NIGHT SONG Read online

  He tightened his grip and moved his hand faster over his straining flesh. His velvety head throbbed with excitement.

  God she was tight. Her slick channel welcomed him, encouraged him to go deeper, quicker. He ran his hand down the wall, but it wasn’t the wall he touched, it was her back and it felt like satin beneath his fingertips.

  He loved the way her skin jumped at his touch, the way she narrowed to a “V” at her waist.

  He stroked himself harder.

  The water cascaded down his body and steam billowed around him.

  He pounded into her. Her pussy was slick with her juices. Reaching around her he fingered a nipple, rolling it between his thumb and forefinger. She shuddered.

  He lowered himself and reached for her other breast. As he tweaked the nub, his nose and mouth were at the nape of her neck. It was the spot where he could smell her, only her. No perfumes or oils, only the sweet lush sent of his Kat.

  Inhaling deeply, he let her aroma fill him as he stroked even harder, buried himself even deeper. His hunger was building. His need demanded more.

  It would be so easy to bite her, feel her essence roll down his throat, mix with his own, becoming one with him. But he couldn’t do that to her.

  His hand jerked and pulled harder. She took him clear to the hilt. He threw his head back and screamed. His voice echoed around him.

  She’d stopped her car along the street. Her head rested on the steering wheel as she cried out to him, screaming his name into the dark cold night. It filled her car, and his mind.

  The sound was like the beautiful melody of a solo violin, the song meant only for him, his ears, and his heart. The notes of her voice hung like golden jewels in his mind, each one more pure, more luxurious than the last.

  “My Kat, my love,” he whispered. His excitement peaked, and the pressure in him built as his body climaxed and his seed spewed from him. Wave after wave of ecstasy throbbed through him. He convulsed. His muscles contracted and released in time with his throbbing cock.

  She came with him, her tunnel coaxing, milking him until there was nothing more for him to give.

  Lifting his head, he let the water batter his face. He didn’t want to let go, didn’t want to leave her but he had to. This wasn’t real. She wasn’t really with him. He was alone. She was only in his mind.

  Drawing a quick breath, he released his cock. It was spent, almost satisfied.

  Reaching for the soap, he lathered it in his hand and rubbed the sudsy softness into his tissue. No, he wasn’t satisfied. There was only one thing, one person that could do that. And before the dawn of this day, he’d come with her again.

  ***

  Kathryn struggled to catch her breath. Her body sizzled.

  “Fuck!”

  She slammed her fist into the steering wheel, and the horn gave a quick blast. A dog barked and ran in front of her parked car.

  How did he do that?

  A whisper of a breeze swept through her mind as the connection to him broke. She felt a twinge of loneliness and it pissed her off.

  Rubbing at her temples, her pulse raced clear to her toes. Small quakes still racked her body. Glancing along either side of the street, she looked for witnesses. She must have been quite a sight, alone in the car, rocking, writhing, and calling his name.

  The street was vacant. No one dared venture out in this weather.

  To her left a bank sign told the temperature - twelve degrees below zero. Fricken’ freezing.

  Slipping the car into drive, she gently pressed on the gas and pulled back onto Colfax. She dreaded getting to the hidden parking lot and stepping out of the warmth of her car.

  Tonight was going to be a slow one. At least she hoped it was. With no sleep and the orgasm of her life, she doubted she was up for anything more than uneventful.

  Chapter Five

  Kathryn exited the bar. The blast of cold air as she stepped from the thick smell of stale beer was almost welcomed. She needed something more to do. Something that would take her mind off of Ian, off of him slowly behind her, pushing…

  “Sto-op!” She screamed long and loud. Her body was still primed and ready for more of Ian LeMaster. Unfortunately, her mind wouldn’t let it happen.

  She jumped off the cement landing and into a pile of snow. That’s what she needed—cold.

  No, cold and uncomfortable. Looking around the barren snow covered streets, she sighed. That’s what she had all right. Very cold and very uncomfortable.

  Flipping her hood over her head, she resigned herself to her fate and started walking aimlessly. At least her venture into Wolly’s hadn’t been totally futile. Jared Williams, the werewolves’ leader, had been inside. Wolly’s was their hangout.

  And Jimmy ended up here last night. God!

  Jared shed a little light on the sudden increase in rogue vampire activity in the area. Seems a vampire from Europe, a Victor Petrikov was in town to kick some Ian LeMaster butt.

  She tried to convince herself that the twinge in her chest was indigestion from the stale popcorn she ate in Wolly’s, not fear. She knew better.

  Victor Petrikov, according to Jared, was the only vampire in the world older than Ian. In vampire terms, that equated stronger and more powerful.

  Her twinge became a pain and stabbed harder. So much harder it stole her breath.

  Stopping, Kathryn looked one direction, then the other. She was cold and tired. Maybe she’d go back to the diner and get some tea. Tea always made her feel better and made her thoughts a little sharper.

  Turning around, she shoved her gloved hands deep in her coat pockets and felt her cell phone vibrate.

  Maybe she would get some excitement after all.

  “Kat, come to the alley behind the diner. You know the one?” He was out of breath, and sounded panicked.

