Tainted Blood Read online

  In large cities with hundreds upon hundreds of dreadful murders to try and investigate every year, the occasional body drained of blood with extensive neck wounds just didn’t rate very high on the cops’ radar, especially if the victims were from the seamier side of life.

  When they’d first arrived in Canada, Michael Morpheus had warned Theo and his other compatriots to dispose of the bodies carefully, since the population of Banff was relatively small and the Mounties were known to get very excited about homicides in their districts—most especially those of an exotic or nonroutine manner. Most Canadians were an unimaginative lot when it came to murder: guns, knives, and the occasional blunt object were the norm. Corpses with their throats ripped out would garner all too much attention, at least so Morpheus had said.

  Theo went along with this as long as Morpheus was alive and in charge, but now that he was on his own, he said to hell with it. He and Christina weren’t going to be around this place much longer so he decided to have some fun before leaving town, and by the time the Mounties discovered his leavings, they’d be sipping martinis in Washington, D.C.

  Christina came out of their shower, toweling her hair dry, and found Theo standing in front of the large mirror over their dresser. He was dressed in traditional Vampyre hunting clothes—black jeans, a dark turtleneck shirt, and black tennis shoes. His hair, which he typically wore long and almost to his shoulders, was tied back in a ponytail.

  Christina narrowed her eyes and stood there, naked, the towel draped over her shoulders. “Are you going out, Theo?” she asked, her voice low and dangerous.

  He glanced at her in the mirror and smiled. She was getting tiresome, he thought to himself but didn’t say out loud. For some reason, she’d seemed much more desirable to him when she was Michael Morpheus’s girlfriend and he was trying to steal her away. But, now that he had her . . . ah well, he thought, carefully masking his thoughts from her prying mind, c’est la vie.

  “Yes, Christina, I’m getting a mite restless and thought perhaps it was time for a little hunting party before we leave town.”

  One corner of her lips turned up in a half-smirk and she moved over to stand in front of him, pressing her naked breasts against his chest. “You were going to invite me, weren’t you, baby?” she asked.

  He sighed as he felt himself becoming aroused in spite of her churlish manner. She was still a very beautiful woman, and if she could just manage to keep her sarcastic comments to herself, she’d be very desirable. Oh well, might as well make the best of it, he thought. There’d be plenty of time for him to find someone new when they got back to the States if she didn’t change her ways and start treating him right.

  He put his hands on her shoulders and massaged the muscles there. “Of course, darling. I was just waiting for you to finish your shower.”

  “Ummm,” she moaned, looking up at his ponytail and giving it a small tweak with her fingertips. “I like your hair like that.”

  He stiffened. “Because it’s like Michael used to wear his?” he asked testily.

  “No, no, baby,” she said, blushing slightly at the mention of her old boyfriend. “I just think it makes you look . . . cool and sophisticated.”

  He forced a smile, easing her away from him. “Okay. Now, why don’t you get dressed and we’ll go cruising for something good to eat?”

  * * *

  Becky Robertson was angry and getting angrier by the second. Here it was her nineteenth birthday, and her boyfriend Billy was out on the floor dancing with one of her girlfriends instead of her. He didn’t think she could see the way he was grinding his pelvis against Sue Anne’s crotch. She sniffed. And Sue Anne, that bitch! She was pushing right back and it looked like she was trying to shove her pointy breasts right through Billy’s chest.

  Becky glanced around the club to see if there was anyone else there that she knew so she could use them to make Billy jealous.

  As she turned in her seat and looked around the crowd, her eyes met those of an older man who seemed to be staring at her. He looked to be about thirty years old and was sitting at a table over in the corner with one of the most beautiful women Becky had ever seen. They must be tourists, ’cause she would sure as hell have remembered them if she’d ever seen them before.

  She shook her head and let her eyes rove over the rest of the crowd. Just like a man, she thought bitterly. There he is with a real knockout and he’s still scoping out other women.

