Blood Submission (Deathless Night Series Book 5) Page 5

  “Hickory dickory dock,” his singsong voice came through the closed door again. “The clock is ticking, little mouse.”

  “I’m coming!” Taking a steadying breath, Laney opened the door.

  The vampire stood just outside with the dog under one arm and the cat under the other. “Ready?” he asked, as if they were about to leave for a date night. His eyes roved over her from head to toe. When they reached her bare feet, he stated the obvious. “You need shoes. Go get them. And then we’re leaving.”

  Laney’s eyes fell to the body of her dead roommate behind him. “What about Sasha?” she whispered.

  He didn’t bother to look back to see what she was talking about. “Were you attached to the human?”

  Laney was a little taken aback by his question. But then she thought about that. Was she attached? Not really. Sasha was a horrible roommate. She ate all of Laney’s food, never did her part of the chores, and stole money out of Laney’s secret savings jar to blow at the clubs and in the slot machines. No, she wasn’t attached. But Sasha was still a human being and deserved better than being left to rot in their apartment. In answer to his question, she only said, “I can’t just leave her here. It’s not right.”

  “We don’t have time to hide the body, but I can toss it outside if you’d like so it doesn’t stink up your apartment.”

  Laney could do nothing but stare. How could he be so cold? So unfeeling?

  She watched as he set the animals down. Picking Sasha up with one hand gripped in the neck of her coat, he dragged her over to the window, opened it wide, and tossed her body down into the courtyard. Laney slapped her hand over her mouth to muffle her cries as he slammed the window shut, locked it, and picked up the animals again.

  “Shoes,” he said. When she didn’t move, he ordered, “Now.”

  Laney stumbled into her room and dropped to her knees in her closet. Through tear-filled eyes, she searched for her Nikes, finally finding them in the back corner where she’d tossed them. Once she had socks and shoes on, she grabbed her slouchy backpack that substituted for a purse and threw a few extra things in it. Then she went to the nightstand and opened the drawer. She stared at the small book lying there with her heart in her throat, then grabbed it and shoved it into her bag.

  The vampire was waiting patiently by the door.

  “I need stuff for Fraidy. The cat,” she clarified when he gave her a quizzical look. Maybe she could find something to stake him with while she was in the kitchen.

  “No need,” he said, picking something up off the floor without dropping the animals. When he straightened, he had Fraidy’s food bag in one and the litter in the other. “Let’s go. I’ve waited long enough for you.”

  “You could always leave me here,” she tried. “Find someone else to drive you. Lots of people around here have cars.”

  He gave her that chilling smile. “No chance, little mouse. Now, come.”

  Laney took one last look around her apartment. Somehow, she had the feeling that this was the last time she would see her home.

  Chapter 7

  Dante followed the woman down the stairs and out to her car, still carrying the animals. He had to dodge the drops of saliva that fell from the dog’s tongue hanging happily out of the side of its mouth. Its new feline friend drooped over his other arm like a dishrag, purring with contentment to be coming along for the ride.

  How had he, the oldest vampire he knew to still survive, come to this?

  Dante eyeballed the Dumpster on the right side of the parking lot. He could dump these furballs and be back to his little mouse before she even realized he’d left her. Little mouse, he mused. Not really an appropriate name for the human. She was more like a mink, with her agile little body and snapping teeth.

  Yet, he couldn’t help but admire the way she boldly stood up to him despite the fact that he could smell the stench of her fear. Even when he’d told her, quite honestly, that he planned to kill her, she’d barely flinched. Only her heart had betrayed what she was feeling, skipping a few beats before picking up its cadence again, twice as fast as normal. He could still hear it pounding beneath the fragile protection of her ribcage.

  A door lock beeped open as they approached an older black Subaru parked between two newer cars not far from her stairway. It didn’t surprise him that she would own something with all-wheel drive, considering where he’d found her. Glancing in the back, he saw a Styrofoam cooler on the floor and an old, faded comforter with obnoxious blue flowers folded up on the seat. The blanket would be sufficient to protect him if an emergency arose and they couldn’t stop at a hotel.

