Blood Rights (PULSE Vampire Series #7) (PULSE Series)

by Kailin Gow

  The thought stayed with her as she drifted at last into sleep, darkness replacing the shine of the moonlight through her window.

  And then, in the deepest depths of her dream, she heard a low, soft voice, filled with love and gentleness. “My darling!”

  Octavius stepped out of the shadow, appearing before her like a Greek statue. He was not red-eyed like the Octavius that had been hopped up on Life’s Blood –this Octavius radiated with kindness, with warmth. This was the Octavius that she had loved, who had shown her around the glorious labyrinths of Rome, who had brought her body to such shuddering pleasure, who had explored the depths of temptation with her in his palazzo in Italy. Immediately her whole body and soul ached for him.

  “Octavius – where are you?”

  “This is the only way…” his voice was low, urgent. “My body cannot resist the call of Life’s Blood, but my mind can withstand it. This is the only way you can be safe with me. If I dreamwalk, my mind is free to break the blood’s curse on me. I must warn you – if you see me in the flesh, you must fear me. But now, let me tell you – believe that I love you, that I care for you, that I cherish you…Dreamwalking is my only chance to make you understand that what you see before you is still me, that I still love you.”

  With that, he took her face into his hands, kissing her with the full force of his passionate love. In her dream she felt it; in her dream her whole body responded to the quickened caresses that marked his skilled and expert touch. His fingers ran smoothly up and down her body; his lips explored the contours of her shape. Her mind and body seemed fused into one seamless instrument of pleasure – she abandoned herself to the feeling, half-dream, half-reality, of Octavius’ love through and around her, to the desperate and frenzied intoxication of pure love.

  “If only I could do to you in the flesh,” he whispered into her ear, tantalizing her, “what I can do to you in these dreams…”

  And as morning came peeping through the blinds, waking her from her frenzy of pleasure, Kalina’s body felt as deliriously sore and bruised as it had been that first brilliant night in Rome.

  For a moment, she felt Octavius’ kiss still on her lips. Her pillow was moist with tears; she could still feel the sting of teardrops on her cheek – the longing that came with the knowledge, as painful as it was certain, that he was no longer with her.

  And then she felt the body stirring beside her.

  “Octavius?” she dared to whisper.

  Who else could it be? Max had her own room, Stuart and Justin were sharing…

  “Just like brothers,” a cocky, relaxed voice took over her thoughts.

  Kalina turned around in shock. “Jaegar.”

  Chapter 6

  “That’s right,” Jaegar was lying shirtless in bed beside her, his black satin pajama pants clinging with flattering tenacity to his muscular legs. His hair was long and matted with sweat and exertion – proof of a hard night’s work of love. His skin was deeply tanned, although beneath the evidence of his new sunwalking Kalina could see the unmistakable milk-white shine of the vampire. He was as beautiful as ever – more beautiful, perhaps – and Kalina’s voice caught in her throat as she tried to get over the shock. She covered her barely-clad body with the sheet, blushing furiously.

  “Jaegar, what…”

  “About time you woke up, Peaches,” Jaegar said with a slow, ephemeral grin. “I’ve been trying to rouse you for hours.”

  “How did you get in here? I locked the windows…” She had suspected he might fly in, and had double-bolted the windows accordingly.

  Jaegar looked almost disappointed, his mouth curling in a delicious pout that brought out the apple-red darkness of his lips. “Haven’t you learned anything about me by now, my darling? You really think I had to resort to burglar tactics? I just walked straight into the front lobby like any other discerning customer, looked straight into the eyes of that pretty young thing on reception, and told her exactly where I wanted her to take me – in all senses of the word…and she just let me do exactly as I wished!” He laughed darkly.

  “You were here all night…” Kalina’s eyes opened wide with shock. She felt surreptitiously under the pillow, where she had hidden a stake in the pillowcase. Was this Life’s Blood Jaegar or the true Jaegar? The sparkle in his eye – mischievous and yet dangerous – gave her no clues.

  “Most of the night…” Jaegar grimaced. “I would have woken you up sooner, but Octavius put a block on you…”

  “He did what?”

  “Made sure I couldn’t get into your head. At least – not until he was done with you. I couldn’t tap into your dreams – I couldn’t wake you up, either.”

