Chapter 17 Jason looked out over the graveyard and sighed heavily, “Wraiths at nine o’clock.” “Can’t you tell time?” Guy growled scurrying to stand near the man with the wraith killing dagger. “Try adding three, six, and twelve o’clock. We’re surrounded by them you idiot.” Jason’s eyes nearly bugged out when he noticed the darkness among the trees beginning to move. He jerked the dagger out of its sheath knowing it wasn’t going to help them. He yelped when Shadow suddenly put her arms around his waist and jerked him backwards… completely out of the cemetery and reality as he knew it. “You could have at least left me the damn dagger you chicken,” Guy yelled then ducked when several wraiths flew directly at him. He frowned when the dangerous things passed by his head without attacking and kept going… not that he was complaining. They’d come close enough to make his hair blow in the damn breeze they caused. Since it had worked out so well with the first wave, Guy decided to
Death Wish Blood Bound Series Book 12 Amy Blankenship, RK Melton Copyright © 2013 Amy Blankenship Second Edition Published by Amy Blankenship All rights reserved.Chapter 1 Ren glanced down at the girl in his arms as he made his way through Gypsy's underground living room and past the beaded curtains that surrounded her bedroom. The main thing that drew his gaze was the thin layer of dirt she’d smudged all over her face like makeup to cover up the fact that she had a smooth unblemished complexion. Unable to stop himself, Ren let his gaze slowly drift back to her perfect lips and then up to the fan of her long dark lashes where they brushed against her cheeks. It would take more than dirt and baggy clothes to hide her softness and beauty from him. He could feel the thick cloth that she had wrapped so tightly around her chest and it annoyed him. It was no wonder she’d passed out like that upstairs… he doubted she could even breathe properly with those b
Chapter 2 “He sent you to steal things?” Gypsy's voice rose in bewilderment. “I can’t believe Grandpa would encourage you to do something so dangerous.” “How do you think he got into this business in the first place?” Lacey asked with a slight smile. “I’ve only heard rumors,” Gypsy whispered more than a little amazed by the confession. Some of the highest ranking people at the underground auctions had been throwing her hints for the last couple years. She’d just nodded politely at them and smiled, then bleached the rumors from her mind not wanting to think too hard on them. She sighed as she admitted, “I just shrugged it all off thinking they were picking on me because we often got a hold of things the others wanted very badly.” “They had every right to be jealous. Grandpa was a notorious cat burglar in his prime and he was able to get his hands on a lot of valuable items during those years,” Lacey confirmed with pride in her voice. “His specialty was supernatural ite
Chapter 3 Lacey sighed when the hot water sprayed over her body and relished the feeling of finally being completely free of the bindings that she’d had wrapped around her breasts to make herself look like a teenage boy. She had a good notion to burn the stolen clothes she’d been wearing. She grabbed the scrubby from where it was hanging on the tub faucet and turned the heat up a little more. For her, relaxing was a luxury she’d been unable to partake of since running away from Vincent and the horde of demons that were after her. Vincent… even the name called up feelings of guilt and she frowned sadly. She’d met him a couple days after she’d gotten a layout of the huge museum Grandpa had sent her to. It just so happened that they had both been sent by different people to steal the same artifact. Her lips twitched at the funny memory… the look on Vincent’s handsome face when he’d caught her breaking into the same secret room he was there to break into. If they had tried to f
Chapter 4 Lacey finished getting dressed, avoiding the mirror as much as possible as she silently ranted to herself. Why the hell did that guy insist on coming to her rescue… she was just fine thank you very much. Sure, she’d had her moments of being scared out of her wits but nothing she couldn’t handle. Her irritation drained out of her knowing now that the demons had found her she wouldn’t be alive long enough to get even with him. She closed the trunk and shoved it in the corner before skirting the wall so she could stay out of the mirror’s reflection on her way toward the door. Ren’s smile became downright wicked when the doorknob began to turn and he teleported directly in front of the bathroom door. He didn’t let her take more than one step before quickly reaching out and palming her forehead, simultaneously cradling the back of her head with his other hand to keep her still. Tilting her head up, he leaned forward and locked his mercury gaze with hers. Lacey parte
Chapter 5 “I was so worried about you,” Lacey murmured into Vincent’s shirt trying unsuccessfully to hold back the grateful tears from seeing him in one piece. The nightmares she’d had of him being buried alive somewhere or worse lost their power over her as she clung to him… her friend that had died so many times. Her heart had stopped that night and the memory still had the power to make her shudder. She balled the material of his shirt up in her fist, “Masters… that damn bastard’s hand went all of the way through you. How did you get away?” Hearing the slight tremor in her voice, Vincent dismissed the enraged man behind her and gave up his antagonizing hug so that he could palm her upper arms. He gently pushed her back and gazed down at her wet cheeks. Damn it… he’d told her to never worry about him… much less cry. He hardened his voice, “You’re forgetting love… I enjoy it. All of it. Dying is nothing more than a game to me.” Her stupid tears had the power to hurt him wo
