Crimson Rush A Vampire Romance (Crimson Book 1) (16 page)

It was obvious he had loved her, at least a little, but I wasn’t going to push it on him. Maybe it eased his mind to believe he was incapable of love.

I was startled when I felt someone’s hand on my shoulder. Twisting my head around, I saw Jonas hovering next to us.

“Do you mind if I finish out your dance?” he asked Luke.

I wanted to plead with Luke to refuse, but that would have been too whiny and ungracious.

In any case, I fully expected him to refuse. To my surprise, Luke bent his head in a polite nod, and gave my hand to Jonas. Unless I wanted to risk a scene, I had no choice but to let Jonas take my hand.

Unlike Luke, Jonas made no pretense of gentlemanly conduct. He pulled me to him until I was pressed hard against his broad chest. His hands were cool on my skin, but his touch was surprisingly gentle. It was almost enough to fool me into thinking he might not be such a bad guy after all, that was up until I saw the hunger in his eyes.

I tried to put some distance between us, but he was much too strong.

“This is a costume party. What are you supposed to be?” I asked, hoping to take his mind off of having me for dinner.

His laughter was low and sensuous. “A rock star.”

He did look the part with his wild mass of dark hair and black leather, but that’s how he usually looked.

“Hmm … you vamps sure don’t get into the spirit of things, do you?”

He shrugged his shoulders. “To me … life is a costume party. Humans like to hide who they really are, even more so than us vamps.”

Did his words have a double meaning?

Again I had to wonder if Jonas knew what I was. If he did, he could be a serious threat.

“You were right about Max. Thanks,” I told him.

There was a hint of a smile tugging at the corners of his lips. “You are quite welcome … but now you owe me,” he added with a whisper.

“I have another question for you.” I told him, thinking it was best to ignore his implication that I now owed him.

“And what is it … my curious little human chick?”

“If someone were given Rush, and it turned them into a zombie … what species would they be?” I slowed my step so that I could look up at him.

“Hmm … that one’s a little tougher. I’ve never heard of anything like that,” he said before adding, “I would think they would have to have something to do with the dead. Rush is really a form of magic … the blood used in it … is enchanted. It makes sense that it might bring out what is hidden deep within that being.”

Max resented being a shifter, so it probably did make sense that the drug might cause him to retreat into himself.

“And Rush is magic because it is made with the blood of witches,” I stated, giving him a hard glare.

Amusement flared in his dark eyes. “So you are getting to be an expert on vampire drugs?”

“Don’t you feel any remorse for what you are doing?”

Leaning down so that his mouth was close to my ear, he whispered, “No … none.”

“You’re a jerk,” I snapped.

We were interrupted by a series of terrified screams. All the couples on the dance floor came to a standstill, and the music died away.

More shrieks tore through the night, and the crowd erupted with cries of alarm.

“Where’s that coming from?” I asked Jonas, not because I actually thought he cared, but because he had better hearing and would easily be able to determine where the screams were coming from.

Taking me by the hand, Jonas pulled me behind him as he headed toward a grove of pines at the outer edge of the park, passing Luke on our way. Jonas slowed and turned to the other vampire. “You better do some damage control now. Keep these people here.”

Luke’s mouth dropped open. “And how do you suppose I do that?”

“Compel them … something,” Jonas threw the words over his shoulder, as he picked up his pace.

I practically had to run to keep up with him.

When we reached the trees, all I saw was a blur of movement to my left, and then a flash of movement to my right. Whatever it was, it was moving so fast that my eyes couldn’t keep up.

Lying in the tall grass was the pale - lifeless body of a woman. There was something vaguely familiar about her, but I was too stunned to place it at first. She was wearing a Little Bo Peep costume that was now covered in blood.

It wasn’t until I got a good look at the woman’s face that I realized it was Terry Jean. My first thought was Dusty, but I quickly banished the idea from my mind. Dusty was a scoundrel, but he was no killer. He wouldn’t have done this, no matter how annoyed he’d gotten with Terry Jean.

Terry Jean had been one of Dusty’s one-night stands in high school. Although it had been more or less insignificant to Dusty, it had spurred a fatal attraction in her. She’d been chasing him every since, and he’d been doing his best to dodge her. There were times he’d get angry with Terry, but not enough to kill her.

Kneeling down next to Terry Jean, I felt for a pulse; there was none. Her body was already growing cold.

