Taken by Blood

by Tamara White

  I pant, trying to catch my breath, and Lincoln stares at me, a little shocked. That’s when I realize I hadn’t actually told him I was telepathic yet. Oh well, the cat’s out of the bag now.

  He closes the distance between us and his lips slam down on mine. I freeze for a second, before sighing into the kiss and wrapping my arms around his neck. When he breaks the kiss, he gives my nose a light peck. “I’m sorry you had to hear those thoughts, Emerald. You are my mate and no one else will ever take me from you, despite what they may think. Now, would you like me to deal with Scarlett, or can you handle this? You are technically my Alpha female after all.” He grins down at me.

  I blanch at the thought of what that could mean for me, but push it to the back of my mind for now as I move to face the female. “Scarlett?”

  She nods, but I can tell by the look on her face that she fears me. Well, not as much as she’s going to. Lincoln stands at my side, remaining silent and letting me to take the lead.

  “Do you know who I am? What I am to your Alpha?”

  “I heard you say you were his mate, but I know that’s not possible because you are already mated with those two.” She gestures to Nik and Dev, who are still sitting in the car, looking bored.

  I smile at her stupidity. She thinks they’re my mates, but that Lincoln isn’t? She obviously has no idea who I am.

  “I’m Emerald, the vampire princess of the St. Louis coven. I’m also the first ever hybrid vampire shifter and those two guys,” I gesture to Nik and Dev like she did, “are my soul-ties, not my mates. Your Alpha…” I reach down and intertwine my fingers with Lincoln’s, smiling up at him before turning my attention back to Scarlett. “Your Alpha is my mate.”

  Her perfect face pales, but I feel like it’s only for show, so I open up my telepathic abilities. What a fucking lying bitch! She’s not his mate, I am! Once she’s dead, he’ll see the truth, I know it! The defiant tone in her mind startles me, but before I can recover, Lincoln lets go of my hand and picks the girl up by the throat, much the same way I did in the car.

  Her feet dangle a foot above the ground and she gasps for air, clawing at his hand. “Please,” she begs, her eyes streaming with tears.

  “I am not your mate, Scarlett. And if your brother hadn’t been one of my best friends, I would kill you right here and now.”

  He lets go of her and she crumples to the ground while he looks down at her in disgust. “My mate showed me your traitorous thoughts. I want you to go back to the pack immediately and gather up your belongings. I will call a few Alphas and see if any are willing to take you, but you are no longer welcome in my pack.”

  She scrambles to her feet and looks my way with hate-filled eyes, then she bolts off into the woods by the side of the road. My guess is she’s going to pack up her shit and get the hell out of dodge before Linc has the chance to send her to another pack.

  Once she’s gone from sight, Nik and Dev climb out of the car. Behind them, Britt is practically hanging out of the window of their vehicle. “Seriously, Mer? I was waiting for some epic bitch fight. That was just sad,” she says, her eyes twinkling with humor, even as she pouts in disappointment.

  I flip her off, ignoring her laughter as Nik and Dev reach my side. “You ready to go now?” Dev asks, his voice filled with amusement.

  I throw my hands up in the air, annoyed that they’re all making fun of my territorial display, and storm back to the car. I reach the back door and I’m about to step in when I hear Linc inquire, “Who wants to drive?”

  I turn around with a wicked smile on my face, and Nik and Dev look like their skin has just paled. I walk to the driver’s door before either of them have a chance to stop me.

  “It’s okay, Linc. I’ll drive,” I offer with a sweet smile. I see him exchange glances with Nik and Dev, their gazes showing a hint of fear, but it doesn’t stop Linc from handing me the keys.

  I get in and buckle my seat belt, watching as Nik and Dev climb in and do the same. I laugh at that because they didn’t bother putting seat belts on when we first got in the car.

  In the rearview mirror, I can see Britt laughing her ass off as she comes running up to the back door of the car. “Can Blaine and I ride with you?”

