NIGHT SONG Read online

  Lowering it, he pressed the point into the captive’s shirt. It pierced his chest and a crimson stain spread through the white cotton.

  Ian licked his lips. His men hissed and the captive screamed louder.

  “Victor! Victor sent me.” The words fell fast and furiously from his mouth.

  Ian smiled and withdrew the stake.

  “See, that wasn’t so hard.”

  Tossing the stake back to the gloved man, he placed both hands on the armrests of the chair and looked directly at the prisoner.

  Ian’s incisors lengthened, and the bones in his face shifted. He saw his reflection in the man’s eyes as he cowered before him. He looked demonic. He smiled wider.

  He was Ian LeMaster and no one, not this pissant, not Victor Petrikov, no one would come to his land, his home uninvited and live.

  Beads of blood ran down the captive’s face, his eyes looked like they would bug out of his head and his body shook. Ian tasted his fear like a fine wine rolling on his tongue.

  He snapped his fangs.

  The man jumped and Ian laughed.

  Straightening, he stuffed his hands in the pockets of his jeans and slowly moved out of the room. Before leaving he turned to his men. All of them watched anxiously after him.

  “Kill him,” he said and left.

  As he moved down the hall, he waved his hand and removed the sound of the vampire’s screams before turning into his quarters.

  “Come and get me,” he said into the hall of his chambers. “I dare you.”

  There was no doubt in his mind Victor would.

  And he’d be ready for him.

  Chapter Three

  Kathryn woke to the shriek of her alarm. Taking the pillow out from under her head, she threw it across the room. She’d hit her target, but only knocked the alarm to the floor, doing nothing to quiet the earsplitting noise.

  “Dammit!”

  She shoved her fingers in her ears and willed a tile to fall from the ceiling and smash the stupid thing. It didn’t.

  Reluctantly, she sat and cursed the night, her lack of sleep and the dawning, or fading as the case may be, of another day.

  Her body rebelled as she stood, walked the few steps to the dresser and stomped on the alarm. It shattered into hundreds of pieces. The quiet felt good. Maybe she could get some more sleep? She threw herself back into bed.

  She’d spent the day tossing and turning. Sleep had completely eluded her as her mind replayed the events of the night before.

  Damn, she hated that. She was a hunter. She needed to be on her toes, nimble and quick. That wouldn’t happen without sleep.

  She knew what the problem was. She was afraid to completely resign herself; afraid he would come to her as she slept. So now she lay in the middle of her bed, with her body aching and her mind fuzzy.

  This was not going to be a good night.

  “Kat?” She jumped at the knock on her door.

  “Yeah?” Jimmy. She didn’t know if she was ready to deal with him and his latest crises.

  Pulling her pillow over her head, she hated herself for resenting her lot in life. She’d been Jimmy’s guardian from the time she was seventeen and he eleven. It wasn’t his fault.

  He’d always been a little slower. The doctor said he had a mild form of autism. Aspbergers Syndrome he’d called it. Jimmy was very high functioning they’d said, but he would always have some problems.

  His “problems” seemed to be the choices he made. He always made the wrong ones. And for that he was always getting himself in to some form of trouble.

  Sighing, she rubbed her temples. What was the matter with her? He was her baby brother, barely twenty-one, what did she expect?

  When he was younger, she’d made sure he had the best therapists, the best schools, but it all came with a price. A price she couldn’t afford.

  But Martin could, and he did. He gave to Jimmy and Kathryn freely, never asking anything in return. Never, that was, until she was trained.

  Once he deemed her ready, the price for taking care of Jimmy became clear - her loyalty to him and M.S. Inc.

  At first she worked eagerly, freely. In the beginning she hunted for revenge pure and simple.

  But ten years of killing, ten years of lurking in the shadows takes its toll on a woman. In the past few years she’d started resenting her job. She hated that she was a creature of the night, hated that she couldn’t be normal, couldn’t be anything but what she was.

  There comes a time in a persons life when the passions of youth, the anger and hatred and drive diminishes, and all that’s left is the person. And that person must live in their own skin, look in the mirror and be comfortable with who and what they see. Kathryn was no longer happy with the person she saw.

