by Sarah Piper
It seems I’ve fallen in…
The last had remained locked inside, stowed away as we came under attack from the demons that would steal my memories—memories that had just been returned to me.
Gray had saved me in all the ways that counted—then and now.
Her blood, our connection… she’d been right to trust it.
I would never doubt it.
My love for her knew no limits, no bounds, and deep inside me, that feeling expanded endlessly, chasing away the worst of the pain, steadying my hands. I was falling, experiencing each moment with her for the very first time, again and again and again.
“I’m in love with her,” I announced, my tears turning to laughter as I felt the force of that love hit me full on. With Ronan’s help, I got to my feet, swaying against his side. I was unsteady, but suddenly I felt unstoppable.
“For fuck’s sake, Beaumont.” Ronan gave me a shove. “We thought you were dying, asshole.”
“Ah, but I was. And now I’ve been reborn!” Again I laughed, bordering on maniacal, and grabbed his shoulders, hauling him in for a fierce hug. “You don’t understand, demon. I fell in love with her. I know I did.”
“Yeah, you and me and everyone here.” He pulled back and narrowed his eyes at me. “What’s going on in that head of yours?”
“More than you know, friend,” I said. “I remember it. All of it. All of you!”
Ronan glared at me a moment longer, then his eyes widened as the realization finally dawned. He gripped my arms, a smile cracking his stoic face. “You’re shitting me. You fucking remember?”
“It must’ve been the—”
“Hate to break up the lovefest, but, uh…” Asher crouched down next to Sparkle and followed her line of sight to a dense copse of trees beyond the cemetery. The hound’s haunches were raised, a menacing growl reverberating from her chest.
Asher got to his feet and rolled his neck, the bones cracking. “Fight or flight, assholes. We got company.”
Two
DARIUS
“Sellouts.” Asher spat at the ground, leaving a smattering of blood in the snow. His jaw was red and swollen where he’d taken a hit, and his blue eyes blazed in the darkness, the adrenaline from the fight still zipping through his blood. “My guess? The inside team called for reinforcements, but these fucks wanted no part of it. They took their time getting here like a bunch of pussies, waiting until our numbers thinned out and the spellcasters left so they could get the drop on the rest of us.”
“Agreed.” I bent down to scoop up a handful of snow, using it to rinse the taste of hunter blood from my mouth. After the incident at the motel when I’d attacked two of them and overdosed—a brutal scene I now remembered with utmost clarity—I refused to swallow even a drop of their bitter poison.
There’d been about a dozen of them tonight, all human, hiding out in the dense trees and waiting to make their move. They’d underestimated us, though, as hunters with big egos and small pricks were wont to do. With Gray’s loyal hound leading the charge and Emilio’s wolf a close second, we’d left Liam to watch over Jael and Gray, bolted into the woods, and sliced through their ranks like a hot knife through butter.
Back on the other side of the cemetery, Jael continued to work on the portal spell, Liam doing his best to stand guard. He’d wrapped Gray in another cloak, and now he held her close, stroking her hair. The sight brought me comfort.
Liam was one of us now.
We’re definitely going to need a bigger bed…
“You think we’re in the clear?” Ronan asked, reclaiming my attention.
I turned to see him rubbing snow into his hands in an attempt to clean the blood. Moments earlier, when the last hunter standing had given us a rather detailed account of what he’d been planning to do to our witch, I’d watched with delight—and a good measure of awe—as Ronan tore out the bastard’s throat with his bare hands.
I scanned the woods behind him, taking in as much sensory detail as I could. Save for our movements, the night had fallen silent once again. The air was tinged with the scent of human blood, but if any hunters had survived our attack, they’d scampered back the way they’d come.
“The last of the rats have either expired or fled back to their cages,” I confirmed.
“For now,” Asher said. “But we’re still exposed out here. Gray’s immobilized, Liam’s got no defensive powers, we can’t risk anything happening to the moonglass, and we have no idea what other surprises are waiting for us in the woods.”
