Flowers and Fangs (Stake and Dust series, Book II) (5 page)

Her movements stilled for a moment then she
frantically struggled again. If there were two of them, her chances
of escape were becoming slimmer.

"Stop it," Derek hissed in her ear as he
clamped a hand over her mouth. His calloused palms were rough
against her skin. He knew this man who called to him, but for some
reason he didn't want to reveal his location.

Her brows furrowed as she stared at him. At
this close range, his rugged face half lit by moonlight proved
almost too beautiful to be on a face of a madman. She pursed her
lips realizing how stupid her reasoning sounded. If potential
killers had
crazy
tattooed on their forehead, they wouldn't
have any murderers and rapist roaming the streets. The police could
just arrest them on sight. Then she realized what the man standing
at her backdoor had said and her eyes narrowed. The madman was
named Derek. Her gaze riveted to him, taking in every feature with
knowing dread. She did know him. The truth hit her hard and her
breath solidified in her chest. Older and more muscular…but it was
Derek Hayes. What had happened to him? Sure he'd been the bad boy,
the one not afraid to do as he pleased, but he'd also been kind. He
stood up to bullies, protected the underdog. It was what drew her
to him.

Lad growled, but not at Derek who held her
captive. Her dog's attention was focused on the newcomer.

Derek murmured something under his breath, a
curse she would imagine, but she didn't have time to think about it
as he managed to drag her to her feet and usher her behind the
shed. His body was pressed against hers, in a manner that would be
deemed inappropriate. "Don't even try to call out," he warned
her.

She rolled her eyes at him. It was a little
difficult to call out with his hand clamped over her mouth, but he
didn't seem to notice.

"That's Axel, my brother." He gestured toward
the back door. "You don't want to draw his attention. Whatever
you're thinking about me, he's ten times worse. He reacts before he
takes in the whole situation. And believe me little lady, you'll be
toast."

She didn't understand any of this. Tim's
attack and… She was going to end up with a permanent crease between
her brows if she kept frowning. But this was Derek. The boy whose
kisses made her toes curl. What was he doing here? Did he remember
her? He didn't act like he did.
'Cause he's crazy
, the voice
in her head snapped. And talking to one's self—silently or
otherwise is too.

Derek saved her from Tim's attack, but then
he threatened her with a crossbow and dagger. She wanted answers to
what-in-all-that-is-holy-and-not
was going on. She grabbed
at his hand in hopes of dislodging his hold.

His gaze riveted to hers. Green eyes narrowed
in on her, making her gulp. "If I let you go, do you promise not to
scream?" he asked.

She gave him a quick nod and immediately the
pressure of his hand lessened until it fell away. She leaned
forward to catch a glimpse of this brother in question, but came up
short when Derek's scent hit her nostrils. She inhaled the musky
male aroma of her captor mixed with perspiration from their
struggles and…something more tantalizing, but she couldn't quite
decipher what it could be, but it made her lick her lips.

He flinched and jerked back. "Don't even
think of biting me."

"What?" Her gaze met his in confusion. "I
wasn't. I wouldn't…"

"This better not be a mistake," he muttered.
She wasn't sure what he thought was a mistake: helping her or not
calling out to his brother.

He kept his grip on her waist as he peeked
around the corner of the shed. A second man appeared beside…Axel.
She believed that was his brother's name. Was the other one a
brother, too? Funny, she didn't remember him discussing his family
way back when. Matter of fact he'd been pretty closed lipped about
his family. Ask him about school, the latest movie, books…he could
talk for hours and they had.

This new arrival wore a cowboy hat, while
Axel sported a leather jacket. A cowboy and biker came to mind, but
despite their differences in attire, they both looked similar in
height and built and both possessed a strong jaw line, not
unlike—

"Derek?" Axel was kind enough to call for his
brother again.

She knew her captor and it made it personal
now. "They're both your brothers." She didn't realize she announced
her assumptions out loud until Derek leveled his gaze on her. Even
in the darkness, she could tell his eyes were green and clear with
no lines marring the pigment.