  Looking back toward the stairway, Dante frowned, thinking about her walking that far from her car to her home, a woman all alone in this neighborhood. Then again, what the fuck did he care? Yet, in spite of his attempt to remain indifferent, it continued to gnaw at him. “You should live in a better neighborhood if you’re going to live in an apartment.”

  She jumped at the sound of his voice directly behind her. Her eyes locked on his, and he recognized the glimmer of guilt. She’d been searching for a way to get away from him.

  Run away, little mouse. I fucking dare you.

  But rather than the satisfaction he normally felt at striking fear into the hearts of all those he came across, a heavy weight had settled deep within his chest knowing this tiny fighter was that afraid of him. It pressed down on his lungs, and his confusion quickly turned to inexplicable anger. “Open the fucking door.” He pointed with his chin at the back driver’s side door.

  She reached for the door handle and hesitated. He could practically see the wheels spinning in her pretty head. A feral growl rose from his throat, a warning not to fuck with him further that she would do well to heed. Lucky for her, she did. Keeping her eyes averted, she opened the door. Dante deposited the animals on the seat and shut it again. He didn’t take his attention off her the entire time. She would soon learn there was very little that escaped his notice.

  The female swallowed hard, drawing his notice to the unmarred skin of her throat exposed by the ponytail. Noting the direction of his stare, she raised her hand to hide her fluttering pulse from his gaze.

  “You think that will stop me, little mouse?” To prove his point, he lifted her off the ground and spun her around, slamming her back up against the car. His arms had automatically gone around her to take the brunt of the hit, which was a good thing as he may or may not just have left a few dents in her ride. One hand pulled her hips up tight against him while the other tangled in her hair and yanked her head to the side, stretching the smooth skin taught, revealing the blue veins beneath. It had all happened in less than a second’s time, and her hands automatically fell to his shoulders and squeezed. She made a small, frightened sound and hung on tight.

  As if I would ever drop such a delectable meal as her.

  He skimmed one extended fang along that throbbing pulse while inhaling her unusual scent—a mouth-watering scent. “Nothing will stop me if I want you,” he rasped in her ear. “It’s best you understand that right now.” He heard the staccato rhythm of her heartbeat. The sour smell of her fear, though still faint, was now overpowered by the earthy musk of her desire.

  Dante growled low in his throat at this unexpected surprise. Her mind may fear him, but her body didn’t. Her body liked the way he owned her.

  Pressing the sharp tip of one fang through the soft layer of her skin, he drew a single drop of blood. His tongue flicked out to taste it, catching it before it could run down and stain her clothes. She began to tremble in his arms, pushing him away and pulling him closer at the same time. A low groan escaped him as his sex responded to the feel of her. Her fear intrigued him, but not as much as her taste. This human’s blood was like none other he’d had before, and Dante had fed from thousands of humans in his lifetime.

  Desire rose swiftly within him. Desire to claim her. To tame the wildness within this tiny creature. With a discreet glance around to make sure they hadn’t garnered any unwanted attention, he reared his head back and struck hard. The woman cried out, and he covered her mouth to muffle the sound.

  With the first pull on her vein, his eyes rolled back in his head. The fantasy of her on her knees before him came out of nowhere to dance behind his closed eyelids. Only this time, her nightshirt was torn open, her breasts exposed to him. And her eyes were not afraid, but filled with the heat of her willing submission. Dante groaned again, and sucked harder, drawing the warm ambrosia into his starving body. It flowed down his throat, hit his stomach, and spread through his body like hell’s fire, healing him and slaying him all at the same time. He felt alive, truly alive, for the first time in a long time.

  Though it was hard to stop, Dante didn’t take much this time. He needed her alert to drive, and he’d only been making a point. After one last sip, he lapped at the wounds. They would heal momentarily. Pressing his lips to her throat, he inhaled deeply; comforted by the thought that he would be able to find her wherever she went by her scent alone, as long as she didn’t get too far away. The call of her blood to his would always lead him to her.

