Promise Me Anthology Read online

Devlin nodded. “Expected. Done.”

  “—lastly, I want to know the real reason you want me here,” Danial finished, his eyes locked on Devlin’s. “The truth.”

  Devlin eyed him, then smiled. “There has been too much between us to have you believe that I want you back for old time’s sake.”

  Danial stared back, unsmiling.

  Devlin nodded slightly. “I want Garrett removed. He’s becoming unstable. He is one of my turns, Danial, so if I do it I must admit to the error of making him. If you do it, I’m spared that embarrassment.”

  “That’s it?” Danial said skeptically.

  “Pretty much,” Danial said persuasively. “My home is here in New York. Garrett is not doing his job, and I’m tired of putting out fires like the one I called you about a few days ago. I need someone who can handle a state. I know you can.”

  Danial let out a breath, then nodded once. “I’ll accept, but I need a month or so to make arrangements and move.”

  Devlin beamed. “And my problem?”

  Danial smiled back, fangs bared. “Take me to her and I’ll solve it.”

  * * * *

  “Jonas told me if I met you here you’d make me a vampire.”

  If only I had that power, Danial thought. “No, Angelica,” he said enticingly. “I’m here to make you another offer, one I believe you’ll welcome.”

  The beautiful young girl gazed at him, her blue eyes suspicious. “What?”

  “Become my donor,” Danial said seductively, taking her in his arms. He kissed her throat, then pricked it lightly with his fangs.

  Angelica sighed happily. “You’ll bite me?”

  Pity; all that beauty and no brains. “Yes, and drink your blood. I’ll also pay you a stipend.”

  The suspicious look was back. “What else are you expecting?”

  Like you wouldn’t give me sex if I asked, Danial thought. “The stipend is for your promise to save your blood just for me. It’s the normal arrangement.”

  “But you won’t turn me,” she said plaintively.

  “If I did, I couldn’t drink from you anymore,” Danial lied. “This way I can over and over, Angel. Besides, there’s that rule about turning someone so young. It’s all right if I call you Angel, isn’t it?”

  Angelica was excited, but still reserved. “Yes, of course. Will you turn me when I’m older?”

  “You can turn at twenty-one if it’s approved,” Danial replied carefully. “Until then you have to agree to keep me and our arrangement secret. Will you do that?”

  Angelica stared at him, then kissed him. “Yes, please. Will you bite me now?”

  Problem solved. Danial grinned. “Come to me, my darling.”

  * * * *

  After solidifying arrangements with Angelica for next month, Danial boarded the aircraft to find Theo waiting.

  “How can you consider Devlin’s offer?” Theo asked incredulously. “Or were you just playing him?”

  Danial shook his head, taking his seat. “The price was right, Theo. I’ve wanted this for a long time. A few human deaths are of no consequence, especially if they’re vermin.”

  Theo sat down a seat away. “You aren’t who I thought you were.”

  Danial whipped around to face Theo, his eyes blood red. “I am who I’ve always been. You’re like the rest, glutted on tales of benevolent vampires. This is the real world. I do what I can. That’s all I can do.”

  “You didn’t even introduce me.”

  “That was on purpose,” Danial replied evenly. “Devlin rules the United States, if you haven’t already guessed. You know what would happen if he knew your name and you don’t sign on with me? You’ll be killed. I was giving you a way out.”

  Theo didn’t reply. The silence stretched.

  “Did you kill that girl?” Theo finally said.

  “Of course not,” Danial replied. “She wants the thrill of being with a vampire. As she ages, she’ll outgrow it. By being my donor, she can have both. It’s a simple solution.”

  “What are you really offering me?” Theo asked.

  Danial’s expression softened slightly. “Friendship as well as partnership. A fifty-fifty split on all profits above the needs of the business. Protection, to an extent. Your life doesn’t have to be like it was.” He paused. “What happened to you?”

  “I’d rather not talk about it,” Theo said stiffly.

  “That’s fine,” Danial said hurriedly. “But I need to know now if you’ll be my partner or not.”

  “No,” Theo said softly.

