The bright smile that spread across her face at those three words enthralled him. “I love you, too,” she said as she leaned close to kiss him.
Kallias groaned as her soft, plump lips pressed against his, and his hand tightened around her hair, clutching her close to him as he kissed her back. His hunger reacted immediately to her closeness, ravenous pain burning and twisting in his gut. Rose gasped and pulled back, panting harshly as she felt his hunger.
“Is that,” she asked, swallowing at the pain, “your hunger?”
His eyes softened with sympathy. “Sorry. That is one of the downsides to being bound to me. You feel what I feel, so you can feel that pain, too.”
“It’s this bad?” she breathed in shock. “Every time?”
He winced. “No, you actually only feel a mild version of everything that I feel. It would be confusing if you felt it exactly as I do. It would drive you crazy.”
“You’re hurting worse than this?” she gasped.
He nodded. “Technically.”
She shook her head in disbelief. “How do you handle so much pain?”
Kallias stared at her thoughtfully for a moment. Then, he grasped the collar of his T-shirt with three fingers and pulled it down to reveal the detailed, orange and red flames that colored his skin. He traced the tattoo with his fingertip. “Do you know why I chose to get this tattoo?” he asked.
“To cover the scars on your neck,” Rose assumed.
He nodded. “Yes, but do you know why I chose the flames, specifically?”
“Because it meant something to you?” she guessed.
“Fire is painful and powerful,” he explained uneasily. “It changes everything that it touches. It destroys the weaker things, like paper…wood…”
“And human flesh?” Rose offered with a cute smile.
Kallias snorted at the unexpected dark humor. “Yeah… But the stronger things, like stone and metal, can withstand the fire, and in the end, the fire will make them stronger or purer. They’re changed by the fire but not destroyed by it.”
“I get it,” she said, nodding. “The pain in your life made you stronger.”
“No,” he said, surprising her. “I let what happened to me destroy me.”
“Kallias,” she began, shaking her head.
“But you, on the other hand…” Kallias said. “You are what I wanted to be. What happened to you made you stronger and more compassionate.”
She sighed, “Kallias, you’re not destroyed. You’re not.”
His thumb continued to rub the soft skin of her hip, distracting her. “I was,” he argued, “until you picked up the ashes and put me back together again.”
She blinked, speechless at the uncharacteristically affectionate statement.
He winced immediately afterward and raked his fingers through his long, brown hair. He offered her a nervous smile. “That sounded corny, didn’t it?”
Rose laughed softly and kissed him, her body falling completely against his, as she leaned into him. She braced one hand against the pillow as her other hand clutched his T-shirt. For a moment, he just lay still, stunned by the kiss.
But then, he groaned against her lips and instantly matched her fervor, pressing his lips harshly against hers. With a low, animalistic growl, he rolled and pinned her to the bed beneath him as his lips attacked hers, leaving them sensitive and sore. He lightly nipped her lips with his fangs, tasting a hint of her blood.
A light jolt of pleasure shot through her, and she quickly and clumsily pulled his T-shirt over his head. She wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling him onto her again. His heavy, hard body pressed hers into the bed, but the bed felt so soft that it didn’t matter. Not that it would have mattered anyway. Nothing really mattered when he was kissing her, not even the fact that she might die soon.
He pulled away suddenly, his breath coming in harsh pants.
“It’s fine. Just do it,” Rose said breathlessly. “Just feed.”
His eyes narrowed. “I’m not going to treat you like food, Rose.”
“You don’t. You never have,” she assured him.
Kallias held himself above her, his eyes dark with hunger, his fangs flashing in the lamplight. “I brought you here to protect you, not so that I can feed from you every time I get hungry,” he insisted. “I won’t do that to you.”
Rose moved her hands to his face, smiling as he leaned into her, as she pressed her fingers against his lips, against his fangs. “I’m not asking you to treat me like food. I’m asking you to let me help you, like I did last night. I want to take care of you because that’s what people do when they love each other. Right?”
