The Vampire Awakenings Bundle: Books 1-5

by Davies, Brenda K.

  When it was finished and no vampires remained, Brian, Stefan, and Ethan had voted to set the building on fire and burn the remaining humans inside. Aiden had been straddling the fence on the idea, but she, David, and Ian had been adamant on changing their memories instead.

  “It may not be killing them by draining their blood, but what if it still makes it so we all smell like a landfill and can’t go out in the sunlight anymore?” Abby had reasoned about burning the humans.

  “Those are sacrifices I’m willing to make,” Brian replied.

  Knowing he wouldn’t back down, she’d turned to Ethan and Stefan. “Maybe you’re willing to make the same sacrifices, but what of your children? What will you tell them when they’re old enough to realize what that smell means, or why you can’t join them at our annual end of the summer bash? Oh, you know, Daddy decided to torch a warehouse of innocent humans?”

  “They’re not innocent,” Ethan had stated.

  “Their fangs weren’t sinking into Vicky’s flesh. Your children will know that.”

  “You win,” Stefan had muttered.

  Ethan had stared at her for a minute before finally bowing his head in consent. “Fine, we’ll change their memories.”

  Outnumbered, Brian had reluctantly agreed to help with the process, but even with all of them working together, they’d walked away beaten and exhausted from the drain on their abilities. The vamps they’d freed from their chains in the warehouse had been brought here with them. They had nowhere else to take them that would be big enough to house them all and keep them safe.

  David had flagged down a bus to take them out of the city. With some coercion, the bus driver gave over control of the bus to them with a dazed look in his eyes. Brian and Aiden had insisted the rest of them be blindfolded for the journey. Abby had hated not being able to see anything as Aiden drove, especially after the events that had just unfolded, but she didn’t protest when Brian tied a band of cloth around her head. He’d settled in beside her and held her close throughout the trip.

  There had also been another reason for bringing all the prisoners here. Brian hoped Aiden’s trainer, Lucien, would be able to find a way to remove the chains. So far, they’d had no luck with it, but she could hear the dull ringing of a hammer hitting metal from somewhere in the massive house.

  “Did you speak with Ronan?” she inquired of Brian when he came closer. Apprehension clawed at her heart, and her body tensed as she awaited his answer. What if Ronan decided Brian wasn’t worth the effort of keeping around and killed him for not telling him about what he’d discovered sooner? What if he decided to punish them both by keeping them apart?

  She’d rather die, she realized, and she’d do so by going after Ronan herself. It didn’t matter he would likely destroy her; she would make him regret that decision before her life ended.

  “I did,” Brian said.

  “Was he mad?”

  “Infuriated. I will be made to pay.”

  Her heart leapt into her throat, and her hand stilled on her sister’s forehead as he walked over to her. “How?”

  He rested his hands on her shoulders. “I’ll have to do some free missions for a while, but he’s not going to kill or imprison me.”

  “You intend to keep working for him?” She didn’t know what he’d envisioned doing after this was over and done. Didn’t know if he expected her to go back to her family while he stopped by when he could, or if he expected her to stay somewhere else. She hadn’t thought about what she would do either now that she had Vicky back. He rubbed at her shoulders, but his touch did nothing to ease her anxiety.

  “This has been my life for a long time. Even if I wanted to walk away, I have no choice right now. I either do this, or he will kill me.”

  “No,” she breathed. “I will do it. I will work for him. I dragged you into this, so I will suffer the consequences for it. It shouldn’t have to be you. I can kill. I did it last night.” She’d hated it, hated the blood on her hands, but this should be her punishment, and she would gladly endure it, for him.

  Brian’s hands froze on her shoulders. “No, you will not. I agreed to help you with this and kept quiet on what we discovered all while knowing what the consequences could be. This way of life is nothing new for me. I simply won’t be earning money from it for a time, but I have plenty of that.”

