B008DSVE7O EBOK Read online

  Laura did most of the talking, which was okay with me. She babbled on and on about her job at the museum and how her co-worker was conspiring against her. I welcomed anything that kept my mind off the events of the previous forty-eight hours. Although I tried my best to pay attention to her, I mostly watched the other people in the bar.

  “What are you going to do about your job?” Laura asked, returning me to reality.

  “I have no idea,” I said, honestly.

  “Wasn’t very smart of you to lose your job,” she said.

  “Couldn’t be helped,” I replied, stifling a sob. “You should go, Laura,” I said, all at once unable to make conversation with her anymore.

  Her arm felt warm under my fingers as I reached across the table. “I’m sorry that I gave you such a scare. It won’t happen again. Although, I’ll be busy trying to find a new job during the daytime. I’ll call you tomorrow night and let you know how it’s going.”

  Eventually, I would have to tell her. I just didn’t know when. How exactly do you tell your best friend that you’ve joined the undead?

  She glanced at her watch and her eyebrows shot up, seeing that it was already into the wee hours of the morning. “I’ll walk you home,” she said. “It’s too late for you to walk by yourself.”

  “I’ll be fine, really. Go, grab a cab. I’m just going to use the ladies’ room and then I’ll be on my way.”

  I didn’t know how to tell her that I could probably snap anyone’s neck that dared attack me. After punching Benjamin in the face and sending him across the room earlier this evening, I realized I no longer needed to worry about anyone sneaking up on me in the street anymore.

  Reluctantly, Laura nodded and left the bar. I paid the tab and located the restroom at the back of the bar. The door was stuck, so I put a little weight into it and broke the lock off. What I thought was a jammed door was really a locked door. I was so strong now that I splintered the door open without meaning to.

  A woman... or at least, she looked like a woman, was attacking another woman in the middle of the surprisingly nice bathroom. The attacker’s eyes were flat black and inhumanly devoid of any reflection. She held the other woman up, a foot off the floor with only one hand grasping the victim’s throat.

  The crazy-eyed woman was literally sucking the life out of the other woman’s body. In stunned silence, I watched a smoky stream pass from one woman into the mouth of the other woman.

  Oh shit!

  New instincts clicked into place. I launched myself into the air, delivering a hard kick into the attacker’s side. She let out a high-pitched squeal and crashed into the tiled restroom wall. I fell as well, having executed my kick improperly. The former victim dropped to the floor in a heap. Instinctively, I knew she was already dead.

  Luckily, I caught the attacker by surprise, who was now struggling to get up from the floor. Before she could fully stand, I slammed into her again. This time, the porcelain tile exploded into hundreds of pieces. Moving faster than I ever thought I could, I ran back into the main part of the bar.

  “Run!” I screamed. I pulled the people who were sitting at the first table I saw to their feet. “Fire! Fire!” I shouted. “Get out! Now!” I figured people would react to the threat of fire faster than that of a monster.

  A good fifteen patrons fled the bar. I stopped the bartender from calling the police and hurried to get her out of there with the others. I felt something slam into me like being hit by a car, though I didn’t feel that much pain. It drove me into the bar with such force, I almost split the large wooden base in two. The crazy-eyed woman emerged from the restroom. I scrambled to my feet just as she lunged for me again. This time, I hit her with my forearm, right across the chest. She dropped, but I wasn’t going to fall for that again. I ran toward the rear of the bar, looking for another exit.

  When I turned back, I saw the crazy woman rising from the rubble. She started down the hallway, and another man, with the same flat, black eyes, was hot on her heels. I braced myself just as the woman slapped me hard across the face and lunged for my throat. I managed to push her off. The man, however, who had a large scar running down the whole left side of his face, sent me through a plate glass window. I was bleeding from the glass cutting me, but at least, I was outside the bar now.

  Running down the back alley, I didn’t know which way to go. I just kept sprinting for the main street, not daring to look behind me. I left my purse; but luckily, I felt my phone vibrating in my back pocket.

