She glared at Leke as she rubbed at the wrist he’d hit against the stone floor. Fuck, he was beautiful. Six feet tall, his body muscled and face cut in perfect angles. Those cold blue eyes seemed to stare straight into her soul. And that kiss…pulling away from him had taken some dedication. In fact, the feel of his arms around her, his mouth on hers and body between her legs had made her toy with the idea of fucking him before going for the sword. It was only because she loathed giving him any pleasure before he met his end that she’d grabbed the willpower to stop it going further.
She had been so close to finishing him—one swipe of the blade and she would have torn his neck apart…but she was accustomed to guns and daggers, not swords. When she swung the weapon, it was heavier than she’d anticipated, and its weight threw her. And the bloodsucker had gone from amorous lover to lethal enemy in an instant. His control was unnerving—even though she felt his arousal as he lay atop her, he’d kept his focus on unarming her. In that moment, she understood why he had the reputation he did. As practical as they came, this one. Not the kind to make up wild stories, either, yet she didn’t want to believe what he told her about him turning her to save her life. Because if that was true, it would make it harder to severe that beautiful face from his body…
“You must think I’m stupid, Leke. Yes, I’ve had issues with Rasmus, but you really thought you could shift the blame to him that easy? I mean, none of our issues were bad enough for him to try that kind of stunt.” And yet, an instinct kicked in, one that said he told the truth. Whatever this special sense was, it did not exist before, so she pushed it back. She did not want any bloodsucker abilities, no way. “This is something to do with James, isn’t it? After you attacked him, you thought I might come after you—”
“What the fuck?” His eyes widened, and red flashed through ice-blue. “You think I’d pull a cowardly stunt like that? That uncle of yours, he was a sadist…he had my friend’s girlfriend, and he was going to—”
“Yes. I heard about that, and he deserved what he got.” With the stuff James had pulled, something like this was bound to catch up to him sooner or later. “But it’s a bit of a coincidence that soon after supernaturals attack my distant uncle, you come after me?”
“Both the incidents have no connection.”
“Like I said, a bit of a coincidence.”
His jaw tightened, only drawing attention to how perfectly cut his face was, as if some talented artist had taken their time sculpting it. “It is the truth.”
She was so pissed that she considered plunging past him to grab a sword. What was the worst that could happen? He could kill her? But as she wondered how to best sidestep him and get to the weapon, she had another of those flashbacks. Rasmus with flashing yellow eyes, fur, bite after bite…and it happened before Leke got to her. Or was it as the wolf said, and she was imagining things? Because if the bastard had decided to turn her, then why? Why would he change his enemy into someone more dangerous than the human leader of a gang?
I’m unmated, and I’ve always thought of you as a fine female. To be honest, I’d hoped that now you’re one of our kind…and what did he say after that? If nothing else, how about joining my gang?
He didn’t, did he? He tried to turn her to his kind so he could shag her or get her to join his side? Or both?
“What is it, Veronica?” Leke’s eyes narrowed on her. “I took blood from you recently, which means that until the effect wears off, I am connected to you somewhat—”
“Fucking great.” What did that mean? He could read her mind?
“The connection is barely there now—in fact, I thought it had gone earlier. But it is faint…I can only sense when you’re upset, which seems to be all the goddamn time. So tell me, what’s going on in that head of yours right now?”
“I think Rasmus did bite me that night. And when I saw him earlier, he mentioned that”—why the hell was she finding it difficult to come out with what the werewolf said? There was nothing between her and the vampire that would warrant the hesitation. “He said he was unmated, and he’d always had an interest in me—” She broke off at Leke’s expression. His eyes glowed bright red and those fangs elongated until the tips were visible over his bottom lip. For some reason, she wondered how they’d feel inside her neck…dammit, how the hell could she even think of something so disgusting? She was in this whole situation because he’d bitten her. She pulled her focus back to his red gaze. “And he also asked me to join his gang…”
She didn’t need to look inside the horde leader’s head to know he was pissed. Because Rasmus also wanted her? She’d never been one to crave male attention, but his reaction to the possibility of the wolf desiring her caused a frisson of pleasure to ignite inside her chest.
“I’ll kill the bastard.” He pushed the words out through clenched teeth.
“No, you won’t.” For starters, she still did not remember much about that night, so this was all guesswork. But those visions…they felt too real to be part of her imagination. That werewolf had bitten her…but like an idiot she’d fallen for it when he said her memory of him was a confusion, a result of the transformation. “I’m going after him. Not you.”
That glow in his eyes subdued, and he leaned back against the table as if to get a better look at her. As his fangs retracted, his lips curled up. “I wouldn’t expect anything different from you. But Rasmus is strong, and the fact that he doesn’t abide by any regulations makes him one hell of a dangerous supernatural. If you go for him, you’ll need help—”
“Let me stop you right there, bloodsucker. If you’re about to offer your assistance, you can stuff it.” Everything was clear a few moments ago, but now her enemy had changed...or had she just picked up one more? “Even if Rasmus tried to turn me, it doesn’t make what you did all right. You still fucked me over by changing me.” She still had enough reason to hate his kind.
