Honoria Ravena Page 7

  “Bullshit. Which of your jobs went bad, Regan?”

  I glared back at him. “None of my jobs have gone bad. Once I learned to fight, I never had a problem.”

  “Hmm…I seem to remember Alaric saving some children from vampires a few years back. Were you one of those children?”

  “It’s really none of your damned business.”

  His eyes turned calculating. “So that’s a yes. What did that vampire do to the two of you?”

  I looked away from him again. I wasn’t explaining jack shit to him. I blinked hard. My God, I’d just had sex with a vampire. An enemy my body still yearned to have contact with.

  “I can’t believe I just slept with you.” Even I could hear the shock in my voice.

  He scrubbed his face with his palms. “Man, I knew this was going to come up. What did I tell you? I told you that you weren’t completely in control of yourself. Blood-bonding causes attraction and physical affection. But no, you said you didn’t care.”

  “You had your fingers in pleasurable places. It’s a little hard to say no when you have me on the verge of a screaming orgasm.” The blood drained out of my head, leaving me dizzy. “You also said it would bond us closer together. How?”

  He sighed and rolled his eyes. “You’ll have more of a compulsion to touch me. Maybe you’ll even be easier to control, which I kind of like the thought of, actually.”

  I glowered at him and tried to get off the bed. He grabbed my upper arm and pulled me back, taking hold of my wrists and lifting them to the headboard. I fought him, but it just made me dizzy and didn’t do any good.

  When he’d tethered me to the bed, he stood and walked to the chair at his desk. He had clothes folded in it, and he drew on his pants.

  “Now, we’ve got some things to discuss, Regan. How much did your brother get to tell you before Laedan whacked you on the head?”

  “Some bullshit about how you found him near death in my house because someone is trying to kill us.”

  “It’s not bullshit, Regan. Your brother would have died if I hadn’t turned him. Do you think I would have wanted him to rest yesterday if I didn’t care what happened to him? He’s my fledgling. He has my loyalty now. Yes, I was going to kidnap him to get to you, but I wouldn’t have hurt him.”

  I nibbled my bottom lip and stared at him as I pondered that. It seemed to be completely sincere. Vampires are liars. Part of me believed him already. He had seemed genuinely concerned about Jason. More than that, he’d shown compassion. What kind of vampire delayed feeding because his victim had a panic attack?

  The sane part of me said it was bullshit. He’d hurt me before. He would hurt me again. Hell, he wanted to keep me as his little personal slave for the rest of eternity!

  I shook my head and snorted. “If you had to turn him, then why didn’t you explain that before our fight?”

  He shrugged. “Would you have believed me if I’d told the truth?”

  I smirked. “I don’t believe you now.”

  He rolled his eyes again. “I rest my case. It’s the truth. Everything’s changed now. I won’t harm you. I never really planned to. Navarro is an old enemy of mine, and he’s got some very elite assassins after you. I’ll take care of it, but you’re going to have to be someplace where I can watch you.”

  “Even if it is true, I don’t want or need your help. I’ve dealt with assassins before.” And it wasn’t true. The bastard was lying. What better way to keep me with him than to convince me that he could solve all my problems?

  “Not like this, you haven’t. These are warriors near my skill level.”

  “Look, in my world the man doesn’t save the day, especially if he’s the enemy. I don’t need a hero. Just ask the ex-husband. Let us go, my brother and I can take care of ourselves.”

  He braced his hands on the footboard and narrowed his eyes at me. “Even if killers weren’t after you, I’d never planned on letting you go. Your brother needs guidance. Now what was that about an ex-husband?”

  His eyes darkened. Was that jealousy? Surely he’d realized he wasn’t my first. “He introduced my brother and me to hunting. I married him as soon as I turned eighteen. After a while, he didn’t like me hunting. Jason said it was because I was better and more ruthless than him. That, because he didn’t get to be my hero, it made him feel less like a man.”

  “Well, I appreciate a woman who can fight. You’re one of the best vampire hunters there is, but these boys and girls are out of your league.” He straightened and walked around the bed. “Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have to go talk to your brother.”

