3. CATALINA

THREE

catalina

It was too dark out.

My steps thudded in rhythm with my heart. Thump. Thump. Thump. I quickened my pace, trying not to outright break into a sprint.

It was the most dangerous at night. I knew this. The Pale One would pin me down with a shackle-like grip, becoming stiff and unconscious for hours on end. It hadn’t taken me long to deduce that it was because of the sunrise. I’d never been able to break free of him even with him out of commission, so I was no match to one that was awake.

I wish I could have afforded ordering a ride to my new place, and come back in the morning to collect my car.

A gust of wind fluttered my hair backwards and I shivered. It was the city, so it had to be safer, right? But with each step I took toward where I’d parked there were less people. It wasn’t as bustling as it was earlier. The street looked like a ghost town and the floor was damp from the light drizzle that had fallen before nightfall. Another store shut its lights off and I quickened my pace, my steps slapping against the sidewalk. A block more . . .

My heart rate ramped up as I passed a broken street lamp.

I should have spent the money on the ride.

I knew better. All the research I’d done said vampires didn’t go out during daylight, and I’d done a lot of research for my books. Writing romance novels about vampires seemed like the opposite thing I should have done with my debilitating fear of them, but the words just spilled out and I soon learned that creating them as sweet, obsessive heroes worked to calm the overwhelming fear I grappled with. Had it developed into some weird as fuck sexual fantasy? Sure had, but it wasn’t like I was seeking them out to fuck them.

I was just writing about fucking them.

The tip of my heel wedged into a crevice, and I caught myself before face-planting. Son of a bitch, they better not be scuffed, but I couldn’t stop to check.

I was almost to the parking lot. Just a little farther, through the brick lined alley...

A heavy thud stopped me in my tracks and I clung to the side of the apartment building. Stillness was key. The possibility of it being vampires was astronomically low, I couldn’t be that unlucky, right?

Better safe than sorry. If it wasn’t a vampire, then whatever it was would pass by me as if I wasn’t there, and as long as I showed no reaction—even if it was a vampire—then they’d think I was a clueless human.

Either way, I could not run.

They liked it when you ran. I learned that the hard way and my neck remembered it clearly. I pressed my lips together as my pussy tightened at the possibility of being brought down by fangs.

Not a new thing for me. Fuck.

I’d embraced the perverted mindset I’d developed since it was the only way I got off... imagining the Pale One’s bite.

But actually doing something with a vampire was a line I refused to cross.. .

Was it really?

Shut the fuck up, brain. Totally not the time.

My jaw clenched as I flattened against the building. Rubbing against the brick would so not be good for the cashmere.

The thud of my pulse against my throat fluttered like hummingbird wings. I inched forward a few steps to round into the alley I had to pass to get to my vehicle. Movement called my attention to the crevice between the buildings. A hiss floated to me and my breathing hitched.

That sound . . . familiar and terrifying.

My heart thundered as my chest reached the pinnacle of tension—lungs squeezing painfully. My hand shook as I buried my fingers into my rose-colored purse. It took a bit of tugging, but I eventually popped my inhaler free. With my thumb, I pushed the cap off and pressed the mouth bit to my lips. Applying pressure to the tip, the medication puffed into my mouth and I inhaled it into my lungs. The tension in my chest eased and I dropped my shoulders as the medicine worked through my body, offering me relief. The ache at my temples subsided.

Stress-induced asthma . . . another little gift the Pale One had left me with—other than life-long trauma and a fucked up sexual kink. Now that I would not pass out, I stuffed the inhaler back inside and gripped the wooden, metal tipped stake and clutched it to my chest.

A soft glow of the lamp over the door illuminated the spectacle. A man was hunched over another. They grappled, rolled, and twisted. A bald guy got the other one down and his head lowered as he struck.

Vampire.

I needed to run the opposite direction, but I couldn’t move my legs.

My stomach tightened and heat spread down my limbs. Fangs... blood. I bit my lip to stop my whimper.

It was pure agony. The feeling of my throat being torn, the tug and tear just as hurtful. Agony.

But why did I crave it?

A shouted curse tore me free from my thoughts. The bald vampire tore into the man’s shoulder. I knew how agonizing that was. Blood sprayed across the cement. He would kill him while I watched.

No.

With my hand around the only weapon I carried, I burst forward, my heels slapping against the concrete.

The vampire turned at the last moment, hissing, and my aim was off, slamming closer to his shoulder than his heart. His eyes slitted and he lashed out, causing me to teeter on my heels and fall to my ass with a yelp. God, this was it, I was done for. I put my hands up to protect my face except he didn’t touch me. There was a scuffle, so I peeked between my fingers.

The man that had been flat on the ground was now behind the vampire, pinning him down. He slammed the stake into his heart with ease and jerked it to the side. Blood leaked across his chest in a line.

