Forget About Midnight (6 page)

I spun her to face me, pinning her to the car. “Don’t fight. It’s not worth it. Trust me.”

This only made her fight harder, and I couldn’t help but love that. Her cries were muffled by my hand. Sure, I could’ve poured on the charm and had her eating out of my hand like the last guy, but I wanted her to be afraid. She needed to know this was punishment for being such a sadistic bitch.

I jerked her away from the car so I could slam her hard against it. This crushed the breath from her and silenced her attempted screams. I checked her for weapons, tossing the knife and cell phone I found.

“Listen, bitch,” I growled. “You may not know me, but you know my friend. In fact, you tortured the fuck out of him not so long ago. You might remember him. One brown eye, one blue. Ring a bell?”

She nodded vigorously as understanding settled into her frightened gaze. To her credit, she stopped fighting, accepting that it was better to save her energy.

I opened my mouth to tell her it was best to cooperate and never got the words out. My senses blazed as I picked up on the approaching vampire. Before he spoke I knew who it was.

“Need a hand with that?” Jenner asked, appearing from behind me. An amused smirk played about his handsome face.

I frowned, certain that his arrival couldn’t mean anything good. “What are you still doing here? Don’t you have a city of sin to get back to?”

He snickered and leaned on the car beside Sylvia as if he’d come by for a casual chat. “God, you are so much like Arys. I lost count of how many times he’s said that to me.”

My stomach clenched at his mention of Arys. Somewhere inside me, that name inflicted pain. “So maybe you should take a hint.”

“Don’t pretend you’re not happy to see me.” Jenner crossed his tattooed arms and stared at me pointedly. “Damn, Alexa. You look fantastic, and you feel even better. Just oozing power. You’ve got the crazy eyes though.”

Sylvia’s breath came hard as she looked from me to him. Jenner had picked a fine time to come and check me out for Arys. What else would he be doing here?

“Can I help you with something?” I asked without hiding my irritation. “In case you didn’t notice, I’m a little busy right now.”

“So I see.”

In sudden desperation Sylvia kicked me hard in the shin. I cursed and retaliated with a solid punch that dropped her, out cold at my feet. Lingering in the parking lot was stupid so I grabbed her limp form and started moving.

Jenner stepped forward and scooped her into his arms with a nod. “Lead the way, your highness.”

Eyeing him with suspicion, I led the way back through the shadows to the side street where my car was parked. As we went, I continued to shoot questioning glances his way. Each one was met with a shit-eating grin.

“Be honest, Jenner. Why are you following me? Did Arys send you?”

“No. I’m here because I can’t stand to be away from you a moment longer. You haunt my dreams, my queen.” He laughed, clearly entertained by himself. “Of course he did. He’s worried about you. I’ve never seen him like this. Frankly, it fucking sucks. He’s not himself. From the looks of it, neither are you.”

We reached the car, and I opened the passenger door so Jenner could dump Sylvia inside. When I was sure she was still pretty out of it, I pulled the seatbelt across her, shut the door, and turned to Jenner.

“You’re right about that. I’m not myself. Because the man I love killed me, and it was the highlight of his existence. Pretty sure that could fuck even the sanest person up.” I met Jenner’s gaze and saw a pity there that made my fists clench. “Don’t you dare look at me like that.”

“Chill out, girl. Don’t bite my head off.” With raised hands, Jenner grew serious. “You want to know why I’m still here? Because I give a damn. I love Arys. And he loves you. So please, go home, Alexa. He needs you.”

Jenner was seriously starting to cramp my evening. I had plans that didn’t include emotional turmoil. The bloodlust driving me had no interest in self-pity.

I wanted to shout at him, to ask him why it didn’t matter what I needed. But he wasn’t the one I really wanted to shout at. So I just said, “Go home, Jenner.”

To be fair, Jenner had proven himself to be loyal to his bloodline. He was a good guy, somewhere beneath the ego and the snide remarks. Thanks to the way I’d tied him to me back in Las Vegas, I kind of wanted to take a little taste of his heady energy. He just felt so much like Arys.

“You can’t avoid him forever, you know. You’ll go crazy. Correction. Crazier. So will he.” His ice-blue gaze my met dark-blue one, and we stared uncomfortably at one another.

