Cuddling Sucks in Coffins

by Holly Ryan

  I shoved him back with a snarl of frustration, freeing my stake, and then stabbing it forward again. Target acquired. Mission accomplished.

  Covering my wounded hand to staunch the blood flow, I looked around for whoever had sliced and diced me. The hooded figure stood a few feet away, the same one from last night, almost completely blended into the darkness.

  “You missed,” the figure said. Male. An obnoxious one from the sound of him.

  “You cut me,” I snapped.

  “You’re the slayer,” he said.

  “You’re a quick one.” I ground my teeth together, rolling my eyes to the sky in the hopes that it would zap this person out of existence. “Mind telling me what that was for? Do you normally go around trying to decapitate people’s hands?”

  “I’m drawing the rest of the vampires nearby out so we can have a discussion.” He brought his fist to his mouth as if he were going to hurl. “If they can stand your stink.”

  I leveled a glare at him, refusing to lower myself to a “yo momma” comeback. Funny, I’d grown used to being told I smelled... Wait. I peered closer. Was he a vampire and not a slayer like I’d originally thought?

  “Are you a slayer?” I demanded.

  He pointed left, to an incoming vampire.

  I gripped my stake, still in my non-dominant hand, my other one still bleeding, and got the kill shot my first try.

  “Why have a discussion now? Why not last night?” I asked, wiping the bottoms of my boots on a dry patch of grass.

  He pointed right, to another incoming vampire, whom I quickly dispatched.

  “Your pointing isn’t answering any of my questions,” I shot at him.

  His head-to-toe black leather creaked as he studied me from inside his deep hood. “I’m following a trail set by those who chose you as the slayer.”

  I looked at him sharply. “You better start explaining yourself, leaving no details out. You hear me?”

  “Yes.” His voice hissed with annoyance, which bristled mine even more. “Loud and clear. I’m definitely not a slayer.” With a sweep of an arm, he revealed his head from under the hood. Orange-yellow eyes gazed at me, ringed by dark lashes, the same color as his thick, short hair. A smirk twisted his mouth, which was surrounded by facial scruff, and clearly a target for my fist. Some people’s faces—or vampire in his case—just begged to be punched, and this guy’s face ranked high on the list. So what was it about him that made me think he was a slayer?

  “So you’re a vampire working for the slayer choosers,” I guessed.

  “Wrong again. I work only for myself. I just happened to visit the Senate for some information.”

  Senate. Was that what they called themselves? Some kind of slayer-chooser government types?

  “And I’m sure they gave that information to you freely.” Fat chance since they’d barely told me squat, and what they had told me was written in a letter. “Where was it that you visited?”

  He returned his black sword to the scabbard hanging from his hip and then settled both hands on the hilt while he observed me. “A small town near here off the beaten path, far enough away to be safe from your battles. They have all sorts of information on every slayer and some on a few high-profile vampires I almost found what I was looking for there, but not quite. So I came to you for help.”

  My curiosity was certainly piqued. The thought of perusing that info while simultaneously grilling these Senate people buzzed through my skin.

  “Help,” I said. “By slicing my hand and nearly getting me killed. I’m sure you’ll understand if I don’t tell you shit.”

  His mouth twisted behind all that dark scruff in what I supposed was meant to be a smile. “Yes, but if you do, then I’ll give you the exact location of the Senate.”

  Damn him. He’d likely read that was exactly what I wanted all over my face. “Pretty sure they wouldn’t like me stopping by even if I did know where they lived.”

  “On the contrary. They seem to think pretty highly of you. Every slayer has their own life story written about them in a hand-sewn book. Yours is decorated in lovely, painstaking detail compared to everyone else’s, though its pages are blank. I only suppose that’s because your story isn’t yet finished.”

  Interesting. Also highly suspect. I didn’t trust anything about this vampire.

  “Every slayer has a book.” He dipped his chin as if to see if I were still conscious and paying attention. “That includes how they died, as well as all of their near deaths. That could help you figure out what hasn’t worked so can you focus on what could work with your...” He waved his hand. “Little dark unknown problem.”

