"Watch out!" I screamed.
The two remaining attackers stabbed Simon with their claws. He dropped to one knee and winced. Blood dripped from the stabbing wounds and onto the filthy ground. The leader stepped forward and held up one hand so the palm faced outward. The two bowed their heads and backed up.
He looked past them at the pile of three vampires, the first who Simon had felled. "Get up!" their leader shouted.
The three roused themselves and struggled to their feet. The count was now seven against two, and I was no help. The leader's eyes flickered to Simon and he sneered at him.
"You're tougher than you look, old man, but not tough enough for my gang." He strode over and knelt in front of Simon. A smirk danced across his lips. "I handpicked these guys myself. There's no way any one person can defeat all of them."
"What about two?"
The vampire who held me stiffened and the pressure on my rib cage loosened. His arms opened and I dropped to my feet. I looked over my shoulder and gasped. The vampire's head was missing from his shoulders. His headless corpse fell to the side and revealed Certus behind him.
The leader of the vampires jumped to his feet and trembled with rage. He stabbed a finger at Certus and looked to his minions. "Get-" He didn't have time to finish his sentence before Simon stood and swiped his hand cleanly across the leader's neck.
The leader stumbled backwards towards me. Blood dribbled onto the ground. He choked on his life fluid. "Fuck. . .you," he choked out.
He fell backwards. The impact of the fall loosened the final thread that attached his head to his neck. The head rolled across the ground and stopped at my feet. His lifeless eyes stared up at me. I stumbled back and into Certus's waiting arms.
Simon glanced at his driver and frowned. "Protect her this time."
Certus bowed his head. "Yes, sir."
The remaining vampires hissed and leapt at Simon. He jumped into the air and flew past them all. His arms were blurs as he swiped left and right through their ranks. When they crashed to the ground they were nothing but piles of limbs. Simon landed neatly beyond them and turned to us. He brushed himself off and strode over to us. Certus held still, but I shrank from him.
Simon's eyes flickered from me to Certus. "Release her."
Certus frowned. "But sir."
"Release her."
Certus's hands opened and he stepped back. I pressed my arms against my chest and glanced from one vampire to another. "W-what are you going to do with me? Kill me like you did them?"
Simon shook his head, and when he replied his voice was soft like an autumn breeze. "No. These vampires were far too dangerous to allow them to exist."
I frowned. "So then what? Keep me captive until I change into one of you?"
A sly grin slipped onto Simon's lips. "As tempting as that sounds, I would rather let you go home. That is, after a short overnight stay at my penthouse to ensure you're physically and mentally well."
I raised an eyebrow. My arms slipped a little lower down my chest. "And if I say no?"
He shrugged. "Then you would have said no, and will still remain overnight at my penthouse."
My eyes flickered between Certus and Simon. "And you'll let me go tomorrow?"
Simon swept his hand across his chest and bowed to me. "You have my word."
I snorted. "A word of a vampire?"
He raised his head and straightened. "Have I lied to you?"
I pursed my lips and studied him. "No, but you haven't been entirely upfront, either."
He chuckled and offered me his arm. "True enough, but that can be remedied before the night is over. I offer you another chance to ask me anything you like, and now that you know the correct questions it should be quite illuminating for you."
I glanced from his arm to his face. "What if I left and called the police on you?"
He dropped his arm and that smooth smile of his slipped onto his lips. "I needn't tell you it would be rather uncomfortable for both of us. Now shall we go, or do you wish to remain among this filth?" His eyes flickered to the ground. I followed his gaze and shrank back.
The bodies of the vampires were aged beyond their youthful appearance. Many looked to be seventy or eighty years old. The body that belonged to the leader of their group was more bones than flesh.
I felt a tingle in my mind. Simon's voice intruded on my disgust. "They have reverted to their true age. When the sun rises they will turn to dust."
My eyes flew up to his smiling face. I narrowed them. "You're reading my mind, aren't you?"
He bowed his head to me. "I am."
I balled my hands into fists and glared at him. "Stay out of it!"
