Bryn Morrow (6 page)

“He’s dangerous. I encountered him this morning.” His gaze slid down to her breasts and then back.
 

“What does he want from me?”

“He thinks you are special. He thinks you know where other latents are. He wants to know… things.”

“Other latents? I’ve only seen you and him.”

“Are you sure?” He reached out and took her hand. “Maybe in a dream you barely remember?” He lifted her hand and kissed the back of it.

She sifted through her memories and came up empty. “I’m sorry. For the longest time you were the only one in my dreams. And then Simon showed up.”

“Do you have feelings for him?” He released her hand.
 

“Of course not! I’ve never even met him. He doesn’t seem like you. He’s hard. Changed.”

“He has powers. Like I do. And I’m worried I may not be able to stop him if he tries to take you.”

“Then you must tell me how I can protect myself.” She finished her wine. “I know you have spent centuries guarding your secrets, but you can’t leave me defenseless. Don’t you believe you can trust me?”

He rubbed his hands together and looked down at the wooden table. “Old habits die hard. I want to trust you, I really do. But when you are one such as I—defenseless in the sunlight—you either stay paranoid, or you die.”

“Try.” She arched her back and smiled brightly. Sliding her chair closer to Bryn, she reached under the table, resting her hand on his thigh.
 

“You are fire.” He placed his hand on her lower back and rubbed gently.

“And you are rock.” She slid her hand up the inside of his thigh and felt him, gasping at his thickness.

He smiled. “Your best defense against him is sunlight. At night he will be nearly impossible to kill.”

“Is there anything that will keep him away? Silver, garlic, crosses?”

“Nothing like that. We are not vampires.”

“And I can’t stab him with a wooden stake?”

“It’s extremely difficult to penetrate the skin of a latent. And he would heal too quickly. There’s no heart to stop. His blood doesn’t flow.”

“Well, that’s a bitch then.” She squeezed his hardness.

He looked down her shirt while smelling her neck. “Gunfire should slow him down. Bright lights using the solar spectrum will cause him pain.”

“Thanks. I hope I don’t have to use any of that, but I will prepare the best I can.”

“How will you know if I’m in trouble?”

“I won’t. I’m not psychic. Call me on my cell.” He held up his phone.
 

She laughed. “You are such a shitty vampire, Bryn.”
 

He smiled. “Sorry I can’t live up to your mythological expectations, babe.”

She touched his chest. “At least you’re warm, and you don’t turn into a bat.”

“Well, aren’t you two cozy? Are you going to introduce me to your friend, Celeste?” Debra pulled out a chair and sat down, putting her beer glass on the table.

“Deb?” Celeste released her grip on Bryn, then blushed and leaned back.
 

He laughed.
 

“This is my friend, Bryn,” said Celeste, gathering her composure. “And this is Debra.” She gestured.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Debra. You are every bit as pretty as Celeste said.”
 

Debra smiled big and offered her hand. Instead of shaking it, he kissed it.
 

“Wow, Celeste. I thought you were exaggerating about him. But I can see that he is every inch the man you said he was.” Debra drank some beer and wiped her lips with a napkin. She looked him up and down, undressing him with her eyes.

“What are you up to tonight, Deb?” Celeste asked.
 

“Oh, Tommy’s doing ‘boy stuff’ with Jason, so I’m just out having a drink. And then I saw you over here and—”

“You were curious about Bryn. It’s okay, Deb. I was planning on introducing you to him anyway. What do you think?” She grinned.

“Major fucking hunk.” Debra giggled. “That’s what I think.”

“You are drunk, girlie.” Celeste grabbed Debra’s beer and drank some.

“I’m with the girls, over there.” Debra pointed at a table full of women. They had two pitchers of beer, a plate of nachos, and they were sneaking glances of Bryn. “I better get back. Nice to meet you, Bryn.”

He stood and gave Debra a hug. She went up on her toes and let him squeeze her, then walked back to her table while the girls toasted her success with raised glasses.

“You are getting more popular every second,” said Celeste, watching the girls high-five Debra when she sat down.
   

“You promised me a bite to eat,” he said. “Would you care to join me?”

She stood and took his hand. “Where are we going?”

“I have a van.” He grinned, exposing pointed teeth.
 

