Tall, Dark & Fangsome

by Michelle Rowen

  “Will you still be able to do the eradication again if I have no other choice?” I asked. “You gave me the impression it might be possible.”

  “Forget it. Not going to happen.” He shuddered. “In fact, I’d prefer never to go that deep again. No more vampire clients. Stupid demonic energy almost made me too sick to come to the concert tonight. Besides, I got a new job. Dude’s paying me loads for my mad skills.”

  The crowd was thick and warm as it spilled outside and I forced myself to think about anything other than the collective scent of appetizing teenagers, all so vulnerable and tasty.

  All in all, I was rather proud of my control so far tonight. Maybe it would be difficult, but not impossible, to keep my nightwalker at bay indefinitely. It was like a muscle I hadn’t flexed very much. Maybe I could simply use those new muscles to push aside any dark thoughts like thick, sticky cobwebs.

  Like a recovering drug addict, I could recite the Serenity Prayer to myself when things got tough.

  God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change;

  Courage to change the things I can—

  And, uh… etcetera.

  Obviously I’d have to memorize that at a later date.

  I kept following Steven as the crowd dissipated, everyone heading for public transit or the surrounding parking lots. Or off to a restaurant or bar to recover from the audial onslaught. The CN Tower stood tall and grand next to us, reaching up to the sky like something really tall and pointy and iconic.

  Funny. I’d never before noticed how very much it resembled one big-ass, tall, wooden stake. I shuddered at the thought.

  The hum and buzz of the crowd faded away. The fresh air helped me concentrate on things other than the scent of humans.

  Don’t you think it was surprisingly easy to find Steven? my nightwalker slid into my thoughts. A little too easy, maybe? Makes one wonder, doesn’t it?

  I frowned. “Actually, now that you mention it…”

  “This way.” Steven didn’t turn around as he jogged down a short flight of stairs and through a little snow-covered parkette lined with benches at the base of the stake-shaped landmark.

  “I can’t believe I found you tonight,” I told the back of his moving head. “It’s amazing, really. I wished on a star… or rather an airplane… and then I just happened to be in front of the concert. Talk about fate.”

  “It’s not fate,” Steven said. “I summoned you.”

  I stopped walking for a second in shock and had to run a bit to catch up to him again. “You summoned me? What are you talking about?”

  “My new client wanted me to find you. So I sent out some of my magic to draw you here. And, hey, it worked. Which is good, since I really don’t want to piss this guy off.”

  I swallowed as Steven turned the corner leading to the street. “This client… what’s his name?”

  “Mr. Chase,” he said simply. “You already know him, right? He said he found me because you came and saw me the other day and he was impressed with my magical abilities. Dude’s paying me five Gs for tonight.”

  “That’s why you found me? For the money?”

  Steven cleared his throat. “Also, he’s got my mom somewhere, but he promises not to hurt her. And he let me come to the concert, so obviously he’s cool. Scary, but cool.”

  The back door of a black Lincoln Navigator idling at the curb opened up and a tall man stepped out. He was dressed all in black and even had a black scarf around his now rescarred face. I could see the physical pain in his green eyes as he watched me approach.

  “See, Sarah?” Gideon said. “I told you I’d find you.”

  The nightwalker half of me was delighted to see him.

  The rest of me hated surprises. I used to love them when they meant birthday parties and gifts and cake. Not so much anymore.

  “Sorry for the scarf,” he said. “It’s a little overly dramatic, I know. But I happened to lose my wristwatch earlier this afternoon, didn’t I?”

  “I’m glad you found me,” I said even though my voice sounded shaky. “I’ve been looking for you. I want to get this over with.”

  “You do?” He seemed surprised by that. “I thought you might give me a hard time. I was certain your master vampire lover wouldn’t let you out of his sight anymore.”

  “He didn’t. I basically ran away from home so I could find you.”

  I couldn’t see the expression on his covered face but I got the impression he was smiling at that.

  “Intriguing. I’d even say it was borderline romantic if I wasn’t sure that you’re not so happy with me anymore.”

