Stumble he had, badly, many times. “I decided early on to punish vampires like the ones who had killed my family, so I soon discovered that feeding from our own kind gave me more power. I’d vowed never to kill a human even before I knew their deaths strengthened and weakened us by making it so we couldn’t go out in the sun and cross bodies of water. I broke that vow when those hunters attacked me and Stefan and I killed two of them.”
Abby stared at him, willing him to look at her, but he remained steadfastly focused on the city beyond her. “That was self-defense.”
“Doesn’t matter. I became the one thing I’d sworn never to be that night.”
Abby’s fingers dug into her palms. Definitely not like Harry Potter at all, he wasn’t like anything she’d ever encountered before. “But you haven’t killed a human again since then. I would know.”
“No, I haven’t. I would put myself down before I became a killer of innocents like some of our kind. But make no mistake, I am a killer. It’s what I enjoy most.”
How was she supposed to respond to that? Oh, I enjoy a strawberry margarita on the beach the most, but hey, we each have our preferences. One thing was for sure, she had no idea how to handle this man. She wanted to run far away from him; at the same time, she wanted to throw her arms around him and ease his torment.
“It’s time for some sleep now,” he said abruptly.
She knew he wouldn’t reveal any more tonight, something that was probably for the best for her. “Yes, of course,” she murmured.
She swung her legs onto the couch and rolled to face the back of it. She’d never been so emotionally and physically exhausted in her life, but she had a feeling she wouldn’t be getting any sleep tonight.
“What are you doing?” he inquired.
“Going to sleep,” she muttered.
She never heard him move, but she felt the heat of him against her back before he touched her shoulder. Electricity sizzled through her body, which only made her feel like crying. If Vicky were here, she would know how to handle this, or at least listen to the whining tantrum Abby wanted to throw. Things had been tough for Isabelle and Stefan. Stefan had led a violent, brutal life like Brian, but his heart had at least been free to love.
She’d gotten a guy who was more closed off than Fort Knox.
And Vicky may be sitting in a crack house right now, feeding on drug addicts, so put on a helmet and suck it up, buttercup. It could still get a lot worse.
Taking a deep breath, she kept that reminder firmly in mind as she rolled over to face him. There were far more important things to concern herself with right now than the death of childish hopes. Vicky was her primary focus. There was a chance she’d been stuck with an emotionally unavailable mate, but she had a kick-ass twin she missed more than she would have missed her own arm.
“You can sleep in my bed. I’ll take the couch,” he offered.
“You don’t have to—”
“I insist.” He pointed to a set of stairs winding to the loft above. “Bed’s up there along with another bathroom. There will be clean towels and bedding.”
“Thank you,” she murmured.
She moved away from his touch, rose to her feet, and trudged sluggishly toward the stairs. She was tempted to call Issy and talk to her about everything, but she couldn’t put this on her sister, and she knew Issy wouldn’t be able to stay away if she did. This was her dilemma to deal with.
She really hoped she was doing the right thing by keeping her family out of this right now. Vicky would be infuriated with her for calling them; they had their own lives and families to take care of now.
If she and Brian didn’t find Vicky soon, she’d risk her sister’s wrath and make the call, but for now, she would continue to keep them out of it.
Chapter Seven
Brian draped his arm over his head as he stared at the loft above him. Early morning sunlight filtered around the heavy drapes he’d pulled over the windows before crashing on the couch. He’d spent the last hour staring up there, willing her to wake up, praying she didn’t, and trying to ignore his throbbing hard-on.
What kind of hold did this girl have over him? He’d dreamt of seeing her in that dorm room with no bra and her full breasts swaying beneath her shirt. He’d dreamt of her pale hair spilling around him as she’d moved over top of him while moaning in delight. Dreamt of taking one of those breasts into his hand and suckling upon her pert nipple before sinking his fangs into her tender flesh.
Now, the object of his tantalizing dreams was up there, in his bed. Had she slept in a nightgown, or had she been naked when she climbed between his sheets? He bit back a groan as he fought the urge to take hold of himself and ease some of his need.
What would she do if she woke to find him pleasuring himself? Would she blush and run away, or would she watch him in that rapt way she sometimes did? Would she offer to come down and do it for him? The mere thought of her small hand wrapping around him almost made him explode.
He could go up there and crawl into bed beside her. He’d seen the way she watched him; he didn’t think she would turn him away. If he rose from this couch and walked up those stairs, he could be deep within her, pounding out his rampant arousal between her sweet thighs in minutes. However, he knew if he went to her, he’d be opening a can of worms he’d never be able to close again.
Throwing aside the blanket, he rose to his feet and walked over to the bathroom. He didn’t think a cold shower was going to do much for him, but it was better than lying there torturing himself with thoughts of sinking into her welcoming flesh.
Abby was awake and moving around upstairs when he finished in the bathroom. He stalked toward the window. He was not at all eased by the half hour cold shower or the release he’d given himself while thinking of her. It had been centuries since he’d imagined another woman while stroking himself. Memories of Vivian were too painful to think about and imaginings of another were too much like a betrayal to his dead wife.
