Bitten By The Bad Boy: A Bad Boy Vampire Romance (4 page)

“So, what are you two eating?” Bree ambled up and broke the silence. Kyra didn’t miss the look that passed between her two friends.

“What? What am I missing?” Kyra heard her voice raise an octave.

“We’re worried about ya, K.” Reina led. She fidgeted like she always does when forced into a confrontation.

“Kyra, you just ordered meat. I have never seen you eat meat.” Bree measured her words, she was being careful. “Remember what happened when you found out that the omelet had some bacon bits in it? You flipped out! And now you’re ordering a steak.”

“Not just a steak, you ordered it rare!” Reina chimed in, gaining some strength in her words.

“It sounds good.” Kyra felt the rage building up inside. “You wanted me to live. You both pushed me into that club, fed me drinks and then pushed me some more. Now you’re telling me that I’m living too much. I can’t win!” Kyra pushed back from the table and toppled her chair as she stood. The whole restaurant watched her stalk off. Her friends called to her but she ignored them.

Kyra was almost to the door, almost free of the suffocating crowd that watched her in horror. Then Heidi stepped in front of her, blocked her exit. The girl glowered and opened her mouth to speak but before she could utter a word, Kyra pulled back and punched Heidi in the face. Blood sprayed in an arc and Heidi backpedaled into the wall giving Kyra the chance to escape. She didn’t run until she was free and clear of the crowd at Haven. Then Kyra ran and didn’t stop until she found herself at the last place she ever expected to be - Blade.

Energy thrummed through her body, her fury was not sated but she knew what might help. Kyra didn’t know what she looked like after her encounter at Haven but she must have done something right as she strode up to the entrance. The Blade bouncers barely gave her a once over before parting the velvet rope to allow her passage. She didn’t say a word. The crowd had little impact on her this time around and instead of attempting to avoid the dancers, Kyra met as many eyes as she could and stared them all down. The VIP room was attended by Liv, the waif.

Of course.

“Take me to him.” Kyra sized up the waif and added for good measure, “Now.”

Liv nodded tightly but didn’t argue. It was almost as if she’d expected Kyra. Maybe they all did. It didn’t matter. Kyra was getting answers and she was getting them tonight. Liv allowed Kyra into the VIP room. “He’s at the back table.”

“Thanks.” Kyra nodded tightly and squared her shoulders. She stalked toward the back of the room, toward the shadows where he sat. His hair tumbled over his shoulders, eyes flashing in the darkness. Kyra’s fury rolled into a ball in her stomach and expanded with every step. By the time she reached his table, Kyra’s skin was electrified, eyes narrowed into accusatory slits.

“Not interested.” He dismissed her with two words and a wave of his hand.

“What. Did. You. Do. To Me.” Not a question, an accusation. Kyra planted her hands on the table and leaned toward him. He smelled amazing. Her skin rippled, electrified by the memory of his hands on her body.

He blinked at her, his confidence wavered for a split second but then the mask solidified. “I did nothing to you.”

“There is something wrong with me and it started the night I met you. The night I left with you.” Kyra bit the words out, a furious confession that would have been shameful just a week ago.

“You’ve been all over town this week, just because you can’t seem to control yourself doesn’t mean I did anything to you.” He brushed his hair from his face, bored with her.

“You are the only man who took me home, asshole.” Kyra pointed at him, jabbed the air in front of his face. What a face he had, chiseled jaw, smooth skin, silvery blue eyes that reminded her of the reflecting pool on her college campus. A strange sensation bubbled up inside of her and she remembered kissing him, those lips. Shit, his lips were moving, he was talking to her.

“So you fancy the ladies too, maybe one of them did whatever you claim has been done to you.” He met her gaze, “You can leave the way you came.”

Kyra drew herself up, rage brimmed over and choked off the attraction. “Asshole! I know you did something to me! There were marks on my neck and I’m different. What did you inject me with, you sick pervert?”

In the blink of an eye, he was standing in front of her, glaring down at her with a cool fury that chilled Kyra to the bone. “I did nothing to you. Maybe you should be more careful about who you run around with.” He grabbed her by the arms and pulled her into him, whispered in her ear “Enjoy your new life but stay the fuck out of my club.”

Kyra shrugged out of his grip and shoved him. She spun on her heel so he couldn’t see the tears pricking at her eyelashes. Kyra bolted from the club and into the cool night.

