What was he doing? He’d drunk from a human and now he was trying to turn her against her will! What kind of madness had overtaken him? Is this what drove rogue vampires? Had he become the one thing he despised? He’d spent the last 15 years hating his father because he’d done the same thing to his mother. She never wanted to be a vampire, and she’d struggled with depression until she eventually killed herself. Was he sentencing this girl to the same fate?
He yanked his arm away, suddenly appalled by his behavior. But it was too late.
The woman’s body shuddered to life again. She rolled her head back and forth and groaned at the loss of his blood, her mouth opening and closing in search of the source.
Guilt, relief, and ecstasy seared through Roric as he shoved his arm back to her lips. He stroked her hair, her cheek, and her frail arm as she drank, murmuring encouragements. He shoved down the feeling of her lips on his skin, the pulse of pleasure as she drank from him, but the euphoria was impossible to ignore. She sucked eagerly from him this time, taking not only the blood she needed to bind with the venom in her veins and initiate the change but also to replenish what she had lost. Her body came to life before Roric’s eyes, her skin flushed pink, and eventually her hands grabbed for his arm, pulling it tight against her lips.
Suddenly, her eyes popped open as her brain reawakened. Roric gasped at the sight of them. Peridot green like his mother’s birthstone, they were sparkling gemstones nestled in the milky white silk of her eyes. They widened in shock and fear when she realized what she was doing, and she shoved his arm away with a scream.
Chapter 6
Taven disconnected the call and squeezed the phone so hard it was a miracle the screen didn’t shatter. How the hell had his brother gotten a lead on a rogue vamp when he was off duty? Roric was supposed to be catching up on his DVR list and giving Taven a chance to swing the hammer of vamp justice tonight.
It was that bitch Serena, no doubt. She was working the phones at the Agency tonight. And she’d had a thing for Roric for months and a dislike for Taven for even longer, ever since he’d ignored a few texts and phone calls.
Serena was a great girl, sexy as sin, too. But three dates was his limit. After that, chicks started to think you were playing the long game. No way. Been there, done that. Besides, he wasn’t about to get serious with a girl who’d rather suck his brother.
Taven’s entire life had been one big competition with Roric. He didn’t need to fight him for a woman. Especially since Taven was a lot less picky than Roric. Vampire, human, it didn’t matter; Taven would give anyone with the right anatomy a few nights of his time if she was into him. And they were all into him.
It’s not like the Agency was gonna come after him, seeing how he was the number two vamp on the force. Thank you, Dad, for that little perk. Second only to his brother, of course. Goddamn Roric. Why did he always have to play second fiddle to him?
Even though he worked for the Agency, Taven didn’t get what was so wrong with sucking on humans in private as long as they were down with it. Why’d they have to go and make it all clinical? It’s not like vampires could brainwash humans to obey them. That was horror movie nonsense. Okay, so maybe some vamps might take advantage of the fact that reluctant humans usually had a change of heart once the fangs were in and the hormones started pumping, but the human still had the right to press charges if a vampire bit them against their will. What was next, consent forms for sex?
“Gotta bail; there’s a rogue on the loose. But first, one for the road.” Taven threw back his shot of tequila with a howl, wrapped one arm around Ivy’s slim waist and slammed his mouth against hers as he groped the firm, round flesh under her tight jeans.
She giggled and squirmed against his broad, muscular body, getting him excited for another reason besides the emergency call from his brother. But he forced himself to let go of her before his priorities got out of whack. Then he pulled his wallet from his pocket and tossed a couple Jacksons on the bar to pay for his tab and hers.
“I’ll be back to finish with you after I catch this bastard.” He cocked a finger at Ivy then pulled it back and blew on the tip with a wink. She smiled and waved goodbye, tossing her long, black hair and wiggling her hips. She’d be waiting for him.
Taven sighed at the hit of cool, night air. With all those bodies crammed in there, the bar was sweltering, and Ivy’s hot, little body pressed against him stoked the fire inside him even hotter.
