Viper (20 page)

Before she had a chance to admonish him, he said, “Get your things … both of you. You’re going to get into Suzi’s car and follow me to the clubhouse. You’re no longer safe here.”

“What about my car?”

“It stays. This fuck surely knows your car, but he doesn’t know Suzi’s. I’d like to keep it that way.”

“He does if he followed you.”

“I don’t think he did. I would have smelled his presence. Now get your things and meet me out front in five minutes. You think you two stubborn clowns can manage that?”

“Gee, when you demean me that way, Kane, it makes me go all gooey inside.”

“Your sarcasm is lost on me, Cara.”

Kane didn’t wait to see if they’d follow his orders. His arrogance spoke volumes. He knew damn well they would do as he demanded. After all, they didn’t have much of a choice.

Cara looked at Suzi and grimaced. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to get you involved in my mess.”

Suzi gave her half a smile. “What are friends for?”

“This certainly goes beyond.” Cara unwrapped herself from the afghan, folded it and draped it over the back of the sofa. “I guess we best get our stuff before we rue the day we tested Kane’s patience.”

“I’ll get my things.”

Several moments later, Cara sat in the passenger side of Suzi’s car as they closely followed Kane on his motorcycle. The sidewalks stood uninhabited this early in the morning as the red Neon traveled down Main Street and past Tom’s Deli. Street lights illuminated their way through the hazy layer of fog descending on the valley. By morning the fog would likely be dense, hampering visibility, a common occurrence in the cool fall temperatures.

Cara glanced out the side window, seeing the red glowing brake lights of a patrol car as it stopped at the corner of Washington and Monroe, then slowly rolled through the intersection. She suddenly missed her uncomplicated life in Eugene where she started out as a uniform. She had thought by moving back to Pleasant that life would be slower paced, even if she had taken on the job of detective. After all, what cases had Lane County seen in the past eighty years? A few drug trafficking cases, one bank robbery, and a couple of open and shut suicides. But not one murder case in the last twenty years.

That is, until now.

After letting out a long sigh, Cara returned her gaze to the back of Kane’s motorcycle and that of his backside. His jeans stretched nicely over his muscular rear, Cara remembered all too well the cords of muscles beneath his taut skin as her heels dug into his ass. Her mind couldn’t help traveling back to the previous evening when he walked in on her shaving. Truth be told, she hadn’t thought of much else in the last twenty-four hours. The question was would she want a repeat?

Desire pooled in her lower abdomen, numbing the inside of her thighs, causing her to cross them. Cara had never experienced anything so erotic in all her years. Hell, with the way her love life had been going, she’d be a fool to turn down round two. With a shake of her head, she stifled a chuckle. Last thing she wanted to do was admit was how much she really had been thinking about Kane, let alone wanting to revisit last night’s activities.

Cara glanced at Suzi. She wasn’t sure who all would be at the clubhouse this time of night. But for once she hoped Kane’s club members were out feeding or whatever it was they did when the sun went down. Noting Suzi’s death grip on the steering wheel, Cara figured she undoubtedly worried about Kaleb being at the house when they arrived. After what she had confided in Cara, she didn’t think Suzi would be in too much of a hurry to see him.

“What?” Suzi asked as she glanced briefly at Cara, having caught her staring.

“I feel horrible, Suzi.”

“You already apologized. Don’t sweat it.”

“But you hate Kaleb.”

Suzi didn’t respond right away. Instead, she returned her gaze to Kane and the road. Finally, she said, “Does Kaleb still live at the clubhouse?”

Cara nodded.

“Then, I guess I’ll just have to deal with him when I see him. I doubt pretending he doesn’t exist will work.”

That caused Cara to snicker, and Suzi joined in on the humor. “That will be as easy as trying to ignore Kane.”

Moments later, Cara’s prayers were answered as they pulled into the clubhouse’s empty parking lot, gravel crunching beneath the tires. At least now they could get settled before the other members discovered who the little red Neon belonged to.

One look at Suzi told Cara she wasn’t as brave as she let on. Truthfully, she looked ready to bolt as she stared at the wood-sided cabin. Kane didn’t wait to see if Suzi and Cara followed, nor did he bother to see if they had bags they might need help with. She supposed his pissed state of being had a lot to do with his lack of manners at the moment. He clearly wasn’t too pleased he had to chase her down in the middle of the night. She supposed he had better things to do, like feed.

