Between Good and Evil

by Jasmine Wylder

  “Hey,” Rune called, since it wasn’t unusual for the caretakers to turn off the lights without looking to see if anybody was inside. “I’m still in here.”

  No answer. She climbed out of the tub, and as she was groping for her towel, hands wrapped around her arms. Rune shrieked, jerking away from whoever it was. The hands found her again, closing in tightly around her.

  “Let go,” she cried, struggling.

  Her attacker still didn’t say a word. She was slammed against the wall, and a rough hand pressed to her mouth. The hands were large, the form she saw outlined in the barest trace of light from the door huge and hulking. Rune’s heart leapt to her throat, and she tried to scream again. She wasn’t going down without a fight! Blindly, she kicked, her knee managing to land between her assailant’s legs.

  The man let out a grunt of pain. His grip slacked enough for her to shove him. He stumbled; there was a splash and she sprinted to the door. But just as her hand wrapped around the knob, he was back. He grabbed her, dragged her back. A snarl sounded in the air, and Rune fought as hard as she could. She twisted, clawing at his face. It was like he could see in the dark, though, because none of her blows landed.

  “Take it easy, will you,” a raspy male voice hissed as he pressed her against the wall again. “This will go so much easier if you don’t cause such a fuss.”

  “Fuck you!” she screamed, fear and rage mingling together as she continued to fight. She wasn’t going down easy and whatever this man wanted, she wasn’t going to just give it to him! She screamed once more, hoping that maybe a neighbor would hear and rush to her aid.

  “Be quiet!”

  She threw her head forward. He jerked his aside but that exposed his neck. And, acting on sheer impulse, Rune bit him. She clamped down as hard as she could, shaking her head back and forth like a dog. The man grunted, released her, yanked her away. She reached for the door again, but he was back, pressing her against the wall while his hand slapped over her mouth and chin, holding her jaw shut.

  Silver eyes glowed in the darkness and for the first time, Rune froze. Her breath caught in her throat as she realized it wasn’t just any man she was dealing with.

  He was a vampire.

  Her rage dissipated, leaving only fear behind. Vampires rarely came into the city. They rarely attacked without provocation. What the hell was this, she was just going to be some statistic now? The fear flooded through her, making her freeze on the spot. Her mind screamed at her to keep fighting, but she couldn’t make herself move. There was no point. Vampires were far stronger than humans… there was nothing she could do to protect herself.

  “You don’t have to be afraid,” the vampire hissed at her. “But since you had to cause so much trouble…”

  She sensed more than saw his mouth open. She jerked once, a cry catching in her throat. Then his fangs pierced her skin, and everything went black.

  ***

  Once the generator was running smoothly, Isaac Fisher turned on the lights in his little underground cavern. He’d been using this spot to hide out whenever he could for a decade now. He never stayed long, since that was far too likely to bring King Gregory down on his head and then he’d have to find a new place.

  There was a little underground stream that he got water from to charge his turbine generator. It had just enough power to light the naked bulb overhead and, sometimes, charge the laptop that he’d bring with him. Usually, he just read from his collection of books. They were never his favorites since the damp and mold would easily wreck them. But they were good enough to give him a few hours’ worth of entertainment and distraction when he needed it.

  Isaac sighed as he took a look at his prisoner. He’d put her back in the dress that had been hanging up in the hot-tub room, and then gathered up a grocery bag’s worth of other clothes so she could wear something warmer. Right now, he had her lying on his bed, tucked in with a flannel blanket to keep her from getting chilled.

  Was she really a psychic?

  Isaac hadn’t been around long, but his lord, Gregory of the Starlight Mountains, had. If he believed in psychics, then they had to be real. As for this girl… Gregory had done plenty of research on her, and it seemed that he was satisfied with her abilities. Isaac had his doubts, but as he was repeatedly reminded, he was not to question the king.

  The girl started to stir. Isaac stepped back once, a grin starting to curl his lips. She had fought a lot harder than he thought she would. Humans weren’t all that strong, and she was no exception. In the darkness, though, he had seen nothing but determination on her face. He almost regretted having to kidnap her the way he had.

