Deny Me If You Can (2 page)

“Pay?” she asked.

“Yes. Everything has a price, you know.
Especially
my blood. You must be naive if you think that I will just give it to you.”

Megan felt her heart race.
“It would be kind of you.”

Jaromir snorted. “It doesn't work like that. If you want it then you better come up with something
in return.”

“But ... I don't have anything!”

Jaromir invaded her personal space. She felt his body heat and heard him breathe, that was how close he stood, and she had nowhere to run. Only the wall awaited a few steps behind her.

“Oh, I think you have plenty that you can give me.”

He reached out and gently caressed her cheek. The touch sent goose bumps all over her. Megan forced herself to stand when her knees wanted to give in. She stared into his mesmerizing eyes. Longing filled her. She wanted to touch him, to wrap her arms around him and press her lips against his. It was almost as if he had read her mind because a second later he leaned down and kissed her. His strong arms grabbed her waist and pulled her closer to his hard body.

It was as if his touch turned on a switch. From one second to the other
, her body came alive with a passion and desire that she had never experienced before. Her mind fogged when his tongue met hers, sending her into oblivion. She drowned in the wonders his mouth gave her. She couldn't think, she couldn't focus. Her body desired only one thing.

Him.

The feeling was so powerful that she thought that she would scream if she didn't get him. But just as she grabbed his pants to unbutton them, he pulled away, leaving her empty handed and badly turned on. Frustration filled every part of her. She wanted to lunge for him, pin him to the floor and get on with it, and this time the thought didn't make her blush, but she remained where she stood when the arousal and the desire for him disappeared as fast as it had showed up. It was as if the switch that had been turned on had now been turned off.

She blinked and tried to clear her mind. What
had just happened? Something told her that her arousal hadn't been natural. It had appeared from the blue, and her reaction had been way too strong. She usually didn't react like this from one single kiss. She had literally been ready to throw herself at him. The whole experience felt weird.

“Good,” he said with a wicked smile.

“What?” she asked with a shaky voice. Her mind still felt foggy.

“You are responsive to m
e, and that means that we can play.”

“
Play?”

“If you want to save your sister
, you will give me the one thing I haven't had for decades.”

“And what is that?”

“A hunt.”

Megan winced
and swallowed hard. “A what?”

He grabbed her and pushed her hard against his chest. Megan gasped when he
placed her arms behind her back and held them there. His muscular frame held what it promised. His strong grip made it impossible for her to get free.

“I ca
n make you feel anything I want,” he said. “Fear, sorrow, love, lust. Anything. I. Want. Remember that.” Megan jumped when he licked her lip. “I want you to run. I want you to deny me. I want you to resist me and the feelings I will throw at you. Let's see how resistant you are against my abilities. Give me one good night of excitement, and if you last until the clock strikes five a.m., I will give you what you want.”

Megan couldn't believe her own ears. Did he think
that she was some kind of prey? A thing he could have fun with? Anger filled her, and she was just about to tell him to piss off, but then she remembered her sister.

“
And what if I lose?”

“Don't worry,” he grinned. “If you lose I will make sure that the rest of the night will be a night you will never forget.
I'll be the lover you never had.”

Losing didn't sound so bad. Honestly, it sounded like
something she wanted to do. She had been lonely for so long, always taking care of her sister, never thinking of herself. But if she lost, her sister would die.

“You're not allowed to leave the club. There are plenty
of places and floors for you to hide. No one will touch you, I guarantee you that. But if I find you and you give in to my kisses, then you will let me have my way with you, and you will leave without the blood. Understood?”

She could only nod.

What had she gotten herself into? She must have gone crazy because no sane person wo
uld agree to be the prey of a hungry vampire. She had no idea what he was planning. All she knew was that she had to hide and stay away from him and his abilities until five a.m.

She had never seen this coming,
and she had never expected him to have these kind of powers. He could literally make her feel anything he wanted with one simple touch, and that scared her. Would she be able to tell her feelings apart from the ones he forced on her? She didn't know.

This
made her wonder what the other vampires could do, but on a second thought, she didn't want to know. She just wanted to get this night over with, get the blood and save her sister.

Megan suspected
that Jaromir would do more to her than he had said. What if he decided to kill her once he caught her? Or what if he refused to give her the blood if she won? She didn't like those thoughts and could only hope that he would stick to his word. But he didn't seem like the kind who kept his word. The excitement in his eyes had been obvious. He wanted to have fun and she didn't doubt for a second that he would make sure that he got his fun. She could expect several dirty tricks, of that she was sure of. But she wouldn't let him win. She would withstand everything he threw at her. She had to save Stacey. She was the one who mattered, and not a vampire that was way too good looking.

Megan stood outside his office and waited for Shane to come back out. He had gone in shortly after her conversation with Jaromir
had ended, and all she could think of was the kiss. It had felt wonderful. It had made her forget her problems for a while, but it had also been wrong. She had just met the guy for heaven's sake! He was a dangerous and unpredictable vampire. And as if that wasn't enough, he was also the Vampire King. One word from him and the others would attack her. Everything about him told her that she should stay away, but there was also something about him that pulled her to him. His beautiful eyes, his wicked smile, even his fangs made her body react. Her lower part clenched when the thought of what they could do together crossed her mind. They could taste, touch, feel ...

