twisted onto my back, using my other leg to brace against the bed to keep me from sliding under even further. From the shadows came a low growl, and the pull on my leg increased, the joints in my leg straining to the point of pain. I gritted my teeth, straining with all my might, knowing if that thing pulled me under I was doomed. I had to stay out here where I at least had a fighting chance. With trembling hands I aimed the gun and squeezed the trigger. But I heard just a click in response.
Shit! Safety.
I flipped the safety off and fired into the darkness. The sharp crack of the gun split the air. I heard the bullet strike something, but I couldn’t tell if the savage growl I heard in response was from the creature being hit or just becoming righteously pissed. Unfortunately, it jerked harder and I felt something pop in my hip as a fierce pain shot through me, bringing me toward the edge of blackness. Screaming now in rage, I unloaded the rounds, firing rapidly into the shadows under the bed, hoping like hell that one of the bullets hit home.
But as I fired, the creature merely grabbed my calf with its other hand and began to pull its way up my leg, hand over hand, that blood-chilling growl growing in volume. I was out of ammo, kicking and fighting, but I could tell I was losing ground. I tried to scoot back, using my elbows, but it was now at my knee, my thigh. . . .
Those horrible claws dug into my waist and jerked me sideways and into the claustrophobic darkness beneath the bed. And there in the blackness I saw a face, its features distorted and monstrous. Red eyes blazed like hellfire as it glared at me. And when its mouth curved into a hideous smile, its white fangs grew longer even as I watched.
“Jesus, no,” I whimpered.
Dracula laughed as he edged up my body, his hands rough as they skimmed up my belly and found my breasts. “Come to me, Beatrice,” he growled. “Come to me now. . . .”
I awoke with a start, bolting upright. Instinctively, my hand flew up to my neck to search for the evidence of Dracula’s assault upon me, but I found nothing there. I sagged in relief and dropped back against Nicky’s pillows.
It had been a dream. Just a dream. A horrible, terrifying dream, but nothing more.
Thank God.
I rubbed the inside of my wrist against my forehead, not surprised to find my hairline drenched in sweat. My clothes clung to me and I began to shiver in spite of the thick down comforter that still covered me. With a deep breath, I threw off the covers and then bolted from the bed, taking several quick steps away from it before pausing to look back and make sure nothing waited to grab me and drag me under again.
I leaned against the wall and heaved a sigh, then laughed a little at myself. “Don’t be such a baby, Trish.” I chuckled, trying to reassure myself that I was being ridiculous. I was a grown woman, for crying out loud! I was a little old to be afraid of monsters hiding under the bed. And then I turned on the lights.
It was at that point that I tasted a distinct coppery taste in my mouth. I touched my fingers to my tongue and was startled to see blood on my fingers when I pulled them away as I had the other night in my apartment. “What the hell?”
Wondering if I’d bitten my tongue during my nightmare, I headed to the bathroom and filled my palm with water, then filled my mouth. When I spit it out in the sink, streaks of red clung to the sides of the porcelain as they made their way to the drain. Frowning, I looked in the mirror, crying out when I saw my mouth filling with blood. Gagging, I spat into the sink again, then turned on the water and filled my cupped hand, rinsing out my mouth and spitting once more. But the more I tried to stop the blood, the more it came, spilling out over my lips and down my chin, dripping onto the porcelain in horrifying crimson streaks.
I choked and sputtered, the blood now coming so quickly I couldn’t get it out of my mouth fast enough.
Oh, God. . . .
Tears of panic blurred my vision as I groped for the hand towel hanging on the rack, using it to try to absorb the blood and keep me from drowning. But it wasn’t working. I choked again as blood flooded my throat. Desperate to clear my airway, I coughed in a violent burst, spraying blood onto the mirror, and caught a glimpse of my frantic, wide-eyed expression in spite of the blood obscuring my reflection.
I whimpered, feeling my lungs growing heavy as they filled with fluid. But then my father’s words drifted to me as if whispered in my ear:
You must control your fear, Beatrice, or your fear will control you. Never let your mind slip into the abyss where chaos reigns. . . .
I closed my eyes, trying to regain control, bringing my racing heart back to heel. With one last sputtering cough, I opened my eyes again, determined to take on my tormenter with my last ounce of strength.
But the blood was gone. The bathroom was pristine once again. My face and hands were no longer covered in red. I swallowed, a faint metallic taste the only evidence that anything had even occurred. My knees went weak with relief and I sagged against the vanity, bracing myself for a moment, my head hanging down between my shoulders. After a deep, cleansing breath, I lifted my head again and met my own eyes in the mirror.
“What the hell was that all about?” I whispered, my throat still tight with lingering fear. As if in answer to my question, a streak of blood suddenly appeared on the mirror. Then another. And another. I began to tremble as I watched the blood trickle down, forming letters, until a single word materialized.
Mine.
I slid to the ground, my legs no longer able to hold me. Trembling, I tried to pull myself back to my feet so I could get the hell out of there, but nothing seemed to work. Then it hit me—I was in shock. I needed to get to my phone and call—
Who?
I wanted Nicky. I wanted to hear his deep voice calling me “doll.” I wanted his strong arms cradling me against him. I wanted him to smooth my curls and kiss my lips and tell me I was safe. But he’d left me. Abandoned me. I was completely alone.
No. I wasn’t alone.
There was someone I could call on. Anytime.
Mustering what strength I could, I pulled myself up to the sink and turned on the hot water full blast, letting the steam build and cloud over the mirror as Lavender had once taught me.
“Trish!”
I started at the sudden sound of my name. “In here!” I called from where I had collapsed roughly thirty seconds before.
Damn, he was fast!
Gideon burst into the bathroom, his sunglasses hiding his eyes, but his concern evident in the scowl he wore. Without a word, he bent and scooped me into his arms, carrying me out of the bathroom and into the hall as if I weighed nothing.
Too bad I wasn’t in the mood for a rebound at the moment. I totally would’ve gone for the whole strong, silent, ass-kicking vibe Gideon had going for him. As it was, I was just damned relieved to have him there. I rested my head against his chest as he swept me down the stairs.
“You’re safe now,” he said, his voice clipped as we reached the foyer. “I’ll take you to my king.”
“Like hell you will.”
My eyes snapped open. Nicky stood in the doorway, his clothes torn and bloody, proof he’d had his own hellish night. His fists were clenched at his sides, near his weapons, ready to go medieval on Gideon’s ass. My heart did a cartwheel of joy, but the rest of me was still too hurt and angry to let on how happy I was to see him.
“I suggest you step aside, Blue,” Gideon said, his tone even and unconcerned, yet uncompromising. “She was in trouble and called me to her. I am bound by honor to offer my protection and will do so. I will take her to the safety of my king’s estate, and then she may grant you an audience there. If she wishes.”
“Grant me an audience?” Nicky echoed, his Chicago accent growing thicker in his anger. “Fuck you, Tiny. If she’s in trouble, she can count on me.”
Gideon regarded him mildly. “Obviously not.”
Nicky looked like Gideon had just punched him in the nuts. But Gideon wasn’t done yet.
He carried me forward until he was up in Nicky’s grill, glaring down at him from his towering height. “If I were to have the love of such a woman,” he growled, “I would do anything in my power to protect her, no matter the cost.”
