The man clutched his head, muttering, “No, not yet!” several times. The tunnel vibrated as the train approached. With growing awareness, Elise saw that the man was going to jump right in front of it.
Even as she charged forward to snatch him back, something happened. The despairing scent pouring off him changed to the choking stench of sulfur. His mouth opened in an impossibly wide snarl as he whirled, gripping Elise with more strength than any human should have. Pinpoints of red shone in his eyes, like sparks before a fire, and before her gaze, his skin seemed to turn to a waxy ashen shade.
“Vampire,” he hissed, reaching for her throat.
Elise didn’t pause to wonder what was going on. She punched him in the head, watching in relief as he collapsed to the tunnel floor.
Chapter Two
Blake’s first thought on waking up and seeing duct tape around his hands instead of fresh blood was, Thank God. A year ago, the same sight would have shocked and terrified him. Now it was a better start than most days.
Then it occurred to him to wonder where he was. Or who the blond woman watching him with an unreadable expression was.
Blake glanced around, noting with relief that the room was empty of blood or bodies. It was also empty of windows, and it was shaking with a powerful vibration.
Was he still in the District? How long had the most recent episode lasted?
“You need to get away from me,” were Blake’s first words. He eyed his bound hands and feet. He would feel threatened as soon as this registered. Blake tensed, expecting that buzzing in his head to start up, but so far, there was silence. Still time for the woman to get away.
“Why did you try to jump in front of the train?” she asked.
Blake closed his eyes. That’s right, the last thing he remembered was the train.
“Did you stop me?” he asked incredulously. “Damn it, why?”
She raised a brow. “You could say thank you.”
Blake wanted to slap her. So close to being free, and she ruined it. “You don’t know what you’ve done, but you’ll be making a bigger mistake if you don’t leave right now.”
She gave a pointed look at his wrists and ankles. “You think you can hurt me?”
The memory of being shoved in a police car, handcuffed, flashed through Blake’s mind. He’d been fighting the encroaching noise in his head and hoping desperately that the cuffs and the reinforced backseat would hold.
The next memory followed without pity. The crashed police car, kicked-in barrier between the front and backseats, and the mangled remains of the two officers.
“I’ll kill you.” Blake’s voice was hoarse with self-loathing. “Leave now, before it’s too late!”
“You can’t kill me,” she said, a sort of detached amusement in her tone. “I’m already dead.”
As Blake watched, her eyes changed. They became impossibly green and began to glow, bright as traffic lights. Her smile widened to show more of her teeth, where her front two incisors extended down to form sharp, pointed tips.
Blake found himself smiling. A vampire had kidnapped him. Today might be a good day after all.
Elise watched the man’s reaction with interest as she revealed her inhuman nature. Surprisingly, he didn’t look afraid. In fact, the strangest expression of relief crossed his face.
He tilted his head back. “All right, then. Kill me.”
She wrinkled her nose. “You think I’m going to bite you? Not with how you smell.”
He made an impatient noise. “So plug your nose while you drink my blood. But hurry. I don’t know how long it’ll be before he takes me.”
Elise considered him. She’d met suicidal people before but none who gave off the kind of vibes this man did. Considering what she’d seen after she grabbed him back from the oncoming train, Elise had a good idea about what was driving him to kill himself. She’d never personally come across someone in his condition before, but in her long life, she knew people who had.
“You’re possessed, aren’t you?”
Elise asked it matter-of-factly. His eyes widened as if he’d been struck.
“Yes,” he whispered. A spasm crossed his face, too raw to be labeled pain. “For about six months now.”
He didn’t look to be the type to play with a Ouija board. Maybe he was one of those foolish humans who trifled with spirits, seeking to tap into the dark power of the other side. “How did it happen?”
“A car accident.” Her brows went up, but he just sighed. “I was driving home from work when this woman jumped in front of my car. I called 911, tried to help her, but she died in my arms. Witnesses cleared me of being at fault, and I thought it was just a terrible accident. About three weeks later, the blackouts started. I’d hear this buzzing in my head, then wake up in places I didn’t remember going to, with no idea what I’d done. I thought I was crazy. Then—”