Constricted: Beyond the Brothel Walls (16 page)

The black object flicked open. “Arcadian Bureau of Demonic Affairs,” I mouthed the department name. “You’re a long way from home.”

He shrugged. “We’re branching out, and reeling in those law breakin’ sods. Even Hell takes revenge on those who make us look bad.” His smoldering scent shifted, giving way to his lie. Veric hid something, and I aimed to figure it out. The small mantle clock chimed, but I didn’t have a notion of time. Time meant nothing without Korrigan. He too ignored it and shifted his vision to the ceiling above our head. Jules wasn’t up there, but someone was in the house. My eyes drifted toward the painting. Her likeness haunted me from the staircase. Those large eyes stared back at us. “Where’s your vampire mate and the girls?”

He knew more about me than I knew about him. The notion hadn’t unsettled me as much as I’d expected, but I wasn’t ready to lay out all my cards. I lost too much, too soon. “But you’re a demon.” I broke the silence as the clock finished chiming. My brow rose awaiting his answer. “And they’re safe.”

He faced me, a half smile crossing his mouth. “And you’re a bloodsucker with a demon horse. Let’s not rub the pot.”

“Fair enough, but why didn’t I sense you like the others?” Not until he was right on top of me. It was the same with Jules. The same with Korrigan too. There were different types of demons, but were some harder to detect than others?

“Elioud. We’re three-quarters human, mate.” A crash came from below, and I froze. Veric raised his brow and cocked his head toward the door. “Thought you said she died.”

Angel had died. I watched Jules break her neck. It snapped a horrid chilling crack. The memory of the sound replayed in my mind and chills raced through my spine. “She did—”

“Petre …” I stepped toward the door but he stopped me, shaking his head. “Petre …” Nails scratched at the door.

“That’s not her, mate … that’s ...” Curses spewed from his British mouth, and I didn’t have a single notion what he was upset about.

“Petre,” she called my name again. My body trembled, and my knees collapsed to the floor. The gun in my hand dropped, firing into the floor. Kor squealed; she was alive.

My eyes widened, and I shook my head. “Open it; I have to see for myself.”

Veric shrugged and turned the knob. I swallowed hard. The door groaned as he opened it. She hissed, lunging for him, and he raised his pistol.

“No,” I shouted and tackled his legs. He fell backwards into a table, cracking the surface. “It’s Korri.”

She blinked, her eyes jumping between us. “Demon,” Angel spat, as my arms dragged her to me.

“Elioud.” He rubbed his chin, and holstered his gun, before standing. “Well ‘ello to you too, luv. Didn’t fancy meeting you here.”

I ignored him as my lips hovered over hers. Her cold hands cupped my face. “You’re here,” I said and crushed my lips against hers.

Veric cleared his throat, and I pulled away. “I l—“

Her fangs clicked. Fangs … My mind replayed the events yet again. She had been almost dead. I’d given her blood, but I didn’t think she had swallowed. Jules had snapped her neck.

“Petre, what’s happening to me?”

She finished her turn before my eyes. Golden brown hair flowed around her cherub face. Her amber eyes sparkled. She said my name again, but I was speechless. Veric whistled and reached for Angel’s hand. Those dagger eyes lit up, and he backed away.

“It hurts,” she cried, grasping my hand. Her other hand ran over her throat. I needed to find her blood and fast. Mine wouldn’t do and neither would his. “Why does it hurt?”

As if reading my mind, Veric said, “The boys home. More men will come if not already.”

My own throat ached, and my fangs pulsed with the thought of revenge. “Angel, you’re going to be okay.” This wasn’t the life I’d wanted for her; hell, I hadn’t known if it was the life she’d wanted. “Korri …” Her eyes lit up and widened. “You’re a …”

My hand ran through my hair, tugging out tufts. Veric chuckled and said, “Ducky, what your bloke here’s tryin’ to say is you’re a bloomin’ vampire.”

I
ransacked the house again. That blasted corset sickened my stomach, and I all but tore it from her pixie frame. The only reason stopping me was the demon, but neither of us left her alone. When she changed, despite her arguments, we were both present. I had insisted Veric turn around. He rolled his eyes and mumbled about having seen it all.

That remained unknown because Veric hadn’t laid eyes on my Angel before, or had he? It hadn’t helped that she eyed him as if she’d met him before. “What happened?” she asked. “To the girls I meant.”