The vampire froze.

“You Crimson fucker.” That was the last thing he shouted before he slumped. My eyes widened and I gaped, struggling to wrap my head around the deteriorating body.

Stakes really worked. I was still gawking as the bitten man fell to his side, avoiding falling on the rotting vampire. I crawled over to him, leaning over his face. Disheveled hair fell across his eyebrows, the tips grazing his closed eyelids.

The fibers of his dress shirt split where the vampire dragged his fangs. Blood drenched his throat in a gash leading to his shoulder ... It didn’t seem like the vampire tried to feed on him. It looked like he’d tried to maul him.

I blinked and met gray pain-filled eyes. The sharp angles of his face hollowed his features.

“We have to go,” I breathed and grabbed his arm. I was what many would call sturdy. Taller than average and bottom heavy, but his height sent me stumbling to the side. Pressing my heel into the concrete, I caught my balance, wincing at the weight and the pinch in my ankle. With my lips tight, I half-dragged, half-guided him to my van. It felt like forever, but the distance was no farther than fifteen yards. “Do you have anyone I can call for you, or do you need to go to the hospital? You feel dangerously cold.” Blood stained his face, but the ravaged collar of his sweater covered the actual bite marks.

His lips parted on a heavy, frustrated-sounding exhale.

I gasped and recoiled, but his cool hand lashed out and wrapped around my wrist. Ice spiked through my veins, and I froze in place.

All the blood wasn’t what struck me, nope, it was the fangs. He was a vampire. I sucked in a trembling breath, attempting to yank out of his stiff grip. He braced his side up with my van, not giving an inch off my wrist.

“I won’t hurt you.” His whisper was ragged and accented.

My chest tightened and it became difficult to suck in a breath. Spots danced in front of my eyes. I’d saved a vampire. This was surreal, there was no way fate was this cruel. My hand shook as I dug into my bag and clawed for my inhaler.

I shouldn’t have fucking tested lady luck with all that bullshit about “not having that bad of luck.”

“Girl.” The English tone came as if from far away and the world tilted, blurring my sight. As I hit the cement, pain shot through my body, shocking me back to the present. Something cushioned me and my inhaler pressed to my mouth. “How does this work...” The vampire was talking to himself.

I inhaled instinctively at the puff and my lungs throbbed as they sucked in the medicine. My blurred sight warbled. Blinking quickly, I couldn’t believe the vampire leaned over me, eyebrows furrowed as he took in my features.

The vampire dropped the hand painstakingly holding my inhaler and slumped against my van. Energy worked its way back through my system. What a shit time to have an attack. My palms pressed into the ground as I pushed myself to a sitting position, preparing to bounce to my feet and take off. His fingers remained locked around my wrist and no matter how much I tugged, he wouldn’t release it.

My gaze dropped to his furrowed dark eyebrows, and I hesitated.

This was a vampire and although I had questionable, physical attractions to the idea of them, it didn’t erase their danger. His hair fluttered in the wind as his gaze sharpened, his fangs hinting from between his lips.

His pain-filled eyes . . . the wounded look—hopeless. He had helped me . . .

Too fucking bad. Vampire business was not my business, and the last thing my outfit needed was more abuse.

Except he wouldn’t loosen his grip.

“They are coming.”

Who was coming? More vampires? My gaze dropped to the remnant undead powder smeared on his shoe. One vampire opposed to multiple . . .

My legs moved before my thought finished, and I hooked my arm around his narrow waist and pulled his arm over my shoulders. He wasn’t going to let me go, so he was coming with me, and now that I knew stakes killed vampires, my heel would do nicely.

“I-if you bite me. I’ll kill you,” I spat out in the most aggressive tone I could muster. All bravado, but he didn’t know I was happily a wimp.

I had to use every muscle I owned and dug my heels into the ground. Heaving, sweat beaded at my forehead.

“I will not harm you,” he slurred and lifted my inhaler. I plucked it from him and stuffed it into my purse.

My purse remained hooked over my shoulder and I reached inside, pressing the button of my key to unlock it. My beat-up van beeped, and I jerked open the creaky back door. There were no back seats, which I was glad for in this instance.

The vampire weaved and fell inside, slumping with his head on the back of the passenger seat headrest. He was out for the count. I huffed, glaring at his large body. This was not the way I expected my first night to go.

Tears pressed against the back of my eyes, and I sucked in a shallow breath.

This sucked ass.

Gripping him around his back, I tugged but was unsuccessful in budging him, so instead, I nudged and shuffled him until he thumped flat. What was I thinking putting a vampire in my space? They were evil, cruel monsters. They only used. I’d witnessed it firsthand.

