Chapter 1

Blood Rain

Blood Bound Series Book 13

Amy Blankenship, RK Melton

Copyright © 2017 Amy Blankenship

English Edition Published by Amy Blankenship

Second Edition Published by TekTime

All rights reserved.

Chapter 1

Ren rematerialized in the front room of The Witch’s Brew… right back in the same spot he’d disappeared from and glared down at the top of Lacey's head. She was sitting on the floor with her back to him holding and rocking Vincent like a damn baby… with his head pressed against her breasts no less. The muscles around his eyes tightened in irritation.

Lacey jerked her head up and frowned when the black lights in the room started to flicker, making her worry that the thunderstorm was going to take out the power here, like it had at the ‘Museum of the Damned’. She flinched and tightened her hold on Vincent when a deafening crack of thunder slammed through the atmosphere, at the same second she saw the flash of lightning.

Vincent let a smirk pull at his lips when he noticed the man shaped shadow the lightning had fleetingly cast on the floor right beside them. Just for the hell of it, he snuggled his cheek deeper into Lacey's soft chest before murmuring, “I think your boyfriend’s back love.”

Lacey felt the tiny hairs on the back of her neck stand on end and dance. All of her brand-new paranormal senses were telling her that Ren was so close to her that, if she leaned back even slightly, she would feel his legs. She mentally blamed it on morbid curiosity and tilted her head back to look up. Sure enough… Ren was leaning over her and glaring down at the both of them.

That definitely wasn't the same gentle gaze he’d given her when he’d left only a few minutes ago and Lacey silently wondered what had happened to sour his mood when he’d returned to the museum. Before she could ask what his problem was, she felt the floor under her vibrate and swung her gaze around the room when everything started to rattle from what she was sure was an earthquake.

Ren gritted his teeth when he heard the crystals and other breakables in the room start vibrating off their shelves. Not in the mood to have the shop destroyed yet again, he stood to his full height and, with a resounding growl, focused his concentration on steadying the store until the quake moved past it.

Vincent pushed himself into a sitting position when the motion inside the store suddenly stopped but the streetlight right outside the front window continued to swing back and forth, casting a moving shadow in the room.

“What on earth is that?” Vincent asked softly when a cloud of dust and debris moved across the window almost obscuring the view of the street.

Ren didn’t have to guess… he knew. He could feel the demons fleeing the destruction. Once the shockwave had passed he answered, “I do believe the city is now down one demon run museum seeing as how the building is no longer standing.” His gaze followed Vincent, who was now making his way toward the window and away from Lacey… smart man.

Vincent gripped the windowsill still feeling weak as he watched the cloud of heavy dust roll past the building in billowing waves. He made a face when he started seeing bodies moving within the dust and realized it was actually demons fleeing the area, using it as dirty camouflage.

He couldn’t stop himself from taking a quick step back when a skinless demon came within touching distance of the window in front of him. He could see remnants of what was left of its skin actually hanging on in tatters from the blood soaked muscles. It turned its head to look directly at him and its mouth opened wide in a silently grotesque scream before fading back into the cloud of dust.

“Tell me again this place is warded against demons,” Vincent demanded having a feeling there were more demons out there on the street than there’d been in the museum.

Lacey quickly leaned backwards having just seen the demonic image at the window only to wind up pressed against Ren's legs. At the moment she didn’t care and welcomed the comforting strength behind her.

“They can’t come in without an invite,” she repeated in a frightened whisper then yelped out of fear when a bloody hand came out of the dust like something from a horror movie and pressed up against the glass… leaving a long crimson streak all the way across as it passed.

“Bloody hell,” Vincent whispered as he slowly turned around and slid down the wall leaning back against it just under the windowsill.

He would much rather deal with the powerful ones any day… at least they weren’t so damn creepy. It was displays like this that always turned Vincent’s stomach. He didn’t have to look again to know they were still out there… he could tell by the frightened look on Lacey's face as she stared out the window just above his head.

“Close your eyes love. You don’t need this memory coming back to haunt you. They should be gone by the time the dust settles,” he coaxed in a soothing voice.