How often did a vampire need to drink blood anyway?

That question brought back their late-night rendezvous in living color. Desire shot through her at the thought of Kane’s fangs sinking into her flesh. She knew damn well that if the opportunity arose, angry at Kane or not, she’d cave. No one had ever given her an orgasm of that magnitude. There was no question about it. Kane not only knew how to make a woman peak, but being food for a hungry vampire had its tremendous draw as well.

Exiting the small Chevy Neon, Cara grabbed her overnight bag and headed up the walk behind Suzi. She had to hand it to her old friend. Since exiting the car, Suzi hadn’t faltered her steps. Cara would bet her insides were tied into knots and no doubt hoped Kaleb wasn’t inside.

Chapter 18

Kane slammed the door upon entering the clubhouse, not waiting on the women. Jesus! Bringing Cara back to his home, his bed, was the most insane, idiotic thing he could have possibly done. He had little or no willpower when it came to her, no matter that he really didn’t have another option. Not only did she need safeguarding from this psychotic vampire bent on taking her life, she needed to shield herself from him. Cara hadn’t asked to be in the middle of some pissing match between two vampires. But there she was. One wanted revenge for some yet-to-be-known reason, while the other just wanted her out of her pants and in his bed. Stupidly, he had allowed his interest in the detective to cloud his good judgment and place her in harm’s way.

Kaleb and Grayson had every right to be angry with the way he had handled this situation. Not only had he brought one female into their home, he now had two under foot. No doubt they’d want to stake him once they found out. He hung his head and stared at the wooden planks beneath his feet. This had disaster written all over it. Kane hadn’t forgotten how Suzi had nearly begged him for sex when he had fed from her a few nights back. Throw Cara into the mix and their late night activities … well, let’s just say Kane had no idea how the two would react if one found out about the secrets of the other. Add Kaleb to the equation…

Kane shook his head.

He still had no clue about their history, and normally he couldn’t have cared less. But now that they might all be residing beneath the same roof, he second guessed his earlier rationale of tracking down Cara at Suzi’s house. The wiser choice would have been to retrieve her at the Sheriff’s Office the following day. He certainly hadn’t been using good reasoning as of late. He sighed heavily. Cara had him acting irrationally and not thinking with his head.

The door opened, drawing his attention, and the two women causing him so much distress entered the living area. One look told him neither was too happy with her present situation. No more than he anyway. His eyes zeroed in on Cara, his dick also taking notice. Kane clenched his teeth so hard he feared breaking a molar. Cara definitely had him thinking with his head … just not the right one.

“Welcome home, ladies,” Kane grumbled.

Cara tossed her bag on the sofa, where it landed with a thud. “Really, Kane? It was one thing to involve me in all of this, but now Suzi?”

His ire rose. Balancing his fists on his hips, he glared at them both. “You don’t think I know that? Don’t get all self-righteous on me here, Cara. You’re not the only one being inconvenienced. You think I’m enjoying playing babysitter? Now I have two of you to worry about when I should be out there looking for this son of a bitch turning my life upside down.”

Cara’s cheeks reddened as her gaze narrowed, pinning him where he stood. Apparently, he needed a lesson on how to handle a hard-headed woman, because he was doing nothing more than pissing this one off.

“I didn’t ask for this!”

“Look, Cara,” he said, taking a deep, calming breath. “I know this hasn’t been easy for you, but it would go a whole hell of a lot smoother if you’d just start doing as I say.”

“I’m not your doormat. I have a job to do, which may include arresting you, I might add.”

Kane’s gaze widened. “Are you fucking serious? You still think I could’ve had something to do with these murders?”

“You drink blood!”

“It’s called survival, sweetheart. But when have I ever made you feel threatened because of it?” He looked at Suzi, who wisely kept her mouth shut as she watched Kane and Cara’s exchange with amused interest. “Suzi … you allow my brothers to feed from you. You fed me a few nights ago. Have any one of us ever made you feel your life was in danger because of it?”

She put her hands up, palms out. “Oh, no … don’t get me involved in this.”

