Bad to the Bone (Night Fall Book 10) Read online

  Viper drew another deep breath, hoping to replace the scent that clung to the insides of his nostrils—Mariah’s flowery musk. Sitting in the same room, he’d fought his inner beast’s urge to lunge across the table and take her to the floor. He’d pictured in his mind what that would be like, tearing away her clothing, capturing her cries with his mouth. He’d wanted to be inside her, pounding into her, unleashing his lust and his fangs. He was sure she thought he was a cold asshole, because he’d had to wear a mask to keep his emotions clear of his expression. When she’d handed him the baggie with the tissue soaked with their combined come, he’d wanted to crush it against his nose.

  The bag was still inside his pocket. Maybe, when he was alone inside the club’s office, he’d indulge himself. Then he’d have to find a blood whore to work off his frustrations.

  He hadn’t wanted to sink into the ready cunts Dirk pushed toward him, but again, he’d had a role to play. So, he’d plowed through four women, all sharing the same dirty mattress, climbing over one to fuck, while he dragged an arm toward his mouth and opened a vein. Over and over, he’d drank and fucked, then started the process again, leaving all the women nearly comatose with blood loss and sexual fulfillment.

  Unfortunately, he’d been left with a hard-on they couldn’t relieve. So soon after making love with Mariah, he couldn’t be satisfied with anyone else. Dirk had seen him leave the bedroom and laughed. He’d offered him the use of one of his male thralls, but Viper had declined. Not because he was fastidious and didn’t indulge in male company, but because he knew his hunger couldn’t be appeased by another.

  Only Mariah would satisfy him now. Which was why he’d been so tense, so afraid of offering her even the slightest encouragement to trust him.

  He parked his bike in front of the club and strode past the bouncer, not bothering to acknowledge him with even a glance. Inside, he kept his head down, not wanting to notice whether tonight’s crowd was playing nice with their eager donors. He pushed through the throng, his head pounding to the beat of the hip hop tonight’s DJ played. As he placed one foot on the first step of the stairway leading to the office, he caught a scent and lifted his head.

  Fuck no. He drew back and turned, then scanned the crowd, looking for one slender woman with soft brown hair. He found her near the edge of the dance floor, gawking at the couples and three-ples dancing and fucking—and feeding.

  Her eyes were rounding, her gaze darting from one female vamp whose mouth was stretched as she buried her fangs into her host’s neck to a male whose jeans were shoved past his hips as he fucked a pretty blood whore and raked his fangs across the tops of her breasts.

  Viper sped to Mariah’s side and gripped her forearm. “You don’t follow directions very well,” he muttered.

  She didn’t look at him but instead at another couple. A woman with a bloodied wrist stroked the cock of a vamp who didn’t bother hiding his beast. He wore his monster’s mask and stood over her, jagged teeth bared as she went down on him.

  Dylan would have been all over their asses. He didn’t permit blatant displays. Because Viper couldn’t care about the excesses shared among his patrons, he rarely stepped in, unless a vampire took too much or too violently. “Come with me.” He tugged on her arm.

  Frowning, she pulled away and crossed her arms over her chest. “I don’t remember…this.” she said, pointing her chin toward the dance floor. “When I was here before, they were more…polite.”

  Viper blinked at her understatement. “It’s all consensual, I assure you.” But he could tell she was upset, maybe a little frightened. With her chin jutting high, she was doing her best not to appear shocked. “Okay, so I can’t talk you into coming to my office. Can I offer you a drink?”

  Her eyes narrowed. “Perrier. Unopened.”

  He gave her a nod. “Understandable.” He raised a hand to catch the attention of one of the waitresses trolling through the crowd.

  She zipped to his elbow—a gray blur of movement.

  Viper tightened his lips at her display, but made his order, all the while keeping Mariah in the corner of his eye.

  She’d paled when Ginnie sped to his side. He doubted she still believed that what she viewed was some whack human subculture getting their rocks off with a little bloodletting. But since she wouldn’t be remembering any of this for long, he decided no lasting harm would come from letting her sate her curiosity. When Ginnie returned, he took both green bottles and held them out to Mariah. “Caps still intact.”