  Kalina’s mouth fell open. “You mean, while I slept…”

  “You seemed to enjoy it quite a bit, Kalina. You definitely responded to my touch. And I figured that it wasn’t fair that Octavius have you all to himself. You enjoyed yourself quite a bit, Kalina. You even made sounds…”

  Kalina looked down, horrified. Her inner thighs and stomach were covered in tiny bite marks, tiny bruises…

  “How dare you?” So this was Life’s Blood Jaegar after all, she thought with horror. His desire and love converted to power-mad, unbridled lust. So it wasn’t Octavius…

  “No, it wasn’t,” said Jaegar matter-of-a-factly. “At least, it wasn’t all Octavius. Perhaps you enjoyed what I was doing to you so much that you started to incorporate it into your little fantasy…”

  “How could you?” Kalina had turned bright red. “Coming into my bedroom, trying to seduce me while I was sleeping…”

  “You were moaning and wanting more – how was I supposed to know it was Octavius you were calling out for, and not me? Your sleep was awfully fitful. And once I realized you were in the depths of your dream, fear not – I stopped. I’m not interested in having you that way – nor do I particularly want Octavius taking credit for my skills. I’d prefer having you the way I want: with you awake, willing, and conscious of every single moment of pleasure I provide for you…” His eyes grew wide with desire. “If I’m going to have you, I want you to know exactly what I’m doing to you…” His hand began to run up her thigh. “I’m a gentleman, after all.”

  “When you realized I wasn’t awake…”

  “I stopped,” Jaegar said. “Scout’s honor.”

  Kalina sighed, slightly relieved. The frenzied Life’s Blood vampire she had heard in her vision wouldn’t have stopped – that much she knew. Was this simply the normal Jaegar, inflamed by his desire, but capable of defeating the power of the Life’s Blood within him? Certainly, Alice-Suzanne’s Life’s Blood wasn’t as strong as Kalina’s own…

  “Jaegar – the blood you took, from that flight attendant. That was Life’s Blood. Do you know what’s happened to you?”

  Jaegar looked a bit confused – his eyes glazed over momentarily. “I know,” he said at last. “Or I think I know. Whatever’s happening to me, it’s weird. It’s not like before, when Mal gave me your blood against my will. That was pure. Immediate. Strong. It took me over all at once. But this – it comes and goes. Like last night. I don’t remember much. Just that I came in here and found you and we started…it was like something took me over. Something that wanted you more that it loved you. But then…the cloud went away, I was myself again. On the jet, it was stronger. It was like something else took over my brain. But now…”

  “You’re you.” Kalina nodded, her mouth spreading into a smile of relief. “And Octavius – he’s himself, sometimes, too.”

  Jaegar’s expression darkened instantly. All at once, he seized hold of her wrists, pushing her violently onto the bed. “Don’t you dare say his name!” he exclaimed. His mouth sought hers, pressing her into a fierce and passionate kiss. “By the time all this is over, Kalina, you’ll not be thinking of anyone except for me. You know that, Kalina, deep down. I’m the one for you.” His eyes blazed with dark fire. “Nobody and nothing will stand in the way of us being together. Not anymore.”


  The familiar passion, the familiar love began to take hold of her once again. Even now, even with the danger hanging over both their heads, Kalina couldn’t resist closing her eyes and kissing him back, feeling desire flood through her. It had been so long since she’d been able to hold him like this, since the two of them had been able to be together. She wanted him so badly she could taste it.

  He was pulling up her negligee, kissing her stomach and hips so lightly it made her toes curl, when a knock sounded at the door.

  It was Justin. “Are you okay, Kalina? What’s going on in there?”

  He’s got vampire hearing, Jaegar signaled to her, he knows you’re not alone.

  “If you can fight off the effects of the blood,” Kalina sighed, “then I can convince Justin you’re not a threat. I’ll let him in – we can explain that Alice’s blood wasn’t that strong…”

  Something in Jaegar’s face cut Kalina off. Suddenly, he no longer looked like himself. His eyes were red and his expression was terrible.

  Before Kalina could react, the door flew open and Justin appeared, flanked by Stuart and Max, stakes in hand.

  “Wait,” Kalina ran over to them. “Jaegar’s not under the influence – he can fight it off. It’s weak in him…”

  But nobody was listening to her. Their eyes were trained on Jaegar, who was tensed up against the edge of the bed like a cat waiting to pounce, every muscle in his body poised to spring for danger. He looked like a caged animal – defiant and terrifying.

  “Jaegar, wait…”

  But before Kalina could speak, he leaped at them.

  “Don’t hurt him! Don’t spook…”

  But before Kalina could finish speaking, Jaegar had pushed Justin and Max aside and flown out the door…

  Chapter 7

  “What the…” Justin looked at Kalina, shocked. “What was that about? I’ve heard of sleeping with the enemy, but…”

  Stuart was staring at Kalina in horror, at once surprised and – it seemed – angry. He looked down, biting his lip, trying with difficulty to avoid the sight of Kalina in her peach lace negligee.

  “It’s not what you think,” Kalina tried to explain, stumbling over her words. “Jaegar isn’t completely affected – at least, not like last time. Alice-Suzanne’s blood isn’t strong enough to turn him completely. I guess this new generation of Carriers is different. He goes in and out of…you know. Crazy mode. He’s trying to fight it off. And apparently it’s not as strong now as it was on the jet. Maybe it’ll just…wear off.”

  Stuart looked unconvinced. “So why did he flee?” he said. “Why not just explain?”

