The Lady is a Vamp (The Paranormal Investigations Series Book 1) (5 page)

‘I’m sorry,’ she said as she turned to face him, not sounding very sorry at all, ‘but it’s unsettling for me, being with someone whose mind I can’t control.’

‘Ditto.’

They stared at each other for a moment.

‘We’re just going to have to trust each other then, aren’t we?’ she said, sitting back down on the couch. Nick sighed and rubbed his chin. He didn’t like how open and vulnerable this woman made him feel, and moreover he needed a shower, a shave, and a good sleep, which he hadn’t had since the discovery of Simon’s body. He went into the kitchen to make himself a coffee, knowing he wasn’t likely to get any of those things any time soon. Ruby got up and followed him in.

‘I should be able to sense the vamp for you,’ she said, ‘if he’s near enough. But maybe now he’ll move on.’

Nick shook his head. Instinct told him there was something very off about this case.

‘That body was left where it could be easily found for a reason. I just can’t work out what that is. Why risk exposure?’

Ruby knew he was right. Her kind were notoriously secretive, and exposure was the biggest risk to their survival.

‘Maybe he didn’t mean to? Maybe something scared him off, the werewolves perhaps?’

‘Other paras wouldn’t leave the body either. And nothing else is capable of scaring off a vamp … apart from a human with a flame thrower or a wooden bullet. But I’ve never heard of an unlicensed vamp hunter in the city. And why would they leave the body?’

‘He wanted the exposure then,’ Ruby said, her brow wrinkling in consternation. Nick looked at her with knowledge dawning in his eyes.

‘It wasn’t the vamp,’ he said, nodding to himself as the idea began to take shape in his mind, ‘it was someone else. Someone found the body, or already knew he was going to attack Simon, maybe even pointed him in Simon’s direction. Ruby,’ he said excitedly, ‘who at Crimson Shade apart from the were, Simon, and Azriel knew of the existence of real vampires?’

At the look of shock that crossed Ruby’s face Nick didn’t need telepathy to guess at what she was about to say.

‘Azriel doesn’t know what I am.’

‘He knows about vamps, I sensed it, although I couldn’t read his mind very well. But he’s been in contact with a vamp, and recently. If it wasn’t you …’

‘… it must be the killer,’ she finished for him. Nick looked at the clock. It was well past one, but Crimson Shade stayed open until two in the morning. Back to work it was.

‘I’ll go and question him, you wait here,’ he ordered as he tucked a gun into his belt and slipped a small flame thrower into the clip at the back of his pants.  He was cursing himself for not going back to question Azriel earlier, for not making the link, but Ruby had distracted him, or rather, he had distracted himself. He could hardly blame her for his oversights. When he looked up she had her hands on her hips. He sighed, knowing what she was about to say.

‘I’m coming with you.’

‘No, you’re not. If the vamp is there …’

‘He wasn’t around earlier, and Azriel isn’t going to expect you back tonight. You can go see him, question him, and if you can’t break his mental shields, I can. You go storming in and you’ll just frighten the vamp off.’

‘Don’t tell me how to do my job,’ he said through gritted teeth. God, but she infuriated him just as much as she aroused him.

‘Do it then,’ she said calmly, ‘instead of trying to be Mr Protective. I can help you, and the danger is minimal.’

‘Okay, but when it comes to catching this bastard, you stay put.’

Ruby nodded, but her eyes flickered. She had no intention of ‘staying put’ anywhere and letting Nick walk into danger. Of course he could call for back up, but for all they know this vamp could be super strong and super-fast, and more than able to take on a bunch of humans, no matter how well trained. Her abilities could help. Not that they had done her much good so far, she conceded as she followed Nick down the stairs and into the car. The city was eerily quiet now, dark and cool, and she welcomed the breeze on her skin. This was her time, in the dead of night amidst the shadows and their secrets. She had been crazy to even think for a minute that she and Nick could go anywhere other than some very good sex. He was a man, alive and strong and red-blooded, and she was … this. He deserved a real woman. Those blissful, earth shattering moments in his arms, so intense they had moved her to tears, couldn’t change the harsh reality of their situation.

She was silent as they drove back to the club, a tentative distance replacing the earlier crackling tension between them. He offered her his arm as they entered Crimson Shade once again, and she took it, taking more pleasure than she cared to admit at the idea of being on his arm. Being his.

