Read Dead Man Running: Book Two - Supernatural Bounty Hunter Romance Novellas Online
Authors: E A Price
Viktor caught the tempestuous look on Alma’s face and felt a surge of courage. “Go suck yourself, Celine!”
Celine shrugged her thin shoulders. “I suppose this show of bravery is all for her.” She looked at Alma, venomously. “I sincerely hope you enjoyed the time you had with your mate, Viktor, as that part of your life has now drawn to an end.”
She turned to Eric, a superior look on her face and a bullying tone in her voice. “Kill her. You can enjoy yourself with her, but don’t be stupid enough to let her out of the chains. And you are to leave Viktor alone; I don’t want him hurt, I have plans for him. Do you understand?”
“Yes,” hissed Eric, staring daggers at her.
If Celine noticed his irritation she didn’t react, instead she turned back to Viktor whilst Eric glowered at her. “Forgive me, my love, but I really must be going. There’s a meeting I really must be getting to. I wouldn’t want to miss the opportunity to cast my vote.”
Celine bestowed Viktor with a fake simper, Eric with a sneer and Alma with a triumphant smile, before she swept out of the room imperiously.
A terrifying smile slithered across Eric’s face, as he looked between Viktor and Alma. “Alone at last.”
Eric slowly took off his jacket and began rolling up his sleeves. “You know, Viktor,” he started, conversationally, “you were very lucky in the mate department.” Eric cast his black, lustful eyes on Alma. “She really is beautiful, more beautiful than even Celine. Yes, you truly have been blessed. Back when I was human, I could never have hoped to get a woman like this, even with all my money.”
Alma snorted. “You still can’t.”
She said it with fake bravado;
she wasn’t feeling overly brave at that moment
, but she was almost certain she wasn’t making it out of that room alive. All she could do was draw the vampire’s ire to her, so that he wouldn’t be tempted to take it out on Viktor. In spite of the many things Viktor had omitted to tell her about his past, she knew who this man was.
She was trying not to dwell on Viktor’s lack of candor at that moment
. She knew what Van Dyne, as a human, was capable of doing; she dreaded to think what he might do as a vampire. In spite of Celine’s orders, she worried he might still hurt Viktor, so if it were her last act on earth, she would do whatever she could to save her mate.
Eric froze for a few seconds before barking with laughter. Eric looked at Viktor and smirked. “I’ve heard sex while you’re feeding can be exhilarating, sadly I haven’t been able to try that yet, perhaps tonight I will. And it’s been so lon
g since I had a woman, Viktor you are a lucky vampire, or should I say you were…”
Alma sneered at him. “Please, after being with Viktor, do you really think you can compare? I mean, come on. It’s the difference between a Porsche and a tricycle.”
Eric stilled again, and Alma braced herself for an attack, but none came.
Eric licked his lips. “She’s even better in the flesh, and I’ll bet she tastes divine. Does she, Viktor? Does she taste as good as she looks?”
Viktor tried to roll his shoulders nonchalantly, impossible due to the chains that tightened every time he tried to move. “No, not at all, I’d say she tastes mediocre. She eats too many onions in my opinion; it gets into her pores. If I were you, I’d give her a miss altogether.”
Alma was half tempted to object to that; she ate just the right amount of onions!
It’s not her fault that the best foods smell bad!
Eric strode over to her; she yelped as he grabbed her hair and painfully pulled her head to one side. He leaned down and breathed in her scent; his mouth grazed over her neck. “
Ahhh, heaven.”
She whimpered as he held her hair, almost pulling it out.
“Let her go you bastard!” yelled Viktor, now furiously struggling against the chains, all to no avail.
Eric loosened his grip and began teasing his hands through her long locks. “You should be thanking me Viktor. I allowed you to have four years with her; I hope you spent them wisely.”
“You… you knew?! All this time?” spluttered Viktor.
