Читать книгу Addicted - Lydia Parks - Страница 8

Jake settled onto a stool. “Beer,” he said, nodding at the young man behind the bar who wore a straw cowboy hat with an overly curled brim, a T-shirt with rolled-up sleeves, and low-riding jeans. Colorful tattoos covered his arms and several earrings glistened in each ear. Not quite the cowboy of old.

“What kind?”

“Surprise me.” Jake turned to check out the crowd. The patrons were typical of Santa Fe—a variety of wild haircuts and clothes on semi-drunk twenty-year-olds, older hippies-turned-artists, California film critics, a few local descendants of conquistadors, and some he just couldn’t identify. Still, out of all the places he’d visited in the three days since leaving Katie, Cowgirl’s felt the most comfortable.

He listened to conversations, searching for anything hinting at vampire hunters. This wasn’t really a place he expected to find such conversations, but he wasn’t leaving any stone un-turned. Besides, he liked the smell of cooking ribs, even if he’d pretty much forgotten how they tasted. And it was still too early to find anyone at the Tunnel.

“Beer’s getting warm.”

Jake swung around to the voice and found a young woman sitting on the stool next to his. She wore her reddish brown hair in a braid that fell halfway down her back, and her green eyes sparkled with unusual clarity. Her skin looked as smooth as silk under a sprinkling of freckles.

“I like it warm,” he said.

“Do you?”

He smiled, listening to her heart rate increase.

She wore clothes similar to those of the other patrons—jeans low on her hips, a short, sleeveless shirt that showed off the gold ring in her navel, tight-fitting high-heeled boots, and a black overshirt, long and unbuttoned. But there was something different about her. She didn’t quite fit in, although she seemed to be trying to do so. As he leaned closer, he got a whiff of her scent, and gulped.

She smelled way beyond good. It wasn’t the perfume she wore that hinted at night-blooming flowers, but something about her natural scent that had him practically drooling.

Damnation, she reminded him of Iris.

Jake sat back, working to erase Iris from his thoughts. “You come here often?”

“I think that’s the oldest line in the book.” She leaned forward, trying to get the bartender’s attention.

Jake couldn’t imagine how the young man managed not to notice her.

“I’m older than I look,” he said. “I wrote the book.”

“Oh? And you can’t come up with something more original?” She straightened as the bartender approached. “White wine, please.”

Jake turned to face her squarely, leaned close, and lowered his voice. “You must be the most gorgeous creature that has walked this earth in a hundred years. Your eyes hold the depths of the oceans, and your scent leaves me weak and wanting more.”

She stared at him, then blinked twice. “Wow. That was pretty good. A little over the top, maybe, but still not bad.”

“I meant every word of it, darlin’.”

The young woman narrowed her eyes. “I’m not your darlin’.”

He extended his hand. “Jake.”

She studied his hand for a moment, then took it. “Athena.”

Holding her hand in his, Jake laughed. “Of course, a goddess.”

She blushed, which only enhanced her beauty.

“I meant that as a compliment.” Jake raised her hand to his lips.

Her heart pounded now—he could hear nothing else. She was attracted to him, and knowing that made her all the more enticing.

Jake released her hand as the image of Iris rose in his thoughts again. Not the young, beautiful Iris, standing gloriously naked before him, offering him everything, but the cold, dead, Iris, lying on his bed, beyond his reach. He remembered the pain and sorrow that had overwhelmed him as he lay beside her body for days.

His hands began to shake with a fear he hadn’t felt in decades. It wasn’t the fear of another being or of a beast bent on destruction, but the fear of his own uncontrollable desires.

He stood quickly, pulled a twenty from his pocket and dropped it on the bar, then nodded to Athena. “Have a wonderful life, my dear.”

She watched him leave the bar; he felt her eyes on him as he grabbed his hat, yanked open the door, and hurried out into the courtyard.

Jake pulled on his hat as he marched past tables of partiers, raising glasses and laughing. He suddenly didn’t care what the hell they were saying. He didn’t care if every one of them was hunting him—let them come. He needed a good fight more than he needed to feed.

Past the archway, he turned right, walked quickly down the sidewalk to the Santa Fe River, and ducked into the shadows of giant cottonwoods. He stopped, leaned against the coarse bark of one, and tried to calm his racing thoughts.

The sounds of the city whispered around him. He heard music from all directions, some accompanied by words in Spanish. The river gurgled past on his left, and cars rushed by on his right. Two homeless men, sitting on the bank of the river, argued over a bottle of wine.

