Skye Morrison Vampire 2 Sins of the Father (25 page)

Dean threw his head back and laughed
heartily. When he looked back up at me a few seconds later, his
eyes and teeth were back to normal. I relaxed a bit at the sight
and took a deep, cleansing breath of relief.

“We just went to dinner, Skye,” he grinned,
amused at my question. “You saw me eat. I eat what any human
eats.”

“But…you’re not human,” I whispered, shaking
my head.

“Not entirely,” he conceded. “But, I’m more
human than these vamps you hang out with.”

“Watch it, dog,” Seamus snapped from beside
Archer.

Dean laughed and held his hands up in
surrender. “Sorry. Didn’t mean to step on any dead toes,” he
chuckled.

“Why didn’t you tell me?” I asked as I took a
step closer to him. “I talked with you, danced with you, I had
dinner with you. You had plenty of chances to tell me what you
were, Dean.”

He shrugged his shoulders. “I guess I didn’t
figure it was a big deal.”

“Of course it’s a big deal,” I argued. “You
should have told me.”

“Why?” he asked, recrossing his arms over his
broad chest.

“Be…because,” I countered feebly.

Archer stepped forward and put his arm around
my shoulder, pulling me closer to his body. “You could have hurt
her,
Conriocht
,” he said with a low growl. “What if you had
to change while in her presence and you momentarily forgot
yourself? She is but a human.”

Dean stood up in a flash and growled at
Archer. “Like I am more of a threat to her than you are?” he spat.
“You drink human blood to survive, blood sucker. There is no danger
of me draining the life out of her.”

Seamus and Quinn stepped up to flank Archer
and me. “I have lived over 1,300 years, dog,” Archer roared. “My
bloodlust is well under control. Can you say the same for your
temper?”

Dean growled gutturally and his eyes began to
glow yellow again. “I am Alpha of the Kaxaw pack and you will do
good to remember that, Archer Rhys.” He closed his eyes and took a
deep breath, blowing it out slowly. When he reopened them, they
were a rich chocolate brown again. “I am not some pup and I will
not stand idly by while you treat me like one. You are in my city,
with my permission. I wouldn’t press your luck with me if I were
you.”

“We are vampire,” Quinn laughed. “We don’t
need your permission to be here.”

“Silence,” Archer growled to Quinn.

“If you don’t want to start a war, you know
damn well that you need to remain in my good graces,” Dean smiled
slyly, itching for a fight. “I’d be very careful if I were
you.”

Archer took a deep breath before he spoke.
“You will stay away from Skye,” he said calmly, the tension in his
body told another story. “As always, you and your pack are free to
enjoy The Mausoleum, but she is off limits.”

I shook my head and stepped out from under
the cover of Archer’s arm. “I’m not some damn piece of property,
Archer,” I said hotly. “And, I’m not some little kid. You can’t
tell me who I can and cannot be friends with.”

Trey stepped forward to speak to me but I
silenced him with my hand. “Stay out of this, Trey. I know you mean
well, but this isn’t the time.”

Seamus growled as Dean laughed. I turned to
Dean and put my hands on my hips.

“And as for you, mister,” I spat. “Well you
can just go to hell, okay? You should have told me what you were.
It’s not some small thing, Dean!” I turned back to Archer and threw
my hands up in the air. “Why the hell does everyone treat me like a
child? You withhold information from me, tell me what I can and
cannot do, tell me who I can associate with, and where I can
live…what the fuck?!”

I put my right hand up in front of me as I
readjusted the messenger bag on my left shoulder. “You know what?
Save it! Screw you guys,” I yelled and turned on my heel. “I don’t
have time for this bullshit. It’s my day off and I’m going home.”
Werewolves and vampires actually exist! What the hell is
happening to my world?!

I stalked to the alleyway and stuck my arm
and middle finger in the air when Dean and Archer called my name.
There was no way in hell I was going to speak to them anymore
tonight. I had had more than enough bullshit for one day. Why did
everyone treat me like I was weak and stupid? I was an adult and
could deal accordingly. So what if I wasn’t a pack Alpha or a 1,300
year old vampire? I wasn’t some delicate flower dammit! I handled
Archer’s ‘I’m a vampire’ news pretty damn well I thought…and
Dean’s.