  I tensed. “It’s like you’re psychic, or something.”

  “Do you still agree to sire me? Despite your newfound hate for me.”

  “It’s not newfound.”

  “Perhaps I can make it up to you.”

  “I wouldn’t be so sure about that.”

  His eyes crinkled at the sides so I could tell he was smiling. “I did buy you a nightclub.”

  “Right. Well, I’ll hold off writing my thank-you note for now, if that’s okay. At the moment, I really want to sink my fangs into your throat, Gideon. And I have a feeling you’re okay with that as well.” I looked at the car. “So let’s get going.”

  “I appreciate your enthusiasm. But I can’t take any chances, I’m afraid. Pardon my taking a few precautions.”

  “Precautions?” I repeated, but then I felt a painful sting. I looked down at my chest and pulled out the small garlic dart.

  The stars flickered out as unconsciousness reached for me.

  Chapter 20

  Sarah, wake up!”

  A familiar voice.

  I slowly, grudgingly, opened my eyes. Coming back from a garlic-dart knock-out was never exactly a pleasant experience. It was like waking up with a hangover—headache from hell and general wooziness included at no extra charge.

  I blinked a few times until a pretty face came into focus. Short blond hair. A cute red blouse I knew she’d recently purchased from Banana Republic.

  “Amy.” I pushed myself into a sitting position.

  “Holy cow!” She grinned at me. “I thought you’d never wake up.”

  I blinked a few more times. “Where the hell are we?”

  “Don’t know.”

  I looked around. It was somewhere dark. There were a few candles lit, but otherwise there was no light. It smelled musty and old in there—other than the whiff I got of Amy’s strawberry-scented perfume.

  I looked at her, searching for some sign she’d been abused. “Are you okay?”

  “Other than being a bit claustrophobic, I’m just fine and dandy. How’s Barry?”

  “Worried.”

  She waved a hand. “He doesn’t have to be. Gideon is really nice, isn’t he? Very polite.” Her grin widened. “And I think he might have a little weensy crush on somebody I know.” She poked my shoulder. “And by that, I mean you! It’s like Romeo and Juliet. Only with more blood.”

  I blinked at her. “Have you been dropping acid in here?”

  “No.”

  “Drinking buckets of moonshine?”

  “Nope.”

  I remembered what she’d told me on the phone that morning. “Gideon drugged you to keep you calm.”

  “Oh, totally.” Her smile was lopsided. “I normally don’t like needles, but these ones are a-okay. It’s all good, Sarah. No problem whatsoever. Life is fine and breezy and everything’s gonna be all right.”

  A sedative. Terrific. I’d seen Amy freak out before. The last time had been when she’d found out that her best friend was a vampire. She’d run away from me screaming. But at the moment, she wasn’t in freak-out mode at all. She looked like she was on vacation. Somewhere relaxing.

  “Gideon’s really handsome,” she said. “With or without the scars.”

  “Gideon is evil.”

  She smiled. “He got those scars fighting a demon, Sarah. A demon. That’s total alpha romance hero right the
re—not a bad guy. Can you judge a book by its cover? I don’t know. What is evil, anyhow? Are we born that way or is it the choices we make? It’s so groovy just having the time to think about these things and turn them over and over in my head.” She sighed wistfully. “Maybe nobody’s really evil and nobody’s really good. We’re just sisters and brothers of the earth, whether we’re vampires or humans or hunters. We need to hug each other. Make love, not war.”

  I blinked at her. “I think you’re definitely dropping acid.”

  Her grin held, but her gaze moved down to my neck. “You’re not wearing your gold chain. Naughty, naughty!”

  “Gideon broke it.”

  “Really?” Her thin eyebrows went up in woozy wariness. “So are you going to bite me?”

  “Wasn’t planning on it.” I looked at her throat. Well, now that she mentioned it… I bet her blood would be very sweet and tasty…

  No, not going to happen. I was still in control and I had to stay that way if I was going to get out of here. Wherever here was.

