Crimson Debt: Book 1 in the Born to Darkness series (32 page)

God, did I know
that
feeling. If only
I could go back in time, stop Corbin from using that stake. But
there was no way to do that. And no way to cure the effects or
reverse what had been done…

Or was there?

Cynthia’s words echoed in my head.
“It
cured all ills—physical, mental, or emotional—as long as it is done
out of love.”
Hadn’t Corbin said much the same thing to me when
he had explained paying the Crimson Debt? So was it possible
that…but no, surely not. Except…what if…

As I put the vampire in the back of my car
and drove to the PD, a plan began to form in my head. A terrible,
desperate, crazy plan. Something no one in their right mind would
do—especially after seeing the carnage I had witnessed tonight.

A plan that might be my only hope.

It was nearly dawn by the time I finished
getting Cynthia Torez booked, stopped by my house, and got back to
Under the Fang.
That was all right with me, though. Even the
really old ones, the ones who can go out in the sun for a few
minutes without getting burned and require almost no rest during
the day, have a moment of weakness just at dawn.

I was counting on that moment of weakness
along with the few things I had hidden in the little black
overnight bag I had brought with me. I might be doing a crazy,
suicidal, dangerous thing but I intended to do it as carefully as
possible. If that makes any sense. Okay, I know—it really doesn’t.
But still, I had my plan and I was sticking to it.

I hoped.

The club was already closed for the day but I
banged on the door until one of the human barmaids opened it. I saw
with little surprise that it was Bambie, the girl I had interviewed
during my last inspection of
the Fang.

“We’re closed. Whaddaya want?” she asked
rudely.

“In,” I said, glaring at her. I remembered
now how much I had disliked her at that last interview. It seemed
like a thousand years ago but actually, it had been less than two
weeks. God, had it really been such a short time? How had I gone
from hating Corbin’s guts to being willing to do what I was about
to do for him? Was I crazy?

No, just in love,
murmured a little
voice in my head. I heard it and knew it was the voice of
Truth.

The voice of Reason, was a whole different
matter—it was screaming that I was crazy. That I had lost my mind
and I was shortly going to lose my life with this idiotic scheme I
had cooked up.

Up until I saw Bambie’s irritated face and
pouting mouth in the doorway of Corbin’s club, I wasn’t sure which
voice I was going to listen to. But the minute I pushed my way past
her, despite her protests—the moment my foot passed over the
threshold and I was inside
the Fang—
my mind was made up.

I was irrevocably committed.

You should
be
committed!
screamed the second little voice.
Are you
crazy? Did you not see that crime scene? The poor guy’s head was
torn off. Last time I looked, you
need
your head. And you need to use it now. You’re not thinking
straight, Addison. You—

I took a deep breath and shut it off.
No
more fear. No more doubts. No more questions.
I…am…doing…this…NOW.

Just at that moment, Corbin came into
view.

“Bambie, what is going on? I thought I told
you to shut down for the day.” He frowned at her and she bowed to
him reverently.

“Sorry, Master, but she pushed her way in.”
She nodded at me. “I told her we were closed but she wouldn’t
listen.”

Corbin frowned at me. “What do you want,
Addison?”

“To talk,” I said, trying to smile like
nothing was wrong. “Just to talk.”

He looked awful—even wearier than he had
earlier. I wondered uneasily about the bloody runes on the stake.
Was the blood still dark red or had it turned almost black? I had
left it behind on Gwendolyn LaRoux’ front porch so there was no way
to check. But was it possible that she had misread it? Was Corbin
even closer to death than she had thought?

“Just to talk, hmm?” he said, repeating my
words back to me. “Has it occurred to you, Addison, that there is
nothing left to say between us?”

“There’s sorry,” I whispered. “That’s what I
came to say, Corbin—that I’m sorry. Will you let me say it? Will
you listen?”

He sighed heavily. “I will try. But you
should know that I may not have much time.”

“All right. Can we go someplace private?” I
nodded pointedly at Bambie, who was watching us with wide eyes,
soaking up our conversation like a sponge.

“Of course. This way.”