“You think there are more fae out there?” Ronan asked.
Hunters were one thing; relatively easy to contain, they didn’t stand a chance against a vampire, a wolf, a hellhound, and a pair of demons. But the dark fae could present a serious challenge—especially if there were a lot of them.
“Unlikely,” Asher said. “The fae aren’t fucking cowards. If they were anywhere in the vicinity, they’d already be on top of us. Nah, I’m more concerned about hunters playing games. We’re stronger and faster, but that doesn’t mean they can’t fuck with us. Sun’s not too far off now, and like I said, Gray and Liam are basically sitting ducks. They need to get the fuck back to the lodge. You too, Beaumont.”
I nodded, conceding the point. All the vampire strength and speed in the world couldn’t compete with a sunrise. “But we’re not going anywhere until Jael—”
The force of the explosion knocked us to the ground, the light blinding.
“What the fuck?” Ronan shouted. We got to our feet and shook off the impact, trying to see through the thick blanket of smoke engulfing the entire cemetery.
Seconds later, Liam walked out of the smoke like an apparition, carrying the still-unconscious Gray.
A bolt of horror pierced my heart.
“Where is the moonglass?” I demanded.
But Liam seemed unfazed, his eyes cold and mysterious once again, just like his voice. “Jael has completed his mission.”
“Successfully?” I asked.
“He and the moonglass have vanished, along with all signs of the portal.”
“I’ll count that as a win,” Asher said.
“He could’ve been a bit more subtle about it,” I snapped, brushing the snow from my backside. But with Gray’s soul safely out of harm’s way, and her body still whole, still assimilating, it was nearly impossible to hold onto my anger. By the time Liam placed her back in my arms, there wasn’t even room inside me for mild annoyance. Her presence immediately calmed me, steadied me, and again I buried my face in her hair, taking in her scent.
She was still unconscious, which was a blessing. Yes, her mother had survived the turning. But Gray was the first witch I’d ever personally known to survive the change—to begin the assimilation process. I had no idea how her body would react once it completed the transition—I only knew that she’d be hungry. Ravenous.
We needed to get her secured and sedated before she became conscious of that.
Holding her tightly against my chest, I nodded toward a clearing in the distance—our way out. “We’ve still got a bit of a trek ahead of us, and it looks like the snow is picking up again.” I stepped over the blood-soaked body of one of the hunters we’d dispatched. “Let’s just hope this was the last and only ambush.”
“Hope isn’t a viable strategy, bloodsucker.” Asher spit out another mouthful of blood, then rubbed his swollen jaw and sighed, exhausted but resolute. He looked to Ronan, as if asking permission.
“Do what you gotta do, brother.” Ronan clapped him on the back, then whistled for the hound, who bounded out of the dense knot of trees, her fangs and muzzle dripping with hunter blood. Seemed Ronan had interrupted her midnight snack, but if she harbored any resentment, she wasn’t showing it. She pressed her nose against Ronan’s leg, and he reached down to scratch behind her ears.
“What is it you have to do?” I asked Asher.
“Tie up a few loose ends.” Gesturing for the wolf, he said, “El Lobo and I will meet you guy
s back at the lodge in the morning. Don’t wait up.”
“Where in the bloody hell are you going?” I asked.
At this, Emilio cocked back his massive furry head and howled at the moon, his battle cry haunting and clear, a chilling warning to all who’d dare cross his path tonight.
Asher flashed a feral grin, teeth glinting in the moonlight. “We’re going hunting, brother. Take care of our girl.”
Three
GRAY
So. Much. Blood.
The taste of it in my mouth, the smell of it in my nose, the viscous feel of it sliding deliciously across my tongue. My veins hummed with it, magic and power and strength, all of it crackling to life with a fierce intensity that made me feel like I could burn down the world with little more than a pointed glare.
