Fading Darkness (Bloodmarked #1) (36 page)

I wrapped both hands around the bar and
glanced all around me. No one even noticed I was there. They were a little
caught up in the rhythm. In a flash, I swung myself into the pit and ducked
under the curtain. I came straight up against a wall, but to the left was a
long, narrow hallway. Following the hallway led to a locked door to the right,
under the far end of the stage, accompanied by its very own guard,
human
guard. How the hell did Gavin get in there? He had to have bribed the guard to
let him in. That shouldn’t have surprised me.

“Hey! You can’t be here. This is a
restricted area,” he demanded.

“I’m sorry. Just looking for another
bathroom. The one up there is packed. Is there one in there I can use?” I
asked, pointing to the door. I moved closer, and he moved to stop me.

“I said no. You can’t be down here.”

Before he could finish with his
authoritative commands, I punched him hard enough to knock him off his feet and
render him unconscious while restraining myself from doing any permanent
damage. I came to the door. It had one of those key card locks on it like on
hotel room doors. I bent down to the sleeping guard and fished a card out of
his front shirt pocket.

I really hoped there weren’t any hidden
security cameras around, but I was sort of counting on the fact that vampires
didn’t worry about intruders, because they were
vampires
. It wasn’t like
they needed heightened security for the run of the mill robber. Once I entered,
my stomach sunk, and I grew wary. There were vamps nearby, but I knew Gavin was
around too. I just saw him come down here, or at least, assumed he did.

There was a stairwell right through the
doorway that descended down into a dark hallway. It was pitch black, and my
heightened sight could barely make out the shape of the stairs. I took off my
heels before descending to the lower level. By some miracle, my B&E didn’t
tip them off, but my heels on hardwood steps would.

With my clutch and heels in my hands, my
arms were getting full. There wasn’t much room in this dress for stakes, so if
there is an encounter, I guess I will have to improvise.

While creeping down the stairs, the nausea
set in, and I jumped out of my skin when a hand curled over my arm and yanked
me from the base of the stairs into a corner under the staircase. I should have
known who it was from his speed, and the lack of warning from my senses, and I
definitely should have smelled him. But I was a little jumpy tonight.
Everything was getting bigger than what I imagined, and the nerves were
catching up with me.

“What happened? They wouldn’t let you up?”
he said dryly.

“Not without a happy ending. And by the way,
I don’t appreciate being led on a wild goose chase. What the hell are you doing
down here?”

“Not now,” he said, as he pulled me down
another hallway behind the stairs. We turned a corner and came up on a door
that was slightly ajar with low light streaming out of the slender crack. There
were at least three vampires in that room from what I sensed. Gavin pinned me
up against the wall behind him to keep me out of sight, but I peered around him
through the crack. All I saw was the end of a dark red sofa. The cushion
shifted as someone on it moved. Then, I heard voices.

“You’re taking too much,” a surly man’s
voice said, panicked.

“It’s fine. He said to take it all. Leave
nothing. He wants it done,” another female voice said. Just before I could
figure out what they might be referring to, there was a recognizable bright
flash of light.

“Shit,” Gavin cursed under his breath. “They
killed him,” he said in surprise.

“Killed who?” I asked confused, like I just
came in on the middle of a conversation.

“Come on,” he said urgently. “We have to get
out of here.” He pulled me quickly toward the stairs, and I nearly dropped
everything in my hands. We raced up the stairs and out of the pit only to burst
through the side door into the blistering cold night.

He pulled my arm, nearly ripping it off
until we were safely behind the dumpster closest to the door. Moments later, we
spied the two vamps I could only assume were the ones having the conversation
downstairs. They were holding several thermoses, like the ones that typically
held coffee. Only, there wasn’t some smooth Arabica scent wafting off them, but
something a little more metallic. Blood.

They walked out of the alley toward the
street and rounded the corner. I quickly followed, but faced resistance with a
tug on my arm.

