Influential Magic (21 page)

He pulled his head back and grinned. “Feisty. I can see why David keeps you all to himself.”

I moved. One fist shot out, catching him in the gut. Before he could recover from the surprise, I brought my knee up, aiming for his man bits. Vampires might appear to be made of stone, but even they had sensitive areas. Anticipating my move, he shifted and caught my leg before I could connect. He twisted and a moment later I lay face down on the cold concrete floor, my back blazing from his contact.

“Get off!”

“Oh, I am, sweetheart. I am.”

“Freakin’ perv. Let me up.” I struggled to keep the whimper from my voice. With his body covering mine, I feared I’d pass out soon.

Through the agony I barely noticed the hot breath in my ear until he whispered, “Chill out, Rhoswen. David sent me.”

“What?” I threw my head back, clocking him.

He swore and gripped me tighter. “Attack me one more time, and I’ll have no choice other than to hurt you,” he said, his voice still barely audible. “They’re listening and watching.” When I didn’t move, he rolled off me and raised his voice. “There we go, that’s a tame kitten. We’ll get along just fine after I’ve fed.”

My mind whirled. David sent him? Was that good or bad? David had just strolled out, leaving me, as if he didn’t give a damn. He hadn’t even tried to bargain for my right to leave. Was he trying to help? I grimaced. If so, it was way too late. Even if what the vampire said was true, what could he do? He was imprisoned, too. And now he was going to feed off me.

I clamped my eyes shut. Maybe I should let him do it and get it over with. He would anyway, eventually. A weight settled in my stomach. Had I really just considered letting a vamp bite me?

The thought of fangs in my skin made me queasy.

I sat up and eyed the vamp. “What’s your name?”

His lips curved into a half smile. “Getting friendly now? I like that.”

I gritted my teeth and sent him my she-devil glare.

His smile turned into a full grin. “Damn. I like a girl…uh, faery with attitude.”

“The name is Willow. And yours would be…?”

He shook his head, still grinning. “Nathan. Nathan Fuller.”

I gaped and then closed my mouth, remembering I was being watched. I’d heard about Nathan. David had talked about him. Hell, I’d even spoken to him on the phone once when I’d answered David’s phone. My eyes met his, and he gave me the tiniest of nods.

Maybe David did have a plan. Although for the life of me, I had no idea what it could be. He’d now gotten his girlfriend—or ex-girlfriend—and his supposed best friend locked up in the Void division. Escape would be impossible. Or at least highly improbable.

“So the easy way or the hard way?” he asked.

“Excuse me?”

“They want me to feed from you, and it appears we won’t be leaving this room until I do.”

I crossed my arms over my chest. “What makes you think they’re ever letting us out?”

“I was told to feed, then they’d run tests. I don’t see any equipment here, so it seems logical we’ll get moved.”

“Who told you that?”

“Some faery in a white coat with black wings.”

“That’s Maude.” I sought out a camera in the corner and glared at the lens, knowing she could hear me. “She lies.”

He nodded. “They all do, but I have to eat anyway. I haven’t had a drop in five days.”

I scooted back in reflex. He must be really old, or he’d have lost control and taken me already. Five days was way too long to go without eating for most vamps.

He moved closer, slow and deliberate. “I don’t need much. It’ll be over before you know it.”

Fear kept me rooted to my spot. “But the Sunshine potion.”

“I know, little Willow. Don’t worry. I’ve tasted it before. It isn’t as bad as everyone makes it out to be.”

Crap, crap, crap.

His words pushed my fear into full on terror. He’d tasted Sunshine-tainted blood before. He didn’t mind? It wasn’t that bad? Had David really been best friends with a vampire for all those years? Is that why he’d turned?

One hand came to rest on my shoulder. Through my fear, I didn’t even register the pain it caused. His eyes stayed trained on mine, and when he gently guided me into a prone position, I didn’t resist. My mind had gone blank.

His head came down, the strands of his black hair creating a curtain, shielding our faces from prying eyes. He mouthed, “Don’t worry. I won’t hurt you.”

A faint
no
tried to work its way out of my mouth but died on my lips.

He’d already pressed his teeth to my neck. Oh, God. I could feel my vein pulsing against him. Thump, thump, thump. I squeezed my eyes closed and waited, knowing with one puncture my whole neck would be on fire.

I wasn’t wrong. It hurt. A lot.

Nathan’s fangs pierced my skin in one smooth motion. Liquid acid exploded, charring my insides instantly. His arm circled around me, forcing me closer.

Molten lava flowed through my neck, my chest, my back. I clenched my fists, frantically pounding against his shoulders in protest. My head swam and a vision of Phoebe’s sun agate entered my mind. One flash and the horror would end.

Screaming, I bucked.

Nathan dropped his hold and scrambled to the opposite wall.

I curled into a ball, whimpering as I rocked.

Slowly, the pain succumbed to a dull ache, leaving me battered and bruised. After a while I sat up, wincing with each tortured movement.

Nathan still sat against the wall, watching me.

“What?” I asked.

“What happened?”

My vision blurred as I glared. “You bit me and took enough blood that I probably need a transfusion. Or some orange juice at the very least.”

He frowned, studying me. After a moment his frown deepened.

“What?” I asked again.