  “You threatened him!” Kalina cried. “You scared him. Put him up on the defensive.”

  Stuart furrowed his brow. “Last night he issued me a warning – that he wanted me dead. But this Jaegar…he could have grabbed me when he flew, could have killed me if he wanted to. I’m not as able to defend myself as I used to be. But he didn’t. Does that mean that he’s my brother after all? I don’t know. He could be playing a longer game – trying to get your trust, to convince you….did he glamour you, just then?”

  “No, of course not!” said Kalina, flushing.

  “We can’t be sure. After all, you and he were…”

  “That was consensual,” Kalina said quickly, turning red.

  “And Octavius, have you heard from him? Has he issued threats?”

  Kalina turned redder still. “Not exactly,” she admitted. “I mean, he visited me in my dream. He wasn’t like Jaegar was in the telepathy, though. He seemed sane. Apparently when he dreamwalks he’s free of the influence.”

  Justin looked concerned. “This is fascinating,” he said, pursing his lips deep in concentration “From a purely scientific point of view, I mean. After all, I am still a hematologist, aren’t I? I have to get my hands on their blood – to see a sample of how Alice’s blood is interacting with theirs. I’ll tell you one thing; this isn’t what they teach you in med school. Maybe if I do some experiments, though, I can figure out precisely how all this works.” Justin’s eyes twinkled with excitement, and Kalina couldn’t help but feel happy for him. Vampire or not, Kalina thought, at least there were a few things in Justin’s new life that could make him feel that it was worth living. He would never be a doctor now, she knew – having him around spilled human blood was too dangerous – but at least he could continue his love of research.

  “I thought med school took a long time,” Justin laughed bitterly, “but I guess now I have an eternity to learn all about what makes vampires tick.”

  “Well, it certainly means…” but Kalina was interrupted by the shrill ringing of her cell phone. She looked at her bag in surprise – who could be calling her? It seemed that everyone she still talked to was in the room with her.

  “Who is it?” Stuart asked.

  “I don’t recognize the number…” Kalina took the phone warily. “Hello?” She pursed her lips. “Who is this?”

  “You don’t recognize my voice?” The light female voice on the other line sounded offended. “It’s Maeve, silly!”

  Maeve. Kalina’s heart sank with guilt. Maeve had once been her best friend, her closest confidante. But since graduation Kalina had barely spoken to her – she’d been so caught up in the world of vampires that she’d forgotten her human friends existed.

  “Yeah,” Kalina said, blushing redder than she had done even at the mention of Octavius. “I’m really sorry about that, Maeve. I’ve been…kind of distracted lately.”

  “How’s New Haven? How’s Yale?”

  Kalina’s heart sank. It had been too hard to explain to her friends back home what had happened, to hear tales of Maeve’s first semester at community college in Rutherford (she was saving up money for Berkeley, she said) when Kalina had to defer her dream of Yale indefinitely to chase vampires around the wilds of Mongolia.

  “Actually, I decided to take a year off first,” said Kalina. “Defer my admission.” It was true, but the cheery way in which she presented it was a lie through and through. And whatever she’d told the Dean of Admissions, Kalina doubted she’d ever make it through her “gap year in China” to enroll in the class two years from now.

  “Listen, Kal,” Maeve said. “I thought things would be cool once you left out here – I mean, no offense, but the whole…V-A-M-P deal made the whole town a bit less Pleasantville, if you know what I mean.”

  “Yeah, I know…” Kalina said mournfully.

  “But…the reason I’m calling, actually, is that they’ve come back. They found a sophomore at Rutherford High dead in the woods last week – bite marks. Second unexplained death in two weeks. They’re calling it a drug trip gone wrong, a bear attack – anything but the truth…and I figured nobody here knows what’s going on except you.”

  Kalina looked at Justin and Stuart. So that’s where the Carriers were. And Molotov and the others, by the sounds of things. The one place we’d never think to look. Our own backyard.

  Was Octavius there, too?

  “I’m actually heading back there now,” Kalina said, more hopefully then she felt. “Don’t worry, we’re handling things. Listen, Maeve – there’s others in Rutherford…like me. And that’s what the vamps are looking for. Just stay inside at night, lock your doors, put up crosses, and you’ll be safe. They’re not looking for people like you – they’ve got bigger fish to fry…”

  “More like you?” Maeve sighed bitterly on the other line. “What is it about this place? What is it about Rutherford…?”

  “Listen, Maeve, we’ll be on the next flight over. Me and Justin both.”

  “Justin?” Maeve seemed to perk up. “How is he?” She asked the question with a bit too much eagerness.

  “He’s…” Kalina wasn’t sure precisely how to answer that question. “He’s…been having a rough few weeks. He’s with me down… It’s a long story. I’ll explain it all when we get back to Rutherford.”

  “Okay,” Maeve said.

  “Be safe,” Kal
ina said. “I’ll see you soon.”

  “Just…hurry, okay Kalina?”