Annie Nicholas - Catch

Colby stared at me with his piercing green eyes. They narrowed as the corners of his mouth turned down. “Some places are more aware of the true nature of the world than others.” He ran his fingers through his short dirty blond hair. “Why are you in Rio, Connie?”

“For the Easter egg hunt. What do you think? Rurik wanted to show me the city during the holidays.”

Neither of them spoke.

“Ah hell, what am I missing?” I really, really didn’t want to know. Sometimes being oblivious was bliss, but not with girls getting killed around me.

“Do you know who the Overlord of Rio is?”

“No,” I whispered and swallowed with a dry throat.

“Tane.”

“Oh.” That sucked big sour lemons. Tane hated me.

“Now that he rules the vampire nations, Rio’s become a popular place among them.

People here cling to the older ways of thinking and are more superstitious. I’d say some people are more aware of reality than most modern nations.”

“I haven’t seen any other vampires since we arrived here.” I scratched my chin. We encountered some in every city. “We’ve been here a few days and Rurik’s kept us busy all over town.” As if flaunting our presence. Maybe I wasn’t the only one keeping secrets.

“I thought he and Tane were friends.”

“Yeah, so did I. What does this have to do with the girls?”

“Nothing, so far.”

“What do you want from me?”

“The usual, you fit the killer’s vice.”

“Be bait.” I sighed. “Where and when?”

“We’ll contact you. Until then, if you find out anything you can reach me on my cell.

You still remember the number?”

“Better than my own.” I unfolded from the chair and sauntered to the door.

He followed and opened it for me. As I crossed the threshold, he pinched my ass.

“Nice dress, by the way.”

I swung around, but faced the closed wooden door. His touch left me uneasy, and the murders even worse.

It didn’t take long to leave the hotel and spot my hunk searching the crowd for me. I decided on the elevator trip down that I’d confess everything to him. He could access more contacts in this city and he’d want to help. Rurik took the no-kill law very seriously.

My heels clicked on the pavement as I crossed the street. Our eyes met through the hoard of people leaving the area. I smiled at him and hoped he’d found a secluded spot for us to celebrate.

His eyes grew wider as panic spread across his face. He shoved people out of his way while trying to race in my direction.

Fear gripped my heart and I twisted around to see what monster could strike such terror in Rurik. Iron strong hands clasped my shoulders as I came face to face with a bald man. Not a man. The pointed ears and fangs gave him away. A Nosferatu.

I’d met enough Nosferatu to last me eternity.

He lifted me by the shoulders as if I weighed nothing and held me in front of him.

Power oozed from him. They were the strongest vampire clan. Unlike the other Nosferatu I’d encountered, this one bore no apparent tattoos. He wore a dirty, beige short-sleeved shirt with blue jeans and a pair of worn sneakers. From a distance, he could pass for a street thug.

My heart raced so fast it skipped beats. I tried to scream, but my lungs froze from fright. All I could do was stare into the black pits of his eyes and wait for him to break me with a twist of his hands.

Time stopped, as if whatever controlled the universe gave me one last moment to feel alive. We stood in a crowd of people leaving the Copacabana beach. The Nosferatu held me high enough that I could see the two regular vampires behind him. Laughter floated in the air, someone gave a high whistle to my left and a young woman glanced at me over her shoulder only to ignore the terror on my face.

No one cared.

Except Rurik and he’d want to fight them. The image of these monsters tearing apart my lover before my eyes popped me out of this freeze. I twisted to yell at him to run.

Our gazes met for a second just before Rurik passed under the arms that held me, slid between us, then tackled the Nosferatu to the ground. I got tossed over their heads.

Dancing lessons taught me more than how to twirl without getting dizzy. I also learned how to fall without cracking my skull. With a tuck of my chin, I did a forward somersault and the momentum carried me to my high-heeled feet.

No cheers greeted my graceful escape, only the hungry stares of the other two vampires.

“Why are you attacking us, Luckard?” Rurik asked.

I swung around, shocked he knew the Nosferatu’s name. His arms were pinned behind his back by my original attacker. The other two came up next to me, one on each side.

A vamp with short blond hair placed his arm around my waist and held me close. “I like this one. Can I keep her once you’re done, boss?”

My stomach dropped. I tried to step away, but he wouldn’t let me. Caught in his iron grip, I lost all hope of escape until I met Rurik’s stare. Determination solidified in his eyes and sweat beaded on his forehead. Something brushed my mental shields. As soon as it touched my mind, I reflexively re-enforced them. Ever since Dragos mind-raped me, I wouldn’t—couldn’t let anyone inside my head. Not even the ones I loved most.

A sharp pierce in the shield’s structure like a long sharp needle shocked me enough to cry out.

The one holding me jumped as well, his arms pulling me closer.

Run, Rabbit.

I quirked an eyebrow in Rurik’s direction. How did he expect me to do that? Throw this guy holding me over my shoulder and give him a piggyback ride?

He winked, as if he knew my thoughts, and stopped supporting his weight with his legs. Both he and Luckard fell forward. Rurik used the surprise to roll away and twist his arms free but his assailant crawled on top of him with the lightning speed of a Nosferatu.

Blondie got distracted enough to loosen his grip around my waist so I could at least turn and face him.

As he glanced my way, I stuck my fingers up his nose and twisted. I passed Street Fighting 101 in New York City. No such thing as second place—you fight to win or you get owned. Vampire or not, getting your nose twisted off your face hurts like hell.

His eyes grew wide and he shoved me away. It was all I needed to escape. I ran like Rurik told me to and abandoned him. A dark pit opened in my gut and little pieces of my heart dropped into it.

I heard the Nosferatu on the ground shout, “Forget about him, get the girl!”

His order spurred me from a sprint into a flat out run, fleeing the area like a nut case escaped from a loony bin. If there was an Olympic event for sprinting in heels I’d be a gold medalist.

Get the girl? Why would they want me? Did my personal demon, Tane, send them?

The crowds thinned around the beach, but the farther I raced toward the nightclubs the thicker they got. I went to the densest throng of partiers and mingled among them.

Short of breath, I turned a slow circle and checked for signs of vampire pursuit. Months of playing hide-and-seek with Rurik were finally paying off. I hoped the vampire hunting me would keep to the rules and not attack me in front of witnesses.

A handsome, young man glanced in my direction. His eyebrows shot up in recognition.

At first I groaned with trepidation, then realized my dumb luck. He was the one who tried to lure me from Rurik earlier. This could work out if I played my cards right. I needed humans to surround myself with and he seemed part of this large group.

I smiled and stared at him long enough for him to understand my invitation.

He searched the area as he weaved through the crowd. I had to assume he looked for Rurik. His shy grin turned into a wide smile when he didn’t see any evidence of my lover and he sped his last steps to me.