  Taking down Ian could change that. A million dollars could definitely change that.

  “Kat?” Jimmy knocked on the door again.

  “Come in, Jim.”

  The door slowly opened and Jimmy peered around, like he was afraid to totally come in. She could only see the top of his curly brown hair and one of his hazel eyes.

  “Are you okay?” The look in his eye told her he didn’t want to enter if she wasn’t okay. Jimmy knew her better than anyone.

  “I’m fine. Come on.” She patted the lavender comforter beneath her.

  Clearing his throat, he entered.

  “What happened?” she gasped. Jumping from the bed, she ran to him, put her arms around his shoulders and squeezed.

  He did nothing in response.

  “Jimmy, what happened to you?” she repeated. Fear clawed at her throat.

  His eye was black, scratches marked both sides of his face, his clothes were torn and he limped.

  She immediately scanned his neck. Exhaling loudly, she said a quick prayer of thanks that there were no bite marks.

  Being the brother of a vampire slayer, no matter how desperately she fought to protect him, put him in a certain amount of danger. She’d never forgive herself if anything happened to him.

  “I’m not sure.” He spoke barely above a whisper.

  “What do you mean, ‘you’re not sure’?” Sometimes he really tried her patience. Without sleep, this was one of those times.

  “I mean I don’t know what happened.” He stared at his feet.

  “Did this happen before or after you called me?”

  “After.”

  Taking him by the hand, she led him into her bathroom and started a bath.

  “Where were you?”

  “Wolly’s on Colfax.”

  She inwardly groaned and closed her eyes. She’d been on Colfax. That’s where the vampire attack occurred. Shit.

  “Was it a guy or a girl?”

  “Seriously, I thought it was a girl. But I swear to you, she changed. I know I’d been drinking Kat, but she really changed.”

  Kathryn clenched and relaxed her jaw.

  “Changed to what?” She really didn’t want to hear the answer.

  “A wolf.”

  Shit.

  “Aw Jimmy. You were drinking Jaegermeister again, weren’t you?” Reaching under her sink she pulled out her bubble bath and added it to the water. White foamy bubbles swelled in the warm water and the scent of peaches filled the air.

  “No! I wasn’t.” He looked at her this time. “I didn’t think I’d had that much, I only called you because I didn’t want to drive on the icy roads.”

  How was she going to make this go away? Colfax was known Werewolf territory. Obviously he’d picked up one of the Pac’s bitches.

  “You don’t need to do that.” He motioned toward the tub and the bath she drew for him.

  “I know. You’re hurt. I want to make you feel better.”

  She smiled at him mostly as a pause. She needed to think. How to fix this? Jimmy couldn’t know he’d seen a werewolf.

  Mentally she slapped her forehead. Duh. She’d wipe it from his memory. That was easy enough.

  But how to keep him safe?

&nb
sp; She’d have to talk to the pac leader and find out their hangouts and ban Jimmy from them.

  She inwardly chuckled.

  Ban him. Like she could do that.

  “You’re not mad at me?” He slowly unbuttoned his shirt and grimaced.

  “Mad at you for picking up a strange woman in that part of town?” Her voice was louder than she intended. Sleep. She really needed sleep.

  Kathryn rubbed her temples.

  Calm down. No harm no foul.

  “No, I’m not mad. Worried, but not mad. You can’t do things like that, Jimmy. Promise you won’t go to that part of town to party again. Go hang out in Westminster or Aurora even. Just stay off Colfax. Okay?”

  He smiled. When he did that, it melted her heart and she forgot her irritation.

  “Don’t worry. I don’t know what they put in my beer, but I swear to you it looked like she grew a muzzle.”

  He laughed and Kathryn breathed a little easier. Maybe she wouldn’t have to do anything after all.

  Standing, she mussed his hair and turned to leave.

  “Holler if you need anything.”

  “I love you, Kat.”

  “I love you, too, Jimmy.”

  Tears stung the backs of her eyes as she turned to leave. She could be so selfish sometimes it was shameful.

