Blood Curse (Misty Cedars - Vampire Edition)

by Adrienne Blake

  Noah shook his head. "No, the uniform maybe, but not the car."

  "Shit." Holly put her elbows on the table and cradled her head in her hand. There had to be something. "What if he killed a real cop, and then assumed his identity?" she suggested. "It's possible, right?"

  Noah jolted forward and started typing frantically on his keyboard. Holly turned to watch him, holding her breath, because she had clearly lit a spark under his ass. She had never seen him so animated.

  Holly leaned forward, watching him type. She continued with her idea. "I mean, if he killed a cop, and assumed their identity, no one would know any different, right? But then again, his family would notice, wouldn't they?"

  "That's right," agreed Noah. "He can't shift into another identity for long, and no one can avoid sunlight forever. He would have had to kill them."

  He scrolled down a page or two, stopping every now and then to read something that caught his eye, but then scrolled on. After a while, one particular article held his attention longer than any other.

  "Et voila! You might be right!"

  Noah turned the monitor her way. On the screen, she saw a picture of a cop surrounded by his smiling family. The heading over the article read, 'Decorated cop comes home to find his wife and daughters brutally murdered.'

  Holly put her finger to the screen and stared at the faces of the dead. The woman was so pretty, with long blond hair and a ready smile. And her three daughters were mirror images of her. Each of them laughing, beautiful, and so young. She didn't want to imagine the horror of their death.

  "What kind of fiend would do this?" said Holly. "They're just innocents. A whole family, for Christ's sake. The killer, whoever he was, deserves to die."

  "He's a vampire. He doesn't have a conscience as we do."

  Noah lowered his eyes when he finished. She could guess what he was thinking. As we do, now. She didn't want to think about that future. Not while she still had a chance to change it.

  "So you think it's possible Micah might be behind this?" asked Holly, touching the face of the youngest girl.

  "Maybe. I couldn't say for sure, but it's a start, isn't it?"

  "What do you think he did with the body of the cop?"

  "I've no idea. Hell, we could be wrong about this," reasoned Noah.

  Holly didn't want to hear this and shook her head. "Do you recognize this face? Maybe he looked like this when he attacked me."

  Noah turned the monitor back toward him. "I dunno. Maybe. It was all over so quick."

  "Where does it say he lives?" asked Holly.

  Noah skimmed the article quickly. "Ta ta ta ta daaaa, oh, here it is. Misty Cedars. It doesn't give an actual address, but it fits. The town is right at the edge of the valley, almost a hundred miles from where we are now. I know it though, I've been out there once or twice. The location is perfect... just a few houses, a bit off the beaten track, rather obscure. If he did kill this...." he peered intently at the screen, "MacMillan guy, he couldn't have picked a better spot."

  "Maybe that's why he picked him?" suggested Holly. "Maybe it wasn't just good luck."

  "Maybe," agreed Noah. He jumped up and pulled a jacket from a coat closet just outside the door, then shoved his laptop into a large, leather bag. "Well, come on then."

  "Wait, what? Where are we going?"

  "To Misty Cedars of course. That is, unless you've got some place else you need to be?"

  He had a point. Noah ran up the stairs and came down a minute later. His bag looked a little fatter, and he shook it at her. "Clothes. We'll have to get you something on the way, but I threw in a couple of extra tees, just in case."

  "Thanks." Holly jumped up and slipped on her shoes which were lined up just by the front door. As she shuffled into them, Noah snatched a few last things from the kitchen and shoved them into his expanding bag.

  "But we're not ready. Even if we find him, we'll need a plan or something. How will we kill him?" she argued.

  "We're gonna have to discuss it on the way. The clock's ticking."

  "Okay," she said. "But I'm driving."

  "Is that wise?" asked Noah. "Your car is pretty distinctive. What if Micah recognizes it? It's not that long since the attack."

  "I hear you, but my car has tinted glass, so unless yours can protect me from the sun, we go in mine."

  "Fair enough," he conceded. "For now."