Megan shook her head and tried to get those images out of her mind. She was not here for
that. She took a deep breath and sobered. It was his blood she was after, and she did this only to save her sister. Without his blood her sister was doomed. Nothing would save her, so if this was what it took to save her, then Megan would do it. She would play Jaromir's dirty, little game and give him his hunt, but if he thought that she would give in to him easily, he would have to rethink. Nothing, absolutely nothing would make her give up her one and only chance to save her sister.

Jaromir handed over the vial that Megan had brought with her to
Shane. It was filled with his blood. This was going to be an interesting night. He grinned and noticed that Shane was grinning too.

“A hunt,” Shane stated and h
is eyes flashed with excitement. 

Jaromir rolled up his sleeves. “I want you to keep an eye o
n her, but keep your distance. Intervene only if she needs your help, but don't get in my way.”

“Very well. And if she wins?”

“I'm not a monster. Give her the vial when the clock strikes five. I intend to let her win so that she can save her sister. I have other plans for her.”

Shane's grin widened.
His eyes went dark.

“When an opportunity
like this comes by I can't just ignore it, now can I?” Jaromir said.

“It would be a shame to let it run by,” Shane replied.

“I agree. Now get going. I need to prepare. Make sure she doesn't leave the building. If she does, the deal is off.”

Shane nodded and left the room. Jaromir was left alone and silence filled the room. He
stared at the door and felt the excitement within him grow. It had been way too long since he had enjoyed himself. Lately, it had all been about work and keeping the vampires at bay with the humans. Unfortunately vampires didn't always get along with the humans because of the blood thing, but what didn't one do to survive? At least no humans were being killed. That was just stupid rumors some idiots had spread to awaken an unnecessary fear toward the vampires. Jaromir hated it, but there wasn't much he could do about it but wait. Only time would tell the humans that vampires were no killers. Unfortunately there had been accidents here and there over the years, and they had only triggered the false rumors even more.

Despi
te the rumors, Megan had dared to walk into his world and face him. No human had ever dared to do that before. They found him dangerous, mad and not trustworthy. Well, he liked to play their little games and from time to time he enjoyed watching them scatter like scared sheep, but it was all just an act. That was not something he usually did, but at the same time a small part of him was that impulsive and natural born predator. It came with the bargain of being a vampire. Just like a cat couldn't resist its natural behavior of chasing its prey, neither could he. Sometimes he just needed to scratch that itch, and this time he had the whole night to play.

Megan fascinated him. He found her attractive with her innocent looking features and smallness. The short, blonde hair fit her well. She looked so tiny compared to him, and he knew that he had to be careful with her. As a vampire
, he was a lot stronger than her, and he didn't want to accidentally break a bone or two. He looked forward to play his little game with her and wondered how well she would take it. He hoped he wouldn't scare her, not much at least.

Jaromir took a deep breath and
turned his gaze toward the door. A dark smile decorated his handsome features.

The game was on.

Megan stared at the filled vial in Shane's hand. She could just snatch it and make a run for it, hope that she would make it out safely. But when she gave it a second thought, she knew it was an insane idea. She would never get far. Shane would be over here before she managed to take two steps. As a vampire he was a lot faster than her.

“How can I know for sure that the blood really
belongs to the King?” she asked.

“You jus
t have to take my word for it. Now get going,” Shane answered. “The King gave you a ten minutes head start, and I suggest that you take this seriously. I'll be keeping an eye on you, and if the King doesn't get what he wants then forget the blood.”

Anger filled her. “You wouldn't dare.
He didn't mention anything about that. All he said was that I have to avoid him.”

“Doesn't matter. I add my own rules and you better
obey. If he is not happy with you once the clock strikes five a.m. ... forget the blood. That is, if you manage to stay out of his reach until then.” He placed the vial in his pocket and grinned.

Shane walked away and left her standing.

Megan had no idea what she was supposed to do. Everything felt awkward and surreal. She assumed that the King expected her to feel fear, but oddly enough, she felt calm. Maybe because everything felt like a dream. She still couldn't believe that she had somehow managed to come this far, that she was actually standing outside the Vampire King's office and that she had managed to convince him to give her some of his blood. She had thought that he would just throw her out and that would be it.

She sighed. She had no idea if this was better or worse than being thrown out. Now she had to be his
prey for several hours, and she couldn't afford to get caught. Everything depended on these few hours. She had to hide somewhere, and she had better get going.

The ten minutes felt like ten hours. All he wanted was to run out there and start hunting. After decades of playing too civilized, he needed it badly. He could barely stand still, and that sweet, little human that had made him question everything he believed about humans, made his body ache.

There was something about her, he had seen it from
the first moment he had laid eyes on her. She had been scared, nervous, but brave. She had stood up to him, even demanded that he give his blood to her because she wanted to save her dying sister, not caring about her own safety. If that wasn't bravery, then he didn't know what was. She had walked inside a building filled with vampires, just like that. Not once in his entire lifetime had he encountered someone like her. She was his equal, he was sure of it, but he would test her properly tonight to make sure. Someone like her, he could have use for.