La Luxure: Discover Your Blood Lust (17 page)

She shook her head in disgust. "My sister
works in a tattoo shop."

For the first time, he realized he was
pissing her off. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean anything by it." Yeah,
right. "I just thought...I mean...you and I, we make sense. This
guy
," he jabbed his thumb towards the dance floor upstairs.
"I get it. You have a New Orleans fling, live out some fantasy of
being with a tattooed, Emo guy. Then what? Not only do you live in
completely different states, but you come from two different
worlds. You and I on the other hand, have the same profession, we
live fairly close...it just works. He's a loser Julia. Can't you
see that?"

"No."

"What can you possibly have in common with
him?"

"Does it matter?"

"Yes. You need someone that can match you,
intellectually and professionally, not some loser douche-bag."

Julia didn't have a reply she cared to utter,
so she remained silent, her eyebrows reaching for the ceiling.

"I wish you could see what a great fit we
are," Dave went on. "I don't meet many women like you..."

"That's funny, Dave, because I meet guys like
you every day." She hadn't intended on turning into such a bitch,
but at this point, she was kind of drunk, she desperately needed to
pee, and he'd angered her enough that she no longer cared. "Look,
you're a nice guy, and I enjoyed hanging out with you and your
friends, but maybe it's time for you to leave. This isn't your type
of place anyway."

"You're actually going to blow me off to fuck
some freakoid?"

"Well, that would be the perfect ending to
this evening." Any attempt at not being a bitch was discarded.

"Unbelievable. If I'd realized you were such
a freak chasing slut, I would have never wasted my time talking to
you."

What an asshole. Thank God circumstances had
progressed the way they had, otherwise she might have ended up with
him and wasted one more year of her life in another horrible
relationship.

"Is everything alright over here?" the
doorman Armand had called Kindle asked. He was a big, muscular man,
and his deep brown eyes focused on Dave with contempt. There was an
undeniable menace to his posture that couldn't be construed as
anything but threatening.

Puffed up like a rooster, Dave didn't look
ready to back down, and the bouncer coming over only angered him
more. Dave may have pissed her off, but Julia still didn't want to
read about his blood-drained body in the paper tomorrow, and she
had to assume Kindle was also a vampire. "Everything's fine. My
friend
was just leaving. Really Dave, you need to go."

"Yeah. Fine. Whatever." His exit reminded her
of a teenager storming from the room. If he could have slammed the
door on the way out, she was pretty sure he would have.

She turned to Kindle. "Thanks."

He inclined his head. "Of course."

After a very satisfying trip to the bathroom,
Julia finally stepped into the welcoming quiet and cool air of the
small courtyard. A few smokers huddled in a corner, the scent of
cloves and tobacco hanging in the air. A couple was engaged in some
pretty heavy petting on a bench near the fountain. The raucous
sound of partying from Bourbon St. floated on the night air, but
the courtyard was otherwise peaceful, and Julia was thankful to
feel the sweat drying on her skin.

"So you must be Armand's new toy." A voice
said from out of nowhere.

Julia froze as the guy she'd first seen at
Luxure
, the same guy that had spooked her on the street
yesterday, stalked towards her from a darkened corner. Slowly, he
circled her like a cat playing with its mouse, his eyes covering
every detail of her body. When he'd absorbed all 360º of her, he
leaned in close and breathed deeply. His long, colorful dreads
slipped off his shoulder, scratching her cheek with their rough
texture as they brushed across her face.

"You have the best scent," he said, calling
every goose bump she possessed to attention. As he pulled back, a
sly smirk spread across his face. His teeth were like Armand's,
bright white with long, sharp canines. She grimaced. Unlike
Armand's smooth fangs, his had none of the appeal and all of the
danger.

"O negatives usually smell good, sweet. But
you," he sniffed her again, pausing to savor the experience before
continuing. "You smell especially tasty. Almost like lilacs." He
ran a finger down her neck. His nails were long and sharp. "I can
see why Armand likes you."