Chapter 6 Ren looked over his shoulder at Storm while Lacey flinched then spun around to stare at the gorgeous man wondering where the hell he had come from. “You heard everything?” Ren asked curiously. Storm shrugged, “I didn’t have to. I already know the prequel to this story.” “Of course you do,” Ren said giving up. The day he had to explain to Storm what was going on would probably be a bad day for all of them. Storm centered his attention on Lacey and smiled brightly, “Lacey, lovely to see you again.” Lacey frowned recognizing him from the fleeting glimpse she’d gotten of the two men that had disappeared from the living room downstairs. Her eyes narrowed wondering if he was the one that had momentarily given Ren the power to steal her memories. It would make sense. “Do we know each other?” she asked automatically distrusting him. “Not yet… but we will,” Storm answered holding back the impulse he had to hug her fondly. Though, it would be funny to catch Ren'
Chapter 7 Lacey suppressed a shiver as her hand went right through the stone causing a soft splash of light to surround her. She stepped out of Ren's embrace and right through the wall, instantly feeling the difference in temperature. Her eyes brightened as she took in all the artifacts scattered around her and wondered if this was what Aladdin felt like when he’d entered the Cave of Wonders. She raised her gaze counting three levels with a huge open space in the middle so you could see all three floors. She could see everything from weapons of various kinds, to spell books and strange looking charms littering the shelves that were built into the rock walls. Some of the items were encased in glass, while others were trapped in cages like animals. She also spotted many old books, some of them placed almost haphazardly around the room as though they’d been studied recently. “Welcome to PIT’s treasure chamber,” Storm announced proudly knowing this was the most secret one. There w
Chapter 17 Jason looked out over the graveyard and sighed heavily, “Wraiths at nine o’clock.” “Can’t you tell time?” Guy growled scurrying to stand near the man with the wraith killing dagger. “Try adding three, six, and twelve o’clock. We’re surrounded by them you idiot.” Jason’s eyes nearly bugged out when he noticed the darkness among the trees beginning to move. He jerked the dagger out of its sheath knowing it wasn’t going to help them. He yelped when Shadow suddenly put her arms around his waist and jerked him backwards… completely out of the cemetery and reality as he knew it. “You could have at least left me the damn dagger you chicken,” Guy yelled then ducked when several wraiths flew directly at him. He frowned when the dangerous things passed by his head without attacking and kept going… not that he was complaining. They’d come close enough to make his hair blow in the damn breeze they caused. Since it had worked out so well with the first wave, Guy decided to
Chapter 16 Earlier that same night, Zachary leaned back against a tree that was just as dead as the graveyard around him. He shoved his hands into the pockets of his jeans watching Craven continue Tiara’s necromancer training. It was still hard for him to deal with all of the sensual touching involved in the training but the fact that Uncle Craven was still alive meant he’d only mentally killed the bastard a dozen times instead of doing it for real. Though he had to admit the only reason the demon hadn't gone up in flames yet was because Tiara would never forgive him for it. He gazed past them spotting the rest of the crew among the crypts and headstones. It was good to see the team alert and already in full swing. They seemed to have a lot of energy tonight and from the looks of things, they were going to need it. The unanimous decision when they’d first shown up here for their midnight shift had been to clear out everything that didn’t belong… and to do it before dawn. Zacha
Chapter 15 Ren placed his hand over Lacey's eyes and held her tight when her anguished scream echoed throughout the room. How dare that insensitive bastard do that right in front of her? “Interesting,” David mimicked Storm and looked down at the pair of Fallen. “It seems there is someone Vincent truly hates after all.” “Enough!” Storm thundered, his anger making the very air in front of him warp like a translucent wave. “I grow tired of this game.” Time inside the room began to creep forward at a slower pace making movement seem exaggerated. The wavering distortion in front of Storm began to travel faster, reversing back on itself. Turning his dangerous rage in Vincent's direction, Storm focused the rip in time across the room to encase his dead friend. Vincent’s body lifted and moved back, his eyes opening once again to lock gazes with the Fallen before time rewound faster and he rejoined the silence of death… undoing his suicide and the memory of seeing the Fallen that
