by Kira Hillins
An angel with a demon who throws tantrums when she’s hungry. Strange she hadn’t heard her entities voice begging for blood, coaxing her to kill these good people. Maybe she could stay for a little while, at least until she was strong enough to go home.
“Just don’t tell anyone about me. If they find out I’m here and that I’m...” She shook her head, uncertain how to say it aloud.
“A pregnant vampire?” Ivan chuckled. The prickles on Anna’s skin wouldn’t cease. Maybe this man did carry the answers she searched for. However she got here, to him, wasn’t a coincidence. “Your secret is safe with me. In the meantime rest for as long as you feel necessary. And I imagine you’re hungry, so I will send you a glass of—”
“—please. No blood.” She breathed out, sickened by the thought of it. “I could use some water and maybe something to eat.”
“Water and stew it is then. I will return later to check on you.”
“Thank you.”
“You’re very welcome.” He left the room and shut the door behind him.
Anna glanced around at her surroundings. Coffee colored curtains hung on the stone wall near the bedside. The place reminded her of the castle Tristan and her fell in love in, the estate on the mountaintop in England. But she was in Romania. How in the world did she get here?
She looked at the vase next to the bed. Tears sprouted in her eyes. The clear glass held the most beautiful roses, pumpkin colored and blooming as if they’d just been picked. It seemed forever since she’d seen anything other than darkness. Besides the ocean blue of Tristan’s human eyes, they were the most beautiful thing she’d ever seen.
She pulled the plush comforter over her body. She placed her hand on her slightly swollen abdomen and then cried. “Tristan. I’m here,” she whispered. “I’m safe. Please, find me. I need you.” She tried to sense him as he did her, but felt nothing. She had never learned to do it. They’d never been apart long enough to need to do it.
What had happened that she’d lost two weeks of her life? How’d she get to a place like this and so far away from where she was? A story of a hunter and his son seemed so far-fetched. But how could she call Father Ivan a liar?
Whatever the story was, at least she and the baby were safe. She’d lost so much blood before she’d blacked out, it was a wonder she hadn’t lost more than time.
The door opened and a woman dressed in a white robe walked into the room. Her eyes were stern and her lips pursed in a straight line. Her skin wrinkled slightly on her temple and at the corners of her eyes. Though pretty, she looked like she was in her mid-fifties.
Another woman, younger than the other, but dressed in the same attire followed her in. She held a tray of fruits and bread and a glass of water teetering slightly on the edge.
Anna wiped tears from her face. She sat up as the young woman set the tray across her lap. “Thank you.”
“You’re welcome,” she said in a soft voice. The pink on her smooth face darkened slightly and her bright blue eyes glittered. “I’m Sister Nena. I have other…items for you to feed on if you need it. All you have to do is ask.”
Anna was a little taken back by her words. It must have shown in her face, because it sent the petite woman into a short laugh.
“I only meant we have red deer. Some of your kind also feed on rats while they are here, but it’s all a matter of preference.”
Anna puckered her nose. Tristan had made sure they’d only had the best bottled blood. It was rare that she’d feed on rats or any other animal for that matter. The thought was nauseating.
“Forgive me.” Nena stood. She gave a short bow. “It’s unusual for your kind to think sour of blood. I will not bring it up again unless you request it.”
“It’s okay.” Anna picked up the bundle of black grapes then pulled one off. She stuck one in her mouth and it tasted divine, sweet and juicy.
“I’m Gwen.” The older woman stepped forward. She shooed Nena out of the room then stood at the bedside, hands clasped in front of her. “I will be taking care of you while you’re here. If there’s anything you need, ring the bell on your nightstand and I will come.”
Thankful she had an appetite for real food she finished off the plate. She gulped down the water, and then lay back on the bed. Her vision blurred. Dizziness swept through her. Something wasn’t right.
“What’s happening to me?”
“It is the medicine, my dear.” Gwen’s voice became distant. “It’s for the pain. And it will help you sleep.”
“I am rather tired,” Anna whispered.
