Scarlet Masquerade (13 page)

She needed to explain things to Clarissa. That was if Clarissa would even talk to her. Why wouldn’t she? A.J. hadn’t been the one to leave Clarissa in her hour of need. Clarissa’s parents had seen to it, but did Clarissa know that? A.J. could only imagine the lies they had probably told Clarissa about her. Another hurdle she would surely have to overcome with Clarissa considering everything else her parents had told her.

A.J. thought about De Marcus and what he had probably done to Clarissa. She knew him as a ruthless vulture that preyed on young women. Usually though, he didn’t let them live after he had his fun with them. He had been a known sadist in the coven and rarely apologized for it. If the truth be told, it was an excepted idea in those circles. If a vampire could suck the life out of someone, why shouldn’t they have their fun with them before they died? It was thought that the adrenaline in the body enhanced the blood somehow, but A.J. doubted it. It was only an excuse for those that loved violence.

A.J. slowed down somewhat trying to think about what she would do once she actually got to Clarissa’s house. A.J. couldn’t risk exposing herself yet to Clarissa. But she could no longer just sit by and let everyone else take care of her business. Selene had killed the vampire that was stalking Clarissa, but according to Kevin, whoever hired him wouldn’t stop even if he was killed. The very idea that a vampire would rather die by Selene’s hand than go back and face his boss let A.J. know the assassin’s master was ruthless and not someone to be underestimated. Death at Selene’s hand wasn’t pretty.

The interstate had changed to two lanes as she entered the foothills. A.J. would be easy to see now driving into the narrowing canyon. She hadn’t had her window blacked out like most vampires did, opting to let in the daylight instead. She had lived in the shadows so long she didn’t like who she became when she hid in them. The light gave her a different perspective on life and how she wanted to live it. But the darkness was always lingering just off her shoulder, never letting her forget who she was.

Turning her lights off, she slowly cruised down the street edging closer to Clarissa’s driveway. She could see two people at a tow truck hitching up a car. Watching from her vantage point, she couldn’t make out if they were men or if one of them was Selene. Except for today at the office, she hadn’t seen Selene in decades, which was fine with her. As she watched the tow truck drive off, the other person walked towards their car, but not before they were tackled to the ground. A.J. gasped as she saw the glint of a knife arc in the air and then descend on the lone figure. Gunning her SUV, she sped at the two wresting on the ground, her high beams aimed right for them. As they rolled towards the hill, A.J. saw Brax flashing his fangs in her direction as he tried to straddle his victim, Selene. Slamming on her brakes, she slid into the combatants. The light blinded Brax, causing him to shield his face, giving Selene the time she needed to send Brax head over heels. A.J. watched as Selene jumped to her feet, fangs bare, and ran after Brax up the hill.

A.J. waivered. Should she chase after them, exposing herself to Selene? Or did she wait and see who came back and deal with them then? If Brax came down the hill, A.J. knew she would have to kill him. He had double-crossed her for whoever hired the other assassin. Brax had been hired to watch Clarissa and being AWOL proved he was dirty in A.J.’s mind. A.J. was sure Kevin had made it clear this was a life or death mission. If he wanted to live, he would take care of Clarissa, regardless of whoever was stalking her. If he failed, death was his only option. Now she was certain of his betrayal. If Selene came down the hill she would remain in the shadows.

She parked her SUV down the road and around the bend. She grabbed her cell phone from the passenger seat and started to dial Kevin’s number, but stopped. Kevin had been positive that Brax was trustworthy. He almost staked his life on it. What was she missing? Was Kevin in on whatever was going on? Had he betrayed her too? Turning off her phone, she slipped it into her pocket. She knew Selene would call Kevin if she killed Brax. How would he explain Brax’s death to A.J.? He had been so certain about Brax. No, she would wait to see what Kevin would do. She needed to think about what she would do when he told her.
Presentation is everything, Kevin my man,
she thought, quietly getting out of her car.