“What could have done this?” I asked Jonas.

“A vampire,” he answered. “Judging by the mutilation … probably a vampire on Rush.”

The wicked laughter that came out of the darkness sent a chill up my spine. Allan Rense, the drummer for Night Reign, crawled on his hands and knees from behind the shrubbery where he’d been hiding. His face was covered in blood, as was his long blond hair.

Allen’s glowing blue eyes darted from side to side, as if he couldn’t make them focus. Finally they fixed on me, and the light within them grew. A deep growl tore from his throat, before he leaped at me.

I hit the ground with a loud thud. The impact sent pain searing through my neck and back. His fangs were only inches from my throat, and then he was suddenly ripped away from me.

When I finally dared to look, I found myself staring into Marcus’s cold blue eyes.

Grasping my hand in his, he pulled me to my feet. Without saying a word to me, he turned to Jonas. “I told you to keep watch over her tonight!”

“I tried,” Jonas defended himself.

Marcus was furious, and that fury was directed at Jonas. For an instant, I thought he might attack the other vampire, but instead he barked, “Go get Allen and take him to Crimson. Keep him there until he comes down.”

“What about this?” Jonas asked, motioning toward Terry Jean’s body.

“I’ll take care of it. Now go … before he kills someone else!”

So that was why Jonas was at Moon Fest!

It was getting a little more difficult to be surprised these days, but that did it. Marcus wanted Jonas to keep me safe.

Why?

I couldn’t help but wonder why someone like Marcus Savoy, would go through so much trouble over me.

The answer was obvious. I was a Moon Witch, and my blood was valuable to vampires.

When Jonas was gone, Marcus turned his attention to me. “Why did you follow Jonas over here?”

“We were dancing and we heard screams,” I said, not quite understanding why I felt the need to defend myself. “What’s it to you anyway?” I added, narrowing my eyes to angry slits.

“You should have stayed with the others. You could have been killed,” he said, a softer tone to his voice.

Suddenly I couldn’t tear my eyes from him. He was wearing a sleeveless leather vest, opened to reveal his hard - muscular chest. The way his waves of blond hair glistened in the moonlight was too tempting. All I could think about was running my fingers through it. I found the image of Marcus beneath the Harvest Moon, spellbinding, but it was his eyes that enthralled me most of all.

Those vast pools of blue light burned with a need that went beyond his craving for blood. The hunger I saw in his eyes - was a hunger of the heart and soul.

A hot ache grew in my throat as his gaze slid over my body, pausing at the slit in my dress.

He is death of the heart heart.

I had to keep telling myself this, hoping to control the urge to reach out and touch him.

The moment fled at the sound of Luke’s voice.

“What happened here?” Luke asked.

Marcus’s eyes shifted to Luke. “A vampire on too much Rush. You’ll have to take care of this.”

“Well mate, that could be easier said than done. There’s a whole crowd of people just dying to know what happened here.”

“Compel the sheriff … make him think it was an animal attack. Whatever it takes,” Marcus told him, before grabbing my hand.

“You’re going to cover this up?” I asked, pulling my hand from his.

“Nothing else I can do.” Marcus shrugged. “We can’t exactly let the people know about the vampires creeping about their town … can we? It might dwindle our food supply.” He gave me a wicked smile I knew was meant to irritate me.

Now I was angry. There it was again, a vampire referring to humans as mere food. I would have told him how mad I was too, if it weren’t for the fact that the sheriff was on his way over to us.

Luke jumped in. “She is right. We can’t let this continue. Too many people are dying. There will come a time when there will be a witness that can’t be compelled.”

“Just do it,” Marcus snapped.

I looked at Luke in disbelief. “You’re not seriously going to do as he says?”

Luke lifted his hands in a gesture of helplessness. “The people can’t know about us. It is probably what the SCC would order anyway.”

My heart seethed with anger at the injustice being done Terry Jean. I turned back to Marcus. “Well maybe if you remove the cause … you won’t have this problem.”

“Any suggestions?” he asked, his voice ringing with sarcasm.

“Stop Jonas and his Rush making operation,” I spat out contemptuously. “I’m not stupid enough to believe this is getting by you … especially when it concerns a member of Night Reign.”

His expression clouded with anger. “You don’t know what you are talking about.”

“Don’t I? I’ve spent a bit more time with Jonas than you think.”

