Dead Sexy (34 page)

Santiago wandered the dark streets of the city. A week had passed since the night of the full moon. He had not seen Regan since then. Though he longed for her company, it seemed wiser to stay away. She had made it clear that in spite of her affection for him, he was not what she wanted. Which was too bad, he mused, because she was exactly what he wanted. Human or werewolf, it didn't matter. He loved her as he had never thought to love again, yearned for her with every fiber of his being, ached to take her in his arms and possess her fully and completely.

He muttered an oath as he turned a corner. He could take her by force. He could bend her will to his, make her want him and no other, make her forget she had ever wanted anything or anyone else, but what kind of love would that be? He wanted her love, freely given, he wanted her to need him with every breath in her body, every beat of her heart. All or nothing, he thought, and knew he would have to settle for nothing. He would be there for her when the moon was full for as long as she needed him. He would help her find and destroy Vasile. And then he would never see her again.

Santiago paused in front of the nightclub at the end of the street. The place was a dive, one of many in this part of the city. He had come here on occasion, sometimes just to pass a quiet night, sometimes to hunt for prey.

For a moment, he listened to the slow, heavy beat of the music spilling out into the night and then he went inside.

He stood inside the doorway for a moment, his gaze quickly perusing the room and its occupants, and then he grinned, amused by the sight of Michael Flynn dancing with Tatiana. It was obvious, even from a distance, that the cop was thoroughly smitten. But then, who could blame him? Tatiana was perhaps the most blatantly beautiful and sensual female Santiago had ever known. In days long past, they had relied on each other for companionship. They had hunted together and taken their rest together and occasionally, on a long and lonely night, they had found solace in each other's arms, but then Santiago had met Marishka, and Tatiana had decided to go off and see the world.

Moving to the end of the bar, Santiago ordered a glass of red wine. Looking into the mirror behind the bar, he continued to watch the vampire work her magic on the detective. Not surprisingly, every other man in the room was also watching her.

When the music stopped, Tatiana took Michael by the arm and led him toward the entrance.

Muttering an oath, Santiago followed them outside. Though he had no love for Flynn, he knew Regan was fond of the man.

Santiago kept his distance until Tatiana drew Flynn into the shadows behind a tall hedge.

"What are you doing?" Santiago heard Flynn ask.

"You'll like it," Tatiana purred. "Trust me."

"That's enough," Santiago said, rounding the hedge.

"Joaquin!" Tatiana exclaimed with mock enthusiasm. "What a nice surprise!"

Santiago grunted softly. Hunger radiated off of her in waves, like summer heat shimmering off blacktop. He didn't miss the faint glow in her eyes, or the way she held on to Flynn, her arms imprisoning him in the guise of affection. Santiago knew it would be affection only so long as Flynn didn't try to escape.

Michael Flynn glared at him over the top of Tatiana's head. "What the hell are you doing here?"

"Saving your neck," Santiago retorted. "And I mean that literally."

Flynn glanced at Tatiana, then back at Santiago. "What are you talking about?"

"She is a vampire."

Flynn stared at him. "A vampire?"

Santiago nodded.

Flynn looked at Tatiana as if he had never seen her before. "Is he telling the truth?"

She shrugged. "Does it matter?"

"Damn right!" Flynn said. He tried to get away from her, but there had never been a mortal who could equal the strength of a vampire. Fear surfaced in Flynn's eyes. "Get away from me!"

"Tatiana, let him go."

Her gaze locked with his, her eyes blood red with hunger.

"Let him go," Santiago repeated.

With a harsh laugh, she released her hold on Flynn. Moving toward Santiago, she raked her nails across his cheek, drawing blood. "All right, I'm going." Standing on her tiptoes, she licked the blood from his cheek. "But you owe me one," she said, and with a wave of her hand, she vanished from sight.

Flynn stared after her and then, ever so slowly, turned toward Santiago. "I'm grateful," he said brusquely, "but I'd still like to know what you're doing outside the park."

"Saving your ass," Santiago replied, his voice equally harsh.

"And why isn't she confined," Flynn went on as if Santiago hadn't spoken. "And I intend to find out the answers to both questions."

"I would advise you to mind your own business," Santiago said, "or I might not be there next time."

And then, he, too, disappeared from sight.

Muttering an oath, Flynn drove to Regan's, determined to get some answers once and for all.

Regan was sitting at her computer, scrolling through the help-wanted section, when the doorbell rang.

Hoping it was Santiago, she hurried to answer the door, but it was Michael. After their last parting, she had never expected to see him at her doorstep again.

"Mike!" she exclaimed. "What a surprise. Do you want to come in?"

