Stealing Time (5 page)

“Are you trying to whammy me?”

He smiled. “Vampires can’t do that to each other. I was trying to reassure you.”

I sighed. “Not a monster?”

He shook his head.

Realizing I was still in his embrace—an altogether nice place to be, but awkward since it brought me so much closer to those lips—
crap
, I had the attention span of a gnat. Smiling to soften my withdrawal, I stepped back and leaned against the counter.
Blood, prey, lips, desire
…in a maddening loop, it all pinged around in my head, and the smile faded.

He raised an eyebrow. “What is it?”

“When I was human, did you bite me?”

“No.”

“So how did you change me?”

“I’d had some time to think about it and concluded that a bite was not necessary.”

“I don’t follow you,” I said, confused.

“Well, if a bite causes the change, there must be something in the saliva that transfers to the victim. A virus or poison or venom of some sort.”

I nodded. It made sense.

“Whatever it is, it gets into the victim’s system and causes the change,” he trailed off. I encouraged him to continue, still not seeing his point. “Well, I thought a kiss…”

I studied him, intrigued to see his obvious discomfort. “You make it sound like it doesn’t happen very often.”

James made a face. “For those who hunt humans, kissing one would be akin to a hunter kissing the deer he’s about to shoot, gut, mount on his wall and turn into venison.”

A moment passed. “So. I’m guessing it’s hard to stop when you bite someone?”

James shifted, restless. “It’s almost impossible. That is one reason I thought of the other option.”

I absorbed this for a second. “There were other reasons?”

He blushed—it was faint, but it was there. “Vampires are interested in more than just blood.”

I had no idea how to respond, especially since I was intrigued. Realizing I was staring at his lips, I tore my gaze away.

A freaking gnat, that’s what I was.

James changed the subject. “Perhaps if I showed you another side of our existence, it would help.”

Warily, I asked, “What side?”

He chuckled. “You’ll see.”

It was well after midnight. We stood at the mouth of a darkened alley and I startled violently when an empty plastic bag swirled past on an errant breeze.

“Steady, Evie,” James murmured and his arms came around me, providing a much-needed refuge. “There’s a lot to adjust to in the city. We’re not in a hurry.”

I was literally twitching from the bombardment of…
everything
. The wind carried a million sounds and scents that would lock my brain down if I tried to catalog them all. Somewhere close by, a car alarm shrieked for several moments before cutting off abruptly, the sudden quiet a blessing to my over-sensitive ears. The pavement underfoot was pockmarked with tiny pores, most of which were filled with an astonishing array of grit and nastiness that teased my eyes.
Of all the things to catch my attention,
I thought with disgust. And the odors…my nose was under assault and I turned my head side to side in a vain effort to avoid the stink.

He gently pressed my face into his chest. “Focus. One thing at a time.”

“Yeah. Sure.” I swore. “What is that
smell?
”

He chuckled. “The downside to avoiding New York’s busier streets is that the less trafficked areas are sometimes used as outdoor latrines.”

I made a rude noise and did my best to crank the sensory input down to a bearable level. After a little while, I stepped back from the sanctuary of James’s arms.

“Okay?” he asked.

“Okay.” I wished I sounded more convincing.

His teeth flashed. “Then catch me!”

I spun around, looking for him, but he had vanished. Recalling that I had other senses at my disposal, I sniffed, searching past the stink for James’s singular scent.
There!
I was off, flying at an impossible speed through the dark alley.

About halfway down the block, the trail disappeared and I hurtled to a stop. The walls on both sides of the alley reached ten or eleven stories above me, drawing my eyes skyward. I sniffed and caught his scent again and realized that he had gone up. How he did this was solved when I saw the fire escape ladder, but I couldn’t figure out how to get it down and paced around beneath it for a moment.

“I know you’re watching me,” I whispered and was rewarded with his almost silent laughter.

“Are you coming?”

Only vampire hearing could have caught our subaudible exchange and it got me thinking about all the other things I might be able to do.
Aw, why not?
Gathering myself, I leaped as high as I could and was astonished when I landed on the ladder around the third floor.
Whoa
. I’d been aiming much lower.

James’s soft laughter floated down to me. “Well done. Now come on!”

I shot up the ladder and landed on the roof in time to see him jump from one building to the next. He turned and crossed his arms, in high spirits.

Knowing that I wouldn’t be able to resist the urge to look down if I went to the edge of the building, I decided to just run for it. I sprinted toward him, keeping a careful eye on my footing since the roof was crisscrossed with pipes and cabling, and it amazed me that, as fast as I was running, my feet seemed to place themselves in the optimum spot. When I reached the roof’s edge, my muscles knew when to take off and just how hard to leap without any conscious direction.