  Out of the corner of her eye, Becky saw the pretty lady get up and head toward the restroom.

  The man immediately stood up and moved toward her table. She quickly averted her eyes, though the man was much more handsome than Billy.

  “Good evening,” he said, standing before her smiling.

  “Hello,” Becky said, keeping her voice cold. She didn’t want to encourage him.

  “I noticed that you haven’t been dancing much, and I wondered if you might like to dance with me?” he asked, leaning forward with his hands on the back of Billy’s empty chair.

  Becky cut her eyes toward the restroom. “Won’t that make your girlfriend mad?”

  Theo followed her gaze and chuckled. “Oh, that’s not my girlfriend,” he replied, “She’s my sister.”

  “Oh,” Becky said, thawing a little. Maybe he wasn’t such a lout after all. Any man who’d take his sister out dancing couldn’t be all bad.

  She glanced at the dance floor and saw Billy wrap his arms around Sue Anne Carver and pull her close as the music changed to a slow dance. The bastard didn’t even have the grace to look and see if she was watching his flirtations.

  Becky forced a smile and stood up, smoothing back her hair. “Sure, I’d love to dance with you,” she said, unable to keep from glancing at Billy again as she secretly unbuttoned the top button of her blouse to reveal a healthy cleavage. Sue Anne wasn’t the only one with tits around here, she thought bitterly as she felt the man move up against her. The warmth of his body made her shiver.

  Theo put his arm around her shoulder and led her out onto the floor. “Don’t worry about your boyfriend,” he said softly as he took her in his arms and pulled her against him. “We’ll make him good and jealous.”

  Becky laughed and glanced into his coal black eyes, shivering again because she had the sudden thought they were like dolls’ eyes—flat and dead. “How’d you know that’s what I was thinking?”

  “When a young man treats a lovely young woman like you so bad, it would be the logical thing for you to think.”

  “Right on, mister,” Becky said, ignoring her misgivings and pressing her chest against him and putting her right hand on the back of his neck, glancing over his shoulder to make sure Billy was watching.

  Theo squeezing her back and murmured, “Ummm, your breasts feel good against my chest. Can you feel what they’re doing to me?” he asked, pressing his erection against her pelvis as they danced.

  Alarmed at his pass, Becky started to pull away, but suddenly a voice in her head said, Why not? Billy’s been feeling that Sue Anne up all night so I’ll just show him two can play that game.

  She pressed her pelvis back against the hardness and blushed. This just wasn’t like her. She hadn’t remained a virgin for nineteen years by doing things like this, she tried to tell herself. But the voice in her head kept telling her it was all right, and it did feel good.

  As they danced, the man’s hands roamed around on her back and slowly dipped down to lightly caress her buttocks, moving in slow circles over their ripe swellings.

  She started to protest, but her mouth just wouldn’t form the words and she was starting to tingle and get wet between her legs from the constant rubbing of the man’s penis against her pubic bone as they moved around the dance floor.

  Wow, she thought, if he keeps this up much longer I’m going to come right here in public. She only hoped she could keep from screaming if it happened.

  Just as the man’s head dipped and he slowly licked her neck in a gentle kiss, a hand appeared on
his shoulder and he was pulled around.

  “What the hell do you think you’re doing, Mister?” Billy demanded, his chest all puffed out and his face red and angry.

  The stranger spread his arms out wide. “Why, I don’t know what you mean, young man.”

  “What’re you doing feeling up my girl?” Billy asked, his voice rising.

  “Oh, this is your girl?” Theo asked innocently. “I never would have known it from the way you’ve been dancing with that other young lady all night.”

  Billy’s face turned even redder. “That’s none of your business,” he blurted out, glancing nervously at Becky to see how she was taking all this.

  Theo glanced around. Several couples nearby were watching them to see if their argument developed into a fight. “Come, let’s not be angry,” Theo said, his voice soft and reasonable. “Let my sister and I buy you two a round of drinks and we can forget all this unpleasantness.”