  I made it to the main street, hoping the people in passing cars wouldn’t notice my bleeding. I answered the phone after reading thankfully, Benjamin Ward (Vampire) was the caller.

  “Benjamin?”

  “I’m outside of The Pub. Where are you?”

  Oh thank goodness, he was here! “I ran out the back, down the alley. I’m on—” I said, frantically looking for the street sign. “Tenth! Go two blocks up,” I answered in a hurried voice.

  Benjamin picked me up and sped us out of downtown. I watched as the feathered cuts on my arms closed up and sealed on their own. It wasn’t until we were close to his house that I realized we were in the nicest car I’d ever ridden in. It was a sporty Jaguar and I was bleeding all over the leather seats.

  “Oh, geez,” I said, mortified with myself. “Your car!”

  “I ran into some friends as well,” he said, pointing at the bloodstains on his own jacket. “I’ll have it cleaned tomorrow.”

  “What the hell just happened?”

  “Exactly,” he said. “Hell just happened.”

  “Don’t get all cryptic on me, Benjamin.”

  “Demons, Olivia. You narrowly escaped a demon attack.”

  “Oh,” I said, going into a little bit of shock. I went through the usual motions when we arrived. I got out of the car and walked into the house. I let Benjamin lead me to the guest room where I’d woken up earlier.

  Standing in the middle of the room with one broken high heel, I kept shaking a little and Benjamin must have noticed.

  “I lost my purse,” I said. “I guess everything is replaceable. But I had a lot of contacts in my agenda that I won’t be able to get back. Can you believe I still use a paper agenda? I regret it now. A little, anyway. I’m sorry, I ramble sometimes.”

  “I’ll sit with you awhile.”

  I nodded, not wanting him to leave. I never enjoyed watching horror movies. I would never admit to him that the movie “Dracula” gave me nightmares... even as an adult. What I witnessed at the bar was almost beyond my brain’s comprehension. So much blood and gore. I saw brain matter splattered across the restroom floor!

  “Pajamas?” I asked, kicking my sandals off into the corner of the room.

  “Bottom drawer,” he replied, hesitating. He looked at the chair in the corner of the room and then down at his own bloody clothes.

  “I think we both need a shower,” I said, stating the obvious.

  “I’ll shower in the other room and meet you back here.”

  “I have a lot of questions,” I said.

  “Now, she has questions,” he smiled, mocking me.

  “Yeah, yeah, I know. I learned my lesson.”

  In the shower, as I washed the remains of the day from my body, I couldn’t help but replay the scene from the bar in my head.

  Demons existed.

  Vampires existed.

  What else was lurking in the world? Part of me didn’t want to know, while the other part of me didn’t want to get blindsided again.

  Still in the bathroom, I dressed in the pajamas I found in the drawer. They were just my size and surprisingly conservative. The white, silky, long-sleeved shirt was something I’d actually purchase.

  When I stepped into the bedroom, Benjamin was already sitting on the chair to the left of the expansive bed. He wore black sweat pants and a tight-fitting, gray t-shirt. Something about a man in pajamas was just so sexy. His hair was visibly damp and combed back as usual. The scent coming off his body was decide
dly manly, like spiced oranges.

  “Benjamin,” I started.

  “Yes, Olivia?”

  “If the offer still stands, I’d like to move in. Here. With you.”

  “Of course, we’ll collect all your things tomorrow. It’s for the best. You have a lot to learn and it will be easier for me to keep you out of trouble.”

  “I’m not in trouble.”

  “No? Did I not just find you in the throes of a demon shit storm?”

  I rolled my eyes even though I hated it when people rolled their eyes. That’s how much he pissed me off. “So how does this work?” I asked, climbing onto the massive bed and sliding under the covers. “Will I pass out when dawn comes? Will I actually fall asleep?”

  “Yes, you will sleep,” he said, folding his hands in his lap. “Right as dawn breaks, you will involuntarily slip into unconsciousness; only to awaken once the sun sets, feeling refreshed.”