“Really?” I asked forcefully, spinning on
him. “They’re taking that blood to him, aren’t they? They’re going to lead us
right to the ring leader of all this and you want to play it safe?”

“No, I want to hang back, so they don’t
notice us. If they notice us, they could just as easily lead us straight into a
trap.”

†

We tracked the two vamps all the way to a
low-rent housing complex about thirty blocks away from the night club. As we
ran to follow them, my mind raced a thousand times faster to make sense of what
I just witnessed, or at least, what I thought I just witnessed, but it seemed
too crazy to be true. They took a vampire’s blood and killed him. What the hell
would they need with vampire blood?

When we slowed to a stop a safe distance
behind them, we waited as they approached a back door. I looked up at Gavin who
stood behind me, with those questions lingering on my face. I opened my mouth
to ask one, but he quickly smothered it with his big hand. Before I could snap
at him, he turned my head, his hand still over my mouth, toward the two vampires
standing at the door.

“Not now,” Gavin whispered in my ear.

The curiosity alone was enough to keep me
quiet. The guy vamp brought one thermos to his mouth, opening the spout. The
female caught his wrist. “You can’t. It’s his,” she hissed in warning.

“He won’t miss a few drops. I just want to
know what the appeal is,” he replied. He then brought the spout to his lips,
and I nearly gagged with disgust. No way. That’s what all this was about?
Vampire cannibalism?

His reaction to the vamp blood was
instantaneous. He doubled over, and I thought he might throw up, but he sat
hunched over, cringing in what looked like pure agony. Seconds later, he let
out a breath that must have been holding back a scream, because it wasn’t like
he needed the oxygen.

“Are you satisfied?” asked the female dryly.

“That was a rush, although I don’t know why
anyone would want to inflict that kind of pain on themselves,” he admitted.

“Pussy,” she mumbled.

I would have let out a laugh had Gavin’s
hand not still been covering my mouth. He tightened his grip when he felt the
shaking from my laughter, but it was so tight I reached up to grab his hand. I
wrapped my hand over his, curling my fingers under his palm just before he
willingly loosened it, and as I pulled his hand away from my mouth, our hands
both dropped together at the same time, fingers tangling inadvertently.

My heart stuttered a bit. It made me wonder
if this stupid human feeling of longing for companionship would ever go away. I
heard once that they’ve done studies, observing babies who received love and
attention and other babies who were left alone all the time. The babies who
were left alone died, not from malnutrition, but from loneliness.

It was only human to want companionship,
which is something I fought to protect for other people, but why did I have to
suffer it too, with a vampire, no less? I’m an outcast, and I have already
accepted that. I was meant for a life of loneliness. Me and loneliness made a
good team, so why did it have to go and turn against me? It was turning me into
a bad vampire hunter, even distracting me from what was going on right in front
of me.

Focus, Lucy
.

I wondered if I shouldn’t have opened up
back there at the club about my feelings.

The door opened a crack, and a gloved hand
held out an envelope as the thermoses were passed through the widened crack one
by one. There were very low tones passed back and forth between the vampires,
but I couldn’t make out a single word. Once the transaction was complete the
two vamps didn’t waste any more time before crossing the small gravel lot to
the dark alley on the other side that was situated between two tall old
apartment buildings.

Before I turned to Gavin, thinking it was
over, something came sailing from a second story window of the old house
through sheets on a clothes line hanging off the tiny rotted wooden terrace
above the back door. It was shiny and resembled one of my railroad spikes. I
followed its line of path to the dark alley where it ended with a burst of
fire. A second flash of flames shortly followed.

Enough of this. I wanted to know who this
ghost vampire was. The second before I stepped out from our spot behind the
dumpster, Gavin hooked an arm around my waist and leaned down to whisper in my
ear, “No, not yet. We need to know more about this guy. We’re not walking in
there blind.”

“I’m done waiting. This has to end, and he’s
right there,” I shot back, waving a hand in the direction of the back door for
emphasis.

