Rebel Obsession (All the King's Men)

by Donya Lynne

  Io’s eyebrows popped. “Good thinking.”

  “Eh, just doing my job.”

  They pulled up alongside the Jag and Io jumped out and rushed toward Miriam. Just seeing the state she was in brought back memories of his own addiction. He scratched his forearms as they began to itch. It had only been a year since Arion had helped him kick his own cobalt habit, but the damn itching of withdrawal persisted. Would it ever stop? For six months he had been on the using end of that nasty shit, and he feared he would pay for it for the rest of his life. He wondered how long Miriam had been using. It only took a few uses of cobalt to go full-blown addict, and he already knew she had been using for at least a month, from what Sev had said.

  Sev rounded up Persephone, and Io lifted Miriam out of the driver’s seat. She was in bad shape.

  “I’m taking her to my place,” Io said.

  Sev gave him a look. “No, you aren’t.”

  “Yes, I am. Meet me there.”

  “Io!”

  But Io had already connected with Miriam and pulled her with him into the ether, shooting their molecules to his home on the North Side. Within seconds, he had pulled her through the mist and appeared in the shadows of the backyard, Miriam cradled in his arms. He ran to the back door, yanking his keys out of his pocket as he reached it. Quickly, he unlocked the door, rushed in, gently laid her on the bathroom floor down the hall, then ran for the ingredients he had used to help get himself cleaned up.

  When Io had been fucked up beyond all recognition, Ari had stayed with him every day, helping him detox, feeding him the concoction he was about to give Miriam and injecting Io with his own venom to fight the addiction. Ari had sacrificed so much to make sure Io got better and kicked the blue shit, sitting with him, holding him through the violent chills, cleaning him after throwing up God only knew how many times. Ari had never given up on him, saving Io from himself.

  And now Io had to do the same for Miriam.

  He pulled out the tin of ancient, powdered herbs and scooped out a quarter-teaspoon, mixed it with water, and then put it on the stove. He added raw vinegar and a drop of an elixir that had been provided by AKM’s medical center.

  Phew! The shit stunk. It was enough to bring back bad memories

  While the brew heated up, he hurried into the bathroom. Miriam was slumped on the floor, and her long black hair draped her body like a death shroud.

  “Time to get up, baby. Come on.” Io lifted her and crushed her body to his as the glands in the roof of his mouth kicked into gear, churning up his venom. Vampire blood trumps dreck blood. Vampire venom trumps dreck venom. Being that cobalt was made from dreck blood and venom, vampire venom was a key antidote to detox an overdose.

  He bit into her neck. Back at AKM, the medics would have put in an IV and injected it into her system. He didn’t have time for that shit. She needed his venom now.

  Miriam shuddered and drew in a shaky breath as his venom burst into her veins. First would be euphoria then would come the pain as he pushed more venom into her than he would during a simple feeding. And fuck him if she didn’t purr. He had never known a female vampire to purr in the way a male did when aroused, but shit, Miriam was purring deep within her chest. But then, Io had never known a female with such pure bloodlines as Miriam’s, either. Perhaps that was what made her different.

  Soon enough, the purring stopped, and her body quivered. Then shook. Her teeth chattered and her long fingers dug into his shoulders. The pain was breaking through as his venom sought out the intruder and destroyed it. She whimpered and groaned then finally let loose a scream so full of despair tears welled in Io’s eyes.

  But at least she was alive.

  CHAPTER SEVEN

  Miriam came out of unconsciousness screaming, her body convulsing with pain. And what the hell? Some crazy-ass fool was biting her. Too bad she couldn’t control her limbs enough to punch the guy, and her voice was too busy screaming to be able to form coherent sentences. Not that coherent thoughts were in big supply right now. Her brain was a pile of cobalt-stomped mush.

  For several seconds, she jerked and spasmed as her screams echoed and choked her throat, but finally she was able to squeak out, “Stop.”

  In her head, she had heard that coming out a lot differently. Louder, for starters.

  She tried again. “Stop.” That was a little better. It sounded more like an actual word and not a mouse trying to speak.

