Blood Kisses (Nightwalkers Book 1)

by Sieverding, H. N.

  "Thanks Gramps." She reached over and gave him a hug.

  "Okay." He sighed. "I'm heading out. See you tomorrow." He kissed her forehead. "I love you."

  "Love you too." She forced a smile as she watched him grab his coat. She then turned back to Nathan. He was talking to Natalie about Victoria. Ashleigh was happy to barge in on their conversation and change the subject. "Nat?" Ashleigh looped the strap of the bag over her shoulder as she walked around the desk. "I’m closing up now."

  "Oh yeah." Natalie stood next to the handsome man. "Can I help you with anything else?"

  "My family is in town on business, and we’ll be hitting the clubs tonight. If you’d like to come, we could swing by and pick you up."

  "Of course, we would." Putting her hand over her chest, Natalie wore an overdramatic expression on her perfectly painted face. Her eagerness was a little much, but the man didn’t seem to mind.

  She then grabbed a piece of paper and wrote something down on it. "Here’s our address and my phone number." The man looked down at her almost illegible handwriting. Natalie smiled in Ashleigh’s direction briefly then back at him. "So, when you picking us up?"

  "He’s not going to call." Sitting on the arm of the couch, Ashleigh was texting. She donned trendy jeans and a hot pink tank under her black sweater. The lacy edges of it hugged her hips, her long, black hair perfectly curled and falling down her shoulders.

  "He is too." Natalie stuck her tongue out at Ashleigh as she checked out the window for the hundredth time in the past hour. "And stop spreading that negative energy of yours. You may not want—"

  "Whoa now." Holding up hands that were sporting a freshly painted coat of pink polish, Ashleigh laughed. "I’m not negative."

  "Yes, you are." Natalie glanced at the clock, which now read eleven-thirty, her fingers still clinging to the curtains.

  "Let’s go to Club Vix. They have a band I—"

  "No, I want to wait for him to call."

  "Who is he, anyway?" Ashleigh reached over and scratched the fat cat that was sitting on the back of the couch. "Do you even know his name?"

  Natalie turned to Ashleigh sharply, an annoyed tone to her voice. "Nathan."

  "Did you read that on his card?" Ashleigh chuckled as she stood up and straightened her shirt. "Because if you did, that’d be kinda pathetic."

  "He told me his name. I didn’t read it off his card."

  "Well, I’m leaving. Galaxy is playing tonight. I'd rather listen to some sexy, half-naked rockers than watch you stalk the window all night." Ashleigh grabbed her purse, slung it over her shoulder, and walked toward the door. "Are you coming?" Her voice brightened, "Jonathan was totally checking me out last week. Let's go see if he gets drunk enough to strip on stage again…or maybe gets up the nerve to ask me out."

  "Fine." Natalie let out a reluctant sigh as she pulled away from the window. "I guess we can go to Vix."

  "Awesome." Ashleigh opened the door, making quick, overdramatic hand motions toward it. The bracelets on her wrists hit each other playfully. She wore a giant, fake smile. "Then let’s get moving. Come on."

  Natalie grabbed her purse and reluctantly trailed behind Ashleigh out the door. When Ashleigh stopped to answer her phone, Natalie passed her. She was so absorbed in the call, she didn’t see the black hummer limo parked across the street. Instead, she instead started toward her own car.

  Stopping near the driver's door, Ashleigh started arguing with the man on her phone. Natalie grabbed Ashleigh’s arm and pulled her toward the limo. When she saw it, Ashleigh regarded it suspiciously, but then the man on the phone said something that took hold of her attention. "I don’t want that. You said you’d–"

  Natalie was all smiles when she opened the door and saw a carload of very handsome men sitting in the back. She got in then motioned for Ashleigh to follow.

  "Hi." Natalie’s face was a deep shade of red as she looked at the men, who were all dressed in designer suits and ties. Though she was a good looking woman and had her share of handsome dates, these men were from a higher rank than she was used to.

  She guessed them to be very rich, and from some of their expressions, snobbish as well. Natalie quickly sat down across from an extremely handsome blond man. He was eyeing her suspiciously, but his attention quickly turned to Ashleigh, who hadn’t yet gotten in the car.

  "I'm not doing it. Never. Ever." Ashleigh took one look inside the limo and took two steps back. When she saw Natalie's annoyed expression, she motioned for her to go on ahead without her. "You go ahead. I can't go. Something's come up." She turned to leave, but Natalie yanked her arm and into the limo she went.