I landed soundlessly on the next building and raced to James’s side, grinning as he caught me in his arms and spun me around.

“Here you are,” he said. “Run with me. If we’re quick and quiet, no humans will ever know.”

We flitted across the rooftops, racing one another under a gorgeous moon, and I marveled at our speed and silence. When James took the lead, he chose the most circuitous routes possible and it thrilled me no end that I kept pace.

Best of all, I never grew tired and never felt winded. If anything, the more we ran, the stronger and more nimble I became. This feeling overflowed and I laughed out loud. He made a quieting gesture, grinning hugely. I put a hand over my mouth, but a giggle escaped when James cracked up.

A dog barked nearby and lights flicked on in the buildings around us. A grumpy voice called, “Shuddup down there!” I hooted with laughter and James pulled me against his chest to muffle the sound, ruining the effort when he chortled.

I stepped back and grinned a challenge at him before leaping off the building and landing silently on a darkened balcony two floors down. We hop-scotched like this to the street, careful to make sure the balconies were deserted before making each leap. It felt like flying.

He took my hand and it surprised me that I had no urge to pull free—in fact, I rather liked the feel of his hand, warm and strong in mine. We walked along like normal people for a few blocks. Abruptly, he stopped and his head tilted as if he were listening.

“What is it?” I turned back the way we’d come.

“We are not alone,” he said as his expression cleared and he put himself in front of me.

I sensed movement and the scent of another vampire.

“Peace and well met,” a voice called. “May I approach?”

James’s shoulders were tense, but his tone was calm. “You may join us.”

A male stepped out of the shadows, giving us plenty of time to study him before he stopped in front of James and bowed. I noticed that James did not return the gesture and wondered at it.

“Isidro, it has been a long time,” James said and I realized they knew each other.

“Indeed it has. I have just arrived this night and was pleased to come across your trail.” The newcomer’s accent, his black hair and eyes, and dusky skin pegged him a Spaniard, and it felt strange to wonder from what century. While he would have no difficulty attracting females, he could not compare to James.

“Hi, I’m Evie.” No sooner were the words out of my mouth than James stiffened. He tilted his head to study me and I caught a glimpse of what looked like uncertainty before he composed his expression.

The dark vampire glanced sideways at James, paused a tick, then bowed to me with a flourish. “Isidro Ornelas Ledesma. I am honored to meet you, fair one.” Because James’s face was turned away from Isidro, only I saw his eyes flash with anger. My senses flinched as what felt like a wall of super-heated air rose around him and I took an involuntary step back.

Trying to understand what just happened, I missed a brief exchange between James and Isidro, but was surprised to tune in and hear him invite the Spaniard to walk with us.

The dark vampire kept up a steady stream of pleasantries that he directed toward me. This and his proximity quickly got on my nerves and it required some effort not to take to the rooftops again.

After a while, I realized Isidro had stopped talking and was looking at me. I glanced at James for a clue, but his expression was unreadable as he stared off down the street.

“I’m sorry, what did you say?” I asked, not really caring, but not wanting to be rude to the first vampire I met.

Isidro smiled and I was startled to see his fangs extended. “I invited you to join me.” He gestured toward the building next to us. “There will be music and others of our kind. Only for tonight will it be in this place.”

I looked again at James, with the same result. It was impossible to know what he wanted.

Seeing my indecision, Isidro said, “I would be honored if you both came.” He held the door for us and I was about to say no when James steered me inside.

The abandoned warehouse smelled of old engine oil and machinery, dried-out mouse corpses, and years of dust and neglect. It made my nose twitch, but I’d experienced worse on the trail of a story.

“This way,” Isidro said and moved toward the far corner.

I was confused by James’s behavior but there was no opportunity to question him as the three of us walked deep into the decaying building. Isidro led the way down several sets of stairs and stopped in front of a red-painted door. “Here we are,” he said and opened it.

Pounding music and gyrating dancers filled the large room, and my initial impression that it looked like a rave humans would attend was negated by the dancers’ preternatural grace and the gleam of fangs. The music was an odd mix of thundering bass and soaring lute, of sensual syncopation and the wail of a sitar—it made me want to dance, to abandon myself to its primitive rhythm.

Everywhere I looked, I saw vampires—creatures that were supposed to be myth, creatures just like me, making no effort whatsoever to appear human. It was surreal, their
otherness
and the variety of body shape and size, skin color and clothing style. Like the United Nations of vampires.