***

“Well done, boss.” Liv extended a hand to help Patton to his feet.

Patton declined, peeled himself from the dented wall, and smoothed his clothes. “Leave it be, Liv.”

“Want me to go after her?” Liv motioned to the bartender for a drink.

“No, she’s not our problem.” Patton slid back into his booth as the waitress delivered two drinks, top shelf whiskey. He downed one but settled in to sip the other.

“I don’t know, P.” Liv glanced over her shoulder. “You turned her, which kinda makes her our problem.”

Patton gave Liv a warning glance, “But I didn’t turn her. Besides, she hasn’t fed. Everything will go back to normal in a few days. No harm, no foul.”

Liv frowned and muttered, “somehow, I doubt that.”

Chapter Four

Kyra opened her eyes. It was morning judging by the strip of sunlight bleeding through the break in the curtains. She stretched her limbs, surprisingly not at all stiff. Her eyes focused on her surroundings – her bedroom. She sniffed. Something smelled wrong. Kyra couldn’t place it. She rubbed at her face, and sat up to give her room a once over.

Nothing seemed out of place though definitely messier than usual. Huh? Maybe Reina left some pizza crust behind and she’d find it when she cleaned up. Kyra sighed and pushed the blankets off, cleaning up sounded like a task for another day. Maybe embracing vacation wasn’t so bad after all? She popped out of bed with the sudden urge to pee. The reflection in her bathroom mirror stopped Kyra in her tracks.

“What the fuck?” Kyra clawed at her face, “what the fuck? What the fuck?” A brownish substance was caked around her mouth, down her throat and – holy hell – all over her clothes. Kyra flicked the water on and scrubbed at her face, scratched the residue with her nails until it came away from her skin. It was stubborn, whatever it was.

Kyra looked into the sink for some clue but instantly wished she hadn’t. Red tinted the water, angry and grotesque as it swirled down the edges of the white basin leaving watery streams behind. Kyra instantly recognized the foreign smell in her room. Everything clicked into place and she backed into the wall, and her hand flew to her neck where the twin bumps had once been. Now her skin felt smooth and supple under her fingertips.

“No.” Kyra protested to the empty bathroom. Shaking, Kyra moved toward the mirror and opened her mouth to examine her teeth. She clamped her mouth shut and collapsed on the floor. “No.” She whimpered into her hand. No possible way could this be happening. Kyra pinched her thigh. It didn’t hurt. For a minute, she believed in the dream, just a middle grade nightmare she could laugh about later with the girls.

She stood and leaned back over the sink and splashed cold water in her face. Kyra looked into the mirror and grinned. Her canine teeth were different, longer and pointed. Like fangs. She touched one with the tip of her finger, tapped at it with her nail. This had to be the most realistic dream ever. Kyra pinched her arm. Nothing. She peeked into her room but it looked the same as before. How do you wake up from something like this? Kyra flashed through her memories of all the cheesy movies she’d seen over the years but nothing seemed to jolt her awake.

Kyra’s cell phone rang and seriously diminished her hope of being trapped in a dream. She searched around her room and finally found her phone beneath the pile of pillows. Reina’s name flashed on the screen. Thank the Gods! “Rey! I need you.” Rey didn’t argue, just said she’d grab Bree and they’d be over in “two shakes.”

The idea of a dream world faded more with each passing minute. She remained confident that with Rey and Bree helping, it would all work out. Kyra took a deep breath and undressed, tossed the ruined clothes she’d worn the night before and slipped into the first comfy clothes she could find.

Her skin felt strange. Hell, who was she kidding, everything felt strange. Kyra could see every pore in her arm. She could hear Bree and Rey walking up the steps to her flat. They whispered their concerns about her but Kyra could hear every word. Maybe she was dreaming, just projecting what she thought her friends would say. Maybe. Kyra opened the door before they could knock and ushered her friends into the apartment.

“What’s going on?” Bree sputtered as she practically tripped over Reina when Kyra nudged her a little too hard.

How to start? Shit. What do you even say? Kyra stood there, staring at her friends while they sized her up, looking for an injury or some sign of insanity. She opened her mouth to speak, forgetting what sparked her whole issue to begin with. Bree and Reina gasped in mutual shock. Kyra slapped her hand over her mouth again – panicked.

“What the hell?” Bree broke the silence. “Kyra, did you get fangs?”

“No, where would she get fangs.” Reina argued back. “I hardly think that’s something you can get done on a whim.”

