Crimson: An Ultimate Power Series Novella (The Ultimate Power Series #1.5) (2 page)

 A smile touches my lips when I see Delilah assuming her stern pose and giving the men sitting at the booth a good talking to. That's my girl. Although, I would have preferred to have been the one to reprimand them, perhaps with a little fist action. Again, these odd protective instincts are strangely foreign to me. The woman couldn't be any further in appearance from my usual preference, and yet I am finding myself feeling so strongly about her, and all in the space of a few short minutes.

 Delilah is speaking to her now. She appears shocked that someone like my sister would be helping her in any way. Then Delilah leaves her and comes to re-join me.

 “God Ethan, you're going to have to get a whiff of her up close, it's...” she trails off, “wonderful.” If she smells wonderful to Delilah, who is a dhamphir with only half the senses of my own, then I shudder to think of what she might smell like to me. This human could be potentially dangerous to my sanity, and when your life is as long as mine has been, your sanity is something you need to hold on to.

 An acquaintance of mine drifts by the table to say hello, so my attention is momentarily distracted from the woman. When I look back a minute later she is gone. A small note of panic rises in me, because I can no longer smell her in the club. Has she left already? Delilah seems to notice the same thing, that the woman has disappeared. In silent agreement we rise from the table and go in search of her.

 Quickly, we look through the various areas of the club, but she is nowhere to be seen. Finally, I catch a trace of her sunshine scent out in the direction of the ladies' bathrooms. Delilah follows me and goes inside to check them, but she returns empty handed. The scent seems to trail on down the hallway, in the direction of my office. We continue our hunt.

 Just as we get to the office we are stopped in our tracks by Lucas, my black haired, golden eyed friend and employee. He grins lasciviously when he spots me; Lucas has that way about him.

 “Ethan, I just helped your lady into a taxi home,” he calls to me with a smirk. At this I jump a little, thinking he's referring to the dark haired woman who smells of the sun, but then I remember the nameless blond I left on the futon in the empty office room.

 “Thank you Lucas. I take it she had recovered well enough?”

 Lucas shrugs. “She was a little light headed, but she'll be fine by morning, I'm sure.”

 His response causes me to scowl slightly. Lucas can be quite discourteous when it comes to the after care of the humans we feed from. I like to ensure that my blood donors are in a fit state of health before I send them on their way. Unfortunately, Lucas has always had something of a careless disposition.

 “Consult with me the next time you decide to send any of my donors home,” I inform him coldly. I don't fail to notice him roll his eyes a little at what I've said. If he weren't such a loyal friend, I'd probably try to beat some more respect into him.

 “Sure,” he answers casually.

 At this, the fire exit at the end of the hall creaks open, and in walks the dark haired woman. Delilah and I make brief eye contact before Delilah calls to her, in a slightly unfriendly voice, “Why honey, we have to stop meeting like this.” Delilah often likes to keep people on their toes by being abrupt when she speaks to them.

 The woman startles, like a deer caught in the headlights, as her big, haunted blue eyes take in the three of us standing before her.

Her breathing catches when she mumbles, “Sorry I – I was just getting some air,” and then she glances back at the fire exit.

I take advantage of my position standing the furthest away from her to examine her appearance. She's wearing a dark blue dress and boots; her long black hair is sort of carelessly dishevelled. There are small grey circles beneath her bewitching eyes, as though she has been suffering from insomnia for quite some time. Her lips are full and her dark lashes long. There is something not quite right about the way in which her emotions smell though. They're all shattered to pieces from some kind of trauma.

 I notice Lucas inhale sharply and his eyes widen with interest as he takes in her unique scent. He steps forward in a predatory fashion. Lucas often derives a perverse satisfaction out of frightening timid humans.

 “This part of the club is off limits,” he says to her, “and trespassers will be prosecuted – I mean, punished.” Now it's my turn to roll my eyes. Lucas can be a real dickhead on occasion.

