Blood Threads: The Star Seamstress Book One Read online

  "Who's my enemy? And what happens to this guy, what with his face bash—" I stopped, turning to see there was no prone figure on the ground, only a bloodstain where he'd been. "Where is he?!" I turned back to Adin. "Did he run away?"

  "No, he's been called back to his masters. They use a deceptively simple spell to make sure their incapacitated members are returned home."

  "What, are they wizards or something?"

  "Of a sort." He held out a hand to help me up.

  "Am I about to be murdered?"

  He rolled his eyes. "If I was, do you think I'd wait this long? That's rather inefficient."

  "Maybe you're just fucking with me; aren't vampires famous for that?"

  "I could be." He smiled, and it would be Hollywood perfect if it wasn't so sharp. "But I can kill you just as easily sitting down or standing up. You might as well stand to die."

  "Asshole," I muttered as he pulled me up. "Oh!" I hadn't expected his strength and stumbled forward when I got to my feet, sending me flying into his chest and clutching at his black shirt.

  His arms wrapped around my waist, and I gasped, stunned by the contact.

  My thoughts were still functioning behind a wall of alcohol, and now that I was safe and convinced Adin wasn't going to eat me, my brain meandered in another, more inappropriate, direction.

  Wow, was he solid, I noted as I curled my hands at his chest. His strength was ridiculous. Without thinking I closed my eyes and took a deep breath, absorbing his presence and the fact I wasn't going to die, not yet.

  His hands slipped a bit lower, and when I opened my eyes in surprise, I saw there was something hungry in that inhuman gaze, something considering. Was I being checked out by a vampire?

  But, oh, I wasn't sure I minded right then, what with lust overriding my survival instinct.

  I knew I should be running away, but his presence was helping me calm down. My drunk mind was genuinely telling me I could do a lot worse in savior monsters than this guy and his utterly amazing musculature. I just wanted to curl up and let him carry me home.

  His red eyes glittered. "You are a clumsy fool, you know that?" His voice was so deep and pleasant, but his tone wasn't. Oh yeah, I'd forgotten about that little issue. He apparently hated me, and thought I was a moron.

  I was so tired of all the insults. "Can you blame me? Being in Maywen without knowing what's going on is like being told to dance ballet without training. I'm currently pressed up against a red-eyed vampire after being jumped by a teleporting creep in a hood, and you ask why I'm clumsy? Really?" I thumped his chest. "I'm so very sorry for not being a smooth and graceful princess during the most trying period of my life. I know I have absolutely nothing at all to be taken aback, shocked, or stressed out by all this insane shit that you all apparently take for fucking granted."

  Adin tilted his head, and I swear he was amused at my outburst. A curl of thick black hair fell over his forehead, which made him look far too much like a romance novel cover. "You're awfully mouthy for someone pressed up against an evil bloodsucker, darling." I swear his hands had once again drifted a little lower, and they were hovering right above the curve of my ass.

  "It's like you said, right? If you're going to kill me, it doesn't matter where I am, whether on the ground, standing up, or in your arms." His proximity was making my head spin and my body ache. I wrinkled my nose. "Do you vampires have some sort of weird pheromones that make humans more thirsty in your presence? Because there's no way I should be this turned on. You're a monster, and you treat me like a child."

  "Not really, no. We are left to our own devices when it comes to charm." His tone was steady, but something about the spark in his eyes and the way his knee moved forward, gently parting my legs, said maybe I shouldn't have said anything. "And I wouldn't waste my mythical 'sex magic' on someone so infuriating."

  "If I'm so infuriating, why are still holding on to me?" I challenged, since his arm was now like an iron vice around my waist. "You really are creepy. "

  "I thought we already established that. And don't worry, I'll let you go soon—but first I want to feel your first official creation."

  "My first... creation?"

  Instead of answering, he brought his free hand to my side, and I let out a small sound as he drew his hand up the fabric of my skirt. "Interesting." His long fingers danced along my waistband. "It's very simple."

