by Мишель Роуэн
“Right.” I squinted down at the blood and grimaced. “Super-speedy healing. Good to know I can add that to my arsenal of vampire powers.”
Thierry frowned. “Sarah . . . it is very important that you stop me right now.” His voice was strained and his grip on my hand increased. “I don’t know if I can stop myself.”
“What are you talking about?”
He kissed the back of my hand. Then he kissed the injured finger, and slowly drew the length of it into his mouth.
I gaped at him, frozen in place. Heat flooded my body at the feel of his tongue swirling around my finger.
My knees weakened and my brain stopped working.
This was finger sucking the way it should be! Hell yeah! Forget about that horrible incident with my boss and her letter opener. This was definitely the way to go.
He gazed at me as he concentrated on my injured finger. There was an expression on his face I don’t think I’d ever seen before. I didn’t even know how to explain it. Something wild and unpredictable.
Dangerous. His eyes narrowed slightly and appeared to darken, the darkness bleeding out to the whites of his eyes until they were fully black.
I frowned. “Thierry . . . ”
Against my finger I felt his fangs—normally small and innocuous and barely noticeable like mine—thicken and elongate as he attended to my injury. After a moment he finally let my finger slip out of his mouth.
“Sarah . . . ” His voice was raspy and deep and filled with the edge of an unfamiliar emotion. He slid his hands down the sides of my dress and pulled me closer.
“Thierry, your eyes—”
“Are they my favorite color now?” He pulled me against him, hard, and crushed his lips against mine,
taking my breath away.
One hundred percent. No restraint. I melted against him.
After a moment he broke off the kiss with a growl. He looked down at the table we were leaning against, then with a sweeping movement pushed everything off it to the floor. The bottle of champagne shattered like the crystal glasses. The candles hit the floor and extinguished, making the room even darker. Then he pressed me backward, down onto the surface of the table.
I wrapped my arms around his shoulders, sliding my fingers into his dark hair, hoping that we had enough time to explore black-eyed Thierry before somebody walked in on us. That would be extremely embarrassing.
But, hey, I think it might be worth it. I was beginning to like this black-eyed Thierry a whole lot. And he wanted me to stop him? Like hell, I say.
He buried his face in the crook of my neck. “You smell wonderful, too.”
“Thank you. It’sAmarige by Givenchy. Bought it today.”
“Mmm. Yes . . . wonderful. Good enough to eat.”
“What did you—?”
And then he sank his fangs into my neck. I clutched at his back, surprised and shocked by the sharp intense sensation. But it wasn’t pain. I was surprised. I couldn’t exactly remember what it felt like getting bit by my blind date, I guess I’d blocked it out because he’d been just nasty, but it hadn’t been like this, I was sure of it.
This was . . .damn . This was just as hot as all those sexy books made it sound. Having your neck bitten by a vampire was like a total metaphor for—
I frowned.
No . . . wait.
No . . . this wasn’t good. Not good. He was taking too much. Drinking too fast.
“Thierry . . . stop.” I pushed at him. He responded by sliding his hands up my body to grab my wrists and hold them down against the table. He said nothing, continuing to focus completely on my neck.
After another moment, what started as a sensual experience began to hurt. It felt as if somebody had just bitten into my neck with long, sharp teeth, a searing pain turning to agony as his fangs dug deep into my flesh so he could pierce my vein. To drink my blood.
Not sexy.
“It is important that you stop me right now,”he’d said just a moment ago.
Maybe I should have listened to him.
I squirmed under the weight of him. “Thierry . . . let go of me . . . ”
But he didn’t. He held me there and drank from me until I began to feel weak, until I started to feel cold.
I stopped struggling.
“Thierry . . . ” my voice was weaker now.
Cranberry juice, I thought absently. He normally drinks cranberry juice. I’d never seen him drink blood before. Never.
Suddenly he jerked away from me, bringing a hand up to his mouth, but not before I could see my blood on his lips.
He shook his head and stared at me with wide black eyes. “No. Oh . . . Sarah. I’m so sorry. I . . . damn it.Damn it . I didn’t want this to happen. Not with you. Never with you.”
And then he turned and ran from the club.
I could barely move. I sat up weakly and pushed myself off the table, absently adjusting my dress. I had to go after him. He looked so distraught about what just happened. I had to go . . .
I took two steps before I fell to the ground unconscious.
Chapter 8
When I woke up I noticed that somebody’s wrist was in my mouth. Which, to say the least, is an odd thing to notice. I grabbed the wrist and extracted it, only then realizing that, one, the wrist was bleeding,
and two, it belonged to Nicolai.
“Gross!” I scrambled away from him. “What exactly do you think you’re doing?”
“Saving your life.” He rolled his sleeve down and picked up his jacket from a nearby table.
“How do I know where your wrist has been? That’s disgusting.”
He stared at me. “I gave you some of my blood.”
“Yeah, got that. Thus my ‘disgusting’ comment?”
He frowned at me. “You are a very strange vampire.”
“Where’s Thierry?” For the first time since I woke up I looked around the club. It was still dark. There didn’t seem to be anyone around except for me and the Russian vamp.