  “Slipping into unconsciousness, as you call it, is not the same as sleeping,” I pointed out.

  “If you want to get technical,” he said, “you will be dead during the day.”

  “Awesome.”

  “That is why it’s important for you to be in a safe place before dawn approaches.”

  “Got it,” I said, nodding my head. “I definitely don’t want to burst into flames.”

  “Or be rendered vulnerable to a demon attack, or even rarer, a human attack.”

  I sighed, out of habit. “Please, fill me in on the demons.”

  I turned over to face Benjamin, with my head resting comfortably on a plump, down pillow. Benjamin stretched his long legs out and propped his feet up on the bed.

  “Do you mind?” he asked.

  “Of course not. Go ahead,” I said, urgently wanting him to start the lesson.

  “There is an underworld. Vampires are not from the underworld. In fact, we do not know exactly where vampires came from, but there are rumors… Legends.”

  “An underworld,” I repeated, trying to wrap my mind around the concept.

  “Yes. I know this is hard to understand, but the underworld is another dimension, something like a parallel universe,” he said, pausing. “Are you still with me?”

  “Yes, continue.”

  “Now, the demons, you see, are capable of crossing over into our realm.”

  “What do they have here that they don’t have in the underworld?”

  Benjamin smiled. “Good question. They have humans and they have vampires.” He shifted in the chair, obviously ill-at-ease.

  “You can lie on the bed if you like. I’m sure you’ll be more comfortable and I want to hear as much as possible before I succumb.”

  Benjamin nodded and stretched across the bed, politely remaining above the covers. Lying on his back, he folded his hands across his abdomen and periodically turned his head to look at me as he spoke.

  “Demons drink vampire blood because it allows them to exist in this realm longer. The demons consume human souls like drugs. It gives them a high that they get instantly addicted to.”

  “And in order to keep stealing the human souls, they have to keep drinking vampire blood.”

  “Correct.”

  “So, is there any way to stop them?” I asked, feeling suddenly horrified. I thought about Laura, and of her being attacked in a scene like what I walked in on at the bar. It made me feel sick.

  Overcome with dread and anxiety, my chest aching, I scooted my way across the expansive bed until I was right up against Benjamin’s hard body. I drew one arm from under the covers and rested it on his chest. Without protest, Benjamin brought his arm around my back, cradling me in the crook of his arm.

  I felt better, safer, instantly.

  Benjamin resumed his tutorial on demons as if nothing had changed.

  “I belong to a minority of vampires. We feel it is our duty to stop the demons before they attack. For the most part, our side generally fares well. However, lately, there has been an unusual difference in demons crossing over.”

  “Why unusual?”

  “Historically, only high-level demons were granted passage to this world. What we are experiencing now is an incessant influx of lower-level demons.”

  “So, you track them? Hunt them down? And then what?”

  “Kill them. Remember earlier tonight, you asked why I lived in Miami, which is famous for having long days?”

  I nodded, my chin rubbing against his rib cage in response.

  “This city also has the greatest number of demon visits. They hate the cold.”

  That made sense. “Can you teach me how to stop them? I want to protect people, like my friend, Laura, from these awful demons,” I said, pressing closer to Benjamin for solace.

  “Yes, I can do that,” he said.

  Despite the fact that I no longer needed to breathe, I sighed. “Benjamin, why am I so drawn to you? I hate you... At least, I want to hate you for what you did to me, but I can’t help feeling some inner peace when I’m near you.” I didn’t like the feeling. As nice as it was to be near him, I couldn’t forget that my new demon problem was entirely his fault. Everything was his fault.

  “Are you hypnotizing me again?” I asked, still upset, but also unwilling to move away from him.

  “No, I can’t influence you like that anymore, now that you’re a vampire. You’ve had a lot of my blood. You’re simply feeling a residual connection to me.”

