Blood Lust (The Blood Sisters Book 1) (14 page)

Jessica
thought
so,
but never had any real proof.
She was never able to prove to anyone that she hadn’t murdered her parents. It
was never proven in a court of law, but Jessica felt the label. She wore it
every day.

“Jessie,
hon? You still there?”

“Yeah.
Sorry.” Jessica wiped a tear away from her eye. “I just don’t know how much
longer I can—I don’t know how much longer we can, you know?”

“I
do, dear. But now that you’re safe, do what regular people do. Have a meal.
Relax. Spend some time with your sister. Whatever you do, just keep your
distance from that Jasper fellow. He’ll only bring you misfortune. You know
that, don’t you?”

Boy,
did she ever.

The former NYC
ballerina slithered on Vaughn’s bed. Her eyes were closed and her chapped lips were
parted. She always moved as though in the throes of a dance, her hands moving
up and down the black satin dress she wore. So short, it barely covered her ass
and when she slithered like a snake, it almost always gave him a peek of what
lay beneath.

The mesmerizing
motion aroused him again and Vaughn snarled with lust. He reached out, grabbed
her neck, and squeezed just for fun. She gagged and threw her head back, her
long black hair spiraling across the pillows. Her blue eyes were dull, almost
lifeless as the green essence of the demon drug wore off.

“More,” she begged
and rolled her head to the side. The woman could barely talk, but she always
asked for more. Always begged for it. “More!” Her voice quaked.

Vaughn picked up a
glowing syringe that was stowed away inside the dresser. Without any thought or
consideration for the young woman Vaughn slammed it into the side of her neck
and depressed the top. The green glowing liquid flew into her and the woman
moaned, rolling her head to the side.

Her lips twitched
in a smile and caressed her body as if she were her own lover. “I feel so much
better. So…hmm…hot.” Her lips pursed together and Vaughn thought he’d like to
have her right then.

Very much.

Vaughn put one
knee up on the bed and placed her hands on either side of her body. He lowered
himself for a soft, sensual kiss. The ballerina clung to him right away and the
energy passing from her to him was so strong, Vaughn
reveled
in its strength. Its beauty and its power. Every bit of her
was strength and now that Vaughn had conquered her, it would be his.

Their kisses
turned manic and just when he was about to take her, a rude banging at the door
distracted him. Vaughn growled, baring his teeth and hissed at the door. “Go
away!”

“I need you,” the
ballerina whispered, lifting her head off the pillow. Her hair was dirty and
stringy. Her eyes only glowed green and if she could see much at all, Vaughn
would be very surprised.

“I know, my
darling.” Vaughn’s tongue traveled down the length of her jaw and then her neck.
The ballerina’s skin rose with goose bumps and quivered with arousal. She was
so ripe and raw, Vaughn thought she might be the one who could carry one of his
demon spawn to term. So far, all others had failed.

“But Sir,” the
voice of a henchman demon rang out from behind the door. “It’s about the Blood
sisters. We lost them. We can’t find them.”

That was serious
business. Vaughn sighed and stepped off the bed. When the ballerina pouted and
tried to keep her hands on him, he pushed her back. Slapping her arms away, the
bed slammed against the wall. Frightened and alone, the ballerina cried against
her pillow, but Vaughn paid her no mind.

He pulled the door
open with such force, it whipped against the wall. The demon henchman in his
leather vest and tight pants backed up and refused to look him in the eye.

“What happened?”
Vaughn asked simply with anger simmering just below the surface.

The henchman
shrugged and stared at his boots. “We had them, but somehow they escaped. Now
there’s no smell, no tracks. No nothing.”

Vaughn gritted his
teeth and made a fist. He strode out into the hall and paused at the wall,
ready to slam his knuckles into it.

“There are others
looking for them. Other demons. No one can seem to get a bead on them, Master.
It’s like they’ve disappeared into thin air.”