I sighed as I picked up my pace, desperate to
get as far away from The Mausoleum as possible. I was so angry at
everyone right now. What I couldn’t wrap my mind around was why
Archer tried dictating what I did, where I went, and who I saw.
Who the hell does he think he is? He doesn’t own me. I’m not his
girlfriend, I’m his assistant. What a high-handed assbag!

When I got to the end of the alley, I turned
right and made my way toward the multi-level parking garage a few
blocks away. Archer’s Audi R8 was on level 5 waiting for me. All I
wanted to do was get back to Archer’s, pack my shit, and go home to
my duplex. I may have to work for Archer, but I wasn’t going to let
him dictate where I could live. I missed my bed and I missed Styvi
Nix. I felt a tear slide down my face and I hastily wiped it
away.

I was about 100 yards from the parking garage
when I heard someone walk up behind me. I stopped, glanced back,
holding my keys between my knuckles at the ready, and saw that it
was a well-dressed older gentleman. I relaxed a bit, turned back
around, and kept walking to the car.

“That was quite entertaining,” the man said
from behind me.

I stopped and turned around to face him.
“Excuse me?” I asked, confused.
Is he talking to me?
I
looked around and saw that the street was completely deserted; not
even a car in sight.
That’s weird
, I thought.
Where did
everyone go?

The man chuckled and stepped closer. I got my
first good look at him and saw that he was around 40 years old or
so with slicked-back dark hair, piercing blue eyes, and high
cheekbones. He was lean, semi-tan, of average height, and wore an
expensive black tailored suit with a crisp white mandarin-collared
shirt underneath.

He cocked his head to the side and studied me
for a few seconds. “You are so headstrong,” he said in a thick
foreign accent. I had never heard an accent quite like his before
and I had no idea where he was from, but I could tell that he
definitely wasn’t from around here.

“Excuse me,” I said again, my brow furrowing
with the beginnings of anger. “What are you talking about?”

The man chuckled and took another step
closer. “In my time, women were nothing more than property; to be
used and traded accordingly. They did not talk to their masters as
you have just done. How interesting…”

My jaw dropped in shock. “Look here, mister,”
I huffed as I took a step back. “I don’t know what your deal is,
but what I do is no concern of yours. Have you been following
me?”

He smiled slyly and took another step
forward.

I put my hand out in front of me to stop him
from walking any closer. “Stay the hell away from me, weirdo. I’ll
call the cops if I have to.”

I turned around and walked faster toward the
parking garage. I suddenly had a really bad feeling about that man
and I wanted to get as far away from him as I could.

I blinked for a second and he was suddenly
standing in front of me. I stared into his eerie blue eyes and I
opened my mouth to scream, but nothing came out.

“Silence, child,” he whispered, as he stared
into my eyes and closed the gap between us. “Do not move.”

All of a sudden, my body didn’t feel like it
was my own. My mouth closed and my body relaxed. This man, this
thing, was somehow controlling my body.
Oh my God
.
RUN
, I screamed to myself in my head, but my legs refused to
obey. I had no choice but to stand there and watch as he cocked his
head to the side and studied my face intently.

“So headstrong,” he whispered, inches from my
face.

I tried desperately to move my legs, my arms,
a finger, but nothing would respond.
What has he done to
me?

The man chuckled and reached out to touch a
strand of my waist length red hair. “I have enthralled your mind,
human,” he said simply. “You are a means to an end and you will
come with me this night.” He released the strand of hair and
reached out to brush his knuckles across my left cheek. He smiled
and I saw his long, deadly fangs slide down. “Such a shame…” he
whispered as he leaned closer and put his nose in the hollow of my
neck, taking a deep breath.

I screamed inwardly and started praying.
Oh,
dear God, please don’t let him drain me. Our Father,
who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come, thy will
be done…
”

The vampire threw his head back and laughed.
“Your God cannot save you, human,” he said as he slowly walked
around my body. “Do you know how many have prayed, just as you
have, in my presence? Nothing saves them. Your God does not exist.
I EXIST!” he said venomously, raising his voice. “I have been
around longer than your weak, shallow human mind can even fathom. I
am the beginning!” He came to stand in front of me and grinned
wickedly. “And, I shall be the end.”