“Thank you, Jenner, for everything. Seriously. It means a lot to me that you’re here for Arys.” On sudden impulse, I threw my arms around him in a hug. It was a quick squeeze. I released him before he could decide to hug me back. “But trying to force me to face him before I’m ready isn’t going to help anyone. Now if you don’t get out of my way, I’ll have to send you back to him with your head stuffed up your ass.”

Jenner was hesitant to leave. He looked from Sylvia in the car to me with a raised brow. “What exactly are you up to?”

“Just exacting a little vengeance. I’ve got to run before they realize she’s missing.” I went around to the driver’s side, aware of his gaze heavy upon me. He was definitely going to tell Arys about this. “Have a good night, Jenner.”

I got in the car before he could reply. The engine roared to life, and I hit the gas without a look back. My good mood had soured, but with a glance over at the unconscious Sylvia, a devilish smile crept over me.

Jenner’s attempt at convincing me to go home before I went crazy had only served to feed the fire that drove my madness. I would go home when I was damn well good and ready.

Seeking a place that was likely to be unpopulated at night, I headed for the cemetery north of downtown. I’d ran there blindly on the night I’d awoken as vampire. It would do for what I had in mind.

I used the hands-free feature in my car to leave a message telling Kale to meet me there. Driving paths crisscrossed through the cemetery. It was the perfect place to pull off the street and wait.

I parked where two paths intersected. The graveyard was dense with trees. It gave the illusion that we weren’t in the middle of the city anymore. Unable to resist, I leaned over and breathed deeply of Sylvia’s scent. Expensive perfume tickled my nose. Beneath that was the very rich, tantalizing aroma of human blood.

When she opened her eyes and found me inches away, I smiled. She screamed and grabbed for the door handle. My hand on her wrist stopped her.

“Because I don’t want to chase you around a cemetery, I’m going to make this easier on you.” After a pulse of power, she blinked a few times, confused. Then it hit her, and she sank back in the seat.

“You’re going to kill me, aren’t you?” She was relaxed, as if I’d slipped her a pill rather than a subtle taste of my energy. There was a laziness to her tone, and she eyed me with a carnal interest.

“No. Kale probably will though.”

She nodded and smoothed back her hair as if primping for a big date. She flipped down the visor and examined herself in the mirror. “I deserve that I suppose. I’m not going to deny it. I tortured the fuck out of him. And many others.”

“Is that all you do for the FPA?” I studied her, watching as she pursed her lips at her reflection.

“Pretty much. I’m also the bait more often than I like to be.” She turned to me with a painted, pink smile. “Do you have any hand lotion?”

A little manipulation could go a long way. Her friendly demeanor was bothersome. I liked it better when she was afraid and fighting.

“No, sorry.”

“I knew it would catch up to me one day. Especially when that one got away. Your friend. I’ve been expecting this.” Sylvia examined her fingernails before holding them up for me to see. “I tried a new place for my last manicure. What do you think?”

Sparkles in her mint green fingernails caught the light from the visor mirror. Girl talk with Sylvia had not been part of my plan. Maybe I should just knock her out again.

Headlights shone in my eyes as Kale’s ’73 Camaro came around the corner. The sight of the sleek, black car rekindled my excitement. Show time. I’d been very patient up until this point.

I got out of the car and went around to Sylvia’s side. Jerking the door open, I dropped the hold I had on her and pulled her from the car.

“Alexa, what the fuck?” Kale jerked to a stop when he saw Sylvia. A range of emotions crossed his battered face. He’d been fighting, and I had a bad feeling that I knew who had left those marks.

Without my manipulation to mess with her mind, Sylvia was a shrieking, trembling mess. The scent of her fear was intoxicating, and I savored it, going so far as to run my tongue along her jugular.

Kale watched me with growing intrigue. I saw him slip from the careful composure he’d gotten so good at hiding behind to the fierce killer he was beneath that mask.

I shoved Sylvia to him and said, “I got you a little something.”

“You are the most amazing woman to ever walk this earth.” Kale regarded me with a playful grin, which vanished when his gaze dropped to the brunette squirming in his grasp.

“You don’t want to kill me. I can help you. I can be your eyes on the inside.” Sylvia’s calm acceptance had fled. Now she was ready to bargain. “I’ll do anything. Anything. Please!”

