The Vampire Awakenings Bundle: Books 1-5

by Davies, Brenda K.

  “No, there are others here too,” Brian replied. “There are some turned vamps who are also here to train to fight and kill vampires, and there is a staff to help run the place, but none of them will make it into the inner circle. Every vamp here gets their own security code. When they leave, the code is erased and never used again. Only vamps with the code are allowed to know where this place is, and if they ever try to come back again, they will be killed. My code has never been changed, but if I became a killer, it would be, and I would be hunted to the ends of the earth.”

  “They have a lot of faith in you not to betray them.”

  “I could have done so many times. I’m one of the few who could probably get the drop on them and kill at least one of them. We have a symbiotic relationship that neither of us is willing to risk.”

  “But you risked it when you helped me.”

  Brian shrugged. “I had faith in Ronan to keep his temper about that.”

  “Did you train here?”

  He scoffed as he leaned back in his seat and smiled smugly at her. “No, I taught myself everything there is to know. I’ve been here to watch some of the training, and I’ve been brought in to help with it a few times.”

  Abby couldn’t help but smile back at him. He appeared more relaxed and casual than she’d ever seen him. “What did they have you teach them?”

  “How to fight dirty. There’s certainly no fighting fair when it comes to survival, which is something you have to remember.”

  “I will,” she assured him and placed her empty glass on the table. He went to lift the decanter for her, but she waved his hand away. “I’m full.” He returned it to the tray and leaned back to watch her again. “Will you tell me now how you’re able to locate others?”

  “I’m not sure how to tell it,” he replied. Her face fell, and her eyes darted away. He hated the brief hurt that flashed across her face before she covered it. “But I’ll try.”

  When her eyes flew back to his and a smile lit her face, he knew he’d do anything to keep that smile in place, even reveal the one thing he’d never told another living soul. “If it stays between us,” he said. “The air of mystery has served me well over the years, and though no one else can do it, as far as I know, I’d prefer to keep everyone in the dark about it.”

  “I’ll never reveal it to another soul,” she vowed solemnly.

  He didn’t doubt her for an instant. “It’s not so much that I find them. It’s more their souls find me and lure me toward them. If they’re in a crowded location, I cannot see exactly where they are, but I can see enough to figure out where in the world they are. With Vicky I saw the Statue of Liberty.”

  “What did you see with Paige’s father?” she inquired. He’d also helped her sister-in-law locate the man who had been trying to kill her since she was a teenager.

  “The ‘Welcome to Las Vegas’ sign.”

  Her head tilted to the side as she studied him. “But if it’s souls calling to you, then how do you find them from a picture, drawing, or their things?”

  He folded his hands behind his head and crossed his legs before him. “I only need some kind of connection with them, as in knowing what they looked like, a picture or something they once held. It’s almost like their souls leave a residue or perhaps an imprint behind on their things, and the soul draws me in from there. Even though I knew what Vicky looked like I still needed a stronger connection with her in order to locate her. Sometimes it takes more than others.”

  “It kind of sounds like their ghosts coming to haunt you or something, and it’s their ectoplasm that they’ve left behind.”

  “I’ve thought of it like that a time or two myself,” he admitted and relished her laughter.

  “What do the souls look like?”

  “Every soul is different. Some glow more while others are sallow and weak. Some change.”

  “Change how?” she asked.

  “They shift in a way. I can still find them, but sometimes things happen to them that make them different than the way they once were.”

  “Vicky’s is different now,” she guessed.

  “Hers is now, and so is Ethan’s and Stefan’s. I’m sure mine shifted after I killed those humans.”

  “Is it only death that causes the shift?”

  “Murdering a human does,” he replied, “not death.”

  “It’s not murder if you’re defending yourself or starving to death,” she retorted. “And I don’t care what anyone else says about that!”