Eric chuckled. “Of course I knew. I was tempted to kill her outright when you met, but I decided not to. It was funny watching the two of your sneak around, thinking you were outwitting me. It has made this moment even sweeter.”
Eric ran his thumb over her neck. “I’m going to enjoy feeding on you while your mate watches. But it is such a pity to waste you, I wish I could keep you for a little longer…”
“Don’t kill her because of me… just kill me. You’re angry at me; Alma hasn’t done anything.”
“No!” exclaimed Alma frantically. “You heard what Celine said; you have to kill me and keep Viktor alive! She said so!”
Eric tensed ever so slightly at the mention of the female vampire.
Viktor grinned deeply. Alma might just have inadvertently hit on Eric’s weakness. “Yes, and you have to do as you’re told, like a good little vampire, don’t you?”
Eric sucked in a breath through his teeth.
A habit he would lose one day
. “She doesn’t tell me what to do; we’re equal partners.”
Viktor grunted. “Yes, it certainly looked that way. Face
it, you’re her new pet, her lapdog. You’re under her thumb, and that’s where you’ll stay until she’s had enough of you, and then she’ll kick you to the curb. If you’re lucky, she’ll let you live though.”
“Do you really think you can manipulate me so easily? I can get out of this arrangement with Celine anytime I want. She has served her purpose and soon enough I will get rid of her. Do you think I got this rich by playing nicely?”
Viktor frowned. “Didn’t you just inherit your money?”
Eric growled. “Silence! I am a ruthless business man, and in business you always make sure you have the upper hand.” Eric’s eyes briefly flickered to the corner.
Alma almost rolled her eyes;
he was the first person she’d ever met who was proud of the fact that they were ruthless.
Viktor almost wanted to laugh at Eric; he was so naïve. “Please, Celine’s your sire, you won’t be able to do anything. Even I feel a pull to obey her. You’re not even strong enough to say no to her. You said it yourself; you want to keep Alma alive, and yet you won’t, because it’s what Celine wants.”
“He’s right,” piped up Alma. “Look at you, you’re scared of her. God, you’re even too scared to take these chains off me, and I’m a weak, little witch.”
Viktor flashed her a warning look;
he didn’t like where this was going
.
Alma, of course, completely ignored him. Viktor was trying to get Eric to spare her life, but if sparing it meant she became a toy for Eric, then frankly she would rather die.
Besides she had a plan
. “I’m right aren’t I? You’re terrified of little old me! You can’t even handle me; you’re nothing but a lackey for that vampire bitch, you’re too afraid of her to do anything. God you’re pathetic! You were a pathetic human, and now you're a pathetic vampire!”
Eric let out an almighty roar and ripped the chains away from her. He hurled her up by her neck, ignoring the yells of Viktor.
Alma’s eyes shimmered, and she let out a few croaky words before she magically pitched Eric across the room, careening into a bookcase headfirst. Alma dropped to the ground with a thud, and started coughing violently.
“Alma!” Viktor grunted and groaned as he struggled against his bonds.
She crawled along the floor towards him; she summoned as much magic as she could and sent a spell at him. She collapsed just as Eric picked her up and buried his fangs in her neck, furiously sucking her blood.
Viktor roared in fury. He was amazed to feel his chains start to loosen. He looked down to see one of the links crumbling.
Yes! Alma couldn’t destroy all the chain, but she managed to get rid of one links.
He pulled, and unraveled the chains. Hurling them away, he launched himself at Eric. The vampire looked up from feeding in surprise, right before Viktor dug his claws into Eric’s flesh and pried him away from Alma. Awkwardly Viktor held onto Alma and kicked Eric away, sending him sprawling into a couch.
Viktor laid Alma down carefully; he almost cried at seeing her body twitching helplessly. Rage coursed through him.
Eric was about to die for a second time
.
