by Becca Van
Lucan had a gash in his shoulder and Trey had one on his arm. Their cavalier attitude didn’t match their wounds, and neither seemed overly concerned with the figure stalking toward them across the garden. Angelina made out the tuxedo the intruder was wearing, and with a gasp of shock, she recognized the warlock who had attacked her in the kitchen.
Planting his feet, the warlock shook a gray-streaked lock of hair from his eyes and bared his teeth in an evil grimace. Trey and Lucan moved slowly closer.
Angelina watched, her heart in her throat. Her mates moved like sleek predators, but she wanted to scream for them to run. The dagger in Trey’s hand seemed too small to protect them. Though she had no idea how to help them, she couldn’t keep standing here.
She didn’t get to take more than one step before an icy-cold hand wrapped around her throat and squeezed. Her feet left the ground, and black spots began to form before her eyes. She whimpered with fear. It was the evil one who had first slipped into her bedroom. She had never seen him clearly, nor could she now, but the cold that permeated her body was unmistakable. Paulo Harold, the evil vampire, had her in his grip.
When she thought she was about to pass out from lack of oxygen, the evil vampire lowered her feet to the ground and loosened the hold he had on her neck. She clawed at his hand with her nails, but that didn’t seem to faze him at all.
Angelina sucked in great gulps of air, and when her vision cleared, she sought out her mates. They stood near the warlock, who lay moaning on the ground. Both men seemed to have forgotten about him. As they watched her, they seemed frozen, their expressions fixed between rage and horror. She beseeched them with her eyes, begging them to forgive her for getting into harm’s way. She coughed and tried to push away from Paulo, but he didn’t let her. He squeezed her throat in warning and eased his hold once more, but didn’t release her.
“Let her go, Paulo. If you want a fight, then fight me. Don’t be a coward and use a defenseless woman as a shield,” Lucan said in a clear, calm voice. “Come, we will settle our differences.”
“I think not, Drierge. You should have joined our side when you had the chance. You cannot defeat us, Lucan. We have the dark warlocks on our side now. We don’t want to have to hide our existence any longer. We are so much more powerful than these sheep,” Paulo said, indicating Angelina.
She wondered why he thought so little of humans, but that thought left as he began to speak once more.
“We have more food than we could ever want and more power than these mere mortals can comprehend. Why not join with us, and together with the dark warlocks we can rule the Earth?”
“You know we cannot allow that to happen, Paulo. You will be tried and decapitated if you do not let the woman go,” Trey snapped through clenched teeth.
“Ha! You and your brother are so self-righteous. You think you can tell everyone how they should live their lives. Do you think you are strong enough to stop us all from getting what we want? You are so full of yourselves you can’t see what is right in front of your face. We will prevail, and there is nothing you can do to stop us,” Paulo snarled.
Angelina squeaked when the grip on her throat tightened to the point of unbearable pain. She scratched at his hands again, using her nails to dig deeply into his flesh. Her tongue felt like it was swelling in her mouth, and the pressure in her brain was excruciating as blood barely flowed to her head. As she was about to pass out, she felt herself flying through the air. She couldn’t scream, couldn’t even make a sound with no oxygen coming through her constricted throat.
She saw stars as her body slammed into the house’s brick wall. What little air she had managed to pull into her lungs went rushing out, and she couldn’t scream when agony ripped through her shoulder, down her arm and side. Her sluggish heart beat loudly in her ears, and her vision was hazy.
She saw Trey fighting with Paulo, blood seeping from another slash on Trey’s chest through his white T-shirt. She heard an evil chuckle and moved her eyes toward Lucan.
He was battling with the dark warlock. They stood at least ten yards apart, and sparks and fire shot out of their hands, aimed at each other.
She wanted to go to them and help them, but she felt so weak. She could feel lethargy traversing her body, leaving her depleted of energy and strength. She looked down at her shoulder and felt a weak shudder of fear move through her.
