Vampire Trouble (Deadly Destiny Book 1) Read online

  Deadly Destiny Series

  Book One

  VAMPIRE TROUBLE

  Alycia Linwood

  Copyright © 2016 Alycia Linwood

  All rights reserved. No part of this novel may be reproduced, stored or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording or by any information storage and retrieval system, without the prior permission in writing from the author. This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents either are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events or locales or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

  alycialinwood.weebly.com

  2nd edition

  Dedication

  This book is dedicated to my readers. I hope you’ll enjoy it as much as I enjoyed writing it. Special thanks to my beta readers and editors! This book wouldn’t be the same without you. Thank you for your support!

  Note

  This book was previously published under the title Love Me Deadly.

  Table of Contents

  Copyright Page

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Chapter 23

  Chapter 24

  Chapter 25

  Chapter 26

  Chapter 27

  Chapter 28

  Chapter 29

  Chapter 30

  Vampire Problem (excerpt)

  Other books by Alycia Linwood

  Chapter 1

  “I THOUGHT WE WERE GOING to a birthday party,” I said, turning my head toward Bea, who was still fixing her makeup in the darkness of the back seat of my old Peugeot.

  “Yeah, we are,” she said, and smacked her lips together, stuffing a mirror into her small silver purse. “It’s in there.” She bobbed her head toward the nightclub across the street.

  My hands tightened on the wheel as I cruised between the cars and tried to find an empty parking spot. “Wait, so are we supposed to meet this person in the club or what?” The only birthday parties I’d gone to had been at restaurants or houses, but never at clubs.

  “Oh God, Des.” Bea groaned. “Haven’t you heard a word I said a couple of hours ago? This isn’t any party. It’s Enrique’s party.”

  “Enrique...” I couldn’t recall anyone by that name, but we’d been going to college for like three weeks now and maybe he was one of the students.

  “Um, you know, the guy on every poster and ad around here?” She sighed. “Never mind. He’s that hot model I’ve been telling you about. You don’t know what I had to go through to get us the invitations. The entire city wanted to be here tonight. He rented the whole club.”

  “Oh.” That meant this would be just like any other club party. I hoped the rich guy didn’t have a terrible taste in music.

  “I hope this will be the best party ever,” Bea said cheerfully.

  I finally found an empty spot and squeezed my car between a black Ferrari and a Toyota.

  “Don’t get your hopes up,” I said as I watched hordes of people milling toward the club. “Looks like he invited the whole city after all. We’ll be crammed together and he’ll probably stay in the VIP area with his buddies.”

  “I’m going to have fun tonight no matter what,” Bea said determinedly, opening the door. I got out of the car and waited for her to check her makeup and hair once again in the rearview mirror. “How do I look?” she asked, flashing me a smile, her dark brown eyes pinned on me, her dark brown curls cascading around her shoulders. The sequins on her black cocktail dress sparkled under the streetlight.

  “Perfect,” I said, and her grin widened. Shaking my head, I made sure my car was locked, and then I followed her into the club.

  I CLOSED MY EYES FOR a moment, letting myself get lost in the loud and upbeat music and singing along. Someone slammed into me from behind, and I jumped forward, trying to avoid touching more hot, sweaty bodies.

  Bea didn’t seem to mind as a handsome stranger wound his arms low around her waist, his hips moving in sync with hers, but a couple of moments later, she squeezed out of his embrace and grabbed my arm, pulling me toward the bar.

  “Was that Marcos who passed by?” she yelled into my ear, her dark eyes scanning the crowd. If I could remember who that was, maybe I’d be of some help, but I couldn’t, so I just shrugged.

  “I’ll be right back. Wait for me at the bar!” She clutched her purse to herself and stumbled through the crowd. I looked in the direction of the bar and realized my throat was dry from all the singing. Getting a drink suddenly seemed like the best idea in the world.

  “A soda,” I yelled to the bartender, patting my pocket for money, and leaned on the bar.

  “Only a soda?” The amusement in the bartender’s voice made me look up into a pair of eyes as dark as the night itself. The guy seemed to be around my age, but what attracted my attention was a row of round shiny earrings in his right upper ear, half-hidden behind the strands of his short black hair.

  “Yeah.” I hopped onto an empty high stool, grateful that I could rest my feet for a bit.

  “Here.” He set the tall glass on the bar in front of me and winked.

  “Thanks.” I smiled, placing the money on the bar, and took a sip of the refreshing liquid. As I turned my head in the direction of the crowd, all I could see were people who were either lost in the music or completely wasted, and there was no way for me to spot Bea among them.

  After I finished my drink, I fished my phone out of my pocket and checked the time. Bea should have been back by now. Unless she’d managed to catch that friend of hers, or whoever, and had completely forgotten about me. I quickly texted her and slid the phone back into my pocket.

  As I got to my feet, I pushed the strands of my sweaty hair out of my eyes. The air was thick with the musty smell of alcohol and people, so I headed for the restroom, longing to splash some cold water onto my face.