A.J.’s skin tingled at the smell of fresh blood. Her body surged, but she had to control the urge to change and run towards the fight she knew was happening above her. She hadn’t hunted in decades, but her natural instincts fought with her present day logic. The need to feed was hard to ignore for a vampire and she had felt herself begin to unravel earlier in the week when she was attacked in the park. Seeing Clarissa walking out of the garage was the only thing that kept her from killing and feeding off the seeker. Now, though, she fought hard to maintain what little control she had. Her mouth watered as the scent of blood grew stronger. She reached deep into her pocket and pulled out two “safety pills”. Popping each one, she placed them under her tongue and waited. The energy around her shifted as she darted behind trees, making her way up the hillside. Wave after wave of energy hit A.J. as she made her way closer to the fight. It was hard to maintain control fighting the change that lay just under her skin. She knew Selene would be engrossed in what she was doing and too overcome with bloodlust to feel A.J.’s own bloodlust surfacing. The autumn breeze blew again and the smell of something else caught A.J.’s nose. A familiar scent, Clarissa!

###

Clarissa had stood transfixed, still staring at the bloodstain in the dirt. Her senses taking over her body, a shift was taking place and she fell to her knees. The blood pounding in her head was so loud it blocked out everything around her. Her nose flared and she inhaled deeply, the blood calling her. Rational thinking was slowly ebbing from her mind, a deeper need taking its place. Opening her mouth, she let her fangs drop. Her vision sharpened as she watched the tow truck down the hill drive off. She watched as the person left behind was tackled, the flash of a knife catching her attention. Then the lights of a car skidding towards the two helped Clarissa see the fangs of a vampire as he faced the headlights. She didn’t know him, she was sure. So why was he here and who was the other person he was fighting? She wasn’t alone anymore, but now what? Was he the person responsible for the bloodstain before her? She watched him tossed like a rag doll onto the ground. The person beneath him was obviously stronger even with a stab wound.

Fully transformed, she quietly made her way down the hill edging closer to see the two fighting. As she watched, the man started running up the hill towards her. Shit. She realized she couldn’t risk being seen. Turning to run back up the hill, she knew she would never make it before they were on top of her. Looking up, she saw her only chance for cover, the trees. Scrambling up a redwood, Clarissa concealed herself almost at the top and tried to slow her out of control heart beat. There was no telling what would happen to her if she was found out. The blood stain already revealed the depths that someone would go to, and she didn’t want to be next. Peering around the massive trunk she watched as the two pummeled each other, neither having a big advantage over the other. Each punch moved them closer and closer to Clarissa and she wondered if they would eventually make it under her location. The energy buffeted her and she felt her body responding like an animal in heat. Vampires gave off energy when they fought, fed or when they were intimate, and only a very experienced vampire could tell the difference. Right now Clarissa could see the difference, but her body was responding not to what she saw, but to what she felt. A cut had opened under the eye of one of the attackers and the other’s nose had started to bleed. The smell beckoned to Clarissa and she slid a tongue across her lips, savoring the scent that hung in the air. To expose herself would mean certain death, especially since both attackers were deep in bloodlust. She watched the male slide his tongue across his knuckles.

“You’re gonna taste even better after I beat your ass,” he taunted his rival.

“I wouldn’t be so sure about that. You see, I already killed your buddy. I’m sure you can smell his blood, can’t you?” A husky female voice answered.

Clarissa stood staring at the woman. She had heard that voice before, she knew that woman. It was Selene.

###

A.J. slowly inched her way up the hillside towards Selene and Brax. Her senses were on overload smelling fresh blood and Clarissa’s fear. Or was that excitement rolling off Clarissa? She struggled again to maintain control. Each wave of sensation was stronger than the last washing over her. The backlighting from the house exposed the fighters as they punched, kicked and rocked each other over and over again. Selene was slowly starting to lose ground and A.J. could only think it was because of the stab wound she had suffered at the bottom of the hill. A.J. wondered if she should insert herself into the fight and help Selene, but movement caught her eye as something in the trees moved. Clarissa was watching the same fight from the top of a tree, almost directly over Selene and Brax. That was her answer. If she exposed her position and helped Selene, Clarissa was sure to figure out who she was. No, this wasn’t the time or place for a reunion, or a rebuff. Selene would have to make it on her own if she was going to survive.

A.J. watched Brax raised his knife again, aiming for Selene’s throat. Selene dropped to the ground and swept Brax’s feet out from under him, the knife still swinging wildly towards her. A.J. observed Brax land on his back, the wind knocked out of him for a brief moment, but long enough for Selene to stand and land a kick to his jaw. A deafening crack echoed through the forest as Selene landed another kick, this time to the ribs he exposed reaching for his now shattered jaw. Then she was straddling him, pummeling his face. Selene arched her back, bared her fangs and buried them in Brax’s neck. A slow gurgling sound was the last thing to seep from his lips. The air around Selene electrified with energy, heat and intensity as she pulled the life from Brax’s body, savoring each intense blood pounding moment.

