Boots. The first thing she saw was a pair of big black boots.
She gasped so hard and unexpectedly, the cold hurt her throat.
The man attached to those boots was huge, unmoving, and facedown in the dirt and stones of the driveway.
Without question, he was the source of the scent.
* * *
She had the oddest sensation of being sucked through a tunnel, or of seeing her life replayed in fast-forward behind her eyes. And, either way, the end led her here. To this moment. To this alley. To this man.
Weeks and months of foreboding and worry and dread all culminated right here.
Pomogite mne. Help me.
At the sound of the distant voice, Kate spun, wielding her flashlight phone like a weapon and shining the light around. Whos there? But the alley was otherwise empty.
Trembling, she cut the glow back to the man and scanned his body with it. Blood soaked through the dark fabric of his pants on his right thigh. A lot of blood. A hole tore through his coat near his right shoulder. Long strands of blond hair peeked out from underneath a black knit cap.
She stepped to the other side of him, the dull ache of her ankle forgotten, and crouched near his head. Her light shined on the side of his face, but between his position and the cap she couldnt make out much except Oh, shit.
Blood coated his jaw, neck and the arm hed collapsed on, and it had dripped to the ground beneath him, not soaking in but pooling on the frozen surface. Heart in her throat, she gingerly peeled back the lapel of his coat. Her stomach turned. His neck was literally torn apart.
Thoughts shot through her brain in a rapid-fire barrage. Is he alive? Oh, God, hes gotta be dead. Could the shooter still be here? That bloodthat freaking blood is what I smell. But how? Help him. Help him!
Kate dialed 03 on her phone and waited, eyes still on the mans form, trying to discern movement. Gently, she laid her hand on the middle of his back. There! Her hand felt the soft rise and fall her eyes couldnt perceive.
Relief rushed through her.
The operator answered in Russian, inquiring about the nature of her emergency and her location, and Kate had never been more glad for her fluency in the language. I found an unconscious man. I think hes been shot. Hes bleeding really badly from his neck and leg.
Did you see the shooting? Is the shooter still in the area?
She whipped her gaze to the right, then the left. All remained silent and still, except her. But what if whoever did this was hiding? Watching her. Watching him. Rage shot up Kates spine, almost stealing her breath. She was nearly disoriented by the emotions intensity and unexpectedness. No one will hurt him again. Dizziness threatened at the bizarre thought. She shook her head and struggled to be present in the moment. Uh, no. II didnt see anything. And I dont think anyone else is here.
The dispatcher fired off a stream of questions Kate did her best to answer. At the womans suggestion, she yanked off a glove and sacrificed it to the cause of applying pressure to his neck wound.
Anything to help him.
She turned down the offer to stay on the line until the ambulance arrived. The flashlight feature drained her cell battery quickly and it was already running low.
Nuzhna pomoshch. Need help.
Kate fumbled her cell phone at the reappearance of the voice. Her nerves were just frayed. Thats what it was. Must be. There was no one else here.
She set her phone on the ground next to them, light shining where she was working on his neck, and blew out a breath that failed to calm. Come on, mister. Hang in there. Helps on its way.
Blood saturated her glove and Kate gasped as the warmth kissed her palm. She jerked back and scrubbed her right hand against her thigh. The oddest tingling erupted in her other hand as she rubbed against the denim. Ignoring the sensation, Kate tossed the ruined glove away and pulled off her left one. Her gaze scanned him as she murmured in low tones for him to hold on.
His hat. His hat was thicker than her glove. Gently, she pulled the cap off the back of his head, spilling blond hair mostly pulled into a ponytail. She slid her palm under his forehead to provide some cushion against the cold hard ground as she removed the front of the hat. Securing the thick folded knit against the crook of his neck, she eased her hand out from under him.
His head rolled enough to reveal his face in profile.
Kate gaped and moaned.
She scrabbled backward until her spine slammed into the brick wall of the looming building.
Between his parted, anguished lips, two sharp teeth protruded.
Fangs.
He had fangs.
Chapter Three
Vampire.
Her heart pounded in her chest, forcing her blood through her veins so hard and fast the roaring whoosh of it filled her ears.
He was a freaking vampire!
Butoh, Godwhat kind?