Pictures of Abby had flooded his mind though. He’d been unable to stop himself from picturing her as he’d worked his hand up and down his shaft. He shuddered at the memory of the powerful orgasm that had rocked him. He hadn’t cum like that in years, and it was only to thoughts of her. What would being inside of her do to him? What would it be like?
He ran a hand through his damp hair as he pulled back the drapes to reveal the sun glinting off the thousands of windows within the city as it rose. The scent of Abby’s freshly washed hair assailed him when she descended the stairs. He turned to watch her; his eyes raking over her curvy figure, admiring the sway of her hips and the movement of her breasts beneath her sweater. She had on a bra, but he found her chest impossible to look away from while he watched her walk.
She didn’t look at him as she placed her suitcase by the elevator. “Did you sleep well?” he inquired.
“Well enough,” she muttered, but it was a complete lie. She’d gotten maybe an hour in total with all the tossing, turning, and worrying she’d done. Not to mention the yearning that had spread through her body at the idea of him downstairs, so close and yet further away than he’d ever been before.
She finally forced herself to look at him; she couldn’t avoid it forever. Her breath caught in her throat, and she almost fell over when she saw the sun cascading over him as he stood before the window. She’d give anything to be one of the rays embracing his body so intimately as they slid over his pale flesh.
He hadn’t dressed after his shower but simply wrapped a towel around his tapered waist. The muscles in his powerful forearms and biceps flexed when he folded his arms over his chest. His abs weren’t just chiseled, they were carved from marble and more like a twelve-pack than a six. She could spend hours running her fingers over him, committing every detail of his magnificent form to memory.
His chest was speckled with blond hair, but as her gaze slid lower, she noticed the trail of hair from his belly button down to where it disappeared beneath the towel was darker in c
olor. She found herself glaring at the towel, fighting the urge to tear it from his hips and reveal the rest of him to her voracious gaze. Her hand trembled when she lifted it to make sure she wasn’t drooling before she abruptly turned away from him again.
Why did he have to be so irresistible?
“You’re ready then?” His voice came out gruffer than he’d intended, but the way she’d been looking at him had his shaft surging with blood again and straining against the towel.
“As I’ll ever be,” she muttered.
She wasn’t ready for anything right now; she felt testier than a cat in a bath. She didn’t know why, but the sudden urge to punch him in the face was almost overwhelming. That gorgeous face had haunted what little sleep she’d managed to get last night.
“I’ll get dressed,” he said.
Please don’t—I mean do! She thought as she kept her gaze focused on the granite counter. She couldn’t stop herself from looking anymore when she heard his feet on the stairs. Maybe the towel would fall away… She found herself breathlessly hoping for this.
In love with his dead wife! The reminder was the slap in the face she needed. She turned away from him and walked over to stare out the windows as she listened to him open and close doors upstairs. When she did find Vicky, she was going to choke her sister, then hug her and choke her all over again for forcing her to turn to Brian for help in the first place.
He returned wearing a black, button-down shirt, and a pair of jeans. The clothes were something she’d seen on thousands of other men over the years, yet he somehow made them sexier than she’d ever believed possible. “Aren’t you bringing anything?” she asked grouchily.
“I was planning on going camping for at least a month when you called. I have clothes in the back of my truck.”
“Oh,” she muttered. “Sorry I ruined your plans.”
“I’ll just go when this is over.” He grabbed his keys from the counter and snagged her suitcase off the floor.
Abby didn’t respond as she followed him over to the elevator. He pressed the button and the doors slid open. Stepping inside, she kept her gaze focused straight ahead while he hit the button to take them to the garage. Maybe if she didn’t talk to him, it would make all of this easier. Not speaking to him was a good way of trying to distance herself from him. It would certainly help to keep her from learning anymore staggering and heartrending revelations about his life.
The only problem was she could feel the heat of his body so close to hers, and she wanted so badly to feel his flesh beneath her fingers. Her foot tapped and every breath she took felt strained as the seconds stretched endlessly onward before the doors slid open with a ding. Abby almost bolted out of the elevator; she was kept from doing so when he took hold of her elbow and guided her out to the garage.
The smell of motor oil and gas tickled her nostrils as their footsteps echoed throughout the concrete confines. Brian hit the alarm button on his keychain; it beeped twice as they approached his truck. They were almost there when she saw movement in the shadows and caught the rancid scent of garbage.
She stiffened as she recognized the scent of vampires who killed humans nearby. Before she could say something about it, Brian pulled her behind him and tossed her suitcase to the side. “There’s someone—”
His warning died off as three vampires emerged from the shadows. “Brian,” one of them greeted with a malicious gleam in his red eyes.
Brian’s muscles rippled before her, his shoulders hunching up as his gaze traveled over each one of them. “Children,” he replied. “I’m guessing you have a death wish.”
The largest of the three, a brute at least six foot eight, cracked his knuckles and leered at the two of them. “The only death we wish is yours.”
“If you didn’t learn it as a child, you’re going to learn now that wishes don’t come true.”
