Bloodstorm (Heart of a Vampire) (2 page)

His heartbeat slowed, skipped a beat, sped up like a race horse barreling down the track.

The doorframe towered over her slight form. Yet her body was ripe, lush with curves. The tight blue jeans emphasized her hips, the narrowness of her waist. And the sleeveless white tank showed her breasts off to perfection.

He swallowed, though his mouth was dry.

Her eyes widened and even over the distance of the room, he heard her soft, feminine gasp. Palms slick, he shakily set the bottle back on the table.

His blood screamed primitive urges... demanding he drag her off to his cave.

It wasn’t like him.

Women, even the most beautiful, had never affected him this way. He’d met with the rich and beautiful, models and actresses galore during his time in the city. Gathering the remaining shreds of his willpower, he closed his eyes
calling on the magic of his ancestors. The spirits of the earth responded and power surged through him. Magic raised the hairs on his arms and the back of his neck as the whispers of the spirits of the nearby forest filled him. Ignoring it to concentrate on what was here and now, he reopened his eyes. C
olorful hues surrounded everyone in the bar.

Her aura struck him like a punch to the gut. A deep maroon, with flecks of black, revealed exactly what she was.

Vampire.

And not local.

He blinked again, letting the sight fade.

The woman finally looked away and took another step into the bar. As quickly as it had hit, the power surging through the room dissipated. People once more talked and laughed, raising their glasses in toasts.

What the hell kind of vampire was she, to cause such a raging lust?

The woman strode to the bar, her glare shouting ‘Don’t mess with me’. Though she didn’t look old enough to drink, let alone be in a bar in the first place, the bartender immediately poured her a shot of whiskey.

Shane would be talking to Henry about it later.

First, he needed to figure out what this vampire was doing in Moss Creek. Sure, the small mountain town was a hub of paranormal activity, with the local vampire clan and the shifter pack taking advantage of the surrounding nature. But rogues generally tended to stay out of places dominated by orderly clans, knowing the structure and politics were handed down by the Magic Council.

And the Council didn’t like Rogues.

Cupping the shot glass in her hands, the woman leaned towards Henry before the older man could move away.

Shane tensed in his seat. If she was looking for a meal...

Henry murmured something. The woman nodded, downed her shot and laid some money on the bar before turning and striding out.

Shane tried to relax, but he still yearned for the stranger, to touch her, smell her, nearly as badly as when she’d been staring at him, as if she could see down to his very soul.

***

Niki kept to the shadows of the forest as she skirted the parking lot. The only light came from a blue neon sign on the building’s roof, claiming someone called Henry owned the Spitfire bar.

She stopped near a clump of three trees opposite the bar. The center one was marked with a red X. How original. Yet this was where her contact wanted to meet, so who was she to complain?

It was nearly a half-hour later than their appointed time and she wasn’t quite sure why she was still here. Her stomach grumbled lightly. She needed to eat, the blood she’d consumed earlier hadn’t been enough. Without both food and blood her strength would wane. She couldn’t afford that, not now when she was so close to her prey.

She’d give this snitch five more minutes.

Only three passed before the air whispered through the forest at her back. Niki turned, knife in hand, holding it hidden down by her thigh.

“
Looking for me?” a husky whisper drifted out of the darkness.

“
You Baal?” She tried not to snort. Sometimes vampires tried on grandioseness, as if eternal life made them superman. Which, she guessed, in some ways it did.

“
Maybe. Depends. You got the money?”

“
Sure. If you have the information you promised.”

“
Lemme see the cash first, lady.”

Niki reached slowly into her front pocket and pulled out two one-hundred dollar bills. The snitch tried to grab it, but she held tight. “Information first.”

He stepped into a bit of moonlight and grinned, eyes flushed with red. His thin lips drew back, revealing long fangs as he chuckled. “I got something else for you.”

She sighed. “Let me guess. You’re not going to give me the information, assuming a creep like you even knows anything.”

“
Got that right.” Confusion twisted his pale features, as if he didn’t quite follow. Then he grinned again. “But you sure gonna give me something. Ain’t just money.”

Never trust a snitch. “Let’s get on with it then.” She tucked the bills back in her pocket.

His grin twitched, eyes flickered, following the money. He shook himself, confidence coming back.

She tightened her grip on the dagger. He lunged.

Niki used his momentum to fling him against the trunk of the tree. His head slammed in to the painted red X.

“
Damn it,” he yelled, quickly recovering and charging her again.

She waited until he was close, then rammed her knee into his groin. Not even vampires were immune to that pain.

The snitch dropped, screaming obscenities on the way down.

Slamming her boot onto his shoulder, she pushed him onto the leaf-strewn ground only a bit harder than necessary. Bending over, she let the dagger wink in the moonlight.

“
You know, it puts me in a bad mood when someone tries to screw with me. Now, here are your choices. You want to live, or die?” She smiled. “Permanently.”

He shuddered and his words came out choked. “I-I got information.”

“
Good boy. Just go ahead and tell me. Maybe I’ll give you the money and let you crawl away.”

“
H-he’s here. In town. But sometimes he goes into the city. But he always comes back.”

“
Where in town?”

The snitch shook his head. “Dunno.”

She waved the knife. “Where?”

“
Dunno. Swear. I don’t.”

She pressed her boot harder and he screeched. Behind them, the bar door slammed open. Voices carried on the wind. A police radio crackled as a man demanded backup.