Suddenly Marcus’s face was a glowing mask of rage. “You will stay away from him.”

“I’m not one of your vamps! You can’t order me around!” I threw my words at him, adding as much venom as I could put into them.

Because I wasn’t a vamp, I saw no reason to wait around for him to dismiss me. Instead, I turned my back on him and stalked away.

“Star! Get back here!” he yelled.

Ignoring him, I kept walking. The next thing I knew, I was colliding into him.

I felt like stomping my foot and throwing a fit, but instead I put a scowl on my face and went off on him. “Would you quit doing that? I hate it when y’all do your sneaking up on me trick.”

“You can’t be alone tonight Star. With all the celebrations going on … there are bound to be more vampires high on Rush.”

“I can take care of myself … and it seems to me I might be better off doing that. Vampires are the essence of death. Isn’t that what you told me?” I asked, disdain dripping from my lips.

“I will not let you be alone tonight,” he said, his voice as hard as granite.

“You don’t have a choice.”

Before I could add a few more juicy words, his large arms were around me, holding me in a crushing embrace. His lips came down on mine - his tongue intimately caressed my mouth. His kiss throbbed with a passionate message that sent a shudder straight into the depths of my being.

He wanted me in a very sinful way, and he knew I wanted the same.

Marcus pulled away when he heard Luke calling for him. I took advantage of the distraction and slipped away unnoticed. Part of me regretted leaving the serenity offered by his embrace, but the more common sense part of me knew he was a risk to my heart, and maybe to my very life.

Escaping from a vampire is anything but easy, but I had the moon on my side. I had no idea if it was instinct, or some long dead ancestor’s spirit guiding me, but I knew I had to focus on the moon.

Pulling the moon’s energy into myself, I began running at several times my normal speed. I found the sensation of flying through the night on legs that could not possibly move so fast, strange but exhilarating.

I had no desire to stay at the festival. My lips still burned from Marcus’s kiss, but so did my anger.

How could he just let this happen?

Why was it, that despite the fact that he was the worst kind of person or vampire, I couldn’t keep him out of my head? Just his touch could send my senses reeling, and I didn’t seem to have the slightest bit of control over it.

Once I was far enough from Larose Park, I slowed down and pulled out my phone. I had to let my friends and family know I’d left for home, so they wouldn’t worry. After sending Max a quick text, I tucked the phone behind the wide - black belt around my waist.

Taking in several gulps of air, I slowed my pace even more. Running at such speeds was fun, but it did tire me out. I realized that hiding from Marcus wasn’t realistic. If he wanted to find me, he would. Since he’d given me his blood, that was an advantage he’d always have with me, but I was counting on him being preoccupied for a spell. At least long enough for me to get home.

Unlike Luke, Marcus had not received an invitation to enter my home. I’d be out of his reach as soon as I was through my front door. It wasn’t far. I even had a fair chance of actually making it before he came after me.

Before long, I was on the old highway out of town. With so many people at Moon Fest, there were few cars on the road, and once you reached the Cookson Springs town limits, there were no streetlights either.

Not that it was too dark. The moon was full, lighting my path enough I could see where I was going, though the moonlight didn’t do a lot to chase away the feeling of foreboding that had crept up on me.

Suddenly the sound of my footsteps crunching the gravel was way too loud. I was sure someone was in the trees - watching me as I made my way down the dark highway.

Shuddering, I pushed the thought aside. I was getting too jumpy, thanks to the horror of seeing Terry Jean’s lifeless body, combined with my overactive imagination.

The first sign of trouble were the headlights in the distance. Judging by how fast they were approaching, the car had to have been going well over the speed limit.

The fear didn’t jump at me all at once. It wasn’t until the car began to slow that I realized something wasn’t right.  If I stayed on the road, I was a walking target, but there was nowhere to run, except for into the woods.

By now I could see that it was a late model - darker colored car. The closer it got, the more it slowed. It was clear that whoever was in the car, was waiting for me to get closer before making their move.

Spinning on my heels, I made a dash for the trees that lined the side of the highway. Like I had done in the park, I willed the moon to give me strength. I could feel the tingling in my legs, but it was not nearly as strong as it had been earlier, and I wasn’t running anywhere near as fast.

Chancing a look over my shoulder, I saw three people enter the woods behind me. At least I thought they were people. There was no way to know for sure.