  Danial got to his feet, livid. “You ungrateful ass. I offer you the chance of a lifetime and you throw it away to go back to scrounging in garbage for scraps?”

  “I can’t murder people—”

  “Who asked you to?” Danial snarled. “I can take care of the killing myself.”

  “I’m sure. You shot at me just because I startled you.”

  “I didn’t know you were there.”

  “Yes, you did,” Theo replied.

  Solution’s Inc. wouldn’t grow without someone Danial could trust to help him. He needed Theo.

  “Yes, I did,” Danial sighed, swiftly switching tactics. “Dev has become a monster. Every year I see more and more pain and suffering and too little good. The line between evil and good is growing indistinct. I’m starting not to care and it terrifies me.”

  “You’re nothing like him.”

  You don’t know he’s my brother. “I need hope. I need someone to help me find the line again.” Danial held out his hand. “I need a partner.”

  Theo stared at Danial’s hand, then reluctantly shook it. “You’re right. I’ve nothing to go back to. I can do good as part of your company. Partners.”

  Thank God, Danial thought happily. “Partners.”

  State of Grace

  (Previously published in Dark Moon’s Vampires Anthology 2011)

  The broken-down factory loomed from a hundred yards away in the pale moonlight, its broken windows like still, jagged teeth. No light beckoned, nor did any sound break the silence.

  An old van paused for a second at the driveway before driving up quickly past the broken chain-link gate. Ten minutes later a furtive figure darted in. As it crept toward the factory, another form exploded from the shadows.

  Jackie turned smoothly, her gun in her hand. “Get out of my way, Rod.”

  “Get out of here!” Rodney urged frantically, his eyes flicking from Jackie’s face to the empty road. “Kale’s going to come down that road any minute with his buddies. If they find you here, you’re dead.”

  “I have to try,” Jackie replied, pushing him away resolutely. “You know what’s going on in there. I can’t let it happen and do nothing—”

  “What’s going on in there’s been going on since before there were vampires,” Rodney hissed back, his blue eyes reddening. “One human isn’t going to stop it, especially not you alone—”

  “It’s easy to see your soul’s dead,” Jackie threw back with a sneer as she headed towards the factory. “Someone has to do something. Just run away, Rod. Leave.”

  Leave you to die, you mean? Rodney thought, watching her walk away. Jackie would be no match for what waited through those doors. He was a vampire and even he wasn’t.

  If there was ever a time she’d needed him, it was now. Warily, he followed.

  He’d only gone a few steps when Jackie screamed. The sound squeezed his heart like a vise, galvanizing him into action. He dashed around the corner to find her on her back, a tall, lithe vampire above her holding her down, fangs already sliding into her soft flesh.

  “Get off her, Kale,” Rodney hissed, drawing a survival knife. “Now.”

  Kale laughed, fangs gleaming wickedly. “Make me, coward.” He bit down. Jackie struggled and cried out in pain.

  Rodney plunged the knife into his back. Before Kale could recover, Rodney kicked him off Jackie’s prone form, the vampire flying back to smash into a low concrete wall. As Kale struggled to get
up, Rodney began hacking at his neck.

  “Stop, Rod,” Kale hissed, pushing weakly against Rodney. “You can’t win this. Nathan will kill you—”

  Kale’s words were cut off as Rodney bore down with all his inhuman strength. The flesh of Kale’s neck parted completely as his spine rent, blood and fluid leaking out. Kale’s body slumped, his arms falling limply at his sides.

  “He’s dead,” Jackie whispered.

  God, I hope so, Rodney thought desperately. “You hurt?”

  “He bit into my shoulder muscle. It’s nothing some Neosporin won’t fix.” She got to her feet, wiping at her mud-spattered jeans. “He was guarding this entry.” She switched on a flashlight and gestured to a yawning door, concrete steps leading down. “That’s our way in.”

  Rodney turned to face her. “No. You can’t save them, not any of them. They’ll just find others to kill—”

  His words fell into emptiness. Jackie was already down the steps. The light of her flashlight dimmed, then disappeared.

