Chapter Two
Not my night
Watching Celeste work was instant gratification. Sometimes I almost felt bad for the victims that fell helpless at her feet.
She was a siren with the ability to seduce anyone she wanted with just one glance. Not like she needed any help though.
At five feet seven with endless curves, violet eyes, and mocha skin, Celeste Waters has yet to feel the sting of rejection.
Her hips swayed this way and that until she reached Carlisle Cross. His senses immediately sparked when he caught sight of her. He was hooked. He was hers.
She smiled sweetly and touched his chest while whispering something into his ear.
He immediately dropped the girl at his side and followed Celeste toward the back restrooms.
I crept along, but my cell vibrated in my pocket the moment I stepped into the narrow hallway behind them. Dammit.
I looked at the caller ID. Seth Prescott. Seth was my boyfriend.
He was my first kiss, my first crush, and my first real boyfriend. But we have yet to cross the point of no return. Due to the nature of what I do, I have some serious reservations about sex.
For the last two weeks, he had been in the Carpathian Mountains filming a documentary on myths and legends. I missed him, but he lied to me about where he was going and how long he was staying and as a result we’ve been fighting over it since he first called me from Romania.
“Yeah?” I answered bitterly.
“Well, hello to you too,” he said, sweetly.
“Seth, I’m working.”
He chuckled lightly. I missed that sound. I missed his oval face, his hazel eyes, and the taste of his mouth. I even missed the prickle of his beard on my hand and the scent of his Burberry cologne.
“That’s your way of saying you haven’t forgiven me yet,” he said, knowingly.
I didn’t answer.
He was right.
“Jade.” He sighed. “I’m sorry. I will be home soon. I miss you too, you know?”
“Uh-huh.” The truth was I missed him so much I physically hurt, and I was afraid that if I admitted that out loud, I would crumble.
“Jade, please don’t be angry with me. I can’t stand it.”
“Seth…”
“Jade. Be calm, my Jade. Please stop being angry with me. I just wanted to hear your voice.”
“Well, you’ve heard it.” I snapped.
Anger was always easier for me to process.
From the corner of my eye, I spotted Faust at the edge of the hallway tapping his wristwatch.
“I have to go, Seth,” I said.
“Tell me you forgive me, Jade.” He pleaded, and I melted at the sound of his velvet rasp. “Tell me you love me.”
“I love you,” I whispered.
I heard him exhale.
“Jade…my Jade…”
“I really do have to go now.” My voice was less hostile.
“Okay, but listen, one more thing. I can’t video chat tonight.”
My heart fell into my stomach and anger escalated to the surface.
“I know you’re disappointed, baby, but it’s the only chance I have to go to the castle and interview the girl believed to be a descendant of Vlad The Impaler.”
“Okay.”
“Jade, I’m sorry—”
“That’s all I hear from you lately, Seth. I’m tired. Tired of excuses. Tired of…everything.” I enlightened.
“Jade—”
“Don’t!” I spat.
“Jade, please…”
“Bye, Seth.”
I hung up.
Fuck it!
I entered the men’s bathroom and locked the door behind me.
As I walked in, Celeste had Cross hypnotized against the bathroom wall. He looked to be enjoying himself until he locked eyes with me.
“Hello, handsome,” I said walking toward him.
“Who the fuck are you?” he asked through bared teeth.
Celeste swiftly knocked out his feet from under him, dropping him to the floor, and I quickly straddled him so he couldn’t move. His dark eyes widened with surprise. My strength had a way of catching people off guard.
“Oh, I’ve been called lots of things,” I answered with a smile as I pulled out my gun. “But tonight, my tits will be the last pair you see if you don’t talk to me. Now…let’s play a little game.” I suggested.
The crease between his brows deepened. “You got the wrong guy, lady. If you want to get laid you’re going about it all wrong.”
“Tsk. Tsk.” I clicked my tongue. “Wrong response, lover.”
His fear caused my skin to tingle. It was a strange yet enjoyable feeling. I wasn’t a sadist, but tonight I felt all kinds of wrong.
“Boss, you got this?” Celeste asked from the corner of the room. She never liked this part of my work.
“I’m good,” I said. “You can go and tell them to give me ten minutes.”
She nodded and headed out of the restroom.
Once she was gone, and I was alone with Cross, I leaned down just above his mouth. “Let’s play.” I proposed.
“Look, I don’t know who you are, but I’m telling you, you got the wrong guy.” He squirmed.
“I don’t think so but nice try.”
“Get the fuck off me, lady!”
When he struggled beneath me, I knocked him back down – hard. His breath left in a gush.
Something told me Carlisle Cross was a lover, not a fighter.
I think he realized that I was much stronger than he anticipated.
“I don’t think you want to piss me off. It’s been kind of a rough night,” I said.
“You don’t say.” He grunted.
“Truth or dare?” I asked.
“What?”
“Truth…or…dare?” I asked again slowly.
“Look, I don’t know what sick fucking game you’re playing, but I’m not into it.”
“You’re pretty brave to test me,” I said touching the gun to his cheek.
His heart pulsated against my palm.
“Truth. Three girls have gone missing, all in the same week, all last seen with you. Yes?”
He didn’t answer. I elbowed him in the ribs and he cried out.
“Yes?” I asked again.
