Outside in the empty corridor, I let out a relieved breath. Had Rio been going to bite me? Would she really have given the finger to the Earl and his guarantee of my safety like that? Or had it just been more play-acting? I grimaced at the red burn on my palm, then checked my watch. I still had nearly an hour before my meeting with Alan Hinkley, time enough for some more investigating ... only right now I’d had my fill of playing detective and having vampires taking me for a sucker. Resisting the urge to run, I strode towards the fire-exit, my high-heels sounding like gunshots pinging on the floor behind me.
Fifty feet and I was out of there.
Only I didn’t make it.
A shadowed blur hit me and slammed my back against the wall. A hard body pressed against mine, a cool hand clamped over my mouth. My pulse jack-hammered away in my throat as I stared at a familiar black stone in a pale pretty ear.
Malik held me there, silent, unmoving, his dark spice scent invading my senses as he looked not at me, but off to the side, as though waiting. About us the light dimmed and shadows obscured our surroundings, leaving us marooned ... somewhere ... or nowhere.
I had a vague thought of struggling, but my body wasn’t interested.
‘You seem to be having a most informative evening, Genevieve.’ He spoke quietly, his jaw hardly moving under his pale skin. ‘It is about to get even more so.’
The words slipped over me as I gazed at the dark, silky hair that curled over the neck of his black T-shirt. The taste of Turkish delight melted over my tongue and my heart did an eager dance, swirling my blood through my veins.
‘When I remove my hand, you will stay quiet, stay still.’ He turned to look at me, pupils glowing red in his almond-shaped eyes.
Part of me didn’t want him to take his hand away; the part that was elated to be with him in this nowhere place. Staring into his perfect, pretty face, fear fluttered in my belly that I could even think like that. Fuck. I willed the feeling away and concentrated on the small pain digging into my spine—my watch. My right arm was bent and trapped behind me, and Malik was pressed so tight against me that I couldn’t get free. Maybe if I sank my teeth into his hand—?
‘Genevieve?’ His fingers flexed against my mouth. ‘You will stay silent?’ His hand tightened round my wrist and the bracelet of bruises there throbbed to his touch.
I glared at him. In my heels, we were almost the same height, and close enough that without his hand on my mouth, our lips would have kissed. I couldn’t nod, so I blinked.
‘Good.’ His hand slid down to circle my neck, thumb touching my speeding pulse.
‘What the fu—?’
He squeezed my throat, silencing me. ‘Look to your left.’
The pressure round my neck gave me no option. I looked.
The shadows shifted, thinning in a small area, almost like watching a slightly out-of-focus TV. Darius, Rio’s blood-pet, burst out of the Théâtre and did a frantic check in both directions. He might as well have carried a flashing neon sign advertising that he was searching for me. He dragged a hand through his hair, desperation marring his cover model looks. Then he looked at us and started jogging. I held my breath as he neared, but he ran past us without even a sideways glance, grabbed the bar of the fire-exit door and rammed it.
The door stayed closed.
Damn, it hadn’t been a way out after all.
Darius swung round and sprinted back the way he’d come.
Malik tapped a finger on my cheek, indicating that I should keep watching.
Heart thudding fast, I did as he wanted and slowly turned my head.
Darius slid to a halt by the ballroom, banged on the door. For a moment, nothing happened. He thumped it again and this time it opened. He disappeared inside, then barrelled back out almost immediately, frowning. He scanned the empty corridor then, his long legs eating up the floor, he raced back into the Théâtre.
I turned back to Malik. The glow in his eyes had dimmed, leaving them deep pools of black. ‘We’re ... what? Invisible?’
He gave a small shake of his head, spoke in an undertone. ‘Not quite. A smell, a touch, a heartbeat could draw attention to us and we would be seen, although unlikely by a human.’
Okay, so he could hide more than himself in the shadows.
I sniffed. ‘You might want to polish up your social skills, y’know,’ I muttered. ‘The caveman greeting was old even in the Stone Age. Most people content themselves with a handshake nowadays.’
He gave me an enigmatic look, then laid his cheek on mine and inhaled. ‘Good evening, Genevieve.’ His voice slid over me like hot satin. ‘I see you received my invitation.’
