Warrior Mate

by L. J. Red

  “Are you sure?”

  Brigit nodded. “I don’t want to be turned into a vampire, but… this bond. I want it.”

  “Are you—”

  “Rune,” Brigit interrupted him. “Part of accepting me means believing me when I say I want something. Yes, I want this. I’ve made my decision.” She raised her hands to his face, brushing her thumb over his jaw. “I want you, Rune. We’ll find a way to live together; I know we will. I want to try. Do you?”

  Rune stared at her, his gaze so intent it felt like it reached through to her spine. Then, wordlessly, he opened his mouth, fangs sliding into place. The sight of them sent a slight, illicit thrill through Brigit, but she had spoken the truth. She did want this. She turned her head, offering him her neck.

  Rune bit down and pain and pleasure intermingled, shocking across her nerves. The pain faded and pleasure rose. Oh fuck. This was why people wanted the bite so much. It was fucking delirious. Her body was on fire, arousal dragging heavy through her, winding tighter at her core. She was slick between her legs, achy, wanting.

  Time slipped and Brigit didn’t know how long it was before he raised his lips from her neck, stained red with her blood. She felt another thrill of desire at the sight. Was that fucked up? Probably. She didn’t care. She pressed forward and kissed him, tasting her own blood, salty, against her lips. “I need you,” she panted. “Need you inside me.” She leaned back, pinning him with her eyes. “I need you in me right fucking now.” She was so wet, so ready. Fuck, the bite was better than foreplay.

  Together they tumbled out of their clothes, getting distracted by the feel of skin on skin. She kissed down his rock-hard abs, he dropped light kisses against her breasts, then captured her lips and drove her deeper into pleasure.

  She felt him. For the first time, she really felt him through the bond. Every time his body touched hers it sparked desire in the both of them, curling over and over, thickening and rising between them, sensations shared, doubled, tripled, over and over until she felt like her skin was paper-thin, barely able to contain the sensations.

  He drew her legs open. She felt achy, needy, swollen with want. Finally, finally, he angled himself between her legs and sheathed his thick length inside her. Brigit cried out in pleasure, gripping Rune’s broad shoulders.

  “Hold on to me,” he said, and before she could do anything else he began to move within her; long, slow excruciatingly pleasurable strokes. Gradually growing faster, harder. The bed shook and Brigit spared a second’s worry for the frame. It better be reinforced enough for this, she thought, then all thought was driven from her as pleasure exploded across her mind, carrying her up, wave upon wave, into the most earth-shattering climax she’d ever felt. Rune’s presence in the bond swelled and broke as he joined her, the sensations echoing across between them, aftershocks rippling through the bond and into her body, making her gasp out loud.

  It took her a long time to drift back down to herself. Her thoughts disconnected, her body loose.

  “Holy shit,” she said, her throat dry.

  Rune shifted to the side, falling beside her, their legs tangled. She faced him, dreamily tracing the line of his scar, the angle of his chin, with her eyes.

  “That was fucking amazing.”

  Rune grinned, satisfied and male. She elbowed him in the side. “Don’t take all the credit,” she said, but she was too exhausted to do more than that.

  She tucked her head under his chin and let him gather her up beside him. His warm male scent enveloped them both. Brigit’s thought’s drifted, not sleeping, not awake, but a dreamy half state, reveling in the feel of the bond, open and clear between them, and of Rune beside her, his steady, warm presence undeniably reassuring. He’d been right in a way; this was home. Not the Sanctuary but him. Rune. And it didn’t matter where they went. As long as they were together, they could do anything.

  ✽✽✽

  Brigit pushed open the door and stepped into the hall nervously. For once, she had her hands free and didn’t trip on the coats and bags. Rune was carrying the pastry box. A chocolate cake, because everyone liked chocolate, right? It definitely wasn’t a bribe, a ‘please don’t give me grief about my new vampire boyfriend’ cake. She had considered getting the shop staff to write that in the icing, but she’d caught herself at the last moment.

  “Mom? Dad? You here?”

  No reply.

  She shuffled over, making space for Rune. He blocked out the doorway, pushing the door shut behind him and looming in the tiny hallway. Oh man, this was going to be terrible. Why did she think inviting Rune here was a good idea again?