  As I opened the door, my gaze fell on the guy right across from me. He was lounging against the wall next to the sinks, his short sandy blond hair tousled. The corners of his full lips quirked up, and he tilted his head. I was vaguely aware of the door closing behind me.

  “You came to a party in jeans. Really?” He crossed his arms, the strong muscles bulging under his tight dress shirt, which was as black as his pants and boots.

  “What?” I blinked at him and realized I’d gotten halfway to him without even being aware of it.

  What the hell? I forced myself to look away from him and turned toward the sinks. The guy might be good-looking, but he was also a creep. Seriously, what normal guy would be hanging out in the ladies’ room? I had to get out of here as soon as possible.

  “Your legs would look so much better in a miniskirt,” he said, and I looked up at his reflection in the mirror.

  “What are you? The fashion police?” I let the water run, keeping an eye on the stranger, just in case he tried anything. Did other girls have steely bladders or what? Because it sure as hell was surprising that no one had come in here already. Or did they all know this psycho was lurking in here?

  “No, but it’s my fucking party. You’re violatin
g the dress code.” He laughed and then licked his lips, his eyes still traveling my body. “Although, I’m willing to forgive you for that. You look delicious. I can’t remember the last time I had a natural blonde. And your eyes are so blue. You’re not wearing contacts, are you?”

  What? His party? Was this Enrique? He was devilishly handsome, tall, and lean, so he could totally be the famous model. Judging by the amount of bullshit coming out of his mouth, he was either drunk, stoned, or both. Turning off the water, I glanced at him and started for the door.

  “Not so fast,” he said as he appeared right in front of me, blocking my path. A gasp escaped my lips as I tried to process what was happening. No, he couldn’t have just appeared in front of me out of nowhere. It was impossible, and yet... there he was. So close that I could stare right into his light blue eyes. “You won’t scream or move.”

  My body went rigid and I couldn’t even twitch a finger. My heart threatened to jump out of my chest as I stared at him with wide eyes. This was all just a nightmare. It had to be. I’d been reading way too many vampire novels lately.

  “Relax and answer my questions truthfully,” he said, a satisfied smirk on his lips.

  The tension left my shoulders and I found myself gazing into his now mesmerizing blue eyes.

  “How did you get to my party? Are you a fan?”

  “My friend brought me. Not a fan.” My mouth formed the answer with ease.

  “What’s your name?”

  “Destiny.”

  “Destiny, lovely name. You like me, don’t you? Aren’t you dying to have some fun with me?” He cocked his head, biting lightly on his lower lip.

  “No.”

  “What?” He couldn’t have looked more shocked if I’d slapped him. “Why the fuck not? You’re not into boys, or what?”

  I gritted my teeth together, glaring at him. “I’m not into jerks.”

  “That’s a shame, because this jerk really likes what he sees.” He reached out and ran his finger across my lips, a dreamy expression crossing his face, but it was gone the moment his fangs popped out. “Fine, sweetheart. No kissing then, just a little bit of biting.”

  His arms were suddenly around me, his lips fastened to my skin, his teeth grazing my neck. My mouth opened, but I couldn’t scream. A sharp pain shot through my neck, my vision distorting slightly. I heard more than saw the door opening.

  A girl with long black hair dressed in a tight black leather dress came into view, her bright red lips pressed into a straight line. She rolled her dark brown kohl-rimmed eyes, and let out a long sigh.

  “Enrique!” she yelled. “We’ve been looking all over for you! I should’ve known you’d be screwing someone in here.”

  He slowly let go of me, his jaw set, his lips coated with blood—my blood—and turned to face the girl. “It’s my fucking party. I can do whatever the hell I want. If I want a little snack, I’ll get it.”

  “A little snack?” She snorted. “Yeah, right. Now stop hiding in the restroom and get your ass on stage, Mr. ThisIsMyFuckingParty. People are waiting for you.”

  “Fine,” he bit out. “You deal with this.” He brushed past her and disappeared through the door.

  “Son of a bitch. Now I can’t even heal it,” the girl muttered as she approached me, her eyes focused on my neck. She placed a finger under my chin and forced me to look into her eyes. “You won’t remember any of this. You came into the restroom, did what you had to, and now you can go on to have fun, or whatever.”

  I blinked and found myself standing in the middle of the restroom. What was I supposed to do? Oh, yeah, find Bea. Where could she have gone? Hopefully, she was waiting for me at the bar.

  The bartender’s lips spread into a slight smile as I approached, but then a frown line creased his brow. “What happened to your neck?” he yelled over the music.

  “What?” I had no idea what he was talking about. Was there something on my neck?

  The bartender came closer and leaned over the bar, his warm fingers brushing my neck and coming away with something dark red. I touched the same spot in shock, inspecting the wound that felt like a straight line underneath my fingers. It burned a little, but it wasn’t bleeding too much.

  It was just a scratch, but what could have caused it? A big cat, perhaps. I didn’t remember hugging any cats recently, so someone must have nicked me while I’d been pushing through the crowd. Could have as well been a girl with incredibly long nails.