Thin air? Vaughn
cackled. “
Oh,
they’re out there. Warded.
Protected.” He bared his teeth, his long tongue licking at the corners of his
lips. “We must bring their shield down
first,
before the others do. Before they bring Amanda to the underworld.”

“But how, master?”
The henchman followed as Vaughn quickly retreated, but stopped short of
following him. No, not even a lowly henchman was stupid enough to enter the
room where the seer was kept. All but Vaughn were terrified of her gaze, as
they should be.

Wide steps took
Vaughn to a closed door at the end of the hall. He pushed the door open and in
the center of the room, the
seer
screamed. Her arms were pushed spread eagle backward, her back arched as she
glanced up at the sky. The tendrils of hair she had left were covered in sweat
and grew right in front of Vaughn’s eyes.

Powerful black
magic was at work here. More powerful than any Vaughn had seen her perform and
he had seen her do a lot of things.

Vaughn knocked the
caldron
out of the way to get down in
front of her. Blood trailed from her eyes and left a trail on her wrinkled
skin. He gripped her arms. “Seer?”

“The Bloods.” Her
voice was nearly singsong in fear. “I can see them. They think they’re safe but
they don’t know…do
n’t
know…”

“Know what?”
Vaughn’s teeth clacked together as he gave the seer a shake. “Seer, answer me!”

“Hell is
emptying.” The seer’s lip trembled into a cool smile. Her rotten teeth were jagged
and cracked against her dry lips. “They are after the Bloods and they can’t
find them. Not yet… Oh no, not yet.”

Her head leaned
forward like she might pass out, but Vaughn kept her upright. “Water!” he
barked at the door where his henchman now stood. Back to the seer, he gave her
a shake to keep her awake. She was weakened, exhausted, but time was slipping.
Soon they’d no longer have the advantage.

If they found
Amanda first and took her to the underworld…

“Can your magic
find the Bloods first? If we ride out, can you show me the way?”

The seer’s hands
shook as she balled them up into fists. Her long pointed nails were yellowed
from years of decay as they pushed into the soft belly of her palms. “The power
that will take…it will be the end of me, Vaughn. It will be the end.”

“Then we will make
it a good end. A fitting end.” Vaughn gripped her calloused cheeks in his hands
as the woman made elderly by more than age sobbed.

She was tired. She
needed rest. Vaughn laid her down and stood as the henchman brought forth a
cup. Vaughn stared down at the
seer
as
her dull white eyes gazed visionless around the room. “Once you hunted me. Once
you called me
beautiful
.”

“I’m demon, old
woman,” Vaughn’s laughter trickled over his lips like a carriage through the
mountainside. “Everything I say is for a reason. Everything a twisted version
of the truth. A means to an end.”

“And the goal? The
end?”

“Amanda Blood. She
just doesn’t know it yet.” Vaughn sneered as he pushed past his henchmen and
out of the room. He would give the seer time to rest for the journey. On his
way out, he stopped a group of his riders.

“Get the bikes
ready. Send word to our legion we’re heading out on a journey that will lead us
straight to the sisters.” Vaughn’s lip curled in a way he couldn’t help. Great
happiness, and maybe even a little pity for Amanda, but still his heart ached
for her like it did for vast riches, glory.

Amanda was going
to be his.

In his private
bedroom, Vaughn put on his leather cape and grabbed the mask from the table. It
was made from a human skull except
one-half
was jagged and missing. Sliding it on his face, Vaughn took a deep breath and
felt the strength of the dead.

The dead were with
him. He would now use them to claim righteousness.

He turned to the
bed to bid his ballerina farewell, but she was still. Her eyes open and staring
at the ceiling, Vaughn sensed that her life had gone out of her. Too much of
the demon essence and too much suffering. Vaughn knew it had been coming, but
he had hoped for a little more fun with her before it happened.

Vaughn touched her
eyelids with his fingers and brought them down with a quiet and sad heart.

