Blood Cursed (10 page)

Not that Ember belongs to anyone. Least of all Diamond.

Vincent flicks up unperturbed eyebrows. “Jeez, no need to flip out. Just saying, she’s one sexy bitch. You’re a lucky guy. I bet she fucks like a goddess. Christ, just the smell of her pussy makes me hard. See?” He grabs Diamond’s hand and pulls it between his legs, where his hard flesh throbs with sick fever.

Diamond fights the urge to jab cutting claws deep into Vincent’s balls. Instead, he rips his hand away with a wet snarl. “You’re all class, scumlicker. Stay away from her.”

“No, seriously, is she selling? Because I can pay, and I’d just
love
to suck on her.” Vincent flexes virus-strong muscles, and suddenly it’s Diamond crammed back against the wall, Vincent’s fangsharp grin inches from his mouth.

Diamond tries to jump back, but his wings are crushified behind him and the vile little ratweed is strong.

Vincent jams his fevered thigh in and yanks a fistful of long glassy hair. He laughs, and it stinks of meat and bourbon. “’Cause that’s what I’m gonna do, fairyshit, once you’re dead. I’m gonna eat your girlfriend. I’m gonna put my cock in her mouth and spread her legs and suck the blood from her pretty pussy. And you know what? She’ll like it. I’m talented like that.”

“Sickity fuck.” Diamond claws for Vincent’s eyes, but he can’t reach, not in the vampire’s stony grip. Fuck. How did the wormatron get so strong?

Vincent giggles, mad. “Sick fuck. Ha ha. Good one. You’re a funny guy. She must really like you.” He snaps at Diamond’s ear, missing the point by a shard, and his whisper pierces deep. “She’ll curse you to hell before I’m finished with her. And you won’t be able to save her. How does that feel, Diamond? Gallant mother-fucker like you? Must really break your heart.”

“Don’t walkify the hall of mirrors with me, asshole. I live there.” Diamond flashes out wild glassfae talent, sharp like a wasp’s sting, and Vincent’s jealousy and hunger and rich longing crush Diamond’s breath tight. He laughs, cutting. “Feeling a bit left out? Deadify as many as you want, it won’t make pretty Mina love you.”

Vincent’s eyes darken angry black. “Don’t even go there.”

“She’d rather screw a slimycated snake than lay a finger on you. Hell, she even slept with me. I think she liked it. Make you feel good?”

A wet vampire snort, ripe with fury. “Don’t sleep, fairyshit. Don’t even close your pretty eyes. You’re both mine.”

And in a whoosh of stinking laughter, Vincent’s not there.

Diamond stumbles, his heart sprinting, and jumps for the swinging door.

Ember sits, starifying into space, fiddling with her straw. Alone.

Relief cools his pulse. He halts in the doorway, catching his breath. He sniffs deep, flicks on his shining faesight. Shapes loom and fade, sounds melting into shadows, air currents like dark eddies in glass. No telltale heat signature from a fevered vampire body. Only foul virus-stink, lingering. Vincent’s gone.

Diamond snaps his sight back to normal, colors flooding in. The idea of Vincent’s filthified mouth on Ember’s skin lights his rage faster than any threat to his own useless life. Images flash vivid and scarlet-drenched, of Vincent kissing her, licking that perfect skin, dragging sharp teeth over her hipbone. Parting those lovely thighs, nuzzling her there with his tongue where the hair’s soft and red, her blood running neon-fresh on hungry vampire lips …

He yanks long hair tight around his fist, frustration burning. It’s not right. If Vincent wants to pick some fighticality? Bring it on with tinkles. But to grubby-talk a sweet innocent girl like that …

Diamond curses, and more glass shatters. Vincent’s up to no good. Never mind dreamlusting about Ember naked and breathless. He can’t leave her unprotectified and alone now.

Like it or spit it, she’s Diamond’s responsimability now. And deep in some cold, forgotten crevice of his heart, protecting her feels good.

Yeah. It’s really gonna goodfeel when you have to choosify Rosa over her, too. Frosticate it, fairy. Don’t let her get to you.

He whips his hair smooth, calms his quivering limbs—nothing he can do about the hard-on—and walks out into the café.

10

“I can help you.” Diamond held out his hand, his bracelet glinting silver.

“Huh?” I hadn’t seen Vincent leave. Hadn’t heard a scuffle. Couldn’t see any blood. Had they fought? Was Vincent dead on the bathroom floor?

