Demon's Kiss (18 page)

“You think you can?”

“Somebody has to. Gregor's angry as hell.”

“I know. He mentioned that he thinks someone has taken…Briar?”

“Yes, Briar. Meanest bitch ever to drink blood. Your pal Reaper took her tonight. We heard her cry out for help, but it was so brief no one could locate her.”

“The man's a freaking idiot.”

“You don't know the half. If I were Gregor, I'd let him keep her. It would be the most damaging thing we could do to your side, if you ask me.”

She thinned her lips at his words, though his expression told her he was being anything but sarcastic.

“You have any idea what The Grim One wants with our hellion?”

“I can't even imagine.” She shook her head. “Poor Vixen. She's terrified of Briar.”

“You should be the one terrified right now, Topaz. You're the one being threatened here.” He glanced toward the door, the one she couldn't see. “He probably won't bother you tonight. Dawn's too close, but come sundown—”

“I need to feed,” she said, cutting him off.

He blinked, then frowned. “You haven't fed tonight?”

“No. I wasted all night waiting to warn you—” She bit her lip, but too late. She'd said too much.

“Warn me?” His brows rose skeptically, and Jack searched her eyes while she avoided his. “So Reaper was planning some kind of move against us, was he? And you couldn't bear to let it happen with me sitting here, a perfect target.”

“I want my money. I won't get it if you're dead.”

“Nor if you are. Yet you risked your life to warn me. Admit it.”

“You are
so
full of yourself.”

“Doesn't matter. I don't suppose your friend will do anything too destructive while we have you here, anyway.” He moved closer to the cage. “Now, don't try anything vicious. All I have to do is shout to bring a dozen of the goons down on you. All right?”

He reached through the bars, gripping her shoulders, one in each hand, and drew her closer. She stiffened, and he met her eyes. “Come here, Topaz. You said you were hungry. I can't bring you sustenance, since Gregor's taken to keeping careful track of the supplies. My blood will have to do.”

Her eyes shot to his in spite of herself, and she felt heat spike inside her and knew it showed, though she would deny it to the death.

“Come here,” he whispered. So much the way he used to say those very words to her in bed, when he was changing positions, moving her, turning and pulling her close again.

She moved close to the bars, drawn to him like a magnet to steel.

“There now,” he said. One arm encircled her shoulders, his hand resting at her nape, while the other rose, palm up, wrist near her chin. “There's a good vein there. Go ahead, drink.”

Her breath came faster; her eyes fell closed. “I'd rather go hungry.”

“You're a terrible liar. We both know you want it. If you were paying attention to anything besides trying to conceal your own desires, Topaz, you might know I want it, too.”

Her eyes flew open.

“We were good together. You can't deny that.”

“It wasn't real. You used me.”

“I did. But it was still good.” He lifted his wrist higher, closer to her mouth. “Take me the way you want to.”

“Can't,” she whispered, closing her hands around his forearm. “The damn bars are in the way.” Then she bent and sank her fangs into his flesh. She tasted him, and everything she had ever felt came screaming back to life inside her. She suckled and swallowed. She drank him. And she burned for him so badly that her entire being seemed swathed in a thick, red-hot haze of bloodlust.

All too soon, he was tugging his wrist away, pushing her head away gently, or perhaps weakly. Her eyes parted just a little, and she knew they were glowing with need—and with hunger—as they met his. She was shocked to see that his were bright with craving, as well.

“As good as ever,” he said, his voice throaty, almost a growl. “I wish Gregor hadn't taken the damn keys. If I could get in there with you right now, I'd—”

“Don't.” She closed her eyes and turned away, tried to douse the fire raging in every cell of her body. God, it was too much. She was
shaking
with it.

He took a deep breath, blew it out. “Tonight, when Gregor comes to question you, you need to tell him that you came here for me. Convince him that you're in love with me, that you couldn't forget me, and that you came here to try to win me back.”

Her head came up, her eyes opening wider as his gall did what her own will hadn't been able to do—douse the fires he'd lit inside her. “Not even in your wildest dreams,” she promised.

