Eternal Hearts (A Darkness Within)

by Jennifer Turner

  Toni blinked at her. “I can’t believe you just said that.”

  “No, what you can’t believe is just how much you wanna do that!”

  She gave into the purely feminine flutter in her stomach. “Yeah,” she admitted as she leaned closer to Mary. “I’d be lying if I said the thought hadn’t crossed my mind.”

  Mary wrinkled her nose then laughed. “Hell yes you would be. Not that I could blame you.” She squinted in the direction of the bar. “Who’s he talking to?”

  Toni cast a glance over her shoulder. Drake had his back turned and she couldn’t see who he was talking to, if anyone. “I don’t know.” She shrugged. “I don’t have X-ray vision, so I can’t see through him.”

  Mary grinned. “Now there’s the sarcastic bitch I know and love.”

  Toni started to laugh but was interrupted by the sharp churning of her stomach. Strange as the notion was, she felt like she might get sick, which as far as she knew was impossible. Closing her eyes, she swallowed a few gulps of warm air in an effort to stave it off.

  Unfortunately, her attempt didn’t work.

  “Are you okay?” Mary asked.

  Toni nodded. “I think it’s just a stomach cramp. I’ll be fine.” At least she hoped she would. This was the first time since being turned she’d felt nauseous. It didn’t make any sense, mostly because it wasn’t like she could catch a cold, and she knew there was nothing wrong with her drink. She could smell even the slightest impurities in blood.

  She forced a smile and focused back on Mary. “I’m gonna go back over to Drake. Give me a call sometime and we can play catch up. My cell number is still the same.”

  Mary rolled her eyes. “Yeah, but you never answer it.”

  Toni picked up her beer and stuck her tongue out over her shoulder as she walked away. She answered her phone. She just didn’t make a habit of answering it at Noon.

  After making it about half way back to Drake, Toni’s stomach flip-flopped again. And this time when the pain came, she wasn’t so sure she couldn’t get sick. Without giving it a second thought, she turned and ran for the bathroom.

  Drake listened as Oktober gave him the horny details about a rather curvy blonde sitting at a table to his left. “If you get a chance to try her out, take it. She can do some things with her tongue that even women with our condition can’t do.”

  He grinned in response to his friend, but as he looked over at the blonde he realized he didn’t have any desire to try her out. There was only one woman he was interested in sampling, and he was willing to bet Toni was more woman than the blonde would ever be.

  He turned his attention back to Oktober, who seemed to be staring intently at something behind them. He traced Oktober’s line of sight to the bathroom doors then turned around and laughed. “What? Did you suddenly find yourself wondering how toilets work?”

  Oktober shook his head. “No. I just saw a woman I really wanna meet.” He punched Drake in the arm hard enough to send a shock of pain shooting up to his shoulder. “I’ll catch you later. And I’m serious,” he said as he motioned to the left, “try the blonde.”

  Drake took a deep breath when, after watching Oktober disappear into the half-naked sea of writhing humanity, three different women started their approach. Usually, he’d welcome the kind of distractions they were about to offer…but right now they just weren’t what he wanted.

  When Toni finally worked through the crowd of people on the dance floor and into the bathroom, she was surprised to find it completely empty. The significantly cooler temperature of the room made her feel better, but her stomach was still in knots.

  After pouring the remainder of her beer down the drain, she gave the bottle a quick rinse then tossed it into the trash. She dropped her hands into the sink and let the icy water stream between her fingers before pooling in her hands. She wasn’t sure cold water would help, but then again, she really didn’t know what to do for the way she felt. As far as she knew, vampires couldn’t get sick – not physically anyway.

  She bent down and closed her eyes as she splashed the icy liquid against her face. Almost instantly, her stomach untied itself and she felt normal again. Well, as normal as someone with her condition could feel. And it got even better when a large, warm hand cupped her ass and she felt the rough edge of a paper towel being pressed into her hands.

