Good, the Bad, and the Vampire (13 page)

“I-I couldn't help him,” Trixie sputtered. “I couldn't do anything.”

“Shh.” Dakota stroked her hair and whispered, “Stay still.”

“Hey, man.” A pair of drunken humans stumbled across the entrance of the alley. The club was closed and the city mostly quiet, but there was no escaping the presence of humans. “That was some crazy shit. What is that thing, dude?”

Dakota was about to tell them to piss off when Shane Quesada landed silently behind them. He took them both by the shoulders, spun them around, and started whispering to them. Once he was there, Dakota barely paid them any mind. When he looked back down at Trixie, she was staring up at him with wide, frightened eyes. He helped her sit up a bit, but she winced with obvious pain.

“Take it easy, darlin'.” He bit his wrist and offered it to her. “You definitely broke some ribs. Drink this. You'll heal faster and then we have to get you inside.”

Trixie took his hand and started to bring it to her mouth but stopped, shook her head, and pushed his arm gently away.

“No.” She forced herself to a sitting position and artfully avoided his gaze. “I-I'm fine. Let's just get inside. I want to see Damien.”

Dakota tried not to think about how much her rejection stung, especially with everything going on and in front of Quesada. She didn't want to take his blood because that would mean completing the bloodmate bond. Even after everything he'd said and done…she still wasn't ready.

“Where's Damien?” Her voice cracked and tears glimmered in those gorgeous brown eyes that were edged with pain. Rising to her feet, she used the side of the building for support and refused the hand he offered. “Is he…?”

Shane moved toward them, and the question died on her lips. The saddened expression on his face gave them the answer neither of them wanted.

Trixie shook her head wildly, a harsh sob tearing from her throat. Dakota reached out to pull her into his arms and comfort her, but she resisted. He stood there helplessly as she limped away weeping. Trixie tugged open the alleyway entrance to The Coven before disappearing inside.

“Is it dead?” Shane asked quietly.

Filled with rage and frustration, Dakota slowly rose to his feet, then turned to the hideous stone creature behind him. These beasts had stolen everything from him. First they took his human life, and now they were hell-bent on stealing his one chance at happiness. Growling in fury, Dakota picked the stone creature up and hurled it against the back alley wall, shattering it into a thousand pieces.

“It is now,” Dakota growled, then followed Trixie inside.

* * *

“They're both dead?” Olivia asked flatly. Still and virtually lifeless, Damien lay on a bed next to Chelsea, an IV blood drip attached to his arm. Olivia stared at Damien's hulking form, her green eyes filled with tears. Doug held her in his arms as she shook with grief, trying to soothe her pain. “You're sure?”

“Yes.” Shane nodded, his expression grim. “I shot the one that attacked Damien. Looks like silver bullets work if you shoot them in the head. It shifted to its human form and Dakota tells me that indicates a true death. Xavier has the body in his lab.” He arched one dark eyebrow and glanced at Dakota. “The other is currently a pile of rocks out in the alley. Therefore, also dead.”

“Good,” she bit out.

“It's lucky for Damien that you were the one who turned him, Pete.” Doug nodded toward the other sentry, currently standing at the foot of Damien's bed. Pete's eyes glowed red, a side effect of his demon heritage. “If he didn't have your suped-up vampire-demon blood, he probably wouldn't have survived that attack.”

“True, but it doesn't make me feel much better.” Pete nodded slowly. “I reached out to Asmodeus to see if my dear old dad knew anything about these creatures or the gold, but he wasn't much help. Some bullshit about the demons in the Brotherhood not wanting to open old wounds or something. He did have one bit of information that was helpful.”

“What's that?” Dakota asked.

“Dakota, you said that Trixie gets pain or cramps or something when these things come around?”

“Yeah, but I think tonight was worse than ever before.” Anger bubbled up when he recalled the way the gargoyle had loomed over her in the alley. “She was incapacitated. She couldn't fight back or fly.”

“And that is not like Trixie,” Doug said with a touch of irony. “That girl has been feisty and ready for a fight since I met her.”

