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  Sean tucked his gun back in his pants. He grabbed the guy’s leg and dragged him to the entrance of the building. He punched in his code on the silver keypad and pulled the door open while Tasha carried the blonde inside.

  “Yuck. She smells like pee.” Tasha turned her head to the side, away from the dead girl.

  “Be glad she didn’t shit herself. That happens sometimes when you die.” He kept his boot on the vampire’s chest while the elevator took them down to the basement level, where prisoners were housed and bodies were burned. They stopped at the crematorium, where Tasha handed off Blondie to a wiry vampire.

  Mac had been burning bodies for the BBE for a long time. Strangely enough, he’d been turned by someone he was about to embalm. Turned out the “dead” guy was actually a vampire and he’d chomped on Mac’s artery. His skills as an undertaker turned out to be useful in the Empire.

  Mac shook his head and touched the dead girl’s chin. “What a shame. She was hot.” He looked over at the guy Sean was dragging by the foot. “Did he do this?”

  Sean nodded. “I think this is the guy who’s been keeping you busy as of late.”

  “Dickhead. He shouldn’t be killing pretty girls.”

  Sean exchanged a glance with Tasha, who shrugged. Morticians were strange, whether vampire or human.

  Tasha followed Sean to the holding cells. The same cells he’d been locked up in when he’d been captured. He pulled the vampire into the first cell, kicking him toward the back and slamming the door shut.

  “He’ll be awake shortly. His chest wound is probably already healed but the skull fracture may take a little bit longer.”

  “What are we going to do with him?” Tasha asked.

  “I’m going to kill him. But first I want some information about Søren.” Sean turned to head back to the elevator. “I need to call Giacomo.”

  Tasha grabbed his shoulder and stopped him. “Hold on a second.”

  “What?”

  She looked at her feet then back up again. “How much do you trust him?”

  “Giacomo?”

  “Yeah. I mean…he killed his own mate. Does that not give you pause on where his loyalties lie?”

  “What are you getting at, Tasha?”

  She shrugged. “I just wonder if he’d put his ass on the line for you like you’re doing for him, or if he’d just toss you to the wolf.”

  In this case, Sean didn’t worry about being tossed to the wolf because Giacomo needed him. “We do what’s best for the Empire.”

  “Has it ever occurred to you that maybe the Empire would be better off without him?” She stepped closer and touched his chest. “You can’t tell me you haven’t thought about handing him over to this Søren guy.” She trailed a finger up over his neck and touched his chin. “You could be the top dog around here if Giacomo weren’t in the picture.”

  The truth was it had crossed his mind, more than once. Especially each time he relived Giacomo beheading Christy in front of him when he’d had no idea what was going on. And even more so when he recalled that she was Giacomo’s mate. How could he just kill her?

  Maybe Sean had more of a conscience than the average vampire but Tasha’s words were making his mind cloud and her hand sliding purposefully down his torso was making his dick hard. Any man knows that he shouldn’t make important decisions when all the blood was in the lower head.

  He growled and grabbed a handful of her hair when she gripped his crotch. He pushed her back to the wall. His fangs dropped, aching, and shifter blood was just as good as any. He’d never bit Tasha but she wasn’t objecting, quite the opposite actually. She was teasing him. Provoking a vampire was a dangerous game.

  Sean kissed her and held her throat, his thumb trailing over her pulse. Her heart beat at a different rate than a human’s, like a Morse code message. Dot dot dash, dot dot dash. And right then the message was “bite the fuck out of me”.

  He licked a trail to her neck and sniffed at her skin. Funny thing was she didn’t really have a discernible scent, but he didn’t care. He squeezed her breast and teased her nipple through her shirt as she rubbed his cock through his pants. They were pawing each other like a couple of teenagers in the backseat of a car at a drive-in movie.

  Sean sank his fangs into her throat. Her blood was cooler than a human’s but served the same purpose. He sucked more than he normally would have since he couldn’t really hurt her, but stopped before dropping venom. He had no idea if he could infect her and he didn’t want to find out if it was possible to make a hybrid vampire-shifter thing.