Simon chuckled. "But your thoughts are rather interesting. That in itself is unusual for a human."
I marched up to him and tried to meet him face-to-face, but he was a head taller than me. "I said stay out!"
He chuckled and stepped back to offer me his arm again. "Very well, but shall we go? I hear the sounds of the police, and I'm sure none of us wish to explain how these dead bodies came to be here."
I glanced over my shoulder. Behind Certus was the bright lights of the living city. I looked back to Simon. His pale face and red eyes were another path.
A voice inside me pulled me towards Simon. I grudgingly agreed to its demands and stepped up to him, ignoring his arm. My eyes met his and my voice was firm. "Fine, I'll go."
CHAPTER 9
We returned to Simon's car and drove away from the scene of the crime. Simon and I were seated opposite each other. He smiled at me with his legs crossed and his hands folded into his lap.
I swept my eyes over his relaxed form. "You said I was going to change into a vampire."
He nodded. "Yes."
"There's no cure?"
Simon closed his eyes and shook his head. "No, unless you call true death a cure."
I cringed. "Not exactly."
"Then no. Your fate is set."
My heart sank. I glanced out the window. The world sped by as a blur of colors and shadow. My eyes drooped and my voice softened. "So what now?"
"Now I show you how to live."
I whipped my head to him and narrowed my eyes. "How am I supposed to live if I'm dying?"
He chuckled. "Undeath is not the end of living. It's merely the end of one path and the beginning of another."
I snorted. "Like those vampires you killed in the alley?"
His smile slipped off his lips. "A vampire is already dead. Only destruction can give them eternal death."
I rolled my eyes. "They're still lying in piles in the alley."
His eyes narrowed and his tone sharpened. "The Fledglings deserved nothing less for touching you, though nothing that severe if they had left the city."
I raised an eyebrow and leaned forward. "Fledglings?"
Simon nodded. "Yes. Vampires without an old master are called Fledglings."
"But they had a leader," I pointed out.
"They did, but he was not old enough to be a master," Simon explained.
I leaned back against the seat and clutched my head in one hand. "Jesus Christ. A vampire hierarchy." I paused and furrowed my brow. "So I can say Jesus Christ without bursting into flames?"
He chuckled. "Yes, and read Scripture on Sunday in a church."
I shrugged and folded my arms over my chest. "There goes a couple centuries of theory. What about the sun and sleeping in a coffin?"
"The sun will destroy full vampires, and I sleep in a bed in a dark room," Simon told me.
The car stopped and Certus opened the door to my left to reveal the parking garage of the Park Place Avenue Penthouse. Simon slipped out and offered me his hand. I pursed my lips, but accepted his help and stepped out. Beside the limo sat my old rusted car. The chill from the garage made me shiver.
Simon set his hands on my shoulders and leaned to one side of look into my face. "Are you cold?"
I shrugged. "A little."
He guided me to the elevator. "M
y home is quite warm, and there are refreshments."
We stepped into the elevator and rode it to his penthouse. The rooms were quite warm and I plopped myself on one of his couches. Simon slipped over to the stainless-steel kitchen. He returned with a platter of cheese, two wine glasses, and a bottle of red liquid. I eyed the bottle as he popped the cork.
He noticed my attentive gaze and chuckled as he poured out the contents into one of the glasses. "Red wine, if you prefer it."
My eyes flickered up to him. "Is it really?"
He offered me a glass. "Smell it."
I leaned forward and sniffed. The pungent odor of wine floated into my nose. I wrinkled my nose and leaned back. "I'll pass."
Simon scooted the platter closer to me and seated himself in the couch opposite me. He took up my wine glass and took a sip before he gestured to the platter. "Please, help yourself. My body doesn't handle food very easily, but wine is another matter."
I watched him take another sip of wine. "Can you get drunk?"
He smiled and shook his head. "No. My body is dead, or mostly dead, and a great deal of its functions ceased a very long time ago." His eyes swept over me and his smile grew sly. "Though the important ones remain."
I blushed under his gaze and distracted myself with a small block of cheese. "So what do I do now? Wear sunglasses at night and start sleeping under my bed?"