He took my chin roughly in his hand, forcing
me to look at him. “I know.” I turned away, but he was quick to pull my
attention back. “I know,” he said intensely. “Just give me tonight to get more
information,” he pleaded.

I did. I gave him just the night.

When Gavin escorted me back to his loft and
was positive we weren’t followed, he said he was going back out to fill in some
of the blanks from what we saw last night that left us scratching our heads. He
wanted to know why vampire blood was worth all the risk of exposure, and the
risk of death by assassins. He also wondered why drinking it in large
quantities, like the four thermoses full, wouldn’t kill the vampire
responsible.

“It was always believed that drinking
vampire blood would bring their death into us and kill us permanently. It made
sense since we consume human blood, full of life, to stay alive,” he had said
last night in the middle of pacing in front of the fireplace.

Normally, his frantic back and forth motion
would have annoyed me, but it was oddly calming. Just knowing he was just as
rattled and confused as I was comforted me in a weird way. Finally, I wasn’t
the one on the edge.

“Calm down. We’ll figure this out,” I had
told him.

He gave me a peculiar sidelong glance and
actually stopped mid-pace before starting up again, wearing a dull path into
the polished hardwood floor. “So now, you’re the voice of reason?” he asked.

“Who was the vampire they killed?”

“The ancient we followed,” he said
passively, as if this information wasn’t important.

That was when I figured out he really was
using me as a distraction. “You knew he was going to be there,” I accused, the
anger growing. He brushed it off with a very unapologetic shrug, and I
proceeded to be the voice of reason by throwing my very high, very
uncomfortable pumps at him. He dodged the first skillfully, but I got him right
in the forehead with the second.

Once the pacing stopped, he went from man
without answers to man of action. He was out the door in seconds, and he took
his calming effect with him. Once he was gone, I became the crazed person
obsessed with wanting answers, but I knew he had a point. I couldn’t just
charge in and try to take down this badass vamp on my own.

He’s been planning everything this whole
time, and I knew he would anticipate my every move. He was the one responsible
for killing all those people just to send me a message. He set me up for those
murders, too. He had a strategy all along, so I needed to come up with one of
my own. Okay, so it wasn’t so much as a strategy as it was a way to draw him
out. I was sick of him toying with me. I wanted this over with. I just hoped I
could pull it off without pissing off Holly’s dad. I’ve given him enough time
already. Now it was time to get back out there.

†

Gavin never came home that night. I almost
worried that the ghost vampire got to him, but then I remembered he was going
to get answers, which meant he was probably probing Trixie for answers, all
night long. Yuck. He had gained a minimal amount of respect from me when he
denied anything between her and him, but now he was losing that little bit of
respect. Images of him with her forced their way into my mind, and I wished I
could take a hot iron to my brain to burn those pictures from my memory.

I used that anger from those mental images
to fuel the fire that had dulled and lied dormant in me for weeks. I was happy to
have it back, because I was ready for some action. Although it was midafternoon,
I still planned to get into all sorts of trouble. Walking out of my guest
bedroom that I was beginning to see as my own room, I pulled my coat on in a
hurry while dragging a palm down the wall over the light switch to flip it off.

I stopped dead in my tracks after seeing
Gavin’s bedroom door open. Normally, it was closed in a very “keep out”
fashion, but today, it was open and inviting, drawing me in. I stepped in and
moved toward the well-made bed. My hands moved toward the pillows before I even
comprehended what I was doing. I brought the pillow to my nose and inhaled the
amazing scent until it filled my mind and paralyzed all other senses. The scent
of him brought with it more than the memory of Gavin, but also how I felt
around him, and before I became overwhelmed by feelings other than anger, I
dropped the pillow to the bed and darted out of his room. I had a mission, and
I needed to focus and channel all that pent up anger I had toward, well, toward
just about everything in my life.

Needing to feel the strength in my muscles,
I took the stairs two at a time and ran at full speed through the lobby,
stirring up magazine pages on the end tables of the seating area. When I hit
the bitter January air, I didn’t slow down, but kept going, pushing myself
harder as my lungs burned in the subzero temperatures.