  “But—”

  “No buts,” he said forcefully. “I will not have you mixed up in this. I have bent on so many things with you, but not this. You nearly died because I went against my better judgement in the warehouse—”

  “I’m fine!” she blurted.

  The thunderous look on his face and the muscle that twitched to life next to his eye clamped her mouth shut. She sensed that what had happened in the warehouse had pushed him to a snapping point. Pick your battles, she reminded herself, and this was not a battle she would win.

  “I will not give way on this, Abigail. There will be no further discussion of you trying to take my place. Besides, it is my ability Ronan wants the most; you will be of no use to him on that front.”

  Abby blinked back the tears filling her eyes. “I understand. Doesn’t mean I have to like it. You could die because of me.”

  “No, I could die because of who I am and always have been. Besides, with the amount of trouble your family gets into, you could get yourself killed too.”

  “Ha ha,” she whispered as she took hold of Vicky’s hand. “I’m sorry I put you in this position.”

  He knelt before her. Seizing hold of her chin, he turned her head toward him. He hated the tears in her eyes. “I’m not and I never will be sorry. Having you makes it all worth it, dove. This will not last long. Ronan is mad now, but he will get over it.”

  Abby bit her lip to keep from sobbing at his tender words. He didn’t want children with her and could never open his heart enough again to love her, but he did care for her. She could be happy with that, for now. She didn’t know how she would ever rid herself of her dreams for children, but she would have to find a way.

  Brian released her chin and leaned forward to lift her from the chair. She wrapped her arms around his neck as he settled himself into the chair with her on his lap. Snuggling against him, she rested her hand on his chest as she listened to the solid, reassuring thump of his heart.

  “Have any of the other purebred vampires who were chained in that room said anything?” she asked.

  “A few of them are talking, most are too traumatized,” he replied. “Apparently, the vampires who had imprisoned them were capturing purebreds and using them to feed on. They were also auctioning them off to those who would pay a lot of money for a chance to feed from them.”

  “But why?”

  Brian brushed the hair back from her sweet, intriguing face. He basked in the warmth of her soul; he had yet to block it off as he did with everyone else he encountered. His cock swelled when her full breasts pressed enticingly against his chest.

  She’s too tired and far too upset for that, he told himself firmly. However, he couldn’t stop himself from reacting to her. His hand wrapped around her neck as he drew her closer.

  “Purebloods are rare. Their blood is powerful,” he said. “Those vamps could have just fed from and killed them in order to gain their power, but they figured out a way to make money while being able to continuously get the blood they wanted from them.”

  She shivered against him. Anger slithered through him as he embraced her. It could have been Abby in that room, and until they found the vampire mastermind behind this whole thing, she and her family were still in danger. He’d gladly serve Ronan for free the rest of his life, if it meant getting the chance to destroy anyone who would harm her.

  “That’s horrible,” she murmured as her gaze fell on her sister again. What had they done to her over the nearly two weeks she’d been missing? The answers tumbling through her mind made her want to sob and tear the room apart, but she remained where she was. If Vicky woke to find her on a rampage, it w
ould only upset her more.

  “Ronan and his men will make sure they destroy every vampire involved in it. They can’t let it get around that a purebred’s blood is desirable to other vampires.”

  She leaned back to gaze at him in alarm. “We’re far too outnumbered.”

  “No one will be coming near you, Abby. I’ll destroy anyone who tries to hurt you.”

  “The bond hasn’t been completed. You might be able to break free of me. Maybe, if we—”

  “No!” he hissed.

  “But—”

  “I said no,” he snarled, his eyes turning red as he spoke. “You’re mine. No one is going to change that or take you from me, not even you. The bond will be completed, soon.”

  Her heart beat faster at his words, alarm and desire mingled within her. She wanted so badly to be possessed by this man, but if they sealed their bond, he’d never be able to break free of her and the risk she might pose to him.

  “I could drag you down with me if they come for me and my family,” she said.

