Prime Vampires - I Hunger For You Part 5

Somebody yelled, "This is no way to run an ambush. I told you to wait!"

"You don't give orders, exile," an arrogant voice answered.

While the vampires behind them argued, Colin leaped over a ramp barrier and put her down on the other side. All the parking stalls on the ground floor were empty. Her breathing seemed to echo loudly in the vacant s.p.a.ce. The garage wasn't well lit, and Colin dragged her farther into shadow behind a thick concrete pillar.

"Don't worry," he told her. "I've called for backup." She had no idea when he could possibly have done that, but this was hardly the time to argue. "Those-men-" She tried to warn him, but she didn't know how. "Did you see their-"

"Great makeup. It's a cult. Don't worry about it."

He was right, there was no time to worry. "How do we get out of here?"

"Up," he said. He s.n.a.t.c.hed her gym bag from her and dropped it on the ground. "Run," he ordered, and gave her a slight push.

Mia pelted up the curve of the parking ramp. The sooner she got to her car, the sooner she could get to the antivampire weapons stowed in the trunk.

She was aware of the pounding of her feet on the concrete, of the roar of her heart and her own breathing, but she didn't hear Colin behind her. Even a quick look back would slow her down, though, and she needed those weapons!

Besides, Colin was a dangerous man, and he could move silent as a cat.

She didn't look back even when she heard shouts, or the meaty sound of a blow. A few more steps, and she'd reached the second level, where her car was parked.

d.a.m.n it! Her keys were in the bag Colin had tossed aside.

She started to turn back, then felt air coldly caress her face as something flew past. The next moment, a vampire was standing in front of her. It was the pale-haired one who'd first come after her.

Mia came to a jarring halt, just in time to keep from running into the monster's widespread arms.

"We meet again," he said.

He was smug, smiling, and even in the semi-darkness she could see the obscenely long fangs protruding over his red lips. He held out a taloned hand.

"Come along, and n.o.body gets hurt," he told her.

"He's lying!" Colin shouted from below. "Don't let him touch you!"

"Don't listen to him," the vampire said. "You'll beg for my protection after he's dead."

She heard the sounds of fighting. Colin was outnumbered, surrounded. He needed help.

The vampire stepped toward her, and she backpedaled quickly. Her impulse was to turn and run, but Mia couldn't bear to turn her back on the fanged creature.

"Enough of this," he said, and rushed toward her.

Mia dove sideways and flattened herself on the concrete.

A vehicle swerved into the parking lot below, crashing through the barrier, and then its bright headlights raked up the curving ramp ahead of the roaring engine. Mia watched in astonishment as two figures jumped out the back doors while the huge SUV was still moving. And suddenly Colin wasn't alone in fighting the vampires.

The car kept coming, as big as a tank, straight toward the blond vampire. He jumped just an instant before the SUV would have hit him, landed on the roof with a heavy thud of boots, then leaped again completely into thin air from the second story of the garage.As he disappeared, the SUV came to a halt next to where Mia cowered against the ramp's inside wall. The driver opened the door and looked calmly down at Mia.

"Hi, I'm Domini. The guy with the beard down there is Tony. The one with the cleft chin is my Alec." The dark-haired woman got out and helped Mia to her feet. "Welcome to-" She put her arm out to stop Mia from running toward the fighting.

"Colin needs help!" Mia protested.

"Help's here," Domini said. "No need for us to interrupt the boys when they're fighting. You know how much they enjoy it."

The woman's cheerfulness and enigmatic words confused Mia further. "Who are you? What are you doing here? And thanks,"

she added, finally realizing that she'd been rescued from the vampires. Relief flooded her as she realized who the rescuers might be. "Are you hunt-"

Colin ran up to her before she could finish. The next thing she knew, she was wrapped in his tight embrace, and his mouth came down hard and fiercely on hers. All the fear and excitement in her shifted instantly to desire, and she responded just as hungrily.

She lost herself to the need.

Until someone coughed loudly.

Domini said, "You guys want to use the back seat? Concrete can be so hard on the back."

"And the knees," one of the men added.

Someone else said, "There are alarms going off. We really ought to leave before the police-"

"The police are here," Colin said, lifting his head from hers.

"But this isn't the kind of rumble you want to report," one of the men said.

Mia was glad that Colin's arms were around her, because her knees were weak. She supposed she ought to be embarra.s.sed by this visceral reaction to danger, but it felt so right to be alive and with Colin. Her body was full of l.u.s.t, but she fought to focus her attention on the three newcomers. Domini, Tony, and Alec were all tall, dark-haired, attractive, and dressed in black.

"What happened to the-those-" While everyone stared at her, Mia finally remembered what Colin had called their attackers.

"Cultists?" She couldn't bring herself to use the wordvampire until she was sure of who their rescuers were. "Who are you?" she added.

"The cowards ran away when my backup showed." Colin gestured toward the one with the chin. "That's my cousin Alec, and his lady Domini. And that's her cousin-"

"Identifications have already been made," Domini interrupted him.

Tony gave her a charming smile. "You're Mia. I'm delighted. Let's go," he said to Colin.

Colin glared at Tony. "I thought you said there weren't any of them in town."

