Retribution

chapter SIXTEEN

Denver turned over, swiped out her hand and felt the cold bed beside her. Her heart sank. She’d hoped Reed was there. He’d been gone for hours and she wondered if he’d ever come back. Had she angered him so badly that he’d abandoned her? She sat up, and there he was. His body slumped in the chair near the window. His head tilted against the back of the chair. She scanned him from head to toe. Something was different, off. She sniffed the air and remnants of old blood assailed her nostrils.

Her gaze settled on his chest. His respirations were rapid, unsettled. She could see the vein pulse in his neck. How fast did his heart beat? Was he in distress? Was he dreaming? She sat up, pulled her knees to her chest and wrapped her arms around them. Slowly rocking her body, she watched him, not being able to take her gaze away. He was so far under she didn’t think an atomic bomb could wake him. What happened those long hours he’d been gone? Where had he gone? What had he done? Nothing made sense. An uneasiness punched her in her stomach. Something was wrong.

She watched him for three hours. The sun in the sky lowered behind the buildings, casting shadows of dancing figures on the wall. Only then did he relax. She swiped at the tears pooling in the corner of her eye.

“Don’t.”

She jumped at his voice. He opened his eyes, blew out a breath. Damn, she’d done it again. She’d become an insult to him. Not what she wanted. He raised his gaze, stared into her eyes. But he didn’t speak.

“I thought you’d left me.” She scooted to the edge of the bed. “You were gone a long time.”

“I thought you’d be gone.”

She shrugged a shoulder and looked beyond him to the window. She’d thought she’d be gone too, but no matter what her mind said, her heart said something else. She couldn’t leave him before the battle was over, not until he had some peace.

She started to push off the bed and he said, “No. Stay where you are.”

“What happened to you?”

“Nothing.”

“Reed.” She stood, ignored his annoyance that she was coming toward him and cupped his face with her hands, turning them from side to side. She watched him as he closed his eyes and for a brief second rubbed his cheek against her hand before he tensed under her touch. “You have bruises you didn’t have before. You smell different.”

“Nothing happened. Got mugged, that’s all.”

“Oh, my God. Are you all right?”

“I’m fine.”

But she knew different. He was lying. However, she couldn’t put her finger on it. Something major had happened, something more than a mere fight. He was wound as tight as a wire. “Where’d you go?” She went back to the previous question, knowing he wasn’t going to answer and she probably would never know what transpired the last hours of his life. He’d never know how much it hurt to be left out.

Reed stood, walked over to the little refrigerator and pulled out a fresh jar of blood. Her stomach revolted, twisted and turned at the sight of the liquid crimson colored gold. It hadn’t done that since the beginning. She craved Reed’s. She pushed past him and entered the bathroom, closing the door behind her. Dropping to her knees, she let the clenching in her stomach take control and emptied herself. Too weak to get up, too raw to care, she lay on the floor and allowed the tears fighting for release to silently escape.

A minute passed and a blessedly cool hand touched her forehead. Reed slid his arms under her body and lifted her from the floor.

“Leave me alone.”

“Not on your life.” He cradled her to his body. “Now be still,” he whispered when she began to squirm. “I only wanted to help, let you know it was going to be okay.”

She burrowed closer to him, hiccupped a sob and wrapped her arms around his neck. He placed her on the bed, crawled in beside her and pulled her to him. “Rest now. For a little bit.”

She hated the betrayal of her body, but she allowed him to pull her to him, allowed him to bury his face at the crook of her neck and inhale her scent. She relaxed into him, exhaled and closed her eyes. Maybe just for a little bit.

“Reed.”

“Hum.”

“Do we have a plan for tonight? Are we going out?” She hated that her voice wavered. Maybe she was more tired than she thought. Maybe she just needed to rest. Reed opened his eyes, stared down into her moisture filled ones. He swiped his thumb at the corner of her eye, capturing a tear. Reed didn’t answer for a long time, but only raised a questioning eyebrow. “Yes, Reed. Do we have a plan?”

“I didn’t know there was still a we.” He stroked a hand down her back, sending a wave of heated desire to her core. She closed her eyes and tried to still the urge to cuddle closer to him.

“I won’t fight you to stay. Can’t. Only you know what’s best for you. Only you.”

His words cut deep. She knew it wasn’t what he believed. She knew she was lying to herself as well. For once, she wished he would fight for her to stay. He did know what she needed. She’d needed him from the beginning and she’d need him until the end. She fought to find her voice in a throat that was suddenly dry and tight.

“I won’t leave until this fight is over,” she said finally after the silence had dragged on for several seconds. She could give him that.

“Thank you, but I won’t ask you to and yeah, I’m working on something. Now get some sleep and then we’ll talk.”

With that she closed her eyes, reveled in the feel of his arms wrapped around her body and slid into sleep.

* * *

Reed tugged on his shoes, grabbed the gun and tucked it in the back of his pants.

“If we aren’t going to bring havoc, then why the gun, and the bombs?”

“Security.”

