The Red Veil Diaries (Volumes 1-4)

by Marianne Morea

  “Of course, I brought it.” He gestured to the insulated container on the chair in front of the desk. “Gehrig drove with Bette last night to our compound in Ogunquit for the vials of oral antibodies.”

  Abigail didn’t comment, just followed his gaze to the essential package.

  “In fact with this new outbreak, Sean thinks an emergency supply should be kept here with you,” Dash added.

  “With me?” She raised an eyebrow.

  “Wow, Abby. Self-important, much? No, your majesty. Here as in kept with the vampire council. You already have the necessary facilities to store blood. You can house the serum, too. What Gehrig couldn’t find in any decent quantity was untainted blood. On such short notice, there wasn’t enough on hand. Your kind requires fresh blood infused with living antibodies. Lily is the original source, the healing font if you will, with the strongest antibodies of everyone.”

  He watched her face as she listened before continuing. “She will give each of the infected vampires an ampule of her blood when she and Sean return with Sébastien. There’s nothing better under the circumstances, and since the virus ravages living flesh much faster than it does the undead, your donors need our help, first.”

  Abigail couldn’t argue with facts, however much she wanted to. “Shall we, then?” She indicated with a nod toward the door.

  He swung his arm out for her to lead the way. Without so much as a blink, she turned and walked out of Finn’s office. Neither said a word as she moved through the hall to a door marked private.

  The lights snapped on automatically and he followed her down a curved set of stairs. It hit him then they were heading toward an isolated bunker, the lair for the vampire residents of this shadow house. He was outnumbered, and his shoulders tensed at the dangerous potential for this to go badly.

  Abigail stepped off the bottom stair into a spacious common room. There were no windows and no doors or at least none he could see. As Finn assured, the vampires were waiting. Some sat, others stood, but they all wore the same irritated expression and Dash’s body went into defensive mode.

  “Abigail, what is going on? Why have you dragged us from our leisure to be subjected to this inquisition, yet again?” one asked. “There is a rumor the donors are infected with HepZ. How is that possible?”

  She lifted her hand to stop the hum of complaints. “Our donors were screened, but somehow a small amount of tainted blood made it through to our stored blood. Most likely from the original outbreak. We have the situation well in hand, and the wolves have supplied the antiviral to administer to the donors, but the degree of vampiric exposure must be determined and dealt with. This is Sébastien’s command, not mine.”

  The grumbling vampire made a face. “And what are we supposed to do until the wolf cleans house? Starve?” His glare shifted to Dash. “That’s providing the wolves can do it properly this time.”

  Annoyed, Abigail fixed the vampire with an impatient look before answering his question with a shrug. “Stop whining. You will all do what vampires have done for millennia, but I caution you to hunt with care. We no longer have an ally in the police department to cover unintentional mistakes.”

  “What about intended mistakes.” The same vampire snickered, his question more of a sneer than a joke.

  A few others laughed, and the room buzzed with sudden excitement. He grinned flashing his fangs and high-fiving the male vampire standing to his side.

  “Hitting the clubs for fresh blood and young pussy, now that’s a remedy I can sink my teeth into.” He slid his eager gaze toward Dash. “So, wolf boy, where do you want us for the sniff test?”

  Dash’s jaw tightened and he turned on his heel toward the stairs, twenty sets of undead eyes following his angry stride.

  “Where are you going?” Abigail called after him.

  “Some place where I can breathe. The level of asshole down here stinks.”

  “You can’t go. You have orders from your alpha,” she shot after him.

  Dash stopped and pivoted around, his eyes blazing. “No one orders me to do anything, Abigail. I volunteered for this mercy mission and now I un-volunteer.” One corner of his mouth curled up in annoyance. “And you have the never to say my kind is lacking? Take a look in the mirror, honey. This room is choked with cold-blooded disrespect for life. I’d rather let you rot than lift a finger to help any of you.”

  With a snarl, the same eager vampire lunged for Dash, his fangs bared and his hands clawed ready to strike.