A.J. looked up at Clarissa and wondered how she could keep her position watching Selene feed. Vampires had a pack mentality when it came to feeding and once it started they wouldn’t stop until the body was drained completely. She slowly eased her way back down the hill, moving backwards as she watched Selene and Clarissa, making sure she wasn’t spotted by either. A.J. watched as Selene’s body pulsed with each suck, the outline of her muscled arms holding Brax down shimmered with sweat and slowly engorging with the energized blood. Selene’s body pulsed as if it was orgasming. The heat was almost too much for A.J., feeling herself start to tighten in anticipation of her own orgasm. Selene’s energy pulled at A.J.’s body and she felt her clit harden and her skin tingle. An orgasm would be a welcome release as she closed her eyes and absorbed the intensity. Her demon coiled and pulsed throughout her body. Her mouth watered again and she knew she had to do something quick. Pulling her “safety pills” from her pocket, this time she popped four, rather than her normal two. She had to make sure she could control herself enough to get the hell out of there. Letting them rest under her tongue, she watched Clarissa slowly squirm as she had done in the office earlier. She wasn’t sure what she was going to do to help Clarissa, but she knew she needed to do something or Selene would have a dining partner soon. Pulling her phone from her jacket, she dialed Kevin.

“A.J. What’s going on?”

“Kevin, listen to me carefully—”

“A.J., why are you whispering? Is everything alright?”

“Shut up and listen. Call Selene, now!” A.J., frantic that Kevin couldn’t hear her, repeated her order, “Do you hear me? Call Selene now.”

“Okay.”

A.J. waited what seemed like hours. Then she heard Selene’s phone ring above her. “Pick it up, damn it.” It rang again and again. “Pick it up,” she said as if willing it would make it happen. Then, suddenly, the phone stopped ringing. Pausing, A.J. held her breath.

“What the fuck do you want? I’m a little busy. Make it quick.”

A.J. could hear the one-sided conversation and breathed a sigh of relief. Luckily, Selene hadn’t said Kevin’s name or Clarissa might have put two and two together, or at a minimum come to the wrong conclusion about Kevin.

“Yeah, he’s in the trunk, but I got a little side tracked.” A.J. watched as Selene wiped the corners of her mouth, lick her lips and continued, “Let’s just say that your man, Brax, is a traitor and he’s dead, too.”

A.J. couldn’t help but wonder what lies Kevin was telling Selene, as Selene’s eyebrows furrowed. A.J. recognized the distrustful look on Selene’s face.

“Look, that isn’t my problem. He jumped me and before I could ask him any questions he ended up dead. I wouldn’t want to be in your shoes when you explain this to your boss. By the way, this is gonna cost you more. I wasn’t hired to kill anyone, just protect the girl.”

A.J. realized that Selene was walking right towards her as she talked to Kevin. She crouched down behind some brush and watched Selene walk past her towards the car. Looking back up at Clarissa, she was grateful Clarissa probably couldn’t hear the conversation. She watched Clarissa slowly make her way down to the floor of the forest and hesitantly walk towards Brax. Bending down, Clarissa touched his neck and brought her fingers to her nose.
Don’t do it,
A.J. silently pleaded. If Clarissa tasted his blood, A.J. was sure she would feed, and probably expose herself to Selene. She watched again as Clarissa wiped the blood from her fingers in the dirt.
Good Girl, now go
. Once again, A.J. pleaded for Clarissa’s sanity to return,
Damn it, get the fuck out of here.
She looked down to see where Selene was. A.J. reached into her pocket again and pulled her cell phone.

“Kevin, call Selene again. This time try to keep her talking for a few minutes.” Gently closing the phone, she looked back up at Clarissa, who was trying to look down at Selene. A few seconds went by. Then Clarissa quietly crept back up the hill, watching Selene as she disappeared over the top. A.J. took a deep breath and relaxed. Slowly, she scooted backwards, deeper into the forest and farther away from Selene and the now dead Brax. Her mind was spinning as she stood. Suddenly dizzy, she sat back down before she fainted. It had been a long time since she had watched a vampire feed so close, and the experience left her light headed, hungry and edgy.