by Jessica Lee
Deep inside, the remaining piece of his soul that belonged to the Enclave cried out. Forgive me, my fellow warriors.
She’d won. He’d failed to take his life. There would be no going back.
He couldn’t resist her. Drinking from her black well had fed the stain on his soul—renewed its vigor.
She owned him.
And God help him, but he wanted her.
And in a way, it was a release. He didn’t have to fight any more. The choice had been made, and he wasn’t the one who had made it. He’d been spawned from the seed of evil, born and bred to become a killer. Even though he’d tried with the Enclave, for the last few decades, to become something more, as a bit of redemption for the crimes he’d committed while human, a part of him knew this was inevitable. Sort of a self-fulfilling prophecy.
Marguerite wrenched the knife from his chest. The jagged metal ripped at his flesh as she twisted the blade free. Cold sweat erupted from his pores.
“What the hell do you think you are doing?”
He tumbled forward from the sudden loss of her mental hold. “It was better to take my life than reveal my failure to you, mistress. There is nothing to be rewarded for.”
Enrique grabbed his hair, jolting the back of his head. Markus hissed from the stab of pain at his scalp.
A chill swept his body, telling him Marguerite had come closer even before her face loomed over his. With another jerk, Enrique released him. His head dropped forward, wet strands of his hair clinging to his cheeks. He glued his stare to the floor. Waiting. Wanting.
Icy fingers gripped his chin, bringing him to his feet. “What do you mean, minion, that there is nothing to be rewarded for?” Marguerite’s fangs lengthened, the tips glistening below her upper lip.
“Kenric’s whore lives.”
Chapter Twenty-One
Every muscle in Emily’s body screamed for mercy. She curled into a fetal position. The horrific pains were back, growing more intense in her abdomen and spreading like burning tendrils down her arms and legs.
The only thing that stayed her stomach and calmed the flames was Kenric’s blood. Dear God, she hated to admit it, but she craved the taste of him.
The bed dipped behind her.
“It’s time.” Kenric’s deep voice rolled over her as his hand smoothed her hair. She moaned. Even the movement of her hair felt like needles piercing her skull.
After helping her to sit up, he presented his wrist. She winced at the condition of his flesh, mangled from the numerous bites he’d inflicted on himself. The frequency of her need for him left him little time to heal.
“How long can you keep this up? This has to be hell for you.” She stared at the crimson stream dripping onto the towel beneath his arm. Hunger twisted in her stomach.
“As long as I need to,” he whispered near her ear.
Bringing his wrist to her mouth, she eased her tongue out and licked the trail of blood back to its source. He hissed and drew her closer to his warmth, her back to his side.
She froze. “Am I hurting you?”
“Not in the way you’re thinking.”
“But I am hurting you.” She pushed his arm away. “There has to be another way. I can’t stand the thought of you in pain for me.”
“No, there is no other way. And you’re misunderstanding me.” He encircled her with his arm, bringing his wrist back to her lips. She couldn’t resist. Gently, she placed her lips to his addictive offering. “It’s not the type of pain like you’re experiencing. To feed another, the act is very…sensual.”
“Oh.” She released the seal around his vein, suddenly aware of the hard ridge pressed into her back. “This happens every time?”
His stubble brushed her ear with his nod.
“Oh, Kenric, I’m so sorry. In so many ways, this has been torture for you.” She owed him a debt she couldn’t begin to repay. Their last time together… She’d been a royal bitch. And what had he turned around and done? He had saved her life.
“Feed, love.” He rocked his open wrist at her lips, stopping her protest. “Let’s get you through this night. Dawn is approaching, and I need you further along in the process before we sleep.”
The taste of his blood filled her mouth. Thick, rich, and oh so good. She whimpered from the flavor and the feel of its magic working on her insides. Each swallow rained cool water on a raging inferno.
A muffled grunt came from behind her, and Kenric stiffened.
