Hunger Embraced (The Hunger Series)

by Jennifer James

  Well, dawn would have to come sometime. I plopped down on the ground to give my feet a rest from the bitter cold and let my butt get frozen instead. I tucked my knees up to my chin and settled in to wait.

  Chapter Ten

  Shocks of pain reverberated up my legs. Running on cobblestones had ripped the soles of my feet to shreds. They were healing, but I didn’t have the luxury of sitting around with them elevated. Every step reopened the scrapes and put pressure on the bruises. Sneakers would have been more comfortable than boots, but I needed a place to hide the keys Lane left me. The key ring slid down the space between my jeans and the leather shaft nice and cozy.

  Worry for Daniel curdled my stomach. There were too many variables for what could have happened to him. Prisoner, execution, torture… He could be chained to a wall somewhere right now or hundreds of miles away. I had no way to know. The thought bothered me more than I wanted to admit.

  I headed down Fairmount Boulevard toward my father’s mansion—twelve thousand square feet of understated wealth set way back from the road with a converted carriage house.

  The house appeared empty. I walked right up to the front door and tried the knob. Unlocked. I stepped into the two-story foyer. My feet echoed on the slate floors as I wandered from room to room until I found myself in the kitchen at the back of the house. The door to the basement hung open.

  I trailed my fingers over the knives on the counter, wondering where I could hide one. I’d probably hurt myself with it. Daniel needed to get busy training me when we escaped. We were getting out.

  A buzz of energy tingled over my skin, and I turned to see a female vamp standing in the doorway. Her skin was gray and her clothes and hair were stained and dirty, but she was familiar. Perhaps she belonged to my father’s coven. I had no idea.

  “You are expected. Come.” Her soft, ragged voice carried across the space between us, and I had to strain to hear it. When she turned to head back down the stairs, I stared at her hard, trying to see her aura. It looked wrong. Thin and full of holes. Like a used-up tissue.

  She descended on silent feet. Maybe those knives were a good idea. I selected one a little larger than a steak knife with a curved blade and tucked it into the top of my boot. I stepped into the basement doorway. She disappeared from view, but that didn’t mean I wasn’t being watched.

  Crap on toast. A low-level hum built of energy swelled out of the stairwell. I’d never met a vampire with an aversion to the sun before. At least the enclosed stairs would keep hands from busting under the riser and grabbing my ankles. I kept one hand on the wall next to me and took my time going down. I’d never been in this part of the house before and had no idea what to expect. My heart beat triple-time, and the urge to vomit rose. I swallowed it down and concentrated on not falling on my face.

  The vampire waited for me, staring straight ahead like a mannequin. She turned to her right and walked into a room lit by a low, flickering source.

  Let me get out of this alive. Don’t make me have public sex. And please, please, please, don’t make me stay down here. I think I’ve been doing penance for a really long time, and I could use a damned break already.

  When I stepped through the doorway, my breath caught. A raised dais, huge chair, and long tables off to each side dominated the end of the room. Hundreds of candles and old-fashioned oil lamps lit the space. I wondered if my father had had the room set up this way or if the arrangement was new. Vampires stood, crouched, and lounged everywhere. The pressure of their gazes hit me with the crushing weight of a hammer to the skull.

  Images of sex spun through my brain fast and hard. There were so many starving vampires in the room that the mental onslaught drove me to my knees. Yet my body responded with a gush of moisture to my pussy, inner muscles clenching in anticipation. Phantom hands caressed me—up and down my thighs, breasts, lips, neck, I felt the graze of fangs and ghostly fingers. The smell of musk filled my nose, and sweet pressure brushed my clitoris followed by a sharp, stinging smack on my ass.

  “Ah! Stop! Please stop…” I croaked the words and curled on the floor around my abdomen, panting from the horrible sharp pain between my eyes and the throbbing between my legs. They were all so hungry, so very, very hungry.

