I Accidentally Hooked Up with a Vampire (Accidents Happen #2)

15. Vampire E.D.

15

Vampire E.D.

T he pain from the clamp around my stomach didn’t stop. It dragged me at least thirty feet before three masked men stuffed me into a van and drove me away from safety. They left the damn thing wrapped around me, crushing my rib cage, until we reached the new destination.

We were back near the water. The salty tang of the ocean hung heavy in the air, and the wind, now carrying the scent of brine, whipped against my skin through the open windows. Any other time, I would have been happy to be there, but now, I only felt terror. I was supposed to be safe in Jackie’s compound, but the wards Lena and Jackie had put in place hadn’t accounted for anyone who wasn’t a deadly supernatural being.

We were in one of the richest areas of our seaside town. The minions said no words as they dragged me from the back of the van and up to the tall, dark mansion. It was constructed of gray brick and looked more like a crypt than an ocean front oasis. Knowing who owned the place, it seemed fitting.

“Let me go!” I struggled as the large man lifted me over his shoulder and carried me up the steps into the home. As he walked, his shoulder pressed into my stomach and made the pain in my ribs even worse. “Put me down!” I tried my best to kick off his shoulder. Nothing worked.

The man, flanked by two other silent companions, took me into the home, down a long hall lined with archaic-looking paintings, and dropped me in a small sitting room. There were several love seats and a bar along the back wall. They said nothing before they left me in the room alone. The click after the door closed thwarted any hope of trying to escape. The zombies had locked me inside.

“Great, guess I’m not walking out of here.” I felt around for my phone but realized I didn’t have it. “Shit!”

I refused to panic. One way or another, I was making it out of there. After looking around the room, I spotted the window to the left of the bar. Heavy curtains covered it, but they easily slid to the side. Just outside the window was a small ledge, but nothing else. Even if I could get it open—which I couldn’t, I tried—I would likely plummet to a messy death on the beach below.

“Son of a bitch.” I smacked the window seal and dropped the curtain.

“Are you trying to leave already?” a deep voice said, and I froze. “And without even talking to the host? I would say I’m offended, but humans have lost their manners over the last few decades.”

“And this is when I meet the sadistic brother?” I turned on my heel to spot the man who stood just inside the open door.

I was right. He was definitely Domino’s brother. They shared the same wide nose, dark eyes, and upturn at the corner of the mouth. He was slightly taller, with a slimmer frame, and where Domino wore business casual, he was in a surprisingly relaxed look: black jeans and a gray t-shirt. Despite the attire, Reddick felt menacing. His presence made the hairs on the back of my neck stand and my stomach hurt, and not because of the bruises left behind from the claw.

“It’s nice to meet you too, Ms. Harris.” He smiled, and my skin prickled as he held his hand out to me. When I didn’t accept his handshake, the uneven grin fell from his face. “Is this really how you want to behave?”

“Considering you just had your zombies rip me out of my friend’s place with a fucking claw, yes!” I couldn’t believe the man had the nerve to stand there talking about my poor manners after literally abducting me.

“I just want to talk.” He dropped his hand to his side. “How else do you suggest that happen with my brother and your ambitious friends keeping you locked away?”

“You could have called. I mean, you left a note in my car.” I took a step back and realized there wasn’t much space between me and the crimson-colored wall. “Clearly, you have my information.”

“Hmm, that may have worked.” He moved closer to me in response to my movement. “But this is a topic best handled with a face-to-face discussion. Not everything can be done over the phone. I’m sure you understand that.”

“What do you want from me?” I scanned the room. There wasn’t anywhere for me to go. Even if I wanted to run, he could catch me. It’d only make killing me more entertaining for the vampire.

“When I first heard about you, I wanted to kill you. I can’t have you making my brother happy.” He let out a quick chuckle then paused, slowly revealing his fangs. His tongue rested against a point as he stared down at me. “But then, I found out more about you, about what you can offer me.”

“I can’t offer you a damn thing,” I boasted, trying to mask my growing fear.

“Oh, but I know you’ve learned by now that isn’t true.” He smiled, flashing his fangs. “There’s something special about you, and I want it for myself.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” That’s right, play dumb. It was the best I could think of to buy myself even a few more minutes of time—not that I thought it would do much. Still, if my friends were coming, and I hoped like hell they were, it could be the difference between them finding me alive or without a drop of blood left in me.

“Your blood, Whitney.” He spoke with slow intention. “Your blood is what every vampire wants, and once word gets out about you, I won’t be the only one dying to sink my fangs into your pretty neck. Do you think it will be difficult? There are vampires out there who are far more powerful than I am. They are older, stronger, and won’t hesitate to snap your head off. You already see my brother can’t protect you. Where is he now?”

“Domino will find me.” I wanted to sound brave, confident in what I said, but my voice trembled. This wasn’t the worst of it. Reddick wasn’t my worst nightmare; he was the prelude to something far more terrifying.

“Oh, I’m sure he will.” He clapped, took three steps back and sat down on the blue loveseat with white feathers printed all over it. “And it will be the battle of the ages! I look forward to it. I haven’t been able to get under his skin in nearly four decades. So, I thank you. You know, he really has kept to himself, and I’ve missed playing with him.”

“You’re sick.” I remained still.

“Yes, living well over a century has that effect.” He nodded quickly and looked at the floor. “You have to find new ways to entertain yourself. I thought it would take a lot longer for me to become bored with the thought of eternity, but you start to see it a lot faster than you think. The cycles. The way humanity just does the same thing, time and time again. It’s the little things. It’s maddening.”

