He was whispering softly in her ear, holding her shoulder and guiding her as he had done with Addison. He bit the woman’s wrist, putting it to Amanda’s mouth and making her drink. The loving look in Amanda’s eyes as she gazed up at Christian set something off within the starving mad Addison. A deep jealousy blazed inside her as she watched them interact, overpowering the urge she had to feed. She was going to stand up and bolt, but Nicolette and Victoria held her down and wouldn’t let her leave.
Looking up at the women, Christian’s expression was hard as he rubbed Amanda’s back gently, trying to block out Addison’s whimpers. Amanda had no idea what was going on because she was absorbed in feeding. He slowly leaned over and bit the woman’s neck, sucking out some of her blood. His attention wasn’t focused on feeding, his eyes were watching Addison as she flailed in Nicolette’s arms, Victoria cooing to her and trying to calm her down.
After a few seconds, Christian turned his attention back to Amanda. He gently redirected her to the woman’s neck. She bit where instructed, drinking a little before slowly turning her head to Christian. There was a dazed look on her face as she beamed at him lovingly.
He smiled back at her, one of his hands going to her hair and grabbing some of it gently before letting it slowly slip through his fingers. His touch was making her swoon, a great look of love on her perfect features as he whispered in her ear.
Christian’s attention was entirely focused on Amanda, and the scene was driving Addison mad. This emotion was incredible, and Addison couldn’t control it. Her connection to Christian was stronger than anyone else’s, his presence fueling the terrible flame inside her. Seeing Addison’s rage made Christian smirk, her jealousy pleased him. His gaze met Addison’s as he slowly bent down and pressed his lips against Amanda’s neck.
Addison had stopped struggling and had sank to her knees, giant tears falling from her bright eyes. Nicolette pushed Addison’s face into her chest, hiding Christian from her view. Addison wrapped her arms around Nicolette’s waist as she sobbed. Nicolette rested her cheek against Addison’s head, speaking softly and trying to soothe her.
Closing his eyes, Christian bit Amanda’s neck and she let out a small gasp. She grabbed onto her dress, holding the fabric in her hands tightly. Soon Amanda fell limp, Christian pulling away and holding her in his arms. The only sound in the room was of Addison’s muffled sobs. A few of the vampires looked toward Addison but then quickly turned back to Amanda as she awoke.
Christian held her for a little while longer, speaking softly to her as she gazed up at him dreamily. Raising his hands, he motioned toward Victoria and then Nicolette to come retrieve Amanda.
Nicolette looked around nervously then slowly eased Addison out of her arms. Addison protested, crying and begging Nicolette not to leave her. The other women unraveled Addison from Nicolette, one of them taking over and trying to restrain Addison.
Nicolette quickly walked over to Victoria, both of them pulling Amanda to her feet with a little help from Christian. They drug her from the room, screaming and trying to get back to Christian. Addison turned toward Amanda, watching the drama she was causing. Then, a few donors were brought in, two of them kneeling near Christian.
"Addison." Christian was now lying down on the floor, his back leaning up against a few large pillows.
Hearing Christian’s voice, Addison quickly turned to him. The longing on her face made him smile, and he slowly raised his hand and motioned with his index finger for her to come to him. Bolting from the woman’s arms, Addison ran to him.
Falling to the floor, she took his hand in hers, holding it tightly to her chest as she looked at him in desperation. "I’m so hungry, Christian. Please…help me."
Hearing her call him by his name, something none of the other vampires dared to do, Christian’s smile grew slightly. "I know you are." Taking in her worn out expression, Christian’s perfect lips parted slightly.
"Please…" Addison jumped onto his lap and straddled his hips. Her hungry eyes slowly moved up his chest before settling on the blood dripping from his mouth. "Give me a taste. I’m starving." A few tears made their way down her trembling features, her lower lip quivering furiously. She spoke in a sexy, breathless voice, the heaviness in her eyes showing the intense urge she was holding back. "Christian."
Christian’s eyes were fixed on hers, a curious expression on his face as he studied her, a calm evil reflected in his gaze. He licked his lips as the longing for her grew in his chest.