Derek made clicking noises with his tongue
and Lad glanced at him. "Sick 'em," he hissed. Without warning, Lad
charged the two men standing on the porch. Curses flew from their
mouths as they jumped back inside the house, slamming the door
behind them. Lad leapt in the air as he snarled at the intruders
and clawed the back door.

"How did you do that?" she asked in
amazement. Lad never followed anyone else's commands, but hers.

Derek ignored her inquiry. "If you want to
live, do as I say," he warned and didn't allow her to agree or
disagree with his demand. He pushed away from the shed and dragged
her behind him as he sprinted for the gate.

"Where are we going?"

"Somewhere where you won't be able to hurt
yourself or anyone else for that matter."

"I'm not the dangerous one here," she
snapped.

His gaze swept over her, from head to toe and
back up again, making her body feel warm from his intimate
appraisal. A wicked gleam lit his eyes. "Honey, you're more
dangerous than you know."

She rolled her eyes. "Whatever." She didn't
want to admit she liked the way he looked at her. Heck, she'd be as
nutty as he was if she did. She placed her hands on her hips and
lifted her chin in defiance. "I'm not going anywhere with you. And
if you think—"

Before she could protest further, his hand
whipped forward, gripping the flesh between her neck and shoulder.
She never had a chance to swipe his hand away. Blackness clouded
her vision and she went down for the count.

Chapter Six

Derek ran a hand through his hair as he
stared at the woman lying on his bed and restrained with iron
cuffs. "What the hell am I doing?" He'd been asking himself that
question over and over again for the last half hour. He should have
dusted her. Instead, he had called his brothers and boldfaced lied
to them with a tale of Sloane and Tim's escape.

Wade and Axel were on Tim's trail now, but as
for Sloane? They wouldn't think to look for her at his place or
even fathom the idea that he'd kidnapped her. He should have dusted
her, but how could he when she didn't act like a vampire? He
couldn't go around staking innocent people.

And remember, you know her,
he thought
to himself.

He pursed his lips as he glanced at the woman
with dark thick hair. His gaze traveled down the length of her and
he felt his body heat in areas that had no business reacting. He
harrumphed with irritation. He needed to be a hunter and figure out
what to do next. Only the hunter part of his brain seemed to be
taking a hiatus.

He gently lifted a lock of her hair away from
her neck and stared at the marred flesh. Tim had definitely bit
her. Some vampire septs could feed off humans without changing
them, but not the Nosferatu. He knew this. Only, Sloane didn't act
as if she was infected. His brows furrowed as he remembered for a
spilt second her eyes had turned red. Maybe she wouldn't change.
Maybe she could fight off the vampire venom. "And pink poodles can
sing." He whirled away with a curse.

He needed to talk to someone who knew more
about vamp bites than he did. "Cassandra." He strode out of the
room as he lifted his cell phone from his pocket. Cassandra picked
up on the fourth ring.

"Hey, Derek." His sister's voice rang through
loud and clear.

He didn't bother with pleasantries. They
would only waste time and he ran out of time the moment he
kidnapped Sloane and brought her home. "I have a dilemma."

"You?" Humor laced his sister's words. "Isn't
that usually Wade's department?"

"Yeah, well some of his antics rubbed off on
me or perhaps I'm taking notes from
you.
"

"What's that suppose to mean?" she shot back
defensively.

He took a deep breath. He couldn't offend the
only possible ally in this mess he put himself in. "I didn't mean
anything by the statement, so chill. I caught a vampire… well, not
a vampire yet, but possibly a hybrid from the Nosferatu sept."

"Nasty clan of vamps. So? You're a hunter.
You know what to do."

"Cass, I didn't stake her. When I say I
caught her, I mean I have her in irons…at my place."

"What the…"

He had to hold the phone away from his ear as
she gave him heck for being so stupid. She really didn't need to
bother. He'd been chastising himself for the last hour. "Are you
through?" He held the cell tentatively to his ear once more.

"Why call me? Go in the room and dust
her."

Okay, he hadn't expected her to go there
first thing. He thought since she had a vampire for a boyfriend,
she'd be a little more understanding. "What if she's not…you
know…dangerous?"