He leaned his mouth towards her ear as they walked in, his stubble tickling her cheek.

‘Is he here?’

Ruby cast her senses around, then shook her head. She couldn’t detect another vamp in the building.

They crossed the dance floor, drawing the eyes of all those still left, especially the young bar tender, who openly gaped, then reached for the phone, no doubt to warn Azriel they were approaching his office. The club seemed emptier than before, though a quick glance upwards revealed most of the inhabitants had retired upstairs to the ‘kissing booths’. Nick grimaced. Ruby, seeing his expression and following his gaze, felt dejected. If there was ever a reason why her and Nick could go no further, it was that; sooner or later she would need to feed, and it would disgust him. Although thankfully she only needed a few drops of blood to satisfy her, it was exactly that – a need. It wasn’t something she could go cold turkey on, like an alcoholic with whiskey. Without it, she would die.

They reached the door to the office and Ruby banished her pessimistic thoughts and resumed the proud, haughty air of the Contessa, tossing her hair arrogantly as Nick pushed open the door and they swept inside. Azriel looked up in surprise. A young lifestyler in a short leather skirt, way too much dark eye make-up, and dyed purple hair in bunches sat on his lap, giggling as Azriel’s hand disappeared up her skirt. She looked to be still in her teens and seeing Nicks look of disgust Azriel whipped his hand out from under her clothes and stood up abruptly, nearly tipping the girl to the floor.

‘What is the meaning of this? Is this man bothering you, Contessa?’

Ruby smiled at him coldly as the purple haired girl scuttled out of the room, closing the door behind her.

‘Hardly my dear. In fact he’s been very helpful.’

‘Oh?’ Azriel raised an eyebrow, but Ruby didn’t need vamp senses to see how nervous he was.

‘It seems you may know more about poor Simon’s death than you led the detective to believe,’ she said in silky tones, almost purring. She was all poised confidence now, Nick realised, and his groin throbbed at the sight of her. He forced himself to keep his attention on Azriel. There was something unstable about the man that put Nick on his guard.

‘I need to ask you a few questions,’ Nick said. Azriel only sneered in response. Nick shrugged, ‘Unless you want me to arrest you for assisting a murderer.’

Azriel spread his hands wide as if to proclaim his innocence. ‘Me, Detective?’

In answer, Nick reached into his pocket for his badge. His other badge. ‘Detective Carter,’ he said quietly, ‘NYPD … Preternatural Branch. I know a real vampire committed this murder Mr Green, and so do you.’

Instead of shock, horror, or a blubbing confession, Azriel lowered his arms and smiled triumphantly.

‘So there are some among you who know of our existence,’ he said, a maniacal light gleaming in his eyes. Nick realised why he was unable to read Azriel’s mind coherently. The man was insane.

‘
Our
existence?’ he said pointedly. Azriel nodded proudly.

‘We all begin in mortal form, Detective, but some of us are destined for greater things. When I become one of the elite undead, I will claim my true birth right among the Chosen Ones.’

Nick rolled his eyes. Beside him Ruby had gone very silent, and very still, like a cat about to pounce.

‘Okay, so you’re a Chosen One. Fantastic. But that doesn’t explain why you helped the vamp kill Simon and then you displayed the body.’

Azriel sighed, as if it was all rather unfortunate.

‘Simon wasn’t supposed to die, not at first, but when he saw my master’s true power, it frightened him and he had to be silenced. I had promised my master willing donors, grateful servants, not some snivelling boy.’

‘Simon trusted you,’ Ruby cut in, her tone low and angry. The temptation to leap over the desk and rip out Azriel’s throat was overpowering. Nick must have sensed her rage, as he laid a calming hand on her arm.

‘Why did you display the body, what did your ‘master’ have to gain from that?’

Azriel looked childishly excited.

‘That was my doing. He asked me to dispose of the body and I thought yes, this is our chance. For too long we have hidden in the shadows. The world needs to know who and what we are, and those destined to remain mere mortals will take their place as our servants!’

‘So by leaving out the body you wanted the world to become aware of your existence?’ Nick said, not bothering to point out that Azriel was also a ‘mere mortal’. Azriel went to speak, but Ruby cut in with a voice that could freeze lava.

‘You stupid, stupid little man.’

Azriel’s eyes swivelled to her.

