"Chere, I…"
"Like I said, spare me. You lied and manipulated me into your bed and I fell for it like the stupid, naïve cow I am and to top it all, you're not even human, but some bloodsucking monster." She shrunk away from the growl erupting from his still form. Oh shit, he looked murderous and defeated and disappointed all at once.
"I guess that is all you would see."
Her heart clenched at his words. Oh God, why did she feel sympathy for him? He fed on her like some leech and he'd tricked her into his bed, no doubt using some form of mind control. Vampires could do that, after all. Her immediate attraction to him made perfect sense now. And he'd spun her that stupid tale about the murders, and...
Another thought surfaced out of the still fuzzy corners of her brain.
"How did I get here? I was in my bathroom and I fell, and I…"
Her heart went into overdrive again as bits of memories zinged into awareness, too insubstantial to make sense. But she remembered the pain all too well, the feeling of slipping away from everything, until the cool presence had surrounded her.
"What did you do to me?"
****
This is why he didn't get involved with anyone: The heavy feeling in his gut, the tightness in his chest, the bitter disappointment that coursed through his veins, slicing them open until it felt as though acid was fueling his body.
He'd saved her life and all she could see in him was a monster. It had taken all his centuries' worth of control to stop the bloodlust invading every one of his senses last night, when he'd entered her house. She had lain in a pool of her own blood on the bathroom floor, every beat of her heart draining the life force out of her. The bloody imprint of her head on the side of the bath, a testament to what must have happened.
Her injuries had been severe enough to worry him. As well as the amount of blood she'd lost, there had been the fracture to her skull to worry about. Had he arrived just ten minutes later, the only way to save her would have been to turn her. He didn't know whether he could bring himself to condemn her to a life in the shadows. Thankfully, he had been spared from having to make that decision. But he couldn't leave her there. She needed watching. He'd taken her back to his specially adapted barge to watch over her whilst she slept and his blood healed her.
For all the good it did him. She looked at him now, her body poised for flight, her usually soft eyes full of suspicion and distrust.
"I healed you with my blood. Your skull was fractured. It was the only thing I could do."
"You could have called an ambulance, like any normal person would have done." Color had returned to her cheeks in her agitation and relief flooded him. She would be okay. Agitation turned to fury as she jumped to all the wrong conclusions. "Instead you turned me into one of your kind, a monster?"
"I didn't turn you. I simply healed you. You're as human as you ever were." He sighed in his frustration. She didn't believe him. He was so bone weary of all this.
"There is a simple way of establishing the truth."
He flicked the switch for the automatic shutters and bright sunlight filled the room. Merde, it was supposed to be overcast. Slower than usual due to not having slept in over twenty-four hours, he didn't manage to move away fast enough. There wasn't a cloud in the sky, and the angle of the portholes meant the full force of the sun settled on his skin. It peeled instantly, the stench of burning flesh filled the room and his hand missed the switch on the wall. He fell to the floor where he stood, his body on fire. The last sound invading his consciousness was Coralie's scream of pure terror.
Chapter Eight
Coralie couldn't help the horrendous noise coming out of her mouth. She watched in horror as Lucas literally burst into flames. Holy shit, now what was she to do? Reacting purely on instinct, she pulled the remaining sheets off the bed and threw them over him, smothering the flames. The stench of burning flesh in her nostrils made her gag. Shit, shit, shit, he was too still. The flames were out but steam still rose steadily from his frame.
Terror gripped her and she stuffed her fist in her mouth to stop herself from screaming. God, she needed help. She had to get him out of the sun. As she watched, his legs caught fire again and she threw herself on top him in a vain effort to stop the flames. Pain scorched her skin as the sheet wrapped around her also caught alight, and she screeched, rolling off him. Oh God, they were both going to die right now, right here. Smoke filled the room and her eyes watered. Coralie’s lungs burned as the flames sucked the oxygen out of the room and she coughed her guts up trying to breathe. She crawled away from the flames and curled into a ball at the far side of the room, tears streaming down her face.