“I did it to save your life—”
“And what if I preferred to die?”
There went the red in his eyes again. “That would have been a terrible waste. You were strong as a human, but as a vampire, you’ll be lethal.” He picked up a small sword from the table and ran his fingers over its sharp blade. “Bloodsuckers don’t have a good reputation among humans, but believe me, it’s not a bad species to belong to. There is much you can do as a vampire. As your strength develops and powers manifest, you’ll see the benefits.” His eyes bored into hers again. “Tell me, how fulfilling was your life, really? Before becoming one of my kind?”
Not very…but at least she did not have this self-hatred. “I was happier than I am now.”
“You will get used to your new form, especially when you realize there is much good you can do as a vampire.” Good? As if that had ever been a deal-breaker. “There’s trouble stirring in Manhattan, and my horde will need strong allies. Join us…help us hunt down underground human cells that assassinate supernaturals. Together, we can also remove non-humans like Rasmus, who are out to cause trouble.”
So that was it, then? His reason for turning her? “You did this so I would join you, didn’t you? Because you didn’t want me to transform to a werewolf and go to Rasmus…so you got in there and turned me to a bloodsucker. You bastard—”
He grabbed her arm and pulled her toward him. This time, when his fangs elongated, they did not send anticipation through her. As that sculptured jaw tightened, something told her that now was a good time to shut up. “I am the leader of a goddamn horde. Even vampire elders treat me with respect but you, a newborn, have the gall to swear at me?” His fingers gripped her bicep tight, but she did not give him the satisfaction of trying to pull away. “I do not need to change humans. Experienced vampires from all over the goddamn globe—beings who could break you in two between their fingers—would give up their long lives for the chance to join me. And you accuse me of turning an upstart like you to add to my horde?” He inhaled deep, but his hold on her did not relax. “What happened cannot be changed. I am tryin
g to make the best of a shit situation. But you won’t get off your damn high horse for long enough to see that.”
She bit back the wisecracks. “Fine. You didn’t change me to get back at my uncle or to force me into joining your merry gang of bloodsuckers. So why did you do it?”
“I didn’t want you to fucking die.”
And with that admission, he let go of her. His words hung between them as silence descended…strange after all that had passed in the hall since she got here. She stepped back, saying the first she could think of to break the tension. “Still not interested in joining you. I’m better off alone.”
He sighed, running a hand through his thick hair, and making her wonder how it would feel to get her own fingers in there. “You’ve got no idea of the powers you will develop. Do you want to waste them, when they can be used to change things for the better?” He paused. “If you join my horde, the pay’s not bad, either.”
What the fuck was the point of money if she hated what she was? “I don’t care about anyone else. If what you say about Rasmus is true, I’m going after him.” That werewolf would pay big time for what he did to her.
“He is strong, with rogue wolves backing him. If you go after him on your own, he’ll take you out before you even scratch his skin.”
“So what do you suggest? That I stay away like a pussy?”
“Let my horde help you.”
He expected her to turn to a bunch of bloodsuckers for help? “No way I’d take help from your kind.”
“Rasmus covers his tracks well, but my vampires can help you take him and his pack down…my horde is trained in espionage skills and martial arts, whereas his wolves rely on crude combat, claws and teeth—”
“I’ve beaten enough of his wolves without fancy espionage and martial arts skills.”
“But did you ever get hold of him?” His mouth tightened. “If you go after him without backup, you’re on a suicide mission.”
Damn it; the fucker was right. The only wolves her gang had taken down were the lower level ones. They only time she’d come face to face with Rasmus was when he wanted to. Like outside Eclipse earlier. Leke was powerful; if he wanted, she would be beheaded by now. Damn, he could have had her done away with the first time she stepped into the Blood Zone.
But can I accept a favor from him?
Damn right, she could. This was the least he could do, after what he did to her. “All right, then. I accept your offer.” Before a smile could form on his face, “But any mission we carry out will be on my terms.”
“You don’t have the experience—”
“On my terms.”
“Fine. Now it’s confirmed that Rasmus bit you, we’ll look at tracking him down.” He glanced between her and the weapons behind him. “I have your word that you won’t attack me in the meantime?”
“I promise not to attack you. In the meantime.”
“Meaning at some point I’ll have to start watching my back?” When she didn’t say anything, he tilted his head. “One more thing.”
Something flashed through his eyes, and whatever it was, it told her she wouldn’t like this one more thing that was coming up. “What?”
“You should move in here.”
For a few moments, she was speechless. “You expect me to live under the same roof as you?”
“Believe me. The idea isn’t any more enticing for me, but news has spread that your gang has abandoned you. If Rasmus finds out where you live, he’ll descend on you with his wolves in no time. Here, you’ll be protected, as half the horde lives here, too.”
She thought of the heated exchange that passed between them before she attacked him with the sword. Was that the reason he wanted her here? Did he hope for more action? But no, there was nothing in his still expression that indicated anything other than a practical proposition. Damn, his control was so fucking frustrating. “Where would I stay?”