  “Sean. Dammit.” She moaned and pulled him to her, grinding against his dick. “We could be really great together. You and me. Running this place.”

  He pulled his fangs out and licked her neck from habit. He leaned his forehead against hers and pulled her pants open, slipping his hand inside. Her mound was hairless, cool—and not wet at all.

  Alarm bells went off in his head. What the hell was she up to?

  Stop.

  She was breathing hard but now it seemed contrived, fabricated.

  He backed away from her, removing his hand. “I can’t do this. Sorry.” Either she wasn’t turned-on or their bodies didn’t work the same. Either way, his urge to fuck her evaporated then and there.

  She stared at him for a second and then zipped her pants. “No. It’s okay.” She ducked past him and smoothed her hair. “We have important business we should be tending to.”

  “About what you said, Giacomo might be an asshole but he runs this place right. So, no, I wouldn’t turn him over to Søren. That would be fucked up.”

  “Yeah, you’re right. I’m sorry.”

  “It’s cool. There’s nothing wrong with thinking about challenging authority. I spent a lot of years doing that but one thing I’ve learned since my transition, without order we have chaos, and chaotic vampires would be a fucking nightmare.”

  She stared down the hall and then nodded. “Yeah.”

  He felt a pang of guilt for rejecting her even though she made him uneasy. “Are you okay?”

  Tasha looked back at him and smiled. “I’m fine.” She hitched her thumb toward the holding area. “He’s probably awake now. You want me to keep an eye on him while you go upstairs?”

  “Sure. I’ll be back in five.” Sean walked down the corridor leading to the elevators. Cell phone signals were null and void in the basement. He pressed the call button and licked his lips. Tasha hadn’t tasted bad but he definitely preferred human blood. If nothing else, just the heat and vitality of it appealed to him more.

  The light above the elevator lit up and the mirrored door slid open. Just as he stepped inside, a scream echoed down the hallway.

  The copper scent of blood sent a tremor through his body. It was only a few yards back to where he’d left Tasha a moment ago. He stopped short and blinked.

  The door to the cell was open and Tasha was inside with the vampire. There was blood everywhere, running down the walls, dripping off the bars, splashed over Tasha. Her eyes were wide and her mouth hung open.

  The vampire’s head rested against the leg of a chair and his body was at her feet, his arms wrapped around her ankles.

  Sean processed the scene, trying to figure out what had happened in the minute since he’d left.

  He walked slowly toward Tasha. “What the fuck happened?”

  She nodded. “I—I—I opened the cell. I thought he was still unconscious. I was going to look for a cell phone or something…try to identify him. Then he jumped up and attacked me.”

  Sean gripped her arm and she stepped out of the vampire’s leg hug.

  “Dammit, Tasha. We needed him.” The bloody stump where his head had been was jagged and his brain stem was snapped clean off. Shit, she’d ripped his head off with what seemed to be her bare hands. Sean didn’t see any weapons. Tasha should have known better than to go inside the cell by herself.

  “Want me to dump him in with the blonde girl?” Mac stood in the doorway o
f the cell. He was clearly the only other vampire in the basement, otherwise the scene would already be teeming with bloodsuckers.

  Sean exhaled. “Yeah, man. Can you hose the cell down too?”

  “Sure thing.” Mac picked up the dead vampire’s head, lifting it up in front of his face. “Ugly bastard.” He looked at Sean and Tasha. “Be back in a minute. Need supplies.” The head dangled from his grasp as he disappeared down the corridor.

  Sean cursed in his own head. So much for information on Søren.

  “I was trying to help.” Tasha stared at Sean, eyes pleading. “God, I’m so stupid.”

  “Did you find a phone on him?”

  “No.”

  Sean nodded but remained silent. He wasn’t buying that this was an accident. The fact that the vampire had his arms wrapped around her ankles was hardly a threatening position—looked more like he’d been begging.

  He just couldn’t figure out her motive. It was obvious Tasha didn’t much care for Giacomo, but enough to fuck up their only chance at learning Søren’s next move?

  “Get cleaned up and go home,” he told her before heading back to the elevator.

  As he drove out of the parking lot, Sean left a message on Giacomo’s voice mail. “We need to talk about Tasha.”