  Ashleigh wasn’t checking out the men, instead she glared at Natalie. She was feeling very out of place, and she wanted to bolt. No one spoke for the first few seconds, but Natalie soon began trying to strike up a conversation with the man next to her.

  After taking a quick scan of the gathering, Ashleigh went back to her phone call, her voice lower now. "What magazine is that?" She waited a few seconds for the reply. "Ick! No…"

  Ashleigh tried to mask her sour expression as she checked out the men near her, most of them fiddling with their phones or talking amongst themselves. They weren’t a very friendly bunch, and even though they had picked up the girls willingly, most seemed like they wanted nothing to do with them.

  "A vampire fetish? Seriously?" Ashleigh laughed, gazing down at her purse as she fiddled with a few charms that hung from the zipper. “I read that one too.”

  Once Ashleigh said the word “vampire,” all the men in the car turned to her sharply. Ashleigh didn’t notice. The men’s reaction concerned Natalie, but she didn’t know how to signal her worry to Ashleigh.

  "Hey." Sliding forward and sitting on the edge of her seat, Natalie lightly touched Ashleigh’s knee. "Hang that up."

  Ashleigh smiled as she held her hand over the receiver again. "Just a sec, Nat." She uncovered the phone. "I have to go." She bit her lip as she gazed out the window. "I'll get that to you next week, I promise." She hung up and finally noticed the eyes on her. Instead of engaging in conversation with their owners, she turned to Natalie. "I want to go to Vix."

  "Well, we're not." Natalie sounded nervous.

  "So…umm…where are we going?" Ashleigh mustered a fake smile. "Wanna go to Vix?" When they didn’t answer, she let out a small sigh. "Well, you’re all a lively bunch."

  "Not yet." The blond man finally spoke, sending her a cocky smile. One of his eyebrows rose slightly with his upturned expression, his eyes a shining green. He was very handsome, his eyes on Ashleigh making her quickly avert her gaze.

  "Where are we going?" Natalie squinted, trying to see outside the dark-tinted window.

  "Tell me where I can find Ashleigh Brown. Her listed address is a bookstore. I want to know where she lives." The blond man demanded, his eyes still focused on Ashleigh. He did not sound friendly, and the girls quickly realized why they were invited here. "Tell me now."

  Ashleigh swallowed some of the fear that had gathered in her throat, her stare settling on the fangs that peeked out of the blond man’s mouth when his smile grew. "Ashleigh?" She looked back at Natalie, who didn’t seem to have noticed the man’s fangs, but was still afraid.

  "If you lied to us earlier…" The man motioned toward Nathan, who was sitting across from him. "And if you don’t know her, then you will not be going home tonight."

  "Umm…" Biting her lip, Ashleigh glanced toward Natalie again, unsure of what to say.

  "Of course we know her." Natalie tried to sound upbeat, but her fear still showed. "…Right, Mary?"

  "Yeah." Ashleigh sent Natalie an annoyed glare because she had bounced the question back to her. "I just talked to her today. Why?"

  "I want to meet her." The blond man continued to smile, and Natalie saw his fangs as well. Her hand quickly went over her mouth as tried to cover her gasp. Her reaction made the men in the limo snicker.

  "She can set you up with that." Natalie kicked Ashle
igh in the leg. "Can’t you?"

  "Yeah…maybe." Ashleigh stared down at her purse, her eyes burning into the shiny black fabric. Her heart was racing, but it wasn't out of fear. An adrenaline pulsed through her, a great curiosity about these men that she couldn't suppress. "I probably could. When do you want to meet her?"

  "Tonight." The man’s expression softened a little when he saw her gaze snap to him. The fear on her face seemed to please him.

  "Tonight might be—"

  "Do you want to go home?" He narrowed his stare, the weight of it too much for Ashleigh. Her eyes quickly went to Natalie instead.

  "Yeah." Ashleigh's voice shook slightly.

  "Tell me where she is then."

  Making a sour face, Ashleigh gazed down at her feet. She faked a defeated tone. "She’s at Club Vix."

  "Thank you."

  The ride to the club seemed like an eternity, no one spoke to the girls but talked happily among themselves.

  When they arrived at the club, the men all filed out and strolled inside. Ashleigh was walking next to Natalie, heaviness in her gait.