For the time being, I was outrunning them, but I was quickly losing strength and speed. At this rate they’d catch up to me before long.

It was dark in the woods, much darker than it had been on the road. Here and there, slivers of pale moonlight managed to penetrate the thick canopy of trees, but it wasn’t nearly enough to see where I was going.

My foot caught on something that sent me sprawling into a pile of dead pine needles. Pushing into a sitting position, I saw that the culprit was a dead tree branch that had probably been lying in the same spot for decades.

Before I could scramble to my feet, I was surrounded by three figures wearing black hooded robes. Their faces were hidden behind grinning skull masks.

Frantic, I scanned my immediate area, searching for anything I could use as a weapon. The tree branch was the only thing within reach. It was big, and would probably be much too heavy to lift, let alone wield against my attackers.

Closing my eyes, I focused my thoughts on the moon’s energy - on its light, but couldn’t manage to pull that energy to me. I was too inexperienced and too exhausted.

The only thing left to do was scream, which I did at the top of my lungs. My shrieks carried through the forest, but there was no one to hear them, aside from the Reapers.

The Reaper to my right grabbed my arm and gave it a painful squeeze. “Bitch! Did you really think you were going to get away from us again?”

I tried pulling my arm away, but he was holding on too tightly. “Screw you!”

The Reaper’s laughter was as sinister, as it was hideous. “Oh I think you are the one that is screwed, witch.”

“I wouldn’t be too sure of that.” The voice was dark - so dark that it reminded me of what death might really sound like.

The Reapers were too shocked to move. Marcus took advantage of this and came in for the kill. By the time I’d managed to blink twice, all three of my assailants had their hearts ripped from their chest.

At that moment, the only thing stronger than my urge to scream, was my desire to block out the grotesque image of those bloody corpses. I did both, closed my eyes and then screamed.

I felt him lift me in his arms with as much effort as it would have taken to lift a rag doll.

“That’s right sweetheart … keep your eyes closed,” he whispered in my ear.

I didn’t have to be told twice. The last thing I wanted was to see those gross bodies again. A moment later, I felt a light breeze playing with my hair. The breeze was comforting, up until there was a small gust that lifted the witch’s hat off my head. I opened my eyes just in time to see it soaring through the air.

It wasn’t just the hat that was sailing through the night sky! So was I.

My stomach dropped when I realized I was hundreds of feet above the ground. Without thinking, I wrapped my arms around Marcus’s neck and snuggled into his chest. As we flew through the night, I felt as if I were being transported on a soft - magical cloud.

His cool fingers slid beneath my chin, and gently lifted so that I was looking at his face.

He was so valiant - so handsome; it was difficult to believe that I was looking at a creature of the night.

But before he was a night creature, he was a Viking warrior, and that’s the Marcus I was seeing now.

His radiant eyes pulled at me - urging me to give up myself to the soul that I saw reflected in those eyes.

I couldn’t resist the yearning that took hold of me. I wanted - needed to taste his lips again.

Running my hand through his hair, to the back of his head, I brought him closer to me, and brushed his lips with mine. When our lips met, it was like being jolted with thousands of volts of electricity.

Marcus’s tongue slid into my mouth and he took possession of the desire I’d managed to keep in check, until that instant. His kiss sent waves of sweet erotic music coursing through my veins. My tongue danced with his - feeding his desire with my own.

Against a backdrop of twinkling stars and a night filled with the magical light of the Harvest Moon, he took possession of my heart. From that moment on, through every beat of my heart and every breath I took, my essence would be entangled with his - our hearts would always long for the ultimate joining of two souls.

The air rushed passed me as we descended from the heavens, coming down on a moonlit knoll, covered with a blanket of soft grass. It could have been a bed of rocks for all I would have noticed. I was too caught up in the sensations ripping through my body.

His lips slid from my mouth to my cheek. Feeling his breath against my skin made my heart race even faster.

Marcus gently laid me on the grass and stood there staring at me for the longest time. It was thrilling just to look at him - to take in the vision of him standing against the magnificent full moon – to see the wind playing with his long blond tresses. In that moment, it was easy to believe he’d come to me straight from the divine - a Nordic god come to take me away to some enchanted snow-covered kingdom.

He came down on me, his lips seeking mine. The savage hunger in his kiss sent me sailing through the heavens once again, only this time it was with the pure ecstasy of being in his arms.