“A van? You sleep under a lake and you have a van?”
 

“Hey, you’re not exactly normal yourself,” he teased.
 

He led her across the hardwood floor to the front entrance. She ignored all the eyes on them. When he opened the door, she stepped outside. Bryn followed her into the parking lot, and then walked over to a dark grey van under a stand of trees; pulling out a set of keys, he unlocked the side-panel door.
 

“No keyless remote?” she asked.

“They short out under water. Please come in, lovely.” He gestured toward the interior, which was covered with a plush black carpet. There were throw pillows in the back and a mini bar behind the front seats. The only windows were in the front.
 

“Oh, quite a little love den you’ve got here. How many girls have seen it?” She climbed in and sat on the thick carpet. It was very comfortable.
 

“Very few, Celeste.” He got in and slid the door closed. Three lights along the ceiling emitted a soft yellow glow, illuminating the interior. “Come here.”

She melted into his arms and ran her hands up his shoulder blades. He caressed her and kissed her deeply. His eyes showed passion, and she could feel his firmness against her.

“Is this what you want, beautiful?” he asked. He gripped her breasts, and she gasped.

“Yes, Bryn. Bite me. Taste me.”

Chapter 21

“It’s that dude again,” said Tommy. He pointed at the sidewalk to their right, where a man in a studded leather jacket was walking. It was dark, and the streetlights were few and far between. They were driving west along Lake Drive in Tommy’s truck, on their way to Rock and Bowl.

 
Jason leaned out the passenger window and got a good look at him as they drove by. “Hell, yeah. It’s that crazy Simon guy from Brinkman’s. The one that’s looking for Celeste. Pull over and let me out.”

“Are you nuts? He’s like a bodybuilder or something.” Tommy slowed down, looked in his rear view mirror, and then pulled to the right. He put the truck in park but left the engine running.
 

“I’m just going to have a word with him. Tell him she left town. Don’t worry.” Jason opened his door and jumped out. He slammed the door behind him and gave Tommy a thumbs-up before turning.
 

“Be careful.” Tommy turned around in his seat and watched Jason approach Simon. He opened the glove compartment and rummaged through it, looking for his handgun. It wasn’t there. He couldn’t remember where he had left it.
 

“Hey, Simon. What a coincidence,” said Jason when they reached each other. He kept his hands in the pockets of his jacket, stopping a few feet away.

Simon looked at him curiously. “Ah, yes. One of the people at that bar in Corwin. What was your name again?”

“Jason.”

“Good to see you.” Simon brushed past Jason and kept walking. He was still wearing the red T-shirt, leather jacket, and blue jeans that he’d had on at Brinkman’s.
 

Jason turned around. “Hold on a second. I was asking around about that girl you were looking for, and it seems she left town. Word is she’s heading for Chicago.”

Simon turned, his face expressionless. His hands were at his sides and he seemed calm. “You came all this way to lie to me?”

Jason took two quick steps toward Simon and unleashed a lightning fast left hook. Simon reached up, caught his hand, and broke it. Jason screamed in pain. His bones cracked under the pressure of Simon’s grip.
 

Tommy shoved his truck into gear, pounded on the gas, and spun it around in a one-eighty.
 
The tires smoked, and an acrid smell rose in a cloud around him. Simon and Jason were directly in front of him, but forty feet away. Simon’s back was to him, and Jason’s eyes were wide with pain. Simon was holding Jason’s left fist with his right.
 

Simon grabbed Jason with both hands and threw him into the air. He spun once, flying over the road, and then crashed into the ground, landing hard on his left leg, which collapsed with a loud crack.

“Fucker!” yelled Tommy, jamming his foot to the floor. The truck shot forward onto the sidewalk and gained speed. Jason was groaning and lying on the ground on the other side of Lake Drive. Tommy gritted his teeth and held onto the wheel tightly.
 

Simon turned around and stood still. His arms hung at his side, and he grinned like the devil. His brown eyes were serene.
 

Tommy accelerated. The V8 under the hood roared with power. The distance closed quickly, and he braced for impact.
 

The truck lurched to a stop when he hit Simon, and Tommy’s head cracked the inside of the windshield. The engine died in a grinding sound of gears and metal. The horn on his truck blared continuously while blood ran down his face. Tommy slumped over the wheel and didn’t move.
 

