Blood Feud

Patti O’Shea

The stench of death assaulted my senses as I stood on the sidewalk, looking up at the sooty, tan brick facade of the warehouse. White paint obliterated the name of the business that had once used it, but I could make out the words “Trading Company” anyway. Graffiti covered the lower portion of the warehouse, a riot of colour and symbols that meant nothing to me. Deserted roads, broken streetlights, and a full moon obscured by passing clouds made everything seem eerie.

Of course, it was just as likely that my unease was caused by what awaited me in the building – a demon and a dead vampire, the seventh member of my clan killed this month.

I glanced over my shoulder. For a moment, I thought about hopping in the Aston Martin DBS I’d left parked at the kerb and racing off. That wasn’t an option because my clan lord had been adamant that I handle this. His insistence puzzled me. Given my past, I thought he’d want to keep me as far away from demons as possible.

While it continued to bother me, I had to trust my ruler. And I could come up with one strong reason for choosing me – I might be his sole option. Chances were no other enforcer was willing to work with a demon, and if the murderer wasn’t caught tonight, there might be an all-out war by sundown tomorrow.

It had taken more than 300 years and cost countless lives before a truce had been negotiated between vampires and demons. Prejudice and hatred remained, but the peace had lasted nearly 800 years. Now, the entire thing might unravel before morning. It was my job to make sure that didn’t happen.

Huffing out a breath, I extended my senses to scan the building. No sign of the demon I was supposed to meet, but they did have the ability to cloak themselves. Walking to the entrance, I opened the door and stepped inside. I gave my eyes a moment to adjust to the darkness. Slowly, things came into view – more graffiti covered the grey cinder-block walls, the dirt was deep enough on the floor to reach the toes of my black ankle boots, and piles of debris were scattered in random locations.

Since I would probably find my partner-to-be near the body, I scanned for it. With a bead on its location, I headed deeper into the warehouse. It was a large building, partitioned off into smaller spaces, but I took my time. And prepared myself for anything.

There’d been a pattern to the murders – three vampires killed on each of two separate nights at specific time intervals. There was every reason to believe that the demon who’d done it meant to take the lives of two more tonight. With no guarantee that this wasn’t a set-up to make me today’s second victim, I had to be cautious.

I was strong. Humans didn’t worry me and neither did most vampires. But demons? They scared me. I might not hate them across the board like many of my clan members did, but I didn’t blindly trust them either.

Yes, my clan lord had assured me that he’d spoken to the demon king himself, but it didn’t mean there was no risk. Maybe the demon ruler was in on it, or maybe the killer was good enough to fool a vampire, either way I wasn’t taking any chances.

As I neared the body, I slowed even further. Broken crates and pallets offered more places to hide and that had me on edge. Up ahead there was a metal door hanging ajar and I knew I’d reached my destination. I slipped through, not wanting to pull it open any wider, and saw a pair of legs sticking out from behind a mound of refuse. The demon stood about twenty feet away, arms crossed over his chest.

Six centuries had taught me to hide my reactions and doing so now was instinctive. I didn’t break stride or gasp even though it felt as if all the oxygen had been sucked out of the universe. It didn’t matter. He would have sensed the way my heart sped up, how my pulse tripped when I recognized him. But then I’d felt his pulse surge as well. Leisurely, he lifted his head and looked at me. As his light blue eyes connected with mine, my body had another kind of reaction.

Every woman should have a demon lover once in her life. Seere had been mine.

And this left me even more stunned. Had my clan lord known that the demon king was sending Seere? Instantly, I dismissed that. I never would have been allowed within a mile of this place if my ruler had been aware that the demon from my past would be here.

It didn’t matter that it had been nearly 200 years since I’d last seen Seere, I remembered the way his hands had caressed me, the weight of him over me, the thrust of his body inside mine – and the screaming orgasms. Who could forget a male who made them come so hard they lost all control?

He’d grown out his dark brown hair until it was long enough to brush across his shoulders and had pulled the top part back, tying it off with what appeared to be a leather thong. I drank in the sight of him, spending a little extra time on the breadth of his chest, the width of his shoulders and the muscles of his thighs. My mouth went dry and I had to swallow hard.

Only Seere could pull off a black duster over faded, torn blue jeans, tennis shoes and a navy T-shirt. On anyone else, it would be ridiculous, but on him it looked perfect.

Stopping a few feet away, I tucked my hands in the front pockets of my black jeans. If I didn’t, I was afraid I’d reach for him and I’d forfeited any right I had to touch him. Damn, though, he was as gorgeous as ever and I longed to run my fingers over his face, kiss those sexy lips.