  "I haven't sewn in a while. What do you expect? Oh!" I breathed as he held me firmly by my hips and exerted just the right amount of pressure. He was bunching up the fabric, and his touch was dancing awfully close to my ass again. I swear the red of his eyes had deepened as they moved down to my lips.

  It was that unnatural color that snapped me out of my reverie and gave me the focus to finally step away. I ignored the disappointed ache that spread throughout my body at our new distance.

  I took a deep breath and straightened. "There is no way you're going to convince me you don't have some weird vampire mojo going on, because you are totally not my type. Also, oh yeah, a damn Dracula."

  "Dracula was a necromancer, not a vampire."

  "What?" What the hell did that mean?

  Adin turned away. "Go home, Veda."

  "Wait!" He ignored me. "I have questions, damn it. What the hell is up with this skirt, and why do I keep blacking out? Who was that guy, and are they also kidnapping the boys? Why the hell is the goddamn river talking to me?"

  At that, he stopped and turned his head. "The Agrimony spoke to you?"

  "Yes! It knew you were here, and it was asking me to join it, kept telling me to jump in."

  He stood there, and I thought I saw his shoulders move in a sigh. "Then you need to stay away from the river at night. No matter what it tells you, it and they are not your friends."

  Yes, we are. The First Changer equivocates.

  "Shut up!" I told the burbling ribbon of water and turned back to Adin. "Of course it's not my friend; it's a river!" I stomped my foot. "This is the most ridiculous conversation I've ever had."

  "Go home," he repeated, his voice dark. "I will be nearby if you're attacked again."

  "Oh, now you're going to protect me, now that you know I can talk to water? Isn't that thoughtful."

  "I was always going to watch you, woman. Now go." He disappeared into the shadows with a speed I found really unsettling and also disturbingly sexy, and I came very close to yelling into the darkness about what I thought about his commands and refusal to tell me anything.

  We'll tell our secrets, the river purred. We will give you more power than you can ever imagine.

  Remembering how close I came to flinging myself into its waters the last time it promised me something, I started to hurry towards my home, telling myself that there was nothing to be afraid of.

  Then I remembered that there was a goddamn vampire following me, and I started to walk faster.

  My life was insane.

  I slammed into my apartment, was relieved that there was no sign of Breanna, and fell, fully dressed, into a drunk, restless sleep full of Adins, Draculas, and many hooded figures chasing me.

  And yet somehow throughout they never caught me, as if something was keeping me ahead of and away from them, something on my body that gave me a soft armor and kept me safe.

  As I acknowledged that fact, the scenery changed, and I was now being pursued by a tall, dark figure with thick black hair and a snarl of a smile. He was also conveniently half-naked.

  Soon, I wasn't running. Instead, I waited for him to come to me, damn near panting for him as I stood there in nothing but the skirt.

  His gaze wasn't red, which was a relief. Now his eyes were a light brown with a green sunburst from the iris. As framed by his thick eyelashes and fierce, arched eyebrows, they were mesmerizing.

  When he reached me, I damn near melted against him, and he lifted a hand to my face and ran it downward, slowly watching my face.

  "You hate me," I accused him, "and seem to enjoy making me uncomfortable. Don't no
w be all sexy and sweet in my dreams just because you can."

  That lopsided smile was back, but this time it wasn't full of razors, only amusement. He kissed the top of my head then moved down, his lips on my temple, my cheek, then my jaw. "It's your dream, so I'm simply what you want me to be."

  "Oh sure, blame me." I tried to scowl and stay strong but I was utterly distracted by his ministrations. "You're the undead, supernatural being; you'll never convince me you're not able to come sneaking into my dreams like an evil sex bat."

  I gasped as a hand gently cupped my breast, more tenderly than I could imagine, and his lips gently danced around my neck.

  A scared moan escaped my lips at the sensation of his fangs on my skin, and he chuckled, fingers dancing around my nipple.

  The bloodsucking bastard was enjoying my discomfort.

  "I am powerful," he admitted as he began to hitch my skirt up my legs while kissing my stomach, and landed on his knees. "And I am capable of invading dreams."

  "I knew it!"

