Blake, Abby - Vampires' Witness [PUP Squad Alpha 1] (Siren Publishing Ménage Everlasting) (9 page)

“Why do our hearts beat?” She asked the question out of curiosity, but more than wanting an answer she wanted to see the uncertainty wiped from Samuel’s face. Alex had told her Samuel’s nickname had been “The Iceman,” but since meeting her he’d been anything but cold.

“I’m not really sure I know the answer,” he said quietly. “I was once told that vampires are simply a different species to human. The blood that you drink from your maker starts the change on a genetic level, altering your cells and rewriting your DNA.”

“So we’re not ‘the living dead’?”

“Far from it,” he said with a soft smile. “We’re very long lived, but we’re not immortal. Eventually, we’ll succumb to the ravages of age, albeit hundreds of years after our human bodies would have died.”

“So the other stuff—casting no reflection in a mirror, needing permission to enter someone’s home, a wooden stake to the heart, bursting into flames, holy water—that’s all just made up?”

He laughed softly. “Humans have added to the legends over the years. I’ve never seen a vampire burst into flames in the sunshine, but our reaction to the sun’s rays is rather immediate and quite horrible. The burns are very painful.” He shrugged as if getting burned was not that big a deal. “I think the mirror thing was a way of blaming vampires for unexplained illnesses. Even if they couldn’t see us, we must have been there stealing their energy.” He grinned. “And I suspect the permission thing was one clever vampire’s way of convincing humans that they were safe as long as they didn’t invite a vampire in.”

“I suppose that makes sense,” she said as she tried to imagine life before widespread medical knowledge and small towns full of hysterical, superstitious folks trying to protect their families.

“A stake to heart, though, that’s real. Our bodies can heal very quickly so we do have a chance if the stake is removed immediately, but any damage to the heart can be fatal. Just like any other living creature.”

“So a bullet can kill us?”

“Depends on the bullet and where it hits. A low caliber hurts like hell, but our healing abilities quickly force the slug out and seal the wound.”

“You know this firsthand?” she blurted in shock. Even though they’d explained what it was that PUP Squad Alpha did, she hadn’t really associated their work with such mortal dangers.

“Yes, I’ve been shot,” he said with another of those soft smiles, “but I’ve been lucky that both times the damage was minimal. Some of today’s modern weapons are much more dangerous. There aren’t many living creatures—human, paranormal, or otherwise—that could survive explosive rounds and rocket launchers.”

“So you could…” She had to swallow the sudden lump in her throat before she could continue. “You could die in the line of duty? Just like a human soldier?”

He shrugged. “Our squad has been working together for nearly five decades. We’re very good at what we do.”

“I…but you could die.” It probably sounded so lame, but somehow she’d convinced herself that Benjamin and Samuel and the rest of the squad were invincible. “What about—” She cut off her words as the main door of their motel room opened.

“Skye?” her sister asked in a small voice as she stepped into the room. “Are you all right?”

She practically flew across the room and grabbed her sister in a tight hug. It had only been ten days, but so many things had happened that it felt very much longer. “God, I missed you.”

“Back at you, kid,” Jennifer said in a husky voice. “Benjamin explained what happened. He also suggested I make sure you’ve fed before I let you hug me.”

The reminder of what she was and what she was capable of had her thrusting her sister away from her. She took a step back, relieved at least to realize that she hadn’t even considered biting Jennifer despite having had her face pressed against the vein throbbing at the side of her sister’s throat. But just to be on the safe side Skye took another step back.

“Wait…he told you?”

“Yeah, well, I took a bit of convincing, but you know, you’re my sister, and well, we’re the only family we have left. If you’re going to be a vampire, then the least I can do is support you.”

Skye glanced at the wry expression on Benjamin’s face before turning her attention back to her sister. “He wasn’t lying. I am a vampire now.”

Her sister smiled and nodded as if she were dealing with a particularly delusional individual. “I believe you,” she said in a tone of voice that was far from genuine.

“She’s proven to be a tough cookie to convince,” Benjamin said with a laugh in his voice. “I even showed her my fangs, and she still thinks we’re overgrown teenagers playing a fantasy game.”

“But what about the undercover stuff? The whole ‘keep the secret from humans’ thing?” Skye asked.

“Occasionally, we make an exception,” Benjamin said with a shrug.

“You did that for me?”

“Of course,” Benjamin said, glancing at Samuel as he spoke. “We were going to wait until the mission was completed, but since the trail has taken us almost back to your hometown, we figured now was as good a time as any.”

“We? You both did this?”

“Technically we all agreed. If Jennifer decided to break our confidence, it would put the whole squad in danger.”

“The squad?” Jennifer asked with genuine confusion. “Don’t you call a group of vampires a coven?”

“We do,” Benjamin said with a laugh, “but in this particular case we do mean squad.”

Jennifer looked to Skye. She wore her “what the hell?” face. “They’re part of a Paranormal Undercover Protection squad,” Skye volunteered. “Kind of like a Navy SEAL team but with fangs and claws.”

“Claws?” Jennifer asked with a raised eyebrow.

“Yeah,” she said, glancing at Benjamin to check if she was spilling some beans she wasn’t supposed to. He nodded for her to continue. “Some of them are werewolves. Some of them are…other paranormals.”

“Oh,” her sister said, obviously trying very hard to appear diplomatic.

“It’s okay if you don’t believe us just yet, but we do ask that you keep the information to yourself,” Benjamin said quietly.