  “STOP!” Wow! That time she hadn’t even tried.

  Her attacker released her neck and jerked back to look at her.

  Oh my God. Io. Where had he come from? Was she only hallucinating? She had hallucinated on cobalt before, but not like this. He looked so damn real.

  Gorgeous, greenish-brown eyes bore into hers, full of concern, and she reached for him, wanting to brush her fingers over his thick, dark brows. Instead, she punched him. Okay, yeah, so she didn’t have complete control over her faculties.

  He ricocheted to the side from the impact but seemed unfazed as he swiftly turned back.

  “It’s okay,” he said. “I’ve got you. Hold on, I’ll be right back.”

  No, no, don’t go! But she couldn’t get her voice to work again. It was like a bad case of Tourette syndrome. When she tried to speak, she couldn’t. But then out of nowhere…

  “NOOO!”

  How embarrassing that he was seeing her like this.

  “Don’t worry, I’m still here,” he said from the hall. “See, you can hear my voice. I’m still here. I’m not going anywhere.” His voice grew more faint, but he continued calling back to her. She heard the sound of cabinets opening and pans and cups hitting the counter. “This is my house. You’re in my home. I’m going to take care of you. See, you’re safe. I’m not going anywhere.”

  He sounded like he was talking to make sure she knew he hadn’t forgotten about her and hadn’t poofed into ether. That was nice. Very nice. Comforting.

  As soon as he reappeared in the doorway, holding a large mug of something that smelled atrocious, her mind relaxed again.

  Io!

  She reached for him, her arms flailing out of control, heat still rippling through her limbs in waves as the pain and burn continued to subside. Instead of taking her hand, though, he knelt down beside her and lifted the mug to her lips.

  “Drink,” he said. “You have to drink this.”

  One whiff and she knew there was no way.

  He shook his head and huffed. “You have to. You need it to detox the cobalt out. It will make you feel better.”

  Her eyes snapped to his doubtfully, but she found trust and honesty in his gaze. She could trust him. He wouldn’t hurt her, and somehow he knew what was happening to her. She could tell Io had done this before.

  She nodded, or at least tried to, but she probably just looked like a bobblehead for all the control she had over her muscles right now. He grinned compassionately, caressing her face with his free hand, trying to reassure her. He knew. Damn, somehow he just knew how to help her.

  “Okay, drink. I’m here to catch you.”

  She held her breath and let him tip the cup to her lips. Hot liquid touched her tongue and she winced before taking the fluid down her throat in heavy, disgusting gulps.

  “Keep it down,” he said. “At least for a few minutes.”

  Keep it down? At least for a few minutes? Oh, God. How bad was this going to be?

  He emptied the cup and quickly set it aside before lifting her into his arms and holding her close in a gentle, rocking motion. She gagged at the aftertaste, but he simply kept rocking her, making shushing sounds.

  Her stomach was not happy. At all.

  “This is a more effective treatment for overdose and addiction than what they gave you at AKM a couple of weeks ago,” Io said. “This is much better.”

  Better? She and Io would have to talk about his definition of the word better, because even though she still couldn’t talk, she could feel, and right now it felt like World War III was about to
go postal in her stomach.

  “Keep it down as long as you can, Miriam.”

  Dear God, she was going to throw up.

  Not in front of him. Please, not in front of Io.

  How much more was she going to humiliate herself in front of this male who made her heart do flips at just the thought of his hands in her hair? She had nearly upchucked in front of him two weeks ago at AKM, and here she was, in his home, about to do it again. And it felt like this time would put last time to shame. Nothing like being an overachiever.

  “Sssshhh,” Io said, trying to comfort her.

  But she couldn’t be comforted. Her stomach was a roiling inferno. She tried to shove away from him. This was it. She couldn’t hold it back any more. Toilet, toilet…

  “TOILET!”

  He lifted her away from him and held her body as she lunged and heaved a mess of blue shit into the commode. Great, gasping, body locking spasms that seemed to go on forever and empty her to the point where she didn’t think she could empty any more decimated her, and still she continued to retch. Through it all, Io managed somehow to hold her body up with one arm while holding back her mane of hair with the other.

