Chapter 9
Micah was walking toward her with a smile on his face. He waved and called out her name. Alicia started running toward him when the bright and sunny landscape became dark and they were surrounded by dull block walls on each side of them.
Micah lowered his arm and the smile vanished from his face. Two large, claw like hands appeared from the darkness behind him and wrapped around his neck. Alicia watched in horror as his clothes were ripped by unseen hands and long bloody welts appeared on his skin like he’d been struck with a whip.
Fur-covered arms appeared and wrapped around his body slowly dragging him back into the darkness. He reached out one hand toward her and tried to speak but all she heard was a whisper of her name. When Micah was drug back, a pair of red, vicious eyes glared out at her along with two rows of long, razor sharp teeth.
Alicia jerked awake with a loud gasp and sat up in the large bed with a hand over her heart trying to calm its erratic beating. She was drenched in sweat and crying but she couldn’t help it. Micah needed her help and she couldn’t find him… didn’t even know where to start.
Wiping the tears from her eyes, she heard the front door down stairs slam shut. Jumping out of bed, she wondered if it was Michael leaving. She hoped it wasn’t, she really needed to talk to him.
Going to the French doors, she opened them and stepped out on the long balcony that ran across the whole front of the house. She could see the church more clearly and the street below.
She watched Michael walk out and get in his Lamborghini. She leaned over the railing of the balcony and smiled when he started the powerful engine. Moments later he was gone, driving down the street almost as fast as Markus had driven earlier that night.
Thoughts of the tall gang member brought to mind everything that had happened tonight. Breathing in the fresh air, she tried to calm her overloaded emotions and be thankful that Michael had given her a helping hand to get out of trouble. If it weren’t for him erasing Nick’s memory and giving her a place to stay, then she would’ve been stuck at Night Light under heavy guard with a brother who didn’t give a damn… at least that’s how she saw it.
Alicia closed her eyes thinking back to Michael's kiss. She ghosted her fingertips across her lips and tried to bring back the sensation of it, only for her mind to betray her and become confused. Michael’s image suddenly blurred and her mind conjured up the kiss from the stranger she’d met in the alley instead.
She sighed realizing it would probably be a cold day in hell before she ever saw him again.
*****
Damon sat up in the bed and examined his injuries with a critical eye. Running his tongue across the bite on his lip, he was disappointed to feel that the bite mark had almost vanished. He was healing a lot faster than normal. He’d felt his internal power amplifying lately and wondered what was causing it. At this rate, by this time tomorrow he would be pain free.
After he was healed he’d decide then if he was going to stick around or go back to the penthouse and fight the war from there. Syn may have persuaded him to come to Los Angeles, but he never said anything about him holding Michael’s hand or living with him. He’d need a damn good reason to stay if he did.
At least Syn was quiet for now. He had a habit of popping into his head uninvited, with words of wisdom when he saw fit then vanishing just as quickly. He wished Michael and Kane had the same pesky problem but knew he was the only one.
Damon thought Syn was going to kill him the night he’d tried to kill Michael, but Syn had revived Michael and let Michael do it himself. Funny how well that worked as punishment, it lent a new meaning to the word karma. He’d died so many times but the death had never stuck. He’d never tested the theory past Michael killing him until a couple of hours ago.
Last night a little girl who shouldn’t have been playing with monsters got the best of him and stabbed him in the heart with a wooden dagger. He raised an eyebrow at the memory then frowned remembering that she’d also used one of Syn’s spells on him. At first, he’d thought she was just some human trying to get her freak on with the wrong crowd but normally, horny little girls didn’t carry wooden knives under their skirts and cast spells they shouldn’t know that had been created by beings older than dirt.
He figured if he ever did run into the little snit again, he was going to teach her that karma was a bitch… if he could keep from kissing her again. Little blonde girls carrying wooden daggers beware. Damon smirked at the thought but the smile faded also remembering how serious and angry she’d been when she’d demanded to know where Micah was.
He jerked the rest of the covers off no longer interested in sleep. “Who the hell is Micah anyway?”
Feeling the breeze coming in from the open balcony doors, he slipped out of bed and walked over to them. He looked across the street at the church and chuckled as he noticed the cross on the high point of the church was missing. Looking over his shoulder at the cross Kane had propped up against the wall Damon shook his head and sighed. It was good to know some things never changed… one of them being Kane’s sarcastic sense of humor and his total disregard for other people’s property.