  She grabbed a bottle, and then her eyelids fluttered as Ginnie blurred away again.

  Viper pressed a finger against her lips, knowing by her frown that she was about to unleash a barrage of questions. “Hold that thought until we get to my table.” He wanted a modicum of privacy before he provided any answers.

  Chapter Six

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  Mariah sat heavily on the wooden chair he pulled back. Their table was situated against the wall farthest from the dance floor. From there, she could see everything happening in the club—the activities on the dance floor, those standing at the bar, the hallway leading toward the restrooms. She couldn’t stop staring around her. Something about the scene unfolding in front of her felt familiar.

  Viper turned his chair and straddled it, his arms on the chair back as he stroked away the condensation gathering on his bottled water. He looked so calm, so blank. Which angered her, although she had no right to judge him. She really shouldn’t care what went down in this club—what he did inside its walls—but she couldn’t help how she felt. In fact, she was rather relieved that she could feel anything at all, because she realized she’d been fuzzy, disassociated from her surroundings and her own life for far too long. Like she’d been living in a bubble. “I don’t like your hair,” she blurted then blushed. What an inane thing to say!

  One corner of his mouth curved upward. “Don’t like the cut?” he said, his deep voice a sensual rumble.

  She stiffened to suppress the shiver that started at the base of her spine. She was here to figure out some things, and then move on to investigating the big gaping holes in her memory. Why she’d decided this was the place to start hadn’t been part of any thought-out strategy. She’d gone with her gut. “No,” she said. “And I don’t like this club.” She waved a hand toward the crowded dance floor. “I don’t know how you stay in business. Some of these people aren’t of drinking age. And doing that can’t be safe,” she said, wrinkling her nose, then gasping as the young man whose neck was being ravaged went to his knees. Concern stiffened her posture. She began to rise, sure someone would have to render medical aid or call 911.

  Viper reached out and pulled her back down. Then he lifted a finger.

  The blonde waitress who’d brought them their water, moved with incredible speed to the woman and tapped her shoulder. The woman raised her head, revealing a row of jagged teeth and a bloodied mouth, but although her lips lifted in a snarl, she backed away.

  The waitress bent toward the man and the wounds that spurted blood onto the floor then sealed her own mouth over his neck.

  Mariah held her breath until the woman moved back. The wounds were gone. “What…?”

  The waitress grabbed one of the young man’s arms and pulled his body upward, taking him over her shoulder, although he was much taller and had to top her weight by at least thirty pounds. When she rose, she walked with ease to an empty table, pulled out a chair and set the young man on it.

  He gave her a dreamy smile, then let his head crash to the table.

  Viper grunted. “He’ll be fine. When he wakes, he’ll have a bit of a hangover, but he’ll only remember the pleasure.”

  That last bit struck a chord. Mariah sat still as stone, disbelief weighing her thoughts. “Is that what happened to me?” She smoothed her fingertips over the side of her throat. “I don’t have any scars—but his wounds are gone,” she said, pointing to the guy who’d just passed out. “How’s that even possible?”

  Viper
leaned close. His breath feathered across her cheek. “You tell me,” he whispered. “You’re smart. How’s that even possible?”

  Slowly, she turned her head. Their faces were only inches apart—his near enough she could see flecks of gold in his dark brown eyes when the strobing light struck his irises. “I came here to do a story about wannabe vampires, Sanguinarians,” she said just as softly. “Not my usual fluff piece. Did I find more?”

  Viper’s mouth curved into a soft, almost sweet smile. His dark eyes gleamed. “No ‘wannabe’ about it, babe.”

  What? She pulled back and shook her head. What he was implying was crazy. “No.”

  He reached out and ringed her wrist with his fingers, and then slowly drew it toward his mouth.

  She tracked his moves, transfixed as he smiled, revealing his teeth, which changed as she watched, the canines lengthening and sharpening. Now, his eyes glowed like an animal’s in the dark. Her breathing hitched, and she began to shake. But she didn’t even try to tug away her hand. She waited, morbid curiosity and an electric fascination keeping her there. The moment he stuck out his tongue and laved her bare wrist, she melted. Her skin numbed instantly. When he bent over her to drive his top canines into her skin, she didn’t so much as gasp.

