Reborn Vampire Romance: Blood Courtesans (13 page)

I started to speak but he cut me off. “Later. Right now, we need to leave. If anyone heard the gunshots, the police will be coming and we don’t want to be here. Go make sure all your stuff is packed. We’re out of here in two minutes.”

I wanted to argue, but Kristos was right, this wasn’t the time. Whatever weapon he had in mind for me could wait. I went into our bedroom and scanned it to be sure none of my clothes had been left behind. Finding the closet and dresser empty, I checked the bathroom, which had been cleaned out as well. Vampires apparently excelled at speed packing a suitcase.

For my part, I excelled at hyperventilating. I had to sit on the edge of the bed for a while and try to catch my breath as the images of Arlo’s detached head played in my mind like a horror gif. There was too much blood in my life. And bullets. I wasn’t an action adventure heroine, I was a college student trying to help her sick mom. How had things gotten so complicated and how did I make it stop?

I squeezed my eyes shut and thought as hard as I could. No answers came to me. The only thing I could do was run.

W
e traveled to Brooklyn by taxi. Kristos had turned his car over to his men instructing them to lay fake trails for anyone looking for us or Arlo. Before we’d left the apartment, Kristos had set it on fire and we left in a wail of fire alarms. While unfortunately destructive, Kristos had assured me it was the quickest way to wipe the apartment clean. The fact he had all the stuff on hand and knew how to do it gave me pause. Something told me this was not Kristos’ first vampire rodeo.

Our new home wasn’t as nice as the last one, which hadn’t been as nice as the first one. It was a rundown brownstone. It didn’t belong to Kristos, that much I could tell. The decor screamed single woman.  Stacks of romance novels filled the one bookcase and where Kristos preferred coolly modern design, the brownstone had a distinct shabby chic flair. Shabby chic being code for ‘picked up off the curb on garbage day.’

Despite the decor’s ratty appearance, the color palette was pleasant enough; soft gray and peach with dashes of blue on the walls. The wooden furniture was nicked and scarred and the couch and chairs were clean, but slumped. Still, even if the battered leather sofa had almost taken a detour to the dump, it was comfortable.

I curled up on the sofa and pulled a blanket around my shoulders. It was fleece, one of those no-sew blankets. My mom had made a few for her chemo treatments. Cancer patients were always cold and amassed an impressive array of gloves, blankets and thick socks as a result. I didn’t have cancer, but I was cold anyway. I couldn’t stop seeing Arlo’s head being twisted off every time I closed my eyes.
Gross.

Kristos shoved a glass in my hand. I lifted it up and examined the amber liquid swirling inside. A spicy scent wafted up to my nose. “What is this?”

He sat next to me. “Whiskey.”

I made a face.

Kristos smiled, amused. “Drink. You’re too pale. This will help.”

I raised my eyebrows. “You sure about that?”

He nodded and held up a little first aid kit. “It’ll also numb you enough for me to take out your stitches. I noticed they’ve been bothering you lately.”

I lifted the glass in a silent salute and then tossed it down. I sputtered as my throat spontaneously combusted. Shoving the glass at him, I wiped my mouth. “Wow.”

He took the glass and set it on the coffee table. “Yeah, it’s potent.” Producing a small pair of scissors from the first aid kit he carefully snipped the stitches and pulled the thread free.

“Like fire in a bottle. Gah.”  I kept swallowing even though my mouth was empty, trying to force the burn further down my throat. I wasn’t numb so much as distracted by the scorpion sting of the whiskey. Getting the stitches out didn’t hurt at all by comparison, although there was an unpleasant pinching sensation as he tugged on the thread to loosen it enough to be cut.

Kristos pulled the last stitch out and released my hand. Nodding toward my glass he asked, “Do you want some more?”

I inspected my palm, relieved to see it wasn’t bleeding. There would be a scar, I didn’t think I could avoid one, but it was healing. Even better, with the stitches out it didn’t itch so much. “No thanks. I prefer having a nervous breakdown. It stings less.” I gestured to the living room. “Where are we?”

“This is the home of a friend of mine. She’s away on a trip and I have a key.” Kristos took my hand in his again and wrapped some sterile gauze around the wound, securing it in place with tape.