 “I didn't know. This is my first time here,” the woman replies in a small voice, wringing her hands in distress. I suddenly feel like thumping Lucas for upsetting her, but I stand back and watch how it all plays out instead.

 “Makes no matter to us,” Lucas goes on, still doing his best to intimidate the poor fragile woman. She can't be any older than twenty or twenty-one. What could have caused this beautiful creature to have become so broken? She looks at me now, and it almost takes my breath away, that first locking of our eyes. It's at this very moment that I know I must have her, in every which way imaginable. She is nothing like the women I normally choose, and yet, she is making me feel more alive than I have ever felt before. What is she?

 “What's your name little girl?” Lucas asks. The question distracts her attention from me. Damn you, Lucas. I want her eyes on me again. God, those eyes.

 Suddenly, she scowls at him, and I almost sputter a laugh. Perhaps she's not as timid as she appears. “Why do you want to know?” she replies, a tiny speck of strength in her words. However, her eyes are still glancing this way and that, eager to get away from us.

 “I like to get to know my prey,” says Lucas.

 “Huh? What the
fuck
are you talking about?” she responds angrily. My lips curve slightly. I must admit, hearing her utter that swear word stirs a distinctly sexual reaction in me.

 Delilah sighs now, getting bored with Lucas' theatrics. “Leave her Lucas.”

 Lucas turns back to look at her. “I'd oblige you Delilah,” he says. “But this one is far too intriguing.” He runs a finger down the woman's cheek and I have to clench my fists to keep from snapping it for him. I do
not
like him touching her. “Look at those eyes, so blue, such – what is it that I see? Ah yes, pain.”

 The woman flinches. Lucas continues with his observations. “But what kind of pain I wonder? I would guess – rejection, loss?” The woman's expression indicates he's right, and I instantly want to know what it is she has lost. “Ha! I knew it, spot on as always,” says Lucas with pride.

 The woman glances at Delilah and then at me. “Can I go?” she asks.

Now that she's looking at me again, I find it difficult not to sweep her into my office, lock the door and have my wicked way with her. Everything about her is drawing me in more and more with each moment that passes.

 “No you can't,” Lucas answers her. “Now darling, tell me your name and where you live.” I would stop him from his persistent questioning, only I want to know the answer to this myself. The woman doesn't speak for a moment, so Lucas prompts her, “Tell me.” It's clear he's using a little compulsion on her now, so she'll have no choice but to answer.

 Only that doesn't happen, instead she replies, “No way.”

 Everything seems to move in slow motion. My God, did that really just happen? Did this human just blatantly resist the thrall of a vampire? Delilah lets out a loud gasp of surprise. Lucas is certainly not happy with this development. He isn't the kind of man who takes kindly to being defied.

 “What did you just say?” he asks harshly.

I'm two seconds away from pulling him back from her. Lucas can be unpredictable when his temper gets the better of him.

 “I said no way am I telling you my name or where I live. I don't even know you,” says the woman, standing firm, entirely unaware of what she has just done.

I have known of a handful of humans who had been trained to withstand compulsion in the past, but never one so naturally as this.

 Delilah appears to still be in shock when she breathes, “How...”

 I venture to answer her unfinished question. “Some of them can be strong willed enough to resist,” I tell her, noticing the woman's gaze is fixated on me now, which makes me strangely elated. I continue, “But usually they have to be aware of what we're doing. It's odd that this one can resist and seemingly not know.” I turn to stare at the woman, my eyes drinking her in. She is an absolute mess, and I couldn't be more fascinated. I smile at her and the expression seems to affect her in some way. Positively, I hope.

 “Interesting,” Lucas interjects, his damned fangs hanging halfway out of his mouth. I will have to remind him to be more conspicuous in the company of humans.

 The woman's eyes immediately lock in on the sharp canines. “Hey, are those porcelain?” she asks. “Because my friend Amanda loves to play at the vampire thing too. She has a pair but they aren't half as realistic as yours.” Ah humans, always so quick to provide a logical explanation for the things they don't want to admit as being real.

