"A pretty boy, you are not." She smiled. "How about ruggedly handsome."
"Hmm… I could get used to that." He noticed the bottles of blood still on ice. The concoction was synthetic blood that had been blended with wine, which gave it the illusion of dark burgundy.
Even chained, Sloane could reach the bottles of blood so she could feed herself, but he did the offering. He opened a bottle for her, hoping if she drank while he sat with her, she would remain in control. She took what he offered, but kept her eyes on him, the stare so intense it held him prisoner to her gaze. His body temperature rose a few degrees and his blood surged to the place below his belt. All he could think about was bedding her and if he was reading her body language, she wanted him, too. Not that he was opposed to a little kinky sex, but he much rather she wasn't shackled to the bed right now. He needed to feel her and he wanted her hands on him as well.
He leaned forward and kissed her forehead, the palm of his hand resting on her cheek.
"Hmm…that's nice," she said, placing the unfinished bottle on the nightstand. "I don't want nice." She was fast. Her legs whipped around his waist, pulling him closer, her mouth a breath away.
He wasn't afraid of her even though he should be. He wanted her too much. He climbed onto the bed and straddled her. "Finish the blood and we'll see if I can conjure up a better bad boy image for you." He reached for the bottle and waved it in front of her face.
She grabbed it from him and proceeded to gulp down the dark red liquid. "Ah… all finished. See?" She taunted the empty bottle in his face. He took it from her and wiped her mouth with the pad of his thumb. She placed her lips over the member and suckled the leftover blood with a flick of her tongue before rewarding him with a wicked curve of her lips. He leaned down and kissed her. She tasted of blood and wine, but he was lost to her and barely noticed. He pulled opened the drawer on the nightstand, his fingers closing over the key before he shut it again. He fiddled with the lock until the resound click told him her hand was free. He quickly worked to release her other hand. Now that the binds didn't hinder her movements, she fisted his shirt and tore the material away, leaving his chest bare. She gasped in surprise at her strength. "Oh my…I'm sorry." The palm of her hand slid over his flesh. "Sort of."
"I never really liked that shirt," he told her and took her lips again. Fangs were not all she inherited from turning. Her body had changed, too. She was in shape before, but now her muscles were solid beneath his palm, yet it did not distract from all the feminine attributes she possessed.
He removed what was left of his torn shirt and tossed it on the floor. She was on him then. Her lips grazed his shoulder before he felt the bite. He pulled back in surprise, but she didn't let go. With her newfound strength, she was able to flip him beneath her as she drank from his vein. If he called for help, his brother would kill her on the spot, but if he didn't stop her, she might drain him before she gained control.
The more he struggled, the tighter her grip became. He'd seen a vampire feed and knew the fight egged them on. He would have to try another approach.
"Sloane?" He squeezed her arms tight. "You have to stop. You'll kill me." He hoped his plea would reach the human side of her, the Sloane she'd been before Tremayne completed the process. "Stop before it is too late."
She released him with a gasp and her hand flew to her mouth. In the next moment, Tremayne flew into the room with his siblings charging in a few seconds later. He leaned up on his elbows. "A little privacy would be nice," Derek said with irritation.
"Bullocks," Wade cursed. "She bit you. You're infected, too." He gestured to his neck.
Derek's hand flew to the gaping wound. He could feel the sticky wetness between his fingers. "I said get out," he demanded, more out of fear for Sloane's safety than his own.
"Sloane is a Oiche Sith now," Tremayne growled. "She drank from my vein. Her bite will not infect him as the Nosferatu's bite does."
Derek knew this bit of trivia since Tremayne had informed him, but it was still good to have him voice it again.
Cassandra ushered Wade out with his protest still ringing loud and clear. Cassandra closed the door behind them.
"I hurt him," Sloane said, jumping off the bed and backing away in horror.
"You will stay right where you are," Tremayne demanded, his voice a steely reminder that he was an original and would not be disobeyed. Sloane halted her steps and met the vampire's gaze. "Now," he said in a calmer voice, "you will close his wound before he bleeds out."