“I don’t know.”
“How did you get in here?”
He didn’t say anything for a moment. “I have ways of getting where I need to be. And it’s a good job that I did. You had lost a great deal of blood. Too much. You didn’t have much time left.”
I touched my neck and flinched. What in the hell had happened? That was most definitely not the way
I’d expected things to turn out tonight.
“Thierry did this,” Nicolai said. It wasn’t a question so I didn’t answer it. He shook his head. “So many years and so little has changed.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“Sarah, please sit. You should get off your feet. You’re still weakened. I can give you more blood if you like.”
I waved him off. “No thanks. If I need any more I can go tap a keg.” A wave of dizziness came over me and I swayed on my high heels.
“Sit. Please.”
“I think I’m going to hurl.” The backs of my legs found the nearest chair and I sat down heavily. I took a moment to compose myself before I looked at Nicolai. “What do you mean that not much has changed over the years?”
He took a seat across from me. “What happened tonight?”
I shook my head. “Who are you, anyhow? And don’t just give me that elder vampire Ring crap.”
He spread his hands. “I am simply someone who wishes to right the wrongs of the world. To make sure that those who are innocent do not pay the price for those who are guilty.”
“Right.”
“You don’t believe me?”
I rubbed my temples. “I don’t know what to believe right now. What time is it?”
“It’s twenty after seven.”
I looked at him sharply, feeling tense and more than a little bruised. “Were you spying on us?”
“I was concerned.”
I made a face. “You were spying. You’re a total weirdo. Well, I hope you enjoyed the show.”
“I saved your life.”
I nodded and tried to relax a bit. “Yes, I guess you did. Thank you.”
He raised a blond eyebrow. “I am surprised that one known as the Slayer of Slayers would find herself in such a predicament.”
I felt a chill go down my spine. “Well, sometimes I slip up a bit. That’s never happened before. I’ll kick his ass next time.”
“Thierry was lying to me when he said you weren’t romantically involved, wasn’t he?”
“Not that it’s any of your business . . . but our relationship is anundefined one.”
“Undefined.”
“That’s right. Now, if you came here for an answer to your little job offering with the Ring, I haven’t made up my mind yet. You don’t have to stay in town. Just leave a number where I can reach you and
I’ll be in touch.”
He studied me for a long moment. Until I began to feel very uncomfortable. If I’d had the energy I would have stood up and left the club, but I didn’t think my legs would carry me very far before having another ceramic tile nap.
Where had Thierry gone? Was he okay?
Hell. Was I okay?
“What really happened at Midnight Eclipse that night?” he asked.
I crossed my arms. “I killed eight vampire hunters. And I’d do it again.”
“I thought you told me there were nine.”
Oops. “Eight, nine. What’s the difference?”
“How did you kill them?” His eyes narrowed. “With your bare hands? With a weapon?”
When I didn’t answer right away, he stood up abruptly. “I think that your relationship is not the only thing Thierry has lied about, has he?” He turned to look at me. “I am going to surmise that he said that I would kill you if I learned that the rumors were false, correct?”
“No comment.” My mouth was dry. “Let’s just say there are video cameras everywhere in here. Don’t try anything or you’ll be a stain on the floor in less than thirty seconds.”
I was such a terrible liar.
He didn’t look too worried. “So typical of him. Well, you don’t have to worry, Sarah. My plans do not include killing you. My disappointment, however, is vast. I had hoped that it was true. That I had finally found another who could help vampirekind find the strength we seem to have collectively lost.”
“I’m sorry. Really.” I touched my now-injured neck and flinched. “Plus that Ring salary would have been great right about now. Did you happen to hear about my apartment?”
He nodded. “The hunters still perceive you as a threat. In fact, I have heard that their leader, Gideon
Chase, has taken a special interest in you, though how long that will last before he, too, finds out the truth
. . . ” He looked away with a grim expression. “I had hoped to use your reputation to our advantage.
Thierry may find that ironic if he ever learns of it.”
“What do you mean?”
He fixed me with a steady look. “You don’t know who Gideon Chase is?”
“No. Should I?”
“He is the leader of the vampire hunters—a billionaire who is from a long line of those who kill us without conscience.”
“What’s he got to do with Thierry specifically?”
His lips made a move to smile, but seemed to change their mind. “Gideon is one of the many reasons
Thierry hides himself away. Gideon is the man who put the price on Thierry’s head. Thierry has managed to surround himself only with those he trusts, and has avoided being captured or killed. Quite an accomplishment. But he is still highly sought after. I believe the current price tag is three million dollars?”
“Something like that.”
“That price is for Thierry captured alive. Gideon wishes to claim the kill for himself. His riches have made it possible for him to make a hobby of hunting down the oldest vampires. He has many kills to his name. All vicious, sadistic, and excessive, for his own entertainment. He is a fearsome man.”
“I hate him already.” Sounded like this guy was responsible for a good chunk of the way Thierry acts.
His safety measures. His secrecy. Sounded like the kind of guy the world would be better off without.
“You should, as he is on his way to Toronto as we speak to hunt and kill the Slayer of Slayers.”
I blinked. “Say what?”
