Read Dead and Kicking Online

Authors: Lisa Emme

Dead and Kicking (10 page)

Chapter Fourteen

I was having a bad case of
déjà vu
.
I was once again in my room, rooting through my closet looking for
something to wear. What
do
you wear to have dinner with the most
powerful vampire in the city? For some
reason I didn’t think the style and fashion pages cover scenarios like
this.

The only difference this time around,
was that instead of torpedoing everything I chose, Gran was berating me for
even thinking of going.

“I
have
to go Gran. I made a
deal with Salvador.”

“A deal with the devil more
like.” Gran’s tone of voice, spoke
volumes about how she felt about my deal.
“I thought I raised you to be smarter than that.”

“How about
this?” Tess came into my room interrupting my reply to Gran. She held up a classy, black evening
dress. “I got it on sale, but the skirt is
way too long for me and I never got around to having it altered.”

I grabbed the dress, glad to have an excuse
to ignore Gran. It was a sleeveless, satin sheath, with a plunging v-neck. The floor length skirt had a very high slit
up the side. It was the perfect length
for me, on Tess it would have been about 6 inches too long.

“Tess, it’s perfect.”

“It shows off too much skin,” Gran
complained. “You walk into the devil’s
lair flashing that much skin, it’s going to be you on the menu. You mark my words.”

The door buzzer sounded below. “Who could that be?” I glanced at the clock. I would have to leave soon or I would be
late. “Could you get it Tess, while I
finish getting dressed?”

When I went downstairs a few minutes
later after finally telling Gran to just butt out - I was in this predicament
because of her in the first place - a man dressed in a chauffeur’s uniform
waited with Tess.

“What’s going on?”

“It appears your ride to the ball is
taken care of, Cinderella,” Tess joked.

“Good evening, Miss Russo. Mr. Arroyo has sent me to pick you up.” The chauffeur gave a little bow. “I’m Henry.”
He held out a long flat box. “Mr.
Arroyo also sent this, with his compliments.”

“Oh goody! Presents!” Tess clapped her hands and bounced up and
down in exaggerated glee. “Open it! Open it!”

I took the box from Henry with some
trepidation and set it on the table. The
white box was tied with a red ribbon that reminded me of blood. Inside, beneath folds of more blood red
tissue paper was the most gorgeous dress I have ever seen.

“Omigod! The tag says it’s an Alexander McQueen.” Tess didn’t have to exaggerate her excitement
now.

I pulled the gown out of the
box. It was a bustier dress in floor
length silk chiffon. The fabric was
exquisitely patterned in shades of grey and charcoal. The waist was belted with a delicate silver
chain. Of course, it was in my size.

“That dress must have cost a
fortune.” Tess reached out to touch the
soft fabric.

I noticed a card at the bottom of the
box. It read, “
Looking forward to our time together this evening
” and was signed “
Regards, Salvador
”.

I tossed the card back into the box
then gathered the dress up and placed it back inside as well.

“What are you doing?” Tess grabbed the lid of the box from my
hands. “You’re not going to wear it?”

“No,” I replied, grabbing the lid
back. “I’m already dressed and I
certainly don’t need Salvador Arroyo telling me what to wear like I am one of
his bimbos.” I turned to Henry and
handed him the box. “Thank you Henry,
but I won’t be accepting this. You can
wait in the car. I’ll be down in a few
minutes.”

Henry bowed, his face betraying
nothing. “Very well, Miss.”

After Henry had left, Tess turned to
me, a worried look on her face. “Are you
sure about this Harry?”

“No, of course I’m not. But what other choice do we have? We’ll lose our home if I don’t keep my end of
the deal.”

“It’s not going to do anyone much
good if you’re dead.”

“Salvador isn’t going to kill
me. If he wanted me dead, he would have
done it already.”

Chapter Fifteen

It’s funny how your perspective
changes when someone has their hands wrapped around your throat. Turns out that maybe Salvador did want me
dead. Or at least, Tomas did, and
Salvador wasn’t going to lift a finger to stop him.

The plan of going to the club, having
a quick meal - with me not on the menu - and then getting the hell out of there,
began to go sideways the moment I arrived at Dante’s. Instead of going upstairs to Salvador’s
private balcony, Stefan, the vampire that met me at the limo, showed me through
a door that led down below the club.

The basement of the club was a warren
of dark, narrow hallways lined with doors behind which, who knew what was
happening. Unfortunately the throbbing
beat from the dance floor above wasn’t enough to drown out some of the sounds
filtering through the odd door, so I had a pretty good idea of what was going
on behind at least some of them.

