PS03 - Tall, Dark & Heartless (5 page)

had a natural ability on their side. They would have sensed the trap long before it sprung. A Sentinel would have caught the

subtle earthy smell vampires gave off and would have made damn sure they weren't in the position to be trapped. No amount of

training could give any of these humans that advantage.

A half mile later the scent suddenly changed direction. It didn't take Caine long to figure out that they'd gone through the

small manhole. He closed his eyes and focused. Above him he could hear the sound of two heartbeats. One of them was racing

and giving off a huge amount of adrenaline. The intoxicating aroma had Caine's fangs dropping. He ignored his response and

focused on the second heartbeat. It was strong and steady.

He nearly sighed with relief when he realized the second heartbeat was Danni's. Even though he knew one day she would

pass away like everyone else he wasn't ready. It probably had to do with the fact that she was the only human he'd known and

cared about when she was a child. Whatever it was he wasn't ready for her to be gone. That day would come and when it did

he would forget about her like all the rest. Until then he owed it to that little bossy girl, who used to demand extra kisses for

bruised knees to make sure it didn't come sooner than it should.

With an annoyed growl, mostly at himself for being such a fool for caring even a little, he climbed up the small metal

ladder and punched the manhole cover, sending it flying through the air away from him. He barely registered the loud clatter of

the cover slamming into a wall and hitting the ground. All his focus was on the dimly lit alleyway he found himself in.

There was only the barest trace of vampire scent in the alley. It was almost undetectable beneath the heavy cloying scent

of fresh blood. He didn't need to see Greg kneeling over Danni's body ten yards away to know that it was her blood. He would

know the scent of her blood anywhere. Her blood was the sweetest, most enticing blood he'd ever come across.

When Danni was a child he'd found the scent of her blood pleasant, yet sweet. It had been a temptation, but one he'd easily

ignored. It wasn't until she was on the brink of adulthood that her blood began calling to him, tormenting him. Pushing her away

had been the only choice, one he made himself believe he never regretted since it saved her life.

"Danni? Danni, wake up!" Greg said, shaking her. Caine knew he should walk away and leave it to the little prick to take

care of her, but he didn't trust him.

With a curse he walked over to Danni and shoved the asshole aside. "Danni?" he said softly as ran his eyes over her.

There was a deep gash across her palm, but other than a few fresh bruises and cuts he couldn't see any injuries that would

explain why she was unconscious.

"What happened to her?" he demanded, as he leaned over her head and closed his eyes. He slowly moved down her body

as he breathed in her scent. He could smell small amounts of blood forming bruises beneath her skin, but nothing serious. He

could also scent the aspirin he saw her take an hour ago, but no other drugs. There was absolutely nothing he could scent on her

that would explain why she was out. He could smell the low levels of iron in her blood, but that didn't explain why she was out

cold.

He opened his eyes as he picked up her hand and concentrated on the deep gash and frowned. There were no defensive

marks, no jagged edges or bruising on her hand. Even after all these years he knew Danni would never sit still and allow

someone to do this to her and she sure as hell wouldn't leave a wound like this open, drawing every vampire within a ten mile

radius to her. Something was very wrong here and he had a feeling the asshole he was seconds away from killing was the

reason.

"What the hell happened to her?" he demanded again, feeling his patience evaporate. His eyes burned with their change as

his fangs descended in his mouth. So help him if the asshole didn't answer him soon he was going to tear his-

"You know she said you wouldn't come. I guess she was wrong," Greg suddenly said, chuckling. "I'm sure she'll be

flattered when she wakes up."

"What the fuck did you do to her?"
he roared, turning to attack him only to come to an abrupt halt when he came face to

face with the barrel of a gun. He didn't need to look to know the gun was already cocked and ready.

It was a trap.

A fucking trap and he walked right into it, he thought with disgust.

Greg didn't hesitate in pulling the trigger, which was the only thing that saved him. If he'd hesitated even for a second

Caine would have been on him instead of slamming backwards as the hot bullet tore through skin and bone as it made its

journey through his head.

He felt himself drop back, falling limply on his side as his sight blacked out and white hot pain shot through his skull as it

was mutilated along the bullet's passage until all he knew was pain and darkness.

**********

"How was that 'talk' for you?" Greg demanded, laughing. He pulled back his foot and sent it flying into Caine's stomach

over and over again. "You're my bitch now, asshole," he said, kicking Caine one last time in stomach before he pulled his

phone out.

"Come get him," he said, unable to stop grinning. He'd waited twenty-five years to do that and it had been worth the wait.

In fact, after Caine did what the Master wanted, Greg looked forward to doing this again, right before they got rid of him

permanently.

His eyes darted over to the secret to his success and he damn near sighed with contentment. She was the key to everything,

otherwise he would have killed the bitch years ago.

Even when they were kids he couldn't stand her. She'd been a little know-it-all bitch who always got in the way and had

the rest of the kids fooled. They all thought she was so fucking cool because Caine talked to her and spent time with her. While

he had to deal with proving himself to the other kids and getting his ass kicked on a daily basis no one dared to look sideways

at Danni. She'd been untouchable.

The few times he'd tried to put the little bitch in her place had ended poorly for him thanks to her fucking lapdog. When he

was a child, Greg knew that Caine was different. Unfortunately for him he hadn't known the full extent of Caine's abilities until

it was too late.