She lifted her chin. “Kenric, please. It wouldn’t bother me if you need to… You know.”
“That’s not necessary. Focus on you.”
“Come on, you’re not fooling me. You could shatter a brick with your…uh…the tension in your body. I might not be up to joining you, but it would make me happy to know you were enjoying this.” She lowered her head and gave his vein a long, deep pull.
His breathing quickened, and seconds later, his arm left her waist. The sound of a zipper and shifting clothes sent her pulse escalating. Yes. That’s what she wanted.
Within moments, he jerked in time with each sip to his vein. The fact that her feeding brought him to such a fevered state gave her a thrill. She swept her tongue out, enjoying the addition of the salty taste of his flesh mixed with the savory spice of his blood. His breath heated her neck, and the pace of his movements intensified.
His body suddenly grew rigid, and a deep groan shuddered from him. She smiled against his wrist. Both of them satisfied.
That was her last thought before her world faded to black.
A cool cloth brushed her face, waking her to his brilliant blue eyes, hooded by the longest raven lashes she’d ever seen. Beautiful, but the lines around them worried her.
“You need to rest,” she whispered. “How long have I been out?”
“It’s a little over an hour after sundown, and I did rest. You slept much longer this time, but you’ve started to perspire again.” He wiped her brow. “I’m sorry I woke you.”
“Don’t be. You’ve been so good to me.” She reached out and followed the hard line of his jaw with her fingertips. “Lie with me. Please.”
“Sure.” He smiled. “But let me take care of this first.” He dropped the cloth into the bowl on the bedside table, then reached for something from the floor. “I went by your place and collected a few things I thought you might want.” Kenric sat the duffle bag beside her on the mattress, gathered the bowl, and headed toward the bathroom.
Emily studied the large brown canvas satchel, her mind wondering what sort of items he would have thought to pack for a woman. She grinned. For a badass vampire, he could be such a considerate man. Emily pushed up against the headboard, then reached for the zipper and opened the bag. And her world shrank, narrowed down until the only thing remaining in focus was the framed photo sitting on top of her clothes.
How had he known she needed this?
Emily stared down at the frozen black and white moment in time of her mother, father, and an eight-year-old Emily Ross. The pictured captured one of her favorite memories: a sunny day she’d spent on the beach with her parents—before the alcohol had claimed her father and her family. She missed them, especially her mother. God, how she would love to talk to her one more time. But what would she say? “Hey, Mom. Guess what? I met a man who stopped my heart in more ways than one.” She couldn’t help but quirk a smile. For the first time, Emily was grateful they were already gone. This way she wouldn’t have to try and create excuses as to why she’d stopped aging, or worse, had to disappear from their life all together.
The clank of glass against tile drew her attention to the man in the other room. Kenric stood over the sink, rinsing the bowl. She couldn’t believe he’d thought to fill a satchel of memories from her human years and bring them to her. How could she have ever believed being with Kenric would have been a prison sentence? When she was with him, he filled in all the hollow places inside without crowding her spirit.
Emily turned her gaze back to the photo in her cl
utches, and it suddenly dawned on her—she hadn’t truly lost anything by becoming a vampire. Instead, she’d gained so much more. She’d been holding on to the past with such a fierce grip that she couldn’t reach out and grab hold of her future.
Kenric slid into bed beside her, propping his elbow onto the pillow and his head on his hand. “Did I do okay? You approve of my choices?”
And that future now lay beside her. She would always have the beautiful memories. Moving forward and letting go didn’t mean she would be empty. She would be free. And with room for centuries more of living with the man who had captured her heart and changed her life in so many ways.