I stroked her wet, knotted hair. “They’re safe.” I added Tomas too, but she’d rolled her eyes as I handed her a button-down shirt and layers of heavy skirts she insisted on needing. The fabric rustled as she layered on the garments. Her taut darkened nipples strained against the white fabric, and I forced my eyes away. The sight of her, whether clothed or unclothed, drove me crazy. There was plenty of time for exploring, but we had men to slaughter and two boys to save. I prayed Jules showed up but had sent a call out to Tomas just in case he showed his face in Nova Scotia again.

The last item I handed her was another corset. She insisted upon the constrictive garment and forced me to lace it up. Kor explained that the under bust style wasn’t as restricting. When I wouldn’t budge, she turned on her heels and approached the mouth-gaping demon.

“Right, think I’ll step over there before your chap runs me through.”

She stuck her tongue out at me, and I smiled, dragging her against me. My mouth dropped to her neck, and my fangs sliced through her flesh. She tasted delectable. Lost in her flavor, I gasped as her fangs nipped into my neck. My hands curled into her skirts, and I managed to pull her closer. “Angel …” I swallowed my moan as she suckled my neck. Her hands fell to my jeans, and she dragged me back into the bathroom.

Her knees hit the floor as the door rattled shut. My pants dropped, and her mouth covered my cock. I arched against the cold door as her tongue swirled the tip. A low moan rippled through my body as she took me in. “Oh Kor …” She hummed her answer as my hands fisted into her hair. I wouldn’t last long with her mouth working me over. Her hand caressed my balls, delicately dancing over the skin. My hips rolled forward, pumping my cock in rhythm with her mouth until I couldn’t hold back.

As soon as she pulled back, I was on her. I ripped the skirts aside and tore the ridiculous bloomers away. Her moist slit waited for me, and I dove in. My tongue circled her sensitive bud, flicking it hard and fast. Kor screamed, clawing at my head. “Faster,” she cried, and her hips bucked underneath. I suckled her clit and sliced my fangs into her sensitive flesh. She erupted, shuddering against me. I’d held on until the last wave finished, before releasing my suction.

Veric fished out his phone as I opened the bathroom door. The Arcadian government also utilized the satellite phones. He didn’t say a damned thing and dialed into the law. “If you give me that address, your goggled bloke, I will pass it along. It’d give him extra protection.” Angel and I exchanged glances. Veric’s eyes rolled over our disheveled appearances, but he merely smiled.

If he ignored our tryst then I would too. More pertinent matters were underfoot. One, we didn’t know where Jules was or if he had headed toward Nova Scotia. Tomas wouldn’t like the intrusion of the Arcadian Government, but his best men failed at protecting my Angel. I sighed and gripped Korri’s hand. The Duc could hate me later, but at least he and the girls would live. The second matter that remained was the boys.

“Where’s Jobe and Mellissa?” Kor asked.

They weren’t here, and their bodies hadn’t been discovered at the farm either. “I hoped you could tell me, Angel.”

She explained the story, starting with the strange men, and Mellissa telling her to run to the stables. That was the last time she saw either of them. The more she spoke, reliving her hellish week, the more my teeth ground. Veric’s face reddened, and his jaw popped on more than one occasion. Each time, Kor had jumped.

“You’ll get used to it, luv.” She blushed, and I blinked watching the red flutter over her cheeks. Vampires didn’t blush. He leaned over and whispered, “She fed.”

“Right,” I said not understanding. She bit me, but my blood didn’t sustain vampires.

Veric handed her a coat. “Here luv toss this on and let’s load you up with some weapons.”

“I don’t know how to shoot.”

“Aim at anything not innocent, ducky.” She batted her eyes, and I chuckled. “Place it inside the coat; there’s a hidden holster.” A final weapon’s check and we were on our way. Demon Spawn waited on the sidewalk, and his head whipped to Korri. His feet stomped, and he reared up. I jumped in front of her, expecting him to charge. “Ah the demon horse, bloody brilliant.”

She shuddered against me, and I rubbed her arms. Kor swallowed hard but nudged me aside. How much damage could my brother do? I stole a glance at our new friend. He beamed at the horse. “You must share your secret.”

His words tickled my throat, but I wasn’t ready to share. Instead, I asked, “How far are we?”

