Blood Kisses (Nightwalkers Book 1) (9 page)

She
gazed at his black painted fingernails, the edges of them chipping. He kissed
her neck, and she giggled at his touch, something she had craved since she saw
his picture on his very first album cover years ago. One of his hands took the
bagel from her and tossed it back on the cart, hitting a plate and making it
ting
.

Ashleigh
turned around in his arms, her lips going to his and letting his hands slide
down the length of her torso and pause on the band of her panties. There wasn’t
a rush to their kisses, a slow but playful nature to this courting.

She
wrapped her arms around his neck, letting them hang there loosely as she pulled
away from him. "Hey." His eyes were looking at her perfect breasts,
Caleb reaching a hand up to fondle one in his fingers. The skin there was
softer than on the rest of her body, taking up all of his attentions. "There’s
a member of the band you didn’t introduce me to yet."

"Sam?" Caleb chuckled, his devilish eyes falling on hers. He
pushed away a few strands of her long, black hair behind her ear.
"Kris?"

There was a playful tone to her voice. "No." She placed his
hands on the band of her panties, her own cupping over them. She twisted her
hair into a bun then secured it with the ponytail holder around her wrist.

He yanked on the band of her panties as he moved closer to her face. "No?"
His nose hit hers as he stared her down. "Then who?"

"I can't say it. It's embarrassing."

"My cock?"

Ashleigh laughed, her face a bright red. "I—" Caleb leaned
forward and kissed her, cutting off her words.

Her
hands went to his pants, her fingers slowly pulling them down because they were
already unbuttoned and unzipped. He wore a pair of printed boxers underneath,
the bird logo of an expensive brand stamped all over them.

Caleb
let her pull down his boxers as his lips ventured down her neck and onto her breasts.
She was the one who led him to the bed, Caleb trying not to trip on his pants
around his ankles. Ashleigh giggled as he kissed her, his subtly sucking on her
ticklish nipple, as were his hands on her stomach.

He
managed to kick off his pants and boxers, and when he did, he shoved her onto
the bed, her body bouncing as she hit it. Both of them laughed, Caleb climbing
onto the mattress and standing over her. He jumped a few times before falling
to his knees and straddling her hips.

He
playfully kissed her neck, his fingers going to her sides where he had noticed a
ticklish spot. Ashleigh screamed as she laughed hysterically, Caleb planting a
bunch of wet kisses on her breasts.

His
fingers stopped their assault and instead slipped down to her hips and took a
firm hold. She felt him slip inside her, something she had fantasized about
many times before. There was nothing disappointing about this landmark event,
and when he started grinding against her, his great length went deeper than any
man’s ever had.

The
playful nature of their foreplay quickly disappeared with his entry. His head
hovered over her neck, his hot, quick breaths kissing her skin, the fast-paced
thrusts pushing the top of her head into the head board. Her hands held his
head, her fingers getting lost in his dark hair as short, gasped breaths
escaped her lips.

Hearing
a few pleasured moans, Caleb quickened his pace, his head turning to watch her
expression. Her eyes were tightly closed, her tongue peeking out of her lips
ever so slightly. Gritting his teeth, he was determined to push her over the
edge. Caleb slammed himself into her as hard as he could. He got the reaction
he was aiming for. It started with a deep, quivering moan followed by a gasp
for breath as her mouth opened wide.

He
lightened the weight of his thrusts, feeling her body quake beneath his. Leaning
close to her again, he rubbed the tip of his nose and the side of his cheek against
the moist skin in the space between her neck and shoulder.

After
a few seconds, she placed her shaky arms around his back again, her whole body
still riding the wave of her orgasm. Her arousal dipped greatly as she tried to
get a hold of herself again, and Caleb read her body language, slowing for
these few, tender moments.

But
only for an instant. After that, he quickened his pace again, her sweet spot
still tender as he rubbed against it again. Her grip grew stronger, and she
rode it out, letting him finish. She couldn’t feel it, but knew he had done so
because she felt all the muscles under her hands loosen.

"How’s
that burn your loins?" Caleb chuckled as he studied her with tenderness.

Ashleigh
giggled too, her hand reaching up to his face and cupping the side of it as she
lovingly gazed into his eyes. "I’m at a loss for words on that one."

