Daring Fire: Paranormal Romance (Bad Boys Of The Underworld Book 2) (9 page)

“Strange turn of events?” asked Gena.
What could cause him to suddenly switch to Kirill’s side?

“I was vague on purpose,” responded Marcus.

Part of her wanted to know why he was keeping secrets. The other, more rational part, reminded her that they had only known each other for a matter of hours and he had no obligation to tell her every detail from his past. She let him have his secrets for the moment. “Fair enough. What role does Aleksander play in all this?”

“Aleksander didn’t play much of a role at all in the war. Kirill won, and vampires were under his rule for over four centuries.”

Gena’s jaw dropped. “Over four hundred years? You’re over four hundred years old?”

“A true lady would never point out how old I am.” He smirked.

Gena’s gaze raked over his youthful face and smooth skin. He looked like any other late twenties to early thirties male. Some strange impulse caused her to reach out her hand to touch his face, but at the last second she realized how ridiculous the action was and pulled her arm back.

She never saw him move, but a warm hand wrapped around her retreating wrist. She took a deep breath at the sudden feel of his warm flesh on hers.

“You want to know if I feel different,” he said. It was a statement and not a question.

Wordless, all she could do was nod.

His big hand released her wrist. “Feel free to touch whatever you want.”

Gena purposely ignored the suggestive underlying meaning of his words and she slowly reached out to touch the hard planes of his face. The cocky smile he’d worn just seconds before vanished and she felt his jaw clench under her fingers.

The tips of her four fingers lightly traced his cheekbone and down along the curve of his jaw. Light stubble tickled her fingertips as they moved along his face. His head turned slightly and brought his nose close to her wrist. He took a deep breath in, and she felt his warm exhale against the sensitive skin of her wrist.

He brought his eyes up to hers and she was shocked to see the normal ethereal blue color had turned jet-black. That wasn’t the only thing changed about him. His upper lip was now protruding slightly more than it had been a minute ago. Gena didn’t have to ask why. He was hiding his fangs from her.

She brought her hand back down. “Should I be worried?” she asked softly.

“I think that’s a loaded question. However, in relation to our current situation, I have enough control over myself to keep you safe from me.”

Well, she couldn’t fault his honesty. “You’re so warm. Shouldn’t you be cold to the touch?”

“I’m not dead,” he said. “I never was. I was born as a vampire and have always been one. I even have a heartbeat.”

Gena glanced at his chest. “So vampires can only be born?”

“Not necessarily. If someone is close to death and ingests vampire blood, there’s a chance they could turn.”

“Just a chance?”

“A slim chance. In order to convert, the vampire cells must be what we call ‘activated.’ A living person cannot activate the blood, and if it gets too diluted within a human body, they will not activate. So the blood must be ingested shortly before death, before the human immune system has time to fight the transformation. Once the person is dead, the vampire blood will become dominant and start converting the human organs and tissue. Once conversion is almost complete, the heart will start beating again and the new vampire will wake up.”

“So this isn’t done a lot?” asked Gena.

“Well, personally, I would only want to turn someone I enjoyed and respected and wouldn’t mind hanging around me for an eternity. Unfortunately, most of the time, the human dies and the conversion doesn’t take. So most new vampires are only turned if they are already dying.”

Gena nodded, feeling a bit overwhelmed at all the new information but also unable to keep herself from asking more questions. “Have you ever turned anyone?”

“Once,” he said. “Actually, it was just a few weeks ago.”

“If you just made a new vampire, shouldn’t they be here with you?” Gena didn’t know much about vampire life, but it seemed like there would be a traumatic adjustment period.

“Not in this case. I turned her as a favor to someone else. I mentioned that Kirill had a son who barely escaped an attack from the humans before the war. Well, once Kirill was king, his son, Nicolas, was his second-in-command for the next four hundred years.

“Kirill was a good king and did a lot of great things for us, but something seemed to snap toward the end of his reign. He started killing indiscriminately and slaughtering humans. He wasn’t discreet about it and was becoming a risk to everyone.

“Aleksander was the one who led the rebellion against Kirill. Kirill was killed and Nicolas was exiled. He stayed in exile for thirty years. A couple months ago, everything changed. Nicolas infiltrated Aleksander’s Canadian complex with a young human woman. They’d been led there by a member of the new rebellion that I’m now dealing with.

“The rebellion’s plan was to murder Aleksander and make it look as though Nicolas had done it out of vengeance. One of their members would have probably come forward to take Aleksander’s place as king and they would have all the power.”

Gena stopped him. “Your life is insane.”

Marcus let out a soft laugh. “You have no idea.”

“Obviously Aleksander’s not dead.”

