Sunset Strip: A Tale From The Tome Of Bill (8 page)

“I don’t think so,” he said, his grin turning predatory. His hands moved up to grab hold of my arms in a grip that would’ve been painful had I not possessed several times his strength.

Oh well, never let it be said I didn’t give him a chance.

He once more pressed against me, burying his mouth into mine. I put up a feeble attempt at a struggle, but he kept my arms pinned to my side. This was the part I loved best.

There’s something about a predator reaching the apex of their supposed power that really puts an extra bit of spice into their blood. Mixed with the fear and confusion that followed, it was quite the intoxicating brew.

My date for the evening gave me a shove and I fell back, landing on the overly soft mattress. They build them with a little extra bounce in places like these, knowing that only a small percentage of the people staying there would actually be using them to sleep.

Tad was immediately atop me, forcing my legs apart as he settled his weight to pin me down. He reached one hand up, grasped the top of my dress, and yanked it down, exposing my right breast.

I had to fight to suppress a giggle. I was half-tempted to let him finish what he was starting. I’d developed a bit of a taste for the rough stuff in the years since I’d been here. As frail as he was, Tad’s aggression was a bit of a turn on. Sick ain’t it? But then, that’s what we vamps are all about.

Unfortunately, he had to go and ruin it for both of us.

“You’re not going anywhere.”

Memories rushed in unbidden, and with that, Tad’s fate was sealed.

Chapter 13

1979

I lay there with only the thin sheet to cover me. I kept trying to come up with some excuse for my actions: too much drink; seeing Uncle Colin caught me off guard; it was the cocaine Jeff had produced once we were alone. That last one seemed plausible. After all, it typically wasn’t my style.

The reality was it was all bullshit, a way for me to justify having done what I’d done. I’d left the club with Jeff at the end of my shift for the simple reason that he was drop dead gorgeous. Words flowed from his mouth like a fine wine, each sip intoxicating me far more than the watered down drinks I had downed.

Still, a part of me felt like a whore. I’d never before cheated on a boyfriend. Sure, I danced at the club, but that was purely financial...no emotional attachment required. There were a few disturbing holes in my memory, nights that I had no knowledge of, but I had managed to convince myself that there was nothing to worry about with those. I was young and on my own. Wasn’t it natural to sometimes boogie a little too hard?

Yeah, I didn’t quite buy it either. Fine, I never
willingly
cheated on a boyfriend before. Either way you looked at it, Mark didn’t deserve that. Sure, he wasn’t much to look at, but then neither was I - no matter what the clients at the club might say. He was a sweet man, though. I wasn’t in love with him, I had no delusions about that, but he was good to me.

At the same time, a voice in the back of my head reminded me, hadn’t it been quite the difference - Jeff’s hard body against mine? His chiseled form had been only half the thrill, though. He used it in ways that suggested he wasn’t exactly inexperienced. Once he’d pressed his lips against mine, I’d been putty in his hands - his to do with as he pleased.

There was no two ways about it. It had been fun and, in the end, I’d had to bite down on Jeff’s muscular shoulder to keep from crying out, afraid Mark’s name would slip from my lips, even though he was far from my mind at the time. As I did, he let out a laugh as if something had been uproariously funny, but I was too far gone in the moment to protest.

“I like you, Lucinda,” Jeff said, stepping out of the bathroom. Once more, I found my eyes drinking him in. He was one of those rare people who looked as good out of his clothes as in. “There’s something about you...” He paused, seeming thoughtful for a moment. “I think I’d like to keep you.” I giggled at the comment, thinking it was a joke. “You’ll like New York.”

“New York?”

“Yeah, the big city. Ever been there? It’s a happening place.”

“Nope. Maybe one day...”

“Not one day...now.” He leaned over onto the bed and locked eyes with me. There was something in them I didn’t like. I couldn’t quite place it, but it made me feel uncomfortable. I unconsciously pulled the sheet up further on my body.

“It’s like Colin said. I just recently took over my organization and it’s growing again. I’m looking for people who’ll fit in. I think you’ll do nicely.”