A wooden peg pierced her flesh, and her blood was flowing rapidly from the wound. The tip of the spike protruded through her shoulder, clearly visible. Her breath was rasping in and out of her crushed esophagus, and what little air she could capture wasn’t enough to fill her lungs. Consciousness was slipping away from her, and she knew she was dying.
Chapter Eleven
Trey had been so wrapped up in his battle with the warlock that he hadn’t seen Angelina coming out until it was too late. He had been about to leap on the warlock when the circumstances of the battle had changed. Fear permeated his body as Paulo sped up behind his mate and wrapped his hand around her throat.
He wanted to dispose of the evil vampire until there was nothing of him left but dust, but he didn’t dare move in case he put Angelina in more jeopardy.
His mate was in danger. Trey clenched his teeth on a roar of fury, afraid of goading his enemy into hurting his woman any more than he already was. Bruises were already forming on her white skin where that motherfucker was squeezing her throat. He hadn’t seen or felt Paulo’s presence and cursed himself. In his haste to eliminate the first threat he sensed, he hadn’t thought to scan for anyone else. Paulo had only shown himself moments ago, and now Trey wondered if the warlock had only ever been a decoy.
Paulo flung Angelina aside as if she were no more than a bug beneath his foot. Every cell in Trey’s body cried out for him to go to her, but none of them would be safe until they dispatched with the evil one. He leaped toward him and slashed his claws down his side, ripping him open from chest to hip.
Snarling, Paulo was distracted, trying to heal the wound quickly. Trey pulled the silver dagger free from its sheath and plunged forward. He stabbed the tip of the metal blade deep into Paulo’s chest and yelled with satisfaction as it gouged the bastard’s flesh.
A full-body shudder ripped through the evil one. Trey jumped back, exultant. The silver dagger had pierced Paulo’s heart. His enemy burst into ash that dispersed on the night’s gentle breeze.
He turned to help Lucan defeat the dark warlock. He summoned fireballs and lightning from his fingers and hand, but before he could pitch even one, the bastard disappeared in a shimmer.
Trey heard Lucan’s snarled curse, then the garden was silent. Trey panted, already looking around for his foremost concern, for the one thing that had occupied his thoughts throughout the fight. Angelina.
He spun around, and his knees nearly buckled when he beheld his mate. He was by her side an instant later, and he groaned with the anguish and fury bubbling up in his chest. She was covered in blood, and she was making an awful rasping sound as she tried to get oxygen in through her crushed throat.
He pushed into her mind and could only feel a small trace of her soul. She was slipping away from them. Though he wanted her to open her eyes again, his heart clenched at the thought of the pain she would feel if she woke. He hoped she stayed unconscious until he could pull the wooden spike free from her.
Trey carefully lifted her into his arms. He sped through the house and gently laid her down on his bed moments later. Lucan entered the room right behind him and took her hand into his.
“We have to change her now. She’s dying,” Trey whispered in torment.
Lucan met his eyes, his face conflicted, and looked away. Trey waited for his brother’s agreement. They had no other choice, as he thought Lucan must know. Only the gift of immortality could save their mate now.
It seemed agonizing to remember that they had been about to complete the last blood exchange right before the attack. If only they’d had more time, Angelina would be in no danger now
.
“There’s no time,” Trey urged his brother.
“Yes. You’re right. You go first,” Lucan snarled.
Lucan’s attitude didn’t upset Trey. He knew it was because his brother was afraid for their mate. He sat on the bed and pulled Angelina onto his lap. He slashed her shirt with an elongated nail to reveal the wound, and then he placed his mouth on her damaged shoulder. Once he had taken enough blood for an exchange, he bit his wrist and held it to her mouth. He pushed deeper into her subconscious and forced her to swallow his life-giving blood.
He gently passed her over to Lucan and watched as his brother repeated the ritual. Trey watched Angelina‘s face throughout, wishing she were awake. He had dreamed about this moment, about how their mate would join them in immortality, about sharing every facet of their lives with the one they loved.
He hadn‘t dreamed it would be like this. As long as it works. Please let it work.