“Throw me a bone here.”

Suzi glanced at Cara, her smile crooked. “You just have to know the signal to get them to stop or they might just suck you dry.”

Cara’s face paled and Kane wanted to throttle the petite brunette. She must have detected Kane’s reaction to her little joke, for she quickly followed up with, “Relax, Cara. Kane or his brothers have extreme self-control. They never take more than they need, and no more than your body can replenish easily. It’s like going to the Red Cross and donating blood.”

Cara’s gaze narrowed. “Oh, no you didn’t. You didn’t just compare what they do to giving blood at Red Cross.”

Suzi smiled and shrugged.

“Okay, fine.” Cara turned back to Kane. “I really don’t believe you murdered these women, or I certainly wouldn’t be following you into the night and right into the lions’ den. Let’s just say I don’t extend the same courtesy to your brothers.”

Kane thought about the men who followed him, the rest of the Sons. Could one of them be the miscreant they hunted? That made zero sense since the primordial had targeted Cara, had said that it was her turn to die, and Kane had smelled his presence all over her room. Could it be possible the ancient vampire wasn’t guilty of the other murders? Kane had only assumed…

“You think one of my men could be responsible for killing these women? On what basis?”

Cara’s shoulders slumped ever so slightly, but Kane caught the defeated gesture. She was grasping at straws. The fact he and his brethren drank blood made them her probable suspect. Kane knew without a doubt that one of his kind was indeed responsible. The complete draining told him as much. But one of the Sons? Ludicrous.

“Your grasping at straws, Detective.”

“Maybe. But at the moment, I don’t have anyone else to look at. Give me a reason to look outside this club.”

“It’s a primordial who wants you dead.”

“So you say, Kane. I don’t have anything but your word that this phantom exists. You’re asking an awful lot from me to buy into this supernatural shit. Hell, I can hardly believe that
you
exist. And now I’m supposed to suspend belief even more and believe this ancient, powerful vampire wants me dead.” Tears welled in her eyes as her bravado slipped. “And if that’s true, I don’t even know what I did to piss him off.”

Kane’s heart ached. Damn, a hard-headed woman was tough enough to deal with. But a vulnerable one? Kane was completely out of his element. He wanted to go to Cara, wrap her in his arms and never let go. He knew, though, she would welcome his comfort about as much as she did his protection. Especially after the stupid remarks that came out of his mouth the previous morning, words he never intended her to hear. Words meant to placate his brothers.

Just how the hell he’d managed to get himself into this mess, he wasn’t sure.

“Look, it’s late. Why don’t you two get settled. We can discuss this tomorrow. You both look like you could use some sleep.”

“Suzi can sleep in your room with me. No reason to put out Kaleb or Grayson when we can both fit in your massive bed.”

Kane’s gaze jerked to Cara’s. Oh, hell no. He’d rather put Kaleb out of his bed than allow Suzi to share Cara’s, scratch that,
his
bed. Not that there would be a repeat of last night, mind you. Or at least he made half an effort of convincing himself.

Who the hell was he trying to kid?

One taste of Cara and he wanted more … though this time, he needed to keep his fangs to himself. And if he planned on getting Cara horizontal, he didn’t need Suzi blocking his efforts. Nothing short of a beheading would keep him from having sex with Cara again.

Suzi sharing Kane’s bed was unacceptable, so Kaleb be damned if he didn’t like the new living arrangements. Kane nearly laughed. Kaleb would no doubt be mad as a hornet. But there were two sofas, both large enough to support Kaleb and Grayson. Besides, Kaleb usually didn’t come crawling in until daybreak anyway. If he wanted his bed, he could just wait until Suzi crawled out of it.

“You’ll be taking my bed and Suzi can have Kaleb’s.”

Suzi and Cara both gaped at him, clearly neither happy about his decision. Too damn bad.

“I won’t sleep in Kaleb’s bed,” Suzi declared.

“You will.”

“Kaleb won’t like it.”

“I’m sure he won’t, but then he’ll probably stay out all night as he usually does. I’ll not have you both sharing my room.”

Cara’s shock turned into suspicion. “Why would you care if we decided to room together? Seems like that would be the best solution for everyone.”