It was no matter.
Vaughn was ready to get her replacement.

Time to ride.

The
danger outside seemed so far away.

Dinner
was served in the living room and was simple fare, but to Jessica it was
extravagant. Real mashed potatoes with actual butter and roast chicken, not
from a can. Served hot with a mean gravy made by chef Duncan.

Jessica
hadn’t known he even knew how to make gravy which just made her job of scowling
harder. It was hard to keep up her defensive walls when he treated them so
well.

Amanda
didn’t make it easier. She sat curled up on the floor while Duncan got a fire
going to warm them. She tucked her hands around her toes and swayed back and
forth. “I haven’t been this full in a long time. That was awesome, Duncan.”

She
gushed at him like a little sister, but still it tightened Jessica’s chest. She
ran her finger along her plate and licked the extra potatoes and gravy off and
barely noticed the glance Amanda threw. Her sister’s eyebrows lurched upward
and Jessica recognized when she was being prodded. “Yeah,” Jessica said with
flat disinterest. “It was great.”

Amanda
rolled her eyes, but it didn’t keep Duncan from grinning as he stoked the fire.
His hair fell over his eye in a gentle cascade that begged to be pushed aside,
but Jessica steadied herself. Ideas like that only got her in trouble.

“I
know a compliment when I hear one. Thank you, ladies. I just wish I had some
pie to serve you,” Duncan said.

Amanda’s
eyes widened. “Oh, so do I!”

Jessica
coughed to cover up the rising laughter in her throat. Leaning forward, she
collected the dirty plates on the coffee table and her eyes connected with the
dark smolder of Duncan’s. A second lasted a lifetime, and it sent a quiver down
her as sure as a draft. The plates were fumbled, but Jessica recovered as she
stood and hurried to the kitchen.

Blowing
a deep sigh of relief, Jessica placed the dishes in the sink and turned on the
hot water. Splattering a squirt of liquid dish soap under the stream, Jessica
rolled up her sleeves and got busy washing the dishes. It was a welcome
distraction from how hot she felt under the collar.

It
might have been two years since she had seen Duncan, but now that they were
thrown back together, her body wanted to pick up where they left off.

Her
mind and heart wanted no part, though. Jessica just had to stay strong, a while
longer. Soon Aunt Gwen would arrive and with a fourth person, maybe the heat
that existed between her and Duncan would dissipate. It
would, at least,
make avoiding him a lot easier…

It
didn’t take long to wash three dishes, but the pot took a little bit of
scrubbing. Ten minutes had barely gone by when Jessica finished the kitchen
duties. She busied herself with wiping the counter and the breakfast table.
Then she threw down with washing the refrigerator door and scrubbed out the
sink.

Jessica
had never been so interested in cleaning before, but by the time it was over,
her head cleared. Duncan Jasper was as bad a decision as ever, so why was it
that one longing look in his eye…

Frustrated,
Jessica threw the sponge down in the sink, sending soap bubbles up to greet
her. “You just forget all about Duncan Jasper. Forget.” Jessica snarled at her
reflection in the stainless steel sink. “You can do it,
c’mon
, Jess.”

It
was hard not to be distracted by the sound coming from the living room.
Did It sound
like laughter and music? Jessica
fumed a bit more. Good ol’ Duncan just couldn’t listen to a word she said,
could he?

Stay
away from her sister, that was what Jessica said. She did an about face into
the living room. The music was louder and Duncan was dancing with Amanda—actual
dancing.

But
it wasn’t the soft or sexual dancing that he’d do with Jessica. They had moved
the coffee table to make room for a good
old-fashioned
hoedown.

Jessica’s
eyebrow rose as she watched them
dosey
doe
, link arms, and travel in a circle. All the
while Amanda was laughing in fits, turning her cheeks a shining red. God, it
was good to see her happy. Great to see her smile like that. Jessica loved her,
protected her, but showed her fun?

Never.
Jessica was sad about that.