“Convince him that you came to join up with his gang, just to be close to me. Make it believable, Topaz.”

“You're out of your mind if you think I'm going to do that.”

He sighed heavily, the glow fading from his eyes. “Tell me, do you think Reaper will bring Vixen and Briar back to him right away?”

“I don't think he'll bring them back at all.”

“Well, the torture—
your
torture, Topaz—begins at sundown, unless you can convince Gregor you're on our side. And you'll have to give him something to prove your sincerity; some information about the other side to show him you're on the level. Do you understand?”

She shook her head. “I won't betray the others.”

“I'm not asking you to. Make something up, but make it something he can't verify. Better yet, tell him something true, something that isn't going to do any harm to your friends.”

She shook her head again. “You're asking me to sell out.”

“If you don't, you'll be tortured and probably killed. And there won't be a thing I can do to save you, Topaz.”

“You mean, there won't be a thing you're
willing
to do to save me, don't you?”

He turned away from the cell. “Sleep, Topaz. When you wake up, take my advice and do exactly what I've told you. But only if you want to live.”

And then he was gone.

Topaz sank onto her cot, furious with herself for wanting him so much, for risking so much to come here to warn him, to
save
him, when he clearly wasn't willing to risk a hair on his head for her.

When had she become so pathetic?

S
unset, and as she rose, Vixen battled a feeling of dread and an urge to run that was like nothing she had ever felt before. Reaper had brought Briar into the house where she had begun to feel safe—safer than she'd ever felt around others, mortal or vampire. Safer than she'd ever felt since she'd become what she now was. Seth was a big part of that. She craved him, relished his touch, felt eager, excited and yet tranquil all at once when he was near. But there was more than just Seth and his odd effect on her. There were the others. She'd begun to grow fond of them, to trust them, even. She'd begun to think of this place as a haven, but it wasn't the place, really. It was them, the people—Seth and Reaper and Topaz and Roxy—they were her haven.

But her haven had been ruined, and it felt like a violation.

It occurred to her that she didn't really know these vampires she'd been so close to trusting. Especially Reaper. She never would have imagined him bringing Briar here. Of course, he might be very close to deciding to turn her over to Gregor again—to returning both of them to captivity.

She should run. Every instinct told her that.

And yet she couldn't, because Topaz might pay with her life if she did.

So she rose, and she took her time showering, dressing, fixing her hair, giving the others plenty of opportunity to discuss her fate without her. And then she joined them just in time to hear Seth saying, “We need to know for sure.”

“Gregor doesn't strike me as the kind of man to make idle threats,” Reaper said.

“Then why don't we sense anything from Topaz?” Seth countered. “If she were in pain, being hurt, we'd feel it.”

Reaper pushed a hand through his hair and paced the room.

Stepping into his path, Vixen said, “You can't judge anything from the fact that you don't sense her. You can't read anything from inside that place, I think.”

Reaper met her eyes, his own narrowing. “I got that feeling when I was there, but I didn't think such a thing was possible. How can Gregor accomplish it?”

“I don't know. I don't even know for sure that it's true. But I could only sense Seth, feel him, when I was outside. Never when I was within those walls. And yet when I was out, I sensed him constantly, with every fiber of my being.”

Seth met her eyes and told her without a word that he felt just as powerfully connected to her.

She held his gaze for a long moment, then tore it away to face Reaper again. “I can find out what's happening to Topaz.”

Reaper looked into her eyes, his gaze probing. “You can't risk going back there.”

“They won't know. They won't even see me.”

“You couldn't even get inside, Vixen.”

“Yes, I could.”

Reaper studied her, frowning. Seth came to stand beside her, and he was searching her face, too. “How?” he asked.

She swallowed and pursed her lips. “I can't tell you that. Or rather, I
won't
tell you that. Not now. Maybe not ever. It's my secret to keep. But I can do it.”

“Yes,” Roxy said. “She can.” She smiled at Vixen. “Don't worry, little one. It's not my secret to tell, and I'll take it to my grave, if that's what you want.”

Somehow, Vixen believed her.

