First Blade (Awakening Book 1)

by Jane Hinchey

  It hurt him to see her so broken, his ballsy, brave Georgia who didn't take shit from anyone.

  Zak pushed as much healing energy into her as he could while she was out cold. Her wounds were worse than she realized, deep and containing the venom of a master vampire.

  He eased out from under her, laying her flat on the bed. With gentle hands he stripped her, healing the scrapes he found on her legs and the cuts on the bottom of her feet. He noticed the paleness of her skin and her weight loss, how her hip bones were jutting sharply and her rib cage and collarbone starkly obvious. Once satisfied he'd healed every single one of her injuries, he tucked her beneath the covers, crawling in next to her and cradling her in his arms as she slept.

  24

  "She has what?" Marius's yell bounced off the walls. Erik shuffled in place, angry himself that Georgia had gotten away; his own feelings on the matter, however, were nothing compared to the rage emanating from Marius.

  "Escaped, my Lord."

  "How did this happen?" face inches from Erik's, he seethed.

  "We do not know, my Lord. Her door remains locked."

  Erik's eyes bulged as Marius plunged a hand into his chest, fingers wrapped around his heart.

  "Find her and destroy her." Marius pulled his hand from Erik's chest, flinging blood across the floor.

  Without a word Erik spun on his heel and stalked from the room, his own fury radiating out from him in waves. She was meant to be his. When Marius tired of her, she had been promised to HIM. He'd waited long enough, and now she'd escaped. Again. Only this time she'd gotten away. He would rip her fucking throat out, no matter how sweet her blood tasted or how much he craved her body. She was finished.

  "Marius," a soft feminine voice chided. Marius turned his gaze to Veronica, lounging on an antique love seat.

  "What?" he snapped, clearly annoyed at having a human, a HUMAN, slip through his clutches. Never in his millennia of a lifetime had this happened.

  "Calm, my love," she crooned, slowly rising and seductively moving across the room to him. Her pale hands cupped his face. "I can help. I know where the girl will be. And I bet I know how she got out," she purred, rubbing herself along the front of him. She smirked in satisfaction when she felt his erection surge against her and his hands clamp down hard on her waist.

  "Tell me."

  "Zak, my sire. He can teleport. And he can dream walk. He could easily have teleported her out of there. He would have taken her back to his home in Redmeadows."

  "Erik informed me Zak was killed in the cavern."

  "I don't know about that." Veronica shrugged. "But I do know that I can still feel the sire bond, and that wouldn't be the case if he was dead."

  "True. So the bond has not been severed?"

  "No."

  "Then it is long overdue." Marius began to pull away from her, but she stayed him with a hand on his chest.

  "Before you go rushing off, I have a better idea. Zak will be expecting you to retaliate, yes?"

  "Of course." And he'll be expecting you straight away."

  "Naturally."

  "I say, let him wait. I know him and it'll drive him nuts not knowing what your plans are, why you haven't turned up breathing fire on his doorstep. Instead, let's have a little fun here first. You. Me. A couple of blood slaves."

  Marius threw back his head and laughed before planting a kiss on Veronica's blood red lips.

  "Oh, you minx! I like the way you think. Tell me all about your sire, there is clearly more to him than meets the eye. But first..." He pushed her to her knees in front of him and she obligingly unzipped his trousers, his erection springing free. With no hesitation, she took him into her mouth, no complaints when he grabbed her hair and thrust into her until he climaxed.

  "Zak, c'mon, it's been three days. I'm fine, I swear!" Georgia chided the overprotective vampire standing in front of her.

  "You are still too pale," he growled.

  "That'll change once I get some sun. If I'm kept in the dark all the time then yes, I'm going to be pale. I don't get it. You can come with me, the sun doesn't affect you. What's the problem?"

  "The problem is I'd feel better if my warriors were there to protect you. You know if you return to your workshop during daylight that they cannot."

  "I doubt he'll bother with me," Georgia shrugged, "he was planning on killing me anyway. I don't think he'll bother coming this far to exact his revenge. Oh, I'm sure they searched for me at the time, but I seriously doubt they would bother themselves with me."

