Possessed By You (Overworld Underground Book 1) (37 page)

I thought back to the vision I'd seen upon our first encounter—the blazing white orb. I'd experienced similar visions around other Custodians as well, though some of them like the woman with the rod exuded something different. As far as I knew, none of the Custodians were infected by a serum, but were, as George had put it, enhanced. The infected people, on the other hand, seemed to have cold, white parasites inside them.

In addition to the strictly sexual tingles Tyler and Tyler-as-Thomas had made me feel, I'd also detected a hot, sensual vibe emanating from the pair. That vibe had come from a very supernatural source—a demon. It also explained the faint scent of something burning when I was around him.

A series of dots began to connect as I considered the sorts of people I'd felt vibes from over the years. I'd been to hospitals and never felt anything around sick people. I felt absolutely nothing from the vast majority of people. Why should I be able to detect someone infected with a strength serum? What was so special about a few select individuals that triggered my intuition?

There were a great many other unexplained phenomena, not the least of which was the mysterious transportation used by George Walker and his Custodians. If my other senses were to be believed, that SUV had lifted into the air and flown us around town.

"I've overlooked something," I murmured. My life had been governed by a completely different set of facts than what confronted me right now. I'd rationalized even patently obvious oddities. Why would a helicopter pick up an SUV in the middle of town and carry it to schools? Why wouldn't we simply take the helicopter?

I pictured the vial that had fallen from the drug dealer's purse at the high school. It had been filled with a dark red fluid.
Blood?

Whether I wanted to admit it or not, everything had a decidedly supernatural feel to it. Tyler was paranormal in nature. The same could be said of George, Mr. Sticks, and the so-called infected people. Was there a connection?

A chime from my phone caught my attention as George replied to my earlier query.

We're searching for a base of operations for the dealers. You can help us find it.

I thought long and hard about it.
It will have to wait. I simply can't right now.

Your help is crucial. We will attempt to find on our own. Contact me should you change your mind.

I felt quite guilty avoiding duty for a fun night with Tyler, but supposedly George and his people had been doing this a long time before knowing about me. I'd seen them in action. They could survive one night on their own.

"Something the matter?" Tyler said from the door.

I put away my phone and smiled. "No, just checking up on Isabel."

He looked at me as if he wanted to devour me on the spot. "Did you look in the shoe boxes?"

I'd been so distracted by my thoughts that I hadn't. "Not yet." I felt my lips peeling into a wide smile as I contemplated the treasures within.

After a brief shoe show, we took the Lamborghini to a restaurant with salsa music blaring from inside. The valet gave the car a hungry look as he handed Tyler a claim ticket. Tyler didn't seem to notice or care about the stares he and the car generated. He walked around to my side and opened the door for me, extending a hand to help me out of the low seat.

A girl in a too-short skirt stared at me as Tyler slipped an arm around my waist. I felt acutely uncomfortable under her glare, and wondered how anyone accustomed themselves to being the center of attention.

"Dude, what kind of work do you do to have a car like that?" the girl's male companion asked, his eyes fondling the car in wide-eyed appreciation.

An amused grin crossed Tyler's face. "I wish I could tell you that it was the product of hard work, but it's not." He shrugged. "I just happen to have a rich daddy."

The other guy barked out a laugh. "Maybe I should work harder on having a rich dad too."

His girlfriend did
not
seem amused. I wondered if she was considering working hard to have a rich boyfriend instead.

The hostess took one look at Tyler when we came in, and seemed to forget how to speak in the face of his glorious smile. She managed to clear her throat after a moment. "How many?"

"Reservations for Tyler Rock."

"Oh, Mr. Rock! Yes, the top level is reserved for you." She grabbed a couple of menus and took us up a flight of stairs to a large balcony area overlooking a dance floor and live band below. Tables and chairs were stacked up against the back wall. In the center of the floor, a candle burned atop a lone table.

"Is this to your liking, sir?" the hostess asked.

"Perfect." Tyler handed her what looked like a hundred-dollar bill.

Her eyes went wide. "Oh, my!"

My man certainly had a way of making girls say that. I felt a flush in my face as I thought about the exclamations he got out of me.