He responded with ten blocks. I grabbed Demon Spawn’s reigns and held him steady for Korrigan. Veric hoisted her up, mumbling about me killing him for copping a feel. We walked, strolling along the deserted streets as if we belonged. At this late hour, few would have wandered out into the bitter snowstorm.

During the short journey, Veric told her about himself. I remained silent, noticing the small details he left out. “My brother thinks me dead,” he said, smiling wide and tipping his hat.

“How dreadful; I wish I had family that missed me.” She did; I missed her during our two week separation, and then again when I thought she was dead. The life we could’ve had flashed before my eyes. I was her family in heart, and somewhere out in the remainder of our cruel world, there might be blood that longed to reunite with their lost daughter. Veric glanced at me and shot me an odd look. His hat fell down covering his eyes, but not before I’d caught the eerie glow. “How will we find Jobe and Mellissa?”

My lips turned up; they held enough power to control my brother. Unless they were dead, even I wasn’t worried for them. “We’re here.”

Chapter Thirteen

M
y throat burned, and my body ached with pent up energy. Demon Spawn’s hooves crunched through the snow, and I bit through my grimace. My surroundings blinded me, and the slightest bit of light sent daggers into my head. The falling flakes landed, and I swore I’d heard them too. Pinpricks, muffled coughs, echoes all blended into one drum piercing sound. Petre’s voice, such a sweet sound, pounded inside of my head. The sounds encircled me, so many I could not tell them apart.

Agent Veric’s tones hadn’t fared much better, the same man from my dreams. His presence confused me in both reality and the nightmares.

“We’re here,” Veric whispered, but he might as well have shouted in my ear. The phrase rattled, and I’d smack him if that too wouldn’t have made my head hammer. I let out a hissing breath as the lawman offered me his hand. The touch was a mistake. My breath whistled, and I stared into his red eyes. Veric’s lips parted as if to speak, but he said nothing.

Much had changed these past few weeks, and I laughed. Me, a vampire, I would not have guessed it in a million years. Weeks ago the notion alone … I shook my head.

“I love that sound,” Petre said, engulfing me in his arms. The brush of fabric raced a chill through my spine. His lips caressed my forehead, and my body trembled under his lukewarm touch. He was not cold anymore, but it hadn’t bothered me before. The thought of eternity and us muddled my thoughts and changed everything. Petre couldn’t leave me, but I couldn’t break his curse either. What should have been a happy moment turned somber. As much as I hadn’t wanted to be tossed aside, I had also wanted Petre’s happiness. As long as his beast of a brother lived, he would not find peace.

Smooth fingers hooked my chin, and his lips brushed against mine. All of my nerve endings fired at once, and heat surged in my veins. His scent grew stronger, and I wanted more of him. I did not care who saw us, but he dragged himself away.

Petre whispered, “In time you’ll get used to your sharper senses.” A shy smile tugged at the corners of his mouth, and those eyes bore into me with the same intensity as before. I loved when he turned his attention to me, but we were on a mission, and his boyish charms became a distraction. Thick lashes fluttered as the demon checked the perimeter. So had Veric.

I reached for Petre, gazing into his grey eyes. There were specks of sky blue and silver intertwined that I hadn’t noticed before. His scent, peppery and sweet, watered my mouth. Our hands laced together; we were two magnets, wanting to attach, but forces had kept us apart.

The weakness and faults were my own fault. Puny and useless, I’d allowed Jules to capture and torture not just me, but our missing friends too. I glanced away as the tears burned in my eyes.

“Angel …” The space disappeared, and his hardened chest replaced the suffocating air. There were no words to express the swelling of my heart. It was just him, and although I knew little else outside a brothel’s walls, I knew enough to find contentment. But how long would Petre wait for me?

The agent mumbled, “Bloody hell,” and I leapt away.

We strolled hand in hand through the front doors. Veric had unlocked them with a hidden key placed under a large garden rock. The floor split into two as we walked into the foyer. I paused; my eyes drifted between the two levels. In front of us, Veric’s hand dropped to his weapon, and he withdrew it in a swift motion that I heard more than saw. The demon worked his way across the first story. Petre tugged my arm and crept downstairs. We checked the basement, my feet clicking along the cement. It lay empty and unused for anything aside from storage. I bit my lip as we climbed up the creaking steps. Our movements sounded like a steam engine in my head.

