Bloodstorm (Heart of a Vampire) (4 page)

“
Insufferable. Ever since you came back from hightailing it off to the big city. Completely insufferable.”

Shane lifted a shoulder. “I told you I’ll do my jobs. All of them.”

The old man stepped closer. “I hope so. Because if you can’t, what’ll happen to this town?” He strode out of the alley, leaving Shane alone.

Every fiber of her being screamed at Niki to leave. There were other places she could look for Thomas. She reminded herself the sheriff would be gone soon. Then she could examine the alley and hopefully find a clue to tracking down the one she hunted.

But instead of leaving, Shane turned and stared in her direction. “You might as well come out. Unless you’re planning on attacking.”

Stunned, she stared at the man who could sense a vampire. The sheriff never looked away.

There was no way he could see her. No way.

A long minute passed. She didn’t move, neither did he.

“
Does that mean you are planning to attack?” he asked.

Niki gathered the strange feelings inside her and shoved them down, deep, where they could--mostly--be ignored. Then she stepped forward, leaving the shadows for the moonlight.

Chapter Three

S
hane gripped the butt of his gun as the shadows stirred. All he could see was the blurry aura of maroon with black flecks. Vampire.

But was it friend or foe?

He stiffened as the woman revealed herself. He should have been surprised it was her watching. Yet, somehow, he wasn’t. The very fact she was here pointed to her guilt. Shane said nothing as she sauntered closer. Her green gaze drifted over the crime scene before locking on him.

“
Sherriff.” Her voice was soft, with a slight lilt he couldn’t place.

And it stirred something in him. So, his reaction in the bar hadn’t been just his imagination. It pissed him off, this vampire using her wiles, whatever strange powers she possessed, to tap into his desires.

“
Another crime scene and here you are,” he snapped, keeping his hand on the butt of his gun. “This time you won’t disappear before I arrest you.”

She smiled. It brought an inner light to her face that enhanced her beauty. “For what? There was no crime earlier, and I didn’t do this.”

Looking her over, he scratched the stubble on his chin, trying to push past the primitive urges inside him. He didn’t think she had done this, yet...

“
What’s your name?”

Her smile dimmed. “Nicola DeVeraux. And you’re Shane.”

He startled. So, not only had she been watching, she’d been eavesdropping as well. “Why are you in Moss Creek, Miss DeVeraux?”

“
Call me Niki, Sheriff. I don’t bite.” She grinned, the tips of her retracted canines visible.

He found it sexily distracting, so much so, his temper spiked higher. “You find death amusing?” he growled, annoyed at her teasing. Worse, he was hard with wanting this woman--a stranger, a suspect, a vampire.

Her eyes narrowed, thin bands of red encircling the green. “No. I don’t.”

“
Then why are you here?”

“
Old business.” Her gaze darted to the fence where the bodies had been strung up.

He stared at her, ready for any vampire tricks. “I’m not asking as sheriff.”

“
I know.” Her voice, soft and tinged with sadness, slid through him silkily. “You’re obviously a Keeper for the Magic Council. But I don’t answer to you.”

Hackles rising, he was just about ready to slap the cuffs on her and take her in, the law be damned. Control was everything and right now, his was slipping. He bit his tongue, relishing the pain reining him in. “Then tell me who your sire is. I’ll bring up the matter with him.”

She met his gaze, scowling, her fangs extending to curve over her lower lip. “He wouldn’t claim me. Nor would I want him to, even if you were able to track him down.”

Shane watched her closely. “Do you have the clan’s permission to be in their territory?”

Emotion washed over her face. “If I don’t?”

His anger faded a little. She couldn’t completely hide her uneasiness. “It’s a dangerous game you play.”

Niki shrugged. She strode to the fence and laid her hand against the wood. “Look, you have a problem here. It isn’t me. And even as a Keeper, you may not be able to handle it. So why don’t I just get on with my business and you can get on with yours.”

“
I have a Rogue vampire in my county and two murders, but I should just let you--the only Rogue I’ve seen--get on with it?”

“
Explain how I could be in the forest, with you I might add, and here killing someone. We can’t teleport, or be in two places at once.”

“
You could be working with a partner.”

She snorted. “I work alone.”

He clenched his jaw.

“
Look, I’m not here to cause you trouble.”

“
And yet, you already have.”

Niki met his gaze, holding her head high. “So arrest me.”

“
If I had cause, I would.” He lifted an eyebrow. “I could always escort you to the territory’s vampire Master.”

***

Something akin to terror rolled down the back of Niki’s neck. There was danger in meeting with any local vampire. “You’ll have to take me by force.”

His hypnotizing golden eyes brightened in the moonlight, standing out above sharp, high cheekbones. Thrills shot through her, bringing a blossoming heat.

This man was dangerous. Being a Keeper
and
the sheriff had only a little to do with it.

She didn’t know what to make of the emotions he sparked. To avoid thinking about it--and to force herself to look from his commanding gaze--Niki turned and studied the knotted ropes still dangling from the top of the fence.

There was little warning as the air stirred. The sheriff slammed his hands on the fence, one on either side of her, trapping Niki between his body and the wood.

She glanced up at him, amused.

He practically bit out his words. “I have a dead shifter with vampire marks, a truce close to breaking, though hell if I can figure out all the whys, and a Rogue vampire in town.”

His scent overwhelmed her and Niki couldn’t resist playing with fire. Just a little. She leaned closer. “And I’m obviously guilty. After all, I’m a murderer merely because I’m a vampire.”