  He laughed at my triumph, and I let out a pleading cry as he began to kiss around my thighs. Dream me was not wearing underwear, a fact I was quite grateful for.

  Dream Vedas were so much smarter than real-life Vedas.

  "This invasion is not conscious, sweet mage. Sometimes my power gets away from me, especially when a time of blood comes to Maywen." His fingers began to part my folds, and I was so ready, so wet for him. "I will be quite upset at myself tomorrow. But tonight? Tonight I feast."

  I arched and cried out as he bit my thigh and penetrated me with his fingers at the same time, and my worlds of terror and pleasure all mixed into one.

  When I woke up, I sat upright in one violent motion and blinked around. My dreams still lingered with me, and not in a good way.

  "What the everloving fuck was that?" I was in bed, wearing the same makeup and clothing from the night before. I was also embarrassingly wet and turned on. I quickly pulled up my skirt to check my thighs and was relieved to find there were no vampire bites or blood to be found.

  'Tonight I feast'. God, my dream Adin was a dramatic, sexy motherfucker. Okay, from what I'd seen so far, so was real-life Adin, if somewhat of a dick.

  And real-life Adin was an honest-to-goodness vampire.

  What the hell was I involved in?

  Vampires! Talking rivers! Hooded figures, more vampires, and magic skirts! What the hell was the 'time of blood'?

  "Magic skirts," I muttered, touching the knit fabric and noting it was dirty, probably from me being knocked down last night.

  I should probably clean it, although I hoped that wouldn't somehow effect its apparent magical properties.

  When I stumbled out of bed, I grabbed my head, a hell of a hangover hitting me like an angry elephant dropped from the sky square upon my skull. What the hell was I thinking mixing drinks like that? Didn't I know better by now?

  I had three messages on my phone. Kristen and Jordan were just checking to make sure I got home alright. Amari's message was much longer.

  "Hey, so I heard you came running out of the lounge at the club and left without saying goodbye." He sounded very nervous. "Uh, yeah. Did... something happen? Did you see something? If so, we need to talk. I promise it's not what it looks like." He was silent for a moment. "Okay, it's sort of what it looks like, but it's also a lot more complicated, I swear. But if you don't know what I mean then please ignore this. Damn it. Just call me."

  I ignored his request to call and simply texted him. I'm fine. We'll talk on Monday.

  Then I fell into a hole of feeling sorry for myself because I had no idea where to turn to next. My friends would need a lot more conversation than 'hey, my new town is fucked up' to reset to normal, and I couldn't afford my beloved therapist in LA any longer.

  "Screw it," I muttered to myself. The best way to spend my first day off in a while was to order pizza, drink some nasty beer in the fridge, and watch reality TV. Sure, this didn't make me feel particularly healthy or well-adjusted, but there was no way I was going to go outside. That's where the vampires, weirdos, and dudes in hoods who attacked you from behind and kidnapped people were, and I wanted nothing to do with any of 'em.

  I also snuggled up to my dirty skirt the whole time, for the same vague reason I had needed it on me the night before. The skirt, like the river, didn't want to let me go.

  I wished I wasn't so popular with inanimate things.

  Somewhere around mid-afternoon, when I was so deep into an Angry Housewives of Carroll County marathon I couldn't see straight, Jordan called me.

  "Are you okay?" he asked as soon as I picked up, and I was flattered by the genuine concern in his voice. "You looked freaked out when you left, and your friends were looking for you."

  "I'm fine," I lied. "Sorry to worry you. Some guy was being really freaky and inappropriate, and because I was so drunk I flipped out and left." At least I was being honest about the 'freaky and inappropriate' part. "I haven't gone out in a while, and I'm out of practice."

  "You shouldn't need practice to have a fun night dancing. Assholes like that ruin it for everyone."

  "They really do." I was smiling, really pleased he called. "Thank you so much for calling, Jordan. This is silly, I know, but I've been really stressed out lately, and being new in town is hard. You've made me feel welcome."

  "My pleasure. But that's not the only reason I called."

  "What?" Oh no, had I been fired? Had the Tangerine blown up?

