Out of the Night (Harlequin Nocturne) (16 page)

Mindy fumbled and dropped a spatula. “You...you didn’t?”

“No, but I have to help him.” Olivia headed to the phone and dialed St. Patrick’s. When Chloe answered, Olivia said, “Hey, Chloe. It’s Olivia. I need your help. I need to go to the blood bank.”

“If you can wait another couple of hours, I’ll go and give my monthly quota, too.”

“No, I need to go now. Campbell is here and he’s badly burned. He needs to feed.”

Chloe gasped. Judging by the sounds coming through the phone line, Olivia guessed Chloe was standing and heading for the door. “I’ll be there in five minutes.”

“Okay, thanks.”

When Olivia hung up, Mindy was staring at her in disbelief.

“You’re leaving me here with that thing?”

“If not for him, I’d be suffering a fate worse than death now. Would you have me be so cruel as to let him die for it?”

“He’s already dead.”

“You know what I mean.”

Mindy squeezed Olivia’s hands. “I’m glad you’re safe, but nothing’s ever going to make me like them or trust them. They’re savages.”

Olivia wanted to cry as she faced the knowledge that she was going to lose her best friend or the guy she was falling for. She couldn’t have both. But first she had to help Campbell. Then she’d let him go.

Chloe screeched to a halt right outside the diner.

Olivia gestured to her that she’d be right out. “I’ve got to go. Help with this and I’ll never put you in this type of situation ever again.”

Tears pooled in Mindy’s eyes but she finally nodded.

“Okay. Be back soon.” Olivia hurried through the dining room out to Chloe’s car.

“Buckle up,” Chloe said as she zipped away from the curb.

Olivia got the impression that even if New York City traffic equaled what it had once been, Chloe would have found a way around it or possibly over the top of it. She very nearly took the right-hand turn at the corner on two wheels.

“Um, we won’t do Campbell any good if we kill ourselves getting to the blood bank.”

“You said he was bad off.”

“He is, but he doesn’t seem to be getting worse.” At least she hoped not. Would she be able to tell? Suddenly, she wasn’t so sure and fear swelled in her. When she met Chloe’s eyes, the rush of concern in her own must have been evident because Chloe floored the SUV, honking at anyone who dared get in her way.

Chloe parked behind the blood bank, the same one the team had taken Campbell to after he’d attacked her. “Come on,” she said as she hopped out of the SUV.

Olivia followed as Chloe swiped a card through a reader at the back door and stepped inside. Chloe walked into the first office at the back, one totally devoid of windows or any way sunlight could reach it.

“Hey, big brother,” she said, and proceeded to hug a tall handsome guy with reddish-blond hair.

“Hey, sis. What are you doing here?”

“Ethan, this is Olivia.”

Olivia shook his cool hand and noticed the silver bracelet around his wrist. A quick glance revealed an identical one on his other arm. So that was how he could stand to work in a blood bank. His sister was supplying holy water to more than V Force.

“Seems Campbell got himself a bit scorched trying to protect her this morning, so she needs some AB-neg so he’ll heal,” Chloe said.

Ethan made a pained expression. “We’re running really low. And I have half a dozen vamps coming in who got turned away last night. Two nights in a row of no blood and we could have a serious problem on our hands.”

“Take mine.” Olivia startled herself with her words.

Ethan looked at her. “How long since you last gave?”

“Long enough.”

Ethan hesitated only a moment before leading her to a chair and pulling out the necessary equipment. As he looked for the vein in the crook of her elbow, he met her gaze for a moment. “I’ve never seen anyone other than my sister give blood to a specific vampire.”

“Campbell saved my life this morning. Time for me to return the favor.”

“I think it’s a bit more than a favor,” Chloe said from where she’d seated herself on the countertop that lined the far wall. “I’ve never even heard of a vampire exposing himself like that for a human, for anyone.”

Olivia had known what Campbell had done for her was huge, but it hit her anew. She winced as Ethan inserted the needle into her vein and started the blood flowing through the tubing. The momentary pain was nothing compared to how it must feel to have your flesh burned as if you’d walked through a fire. Regardless of the fact that Campbell was a vampire, it had to be beyond painful.

“I admire your open-mindedness, but you need to be very careful,” Ethan said. “You’re now in more danger than you can even imagine.”

“Ethan!” Chloe said.