A door abruptly opened as we were
walking past and I caught a glimpse inside, confirming my suspicions. We were in an S&M sex club. A few steps later, another door opened and a
tall, blonde vampire wearing 5-inch, lace up platform ankle boots stepped out
into the hall. She pulled a gauzy robe
on over her black, patent leather corset.

“Now you be a
very
good boy Murray and wait there for me.” She tapped the end of a riding crop against
her black leather glove. “You know what
happens when you are naughty.” She
turned and saw me, raising an appraising eyebrow. “Come to play, Kitten?” she purred, reaching
out with the end of the riding crop to stroke my cheek.

I flinched away, not wanting it to
touch me and she laughed. I turned and
looked her in the eye and it was her turn to flinch. “Not unless you want me to snap that thing in
half and stake you through the heart with it,
Sweetheart
.” I smiled
sweetly and her eyes widened in surprise.
Her face twisted into a snarl and she took a step towards me.

Stefan put a hand against her chest,
giving her a little push backwards. “Not
now Simeen, this one’s not for you.”

Simeen threw me a contemptuous look and then turned with a flourish. Her robe billowed behind her like a cape as
she stalked off down the hall. The
cheeks of her bare ass jiggled as she walked.
It kind of ruined the whole effect.

As we continued on in the opposite
direction down the hall, I peeked into the room Simeen
had just vacated. Poor Murray wasn’t
going anywhere. Not trussed up like a
Thanksgiving turkey, hanging five feet off the floor. Nor was he apt to complain. The ball gag in his mouth would see to
that. About the only thing on Murray
that wasn’t tied up was his flaccid penis dangling loose from his prone
body. Now that was something I would
never be able to un-see.

Stefan led me to a set of double
doors at the end of a hallway. We had
taken so many turns, I lost count and was afraid that
I would never be able to find my way out of the maze on my own. The muffled music was quieter in this end of
the hallway though, so I figured we had crossed through the centre of the
building and were now somewhere over on the far side,
away from the dance floor above.

Stefan knocked and then pushed the
doors open, gesturing for me to enter.
The room was more brightly lit than the gloomy hallway I had just left
and I stood just inside the doors, blinking as my eyes adjusted. The doors clunked shut behind me, my guide nowhere
to be seen. I turned, intending to test
the doors to make sure I hadn’t been locked in, when a voice beckoned, “Miss
Russo. Do come in.”

“Call me Harry, please. Everyone does.” I turned to face Salvador. He sat at the far end of the room on a small
raised platform on what appeared to be a throne. It was all very surreal and it took some will power not to laugh.

I looked around the room and found
that it wasn’t as well lit as I thought.
In the centre of the room hung two large chandeliers, which while
bright, left the periphery of the room in shadows. As far as I could tell though, Salvador and I
were alone.

I walked a bit self-consciously
towards the dais wishing I had worn the damn McQueen. Salvador watched me as I crossed the room,
his eyes calculating. I stopped a few
feet before him.

“My dear Miss Russo.” I didn’t bother to correct him. I guess he didn’t consider himself
everyone. “So wonderful of you to join
me, but I see you did not accept my small gift?”

“No, thank you though, but I don’t
feel comfortable accepting such an expensive gift. I would prefer to keep things strictly business.”

“But of course, of course. It was just a mere trifle.” He waved it off with his hand, but then he
must have seen something in my expression, because he added, “Do you not
agree?”

“A $7000 gift,
a trifle?
Maybe in your world, but not mine. I could buy myself a nice used truck that
doesn’t break down every second week for that price.”

“Yes, yes, I see. It’s all a matter of perspective, isn’t
it?” Salvador smiled. “I would certainly like to get your
perspective on last night’s disturbing events.”
He clasped his hands in his lap, his index fingers tapping
together. “What do you think happened
last night?”

“What do
I
think happened?” Why was he asking my opinion when he already knew what had happened?
I was sure Nash had filled him in by
now. And why was I standing in his audience chamber? I
thought we were going to eat dinner.
Instead of voicing all those questions, I said, “Well, it's obviously connected to Bryce’s video. The same
practitioner that created the jack must have somehow called the zombies.”

Salvador waved me off
impatiently. “Yes, yes. That is clear. But what
happened
to the zombies? Why did they all
disappear?”

“I don’t know,” I replied,
shrugging. “Maybe the spell wore
off? Or they were called back?”

Salvador raised his still clasped
hands to his chin and began to tap his steepled index
fingers on his bottom lip, apparently deep in thought. “Hmmm, yes. Could it be that you truly don’t know?”

“Don’t know? Why
would
I know?” I was getting more
uncomfortable by the minute and it wasn’t just because I was standing in 3 inch
stillettos.
What the hell did he want from me?