  “So, it’s true. We had not believed Phillipe would be so neglectful of his duties. And yet here you are. The proof of his folly.” I managed to grind my face against the carpet and look toward the voice. It was strangely melodic and had no place coming from the mouth of the creature that addressed me. “Of course, he was ridiculously easy to dispose of. And this coven? Pathetic, really. So weak, so bloated on beauty and fleshly pleasures.”

  The face possessed the sharp lines and features of a vulture. He had a bald head with a narrowish, long nose. Blue veins crisscrossed beneath his frail-looking skin. Terrible, yellow eyes met mine across the hall, and I shuddered.

  He could only be an Empath. I’d heard the Feelers began to resemble the nature of the emotions they fed on, but this…this was a horror I could not have imagined.

  Fear.

  He fed on fear and horror. He must. Feeding on those emotions would leave a body twisted and malformed like his.

  I squeezed my eyes shut against the sight of it, of him, and I clamped my arms around my head, trying to cradle it and muffle the moans escaping my lips. My body rocked between pleasure and pain.

  “That is enough. She is untrained and has not completed her Blooding. This demonstration will end now.” I recognized the voice, even if it held a coldness and contempt I’d never have imagined him capable of.

  I opened my eyes and rolled them up to take in Daniel’s face set in hard, angry lines and thinned lips. His aura crackled with blue fire in a swirling nimbus. He wore dress slacks and a button-down shirt. Even his hair looked business like, combed back from his forehead in that universal guy hairdo. He looked imposing—scary even. The surfer boy I’d shoved out my door, the one who’d fed me spruced up pizza and wandered around his apartment in gym shorts, was replaced with a persona I didn’t recognize.

  “I see you found some product,” I whispered. He flicked his attention to me for a second, no more, then turned back to the Feeler.

  Something happened then, something changed in the room, because I could breathe and smell only the wool of the carpet under my nose. My body lost the tingles and caresses, but my head still pounded.

  Daniel lifted me from the floor without any visible effort. He cradled me to his chest, and I inhaled the salty, sweet smell clinging to his skin.

  He was more powerful than I’d thought. They listened to him, obeyed him although this was not his kingdom. I don’t think it was my father’s anymore either.

  I swiveled my head around at the sound of rustling fabric behind me. Had the Feeler done it on purpose, gained my attention through a petty trick of sound rather than addressing me directly?

  “What is your purpose here today? Why have you come before our court without invitation or compulsion?” The ugly monster settled into the throne and clasped his hands in front of his chin.

  That seemed important somehow, those words. They were carefully chosen and delivered precisely. I tried to raise my head to take in the look on Daniel’s face but couldn’t. I couldn’t even deliver a thought to him with the headache throbbing through my forehead and wrapping around to the base of my skull.

  “I came seeking my father. Recent events led me to believe it was time to reconcile our relationship.” I pitched my voice low, but I was sure he heard—whoever he was.

  “Your father has been replaced. He lost his hold here as ruler.” The vampire held his hand up, pointing at himself. “We are the leader of this coven now. You may address us as my lord or my lord Stephan.” He leaned forward, putting both hands on the arms of his massive chair. The beady eyes burned a hole into my head. “Only a member of the coven or an emissary could pass the ward lines around the property. That means you, by deed and blood, are a member of this coven and as such fall unde
r our rule.”

  “I don’t think so.”

  For the first time, I acknowledged my agreement with the voice in my head and had to stop a nod. Screw this guy. I struggled in Daniel’s grip until he set me on my feet with a disapproving glare. Yeah? Well, he could bite me. I’d screwed up and hadn’t waited for him to call me, but he didn’t know about the severed head and hands in my refrigerator or that my sex maniac stalker was going to kidnap me soon if I didn’t sort my shit out.

  Even if I really was considered a member of this coven and under Ugly’s rule, Daniel and Adrian both asserted that I was Adrian’s mate. So he’d probably come for me if Stephan took me prisoner.

  My knees wobbled, but I managed to straighten up and keep one hand on Daniel’s elbow. I swallowed a snide remark. Daniel’s skin thrummed with barely contained fury and fear. The fear surprised me and gave me pause. I chose my next words with care.