  “We’re not done talking about this, Zarek.”

  He grasped the doorknob to the door next to the bed. “Sure we are. I’m your master, Regan. Keep that in mind.”

  I kicked at him, but couldn’t quite reach with my hands tied to the headboard.

  He laughed as he pulled the door open. “That was cute. Keep trying.”

  “Yeah, well…you’re a bastard!”

  He laughed harder. “Damn, Regan, you’re going to kill me.” He shut the door on my scream of rage.

  “Yeah, stay amused, asshole. I’ll show you,” I muttered.

  I started working on untying my hands. I was lucky he had released my feet and neglected to tie them back up. Now I could huddle against the headboard and use my teeth to work out the knots. As I pulled on the loop with my teeth, my wrists came loose. “Yes!”

  I shook the ropes off when the knot finally came free. Crawling off the bed, I snagged my underwear off the floor and wiggled them on, then tugged at the little silk nightie.

  It didn’t even cover my ass. I groaned. There was no way I could walk down the street like this and not draw attention. I’d get arrested for soliciting before I made it a block. It occurred to me that I didn’t have to leave. If Zarek was telling the truth, then I was in big trouble. And he was starting to seem like a decent man. Not to mention the incredible sex.

  “No, no, no. He’s influencing you. He said the sex would bond you closer. You wouldn’t be thinking like this if you hadn’t slept with him. He’s lying to you.”

  I had to get out of here before I gave in to him again. And again and again and again. I didn’t want to leave my brother here, but I was quickly finding out I didn’t have a choice. I’d never make it out with him. Hell, probably wouldn’t make it to his cell before I ran into Zarek or Laedan. I would have to trust that Zarek was telling the truth and wouldn’t hurt one of his own fledglings. I felt pretty secure about it. Alaric had said Zarek was loyal to them. Even if I couldn’t trust Zarek, I could trust Alaric.

  Jason might not even want to come with me and could even force me to stay. He wasn’t averse to knocking me unconscious and keeping me with Zarek if he thought he was doing what was best for me. I would beg Alaric and his brothers to negotiate for Jason’s release later.

  I opened one of the doors to the right of the bed and found the bathroom. Walking toward the other, I murmured, “Please be a closet.”

  Pulling open the door, I sighed happily at the clothes and then cursed as a giant boot fell on my foot. His closet was a mess. Picking through the mess, I drew on a jacket and then tried on pants. They slid right off. I sighed and started digging for a belt. I found one and slipped it on and had to punch a new hole through the leather so it would tighten enough. What I had on would be perfect for falling most of the way out of one of these windows. That was assuming I wasn’t high enough to break some bones. Walking out of the closet, I eyed the bed.

  It was time to try the classic tying-sheets-together thing so I could climb out the window. They were king-size sheets, so at least they would be long. I made sure the knot was secure as I moved to the windows. Jerking the curtains open, then raising the blinds, I looked out. I was at least three stories up, maybe more. Luckily, the windows faced the alley so I wouldn’t make a big scene lowering myself onto the street.

  I tied one end of the sheets to the stand that the mini-fridge sat on. I pr
ayed the fridge, the stuff inside it, and the table outweighed me.

  Flinging the other end of the sheets out the window, I looked around the room. I thought about staying. I really did. If I was in as much trouble as Zarek claimed, then I should stay with him. I didn’t believe him though. That stubborn part of me refused to listen to him because of what he was. Vampires lied so easily. At times it wasn’t even a good idea to trust Alaric, and he’d raised me. Zarek was a stranger. Even if I did believe him, I couldn’t just let him solve all my problems. My ex-husband had tried and ended up getting in my way.

  He also never planned to let me go. If there was one thing I valued more than anything else, it was my ability to do whatever I wanted. To come and go as I pleased. Zarek would never let me because he would always fear I would run from him. Or find a way to kill him.

  “Bye-bye, Prince Charming.” My chest ached, and I tried to convince myself it was because I was leaving behind my brother. Yep, that was why I felt terrible.

