Blood Kisses (Nightwalkers Book 1) (15 page)

"No."
Ashleigh shook her head. "That hurts."

"I'm
sorry I lack the ability to dull the pain. Even vampire as great as I cannot do
such a thing. After all, I am not the Count." Aiden kept up his smile, his
eyes watching her turn back to him sharply. “But I bet you let Caleb taste you
whenever he wishes."

"No."
Ashleigh walked back over to her seat. "He’s only done it once or twice. He
says he doesn’t want to hurt me."

"Hurt
you?" Aiden sat back down as well. "I would never hurt you."

Ashleigh
quickly changed the subject, putting her hands in her lap as she looked around
the table at the other guests who were ignoring them. "So, you wanted to
ask me about my books?"

"Not
really. I already know about your books."

"Then
why did you want to meet me?" She watched Mr. Castle drink from his glass.
"You can wake them up right?"

"I
wanted to meet the woman behind the best vampire series ever penned and take
her as my wife."

Ashleigh
stood up from her chair, but when she went to walk away, Aiden grabbed her
hand. "I’m marrying Caleb."

"You
don’t want to marry Caleb." He stood up too, this time slipping his arms
around her waist and pulling her closer to him. "He’s not as great as I."

"I
want
to marry Caleb." Ashleigh
was pushing away from him, her back shoving as hard as she could against his
arms and putting whatever distance between them she could. Her eyes were aimed at
the ground, the nervousness apparent in her voice. "You don’t even know
me."

"I
will." Aiden leaned in to kiss her.

"Hey!"

A
loud voice interrupted him, Ashleigh using the distraction to weasel out of his
arms. She smiled at Spencer’s familiar face, quickly reaching down to the floor
and grabbing her purse before walking over to him.

For
once, she was glad he had followed her here and took back all the times she had
cursed him for never leaving her alone. Even if he was in love with her and
flirted with her constantly, he was harmless, unlike Aiden, who wasn’t
satisfied with a kiss on the cheek and just the pleasure of her company.

"Spencer."
She released a relieved breath, a look of gratitude on her face. She gave him a
big hug, her arms wrapping around his shoulders as she whispered in his ear. "Get
me out of here."

Spencer
glanced at Aiden then back at Ashleigh as she pulled away. Spencer looked like
he wasn’t going to stay and wait for Aiden to give him orders, instead, he was
going to run.

In
a quick action, he grabbed Ashleigh by the waist, a small yelp escaping her
lips as he picked her up off her feet and slung her over his shoulder. He took
off running, his pace so fast one couldn’t see which way he had gone. That
didn’t stop Aiden from following, though.

Ashleigh’s
eyes were closed, her teeth clenched as she tried to forget about her churning
stomach. She could hear him breathe heavily, but she wasn’t sure if it was
because he was growing tired or he was afraid.

Now,
after two days of travel, switching planes, and finding flights to where she
wanted to go, Ashleigh was at the Monterey, a very expensive hotel in the grand
city of Kingston. It was a huge city, one of the biggest she has ever visited.

In
the lobby was a large chandelier, the ceiling cut away to make room for its
massive girth. Everything about this place was huge, and it was the fanciest
hotel she had ever stepped foot into. Spencer was with her, a sour expression
on his face showing his dislike in having to end his time with her.

They
were to meet up with Caleb, who was playing a concert here tomorrow night. He
and the band were supposed to be flying in tonight but hadn’t yet checked into
the hotel, according to the man at the counter.

It
was easy to see when the band arrived, the sound of screaming fans coming
closer and closer as they followed the group down the hallway. They seemed to
have already checked in and were heading toward the doors. Ashleigh pushed
through the group forming near the entrance, waving her hand as she tried to
get one of the security guards’ attention.

She
wasn’t normally pushy and had never fought so hard to get to something as she
did now. She needed Caleb, to see his face and feel his arms around her.

The
thought gave her added strength, but still the screaming fans were strong, and
in a group as large as this one, she wasn’t able to push through them. She
quickly took out her phone and tried to call Caleb, something she had tried to
do all day without success. It was late, maybe ten or so, and she had been
waiting for him in the lobby since she had gotten here at three.