Taven jumped in his Charger and cued the lights and siren as he revved the engine, growling along with the 5.7L Hemi V8. He could run faster than the car could, but containing a rogue vamp would be easier if he didn’t have to drag him a dozen miles back to his car.
Taven reversed with a squeal, the gear shift vibrating under his fist, then peeled out of the parking lot and flew down the road towards the cemetery. Roric’s abandoned black and white sat just inside the creepy-looking wrought iron archway. Taven didn’t want to alert the rogue vampire that someone else was on his tail, so he ditched his car outside the fence and took off on foot.
One good sniff was all it took to catch the vamp’s scent. Pungent with lust, anger, and adrenaline, it clung to the air, making a trail towards the back of the cemetery. Taven took off after it like a hound dog till he saw another car and Roric on the ground with a woman. Roric didn’t look up, but Taven didn’t take time to get his attention. The rogue vamp had a big enough head start, he could be in the next state by now. Besides, Roric knew Taven would be on in. He never passed up a chance to fight or chase.
A new layer of rage thickened the scent trail as it shot off away from the woman. Taven followed it, running as fast but quiet as he could, his powerful thighs leaping and winding through the gravestones. The wind whistling past him deafened him to the sound of his heavy panting. Was the other vamp close enough to hear him? He couldn’t stop breathing or he’d lose the trail.
At one point, the trail swirled in a cloud. The vampire must’ve stopped to reconsider his escape. Probably when he realized Roric wasn’t chasing him. Then the trail wound back around again in a wide circle, stopping behind several of the larger tombstones like the vamp was sneaking back to see what was happening. A fresher trail intersected the old one as if the vamp had headed back this way just moments ago, and Taven reared to a stop.
When a flash of movement caught his eye, he whipped his head around just in time to see something dart behind him. The bastard was still here! Taven yanked his gun from his holster and took off after him, not bothering to be quiet. The vamp knew Taven was coming for him.
He bounded through the cemetery like a jaguar, a vicious predator with fangs and claws extended, ready to pounce on his prey. But the rogue vamp was a gazelle, loping out of reach time and again just as Taven closed in on him. At this rate, it would come down to who tired out first. Taven was one of the fastest vampires he knew, but this guy was high on a fresh shot of human blood and desperate to avoid capture. Taven’s odds weren’t good.
His best bet was to outsmart him. But Taven was known for his brawn, not his brain, and he didn’t know anything about this vampire except he hung out in bars, chased women, and probably let his cravings get the best of him. Sounded kind of familiar, actually.
Was it a casual hookup gone wrong? Or had he been stalking the woman? How did they end up in a cemetery? That was weird. And why had he tried to turn her? A lot of humans wanted it, but the way Roric made it sound, this woman wasn’t one of them. After the vamp bit her, maybe he figured she’d be less likely to report him if he turned her.
Damn it, a little more information would be helpful. Serena should’ve called him and filled him in. It was her job, even if she was ticked at him. He was the one on duty, not Roric. Was he gonna have to suck up to her just so he could do his job? If he tried to call Roric now, he’d lose the vamp for sure. If Taven didn’t stay on top of him, the vampire would get in his car, and then there’d be no scent trail to follow.
Roric said the vamp followe
d the woman from a bar, probably on foot since there was only one car at the cemetery and his scent was strong from the entrance. So where was his car? Did he leave it at the bar? Maybe Taven could trick him into thinking he’d given up on chasing him then ambush him when he got to his car.
Yeah, now that was some crafty thinking. Taven grinned at his own burst of genius. This bastard had no idea who he was dealing with. Why should Taven chase him all night when he could outwit him?
Taven slowed down a little and started huffing like he was wearing down. Hopefully the vamp could hear him. As soon as he was far enough behind that the vamp was out of sight, he veered back towards the bar. They’d already passed it, but the vamp was probably taking the long way around, hoping to lose Taven first.
Taven stuck to the shadows as he snuck towards the bar in case the vamp was smart enough to suspect his plan, and he kept his own scent trail on the far side of the building so the vamp wouldn’t sniff him out. Then he crouched down out of sight behind a big SUV, pressing his back to the rough stone exterior of the bar.