The younger vampire staggered to his feet, and Viktor pounced. He fiercely ripped into Eric with his claws and fangs, tearing him apart. Eric whimpered and screamed; he tried to defend himself, but it was fruitless against Viktor’s wrath. Within seconds, it was over. Eric was dead. Viktor roared over the remains, reveling in the kill.
Fuck, Alma!
The haze of bloodlust left him, and he ran to his mate. He cradled her in his arms and pressed kisses into her cold skin. “Please, Alma, don’t leave me.”
He winced at the wound on her neck; her skin was ravaged and blood oozed from her. She couldn’t survive this; she was too far gone.
Viktor tore open his wrist and squeezed his own blood into her mouth. He massaged her throat, willing her to swallow.
He hugged her limp body.
Over and over he begged her not to leave him.
Ugh! What the heck is that buzzing noise?
Alma blinked her eyes open. She gasped; the world seemed so much brighter! Colors burst at her, and everything looked so sharp. She whipped her head around the room, spying a fly on the other side of the room.
She sat bolt upright as the door opened, and her mate strolled into the room, wearing only a pair of black boxers. A frisson of desire shot to her sex.
He looked edible
.
A smile spread across his handsome face. “Welcome back, sleeping beauty.”
He walked over to the bed and enveloped her in a passionate kiss. He sat on the bed and pulled her onto his lap, snuggling her into his shoulder.
“My heart isn’t beating!” she exclaimed. “Am I…”
“Yes, you are.”
“Wow… I… wow!”
She was a vampire!
She and Viktor would be together forever. But she would never be a witch, practice magic or eat at Hola Sunshine again.
Or be able to sunbathe again
. Then again, she would never age again either! She knew this day was coming, but it was… it was hard to believe it had actually happened.
He rubbed her back. “You need to feed.”
Viktor maneuvered her round and grabbed a bottle of blood. He pressed it to her lips, and reluctantly she sipped at it. Alma groaned in ecstasy at the orgasmic taste and poured the rest down her throat, eager for more. It was like the most delicious food in the world, only a thousand times better. She licked her lips, keen to get every single drop.
He chuckled. “How was that?”
“Unbelievable,” she purred, curling into his body.
Viktor stroked her hair. “How are you feeling?”
“Incredible, I’ve never felt more alive, ironically.”
“You scared the hell out of me, my darling. For a moment I…, I didn’t think you were… I thought you were going to…” He choked up.
Alma flourished kisses over his neck. “I’m fine; I’ve never been better. I can’t believe how relaxed I feel. Hold the phone!” She sat up suddenly. “What the hell happened with that psycho-bitch, Celine? And that total asshole Eric?” Automatically she felt her neck, and was relieved to find her skin had healed from Eric’s savage bite. “They’re not still out there, are they?”
“No, it’s over. For one thing, I killed that
bastard Eric after you freed me. Well done, by the way, ingenious.”
Alma preened but then frowned; she had to keep reminding herself she couldn’t do magic anymore.
It saddened her more than she expected
.
“Everything has been sorted,” he told her.
“So, what happened?”
“Well…”
*
The previous day
Viktor held onto Alma’s body as the police stampeded into the house.
Detective Wyatt
Leeman led the charge. He faltered when he saw Viktor, bloodied, and clutching at Alma’s seemingly dead body.
Wyatt motioned for the other cops to stand down; they were doubtful and refused at first. All they could see was a feral looking vampire, apparently holding onto his murder victim. Eventually, after some stern words from the lion shifter they did.
None of them wanted to make the lion angry, or the vampire any angrier than he already was.
Wyatt approached the vampire warily. “Is she, umm, is Alma okay?”
Viktor pinned the lion with a dark look. “I think so, she’s turning. She’ll be out for a day or two.”
The lion scrubbed a hand over her face. “What the fuck happened, man? You were kind of garbled on the phone.”
Not knowing who else to call, Viktor had opted for the Detective. He had no idea where in Hades he actually was, so he had the lion trace the call and come to him immediately.
His jealousy over the young shifter seemed so petty now.