  Closing the door she walked to her bedside table and picked up the phone. Making a call to the werewolf leader couldn’t hurt anything.

  ***

  The evening preparations went as usual. Kathryn showered and got ready. She injected herself, as she did nightly, by pinching the flesh of her thigh and inserting the three-inch needle. It stung as the gelatinous fluid spread through muscle. Rubbing it vigorously did little to help. God she hated the shots. But was she willing to accept the alternative? Being the undead? Hell no!

  She carefully strapped her knives to her hip and ankle, and shoved the Glock, loaded with silver bullets, against the small of her back. Fully armed, she double-checked her backpack to make sure it was adequately stocked.

  It was.

  It would only take one time surrounded by vampires and no stake to pound into their chest. Then she’d wish she’d double-checked. She never wanted to find herself in that situation.

  Walking through the kitchen, she grabbed a sandwich from the fridge and a napkin before heading to the basement and the meeting room, affectionately known as the war room, of M.S. Inc.

  Every night the slayers, seven in all, gathered in the war room where Martin relayed any new information, new missing persons, and all details that might dictate the slayers’ plans for the evening.

  Entering the room, Kathryn found herself the last to arrive. That was unusual. She really was off her game.

  “Kat, glad you could join us.” Martin stood at the head of the table with a clipboard in his hand. His eyes never left whatever he read.

  Kathryn didn’t say anything. Looking around the room, she nodded at the other slayers and took her usual seat at the far end.

  On the wall directly behind Martin hung a map of Denver, red lines were drawn around areas of the city, marking zones. Each slayer was assigned a zone to patrol, unless there was known heavy activity in any one area. In that case, they all worked together. Kathryn hated those night.

  “I was telling everyone,” Martin started as soon as Kathryn sat, “that there seems to be some particularly high vampire activity around Colfax Street

  .”

  Shit. So much for a quiet, solitary night.

  “I witnessed an attack last night about a block away from Wolly’s.”

  Martin looked up from the clipboard. “Do I have a report?”

  “No. There’s nothing to report. The woman’s fine. I clouded her memory and sent her on her way.” Kathryn shrugged and took a bite of her sandwich. It was steak. Rare. Just the way she liked it. She slid down on her chair and chewed.

  “What about the vampire?” Anica, a newly trained slayer, asked while leaning into the desk and turning towards Martin. “Don’t you have to write a report every time one is staked?”

  Kathryn’s guts knotted. She hated suck ups and she hated newbies. But mostly she hated Anica. The bitch was jealous and trying to make her look bad.

  “He wasn’t staked.”

  Anica snorted and Martin drew his brows together.

  “Why?” Martin set the clipboard on the table and crossed his arms. The tract lighting reflected brightly off his head.

  “I didn’t have a chance. He was taken.”

  “What do you mean, ‘taken’?” Chris, one of the older slayers, asked. She liked Chris so she smiled.

  “Ian came and they just Poof! vanished.”

  Martin nodded his head, and Anica snorted again. Kathryn had to fight the urge to lean over and smack her. She was not in the mood for little miss ass kisser.

  “Ian obviously had a need for him,” Martin said, picking up the clipboard and marking something on the paper.

  Kathryn poised herself to make some smart remark but was cut off.

  “Why’s Ian back in town?” This time it was June who asked. June, another newbie, was much more tolerable than Anica so Kathryn didn’t talk over her like she would’ve Anica.

  “He’s hunting down a killer.” Martin said without looking up.

  Funny. That’s what I thought he was.

  “The bounty on his head has been raised to a million,” Chris said. “You’d have to be a fool to go after Ian. There isn’t enough money in the world.”

  No one spoke. Martin kept writing and the slayers looked at each other. Mark caught Kathryn’s eye and winked.

  Yeah, she was nuts enough to do it.

  “Anyone know where the money’s coming from?” June was looking at all of them one at a time.

  “No one knows. Seems an anonymous citizen wants him taken out.” Martin continued to write as he spoke. His eyes were still fixated on the clipboard.