  I shakily got up from the floor and walked over to the faint outline of a door but there was no handle. I scanned the interior of the small room we were in. The walls were made of stone—smooth and cold to the touch. There was something chiseled into the wall. Names and dates.

  “I’m thinking this might be a crypt,” Amy said. “In a cemetery somewhere. Isn’t that totally cool?”

  My stomach sank. “Yeah, real cool. What time is it?”

  She glanced at her wrist. “Ten to twelve.”

  Ten minutes.

  I’m super excited! my nightwalker said. Aren’t you? So close to our moment of destiny. Tick-tock.

  My cheery inner darkness inched forward. I didn’t want her to take over at the moment, especially not with such a helpless victim nearby.

  I slammed my fist against the door. “Gideon! Where are you?”

  Amy sighed contentedly. “Maybe Quinn will rescue us. A lot of vampire hunters are so gorgeous, aren’t they? Who knew? Have I mentioned how excited I am that you two are together again?”

  I rubbed my temples. “That was just a cover. Gideon made me break up with Thierry so Quinn and I acted like we were still together to throw him off. Didn’t work very well.”

  She frowned. “So, you’re still with Thierry?”

  “Yes. Or, at least, I think so. He has some issues with my siring Gideon. Plus, the last time I saw him he was unconscious on the floor. I actually had to step over him to come and try to save your butt.” I glanced around the crypt. “And so far, that hasn’t worked out so well either.”

  She huffed. “You could do better than Thierry, you know.”

  I hissed out an exasperated breath. “I don’t have time for a Thierry debate, thanks so much. I’m supposed to sire Gideon in less than ten minutes. It’s kind of weighing heavy on my mind right now.”

  “I think you’d even be better off with Gideon than Thierry.”

  “Because everyone knows you have such fabulous taste in men that you can judge something like that. Now would you mind being quiet for a minute? I need to think.”

  She made an annoyed sound. “Oh, what else is new? It’s all about you. Martyr Sarah, what a big surprise. You’ve been such a total drag since you got vamped, you know that?”

  The darkness was eating away at my control. “Since you’re currently drugged I’m going to let that slide.”

  She rolled her eyes. “I think you’re jealous of me.”

  “Of you?”

  “I’ve adapted to vampire life a billion times better than you. And I have a man who loves me no matter what. All you’ve got is that sullen, miserable—although admittedly really hot—old stick in the mud.”

  She gasped when I grabbed her throat and slammed her up against the wall. “You know what? I don’t really care what you think. He’s the man I want to spend the rest of eternity with.” I paused, frowning. “Unless he has to kill me, of course. But in the meantime, you can take your opinion and shove it where the bats don’t fly. Got it?”

  “Y-yes.” She wheezed her agreement. “Please… don’t… hurt… me.”

  I frowned. Hurt her? Then I realized I’d raised her a foot off the ground and was holding her by only her throat against the wall.

  The door scraped open behind us.

  “Put her down, Sarah,” Gideon said.

  My eyes widened and I immediately lowered her. A glance over my shoulder confirmed that Gideon, with the scarf still wrapped around most of his face, stood in the doorway with Steven at his side.

  “I need to get out of here!” Amy walked toward Gideon. “I’m so not feeling very groovy anymore.”

  “I’m going to need you to stay put. Why don’t you have a little nap again?” Gideon shot her with a tranq dart.

  “Oh, poop.” She pulled the dart out, then stumbled to the floor, where she promptly fell asleep.

  “That wasn’t necessary.” I heard the growl in my voice.

  “I’m afraid it was,” Gideon replied. He was studying me intently. “Your control is very shaky, isn’t it?”

  “Are you afraid I’m going to kill you by mistake instead of just siring you?”

  “I’d be a fool not to consider that possibility.”

  “What if I lose control completely? Turn totally 100 percent nightwalker on you? Can’t control me very well then, can you?”

  “Such control is highly overrated,” Gideon said. “What makes you unsteady now and unable to maintain your composure is the fact that you’re fighting it. Your two sides are battling and weary from the fight.”

  “Good versus evil,” Steven said, nodding.

