Blood Doll (2 page)

Just how the hell was she supposed to do that? This place was a hotbed of hedonistic activity—she realized that many of the addicts on the couch had moved from euphoria to the early stages of fornication. And she could still feel Sarah somewhere in the building.

As they danced, he turned her and backed her through the crowd toward the door. Lana glanced around his arms at the people. The bartenders watched them, and black-skinned men in black suits lining the walls followed their every movement. These men looked as if they had been carved from the night sky and placed before her, large, broad-shouldered pillars of muscle. She failed to notice them when she first entered, probably on purpose… men with skin dark enough to match the shadows in a place like this likely were not meant to be seen.

Some of them muttered things to themselves—she could see their mouths moving and the occasional red light blink on an earpiece as a head turned. They appeared to be materializing from the shadows, as if they were part of the building.

“What’s happening?” Lana asked, and panic began to rise in her.

“No time…they’re coming,” he said, and turned her around again to face the door. The stranger took her hand—his skin was colder than she first realized, but hadn’t the time to consider it further as he tugged on her arm and started off at a brisk jog. The addicts on the sofas and chairs rose, their glazed eyes focusing on her. Lana scarcely had time to pick out their features before they became blurred streaks at her sides. Even the thump of the music faded away under the sound of her own heart pounding in her chest. “Shit…” She heard him hiss as they skidded to a stop.

“What?” she questioned again as she skipped forward and slammed hard into his back. His hands came around to clutch at her arms and pull her flush against his back. It was such an awkward position, and he was so strong…

Strange noises rose around them, but suddenly her back was to the wall and Lana could do little more than hear the altercation. The dialogue consisted mostly of snarls and growls, and even her protector sounded as if he had been reduced to the level of a monster.

“Going somewhere, Christian?” she heard someone say, followed by a throaty, evil chuckle.

“Thomas…we were just leaving,” he replied, tugging her to his side and pushing her up under his arm.

“Nobody said you could take a good meal from the building,” the largest of the dark-clad, dark-skinned men said as they circled around, their white teeth sharp and gleaming in the harsh fluorescent lighting of the old warehouse.

“This one is mine,” he said with a growl, and the sound of his voice, so thick and feral, frightened her. She glanced up at him and noticed his teeth, showcased by his curled lips. They were the same bright white color as the men encircling them, and they looked very sharp.

What the hell have I walked into
, she thought as a wave of panicked nausea rose in her gut.

“Good luck getting her out of here.” One of the others snarled, sharp, gleaming teeth bared, and lunged. What happened next was over before Lana could process the events, even as the one they called Christian caught his attacker by the throat and with one hand lifted him from the floor. He took the dark-skinned man’s head in his free hand, and with one sharp movement, twisted his head completely off. Dark, thick blood spattered the concrete floor, and the sick crunch of bone filled the air as his skull was rent free of his spine. The decapitated body crumpled to the ground with a muted thump, the head rolling into the booted feet of one of the others. Lana surveyed the carnage from atop his shoulder, where he had turned and lifted her before starting for the door at a run. Horrified, she realized there was little she could do except hold onto his shirt and pray she wasn’t next.

Chapter Two

Christian set Lana on her feet and leaned her back against the wall. They were seven blocks away from the club, but he could still hear the music thumping through the air. He could also hear the snarls and growls of the watchers as they hunted the alleys near the club for him. They would find him soon, and when they did, they would kill the girl.

She was such a pretty one, and obviously a good one to be worried enough about her sister to willingly walk into a den of vipers. She looked just like Sarah—tall and slender with curly, brown hair, and large, green eyes. But the way she looked up at him, those green orbs round and dilated, her chin trembling just the slightest, told him that in this moment, she was terrified of him.

And she had every right to be. He’d just ripped the head off of one of the Xanthe’s bulldogs in front of her. By the following dusk, he would be forgiven, but if
she
went within five blocks of that building again…

Christian was willing to bet that she had absolutely no idea what he was. Or any of them, for that matter.