“You said it,” Dakota murmured.

“Asmodeus said that Trixie must have something funky in her bloodline. He thinks she
could
be descended from witches, and that's why she gets those weird cramps when the gargoyles are around. It's some kind of biological warning bell. I don't know. He's a cryptic son of a bitch.”

“Then her daughter could have it too.” Dakota stilled and flicked his attention to Chelsea, still deep in the transition sleep. “That might be why her turn is taking so long and her blood memories were foggy.”

“Our little coven sure is full of surprises. A witch bloodline?” Olivia said absently. “I didn't pick up on anything like that when I turned Trixie, and her turn was completely normal.”

“Who knows? Maybe Chelsea has a different percentage of witch genes or whatever.” Pete let out a growl of frustration and folded his arms over his broad chest. “I went through my entire human life not knowing I had demon blood. Anyway, Asmodeus said it could be way back in her family history. The kind of thing that might not have been noticed until these guys showed up from supposed extinction. You know, their presence woke up her dormant genetics.”

“Not so extinct after all,” Olivia murmured.

“No.” Dakota clasped his hands in front of himself and fought to keep his anger in check. “And neither of the two that attacked us tonight was the one from the cabin. The scents are different. Not only that, but I detected something strange about one of the scents I picked up at Gatlin's apartment. I can't put my finger on it…but it was…off.”

“You're sure?” Doug asked.

“Absolutely.” Dakota nodded. “The differences between their scents are subtle but they're there. What's worse is that we have no idea how many more of them might be out there and lookin' to come at us.” He set his mouth in a tight line. “The game has changed. We're not talkin' about one rogue. This is organized and calculated. They want that gold back.”

“Where is Trixie?” Olivia swiped at her eyes and sat down on the edge of Damien's bed. “Dakota, did you give her the blood she needs to get her strength back? She was pretty banged up from that fall.”

“She's with Maya,” Shane interjected. “And is on the mend.”

Shane cleared his throat and flicked an apologetic glance at Dakota. He had been there. He'd seen Trixie reject Dakota's offer. Shane may be a stodgy old son of a bitch, but Dakota could have kissed him for sparing him the humiliation of explaining
that
.

“I should have seen this,” Suzie whispered. She sat between the two beds, one hand holding Chelsea's and the other linked with Damien's. “Why didn't I see this coming?”

“It's not your fault,” Dakota said. “It's those things. They came here lookin' for their damn gold, and they aren't gonna stop until they get it—or we do.”

“How did they even know Chelsea had that gold piece?” Doug asked.

“Xavier said she posted about it on one of them blog things. She did that with several of her unusual coins, looking for their origins and value,” Dakota murmured. “The damn Internet was how they found her. Hell, she led 'em straight to that coin.”

“And it brought them here to the city,” Olivia fumed. “To my front door.”

“Yes.” Dakota cast a grave look at the czar. “They aren't going to stop until they get the coin.”

“You want to go to Texas, don't you?” Olivia asked quietly.

“That's where it all started. The way I see it, that's where we finish it.” Dakota pulled his leather gloves out of his pocket and tugged them on. “We know Gatlin has an address there.”

“He's on the run with a baby,” Doug interjected. “He's going to want to go somewhere familiar.”

“Yes.” Dakota nodded. “We also know that other gargoyles are lookin' for him and for this gold. That message scrawled on the mirror in his apartment—
See you in Texas—
that was for Gatlin. So I say we go find the gold before they do. Trixie found one piece down there, so it goes to follow that's where the rest of it is.”

“I haven't heard back from Zhao, and that's not making me feel any better about this. His assistant said he's
indisposed
,” Olivia said. “You and Trixie will go to Texas and figure out where she found that coin. I want that gold as far away from our people as possible. I know she wants to find the baby, but as far as we know, that little girl was taken by her father and isn't in any danger.

