Of A Darker Nature (26 page)

“Where’s Jim?” Marcus was all business now. “Do you have any news for me?”

“Jim didn’t come home last night. He’s probably dead.” The man’s dull gaze slid away from Marcus’s piercing blue one. “I haven’t seen the witch in a few days either. Her people are being real careful.”

“Hmm, that’s weird.” With an aggravated expression, Marcus turned toward Corey. “Keep an eye on her, will you? I think I just spotted Riley.”

Emily watched him disappear into the crowd then turned to Corey. “Who’s Riley?”

He grinned at her. “Ravenna's son. He’s only sixteen and way too young to be here.”

A few moments passed, and a growing sense of unease washed over her. The guy in the dirty shirt was staring and, for once, Corey wasn’t harassing her. He was too busy making time with the busty bartender.

“The name’s Larry.” The man sitting next to her brushed a thick finger across her knuckles. “Are you Marcus’s new toy or what?”

Emily winced at his choice of words. “That’s none of your business.”

Larry sniffed the air, his nostrils flaring. “You smell good, like sex.”

Beside her, Corey snorted with laughter. “You want something to drink, freckle face?”

Emily shook her head. They were supposed to be in and out. What could be taking Marcus so long? “So what's going on, Corey?”

“We got a lead on the witch.” Excitement was evident in his voice. “Marcus used that detective who's been snooping around to do a little legwork during the day.”

“Hahm?” A thread of worry snaked through her.

“Yeah. We already have a couple guys on the inside, but they're strictly night shift if you know what I mean.” He grinned, loving his joke.

Ignoring the vampire, Larry ran his hand up Emily’s bare arm.

“Could you stop touching me, please?” She glanced in Corey’s direction, but found him talking to a blonde in a miniskirt. Judging by the dark two-inch roots, she got the color from a bottle.

She turned to tell the shifter to leave her alone. He leaned toward her and she caught the flash of silver around his neck. He was wearing a pentacle necklace.

Larry gave Corey a cursory glance. Satisfied the vampire wasn’t paying them any attention, he said, “I guarantee I got a bigger schlong than the dead wood you’re banging. Here, feel for yourself.”

He pulled her hand toward his crotch. Emily jerked away and gave him a shove, knocking him off the barstool. “Get away from me, you—you disgusting pig!” Larry shot a hateful glare in her direction. Without another word, he pushed away from the bar and stalked away.

Corey’s breath tickled her ear. “He does kinda smell like rancid pork, huh?”

Emily searched the writhing crowd for any sign of Marcus. Instead, her gaze fell on someone who shouldn’t even be in the state. Brenda was talking to the pig-faced guy in the stained t-shirt.

“Brenda?” Emily slid off the barstool. She hurried in the direction her friend had wandered. 

Corey called out to her, but his voice was swallowed by the crowd as she made her way toward the exit. Brenda—or someone who looked a whole lot like her—had just left the building.

Emily burst out the door and pushed past several people waiting to get into the club. Brenda glanced over her shoulder, doubling her efforts to evade Emily.

“Brenda! Wait up,” Emily called after her.

From somewhere amongst the maze of cars, Marcus sounded angry. “What the hell? You’re supposed to keep her out of trouble.”

“I’m sorry!” Corey’s equally irritated voice echoed. “That friend of hers showed up and she bolted, I swear.”

“Fine, get out of here. Follow Riley and see where he goes tonight. He’s getting into his car now.”

Emily rounded the end of a Pontiac. Brenda leaned against the hood of her car, a cigarette hanging from her mouth. “Hey there, Em. Were you looking for me?”

Emily gasped, and her fingers searched for the heart charm. “What’s going on? You’re supposed to be in Florida.”

Flicking the cigarette away, Brenda smirked. “Yeah, that’s what you were supposed to think.”

“What? Why?” Emily began to feel exposed standing at the very rear of the dark parking lot – especially in the company of a woman who had lied to her. If things got dangerous, she was out of sight of the club-goers.

Brenda’s laugh sounded cold and grating. “It was so easy to fool you. And you just went right ahead and told me how to break the spell Bill put on the property, didn’t you?”

