filled with love and laughter.
Hauling Dahlia back to me, I clutch her tightly. “Shh. You’re safe now. He’s not going to hurt you. I promise.”
Her fists pummel my chest again, but I simply hold her tighter.
“You just said he could get back up. You can’t promise me shit! We’ve got to get out of here.”
Frowning, I look back down at her. “Language, bellissima.”
I slide my thumb across her bottom lip, reveling in the petal softness before pinching it lightly. Just enough to get my point across. I’m playing with fire, and I know it. But, for the first time in centuries, I finally feel something: a small spark of desire burning from what was once nothing but ash.
Her eyes widen again. Perhaps I’m scaring her, but a quick sniff of the air tells me that’s not the only thing affecting her. Resisting a growl, I pull at her wrists, trying to get her away from danger, to get her somewhere safe.
Tears pool in those gorgeous eyes as she tugs back from me.
“I-I don’t know you. I can find my own way home, okay?”
She sneaks a quick glance back over at the other vampire, and shudders. Her body shakes violently as tears stream down her face.
“I killed him, didn’t I? We have to call the police. Do something. I-I can’t…”
Without pausing to get her permission, I stoop down low and toss her over my shoulder. Her squeak of protest is music to my ears. My cock instantly responds, and gets harder with every movement of struggle she makes. I’ve been spending way too much time in Club Toxic’s dungeon. Or maybe not enough.
Groaning, I heft her up a little higher, trying to ease the pressure of my shoulder in her midsection. My left arm holds her legs securely to my body. Unfortunately, that also put her ass right on my arm. The heat from her body sears me, robbing me of thought for just a moment.
I shake my head, and send messages downstairs that she’s not up for grabs and to calm the fuck down. It takes little time to race back up the stairs and into the cemetery proper. An eerie silence fills the space, invading every tombstone, every resting place. It’s enough to put me on edge. What was she thinking, coming out here this close to All Souls’ Night?
I may have been here as well, but I’m a predator, damn it, not a beautiful mouthful of prey just begging to be eaten. My cock stirs again. It’s going to be a long night. Pulling out my phone, I call Lucius. This isn’t my jurisdiction. If anyone’s going to take care of this mess, it’s him.
“I have a car over here, let’s go before he gets back up,” I say.
“I told you, I don’t want to go with you! Wait, is that the cops? Are you calling the cops?” She struggles a bit more and twists her torso, planting her hands onto my back.
“Hey, Lucius?”
His commanding voice fills one ear just as her loud, screeching fills the other.
“Hey!” She screams, her wiggling becoming more frantic. “I’m being carried off by a madman! He won’t let me go. Help, help. Somebody!”
“Are you actually kidnapping her?” Lucius chuckles.
I want to reach through the phone and smack the smug look off of his face—the one that’s clear as day through his voice. “No, I’m not kidnapping her.”
“Yes, he is!”
“She had a run in with a vampire. Someone needs to take care of it. She says she’s wounded him but—”
“I did! He’s dead, but this guy won’t let me go!”
“Hold on one moment, please,” I tell Lucius.
Tucking the phone against my shoulder and ear, I take my free hand to her ample backside, giving her a hard swat on each cheek. Silence. Her body freezes, even her breathing stops for a moment. After a few seconds, she drops back down onto me, muttering under her breath. But at least she’s not screaming kidnap anymore.
“Evergreen Memorial,” I say into the phone.
“Ahh. I know the one. Weird that there’d be a vampire holed up there. I didn’t realize there were areas to nest.”
Sighing, I look back over my shoulder. “It’s in the large crypt. Once you come into the cemetery proper, and go back a little ways, you’ll see it. You won’t be able to miss it. Little miss weirdo over here has candles all lit inside.” My lips curl up into a grin as her struggles begin anew. I knew that would strike a