Blood and Sand (11 page)

She frowned. “Oh, it’s this microblogging site where you’re limited to one hundred forty characters and—why? Why the hell did Dez call
you
?”

“Because she asked me to protect you,” he said under his breath. “She felt responsible because she gave you my name in the first place and got you caught up in all…
this
. And she knows the case you’re investigating has something to do with our world—”

“The vampire world.”

“The
world
world.” He looked at her from the corner of his eye. “It’s the same world. You haven’t fallen into another dimension. There are just things you didn’t know about before that you know now.”

She swallowed audibly and didn’t miss the fact that he glanced at her neck. “You’re a liar,” she said. “And a monster. And I want to go home.”

The line of his jaw tightened. He was silent for a long moment, arms crossed, a black enigmatic outline as the night sped past. “I never lied to you,” he finally said. “And you’re not going home.”

“You can’t kidnap me.”

“Yes, I can. And I will if you don’t cooperate. You can call Dez when we arrive at my house.”

“I’m
going
to call Dez as soon as we get to
my
house.” She only got angrier at his amusement. “What?”

He started laughing, the kind of rueful laughter people resort to when things were just that bad. “You’re quite…”

“What?”

“Interesting. For a human. And stubborn.”

She curled her lip. “You’re pretty stubborn too. But since I don’t know many vampires, I can’t compare.”

“You’ve probably known more than you realize.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“And you’ll know even more if you return to your house.” His smile faded. “Ivan knows who you are now; he won’t be shy Snspanabout sending spies. He’s going to be curious. I don’t take up with human women, as a rule.”

“Am I supposed to feel special?” They were approaching the border crossing. Natalie knew if she yelled for help, the border patrol agents would stop them. They’d help her. There was no way—

“If you’re thinking about making a break for it, I wouldn’t suggest it, Natalie. I’m quite serious. It’s not safe for you to go home. You’re going to my house for the time being until we can figure out some other, more suitable, location for you. I’ll have a better idea tomorrow evening after I wake and can make some calls.”

“I’m not going to your house. And what? You really sleep all day?” She put a hand to her neck as mental pictures from the club assaulted her. “You’re going to bite me and drink my blood, aren’t you?”

“Already have. And you should take off your heels. Get comfortable.”

“What do you mean you already—wait, why should I get comfortable?”

Her heart caught in her throat when he appeared at her side. It was as if he teleported; it was that fast.

“You should get comfortable because…” He threw an arm around her shoulders before she could protest, drawing her to his side as he stroked soft fingers along her arm and the drowsy haze started falling again. “Time for a nap, darling.”

“Don’t call me darling. You’re a liar. I…” She fought to stay conscious, but her eyelids fell. “Ha…ate you.”

“I think you might actually mean that.” Was it her imagination, or did he sound sad? The heaviness fell over her like a warm blanket. It was almost as if the fingers on her arm feathered over her whole body, bringing with them a gentle pressure.
Sleep. Sleep. Sleep.
She imagined a kiss on her forehead as the car slowed at the border crossing, and she thought she heard him whisper.

“I never lied.”

When she woke, she was in a warm, windowless room, still in her dress and lying on luxurious silk sheets. She blinked and sat up, shaking her head to clear the weird and sadly familiar hazy feeling from her head. She pinched her eyes shut, shook her head, then opened them again to see a crisp white note sitting on the edge of the night table. Near it, a duffel bag from her closet was sitting next to her shoes, which were lined up perfectly with her old white sneakers. She looked back at the note, which in clear, precise letters read:

It was not a dream.

“Well, shit.” She unfolded it to read the inside.

Natalie,
 

You are not a prisoner here, but you’re not free to go, either.

“That’s pretty much the definition of a prisoner, asshole.”

I will wake at dusk. Please make yourself at home in my house. I packed a few items from your closet…

“Are you kidding me?” She stood, tempted to rip the note to tiny shreds. “You went through my stuff?”

…And some extra shoes. Anything missing, I will be happy to procure for you.

…Anth="18">
Baojia

P. S. Your butler is waiting.

Natalie stormed out of the room, surprised the handle turned on her first attempt, only to be met with the most stunning view of the Pacific Ocean she’d ever seen from inside a house. It stretched wide, a solid wall of glass framed by sleek modern pillars in white marble. Turning in place, she saw that her room opened up to a huge living room with a small kitchen in one corner. It looked like the guest suite of a very fancy hotel. And on one soft leather couch sat Luis, paging through a copy of the
Tribune
.

“This report on the hotel robbery is good. I don’t really read the paper, but I noticed a stack of them downstairs, so I picked one up. You’re a good writer.”

“Thanks. Are you supposed to be my butler?”

“Haha. Such a sense of humor the vampire has,” Luis said. “But yes. I’m stuck in here as long as you are. ‘See to her wishes, but don’t let her leave.’ I believe that was the job description.”

“Don’t let me leave, huh?” Natalie cast her eyes around the room. “We’ll see about that.”

CHAPTER SEVEN

Baojia was practicing his forms to the melodious background noise of Natalie banging on the door of the guest suite, calling him every vile name she could think of. As suspected, she had a rather vivid imagination.

Cross. Thrust. Center. Draw back. Center. Sweep.
 

Center.

Center.

Center.

He took a deep, meditative breath, trying to still his mind from the flurries of information all begging for attention.

Rory had called at dusk.

Then Paula.