“Or perhaps,” Salvador continued on,
ignoring my outburst, “you have just not come to terms with it?” He nodded and I got a sense that he was no
longer talking to me.

Before I could reply, I became aware
of movement behind me. My vamp radar
started clanging, but it was too late to do anything. My arms were suddenly grasped and wrenched
behind my back. I heard a zipping sound
and something hard and plastic bit into the skin around my wrists. A hand slid up the bare skin on my arm until
it circled my throat. It squeezed,
cutting off my breath. Another arm
wrapped around my waist and I was pulled back against a solid body. A familiar voice whispered, “Time to play.”

Chapter Sixteen

At Tomas’s words, my eyes widened in
terror. I struggled in his arms, but I
was held tight.

He laughed and purred, “Mmmm yes, struggle.
It will make you taste that much sweeter.” He forced my head to one side, exposing my
carotid then rubbed his face in my hair, inhaling deeply. “The fear smells so lovely on you.” He leaned in and licked my exposed neck.

I struggled again, trying to twist my
neck away from his lips, but that just made him pull me tighter against
him. So close, I could feel his erection
pressing into me.

“Uh, uh, uh,
not for you, my dear Tomas.” Salvador shook his finger at us. “Let us see
what we shall see.” He snapped his
fingers and two more vamps stepped from the shadows, half dragging, half
carrying another between them. The third
vampire was dishevelled and emaciated.
I had never seen a vampire in such a dire condition. His lips were dry and chapped,
his skin sunken, like he hadn’t had anything to eat or drink for weeks, maybe
months.

Tomas pulled me off to the side of
the dais while the two vamps stopped in front of Salvador, depositing their
burden. The vampire stumbled but caught
himself before he fell. He straightened
his clothes then lifted his chin in defiance and looked at Salvador.

“My dear friend Isaac, it pains me to
see you like this.” Salvador looked
genuinely saddened.

“Then give me what I want, old
friend.” The man called Isaac’s voice
was weak and raspy.

“Do you agree to the terms?”

Isaac turned slowly and looked at me,
then turned back to Salvador. “Why do
you want such a thing?”

Salvador spread his hands and
shrugged. “It is the only way. Do this last thing, and if you still seek
what you ask, I will grant it.”

Isaac hung his head. “Very well.”

Tomas ran his hand through my hair,
pulling my head back painfully. “Now the
fun begins. I will feast on your fear.”

Despite my best efforts to stop it,
my heart began to race. I didn’t know
what the hell they had planned for me, but it didn’t sound good. I struggled in Tomas’s arms, trying to wrench
myself free.

Isaac turned to me, a look of regret
on his face. “I’m very sorry, my dear,”
he said and then started towards me, his fangs bared.

“What are you doing?” I looked at Salvador. “We had a deal!”

Salvador made a clicking sound with
his tongue, shaking his head. “Always so suspicious, Miss Russo. Our deal is still in play. I said you would go home and you shall,
whether it is as you are now, or as a vampire, is up to you.”

“What?!” I couldn’t believe what I
was hearing.

“You see my friend Isaac wants
something most desperately and I have told him he may have it but first he
must, how shall I put it? Quench his
thirst. On you.” He tapped his lip with his finger pensively
then shook his head. “I’m afraid though,
that Isaac has been starving himself for much too long. I do believe that once he starts feeding
there will be no stopping him.”

“You can stop him. You don’t have to do this!” I struggled against Tomas. “Don’t do this!” I looked at Isaac. He was only a few steps away from me now, but
he was struggling. Whether it was due to
his weakened state or disgust at what he was about to do, I don’t know. “Please, Isaac! Don’t do this.”

Isaac stopped suddenly and
frowned. “I’m sorry. I truly am.
But I must.”

Tomas grabbed my hair again, tilting
my head to expose my neck. My mind was
reeling with the thought of what was about to happen. I couldn’t let it happen. I had to stop it. I slammed my stiletto heel down on top of
Tomas’s foot. He cried out and his grip
in my hair loosened. I whipped my head
back, cracking it against his face then pushed myself away from him, feeling
slightly dizzy. I was free, but my hands
were still fastened tight behind me. I backed
away quickly keeping my eyes on Isaac.
He turned to follow me, his fangs glistening with what little saliva he
had left, his breath rasping.

“You bitch!” Tomas held his nose. I had broken it. He lunged for me, grabbing my arm and
wrenching it up painfully. He dragged
me towards Isaac. “Take her before I
do,” he said in disgust. He pushed my
head to the side again.

