Between Good and Evil

by Jasmine Wylder

  “Vampires have to drink fresh from the vein of their partner for a minimum of three days before they have the chance to produce a child.”

  He hadn’t drunk from her. Rune stood, her heart hammering and her mind made up.

  ***

  Isaac could not have been more surprised when Rune threw her arms around him. Her mouth met his and she let out a sigh, a contented sound that had all the blood rushing to his head. He tightened as she teased his lips open; he swiped his tongue against hers, loving the taste of her. His arms wrapped around her and he twisted them both, pressing her up against the wall. Her hands dug into his hair and he, in turn, grasped her wrists and pressed them to the wall.

  He pulled away from her, out of reach as she tried to follow him with searching, hungry lips. “What are you doing?”

  “Um… kissing you?” Rune’s cheeks were flush, her hair frizzy with the dampness of the cave.

  He really should get her out of there. Take her to a hotel or something. But that would risk her calling people, would risk them being seen.

  “Kissing…” he repeated. “Why?”

  Rune had been pressing against his grip, but at the question, she went limp. He released her hands and they fell loosely at her sides. His arms were still stretched out to either side of her, caging her in place. His heart beat wildly and he could feel his fangs lengthen. The smell coming off her was too delightful. The smell of sweat and flowers, her natural odor, with no chemical cleansers to cover it up. Gods, he wanted a taste of her. To break her delicate skin with his fangs and greedily drink until he was sated. Penetrate her with fang and cock both, to thrust into her until she was crying his name.

  It had been a long time since he allowed himself to become physically close to someone. The last woman had been almost three years ago. He didn’t want any of the vampires Gregory threw at him, because he didn’t know if they wanted him or were just afraid of what the king would do. He didn’t want to lie to whatever human woman he picked up.

  Plus, he had spent too long hiding from Gregory to get close to anybody.

  “I wanted to kiss you,” Rune whispered. “Did I read you wrong?”

  To his horror, tears started to form in her eyes. He brushed them off gently and kissed her lightly. “No. No, you didn’t read me wrong. It’s just…”

  I’m lying to you.

  Rune put her arms around him, so soft and gentle that he nearly gasped at her touch. Hunger flared and his loins tightened. He could feel himself swelling with desire and leaned forward once more, his lips seeking hers out. He wanted her. So badly. She moaned into his mouth, her desire on his tongue. The sweet scent of her arousal filled the room.

  He hooked one of her legs over his hip and ground against her. She wore flannel pajamas because everything else was too cold apparently. It would be so easy to remove them…

  But as his fingers brushed the damp fabric, he jerked back. She was only here because of him. Because he had kidnapped her. Rune blinked, her mouth opening. But he didn’t stick around to listen. He turned and stalked out of the room, moving quickly so as not to hear his name on her lips.

  He had kidnapped her. Whether or not she wanted this, that was still the case. He was in a position of power over her and couldn’t be certain she actually wanted to sleep with him. So, he could not touch her. He’d let it go far enough… Rune was worth more than a quick fuck, and he wasn’t going to be the one to defile her.

  ***

  Three days.

  No ransom, no demands, no contact. Three days and there had been nothing from Isaac. Dane tried not to assume the worse, that Rune was already dead. He had thought, when he realized it was Isaac that took her, that he’d be hearing something quickly. Why else would Isaac target her, other than to get at him? Now, he was dreading the call… to tell him where to find Rune’s mutilated body.

  And that was why Dane had gathered his three brothers. They might not have received the same training as he did, but they were all smart and strong, and he knew he could count on them. The four brothers sat in Dane’s living room and Dane looked between the three of them. He was the oldest, James the next, then Patrick, and Keith being the youngest. Keith was only fifteen, still in high school, and so Dane had asked him to do the least. Patrick had just graduated, and James worked off the internet for his living, so the two of them had more time on their hands.

  “Did you find anything?” he asked James, who was the most like Dane out of the three of them.

  James started to open his mouth when Keith interrupted.