“Of course,” she said in a tone of voice that suggested she was starting to think she might be the crazy one. She jumped nearly half a foot into the air when Thomas opened the connecting door between the rooms.

Thomas sniffed the air, his gaze landing on Jennifer. A wide smile graced his face before he seemed to shake himself and get back to the matter at hand. “We just got a call from the owner of the club where Skye was attacked. He says he’s got three unknown vampires on the premises. One of them fits the description Skye gave us. West, Adam, and Alex are on their way there now, but if this is our guy, they could use some vampire backup.”

Samuel looked concerned, but he didn’t object when Benjamin ordered Thomas to stay with Skye and Jennifer. After a brief kiss Benjamin left the room at preternatural speed. Samuel seemed to hesitate just a moment before he, too, kissed her and left the motel.

“Wh–What just happened?” Jennifer asked as her knees wobbled and she dropped into the chair behind her. “How did they disappear? I mean, they…they were standing there and…and now…”

Skye moved to her sister’s side, grabbed her hand, and held on tight. “Breathe, sis,” she said in what she hoped was a reassuring voice. “You’ll get used to it.”

Jennifer’s half laugh, half guffaw suggested that it might be a long time coming. She turned her attention to Thomas, looked him up and down, and asked in a tone more rude than Skye had ever heard her sister use, “So what are you?”

Thomas gave her that charming smile Skye had come to associate with the man, lifted Jennifer’s free hand to his mouth, and kissed the back of it in a gallant flourish that somehow seemed perfectly natural and not the corny move it could have been. “I’m a werewolf, but my friends call me Thomas.”

“Uh-huh,” Jennifer said skeptically, “and when am I going to see you turn into a wolf? Do I need to wait for a full moon?”

“Nope, I can show you right now, if you’d like.”

Jennifer’s eyes widened as Thomas started to undo his shirt. Whether her reaction was out of fear or curiosity Skye wasn’t sure, but it was probably time to put a stop to Thomas’s teasing. He was considered the ladies’ man of the squad, and the last thing Jennifer needed right now was a playboy wolf hitting on her.

“Maybe later,” Skye said, taking the seat beside her sister.

Thomas groaned in obvious disappointment, but he did refasten the buttons. “How abou—” He cut off his words, his relaxed demeanor morphing straight into full alert. “Call your makers.”

“What? I don’t have their cell numbers.”

Thomas looked like he wanted to roll his eyes, but he turned his back on them, placing himself squarely between the two women and the front door. “Call them with your mind,” he ordered in an agitated voice. “Shit,
do
it. Do it now!”

Taken aback by Thomas’s barely leashed aggression, Skye mentally called to Benjamin and Samuel. She had no idea if she was doing it right, but she practically screamed their names in her mind. Fear pounded through her even harder when a soft knock sounded on the motel room door. Skye grabbed her sister, holding her behind Thomas, ready to do whatever it might take to protect her family.

“Stay here,” Thomas ordered over his shoulder as he stepped toward the door.

Skye nodded, not willing to put her sister at risk for any reason.

But as Thomas got closer to the door, the tension drained from his shoulders. He turned to give them a reassuring smile. “It’s my boss,” he said. “Benjamin thought Higgins might drop by once he learned Benjamin and Samuel made a vampire on company time.” He winked, letting them know it wasn’t really that big a deal, and then turned back to the door. He unlocked the dead bolt and twisted the handle.

The door seemed to open too slowly, the fear in Skye’s mind growing worse even despite Thomas’s reassurance. The empty doorway just made her more jumpy, the horror-movie atmosphere growing more creepy. But then he was there, the vampire who’d killed an innocent woman, standing right in front of her. He’d moved faster than even Skye’s new vampire-enhanced vision could follow. Thomas stepped forward, obviously confused by the man’s behavior but still willing to risk his own life to protect them.

“Oh, such a brave puppy,” the vampire said. He lunged at Thomas, aiming for the man’s throat, but Thomas dropped to all fours, changing to a wolf as the sound of tearing fabric filled the room. The wolf also went for the throat, his sharp teeth gnashing at the intruder’s shoulders as he caught Thomas around the middle, squeezing his ribcage tightly. The wolf clawed and bit, trying to free itself, but yelped in distress as the sound of cracking bones reached Skye’s ears.

“Sorry, Tommy,” the vampire said as he dropped the severely injured wolf to the ground, “but you always were one for being in the wrong place at the wrong time.” He laughed and then kicked the wolf hard in the gut. “Now watch while I show you what happens when you can’t tell friend from foe.” He smiled maliciously as the wolf whined in pain. “Don’t worry, puppy, I’ll finish you off once I’ve dealt with these two. It’s just that I’ve always found torture far more fun when I have someone to watch.” He turned his attention to Skye for a moment before his gaze slid to Jennifer. “Well, would you look at that. Another pretty redhead for me to tear apart. How kind of you to bring her right to me. Come here, lovely.”

Chapter Six

“Something’s wrong,” Samuel said as soon as they stepped into the crowded club.

Benjamin nodded in agreement. Something was definitely off. Alex spotted them, pushed his way through the crowd, and stopped close enough to give his situation report. “The club’s empty of vampires. Not even the owner or any members of his coven are in the building. Adam is tracking a scent trail of blood, but it’s turning us in circles. It feels like a deliberate setup.”

“But why? For what purpose? The club owner surely knows not to—” Samuel’s words cut off at the same moment Benjamin heard Skye’s voice in his head.