  I chuckle and nod. Then she calls over her shoulder and I watch as Blaine trudges his way up. He squeezes himself into the back seat with my guys before Britt settles herself onto his lap. She makes him pull the seat belt around the both of them. I’m surprised that it’s long enough and actually clicks into place.

  I wait until Lincoln is in the passenger seat with his seat belt on, before grinning over at him. “I hope you don’t get motion sickness.”

  He frowns as I start the car, putting it into gear. Slowly, I bring the vehicle back onto the empty highway. “Why would I get—”

  He doesn’t get a chance to finish because I speed off into the early night, enjoying the laugh from my best friend as we race toward our destination. With me behind the wheel, we arrive in under two minutes, rather than the ten it would have taken us otherwise.

  Despite it being a quick drive, all the guys scramble to get out of the car the moment I put it in park in the underground garage.

  Nik and Dev use their vampire speed to rush over and lean against the elevator wall, their eyes wild and panicked. Linc practically falls out of the passenger side and crawls his way toward Nik and Dev, throwing up halfway.

  Blaine practically shoves Britt off his lap and leans out the open door, losing his breakfast onto the pavement.

  I look at Britt with a raised eyebrow and she just starts howling with laughter, tears streaming down her face, and before long, I join her. We climb out of the car, wrapping an arm around each other’s waists. Our laughter and this moment feels so carefree, that you wouldn’t think we’d been through so much in just the past few hours.

  When we reach the guys, our laughter has died down to nothing but mere chuckles, but I still have to wipe tears from my eyes as Blaine reaches us. He looks at me with wide, panicked eyes. “I can’t believe you just did that,” he whispers in a horror-filled voice, like I just run over his cat or something.

  “I second that,” Linc moans, looking up at me with a new expression in his eyes, one of both fear and respect. Unusual combination, but then again, he’s a strange guy.

  “You guys are all wusses. I wasn’t even going my normal speed, that was tame compared to what I could have done.”

  “Tame!” Blaine exclaims in a shrill voice. “You call that fucking tame? We almost died at least a hundred times. I have no idea what fucking guardian angels are watching over you, Em, but even they would shit themselves sitting in a car with you as the driver!”

  “Don’t get your panties in a twist, Blaine. I’ve driven a lot faster than that and have never had anything bad happen. Neither has Britt. Plus, my dad taught me how to control the car if it ever does slip or I lose control.”

  He doesn’t look convinced and I sigh, before turning my gaze to Lincoln, who looks slightly green. He smiles up at me, but it’s a weak one at best. “Maybe next time, I should drive?” he suggests.

  I feel guilty and take a closer look at the four of them, worried I might have taken things too far. Then I hear a car speeding into the garage. I panic for a moment, wondering who might have been chasing us, but then I realize it’s the rest of Britt’s husbands, who I lost after just a few seconds of driving.

  The moment the car stops, the three of them hurry out of the car. The male wolf who was driving sees his Alpha on the ground and pulls a gun from the back of his shirt, looking around for the danger.

  Lincoln chuckles and calls out to him, “Calm down, Billy. There’s no threat here.”

  He looks back at his Alpha, as if to reassure himself of that, before holstering the gun and walking toward us, his eyes still on the alert. “Why are you on the ground then, Alpha?”

  I wait for Lincoln to tell him the truth, but he just shakes his head. “It was just a little motion sickness,”
he lies. I clasp a hand to my mouth to stifle my laugh.

  The elevator dings and all the men react, straightening quickly. Then the doors open to reveal my parents, their faces creased with concern. But there’s something else too, something they’re trying to hide.

  They catch sight of me and rush over, wrapping me in their arms like this is just any other family reunion. But even with them hugging me, I can feel the tension.

  “What? What is it?” I ask when they pull back.

  They both look at me, and I can see in their expressions that they don’t want to tell me whatever it is. “Just spit it out. Don’t make me use my telepathy to get answers just because you don’t think I’m strong enough to handle whatever else is about to cause shit.”