When Lucan had completed the exchange, he lapped over Angelina’s shoulder. The wound began to close as the healing properties of Lucan’s saliva worked in concert with the transformation Angelina’s body was undergoing. The bleeding stopped, and her breathing eased slightly. Though it would take her torn muscles a little longer to heal, Trey felt himself relax a little.
Lucan placed their woman onto the bed, and together they cleaned the last of the blood from her and put her to bed. Once their woman was tucked between the cool, clean sheets, Trey sat down with his back propped against the headboard of the bed. Lucan mimicked his actions on the other side of Angelina.
Trey had no idea what to expect as their mate went through the transformation. He cursed his ignorance and wished he had taken the time to listen to their good friend Vlad when he had tried to explain the transformation process to them. Hindsight was such a wonderful thing.
Trey was just debating on whether to call on Vlad when Angelina sat bolt upright in bed, her eyes wide open. She screamed. The sound was so bloodcurdling that the hair on the back of his neck rose on end and chills raced up and down his spine. He was about to pull her into his arms and try to soothe her, but she flopped back onto the bed, her eyes once more closed as she drifted back into sleep. He wondered if she’d had a nightmare and prayed she didn’t suffer too much. All he knew was that her body was transforming and her internal organs restructuring so she could digest blood to sustain her life.
He adjusted the bed covers, hoping to make her more comfortable, but she began to move restlessly. Her body broke out in a film of sweat which covered her silken white skin, and then she began to thrash. He leaned over her and placed his hands on her shoulders to hold her still so she wouldn’t hurt herself, and Lucan moved to the foot of the bed to hold her legs and hips.
Trey pressed back into her mind, and her pain filled him at once. It was excruciating. Like nothing he had ever felt before. White-hot fire spread throughout her body, and he could feel her organs reshaping. Had he known what she would have to endure, he wasn’t sure he would have asked her to go through the blood exchange. His mind knew that the price would be worth it for he and his brother to be beside their mate for eternity, but his heart would do anything to spare her this pain.
Her back bowed off the bed, and perspiration began to run in rivulets from her brow down her face. When she began to convulse and blood began to seep from her pores, he became frightened.
“I think we should contact Vlad. I need to know she isn’t dying,” Trey stated hoarsely.
“Yes,” Lucan snapped.
Trey and his brother had formed a mental connection many years ago with the wise vampire, and he called upon it now. “Vladimir, we have great need of you. Come at once.”
“Five minutes, neophyte,” Vlad replied.
Vlad was true to his word and burst through his bedroom door five minutes later. He took in the scene before him at a glance and stopped beside the bed to stare at their angel.
“You have gone through the blood exchange, and because you didn’t want to listen to me, you are scared for your mate,” Vlad stated.
Trey pulled his lips in tight and nodded in confirmation as he turned back to watch Angelina. She continued to writhe and convulse. His heart was beating out a rapid tattoo, and he wanted to be able to change places with her so he could endure her pain for her.
“Let me touch her mind. I need to see what is happening,” Vlad said.
Trey nodded again and felt Vlad’s presence in her brain. He felt his teacher and friend compelling her body to accept the transformation rather than try to reject it. Then, to his immense relief, her body went lax. She took a deep breath of air and then expelled it, and she once more lay quietly on the bed in a seemingly peaceful slumber.
“All will be well now. Her mind isn’t fighting the change anymore. She will rest comfortably for the rest of the night and well into the day. She won’t awaken until you do,” Vlad explained. “Do you want to tell me what’s been going on? Who did you battle?”
Trey wondered for a moment how Vlad knew they’d battled anyone. Then Vlad pointed to Lucan’s shirt, which was torn and bloodied where he had been attacked even though the wound beneath had long since healed. Trey and Lucan took turns explaining all that had occurred and describing how their mate had been at death’s door.