He stared at her, his eyes darkening with hunger. “Are you sure?”
Rose pulled her hair to one side, exposing her neck. “Of course.”
Kallias leaned down and pressed his lips against her neck, slowly, gently, giving her time to change her mind. He nipped her skin with his fangs and kissed her neck, watching as she twisted and squirmed, her body reacting to the blood bond. Then, when he could no longer hold back, he sank his fangs into her neck.
—
The next night, Erik looked as if he were about to hyperventilate by the time he found Rose sitting on the stairs. He placed his hands on both of her shoulders and projected calm emotions to her, sighing in relief as he sensed her anxiety beginning to ease. Kneeling beside her with his hands still on her shoulders, he complained, “Damn it, woman, you’re making me a nervous wreck.”
“I’m sorry,” Rose sighed. “I’m just worried about tonight.”
Theron hadn’t shown up the night before, which meant that he still didn’t know where to find her. So, the four vampires, along with Rose, had spent the night hanging out and watching movies, almost like normal people, almost like humans. It had been an awesome night, but like all good things do, it had come to an end, and now, tonight, things would end badly. She was certain of it.
“He will be okay,” Erik told her. “I won’t leave his side. I promise.”
“And don’t get me wrong. That does make me feel better,” Rose said nervously, “but…those other vampires have you outnumbered thirty-to-one.”
Erik grimaced at her. “Ugh. Please tell me you didn’t actually count them all and do the math and everything. Who does that? You seriously have a problem.”
She rolled her eyes. “And let me guess… Sex is the solution?”
He grinned proudly. “You know me well.”
She wrinkled her nose. “You’re not really hard to figure out.”
“I’m going to take that as a compliment,” Erik stated.
Rose frowned. “But…it wasn’t a compliment.”
“Listen,” he said as he moved to sit beside her at the bottom of the stairs. His leather-clad legs stretched out farther than hers on the floor. He put his arm around her shoulders to maintain contact with her as he continued to control her emotions. “Kallias is more powerful than he was when he was ambushed a couple of nights ago. He’s had your blood. And, besides, he won’t be alone this time.”
“Theron is still stronger,” she sighed, “and you’re outnumbered.”
“But we have the element of surprise this time,” Erik argued.
Rose turned toward him, her long, wavy, auburn hair falling over her shoulder as she moved. She raised an eyebrow. “Not if it’s a trap,” she challenged.
Erik rubbed her arm soothingly, his hand wrinkling her white T-shirt. “Just have a little faith. It’s not a trap, and Kallias will be fine. I promise.”
She leaned her head on his shoulder and closed her eyes, accepting the empathic comfort that he offered. “I hope you’re right,” she said skeptically.
“Babe, I’m always right,” Erik said with a cocky grin.
“I think you meant to say never,” Rose said. “You’re never right.”
He laughed arrogantly. “Keep telling yourself that.”
Kallias came down the stairs, then, his boots thudding against the steps beh
ind them. He stepped around them. As he buttoned the last couple of buttons of his black button-down shirt, he turned to frown at Rose. “I don’t know why you’re so worried. I’ve already told you a hundred times that I will be fine.”
She stared blankly at him. “Yeah, and a couple of nights ago, you assured me that you’d be fine, then, too. You know…the night that you almost died?”
He scowled at her. “It won’t be like that this time.”
“Why don’t you just let me go with you?” Rose pleaded.
“Because it’s too dangerous,” Kallias sighed.
She glared at him. “That’s all the more reason for me to go.”
“You can’t come with us,” Erik argued, “because if you did, then how would you be able to show up and save our asses when we need you to?”
She narrowed her eyes at him. “Don’t patronize me.”
“I’m not,” Erik assured her. “I mean it. We might need you.”
“Don’t listen to him,” Kallias told Rose. “If we wind up in trouble, I want you to stay as far away as possible. No more heroics. Please.”
