Viper (7 page)

Kane turned on his heel and grasped her shoulders, giving her a light shake. "Cara, we aren't playing games. What you saw ten years ago does exist."

Cara slowly shook her head, refusing to believe what her eyes had seen that night. She had spent too many years running from her nightmares and refused to buy into it now.

"There have been three dead bodies in this county and you’re nowhere close to solving any of the cases. You won't either."

She shook off his grip and backed from him. "You underestimate my skills as a detective, Mister Tepes. I'll catch this perp. And if you have anything to do with these deaths, I won’t hesitate to take you down."

* * *

Kane jammed both hands through his hair and blew out a steady stream of air. Damn infuriating woman! Pacing the small confines of her ransacked room, he weighed the option of laying it all out for her. He knew the rules and the consequences. Making her see the truth was foolhardy, if not downright idiotic. She could expose his kind, unwittingly putting targets on their back, risking capture, experimentation, and possibly elimination. For their own survival, they kept their true nature hidden from the masses.

It’s not like she didn’t already have an inkling that something else existed, following her exit of the restroom some ten years back. But should his brothers get word that he solidified, instead of suppressed, her fears, they could not only strip him of his president patch but of his Sons of Sangue rocker as well.

He lived for the MC.

Kane had no family outside of it. But rules were rules and no one could know of their existence outside of the club. To all appearances, they were an outlaw motorcycle group, not a coven of vampires.

But what choice did he have now?

This unknown son of a bitch had put a target on Cara Brahnam's back and she wasn't even aware of what she was dealing with. Cara and her entire office of deputies could not match the power this primordial vampire had. He knew this vampire was an original by his scent, centuries older than he and Kaleb. The question was, what the fuck was this primordial doing in the states? All the primordials he knew lived in Italy, where the Sons of Sangue formed many years ago, long before the existence of the motorcycle club.

Stopping his pace, he stole a glance at Cara. She stood ramrod straight, arms crossed beneath her breasts. Her cleavage spilled over the V of her tee beneath her sweater, making his mouth water for a taste. She presented a very tempting picture, one his gaze was irresistibly drawn to. His canines ached within his gums, wanting to sink into her pale flesh and draw her life’s blood into his mouth, to suckle from them like a newborn babe. Damn, she looked hot enough to fuck—but then again, when didn’t she? He shook off the notion and tore his gaze from her. Maybe he should have taken what Suzi had offered in Draven’s office, appease the need he tried damn hard to ignore in Cara’s presence. Because now, one look at Cara and his dick was as rigid as her spine.

He needed to focus.

"You want to tell me what's really going on? Otherwise, I'm tempted to run your ass into the S.O. for B and E and threatening a police officer."

Kane chuckled, running his palm down his slightly whiskered jaw. "You think I did this?" His tone rose in disbelief. "You think I came in here, dumped your clothes and threatened you on your bathroom mirror? If I were to threaten you, Detective, it wouldn't be to forewarn you that I intended to kill you. If I wanted to kill you, you wouldn't know it until a moment before you sucked your last breath. My threats toward you would be much more of a sexual nature."

She sucked in air; her gaze widened. Her mouth dropped, but no words came out. Kane had finally rendered her speechless. Though he wasn't sure if it was because of his threat to take her life or whether it was the sexual innuendo that followed. He was betting on the latter.

Her pulse beat a heavy cadence at the base of her throat. And even though he had recently fed from Suzi, the temptation to draw from Cara was pretty fucking heady. Coupled with the desire of sex, it became a intoxicating combination, one Kane was reluctant to resist. Had he not been positive she would have fought him within an inch of her life, he might have taken exactly what his animalistic nature demanded.

Instead, he held his position and smiled devilishly. "I assure you, Detective, you’re safe from me. I wouldn’t take anything not freely offered."

"Well then,” she said, raising one brow, “that means I'm perfectly safe within your company because I’ll never freely offer you anything."

“A challenge.” Kane smiled. "Never say never, Mia Bella."

Cara made an unflattering noise from her pursed lips, then began picking up dresser drawers and clothes, as if easily dismissing him. He closed the gap between them, close enough that the scent of her blood humming through her veins wafted to his nostrils, close enough he could also detect the increase of her pulse with his acute sense of hearing. His presence affected Cara; he’d bet his President patch on it. She could deny with her words all she wanted, but her body told a different story.

Cara Brahnam was hot for him.