To my relief, he led me down the dark
staircase to his daylight resting area, which was exactly where I
had been hoping to go. Once inside, he closed the heavy bank vault
door and turned to face me.

“Well? Speak your piece, darling. As I said,
I don’t have much time.”

“Time enough to get comfortable, though,” I
said. “Can we at least sit down?”

“Fine.” He started to lead me to the chair in
front of the fireplace but then he stumbled heavily and would have
gone down if I hadn’t caught him. He was a big guy and there was a
lot to catch—for a moment the issue was in doubt. But somehow I
managed to get my arm under his shoulder and half led, half dragged
him to the bed.

“Sorry,” he muttered.

“It’s all right. Let’s get you situated,” I
said.

This was where I had wanted him all along but
I was still more frightened than triumphant as I got him settled in
the center of the green and gold spread. I had never seen him
clumsy before, had never seen him as anything but the most graceful
and powerful of predators. Now he seemed so weak—so vulnerable. It
was actually a
good
thing if I wanted my crazy plan to
succeed but even so, I was worried that maybe I was too late. Maybe
nothing
I could do would save Corbin now.

Well, I had known it was a long shot when I
first thought up my crazy plan. But I had to try it anyway.

I looked at him lying there on the bed and
couldn’t help thinking how beautiful he still was. Despite his
vulnerability or maybe because of it, he was an absolutely gorgeous
man. From his strong jaw, which glinted with golden stubble, down
to his broad chest, narrow hips and long legs—he was perfect. I had
almost gotten used to him in suits but tonight he was back to his
old outfit of jeans and a faded blue t-shirt. It didn’t really
matter what he wore, though—he took my breath away.

“Corbin,” I said softly. “Can you hear
me?”

His eyelids, which had been mostly closed,
fluttered open and I saw that his lovely silvery-blue irises had
turned a dull gray. Seeing that hurt my heart but I tried not to
show it.

“I hear you,” he murmured, his deep voice
sounding terribly tired. “Say what you have come to say, Addison. I
am dying.”

“I know,” I said, trying to choke back a sob.
“I know about the stake.”

“Was it you who took it?” He tried to frown
at me but it seemed like he was too drained to make the effort. “I
looked for it everywhere. I needed to see it…needed to know…”

“How much time you have left,” I finished for
him.

“Exactly.” His eyelids fluttered closed
again. “Not much…I think.”

“Maybe. Maybe not.” I rummaged in my
overnight bag and tried to push down the panic that was clawing at
my mind like a hungry cat. What if I was too late? What if he still
died? What if we
both
died?

Stop it,
I told myself firmly.
Just
do it. Do it now.

I pulled out what I had been looking for—my
silver alloy cuffs. The same ones I’d used on Cynthia tonight and
countless other vamps before her. I looked down at Corbin, who
appeared to be resting peacefully in the middle of the vast
king-sized bed. There was no way I was fast enough or strong enough
to cuff him if he objected. I would just have to hope he was in a
deep enough stupor to keep him from getting suspicious before I got
the job done.

Slowly, carefully, I began to raise his arms
over his head, positioning his wrists near the brass slats in the
headboard. It was an extremely awkward operation, especially given
Corbin’s size. His long, muscular arms were bulky and unwieldy.
Still, somehow I managed.

Corbin’s eyelids fluttered again and he
frowned. “What…are you…doing?” he asked in a slow, draggy
voice.

“Just getting you more comfortable,” I
assured him. Moving as quickly as I could, I slapped the cuffs on
his wrists, being certain to wrap their chain around the center
strut of the brass bed. It was a piece of metal as thick as my arm
and it looked to be solid brass, not hollow, so it should hold. I
hoped, anyway.

Then I got out a pair of silver leg
irons.

Corbin laughed weakly when I went about
chaining his ankles to the footboard of the bed.

“What do you think you are doing, Addison?
I’m no danger to anyone now. And even if I was, you haven’t got
time to arrest me. I will be dead before you can charge me.”

“Nobody’s dying here tonight,” I said grimly.
“And I’m not arresting you.”

“Then what do you think you are doing?” he
demanded, opening his eyes more fully to look at me.

“This,” I said softly and began to strip.