  Chapter Six

  Leaving shit at work was easier said than done and Sean was exhausted. A couple of shots of whiskey and a hot shower relaxed his muscles and he climbed into bed beside Lila. He scooted up behind her and put his arm around her. Feeling vulnerable wasn’t something he liked to admit, but he felt safe next to her. She was warm and soft and comforting. He kissed her shoulder.

  She stirred and rolled to her back. He leaned up on his elbow to watch her sleep. Her pink lips were slightly parted. She breathed deep and exhaled long. He pulled the sheet down to her waist to watch her chest rise and fall. “I’m with the band” was emblazoned on her t-shirt. He laughed and kissed her cheek.

  The urge to touch her overwhelmed him. She represented all the things he’d lost. She was life itself. He buried his face in her hair and inhaled as if he could absorb some of her vitality. She made him feel. Always had.

  He ran a finger down her side and watched her nipples harden beneath the thin fabric of her t-shirt. She smiled and turned her head. Leaning over her, he caught a nipple between his teeth and pulled on it softly.

  Lila sighed and put her hand on his head. Her eyelashes fluttered and she squinted at him. “Hi.”

  He smiled at her. “Sorry. I didn’t mean to wake you.”

  She lifted her shirt up and pulled it over her head. “I’m glad you did.”

  He rolled one nipple between his thumb and finger and sucked the other into his mouth. His cock jutted against her thigh and his balls tingled.

  She arched her back and kicked the covers off them both. “That feels so good.” She pulled on his hair.

  He slipped his hand inside her panties and found what he liked—hot, wet pussy. Teasing her opening, he pressed his thumb to her clit. She lifted her hips in response. He loved hearing her moan and beg and cry.

  He released her nipple and hooked his fingers into the waist of her underwear, pulling them down her legs. She was like looking at a piece of art, pale skin shaped into an hourglass.

  Sean kicked off his shorts and crawled between her legs, putting her thighs over his shoulders. “You smell so fucking good.” He licked her leg and slid his hands under her ass.

  She smiled down at him. “I love when you do this.”

  “I know you do.” He parted her lips with his tongue and found her clit, hard, smooth, hot. He sucked and licked it with feather-soft strokes.

  Her thighs tightened on his head and she panted. He brought one hand away from her ass and held her pussy open. His dick throbbed at the sight of how pink and wet she was. Gorgeous. He licked her slow and hard and stuck his tongue inside her, pointing it to go deeper.

  “Oh, Sean. Mmm. I’m going to come. Suck me.”

  He moved back to her clit and did as she asked while sliding two fingers inside her. Her pussy pulsed around them in what seemed like seconds and he sucked harder, drawing out her orgasm. She moaned loudly and her skin prickled into goose bumps.

  Sean licked her pussy a little more then climbed up her body, settling between her thighs. He kissed her and smoothed her hair. “I love you.”

  She was still breathless. “I love you too. Make love to me.” She’d never said it like that before. She’d said “fuck me” but never “make love to me.”

  “I will.” He found her opening and slowly worked his cock inside. There was no urgency and he didn’t feel the need to go hard and fast like usual. He moved in and out and kissed her lips, her cheeks, her chin, her eyes.

  Her fingers danced over his back and shoulders, his hips and ass. She moaned and sighed and moved her hips with him.

  “You feel so good.” He licked her neck and his fangs dropped. It usually didn’t take that long for the need to bite to surface. He bit into her flesh and sucked, her blood like a salve to his body.

  She lifted her legs and wrapped them around his hips.

  He closed the wounds in her neck and drove his cock in deep and hard, giving her every inch in measured thrusts.

  She gasped and cried out. Her pussy clenched on him, pulsed around him, squeezing him and it drew out his own orgasm.

  Panting against her lips, he grinded deep inside her and came.

  She smiled and cupped his face. “That was perfect, Sean. Perfect.”

  He kissed her and rolled over to her side. “Thanks, baby. It really was.”

  She scooted close to him, laying her head on his chest. Within a minute she was asleep again. He lay awake for a while before following her into the sandman’s trap.