“Isaac! Isaac!
Listen to me! Don’t do this. Please, don’t do this.” My only hope was to try and convince him to
stop.

Isaac’s steps faltered. He reached out and grabbed me by my
shoulders. I struggled, managing to turn
my head enough to look him in the eye.
“Isaac. You must not do
this.” I put every ounce of my will into
my words. “You will not do this. My safety is your primary concern. You cannot hurt me.”

Isaac’s face contorted with
pain. He roared in anguish then
lunged. Preparing myself for the worst,
I closed my eyes, only to end up on the floor in a heap. In shock, I watched while Isaac grappled with
Tomas.

“Marvelous! Marvelous!” Salvador applauded. “Enough my dear friend
Isaac. Enough. She is quite safe now. No harm will come to her this night. You have my word.”

Isaac backed away from Tomas and fell
to his knees sobbing. “No, no, no. Oh my
friend, what have you done?” He looked
up at Salvador. “What have you done?”

Salvador’s face became serious. “What I must.”

“Will somebody please tell me what
the hell is going on?” I struggled to my
feet, my hands still cinched behind my back.
Tomas moved towards me and I backed away warily. Isaac surged to his feet.

Tomas held up his hands in surrender.
“Relax, relax.” He reached behind me and
cut the ties on my wrists with a small knife he had concealed in his hand.

Free at last, I rubbed my raw wrists. They were scored where the flex strip had dug
into my flesh during my struggles. “I
mean it. What the hell just happened?”

Salvador rose from his chair, his
arms open in welcome. “All in due time
my dear Miss Russo, all in due time.”

Isaac, who had been swaying on his
feet, suddenly collapsed with a groan.
He was barely showing any of the energy aura
that would mark him as a vampire. “Your
friend is dying,” I said to Salvador.
“How is that possible? What’s
wrong with him?”

“That is not my story to tell,”
Salvador replied. “He needs to feed if
he is to survive.” Salvador looked at me
expectantly.

“What? You expect me to…?” My voice trailed off. I couldn’t comprehend what he was suggesting
after what had just occurred.

“You made Isaac yours. He is now your responsibility.” Salvador shrugged as if it didn’t matter one
way or another to him.

I shook my head in denial. I didn’t understand what Salvador was talking
about, or at least, I didn’t want to understand. But despite the fact that Isaac was
practically a ravening monster a few minutes ago, I didn’t
want to watch him die. And, I knew what
Salvador said was true. I
had
done something. I had coerced Isaac in some way to prevent
him from hurting me and whatever I had done forged a connection between us,
because I could feel Isaac’s pain.

I moved towards Isaac warily, afraid
he might jump me again.

“You are totally safe with poor Isaac
now.” Salvador smiled. “You made sure of
that, did you not?”

I scowled at Salvador and crouched
down beside Isaac. He roused, shaking
his head.

“No, no, I cannot.” He tried weakly to push himself away.

“You must, Isaac. You must.
You have a purpose now, do you not?”
Salvador stepped down from the dais and began walking towards us.

Isaac closed his eyes briefly,
shaking his head. He took a ragged
breath then opened his eyes and looked at me with determination. “I do not have the strength to glamour your pain
away.”

“It’s okay. Just do it.”

“I regret that I will hurt you.”

“It’s all right.” I reached out to him, cradling his upper body
and presenting my wrist to him.

After a moment’s hesitation, Isaac
reached for my arm, baring his fangs.
There was a sharp pain as he broke through my already abraded skin and I
sucked in a breath. I felt the pull of
his mouth as he drank my blood, but then he pushed my arm away, a look of
surprise on his face. He looked at
Salvador and said, “I understand now.”

Isaac turned to look at me. “I have had sufficient to sustain me long
enough to find an appropriate meal.”

I decided not to worry about what he
meant by that because he was right, he was already looking better, his aura
stronger. He gestured to my arm and the
two small punctures. “Will you allow
me?”

I nodded and he bent over my wrist,
his tongue sliding over the wounds. They
began to heal instantly. The magic of
vampire spit. Yuck.

Salvador helped Isaac to his feet and
embraced him. “Thank you, my
friend. Thank you.” He patted Isaac on the back then turned to
Tomas. “Take Isaac to find a suitable
meal.”

I had completely forgotten about
Tomas. He shot me a look filled with
hate. His broken nose was already
healing. If he didn’t get it set it was
going to be crooked. He reached out to
assist Isaac but Isaac shook him off and strode stiffly out the doors. With one last menacing glance at me, Tomas
followed.

Salvador turned to me, a smile wide
on his face. “Alone at last,” he
said. If I was terrified earlier, I was
scared absolutely shitless now.

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