  “Are you sure it was Isaac?”

  Dane ground his teeth together and glared at his youngest brother.

  Keith twisted his hands, not looking up. “I’m just saying. There have been times in the past when you thought it was Isaac and you turned out to be wrong. So are you certain—”

  “I’m certain.”

  “It’s just—” Keith continued even as Dane turned back to James. “It’s just that you kind of have it in for him. In these sorts of situations, you get… blinders. So maybe you need to step back and not jump to Isaac. Consider other options.”

  “There are no other options.” Dane resisted the urge to shout.

  Keith was a good kid. Compassionate. The training that the three older boys went through would have killed him; or maybe it would have turned him into someone like Dane. Usually, Dane was glad that his kid brother had managed to retain his innocent outlook on life. This was not one of those times.

  “But—"

  “Are you forgetting the times when Isaac did come after me? What about this scar?” Dane pointed to the white patch on his neck, near his jugular. “Are you forgetting the times he nearly killed me?”

  “Nine times out of ten when you two do end up crossing paths it’s because you’re hunting him,” Keith continued stubbornly. “Nine times out of ten, he’s trying to get away from you and you’re the one trying to kill him. You have to be certain. Don’t you remember what happened last year when—”

  “Shut up!” This time Dane did spring to his feet. His stomach twisted and his heart thumped painfully. Yes, he made mistakes. Last year still haunted him. He doubted that he’d ever get over it. But he was right this time, and Keith didn’t know what he was talking about. “Just shut up about that. It has nothing to do with what’s happening now.”

  All three of his brothers eyed him warily. Patrick leaned forward, and James gripped one wheel of his chair with his hand, getting ready to throw himself in the way. Keith bowed his head, hands in fists on his knees.

  Dane sank back down, angry at himself for his outburst. He pressed his hands to his temples and took a few deep, calming breaths. “Keith, I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have yelled like that.”

  Keith nodded stiffly. “I’m sorry, too.”

  They sat in silence for a moment, all four of them. Patrick relaxed back into the couch and James adjusted his wheelchair a few times, as though that was what he had been planning on doing from the start. Dane hated that they thought he might actually attack Keith—hated that he got so angry that they would think that. He ran a hand through his hair and attempted to speak more calmly.

  “I have plenty of evidence against Isaac Fisher for a variety of crimes. He is wanted by human and vampire governments alike. He’s hurt people, and I smelled him in Rune’s apartment. He was there. He took her. I know that. I haven’t made a mistake.”

  Keith sighed but nodded his defeat.

  “I need to find him. I need to find Rune. It’s my fault that he took her. You’re right. Nine times out of ten it’s me hunting him down. So, he got tired of it. He decided that he needs to be more proactive against me. I don’t know. I just know that… that I don’t know what I’ll do if he hurts her.”

  Patrick cleared his throat. “I didn’t know you two had gotten that close.”

  “We haven’t. But she’s still my responsibility.”

  Keith sighed again. “Okay. Okay, I got that. I haven’t found anyt
hing, but I haven’t really looked. I’ll… I’ll reach out, I guess. See if I can find a way to get in contact. Maybe he’ll tell me…”

  Dane had to bite his tongue to snarl at him that it would be a waste of time. Sure, his youngest brother had contact every so often with Isaac. Because Isaac knew he was the least likely to attack him, to try to put an end to him. Usually, it was threats toward Dane, warnings to keep his distance and stay out of the vampire’s way. But Keith never contacted Isaac; he would have told him if that was the case. So how did he expect to get in touch now?

  “I found something,” Patrick said as he slouched back. “There’s been a couple of homeless people admitted to the hospital with neck bites. The descriptions match Isaac, as does the MO. Approach them, offer them a meal, drink from them, leave a hundred bucks in their pocket and drive them to the hospital. Nothing in the last week, though.”

  Did it make him feel like a good person, to pay his victims after drinking from them? Dane nodded at Patrick. “Doesn’t matter that he’s taking a break. Which hospitals?”