  “It’s fine,” I said, surprised by the look of worry on the bartender’s face. The cut had to be looking worse than it actually was, but I didn’t feel like going back to the restroom to check it out. “I need to find my friend,” I said, and the bartender nodded, but his eyes narrowed, and he seemed to be gritting his teeth.

  Someone ordered a drink and he tore his gaze off me. I decided it was best to leave. Maybe he had been thinking about something else and not me. He had no reason to think about me or be worried about some silly scratch, right?

  I tugged my long hair forward to cover the scratch and elbowed my way through the crowd until I finally found Bea, who was dancing with some dark-haired guy. Bea’s face brightened when she saw me, and she snatched my hand, twirling me around.

  “Have you found Enrique? Or that other guy?” I asked.

  “Who?” She laughed and winked at me, nodding toward the guy behind her. I assumed she’d found someone better. Letting the music overtake me, I swayed my hips and raised my hands in the air. It was time to have some fun.

  We danced until we could barely stand on our feet.

  Chapter 2

  AS I WAS DRAGGING MYSELF to my room, my mom appeared in the hallway, her shoulder-length dark red hair tied into a neat bun. I would never understand how she could get up so early and look fresh, even on weekends. It wasn’t even dawn yet.

  “Did you have fun?” she asked.

  “Yep.” I slid the jacket off my shoulders and tucked a few strands of my hair behind my ear. Mom’s blue eyes narrowed at me and stared at the cut on my neck in dismay.

  “Go to the bathroom and clean that with antiseptic!” She was at my side in a second, holding my hair up. “Now!”

  “Gee, Mom, it’s not that bad. It’s just a stupid scratch.” Sometimes my mom overreacted. Why did she have to choose the moment I was dead on my feet to think a small cut would send me to my grave?

  “It could get infected. How did you get it? Where were you?” She let go of my hair, her face deadly serious.

  “We were at Enrique’s party. You know, that famous model?” I was sure she knew about the guy as much as I did—nothing. Bea had told me he’d appeared on the stage at some point, but I hadn’t had a chance to see him. “I guess I scratched myself on something.”

  My mom cursed under her breath. “Go, honey. Now.”

  “Alright.” I threw my hands up in the air and tottered to the bathroom. The cut was longer than I’d imagined, but it wasn’t that bad. As I applied some antiseptic to it, I noticed my skin around the cut was extremely tender, but it wasn’t red. It seemed like I’d live.

  I strolled toward my parents’ room, intent on assuring my mom that everything was fine. Dad probably wasn’t home, which wasn’t unusual since he was a traveling sales representative and was rarely home.

  The door was only half-open and I was about to push at it when I heard my mom whispering something. I hesitated, careful not to make a sound, and tried to understand what she was saying.

  “You promised, Adán!” she hissed. “I won’t let any of you touch my family.” Someone on the other end of the line had to be speaking because silence filled the room. My mom took a deep breath, keeping her voice low. “Your son marked her! I saw it with my own eyes. There are no excuses for that.”

  I shifted my weight to another foot and the floorboards creaked. Fuck. My mom must have heard me, so I pushed the door open. She glanced up at me and quickly put the phone down. “Wrong number,” she said.

  “Didn’t sound like
that to me.” My mom was hiding something and I wasn’t about to let her get away with it. “Who’s Adán?”

  She flinched, avoiding my gaze. As a lawyer, she worked on all kinds of cases, but if someone was threatening her or our family...

  I sat down on the bed next to her. “Mom?”

  “Your sister’s coming home tomorrow,” she blurted out.

  “What?” I gaped at her, every other thought fleeing my mind. “How? Why?”

  “She lost her job two months ago. Didn’t want to tell us.” My mom took my hand into hers. “She couldn’t pay the rent this month, so she’s coming back to live with us.”

  My eyes pooled with tears as opposing emotions warred inside me. I was happy to have my older sister back. Living miles away from her and only seeing her once in a while had never been easy, but moving to the capital had always been her dream. She’d always wanted to be independent, unlike me.

  I was glad I could just go to college in my city so I wouldn’t have to move away from my parents, and—God forbid—learn how to cook, get a job, or become responsible. “I don’t know what to say. She...”

  “Go to bed, honey. You’ll need your energy tomorrow when Isabel comes.”

  “You’re right. Good night, Mom.” I hugged her, inhaling her familiar scent of roses and vanilla.

  As I made my way to my room, I couldn’t shake the feeling that there had been something else I’d wanted to talk to my mom about. My brain, however, was too tired to think, so I threw myself on the bed and pulled the covers over me. Sleep overcame me the moment I closed my eyes.

  “Destiny Melendez Ibarra, come to me,” a voice said from the darkness, and I found myself back in the restroom at the club. Everything around me was blurry except the mirror. I stared at my reflection, unable to look away. A blond guy appeared out of nowhere behind my back, and a gasp escaped my lips.

  I knew his perfect face, his full lips, his light blue eyes... But as soon as my mind tried to grasp his name, my thoughts scattered. Somewhere deep inside me I knew that none of this was real, but I was willing to believe in his existence when he trailed his fingers down my bare shoulder, making me flinch.