One of the others shot a nervous glance at the brute. Abby’s mind continued to spin as she desperately looked around for some kind of weapon. The idea of carrying anything that could kill her or someone else had never sat well with her, but now she was defenseless, and these assholes were looking to kill Brian. She’d tear them apart with her bare hands if it became necessary, she decided as her fangs slid down behind her lips.
Brian smiled at the largest man when he stepped forward. He would have preferred this not to happen in front of Abby, but there was no way to suppress his excitement at the anticipation of the kill. “You first then, big boy,” he taunted. “You’d be better off coming at me all at once. It would at least be faster and easier for me to kill you all that way, but it’s your funeral, so we’ll play this your way.”
Abby’s eyes flew back to Brian. Why was he antagonizing these guys?
Brian raised his hands and waved at the hulk of a guy to come at him when he hesitated. Over the years, he’d discovered confidence was half the battle when it came to a fight. Not over-confidence, that would get someone slaughtered in seconds, but enough confidence to unnerve his attackers, like now.
They’d been brash and assured when they’d stepped from the shadows; now two of them looked as if they were debating running, while the largest one realized he’d committed already and would have to see it through. Abby’s warm body pressed against his back as he kept her in between him and the pickup. He wouldn’t take the chance of any of these vampires being able to get at her.
The bloodlust in him rose at the notion of any one harming her. He’d make them pay dearly for daring to attack him while she was in his care. “You picked the wrong day for this, boys,” he growled.
Before any of them could react, he lunged to the side and caught the smallest one by his throat. Lifting him over his head, Brian slammed him onto the concrete floor with enough force to break his back. The vampire squealed in pain; his fingers scrabbled at the concrete as he tried to crawl away. Brian spun when the next two lunged at him as he’d hoped they would.
His punch connected with the underside of the big guy’s jaw. Hulk’s head shot back as he flipped over onto his back, his hands and feet kicking in the air like a turtle as he squirmed backward to get out of the way. The other one tried to lunge around Brian to get at Abby, probably hoping to use her as leverage or protection against Brian. It was the biggest mistake he’d ever committed in his life.
With a ferocious snarl, Brian snagged hold of his arm before his grasping fingers could so much as touch her. Driving down with his other hand, he broke the man’s arm with enough force to drive his bones through his skin. A howl erupted from the vamp’s throat, but Brian abruptly cut it off with an elbow to his larynx.
The man gagged and sputtered. His good hand fluttered to his crushed throat as Brian drove his fist into his chest and wrapped his hand around the vampire’s heart. He tore it free and tossed it aside before turning his attention to the one whose back he’d broken. Grabbing hold of the vamp’s head, he twisted it to the side and tore it from his body.
The biggest one had regained his feet and was running through the parked cars toward the main entrance. The sunlight would have him smoking in a matter of seconds if he ran into its direct rays, but apparently he didn’t care right now. Brian did though; they couldn’t take the risk of mortals seeing him burning beneath the rays of the sun.
“Stay here!” he barked at Abby before taking off after him.
Abby couldn’t get her mouth to close again as she gazed at the carnage surrounding her. The hotel room had been the only other time she’d ever seen anything like this. Now she had a head lying next to her feet with its unseeing eyes staring up at her. She tore her gaze away from the decapitated body and fought the urge to kick the head as far away from her as she could get it.
None of the carnage mattered while Brian was still pursuing the remaining, biggest vampire. She spotted him instantly as he raced through the shadows of the garage in a near blur of speed. The brute’s feet slapped against the concrete floor and echoed throughout the garage, but Brian’s step was eerily sou
ndless as he pursued his prey. Turning in between cars, Brian leapt over the top of two of them before crashing into the back of the remaining vamp and dragging him down beneath him.
Abby rushed forward when he vanished from view behind a red Lamborghini. The distinct thuds of a fist hitting flesh reached her seconds before a sickening, cracking, wet noise resounded through the garage. She now recognized that sound as someone’s head being torn from their body.
Not Brian, please not him, she pleaded as she skidded around the front of the red sports car.
Brian was rising to his feet with the brute’s head still in hand when she finally saw him. The revulsion and fear coursing through her vanished when her eyes latched onto him. Her gaze ran rapidly over him, but though he’d just taken on three vampires, she didn’t see any cuts or scratches on him as he bent to grab hold of the brute’s arm.
“I told you to stay by the truck,” he said as he looked over at her.
“I had to make sure you were okay,” she replied.
“You shouldn’t be seeing this.”
Brian tore his gaze away from her pale face as he dragged the body from between the cars. Abby fell back, her lower lip quivering while she watched him. He could kick himself for her having witnessed this. However, maybe this had been a good thing; maybe letting her see what kind of man he truly was would make her quit looking at him with such longing in her eyes.
“I’ve seen it before,” she murmured.
He sent her a sharp glance over his shoulder. “When?”
“The hotel room.”
“Shit,” he muttered. Shaking his head, he tossed the big guy’s body into the back of his pickup and threw the head on top of it. She’d witnessed only a little of the evil in the world during her life, and he’d played a starring role each time. “Both times with me.”
The Vampire Awakenings Bundle: Books 1-5 Page 120