Viktor swiftly stood up, gently holding his mate in his arms. “I’ll explain on the way, but first I need to make sure Alma is safe, and I believe the evidence you need is in that desk in the corner.”
*
Viktor made the lion drive him to Ruby’s shop. He entrusted his mate into the female vampire’s care. Viktor didn’t plan on being gone long, but if Alma did wake up, it was best that she was with someone who could handle her. He gave Alma a tender kiss before setting off to stop his errant sire.
With his number one priority taken care of, he proceeded to explain the situation to Wyatt as they raced to the Artemis Flynn Concert Hall. It was a large, modern, monstrosity named after a famous opera singer,
a hippopotamus shifter as it happened
. Other than for concerts, it was also used for the Council summits.
The vampire told the disapproving lion everything,
including all of their less than legal activities
. Viktor also suggested they send am ambulance over to his house, just in case Adrian, the badger shifter, was still alive. Viktor told Wyatt his plan, and although the lion didn’t like it very much, he agreed to go along with it,
mostly because he doubted he could really stop the vampire from doing what he wanted anyway.
By the time they arrived, Viktor’s mood had only darkened. He was worried about his mate and determined to take down the vampire who had put her in danger. The Hall was guarded by Council security guards that were easily swept aside by the irate vampire.
The Detective and the other cops followed in the vampire’s wake, ignoring the security guards as they called for back-up.
As planned, Wyatt sent a few officers away with the evidence they had discovered at Eric’s house.
The cops readied themselves round the doors to the halls, weapons drawn. Wyatt held up his hand for silence. “On my count, three, two…”
Viktor ignored him and pushed past them, kicking the door
. Wyatt groaned as the Council members leapt to their feet in surprise.
Apart from Celine, who remained calm, but couldn’t disguise the look of fury that stole over her features.
The Council members started grumbling, and Wyatt used his cop voice on them. “Alright, I need everyone to remain calm. Celine Petit, please will you step this way slowly.”
A number of the Council members glanced at her curiously, whilst others edged away from her. Celine graciously rose and walked towards the cagey looking cops.
Celine flashed a blinding smile. “What seems to be the problem, Detective?”
Wyatt opened his mouth to speak, but Viktor got there first. “You know what, you bitch! You framed Julian for murder and killed those two innocent girls!”
The Council members had been staring at Viktor, who was disheveled and covered in blood, but after that their focus was diverted to Celine.
The female vampire didn’t even bat an eye. She gave a practiced shrug of her narrow shoulders and flipped her pale, blonde hair over her shoulder. “I don’t know what you’re talking about. Julian’s behavior has been reprehensible, but I really don’t see how I can be blamed for that.”
She gave everyone a sweet smile, and much to Viktor’s chagrin, he noticed a few of the cops soften.
If they only knew her true nature…
“You liar!” roared Viktor. “You tried to kill Adrian Harlot-Jenkins, and you’ve been blackmailing half of the Council! And worst of all, you tried to murder my mate!”
The Council members shouted in outrage, whilst eyeing each other suspiciously, trying to determine if any of them had been blackmailed.
It wasn’t too hard to tell; a few of them started sweating profusely.
Celine gave him a smug smile before diverting her attention to Wyatt. “Viktor here seems to be a little delusional; he still hasn’t forgiven me for ending our relationship. He seems to think I’m out to get him, and his witch whore.”
Viktor snarled and rushed at her; the last vestige of control she had over him was shattered the moment he saw Alma dying on the floor.
He could never be loyal to a vampire who would allow that to happen.
Celine easily rebuffed him, sending him flying into a group of cops.
Wyatt gave her a half-smile. “Yes, I’d be inclined to believe you… if it wasn’t for this.”
He looked up to the audio/lighting room at the back of the hall and signaled the other cops. Celine frowned before her eyes widened in horror. The unmistakable sound of Celine’s silky voice floated throughout the Hall.