“Keep breathing,” he said, his voice echoing loudly off the walls of the alley. “You’re safe with me.”

“Who the fuck were those people?” she nearly shrieked, “and who the fuck are you?”

“My name is Christian Sterling, and I am probably the only person in that club that doesn’t want you dead right now.”

“What the hell makes you think I’m going to believe you?” she snapped as frightened tears streamed down her face. It was a bullying move, he knew it as he did it, but Christian turned and crowded into her personal space, pressing her hard against the wall as he raised one hand toward her. For a moment, he held her throat between his fingers, sensing and savoring the strong, rabbitlike pulse there, then lifted his hand and grazed his fingertips across her cheek.

“Because if I wanted you dead, I’d have drained you dry and left you in a heap on the floor of the club.” She froze, and her scent changed just the slightest bit. Fear mixed with confusion—it was such a heady cocktail. He was so hungry… and she would make a divine meal.

After several long moments her eyes softened, and her shoulders relaxed. He heard the tiny release of breath as she gave her silent consent that he was telling the truth.

“I know where your sister is, and if you ever expect to see her again, you will do exactly as I tell you.”

“She is in that club,” Lana said defiantly. “I know she is.”

“Yes, she is,” he confirmed, then lifted a hand to hold a finger up before her eyes, “but, you can’t save her on your own.”

“Save her?”

“You saw the kid at the door, right?”

“Yes.”

“She’s like him.”

“What? A junkie?”

Christian shrugged. “In a manner of speaking. Do you have any idea where you just were, Lana?”

“A nightclub called The Mausoleum.”

Okay, so she had an idea of her location… but that told him nothing at all about whether she understood her situation or not. Christian was willing to bet folding money that she was as clueless as all those stupid kids outside.

“Well, yes,” he admitted, “but what do you know if it?”

“Not much, other than that’s where Sarah’s friends told me she was.”

In the distance, Christian followed the sounds of the watchers. They were closing in—obviously one or more of the brutes had picked up on her scent. Even his lack of odor couldn’t mask the scents of mortal blood and fear.

“Then you know nothing, Lana… and they’re following us. We need to go.”

“Wait a minute,” she said, jerking her arm out of his grip and sliding away, “I am not going anywhere with you until you tell me exactly who and what you are, and how the hell you managed to tear that guy’s head off!”

Christian sighed and scrubbed a hand over his face. “I understand that you and your sister have little in common, but I can tell you right now that a child’s fairy tale would be easier to accept than the truth. Right now I don’t have time to explain.” From the sound of it, the watchers had less than two blocks to go. “If we don’t leave right now, you and I will both be dead in under a minute. Now please,” he offered his hand to her, “come on.”

“Do I have a choice?” Lana asked. She sounded frightened again, and worse, the scent of fear emanating from her was growing stronger with each beat of her stubborn heart.

“Not really,” he replied and grabbed her hand. “Hold on to me and close your eyes.” She hesitated, and rather than scream at her, which he wanted so badly to do, he tucked a finger under her chin and tilted her chin up. “Sarah is my best friend. She needs you right now, and I swear to you that you will always be safe with me, Lana. Now please…we need to go.”

She nodded and did as he instructed, and with a slight bend to his knees, Christian leaped. The rush of wind was only a momentary setback, but it was enough to rip the breath from Lana’s lungs and keep her from screaming. Before she could take her first breath, he turned from the rooftop where he now stood and jumped to the next. In a dozen quick strides, he leaped again and landed soundlessly on the tarred rooftop of an apartment complex.

They might be trespassing, but at least here the scent of other people would help mask hers. Loosening his grip, Christian helped her to the ground. She sank to her knees, where she bent over and gasped for breath. The jump had confused their followers, but it wouldn’t take long before they figured him out. She had thirty seconds at most to recover before they would have to move again.

“What the hell are you?” she croaked, her voice reedy and still breathless.

“You probably don’t want to know.”