"I said I hadn't found any yet. Looks like they found you."

"Why?" Alec questioned.

"Has anyone asked the local hunters if they know anything?" Domini questioned. "Aren't they the ones who keep tabs on the bad guys?" Tony made a sour face. "We don't communicate much with-them."

"Maybe we should. Look, I could-"

"No," Tony cut her off. "I said I'd find out about their being in town. I'll set up a meeting with the hunters-cranks and loons though they are."

The man didn't sound at all happy about it, but Mia was overjoyed to hear mention of local hunters. Chances were that Colin and his friends thought that vampires were some kind of nut cult. Tony clearly thought that those who hunted so-called vampires were also nuts, so this was no time to point out that vampires were real, and that she was a hunter.

Still, if this Tony could help her contact the local hunters...

"Come on," Colin said. He led her up the ramp. "Now I really am going to drive you home."

Chapter Seven.

The only thing that seemed real in the whole surrealistic incident was Colin's kissing her. Mia's lips were still alive with the memory of it, and her body sparked with need.

But information was more important than need. Her world had changed so radically in the last few days, she didn't know what reality was anymore. Now it looked like even Colin had secrets connected with the dark underworld she'd so recently entered.

She needed to know them without giving her own away.

"Colin, I-"

"Don't ask," he said.

Mia's hand was on his arm. He didn't think she was aware of touching him, but the contact sizzled all through him. She'd sat beside him on the drive, stunned and confused, and the hunger for each other buzzed silently between them. Now as he turned onto her street, she was growing curious, restless, wanting answers.

"Those people," she said. "Your relatives. What were they doing-"

"I shouldn't have introduced you."

What was wrong with him? How stupid was he? By all that was holy and sane in his world, he had no business giving information and the names of his kind to an outsider, a mortal.

"I told you I called for backup," he told her. "One of them is a retired cop. The other two-"

d.a.m.n! He was doing it again. When had it gotten so easy to spill his guts to this woman who was supposed to be a pa.s.sing fancy?

"Forget about them," he said. "Your knowing about them isn't important. You won't see them again."

"Why not?" Mia asked. Her att.i.tude stiffened with hurt and anger. "Aren't I good enough to meet your family?"

The question, and the pain she tried to hide, tore Colin in two opposite directions. He couldn't very well say, "No, not really,"

without hurting her further. He hadn't meant to drag her into his world, a place where she did not belong.

"What were they doing there?" she asked. "What do they-you-have to do with this so-called vampire cult?"

"I can't answer that." He was going to have to make her forget it all, especially any reference to vampires. But the woman was both stubborn and psychic. It wasn't going to be easy to alter her memories.

"Won't answer, you mean."

"Yeah. Won't," he admitted. "I'm sorry you've gotten involved." He pulled into her driveway and turned off the engine.

He could tell his words weren't rea.s.suring her. In fact, he felt her growing not only annoyed, but more suspicious by the moment.

"Why have you really been following me?" she demanded. "Why are you always around lately? I know you don't want anything to do with me, so there's an ulterior motive, isn't there? Are you using me as bait to draw these-cultists-out?"

"That's a good theory," he admitted. "But the farthest thing from the truth. All I want to do is help you."

Maybe hehad sort of been stalking her, but he'd thought the only harm was to his own sanity. The results were proving dangerously unhealthy for her, though, as well as for his mental health.

"This is all my fault, Mia. I can't explain, and I know you don't think you have any reason to trust me. And you don't, not on a personal level. But I will get these nuts out of your life, and keep you safe. Then I'll go."

"Maybe I don't-"

Another car pulled in behind his. Was she going to tell him she didn't want him to stay, or that she didn't want him to go? He got out of his car and hurried toward the other vehicle.

Tony Crowe stepped out of Mia's car and tossed her gym bag and keys to Colin. "Thought the lady would like to have these."

Colin caught Mia's stuff and glanced behind him. Mia was standing in the driveway. It was his turn to toss the keys to her as she started toward them. "Go inside."

"I beg your-"

Go inside.

The telepathic order came not only from him but from Tony, as well. Though Tony did addplease when he intruded into Mia's mind.

Go to bed,Colin said.Sleep.

Mia moved with slow reluctance, and kept glancing back toward them as she went toward the front door.

Colin glared at the other Prime when she was safely inside the house. "I don't need your help."

"Yeah. You do," Tony declared bluntly. "Remember Serisa's plan for this mortal? You aren't part of it. Alec, Domini, and I are supposed to protect the woman and find the Tribe pack. Your job is to take out the Patron. What were you doing with her tonight?"

"Protecting her," Colin answered. "Which was more than you were doing. I knew where to find her-"

"Which you should have told one of us."

"I want to protect her."

"Does she belong to you, then? Do you claim her?" "Of course not!"

"Then do as you're told."

"Serisa of s.h.a.gal is not my Matri. She can make suggestions, but she does not rule me. I am Prime."

Tony shook his head. "Don't ask for trouble, kid. This mortal woman dwells in s.h.a.gal territory. By right, Serisa of s.h.a.gal has jurisdiction over how all mortals in her territory are protected. Now, if you claim Mia Luchese and bring her into our world-"

"Don't be ridiculous."