Awakened by the Vampire

by Holly Brookes

  “I can’t understand why I feel this way.”

  She blinked. “Because you’re disturbed?”

  He lowered his head to her neck, his sudden intrusion causing her to inhale sharply, her body tight. His touch rendered her weak, unable to move, unwilling to make him stop. When his breath caressed her skin, a gasp escaped her.

  “I just want to sink deep into you, to taste you. I can give you pleasure you’ve never experienced and you’ll only crave more. You’re mine, Madison.”

  His lips crashed onto hers, her thoughts lost in a swirl of endless need. A murmur tore through her throat, an unmistakable betrayal to her desire. The first taste of him and it was hot, unyielding. He broke the kiss, leaving her breathless and yearning to feel it deepened, for his tongue to taste hers.

  She swallowed, staring at him, shaken by the need tensing her body. Liam retreated, a ghost of a smile flitting across his face before he went to the door and closed it behind him. Her voice was lodged somewhere deep within where she couldn’t retrieve it. Only once he left did it return.

  “Stop playing around with me!”

  But her defiance was short lived. Arousal had left her anxious, an aching throbbing between her legs as she longed to feel what he’d proposed. She was a slave to this lust, an abnormal concept in itself.

  Trevor groaned and sat up, diverting her attention. “Thought I could catch him off guard. Don’t know if we can make it out of here.”

  “We have to escape, have to try something.”

  “You said we should wait. So we wait, see what this bastard wants.”

  Madison hesitated, no longer afraid of what Liam had planned but of how easily she’d surrender.

  Chapter Four

  Daylight became consumed by night. Shadows cast across the room, concealing every corner, heightening her doubts. The sunset had looked beautiful, the clouds fading from white to facets of orange and red. It was the first time she’d watched one since she was seven, sitting on her parents’ porch sucking on a lollipop as they argued in the kitchen, and a reminder time was passing by, ticking down to an indefinite fate.

  “Liam’s intent on having me. Maybe if I give myself to him, he’ll let us go.”

  Trevor gave a short laugh. “So this was all just a twisted form of foreplay.”

  Heat rushed to her cheeks, and she was grateful the dull lighting concealed her reaction. She’d managed to down a bottle of mineral water and a pressure intensified below, reminding her what needed to be done.

  She went to the door and knocked. “Liam? Bathroom break!”

  Nothing but silence. The doorknob moved. She waited, and when it opened, Liam stood before her.

  “Come. Don’t try anything. I can’t risk losing you.”

  Madison didn’t want to read into what he implied. She followed him outside the room, her heart racing as she entered the hall. A taste of freedom. She looked around, attentive for any chance to run.

  He led her up the hall as it sloped and opened out into a living room. Medium sized windows opened out to a view of the street. That ruled out being in the middle of nowhere, yet it struck her as odd that he’d chosen to keep them in a residential area. The room was nicely furnished with two white sofas, a coffee table and a fireplace. She noticed all the nature landscape paintings hanging on the yellow walls. It didn’t seem to fit with Liam.

  His eyes fell on her. She swallowed, wanting him to turn that intense gaze somewhere else. He gestured to a door. “Go ahead.”

  She dutifully moved, knowing there was no way to outrun him. But curiosity made her hesitate. It was the only chance to talk with him in hours.

  “Why do this? Why keep me here?”

  “You’re the one I want. Even you can’t deny what we have.”

  She faltered, a retort lost in the back of her mind. No, she really couldn’t. She yearned for him, that sculpted body, the bulge of muscles visible within his shirt. And his lips…now she understood how it felt to have your breath taken away by a kiss.

  Liam smiled, and it seemed so normal. Like the man she saw in the diner, the customer she couldn’t stop getting aroused by whenever he placed an order.

  She looked into his green eyes. “Tell me what’s going on. Please.”

  “The man you’re with, Trevor. He’s your ex-lover?”

  “Yeah. Emphasis on the ‘ex’.”