Kane held his ground. “It’s not.”

“If you’re using the sofa, then why should you care if Suzi and I share your bed? Its large enough for both—”

“It’s large enough should I choose to join you.”

Cara’s gaped mouth snapped shut. By the look of her reaction, it was going to take a whole lot of persuasion before he charmed his way back between those sweet thighs. Fine. He could be just as hard-headed.

He didn’t care if Suzi hadn’t been aware of their relationship status, or what she thought. Kane wanted a repeat performance and he’d be damned if he didn’t get his way. Vampires were sexual beings and went after what they wanted, and right now he wanted Cara.

“I can see this conversation would be better suited for another time, like next time we’re alone.”

“Dream on, fang boy. What happened between us isn’t going to happen again.”

Kane smiled. “If you say so.”

“It’s not.” She crossed her arms across her breasts. “It shouldn’t have happened in the first place.”

“Maybe.”

“Maybe? Are you serious?”

“As a snake intent on biting you. Mark my words, Cara, I’ll have my way and you’ll be begging me to. I already proved that once.”

Her cheeks reddened but she didn’t have a retort.

“Suzi, Kaleb’s room is last door on the right down the hall. Make yourself comfortable. I’ll intercede should my brother return before you wake.”

Suzi glanced at Cara, probably to see if Cara needed her presence.

“I’ll be fine,” Cara assured her. “He doesn’t scare me.”

“Are you certain?”

“I can handle Kane.”

Suzi looked at Kane briefly. “You”—she pointed at him—“better be nice. If you need me, Cara, just holler.”

Suzi hugged Cara, then headed down the hallway. Kane waited until the door latch clicked behind her. But before he could say a word, Cara glared at him.

“Don’t even think about entering your room.” Her gaze narrowed, brooking no argument. “Or the bathroom, should I be using it. You and me aren’t happening, vampire.”

With that, she grabbed her bag from the sofa and headed for Kane’s room. The soft click of the bolt sliding into place told him going to her tonight might not be such a good idea. Kane pulled off his tee, draped it over the back of the sofa, kicked off his boots and lay down. Crossing his arms behind his head, he stared at the ceiling.

Cara might be angry and not allowing him to share his bed at the moment, but at least she was safe. Besides, judging by her response last night, it was only a matter of time before she caved, and he could be patient man if need be. He closed his eyes and smiled, knowing full well Cara’s thoughts were on last night’s festivities. After all, he could smell the rise in her desire the second he mentioned it.

* * *

“What the hell were you thinking?” Kaleb slammed his fist on the wooden bar separating him and his twin. His hair lay in wild disarray, his cheeks rudy from his recent ride to the border and back. “Jesus, Viper! It’s bad enough to bring one woman into this house. Now two? Wasn’t this the whole reason we decided women were not to reside here? Fuck ‘em and send them home. That’s always been understood.”

“It’s temporary, Hawk.”

“Good, then they can both find another place to stay tonight. Who else did you bring home?”

Kane ran a hand down his jaw, not yet ready to reveal the name of their second guest. Instead, he side-stepped the question. “You know we have to protect Cara until this primordial is found. She’s being targeted because of me. Get busy finding him and we can all move on. That is, if these murders are his doing.”

“What do you mean?”

“Cara brought up a point. She’s thinks maybe one of the Sons could have an ax to grind with me. It’s a feasible explanation. Maybe someone wants my seat at the head of the table.”

“Yeah, me, asshole.” Kaleb sat on the closest bar stool and folded his hands on the bar top, looking up at Kane. “You seriously think one of us murdered your exes?”

“One girlfriend. I didn’t know the other two. At least I don’t recall them.”

He chuckled. “I stand corrected. I think. If you can’t recall them, I sure in hell can’t be expected to keep track of your women. You know it’s possible you might have met them briefly, maybe even slept with them. After all, the victims were all your type, Viper. But why would Cara think one of us would kill women you may or may not have dated or slept with?”

“You tell me. I didn’t say I believed her theory, only that it’s a valid one. But what makes this anymore improbable than a primordial coming to the States and killing women fitting my dating preference? The first two, I’m not aware of., but Tab was my donor. Now this shit has targeted Cara.”