“Isobel.” There was no emotion in his voice and that didn’t bode well. Demons felt things deeply.

“Prince Seere,” I said, inclining my head slightly.

He raised his eyebrows. “I never told you that.”

“Wikipedia. You have a listing there.”

“You looked me up,” he said and his lips curved. Interesting that he’d spent enough time in this world to know what I was talking about.

“Curiosity.” But it had been more than that. I’d been hungry for any information about him that I could find. There wasn’t much, but I’d devoured everything I’d come across. I changed the subject.“Do you know who’s responsible for murdering members of my clan?”

Seere’s smile disappeared. “No, but we want the killer found as badly as you do.”

“Really? There’s at least one demon who doesn’t agree.”

He growled and walked away from me before stalking back. Seere still moved with a sinuous grace and that made the ache I felt deepen. He scented my arousal, I knew it by the flare in his eyes and the way the pulse in his carotid artery picked up speed again. Before I could stop it, my fangs began to extend and I turned away to regain my self-command.

It took longer than I liked. Too many memories of too many nights spent sharing pleasure with Seere, and it didn’t help that he’d allowed me to taste him. Without permission, demon blood was poisonous to vampires, but when we were given the privilege, their blood was ambrosia and no other was nearly as sweet.

When I had my teeth retracted, I wiped my palms on my thighs and shifted back to face Seere. The knowing expression on his face helped me tamp down the arousal even further.

“I’d forgotten how easily I can excite you.”

“I’d forgotten how obnoxious you can be.” I bared my fangs at him and this time it had nothing to do with sexual heat.

The bastard gave me a smug look, but then a demon prince wasn’t going to be frightened of any vampire, not even an enforcer. “Redheads and their tempers,” he said with mock sadness.

That comment pushed my anger level higher and it took all my will power to keep my talons from extending along with my teeth. With one last glare, I brushed past Seere and went to check out the body.

I recognized him, and although he was a member of my clan, I felt no remorse. Herb Cropper had been an arrogant little twit who’d never accomplished anything of import. Not that his ego let him believe that. If it wasn’t illegal for one vampire to kill another, he would have been dead long ago. And if he had ever broken the canon, there would have been a dozen enforcers campaigning to be the one to eliminate him – including me.

* * *

Dispassionately, I examined him. There wasn’t a mark on him, but he was twisted up into an unnatural position – the result of his body contorting and convulsing as it tried to fight the poison of demon blood. “Did you see the others who were killed?” I asked Seere when he came up beside me.

“I’ve been part of the search for the rogue since the beginning.”

“Vampires are careful to avoid drinking from demons. How is he gaining our confidence to such a degree?”

“If I were to guess, I’d say the demon didn’t convince his victims that it was OK to take his blood. It’s more likely that he created a cloak to make himself appear human.”

I didn’t know they could do that, but instead of commenting on it, I said, “And they wouldn’t know differently until it was too late.”

“Yes.” He paused, then added, “The demons don’t want war, Iso. We survive for the same reason your people do – most humans don’t believe we exist – but there’s no way to hide a conflict and once they know we’re here . . . ”

“Fanatics will hunt us down and kill us.”

Seere nodded. “And then there will be the others, the ones who want to become vampires or demons. It’ll be hell on Earth,” he said with a smirk.

This time I smiled with him. “At least the demons can disappear into their alternate world.”

“For brief periods.” Before I could question him about that, Seere said, “If the one committing the murders follows his usual routine, he’ll seek out two more vampires tonight. Where would be the best place for him to find victims?”

I shrugged. The possibilities were nearly endless. There were vampires from my clan spread all over the world, but Los Angeles had a disproportionately high number because our ruler called this city home right now. If this were San Francisco, or some other place without a clan lord in residence, it would be easy to pinpoint a location or two. The sheer numbers here meant there were dozens of options.

“You must have some ideas,” he pressed. “Where do you hang out?”

“It might be more productive to come up with somewhere that the victims routinely visited.” And I wasn’t about to tell him that aside from when I needed to feed or had an assignment, I spent most of my time on the clan lord’s estate either training or learning from the elders. If Seere wanted to believe I was out every night, I wasn’t about to dissuade him.

“That’s why you’re here – to add your knowledge of vampires to mine on demons.”

Yeah, I knew that. The problem was that I hadn’t been part of the investigation into the murders until tonight and the only one of the dead I’d had a passing acquaintance with was Herb. Since I did everything I could to avoid him, I wasn’t sure I’d be able to come up with any of his hangouts.