It was easy to spot the handful of changelings since we seemed to retain human characteristics like fidgeting. And, gauging by how I felt, the other changelings also wrestled with the constant awareness of their incredible strength and speed, and the urgent desire to use both. How I hoped that I was not so obvious in my own behavior.

The older vampires were also easy to identify, although it was hard to pin down why. There was something very
solid
about them. Perhaps their skin was a bit pale. Certainly, they were very still, some like statues with just their eyes moving…

“You’re staring,” James said under his breath, gazing across the large space. “It is considered an indication of aggression.”

I quickly looked away.

Isidro moved into the room and sat at a table near the makeshift dance floor, but I held back, looking once more at James. At last, he met my gaze, but his expression was distant and unreadable. My heart froze and I allowed myself to be led to the table.

No sooner were we seated than several vampires came over and greeted James, dipping their heads to him and speaking in respectful tones. His response to everyone was polite, but his head remained unbowed and I wondered at his status.

Another curious thing—several of the visiting males and one female bared their fangs when they spoke to me. I’d had just about enough of this when it got worse—Isidro asked me to dance.

“Thank you, no. I am with James.” Although I was becoming angry and thought it would serve him right if I accepted the dark vampire’s invitation.

Isidro leaned back in his seat. “My apologies if I am being forward, but you introduced yourself to me.”

I raised my eyebrows. “And?”

His gaze flicked to James, before returning to me. “Were you not expressing interest?”

“Interest?” I asked, dumbfounded. Then it clicked. “Look, buddy, just because I introduced myself…”

“If I have offended…” he began, but James cut him off.

“No offense has been given.”

I glared between the two of them. “James, may I have a word with you?”

Isidro stood. “Please excuse me,” he said, bowing before disappearing into the swaying dancers.

“What’s going on?” I demanded.

“You are new to this life,” James said in a neutral tone. “It is only logical that you have an interest in other males.”

“That I
what?
”

“Introducing yourself indicates interest.” His expression changed and I was shocked to see that he looked miserable. “It is a way to tell others that you are available. And while you could not know this about our kind, the manner in which you stepped forward, like you were…that is, it seemed possible to me that, perhaps…”

I could kinda see how he’d interpreted my southern manners—the friendliness, the warmth, the step-right-up-and-howdy-do attitude—as something more than intended. Compounded by the fact that I’d introduced myself to freaking
everyone
who’d come to our table.

“And the thing with the fangs…?”

Faint color tinged his cheeks, but I couldn’t tell if it was anger or more embarrassment. “They were displaying. They were attracted to you.”

“Is that so?” I reared back and looked at him.

“You are very beautiful, Evie. I understand if you would like to keep company with—”

“You said you followed me for eight months. And we’ve spent every moment since my change together. Now you so casually step back? I thought…” I got my lips pressed firmly closed and swallowed the rest of it.

James’s calm shattered. “There is nothing casual about it! You are free to make your own choices. I have no hold over you. And if you find Isidro or one of the others appealing—”

“I couldn’t care less about any of them, dammit!”

“But you introduced yourself. I was standing
right there
.”

“That’s called manners, James. Humans introduce themselves to strangers, especially Southerners. How am I supposed to know it means something else among vampires?” I was drawling, always a bad sign. When I’m pissed, I have an accent and it’s pure Texan.

A slow smile crossed his face. “So you are not interested in anyone?”

“I thought I might be interested in you!”
Did I just admit that out loud?

He looked puzzled. “Do you have an accent?”

“Don’t change the subject! But yes, when I’m hacked off.”

I had the impression he was translating the modern colloquialism. “You are angry?” he asked. Perversely, he seemed pleased.

“Damn right,” I snapped and the first word had two syllables. It wasn’t that he’d misinterpreted my behavior—it was how quickly he’d backed off, like it was no big deal. Maybe he figured it was the gentlemanly thing to do, but…a thought occurred to me and the anger evaporated. “Unless, I mean, if you’re not interested, that’s okay…” I had to stop before I sounded even more pathetic.

He leaned forward so that our faces were inches apart and his eyes went a dark emerald. “Since I first saw you in Chicago, there has been no other for me, Evelyn Reed.”

My breath caught at his intensity and unexpected candor, and I felt the beginning of a small smile.

“The next male who approaches you risks serious harm,” he growled.

“A simple ‘she’s with me’ will suffice. I still can’t believe you backed off like that.”

He took my hand. “This is all very new to me.”

“Having a changeling around?” I joked, but he remained serious.

“Having someone I want in my life. I’m finding my way too.” He gave me a lopsided grin.