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From Tonight Until Forever:
TEMPTED
By
Sydney Somers
© copyright July 2007, Sydney Somers
Cover art by Kat Richards, © copyright July 2007
ISBN 978-1-60394-058-0
New Concepts Publishing
Lake Park, GA 31636
www.newconceptspublishing.com
This is a work of fiction. All characters, events, and places are of the author's
imagination and not to be confused with fact. Any resemblance to living persons or
events is merely coincidence.
Dedication
For Jay. I really couldn't have done this one without you.
Chapter One
Was it really too much to ask that what was left of the night go off without a hitch?
Pleasant images of stretching out in bed, munching on a cold piece of pizza for breakfast with the television set on ESPN for hockey highlights slowly fizzled.
Thanks to the two vampires in the alley below her who looked ready to grab one more snack before sunrise.
She could feel sunlight hum along the edge of the horizon, and her tired muscles ached for her to turn a blind eye, go home, and crawl under the covers. A week's worth of solid sleep might take the edge off the long nights she'd been working to follow every lead on the Order of Orion.
Brynn watched the two through the light mist of rain. Soaked from the earlier downpour, she gripped the top edge of the scaffolding where she was perched. One of them froze below and she knew the second they realized they weren't alone with the drunken college coed they'd lured into the alley.
Simultaneously, they lifted their heads and scanned the parallel rooftops. Before they spotted her, she pushed at the mental barriers shielding their thoughts. If neither of them planned on hurting or draining the kid, she'd leave them be. Not that she was getting her hopes up tonight. Ninety percent of the vampires she'd crossed paths with in the last few weeks had senseless slaughter on their minds. After a few decades of indifference towards what vampires did with humans, she found her tolerance wearing thin these days.
Leaving them alone had been a consideration, at least until she glimpsed the green material wrapped around one of the vampire's biceps. She'd have to get closer to be sure, but could make a safe bet the emblem marked the vampire as a follower of the Order of Orion.
The moment their collective gazes zeroed in on her, she jumped down to the next level of scaffolding, then to the ground.
One instantly took a step back.
Skittish already? Not a good sign unless they had something to hide.
"We haven't hurt him, hunter."
The two vampires could have passed for brothers. Same stocky build, buzzed red hair and bleached complexions, but the one who sported the fuzzy goatee--the same one also wearing the mark of the Order of Orion--did the talking.
Curious, Brynn crossed her arms and leaned against the wall.
The wary vampire's gaze darted to the larger of her chakrams hooked to her hip. She smiled innocently.
The co-ed on the other hand looked pleased by her appearance. "You guys weren't kidding when you said you could get me laid."
The ringleader scowled but didn't take his eyes off her. "We haven't broken the terms of the truce."
"Not yet anyway." She nodded towards the college kid. "When he walks away you're in the clear."
The early twenty-something edged past the vampires. His droopy eyes gleamed with lust. "We gonna do this here?"
Brynn sealed her mind to the images the kid was projecting. She doubted he'd be so careless with his thoughts if he had a clue she could read his mind as easily as a child's picture book. "You are going to go home."
"Hell no, the party's just getting started."
She glanced at the vampire doing his best not to shift in place. "Is it?"
He darted a nervous look at his vampire buddy.
Brynn arched a brow. "He calls all the shots, huh?" She pushed away from the wall. "You two must be tight. Not often I find two of you hunting together."
The skittish one jerked a shoulder.
"Come on, darlin'. Let's ditch these two."
She shot the co-ed a withering glance. The two vamps took advantage of the minor distraction and bolted.
It was far too easy to cut them off at the mouth of the alley. "You should know that running away just makes me think you have something to hide."
"Fuck you," the bravest one snarled at Brynn.
"I'd like to," the co-ed grumbled.
She jerked a thumb over her shoulder, speaking to the college kid without taking her eyes off the vampires this time. "Go home."
The dumbass gawked at her, his stunned grin fading when the lead vamp snared a fistful of his shirt and shoved him at Brynn.
She slapped a palm against the kid's chest and deflected him away from her before sending her chakram in a slicing arc. The sharp edged disc slashed both vampires across the back of their legs before embedding in the frame of a delivery door on the right side of the alley.
The injuries slowed them down enough she caught up to them before they could make it up the scaffolding to the rooftop.
Ignoring the edgy one, she nailed the first in the jaw. Off balance from his leg injury, he stumbled backwards. Another kick managed to knock him off his feet. From the corner of her eye, she watched his pal flit about like Chicken Little discovering the sky was about to fall.