I was born for this…
Flat on my back in nothing more than a T-shirt, underwear, and a thin sheet over my legs, I opened my eyes to complete darkness and tried to sit up. My body refused to obey. The blood inside me was buzzing and alive, my senses finely attuned, but my muscles felt slow and sluggish.
I sucked in a cool breath—the first I’d taken since I’d awoken—and realized at once we’d made it back to HQ. I could smell the familiar mix of salty ocean air and fresh-cut wood from the lodge’s timber framing, and the scents of all the witches and men and shifters who’d occupied it, every one of them clear and distinct. Strongest of all was Darius’s—that heady blend of leather and expensive whiskey that always made my blood sing.
Again, I tried to rise.
No luck.
My belly turned over with a terrible growl, empty. Craving. Demanding.
“You’re hungry,” announced a familiar voice, and slowly I turned my head to find my vampire standing near my bedside, still as the darkness itself. My eyes had already adjusted to the lack of light, and now I saw him as clearly as if he were bathed in afternoon sunlight. I blinked, not believing it, but the shape of him only sharpened—glossy dark hair, full lips that made my thighs clench with fresh, hot desire. His eyes narrowed as he took me in, his honey-brown gaze both tender and severe.
“Darius,” I whispered, but there was no time to wonder about his breathtaking beauty or my enhanced vision. My stomach turned over again, bringing with it a wave of nausea so severe it made me gasp.
I needed to move, to feed, and again I tried to sit up, but the firm, comforting press of his palm against my chest steadied me. I hadn’t seen the movement, but now he was standing right next to me, the scent of him nearly overpowering my senses.
I wanted him. Badly. My mouth watered for it, my core suddenly burning with the unquenched flames of desire. Everything inside me craved his touch.
My hunger for him was even more desperate than my hunger for blood.
I’m going to die without it...
“What’s…. happening to me?” I sputtered. “I feel like… like I’m…” I tried to reach for him, but my arms were locked in place, immobilized despite the fact that my skin felt like it was on fire.
No, not immobilized. Restrained, I saw now. Same with my legs and torso. I tugged hard against the binds—thick leather straps fastened tightly around my wrists, ankles, and across my lower rib cage.
They’d tied me to the bed. Under any other circumstances, I might’ve been turned on by the idea. Now, it just made me rage inside.
Still. I knew it had to be done. After all, I was a deadly predator now, recovering in a lodge full of warm bodies, every single one of them pulsing with thick, sweet blood.
A whimper escaped my lips.
“It’s temporary,” Darius assured me, his voice measured and tight. “Once we’ve regulated your blood intake and weened you off the hawthorn infusion, this arrangement won’t be necessary.”
“Infusion?”
He lifted the sheet covering my legs, revealing an IV taped to the top of my foot. I followed the tube to the bag dangling from the poster at the end of the bed, slowly meting out a clear liquid drip.
“It’s on a time-release,” he said.
Well, that explained the sluggishness I was feeling.
“After our return,” he said, “I bathed you and helped you get settled in here. I’ve been with you ever since.”
“Ever since when? How long was I out? Is everyone else okay? What about Jael? My sisters? Sparkle and Sunshine?”
“One question at a time, little brawler.” Darius let out a low chuckle. “Let’s see… Everyone is present and accounted for. Your sisters are well, chomping at the bit to see you, though we all agreed it would be best for the humans of the household to wait until you’ve fully stabilized before visiting. The hounds have scarcely left your side—I had to bribe them with raw steak just to get a few moments alone with you tonight. We’ve not heard from Jael, but he completed the portal spell and disappeared with your moonglass before we left the cemetery that night, and the queen has not declared war upon us, so we’re assuming no news is good news on that front. All of the liberated prisoners are being treated for various medical issues and injuries, but everyone is expected to recover. As for you, you’ve been in and out of consciousness the better part of two days. This is the first time you’ve managed to stay with me for more than a few moments—speaking, besides.”
My head was spinning. “Two days? I feel like I haven’t eaten in months.”
“Hours, actually.” He rolled up his sleeve, revealing a muscled forearm and a wrist covered with punctures, dark bruises welling angrily beneath the skin.