  Her lithe form felt good against him, and he released her hair but didn’t put her down. He didn’t stop to examine what he was about to do, or why. He only knew he wanted to taste more of her. His hold on her, though it didn’t diminish, changed. One hand slid down from her hips to cup her ass, and the other wrapped around the back of her neck. Dante pressed light kisses to her throat, tasting here and there with a flick of his tongue. Her scent changed even more, becoming something darker, something primitive.

  It came to his notice that she didn’t appear to be breathing, and he pulled back to look down at her. Wide brown eyes stared back, the pupils so large that they were almost as black as his own.

  “What are you doing?” she whispered, drawing his eyes to her lips. For one crazy moment, he was tempted to take her right there on the hood of the car.

  With a sigh of regret, Dante loosened his hold and allowed her to slide down his body until her feet were back on the ground. Lust shot through his body everywhere she touched until he had to grit his teeth against acting upon it. Reaching around her, he opened the driver’s side door. “Get in.”

  She stared up at him for a moment, then slid past him without another word and climbed into the car. Dante shut her door, and then got into the back with the animals. The dog wagged his little tail so hard his entire back end nearly slid off the seat. The cat blinked at him from its spot near the opposite door. Leaning forward, Dante reached an arm around her seat from behind and wrapped his hand around her opposite shoulder. The tiny bones felt so delicate in his large palm, like they would shatter with one small squeeze. She stiffened in the embrace, but didn’t otherwise protest.

  “What’s your name, little mouse?”

  “Laney,” she answered.

  “Laney what?”

  “Laney Moss.”

  Why was that name familiar to him? “Start the car, Laney Moss.” Her hair smelled like lavender and something he couldn’t define off the top of his head. “We’re going on a road trip.” Leaning closer to her ear, he whispered, “It’ll be fun.”

  Her hands shook, but she managed to get the key into the ignition and start the car. Dante noticed she had just over a half tank of gas. Enough to get them a good distance before they had to stop.

  “Why don’t you just take the car yourself,” she asked as she waited for the engine to warm up. “I’d be more than happy to gift it to you. Or call someone to come and get you. Don’t you have a phone?”

  Dante didn’t answer her right away, though he wasn’t sure why. He’d never been ashamed to admit it before. Before the silence became awkward, he said, “I lost my phone.” And never thought to ask to borrow yours. “And I don’t drive. I have others do it for me.”

  “You don’t drive? Or you can’t?”

  He took offense at her snide tone. “I don’t need to,” he said with a sneer. “I have minions like you to take me wherever I want to go. And this way I don’t have to hunt for snacks. My next meal is right here in front of me whenever I feel the urge to take a drink.” He’d said that last part hoping it would shut her up.

  Her mouth slammed shut with an audible click.

  “Now, be a good little mouse and do as I tell you, and maybe you’ll still be alive when we get there.”

  Laney didn’t respond, but he knew he’d gotten to her by the uptick in her rapidly pounding pulse. It sounded loud in his ears.

  “Set the GPS for Seattle,” Dante ordered.

  She did so. And then she took a deep breath and eased out of the parking lot, and out onto the main road.

  They drove in silence with only the robotic voice of the navigation system for company until they got onto US-93. Traffic was light this time of night, and they should make good time. He’d have her stop just past Falls City, if necessary. They could get a hotel in one of those little Idaho towns.

  To keep himself occupied, Dante stewed on his thoughts. He never lessened his vigil, though. From what he’d seen of this one so far, it wouldn’t surprise him if she jumped out of the car while it was fucking moving. And the only one that would get hurt from a stunt like that would be her. Dante had been through things way worse than a measly car crash.

  The first years of his vampire life had been…eye opening, to say the least. The vampire that had created him in his image had also been the one to nearly end him when he’d discovered Dante’s existence. If it hadn’t been for Luukas, he would be nothing but ash in the wind right now. He owed the master vampire everything—his very existence.

