by Brenda Trim
I stop in the shadows of the house, with my back plastered to the stucco side. Why kill these women out here and dump them where they will be discovered? Clearly, the perp wants the victims found, but why? Is this about vampire politics, or thumbing his nose at the Vampire King? Both seem probable.
Shoving that to the back of my mind, I tiptoe to the window on my left. The blinds are open, and will hopefully let me see what’s going on inside. My breath is gusting out of my lungs while my racing heart sounds like a drum in my ears. Taking a beat, I try to calm down. When the sound of crickets returns, I decide it’s safe enough to take a peek. Lifting my head above the bottom of the glass, I nearly shout when I see Corbyn lying bloodied on the floor of the living room, with Desmond standing over him.
I catalog as many details as I can in a quick glance before moving out of the way. The floor plan is open, with the kitchen flowing right into the family room where there are two large couches, a coffee table, and some ugly ass paintings. The décor looks like it is from a catalog for the rich. Everything is stuffy and formal. There are plenty of knick knacks that could become weapons.
Corbyn is lying in the area where a dining room table would be. Tears flood my eyes when the other vampire pulls his arm back. Something glints in the overhead light. I can’t tell what it is until Desmond’s hand moves toward Corbyn. He’s got a syringe in his hand. He’s drugging him! Why isn’t Corbyn fighting back? How hurt is he? I can’t tell where his injuries are. There is too much blood.
I’m in motion the second Desmond rakes his claws across Corbyn’s throat. The French doors are surprisingly unlocked, and I’m inside before either vampire realizes it. I can’t be too late to save my vampire. It’s only been a few days, but I am undeniably falling for Corbyn, and I want to tell him.
I fire off a shot, not wanting Desmond to be able to attack me. I’ve seen how fast vampires move. He will be able to snap me in half without a thought. The bullet blasts through Desmond’s head, taking half his skull with it. He stumbles then falls to one knee, and I glance at Corbyn again. The blood gushing from his wounds tells me I have already lost him.
“Ava,” Corbyn whispers, and coughs. Blood dribbles from his mouth and down his chin. His neck is shredded, and there are wounds all over his chest. “Get shot.”
What? I have no idea what that means. A scream leaves me when Desmond gets to his feet. My fingers are faster than I can process and I fire another round into his chest. I can’t look at how injured he is because he’s heading right for me.
He grabs hold of my shoulder when I try to dart into the kitchen and out of his grasp. Sharp pain ricochets down my arm and into my fingers. I nearly drop my gun. Determination keeps my hand locked around the grip. He punches me, and my feet leave the ground. Pop, pop. My finger squeezes the trigger again. A second later, something hard smashes into my side and I fly into the island.
Agony sears my side, but I notice two more syringes just inches from my arm. They’re sitting on the marble. I snatch one up and swing around at the same time. I fire my gun a couple more times. Glass shatters and is followed by a dull thud. One of the slugs goes into a wall.
Desmond is less than a foot away, and snarling. Corbyn is in the same place but not moving a muscle. My training kicks in and I crouch when Desmond lunges for me. The hand holding the gun goes out, and I jab him in the junk. His fangs are sharp and in my face. He makes a sound that makes every hair on my body stand on end.
Desmond takes a step back. “I like it when they fight back.” His suddenly calm demeanor doesn’t bode well for me. It’s when the hole in his forehead closes that I know I’m in deep shit. The other side of his face still looks like hamburger meat.
He’s weakened from the injuries, but not even close to being dead. I have no idea how to kill vampires. Corbyn’s words go through my head. He’s right. I can’t fight his kind. That only drives my earlier conclusions home. He really was looking out for me.
I fall a little bit more in love with him. And I realize I let fear drive me away instead of telling him how I feel. I need to buy time for Corbyn to heal. I’m not losing him when I just found him.
Lifting my gun, I fire another round. I aim for his head, but he moves too fast, and the bullet doesn’t hit him. I’m going to run out of bullets soon.
