Blood Lust (Fallen Angels Book 3) Read online

  He stayed on the balcony a few more minutes, pretending he was enjoying the crisp, night air. When he went back inside, he closed and locked the French doors and closed the heavy drapes. Then, he pulled down the grid. Who was out there? What did they want? He tugged on his cashmere jacket and silently slipped out of the apartment. He walked past where he'd seen motion and then worked his way back. He didn't carry a weapon. His hands were lethal enough.

  He found Feral, sitting at a table at an ourdoor café, watching their home.

  "Well, fancy finding you here." He surprised her. Her fangs spurted out, her claws glistened. Enoch smiled, hoping she'd attack him. Then he'd have a good reason to kill her.

  Instead, she stretched lazily before returning to her chair. "I was hoping I'd see you. I came to warn you."

  He raised his eyebrow. "Really? I'm touched."

  "Watch out for Crystal." She patted the chair next to hers—an invitation to sit. He declined. "The girl pretends to be all nice and quiet, but it's just a show. If she wants something, she goes after it."

  "She didn't want your boy toy."

  Feral's eyes narrowed as she studied him. "Then you've already fallen for her guile. But you would, wouldn't you? You want to believe there's good in everyone."

  "And you want to believe your pet wouldn't cheat and attack an innocent girl."

  Yellow crept into her irises. He was pushing her buttons, and he liked it.

  Feral rose in one, smooth motion. "Why don't you stop by the club with me? I can introduce you to some of our guests. You can see how civilized we really are."

  "Civilized?" He laughed. "Maybe, if you consider the Victorians a golden age. It was all veneer. Scratch the surface, and it got ugly fast."

  She tilted her head, glancing up at him flirtatiously. "Plenty of mortals enjoy our company. More and more of them are dropping in for drinks and fun."

  Enoch's good humor faded. "There are mortals who are addicted to all kinds of things. Vampire venom makes for a decent high, from what I've heard."

  "You've never sampled it yourself? I'd be happy to give you your first try."

  He grimaced. "Angels don't have to worry about drugs and addictions. It would be a waste of time."

  "Caleb doesn't think so."

  "Caleb likes to party and indulge. That's not the same as being hooked. It won't happen."

  She pouted. "A girl has to try, doesn't she? If you got to know me better, you might learn to like me."

  Was Feral seriously deluded? "We don't have much in common."

  "I disagree. You're a warrior angel. You kill who needs to be killed. You might be surprised."

  "I doubt it."

  She stood, wrapped her arm through his. "Come back to the club with me. See for yourself."

  His palms itched. He rarely disliked a person this much the first time he met them, but what could it hurt to take a tour of her place when it was full of customers? He'd planned on dropping in sometime. Why not now? "Okay, I'm game. Do your best to convince me that I don't need to worry about your club."

  She smiled. She looked too smug, as if she thought she'd won a minor victory. What an ego! But two could play at the charm game. He turned his full attention on her, and she almost preened.

  "What if I get my car and drive you there?" he asked.

  She beamed. "That would be lovely."

  "I'll be right back." As he walked to his apartment, he knew she was probably using her telepathy to warn everyone that he was coming. They'd all be on their best behavior before he walked through the door. But if she wanted to play this game, why not? He was good at games. Better than she suspected.

  He returned in a few minutes, driving his dark-green Jaguar. Vampires liked luxuries. He'd go out of his way to impress her, if he had to. On the way to the club, she tinkered with the music until she found a classical CD. She must fancy herself as cultured, as if listening to Mozart lifted her to a higher rank. That would be like sprinkling diamond dust across a cesspool. It didn't change the disgusting mess underneath.

  She motioned for him to park in her private spot near the back door. "We'll go in the main entrance, though. I want you to get the full effect."

  Oh, goodie. He offered his elbow and they strode in together. He could feel his worst fears settle in the pit of his stomach. Humans. Too many of them. Vampire dives offered a taste of the exotic, laced with danger. But this was no dive. Feral's club sparkled with chandeliers lighting the main room. He hadn't really paid much attention to it when he'd been here before. He'd gotten the impression of opulence, but he was too focused on the girls he'd come to rescue.