Spencer
was now standing next to her, watching the large crowd disperse when Armageddon
went outside and into a waiting car. "Looks like they’re already here."

"Where
do you think they’re going?" Ashleigh was holding her phone to her ear,
trying again to call Caleb. "And why isn't Caleb’s phone on?"

"Wanna
follow them?" Spencer had his arms crossed casually over his chest, a calm
look on his handsome face. "I bet they’re going to Twizted Sin. It’s a
club for our kind." He studied her disappointed face, a small smile
starting on his own. "What? Are you scared?"

"Kinda."
Ashleigh nervously rubbed her arm that was covered in her green army jacket. "I’m
not one of you."

"You
smell like us. Like Caleb."

"I
smell like Caleb?" Letting out a playful laugh, Ashleigh picked up her
suitcase and walked out the entrance with Spencer. "Why’s that?"

"I
was just kidding. That jacket smells like that shit he smokes all the time."
Spencer waved the subject away with his hands. "We can’t smell stuff like
that. We can sense it, though. And if I bit you, your blood would taste like
ours."

Spencer
walked with her to the parking lot, where he put her bags in the back of a car
he had rented. He drove to a different hotel he had rented a room in, letting
Ashleigh grab something to eat then let her get ready to go out to the club,
which had a strict dress code.

Now,
walking with Spencer toward the club, Ashleigh was rubbing her bare arms
because she was cold. "So, this is Caleb’s hometown?"

"Yep."
Spencer, who was now wearing a nice suit, nodded. "Are you ready to catch
Caleb cheating on you?"

"Come
on, Spencer, he wouldn’t…" She paused as she looked at the line in front
of the club. "Would he?"

"He’s
a rock star, those kind of guys can’t stay faithful. He’s probably got two or
three girls hanging on him right now."

"Are
you sure?"

"Every
time I’ve seen him, it’s been like that."

She
changed the subject. "I found out my mom moved to Kingston." Making a
sour face, she thought of her mother. Ashleigh glared at the people standing in
front of her as they waited in line. “She
would
have to come and ruin my life.”

"Don’t
get along with mommy?" Spencer laughed as he took in the scowl that was
forming on her face.

"No.
She’s one of the most irresponsible, selfish people I know, and I have no
desire to speak with her."

"Why
not?" Spencer took off his coat and wrapped it around Ashleigh’s
shoulders, watching her pull it tighter around her.

"She left my…" Ashleigh paused, her forehead wrinkling angrily
as she fought back tears. "…dad." She turned forward, her voice
gaining more strength. "For some rich asshole she was sleeping with. She
abandoned me."

There was venom in her voice now. "She’d send me cards for every
holiday, but she hardly came to visit. After my father died, my grandparents
gained custody of me, and I never saw her again." Ashleigh paused. "I
didn't want to see her, either. She just gave up on me. Signed me away without
a second thought. Her
new
family was
better than me. Kingston’s a big city, so I hope to never see her…ever."

"New
family, huh?" Spencer sighed as he watched a group of people get turned
away at the door. "Sounds like what you’re getting into."

"If
Caleb’s with another girl, I’m not."

"Even
if you dump Caleb, someone else from our circle will grab you."

"Like
who? You?" A small laugh escaped her lips as she briefly looked over at
Spencer. He wasn’t smiling, though, and didn’t find what she said funny.

"Hi."
The bouncer at the door was huge, a headset in his ear and a large clipboard in
his hand. He held his hand on the rope that cut off the entrance. Spencer sent
him a giant smile, his fangs clearly showing. He wasn’t shy about proclaiming
what he was and that made the bouncer smile too. "Go on in."

Spencer
led Ashleigh inside. The whole club was loud and full of fast moving, colored
lights. They had a DJ on stage mixing tracks, and the dance floor was packed
with people. He said hi to a few people he knew as Ashleigh handed him back his
jacket, trembling slightly.

Ashleigh
turned in a quick circle as she looked around the crowded club. There was a lot
of necking going on in this place. On closer inspection, she could see a few
pained expressions on women’s faces, their screams most likely absorbed by the
loud music. This was not a fun looking place, for non-vampires that was.