I looked over the menu at all the available tapas. "I have no idea what I want."

"We'll just order a bit of everything then," Tyler said.

The waiter showed up a minute later with margaritas on the rocks, and Tyler ordered food for the two of us. After the waiter was gone, my demi-god smiled at me.

"I ordered margaritas. I thought it'd be fun to keep with the theme."

I took a sip. "Mmm. Delicious."

He stood and held out a hand to me. "In the meantime, we should practice."

"Practice?"

"Your salsa."

I raised an eyebrow. "Perhaps you should let me have a couple more margaritas in that case."

"Oh no you don't." Tyler took my hand and pulled me up. "It's easy. Just follow my lead."

He showed me the basic step. I only stomped his toes a dozen times in the process, but he seemed more amused than anything. Then he demonstrated the spins. After failing to make me spin in whatever direction he wanted several times in a row, he stopped and backed away, a grin on his face.

"You need to stop fighting me, Emily."

"I'm not fighting you. I don't know which bloody way you want me to turn."

He laughed. Took my hand and pressed it against the top of his chest near the shoulder. "Keep your arm stiff. When I turn, you'll turn."

I did, and found it much easier to follow his lead. "That wasn't so difficult."

"I know. Just keep that arm firm, and things will work out."

He took me through some slow steps, guiding me with a patience I clearly didn't have, as I cursed like a sailor every time I botched a move. After getting a few moves down pat, he sped up to match the tempo of the live music below. Somehow, despite my unfamiliarity with this style of music, his tutelage made it feel quite natural.

I squealed with joy as he led me through several tight turns, and somewhere in the mix, I let go of my inhibitions, let him guide me instead of trying to anticipate his every move. Our food arrived, and Tyler led me back to my chair. We were both breathing heavily, grinning from ear to ear, and flushed. His hand rested atop my bare leg, just under my skirt, and I felt the electric tingle of his touch race along my skin and into my belly.

"I want to sweep the food of this table and take you right here," he said, eyes glittering.

"Don't tease me." I felt breathless, and not from the dancing.

His hand ran up my inner thigh, stopping short of my panties. I trembled. Took his hand, and moved it so he could feel just how aroused I was. His finger slipped under the hem of my panties.

I spotted the waitress bearing more margaritas. Tyler must have seen the embarrassment in my eyes, because he turned and saw her as well. His hand slid back out, and a grin lit his face.

"Can I get you anything else, sir?" The girl's eyes lingered on Tyler.

"We're good for now." He dismissed her with a nod.

My normal stomach gave rumbling notice it was ravenous, and that I ought to pay more attention to it than the greedy organs further south of it. I gave Tyler an embarrassed smile and tested the tapas. They were delicious.

After eating, we danced until we were both exhausted and laughing like schoolchildren. As Tyler led me outside toward the valet, I couldn't think of another time I'd had more fun. In fact, the last time I'd had anywhere near as much unabashed fun had been when I went on dates with Tyler as Thomas.

This is insane
.

Insane, but I never wanted it to end.
If only he could love me.

The valets bustled about, the outside area choked with people waiting on their cars. Tyler found a valet and asked him for the key. He told him he'd get the car himself instead of waiting. The huge tip he gave the guy seemed to settle the question, and the valet handed it over.

"What a blast," Tyler said, echoing my thoughts as we walked into the parking lot looking for the car, his arm around my shoulder.

"I had a lovely time." My arms looped about his waist. "I hope your toes aren't too sore."

"They'll heal." He pecked a kiss on my forehead. "Ah, there it is." Tyler pointed out several expensive-looking cars parked away from the others with the Lamborghini sitting gloriously in the middle. He held up the key and pressed the button.

Spiders made of ice seemed to skitter up my back. I heard a whoosh of air.

Tyler stiffened.

Someone shoved us hard. We sprawled toward the pavement. Tyler, one arm still around me, somehow spun so I landed atop him instead of skinning my hands and knees on the pavement. We both grunted at the impact.

A shadowy figure stepped from the gloom, a wicked smile on his face. "We really must stop running into each other like this," Stephen said. "In fact, I plan to make it the last time we do."

