The Progeny (The Progeny Series) (3 page)

Ascher
flinched. Her skin was incredibly soft. Her wrist trailed across his nose, giving him a heavy dose of her essence. The saliva increased in his aching mouth, and he turned away from her. She wouldn’t remember this, but he still had issues with the red-eyed demon who lived inside of him and craved human blood. His fangs broke the gums, causing his heart to thud in his chest. Every inch of his body pulsed and vibrated with craving.

He
shuddered as her tiny hand glided along his back. That gesture was too intimate for his liking. He would
not
be having sex with her. Besides it being deplorable, it could mean her death.
Time to put a stop to this insanity
. Twisting around, Ascher flung her against the bed.

Her head dropped back, exposing the vibrating thump of her carotid. The
perfume of her blood filled his nostrils, wiping his mind clear of any thought but his insatiable thirst. Hoping to alleviate her pain, he brushed her neck sweeping her carotid with his tongue.

T
ongue sweeping was an intimate and sexual act, but he used it as a way of being humane. The enzymes in vampire saliva broke down blood proteins, increased blood flow, healed wounds and relaxed humans.

She wiggled then sighed.

His eyes rolled in his head, his vision blurring with crimson. The blood red markings of his thirst had made it to his eyes. He released a sigh of relief when she fainted. It was so much easier to concentrate when they passed out. The unconscious never expected sex, nor talked incessantly or wiggled about making it harder to disengage fangs that were difficult enough to maneuver. Ascher took a deep breath, carefully sinking his fangs into her neck.

The large artery thudded, gushing its sweet liquid. The flow was too heavy. Her drunken state complicated things
and he gulped at the stream surging down his throat. The blood flooding his lips both energized and inundated his body with new strength.

Her carotid gave a warning thud—his cue to stop. If he went too far past the second thu
mp, he ran the risk of killing her. He fought against instinct, retracting his fangs. A quick sweep of his tongue sealed the puncture marks. The enzymes in his saliva would heal her wounds. They never let them leave before the physical proof disappeared.

For course number two, Ascher
chose a slightly older woman. He fed on her then chose his final course—another older woman with a tanned complexion and salt and pepper hair. His thirst satiated, he made his way back to the bar.

The smoky room buzzed with activity
and couples twirled on the dance floor. Laughter and the clacking of balls wafted from the friendly game of pool underway in the back. Ascher glanced toward the bar and found Shauna sitting on a stool, her legs crossed at the ankles, a look of boredom pasted on her face. He channeled her mind, wondering what she was thinking.

Unfortunately, she was blocking but her smile conveyed happiness to see him.
Deep dimples dented her cheeks as she asked, “Can I get you something?”

“No
, I’m not drinking tonight. I came to see how your first night was going.”

“I’m doing great. I’ve got five hundred in tips, so far.” She jingled the clear jar next to her.

“Quite impressive.” His mouth turned up into a smile, without his permission.

“Are you feeling better?”

“Yes, much better. Thanks for asking.” He walked behind the counter, grabbing a bar towel and sponge to wipe down the surfaces.

Sh
auna joined him.

Ascher
tried to concentrate, but her sexy choice of clothing made that impossible. Though he was half vampire, he was one hundred percent male, and the sight of her stirred him.

Her
outfit was provocative, bordering on slutty—a black button down shirt, with three buttons unfastened, showed off smooth, caramel coated cleavage encased in a delicate black bra. A mid-thigh length black skirt displayed curvaceous hips, shapely legs and a perfectly round ass. A pair of black wedge heeled shoes completed the entrancing ensemble.

Black was definitely her color, as it accentuated her complexion beautifully.
He was certain that the tips she'd earned reflected her choice of clothing and overall attractiveness, rather than her ability to serve.

“I can do that.” She attempted to grab the sponge. “It is, after all,
my
job.”

“You’re taking a break. At least that’s what we’ll tell Gabe if he asks.” He listened to the obnoxious chatter in her mind. She wondered if h
is pale skin was the result of some blood clotting disease. She found him attractive. Ascher gave her a questioning stare, as her face froze then blushed with embarrassment. “Are you okay?”