  “I came seeking my father, nothing more. I am a human with no affiliation to this coven beyond my parentage, hence my ignorance of the political structure of this court.”

  The Feeler’s eyebrows had practically crawled into the strings of hair still attached to his head when I finished speaking.

  “We will remind you one time and one time only. You will address us by our title or face punishment. Regardless of how you view yourself, you are a member of this coven and a vampire. One does have to wonder why a Chosen Childe would refuse to acknowledge their superior nature to that of beasts, beasts that are little more than vermin. Your blood will bear witness to that if you require further proof beyond the power you have harnessed in your unworthy form.”

  I opened my mouth and almost stuttered out an enraged reply when Daniel’s hand tightened on my arm just hard enough to hurt.

  “As I said before, my Lord, she has not completed the ceremony, and we are aware of her upbringing.” The dripping sarcasm in his voice pissed me off. I stomped his foot. He shook me and ignored my futile attempts to reclaim my arm.

  “Shhhhhh…stop.”

  I started and tried not to let my face betray what I thought I’d just heard. A new voice. Not the female one I was used to—a tiny whisper from Daniel. I almost thought I had imagined it, but I stopped struggling and stood still, staring at the floor and fuming.

  “That’s better. Trust me. Hold still and be quiet.”

  It was him. I didn’t feel any better about the situation or his choice of words. Like I was some kind of disobedient dog who needed its master to come out and discipline it. The disparaging remarks had stung my pride.

  “Yes, well, that can be remedied, can it not? All the necessary implements are here. All the court is in attendance.” Stephan paused, and when I looked up to meet his eyes with fury blazing out of mine, he snorted and leaned against the back of the throne. “We heard you did not like the idea of a public ceremony, although we gather you have not become so picky about your…proclivities…in recent years.”

  A hush of laughter ran through the room, and my cheeks heated, along with every other inch of exposed skin.

  “As a gesture of our goodwill, we will grant you a private ceremony with only one of our choosing and a Guardian to ensure it is completed. And then you will appear before us to pledge your loyalty to this court, or we will be forced to take measures to ensure your compliance.”

  He sounded like one of those men who beat his wife while telling her all the many reasons it was all her fault. Yeah, right. My father may have told me to complete the ceremony, but I wasn’t ready to let go of my humanity. My chances of getting out of here at all were whittling down to slim and none.

  “I can’t do it, Daniel.” I whispered the words into his shoulder, knowing many of the vampires in the room would be able to hear it anyway. He shifted his weight, brushing his hip against my waist. Too briefly, but I knew weakness would be exploited, and he wanted to warn me against showing anything to the beast in charge.

  Some of the beings—I couldn’t think of them as people—were so beautiful it hurt to look at them. But the others, oh Goddess, the others… I tried not to focus on them and stared instead at the woman behind the throne and slightly to the right. Short and curvaceous, with fuck-me lips that glinted in the candlelight in a dark crimson red, she swayed on her feet back and forth to a rhythm only she heard.

  At first, I thought she wore lipstick. Then a lazy dribble ran over her lower lip and onto her chin. Stephan followed my gaze and strolled over to her. He stepped in to her left and caught the underside of her jaw in one extra long finger, leaned in, and licked the substance off in one smooth swipe. I looked around for the source when I realized it was blood. For it to be that fresh a bleeding human was somewhere nearby. The low light provided by the candles hid more than it revealed, creating pools of shadow in the corners and under the tables. No humans I could ferret out other than me.

  I wrinkled my nose. The whole spectacle disgusted me. She continued to spit the fluid out and allowed it to drip onto her chest. Perhaps she was lacking a few marbles or under some kind of spell. Her expression never changed, mouth half open, eyes staring straight ahead. I shivered. I knew that if I didn’t play my cards right, I might find myself in a similar situation. The Feeler would stand us back there like statues or artwork, possessions on display until our services were required.

  “Veronica is special to us. As you are special to us.” He turned his attention back toward me, sucking the tips of his fingers. “If your father had not interfered so long ago in Venice, we would not be here today, scrounging on scraps.”