  Kathryn nodded her head, forgetting Mark couldn’t see her response.

  “There’s a group of vamp’s that have gone crazy. Chris and June are here too.”

  The line went dead and Kathryn instantly slipped into slayer mode.

  Shoving the phone back in her pocket, she started running towards the diner and the obvious mess her colleagues faced.

  She’d barely broken a sweat when she turned into the alley, and stopped short. Her fellow slayers were engaged in a fight like she’d never witnessed before.

  Five vampires had them surrounded. Mark was limping. He moved with the vamps as they circled the slayers. His left arm hung at his side.

  Kathryn swallowed hard.

  This wasn’t good. This was so not good.

  Dropping her pack to the ground, she opened it and removed two flares, her stake and mallet. She also grabbed a silver spike that, although wouldn’t kill a vampire, would make it really uncomfortable. She’d take whatever she could get.

  Shoving most of the tools into her deep pockets, she kept only a flare in her left hand.

  “You guys okay?” she hollered, mostly to get the vamps’ attention. She didn’t want to sound concerned. Fear was a sign of weakness, an invitation for an attack. She’d never give such invitation.

  “Great!” Chris called, glancing her way. The lights from the front of the diner cast an eerie gray all around the slayers. There was blood caked on Chris’s face.

  Shit!

  “I thought you were. I just wanted to join in the fun.” She walked towards the circle as she spoke. The vampires had stopped moving. All eyes were on her.

  The energy filling the ally had the hair at the back of her neck standing on end. These vamps were bad. Very bad.

  “You know how I hate being left out.” She grabbed the end of the flare, pulled and threw the glowing red light into the center of the group.

  “It makes me think you don’t love me anymore.”

  The vampires hissed but didn’t move. The flare added a pink tinge to the already ominous lighting. Kathryn’s heart beat quickly in her chest and her mouth went dry.

  The fact that they didn’t scatter like rats
leaving a sinking ship scared the crap out of her. Now what?

  Moving towards her comrades, she saw them, the vampires, for the first time.

  These vampires were sick. Their skin clung to their bones in putrid clumps. Where flesh was missing, rotting meat was exposed. The air was thick with the smell of death and decay. It coated her throat and lungs and made her stomach seize.

  Covering her mouth, she coughed.

  What the hell happened to them?

  One of the vamps turned towards her. Curling his lips in a snarl, he exposed his fangs. They were a putrid yellow. Years, decades, centuries maybe of stain from piercing flesh and sucking blood showed vividly in the pink light of the flare. He slowly floated towards her.

  Fuck!

  No time to panic. She needed to focus, to let her body react.

  Taking a deep breath, she cleared her mind.

  “Come and get me,” she mumbled, pulling the wooden stake from her left pocket. Wiggling slightly, the knife sheathed at her hip slapped into her. She was ready.

  ***

  Ian flew through the night. Higher and higher he soared, above the clouds, the streets, her.

  He loved flying. It was his favorite power. Losing himself in the crisp night air was the only time he felt free, unencumbered, and alive. Of course he was never truly any of those things. But with the air rushing his body like raging rapids, he could pretend.

  Victor was hanging low. That puzzled Ian. Why come all this way, bring hoards of tortured minions, and not attack?

  Yes, his neglected vampires attacked. They were half crazed from starvation, their minds on the verge on complete insanity. Victor had the perfect killing machines.

  Breathing deeply, he soared higher. The stars twinkled brightly, and the cloud cover was long lost so there was only he and nature’s beautiful light show.

  As he swooped and climbed, dove and soared, his mind was never far from his Kat. How would he stop her and her determination to kill him? Didn’t she know he had never, would never, hurt her?

  He had blocked his mental connection to her. Had given her the space she needed. He would never hurt her. He loved her. Didn’t she know that? It pained him to be apart from her. The loss of their connection physically hurt. But she needed time. He would give her that.

  And the bounty. What did she need with a million dollars? That had to be what it was about. The money. But why?

  He didn’t know for sure who’d put such a large bounty on his head, but he had an idea.

  Victor.

  The man was a conniving sadist. He got so much pleasure, so much power out of others’ pain. Ian’s death would be no exception. If Victor was successful and Ian was killed, Victor’s powers would be limitless. He’d offer anything he had for the chance. Ian was sure of it.

  As the calm of the night melted his tension, caressed his nerves so they were no longer a jumbled mess, a scream caught his attention. It sent panic racing through him. It was the sound of frustration, anticipation.

  It was the scream of a vampire. A vampire on the hunt and it was one of Victor’s. He was sure of it. None of his people could sound as tortured and pained.

  Following the sound, he found what he was looking for in the alley behind the all-night diner.

  He landed on the roof of a three-story building and assessed the situation. Immediately, he recognized the three slayers in the middle of a group of vampires.

  The slayers were doing well masking their fear but Ian could feel it, taste it. It was only a hint, a dash of spice in the emptiness of the night but it was there and it was real.

  Away from the group a fifth vampire moved. He threw his head back and screamed again. It was the tortured sound of resignation. He wanted to die, wanted the slayer in front of him to end his misery.

