Compelled by the Vampire: Vampire Enforcement Agency Series Book 1

by McAllen, Kellie

  Piper had left a pile of clothes for her, even a bra and underwear. She was smaller than Caroline, but she tended to wear her clothes a little loose, so hopefully they’d be okay. Caroline’s boobs spilled out of the bright red bra, and the red tee shirt clung to them, but the skinny jeans were stretchy enough that she could squeeze into them.

  She found a hairbrush and some deodorant in the drawers, but she thought twice before finally deciding to use Piper’s toothbrush. She’d buy her a new one. She had to get the last remnants of Roric’s blood out of her mouth. Even now, she could still taste faint traces of him when she ran her tongue over her teeth.

  Despite the bloodlust that burned in the back of her throat, the heavy layer of darkness that clung to her spirit, and the supernatural healing ability that had closed up her head wound in mere hours, she felt almost human now. How was it possible that the girl in the mirror didn’t look any different than she had that morning?

  She’d heard voices talking while she was showering, so she wasn’t surprised when she came out of the bathroom and found Alec sitting on the couch next to Piper.

  Tall and thin, with a permanent frown that reflected his serious outlook on life, Alec was the opposite of his sister in every way, except for his red hair and pale skin. He’d been a couple years ahead of her in school, but whenever she hung out with Piper he’d always been nice to her.

  His eyes clouded with concern, and his brow pinched as he turned towards her. “Caroline, are you okay?”

  “The shower helped, but…” How could she explain all the emotions rolling through her, and worse, the hunger that gnawed at her belly and made her throat constrict as soon as she got within a couple feet of Piper?

  “Have you fed yet?”

  “Not since…” Her hands went to her neck at the thought of it.

  “You need to feed. It’s not safe for you to be around humans when you’re hungry, especially since you’ve just been changed. Here, I brought you a blood bag.” Alec held out a plastic pouch filled with dark red liquid, and Caroline moved closer.

  Her fangs descended at the sight of it, but her stomach rolled. “Is it… human?”

  “No, it’s vampire. It won’t taste as good, but it will calm your craving.” Alec pulled her down next to him and put the cold bag in her palm.

  The scent of Alec’s blood filled her nostrils, distracting her for a moment from the smell of Piper. She squeezed the bag and watched the thick liquid move as she teetered on the edge of her new reality. Drinking this blood would be the final push that knocked her off.

  Could she do it? She knew she had to drink sometime if she wanted to survive. She didn’t know how long vampires could go without drinking, but the way she felt, she didn’t think she could last much longer. Could she live as a vampire and not hate herself for the rest of her existence? Or would she rather end her life, instead? She could try, at least, for her parents’ sake. As horrifying as this was, the alternative was something even more terrible.

  “It’s okay. It’s not as bad as it sounds, and it’s what your body needs. I promise you’ll feel better afterwards.”

  Alec wrapped his arm around her shoulder and pulled her to his side, surrounding her with his scent and making her shiver with need. His pulse thudded under his skin, tempting her. She knew he was only trying to comfort her, but didn’t he realize what his nearness was doing to her?

  Maybe he did. Maybe that was the point, to make her so desperate that she gave in and drank so he wouldn’t have to worry about her attacking his sister. Piper sat on the other side of him, curious and unafraid. She couldn’t risk hurting her, or anyone else, for that matter.

  Her fingers shaking, she lifted the bag and tore open the tube with a fang. The scent of the blood bloomed from the small hole, clouding her mind with hunger. The compulsion to drink overwhelmed her. She wrapped her lips around the opening and slowly sucked, drawing the ruby liquid through the tube.

  Her body convulsed as the blood hit her tongue, the taste exploding in her mouth. Cold and thick instead of warm and flowing, it felt all wrong, but her body greedily soaked it up, anyway. Her mind drifted off to another place as she drank, and the room around her disappeared. She heard moaning in the background. Was that her?

  In moments, the bag was empty. Her fingers kneaded the plastic, trying to squeeze out the last traces of the blood. Her body felt stronger already, her mind clearer, but her craving had barely dulled.