He nodded. “The human Nicolas brought with him, Anna, had been childhood friends with Aleksander’s wife, which is another story entirely. Nicolas’s feelings for Anna proved stronger than his hatred for Aleksander. They were able to work together to discover one of the most trusted guards was part of this rebellion. Nicolas and Aleksander were able to stop the assassination attempt, but there was one casualty.”

“I’m assuming the one human in this story, Anna? She’s the one you turned?” said Gena.

“I was the first to find her.”

“Why did you turn her?” asked Gena.

Marcus shrugged. “There were a lot of contributing factors. She was already dying, so there was no harm in trying to save her. Nicolas was a powerful vampire for centuries. Now that he and Aleksander have come to an...” he paused to think of a good word, “
understanding
, Nicolas will once again be very powerful. It’s always good to have powerful friends.”

Gena gave him an incredulous look. “It had nothing to do with saving her life?”

“I don’t want you to have any false impressions of me, Gena. I’m no saint. The reason my people are so quick to believe I’m a member of this rebellion is because I have something of a reputation for being a heartless bastard.”

“If you have to tell me you’re heartless, it makes it less believable,” she pointed out.

“Maybe,” he agreed. “But no less true. Seeing as how you have known me for a whole five hours, what makes you so quick to defend my past deeds that I haven’t told you about yet?”

Gena didn’t know what to say to that. She knew very little about him and she was already defending him against himself. “I guess it’s just in my nature.”

“And that’s what makes us different.”

Silence hung in the air between them. What could she even say to that?

Marcus broke the silence. “You’ve had a long night. Some sleep would be good for you.”

Gena nodded in agreement. “Does the couch fold out to a bed?”

“It’s a bit more complicated than that, I’m afraid,” said Marcus.

“How complicated can a sofa really be?”

Marcus laughed. “You’re a funny girl,” he said in response to her sarcasm. Gena frowned. What she said hadn’t been that funny. “One of the advantages of my people is enhanced senses. Our sense of smell is far superior to yours.”

Gena didn’t like where this was heading. “What exactly does sense of smell have to do with where I sleep?”

“If those oh so pleasant men you met at Fang end up working with me, as I’m trying to get them to, there’s a good chance they will see this apartment at some point. With you staying here, your scent will be all over the apartment, which is exactly what we want. We want them to believe we’re together, as it appeared earlier tonight. The tricky part is that it will be suspicious if your scent is only in the lower level.”

Gena rolled her eyes. “Hell no. The upper level is your bedroom, and I’m not sharing a bed with you!” Gena didn’t care how sexy Marcus could be. She wasn’t the kind of woman to immediately fall in bed with a man.

Marcus shot her that snarky smile she was becoming so familiar with. “Don’t worry,” he assured her. “My scent has already been firmly established through the entire place. I can sleep down here.”

Gena looked him over. “You promise you won’t bother me at all? Not even for the bathroom?”

“There’s a second bathroom down here,” he said. “The shower isn’t as nice, so I let you use the master.”

“I don’t trust you,” said Gena, softly.

“Well, that just makes you smart.” Marcus stood up and held a hand out to her. “Let me take you to bed.”

Gena burst awake in terror. Her breath came in short pants and a thin layer of sweat covered her entire body. She concentrated on catching her breath as her shaky hands pushed the sweat dampened hair out of her face. Lady was rearranging herself on the bed next to her when the voice came out of the darkness.

“What’s going on?” asked Marcus.

The sound of his voice out of the silence elicited a startled jump out of Gena. “I didn’t even hear you come in.” Her heart calmed down.

“You were screaming bloody murder like a madwoman. Is everything okay? You sounded terrified and look like you’ve seen a ghost.”

Gena was surprised he could see anything in the darkness of the bedroom. He’d told her his senses were better than a normal human’s.
That good night vision would help prevent numerous stubbed toes
, she thought.

“I’m okay,” she assured him. “I should’ve mentioned this earlier, but I was distracted by everything else going on. I have these night terrors and sometimes I wake up like this.”

He was silent, obviously waiting for her to continue. She didn’t like talking about this part of her life. It was embarrassing enough knowing that it happened, but it was even more embarrassing to know he’d heard and seen her in the throes of the terror.

“I don’t remember anything about it. I know I scream and thrash around, but once I wake up, I have no memory of what caused the screams. I’m just out of breath and confused.”

“How long have you had these terrors?”

“Ever since I was a teenager. It’s really no big deal. As I said, I don’t remember anything about what causes the screaming.” She wished he’d give her some time alone to collect herself.

“It’s interesting that you’re still having these in your new body,” he pointed out.

Gena’s brow furrowed at the implication. “You think these terrors I’ve had my whole life are somehow connected to what is happening?”