He silently stepped onto the balcony and froze dead in his tracks seeing the very girl with the long blond hair from last night.
His eyes narrowed on her back and his hands fisted at his sides. She was in a black t-shirt that was obviously not hers because it almost fell to her knees. He glanced toward the doors she was standing in front of wondering if that was Michael's room… or worse yet, Kane’s. Looking back, he noticed her hands gripping the banister so tight that her knuckles were turning white. He could see the tenseness in her shoulders and wondered what she was thinking about to bring on that reaction.
He tried to wrap his mind around what he knew about her already… which was next to nothing. She’d been at the church almost getting herself killed and he’d saved her that night without her even knowing it. Then tonight she’d been ready to walk into that gang of vampires for unknown reasons and, seeing as she was obviously living with two vampires, then maybe her reasons were good ones.
Was she joining the war against the soulless vampires to please her vampire boyfriends? The thought drug a deep growl from him before he could stop it.
Hearing a growl behind her, Alicia jerked away from the memory of the kiss. She swung around and instantly backed up against the banister seeing the man she had been mentally kissing standing right there glaring at her.
“Where did you come from?” Alicia asked and moved her gaze toward the French doors while trying to keep him in sight at the same time. She took a second to judge the distance between her and the doors, wondering if she could close and lock them before he was able to grab her. Had he been stalking her, or even worse, following her?
Her gaze lowered to his exposed chest seeing where she had staked him and cringed. Oh yeah, he had every reason to be mad. With Michael and Kane gone, she was screwed if she didn’t find a way out of this one.
The second she turned around, Damon felt like he’d been punched in the gut and all the breath was seemingly knocked from his lungs. Without all that makeup to hide her pure complexion and the stupid Cleopatra wig, the girl was beyond pretty… just like she’d been in the graveyard. All that long blond hair hung in waves to frame her baby doll face and wide emerald eyes.
He’d known her body was a knock-out in the dress she’d been wearing tonight but, now that she was in a simple oversized t-shirt that the breeze kept blowing against the outline of her body, she was even more alluring. T-shirt… was that Michael’s t-shirt?
The adrenaline rush of seeing him again paired with the fear of what he was thinking when he didn’t answer her question had Alicia running toward the bedroom. An undignified squeak escaped her lips and she skidded to a halt when he was suddenly standing between her and the doors.
“Running back to Michael’s bed so quickly?” Damon demanded in the softest voice he could manage. “There’s no rush, he’s not even here.”
Alicia swallowed her fear trying to think of a way to reach safety. The random thought of jumping over the side of the balcony and shifting on the way down so she could land safely entered her mind. Mentally she shook her head… there was no way she’d be able to outrun him. Her brain started to work realizing that he obviously knew Michael. That was a good thing because everyone that knew Michael knew how powerful he was.
Deciding that Michael was her best protection, she tried to relax as if the vampire she’d stabbed only a few hours ago was no threat at all.
Stepping back to the banister, she acted as though she’d changed her mind about going inside and nodded once. “When I woke up Michael was gone.” It wasn’t really a lie. She tilted her chin up bravely and sent him an irritated glare over her shoulder. “I’m sure he’ll be back soon… so you might want to leave.”
The second their eyes met, she wrapped her hand around the necklace she was wearing, glad she hadn’t taken it off.
Damon gritted his teeth then gave her a slow smile showing his fangs. “I’m not going anywhere. As a matter of fact… Michael asked me to stay.”
“I highly doubt that,” Alicia said before thinking. Realizing she had no way of knowing if he was telling the truth or not she shrugged, “And even if he did ask you to stay here, he’ll change his mind when he finds out you attacked me in the alley.”
“And will you also tell him that you stabbed me when I was only trying to save his precious lover from a group of soulless vampires that were paying homage to a demon?” The smile stayed in place and his voice was dead calm as he started toward her.
A sliver of ice started creeping up Alicia’s spine when he said ‘soulless vampires’ like it was a bad thing. Why would he say it like that? She turned completely around to face him when he started advancing.
“You bit me!” she accused becoming nervous.
