Honoria Ravena (2 page)

And you want to do it
, a voice in the back of my mind whispered.
You want to get away with doing something naughty in front of all these people. And you want him, if only for a split second. Even if he’s being an asshole.

I grabbed his wrist and pressed his palm to my left breast. He kneaded my breast, and my nipples hardened. He grasped my nipple through my shirt and rolled it between his fingers.

He breathed heavily in my ear. “Show me where else.”

I guided his hand down my stomach. I hesitated at the top of my shorts, hoping he wanted his hand on the outside and not in them.

I got lucky, or he sensed he was about to push me too far, because he stopped and rested his hand on my lower stomach.

“So? Do you mind if we go in the back to finish this up?” I glanced at him from under my eyelashes.

He straightened and his charming smile came back into place, but his eyes remained dark, sexual, and predatory. “Sure thing.”

I sat back and took my first deep breath since this encounter had begun. I tried to center myself and slow my heartbeat. I needed to be focused to win this fight. I opened myself up to my powers. They’d give me an instinctive edge against him.

He leaped across the counter with the fluidity only a vampire could have. I noticed his bare feet and couldn’t quite suppress my smile as I slid off the barstool and grabbed my purse. A vampire who didn’t wear shoes? It seemed so odd. He placed a cool hand on my lower back, sliding it under my shirt. I managed not to flinch as my psychic senses rioted at the contact.

Everyone stumbled out of his way as if they were being pushed, and he guided me to a door on the right side of the bar and into a hallway. As the door shut, the sound of the music was instantly deadened. I took a calming breath, and my muscles relaxed, even with the vamp’s hand on me while my powers were on high alert.

He led me toward another door at the end of the corridor. It swung open before we reached it, and I hesitated. He smiled down at me as we stepped into his office. I’d never seen a vampire open a door with his mind. I wondered how powerful his telekinesis was. The most I could do was float a feather off my desk, and that took an incredible amount of effort.

And why had he used his power so blatantly? A chill went down my spine. He wouldn’t have unless he suspected I wasn’t just a woman in search of a quickie. I tried to brush that sense of unease off. Any humans who came here were deliberately seeking a vampire to fool around with. He probably thought I was one of those foolish women.

He rounded the huge, antique oak desk and sank into a red leather chair. His face went cold, losing all pretense of friendly flirting. “I was really hoping to get into your pants before you wondered if I knew you were a vampire hunter.”

My eyes widened. Great, my terrible gut feeling had been justified. Guess I wouldn’t be getting the jump on him.

“Are you worried yet?”

My smile dropped, and I tried to keep the surprise off my face. I sank into the chair in front of his desk. “How did you know?”

“I knew as soon as you stepped through the doors of the bar. You’re too powerful not to be sensed. Besides, even in that outfit, you don’t fit in here. It’s the way you carry yourself, and the fact that you aren’t strung out. Then you asked to see me alone.”

“Well, I do have some questions you can help me with.”

He shook his head. “What can I do for you then?”

“I want to know where the man who killed my parents is. My informant tells me you know. He also says you helped kill them.”

He rolled his eyes. “Well, shit, be vaguer. I know a lot of killers, and I’ve killed a lot of people.”

Rage flooded my veins in a hot rush. That was as good as confirmation to me. This was an evil bastard. Even if he had nothing to do with my parents’ death, the world would be a better place without him.

He waited for a full minute for me to ask him more questions while I seethed in my chair. Then he crossed his arms over his broad chest, a mocking smirk curling his lips. “So, were you too chickenshit to face me in front of other supernatural beings?”

I glared at him. How dare he imply that I was a coward? “Yes. If I did manage to kill you, I wouldn’t make it out the door. I’m good, but I’m not good enough to fend off fifty or more preternatural creatures. Also, I’ve got a few questions for you. Kind of hard to talk in the bar.”

“Well, I’m warning you now, you won’t win. I’ve gone up against better than you, honey. And my employees won’t interfere. I’ve told them that if someone manages to kill me, then they’re cunning enough to deserve life. As for the customers challenging you?” He gave a harsh bark of laughter. “Most of them would like to see me dead anyway.”

He must have been a real bastard for that many people to want him dead. I couldn’t say I was surprised though. “Wow, so when I kill you, I can just walk out of here?”

His laugh was a rich, lovely sound, like really good chocolate. “You won’t kill me. Where are your weapons anyway?”