“Give me a few minutes to think.” After Seere nodded, I wandered from the body and found a crate that had enough wood left that it might support me. Gingerly, I lowered myself to seated and, once I was assured it would hold, I settled back.

The first thing I did was scrounge my brain for all the places I’d heard mentioned as favourite haunts. This wasn’t easy. I wasn’t quite an outcast among my people, but because I’d had a relationship with a demon, I remained suspect and countless conversations came to a halt when I neared.

It didn’t help me concentrate when the demon in question sat beside me. The crate swayed and my muscles tensed, preparing themselves in case I needed to leap to my feet, but the dilapidated wood remained intact. As soon as I relaxed, my thigh pressed into Seere’s and a flash fire roared through every cell in my body. Somehow, I managed to stop the full extension of my teeth and talons, but I was pretty sure my eyes had changed, that the irises had become bluish-white outlined with black.

Unable to prevent it, I looked at Seere and realized I wasn’t the only one who felt something. The red glow in his eyes revealed his own arousal.

For an instant, I couldn’t breathe. He still wanted me. Until this moment, I hadn’t been sure of that. Demons were highly emotional and Seere hadn’t seemed to react much to my presence, but he couldn’t conceal his desire now. Of course, I wasn’t hiding my ardour either. Hope was replaced by disappointment when he cooled the heat and stared at me stonily.

Shifting to give myself a few inches of space, I worked on banking my need and returned to my task. I came up with nine possible locations and began to narrow them down.

While Herb had earned the scorn of many members from our clan, it was the females who particularly disliked him. That allowed me to eliminate a few places. His snobbery had me crossing off some of the higher-end clubs from my list – not only wouldn’t he fit in there, he wouldn’t make an effort to try. That left me with three other possibilities.

One was a neighbourhood pub in a working-class part of the city, but it wasn’t somewhere a vampire looking to feed would go. It was too small, too quiet, and for those same reasons, a demon on the hunt would likely rule it out as well.

“Any ideas yet?” Seere prompted.

“I’m trying to decide between a dance club called the Tiki-A-Go-Go and a goth club named House of the Damned.”

“Which one would you go to?”

“Neither of them appeal to me, but I’m not Herb.” I used my chin to indicate the dead vampire. “We’re pretty much polar opposites.”

“Then perhaps the question is which of them would you be least likely to go to?”

“House of the Damned,” I said without hesitation.

“We’ll start there.”

Seere wasn’t surprised by Isobel’s sports car – 200 years ago it had been a fancy piece of horseflesh. When it came to transportation, the woman liked fast and flashy. The Aston Martin might not have the quickness of a Lamborghini or a Ferrari, but it had other things going for it and she looked good behind the wheel. Something she no doubt was aware of.

Music from Tchaikovsky’s Swan Lake filled the car with lilting melodies, but didn’t calm him. The first thing he’d done after getting in was to buckle up, but it took all his control not to clutch the door handle as she drove from the warehouse to the club. His edginess had more to do with Isobel than with her driving, but her hunger for speed unnerved him at the best of times and today was far from that.

Until his sexy little vampire walked in the warehouse tonight, he thought he’d gotten over her and he’d been happy in the delusion. Damn his father for insisting that Seere be the one to act as liaison on these murders. One glance was all it had taken to revive his old feelings for her.

He shifted slightly to get a better view of her face. His vision was as sharp at night as it was in daylight and he was able to see her clearly. Iso was even more beautiful than in his memories. Her dark red hair cascaded past her breasts – shorter than it had been – and her skin was porcelain smooth. Flawless.

Seere clenched his hands into fists to keep from touching her. Everything brought back memories. Her elfin chin reminded him of how she’d lift it when she was angry. Her emerald green eyes had often been smoky with arousal or blazing with passion before morphing to bluish-white. And her mouth . . . His body responded to the memory of her full lips open beneath his, and the way she’d used them to tease him.

Reaching out, he tilted one of the car’s vents so the cool air was blowing directly onto him. If it was only lust, it would be easy, but what he felt for Isobel went far beyond that and into dangerous territory. Very dangerous territory.

She’d walked away from him once without a backwards glance and he’d have to be a complete masochist to invite her to trash his heart again. Seere just wasn’t sure he’d be able to stop himself, not when he already struggled with his emotions. Why did she have this power over him? Why couldn’t he leave the past behind the way she had when she’d left?

The car and the woman hummed with impatience when they were forced to stop for a traffic light. She’d always had a problem with waiting. Iso was quick to anger, quick to forgive, and quick to laugh. And her passionate nature had been one of the things he’d missed most.