“I love Trixie, but I have to think about the good of the entire coven and our people as a whole. If the gargoyles blatantly attacked two of my coven members in the middle of New York City, what else will they do? I'm a czar and I don't have the luxury of making choices based solely on my personal feelings. That gold goes back as soon as possible. I'm sorry to say this, but the baby has to be a secondary consideration.”

“No, ma'am.” Dakota shook his head and the room fell silent. “With all due respect, she is not and we'll be doin' it a different way.”

“Oh really?” Olivia rose slowly to her feet, the fire in her gaze leveled at Dakota. “Care to tell me why you are blatantly defying my orders, Sentry Shelton?”

All eyes were on him and the expressions on their faces ranged from curious to furious. Dakota didn't give a shit.

“Because I love her,” he shouted.

Olivia's eyebrows rose but she said nothing.

“That's right.” Dakota settled his hands on his hips, not quite believing he'd actually admitted that out loud. Hell, he hadn't even admitted it to himself. “I love her. Trixie is my bloodmate, but that don't even matter. Even if she doesn't bond with me, I love that crazy woman and I'm not lettin' her out of my sight for one damn minute. We'll get the gold back where it belongs, but I am also going to help her find that baby girl. And if she's got some kind of gargoyle alarm hooked up inside her, then maybe she can learn how to find these things. Or at the very least, warn us if they're comin' around.”

“How is she supposed to learn how to do that?”

“Well, I don't know but—”

“I do,” Pete said in a matter-of-fact tone. “My old man has a friend who lives out west who can help. Her name is Isadora. She's a witch, older than dirt and smart as a whip. If anyone can teach Trixie how to get her witch on, it's that woman. I can put you in touch with her.”

“I'd be much obliged,” Dakota said firmly. “We'll find her grandbaby and the damn gold.”

“You want to find all of it and use it to help you get the baby back, don't you?” Olivia kept her serious gaze locked with his.

“Damn straight. Those sons of bitches can have every ounce of it for all I care, but I'm not givin' them one piece until we find that little girl safe and sound. Like I said. I love Trixie, and I am gonna find that baby if it's the last thing I do.”

Before anyone could argue with him, Dakota turned to head for the door and found himself staring into a pair of gorgeous brown eyes.

Based on the stunned expression on her face, Trixie had heard it all.

“I guess all those times that Damien said I was being a bitch…he wasn't too far off the mark.” Trixie's teary gaze met Dakota's, and the pain and confusion he saw there made his gut clench. “I'll get my stuff and meet you at the entrance to the tunnels, Dakota.”

She vanished from the doorway in a blur.

“Keep us posted on Damien and Chelsea,” Dakota said quietly without taking his gaze off the empty doorway. “I have a safe place we can stay in Fredricksville. That's where we'll be headed, and I'll text you when we get there.”

“Dakota?” Olivia's voice, edged with concern, stopped him before he stepped out the door. He didn't turn around. “Don't let her get hurt. She's my family.”

“Not a chance,” he said curtly. “She's mine too.”

With the chatter of the others fading, Dakota went into Xavier's lab to stock up on weapons and ammunition. As he strode through the massive storage room and carefully selected exactly what he wanted, he couldn't help but wonder if he was the one who would get hurt. A vampire's physical injuries healed swiftly and left no trace behind.

A vampire's heart didn't beat and Dakota was no different.

His heart was a shriveled-up husk inside his chest, a remnant of a life no longer lived. With no heartbeat, he should be impervious to love—free of the heartbreak suffered by humans who lived and breathed. Dakota was a vampire, and therefore he had no heart to wound.

If that was true, then why did it hurt so fucking bad?

Trixie and Dakota barely said two words to each other on the entire trip down to Texas. They traveled through the extensive underground tunnel system by day, and once the sun went down, they flew side by side the rest of the way to Fredricksville. Whenever Dakota looked at Trixie he found that same grim but determined expression on her face. It was a combination of fury, guilt, and sadness, and Dakota had had about enough. Before they got to the ranch, there was a conversation they needed to have.