Kate had to look. Either way, she had to know what she was dealing with. Light-headedness threatened from her rapid breathing, but Kate forced herself to creep onto her knees and reach out a shaking hand. Shining her flashlight on his face, she flinched as her thumb pressed to his eyelid.
Please, please, please. The light quivered as she lifted the thin membrane of skin, hoping against hope it didnt reveal the soulless black iris and sclera of a Soul Eater. Her whole body sagged in relief. A perfectly white sclera and bright sapphire-blue iris shined out at her.
Oh, thank God.
Not one of the evil ones, then. She dropped her head into her hands and sucked in deep breaths that did little to ease her.
Shed traveled five thousand miles to get away from vampiresfrom studying them, preparing to serve them, from the possibility of a future involving themand here she sat, in a pitch-black alley, with an unconscious one at her feet.
And, holy shit, she wasnt even going to let herself think about why the vampires blood had affected her that way. Why it still affected her body and instincts and reactions even now.
Everything shed been running from had just caught up to her. Her parents were members of the Electorate, a group of influential humans who knew about the presence of vampires in the world, hid their existence and worked with them in their fight against evil vampires known as Soul Eaters. For their efforts, the humans reaped benefits from the allianceincluding earning the vampires protection and access to their blood, which cured disease and slowed the aging process significantly.
When shed turned sixteen, Kates parents had shared their secret and encouraged her to enroll in a program that would immerse her in the history and culture of vampires, preparing her to one day take their place on the Electorate Council. The program also entered her in a training class to become what they called a Proffered, a virgin human woman trained to serve the blood needs of the vampire warrior classand possibly become a lifelong mate. Apparently, all vampires were born male, so the perpetuation of their species could only be achieved through the joining of the races, a joining that cemented their alliance through kin ties and not just diplomacy alone.
In the beginning, Kate had been interested. She loved medieval history and was intrigued by her discovery of this world within a world. Her parents enthusiasm and pride also drove her. And, as she learned of their prominence within the council, she felt the weight of familial obligation, too. But the whole Proffered thingit scared her as much as it fascinated her.
The idea of it felt objectifying and exploitative. When she gave someone her virginity, she wanted it to be because they liked and cared for hershe didnt even have to have full-out love. But she certainly didnt want it to be because she happened to have the ability to fulfill some biological need. And the idea of becoming a vampires lifelong matewhat did that even mean? The whole thing raised so many questions.
So, as shed neared her twentieth birthdaythe year in which human blood apparently became particularly powerful for a vampireshed known she would never be able to go through with it, and shed withdrawn from her training early.
She stared at the manthe warrior, probablyin front of her and had to admit that, despite her jaw-dropping surprise at encountering the very thing shed believed she could never accept, that fierce strain of protectiveness from before still flowed through her.
She gasped. The ambulance would be here soon. Oh, my God. They cant find him.
Kate flew upright, her back ramrod straight. She might not want to become a vampires mate, but that didnt mean she had any intention of revealing their existence to the broader world. Between her training and her family, she understood very well how important the good vampires were to humans survival against the evil ones, and thus how vital it was to keep the secret. They had to get out of here. She had to get them out.
Though shed never seen it firsthand, shed learned vampires could heal, so her concerns about moving him alleviated a little. But she couldnt even attempt it while he remained facedown.
Silently apologizing, she braced both hands on the shoulder closest to the neck wound and entry hole in the back of his coat. Digging the toes of her boots into the gravel, it took all her strength to get him moving, but finally she rolled him onto his back. Pulse racing, her gaze raked over his features, but they were hard to make out through the dark and the loose strands of hair and smears of dirt and blood that covered his face.
She frowned. The left side of his hair bore no braid. Not a warrior after all, then, as braids represented the fraternity and bond of the warrior class.
Her thoughts scattered as her eyes caught a glint of metal on his chest. His bloody hand gripped a gun, a semiautomatic SIG Sauer, if she wasnt mistaken. Some introductory weapons training had been her fathers idea.
Frowning, she inhaled a deep breath and reached for it, surprised at how much effort it took to pry his fingers free from the grip. If you can hear me, Im not stealing it, I promise. Im just going to hold it for you. I dont want to try to move you with it loose.
