Bastian’s grip tightened even more when hands grabbed him from behind and he was yanked away from Victoria’s body. Two vampires tackled him to the ground, pinning him there as he snarled, pushing off both of them. They were weak and his rage had hit is highest point. Eyes flaring red like a demon’s in the night, he yelled and plunged his fist straight up through one of their chests. His hand squeezed the vampire’s heart until it turned to dust in his hands. The other grabbed Bastian’s other arm and ripped and scratched, trying to tear it from his shoulder, but Bastian was faster.
He drove himself off the ground and bit the vampire’s throat, blood spurting around. Bloodlust filled Bastian. With both attackers dead, he straightened once more to find Victoria holding the blade to Catherine’s neck.
“You were mine first! If I cannot have you,” she snapped, “then you will wander this world alone.”
Catherine’s eyes met Bastian’s and it was as if time stood still. He was too far away to reach her. He barely moved a step when the blade was dragged across her neck and blood spilled from the wound.
“No!”
Bastian threw himself at Victoria, his hands squeezing her face as she screamed, struggling to get free. He pressed harder and her skull cracked and shattered between his palms. With a hard twist, he yanked it free from her body and tossed it onto the fire.
The stench of blood and death drew Bastian’s gaze to Catherine and he crawled to her body lying on the dirt, her hands around her throat trying to staunch a wound he could not heal.
“Catherine, I’m so sorry my love,” he said, his throat closing on a sob as he watched her struggle to stay alive. Her eyes widened, piercing his desperate gaze as he smoothed back her hair, holding her close against him. “I’m so sorry.”
She tried to speak, but the words couldn’t make it past the blood drowning her.
Bastian.
Her voice was so weak and his heart clenched painfully in his chest. She did not have long to live.
“No,” he whispered, “you will not leave me. I will not allow it!” He prayed she would forgive him the pain he was about to cause as he lifted her throat to him. Her hands fell limp to the side as her heartbeat slowed. His mouth covered the open wound at her throat and he dug his fangs into her skin. Her body shuddered against him, but his grip only tightened.
He drained her, letting her blood fill his body, it tasted sweeter than he ever thought it could be. There was something else within it, a presence he’d never felt before in any of those he turned. When her heart stopped and her body was nearly empty, he lowered her back to the ground, her eyes closed. He used his fangs to tear his wrist and held it over her mouth.
“Drink Catherine,” he whispered. “You must drink. Come back to me, please.”
Her lips did not close around his wrist, but his blood drained into her mouth. He massaged her throat, willing it to work and though he sensed his blood filling her, still she did not open her eyes.
“Bastian, enough,” Tula whispered behind him, laying a hand on his shoulder. “You will drain yourself dry.”
“I have to bring her back,” he choked and pressed his wrist harder against her mouth. “I cannot lose her!”
“You must let her go. Not everyone can be saved.”
Bastian growled, snapping his jaws at Tula until the older vampire backed away. Bastian lifted Catherine up, rocking her in his arms as tears filled his eyes. “You can’t leave me,” he whispered, kissing her bloodstained face. “Catherine, my love, fight it. You must come back to me.”
But her throat did not swallow, her body did not convulse, and her eyes did not open. A howl poured from his mouth, his whole body shaking as he held his dead beloved in his grasp. Why had this happened? He had found his happiness, found the life he wished to have and it was stolen from him once again, by the monster who took away his chance with his first love.
He quieted down, gently laying Catherine’s body flat on the ground. He kissed her delicate lips one final time, resting his forehead against hers before he stood, glaring across the fire. Haddie had stayed near the tree the whole time, but now instead of looking bored she appeared to be curious.
“What do you want?” he snarled. “Is this enough entertainment for you?”
“It is curious,” she said quietly. “You truly love this mortal. Fascinating.”
Bastian growled and stepped towards her, but Tula blocked him with a hand to his chest. “Why have you come? You wish to take me to your master?”
“He is not my master,” Haddie snarled before her face turned to a curious smile once again. “However, I do feel that you are more willing to meet him…now that your beloved is dead at your feet.”
“His doing,” Bastian snapped. “And I will kill him for it.”
“Yes,” Haddie mused. “Yes, I was hoping you would say that.”
Bastian frowned. “You want me to kill him?”
“Someone must and I am afraid that even as old as I am, I cannot do it alone.”
“There are only two of us,” Tula argued. “We cannot take on a man who has raised an army.”
Bastian heard rustling behind him, but did not take his eyes from Haddie. Her gaze drifted from Bastian’s eyes to over his shoulder and finally she pushed away from the tree, stepping towards him.
“Four, there are now four of us and I have a feeling four will be plenty.”
A deep growling issued from behind Bastian and he turned slowly. His eyes widened, flaring in sudden recognition of the one he created, her gaze piercing his own. “Catherine.”
“Bastian.” She stood before him, slashed throat stitching itself back together, blood stained body and dress, and grinned darkly, flashing new fangs in her mouth. She took one step towards him before he rushed to hold her in his arms, devouring her mouth with his as she pressed himself hard against her. She had survived and she would be his for eternity.
“Well, isn’t this a happy day,” Haddie said quietly.