“ … can take you to her—”

“Did you just see—?” We both spoke at once, and I shook my head. “Never mind. What was that?”

“Scarletfire. Real name of Crimson. I’ll show ya.” Irresistibly he lifted me to my feet.

I scrabbled for my bag, stuffing Kane’s infuriatingly cryptic card inside. “What, now?”

“Sure. Why waitify?”

“Umm … righto. Good plan.” I stumbled over my heels as we walked out, his fingers tight but comfortable above my elbow, like he was afraid I’d escape. “You sure? I mean, how d’ya know it’s the right person?”

“Get it when you see her.”

“O-kaay. And ‘famine in the dark’? What’s that mean?”

“That’s where he is, silly.”

My palms itched, frustrated. “And the bloodpetal girl? You know her?”

He shrugged, short. “Maybe. C’mon.” He tugged me outside, where the sweating café boy was piling up menus and stacking aluminum chairs on the hot pavement. Molten moonlight puddled on the black asphalt, glinting on iron tram lines. A police car screeched past, red and blue lights flashing, heat haze eddying in its wake.

Already, midnight warmth seeped under my skin, my hair crackling crisp. This was one fierce summer. Even in the dark, the heat just didn’t let up.

I glanced left and right. No sign of Vincent. I looked at Diamond, trying to recover my small scrap of confidence, but he just glanced back with hot liquidberry eyes and said nothing.

Suspicion settled warm and uncomfortable in my veins. Vincent could’ve dragged me into the dark if he’d wanted to, taken my blood and left me in the gutter to die. But he hadn’t. Maybe he’d truly wanted to help me.

But why would Snakeboy DiLuca’s pet vampire psychopath care about me?

Unless DiLuca were plotting against Diamond. Using me to get to him. That was a laugh. Like Diamond gave a damn what happened to me. But should I hang around, or leave? Was I helping him, or them? Jeez, this was all too fucking hard.

I sighed, arranging my bag strap over my shoulder. It didn’t matter. I’d be dead soon if I didn’t do something, and I still had no other options. “Okay. Where we going?”

Diamond eyed me critically, up and down and up again. “First, home to changify your clothes.”

“Huh? What for?” Urgency clawed my spine, the moon igniting my blood like alcohol. I didn’t have time to change. I needed to fix this now.

“You really wanna go out looking like that?”

“Screw you, okay?” I tossed my hair, defiant. “In case you didn’t get it, I have just a
teensy
time-pressure problem here. I don’t have time to go home and make myself
pretty
for a sexist glassbrained warthog like y—”

“You’re bloodified, Ember,” he interrupted, glossy wings flashing as he faced me down. “You stink of it. Your dress is ripped up to your ass and you’re showing off your—” And he bit his bottom lip and hid behind his rainbow cascade of hair.

But too late. I’d seen the deep magenta splash in his cheeks, the veins swelling bright in his throat. A teasing smile tweaked my lips. Cockyfae was blushing. Fancy that.

Which meant … Oh, shit.

My wings heated, and I looked down.

Yeah. There they were. A nice rip in the underside of my top had left me … well, semi-naked. And not in a classy way.

I must have torn it when Paris and Tinker attacked me. Flushing, I tugged the fabric downward, but they only spilled out the top. I tugged it up, and the opposite happened.

My wings scorched, and my face felt like burnt toast. Now everyone was staring at me again. Even the coffee boy hid a smile. I crossed my arms over my chest, furious.

“Toldified.” Diamond flicked me a heated glance, somewhere around the level of my kneecaps.

I scowled, and huffed my wings, but a laugh stole up my throat. The spectacle of Diamond losing his composure was too good to pass up. I folded my arms belligerently, breasts swelling. “What’s your problem, loverboy? Never seen any like these before?”

He opened his mouth, and swiftly shut it again.

Speechless. Another score.

I grinned, and he gave me an exasperated glance. “C’mon. Take you home.”

I followed him over the curb into the street, delight still feathering my step. Still, my blood itched, discomfited. I knew my boobs were up there with the best. Guys salivated for a glimpse. What was wrong with him? He hadn’t even looked, not really.

Guess I still didn’t rate, after that bully-whore-coward thing. I sniffed. Fine. He could be like that. Not like I was interested anyway.

