Crimson Vengeance (17 page)

At a wine bar on Howard, she found a nice table where she sat and twirled a long-stemmed goblet half full of an aromatic red. This seemed to be a popular hangout, exactly what she had in mind. The wine was excellent, though it didn’t quench her thirst.

She didn’t have to wait long, not that she ever did. As far back as she could remember, both before and after coming over, she’d drawn admirers wherever she went. It was a gift and a curse, her special brand of allure that took her from death to undeath.

The one who’d found her alongside the dark muddy road had been as ugly as Destiny was beautiful. That night, she’d hovered a mere breath away from death. Then as life began to flow out of her body, his blood trickled bitter and hot between her lips. She still recalled the peace of that moment.

What her life became afterward was nothing she could have imagined. It was beautiful and horrifying. Before, her life revolved around pleasure and the pursuit of wealth. After, pleasure and wealth were still important. So too were power and revenge.

“Hi,” the man said, interrupting her reverie.

Destiny looked up and smiled. Not bad. Tall and dark-haired with a fashionable beard and mustache. His black slacks were stylish and expensive. So, too, was the gray shirt. “Hello,” she said.

“Are you waiting for someone?” His eyes were rich chocolate brown.

“No.” She ran her tongue over her lower lip. “Would you care to join me?”

He smiled and his eyes seemed to light up. “I’d love to.”

“Are you here alone?” Why would such a tasty treat be out alone on a Saturday night? Destiny could smell the sweetness of his blood, hear the pulse of it as it coursed through his veins.

He looked sheepish. “Yes. I live across the street in the River Ridge condos. Every once in a while when I’m feeling cooped up I come over here. This place has the best wines in town. By the way, I’m Dale.” He held out a hand.

She took the offered hand and shook it. “Destiny.” He had a broad palm and long fingers that wrapped around hers. His nails were clean, manicured.

Much later, she stood looking out the tall windows of Dale’s tasteful condo. As they’d walked from the wine bar, he’d promised the view was killer. He hadn’t exaggerated. From his front room, the sight of the Spokane Falls was breathtaking. Floodlights bathed the falls in white light, the raw power of the water more than impressive as it roared between the basalt cliffs.

Destiny watched for a few minutes longer, then sighed. It was time to go. She walked back to the bedroom and began to pick up her clothes. Dale had proved to be an energetic and enthusiastic lover. She’d thoroughly enjoyed herself. The little romp had filled her with energy. The blood didn’t hurt either. It was a lovely way to start a long and eventful night.

Once dressed, she stopped in the bedroom doorway and glanced back. Dale was stretched across the bed, his eyes closed and his skin pale in the darkened room. He appeared to be deep in sleep, if one didn’t look too closely.

Colin glanced at his watch. Jesus, it was already almost ten.

He shoved up from the hotel bed and headed for the shower. He couldn’t believe he’d slept that long. Then again, Ivy had done her best to wear him out. He smiled. God help him, he’d take that kind of workout any day of the week. Beat the heck out of going to the hotel gym.

He rested his head against the shower enclosure and closed his eyes, letting warm water flow down his back. It was stupid to get sidetracked. He had no business jumping into bed with anyone, especially in the middle of a hunt like this one. Then again…

Love at first sight wasn’t something Colin believed in. It was hormones. It was an itch. It was anything except love, because love at first sight didn’t exist. Of course, most people would swear vampires didn’t exist either.

Still, he told himself he wasn’t in love with the dark-haired beauty. The notion was ridiculous. He might be in lust—he’d buy that. Love—not a chance. Except from the first second he touched her, something was very different. And not in a bad way different.

Love wasn’t exactly something Colin had much experience with. Sure, he’d started life as a loved and wanted child. His parents had been the best and all his memories were good. Having that foundation was probably the only thing that kept him from crashing into madness.

Once his family was gone, all he had were his memories.

Monsignor did his best to fill the void left by the loss of his family, and he did the job well, all things considered.