Of
all people to give that to her? Duncan?

Jessica
wasn’t sure if that made her love him—or hate him.

Duncan
was smiling ear to ear when he dipped Amanda so low he nearly dropped her. Head
tilted back, Amanda grinned at Jessica. “Hi,” she said breathlessly. “Duncan
was just…”

“I
know what he was doing.” Jessica held her smile back to just a dull smirk and
crossed her arms. “But you better hurry off to bed. Aunt Gwen will be here in
the morning, and we might be off early. Need you to be on your game, all
right?”

Amanda
nodded as Duncan helped her back to her feet. “Thanks for the dance. See you in
the morning.” She hurried up the steps like she was embarrassed, but she didn’t
have anything to be embarrassed about. Jessica figured that was all on her.

Duncan
stared at her and shoved his hands in his pockets. “Sending little sister off
to bed so early? That’s a little dangerous, isn’t it?”

God,
he was walking towards her. If he got much closer, Jessica was going to be able
to smell his aftershave again. How it was spicy with a hint of pine.

“Dangerous?”
She headed back to the sink and picked up the sponge. What was left to clean?
Jessica didn’t know, but she better find something soon or things were going to
go from bad to worse.

“You
might be forced to actually talk to me. Drop the pretense and say something
honest for a change.” He was right there when Jessica turned around, drippy
sponge in hand. She thought of squeezing it over his head, but she couldn’t
bring herself to do it. All she did was stare up at him.

“Me?
Honest? Whoever heard of such a crazy idea?”

“I’m
a free thinking radical.” Duncan’s hand stroked her hair back, away from her
face. “I’m pretty sure we both know you enjoyed dinner.”

“It
was
edible,
” Jessica said with a slight
tremor in her voice. “So you can make gravy. That makes you as good as every
grandma we’ve ever met.”

Duncan
laughed and waggled his finger at her. “You enjoyed the company too.”

Jessica
raised her eyebrows even as her heart pounded. “
Of
course,
I did. I love my sister. We share DNA. It’s a thing.”

Duncan
shook his head. “And you hate what I do to you, don’t you?” He pushed himself
up against her and Jessica had no choice but to back up against the counter.

“That
you come? That you leave without warning in the middle of the night? Yes.”
Jessica’s lip quivered. “God yes, I hate that.”

His
eyes burned with her words. Jessica didn’t know if he felt hurt or betrayed.
She hoped he felt both.

“You
hate what I make you feel. Not in control. Not able to steady your emotions.
Not able to focus,” Duncan said.

Jessica
turned her head, hot, angry tears glistening in her eyes. The last thing she
wanted was for Duncan to see. But he touched her face with his warm, calloused
fingers and brought her face back to his. His eyes raced with desire, but was
that enough? Together they were steamy. At times they could barely keep their
hands off each other, but if he could just leave…

Then
to hell with him.

“Did
you think about us while you were gone? Did it hurt to pull yourself away?”

Duncan
closed his eyes and his finger traced her jaw. “Jessica—”

“I
need a straight answer, Duncan.” Tears filled Jessica’s eyes. Tears she
loathed,
but were there anyway. “Because if the
answer is yes, it hurt, yes, you thought of us, then I don’t know how you left.
I don’t know why you thought we weren’t worth the fight.”

Duncan
sighed and turned away his head. “Not everything is so black and white.”

“For
me, it
is,
” Jessica said even though
every part of her body craved him like the
addiction
he was. Always had been.

“I’m
here now,” Duncan whispered. “I’m back and want to protect you and Amanda.
Can’t that be enough?”

Jessica
shook her head and despite how badly her body wanted him again, she squeezed
past him. “It can’t be enough. I won’t be that girl. I won’t set myself up just
to be knocked down again, you get me?”

His
eyes flashed with pain. “Jess—”

“Don’t
Jess
me. We’ve been through some bad
times. You knew what we went through. And you just left.” Jessica took a deep
breath. “I took up the mantle and soldiered on, but if you really—you just left
and didn’t care.”