  Electricity skimmed across Dash’s skin, a slick burn penetrating deep into sinew and firing through synapses and nerves. His eyes shifted from soft brown to a glowing yellow and his muscles coiled and undulated beneath his skin.

  Thick, black fur rippled across his body and he flung himself upward with a snap of bone and ozone, his clothing in shreds as his body reshaped to a large black wolf.

  “NO!” Abigail shouted at them.

  The wolf launched himself at the vampire and the two collided in a twist of claws and fangs.

  Saliva dripped from the vampire’s lips. His long, sharp fingernails reaching for the wolf, digging into fur and flesh, but the beast was too strong. With a wrench of his large jaws, Dash sent the vampire crashing into the wall.

  Plaster crumbled, and glass from the entertainment system shattered to the floor in shards and jagged pieces.

  An audible wheeze left the vampire’s lungs on impact and blood dripped from his mouth and nose. He ran and arm across, smearing the dark crimson mess and his eyes darted to the enormous wolf.

  Dash advanced. His lips peeled back over his canines. He lowered his head in warning, snapping and snarling, but the vampire didn’t heed. The bloodsucker sprang from his squat by the wall to attack.

  Another vampire moved to circle in, but the first hissed, the sound slurring past his fully descended fangs. “He’s mine!”

  It was all the distraction Dash needed. He vaulted from muscular hind legs. His large paws hit the vampire square in the chest, knocking him back, only this time sharp canine’s sunk deep into the vampire’s cold throat, the sound of crushed cartilage and bone muffled in the wolf’s ears.

  The vampire gurgled, blood pouring from his wound as he tried to fight. With one violent jerk, Dash tore the undead’s head from his shoulders, throwing it against the ruined wall.

  A collective gasp shook the room, but no one else dared approach. Dash stepped off the vampire’s headless chest, black blood pooling beneath the severed stump.

  The wolf turned with a growl. His bloodstained lips pulled back over his teeth in warning to the others before his entire body quaked, reshaping to his human form.

  Naked and panting, he glared at Abigail daring her to speak. When she said nothing, he walked silent but deadly to the stairs, his body tight and smeared with blood-streaked sweat.

  

  Abigail’s eyes tracked Dash as he disappeared up the staircase, but she didn’t follow. Instead, she whirled to face the others. “Fools! All of you! Clean up this mess.”

  Her gaze moved to the shattered glass and the lifeless vampire decaying rapidly in the bloody gunge on the floor and walls. “And you will NOT call the donors for help. They are sequestered until further notice. Deal with it.”

  Ignoring their protests, she climbed the stairs after Dash. She needed to fix this and fast. How the hell was she going to explain to Sébastien if the wolves bailed?

  Finn stood in the hallway outside the entrance to the private den, his eyes furtive and blinking.

  “Where is he?” Abigail demanded.

  “I…I put him in the only empty suit left on the first floor.” He motioned toward the staircase and then led her up, reluctantly waiting beside the closed door as she knocked.

  “Dash! We need to discuss this.”

  No answer.

  She exhaled. This did not bode well for either of them. Curving her finger over her lip, she glanced sideways to Finn. “You’re the proprietor. Use the master key.”

&
nbsp; He fumbled in his pockets, excuses and apologies flying.

  “Oh for heaven’s sake!” She wrapped her hand around the doorknob and twisted. A quick snap of metal and the door snicked open.

  She pushed on the broken lock, swinging the door just enough for her to see Dash standing by the window. The muscles in his back and arms still coiled and tight telling her to approach with care.

  His fingers curled in and out, but when she called his name again his hands stilled, and he slanted his head to the side as though willing to listen.

  Wrong time, wrong place, but the scent of him took over and her eyes swept his naked body. She licked her lips. Wide shoulders tapered in thick muscled ropes to a narrow waist and his solid buttocks fed into strong thighs and long legs. It was all she could do to keep her fangs to herself.

  “Finn, find the wolf suitable clothing and then get out. There are matters to be discussed. We are not to be disturbed.” She shot the man a look that said immediately if not sooner, and then dismissed him outright.