Still, it wasn’t the same. The monsignor gave him the unconditional love of a family while at the same time molding him into the hunter he ultimately became. It wasn’t exactly a normal upbringing. He was always the guy on the outside, just a step out of touch with all the others. Most of the time, it was fine. He understood who he was and why. Then, there were times when Colin wanted to be like everyone else—oblivious to the dangers lurking in the shadows of the night. To be able to go to college, chase women, and drink beer. Just a regular Joe Blow.

What he wanted and what he was were two very different things. The night his family was destroyed took the possibility of choice from him. So, when he wished to be like everyone else, when he wanted nothing more than to be a regular guy, he pushed the desires away and concentrated on what he was—a vampire hunter.

Now, after all this time, the end was in sight. It both thrilled and scared him. Without a concrete goal, what would his life become?

He’d never considered what he would do once he cleansed the earth of vampires. It was the only thing he knew how to do.

He immediately thought of Ivy. Was she God’s gift to him?

Was she the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow? Or, was he seeing things in her that didn’t exist because he was scared?

Colin pulled his head up and let the water hit him in the face.

It didn’t really matter one way or the other. Life would be what life would be. He had to focus on one thing—destroying the last two vampires on the planet.

By the time he was dressed and in his car, he felt more like himself. Steady, focused. No more thoughts of love. He picked up his cell phone and called Ivy. The moment he heard her voice, a rush went right up his spine. Yeah…fling.

“Colin.” His name rolled off her tongue like honey. “I’m glad you called.”

“Are you all right?” Though her voice sounded sweet, he had the feeling something wasn’t right.

“I’m on my way to Spokane.”

“Why?” His thoughts shifted into hunter mode.

“She took out a state trooper last night.”

“Where?” He did have a broad vocabulary, but as his mind raced, everything seemed to come out in single syllables.

“Sprague Lake. It’s between Spokane and Moses Lake. I’m on my way now to meet Riah and Adriana at the morgue.”

“How far out are you?”

“Just pulled off I-90 onto Maple. I’ll be there in about five minutes.”

“I’ll meet you there, I’m close as well.”

He snapped the phone shut and concentrated on traffic. At first he was surprised at the amount of it until he remembered it was Saturday. He hated Saturdays. For him it wasn’t a night to party. No, for Colin, Saturday night was the busiest night of the week.

At the Public Safety Building, he found a parking spot near the rear entrance of the morgue. He glanced up in time to see Ivy turn off Broadway in the direction of the security gate. He waved. She saw him and stopped long enough for him to jump into the passenger’s seat.

“Good timing,” he said.

She smiled and pulled into a parking spot after the guard cleared them through the gate. Once the car was turned off, she didn’t move.

“You didn’t wake me.” She spoke very quietly.

Colin wasn’t sure what he heard in her voice. “You needed the sleep.” It was lame.

Ivy shifted so her dark gaze fell on his face. The dashboard lights made the inside of the car glow enough he could see her expression. “You could have said good-bye.”

He might as well ’fess up even if it did make him sound like a scared little boy. “I was too chicken to wake you up.”

Ivy’s laugh was gentle, forgiving.

She grabbed his hand. “Amen.”

His shoulders relaxed—a little. There was still the issue of his destroying her friend, but he’d cross that bridge later. “You too?”

“You know it. I’m just not the kind of girl who jumps in bed with every vampire hunter she runs into.”

“You run into a lot of vampire hunters?” God, he liked the feel of her hand in his.

“Oh, yes, at least one every week.”

He loved the way her eyes danced. “You’re full of it.”

This time she really laughed and leaned over to kiss him. “It’s a definite possibility.”

He ran his tongue across her lower lip as he entwined his hand in her dark, lush hair. He pulled her a little closer to kiss her deeper.

She tasted wonderful and smelled like heaven. He didn’t want to think about leaving her.

“What is it about you?” he asked against her lips.

“I could ask you the same thing.”

Colin gazed into her eyes and felt a twinge in his heart.

Impossible. “You know this is crazy.”

“Certifiable,” she said.

“So, what are we going to do about it?”

Ivy pulled away and shrugged. “Right now, we’re going to join the others, try to figure out what’s happening, and then,” she shrugged again, “who knows.”