The sight of it made me wince. For Darius to bruise and not immediately heal, I must’ve been pretty brutal, and I must’ve taken a lot from him.
“I’m sorry,” I whispered.
“It’s nothing, love. Few more hours, I’ll be good as new. But my blood is a stopgap—not nearly enough to sustain you. You need non-vampire blood—preferably human. Quite a bit of it, at that.”
My stomach growled again, and Darius replaced his palm on my chest, as if he’d sensed I needed his touch, needed him to keep me from slipping away. I closed my eyes and tried to ignore the parched feeling in my mouth, focusing instead on the rest of my body. My blood, singing and alive. My magic, crackling as always inside me, but more solid and sure than it’d ever felt before. I could hear laughter down on the first floor, the sounds of cooking in the kitchen, the splatter of wet snow against the windowpanes. The curtains were open to let in the moonlight, but the night was dark and cloudy. When I inhaled, the wisdom of the sea filled my senses, sharp and ancient and as powerful as I felt inside.
My heart now beat more slowly than I remembered, but it was stronger, responding to Darius’s touch with a deep familiarity.
“I survived,” I said, the word itself bringing forth a rush of laughter. “I survived the turning.”
“Yes, it appears your body has fully assimilated the change,” he confirmed, his voice thick with a mixture of relief, surprise, and there, lurking just below the rest, a hint of sorrow.
I understood. This hadn’t been his choice, after all, and I wasn’t out of the woods just yet. Not until I could exist in the presence of others without trying to murder them.
A shudder wracked my body, but instead of passing as I’d expected, it intensified, rolling from head to toe and back up again. My teeth chattered, my fangs cutting through my gums, then sliding back in. Again and again. The taste of my own blood filled my mouth.
“D-D-Darius? What’s happening now?”
“Shh, it’s alright, love.” Darius lifted the sheet and climbed into the bed next to me, his hand sliding under my T-shirt to trace a soft pattern on my belly. “This will pass.”
“What is it? Why am I sh-shaking like this?”
“You’re a vampire, little brawler,” he said plainly. “A hungry one at that. Your instincts are telling you it’s time to hunt.”
Vampire…
Instincts…
Hunt…
The bed shook with my renewed efforts to escape—instinctual more
than logical at this point—but the hawthorn had done its job. I couldn’t break the binds.
“We can’t grant you your freedom yet, Gray. You’re too strong. If that primal part of you takes over, you could—”
“I get it, D,” I snapped, but then I closed my eyes, forcing myself to count backward from ten, focusing on the feel of his touch until the tremble finally subsided.
None of this was Darius’s fault—he was just doing what he had to do to keep everyone safe, including me. This was my choice, and I had to live with it. Besides, for the power and immortality of a vampire, hunger pangs and a few bouts of the shakes were a small price to pay.
I just hoped the transition period wouldn’t last too long. Every hour I wasted in bed was another hour we were leaving Blackmoon Bay in the hands of Orendiel and the hunters.
And in the hands of my mother, a vampire-witch we now knew was the deadly, vulgar head of the world’s most poisonous snake.
“My mother killed to feed herself,” I said absently, my thoughts drifting back to the darkness of the crypt, the evidence we uncovered there.
“You will not be reduced to such savagery. Elena has reached out to her connection at the local hospital to procure what we need, and at present, our demons and the wolf are braving the weather to retrieve it. You’ll have a fresh, humanely-harvested supply very soon.”
“What about after? What happens when that runs out?”
“Then we’ll find more.”
“Darius, you need to eat, too. As will the vampires we rescued, including Fiona. We can’t just drain the city’s donor supply.”
“No, I suppose we can’t.”
“And until we can figure out how to deal with this winter apocalypse,” I said, glancing out the window as a fresh bout of wet snow slapped against the pane, “I’m pretty sure imported goods are in short supply.”
“All true,” he said, though he seemed completely unconcerned about our predicament.