Rose narrowed her eyes at Kallias. “Just so you know, I’m liking Erik more than you at the moment, and that’s bad. Because I don’t like Erik.”
“Awww, I thought we were best friends now,” Erik pouted.
“I’ll make it up to you later,” Kallias told her, “when we’re all still alive.”
Geoffrey and Emma joined them in the foyer, entering from the living room. Emma looked impeccable, as always. Dressed in a sheer white dress that hugged her petite figure, she looked as if she were attending a wedding or a fancy party. Geoffrey wore his usual white shirt and black tie, but he’d at least rolled up the sleeves this time. He smiled at Rose and then turned his gaze toward Kallias.
“Are we ready?” Geoffrey asked, his shoulders rolled back.
Kallias nodded and then stepped toward Rose. He took her hand and pulled her to her feet. He wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her close, his body pressing against her. He pressed his lips to hers and kissed her intensely.
When Rose finally broke the kiss, she felt breathless, and her face felt warm. “Kallias, if anything happens tonight, I want you to know that I…”
“Rose,” he interrupted, “nothing is going to happen.”
“You don’t know that,” she insisted.
Kallias sighed and reached into his pocket. “I asked Geoff and Emma to pick this up for you when they left here last night. I know that yours is lost.”
She glanced down at the new phone as he placed it in her hand.
“I will call you often, just so you won’t have to worry,” he told her. He held up his own phone for her to see. “Do you think that will ease your fear?”
She smiled and closed her hand around the phone. “Yeah.”
He nodded and followed Geoffrey outside, leaving her standing in the foyer with Erik and Emma. She slipped her phone into the back pocket of her jeans. Erik paused on his way out the door and wrapped his arms around her, hugging her and projecting serene emotions to her, one last time, before he left.
“Kallias will be fine,” he said in her ear. “I’ll make sure of it.”
“Thanks,” she said. “Take care of yourself, too.”
He stepped back and grinned at her. “Awww, you do care!”
She rolled her eyes. “I care about all of my friends.”
“Friend?” Erik repeated with a smile. He placed his hand over his heart in a melodramatic show of emotion. “Stop it. You’ll make me cry.”
Rose grimaced. “Please don’t. That would be awkward.”
Erik laughed and waved at Emma. “Have fun, you two.”
Emma smiled and nodded eagerly as he left with the other two vampires.
Rose sank back down onto the bottom step and sighed. “Why does it feel like I just told them goodbye for good?” she muttered under her breath.
Emma grabbed her hand and pulled her back to her feet again. “You are only worried because of what that strange, angelic-bunny vampire said.”
“Yeah,” Rose agreed, but that didn’t make her feel any better.
“Come on,” Emma said, dragging Rose into the living room by the hand. “I brought board games. You will feel better after you play a few games with me.”
“Sure,” Rose sighed, sinking down onto the leather sofa.
It was three hours later when Emma suddenly froze, her nostrils flaring. She straightened, and her hazel eyes widened in fear. She jumped to her feet so quickly that it knocked the dice, board, and a glass of tea off of the coffee table.
“Rose, get in the basement,” Emma hissed. “Now!”
Rose frowned up at her. “What? Why?”
But before either of them could react, a thunderous crash sounded in the foyer as the door was thrown open, and seven vampires flooded into the living room in a rapid blur of movement. Three of them grabbed Emma and restrained her, and one of them jerked Rose up harshly and bent her arms behind her back.
“No! Rose!” Emma cried, squirming in the hold of the vampires.
Her fighting only made matters worse. A large, bald, male vampire hit Emma over the head hard enough to knock her forward onto her knees. She whimpered at the pain as the three vampires roughly held her on the floor.
“I’m fine, Emma. Just take care of yourself, okay?” Rose yelled. She groaned in frustration as she heard a click and realized that the vampire holding her had handcuffed her. She pulled at her hands, wincing as the metal bit into her wrists. “Was that necessary?” she complained to the vampire restraining her.