I felt his hands gently gliding my dress up my legs and waist. Our kiss ended long enough for him to lift the dress over my head. My bra and panties came off next. The light in his eyes grew brighter as his gaze raked over my bare skin.

Suddenly his large hand was sliding up my stomach until he reached my breasts. His fingers were magic, as he proceeded to caress and squeeze my tingling - erect nipples. Just when I thought it couldn’t get any better, I felt his moist tongue circling my hard buds, and then his teeth bringing me sweet pain.

I gasped, surprised by the pure eroticism of that pain.

His hands gently moved down to my hips, and then to my thighs. He gently pushed my legs apart so that he could explore my inner thigh.

The fire in his touch, and the anticipation of where his fingers would go next, was enough to send shivers of sensation over my body. As his fingers drew nearer to the wet heat between my legs, my impatience grew, becoming explosive.

Finally I felt him part my swollen damp folds, and could not stop myself from crying out. His expert touch brought me to even higher levels of ecstasy, until I was ready to beg him for release.

Tonight his growls were of a different kind of hunger - a hunger that I longed to feed.

For a brief moment he was gone, but when he was again beside me, I felt no clothing, just bare skin and his stiff arousal against my leg.

The moment he entered me, we became as one in exquisite harmony. A harmony that is only possible with the joining of the soul, as well as the body.

The feeling of his throbbing flesh moving deep within me was enough to send a torrent of fire over every inch of my body. I needed more of him, and I would get it by wrapping my legs around his waist to pull him even deeper into me.

“I’ve waited so long for you,” he whispered softly against my neck.

Gradually his rhythm increased until his lovemaking became almost savage in nature. I was thrown into a tsunami of sweet agony, and then pure rapture. My entire being exploded with sensation, and the earth tilted. My world was filled with him, and only him.

He stiffened as his hot passions spilled into me, sending another hurricane of pleasure ripping through my core. As my heart slowed, I found that for the first time in my life, I was filled with an amazing sense of completeness. 

Still resting within me, he wrapped me securely in his arms, kissing me with so much tenderness, I thought my heart would burst.

For the longest time, we lay enshrouded in moonlight and contentment. I couldn’t resist the urge to caress his hair, as he rested his head in the hollow between my breasts.

“How did you turn Marcus?” I asked.

As soon as I felt his body stiffen, I regretted the question. I wanted nothing to break the moment, but I’d done just that.

“It was a long time ago. I try not to think of it much,” he said, rising up on his arms to look into my eyes. “You and the moonlight are intoxicating. Why would I want to think of anything so dreary?”

I wasn’t going to push it. Just to be with him was enough, for now.

* * *

Up until Club Crimson came to town, my life had been more or less uneventful. I’d never even flown on an airplane, which is probably why I found Marcus’s mode of transportation a little scary.

Not all vampires could fly, only the very old ones. That explained why Luke couldn’t just zip here and there, like Marcus could.

When we came down in front of my house, Charlie and Luke were waiting for me on the porch.

Luke’s sharp eyes practically cut us to ribbons as they went from me to Marcus. He didn’t say anything, but there was no way to miss the hostility. I had expected this. After all, it wasn’t as if he could have missed that kiss between Marcus and I at Larose Park.

Charlie wasn’t about to keep quiet though. “So you are screwing vampires now … even after I warned you?”

A blush spread from my toes all the way up to my hair. Was the fact that I had just been sexually sated that obvious?

Ignoring his question, I asked one of my own. “I thought you were leaving town?”

“I changed my mind when Luke told me about the incident in the park.” Charlie set his beer bottle on the porch, and rose from the swing he’d been sitting in. This time when he spoke, he looked at Marcus.

“Now’s the time to tell her why you really came to Cookson Springs.”

“Do you even know that yourself?” Marcus asked, making it apparent he was in no way intimidated by Uncle Charlie.

“Oh yes Savoy. I know exactly what you are up to,” Charlie said, as he made his way down the porch steps, almost stumbling on the last one.

It was then that I realized Charlie had been slurring his words. He was drunk.

No surprise there.

“Charlie, maybe you need to sleep it off,’ I told him, stepping closer so that he could hear me whisper under my breath. “Before you go picking a fight with a vampire.”

Charlie laughed. “Without you Star … he won’t be a vampire much longer. Hell! He won’t even be alive.”