“Wait, what?” Distracted, Bree glanced at Reina. “Is that a thing?”

“Well, yeah. I met a guy once who had it done. He was into the whole vampire thing.” Reina’s head bobbed as she told the story. “I felt really bad for him when Twilight came out and ruined it all.”

“Huh. Weird.” Bree rolled her gaze back to Kyra, “so no to the cosmetic fangs. Come on, let me get a look at you.” She gestured for Kyra to sit on the couch. “Rey, open the curtains and get some light in here.”

Kyra flopped on the couch and opened her mouth. Bree knelt beside her, poised to examine. Light flooded the room as Reina pulled the curtains back.

“Let’s see. Open up, buttercup.” Bree peered into Kyra’s mouth and began poking around. “Holy shit! What the hell are those? What did you do last night?”

Kyra’s arm felt warm. Really warm. Too warm. It actually felt like the worst sunburn of her life and it seemed to be getting worse by the second. “My arm feels weird,” Kyra mumbled around Bree’s probing fingers. “It hurts.”

“Huh?” Bree withdrew her hands and pulled back.

Reina screamed. “Kyra! You’re on fire!”

Kyra leaped off the couch and ran to the kitchen. She jammed her arm under the faucet and turned the cold water on. Flames were indeed licking across the flesh of her arm, her hand already blistered and raw as Kyra extinguished the flames there first. Her friends gaped at her, horrified. What just happened?

“Kyra.” Bree formed the words carefully. “Your arm just caught on fire.”

“Yeah.” Kyra nodded numbly.

“How did your arm catch on fire?” Bree sounded like a little girl asking her mom about sex for the first time.

“I don’t know.” Kyra sighed. She thought things but couldn’t bring herself to say the words.

“I just opened the curtain and let the sun in.” Reina reasoned. “I don’t understand.”

“This can’t be happening.” Bree began to pace, her response of choice, counting off her observations on her slender fingers. “Kyra has been acting unusual. She apparently has non-cosmetically enhanced fangs. Her arm just caught fire when exposed to sunlight.”

“And I had blood all over my clothes and face this morning.” Kyra chimed in. Why not go hog wild with the facts while they were racking up the reasons to have her committed?

“You’re a fucking vampire. Is that what you’re saying?” Reina folded her arms over her chest, daring Kyra to deny it. She looked like a character in a movie with the sun at her back shining through her wild hair. This would be a movie moment if ever there was one. Kyra laughed. She couldn’t stop.

“What’s so funny?” Bree asked.

Kyra couldn’t respond. She fell back against the cabinets, clutching her stomach with her unwounded arm as she laughed. Kyra slid down the cabinets to the floor, laughing so hard her stomach ached. Bree and Reina peeked over the counter at her. Kyra looked up at them and laughed even harder. Her friends just stared at her, incredulous.

“K?” Reina tested as Kyra’s laughter subsided. “Are you okay?”

Kyra collected herself and wiped at her eyes. “I don’t think so.”

“Kyra?” Reina again.

“What?” Kyra hated the edge in her voice but couldn’t control it. “What am I supposed to say?”

“Kyra, your arm is healed.” Reina pointed at the arm that had been blistered and raw just moments ago. Now it was just a little pink, like a scar that hadn’t quite healed all the way.

“If this is some prank,” Bree swore, “I will never fucking speak to you again.”

“Do I look like I’m kidding?” Kyra looked up at her friends with a macabre grin, baring her new fangs.

“Are we seriously talking about Kyra being a vampire?” Bree sounded skeptical. “I mean, maybe she has been acting unusual lately but I’m sure everything can be explained.”

“Right. Like, she’s a blood-sucking, super strong, can’t-be-in-the-sun, creature of the night.” Reina argued. “Come on, she’s not kidding with us, Bree. It seems silly to deny the most obvious answer.”

“No way.” Bree fought back. “Vampires are fiction, myths or legends at best. They do not exist.”

“Look at her, B.” Reina replied. “Let’s just accept what we know and go from there.”

“I’m right here.” Kyra grumbled. “And I can’t think of a better explanation as much as I hate to admit it.”

“You are not a vampire.” Bree bit out her denial.

“What if I am?” Kyra muttered and hung her head again. “This can’t be happening. I mean really?”

Bree settled on the floor beside her, looping her arm around Kyra’s shoulders. “I don’t know what’s happening, but I know that we will figure it out. ‘Kay?”