Taven’s hands tapped out a nervous drumbeat on his bent knees as he waited for the vampire to show up. He jumped every time a car crunched on the pavement or the bar door whooshed open, letting out the laughing, talking, clinking sounds of the bar. Too bad he didn’t know which car belonged to the rogue. If he wasn’t trying to stay out of sight, he’d memorize the models and license plates in case the guy didn’t come back anytime soon. But he couldn’t see them from his hiding place.
Instead, he focused his attention in the direction he expected the vamp to come but let his eyes dart around every few seconds, looking for any movement. A flickering streetlamp toyed with him, throwing random shadows on the wet pavement. He took steady breaths, testing the air for any hint of the vamp.
Suddenly, a wisp of wind blew past, carrying a trace of the vamp’s scent. He jumped up, his legs like coiled springs, and threw himself over the hood of the SUV in that direction. The vamp whipped his head around, hand on his door handle, and his eyes bulged as Taven pounced on him.
“I got you now, sucker! You thought you could outrun me, but I bet you didn’t guess I could outsmart you!”
Taven’s massive body landed on the smaller vamp with a heavy thud, knocking them both to the ground. But the rogue reared up with a ferocious growl, throwing out his arms like he was Bruce Banner hulking out, knocking Taven off of him. Then the monster spun around, grabbed Taven’s huge body like it was a toy, and tossed it across the parking lot.
Chapter 7
Blood coated her tongue and lips and gurgled in her throat as she screamed and pushed the dripping arm away from her mouth, revealing a vampire looming over her. Caroline’s eyes bulged and her body froze even as she tried to scramble out from under him.
“Who are you? What are you doing?” A million other questions assaulted her, but those were the most important ones.
The vampire started answering her, but she couldn’t hear what he was saying over the frantic pulse pounding in her ears, her ragged breathing, and the sound of her body thrashing on the cold, damp grass. The fear coursing through her shrieked like a band saw, and a desperate craving she couldn’t name screamed from every cell.
The vampire kept talking, his handsome face incongruously puckered with worry instead of the evil she expected. She flinched and stiffened as he raised a large hand to strike her, but instead, he stroked it down her cheek. His voice finally filtered through the noise of her panic as his face softened.
“Calm down, you’re okay. You’re safe. I’m not going to hurt you. My name is Roric.”
A vampire, but not the one who attacked her. This one was much larger, with shoulders too broad to fit through a normal-sized door. He’d cloaked his huge chest in a thin leather jacket, but the muscles bulged against the seams. Despite his size, his face and voice were calm and soothing, not menacing.
Okay, maybe not calm. A current of anxiety rippled under the surface, but whatever had him upset, he wasn’t taking it out on her. He seemed genuinely concerned about her. She’d never met a vampire who didn’t inspire terror in her, but this one seemed different.
“What’s your name?” He stroked her cheek again, and she answered without conscious thought.
“Caroline.”
“Caroline.” He repeated her name back to her, his voice dripping over the syllables like honey.
Her body responded to his soft tone, her muscles shuddering as the tension started to bleed away. Then the memory of her attack came back to her as he started to explain — the vampire from the bar grabbing her, biting her, drinking her blood. The rush of euphoria that sickened her and made her desperate for him at the same time. Then the sharp sting of venom as it raced through her veins followed by a craving so intense the only thing stronger was her horror at what he’d done to her.
He’d tried to change her! But she’d refused to drink. She’d struck him, run from him, and he hadn’t chased her. She’d tripped on a headstone, fallen, whacked her head.
She noticed the pain as soon as she remembered the fall. Her hands went to her head, searching for the wound. Sticky, congealing blood coated the hair around the spot that throbbed. What happened after that? She searched her memory, scrolling back, but there was a dark gap separating the present from the past.
But her mouth tasted like blood, and the vampire’s arm had been pressed to her lips.