“Shut up, human,” the vampire sneered in her ear.
“What a creative insult,” Rose muttered sarcastically. “I’m so offended that you called me by the name of my species. I’m going to start doing that. Stop barking, canine, you member of the Canis species. Shut up, you homo sapien.”
Rose winced as she suddenly felt a sharp pain in her arm. She tried to turn to see what had caused the pain, but she couldn’t move with the vampire holding her so tightly. She closed her eyes, concentrating as hard as she could on breaking the handcuffs with her telekinetic abilities, but she suddenly felt light-headed. She staggered backward, involuntarily surrendering her weight to the vampire behind her. She opened her eyes, blinking as the room began to spin around her. Then, she heard a familiar laugh, a laugh that turned her stomach.
“Ah, you didn’t think that I would make the same mistake twice, did you?” taunted a voice with a Greek accent. A mocking voice. Theron’s voice.
Rose squinted, trying to make out his blurred figure.
“You can’t use psychic abilities if you cannot concentrate,” Theron said, his warm breath fanning against her face. “You are defenseless right now.”
Her eyes fluttered closed as she suddenly lost consciousness.
Theron looked at the vampire that held her and then at another nearby vampire. “You two, take the unconscious human to the car,” he commanded sneeringly. He turned around to face the other vampires. “As for the rest of you, stay here and look for the Stone of the Eklektos. Don’t return until you find it.”
“What about this one?” asked a gruff voice. The vampire jerked Emma up by her hair, showing her to Theron. “What do you want us to do with her?”
“Kill her,” Theron demanded.
27
Battle Wounds
Rose awoke with the most excruciating headache of her life. Her heart pounded thunderously in her head, along with a low, incessant ringing.
She whimpered and opened her eyes, squinting as the flickering light of a fire that burned in the corner of the room burned her eyes. She tried to focus her gaze on the shadowy figure in front of her, but it was too blurry to make out.
“Ah, you’re awake,” Theron said, leaning forward in his chair.
She quickly became aware of how uncomfortable she felt. Her arms felt twisted too tightly and stretched in the wrong direction. The back of the c
old metal chair dug into her back. Her ankles burned and stung. She tried to shift positions, only to realize that she couldn’t move. She tried to move her feet, but that only caused the ropes that were tied so tightly around her ankles, holding each leg to the legs of the chair, to dig into her skin. She winced and pulled at her hands, but that only caused the cold metal handcuffs to bite into her wrists.
“I wouldn’t do that if I were you,” Theron warned. His voice sounded much too close for comfort. She could hear the smile in his voice. “You will make yourself bleed, which wouldn’t be wise, considering your present company.”
“You tied me up,” she said lethargically. Her voice sounded strange to her ears. It was too low and too raspy, and her words slurred together.
She squinted again, trying to make sense of the blurry figures.
“I admit that tying you up was a little unnecessary. You’re clearly in no shape to escape. But what can I say?” he chuckled darkly. The chair squeaked as he leaned forward. “Seeing you helpless like this brings me immense pleasure.”
“Seeing you dead would bring me immense pleasure,” she muttered.
“Ah, and you used to be so innocent,” Theron laughed.
She narrowed her eyes at the shadowy figure in front of her and decided to ask the most pressing question first. “What did you give me?”
“I don’t know what you mean,” Theron said mockingly.
“You drugged me,” she stated.
The longer she stared at the blurry figure, the easier it became to make out his features. She slowly became aware of the fact that Theron sat in the chair directly in front of her, so close to her that his knees nearly touched hers.
Theron smiled. “You don’t miss much, do you?” he taunted. He pulled a syringe from his pocket and held it up for her to see. “Honestly, I don’t know what it is. One of the vampires working for me used to work as an apothecary when he was human. Wait, no, that’s not what you call them anymore, is it? He was one of those people who sold medicine, or maybe it was poison…”
The Stone of the Eklektos Page 76