“Maybe you should just end it. There’s nothing saying you have to live forever.”

“I’ve considered it. I don’t have to, but I’m addicted to it. Waking up, feeling the world shifting around me, filling myself with the blood of others; I want more of it. I want all of it.” He inhaled deeply and looked at me with a grin that stretched across his face like a maniac. “And now, because of you, I can have it all! I’ll be changed into something new, something powerful!”

“You can’t have my blood.” I shook my head. “I won’t allow it.”

“Allow it?” Reddick sneered, and then in a movement so fast, I couldn’t remember blinking, he was on top of me. My back smashed against the wall, causing pain to ripple through my core. “How exactly do you plan on stopping me?”

“What happened to waiting for Domino?” I choked through the pain that already had my head spinning.

“Who said I was going to wait?” Reddick dropped his head back and laughed. His entire body shook with each boisterous trumpet of the humor he found in my question. “I’m not that stupid. Wait for him to come and ruin my plans? No. Domino will come, and when he does, your blood will have made me even stronger. My dear brother won’t stand a chance, and he’ll have you to thank for it.”

Reddick rolled his neck and let his fangs further descend.

“Wait, no!” I squirmed, but there was no use.

With his teeth bared, he grabbed my head and forced it to the side, and then, the vampire bit me—or at least he tried. Honestly, I’m not sure what he was doing. I could feel his breath on my neck, and he did a lot of grunting and pressing his body against mine. It was almost like he was trying to dry-hump me. My fear eased into an annoyed state of confusion. Was he playing with me?

“Aaah!” he screamed in frustration and backed away from me. “What is this?”

“Performance anxiety?” I shrugged. “You tell me. I don’t know what happens when a vampire can’t bite! Is this like vampire E.D.?”

“I can bite just fine!” The man looked like he wanted to stomp his foot like a little kid.

“You say that, but I’m standing here.” I put my hand to my neck and then checked for blood. There was none. “…unbitten.”

A gush of air hit my face and, a moment later, the door stood open, revealing Reddick with a dazed man in his arms. He looked me in the eye, grinned, and bit into the man. Blood spilled everywhere. This wasn’t a feed for preservation; this was him showing off because he couldn’t get it up with me. When he was done with the disgusting display, he let the man drop to the floor.

“I can bite just fine,” he repeated and wiped his mouth.

“So maybe I’m not the right person.” I pointed to the man he dropped at his feet. “Maybe you’re not into women. Have you explored that?”

I may have gone too far with that one, because Reddick darted across the room and punched the wall next to my face. I froze as the drywall crumbled around his fist and pieces fell onto my shoulder.

“What have you done?” He leaned in, putting his lips next to my ear. “Why can’t I bite you? What spell is this?”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” Again, my voice trembled with the fear I didn’t want him to know I felt. So what if he couldn’t bite me? That didn’t mean he couldn’t use other methods to get to my blood. “I didn’t do anything. But whatever it is, I doubt you’ll figure it out before my friends get here. I’m sure they know where I am by now.”

“They are more than welcome to come. They won’t get in.” He sniffed my neck. “But I need a contingency plan while I figure out this issue with your flesh. I don’t want to kill you. I need you alive and producing that wonderful blood so I can sell it to the highest bidders. Until then, I need to make sure I can always find you.”

“What?” Okay, this was the time to panic. The vampire wanted to pimp me out for my blood.

He didn’t say anything else. Fingers gripped the back of my head, his nails digging into my scalp as he held me in place. Reddick bit his wrist sloppily, letting the blood spill down his arm. He pressed his wrist against my lips, and when I refused to drink from him, he pulled me to his chest.

My back pressed against him, one hand covering my nose while he still pressed his wrist to my mouth. Eventually, I had to breathe. I opened my mouth, gasping for air, and with the flow of oxygen came his blood. Once my mouth was full, he covered both my nose and mouth with his hands, forcing me to swallow. It wasn’t until I gulped down the blood that he let me go.

“No!” I cried out as he released me. I tried to spit up the blood, but it was too late. I could already feel the effects of it moving through my body.

“How do I taste? I’ve always wondered.” He looked me up and down as I struggled to catch my breath. “Would you say my blood is better than my brother’s?”

“You’re sick!” I spit the remnants of his blood from my mouth at him.

“Then why are you looking at me like that?” He grabbed my arm and pulled me to his chest. “Why is your pulse quickening? I can smell your arousal, sweet like plums in the summer. You’re ripe.”

Reddick slid his hand around my waist, and I hated that he was right. His blood worked through my body just like Domino’s had. Not only did it spark my arousal, but it also healed me. The pain in my chest where I knew I had at least one broken rib subsided.

I looked up into his face, and though my mind said absolutely not, my body said…well, maybe.

I had to look away from him, because the more the feeling spread, the more he looked like his brother, and it was as if his blood was a drug working to convince me he was exactly the man I wanted.

The pressure in the room changed, pulsating like waves of the ocean crashing against the shore. I squinted as I looked at the doorway, just beyond where the limp body of the man he’d fed off. Those ripples moved through the air, and I gasped as a woman dressed in a beautiful peach dress with a soft cape appeared. She looked like she was ready for a wedding.

Then, I recognized her and choked out her name—the artist who had cost me everything.

“Rayna?”