Bloodstorm (Heart of a Vampire) (9 page)

They reached the sheriff’s station and Shane led her to his truck. “Let’s go see this boy you found.”

She didn’t want to go with him. She needed some time alone with these strange thoughts running through her mind. “I’ll meet you there.”

He raised a brow, scowling. “Yeah, right.”

Grasping any excuse she could find, she waved at her clothes. “I’ll get blood all over your truck.”

“
I don’t care.” He bit out each word.

“
I do.” She crossed her arms, staring him down.

He sighed. “Fine. You can change here.”

The unexpected offer made her jerk back. “What?”

His eyes glowed as if he knew she was trying to get away. “Change in the locker room. There are plenty of spare clothes.”

Her mind went blank, unable to think of another excuse. Mumbling under her breath at being trapped by her own doing, she followed him up the steps and into the station. A deputy stood at their approach. His eyes grew wide as he looked from her to Shane. Niki recognized him from both the bar and the murder scene in the alley.

“
Boss?”

“
It’s all right, Chase.”

Shane led her down a dim hall and into a locker room. He opened a locker in the middle, and drew out a towel and some sweats. Turning, he slowly eyed her up and down.

She shivered. The air sparked with heat, and his hands dropped to his sides. The clothed dangled limp and forgotten.

Shane took a step toward her. His magnetism called and she edged closer. She couldn’t look away from his golden gaze. Those eyes pulled her deeper into an abyss she wasn’t sure she could get out of. Wasn’t sure she wanted to just yet.

The image of him in all his powerful glory flashed through her mind. It made her burn. Because now he stood before her as a man and nothing else.

One who wanted her.

The distance between them rapidly diminished, until she stood in front of Shane, staring up into his face, feeling unaccustomedly vulnerable.

Part of her wanted to run. She should. This thing between them was impossible. His eyes darkened as if he read her mind yet again. He stepped even closer. She shook at the delicious thought that if she ran, he would only catch her.

Her heart thumped, blood pulsed from head to toe.

Shane let the clothing drop to the floor and reached to brush a lock of hair from her face. Niki gasped as heat blazed where he touched her.

He leaned closer, pressing his lips against hers. Hot, smooth.

Shane licked the corner of her mouth, then delved inside. He tasted of smoky spice. She flicked her tongue against his.

He groaned, wrapping his arms around her and pulled her against his hard, muscled body. Niki ran her hands up his sides, over his back.

His fist clenched in her long hair and he tipped her head back. Shane nipped along her jaw. He traced a hot, wet line down her pulse, her collar bone. The scruff on his face rasped against the swell of her breast and Niki nearly jumped as need flared.

She moaned, pressing against him as he eased his hardness between her thighs.

He slid his palm over her shoulder, to her side, cupped her breast. Her nipples pebbled, throbbing for his touch. He flicked a thumb over one and she nearly cried out at the shooting pleasure. She leaned into his touch as his breath caressed the valley between her breasts.

Heat and need were driving her crazy.

“
Boss?” a voice called.

Shane slowly drew back, gazing at her with hooded eyes. “I’ll be out in a minute,” he replied, his voice rough.

The guy cleared his throat and the door clicked shut.

“
We can’t do this,” Niki whispered through the desire clouding her mind.

“
Not here, anyway.” He grinned. “Unless you need help changing?” His voice was so hopeful, she was able to relax a bit, though he kept her tight against him.

“
Is this your way of talking me into working with you?”

“
Absolutely not.”

“
Good. Because if we can’t keep our hands off each other, I’ll have to say no.”

He slowly let her go and stepped back. Grabbing the clothes from the floor, he held them out. “Well, now, Ma’am. I think I can behave myself. Can you?”

Shane whistled a light tune as he walked out of the locker room.

Confused, dazed, and slightly afraid of how he made her feel, Niki took a quick shower, then dressed.

Pain lingered from the deep scratches, but overriding it was a heaviness in her breasts and between her thighs that craved the sheriff. Maybe it was the fight, the lingering adrenaline. Otherwise, she would have been able to resist him.

That had to be it.

She needed to eat to finish healing. That was making her feel a bit lightheaded and weak. It was just this set of circumstances that made her lust so uncontrollable. She’d make sure it didn’t happen again. But first, she had to face the damnable, confusing sheriff again.

She headed down the hall to the front area, slowing when she heard Shane and his deputy talking.

“
... the wolves?” Chase asked.

“
I’ll be talking to Beider later today.”

“
I don’t envy you that. The Alpha’s an ass.”

Shane chuckled. “You’re coming with me.”

Chase groaned.

Niki stepped from the hall. Both men’s gazes jerked to her. “What?”

“
Nothing,” Shane softly said. “Ready?”

Niki shrugged and left the station. She didn’t even have the chance to think about running off, Shane stayed close.

He opened the passenger door and waited until she got in, then strode around to the driver’s side.

The drive was short, but by the time they reached the Inn, Niki was vibrating from the thick tension in the air. Shane parked and she jumped out, hurrying to her room. He was right behind her. The door was unlocked, so someone had been there. She strode in, only to find the room empty.

Then she smelled the kid.

***

Shane stared at the young vampire curled up beneath Niki’s bed and sleeping deeply. He was just a boy, not even old enough to drive. Shane concentrated, and blinked. The kid became a shadow.

He didn’t have a vampire’s natural aura. Shane glanced at Niki. Her aura was normal, a crimson glow, covered with flecks of the deepest black.

The boy’s was almost fully black, only small patches here and there of reddish gray. Something was seriously wrong.