Chapter 14 “If you have come here looking for a fight then let me appease you by revoking the deal these demons have made with me that stops them from fighting within the walls of this building,” the demon said in the silence that followed. “Then they will all burn,” Zach threatened and the wall of black flames started slowly closing in on its prisoners causing panic from inside the dangerous barrier. “Actually, we did not come here to fight,” Storm started in a calm voice but was immediately cut off by the cocky original. “You lie,” the demon accused as it levitated several feet off the stage, its voice becoming an ominous echo as it drew a wicked looking demon blade and darted toward Storm so fast it became nothing but a blur. Storm stood his ground for a millisecond before disappearing and reappearing right behind the original as it descended. He held the demon’s wrist out to the side making the blade useless while his other arm was wrapped securely around its neck. W
Chapter 13 “You will explain to me why you assume it is my civic duty,” Syn continued with his eyebrows lowered into a deep frown. “Well, it takes your kind to create their kind so… Yes, they are your responsibility,” Angelica challenged without missing a beat and then flung her arms wide indicating the damn barrier. “And why didn’t you do that from the start?” “I didn’t want to and you did say you needed an outlet for your frustration,” he said stepping closer to her so he could lean forward and tower over her. Angelica ran the fingers of both of her hands through her hair, “You are impossible. Back to my original question… what in the hell were you thinking turning this many people into vampires?” Syn gave her a very wicked grin that held absolutely no humor, “Would you believe me if I told you that it’s your fault.” “My… MY FAULT,” she demanded loudly pointing at herself. “What the hell?” “You are the reason for my cruel insanity,” Syn continued point blank.
Chapter 12 Without even touching it Ren's agitation flung the front door of the castle wide open and he went straight to his office knowing Storm would be there waiting for him. Seeing the Time Walker rocking back and forth in the desk chair as if he’d waited all day and was bored was not amusing. “What the hell was that for?” Ren demanded crossing the room. “You were losing your temper with the poor girl,” Storm defended his actions with a shrug. “I knew how to calm her down but the only way I could gain her full attention was to send you away to a place that would give me enough time to say what I needed to say.” Ren sighed and plopped down on the sofa. He’d had plenty of time to cool off but for some reason he could still hear the damn echo of Lacey's soft voice asking to be Vincent’s partner. She would never get her wish while he had the strength to stand between her and that British idiot. “Is she better?” he asked through gritted teeth. “Go see for yourself,” St
Chapter 11 Ren had finally stopped pacing the confines of his room and moved the overstuffed chair from the corner to a place next to the bed so he could keep an eye on Lacey while she slept. He now had his feet propped up on the edge of the mattress and was leaning back comfortably with his arms folded across his lower chest. It felt like she’d been asleep way too long and he had to remind himself that he’d spent three days lost somewhere in time with Storm while here in L.A. it had only been a couple hours. To make time pass by quicker he’d tried to go to sleep but most of the castle residence rarely had the need to sleep and sadly… that power touched him when he was around them. By no means was he bored though … he could watch her sleep in his bed for an eternity and never tire of the endearing sight. She really was lovely when she slept… the relaxed state did wonders for clearing away the anxiety she hadn’t been able to hide no matter how brave she was pretending to be.
Chapter 10 Gypsy quickly flicked off the light for the OPEN sign and locked the door before she turned around to stare at Nick. She was really treading the line between nervousness and extreme excitement. What she needed right now was to break the silence. “Fifteen customers,” she whispered not even having to fake her amazement. “I can’t believe fifteen customers were actually true paranormals… some of them have been coming here since I was a kid. And just think, we were only open a little over half of a normal business day. I usually have more customers in the late evening than I do during the morning hours.” Nick couldn’t help but enjoy her enthusiasm. He started pressing buttons on the security system to turn on every security measure available. The last thing he wanted was more visitors no matter their breed. Hearing the speedy tempo of her heartbeat, Nick kept his voice calm and relaxing as he responded. “Not all of us are the bad guys. Most of us are living normal liv
Chapter 9 Storm looked toward Syn, “I will collect Zachary and a couple others that will be helpful. Can I count on you and the boys joining us tonight? We’re going to be introducing ourselves to several master demons and I’d like to make an impression.” “Why them,” Angelica asked still avoiding Syn. Syn felt his mood darken considerably. He had just touched her so deeply and yet she was still stubbornly rejecting him. She was so busy lying to herself that she refused to see the truth, much less feel it. He closed the distance between them not giving her the one thing that she wanted… space. “Our boys are powerful and just crazy enough to walk into a nest of demons and be able to walk back out without a mark on them,” He said just to provoke her. Angelica looked over her shoulder at Syn and started to correct his statement about exactly whose boys they actually were, but the second their gazes locked she stilled. No… she couldn’t trust herself to be rational with his dem