“Sure
.”

He stopped wiping down the bar, continuing his stare.
She seemed nervous.

“You
were a little testy earlier. Is something wrong?”

“It’s my birthday
, and I’m not really into it.”

“
Well, happy birthday! How old are you?”

She gush
ed with more enthusiasm than he thought necessary. His reality crashed through as he imagined what her reaction would be if he'd said—eighty-seven. “I’m twenty-two.” 
Plus sixty-five!

“That’s a good thing. B
irthdays are supposed to be fun. I love them. They were one of the few times in my childhood that I actually
like
to remember.” She arched her brow. “Quinn said you go to Birchmont, too.”

“I do. I’m a third year Psych major. What about you?” He asked this as if he didn’t already know. This was the ridiculous part of his gift. Since he was not supposed to know anything he channeled, he often found himself asking what he already knew. Somehow, he didn’t mind it. He was enjoying their conversation.

“I’m undecided, but Supernatural and Paranormal Studies are what I’m leaning towards.”

“What like ghosts and entities?”

“It’s weird, right?”

“
It’s pretty random, but not weird.”
If you want to study the paranormal, I have some things to show you that you won’t believe.

“I’ve been fascinated with the occult since I was a child. I did book reports on the Salem witch trials every year until
the tenth grade. You can’t imagine the Sisters’ faces when they read them. The students called me witch girl. Unfortunately, my grotesque mind holds rather macabre knowledge.”

Ascher
reached to hand her the sponge. Her essence wafted past his nose and instead of feeling panic, he took a subtle breath, letting the sweet intoxicating scent fill his nose. Closing his eyes, he allowed the aroma to overtake him for the briefest of seconds. The sponge dropped, throwing him from the pleasure of her perfume. He knelt to retrieve it, and they bumped heads, sending them tumbling to the floor.

His eyesight blurred then doubled. Her lips mov
ed, but he couldn’t understand a word. He only heard the thudding of her heart inside his head. Encircling her wrist with his fingers, he registered the thumping of her pulse. He channeled her, and the thoughts flooded his mind, crashing over him like a tidal wave. Wavering on his feet, he attempted to right himself then fell down again.

“You okay?” She lifted his head, placing it in her lap. “
You took quite a spill. Maybe you should stay put for a second.”

Ascher
gazed up at her with what he knew was a goofy smile. Seeing her eyes so close was alarming. He startled, realizing she’d asked him a question. He then replayed the moment before in his mind, like a tape recorder, until he came to the question he needed to answer. “I’m fine. I’m just a little dizzy.”

Not only was she a mind shifter, but she was also a screamer—a human with abnormally loud thoughts. Their
piercing thoughts rendered a vampire dazed. He tried to right himself against the bar, but she grabbed him, pulling him back into her lap.

Skimm
ing her hand along the side of his face, her touch stirred his somnolent soul. He’d sleepwalked through most of his life, always wishing for more and wanting things he knew weren’t possible. Her presence was a jolt to his inert heart. This was wrong—by all accounts—but he didn’t stop her. His face leaned into the comforting warmth of her hand. For a brief moment, he thought of the possibilities. He
wanted
to be close to her,
wanted
her to touch him
and
so much more.

H
er dark eyes penetrated him, quaking his quivering being. He barely knew her, yet he had an overwhelming urge to kiss her. He knew it was inappropriate. Ascher also knew they shouldn’t be
this
close. Before she could touch him again, he stood, stumbling over his feet.

This was impossible.

She was human, and he was a half-blood. She didn’t know what he was, and she’d never accept him if she knew the truth. Instantly, he despised himself and sighed, realizing that it didn’t matter what he thought
,
felt or wanted. The writing was on the wall in bright red lettering, in case he doubted it. He was engaged to seal, even though he wasn’t in love. Ascher wanted someone he couldn’t have—someone right for him. The situation seemed hopeless, because, as always, he wanted more than would ever be possible.

