On the Prowl (Bad Things #2)(8)

And his victim never saw him coming, not until it was too late. By then, his claws would be at his prey’s throat and there would never be a chance to scream.

Her breath heaved from her lungs and she used her vamp super-speed to get her ass away from that alley. Thanks to Julian’s blood, she could move that fast again, but the speed wouldn’t last without more blood. She needed to hurry and put some serious distance between herself and him.

And…

She knew just how to get that distance because Rose had just spotted a familiar blond figure. Her intended prey before Julian had appeared and tried to ruin her night. The blond man from the club was just climbing into the front of his dark SUV. She rushed to the side of the vehicle and grabbed the door before he could close it. “I need a ride.” Her voice came out breathless and a little too high-pitched. Hardly the controlled vamp.

The blond blinked at her. “You…wait…what?”

She risked a glance over her shoulder and—shit—Julian was stalking out of the alley. He looked pissed. “I need a ride really, really badly.” She tried to inject power into her voice as she said, “You’re going to give me a ride.” The compulsion had better work. She’d gotten that temporary power boost from Julian’s blood, so it should work but…

The man blinked. “Uh, you want to get in the car?”

“Absolutely!” She took those stumbling words for an invitation and raced to the other side of the vehicle. She hopped in—

“Rose!” That deep bellow came from Julian. Oh, hell. He was running for her.

“What’s your name?” Rose demanded of the blond as she reached over and took the keys from him. She cranked the SUV.

“Simon. Simon Lorne.”

“Wonderful. Great, look, Simon, you need to get us out of here.” Julian was almost at the SUV. “Now.”

He shoved down the gas pedal and they tore out of the parking lot. As they fish-tailed out of there, she heard a long metallic groan, and Rose looked back, frantic, to see that Julian was right behind them. He scratched the SUV. He was that close—close enough to claw the side of the vehicle.

“Faster,” she urged Simon. “You need to drive one hell of a lot faster.” Because she knew the panther would be giving chase.

Simon didn’t argue. Maybe her compulsion power was just working extra well. He got them away from the club and they hurtled down the little two-lane highway. Her heart was about to burst from her chest, and Rose kept looking back, terrified that she’d see a panther’s golden eyes staring at her.

But he wasn’t there.

“You…having some trouble with your boyfriend?”

“He isn’t my boyfriend.” Okay, so he had been once. A long time ago. “He’s just a problem from my past.” She had quite a few of those. Rose exhaled and forced herself to turn back around and face the front. Slumping in the seat, she said, “Just take the next left. There’s a small motel there. You can drop me off and then just forget you ever met me.” His world would be much safer once he forgot her.

“Why would I want to forget?” The SUV drove past the road that opened onto the left. “You’re the vampire I’ve been looking for.”

It took a moment too long for his words to sink in.

Too long.

Her head whipped toward Simon, but he was already moving. Simon kept one hand on the steering wheel and with his right hand, he drove a syringe into her throat. The needle jabbed into her skin and she felt a hot liquid pour into her.

Dammit.

“You took out my backup in the alley, but I think I can manage to bring you in alone.”

“Think again,” she gritted out. Then she leapt toward him. Rose drove her elbow into his face and heard the crack of bones. She grabbed for the steering wheel, but he was fighting her. The SUV swerved into the next lane—and Rose heard the loud blare of a horn.

“You’re going to get us both killed!” Simon yelled as the SUV flew off the road. It bounced hard and hurtled straight for a tree.

“Lucky for me, I’m already dead.” She closed her eyes and waited for the impact.

It was just as hard and brutal as she’d expected. Glass shattered. Metal groaned and she heard Simon screaming.





Chapter Two


Julian Craig jumped off his motorcycle and rushed toward the wreckage. He could smell blood and the acrid odor of gasoline in the air.

“They came right at me!” A woman was yelling. A human who was frantically spinning around in the middle of the street, wringing her hands. “Crossed the line and nearly hit me! Must be drunk or—”

He reached the passenger side of the SUV. Rose was trapped inside, penned by the twisted metal. Broken glass was all around her. Blood trickled from her cheek. “It’s okay, love,” he said quietly. “I’m here.” He grabbed that door and yanked it hard, tearing it right from the vehicle. The metal groaned as it gave way, and he tossed it to the ground.

“Dear God.” It was the human female behind him. And she sounded terrified.

She should be.

Julian spared her the briefest glance. “Get the hell out of here.”

She took off running.

He bent toward the SUV. The driver was still trapped inside. The blond wanker from the club. His eyes were closed, but he was breathing.