  “Little. Right.” I heaved a sigh. Well, that info would be pretty damn useful to have.

  His ochre gaze roamed over the graveyard. “That thing’s presence was a heavy burden last night, almost like dragging chains. Powerful. Revolting. But...I don’t feel it tonight.”

  I shook my head. “He started his stroll.”

  “What?”

  “Never mind. So I give you information, and you tell me where these Senate people are who know so much about everything.”

  He nodded.

  I shrugged. “So, what do you want to know?”

  “I’m looking for the vampire who killed my brother. I would like for you to tell me where that vampire is.”

  I lifted an eyebrow at the fading blood spot on the grass. “You sure it wasn’t this one?”

  “Not that one. Older. And capable of killing a slayer.”

  The air froze in my lungs. It just so happened that I knew two vampires who fit that description. Sawyer had been trained to kill slayers through the Necron Brotherhood, even though he never had, and Jacek had killed his slayer captor when he’d escaped. Both were capable.

  I cemented my face and body into a blank slate so he wouldn’t be able to tell I’d stopped breathing. “You said this vampire killed your brother. Was he a slayer?”

  He nodded. “Not a very good one, it turns out. There was another slayer in my family long ago who was much better. Anyway, my brother made a lot of mistakes, all of which I read about in the Senate’s tome about him. Tortured vampires. Became a vampire himself. Not the usual job description for a slayer, I’m sure.”

  A slayer. A murdered slayer who tortured vampires. Which meant he could very well be looking for Jacek. My stomach tightened, and a cold sweat leaked down the back of my neck. But maybe not. I needed to chill.

  “He was also my brother, though. Family. Blood.” His eyes sparked red. “I didn’t take his murder lightly.”

  “I can see that,” I said. “I don’t typically interview the vamps before I stake them, so I’m afraid I can’t help you.” I made to skirt around him, but he blocked my path.

  “I guess you’ll start, though, won’t you?” His scruffy jaw tightened, and I suddenly wanted to grab a razor to scrape his whole face off. “Otherwise I won’t tell you shit.”

  I hated being backed into a corner. I hated being backed into a corner by a controlling, punchable, shavable vampire even worse. “How do I know you’ll deliver on your end of the bargain? How did you find this Senate place anyway? I doubt they invited you in, you being a vampire and all.”

  “No, they didn’t invite me.” He unsheathed his sword, and my muscles coiled, preparing to duke it out with my wooden stake against sharp metal. What could go wrong?

  “They didn’t invite Night’s Fall either.” He threw his sword up into the air where the black blade merged with the night and disappeared.

  But not to my slayer sense. Two black wings sprouted from the hilt of the sword where it stayed airborne, invisible except the slight luminescent outline of its bird-like body and eyes. It soared above us with just the slightest rustle of wings I knew I wouldn’t be able to hear without my slayer sense. With a flick of his wrist, he signaled it back. It hurtled from the sky and landed in his outstretched hand, hilt first, as a black sword once again.

  “Undetectable. Quiet as night,”
he said. “Night’s Fall got me inside the Senate.”

  Well, damn. That was cool. “You love your bird-sword, don’t you?”

  “For you, the slayer, I’m sure they would invite you in,” he said, simultaneously ignoring me and sheathing his sword once again. “But just in case they don’t, I will transfer the power inside Night’s Fall to you, temporarily, and it will lead the way to the Senate.”

  A wealth of knowledge at my fingertips was worth nothing if I betrayed Jacek, though, if that was, in fact, who we were talking about. A betrayer wasn’t who I was. I would find another way. But if I refused this vamp, it would raise all kinds of red flags like I was hiding something. Which I was. Shit shit shit.

  “What did you say your name was?” I asked.

  “Ronick.” He eyed me as if peering through to the back of my skull. “Brother to Roseff.”

  My body went rigid while my insides shivered away from him. Roseff had been Jacek’s captor. This was not good.

  I’d have to take his deal and then find some way to wriggle my way out of it and still get the sword, all while Paul was strolling about and plotting his next move to kill me.

  Not good times. These were dark days. These were the days of our lives carved from a giant, scary assclown unknown and vamps who named their bird-swords.

