Blood Eternal (11 page)

So many questions made her head pound. She was an aspiring chef, not Nancy Drew. She’d traveled here because she needed to pay bills, not solve some bizarre mystery.

Making her way down a narrow cobblestone street, she paused and leaned along a wall. She didn’t understand why he insisted on going to Blood Bar if each time he came home depressed and moped around in his room. Societal obligations couldn’t be too demanding if he spent so much time at home.

She pushed off the wall and made her way to the next corner, hugging herself as a chill wracked her. Graffiti covered walls and littered streets were not on her list of tourist spots. “Shit, my wonderful luck.”

Somehow she had walked straight into a less appealing part of Rome. Bending, she dug through her bag and removed a crinkled map. She must have made a wrong turn somewhere.

“Lost, beauty?” A stocky man with ruddy hands snapped her map and bag from her grasp. “Maybe we can help.”

His taller and thinner companion grinned. “Little ladies shouldn’t be out alone. Especially as the sun sets.

Where had they come from? “Leave me alone.” She lunged for the bag but he held it high. “What do you want?” From their accents it was obvious they weren’t Italian but neither did they look like tourists.

“Oh, oh. Are you ever a beauty,” the stockier male said.

Legs shaky, she lifted her chin and faced the two men. “Give me back my bag.”

“I say no.” The stocky man’s lips spread wide, revealing crooked, stained teeth. “Here.” He handed her bag to the tall, thin man next to him. “See if she has anything of value there.”

Tall and Thin accepted the large leather pouch. “What are you going to do?”

“Taste the wares, of course.”

Please, no. She stepped back, waiting for her opportunity to make a run for it. She’d be damned if she’d accept this fate after fighting so hard to get a second chance at life. “I don’t have much money but you can help yourself to whatever’s in my bag.”

The stocky man laughed. “Don’t worry, we will. After.”

Oh God. The fluttering in her stomach grew panicked. Why had she wandered around alone?

“You always get to have fun. I want to join you.” The tall, thin man tossed her bag to the side.

“Fine, you take one side,” Stocky said. “We’ll search for valuables later, but I go first.”

They spoke of her as if she were cattle to be handled. Enough. It was now or never. Turning, she took off at a run but didn’t get more than twenty feet, when a thick arm wrapped around her waist.

“No, you don’t.” Alcohol laden breath caressed her cheek. “I thought you were an intelligent woman, but it appears I made a mistake.” The stocky man spun her around, grabbed her shirt.

She slapped his hand away. “Leave me alone.”

Tall and Thin moved closer, crowding her. He entangled one of her arms and used his weight to swing and slam her against a brick wall. He was stronger than he appeared. “That’s how it’s done,” he spat out.

Air rushed from her body, and she coughed in an attempt to catch her breath

“Yeah, yeah.” The stocky male smoothed a thick hand down her neck and chest. “Ah, there’s a nice girl.”

A numb pain traveled up her back and down one leg. Dazed, she turned to the side, trying to push away from him as bile rose in her throat. “Don’t.” She hated her voice, which sounded far-away, weak.

Stocky neared, his yellow teeth repulsive, his breath so rank she feared she’d vomit.

“Such a sweet sound,” he said to his taller companion. “She’s moaning for us. Appears the woman likes it dirty. Grab her other arm again.”

“No.” A shot of adrenaline washed through her, spurting a second wind. She thrashed within their vise-like grips, tentacles of fear strangling her where their hands didn’t. They continued to explore her, pulling open her cardigan and kneading her breasts through the cotton of her collared shirt. Material tore, buttons flew.

“No. Help!” She jerked, more violent now.

The thin man snorted. “No one to hear you.”

Their stroking stopped as they stared at her torso, eyes dark. Without looking down, she knew what held their attention.

Stocky smiled wider. “You’re flawed, not so perfect.” His eyes gleamed with pleasure. “Even better. Now I don’t have to worry about messing up your pretty skin.” He gripped one laced covered breast and squeezed until she sobbed. “Mmm. We’re going to have a lot of fun with you. We can take turns.” He licked his chapped lips.

With a sinking feeling in her chest, she pushed both attackers once more.

“Uh oh, she’s feisty.” The tall, thin man slipped behind her and held her arms back. His arousal pressed into her rear. “There you go. I’ll hold her still. She’s yours. Watch her legs.”

She bucked, and they laughed at her pitiful attempts.

No use, they were too strong. Unshed tears blurred her vision and for the second time in two years, she wished she had died the night of the accident.

10

Dream as if you’ll live forever, live as if you’ll die today.

—James Dean

Bloody woman. Luke raced through Rome’s backstreets, sticking to shadows where possible. Cement and stone walls covered with graffiti flashed in his periphery. The skin along the side of his forehead and on the tops of his hands blistered and burned. Fuck, he should have worn gloves. Nevertheless, he had not been thinking of protecting himself when he’d realized Savannah had gone. Logic had told him she should be fine. These days, women were quite adventurous and many went almost everywhere without a chaperone. Still, he could not shake the feeling something was wrong.

As the sun dipped behind buildings, he hastened his pace, following her scent up and down streets. She had obviously gotten lost or decided to wander in circles.

Screams echoed between walls, and he paused. Savannah. With lightning speed, he covered the length of the street and turned a corner. Down a narrow lane, two males held her to a wall. One tore her clothes while the other restrained her.