She bared her fangs.

He didn’t flinch. His face reddened and he glanced past her, to the wooden fence, before meeting her gaze once more. His voice softened the tiniest bit. “I didn’t mean that the way it sounded.”

“
Oh? It was pretty clear to me.”

He opened his mouth, then snapped it shut. Niki continued to stare at him, wondering what he’d been about to say.

“
Look,” Shane said, his voice soft and seductive now. She didn’t trust it. “I believe you didn’t do this. But if you know who’s behind the killings, I need to know too.”

“
You can’t con me with sweet smiles and pretty words,” she replied, though her breath came just a little faster at his nearness. He smelled of soap and smoke and spice. It set her nerves on edge and she could barely think as his scent filled her.

His eyes widened as if he could read her thoughts. She licked her lips and his gaze drew lower, to her mouth. He swallowed loudly, drawing a tiny bit closer.

As if pulled by some magnetic field emanating from him, Niki leaned in.

She stared into his golden eyes, unable to break from his gaze, to move back from the hot energy rolling off his body.

“
Niki,” he whispered huskily, need filling his voice. His shoulders tightened and his jaw clenched.

If she hadn’t been who she was, her body would have melted into a puddle, right then and there. She couldn’t bring herself to pull away.

Time stood still, the rest of the world fading into nothingness. Thoughts of her duty faded. All she could do was stand before him as her body came alive, reminding her she was a woman.

Shane growled, crossing the last hairsbreadth of distance between them. He pressed his lips to hers, firm and warm.

Gasping against his mouth, she drank in the feeling.

His touch was electrifying. Inside her, something long dormant and frozen for centuries began to wake. The short stubble on his chin scraped against her skin deliciously.

An unbidden desire to embrace him fully pushed at her. Her hands curled with the thought of what his skin, his flowing hair would feel like. The thought finally gave her a sliver of control. She broke away, slipping beneath his arm and backing up to the other side of the alley.

She stared at him, breathing fast and sharp.

He seemed shaken. As unsteady as she felt.

“
I don’t...” he stopped, as if unsure what to say.

She remained mute, confusion fogging her mind. Then a survival instinct kicked in. She had to get away from this powerful man who could make her feel. She turned and raced into the night.

***

Shane stared after Niki as she all-too-quickly melded into the darkness. He blinked, searching for the impression of her aura, but all that remained was a vague shadow to prove she’d even been there. And it was already fading.

What the hell had he been thinking?

He let out a deep breath and wished for a long, ice-cold shower. That was the problem. He hadn’t been thinking. Only feeling.

He reached down and adjusted his jeans.

What was he? A deprived teenage youth? Sure he hadn’t had a relationship in a while, but that didn’t excuse letting his hormones dictate his actions.

Yet he could still smell her, soft and flowery.

Shane turned back to the fence. He’d told her the truth, he knew she hadn’t done this. She wasn’t a suspect... exactly. But she obviously had information he needed if he was going to protect the people of this town--protect the peace between Arcaine races.

If war broke out...

So why the hell was he so tuned into this woman?

Part of him wanted to believe it was some strange magic--her vampire powers controlling his lust. His gut told him otherwise.

It was just her. Niki.

He’d have to ignore it and get on with his job. With his duty.

Even though he was still hard and ready for action, Shane shook it off. He pulled out his pocket knife to take down the ropes, securing the first one in an evidence bag. He reached for the next.

The air swirled behind him.

Shane spun and found himself facing two very angry vampires. Their canines extended over bottom lips, saliva making them shine.

“
Where is she?” the short, gaunt one asked.

Shane recognized their faces. “You two were out near Henry’s bar earlier.”

He grabbed for his gun, but too slow for their unnatural speed. The taller one slapped Shane’s hand and wrenched the gun away, tossing it into the dark.

Shane slashed with his pocket knife, knowing it was too small to do any real damage. As they both jumped back, he drew his hands together and called on his magic.

“
Uh, uh,” the short guy chortled as he barreled into Shane, making him lose the connection. “We know you’s a magic man.”

Shane rolled over the ground. He smiled up at the two circling vampires.

“
What’s so funny?” the taller guy asked.

“
This.” Shane drew the earth magic up through his body and sent it shooting at the vampires.

They flew back as power punched into them. Their cries filled the night air.

As a Fates’ chosen Keeper for the Council, Shane’s power wasn’t that of an ordinary shaman. Instead, his magic had a bite that could hurt any Arcaine, no matter their race.

The two vampires seemed to realize exactly who they were dealing with. They shot panicky glances at one another, and decided to run--in opposite directions.

Sighing, Shane settled on arresting just one. He sent magic rumbling after the short guy who seemed to be in charge.

Deep green vines erupted from the ground, waving wildly in the air before finding their target. Shane felt the connection to them as they tangled around the vampire’s ankles. He tripped and sprawled in the dirt.

The vines wrapped around his body, pinning his arms to his sides so he couldn’t claw free. The vampire writhed on the ground as earth magic surrounded him.

Shane glanced at the other end of the alley, but the taller vampire was long gone. When he reached the short one, Shane pulled out a shiny pair of handcuffs, slapping them on the guy’s wrists.

“
They’re from the Council,” Shane warned.

The vampire stilled, staring up with fright in his red gaze.

The air behind Shane whipped in a frenzy. He turned in time to see the taller vampire charge, almost faster than could be seen. Fangs fully extended, the guy was ready to rip Shane into shreds.