Caroline grabbed the vampire’s thick biceps, digging her nails into the soft leather. “Why were you feeding me your blood?”
His face twisted in agony like she’d stabbed him with the wooden stake strapped across his chest. Why was he wearing that? The question tickled her mind, but it wasn’t important enough to focus on.
“Caroline, the vampire who attacked you, he injected you with his venom. He wanted to change you, but he took off when he saw me. If you didn’t drink from a vampire within a few hours, you would’ve died.”
Rage boiled up in her blood, hot enough to sear her veins. Almost as strong as the sting of the venom. She forced herself up into a sitting position, pushing against his massive stone chest. She shouldn’t have been able to move him, but he stumbled backwards.
“So you force fed me your blood? How could you do that? That wasn’t your choice to make!”
His face crumpled again, the handsome features pinching. “I know. But you were passed out and bleeding to death from the gash on your head. You weren’t going to wake up. But I knew if you drank, the change would heal your body and you’d survive.”
“As a vampire! A crazed, blood-sucking monster! I’d rather be dead than be one of you!” Caroline jumped up, her body shaking with anger, horror, and a nerve-jangling need for something she couldn’t name.
She saw her car a few yards away and moved towards it, desperate to escape this bizarre nightmare. That’s what it was, just a bad dream. The flashbacks of that terrible night had overwhelmed her, making her see things that weren’t real. She needed to go home, to her own apartment, her own bed, where she could sleep this off. In the morning, everything would be back to normal. She wouldn’t be a newly-changed vampire craving blood. Heck, maybe the last four years had all been a dream, and when she woke up she’d be at home with her parents, recovering from the worst hangover ever.
A large hand gripped her upper arm. “Caroline, it’s not a dream.”
Had she said that out loud? If she wasn’t dreaming, maybe she was going insane. She put her hands to her head and cringed at the sticky blood matting her hair.
“You’re scared, and overwhelmed, and not thinking straight, but you’re not crazy. Your body is going through a major change right now, though. Your bloodlust will be out of control for a while, and it’s not safe for you to be alone. I want you to come with me.” His voice was soft, his hold on her tender, but Caroline wrenched her arm away from him.
“What? No! You must be crazy if you think I’m going anywhere with a vampire.”
“Caroline, you�
��re a vampire now, too. I can’t hurt you. I’m trying to keep you from hurting someone else.”
An image flashed in her mind — her, crazed with need, attacking someone. It was too impossible to imagine, yet at the thought of it, her body surged with need. She licked her lips. She could still taste the remaining traces of blood on them. She was parched, dying of dehydration, her mouth dry as a desert. The tastebuds on her tongue as rough as sand. When she opened her mouth, she thought the skin would crack.
“Here, take another drink. It’ll help with the craving, and your head will feel clearer, too.” Roric held out his arm. The wound was almost closed over, only the blood smeared around it proof that he’d opened the vein that night.
Caroline’s eyes widened at the sight of the blood, and her body moved towards him involuntarily, compelled by need. She longed to swipe her tongue across his wrist and taste the crimson liquid coating his skin. But when she pictured herself doing it, she jerked back in disgust. What was she thinking? She didn’t want to taste his blood!
“It’s okay, it’s nothing to be ashamed of. Your body needs it. Go on, you’ll see.”
Just one taste. Just to prove to herself that she wasn’t a monster who craved blood. She took a hesitant step towards him, and he moved closer, holding his wrist to her lips. The metallic scent tickled her nostrils. She gave a tentative lick and groaned as the flavor exploded on her tongue and streaked to her center, igniting another craving. She licked the skin clean and was about to drive her teeth into his flesh before she realized what she was doing.
“No! I can’t, I won’t! I’m not a monster!” She pushed his arm away from her lips, spit, and wiped her mouth with the back of her hand, trying to get rid of the taste. When her skin snagged on a fang, she shuddered and dropped to the ground, burying her face in her knees to stifle her terrified cry.
Compelled by the Vampire: Vampire Enforcement Agency Series Book 1 Page 4