†

The club seemed to be sleeping in the mid
afternoon light, only coming to life at night, a bit like its owner. It stood looming
above me appearing desolate and deserted, so quiet and anodyne in its
slumbering state, but looks can be deceiving, because at night, this place was
more ruthless than harmless, claiming victim after victim like some factory for
the innocents’ demise. I wasn’t about to let it take any more lives. It was
time to take down this killing machine, starting with its heart.

Before getting close to the club, I had
stuffed my hair into my stocking cap to keep anyone from recognizing me and
suspecting me of any crimes before I actually committed one, or two. I scouted
the area for any nosey neighbors or wandering eyes before sneaking in the
surprisingly unlocked side door. I thought I was going to have to hide out if
there were any humans around until they left, but I didn’t find anyone inside,
no one around accepting deliveries, no one doing inventory or prepping the bars
or tending to the everyday business aspects of this place, no one, period. It
felt a little like abandonment, unless they took care of everything outside of
here, maybe worked from home, or crypt.

Everything appeared in order, however. The
place had already been cleaned from the previous night’s activity, so it wasn’t
just abandoned. Once I searched the place thoroughly and found myself completely
alone, I headed downstairs, with my newly acquired key card. The secret
basement area was every bit as dark and dank as the first time I was here.

This time, there was no sensation of vampire
presence, which was slightly disheartening. I was really hoping for a good kill
or two. At least I didn’t have to worry about treading lightly. This time, I
charged ahead searching for any information on this ghost vampire. I searched
several dark rooms that came across as vampire lounges. These rooms must have been
where they conducted their… business. Moving past the staircase, I came to a
locked door at the end of the hallway. A swift front kick sent the door
swinging open, and when I stepped in, the first thing I noticed was the smell.
It was a mixture of blood, rot, and burnt hair.

After gagging I moved forward, and the next
things that stood out were the two giant structures in the middle of the back
wall. They had what looked like oven doors on them, but they were way too big
to be ovens, even if this place did serve food.

Stepping closer I noticed the dials on the
front by the doors that indicated different settings, but they were essentially
on and off buttons.
Omigod
. These were definitely not ovens. They were
incinerators. That was why there haven’t been any more suspicious bodies found
lately, just a whole lot of missing persons. There was no more hesitation, just
action.

I only had a short time to get as far away
from this building as possible before there were witnesses that could put me in
the same area as the giant fire that was about to erupt. Hitting full speed, I
flew past traffic and through alleyways while stirring up trash and dust in my
draft. Not wanting to go back to an empty apartment, I made my way to the
cemetery to wait for sunset.

If Gavin was okay, he wouldn’t be coming
home in daylight, and I had to believe he was fine, because he was the most
badass vampire I had ever seen in action. There wasn’t much more I could do but
wait now, wait for Gavin to return with information, wait for retaliation for
burning down yet another establishment of this elusive enemy.

A memory scratched at my brain, a dream
where I stood in a church with Gavin. I wasn’t sure why it popped into my head.
I didn’t even really remember it, but something was worrying me. I shouldn’t
have antagonized this ghost vampire. The repercussions could be terrible and
deadly. But I couldn’t just sit back and let him call all the shots. I just
wanted this to be over with. My impatience kept getting the better of me.

Shit!

I wasn’t sure of anything anymore, not even
my instincts were chiming in on this one. I hated waiting. I was
not
good
with waiting. After about ten seconds just after sunset, I decided my time was
better spent hunting vampires. If there was a trap awaiting me tonight, I needed
to be ready. This ghost vamp may have ninja stealth, speed and strength, but I
was stronger and faster than before.

The last trap that nearly killed me took a
lot of life out of me forcing some of those innate vampire abilities to surface.
If I was going to become a monster, at least for now, I could use those
abilities to kill as many vampires as I could. Plus, Holly’s dad was about to
have his hands full, along with the St. Louis fire department and every major
local news station. It was a nice distraction from little ole me.

