Love Game Chapter 2
DANICA
HER VAMPIRE BURST THROUGH the surface. If it hadn’t been for her sunglasses, the entire room would’ve seen her morph into a monster.
And like being in a terrible car wreck, the kind where even though the tires screeched across the road trying to avoid impact, it ended with bumpers colliding into one another anyway, there was no stopping her vampire once she’d surfaced.
Her vampire focused on the scent and prowled toward it. But when she moved, everyone else remained stock still. She looked down at her body, then back up to survey the airplane again. Was she moving faster than time itself?
A smile curled the right side of her face into a half smile. She always wondered if she had any special gifts like her brothers had and finally something presented itself.
She appeared in front of the mystery passenger, and for the first time in her life, her vampire’s need to feed took a back seat.
He was the one who smelled like that?
She was expecting a good ole boy. A bright-eyed, unassuming weakling. Instead, in front of her, sat someone who looked like he ruled the underworld with an iron fist.
The half-drawn window shade shot pellets of light over his high cheekbones, making them look angular and sharp but no less stunning. What little light remained cast over the sleeve of tattoos racing down his neck and under his shirt.
She swallowed hard.
At first, second, and third glance, everything about him screamed danger.
His aura reeked of it.
He sat with the kind of confidence that came from having legions of followers at his beck and call, willing to do anything to please him. Come to think of it, it was probably why the flight crew waited for him for over thirty minutes past their departure time.
She glanced over him again.
He may have looked only a few years older than her, but his jet-black hair, trimmed but long enough to brush his ears, and equally dark eyes seemed beyond his years. Like an old soul trapped in a young body. A very fit body.
There was no doubt that he’d spent many hours in the gym. He wasn’t large or stocky, but even behind his perfectly tailored black-on-black suit, she could tell he was well built.
By the gods, if that didn’t turn her on.
No one should look that sinful.
She licked her lips and wondered if the ink on his neck would mask the taste of his blood, then realized nothing could mask the gloriousness that wrapped itself around her vampire and squeezed. Too bad she’d have to damage such nice work. Besides, even if he looked like he killed people with his bare hands for a living, he was still no match for her vampire. She’d have him pinned and fucked in a millisecond.
Fucked? What the hell? She most definitely didn’t want to do that. Then she looked him over again. Screwing him wouldn’t have been the worst idea in the world.
In an instant, her earlier fantasy with sandy hair in the back starred a new leading man. One whose tattooed knuckles would pull at her hair as she bit into his neck and wrapped her legs around his waist.
If only she could get time to uncork itself. She waved her hands in front of his face. Still frozen. If she hadn’t heard the slow passing of his breath or the steady thump of his heartbeat, she would’ve thought he was dead as a freaking doornail.
It looked like joining the mile-high club was out, but that didn’t mean she couldn’t feed. It was probably better in the long run anyway.
Her fangs wouldn’t hurt him, he would heal quickly, and technically, there would be no witnesses. Not even him.
He stared blankly past her.
His scent was still potent.
By the gods, she’d never smelled anything so good in her life, earthy and full bodied with a touch of sweetness, it’d be like drinking liquified sugar pops laced with brandy.
Launching a leg over him, she straddled him in the seat.
This would be the best meal of her life. The least she could do was savor it.
This close to him, everything pulsed, thumping in every corner of her body. She took another deep inhale and let her instincts take over.
Tilting his head to the side, she exposed the large veins in his neck, then bent to sink her teeth in.
“You don’t want to do that,” his deep voice rumbled low against her.
Oh!
She jumped back, stumbling off of him and onto the hard, thinly carpeted floor between their seats. Her gaze darted across the airplane. No one moved an inch except for him. He returned her shocked gaze with an unforgiving look. His tattooed fingers steepled under his chin in disapproval.
“You… You’re…” The words frothed in her mouth as she stared into his dark eyes. They rooted her stiff.
“You don’t want to bite me,” he said. This time, the words sounded more ethereal and iridescent, forcing their way into her brain and settling there.
What the hell did she say to that? Of course, she wanted to bite him. But it was a terrible idea to say that aloud. It’d be better if she’d denied it, make him seem like he was crazy for even suggesting it.
“What? I wasn’t trying to bite you.”
This time, he raised a brow. “I know what you are, vampire, and you don’t want to bite me. Do you?”
The words thrust into her brain, fogging it over. His words became her thoughts.
