Chapter 16
Goddammit.
I flick my fingers out, desperately trying to reignite the fire…
the fire I have no idea how I started in the first place.
The vampire with the burned face is still a few feet away, and the other is looking at me apprehensively, not sure if I intentionally quenched the fires or not.
I can’t waste time letting him figure it out.
Not if I want to live.
I turn and sprint down the hall, but instead of turning and going back toward the club, I go the opposite direction to the door labeled exit. It could lead me into a dark storeroom for all I know.
I take my chance and push on the bar. The door swings open on rusty hinges and yellow light from the streetlamps spills into the building.
I race outside, up a few cement steps, and emerge into the alley behind the bar.
The sounds of the night go on around me.
No one in the city knows there is a network of vampires hiding out inside Delirium.
They’re completely clueless to all that lurks in the dark.
Panting, I reach inside my bag and pull out my gun. If one follows me out, I will shoot. I know a bullet can’t stop a vampire, but it can at least slow him down enough for me to cuff him. And then what? Take him back to the estate and ask Hasan to rip his head off, too?
Something moves overhead. I stumble back, loose gravel rolling under my heels. I steady myself, flick off the safety, and raise my gun. The streetlamp a few yards from me shatters, raining glass down on the pavement and bringing the dark back to the night.
My breath leaves in a huff, and the chill of the spring night sets in, awakening every nerve in my body.
The hair on the back of my neck stands on end and goosebumps prickle down my spine.
I inhale, trying to summon the strength to start the fire, but I feel so depleted inside.
I spin, hearing something scuttle down the alley and behind a dumpster.
And then I feel it. Or more specifically, him.
“Were you following me?” I lower my gun and stare at Hasan. His large frame takes up most of the alley and his wide wingspan blocks everything from view.
“Maybe.”
“Maybe?” I cock an eyebrow and put a hand on my hip. “Someone could have seen you!”
“I know stealth.”
“Yeah, maybe years ago, but now we have night vision and infrared cameras…it’s risky.” I step closer. “And I don’t want anything to happen to you.” Saying it out loud makes me realize how deep of a fear it is. So many bad things can happen if they’re seen.
They’re not human. It wouldn’t go over well. Hasan can rip vampires apart with his bare hands, but how will he stand up to a military-grade machine gun? Or worse.
“Nothing happened to me,” he says gruffly, and strides over. “But I can’t say the same about you.”
I let go of the front I’m holding up and the exhaustion hits again.
Using magic took everything out of me. “I’ve been better.
Good news is, I found the vampires.” I motion to the door.
“They’re down there. I thought they would come out after me, but…
” My vision starts to fade and the world spins.
Hasan’s strong arms wrap around me, and he cradles me to his chest.
“If they come after you, I will kill them.”
“I know.” I look up, eyes fluttering. I’m close to passing out and I cling to Hasan, fighting to stay conscious. “I’m hoping they do come out.”
“I need to get you home.”
“Home…the estate.”
He spreads his wings. “Hold on.”
“Wait,” I protest. “No, no way.” I won’t say I’m scared of heights, but I will say I’m not their biggest fan.
“Someone could see us. Get a five-second-long clip of video on their phone and it’ll go viral overnight.
Then everyone will know you’re awake, and correct me if I’m wrong, but something tells me there are people—or things—out there who won’t be happy about it. ”
Hasan stops, turning his head down to me. I’m still in his arms, feeling a bit like a child but needing his protection right now.
“How do you travel?”
“In a car. Just, uh, give me a minute to get my head on straight and I’ll drive us. Unless…” I look at the door.
“Ace,” Hasan says sternly. “You can hardly walk. You cannot fight vampires now. And, trust me, they’re long gone.”
“Yeah, I bet you’re right and they ran away with their tails tucked between their legs.”
“Vampires don’t have tails.”
“It’s a figure of speech.” I let my eyes close and my head fall against Hasan’s chest. God, he’s so muscular. And warm. It feels so damn good to be nestled in his arms right now.
“Rest,” he instructs, and moves deeper into the alley, finding a turned-over crate to sit on. He keeps me in his lap, holding me with one arm and using the other to run his hand through my hair. “You’re bleeding again.”
“It’s the same wound busted open. I’ll be fine.”
“It doesn’t look fine.”
“It doesn’t now, but it will. It’s fine, really.”