"That can't be good," Derek murmured.
"You will be fine," Tremayne told him with irritation marring his words. "Lie back down and do not move."
Derek did as he was told, trusting Tremayne, but wondering why the vampire seemed so perturbed. Sloane had backed off when he asked her to. Didn't that prove she was in control of her actions?
Then he frowned realizing his thoughts. He trusted a vampire. Hell, he trusted two. How his life had changed. He dusted vamps for a living and here he lay on his bed like a sacrificial lamb, taking orders from an Oiche Sith of all things holy and not.
"I…I can't fix what I've done…" Sloane stammered.
"You can. Now do as I say," Tremayne gestured toward Derek. "Your saliva will close the wound. You bit him. Now you must do what is right and close the wound so he will heal."
She strode over to him with tears in her eyes. "I'm sorry, Derek. I'm so sorry." Her hands shook as she covered her mouth in dismay.
He reached for her hand. "Listen to Tremayne. I'm fine. Really, I am." But he felt lightheaded and he closed his eyes just so the room would stop spinning.
He felt the heat of her as she leaned near, her hair whispering across his chest. Her fingers gripped his arms when she slid her tongue over the wound, lapping up the blood, soothing the raw flesh until all he felt was a prickly tingle—equivalent to a foot falling asleep.
Sloane released him and backed away. Her face was streaked with tears and her lips were stained with his blood. He tried to sit up, but he fell back down, the world spinning on its axis.
"You'll need to rest," Tremayne placed a hand on his shoulder. He hadn't realized the vampire had moved so close.
Just how much of his blood had Sloane siphoned.
"She did not take enough to endanger you," Tremayne said as if he read his mind. "Sleep a few hours and you'll feel better. When you do, we shall have a long talk, you and I." He turned his attention on Sloane. "You will come with me."
"Wade—" Derek warned. His brother would not be so forgiving.
"I will keep her safe," Tremayne promised.
Chapter Twenty-One
Sloane wringed her hands as she followed Tremayne down the hall to the room he shared with Cassandra. She could still hear Wade's curses and demands for her head, but Cassandra was just as insistent he should back off and let Tremayne handle the situation.
Handle it? She was a friggin' vampire. She didn't even know they existed until Derek showed up in her kitchen with a bow and arrow.
"You will learn to handle being a vampire," Tremayne said. His voice was not unlike a reprimanding father.
"You can read my mind so easily. I heard you…earlier, didn't I? In my head…" She rubbed her face and inhaled deeply. "I can still breathe," she said, astounded at the discovery.
Tremayne's brows lifted. "Aye, of course you can breathe." He shook his head. "This is not how it should have been done," he murmured more to himself than to her. "When my clan considers turning someone," he said as he glanced her way, "there is months of training before the final change."
She folded her arms across her chest. "Well, I didn't sign up for this."
"I know." His expression remained neutral as his gaze swept over her from head to toe. She wasn't sure if he was admiring his handiwork as her maker or if he wondered what the hell he had gotten himself into. "You won't need as many breaths as you did when you were human," he told her and his voice had lost its edge. "Nor will your heart beat as fast,
but you are alive, Sloane. You are only different."
Different was right. "I almost killed, Derek."
"Almost being the appropriate word, meaning you didn't. He is alive and will recover, but you will have to keep your distance from him. No kissing…no fondling, and definitely no sex."
The heat rose in her face and she wondered if she blushed or if the sensation was a left over human response. "He…" She shook her head.
"This is the time for questions, Sloane. Do not hold back. I've lived a long time and there is rarely anything that shocks me. I can only help you through the transition if you open up and tell me your concerns."
"Can't you just read my mind?"
He gave her a patient smile. "Bits and pieces filter in, but I am not privy to all your thoughts."
"Oh." Good to know.
"So tell me, what happened with you and Derek? He undid your restraints. Did you glamour him?"