He glanced back at his sister. “It’s true, and you know it.” He returned his attention to Olivia. “You know it, too. The man Campbell is at his core might not want to hurt you, might even care for you a great deal, but he’s going to always be battling the vampire side of himself. We all do. Even if he’s not hungry, your blood will call to him. That’s never going away. Ever.”

Olivia swallowed hard at the thought of seeing Campbell in full bloodlust again. She didn’t want to think of him that way, but Ethan’s words kept echoing off the walls of her mind. Was her kindness and acceptance enough to change him, to keep the vampire at bay, or was she the world’s biggest fool? She shifted her gaze to the blood draining from her arm, blood that would feed the vampire who might end up killing her.

Chapter 15

C
ampbell’s mouth watered
before Olivia even opened the door to the freezer. His fangs ached to descend but couldn’t. He needed to feed soon so he could get out of these cuffs. He was nearing the max time confined before the blessed silver started poisoning him.

When she opened the door, his nostrils flared at the scent of the blood. It was fresh, still faintly warm. And it was...hers. His gaze flew to hers.

“I had to,” she said, evidently reading his expression correctly. “They were running too low.”

He nodded and reached for the first bag. “Go outside. I don’t want you to see this.”

“No, I’ll stay.” She sat on a box of bacon, but she did avert her eyes.

He understood. After all his years of drinking blood, he could still remember his initial revulsion after being turned. It’d taken him a couple of years to get over it.

Unable to wait any longer, he drained all the bags she’d brought him, thankful that no fangs were required for the consumption of bagged blood. He felt his body start to heal as soon as he swallowed the first time.

“Is it helping?” she asked after he was finished drinking.

“Yes. Thank you.”

She looked at him then, and her mouth fell open. “I can see a difference already.”

“Hopefully I don’t look like charcoal anymore.”

She slipped off her box and moved closer. “Definitely not.”

There was that weird phantom heartbeat again, memories of how his human body would react to a beautiful woman. Truth be told, his vampire body reacted much the same way.

“I’ll leave as soon as it’s dark,” he said.

Her eyebrows scrunched. “There’s no rush. You need to heal more.”

He lifted his hands. “When the sun sets, I’ll need you to take these off. We can only wear them for a max of twelve hours before they begin to slowly kill us.”

Her eyes widened and she reached for the cuffs. He pulled them away. “Not yet. I want to make sure that I can leave as soon as you release me.”

She shook her head. “I don’t understand. Chloe’s brother had on blessed bracelets, and he was fine.”

“He takes them off as soon as he leaves the blood bank. By the time he goes back to work, he’s healed of their effects and can put them on again.”

“Why don’t all vampires wear them?”

“Some of us need to be able to fang at a moment’s notice. The Soulless wouldn’t dream of it. The rest? They just don’t like how they make them feel, as though you’ve been sapped of all your energy. And as long as they feed regularly, it’s not a problem for the Souled. But they really can make you feel like crap.”

She wrapped her hand around his, now more healed than burned flesh. “I’m sorry you were hurt so badly because of me.”

He turned his hand over to clasp hers. “This was not your fault.”

“But if you’d never met me—”

“I would have missed out on knowing a remarkable woman.”

She smiled, and he was unable to believe they were touching each other, that she was close enough that he could feel her breath wafting across his cheeks, warmth against the constant cold. She moved closer and lifted her hand to his cheek. “You’re almost completely healed.”

“Thanks to you.”

“And Chloe and Ethan.”

“My trio of heroes,” he said. Then he sobered, remembering how close he’d come to losing her to the vampire underworld. “I’m sorry I was so harsh with you before. I thought I was doing the right thing, staying away.”

“I know.”

He saw a flash of the remembered hurt he’d caused her. It made him feel guilty and amazed at the same time, amazed that she could have even been hurt by his words and absence. What could she possibly see in him? The fact that she evidently did see something worthwhile made him want to give her everything. Of course, he couldn’t. Not anything near what she deserved.

Damn, he wanted her. But even though he was fully fed, he didn’t trust himself. He broke eye contact. “You should get back to your customers. You don’t want to draw unwanted attention.”

“Afraid it’s too late for that.” But she did stand and head for the freezer door. “I’ll be back when it clears out.”