“Burning,” Catherine whispered against Bastian’s lip. “Need blood.”
Bastian kissed Catherine deeply once more. He leaned back to take in her face, her red eyes glowing with her newfound hunger. “I know, my love.” His hand slipped into Catherine’s and he pulled her into the jungle. “Come, it is time for you to hunt.” Catherine squeezed his hand, her grin flashing those fangs and sending a jolt of warmth through his cold body.
As they left the dead vampires and fire behind, Tula and Haddie following close behind, Bastian swore he heard the old vampire whisper, “She is stronger than him.”
Fighting for Love
Chapter 1
The night always made Catherine nervous as a child, out in their tiny village, surrounded by so many mysterious shadows and open moors with their howling wolves. Growing up on stories of fairies and other creatures going bump in the night made her wary of ever being out alone after nightfall on the off chance one of those stories ever came true. Never did she believe that one day she would be the monster roaming the night, not scared at all of being attacked because now she was the one hunting her prey from the shadows.
She was the predator her mother warned about in all those stories.
Everything came to life around her, sounds and smells she had never noticed before overwhelmed her senses and though she wanted to stop and experience every little detail, the burning in her throat was excruciating. If she did not feed soon, she worried what she would do. The thought of taking a human life thrilled and terrified her and her mind echoed with the warning voice again. The darkness was near. She stood at the edge of the abyss, waiting to see if she would tumble headfirst over into that darkness or find a way to remain who she was. Would she turn into another Victoria? Lose what humanity remained within her and care so little for human life?
“Catherine.”
She stopped and stared at the man beside her, his hand feeling warm in hers since they were the same now. He squeezed it hard and her eyes slid up to meet his. Before, he ha
d been handsome, desirable, and drew her to him easily. In this moment, it took everything she had not to tackle him to the ground from want. She had waited too long to be in his arms and grew tired of being patient. But the burning in her throat was too strong and her empty stomach clenched, needing to be filled just like the rest of her.
His lips twitched and she caught sight of his fangs, the hunger for more than blood flaring to life in his eyes. Could he smell her desire as she smelt his? She saw the way his pupils subtly dilated and his body turned towards hers. He tucked her hair behind her ear and sighed. “Later, love, first you must feed or the burning will drive you mad.”
At the mention of feeding she growled, surprising herself at the sound. She wasn’t used to it yet, but found she liked hearing it issue from her body. After being the prey for so long at the hands of Victoria, she was the strong one. If only that horrible woman had lived long enough to see Catherine return from the dead, then she could have killed her instead of Bastian. The very idea of Victoria’s blood covering her hands made her growl again, but this time with pleasure.
Bastian eyed her, but did not ask. Instead, he gently turned her away from him to face the darkness. “Take a deep breath and use your senses,” he told her. “Track your prey.”
“This island is void of souls, Bastian,” she growled, inhaling deeply. The humid air filled her lungs, the sensation strange since she no longer needed the air to breathe, but with it came the sweet stench of the tropical fauna around her, the musky mud and dirt beneath her feet. The salty tang of the ocean water was so sharp it made her gag and Bastian chuckled beside her.
“It will take time,” he told her quietly. “Find your prey, Catherine. It does not need to be human to sustain you. That will come later when we have time to reach a town. For now, a warm blooded mammal will do.”
She wondered, as she tried to focus on her future prey, if it would be hard to drain someone of their blood, but when she sucked in another deep breath, a new smell hit her nose and she whipped her head to the right. Her lip lifted in a snarl and a moment later, Bastian released her hand and let her rush into the dense jungle of the island. Tula and Haddie remained back at the campsite, cleaning up what remained of the dead vampires and giving Catherine and Bastian privacy as she adjusted to her new life.
Not that she was going to fret about it. Being alone with Bastian was a craving nearly as strong as the need to fill herself with blood. The moment her eyes opened, being near him filled her mind. It was as if a rope connected them and the thought of being too far away filled her with panic, made her hands itchy. She belonged with Bastian and he with her. Nearly dying only hardened her resolve to be with him no matter what the future might hold.
Her feet glided over the ground, hardly touching for moving so fast. Shrubs and trees hid her body and she kept to the shadows, avoiding the light from the moon, as the scent grew stronger, drawing her in. When she neared the source of the smell, sending her hunger to new heights, her lip twitched over her fangs and she growled, deep within her chest. The beast in question stalked prey of its own through the night, tail swishing as it lowered its front half to the ground, making to pounce.
But Catherine was faster. Bastian had not given her any lessons, but right before she leapt for the beast, she realized why. Her instinct burst to life and her body reacted without her telling it what to do.
Not making a sound, she lunged from under the trees and tackled the great beast of a cat to the ground, rolling over with it into the underbrush. It hissed and snarled, trying to get free, but Catherine was too strong. She bit down on its neck, pinning it to the ground with her strength and snapping its spine. As the warm blood filled her mouth, she lost all sense of her surroundings and gave into the ecstasy flooding her very being.
