Coming Together

by Brandy L Rivers

  He’d kept her as a slave, and she watched, learning how he ruled over his subjects. Ultimately, she killed him, taking control back. Because he resembled Jude, she wanted to make Stefano a slave, to remember how far Jude had fallen before she drank the last drop of his blood.

  Clive pressed against her, pulling her back to the present. “You’ve smelled her. Why are we waiting to taste?”

  Sidra concealed the two of them in shadows. Her prey walked by without noticing they stood inches away.

  Once Stefano was past, she whispered, “Soon. I want him to watch as we break another of his obsessions.”

  His hand slid up her thigh. “Does that mean I can play with her?”

  “Only if Stefano is watching.” She reached behind, grabbed his balls and squeezed.

  He groaned low in his throat, pressing tighter in anticipation.

  “You’re mine. You only get to play when I allow you to,” she reminded darkly.

  “Of course, Mistress. That is why I am asking permission.”

  Before long, Stefano returned with a single orange rose as he made his way back to the coffee shop.

  Sidra hissed. “Passion, he’s bringing her a rose meaning passion? I’ll show him passion.”

  “Tonight?” Clive asked enthusiastically.

  * * * *

  Jacqueline looked lovely in a flowing dress with her hair pulled up. She’d woven daisies around the bun atop her head. Inspired by the flowers, he’d chosen to give her a rose. She awakened a passion he’d forgotten he once possessed.

  The pull toward her was so strong, Stefano had nearly followed her out into the sun earlier. Perhaps he could steal every free second after dark and win her heart.

  Her friend was exactly that, a friend. Even if Eddie felt more, she didn’t seem to. Of course she’d been worried about him when he lost his girlfriend. She was a caring woman who looked after her friends and family. Surely that’s the only reason she left the night before.

  One last glance over his shoulder and he detected no threat. Smiling, he stepped inside and moved to Jacqueline as if he were attached to the end of a spindle she wound up, pulling him to her. He was several minutes early, and eager to hear her voice.

  Closing her notebook, she glanced at her watch and blushed. “Good evening, Stefano.”

  “What are you sketching?”

  Her smile brightened as she glanced away. “The drawing is not finished, and I never show before it’s done.”

  “No hints?”

  She shook her head, a mischievous twinkle in her eye. “Afraid not.”

  His brow arched. “When it’s done, perhaps?”

  “Maybe.” One corner of her mouth twitched up.

  His heart raced as he watched her. “How long before the next shift comes in?”

  She nodded to the door as the chime sounded. Brent walked in with a smile.

  Something passed through her features. He couldn’t help wondering what troubled her. She sighed. “Give me a moment, and I’ll be ready.”

  “I’ll wait outside.” He hoped giving her space to talk would earn some trust. She seemed more distant than the night before.

  Brent gave her a hug, whispering in her ear. She visibly relaxed, and nodded with a faraway smile. Then she grabbed her bag, shoving her notebook in before slipping outside.

  “Sorry. Brent’s a true friend, to both Eddie and me. Kim was too. Losing her is hard on all of us.”

  “Understandable. I’ll get you home safely. We can go directly there, or if you feel like strolling leisurely through the park, I would greatly enjoy your company.”

  “Not too long.” Her eyes sparkled as she started walking. “Thanks for being understanding.”

  “We met last night. Your friends should come first.” In contrast to his mild words, he hated the thought of being second. Soon, perhaps she would view him as more than a friend. He desperately wanted to call her his.

  “They mean the world to me. Though you’ve certainly captured my attention.” The last fell flat. Perhaps Brent relayed some sad news. Another body had been found. Maybe another of her acquaintances?

  Stefano warmed. “I hope so. You intrigue me.” He tugged her into a stand of trees. She resisted for a second before following.

  “Why are we stopping?” she asked cautiously. “Do you sense danger? Shouldn’t we keep moving?”

  “I only sense our chemistry. The way your dazzling eyes sparkle, the curve of your sensual smile. The tinkling laugh that escapes your lips is music to my ears. I’m drawn to you, Jacqueline.”

  Her breath caught as she watched him.