  I turned and started to climb. I was a third of the way down when the “rope” jolted, and I almost fell. I squeaked, quickly swallowing the noise from becoming a full-blown scream. Glancing up, I moved faster, hoping it wasn’t Zarek trying to pull me up.

  The makeshift rope jolted again, and this time I heard the scraping of wood against wood. The table was sliding over Zarek’s pretty hardwood floors. I heard a crash, and suddenly, I was falling. I landed on my back on the concrete. All the air rushed out of me. I rolled to the left, threw my hands over my head, and prayed.

  The little stand slammed into the ground and wood chips rained over me. The crack was deafening.

  I turned over and stumbled to my feet. My bruised body protested, and I staggered against the wall. My stomach roiled, reminding me that a person shouldn’t be active after losing blood. Especially since he’d probably taken more than the Red Cross would have.

  I took a deep breath and hobbled to the mouth of the alley. I looked around, but no one came running out of the club to find me. I knew that would change soon. Someone must have heard the fridge falling off the table. Zarek would find me gone. He wouldn’t give up until he had me forever.

  But for now, I was going home. Things were looking up. I would go to my car, find my hide-a-key, and drive home. I was going to take a shower because I smelled like sex, and then I was going to pack and flee. One of my contacts was bound to have information on the assassins who were after me. And I needed revenge for what they’d done to Jason. If they hadn’t gone after me and my brother, then Zarek wouldn’t have had to turn him. Determined to be prepared, I wasn’t going to let any man fight my battles for me.

  Chapter Eight

  I stopped at a dirty Chevron to get gas and a Subway sandwich. Usually I wouldn’t stop at a hole in the wall like this, but there had been no place to fuel up for miles, and I was famished.

  I was polishing off my chips when three vampires walked in. The two women hung on the male, giggling at whatever he’d said. I almost gagged.

  “Planet is fucking crawling with them,” I muttered under my breath, brushing my hands off on my jeans.

  I observed the male of the group as closely as I could without being obvious. Power rolled off him in waves. It made the hairs on my body stand at attention. He had almost as much power as Zarek. But there was something different about his magic. About him. I’d thought Zarek was evil but this man bled wicked intent.

  The cashier’s hand shook as he handed the vampire a pack of cigarettes. The vamp glanced at me. His nostrils flared like he was sniffing the air, then his mouth quirked up on one side, revealing a threatening fang.

  Shit. He could smell my bond with Zarek. I would have left then, but they would kill the pimply teenager behind the counter if I did. Well, there was really no guarantee they wouldn’t kill him even if I sat here… They would just kill me afterward. We were so far out in the boonies that no one would hear us scream.

  I glanced around and found the security camera mounted on the wall. Some of the tension in my shoulders eased. We might survive this. Vampires didn’t like to reveal themselves. It led to big hunts for them. No vampire liked to be chased by farm folk with pitchforks.

  The vampire studied me from over the top of his Dior sunglasses. His eyes flashed red, and I stopped breathing. Vampire eyes didn’t do that.

  “Dorian,” Zarek’s voice whispered through my mind. I jumped. I didn’t know he could do that from this far away.

  It’s because I sensed you were in danger. True bad shit that you can’t handle. You need to get out of there, now. This isn’t a guy you can beat, and he’s an enemy of the kingdom.

  “What’s up with his eyes? And what do you mean ‘the kingdom?’”

  Don’t speak out loud. You’re perfectly capable of communicating in silence. And he must have the Scourge. It’s the only thing that would make his eyes red. Leave now.

  Why? There are security cameras. He wouldn’t dare kill me in here, would he?

  The vampires have a king. He makes our laws. Mainly we aren’t supposed to reveal ourselves. This vampire and his faction won’t follow them. He doesn’t give a fuck about the security cameras. Leave now! We thought he was dead…

  What is the Scourge?

  Goddamn it! Will you stop asking questions! It’s a disease. It affects a vampire’s mental state. I’ll tell you more later. Just get out of there. Leave the boy to his fate.

  Zarek, I can’t do that! It’s my job to save lives. I looked around, noting the exits and the windows.