  “Thanks,” she laughed as she wiped her face, “but this is the ladies room and I don’t think you qualify, Big Man.”

  “You’re right, Toni. I don’t.”

  Toni froze as fear suffused with rage and shot down her spine like a bolt of lightning. That jagged and powerful voice – the same one that had burned itself into her memory three years ago – didn’t belong to Drake.

  She let the paper towel fall from her hands and slowly leveled her gaze on the mirror behind the sink, only to be pinned by the swirling black eyes of Oktober. He wore the same sleeveless long coat and matching black leather pants that he had in the video, allowing his flawless caramel skin to practically glow against the pale blue tiled walls.

  Nothing about him was even remotely close to human. From the rumbling timbre of his voice to the way each of his muscles looked to be carved from some kind of hard alien stone, he radiated the power of a dangerous, unholy predator, hell bent on destroying everything he touched.

  Toni couldn’t pull her eyes away from Oktober even as her thoughts raced. She didn’t have a gun. She didn’t have a knife. Her only weapons, the only defense she had was her fangs. But when she tried to force them out – they refused to heed her call. Her beast shrank back in a twisted mixture of subservience and terror. Oktober was easily the superior predator in the room, and though she only vaguely picked up on it, the animal inside her recognized certain death when it was staring her in the eye.

  “I didn’t think I’d ever get to see you again,” he growled as he leaned in close to her ear. “I was sure you were out of my life for good.”

  Toni wanted to run, she wanted to move – but her muscles refused to cooperate. His stormy eyes, just as they’d done back when she’d wanted nothing more than to crawl across the floor of her old apartment and turn her television off, held her frozen in place.

  When she opened her mouth to speak, he pressed a gloved finger to her lips. “Don’t talk. I’m not here to kill you. I’m not even here to hurt you. I’m only here to unravel a mystery that’s been haunting you for three…long…years.”

  Every ounce of breath Toni had been holding rushed past her lips as Oktober dropped his gaze. She scanned the room when she realized she could move again. This was her moment. This was her chance to make him pay for what he’d done to her family. Fangs or not, she had to do something. So she took the only action she could think of…

  Reacting solely on blind hatred, she concentrated on her blood for extra strength, balled up her fist, and then turned and swung with everything she had. She stared in horror as Oktober fizzled away into nothing a split second before her fist would have connected with his jaw.

  His deep laughter filled her ears. And she wasn’t even aware that he’d reappeared behind her until he wrenched her arm up behind her back and turned her to face the wall. She winced as he pulled up on her arm, forcing her to stand on her toes before he pulled her back against his chest. She shifted when his erection pressed into her ass, flooding her veins with a sickening mixture of hatred and desire.

  The human woman she tried so hard to be hated him with every fiber of her being, but the animal inside her wanted her to roll over and bare her throat to him. The beast living in the pit of her stomach craved his attention and favor – good or bad.

  Again, Toni tried to fight. She pushed back into Oktober, used his tight hold on her arm as a brace, and then kicked her feet out against the wall. Once her boots connected with the tiles, she pushed with all her strength, hoping to slam him back into the wall behind them.

  But he didn’t…even…budge.

  Tears welled in her eyes as the realization
that Oktober was far more powerful crashed over her. Somewhere deep inside herself she’d known she didn’t really stand a chance, but she would’ve never been able to forgive herself if she’d done nothing. Her family deserved more than that.

  Her family deserved everything she had to give.

  Toni struggled against Oktober with every shred of strength and determination she had left, but when he wrenched her other arm behind her back, she knew it was over. It took no effort at all for him to hold her in midair as her feet swung down from the wall.

  The oxygen burst from her lungs as he took a large step forward and pressed her firmly against the cold tiles. He shifted his grip to hold both of her wrists with one hand, and then turned her head with the other, leaving her little choice but to watch their reflection in the mirror. He slowly slid his tongue over his fangs while he stared down at where their hips connected.