The door burst open and Ion ran through like an avenging angel. The shutters went down and the raging fireball that was Lucas dimmed. Warm hands grabbed Coralie around the waist and she literally flew through the air towards the open door. She landed on the hard oak flooring and what little breath was left in her singed lungs escaped in a big whoosh. A cold, heavy blanket was wrapped around her and she found herself lifted to her feet. The woman in front of her nodded at Coralie, her chocolate eyes briefly connecting, the woman's attention focused behind her.
"How is he, Ion?"
"Not good, Marnie. He needs blood now, or he's not gonna make it."
This was Marnie? Long auburn hair framed a heart-shaped face, the summer dress only just holding in her impressive curves, her eyes shimmering with tears as she responded to her husband.
"He's got to make it, Ion. He can have my blood."
Ion's furious growl behind Coralie's back made all the fine hair on her neck stand to attention.
"No fucking way, little one. Besides, it's human blood he needs. You." One warm large hand settled heavily on Coralie's shoulder and spun her around. "Don't just stand there, get your sorry ass over here and help him."
"Ion, you can't make her." Marnie had moved to stand beside Ion, tears streaming down her pale face. "It has got to be her choice, you know that. Lucas wouldn't want it any other way."
"Damn it, little one." Ion shrugged his wife's hand off, his attention focused on Lucas before his steely grey gaze settled on Coralie. She swallowed nervously at the leashed power and fury coming off him. The air shimmered around him and in the blink of an eye he changed into the powerful wolf she'd seen only the night before.
Oh God, I so hate being right all the time. Wolf Ion paced around the living room, his claws slicing through the oak flooring. His mournful howl rang in Coralie's ears. Marnie ignored her husband and knelt next to Lucas. Wrapped in the same heavy wool blanket that covered Coralie, he lay completely still. His scorched face was the only thing visible. Marnie's tears fell on Lucas's face as she bent her head to whisper into the place where his ear ought to have been.
Coralie's stomach rolled and she heaved. Oh God, this was awful and it was all her fault. She hadn't believed him when he'd said he only healed her, and now he was dying in front of her.
"What do I have to do?" She could hardly hear her own words, her throat too sore to form the words with any conviction, but Ion was next to her in an instant. He'd shifted back to his human form and Coralie didn't know where to look. The muscly shifter was naked.
"Give me your hand. He's too weak to feed, so we need to do this the hard way. I'm sorry, but this will hurt."
He growled impatiently at her hesitancy, earning himself a sharp retort from Marnie. He smiled at Coralie and her eyes grew huge, seeing his fangs. The sharp pain in her wrist shot up her arm and she bit her lip to stop from crying out. Her stomach churned seeing the bright red blood oozing out. Ion retracted his claws and pulled her down until she knelt on the other side of Lucas.
Marnie smiled at her reassuringly, and Coralie gritted her teeth against the pain as Ion squeezed her wrist, hovering it over Lucas' mouth.
"Damn it, Lucas, don't you give up on me. Drink, damn you."
Coralie's stomach flipped. Her breathing grew shallow and stars swam before her eyes, when Ion's cl
aws sliced through her wrist again. The room started spinning and she would have pitched backwards had Ion's broad chest not held her up. The heat of his naked skin penetrated through the thick blanket.
"Drink, Lucas." Marnie's voice this time. "Don't leave us, please."
The soft click in response made Marnie smile. Coralie heaved with the pain of the bite that followed and screwed her eyes shut. Oh shit, that hurt. She tried to breathe through the pain, but her shallow breaths proved completely ineffective and she couldn't help the tears falling down on her hand. The feral growl coming from Lucas barely registered through the pain-filled haze she struggled against.
The pressure on her arm ceased and Ion's furious curse in her ear made her eyes fly open. The pain dulled and Ion released her with a growl. Marnie said something to her husband that Coralie didn't quite catch. She was too focused on the changes in Lucas, her heart beating a strange rhythm in her chest. Lucas looked straight at her. His usually brilliant green eyes dimmed to a hazy grey, and Coralie's heart stopped beating for a second. He must be in so much pain, yet he refused her wrist. He shook his head, his voice a mere croak. "Non, assez, pas plus. Non de Coralie."
