Good As Dead (Dying To Meet You Book 1) (3 page)

“I know you’re trying to make me sleep. I’ll fight your control every step of the way, vamp.” Her voice was softer now, and she slurred a little but the woman was still wide-awake.

He growled. The human was insufferable and he felt his fingers flex as his fangs elongated in his mouth. Well, wasn’t this just marvellous. They found each other attractive. Perhaps he should just kill her now and not worry about the repercussions. He might even get away with the crime unscathed, considering he’d already been labelled as mentally unstable. It was a thought.

He pushed harder. It took a lot more energy than it should have but finally, he saw her eyelids droop. She could fight him up to a point, but he was still the master in this household, which she would learn sooner rather than later.

Smiling when he heard the first of her soft snores, he whispered, “Oh, and for the record, I’ve never met a girl that didn’t want to fuck me. You’re not going to be the first either.” If she could have seen his smug grin, she’d have known his certainty in the matter.

Giving her a few minutes, he waited until her breathing had taken on a slow and relaxed resonance. In her case, it was best to make sure she was in a deep sleep before he pounced. He did not want to risk her stirring, because waking up in the middle of an orgasm was a damn difficult thing to explain. He waited another couple of minutes just to be on the safe side, and then he took the plunge.

The buttons at the top of her shirt almost melted beneath his fingertips. He popped the first three, and then gently eased her collar down. She shifted slightly but her eyelids didn’t flutter, so there was little chance of her waking. Besides, the room was pitch black and it was nearing midnight. All good girls should be in bed and asleep by midnight.

Inhaling her scent, cinnamon and orange flooded his senses. Most likely, a perfume she had long ago applied but something expensive, for it had clung tenaciously to her skin. It suited her. Sassy and bright, it was invigorating and intoxicating. There was just enough to tease him. Taking another sweet lungful, he smiled before pushing the mane of her long blonde hair to the side. Unfortunately, he had things to do, caskets to bury. Casting his acute, vampire eyes down upon her neck, he admired the long sleek line of her shoulders before moving his gaze up to settle on her external jugular vein. Then he nearly had a heart attack. There, brazenly displayed upon her neck, was another bite and not just any bite. It was a master vampire bite. When a vampire had been alive as long as he had, he learned to spot these things. The canines were a little bigger and the bite was much deeper. The vampire that had bitten her had left a mark, which looked like he had tried to rip her neck off in the process. It was a vicious marking and done in anger. She was lucky to be was alive. It was the kind of bite death usually followed. Shit. That was why his influence wasn’t working properly on her. Another vampire carried her blood in his system, and he was vying for control.

Swearing viciously, he knew they only had a couple of days to take out a Master vampire, or else certain death would follow. That vampire would be following her every move, hearing each thought that flitted through her head, and trying to pin down her whereabouts. As of now,
he
was the biggest threat she faced, without question. Cursing again for good measure, he pulled his cell out of his pocket, pressed speed dial, and waited for HQ to pick up.

“Did you get her out alive?”

There was no space for idle chatter when Lucius was manning the desk.

“Yes, but we have a problem. She’s been bitten by an oldie.”

“You’ll need to exterminate him. Quickly.”

“Thanks for stating the bloody obvious, Lucius. The only trouble is that it’s a little difficult killing people who can’t be killed.”

“They can all be killed. You just have to find their weakness.”

“Hmm…well, while I deal with that problem, you need to send an operative to the address you gave me so they can tidy up the crime scene before it gets light.”

“Will do. Have an enjoyable evening, M.”

“Yeah…having a ball so far, thanks.” The line went dead.

Having dealt with that, he now had to sink his fangs into her tainted bloodstream. There was nothing else for it. He would need to keep track of her in case something happened. Steeling his stomach, he bent his head down and ran his tongue over the twin points of his canines, preparing himself for the taste of bile.

There was a very good chance this woman was just about to lead him to his death. The trouble was that suited him just fine.

Chapter 2

The Bite

Even though he did not relish the thought of sucking her blood, Mercer savoured the moment of the bite. His nose pressed up against her neck, his mouth watered, and his fangs pleaded to be set free. Taking another breath of her tantalising scent, he let the beast loose.

The connection was instant. Her blood filled his mouth and it was the strangest concoction he had ever tasted. At first, it flowed through him like the sweetest syrup bringing forth an instant erection as desire pounded through every pore in his body. In the next moment, a bitter aftertaste coursed through him that could only be likened to drinking castor oil mixed with an impressive shot of menthol. The resulting effect was a vampire who couldn’t decide whether he wanted to pounce upon his next victim, or shove his head over the toilet. It made little difference to her, for she managed an instantaneous orgasm, bucking and jolting against his hard flesh. Holding his arms tight against her, he made sure she didn’t hurt herself as the throes of pleasure were ridden out. It was all right for some but he didn’t get his pleasure unless penetration was involved, and that looked unlikely to happen just now and probably for the next few days at least. Still, he supposed they could work on that…if they didn’t get themselves killed first.