In an alley across Alameda, a young man leaned against a wall with one hand, holding a younger woman around the waist and fucking her from behind. Jake focused his attention on the couple, who were trying to keep their activity a secret from tourists walking past but not completely succeeding. The man grunted as he peaked, and the woman whimpered, then both quieted. He withdrew quickly, and she straightened her short skirt as he zipped his pants.

“Good shit, baby,” the man whispered.

Jake huffed a laugh. So much for romance.

But the distraction had calmed him, and he felt control returning. He filled his lungs with cool air and looked up into the darkened sky. A slice of moon shone between branches, and a dozen stars twinkled through the lights of town.

He allowed himself to think about the young woman in the bar now that he could do so rationally. What was it about Athena that reminded him of Iris? It wasn’t her looks. Iris had been dark where Athena was light, and slender where Athena was sturdy. Certainly Iris’s body hadn’t been pierced, and she hadn’t shown so much of it in public. Jake smiled at the thought. In 1880 when he met Iris, she’d been covered from head to toe.

But Iris’s scent had been magical, too, just as Athena’s was. He’d fallen for her instantly, and decided at once to take her as his mate—his wife.

He wouldn’t make that mistake twice.

Better to walk through eternity alone than suffer such pain.

Determined to enjoy the pleasant evening, Jake pushed off from the tree and strolled through the park. He turned up Galisteo and slowed his pace as he wound through packs of tourists. At the plaza, crowds grew and gathered around a local mariachi band. Some of the tourists clapped in time with the music, and others tried to sing. Jake winced at the unwelcome level of noise and hurried past.

The crowds thinned out as he made his way down narrow back streets until he found the doorway he wanted—non-descript, wooden, decorated with wrought iron, it opened to a staircase leading down. At the bottom of the stairs, Jake knocked twice on the interior door, waited, knocked once, and then twice again.

The door opened to a room painted black, already filled with the usual Tunnel patrons. These were not the same people who hung out in Cowgirl’s, or Maria’s, or any of the local bars. Those in the Tunnel were vampires, wannabe vampires, and soon-to-be victims of vampires. The latter two categories were often the same.

Jake tossed his hat onto a hook as he approached a familiar face at the bar. Antonio, who had worked at the Tunnel for at least thirty years, was tall and pale with shoulder-length black hair and black eyes. His father had been Apache, and his mother a beautiful flamenco dancer, according to him.

“House special?” Antonio asked.

Jake nodded and leaned against the bar. “How’s it going?”

The bartender shrugged. “Same as always.” He placed a chilled glass in front of Jake.

The house special resembled wine, but was, in fact, mostly Type O. The donated vintage had none of the pleasant effects of the embodied variety, but it took the edge off. Jake swigged it down.

Antonio waited on several more patrons, then returned to lean on the bar near Jake. They watched inebriated men and women dancing with vampire partners, and young people dressed in black fondling each other on the dance floor.

“Did you make the meeting?” Antonio asked.

“Yep. That’s why I’m here.”

“Oh? And I thought it was for the classy company.”

Jake chuckled. “What do you know about vampire hunters?”

Antonio turned his head to frown at Jake. “I don’t understand. Vampire hunters have been around…well, forever, I guess.”

“The council’s concerned about the new craze stirred up by the movie Van Helsing.”

“Oh. Yes, I guess there is more activity than usual. Did you hear about Shadow?”

Jake nodded. “And they got Billy Sears, too.”

Antonio shook his head. “I hadn’t heard about Billy. Too bad. He was a nice old guy.”

Jake shot him a glare. “He wasn’t that old.”

“Getting touchy, huh?” Antonio grinned.

“Go to hell,” Jake muttered, returning his attention to the dance floor.

“I’m sure I will.”

“Yeah.”

Music stopped and some couples walked to tables. Others waited for the next song to start.

“Well, I don’t think you’ll find hunters in here,” Antonio said.

“Why not? This is exactly where I’d expect to find them. A smart hunter knows where the prey hide.”

Antonio snorted. “Who said anything about these guys being smart?”

Jake found himself hoping there were at least a few smart hunters out there. How could he fight a good battle without a worthy opponent?

“Sweet Billy and Shadow weren’t exactly the brightest of the bunch,” Antonio continued. “It wouldn’t have taken much to catch them off guard.”

“I guess not.” Jake’s spirits began to droop. “Still, I suppose I better mix in, see what I can pick up.”

“Help yourself.”

“Keep your ears open, will you?”

“Certainly.” Antonio moved away, wiping the bar as he went.

Jake skirted the dance floor, looking more closely at couples. A few were same-sex; most weren’t. Several were vampire couples looking for the wild ride and checking out possible victims to share. Some were vampires trying to win the trust of their soon-to-be victims.