The hot, thick liquid slid down her throat, soothing the painful burning as a balm before spreading throughout her body. She bit down harder, sucked fiercely with her need to be full. It was incredible, the feeling of another life passing through her body and becoming one with her. She did not know if vampires retained their souls, if they were simply the undead or much more, but she would swear even many centuries later, that her first kill changed something deep within her, touched her very center and never let go.
When the animal breathed its last and fell limp in her arms, Catherine pulled her fangs free, shivering at the sensation of loss and satisfaction all at once. Her nerves were raw and even her fangs throbbed with pleasure from the kill. Her eyes slid closed as the new blood rushed through her veins, caressing her from the inside out. The heart within her chest may not beat any more, but Catherine was full of life.
“Is this what it always feels like?” she asked on a breath, eyes wide as she stared up at the night sky. There were so many more stars visible with her new vision and her mouth opened in awe. The night sky was beautiful, but now it was the most fascinating thing she had ever seen. She allowed her mind to drift and her eyes slid closed as she relished the last ripples of fulfillment.
Until Bastian stepped from the shadows.
He watched from beneath a tree. She didn’t need to open her eyes to know he was there, his eyes transfixed on her face, her body. It was as if that imaginary rope gave a tug, alerting her to his presence. “Every time,” he whispered. “With humans, even more so, though we will try not to kill them.”
The thought of leaving her food alive rankled her and she hissed then clapped a hand over her mouth, terrified by her reaction at wanting to kill innocents, but Bastian’s chuckle soothed her.
“It’s natural to feel that way at first,” he assured her. “Just as other intense emotions are natural for our kind, stronger than when you were a mere human.”
His voice was strained and for a moment Catherine wondered if he needed to feed as well. He may not have since Victoria stole her away from the island. The cat was dead at her feet, but there were others close by and without saying a word out loud, wondered if that was what he craved. She shifted her gaze from the dead body to his, lips parting ever so softly in her sudden need to feel his hand against her skin and give in to the other needs making her ache in places she craved for him to touch…
Bastian pushed himself away from the tree, brow furrowed as he stalked towards her. “How did you do that?”
“Do what?” she asked, wondering what he saw, but they were still alone in the clearing. “Bastian?”
“Your voice, I heard it whisper through my mind, as I did before,” he said. “Try it again.”
“I don’t understand,” she said.
He tensed, but told her to do as he asked. “Trust me, please, Catherine. Call to me again, in your mind. Speak to me as if I could hear you.”
Catherine tilted her head, not sure what he meant, but focused on him and thought of his name. The desires flaming inside her went past just his name and pictured him moving closer to her and capturing her mouth with his as she so desperately wanted him to do. His eyes narrowed and he growled, not in anger, but in desire and Catherine’s body shuddered at the sound. She pictured him kissing her again, dragging his fangs tenderly across her neck as he pulled her against the length of his hard muscled body. She held the scenario in her mind and then sent the thoughts to him. His growl grew louder and a whip of air blew past her. She opened her eyes to see him standing before her, arms wrapped around her body.
“I heard you,” he whispered in disbelief, “saw what you thought. How is this possible?”
“You said you heard me before,” she said, studying his face as her fingers gently traced his cheek. “When?”
“I was tracking you. I heard you whisper my name…you said something else, but I could not make it out,” he said, tightening his hold on her. “I worried I was dancing a fine line with insanity from fear of losing you.”
Catherine had thought of him nearly the whole time she tried to break free from Victoria and the others. Called out to him in desperation, hoping he would find her and somehow he had heard her. “Bas
tian,” she sighed his name as another fire burst to life within her. “Bastian—”
This time, she did not need to think it for him to act. His mouth closed hotly over hers and Catherine melted against his body. There was no more question of waiting, no more worrying about where they were. What happened between them in the small clearing in the jungle, this was right and Catherine gave into it fully. She moaned when Bastian deepened the kiss, his tongue delving into her mouth, exploring it and branding her with his touch. He wasn’t just kissing her, not anymore. No, Bastian was claiming her as his own, as his mate for eternity, and Catherine wanted nothing more than to let him have all of her.
His hands roamed across her body, massaging her hips and back, dragging her skirts up higher with each touch. She nipped his lip, drawing blood and smiled slyly when he lifted his head to stare at her, the desire in his eyes sending her knees to quaking. When she licked up the dab of blood, he growled and Catherine was suddenly backed against a tree as his lips left a trail of fire down her neck. Just as she pictured, he dragged those fangs along her bare skin and she trembled, hands clutching fiercely at his shoulders in a need to be ever closer.
“I’ve wanted you,” he whispered in her ear, “wanted you since that first moment you showed me you were not afraid of the beast within me. When you dared to defy me as no one else had.”
“I was never afraid of you,” she replied, words rough on her tongue. “I was afraid of what we could be together, of what it would do to us in the end with a love so fierce it seemed to consume me from the inside out.”
He lifted his head, cupping her face gently in his hands. “What do you mean, love?”
She chewed her lip, faced with a reality she had never planned on. “I was drawn to you from the start, Bastian, and now that I have you in my arms I fear what will happen if you ever leave them again. I can’t…I won’t be able to survive without you and with you…” She trailed off, hoping the message in her mind was explanation enough.
SV02-06. Slave to a Vampire Page 17