  Red, velvet chairs circled round tables, trimmed with gilt edges. The coffered ceiling hid strategically placed lighting that showcased large paintings of nudes on the charcoal-painted walls. Marble topped the long, walnut bar. Together, the ingredients mingled to create a lush, voluptuous atmosphere. Classical music filled the room. Why wasn't he surprised?

  Every chair had an occupant. Vampires and humans lined up at the bar. Laughter floated from one group to another. Enoch frowned.

  Feral shook her head. "You don't appreciate such beauty? Our customers do."

  "I always admire beauty, but mortals don't know what they're getting themselves into. I wish your club was private."

  "And deny mortals the joys of our company? How callous." She nodded at the big, brawny bouncer at the door, and he came to get their drink orders.

  "Absinthe for me," Feral told him. She raised a brow at Enoch.

  "Drambuie." It was easy for Enoch to differentiate the humans from the vampires here. The vamps made no effort to disguise themselves. Their eyes glowed yellow with the excitement of possible pleasures beyond food and drinks. He'd asked Voronika once why her eyes never changed to her once-mortal shade of blue, like other vampires' eyes did, and she told him that she'd forced them to remain yellow as a constant reminder that her mortal self was dead and that she'd always be a monster. She'd done it for so long, her eyes never changed now. She had to wear contacts to make them blue.

  When the bouncer returned with their drinks, Feral said, "Enoch, this is Incisor. He's been my personal assistant since I turned him."

  Enoch gave a curt nod. "How long ago was that?" Incisor stood a few inches taller than his six-five, something that rarely happened. The vampire must be six-nine with a body builder's physique. He'd shaved his head, and his icy gray eyes showed no signs of warmth.

  Feral shrugged. "A duke in Peter the Great's court turned me. It wasn't long before I turned Incisor."

  Enoch studied the vampire with interest. "What were you before Feral took you?"

  "A house guard."

  Enoch gave Feral a sour look. "Easy pickings."

  She wrinkled her nose. "I couldn't get close enough to peasants to drain them. With my enhanced sense of smell, they stunk even worse."

  Enoch bit back a reply. There was no point in arguing with her. He was pretty sure he wouldn't have liked her any more as a human than he did as a vamp. He asked Incisor, "Does it make it harder to enforce Caleb's rules since you have mortals coming here?"

  "The vampires don't give me problems. They all know Caleb's promise to you. None of them want made true dead over a proffered neck. It's the mortals who lose control. Underage kids try to sneak in for a thrill. And then there's the mortals who can't get enough venom and hope that if they're pleasing enough, some vamp will turn them."

  "They want turned?" Enoch scowled as he watched an attractive brunette rub herself against a male vampire. The vamp bent his head and stroked her neck with his fangs. Even this far away, Enoch could smell her excitement.

  Feral watched, too. She sipped her absinthe and smiled. "Why wouldn't they? What can't we offer them? They won't age. They won't catch diseases. They can embrace their lust and passion." She licked her lips. "No vampire here is as gorgeous as you are. You're an angel, after all, but most vampires are more than attractive. See any that please you? Any of us would be happy to spend tim
e with you, even the males."

  Was that all she had on offer? Sex and more sex? Why wouldn't she give it a break? Enoch grimaced. "I don't indulge in casual lust."

  Feral stared. "Never?"

  "I enjoy pleasures with more substance." He turned to Incisor and caught the gleam in the vampire's eyes. He'd enjoyed seeing Feral turned down. It made Enoch wonder how much he actually liked his sire. Enoch motioned to the bar. "It's not against Caleb's rules to change a mortal who wants changed. Does that happen very often?"

  "Here? No." Incisor didn't hide his loathing for the mortals begging for a fix. "Humans are strictly quick pleasures. It's a lot of responsibility to sire a mortal. That's not what this club is about."

  A lone woman entered the bar, and Feral bristled. Enoch could feel the irritation that radiated off of her. He turned to study the woman more thoroughly. She didn't fit in here. Her clothes looked like they came from a thrift shop. Her heels were shiny and cheap. But she was definitely beautiful with light-brown hair, hazel eyes, and a lithe figure. She had an ageless quality about her, as though she stayed youthful looking due to steady doses of venom. Enoch frowned. She reminded him of someone.