Even in her worn out state, Addison was strikingly beautiful, her soft voice like an irresistible siren song. Moving closer to him, she put her hands on his shoulders. Bending down, she slowly rubbed her nose up and down the bridge of his. Her breath was released in quick huffs, their warmth fueling the fire inside Christian.
Closing her eyes, Addison took in the scent of blood on his lips, the smell sending shivers through her whole body. Biting down as hard as she could on her own teeth, Addison tried to curb the intense desire to lick it from them.
Her nose wrinkled upwards, her small fangs digging into her bottom lip. Addison sucked in a deep, shuddering breath through her tightly clenched teeth. She opened her eyes, and the animalistic longing in them drove Christian mad for the beautiful vixen he had created.
Her mouth hovered above his as she licked her lips. The heavy droplets of blood were so close, the longing for a taste making all of Addison’s muscles tense. Her hands shook on his shoulders as her body jerked back a little, desperately trying not to betray her self-control.
Christian placed his hands on her hips, the urge to kiss her so unbearable that he could no longer hold it back. Kissing her with a built up passion, his palm quickly moved up her back and his fingers tangled in her hair as he pulled her close. Her tongue searched his mouth as it followed the taste of blood that still lingered there.
Christian pulled away from her, his eyes looking into hers, which now shown with a light similar to his own. "Let us feed, my love."
Licking her lips, Addison smiled at him for a few seconds, an evil passion in their stare. Turning from him quickly, she pulled on the man’s shirt kneeling near them and bit angrily at his neck, the taste of blood making her body tingle as she felt her energy return.
Addison drank until she could do so no longer, then she slowly pulled her head away and looked around the room at the others, who were feeding. Sinking to her knees, she tried to catch her breath, her chest rising and falling quickly. She turned to Christian when she felt his arms wrap around her waist and his head rub against the side of her face.
"Your discipline pleases me." Christian gave an evil laugh as she turned around in his arms. "You are everything I imagined you to be. Complete perfection." His eyes were glued to hers as he eased her down into a laying position. "Do you feel better?" He moved behind her and propped his head up with his elbow, his hand reaching over her waist, lightly running his fingers along the skin of her arm lovingly.
"Yes." Addison smiled as she licked her lips, enjoying Christian’s arms and the warm feeling from feeding.
"Good." Resting his head in the crook of her neck, Christian held her to him tightly.
"Christian—" Addison turned to face him, and Christian dropped his arms from around her and watched her curiously. She slowly let her fingers run up and down his coat sleeve, her eyes watching their movements as her smile faded into a frown. "I’m so…" Pausing, her gaze slowly fluttered up to his, her voice low as she spoke. "…in love with you, it drives me crazy."
Leaning closer to her face, Christian grabbed the sides of it and kissed her. She closed her eyes, quickly wrapping her arms around his neck and grinding her hips into his. He artfully stood up without breaking their embrace.
He quickly carried her from the room, everyone’s eyes turning to them. A few seconds later, they could hear a loud steady pounding coming from the next room. Some of the elites began to laugh, knowing exactly what they were doing.
Chapter Five
The Charm Bracelet
"Josh!" Addison playfully jumped out from behind the door, her high level of peppiness making her steps bouncy and light. It slammed into the wall as she entered the room, making a loud bang.
Her sudden appearance scared her brother, who was lying under the sink working on the pipes. He jumped up and slammed his head into the top of the cabinet.
"Are you all right?" Addison laughed, lightly rubbing at the corner of her mouth, the lip-gloss she was wearing creating a crystal sheen. There was a glow to her face now, her features perfectly painted, her skin a flawless shade of porcelain. She was in a great mood, putting her newly manicured fingernails over her lips to mute her giggles.
"Addison?" Rubbing the injured spot, Josh noticed he was bleeding. Making a sour expression, he slid out from under the sink and stood up. "What the hell?" Grabbing a nearby towel, he dabbed it on the small cut, looking in the mirror at the wound.