The muscles in Ren's jaw flexed as he continued to stare at the man across the room from them. “There are many memories she could have done without,” he said in a dangerous voice, unaware that his eyes were bright enough to look like silver penlights glowing behind the sunglasses. He tried to keep a tight rein on his rage but with so much evil crossing his path it was taking a huge effort. The higher levels of power drifting in and out of his range were trying to push him past the breaking point and leaving him a bit disturbed.

Vincent gave Ren a bored look but when he noticed the silver glow of the other man’s eyes he felt his own temper spike. Those eyes were a bloody reminder of the Fallen who had damned him to this existence.

“And some memories were never meant to be shared,” he shot back with a huge bucket of sarcasm. “But then, she didn’t share them with you willingly… did she? What makes you think that you’re so much better than me?”

Seeing darker shadows streak past the window, Lacey decided to take Vincent's advice and closed her eyes. The second she was surrounded by darkness her other senses kicked into overdrive. She could feel the demons as they passed close to the store and the longer she concentrated on them the more intense the sensations became.

She could sense so many emotions around her… anger and fear mostly, but even that was warped with malicious intent. It felt like she was mentally touching things that were just out of reach and she wouldn’t lie… it was frightening but equally addicting.

A tantalizing sensation caught her attention and she zeroed in on it, only to suck in a sharp breath when she suddenly felt very hot and heady with passion that didn’t fit in with the scene going on just outside. She blinked when she felt what was damn near close to an orgasm rocket through her and shivered visibly.

Hearing her gasp, Ren reached down and grabbed her wrist pulling her up in front of him. “Where does it hurt,” he asked, completely forgetting about the man he’d just been giving a death glare to.

Lacey's cheeks went up in flames not knowing how to answer that loaded question. Feeling Ren’s hard body pressed against her back and his warm breath in her ear, her eyes widened. Damn, if that didn’t turn her on.

She squeezed her thighs together and focused on the only person in sight… Vincent. To her horror, he seemed to know exactly what was wrong with her. She wanted to die when his gaze slowly lowered down her body to the apex of her thighs making her fidget. Of course he knew… they had been lovers many times.

Vincent cocked an eyebrow when their gazes met. He knew that heated look… had caused it actually but at the moment it was so out of place that it worried him. Forgetting about the horrors outside, he stood to his full height not wanting her in the arms of a demon while under the influence of lust.

Noticing the way Vincent was looking at Lacey, Ren used his hold on her to turn her around so that she was now facing him instead of the other man. Gazing down at her overly bright eyes and feverish cheeks he growled when he caught the scent of her heavy arousal. It wasn't the demons that had her heart racing.

The image of Vincent’s face being pressed against her breasts when he’d first teleported back into the store flashed in Ren’s mind making him growl again and glare down at her in stern warning.

“I think you might want to let go of her mate,” Vincent demanded. He didn’t like the way Ren was looking at her… or the animalistic growling for that matter. He started to close the distance between them but his steps faltered when he heard Lacey's breathless voice.

“When I closed my eyes just then, I couldn’t see the demons anymore… but I could feel them as they passed by. I could almost taste their maliciousness and evil auras. And without meaning to, I turned away from it and tapped into what Gypsy and Nick are… doing in the bomb shelter just below us.”

Ren fought to concentrate through the red haze of evil that was relentlessly clawing its way into his brain and gradually understood what had spiked her passion… but the fact that she’d silently called out to Vincent instead of him was not allowed… never again. He slowly lifted his gaze over her head to stare directly at the man he was about to kill.

When Ren’s fingers suddenly tightened to the point of pain, Lacey jerked her wrist out of his grip and took a hurried step back from him. Lifting her hand to rub the wrist he’d been gripping so hard she frowned. “And your anger stings, so how about toning it down since this unwanted ability is entirely your fault… not mine.”

When she caught the flash of silver behind the dark shades he was wearing, she took another step back only to watch as arms came around her from behind. Still dealing with the aftershocks of being turned on and climaxing so quickly, she leaned back into Vincent’s familiar embrace.