  It would be a lot easier this way, though. Keeping her on edge so she didn’t question his story too deeply. Make sure that she did as he asked, without the possibility that she would tell anybody else about it. There was a familiar scent about her, one he couldn’t place, but that was hardly important.

  As soon as she rose her head, her eyes widened. She leapt out of bed, got tangled in the blanket, then yanked it up over her chest, even though she was hardly showing any cleavage.

  “Hello,” he greeted, keeping his voice even. “Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Isaac Fisher. I need your help.”

  Rune’s jaw dropped and she said nothing.

  He risked a step closer. “Don’t be afraid. I’m not going to hurt you.”

  She trembled a little but continued to say nothing. Isaac took that as a good sign. She was listening, at least. He took another step forward and lifted his hands. All she had to do was listen to him, and everything was going to be fine. He smiled, sure she was going to do just that.

  And then she attacked.

  Chapter Two

  Palm to nose. Palm to nose. Rune jabbed her hand up, aiming for the vampire’s nose. She managed a hit, earning a surprised look from him. His head jerked back and he stumbled, clutching at his face. Rune wasn’t about to let that opportunity get away from her. The rage she had felt in the room with the hot tub welled in her again. She bared her teeth in a hiss as she kicked him swiftly between the knees. The vampire grunted as he bent double. With him thus incapacitated, she snatched a heavy lamp off the nearby desk and smashed him over the head with it.

  Then she ran. She dashed into the darkness, not knowing where she was going. Her heart pounded as the smell of damp rock curled into her nostrils. She turned toward the sound of running water. Soon, she had turned a corner and what little light there was from the room she was in became so dim she could see nothing ahead of her. Her heart rate picked up again as she blindly groped forward, her hands outstretched in front of her.

  She wasn’t sure how long she had been stumbling in the darkness when her feet splashed into icy water. She gasped, jumping back, and a hand caught hers. Even as she pulled away with her own scream ringing through the corridor, something round and chilled was pressed into her hand. A flashlight. She flicked it on to find the vampire standing right there, looking amused.

  “You might need that if you want to try to navigate these corridors.”

  Rune stared at him uncertainly. Was he mocking her? Well, he had to be… because there wasn’t any reason he’d help her escape after he kidnapped her. Sucking in a deep breath, she turned the light on his face. He blinked in the bright light, but her attack on him didn’t seem to have made any real difference to him. Even his nose was perfectly straight and there was no sign of blood on his upper lip.

  She shuddered and he handed her a small flannel blanket, which she gratefully wrapped around herself. It was only then that she realized that he had put her dress back on over her bikini, which seemed to be all in place. Taking a moment, she mentally felt around her body. Her wrists were a little sore, but there were no unusual aches or pains. She scowled at the vampire, relieved to find that he hadn’t seemed to have done anything to her, but that didn’t mean she trusted him.

  “Why don’t you come back to the room?” he asked diplomatically. “I’ll turn on the heater so y
ou can dry off your feet.”

  “What do you want from me?” Rune demanded. She wasn’t going to just do as he wanted. For all she knew, he could be a psycho that wanted his victims to be conscious and fighting. Her hand moved to where he had bitten her, and she shuddered when she felt two small puncture wounds.

  The vampire’s gaze dropped to where her hand was. “I’m sorry about that. But I needed you docile, so what other choice did I have?”

  “Not kidnap me?” she snapped back at once.

  The vampire arched a brow. “Miss Reid, I have no intention of hurting you.”

  She snorted in disbelief.

  “I have a question that I need you to answer.”

  She narrowed her eyes at him. “And you thought the best way was to creep up on me in the dark and start manhandling me?”

  “I couldn’t approach you in daylight.”

  “Oh, please!” Rune rolled her eyes. “Everyone knows that old wives’ tale about vampires burning up in sunlight was made up by the vampires so they could move about more freely. Don’t pretend like you couldn’t—”

  “It has nothing to do with the sunlight. It’s because I’m a wanted vampire. I thought you might recognize me, but apparently not. My name is Isaac Fisher.”