  This sensation too felt familiar.

  She felt pain, but it was muted by a wave of pure pleasure that swept through her body. And as he locked his lips against her skin and began to suction, her nipples and clit tingled and swelled.

  Her head fell back, and she moaned, caught up in sheer ecstasy that made her belly quiver and her core convulse. On the edge of an orgasm, she opened her eyes. This she remembered. Quickly, pleasure exploded, making her shiver, and she whimpered.

  Viper lifted his head and caught her before she slid from her chair. He moved her to his lap. His lips were smeared with her blood, and his expression was relaxed and beautiful. He bent over her wrist again and licked at her wounds. They closed. He then cleaned her skin with sensual glides of his wicked tongue.

  As soon as he released her hand, she raised it, staring at her unmarred skin. “Vampires? You’re all vampires?” she asked, her voice shaky.

  “Yes, love.”

  She swallowed hard. “And Danny?”

  He blinked, then gave her a more stilted smile. “I’m sure he was protecting you.”

  “My memories?”

  “Stolen.”

  “Was he even my husband?”

  His eyes narrowed. “Have you checked the registry at City Hall?”

  She slowly shook her head. “I won’t find anything, will I? Just like at the newspaper office, the proof is gone, isn’t it?”

  Viper drew a deep breath then wrapped his arms around her, pulling her against his chest in a surprisingly gentle hug. “Do you really want him to be real?”

  “I want to know the truth,” she said, beginning to cry because she was confused and her emotions were a jumble of contradictions. She didn’t know whether she was sad or angry, probably both. But mostly, she hated the Danny who’d left her to walk in a dream-state for so many years. He hadn’t the right to decide for her. Maybe knowing what he was, she would have walked on her own. But he’d decided. He’d stolen. “I worried about why I didn’t feel more violated.”

  “Because you thought you’d been roofied and raped?”

  She nodded, her cheek rubbing against his solid chest. “I thought maybe my reaction was shock. Or that I was feeling so…removed from everything, because the experience had been so horrible. But what I felt wasn’t horrible, was it?”

  “He left you alive. Well-satisfied, I’m sure,” he murmured against her hair.

  “Yes, I woke up feeling happy. Until I realized I was alone and that I’d had sex.”

  “And then how did you feel?” he asked, his voice lowering.

  “Mad as fuck.”

  His chest shook against her.

  She sucked in a breath. “Don’t laugh at me. This…this can’t be real. I’m dreaming, right? When I wake up tomorrow, I won’t remember again.”

  “Would that be so terrible?”

  She jerked back her head to glare. “Yes! It’s not fair.”

  “And if it’s safer for you not to know we exist…”

  “He came to me. Every anniversary, he messed with me.” She frowned. “Would being with him make me remember?”

  He sighed. “Not all vampires have the same gifts. Your Danny has the gift of persuasion. He removed your memories because you allowed it.”

  She shook her head. “I can’t believe I wouldn’t want to remember.”

  “Perhaps you cared enough that you wanted to give him peace…”

  “Then he was a selfish bastard to even ask.”

  Tension flared through his body then Viper nodded.

  “How can I stop it from happening again?”

  “If he comes to call, you refuse him entry.”

  She glanced out toward the crowd that was beginning to dwindle as vampires and their human playmates moved toward the exit. “If we were married, he’ll have his own key. I can’t go back home. And I’m afraid to sleep.”

  Viper’s smile was slow.

  She watched, fascinated again by the fact his teeth had returned to their human length. Clearing her throat, she asked the question that had burned in her mind since he’d bitten her. “Is there always pleasure in a vampire’s bite?”

  For a moment, he glanced away. When he looked at her again, his features were strained. “Some aren’t so caring of their blood host’s pleasure.”