  “Then I will happily go down beside you. Don’t mention it again, Abigail. I mean it; it is not an option.”

  She opened her mouth to protest but clamped it shut again when he gave her a blistering look.

  “The more you speak of not completing our bond, the closer you push me to losing total control and taking you in a way no one should experience for their first time,” he told her.

  Those words should have terrified her, but instead they thrilled her. “I won’t mention it again.”

  The tension eased from his powerful muscles. Her fingers slid over his black shirt and across the buttons as his scent drew her closer to him. Vicky’s moan brought Abby’s head around as she spun toward her sister. Vicky’s eyes fluttered behind her lids, but she remained unconscious.

  “Rest,” Brian said and kissed her temple. “I’ll watch over her.”

  Abby settled her head into the hollow of his neck. She had no intention of sleeping, but it felt wonderful to be held so close to his warmth.

  * * *

  A gentle nudge caused Abby to stir sometime later. She didn’t recall falling asleep, but apparently she had. “She’s awake,” Brian murmured in her ear.

  Abby bolted up so fast she would have toppled from his arms if he hadn’t tightened his hold on her. “Vicky!” she gasped when her sister’s eyes met hers.

  Vicky smiled wanly and stretched her hand out. She winced when the movement caused her chains to rattle. Disgust and hatred twisted her features as she glared at the metal still clamped around her wrists.

  “Now that you’re awake, we can get them off,” Brian assured her. “Lucien has discovered a way.”

  Abby glanced questioningly at him. “Aiden came in to inform me they had found a way while you were sleeping,” he explained.

  She must have really been out of it if she hadn’t heard her brother enter. Vicky’s eyes zipped back and forth between her and Brian as Abby pulled herself from his arms and settled onto the bed beside her. “What is going on with you two?” Vicky asked.

  “I think I should be asking what’s going on with you,” Abby said.

  “Yeah, but my story sucks. Yours looks like it might be kind of entertaining.”

  Brian watched the sisters. Their mannerisms were so similar, their features identical, yet even without Vicky’s thinner weight and chains, he would have been able to tell them apart instantly. He didn’t know if it was because Abby was meant for him, or if it was just her, but the vibrancy of her soul made him yearn to touch and hold her once more. There had also been a shifting of Vicky’s soul, which he recognized amongst those who had killed before.

  Rising to his feet, he took a deep breath to steady his need for her. She had to be with her sister now. Bending, he kissed her head before pulling away. “I’ll get Lucien while you two talk.”

  Abby’s eyes followed him to the door and watched as he slipped outside.

  “He is delicious,” Vicky murmured and licked her lips.

  “Hands off.” Abby’s voice came out sharper than she’d anticipated, but the ravenous look in Vicky’s eyes caused the fiery burn of jealousy to spear through her.

  Vicky’s eyebrows shot up. “Hands way off,” she promised. “Now, tell me about you two.”

  “You tell me what happened with you first.”

  Vicky frowned, her mouth curved into a pout, but Abby wasn’t going to back down to her sister’s wishes as she normally did. “Not much to tell. You saw the guy I was dating—”

  “I did,” Abby interrupted, “and I ran into what I’m pretty sure was one of his friends in a crack house in Boston. He was higher than a kite and assumed I was you.”

  “Duke had a lot of friends, but I never knew any of them to be like that,” she muttered, her mouth pursing at his name and her eyes flickering with red.

  “What were you doing with a guy like him, Vicky?”

  “He was really cute and a lot of fun in bed. I’m sure you know what that’s like,” she said with a conspiring smile and an elbow to Abby’s, thankfully, healed ribs.

  Abby didn’t smile back. “No, I don’t.”

  Vicky’s brow furrowed, and her smile slid away. “You were practically purring like a cat in his arms, and you two haven’t done it yet?”

  “No.”

  “With that red-eyed jealousy you just exhibited, I’d thought maybe he was your mate.”

