Blood Twist (The Erris Coven Series) (12 page)

Unsettling were
the piles of clothing, shoes, and accessories that littered the hardwood flooring. As she glanced a
round, it was clear
the items were remnants of other lives.
Scattered about
were wa
llets, Blackberries, eyeglasses, l
ittle
things that someone would have in their pocket, backpack, or tool
chest.

How many
victims
stopped by here to check on the state of disrepairs and never came out
?

Liz noticed tw
o males wedged between
a laughing
female
just to the
left
of the doorway
.
N
one
of them
wore
cloth
es
. Viewing them
felt strangely intrusive, like she was walking in on a private moment.
They appeared agitated, but
not because of
Liz and Braden
. With
spines arched
and teeth bared, they pulled on the female
pinned between them
.
The eyes of the woman were as black as night. Hallow and gazing off to an unknown dist
ance, Liz wondered if she even fe
l
t
them fighting over her.

“Everyone, t
his is my brother and his companion
. They aren’t to be touched.”
A guttural hiss erupted from a few
spots in the room, but Riley
didn’t seem concerned.

Liz tucked herself under Braden’s arm, his warm body her only life line on reality.
The way the creatures huddled together in filth and on the floor, reminded her of
a National Geographic special
.
Their behavior was animalistic and base –
lacking any humanity.
Braden’s people in Erris were a family. There was no comparison.

Strix came in from behind
, carrying a sack over his shoulder. If she saw him on the street, she would assume
he was
about to go do laundry, until she realized there was movement in the bag.

Nothin
g was as it appeared. The
creatures
could
pass as human on the surface
, but
not if you truly
watched
them.
Their
actions
were too quick;
the way they
tilted their heads
and barred their teeth
was
wrong
.

What was it like for Riley to become one?

Strix knelt
on the floor closest to
the kitchen door, holding his bag close to his bod
y.
Before he could get comfortable,
one of female creatures growled at him
until he inched further away.
Liz couldn’t see well, but it appeared she may have been feeding. A dark spill stained the front of her shirt.

Rubbing his eyes, Strix looked
tired.
But, in a swift motion, he reached into
his sack and pulled out a squirming rat. With his knees drawn to his chest, the draugr bit into the rodent. A dark
spray shot out from the wound, its high pitched squeal
quickly silenced.

Liz’
s
stomach
lurched. Turning away, she squeezed her eyes shut, trying to vanquish the image.

“I’m guessing you’re not up on fire codes?
” Braden muttered sarcastically.

“What, the heaters?”
Riley asked
, “It’s the closest
thing to the sun we
have
.
We like to be kept wa
rm without igniting into flames, and since we don’t exactly have electricity, we’ve found other ways to heat up.
”
With that, h
e gave Liz a suggestive grin.

She wasn’t sure if he wa
s doing it intentionally, but Riley came across like an over
sexed
jer
k. If he thought she was impressed, he clearly didn’t have much conversation with women before chewing on them.

             
How could they exist like this?
Feeding on victims
, and…rodents…
while others
copulated around them.
T
hey were animals.

 
Riley directed their attention to an al
cove. A large banquet table fit flush into the space. On
top of it
was
another one of the heaters
and two vampires
lounging across the surface as if it were a stage.
A b
eautiful female with hair so blond it looked white, was curled
on the lap of a powerful looking male.

Appearing in his mid-thirties,
h
is hair was similar
in color
t
o Riley’s, but much
long
er
.
Pushing the woman from his
lap, he stood grandly i
n black leather pants and a ruffled white top
.
If
Liz
passed him on the street, she would have
thought he looked like a
Walt Disney World
cast member
for the Pirates of the Caribbean attraction.

“Welcome to our nest.”
Hopping down, he took Liz’s hand into his own and brushed his lips acr
oss her knuckles. “I’m Garrick.
This is my female, Maze.”
The fierce beauty at his side stared at Braden
, but avoided Liz altogether
. A qu
ick t
ongue darted out from her lips as she surveyed his muscular
physique.

God, she looks like she wants to swallow him whole.

Turning his attention on
Braden, Garrick’s
movements we
re sudden, and difficult
for Liz to keep up with
.
The two matched each other
in build and height. If they
were to fight, it would be bad news.