  “Well,” Billy said, mollified somewhat that the man was trying to apologize, and he sure as hell didn’t want him saying anything else to Becky about how he’d been dancing with Sue Anne all night.

  “Oh, come on, Billy,” Becky said, taking his arm and pulling him toward their table. “You have been acting like a jerk.”

  Theo waved his arm toward the table in the corner where Christina was sitting, watching them with a slight smile on her face. “Come on and join us. Our table’s larger than yours and I’ll get the waitress to bring us all fresh drinks.”

  After they’d all gotten seated and a round of drinks was ordered, Christina leaned toward Billy who was sitting on her left and said, “Hi. My name is Christina. What’s yours?”

  As Billy opened his mouth to speak, Christina slid her hand under the table and onto Billy’s right thigh, letting her fingertips brush the bulge in the front of his jeans. Billy jumped, his eyes going immediately to Becky to see if she was watching, and then he swallowed as the bulge in his jeans got larger. “Uh, my name’s Billy,” he managed to croak.

  “Oh,” Christina whispered as Theo began talking to Becky across the table from them. “You’re a very big boy, aren’t you?” she asked as her fingers continued to caress him under the table.

  Unable to help himself, Billy’s hips began to give little tiny jerks as he tried to press himself tighter against her hand. He stared at Christina and almost moaned. Damn, she was the best looking woman he’d ever seen and she was making a pass at him. The boys at the shop were never going to believe this, he thought, already planning on how he could dump Becky and go home with this beauty.

  Across the table, Theo was talking in a low voice to Becky while he moved his hand up her thigh and under the hem of her dress. While he talked, he slid his hand all the way up to her crotch, smiling when he felt how wet her panties were.

  With a little twist of his wrist, he insinuated his finger under the edge of her panties and began to make small circles on her clitoris while watching her eyes half close and her lips open slightly.

  When she was on the verge of an orgasm and was starting to take quick, short breaths, Theo moved his finger down to her vagina, surprised and delighted to find her hymen intact. He hadn’t had a virgin in, oh, more years than he cared to remember. Better to save her for later.

  He removed his hand and turned his attention back to Christina and Billy. He almost laughed at the expression on Billy’s face. The poor boy looked like he was about to cream in his pants, which he undoubtedly was, Theo thought.

  Theo picked up his drink and held it aloft. “A toast to new friends,” he said. Billy and Becky both seemed to suddenly come awake and picked up their drinks. Thantos winked at Christina as everyone drained their glasses.

  He slammed his glass down and grinned. “Now,” he said, “Christina and I have a suite of rooms at the Banff Springs Hotel. How about you two young people joining us there? They have a great bar on the second floor and I am on an unlimited expense account.” He looked back and forth at Billy and Becky. “We can drink all the champagne you two can hold.”

  Becky looked at Billy, who just stared stupidly back at her as if his mind were a thousand miles away. Becky had lived in Banff all her life and had never even seen a room at the Banff Springs Hotel, much less attended a party there. These two people must be loaded to be staying there, she thought.

  “Yeah, that’d be great,” she said, gathering up her purse and getting to her feet.

  Billy blushed and slowly got to his feet, turning to the side and putting his hand in his jeans pocket to hide his erection as he did so. “Sure, why not?” he said, still hoping to somehow manage to get the dark-haired beauty alone later.

  Chapter 9

  As they entered the massive doors to the Banff Springs Hotel, Becky shook herself. She didn’t know why she’d ever consented to come here. After all, she didn’t know these people, and as for Billy . . . well, he couldn’t seem to keep his eyes off that Christina woman. Becky felt she might as well be invisible for all the attention he’d paid to her since they hooked up with this strange pair.

  Her doubts were mollified somewhat when they entered the fancy lobby of the hotel, with its frescoed ceilings and elaborately carved woodwork on all of the walls. She had always wanted to see what the place was like, and if she had to spend some time with this older couple, well then so be it.