  “The same one, over in Chicago. Didn’t he have a hideout there once?”

  James shifted and cleared his throat. “Not Isaac.”

  All three turned to look at him. As usual, Dane was hit with a pang of guilt, seeing the scars twisting on James’ arm, seeing him in the wheelchair. If he had only been there when Isaac attacked him, maybe he would have been able to stop his brother from being so badly injured. The vampire venom prevented him from healing, leaving him like this for the rest of his life. James often said he didn’t care about being in the wheelchair, it was the attack itself that hurt the worst.

  Dane knew what he meant. Isaac had betrayed them all.

  “Patrick, you and Keith go get something to eat.” James didn’t even look at their little brothers.

  Keith started to protest, but Patrick hauled him to his feet and bustled him out of the room. He shot a glare back at the two oldest, clearly unhappy with being excluded, but Dane only smirked at him. He sobered quickly when the two were in the kitchen and lowered his voice to make sure that they wouldn’t hear as they pressed their ears to the door.

  “What’s this about?”

  James tapped his fingers together. “I don’t want to see you killed over this.”

  Dane’s brows rose in surprise. “Killed? What are you talking about?”

  “I’m talking about the fact that… you and Isaac are evenly matched. The only reason that you two haven’t killed each other yet is because you haven’t wanted to. If this is a trap he’s set up for you, then he’s not going to ask you nicely to leave him alone.”

  “I’m aware.”

  James held up a hand. “Hey. Don’t start getting snappy with me. Keith isn’t the only one concerned for you. I know he makes it sound like he’s worried about Isaac, but he’s really worried about you.”

  “I can handle—”

  “Sheesh, will you let me finish?” James rolled his eyes. “You’re such a thick-skulled idiot sometimes. Come on, man. Shut your damn mouth and listen to someone else for a change.”

  The tone was harsh, but Dane knew James was only teasing. He snorted, gave his brother a playful glare, and leaned back. “Sure, sure. I’ll listen. But next time we end up as orphans, how about you do all the work to keep us together, huh? I didn’t see you packing lunches at five am and dropping out of high school to support your three younger brothers. Not to mention all the physical therapy I took you to.”

  “Only because you had to have all the glory to yourself.” James grinned at him, but it faded quickly. “You and Isaac are opposite sides of the same coin. He was raised to destroy, you were raised to protect. The important thing to remember is that you were raised together. You are evenly matched and if you really go after him, you’re as likely to end up dead as he is. You were meant to be each other’s check and balance, and that isn’t for nothing.”

  “Yeah, I know that.”

  James didn’t speak, letting Dane digest the new warning in his own time. Dane understood what he was driving at. It didn’t mean he liked the reminder.

  “You said that it wasn’t Isaac in Chicago,” he said. “Why?”

  James didn’t answer.

  After a moment, Dane rolled his eyes. “Yeah, yeah. We were meant to check each other and balance our power. That’s what I’m doing, isn’t it? Keeping him from destroying anything more? Or is that just not good enough anymore? Do I need to let him run loose?”

  “That’s not what I’m saying, and you know it.”

  Dane opened his mouth then shut it again. “You think he deserves a second chance?”

  James sighed.

  “He doesn’t. Not after everything he did. When he attacked you… that was it. There was no reason. No justification. No second chance after that.”

  “That’s not what I was saying, either.”

  Dane threw his hands into the air, not even caring if Patrick and Keith could hear the conversation now. “Then what are you saying?”

  “That you need to be careful. And to think about it. If you had just kidnapped Isaac’s girlfriend and were trying to lead him into a trap, would you really go all the way to Chicago to feed?” James arched a brow pointedly.

  Oh. Dane frowned. He had been so wrapped up with that line of thinking that he hadn’t even considered it. If Isaac was setting up a trap, then it would make sense to lure him out of the city for a while, to give himself some breathing room to set it up. But if it was Dane? He wouldn’t get Isaac to another city for their final showdown. No. He’d have the end where it all started.