She was completely frozen. She couldn't move,
couldn't breathe. A few scattered thoughts bumbled around in her
brain, but her mind was otherwise blank and completely worthless.
If she could have managed the command to make her feet move, she
would have made a run for it. But nothing moved. Even her heart had
stopped beating.

"Aren't you the lucky one," he added, the
words heavy with sarcasm. "Usually, Armand thinks he's too good for
most Donors."

"Get away from her, Darus."

Relieved to hear Armand's menacing purr,
Julia released her breath in a rush.

With a smirk and low snicker, Darus took a
step away, and Julia was finally able to resume normal breathing.
Gently, Armand took her arm and pulled her behind him. She didn't
resist and felt 100 times better with his huge back shielding her
from the man who'd given her the creeps long before she knew what
he really was.

"I've never known you to be so protective of
a Donor before. Besides her amazing scent, what makes her so
special?"

"All members of our community deserve
protection, especially Donors," Armand told him.

Finally, Julia's brain began working again.
Donors must be the humans who willingly fed the vampires.
Remembering Angel and her companions, it made perfect sense. Each
vampire probably had a human they regularly fed from.

"Always the Community's watchdog, aren't you
Armand?"

"Just stay away from Julia. She is not a
Donor," Armand told him, ignoring the comment.

Darus fixed his brown eyes on Julia. "Guess
it isn't your lucky day after all."

A wave of disappointment washed over her,
even though she wasn't 100% sure she wanted to
donate
or
not.

"Come see me if he doesn't give you what
you're looking for," Darus said.

"Thanks, but I'm good."

Darus' gaze swung back to Armand. "So what's
wrong with this one? With all the tail constantly throwing
themselves at you, you'd think one would be good enough."

"Very rarely."

"Fuck, you're an arrogant prick," Darus spat.
And then he wiped the anger from his face, replaced it with a smug
smile, and shrugged. "Oh well, just more for me. It's your loss.
You don't know what you're missing. Like that Eve, she was
something else."

Armand's entire body went rigid, and the
chords on his neck lifted a good three inches. "What did you do to
her?" The growl that grated from somewhere deep in his throat was
truly terrifying.

"Let's just say I gave her exactly what she
was begging for."

Armand moved so quickly, he was a barely a
blur. His body was a freight train as he tackled the other man,
slamming him against the wall. "You son of a bitch," he roared,
lifting Darus by the collar and tossing him across the courtyard
like a rag doll.

Darus had barely risen to his feet when
Armand backhanded him, sending him spiraling into the wall again.
With inhuman speed, Armand attacked, clamping his hand around
Darus' throat and slowly lifting.

"You couldn't stay away from her, could you?
Such an easy target. Such a willing Victim." Darus' feet dangled
well above the ground. "And I'm the arrogant prick?" Armand
hissed.

Darus struggled against Armand's grasp, but
it was pointless. Blood oozed from wounds crisscrossing his face
and his right eye was already swollen shut.

A small crowd had gathered, among them were a
few of the bouncers. They didn't seem inclined to interfere, and
when Julia caught the doorman's gaze, he just looked away.

Armand took a massive, ragged breath, drew in
a second, calmer one, and then pulled a phone from his pocket,
dialed quickly, and pressed it to his ear. "It's Armand. Are you on
patrol?" Pause. "Head down to The Cell, I have a perp for you." He
clicked off the PDA and slid it back into his pocket.

The doorman approached him with a hint of
caution. "Hey Armand, you might want to ease up and let him down,"
he said, jutting his chin towards the incapacitated man at the end
of Armand's outstretched arm.

Darus' face was turning blue and a line of
blood infused spittle was dangling from his mouth. Armand barley
glanced his direction before dropping him. "Keep an eye on him," he
told the doorman.

Julia was too busy staring at the fallen man
to notice Armand headed her way. She couldn't believe how fast and
strong he was. He was easily as swift and deadly as any of the
great predators routinely showcased on the nature channel.

His fingers were soft and warm as they
caressed her jaw. "Are you alright?" he asked, concern replacing
the rage.

She blinked, trying to clear the daze.
"Yeah...Fine." Her voice came out breathy with a bit of a
tremble.