Denver turned from the window. She’d been staring down toward the street for several minutes. She wasn’t sure if she liked Reed’s idea of casing the warehouse and following the leader back to his home. What was the point of that, anyway?

“What makes you think they’ll come back to the same place? Won’t they be waiting for us?”

“It’s a hunch and no. They think I’m too stupid a species to actually think to return after what we did.”

She turned her gaze on him, studied him. “You’re not stupid.” Her tone was petulant, even to her, but he had to understand. This wasn’t about him. It was about these men who thought they were God, thought they needed to control life.

The corner of his mouth curved into a smile. “So you’re defending me now.”

She turned her back to him, stared out the window.

“You don’t have to go if you don’t want to.”

“I have to.”

“I won’t ask you to.”

“I know.”

“You haven’t fed. It’s going to be a long night.”

She glanced over toward the refrigerator where he’d placed the jar of blood. No, she hadn’t, but it wasn’t appealing to her. It probably wouldn’t be for years to come.

“I’ll be okay.”

“Well then, if you’re ready.” Reed held the door open until she passed through, then pulled it tightly shut, the lock clicking into place the only sound in the deserted hallway.

She looked up and down the hallway. Remnants of old garbage wafted through the air and assailed her senses. God, she’d be glad when they were out of that dive and onto something more suitable, more pleasant. Her heart sank at the thought of not having Reed around, not hearing his voice, feeling his touch, tasting his… She shook her head at the thoughts, knowing that would never pass again.

Silently they drove beyond the out stretches of town. An hour later the warehouse was in the horizon. Reed drove the car over onto the shoulder and pulled to a halt. “We’ll walk from here.”

“Not a good idea to leave the car out in the open, don’t you think?”

“I want them to know we’re here.”

She paused as she opened the car door, stared at him.

“I want them to be as aware of us as we are of them. I’m not running anymore I’m tired of it all. It’s their turn.”

She pushed out, closed the door behind her. “And what do we do after we follow him home?”

“Havoc.”

She nodded, a smile lifted the corners of her mouth.

“How do you know they’re in there?” She asked as they moved toward the building.

“I know.” Reed tilted his head and sniffed the air as if seeking his mate. “There are two men, one female.”

“A woman?” Should she be concerned?

“Don’t let it disturb you.” Reed answered her unasked question as if he’d read her mind. “She’s not innocent.”

“How the hell do you know that?” She stopped, whirled around, her mind floating back to Laura. Beaten. Tortured. Murdered.

“Hatred and evil are rancid on my palette.”

“And love and happiness?” She asked as she stared into his dark eyes.

Reed snickered, “Soft and pleasant, sweet.”

She wondered what scents emanated from her. She knew what she did to his body, how her taste affected him, but what of her scent?

“Your taste is like pure ambrosia. It pulses my blood.” He touched her cheek with his fingertips, slid them along the jaw line. “Your scent.” He closed his eyes, leaned to where his nose was at the base of her neck and inhaled. “Your scent is pure honey, mixed with something wild and free.”

His voice, the way he touched her face, all of it sent a surge of need straight through her body, clenched her gut, curled her toes. She looked away, embarrassed that heat flushed her face. She wondered if her cheeks were as red as they were hot.

Reed straightened, settled his gaze on the building and started walking. The muscle in his jaw twitched. She lifted a shoulder, set her gaze on the trees and followed him.

* * *

He didn’t know what he’d been thinking. The last thing he should have done was lean into her and inhale her scent. Immediately her presence shot through his body, lengthened and thickened his shaft. His pants were now too tight and more uncomfortable than ever. Damn. He glanced over his shoulder, slowed his pace. Did she know how she made him feel, what she did to his body? Surely she did.

She was lagging behind as if she wasn’t sure she wanted to be there, with him, on this mission. He wasn’t sure if he wanted to be there either. The earlier drive to bring retribution for his brother’s and Laura’s death was no longer pressing on his heart. Yes, they needed to be brought to justice, but to kill them, now he wondered if that wouldn’t make him just as low as the enemy. If he could bring justice, that would have to be enough, should be enough.

He stopped, grabbed Denver by the arm and pulled her flush to his body and behind a huge tree. He pointed to the two men standing next to a clump of trees to their right. He’d missed them, not sure why. They were possibly downwind to the others making it hard to scent them.

“Wait here.”

“Not on your life.” She tugged her arm free. “Together, right.”

He nodded. “You think you can take one out.”

She smiled and it was devilish. “Don’t kill him.”

“Why not?”

“It’ll mess up my plan.”

She didn’t answer, just stared in the direction of the men. “Why don’t you wait here and let me have some fun.”

He propped his hip against the tree, folded his arms across his chest and nodded. “Don’t get hurt.”

“Not on your life.”

Denver shot through the trees, zigzagging, leaping over fallen branches and skirting past short bushes. A smile tugged the corners of his mouth, loving how her body looked as the sheen of sweat glistened her skin. When she let her vamp free it was glorious. He straightened when he heard a yelp, then a thud. He moved in the direction of Denver. Her scent now imbedded in his mind. Another smell, fear, fractured the air and he knew it was her assailants.