“I want… to know… Christian,” she said, pressing her fist between her breasts as if she were trying to hold her lungs in. Her heart rate was erratic and bordering on stroke level. “I…I want to know…how we got on…this roof.” He raised an eyebrow at her and unsuccessfully tried not to smirk. Even bordering on a blackout, Lana was an observant one. He pulled her to her feet.

“I am a vampire. I jumped. Now come on.” He took her hand again and snatched open the access door that lead into the building. She tried to jerk away from him, but he was much stronger, and proved as much. “There’s no point in struggling, Lana. I’m not going to eat you. In case you haven’t noticed, I’m trying to save you from the ones that will…now come on. We’re in a building full of people, and the deeper into it we get, he more it will confuse your scent.” She dug her heels in, but he tugged her wrist and brought her crashing forward into him. “You can scream at me all you like about it later, but right now you need to do as I say, before I pick you up and carry you.”

Under any other circumstances, the sour look on her face would have made him laugh, but right now he understood. If they caught her, they would kill him too. Lana didn’t argue as he pulled on her wrist again, and together they started down the stairs. Some of the doors opened and faces appeared in the cracks, questioning their presence in the building so late at night, but no one made a move to stop them.

Soon they were on the street, and the first drift of snow was just beginning to fall. The majority of the fog had cleared, but the haloes of the streetlights on the sidewalk showed a milky film beginning to build on the concrete. It would be another few minutes before the snow began to stick, if it did at all this close to the bay, but once it did they would be safe. Even vampires couldn’t track humans in snow.

Still, moving at her pace was not moving fast enough. Without asking permission, Christian pulled Lana up into his arms, cradled her against his chest, and began to run. Her eyes went wide again and her face drained of color before she turned and tucked her head into his neck. She began to tremble, though whether from residual fear or the cold, he wasn’t quite sure.

They crossed the city in a matter of minutes, disappearing into the thin strips of wooded space headed north toward Salem. As Christian ran, the snow grew in intensity, coming down in heavy, wet clumps that clung to his hair and nose. As they touched Lana, they melted. The heat of life radiated from her, pushing back the chill that followed him. He quickly warmed to her temperature, but being the parasite that he was, he would continue to drain that warmth until there was little left for her.

When he finally placed her on her feet, they stood in front of his house, a small cottage tucked back in the woods. From here, they were roughly halfway between Boston and Salem, well out of the range of the watchers. Behind the house, a generator hummed and every light in every window glowed brightly. Harlan had left all the lights on again.

“W-where are we?” she asked between chattering teeth. He draped his arm over her shoulders, knowing his death chill would do little to fortify her.

“This is my home. You will be safe here until morning.”

“I want to go back to my car.”

Christian felt his temper rising, but cast a patient glance toward her. “I cannot do that, Lana. You are being hunted.” He pulled a key from his pocket and used it to open the door. “Now come inside before you freeze to death.”

Lana stopped on the stoop, glancing back and forth between the overgrown driveway behind her, and the open door in front of her. She might have been a bit on the reckless side when she entered the building, but she was at least using a bit of caution now. Of course, seeing and being hunted by death could do that to a person.

“Come on, Lana,” Christian urged, waving her forward. “I swear I won’t hurt you. But I can’t help you if you turn into an ice cube.”

“I don’t like this,” she said.

“I don’t blame you. But it’s the only option you have.”

With great, frustrated reluctance, Lana started forward, careful to hug the opposite door frame so not to touch him as she entered. Her clothes were soaked through with melted snow, and even as she wandered over to the fireplace, he could see her shivering.

“Stay right there,” Christian said as he closed the door. “Let me go get you some dry clothes. Then we can talk.” He started into the next room, then paused and turned back. “Harlan shouldn’t be home for at least another hour, but if he comes in, don’t be frightened. He won’t hurt you.”

“O-okay.”

He went down the hall into the back bedroom and pulled open the closet. She was a slip of a thing, but surely he had something that would fit her. He rummaged through the shelves, eventually turning up a T-shirt and a pair of running shorts. The socks he grabbed would certainly be too big, but they would help to warm her feet and hopefully ward off any cold she might pick up from being wet for so long.