  "Don't kid yourself. Marius did not let you go. You escaped. That is the equivalent to a slap to the face. And you do not get to slap a master vampire in the face and live to talk about it."

  "Well, why hasn't he come already? If he's hell bent on revenge?"

  "Because he knows exactly where you are. Erik knows where you live, knows about your relationship with Skye and that you would never leave her. I'm sure the grapevine has filled them in that Skye has been turned. And I'm sure he now knows all about me."

  "You? How?"

  "Veronica is with him. Her tracker is still active. I know exactly where he is...why do you think I was in Azur Falls? I was on my way to the mansion he'd commandeered when the call came in about you."

  "Sorry, timing was pretty poor, eh?"

  "The timing was perfect. I was hunting him down to find you." Zak pulled her into his arms. "I was going to find you. It was too much of a coincidence that Veronica was suddenly in Azur Falls. But then you managed to save yourself and lead me right to you." He kissed the top of her head.

  Georgia sighed against him, "I'm really sick of all this Veronica and Marius talk," she confessed, wrapping her arms around his waist.

  "It's not going to go away; we're going to need to be ready for when he strikes," Zak murmured, distracted by the feel of her pressed up against him, her hands roaming across his lower back then dropping to squeeze his butt.

  "We should train again," Georgia purred, rubbing her pelvis against his hardness.

  "You call this training?" he chuckled, sliding a hand around the back of her neck and tilting her face up to him. Dropping kisses across her face, "We've been 'training' every night since you got home."

  "Practice makes perfect," she captured his mouth with hers, dueling her tongue with his and sliding it erotically across his teeth. Zak lifted her, wrapping her legs around his waist he leaned them against the wall, the kiss spinning them both out of control.

  "The boys?" she breathed, writhing against him.

  "They won't come in," he assured her. With a pulse of energy, he shoved the conference room door shut. His men weren't stupid and they'd learned over the last three days that he and Georgia could be found anywhere on the property enjoying each other's bodies. Georgia had no idea how often they'd been 'busted' and sheepish vampires had hastily retreated. Now they approached with caution, making sure Zak was 'decent' for company before entering any room.

  "The table," Georgia gasped, arching her neck as Zak nibbled his way from her ear down.

  "Perfect," he agreed, stripping her of her clothes and following the path his hands had made with his mouth and tongue. When her knees threatened to give out he spun her and bent her over the table. She gasped when her breasts flattened against the cold surface, her gasp soon turning to a groan when she felt the weight of him at her back and his mouth sucking the back of her neck. He hadn't drunk from her since her return, in fact, there had been no fang play at all, and she missed it.

  "Bite me," she whispered, longing to feel that rush of lust that only his bite could deliver, all thoughts of Marius's painful bite disappearing from her mind.

  "No." Instead, he nibbled his way down her spine to her luscious rear, gently nipping her rounded cheek but refusing to bite.

  "Please," she begged, her breath hitching in her throat when his fingers moved between her legs, spreading her thighs and moving his body between them. She could feel the hard length of him at her entrance and pushed back. He c
huckled and denied her, teasing her with strokes but no penetration.

  She struggled to sit up but he forced her back down with a hand in the middle of her back.

  "Bite me, you fucker," she cursed, wriggling against him. He laughed again and lowered his torso along her back as he slid his length into her, her hot, wet tightness squeezing him.

  "Mmmmmmm."

  "Couldn't have said it better," he murmured in her ear, rocking his hips as he slid in and out in gentle strokes. She pushed back with each stroke and he reveled in the feel of her, her scent, her warmth.

  "Zak," she practically sobbed. He stilled. She sounded distressed.

  "Have I hurt you?" he asked, brows furrowing in concern.

  "No. I need more Zak." Her breath hitched, "I remember your bite, how exquisite it feels, then Marius desecrated that memory. I need new memories, Zak...please."