Her hands trembled slightly as she folded a faded classic rock tee and replaced it in one of the drawers, smoothing it more than necessary. Kane contained his chuckle as he gathered a few articles of clothing, resisting the urge to take them to his nose. Damn if her scent didn't affect him the way the smell of a raw steak might a ravenous dog. And right now, he was insatiable. Kane's nostrils flared. What he wouldn't do to give into his urge, to taste her lips, nip her tender flesh and allow her silky blood to slide over his tongue. Kane couldn't help wondering what her blood might taste like. Gritting his teeth, he bit back the urge. If he didn't get a handle on his rising lust, hard telling where this little conversation of theirs would lead. No doubt with her kicking him out of her house and refusing to come within a thousand yards of him. But she needed his protection, whether she was too stubborn to admit it or not.

Kane roughly shoved several shirts in Cara’s direction. His fingers brushed hers. Cara quickly withdrew as if she had just brushed against the skin of a snake.

Biting back an explicative, he turned to her and instead said, "Cara, you need to take this threat serious."

"What? That silly thing written in lipstick?" she asked, not bothering to stop her task and look at him. The tremble in her response gave away that it actually bothered her. But she wouldn’t allow her tough exterior to slip; Cara was far too proud for that.

"It’s not silly, Cara. Whoever came here means to kill you. You shouldn’t brush that off as nothing."

"Well, it really isn't your problem now is it, Mister Tepes?”

“Jesus! Call me Kane already!”

She hardened her jaw and squared her shoulders. “I don’t need your rescue,
Kane
. I'm sure Suzi would be—"

He grabbed her arm, perturbed that she would not take this warning seriously, and even more angry that she assumed there might be anything between him and the little brunette. Suzi wasn’t his type and he had made that much clear to the young woman back at the Blood ‘n’ Rave earlier.

"What the hell is it between Suzi and you anyway?" he asked.

Cara’s startled gaze looked up at him, his hand still gripping her biceps.

"I don't know whether to shake you because of your ridiculous, unfounded jealousy, or because you won't take this threat serious."

"Jealous? Ha!" She laughed, shaking off his hold on her arm. Fists jammed on her hips, she glared at him. "You give yourself far too much credit, Kane. What the hell would I ever see in—"

He hadn't meant to, but shutting her up became imperative. He seized her shoulders, getting the exact response he had hoped for as her eyes widened and her mouth gaped. Kane pulled her flush against him, her chest flattening against his ribcage. Cara’s heart beat heavily, her blood rushed through her veins. Kane ignored his first primal instinct: to sink his elongating fangs into the artery beating at the side of her neck and instead kissed her.

Chapter 6

The minute Kane’s lips touched Cara’s, his blood heated. His temperature shot up quicker than mercury in a thermometer tossed into a pot of boiling water. His heart pounded in his chest and his fangs fully extended. His eyes heated in their transformation to obsidian-like glass. He couldn’t hide what he was from Cara now if he wanted to. If she didn’t feel the points of his fangs, then she wouldn’t miss his more prominent brow and black gaze should she open her eyes to look at him.

His erection nestled against her abdomen. No way she couldn’t feel the affect she had on him. Kane wanted Cara in a bad way. And kissing her wasn’t helping that predicament as he closed his own eyes and slid his tongue into the soft cavern of her mouth. She tasted of hot, cinnamon candy, no doubt trying to mask the alcohol consumed earlier at Murphy’s.

Kane expected her to fight him tooth and nail, to push him away and curse him for daring to take such liberties. Instead, her hands lay flat against his breasts, trapped between them. Not exactly a caress, but she wasn’t shoving him away either. When their tongues touched, Cara responded in kind, a slight moan escaping her lips. That small, barely audible sound unleashed his desire. He growled in return. One hand anchored her as it rested on the small of her back. He had to fight to keep himself in check. Her response had turned up the heat, and he couldn’t think straight for the want of fucking her.

He had craved to slide deep inside her from that first day ten years back when she stood innocently behind him, watching him have carnal relations with a woman he hadn’t given two shits about. Kane had followed her from the club, but she had quickly disappeared. Not that he couldn’t have caught up to her, but doing so would have frightened her irrevocably, if what she had witnessed hadn’t already. Kissing her now, he had a small taste of what he had yearned for, and Lord help him, he wanted more.

Sliding his free hand down from the soft curve of her back, Kane cupped one cheek of her ass, pulling her abdomen tightly against his erection. He didn’t think he had ever been so close to embarrassing himself.

What the hell was it with this woman that had him acting so out of character?

Females were nothing more than nourishment and to scratch an itch. Yet this one seemed to crawl inside his head, cause him to feel things he didn’t wanted to feel. Kane, wrapped in his thoughts, didn’t realize Cara no longer participated until the heal of her hand, placed squarely on his sternum, shoved hard in an attempt to push him away. Kane could have easily taken what he wanted, Cara was no match for the strength he held in check, but her withdrawal was like being doused with a bucket of ice water. He stepped back and shook his head, turning away from Cara and willing his fangs to retreat. He hoped like hell she hadn’t noticed the changes.