  With a renewed sense of purpose, Holly followed Noah out into the open. The sun was now a little lower in the sky and she made it to the car without incident. Holly slipped quickly into the driver's seat, and she gripped the steering wheel, ready to go. They had a vampire to kill, and just a few days to do it. So the second Noah buckled up beside her, she punched her foot to the gas and sped off.

  8

  The Guest House

  The desk clerk looked up as Holly and Noah stepped into the guest house's lobby, causing the little bell above the door to tinkle.

  "Afternoon, folks.” he said. “Or should I say evening? Guess it'll be sunset in a little bit. Y'all be looking for a room?"

  "Two rooms," Holly said. I wish it were just one.

  "One room," Noah said.

  "Two," she insisted, "We're fighting." What am I thinking!

  Noah glared at her. "Don't mind her. My wife is in a tizzy. We just need the one."

  "Wife?" she whispered. "How old fashioned is that?"

  "I'll explain later," Noah replied.

  "Okay, whatever," she conceded. It had been a tough drive. They had stopped only once to pick up a few clothes for Holly. But her desire to feed and to seduce Noah had increased equally with every passing mile. Why she felt so horny was a mystery, but there it was. Right now, she would agree to anything he suggested.

  "Sure, just the one," she said to the desk clerk. "With separate beds." Or I'll go insane.

  "We don't got one of those," said the clerk. "Queen or double, them's yer choices."

  Holly looked around the derelict dump of a guest house with its sun-faded carpet, dusty bookshelf and fake Yucca plant. "Are you sure about this?" she whispered in Noah's ear. "I mean, we're not even in Misty Cedars yet, maybe we should try some place a bit closer." And nicer.

  "No, not yet. I don't think we should get too close until we've formed some kind of plan."

  "Why not?"

  Noah didn't get the chance to answer because the desk clerk coughed, demanding their attention. At some point, the clerk must have shoved in a stick of gum. Something meaty, like bacon, was stuck between his gnawing teeth. "Look, are you kids gonna take the room or not? I don't have all day you know." He continued chewing.

  "Yes, we'll take the queen," said Holly.

  "Sixty-three bucks plus taxes a night. How long are you thinking of staying?"

  "We're not sure yet."

  "Whatever you decide, I'll need a credit card up front, for incidentals."

  Noah snorted but retrieved his wallet from his back pocket and pulled out some blue plastic.

  "Shifters have credit cards?" whispered Holly playfully. "Who knew? Anyway I got this." She whisked out a swanky platinum Diners thing and slid it across the counter. "It's the least I can do."

  Noah shrugged and picked up his bag while Holly entered her pin. As she punched the keys the clerk stared at her pale hands, and he froze. He point blank refused to look her in the eye. He grunted something inaudible under his breath, and looked suspiciously down at the portable card reader, as if expecting some credit error. After a second, he wiped his nose, then pulled an old-fashioned key with a yellow tag out from a drawer behind the desk. He slid it halfway across the counter, clearly not wanting to make contact with Holly's hand.

  "You're up on the second floor. We ain't got no elevator, and I don't do room service. There's a vending machine behind the Yucca if ya wanna soda or something. Breakfast is between seven and nine. Enjoy your stay."

  Holly grabbed the key, and, picking up her bags full of recently acquired attire, followed Noah up the steep flight of stair
s to the second floor. As she watched his ass move upward, all she could think about was that big Queen and what would happen once they got under the sheets together. Get a grip, get a grip, get a grip! You've got a vampire to kill.

  Apparently they weren't the only ones staying in the guest house, judging from the heated argument going on in the room across from theirs.

  Noah raised his voice and gave it a little bit of deep growl, "I hope that doesn’t go on all night!"

  ...silence.

  Holly stared at him, amazed. "What's the point of being a wolf shifter if you can't have a little fun once in a while?" he grinned.

  In that moment, Holly wanted him so bad. She turned the key in the lock.

  Once inside, they dropped their bags and the key on the end of the bed, and while Noah closed the curtains, she made a bolt for the bathroom.

  Inside, Holly stood in front of the mirror, her heart thumping as she stared at her face. She ran her tongue along her teeth. Thank God they were normal after her run-in with the fawn. Maybe a wolf-shifter would find fangs sexy, but she wouldn't want to bet on it.