“No,” her lips moved on their own accord. Her hand shot to her mouth. Even with her fingertips against her lips, they continued to move. “I don’t want to bite you.”
“But you want to sit down, right?” he asked. She looked around, realizing that her butt was still parked on the floor with her back against the lip of her seat. He leaned in, boring into her. “Don’t you want to sit down?”
More clouds than were in the sky rushed into her thoughts. She blinked several times, but couldn’t think of what to say next. Her body, on the other hand, had no trouble figuring things out for itself. Her chin tilted down, then back up, nodding her agreement.
“Then, go on. Sit down.”
She stood, still staring into his eyes, unable to focus on anything but his command. Her butt promptly hit the seat cushion.
What was he doing to her? Panic etched the back of her throat.
“That’s my girl,” he cooed with an approving smile. His tone was condescending, but her vampire had the nerve to swoon, wishing he’d say it again. “Now, buckle in.”
Her arms heeded his order.
“Nice job,” he said when the buckle clicked. Another swoon. “I need you comfortable because we need to talk.”
That got her vampire to jolt instead of basking in the glow of his flattery.
“Talk? About what?”
“About why a vampire is on a plane full of humans.” His voice still had that iridescent quality to it. Her mind clouded over, making it hard to form any thought on her own.
“It seems to be the fastest way to travel.” The words shot from her mouth without her say so.
“Where are you traveling to?”
She clenched her teeth to keep from talking, but her jaw opened.
“I’m headed back to school.”
“School?” Surprise and suspicion doused his tone.
“Yes.”
“Which one?” he asked as if trying to catch her in a lie.
“Weston University.” The answer popped out without her approval. “Stop that.”
“Stop what?” he smirked, watching her struggle.
“Whatever you’re doing.”
“I’m only asking you a few questions.”
He was doing a lot more than that. Sure, he may have looked like he was merely asking questions as he sat comfortably in his chair with an ankle crossed over his knee, but he was yanking the answers out of her somehow.
“Why? Who are you?”
“I’m no one.”
“Okay, no one. The first question still stands. Why?”
He ignored the question and instead asked, “What’s your major?”
“Why do you care?”
“What. Is. Your. Major.?”
The force of his words made her dizzy. Her mouth opened.
“PolySci.”
He still didn’t look very convinced, but he continued on.
“How long do you plan to be in town?”
“Why do you want to know?”
“Don’t answer my question with a question again.” His annoyance sent more clouds careening her way. “How long?”
She tightened every muscle in her body, but the answer jutted from her throat. “Just for the semester.”
“Why are you here for only a semester?”
He wasn’t the type she should spill her family’s secrets to. But she wasn’t sure how to get around his questioning, either. Tightening her body like she was trying to control her vampire didn’t work. Every time she did, her mouth opened despite itself. She tried a different tactic.
“To go to school,” she answered. When nothing else came out, she relaxed. Piecing together enough of the truth kept the clouds at bay.
“Why does a vampire need to go to school?”
Why are you so freaking interested?
What’s it to you?
Because I feel like it. How about that?
She tried several variations of sarcasm, but none of it worked. He’d forbidden her to answer him with a question, and her body was in full cooperation.
“I was sent,” she said instead, relieved she didn’t have to tell him the entire truth. Like with Evan’s ability to read minds, if she was careful of her thoughts, they wouldn’t come flying out of her mouth.
“Sent to do what?”
“To go to school. Are we done talking in circles now?”
“Are you a threat to my kind?”
What? “No. I’m not a threat to anyone.”
“Says the girl who nearly ripped my throat out.”
Guilt clotted her stomach. “It was an accident.”
He scoffed. “I’m sure it was.”
“How many of you are here?”
“Just me.”
“Alone?”
“Going to school is a one-person job.”
A stretch of silence filled the cabin between them. When it looked like their haphazard interrogation was over but whatever control he had on her mind didn’t clear, she shifted in her seat.
“Any more questions, or can you let me go now?”
He cocked his head to one side and studied her. An amused expression encroached on his beautiful features. “I like you. You’re tough.”
“It’s the vampire strength. It’s legendary.”
He snorted and settled back into his seat. “So is your thirst, from what I hear.”
“For some,” her cheeks heated. She’d never been more grateful to not have so much blood in her system or it would have rushed to her forehead as the embarrassment set in.
“Including you?”
“I was taught how to control it. It’s rare when our control slips. I really am sorry about that.”