Without a word, he pointed to the winding creek below that cut through the ranch. Trixie simply nodded and followed him to the water's edge, landing noiselessly beside him. She adjusted the black backpack she was carrying and hooked her thumbs behind the straps, avoiding his stare all the while.

“Where are we?” she asked, looking around them. Looking anywhere but at him. “I thought we were staying at some ranch or something.”

“This is it. The Circle S has almost a thousand acres to it. Used to be more, but we sold land off over the years. Most of it is part of the state park now, back that way. My family's ranch sits right along the edge of it.” He snagged the strap of the duffel bag he had slung across his chest, pulled it over his head, and tossed it onto the ground. “The main house and cottage are just over that hill,” he said, nodding to his left.

“Then why'd we land over here?”

“You and me need to get a couple things straight before we invade the peace and quiet of Hector and Addie's lives.”

“Hector and Addie?” Trixie's brow furrowed. “Who are they? Familiars?”

“Sort of.” Dakota moved closer but Trixie didn't move. She kept her gaze on the horizon. “They're my family. They live in the main house but keep the cottage available for me when I come back this way to visit.”

“What do you mean, your family?” Her head snapped toward him, her eyes wide in total surprise, but she recovered quickly. “I never met a vampire with a human family that was still…”

“Alive?”

“Well, yeah,” she said with a small smile. “It's not exactly a regular thing. Most vamps leave their human family behind, and then they eventually die off.”

“Well, like you, I wasn't turned all that long ago. Hector is my nephew, my brother's only kid, and Addie is his wife.” He smirked and settled his hands on his hips. “He ain't much of a kid anymore. Hell, he was a baby when I was turned, but the man is in his sixties now. Anyway, he and Addie never had any kids, so they're all that's left of my
human
family.”

“Okay,” Trixie said slowly. “So…they know what you are?”

“They surely do.” He let out a sigh. “After Jonner died, I was kinda lost. No maker. No siblings. He was the only other vampire I had any contact with, because that gargoyle hunt was top secret. I decided to go home. I'd stayed away for over a year, and tellin' 'em all the truth seemed a lot easier than makin' up some big old lie.”

“Wow…they must have really loved you.”

“I suppose they did… Especially my mama. Anyway, I hung around for a couple years, and let's just say I didn't exactly fit in. Eventually, I went to the local czars and enlisted as a sentry. I come home from time to time. They know what I am, but I wouldn't say they
embrace
it. In fact, Addie refers to it as a lifestyle choice.”

“Holy shit.” Trixie gaped at him. “Does the Presidium know about this?”

“Maybe. I haven't given it much thought. I work for them, Trix. They don't own me.” He took one step closer so their bodies were mere inches apart, her sweet scent filling his senses. It was tempting and wicked, daring him to touch her. But he didn't. “If you had taken my blood last night to heal those broken ribs, you'd already know all of this—and then some.”

She stilled and nibbled on her lower lip, but she wouldn't look at him. Dakota linked his hand around her slim bicep and turned her gently so she was facing him. He tipped her chin up with his other hand and ran his thumb over her mouth.

“Care to tell me why you wouldn't take my blood?” Dakota dropped both hands to his sides, the hurt and pain from that moment rushing back. “That wasn't
too
humiliating with Quesada standin' right there,” he said sarcastically. “I mean, damn, woman, everyone knows we're bloodmates. What was the big deal?”

“What was the
big deal
? You really can be dense sometimes.” Trixie's eyes narrowed and a familiar glint of anger flickered over her face “Everything you know about women wouldn't fill up the strip of paper in a fortune cookie.”

“Is that so?” He leaned forward. “Why don't you enlighten me.”

“Okay, cowboy,” she said. “Let's set aside the fact that I thought Damien was dead up on that roof. Did it ever occur to you that the freaking reason I didn't want to drink from you—
for the first time ever
—was because we had a damn audience watching the whole thing? Taking your blood, whether it's for healing purposes or not, isn't like drinking from anyone else.