He scanned my body. “That outfit doesn’t leave many places to hide a weapon. Not that I don’t appreciate the view.”

I patted my bag to make sure the leech hadn’t managed to steal my knives. Vampires made the best pickpockets because of their unnatural speed. Yep, the blades were still there. “I have my knives in my purse. It’s not the best place for them, but, like you said, acceptable clothing here doesn’t leave many places to hide a weapon.”

His mocking laughter filled the tiny office. “You’re so cute!” His good humor left as quickly as it appeared. The effect was eerie. Like erasing a whiteboard. “You’ll need more than a little knife to kill me. Hasn’t anyone told you that you have to sever my head?”

I clenched my fists. No vampire had actually mocked me before. “This isn’t my first time, baby.”

His gaze darkened as it roamed my body again. “I hope not. I can be a little rough.”

I was really going to enjoy killing this sarcastic fuck. “A knife to the heart has got to hurt though, and while you’re stunned by that, I can cut off your head. The knives I have really aren’t that small. Wanna see?”

He leaned back in his chair, propping his feet on the desk. “All in good time, sugar.”

His hands came to rest on his stomach. “A vicious and bloody death. I figured you wouldn’t want to get your hands that dirty. Pretty manicure, by the way. Your nails are a very practical length.”

I smiled sweetly and pulled the knives from my purse. It was time to end the pleasantries. “You really shouldn’t be concerned with my nails at the moment.”

“I’m just imagining them digging into my back, sugar.” He glanced at the blades and shrugged. “They’re well-made, and you probably could sever my head if I held still for you, but how likely is that? At any rate, it doesn’t really matter what knives you’re using. I’m still going to own you.”

I glowered at him. That was a strange way to put it. I was about to ask him what the hell he meant when he rose smoothly to his incredible height. I got an eyeful of his incredible chest as I glanced up to find his eyes. At five-foot-nine, not many men towered over me, but this one did. I was reluctant to admit that it really appealed to me.

He braced his hands on the desk and loomed over me. I jumped and thrust my knife toward his chest. He grabbed my wrist in a bruising grip before the blade made contact. Fuck, he was too close. I tried to yank my hand away, but he seemed to hold me in place with no effort. He stripped me of the knife with a flick of his hand before he jerked me to my feet.

His eyes glittered with barely contained fury. “You sure you want to fight in here, honey? It’s cramped. You might have a better chance if you had some more space. There’s also a better opportunity to escape when you decide you need to run. But be warned, I’ll hunt you to the edge of the Earth.”

I tried to wrench my wrist out of his grip again and landed on my ass when he released me. He had vanished. Shit, fighting him was not going to be easy.

I glanced around and saw the door to the office wide open. Zarek stood at the end of the hall, beckoning me, a mocking grin stretching his lips.

It seemed he wasn’t going to give me a choice as to where we fought. Of course not. Reluctantly, I went after him.

The music in the club had been turned off, and most of the clientele had cleared out. It must be near closing time. Or the employees knew there was going to be a fight and had told anyone who didn’t want to witness it to be on their merry way. The remaining creatures were lounging on the couches and in booths.

I stepped cautiously back into the bar, prepared for an attack. Wereanimals looked up from their drinks. One vampire drew back from the neck of a woman he’d been sucking on. When she tried to pull him back to her throat, he kissed her, whispered in her ear, and then led her hands into his pants before going back to watching me.

“Hey, Markus, take that to the back room. You know the rules,” Zarek shouted.

I jerked my head around to find where he was standing. I arched an eyebrow. “Oh, so there are rules here?”

He grinned and shrugged. “Vampires don’t have a lot of inhibitions. Public sex isn’t a big deal to them, but it freaks out the wereanimals. It also freaks out the few shape-shifters who come through here, but they’re raised to be uptight.”

I rolled my eyes. I really didn’t need an explanation of the moral differences between a bunch of monsters. His attempts to put off our fight were starting to piss me off. “So, are you going to arm yourself, vampire?”

He held up his hands and flashed a wicked set of fangs. “I’m well-equipped, child. I could rip you to pieces with my bare hands.”

I stared at him as he advanced, looking for a good place to strike. I wanted to aim for his heart, but he had all the advantages right now. I’d have to aim for his stomach. There were no bones protecting him there and while it wasn’t a killing blow to a vampire, it was still pretty hard to fight with your guts falling on your feet. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw the customers form a circle around us, like vultures waiting for the kill.