"I
out-worded Miss Allure, eh?" Turning from her, he sat up against the
headboard. His lips released a long, relaxed sigh, his arm going around
Ashleigh as she settled next to him.

"Caleb?"

"Yeah?"
He rested his head against hers, a very satisfied smile on his face.

"Don’t
call me that."

Her
words made Caleb laugh, his hand tapping her leg as he got up from the bed. "You’re
a dirty girl." He grabbed her hand and pulled her to her feet. "Come
take a shower with me."

Natalie
looked down at a text she had just gotten from Ashleigh.

I’m on my way back to the hotel.

"Finally.
I found her." Letting out a sigh of relief, Natalie was holding her hand
over her heart, her fearful eyes turning to Spencer. He was leaning up against
the wall, a very annoyed expression on his face. "She’s coming back here."

Natalie
typed a message back.

Where have u been? U haven’t answered txts all day. I was
uber worried.
L

Sorry I was w/my new BF!!!
J

"New
boyfriend?" Natalie glanced over at Spencer, a slightly worried look on
her face. "Is she with that guy from last night?"

Another
text came from Ashleigh.

I can’t wait 2 tell u bout him!! I’m in love XD

"Wow."
Natalie looked up from her phone and sat down on the bed. "This doesn’t
sound like her. She’s in love? Those are strong words, even for her."

"How
can she be in love with that guy?" Crossing his arms over his chest,
Spencer rolled his eyes and looked away from Natalie. "She doesn’t even
know him."

"Well,"
Natalie sighed as she crossed one of her legs over the other. "Maybe she
is. Why not be happy for her?"

"Because
the guy’s an asshole, that’s why!" Spencer sent an angry glare her way as
he uncrossed his arms and stalked toward her. "I thought she’d meet him
and see that too, but apparently, she’s an idiot."

"What’s
so bad about him?" Natalie laughed. "Besides that he makes you
insanely jealous?"

Spencer
was going to say something, but the door to the room swung open, and Ashleigh
walked in. "Hi!" Holding out her arms, Ashleigh walked over to
Natalie and gave her a big hug. She was in an overly happy mood, and her embrace
was very tight. Ashleigh was never in the hugging mood unless she was drunk.

"Hi."
Natalie grinned as she moved over on the bed and let Ashleigh sit in between her
and Spencer. "It’s five o’clock. Where’ve you been all day?"

Ashleigh
just smiled, her face glowing. "I was—"

"Don’t
tell me you’re in love with that guy?" Spencer interrupted her, pulling on
Ashleigh’s arm so she would turn to him. "Seriously?"

"Seriously."

Ashleigh's
eyes fell on Spencer’s very angry face. "I’ve never ever been in love with
anyone as much as I am with him. He's absolutely perfect. He's exactly what I
wanted." Clasping her hands together in a praying motion, Ashleigh
released a happy giggle. "You made my greatest dream come true. Thank you,
thank you
so much for introducing me
to him, Spencer."

"Okay—you
met him." Spencer's stare narrowed. "Now stay away from that guy. He’s
in love with Victoria, and he’ll do anything to make you his. He’s dangerous."
Spencer’s voice took on a more serious tone. "You don’t know him like—"

"He’s
not as dangerous as you."

"The
hell he isn’t." He put a hand on her knee. "He’s an Elder. Those guys
are a lot more dangerous than me. There’s a reason they are the top dogs in the
vampire chain."

"How
is he dangerous?" She pushed off his hand, a lightness in her voice.
"He's amazing."

"Did
he bite you?"

Ashleigh
tried to laugh off his question, but the thought of Caleb’s bite slowly
dampened her smile. "Yeah, but so what?"

"He
made you drink his blood. You reek of it."

"I
didn’t drink his blood." She didn’t want to face Spencer’s anger, so she
pretended she was texting.

"The
first bite—submission. Look at you—you look like some submissive little puppy dog.
Following him around like some brainless whore that bows at his feet and
worships him blindly."

"What
are you talking about?" Ashleigh turned quickly to Spencer, forcing a
laugh to keep herself from showing her worry. "I am not a whore. I—"

"Three
bites make a vampire. The first is the bite of submission, the second is trust,
and the final is love. He’s gonna bite you again." Spencer laughed, but he
wasn’t smiling. He caught the fear on her face at his words. "You didn’t
like it, did you?"