“I’m surprised,” I say. “You get off on killing helpless human women. That must be child’s play for one of your kind.” I shouldn’t taunt him, but I’m hoping his pride will keep him from ripping my head off.
“Run.” Corbyn’s voice is barely above a whisper. He isn’t moving, but I swear I thought I saw one of his fingers twitch.
My body is positioned sideways and neither of them can see the syringe in my hand. I need to get close to Desmond. He injected Corbyn with this, and it seems to have slowed him down.
I take a step back and Desmond jumps, placing himself between me and the exit. I wasn’t going for the door, but his move allows me to rush to the other side of the island.
Desmond leers at me. I shudder, and fight back the nausea his look incites. “I’m going to enjoy killing your new plaything, Corbyn.”
“Fuck you,” Corbyn spits. He already sounds stronger.
I have ten rounds left, if my count is correct. If I plug Desmond full of lead, that has to buy me some time. Desmond is on the counter before I can blink. Thank God for training. Acting on instinct, my left hand moves while my right squeezes the trigger, firing another shot. I move like a snail compared to him, though, so instead of slamming through his brain or chest, the bullet enters his thigh.
He kicks his leg out at me as he’s falling to the ground. I can’t move as fast as he can, and it snaps my head back. For a second, I don’t feel anything. It’s in that painless moment that I use my thumb and forefinger to remove the cap from the syringe.
When Desmond comes for me again, I pull the trigger several times and plunge the syringe into his side. At first, it feels as if I’m hitting a brick wall, and the needle won’t go in his flesh. When his eyes go wide, I press the end down, filling him with whatever liquid is inside.
He swipes his hand toward me. “Bitch.”
I jump back and almost avoid the claws. I fall to my ass as they slice over my right shoulder blade. Desmond drops to the floor mere inches from me, my gun falls next. Despite the pain, I scooch away, doing a reverse crab crawl that spreads blood across the wooden flooring.
My gaze meets Corbyn’s silver eyes, and tears blur his image. Agony takes over and pain is all I know. I try to listen for sirens but can’t hear anything. When Corbyn moves his hand, I can’t hold my emotions in anymore, and the tears stream down my face.
Corbyn drags himself a couple feet to Desmond and glares at the vampire. “You are a vile creature, and I’m going to enjoy the fuck out of tearing you to shreds. This is for all the innocent women you’ve killed. Have fun in Hell, asshole.” Corbyn rakes his claws across Desmond’s throat.
Desmond sputters. Blood sprays the air and Corbyn’s face. In slow motion—for Corbyn, anyway—he grabs a stool and smashes it against the floor until it breaks. Picking up the leg, he thrusts the wood through Desmond’s neck and swivels it from side to side until Desmond’s head rolls away from his shoulders.
If I hadn’t arrived and intervened when I did, Corbyn would have died. Even now, he’s not moving like normal. I saved his life. When I shot Desmond the first time, it bought both of us time.
“Oh my God. Are you okay?” I ask.
Corbyn crosses to me and pulls me into his embrace. “How did you find me?”
“Long story, but before I say anything else, I need to tell you something. I think I’m falling in love with you,” I blurt out before I lose my nerve. Both of us could have died tonight, and I would have missed out on the opportunity to explore more with him and tell him how much I care for him.
He lifts his wrist to his mouth and bites down. “I feel the same way. We have time to discuss that more. You’re injured. Let me hel
p you.” I gape at the bleeding wound when he presses it under my mouth. “My blood will heal the worst of your injuries.”
My head is throbbing, and it takes all my effort not to throw up. I’m convinced I have a concussion, but have no desire to see a doctor to make sure it’s nothing too serious. All I want to do is go home and sleep. “Ummm,” I mutter. His blood wells to the surface, and my stomach churns. I’m not sure I can do this.
“I promise it won’t make you sick or turn you. It’ll heal your wounds.”
Nodding my head, I lick my lips. “Okay. Thank you.” I wrap my lips around his arm.
I haven’t taken more than a couple sips before I hear sirens outside. Corbyn tugs his arm away and glances out the front window, where I can now see flashing red and blue lights.