He stopped short of the clearing. Shook his head in disbelief. Denver was tying the last of the two men to a tree. The first, his arms pulled tight around the base, were secured with the small rope she’d tucked in her pockets. His mouth taped shut. His eyes were wild with fear, and anger.

The second man, stirred, his gaze jetting back and forth from Denver to him. He opened his mouth to scream and Denver stuffed a cloth in it.

“Well, what do you have here?” Reed walked up to the men, reached out to touch and laughed when they started squirming against the restraints. “They’ll only get tighter.”

They both stilled at his words.

“So what do you plan to do with them?” He glanced toward Denver.

“I was thinking they’d make a nice dinner.”

He glanced at his watch. “Maybe breakfast.”

“Ahh, it is kind of late, isn’t it?” Denver leaned toward the second man, licked the side of his face and then coughed as if it tasted foul. Reed pulled out a knife. Moved over to the second man and placed it under his chin. “I’m going to remove the gag. If you so much as burp, I’ll gut you were you stand.”

Before he could reach up, the first man kicked out, hit Denver in the leg. She went down on one knee, swore and leaped toward the man. She grabbed him by his hair, pulled his head to the side and slowly licked her lips. “I was going to wait, maybe even let you go but since you don’t know how to play--” She smiled at him, let her incisors protract and leaned toward the man.

Reed looked away as her teeth sunk into his flesh, as the groan escaped the man’s throat. He kicked out, thrashed and then fainted.

“Well, damn, Denver.” Reed laughed. “You said you weren’t gonna turn him.”

“It’s a woman’s prerogative to change her mind.” She straightened, turned toward the other man and licked the tiny drop of blood from her lips. She’d barely broken the skin before he fainted. It was a shame they didn’t even know the physics of vampirism.

“You did him quick. How long do you think before he comes back?”

She glanced up at the sky. “Oh, I don’t know. Maybe by dinner time tonight for sure.” She took a step toward the other man. “I wonder what you taste like.” She ran her hand across his face, tapped her fingers at the pulse in his neck.

The man closed his eyes, twisted and turned his body in a futile attempt to get away. She grabbed his face, stilled it and tilted her face to the crook of his neck. He groaned, and tears fell from his eyes.

“Oh looky, Reed.” She motioned toward the wet spot staining the front of the man’s pants and trailing down his leg. “I think he relieved himself.”

“Tsk, tsk, tsk. What a shame.” He calmed his voice. “Now, if you’re ready to answer some questions, I might be able to convince my little nymph here to not turn you into one of her siblings.”

The man nodded, diverted his gaze from Reed and stared at Denver. Reed touched his face, turned it to face him. “Trust me, she really isn’t the one you need to worry about.”

He reached up, untied the gag and handed it to Denver. The man gulped air as if it were his last. “Is Schemellie inside?”

Reed laughed at the man’s expression. He was shocked that he knew their leader’s name. The man jerked a nod.

“How many more?”

The man didn’t answer.

Denver took a step toward him. He cut his gaze to her, tears welling in his eyes. Again she reached out and he shook his head, rapidly.

“You need to answer me then. She hasn’t fed tonight and I don’t know how long I can hold her off.”

The man glanced at the other man slumped against the tree.

“Oh, him.” He teased. “That wasn’t enough for even an appetizer. She has a ferocious appetite.” He nodded his head toward Denver. “How many more?” he asked again.

“Th-th-three.”

“Good. Names.”

“Angel—Angela and Ja--Ja—Jake and, and—Br--” He shook so bad his teeth rattled. He couldn’t get the words out.

“That’s very good. That’s pretty much all we needed to know. Would you like to be set free?” Reed knew he shouldn’t tease the man, but for the first time since this started, he had the upper hand and damn it felt good.

“Please.” The man whimpered.

“Sorry. Wish I could but--” He glanced over his shoulder at Denver who now stood directly behind him with her hand impatiently tapping his shoulder. “She won’t let me. After all, I did say she was hungry.” Reed stepped to the side and allowed Denver to move directly in front of the man.

“Don’t worry, sweetie.” She licked her lips, smiled and bared her teeth that had yet to retract. “It’ll only hurt for a second.” She leaned in and started laughing when his eyes rolled to the back of his head and he too passed out.

“Sorry.” Denver smiled and it reached her eyes.

“Don’t be. I enjoyed every minute of it,” he said as he cut the man loose, slung him over his shoulder and walked back in the direction of the car.

Denver followed suit, grabbed the second under the arm and dragged him. Minutes later they were secured in the trunk of the car.

“Reed, what are you going to do with them?”

“Have a little more fun.” He turned, stared at the building barely peeking through the trees.

“You do know they will probably kill them thinking I turned them.” Slight regret laced her tone.

“Not your fault. They’re weak and ignorant. If they hadn’t fainted, they would have known. It’s hard to believe they don’t even know or understand what it takes to turn a person.” He hadn’t known many vamps but even he knew there had to be a mixing of blood, the brink of death and then the exchange. He chuckled and turned to her. “Let’s go see what Brian Schemellie is up to.”