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Redemption (The Captive #5) Page 5
Author: Erica Stevens

"Calvin." She was ashamed her voice barely carried past the men pressing against her.

Kane, Calvin's second in command, turned to scowl down at her. His nose was twisted to the side from breaks so numerous that even though he was a vampire, his nose had started to heal crooked. A jagged scar ran from his close cropped brown hairline, down to his right ear before reaching his chin and curling toward his thin lips.

He turned away from her to speak to his boss. "Calvin, there's a lady here that would like to speak with you!"

Hannah forced herself not to jump at Kane's bellow but she did move aside when he stepped closer to her. She had to fight the urge to rub at the place on her arm that Kane had brushed against. Calvin glowered at his friend over being interrupted; then his eyes slid to her and his handsome face split into a large grin that made her feel like turning around and running as fast as she could in the other direction.

Calvin's boots resounded on the wooden stage as he strode toward her. His hand was still wrapped in the collar of the boy's shirt as he hauled the child across the stage with him. The boy's rolling blue eyes met hers as his nostrils flared and tears streamed down his face. His straggly hair appeared to be brown but she suspected that a good bath would reveal it to be blonder. She'd suspected the boy was human before she'd reached the stage, but the scent of the blood coming from a cut on his forehead confirmed her suspicions. She may be dead center on Calvin's radar now but looking at the terrified boy she knew that she'd made the right choice.

"Hannah, what are you doing here?" Calvin asked jovially as he knelt before her.

She had to force her gaze away from the boy to meet Calvin's strange golden eyes. "I uh..." she had to ponder her words for a minute before continuing. "I came to talk to you about the child."

"This?" Calvin said and thrust the boy toward her.

This let out a muffled cry as his shirt cut into his throat and his eyes bulged from his head. "You're hurting him!" Hannah cried before she could stop herself. She reached toward the child but Calvin was already jerking him away again.

"You have such a tender heart Hannah, that's one of the things I like best about you."

She would have thought it was what he disliked most about her. The fact that he'd said those words made her as distrustful as a mouse standing before a snake. It took all she had not to take a step away from him but the last thing she wanted was for him to know that she was scared of him. "He's just a child Calvin."

"He was caught stealing bread from the bakery."

Looking at him Hannah could understand why as the child pleadingly stared at her with eyes made larger by his thin face. "He's starving; he just needs a good meal."

"And you'd be willing to give him one?"

"Of course I would."

"And what of me Hannah?" he said in a tone of voice that made her realize the snake had just cornered the mouse. "If I was to say..." he thoughtfully tapped his finger against his chin but she suspected he already knew what he was going to say. "Lower his sentence to only a night in the stocks, instead of two, would you be willing to spend some time with me?"

She'd rather run naked through the center of town but she wasn't about to voice that little detail. "Yes," she managed to choke out though her body and mind protested the simple word.

"Tomorrow night?"

"I have to work," she blurted before she could think.

"I know you're a hard worker but if I were to stop by I'm sure you could find some time to spend with me."

The boy's fingers grabbed at the collar of his shirt as he dangled within Calvin's grasp. "I'm sure I could too." She felt as if she was sliding down the snake's throat but it was too late to stop it.

"It's a date then." His smile revealed perfect white teeth and extended fangs that seemed to be a permanent fixture on him, though most other vampires kept them retracted until they had to be used. "You should say thank you boy. This beautiful lady just spared you some discomfort."

He thrust the boy toward her again. His tears had left clean tracks through the dirt covering his face but he managed a smile that revealed a missing side baby tooth. He'd been through a lot in his young life and she felt tears burning in her eyes as she met his frightened blue ones again.

"Thank you miss," he choked out.

"You're very welcome," she told him honestly. "Can I bring him some food?" she asked Calvin.

He pulled the boy away as a sly smile spread across Calvin's face. "That might require more than a date." A chill spread into her belly but she kept hold of his gaze as he leaned forward and tapped his boney finger against his cheek. It took all she had not to sneer in disgust. She was fairly certain he would kill the boy and throw her in the stocks if she did allow her revulsion to show though. "That would actually require a kiss."

Her gaze slid to the boy, whose eyes had filled with joy at the mere mention of food. She could do this, she knew she could. Steeling herself, she leaned forward to press a kiss on Calvin's cheek. It was cool beneath her lips; the stubble lining it was rough, it should have felt like any other cheek she'd kissed but she felt like she was kissing a cockroach. She quickly pulled away from him and just barely stopped herself from wiping her mouth with the back of her hand.

"That wasn't so bad, was it?" Calvin asked in a taunting voice.

"No," she whispered.

His hawk-like eyes studied her, he leaned so close that his lips brushed against hers when he spoke. A clammy feeling came over her skin; her stomach did a strange flip flop the likes of which she'd never experienced before. She was half afraid she was going to vomit. "Maybe tomorrow I'll be able to get a real kiss out of you."

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