A redhead he’d seen before ran her long fingernails down the outside of her mortal date’s muscular arms. “I’ll make you come ’til it hurts,” she whispered. The young man grinned.

“Hi.”

Jake turned to the voice, surprised to find Athena standing beside him, black outer shirt draped over one arm. Her bare shoulders drew his attention because of their rounded firmness and the freckles splashed over them. The sleeveless shirt she wore hugged her breasts just enough to make his mouth water, and her belly ring glistened in the blue lights.

He frowned. “What are you doing here?”

She nodded toward the back of a young blond man walking toward the bathrooms. “Chris says this is a great place.” She glanced around. “Looks a little creepy to me.”

“It is creepy. Take my word for it and leave.”

She looked up at him, her green eyes capturing whatever pieces of shattered soul he had left. “You’re here.”

He grinned and leaned close to her, unable to resist inhaling her scent once more. “True, but I know what I’m getting into.”

Her face reddened a little. “I’m not an idiot. I know what goes on in these places.”

Jake felt his cock harden just from standing near her. He leaned closer, focused on her now, unable to turn away. Her very presence held a promise of strength and pleasure he found irresistible. “I don’t think you do.”

She shrugged and turned her gaze to the dance floor. “Drugs, sex. I know.”

He held his mouth an inch from her ear. “And so much more, sweet thing.”

A shiver ran through her—so slight, a mortal wouldn’t have noticed it. Jake’s fangs dropped almost instantly in response.

“Like…what?” she whispered.

He stepped around to stand behind her, touching her silky hair with his fingertips. “Games of pain and joy, life and death. And ecstasy like you can’t begin to imagine.”

She gulped.

“Hey, what the hell—”

Jake glanced up at the male standing in front of Athena. Her date’s eyes widened when they met his, and Jake guessed that his own irises had turned golden already. He couldn’t seem to control his reaction to the young woman standing before him.

He placed a hand on one of Athena’s bare shoulders and glared. “She’s with me now. You can go.”

“But—”

Jake slung a thought of painful challenge and defeat into the blond man’s head, and the mortal staggered backward in response. Then the young man turned and hurried toward the door, glancing back once before disappearing.

“I can’t believe you did that,” she said.

He breathed in the smell of her hair, imagining it loose and draped across her bare breasts. “He shouldn’t have brought you here.”

“Great, but now I don’t have a ride home.”

Jake bit back the desire that threatened to overpower him. He couldn’t allow himself to indulge—not with this one. He closed his eyes for a moment to regain control, then straightened and stepped to her side. “Don’t worry, I’ll take you home.”

She looked up at him, studying his face intently. “How do I know I can trust you?”

He smiled. “You don’t, and you can’t.”

She turned away. “Maybe we should stay here awhile.”

He glanced around and found several of the locals watching Athena, sizing her up for a meal. “Only if you stay with me. I know some of these people. You really don’t want to get cornered by them.”

She shrugged, feigning indifference that her racing heartbeat exposed as a lie. “Whatever.”

Trying to refocus on his task, Jake listened to a few more conversations, then realized he needed to get into the thick of things, but he couldn’t run the risk of leaving Athena alone for even a moment. He leaned toward her. “You want to dance?”

“I suppose.”

He offered his hand and she took it. Jake led her onto the dance floor and pulled her into his arms. She fit too well.

Now, he’d had every intention of leading her around to where he could do a little eavesdropping. It wouldn’t have taken more than a dance or two, and then he could have persuaded her to leave. The last thing he wanted was to keep Athena exposed to the vampire community any longer than he had to. Some of the younger ones in the Tunnel had no code of ethics. They’d think nothing of draining her for a night’s entertainment.

But something about the woman made it impossible for him to concentrate on anything else when she stood in his arms, her hands on his shoulders and her hot breath caressing his neck. Her scent had a stronger effect on him than any opiate could have when he was human. He seemed to lose all sense of reason.

“What is it about you that’s so different?” he whispered, sliding his hand down to the narrowest part of her back where it met bare flesh. His body responded by shuddering.

“Different from you?”

“No,” he said, “different from any other woman.”

She huffed softly. “Look, you got me with the line about my eyes holding the depths of the ocean and my scent leaving you wanting more. You don’t have to keep trying.”

Jake lowered his mouth to her ear. “I can’t seem to help it, sweet thing. I want you like I’ve never wanted another.”

She made a soft noise of surrender, and he tightened his grip on her, pulling her to his body. He pushed his thigh between hers as they stepped, and she slid her crotch against it. Her heat nearly seared his skin through the clothing.

