Mated to the Vampire Kings (18 page)

Demon Chaser Hybrid

Chapter
1

Even with her
eyes shut she could still see the blood spray from the wound. Then there was
the smell. A rusty stench so strong she could taste it. Deep breaths in...out
and in again. She bit down hard praying that her sharp teeth would recede.
Praying that control, or at least a resemblance of control, would return. The
sooner the better. Her nail beds still tingled. This could only mean one thing,
her hands still possessed dagger like claws. How in the hell had she gone from
being a preschool teacher to this?

A monster. A
killer. Far worse.

Deep down she
was still the same person. She was still Brice Darkstead. She still had a
family who loved her and friends who cared. Although it felt like that part of
her life had ended a million years ago.

It wasn’t easy,
but she continued to try to control her breathing. Her breaths were still fast
and choppy. She needed to slow down, which was hard since the thing inside her
loved the violence. It hummed with the sheer ecstasy of having made a potential
kill.

Her victim
moaned. The desperate sound clawed at her and she hissed. The thing wanted at
him, it wanted to finish the job. It became even more ecstatic at the prospect of
his pending death.

Another
agonising moan, it took a moment to realise that the sound had come from her
this time. She felt desperate. He was just an old man for God’s sake; he hadn’t
meant to startle her and meant her no harm.
He did not deserve to die
.
If the thing didn’t settle down soon, she would claw out her own throat to stop
it. All this running and hiding, as well as the dirt and filth, was getting to
her. This was no life and there wasn’t much to lose.

Heaven help her
.

“No..,” she
moaned this time more loudly, having to work that much harder to keep herself
under control. She lifted her right hand to her neck, preparing to do what she
needed to stop herself from killing the man. She felt such sorrow at the
prospect of ending her life like this, but what choice did she have? The thing
inside her pulled back instantly. It was still very much there though, like a
house full of explosives on a sweltering day, anything liable to set it off.
Her mind was still clouded with thoughts of death but at least the capability
to think beyond the murder of an innocent man returned as the thing withdrew.

Brice risked
opening her eyes while still making every effort to breathe slowly.

“Please,” the
old man croaked. He watched her through terrified eyes. His shirt was torn and
bloody, his chest a criss-cross of angry red slashes. She breathed out a sigh
of relief, he would live.

“I’m sorry.” She
scurried back, standing once she was a small distance away.

A Good Samaritan
had tossed her a few coins this morning. Although she’d planned on buying a
chocolate bar, those plans had changed. She’d use the money to call for help
instead. There was a pay phone a few blocks away. She remembered seeing it
because she had wondered if anyone still used a pay phone these days.

 As she made her
way through the streets, Brice prayed that no one would try to jump her.
Usually by this time of night she would be holed up and well hidden behind a
dumpster, or under boxes in one of the side alleys. After living on the streets
the last few months, she’d learned where the safest places were. She may as
well have a neon sign attached to her forehead right now though, because
wandering around like this would draw the attention of all the lowlifes and
cops within a hundred miles, or at least that’s how she felt. She knew with
absolute certainty that if either crossed paths with her at this moment, it
would mean their certain death. She didn’t want any more blood on her hands, so
she stuck to the shadows.

Her whole body
shook as she picked up the phone and inserted the coins. She kept the message
short, relaying where the old beggar could be found and hung up. Now to high
tail it out of here. She knew of a safe place nearby. Another long, sleepless
night lay ahead. There would be no rest for her ever again.

Chapter
2

Garrett felt the
edge of his mind prickle.

He knew the
feeling well, the sign of an oncoming premonition. Drawing on a lifetime of
experience, he allowed himself to be drawn in. At least that way the whole
process was painless and would be over much quicker. There was no point in
fighting the inevitable.

Still, he didn’t
have to like it.

As soon as traffic
allowed, he pulled over onto a quiet side street, switched off the engine, and
closed his eyes. The sensations increased. It felt like a hand was kneading his
brain. Pulling, tugging. Forceful and determined, the vision would demand
freedom if it had to. Images flooded his mind, images of a woman, long
chocolate locks in a wild tangle around a startlingly attractive face, her full
lips parted in…pleasure. His view expanded and his cock swelled.