Simon set his glass on the table and leaned against the back of the couch to study me. I turned my face away from those heated red eyes. "You live your life as the changes allow you. Some changes will be sudden, like the cold you feel now. Others will take time, like the ability to jump great distances."
I stood and paced the room. Anything to get distract myself from his beautiful red eyes. "Jump great distances. Kill people by slicing off their heads." I paused and ran a hand through my hair. A lump formed in my throat and a bitter smile slipped onto my lips. "And all because I delivered a bunch of stupid flowers." I choked on a sob. "Stupid job! Stupid boss! Stupid me!"
Warm arms wrapped themselves around me and pressed my back against Simon's chest. His voice was soft and soothing. "I'm sorry. I truly never meant for things to happen so quickly."
I spun around. His hands dropped off me. I beat my fists against his chest as warm tears slid down my cheeks. "You did this! You've ruined my life! You've ruined everything!"
The sobs came faster than I could talk. I leaned my forehead against his chest and cried my eyes out. He embraced me again and we stood there for a while as I wept for my humanity, for my life, for everything I knew.
Simon raised one hand and petted my hair. "I was wrong to turn you so quickly, but I swear nothing will happen to you."
I raised my tear-soaked eyes to him and blinked. "Why do you care what happens to me?"
He smiled down at me and chuckled. "Do I hide my feelings so well that you don't see them? Perhaps I should show you."
He leaned down and pressed my lips against his. That familiar warmth filled my body and stroked my skin with a delicious fire. He wrapped his arms around my waist and pressed me close against him. I moaned as I felt his swollen manhood rub against me. His hands squeezed my rear and massaged the fleshy mounds.
I groaned into our kiss. He broke us apart. His shimmering red eyes warned me of the danger, but my lust didn't care. I wanted him, and he wanted me.
"Are you sure?" he whispered.
I smiled and slipped my finger over his pale lips. "Just promise not to bite too hard."
A crooked grin slid onto his lips and he whisked me into his arms. "I think that won't be a problem."
He swept me into his arms and strode into a large bedroom. The curtains were opened and revealed the dazzling city lights far below us. The room was sparsely furnished, but a wide, long bed stood opposite the door. Its white satin sheets tempted us.
He lay me atop the sheets. The straps on my flimsy dress slipped off my shoulders and down the upper part of my arms. The neckline grew worse as the cloth slid down, and my breasts were mostly exposed. He lay atop me and nipped at my pert nipples. I gasped and squirmed. His hands grabbed my wrists and pinned my arms to the bed.
He raised his head to look at me. His shimmering eyes were blood-red and full of need. The tint of his white fangs shone in the dark. He panted, and my heaving chest mimicked his movements. His feral gaze swept over my body. I slipped off my heels and pressed my thighs against his hips.
"Are you afraid?" I teased him.
He growled. The sound excited me. Seductive warmth inside me reignited the passion I held for this strange, exotic creature. He swooped down and captured my lips in another searing kiss. His hands worked away at my dress. Those long claws that could kill a human instead sliced open my dress. The pieces fell onto the covers and left me naked beneath him.
He tore off his own clothes and flung them aside. Our sweat-covered bodies ground against one another. Every rub was an agonizing pleasure. Every slip of him against me created unbearable lust. His hands touched me everywhere. Anywhere he pleased, and I let him.
I craved his caresses, his teasing nips and massages. I wanted him to take me and make love to me. Wild, sensual love.
His teeth nipped at my flesh and his lips suckled at my swollen breasts. I groaned and squirmed, but his hands and body held me tight against the bed. He positioned his swollen manhood at my wet entrance and pushed himself inside. I gasped as he filled me from wall to hot, soaked wall. He clenched his teeth, but a hiss escaped his lips.
"So. . .tight," he whispered.
"Oh god," I moaned.
He pulled out and penetrated me again. Every inch of him stroked my sensitive nub and sent bolts of pleasure through my body. His body slipped against mine as he thrust into me in slow, torturous movements.