He ignored her apology. “How many throats have you ripped out?”
What the heck kind of question was that? She tried to come up with a quip, but her mouth was already answering on her behalf. “I haven’t ripped out any throats.”
“Who do you feed on then?”
“I don’t feed on anyone.”
That made him sit up. Curiosity made his perfectly full lips press into a line.
“Then how do you get blood?”
Her answers kept coming, although she fought hard against it. It had become painfully obvious he’d had them wrapped in this slow-moving cocoon as he continued his unwanted interrogation.
“From a hospital. I buy the bags when they are no longer viable for humans but haven’t completely expired.”
That seemed to make him more curious. “So, you’re a vampire with a conscience?”
“We’re not soulless monsters.”
He flinched at that. It was subtle and would have been unnoticeable to anyone on board, but she noticed. There was no time to process it because his interrogation was still going.
“You’re… different. What’s your name?”
None of your damn business. But there were no half-truths she could tell.“Danica.”
“Pretty name. Danica.” Shivers raced down her spine. Her name sounded beautiful in his deep baritone. “Have you ever been to Clide City before you started school?”
“No.” Her mouth moved on its own again.
“So, you don’t know the rules. Clide City is protected by some powerful people. People who don’t like vampires who cause havoc. The last thing we need is trouble.”
“Well, you won’t have any from me.”
“Good.” His face softened, but his eyes remained sharp with suspicion, as if he wasn’t sure whether he could trust her.
“Good, now let me go.”
“No. But I really admire your spirit.” He laughed, and true to his word, didn’t let her go. She tried her hardest not to be flattered. Her vampire didn’t understand that the inflection in his tone was full of ridicule.
“Well, I’d admire you more if you fucked yourself.” Finally, her own thoughts arrived.
“You’re fiery.” His amusement surged, but the fogginess didn’t disappear one iota. In fact, he sat back in his chair and glanced out the window.
Anger simmered up her back until it boiled over. Her nails dug into her palms as she tried to convince her vampire to launch at him. “Let me go, asshole.”
“No. I don’t think I feel like it.”
She focused on pushing the cloudiness away. There had to be a way around his control. She focused on her vampire on the task and became conscious of her mind. Just in the back of it, she felt him meddling, as if he was a little elf strumming the synapses of her brain like a guitar. She pushed against that feeling, fighting against the hold he had on her mind. To her surprise, the fog became less hazy.
His eyes cut to hers, darting into slits, as if he could feel her pushing him away. Her breath quickened when his smile dropped a fraction and any momentum she’d gained in her mind faded fast. His eyes darkened. The entire room darkened alongside him. He became bigger than the room. Then, in a whoosh, her back collided with her leather seat as if he’d pushed her backward with only the force of his mind. Her thoughts went shadow-black and misty.
Her stomach turned. She clutched onto the armrests like she was trying to hold on to a capsizing ship.
“You’re strong,” he said, “but not stronger than me.”
She tried to push again, but he laughed at her discomfort. Stupid jerk. She could rip his throat out without blinking and he had the nerve to laugh like this was some sort of game to him?
“Is this your idea of fun, sicko?”
His elation was short lived. His lips flattened into a scowl. What little light there was shone on his beautifully symmetrical face, giving him an eerie, yet beautiful glow as his eyes blazed with fire.
“My idea of fun, Danica, is retaliating against a vampire who almost had her fangs in my throat.” His words ran hot. There was no doubting the threat in his words. Despite her best efforts, the weak muscle in her chest thumped hard, making the queasiness in her stomach double. “But you look like a nice girl and today, I feel like being a nice guy. If you apologize, I’ll give you a pass.”
“I’m not going to apologize to you.” Not after being such a jerk. Where did he get off?
“That wasn’t a request. Apologize, Danica.” He rested his forearms on his knees and the clouds came rushing back in.
She clenched and fought and tried to say a hundred other things, but what came out was, “I’m sorry.”
He smirked and sat back.
“Now,” he continued, “this is only a taste of the power that Clide City wields. Let your control slip again or hurt anyone in my city, and I mean anyone, and you won’t like the consequences. Are we clear?”
Her vampire stuttered and nodded. She groaned at her vampire’s reticence.
For the all gods, she was a princess. Not some cowering nitwit. She should’ve rolled her eyes or talked. At least, lean over and smack that disgustingly smug smirk from his lips. But her words created a log-jam in her throat. Instead, she nodded. His heated gaze settled back into an amused expression. The tension in the room eased.