“If I remember correctly, you returned the favor,” Damon pointed out then slowly ran the tip of his tongue across his bottom lip as if savoring the memory. Seeing her eyes drop to his exposed chest, he wondered if she regretted stabbing him. “It was a tiny one in comparison but a bite nonetheless.”
So she was Michael’s lover? He could have sworn the way she’d frantically asked him where Micah was that it was this Micah she loved.
Realizing he wasn’t going to stand beside her at the railing but directly in front of her, she put her hand out hoping he wouldn’t come any closer. Unable to suppress her confusion Alicia frowned. “Who are you?” The second she asked, her palm came in contact with his bare chest and she felt the warmth along with the pulse of a steady heartbeat.
Damon stared down at her giving her a moment to feel the heartbeat most vampires were lacking then leaned in to whisper near the shell of her ear. “Michael’s brother… Damon.”
Alicia jerked her hand back in shock and turned away from him to grip the banister. He had a soul… just like Michael and Kane. She looked down at the yard below but could still feel him standing directly behind her. What had she done? She’d stabbed Michael’s brother… she’d tried to kill Michael’s brother. Oh god… they would all three hate her now. Damn it, how many more times was she going to mess up?
Damon frowned when a sudden breeze lifted the strands of her hair revealing the claw marks on the back of her shoulder. She hadn’t had those when he’d last seen her so she must have gotten them after. “If you’re under my brother’s protection, then why were you out alone tonight playing with monsters?”
So he had really been trying to save her? She felt her eyes start to burn with tears. God… she really had made a mess out of everything. Her father had buried Kane and now she’d tried to kill Damon. Maybe Quinn was right… maybe she wasn’t meant to fight in this war.
“Micah,” she whispered finally, answering Damon’s question and wishing her brother was here to help her at the same time… she really needed him right now.
Hearing the wistfulness in her voice as she whispered Micah's name, Damon felt a spark of jealousy for the unknown man. “You love Micah.” It was a statement not a question.
“Yes,” Alicia said with conviction. He was the only one who loved her… and he was the only man she loved.
“Then why are you sleeping with my brother?” Damon asked feeling jealousy and confusion war within him. He put his hand on the door frame so she couldn’t get past him without answering.
Alicia looked up at him with tears gathering in her eyes. “I only said that because you did. I’m not sleeping with Michael.”
“Then its Kane,” Damon gritted his teeth at that thought. Picturing Kane sharing a bed with the infuriating blonde goddess in front of him was enough to nearly push him over the edge, find his other brother and start a war.
Alicia’s lips parted to deny it but then it struck her that he’d just accused her of sleeping with two different guys. In her current frame of mind he’d just succeeded in simply pissing her off. After all, she’d been dressed like a hooker when she’d seen him in the alley, then she’d let him kiss her senseless so… why not.
Putting on a sexy smile, she leaned toward Damon as if telling a big secret. “Actually, out of the three of you… Michael is the best kisser.” Pushing his hand out of the way, she went into her room and slammed the door in his face.
*****
Michael was leaning back in a chair in front of Warren’s desk. He’d laced his fingers together waiting for Warren and Nick to absorb everything he’d just told them.
“So that’s where Misery went to,” Warren said in a contemplative voice.
Michael nodded, “Yes, she seems to be thriving on the darkness of the people around there.”
Warren took out his cell phone and started punching in a text. His phone beeped when he sent it off and he sat it down on the desk.
“I sent Quinn a message to have him tell everyone to stay away from that area until we have something concrete planned out,” Warren explained.
“That would be the best thing,” Michael said.
“Especially with Alicia all gung-ho about finding Micah,” Nick injected making Michael look up at him. “If she didn’t know, that would probably be the first place she’d start looking if she could get past Quinn.”
“How do you know that?” Michael asked.
Nick shrugged, “That would be the first place I’d look.”
“We’ll discuss finding Micah later. There isn’t too much we can do until Quinn gives the okay,” Warren said with a frown.
“The okay for what?” Michael asked with a tilt of his head. “Micah is part of his family, and if that means as much as he says it does, then that should be one of his first priorities.”
Nick snorted, “He’s got his head stuck up Kat’s-“
“NICK!” Warren shouted making the other man jump at the volume. “You will never speak like that around me, understand?”
Nick took out his white handkerchief and started waving it back and forth. “Whoa there big kitty… truce.”