Someone flew from the trees and smacked into Niki.

She hit the ground, rolling further into the forest. Jumping back up to her feet, she held her knife front and ready.

Baal stood, wavering a bit and gently cupping his groin. “’Bout time. You’re late.”

The new guy grunted and bared his fangs.

“
Aw. How sweet. Takes two of you, huh? Guess you’re each just half a man by yourselves.”

In the parking lot, voices rose in argument. Cops, one wanting to follow the sounds of the fight, the other arguing they should wait for backup before going into the forest.

The vampires rushed her. She ducked their reaching hands. Nails sliced her cheek and the scent of blood welled into the air. They fought, moving deeper into the trees, away from the bar and the humans who would soon interfere.

She slashed with her dagger and the new guy screamed to her satisfaction.

In the parking lot, the cops ran towards them. Their steps were slow compared to the speed of the fight, but they’d be there soon enough. This had to end. She didn’t need the deaths of some small town cops on her conscience.

Power and the thrill of the fight fired her blood. Her vision grew sharp and her canines extended.

Grinning at the men, she allowed her fangs to show.

Niki sliced her knife along his throat, hard enough to cut, but not kill. He tried to claw for her arm, but she didn’t miss.

The other guy jumped into the party, slapping her hard enough to make her stumble. Her ears rang.

“
Bastard.” She punched him in the face.

The cops crashed through the forest, getting closer. Niki reached down and drew a second, longer blade from her boot.

She sneered. “Run. Or die.”

They laughed.

Fine. She’d do it the hard way. Bracing herself, she spun, kicking high. Her boot slammed into the snitch’s head. He sprawled backwards and crashed into another tree. Something cracked, him or the wood she didn’t know.

Blades flashing, she sliced at the other guy’s chest.

The scent of blood soaked the air.

Someone shouted and air rushed through the trees, knocking her backwards. A snaking vine tangled her feet. It crept up her legs and yanked them together.

Niki hacked at it with her daggers and it disintegrated. The man from the bar stood between her and the other two vampires. She met his gaze, and once more nearly stumbled as the intensity of sensations weakened her knees. He waved his hands in weird, symbol-like gestures. Must be a mage.

On the other side of him, the vamps were clawing at their own vines. They managed to get free, only to send her heated glares which promised retribution before they melded into the shadows.

Niki turned to leave, but low hanging branches swung together, blocking the way. Casually, she turned to the man. “That won’t stop me.”

His brows drew together above narrowed eyes. “No?”

The leaves rustled and Niki found herself in the center of a leafy cocoon, branches and vines holding her in.

“
Too bad your kind can’t shift like in the myths. I bet a bat could get out of there, but not much else. Certainly not you.” Anger tinged his voice, harsh and unbending.

She inched her long dagger up, slicing through the cage. The branches fell open and she stepped out.

His eyes glowed golden. As she stared at him, time seemed to slow, just as it had in the bar.

Chocolate colored hair flowed down his back. It was loose, but for a small braid at his left temple. It framed a face carved from granite--high, prominent cheekbones, straight, almost hawkish nose, square chin. The only softness in his face came from the gold eyes and wide lips.

Something inside her warmed. Blinking, she tried to ignore these strange sensations. She hadn’t felt like this in centuries. This man shouldn’t be able to affect her, not like this.

Mage. Yes. But that didn’t explain it.

She didn’t understand what was going on, but she couldn’t--wouldn’t--let such a feminine response to this guy get in her way.

Leaves crunched and a twig snapped, the crack echoing in the silence. A uniformed cop stumbled from the trees,
tripping over an exposed root. “Sheriff?” he called to the man staring at her.

The sheriff turned. As their eye-contact broke, energy moved through her once more.

She didn’t look back as she raced into the forest, hidden by shadows. Behind her, the man cursed.

Niki soon left them far behind. She relished the freedom of running through the trees at night, but there were more important things to focus on.

Like catching up with the snitch and his partner, and finding out where Thomas was hiding. Then, she could kill the man who’d destroyed every ounce of peace and happiness she’d ever known. The man who had made her into the monster she was now.

Chapter Two

S
hane led his deputy back to the parking lot. The entire walk, Chase went on and on about the woman in the forest.

“
How could someone so pretty be such trouble?” the man lamented.

“
Because she’s a vampire, that’s why.”

“
One of MacDougal’s?”

“
No. A rogue.”

Chase whistled. “Well that ain’t good. Those kind get up to all sorts of mischief.”

He didn’t have to worry about vampires belonging to the local clan. Their Master made sure they ate plenty, since lack of real food could make them as crazed with hunger as the lack of blood. MacDougal also kept them supplied with blood from the local hospital’s blood bank.

But rogues didn’t have anyone to provide, or keep them from deciding to snack on humans. And there were plenty of rogues who kept to historical views that humanity was nothing more than cattle for the taking.

Hell, Shane had heard recently of a vampire who’d forsaken food to drink only blood. He’d lost the last remnants of his humanity, becoming a true monster of the dark before he’d been put down by the Magic Council.

He replied, “Mischief isn’t the word I would use.”

They crossed the lot, heading for their cars. The radio at Shane’s belt crackled and their dispatcher came on.

“
Sheriff? You there?”

He unclipped it and hit the button. “What do you need, Becky?”

“
There’s been a call from Drayton’s Pharmacy. He’s got trouble.”

“
Of course he does. What’s the problem this time?”