Before I made it out of the cemetery, my
stomach growled. Oops. I needed to fuel up if I was going to be doing any
combat fighting tonight. Patting down my pockets, I came up with my emergency
debit card that accessed my parents’ money. I really hated using it, but being
jobless hasn’t been easy on my financial situation. This was definitely an
emergency.

The smell of greasy French fries and a
medley of onion, pickle and fresh hamburgers hot off the grill drew me into a
nearby bar and grill. I took a seat at the bar and gave my order to a big bald
twenty something guy. As he mumbled, “That’ll be right out,” he shuffled to the
little computerized screen to type in my order and sat back on his stool behind
the bar with his gaze glued to one of several TVs situated above the bar. It
was some sort of playoff game, Broncos vs. the Packers. He looked tense, like
he might have been losing money on the game. He was very into it. Me, not so
much. I glanced to the next television set to see what else was on.

There was some old
That 70s Show
rerun, but the news would come on after it in about fifteen minutes. Besides
me, there were only six other people in the bar so it only took about ten
minutes to get my food and even less time than that to put it all down. By the
time I wiped my mouth with my napkin, I glanced back up to the TV to see a
local anchor standing at the scene of the fire, which was reduced from a giant
blaze to a smoldering flicker.

“Hey, can you turn that up?” I asked the
bartender, who looked less than excited to tear his attention away from his
precious game. “Please,” I added apologetically.

Getting angry only would have delayed him. I
needed to hear what they found out. The bartender seemed to move at snail speed
before he made it to the TV. He turned up the volume and gave me a meaningful
looked that said, “Happy?”

So sorry to inconvenience you
.

“Thank you,” I said, still trying to be
patient. The pretty young anchor was bundled in an oversized parka and furry
boots that looked more fashionable than practical. She held the mic with her
shivering hands as she yelled over the roar of activity in the area. She
reported that there were no injuries, and then Holly’s dad cut into frame as
the camera man panned out. She asked him what the cause was.

“A definitive cause has yet to be
determined, but there will be further investigation once the fire has been
contained. There were suspicious materials found on the lower level.”

“Is it safe to say it was result of criminal
activity? Is this another drug lab gone wrong?” the girl pressed.

“We won’t know any more until after the
investigation. That is all I can tell you at this time. Thank you,” Chief
Beckett said before disappearing back into the dark frenzied chaos.

No, thank you for that very vague but very
liberating announcement. At least with the media focusing their attention on
the latest episode in the drug ring, I might have a chance to go unnoticed for
a while.

Or longer.

The news station cut back to the man in the
studio.

Much, much longer…

“In other news, in the case of the recent
brutal murders a man came forward today claiming all responsibility for the
heinous crimes. The timing of the murders suggested he would have had help.
However, he would not reveal any other names and claims to have orchestrated
the entire thing.”

What the f-

“You finished with that?” a voice asked.

The news anchor faded out as the bartender
came into view in front of me, looking at me expectantly.

“What?”

“I said are you done with that?” he
repeated, nodding toward my plate.

“Oh. Yeah,” I said, but the last fry looked
too good to pass up, so I reached for it before it was out of reach.

He raised an eyebrow and snorted. “Hungry?”

I just nodded my head as my focus shifted
back to the current matter at hand. Why would anyone come forward and take full
responsibility for all those murders when they had absolutely nothing to do
with it? A human taking the blame for a vampire mess. It didn’t make sense,
unless he was one of those unfortunate misguided souls with the false hope of
becoming one of them. The vampire who was really behind those killings could
have found some poor human who wanted to become immortal and persuade them to
take the blame in return for that immortality.

I couldn’t imagine they did it for my
benefit, but I was grateful. Maybe they were worried they would get caught by
the First for being so careless. Whatever the reason, I felt the anticipation
growing inside me. With the target on my back gone, I was free and clear to get
back out there and kick as much vampire ass as I could find, and it had been
way too long since I had a fulfilling hunt.