  Laney’s voice brought him back to his current situation. “I need to stop.”

  “No.”

  “I need to use the restroom.”

  “You should have gone before we left the house.”

  “I did,” she gritted out. “I’m stopping.”

  In spite of her defiant words, she drove past the next exit, waiting for his permission to stop. “Fine. Get off here,” he said. Turning on her blinker, she exited the freeway.

  Dante could see a rest stop ahead. There was one other car parked in front—a pick-up truck. “Park as far away from that truck as you can.”

  She pulled up right next to it.

  A low growl rumbled in his chest, her flamboyant disobedience lighting him up inside. He needed to do something about this bad habit of hers, now, or he would have to kill her sooner than planned. And that would be a shame. He had plans for this one once he got her home.

  Laney turned off the engine and took off her seatbelt. Giving her shoulder a warning squeeze just hard enough to make her wince, Dante removed his arm. As soon as he did so, she bolted.

  But he had been expecting it. Dante was out of the car and cutting off her escape before she’d made it all the way out of the car. She’d only fucked herself with her little parking stunt, for now she had nowhere to go, stuck between the cars with her open door behind her and him blocking the only way out. “You weren’t going to wait for me?” he asked her sarcastically.

  Her eyes shot daggers at him as she closed her door. “I think I can handle this myself.”

  He told the dog to stay and closed his door as well. “I’m sure. But I’m coming with you anyway.” Taking her by the arm, he started walking toward the ladies’ room with her shuffling along behind him. “You should know,” he said in a casual tone. “By not doing what I told you and parking next to that guy? You just guaranteed his death.”

  Glancing back over his shoulder at her, he smiled to see that his comment had hit home. She picked up her speed until she was walking next to him. “Please don’t hurt them. That person is innocent.”

  “Too late, little mouse. Besides, I need a drink. And I need you alert to drive.”

  She ran out in front of him and he drew to a halt, releasing her arm and looking down at her with a challenging lift to his brow. The woman came up to his chest and was half his mass, and she thought she could physically intimidate him? He’d be amused if he weren’t so irritated with her…and hungry for something other than her blood.

  Placing her small hand on his stomach, she pleaded with her eyes. “Please. I’m asking you not to hurt that person, whoever they are.”

  Her touch burned through his shirt to the skin beneath. “And I care what you want because…?” He trailed off, cocking his head to the side. He was genuinely curious as to what she would come up with as a reason. And he wasn’t disappointed.

  “Because you obviously really want me with you for some reason, or you would have killed me the moment you found me. And if you don’t spare that person, I won’t go with you.”

  “I don’t need your approval to keep you with me. I can make you stay with me.”

  “Yes, you could. But that’s not what you want.”

  Dante narrowed his eyes at her, surprised to find that she was right. He didn’t want to force her to his will. Not with his mind anyway. Or even with physical force. He could think of far more pleasurable ways to bond her to him. A few were popping into his head even now.

  Just then, the door behind her opened and a masculine woman wearing men’s work clothes came out of the restroom, wiping her hands on her pants. Dante zeroed in on her over the top of Laney’s head, his body aching and his throat burning with thirst. He felt Laney’s hand pressing into his gut, but didn’t take his eyes from his prey. The woman glanced up and opened her overly fleshy mouth as if to say something. But upon seeing his fixation on her, she quickly looked away and hurried past, giving them a wide birth. Indecision wracked him, and the fact that he hesitated based solely upon the pleading look on Laney’s face pissed him off.

  In the end, he let the woman go.

  Grabbing Laney’s arm again, he yanked open the door to the ladies’ room and shoved her inside. A quick look around told him the only windows were too high for her to reach. “Hurry it the fuck up,” he practically spit at her. Then he stepped back to wait just outside the door as the pickup peeled out of the parking lot. He heard Laney go into one of the stalls, and for half a second, he considered chasing down the vehicle. Just to prove her wrong.

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