  “I can smell you on him. A heightened, possessive sense like that is uncommon for my kind. We thrive on the addiction of blood, we don’t get attached to any human emotionally, especially on sight.”

  Her mouth felt dry as she realized how close she was to the truth. “Not a werewolf?”

  “Vampire.”

  His casual admission left her bewildered. Her jaw slackened. “Oh, fuck. But…I’ve seen you during the day.”

  Yeah, that was great, when faced with the concept of paranormal beings, she had to cling to irrelevant logic.

  “Only direct sunlight kills. When it’s concealed by clouds, it’s risky but safe.”

  She swallowed. “Oh. So it’s real. You’re…a vampire.”

  His eyes bored into hers. When he stepped close, she couldn’t look away, struggling to understand the concept. Vampires were real. His lips parted and she stared in morbid fascination as his teeth elongated. Two distinctive flashes of white changed from a set of normal teeth to a pair of fangs.

  She wanted to run, but her body was still. As scary as he looked, he was enthralling because he wasn’t human. A creature she both feared and admired, imbued with a sensuality that was hypnotic.

  Liam lowered to her neck, his breathing slow. She shivered, unable to stop. Need tightened her pussy, her breathing as shallow as his. She angled her neck, wanting him to sink deep, to feel his lips on her skin as he pierced into her, taking what no one else could.

  “Madison!”

  Trevor’s voice cut through the silence. It broke her trance and she stumbled back, breathing heavily. “Stop it. Stop affecting me. I don’t want to be your next meal.”

  He smiled. His teeth were normal. “I don’t plan on eating you. Eating your pussy, maybe.”

  She gasped from his sudden bluntness, but it didn’t stop heat spreading across her skin. She didn’t realize she was slowly backing away until her shoes slammed into the couch. Liam wasn’t trustworthy, after all, he was a vampire. This was absurd.

  “Share with me what you’ll never find elsewhere. The pleasure, the heat of sex that’s so intoxicating and primal...”

  Madison swallowed, her voice wavering, his words igniting a longing to give in. “Sex with a vampire. That’s all this was about.”

  “You’ll succumb.”

  She wet her lips. “This was the offer.”

  He closed the distance between them. “I want you to know what I am and what that entails. This thing between us transcends logic. It’s undeniable and I’ve not felt this way for any woman. I know you feel the same.”

  “I feel an…attraction.”

  “It’s the greatest feeling you’ve ever felt, yet you hide from it. Why?”

  He’d cut right to the heart of her doubts. For a moment, she was lost for words. The connection was unexplainable and she couldn’t understand it. “I barely know you.”

  He smiled. “Take all the time you need to start. I’m not hiding who I am from you, or what I want. If this is too fast, I’ll give you space. But damn it, Madison, I’ve been giving you space since we met three months ago. I know I bring light to your eyes, that excitement. And I can’t hold back.”

  She swallowed. She was on the edge of something dark, oblivious to many, and it was both exciting and terrifying. Her breasts felt tight within her bra, aching to be released. Liam’s gaze devoured her body, his eyes already claiming her with a need that mirrored her own desire. He lingered on her breasts before moving to her lips, an act that felt physical.

  His eyes narrowed, need contorting his face with a look that sent her heart racing, wetness dampening her panties. She
struggled to focus on anything but how close he stood.

  He lowered to her neck, his breath touching her skin. “You’re a virgin.”

  “No,” she whispered, repressing the need to beg him to taste her. Her eyes slid shut, encasing her in the arousal that left her body alive, every part of her longing for his hands to grasp.

  “To a vampire you are. Untasted. Your neck is warm. The blood, the heat of your need, is calling to me. I just want to bury myself deep, take you until your body is sated.”

  His lips closed over her flesh. She gasped as he devoured her, his tongue skimming across the heat of her skin, his lips sucking gently, teasing and sparking a primal desire. She clung to him, her breasts pressed into his chest against his solid body, the curve of muscles. He felt so hard beneath her and the absence of warmth heightened every caress.