She was right. At the moment, the only thing they should be focused on was Destiny and the bloody trail she was leaving across the state. At least now they had a clue where she seemed to be heading.

He kissed Ivy one more time, then got out of the car. Night was burning and they were still a long way from any answers.

“It’s about damn time,” Riah grumbled when Ivy and Colin pushed through the doors.

Ivy’s eyes narrowed. “And hello to you too.”

Ivy’s response didn’t surprise Riah. She’d never bought into Riah’s moods, which were typically far more mercurial than Ivy’s. Riah learned to trust Ivy partially because of her steadfast personality and her even temper. Ivy had a cool head no matter how out of control things became.

Except now. Riah wasn’t blind. Ivy and Colin walked a little too close together and seemed to make a little too much effort not to look at each other. They’d slept together somewhere between the time they left here last night and now. She could almost smell it on them.

Ivy might think the tall, cool vampire hunter was a hot piece of ass, but Riah? Not so much. Oh, he was attractive enough and the kind of man women noticed even if they weren’t inclined toward the opposite sex. Something about him was different and alluring.

He was also tough and smart. Nothing soft about this hunter.

All the more reason to question putting complete trust in him. Riah hadn’t lived nearly five hundred years through random or naïve trust. She’d have been destroyed a very long time ago if she had.

Though Ivy was a mere human, this was likewise far out of character for her. Particularly with Destiny’s recent choice of Jorge as a victim thrown into the mix.

Something truly evil was headed her way and she had no idea why. She’d kept her promise to do no harm these last few centuries.

She even became a physician, Hippocratic Oath and all. She’d stayed true to her oath and her promise. Riah helped the dead to speak. Her science put away murderers and monsters. She comforted families and tried to make amends for past sins. She hadn’t once in over two hundred years taken a human life.

Perhaps in the last two centuries, she’d become too complacent.

Perhaps evil had stalked her for years and she’d been too involved trying to atone for her past to see the signs. Certainly, she missed the passing of so many like herself. Years ago, she’d have known immediately when another vampire was destroyed. Their culture was close-knit. But she’d walked away from her life as well as those she’d previously called her friends. Most viewed her choice as betrayal. From the day she’d been turned, she’d been an outcast in human society, and when she’d turned her back on the vampire world, she’d become an outcast there too.

Now, both of her worlds were about to collide and she didn’t understand why. All she knew was in some strange way she was involved. If she didn’t come up with answers soon, all of Adriana’s work would be for naught. Riah wouldn’t be here long enough for the cure to matter.

She pulled herself away from her disturbing thoughts and turned her attention to the cooler where the body of the state trooper chilled. She left the other three talking in low voices and pulled the cooler door open. A whoosh of cold air hit her in the face, the scent of decay and destruction wafting out. She shivered.

Sunset had come and gone with nary a twitch beneath the body bag. So far, it seemed Destiny played with her food, then left them to turn as the next night fell. Through the years, Riah had seen it a hundred times or more. Vamps who were bored or lonely, turning their victims in the hope that having someone by their side could make them feel excited or even loved. Most of the unfortunate victims never made it past a sunset or two.

The life of a vampire wasn’t easy or glamorous, despite the picture the popular media presented. It was cold, lonely, and ugly.

Not once in all her years did Riah try to turn another. She lacked the courage to end her own existence, but she couldn’t bring another into the shadows. She refused to become what Rodolphe always hoped he could mold her into.

Destiny was an enigma. She turned each victim yet she didn’t seem to do it for sport or companionship. Not when she threw them aside like trash. It didn’t make sense. Nor did this most recent victim. She drained the trooper and tossed him away. The trooper was good and dead. So, why the shift after she left so many to turn?

Riah pushed him out of the cooler, the wheels sounding a steady squeak, squeak, squeak as the gurney rolled toward the autopsy room. She positioned him beneath the high-powered light and turned it until it shone on his face. His cheeks were sunken, his skin pasty. His eyes were smoky, reminding her of an old dog slowly going blind. What had made him interesting and special was gone.