  She squirmed when he pushed her hair to the side then wrapped his other hand around her throat. “You smell good enough to eat,” he said as he leaned down so his nose could hover just above the juncture of her neck and shoulder.

  Although the beast inside her wanted this man, all Toni could think about was killing him. For what he’d done to her family…for what he was doing to her now.

  Knowing she couldn’t fight him on her own, she struggled to suck in a deep breath so she could yell. If Drake heard her, he would come and help her. She knew he would. But Oktober squeezed his hand, strangling the scream before it could escape.

  “Don’t bother,” he laughed. “It won’t do you any good.”

  She couldn’t do anything but watch as he withdrew his hand from her neck then raised it to his mouth, where he used his teeth to hold the glove in place as his hand slid out of it. He leaned forward so she could see his face. “Here’s where the understanding comes. Brace yourself.”

  She tried one last time to fight as his bare hand wrapped around her throat, but her resistance only lasted a second…because in that moment, in that space of time stretching less than the duration of a single heartbeat, she understood exactly why Isabel hadn’t fought him when he’d laid her on the table.

  The instant Oktober’s bare flesh touched hers, Toni couldn’t think of anything but him. She wanted nothing more than to please him, and anything he asked she’d gladly do as long as he didn’t stop touching her. And she was so wrapped up in her thoughts of him that she barely even noticed when he released her wrists.

  A long sigh escaped Oktober’s lips and blew across her cheek. She immediately sensed his disappointment, but she didn’t understand what she’d done wrong. Was he not pleased by her? She couldn’t allow that.

  Lifting her arm, she wrapped her hand around the back of his head and pulled his mouth to her neck. She moaned as his fangs scratched against her skin. Her nipples stiffened and strained against the wall. Wetness spread between her thighs. All she wanted was to feel his naked body against hers. He was the only man she could focus on.

  She moaned in absolute pleasure when he dragged his fangs across her shoulder and rolled his hips against her ass. Bracing her hands on the wall, she pushed back into him, shuttering at the feel of his hard body moving against her. She watched him in the mirror as he removed his other glove then slid both bare hands inside her shirt and up her sides. His fingers were rough against her skin, but she growled when they didn’t move any farther.

  Why did he stop touching her? Was she doing something wrong? The beast awoke inside her, enraged by her apparent incompetence.

  Needing to appease it…to appease him, Toni pulled her shirt over her head and dropped it on the floor. She wrapped her hands around his and forced them to her bare breasts. Through the erotic fog, she felt like an hour had passed before he finally moved his own hands. He thumbed her swollen nipples, sending a thousand shocks of desire rolling across her fevered skin.

  She shivered as his fangs traced a line between her shoulder blades while his hands skimmed down her ribs to her stomach. And when he tucked his thumbs into the waistband of her pants, she smiled. All she could smell clinging to the air was her desire for the man touching her.

  Toni moaned again when Oktober forcefully grabbed her arms and spun her around to face him. Her nipples tightened even more when they made contact with his sculpted chest, making her ache to feel every inch of his bare skin against her.

  When he leaned down and let his lips hover scant inches above hers, she stared into his dark eyes as anticipation coiled in her stomach. He was so close she could smell him. So close she could almost taste him.

  He smiled down at her as he leaned in even closer and brushed the tip of his nose across her upper lip, but as the spicy, nearly maddening scent of his breath invaded her senses…his smile faded. Although she wasn’t able to place the emotion that flashed across his face, she was more than sure of how she felt when he released her arms and took a step back.

  The animal inside her lashed out again, forcing her fangs to break free. He hadn’t kissed her. He hadn’t touched her enough. She growled at him then snapped her teeth together.

  He laughed at her in response. “Why are you angry?”

  She lunged forward and sank her fingernails deep into his forearms. “I want you to fuck me!”

  His eyes narrowed. “Do you really want me to fuck you, Toni?”

  She raked her eyes over his hard body. Her beast wanted him, and it wanted him now. “Yes!”

