by K Loraine
I threw a suspicious glance at the device on the couch cushions.
“Um, I’m afraid your phone’s broken, sir.” The green sparks stopped as soon as the stranger tossed it down, but I really didn’t feel like touching it myself.
He obviously noticed my hesitation, his chest rose with a sigh as he explained, “It’s not the phone, it’s me.”
“You? How?”
The whole atmosphere in the room felt unsettling. Something had happened, but I wasn’t sure I cared to find out what. The sooner I could leave, the better.
“Please, April,” his voice unexpectedly softened with the plea, which was inexplicably disarming. “I won’t be able to use anything electronic for a while, but I really need to call someone for help.”
“What’s wrong with you and the electronics?” I asked warily but took a few hesitant steps toward the couch. “Could I use the room phone, maybe?”
“If you wish.” He shrugged. “But you won’t be harmed by using mine. I promise.” The confidence in his tone was encouraging, and I tentatively picked up his cell phone, holding it between my thumb and forefinger.
No sparks or crackles happened.
“Okay.” I exhaled, glancing his way. “Whom do I call?”
You’ve just read a sneak peek from Marina Simcoe’s Wicked Warlock. Pick it up today here: https://books2read.com/u/4XZDV7
Hunting the Little Bird
A Blood Captive prequel
Cashel
The sounds of the city filtered through the windows of my car, sending a pounding bass, rattling the glass as I navigated the traffic. She was here. She had to be. Everything I'd done to find the blood of the sun had lead up to this moment. This was the city she'd been traced to. After all this time, after the years of her mother moving them before we could get close. This had to be the moment. She could change everything for us. Her blood was the cure. It was our only option. My family needed her.
I strode into the elevator that led to the rooftop bar, following the scent of two vampires who shouldn't have been there. They couldn't find her before me. She wouldn't stand a chance against them.
The crowd was already larger than I wanted. Too many witnesses, not enough quiet corners for me to hide in. I ordered a drink to hold as a prop. People were less suspicious of me if I seemed like them. A scotch, neat, was the best way to achieve that. Settling into a corner table, I watched the people mill around each other. Men checking out the women, and other men in some cases. Everyone was there for one purpose. To find someone. Whether it was to fuck or fall in love with, I couldn't be sure. I wasn't there for either. I was there for her.
My senses perked up the moment she walked through the bar. I was right. She came. She was the one we’d been looking for. Her long hair flowing down her back, smooth, unblemished skin, curvy hips, devastating beauty. It would be a shame to take her and keep her from the world. But she was ours. She belonged to the Blackthornes.
"I see you, little bird," I murmured with my drink raised to my lips.
Was it really possible this solitary woman might hold the key to our future inside her blood? I had to find out.
She disappeared into the crowd, evading me without realizing it. In a flash of movement only visible to the other vampires in the room, I went after her. I scented her blood before I found her. The tempting aroma trailing in through the balcony entrance. Calling me to claim her as mine. I moved toward the exposed rooftop balcony, a perfect place for an abduction. But she was not alone. She stood with her face turned up toward the sky, her body turned away, unaware she was sharing her space with a vampire. A made vampire. He was obviously fairly new to his eternal life and if he touched her, that life would end before he got to enjoy it if I had anything to say about it.
“Are you okay?” he asked, catching her by surprise and making her flinch.
His open appreciation of her form had possessive rage curling in my gut. She wouldn’t keep her gaze on him when she responded, though and that offered me some comfort. “Yeah, I’m fine.”
“You look like you’ve got something on your mind. Would you like me to get you a drink? We could talk about whatever’s going on.”
“I said, I’m fine.” She shook her head and moved toward the door, the action causing me to sink back into the shadows.
I bristled at his attempt to seduce her, but part of me was proud of her rejection. She knew her own mind. That was good. She’d be fun to play with.
"Cashel Blackthorne. What are you doing out here?" A low rumbling voice caught my attention and pulled my focus from my prey. Silas Blackthorne, my uncle’s oldest son stood next to me. I hadn’t seen him in ages. There was no way I’d share my reason for being here with him. He was a traitor to his family. An outcast.
"I've grown bored of hunting in the country. A little city mouse seemed more appealing tonight."
He grinned. "Are you still a catch and release hunter these days? I hear tell my uncle is killing more than he frees."