Where he found everything I didn’t know. Either he had the first aid kit stashed in his bag somewhere or he knew where everything was in our new digs. Which implied he’d spent some time here. Serious time. The location of a first aid kit is not usually something you learn from casual social contact.

I gave him a look, my mind jumping to the only logical conclusion. “She? You have a key?”

Kristos tried not to look guilty and failed. “We’ve known each other for years.”

“Like you and I know each other?” The idea rankled.

“Years ago, yes, she was my courtesan, but now we are just friends.”

“Okay.” I stared at the ceiling for a second as I mastered my emotions. The jealousy I felt at the idea of Kristos having other lovers surprised me. I was growing quite attached to my vampire. Yes, I thought of him as my vampire.

“Are you all right?” He laid a hand on my leg and rubbed. A little frisson of pleasure went through me at the contact.

“Just trying to compartmentalize. There’s a lot going on.”  I took a deep breath and met his eyes. Immediately I felt like I was weightless and falling. He was using his vampire super powers on me. I looked away. “Don’t do that.”

“Do what?”

I gestured to his face, keeping my eyes averted. “Own me with your eyes.”

“Sorry. I didn’t realize I was doing it.”

Oh great. The vampire super gaze was on the loose. Hide the women and children. “Whatever. So tell me what the plan is.”

“I’ve put things in motion and we’ll be on the move by tomorrow.”

“What things are in motion?” I picked some lint off the fleece blanket and let it drift to the floor.

“The kind of things that will make people stop looking for you.”

“You’re not going to tell me, are you?” I glared at him.

He shook his head. “This way you can’t tell anyone.”

“I would never tell anyone. I’m not stupid.”

Now it was his turn to give me a look.

I gave a sigh of aggravation. “Okay, I shouldn’t have used my ATM card or gone to the coffee shop. I’ve learned my lesson though, it won’t happen again.”

“Regardless, it’s just safer if you don’t know what’s going to happen next.” He pointed to his face. “I don’t want any other vampire eyes catching you and tripping us up.”

Well, that makes sense,
I thought grudgingly. “I guess I have no choice.”

He slipped an arm behind me and pulled me onto his lap like I was a little throw pillow. My legs spread to straddle his thighs, my knees digging into the sofa cushions. I put my hands on his shoulders to steady myself. My heart began to race with anticipation.

Kristos gripped the fullness of my backside and claimed my lips, his tongue flickering into my mouth. I moaned. My body started the launch sequence; moist heat pooled in my core, my nipples hardened inside my bra and a ceaseless want made my hips circle.

“Is this such a good idea?” I asked when he let me come up for air. Getting naked seemed risky given our circumstances. Every place we’d been, they’d found us. “Shouldn’t we be on watch or something? Like a stake out?”

Kristos laughed. “You want to sleep in a car and pee in a coffee cup?”

I smacked his shoulder, but couldn’t keep from smiling.“That’s not what I meant and you know it.”

Kristos reined in his grin and tried to look serious. “I’ve got it covered. The last text I got said they’d laid three different false leads and that was keeping the Council busy. We’re not just hiding now, we’re giving them something to chase, too.”

“Give them more leads.” When he quirked an eyebrow at me, I said, “Bury them with bullshit. Too much data and they won’t know where to start.”

“Not a bad idea, Miss Danson. You’re pretty smart for only being in your twenties.”

“And you’re pretty hot for being dead...” I trailed off, realizing I didn’t know how old he was. “How many years has it been?”

“More than I care to count.” He leaned in to kiss me again, but I evaded him.

“How many?” I did my best to mimic his vampire super powers and pin him down with my gaze.

“Hundreds.” He slipped with his eyes again and it seemed as if the weight of all that time was pressing against me, trying to cave me in.

I shivered and shook it off as I broke eye contact.

“Sorry,” he said, apologizing before I could complain.

“Can you do that to anyone?”

He lifted his head so his eyes were focused on the ceiling. “Most humans are susceptible, but you and I are blood bound, the barriers are lower.”

With a shudder, I recalled the way Arlo had blood bound me. I would not want to find myself lost in
his
eyes. Him being in my head had been bad enough. I still felt sick about it. “I can’t stop you, can I?”

“Just try not to look so much into my eyes. I can’t capture you if I can’t see you.”