The woman was
naked and beautiful.

Slim with
breasts that would fit a man’s hands. Only just. She seemed to be straddling
someone. Heaven help him, but the way she moved and arched her back had his
balls tightening. His gaze was first drawn to her eyes, glazed and hooded with
desire, then down to her nipples, tight, begging for attention. On and on she
rocked before flinging her head back in a silent moan. So sensuous, he had to
grab hold of his cock and squeeze to try and stop himself from shooting off.

His visions were
always vivid, but he never felt them this bone-deep. This was like living the
moment instead of watching from the outside. The stranger rocked harder,
faster. He could sense she was about to come hard. Damn, but so was he. Garrett
clamped down harder trying to stop the build. He fought for control. The view
expanded more. It was of her lover from behind.
Lucky bastard.
The man
lifted his hands and palmed her breasts, raking his thumbs over her nipples.
The sensation of holding those full orbs, touching her hard nubs, filtered
through to his own hands and he moaned, unable to stop himself.

Garrett was
losing this battle. Any second now and he was going to come. Right here. Right
now. Right into his pants, like a school boy for God’s sake, and he was
helpless to stop it. This beautiful woman, who smelt of reckless abandon and embodied
every fantasy he had ever had, was pulling him over the edge. This wasn’t even
reality even though it sure felt like it. She threw her head back and the view
expanded some more. He noticed two things at once. Both shocked him intensely.

The man he saw
in the vision was himself. As soon as the realization hit, he meshed with the other
version of himself in the premonition. All at once the sensations became more
acute. He grit his teeth. This was the first time he had ever had a vision of
himself.

The other
revelation was far worse. The woman’s neck was all torn up or at least had been
some time recently. It was road mapped with angry red scars all across one side
spilling over onto her shoulder. He’d been too preoccupied with her face and
those incredible breasts to notice. And with trying not to fucking come. Now
that he saw the scars, he wondered how he could have missed them.

The pulling and
kneading on his brain became a demanding squeeze. He’d been trying to hold back
the rest of his vision. It was pointless though since it would happen whether
he liked it or not. He let it claim him again.

The woman’s head
was still thrown back but now it slowly dropped down. Her eyes met his. They
glowed like burned umber. That should’ve concerned him except for one little annoying
thing, he was about to come. His balls were so tight that they were just about
sitting in his throat. His cock so hard, it throbbed both with pleasure and pain.
She kept pumping. Relentless.

Then suddenly
everything changed. One minute he was about to come harder than he’d ever come
before, and the next her teeth turned into fangs. They were long and sharp,
like something from a horror movie. Her face shimmered and lost its shape for a
few seconds before returning to its original form. Then she dropped those dagger-like
teeth onto his neck, intent on ripping him apart. He screamed in both the
present and the future. The vision ended.

****

Don’t panic.
Whatever you do Brice just stay calm.

Bad things
happened when she became too emotional. Things she couldn’t afford to think
about right now. Maybe they hadn’t seen her. It was still possible she could
turn and walk away. Blue lights flashed the moment she showed her back, dancing
in the dusk-streaked sky. Maybe they were looking for someone else. Not her.
The panic grew. She was learning to trust her sixth sense.

In the weeks
following her…accident, she’d developed a gut feeling for things, like who to
trust and who to avoid, which direction to take and how to find food. Even how
to fend for herself on the streets. Everything inside her told her to run, to
get the hell out of there. Her life depended on it. So she took off as fast as
her legs would carry her. The cops hopped back in their vehicle, evidently deciding
it was easier than chasing her on foot.
Stupid.
Brice turned the very
next corner and headed up a busy one way street, forcing them to waste precious
time re-exiting the vehicle. Just the lucky break she needed. She was losing
them, and couldn’t help but smile.

That was when
the car hit her.