Marcus just shrugged. “I don’t know anything. I’m just saying it’s interesting.”

He was right. She’d discussed the night terrors with Hope, but she hadn’t considered whether they would continue after she was murdered. Now she knew, for all the good it did her.

Gena pushed all the questions she couldn’t get answers to out of her head. “What time is it?” She didn’t see a clock nearby in the darkness.

“About five in the evening,” replied Marcus.

Gena looked at the darkness of the room. “It’s pitch black in here. How is it only five?”

“The windows have sunlight-proof blinds. They are programmed to close at sunrise and open at sunset.”

“Huh,” muttered Gena. She supposed living in an apartment where half the walls were glass would be foolish if you didn’t have some amazing ways of blocking out the sun.

“I don’t have a lot of food here for you,” said Marcus. “It will be dark enough for me to go out soon. If you’d like, we can go out to get you something to eat and can stop at some shops while they’re still open to get you more clothes and any other necessities you’ll need for your stay. I don’t think one small bag will get you very far.”

A small thrill went through her. Who wouldn’t get excited about having dinner in the city and going on a shopping spree, let alone having someone as handsome as Marcus to show her around?

As quickly as the thrill started, Gena beat it back. Nothing about this was supposed to be thrilling or make her remotely happy. This was a job for her. She was here to prevent even more human deaths and stop a vampire war from breaking out.

If that wasn’t enough pressure, she was sure Marcus had his own reasons for wanting her here, and she had to be on her toes to see whether he was really as safe as he said he was. Come to think of it, he’d been certain to remind her that he wasn’t safe at all...

I deserve to go shopping
, thought Gena, fighting her doubts.

“That sounds great,” she said to Marcus. “Give me a few minutes and I’ll be ready to go.”

Marcus nodded and silently left the room.

Gena breathed a sigh of relief as he left her alone with Lady. She was used to living alone and not having six-foot-tall vampires walking in on her screaming in the middle of the night, or middle of the day in this case.

Gena’s covered her face with her hands and she let her torso fall back down onto the bed. She couldn’t think of a good word to describe how she felt at that moment. On a purely physical level, she felt amazing. Her heart had calmed down since she woke up, and she was no longer sweating. She was surrounded by sheets that probably cost more than she made in a week, and Lady’s furry body was nestled next to her and keeping her warm.

Mentally, however, she wasn’t as comfortable. She quietly pushed the fantastic sheets away from her body and walked to the bathroom. She hadn’t had time to throw any makeup in her bag as she hastily packed and now regretted that decision.

Her hand fumbled along the wall in the bathroom for the light switch as she braced herself for the image that would be staring at her through the mirror. She usually looked bad enough in the morning, but on the mornings after her terrors, her eyes were usually bloodshot and appeared sunken in with the dark circles under them.

She flipped on the lights and blinked against the brightness for a few seconds. As her eyes focused, she looked at her face for the light blue circles around her eyes but was shocked when she didn’t see them.

Her hand came up to her face and moved across her skin. She leaned in so her nose was inches away from the mirror, but even that close her skin looked amazing. She probably wouldn’t have needed any type of foundation with skin like this.

It puzzled her, but it must be another side effect of the new body she was in. This skin had never had any pimples to mar it, nor had she had any contact with the sun.

Gena shut the door and made sure it was locked before she took off her clothes to examine herself in the mirror.

This was her first chance to really study her new self. She hadn’t wanted to stay in the house with her dead body lying in the kitchen, and she hadn’t had time at Hope’s apartment.

Overall, she looked very similar to how she had before she was murdered. Not all the changes were consistent, either. The hair on her head, including eyebrows and eyelashes, were about the same length they had been before, though she could tell the tweezing she’d done just a week ago was for naught. So even hair she’d plucked had come back full grown.

However, the rest of her body looked as though it had been waxed. Her arms, legs, and pubic region were all hairless, though she could see in a few spots that the hair was growing in.
It would be nice to never have to shave again
, thought Gena.

A few more scars she had from childhood were now missing, but besides that, everything was the same. Her hair was the same dark color she loved, and her eyes were the same crystal blue she was used to.

Her weight also seemed to be the same. She remained active, between running around the hospital at work and walking with Lady when she got home. She couldn’t see her ribs necessarily, but her waist had a nice curve to it and she could probably pull off a bikini, even if she wasn’t comfortable enough to wear one in public.