“Yes, yes…” He admitted quickly.
“Now.” I took off the safety on the gun. “I dare you to deny knowing where they are.”
His eyes grew impossibly large. “Wait…wait…” He studied my face and then recognition sparked in his eyes. “Hey, I know you. You’re the lady from the paper. You’re that 3D chick. That’s it!” He grinned. “You work with the cops. You can’t shoot me.” He stated matter-of-fact.
“Oh, can’t I?” I taunted. “Are you sure?”
He didn’t answer.
He had me though. I couldn’t shoot him.
I pulled up my gun and clicked the safety back on.
“You’re right.” I pouted, putting my gun back in my waistband. “I can’t shoot you. But if you read the paper, then you know what I am, don’t you?” I smiled through my red lips.
“A freak?” He solicited.
“Maybe.” I laughed dryly. “But a freak that can choose to be predator or prey. Guess which one I chose to be tonight?” I whispered.
The power I contained inside me slowly crawled into him like rushing spiders and invaded his perverted mind like a parasite.
He screamed and begged me to stop. I knew his head was feeling like it would explode. I let that ride out before I attacked him with the crippling fear I’ve harbored from previous kidnapped victims.
When I had enough fun, I picked his mind for the information I wanted. I saw him chat with these young ladies online and over the phone. I watched him charm them one by one and make false promises to each of them, but when I was about to extract the information I needed, something or someone cast me out.
My head felt like it had been split open.
Breathless, I tried to stand as police swarmed the room.
Faust made his way to me but didn’t dare touch me. He knew better. I didn’t like to be touched.
“Jade?” he said my name carefully as though he was unsure if it’s me or not.
“What?” My hoarse voice sounded strange to me.
“Are you okay?”
“I’m fine,” I said after a breath. “Where is Cross?”
“He was handcuffed and taken out already,” Faust said putting his gun back in his shoulder holster.
“Give me a few minutes, and then we can go and interview him.” I wobbled to my feet.
“We?”
I nodded.
“Yes, we. Did you think I’d do all the work and let you have all the fun?” I asked, finally feeling stable enough on my own feet.
He managed a dry smile. “Jade, are you sure?”
“I’m fine, Jake.” I assured. “Besides, you asked me for help, remember?”
“Okay. I’ll meet you outside,” he said before he exited the bathroom with a uniformed officer.
I began to walk around the restroom taking in deep breaths and trying to regain my composure. Something felt off.
Wrong.
But I couldn’t put my finger on it. What or who could possibly cast me out like that? It had never happened to me before.
I then caught a glimpse of myself in the shattered mirror. My brown eyes looked larger, and my usually olive skin was dull and pasty. My mahogany brown hair had come loose from its bun, so I unraveled it and let the tresses fall to the middle of my back.
I saw the lights in the hallway flicker, and the feeling in my gut told me something was wrong. I instinctively took out my gun and began to exit the bathroom.
The moment I stepped into the darkness, someone crashed into me so hard that my teeth rattled and my lungs forgot how to breathe.
After cracking my head on the wall that I was violently slammed against, my vision became blurry. I then felt myself being raised off the ground to a nauseating level. It took me a moment to regain my vision, but when I did, I was gazing into a pair of soulless black eyes.
I could smell something metallic on his breath and instantly thought of blood. Vampire. Ever since a shapeshifter accidentally shifted on national TV during a live interview, the monsters have publically come out to play.
I tried using my power to incapacitate him, but he was unfazed.
He tightened his long fingers around my throat. “That won’t work on me, girl.” His face neared mine, and he took in a deep breath. His eyes widened, and his thin lips curled into a smile. “You are Lucian’s pup.” He laughed.
Pup?
“You know…m-my…fa-ther…” I croaked.
He loosened his grip and came closer to my face. “Indeed, I do.” He took in another deep, deliberate breath. “You’re a virgin.” He laughed again and the sound was childlike. “How delicious.”
I wrapped both of my hands around his and tried to push him away.
He glowered. “Do not fight me, girl. I am not the one you should fear. Do you have any idea how long they’ve been looking for you?”
“Who? And how do you know my father.”
“My dear, I—”
Two shots rang out behind us, and he immediately dropped me.
We both fell to the floor.
I coughed so hard that my stomach threatened to spill out. My throat burned and the fragile bones there protested my violent attempt to regain my breath. When I finally gazed up, an officer wearing a dark gray uniform was standing a few feet away with a gun pointed in my direction.
Anger flared through me, I stomped toward him and shoved both fists into his chest. He had about a foot and a half on me, but I didn’t care.
“What the fuck?” I growled. “Who told you to shoot?”
Intense green eyes gazed down at me with a spark of amusement. His mouth turned upward into a smile as he put up his gun.
“Are you mute?” I asked through gritted teeth.
He crossed his arms over his chest. His deliberate silence inched his way onto my last flickering nerve.
“You got a name?” I fumed.
He mocked me with a grin and finally spoke in a silky voice. “Yeah, I got a name.”
“Is it Dick?” I snapped.
His smile widened, and he neared my face.
I held my breath as his mouth hovered over mine.
I could taste the mint on his breath.
“Wouldn’t you like to know, princess?” He winked and then turned on his heel and left.
When I turned around to look back at the man he had shot, the spot was empty.