His tense muscles relaxed when their woman continued to sleep without pain. She looked so peaceful as she lay on his bed. Her skin had a creamy-white, almost translucent look to it now. Her cheeks weren’t as rosy as they had been, but her lips seemed to be tinged a deeper hue of red. She was so beautiful, and he was so entranced with her that his friend’s voice faded into the background. He nearly forgot Vlad was there until his friend thumped a hand on his shoulder to get his attention.
“She’s going to be fine now. I hope you have told her everything she needs to know about becoming one of us,” Vlad stated.
Trey looked up at his friend to answer. “She knows some of what to expect. Of course she has a lot to learn. We have only skimmed over some of our powers, but she knows she will have to ingest blood to survive.”
“It’s been many years since I’ve seen a human turned and it wasn’t pretty. The woman so abhorred feeding from humans, she nearly died.“ Vlad said.
That sounded so much like Angelina that Trey began to feel nervous. “But we can’t die that way,” he said. “Right?”
“A vampire who goes too long without sustenance will weaken,” Vlad replied. “Those who refuse to drink eventually slip into a coma. Little better than death, if you ask me.” Somberly, he turned his gaze to Angelina. “I hope you won’t have to go through the same thing.”
“No, we won’t,” Lucan said. “Angelina is going to let us feed her. She has told us already she won’t be able to drink from humans and therefore has accepted that we will have to compel her to feed from us alone.”
“Good. Then I will leave you to see to your woman. You need to redo your protection spells. They have been weakened by a counterspell. I’d say that was how the warlock and evil one were able to breach your perimeter.”
“This isn’t the first time they got in,” Lucan snarled.
Trey shared his brother’s frustration, but Vlad said, “Our enemies are determined, and they have access to spells that you and I would not stoop to use. All the more reason for me to find out what the dark warlocks are up to.“ Vlad paused, and then went on. “I think I know the one you described to me.”
“The asshole in the tux?” Lucan asked drily.
“That’s the one. His name is George Kite. I’ve encountered him before, and it seems we will have to fight him again. We have battled long and hard, my friends, and it seems the battle is not yet over. I would be grateful if you would join us again, to protect the innocent and rejoin the fight against evil. I will organize a meet to discuss the problems we are facing when I gather the information I need.” Vlad said. “Let me know if you need anything. For now I will leave you to settle your mate into our way of life.”
Vlad’s body began to disperse until his body had turned to small dust particles which streamed from the room.
“Shit,” Lucan spat out. “I can’t believe I didn’t detect the breach in our protection charms. I’m going to reinforce our perimeter. You stay here with our angel. I don’t think she’ll awaken, but I’d rather one of us was with her if she does. Call me if she so much as twitches.”
Lucan was gone a split second later, and as Trey sat on the side of the bed watching over their mate, he could feel the reinforced energy of Lucan’s protection spells. He wanted to know that their woman was amply protected from their enemies, and he also wanted to know why the dark warlock and the evil vampire had targeted Angelina.
Sighing, he resigned himself to patience, a trait he had cultivated with some difficulty over his long life. He still had bouts of impatience, but now that he had a wife at his side, he felt like a much younger man, eager to learn everything about his love.
The night passed slowly. Lucan left to feed, then returned and urged Trey to do the same. Reluctant to leave his angel, Trey fed quickly and returned to the house at once. By the time he climbed into bed beside Angelina, his brother was already lying next to her and the sun was scarce minutes from rising.
Trey reached over and brushed the hair away from Angelina’s face. He could feel the pull of the earth and sun, and his eyelids became too heavy to keep open. He moved in close to their woman until he spooned her body, an arm over her waist. Glad at least to hold her while they slept the deep sleep of his kind, he let his mind and body be pulled into the darkness.
Chapter Twelve
Lucan was aware of his angel draped across his chest when he took his first waking breath. He savored the sensation of her in his arms and pulled her in closer to him. Their mate was going to wake up with a voracious hunger. His cock hardened quickly at the thought of his woman feeding from him. He wanted to be buried in her body balls-deep when she bit him. His dick pulsed and stiffened even more as he imagined her newly formed fangs sliding into his flesh.