  “It will be fine,” Rune said, clearly picking up on her nerves. “They’re your family.”

  “Yeah,” she said. “That’s what I’m worried about.”

  They picked their way into the kitchen and from there out into the garden, where the entire McReeve family was gathered: three brothers, sister-in-law, nephew and nieces, Mom and Dad. Oh damn, Mike had a glint in his eye. “Little sister,” he exclaimed, coming toward her but clearly thinking better of the headlock as Rune emerged from the house, all six-foot-plus of pure Viking muscle. Mike’s eyes widened, and the hum of chatter stopped. Even the kids stopped screaming.

  “Uh, yeah, so. This is Rune. He’s um… my boyfriend.” Yeah, ’cause that was easier to explain than ‘vampire soulmate’.

  There was an awkward silence. “We brought chocolate cake,” Rune said, holding out the big, pink box.

  Brigit’s mom’s eyes went from the cake to Rune, then to Brigit, and her face split into a smile.

  “Oh honey, that’s perfect.” She stepped forward and took the box from Rune. The same height as Brigit, she had to crane her neck to look up at Rune.

  “Here you go ma’am,”

  To Brigit’s horror, she saw her mother blush,

  “Ma’am. Well now.”

  Rune glanced around. “You have a lovely home.”

  You big suck-up, Brigit thought fondly. Rune glanced at her out of the corner of his eye. How had she ever thought he was impassive; the bastard was smirking at her. With his eyes. Brigit’s mom gave her a sharp look as she stepped back, and Brigit pulled a straight expression onto her face.

  “Well, who wants cake, kiddies?” she said and the girls let up a clamor, cake more interesting than people, clearly. With that, the talking began to start up again. Good job, Mom.

  After a moment, Brigit led Rune over to where her brothers were grouped around the barbecue. Callum handed her a coke and she gripped it, glad to have something to do with her hands.

  “So, little sister finally brought a guy home, huh.” Mike looked at her and she braced herself. Here he went with his big brother schtick. He fixed Rune with a look. “How do we know you’re good enough for our girl, huh?”

  Brigit braced herself for a dick-measuring contest.

  But Rune was silent a moment, then said, “I’m not.”

  Mike’s eyebrows went up. Brigit stared at Rune. He looked down at her and his hard face relaxed into a smile.

  “She’s far too good for me.”

  Brigit stared, flushed, then ducked her head, laughing. “You sap,” she said, leaning into him.

  “Huh,” Callum said, staring at them both. “You know, Brigit, I never really pegged you for the romantic type.”

  “I’m not.” She straightened

  He raised a skeptical eyebrow.

  “You shut up. I can still get you into an armlock quicker than you can spit, Callum McReeve, and don’t you forget it.”

  Brigit’s third brother, Louis, walked over, his youngest, Elle, on his shoulders.

  “Hey, cutey.” Brigit grinned up at her.

  “Aunty B!” she shouted and made grabby hands.

  Brigit lifted her down and tucked her into her side as Louis, far more calmly than Mike, introduced himself to Rune.

  “What do you do?”

  “I work with Brigit at the precinct,” Rune said smoothly. Brigit caught his
eye and hid another grin. You could barely tell they’d rehearsed it.

  They’d discussed it and decided the vampire reveal could come later. And since Rune wasn’t great at making things up on the spot, they’d rehearsed a few lines.

  Brigit looked at her family gathered around her and smiled. This was what she wanted. This was home. The Sanctuary and the rest of the Shadows would always be there, Dana was still her family, but she would never give this up, and now she didn’t have to. She could have both. She turned to ask Callum how the Millers were doing.

  “Unka Rune.” Elle tugged at Rune’s pant leg and he looked down.

  “How’d you cut your face?”

  Brigit looked over her shoulder.

  “Elle, you shouldn’t ask—” Louis started to speak.

  Brigit had a sudden sinking feeling as she felt Rune flail for an answer. He looked down at Elle impassively. “A vampire tried to bite my face off,” he said.

  Brigit blanched. Oops.