“I don’t think that sort of thing is appropriate for us to be doing. We mustn’t blur the lines of our working relationship
.” His tone mimicked the stern chastisement of a father reprimanding a naughty child.
Blur the working relationship? Really, Ascher? You’ve had almost a century to pick up a better excuse for not getting close to someone like her. You idiot!

“You’re right
. I’m not sure what
that
was, but it can’t happen again. You’re my boss.”

“I’m
not
your boss, Shauna, but it still isn’t a good idea.” He glanced away from her, knowing that his statement was a half-truth. Ascher was one-third owner of the parent company that owned Rousseau’s, so he was as much her boss as Gabe or his father. Never having the desire to manage employees, he was content to work behind the scenes and let Gabe act as sole manager of the bar. “It’s closing time. You can leave, and I’ll finish up here.”

“Are you sure? I don’t want to get into trouble with Gabe.”

“
I’m
giving you permission to leave. Run along now.”

She threw her apron
off and disappeared to the back room. Five minutes later, she reappeared, grabbing her tip jar and waving as she rushed out the door.

Ascher breathed a sigh of relief
. His thirst was under control, but a different kind of hunger plagued him. He didn’t want it to be true, but couldn’t deny the feeling that there was something there, between them.

T
hree ~ Fireworks

Ascher’s eyes strained as they adjusted to the bright sunlight streaming into his bedroom windows. He glanced over and saw Quinn sitting in the chair beside his bed, a warning smirk wrinkling his face. Ascher prepared himself for the interrogation. “What time is it?”

“A little after nine,” Quinn replied. “For someone who fed last night, you’re still quite tired.”

“What is
that
supposed to mean?”

“Call me crazy, but it looked like you and Shauna hit it off.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about, Quinn.”

“I saw you two. I was reading her until she blocked me out. The last thing I saw was
your
face.”

If Quinn saw Shauna’s mind, Gabe could
, too. “You think
he
was reading her?”

“That's hard to say. You know he rarely shows emotion. I watched him all night,
and he didn’t
seem
angry.”

“Be very still.” Ascher concentrated on Gabe’s thoughts.

He was in the garage—wearing a pair of his favorite ripped jeans and no shirt—shining up his sport coupe and humming a tune from the sixties. His thoughts were pleasant and he looked happy, not at all peeved.

“What did you see?”

Ascher threw on a tee shirt. “He seems fine, and you’re right. He has it pretty bad for her.”

“He’s not the
only
one!” Quinn’s eyes narrowed. “So, what
is
going on between you two?”

“Absolutely nothing,” Ascher lied, grateful that Quinn couldn’t channel his thoughts.

“She seemed very into you.” Quinn continued to pry.

“She’s confused.”

“She strikes me as one who goes after what she wants.”

“Something strange happened
, but I set things straight,” Ascher confessed.

“I don’t care what you do
, but you’d better be careful. Gabe is channeling her all of the time. She's important to him. I just don’t understand why.”

“I think I know part of it. You said she blocked you last night, right?”

“Yeah, her mind shifted. She shifts, that's pretty obvious,” Quinn replied with boredom in his voice.

“There’s so much more to her
,” Ascher asserted, his eyes flashing. “She’s a screamer, too.”

Quinn perked up, showing more interest. “Humans can be
both
?”

“It’s pretty rare. Her screaming
literally knocked me on my ass and made me dizzy.”

“Now I understand why you’re so tired. Shauna’s loud thoughts drained you.”

“I wasn’t sure if I’d make it home without falling asleep at the wheel.”

“Do you think that’s the reason Gabe is so interested?” Quinn
asked.

“I don’t know.”

“Can Aggie help?”

“I don’t know if that’s such a good idea.”
A sick wave of nausea swirled in Ascher’s stomach. “Things didn’t end well with us. Besides, we haven’t talked in two years.”

“You never
did
tell us what happened with her.”

Ascher clenched his jaw
in restraint. His non-existent friendship with Aggie wasn’t something he cared to discuss first thing in the morning.

