CHAPTER SEVEN
My mouth tasted like a cross between sawdust and a football player’s gym bag.
Everything ached. My body, my teeth, my eyes. Even my hair.
I just wanted the world to go away and come back later. A ringing under my bed told me that wasn’t going to happen.
I groaned and burrowed deeper under my blanket. Hangovers. The bane of my existence. I could strangle yesterday’s Aileen for the poor life decisions she’d made.
Never again, I told myself, just as I’d done many times when I’d been human. Never again was I going to let myself get into this state.
The phone stopped ringing and I relaxed once again into the comfortable bed. Perhaps I could go back to sleep and not think on this until I felt halfway normal again.
The phone started ringing again.
With a muffled curse, I flopped to the side of the bed, feeling like a beached whale as I felt around under it for my phone. My hands touched a pair of pants. One eye cracked open. My pants.
I pulled them up onto the bed and under the covers with me, searching through the pockets for the ringing box of destruction.
I hit the answer button without checking to see who was calling. “Hello.”
At least that’s what I meant to mutter, instead what came out was a garbled bit of nonsense.
“Where are you?” Caroline asked.
My eyes were still closed and I made a grunting sound. “I’m at home. Where any good vampire belongs after last night.”
“No, you’re not. I’m standing in your apartment and you’re not here. Are you aware that you have no stairs?”
I lifted my head, my eyes finally opening all the way as I processed that statement.
“Yes, and what are you doing in my apartment?” I asked.
I tugged back the covers and took a look around the room. It was not mine. Not the room, or this bed, or these sheets. I should have known. My pillow was nowhere near this comfortable, and my sheets were nice, but they weren’t this kind of nice—the kind of nice indicating you had more money than you knew what to do with, so you bought Egyptian cotton sheets.
“I wanted to check on you after last night. Your roommates let me in,” Caroline said.
I blinked, not knowing how to interpret that statement.
“Now, where are you?” she asked.
I looked around at the nice room, one I knew I’d never been in before. “I’m not entirely sure.”
Except for my pants, I was still fully clothed. A fact I was grateful for.
“What can you tell me about the end of the night?” I asked.
My memory of things got kind of blurry after Hector woke up. I wasn’t entirely sure what had happened after that, or how I’d come to end up here—wherever I was.
“The bridge troll helped dispatch most of the golems and then the pack arrived to take care of the rest.” Caroline was silent a moment. “Liam and Nathan grabbed you. They didn’t stick around to answer questions. Just hopped in a black Escalade when it pulled up.”
Ah, that probably explained my location.
We weren’t in the Gargoyle, the vampire master’s mansion in downtown Columbus that acted as the hub for Liam’s enforcers and Thomas’s main advisers. It was both their home and workplace.
This had to be Liam’s house, the one he’d bought.
I swung my feet to the ground and stood with all the confidence of a hundred-year-old woman. I shivered and shook as I made my way across the room, heading for the bathroom. Why did I feel this bad? It was worse than any hangover I’d ever experienced. Considering I shouldn’t even be able to get hangovers any more, I wasn’t happy about this.
Note to self—never drink Dahlia’s concoctions without first asking what it was in them.
“How are you so damn chipper after last night?” I asked, still groggy.
“My alcohol tolerance has always been better than yours.” Caroline’s voice was filled with a ridiculous amount of cheeriness.
This was true. Mine had always been hideously low. Two or three drinks was enough to make me feel like the world was an awful place the next day. Five or six, and it left me wishing the world would end in fiery destruction.
Being a vampire obviously hadn’t changed things any.
A thought occurred to me. “How’s Brax?”
I sensed rather than saw Caroline’s shrug. “He’ll survive, though I’m sure I’ll get an earful when he catches up to me again.”
That reminded me of my own troublesome male.
“Can you do me a favor and start researching the Wild Hunt for me?” I asked.
“That shouldn’t be too hard,” she said.