  Damn it, Regan, please listen to me. There was a hint of desperation in the emotion surrounding the thought. I almost obeyed.

  Dorian’s women rounded the counter to hang on the boy. One whispered something in his ear and licked his neck. He jerked back, eyes wide with terror.

  I jumped up. “Hey, bitches, leave him alone.”

  Dorian appeared in front of me. I hadn’t been able to track his movements. I leaped back and drew my knife.

  He laughed. “You’re no match for me, little huntress. Leave now and maybe I’ll let you go.” He ran his tongue over his fangs. “Though probably not.”

  He eyed me from my feet upward, his gaze lingering on my breasts. “You’re a sexy piece of ass, to be sure. And you’re bound to Zarek.” He frowned. “It’s very odd that he didn’t kill you. I’m actually pretty pissed that one of you didn’t end up dead. I should have known better than to hire a human hunter to go after Zarek. No mere woman is a match for him. At the very least I was hoping Zarek would take you out of the picture. Do you know how many of the Scourge you’ve taken down? I sent Navarro to kill you and correct this error. He must have done a shitty job, but I get to correct that.” He smirked. “Eventually, which gives me that fuzzy warm feeling.”

  I froze. “You hired me to kill Zarek?” And I’d fallen for it without thinking twice. I’d just thought about the money and the vampire I was going to kill, when there was worse out there.

  He smirked. “Yes, child. If I killed him, I would reveal myself. I couldn’t possibly have taken care of all the witnesses.”

  I was a little glad I pissed him off. Thrilled that I’d killed some of his progeny. A creature like that definitely shouldn’t be making more. I nibbled my bottom lip and considered a way out of this. A partial lie might do nicely. “Look, I don’t have a problem with you. I don’t like Zarek myself, and if you’ve got any tips on killing the bastard, I’d like them. Can’t we just part ways?”

  A laugh ripped past his lips. “Oh, I don’t think so. There must be a reason Zarek chose to blood-bond you to himself. I’m betting you’re powerful.”

  His hand flashed out and tangled in my hair. He yanked me toward him. Without thought, I shoved my knife into his heart. He grimaced and yanked it out, backhanding me. I would have fallen if his grip had loosened. “Oh, honey, that was just a waste of energy.”

  My ears were ringing from the slap, and my jaw ached. I brushed the blood from my mouth with the back of my
hand.

  Shit. Zarek, if you’ve got a freaky vampire way to help me out of this, I’m all ears.

  Working on it. Next time, listen to me when I tell you to do something.

  My anger rose. Can we have this fight later? Help now, please.

  Dorian pulled me around. “Kill the boy, ladies.” He nodded down at me. “We’ve got what we came for.”

  My jaw dropped.

  “Oh, I didn’t mention that part? Imagine my surprise when I drove by and felt the air quiver with your magic. You’re not only an infamous vampire hunter, but you’re bound to a mortal enemy of mine. Luck is on my side.”

  “You don’t have to kill him. He has nothing to do with this.”

  Dorian dragged me through the door. “But my girls are hungry.”

  I had one final view of the clerk as the women sank their fangs into his throat. I heard an agonized scream and then nothing. Rage struck me, and I slammed my elbow into Dorian’s stomach. He cursed and stepped away, purposefully yanking me off my feet. I stumbled to the concrete, skinning my knees.

  Zarek!

  A dark wave of energy washed through me, leaving me gasping on the ground as Dorian rode the wave of Zarek’s spell, sliding on his ass across the parking lot. Raw power flooded my veins. I’d never experienced anything like it. His energy hummed in my body like a tangible thing. I’d never experienced such a rush. I felt invincible. I flipped to my feet and stalked toward Dorian.

  Don’t do anything stupid. You’re still human. He can still kill you, and I didn’t loan you all my magic, Zarek’s voice whispered through my mind.

  Okay. I changed direction and ran for my car. I patted my pockets, searching for my keys.

  “Shit.” I glanced back at where Dorian had pulled me to the ground. My keys were there. Between them and me was Dorian. He stalked toward me, a sneer on his face, his eyes filled with hatred. His women were tugging the unconscious cashier from the store.