“Come on, man. I have no idea what's going to happen when I taste your blood, Dakota. I don't know what I'll see, what I'll feel, or how the fuck my body will react. I mean, for all I know, I could've lost my damn mind and stripped you naked in the middle of that alley, or had some kind of mind-blowing orgasm. Oh sure. Awesome plan.” Trixie gave him a double thumbs-up and took a step back.

“But excuse the hell out of me for bruising your big, fat male ego,” she shouted. “I am
so
sorry that I totally didn't want to share an intimate moment like that in the middle of a dirty alley in front of Shane I'm-a-total-stick-in-the-mud Quesada!”

It wasn't often that Dakota found himself speechless, but this was one of those times. She was absolutely right. None of that had occurred to him and he felt like a total ass. All this time, he'd been thinking that he was putting her needs first and worrying about her comfort and happiness, but that wasn't true at all. He'd been so caught up in his own wounded ego that he didn't stop to think what their bloodmate bond meant for her.

Dakota recalled a moment in his childhood when another boy in class had to wear the dunce cap and sit in the corner. He was pretty sure he needed one of those hats right about now.

“I'm sorry,” Dakota said quietly. “And you're right. I don't know squat about women or love or bloodmates. I'm just tryin' to figure it all out and keep us from gettin' killed in the meanwhile.”

Trixie tore off her backpack and threw it to the ground, as though the weight of it was too much. Most likely, the bag wasn't what was weighing on her. Trixie kicked at a rock, then squatted down, resting her elbows on her knees. She stared into the moonlit creek, an air of guilt hanging over her like a shroud.

“It wasn't only because of that. I was disgusted with myself. I freaked out when those gargoyles showed up,” she whispered. “Nothing worked, Dakota. It's like my body totally betrayed me for the first time since I became a vampire.”

“What happened to Damien was not your fault.” He spoke softly and with as much tenderness as he could muster, but she still flinched. “I know that Olivia and everyone else already told you that, but I thought you needed to hear it again. Besides, he's gonna recover.”

“Yeah, but no thanks to me.” She cracked her knuckles. He moved closer, but she refused to look at him. “I'm a damn disaster area—a former drug addict vampire, apparently with witch's blood in her veins and a massive inferiority complex. What a mess.”

“But a beautiful one, and thanks to Pete, we've got that Isadora woman comin' to meet you tomorrow night. Hopefully, she can help you with this witch stuff.”

He bent at the knees next to her and picked up a smooth gray stone. He tossed it into the creek and smiled as it skipped four times before finally disappearing into the water.

“What do you say we get on over to the house and get ourselves settled. Besides”—he rose to his feet and extended a hand to her—“I'd like you to meet Hector and Addie. They know we're comin' and they might have gotten up extra early to greet us.”

Trixie flicked her gaze to his hand and hesitated for a moment before tangling her soft fingers with his. Dakota squeezed them gently and swallowed the sudden lump in his throat. He'd never been a particularly mushy guy, but Trixie seemed to have a direct line to his heart. She stood up slowly, a smile curving those full rosebud lips. When she inched closer, he linked his other hand with hers. A surge of desire pulsed in him as that lush womanly body wavered inches from his.

“I'm sorry that you felt rejected or embarrassed,” she said quietly. Her tongue flicked out, moistening her lower lip, and she pulled him almost imperceptibly toward her. “I'm not going to lie to you, Dakota. I am freaked out by the whole bloodmate bond.”

“Why?” He rasped his thumb over the top of her hand before bringing it to his lips and pressing a soft kiss there. “Would it really be so bad to get saddled with a good old boy like me?”

“No, it's not you…it's me,” she said through a laugh. Trixie rolled her eyes and tossed her head back with a playful growl of frustration. “Jeez. I know that sounded lame. Just give me some time, okay?”

She popped up on her toes and kissed his cheek quickly, then let go, grabbed her backpack, and pulled it on. The gold from the necklace glinted along her throat in the moonlight as she moved. It probably wasn't wise to be standing out here exposed.