  “I’m a much bigger supporter of the shades of gray theory, myself.” Gideon’s green-eyed gaze swept over me. “Everyone has both good and evil inside them all the time. It all depends which is more dominant. But even someone you may think is completely evil has some good in them—like me, for example. And someone you feel is good—perhaps like your master vampire lover—has a great deal of darkness as well.”

  “Well aware of that little factoid.” I crossed my arms over my chest.

  “So you accept Thierry’s inner conflict, but you won’t accept that I might be the same?”

  “I think actions speak much louder than words.”

  “My actions have spoken very loudly. I saved your life. I gave you your gold chain—”

  “Which you destroyed.”

  “You don’t need it,” he said firmly.

  “That’s very debatable. You threaten my friends and family to get what you want.”

  “And I have apologized for that. Desperate times call for desperate measures.”

  “You’re a vampire hunter.”

  “I can’t deny that. And yet here we are. Standing on one side of the bridge that will take me over to my new life.”

  “That’s funny, I thought we were in a cemetery.”

  His eyes crinkled with a hidden smile, then shadowed over with pain. He staggered forward. “I think it’s nearly time.”

  I looked at Steven. “Thought your job was to summon me, or whatever. Why are you still here?”

  Wizard-boy looked completely miserable. “I have some other stuff to do as well. Mr. Chase was very specific.”

  “I need Steven’s help during the ritual to help pass the strength of your special blood to me. It isn’t a simple siring. It is a healing as well. Plus, I needed him for another reason.”

  “What?” I asked warily.

  Gideon approached me. He looked very weary as he raised his scarred left hand and stroked my cheek. “It’s better if you don’t struggle against it. Let your darkness take over. You’re more powerful as a nightwalker. More useful to me. It makes everything so much simpler.”

  Hell, yes, my nightwalker agreed wholeheartedly from inside me. I like the way this guy thinks.

  I pushed his hand away. “Not going to happen.”

  He didn’t move away from me. In fact, he got a little closer. He
was totally tempting fate. I could reach up right now and tear out his throat and end this once and for all if I wanted to.

  Trouble was, I didn’t want to.

  My nightwalker swirled and shifted inside me, growing larger and harder to control. The thick poison of my curse churned under my skin. It reached toward Gideon—it liked him.

  A lot.

  My nightwalker desired Gideon Chase, big-time. She was attracted to his darkness as much as, if not more, than she was attracted to Thierry’s—the darkness she liked to pull out and play with whenever she got the chance. Only with Gideon she didn’t have to seduce it out of him.

  Gideon knew I was in love with Thierry. But I think he also knew that my nightwalker was in love with him. She’d made me turn my back on Thierry’s wishes. She was the reason I was here, standing in front of Gideon in a cold, dark crypt at midnight, ready, willing, and able to turn him into a vampire and save his immortal soul.

  “Sarah,” Gideon said softly, bringing his hand to my face again. “I will miss you. But it has to be this way.”

  I swallowed and panic clutched my chest. “What are you—”

  “Steven,” he said louder. “Do it now.”

  I only had to wonder what he meant for a moment. The candles flickered out. Something came over me, creeping and crawling over my skin, but it wasn’t anything tangible—it was magic. Steven’s dark magic. And it touched me tentatively a moment before I felt it plunge inside.

  I gasped. The darkness of my nightwalker grew more and more until it felt as if it oozed out and covered me from head to toe. I struggled to break free from this tight hold, but it held me frozen in place.

  Then suddenly it was gone.

  I blinked and looked around. The room had grown lighter, but there wasn’t any more light in there than there was before. My eyesight had improved enough for me to literally see in the dark. My improved vision tracked over to where Gideon stood, now a few feet away. He cocked his head to the side.

  “I had Steven push away your remaining inhibitions so you could fully embrace your nightwalker,” he said tentatively. “How do you feel?”

  Gideon. It was as if I couldn’t really see him before. My thoughts had been so cloudy. I saw him now, past the black scarf, past the scars. I saw the hellfire steadily burning underneath his skin and his soul slowly being eaten away piece by torturous piece.