  He pushed into her again, leaning up on his arms and pounding hard. She groaned beneath him and he could feel her nearing orgasm. Pushing her hair away from the back of her neck he kept up the unrelenting pace, bending and sinking his teeth into the nape of her neck. She shattered beneath him, her muscles tightening around him and milking him until he joined her, the sweetness of her blood clouding his mind and her body draining him dry.

  "Oh God." She shuddered, finally stirring. He'd collapsed on top of her and for a moment had forgotten that he was probably crushing her.

  "Are you ok?"

  "I'm more than ok, I'm perfect," she purred, wriggling to turn in his arms so she was facing him. One cheek was pink where she'd laid her face against the table surface and the friction of his pounding into her had bruised the soft skin. He cupped her cheek and sent out a healing pulse, the pinkness soon settling.

  She grinned as he stood before her, her legs wrapped around him, the rest of her body laid out on the table.

  "I like this position," she commented idly.

  "You do?" He was hard again, and with no preamble entered what she had laid out so enticingly before him.

  "Oh yes." She propped herself up on her elbows and watched where their bodies joined. He looked down and had to admit it was a pretty good view. Her wetness glistened on his skin as he withdrew, then pushed back inside of her, her body automatically adjusting to accommodate him. His thumb gently massaged her and he watched in fascination as her body arched, her elbows collapsing as she lay flat on her back, her hips jerking in response to the brush of his thumb against the most sensitive part of her. He continued the erotic massage while surging into her. Unable to take it anymore, he leaned over her, hands planted on either side of her head as his hips hammered against her. The change of position had him rubbing deliciously against her; he was everywhere, in and around her and she was overwhelmed. Her orgasm hit her in a wave, spinning her out of control and splintering into a million pieces. Two more thrusts and he joined her, his body shuddering against hers and his breath leaving him with a groan.

  Breathless, heart pounding, he lay on top of her, all the time careful of his weight, his strength, knowing that he could so easily hurt her in the throes of passion. An idea came to him.

  "I should turn you," he murmured against her damp skin.

  "What?" She pushed against his shoulders.

  "I have to be so careful with you, so aware of how easy it is to hurt you, but if I turned you, well, two birds with one stone." Her narrowed eyes told him she wasn't following, and the way she was pushing him off of her told him she wasn't thrilled with his idea so far.

  He ran a hand through his hair, blowing out a breath.

  "God, it makes perfect sense, I don't know why I didn't think of it before. I'll turn you. Then you'll no longer be weak. And you can spend more time with Skye without worrying about her going for your jugular. And an added bonus, I won't have to hold back when we have sex." He raised his eyes to look at her, expecting a smile of agreement. Instead, she was glowering at him, furious. He frowned in confusion.

  "I'm weak?" Her voice was level, but vibrating with emotion, "You won't have to hold back when we have sex? So what, I'm some pathetic, useless lay am I? All this time, having sex with an 'inferior' human when you'd rather be banging a vampire?"

  He looked stunned. "Georgia, that's not what I meant," he pleaded as she slid off the table and darted out of reach. He had to admit she was surprisingly fast for a human. There it was again. Human.

  "Oh, I think that's exactly what you meant, Zak. You said it yourself, you've been holding back with me, so you don't hurt me. Because I'm weak, vulnerable, a puny human." She angrily pulled on her jeans and jerked her tank top over her head, not bothering with her underwear, leaving the flimsy garments on the floor.

  "I..." He had nothing. She was right; it was how he felt, only he hadn't realized it himself until the words fell out of his mouth. Each time he'd thrust into her he was careful, knowing he could easily lose control and injure her. He never, fully, let himself go.

  Angry tears sparkled in her eyes and he cursed. He didn't mean that he didn't desire her, that she couldn't bring him to his knees with her touch, her kiss. That the moments they'd had together so far hadn't been...breathtaking. He wouldn't change any of it. But if she were stronger, faster, he wouldn't have to worry quite so much. Being able to have rough sex was an added bonus, but the sex wasn't what this was about. It was about the fact that Marius was coming and Georgia was the weakest link. How could he possibly expect to keep her safe and alive when battling a Master Vampire when she was human. So breakable.