  “Damn it.” Rodney wiped his blade on Kale’s clothes and went after her. His eyes adjusted quickly to the darkness, making out a dark concrete tunnel ahead. He started walking as fast as he dared.

  How had it come to this? He had been a senior close to graduation, with parents who loved him and big plans for the future. Instead, he’d gotten bitten late one night as he walked home from the bus stop. His maker had been half-dead already from some run in with a foe; half of his face missing. Rodney had fainted dead away when the creature had burst out. He’d come to with the thing lying dead across him, blood in his mouth along with a newly grown set of fangs.

  A sudden noise startled him, his hand clutching the knife hard. Damn it, he was going to get killed walking down memory lane. Face reality, Rod, he thought grimly; you’re probably going to get killed anyway. You might as well make your peace.

  Peace. When was the last time he’d had peace? After the first shock, his parents had been understanding, and said they’d find a cure together. They had contacted some of the best doctors involved in blood diseases the next day. Almost instantly, others of his afflicted brethren had discovered their wayward lamb. His mother, father and younger brother had been killed, their home torched. Then Kale had come for him.

  He’d tortured Rod badly, telling him this was his only warning. “This isn’t nightclubs and teen sex,” Kale had said harshly. “We have rules. You follow them or you die.” He’d paused then cut another slice into Rod’s abdomen, bringing a scream. “The first is you keep your head down. Don’t interfere in the human world; don’t kill; don’t make friends and don’t call attention to yourself.” He’d sliced Rodney again, this one deep enough to make some pink intestine peep out along with a louder scream. “You were born in this state without Nathan’s permission, Rod. He’s the boss here in Tennessee. I’m his enforcer. That means if he sends me for you again, you’re dead.” Kale had grinned, baring fangs. “You’ll think your family got off lightly. Be smart and do the right thing.”

  Kale had left Rodney in a pool of blood, his regenerative powers weak. It had taken him a week to heal. Since then, Rodney had kept himself hidden, his hope extinguished just like his future had been.

  The noise sounded again. Up ahead, a door opened. Rodney clutched his knife, ghosting closer, but didn’t dare peer around the corner.

  “Put him in there with the rest,” a cold voice said. “He’s a loser. Hurry up.”

  There was an animal snarl, then a curse and the door slammed, metal rasping and clinking.

  Rodney waited until the footsteps receded, then turned the corner and ran up to the padlocked door. Pressing his ear to the metal, he listened. There were five heartbeats, two of those uneven and weak.

  Damn it, where was Jackie? This is what she’d been after. She’d gone right past them.

  It wasn’t the first time her compassion had led her into danger. That was how they’d met. She’d been feeding semi-feral cats at an abandoned farm, the same one where he’d been hiding out. She’d glimpsed him watching from the shadows, screamed then run. The next day she’d returned undeterred with more cat food, a few Have-a-Heart traps, and a shotgun loaded for bear. After feeding the cats, she’d set the traps to the side and come looking for him.

  “What are you doing here?” she’d demanded, leveling the gun at him.

  “I live here,” he told her.

  She gaped at him, then took in his dirty appearance and his ragged clothes. The next day, she brought him some worn but clean clothes and a box of moist wipes.

  They’d gotten to be good friends this past summer. That lasted until the first day of fall, when she’d come early one day and caught him feeding on one of the cats.

  The shotgun blast had knocked him off his feet, the cat screeching away in ball of claws and puffed fur. He’d come to with Jackie peering at him from a safe distance, her gold cross in her hand brandished like a sword.

  “What are you?”

  Rodney had smiled for the first time in a decade. “You already know, or you wouldn’t be hanging onto your cross for bravado.” He brushed himself off, fingering the bloodstained hole over his newly healed chest. “I don’t suppose you brought any clothes with you?”

  Jackie shook her head, tears welling in her eyes. “How can you feed off them? They’re defenseless.”

  “It doesn’t hurt the cats,” Rodney said, his eyes sliding away from hers. “I heal them afterwards. I never kill any, and I feed from different ones each day—”

  “That doesn’t make it okay—”

  “I have to live,” he’d hissed back at her, ashamed of how pitiful he sounded. “I don’t have another way. You don’t know how it is—”

  “There’s always another way,” Jackie had replied evenly. “You just need to find it.” She paused, and then said grimly, “I’m a vet. Part of the job is euthanasia. In short, I can get you some animal blood that isn’t in use anymore. Will you stop if I do?”