Swallowing against the vile taste that flooded his throat, he had no other option but to cut the bite short. On the plus side, his hunger proved no danger but the disgusting taste was going to remain inside him for days. Goddamn. He had yet another reason to loath his unwanted friend.

Quickly pulling away with his tongue, and desperately swallowing to try to cleanse away the taste of poisoned blood, he found his whole body throbbing in pain. Desire lanced through him and the precious little blood inside him sang. Growling, he got to his feet and flexed his shaking fingers. This was going to be a problem.

Closing his eyes, he counted to ten and planned his next moves. They would be important. Now that he’d taken her blood, he knew whom the vampire was he had to kill, but that was the easy part. It was all the other little details, which would prove nearly impossible. A waterfall of thoughts flooded his head, and he tried hard to order them into their correct place. After having been alive for several hundred years, his brain was quite an impressive filing cabinet but it had been out of action quite a bit recently, so he needed to be careful.

First, he had to feed. He would be of no use to her hungry. Then, he’d have to move her. They couldn’t afford to stay in one place longer than a day or two without risk of discovery. The vampire would be able to see everything that she did—that they did—through her eyes. Whilst his bite would now make those images a little cloudier, it wouldn’t stop them and that was going to be their biggest problem.

Less than an hour later, he was outside Club Caress. The white reverse interlocking
C
s gleamed brightly in the night sky and there was a large queue of humans already lined up upon the red carpet waiting anxiously for entry into one of the most popular nightclubs around. Of course, there was a reason for that. The
men
inside were drop-dead gorgeous, the music was played by vampires who had practised their talent over hundreds of years, and the flirting was clever and very skilled. More than half the people that had lined up—eighty per cent of which were girls—stood little chance of getting in, but it didn’t deter them in the slightest. Pheromones filled the air, and the stench of them was almost overpowering to his keen senses, but this was what he had come for—to find a nubile young thing to charm, disarm and preferably not alarm as he went about feeding. He usually worked his way through two or three of them in an evening, and that would see him sated for several days.

Thankfully, he didn’t have to wait in line. Paranormal beings got automatic right-of-way via a special entry card, and he was just such a being. Catching a couple of wolf-whistles as he walked past, he lightly spanked one of the girls who had issued the cheeky noise. There was the sound of shocked indignation followed by an
Oh my God
when he turned his head to wink at her. Then she began smiling her head off and giggling. It was amazing what he could get away with because of his cute butt and pretty face. Deciding to take advantage of his preternatural gifts, he plucked her from the line and hoisted her into his arms. There was an outraged scream but no kicking or biting followed, so he figured he was on to a sure thing.

Greeting both of the bouncers, who also happened to be vampires, by name and copping another feel of the girl’s ass, he sauntered up to the bar. Assellio was yet again on duty, but then twelve-hour shifts weren’t exactly strenuous for a vamp. Plonking the girl on a bar stool, he turned his attention to the bartender.

“What’ll it be tonight, Mercer? The usual?”

“No. I’m on assignment from HQ. Just an orange juice for me, but you can mix my delightful friend over there one of your finest
Silk Panty Martinis
.” There was another giggle.

“Are you okay, Mercer?” Assellio looked him in the eye and frowned as he began mixing up the required ingredients for the human who had the most ridiculous simpering grin upon her face.

“No, I’m not fucking okay, but I’m compartmentalising at the moment and it’s working well. Don’t worry…my miserable bastard persona will be back before you know it.” Truth be told, his body was still wired from the intense chemistry of earlier, and he needed to let off a little steam. Coupling that with the fact that certain death was probably only a few days away, everything was looking a little rosier than it had been. Assellio didn’t need to know that, though.

Mercer watched as the bartender poured vodka, grenadine, peach schnapps and cranberry juice into a martini glass over a sizeable helping of crushed ice. Then Assellio slid the glass down the chrome bar counter until it landed directly in front of Mercer’s evening meal. Fighting through the parasols and stirrers, she finally managed to take a sip and pronounced the drink as
delicious
.

“Not half as delicious as me, baby, if you play your cards right…” And to be fair, he was thinking probably even if she played her cards wrong.

As she looked up at him adoringly, he felt her pulse begin to thud in her veins as adrenaline surged through her body.
Excellent
. He’d let her get the martini down her, and then he’d take her somewhere a little more private. There was also the possibility that he could pull in a friend and do two at the same time. He didn’t want to hang around any longer than necessary tonight. What-was-her-name back at his flat might wake up soon, and he didn’t want her snooping around or running off.

Watching his tasty morsel drain the martini glass, he held his hand out to her and gave her a feral smile. “Come with me, darling,” he whispered, although the words were unnecessary. His will was upon her and she would do anything he told her without hesitation.

“Where are we going?” she asked, but she didn’t really care as her hand was already reaching for his.

“We’re going to do a bit of bump and grind, darling, so you’d better be ready to hang on for the ride.” He walked her quickly through the dark halls with their thick crimson drapery and twinkling white LED lights that were supposed to give the effect of stars in the night sky. It didn’t do much for him but apparently, it worked well for humans because quite a few couples were already cocooned in the alcoves, and there were plenty of soft groans and whispers to be heard as they sped past.