“I think you should call her and apologize. There has to be something she can do. And while you’re apologizing, maybe you should call Shauna and apologize for being such a jerk last night.”

Ascher glared at his brother. Could he know what happened between the two of them?
Impossible!
“How did you know about that?”

Quinn laughed. “I watched you sleep. I was worried about Gabe’s reaction if he was channeling her. You mumbled things about her all night. You kept saying that you were sorry for being a jerk. You like her, don’t you?”

“What I feel doesn’t matter. Gabe wants her, and I’m sealing to Ursula in two months. Doesn’t matter what I want.”

Quinn
gave him a no-nonsense look, pointing to the tattoo on his left shoulder. “You have free will brother.
You
own
your
existence. No fate other than the one I choose, remember?”

Ascher thought about what his brother said. Was his will really so free? The Romanian clan would
be justified in an attack if he backed out of the union. He wasn’t sure what he’d do about Shauna, his broken friendship with Aggie or Ursula. For now, calling Shauna and apologizing seemed like the right thing to do. Even though he didn’t expect her to return his call, he called anyway.

* * * *

Sheridan, Massachusetts

Shauna punched
and growled at her alarm clock. She hated waking before noon on Saturdays. Besides, she’d had delicious dreams about Ascher and hated to wake from them. It was ten o’clock and Katy had to be in her seat to take the S.A.T. by twelve. Shauna jumped out of bed, expecting her apartment to look like a cyclone hit it. She ran to the guest room, certain that Katy was still sleeping, but the bed was empty and made, the blue bedspread clinging neatly to the mattress.

The apartment was spotless. The trail of clothing Shauna
had shrugged out of, in a mad dash for the bed, was gone. A full college schedule and job didn’t leave a lot of time for housework.

Shauna’s cat
, Gypsy, sat in the window ledge purring, her favorite ball of yarn clutched between her black paws.

Sh
auna blinked her eyes, rubbing the sleep from them. “How long have you been up, Kat?”

“Not long. The phone woke me up.”

“Who was it?”

“Someone named Ascher
.”

Shauna sank into the sofa, a satisfied grin on her face.
The sound of his name brought visions of those gorgeous eyes to mind.

Katy smirked. “I know
that
look. Spill it. Who is he?”

“He’s just a guy
,” Shauna answered with as boring a tone as she could muster, hoping to conceal the excitement she felt. “He’s the boss’s brother.”

“Why is he calling you?”

Shauna shrugged her shoulders. “I have no idea.”

Katy narrowed her eyes with suspicion. “Tell that to someone who doesn’t know you. Your face is flushing.”

Shauna gulped. Her sister knew her too well, and she’d never been a good liar. “Okay, okay.”

Katy jumped up and sat next to her on the sofa, her dark eyes flashing with
intrigue. “Spill it! Who is Ascher?”

“His name is Ascher Rousseau and he
’s fine. He has these eyes—Kat, you wouldn’t believe his eyes. At first, he was a real jerk, but he wasn’t so bad after I got to know him.”

“If he isn’t the boss, then why is he calling you? Did you forget something last night?”

“I don’t think so.”

“Do you like him?”

“I’m not sure. Something really weird happened.”

“Weird?”

“Yeah, he was helping me shut down the bar when we bumped heads. He took the worst of it because he got all dizzy on me. We stared at each other for a long time. It was so strange. When he stared at me like that, it felt like he was combing my insides. He froze up on me and completely shut down, using the fact that his family owned the bar as the reason we shouldn’t see each other. Then he told me to
run along
like I was a kid and he was an old man.”

“What’s with
that
?”

“I’m not sure.”

“Maybe you should avoid him. That sounds kinda creepy.”

“Maybe, but he also goes to Birchmont.”

Katy’s eyes widened. “Get out! Really?”

“Yeah, he’s a Psych major.”

Katy flashed a disapproving stare. “Sounds like dude is in need of some major
shrinking
himself.”

“I don’t know, Kat. There’s
something
about him. As much as I probably
should
avoid him, I don’t want to. When he looks at me, I get all these peculiar feelings.”

“W
hat do you mean?”