Kale held her firmly by both arms. He pulled her close, forcing her to meet his angry gaze. “Remember me, bitch? Because I will never forget you.”

“I only did what I was told to do. Really. It was my job.” Sylvia’s voice shook, but she maintained her composure.

“Is that so?” Kale snarled. “From what I recall, you enjoyed it very much. Strutting around naked, rubbing blood all over yourself. Driving me wild with bloodlust. Don’t expect me to believe that you don’t get off on having that kind of power over vampires.”

Sylvia pressed her lips tight together and shook her head. Her shoulders shook with the effort it took to stay calm. She had clearly been trained on how to react in such a situation. Although I doubted the FPA had trained her to immediately offer to be a rat.

“So, how do you want to do this?” I asked. “Slow torture or fast and final?”

I was perfectly content to sit back and watch him toy with her. It was only fair, seeing as I’d had to watch her torment him.

Kale stared at Sylvia, hunger burning in his gaze. A dark bruise spread across his nose and beneath one eye. It faded even as I watched. But it nagged at me, trying to draw me out of this moment, back into my head where I didn’t want to be.

“As much as I’d love to put her through the hell she put me through, I don’t think we have that kind of time.” Kale looked over Sylvia’s head at me where I stood between our cars. With a tilt of his head, he beckoned me closer.

Sylvia was no idiot. She saw that this was moving fast and decided to go down playing a martyr. Glaring daggers, she stood her ground. Between clenched teeth she said, “Go ahead and kill me. You’ll end up back in there, and they will show you no mercy. You and your skank will rot in that basement.”

“Skank?” I repeated, totally offended. “You don’t even know me.”

“Do I really need to?” Sylvia cast a scathing glance my way. She stood stiff in Kale’s tight grasp. “You’re a monster. A horror story. You deserve to burn in hell, and you probably will.”

I hated her. I hated her so much, but I wasn’t sure it was for the right reasons.

Kale caught a handful of her hair and pulled her head aside to bare her inviting neck. She gasped and bit back a scream.

“You are definitely going to scream for me,” he promised. “Did you know that the FPA tried to get me to work with them by promising you as an exchange? Shouldn’t be so quick to decide who the monster is.”

“Liar,” Sylvia hissed, but something about her lack of surprise told me she knew it was true. The FPA was filled with dirty agents. They couldn’t even trust each other.

“If you know the people you work for, then you know I’m not lying. They don’t give a shit about you any more than they gave a shit about me.”

Done with the meaningless banter, Kale bared his fangs. He went for her jugular, and I watched with joyous anticipation. Fangs pierced flesh, and I froze.

A shriek broke from her then. Sylvia’s survival instinct was stronger than her intention to die with self-righteous honor. When Kale pulled back with her blood staining his lips, she descended into hysterics.

Fear permeated the air. Acrid but inviting, it drove me crazy with hunger. Sylvia’s screams reverberated in my ears, and I just wanted to silence her. But Kale enjoyed a few good screams, and he encouraged it by biting her again.

With his lips fastened to her neck, his gaze held mine. He held out a hand for me, and I gladly joined him. With Sylvia struggling between us, we made her ours.

I bit into the other side of her tanned neck, groaning when her blood hit my tongue. Kale reached around her to bury his hand in my hair, holding me as we shared another victim. Sylvia was more than that though. This was personal.

Her screams quickly died as she bled out. Her breath came in small, shallow gasps. I felt her heart stutter so I pulled away, leaving the rest in Kale’s hands.

The blood had sated my physical hunger, but the lack of sensual energy had robbed my metaphysical need. Thanks to Arys’s incubus nature making me a succubus, I needed to feast on the heady energy of desire as well. Sylvia’s abundance of fear had fed Kale’s longing, leaving me feeling like I needed more.

He took his time with her, dragging out every moment. It was glorious to watch. Kale was in his element. Seeing him take his vengeance in such an intimate manner was like watching a thunderstorm. He was wild and terrifying but mysterious and captivating as well.

My desire grew with every last beat of Sylvia’s heart. When at last it was still, Kale picked her up and carried her several yards away. He deposited her out of sight, amid a cluster of headstones.

“How long do you think it will take the FPA to find her?” he asked, licking a streak of blood from the corner of his mouth.