He sat in the freezer listening to the various conversations in the restaurant. He heard many of the customers ask about the cops and the dead guys in the alley, how Olivia and Mindy did their best to shift those conversations without drawing suspicion. When he detected the last person leaving the dining area and the sun approaching the western horizon, he sat up straighter.

As soon as Olivia opened the freezer door, he said, “It’s time I leave.”

“Oh, okay.” She stopped for a moment as if she’d been surprised by his abrupt statement.

He needed to get away from her for a while, to clear his senses of her smell, the sound of her voice, the rhythm of her breathing. But when she moved close, he clasped her hand and brought it to his lips, kissed her fingers.

“Don’t think I don’t want to stay,” he said. “You have no idea how much.”

She met his gaze. “Then stay.”

His mouth stretched in a sad smile. “I can’t.”

“You’re not a danger to me, not now.”

“I’m always a danger to you. You have to accept that.”

“You won’t let anything happen.”

Her faith in him was almost his undoing, partly because he knew she didn’t come to it easily. Even now, some part of her probably struggled with doubt about him, about her safety around him. And still she voiced a confidence in him he didn’t deserve, that no vamp did. Maybe he’d allow himself just a little taste. He leaned forward and kissed her, fell into the sweet flavor of her lips, their warmth. It felt like coming home after a long trip away. What was meant to be a simple parting deepened the moment she opened to him. His tongue slid into her mouth and tangled with hers. She moaned and his entire body reacted with need. Not the need of a vampire but that of a man for a woman.

Campbell started to run his fingers along her face, only to realize he was still cuffed. What the hell was he doing? As if he hadn’t put Olivia in enough danger already.

He pulled back. “I need to go.”

She hesitated but finally shifted away. Without meeting his eyes, she unhooked his cuffs then stood. He wanted to reach out to her as she headed for the door, but he refrained. He needed to leave before either one of them went too far.

Damn it, he’d already gone too far. He’d kissed her, tasted her, had gotten himself invited into the sanctuary of her home. He followed her into the kitchen, wishing things could be different.

He spotted Mindy at the far side of the kitchen and smelled her fear. She had a firm grip on one of those wooden mallets that were used to tenderize meat. Sometime during the day, she’d shaved the handle down to a sharp point, a very effective stake. Hoping to somehow put her at ease, he nodded. “Thank you.”

She pointed the makeshift stake at him. “I know you saved Olivia, but I still don’t trust you.”

“I don’t blame you.”

“You need to leave and never come back.”

“Mindy,” Olivia said from behind him, part scolding and part embarrassment.

He held up his hand. “No, it’s okay.” Campbell made the mistake of meeting Olivia’s bright eyes. In them he saw a yearning that matched his own, her unspoken plea for him to stay. But he couldn’t. Refusing to allow himself to speak any words that would even touch how he was feeling, he gripped the knob on the back door.

“Goodbye, Livvi” was all he managed before he fled into the coming night. Fled before his willpower abandoned him totally and he gave in to temptation and did more than simply kiss her.

* * *

One moment Campbell stood in front of Olivia and the next he was gone, literally in the blink of an eye. He’d pulled the door closed behind him, and she knew as she approached the door it was no use looking into the alley behind the building for him. He wouldn’t be there. That damned protective trait she so admired about him was now standing in the way of them seeing where they could go following that kiss. That and the knowledge she had to give him up for good. She bit her lip to keep it from trembling.

Remembering the kisses they’d shared, she lifted her fingers to her lips and thought she could still feel his coolness there. It should have freaked her out to kiss someone who was technically dead, but it hadn’t. He had felt very far from dead as he’d allowed himself a moment of indulgence. If nothing else, she could hold on to the fact that she was certain he wanted her for something other than her blood.

“Olivia?”

It took a moment for Mindy’s voice to penetrate the haze of memory, but when it did, Olivia locked the door before turning toward her friend.

“You didn’t have to stay,” Olivia said.

“I wasn’t going to leave you alone with him.”

“If he’d wanted to hurt me, he would have done it the moment I took his cuffs off. He could have killed me and you before we even had time to say a word. But he didn’t.”

Olivia glanced toward the back door as if Campbell would magically appear there again. After her staring did nothing to bring him back, she shifted her attention back to Mindy. “Looks as if you’re stuck staying here again tonight. I’m sorry.”

She knew Mindy wouldn’t get a wink of sleep knowing she was in a building that was no longer vampire-proof. Granted, Campbell was the only one who could enter, but that was one too many.