“Oh, and find me everything you can about golems,” I told her. I knew a little but my memory was spotty.
“On it,” she said.
“Good, I’ll check in with you later. For now, I’ve got to go.”
“Wait! What about—”
I hung up before Caroline could finish her sentence. Now that I was awake, truly awake, in a way that meant I wasn’t going back to bed anytime soon, it meant I had to figure a few things out.
I grimaced in distaste at the sight of muddy streaks on my legs and arms. The smell of golem clung to me, offending me on a deep level.
Whatever surprises this night held for me, I would face them after I was clean.
One long, hot shower later and clad in clothes I’d found in a dresser by the door, I headed downstairs. I felt semi-normal again, except for the pounding headache, and the overall lethargy and lack of energy that usually characterized my old nights out.
My suspicion earlier turned out to be correct. This was Liam’s house. That was the same entryway I’d lingered in and the sitting room Liam had shown me to.
The house had a warm and welcoming charm that invited you to linger. It encouraged you to curl up on one of the window seats with a good book as you watched the weather outside. It wasn’t what I expect from the head vamp enforcer.
Seeing no one around, I headed toward the back of the house, slowing at the sight of Liam. He looked pensive, sitting in an armchair gazing out the window of his study with a frown of concentration.
I didn’t know what was bothering him, but a small part of me wanted to smooth the deep furrow on his forehead.
I resisted, and instead leaned my shoulder against the doorframe and waited.
He didn’t immediately acknowledge me. Not that he didn’t know I was there. It would have been impossible to sneak up on him. No, he was just playing vamp dominance games.
I decided to indulge him. I kind of owed it to him for last night.
Together we stared out the window for several minutes, neither of us speaking.
“How are you feeling this evening?” Liam finally asked, not turning from the window. There was no indication of his thoughts.
“Like death warmed over,” I said, not bothering to hide the extent of how awful I felt. I’m sure I looked even worse.
His lips quirked and he finally looked over at me. “Fairy tears can do that to you.”
I shifted, the faintest bit uncomfortable. I cleared my throat. “Guess I owe you a pretty big apology, huh?”
He lifted one eyebrow, faintly amused, an evil glint taking up residence in his eyes. “For what? Trying to seduce me on the dance floor or slapping me on the ass?”
Blood rushed to my face and I knew without looking I was blushing. Silently, I willed my body to stop. At the very least I didn’t need to be wasting blood on such pointless things as blushing.
“Both. All of it,” I said. If I could summon some magical vortex to whisk me away by route of the fires of hell, I would do it in a heartbeat.
I’d been an idiot from start to finish last night. Embarrassing myself in so many different ways. I hadn’t often gotten drunk as a human—and never that drunk—not liking the loss of control and the way it often felt like someone else had taken over and thrown caution to the wind.
He flicked his fingers in dismissal of my apology. “Don’t be. Had it been any other time, I might have joined you.”
It was an easier absolution than I’d expected. I thought there would be lectures and rules and ultimatums. That there were none, threw me off-balance.
“I had Nathan retrieve your bike and return it to your apartment,” Liam said when silence stretched between us.
I nodded my thanks. With everything that had gone on, I’d forgotten the bike.
“Were they after you or me?” I asked.
His face turned dour, the amusement of before draining away and leaving the hunter in its place. “I thought it was me, but given the way they followed you under the bridge, I can’t be sure.”
I let out a heavy sigh. More people trying to kill me. That was just great.
“What could have created those things?” I asked.
He shook his head. “Constructing golems of that caliber isn’t hard. It would be easier to give you a list of who couldn’t do that.”
I shoved away from the doorframe and stepped into the room, taking a seat on the couch against one of the walls.
“You’re friends with a bridge troll.”
It wasn’t quite a question. Liam stared at me in expectation.
I lifted one shoulder. “Of a sort. As much as you can be with a guy who never leaves his bridge.”