She
spotted Charlotte, who was standing on the bar, easily. Sam wasn’t there and neither
were the other band members, but Ashleigh thought Charlotte could help her find
them. Weaseling away from Spencer while he was preoccupied, Ashleigh walked
over to Charlotte.

Cupping
her hands around her lips, Ashleigh screamed. "Char!"

Charlotte
looked down at her, a slight confusion on her face as if Ashleigh was one of
the last people she expected to see there. "Ashleigh?" She jumped off
the bar, pulling at a few strands of hair that clung to her mouth. "What
the hell are you doing here? You shouldn’t be here alone." Charlotte
nervously put her hands on Ashleigh’s shoulders, walking her away from the bar.
"Caleb doesn’t know you’re here, does he? It’s not safe."

"Where
is Caleb?" Ashleigh’s face turned into a frown, despite how hard she was
trying to keep up a smile.

"I
don’t know." Charlotte had a very fake smile on her face as she motioned
for Ashleigh to sit down. "I haven’t seen him."

"He
won’t answer my calls." Ashleigh was shouting so Charlotte could hear, the
stress on her voice making it sound angry. "Is he mad at me?"

"No, he broke his phone last night." Charlotte laughed as she
sat down in a chair near her. "He was arguing with his dad and threw it.
You know how Caleb is about his dad."

"Yeah."

"He
tried to call you from Kris' phone, but you didn't answer." Charlotte
grabbed a drink from the bartender, motioning for him to get the same for
Ashleigh. "Why don’t you come hang up here with me for a while? Caleb’s
probably just goofing off somewhere, like he always does." She took the
next drink the bartender gave her, handing it over to Ashleigh. "He’ll
show up for more beers soon."

Ashleigh
looked over at Spencer, who glanced at her briefly then turned back to talking
with his friend. She frowned as she scanned the crowded dance floor. Her hand
stirred her drink with the small stick. "He’s not with another girl, is
he?"

"Don’t
worry about that honey." Charlotte took a sip, studying the man behind Ashleigh,
who was peeking over her shoulder and checking out her breasts. "He’s a
bad boy in every sense of the word, but he’s pretty faithful when it comes to
his girlfriends. He’s not into the groupie thing. That's Kris, not Caleb. The
worst he does is steal a little drink."

She
saw the man go to flirt with Ashleigh and screamed at him. "She’s got a
man, honey! Try the next one over!"

"Thanks
for the reassurance, Charlotte."

"There
they are."

Charlotte
pointed across the room at Kris, who was trying to convince three girls to make
out with each other. He looked very drunk, stumbling a little as he laughed and
made motions with his hands. Caleb was hanging from the railing above him,
talking to some people on the second floor. His sneakers were bright white with
red trim, the bottom of his baggy jeans torn and ripped, attire that wasn’t
allowed in the dress code.

"Those
look like girls." Ashleigh frowned as she watched Caleb talk to the girls
on the second floor, all of them blushing and speaking with over-exaggerated
body movements. She could tell they were flirting, one of them even letting
Caleb bite her wrist. It looked painful, but the girl gritted her teeth and let
him do it.

After
a minute or so, he stopped drinking from her and pushed her hand away. The girl
held a napkin over the wound, a very fake smile on her face as she spoke,
trying not to let him know how much his bite had hurt.

He
was jumping up and down on the railing playfully now, briefly focusing on Kris
when Kris motioned for Caleb to look down. Two girls near Kris were kissing,
the third trying to get in on it by kissing the one woman’s neck.

Taking
a bottle near him, Caleb edged over a little on the very thin railing,
positioning himself over the girls. He tipped the bottle upside down, covering
the girls in beer. They glared at him in disgust as they screamed, Kris
laughing hysterically.

Charlotte
was laughing as she watched, but Ashleigh only pretended to. Downing the rest
of what was in the glass in her hand, Ashleigh switched it for a full one, her
eyes never leaving the boys.

Sitting
up in the balcony with the girls was Aiden. He leaned over the balcony and
motioned for Caleb to get down. Caleb stuck his tongue out at him and started
saying something to him in between laughs, jumping up and down on the railing
and making it shake.

"You
finishing out the tour with us?" Charlotte’s voice made Ashleigh turn
around.