“Come on.” Olivia led the way up the stairs, flicking the lights off in the diner as she went and trying not to think about how much she wished Campbell was the one following her.

Once they were in the apartment, Olivia closed and locked the door at the top of the stairs. She glanced at the balcony but found it empty.

“If I hadn’t been here, you would have invited him up, wouldn’t you?” Mindy asked.

Olivia couldn’t lie to her best friend, but she didn’t want to hurt her either. So she said nothing. But she didn’t have to.

The momentary flash of disgust on Mindy’s face was enough to tell Olivia that Mindy knew more had happened between Olivia and Campbell than Olivia had admitted. Only days ago she would have felt the same way at the thought of a vamp’s lips on hers.

“We had this dog, a black lab named Renfro, when I was a kid,” Mindy said. “Best dog you’d ever want, until he wasn’t. He’d never shown any hint of viciousness, but one day he lost it and attacked Mom, bit her badly. Nobody knew why he turned like that, other than the fact he was an animal. We had to put him down. I cried and cried, but Mom wouldn’t risk him hurting Jess or me.”

“Campbell isn’t a dog.”

“No, but he is an animal who can turn with no warning.”

“You don’t have to worry about it anymore, okay?” She knew she sounded curt, but it had been a hell of a day.

Mindy didn’t look convinced, and Olivia didn’t have the energy to try to convince her. She wasn’t sure she’d find enough to convince herself.

* * *

When Campbell returned to the cave to change into clothes that didn’t smell like burned flesh, Sophia met him at the entrance. The strained look on her face put him on high alert.

“What’s wrong?”

“There are Imperium representatives here to see you.”

“Really? I figured it’d take them longer to get back to me.”

“They’re not here because of your inquiry about contacting the NYPD.”

It took him a moment, but the truth sank in. They were here because he’d killed two humans. His heart sank at the knowledge he might very well never see Olivia again. Probably wouldn’t live to see another day. Damn, damn and double damn. He hated the idea of having to give up his life because of two lowlife pieces of scum like the men who’d attacked Olivia.

But he hadn’t drained them. Maybe that little technicality would be enough to save him.

“What happened?” Sophia asked. “We called Olivia’s diner today, but she wasn’t there and we didn’t dare ask for you. We were afraid you were dead.”

“I very nearly was, as you can probably tell from smelling me. But you might as well hear the story with everyone else. I only want to tell it once.”

After hesitating for a few seconds, Sophia turned and headed down into the main room. There Campbell spotted a trio of familiar faces, the Lex Legis of New York. If V Force was the law enforcement arm of the Imperium, the Lex Legis was judge and jury. He’d had dealings with Annabelle Light, Henry Fowler and Chin Lee Wan before, but he’d never been the one on trial.

“Legisters,” he said respectfully. “Sorry to appear before you in such a state.”

“It seems you had a run-in with the sun as well as the two dead humans,” Fowler said without preamble.

Campbell forced his expression to stay neutral. He’d never liked Fowler, and that was why of the three, Fowler was the only one Campbell didn’t think of by first name. The guy just seemed to glory in his job a little too much. “Unfortunately,” he said simply in response to the guy’s comment.

“You know why we’re here?” Annabelle asked.

“I’m assuming because of the dead humans.”

Annabelle looked genuinely saddened. That sent a surge of concern through him. Would they really execute him? If they did, they’d be stretching the law beyond what it said.

“You know the punishment for killing humans,” Fowler said.

“Yes, I do. It says that vampires are to be executed when they kill a human by draining him. I didn’t even fang them. I broke their necks.”

Fowler started to speak again, but Chin stopped him by simply holding up his hand. Chin was the head Legister and so always had the right to speak before the others.

“Why did you kill them?” Chin asked.

“They were kidnapping humans for the blood-slave trade, we believe at the instruction of the Nefari. I caught them in the middle of trying to kidnap a woman with AB-negative blood.” He did his best to keep any inflection or facial expression that might give away his relationship to Olivia out of his response. There was no law against vampire-human relationships, but he didn’t want to give them any reason to ask the Imperium to implement one.

“You have identified these men?” Chin asked.

Travis took a step forward. “The human authorities have.”

Chin redirected his attention to Travis. “You can track them back to the source, to whoever is responsible for their actions?”