She was dressed completely in black – a long-sleeved, V-neck shirt, black jeans and saucy ankle boots with four buckles across the front. Immediately, an image came into his mind of her wearing nothing except those boots. Seere fought to banish the idea before his body betrayed him. “You’re dressed for a goth club,” he said, hoping conversation would help him control his thoughts.

“Not quite, but I wanted to be able to blend into the night in case our meeting was a set-up.”

“A demon doesn’t have to see you in order to track you,” he reminded Isobel. And now he was worrying about her. Great.

“I know.”

Her half-smile made him wonder what had her amused, but Seere left it alone. “Can you run in those heels? Fight?”

“Yes, I’ve done it before.”

He didn’t ask about that either, but he wanted to. The idea of Isobel being at risk bothered him. Seere knew she was an enforcer for her clan – she’d held that position the last time he’d been with her – but he didn’t like it any better now than he had back then. The fact that she regularly hunted down humans who targeted vampires, as well as rogues who violated the laws of her people, wasn’t his concern. Not any more.

And he was lying to himself. Seere nearly growled in frustration. Fortunately he spotted the club and that allowed him to pull back from his roiling emotions. The front of the building was painted black and the only colour was a red neon sign above the door that proclaimed HOUSE OF THE DAMNED.

There was no valet parking, but that didn’t bother Iso. She found a lot nearby and zipped the DBS into one of the spots. “Are you going to use some magic to change your clothes?” she asked as she turned off the engine.

“No.” Seere opened the door and got out of the car. When they met at the rear, he added, “The demon we’re after is powerful and I might need all my energy to defeat him.”

She nodded. “You have me, too. Don’t forget that.” Isobel walked off, leaving him where he stood.

Seere caught up with her in a few strides. “I want you to stay out of this.”

“Doesn’t work that way, partner. We’re in it together.” She took a couple of steps, stopped, and grabbed his arm. “Can you cloak what you are? Not just from vampires, but from the demon we’re after as well? If he senses you in the club, he’ll guess that you’re looking for him.”

“He won’t realize I’m there until it’s too late,” Seere said, and before he could stop himself, he pushed her hair off her face and behind her shoulder. He watched a flush spread over her cheeks, but he couldn’t enjoy her reaction, not when such a simple touch left him burning, too. Iso had always had this effect on him and even their past history couldn’t seem to cool his desire. He pulled back and was careful not to touch her again as they walked to the club’s entrance.

Isobel tried to pay their cover charge, but he was faster than her. Seere wanted to be irritated by that – he was looking for excuses to keep her at arm’s length – but he couldn’t maintain the emotion, not after they got asked for ID. Who else could he share his amusement with except her?

Leaving the vestibule, they entered the bar proper. It was jammed with people, but he’d expected that on a Friday night. What did surprise him was the music – 80s techno-rock. This was what the goth set listened to?

Shaking that off, Seere looked around to get the lie of the land. The walls were painted a bright pink shade that made him think of bubble gum, the ceiling was black, and coloured strobes shot light around the shadowy interior of the club. A DJ was positioned on a dais overlooking the dance floor. Along the sides of the large room there were tables filled with patrons. His scan showed about twenty per cent of the crowd was vampires, but he didn’t pick up any other demon.

If the murderer were here though, he’d be cloaked the same way Seere was. Vampires had senses nearly as acute as demons.

They’d chosen the right place, Seere felt certain of that. The dead vamps he’d seen had all been dressed similarly to the humans here, not in the kind of clothes they’d wear for somewhere called Tiki-A-Go-Go.

Of course, there were no guarantees that the vampires didn’t hang out in more than one goth club or that the demon hadn’t hunted in multiple locations, but he was betting against the second. His kind tended to be creatures of habit. As long as things had gone well in this club, the killer would keep coming back.

Iso went on her toes to holler near his ear. “Anything?”

“No,” he shouted back then asked, “Is this the only goth club on your list of night spots?”

“Yeah, most prefer the higher-end places with a quieter atmosphere.” She grinned up at him. “You know how the old folks feel about kids and their music today.”

His lips quirked. Many of the vampires would have grown up listening to traditional folk songs, opera, or symphony and it was logical that this type of club wouldn’t appeal to a large number of them.

“Let’s make a circuit of the room.” When she nodded, Seere took her hand. He had no other choice, not unless he was willing to risk them becoming separated. And he wasn’t. No matter what, Isobel would remain safe tonight. He’d make sure of that.