  Something flickered in the back of her mind. A snippet of memory that solidified as she concentrated. “Five years ago…I wanted a career in hard news. I was following a story about missing people, I think. Some bodies were found. Animal attacks, the coroner said. But one of the people I was cultivating in the ME’s office slipped me a photo. The man’s neck was laid open. Only that. I remember him saying that animal-related injuries weren’t usually so targeted, and that they tended to eat some of the meat.” Her glance cut back to Viper. “Those were vampire attacks, weren’t they?”

  He nodded, but his gaze shuttered.

  He didn’t like her line of inquiry. “Maintaining a cover-up like that must involve a lot of people.”

  “Not a lot,” he bit out. “Not as many as you’d think.”

  Now, her brain was firing on all cylinders. “Danny must have been in on the cover-up. It’s why he took my memories.”

  “Or maybe he knew your curiosity would get you into trouble.”

  Mariah lifted her chin. “People were murdered. The public has a right—”

  “We police ourselves.”

  “Obviously, not very well.”

  They glared at each other, and Mariah wondered why she wasn’t afraid that she’d angered him. Just because he’d gifted her with an orgasm didn’t mean he was safe to be around. But he was a vampire, and she wanted to know more. The answers to her lost memory lay in her learning more. “How bad would it be for people to know?”

  “Remember the Salem witch hunts?”

  Her eyebrows shot upward. “Witches are real?”

  “And werewolves and other things you’d consider mythical or straight from a horror story.”

  She thought about what she’d read about Salem. “You’d be hunted.”

  “Murdered,” he said, the word clipped. “Do you think humans would offer us the benefit of proving us guilty before destroying us?”

  Her brow furrowed. “You’re not human.”

  His lips flattened. “I was at one time.”

  She thought about that. He’d likely been raised ignorant of this world. Now, he was a part of it, keeping humans safe, but allowing other vampires to do what they must to survive. “Are you still a cop?”

  His jaw tightened, and he shook his head. “Not with the PD.”

  “So a vampire cop?”

  A small smile stretched his mouth. “I work in that capacity.”

  “Will you tak
e my memories?” she asked, hating that her voice sounded so breathless. She didn’t like revealing her fear.

  A deep sigh sifted outward. “I should.”

  “Which means you can. That’s one of your gifts.”

  “You’re quick.”

  Squaring her shoulders, she grinned. “If my husband hadn’t lobotomized me, I’d have won a Pulitzer.”

  Viper realized he’d missed this verbal sparring. His infrequent visits to her bed hadn’t allowed time for much conversation. She was warm, her blood pulsing, and yet, his hunger hadn’t resurged. He was content to hold her and just talk. He didn’t want to let her go.

  Fate was a bitch. The moment those thoughts crossed his mind, sounds intruded, pulling away his attention. He glanced toward the entrance of the club.

  Dirk had arrived. And he wasn’t alone. Three barely clothed blood bitches accompanied him, as did his little posse of vamp brethren. By the look on his face, he wasn’t there to play nice.

  He strode toward the bar and demanded they all have a round of the best whiskey The Cavern had to offer.

  The bartender, also a vamp, darted a glance at Viper then asked Dirk, “How do you want to pay?”

  Between one breath and the next, Dirk jumped over the bar, picked up the knife the bartender had been using to slice lemons, and thrust it into the other man’s chest, all the way to the long wooden handle.

  Viper knew the moment wood touched his bartender’s heart. He burst into a cloud of dust, his T-shirt making a soft sound as it disappeared from sight and hit the floor. He shoved Mariah off his lap and pushed her under the table. “For once,” he whispered harshly, “do as you’re told. Do not draw attention.”

  Then he moved quickly to the bar and leapt behind it. “I don’t appreciate you fucking with my help.”

  Dirk’s menacing, fully fanged smile grew wide. “He thought I owed him something for the whiskey.”

  “Everyone pays.” He braced his hands on the polished wood.

  “But not me, right, old buddy?”

  Viper knew this visit wasn’t because Dirk had gotten a wild hair up his ass to trash a bar and waste a few souls. He knew he couldn’t let Dirk win this battle, or The Cavern would be overrun with murderous vamps. Still, he hated losing this connection to Zachary. Narrowing his eyes, he repeated his words. “Everyone pays.”