Fine, so he wasn’t going to hurt me. And he wasn’t into handshakes.
‘Yeah, and it’s been great, but I really must be going, so if you could just move ...’ I tried pushing him away, but it was like trying to shift a concrete troll.
‘The night is still young, and there is more for us to learn,’ he said. ‘I have concluded that you could be useful.’ Amusement flickered over his face. ‘We shall work together on this.’
Who was he kidding? Working together didn’t usually mean plastering colleagues against the wall.
I pulled a disappointed face. ‘Sorry, prior engagement.’
‘Yes, I know.’ He turned back to stare at the empty corridor. ‘You have an appointment at the police station, but that is not for some time yet.’
Well, if he thought I was just going to stand there ... I wriggled, got a leg free ... he shoved his thigh between mine ... my heel stabbed into the floor, jarring the bones in my leg—
‘Calm yourself,’ he said softly, not looking at me. ‘We have another show to watch.’
‘Thanks.’ I heaved a frustrated sigh. ‘I’ve seen all the shows I want tonight.’ He ignored me, intent on ... whatever. Okay, so he’d got me into a compromising position, but even with my heart thudding like a pneumatic drill, there was no evidence he was the least bit excited about it. And his body was touching mine in all the right places, so that I’d feel, just like I could feel his heart wasn’t beating, and he wasn’t breathing: he’d shut himself down, like the Earl had earlier. And like the Earl, and Rio, no doubt this was just Malik’s way of asking me to find whatever magic killed Melissa—except that he hadn’t wanted me to get involved in the first place—
He cut into my thoughts. ‘See who is coming now?’
Albie—Mr June—appeared out of the ballroom. He had a good scratch of his thighs through his uniform and strolled to the Théâtre. Before he got there, Rio stalked out, snarling with anger, the burn on her chest like a blistered red brand. An even-more-desperate-looking Darius hovered behind.
My pulse sped faster.
‘Slow your heart, Genevieve,’ Malik said soft and urgent. ‘Slow its beat, as you did before; you will draw their attention otherwise.’
I took a deep breath, concentrated, but nothing happened. I closed my eyes. One elephant, two elephants.
‘Now,’ he hissed, ‘or I will do it for you.’
Damn G-Zav. I gritted my teeth. Five elephants, six elephants.
‘It will not go well if they find us.’
My eyes snapped open, I glared at him and whispered. ‘Like that’s going to help!’
His hand plucked at my throat. ‘Why are you wearing so many clothes?’
‘Huh?’
He let go of my wrist, slipped my jacket open and pulled at the Lycra. ‘What is this?’
‘My top!’ I tried to push his hand away.
The glow flared in his eyes. ‘Be still.’
I couldn’t answer him, couldn’t move, couldn’t speak, frozen at his command. The flutter of fear returned on great beating wings.
He glanced along the corridor.
‘There is no time.’ He grabbed the neck band of my top, tore it down. Chill air kissed my naked skin. Incandescent eyes fixed on mine, Malik pressed his palm between my breasts, put his lips on mine. Cold seared through my body like a fast, freezing glacier. I screamed into his mouth. He shuddered, swallowing my screams into silence. Then my heart stuttered, stopped beating. My head dropped to his shoulder, eyes falling shut, body limp. I wondered if I was dying, but the thought was trapped in a sea of ice and didn’t matter any more ...
Open your eyes, Genevieve. His voice drifted unspoken through my mind.
My eyes opened.
Rio, Albie and Darius strode past us and through a door further down the hall.
We followed them in ... or we didn’t, I wasn’t sure, but now we stood against a wall in a spacious office. The room had a hollow feel to it. A desk, a plastic chair, a metal filing cabinet—and a stale rank smell that made my nose wrinkle. Old blood.
Malik spooned behind me, his arm tight around my waist, his hand a cold fist over my heart. I knew that my heart did not beat, that my body would do only as he commanded, not as I wanted, but my panic was locked away, a prisoner inside a bubble of ice, and all that was left was calm and coldness.
‘Where is the sidhe, Darius?’ Beads of pink sweat pearled in Rio’s hair. ‘How could you lose her?’