“I’m really not looking for another job.”

“It’s not a job offer.” His eyes practically glittered. “Jobs are beneath us, as are the beetles that scurry under our feet performing them.”

Goose bumps broke out on my skin. One moment, I was in post-coital bliss. The next, the temperature in the room seemed to drop twenty degrees. There was something overly predatory about the way he looked at me. I didn’t like it one bit. It made me feel like a piece of meat.

Trying to keep my tone steady, I bunched up the covers around me and slid off the bed. “Listen, this has been fun, but I have a boyfriend. I can’t just up and...”

“Not anymore you don’t.” As quick as a snake, he was in front of me. I actually jumped back a step. It was almost like magic. I’d never seen anyone move that fast.

“Did I scare you?”

“No,” I lied, stepping past him. “Really, Jeff, that was cute and all, but...”

He grabbed my arm and spun me around to face him. I let out a yelp, but he appeared not to notice.

“About that name...none of my close friends call me that. They call me Night Razor.”

“Night...”

“Yeah, and I think you and I are going to be really close from here on in.”

His grip tightened. Tears sprang to my eyes as panic began to set in. How could I have missed it before? This guy was fucking crazy.

“Please let me go,” I said in a small voice.

He flung me back onto the bed as if I was a rag doll. He tore the sheet off me and climbed atop, pinning my arms above my head. I tried to fight, but his grip was too strong. I couldn’t even budge him.

“You’re not going anywhere - ever again,” he whispered.

I opened my mouth to scream, but it died in my throat as Jeff...Night Razor...changed. His eyes turned black as coal and his teeth elongated into cruel fangs, seemingly as sharp as daggers.

My sanity began to slip as he lowered his mouth toward me. Once he’d thrown me on the bed, I was sure I was about to be raped. I now saw that what he intended to do was far worse.

Chapter 14

Present Day

Playtime was over. The smile on Tad’s face turned to a look of confusion as I powered my way up and easily flipped us so that I was on top. I grabbed his wrists and pinned him. Confusion gave way to pain as I increased the pressure to the point where his bones cracked under my grasp.

He cried out - music to my ears.

 “You took everything from me.” I was still caught up in the memory. Oh well, the faux pas wouldn’t matter in a moment.

Vaguely remembering that there was a method to my madness, I let his screams carry on for a moment longer. I wanted to make sure someone on the floor heard him.

I extended my fangs, threw Tad a wicked smile and immediately buried my teeth into his neck before he could make another sound.

* * *

I’d love to tell you that I took just enough to satisfy myself, that it wasn’t overkill, but that couldn't be farther from the truth. I drank my fill of Tad, and when I was done, continued tearing into him. Experienced vamps can control who they turn. I’ve been doing this for a while and had no intention of making a Tadpire. Even had I not, though, there was no way he would’ve risen again once I was finished with him.

His head was just barely still connected to the rest of him when the pounding started on the door. It was about fucking time. Either the creatures downstairs had already started whatever shenanigans they were up to, or the hotel staff was really slipping.

“Open up - security!”

“Just a minute,” I called back sweetly. I stood and straightened my dress. It was more out of habit than anything. The outfit was completely and utterly soaked through with blood. It was gonna take a lot more than a trip to the dry cleaners to make this one wearable again. Oh well, I could afford another.

“Open this door immediately or we’ll...”

I unlatched the lock, pulled it open, and stepped behind it. Two men rushed past into the room. One wore a suit, obviously management, and the other was a grunt. They stopped just inside, no doubt to admire my handiwork. While they gaped, I closed the door behind them.

The guard never stood a chance. I shattered his spine with my fist before he even realized I was there. He dropped to his knees and keeled over. Eyes still blackened, I stepped forward.

The manager backed up a step, then slipped in some of Tad and fell on his ass. It was almost funny. I made a note to remember to laugh when this was all over. He pulled a walkie-talkie out. “Code sixty-six! I repeat, code sixty-six!”

Ah, that’s what I was waiting for. Only the true bigwigs in this town knew of our existence, but security was always trained to deal with
oddities
. Anything that fell somewhere on the scale between
holy shit
and
what the fuck
would get a call sign of sixty-six. Other ears, non-human ones, continually monitored the feeds for just such a code.