“Bridge trolls are rather rare in this country,” Liam said. “The American obsession with cars and metal make most bridges too full of iron and noise. How many other ‘friends’ do you have around the city?”
“Enough.”
“Not so alone after all,” he said with a tiny tilt to his lips.
“Guess not.”
We fell back into a companionable silence.
Last night could have gone very differently for me if Liam and Nathan hadn’t been there—if they hadn’t bought us time to reach Hector and then kept some of the golems off me while I woke him.
I missed being part of a team, of knowing there were others out there to watch my back. I might have friends scattered around the city, some like Dahlia surprisingly powerful, but it was unlikely any of them would fight by my side.
“I’d like to take that job you were offering me, if it’s still available,” I finally said.
If I was the target, I’d need Liam’s help to keep myself alive. That was clear. If it was something he was involved in, I still wanted to be part of this, if only because the bastards had nearly killed me yesterday. Either way, working together could only benefit me.
I found myself holding my breath as I waited for his response.
I was very aware that he might tell me to pack sand; that after my last refusal, he’d changed his mind and decided my help was unnecessary. Or that the attack last night might have shifted things.
Still, I’d rather try. So many times, people gave up before they got to the starting point, defeating themselves before they’d even begun.
His expression remained calm as arrogance settled on his face. “What brought on this change of heart? Not that I’m complaining.”
I kept my snort to myself. Yeah, right. He’d probably use this opportunity to twist the knife if he could.
“Let’s just say I take it rather personally when people try to kill me.” I thought about it. “And I can use the money.”
He tapped one finger on the arm of his chair, his thoughts hidden behind a calm expression as he considered me. “You’d have to stay here during the course of your employment.”
I couldn’t help my tiny flinch at that. I preferred to be surrounded by my own things, to retreat to my haven of safety every morning. It felt like I’d just gotten back into my place and now I was leaving it again.
“Fine.” I gave him a strained smile.
“And you’d have to agree that I’m your boss,” he said.
I nearly choked at that.
This was amusing him. The bastard.
“You’d have to obey all my orders.” He gave me a smug smile and arched an eyebrow, knowing exactly what I would think of that.
I bit back my instinctive response and choked out, “Fine. Sounds good.”
His laugh was husky. “Oh, this is going to be such fun.”
My smile turned into more of a baring of teeth. Glad one of us thought so.
“When do we start?” I asked, forcing myself to a modicum of professionalism. After being in the military for nearly four years I’d dealt with officers who didn’t know their ass from their head and NCOs on a power trip. I could deal with Liam ordering me around, even if he did make me want to ram my fist into his throat on occasion.
“Right now.” He slid out of his seat, moving across the room in a lethal glide.
I levered myself out of the chair, following him.
“Nathan tells me your fighting skills have improved,” he said in a silky voice. “I’d like to verify that fact for myself.”
“Now?” I looked down at myself. I was wearing jeans and a simple shirt. Not exactly attire suitable for sparring.
“No time like the present.”
I came to a stop, giving his back a look of extreme dislike. This was going to hurt me a lot more than it hurt him, I realized in resignation.
*
I concentrated on the man across from me, wanting to punch his pretty face so bad it was an itch beneath my skin.
He cocked an arrogant eyebrow at me, as if inviting me to try.
That urge shifted from an itch to a heated fire in my belly. Punching him in the face became my new life goal.
Not that I was likely to achieve it anytime soon.
Five minutes of sparring with him felt like an eternity. My breath heaved in and out as sweat dripped off me.
Even worse, in that five minutes I hadn’t managed to touch him once. The same couldn’t be said of him.
No, he’d danced across the grass, delivering blows with a careless precision when he wasn’t using opportunities to sneak touches. A hand to my back. A touch to my shoulder or cheek. It was humiliating to be so outclassed he didn’t even pretend to be working up a sweat.
Nathan and Eric watched from the sidelines.
“Is that all you’ve got?” Liam asked, his voice taunting.