“Yes.” She nodded and smiled. “It’s perfect.” Emily stuffed the frame back inside and moved the satchel gently back to the floor. “I haven’t had a chance to thank you for saving my life.” She turned and brushed the back of his hand laying between them. Gratitude, anxiety mixed with excitement, and, yes, a little fear coursed through her veins. The rawness of her emotions kept her eyes downcast. “We haven’t really had much time to talk since my turning began.” It was time to face the next step and find out what she could expect in her new life. Emily swallowed hard, summoning her courage to hear the answers to her next question. “What kind of changes will happen to me other than the obvious: inability to tolerate sunlight, a thirst for blood? Will I be able to change into a wolf like you?”
That would be kind of cool.
Kenric smoothed his free hand down her arm. “Soon you’ll be stronger than you were before, faster.”
She liked the sound of that, being able to kick ass if the need arose.
“But as an unbonded female vampire, you’ll be weaker than most male vampires. As far as shifting into a wolf, yes, but that takes time. Most vampires can’t shift until they’re at least half a century into their turn. You should be able to phase a short distance pretty soon after your change is complete. But a vampire needs to be at full strength to do so.”
“Okay.” Emily released a long exhale and gave her head a slight shake. “So much to digest. It’s all kind of surreal right now.” She placed her palm next to his heart. He’d given so much of himself for her. After the brutal way Kenric had been forced into his life as a vampire, what he’d done for her, even if it had saved her life, could not have been easy.
“When I found you so near death, it almost destroyed me. Waiting for you to choose…”
She glanced up under her lashes. Storm clouds hovered in his gaze.
“I barely refrained from making the choice for you.”
“Are you happy I said yes?” She had to ask. Even if she didn’t like his answer, Emily had to know if he regretted having been forced into that situation.
A flash of lightning lit the blue in his eyes, and his palm cupped her cheek. “I’ve never offered another person what I gave to you. Through all the centuries, I never wanted to release the choke hold on my resentment long enough. Not for a second. Until you.” He leaned forward and placed the gentlest kiss to her forehead, yet it held the power to command her heart. Kenric made her want to forget. Forget all the reasons why she’d feared his strength. His passion.
The moment he’d offered her his world, she’d grabbed hold. The thought of not living to feel his embrace again, and causing him more pain by her death, had outweighed any of her reservations.
Her mind strayed to the night in the hospital when she’d discovered the stray vial of blood. How could she have ever thought to betray him? She needed to tell him. No secrets. He deserved that much.
“Kenric…” She cleared the tightness in her throat.
He leaned back to look at her but continued to hold her cheek.
“There’s something I need to tell you.” Her gaze darted from his eyes to the wall behind him and the framed art of waves breaking the shore on some imagined, sunny beach. If only her heart held the peace depicted there.
What if he hated her for what she was about to confess?
Don’t tell him. He doesn’t have to ever know. The little demon whispered away in her ear, and she oh-so-wanted to follow his lead. But she knew better. Secrets like that had a way of rearing their ugly heads and devastating lives when least expected.
Dragging her gaze back to his, she started again. “You deserve to know about what happened the night you left the hospital after I helped you in the lab.”
His eyes narrowed on hers, and his palm dropped from her cheek. He pushed into a sitting position. “What do you mean?”
She tipped her head back to catch a glimpse of his face. His body grew tense, as if he sensed the news wouldn’t be pleasant. The queasiness that was the perpetual state of her stomach ramped up another notch.
“You know, when you left, I was pretty ticked off about the way you informed me I would be moving in with you. I’m sure you can tell by now, I don’t do well with commands.”
He grunted. “I kind of got that idea.”
After a deep breath, she told him everything. About finding the vial of blood in the trauma room, and what she’d done with it.
“I kept it.”
His bare feet dropped to the floor, then suddenly, he was up and across the room. His open palms slapped the wall, causing her to flinch.
He stood with his back to her, his rigid body braced against the hard surface. “Why did you keep it, Emily?” His words sounded tortured, uttered like torn bits of his insides.
She grabbed the headboard, pulled herself up, and opened her mouth, but nothing came out. How did she explain it without losing him forever?