“…
I had James order the girls, I gave them a magical drug to slip Julian in order to knock him out, and then I turned up at the room with my new pet, and he killed the girls. I’m sure you already know we used wolfsbane to cover our scents, and used a witch to knock out the security cameras of the hotel at a convenient time. I had no idea that covering up murder was so easy…”
*
“Wait, how did you know about the evidence?” Alma asked him, curiously.
Viktor shrugged modestly. “It was just a guess, when Eric was blathering on about how ruthless and smart he was, his eyes flickered to the desk in the corner of the room. Instinct told me that he had something hidden in there, something he could use against Celine, and I was right. He’d been recording all their conversations since the moment they met.”
“Hmmm, you’re not just a pretty face. So what did the psycho-bitch do next?”
*
Celine screeched and looked at Viktor.
He sneered. “You can thank your new pet for this, or at least you could if he were still alive.”
Celine let out a blood-curdling roar and tore out of the room, batting away cops and Council members as she went.
“Stop her!” bellowed the lion shifter.
They pelted after her and found her outside surrounded by numerous Council security guards and Enforcers. Celine snapped her fangs at them all.
“She framed Julian
Holgersson and tried to murder Adrian Harlot-Jenkins, don’t let her get away!” barked Wyatt.
A trio of witch Enforcers stepped forward. Celine made a lunge at them and was repelled by blasts of energy. The witches chanted and kept Celine pinned to the spot as she thrashed about, trying to get away.
Celine howled in frustration and collapsed to the floor, exhausted. “I’ll get you Viktor if it’s the last thing I…mmmf!”
O
ne of the witches hit her with a silencing spell. For which Viktor was incredibly grateful,
he’d had about as much as he could stand.
Other Enforcers rapidly chained Celine and got her to her feet. Viktor was surprised to note that the witches were the same ones who had captured him for Eric all those years ago. They each raised an eyebrow at him and smiled before leading Celine away.
He watched her leave, with only one thought on his mind.
Rot in hell
.
Wyatt rubbed the back of his neck. “Wow, this is… this is going to take some explaining.”
Viktor’s jaw ticked. “You have the recordings, what more do you need?”
“I take it you’re not going to
stick around then?”
Viktor ignored the question and looked at the shifter accusingly. “You’re not going to waste your time arresting either me or Alma
, for anything we’ve done over the past few days, are you?”
Wyatt stared at the unkempt vampire for a few beats. “No, I guess not. I’m grateful for your assistance in this matter, but please don’t make a habit of it.”
The lion shifter held out his hand to the vampire, and reluctantly Viktor shook it.
Alright, maybe he wasn’t quite over his jealousy just yet, maybe in a hundred years time…
He watched as Wyatt tried to calm the Council members and shook his head.
Rather him than me Viktor thought
. He slipped out of the Hall and eagerly made his way back to his mate.
*
“I’m sorry I missed all that.” Alma let out a long breath.
It was strange; she could still breathe, but there was a hollowness to it.
“I’m not, you were safer with Ruby.”
Sort of, Ruby was just a little too fond of Alma in his opinion.
“What will happen to Celine now?”
“I’m not sure…” Viktor was hoping for a death sentence; she’d lived far too long in his opinion.
“Hmmm, let’s forget about her and think about us instead. I like this nightie.” Alma fingered the wispy, black garment.
Viktor huffed. “I wish I could take the credit, but Ruby washed you and dressed you in this. I think she enjoyed herself a little too much. She says to give her a call if you ever get tired of me, by the way.”
“I’ll never get tired of you.”
Viktor swung her round onto the bed and climbed over her; she gasped at feeling his obvious arousal digging into her flesh. “I’m glad to hear it because you’re never getting rid of me.” He buried his head in her neck and nipped at her skin.
“
Ooooh!” All her senses seemed to be ten times stronger, but touch was the sharpest. Her skin felt hyper-sensitive under his ministrations.