Dancing with the Devil (Nikki & Michael 1)

Not that she could, unless someone broke her neck. And she had a bad feeling the zombie knew that. That Jasper knew that.

But there was nothing she could do except close her eyes and wait.

Chapter Eighteen

The footsteps stopped. An eerie silence followed.

Confused, Nikki opened her eyes and looked up. Pain shot through her head at that smallest of movements. She blinked back tears, unable to believe what she saw. The zombie lay on the concrete ten feet away, its neck twisted at an odd angle. What on earth ... ?

"Nikki?” The soft question flowed out of the night.

Michael. Her heart leaped, rushing heat through her body. She turned carefully, searching for him. Nothing but shadows filled the night.

"Are you all right?” Again his whisper cut through the night.

"Yes.” Why didn't he show himself? Was it MacEwan's nearby presence that stopped him? Fear pounded through her heart, and she reached out to the link, only to be stopped by a wall of pain.

"Take care then, little one.” His voice was distant.

He's leaving me. She squeezed her eyes shut, and tried to control the panic pounding at her pulse. This was for the best. It's what she wanted. But fingers of fear wrapped around her heart, squeezing it tight. Tears trickled past her closed eyelids. Maybe she was a fool for letting him go, but what choice did she really have? She'd always been cursed when it came to love. Jake had managed to survive its touch, but she didn't love him the way she had loved her parents and Tommy. And now Michael. She had to believe it was better that he left. It was the only way she could survive. Footsteps approached. She opened her eyes. MacEwan eyed the dead zombie warily, his gun at the ready. The look on his face would've made her laugh any other day.

"The creature near the door is also dead,” he said, nudging the zombie with the toe of his boot. “Care to explain how it happened?"

"One of those situations that can't be explained.” God, it hurt to think, hurt to move. But she had to do both. She couldn't stay here.

His gaze was disbelieving. Nikki ignored him. She didn't have the energy to even try to explain Michael's intervention.

After a moment, MacEwan shrugged and put his gun away. “Who am I to question deliverance? Need a hand up?"

She nodded. He clasped her arm and hauled her upright. Pain shot like fire through her brain, and she gasped, fighting the urge to be sick.>"How the hell do you stop these things?"

MacEwan's sharp question jarred the silence.

"I told you. Break their necks.” She barely glanced at him, all her attention on the exit across the far side of the roof. A warning pulsed through her, and she checked.

The door opened, and two of MacEwan's men stepped out. They looked around, then ran towards the detective.

Behind them, the door opened again. The third zombie stepped out. She swore and stopped. The creature had the exit blocked, and there was no other way off the roof. They were trapped.

* * * *

The plaza pulsed with music and light. People danced and drank, filling the night with heat and music. Michael kept a close watch on the partygoers from his vantage point above the square. Jasper wove his way through the unsuspecting crowd, a red haze in the darkness, easy to follow. Michael sensed the other vampire's hunger, felt his need. Knew he would attempt to feed tonight. He watched him move from figure to figure, searching for easy prey, someone to lead off into the night and feed upon. Only Michael had already made sure there were no loners in the immediate area, forcing the drunks and lone partygoers to move on. Jasper would have to extend his search to a less populated section of the city.

And there he would die. Nikki would be safe.

He stirred, shifting from one foot to the other. He wouldn't—couldn't—think about her. Not when he had a murderer to catch. Maybe not even after.

But the memory of her smoky amber eyes, clouded in confusion and fear, kept running through his mind, haunting him.

He sighed and leaned wearily against the wall. He had never wanted to fall in love. Not with Nikki. Not with anyone. His life was too dangerous and human life too tenuous, too short. But right from the beginning he'd had no choice. He might have told himself he was only using her as bait, but the truth was, he had simply used it as an excuse to stay near her. She was a flame, a bright torch that had pierced the darkness surrounding him. He needed the touch of that fire. Needed her. He didn't want to return to the emptiness of an eternity alone. Better death, if it came to a choice. He frowned and watched Jasper move back to the center of the square. What was the fiend up to now?

The younger vampire found shape, intercepting the attentions of a pretty young woman, spinning her away from her partner in a dance both erotic and sensual.

Why the hell was Jasper dancing? Why was he risking exposure like this? Michael stood up straight. Something was going on, though he wasn't sure what.

The younger vampire turned. Their gazes locked in a battle Michael knew neither could win. Then Jasper sneered and mouthed a word.

Jake.