  Holly stared at her faded reflection, noting her sparkling eyes and her blood-red lips, parted with desire. She clenched her jaw, her mind made up. What man could resist her? She sucked in a deep breath. So, shifters mate for life do they? Well, it just so happened she only had a few days left of her own life, and no fucking way was she going out a virgin. She opened the door and stepped into the bedroom.

  But Noah was gone. "Shit," she said out loud. She walked to the window, cautiously pulled back the curtain and looked outside. Her Alfa was parked just where she'd left it, and there was no sign of him anywhere on the street. Where could he have got to?

  He hadn't mentioned anything about going out. She opened the door and looked up and down the hallway, but he wasn't there either. He had probably gone down to the desk, she reasoned, or off to find another bathroom.

  Frustrated, she turned back inside and sat on the end of the bed, tapping her foot impatiently on the floor. She passed the time staring at the blank TV in front of her. She remembered how he'd admired her legs, and began shifting around, assuming ever more seductive poses, hoping that when at last he came back he would notice them.

  Where the hell is he?

  Every now and then she would glance up at the door, hoping he would come through it. What if he had gone off without her, what if this was all too much, and he thought her more trouble than she was worth?

  Damn it, it wasn't like her to be like this. Her gaze fell upon the key. She snatched it up.

  After locking the door behind her, she skipped down the steep steps back to the lobby area. There was no sign of him here, but the grumpy desk clerk was still at his post. He cradled his head in his hand and was reading some magazine, but looked up when she approached. He straightened up and took a step back.

  "Has No...has my husband been through here?"

  His eyes narrowed. "Yeah, he just left."

  She looked out toward the street. The sun was beginning to fade, but it was still too bright for her to go out.

  "Did he mention where he was going?" she asked.

  "Not a word."

  "I see."

  Holly stepped a little closer to the entrance, hoping to catch a glimpse of him from where she stood. Would it be safe to risk it, she wondered? Sunset was only a second or so away.

  "Why don't you run out there after him? He's only been gone a minute. Be a good wifey."

  "I... I...." And have my skin burn to the texture of a Dorito? No thank you! "Dammit, he better get right back here. If he's looking for a bar imma give him hell," she said, hopefully sounding truly pissed.

  The clerk shrugged.

  "Oh, never mind. I'll just sit here and wait for him."

  "Suit yourself," he said knowingly.

  Holly took a seat over by the bookcase. It was mostly stacked with old magazines but there were a couple of books and she perused the titles. Along with other classics, there was an old dog-eared paperback edition copy of Dracula. "Figures," she said to herself, but selected it anyway. Maybe she could learn something from it.

  The clerk pretended to resume his reading, but she knew he was watching her out the corner of his eye instead. She managed to flip through a couple of pages, but it was hard to concentrate under his suspicious gaze. Not to mention irritating as fuck.

  After a few minutes, she snapped the book shut, returned it to its shelf, stood up, and marched over to him.

  "Is it just me, or do you have something you want to say to me? Because I think there is, and if I'm right, I think you should just come out and say it."

  The clerk stared at her pale hands, grimaced, but said nothing. Holly took a step forward but he recoiled again. "Stay right there, if you please, Miss," he said.

  "Why?"

  "Guests aren't allowed on this side of the desk."

  "Then I'll be sure to stay on my own side."

  There was a strange smell in the air, and she breathed it in deeply. It was intoxicating and without realizing it, Holly rolled her eyes with pleasure. She struggled to identify it, but then realized what it must be: fear.

  She took another step toward the desk. The aroma definitely increased as she got closer to the funny little man. The veins in his neck were positively throbbing, and she could see them as if they were right under her nose. The clerk was frozen to the spot, powerless to move. All she had to do was step around the counter, and she could bathe in the delicious scent. Her fangs began to elongate.

  Just a little closer....

  The bell over the entrance jingled. "Hi Honey, I'm home!"