***
“Extraordinary,” Ivan said as he approached Anna’s bed. “In all my years, I’ve never seen anything like this.”
Anna’s human skin, pinkish and smooth changed to grayish pale, peach, and then back again. It seemed her dreams led her into the realm of death and then back to the living in an endless multihued cycle. The color of her lips blended from red wine to bluish, purple to pink. And her hair—the color of night blended with her rich golden blonde.
“It’s the child inside her.” Gwen spoke in her usual stern voice. “She is their saving grace.”
“We must protect Anna at all costs," Ivan said. "Keep her drugged until she remembers nothing of who she is. And make sure the barrier stays up at all times. We don’t want any unwanted guests coming for her.”
“Yes, Father.” Gwen touched his arm. “Will you see me in the garden tonight?”
"As always.” He was careful not to stare at Anna for fear Gwen might see his yearning, but he couldn’t help it. The woman was stunning. She ignited a fire within him that he hadn’t felt in years. “Seeing her brings back so many memories. I can’t possibly tell you how often I have longed for this, although, it should be my seed inside her. Not his.”
“Be mindful of your words.”
“Yes, Gwen, my darling.” He palmed Gwen’s cheek. He loved the way she looked, not as young as she used to be, but still as lovely as the tulips in their garden. “You know I will eternally be grateful to you. All these years you’ve stood beside me. Your love means everything to me.”
The peach in her face deepened. “You know how I feel about you.”
“I will need you now more than ever, my love. After a thousand years, I will finally have a child worth something. She will be my true child, an heir who will not disappoint me as mine others have.”
“He will come for her. No spell can keep them apart for very long. With a love like theirs—”
Iven swung his arm and slapped Gwen across the face. It wasn’t often he showed his anger. He hated lashing out, but damn her for bringing Tristan into the conversation. “Never speak of him again.”
Tristan didn’t deserve love, especially from an angel like Anna. Although Ivan hated to admit it, Gwen was right. Tristan would eventually find this place. Other arrangements would have to be made.
Ivan pulled Gwen into his arms. “Forgive me, my sweet Gwen.” He thumbed a tear from her wrinkled skin. “I don’t want to hear you say words like that again. Do you understand?”
“Yes. I’m sorry.” Gwen held her cheek. “We should leave her to rest.”
He hated to see the hurt in Gwen’s eyes, but what else could he do? She had to understand how much he hated this situation. Anna should be carrying his child, not of the man he despised more than anything. If it wasn’t for Elric’s care-free behavior, things would’ve worked out differently.
Ivan leaned down and breathed in Anna’s aroma. Heaven did not compare to this angel of light. She intoxicated him. Aroused him. Sent globes of fire through his veins. Once she remembered nothing of her past, he’d take her to his bed and make her his. Her child would belong to him.
Another scent washed over him. Gwen stood behind him red-faced and sweating beneath her robes. Jealous. She was desperate to take him between her legs and he was ready to give her what she wanted—what he wanted for now.
Anxious to calm this arousal, he grabbed Gwen’s hand and whisked
her toward the garden where they’d made love so many times.
Chapter Fifteen
Tristan stalked through the small camp in the middle of the forest. Tents lined the trees to create a path to a clearing in the center of the camp where a bonfire burned. Music blared. People danced naked around the fire. Others lay on the ground moaning in ecstasy as vampires fed with an appetite for sex and blood. This was the Celebration of Flesh.
Of all places to be, he’d ended up here. He’d spent a week shutting atrocities like these down in the northwest. But here he was in Italy as a rogue vampire desperate to fulfill his hunger; disgusted by the need to taste some stranger to calm the ache in the pit of his stomach.
Misery gnawed at his insides. He’d prefer to see them all dead, torn to shreds like the camps he’d found in Oregon. The werewolf had hated the frolicking mix of humans and vampires, and now Tristan understood why.