  Before she had a chance to derail his intentions, he leaned in, pressing a kiss to her mouth. Her heartbeat quickened, her temperature rose as she gasped. His tongue slid in, caressing hers as he wound his arms around her, pulling her to him, while one hand ran down her spine, sealing them together.

  Delicious, soft, a temptation he hadn’t experienced in centuries. The scent of her blood lit a craving to taste her essence as her pulse thrummed through her arteries. He kissed down her jaw as her head fell back.

  “Wait,” Jacqueline whispered, pushing at him.

  She was torn from his embrace before her plea to halt registered. At first, he didn’t understand what had happened.

  His eyes adjusted, focusing on Sidra a dozen feet away, holding Jacqueline facing him. She wriggled in Sidra’s grasp, trying to tear herself loose.

  Time slowed down as Sidra’s mouth cranked wide, her fangs long and glistening before she struck. Clive came out of the darkness, pushing Jacqueline’s legs open as he sank his teeth high on her inner thigh.

  Stefano stood frozen, watching as Jacqueline twisted and struggled, clawing at Sidra’s face while kicking Clive. He’d never seen a victim fight back. He hadn’t believed it was possible.

  Seeing Jacqueline struggle against her captors kicked Stefano into gear. He shot forward, grabbing Clive around the throat as he pulled him back and sank his blade between his ribs, twisting to slice open the bastard’s black heart.

  Stefano slid through shadows, reforming behind Sidra, plunging the knife into her side. Sidra spun, shoving a hidden blade into his gut and up through his abdomen, doing maximum damage and lodging the blade in bone.

  Jacqueline stood, her hands clasped around the bitch’s throat as ancient words left her lips. Sidra froze solid. A wave of black shadow rolled between them. When it cleared, Sidra and Clive were gone, leaving Jacqueline and Stefano alone.

  He sank to his knees and she knelt before him, staring at the long blade that impaled him. She grabbed his shoulder with one hand, and wrapped the other around the hilt, before yanking the small sword out of his body. He caught himself on her shoulders. “Need to go. Must feed.”

  She pulled her hair over her shoulder, exposing her already bleeding throat. “You won’t drain me, will you?”

  “Never,” he whispered, shaking his head. “You don’t realize what you offer.”

  “Drink. You saved me. Only fair I save you.”

  “I don’t want to hurt you,” his voice cracked.

  Her fingers tangled in his hair as she brought his lips to her bleeding throat. “Drink.”

  Intoxicating and sweet, her blood called to him. He struck and she gasped but held on tight. Passion churned through him as he trailed his hand over her collarbone. Her whimper brought his hips grinding against her as he pressed tighter. Desire burned bright, with her startled cry, tempting him to lay her down and sink inside until he became one with his siren. He wouldn’t, not like this. When he took her, he wanted her to choose him out of love, not obligation.

  His hips continued to rock, the friction growing as pleasure washed over him with climax. She grew weak and he released her, cutting his tongue to seal both sets of wounds at her neck before sitting back.

  She stumbled to her feet, her eyes dancing away. “Shit.” Jacqueline backed toward her home.

  He stood, moving to follow her.

  “No.
Best if you stay. I have to explain to Eddie or all hell’s going to break loose. He’s like my overprotective brother. I’ll be back Monday. We can talk then.”

  “You aren’t afraid of me?” he croaked.

  Jacqueline gave a weak smile. “You saved me, I returned the favor. But before this goes any further, I’ve got to figure out a few things.” She took off at a brisk walk, weaving on her feet. Letting her leave killed him, but he did as she asked.

  With Sidra and Clive out of the way for the rest of the night, he needed distance to keep himself from pushing her too far. Her taste was addictive, her blood a sweet elixir of pure temptation. His desire had exploded into a wildfire, and being anywhere near her would lead to the loss of self-control. For the first time in centuries, he wanted to lose himself in a woman.

  He reached down to the stomach wound, finding his body already healed. Her blood surged in him, pumping through his body. He had to find enough control to resist the temptation of drinking from her again, for fear he wouldn’t stop before draining her dry.