The one sprawled on the ground at her feet, his hands clasped around his calf, blood trickling through his fingers, glared up at her. "What the fuck are you? You're not an elder. Even those bastards aren't as fast as you are."
She cocked her head, then parted her lips and let her incisors lengthen and peek out. "Satisfied?"
His eyes widened at the sight of her fangs. "You don't feel like one of us."
One of us. She'd spent the better part of her life hearing that expression. Half vampire and half hunter, she'd long ago grown accustomed to the pointed reminder she didn't fit in with either race and let the comment roll right off her shoulders.
The vamp shook his head. "What the hell are you doing coming after us then?"
"You know, I still haven't decided what team I want to play on yet." Brynn nodded to the green armband. "Let's talk about this."
His eyes narrowed to slits. "You're pissing off the wrong people here."
"Damn, I hope so. A bit inconvenient barking up the wrong tree and all." She crouched down. "But I should warn you, the only thing I hate more than cowardly vampires," she pointed at the vamp inching towards the mouth of the alley, "are the ones who waste my time. Tell me where I can find your little group's headquarters."
He swung his leg out, clipping her in the side. Her heel bit into the pavement, but she couldn't keep from skidding sideways. She managed to get back on her feet quickly, but the two had decided to tag team her.
The one with the goatee came at her, fists swinging. The other darted towards the chakram still lodged in the door casing.
Brynn withdrew the knife tucked in her boot, nailing the one who ran for her weapon in the back. Pain exploded up the side of her face as the closer vampire's fist connected with her jaw. The coppery taste of blood rolled across her tongue, kicking another rush of adrenaline into her bloodstream.
It was just too much to hope her night could have ended on a better note. At least the co-ed had had enough sense to split.
She jerked to the side, his clenched fist just missing her face a second time. She caught his wrist and snapped it before wrenching it behind his back, pinning him to the wall.
The other vampire was still squirming on his knees, his fingers clawing at his back to reach the knife.
"Third time's a charm, right? So let's try this again. Tell me about your vampire groupies, more specifically where I can find them."
"They would eat you up, bitch."
"Nice of you to worry about me." She readjusted her grip, and he tried to fling her off. The slight movement carried her back enough he gained some wiggle room.
He whipped around, his hand moving fast enough to catch her around the throat. The muscles burned as he tightened his grip, his fingers squeezing.
The pain rapidly lost its intensity when she withdrew the other knife tucked in her waist and jammed it under his ribs.
The vampire stumbled back.
She didn't give him any leeway this time, driving him to the ground, her hand hard on the hilt of the dagger. "You're still not hearing me, are you?" The demand sounded hoarse to her ears and she knew the bruises on her neck wouldn't be pretty.
The second vampire finally got to his feet, and the asshole had her chakram in his hand.
"Didn't your mother ever teach you not to play with sharp objects?"
The vampire just grinned, and sent it flying.
Had he looked any more comfortable with the disc in his grip she might have been worried. It glanced off the cement wall above her head and skidded across the ground. It was times like this she wished the weapon actually had a boomerang effect. It would have been worth it to see the ass duck and run on its return path.
As it was, the skittish one had apparently decided to go for broke. He bared his fangs and ran at her full tilt. He caught her around the waist and sent her sprawling. Her palms skidded across the wet pavement, the minor cuts aching like a bitch.
Gritting her teeth, Brynn pushed to her feet, snatching up her discarded chakram before a hard tackle from behind slammed her into the brick wall. Her head smashed into the brick, and her vision swam. Long dizzying fingers of pain raked her face.
Retreating steps pounded the cement. The bastards were already half way up the scaffolding when she stopped seeing double. She'd never make it to the top before they'd already be on the next rooftop. It didn't stop her from pursuing them anyway. The scaffolding was slick from the rain, but she made it to the top without slipping. As expected, the two vampires were nearing the far edge of the roof, and she picked up on the ringleader's sense of urgency to find another human before sunrise, one he planned to drain dry.
With grim determination, Brynn sent her chakram in a deadly arc that took out the lead vampire. He pitched forward, the loss of blood from the nearly severed neck wound guaranteeing he wouldn't be hurting anyone else tonight or any night. His friend only froze for a second to look back at his slain companion, then dropped over the edge of the roof.
By the time Brynn reached the collapsed vampire he was already deteriorating. In little more than an hour he'd be nothing but dust, less than that with sunrise so close.
She leaned over and stared into the dark driveway below, but the second vampire was already gone. She tentatively probed her aching jaw and sighed. One of these days she'd get one of them to talk about the Order of Orion.