  The woman glanced around the room, saw Feral, and headed in their direction.

  Feral sighed. Under her breath, she told Incisor, "If she won't leave quietly, just haul her out the door and make sure she stays gone."

  Incisor crossed his muscular arms over his chest. His gaze never left the woman as she approached them.

  "You!" The woman pointed at Feral. "Desya didn't show up today. I kept my end of the deal. You have to keep yours."

  "I can't send someone who's no longer with us." Feral's lips curled back in distaste. "Your whore of a daughter enticed him, and he shifted her. The rules in Three Rivers are clear. I had to kill him."

  Enoch took a step closer to the woman. "Your daughter? You're Crystal's mother?"

  Feral looked amused. "You've never met Candi? Enoch, let me introduce you to the woman who sold her daughter to me for a guaranteed fix of venom once a week."

  Enoch's hands bunched into fists. Candi moved closer to Incisor. Voronika often told him that he looked like a thunder cloud when he was angry, but anger didn't even begin to describe how he was feeling. He'd like to take this woman and throttle her.

  Feral's lips curled. She looked even more amused. "And Candi, let me introduce you to the man who saved your daughter from me."

  Candi's expression went from frightened to shrewd. "What right do you have to interfere in my business? You freed Crystal? To do what? To live in poverty, like I do? I brought her here, and Feral offered her the chance for a better life."

  Enoch stared. Did she actually believe her own bullshit? And what made her think he would? "I don't like women like you. You don't give a shit about your daughter. You brought her here because you're an addict."

  Candi opened her mouth to argue with him, took one look at his face, and changed her mind.

  He leaned closer, drilling a finger into her chest to make his points. "I found your daughter, Angel, too. She got to watch Desya drain her sister. She saw Feral cut off his head. And then Feral offered to let Crystal feed off her during her bloodlust." He jabbed harder. "You'd have lost both of them. So don't mouth off to me. I'm not in the mood."

  Candi stared, stunned, but recovered quickly. This time, she tried a different approach. "I want a better life for my girls. I've just never been able to give it to them. If you'd help me, just a little, every month, I'd be happy to leave them with you."

  "Get lost."

  Candi's hands went to her hips. "I'm their mother. You can't walk in and take them from me."

  "Can't I?" She was beginning to amuse him. How ridiculous would she get? How many stage personas did she have? "If you bother me in any way, I'll report you to the authorities for child neglect and for trying to sell your daughters into prostitution. Let's hope you like life behind bars."

  She changed tactics again. A chameleon of convenience. She smiled and moved closer to press herself against him. "I appreciate men who are nice to me."

  "I don't appreciate cheap women with no morals. Go away."

  Incisor laughed, and Feral's jaw dropped. "I've never heard you laugh before," she told him.

  He returned to stoic indifference and stared at Candi. "What do you want me to do with her?" he asked Feral.

  Candi turned on the vampire. She pointed at Feral again. "It's not my fault you couldn't control your favorite. I gave you my daughter. It was your job to teach her the ropes. You still owe me."

  Feral hissed, but didn't argue. "I'll send someone new tomorrow."

  Candi nodded, satisfied. "Then we're okay."

  Before she left, Enoch asked, "Don't you want to know how Crystal and Angel are doing?"

  Candi shrugged. "Why should I? Have they asked about me? Do they care that they almost blew a deal that would give Crystal a good life for the rest of her years?"

  Enoch's palms itched, and he scratched them. Candi noticed.

  "What are you?" she asked.

  "An angel of death," Feral answered.

  Candi threw up her hands. "The girls are yours. Enjoy them." She hurried out of the club.

  Enoch finished his Drambuie. "Well, it's been nice," he told Feral, "but I have things to do. I'll drop by again off and on, so keep it fun."

  She stared. "What kind of angel are you…really? Did you lose your wings? You seem a bit jaded."

  He surprised himself by giving an honest answer. "I'm an angel who's been away from Home a little too long. It's changed me."