“If you say so.” He rakes his large fingers through my hair again, then sweeps them over my arm. “And you’re bleeding here.”
“Fucking vampire cut me with his nails. And then licked my blood.”
Hasan’s body tenses. “They drank your blood?”
“Not so much drank as tasted. Why?” My heart races and I feel like someone just dumped a bucket of ice water over my head. “Am I going to turn into a vampire now?”
“No, but once they get a taste for your blood, they’ll stop at nothing to track you down and kill you.”
“Good, they’ll come to me. And I’ll be ready this time.”
“This is serious, Ace. You are a human. How you went up against vampires and lived is a miracle.”
“No miracles…but it was magic.” I carefully sit up, head still spinning, and hold out my hands. “I have no idea how I did it, but I was holding fire in my hands. And the fire burned one of the vampires pretty badly for the little I hit him with it.”
Hasan takes my hand, running his finger over my palm. It makes me shiver and long for his deft fingers to touch more of me.
“It didn’t burn me.” I look at my hands, as well, and see no signs of fire. “Or hurt.”
“And you have no idea how you did it?”
“None. Things were bad…like I was pinned on the floor with a vampire trying to bite my neck bad. And then my hands felt hot, and suddenly they burst into flames.”
“Jacques might know. We need to go back to the estate. Now.” His eyes shift to the basement door.
“They called me something…right before one was going to bite me. He stopped and said ‘malefica,’ I think.”
“Witch.” Hasan’s dark eyes meet mine, his handsome face serious. “It means witch.”
A chill runs over me, and the second I shiver, Hasan pulls me to him. I shift my weight, straddling him instead. He pushes his shoulders back, suddenly tense, then relaxes and holds me close.
“You have magic inside of you, Ace.”
“I can’t really deny it now.” I rest my head on his shoulder, needing one more minute before I get up and get my car. Hasan’s hands run down my back and over my hips. He hesitates, then slides them under my ass, lifting me just a bit. I pitch forward, breasts crushing into his firm chest.
Despite the fear and the danger—or maybe because of it—the attraction I feel for him begins to stir. I hate being afraid. I hate being made to feel helpless and defenseless. I like to be in control, and I want to feel something good.
I slowly lift my head, lips parting. Hasan tips his face down to mine.
I can feel his heart racing beneath the pounds of muscle on his chest. I move a hand up, tracing a tattoo on his pec.
He moves his hands to the small of my back, pressing me down against him.
His cock begins to harden beneath me, and already I can feel it is just as large and impressive as the rest of him.
The thought of it exhilarates me and I begin to grow wet.
“We should go,” he murmurs, lips brushing against mine as he talks. “I took vows, Ace.”
“Right,” I say, shaking myself. Thomas and Gilbert might not uphold their vows, but that didn’t mean Hasan and Jacques didn’t.
“You did. And I don’t want to make you break them if you don’t want to.
” I slide back, and his massive dick rubs me through my jeans.
And fuck, it feels good. I grip his shoulders tight, trying to summon the willpower to stand.
“I do want to,” he admits with no shame at all. “But I shouldn’t.”
“Then don’t,” I say, hating the words coming out of my mouth. “Not if it means a lot to you.”
“Not everyone wanted to become a Templar,” he says, and I assume he’s referencing the twins, who had no say in the matter. “But I did. I still do.”
A car goes by, headlights illuminating our faces. Hasan and I both freeze. As soon as it drives away, Hasan stands with me in his arms.
“Where is your car?”
“A few blocks away.” He sets me on my feet but doesn’t let go until he’s sure I have my footing. “Stay here and I’ll get it.”
“Ace, you—”
“I’ll be okay once I’m on the street. The vampires didn’t come out after me. I don’t think they want to be seen by the public.” I fish my keys from my purse. “Give me five minutes.”
“Be careful.”
“I will be.” I meet his eyes, smiling. “Besides, I have a feeling you’re going to be watching, right?”
He smiles back. “I will.”
Taking a deep breath, I force myself to focus. I feel a bit like I’ve been drugged, and going out into the hustle of the nightlife helps to clear the fog. I get in my car, slide the passenger seat back as far as it can go, and go to the alley.
Hasan hardly fits and sits awkwardly inside. He’s never been in a car before. This has to be weird.
“How do you operate this thing?” He peers over at me.