As a rule vampires tended to be solitary creatures, but with more and more of them uniting, and strangely enough giving Darius their loyalty, more than a few people were concerned. Seeing as how her dead father, a true-blood vampire she'd never known, had been the original leading force behind the Order, she had a vested interest in seeing the growing faction taken down.
The crisp early autumn air and her soaked clothes made her shiver, her teeth damn near chattering by the time she got home. Infinity, the nightclub she lived above, was quiet. Julia had probably already gone home to Brody.
Only for a second did she let a pang of envy stab her in the chest. She was happy Jules and Brody were back on track and she couldn't be more thrilled that things had worked out for Lanie and Will. Most of the time being around either couple didn't bother her, but thinking about them tonight while trudging up to her empty apartment left her increasingly... unsettled.
Halfway up, she caught the presence of a familiar true-blood in her apartment. Weary, she unlocked the door, tossing her keys across the counter. She didn't turn to face Morgan who watched Brynn from her usual spot by the window.
More than once Brynn had asked the ancient why she preferred that spot, but Morgan had yet to give her a solid answer.
"Long night?" Morgan asked quietly, her voice deceptively young.
On the surface, the true-blood looked no older than her mid-twenties, but being one of the very first of her kind, the woman was pushing her third millennia.
Tired and bitchy from letting the opportunity to find out more about the Order of Orion escape her, Brynn had to try hard not to growl at Morgan to get out. The ancient would probably just laugh at her anyway.
Given the fact that Brynn's father had betrayed his brethren centuries before and nearly killed Morgan only a few months ago, Brynn didn't understand why the other vampire came around at all. Gabriel had been tortured by her father six months ago and he could barely tolerate looking at her anymore.
Pushing thoughts of Gabriel out of her mind before the ancient could pick up on them, Brynn kicked off her boots. "With the sun almost up I presume you're sticking around for a while?"
"If that's not a problem, hunter."
Brynn cocked her head. "So tonight I'm a hunter?"
"Didn't you slay a vampire?"
She didn't bother to respond since they both knew she had.
"As long as it's not a problem." Morgan crossed back to the window and closed the blinds that would keep the sunlight out.
Unlike Morgan and all other vampires she knew, Brynn's hunter half made the sun tolerable for short periods of time, but it was uncomfortable and left her weak. Something she strived never to be.
"Suit yourself." Brynn glanced at the television, too tired now to even bother turning it on.
"You just missed the highlights."
Naturally.
"Rangers lost 3-2," Morgan added.
Brynn cursed, her disgust over the night's events soaring to an all time high. She headed for the shower.
"You're doing the right thing."
Brynn glanced over her shoulder. "And what's that?"
"Getting involved and not sticking to the sidelines this time."
For all the good it was doing so far. She didn't know a whole lot more about the Order of Orion than she had when she started.
"Night, Brynn." Morgan disappeared into the guest room Julia had added to the space when she insisted on redoing it for Brynn.
Brynn's claim that she might not be around for all that long hadn't stopped Julia from renovating the loft top to bottom. It was one of the few things anyone had ever done for her, but she kept the bulk of her enthusiasm for Julia's kindness to herself.
Despite that, Brynn continued to question her decision to stay in New York and whether any good would ever come of it.
* * * *
Hearing the approach of footsteps, Gabriel struggled to lift his head from his chest. His bound hands had mercifully surpassed numb. He only wished the rest of his body was equally dull to the scraping pain that licked up the inside of every muscle. His eyes were gritty and sore, one swollen shut and the other little more than a slit to see through. The scent of his own blood filled his senses, curdling his stomach. Much more and he'd bleed out before his wounds could heal.
And the sick bastard knew it.
The footsteps stopped behind him and he fought through the thickening fury lodged in his throat. Even though every cell screamed out to brace himself, he concentrated on keeping his heart rate even and slow, knowing his tormentor anticipated his fear.
"Pretending you don't fear me is beyond you at the moment, vampire."
The voice Gabe had come to despise snaked down his spine, but he lifted his head to stare his new enemy in the face.
Crouched in front of him now, amber colored eyes boring into him, his captor toyed with the knife he carried. He passed it slowly back and forth through the air, its blade already stained red, as though he meant to hypnotize him. Then, with a flick of his wrist, dragged it down Gabe's bare leg.
He bit down to swallow the yell that burned in his lungs. They'd been through this enough that he'd learned showing the pain gave his captor far too much pleasure.
"Your silence will only earn you your death."