“First of all, I barely took any blood from you. Way less than I normally would because, let’s face it, you don’t taste that good.”

“It’s the Sunshine potion.”

“Obviously. Second, you have a purple bruise right where I bit you.”

Fingering my neck, I carefully explored the puncture marks. Curiously, they didn’t hurt at all. How was that even possible? The rest of my body still suffered from his assault. I met his eyes and clamped my hand over the area.

“I don’t leave bruises,” he said.

“I bruise easily.”

“I can see that.” His gaze traveled over me from head to toe, lingering on sections of my exposed skin.

I glanced down at the black-and-blue marks visible in every spot he’d touched me and scowled. Perfect. Talisen had his work cut out for him. Again.

“Do you have some sort of disorder?”

Yes. A vampire one
. I focused on the wall just above his shoulder.

A key rattling in the door drew his attention, and I was saved from further questioning as two guards walked in. I jumped to my feet, ignoring the screaming in my back.

The shorter one reached for my arm, stopped, and took a moment to study my appearance. “Whoa, looks like the vamp roughed you up. Shoulda played nice, I guess.”

I jerked back, bumping into the other guard.

“I’ll take her,” said the tall, lanky one.

“Whatever. I don’t need a hassle tonight, anyway. You, vamp. You’re with me. Don’t try anything stupid, or I’ll have to tag you.” Shorty crossed the room and pulled out a small gun designed to hold vampire tranquilizers.

“Don’t accidentally shoot yourself with that thing again,” Lanky said to his partner. “I have better things to do than take care of your sorry ass.”

Shorty glared and aimed the gun toward my guard.

Lanky snickered, gripping my arm.

“Hey!” I protested.

“Move it, sister.” He pushed me through the threshold and practically dragged me down the hallway.

“Where are we going?” I demanded.

“The director ordered tests.”

“I know that. Are we going to another lab?”

He ignored my question and turned left at the end of the hall. I knew this wing. There weren’t any labs here. But there was a stairway to the dank basement. It was rumored to be magically enhanced to stay dry despite the New Orleans high water table. I flared my wings as if they could somehow slow us down. The basement door came into view, and a familiar panic rose in my chest. They wouldn’t do scientific testing down there, would they?

They would if it wasn’t sanctioned.

I dragged my feet and stumbled.

“Keep up,” he barked. “I thought you fae were supposed to be graceful.”

“Not when we’re locked up for hours and then fed to vampires.”

He laughed. A bemused, casual laugh. It didn’t fit the don’t-mess-with-me attitude he had going on. “I guess that could make anyone feel off-kilter.”

“Off-kilter. That’s one way of putting it.”

His steps quickened as we neared the door. I scanned my surroundings, desperate for any means of escape. If I stayed, at best I’d have weeks of painful testing ahead of me. At worst, Maude would find a way to capitalize on whatever I’d done to turn David into a daywalker. It was the kind of power my aunt couldn’t resist. Maude would kill for it if she had to.

There had to be a way out.

Lanky stopped and positioned me between him and the basement door.

Now or never.

The guard fumbled with his massive key ring. Why the hell hadn’t I paid more attention when Phoebe tried to force me into those self-defense classes? What would she do? I mentally scoffed. Knowing her, she’d verbally bait him and then kick the shit out of his sorry ass.

I had no such skill.

Instead, I used the only strength I had. I stomped my foot down hard on his instep. He jerked his head up, eyes wide with surprise. I seized the opportunity to tackle him to the floor. My knees connected with the tile, and I swallowed the cry of agony caught in my throat. Flailing forward, I elbowed him in the back. Then, with a surge of determination, I thrust my burning wings and flew down the hall. My heart thundered, adrenaline fueling my flight.

“You bitch! Get back here or those wings will end up in a paper shredder.”

Yeah, right. Like that was going to convince me to turn around. I pumped my wings faster than I’d ever even attempted before and soared down another dark and empty hallway. Where was everyone? It must have been after-hours or the place would be teeming with Arcane staff.

Excited voices drifted from an open door. I cut to the left, ending up in a dim, narrow hallway I didn’t recognize. Trying to get my bearings, I slowed. All I needed was a way out. Every room offered nothing but abandoned stainless steel tables and old lab equipment. Not a window in sight.

Couldn’t a girl catch a break?

I whirled, intending to go back, but the loud clatter of heavy boots on the tile stopped me mid-flight. Heart hammering, I landed silently, darted into the nearest room, and tucked down beside the door, waiting.

The steady footsteps grew louder. I held my breath, trying to keep every muscle in my body completely still. As the footsteps moved on, I stifled a relieved sigh.

Then silence filled the hallway. One second. Two. Three. The clattering of the heavy boots resumed, moving in my direction. Oh, no. This was
not
happening. I hadn’t even breathed, let alone made a sound.

The noise stopped just outside my door. My heart pounded in my ears. Now what? I squinted through the darkness, searching for better cover. That was when I saw it. A stainless steel cupboard illuminated with a tiny streak of ambient light and a partial reflection of my shadow right in the middle of it.

Shit.

I rolled just as my tracker lunged into the room. My shoulder hit the floor, and I kicked out as a hand clamped over my ankle.

“Ouch,” my assailant huffed. “Willow, for God’s sake. Stop it.”