“
Of course
I cared.” Duncan’s eyes narrowed and
he took a step back. “That’s why when I heard about the bounty—”

“Then
you should have come back sooner, but you didn’t. You let us what, hang in the
wind?” Jessica shook her head, a disgusting taste in her mouth. “There’s a
reason you’re back now. You won’t tell me so it must be bad, and if it’s bad, I
want no part in it. Get me?”

Duncan’s
eyes softened, but he didn’t say anything. He gazed down at the floor.

Jessica
squeezed her eyes shut and refused to address what he said. “Do you get me,
Duncan?”

There
was a long pause and Jessica thought he might not answer. Half way in the
living room, Duncan grabbed Jessica’s arm as he caught up with her. “Then I’ll
tell you.”

She
stared into his trusting eyes and her insides quivered to see him look at her
like that. Jessica didn’t have the strength to pull away from him. She didn’t
want to; she was right where she wanted to be, damn all her reasons why she
shouldn’t straight to hell.

“I’m
in real trouble,” Duncan admitted and took both of her hands in his.

Jessica
felt the warmth of his skin passing into her. Her fingers gripped his and he
returned the favor. It set her heart asunder to feel his flesh pressed into
hers, but mostly it was his eyes that broke her.

The
sadness, the vulnerability, the fear. All of those things weren’t Duncan
trademarks. Jessica found herself nodding and even though it went against everything
she had said that night and the night that came before. “Then we’ll help you.”

A
small smile graced his lips. “Just like that? After all your posturing and
threatening, you’d help me just like that?”

“We
help people in trouble. That’s the mission.” Jessica drew her lips together.
“Maybe sometimes I forget. Sometimes I have to make sacrifices, but I help my
friends.”

Duncan’s
eyes crinkled. “And I’m a friend?” His finger traced the scar that ran down her
face. She tingled under his embrace. Most stared at it like it was ugly, made
her unsightly, but not Duncan.

He
acted like he loved it. Like it was just part of her
beauty,
if she had such a thing.

“I
don’t
know,
” Jessica admitted simply with
a shrug. “Why don’t you tell me what we are?”

“Maybe
I’ll just show you.” Duncan stepped up like he might kiss her again. It was
wrong to wish for it, but Jessica did. There was a lot to talk about, but maybe
for tonight—maybe for once she could forget about it all, for just one night.
She leaned her head back as he brushed her hair back, off of her shoulders.

His
eyes flickered back and forth between each of her eyes. There was a purity in
his gaze that stilled her manic heartbeat. “Beautiful,” he whispered, but
Jessica didn’t feel it. Didn’t know in her soul it was truth, but she believed
he did.

Just
as Duncan leaned forward, her heart pounding in her chest, the living room
windows filled up with bright lights.

Headlights.

The
sound of engines was getting closer, buzzing like bees tattling on their
location. Louder, faster.

Her
heart skipped a beat as she realized somehow they had been found. “Jessica!”
Duncan screamed and pushed her to the ground. His own body crashed beside her
behind the sofa. Jessica rolled
onto
her
knees, the lights so bright she couldn’t see what was right in front of her.

“We
need to get to my sister.” Jessica rolled over to scurry away, but Duncan
rested a hand on her lower back to steady her. His flesh against her flesh and
Jessica paused to look at him.

“They
can’t see the house. It’s
warded
. They
might just go away.”

Might
just go away. Jessica wasn’t about to take a chance like that. Hand on her hip,
Jessica searched for her gun. It was nowhere to be found. It was still up in
the bedroom she shared with Amanda.

Jessica
crawled toward the staircase as the windows around exploded inward from a hail
of gunfire. With that one act the
wards
were broken and the old farmhouse was now vulnerable, just like that. Duncan
grabbed her ankle but Jessica yanked away. Her hand found the first step and
then she sprang into action.