"Glamour… Even if I knew what that was, I wouldn't know how." She noticed the panels secured to the windows. Derek had said they were made out of steel and would block out the sun when it rose. Derek was sure full of surprises. A hunter at heart, but still he cared for his sister. He had added the feature once he knew Cassandra had a fondness for a vampire.
"Sloane?" Tremayne's voice drew her attention.
"Sorry. What did you ask me?"
"Did you persuade him with words to unlock the restraints?"
She shook her head. "No, of course not. We kissed and…well we… I tore his shirt. He's such a good kisser. I couldn't get enough." She was aware she was rambling on and probably making no sense at all.
"Ah…the attraction…" Tremayne pursed his lips and tapped his forefinger on his chin. "I underestimated the depths of your affection—Derek's too apparently."
"His scent… He smelled so good and I couldn't get close enough. Does that make any sense?"
"Believe it or not, it makes perfect sense. Hmm… This may prove more difficult than I anticipated."
She frowned. "What do you mean?"
"You've bonded with him. Normally, this would not prove a problem, but you are newly made. You have very little self-control."
The statement should bother her, but being normal and in control were off the table. "I don't want to hurt him." She covered her mouth, but touching her lips only proved to remind her of Derek's kisses.
"You will not hurt him if I can help it. However, until we find Tim, you will have to keep your distance from Derek. No more alone time."
"Then what?" Where did she go after all this was through? She couldn't go home.
"You will accompany me and Cassandra back to our home. There I will see you settled into a routine that will ensure your success as a hybrid. You are my responsibility and I shall not fail you."
It was like he pledged his fidelity to her, but what did she know? Maybe this was what vampires were supposed to do when they sired a human, but then she had a hunch Tremayne was a man of worth. "And my family? They'll be worried sick if I just pack up my things and disappear. I can't do that to them."
"We will compel them into believing you are attending college—out of state of course."
"Compel? Like erase their memory and plant another?" She'd seen vampire movies and compelling never seemed to work out well for the compelled.
"Do not fret. Your family will not be harmed. I shall only have to compel them once and with one story that will be easy for their mind to accept."
"Just like that? You plant a seed and—"
"It's either that or we fake your death so they stop searching for you. Which would you prefer?"
This shut her up. As patient as Tremayne had been with this whole situation, this couldn't be what he'd like to do with his free time. "All of this is so unfair." She met his gaze. "For you and Cassandra too."
His brows lifted in surprise.
"You can't make me believe you want to be saddled with me," she added to clarify.
"I do not think of it in that way." His features softened. "You are an Oiche Sith now and we take care of our own. You will not be lying to your family about going to school. In a sense you will be."
"Vampire 101," she grumbled. "I was never very good in college. I only finished a semester."
"Some professors can be dreary. I on the other hand, am not. Let me show you a perk to being a vampire."
She highly doubted he could impress her. She was about to say as much, but one minute Tremayne stood in front of her and the next moment he vanished. "What the…" A tap on her shoulder had her whirling around in alarm. Tremayne stood behind her with a grin plastered to his face and that charming dimple in his cheek winking. "How did you do that?"
"Want to learn to do it, also?" he asked with a hint of a challenge.
"Hell, yes."
Chapter Twenty-Two
The door to Derek's room flew open and Wade strode in, his eyes glaring with contempt. His brother ignored Cassandra's protests to let him rest. Derek scooted into a sitting position and readied himself for a fight. There was no way he would go into this lying on his back and looking like a victim.
"That vamp tried to kill you," Wade addressed Derek, shrugging away from Cassandra's grip.
"Sloane," Derek stressed her name to make a point. She was not just any vampire. She was someone he cared about. "She did not try to kill me. What happened was entirely my fault. I took off the cuffs. I'm the one who kissed her and let things get out of hand."
"Do you even hear yourself?" Wade's voice was low and trembling with unbridled anger. "It was her fangs in your flesh, not the other way around. I'm ending this madness now like I should have done in the very beginning." He fished his cell phone out of his pocket.