“Tommy!” Jason yelled, clutching his leg with his good hand. The bones in his right hand felt like they’d been crushed. He pulled his cell out of his pocket and dialed 911. He had the cold sweats; his breath was coming in rapid bursts. The trees above his head were swirling around in the night sky.
 

He watched Simon smile and walked around Tommy’s truck, heading west toward Celeste’s house. The front of Tommy’s truck was caved in where it had bent around Simon, and the engine had been shoved partway into the cab. There were shards of glass, plastic, and metal radiating away from the point of impact like a cone of destruction. Steam rose from the cracked radiator.

Jason tried to push himself to his feet so he could help Tommy. His vision stuttered with flashes of light, and then he blacked out. The last thing he heard was sirens.

Chapter 22

“Celeste? This is Deb. Tommy and Jason got hurt bad, and they’re in the hospital in Corwin.”

“Oh my God! What happened?” Celeste slipped her shoes on with one hand while holding her cell phone in the other. The clock on the living room wall said it was midnight. She had been relaxing and leafing through journal entries about her dreams, looking for any sign that she had seen other latents.
   

“Tommy’s in a coma.” Debra was crying. “Can you come?”

“I’m on my way.” She flipped her phone shut, grabbed her keys, and ran for the door.
 

Corwin was twenty miles away, and Fairlight Hospital was on the west edge of town. It was a straight shot down County Road 12. All she had to watch for was light reflecting in the eyes of deer as they edged toward the road, eager to dart in front of her from the trees.
 

“Don’t die, Tommy,” Celeste said to no one. Her mind raced as she wondered what had happened to Jason. Her heart was a lump in her throat. She kept both hands on the wheel and flipped on her high beams. She was way over the speed limit, but she didn’t care.

Fifteen minutes later, she slid sideways into the hospital parking lot and slammed on the brakes. Her car almost tipped over from the high-speed turn. She flung open her door and ran to the front entrance of Fairlight, which slid open automatically. Then she ran to the front desk. “Where are Tommy and Jason? How bad are they hurt?” She wiped tears from her eyes and tried to slow her racing heart. She was gasping, and her hands trembled.
 

“They’re stable. Jason has some broken bones, and Tommy’s in a coma,” said the nurse on duty. “Try to calm down.”

Her name tag read Ellen, and Celeste thought she looked familiar—probably from Brinkman’s or Rock and Bowl. “I’m calm. I’m calm.” She took a deep breath and exhaled slowly through her nose. The air smelled of antiseptic and flowers. “Can I see them?”

“Room 108, Celeste.” Ellen reached out and squeezed her hand. “I’m sorry.”

She followed the signs and ran down the hallway, dodging carts and equipment. The door of 108 was open slightly, so she pushed her way in. Debra had a chair pulled up to Tommy’s bed, and she was holding his hand. Tommy’s face was bruised and bandaged, and his eyes were closed. Machines hooked up to him beeped softly and displayed numbers in soothing green. An IV hung from a stand dripped fluids into his arm.
 

“Thanks for coming.” Debra looked up. Her mascara was a mess and her eyes were puffy.

“Who did this?” she asked, dreading the answer.

“Simon,” said Jason, who was lying in the other bed. His left hand was bandaged, and his left leg was splinted. “He’s like Bryn.”

“He’s not like Bryn. Simon is evil.” She went to Jason’s side. “I’m so sorry you got hurt. You shouldn’t be involved in this.”

“I chose to be involved. I can’t let some Russian vampire come here and take you away.” His words were slurred, and he was having trouble focusing on her.
 

“You are lucky to be alive, Jason. Do you even realize how strong he is?” Celeste leaned over, kissed him on the lips, and squeezed his right hand. She held back tears.
 

“I do now. The fucker stopped Tommy’s truck with his body and then walked away without a goddamned scratch!” Jason coughed and gasped in pain. “He threw me across the fucking road like I weighed nothing.”

“I’m sorry about Tommy.” Her eyes echoed the guilt she felt inside. “It’s my fault Simon is here. I dreamed him.”

“Leave town, Celeste. Save yourself.” He met her eyes, imploring. “I don’t want you to die.” Tears welled in his eyes. She wiped them away with her fingers.