Bloodlust by Michelle Rowen
While I’d been through a shitload of trouble and pain and misery in the last two weeks, that tiny spark of hope hadn’t completely extinguished for me, although it had come very close a couple of times. I was still fighting. I hadn’t given up. Part of me knew there was a way to crawl out of this rabbit hole I’d fallen into. It wasn’t going to be easy, that was for damn sure, but I still had hope it was possible.
And when I found a way out of this dark hole and into the sunshine again, I planned to bring Declan along with me.
My fingers tightened on the small photo of Jade Connolly that Declan had in his dhampyr files that looked as if it had been taken well before she’d been kidnapped by vampires. Pretty girl. Red hair, bright gray eyes. Smiling for the camera.
It reminded me of the picture of me in the newspaper. Someone who had no idea of the danger waiting just around the next corner.
For the moment, I would gladly put aside all of my problems to deal with hers. A day ago I didn’t know she existed, but now my goal was to free her from this place no matter how we had to do that. If we did and she was okay and healthy, it would prove to Declan that he didn’t have to worry quite so much about his future. That he wasn’t slowly turning into a monster that I needed to fear.
A car pulled up alongside us. I could feel the vampire staring at me even before I turned in my seat to confirm it was Matthias and Noah.
I was glad I’d been unconscious last night during the fight between him and Declan. I hadn’t witnessed Matthias losing his shit before, and I didn’t think I wanted to.
“I’ve been thinking about Matthias,” Declan said quietly.
“What have you been thinking?”
“Maybe I was wrong about him.”
I turned away from the vampire in the car next to us. “You’re going to have to be a bit more specific.”
“About Sara. Maybe I’m wrong to keep her location from him.”
That was surprising. “You were so certain about it last night.”
“I was.”
“So what changed your mind?”
“You did. But there was also something in his eyes when he spoke about his daughter. All he cares about is her safety. He desperately wants to protect her.” Declan’s own gaze was distant. “And he’d kill anyone who tries to hurt her.”
“You saw that in his eyes?”
“Yeah.”
“And how do you know for sure it was for real?”
He blinked. “Because it’s the same way I look at you.”
I steeled myself against the lump in my throat. “Declan—”
Noah rapped on my window, jolting me out of the moment. Declan was seriously the most frustrating man I’d ever met. He was stone-cold emotionless one moment, and then said stuff that made me want to throw my arms around him and never let go the next.
Declan exited out of his side of the car and so did I. Matthias stayed back about ten feet from me, his hands clasped in front of him.
“It’s all right,” Declan said.
Matthias looked at him with confusion.
“You can come closer,” he clarified. “I want to give you something.”
“What?” The vampire’s voice was guarded.
“The address of the woman looking after your daughter.”
Matthias frowned. “Why would you do that for me?”
“Because you deserve to know.”
“After last night with Jillian, I thought—” He broke off. “I was certain you’d never tell me.”
Declan fished into his pocket and pulled out a small spiral-bound notepad and a pen that he used to scribble something down on the paper. “I’ve faced a lot of vampires in my life and not many showed the slightest bit of remorse for what they did. I haven’t always been the best judge of character, but—” He hissed out a breath. “Don’t make a fool out of me, Matthias. I swear, if you harm that child I will personally hunt you down and kill you.”
He held out the piece of paper. Matthias looked at it for a moment, before moving close enough to take it and study the address.
“She’s here?”
“Yeah. It’s Carson’s sister, actually. She took care of me when I was a kid and she’s probably the only reason I’m not more fucked up than I already am. She’s a good woman. I strongly suggest you leave Sara with her for now, but if you want to see her, I won’t try to stop you.”
Matthias nodded his head once. “I appreciate this more than you know.”
I felt a huge sense of relief. Not only did Matthias know where his daughter was now, this might mean he’d tell me how to save Declan. It was very nice to know there would be options.
Matthias tucked the paper into the pocket of his black pants and regarded the entrance to the park. “I’m familiar with the clan who run this place. It would be better if we don’t come face-to-face with them.”
He said it lightly, but it made a shiver run down my spine. Stealing a valuable dhampyr from right under their noses wouldn’t be something they’d be happy about.
“We’ll be quick. Jill has a picture of the dhampyr.” Declan held out his hand and I gave it to him. “Noah, you wait by the cars with Jill while Matthias and I locate the dhampyr. If there’s any sign of danger, leave immediately.”
I wanted to help. I hated the idea of waiting and not knowing what was happening, but I stayed silent.
“Fine with me.” Noah rubbed his chest. “Really. I’ve had enough drama to last me a decade and I’m still nursing my last life-threatening injury.”
Matthias crossed his arms. “The clan lives underground as I did, only their dwelling is on a much smaller scale. They have humans run the park. It’s only a cover for them.”
Declan nodded. “Then we’ll have to go below and check things out.”
I felt bad that I’d come all this way and wouldn’t be any help in the rescue, but the logical part of me saw it was for the best. It was crowded and busy aboveground. Lots of kids and teenagers and families and people on dates. There was safety in numbers. Not so much safety in underground lairs with vampires who hated trespassers, especially since I could attract them like bees to honey.