  My father sighs heavily before meeting my eyes. “Talon is gone. His maker decided that since he doesn’t have a soul-tie anymore, there is no reason for him not to join her. He’ll be landing in France any minute. I’m sorry, Emerald, but Talon’s gone and he won’t be coming back.”

  Fourteen

  Time for a Trip

  Emerald

  “Emerald, don’t do this,” my mother pleads, as I make my way around the bedroom as quickly as I can, pulling clothes from the new dresser with no thought to the price tags or what I’m grabbing. My mind is too busy thinking about Talon in France.

  Right after my parents told me where he was, I pushed past them and took the elevator up to our room. They came along and tried to reason with me, but knowing that his maker had taken him, and considering the way he talked to me on the phone, I knew Talon didn’t want to be with her, despite what my parents seem to think.

  Both of them hover just inside the doorway while Nik and Dev go around and pack their own belongings, as well as their guns and my swords.

  “Emerald! I forbid you from going!”

  Everyone in the outer room goes quiet, and Nik and Dev freeze. I turn slowly to face my mother, meeting her outraged gaze with one of my own. I take a step toward her, but my father moves to stand in front of her, as if to protect her from me. She just pushes him aside though.

  Over her shoulder, I see Linc, Britt, and the rest of the guys in the outer room crowding around the doorway to watch what happens next.

  “Get out,” I tell her calmly, continuing to stare her down.

  “What?” she asks, completely flabbergasted.

  I take a deep breath, closing my eyes to center myself. When I open them, I meet her gaze with a look of determination. “I said, get out,” I grit through my teeth. “If you don’t want to help me save my soul-tie, then I want you out. I have things to do and you are just delaying the process.”

  “I can’t just leave you,” she splutters out, as if it’s such an inconceivable notion to leave me right now, when really, she’s just inhibiting my packing. I understand she just got me back and wants to stop me from going, but she should know there is nothing I wouldn’t do to get my soul-tie back.

  “Look, this is what’s going to happen. I’m going to continue packing, regardless of if you stay. I’m going to get on a plane, train, or a fucking submarine if I have to, so I can hunt down Talon. I will not stop looking until I’ve found him, and there is absolutely nothing you can do to stop me. So either help me, and tell me what I need to know about his maker, or just leave.”

  She shakes her head, her eyes brimming with tears. “You can’t go. Maria will kill you faster than you could even breathe.”

  I grin, letting the beast within me show in my eyes. My father gasps and grabs my mother by the shoulders to move her away, but I don’t make a move toward them. I hold out my hands, showing them just what I’m capable of.

  Fire springs to my hands, and at the same time, my hands shift into claws. “I know you guys are worried about me, but here’s the thing. You should be more worried about what I’m going to do to Talon’s maker when I get my hands on her. Because no one, and I mean absolutely fucking no one, touches what’s mine and gets away with it.”

  I let the flames die, absorbing the magic back into myself, glad it didn’t seem to cause too much of a drain. I take a step toward my parents with my hands outstretched, and my swords come to my intuitive call. “I’m not some weak vampire or wolf that will let someone walk all over me. I’m the first hybrid between our species, and now, I have witch abilities on top of all that. I don’t mean to sound cocky, but let’s face it, I have a reason to be confident. Talon himself has been training me...

  “I refuse to believe that he’s there of his own volition. If we get to the coven he’s staying at and he tells me to leave, then I will come back without a fight. But... if I find out he’s being held there against his will, I will make sure to destroy anyone who tries to keep him from me.”

  I turn my back on my mother, giving her time to process my words while I quickly strip, not caring that anyone sees me nude. They’ve pretty much all seen it at one point or another anyway. When I’m finished changing, now dressed in a tank top and jeans, I turn back around to see if my parents decided to stick around.

  Yep, they’re still standing there. As I stand there, their eyes quickly zero in on my chest and I realize my markings were hidden before by the baggy t-shirt I was wearing. Everyone in the outer room has started talking again now that the drama is over. It sounds like they’re planning how to get past airport security with weapons and such.

  “When did your ties come back?” my father demands, staring at Nikoli’s name on my chest, which is now darker than ever.