  He clamped his hand on Veronica’s jaw until she collapsed to her knees, cringing and shirking away. No sound left her mouth, even though her skin mottled under his fingers from the pressure. The blood continued to flow in a slow, unending stream. Either her self-control was that good or she’d been conditioned to silence. I’d never manage that kind of discipline. Pity filled me for her predicament and added more fuel to the fire to get my ass out of there at the earliest opportunity.

  The weight of the knife in my boot offered a measure of reassurance. They wouldn’t take me without someone getting their ass stabbed. I’d make sure of it.

  “Venice?” The word tumbled from my lips before I could stop it. I clamped my lips closed to try to stop anything else from escaping.

  Word vomit will not help the situation. Get your shit together. The more scared you get, the more powerful he gets.

  The terrible, yellow eyes narrowed, and he spun toward me on one heel. “You forget we can sense the emotions rolling off you like a fresh summer wind. Veronica had the same sort of rebellion in her veins once. It only took us twenty-two years, eight months, sixteen days, nine hours, and forty-six minutes to break her. We do enjoy a challenge.”

  His features melted and ran, filling out in some places and shrinking in others. He became taller, broader shouldered, muscular, and swarthy. The visible skin darkened to an even olive tone and black, loosely curled hair sprouted from his bald scalp. A wide grin spread across beautiful, masculine features, showing off white teeth behind full sensual lips.

  She blinked and released a strangled moan when he turned to her, making no attempt to rise.

  “This is one of her favorites. We know Adrian came to see you, Miranda. We wonder if you are regretting now that you did not go him instead of coming here.” He tapped his lower lip and stopped a few inches in front of me. Stephan turned toward Veronica and shook his head. “How do you feel about that, Veronica? He fucked her, my dear.” She made no indication she’d heard him. He directed his attention back to me. “All that untapped power, and all you had to do was go to Adrian. You let fear and childish infatuation lead you astray. The young are so easily manipulated.”

  Muffled, dry laughter swept the room again, but this time I felt no embarrassment, only anger, clean and burning. He inhaled, and a tugging sensation nibbled at the edge of my aura when he siphoned some of it away—feeding. I had no choice but to stare at his chest or crane my head to l
ook him in the eye. My tattered pride refused to let me stare at him there. I may have betrayed my fear to these creatures, but that didn’t mean I was their slave. I lifted my eyes to meet his and saw through the façade. He had manipulated his aura, not his flesh. The disgusting bird-like appearance still existed behind a black haze edged in purple and pea green.

  I redirected my glare, determined not to feed him even more, and skimmed over the faces around the room. I wanted to see if any of the others masked themselves in a similar manner. None of them looked any different, no matter how hard I tried to strip them of their veneer of civility. The grotesques among them all had the same black haze surrounding their bodies, an absence of some kind. Like their auras had been taken away, and all that remained was a psychic black hole.

  My gut clenched. I swallowed to fortify my nerves and looked to my right at Daniel. His aura still blazed before me, so beautiful I had to narrow my eyes against the glare. Goddess he was gorgeous and so good. Not a drop of ugliness on him. Only pure, swirling lights danced and swayed around him and through him. Blue dominated his aura, but streamers of purple, gold, and hints of orange sparked and died almost as soon as I saw them. Orange. He was anxious—nervous. I wondered if anyone else could see it but me. Perhaps not. He controlled his emotions so well. I bet he could have tamped that down as well.

  I slipped my hand into his larger one and squeezed it. I wasn’t exactly sure of the rules to the game or whose side he was on. The gold—a color that to me meant integrity and resolve—helped me decide to trust him to get me through the next few hours. After that, I’d wing it. Sorta like right now.

  “You’re a delusional old prick, you know that?” I let my contempt show on my face and curled my upper lip.

  Daniel possessed the stillness of a statue beside me, not moving or breathing. The entire room seemed to be poised on a great precipice, as though a breath had been inhaled and held.