“Hell, yeah we will.” Reina settled on Kyra’s other side. “It’s about time you fly a freak flag like the rest of us.” She curled up and rested her head on Kyra’s shoulder. “You aren’t going to bite us, are you?” Reina whispered.

Kyra frowned. “I don’t know what the hell is going on but no, I don’t feel the urge to bite you or anything like that. God! Really?”

“Hey, I don’t want to become allergic to the sun - I look terrible without a tan.” Reina smirked as Kyra and Bree shot her daggers. “What? Kyra’s the only one who can laugh about this? Come on. I’m just trying to wrap my mind around it. I mean, my best friend is a vampire. It sounds like a cheesy teen flick.”

“My Best Friend is a Vampire.” Kyra mumbled. “Catchy. Who do you think would play me?”

“Hmmmmm….that’s a tough one.” Reina tapped her fingers on Kyra’s thigh. “Maybe that girl who plays the new Wonder Woman? She’s hot.”

“Too tan.” Kyra shot back. “I think my golden bronze days are over.”

“Will you two be serious?” Bree snapped. “Kyra is not a vampire. I am sure there is a perfectly logical explanation for all of this.”

“What am I supposed to think?” Kyra shrugged. “If the shoe fits, wear it, right?”

“No.” Bree jumped up and scolded. “No, I will not listen to this. I can’t believe you are just going to give up and pretend you are a vampire.”

“Would it really be so bad? I mean, we usually go out at night anyway. And what am I supposed to do?” Reina looked up, but nuzzled closer to Kyra, “pretend that this isn’t happening? Act like I didn’t just watch her arm catch on fire in the sunlight and then completely heal in a few minutes? Come on, Bree, I think it’s better if we just accept what’s in front of us and figure out how to deal with it.”

“Maybe he can fix me.” Kyra didn’t realize she’d spoken her thoughts aloud at first.

“What? Who?” Reina pulled back and looked at her quizzically.

“Him. The guy who did this.” Kyra sighed. “It was the guy at the club, the one I left with the other night. It had to be him.”

“Whoa.” Reina nodded. “He’s hot.”

“Like that matters.” Bree rolled her eyes.

“It always matters.” Reina chastised.

“What exactly do you think he did to you, Kyra?” Bree still clearly sought an alternative answer.

“Duh.” Reina rolled her eyes now. “He bit her and made her a vampire like him. Remember the two bumps? Now we know what they were! Come on, B, how many vampire movies have we watched?”

“This isn’t a movie.” Bree glared. “This is reality and I just don’t believe that Kyra is a vampire or that some guy from a club made her one after a one-night stand. It’s ridiculous.”

“Seems about my luck, doesn’t it?” Kyra pushed off the ground. “There was a good reason I gave up the party life and turned in my toga.”

“This clearly is not the same thing.” Reina responded softly. “But I understand.”

“But it is the same thing, isn’t it?” Kyra argued. “I got out of control at a party, had a one-night stand and nearly messed up my whole life. Only this time I succeeded.”

“A lot of women go through what you went through. Everything turned out alright then and it will be okay now.” Reina coaxed. She touched Kyra lightly on the arm. “We were there for you for all of it.”

“This is different.” Kyra responded levelly.

“Maybe a little.” Reina shrugged, “but we are here to help you through and we’ll figure out just like we always do. Have a little faith.”

“Okay almighty optimistic one, what do we do?” Kyra mocked.

“I don’t know. Planning is not my thing, I’m just the cheerleader and sometimes minion.” Reina grinned.

“You said the guy at the club did this to you?” Bree interjected.

“Yeah, had to be him.” Kyra nodded.

“Then, let’s start with him.” Bree squared her shoulders. “We’ll confront him at Blade tonight.”

“I already tried that.” Kyra hung her head, ashamed. “I went to the club last night after what happened at – holy shit! I made a scene at the restaurant last night! I am so sorry!”

“Oh, honey, you’re already forgiven.” Reina threw her arms around Kyra. “Besides, I would have paid to see you punch that bitch, Heidi. I wish you could have seen her face after you broke it.”

“Can we back up to Kyra going to Blade last night?” Bree face wore that disapproving expression that they both hated. “We’ll discuss the scene at the restaurant later.”

“I went. They let me in. I confronted him. He denied it and told me to get the hell out and never come back.” Kyra summed up the highlights and left out her attraction to the man.