“Big kitty?” Michael asked arching an eyebrow.
Warren shook his head, “Don’t ask.”
Michael stood up, “On that note, I will take my leave of you for the evening.”
“Keep us updated if you see anything else,” Warren said.
Michael nodded, “I will, goodnight.”
Michael left the office, softly closing the door behind him and the two men looked at each other. Nick shrugged again before leaving the office and Warren leaned back in his chair once he was alone.
Warren had been friends with Michael for a number of years and could tell when something wasn’t quite right. He had no doubt there had been a Misery sighting… what he couldn’t put his finger on is who Michael was covering for by lying and saying he’d been the one to see her.
Michael stepped outside the club and pulled the lapels of his long coat closer to his ears. It was definitely starting to get cooler and soon he’d have to break out his slightly heavier jackets.
Walking to his car, he recalled Alicia being attacked right on the property and decided to take another look around just to be sure. After that he would have to try locating Kane and who knew what kind of trouble he was getting into at the moment. What made matters worse was Kane refused to carry a cell phone and that made it even harder to track him.
Walking around to the rear of the building, Michael looked high and low searching for any other vampires that may have followed the scent of blood here. Hearing a beeping noise coming from the darkness, he frowned and followed it. He stopped when he found Alicia’s cell phone laying face down on the concrete.
Picking it up, he turned it over and saw a message from Quinn. Opening the text mailbox, he grinned at the message.
‘Ask your friend if you can stay for a few more days. Things are starting to heat up around here. Call me and let me know you’re okay. Loves!’
Michael saved the message and tucked the phone into his pocket.
“Everything okay back here?”
Michael grinned over his shoulder at Nick. “Yeah, I just came back to make sure there weren’t any others hanging around before leaving.”
“You owe me for leaving me to do the cleanup you know,” Nick complained and crossed his arms over his chest.
“I’ll invite you over for dinner,” Michael offered.
Nick backed up a step, “You’re inviting me over for dinner?”
Michael resisted the urge to find a rock and throw it at him. “For dinner, not for dinner.”
Nick smirked, “I know, I just like being able to mess with you from time to time. You and Warren do it to me often enough.”
Michael placed a hand over his heart, “But Nick, don’t you realize we’re not messing with you at all? Everything we said is true.”
Nick waved his hands in front of his face, “Stop it you freak, that was way TMI.”
“You are such a homophobe,” Michael said with another grin and a shake of his head.
He walked past Nick and around the corner. Just before he was out of earshot he heard Nick mumbling.
“Am not.”
“Are too,” Michael sing-songed back to him and continued walking.
“Stick your finger in a light socket!” Nick yelled making Michael snort with amusement. Oh, if Nick only knew what Michael had done in his younger years when he got drunk and bored.
Getting in his car Michael realized that Alicia didn’t have anything to wear except his shirt. While the prospect of keeping her in his clothing was amusing, he knew she wouldn’t go for it. Starting the car he drove over to Night Light and parked around the corner from the club.
He approached the building from the north side and quickly scaled the wall while avoiding the video surveillance Quinn had installed. It didn’t take him long to find her window… it was the only one open as though she were waiting for someone to come in or waiting for an opportunity to get out.
Slipping inside, he immediately took notice of the black light purple bedspread and lavender carpeting. It was offset with gold embroidery leaving him able to visualize her so easily. The walls were covered with photos of her and Micah together and only a few with her other brothers. A computer hummed softly against one wall and her closet, which was open, dominated the other wall.
He smirked when he saw her suitcase sitting on the floor like she’d just tossed it there after unpacking everything. Grabbing it up, he started going through her closet and her dresser drawers, pulling out different types of clothing he thought she might need.
He was going through her drawers when he came upon her panty drawer. Taking a few pieces out, he couldn’t help but look at them with a critical eye and wonder who had bought them for her… it made him feel very protective of her all of a sudden. He started to leave the sexy underwear in the drawer but changed his mind, tossing them and other things she would need in the suitcase.
Going into the adjoining bathroom, he gathered her toiletries and her make-up bag, packing them into the suitcase as well. Closing the case and zipping it up, he took her cell phone out of his pocket and placed it on top.