Alas, that meant I still had some time left to kill. I stepped forward and knocked the radio from his hand, breaking his arm in the process.

Dragging him to his feet by his tie, I roughly pushed his head to the side and indulged myself in another drink. When it’s fresh from the tap, might as well take all you can get - that’s my motto.

As I sucked out his lifeblood, I had a moment to reflect how it was ironic that I’d been prepared to spare Tad, my would-be rapist, yet had never given these two men a chance. They’d only been doing their jobs, and I’d taken everything from them without a second thought.

Alas, blood is intoxicating. It tends to make us forget reason for a time. Even the most level-headed vampire can become a shark at a feeding frenzy if the conditions are right. Sadly for them, with blood flowing freely and visions of Jeff still fresh in my mind, it was the perfect recipe for a massacre.

* * *

I waited patiently. The scent of blood still filled the air, but I was pretty darn full by then. That helped to dull the effect. Thus, I used the time to collect my thoughts again. The fun was over and done with. Now it was time for business...time to make formal contact. My original plan would have given us a chance to negotiate. This way, though, was bound to put Marlene and her minions in a tizzy.

At the very least, that was bound to be a shitload more fun.

In time, doors opened and feet shuffled about in the hall. I knew what it meant. Anyone who had been within earshot of my earlier violence, especially those who had phoned security, were being silenced in one way or another. Unknown to the human guards expected to use it, a code sixty-six often meant no witnesses.

I listened with both my ears and my mind. The next few minutes were very telling. Nothing out of the ordinary filtered through. That meant no compulsions. Whoever was in the cleanup crew wasn’t very old. It took a vampire of considerable power to compel a human, especially one with anything resembling willpower. Hell, I could just barely do it. Anyone younger would have an equal chance of knocking themselves out if they even tried.

Finally, silence returned to the floor. I waited for a moment longer, then heard a sound right outside the door.

It was show time.

Chapter 15

1979

I awoke with a start, gasping for breath as if I hadn’t done so in far too long. I opened my eyes and immediately squeezed them shut as a wave of vertigo passed through me. The room seemed far too bright and insanely vivid, as if someone had repainted it in neon colors.

As I laid there, eyes closed, I raised a hand to massage my temples. I took a deep breath through my nose and my nostrils tingled. There was an odd coppery odor to the air...unpleasant, yet somewhat intoxicating at the same time. As I processed this, memories flooded into me...unpleasant ones of creatures with soulless eyes and nightmare teeth.

“Jeff!” I gasped before putting a hand over my mouth.

He’d...he’d...but that was insane.

I sat up and cracked my eyes open again, slowly this time. The world came back into focus in that same way as before, as if everything was in extra sharp contrast. It was weird. I’d never tried LSD, but my friends at the club had told me of experiences similar to this.

I remembered how Jeff had produced a vial of white powder and then helped himself to a line of it across my bare breasts. I was so caught up in the moment that I’d also indulged. At the time, it had turned me on wildly. Now I wondered what the hell had been in it. It had either been spectacularly good coke, or horrifically bad.

That had to be it. I was in the middle of a goddamned drug trip.

The whole mess with Jeff must’ve been some fucked up hallucination. There was no other explanation. Speaking of which, I looked about. He was nowhere to be seen.

“Hello?” I tentatively called out. My voice slurred a bit. Something about my mouth felt odd. Hell, my whole body felt...
off
.

No answer came. I was alone in the room.

“Son of a bitch had his way then left,” I muttered, not entirely surprised. Served me right too, falling for his bullshit. “Congratulations, Lucinda. You’ve just been some dickhead’s one night stand. With your luck, you’re probably pregnant.” I let out a bitter laugh.

Wouldn’t that be something? I’d left home, tired of listening to my father’s bullshit insistence that women were meant to be barefoot and pregnant. Wouldn’t it be ironic to return home in that state? I’m sure once Linda heard about it she’d be twice the smug bitch she usually was.