"Thanks." He followed her into the living room and sat on the sofa, one arm draped across the back.

Regan sat on the other end of the sofa. "So, what brings you here?"

"I want you to tell me everything you know about Joaquin Santiago."

"What makes you think I know anything?"

"Come on, Reggie, don't play games with me. How does he get out of the park? Why doesn't the barrier affect him?"

"I don't know, Mike, honest. I asked him once, but he never told me. Are you all right?"

He rubbed his hand over his neck. "Sure, for a guy that was almost dinner."

She frowned at him. "What are you talking about?"

"I was at the Blue Zodiac tonight. A woman asked me to dance, then she asked me to walk her home." He cleared his throat "Turned out she was a vampire."

"Good heavens, Mike, are you all right?"

"Yeah. Your buddy Santiago showed up and saved my butt. I need to find out why she's not registered in the park, and how he's crossing the barrier. People need to know they're not as safe as they think. If there's a glitch in the barrier, then the superintendent in charge of security needs to know, as well."

"The barrier works on most of the vampires, Mike. I think it doesn't work on Santiago because he's so old."

He nodded. "Makes sense, I guess, but it doesn't matter if it's one bloodsucker getting out or a hundred. I'm sworn to protect the people in the city and as long as even one of them can get out, we're not safe."

"Mike, don't you think you're overreacting?"

"Hell, no! If Santiago hadn't showed up tonight,
I might have been the next victim. You're a hunter, Regan. We need to find the female and get her housed in the park before she turns the city into her own private buffet."

"Have you cleared this with the department?"

"No, but I will." He drummed his fingertips on the back of the sofa.

Regan nodded. Maybe Santiago could help her find the vampire in question. "Do you know where she lives? Her name?"

"She said her name was Tatiana."

Good grief
, Regan thought. That was the name of Santiago's friend. "Does she have red hair and blue eyes?"

"Yeah, do you know her?" Even as he asked the question, Mike suddenly remembered where he had seen the vampire before. She had been at Charlie's one night, dancing with Santiago. "You making friends with the Undead now?"

"No. All I know is that she's Santiago's friend."

"I guess that means hunting her is out of the question, doesn't it?" Flynn asked, his voice laced with contempt.

She lifted her chin defiantly. "I'm afraid so."

Mike swore softly. "Regan, how serious are you about this bloodsucker? You're not… you wouldn't…"

"There's nothing going on between us, Mike. He's a vampire, remember?"

"See that you remember that."

"Not to worry," she said, forcing a smile. "I haven't seen him in weeks."

"Regan, you know how I feel about you. Nothing's changed that." He took a deep breath. "Is there any chance for us?"

She laid her hand over his. "I'm sorry, Mike. I just don't love you the way you deserve."

Mike nodded, then gained his feet and headed for the door. "Be careful, Regan," he said, "I'm afraid humanity isn't as safe from the monsters as we thought we were."

Regan stared after him, wondering what he would say if he knew she was now one of the monsters.

Zina stood at the window of Vasile's house, smiling as she stared out into the night. He had left for the States only moments ago.

No longer would she have to endure his physical and verbal abuse. She had wanted only one thing from Vasile and now she had it. She placed her hand over her womb, her heart swelling with love for the child she carried. Never again would she submit to Vasile's cruelty. If he ever laid a hand on her again, she would kill him. Though she had come to accept being a werewolf, she had never forgiven him for biting her. She had been a teenager when he attacked her. Before Vasile, she had dreamed of becoming a model or an actress, but Vasile had changed all that. He had bitten her and brought her here. She had been too afraid and too ashamed of what she had become to leave. But now…

"I could be free," she murmured, and wondered why she hadn't thought of it years ago. All she had to do was kill him and the curse would be broken. Her child would be born free of the curse. Killing Vasile… the thought gave her pause. It was against pack law for one werewolf to kill another, but she had a child to think of now. With Vasile dead, she could take her baby away from this place and live a normal life.

The more she thought about it, the more she warmed to the idea. She would be better off without him. The pack would be better off without him. Vasile ruled out of fear. In the past, the pack had been content to follow her in his absence. They would not miss him if he was gone a week, a month, or forever.

A familiar tingle told her that the moon was rising. Shedding her shoes and her clothing, Zina stepped out into the gathering darkness. Soon, the rest of the pack joined her. As soon as they all shifted, they gathered around her, rubbing their bodies against hers. They knew at once that she was with child.

With joyful yips and barks, the members of the pack bounded into the night, their humanity and all its cares left behind. There would soon be a new member of the pack. It was cause for rejoicing.

Feeling fulfilled for the first time in her life, Zina threw back her head and howled her happiness at the moon.