Nightshifters (6 page)

 Rana’s stomach bubbled. The stench of fresh animal
blood — used for God knows what — mingled with the musty odor in the dimly lit
room washed waves of nausea over her. She pulled away from the woman, snatched
several bills from her purse and threw them on the table. “Thank you.”

Rana jumped from the chair and fled through the beaded
doorway. She burst onto the sidewalk of Bourbon Street. Blood pounded in her
ears. Her feet hit the sidewalk, and she didn’t stop running until her chest
nearly exploded from exhaustion. Finally, she stopped, leaned over and gasped
for air. The warm July sun beat down upon her. She had come to find out how to
save her dying son. Now she knew what she had to do. But would she be able to
do it?

Rana took one deep breath, counted to seven and silently
pleaded with her nerves to uncoil. No luck. Her hand trembled on the doorknob.
She swallowed hard and looked up at the lavender neon sign flashing atop one of
New Orleans’s most prestigious nightclubs.

The Voodoo Den.

The sign blinked with rapid precision as if begging her to
turn back. To save herself. Mist rose around the building, shrouding it in an
unearthly glow. The clouded night sky swallowed any chance for moonlight. Rana
shivered. The Voodoo Den. Playground for the Underworld. Not exactly her idea
of a night on the town. Neutral territory they called it. The one place where
humans and vampires could safely co-exist. She had never believed it safe. Not
after the hushed rumors about some people who ventured into the nocturnal club
to never be heard from again. Rana gave herself a mental shake. No time to
worry about that now. She gathered her courage — what little of it she could
muster, smoothed her black mini-skirt and opened the door.

The rhythmical beat of African drums vibrated through Rana’s
body and exploded like shrapnel. She wove through the crowded dance floor,
blinking for focus several times. Blue strobe lights illuminated the
smoke-filled interior of the club, making it nearly impossible to see. All she
could make out were flashes of fangs, a mass of bodies moving to the beat and
the occasional pale, almost lifeless, face. She wrinkled her nose. A putrefying
mixture of cigarettes, booze and … the undead filled the air. The average
person would not notice the stench. At least not the undead part. But she was
not the average person. She was a Dhampir, the child of a vampire and a human
with the ability to detect creatures of the night.

Detect and kill them.

“Hey, baby. Wanna party?” A strong arm encircled her waist
and jerked her backward. She stumbled and fell against a hard chest. Rana
twisted her head around. A man with blond hair, an average face and glowing red
eyes stared back at her. His breath reeked of a sweet metallic scent. Blood.
Her stomach recoiled. He had fed recently.

Don’t panic! You knew what they were when you came in
here. Focus, Rana. Focus.

 
“No, thank you. I’m looking for someone.”

 “Look, no further, pretty lady.” The man’s laugh sent
shivers down her spine. His full lips spread, baring fangs. “Nico is here.”

 He bowed slightly and tightened his grip. Nausea
churned in her stomach. She clenched her fist and disengaged herself from his
grasp. She pushed the instinctive urge to drive a stake through his heart
aside. Now was not the time to slay a vampire. There would be time enough for
that later.

“I’m looking for a specific someone.” Rana took a step
forward and collided with gyrating bodies. She steadied with a quick sidestep
and positioned herself near the edge of the wooden bar. The continuous stream
of bodies danced by, ignoring her.

 “That right?” Nico rocked back on his heels, his eyes
losing some of their glow. “Who are you looking for?”

“Alexandru Milkos.”

Nico raised a dark blond brow and snarled. “There.”

He pointed toward the far end of the bar.

Rana turned and squinted. Strobe lights flashed like
lightning in a midsummer thunderstorm across the room. “Thank…” She pivoted
back only to find empty air. Rana swallowed again. She never had cared for the
way vampires could appear and disappear at will. Actually, she had never cared
for vampires, period. Her father had been one before his untimely — or what she
liked to think of as his timely — demise. Though she had never known him, what
knew about him she hated.

He had been a horrible creature that had taken her mother
one night against her will, with Rana the result. And she wasn’t proud of it.
She turned back toward the figure at the end of the bar and waited for her eyes
to adjust to the light show. A brooding form with thick dark hair resting just
below broad shoulders and mesmerizing eyes came into focus. She couldn’t
actually see the color of his eyes, but she knew it by heart. Sea-foam blue.
The color of the Caribbean and the color of heartache. His eyes met hers then
haloed with a fiery hue. They flickered with just a hint of recognition.

Rana’s breath hitched.

Alexandru.

She swallowed the wad of cotton now taking her throat
hostage. Six years. Six long, lonely years since his strong muscled arms had
held her, their bodies intertwining in the heat of the moment. Tingles shot
down her spine and unexpected warmth settled in her loins. Her body hadn’t
forgotten his touch. Not by a long shot. Rana’s heart beat erratically in her
chest, nearly drowning out the steady rhythm of the African drums. Blood rushed
to her ears, and she swayed. She grasped the edge of the bar to regain control.
Six years and he still had this effect on her. Not a good sign.

Alexandru lifted his glass and took a long, casual drink.
His eyes never left her face. Rana felt the magnetic pull almost instantly. Her
body — with a mind of its own — moved toward him. Without saying a word, he
beckoned her with his gaze.

And she was powerless to stop it.