After crawling into the back of the minivan, I hooked my hands under his oversized lean torso and pulled. Okay, finally some progress. I yanked until I couldn’t anymore and then reached over his body to haul his long ass freaking legs into the vehicle to slam the doors shut.

I lowered to the floor, peeking through the window to see if anyone ran after us. With one look at the still vamp, I reached for my heel. I could do this. Killing one should be easy, right?

His head lifted and I froze at his nose grazing my belly and inching near my thigh. I sucked in a breath and pressed my spine into the back of the seat.

The vampire moaned. “You smell good.”

The vampire shook his head, squeezing his eyes shut and groaning. That wasn’t what concerned me, it was the answering throb at my core wanting more of his praise.

“I apologize.” His eyebrows lowered on his forehead.

“You need to leave.” I couldn’t believe myself; I should be driving my heel into his heart. Or at the very least, propping that door open and kicking him out, but I couldn’t move.

I fisted my hands. My brain cells had apparently taken a trip, or more accurately, my questionable sexual appetite had taken the wheel.

His eyes slid shut and he stilled preternaturally. Was he about to decompose? That would destroy my flooring. I whimpered and nudged him with my toe, but there was no response.

“Hey,” I said, urgency in my tone.

Still nothing.

This was my chance; I could shove him out of the van and go home. I rubbed my palm across my forehead while eyeing the door handle and then the heel in my hand.

He hadn’t attacked me . . .

So what? I waited until he got better and asked him for a little fang action? No, that was stupid. I needed to screw my head on straight so I could get back home and write out all these vampire fantasies, because that was what they were—fiction.

I groaned, rubbing my face. No, he hadn’t attacked me, and he’d helped me when I was about to pass out. He could have done whatever he wanted as soon as I was unconscious, but he didn’t.

My teeth sank into my lower lip.

There was a field close by. I’d drop him there and then he could figure it out, after all, he was a vampire. I chewed my lip as I pushed my fingers through my hair.

His lips were slightly parted and a fang flashed... he probably needed blood to replenish his strength or whatever. He hadn’t killed me, what if he could tell me some more ways to avoid his kind?

No, no. That was a too-stupid-to-live move. His fangs flashed. My mouth watered and I pressed my knees together. I couldn’t help the moisture leaking from my core.

Running my hand over my ponytail, I groaned. Bad idea .

But maybe if I gave myself a little taste of the forbidden, I could get over these odd sexual fantasies. It could remind me of how awful being bitten had been while I’d been under the control of that other one.

Oh fuck. I gripped my heel harder and poised it over his chest. I could do this. Killing something never crossed my mind, but it wasn’t bad right, he’d turn to dust, I wouldn’t have to go and try to hide the body.

Rolling up my sleeves so I didn’t get undead dust on them, I lifted the weapon over his heart, eyes squeezed shut. His large hand suddenly lashed out to wrap around my forearm and his mouth pressed to my pulse. Not again. I choked on a cry that cut off as his teeth sank into my skin. Warmth bloomed down my arm and my fingers slackened, the heel thudding on the floor. The vampire’s nose twitched, and both his hands lashed around my wrist.

The sharp stab sucked the breath from my body, my skin came alive with electrifying need. My eyelids fluttered as a throb clenched through my core. What was this? This wasn’t how being bitten had felt. The pulse in my wrist bounced, and my breathing hiccupped as a gush of wetness spread between my legs. This was wrong . He was a vampire and they were evil, even if this one had a sinful bite.

I tried to pull away, but he clamped my forearm with both hands, keeping me still. Fear chased away the sudden rush of lust and the hair raised on my arms as I was dragged back to the dark, dank cave where there was only pain.

I was about to die.

The panicked thought ripped me from the dark space.

My lip trembled and I shoved at his face with my free hand, but I may as well have been a feather with how little he budged. His tongue laved the area he’d impaled and then he sucked . I gasped as a strike of need blanketed my skin. My nipples pebbled and my eyelids fluttered. Bites didn’t feel like this. They hurt. They’d never released a rush of pleasure throughout my body before. It wasn’t supposed to be how I’d written them in my books.

I whimpered when he sucked again, a low throb building at my clit.

The vampire’s eyes remained shut and his hand skimmed down my arm, holding me steady with one hand as his other palmed his erection. The rip of his slacks caused heat to flush to my face as his cock sprang out.

My lips parted at the long thick arousal, and a bead of moisture topped the ridged, veiny cock.

My clit pulsed and I rolled my lips into my mouth. The graze of his fangs shouldn’t have me on the verge of combustion. His mouth was extremely soft. My heart raced, but it skipped a beat as his tongue brushed my flesh. This was absolute madness.

“Vampire,” I shouted, in a last ditch effort to stop him from making me lose myself, but he didn’t even twitch. The brown lashes rested across his sharp cheekbones, he looked around my age, baby face and all.