“I thought you weren’t going to let people interfere. Are you a lying sack of shit, Zarek?”

The corner of his mouth kicked up. “They won’t interfere, they just want a good view. An excellent bar fight is always entertaining. Our little floor show will get my bar some good publicity.”

I darted forward to slash at his stomach. He danced back with ease, not even bothering to use the vampiric speed he was capable of.

Because of their agility, it was always easier to take a vampire by surprise. A shiver of unease passed down my spine. The fact that he could dance away with the skill of a prizefighter and not rely on his supernatural lightness of foot was not encouraging.

I growled in frustration. I might kill him, but I’d always carry the scars of this encounter. He was going to make sure he took a pound of my flesh to his grave. If this vamp hadn’t known where to find my parents’ murderer, I would have walked away from this job. No amount of pay was worth the pain that was about to come. Unfortunately, I didn’t think he’d let me walk away if I tried.

His muscles coiled as he readied to spring. I rolled out of the way as he disappeared from view. My short black wig fell off. I came to my feet and spun around, shoving handfuls of wavy, vibrant red hair out of my eyes. He stood where I had been seconds ago.

He disappeared again, and I was left staring at where he had been. Shit! I glanced around, frantic to find him. The vampires I’d fought before were fast, but this was mind-boggling.

A hand tangled in my hair and yanked my head back. Sharp fangs pierced my throat as his arm snaked around my waist.

I screamed, blinded by the pain. I dropped my knives. Panic swamped my brain. The throbbing of my heart drowned out all other sound as I thrashed against him, trying to get him to release my throat.

I took a deep breath and attempted to calm my frantic mind. Freaking out was going to get me killed. I slammed my foot down on his instep before bashing my elbow back into his solar plexus, throwing all my weight into it.

He released my throat and tumbled to the ground. He lay curled on his side, gagging. I scrambled for my knives, ignoring the wave of dizziness that caused black spots to dance across my vision. I seized one, rolled over, and shoved it into his chest, twisting it viciously. He cried out in pain.

I flinched. The agony in his expression tore at me. Suddenly he looked so human and helpless.

My grip loosened on the knife before I shook myself. This vampire was evil. He’d had something to do with my parents’ murder.

It was still a shame, though. He had such a great sense of humor, and he really was gorgeous.

“Bitch!” So much for regret.

His hand flew up, gripped mine around the knife, and started to squeeze. My knuckles cracked, and I shrieked. This fucker was going to crush my hand into pulp. I spun and went for the knife at his feet. He kicked out, and it went spinning away toward the wall of people.

I screamed as one of the bones in my hand snapped. My vision blurred as another bone gave under the pressure. I tried to pull away, but he wouldn’t release me. I stood to get more leverage and threw all my weight back, but still couldn’t break free.

He coughed and blood splattered his lips. Oh goody, internal bleeding. I slammed my foot into his chest repeatedly. He let me go, and I stumbled back into the crowd. They shoved me toward Zarek, and I fell on my face. I sat up, cradling my hand. Faintly, I wondered if I’d ever be able to use it again. I glanced at my palm. The Gaelic spells carved on my knives were indented in my hand.

Excited murmurs broke through the crowd, and my gaze swung back to Zarek. He was sitting up now, my knife still sticking out of his chest. His hands gripped the hilt. His face contorted in pain as he drew the blade out.

I got light-headed as I watched in horror. I had hoped Alaric was wrong about his ability to survive a knife to the heart.

The knife clattered to the ground. Zarek’s body sagged forward. As if in slow motion, he stood. He swayed, but didn’t fall down. Blood seeped down his torso. He took an unsteady step toward me.

I sucked in a gasp that made my lungs ache before I scrambled through the legs of the onlookers to get to my other knife. My shaking hand closed over the hilt just as arms came around my waist, and I was lifted into the air.

Zarek set me on my feet, turned me around, and backhanded me hard. I spun, hitting the ground on my stomach. All the air rushed out of me. Zarek grabbed my shoulder and flipped me over.

He jerked my knife from my hand. By some miracle, I’d managed to hold on to it. He straddled my thighs and sliced just under his collarbone. Wrapping his arms around me, he drew me up and forced my mouth to the cut.