Because of the crush, they had to move slowly, threading their way through the sea of people. Occasionally, another vampire would stare at them oddly, but they never acknowledged Isobel and she didn’t give them a nod or smile either. It left him curious since there was no way any of them could know he was a demon. Maybe their reticence had to do with her being an enforcer. And it made Seere wonder if she was lonely. If her own people were leery of her, who did she have for friends?

When they finished their trek around the perimeter, Iso looked at him expectantly. Seere shook his head, then raised his eyebrows, asking her wordlessly if she’d picked up anything. With a grimace, she shook her head, too.

I must have chosen the wrong venue.

Seere started when he heard Isobel in his head. She hadn’t been powerful enough to communicate like that 200 years ago. He studied her, wondering what else she could do now that she hadn’t been able to do previously.

“Seere, I’m sorry. I chose the wrong –”

I heard you, he sent in reply, wincing as a human female elbowed him in the back as she walked by. It’s early yet. The demon might still show up. He has a timetable for his murders and if he pushes the second one to the last minute tonight, we could have another hour before he arrives. Unable to stop himself, Seere asked, When did you learn to use telepathy?

Before she could answer, someone knocked into her hard enough to send her stumbling. Seere caught her, wrapping his arms around her to keep her steady. Hell. He was going under and he wasn’t sure he gave a damn, not as long as he was holding her. His only hope was if she stepped back, away from him. But she didn’t. Instead, she wrapped her arms around his waist and looked up at him.

I was about 400 years old when you knew me, still a fledgling. I came into more abilities when I grew older.

He nodded, but didn’t comment. This was a difference between demons and vampires of which he’d been unaware. He’d had his full powers from the time he’d been twenty and it had never occurred to him that she wouldn’t have all of hers as well. And Seere realized something else – by using this skill with him, she was indicating that she trusted him.

She had every reason to believe he felt nothing for her, he’d made sure of it, but she had enough faith in him to share something about herself that he didn’t know. If he wanted to, he could use it against her, but he wouldn’t. He couldn’t.

More people pushed past, bumping into them. It was then that Seere realized they were directly in the path for the bar. He shifted Isobel out of the way, but he didn’t let go of her.

Why don’t we dance? she invited with a small smile. It will put us nearly in the middle of the room, making it easier to scan the entire club. We’ll blend in better. We’ve been attracting a few curious glances.

Seere looked around and noticed she was right. They didn’t belong here, not really. Iso was wearing black, the colour of choice, but she didn’t have any tattoos or facial piercings. The only thing he had on that sort of made him fit in was his long, dark coat. If the killer walked in and noticed the humans casting odd looks in their direction, he might question their presence. And if he scanned closely enough, there was a good chance he’d detect Isobel’s power, or depending on how strong he was, he might be able to penetrate the cloak Seere was using.

You know I can’t dance worth a damn, but I guess it doesn’t matter here.

All he had to do was gyrate, not like those intricate dances from way back when. He eased Isobel away and offered her his elbow before he realized how formal the gesture was. She didn’t comment, simply looped her arm through his and let him lead her to the floor.

It wasn’t long before he decided the old dances were easier. At least he knew there was a set of steps to follow even if he couldn’t manage them with any finesse. Now? It was all free-form. Seere felt stiff, uncomfortable.

He watched Isobel, hoping he could imitate her. He quickly lost himself in the graceful way she moved. From there, it was too easy to recall how she’d undulated beneath him, and his temperature rose. Scan, Seere reminded himself, but he found nothing out of the ordinary in the club. And she was right in front of him – the woman he’d loved to distraction.

The DJ chose that moment to segue into a slow song and, with a smile, Isobel stepped into his arms. For an instant, he resisted, then he decided the hell with it and gathered her against his body.

Seere swayed, moving just enough to tease both of them. He’d missed this, he’d missed her. His Isobel.

She melted into him and he closed his eyes, not only to savour her breasts pressed into his chest, but to hide the red glow that likely was beginning to appear as his arousal deepened. He slipped a hand to her bottom and pulled her more firmly into him. Isobel didn’t protest, simply held on tighter. Seere let her heat engulf his senses. At least he did until his brain circled back to all the questions that had never been answered between them.

Why? Why had she left him? She’d never told him she loved him, but he’d been certain she had. Would she walk away from him tonight after they took down the murderer? The same way she’d disappeared back then?

He couldn’t stand the uncertainty, the not knowing. Why, Iso? Why didn’t you stay with me?

I’d been lost in Seere, in the brush of his body against mine. His question dragged me back to earth with a bang. For an instant, I clutched him closer, then I leaned away far enough to look into his face. Passion burned in his eyes. As did hurt.