  "I need to be able to protect you, Georgia," his own temper starting to rise, "be reasonable. I could throw you across this room with one hand and shatter your spine. That easy." He snapped his fingers to demonstrate.

  "You should have led with that, vampire," voice dripping ice, "instead of letting me believe I was enough for you. I thought you accepted what we had between us, that you accepted me. I trusted you, only to discover that I'm not enough." He cringed at the pain in her voice.

  "I love you," his voice rising, "I do, and you are enough for me, I just....hell, Georgia, you're twisting this," he accused. He must convince her this was the right course.

  "You love me? You're ruining it!" she yelled.

  "We end this now, Georgia. You're being foolish," he growled, his own temper rising.

  "Of course I am," she sneered, "never you. Because I'm the inferior one, right?" She strode out the room.

  "Georgia!" He bellowed, "Don't you walk away from me. Get back here. Now. We are not done talking."

  He thought he heard her mutter, "I am." Over the front door slamming. He was pulling on his own pants when he heard her truck start up.

  "Georgia!" he yelled, hopping on one leg as he tried to get his trousers up and run at the same time. She couldn't be leaving; she wouldn't do anything that stupid.

  She did. He got to the front door in time to see the gravel fly from beneath her wheels as she reached the end of the drive and swung her truck onto the road into town.

  Fuck. His hand punched clear through the wall.

  Georgia's truck ate up the miles. It had been a long while since she'd been for a drive just for the pure joy of it. Not that she was feeling joyful right at this minute. Her jaw was clenched so tight she thought her molars might crack. She was seething. Fucking furious at the jackass. NOW the sex wasn't good enough? The heart stopping, mind-blowing, multiple orgasm sex she'd been enjoying with him wasn't good enough? She'd thought she'd been making love with him and all the time he'd been holding back, not lost in the moment with her, not flying to the moon and back as the world tilted on its axis and threatened to send her hurtling off into space. He hadn't been lost in her as she had been with him. And it hurt. A lot.

  She passed the turn off to her place, knowing that it would be the first place he'd look for her. She had no doubt he'd be looking, but damned if he was going to find her. Not until she was good and ready.

  She drove mindlessly, through the night and into dawn. Her gym bag had been
on the floor of the passenger side and she'd stopped to rifle through it, see what she had at her disposal. In the bottom had been a coin purse with a few coins and a credit card she'd kept there for emergencies. Well, didn't this qualify as one? Having your heart stomped on by the one you loved counted as an emergency in her book.

  Knowing Aston would probably track any electronic transactions she made, she stopped at the ATM in Redmeadows and pulled out as much as the machine would allow in one hit. Then she'd hit the road, heading up the coast. Finally, at mid-morning, she pulled over, fatigue pulling at her, making her eyelids droop. Wasn't safe to keep driving, she'd fall asleep at the wheel and prove Zak right. Fragile little human. Stretching out across the front seats she slept, paying no heed to the tears that silently leaked from her eyes.

  "She's gone." Zak slumped in his chair, his hands loose on the conference table. The same table only hours ago he'd taken her on, reveled in her. Then ruined her. He'd handled it all so badly. He shouldn't have brought up sex at all. He'd made her feel she was lacking, that she was unable to satisfy him, but that wasn't true. She was his everything. He didn't mind holding back with her if it meant he could feel her shatter in his arms, that she could draw from him his own mind-melting orgasms. With her it was perfect. Right. But his careless words had pushed her away. He'd searched for her, transporting to her farm, the pub, the shop, other pubs. He couldn't find her.

  "You know Georgia," Skye consoled him with a pat on the shoulder, "She's hot headed. That girl always had a temper. She'll cool off."

  "It's not safe for her out there alone," he muttered, dropping his head onto his hands on the table.

  "You see, saying shit like that is what pissed her off in the first place. Georgia's been fighting her own battles for a long time, Zak, and then you come along, love her, teach her, rescue her, worship her and then whip it all out from under her by complaining that she's human."

  "But it's true. Humans are frail."

  "So she was right? That you want to turn her so you can have rough sex without fracturing her pelvis?"