  Well, that was certainly good news. With any luck, it would wear off sooner, rather than later. “Is that how you knew where to find me at the bar? Did you sense something was wrong?”

  As he shifted, I couldn’t help feeling his muscles ripple under the thin fabric of his shirt. With my new senses, my fingertips were hypersensitive to his flesh moving beneath the cotton.

  “No, I received a phone call. One of the demons is a friend. He does his best to help us. He disapproves of how the demons treat vampires and humans.”

  Instantly, I remembered the demon at the bar, the one that came to my aid.

  “The one with the scar across his left cheek?” I asked.

  “Yes.”

  “He saved me. He did a very good job of making it look accidental.”

  “We call him Jeremiah. He’s been working with us for centuries.”

  “Centuries?” I repeated. “How long have you been a vampire? Is it rude to ask?”

  A low rumble of laugher vibrated down his chest to his abdomen. I would have been lying if I denied how much I enjoyed the sound.

  “I can’t tell you for sure. I’m close to a thousand years old.”

  “Wow.”

  All I could come up with was... Wow.

  “Do you feel that shift in energy?” he asked, just as I heard a low crackling in my ear.

  “Yes. What is it?” My body tensed momentarily.

  “Dawn is approaching.”

  “Already? But I have so many more ques—“

  Four

  Not that I’d ever admit it to Benjamin, but being a vampire certainly had its perks. For instance, I packed up my two-bedroom apartment in four measly hours! The last time I moved, it took me three weeks to get everything organized. Strong as I had become, I still insisted Benjamin help me move the boxes into his house.

  “Be careful with that box, Benjamin. It’s full of dishes,” I said, holding the service elevator open for him. Benjamin had convinced building management to allow us access to the loading dock.

  “Might I point out, one more time, you don’t need the dishes, or the large box of pots and pans. You don’t even need the cookbooks. Vampires drink blood. They don’t make casseroles.”

  “While your argument is valid,” I said, loading the last box into the truck, “these are my things and I really like to cook.”

  “It’s irrelevant,” he said.

  “You’ve never tasted my risotto.”

  “And I never will. Because I am a vampire.”

  “Don’t you have hobbies?” I asked, closing the door to the
moving van.

  “Yes. Now, get in the truck,” Benjamin said, dangling the keys in front of me.

  “I’m not driving this thing,” I said, heading for the passenger side door.

  “It’s your truck,” he said.

  “ I know, but please believe me when I say that I will hit something with this truck. It’s nighttime. There are people out. It’s a bad idea all around. And, yes, I am that bad of a driver and I won’t get my deposit back if I ding the van.”

  “Fine,” he said, climbing into the driver’s seat. He started the truck and we pulled out into downtown, not surprisingly thick with Saturday night traffic.

  ‘Your vision and reflexes should be sharper now because of the change.”

  “I know. I just don’t feel like driving the truck, okay? I want to be available to pet Meowser through the carrier if he starts freaking out,” I said, sticking my fingers through the metal cage door. The cat’s carrier was placed strategically between the two seats.

  “I’m sorry—the cat’s name is?”

  “Meowser.. like MEOW, and then ZER. You’re going to like him. He minds his own business.”

  “You may be the first vampire in history to own a pet cat.”

  “I highly doubt that. They make great companions.”

  “You’ll find that vampires prefer to be solitary creatures.”

  “Well, I, on the other hand, enjoy being around people. It was one of the best parts about my marketing job.” I stared out the window, silently mourning the loss of my job, as well as my apartment; but I wouldn’t let it get me down.

  “Then,” Benjamin said, finally making it to the US-1, “I have good news for you.”

  “Oh?”

  “I belong to a small group of vampires, considered to be the leaders of the vampire race. We hold a meeting every decade, which occurred earlier this week.”

  “Okay, are you trying to tell me you have a hobby?”

  “No. Do you remember when I said you were the newest vampire in a century?”

  I nodded in response. It threw me at the time. Meowser chose that moment to wail. I saw Benjamin’s hands grip the steering wheel tighter.