  “Why would someone want Ian dead? He’s smokin’ hot.” Anica looked directly at Kathryn.

  Ian’s image popped into Kathryn’s head and her channel clenched. She tried unsuccessfully to ignore it.

  Everyone knew of her and Ian’s affair. They also knew how badly it hurt her when it ended. Anica tried to get at her. The nerve! Little did she know of Kathryn’s plan.

  “He obviously isn’t the saint we all think he is.” Kathryn stared Anica down.

  Won’t they all be surprised when I kill him, collect the million and get on with my life?

  There was a lot of satisfaction knowing something the rest of the room didn’t. Well, all but Mark. He knew everything.

  “All right, kids. That about does it. All of you stay close to Colfax. Keep your cell phones on. I’ll call if you’re needed in some other zone.”

  Kathryn finished her sandwich and balled her napkin. Hopefully, the monsters had more sense than to go out in the freezing cold.

  Why couldn’t the bastards just live below the radar? Why did they have to attack? She wouldn’t have to worry about quitting M.S. Inc. if the idiots could just stick to feeding off willing donors. But no, of course that couldn’t happen. Where’s the sport in that?

  God, she was so over her job.

  Grabbing her pack and parka, she headed towards the stairs.

  Another night, another shot at a million, she thought before leaving the war room and the rest of the slayers. God, how she hoped this would be her last briefing.

  In her mind, she could’ve sworn she heard a chuckle.

  Naw, it had to have been her imagination.

  If so then why did she feel like she was about to leave the frying pan and fall directly, head over heals, into the fire?

  Chapter Four

  Ian licked the fang marks closed. His saliva stopped the flow of blood and removed all traces of the bite. Noble Rothwell left the room quietly. He’d served his purpose.

  Ian was fed. Satiated. His heart pounded in his chest. His blood rushed feverishly through his veins.
>
  It was at this point in the evening, right after he’d taken his fill, when he could lie. He could almost convince himself he was alive, human.

  Of course he wasn’t.

  He was the ruler of the undead. But just for a brief moment, as his skin turned its natural bronze and warmed to human temperature, he could pretend, imagine, believe.

  But alas, it wasn’t true.

  Leaning back on the black silk sheets, sorrow pierced his temporarily beating heart.

  He’d woken up with a need, a need that made his manhood ache and his flesh shudder.

  Her. He needed her. Needed to feel her tight slick passage clenched around him. She was his drug and he needed a fix.

  Standing, he sighed. Not yet. It wouldn’t happen yet.

  But soon. Very soon.

  Tonight? Dare he dream tonight?

  Walking to the bathroom his shaft grew thick and hard. God he needed her, needed the release only she could give him. She was so beautiful, his other half, his Kathryn.

  Her emerald eyes sparkled like rare and precious jewels, her body, long and lean, cried out for his touch. Her laughter lightened his cold, dark heart.

  Oh, my love.

  Turning on the shower he leaned into the cool marble and reached for her with his mind. They connected immediately.

  She was driving. The streets of Denver were dark and deserted, only a faint brush of snow skidded beneath her tires. He could feel the beat of her heart, a rhythm his matched in perfect sync.

  He smiled and sniffed the air. It was ripe with her hot sweetness. She, too, burned with need.

  Running his hands down the smooth stone in front of him, he could feel her flesh, could feel her muscles quiver with his touch.

  A moan escaped her lips.

  He grew harder.

  Stepping into the warm water, he pressed his hand into the wall and hung his head. The droplets ran down his body and slid along his skin like gentle fingers caressing him. His hair fell into his face and he closed his eyes.

  Gripping his erection, he stroked. Up and down. Slow at first. He was breathing life into the cold, lonely act. He wanted her mouth, her incredible body. Instead, he made do with his fist, and his thoughts.

  In his mind he was behind her, his body covering hers. As she watched from over her shoulder, he ran his hand over her bottom, allowing his cock to rest in the crevice of her ass. She fit perfectly against his groin. The pressure on his balls as they pushed against her made him tremble. It was so close to pain it was sheer ecstasy. No one in all his existence made his body simmer the way Kathryn did.