhelmed me, my body responded like we were about to have some really intense makeup sex, almost making me forget to be afraid. But my brain knew I was under attack. “You hardly waited until I was out of the parking lot before you fucked Tristan. I know every slutty move you made. Talis made sure to tell me everything before I destroyed her. Do you want to know how I did it?”

  “Is that what you’re going to do to me, Blade? Destroy me?”

  Could he? He must have been able to hear my heart battering my ribcage. It didn't need to beat anymore, but everybody had the same response to crisis, alive or undead.

  Why couldn’t I fight him? Anyone else I would have sent flying across the office. But it was Blade.

  “Oh, hell no. I’m going to let you and your piece of shit junkie boyfriend destroy yourselves. And I’m going to roast marshmallows in the flames.” He pulled the neck of my shirt down, exposing my shoulder. His beard stubble tickled my skin as he spoke. I shivered. “Talis made a mistake, trying to use me to get revenge against you and the golden boy. She likes her slaves strong. She made me too strong. I dominated her, just like I’m going to do to you. I dug her heart out of her chest with my bare hands. Stupid bitch thought I was going to fuck her. Did you know a vampire’s heart will still beat when it’s removed from the body, Callie? It’s like watching a chicken run with its head cut off. Fascinating. But enough with the science lesson. I held her heart in my hand while I set her body on fire. I liked the way it felt when it moved. When it stopped beating, I threw it in the pyre.” He licked my shoulder blade and laughed when I flinched. “You knew I didn’t want this, Callie. I guess I didn’t make myself clear.”

  “I did everything I could to get you away from her. I thought you were worth fighting for.”

  “Bullshit. I know how Bloodlust works now. You didn’t care about anything else. I thought you were worth fighting for, and you tossed me aside like garbage. And look what it got you.”

  He scraped his fangs down my back. I screamed. Was he going to rip me apart, right here in this office, while thousands of people enjoyed a concert just down the hall? He slammed my head down on the desk with the hand still tangled in the back of my hair. I tasted my own blood. Blade must have been able to smell it as it welled in my mouth. He flipped me forward and pressed against me, aroused, and put his mouth over mine to drink from me.

  I responded to his kiss, my body once again betraying me. My mind tricking me into thinking my ex-boyfriend was somewhere inside this monster. I pulled him in closer to me, my synapses on overdrive. How could he could he make me want him? Like this? I nipped at him, trying to draw his blood.

  Did he realize what I was? Just like him.

  “Did you know whoever takes out the master becomes the master?” Blade pulled away from me just enough to speak. His lips moved against mine. I could feel them arch upward in a smile. “The time to kiss and make up has passed. This whole city answers to me now. You answer to me now.”

  Don’t miss the rest of

  Summer has finally arrived, along with a boy who will forever change the life of fourteen-year-old Callie. After growing up hearing stories about Tristan Trevosier and his famous family, Callie finally meets him when he spends the summer on Martha's Vineyard. Seventeen-year-old Tristan is a hurricane of destruction and rebellion, and he quickly blows a hole right into Callie's sheltered life. Callie sees a side of Tristan that he doesn't show anyone else. She's determined to make everyone see what she sees in him.

  Callie defies her parents by leaving the island with Tristan. But w
hen his ugly habits rear their head, Callie realizes maybe she's the one who's wrong about him. He's beyond her help. But it's too late for her to walk away. This summer, she learns that love can be stronger than reason.

  Immortal Dilemma is the hottest band in the Las Vegas vampire rock scene. They draw insatiable fans from around the globe, thanks to a supernatural attraction called Bloodlust. Tristan craved such an opportunity to fill his empty mortal life, and now he has eternity to earn his place along the legends of rock n roll debauchery.

  Callie always feared that Tristan's excesses would get him into trouble, but she never thought they'd lead him to immortality. To reconnect with him, she must weave her way through a world not only she had no idea existed, but does not welcome her.

  Blade turned down a spot in Immortal Dilemma after learning what he must sacrifice for that lifestyle. He finds Callie a refreshing change from the girls in the vampire rock scene. When Callie drags Blade back into the world of Immortal Dilemma, his resistance drives her into the waiting arms of Tristan, who shows her the true meaning of Bloodlust.

  But the very things that Callie fights so hard to save are the very things that fight to destroy her.

  Release Date: September 1, 2014

  Callie Chabot would stop at nothing to save her ex-boyfriend Blade Bennett from the clutches of vampire clan leader Talis de Rancourt, even if means becoming immortal herself. What she doesn’t know is that Blade has already defeated Talis, and he’s waiting for Callie in the afterlife.

  Now Callie only has her creator, Tristan Trevosier, to turn to for guidance. But he’s too wrapped up in the debauchery of the Las Vegas rock scene to give a damn about the particulars of being undead. That’s enough to drive Callie crazy on its own, but female vampires are automatic clan leaders.