  "Another boy's been kidnapped. Since it doesn't tend to show up on the regular news channels, and I know you've been tracking since you saw that Shawn kid get captured, I thought you'd want to know."

  "I do; thank you. Damn." I suddenly felt horrible, like if I had convinced the police and that asshole, Metzger, to take me seriously maybe this wouldn't have happened. I'd been so wrapped up in my own insane drama I'd done nothing to help the guy. "Do you know who it was?"

  "A college guy named Kyle."

  Oh no. "Do you know what he looks like?"

  "Yeah; tall, good-looking black kid, was studying physics. Why? Do you know him?"

  "Oh fuck. I've met him." I heard the front door open behind me. "I'm sorry, Jordan, I have to go. My roommate just got home and I need to talk to her. Thank you so much for the update."

  "You're welcome." He sounded even more concerned than he did earlier, if that was possible. "Hey, if you're free today, want to grab dinner? My treat."

  I turned, and saw that Breanna had heard the news. Her face was pale and her eyes red. "I'm sorry, I can't tonight. But how about sometime this week, before our shift starts?"

  "That works!"

  "Great; talk soon." I got off the phone and practically vaulted myself over the back of the couch in order to grab Breanna and hug her. She stiffened at first but then relaxed and clutched at my T-shirt.

  "Oh, Veda!" She was sobbing, and I hugged her tighter. "I can't believe they got Kyle! I'd just left his place yesterday morning, and he was fine!"

  "I know, honey, I know." I rubbed her back. "I just heard from one of my coworkers. I'm so sorry." I pulled back. "Do you know what happened?"

  She sniffled and shook her head. She appeared very young at that moment, much younger than her late twenties. "He went out to grab some takeout from that Thai place on the edge of town, and he started texting Mike, his roommate, that he was being followed and was freaked out. That's the last Mike heard, and Kyle's wallet was found a couple of blocks from the restaurant with all his credit cards and money. Why would they kidnap him?"

  "And the police took it seriously as soon as they were called?" I was pretty skeptical about that one.

  "Of course they did!" I'd apparently offended her again. "Chief Metzger takes everything very seriously."

  "I'm sure he does." I tried to make my voice conciliatory, but honestly, I didn't see that man doing anything for anyone that didn't directly benefit him.

  Her tears started to flow again. "He'd asked me to come over again l
ast night and I said no, I was staying at a friend's house to write music. I should have said yes! Maybe he wouldn't have been kidnapped if I'd been there!"

  "Or you would have put yourself in danger as well," I countered, and gently led her to the couch. She glanced at the bundled up skirt shoved up against the side and I grabbed it to get it out of her way.

  "What's that?"

  "Oh, just something I made." I was embarrassed to be caught snuggling up to a dirty piece of clothing that actually smelled a bit. I think I had to risk a cleaning. "Sit down, let me make you some tea. Have you eaten recently? Can I make you lunch?"

  "I haven't eaten all day," she whispered, and began to sob again. Her hair fell forward over her face, and she really did seem like a lost child.

  My heart broke at her grief, and my hangover and self-pity was forgotten as I moved to take care of her. "Well then, I'll cook something for you. I'm not exactly a gourmet chef, but there are a few things I can pull off. How's some comfort food, like a grilled cheese sandwich and tomato soup?"

  "That sounds nice." She sniffled and gave me a sad little smile. "Thank you, Veda."

  "No need to thank me. I owe you my life at the moment."

  "Hah. Don't forget that over the next couple of weeks when I'm an emotional idiot; I don't think you'll feel very grateful then."

  She sounded so very sad, and I was hit again by how sweet she was. That she could even begin to think about me when her boyfriend had just been kidnapped blew my mind, and I needed to prove that I would be here, regardless of how horrible her moods were or how she treated me.

  I would be useful for something, damn it, and taking care of a new friend was a great application of that ambition.

  Later, her head on my knee and me gently stroking her hair as we watched old Katherine Hepburn movies, I heard her sigh.

  "Thank you, Veda," she said quietly, and squeezed my thigh gently. "You're a good person. I'm glad you're around."