  After what felt like ten minutes, she finally stopped and fell back against him in a spent heap as he flushed the toilet.

  She was exhausted. The soothing chill of a damp cloth being rubbed over her face and mouth relaxed her. After he had cleaned her up, Io gently lifted her in his arms, cradled her, and carried her out of the bathroom. She closed her eyes against the soothing, rocking motion of his body, and then she felt him lower her to a soft, cushiony surface.

  He didn’t say a word, but she heard him walk more calmly into what sounded like the kitchen. Yes, it was the kitchen. The refrigerator door opened and then the faucet turned on. The rush of water stopped a few seconds later, and then she heard the sound of a light switch being flipped. Next thing she knew, he was back at her side and his fingertips were brushing her face.

  She cracked open her eyes and blinked at him.

  “How do you feel?” he said.

  “Better. Tired.” Her throat was raw, and she coughed.

  “Here.” He handed her a bottle of water, already opened. “Don’t worry. It will stay down,” he said when she hesitated.

  She had regained the use of her limbs, although they felt weak and heavy, and she took the bottle and lifted it to her mouth. Yes, the cold liquid felt good going down.

  Io lifted the damp cloth and wiped her face again, and it felt wonderful. Refreshing.

  “You need to rest now, okay?” he said. “A short rest and you’ll feel better. I promise.”

  How could she say no to those eyes? “Okay.”

  He stayed with her until she finally nodded off.

  * * *

  Io sat on the floor next to Miriam, watching her sleep.

  He hadn’t thought he would see her again after their encounter at AKM, but here she was. Fate had seen fit to thrust her back into his life. And damn if he was going to waste this chance to be with her. All he had wanted was another opportunity to see her, and his prayers had been answered. Someone up there sure liked him. He glanced to the ceiling, placing his hand on his chest. Thank you.

  When had he ever been around a more perfect female? Miriam was everything he had ever been attracted to. Other than her cobalt addiction, she was the definition of perfection. He had captured enough of a glimpse of her mental fortitude at AKM to know she was no soft-footed glamour puss, either. Something about Miriam told him she was intelligent and powerful, which begged the question, why was she doing the big blue monster? What drove her to shoot up cobalt?

  For Io, he had just been plain stupid for taking on cobalt. He had always been more of the daredevil, trying new things just because he could. Io was a risk taker, a rebel. Not a rebel in the way Micah was, but a rebel in that he took dares no one else would take. He liked to gamble and go against the odds. It made him feel alive.

  As he’d told the group earlier, cobalt had been one of those gambles. Turned out to be a stupid one, but one he had taken nonetheless.

  Maybe Io just liked feeling as if he could beat the odds. Playing it safe was for other people. Boring people. Not him. Io wanted to experience life. All of it. That couldn’t truly happen without taking risks and experiencing the bad alongside the good.

  But that still didn’t explain why someone like Miriam, who had it all, and who obviously had the brains and the brawn to go along with all that beauty, flirted with the blue monster. This intrigued him. What made Miriam tick? What pushed her to drug up?

  A vehicle pulled into his driveway.

  Sev.

  He rushed to the door and quietly opened it as Severin and Persephone came up the walk.

  “Just what in the hell are you thinking?” Sev sounded like a snarling pit bull.

  “Ssshhh,” Io motioned for him to keep his voice down. “She just fell asleep.”

  “Is she okay?” Persephone raced past him before he could stop her, but at least she ran tippy-toed.

  Sev glared at him. “What are you thinking?”

  Io ushered him inside and shut the door. “I knew I could take better care of her here than they could at AKM,” he said.

  “Why’s that?” Sev kept his voice down as he entered the living room and saw Miriam passed out on the couch.

  “Didn’t Ari tell you?”

  “Tell me what?”

  “I used to be an addict, Sev.”

  Severin’s head shot around, his gaze lighting with surprise. “What?”