He whirled around. A second later, he was beside her, dropping her purse on the side of the bed. Slowly, she tilted her head and met his glare. Her throat tightened, until she was sure she’d choke from the cold look in his eyes. He’d already known.
“I’ll ask again. Why did you keep it, Emily?”
“Fear? Bad judgment? Anger? Probably all. None of them a good reason, and all of it a sorry excuse for hurting you.” She searched his face for some sign. One that said he might not hate her. What she found cut with a sharper edge than hate. Disappointment.
“I’ve been chewing on the revelation I found in your purse over the last twenty-four hours.” He whipped around and grabbed the corner post at the footboard, holding on to it like a lifeline. “I couldn’t wrap my mind around a good reason why you had my blood and never told me.” He pivoted. The grimace on his face stabbed straight into her soul.
“When I made the choice that night, for a split second, your blood seemed like the answer that would keep me from drowning with the sinking ship called my life.”
“You didn’t need the damn blood for that!” He punched the wall. “All you had to do was come to me. I would have never let you go under.”
“I couldn’t ask you for money,” she cried out. Sweat dripped into her eyes, forcing her to rub at the stinging corners. “Right then, I was pissed at you for wanting to control my life… Do you really think I would have wanted to be indebted to you for money?” She lowered her head in shame. “It made me sick even thinking of using you to save my own ass, but at that moment, I was out of options. Jeff wouldn’t leave me alone, and I love my home.” Risking a glance in his direction, she lifted her chin. Maybe it was her imagination, but his expression seemed a little softer. “I didn’t want to risk losing it.”
His palms went to his face. He gave it a quick scrub and moved back to the bed. The headboard creaked as he dropped onto the mattress’s edge and eased her purse to the floor. He didn’t say anything. Just sat there with both arms resting on his thighs.
“If it makes any difference, the night of the attack, I…” She swallowed hard. God, she was so nauseated. “I had already made the decision to destroy the blood when I got to work. Even though you had made me mad as hell that night with Jeff, I couldn’t do it. I couldn’t bring myself to hurt you like that.”
He lifted his arms from his legs and smoothed his palms over his pants.
“You mean too muc
h to me, Kenric. I don’t want to be the person who brings you more pain.” She clenched her teeth against the growing knot of her own pain and nausea. Gulping for air, she added, “And if there was a way possible, I would sell my soul to go back in time and erase this mistake.” A slicing lance of pain curled her over, but she clamped her mouth over a sob. Chills raced over her body. “Kenric! When will this end?” She shook from the wave of cold marching across her skin.
Edging over into the bed, he rubbed her back. “Soon. I know it hurts, but you’re almost there. After this feeding, I’m going to need to leave for a little while. I have to feed again.”
A growl rumbled from her throat. Her eyes flew open, startled from the sound. Her heart raced, but the speed of the beats didn’t come from pain alone. The very idea of him at another woman’s throat sent a violent streak of jealousy coursing through her.
A tingling sensation zinged her upper gums, then quickly turned into an ache. Her skin itched, creating a frantic need to move.
Lunging into a sitting position, she flung the covers from her.
“Something’s happening.” Panic shot like lightning down her spine. “What’s going on?” She clawed at her skin.
“Tell me. What are you feeling?”
“I itch all over, and my gums ache.”
A tearing sensation exploded in her gums. She screamed and dropped her head into her hands.
That’s when she felt them.
Placing her tongue to the front of her mouth, she found two sharp points sitting beneath her upper lip. She reached with trembling fingers to explore. The tip of a right fang poked her finger. “Shit!” A bright red drop bubbled to the surface.
She lifted her head. Her focus zoomed to the vein at Kenric’s neck. Each beat lifted the skin there. Fascinating. Every rush of the beautiful, dark fluid moving through his body played like an erotic melody to her ears.
She wanted him.
Wanted to sink her fangs and drink until his hot blood filled every inch of her. And then she wanted to do it again. And again.
“Oh. Dear. God.” Every inch of her pulsed with need.