Carnal (Her Dark Desires #1) (2 page)

The
sweet promise of a frequented intersection loomed a few feet away.

Almost.
There.

There
was a
whoosh
behind me, trailed by the sound of flapping clothing
overhead, right before the vampire landed in front of me, silent as death.

I
drew up short, heart beating wildly inside my chest. If I tried going around
him, he’d simply snatch me up before I could blink. Vampires had superior
speed, outmatched only by demons and angels.

I
didn’t dare turn around to glimpse the alley behind me, because I knew the
minute I turned my back I’d be dead. There wasn’t a prayer’s chance of
outrunning him. And sure, I could try to shape-shift, but I was incompetent
when I was calm. As a nervous wreck, I’d be drained before I could summon
enough concentration to attempt a transformation.

Fuck.

Weighing
my options and knowing I was running out of time, my hand shot into my purse.
There! Seizing the can, I’d just hauled the capsule out of my bag when the vamp
surged forward, grabbed my throat, and slammed me into the side of the
building.

I
would have screamed had all the air not been knocked from my lungs. Pain
erupted at the back of my skull as my vision blotched for a few terrifying
seconds, right before the vampire grazed my neck with the tips of his fangs.

“I
can’t… wait… to taste you,” he moaned, giving my skin a long, slimy lick.

I
squirmed, trying to pry myself loose or kick him at least, but his body weight
had me completely immobilized.

So
this was what true fear tasted like. Like a gray, winter sky, or a barren
wasteland, stretching out before you right before the earth opened up and
swallowed you whole, never to be seen again.

I
closed my eyes, willing any succubi power I had in me to aid me in changing my
body’s shape, but the tingling sensation wouldn’t come.

Help
, I thought,
reaching out with my mind to whatever would listen. It was crazy, but in my
defense, I wasn’t thinking in my right mind, being on the verge of death.

The
shadows seemed to intensify in the alley, and the vampire froze, the tips of
his fangs just barely penetrating the skin of my neck. I felt it too, a magical
presence of another paranormal creature.

Succubi
- and paranormals in general - could sense one another’s presence. Call it ESP
or whatever, but we had this sixth sense for the weird built-in to our brains.

And
my radar was going crazy with the amount of power rolling off this being.

Frost
formed on the brick walls of the buildings flanking the alley, glistening in
the moonlight. The air noticeably dropped in temperature as a looming shadow
appeared. “Let her go,” a deep voice with an Australian accent demanded.

The
vamp’s features wrinkled in confusion. With its taloned hand still clutching my
throat, it wheeled its head about, twisting it at nearly a one hundred and
eighty degree angle. “What are you? Your signature is… strange.”

I
was so busy focusing on not passing out that I hadn’t paid much attention to
reading what type of visitor we had. Focusing now, I picked up… I picked up…

My
brows knitted. I couldn’t pinpoint what this thing was. It was like when its
signature started to coalesce into one thing, it began morphing into another
just as quickly.

A
low chuckle reverberated through the darkness. “You haven’t seen the strangest
part yet, mate.”

The
air vibrated with an odd hum that sank into the roots of my teeth and bones.
The vampire went rigid, right before it abruptly dropped me and placed both
hands on its head, squeezing. His teeth ground together, and blood began
sweating out of his pores. Scarlet streams ran from his eyes, nose, mouth, and every
other crevice. The humming intensified, and I covered my ears, feeling like my
brain was being scrambled.

Opening
his mouth in an ear-shattering scream, the vamp’s cry was cut short as he
exploded into a pile of goo, his innards flying through the air and coating
everything within sight, including me.

I
startled as hot gunk coated my body. A few feet away landed his heart, still
beating a few measly pumps before sputtering out of life altogether.

I
stared, open-mouthed and wide-eyed as I tried to process what I’d just seen.

Footsteps
slowly approached and a gloved hand appeared in front of my face. “Are you all
right? Did it hurt you?”

I
stared at the hand for a second, remembering I wasn’t alone in the alley, and
tentatively took it. A firm grip grasped my hand and hauled me up, where I
swayed.