"Damn it, Lucas, now is not the time to be noble. You need more blood than that."
Again a gurgled and barely audible, but most definite, "Non," came from Lucas, whose eyes never once wavered from Coralie. Her chest felt suspiciously tight reading the emotion in his gaze. She was not going to cry again, she was not. He couldn't possibly care about her. They'd only met yesterday, after all. Sure, the sex had been great – scrap that, more than great, and meant the world to her – but he no doubt did this all the time.
"You heard him, Ion." Marnie's weary voice broke the spell and Lucas fell unconscious again. "Here, let me see to your wrist."
Marnie smiled at Coralie and pulled her to her feet.
"But what about Lucas?" Coralie asked. They couldn't just leave him here. "You have to do something. Surely, he needs more blood and if he's not going to take mine, then you have to find somebody else. You can't let him die."
Shit, girl, what are you saying? Find him somebody else? She'd lost her mind.
"Lucas will be fine. He hasn't been around for three thousand years without knowing how to survive."
"Three thousand years?" Coralie interrupted Marnie. She couldn't have heard her right. There was no way he could be that old. He looked to be in his mid-thirties, if that.
"I know it's hard to believe. I had pretty much the same reaction when I found out. He will take longer to heal, but he will heal. And if he needs more blood Ion will sort it, won't you?"
"You're expecting me to work miracles, little one. He needs a willing or compelled vict…errr, I mean donor. I will have to get Carmen involved for that."
"You can't go to Carmen." Marnie voice rose to a shrill screech and Ion flinched under his wife's incredulous regard.
"I have little choice. He needs to recover. We haven't got much time left to catch Jacomo."
"Who the hell is Jacomo?" Coralie's head hurt. This was all too confusing. She winced when Marnie poured the antiseptic on her open wound. They had moved to the kitchen during their conversation and Marnie was now rummaging through the first aid box for a bandage. Why would a vampire have a first aid box?
She didn't realize she had asked that out loud until Marnie giggled.
"It's not for him, obviously, but little Lando. He's forever falling over and hurting himself and even though he heals quickly, Lucas indulges him. Lando loves plasters, see." She pulled out an amazing array of children's plasters as though to illustrate her point and reading the question in Coralie's face correctly, she added, "Lando is our son."
"I see," Coralie murmured, not really seeing anything at all. She glanced at Ion, who was talking into his mobile in hushed, urgent tones, crouched next to Lucas.
"So vampires can have children?"
Chapter Nine
Anxiety had Coralie firmly in its soul-destroying grasp. What had happened to her slightly boring, yet wonderfully familiar life? Her eyes narrowed and her stomach churned at seeing yet another young woman leaving Lucas's room with a faraway smile on her face, bite marks visible on her neck. And here she was worrying over him.
That's what she got for snooping in the corridor. But what else could she do with her time? She had been stuck in this luxurious prison for three days now. Three days with no access to the outside world, apart from the garden, sequestered away from normal life behind ten-foot high walls. Burly guards patrolled the grounds. Coralie wasn't sure what kind of shifter they were and she was pretty sure she didn't want to find out. She'd made the mistake of trying to talk to one of them on her first day here and the truly menacing growl she'd received in answer had sent her scurrying back to her room.
Would her heart ever beat normally again? The surreal conversation she'd been having with Marnie in the kitchen of Lucas' narrow boat had been interrupted by the arrival of more members of Ion's pack. Even in her befuddled brainless state the female side of Coralie, awakened by a certain vampire, who she didn't care at all about – No sir, not me. He can go and bite as many women as he wants and I am not jealous, damn it – had melted a little inside at the display of male perfection. Seriously, was there some sort of law that every non-human thing/person, whatever you called them, had to be bloody perfection on legs? Terrifying eye candy, admittedly, but still.