Emily’s stomach hollowed out. The sour taste of acid burned at the back of her throat. “What are you saying?”

“A little scratch here and a bite there, it was all arranged.” Brenda shrugged like it wasn’t a big deal. “Your vampire boyfriend was supposed to be my golden opportunity. Starr gave me something to put in the blood you were keeping in the fridge. We figured he'd do the job for us.”

Her knees shook and threatened to buckle. Brenda had manipulated the blood in hopes Marcus would kill her? “Did she force you to do this?”

Brenda’s face twisted into something detached and ugly. “I didn’t do anything I didn’t want to.”

The sting of betrayal threatened to reduce Emily to tears. “Brenda we’re friends, how could you?”

“I did what I had to.” Her face screwed into an ugly expression of anger and hatred.

Emily’s stomach continued to roll, and her legs went weak. “But your boyfriend…”

“Was in the wrong place at the wrong time,” Brenda said with a shrug. “It wasn’t like I was in love with him.”

Any residual feelings Emily may have harbored died with Brenda’s heartless statement.

Starr Carter surfaced out of the darkness. Her toad-like face wore a grin. “Are you too stupid to realize you’re just as dangerous as they are? Trent would have taken care of everything the other night, but lucky for you, your fanged friend showed up.” She moved a bit closer. “You know where Isabella is hidden, don't you?”

Shaken, Emily backed away from them. “Why are you doing this?”

“That bitch and her vampires,
your vampire
, killed my family. I bet he didn’t tell you that, did he?”

Emily cast a hopeful glance over her shoulder, desperately seeking help. The dark lot offered none.

Brenda shook her head in mock regret. “I hoped you’d changed after you came back and had the accident. I hoped you wouldn’t be the oddity you’d always been, that you somehow would be normal. You can’t imagine how hard the past year has been dealing with all your sniveling self-pity.”

Starr patted Brenda’s shoulder in a matronly manner. She smiled remorsefully though she never took her gaze away from Emily. “Her type never changes, Brenda. You see all the trouble she has caused us? See all the misery she’s caused you?”

Brenda rolled her eyes and made a disgusted noise. “Pretending to care was beginning to wear me down, Em. Why do you think I jumped at the chance to help Starr?”

Emily took another step backward. Brenda’s hurtful words tore at her heart. “I offered to give you the property. Why didn’t you take it? If that’s all this is about, you can still have it.”

Brenda chortled. “God, you’re such an idiot. What good would the property do us if Bill put you into the spell?”

Starr no longer looked apologetic. “I think the ley line is unstable. It feels like it’s faltering, so we probably don’t have much time. You’re coming with us, Emily. You’re going to help us get what we want.” Her features warped into a frightfully determined expression. “I have a little project for you, so don’t make me kill you just yet. Be a good girl and just do what you’re told.”

The shadows behind the dumpster moved forward. She recognized the black man with the bandaged hand. He’d been at the park the night Starr forced her to read the vampire. Larry, the guy she met earlier in the bar, moved toward her and smiled menacingly. A painfully thin woman accompanied them.

Brenda drew her legs up onto the hood of the car. Starr rested against it, a smile on her face. “Let’s get this over with. Try not to rough her up too much. I need to use her later, and she'll need to be able to talk.”

They were on Emily before she could turn to run. Ace grabbed her arms, pinning them behind her back. His breath stank of cigarettes and malt liquor.

Though she struggled, she couldn’t break his hold. The thin woman moved in, cat-like and deadly. Emily kicked her in the gut and sent her sprawling on the pavement. Larry came at her from the side and his fist connected with her stomach. The air in Emily’s lungs whooshed out, leaving her dizzy and in pain.

The woman crawled to her feet. “Hang onto her, Ace. I’m gonna drain her dry!” Marcus physically moved a car out of his way. The screech of metal and broken glass indicated he was nearby. He pounced on the woman clinging to Emily’s legs. “Her blood is mine!”

The woman let go to lunge at Marcus. He caught her by the hair and yanked her head back. An evil grin darkened his features. He continued pulling her head back, ignoring her screams and the nails scrabbling at his arms. The flesh separated and the woman’s shrill scream was abruptly cut off. The head struck the ground only feet from Emily. Already the woman was disintegrating into foul goo.