  The nervous proprietor bobbed his head, and neither she nor Dash moved until he came back with a pair of sweatpants and a sweatshirt. Finn swung the door closed behind him, first snatching the do-not-disturb sign to hang on the broken lock.

  “This is the best we could do for now,” Abigail gestured to the clothing Finn laid out on the bed.

  Dash didn’t reply.

  “No one here is a big as you, so no shoes. Sorry. I’ll call a car service to take you home when we’re done here.”

  “Don’t do me any favors.” Dash’s tone was low, but severe.

  “I’m not. You still have a job to do. This is vampiric culture, Dash. Our way of life. You don’t have to like it, and quite frankly I don’t care if you disapprove, but you will respect it.”

  At the word respect, he gave her his full attention, turning completely around.

  Mouth dry, Abigail couldn’t take her eyes from him. He was magnificent. His anger enhanced the smell of his natural musk beneath the rush of adrenaline in his blood and her mouth watered. That coupled with the lingering scent of his recent phase made her head swim. She inhaled and her body reacted. Slick wetness gathered between her legs and her nipples ached. She wanted him so badly she could taste it.

  “You find my kind repulsive, yet you demand I respect you and yours. You’re a cliché, Abigail. A fraud. From your glamor-goth, cosmo-chic vamp look to the bullshit defenses you surround yourself with. You don’t find me distasteful, Abby.”

  “I told you not to call me that.”

  Paying no attention, he continued. “In fact, it’s the complete opposite. All you can think about is how I taste. My blood. My cock. Right now you’re so preoccupied with me you can’t see straight.”

  Abigail smoothed the front of her fitted blouse, ignoring Dash’s unwavering stare, but she couldn’t keep her gaze from drifting to his groin.

  Dash’s cock thickened at the unconscious shift in her body language, and she knew her pupils spread dark and dilated in clear arousal, the evidence of her grudging desire.

  That was all the invitation he needed. The feel of his body was pumped. Every lust-driven trigger tightened its hold on the need for release as he grabbed her around the waist.

  “Wait—” Her hesitation was half-hearted and she knew it.

  He didn’t let her finish, instead he crushed his mouth to hers. He bit her lip, sucking it into his mouth before drawing his tongue along the tender ridge. “Say it, Abigail. Tell me you want me.”

  The taste of him filled her, sending her senses reeling. She sucked in a breath, gasping at the raw need and the visceral feel of him coating her tongue.

  She licked the tender flesh beneath his jaw, and the flavor of the dead vampire’s blood mixed with Dash’s sweat left her head dizzy and her mouth watering for more.

  Emotions tore through her. The one time she gave of herself and expected love in return, her tenderness was shoved back in her face. She’d lived the rest of her existence fighting the leftover worthless feeling, never good enough to love, so she demanded respect instead. Sex was a tool. Nothing more.

  Memories tormented and harassed. Push him away. Rip him to shreds. An eye for an eye, a head for a head. But she didn’t. Instead, she shoved her fingers through his hair, urged his kiss deeper.

  A haze of red lust covered her and she fisted Dash’s hair, yanking his head to the side exposing his throat.

  Her fangs descended piercing her lip, and the taste of her own blood fueled her frenzy. She drove razor tips into his jugular, gulping as his hot coppery blood filled her mouth.

  Dash moaned, and her lip curled in satisfaction as warm, crimson rivulets ran over her chin. Without warning he yanked himself away, the punctures on his throat raw and bleeding.

  “Heal the wounds or I’ll end you, permanently.”

  Excitement raced through her at the dangerous gold ringing his intense stare, and Abigail grabbed the sides of his head, only this time licking the torn flesh and veins, sealing them.

  She let go and stepped back. Her tongue darting to lap at the bloodstained corners of her mouth. “Not bad for a wolf.”

  The yellow halo spread and Dash growled low, his pupils dark and as dilated with arousal as hers. His cock jerked, and he clutched her shoulders to spin her around, reaching for the long, antique letter-opener from the writing desk against the wall. He wrapped his hand around the scroll-worked handle before pushing Abigail face first onto the bed.