I leaned my head back and groaned. My flesh craved him. My mind knew nothing but thoughts of him. I wrapped my legs around his waist and deepened our union.
He groaned and thrust harder. His actions dominated our love-making. I was his to love, to desire, to please, and he didn't disappoint. His hands caressed me. His lips nipped and suckled at the bare flesh of my trembling neck. I lay my head to the side and exposed my throat to him, tempting him.
He sank his teeth into my sweat-soaked flesh. The deep, agonizing ache inside me doubled. My body was aflame with a hot, unbearable lust. Every touch, every rub of his body against mine drove me to the brink of insanity. I needed him to take me and make me his, to embrace me in every sense of the word.
"Oh god, yes," I murmured.
He thrust harder as his teeth sank deeper into me. I was consumed by heat. Every part of me strained for completion, for the heaven only his wonderful touches and thrusts could bring to me. I was his, only his. I clung to him and groaned. My whispered chants echoed off the dark walls of the room.
"Yes. Oh god, yes. More. Oh please, more."
He growled. The sound reverberated through my body. I panted for breath. My chest heaved up and down. He thrust harder and faster. I couldn't keep up. All I could do was revel in the feel of him inside me, taking me again and again, making me his and his alone. His fangs held me still and suckled the blood that slipped from my pierced flesh. My chanting grew louder as the lust inside me reached a hot, wet climax.
"Yes! Oh god, yes!" I threw my head back and screamed my love to the shadowed room. "Take me! Make me yours!"
He tore himself from my neck and looked down at me. My blood trickled from his lips and his red, searing eyes stared into mine.
"Mine. Only mine," he growled.
His possessive proclamation sent me over the edge. My body convulsed with wave after hot wave of sensual orgasm. He continued our love-making with long, hard thrusts. My climax stretched into more and more sweet pleasure. I chanted his name to the heavens.
"Simon! Simon! Simon!"
My body convulsed a few more times before exhaustion overtook me. He thrust again and again until he stiffened. His body relaxed and he hung his head for a moment
. The only sound in the room was our panting.
Simon lifted his head. His red eyes glistened in the weak light. A smile flashed across his pale lips. "That was quite entertaining. Shall we do it again?"
My mind was willing, but my body was not able. I shifted and winced. My muscles already felt sore. Simon chuckled and rolled over, taking me with him and pressing me against his chest. He petted my hair and I snuggled into the lingering warms of our love-making.
His soft, soothing touch led me into sleep.
Gathering of Thieves
CHAPTER 1
There's a fine line between reality and the world of dreams. Sometimes that's a comforting thought, and other times it causes more trouble than it's worth.
This was one of the times with the trouble.
A terrible ringing noise echoed through my head. My eyes creaked open. I expected to see a fancy penthouse bedroom with a city skyline. Instead all I saw were sheets. I sat up and flung them off. A view of my bedroom greeted me in the early morning. The terrible noise was the beeping of my alarm on the nightstand beside my bed.
I rubbed my eyes with the balls of my hands and took another look around. This was definitely in my bedroom. I looked down at myself. Gone was the fancy red dress, and in its place were my normal street clothes from yesterday. Had it all been a dream?
"No," I answered my question aloud.
I reached up and pawed over my neck, or would have if my fingers hadn't bumped into a black band of cloth. I frowned. I never wore cloth collars, nor did I even own one. I brushed aside the band and-I whipped my head to the entrance to my bedroom. The knob on the door rattled and the door creaked open. I dropped the band back into place and lifted the covers over my shoulders to hide my street clothes. Felicia shuffled into the room rubbing her bleary eyes.
She dropped her hands to her side and glared at me. "Could you shut that stupid thing off?" she groaned.
I blinked at her. "What? Oh, right." I slammed my hand on the top of the alarm and the beeping stopped.
Unfortunately, the sheet slipped off my shoulder and revealed my work shirt.
Felicia squinted her eyes and shuffled over to the side of my bed. "Are you still in your clothes?"
I pulled the sheet back up and shook my head. "No, of course not. Why would I be doing that?"