“Danica, you seem to be uncomfortable like that. Would you like to sit back down?”
Her body had been locked into a crouch, her shoes causing the leather seat to ripple under the soles. She hadn’t even realized she moved, but her legs wouldn’t loosen. Her head popped up to the man in the seat across from her. He had her locked this way, and fighting against his hold was futile.
She nodded again.
“Go ahead.” With a tilt of his head, her legs unfurled and stretched out in front of her, accidentally knocking her purse over and scattering the contents over the floor.
“Crap,” she caught a bag of synth blood from rolling into the aisle.
To her surprise, Tattoos leaned over and helped her pick things up off the floor, but stopped when his hands grazed over a small but empty clear plastic bag marked a thick black circle on it.
If she hadn’t seen it fall from her purse, she would have dismissed it. It must’ve belonged to Kelly. Her roommate had a thing for borrowing her most lavish purses. She held her hand out, but Tattoos didn’t hand it back. Instead, his eyes narrowed until settling into slits as he glared at her.
“Where did you get this?” His voice turned harsh. The plane seemed to darken again as a thick haziness clouded her mind over.
“It was in my purse,” the words came tumbling out. A knot formed in her throat.
“Who gave it to you?” he clarified.
“No one.”
“Who’d you buy it from?”
“No one.”
“Then, how did you come by this?” he asked, bordering on impatience.
“I don’t even know what that is. It belonged to my roommate. She must’ve left it in my purse when she borrowed it.”
He sat back in his seat, fingers steepled under his chin, studying her like she was the most fascinating artifact at the exhibit.
“You have a roommate?”
“As I have said.”
“Tell me, why does a vampire need a roommate?”
“It keeps me desensitized to the scent of blood,” her mouth continued to talk without her say so.
“You’re a vampire full of surprises, aren’t you?” he leaned in. “What’s your roommate’s name?”
Don’t tell him. It’s none of his business. She clenched her teeth and tried to fight against him.
“Who?” His words were swift and filled with authority. Her mind became jelly.
“Kelly Santana.” Her stomach flipped as he stared at the inked insignia on the package. If he recognized the name, he didn’t show it.
“Where did she get this?”
“I don’t know.”
“Why does she have it?” How the heck was she supposed to know any of this?
“I don’t know.”
He watched her, then turned his gaze on the at the small baggie in his hand with a sneer. “I need you to deliver a message for me.”
“You can deliver your own message.”
He smirked—a dazzling one that she instantly despised—then motioned to the bag and turned serious. “Tell her that anything with this marking is forbidden in my city.”
“Whatever,” she rolled her eyes before straightening her shirt to preserve her dignity. Once she was out of this hold, she would not tell her anything. As if he could see her intention clear on her face, his shoulders bounced in a slight chuckle he tried to quell.
“For what it’s worth. It has been a pleasure to meet you.”
“I wish I could say the same,” she spat.
His smirk widened. “You have a nice semester, Danica.”
With that, he sat back in his plush leather seat. The cloudiness dissipated and the world sped up.
The surrounding cabin moved as if everyone were a cassette on fast-forwarded. Stacy and her counterpart raced down the aisle with a cart handing over drinks, snacks, and lunch. A garden salad in a black to-go container appeared on a tray in front of her that seemed to sprout into existence. Panic rose in her chest cavity when it didn’t show signs of slowing.
“How do I get out of this?” Tattoos didn’t answer. In fact, he seemed frozen in place. Her eyelashes hit her cheeks violently as she blinked several times. “Hello? HELLO?”
He froze in place, staring blankly while her to-go container moved, her table moved back into position, and the lights dimmed.
A ding above her head interrupted her panic. Then the entire plane brightened.
“Miss Craul?” Stacy’s gentle hand was on her shoulder.
She jumped from her skin, staring at the flight attendant’s sudden appearance. She met Stacy’s kind eyes in a bit of a daze.
“Yes?”
“It’s time to disembark now.”
Time to do what? They hadn’t even left the terminal. She looked around. The other passengers were gathering their things, readying to leave. She looked out of the window. The airplane had been parked at their arrival airport. Asher stood beside their cherry red rental car in the parking lot just off the tarmac.
What in the hell just happened?
Her head swiveled to the seat in front of her.
Empty.
The man with the tattoos had vanished. Along with the six hours she’d lost on the flight.