  She jumped when someone banged on the front door of the apartment.

  Chapter 12

  She didn’t get a chance to ask her what was going on before Piper jumped up and opened the door without even looking in the peephole. Caroline gasped and grabbed ahold of Alec as Roric’s massive frame filled the doorway.

  He was even more intimidating, and handsome, than she remembered. Piper swooned and made a goofy face at Caroline, but all she could do was stare at him, her body quaking.

  His eyes immediately locked in on hers then flicked to Alec and the blood bag in her hand. He clenched his jaw as Alec pulled her tighter against him.

  How had he found her? Had Alec called him? She hadn’t told Piper his name, only that he was a VEA agent.

  “Hey Roric, thanks for coming. This is my sister, Piper, and her friend, Caroline.” Alec held out his arm to them, oblivious to the tension.

  Piper shut the door behind him as Roric stalked into the apartment, his gaze still a laser beam on Caroline’s face. He grabbed her hand, pulling her to her feet. His face softened a little when her knees shook.

  “Roric Asheron, VEA.” Caroline stared at him as he introduced himself like they’d never met.

  Alec stood up and moved to stand beside Roric. “Roric is the leader of the Agency. I told him what happened.”

  Oh this was rich. He wasn’t just an agent, he was the leader? Caroline would’ve loved to have seen the look on his face when he got that call.

  “Is there somewhere I can talk to Caroline in private for a moment?” He kept his gaze on Caroline as he spoke, only flicking it towards Piper at the last moment.

  Piper giggled awkwardly and pointed down the hall. “Yeah, sure, of course. You can use my bedroom. It’s just down here.”

  Caroline tensed, but Roric’s eyes and voice softened. “It’s okay, Caroline. I just need to ask you a few questions.”

  He probably wanted to threaten her to make sure she didn’t talk, but the look on his face was desperate, not menacing. She looked at Alec and opened her mouth to tell him, but Roric’s pained look begged her to go along with him.

  What good would it do her to tell on him, anyway, if he was in charge of the Agency? He’d deny it, for sure, and who would believe her over him? If she told on him now in front of Piper and Alec, he just might kill them all to keep her quiet. No, her best bet was to placate him, at least for now.

  She nodded and lead the way to Piper’s bedroom, her steps in time with the pounding of her heart. Roric followed her, his large body looming over hers in the narrow hallway. Roric shut the door behind them with an ominous thud.

  “You fed. You look better. Your head is healed?” His eyes swooped up and down her body, examining every inch. They lingered for just a moment on her breasts before returning to her face. Caroline could feel her heart throbbing under them, and she put a hand over her chest.

  “Alec brought me a blood bag.” She looked everywhere but at him.

  “What is he to you?” He flared his nostrils and glared down at her, standing too close, his scent overwhelming her. Anger and jealousy rolled off of him. She held her breath and stared at the leather holster crisscrossing his broad chest. Without his jacket on, she could see the ribbed muscles straining against his thin, white tee shirt.

  Her body quivered under his intense stare. “Just a friend. Piper’s brother.”

  That answer seemed to placate him a little because he took a step back and sighed, giving her a chance to breathe, too. “I told you I’d take care of you, Caroline. Why did
you leave?”

  She crossed her arms over her chest and stared at Piper’s purple silk bedding. “I heard you talking. All you care about is keeping me quiet.”

  His face crumpled, and he reached a hand up to run it through his hair but stopped as soon as he touched the perfectly-styled locks. He shoved his hands in the back pockets of his jeans and started pacing in the small bedroom, his long strides eating up the distance between the full-size bed and the dresser in just a few steps.

  “That was just talk. My brother is…” He shook his head and huffed, his face still puckered.

  “Look, I screwed up, okay? I know that. And you have every right to report me. And yes, I’d like very much to prevent you from destroying my career and ruining the credibility of the Agency. But Caroline…”

  He pulled his hands from his pockets and laid them on her shoulders, his body once again invading her space. This time he vibrated with a different emotion, but one just as intense.