“What the hell happened to me?” whispered Gena to her reflection.

~~~~~

Marcus was surprised at how much fun he was having with Gena as they both walked down a busy Manhattan sidewalk in the cool fall evening. She was handling her situation very well for a human.

Which made sense, considering she wasn’t actually human. Vampires and other supernatural beings were usually so easy to differentiate from the humans he came across. They would talk with an air of confidence and walk into every room knowing they were the strongest and most powerful in the room.

Gena had none of that. She was a confident woman, but she didn’t have the same walk or talk. She smelled good to him, but still distinctly human, and if he concentrated, he could still hear her heart beating at the same pace of a normal mortal in good health. His own heart beat at a slower pace than hers, averaging forty beats per minute while resting.

The one thing about her that was distinctly unhuman was how she was dealing with all the strangeness happening to her.

Anyone else might’ve taken off the second vampires were brought into the conversation, let alone go shopping with one after sleeping in his bed. He told her to trust him, but he’d also given her fair warning to be scared of him as well.

In truth, even if he did mean her harm, after seeing her get shot last night, he wasn’t sure he could hurt her if he tried. Some sort of powerful magic protected her, and he was thinking he was no match for whatever power that was.

He made a throwaway comment about the high heels that some of the women around them were walking in, and Gena let out a soft snort of laughter and a bright smile filled her face.

For a moment, he was struck silent by her beauty. She wasn’t the prettiest woman he’d ever seen, nor was she as model-like as some of the other women in Manhattan, but when she smiled, she was absolutely breathtaking.

She must’ve noticed him staring. A nervous hand reached up and pushed a stray piece of dark hair behind an ear. “What?” she asked.

Marcus debated keeping his thoughts to himself but decided against it. He was determined to get this woman, whatever she was, into his bed before he had to let her go, and if flattery would help, he wasn’t above it.

“I was just thinking how beautiful you look when you smile.”

As soon as he said it, the smile disappeared from her face and she stopped walking. She didn’t look at him as she spoke. “I’m going to pretend you never said that and we are going to go back to having a nice evening with none of those complications.”

With that, she started to walk, and Marcus followed her, but he’d be damned if he’d let her dictate what he was allowed to say to her. “I’m not allowed to compliment you?”

“You know that’s not what I was talking about. Playing stupid doesn’t suit you,” she said harshly.

“It really bothers you that much?” he asked with all seriousness.

“The last thing I need right now is our
working
relationship becoming even more complicated than it already is.”

This time Marcus was the one who stopped. He grabbed her arm as softly as he could and pulled her away from the crowds and toward the nearest building. Her jacket kept his fingers from touching her skin, and for a moment he hated that barrier.

When they were in as private a place as they could get on a busy street, he turned to face her but still kept his gentle grip on her arm, not wanting to let her go.

“This is my deal I’ll make with you. I know you’re coping with a lot of fucked-up shit right now, and I respect that. I’m going to make your time with me as pleasant and fun as possible even though you’re here to help me.”

“I’m not hearing anything I don’t like yet.”

“But,” he continued, “you touched me last night,” he reminded her. At her puzzled expression, he grabbed her hand and brought it to his face, identical to the way she’d lifted her fingers to trace the lines of his jaw just hours before. He heard her sharp intake of breath at the sudden feel of his skin against hers.

He held her hand there, but she didn’t try to take it away, nor did she trace the same path she had before. Her fingers just stayed right where they were. “Don’t pretend I’m pushing you into something you haven’t thought about already.”

A soft and uneasy laugh escaped Gena’s lips, and this time she did pull her hand away. “You’re so cocky,” she said. “Are you so used to women throwing themselves at you? I’m not going to lie. You’re pretty and you look like an angel, but I know you’re not. I’m not saying I’m not attracted to you, so your ego can get off unscathed. If you really respect me like you say you do, you’ll not try to tempt me to do something I don’t
want
to want. You’ve had centuries of seducing women. You don’t need me.”

Marcus was shocked. He didn’t remember the last time a woman had spoken so bluntly to him. He wanted to flat-out refuse. He wanted to say he’d never stop trying for her. Instead, he said, “The truth is that there’s something between us. Whether I’m trying or not, that’s not going to go away. I can give you your space, but you need to know this. If you, for one second, decide you want to take the chance of things getting a bit more complicated, it will be
amazing
. I promise you that.”

Silence stretched between the two of them. He could hear her heart race and knew she was tempted by his promise, even if she didn’t want to be. To make matters worse, she took her thick bottom lip between her teeth and bit down on it, as though she needed to do something with her mouth to keep from kissing him.

The erotic sight after their heated conversation was almost too much for him. He managed to keep himself from pushing her against the nearest building and showing her exactly what he could do with those lips, and he felt his eyes turn black in anticipation. He knew the second she noticed this because she took a surprised breath.

She took one hesitant step away from him and held her hands up in front of her, half surrender, half warning to stay back.