“Let me go,” she said, turning her attention to Reaper again. “I can be back in an hour. I can tell you everything that's going on with her.”

Reaper looked at Seth, as if waiting for his approval. Seth shook his head and started to say no, absolutely not; she felt the words spring to his lips before he even spoke, so she spoke first. “I don't know why I'm asking. It's not your decision. I'm going. I'll be back in two hours, at most. I hope you won't do anything until then.”

She turned to run toward the door. Seth raced after her, gripped her arm and spun her around. “Vixen, please don't. If they catch you again—”

“They won't.”

“But if they do—”

“If they do, you'll come for me.” She stared into his eyes, wanting to see in them some confirmation that what she had just said was absolutely true, and unsure
why
she wanted it. Not just to make her feel safe. In fact, her own safety had very little to do with the unfamiliar longing suffusing her core. “Won't you?”

“You're damn right I will.”

She blinked in reaction to his words, spoken with passion, with conviction, without a hint that they might be false. She believed them. She believed he meant it, and meant it just as powerfully as he'd spoken it. Why?

“If you'll let me come with you, I can make sure it won't be necessary, though.”

“You can't come with me.”

“Vix—”

She stretched and pressed her mouth to his, telling herself it was only to make him stop arguing, but knowing as soon as his arms closed around her that she had other reasons. He kissed her in a way he never had before, almost desperately, and she clung and kissed him back with everything in her, and wondered why she'd never understood the appeal of kissing before. It had seemed a waste of time. Now it seemed like heaven.

Finally she pulled free, turned and ran to the door.

She didn't stop running, either. Not until she was nearly at the enemy mansion, crouching in the woods near its boundaries and sending out her senses to determine whether she'd been followed.

It didn't feel as if she had. So she found a quiet spot, and there she focused her energy, relaxed her body and let it begin to change.

 

Gregor showed up just slightly after Topaz awoke in her cell. She was unimpressed with the man so far. For a bad-ass leader of a gang of rogues, he didn't look like much. Fit, yeah, but in a stubby way, and his close-cropped red hair showed signs that it had been thinning when he'd been brought over. His cheeks were pockmarked, his eyes pale blue, brows so blond they were almost invisible. He looked like a joke.

And yet she knew he was dangerous.

She'd been giving a lot of thought to Jack's suggestion, and no matter how she tried, she couldn't come up with a better idea.

“It's about time,” she said when he used the key to unlock her cell. “If you'd waited any longer, it might have been too late.”

“Too late for what?”

She pursed her lips. “No, no way, you've treated me like shit. Fuck you and your entire gang. I've changed my mind.”

Gregor shrugged. “Don't play games with me—Topaz, is it?”

She scowled at him. “Who said I'm playing? You think I came here to play? You think I risked my freaking
life
because I was playing with you?”

“I don't know. I
do
know that I'm about to find out.” He swung the door open wide and motioned her to come out.

She did, but slowly, warily. “I came here with an offering for you, you idiot. A gift, but you don't know the difference between a friend and an enemy.”

He lifted his pale, pale brows but kept walking, gripping her arm to tug her along at his side. They rounded a corner, into a larger basement room. On the far side, she saw the stairs that led up to the main house, the ones she couldn't see from her cell. But more importantly, she saw the chair in the middle of the room, with a goon from hell standing on either side of it. There was a coal bucket full of glowing embers on the floor, with an iron poker thrust into it.

“Friends don't usually run away when spotted.”

“I ran because I was being chased by some kind of oversized, demi-vamp or something. What
are
those things, anyway?” He didn't answer, just kept watching her. She sighed and went on. “I came here looking for you, Gregor. How was I supposed to know they worked for you?”

He pushed her into the chair. She sat, and tried not to tremble in fear, tried to keep to her plan. She'd deliberated all night long, but in the end, she'd realized she had no choice but to do as Jack had suggested.

Where the hell was he, anyway? You'd think he would at least show up.

“So why were you looking for me?” Gregor asked, even as he nodded to the goons. One of them moved behind her, grabbed her hands, pulled them back and began tying them way too tightly.