My shoulders stiffened. If my cousin, my estranged cousin, had heard about Father's proclivity for murdering his victims, word will get out about his state of mind.
"Silas, you don't know what you're talking about."
He cocked one dark brow. "Don’t I? Remember, I spent two centuries under his tutelage before I left."
"Speaking of, what are you doing in Portland of all places? Lucas said the two of you were thick as thieves in London."
"I don't know that thick as thieves is the right phrase to use. We spend occasional evenings in each other's company."
"You didn't answer my question."
He shrugged. "I'm traveling the world. Stopping in every place I've missed over the last few decades. Portland was always a favorite."
I saw my little bird out of the corner of my eye, standing at a cocktail table, talking to a woman and the two vampires I hadn't had a chance to warn off.
"Silas, I have to take care of something. Come by the manor if you'd like. I'm sure Sorcha and Callie would like to see you."
He laughed. "Your father would take me prisoner and brand me as a traitor if he got his hands on me." That was true. I offered him a slight nod and stalked along the perimeter of the room. She was skittish, uncomfortable and her heart was racing. She was on the edge of a debilitating panic attack if my senses were right. I could practically taste the rise in adrenaline in the air.
The two vampires stepped closer to my little bird, hunger written all over their faces. No. They would not touch her. I'd wrench their arms from their sockets and shove the limbs up their asses if they tried.
She was mine. I shook my head.
Ours.
My father's.
She rejected their advances and part of me loved knowing she didn't want either of them. She'd want me-only me.
When she pushed away from the table, I bolted for the door, heading for the open elevator to catch her before she escaped. My chest lurched when she made a bee-line for the door. She wouldn’t have the safety of the crowd with those hungry vampires on her scent. They'd have her against a wall in no time. Like clockwork, she burst through the door and came right for me. Face pale, eyes wide. Heart pounding.
She caught her toe on the mat and fell straight into my arms, into the elevator with me.
“Careful, little bird,” I murmured. She shivered in my hold, and I loved being the cause of that reaction. She wanted me, and fuck, I wanted her too.
“Thanks,” she said, pulling away. “I’ll keep that in mind.” She reached for panel of buttons but I stopped her with a palm over hers. I loved the feel of her skin under mine.
I couldn’t help myself. I leaned forward and inhaled the delectable scent of her. “What are you running from? Your heart is beating so fast.”
Eyes wide with alarm, she asked, “What?”
The copper tang of blood filled the enclosed space, bringing my hunger back to the forefront. “And you’re bleeding.” I reached up and toyed with the ends of her hair, t
hen let my fingers trail down her arms until I reached her hands. Turning them palms up, I exposed the small cuts from her nails. “I can smell it.”
“I had…a panic attack. The pain brings me back.”
She was offering herself up to me on a platter with the innocent eyes and the crescents of panic etched into her palms. I had to back away. “What’s your name, little bird?”
“Thanks for catching me. I should get going.”
No. She couldn’t leave. She was exactly who I needed. “Your name,” I demanded.
“Olivia Stewart.” I kept my gaze locked on hers, hoping I could sway her thoughts and get her to come with me without a fight.
“Olivia.” Her discomfort was palpable, but I needed her. I couldn’t let her leave me. “You smell delectable, Olivia.”
“Thanks?” The word sounded like a question.
“You’re like…sunshine. Like a warm summer day. Like exactly what I need.” My hand wrapped around her upper arm, gripping her hard. She was a test. She had to be. Not just the woman I needed to bring home, but the woman whose blood was made for me. “Who sent you here to tempt me?”
“I’m not sure what you’re talking about. I came here with a friend.”
She tried to pull free of my grasp, but I held tight, leaning in and running my nose along her throat. I was rapidly losing my battle with self-control. “Just a taste,” I whispered, my fangs a breath away from her vein.
“What?” The word trembled and sent a thrill straight to my cock.
I could have bitten her right then and there. Made her mine. Bonded with her so no one else could have the perfection that was her blood. But this was a test. It had to be. If I did that, I’d fail.
“Let go of me.” Fear laced the words and shook me from my haze of desire and hunger. I had to stop. At least, until I knew what I was going to do with her.
“I don’t think so, little bird. Did you really think that once I found you, I would let you get away from me? Smelling the way you do, it’s a wonder no one else has taken you.”