  Chapter 36

  Sparrow tossed and turned in the bed in the medical room. Dr. Patil wanted to keep her over the day for observation. She’d been dosed with one of the drug variants and they weren’t sure how long it would affect her. Everything hurt. Liquid fire, pain moving through her limbs. She could barely think straight. Sometimes she forgot she was free. Had she imagined it? That man, that vampire, moving like a shadow through the room, curling light around him, cloaked in darkness as he ripped through the guards. It couldn’t be real, had to have been a dream.

  She was so weak. They all were; dosed to keep them docile so the guards could control them. She rolled over and opened her eyes. The pale vampire, Roman, was right there in front of her.

  “My little fledglings, still alive.” He glared. “I had meant to kill you, take your power for my own.”

  She shrank back. What was he talking about?

  “But I see this is better, yes.” He looked around. “Yes, in the heart of the Sanctuary, they will never suspect a thing. You will be my eyes, my ears, my hands.” He grinned down at her, then lunged forward, fangs snapping.

  Sparrow shot upright. He wasn’t there. The room was empty, but deep in her chest, painful, glaring bands wrapped around her, constricting her, pulling taut. Roman was her maker and he wasn’t going to let her go without a fight.

  Chapter 1 of Saved Mate

  Discover Jacob and Sparrows’s story in the next Bloodline Warriors novel…

  "Don't!"

  Sparrow turned around. What was that? Sounded like someone shouting. She narrowed her eyes, standing still and listening intently. No, nothing. Maybe she'd imagined it? The hallway stretched out behind her, tall windows along one side letting in the moonlight, striping the dark red walls with patches of light. Heavy wooden doors closed off private rooms. She'd gotten turned around while exploring the Sanctuary and she wasn't sure where she was exactly. Had the voice come from inside one of the rooms? Or maybe from outside. She took a step toward a window and looked down at the gardens below her, dark and shadowy. No one moving down there. She walked over to one of the windows and hooked it and pushed it open.

  The night air was sweet and warm. The beginning of summer. There was barely the sound of cars filtering in from outside despite being in the city. The Sanctuary was a kind of haven the long lawns and lines of trees shielded them from the noise and bustle of the city. You could almost believe you are somewhere else.

  She must have imagined the noise, she decided, rolling her shoulders back and continuing down the hall. She thought the next corner would bring her to the stairs. If she got down to the ground floor, she'd be able to find the infirmary and maybe get back to her room before Dr. Patil noticed she'd slipped out for a walk. She didn't want to see the doctor angry; the woman was surprisingly terrifying despite being one of the few humans here. Sparrow guessed you'd have to be, to keep vampire patients in line.

  Sparrow slowed as she reached a door that was open a crack, curiosity pulling at her, she pushed it open, peeking in. The room inside was a library, filled with oak paneled walls and floor-to-ceiling bookshelves with an elegant gallery around the top and rolling ladders leaned up against the shelves. It was gorgeous, like a picture from a magazine. Sparrow couldn't believe it was real. She felt like Belle in the Beast's castle, discovering the library for the first time.

  No wonder the vampires rarely left their territories, they had everything they could want and centuries of wealth to back it up. Her chest ached with longing. She didn't fit here. None of the Shadows had ever been forced to go without meals, or sleep out in the cold, shivering on a thin bed of cardboard boxes. Why would they? Most humans didn't either. they lived normal lives, safe inside their houses. No Sparrow was the weird one, her and the other forgotten and unwanted vagrants of Chicago.

  She stepped back her fingers pressed tightly against the wood of the door for a moment before letting go. None of this was for her. It was all temporary. She was only here because the Shadows had rescued her and the other captured victims from the factory where they had been held. This wasn't their home and it never would be.

  The Sanctuary held the elite warrior vampires known as the Shadows. She wasn't part of their Bloodline. She may not know much about vampires, but she knew that much. Roman, the sick bastard who had turned her, only to hand her over to HUNT to be tortured, wasn't part of the Shadows, he had his own Bloodline, Radiance and whatever his plans were for Sparrow and the rescued vampires, it wasn't going to be good.

