Bittersweet Blood (The Order #1)

Christian smiled briefly. “You’re in no danger here.”


Tara believed him. She didn’t know why, but she did. Sitting back against the pillows, she studied her surroundings. She was in a large spacious bedroom. The furniture simple but luxurious. The bed she sat on, the largest she had ever seen. “Where am I?”

“In my apartment. In the basement beneath the offices.”

“In the basement?” Of course he would live in the basement. Vampires didn’t like the sun, after all. Her brain stopped. She hadn’t allowed the word into her head before. Now she rolled it over in her mind.

Vampire.

It was crazy. She needed to get out of there. But first, she wanted to know how she’d got there.

“How did I get here?”

“You were attacked in the alley after you left here.” He frowned. “Has no one ever told you it’s dangerous to go down dark alleys at night?”

“Actually, yes. You did.” She sighed. “Anyway, it’s your fault.”

He raised an eyebrow. “And you reckon that because…”

“I was angry when I left here. I don’t think too well when I’m angry.”

“Only when you’re angry?” he asked

“Hah, hah.” She scowled. “So how did I get here?”

“I found you unconscious after you’d just been attacked. I scared them off and brought you back here.”

She could see now that he had a rough bandage around one shoulder. “You fought those things?”

He nodded.

“Why did they want me?”

“You were just in the wrong place at the wrong time. Once they’d got a look at you—”

“A sniff more like,” Piers interrupted. He leaned toward her and took a deep breath. “You smell delicious.”

Tara ignored him. “What would have happened if you hadn’t come along?”

Again, it was Piers who spoke. “They would have taken you to some dark, lonely place where they would have played with you for a while. Not long perhaps, though it would have seemed like an age to you, and then, in all probability, they would have eaten you.”

Tara stared at him, trying to determine if he was telling the truth or trying to scare her. She decided a bit of both. “You’re not a very nice person. Did you know that?”

Surprise flashed across his face, and he laughed.

“No, I’m not nice, but there aren’t many people who would have the nerve to tell me that.” He stood and said to Christian, “I’m going to check that everything’s quiet outside. Then I’ll be back to stitch your shoulder.” He nodded in Tara’s direction. “Get rid of her.”

She glowered. “Get rid of me?”

A flicker of humor flashed in Christian’s eyes. “Not permanently, but Piers isn’t comfortable with humans around the Order’s business.”

“The Order?”

“Never mind.”

“You’d have to kill me if you told me, right?” She peered into his face. “Actually, don’t answer that.”

He smiled and turned to Graham, who still sat at the end of the bed. “Graham, why don’t you get us all a drink?”

Graham seemed to shake himself awake. He nodded, got up, and went over to a fridge against the far wall. “Beer okay?”

“Do you have any coke?” Tara asked.

“Sure.” He took the tops off three bottles and brought them over. “Here Boss.” He handed one to Christian, another to Tara. He sat in the seat next to the bed and drank. Tara watched as Christian took a gulp from the bottle.

“You can drink?”

“Yes. It’s actually quite easy. You just lift the bottle to your mouth—”

Graham sniggered. Tara scowled but drank her own coke.

“Is there anyone who can come and pick you up?” Christian asked. “I can send one of the security guys with you, but you might feel happier with someone you know.”

“Maybe. I’ll phone Jamie.”

His eyes sharpened on her. “Jamie?”

“He’s a friend.”

“A boyfriend?”

Suddenly, she remembered that he’d kissed her.

“No, just a friend. My bag—?”

Graham picked it up off the floor and handed it to her. She rummaged around for her cell phone, then glanced at Christian. He raised an eyebrow but turned away to give her at least the illusion of privacy.

Jamie answered straight away. “Where the hell are you?”

“I’m at CR international.” She paused, wondering how to ask this without too much detail and without mentioning she had been wandering down dark alleys. She couldn’t face a lecture just now.

“Tara?”

“Jamie, could you come and pick me up?”

He was silent for a moment. “Why do you need picking up? What have you done now?”

Tara scowled. No way was she mentioning the dark alley. “Er, I fainted again. I’m just feeling a little shaky. I don’t want to go on the train on my own.”

“You fainted. Have you been drinking again?”

She took a deep breath. “No, I haven’t been drinking. I missed lunch, that’s all it is.”

He probably didn’t believe her, but after a moment he sighed. “I’ll pick you up in reception in half an hour.”