"Who are you calling?" Cassandra demanded to know.
"Axel," he told her without hesitation. Wade knew he was outnumbered in the house and was calling in reinforcements.
"No, you're not." Cassandra advanced on him.
Wade was wise enough to back up. He may stand four inches taller than Cassandra, and outweighed her by a good sixty pounds, but their sister was lethal when she wanted her way, and in this, she would do all she could to protect Tremayne. Sloane wasn't the only one who would be in danger if Axel showed up. Their brother didn't negotiate. He would take out Tremayne, too. Though he had a hunch Tremayne could handle himself. However, he didn't want anyone to be harmed, vampire and hunter alike.
"Back off, Cassandra, I'm warning you," Wade threatened.
Her response was to sweep her leg behind Wade's knee and land him on his behind. His phone slipped from his hand and slid across the hardwood floor.
Derek forced himself to stand, but his limbs moved awkwardly like he was wading through mud, but at least the room no longer spun. Wade caught sight of his intent to capture the cell phone and managed to throw Cassandra off his back and tackle him around his legs, bringing him down.
"Dammit, Wade." He rolled over and threw a punch at Wade, making contact with his jaw. His brother's head snapped back, but it didn't stop him. Wade lunged at him.
"Boys, boys, boys." Cassandra's taunting voice drew their attention. She held the cell phone and wagged it at them.
"What's going on?" Tremayne had entered the room with a bemused expression creasing his brow before his lips pursed in displeasure. "Cassandra?"
Sloane hovered behind Tremayne, hugging herself around the waist and looking unsure if she should slink away or not.
Both Derek and Wade scrambled to their feet.
"Son of—" Wade's breath left him in a whoosh as Derek ribbed him with his elbow to shut him up.
"Nothing," Cassandra said innocently as she slipped the cell phone in her pocket.
Tremayne wasn't fooled. "If you hunters are through throwing your weight around, maybe we can sit down like adults and clue Sloane in on her role in taking down Tim Wilkins."
Cassandra and Derek both stared at Wade.
"What are you looking at me for?" He brushed by them and halted whe
n he stood in front of Sloane. Derek tensed, but didn't make a move. If Wade planned on staking her, he wouldn't have halted his steps to chat.
"Remember what you asked me?" Wade leveled his gaze on Sloane, expecting a response to his odd question.
She nodded.
"And?" he let the question hang between them.
Sloane glanced at Derek when she answered Wade. "Nothing's changed."
Wade harrumphed. "Correct answer. Make sure you remember that the next time you crave a snack."
Chapter Twenty-Three
Another two days went by with no word from Tim. There hadn't been any murders noted on the news either that would indicate Tim was targeting humans for his blood supply, but it didn't mean he hadn't killed again. It just meant he'd learn to cover his tracks. Sloane shivered at the thought. With no clues to where he had slithered off to, they were forced to wait for his phone call.
In the meantime, Sloane adjusted to her new way of life, and the changes her body endured. She felt stronger and more alive, which seemed like an oxymoron considering her human existence had died. She was reborn as a Oiche Sith hybrid, a vampire. Her strength had increased, and her eyesight and hearing had become sharper. She'd grown a few inches in height, too.
Derek and Wade made a visit to her house and packed a few days worth of clothes, but when she dragged on a pair of jeans, they fit above her ankle, and her shoes were too small. She always wanted to be taller than five-foot-four, and now she stood five-seven or eight. So despite her apparent need to go shopping, this was a perk in her way of thinking.
Cassandra offered to be her personal shopper with the help of Tremayne's credit card. Cassandra came back with bags full of slacks, jeans, shoes, and more. Santa would have a difficult time competing with Cassandra's frugal spending ethics.
"That looks great on you," Cassandra said when she emerged from the bathroom wearing black leggings and a short skirt. She really liked the boots with the buckles.
Flowers and Fangs (Stake and Dust series, Book II) Page 12