It reversed
straight out of nowhere. The funny thing was that it hadn’t even been
travelling fast. Her own momentum resulted in an impact hard enough to knock
her to the ground. Brice shook her head a few times before her focus winked
back. Something hot and wet stung her right eye and blurred her vision. She
used her hand to rub it away. Her panic levels shot back up when she saw that her
fingers were covered in blood.
Her blood
. She had to move, and had to do
it now.

A man bent over
her. The driver of the vehicle? Even if she cared, there was no time to find
out. Ignoring him, she tried to stand. Her right ankle refused to take her
weight. Sharp pains shot up her leg and her sneaker already felt tight.
Shit
on toast with raspberry jelly
. In just a few short seconds she’d be
captured. And this she knew without an inkling of doubt, would lead to death.
Possibly her own or even worse, theirs.

Brice looked up
at the man who had done this to her as he grabbed her in what seemed like an
attempt to steady her. His jaw was clenched and his brow creased. Severe, hard,
yet concerned. At first his gaze showed confusion and then fleetingly turned to
recognition as his steel grey eyes narrowed into hers. If he thought he knew
her, he was wrong. 

“Help me.” It
didn’t come out sounding as forceful as she’d hoped. More of a desperate
whisper really.

The dark-haired
stranger didn’t have time to answer because the cops had arrived. Curly and Mo
were both overweight and puffing hard. Shit, she was beginning to feel tingly.
This had happened before…just before…she lost control. She couldn’t allow that
to happen now.
Breathe. Relax.

Don’t panic.

“Good day!” The
fatter of the two cops nodded at the tall guy who held her. “Thank-you for your
assistance in apprehending our suspect. We’ll take it from here.”

“Can I see some
form of identification please?” The driver of the car spoke in a clipped tone,
laced with authority. For the first time in months, she felt herself calm. Felt
the thing that had taken residence inside her recede. She actually felt normal.
Almost
.

“We’re in
uniform,” the other cop answered, his cheeks flushed.

“Don’t have to
show you shit.” It was fatty; he swiped a meaty hand across his shiny forehead.

“We’ll be on our
way then.” The driver hoisted her up, fitting her snugly into the crook of his
arm. She sighed. Not just any sigh, but one of utter contentment. It just
slipped out, like being in his arms was the most natural thing in the whole
world. It felt good. Her eyes slipped closed so she could savor the moment.

“Fine,” Fatty
huffed bringing her back to reality. They both pulled out their badges. “I’m
Officer Gillis and this is Officer Seger. I need to inform you that you are
interfering in a police investigation, which is a serious offense. If arrested,
you could face jail time.”

Brice sighed,
this time in frustration. She clenched her eyes expecting the tingles to
resurface. Surprised when they didn’t, she opened them a crack and caught his
steel grey gaze. This time she noticed a bit of dark blue within those depths,
and crinkles around the edges of his eyes. He was smiling. Barely. At her. He
flashed her a wink, so quickly, she almost missed it.

“I’m Detective
Hall.” Keeping her anchored with one arm, he used the other to pull out a
shield. “I’ll take her in.”

Damn.

This was a great
time to have her instincts fail her. Everything in her told her she could trust
this man. That he meant her no harm. More than that, he was going to help her.
But how could that be? He was on the same side as Curly and Mo over there. A
cop.

“Nice to meet
you, Detective, but like I said, we got this.” Officer Seger said.

“This woman is a
suspect in a stabbing. Can’t talk about the details until she’s been processed.
I’m sure you understand protocol
Officers
?” Detective Hall was pulling
rank, even in the midst of all this, she had to suppress a smile. “I’ll bring
her in myself. I’m afraid you’re going to have to stand in line, because I
picked her up first.” The dark haired stranger flipped her around in one easy
move that told her he had to work out. Brice suppressed a moan as pain flared
from her injured ankle. The detective held her up against the side of his
vehicle. Right on the same spot she’d run into just a few minutes earlier. His
hand was firm yet gentle as he searched her for weapons.

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