Having me along would only be a burden. I understood. Didn’t like it, but I understood.
I touched Declan’s arm. “Be careful. Both of you.”
Declan held my gaze for a moment longer, then nodded and walked with Matthias into the park. I watched until they were swallowed by the crowd. A chill went through me despite the warm evening.
“They’ll be fine,” Noah said. “Seriously. The two of them together? Death incarnate.”
“That’s not terribly comforting.”
He leaned against Declan’s stolen car, eyeing me cautiously. “How are you feeling tonight?”
“I’m all right. But last night . . . Noah, I haven’t felt pain like that for over a week. Before it was in my gut, but last night it was in my head. Felt like it was going to explode.”
“Luckily it didn’t.” There was a catch to his voice so I turned to look at him directly to see that his bottom lip was quivering.
“What’s wrong?”
He shook his head. “I hate seeing people suffer.”
“I’m not suffering at the moment.”
“I wish I could find another solution for you.”
I swallowed. “I know.”
Noah wiped at his face. “I like you, Jill. You know that, right? I don’t want bad shit to happen to you. You don’t deserve that.”
“Right back at you.”
“At the very least, I think you’re safe at the moment,” he said.
“How do you figure?”
“Because there are so many scents here—good and bad ones—that even a vamp nose would have a hard time locating you.”
“That is oddly comforting.”
“I’m here to help.”
He was right. Even from where we stood near the entrance, the familiar carnival sounds and smells were strong and brought me back to a simpler ti
To our right, I watched a mother lift her little boy up so he could throw a baseball toward a carnival game. The boy missed, but the mom celebrated the throw anyway. The carny gave the kid a small plush toy for his efforts.
A flash of red hair caught my eye as a woman moved past them. She turned a little so I could see her face.
I gasped.
“Ouch. What are you doing?” Noah asked. I realized my fingernails were digging into his arm. I loosened my hold a little.
“Noah, that’s her.”
“Her who?”
“Jade. The woman with the red hair. I—I’m sure it’s her.”
He frowned. “I thought she’s being kept prisoner underground.”
Jade held the hand of a little blond girl eating an ice-cream cone. I watched as they waited briefly in a short line up to get on the Ferris wheel. I moved toward them as the ride began to move and Jade and the girl rose high into the air.
“I’ll call Declan and tell him we found her.” Noah fished into his pocket for his cell phone and pecked in the numbers, then held it to his ear. After a few moments. “Voice mail. He’s not picking up. I’ll text him.”
I didn’t want her to get away from me so I followed after the ride let off a few minutes later and they entered the crowd again.
“Jade,” I called out.
She stopped walking and turned slowly to look at me with a quizzical expression on her face.
It was her. I was sure of it. That hair was unusual and vibrant. Her face was older, but still beautiful. Her gray eyes scanned me. I felt a mix of apprehension and elation churning in my gut. Matthias and Declan were looking in the wrong place. She wasn’t hidden somewhere underground. She was right here, right in front of me. And if I hadn’t been asked to wait by the cars, I never would have seen her.
She looked normal, totally normal and completely in control. Hope swelled inside me as I walked right up to her.
“I’m sorry.” She frowned at me. “Do I know you?”
This wasn’t remotely how I’d pictured our meeting, but I could work with it. In fact, this was way better than a smash and grab rescue mission.
“I’m Jill. Uh, this is Noah.” I wasn’t prepared, so I felt a bit uncertain about exactly what to say to her. I still held tightly onto Noah’s arm, but he wasn’t complaining anymore. “We really need to talk to you.”
“I’m sorry, Jill, but my daughter and I were just leaving.” She turned away.
“Wait! I know what you are.”
She froze and glanced over her shoulder at me. “Who are you?”
My heart pounded hard and fast. “I’m a friend.”
She hesitated, then crouched down next to the little girl and put her hands on her shoulders. “I’m going to talk to this nice lady for a minute, okay? Go find your father.”
“Yes, mommy.” The girl licked her ice-cream cone, glanced up at me curiously, and then walked off into the crowd.
I watched her wander away. “Is that a good idea? She’s so young.”
“It’s fine. This is our home. We live here with some people who take care of us.”
I glanced at Noah. He was staying quiet, but his presence next to me was reassuring.
“Listen, Jade—”
“What is it you know about me?”
I held my breath a moment, before letting it out. “You’re a dhampyr.”
I braced myself for her reaction, but after a moment of silence a slight smile flickered at her lips. “Yes, I am. But I still don’t know who you are or why you’re here.”
The confirmation made me light-headed. “I’m someone who really wants to help you.”
“I don’t need help.” There was a barely noticeable tightness to her cheeks and her gaze moved away from me to scan the crowd.
I wasn’t crazy. She was a prisoner. She seemed so gathered and in control wandering around the park with her daughter, but this woman was being held here against her will. I wasn’t sure exactly what was going on. Maybe the vampires were threatening her daughter if she tried to escape. It made sense and would be a big enough threat to get her to behave.