  Chapter 11

  Feeling finally came back as Sidra’s body thawed under the scalding shower. Her teeth chattered. “That bitch froze me,” Sidra snarled at Clive, who stood nearby in the high school locker room, his hand pressed over his ribs where Stefano had impaled him.

  “Stefano nearly killed me,” Clive growled. “You ready to hunt yet? We need fuel.”

  “Don’t give me orders. You’re mine, not the other way around. Remember your place, or I will take great pleasure in crushing you beneath my boot.”

  “Forgive me, Mistress, but I must have blood. Unless you prefer me weakened?”

  Her eyes cut to his. “No, but I won’t tolerate insubordinates. We’ll feed. We do need our strength. Mind your tone.”

  Sidra shut off the water, and slipped into shadow, flowing through the night. She came to a stop at a homeless encampment under an overpass. Clive formed beside her as she took in the smell of decay and corruption.

  Her lips lifted when she scented a sensitive. Barely enough magic in her target’s blood to jump start their healing. Sidra funneled her energy to preventing a response from the girl as they sandwiched her and struck, simultaneously. They both closed the wounds before leaving the drained corpse on a nearby bench.

  Sidra took Clive’s arm, dragging him from the scene. She hissed, “How is it the bitch managed to resist our power?”

  He shook his head. “They’ve never fought. Didn’t think any creature could resist our compulsion.”

  “Some types of fae and druids can, though I’ve never encountered one before.”

  “We’ll be prepared next time.”

  “We may have to pull a few more pieces together before we pursue Stefano’s obsession.”

  “Does it involve our prize?”

  She shook her head. “Not yet. After we turn one of her friends against her, and I have an idea. It means watching and waiting. Can you resist that long?”

  “Of course,” Clive promised. “Anything for you, Mistress. You are the one I need.”

  “You’ll play with her. Soon, I’ll allow you to tear her apart. First, I want to be sure we’ll maximize the impact on Stefano.”

  “We’ll feast on her sweet blood before killing her slowly.”

  * * * *

  A deep fear crept up on Eddie. Something was wrong. More than Kim’s death, Jackie hadn’t called all day.

  He’d fucked everything up with the morning wakeup call. Between his grief, his love for Jackie, and his building magic, he wasn’t himself.

  His phone rang for the fourth time. Chatan wouldn’t give up. How his cousin had heard about Kim was beyond Eddie, but he couldn’t think of any other reason for his persistence.

  That or he wanted another chance at Jackie after dumping her eleven years before. Stupid bastard.

  With a sigh, he answered, “Hey, Chatan.”

  “How are you holding up?”

  Eddie rubbed the back of his neck. “Already heard?”

  “Yeah, Kim’s gone. That’s rough.” Concern laced Chatan’s tone.

  “To make matters worse, Jackie hasn’t come home yet. The only thing keeping me rooted here is Toryn’s promise they’d watch and protect her. I should have made sure that meant for as long as she wasn’t home. Double fuck.”

  “Jackie doesn’t take shit from anyone. Stop worrying.”

  “Yeah. Look, I need to go.”

  “Hey, I’ll come up that way as soon as I can. Want to make sure you’re doing okay.”

  “I’ll be fine. Don’t make a trip on my account.”

  “You’re family, and easier to talk to than Dakota or Tomahawk.”

  Eddie sighed. “We’ll talk later, okay?”

  “Later.” Chatan hung up. Eddie fully expected his cousin to show up in a few days regardless. Once he decided to do something, nothing would dissuade him.

  He dropped his phone on the table as the door creaked open. Eddie nearly jumped out of his skin. The latch clicked shut, the lock snicked into place. Jackie didn’t say a word.

  Afraid of her reaction, he stared out the window and asked, “Jackie, are you all right?”

  Her sweet fragrance rolled through him, layered with the same distinctly evil scent he’d found on Kim at the morgue.

  He spun to find Jackie leaning against the door with tears in her eyes. A trickle of blood ran from her collarbone down, staining the low neckline of her dress. Spirits, her hands were covered in the stuff. By sheer will, he held it together as he slowly crossed the distance.