A growl sounded in her head. Her gaze flashed to his unconscious face. The voice shed heard, this soundcould they be coming from him? Shed never learned of such a thing, though, shed also never met a real living breathing vampireor wanted to.
We have to get you out of here, she said in a hushed voice. Please.
His fingers relaxed. Or so it seemed. She finally pulled the weapon free.
With the help of her flashlight, she engaged the decocking mechanism on the side of the guns frame, making it safe to stow. But it was too big for her coat pocket. Feeling ridiculous, she holstered it in the waistband on the back of her jeans, grimacing at the feeling of the cold metal digging into her skin.
Stepping to his shoulders, Kate reached under his arms and gripped the fabric there. Her hands were so cold that she had to fight for purchase against the material. She rose into a crouched position and tugged.
Nothing. Not even a budge. Oh, no. Come on, mister. We have to go before the ambulance gets here.
This time she tried hooking her arms under his, and that worked, but it placed so much strain on her back she had to keep pausing. Thank God the authorities moved slowly in Moscow. Her ears strained to hear the far-off sound of sirens that would tell her she was out of time.
As she dragged him in uneven starts and stops over the gravel, her hunched-over position brought her face close to his. A warm thrill zinged down her spine and settled into her stomach like a shot of vodka. His spicy scent was so strong and appealing up close she had to resist leaning in farther, pressing her nose to his cheek, his hair. His throat.
Jeez, Kate, get your freaking head together.
They rounded the back of the building and victory flared in her gut. Now to find a place to conceal him while the ambulance came and went. Kate straightened to a standing position and pressed her palms into her lower back, stretching and soothing. A street lamp on the other side of the buildings rear revealed a small parking lot with a half-dozen cars parked against a chain-link fence and a Dumpster close to where she stood. Maybe she could hide him behind the line of cars. Maybe the ambulance crew would assume it was a false report. Maybe they wouldnt see the disturbed gravel where shed dragged him. That was a lot of damn maybes, but what else could she do?
Were almost there, now, she murmured as she bent again and hooked her arms under his. Hold on. Pushing herself harder, she tugged him toward the row of cars. But what was she going to do with him after this crisis passed? She shook her head and focused on pulling him. She could only worry about one thing at a time.
A wet, throaty groan sounded from the vampire.
Kates gaze dropped to his face, only dimly illuminated by the distant light. Its all right, she said. Youre gonna be all right.
Her foot went down farther than she expected. Kate stumbled, her boot wedged in some kind of hole, and struggled to hold her balance. She failed.
She landed so hard her breath exploded out of her. The way shed had her arms wedged under his kept them hooked together, and the vampires dead weight landed on her aching legs.
Her tailbone throbbing from the impact with the ground and the way the guns barrel dug into her skin, Kate groaned and fought to pull herself free of him.
Another, louder growl rolled out of his chest, like the low rumble of thunder, and he stirred, his head jerking against her thighs.
If he regained consciousness, this would be so much easier. Hey, are you
A tearing pain ripped into her wrist.
Kate cried out and tried to wrench away, but Oh, my God! He bit me! She gasped and moaned, No!
She threw every muscle into escaping the iron grip of his hands on her forearm and his impaling fangs in her radial artery. Her boots scrambled for purchase against the loose gravel but his weight held her down. With her free hand, she grabbed a fistful of blond hair and yanked.
The sound that ripped from his throat issued an animalistic warning her body recognized. Her heart raced in her chest, her scalp prickled and the hair rose on her arms and neck. Clutching her arm, he rolled onto his side and settled most of his big body within the cradle of her thighs, one shoulder pinning her hips tight and hard.
Pozhaluĭsta, pozhaluĭsta. Please, he begged over and over, wearing down her resistance as his tone became more desperate.
Blood rushing behind her ears, the sound even louder for the deep, sucking draws exiting through her wrist, Kate went still.
Please, he groaned in her head. Dying.
The abject need in his voice sucker punched her. Her hand slackened in his thick hair, but didnt fall away altogether.
Dying. The possibility made her feel dizzy and weak. Or maybe that was just the blood loss. For sure, though, injured as he was, he must require a lot of blood. Could she really deny him what he needed to survive? Did she even want to? His tongue laved over her skin, and her body knew the answer even if her brain resisted.