As much as he abhorred being here, he was quite hungry. He’d fed on animals for the past few months, and he was sick of it. Human blood had drawn him here, wherever here was, and he ached to feed. If he could find one person who would run from him, his adrenaline might spike and give him the energy to push on, but all these people wanted to be here. They loved the attention of vampires. And vampires loved to be treated like a God.
As Tristan searched the camp for a victim, he thought of Anna. He hadn’t sensed her but twice since he’d lost her, once when she lay in her blood on the shore, the other a few weeks ago. He’d envisioned her walking through a sunlit garden on the arm of another man. She looked happy and radiant in a white gown that covered her rounded belly. His insides warmed to see her with child—his child. Excitement had loomed over the darkness he’d carried his entire life until the vision ended and he awoke inside the cave he’d found refuge in.
Tristan stuck his hands in the pockets of his trenchcoat then sighed. Maybe Anna didn’t want to be found. She’d found pleasure in the arms of a stranger. Like a dagger to the chest, it hurt.
Voices came from a tent near the edge of the camp.
“Why don’t they ever take me?” a woman said, her voice distraught.
“You’re not the only one with that problem,” a man replied with a sigh. “I’ve been coming to this place for a month and I’m still waiting for a turn.”
“Three weeks here.” The woman whimpered. “I’d just like to stand near the fire. It’s not fair that I’m freezing to death in here while their favorites are out there having fun.”
“What do you think they’d do if we just went out there and joined in?” The man cleared his throat. “I mean, they need us alive, so they can’t kill us.”
“I want bit as much as you guys,” another male voice chimed in. “But I don’t want my invitation revoked. So, I’m not going out there until I’m chosen.”
Tristan swiped the curtain to the side. The voices hushed. Eight people stood naked. Rope had been tied around their wrists. Prisoners. No. They’d consented to the bondage—another role to play for pleasure.
A young red-haired man fell to his knees, eyes pleading, and hands clasped together like he prayed to his God. “Please. Take me. Make me yours.”
Four others fell to their knees as Tristan entered the tent. Women touched his arms, his shoulders. Men clutched his jacket in hopes he’d choose one of them.
All these people were desperate to be with a vampire, to join in on the festivities going on around the fire. Did they enjoy torture? Did pain give them a spark to their pitiful lives?
Tristan made his way to a woman who stood quietly behind the group of people. Her long red hair covered her rounded breasts and matched her rosy cheeks. She held her hands below her plump waist to hide her lower body. Fear emanated off her skin as Tristan clutched the nape of her neck.
“My name’s Larissa.” She trembled as he led her out of the tent, away from the disappointed people who begged him to come back. “I…I’ve never done this before.”
“Are you frightened?”
She nodded. “Yes.”
“Then why are you here?”
She shuddered beneath his touch as he walked her toward the edge of the camp. “I heard that this experience will give meaning to my life. I want to feel something instead of nothing all the time.”
He knew better than to talk to his meal, but curiosity got the better of him. “Why do you feel nothing?”
“Look at me.” She stopped near the edge of the darkened path. She pushed her red locks behind her shoulders. Though she was quite voluptuous, she was an attractive young woman—one he would’ve pursued in his human years. “I’m twenty-six years old. I can’t land a guy because men like thin model-like women.” She rolled her eyes. “Maybe that’s why I’m here. I want to be with someone who doesn’t care who I am or what I look like. I want the erotic experience for just one night. If that means I have to give my blood to get it, then that’s what I’ll do.”
As much as his demon ached for her blood, sex was never on the agenda. “I have chosen the wrong person to provide my meal.”
He left her beneath the string of lights and wandered out into the dark. Oh well. It’d be another night of animal blood. He’d miss out on the adrenaline rush and a possible connection to Anna, but at least his belly would be full.
“Wait.” Larissa called out. She held her arms over her breasts as she jogged toward him. “I’m sorry. Did I say something wrong?”
“Go back to camp. Find another to fulfill your desires.”
“After everything I said, and showing you my body, I get it.” Her voice wavered as she fell into place beside him. “I’m not pretty enough for you.”
“That is not why I reject you.”