"I
don’t remember if I did or not." Making a sour face, Ashleigh stared at
the empty space in front of her. "Besides, I love him." Her voice got
lower as a small pout filled out her bottom lip, her gaze getting lost in the
fancy design on the carpeting. "And it’s none of your business."

"The next two don’t hurt any less, and next time you’ll be awake
when you drink his blood. There’s no going back once you’ve gotten that third
bite."

"And you wouldn't do the same thing to me?" Ashleigh snapped at
him.

Her statement caught him off guard, and he paused.

"You want to make me one, too." She spoke angrily with her
hands. "All of you do. I'd rather be with Master Mason than any of
you."

"Well, I wouldn't push you into this like he is."

"Yeah, right." Crossing her arms, Ashleigh glared at the
ceiling for a few seconds as she tried to cool her anger. "You're just
jealous I chose him over you."

"
I'm
trying to be your
friend." Spencer placed a hand on his chest, his voice calming a little.
"
I'm
trying to protect you. You
don't want to get mixed up with the Elders, or that rule breaking jerk Master
Mason. I—"

"I
don't care what you think." Ashleigh turned to Natalie, but her face was
frowning, and Ashleigh found no comfort there. "Natalie?" Shaking her
head, she put her phone back in the pocket of Caleb’s coat. "You don’t
agree with him, do you? Do you think I’m crazy for wanting to be with this guy?"

"I
have to agree with Spencer." Natalie lightly placed a hand on Ashleigh’s
arm, a soft tone to her voice. "This guy’s got you all crazy. Listen to
yourself. You’re ready to become a vampire for this guy. A
vampire
, Ashleigh."

Her
eyes narrowed in great concern, her hand tightening. "Are you ready to
make a big change like that for him? A guy you don’t even know? Don’t do
something dumb like that. You really,
really
need to think about what you’re doing."

"He
fell in love with you from your novels. He doesn’t love Ashleigh. He loves
Victoria." Spencer’s voice softened a little, a small huff of air escaping
his nostrils as he paused. "You should know, there’s a competition going
on between the young Elders to see who can find you first."

"What?"
Both Ashleigh and Natalie looked over at Spencer, speaking at the same time.

"Yeah."
His face filled with a cocky smile when he had their full attention. "And
apparently, Master Bristol found the real Victoria Allure last week and is
bragging about it to his friends today, one of which is his best friend, Master
Mason. Since Master Mason has such a busy schedule, he probably won’t find out
about it for a week or so, so you’ll have some time to play his girlfriend
before he finds out and dumps you."

"I
booked a nine o’clock flight to take you two home." Spencer stood up from
the bed, a hint of sadness in his tone. "I’ll let you decide whether or
not you want to be with him— "

"And
If you do, I’d suggest you provide this new love of yours more evidence to
prove who you are. Once he meets your imposter, he’ll dump you if you don’t."

He
turned to her and held out his hand. "But before you decide anything, let
me show you how a vampire gets his dinner, and you can decide if you’re ready
for this kind of life."

Sitting
in a local diner with Spencer and the other vampires, Ashleigh was alone with
them and didn’t quite know what to expect. Even though their conversation was
light and friendly like it always had been, all she could think about was the
dead bodies she had seen at the club that first night.

Spencer
said he was going to show her how a real vampire got his dinner. She knew Spencer
didn’t want her to be with Caleb, but she loved him so much she couldn’t see
past the fun loving, sweet Caleb she had come to know from the media. He wasn’t
a killer like Spencer and the others, was he?

There
was an empty plate in front of her as Ashleigh took the last bite of her
potatoes.
A killer
. She let her fork
drop then looked away from it in annoyance.

"Done?"
Spencer was sipping on a glass of soda, but he and the other vampires hadn’t
ordered anything to eat. He watched her nod her head then study the others.

The
small diner wasn’t very busy, and there were only two or three other tables
filled there. The other vampires stood up from the booth. A sickening feeling
started in her stomach as she swallowed down the last of her food.

"Stay
here and don’t move." Spencer put a hand on her shoulder as he leaned
close to her ear. She could feel the tenseness in his hands, hear the deep
commanding tone in his voice.

He
walked away from her, following the others. Then it began. Spencer grabbed a
nearby waitress by the waist and slammed her onto the table. Her pad flew from
her hand. Her pen bounced a few times on the floor, but Ashleigh couldn’t hear
the sound.