  Rune’s jaw dropped. She had heard of him, of course, and now that he had said it, she could have kicked herself for not seeing it before. He was the infamous vampire. Everybody who paid attention to the news knew about him. He was a shadowy figure, half-myth, and apparently responsible for many disappearances, assassinations, and a good handful of robberies and other villainous behavior.

  What could he possibly want from her?

  The vampire offered his arm to her, smiling, and she numbly took it. What else could she do? He led her back through the corridors, lifting her slightly when they came to a lip in the stone she didn’t remember going over before. Soon, they were back in the room. Isaac turned on a little space heater and pointed it at her feet before settling back in the only armchair down here. Rune had to satisfy herself sitting on the bed.

  “Now. As I said before, I have a question that needs to be answered—"

  “Did you really set off a bomb in central park?” she interrupted.

  Isaac’s jaw closed. A muscle at the corner of his mouth twitched, but what it meant she didn’t know. She did feel her fear slipping away, curiosity replacing it. She tried to bring it back, but when Isaac shook his head, she forgot to be afraid altogether. Instead, she leaned forward, clasping her hands together. That story had been all over the newspaper. Nobody had gotten hurt, thank God, but it had caused a lot of destruction.

  “The cops think you did it,” she pressed. “They had your prints on the bomb casing and everything.”

  “If I had set it off, I wouldn’t have chosen a place like Central Park. I would have picked a much more devastating location. They found my prints because I happened to stumble across it as the real bomber was setting up. I killed him and tried to stop the bomb. It was crudely built, but it could have come in use at some point. However, it was too far gone. I had to leave it.”

  Rune stared at him hard, trying to feel what the universe was telling her about what he said. There was a slight tickle at the back of her neck. He was lying about something in there, but it wasn’t a big lie. Some small detail. What was clear was that he hadn’t put the bomb there at all.

  “They say that you’re the most dangerous vampire on the planet.” She leaned forward, still watching carefully.

  He grinned, the flash of his fangs making her recoil slightly. “They might be right about that. I don’t know, I haven’t met all the vampires in the world. I’m sure there is an ancient one that is more dangerous than I. After all, despite my extensive training, I am still relatively inexperienced.”

  “Training?”

  Isaac laughed humorlessly as he got to his feet and crossed the small room. There was a minifridge to one side of the room and he pulled a thermos of something out of it. Rune became aware of how parched her throat was and had opened her mouth to ask for something to drink when the scent of blood curled into her nostrils. Her stomach rebelled and she drew back, clamping her jaws tightly together.

  “I was raised to be a weapon, Miss Reid,” Isaac said. “A weapon to destroy. And that’s what I am good at. Destruction. And that is why you’re here, too.”

  Rune had to admit that it was intriguing. “What do I have to do with that?” Her stomach dropped. “I’m not going to use my abilities to help you blow up the White House!”

  “What?” Isaac gaped at her. “Why would I want to blow up the White House?”

  “Because of destruction and all that.”

  He started to say something, then apparently changed his mind. Shaking his head, he sat in his chair again. “What I am looking for is an answer to the real question. Is destruction all I am good for? Am I ever going to have the chance to live a life… a real life and not just be a weapon for other men’s hands?”

  Rune’s eyes widened at the question. Though there was a stronger tingle in the back of her neck now, as he spoke, she had gotten a lot of strong emotion from him. Sorrow. Desperation. Despair. Whatever it was that he was lying about now, it couldn’t be the question. He wanted to know. He needed to know. This wasn’t a life he would have chosen for himself, and he was looking for any chance that he could change.

  She found herself leaning forward again. It was as though there were threads between the two of them, growing thicker, stronger, and binding them closer together. She hadn’t ever experienced such a close connection with someone so fast. Maybe it was because she was hyper-focused on the universe right now. She didn’t know…

  But she did know that she was here for a reason, and it wasn’t just because he had kidnaped her. The universe meant to have her here, to answer his question. She licked her lips, pondering for a moment, before she shook her head.