Her breathing hitched as she stood precariously close behind him. Close enough that if he chose the animal side of his nature, he could easily catch her and toss her atop the messed bed and take what he so hungered for. He could still feel her heat, hear her blood rushing through her veins. But Kane had never taken what wasn’t given. And he wasn’t about to start now.

He took several deep breaths before facing her, his eyes and teeth returning to their more human state. Cara clutched a tee to her chest, fingers on one hand resting against her kiss-swollen lips, eyes wide and glassy as she stared at him. Christ, he didn’t want to be the reason for her tears.

Had she felt the points of his fangs?

“You’re staring at me as though I’m some sort of monster, Cara.”

She shook her head. “I just hadn’t expected—”

“You hadn’t expected what? A kiss?”

Kane knew if she mentioned his fangs, it would be his responsibility to hypnotize her, use mind control to get her to forget what had occurred between them, but damn him if he didn’t want her to remember. Just as he had wanted her to remember him ten years ago. He already walked a fine line with the MC. How much would they be willing to overlook? “You kissed me back … and quite well, I might add.”

Cara stepped forward, raising a hand to strike him. Kane clasped her tiny wrist, lightning quick. “I wouldn’t do that, Mia Bella. I might be tempted to think you liked it.”

Cara yanked her wrist from his slackened grip. “You arrogant ass!”

A chuckle bubbled up from his gut. He had every right to be arrogant. Cara’s body responded in kind whether she was ready to admit as much or not. His senses were far too keen for her to deny it.

“I may be an arrogant ass, but at least I’m not a liar.” The smile left his face. He needed to get back to the real issue at hand: the warning from the primordial. “The threat against your life—”

“Is my problem,” Cara said as she returned to gathering her clothing. Damn her stubborn hide for not seeing the seriousness of this. If this primordial vampire wanted her dead, then no matter what she did to try to prevent that from happening, the end result would be the same. Dead.

“Cara,” he whispered as he approached her. Gripping her biceps gently, he turned her to face him again. He had to take the chance she wouldn’t breath a word. Her refusal to see the seriousness of the situation had pushed his hand. “What you saw ten years ago…”

The shirts in her hands dropped to the bed as she lifted her gaze. He could see the fear residing there, regardless of what her words said to the contrary.

“We’re real.”

Her brows knit together. “Of course, you are. You’re standing right before me.”

“No, Cara, not as a human. At least not fully.”

He allowed his face to transform, his brow becoming more pronounced, his eyes turning blacker than coal, and his teeth elongating. “Vampire,” he told her.

Cara sucked in a breath, but to her credit, didn’t scream, though she struggled in his unyielding hold.

“Let me go,” she hissed between clenched teeth.

Kane couldn’t allow her to escape, lest she do something stupid like tell someone what she had just witnessed.

“You need not fear me, Mia Bella,” he whispered, still holding her firmly in his grip. “I won’t hurt you.”

“Vampires don’t exist,” she said as she continued her fruitless struggles.

“Then how do you explain what you see?”

A stray tear rolled down her face as she stilled. “That I’m certifiably insane.”

Releasing her, he used the pad of his thumb to wipe the wetness from her cheek. “Mia Bella, you’re not insane. We exist. We have for years, but we do so in anonymity. No one can know, or surely we’d be hunted like animals. And though our strength surpasses humans, we are far outnumbered. It wouldn’t be long before we would cease to exist.”

“You can’t have fangs.” She raised her hand and ran her fingers across his more prominent brow. “Your face doesn’t change shape,” she said, her fingers traveling his hollowed cheeks.

“Cara, damn it, focus!” he growled. “This isn’t about me or your sanity. This is about that threat on your bathroom mirror. It’s real. And the person making the threat will carry it out unless I can stop him.”

“But if you say you are a … a … vampire.” Her breath hitched. “Then surely you can just bite him or something.”

Kane released her and began pacing, his features returning to their human state. It hadn’t missed his attention that Cara’s gaze stayed glued to his face.

“The person who threatened you is not to be taken lightly. I wouldn’t have shown you my nature if I thought there was another way.”

He stopped, nailing her with his stare. “Mia Bella, you have to take this seriously. The vampire who threatened you is a primordial. That means he’s an original. He is older than I am and much stronger. If he wants you dead, then I can’t stop him. At least not by myself.”

“So you’re saying that there is nothing I can do. This primordial vampire will kill me.”