“Whoa
now,” a deep voice chuckled. “I know I’m sworn-worthy, but you don’t have to dish
out flattery to thank me.”

The
joke was nearly lost on me in my shock-ridden state. Looking upon the face of
my savior, my jaw slacked.

Tall,
check. Dark eyes and hair, check. Handsome? Forget that. Go straight to hotter
than hell.

He
looked like a businessman, given the savvy attire he donned – a pinstripe suit
and a black leather trench coat. My heart started beating faster for entirely
different reasons, though the adrenaline shock would take a while to wear off.
“Thank you,” I managed, stepping away and trying to compose myself.

“You’re
very welcome,” he said, with a dip of his head. “The name’s Damien. Glad I was
able to be of service. When I heard your distress call, I wasn’t sure if I was
going to make it in time.”

“Distress
call?”

“Yeah.”
He pointed to his head. “Through here. You called out to me. I’d say I made
good time, being fifty blocks away.”

“You
were… how did you get here? And you could hear me from that far away?” Only
master paranormals and the children they created had that kind of bond.

“I
flew, love. How else?”

“Oh,”
I said stupidly.

He
never answered my question about the telepathy, and before I could answer he
said, “You know, it’s not every day I get to play the hero. I’d like to know
the name of my maiden fair?”

I
felt my cheeks heat, and I brushed back a strand of dark hair. “It’s Sally.”

“Sally…
does that come with a last name?”

I
smiled impishly. “You might be handsome and I might be grateful, but I’m not
about to give out my last name so you can stalk me. I don’t know anything about
you.” He could be a sociopath, for all I knew.

Damien
laughed, big and hearty. “Right you are, sweet. Right you are indeed,” he added
with a darker undertone that gave me pause.

It
suddenly dawned on me that I didn’t know exactly what I was dealing with, and
if I wasn’t careful, I could be about to find out the hard way. The lack of
noise in the immediate area told me no one had heard vampy-boy explode, which
meant no witnesses for whatever else the charming, yet dark Damien might have
in mind.

“Uh,”
I said, starting to shuffle away. “Thank you again for saving my life. I should
be getting back to my roommates. They’ll be worried sick I’m so late, they
might call the D.P.I. to come look for me.”

The
D.P.I. - or Department of Paranormal Investigation - was made up of paranormals
who upheld the laws of the supernatural community. They didn’t take any shit
from anyone, human or sup alike, and I knew from the way Damien stiffened he
was aware of that as well. Plus, I wanted him to think people would miss me,
despite the fact I knew the apartment would be empty this time of night.
Monique and Raoul would be out on jobs or clubbing and wouldn’t be back until
dawn, when I saw them at Vixens for work - all things Damien didn’t need to
know. To make sure I didn’t inadvertently broadcast my deception, I thought
about anything else: the near-empty tank in my car, facing Elias tomorrow, my
upcoming jobs (er, make that “job”).

If
Damien detected the least bit of a slight, he didn’t show it as I casually
backed away. “May I walk you to your car?”

“Um.”
I retrieved my dropped can of Silver Mist, waggling it. “I’m fine now, but
thanks for the offer.”

He
stared at me for so long, I thought he hadn’t heard me. It was creepy, like he
was trying to decide something. A slow, charming smile warmed his face.
Everything except for his eyes. Those remained chilly as winter.

“Then
I bid you farewell, Ms. Sally. Stay out of trouble, now.” With a low bow, he
rose and shot into the air faster than I could blink, soaring out into the
night.

I
wasted no time. Scurrying to my car, I bent to retrieve my little stereo and
hopped into the Honda Civic. Soon as I checked the backseat for unwanted
passengers, I promptly locked my doors. Not that it would do any good against
an angry paranormal with super-strength, but still, it couldn’t hurt.

Even
in the comfort of my car, I couldn’t stop shaking, not now that it was quiet
and the terrifying events of earlier started leaking into my brain.

It’s
okay now, you’re safe
,
I tried consoling myself.

Then
why was I still so afraid?

Pulling
myself together with a few deep breaths, I backed out of the space and sped off
down the street, going fifteen over the limit the whole way home.