 Lucas, the careless fool, is only now realising his slip up. He closes his mouth for a moment to try and hide them. Too late for that. “Yes, they are – porcelain,” he tells her quickly.

“Hmm, where’d you get them?” she asks, and I notice a sneaky glint in her eye, like she's trying to divert his attention onto another topic so that she can slip away from us. Unfortunately, now that she has caught my rapt attention there will be no chance of me letting her go. I'll follow her to her home if needs be. I understand how irrational that sounds, but my need to discover what this female might be is overwhelming. I also want to discover her in the biblical sense, but that task shouldn't prove too difficult. I have many skills in the art of seduction. I have had many years to perfect them.

 “The internet,” Lucas answers her finally, sending me a quick sheepish glance. Damn right he should be sheepish.

 “Oh yeah, I should have guessed.” She lets her gaze fall again now, and I wish she wouldn't do that. I could look at her eyes forever.

 “I’m Lucas,” Lucas replies, at long last making an attempt at polite conversation. “And you are?”

 “Tegan, but I’m still not telling you where I live.”

 Ah, Tegan, an unusual and intriguing name, quite suited to the woman herself. Suddenly, the syllables of it echo through my mind, marking me in some way.

 “Pretty name,” says Lucas, getting worked up again. He has his moments of affability, but they never last long. “Pretty everything,” his lecherous gaze touches on her hips and breasts.

 Delilah sighs heavily, and I almost chuckle. My sister has never had much patience for Lucas and his libidinous mannerisms.

 “Don’t mind Delilah,” says Lucas. “She’s just moody. Or maybe she wants you for herself.”

 Tegan's eyes widen. Delilah snickers.

 “I have to get back to my friends. They’ll be wondering where I am,” the woman argues, still edgy.

She seems to notice that there is something different about the three of us. Something that she might do well to fear. Of course, I would break both of Lucas' hands before he had the chance to hurt her in any way. Besides, being one of our species, my friend would heal quickly from the injury. Still, he wouldn't thank me for it.

 “Don’t you want to stay and get to know each other?” Lucas asks her.

I realise he has decided to escort her into my office a second before he makes his move. He wraps his strong arm around Tegan's waist and leads her into the room. I can hear her heart beat frantically as he does so. I wonder if I kissed those gorgeous full lips of hers would she still be so frightened? Surely then her heart would beat fast for a whole other reason.

 Delilah and I follow him inside, and I close the door to afford us some privacy. Then I sit down at my desk, trying to come up with a way to reassure Tegan that she is in no danger. Her poor little human heart still hasn't ceased its fearful beating.

She stands off to the side of the office, hovering as though considering making a run for it. Unfortunately, a human can never outrun a vampire; our speed is phenomenal.

 “You can sit on my lap if you’d like?” says Lucas. God, I wish he'd stop. The woman doesn't need to be made any more nervous than she already is.

 I glance at her, her wide blue eyes taking in her surroundings. She looks like a rabbit in a cage. Her current fear mixes with the old wounds I can smell in her emotions. Admittedly, some of my vampire acquaintances do hold a particular taste for damaged humans. They enjoy the power trip. I have never been a lover of broken things, yet, I can see the allure with Tegan. However, I would only wish to fix her, not to break her further as some vampires would.

Tegan drops her gaze yet again and allows her long dark hair to obscure her face. It only takes a moment for me to understand why she has done this. She's crying. I have to physically restrain myself from going to her.

 “Are you crying?” Delilah suddenly questions her with an accusatory tone. My sister is not very good at soothing those in distress.

 “Please can I go? I know it’s mad that I’m crying but this is – this is the first time I’ve been outside since something very, very bad happened to me and...”

 Oh, I cannot restrain myself any longer. It's a good thing her eyes are averted, because instinctively I use my inhuman speed to rush to her side.