We crossed the street, dodging an earsplitting motorbike and a bunch of yelling spriggans in a rusty old van, and I shot him a sarcastic smile behind his back to make myself feel better. “It’s not so far. We can walk—” I stopped when I saw where he was headed, and giggles broke in my chest. “Or not. Is that your car?”

I’d expected him to roll flashy. It went with the territory. Jasper drove a sleek sports car, all shinymetal and tinted glass, stealthy and black like a ghost’s breath. I didn’t know what make it was. I don’t care much about cars.

But this thing of Diamond’s was stunning. Low, convertible, the inside soft and delicious, the outside a symphony of hot metal curves, smooth and sensuous like a woman’s satinclad body. I wanted to lick it, run my hands over it.

It was also the purplest thing I’d ever seen. Glossy, orchidbright, smack-your-face purple. So purple, my eyes hurt.

He flitted onto the curb to open the door for me, crazyshiny metal flashing like his grin. “Like it?”

I stepped up beside him and peered inside, shielding my eyes from the glare. It smelled of him, warm and rosy in summer heat, the leather soft and dark like plumskin. It reminded me of his butt in those purple pants, all tight and velvety smooth. I giggled, warm. “Zero outta ten for stealth, partner. Tell me you don’t actually drive this.”

“Angel, girls have chewed each other’s eyeballs out for a ride.”

“No doubt. Doesn’t it clash with your hair?”

“If ya got it, offshow it. Coming or not?”

“With you driving, sparklebrain? No way. How many lines did you suck back tonight?”

He sniffed, and grinned, devastating. “Just tightifies the reflexes, baby.”

Moonlight slid sweet uncaution deep into my veins like a warm needle, and I yearned for thrill, danger, crazy laughter.

My pulse pressed hot between my legs, and I snorted, trying to shake it off. “Yeah. Double vision and a three-hour hard-on, more like. You are so not driving.” I held out my hand, daring him. “Keys, please.”

“Like you’re not drunkified, moongirl.” His ruby gaze flickered downward, and up again, darkening to violet.

I grinned inwardly. Yep, they’re still there. Still, his gaze made me flush, and I fought it off with a mock-serious eyebrow. “Am not.”

“Uh-huh. Then why’d you kiss me before?”

“I did not!” But heat caressed my nerves, annoying. Shit. Why’d he have to bring that up? Sure, my brain imploded when he gave me that look. But the last thing I needed was another stupid infatuation. Couldn’t we just pretend we weren’t young and horny and eyeing each other off? Just for a few hours, until this was over?

“Did so.”

“Did not!”

“Angel, that was so a kiss. We just didn’t get to the liplocking part.” He shot me a tiny smile, cool and self-assured. Not the screw-me-weak-at-the-ankles one. This one was his
You know I’m right, so stop arguing
smile, and it sliced just as sharp.

His confidence itched me deep inside, tempting and irritating at the same time. I glared, one hand crooked on my sweating hip. “Guess I’m sober enough to know what’s good for me, then.”

“Yeah?” He vaulted easily over me, and dropped into the driver’s seat. He didn’t bother to fold his wings aside. Just spread them out behind him, his rosy halo glowing. Like he didn’t care who saw. He started the thing up, engine growling, and the dashboard lit neon-bright, spearing blue and purple shadows that glittered like laserlight in his hair. “Then screw sober. I liked you better crazified. Get in, grandma. Live it up.”

Challenge thrilled my blood warm. I shook my head in mock exasperation and got in.

My body sank into the seat, the plumskin leather wrapping around me, his scent so warm and inviting, my moonstruck blood purred. I wanted to wriggle my shoulders, rub my wings in the softness, strip naked and stretch out like an amorous tabby cat to have my belly rubbed.

No doubt this worked on all the girls, and I checked surreptitiously for chewed eyeballs before I pulled the door shut, clunking it harder than necessary. “If you crash and kill me, I swear I’ll crawl back from hell to haunt you.”

He grinned, wickedlight. “Promise?”

“In a heartbeat.”

“Better buckle up, then.” He slotted the shiny metal shift into gear, threatening, and flashed me a glittery wink.

I’d barely clicked the seat belt home when acceleration flung me back into my seat.

We scorched out into the traffic, and he floored it, skidding around the corner on a drift that lurched my stomach light. Wind dragged my hair back, the hot midnight air a dazzling caress on my skin. He shifted gears, and the vibration thrummed deep in my belly. Lights dizzied me, streetlamps flashing overhead, the dashboard’s digital jitter, the pulsing glow of his body next to mine, and my senses lit with the heady flavors of nighttime and city smoke and roses.