Jerry would have a field day, if she were here. The ever-present fear for her friend resurfaced with a vengeance. She leant back against the marble wall and closed her eyes desperate to get her breathing under control. In, out, you can do this, girl. You'll be no use to her if you pass out again. She'd done too much of that lately as it was. She hadn't fainted once before being thrown into this strange world and since meeting Lucas she'd turned into a wilting wallflower––a shell of her former self. Well, enough was enough.
If that blasted Carmen didn't grant her 'audience' soon, she was going to explode. Who did the woman think she was, the bloody queen? There that was better, getting angry she could do. It kept the terror and fear at bay, terror that had just increased in spades ever since Ion's pack had taken Lucas away in a body bag. That particular image would haunt her forever. It was such a stark reminder that the man she'd had the most amazing night with, was for all intents and purposes dead – only he wasn't. It was too much to get her head around.
Ion had called Carmen, against Marnie's passionate arguments, and Coralie's confused questions. His voice had been the most wolf-like Coralie had ever heard it.
"Damn it, you two, I have no choice. Lucas needs healing and only Carmen can provide that for him, you know that, Marnie. It's not as though I can raid a blood bank for him. He needs fresh blood and I should think a good dose of vamp blood too, the state he's in. We need him in top form if we are to stand any chance of defeating the demon."
"Demon?" Coralie had almost fainted again, grateful for Marnie's reassuring arm around her shoulder. "There are real demons, too? Anything else you want to throw at me today?"
Ion sighed, the sudden slump of his big shoulders speaking volumes. Marnie had given her shoulders another squeeze, as the truth dawned on Coralie.
"There really is a killer out there, isn't there? And let me guess, it's a demon?" She'd tried to wrench herself away from Marnie, but the woman had a surprisingly strong grip on her. "Let me go. I have to warn Jerry. She needs to know."
"I'm afraid we can't do that." Ion's tone and demeanor were almost apologetic as he looked down on Coralie. "You will have to go with Lucas. Carmen will want to see you. At least you'll be safe at her compound."
"But, I can't…you can't make me. I need to warn Jerry."
Coralie's words had fallen on deaf ears, however. Ion straightened to his full height, which wasn't quite as tall as Lucas, but still meant he towered over her, and his words held an edge of steel.
"I'm afraid you don't get a say in the matter. Your friend cannot know about any of this …and
yes, I can make you."
Marnie's whispered, "Don't worry, it'll be fine. Lucas won't let anything happen to you and I'll make sure Ion looks out for your friend," had done little to reassure her.
Coralie rubbed the goose bumps from her arms, pushed away from the wall, and forced her feet to move past Lucas's door. Damn the whole sorry lot of them. Nothing had happened to her, admittedly. In fact, she'd never been in such luxurious surroundings before, but it was a prison nonetheless. Her bedroom was huge: the wardrobe full of designer creations that Coralie was never going to wear. She'd stuck to the one pair of jeans she'd found and topped them with some of the plainer blouses. No way was she going to wear the array of dresses, even though people looked down at her. Let them. She didn't want to be here after all and if they didn't like what she wore, they could just bugger off.
She was just about to grab the handle of her bedroom door, when a commanding voice stopped her.
"Carmen will see you now."
Finally. Maybe now she would get some answers. Some of her courage left her, however, when she glimpsed the speaker. Jeez, what the hell was he?
The giant man had to be at least seven feet tall. Purple eyes dominated an ethereally beautiful face, framed by long, straight, white hair that trailed down his back. An intricate tattoo spread itself along his bulging biceps, up his left shoulder and halfway across his naked chest.
Coralie swallowed nervously when the giant smiled, showing several rows of razor-sharp teeth. He stood back, gesturing for her to step past him.
"This way, and move it, human. Carmen is an impatient woman."
Clearly, so was he. The hurried flick of his head revealed pointy ears and Coralie swallowed a hysterical bubble of laughter. So much for fairies being cute, little things at the bottom of the garden. She winced when his large hand grabbed her arm to guide her along. Long, perfectly manicured fingernails dug into her flesh and Coralie shook his arm off with a terse, "Do you quite mind? That hurts."
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