She could tear through that rope. What were they thinking? Then she glimpsed the hot coals and knew. The pain would leave her too weak to break free, probably after the first few minutes. And if she tried beforehand, well, they outnumbered her, so…

“That's a lie, actually,” she told him. “I wasn't looking for
you,
I was looking for Jack.”

“Again, I ask you. Why?”

She lowered her eyes. “To warn him. About Reaper.”

“And why would you want to do that?”

“That's personal,” she said. “Suffice it to say that I don't want to see him hurt. And if he stays with you, he will be.”

“By Reaper?”

She nodded. A thug was tying her ankle to the chair leg now. Then he moved to the other one. “Reaper is going to do his best to kill you and everyone else in this gang,” she said.

“So far, Topaz, you've told me nothing that I didn't already know.” He moved slowly toward the bucket of coals, gripped the handle of the poker.

“You touch me with that thing and, I swear, I will never tell you
anything
that could help you. I swear to God, one burn—”

“That's up to you, isn't it?” He pulled the poker from the coals. Its tip was glowing cherry red. “When does he plan to attack?”

“It was supposed to have been tonight,” she said. “But he won't if he knows I'm here. At least, I think he won't.”

He was still moving closer, still studying the tip of the poker. “And how was he planning to attack?”

She blinked rapidly, tried to look away from the poker, but couldn't. “I—I don't know.”

He lowered his head as if he were sad, shook it slowly, and moved the poker toward her face, closer and closer, until she could feel the heat searing her skin, even from an inch away.

“All right,” she said quickly. The poker's progress stopped, but still it hovered near, too hot. “He hadn't decided yet, but he was leaning toward burning the place while you all rested.”

“And how would he manage that? He has to sleep by day, too.”

She would be damned before she would mention Roxy. The mortal was the most vulnerable member of the entire group. “He mentioned using some kind of timing device.”

He nodded slowly and drew the poker away, but only a little. “Why did you want to warn Jack?”

“I—I c-can't—”

“Why?” He moved the poker closer again. “He stole from you, betrayed you.”

“I know. But I—” Her head fell, eyes on her lap. “I still love him,” she whispered.

“That's quite an admission.”

“That's quite a hot poker,” she shot back.

“One more thing, just one more, and then we'll see. And this, my little one, this will tell me all I need to know about your motives. Where are Reaper and your other friends staying?”

She couldn't betray them, not like this. Not when it might mean their lives. If this man knew where they were, he would annihilate them. He would destroy them. As irritating as they were—and as much as she hated to admit it—she cared about them. All of them.

“Hold her head still,” Gregor ordered.

And before she could react, huge, meaty hands clapped to either side of her head, smashing her ears, squeezing to the point of pain. Her face tipped up at the whim of those hands, and the poker touched her cheek.

She screamed in pain, even though the red-hot iron only grazed her skin. She could have burst into flames, but didn't. Instead she felt her flesh searing, smelled it, heard the snakelike hiss as glowing metal brushed across her cheek for the space of an instant. It didn't matter. Nothing hurt like a burn, and no one felt pain more acutely than a vampire.

Her agonized scream died away as the drone released his grip on her, and her head sagged forward.

“Where are they staying?” Gregor asked again.

“Nowhere.” The word emerged on a whimper of pain. God, it hurt. “Please, please, put something cold on my face.”

“Where are they staying?”

“I told you, nowhere. We've just been finding shelter wherever we can at dawn. Sometimes it's in the woods, sometimes an abandoned barn.” She gritted her teeth as waves of hurt crashed against her nerve endings, causing her to shiver all over.

“Again,” Gregor commanded.

The vamp behind her clamped her head again, and Gregor lifted the poker. But suddenly, the door at the top of the stairs burst open, and Jack leapt from the top of the staircase to the floor, nailing Gregor with two fists clamped together. Gregor stumbled, almost went over sideways but managed to catch himself, and just then a small missile made of copper fur with a white tip seemed to fly from nowhere. When she could focus, Topaz realized it was an animal, a fox, and it had its little jaws clamped around Gregor's wrist. The poker he'd been holding clattered to the floor, and he dropped to his knees, howling in pain.