Veric waited at the next set of steps and shook his covered head. Were all men eccentric in their headwear? Such a silly notion to think of at the time, but I clamped my hand over my mouth to keep from laughing. Petre raised an eyebrow, and a slight smile tugged at his kissable lips. Once again, I wondered if my vampire had read my thoughts even though I knew better.

I breathed in, scenting a mouthwatering aroma. The scent itself I could not have placed, but reminded me of a sweet likeness to jam. My nose took over, and the men followed me with their weapons drawn. The swaying of my coat and skirts weren’t the only sounds. Soft crying filled my ears, and I halted. A tremble washed over my limbs, but my stilled heart hadn’t beat any faster; my heart hadn’t beat at all. At the sobs, my insides shredded. I knew those emotions. What these walls did to the soul, and what the men did to the innocents locked behind them. How I wished the brothels had crumbled back into the fiery depths of hell. Hard to think that I’d once found safety within them, afraid of the world outside. A month it had taken to open my eyes, but many more to follow until I’d heal.

Petre placed his hand on my arm, and I tensed from his touch. None of this was his fault, yet he remained by my side. He stormed the castles and slain the dragons, but it had no effect on the scars piercing and burning my skin. Revenge would not heal these wounds, but I bet their blood tasted sweet.

“Feed her, mate; I’ll check on the crying.” I shook my head and followed the demon. There were four doors, and one bathroom on the second level. We stayed together. Veric changed course and headed away from the sounds, and toward the second door. He placed his ear to the door. I didn’t understand and repeated his actions. A lone heartbeat pounded against the wood, and I jumped away. The agent hid his smile, and my hands fell to my hips. My mouth opened, ready to release my frustrations when another door flung open.

My fangs clicked out, and I pounced on the staggering half-nude man. No thinking as blood and hunger ripped through my veins. I sliced into his neck as the hot substance trickled down my throat. Worse than any whipping, it stung into my soul. My belly groaned at the filling, and I suckled his throat until the man had stopped thrashing in my arms. No one said a word. Breathless, I yanked myself back and wiped my hand. It shook, dripping with red blood, and I smiled.

“Sir can I have another,” Veric mocked in a childlike voice. My brow rose. “What you’ve never seen Oliver’s Twist?”

I shrugged and walked into the room the man came from. Two more slept near the fireplace. Four cots filled the space, and I approached each one. How would I know a friend from foe? I glanced to Petre, who remained silent, but his eyes trained on me. “Check their wrists and necks; bruises make them victims, luv.”

One by one, I looked them over, and each young man bore bruises. A tear slid down my cheek as we tiptoed to the next room. Every room held one uninjured man, and more battered boys. There were more now than yesterday according to Petre.

“Not a single demon either.” Veric removed his hat and scratched his dark head.

At last, we came to the room with the sobbing boy. I started to turn the handle when Petre shook his head. “You shouldn’t see—” Too late, I’d opened the door, and wished I hadn’t. A young boy hung suspended in the air from the ceiling, his body beaten to a bloody and bruised pulp, but his pain ended. He was dead; we were too late. The second boy lay tied to the bed and barely clung to life, whimpering in his unconsciousness. My heart crumbled into bits, and I grasped the doorframe for support. The door creaked wider, and my mouth dropped into a scream as the final beds slid into view.

My hands flung to my ears as my drums burst. On the last two beds slumped the corpses of Jobe and Mellissa. Bound by their wrists and their insides spilled, bloodying the sheets. Veric clamped a hand over my mouth, but the screams refused to end. I bit him hard, and his blood flooded my mouth. He yanked it away throwing curses.

Tears blinded my eyes as I struggled to stand. Petre ran to the boy’s side and slit his own wrist open. He turned the child’s head, and blood splattered against his dry mouth. I fought to free myself, but the demon held me harder.

“Bloody hell woman, calm down.” I blinked, realizing I wasn’t screaming anymore and faced him. My hand rose, and I slapped the bastard across the face. Fists tightened, and I pummeled into his acrid flesh until the strength had left me. “Hush now, luv, he’ll save the boy; we’ll save the boys.”

But we couldn’t save our friends. The solemn look on Petre’s face confirmed my fears. The two people, aside from him, that made me feel worthy of air were gone. Their death rested in my open, bloodied palms. I’d opened the door; I’d let them in, and I’d argued instead of fleeing. How would Petre ever forgive me? Could I have forgiven me?