  “So?” Ronick rolled onto the balls of his feet, his leather ensemble protesting every centimeter of movement with loud creaks. “Are you going to ask anything about this vampire who killed my brother? Physical description? Name?”

  “I was getting to that,” I snapped. “I’m still deciding if I can trust you and your bird-sword.”

  He rolled his eyes to the moon above and crossed his arms over his chest. “I’ll spare you the time. Tall, short dark hair, muscular. Name’s Jacek Oliver Bonneville.”

  My stomach dropped to my knees even though I’d known what he was going to say. My mouth soured to the point it burned my eyes.

  I wasn’t built for betrayal. Even though I’d only known Jacek a short time, he meant a lot to me, had done so much for me with just his infectious smile alone. I’d seen his pain, what he’d endured at the hands of this so-called slayer, not just in his scars but in his eyes too. I would’ve done the same thing he had. No question.

  I didn’t have an ounce of betrayal in me, and yet I stuck my hand out for Ronick to shake, effectively starting the slow rot of my soul. “You have yourself a deal.” The words tasted like dead slugs, but somehow I kept from gagging on them.

  “If you see him or hear about him, anything at all, touch that cut on your hand and call out for Night’s Fall.” He shook my hand, and a silver luminescence zipped through my wound before it faded.

  “Uh, what was that?” I asked.

  He dropped my hand quickly and stepped away with a grimace as if I repulsed him. I could relate since I repulsed myself.

  “Remember that letter you got when you were chosen to be the slayer?” he asked. “Well, my brother got the very same letter, laced with a truth-binding spell that prevents slayers from telling humans what you are.”

  That explained why I hadn’t been able to tell Mom. These Senate people were sticklers for secrets.

  A smirk twisted his mouth. “I stole a little of that spell while I was there, heightened it, and doused Night’s Fall with it.”

  “What the hell?” The urge to throat punch him cracked my knuckles as I balled my hands into fists.

  “We made a deal,” he said, quirking an eyebrow. “I expect you to deliver without giving me away to anyone. Or without warning anyone who knows Jacek. I will get my revenge.”

  Fuck. I couldn’t even tell Jacek he was being hunted by his past. But I wouldn’t just sit back and watch this vamp murder him either. There had to be a way out of this that wouldn’t tip anyone off or alert him that I was playing for the other side.

  “Fine,” I said in bored tone. “Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have some vamps to interview so I can find a way to live another day.”

  But not the three vampires I wanted to talk to now. Not about this. I was so used to spilling my guts to them without even really thinking about it. Telling them everything seemed as natural as breathing. Not doing that dug my betrayal into my skin even farther.

  “Jacek’s name is the only thing you’ll be able to say about our little deal. Don’t forget to send for Night’s Fall if you find anything useful.” He brushed past me, then turned, his amber eyes gleaming. “Good luck.”

  Yeah. I was going to need it.

  Chapter Four

  I awoke to soft kisses trailing down my back and toward the rise of my ass. At first, I couldn’t tell if it was a continuation of the night after my patrol or my dreams, but either one worked for me. I desperately needed the distraction from reality.

  I moaned into the pillow and squirmed against the twist of sheet between my legs. It rubbed deliciously at my bare pussy, and between that, the kisses, and the cool fingers lifting my hips from the mattress, my body was soon pulsing and ready for Eddie.

  “Good morning, Sunshine,” he purred. “Did I wear you out last night?”

  Actually he had. Between the both of us poring over books in the library until early this morning, we’d found some creative uses for the rolling ladder that leaned against the bookshelves. And by creative, I meant sexual, in case that wasn’t obvious. It had been like a carnival ride, only with a lot more orgasms. But that had been hours ago, and now, as I knelt on all fours on the bed, I could barely stop myself from rubbing my ass all over Eddie’s hard cock. Positioned as I was, no silk scarves were needed to bind my arms and legs to keep me from touching him. It was a requirement of his, one I had no intention of ever making too much of a big deal about.