I took a moment to catch my breath, knowing anger would just make me careless and lead to further humiliation.
“Just getting started,” I told him.
Fighting, despite what many might think, was just as much about brains and strategy as it was strength and speed.
My opponent was ridiculously fast and frighteningly powerful. Sparring with him wasn’t like sparring with Nathan, who while also faster and stronger than me, had nothing on Liam. Taking one of Liam’s punches was like being hit with a sledgehammer. It made you want to curl up into a ball and slink away in defeat.
Liam gave me a dangerous smile. It was all the warning I got before he was right in front of me. I ducked away, sidestepping his arm, and throwing a feint, not putting my weight behind it as I followed it up with a blow from my other arm.
He caught my arm and yanked me past him, a touch gliding across the back of my neck. I kicked out behind me, not looking.
My foot glanced off his stomach and I heard a grunt. At least that was something.
I whirled, already putting my arms up to protect me from reprisal.
Liam moved with precision, no movements wasted. His muscles flexed as he sparred with me. It was a graceful dance on his part and a staggering embarrassment on mine as we swept across the grass.
His blows came faster and faster until it was all I could do to keep up with him, my breath sawing in and out of my lungs as I defended myself and evaded when I could, all the while watching for my chance.
There, a slight opening. I moved, realizing too late it was a trap.
Liam slid to the side, grabbing my outstretched arm and tugging it behind me, fitting his chest to my back.
“Your form has much improved since I last saw you,” he said into my ear. “Though you are still holding back.”
I sent my elbow hard into his stomach. A slight puff of air on my neck was the only sign that it had affected him.
He released me, his hands sliding away with the smallest of caresses.
I turned to face him and raised an eyebrow. “So, did I pass?”
He observed me with an inscrutable expression. “For now.”
Well, that was something at least.
“Nathan, let’s see what you’ve got,” Liam said, looking away from me to where his enforcers watched.
Nathan grinned, his expression turning anticipatory.
I headed towards the side where Eric stood, meeting Nathan on my way. He patted me on the head. “Not a bad effort.”
I snorted. “I don’t know what fight you were watching.”
He gave me a crooked smile. “Not many can touch Liam. He’s one of the council’s best enforcers for a reason. You did better than most vampires a century your senior.”
I guess that was some comfort. Though not much. My inner competitor didn’t like being beaten for any reason.
“Now step back and let a pro show you how it’s done,” Nathan said, the look in his eyes wild and happy. The prospect of fighting Liam excited him, his eyes taking on that slight glow all vampires got when they were excited.
“Are you going to talk all night or are you going to fight?” Liam asked, folding his arms across his chest and giving the two of us a smug smile.
That smile brought back the need to see him punched in the face.
“Kick his ass,” I told Nathan, slapping him on the back before heading over to Eric.
I folded my arms and settled in to watch the sparring match.
Both men were preternaturally still, the only sound in the night that of insects and the wind rustling in the trees.
Nathan moved first, his body blurring as he darted across the grass. Liam’s grin was bloodthirsty, exposing his fangs.
He held still until Nathan was almost on him, then he stepped to the side and moved. Several blows were exchanged, almost faster than I could process, neither man giving an inch.
The sharp slap of flesh on flesh filled the air and I winced, knowing how hard each man could hit.
Liam let out a laugh, right before Nathan sailed through the air, hitting the ground and rolling.
Liam sprinted toward him, his eyes avid as he drew his leg back to stomp the other enforcer into the ground. Nathan rolled out of the way, gaining his feet in a graceful move.
Liam showed no mercy, on him in the next second, a flurry of blows raining down, his face focused and intent.
It was a startling contrast to my fight. Neither man was holding back, both going full-out. It was a sobering display, showing just how weak I was in terms of physical strength and speed when compared to them.
“Both are in good form,” Eric said, his voice soft.
I glanced at the other enforcer.
“Though, Liam will win within the next few seconds,” he said almost as an afterthought.