The bastard seemed to think he gave a fuck about dying. Not now. Not after the days of torture. His time here blurred together in his mind until he wasn't even certain what day it was. Only the pain made it impossible to believe he was anything but still coherent.
"You will tell me where they are."
Fuck you. He didn't bother to try and talk, knew his swollen and bruised mouth and tongue would make it a chore he couldn't be bothered with when holding the bastard's stare took all the strength he had left.
Cristos shook his head. Have it your way.
But right before the bastard could bury the knife in his gut, his features changed, morphed, and instead Brynn was in front of him.
Relief sang through him. He'd never seen a more beautiful sight in his life.
Then he glanced down, saw the knife in her hand.
He shook his head, but the knife was already coming and he knew by the sharpness in her eyes she meant to strike where it would do the most damage.
His heart.
Gabe bolted upright, his heart thundering in his chest until the sound of his out of control pulse deafened him. He didn't move, wished that closing his eyes would erase the images burned into his mind. His body ached as though he were still chained to that chair, his throat raw, his vision grainy at the edges.
Gabe shook his head to clear it, forcing himself to remember where he was. He moved to the edge of the bed. The damp sheet was tangled around his waist, and he jerked it away.
Voices from the television he'd left on, some infomercial for yet another miracle weight loss program, helped to ground him in reality, one where working off a beer gut was the least of his concerns.
In the bathroom he stared at his reflection, barely recognizing the man in the mirror. He turned away and slipped into the shower before his bloodshot eyes revealed more than he was willing to face.
Sooner or later he'd have to look hard at himself and accept what he saw there. But tonight--like every night for the last six months--was not going to be it.
By the time he was showered and dressed, he felt as close to normal as he was likely to given the nightmare. They were routine enough he no longer woke from them in a cold sweat or with his body trembling, but they'd gotten real old about five and half months ago.
He gave his office only a cursory glance, his latest game program waiting for him to finish it, but as with a lot of things these days, he just wasn't in the mood to bother. Eventually he'd have to get back to it, preferably before his own employees started on him about it.
And he had enough on his plate with his friends looking over his shoulder a little too often. He'd lived through worse than being tortured by a true-blood, and as much as he'd taken steps to never be that vulnerable ever again, being immortal meant there were no guarantees about what you might live to face.
Stopping by Infinity hadn't been on the top of his priority list for tonight, but the crowded bar offered him two things he needed-blood, and a quick chat with Julia to prove he was fine. The only thing worse than putting in an appearance here would be her tracking him down. It had been almost two weeks since he'd talked to her last and he knew she'd be looking to chat any day now. It was a wonder she hadn't been banging on his door at sunset.
As usual the club was packed, a lively Friday night crowd looking to unwind. Amid the people crammed in booths, hooking up in the shadowy corners, rolling their hips to the heavy beat of the music, he'd find someone willing to part with a pint of their blood-preferably a woman.
He was halfway to the bar when he felt her, a heated awareness he'd become accustomed to since the first time they had met and Brynn had threatened him with a suntan.
She was another reason he no longer made Infinity a regular stop, more so since she'd moved in overtop of Julia's club.
Gabe turned and spotted Brynn at the edge of the bar, her back to the bartender, her gaze sweeping slowly over the crowd. Her shoulders tensed a moment before she turned her head ever so slightly in his direction.
Her sharp eyes, the same eerie color she shared with her father, burned into his. Gabe didn't glance away. Once upon a time holding her gaze had been about drinking her in, thinking about how badly he'd hungered for her. Now keeping his eyes trained on her was nothing more than letting her know he wasn't her prey. Not tonight. Or any night.
Six months ago Brynn had been a paradox in their world, both vampire and hunter. But that was before they'd learned that unlike most vampires, the true-bloods were fertile. And what even fewer people knew was that the true-bloods had inadvertently created the hunters, a race of humans born from the mating of the true-bloods and humans. Their original offspring even had fangs like Brynn.
Both strong and fast, and with increased healing capabilities compared to the average human, the hunters however didn't inherit the true-bloods immortal lifespan, but did live a modest four hundred years on average. Only a few of the elders on the hunters' council knew the truth, knew the hybrid race descended from the very creatures they protected the innocent from.
Until recently Brynn hadn't been all that active in upholding the truce between vampires and hunters--the unwritten one that said if vampires didn't harm or slaughter humans, the hunters wouldn't come after them. But things had changed in the last few months, and half vampire or not, she made it clear if a vampire wasn't playing nice, she took them out of the game.