Vincent tightened his arms around her protectively and narrowed his gaze on Ren. “Just what is she accusing you of doing to her?”

“Vincent don’t,” Lacey warned when an even stronger wave of evil energy pushed away the delicious vibes she’d been getting from the bomb shelter below. She frowned when it dawned on her that if she was sensing these disturbing auras so strongly… then there was a very good chance Ren was getting an evil overdose of them.

“Don’t make the mistake of thinking I’m scared of him dove,” Vincent said calmly, meaning every word.

Ren focused on the way one of Vincent’s arms crossed just above Lacey's full breasts, while the other was a mere inch below. The hold looked a tad bit too seductive and possessive for his tastes and she was right about Nick and Gypsy… he could feel them making love along with the enormous amount of evil that had yet to make it safely out of his succubus range. It wasn't a good combination to be adding jealousy and anger too.

“Hey Vincent, I’m curious about something. How long does it take to revive after having your neck snapped?” The corner of Ren's lips lifted in the barest hint of a wicked smile. “Never mind, I know how to find out the answer.”

Lacey's lips parted and she threw her arms out to stop Ren but to her surprise Vincent's body literally vanished into thin air making her stumble backwards. The next thing she knew, her back was against the cold glass of the window. Her eyes widened wondering what Ren had done to Vincent to make him disappear without even touching him.

Ren barely registered the fact that Storm had just stolen his target from him as his attention returned to Lacey. He shot forward and slammed a palm on each side of her, trapping his prey against the shuddering glass. As he stared down at his prisoner, he could see the shadowy forms of demons on the other side of her passing so close that he could have thrust his hand through the window and grabbed them.

Lacey slowly turned her head to look at one of his hands and noticed it was aligned with the bloody handprint on the other side of the glass. A hairline crack formed in the window where he was touching it and started a zigzagged path toward her. She felt fear wash across her when one of the shadows slammed against the window with a thump. She swallowed knowing shadows really shouldn’t make a sound or be able to vibrate the glass like that.

Not wanting the only thing between her and the demons to break, Lacey jerked her frightened gaze back up to Ren. She needed to calm him down before it was too late and did the first thing that came to mind.

Grabbing his shoulder with one hand, Lacey surged upwards pressing her lips hard against his, while her other hand slid down across the crotch of his pants. She quickly found proof that he was not only out of control but obviously turned on. She wrapped her hand over the huge bulge and gripped him, as she aggressively licked and sucked at his bottom lip.

Ren closed his eyes and growled, as his world tried to narrow down with the need to be so far inside Lacey that she would never again want to be in the arms of another man.

When the first thing Ren did was growl ominously, Lacey started to push away from him with all intentions of running like hell but his arm quickly wrapped around her and lifted her up against him. She blinked when his thigh forced its way between her legs and quickly found herself straddling it, making her dress ride up high on her hips.

The arousal she’d been feeling slammed back into her without mercy… but this time the overwhelming sensation wasn't coming from the couple downstairs. It was coming from the dangerous man that now had her in his grasp.

Ren gripped the back of her hair and tilted her face upwards as he took the control of the kiss away from her.

***** Vincent growled in frustration when his scenery changed and his arms were suddenly missing the female he’d had such a protective hold on a mere second ago. Looking for Lacey, he turned full circle and gritted his teeth when he realized he was in a completely different place… some kind of huge office from the looks of it.

“Bloody hell,” he ranted, now totally confused.

“Welcome to PIT,” Storm said from his seat behind the desk. He had been looking forward to this and tried hard not to smile.

“PIT,” Vincent asked, swinging around to locate the voice. “I’ve heard of you blokes, never thought I’d get a chance to meet any of you though.”

“You’ll meet more than a few of us… with Ren being the first,” Storm informed him.

Vincent stiffened at Ren’s name. “No wonder the big jerkoff is so bloody confident. He damn near has an army to back him up.”

Storm suppressed his smirk. “Ren doesn’t need an army but that’s not the reason I brought you here.”