“Honestly, I don’t know exactly how it works. You put fuel into a tank, and it uses that to propel the car. I control it with the pedals on the floor and turn it with this wheel. It’s a rather complicated procedure now that I think about it, but I’m so used to it I don’t stop and wonder.”
He moves his gaze to the touchscreen glowing on the dash and brings his hand up, touching the little music note. The radio turns on, blasting a Spice Girls song. He jerks his hand back and tips his head.
“What is this?”
“I call it music, but I’m sure others disagree,” I say with a smile, and turn the volume down some. “I like ’90s music. 1990s, that is.”
Hasan doesn’t speak for the rest of “Wannabe.” Another song comes on, one I don’t like, so I change the station to one that plays current music.
“Music has changed.”
“I’m not sure what was popular in your time. Organ music, maybe?”
“I didn’t listen to music often.”
“Right,” I say, and slow for a stoplight.
“It had to be live in order to hear it. No offense, but I’m glad I was born now.
Mostly because as a woman I’d have no rights back then and I really enjoy being able to vote and work and wear pants.
” I yawn and fight the urge to close my eyes.
“How weird is it being here? You guys basically time traveled. I know technically you were here the whole time, but you went to sleep a thousand years ago and woke up to this.”
“It’s a lot to take in,” he starts, “but the world seems like a better place now.”
I make a mental note not to let them watch the news. “Things have come a long way. Human rights, healthcare—well, that’s debatable, but the ability to care for health issues is better.” I shake my head. “Sorry, getting off topic.”
Hasan carefully touches another button, bringing up the navigation system. I spend the rest of the drive back to the estate trying to explain GPS and satellites. I’ve confused myself by the time we pull into the driveway.
The others are outside waiting. Gilbert and Thomas are sitting on the roof, and Jacques is in front of the porch. His arms are crossed, face set with anger. It’s a look I know well because it’s one I’ve worn a time or two.
He’s not really pissed.
He’s scared shitless and fighting his feelings. He doesn’t want to care about me, because when you care about someone, you open yourself up to a world of hurt. I know it, and he knows it. We’ve both been hurt before.
I falter on my way up the porch, and Gilbert swoops down to help me.
“Jesus, Ace, what the hell happened to you?” He slips his arm around me, hoisting me up.
“She used magic,” Hasan answers. “And faced vampires.”
“Good thing you were there,” Gilbert says to him, helping me up the porch steps.
“I didn’t do anything. She fought them on her own.”
“And got away?” Thomas opens the door for us, stepping aside.
My body begs to lie down and let my eyes shut.
And this time, I don’t want to fight it.
I need to sleep. I need a few hours of slipping into the black, dreamless nothing and not worrying about vampires or magic or how the hell I’m going to make things work at the station in the morning.
The house is warm, thank God, and I go to the couch in the sitting room since it’s the closest. The first thing I do is take off my shoes.
“Tell me about the magic.” Jacques sits next to me.
“Give her a fucking break,” Thomas says, coming into the room with a bottle of water. I take it and chug half of it down, feeling a little better already.
“I’m okay,” I insist. “There were two vampires at the bar. I caught one trying to drag a drunk girl into a back room, I think to feed.” I blink, and the scene replays before me.
I hope tight-leather-dress girl got back to the bar okay.
I shouldn’t have left like that. But I was in no condition to keep fighting.
My stomach hurts with regret. I’ve made one bad decision after another since finding out about the gargoyles and vampires. I can’t think like a cop when I’m fighting the supernatural, and I hate it.
“I got her away, and the vampire attacked me. He called me a ‘malefica’ and shouted for another. They cornered me and somehow I started the fire. I burned one vamp and it hurt him. That’s how I was able to get away.”
The guys all look at me, and several beats pass before anyone speaks.
“You need to rest,” Gilbert says, breaking the silence. “I can turn on the shower for you.”
“You know how to do that?”
He gives me a crooked smile. “What do you think we do when you sleep?”
“Oh, right. And yeah, a shower sounds great.”
His eyes slide over my body, then he disappears up the stairs.
“They tasted her blood.” Hasan’s deep voice rattles through the small room. The look on Jacques’s and Thomas’s faces says it all.
“They’re going to come for you,” Thomas says, sullen.
“I know.” I sit up, eyeing the three men in front of me. “And this time, I’ll be ready.”