I try to get to my feet. “It’s Bria and my unit.” My head no longer feels like it might explode, but my side and shoulder are killing me. “Let me take care of this.”
Corbyn shakes his head. “I’m going to erase their memory of Desmond being beheaded.”
I lower my head into my hands. “This is a fucking mess. They can’t see this scene. Please, be careful when going into their minds. I saw what Desmond did to that woman at the club.”
Corbyn pauses and watches me for several seconds while cars stop in the driveway. “I won’t hurt any of them. I’m going to take Desmond’s body to Lucius, so I will have to implant memories of his remains being handled. I’ll need your help with setting up the evidence you will need to close your case.”
“I’ll need pictures of his body for the file. I have no idea if there is anything here to tie him to the murders, but without something connecting him, there will be questions.” My head aches from the blow, and the million thoughts rushing through it.
Corbyn stands up and brings me with him. “Hey. You should be proud. You caught your serial killer.”
A weight lifts from my shoulders. It feels really fucking good to have taken another psychopath off the streets.
I turn and head to the front door. “True. I’m going to enjoy closing this case.” Corbyn is right behind me when I open the front door and limp outside.
Bria runs to my side. “Ava. What the hell happened?”
I slump down on the steps leading up to the house.
Corbyn moves past me and takes control of everyone’s minds. Within seconds, Bria and the responding officers enter the house and start processing the scene. Corbyn is such a blessing. He made a craptastic situation so much easier to deal with.
It takes me a few minutes to get up again, but eventually I join the rest of the team and help gather evidence. I find a jewelry box full of mementos from Desmond’s victims as I scour the living room. It’s shocking to see that there are centuries of different designs.
Corbyn brushes the back of his hand across my cheek. “I’m taking him to Lucius now. It’s too close to dawn for me to stay any longer.”
I go to my tiptoes and give him a kiss. “I’ll call you tomorrow.” My cheeks heat when I realize my co-workers might have seen us. Thankfully, none of them are paying any attention to us. They don’t notice when Corbyn grabs Desmond’s body and wraps it up in a blanket then takes it outside.
I go back to work, wanting to finish as soon as possible. Now that the body has been dealt with, it’s far easier to process the rest. All I can think about while I work is wanting to see Corbyn again.
Vampire or not, I love the guy. And I can’t wait to explore more with him. I have no idea what our future will bring, but I do know that I will not allow our differences to keep us apart anymore.
15
Corbyn
I spring out of bed the second the sun sets. My first thought is of Ava, like it has been for weeks now. The last twenty-four hours have been one long nightmare. I’ve known Desmond for centuries, and he turned out to be a psychopathic killer. What he was doing went beyond feeding. Newly turned vampires aren’t as depraved as Desmond.
He was actively hunting women for sport and killing them for some thrill I can’t understand. We are apex predators. Nothing can best us. Shifters are as strong as vampires and would present a challenge. Still, what he did was completely fucking senseless.
It’s not uncommon for new vampires to lose control during feeding and kill their donors. But few bother to hide what they’ve done, leaving bodies where they will be found. The deliberate slicing of the neck to hide the bite mark is unique to Desmond and his twisted proclivities. It’s impossible to understand what drove him. It goes beyond what I call my vampire nature. What he did had nothing to do with him becoming a vampire, and everything to do with him being a vile piece of shit.
Shaking off those thoughts, I check my phone for messages. My heart races when I see one from Ava. Lucius also sent confirmation that he managed to get fake documents to Ava regarding the apparent suicide of Desmond for the FBI files.
Clicking on the box with Ava’s name on it, I take a moment and remind myself that she is alive and well. That I didn’t lose her last night. My feet hit the floor and I am out of bed in two seconds when I see her request to see me tonight. I type a reply and ask her to meet me here in an hour.
I rush up the stairs and to my master bedroom. Hurrying to the bathroom, I take a cold shower in order to calm myself down. My cock took the request to heart and stiffened immediately. Chill the fuck out. This might be goodbye. It’s dangerous to assume she wants to see me for any reason other than to break things off for good. It’s difficult to hold those thoughts close when she also told me she was falling for me.