“Then what is the reason,” Vincent inquired, actually feeling impatient. He needed to get back to Lacey and make sure she was safe.

“If you are finished pretending to be a slave for the demons… I want you to join PIT,” Storm said, getting to the root of the matter. “Your abilities make you a perfect match for PIT and your slight addiction can be dealt with.”

Vincent sent a glare at the other man. “What addiction would that be mate?”

“The one where you’re hooked on getting yourself killed,” Storm answered with a steady gaze. “I assure you, going up against the demons with us… there is a good possibility you’ll still get your fix.”

“That’s all fine and dandy but I think I’ll pass. The only reason I’m in this bloody city is for Lacey and leaving her alone with that silver eyed demon is not on my agenda,” Vincent said becoming agitated.

“Ren is a human at heart, which means he bleeds just as red as you do,” Storm corrected. “You two actually have a lot in common since you both have rare powers. Where you have the ability to revive from any injury including death, Ren has the ability to siphon the power from any type of supernatural being that’s within his siphoning range. The animosity you hold for Ren is unfounded… he is not of the Fallen race,” he explained.

Vincent’s glare darkened, “What do you know about the Fallen?”

“I know enough,” Storm said cryptically.

So… his kidnapper was a fan of big, moody, and broody… awesome. In his opinion, that only made this man a bloody idiot.

“If Ren can siphon power from those around him, then he’s on overload right now since that little magic shop they’re in happens to be surrounded by demons at the moment,” Vincent pointed out. “The man didn’t seem very stable when you jerked me out of there… and I do believe he had every intention of timing me on how long it took me to revive from a broken neck.”

“It would have taken twenty-five minutes and thirteen seconds to revive,” Storm smirked when Vincent’s face lost all expression. He shrugged, “It had to have already happened for me to know the right moment to show up. You do seem to know what buttons to press in order to tick Ren off. As for Lacey, she’s perfectly safe in his presence.”

“Sorry if I’m having trouble believing you mate,” Vincent nearly growled not wanting to waste any more time with this nonsense. He’d met his share of powerful entities and to his knowledge none of them were capable of reversing time.

“It’s completely up to you what you choose to believe,” Storm shrugged his shoulders knowing what was coming. “If you agree to join PIT then you will have the opportunity to see for yourself.”

Vincent shook his head, “Not a chance in hell. You can damn well put me right back where you kidnapped me from.”

Storm's expression was haunted and he paid no attention to the quick rejection. “Just because you have been hiding among the demons doesn’t erase your true nature. You were once a Knight for one of the most powerful kingdoms in history and have saved many lives. You protected the weak from their oppressors and, even at the time of your true death, you still went down fighting a demon you knew you couldn’t beat… all because you thought that you were protecting a small defenseless child.”

“How in the hell would you know about that,” Vincent whispered, as the vivid memory flashed in his mind’s eye.

“Maybe you would better understand if I introduced myself properly,” Storm said, just before vanishing.

Vincent flinched when Storm was suddenly standing right beside him gripping his arm and his scenery had once again changed. To his confusion, they were back in the museum hidden in a shadowed alcove. He swung his gaze around the main room seeing the demons were still getting ready for the auction that obviously hadn’t taken place yet.

He instinctively sank deeper into the darkness when David came into the room followed by the same demons that had tortured him… he could even see his blood still fresh on their hands.

The museum vanished and the office was suddenly surrounding them again. “My name is Storm and I am a Time Walker. In order to do a thorough background check on someone, I simply go see the truth for myself.”

Vincent’s lips thinned… caught between the need to be amazed and the need to check on Lacey. A Time Walker… PIT… this city just got a hell of a lot more interesting.

“You do realize that you are still striving to protect someone weaker than you… it’s just your true nature to do so. Let’s make a deal,” Storm offered, feeling no remorse for breaking his own rule about making deals, since neither one of them were demons. “I will go retrieve Lacey right now if you agree to join us. After all… she is already a member of PIT and belongs here with us.”

Vincent didn’t even bother thinking it over. Honestly… at this point, what did he have to lose?