“Well, if there's one thing us vampires have plenty of, it's time,” he groused, slinging the duffel bag over his head. “But promise me somethin'.”

“What?” Trixie eyed him suspiciously but a smile lingered beneath it. “You're not gonna try and get me to go line dancing, are you?”

“I might.” He winked.

“As if!” Trixie let out a short laugh and gestured to her torn jeans, skull-and-crossbones shirt, and colorful hair. “Do I look like the line dancing type to you? A mosh pit? Definitely. Two-steppin'? I don't think so.”

“Well, smarty pants, that ain't it.” He grabbed her hand and held it tight. “No more hidin'. Not from me. Not from your feelin's. And when you're ready, I wanna hear about what it is exactly that ‘freaks you out,'” he said, making air quotes with his free hand. “Deal?”

Trixie's mouth set in a tight line and she studied him closely, as though weighing her options, before finally nodding her head. “Deal.”

“Alright then.” Dakota grinned wickedly as he released her hand and whispered, “Last one to the house is a rotten egg.”

With Trixie laughing and cursing right behind him, Dakota flew through the warm Texas evening. For the first time since this whole mess had begun, he had the one thing he'd been missing.

Hope.

* * *

Trixie stood in the large airy living room of the expansive ranch house and did her best not to fidget. This
little
ranch house was nothing like she'd expected. It was freaking huge. The sprawling one-level home was absolutely beautiful. The vaulted, exposed beam ceilings gave it a cathedral-like feeling, and the whitewashed brick hearth that went all the way up to the roof stood at the center of it all. To the left was a giant kitchen with top-of-the-line everything, and to the right was a huge family room full of lush furniture and a bank of huge windows that made it seem even bigger than it was.

In all her life, Trixie had never been inside a fancy home like this.

She'd never been so nervous in her whole stupid existence, and she was wishing she'd worn something nicer than the T-shirt, jeans, and combat boots she currently had on.

What a dummy.

Here she was meeting Dakota's human family, practically the Holy Grail in the vampire world, and she looked like she'd just rolled outta bed. Awesome. What had she been thinking? The answer? Not much. She'd had her head up her butt ever since the whole bloodmate debacle started. Her wardrobe certainly hadn't taken up much of her thoughts over the past couple of days.

Hector and Addie were perfectly pleasant, but she didn't miss the look they exchanged after being introduced to her. Addie, in particular, looked her up and down with thinly veiled horror. It was probably a safe bet that there weren't many blue-haired punk rockers in this tiny Texas town.

“Thanks again for waitin' up to see us,” Dakota said, after releasing Addie from a big hug. “I can't believe it's been almost five years.”

“Of course, sweetheart.” Addie giggled. She was wearing a floral robe over her soft round form, and her short gray hair was tucked behind her ears. With her ruddy complexion and a wide smile, the woman looked like a grandmother from one of those sitcoms. “You're family and, well, I suppose you are too, Trixie. After all, you must be special to Dakota if he brought you here. You're part of the same
lifestyle
that our Dakota is?”

“Uh, yeah.” Trixie smiled and lifted one shoulder, not sure what else to say. She was still trying to figure it all out, so good luck explaining it to anyone else. “I am, I guess. Thanks for getting up so early to meet us.”

“Honey, this is a horse ranch,” Addie said with big smile. “We're up before the sun on most days.”

“We don't have too many visitors out this way.” Hector hitched up his faded jeans and swiped at his round, bald head with a handkerchief. The guy was sweating like a pig. Unlike Addie, he was not wearing his pajamas. Hector looked like he'd already done a full day's work. “Just us and the horses. And Miguel, of course.”

“Miguel?” Trixie asked, inching a little closer to Dakota. “More family?”

“No. Well, not exactly.” Dakota laughed and slung his arm over Trixie's shoulder in a casual and familiar way. A day or two ago, a gesture like that might have annoyed her, but not tonight. Right now, she was more than happy to stick close to him. Hector made her nervous. “Miguel is a local fella. He's been a ranch hand out here for well over twenty years, and he's a familiar.”