  So far it was even better than she’d always thought. Most of the people in the lobby and on the grounds were dressed in coats and ties and elegant evening gowns. She felt absolutely shabby in her jeans and blouse. Even the fancy embroidered vest her mother had given her for her birthday looked downright dowdy in this crowd.

  On the other hand, she thought shivering as Theo put his hand on her back to usher her into the elevator, every time this handsome stranger touched her, it was as if her skin was on fire and the fire was shooting straight through to her groin. She’d never met anyone who radiated sex like this man. Not that she intended to have sex with him, but it might be fun to string him along for a while and see how good he could make her feel short of going all the way.

  It was a game she’d played for several years with the local studs in Banff, and she didn’t see why it wouldn’t work with this older guy. Men were so stupid when it came to sex. All you had to do was bat your eyes, let them see a little tit, and they’d practically drool all over you to give you what you want. And if you consented to give them a rub and a tug, then they were yours for life.

  “Theo,” Christina said from the back of the elevator where she stood with her taunt buttocks pressing into Billy’s groin, “why don’t we stop by our suite before we go to the bar? I need to freshen up a bit first.”

  “Fine with me,” Theo said. He smiled down at Becky. “That way we can show Billy and Becky what the rooms look like, in case they’re interested.”

  Becky glanced sideways at Billy, but his eyes were fixed on the back of Christina’s neck, who was standing much closer to him than the space required.

  “Sure, okay by me,” Becky said, giving Billy a sharp nudge with her elbow to get his attention. “How about it, Billy?”

  “All right,” he replied, his eyes half-closed and his words slurred as if he’d had too much to drink and was slightly stoned.

  He can’t be drunk, Becky thought, he’s only had three drinks or so. It usually takes him at least six or seven to get this blitzed. She glanced down and was astonished to see his groin pressed up against that woman’s buttocks. The bastard, she thought.

  Finally, the elevator opened on the top floor and Theo and Christina led them down the hall to one of the largest suites offered by the hotel. When he opened the door and stepped back, Becky’s mouth dropped open and she walked in staring around at the opulence of the rooms.

  As was usual for Theo, he was in the most expensive suite in the hotel. He always traveled first class, and even though he and Christina were sleeping in the same bed, the suite had two bedrooms, along with an elaborate sitting room and huge bathroom with an oversiz
e tub fitted with jets for a Jacuzzi-like effect. It couldn’t compare to the rooms at four-star hotels in the States, he thought, but it was pretty nice for a backwoods place like Banff.

  Theo moved to a bar in the corner and made them all drinks. He handed them out and then said to Christina, “Why don’t you show Billy the other bedroom, Christina, why I show Becky around the sitting room bath?”

  “Love to,” Christina said, hooking her arm in Billy’s and leading him through the far door, kicking it shut behind her with her foot as she passed.

  Becky was about to protest when Theo put his arm around her shoulders and gently led her into the sitting room. Her stomach quivered and jumped at his electric touch and she forgot what she’d been about to say. She took a quick sip of her drink to quiet her trembling nerves and get her mind off the heat that was smoldering between her legs as he showed her the exquisite antiques that made up the furniture in the room.

  When they got to the bathroom, he set his drink down on the sink and put his palms on her cheeks. He bent down and gently kissed her on the lips, causing her to almost moan in delight as he caressed her face with his hands and licked her lips with his tongue.

  After a moment he asked, “Would you like to try the hot tub out? It’s most relaxing.”

  For some strange reason, Becky could see nothing out of the ordinary about the question, and she had been thinking about what it would be like to lay back in the tub and let the bubbles cascade over her naked breasts.

  “Uh . . . sure,” she answered in a somewhat dazed voice, wondering what he was going to be doing while she took a bath in the middle of a date.

  “Excellent,” he said, taking her drink from her hand. “I’ll just go and freshen these up a bit while you get undressed and into the tub.”

  Before he left, he bent over and turned the water on and sprinkled some bath salts into the tub, causing waves of lilac-scented fumes to fill the room.