  “That is a deep question. When it comes to fate and destiny, I have to spend a lot of time with the person, usually. So, it looks like I’m going to be here for a while.” She glanced at the narrow bed she sat on and frowned. “You’re going to need to get a hammock or something.”

  ***

  When Rune didn’t answer his call, Dane was concerned that he had pushed things too far the previous night. But he left it, figuring that giving her some space wasn’t going to hurt. Besides, she sometimes didn’t answer her phone at all, busy with whatever it was she did with her time. But when the texts he had sent went unanswered, first for six and then twelve hours, the worries changed. She never left a text message unanswered for that long. He sent another, asking if she was okay.

  When that one also didn’t get a reply, he decided that he needed to check it out. He still had her spare key, from when she asked him to feed her fish while she was gone on a trip with a client, and he hurried to her apartment.

  When he got into her apartment, the first thing he noticed was that the security measures he’d suggested she put into place weeks ago still hadn’t been done. The bars he’d bought to put in her windows were still in their packaging on the floor next to the kitchen table. There wasn’t a hint of an alarm. He breathed out a curse.

  “My neighborhood is very safe,” she said with a roll of her eyes.

  “You can’t be too careful.”

  “Sure you can. If you’re too careful you end up like Monk. You know, from that TV show, Monk. Worried all the time and never having any fun in your life.”

  Dane cursed under his breath when he saw her phone on the table. He should have put those bars up himself! His fires roared higher. Everything in this room was the same as it had been when he picked Rune up the previous day. She never would have left the afghan all spread out smooth on the back of her couch; she liked to wrap up in it as she watched an episode of TV before bed. Nor would she have left a pan full of water in the sink.

  No. She had never come home last night.

  But if she hadn’t, how was her phon
e here?

  As he pulled in a deep breath to calm himself, he caught a scent. A familiar scent that harkened back to his childhood. At first, he froze, puzzled. He took another whiff. Vampire. The sort of rotten undertones were clear. A vampire had been in here. That didn’t account for the familiarity, though… until he breathed in again. This time it clicked.

  He was lying in bed after being taken away from his parents. Crying. Trying not to cry. Then the mattress dipped and when he wheeled around, calling up his fires in case it was a bad guy, he saw a kid the same age as him. Pale face, with a scent like pears and rot. They had stared at each other for a long time before the other kid held out his hand.

  “My name’s Isaac,” he said, very professional-like. “Isaac Fisher.”

  Danes hands curled into fists. Isaac.

  ***

  She smelled like vanilla. Isaac’s nose twitched being so close to the human woman. When she had said she had to get to know him, he hadn’t thought that meant sitting in a still room holding hands. She had made them walk through the caverns for hours until she found just the right little space. Isaac had been scouting out these caves for years and knew them inside and out. But even he was a little turned around about where they had been and how to get back.

  Rune had claimed they needed just the right spot, so as to fully feel the vibrations of the universe. It sounded like a bunch of nonsense to him, but Rune had been very serious about it all, and he could only conclude that she fully believed everything she was saying.

  “Concentrate,” she breathed, perhaps sensing that he was starting to get restless.

  Isaac had to grin at that. They sat facing each other, hands clasped tightly, in the middle of this cave. It was the same as any other little nook that the ancient river had carved out. Rounded to the touch, with only one exit leading to the twisting tunnels. It was so small that their knees brushed, and his back was against the wall. He had to hunch, it wasn’t tall enough for him, but Rune’s frame fit in nicely with his.

  With her hair falling down her back and her pale lids closed, she looked like something out of a portrait. Her clothes did nothing to hide her succulent curves. She held herself upright and confident, and her fair skin almost glowed in the darkness. A fairy-creature, ready to snap open violet eyes and disappear into the ether. Except for when her nose twisted like that, like she was about to sneeze. She was beautiful and silly, and when she shifted on the spot, he had to wonder if her legs were also falling asleep.