I felt tears slide down my face as I silently
resumed my prayer.

“Enough,” he commanded and my mind
immediately blanked. All I could do was watch him as he stared at
me.

He reached into his coat and pulled out a
sharp stone dagger. He extended his hand up and gently slid the tip
down the left side of my face, to the side of my neck, and stopped
when he reached the hollow there. He grinned savagely as he reached
down and grabbed my wrist.

“I have waited over a millennium for the
opportunity to exact my revenge,” he snarled as he vertically
sliced open my left forearm. Blood immediately welled up and poured
down my arm. I watched as he held it out and let the blood pool on
the ground beside us. I felt no pain, and was unconcerned as I
watched the precious life blood quickly drain out of me.

After a few long moments, the man licked the
stone blade and the blood from my forearm, and put the knife back
in his jacket. He stared into my eyes and I saw for the first time
that his eyes were no longer blue; they were solid black; not even
a smidge of white remained.

He suddenly sniffed at the air behind us and
closed his eyes. When he opened them, he grinned savagely. “It’s
time,” he whispered and then commanded me, “Scream.”

I opened my mouth and released a
bloodcurdling scream. I screamed for all I was worth. All too
quickly, his voice was at my ear.

“Sleep,” he whispered to me and I immediately
descended into a deep darkness.

I came to very slowly. I heard a door open
and then shut. I moved my head and instantly became aware of the
incredible pain in my shoulders, arms and wrists. I opened my eyes
and saw that I was upright, chained at each arm to a metal pipe
that ran the length of the ceiling. I groaned with the pain I felt
and straightened my body, standing up, and releasing some of the
pull on my arms and wrist. My right shoulder ached terribly and it
felt like it was probably dislocated.

“Where am I?” I questioned aloud hoarsely. I
licked my dry, cracked lips and swallowed thickly. My mouth was so
dry that my tongue felt like sandpaper. I tried to make saliva, but
it wasn’t much use.

I looked around and saw that I was in a
basement of some sort. I could tell that I was definitely
underground by the cool, damp feel of the air in the room. I looked
to my right and saw a set of stairs that ascended up a floor to a
white door. The door was plain, giving me no clues as to where I
was. I looked in front of me and saw a metal water spigot sticking
out of the wall that was steadily dripping water. I moaned and
pulled on my chained arms in an attempt to free myself, but it
didn’t budge and I only succeeded in sending shooting pains through
my right shoulder.

“Help,” I yelled as loud as I could, which
wasn’t very. “Somebody help me! Please!” The pain in my throat
worsened and I tried to swallow again. My vocal chords felt raw,
like I had been screaming recently.

I have
, I remembered.
When I was
walking to Archer’s car…that man…,
it all came rushing back to
me in a tidal wave of horror.

I looked up at my left forearm and saw that
it was cut very deeply, but no longer bleeding. I had no idea HOW
it wasn’t bleeding. It was a gruesome sight. I could see muscle and
tendons; the stranger had cut me that deeply. I looked away in
horror. “Oh my God,” I cried. Tears poured down my face as I sobbed
at my condition.

Minutes ticked by, hours dragged on, and no
one came down those stairs. I had tried everything to free myself,
but I only ended up exhausted and in unbelievable pain.

I must have passed out again because, when I
opened my eyes next, the man I met on the street was standing in
front of me.

“You will drink,” he said as he held a small
metal cup to my lips.

I turned my head away weakly. I had no
intention of drinking anything he gave me.

A second person I hadn’t seen in the room
walked up to me and roughly grabbed ahold of my face, turning it
back to the man with the cup. My eyes darted over his face and I
recognized him immediately. It was the vampire that had attacked me
opening night at The Mausoleum when I told him that he couldn’t
speak to Courtney, one of our VIP dancers. Archer had referred to
him as a ‘Dark One’ after he threw him out.