"Are you sure?" His fingers trailed down her
skin until they locked on the back of her neck. His touch was so
gentle, it was hard to imagine it belonged to the same hands that,
seconds before, had nearly squeezed the life from another man.

She lifted her eyes from the quivering heap
that was Darus, and settled on Armand's multicolored orbs. God, he
was so amazing looking, with his gently furrowed brow and concerned
eyes...she could just burrow herself in his touch and never come up
for air again. "I - ah - um."

Without thinking and without hesitation, she
grabbed his face and pulled him in, enveloping his mouth with hers
in the most fervent kiss she'd ever planted on a man. Initially,
Armand seemed startled, but it was barely a moment before he
wrapped his arms around her and returned her kiss.

His lips were the softest and most sensual
she'd ever tasted. And warm. They were surprisingly warm.

His tongue danced in her mouth, sending
shafts of heat through her body with each thrust. She tightened her
grip on him and he responded by drawing her closer until her body
pressed into his. Light moans that originated somewhere deep in his
throat told her he enjoyed the kiss as much as she did.

"Jesus, Armand. Did you have to rough him up
so much?"

Reluctantly Armand pulled back, and Julia
lifted her lids languidly. He stroked her cheek with his thumb.
"Let me take care of this and then we'll get out of here."

Julia's throat was unable to make a coherent
noise, so she just nodded. Armand studied her for a moment, a tiny
smile dancing on his lips, before he pivoted on his heel and joined
the police officer kneeling over Darus. Though the narrow opening
to the street, Julia could just make out two police horses "parked"
outside.

"Thanks for coming, Tim," Armand said.

The cop rose from where he hovered over
Darus' limp form. "What the hell is going on?"

"I believe this is the man that murdered
Melissa Schwartz."

"Do you have proof?"

"No," Armand admitted. "But if you take a DNA
sample, I'm sure you'll find his saliva matches the bite-marks on
her body."

Tim shook his head. "I can't arrest someone
on a
hunch
."

"How long have we known each other, Tim?"

"Too fucking long."

"Do you trust me?"

The cop hesitated. "Yeah, sure, of
course."

"This is your man."

Tim sighed. "I can't just
take a
sample
," he said. "It'd never hold up in court." He glanced
down at Darus. "Fuck, he's in pretty bad shape. You've got to watch
that temper of yours."

"He was being drunk and disorderly," the
doorman piped in. "Armand was merely assisting us in subduing
him."

"And you'll provide a written statement to
that effect?"

"Of course."

Tim rolled his eyes. Turning back to Armand,
he said, "Jesus, you're the fucking king of the vampires, aren't
you? One of your subjects crosses the line, you rein him in, and
the rest of your populace covers your back." Armand just shrugged.
"Well, thank God you police your own group. I'd hate to be called
in every time one of your
kind
got out of hand."

Julia was amazed by the cop's casual
reference to the vampire culture she'd just discovered and
accepted. Obviously, everything and anything really did "go" in New
Orleans.

"So you'll take him in then?" Armand
wondered.

"Sure. Hope you're right. I'd like to find
the bastard that killed that girl." Tim hefted Darus to his feet.
It was no easy effort. Darus was, at this point, essentially a
170lb lump of clay.

"How are your wife and daughter?" Armand
asked out of the blue.

"Good. The baby's almost a year old. That's
how often you visit. Last time was at her christening."

Armand's expression was amused. "I apologize.
I'll try and make it by more often."

"Better. You owe me."

"I do."

The cop pushed Darus toward the street. The
vampire walked unsteadily and every stride looked painful. They
obviously weren't the undead kind of vampires and Julia's
subspecies theory was confirmed. Or virus, it could still be a
virus.

"Hey, we're going crabbing next Tuesday if
you're up for it," Tim called over his shoulder.

"Sounds good," Armand replied.

"Do I need to bring one of those huge
umbrellas to protect you from the sun?"

"That would be appreciated."

"Fucking blood suckers." Tim laughed, shaking
his head. "I'll call you," he said, right before shoving Darus
towards the Paddy wagon that had just pulled up. Faintly, Julia
could hear the Miranda rights being recited.