Convince her to embrace her feelings. Show her what she’ll be missing.
I won’t go down without fighting for her. After dressing, I glance at the box containing the toys that arrived yesterday. The morning after I fucked Ava for the first time, I went online and bought more sexual devices than I have ever owned in my life.
I yank the box open and remove the vibrating nipple clamps, a glass butt plug, massage oil, lube, and several other items I hope to use on her tonight. With a vice squeezing my heart, I pace around my living room. I pour a glass of whiskey, but don’t end up drinking it. Ava will need a drink.
I’ve just poured tequila into a shaker for a margarita when the doorbell rings. I add the lime juice and triple sec to give myself a few seconds to get centered. My desire for her threatens to undo everything the second I start for the door. The only thought running on a loop through my mind is to throw her over my shoulder and show her the presents I bought for her.
I tear the door open and am panting—despite the fact that I don’t need to breathe—by the time I have the panel open. The moonlight bathes her in an ethereal glow, and for a few seconds, all I can do is stare at her.
Finally, I grab her into an embrace and hold her to my chest. “How are you?”
She wraps her arms around me and lays her head on my chest before releasing a breath she seemed to be holding. “Glad that case is over. The pics worked. No one questioned why he took his life. The souvenirs garnered attention because some of the pieces are from more than a century ago.” She lifts her head and looks up at me. “Can we go inside?”
Nodding, I wind one arm around her waist and lead her into the living room. Before she can take a seat, I do what I have been thinking about since the bell rang: toss her over my shoulder then race up to my bedroom.
“What the hell?” she blurts when I set her down. Her eyes scan the room and land on the toys. I smile at the blush creeping up her cheeks.
Taking one of her hands in mine, I run my thumb over the back of it. “My libido got the best of me for a minute there. I’ve been telling myself not to do that, but my body has other intentions.” I chuckle.
She laughs and waves a hand dismissively. “I get it. I haven’t been able to stop thinking about you since we met, and last night was unbearable without you. Although I have no idea how this can work between us.”
My heart cracks at her words. I suddenly don’t want to hear what
she’s going to say. It hurts too much.
Grabbing my hands, she looks into my eyes and smiles. My heart skips a beat. “I’ve fallen for you, Corbyn. I want you more than I have ever wanted anyone. I almost lost you. I get sick whenever I think about how close he was to killing you. It makes me want to chain you to my side, so I can keep you close. But, that doesn’t change the fact that I’m just not sure.”
That vice tries to make juice out of my heart as it tightens to the point where I can barely think through the agony. Ava is mine, dammit. But, she’s right. We are too different. What? No!
I bring our clasped hands to my mouth and kiss the back of hers. “No one knows how different we are from one another better than I, but that doesn’t mean we can’t be together. You’re mine, Ava. And I will not let you go.”
She shudders, and her pupils dilate at my declaration. She likes me claiming her.
“How is this going to work? I don’t want to become a vampire right now. I love my family and my job. I’m not ready to lose them. If I don’t turn, I will grow old and die while you remain young and gorgeous. You won’t want a withered old lady. And, what do I tell my family and friends when you don’t age with me?”
I growl and snarl in frustration. She sees nothing but obstacles. “I will never turn you against your wishes. But I also cannot let you go. That doesn’t mean this is an impossible situation. I can use makeup when we are around your family and friends to hide my lack of aging. I will love you until you take your last breath. When that time comes, I will walk into the sunlight and join you. I cannot live without you, Ava. You are my light and life. I was half alive before you walked into Club Toxic and jolted me. I know this might seem crazy to you, but life without my sun isn’t a life I want to live.”
Her lips purse, and she furrows her brow as she looks at me. “All I can say is, fuck that. I can’t stand the thought of you killing yourself because of me. It wasn’t until you proved that you’d die for me that I realized I would do the same for you. Give me more time with my life. But at some point, I will ask you to turn me into a vampire. Can we take it one month, or year, at a time?”