"Sorry." Jumping up on the countertop, Addison crossed her legs, swinging them back and forth lightheartedly. "I was just happy to see you."
"I see that." Josh held the cloth on his head while turning to face her. "Holy shit, you look good." Making a clicking noise with his tongue, Josh laughed as his gaze traveled the length of her legs, which were covered in black fishnet stockings, and slowly up to her face. "What are you all dressed up for?"
"The Master’s taking us to Club 66 tonight." Addison giggled, "So you think I look good?" She bit her lip, devilishness in her expression that had never been there before.
She looked better than he had ever seen her, trading her normal, modest look for more a sexier, confident one. She was an elite, now possessing a mysterious attractiveness that could drive any man mad.
"Josh?" Addison leaned forward a little, holding onto the sides of the sink as she smiled at him. "Are you all right?"
"Yeah…I’m fine." Josh still held the towel to his head. "My head hurts like a son of a bitch though."
Addison hopped off the counter, taking it from Josh and running it under some hot water. He watched the diluted blood wash down her fingers as she rinsed the cloth, a slight fear welling in his throat that he quickly tried to swallow.
"Ouch." She dabbed the cut, mothering him like she normally would. "This looks deep." She shoved him to his knees so she could get a better look. "Hmm." Addison frowned as she inspected the wound on his forehead. "It doesn’t look too bad. I don’t think you’ll need stitches." She reached up to the cabinet, pawing through it. "There should be some bandages or something in here."
To Josh’s surprise, she wasn’t affected by the sight of his blood at all, no licking of the lips or even a sneak of a taste. Even Carl reacted to things like that, and he was only a scavenger. He wondered why Addison was different. She was an elite, her hunger for blood should be much stronger than it was. It didn’t make any sense.
He quickly dismissed the thought when Addison turned back to him. Her tongue was slightly peeking out of her lips, trapped under one of her fangs as she pulled the backing off a Band-Aid, concentrating harder than she should on what she was doing.
"I’ll fix you up, Joshy." Addison giggled, holding the bandage over his cut and deciding where to put it. "You’re going to look a little silly though." She stuck out her tongue playfully as she chuckled, sticking on the bandage. "There. All fixed."
"Thanks." Josh looked in the mirror, lightly tapping the semi-sticky plastic surface.
"Stop messing with it." Addison pulled his hands down, giving him a stern look, a mocking pout on her lips.
"Fine." Josh shook his head, turning from her and laying down on the floor so he could continue his work under the sink.
"How’s Kelly?" Addison jumped back up on the counter, clicking her heels together as she bounced her crossed legs against it lively. "I haven’t seen her in a few weeks."
"Good." Josh’s voice was muffled as he worked, "She misses you."
"I know. I miss her too." Addison sighed, looking at the intricate pattern in the tile in front of her. "Brandon gave me four passes to Club 66 tonight if you’re interested. I left them with Xavier, so you can take them whenever you want. Maybe you could bring Kelly, and I can see her."
"Okay. Can I bring Rachel?"
"Sure." Addison snickered, leaning her head back. "She’ll make a nice appetizer."
"That’s not funny, Addison." Peeking his head out, Josh glared at her angrily.
"It was a joke." Shaking her head, Addison looked at the light above her lazily. "Lighten up a little bit, Josh."
Fiddling with the pipe, Josh’s voice sounded strange because he was using his strength to turn the bolt. "Since when did you become such a bitch?"
"A bitch?" Addison straightened and stared down at Josh, her eyes only able to land on his butt. "I’m not bitch."
"Yes, you are. You’ve turned into a snob, with all your fancy clothes and over-the-top hair and makeup."
"Is there something wrong with wanting to look beautiful, Josh?" Jumping off the countertop, Addison frowned as she looked at his shadowy face.
"Nothing’s wrong with wanting to be beautiful, but you never used to care about stuff like this. You’ve changed."
"Of course I have. I’m a vampire…but that’s the only thing about me that’s changed. I’m still the same Addison that loves you…" Addison’s voice trailed off as she walked out of the bathroom, whininess in her voice that Josh knew was from forming tears. "…and still needs her big brother."