The cusp of his glasstalent caressed my skin, teasing like a wing’s soft edge, and deep inside I felt him smile. My lungs swelled. My heart beat faster, and I stretched my pulsing wings to that greedy, fattening moon and laughed.

In the shadows across the street, Vincent wipes his mouth, smearing hungry spit. Lordy, she’s perfect. He can’t stop staring, her sweaty thighs gleaming as she hops in the car, her smile flashing, pulse flickering in her throat as she leans back and laughs, scarlet hair flowing like blood.

Ember pretends she’s so noble, but she’s just a slutty bloodfairy milkshake, begging to be sucked dry. And Diamond … Well, Diamond shouldn’t have said those things about Mina.

The virus whips Vincent’s jealousy to dirty fever. Just the idea of his lost Mina screwing Diamond makes his palms itch to scratch the smarmy pinkshit’s glow-ball eyes out. Her lovely blue hair, spilling over sweat-slick raspberry muscles. Her pretty lips parting on a groan as that no doubt magnificent cock forces into her, sweat and fluid and pleasure mingling … .

Want her. Wanna be her. Vincent doesn’t know. Story of his fucking life.

Fuck it. He was already gonna kill the lying glassfae rat. Now he’s gonna have some real fun first.

Fury and resentment boil to steam in his blood, and the hunger sucks it away, all-consuming. The car screeches off, a knife-edge purple splash. Savage thirst claws his throat, and he swallows wet hunger and digs out his phone to make a call.

A blonde and her Thai girlfriend walk by and block his view, holding hands, high heels teetering drunkenly on the uneven concrete. Blondie is slim and perky, Thailand curvy and luscious, and their rich skinscent only enrages Vincent more. His ravenous gaze flicks between them, fiery hair and long lickable legs and scrumptious breasts all covered in skin and full of tasty blood … .

He leans against the jagged brick wall. “Famine. Hey, it’s Vincent … . Yeah, it sure was a rockin’ party, mate. Sorry about your carpet. I’ll fix you up … . Yeah, shit happens, eh? Listen, I got something for ya. You know that gemstone thing you told me about?”

The girls strut past in a cloud of tequila and ladyscent. Mmm. He ambles after them, casual. “Yeah, well, I heard about it, didn’t I, so don’t get the shits, bone-ass. I got the chick who’s chasing you, and I’m sending her your way.”

The girls turn the corner and stumble against the alley wall for a lipstick-smearing kiss. Vincent shadows them, already thirsting for their flavor, and drops his voice so he won’t reveal himself.

“Because I like you, mate. Jeez, one little accident and everyone thinks you’re a maniac … . Well, she’s already got one on her finger. She’s one of Diamond’s girlfriends. Bloodfairy, red hair, legs up to here, calls herself Ember.”

Low moans drift from the dark, and Vincent’s mouth waters at the taste of slick female flesh as the girls slide fingers under skirts.

He chuckles. “Yeah, I know it’s a full moon. Why d’ya think I’m calling? I’m the guy who gets things, remember? Your clients are gonna piss themselves over this lady.”

He can see what the girls are doing, his virus-sharp eyes sucking in every morsel of light, and his balls ache hard. Christ, that girlsex shit should be illegal. “Yeah, well, don’t go breaking nothing. I want her when you’ve finished.”

Problem with two is, the second one’ll scream while he’s still working on the first. But he’s got ways around that. A whiff of charm. A brush of hypnotic seduction. Something to stuff in their mouths. “Oh, sure. Mind-fuck her all you like, mate. It’s her body I want.”

Blondie bends to lick a stiff pink nipple, her fingers sliding between the dark one’s thighs, coaxing out swollen flesh. Vincent’s mouth waters, his pulse throbbing.
Go down. Please, go on … yeah.
On her knees, Blondie sucks and licks, her lips shining, and Vincent’s cock aches rock hard. He’ll do that to Ember, make her moan, suck hard on her ripe little clit and make the blood flow.

But for now, he’s hungry. And hungry vampires eat.

He cuts Famine off in midsentence. Skinny whiteboned prick always did talk too much. “Yeah. I’ll let ya know. Look, I gotta go.” A strained female voice groans and calls on god, and Vincent laughs in dark anticipation. “Mate, the pleasure’s all mine.” And he slips his phone away and slinks like a ravenous ghost into the dark.