  He smiled at how fierce and protective she was of those she loved. “You have the brightest soul of anyone I’ve ever encountered. I remember being surprised by it the first time I saw you all those years ago,” he admitted. “It has only grown over the years, radiating from you in waves of warmth and love. Maybe it’s because you’re my mate that I find it so vivid, but I think it’s also who you are.”

  A lump swelled up Abby’s throat at his words and the look of awe he gave her. “Vicky’s soul was different than mine before the shift?”

  He dropped his hands and leaned toward her. “Very different.” Taking hold of a strand of her hair, he rubbed it between his fingers. “Yours calls to me in a way no other’s ever has. I could find you anywhere, Abigail Byrne.”

  “That’s how you found me in the park and the hotel room. You didn’t follow my scent!” she guessed.

  “I could have followed your scent, but your soul is far more enticing to me.”

  “Fascinating,” she murmured, her eyes wandering to his full lips as desire shimmered in his eyes. Anxiety and anticipation roared to life within her. She’d wanted him for so long now, but what if she was bad at this? She should also be with her sister right now, not thinking about jumping her delectable mate. “I need a shower.”

  He released her hair as she leapt to her feet and hurried toward a bathroom the size of her dorm room. Tugging off her rumpled clothes, she tossed them onto the floor and turned the water on. Steam was rising from the shower when she stepped into it and tugged the curtain closed.

  It had just settled into place when it was pulled open again. A sputtering noise stammered from her when Brian unabashedly stepped into the shower with her. Those protesting sounds died when her gaze fell on the shaft jutting out from his nest of dark blond curls. Semi-hard it was still massive.

  A new fear churned in her stomach as it swelled in front of her eyes. How was that ever going to fit in her? Though it caused uneasiness to grow within her, the sight of it jutting out from his body also aroused a fervent need in her. She was desperate to know what it felt like to have him stretching her, filling her as he moved within her.

  Her eyes flew to his as he stepped forward. The spray of water beat down on his massive chest and slid over his pale skin. Unable to stop them, her hands rose to press against his chest. Heat flared up from her palms at the contact with his flesh, so soft and yet so hard and unyielding beneath her touch.

  The warmth of the water spilling over her had nothing on the fire he so easily stoked to life within her. His hands slid down to her ass, cupping it within his grasp as he pulled her against him.

  “I’m going to have you, Abby,” he murmured as his tongue ran over her ear. “I’m going to make it so everyone knows you’re mine. No more waiting.”

  Her heart thundered at his words, and her nipples puckered in anticipation of his promise. Bending his head, he claimed one of those nipples, running his tongue over the rigid bud. She nearly screamed when he nipped at it. His fangs scraped against her sensitized flesh before he drew it into his mouth and sucked upon it. Her fingers threaded through his wet hair, drawing him closer as her hips instinctively bucked toward him.

  Easy, Brian cautioned himself as he nipped at her again. He’d seen the look of panic that had crossed her face before she’d fled the bedroom. She would flee again if reason returned, not because she didn’t want him, but because she was uncertain of what was to come.

  He had to keep her here, with him. He�
��d waited long enough to make her his, too long. The urge to possess her clamored through his veins, compelling him to sink his fangs into her throat and his cock into her tight, wet sheath.

  He had to fight it, had to make sure she was prepared for him when he took her. Her eager cries and enthusiastic movements didn’t help him to keep his restraint as she rubbed her heated center invitingly against him before crying out in delight at the friction the motion created.

  He groaned when her hand slid down to grasp the throbbing length of him like he’d taught her. Her thumb rubbed over the head, spreading the drop of moisture that had beaded there in anticipation of her. He was supposed to be the one seducing her, but he found himself falling apart as her hand stroked him again with far more confidence.

  He gritted his teeth against his need to cum as he ran his hands over her luscious breasts and leaned back to study them. They were so inviting and delectable as he dragged his thumbs over the nipples. Slowly, he released them and slid his hands down her sides. His eyes latched onto the beads of water sliding down her smooth, pale flesh.