“Get her out of here,” Petre growled, and his eyes glowed. His bloody fist clenched and shook. “Now.”

I jumped back and crashed into Veric’s solid chest. “Come now, luv.”

The agent escorted me downstairs. Those I’d awoken with my banshee screams followed us and rubbed tired eyes. I had no words for them, and my hands refused to steady. He gathered the children and young men together in the living room. There were thirteen of them, and they ranged in age from six to twenty-three. My eyes swept over them, but Veric ushered me to a chair in the kitchen and guarded the door with his massive body.

My head fell into my hands, but it was too much effort. Vampires didn’t sleep, but the weight of the events crushed and buried me as I sat there staring at the lawman’s backside. Nice and well-sculpted like the rest of his perfect body, but he wasn’t Petre.

“Leave us,” my vampire said, and Veric relented with a heavy sigh. Petre shut the door behind him. I refused to speak, not knowing what to say. ‘I’m sorry’ just didn’t have the right ring when it sounded off in my head. Even under the cloak of darkness, I saw the blood and dirt covering his hands. Silver eyes swept to me, and his forehead creased.

I opened my mouth to speak, and he held up his dirty hand. “Don’t.”

Petre paced to the sink. The pipes shuddered and groaned as he washed his hands clean and wiped them dry over his jeans.

“Korrigan, what the hell happened?”

I hated the way he used my name and the barking tone. His hand slammed down on the table, and I flinched, but words wouldn’t form. Petre grasped my chin and forced my gaze, as tears broke free. My lip quivered in time with my hands. Nails sliced through my skin and blood ran down my cheek, mixing with the salty tear. Like a badge, I’d swallowed the stinging ache, and understood vampires felt pain.

A knock rapped on the door, and it opened. “What the bloody hell are you doing to her?” Veric accused more than asked. “You so much lay hand-”

Petre let go; his eyes widened until there was no white or black, just silver pools. He shook his head and backed against the counter. “Oh god … Angel ... What did I do?”

The man I thought I’d loved proved more than capable of hurting me too, but I had deserved it. He knew it deep down, and a day would come when he believed it enough to send me away.

Veric knelt by my side; he caressed the wound as I relished in the tender sting. “You’re not healing, ducky.” God punished me; I wanted to say it but said nothing. “Be a good chap and fetch me a first aid kit.”

“Why not give her my blood?”

“Don’t think that’s a brilliant idea, mate. Angel was halfway into shock when I sat her here. I think she’s gone over the edge.”

My teeth chattered and deafened the roar of their voices. Inside my mind, I retreated and prayed for those shadows. Petre hated me because Jobe and Mellissa were dead. That little boy was dead too. My fault, I’d sent him away, put this stupid idea in Petre’s head. At the other house, I’d taken my time. Blood boiled and roared in my ears as decaying filth burned my nose. Nails dug into my flesh. Fists balled on the table, and the warm blood splattered against the plastic surface. Comfort and pain melded; I understood those emotions and drew them close to my cold heart.

Screams filled the sound waves as my mouth dropped open. Hands grasped and shook my trembling body. Rough and strange, they cupped my face as my bloodied fists lashed out. The shadows came for me, rising from the ground and lunging for my body. I tore free and ran right into Petre’s chest. “I’m sorry,” I whispered into his t-shirt.

“I never blamed you, and I’m not starting now, Angel.” His arms tightened. “Kor, I don’t know what came over me. God I swear I never meant to hurt you.”

He’d hurt me. Those words sounded like nails scraping down a wall, and I’d heard them before, hundreds of times after Jules beat me. Empty words, I reminded myself as he touched my cut cheek.

“Why aren’t you healing?”

“Blood,” the demon answered. “New vampires feed often.” He mumbled about my control and how I hadn’t eaten the humans yet. The thought of biting through flesh made me woozy, and I swayed. I’d done it before, but they’d hurt innocents.

Later that morning, as the sun peaked over the horizon, I listened on as Petre offered freedom and jobs to the adults, whereas the minors headed home with us to Nova Scotia. All opted to remain with us. He acted surprised when they’d accepted his offer, and I’d witnessed the argument he held with Veric.

“I don’t trust them.” Petre raked a hand through his disheveled locks. “What if they make a move on her?”