He was going to turn me! I shoved at his chest, but I wasn’t strong enough to force my body away from him. I raked my nails down his torso, drawing blood. He hissed and increased the pressure on the back of my head.

The smell of his blood filled my nose. My stomach cramped as the bloodlust that overcomes a vampire’s victim preyed on me. I kept my mouth tightly closed as warm blood slid over my lips.

His mind crashed over mine in a blinding wave of agony, attempting to crush my will to fight him. I grimaced. The pain in my brain pushed, expanded, and I pressed on my temples, fearing it would explode.

“Stop fighting me and the pain will stop.”

I wasn’t sure if he’d spoken out loud or in my head. One by one, invisible needles pricked my skin. Each one tormenting me more, until I wanted to jump up and run from the pain. I cried out against his flesh, and his blood rushed over my tongue. I was done for.

I licked over the wound tentatively before I latched on, my hands wrapping around his neck. The pain ceased instantly. His hands gentled, no longer holding me to him as he stroked my hair.

“Good girl,” he whispered in my ear. “Told you you wouldn’t win.”

I leaned back from the wound and stared up at him. He rose to his feet with me. Vaguely, I heard cheering in the background, but his gaze hypnotized me. I couldn’t look away.

I blinked and tore my gaze from his. I was supposed to be doing something. Something important.

He turned my face back to him. “Let me feed, Regan.”

Obediently, I tilted my head, even as a shudder worked its way down my spine. I didn’t want him to drink from me. He would kill me. My heart pounded. I snapped my hand forward and covered his mouth. I leaned away and stared up at him. His forehead crinkled as he frowned. The confused look on his face was too cute for words.

Let me feed.
His voice seemed to come from inside my head. I shook my head and pushed myself away from him. His hands lingered on my arms before he released me. His eyes narrowed, and he put pressure on my mind. Pain detonated in my head.

“Stop that!” I shouted as I glanced around. My gaze fell to the knife on the ground covered in his heart’s blood.

His hold over me snapped, and I dove for the knife. My left hand closed around it as Zarek grabbed my right arm. He flipped me over, and I threw my left hand up and slashed his throat. Blood poured over me and I scrambled to my feet, backing away from him as he clutched his neck.

He rushed at me and slammed his fist into my jaw. Agony tore through my head as I went flying. The crowd jostled to get out of the way. I smashed into the wooden door. The hinges snapped, and the door fell outward. I finally came to rest in front of two startled female wereanimals. I lay there for a moment and let the rain beat down on me until the women skirted around me and disappeared inside the club.

“Thanks a lot,” I shouted weakly after them before rolling to my feet. I stumbled and caught myself against the wall, then staggered down the street. I had to get to my car and get the fuck out of there before Zarek managed to come after me. In spite of his final blow, I was hoping he was too injured to follow.

But I wasn’t going to stick around and find out. I kept underestimating his strength. I ran all the way back to the parking lot, a block away from the club, and found my car. The rain chilled me to the bone, but it also washed away Zarek’s blood. I unclipped my keys from my belt loop and unlocked the door.

Everything in my body ached. I gingerly patted the bruise blossoming on my cheek. My whole body would be covered in them tomorrow. I collapsed into the driver’s seat and locked the doors.

Yeah, because a locked car door would keep a vampire out. I almost laughed. Shit, if a locked door couldn’t keep common car thieves out, it had no hope against vampires.

I snagged the towel I’d used for my morning swim from the passenger’s seat and attempted to dry off and create some body heat. Tossing the towel to the floor, I leaned back. My eyes drifted closed, about to give in to the need for sleep, or rather, passing out. I popped them open. I couldn’t afford to rest here.

Driving was going to be interesting without the use of my right hand. I leaned over and awkwardly started the car with my left hand. I turned the air conditioning on full blast to help keep me awake.

I backed out of the parking space and started out of town. My broken bones ached, but not as badly as they should have. Either I was in shock or his blood had healed me. He hadn’t turned me into a vampire. I would have been in too much pain to get away from him if he had, but what had he done?

I planned to drive straight to Alaric’s and ask him. I leaned back and prepared myself for the long drive. My eyelids drooped. I probably should have stopped then, but my stubbornness kept me going. My eyes slipped closed, and I was back in my house, sitting on the stairs, listening to my parents berating me for skipping school. Oh, how I missed their voices.