Page 15 of Marked
The notion that that is all I’ve been doing for years is not lost on me. But when life hands you a boatload of crap ...
The vamp makes a sweeping left turn, and we hit a small bump before climbing up a long drive. A massive gate of steel and stone stretches through thick trees laden with spring life. The gate whirs and rolls back, leaving enough space for the vampire to pull through on a burst of speed. We screech to a stop.
My eyes fly wide.
The structure before me is huge; a towering three-building high-rise of glass, wood, and stone. Extravagant fountains and an extensive security detail wait at the front entrance. I gulp.
“Ummm ... This is a hotel?”
He opens his door. “Of a sort, yeah.”
My face flames, but I follow him out. If this is a hotel—and not some elaborate kidnapping attempt, one night in this place will deplete my account. Hefting my bag higher, I try to wipe my expression clear of the dread filling me. “Yeah. Thanks.”
He inclines his head. The gesture is both regal and condemning. My teeth grind. He just stands there, bouncing his keys. “Are you going to stay out here?”
I blink.
“It’s late, dark, and you’re all alone. Out here ...With me.” His dark eyes flash. “Let me walk you inside.” He seems to wait, the bare hint of a smile pulling at his full lips.
Damn it.
All supernaturals are monsters, I remind myself. Even gorgeous dark-eyed vamps.
I square my shoulders. “I can walk myself.”
He blinks. It’s the only sign of life before he turns on one heavy-booted heel and leaves me where I stand. His long legs eat up the little parking lot, leathers silent. It takes a second as the early morning presses in around me, and I run after him.
The security guards appear to be embroiled in an argument as we near. One is leaner, with dark hair and almost red eyes. The other is broader through the shoulders with a cap of angelic, golden curls. They snap to attention as he reaches the door. “Captain,” they call.
Captain?
I look around behind me, but there is no one else.
“Ease down, men,” the vamp says.
A captain?
Do vampires have captains?
The one with a halo of blond hair peers past him in grim quiet. Amber eyes lock with mine. “You brought home a stray?” he asks, tone hard.
My anger ignites.
Stray?
The Captain never breaks stride. “Giving her a ride, Horan.” He disappears inside.
Horan watches me, flecks of gold brightening his strange irises. “Whatever you say, Cap.”
The other man holds the door open with an extravagant bow. His dark locks fall around his thin face, but the smile he offers is calculated, coy, like he can see into the deepest part of me.
I shiver and rush inside past them.
And stop.
If the outside of the building is opulent, the inside is a dream.
Polished marble floors stretch in every direction. Heavy fronds, ferns, and palms rest in gorgeous waterfall beds all along the walls and in the center of the cavernous entryway. Leather armchairs in reds, russets, and blacks are sprinkled sporadically in little nooks. I glance up to find an unobscured view of the brightening sky through a vaulted glass dome.