  Noah's voice broke the spell, and she took an unsteady step or two back, being entranced just as the clerk was. Released from her spell, the man snatched up his magazine and scurried through into the back room.

  "Where did you get to?" asked Holly.

  Noah carried two bags of groceries which he now dangled in the air. "Pretty obvious, I'd have thought. We're both hungry, and you can't go out. Anyway, I saw this place when we drove in, and I didn't know what time they closed, so thought I'd better get over there, pronto."

  "Oh, right." So he was thoughtful as well as gorgeous.

  "What were you doing to that desk clerk?" asked Noah.

  "Err - nothing. I was just asking where you were."

  "If you say so. You want to help me with this?"

  Noah handed Holly one of the bags and followed behind her back up the stairs. The people in the room opposite them were hard at it, banging the headboard hard into the thin walls.

  "Yeah, oh yeah, right there baby!"

  "Don't you worry, bitch, you're gonna get it."

  Holly paused for a moment, envying the woman. How sweet it must feel to have her man inside her, filling her up and bringing her to an orgasm with his frantic thrusting. Her own sex pulsed with desire. The moment she put the key in the lock, the couple in the room opposite fell silent. She regretted spoiling their lovemaking. Noah grinned at her as he held the door open for Holly to pass inside.

  "So, what did you get?" She put her bag down on the desk near the window and started rummaging through the contents. The bag of apples, cookies, and the potato chips she couldn't care less about, but she paused when she pulled out a King Size Hershey Almond bar. She put it to her nose and sniffed it. "Oh, how I miss you!" She kissed the bar.

  "You could just try eating it," suggested Noah.

  "Hmmm." But could she though? "So tell me," she said as she slid her finger slowly along the paper wrapper, "Why are we masquerading as man and wife? I mean, it's not the dark ages. Who would give a hoot if we were here to screw our hearts out, like Mork and Mindy across the hall?" She winked, hoping Noah would take the hint.

  "I thought it might be a good idea. These are small towns, and if Micah has his ear to the ground he might get wind of you. You know, any woman believed to be traveling alone might become a target. I thought if everyone thought you were with your 'husb
and' you wouldn't stand out so much. It'll give you some protection at least. And the truth is, we're not ready to face him just yet."

  "I 'spose." She liked the sound of husband.

  Holly ran her fingernail along the silver foil and slowly unwrapped the chocolate. But when she brought it to her nose again, she didn't smell the delicious aroma she expected. "Ugh, it's like rotten eggs."

  "Oh. Sorry," said Noah. "I didn't know what you could stomach, so I bought a few different things for you to try."

  Holly switched to the other bag and pulled out a T-bone steak and a bundle of green vegetables. "Spinach?"

  "I thought you might like it. It's full of iron. Good for the blood."

  "Whose?" she asked skeptically.

  "The Hot Pocket's for me, but help yourself to anything else in the bag."

  She began tearing the wrap from the bloody steak and nibbled the end of the meat. It tasted stale, but when she checked the wrapper the best before date was not until mid-August, a week or so off. Still, it was something, and it was nice of Noah to try.

  Noah fished out a Hot Pocket from the second bag and after removing it from its box, tossed it in the microwave to zap.

  "So why this town? I mean, if Micah's in Misty Cedars, what are we doing wasting our time in this dump?"

  Holly thought she might retch if she ate any more steak. She put what she hadn't eaten back in its wrap.

  Noah sat down at the end of the bed, and Holly tried hard not to stare at his thighs.

  "I was afraid he might sense you if we got too close. Vampires can have this strange telepathic connection. And it's late. Even if he slept all day, he'd be awake shortly, and at full strength."

  "But then why hasn't he got into my mind already?"

  "I suspect he hasn't even tried. As long as he thinks you're dead, he wouldn't bother. But if he heard you were in the neighborhood, he might try and connect with you. We're safe here, for now at least. We can make an early start tomorrow."

  Holly saw the sense in this and shuffled out of her jeans. Might as well get comfy. She settled herself at the end of the bed against the headboard, and opened the drawer beside the bed. The mere sight of the Gideon bible made her feel sick, and she slammed the drawer shut.