  “So, it’s a red herring? To get me to Chicago and out of the way.” Dane considered a moment, then smiled ruefully. “Well, I’ll head that way anyway. Whoever he has got copying him might know something about his final plans. And where he’s holding Rune.”

  Dane stood and strode to the fireplace. He lifted the picture down from over the hearth and opened up the safe they had hidden behind it. From there, he withdrew the silver stakes and knives that he kept for dealing with trouble vampires. As he started strapping up, Keith and Patrick returned to the room.

  Keith inhaled sharply when he saw the stakes, but Patrick put a hand over his mouth to stop him from talking.

  “This ends,” Dane told his brothers, not looking at any of them. “It’s the only way it can end, and you all know it. Don’t try to stop me.”

  None of them spoke as he grabbed his jacket, pulling it on to cover up his weapons. He glanced around at them, nodded, and headed for the door. There were only two ways this could end; either he or Isaac had to die. And since Isaac had dared lay a hand on Rune, the vampire was going to die.

  Chapter Four

  When Isaac brought her up out of the pit of darkness, Rune thought that he had just finally given in to her whining for some fresh air. The first breath of sunshine-filled air left her feeling heady with giddiness. She spun in a circle, lifting her palms to the sky. Isaac watched her with an amused smile, but it didn’t last long. He jerked his chin toward a motorbike that he climbed on.

  Rune frowned as she meandered over. “Where are we going?”

  “Back to the city.”

  Rune stopped, blinked in surprise, and opened her mouth. Nothing came out, so she closed it again.

  Isaac sighed as he handed a helmet to her. “Look, I appreciate how you have tried to help me, but we’re not getting anywhere. The future is in flux because it hinges on my choices, you said. Well, I’m not sure what choices I have. But it’s unfair to you to continue to hold you here, expecting that you’ll figure out everything for me. I have as much as I need to know, and it’s time for you to go home. Your friends and family will be worried.”

  “Well… One friend will. Sort of like a boyfriend but not really. Our relationship is such that we are both free to pursue other romantic or sexual relationships as we see fit,” she added as Isaac’s jaw tightened. “Actually, the night you took me, we had just had the discuss
ion to make sure it was still an arrangement that worked for both of us. So, he’s not my boyfriend and kissing you wasn’t cheating.”

  Isaac looked away at that, and she knew what this was really about. Her mouth made a silent “oh,” and she put her helmet on quickly. Trying to ignore the sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach, she climbed onto the back of the motorcycle.

  All throughout the drive back to the city, her mind churned over this and that and everything. She liked Isaac. He was funny when he wanted to be, hard-edged at other times, and the emotions that came from him were always so genuine. He didn’t hide it when he was upset, or happy, or amused. She always knew when people were lying and he was, about what she wasn’t sure, but it wasn’t anything about who he was.

  She just wished she had been able to give him proper answers. Answers that he could have taken hope in, rather than just increasing the sorrow and helplessness in his eyes.

  When they passed the sign saying that they were entering into Chicago, Rune nearly twisted off the bike trying to get a better look. They were in the midst of vehicles now, and Isaac reached behind with one arm to push her back into his seat. Chicago. Boy, had they gone a lot farther than she realized. Soon enough, they were pulling into a Wal Mart parking lot.

  Isaac turned off the bike and helped her off before pressing a small bundle into her hands. “Here’s some cash. It’ll be enough to get a taxi to the bus station so you can get home.”

  “Thanks.” Rune turned the bundle over in her hands, then looked up. “I had a thought. A possibility, really. Something that might be able to help you.”

  “Really?” Isaac laughed, but it wasn’t amused. It was sad. “I kidnap you and you still want to help me?”

  “What can I say? I’ve always been the forgiving sort.”

  Isaac shook his head, laughing again. Rune hugged her helmet to her chest, watching him. The light glinted off his silvery eyes, making her breath catch in her throat. She was genuine when she said she was sorry that she couldn’t help him more. Even though they hadn’t had much time in that dark, damp cave, there were a few things she was absolutely certain of.