“There are plenty of rooms in this mansion.” She bet there were, considering its damn size. “I’ll arrange a suite for you. You’ll want for nothing while you are here.”
“Fine, then,” she spat.
It pissed her off that she had to accept the help of the vampire she had arrived here to kill, but she wasn’t in a position to say no, was she? Outside the Blood Zone earlier, Rasmus let her walk away because they were in public, but she had no doubt that he would come after her again. And when he did, she would be ready.
But that did not mean Leke was off the hook.
Veronica never forgot. And she definitely did not forgive.
CHAPTER SIX
* * *
VERONICA DROVE THROUGH THE SECURITY gates and up the path that led through the expansive gardens that flanked the vampire’s mansion. She stopped her bike before the building and then turned off its engine before standing and adjusting her backpack. A guy in a tailcoat suit emerged from a small door next to the main entrance, his pale eyes flitting between her and the vehicle. “With your permission, I will secure your bike in the underground car park.”
When he held his hand out, she placed her keys in it. “Once you’ve parked it, I want my keys back.”
“Of course, my lady—”
“Call me lady again, and I’ll bite your fucking tongue out.”
His expression did not alter, his smile polite. “As you wish.”
He made a ridiculous sight as he got on the Harley in that prissy suit and then drove to the side of the mansion. The first thing she’d do was find out where the car park was, in case she ever needed to make a quick getaway.
For now, she stood before the black wood arched doors, twice the size of normal ones. When Fry brought her here yesterday, she’d been intimated by the massive building that rose before her. It did not help that the place was in a forest in the middle of nowhere. The vampires could have torn her to pieces, and nobody else would know…not that anyone cared, because since Enzo and the guys washed their hands of her, she had nobody to watch her back.
Yesterday, she hid her fear and followed Fry into the underground hall for a face-off with Leke as if going after the leader of a vampire horde was an everyday occurrence. At least, that was the impression she tried to give. Today, it was a piece of cake facing up to the huge oak doors. There was a bell to the side of the entrance, but before she touched it, the doors opened. Nothing to be surprised about. The whole place was rigged with a high-level security system. As soon as the guard let her through the external security gates, Leke would have known she was here.
Fry was waiting inside the entrance hall, all marble flooring and huge chandeliers. The bloodsucker could get away with passing himself off as a cocky asshole, but he was more amiable than he let on, greeting her with a smile as if she was an old friend. “Come through. Leke is waiting for you in his office.” Still, she did not allow his demeanor to lower her guard. He was not as intimidating as his leader, but it did not take a genius to work out he’d pulled some serious shit in his time. He even had a scar across his right cheek to prove it.
They went in the opposite direction to where they had yesterday. The horde leader wasn’t kidding when he said his work paid well. His mansion was like a luxury hotel. The corridor they took to the hall yesterday was lined with small chandeliers, but this one was lit with designer LED lighting…no less expensive, she suspected. And if she’d been into useless activities such as being an art connoisseur, perhaps she’d give a damn about the works that lined the walls. Fry stopped outside a wood door engraved with symbols and held it open for her—a real gentleman—and then stood back to allow her through.
Something inside her stomach fluttered at the thought of seeing Leke again, but she subdued the inconvenient sensation. And then tension clenched her chest instead. She drew a deep breath and entered the office. It was a spacious room, but it didn’t take a genius to guess it would be, with wood flooring, thick curtains and armchairs covered in red velvet. Leke sat before a large oak desk, working on a laptop, the large window behind him providing
a stellar view of the garden. LED screens lined the walls, with footage from different parts of the mansion. Yes, he certainly knew as soon as she walked through those gates. He lifted his eyes, his expression blank but cold. No indication if he’d also anticipated seeing her again. “Take a seat, Veronica.”
She dropped her backpack to the floor and sat on the armchair on this side of the desk. Much more comfortable than it looked—customized, no doubt. Despite being in his own domain, the vampire was smartly dressed, in black trousers and a burgundy shirt. When their eyes met, there was an awkward pause as they stared at each other, the memory of yesterday’s kiss sizzling between them. He cleared his throat and moved his gaze to her backpack. “That’s all you brought with you?”
“It’s all I need.”
She didn’t fancy living in his place, but if it came to a choice between being surrounded by a bunch of bloodsuckers who would kill for her, and being on her own in her apartment when a group of sadistic wolves turned up, it was a no-brainer. “Before you settle in, a few house rules. There are other members of my horde living in this mansion. You won’t see much of them, but when you do, I expect you to be polite.”
“Anything else?”
He glanced at her face, considering his next words. “You are developing powers, such as teleportation…” She’d already experienced that phenomena. She had little control over it and could only manage short distances, but it appeared she needed to focus on her destination for it to take effect…not that she intended to work on it. “The mansion is enhanced with a barrier, which means only certain beings can use supernatural abilities inside it, and that does not include you. As for outside this place, all non-humans follow certain rules so that the government does not focus its attention on us. The most important one is that we do not use our supernatural abilities before humans. We keep them hidden.”
Then what was the point of the powers? “That’s fine. I have no desire for humans to view me as one of your kind.”
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