"Addison…wait." Grunting in annoyance, Josh quickly got up from his position on the floor and went after her. He followed Addison out of the room, jogging to catch up with her. "I’m sorry."
Addison crossed her arms over her chest as she sniffled and pretended like she hadn’t shed a few tears. "Josh, you—" She didn’t finish her sentence, her eyes darting nervously away from him and onto someone who was standing behind him. "I have to go." She gave him a small hug as she whispered, "But I still need you." She kissed his cheek, some of her shiny lip-gloss making it sparkle, "Always…remember that." Pulling away from him quickly, Addison walked toward Nicolette and Brandon.
"See ya tonight." Turning around, Josh smiled nervously.
Josh’s gaze wasn’t met by a warm audience, both vampires holding onto one of Addison’s shoulders. The evil look they gave him was a warning to stay away as they held onto her possessively.
Addison was grinning at him, the sweetness on her face the same as he had always remembered but that innocent smile couldn’t hide the fact that she had changed. She was part of Master Vallore’s family now, and no matter how much Addison tried to convince him otherwise, he knew she was no longer his sister.
* * * *
Dressed up and ready for a night on the town, Kelly and Rachel sashayed into the club like they were veteran Club 66 goers. They were with Josh and Carl, all of them very excited to be back again. They danced for a little while before going upstairs for drinks.
Sipping from her glass, Kelly looked around at all the people going in and out of the VIP room. "So, does Addison have a mate?"
Holding his beer and swinging it around a little as he spoke, Carl spoke up like the know-it-all he thought he was. "Yeah—Samson."
"Oooo…." Rachel’s voice purred as she spoke, sliding a cherry off her small plastic sword and popping it into her mouth. "I’m so jealous, he’s hot."
Kelly laughed, playfully bumping shoulders with Rachel. "Let’s go see if Addison will introduce us to him."
"I don’t think that’s such a good idea." Josh glanced at the VIP room. He knew how elite the elites were and how protective they were of Addison. "I don’t think he’ll want to meet us. Let’s just wait for Addison to come find us. She—"
"Oh, come on." Kelly pulled on Josh’s arm, forcing him to go along with her. "You two stay here." Sticking out her tongue at Rachel and Carl teasingly, Kelly walked backward a few steps as she looked at them. "We’re the one with the celebrity sister, not you." She was a little tipsy already, han
ging on Josh and speaking louder than normal. She simply went up to the guard at the door and started talking to him.
In the VIP room, Addison was just coming in the back entrance. She was laughing as she strolled side-by-side with Nicolette and Victoria. They had arrived a little later than the others, so the trio quickly made their way over to the table. Nicolette and Victoria found their mates, hanging on them and kissing them in greeting.
Addison made her way toward where Christian normally sat and saw Amanda sitting near him. Glaring at the sight, she stopped and watched them for a few seconds. Christian’s sly gaze met with hers slowly. His brow was slightly lowered, the evil in his stare frighteningly sexy to her. After a few seconds, he turned back to Amanda and continued their conversation.
Addison frowned as she looked around the room at the rest of the people. The music was loud and everyone seemed to be having a great time. She looked toward the doorway, smiling when she saw her brother and sister waving to her. She took a step toward them but a voice behind her made her stop.
"There you are. The Master’s been waiting for your arrival." Samson’s hands slowly reached up to her shoulders and massaged them gently. He bent his head close to her face as he spoke into her ear, "Come with me and say hello to the others."
"Okay." Addison’s face filled with a sad frown as she waved to her siblings again before Samson turned her around and made her sit down at the table. He left her alone while he went to get her something to drink.
Josh and Kelly decided to stand in one of the corners and wait for Addison to talk to them when she was ready. Addison stared over at Christian, who was eyeing her from the other side of the table. Raising one finger in the air, he motioned for her to come to him.
"Excuse me." Addison got up from her chair, smiling at Samson when he turned to see what she was doing. "I’m going to say hello to the Master."
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