Starr pushed away from the car and tossed colored sand at Emily. She shouted,
“dissolutus.”

Emily coughed and sputtered then her body went limp. She had no energy left, no strength at all. Her legs crumpled beneath her, spilling her to the ground. Gravel bit into her cheek and chin, dirt swirled up her nose and in her eyes.

Ace rushed forward, a long blade in his uninjured hand. “’C’mere pretty boy, we have unfinished business.”

Larry’s body twisted its shape. He looked grotesque – somewhere between half man and pig. He’d only changed enough to enable him to use his animal strength. The fingers of his left hand fused together to form a misshapen hoof. Tearing a piece of his shirt, he bent and picked up a length of silver chain from the ground. He moved forward and wrapped it around his right hand. He made sure to prevent it from touching his skin.

Even though her cheek was pressed against the gravel, Emily watched the others advance on the wild eyed vampire. Marcus might be supernaturally strong, but the others had the advantage of their number.

Emily’s eyes fluttered shut, but the rattle of the chains snapped them back open. Larry flicked the chain like a whip. It spun around Marcus’s right wrist and a tendril of smoke curled up from his burned flesh.

Ace darted in, slashing at the vampire with the knife. Though Marcus fended him off, his left cheek and hand were sliced and bleeding.

From above, Brenda said, “Maybe you should throw some of that stuff on the nosferatu.” Starr’s right foot moved close to Emily’s head. If she could just move her arm a little…

“Can’t,” Starr muttered. “It might hit Ace. Then we’d all be fucked. We don’t want to let the vampire get away. I didn’t think they’d be here, or I would have come more prepared. These spells take so much out of me.” She stepped out of Emily’s line of vision. “Quit playing around and kill him already! He’s the lead enforcer, and I want the girl wonder to read him.” 

Emily struggled to rise to her feet. Brenda ground her heel into the small of her back and made her cry out in agony.

“You brought a gun?” Starr’s surprise was evident in her breathy voice.

“I brought some help, just in case.” Brenda’s weight shifted then she pulled the trigger. The bullet whizzed past Marcus’s head, missing by mere inches. Ace took that opportunity to thrust the knife into the vamp’s chest.

Marcus fell to his knees, nearly dragging Larry down with him. Blood bubbled from his mouth and ran down his chin. He grappled with the knife but was unable to pull it free. Falling forward, he drove it deeper into his chest. He lay unmoving on the ground.

Emily searched his face. Though his eyes remained open, they were unblinking. His irises slowly faded from dark to light blue. He couldn’t be gone, could he?

“No!” Sand stuck to her tear moistened cheeks. Pain and guilt clutched at her heart. Starr’s spell had begun to wear off, and Emily was able to scramble onto hands and knees.

“Is he dead?” Starr’s voice sounded buoyant. “That was almost too easy.”

Just to make sure, Larry gave Marcus a kick to the ribs. The vampire didn’t flinch or blink.

Brenda stepped away and Starr filled Emily's vision. The witch gave her leg a kick. Emily cut her eyes around to find the gun pointed at her now. “Get up. Go over to him.”

Emily crawled to her feet. She had no choice but to allow Brenda to grip her arm and push her toward her fallen lover.

She brushed the hair off of his forehead as tears filled her eyes. His last thoughts were only of her. Strange feelings of hunger, lust, and perhaps even affection engulfed her. She smoothed trembling fingers across his cheek. He had been afraid to lose her, even more afraid to love her.

Noise at the front of the parking lot left Starr skittish. “Hurry up. We can't be seen.”

“Let's just throw her in the trunk with him.” Brenda jerked Emily to her feet. “She'll have no choice but to touch him in that cramped space.” 

Ace grinned. “If he isn't dead, he'll wake and probably eat her.”

“Pop the trunk.” Starr motioned to one of the men. “We need to get them out of here. After we find out what she knows, we’ll plan our next move. I’ll meet you guys back at my place.” She whirled and nearly ran into the shifter. “And for Goddess sakes, change back into a human!”