“Then why?” She took hold of his arm. He didn’t want to stop, but couldn’t will his legs to move on. She grabbed hold of his jacket near his chest then leaned against him. A spark fired inside him. It wasn’t the desire to take this woman’s body, but to drain her essence—every bit of it until she fell limp in his arms. “Don’t you want my blood?”
“Yes.” He clutched her shoulders then backed her toward the nearby tree. He shoved her up tight against the bark, fangs out, ready to dig into his meal. His red eyes cast a glow on her face. Mouth open, eyes widened, she looked scared to death. That didn’t help this situation. It only made him want her more. “I desire only your blood. I will not take your body for my heart belongs to someone else, someone who is lost.” Anna. He’d give his life to find her. To be with her. To tell her how much he loved her. Damnit, where was she?
“Oh,” Larissa said in a light breath. “I didn’t know vampires fell in love. Though, I’ve never met one to make the assumption that any of you had morals. Of course, you’re the first vampire I’ve ever really talked to.”
He let her go then backed away. Morals. If he had any at all, he’d get this woman away from this disgusting place. She didn’t belong here and neither did he.
He shoved his hands inside his jacket pockets. “Get dressed and I will guide you out of the forest. Go home where it is safe.”
“Hm.” She folded her arms over her chest. “Take my blood if you want, but I’m not ready to leave yet. Not until I get the experience I came for. And if you’re not going to give it to me, then I’m going back to find someone else who will. At least I hope. I’ve been standing in that tent all damn night.”
Tristan’s stomach churned as she took off toward the glow of camp. He’d spent years in the dungeon of his dilapidated castle, starving, hoping to die for the sins he’d committed—for being this dark entity. But at this moment, as fresh willing blood walked away, his demon’s desire peaked. Hunger hammered down on him like a heavy stone.
In an instant, he was behind her, arms wrapped around her shoulders. He sank his fangs deep into her neck. She cried out as he drank in her blood—delicious, fresh blood that pooled on his tongue and slid down his throat. Her voice fell silent. Her body went limp in his arms.
Though starved enough to draw in
all she had to offer, he released her vein and shut his eyes. It’d been too damn long. With the fresh blood, the awareness of his surroundings grew a hundred times clearer. Everything did. The sounds of the night, the cool breeze on his skin, even the scent of the ocean in the distance hit his senses. The black bottle had kept him sated and aware for years, but did nothing to give him a real edge in this world. This was the addiction and why there were so many camps like this one.
For a moment he held the woman close, wishing this was Anna’s warmth against him and the taste of her blood in his mouth. The scent of Anna’s hair and skin intoxicated him. She put a spell on his libido. But this woman’s aroma was unfamiliar. As pretty as she was, she did nothing for him but satisfy his hunger.
He scooped her up in his arms. He carried her under a canopy at the edge of the camp then lowered her onto a cot. He retrieved a blanket from the table then covered her exposed body.
He ran the back of his hand across her smooth cheek. “Thank you,” he said in a low voice.
“Oh, you are so welcome,” she whispered with a slur. Her eyes fluttered open and her lips stretched into a teeth-baring grin. “My God. I feel like I’ve drunk an entire bottle of rum. That was unbelievable.”
He swiped a red strand from her bright green eye. “I apologize for your discomfort.”
“No apologies. That was painful, but damn…it was also the most erotic experience I’ve ever had. Who needs sex, right? Just let a vampire bite you.” She gave a breathy laugh. “Of course, if you want to have sex now...”
“I must go.”
“I’m kidding.” She placed her hand on his arm. “But you don’t have to go, do you?”
He stood upright. “Will you be all right?”
“Perfect.” She sat up with the blanket held against her chest. “She’s a lucky woman, you know. The woman you lost. I don’t know the circumstances, but she’d be crazy not to come back to you. Don’t give up.”
Tristan gave a short nod then left the tent. He’d never give up on Anna. She was his world. His everything. Even if it took him forever, he’d find her. And if she’d accepted the arms of another man, then he’d let light take his soul. There would be no point in living.