The Entity Within (4 page)

“Be nice,” she called after him.

“Like that’s going to happen,” he muttered under his breath before taking the steps to Zoe’s front door two at a time. Nice was not in his vocabulary. Nice didn’t get you anywhere. It certainly didn’t get you turned into a vampire or help you survive the torturous transformation.

Damon was all set to bang on Zoe’s front door, but it opened before he could raise his hand. Zoe stood there wearing the same clothes she’d had on a few hours earlier at the bar and looking surprisingly good despite the startled look in those weird bicolored eyes of hers.

“How did you know I was out here?” he demanded.

“I didn’t,” Zoe said. “Daniella left her scarf. I was going to run after her to give it to her.”

“There’s no need.” He grabbed it out of her hand. “I’ll give it to her.”

“Okay.”

Zoe was about to swing the door shut when he put his foot out to prevent it. “Aren’t you going to invite me in?”

“Why?”

“Because it’s the polite thing to do.”

“Says the rude vampire who doesn’t want me here.”

“You don’t want to aggravate me,” he warned.

“Ditto,” she shot back. “Vampires can’t cross a threshold unless they are invited in.” She’d read that somewhere.

“Damon, how nice to see you again,” Gram called out from the stairway. “Do come in.”

Damon quickly moved inside before Zoe could slam the door in his face.

“Sorry I can’t stay and chat but I’ve got more unpacking to do,” Gram said. “You two sit down and have some tea.”

Gram turned and made her way upstairs, leaving Zoe looking more pissed off than nervous.

“I can’t imagine you drinking tea,” Zoe told him. “It’s not a vampire thing, is it?”

Instead of answering, Damon surveyed the room, noting the location of the hidden camera. It was still there in the corner of the crown molding. He also noted that the room contained a hell of a lot more furniture than it had in the earlier video coming in over the feed. In fact the room had been empty but now it had several large pieces of furniture in it, including a weird chair with writing all over it. It had a modern edge that was at odds with the rest of the place.

Well, maybe not. He was no expert on home decorating but even he could see that the heavy Victorian armoire looked weird compared with the rustic denim couch, which overpowered the dainty table with a teapot and two cups. There was a zebra rug in front of the stone fireplace.

“It’s not real,” Zoe said. “I don’t believe in hurting animals.”

“I hope you’re not expecting me to make the same claim,” he said sarcastically.

“I’m not expecting you to do anything.”

“Oh, I plan on doing something, all right. Do you recall telling me that you aren’t practicing magic anymore? That you and your grandmother wouldn’t make any trouble?”

She nodded. For the first time this visit, a trace of nervousness flashed in her eyes before it was gone. He could hear her heart beat faster. Vampires had ultra-sensitive hearing. When he concentrated he could practically hear the
swish-swish
of her blood rushing through her veins. He saw the slight tremble of her fingers.

Good. Damon wanted her scared.

But he wanted more than that. He wanted her lush mouth covered by his. He wanted her nude body beneath his. Which were only two of the hundred reasons he wanted her gone.

Chapter Four

Zoe refused to allow Damon to intimidate her. Not in her own home. They were on
her
turf now.

Okay, so it was only a rental turf, but still …

And yes, they weren’t paying rent, but that didn’t mean surly vampires could walk in and glare at her. She’d had enough fangy angst for one day.

She raised her hands in the air in a mocking motion of surrender. “I get it. You don’t want me here. No need to keep pounding it home. Message received loud and clear.” She lowered her hands to place them on her hips. “But I’m not going anywhere, so get over it.”

“It would be easier to get over it if you were half as trustworthy as you claim to be.”

“I don’t know what your problem is—”

“My problem is
you,
” he said, interrupting her. “You’re not even here twelve hours and already you’re spinning spells.”

“What are you talking about?”

“Don’t play dumb with me. You disabled the cameras with your magic so no one could see what you were up to.”

“Cameras?” She looked around the room. “You’re spying on us?”

“Most places in Vamptown have surveillance cameras.”

“Why?” she demanded.

“For security reasons.”

She didn’t like his answer and neither did Gram’s cat Morticia, who jumped onto the arm of the denim couch and hissed at him.

“That your cat?” he asked.