  And she would. He had no doubt. It was his Kat.

  Her skills were like a well-choreographed ballet, her movements fluid and strong. The vamp didn’t stand a chance with her.

  As he approached, the other four vampires moved from the slayers and headed for Kat in almost blinding speeds.

  She was being attacked. One or two, possibly three she could handle. Five?

  He jumped from the roof and slowly floated to the ground just as a vampire lunged at Kat.

  ***

  Dammit. Why are they all attacking me?

  Kathryn looked at the group closing in on her. If she was going down, she was going down fighting.

  Reaching in her pocket, she grabbed the silver spike and stabbed it into the chest of a vamp to her left. He hissed and his flesh burned. The toxic smell mixed with the already sickening stench around her.

  He staggered backwards and clutched at his chest.

  She scissor kicked a vampire moving in front of her, and immediately round housed another to her left.

  Icy cold fingers wrapped around her throat. The vampire to her right had gotten to her.

  Shit!

  She wasn’t even going to get to kill one of them. She was going to die at the hands of one of these sick bastards. Son of a bitch.

  Dark spots floated behind her eyes. Her lungs were on fire. The vamp lifted her from the ground. Her feet dangled beneath her like a rag doll. There was nothing she could do. Her last thought before slipping into the sea of darkness was not of her job or her friends or even her brother. Her final thought was, Ian, kill these fuckers.

  ***

  He’d heard her words as clearly as if she’d spoken them to him over tea at the diner.

  Kill them.

  She called to him, breaking his lock on their connection.

  That’s just what he intended to do. Spreading his hands wide, a blast of energy cut through the vamps, slicing them in half.

  Kathryn’s body silently hit the ground as her captor was torn in two.

  “Get her,” he screamed to the other slayers. He stepped to each body, one at a time, and sent another more focused bolt of power. They all, one by one, disintegrated.

  It was that simple. No one ever screws with the master vampire.

  Turning to make sure he hadn’t missed anything, he saw Chris lift Kathryn into his arms and walk towards Colfax.

  “Give her to me,” Ian commanded.

  “She’s dead.” There was no emotion in Chris’s voice. His words were heavy and fell like lead around him.

  “Give her to me.” This time his voice was softer. His heart beat heavy in his chest. Why hadn’t he checked on her? If only for a second, he could have connected with her and known she was in danger.

  Chris hung his head before handing Kathryn over.

  With Kathryn safely in his arms, Ian ran. With a slight bounce he was in the air racing to his lair.

  “Hold on, my Kitty Kat,” he whispered, and kissed her silken curls.

  Chapter Six

  He wouldn’t panic. He couldn’t panic. She wasn’t dead. He gently laid her on his bed and wrapped her in his sheets.

  She looked so tiny, so vulnerable in his giant four-poster. Sitting down beside her, he brushed her dark curls from her face.

  He chuckled remembering her surprise the first time she’d been to his lair. His lavish bed shocked her. She’d expected a wooden coffin.

  Oh, Kat.

  She was so beautiful lying there. Gone were the worry lines on her forehead and the hard set of her mouth.

  He ran his finger across her temples and over her plump lips.

  Such kissable lips she had. They were the kind of lips that could bring a man to his knees, and had many times if he remembered correctly.

  He leaned in and kissed her temple. Her skin was cool to his lips. Her breathing was irregular and labored, but she was breathing. Thank God.

  Sliding from the bed, he kneeled next to her. With both hands on her throat he closed his eyes and concentrated.

  He thought of his power, the energy that pulsed in him, visualized it as a ball of heat. The ball glowed yellow, as it formed deep within him.

  It started as a warmth i
n his gut—a single flicker of flame that grew, rolling and twisting in him, pulling energy from his tissue, his very cells, until it consumed him, his essence. He could feel it over take him and he welcomed it.

  Moving slowly, his essence tumbled languidly through his arms, his hands, his fingertips until he was in Kathryn.

  He searched her. Healed her.

  He slid over every cell, every mass.

  Yes, she would’ve healed on her own. But it would have been slow and painful. He couldn’t allow that, not when he could help.

  Inch by inch he worked through her injury. He cauterized shredded blood vessels, repaired her injured hyoid and carefully drained the swelling in her neck. He took his time. It was necessary to make sure he got it all. He wanted her well.

  Confident she was repaired; he withdrew back into his body. His energy dissipated into his tissue. It assimilated with him easily, quickly, and completely.

  Slowly he opened his eyes. His energy drained, he struggled to stay awake. But seeing her eyes flutter, seeing those beautiful emerald pools widen, made it all worthwhile. She was okay.

  “Where am I?” She looked around the room. He could see the recognition spread on her face when she realized where she was, and with whom.

  “You brought me here?” She tried to sit while her body very obviously rebelled. Ian fought the urge to assist her.

  “Yes.”

  “Why?”

  “You were hurt. I needed to help you.”

  Grimacing, she finally became seated and ran her hands through her hair. It sprung around her face like tightly coiled bed springs.

  He had to stop himself from wrapping one of her curls around his index finger.

  He loved seeing her in his bed, his chambers, his life.

  “What about the others?” She kept her eyes averted.