  “I know you don’t know me, but I’m not like that. I’m not rash, or foolish. And I certainly don’t go around breaking the rules I try to enforce. But there’s something about you. I just couldn’t let you die.”

  She dared to look up at him, and his amber eyes bore into her, shining with a deep passion that made her body tremble. He stroked a hand down her cheek, reminding her of his tenderness in the cemetery. His emotions were so raw, they had to be real. He opened his mouth to speak but let the words die on his tongue.

  I want you. I need you. I’m desperate to have you. Her mind provided the words she saw on his face, but she shook her head, rejecting them. That didn’t make sense. He didn’t know anything about her. Why did she think he was about to declare himself?

  “Caroline, please trust me. I don’t mean you any harm. All I want to do is take care of you, take responsibility for my mistake. Humans need the Agency more than ever. If you turn me in, you’ll only hinder the work we’re doing to protect them. Come with me and let me keep you safe while we hunt for the vampire who attacked you. You know you can’t stay here with your human friend. It’s too dangerous. You’d never forgive yourself if you hurt her.”

  Her thirst reared its head at his statement, and she took a deep breath, savoring Piper’s scent layered over everything in her bedroom. Her fangs descended, and she held a hand to her stomach, instantly craving more blood even though she’d just drank.

  Roric laid his hand over the one gripping her belly, the touch provocatively intimate. “You’re thirsty. You can drink from me, or you can drink from a blood bag. I’ll even take you to the clinic if you want, so you can drink from a human.”

  The seductive taste of his blood roared through her memory like it was only moments ago that she’d drunk from his vein. Her body clenched, desire streaking from her throat to her groin. She squeezed her legs together. No, that was too much, too intense, too personal. She didn’t like how out of control she felt when she tasted his blood.

  The way her body responded to him, she couldn’t trust herself to keep a clear head. And she didn’t know him well enough to trust him, even if his beseeching eyes and gentle tone made her feel safe, and his masculine sex appeal made her want him. She’d been on dates, not many since her work kept her busy when most people were going out, but she’d never met anyone she felt so intensely attracted to until now.

  How could she be attracted to a vampire? She knew there was something about them that lured humans in. It was obvious in the way the people in the bar responded to the vampires who came there, looking to seduce them. But she’d never felt that way herself. The only emotion she’d felt around them was terror.

  She swallowed the dark laugh that threatened to burst out of her. She was a vampire now. She’d become the thing she most feared. She should be attracted to humans, not other vampires. No, vampires might drink from humans, but they mated with each other, didn’t they? That was why her attacker had tried to change her. He’d said he wanted her for a mate.

  No, she couldn’t drink from Roric. She wasn’t ready for that kind of intimacy with him, even if every cell in her body cried out for it. And drinking from humans at the clinic? No way. As much as she craved the hot, fresh blood spurting from a vein, the thought of drinking from a human disgusted her. She wasn’t an animal. But she knew he was right. If she stayed here, she might not be able to resist the urge to feed.

  “Okay, I’ll go with you. And I won’t say anything. For now.”

  Roric let out a deep breath and pulled her into his chest, his hands stroking up and down her back and his nose burrowing in her hair. At first, she melted into his embrace, but then she stiffened, and he quickly loosened his grip but didn’t let go of her. “I promise I’ll take care of you, Caroline. Thank you for trusting me.”

  He opened the door and ushered her out into the living room where Piper and Alec were having a terse conversation. They stopped and looked up as soon as they saw Caroline and Roric.

  “I’ll take care of this, Alec. It was nice to meet you, Piper.” His tone was clipped, leaving no room for questions.

  “Let me just get my clothes.” Caroline ducked back into the bathroom and bundled up her things. She was tempted to throw them away, but she’d need them for work, and her financial status hadn’t changed even though her humanity had.

  “Thank you, Piper. I really appreciate you helping me.” She dared to give her friend the briefest of hugs before heading towards the door where Roric was waiting for her.