While good advice, that was easier said than done. To prove the point we both moved at the same time and our gazes crossed. I sighed and looked away. “What about making me do things? Can you force me to rob a bank?”

He shook his head. “Only if we maintain eye contact which means I would have to rob the bank too. It’s not like the movies where I say something and you do it even when I’m not there. We have to be able to see each other.”

Well, that was a relief and something I’d been secretly worried about. “If I become a vampire, will I be able to do the eye voodoo thing to you?”

“Eye voodoo?” He cocked his head to the side at my choice of words. “No, I’ll be your maker. You’re never stronger than your maker.”

Hmm. A hierarchy of power. “I need to be strong though, don’t I?” I had a feeling that even if I turned, the attacks wouldn’t stop. I was too juicy a pawn to be allowed to sink into oblivion. Too many vampires would want to find out how well I took after my dad. If I turned, at least I would be as strong as them. Staying human meant staying weak. After all, I couldn’t twist off anyone’s head with my bare hands, and until I could, I was ripe for the taking.

“Yes. However, if my plan works you won’t have to worry about it. At least for a while.” He paused for a moment and then asked, “Do you want me to turn you Myra?”

I sighed. “I don’t know. I’m scared Kristos. Just last week I was a college student and I thought my biggest problem was my mom might die of cancer. Imagine the shock of learning that is the least of my problems.”

I met his eyes and found him watching me with a steady gaze. The power he held over me pulsed between us like a heartbeat. I should’ve been more careful, but I wasn’t worried about him as much as the magic eyeballs of the other vampires out there. “Why are you doing all this for me? You barely know me.” Right now he was everything to me... protector
and
lover. My life without him would be over, but he didn’t need me.

“Myra.” His hands pressed on my back, pushing me forward for a kiss. This time he would not be denied. Our tongues dueled and his teeth scraped my bottom lip as he sucked it into his mouth. “Because you’re special,” he finally said once he’d had his fill of my mouth.

“You want me like Arlo did.” My tone was accusatory. I leaned back and crossed my arms.

Kristos tugged at my wrists, trying to unwrap me and force me to open for him. “Every vampire wants you, but you’re not a pawn to me. You’re too special for that. I want you for you.”

“Really?” I asked in a soft whisper.

“I promise you, Myra. You are more than your father’s blood to me.”

“Swear it,” I said.

He held up a hand, his expression solemn. “By our blood bond, I swear it.”

We stopped talking for a long moment to kiss again. Kristos cradled the back of my head and pressed me forward as he devoured my lips with his. His tongue slipped into the wet heat of my mouth, stroking the length of mine and sending little shocks through me.

He pulled back for a second. “Tell me Myra, why do you stay with me? Why don’t you run?”

The questions surprised me. “Because you’re my only protection. You’re taking care of my mom.”

A disappointment I didn’t understand shone in his eyes. “That’s all?”

I cupped his face in my hands wanting to make it better. I’d hurt him somehow. “Every cell of my being wants you. All the time. It is unceasing. I’ve never felt that way before and...” I trailed off.

He gave my ass a little squeeze at the silence. “And what?”

“You were my first.” I blushed. “That makes
you
special. I don’t want to be with anyone else.”

As usual the red flush drove him crazy and he seized my mouth with his, kissing me so fiercely I ran out of air. When he let me go, my breathing came in ragged pants and my lungs burned. Desire ran hot underneath my skin. I wanted him,
now.
I moved to lift my shirt over my head, but Kristos stopped me.

“You surprise and delight me constantly and that is a hard thing to do. I know the circumstances are not ideal, but I am glad we are together. You make me feel my heart again.”

The flush burning my cheeks and neck intensified. “You are entirely too nice to be a vampire.”

“No, I’m only nice to you.” With that, he pulled my shirt off and unhooked my bra, moving so fast my eyes could barely keep up with him. More vampire super powers. I liked it this time, though, and thrust my chest out as he cupped my breasts in his hands.

Dipping his head, he sucked one nipple and lightly pinched the other. The firm pressure carried just enough edge to make my core clench with need. Smiling wickedly around my breast he tugged the other nipple out and forward, stretching and pinching at the same time. I rewarded him with a deep moan.