“I
want
to be around him.” Of course, she wouldn’t tell her seventeen-year-old sister about how his stare made her want to rip the clothes from his body, but it did. Her dreams centered on the two of them, a big bed and things she could only imagine, because she’d never done any of it.

“Sounds
like you’re attracted to him.”

“That’s the last thing I need, an attraction to a mentally unavailable guy.”

“How do you know he’s
unavailable
?”

“You didn’t see how he went from hot to cold in five seconds.”

“He sounds pretty hot. I’d give him a shot.”

“Is that your
official
opinion, or are you writing bumper sticker slogans now? Life is more than hot dudes and art, Kat.”

“Ugh, no life lessons this morning. It’s bad enough I have to take that stupid test.”

“The S.A.T. isn’t that bad, Katy. Your attitude
can’t
all be about a standardized test. What’s
really
bothering you?”

“I’m okay, really.”
Katy seemed evasive. “Actually, I’m not. I keep having these awful nightmares.” She shook it off. “It’s just stupid dreams...nothing to get excited about.” Jumping up, she grabbed her backpack and headed for the door. “I'm going to be late. I’ll see you next week.” She hugged her sister goodbye but stopped short of the door, coming back to hand Shauna a crumpled piece of paper. “I almost forgot. Hot mental guy left a message for you.”

Shauna took the paper
into her shaking hand, placing it in her pocket. She didn’t want to appear anxious to read it, even if she was. Waiting fifteen minutes, until she knew Katy wouldn’t be coming back, she took the paper from her pocket and read it.

Ascher
left his number and a message to call him. She convinced herself that she’d call him, just out of curiosity and nothing more. He apologized for his behavior and asked her out to the annual New Year’s Eve firework display in the square.

He seemed repentant
, so she accepted his offer.

* * * *

Ascher felt agreeable, less cranky—a definite improvement over the previous night. It was a clear, cool, cloudless evening just perfect for viewing fireworks. They found a spot away from everyone and sat on the red and black flannel blanket from his Jeep. An uncomfortable silence hung over them, until he broke the ice.

“Are you sure you’re not cold? If the cocoa isn’t enough, we can sit in the car. I have another blanket
, and I’d be glad to get it for you.”

“I’m okay, really.” Shauna laughed
and took a sip from the thermos. “Thanks so much for the cocoa. I don’t know what I was thinking forgetting to pack some.” She gave him a smirk. “I was surprised when you asked me out tonight. I would’ve watched the countdown on TV and then crashed. I always bring in the new year alone.” She gave him a curious stare. “Frankly, I didn’t think we hit it off so well. Have you changed your policy on fraternizing with employees?”

“About last night
...” He gave her a smile. “I’m so sorry for my rude behavior. Birthdays aren’t my favorite occasions.”

“That reminds me
...” She handed him the blue bakery box beside her.

“And what’s this?”

“Call me, the birthday committee.”

He sat still
. Other than mere acknowledgment of the date, his family never celebrated birthdays. For him, they were a painful reminder of his perilous existence. He had the strangest feeling that they would mean more to him after tonight. “You really shouldn’t have—”

“Birthdays are to be celebrated, not loathed.” Sh
auna pulled a blue cupcake with red sprinkles from the box. “Happy birthday to you,” she sang while taunting him with the confection. “Here, have some, I love their frosting.”

Ascher flinched, remembering what his brother
, Tristan, said about being inconspicuous around humans. He knew what even a bite of this would do to him, but he had to keep suspicion down. He reached for the cupcake, took a believable bite and started the mental countdown for getting rid of it. He had a few hours before he’d get violently ill, or be in any
real
danger.

A firework flashed across the sky,
illuminating it with brilliant colors and bright flashing lights. His heart skipped a beat as her cold hand brushed his, sending threads of electricity directly into him. She was cold. Before his mind processed the inclination, he grabbed her, unzipping his leather jacket to place her hands against his bare stomach. “Shauna, you’re hands are freezing. If you
don’t
want to go to the car, we’ll have to get a little closer.”