  “Call me, Care. Let’s do lunch…er, dinner sometime.” Piper’s cheerful tone faltered, and her face wrinkled.

  Oh right. No more sunshine. No more midday outings or trips to the beach, not that she took those, anyway. No, she’d lived her life in the darkness for a long time. Only now, her life depended on it.

  When the door closed behind them, Caroline handed Roric the keys to his car, and he smirked at her, but he didn’t mention the fact she’d stolen it. “Let’s go get your car from the cemetery, then we’ll go back to my place.”

  Roric pulled out his cell phone as he drove and called his brother, filling him in on the situation.

  “You want some backup in case the rogue shows?” The voice coming through the phone was loud enough for her to hear every word. Or was it just her improved hearing?

  “We should be fine. Just a quick in and out.”

  Caroline sighed in relief when she saw her car sitting where she left it, unharmed. She was eager to get it back, but now that she’d fed, her body felt strong enough that she could run wherever she needed to go and get there twice as fast.

  When she got out and headed for the car, Roric followed her. Her new sense of smell picked up traces of the vampire who’d attacked her, and she tensed, but then she forced herself to relax. He wasn’t there, the smell was just a remnant. She’d have to get used to all the extra olfactory stimulation.

  She pulled on the handle, but the door was still locked. Did that mean the rogue vampire hadn’t dug through the car to find her address? Maybe she could go home, after all. Hope swelled up inside her.

  She dropped her bundle of clothes on the hood and searched through it, feeling in the pockets for her car keys. Suddenly, the scent grew stronger.

  “Roric?” She turned to him, and he hissed at the same time, his body whipping around to search for the threat.

  A shape whizzed towards her in the darkness, something her human eyes couldn’t have seen, but to her vampire eyes it was clear as daylight.

  Chapter 13

  Roric hurled himself towards the oncoming threat, his massive body flying through the air like he had invisible wings. He slammed into the other vampire with the thunderous sound of two boulders colliding. The ground shook underneath them.

  Caroline watched, stunned in terror as the rogue vampire growled and snapped at Roric, wrapping his hands around his neck. Roric clawed at his fingers, but he couldn’t pry them away. Caroline’s own fingers flew to her neck.

  Eventually, Roric dropped one ha
nd to his chest and reached for his stake, yanking it out of his holster. He shoved it up towards the rogue vamp’s middle, but the rogue anticipated his attack and threw himself backwards before the stake could make contact. In a blink, he was out of sight, hidden somewhere in the shadows of the gravestones.

  “Get in the car, Caroline!” Roric pulled his gun out and swiveled around, stake in one hand and gun in the other, his eyes darting back and forth as he searched for the attacker.

  Caroline shrieked as the vampire leapt from a nearby tree and landed on Roric’s back, hitting with such an impact that Roric’s feet must’ve been hammered into the ground.

  She knew she should do what he said, but her own feet were cemented in place, her body a stone pillar. She couldn’t move, couldn’t even blink. All she could do was watch them.

  Roric twisted and turned, trying to throw the rogue off, his weapons useless with the vampire on his back. The minute the rogue plucked the weapons from his hand, Roric reached up and grabbed the vampire’s arms then tossed him over his shoulder, sending him hurtling to the ground.

  Before the vampire had a chance to right himself, Roric was on top of him, slamming a fist into his head with a sickening crunch of bone. Caroline cringed as blood spurted from the vampire’s head, splashing Roric’s face. The rogue’s arms and legs flailed as he tried to use one of the weapons, but Roric deflected him at every strike.

  They tumbled back and forth, both trying to get the upper hand, their strength so closely matched that neither one of them could stay on top for long. Caroline’s heart bounced in her chest every time their positions flipped. Eventually, Roric managed to yank the gun from the vampire’s hand.

  She held her breath as he swung the gun towards the vampire, but the rogue didn’t try to stop him. Instead, he wrapped both hands around the stake and slammed it into Roric’s chest, burying it to the hilt with a growl that echoed through the graveyard.