  Bending his head to her again, he trailed those beads with his tongue, licking them from her as he slipped his hand between her legs. His fingers slid through her wet blonde curls, her head fell back when he dipped one into her. He couldn’t tear his gaze away from the rapture playing over her face as he slid his finger more demandingly in and out of her.

  Gently, he stretched her further to slide his other finger into her in preparation to take his shaft. He wrapped his other arm around her waist, keeping her against him as her hips thrust faster and her muscles contracted deliciously around his fingers, greedily pulling at him. He bit his lip, drawing blood as he fought the urge to pull his fingers away and drive himself into her in order to feel those muscles clenching around him.

  She cried out, her muscles constricting around his fingers as she climaxed against his hand. Not giving her time to come back to earth, he reached around her to shut the water off before wrapping his arm around her waist, lifting her up and climbing from the tub. He kept his fingers inside her as her hips moved languidly with his touch once more. Carrying her over to the bed, he placed her onto the thick mattress.

  He nudged her thighs apart as he settled himself between her legs, which fell invitingly open to him when he slid his fingers from within her. She looked so enticingly beautiful with her swollen lips, pale hair fanned out around her, and her lush body sprawled so invitingly beneath him. Her eyes deepened to a forest green, and her breaths came in quick pants when he skimmed his fingers over her thighs. Her hips lifted as he dipped teasingly low before sliding his hands back up her smooth flesh again.

  “Brian!” she gasped when he moved forward to rub the tip of his sensitive head against her wet entrance. Gritting his teeth, he grabbed hold of his shaft to guide it into her.

  Abby’s hands entwined in his hair when he bent to take possession of her mouth again. His lips moved sensually over hers as his tongue flickered against her lips before she opened her mouth to his invasion.

  Her tongue hungrily entwined with his as he moved inch by excruciatingly slow inch into her, so as not to hurt or frighten her. His body clamored for release and to seal this bond, but he was determined to make it pleasurable for her too.

  He paused when he was halfway in, allowing her to become accustomed to his size. Her hips rolled invitingly up, begging for more. He seized hold of them, pushing her back into the mattress. “Still,” he managed to grate out. “I can’t control myself if you move.”

  Abby panted beneath him as she fought against thrusting her hips up and feeling him fill her completely. However, she sensed his unraveling restraint in the quivering muscles of his arms and the sweat beading across his brow. She remained still beneath him as he bent his head to kiss her again. Unable to resist, Abby nipped at his lip, drawing blood and causing her body to roll upward as she sucked on the wound she’d created.

  Brian barely held himself back from thrusting into her when she slid her tongue over her bite again. He released his grip on her hips and planted his hands on either side of her head. Her hands fell onto his ass. She grabbed it but kept herself unmoving beneath him as he leaned over her.

  Finally, he moved within her again. The full feeling of him inside of her, stretching her, was like nothing she’d ever experienced before. Pleasure and pain swirled and mingled together as a feeling of rightness stole through her. His hot, water-slickened body sliding over hers was driving her mad.

  He hesitated again before plunging forward and driving himself into her with a groan of bliss. Pain burst through her, but she was too far gone to care; she wanted more of him. She pressed her knees against his sides and lifted her hips to him. This time, he didn’t hold her back as he withdrew and thrust into her again. The discomfort ebbed further as his rocking hips and demanding body doused the lingering pain and roused her to heights of ecstasy she’d never thought capable of achieving.

  She grabbed at him, needing more, demanding it as he took complete possession of her body. His chiseled chest against her sensitive nipples caused ripples of pleasure to swirl out from her aching breasts. Her head fell into the hollow of his shoulder. The scent of him and the pulse of his blood engulfed her senses, causing her fangs to lengthen as a new hunger burst to life within her. Reacting on instinct and unable to stop herself, she sank her fangs into his neck. Her fingers dug into his back as the hot wash of his blood filled her mouth.