“Morticia is my grandmother’s cat. That’s my cat,” she said as she hurried to scoot Bella from the creamer she’d been sticking her paw in. Scooping Bella into her arms, Zoe glared at him. “I can’t believe you had the nerve to plant cameras in here. There has to be a law against that. Were you hoping to get some kind of kick out of watching the video?”

“I don’t watch the video,” Damon said. “Someone else does.”

“And that’s supposed to make me feel better?”

“I don’t care how you feel,” Damon said.

Morticia growled at him. Bella merely yawned. Zoe was well aware that her grandmother’s familiar was being more protective than her own.

“What I care about is getting those camera feeds back online,” Damon continued.

“Online? You mean you’re posting them on YouTube or something?”

“They are linked to our neighborhood security system.”

Zoe hugged Bella closer for protection. “I don’t like it.”

“I don’t care.”

“Does Nick know about this?”

“Yes.”

“What about Daniella?” Zoe asked. “Does she know, too?” Something made her add, “And what’s going on with the funeral parlor?”

Moving with vamp speed, Damon pinned her and her cat against the wall. “What do you know about the funeral parlor?” he growled with clear menace.

“Everything okay down here?” Gram asked from the stairway before joining them. “I see you met my cat Morticia.” She moved closer to run her fingers over the calico cat’s head.

Damon stepped away from Zoe and turned to face Gram.

“Wise move,” Bella muttered.

He instantly turned to face Zoe. “What did you say?”

“Nothing.” Leaning down, she whispered in Bella’s ear, “Behave.” She didn’t want Damon knowing that Bella could speak. Zoe’s general philosophy was that the less outsiders knew about her, the better. And that went double for vampires. Triple for Damon, in particular.

“I expect you’re here about the cameras.” Gram sighed.

Damon once again turned to face her. “What do you know about them?”

“Don’t answer him, Gram,” Zoe said before stepping between them to protect her grandmother from any possible vamp wrath.

“I’m assuming he already knows they’re not working at the moment,” Gram said.

“And I want that rectified,” Damon said.

“Haven’t you learned that you can’t always get what you want?” Zoe countered.

Damon’s smile was sardonic. “Haven’t you learned that vampires
always
get what they want?”

“No.”

“Then consider this lesson number one,” Damon said. “I want those cameras working again right now, so remove whatever damn spell you put on them.”

“It’s not that easy,” Gram said.

“I still don’t know why you have cameras all over Vamptown. Are they in bathrooms, too? Bedrooms?” Zoe demanded.

“That’s none of your business.”

“Considering they might be in
my
bathroom or bedroom, I’d say it certainly
is
my business.”

“We witches value our privacy,” Gram said. “That’s why I disabled the cameras as soon as I detected them. My decision. I’m sure you understand, Damon.”

“I don’t give a damn that you value your privacy,” he said. “If you want to stay here, you will abide by our rules.”

“And how many other outrageous rules are you going to come up with in your pitiful attempt to make us leave?” Zoe challenged him.

“As many as it takes. Now get those cameras working again.”

“I’m not sure I recall how to do that.” Gram sounded flustered as Damon towered over them both ominously.

“Stop bullying her.” Zoe set Bella on the couch, where she curled up and watched them with an amused gleam in her eyes.

“Or what? You’ll sic your cat on me?” Damon mocked.

Uh-oh. Bella did not like being mocked. In fact, it was one of the things sure to push her feline familiar buttons. Zoe saw the meltdown coming. Bella’s eyes began to glow brilliantly. All sign of amusement was gone as the cat sat up and focused her attention on Damon.

“I know spells to make a vampire’s privates shrivel up and fall off,” Bella announced.

“That didn’t come from me,” Gram hurriedly said.

Damon went straight to Zoe. “Then it came from you.”

Zoe wasn’t sure what to say in answer to that. She glanced nervously at Bella.

Seeing that, Damon’s sardonic smile returned. “Are you worried about your dainty feline? You should be. I eat cats for breakfast.”

“Not this cat,” Bella said. “Not if you value your privates.”

Damon’s anger flared. “Is this some kind of trick? A spell to make me think your cat talks? Do you think I’m so stupid I’d fall for that?”

“I think you are stupider than that,” Bella said. “You’re a vampire. You’ve been around a long time. You’ve never heard a cat talk?”

Understanding dawned in Damon’s dark blue eyes. “It’s not the growling cat. It’s you. You’re Zoe’s familiar.”