He wouldn’t believe me, but I’d tell him the truth anyway – even if it did make me a traitor in the eyes of my clan.

I had no choice.

“There’s always a choice.” His hands flexed where they rested against me and I heard the impatience in his voice despite the volume of the music.

Swallowing hard, I gathered my courage. I wasn’t violating canon, but sharing our business with outsiders was strongly discouraged. No, there isn’t. Not for a fledgling. Until we reach our five hundredth year, our sire can bend our will to his. Mine discovered my relationship with you and disapproved of it. We argued, and when it became clear that I wouldn’t go along with him, he compelled me to obey.

Seere didn’t speak, simply stared at me. I met his gaze squarely. What I’d told him was the truth. I wanted – needed – him to believe me. It took a long time before the suspicion left his face.

Why didn’t you seek me out when your status changed?

Two reasons. I’d disappeared from your life without a word, and it had been nearly a hundred years. I wasn’t sure of my reception. He began to speak aloud, but I rested the pads of my fingers over his lips to stop him. That’s not all. The clan lord can compel anyone in his line to follow his will, fledgling or not. Seere, my sire is the clan lord.

His eyes closed when what I’d revealed registered. He leaned down, resting his forehead to mine. Tears that I believed I’d cried out a couple of centuries ago gathered and I blinked to get rid of them. I thought I’d resigned myself to eternity without him, but that was before I’d seen him again, before I’d felt his arms around me once more. We had tonight and not a second longer. By morning, either the murderer would be caught and justice administered or Seere’s people and mine would be at war.

Thoughts of the killer had me scanning the club for the first time in quite a while. But it was all clear. That made it easier to give in to temptation. I pressed my lips to Seere’s in a slow, sweet kiss that held everything that I felt for him.

We gave up all pretence of dancing and simply stood in the centre of the dance floor, arms around each other, as we let passion take over. Or nearly so. I couldn’t forget the mission, not entirely. When Seere raised his head, I could see the burden of responsibility weighed him down too.

“I want you, Iso.”

“I feel the same. Maybe after we catch . . . ” I let my words trail off.

The odds were good that if we did capture the demon who’d slain the vampires, our moment would be lost. Other enforcers would have to be summoned to help take the murderer to the clan’s estate. I’d be expected to stay to watch the execution. By then it would be close to morning and any further contact with Seere would likely be prohibited. I shook my head.

“Come on,” he said and, taking my hand, pulled me through the crowd to the back of the nightclub.

“Seere!” But as breathless as my voice had been, I doubted he heard me. We can’t make love here, not when the demon we’re after could arrive at any moment.

I know that. He didn’t slow, just kept walking until we reached what appeared to be a storeroom at the rear of the club. He left the door ajar, tugged the collar of his jacket away from his neck, and bared his throat to me. With a smirk, he said, “Not as good as sex, but as close as we can chance.”

“Are you certain?”

Instead of answering me directly, Seere spoke in a language I didn’t understand. When he finished, he pressed me close.

The heels of my boots put me at the precise height and, wrapping my arms around his waist, I ran my tongue over the pulse point in his neck, tasting his skin. I wanted to sink into him, but couldn’t allow myself the indulgence. Instead, I pressed a kiss against his throat and eased away to extend my fangs. Our eyes met and his hands settled at my hips, urging me tightly against the lower half of his body. Carefully, not wanting to hurt him, I bent my head and pierced his flesh.

Bliss flowed through me, but I sipped slowly. This wasn’t about feeding, this was about love. And about faith in each other. Seere had to trust me not to take too much blood and I had to trust him to have truly granted me permission to drink from him. And it was about pleasure – for both of us.

The throb of his pulse was echoed between my thighs and he rocked against me. It was good, but it could be better. We could be naked with Seere deep inside me while I savoured him. There’d been times I’d orgasmed simply from tasting his blood, but I couldn’t lose myself that deeply in the moment. Not now.

Long before I was ready, I eased from him. After retracting my teeth, I licked at the small punctures on his neck to heal them. Not that he needed it. Demons mended even faster than vampires, but I liked tending to him in this small way.

“You didn’t take much,” Seere said when I raised my head.

The huskiness in his voice made me shiver and I wished we were safely tucked away in bed, free to explore each other at our leisure. “You said if the demon was strong, you might need all your powers. I didn’t want to risk weakening you.”

“Yeah.” He sounded resigned.

“We better get back to work,” I said without enthusiasm as I stepped away from him.