“Do you want to dance?” Although he’d been striding ahead leading the way, he shifted his gaze to over his shoulder to observe the pretty little thing behind him.

She blinked a couple of times, and then smiled softly. “Do you?”

He grinned at her in return. “Yes.”

He was lying, of course. The last thing he felt like doing was dancing, but he needed to find her a friend so he could do the
two-for-the-price-of-one
thing and get the hell out of here. Time was of the essence.

“Then let’s dance,” she whispered, but he hadn’t waited for the affirmative as he tugged her along the winding corridor of testosterone towards the sound of music. Faint at first, it soon increased in volume until a roaring, thumping beat filled the air. That in itself was impressive because they had to go through a twin set of double doors before they landed themselves in the middle of the action. That was when the fun really began.

Once the bright strobe lights were upon them, he spun her round so she fell flat against him. Instantly taking up the beat, he fell into a basic salsa step. Pulling her in close, he snaked his arms around her. She had no choice but to follow his lead. He had to give the girl some credit though, because she soon got the hang of things. Allowing himself to be lost in happier times, he let the music capture him. His hips rocked and gyrated, his feet slipping forward and back, exactly where they were supposed to be, while his hands were all over her. It would be what she was expecting, and he didn’t want to disappoint. Her body and her anticipation needed to be revved up a little, so the bite wouldn’t come as such a shock.

He’d barely looked at her so far but he decided now was as good a time as any to examine his
dinner
, which was all that humans were to him, unless he was told otherwise. This one was pretty. She had thick dark hair, which hung down her shoulders in ribbons of curls, and a pert snub nose. Her cheeks held a bright flush, mostly from his presence, and there was a spattering of freckles across her pale face. She’d painted her lips a scarlet red and the shiny gloss was just begging him to suck it off, although he had little interest in her lips. Losing himself to the music, and trying hard to think of nothing more than the animalistic urge of feeding, he let himself flow with the beat. The heavy thud of the base was cathartic and it drummed inside his head, quietening everything else around him. Even though the girl in front of him had little dance training, she fell into step beside him beautifully. It was amazing what those warm amber eyes of his could do when put to the test. Spinning her around in circles, easily lifting her through the air and using every inch of the dance floor available, he turned her into a hot little mess. Her body gravitated towards his at every opportunity as she ground herself against him.

“Kiss me,” she whimpered, tilting her head up towards his and parting her lips. Her five foot six frame was no match for his though. He towered above her. Admiring the glistening wet lips before him, which she’d artfully licked not seconds before he decided that they’d probably completed the foreplay part. It was time to get down to business.

“Your wish is my command, darling.”

Leaning down with exaggerated slowness whilst flashing a cocky grin, his lips finally connected with the base of her collarbone. His tongue traced a meandering path upwards towards the pulse that was happily ticking away like a metronome in her neck. It thundered in his ears as the sound of her breathing washed over him in crashing waves. He loved the build up to a bite…the glorious anticipation and then the first mouthful of sweet rich oxygenated blood. He felt cheated by the earlier bite he’d experienced, and he intended to make up for his misfortune. Wasting no more time, he sank his fangs into her neck, while his eyes sought yet another willing victim.

Whilst he was immersed deep in the brunette, he caught the attention of a raven-haired beauty who had been eyeing him up for most of their short spell on the floor. Pinning her with his eyes, he gave her a sultry wink and she smiled at him. Humans were such foolish creatures. Deepening the bite, he fed then watched as the girl in his arms orgasmed. Immediately, he wiped her memory giving her a little push that would send her back to the bar. She’d be a little unsteady for a few minutes but Assellio and the others would take care of her, not that he gave a damn. The beast was back.

Beckoning his new conquest forward, he realised he couldn’t even be bothered to swing her around for a bit. Putting both hands on her ass, he pressed her up close. One quick look in her eyes was enough. She was down for what he wanted and even if she hadn’t been, it wouldn’t have taken long to convince her. He had a few advantages to most of his peers. It came with old age. He could make women fall at his feet with little more than a glance, and tonight he was going to use that skill to his full advantage. Once upon a time, he might have had morals, but that was at least a few hundred years ago.

Sliding his hands up her waist, he cupped both of her breasts, rubbed his fingertips lightly over the already pointed nipples and swooped in for dessert. He sucked hard at her neck. She gave a delightful moan. Unfortunately, his inner radar chose that moment to sense danger and he felt a prickling sensation upon his back. Whilst it wasn’t a tried and tested method of spotting threats, it was never a good sign. He needed to hurry. Sucking harder, he drew powerful jets of fresh blood into his body and swallowed them down quickly. He felt her body tremble violently under his hands and he realized he was drinking too deeply. Something had him spooked, and he needed to pull back or he risked killing her.

Dragging his head up from her neck, his tongue laving gently at the twin red pinpricks that were already fading back into her skin, he sucked in a painful breath and twisted his head around.

“You are the loveliest creature,” said a voice in his ear but he was barely listening. His eyes scanned the room from top to bottom trying to work out from where the source of his discomfort was coming. Someone in this room shouldn’t be here. He was sure of it.