“It is true.” Nicolai paced toward the bar, stood there for a moment, then turned around. Oddly enough,
he was smiling. “I had a great plan. It is almost humorous now. I was going to use your reputation to lure
Gideon to be captured. Seize this opportunity. The Slayer of Slayers could have been instrumental in changing the dynamic between hunter and vampire. Thierry, too, would have been safer with the price off his head. Not completely safe, but without such a reward, it is unlikely that the average hunter would seek out a confrontation with a master vampire so old and powerful.”
“This guy is cominghere .”
Nicolai nodded, the smile fading from his face. “Not that it matters. Stay inside, away from danger, and you can avoid him easily. He will move on to his next challenge. As will I.”
My mind was working overtime. Half of me, well, more than half, wanted to do just what Nicolai suggested. Now that I didn’t have to put on an act for him, I didn’t have to put myself in danger anymore. I could leave the country. Go live with those nuns, like Thierry suggested. Stay away till things cooled down and my insurance money for the apartment came through.
Or . . . I could do something else.
“Nicolai . . . do you think the plan would still work, even though the rumors about me are all a big lie? If
I still showed my face out there and Gideon showed up . . . how likely is it that I would get killed?”
He shook his head. “You would be safe. I have a team in place as of this evening, ready when he appears to capture him. I doubt that he will be expecting anything like that.”
“You have a team? Seriously?”
“Of course. Your life was never in danger, from me or from anyone else. But I wouldn’t expect you to agree to such a thing now, despite my assurances. You don’t know me. My reception from Thierry was not overly friendly, as I’m sure you noticed.”
“I did notice that. But he’s not overly friendly with too many people, so to tell you the truth, the ‘grain of salt’ was invoked.”
He glanced over at the table in the corner. Two candles were still lit. The rest had joined the champagne, cranberry juice, and broken glasses on the floor. “And you shared blood with him tonight.”
I grimaced. “It was an accident.”
“It’s never happened before?”
“No. Not like that, anyhow. And I’m thinking rather strongly that it won’t be happening again.”
He paused and studied me for a moment, his face hard and expressionless. “So you didn’t know about his . . . little problem.”
“Oh, the fact that he turns into a blood-crazed Nosferatu when he gets a taste of the red stuff? Yeah, doesn’t everybody?”
Nicolai’s lips thinned. “Sarcasm is well known to be the lowest form of humor.”
I shrugged, which was actually a bit of an effort. “But I’m so good at it.”
He studied me for a moment. “Did he tell you that we were once good friends?”
I could use another glass of that champagne. Too bad it was currently coating the mosaic-tiled floor.
“The subject didn’t come up.”
“One hundred years ago, give or take a decade, Thierry was one of the elders of the Ring. In fact, he founded it.”
I tried not to show I cared, but any information about Thierry perked my ears up like Barkley’s.
“Really? The Ring? No, he definitely didn’t mention that.”
He nodded. “He and Veronique had gone their separate ways by then. He was interested in finding a way of stopping the hunters, who had made life for a vampire so unbearable in large parts of Europe that he’d come to North A
merica. He searched for those who were interested in making a change. I was one that he recruited.”
“Where was this?”
“In the States. California. After a while he had six vampires who had formed the Ring. So called because there was a vampire elder on each continent who would in turn solicit interested parties in their areas.
These are the same elders that Gideon Chase’s family has been systematically slaughtering for decades.”
His expression hardened for a moment. “I was a newlywed at the time. I married the most beautiful woman I had ever seen. An actress.” His fingers twisted the long gold chain around his neck. “To this day I wear her locket.”
“Where is she now?”
He took the locket in his hand and squeezed. “She is dead. She’s been gone for nearly a century, and I miss her as much today as when I first lost her.”
His face held great pain and my heart twisted. “I’m sorry.”
He opened the locket and showed me a small black and white photo of an elegant-looking blond woman. “Her name was Elizabeth.”
“She was very beautiful.”
He gazed at the picture. “Yes, she was. I should never have left her alone that week. I felt that something was amiss. That something was going to go wrong. And it did. And I’ll regret what happened for the rest of my life.”
“What . . . what happened?”
He tucked the necklace under his shirt and met my gaze. “Thierry killed her.”
I gasped. “What?”
His face contorted and it looked as if he was about to cry, but he held it together. “I know it was an accident that he regrets. I know it. But in my heart I’ve never been able to forgive him. I haven’t seen him since it happened. I’ve avoided him. He has avoided me. Until last night.”
I shook my head. “No. I don’t believe it. He wouldn’t do something like that. It’s not possible.”
He rubbed the back of his hand across his mouth. “It is possible. My wife was very beautiful. Thierry was alone. She was kind to him and he became obsessed with her. Then . . . ” He broke off for a moment and I saw his gaze lower to my wounded neck. “One night when I was away he bit her as he just did you. Old vampires like Thierry should not drink blood anymore. Any vampire over five hundred years old has no need for it; their bodies have evolved to such a level that they are capable of living without it. When they do taste it, it’s like a drug that turns them feral and wild. Like animals who have no choice but to feed until their prey is dead.”