Page 20 of Vampires & Bikers

It was a technique my dad had taught me many years ago, a few self-defense moves for when I needed them. Danny staggered back and fell to his knees. I pushed past him and ran out of the house and down the street. I didn’t know where I was going and I knew I would have to come up with a plan, fast. Danny would recover quickly and he would be enraged, I didn’t have much time. If he caught me now, he would tie me up and take me to the ranch and I would not be able to escape again.

I turned off into a side street and looked for a good hiding place. There were some empty shops and closed-down business buildings that I ran to, trying the doors until I found one that opened. It was empty inside, some abandoned office. I ran through it and found a door on the other side with a staircase and I went up, all the way to the roof.

I could hear the door opening downstairs.

I heard him calling, “Ruby!”

My heart sank. It was Danny. He had already found me.

“You know you can’t hide, right?” His voice echoed through the empty space. I could hear him coming closer.

I tried to open the door to the roof but it was locked or jammed, I yanked harder, willing the door to open but it remained shut.

“You know I have your smell in my blood…” Danny was saying. “I can track you anywhere, find you wherever you go. You can never get away from me. Never.”

I sank onto the floor with my back against the door.

I couldn’t see a way out of this and Danny was coming closer. I didn’t want him to catch me. I’d rather die than let him take me out to the ranch and lock me up in a cage like a fox.

“There you are, darling,” I heard him say. He stepped onto the stairwell, a trail of blood running down his face.

“Why did you run from me? Don’t you know that I want what’s best for you?”

I didn’t answer. This wasn’t really a conversation, after all. He didn’t care what I thought or what I wanted. He wanted to own me, possess me. My wishes and desires had nothing to do with him.

I closed my eyes and heard him coming up the stairs.

I had one last course of options.

In my pocket, I had a small pair of scissors that I’d grabbed before I left the house. They were for sewing and had belonged to my mother, but if I could jam it into the right place, I could do a lot of damage. I knew that I would die fighting.

Suddenly there was a rush of air and the sound of wings or something in the stairwell. I opened my eyes and saw a shape attack Danny. I couldn’t make out limbs or anything recognizable. It moved too quickly. I heard Danny scream and I knew he was in trouble.

Then I realized that it was Luc attacking Danny and killing him.

I also knew that if I had to choose between Luc and Danny, I would not choose the man who had been about to force himself on me back at the house, who had hurt me, talked down to me, treated me as less than him.

I would choose Luc.

Chapter 10

Luc

I was in a strange mood after my meeting with Alexandra.

I could think of little but finding out the truth about what had happened to Matteo.

Who had killed him and why?

I went looking for the man who had informed me of Matteo’s death. He was a young officer, Captain Dennington, and he was in charge of a patrol unit. At his quarters I was informed that he had gone out to a club with some friends.

I’d heard of the club called Red Velvet but had never been there. It was popular with vampires, and all kinds of drugs and services were offered that weren’t exactly legal. All sorts of people could be found there as well.

There was pulsating music and strobe lighting, bodies dancing on stages and various blood drugs were sold as well. I made my way across the floor to a group of young men that I recognized, they told me Dennington was in the back with a woman. I opened a few doors until I found him, locked in a steamy embrace with a woman. His fangs were exposed and he was about to sink them into her as they had sex, an act known as double feeding in certain circles. It produced greater pleasure and was a sought-after vampire activity. For women, it carried certain risks as vampires sometimes lost control or became over eager. Many women died in the act.

Dennington had a glazed look in his eyes.

I moved across the room and ripped him from the woman flinging him against the wall.

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