  “Yes,” Rodney agreed, knowing she’d shoot him again if she didn’t.

  From that night on, Jackie brought him animal blood in plastic containers whenever she came. It wasn’t a feast, but it was enough to keep from starving: much more than he’d dared take from the cats. In the last month, they’d even talked a little...

  Footsteps approached. Rodney tensed, slowly moving back his arm for a slashing blow. Another young vampire walked in, his red eyes scanning intently. As soon as he got within reach, Rodney swung his knife, separating the head from the body in one clean blow. The body fell jerking to the floor as the head rolled down the hallway, slowly coming to rest.

  How many more would he have to kill? He’d never killed any of his kind before.

  There was a sudden shriek then footsteps pounding toward him. Jackie ran into view, another older vampire hot on her heels. She slipped into the pool of blood and went sprawling, the pursuing vampire stopping with a deft maneuver.

  “I’d thought to only get animal’s blood tonight,” the vampire said, salivating. “You’re going to be so good going down—”

  Rodney tackled him, the knife going in to the hilt as both went down in the blood. Thrashing in the gore, Rodney and the vampire fought, their fangs rending muscle as Rodney tried in vain to get his blade free.

  There was a sudden blast. The vampire’s head exploded into bloody chunks. Rodney leaned back and looked up at Jackie, her handgun an inch away from his face.

  “Is he dead?” she whispered.

  “He’s got no brain,” Rodney replied, cleaning off his hands and knife on the body. “Separate the brain and the body, and the stories say vampires die. I’m glad you brought a weapon—”

  Jackie lowered her gun, defeated. “I’ve looked all over, Rod. I can’t find them—”

  “They’re in here,” Rodney said, going to the door. “I think there are five or so—”

  Immediately, Jackie straightened, her head snapping up as she holstered her gun. “Can you break the door down?�
��

  Someone heard the shot. More vampires would be down here in a minute, maybe two. “Not fast enough. Check for keys, quick.”

  A ten-second search of the two headless bodies produced a key on a skull chain. Jackie quickly stuck it in the door and twisted.

  “Brace yourself,” Rodney whispered. “It’s likely bad.”

  Jackie swung the door open wide. Two growls issued forth from the darkness.

  Rodney hit the wall switch. The stark light from the bare bulb above revealed five dogs post dogfight, fresh wounds oozing blood.

  “The back two are dead from their wounds already,” Rodney said, looking uneasily down the corridor. “Which one do you want me to grab? We’ve got to go—”

  “We have to take them all,” Jackie said resolutely, kneeling. She tried to touch the closest dog, a small brown-and-black mutt. It recoiled, whimpering. “I can fix them up; the wounds are mostly superficial—”

  “We can’t take all three,” Rodney retorted. “That black pit-bull isn’t going to make it, anyway.” He went for the nearest dog, a bloodied white pit-bull mix. It lunged at him but he evaded it, slipping a noose around its neck. He turned back to Jackie, offering her the leash. “Here, take—”

  Jackie was on her knees, the wounded mutt in her arms. She was trying to prod the black dog to rise. “Come on, please—”

  Footsteps approached. These were the kind Rod had dreaded: unhurried. What if it were Nathan himself? Fear engulfed Rodney. “You have to leave him or we’re both going to die—”

  Jackie turned to him, tears in her eyes. “I can’t. Please, Rod, please help—”

  They were going to die and she had never looked so beautiful.

  Thrusting the leash into her hands, Rodney grabbed the black dog. It let out a growl, then a painful moan. “Run!”

  Jackie and Rodney ran back down the tunnel the way they’d come, the injured dogs heavy in their arms, slowing them down. The footsteps gained behind them, still methodical and deliberate.

  They weren’t going to make it.

  They burst free into the cool air. Rodney slowed. “Keep going, Jackie. Get to your van.”