Licking my lips, I leaned forward and pressed my thumb to his cheekbone since I could not wrap my hand around his jaw with his size, but he didn’t release my wrist. He dragged in another pull of my blood, wrenching a moan from my lips.

I couldn’t tear my eyes away as he wrapped his fingers around himself and jerked his dick with hard tugs. Once. Twice. The lighting must be playing with me because there was no way it could be that big. A whimper escaped my lips as I squeezed my thighs together.

He was fucking sexy. The mar of concentration to his eyebrow and his slitted eyelids riveted me.

His warm tongue lapped at the punctures in my wrist. My mouth dried and air hissed between my teeth when he used his grip on my arm and pulled, jerking me toward him. I grunted as I landed on him, our heaving chests pressed together. He gripped me at the back of my neck, sending a rush of wetness to my pussy. Roughly guiding my mouth to his, his tongue speared into my mouth, leaving a copper taste in its wake.

I didn’t have time to fixate on that as he lapped the inside of my mouth. Groaning, I sank into him, fusing my lips to his in desperation. His dick dug into my leg, hard and insistent. His fingers pressed into my hips, and he jostled under me, lifting his knee slightly. My legs parted to straddle his thigh.

I gasped at the pressure on my clit and ground down on the hard muscle. Strikes of electricity shivered down my spine, my hips helplessly twitching to grind on him.

His tongue flicked into my mouth and his kiss had me aching for more.

This wasn’t right, he wasn’t human. I fisted my hands and jerked back, and he did the same, both of us panting hard. Inching backward until my spine hit the seat, I dropped my head into my hands, shaking. This was wrong. Vampires were monsters and fangs were supposed to hurt.

The only sound in the vehicle was my breathing. A vice wrapped around my chest.

“I’ve never fed directly from the vein.” His voice was low and ragged. Despite myself, I forced my attention to him. He grimaced, and zipped his still hard cock back in his pants, then dragged himself up. I didn’t care for an explanation, it did nothing to rewind time nor did it abate the trembling of my body. How could it have felt so incredibly different from before? “God, you’re delicious.”

His gaze dropped to where I pressed my palm over the leaking punctures. They were smaller than earlier, which told me they were healing.

“Eyes up here,” I squeaked, jerking my arm to my chest. The vampire shook his head, squeezing his eyes tightly and then opening them a little slower.

“My head.” He groaned, lifting a palm to his temple.

A screech assaulted my ears and a car careened to a halt beside mine.

“Jax,” the vampire said with a frown and swayed, falling to the side. A flash of movement and then my door was wrenched wide.

The guy was taller than the one I’d saved, which I’d thought impossible, and that was the only observation I made as he lunged for me. Scuttling back, I couldn’t avoid his hold. He gripped my ankle and dragged me, my leg burned across the rug as he manhandled me until I faced him. No, not again. My pulse sped up and my breathing hitched.

He held me by my shirt bunched tightly in his fists to where the collar dug into the back of my neck. He stared into my eyes.

“What did you do to Tobias?”

I swallowed hard and shook my head as the words stuck inside my throat. It was getting harder to breathe. His grip tightened and I didn’t know how I mustered the strength to speak.

“I didn’t do anything to him. I was just helping him, I swear,” I whimpered. “Please let me go.” I stifled my cringe. These creatures brought the weak out of me.

I should have run.

The vampire’s brows furrowed and eyes slitted. This one breathed cold aggression.

“Forget what you saw here tonight. Everything.” He dropped me on my ass, and I winced, but otherwise stilled as I sucked in a lungful of air. He leaned forward. “Sleep.”

I blinked hard, tears gathering as I hugged my knees to my chest. A fist constricted around my lungs in a vice-like grip. I couldn’t hold it in anymore. Reaching into my bag with a shaky hand, I desperately clawed at the inhaler and brought it to my lips.

His nostrils flared and he stilled as he watched me, but I didn’t have the time to pay attention with my focus on my medication.

I trembled so hard I was surprised the van didn’t shake. What was he doing? The demonic look on his face—lowered brows, sneering lips... Evil. My bottom lip trembled as he peered into my face with his intense blue eyes.

“Why isn’t it working?” His fist slammed into my door, denting the metal.

“W-what?” I shouted frantically and cringed back. This one would kill me. I wouldn’t see Peter any more. This was it.

“Sleep,” he hissed, peering into my eyes. He had me so confused, what was happening? I dropped the inhaler back in my bag and hugged it to my chest like I could block him from looking at me.

My lips parted on a gasp and my shakes worsened. I was about to just drop and play possum, but he hoisted me into his arms, banding them around me.

I kicked and screamed, but as hard as I fought, he didn’t budge.