  His hands dug into her back, fingers grabbing with overwhelming hunger. She let him taste her, wet her skin as his kisses trailed across her neck. His hard cock buried against her stomach, its length allowing her to imagine how hot it would be if he filled her, balls deep.

  He parted his lips and she felt his teeth—his fangs—graze her skin. She hesitated, tensing.

  Liam released her, his brow furrowed. “You taste so fucking good.”

  Heat burned her face. If that was only the beginning…she clasped a hand to her neck, but felt nothing. He hadn’t bitten her, and it scared her to realize that she wanted him to. Even after learning what he was, she still longed for him.

  “I thought vampires had self-control.”

  “I’m learning things are different around you.” He smiled. “I’m a vampire of the Brooklyn Council. Every month during the full moon, one of the seven members is allowed to turn a human of their choice. I used it as an excuse to capture you.”

  She grimaced, but said nothing. As for the Council, she assumed them to be a regime. This was becoming a lot to wrap her mind around and registered it with a dull disbelief, with the clarity of a passing daydream.

  “The population has to be regulated to quell the chances of humans learning of our existence. I want you, and I’ll have you. There’s another world I can show you, so much to experience.”

  She raised her chin. “And if I don’t want to see it?”

  He smiled. “You do. It’s in your nature. The temptation to succumb to a darkness inside yourself. No restraints, no troubles, only endless pleasure.”

  Her body shivered involuntarily. A moment of weakness. She met his eyes and read the finality in his dead set expression. He was right. She’d throw everything away if it meant being with him. A foolish notion driven by lust. There was no sense or reason to it and that’s what made it forbidden. Exciting. So far from herself that she almost wanted to embrace it.

  It was so simple – she wanted Liam.

  “Succumbing to you means abandoning my control over my future.”

  “You’re the only instigator of your desires, Madison.”

  “I let Trevor become my path to breaking into law school. My mom funded half my tuition, I have an LSAT score of 161 and a scholarship but I need a year’s worth of savings to cover the fee. He was helping me. I don’t want to turn away from the possibility of following a high profile career. It’s my goal. I can’t be some waitress for the rest of my life, scraping by on minimum wage.”

  She didn’t know why she was telling him this. Maybe she’d finally reached breaking point.

  Liam’s eyes bored into hers, softening. “Many are. Life’s not about achieving, only acceptance of your capabilities, your situation and finding happiness.”

  She shook her head, aware of the undertone of his words. “No. I can’t accept this. None of it!”

  “You must. This isn’t easy for me, but believe that I’m trying to look out for you.”

  Her breaths came rapidly, her heart pounding loudly. “I’m not…”

  He suddenly lunged at her, his shoulder burying into her side until she was taken up in his arms, partially hanging over his back. Something shattered a window, the sound of glass breaking echoing in the night. She screamed.

  Liam ran, and he moved fast. She struggled against his hold. “What about Trevor?”

  “They’ll leave him.”

  She didn’t need to ask who he spoke of, for bullets ricocheted behind them as they emerged into the street, the crack of gunshots jolting her to awareness. Darkness concealed their escape. She clung to Liam, trying to raise her head to see their attackers.

  She heard them break the door, and knew they were entering the place, searching. They’d find Trevor. God, what would they do to him? But soon it was all far behind as Liam weaved through the streets, his breathing even, showing no sign of fatigue.

  He finally slowed to a stop. He grasped her waist and she slid away from him, her feet touching the ground. She adjusted her clothes and met his troubled gaze. She was breathless and shaking. “Who were they?”

  “Hunters. They’ve been tracking me, I took a risk when I got the pizza for you. Damn it.”

  “So much for humans not knowing you exist.”

  “We don’t kill them, not always. Feeding disrupts the memory of a human, they can’t fully understand what happened. But some who’ve lost family members know what the marks on the neck involve. They become vampire hunters.” He turned away. “The cops don’t always reach a body in time.”

  “The police know about you?”

  “Of course, but they won’t admit it for fear of reprisal by the Council. If too many learn of us, it tips the balance we’ve spent centuries to maintain.”