  “Yeah, about a year ago, I was strung out on that shit. Ari didn’t tell you?”

  Sev shook his head. “No. He mentioned you two had been through some heavy shit over a year ago, but wouldn’t elaborate.”

  “Well, yeah, not many knew about it. Arion. Tristan. Probably Micah, because you know he can’t stay out of people’s heads. But that’s all.”

  “Shit.” Sev turned and looked at Miriam again.

  Persephone was kneeling beside her then quietly got up and returned to him and Sev. “So, she’s okay?” Her gaze darted uncomfortably from Severin, and emotion flickered in the depths of her eyes before she met Io’s gaze.

  That’s when Io remembered that Arion had briefly been engaged to Persephone before the truth had come out that he had already mated Sev. No doubt she felt awkward in the presence of the male who had ended up stealing her fiancé‘s heart…and soul.

  That makes two of us, sweetheart.

  Io nodded. “I was able to treat her and get her settled down.”

  Sev sighed. “You can’t keep her here, Io. She has to go home, or at least to AKM.”

  “No,” Persephone said, looking worried. “No, she can’t go home.”

  “Why not?” Io asked, startled by how upset Persephone was about the idea.

  “Her father doesn’t understand. He doesn’t get Miriam.” Persephone looked down, the telltale shame of drug addiction evident on her face. “He doesn’t understand that she’s an addict.”

  “What do you mean, he doesn’t understand? What is there to not understand about what’s happening to her?” Io pointed toward Miriam, angry over what he was hearing.

  Persephone looked between him and Sev. “Miriam says he pretends he doesn’t see it. Her drug use. It’s like he thinks it will just go away if he doesn’t acknowledge it.”

  Was the king insane? Ignoring cobalt abuse was the worst thing anyone could do to stop it. This just proved the point that the vampire society needed better education about cobalt. If the king himself didn’t understand it, how could he expect to get control over it?

  “Home is the last place Miriam needs to be right now.” Persephone gave a pleading glance toward Io then Sev. “Please let her stay here.”

  Severin shook his head at her then turned a warning eye on Io. “She can’t stay here, Io. You know she can’t.”

  True, if Tristan found out he had kept Miriam in his home, he would be up shit c
reek, and not just without a paddle, but without a boat, too. But he couldn’t send her home, not after what he had just heard. Besides, he couldn’t let the most beautiful female he had ever laid eyes on leave his home before he’d even had a chance to talk to her. Io just wanted her to open her gorgeous blue eyes and look at him. No way was he going to spit on this gift God had given him.

  “Sev, come on. You know I can do more for her here. I can help her through this. AKM won’t do anything but turn her over to her father, and he won’t do anything to get to the bottom of this.”

  “You don’t know that,” Sev said.

  “Didn’t you just hear what Persephone said? Her father refuses to see what’s going on here.”

  “It’s true.” Persephone’s face was a mess of fear as she turned toward Sev, practically begging him. “Please. Her father doesn’t try to understand. He’s the problem. He’s why she uses.”

  Io and Sev both frowned at her.

  “What do you mean, he’s why she uses?” Io said.

  Her face screwed up like she was afraid of speaking out of turn. “God, please don’t tell anyone I said this.” Clearly, Persephone knew how much trouble she could get in for speaking ill of the king. After wringing her hands and making a pained face, she said, “He keeps Miriam like she’s a prisoner. She feels like she’s trapped there. He doesn’t let her do anything, and she’s always saying how much she hates it at home, how it feels like a prison.” Persephone paused and looked at Miriam, who remained asleep on the couch. “She just wants to be free. She uses cobalt because….” She paused, looking down with that familiar shame in her eyes again. “She says she uses because it’s the only time she can feel free from her father.”

  This was bad. Real bad. He could get Miriam off the shit, but if she just went right back into the environment that had caused her to use in the first place, the chances of her staying clean were slim.

  “I can help her, Sev,” Io said. “She needs me. You know with my past that I’m the best one to help her through this. I practically run the cobalt rehab program at AKM, for God’s sake. You know I can take care of her.”