  A guttural shout escaped him as his hands slid under her ass and he lifted her from the bed. Abby moaned as he thrust more demandingly within her, grinding his hips against her as he pumped relentlessly in and out of her, stoking the fire ever higher. Tension built within her body, spiraling out from her core to clench at her belly as he pushed her closer and closer to the brink. Lifting her hips, he slid her up and down him, as he rubbed her clit against his body and sent her careening over the edge.

  Brian’s fingers dug into her hips when she screamed against his throat and her back arched up to rub her breasts against his chest as another orgasm tore through her. He groaned when he finally got to experience the rapture of her tight muscles clenching around his cock, nearly wrenching his seed from him.

  He managed to keep himself from spilling as he sank his fangs into her shoulder. A shudder racked him as the ambrosia of her blood filled his mouth and her sheath continued to constrict around him. He could feel the bond between them intensifying, solidifying as he moved within her and gorged himself on her blood.

  Her satisfaction beat against him as pathways in their minds opened between them. He could feel her elation and pleasure, feel her thirst for more as she bit deeper and another orgasm caused her nails to tear into his back. He’d meant to pull out, to not spill his seed within her, but when she came again, he found himself pulled helplessly over the edge with her.

  He released his hold on her shoulder, and his back bowed as a shout of possession bellowed from him. Semen rushed hotly from him, filling her and marking her as his. His body shook as the stream seemed to go on endlessly. He’d never experienced such ecstasy before, never known something could be this all-consuming and intense.

  She trembled within his arms, her body limp against his, her head on his shoulder as her fangs retracted. He missed the connection immediately. Pulling her closer, he was amazed to feel himself hardening within her again as her heavy breasts rubbed deliciously against his chest.

  Gritting his teeth against his arousal, he withdrew from her and pulled her to the side. A feeling of contentment stole through him as he cradled her against him. She fit perfectly against his side, her supple body yielding against his hard edges.

  The citrus scent of her had now become mingled with his own scent as it drifted up to fill his nostrils. He pulled her closer, unable to suppress a growl of possession as he held her. Her mouth curved into a smile against his side, and her fingers slid over his chest as her lashes brushed over his flesh. The air brushing over him cooled
his heated skin but did nothing to douse his growing arousal.

  He never should have spilled within her, not when his fate with Ronan was still so uncertain, but he hadn’t been able to stop himself. With others, there had always been some control, with Abby, there was none. He had no idea how long Ronan would expect him to work for him before he was finally freed, but he couldn’t have a babe during that time.

  During that time? Was he actually considering the possibility of another child in his life? He’d sworn never again, had been steadfastly careful with every one of his brief encounters to ensure against spilling within a woman. He doubted human birth control worked for vampire women, but condoms did, and even with the condom, he’d always made sure to pull out before release. He should have pulled out now. In truth, he hadn’t wanted to.

  Another child never would or could replace Trudy or Beatrice, but it wouldn’t be replacing. This child would be his and Abby’s. To his utter amazement, he found he wanted that more than anything else in nearly two centuries. He couldn’t replace Vivian either, but Abby and Vivian were so completely different from each other. They’d both been loving and protective, but that was where their similarities ended.

  Abby was defiant, proud, and willful in her determination. She didn’t back down from anything. Vivian had been meek and subdued. She’d never stood up to him, never argued with him. She’d been raised to believe the man was right, it was his home, and she had accepted this. Brian had never thought about the arrangement at the time, there had been no reason to. That was the way things were. However, things weren’t like that anymore, and he liked Abby’s fiery personality and ability to stand up for herself. It was something he’d never believed he’d enjoy, but he found it refreshing.

  What if they had a babe and he failed to protect his family again? That possibility doused some of his longing for a child. Abby, and any child he had with her, would be stronger than his human family had been, but they could still be killed. They would be bigger targets than his human family because of their pure blood and the fact they would be his. Many out there would love nothing more than to make him suffer.