  He slipped in behind me, his knees between mine, and slowly drove into me. We both shuddered, his hands digging into my hips with bruising intensity. Then he pumped into me like a wild vampire, which happened to be my favorite kind at the moment. I let him set the rhythm, my ass slapping his thrusting hips, and I fisted the sheets to keep my head from crashing into the headboard.

  “Fuck, I could get used to being inside you,” he grinded out.

  I grinned over my shoulder, catching his hungry red eyes through his tumble of blond hair. “You better.”

  He growled and wrapped one arm around my front to stroke my clit. I came immediately in giant pulsing waves, my head thrown back in ecstasy. It was exactly what I needed to forget, to separate the four of us from everything outside this house’s doors, and I cherished every single second.

  He moved his grip back to my hips, rough and demanding as he plowed into me from behind, and then he followed me over the edge with a loud groan. With one hand wrapped around my chest, he folded himself over so his chest pressed to my back and then sank his fangs into my shoulder. I moaned at the sting, at the feel of his tongue and lips and their sensual kiss. Then, before I’d lost too much blood, he retracted his teeth but stayed in the same position, our bodies still joined. His skin was a cool balm to the heat that constantly revved inside me.

  “You’re exactly what I need, Eddie,” I breathed.

  He pressed kisses down my spine as he pulled out. “And you to me, Sunshine. I couldn’t resist you even if I tried. Your smell, your body, all of you.”

  My throat pulled tight. I didn’t think I could bear it if he ever changed his mind about me. If any of them did. But they might if I couldn’t find a way to back out of this deal I’d made with Ronick.

  The bed bounced as Eddie climbed off and started to dress. “Starting out New Book Delivery Day with having sex with you makes today better than Christmas.”

  I laughed at the smile in his voice as I collapsed onto the bed, my gaze stuck on the delicious curve of his naked ass while he bent to retrieve his pants from the floor. “New Book Delivery Day? Sounds like a holiday for book junkies.”

  His lips twitched when he glanced back and caught me staring. “You’re starting to catch on. I’m expecting some new�
�well, technically they’re old—books that have even the slightest mention of a dark unknown in them.”

  I nodded. “I hope they can help.”

  “Helping you has become like an obsession.” He sat down next to me, his pants thankfully a forgotten bundle in his hands, and gently brushed the hair from my face. “I’ll do anything I can to make sure you live for as long as you want.”

  Warmth surged through my heart. My body jerked as if to fling myself at him in thanks, but I controlled myself. He wouldn’t need to order books just to help me on his national holiday if I knew where the Senate was located. Having every slayers’ detailed histories would be so incredibly helpful. Still...

  “I appreciate that...so much.” My voice hitched, but I willed myself to keep it together.

  “Anytime.” A groove formed between his eyebrows, sliding his glasses down his nose slightly, and it wasn’t until I saw where his gaze pointed that I guessed why. He stared down at my arm stretched out toward him, my fingers curled naturally against my face-up palm.

  I hadn’t even realized I’d reached out to touch him. Maybe I hadn’t. Maybe my arm had been like that before he’d sat down. He’d fucked me so hard, I couldn’t even remember the state of my limbs afterward.

  “Eddie...”

  But he’d already turned away and stood, headed for the upstairs bathroom. “I’ll see you downstairs.”

  Minutes later while alone in the kitchen, I sat at the cracked table in front of a steaming bucket of coffee—just the size I needed—while locked in my thoughts. All 57,000 of them. It would explain my wandering limb toward Eddie, no question about that.

  And if there was a way to protect Jacek from Ronick, I would try to find it. If there wasn’t...then maybe I could find a way to stage their reunion so that I was in control of the situation. That way I could still get Night’s Fall and the location of the Senate while ensuring Jacek’s safety. The only way to do that would be to kill Ronick after he transferred the sword’s power but before he killed Jacek. But before I could get to any of that, I’d have to betray Jacek so the reunion could happen. He would forgive me, once I was able to explain the situation. Right? I’d have make sure the timing was right to make sure everything went according to plan, as flimsy a plan as this was. It was the best I could do, but if one thing went wrong, it was Jacek’s life on the line. Mine too.