Cassandra's sarcastic laugh pried on his
nerves. "All vampires are dangerous."

"Even your precious Tremayne?"

"Even him," she said without pause. "Don't be
an eegit. Yes, some vampires live among the humans without killing
them for sport, but they are all predators. Tremayne would say the
same. You claim you have a hybrid—an untrained hybrid I'm assuming.
They have no discipline. They're like a shark—predators who can
smell a drop a blood miles away. They don't think; they react and
feed if not first glamoured into submission and trained
properly."

He gripped his phone tighter. His instincts
told him Sloane McBride could be saved. "I can't stake her."

"Dear Lord in Heaven." She actually sounded
as if she were praying for guidance. "I would expect Wade to pant
after a woman—vamp or not—but you… Come on. This woman can't be so
hot that you can't stake her."

She was pretty damn good looking, but he
refrained from saying so. He withheld that he knew her, too. "Give
me some credit here. Yes, she's female, but there's something
different about her. She's had enough opportunities to sink her
teeth into my neck—"

"Now we're getting somewhere," Cassandra
interrupted.

"Will you just listen? She didn't attack me.
She seemed confused and scared."

His sister fell silent.

"Did you hear me?"

"I heard you. You're sure she's been
bitten?"

"Pretty sure. She has marks on her neck and
the boyfriend was the one to bite her and trust me he's vamped out.
He was at her place again tonight. Maybe to finish the job he
started before he had fully turned."

"Hold on a sec," his sister told him.

He could hear her conversing with
someone—probably Tremayne, but he couldn't make out her words.
Finally, she spoke to him again, "Tremayne wants to speak to
her."

"Now? Uh…she's kind of unconscious."

"Should I even ask?"

"No."

She sighed heavily. "He actually wants to see
her in person when he speaks to her. He'll be able to tell if she's
on the verge of changing or not."

"And if she is?"

"You'll have two options: one, you stake her
or two…" Cassandra paused and he had the distinct feeling she was
afraid to tell him the option.

What could be worse than staking her? "Give
it to me straight, Cass."

"If she's not too far gone, Tremayne might be
able to change the effects."

"Do you mean cure her?"

"No," she said slowly.

"Then what?"

"He would give her his blood."

"Dammit, Cass. I called for your help."

"And I'm trying to give it, eegit. Remember
you called me for advice."

This shut him up momentarily. "Fine. Go on.
I'm listening."

"Tremayne is a pure blood. He could claim her
for his sept if he completes the change. If she survives..." she
let her last word sink in before she went on, "he'll find someone
to mentor her, but this is all a lot of ifs here. It's better you
take care of the problem now." It seemed like she added the last as
an afterthought. Most likely trying to appease his hunter senses.
Stake and dust—not mentor.

However, he was beyond thinking like a hunter
at this point. "I welcome any help Tremayne can give. When can I
expect him?"

Chapter Seven

Sloane woke with a start, inhaling deeply as
she tried to sit up, but found her wrists were bound.

"Just relax."

Her gaze riveted to the dark corner of the
room where she'd heard the voice. It was Derek, the man who— what
exactly? His role, in this night's escapades had become blurred.
Old boyfriend? Savior? Thug? Kidnapper? The last two weren't all
that appealing. She yanked on her restraints. Handcuffed to a bed
didn't sit well with her either.

"I'm sorry about the cuffs, but really it's
for your own good." He strode out of the shadows, the light casting
a spotlight on his rugged good looks.

His vivid green eyes were his best feature
and she had a difficult time looking away. Too bad, he was
deranged. "I don't understand. Why is being chained to a bed a good
thing?" She had to keep her cool, which was really difficult when
all she wanted to do is scream.

He took the steps separating them and sat
beside her on the bed. She scooted away before she could stop
herself, not that she could go very far. There went pretending she
was brave and unfazed by all the weirdness. His brows furrowed and
his eyes clung to hers, analyzing her reaction. For an instant she
caught his pained expression, as if he didn't like this situation
anymore than she did, which was completely ludicrous since he'd
been the main participant.