  "Where is she?" The blond man asked once they entered, speaking close to Ashleigh’s ear because it was hard to hear.

  "There." Ashleigh pointed to a woman standing near the stage. She was hoping to bolt when she got the chance, but the man had a hold of her shoulder.

  "I'll go ask her." The blond man laughed, his eyes scanning all the women. He glanced over at Nathan. "Take these ladies to the car. I’m grabbing a drink before we go."

  "Sure, Spencer." Nathan motioned for them to come with him.

  Sitting down next to Ashleigh back in the limo, Natalie hissed angrily in her ear. "Now what the hell are we going to do?"

  "How should I know?" Ashleigh whispered. "You're the one that said you knew Victoria. So, it's your fault we're in this."

  "It is not."

  "Is to."

  "Damn it, Ash. Just stop being a little shit, and tell me what we should do."

  "Should I tell them?"

  "Are you nuts?" Natalie nervously looked over at Nathan, who was lazily lounging in the seat, then back at Ashleigh. "They probably want to murder you or something for making fun of them in your books…like payback or something."

  Ashleigh was going to respond, but the men filed back into the limo, and she quickly shut her mouth.

  Spencer sat next Natalie because Ashleigh was sitting by the window. "Hey." He was now in a livelier mood, his actions a little jumpy as he licked his lips a few times, even though there was nothing on them. "You." He motioned for Ashleigh. "Sit next to me."

  Ashleigh quickly switched places with Natalie. She didn’t look up at Spencer, even though feeling his warm thigh against hers was making her think inappropriate thoughts. He was like one of her characters, gorgeous and scary, but in real life, that wasn’t a good thing. A few seconds went by where she fantasized about him, her mind wandering as she stared down at her knees.

  She saw the lines in her head, the way she would describe his wicked smile and the way his blond hair was slicked back perfectly. How wonderful he’d look naked. The thought made a small smile peak at the corner of her lips. Natalie nudged her leg and broke her out of her inner thoughts. Ashleigh’s eyes slowly met hers.

  "I feel much better." Spencer rested his arm on the back of the seat behind Ashleigh’s head, her long hair kissing his jacket.

  "This is a joke, right?" Ashleigh looked over at the other men in the limo, but couldn’t look at Spencer.

  "A joke?" Spencer sent her a stern look, his tongue resting under one of his fangs, which he was showing off to her.

  "Yes, a joke." Ashleigh still didn’t look at him, but instead playfully shoved Natalie. "Real funny, Nat."

  "It’s not a joke, Ash." Natalie wore a very serious expression, her nervous gaze bouncing over the now perky and energetic vampires in the limo.

  "Want me to bite you?" Spencer’s arm slipped down the seat and wrapped around Ashleigh’s shoulders, his face leaning close to her neck. "That will change your mind real fast."

  "No, no." Ashleigh laughed nervously, trying to pull away from him, but he had a firm grip that she couldn’t budge. "How about we just talk instead?"

  "How about I take a taste of you?" Spencer stayed close to her ear, his other hand going to rest on her leg.

  "That’s not how it goes. You haven’t made your big introduction yet." Ashleigh was trying not to let her fear show, her head turning to him. He was wearing a very sexy smile that felt more intimating than staring into the face of a snarling bear. Before her eyes got trapped in his, she turned away.

  "Ah." Spencer snickered as he retracted his arm and pulled away. "That will come when I meet Ashleigh." He smirked when he saw a deep frown settle into Ashleigh’s features. "Such pleasantries shouldn’t be squandered on commoners like yourself."

  "Wow." Ashleigh let out a forced breath as she slowly shook her head. "You really know how to make a woman feel special. You’re going to charm the pants right off Victoria, if you keep that up."

  "How do you know Victoria even lives here?" Natalie put a calm hand on Ashleigh’s knee.

  "From a source at her publishing company," Nathan answered.

  "She—" Natalie paused, the bangles around her wrists chiming as she sat forward in her seat and spoke to Spencer. "Is coming to the store tomorrow, but if you don’t let us go, then you’ll never get the chance to meet her."

  "I don’t do the hostage thing." Gesturing with his hand, Spencer appeared annoyed, his crisp, white suit now showing some traces of blood near the bottom of the sleeve. "And I certainly will not give into anything, so…" He grabbed Ashleigh by the neck and yanked her toward him. "Tell me where she is, or I’ll just eliminate both of you and take my search elsewhere."