  “He is,” Abby admitted, “but we’ve been busy trying to find you.” And fighting each other and the way we feel. She didn’t say that to Vicky; her sister had been through enough without that info dump.

  “There’s always time for sex, Abs,” Vicky teased, but there was no laughter in her troubled eyes.

  “Back to Duke,” she said in a no-nonsense tone. “Why didn’t you tell me he was involved in drugs or whatever he’s involved with?”

  “Why didn’t you tell me about your feelings for Brian?”

  “Brian and I weren’t exactly hanging out together before you disappeared.”

  Vicky’s eyes narrowed shrewdly. “Maybe not, but with the way you’ve held yourself back from men over the years, I’m willing to bet he was the reason.”

  “I dated!” she retorted.

  “No, you sampled. You tried one on and tossed them aside faster than I toss aside last year’s wardrobe. You haven’t been excited about any guy, or eager to go on a date, and you haven’t gushed about someone in years…” Her voice trailed off as her eyes raked Abby from head to toe and back again. “You knew in the hotel, when we first saw him.”

  Her accusing tone caused Abby to wince before she threw back her shoulders. “I didn’t know.”

  “But you suspected!”

  “I felt a connection to him I’ve never felt to another, but he didn’t react to me at all. I was determined to try and find it somewhere else too.”

  “Why didn’t you tell me?”

  “I tried to talk to you about him once. You said he was a killer who smelled of death, nearly got us all killed and you hoped we never saw the bastard again. How was I supposed to explain what I was feeling to you after that? I couldn’t even explain it to myself.”

  “You still should have tried.”

  “I did. You wouldn’t listen. Now, you’re not going to get me off topic that easy. Spill!”

  Vicky folded her arms over her chest, scowling at the chains when they rattled again. “Duke and I were dating for about a month. He was fun. He liked to go clubbing and dancing, and he had a wild side.”

  “And he was into some pretty sketchy things.”

  Vicky brushed back a strand of her hair. “I didn’t know that while we were dating.”

  “When did you find out?”

  Vicky glanced away, and though her sister had been trying to act tough and talk as if it hadn’t mattered, tears burned her eyes when she spoke. “When those vampires showed up at Duke’s apartment to take me. They hit me with a Taser that must have been built for an elephant becau
se it knocked me on my ass, but I was still conscious when they gave Duke a suitcase full of money. Then they hauled me out of there and into a waiting car. They slapped these chains on me and took me to that warehouse. I’ve been there ever since. Every day I feared they would bring you in too. Duke knew you were my sister and where you went to school.”

  Abby shuddered at the thought. “Does he know about our family?”

  “He knows I have siblings but I never told him how many or where they are. You were the only one he knew more about.”

  “That’s good. So the parties moved around, but you didn’t,” Abby murmured as she rested her hands on Vicky’s. “You’re safe now.”

  Vicky wouldn’t look at her as she kept her gaze focused on the far wall. Abby tried not to stare at the bite marks marring her flesh, but her eyes were repeatedly drawn to them. She couldn’t imagine what Vicky had endured.

  “Vicky.” Her sister’s watery gaze finally came back to her. Abby crawled further up the bed and settled beside her. She wrapped her arm around Vicky’s shoulders, drawing her close. Vicky hesitated for a minute before resting her head on Abby’s chest. The stiff set of her shoulders relaxed, but her hands twisted in Abby’s shirt. The last of her ‘I’m fine’ façade crumpled away when she started to openly sob.

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  “They didn’t feed us much,” Vicky whispered. Her head was on Abby’s shoulder, and her fingers traced Abby’s hand in a circular pattern as she spoke. It was something Vicky did often when they would huddle together and talk late into the night. “When they came to feed from us, they would pin us down, and then sometimes five or six of them at a time would feast on us.”

  Abby kissed the top of Vicky’s head as her sister became still once more. She swallowed heavily, she didn’t know how to ask her next question. “Did they… did they rape you?”