“There’s someone I need you to meet,” I said. “He’s a dhampyr, too.”
Her eyes widened. “Another like me?”
I nodded.
“I’ve never met another one. Is he here?”
I nodded. “He’s close. Will you come with me? Will you talk to him?”
Her gaze darted around. “It’s not safe out here. Come with me. Right now. They could be listening to us and they wouldn’t like that.”
At the far left of the park was a large building with an iron door. When we reached it, Jade pulled a key she wore on a long gold chain from beneath her blouse and unlocked it.
If she had a key, if she had the means to escape, then this situation had to be because of her daughter. Those bastards were threatening to hurt her daughter if she tried to escape. The thought made cold anger rise inside of me and I swore I’d do anything I could to get her and her little girl out of here tonight.
She pushed open the heavy door. “Come with me quickly.”
We followed her into the large room and the heavy door closed behind us.
I looked at Noah. “Have you reached Declan yet?”
He looked down at the screen of his phone. “He hasn’t replied yet. And there doesn’t seem to be any service in here for me to try again.”
The moment Noah was able to contact Declan, we were out of here. I just wish the little girl hadn’t wandered away. Declan said we could leave without him. Noah had the keys to the car he’d arrived in. That was probably the best bet.
“Where’s your daughter?” I asked, moving farther into the large room, which was a storage area for old and broken amusement-park rides. There were a couple of rusty detached cars from a Tilt-A-Whirl over to my left. “Did you say that she went to her father? Is he in here or out there?”
Jade ran a hand through her red hair. “Oh, no. Her father died a long time ago.”
I blinked. “I’m sorry? Did you say he’s dead?”
“Yes.”
“Then how can she—”
“Her name is Patricia.”
“How can Patricia see her father if he’s not alive?” Seemed like a reasonable question to me.
Jade had a serene look on her face as she pressed her hand against her chest. “Because he’s in her heart. And our hearts are always with us, aren’t they?”
“Oookay,” Noah said, glancing at me.
That didn’t sound all that rational to me. The burst of adrenaline and hope I’d had minutes ago faded a little bit. Dread was already waiting in the wings to take its place.
“Will Patricia be okay wherever she went? Shouldn’t we try to find her?”
Jade smiled. “Patricia can take care of herself very nicely, don’t you worry about that. It was so sweet of you to want to meet me. I can’t wait to meet your dhampyr friend. I’m sure he’s lovely.”
“Lovely’s one word I probably wouldn’t use to describe Dec,” Noah mumbled.
I pushed away my frustration. “We’re not just here to meet you, Jade. We’re here because we want to help you.”
“Help me.” She cocked her head to the side. “How do you plan on doing that?”
I finally let go of Noah and we exchanged a glance. “I know they’re keeping you here, whether it’s by force or by threat. We came here because we want to rescue you.”
Jade sniffed the musty air. “You smell very strangely to me. There’s something unusual about you, isn’t there?”
I hadn’t seen it outside, but I did now. Jade wasn’t quite all there. Then again, being held against your will by a group of vampires had to be taxing on one’s mental health.
At the other end of the dim storage room there was a flight of stairs leading downward. She stood at the top and gazed at me as I approa
“I didn’t want to go to the fair for too long, just long enough for Patricia to have an ice cream.” She closed her eyes and inhaled. “Yes, that’s what you smell like. Ice cream. Sweet, thick, delicious. It’s your blood, isn’t it? They’ll like you, I think.”
A cold line of sweat trailed down my back. “Who’ll like me?”
“My family.” She glanced at the stairs. “They’re waiting for me in the parlor. I’m a bit tardy, but it can’t be helped. Patricia had to have her ice cream. She’s very insistent, you see. Sweet child, but with a mind of her own.”
She was crazy. The sudden realization made tears burn in my eyes. Matthias said dhampyrs became violent or insane as they aged. She wasn’t the exception like I thought she might be and she couldn’t help us. She was just more proof that everything Declan had learned and everything Carson had preached was the truth.
I’d wanted her to be different.
I felt sorry for Jade. This wasn’t her fault. She needed to be in a hospital with people who could help her, not the prisoner of a clan of bottom-feeding vampires.
However, despite my sympathy toward her, my back was now up. Way up.
“I don’t want to meet your family,” I said slowly and firmly. “We need to leave right now. I promise that you’ll be okay, but we need to find Patricia and take her with us, too.”
Jade turned her face toward the door. “We don’t have to find her. She’s already back. She likes to stay close to me.”
The iron door behind me creaked open, and the little girl entered the empty room. She also wore a key on a chain around her neck. “Mommy, there you are.”
“Yes, darling. I’m here. Come, let’s introduce our guests to the family.”
Noah cleared his throat nervously. “Uh, Jill? I’m thinking maybe we should go now. Okay?”
“Yeah, okay.” Damn it. I didn’t want it to end this way, but it would have to. We had to find Declan and Matthias and tell them about this. The last thing I wanted was for Jade to ignorantly announce our presence to the vampires downstairs.
“He looks like a nice man, Mommy.”
I watched warily as the little girl approached Noah and looked up at him.