I held tight to her, not letting her move an inch. The smell of her blood was intoxicating. Was it truly that strong? “Please, I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
I chuckled despite myself. She had to be putting up a front. There was no way her mother hadn’t prepared her for what she was. She was too special to stay in the dark. That would have been reckless, not to mention endangerment. “Do you really not know?”
She shook her head. “I’m not who you think I am. I promise. I’m nobody.”
My hand trailed down her arm, focus split between our conversation and the call of her blood. I couldn’t resist the four crescent shaped cuts in her flesh. Each one already healing, but still, there was blood. There was nothing stopping me. I had to taste her. It was my duty to make sure I had the right woman. Wasn’t it?
The moment my tongue touched her, I knew. It was true. This wasn’t like Eliana, a guess, a possibility. Olivia had exactly what I was looking for, but fuck if I wanted to share her with anyone. My father couldn’t have her. He wouldn’t take her from me now that I’d found her. Everything in me tightened as need slammed into me. I shuddered and forced myself to move slightly away as the elevator stopped, doors sliding open to reveal the underground parking garage.
“No, little bird, you are exactly who I think you are. I’m not letting you go anywhere. Now.” I gripped her chin between my fingers and tilted her head until her beautiful eyes were on mine. I had to keep her calm, to make her be quiet so we could leave this place without catching the attention of any onlookers. “Look at me and relax. You will come with me, without a fight, or I will make you, and it won’t be pleasant.”
I compelled her to trust, to relax and be calm. In the space of a few heartbeats, she appeared every inch a drunk girl being seen to by her loving boyfriend. She walked with me, head slumped onto my shoulder, posture relaxed. Then, I scooped her into my arms and strode toward my car, parked in the corner.
My little bird was about to be put in a cage, and something didn’t sit right with me.
She was not made for captivity.
She was made for me.
Also by The Midnight Coven
The Coven thanks you for reading Wicked Thorne. You won’t believe what we have coming next. Want a sneak peek? Check out our website at midnightcoven.com.
There are thirteen different books in the Cursed Coven series, each penned by one of today’s hottest paranormal romance authors. While each story stands on its own with a happily ever after, characters do tend to wander from book to book, and you don’t want to miss a cameo by one of your favorites. You can read the novellas in any order.
The Coven will return soon with a twisted collaboration that will keep you reading all night long.
The magic continues with each witch who falls under our curse. Find your favorite now!
Wicked Thorne by K. Loraine
Wicked Warlock by Marina Simcoe
Wicked Love by Lisa Manifold
Wicked Creatures by Dyan Chick
Wicked Omens by Patricia D. Eddy
Wicked Devotion by Renea Mason
Wicked Desires by K.L. Bone
Wicked Hunt by Alice K. Wayne
Wicked Truth by Corinne O’Flynn
Wicked Witch by Jessie Lane
Wicked Shadows by Ariel Marie
Wicked Hexes by Amelia Hutchins
Wicked Charm by Knox & Miers
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Also by K. Loraine
Paranormal Romance
The Blackthorne Vampires
Blood Captive
Blood Traitor
Blood Heir
The Midnight Coven Collaborations
Vampire Brides Series
Forever Claimed (A Blackthorne Vampire Novella)
Vampire Mates Series
Immortal Promise (A Blackthorne Vampire Novella)
Cursed Coven
Wicked Thorne (A Blackthorne Vampire Novella)
The Watcher Series
Waking the Watcher
Denying the Watcher
Releasing the Watcher
The Siren Coven
Eternal Desire
Cursed Heart
Wicked Temptation
Immortal Flame
Reverse Harem
Their Vampire Princess (A Reverse Harem Romance)
The Shadow Court Harem
Their Shadow Queen
Protecting Their Shadow Queen
Returning Their Shadow Queen
About the Author
Kim writes steamy romances in both the contemporary and paranormal genres.
You’ll find her paranormal romances written under the name K. Loraine and her contemporaries as Kim Loraine. Don’t worry, you’ll get the same level of swoon-worthy heroes, sassy heroines, and an eventual HEA.
When not writing, she’s busy herding cats (raising kids), trying to keep her house sort of clean, and dreaming up ways for fictional couples to meet.
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