“A very powerful familiar,” Bella said. “I don’t want to brag but I have dealt with Russians, so vampires do not scare me.”

“Then you are a stupid cat. Vampires are much tougher than the Russian mob.”

“I’m talking about the Russian aristocracy. We all have our pasts and our demons, don’t we? Mine go back to the court of Catherine the Great. What about you, Damon?”

“I am not talking to a cat,” Damon stated coldly.

“You’ve already been talking to her,” Zoe pointed out.

“I will give you thirty minutes to get the cameras working,” Damon said. “If not, I will be back.”

“And we will bear the full brunt of your wrath,” Bella mocked.

He lunged forward as if to grab the cat. Zoe instantly moved to protect Bella but she had already put up a protection shield.

“Thirty minutes.” Damon’s voice reflected his frustrated fury before he stormed out.

“What happened to not upsetting the vampire?” Zoe asked Bella.

“He started it,” Bella said.

Zoe was afraid he was going to end it as well.

*   *   *

Damon entered the All Nighter Bar and Grill and headed for the premium bottle of blood kept in the refrigerated section beneath the bar. He tossed back a glassful and immediately poured another.

He’d just been bested by a witch and her cat. Her freaking
talking
cat. That was unacceptable.

The bar was empty aside from the owner, who looked up from the steak he was finishing off. Nick’s mating with Daniella the half druid had resulted in Nick being able to consume food, but he tended not to do so in front of other vamps.

Damon knew all about Nick’s situation. Having sex with Daniella had changed Nick’s world forever, and not in some sappy sentimental way but in a matter-of-fact immortal life-changing way.

Damon couldn’t imagine what he would have done in Nick’s place. Would he be willing to increase his powers but decrease his life span? Because the reason Nick could eat that steak was that he was no longer immortal.

Sure, Nick would live longer than most mortals, as would Daniella. But he was forever changed.

Damon valued his own immortality. Would he have made the choice that Nick had? Doubtful. Very doubtful, as in no way.

Damon rarely paused long enough to think about things like this. He preferred action to introspection. He always had.

Did he miss being human? Not really. Did he miss eating a steak? Yes, but it wasn’t worth the trade-off in his opinion.

Nick’s choices and his relationship with Daniella were none of Damon’s business unless they pertained to the security of Vamptown. Granted, he’d been hired after another outsider vamp named Miles Payne attempted to increase his own powers by kidnapping Daniella. When that plan failed, Miles had gone after Daniella in order to punish Nick, who had feelings for her.

Feelings were a vamp’s downfall. Damon had no intention of following in Nick’s footsteps. He had another path to travel and it didn’t include falling for a female—witch, druid, or human.

“Did you fix the problem at the rental house?” Nick asked, shoving his empty plate aside and indicating Damon should join him.

Damon set his glass on the table with a noticeably irritated thud. “I told you witches were bad. They already messed up the surveillance system.”

“Not the system, just the cameras in their house. And to be fair, I should have warned them about the security measures we take here in Vamptown,” Nick said.

“They have no respect for authority. Allowing them to stay here is asking for trouble.”

“Vamptown can survive two witches.”

“And a talking familiar cat,” Damon muttered.

“Really? I’ve heard of such things but never seen one. I’d like to see that.”

Damon was not about to admit that the feline had threatened to put a spell on his privates. Humiliation fired his anger even more. His fangs emerged.

“She really got to you,” Nick noted.

At first Damon thought Nick was referring to the cat, but then he realized Nick meant Zoe. “I don’t like witches.”

“You’ve made that clear. I assume you have your reasons?”

Damon nodded.

“Care to share them?” Nick asked.

Damon shook his head.

“Does it have something to do with you being a Demon Hunter?” Nick asked.

“It has everything to do with my being a Demon Hunter. A witch betrayed me not long after I was turned.” Damon didn’t like talking about that period of his afterlife, but even so, the memories were always there. The Civil War, or the War for Southern Independence as the southerners called it, was the most devastating war in American history, with nearly seven hundred thousand dead. A war that ripped families apart, including his own. His younger brother, Sam, had taken up the cause of the Confederacy while Damon had fought to preserve the Union. The ensuing bloodshed was something that stayed with him even when he’d left his humanity behind and become a vampire.