  She smiled, and for the first time, it looked genuine. "Do you think if you stay here long enough, I'll look better to you?"

  "Hell, no. I still have standards, and you don't even come close."

  Her fangs sprang past her lips. Her eyes blazed yellow. "You're awfully conceited, you know that?"

  He frowned, considering the idea. "Nope, that's not me. But I know what I think is right, and that's what I work for."

  "You still believe in right and wrong. How quaint. We don't have much in common. After a while, the two became blurred, and I quit caring."

  He almost felt sorry for her, and then he remembered that she'd been spoiled and selfish before she'd been turned. "Did you ever care?" he asked.

  She laughed. "Probably not."

  At least, she was honest. Enoch tipped his head goodbye and walked to his car. Usually, when he settled behind the wheel of his Jaguar, life looked better. But tonight had been a real bummer. Too many mortals frequented Feral's club. Candi could win the award for most self-obsessed person of the year, and Feral disgusted him. All part of the glorious life of an avenging angel. How did he get so lucky?

  Chapter 10

  When Crystal whimpered in her sleep, Angel reached across the small space between their beds to pat her hand. Her sister jolted into a sitting position and stared at her. Her eyes glowed a deep red.

  Oh, crap. The hunger must have returned. "Crystal? I'm Angel. Your sister. You love me. Remember? You don't want to eat me."

  Voronika was between them so quickly, it scared Angel. Vampires moved so fast, they unnerved her.

  Voronika's fangs showed bone white in the dim light. She hissed. When Crystal hissed back, Angel swallowed the fear that clogged her throat. No, no, no. She didn't want to see them fight.

  "Please. Don't hurt her!" she begged. "She doesn't know what she's doing."

  Voronika nodded, but didn’t take her gaze off Crystal. They stared at each other in some strange dominance contest until Crystal morphed back to her mortal form. She staggered slightly. Dark circles rimmed her eyes. She licked dry lips.

  Voronika stayed fanged and scary. "See if Enoch's home," she told Angel. "Crystal needs to feed."

  Angel circled Crystal's bed to go to the door. Her sister looked frail and starving, but if she morphed, she'd be dangerous. Angel stepped into the hallway, shutting the door behind her. She could see Scarlet and Lucinda's beds
from here, both empty. Good, they were awake. One of them could help them. Angel glanced down the hall and saw Lucinda, crouching in a corner of the ceiling.

  The ceiling? Lucinda sniffed and turned her head. Red eyes glowed in the pale light from the patio doors. The grid was up, the drapes open. Enoch's jacket was gone. Nuts. Could Voronika protect her from two vampires at once? She heard the front door open, the grid roll up, and saw Enoch step inside.

  "Look out!" she called just before Lucinda dropped onto him. Angel covered her mouth with her hand to keep from screeching. Lucinda jammed her fangs deep into the back of Enoch's shoulder.

  His lips pinched together in a tight line. "Damn it. This is one of my favorite jackets."

  Angel blinked. She felt like she was in some alternate universe. Who worried about a jacket when a vampire was sucking your blood? But then, Enoch didn't mind that, did he? She shook her head, trying to clear her thoughts. "Are you all right?"

  Lucinda's head whipped in her direction. Enoch sank his fingers in her copper hair and smashed her mouth against his throat. "Leave the little girl alone. Finish drinking and then we can talk."

  Voronika led Crystal from their room and shook her head. "We should have thought of how hungry new vampires get. They need more frequent feedings. Crystal turned, too."

  Enoch motioned, and Crystal leapt to the other side of him and began to drink. Disgusting. Angel pressed herself into Voronika's side and closed her eyes.

  Voronika patted her head. "It's all right. I don't like to watch either, but your sister will be herself soon."

  "How much blood can he lose?" Angel didn't recognize her own voice. It sounded small, frightened. She tried never to show how scared she was, but this freaked her out.

  "Enoch's eternal. He can't die."

  "Can you?" Of course, she could. She'd seen Feral kill Desya, hadn't she? "I won't age, but I can be killed." Voronika walked to the kitchen and glanced at Enoch. "Ready for some wine?"

  He nodded, let the girls finish feeding, then pushed them away.