Chapter 34

"You!" I shouted, unable to form another coherent word as shock coursed through me. It had been so long since the maniac last accosted me, I thought he'd given up.

Tyler grunted. I felt his muscles tense beneath me. With a sudden jolt, he propelled us to our feet, and swept me behind his back in one continuous motion. "What the hell's your problem?" His mouth parted slightly, and recognition seemed to widen his eyes. He was likely remembering his first confrontation with Stephen in the alley.

"Your little bitch is my problem." Stephen took a step forward. "I plan to have my way with her."

"Try anything and I'll kill you," Tyler growled.

Stephen burst into a laugh. "Oh, that's rich." He folded his arms and smirked. "You see, there's something you don't know. Those monsters your mommy warned you about?" He bared his teeth and his canines grew into slender sharp fangs. "I'm one of them."

I gasped. This couldn't be real, but it was. All those thoughts I'd had about supernatural beings had been spot on. "You're a bloody vampire!"

Stephen touched his eyes and removed a pair of contacts. His irises glinted red in the light from the nearby streetlamp. "I guess you're not such an idiot after all."

"Leave before I kill you," Tyler said, settling into a fighting stance. "Last warning."

"You? Kill me?" The vampire guffawed. His fist blurred toward Tyler's face.

Two things happened. Tyler shoved me back away from him, and ducked. Stephen made a retching sound as Tyler's fist slammed into his midsection. The vampire recovered almost instantly, grabbing wildly at my boyfriend, but Tyler had obviously trained in hand-to-hand combat. He dodged the lightning-fast but clumsy attempts from the other man. He spun. His foot lashed out, slammed Stephen's chest. The vampire flew back and smashed into the window of another car, cracking it, and sending safety glass scattering across the hood.

Stephen leapt to his feet atop the hood and roared. He blurred toward Tyler almost too quickly for me to see. Tyler tried to dodge. He was an instant too late. The vampire clipped his shoulder and sent him sprawling to the ground.

My mind raced.
Vampires! Vampires? How do you kill the bloody things?
I thought back to the movies, though I hadn't seen many with the blood-sucking vermin. The only effective weapons I knew that might work against the unholy creatures were holy water and wooden stakes. Seeing as how we were in the middle of a parking lot, I couldn't see myself happening upon either in a reasonable timeframe. I saw the key to the Lamborghini on the ground and snatched it. Tyler might have something in the car I could use.

Stephen let out another yell of frustration as Tyler intercepted the man's fist, turned it in mid-punch, and twisted the man to the ground. My boyfriend slammed the vampire against the pavement, and pressed his knee into the other man's back.

I kicked off my high heels. Turned and dashed for the car. Flipped up the door and rummaged in the glove box. Inside, I found a revolver. Grabbing it, I ran back to see Tyler still pinning the vampire to the ground. Every time Stephen tried to dislodge him, he howled in pain.

"It doesn't matter how strong you are," Tyler said. "You'll only break your arm trying to get loose."

"Then I'll fucking heal," Stephen snarled. He twisted. A sickening crack sounded, and he screamed, at the same time, bucking Tyler off him. His arm hung loose, as though dislocated, and his pale face looked almost green.

I spread my legs. Pointed the gun. "You bastard. You tried to rape my best friend."

Despite his obvious pain, the vampire sneered. "Rape her? I was going to drain her and leave a corpse. It would have been you, but for some reason you didn't respond to my compulsion."

I stared in horror as his grotesquely twisted arm seemed to wrench itself back into place with a fleshy popping sound as it reconnected to his shoulder. Stephen wiggled his fingers and bared his fangs. He looked at Tyler and back to me. "By the way, I don't know if you realize it, but your boyfriend is possessed. Warmer than usual skin. Stronger than a human." He shook his head. "But still no match for me. You might have some skills, boy, but I'll keep healing and coming. You can't stop me."

Anger burned through me. This man was a true monster. Something evil that fed on humans. He'd almost killed Isabel. It was obvious that he was out to get me. And now he was threatening my boyfriend.