Threads of Crimson #2 (Vampire’s Promise)

1. Chapter One

Chapter one

Benji

“And just like that, he said he was taking you home with him?”

Taking a sip of my margarita, I hummed with contentment. This had to be the tenth time I’d told Rafe this story, but he didn’t get tired of hearing it any more than I got sick of telling it.

“It was the most romantic moment of my life, Rafe.”

My friend sputtered on his own drink, dribbling the frozen goodness down his chin. Working the bar at Velvet Vein meant he was around liquor five or six times a week, but he rarely drank himself. Until tonight, I’d had no idea that he was a total lightweight.

“Only you would find a vampire covered in someone else’s…fluids romantic.”

The events of last weekend flashed through my mind. How scared I’d been, the panic that had consumed me knowing that Lysandro wasn’t there yet, and that by the time anyone went looking for me, I might’ve been—

A shiver racked my body even as a smile spread across my face. Lysandro had been there, and he’d known I needed him. “Yeah, well, fuck that guy. I don’t know who he was, but he had no right to touch me. He was going to…”

Rafe rolled off the loveseat, moving to snuggle into me on the couch, pulling my head onto his shoulder.

“I know. I can’t believe that happened. Ronan’s been like a pissed-off lion all week, roaming the bar and glaring at all the vamps while checking in with all the donors.

Making sure they all feel like they are safe. ”

“That’s good,” I mumbled, stroking my hand through his silky hair. I was really going to miss this, miss him. I’d never had a friend like Rafe before, and I didn’t know if I ever would again.

“Mhm. I thought Damien might close it all down. I’ve never seen anyone as angry as he was after. You know, when he let you and Lysandro use his office, he paced around like he didn’t know what to do with himself.”

It was my turn to snicker. “He might’ve just been mad that he was shut out of his own office.”

Rafe elbowed me. “You know that’s not true. He was really worried. We all were. When they told me what happened…” He trailed off.

I took another sip of my delicious pomegranate margarita, set it on the table, and squeezed him tightly.

“I know. I’ve had a few nightmares since it all happened,” I whispered.

“But then I wake up and remember that Lysandro saved me. He actually killed one of his own kind for me, Rafe.” Maybe that should freak me out or scare me, but it didn’t. I knew Lysandro would never hurt me.

“And now he’s taking you home.” We sat in silence until he sniffed hard and sat up, wiping at the moisture in his eyes. “I can’t believe you’re leaving me.”

He held up his hand before I could protest. “No, it’s okay. I know this is everything you’ve wanted. I’m just going to miss you.”

Clutching his hands in mine, I said, “But we’ll talk all the time. Lysandro promised that I could still call you whenever I want.”

Rafe frowned. I knew what was coming next. “I guess, but I hate that I won’t know where you are. Literally no one knows where Lysandro lives. What if you hate it there? You won’t even be able to call and ask us to come get you because we literally won’t know where you are.”

My thoughts went back to after the attack.

After Lysandro committed murder for me. The way he’d gazed into my eyes and said that he was taking me home with him.

It hadn’t been an offer or a request. It just was.

I didn’t tell Rafe or Sadie the story exactly like that.

They’d worry even more. Worry that he’d compelled me or had somehow taken my free will.

He hadn’t, though. Lysandro would never do that. I wasn’t sure how I knew that, but I was. My sexy ancient vamp was private, but he didn’t seem as mysterious anymore. Not after months of spending time together. “Lysandro will keep me safe.”

Rafe nodded. “I know he will. He’s actually a lot nicer than I expected him to be.”

“He’s the best, Rafe. I swear he is. And I bet…” I licked my lips. “I bet if I ever wanted to leave him and move back here, he’d let me.”

That was an outright lie. There’d be no leaving him once I went with him. He’d made sure I understood that before he left last weekend. There’d never been a real choice, but he’d given me a week to say my goodbyes.

“Your heart wants what it wants,” Rafe said, his smile of understanding tinged with sadness.

I really was going to miss my friend.

Lysandro

I’d lost my mind. From the beginning, I’d known I needed to stay away from that young man. There’d been something about him even that first night that had caused warning bells to go off in my head.

“You put up a good fight,” Damien said.

I scowled, and that bastard chuckled.

He leaned back in his chair with his hands clasped behind his head and a smirk on his face. “Lysandro Moretti is taking home a consort.”

“Don’t look so smug. He’s not my consort. If your people had been doing their jobs, this wouldn’t be necessary.”

Damien rolled his eyes. “Nice try. You’ve wanted Benji from the beginning.” Like he was actually trying to piss me off, he kicked his feet up onto his desk and crossed his ankles. “Yep. You held out longer than I thought, but Ronan—”

“What about Ronan?” I growled, cutting him off. “Your lapdog doesn’t know his head from his ass.”

Damien sighed. “I don’t know why you two have always hated each other so much. Can’t we all just get along?”

Keeping my face passive, I regarded him.

We’d talked about this before, right when Ronan first appeared and began working his way up Damien’s organization.

It was unusual for someone such as Damien, as successful and powerful as him, as necessary to our survival, to promote up anyone who wasn’t his own child.