“Addison…” he murmured as I shed my jacket
and blouse and slipped off my trousers. Soon I was down to nothing
but my bra and underwear. They were made of soft, stretchy crimson
lace that clearly showed the peaks of my nipples and the slit of my
pussy. It was a set I had bought over a year ago as a splurge. I
had never gotten to use them though—they had still had the price
tags on them when I pulled them out of my underwear drawer. I hoped
Corbin liked them. In all probability, they were the last garments
I would ever wear.

I pushed the negative thought from my mind
and climbed back on to the bed with him.

“Well?” I cupped my breasts and ran my hands
down my sides, framing my body for his benefit. “You like what you
see?”

“You know I do,” he rasped and I was happy to
see a little more life creeping back into his eyes. “But Addison,
if you think you can save me with sex, I am afraid you are
mistaken. The most you can do is make sure I die happy.”

“We’ll see about that,” I murmured, leaning
over to kiss him. His mouth was cold but it seemed to warm as I
tasted him.

“Mmm,” he growled softly as I ran my tongue
gently along the seam of his lips. “Feeling naughty tonight,
darling?”

“You have no idea,” I whispered and deepened
the kiss. Daringly, I pressed my tongue between his lips, tasting
him, flickering the tip quickly over his deadly sharp fangs. At the
same time I rubbed my breasts against his broad chest and ran my
hands over his shoulders and through his hair. I wanted to touch
him everywhere, wanted to feel him against me, inside me…but that
would come later.

“Addison,” he murmured, his eyes catching
mine when I sat back. “Why are you doing this?”

“Because I want you. And
I
want to be
in charge this time.”

His deep rumbling laugh seemed to vibrate
through my entire body.

“No one could argue that you are indeed in
charge. With this much silver on me, I couldn’t move if I wanted
to.”

That, of course, was what I was hoping—that
the restraints would hold.
They will,
I promised myself, and
went back to teasing him by rubbing my breasts against his face.
Corbin growled appreciatively. Feeling even bolder, I pulled down
the red lace cups of my bra to bare my nipples for him.

“Suck them,” I commanded, pressing one tight
little nub against his mouth. “Make me feel good, Corbin.”

“With pleasure, darling.” He complied
willingly, sucking my nipple deep into his mouth and teasing it
with his tongue.

I moaned as sensations shot through me,
little sparks of pleasure that seemed to go straight from my
nipples, directly to my pussy. God, even though I knew this was all
kinds of crazy and dangerous, I still wanted him—wanted him badly.
I could feel the sharp tips of his fangs bracketing my sensitive
nipple and it only made me want him more.

Finally Corbin released my nipple and I
promptly gave him the other one. He sucked it harder than the
first, taking as much of my breast into his mouth as he could. His
eyes, which seemed a little bluer than they had been, were locked
with mine as he nursed hard on my tender peak, making me moan and
squirm with pleasure.

“I like this,” he said at last, his deep
voice hoarse with lust when I finally pulled away. “I like being
helpless under you, darling.”

“You like being my sex slave?” I taunted him,
cupping my breasts and pinching the nipples for his benefit. “You
like it when I tease you and you can’t do anything about it?”

“Yes,” he breathed, his eyes devouring my
body. “Gods, you’re beautiful, Addison. So fucking gorgeous—I have
missed you so much.”

“I missed you too,” I murmured and reached
down to cup his scratchy cheek. Was it my imagination or did his
skin feel a little warmer than it had? “And if you liked the first
part, you’re going to
love
what comes next.”

Giving him a naughty smile, I moved down the
bed until I was cupping the hard ridge of his cock. I rubbed it
with a slow, up and down stroke until he groaned. The denim of his
jeans was rough under my fingers and I could feel his heat through
it. Good, I was glad I was having an effect on him. This wouldn’t
have worked otherwise.

It might not work now,
whispered a
little voice in my head.
Or it might work too well and you’ll
end up dead.

I pushed it away and smiled at Corbin. “How
do you like that,
Master?”

“I never said you had to call me that,” he
protested with a groan when I rubbed his hard shaft again. “Gods,
Addison, you are driving me
crazy.”