Darius stood, arms slack at his sides, submissive. ‘I’m sorry, Master.’
She grabbed his throat, lifted him until his feet dangled inches above the ground. ‘I gave you a task,’ she growled. ‘All you had to do was watch her and tell me what she did and who she spoke to.’ She shook him.
I almost expected him to rattle.
‘You knew I hadn’t finished with her yet,’ she yelled.
Eyes bulging, Darius let her choke him.
Albie brushed down his uniform, had a sneaky scratch, then said calmly, ‘Put him down, Rio. You can play with him later.’
She dropped Darius and backhanded him all in one fast movement, launching him into the air. He hit the filing cabinet face-first, banging it into the wall, and thudded down, blood trickling from his scalp, leaving behind a head-sized dent in the metal.
Ouch! That had to hurt.
‘Why are you fussing about the sidhe?’ Albie inspected his manicure. ‘She must have left.’
‘They say not at the front door.’ Rio kicked the plastic chair, knocking it over.
‘They are such challenging things, the fae,’ Albie said snidely. ‘Maybe she vanished into thin air.’
Rio snarled, lips pulling back from her fangs, ‘I told you, she can’t do that. She may reek of power, but she lacks any ability to control it.’
Harsh but true. Still I wasn’t too happy about the reeks bit.
‘And you think you are the one to win that prize?’ Albie gave a disbelieving sniff. ‘You smell weak enough that I wonder you ever gained your autonomy.’
‘Don’t push me.’ She crowded him, topping him by a good six inches. ‘You didn’t enjoy it the last time I showed you who’s boss.’
A sly look crossed his face. ‘I won’t help if He senses you’re this depleted. Remember I’m not the loyal sort. All I’m interested in is my blood-cut and if you can’t deliver, then I’ll find someone who can.’
‘You always were a snivelling parasite,’ she sneered at him.
‘I prefer to call it judicious pragmatism.’ He reached for the door handle.
Be ready, Genevieve, Malik’s voice sounded in my head. I do not wish to stay for the finale.
He wasn’t the only one. Somehow I didn’t think I’d enjoy the encore.
‘Now if I was you,’ Albie pointed a finger at her, ‘I’d stop fretting about the sidhe and sort yourself out.’
Rio lunged for him.
But he was gone.
She slammed the door shut, leant back against it and glowered at Darius. He was still huddled on the floor, watching her with wide-open eyes.
Our chance is lost. We must wait until she is otherwise occupied.
A long, low hissing escaped Rio’s mouth and she collapsed to her knees. ‘Get over here, you pathetic creature,’ she ordered.
Darius slowly sat up, then dragged his shirt sleeve across his face, wiping away the blood.
Rio’s face contorted in pain. ‘For fuck’s sake, hurry up!’
He lurched forward as if she’d pulled him, then crawled until he knelt before her, his pupils dilating until they almost eclipsed the brown of his iris.
She stroked his cheek. ‘Kiss me.’ Her tone lost its stridency, mesma giving it promise.
Darius clasped her head in his palms, then mashed his mouth to hers.
Rio looked like she was trying to eat him back.
She’s occupied, I tried to shout. I want to go now.
Rio reared back, her chest rising with harsh gasps, a rosy bloom in her cheeks. She ran her tongue around her fangs, then laughed, the sound of her pleasure echoing around the room. Darius slumped, a thick trickle of blood running between his lips.
‘More,’ she purred, pressing her mouth back against his. Her hands reached blindly for his shirt, ripped it open. She scored long blue nails over his pecs, down his abdominals, and thick lines of blood welled up. Moving her palms in ever-widening circles, she spread the blood like jam over his weeping skin.
Okay. I tried to close my eyes, found I couldn’t. This is not good.
Rio snatched her mouth away and Darius swayed, eyes tightly closed. Her tongue snaked out to lick a smear of blood from his jaw. He moaned, the sound unhappy. She looked down and her gaze turned eager as she tried to lower her head. He stopped her, fingers clamping like limpets to her scalp. A fine trembling started in his body. ‘Please ...’ The word was an anguished whisper.
She grinned, fangs glinting sharp in the overhead light. ‘I know you can beg better than that, my lovely, frightened pet.’ Flattening her hand in the wet slickness on his chest, she shoved him onto his back.