  With a soft tone, he asked, “What happened, Jackie? Who did this? Was it Stefano?” He’d hunt down that fucking throatsucker and tear him apart for hurting Jackie.

  Shaking her head, she opened her mouth, then shut it, swallowing hard. She slid down the door, her legs falling open slightly. Two punctures marred the pale skin high on her inner thigh. Blood trickled down from the fang marks.

  “I’m going to stake that motherfucking vampire,” Eddie growled, ready to chase down the monster. Did he kill Kim? Then set his sights on Jackie?

  Her legs clamped shut, and she drew her knees to her chest, hugging herself. “Wasn’t him. I mean, he is, but he didn’t do this.” Her big aquamarine eyes blinked slowly. “Mike said Shadowstalkers are draining their victims. It happened so fast—I couldn’t think at first.”

  Eddie scooped Jackie into his arms. She was ice cold, trembling, her chest heaving but she didn’t seem to be getting enough air.

  She needed warmth, and to wash away the memories. And he needed to understand.

  Eddie carried her to the bathroom counter and set her down.

  “What happened?” he coaxed. “Help me understand. Please, Jackie. You’re scaring the shit out of me right now.” His thumbs caressed over her cheeks as he stared into her eyes. “Talk to me.”

  Her brow wrinkled as she looked down at her hands. “I need to wash this off. Want a shower.”

  Leaving her for a second, he turned the water on to let it warm up, then came back. She sat there staring at her hands that lay upright in her lap.

  Jackie met his gaze and told him everything. From the kiss that creeped her out, to the fact that three vampires feasted on her. How she froze one after Stefano attacked both. That Stefano had saved her only for her to save him, leaving her weak and shaky.

  She suffered from shock, and blood loss, but he didn’t miss the scent of fear wafting from her every time she mentioned Stefano’s name.

  When she finished the story, she lifted a shoulder. “He saved me, Eddie. Stefano fought them off, and that bitch stabbed him with a blade. I froze her, then they were gone. The light was fading in his eyes. I had to save him. I couldn’t let him die.” Tears trailed down her face as she looked away. “It’s all fucked up. I can’t trust myself around anyone anymore. Look at this morning.”

  “What do you mean?” he whispered. How in the hell could she think any of what happened was her fault?

  “So
mething Brent told me.” She blinked, fear clouding her eyes. “I’m half-siren. I enthralled you this morning. Did the same to Stefano. Think I even did it to Jared and that’s why he won’t leave me alone.” She wrung her hands. “This morning was my fault, not yours. I didn’t mean to, but I can’t control it.”

  “Shh, it wasn’t your fault.” He stroked her cheek with the back of his knuckles. “I was dreaming about you, Jackie. I’ve always wanted you. I never dreamt about Kim in that way. May be fucked up, but you were the one on my mind. I took things too far—I couldn’t stop myself.”

  “Because of my magic, Eddie. Because I’ve wanted you forever. It wasn’t your fault.”

  “Maybe it was both of us then. Jackie, I’ve loved you since before I knew what love was. You’ve held my heart captive for as long as I can remember. I didn’t think you could ever feel the same.”

  Blinking, she shook her head. “But you were going to propose to Kim. She’s gone, but you still love her. I know you do.”

  “Yes, I do. Not the same though. You were forbidden. I settled for someone I could have, thinking you were only for my dreams.”

  Her arms wrapped around his neck, pulling him close. “Thought I couldn’t have you.”

  “We can figure that out. Right now, you need to clean up. I’ll call Brent and tell him what happened.”

  With a nod, she slid from the counter. Her legs buckled, and he caught her.

  “You’re exhausted. Probably the blood loss. Let me help you.”

  “Please,” she whispered, her eyes full of trust. Their friendship was still intact, and a whole new level of connection was now possible. The wall had been torn down between them. Their relationship had changed with one huge revelation. Only the timing couldn’t have been worse. Later, once everything settled, they could figure out where they stood.

  “Want my help in the shower?” he asked softly.

  She nodded. “Dizzy. Can’t do it myself.”

  “Here.” He sat her back on the counter and peeled the dress from her body. His hands trembled as he removed her bra and panties.