‘You think your ‘master’ will be happy when he realises what you’ve done? He’ll tear you limb from limb, not turn you into an immortal. You thought to lure other vampires here, to provide them with ‘willing donors’ and then expose their existence? You’re crazy. And Simon died because of this?’

Azriel looked confused, then angry. The sudden menace in his expression had Nick reaching to his belt for his gun, but not before Azriel produced a pistol from within the voluminous sleeves of his cloak and trained it on Nick before he even caught the thought in the man’s mind.

‘You will not stop me,’ he hissed, spittle forming at the corners of his mouth in his rage. Before he could dive to the side and then tackle the man however, Azriel’s arm began to shake and his face took on a look of abject horror. Slowly, his arm trembling with strain, he turned the gun around to point it at his own face, gaping at it, his face in a silent scream.

What the 
… 
Ruby
. Nick looked at her and saw her eyes narrowed in concentration. A glance back at Azriel saw the man curling his own finger around the trigger.

‘Ruby, no,’ he murmured, laying a hand on her arm. For a horrible moment he thought she wouldn’t listen, and he would end up arresting her for murder after all, then she gave a sharp nod. ‘Give me the gun,’ she snapped to Azriel, who had no choice but to obey, before sinking back into his chair, his head in his hands.

‘Forgive me,’ he moaned, ‘Contessa, how could I have not known? If I had known what you truly were I would have served you. Please, forgive me.’

‘Oh, shut up,’ Ruby snapped. She turned to Nick and gave him the gun. He pocketed it, then pulled Azriel around from behind the desk and cuffed him. The man, now sobbing, offered no resistance.

‘Tell everyone to go home,’ he said to Ruby, ‘then wait in the car while I call one of my team to come and take him in for questioning. Hopefully we can get a couple of hours sleep, then there’s a vampire to catch. If we can get this idiot sedated, I should be able to read him enough to find out the vamp’s lair.’

Ruby smiled at the ‘we’ but her eyes were troubled.

‘I saw the images in his mind when I was controlling him. I already know where the vamp is. I’d advise waiting until noon to go after him, as his tolerance to sunlight is low. Right now he’s strong, and powerful.’

She didn’t add
and he’s the one that killed my family
.

Chapter Five

Back in the car, after the club had been cleared and a still sobbing Azriel had been led away in cuffs, Nick and Ruby sat in silence. Nick could tell there was something wrong, but then, why wouldn’t there be? Azriel had turned out to be a raving lunatic who had helped kill her friend, there was a dangerous vampire on the streets who might well want to get rid of her if he intended to claim New York for his own, and if the Alliance got wind of all this there could well be an inter-city paranormal war on their hands. Yet Nick knew there was something else, and wondered if it was what had happened between them, remembering the way she had pulled away, her belief that she would always be alone. He cleared his throat, but she spoke first.

‘Are you taking me home, or do you still intend to keep me by your side?’

‘Ruby, until this guy is found …’

‘You still don’t trust me,’ she said flatly. Nick shook his head.

‘No, I do trust you. But I have to do my job Ruby, and until this solved you’re still potentially a suspect, and in danger.’

‘Does your job usually involve sleeping with suspects?’

He turned in his seat to face her, surprised to see a bleak look on her face that was at odds with her sarcastic tone.

‘Was it really so bad? Because I’ll be honest with you, that was the best sex of my life.’

Ruby blushed, but her eyes lit up a little and somewhat mollified, Nick turned and started the car.

‘Can I at least get some clothes?’ she asked, plucking at her dress. Nick nodded, and Ruby directed him to her house, a small apartment just a few blocks over from his. As he followed her inside he was surprised to find it was very feminine, even homely, with pretty cushions and fluffy rugs. Ruby laughed at his expression.

‘What did you expect, Gothic architecture and a coffin?’

‘Of course not,’ he mumbled. That had been pretty much exactly what he expected, but he wasn’t about to tell her that.

‘We could just stay here,’ she suggested, grabbing some clothes. Nick shook his head. ‘We’re safer at my place.’ Ruby pouted but didn’t argue, changing unselfconsciously in front of him. Nick tried not to ogle, but couldn’t resist taking a peek at her petite curves as she wriggled out of her dress and into a pair of white cotton panties, black jeans, and a white vest. Her perky little breasts had no need for a bra. The effect was girlish and pretty, not so much the glamorous Contessa, more girl next door. He wanted to get her naked again, and very soon.