Darius lay awkwardly, his legs bent under him, fingers clutching the small blue curls he’d ripped from her hair.
A ripple shivered through the cold that encased me.
Be calm. Malik’s mouth breathed ice along my neck.
And the ripple smoothed away.
Rio wiped her bloody hand over the burn mark on her chest, then took a slim mobile phone from her back pocket. Sliding the top up, she thumbed a button and held it to her ear.
‘It’s me,’ she said into the phone. ‘There’s a problem. It’s not going to work.’
She flicked Darius, grinned as he flinched.
‘Yes,’ Rio said, ‘she’s been and gone.’
She dug her nails into the tight skin of Darius’s stomach, drawing more bright red blood.
He jerked and cried out, but she silenced him with a look.
‘Yes, I did, just as you wanted,’ she said, her tone placating. ‘Only it didn’t go as we’d expected. Still, we should’ve known it wouldn’t after that little stunt in the police station.’
Malik’s arm tensed around my waist. My ears had already perked up. Now if I could just listen, and not watch ...
Phone still pressed to her ear, Rio dipped a finger in Darius’s blood, painting streaks over his quivering flesh. ‘Interesting.’ She tilted her head to admire her efforts.
Darius’s wide-eyed stare gave new meaning to rabbits and headlights.
‘You really think that’s going to make such a difference?’ Licking her fingers clean, she listened, then squealed with excitement. ‘Oh, that will be so delicious!’
Behind me, another part of Malik stiffened.
Shit. Rio wasn’t the only sucker getting worked up. Agitation swept through the calm peace inside my bubble.
‘So she could still be useful then.’ Rio smiled at the trembling Darius. ‘Yes, later. I’ve got something I want to finish first.’
Be ready, Genevieve.
Rio grinned and said, ‘Me too.’ She tapped the phone shut, sliding it onto the desk. ‘And now, my pet, you can scream all you want.’ She bowed as though praying, and sank her fangs deep into his chest and sucked. The noise was loud and painful in the quiet room.
A tear rolled down Darius’s face and dripped into the dark brown carpet beneath him.
The office disappeared.
I stood in the round stone room of my memory, the candles guttering low. The room stank of lust and terror and my legs were cold and wet from my own piss.
Sally’s blue-white hair was matted, blackened with her own blood. Her blue skin was pale and lifeless. Her eyes were staring up at me, begging.
And I watched as my prince—
Then the office returned as Darius screamed, the sound shattering the ice that held me frozen. Angry heat rolled inside me. My heart beat once. Pain spasmed through me, splintering every nerve I had.
You must not fight me, it will hurt too much. Malik’s voice was urgent in my mind.
A river of molten lava burnt its way through my body: my arms, my legs and my fingers cracked with the heat. My eyes fused shut. Then the itching started, unbearable, tormenting, and I needed to scratch my skin off, but my hands were held frozen in the ice.
‘Genevieve, can you hear me?’ Blessed cool wrapped itself round my body for an instant. I tried to hold it to me, but the pinpricks needling my body wouldn’t let me.
‘Genevieve, listen, it will stop soon; it is just your circulation returning. Nothing more.’
Somewhere I laughed. Nothing more? Who did the voice think it was kidding?
‘Drink this, it will help.’ Liquid splashed over my lips.
I opened my mouth; let it pour down my throat.
‘That is enough, else you will be sick.’
The itching was back, insects crawling all over my body, nipping me with their tiny sharp teeth.
‘What’s the matter with her, man?’ Another voice, this one heavy, rough. It didn’t feel good, not like the cool one. ‘She done a bad trip on sumfink?’ the rough voice asked.
‘Hold her wrists,’ the cool voice said. ‘Don’t let her injure herself.’
‘Sure thing, man,’ Thick, meaty fingers settled round my arms. ‘You gonna pour some more water over her?’
Firm hands cupped my cheeks. ‘Genevieve. Listen to my voice.’ The voice wrapped itself round me. It felt like slipping into a still, dark lake.
‘Open your eyes.’
The insects gave me a few last bites.
And I looked into the red glow of Malik’s eyes. ‘What the fuck did you do to me?’