  That was why she was here. The Shadows were protecting her and the others, keeping them safe from Roman's plans. That was all. For a second, she thought she saw a flash of pale white hair and a thin figure standing far back in the hallway, but when she spun to look at it there was nothing there. She trembled and pressed back against the wall. Fuck. It was happening again. Ever since the rescue, she'd been troubled by these strange flashes, fleeting sensations. Haunted by what had been done to her.

  Was she going crazy? Or was it just flashbacks, like Dr. Patil said might happen. Sparrow's skin crawled. She didn't know, didn't know who to trust. She'd never been good with officials, hell, even trusting her doctor was hard work. Sparrow had spent all her life on the streets, relying on herself, looking out for herself. Over the years she'd kept an eye on some of the other street kids, made sure they had a place to sleep, first dibs on food, but as her friends had grown up and dispersed, some getting off the streets, some sinking deeper into the city’s underbelly, she'd learned the only person she could trust was herself. Dr. Patil might seem okay, but she worked for the vampires.

  Sparrow sighed, her tongue pressing at the sharp points of her fangs in her mouth the other vampires she corrected. Since she was one now as well. That had to be why she was having visions, she thought, pushing away from the wall and continuing down the hall. It was trauma from what Roman and HUNT had done to her, that was all. She'd been kept hostage for weeks, and the experiments HUNT had done on her and the others had screwed up her vampire abilities. It would take time to recover, time to heal.

  Sparrow pushed her brown hair back from her face. Pressing her fingertips into her scalp. Her brain felt like it was buzzing, all the memories stirred up. That was why she'd snuck off for a walk. It wasn’t easy to forget everything that had happened, when all the fresh wounds were constantly being poked at, memories torn open by the lawyers picking over her every statement. Sparrow pressed her fingertips to her temples.

  Dana who Sparrow had known back when she was just a human cop, rather than a Shadow vampire, tried her best to shield Sparrow and the others from the legal machinery working its way through the case, but Sparrow and the nine remaining rescued vampires were the only witnesses to what HUNT had done. The torture they'd been put through. The torture that had killed the other hostages. Sparrows chest tightened in memory. The twisted dead bodies collapsing to ash as HUNT tortured them to their deaths.

  Sparrow could deal with the memories, deal with the pain. It was worth it. She wante
d to see the hunters securely behind bars. Her eyes flashed. They would pay for what they did to her, what they did to the others. No one would experience what she had. She never wanted anyone to suffer like that. Turned into a vampire against her will, just to be experimented on like some kind of vampire lab rat.

  If only they had caught Roman as well as the human hunters in the raid on the factory. But he had disappeared like smoke and air, and no one knew where he was, or what he was planning. Ice ran down her spine. That wasn't her problem she thought resolutely. The Shadows would find him. All she had to do was testify in the trial. All she had to do was tear up her healing and tell everyone over and over again what had happened. All the way up to the rescue, to the moment the HUNT guards had turned their weapons on them, the moment she'd thought it was over, that she was dead. The moment that he had arrived.

  Jacob. Though she hadn't known his name then. The vampire who had torn through the HUNT guards like they were nothing. Blood spraying the walls. Pure violence, untamed, unstoppable. Sparrow shivered, feeling strangely cold, her nerves alight. His piercing blue eyes had fastened on her and time had seemed to stand still. Her heart had kicked against her chest. even now it still beat, and yet she was sure it had stopped after she had turned into a vampire.

  She could almost feel his eyes on her still. Every shadow seemed suspect. the back of her neck prickled. It made her feel on edge in a way that she couldn't explain like her entire body was aware of this phantom gaze. Like she wanted it. It wasn't real, she thought. Just another made up vision. Why would a vampire like that, a warrior, pay any attention to her? She wasn't his concern. She wasn't anyone's concern. She was just Sparrow, a street kid grown up into a nothing person. An empty space, ignored, forgotten. Nothing special. Once the case was over, she'd be out of the Sanctuary and back on the streets, nothing would change. The only difference was that she would be a vampire, with abilities she didn't understand. A legacy she didn't want. She still felt the shivery achy feeling in her bones from what HUNT had done to her. She wondered if she would ever feel at home in her body ever again.