  ~ * ~

  He tried to call Giacomo three times the next day and couldn’t get him to pick up the phone. Lila went out with a girlfriend for drinks and, once the sun went down, Sean took off for the BBE. Lila never questioned his avoidance of daylight. Working graveyard and sleeping most of the day seemed to be a good enough excuse. She hinted that something was weird with him but she didn’t push the envelope.

  If Giacomo had heard Sean’s messages from last night about Tasha, he would have called back to find out details. When Sean got the feeling things were off, he was usually right. He parked the 442 underground and tucked his gun into his waistband. He still hadn’t bothered to find his shoulder holster.

  When he pulled the door open, he knew immediately something was wrong and drew his gun, holding the Mark 23 against his thigh. The hallway reeked of blood—vampire blood. Security at the BBE was tight but it had obviously been breached.

  The smell intensified as Sean rounded the corner on the first floor. He found Sierra standing in the hall. She was on her cell phone, talking quietly, a hand on her forehead.

  The elevator bell rang and Mac stepped out. He raised a hand to Sean. “What’s up, man?”

  Sean tucked his gun back into his waistband. “You tell me.”

  “Shit hit the fan. Somebody got in here. I’m going up to the fourth floor in a minute to do the cleanup.”

  Sierra ended her call. “Sean, I’m glad you’re here.”

  “Will one of you tell me what the fuck is going on?” Sean looked between Sierra and Mac.

  “Len is checking the security footage. Someone got in and out of here without being detected. There are casualties. It happened fast,” Sierra explained.

  Sean’s stomach clenched. “Who?”

  “Cass and Rick. Probably Tasha too but we haven’t found her body yet.”

  “When did this happen?” Sean asked.

  “About an hour ago. Cass’ cell phone is gone.” She pinched her nose. “I’d be willing to bet it has everything in it, including Giacomo’s address. Thank goodness he’s out of the country.”

  “Where is he? I’ve been trying to call him since last night. Some weird shit went down with Tasha.”

  “He�
�s in Mexico.”

  “Nice. Why didn’t he tell me?”

  “It was an impromptu trip, from what I understand. I’ve tried to call him too. No answer.”

  Len, the biggest vampire in the BBE, ducked as he walked out of the surveillance room. His long blond hair was pulled back in a ponytail. “There’s nobody on the videos who shouldn’t be here. I don’t know how this happened. Also, the video feed from the fourth floor was actually a still picture. Somebody fucked with the cameras up there. That’s why we didn’t see anything going down.”

  “Who’s up there now?” Sean asked.

  “Cooper and Tate,” Sierra said. She turned to Mac. “I was just talking to Coop. He said you can come up now.”

  Sean walked with Mac to the elevators. “Let’s get this over with.”

  Cooper and Tate were standing in front of Cass’ office. Dark blood, almost black, was pooled outside the door. Vampire blood coagulated and degraded at a much faster rate than human.

  “Check it out, dude,” Tate said and stepped back.

  Sean peeked inside. “Fuck.”

  Rick’s wrinkled head was impaled on one of the hooks of Cass’ brass coatrack. Blood still dripped from his severed neck, which told Sean that whatever went down in there hadn’t happened very long ago. The straight line of the cut was almost scalpel precision, no jagged pieces of skin hanging loose or arteries poking out. The decapitation had been swift and done with something very sharp. Rick’s body lay on the floor like a jacket that fell from where his head was perched. His pants were around his ankles. Figures he’d lose his head while getting head.

  Sean looked around the orderly room. Neat stacks of papers sat on Cass’ desk and his books were untouched on the shelves. Aside from Rick’s dismembered body, nothing looked out of place. There hadn’t been much of a struggle. Sean opened the closet door and checked inside and on the ceiling. He’d been ambushed before by a vampire who liked to cling to ceilings like fucking Spider-Man.

  He rounded the pristine desk and found Cass. His mouth was open as if he were about to give Sean a lecture on smoking, or maybe he’d been giving Rick a blowjob when they were so crudely interrupted, who knew. His glasses were only slightly askew on his now dehydrated face. His head sat on his chair while the rest of his body was under the desk, where his feet would be had he actually been sitting there.