Ashleigh
moved over in the booth, her body plastered against the wall. A few high-pitched
whines escaped her lips as she held her hands out in front of her to shield her
from the sight.

Spencer
bit at the woman’s neck, his nose wrinkling as he tore away a big piece of
flesh. The waitress tried to scream, but no sound was emitted. Her fingers shook
as he held her down.

The
blood flowed from her neck and soaked her hair, dripping down onto the sparkly
tables covered in a thick, plastic coating to keep the wood from being damaged.
She seemed to have gone into shock, her whole body quivering, and her mouth
wide open as she stared blankly at the ceiling.

Spencer
quickly covered the wound with his lips and started to drink from the fast
flowing stream. His mouth wasn’t large enough to cover the large expanse of the
wound, and blood dripped down his chin and covered his cheeks.

As
he drank, his eyes met Ashleigh’s purposely. He could see the terror on her face,
as his hands dug into the waitress’ shoulders, even though she was no longer
struggling.

It
appeared that none of the people in the diner had escaped the vampires’ grasp. There
were bodies lying on the floor. Ashleigh tried not to look at them, but her gaze
wandered around the room quickly, and she couldn’t help but take in the scene
of death that surrounded her. It finally settled on a couple that lay on top of
each other, both of their eyes open wide and their clothes soaked in blood.

Nathan
ran from the kitchen as he laughed, some of the other vampires following him
out the door. Ashleigh looked in his direction. The nature of his playful laugh
wasn’t one of a remorseful killer, but of the man she had formed a great
friendship with over the past few weeks.

Spencer
quickly dropped the woman and yanked on Ashleigh’s arm, ripping her from the
booth. He swept her up into his arms and ran from the building, so fast that none
of the people on the streets could see them. There was a loud bang from behind
them, and Spencer and the others stopped in a nearby alley, walking out like
nothing was out of the ordinary.

Ashleigh
broke free from Spencer and looked down the street. The diner was on fire,
people now gathered on the streets to watch it burn. "Oh my God."

"Let’s
hail a cab and get you to the airport." Spencer angrily grabbed her arm
and yanked her along with him. He had cleaned the blood off his face and was
now wearing a coat that covered his bloodstained collar. Leaving the others, he
walked to the edge of the sidewalk, holding up his hand. "I don’t want you
to miss your flight."

"Is
this how it always is?" Holding up her collar so the cold wind wouldn’t
kiss her neck, Ashleigh studied Spencer. "You just go and take a bite of
someone no matter where—?"

"Never
talk about us in public." He sent her a very nasty glare that made her
take a step back. "Never." His smile returned when the taxi pulled
over, Spencer opening the back door for her. "Come on, we have to get
going."

He
didn’t speak to her the whole ride to the airport. Instead, he spoke to the
cabbie in the native tongue of the country. Ashleigh had no idea what they were
saying. When they pulled up to the entrance, Spencer didn’t even say goodbye to
her. He just motioned for her to go inside.

The
sick feeling was still making her stomach turn. She left the cab and walked
into the airport, a deep frown on her face as she searched for Natalie. When
she found her, they checked in and waited for the boarding call as they sat in
the terminal.

"Have
you decided what you’re going to do?" Natalie’s voice was low as she
spoke, a carry-on bag in her lap.

"I’m
not sure yet." Ashleigh played with the tag on the zipper of her bag, a
sadness to her voice as she avoided Natalie’s eyes.

"How
’bout you tell me more about this guy?" Natalie forced a smile, playfully
nudging Ashleigh’s shoulder. "I saw him, but you never introduced me."

Ashleigh
found her smile as she thought about Caleb, some of her sadness melting a
little. "Here." She took out her phone and started flipping through her
pictures. She found one of her and Caleb, turning her phone so that Natalie
could see it. "This is him."

Natalie
drew in a deep breath, shock on her face as she stared at the screen. "Holy
shit! That’s—"

"Shh!"
Ashleigh looked worried. "Not so loud."

"Caleb?
He’s your new boyfriend?" Natalie was laughing now as she reached over and
took Ashleigh’s cell. "Oh my God, girl, I take back everything I said."
She looked down at the picture, her face filled with a giant grin. "I
would die for a chance with this guy."