  Liam started to walk. Drawn to him, she followed. “But...I don’t understand.”

  “No, you don’t. Do you want to?”

  She swallowed, knowing what he was proposing. If she chose not to return to her own life, then hers would be entangled with Liam. Shouting tore her attention away from him. She looked toward the end of the street to see a group of people running closer.

  Liam grasped her arm. “This way.”

  Her legs burned as she tried to keep up with him. He barreled into a boarded up door and it crashed open, swinging off its hinges. The impact sent a jolt up her arm.

  She winced and followed him inside. “They’ll hear that.”

  “We’re away from the street. It’ll take time to find us.” He paused, the wail of sirens cutting through silence. “And the cops are on their way. That ends their hunt, for now.”

  “Why were the hunters using guns?”

  “They wanted to weaken me and capture you. I had to act first, it’s why I kidnapped you. I’ve been looking out for you.”

  She froze. So Liam had inevitably drawn her into a tangled web of danger. “Why do I matter to them?”

  “I’m a Council member, a rare target. And with you being the one I’ve taken an interest in, it means…they must be certain.”

  “About what?”

  He shook his head. “It’s not important right now.”

  “God, first I’m kidnapped by my date and now people are hunting me.”

  “You missed the revelation about vampires.”

  She caught the amusement in his tone and smiled. “I’m sure that hasn’t sunk in yet.”

  The sirens eased, fading into the distance. Liam still held her arm protectively. His grasp was gentle yet firm as if he feared losing her. She didn’t know what to make of his attentiveness, or this situation.

  “We can leave,” he decided.

  “You assume I’m coming with you.”

  “Are you not?”

  She hesitated. She couldn’t see herself without Liam, not after what she’d learned. “I wish I could refuse. But with hunters coming after me, being with you is probably safer.”

  Liam released her and she followed him. When they reached the street, he went to a car and pulled on the door. It broke open with the jarring sound of grating metal.

  “Get in.”

  She didn’t refuse. “Where are we going?”

&
nbsp; “Somewhere hunters won’t think of to look.”

  She watched as he tore open a panel and started weaving red wires together. He was hot wiring it. The engine sparked to life.

  Madison looked in the direction of the house he’d kept them in. “We should go back for Trevor.”

  “They’ll expect that. Six hours until sunrise. I don’t have much time.”

  She sat rigid, her mind going wild. So many thoughts. Was it a rational decision to join with a vampire who’d kidnapped her? But compared to the hunters, Liam wasn’t dangerous. He’d promised not to kill her and she believed he wouldn’t.

  They drove for several hours. Her gaze lingered on Liam’s profile, the last visage of his humanity before it had been taken from him, now frozen in time. Forever a reminder of what he once was. He couldn’t age, that was obvious, but there was still so much more to discover.

  “What was this process the Council set you on?”

  “Turning. I find a woman, keep her contained for three days, and then once she’s broken down and ready to listen, I reveal my existence. I make the offer, and it must be accepted in three days.”

  “Do you have a high success rate?”

  He paused. “No one’s refused me.”

  “Did you intend to make me a vampire?”

  “No. I wanted to keep the hunters from taking you, even if I had to go to such extremes. Trevor was going to be turned instead, throw them off my trail.”

  Madison swallowed. “He’d refuse.”

  “The Council would inevitably decide his fate.”

  Now Trevor was detrimentally scarred from what had happened. There was no going back for him, nor herself. Her mini breakdown earlier had conceded that. As Liam had said, she needed to accept the situation.

  The bright lights of New York sped by, endless roads, streams of illuminated traffic. The population unaware of what really moved around them - a hidden world, one that she couldn’t turn away from. The deeper she got involved with Liam, the harder it became to resist delving further.

  She was driven by helplessness over her situation but also curiosity, the innate desire to learn about these vampires and the Council. It was far more interesting than laws and regulations and the tedious boredom of normal life in comparison. She was secretly thriving on this. On being with Liam.