Sure enough, Liam grabbed Nathan’s arm and used it to throw him. Nathan hit the ground with a grunt, Liam’s knee coming down on this throat in the next second. Nathan slapped the ground to tap out.
Liam stood and helped his friend to his feet.
“You were a little enthusiastic there at the end, don’t you think?” Nathan said, rubbing his throat.
“You’ve gotten lazy,” Liam said. “Perhaps you shouldn’t hold back quite so much when training Aileen.”
I blinked and stiffened at the mention of my name.
Nathan paused, his expression turning thoughtful.
Liam moved away, meeting my irate gaze with a hint of smugness. I rolled my eyes. Yes, yes, he was very strong and manly. Unmatched in a fight. I got the point.
“Come, you haven’t had anything to eat tonight. We can take care of that while we discuss what I need from you,” he said, his feet whispering across the grass.
I followed reluctantly, already beginning to regret our agreement. Vampires. Their sneaky machinations knew no bounds.
The kitchen was surprisingly updated, given the fact Liam had no need of one. Most vampires, I’d learned, didn’t eat food despite the ability. I was one of the few who still clung to its comfort.
He headed for the fridge, opening it and grabbing a wine bottle.
I lingered by the doorway of the kitchen, mentally bracing myself. I didn’t want to embarrass myself by throwing up the blood Liam gave me. I already knew that if I tried to avoid drinking blood, he’d force the issue.
I resigned myself to the upset stomach and cramps I knew were in my immediate future as he poured blood into a glass.
“You’re not drinking?” I asked.
“I already met my needs for the night,” he told me, his piercing blue eyes coming up to meet mine in a challenging stare.
I firmly squelched the spark of jealousy that threatened to upset my mood. There was nothing between Liam and myself aside from a few kisses resulting from an overpowering blood lust on my part. That’s it.
He could find sustenance from whoever he wanted. Both Nathan and he had assured me feeding didn’t require passion— it could be no more personal than a visit to the doctor’s office to have blood drawn. Still, I knew from my stay in the mansion that some vampires preferred a little sex with their blood.
I’d never been able to bring myself to ask whether Liam was one of those.
“How nice for you,” I said, grabbing the glass and lifting it to my mouth. The stench of rotted meat wafted up to me.
I tilted the glass up, draining it in seconds. As soon as it hit my tongue and coated my throat, I had to fight the urge to choke, forcing it down through sheer stubbornness.
The glass empty, I scrubbed my hand across my mouth, wishing I could scrub my tongue at the same time.
“Mm, mm, delicious,” I said. I breathed through my nose, hoping doing so would help keep it down.
“Is that so?” he asked, arching an eyebrow, a watchful look on his face.
I gave him a fierce smile even as my stomach turned fretfully. “Yup.”
He poured another glass and slid it toward me. “In that case, you wouldn’t mind drinking another.”
I stared at the glass, feeling something like horror slide through me. There was no way I could drink that, not without losing the battle with my stomach.
“Not necessary,” I forced myself to reply calmly. “This should be more than enough.”
Nathan and Eric entered the kitchen behind us, their voices quieting once they got a look at the standoff taking place between the two of us.
“I disagree,” Liam said, his voice equally calm even as a storm gathered in his eyes. “You need to replace your reserves from last night.”
This asshole knew, I realized. He knew how blood was beginning to affect me; knew it and was forcing me into a situation where I’d have to admit it.
My head spun toward Nathan. Had he been the one to tattle? The slight confusion in his expression told me he didn’t quite understand what was going on.
Nope, not happening.
I pushed the glass back toward him. “I’m full. Maybe later.”
His fangs glinted in his sharp smile as he pushed the glass back toward me. “I insist, and as your boss, you have to listen. Or did you forget the agreement we made earlier tonight.”
Son of a—he wouldn’t. His deadly smile said he would. He’d take pleasure in snatching this job away from me, and knowing him, he’d stick me in the mansion and have Thomas sit on me until they’d dealt with whatever this was.