Garrick glanced from Braden over to Riley. A
slight interchange
passed
between them.

The older va
mpire was obviously the leader. She hoped
their presence in his lair
wasn’t
a problem.

“So, the brother of Riley graces us with his presence. Of course, when he mentioned your arrival in
our fair city, I insisted that you and your woman be given our most gracious hospitality.”

“Thanks
,
but that won’t be necessary,” Braden replied. Standing firmly, Liz admired the ferocity of his stance.

The leader stared back, considering his words.
“As you can imagine, we don’t have a lot of company
unless they’re he
r
e
for dinner,” Garrick
smirked, impressed with his own humor.
“I hope you won’t opt for the latter.”

If the suggestion wasn’t so revolting, Liz would have feigned a smile, but instead, she forced herself to look d
own at her feet. Garrick may appear
more human than the beasts curled up on the floor,
but he
was still a
monster and wanted it made known.

Liz planned on remembering that.

13

DE
ATH

So close. So very close.
The damphyr’s blood called to him.
Each flutter of eye
lid,
exhalation of breath,
and double beat of his
heart –
Death
wanted to
savor each little movement
the half breed
made
.
He
stared obsessively
; his
senses
alive
.
The damphyr’s
blood flushed through each hear
t before coursing
down his arteries, only to rise up his veins again in a perfect
cascade – the boy’s body played a rhythm only Death
could appreciate
.  Watching now, he
wouldn’t miss a beat.

After years of waiting, the damphyr had come.
No fighting, no luring, just a phone call with a ridiculous request
.
Even bringing a human for the others to enjoy.
The female
was
pleasing, but she wouldn’t distract him. Not when his one desire was there for the taking.
For the last two nights, he checked the airport’
s terminal to see if damphyr
scent
arrived. Half hoping the boy would disobey and bring a friend or two. Tonight as soon as the sun set, he was thrilled when his
intuition was correct. Hustling
back to the rest home, he informed the others of the boy’s arrival.
Draugr were like basset hounds, they just needed the scent
and to be pointed in the right direction
.

If they
kn
ew the things
he did, they would
steal the damphyr for their own, getting drunk on the
crimson meant for his lips only
. They would drink him in and revel in his fluids
,
learning Death’s secret desire
. No, Braden was his. He had always been his.

So many nights while hunting
, he imagined t
his moment.
The b
urning thirst
was never satiated
,
but the closest he ever felt to being filled was when the boiling sweetness of damphyr
blood
coated his throat.

Braden was huge, bigger than the scrawny kid he once was.
Much like his father, the boy’s
frame was sturdy, his muscles lean. It would take days to break him down.

O
ften
while hunting, Death
pretended
each hu
man he tore open was the boy
, but e
ach part o
f the body he devoured
lacked fulfillment.
Whether sinking his teeth into a spleen or a jugular, the result was the same. He burned for the pure taste of damphyr.

Once
he cornered
Braden alone
,
pleasure
would be his.
Death
would
take his time loving the boy, with every mouthful the damphyr could give him
.

It wouldn’t be long now

.

1
4

BRADE
N

Braden didn’t even try to stretch out on the narrow hospital
bed. Pacing the small room that
was once for patient use, he kept his ears focused on
Liz’s breathing on the other side of the wall
. He t
ried insisti
ng they stay together; that she would be
safer that way
. B
ut when Riley showed them to the
ir third floor
sleeping chambers at dawn, Liz
refused
to
let
him join her.

Why is she so stubborn?

Before she closed the door, he leaned down and steadied his gaze on he
r, making sure she understood
. “Listen, when you go in there, you lock the door. If there isn’t a lock, wedge a chair under the knob. Then, I want you to examine every inch of that space and if there is anyway one of those things can slip in that room, you let me know.
”

Liz nodded in response. Stepping back, she g
lanced into the room where
a hint of
the coming dawn was
appearing
through the blinds
. “The sun is coming up
.
I don’t think they’ll be
bothering me. Besides, I told you earlier, I can take care of myself.”

Struggling to control his patience
, Braden took a deep breath.
He was fully aware that she thought she could take on the world, but he was
scared for her and she made
an easy target.
“These aren’t dirty old men
looking for entertainment. They’re dangerous. They can’t be trusted.”