Then Ivan’s people.

Luis had called from the house phone to tell him Natalie had spent all day inspecting windows and air-conditioning vents for means of escape before she had taken to simply banging on the door incessantly until she was let out so she could go home. His assistant had also been subjected to a rather thorough interrogation about the vampire world.

I thought she was going to waterboard me!

He was insane. There was no way any of this was going to end well.

Cross. Draw. Center. Sweep.

Humans were dying in the desert and he had no idea who was behind it. His sire was still angry with him and wanted him cooped up in San Diego. A human reporter had discovered not only that vampires existed, but also that San Diego’s premier nightclub was owned by them. The same reporter was locked in his guest suite, and the electronic lock system keeping her there was due to release in—he glanced at the clock—five, four, three, two…

He heard the click followed by the tumble, followed by the rush of feet that ran down the stairs to—

“Who the
hell
do you think you are?”

Center.

Baojia turned, swiveling in his stance until he faced her, still practicing his forms in nothing but a pair of loose pants. She noticed.

“Good evening, Natalie.” He’d picked excellent clothing for her. The dark jeans hugged her hips and the blue-green shirt matched her eyes.

Focus. There Vmemer. Twas an angry human in his practice room.

“I said,
who
—”

“I am Baojia, oldest son and chief of security for Don Ernesto Alvarez, immortal leader of Los Angeles and its territories.” The corner of his mouth lifted as he stood in a rigid stance. “And sometimes known as George. Welcome to my home.” He finished the combination, took a deep breath, and closed his eyes for a moment. Seeing her awake in his home put him in an oddly good mood. He tried not to wonder why. His introduction had taken a bit of the wind out, but he could tell she was still angry. “I apologize for not giving you a tour last night. You were rather exhausted.”

“Probably because you did that creepy shit with your vampire power to knock me out.”

“I didn’t actually use very much.” He opened his eyes and strolled over to her. “You shouldn’t have been unconscious. Have you had any extra stress in your life lately? Suffered from exhaustion?”

“Are you asking about my health?”

“Yes. I promised to keep you safe. If you have any health issues, I should be made aware of them so I can tend to you properly.”

“Tend to me?” Now she was just blinking. “I… I’m healthy as a horse. Can we please—?”

“That’s such an odd expression. You look far healthier than any horse I’ve ever seen.” He couldn’t stop his eyes skimming over her figure.

“Oh… wow.” She shook her head. “You actually just did that. You kind of made a pass at me after you
kept me prisoner
for a whole night, you ass!”

He shrugged and lifted a hand, flicking a finger so that the water bottle on the bench flew to his hand. Natalie’s mouth dropped open.

“It was an observation, not a proposition. And I kept Luis prisoner, too. I didn’t want you to feel singled out.”

“How…” She sounded out of breath. “How did you…”

“Didn’t Luis explain that part?” He let the smug smile peek out. “He said you interrogated him very thoroughly. Something about bright lights and metal chairs.”

“Nothing…” She took a step back. He followed. She took another. “Nothing about… floating stuff. That was—”

“It’s the water.” He opened the bottle and freed it, feeling his element’s excitement at his presence. The water in the bottle flowed out and swirled around his neck, circling him like a snake. Natalie watched, not with horror, but with awe. She reached a hand out before drawing back. “Don’t be afraid to touch it if you want. There’s nothing special about this water. It’s the same stuff you drink.” He glanced at the blue bottle. “Direct from the spring, in fact.”

“But how—”

“Immortals, vampires—whatever you choose to call us—all have a connection with one of the elements. For me, that connection is water. I control it, and it gives me strength.” He called more water from the fountain that ran toward him in a floating river. He sent the water to circle her legs before he created a shimmering waterfall before her. It danced and shone between them, a living wall that reflected the lights of the harbor. Her anger fled and he saw the wonder take over. Natalie reached her hand through the waterfall and he saw her face break into a smile.

“It’s beautiful,” she said. “Magic.”

Her hand hung in the air, covered with the water he had called. Baojia reached out and touched her spread hand, fitting her fingers with his. Her smile dropped, but she did not pull away.

“It o [

She stepped to the right and so did he, the water still rippling between them and her hand still linked with his. “But you’re a vampire. You drink blood?”

“Yes. I eat some food, but I have to drink blood to survive. Human or animal. Either one will suffice, but I don’t kill unless someone threatens me.”

“What does blood have to do with the elements?”

They continued to circle each other, the water still hanging between them, and he didn’t let go of her hand. “What is the body but the sum of the elements? Water, Earth, Air. The fire of human energy and heat. We were all once human. We are the same as you. Only more… durable.”

“Immortal?”

“Oh, we can be killed.” He had to smile. “But you might think of us as death-resistant.”

There was a long pause as they continued to slowly turn through the room. “You lied to me.”

“Not about everything.”

“Why can’t I remember the night we met? The first night?”

Slowly, he let his amnis creep up her arm, being careful not to use too much. “Do you feel that?”

“Yes. Please don’t—”

“I won’t take your memories away again. I already told you that. I was trying to protect you. I told your friend I would do my best to keep you safe, and I don’t break my promises. I was hoping you would stay out of this completely. I planted the suggestion for you to forget about Ivan, but you must have found his name anyway.”

“It was in my notes. I almost got sick. The first time I read his name. There was something about it.”

“It was my suggestion. But you’re very bright and very stubborn.”