He let his vision return to normal. “How old of a vampire do you think he is?”

Niki shrugged. “He’s a newbie. Maybe three or four, based on the power he emanates. And he’s inexperienced. He doesn’t know how to use it.”

She glanced at Shane warily.

He rubbed the back of his neck, heading to the window and staring out at the beginnings of sunrise. Maybe he’d been too harsh with her, demanding she cooperate. They needed to work together, but he probably could have put it more delicately. And then, grabbing her like that at the station... Shane turned back ready to apologize.

Niki knelt on the floor, peering beneath the bed. “Close the curtains.”

After Shane did, she yanked the boy out.

He woke, eyes blazing red, fangs extended as he hissed at Niki. Shane stepped forward, but she already had it under control.

She smacked the back of the kid’s head. “Knock it off.”

The boy’s eyes faded to a washed out blue-gray, fangs receding.

She pushed him down onto the bed before walking to the small closet. She drew out a black leather suitcase. From a hidden compartment, she pulled out two plastic medical bags of sloshing blood that set Shane’s stomach roiling. Niki tossed one to the boy.

The kid attacked it like he was starving.

“
Hey.” Niki snapped her fingers. The boy’s frantic movements slowed. She stood in front of him, unscrewing the lid. The kid followed her example, though he still gulped down the contents.

She turned to Shane, holding his gaze as she lifted her bag and drank the blood.

Her eyes flashed, as if daring him to see her fully. Vampire.

He wanted to turn away, but refused to back down from the challenge. He knew what she was, watching her drink blood didn’t change that. And he still wanted, needed to work with her. Wanted, needed...
her
.

When she was done, she slid the two empty bags back into the case and put it away. Niki sat near the headboard, watching the boy. Her face was a study of politeness, no emotion, no fear.

The boy didn’t mask his emotions at all. He stared at them both as if afraid they might start beating him.

“
Ready to tell me your name yet?” Niki asked.

The boy whipped his head around, keeping them both in his view. “Who’s he?”

“
The sheriff,” she replied softly.

The kid looked even more frightened.

“
Look, I saved your life tonight. I think it’s obvious by now I’m not planning to hurt you. The sheriff is here to help. Just tell us your story.”

Shane nodded, trying to assure the boy he wasn’t in trouble.

The kid sat a little straighter. “And if I don’t wanna tell you anything?”

Having dealt with stubborn teens too many times to count, Shane knew when he was seeing real fear rather than just bravado.

“
Do you want our help?” he asked, keeping his voice even but unyielding.

The boy flinched.

Shane pulled a chair from the small table in front of the window, spun it backwards, and sat facing the bed. “We can’t help if we don’t know what you’re running from.”

The kid sighed, shoulders slumping in defeat.

Shane’s pity stirred for this lost boy.

***

Niki watched the kid, remembering how she’d been after her own turning. She’d felt like everything was over, with nothing to live for. Then the ghosts had come, and she’d realized why she’d survived.

She didn’t know why she was so concerned for this kid. His situation wasn’t anything like hers. Yet, she felt some strange kinship to him. The urge to help him find his reason, help him get through it all, struck her. But first, she needed to know why he was here.

“
Robby. Robby Jackson,” he said, just above a hoarse whisper. He reached up and tugged at the hair behind his ear.

“
Where are you from, Robby?” she asked almost as quietly.

“
Alabama.”

“
How long have you been a vampire?”

He shook his head, tugging the hair harder. “I don’t know. It’s hard to track time passing when...”

“
When what, son?” Shane asked.

Robby glanced at Niki. She nodded, encouraging.

“
The guy, the vamp, who had me... He kept us chained up. When we travel, we’re loaded into a dark truck, locked in.” His breath came faster. “New people would sometimes come. Others left and we never knew why. We didn’t even know where we were most the time.”

Niki stared at him, unable to comprehend the uncertainty, the terror, this child must have gone through. The change itself was bad enough, but to be locked up... “You were a prisoner from the time you were turned?”

The boy nodded, still tugging at his hair.

“
And the name of your captor?” she asked, unable to keep the anger from her voice.

Robby flinched. “Y-you swear you’re not gonna take me back?”

Niki scooted to the boy’s side. Taking his hand from his hair, she trapped it between her’s, waiting until he met her gaze. “I swear, you will never be with that monster again.”

The boy appraised her. As if deciding she might be strong enough to keep the promise, he nodded. “He calls himself Jeremy Oakdale. This time. He changes it a lot.”

She asked, “Has he ever gone by Thomas Montgomery?”

Robby’s eyes widened and he gulped, nodding slowly.

“
Son,” Shane said, leaning forward as he rubbed at his chin. “You keep saying us. How many others are there?”

Robby shuddered. “When I escaped a couple nights ago, there were three in my room. There were others outside, but I didn’t see them. And a woman--she’s got this cool pink hair. But she’s not a vamp. Mr. Oakdale’s had her for almost a year, but she’s not kept a prisoner like us. And he hasn’t turned her.”

“
Is she working with him?” Niki asked.

“
I don’t know.” The boy rubbed his arm with his free hand. “She brings us our food sometimes.”

Niki rose. “Go back to sleep. You can take the bed.”

As she headed to the door, the boy panicked. “What are you doing?”

She glanced at him. “Getting another room.”

“
B-but it’s sunlight out there.”

“
Yeah.”

“
Y-you’ll die. Burn to death.”

“
Whoever told you that?” She shook her head. “Let me guess. Thomas.”

“
Well, yeah. But I’ve heard stories about vamps my whole life.” He hung his head. “I used to be a horror geek.”