  I shrug and look over at Britt, who’s smiling with Torie’s arms wrapped around her waist. “Honestly, I’m not one-hundred-percent sure, but I think it was when I pulled Britt out of that other dimension. I felt a pain in my heart when it happened, but then later, after I put Britt down to rest, I felt different, better. Although earlier in the night, I also had a few moments where I could feel them, Talon included.”

  My mother looks like she’s thinking hard, her eyes blinking rapidly. It’s kinda freaky to watch, honestly. She finally seems to snap out of whatever trance she was in, and turns to me with a smile. “You have a rightful claim on Talon then. I won’t be able to go with you, because I’m a queen of a coven. To go into another’s territory without invitation from the queen, well, she could kill me for the offense without any fear of repercussions. But you haven’t been officially coronated as a princess, which gives you a loophole.” She nods to herself at that and begins pacing. I watch her for a moment, but then hear a knocking on the door to our suite.

  I roll my eyes, feeling annoyed. “What now?” I growl, striding past my mother and father, then the others as well, who are still discussing the logistics of our trip. Either they didn’t hear the door, or they just expected me to answer it.

  My hand grips the handle tightly, angry at being interrupted, and I fling the door open with more force than is really necessary. Surprise crosses my face when I see who’s standing on the other side of the door. My grandparents. But there’s something different about them. They hold themselves higher, and are more regal looking than the past few times I’ve seen them.

  “Hello, Emerald. I heard you needed a chaperone?”

  And with that, my grandmother pushes past me into the room. I step aside before my grandfather does the same. They walk straight into the middle of the room and I slam the door shut, less than thrilled to have them here. I stomp through the room, getting frustrated that everyone keeps interrupting my plans. I just want to get the fuck out of here.

  “Britt, so what’s the plan with the plane? Do we need to get fake passports, or do you think we’ll be able to just spell ourselves onto the plane?” I inquire, completely ignoring my grandparents as they go into my bedroom to talk to my parents, Nik, and Dev.

  Britt nods, looking down at the paper she’s been jotting notes down on. “We’re taking Nik’s plane to France. He owns a private jet and has a pilot’s license, so we should be able to get there easily without having to conceal our natures from too many
people. The hardest part is going to be spelling the customs workers into believing that none of our bags contain any weapons or blood. We may need to just use Nik’s camouflaging ability if it comes to it, but I’d rather we didn’t in case it wears him out.”

  I nod, making a mental note of each point as she goes down the list.

  “Lincoln wants to come with us, so he’s just making a call to his Beta, giving him leave to lead the pack until we get back. And as for my guys and me, we’ve got a few bags here that we’re going to take with us. But if we end up staying longer than a few days and really need to get more stuff, we have the funds to do so. Otherwise, one of my guys can whip up some magical clothes for everyone. Fingers crossed, though, that we can just get in, get Talon, and then make it back home without a problem.”

  “Sounds like a plan. Do you want some help grabbing your bags?” I ask, hoping to get out of here and out of whatever the hell my grandparents want. No matter what it is, I don’t want to be part of it.

  She notices the pointed look I send my grandparents’ way and sets the notebook down in front of Blaine. “You’re in charge, babe. I’ll go grab our bags.” Then she gets up and grabs my hand, leading me out of the suite before anyone can say anything or try to stop us. She leads me down the hall and into the elevator, which takes us down to the guest quarters.

  “Weren’t you on my floor?” I say in confusion.

  “Yeah, I was, but then I was worried that after the oath it would be harder for you and the guys to be so near each other, but not be able to touch physically. Moving to a different floor seemed like the best solution for everybody involved. But that’s something we’re going to have to work on for this trip, because I’m sure you and Blaine are going to start to be even more drawn to each other now.”

  Britt stops at the third door on the left and opens it to reveal a plain guest room. The only change they’ve made is moving the two beds together to create one large bed. Britt just waltzes inside, seeming completely unfazed. But after what she just said, I find it hard to believe she’s truly okay with the situation.