  Oktober let loose with a primitive growl so wrought with power that her own beast fell silent. He pulled her hands from his arms and pushed her back. “Warm yourself up. I’ll be back for you in a few minutes.”

  Feeling scolded, Toni lowered her head and wrapped her arms around herself, wishing they were his. She’d never been able to please anyone in her life…

  Why should anything be different now?

  She jumped when he grabbed her arm with one hand and unfastened her jeans with the other. He rubbed his lower lip across her earlobe as he slid her own hand into her pants. “Think about what you want me to do to you, and in a few minutes – you’ll get what you want.”

  Toni shivered as Oktober’s fangs scraped her neck one last time before he stepped away. She did exactly what he’d asked as she watched him pick up his gloves and walk out the door.

  Drake leaned against the bar when the last woman, who made the total count eleven, stomped away after propositioning him. And much like he’d done to her, he’d turned every single one away. Any other day, he’d have been rock hard and ready for any one of them, hell, maybe even all of them. But today, not one of them had stirred him…because not a single one rivaled even half the woman he knew Toni was.

  He cast a glance over his shoulder at the table where Toni was supposed to be, but then frowned. She was just there. Where the hell had she gone?

  When he narrowed his eyes and concentrated to push past the darkness, he didn’t see Toni but he did notice the girl who’d dragged her away earlier walking towards the bar.

  When she was within a few feet of him, he leaned down. “Where’s Toni?”

  “I thought she was up here with you.” Confusion marked her face as she looked around. “She left our table about fifteen minutes ago to come back to you. She said she wasn’t feeling good.” She looked around the club again. “Huh. Maybe she’s in the bathroom.” She shrugged then smiled up at him. “You’re Drake, right?”

  He eyed the bathroom doors. Why would Toni need to go into the bathroom? It wasn’t like she had anything to do in there. She couldn’t pee!

  “Yeah, I’m Drake,” he answered absently. He focused back on Mary when she grabbed his hand and shook it. “Hi. I’m, Mary. Toni and I went to high school together.”

  “Nice to meet…” He jerked his head up when he could’ve sworn he heard Toni scream.

  “What’s wrong?” Mary asked.

  “Nothing. It was nice to meet you, but I need to go.”

  Drake ground his teeth together as he began working his way through the cr
owd. He should have never taken his eyes off Toni. And instead of trying to give her a little space so she could catch up with her old friends, he should have gone with her.

  He was only about halfway through the crowd when he caught Oktober exiting the door of the women’s bathroom. He narrowed his eyes on the bald bastard, but his friend just grinned then disappeared into the shadows on the dance floor.

  After not-so-gently pushing the remaining humans out of his way, Drake shoved the door to the bathroom open and ducked inside. But when he turned the corner to where the room opened up, he pulled up short.

  Toni sat on the counter next to one of the sinks, completely topless, massaging her breasts with one hand while the other disappeared into her pants. Her eyes were closed and her fangs clearly visible as she moaned and bit her bottom lip.

  He couldn’t do anything for a moment but stare as she moaned again, writhing against her own hand. He also couldn’t stop all the blood in his body from surging to his groin just from looking at her. Never in his life had he seen a more erotic picture.

  “Toni?” he asked as he slowly approached the counter. “What are you doing?”

  She opened her eyes and smiled. “I’m touching myself. Wanna help?”

  She didn’t give him enough time to do anything but groan when she took his hand and rubbed his fingers against her clit. The woman was unbelievable, and the feel of her…he didn’t have words to describe it.

  Lust slammed through his veins when she pulled her hand from her pants and shoved her wet fingers into his mouth. He closed his eyes and tried to order his thoughts, but the delicious taste of her slick fingers drove his beasts wild.

  “I love it when you touch me, Drake,” she all but growled. “Touch me again. Touch me here.” She rocked her hips and slid his finger deep inside her. “Oh yeah, right there.”

  Drake moaned as her muscles contracted around his finger. She felt so amazing that he had to lean forward and brace his free hand against the wall.