Jake leaned down and captured her mouth, tasting her, savoring her. As she welcomed him and drew his tongue in, he slid a hand down to touch the outline of her breast. He rubbed her hardening nipple through the soft fabric, and a growl of need escaped his throat.

When she pressed her abdomen against his hard-on, Jake tore his mouth from hers and rested his chin on the top of her head. He wasn’t ready for her to see the vampire yet. She drew him to the edge of control, even in front of this crowd. He’d never felt so helpless.

“Maybe you should show me where all this, um, other stuff happens,” she said.

“You mean the sex or the drugs?”

“I’m not really into drugs.”

Jake grinned. Why was he so intent on keeping the vampire chained? All he needed was a taste of sweet Athena and he’d feel differently, wouldn’t he? In 120 years, he’d learned self-control. He wouldn’t make the same mistake he’d made with Iris. “Maybe I should.”

Her heated palm sliding up his side burned away any doubts.

Jake released her by all but her hand and led her through the crowd until he reached the back hallway, a tunnel-like passage for which the place was named. He listened as they passed closed doors, searching for a room where they could have privacy. Cries of ecstasy and growls of vampires feeding provided unnecessary fuel for his desires.

“Jesus, it’s dark in here,” Athena said.

He opened the door to an empty room, pulled her in, and closed it. Leaning against the wall, he gave her a chance to look around.

The soft glow of blue lights, hidden at the top of the walls, lit the room. In the center was a large round bed, and near it a Victorian-style chaise longue, both covered in black velvet.

“A little tacky, isn’t it? All it needs is a velvet Elvis painting.” She ran her fingers across the back of the chaise longue.

“It’s not the room I’m interested in, darlin’.”

She glanced at him and he wondered if she could see his transformation in the weak light. If so, she didn’t react.

Jake crossed the room to stand behind her. To her credit, Athena didn’t move, but her entire body shook. He ran his palms over her shoulders, barely touching the skin. “You really think you’re ready for this? For me?”

She nodded, gripping the back of the chaise longue.

Unable to stop even if he’d wanted to, Jake ran his hands down her sides until he reached her bare midriff, then slid them back up the front of her, under the fabric. Her skin was warm and smooth, covered in places with small bumps from his touch. Her quickened breathing and pulse urged him on. He skimmed the mounds of her breasts and felt the taut nipples, then moved down to her flat stomach, tracing the belly ring.

He stepped closer until his erection rested against her ass, the clothes a frustrating barrier that he decided to leave in place for the moment. Nuzzling the back of her head and her neck, he unsnapped her jeans and slid one hand inside her panties as he wrapped the other arm around her waist.

Athena sucked in a surprised breath. “What are you—”

Jake pressed his mouth to the top of her shoulder as he slid his fingers slowly across her cunt, feeling the fleshy indentations and rises.

Her head went back to his shoulder and a shudder ran through her.

Beneath his lips, her pulse raced through her veins, calling to him as clearly as music, and her scent filled his head with sweet fog. He kissed her shoulder and eased two fingers into her warm, wet cunt.

She gasped, her body quivering in response.

Jake held her tighter and slid his fingers across her swelling clit, spreading her juices, inhaling her wondrous scent of desire.

Athena’s hips moved in time with his fingers as her breathing grew ragged. She approached the precipice, ready for him, groaning for him.

He pressed the tips of his fangs to her tender skin, anticipating the incredible joy that would soon flood his senses, and his cock ached to plunge into her slick cunt.

How a picture of Iris could invade at that moment, he had no idea. He heard her cries of joy and pain, and then her weakened moans as he drank from her, and finally her pathetic whimper of despair as the last of her life slipped away.

Jake turned his head to the side as he drew Athena into an orgasm. She cried out and tightened around his fingers, her body undulating against his. She reached back and gripped his ass to hold him close, as the spasms shot through her cunt, grabbing at him, inviting him deeper.

Damn, he’d never had to work so hard to restrain himself as he thought about how amazing it would be to fuck her and taste her climax.

Holding her close, he let her ride his hand to the end, until she collapsed against him.

“Oh, my God,” she whispered.

After a long moment, she reached back and ran her hand down the front of his pants, stroking his cock through the denim.

He grabbed her wrist to stop her and pulled her hand away. “Not now,” he said, his voice barely recognizable even to himself.

“Why not?”

“Because you wouldn’t survive it.” He turned his head and kissed her neck.

“I don’t understand.” She moved her head sideways to give him access.

“Good.” Jake swallowed hard as he lifted his mouth away from temptation. “It’s time to take you home.”

“But don’t you want to…you know, continue?”

Jake ran his hands up her sides again to her breasts, enjoying one last touch. “Later, sweet thing.”

She pushed back into him and he growled accidentally.