Walking around the room one more time, he stopped when he saw a teddy bear with a collar that had Micah’s name on it. He picked up the toy and examined it for a moment before deciding to take it with him. At the last moment he also took up a picture of her and Micah that was beside the bed as well.
After looking around to make sure he had everything she would need, he reached over and picked up the suitcase. If he had turned back to look around one last time he would have seen Alicia’s cell phone laying on the floor from where it had fallen when he picked up her suitcase.
Going back to his car, he placed the suitcase in the seat beside him along with the teddy bear and the picture. He kept thinking he was forgetting something but shrugged it off when nothing came to mind.
Michael decided to swing back by the house and drop off her stuff. He also wanted to see if Kane had come back before he took off looking for him. Coming to a stop in front of the house, Michael took Alicia’s stuff up to her room. He knocked lightly once before opening the door and slipping inside.
Placing the suitcase on the foot of the bed, Michael smiled softly when he saw she was still asleep and dreaming deeply. Her shirt had slipped off her shoulder again revealing the vampire mark on her neck. Upon closer inspection, he could see that it wasn’t completely healed and clenched his fist in anger before releasing it.
Reaching out, he rubbed the back of his finger across her cheek feeling the warmth of her soft skin. As strong willed as she was, she wouldn’t stay innocent for long. A hint of a smile played at the corners of his lips as he remembered the kiss they’d shared. Thinking back on the passion, he felt a sharp pain in his chest and knew it for what it was… loneliness.
Taking a step back from her sleeping form, Michael turned on his heel and headed for the door. He heard her whimper softly and made the mistake of looking over his shoulder at her. His eyes widened when she shifted in her sleep, tossing the covers off of herself at the same time. Damn it, he couldn’t afford to do this to himself.
Michael turned his back on the girl and forced himself to walk out of the bedroom. He could sense Damon’s eyes watching him from the shadows but said nothing. He wasn’t in the right frame of mind to deal with Damon and his condescending attitude. Refusing to grace his brother with even the slightest glance in his direction, Michael purposely strode downstairs.
Damon waited silently until Michael was out of sight before quietly closing his door and walking back onto the balcony. Without stopping, he entered Alicia’s room through the balcony door. The first thing he saw was the suitcase sitting on the foot of the bed. A slow smile appeared on his face realizing that Michael was intending for her to stay for a while… which was fine with him.
“Well, I might as well make myself at home too,” he whispered.
It was then that Alicia decided to roll over onto her back and sigh heavily in her sleep. For the first time, Damon was able to gaze at her without feeling rushed or angry and he felt his mouth go dry. Her long blonde hair was fanned out over the pillows and those lips were still slightly pouted. He remembered what they felt like against his own demanding lips.
He let his heated gaze drift lower. The shirt she was wearing was hiked up around her waist, showing the world her lacey panties. Damon smiled noticing that they were black, the same color as the shirt. Such innocence, unknowingly dressed like a seductress with one leg lying straight while the other leg was bent sideways… giving him a glimpse of heaven.
His eyes jerked back up to her lips. He moved so fast that her silky bangs fluttered in the breeze he caused and he found himself hovering barley an inch above those haunting lips. He inhaled her breath, wanting nothing more than to be deep inside her. He left her just as fast as he’d approached.
Once out on the balcony, he stepped back into his room and nearly slammed the balcony door. Damon was now convinced… the girl was an incubus sent here from hell to steal what little bit of a conscience he had left. He so did not need this right now… and neither did she. The way he’d lived his life, he was used to taking what he wanted, only to throw it away once he was finished.
Michael reached the bottom of the stairs and took a deep breath. He wondered why Damon had been watching him so intently then he sighed. They had tried to kill each other so many times and it hadn’t been that long ago. Approaching the front door, Michael frowned when he saw Scrappy quietly scratching at it.
“You want to go outside?” Michael asked.
Scrappy barked softly at him then went back to scratching the door. His frown deepened realizing the link between him and Kane was starting to get weaker.
“Okay, Kane said you could take care of yourself,” Michael offered and opened the front door. “Have fun and don’t bring home any strays.”
Scrappy barked and took off out the door at top speed. Michael played briefly with the idea of following the dog to see if it led him to Kane but changed his mind. Kane could take care of himself… it was everyone else he was worried about. He turned and glanced up the stairs wondering how long Damon would stay in his room.