If not for Lanie making an appearance and sliding into the seat next to Brynn, he would have backtracked the way he'd come. With his best friend's life-mate now also watching him, leaving wasn't an option. Julia being on his case was bad enough. He didn't need Lanie voicing another concern that Gabe was avoiding his friends to Will, which would in turn bring his best friend back to him.
He could feel Brynn's gaze as he moved through the crowd to the bar, meeting it once more as he stood opposite her and Lanie.
A wary smile flirted around the soft edges of her mouth. He knew from the last few months that her lips wouldn't part any further. She didn't smile anymore. Hell, she had rarely smiled before, and that had been when he'd excelled at fishing for what buttons would bring one to her lips.
Her father had changed all that in a matter of days.
"Work or play tonight?" Lanie asked.
"Haven't decided yet."
He forced a smile to his lips as he faced the blonde, her light colorings at odds with Brynn's long black hair. Lanie's eyes, on the other hand, were equally perceptive, and even though she'd been turned only a short time ago, the strength of a vampire far older than Gabriel hummed through her blood.
Brynn turned back to the bar, her hair brushing her bare shoulders. The plain white halter top and jeans were modest compared to what most of the women in the place tonight were wearing, but a handful of the surrounding men paid attention to her anyway.
"There's Will." Lanie waved past Gabe's shoulder and slid off the stool to go join her life-mate who was heading towards the stairs that led up to Julia's office.
"How have you been, slick?"
Despite the fact that nothing and yet everything had changed between them, the nickname managed to churn out a reaction he would have been better off without.
He took the seat Lanie had vacated.
Brynn cocked her head, masking her surprise at the move. "Figured you would have left with Lanie gone."
Gabe nodded thanks to Mike who set a beer in front of him. He tipped it back, savoring the cool liquid. "She's not gone. They're probably watching me from up there." He nodded to the bank of tinted windows that overlooked the club.
"Trying to keep up appearances then?"
Gabe snorted. He didn't even know what those were any more beyond making occasional small talk with the people who had once been the closest to him.
He tensed, turning an icy stare at Brynn. "You weren't about to try and poke around in my head were you, hunter?"
Her eyes narrowed at the corners. "Just thinking that you're not doing me any favors by sitting here trying to look chummy."
He took another drink of his beer. "You know, you used to sound more pissed when you tried to blow me off."
She stood up. "If I was blowing you off, you'd know it." The tone was artic clear, but something flickered in her eyes before she turned away.
He caught her arm and the tremor that ran across her skin at the contact brought his head up. He released her instantly, clenching his fist around the burst of warmth that burrowed under his flesh. He leaned back even before she glared at him, a chilly warning for him to back off glittering in her eyes.
He clamped his jaw, the last image from his dream rolling through his mind as she pushed her way through the crowd.
Gabriel turned back to the bar and finished off his beer.
"You look like you could use another."
The brunette next to him was more than adequate for what he had in mind. Dressed in a slinky tube top and wrap around skirt that was practically see-through, her eyes offered exactly what he was looking for.
He smiled at her, and only because the perpetual scowl he favored these days didn't earn him a lot of trust. "I've got a better idea. How about a dance?"
A sly smile split her fire-engine-red lips, and she led the way to the dance floor. She turned her back to him, rocking her rather fine ass against him. It didn't even take reading her mind to know the woman had been looking for more than a beer to begin with.
He gripped her hips, the sharp tingle of bloodlust curling up his spine. It was the only reaction he could count on lately, the only predictable constant.
He brushed her hair aside, his only intention to keep the woman in the right frame of mind. He wasn't about to drink from her here. Outside, preferably away from the club, would be ideal.
With his hand on the woman's side, fingers curved beneath her breast, he paused. He was being watched.
Gabe lifted his head, scanning the overhead catwalk until he spotted her.
Brynn didn't move, her fingers curled around the rail, her knuckles visibly white even from a distance. Curious, he drew the woman in his arms closer, but never took his eyes off Brynn.
He waited, expecting her to turn away. She didn't. He lowered his mouth, slowly brushing his lips over the woman's pulse. The sound of the blood pumping through her veins thumped in his head like a tribal rhythm he couldn't ignore. Just as he couldn't ignore the way his insides drew hot and tight watching Brynn.
Brynn cocked her head, then after another long moment, disappeared into Julia's office.
Gabe couldn't tear his gaze from the tinted windows above, willing her to look down, to see what she'd never wanted from him. He was glad for her numerous rejections now that the father she shared such a likeness to haunted his dreams.
And as the human turned and pressed her breasts against him, he could almost make himself believe it.
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