She reached him without even realizing she had moved. He set
the glass on the bar and pierced her with a stare. His expression remained
impassive, though an appreciative gleam entered his eyes.

Rana’s pulse quickened, and she was aware of her heartbeat
tantalizingly visible in her throat. Alexandru’s eyes drifted toward the pulse
point. He hissed softly. Rana swallowed hard and instinctively covered the
pulsating lifeline with her hand. Alexandru’s eyes darkened. An avalanche of
emotions washed over her. Longing. Desire. Love for a man who no longer
existed, and for one brief moment, Rana almost forgot why she had come. He
looked so much like the man she had once loved, yet he was different somehow.
Darker. Powerful. Dangerous.

So very dangerous.

Visions of her hands stroking thick wiry chest hair while
lying on red satin sheets invaded her thoughts. Rana ran her tongue along her
bottom lip, her gaze instantly drawn to his hands resting on the bar. Hands
that had given her great pleasure in the past. Rana bit the inside of her
cheek. Reminiscing the past would not help her now. Besides, she couldn’t
forget Alexandru’s most important quality. Deadly. Her former lover now
possessed the ability to end her existence at will. And he would if he knew why
she was here. Rana tore her gaze from his hands and mentally forced herself to
focus on the task. She tightened her chin and met his stare head on.

Alexandru’s lips formed a slow, seductive smile as if he
knew exactly what she had been thinking. His fangs glinted in the strobe
lights. Heat scorched her cheeks at the possibility of him reading her
thoughts. Then her heart skipped a beat. He did know. He had put those visions
in her head.

Rana gave herself a mental kick. Of course! Mind control.
How could she have forgotten that deadly weapon? She knew better — had even
trained with the best vampire hunters — and yet she had still allowed him
inside her head.

Stupid! Stupid! Stupid
!

Rana immediately took control and summoned the few powers
she possessed. She drew upon her inner strength and concentrated. The dance of
wills began. Hers — a weakened state striving to battle the power of a
vampire’s seduction. His — a slow, sensuous tug-of-war taunting her to
surrender with promises of pleasure beyond her imagination. Sharp pains shot
through her temple and the room swayed. She ignored them and focused, refusing
to weaken even for a moment. The pain intensified and a wave of nausea settled
over her. Rana narrowed her eyes and clenched her teeth. Her control slipped.

 Alexandru continued to probe her thoughts, never
wavering. He effortlessly thwarted her every attempt to block him. Rana refused
to give in. Her head felt like she had a major hangover, but she clung to her
determination until she willed him out of her head. The window to her mind
snapped shut and the visions dissipated.

 Alexandru stiffened and raised a dark brow, his smile
deliberate and sardonic. He had enjoyed their sparring. She was sure of it.
Rana breathed a sigh. She had stopped him.

 This time.

 But the war of minds had weakened her. One small
slip-up and she wouldn’t be able to fight him again. Not this soon. She must
stay in control. Her son’s life depended on it.

“Rana.” His husky whisper caressed her skin sending tingles
along the back of her neck. “To what do I owe this pleasure?”

Alexandru took another sip of his bloody Mary, savored the
coppery flavor and studied Rana over the rim of his glass. The spicy metallic
blood slid down his throat, but for once it didn’t quench his primal thirst. He
had learned a long time ago how to satisfy his needs without taking another’s
life. The Voodoo Den served fresh glasses of blood every night. But this time
the drink didn’t touch his addiction. The scent of Rana’s sweet warm nectar
pumping furiously through her veins triggered a new thirst.

A thirst for her.

Her pale face hinted fear, but damn she was still beautiful!
Her hair flowed like a river of burnished gold, and her eyes shone the color of
a summer storm. He wanted her all right, wanted her with the intensity of a
thousand white-hot coals. Alexandru struggled to keep his carnal desires under
control. Taking her would be easy and her blood … His mouth salivated, and he
licked his lips. Her blood would be sweet as honey. Satiating in ways he had
only dreamed about for the last six years. One touch and her body would be his
for the taking if he chose. Heat rushed to his loins. His body hardened and
ignited with desire. He pushed the urges aside. First, he needed to know why
she was here. Why she had sought him out after six years.

Rana bit her bottom lip and twisted her hands. “I—I wanted
to see you.”

A lie.

Alexandru knew it the minute the words slipped from her
lips. Rana didn’t want to see him. She had made that perfectly clear years ago.
But he’d take the bait. For now.

“Why?”

“I missed you.” The words seemed to stick in her throat.

Another lie.

“It’s been a long time,
cara
.” He reached out and
brushed a curl from her cheek. A mistake. Her skin heated beneath his touch.
Desire flared through him. He fought the urge to pull her in his arms and feed
on her nectar. The pulse throbbing at the nape of her neck taunted him. Just
one sip. One taste.

No! Not now! Not yet.

He jerked his hand back and steadied his breaths. Later. He
would take her later. When she was ready to give in to him of her own free
will. And she would give in. He would make sure of it.

 “It has been a while. Too long.” Her eyes shuttered,
and she smiled. The sudden change set off warning bells in his head. Something
about her actions didn’t ring true. She moved away from the bar, her body now
only a few inches from his. The black spaghetti-strap silk shirt she wore
stretched taut across her breasts. He could almost see the creamy flesh
beneath. Could almost taste her soft, salty skin. Alexandru’s mouth salivated
again. She was still beautiful and she still had the power to weaken him.