“Not unless I’ve drawn my last breath. I have my brothers to back me. Chance are, he’s here in the states alone. The primordials rarely leave Italy.”

“Then how are you so sure that a primordial wrote the message? Did you see him?”

“No. I smelled him.”

Her brows came together over the bridge of her nose as her nostrils flared. “I don’t smell anything.”

“You wouldn’t, Cara. But I can and I know he’s been here.”

Cara tilted her head to the floor, shook her head then started laughing. “I can’t believe I’m buying into this bullshit!” She glanced back at him, steeling her jaw, her lips a harsh thin line. “I don’t know what kind of parlor trick you just pulled, but get the hell out of my house, Kane. I don’t need your help. For all I know, this is your way of trying to scare the living hell out of me. Vampires! What-the-fuck-ever! I am not some teeny bop groupie you can lead around like Suzi.”

“Cara,” Kane said, his tone meant to warn her.

She advanced on him this time, stopping inches from his chest. She looked up as she pointed her finger into his chest. “I’ll say this one more time, Kane: get the hell out of my house! If I find out you had anything to do with this and the dead girls we’ve been finding, I’m going to be the one taking your ass down! You don’t scare me.

“Now. Get. The. Fuck. Out!”

* * *

Cara sat at her desk, staring into space when the phone on her desk jangled, startling her. The pencil she had been toying with dropped to the wooden surface with a clatter as she grasped the receiver. Ever since Kane had exited her house via the broken windowed-door, she was nervous as a long-tailed cat in a room full of rocking chairs. Not to mention her concentration had been off. She needed to focus on the open case, and not on who the hell had ransacked her house.

“Detective Brahnam,” she said.

“Good morning, Cara. We have some good news. We’ve ID’d your vic,” the ME told her, his voice deep and raspy due to the excessive weight he carried. “Turns out she died like the other two vics: bled out. Never seen anything like this in the thirty-two years I’ve been doctoring.”

“Who was she?”

“Tabitha Perkins. Twenty-two. Last known address was 252 Crestview Drive, Florence. She lived alone.”

“Richey part of Florence to be that young and living alone. What did she do for a living?”

“She didn’t. Spoon fed. Her father is the CEO of National One Bank. Her mother passed away ten years ago and her father never remarried. Tabitha was an only child. You can imagine he’s not taking this well.”

Cara rubbed her forehead with her fingers. Lord, this was about to get ugly real quick. No doubt CEO Perkins was going to demand answers and fast, answers she didn’t have. Not that she didn’t want help from the Forensic Services Division which would surely come in now and want to see all their evidence, but she didn’t want the Oregon State Police breathing down her neck and telling her how to do her job, especially since she had past history with one of their troupers.

“TOD?” Cara asked.

“Best I can do is approximately a day, day and a half. Find out who last saw her alive and it will pin that time down better. It was cool so it preserved the body better than if it had been blazing hot out there.”

“Thanks, Doc.”

“If you need anything else, Cara … you let me know,” the ME said.

Her life was about to get a lot more complicated. Immediately, her thoughts turned to Kane. How much more muddled could they get?

“When are you releasing the body?” she asked the ME, still hanging on the other end of the line.

He cleared his throat. “Not until the Forensic Service Division says they’re done with it.”

Cara groaned. “You called them?”

“Sorry, Cara. I didn’t have to. Mister Perkins did and they called me. Seems he’s been reading about these cases and watching the news. Now that his daughter was just added to the growing list of numbers, he’s fighting mad. He called the State and demanded they come to the Lane County’s Sheriff Office and take this case over.”

Cara let out a long sigh.
Great
. “Thanks for the heads up,” she said and disconnected the call. Just as she ran both hands down her face and sighed again, Joe entered the office.

“What’s up, Brahnam? Looks like you’re having a day from hell.”

“Something like that,” Cara responded as she motioned for her partner to take a seat. “That was the ME on the phone. They’ve ID’d the vic.”

The corners of Joe’s eyes turned up with his smile. “I don’t see how that could be deemed bad news. Let’s see who we can tie her to.”

Cara nodded slowly. “Let’s find her known friends, who she’d been hanging with, acquaintances … anyone she had been seen with in the last few months. Now that we have a name, we can match her friends and acquaintances with those of our past vics. We do have a problem, though.”

Joe’s grin faded as he leaned forward. “What’s that?”

“Our vic … Tabitha Perkins. Ring a bell?” When he shook his head, she continued, “Her daddy is the CEO of National One. Seems he’s already called the State for us. Forensic Service Divisions is no doubt on the way here to take a look at our evidence, and we look like we’ve been chasing our tails. They’ll think we’re a bunch of buffoons and inadequate at our jobs.”