As both men pushed aside her undergarments and groped her pale flesh, he curled his hands into fists. It took everything inside him not to rush the men and snap their fragile human necks. “Harm another hair on the lady’s head and you both will wish you had never been born,” left him in an animalistic growl.

The tall, thinner man jumped away from Savannah, his expression panicked as he searched out their witness. His heavyset companion ran a hand over his round face then narrowed his gaze in Luke’s direction. “We’ll give you a turn if you keep your mouth shut.”

Sunset left Luke draped in shadows, giving him an advantage. Not that he needed one. They knew not what they dealt with. “What makes you think I want a turn?”

The heavyset male laughed nervously. “You’d have to be crazy not to.” His chapped lips broke into a wide grin, displaying crooked teeth. Eyes wary, he took a step back. “Why don’t you come out of the shadows and see for yourself. She’s a looker.”

Savannah was definitely a temptation. He had been fighting demons since seeing her nearly nude form last night. “Stunning.”

Savannah pressed herself along a wall, her midnight hair in disarray. The blood trickling down her cut lip rocked him to his core, even as saliva pooled in his mouth. He wanted to taste her and his hunger sickened him.

To cover what her shredded clothes did not, she crossed her arms over her chest, keeping her eyes averted. Her feelings of shame flooded him.

Look at me, pet
, he whispered into her mind, hoping she would heed him. She raised her eyelids. Her tear-filled gaze met his and her lips trembled as if she wanted to say something. Instead, she turned away.

“I told you,” the heavyset man said. “You can give her a turn after us.” The two men laughed, creases around their eyes and mouths easing with relief.

The desire to snatch the men and sink his fangs into their weathered skin made him shake but pure terror radiated around her, holding him back. “I do not share.”

The laughter ceased, and the thinner of the two men scowled. “We found her first.”

Was this to be reduced to child-like bickering? Enough. The sudden pallor of Savannah’s face concerned him. Closing the distance between them, he locked his hand around the thin man’s throat and raised him a foot off the ground. “Do you think I care?”

Eyes bulging, the man heaved for breath, kicking in futile attempts to loosen Luke’s grip.

“Fuck off.” The heavyset male’s brow creased in anger as he pushed toward him. “Who do you think you…are?” Nostrils flared, he paused mid step. Bingo. Luke relished the moment the man realized he stood on the losing side. His gaze flickered back and forth between Luke’s singed forehead and hands. “Who are you? What do you want?” He took a step back.

Luke departed the shadows. He imagined he looked a terror. Remnants of sunset would highlight the reddish tint of his eyes. He turned slightly so his back faced Savannah. “I want you both to leave before I bestow on you a death more painful than any you can imagine.” He threw the thin man within his grasp several feet then inched forward.

Picking himself up, the man stumbled away and tugged on his larger companion. “Let’s go.” It did not take long for his companion to see reason. After a few puzzled stares, the two took off running.

They’d bought hours—maybe days—before he found them again and exacted his punishment. As the echoes of their retreating footsteps faded, he bowed his head and breathed in deeply, trying to calm the fury that streamed through him. He turned.

Savannah stood huddled against a building’s brick wall.

“Are you hurt?” His voice sounded gruff, and he cleared his throat.

She shook her head but shaking wracked her body. Whether she admitted it or not, she was seconds away from a breakdown.

“Ah, pet.” He rubbed the back of his neck, bent his head. “Rome is not always like this. There are kind people here and some parts of this city are so beautiful, they seize the breath within you.” He fisted his hand, the sudden need to convince her of life’s goodness like a rock crushing his chest. Perhaps the forlorn expression on her face bothered him. Or maybe he did not want her hope to fade. He did not want her to be like him. “I promise you, love, there is still good in this world.”

Jade green eyes widened, she tilted her head, sniffling. “And you, Luke. Are you good?”

He coughed and let loose an uneasy laugh. She would reach to his core—past any pretense. He might as well have been standing nude before her. “I do not know anymore.” He looked away, unable to deal with the innocence in her gaze.

She picked up her bag then pulled her arms tighter around herself, making a poor attempt to fix the scraps left of her shirt and cardigan. “I’m sorry I left. I wanted to see Rome.”

Her movements and words left him revisiting the image of men tearing at her clothes. She could not blame herself. If he weren’t an animal confined to night, it would be different, but to think about being human served no purpose. “Christ, Savannah, what if I had not reached you in time?”

“I know.” She turned away.

“Forgive me. I speak in anger. Do not blame yourself. This is their fault.” And his. He took off his blazer and turtleneck then handed the latter to her. “Night cools. Put this on.” He huffed. She’d made him into a mother hen.

She accepted the clothing and turned around to slip it on. Her scars glowed bright beneath the dim light of dusk. His gut clenched. What exactly had she been through? Even more so, why did it matter?

“How did you find me?” she asked.

“What does it matter?” His insides trembled at the realization he might not have gotten there to save her, to prevent those men from going further. “As is, I might not have made it in time.”

She bit her bottom lip as if she wanted to object. “You made it here, that’s what matters.”

He could not face her, did not want to acknowledge the tear tracks on her face.

“Luke?”

Hands on his hips, he paced. “What, Savannah?” She jerked at his tone, and he cursed his inability to control his emotions. “Is there something wrong?” he asked, his tone gentler.

“What happened to your hands and forehead?”

She concerned herself with him? He wanted to be honest with her but she would never understand. “Do not worry about me. I am more worried with how you are doing. What can I do to make you feel better?”