To me, that was suspicious in itself. I’d voiced my concerns once, long ago, and Damien had ignored me. That was his choice to make, and since I had no intention of involving myself in the politics of our world, I’d left it alone.

“You have to admit; he was useful with Mordie. We haven’t seen hide nor hair of him since I sent Ronan to deliver a message.”

Flicking my hand because I wasn’t praising a man for doing his job, I asked, “Why am I here?”

All humor fading in an instant, he dropped the casual pose and sat up in his seat, leaning toward me intently. “I want to talk about you and Benji.”

“What’s there to discuss? I offered to bring him home, and he agreed.”

The other man’s eyes narrowed. “Did you ask nicely, though, or did you demand it?”

I bit back a snort. Had I really given Benji a choice? Not really. I’d stated a fact, and he agreed with it. “I don’t really see how this is any of your business.”

“I can’t have you plucking one of my donors out of my bar without me being sure that it’s his choice, and he’ll be properly cared for.”

Standing, I stared down at him. “While I appreciate your dedication, I’ve read the NDA you supply the humans. They still have free will, and you don’t own them. If that wasn’t the case, I can’t imagine you’d have let Benji’s friend Eric run off with…what do him and Rafe call him…his vamp Daddy.”

Displeasure crossed Damien’s face so swiftly that human eyes wouldn’t have been able to track it.

“So you see,” I said, calling him on his bullshit. “This is none of your concern. I gave him a week to get his affairs in order and say goodbye to his friends, so I think we’re done here.”

As I moved toward the door, he stood up, planting his fists on his desk. I was pretty sure he’d look intimidating to anyone else, powerful and dangerous, but all I saw was a child. I knew it. He knew it.

“Lysandro, I at least need to know where you’re taking him.”

With my hand on the doorknob, I stopped and glared back at him. “You’d like that, wouldn’t you? To finally know where I reside? It’ll never happen. Don’t even try to follow us. I’ll know, Damien, and you won’t like my reaction. I promise you that.”

I slid into the driver’s seat, and Benji flashed his bright, sunny smile.

Good grief. What was I going to do with him?

Until now, the days between sitting with him, talking to him, feeding from his veins, had stretched endlessly.

He’d become this light in an otherwise solitary existence.

But I was a vampire, and too much light very well might kill me.

“Put your seatbelt on, Benji.”

Obedient to a fault, he pulled the strap across his body and clicked it in. “I’m surprised you showed up in an SUV. I wondered if you’d just…I don’t know, carry me.”

I’d thought about it. That would’ve been the easiest way to ensure that we weren’t followed. “You have too much stuff.”

He rolled his pretty eyes, making me feel fond. Really, him being so close was going to test my limits. “You can say a lot of things about me, but saying I have too much stuff is a stretch.”

Putting the vehicle in drive, I pulled away from the curb. I hated driving in general when running was so much quicker, but I had expected him to have more stuff than a few boxes, a couple of suitcases, and his backpack.

“Did you actually bring everything?” I asked curiously, hoping that he hadn’t stored things with Rafe in case he decided to come back here. That would not be happening.

He shrugged. “Yep. I gave Rafe and Sadie my TV, but I’m used to living light, you know, so even after I had the money and space, I…” He trailed off.

I’d discovered a bit about him from my own research, even before our first conversation, but in the last several months, he’d shared enough here and there for a clear picture to have formed in my mind.

“I…” Licking my lips, I admitted, “I get it. There was a time long, long ago when I also found myself adrift.”

I could feel his gaze boring into the side of my head, eager to hear any portions of my life that I’d share. Since I didn’t talk about myself ever, not with anyone, it was harder to find the words than I expected.

“Much like your parents were taken from you, my mother was taken from me.”

“Are you talking about your human mother or do you mean like, your creator? Because women have fledglings, too, right? So you could mean either one. Oh crap, am I being rude? That was probably intrusive as hell, wasn’t it?”

My lips twitched. He really was a quirky, funny man. Placing my hand on his thigh, I gripped it gently. “It’s not rude to ask me anything. Mind you, chances are I won’t answer, but this I can give you. My Maker was also a woman, and yes. They both disappeared out of my life.”

He put his soft, warm hand on top of mine. “Oh, Lysandro, I’m so sorry.”

“I’m fine. My life has spanned longer than you can imagine, so their losses are distant memories. However, I do remember how long it took me to settle in once I was alone. It’s not easy to accumulate things and trust that they’re our own, ours to keep, once we’ve had nothing and no one.”

The smell of his sadness filled the car, and I wanted to fix it. Normally, if our topics got too deep, too personal, or if he was unhappy in any way, I just held his wrist and fed on him. For some reason, it always filled him with joy and contentment.

Since I couldn’t do that while I was driving, I said, “I hope you’re not too nervous about leaving town with me.”

He immediately perked up. “No. I mean, I’m a little scared because I’ve always lived in NYC, but I’m more excited to see where you live.

Is it in New York, or are we going to another state, or what?

I asked around a little when I first started going to Velvet Vein, but no one knew.

I feel like you’re letting me in on a huge secret, and I can’t wait. ”