When he was twelve he learned that Caine could hear just about anything from a mile away, if he was paying attention. It

was how the bastard discovered Danni was trapped in an old pit hole deep in the woods. They'd been playing tag, the Sentinel

version where they mixed training with fun, and while everyone else was running and doing their best to cover their tracks he'd

followed the little brat, intent on teaching her a lesson. He couldn't believe his luck when she found an old pit.

He waited quietly as she walked around the edge. When she was leaning over the edge with her back to him he snuck up

behind her as quietly as he could and just as she was about to turn he ran the last several feet separating them and shoved her.

The sounds of her falling and the accompanying screams had been music to his ears. He would have loved to sit there

listening to her scream for help, but he knew what would happen to him if anyone discovered what he'd done so he ran. He ran

to where he knew the rest of the kids were playing and circled around so it seemed that he came from the opposite direction.

He made sure that no one could connect him with Danni's "accident."

To this day he still remembered the unholy roar that startled every single living creature for miles. Birds seemed to burst

out of tree tops into the sky as animals scattered in a desperate rush for escape. Even the Sentinel adults were startled. They'd

quickly gathered up all the children and escorted them through the woods with their weapons drawn.

While the other children had been scared he had to work damn hard not to smile. All he could think of was Danni's pitiful

screams as he ran that mile back to the compound. Every pregnant woman and every child, Sentinel and human, were placed in

the downstairs training room with guards set up at every exit, prepared to fight the rogue demon they thought was on the

property, but Greg knew better.

He wasn't at all surprised when barely five minutes had passed since the lockdown and Caine came storming in with

Danni crying in his arms. When Greg saw the makeshift splints on Danni's small arm and leg, a small snort of laughter escaped

him before he could stop himself.

Caine's red eyes, which still scared everyone to this day, narrowed on him and Greg did his best to appear innocent, not

that he was afraid. He knew his parents and every Sentinel in the compound would protect him from the crazed Pyte. Besides,

no one had seen what he'd done so he knew he was in the clear. He watched with relish as Danni cried and screamed as they

set her bones. He would have loved to watch them put her in casts, but by that point everyone had been ushered out of the room.

It wasn't until later that night when his parents were out on patrol that he learned very differently. He'd woken up to find a

very angry Pyte hovering over him. Caine never touched him, but then again he didn't need to. The things that he promised to do

to Greg if he ever touched Danni again had been enough to leave him shaking and crying in his freshly pissed soaked bed.

From that day on he maintained his distance from Danni, but he watched her. Always. His hatred for her only intensified

after that day. For years he waited for an opportunity to get to her, but the Pyte was always there, always watching. When the

two seemed to have a falling out he thought for sure the wait was over, but he learned very differently when he went to make

his move on the bitch one night during training. It was the first time Caine made good on all those threats he made years earlier

and beat the living shit out of him.

After that he backed off, waiting for the right opportunity and fearing he would never get it because of the Pyte. He began

hitting the shifter and vampire hangouts looking for any information on how to solve his little Pyte problem.

Word spread and soon he found himself in front of a Master who was only too happy to help Greg for a price, but then

again Greg had a demand of his own. He was going to correct the problem of his human birth.

After the Master explained what he wanted, Greg was only too happy to help and provide the incentive they needed. A

year ago he'd put his plan into action and befriended the little bitch. Somehow he'd stopped himself from killing her, reminding

himself that he needed her, but it had been difficult.

Soon they were dating and he almost had her trusting him, but then the bitch had to walk out into that alley and find him

fucking another woman and his plans had been blown to shit. It had taken a few months, but he finally managed to set up a trap

for the both of them, one that he liked better than his original plan.

He knelt beside Danni and pressed the gun to her head, wishing he could pull the trigger, but unfortunately they needed

her. So he'd just have to resign himself to making her life a living hell.

Chapter 4

Caine came awake gasping for air as his hands shot to his face, seeking out the damage, already knowing there would be

none. His blood and time had done their work, allowing him to heal.

As his breathing slowed down he became aware of the thick metal cuff locked around his right ankle. He dropped his

hands from his face as he sat up and took in his new surroundings.

What the hell.......

He looked around the large off-white tiled room and couldn't help but frown when he spotted Danni lying on a twin

mattress on the floor. She was dressed in a man's dress shirt and had a thick black bracelet around her right ankle with an

unusually thick black wire running from it to the wall. Reluctantly he looked away from her to take in the rest of the room while

wondering why he wasn't in bloodlust and attacking her.

His body required blood to heal. Although his body could heal on its own through a pain coma, as it had just done, his

body always required ingested blood to make up for what he lost. By all rights he should have woken up already in the throes

of bloodlust and attacked whatever was available. The fact that it was Danni in the room with him, whose blood he craved

night and day should have guaranteed that he attacked her.

Instead of feeling the need to feed he felt oddly full, which meant that someone fed him when he'd been out cold. Whoever

had masterminded this, obviously wanted her alive otherwise they wouldn't have fed him and that meant that whatever they had

planned for him involved Danni.

"Shit," he muttered, coming to his feet as he scanned the rest of the room.

One thing was clear. Whoever captured them was well set up to handle prisoners. In one corner there was a shower built

into the wall with a drain in the floor as well as a toilet a few feet away offering zero privacy. Towels and toiletries lined the

wall on the other side of the toilet. In the opposite corner was a metal door, and the only exit from the room. He didn't need to

walk towards the door to know that his chain would stop him short before he reached it.