INDIGO (RISE OF CRIMSON)

CHAPTER 7

Towards Dawn, Damon lay back in his bed; his arms were folded behind his head as he stared, deep in thought at the crimson velvet canopy overhead. 

The events of the night flashing through his head, when they were done feeding on the dead men, they shoved the remains of the corpses in a small crate that required some creative folding and bone breaking. They tossed the guns on top of the lifeless bodies and Damon knotted several metal bands around it as easily as he was tying a shoelace. Then he effortlessly piled another three dozen, two to three hundred pound crates around and on top of it to hide the evidence. Of course no one will make the discovery for several months or even years, and by then the bodies will be too decomposed to make identification of their deaths. When they left the building, Damon’ limousine and driver were already waiting thanks to Nathan. They got in the car which pulled out of the docks and headed in the direction of home. 

Damon instructed his driver to swing by the beach house.

Nathan cast him a worried look, “Damon…”

“Don’t worry friend I won’t be long.” He reassured.

“I’ll go with you.” He offered.

He shook his head, “Go home and don’t worry.” What Damon didn’t need is a two hundred and fifty-five pound six foot six bodyguard following him around. Damon could move unnoticed and quicker without him.

“I am not comfortable with leaving you alone.” He protested.

“Nathan, this is important to me. Something about her drew me to her. I just need a few hours.” He explained, trying to dispel Nathan’s worries. He should have known that it wouldn’t work.

Nathan shook his head, “A few hours is all I need to have my gut in knots worrying about you. Don’t make me do this.” He pleaded.

“I’ve made my decision.” He tilted his head slightly and stared at him with an unspoken order.

Nathan nodded reluctantly and held his hands up in surrender. “As you wish.” He gritted out. Slapping his hands on his thighs in frustration, knowing any further argument would be fruitless, he sat back in the seat of the limo, looking away from him, trying to control his anger. He had to obey Damon even if he didn’t want to. Damon had the right to have a few hours alone, but it would only take a few hours for the rebels to kill him. However, he knew they weren’t followed tonight, so at least he had that in the back of his mind. He actually thought about hanging around, but Damon would sense him and then all hell would break loose for him not obeying him. Fuck, he thought.

He didn’t need to read Nathan’s thoughts to know he was not impressed with his decision, but as always he knew he’d get over it. He stared at Nathan’s profile as he looked out the window not focusing on anything in particular. Sorry my friend, Damon thought while watching the muscle bulging and pulsing in his jaw. After that, he ended up enduring the rest of the ride in silence except for the curses that kept coming through to him from Nathan’s mind. Damon himself turned away so Nathan couldn’t see the smile that crossed his face.

Now that Damon had fed, he wanted to see how the girl affected him. Maybe it was because he was overwhelmed with thirst before that she was able to illicit such cravings in him.

Then again, maybe not.

The alluring sensation hit him again when they pulled up in front of the house, then exacerbated when he got out of the car. He willed himself to the roof of the house as the car pulled away and with it, Nathan’s thoughts cursing in four languages. Grinning, he watched the limousine disappear out of view before he focused his attention back on the girl. Already he was having difficulty resisting the pull she had. His shoes crunched lightly on the shingles as he walked around the peak of the roof to the back of the house where that delicious sensation lured him. Again her innocent scent washed over him like a sudden warm gust of wind. And again his mouth watered. So much for a fresh feed, he thought as he crouched down on his hands and looked over the edge of the eave. Instantly his predatory eyes pegged her in the dark. She was sitting in the shadows in the sand by the deck and she was completely miserable. Her shoes lay on the ground beside her and she was wishing she was anywhere but here. He smiled slowly. It was Interesting that a woman of her age didn’t enjoy such functions. Not only that, it also gave him an indicator of her personality from that part of her mind that he couldn’t read.

When someone leaned over the deck and vomited, disgust radiated off her and with it, memories of her childhood surfaced in her mind and he caught them. Makes sense, he thought, why she isn’t enjoying herself. Someone in her family had problems with alcohol. He watched her lean back on her hands and knew it would be so easy for him to scale down the side of the house and possess her. He stretched over the eave and dug his fingers effortlessly into the stone wall like it was butter to get a better view. Small crumbles fell behind her in the sand, and one bounced off her shoulder to which she absently brushed off, but she didn’t look up. Good thing, he thought, I would scare the shit out of her hanging above her head. Now he was only about fifteen feet above her when he inhaled her innocence again and sighed, he could not kill her to remove that rich liquid that flowed in her pure veins. He wanted to, badly, but not only was it against his principles to take an innocent life, this girl was special. He needed to know why he was attracted to her. To him it was an unfavorable weakness. One he really shouldn’t explore, and if he had half a brain he would just leave her be. However, the unusual aching that he had for her was very…disturbing and impossible to ignore.

Just then the redhead…Anna he was sure her name was, appeared. Damon could sense the darkness in her. More so than the blond who had such shallow aspirations. He could tell from her thought processes that she was highly intelligent, eager and determined. Although she was still maturing so the darkness hadn’t emerged quite yet. As soon as she had a taste of power and money, she would change. It was something he had been witness to for centuries, and he had never been wrong. He directed his attention back to Liya with her long glorious legs stretched out in front of her. Highly intelligent also, but absolutely no darkness present anywhere in her beautiful soul. Pure as the sky is blue and so angelic, it’s hard to fathom her mortal soul remaining untouched by the world’s harsh realities even with alcoholism in the family.

He watched her get up, brush the sand off of her curvaceous bottom obviously spotting her friend. Although she wanted to leave she would have stayed for her friends despite the miserable time she was having. Selfless too? What a combination. Could this mortal be any more desirable? He was thankful that Anna was considerate enough to take Liya home. Backing up silently to crouch on the roof, he admitted that it bothered him that she was unhappy. It actually made him want to make her feel better. He shook his head. Why would he feel the need to do such a thing? He was not emotional, just the opposite. He hadn’t let anyone close to him since Celeste and he certainly didn’t want to open that door again. If he were any other vampire, he would have sucked her dry just to sample the rarity that she possessed. Despite the hunger she brought out in him, the thought sent a wave of dread through him. Not this girl. She was unique.

When they went back inside to talk to the blond, Aya she was called, he stood up and casually walked to the other side of the roof, crouched down on his toes of his shoes perfectly balanced, and waited. Ten minutes later a Taxi cab pulled up and Anna and Liya walked out of the house and got in. He would follow to see where she lived. He leaped off the roof landed effortlessly on the lawn with a slight bend in his knees to absorb the shock from a three story jump and watched the cab pull away as he erected himself. He would tail them at a distance to make sure he wasn’t seen. He could move quickly enough that mortals would not see him.