He nodded and this time when he took my hand, I knew it was because he wanted the closeness. When we re-entered the bar, the press of the crowd and the volume of the music made me feel claustrophobic, but I took a deep breath and forced it aside. This was my job and Seere needed me to be his partner, not a love-struck idiot.

We’ll make another circuit, he sent telepathically.

I smiled to let him know I’d heard and moved with him, staying slightly behind and allowing Seere to use his broad shoulders to cut a path for us through the crowd. Because of my position, I didn’t see what made him stiffen and jerk to a stop. “What?” I asked sharply.

Without a word, Seere dropped my hand and took off running.

Muttering a curse, I chased after him, almost needing to fight my way through the humans who blocked my path. He’d seen our target, I was sure of it, and I was angry at being left in the dust. We were supposed to work together, damn it. I reached the vestibule and kept going, bursting out onto the sidewalk.

A sense of motion had me looking to my left, and calling on all my preternatural speed. I followed. Demons were just as fast as vampires. I didn’t catch up to him, but I didn’t fall farther behind either.

We raced on and on until my lungs ached and a stitch developed in my side, but I didn’t slow. I couldn’t. What if something happened to Seere because I wasn’t there to help him?

I crossed intersections against the lights by going airborne and then running again. Humans would see nothing except a blur – the same as when I was on the ground – but it kept me in the hunt. But damn, I hated flying and the nausea it gave me.

By the time I reached the park, I’d lost track of how far I’d travelled or where I actually was in the Los Angeles area. I could tell by the graffiti sprayed on the benches that this wasn’t a safe part of town. Since Seere and the other demon were already circling each other, eyes glowing red, it was a good thing there weren’t going to be any credible witnesses in the vicinity.

Fangs and talons at the ready, I brushed my mind against Seere’s to let him know I was there.

No teeth, damn it. Even telepathically he could growl. But he was right – I couldn’t risk getting the demon’s blood in my mouth. I pulled my fangs back in, reducing my weaponry by half.

Lightning crashed from the sky, narrowly missing Seere. I swallowed a gasp. The second bolt connected, but didn’t seem to cause any harm. He raised his hands, formed a glowing ball of energy between them, and hurled it towards the killer. Our enemy shunted it aside as if it were nothing more than a beach ball.

I wasn’t used to standing around, watching a fight, but I was out of my depth here. Far out of my depth. Vampires couldn’t control the weather or harness fireballs. I was glad the demon wars had ended long before my birth.

They threw more lightning fireballs at each other. Then they added ropes of fire to the mix. What kind of shields did they possess? Neither of them seemed to feel any ill effects.

Apparently growing frustrated with his lack of success, the murderer hurled a burst of lightning at me. But I’d expected that and my own protective field took the hit. It wobbled, but didn’t fall.

Seere threw himself at the demon with enough force that I heard the thud of bodies from where I stood. They went down, rolling on the grass, and when my lover ended up pinned beneath the other male, I launched myself at the enemy, my talons slashing at his exposed back.

My claws glanced off whatever shielding the killer had and, with a snarl, he turned on me, hitting me with enough force to send my body sailing backwards.

I landed hard. My head slammed into the ground and I had the wind knocked out of me. Lying there, I struggled to clear the black spots obscuring my vision and draw in air before the killer decided to jump me. Through the ringing in my ears, I heard Seere’s growl and detected more sounds of battle.

Shaking my head to clear my eyesight, I got to my feet. I wasn’t entirely steady, but I staggered towards the fight. Both males were fast, so fast that there were times even I couldn’t detect what was happening.

The killer restrained Seere against a tree trunk so I ran at him again even though I hadn’t penetrated his protection earlier. I didn’t succeed now either and, when he hit me this time, I probably flew twice the distance I had before. I remained prone, struggling to recover.

“Trying to protect your vampire whore, cousin?”

“Trying to prevent a war, Berith,” Seere replied, the final word punctuated with a grunt.

I heard sounds of impact, of flesh meeting flesh, but I couldn’t prise my eyes open. Part of me longed to curl up and sleep, but that wasn’t an option. I was a full-powered enforcer, damn it, and not some fledgling.

“You’re weak,” Berith said with a defiant sneer in his voice. “Your whole line is weak. There never should have been a truce. Vampires are an aberration and they need to be eradicated.”

Coughing, I rolled to my hands and knees. I wasn’t much help, I knew that, but I couldn’t leave Seere to fight alone. My stomach heaved as I stood. There was another flurry of attacks, only half of which I saw clearly. Then Seere was on the ground again, his cousin poised above him.

Now, Iso! His protection is down.