  One tug shoved her skirt to her waist, the clingy fabric bunching at her lower back, exposing her completely.

  Her ass was gorgeous. Like the finest marble, rounded smooth and firm with a tiny piece of black lace trailing the seam of her crack. Holding her down, he snapped her thong, tearing it with a single twist of his thumb and forefinger.

  “Hey! That was expensive!”

  Whack! The flat edge of the long, blunt letter-opener smacked her firm ass. She sucked a breath through her teeth and her body tensed.

  The scent of her wet pussy made Dash’s nostrils flare and he smirked. “You like it rough, don’tcha, vamp-girl?” Slap! The flat of the blade struck her again.

  A moan left her mouth and she arched up onto her knees, her fingers curling into the bedspread as her belly and thighs flexed taut.

  He took the pointed tip of the dull opener and drew it across the white globe of her bottom, tracing the rising red welts in her cold flesh. To his surprise a thin line of thick blood formed, seeping in a delicious drip down the porcelain curve toward her crack.

  Already buzzed from the vampire blood swallowed in the fight, Dash’s inhibitions drained and his need intensified. With a deep rumble, he dropped the blunt tool to the floor and gripped Abigail’s hips, his tongue trailing her tempting crack, lapping at her blood.

  She moaned at the rasping feel, sliding her knees up to invite him to her luscious ass. His fingers dug into her cold, soft flesh and he spread her wide, dipping in to lick her wet folds.

  On all fours, she threw her head back, grinding her slick pussy into his mouth. He pushed her thighs apart and ran his hand along the inside curve, slipping his fingers over her taut nub as he plunged his thumb deeper.

  In a flash he flipped her onto her back and without missing a beat, little stings from his teeth on her clit and soft pink folds sent her over the edge, her legs quivering as her orgasm crashed through her body.

  Dash tore his mouth away and she snarled, ready to dig her fingers into his hair and shove his face back to her pussy. Demanding snarls turned to whimpers as his thumb took over, working her wet slit while he stroked his cock with his other hand.

  A feral growl left his mouth and the untamed sound rippled over her skin. She bucked, riding his hand until he pulled away to plunge his cock deep into her hot, waiting flesh.

  At the slick tight feel of her walls, his member swelled, his head bulging, stretching her until she cried out with pain and pleasure.

  Abigail’s body spasmed against the ha
rd length of him, her skin, electric beneath his hand, beneath the heat pouring off his body.

  He rode her hard, thrusting against her sweat sheened skin, the sweet sting of each slap adding to the merciless tension. She wept blood tears, her body spread wide and betraying her each time she exploded in climax.

  Dash reared back with a howl, his cock corded and tense with the need for release. He held her still, burying his thick shaft to his balls. Hot jets pumped deep, and pleasure spasmed through his cock and into his lower belly as her inner walls milked him dry.

  Abigail shuddered. Every nerve ending shivering with pleasure, every cell tingled with living warmth, the kind she hadn’t felt since she was human.

  Her body quivered in aftershock and then the tension ebbed, but Dash’s body held her hostage.

  “Get off me!” An indignant half-snarl, half-whimper left her mouth and she reached out, her fingernails scoring his face and shoulder, but his swollen head refused to let go.

  Slowly he moved his hips, working his still engorged sex, emptying every last drop into her tender flesh.

  She reached for him again, and this time she caught his wrist and yanked him forward, sinking her teeth into the blue veins of its tender underside.

  His blood coated her tongue and her clit pulsed with the copper taste laced with sex and sweat. She cried out again, her body shivering with the intensity until his cock relented and released its hold.

  They fell forward together on the bed, spent. She licked his wrist sealing the wound, rasping every last drop from his skin, her shoulders shaking with unshed sobs.

  Shocked at the unexpected show of emotion, Dash reached to for her, but she slapped his hand away.

  “Abigail?”

  She shrugged him off, scuttling from beneath his weight. A ragged breath tore from her mouth and she wiped her few tears on the back of her hand.

  He reached for her again and this time she turned on him.

  “Don’t touch me,” she ground out.

  “Come on, Abigail. Don’t be that way.”