  He was about to bite her, but the phone in her pocket sounded off with a trumpeting tune, signaling she had received a text message. "Let me see that." He pulled away from her and held his hand out. "If she’s your friend, then you’d have her number."

  Shaking her head, Ashleigh didn’t look at him as she passed him the cell. "I hope you find what you’re looking for." She glanced over at Natalie. "It’s probably just Joe anyway."

  "Password?" Spencer nudged her shoulder with her phone, an annoyed tone lining his voice.

  “Please?” Ashleigh waited for him to say it, but when he didn't, she rolled her eyes in annoyance. She took the phone and typed in her password. "It’s the same on my computer at home, too." She gave him back the cell, watching him quickly scroll through her contacts. "It’s the pink one on the coffee table, if you feel like snooping after you kill us. You’re not going to find anything on that."

  Ashleigh turned her body toward Spencer, trying to keep up her attitude, even though she was scared of him. "Maybe I should start the introductions before I make this messier than it already is." Her fake smile wavered as she caught Spencer’s livid expression. "This is Natalie Harm—"

  "Enough games." Before she could finish, Spencer grabbed her and held her tightly to his chest. He held his hand over her mouth and didn't let her speak. "I’ll find her on my own."

  "Stop!" Waving her hands in the air frantically, Natalie’s voice was loud and desperate. "I’ll tell you where she is." Natalie couldn’t catch her breath, her scared eyes glued on Spencer’s open jaw as he got ready to bite down on Ashleigh’s neck. "I promise! Just don’t hurt her!"

  Spencer slowly closed his mouth and pulled back, but didn’t loosen his grip as he glared at Natalie. "One more chance."

  Holding out her hand, Ashleigh shook in his arms. Her voice was low as she spoke, "Give me my phone, and let me go."

  Spencer let go of her, Ashleigh quickly pulling away. She snatched her phone and sat in the empty space next to Nathan. Spencer quickly turned to Natalie, motioning for her cell. "Give me that."

  Natalie reluctantly gave him her phone, her fearful eyes glancing at Ashleigh.

  Ashleigh stealthily turned hers off and turne
d toward Nathan, placing both hands on her knees. "What will you do when you find Victoria?" Her face was filled with great annoyance, a sarcastic air to her voice. "She isn’t so great in person, you know."

  "Mary..." Natalie laughed nervously as she held tightly to her purse and forced a very fake smile, speaking through tightly clenched teeth. "Don’t you dare—"

  "If I tell you where she is, will you let me go home?" Ashleigh’s eyes settled on Spencer’s. "You already know where to find us if she’s not there, and without us you have no chance of meeting her." She glanced at Natalie. "If you kill us, I assure you, she will not want to meet you at all. So let’s make a deal."

  Spencer was glaring at her, but she tried not to let his viciousness make her words falter. "You let us go tonight, and tomorrow we’ll meet you for lunch and we’ll invite Victoria. I’ll even pretend I like you." Natalie sent Ashleigh a dirty look, but Ashleigh wasn’t taking back her comment.

  His answer was firm. "No." Spencer wore a cocky smile as he scooted to the edge of the seat, his knees hitting hers. "I don’t make deals."

  "Fine." Ashleigh let out an annoyed sigh. "Then at least give me a minute to speak to Natalie in private, and we’ll see what we can do about finding Victoria. She won't meet with you if she thinks something's up. I can't think when you're looking at me like that.”

  "Fine." Mimicking Ashleigh’s rude comment, Spencer wrinkled his nose as a small hiss escaped his lips. "The boys are hungry anyway."

  Chapter Two

  They stopped at a local bar, and while they were gone, they allowed the girls to talk in the empty limo. One of the men stood guard at the door so they couldn’t escape.

  "Even though I hate to do it, I have to tell them who I am." Ashleigh fumbled through her purse.

  "Are you sure?" Natalie was watching the man leaning up against the limo. He was watching something going on near the entrance, but the girls couldn’t hear or see anything so they didn’t pay much attention to it.

  "Yeah."

  "Okay." Natalie sighed as she laid her head back against the seat. It was a nice vehicle, and now that it was empty, she was checking it out for the first time. "Let me see here." She got up and riffled through the mini fridge. "Want a drink?" Her face filled with a smile as she opened the bottle of wine.