With all my strength, I ran at the demon. When I reached him, I slashed the talons of my right hand across the side of his neck. There was enough force there to rip out a large chunk of flesh and drive him backwards, away from Seere. But Berith didn’t fall. Blood spurted and I hurriedly closed my mouth.

Seere was on him then, his own claws extended. Before Berith could react, my lover sliced down, severing his head from his body.

I stood there, staring stupidly until Seere lurched over to me. “You’re covered in blood,” he said. “Keep your mouth closed until I clean you up.” He lifted his hand and, without touching me, rubbed his fingers together. I felt the bloody moisture on my face, on my neck, arms and clothes disappear. “There.”

“Are you OK?” I asked. He used magic to remove the blood from his own body as well.

“Healing already.” I frowned, but Seere waved off my concern and framed my face between his hands. “He hurt you.”

“I’m fine.” I would be in about an hour or so. Right now, I felt as if I’d been tackled by the entire defensive line of the Oakland Raiders. I raised my arms so I could curl my hands around Seere’s forearms. “I don’t know why demons are worried about a war with my people. The way your cousin kicked my butt, you can handle us easily.”

Seere shook his head. “From what I was told, the vampires came up with a way to even the playing field during the wars. I bet the enforcers who fought at that time could tell you how.”

They probably could, but I didn’t think they’d fill me in, not when they’d worry I’d spill the secret to Seere. It didn’t matter, though – not this minute. Time was short, I knew it, and there was something I wanted to share. Needed to share. I held both his hands in mine and moved closer to lean in to him. “I loved you then, though I never said the words,” I told him quietly. “I love you still and know that I’ll love you in the centuries to come even though we’re apart.”

His hold tightened briefly before he relaxed his grip. “I love you too, Iso. Always have, always will.”

I was blinking back tears when his lips found mine. Releasing his hands, I wrapped my arms around Seere and held him close. Our kiss was both passionate and sweet and I poured my heart into it, trying to make up for the empty years stretched out in front of me.

But with the demon dead and dawn still hours away, maybe we could steal some time. One night wasn’t too much to ask, was it?

“Is Berith’s body enough to calm your clan’s need for vengeance?”

We jerked apart. The male who’d spoken was unknown to me, but he was a demon. With his dark hair and light blue eyes, he bore enough resemblance to Seere to be a relative. Considering the array of bodyguards I saw, I suspected it was his father – the demon king. My clan lord stood beside him, his own contingent of personal enforcers present as well.

“An execution would have been a safer course of action, but if we hoist his head and body on pikes in the courtyard, that should suffice,” my sire said.

It was surreal. A vampire clan lord and a demon king conversing as if they were buddies. Neither one of them seemed the least bit shocked or surprised to find Seere and I locked in an embrace. As I recalled the anger I’d faced 200 years ago when my sire had discovered my relationship with a demon, it made it seem more bizarre.

“This whole thing was a set-up,” Seere said, half in disbelief, half in realization.

“You think Berith wasn’t a threat?” his father asked.

“Not that part; Berith was real. I’m talking about Isobel and I discovering we were assigned to work together. That’s what the two of you arranged, isn’t it? You were hoping we’d rekindle our past relationship.”

The leaders shared a glance and it was my clan lord who answered. “It’s difficult to end old hatreds when those who warred yet live.”

“You didn’t feel that way before when you ordered me to stay away from Seere,” I told him.

“Times change. It’s necessary for vampires and demons to become allies or the future might be grim indeed.”

“Politics. With Seere a demon prince and me a daughter of your blood, if we bond, we’re a symbol of unity for both sides.”

My clan lord inclined his head and I scowled. I thought he’d saved me from an expedient marriage 600 years ago, but it appeared destiny – and my sire – had other plans. It angered me, but before I could work up enough ire to confront him, Seere took my hand and anchored me at his side.

“They might have manipulated us for their own ends,” he said, cupping my cheek with his free hand, “but don’t forget we get something we want out of this too. A future together.”

That made my temper evaporate and I smiled slowly. “A win-win situation.”

“Exactly.”

Seere’s father and my clan lord turned away, dismissing us, and began issuing orders to their troops. And as the demon and vampire guards worked together to collect the pieces of the murderer’s body, Seere wrapped his arm around my shoulders and led me away. “Where are we going?” I asked.

“Somewhere private so we can start catching up on all the years we missed.” His grin was erotically predatory. “I had this fantasy tonight about you and those boots you’re wearing.”

My blood heated and my fangs dropped down just the smallest amount. I remembered the pleasure I’d had in the past while playing out Seere’s fantasies. Eternity had never looked better.