“Fine,” I snapped, grabbing the glass.
I could do this. Mind over matter. One little glass of blood wasn’t going to bring me down. I’d done much harder stuff than this in my life.
I only made it half-way through the glass before I choked, setting the glass down hard on the marble countertop. My mouth filled with salty saliva and my stomach began to cramp as I held myself still, praying this would pass.
It heaved. Nope, it wasn’t going to pass.
I lunged past Liam for the sink. Everything I’d just downed came right back up, my stomach twisting and knotting as it forced the blood out.
Cool hands touched the sides of my face, lifting my hair away. Liam rubbed a soothing pattern on my back.
There were exclamations behind me over the sound of my throwing up.
“I didn’t know,” Nathan said, sounding horrified. “I’ve seen her drink before. I knew she was having trouble but not to this extent.”
“We’ll discuss this later,” Liam told him. His voice held an undercurrent of steel, an indication he wasn’t happy with his enforcer.
When my heaves had abated, but my stomach was still a twisting mass of pain, Liam handed me a wet napkin.
“You have got to be one of the most stubborn women I’ve ever met,” he said. It did not sound like a compliment.
I wiped my mouth, then gratefully took the glass of water he gave me, swishing it around in my mouth before spitting it out.
A toothbrush with toothpaste already on it appeared in front of me. Seemed like he had thought of everything.
By the time I finished brushing my teeth, I was shaking, my muscles acting like they’d run a ten-mile race rather than just three feet to the sink.
I slid down, not even bothering to pretend I had strength.
“How did you know?” I asked, resting my hot cheek on the cool floor.
He crouched beside me, before sitting and gently drawing my head into his lap. I wasn’t in any shape to resist, his strokes along my hairline and neck lulling me into complacency.
“There are only a few reasons to lose as much weight as you have,” he said.
I shut my eyes. Of course.
“I’ve also been expecting it.”
I turned to look up at him. He gazed down at me, his face cruelly beautiful. In another time and place, I would have been happy to stare at him forever.
“There is a vital nutrient that is nearly impossible to get, except from a live donor,” he told me. “You made it longer than most, but this is inevitable. You’re fighting against biology. The odds aren’t in your favor.”
“The catalyst was your blood,” I told him.
He inclined his chin. “I suspect it was. You were able to exist on the bagged stuff as long as you did because you had no access to a master’s blood. It meant there was nothing keeping your transformation going. Tasting my blood and then Thomas’s jump-started the process again.”
“So, this is your fault,” I said, closing my eyes.
His touch hesitated. “In a way. You would have arrived at this point sooner or later, regardless.”
A particularly nasty cramp had me curling onto my side. Liam’s hands steadied me.
When it had passed, I panted and said, “I take it this means you’re going to make me drink from a human.”
“We’re past that point,” Liam responded. “You need a master’s blood now.”
Alarm distracted me momentarily from my pain. Not his. “I’ll try Nathan or Eric.”
Not Liam.
Together, we were too combustible.
He gave me a look that was seductive and arrogant even when viewed from upside down. “You can try, but neither of them possesses the nutrients you need.”
I snorted. Arrogant man.
His smile widened. “You’re welcome to test it out, sweetheart. Of course, when it doesn’t workI’ll have to send you to Thomas so he can keep you out of harm’s way while the rest of us work this case.”
My eyes widened as my mouth fell open.
“I need people who are in top shape,” he told me. “My blood is the most potent here. Maybe if you hadn’t just downed two glasses of blood, you might have been able to get by on theirs. As it stands, mine is the only one that will help.” He gave me a wink. “Don’t worry, I’ll be a perfect gentleman. I promise not to ravish you while you’re drinking.”
“Son of a bitch, you planned this,” I breathed.
He dropped a kiss on my lips and moved me off his lap. “Don’t dawdle now, I have a lot to accomplish tonight.”