“I’m good, Alex. Feed,” she said, holding up her wrist.
Alexandre reached into her mind. ‘When something is mine, Kiera, I don’t feed from their wrist. I feed as mates feed,’ he whispered, just before biting down into her neck.
She moaned.
He didn’t haze anything, and she was glad. It was the most amazing feeling as he slowly drank from her.
He shook holding her, and Kiera was in Heaven. She only hoped he felt the same.
‘I do,’ he vowed. ‘I’ve never felt this before. I’ve missed this for almost nine hundred years.’
Hell!
He never knew this existed.
In fact, the second he was filled with the delicious taste of her blood, he knew he would never be able to let her go.
How could he?
Alexandre wanted to make sure Kiera was feeling the same thing, so he slipped into her mind to search for how she was feeling. When he felt the pleasure and the lack of pain, he smugly grinned to himself.
She wasn’t afraid of him at all, and that was a very good thing. They would be spending a long time together.
‘Eternity’, he whispered.
Kiera heard the words but before she could reply, the explosion of desire exploded around her. It radiated through her body all emanating from the bite on her neck.
Did he just tell her they were mates and going to be together for eternity? She must have misunderstood him. She sank into the pleasure until it was abruptly pulled away from her.
Alexandre pulled his lips from her throat and delicately kissed her lips thanking her for feeding him. He delicately laid her on her side in the nest of straw with her back toward the cell door.
‘Play dead,’ he whispered into her mind.
He knew she was very close to the edge as it was. He’d drank way past the safe limits. Alex needed his strength in order to fight their way out of there.
“I’ll call one of them,” whispered Mordechai. “Are you ready?” he asked, hoping the man was prepared for what was coming.
They would only have one shot at this.
“Yes, I’m ready,” he said, stepping back into the darkness to hide. “We have to find out where we are and then kill them,” he hissed his fangs peeking from his lip.
Mordechai yelled loudly causing a commotion. “Get me out of here,” he shouted. “He’s trying to kill me!”
When one of the vampyres came into the cell area, he pointed at the darkness. “Get me out of here and I’ll tell you whatever you want to know! I know where they are! Take me to the head man. I’ll give him the information!”
The vampyre grinned.
“That will make Gradius very happy.”
“First, get me out of these chains,” Mordechai said, holding them wrapped around his wrists so the vampyre wouldn’t notice he wasn’t locked into them.
“Put your hand through the bars, and if you pull anything you’re dead,” he warned.
It was working.
Mordechai slid his arms through the bars and kept the vampyre distracted. “Can I ask you a question?” he asked.
“What?”
“Who trained you?” he asked, grabbing the vampyre by the wrists. He yanked him so hard that he was pulled up against the bars.
Alexandre took his cue.
He leapt from the darkness to grab the man’s head through the bars. Mordechai fed as he slipped into his mind.
“This is going to really hurt,” he hissed.
When he found everything he needed to know, he stared at Mordechai. “Got it.”
“Kill him!”
Alexzandre snapped the vampyre’s neck, nearly severing his head from his spinal column.
“I have the key,” he said. “We can escape.”
Alexandre was glad. He wanted to get the hell out of there. “We only have one chance. Outside the door, there’s another vampyre. Then we can access the sewer and escape under Paris.”
“Let’s go,” he said softly.
“Can you handle him? I want to carry my mate.”
“Let’s just say that killing runs in our family,” Mordechai stated. “You carry her, and I’ll handle the vampyre.”
Alexzandre carried Kiera in his arms. She was limp and practically lifeless. Her heartbeat was slow. They needed to find a safe place where he could feed her.
He didn’t have much time.
As they opened the door, Mordechai moved fast, burying his claws in the vampyre’s heart.
He hit the ground with a thud.
“There’s the sewer entrance.”
They rushed into the unknown.
For now, there was a chance, and that was all it would take. They needed to get out of there, and then find Jolie.
“I hope you know where they are,” Alexzandre asked.
Mordechai grinned.
“My son told me. That’s where we’re headed.”
He was glad.
For now, Alexzandre wanted to feed his mate, take a shower, and then kill Gradius.
He was dead.
He’d messed with the wrong two families.
The Harcourtes and the Degauls were about to raise some hell.
Literally…
∞ Chapter Thirty-Seven ∞
Early Monday Morning
Gradius needed to talk to her. After all, she was the only one who had a clue. As he sat in his office, he waited for her to arrive. The room smelled like blood, and none of it was his.
He’d taken out more of his rage on a few of his minions. Yes, Katya had screwed up, and yes, his vampyres were clueless, but he forgave them.
Well, after he killed them.
Katya was the only one he kept alive, simply because he wanted to hurt her for years to come. This was a huge screw up, and he hated her.
She made him so angry, that he was willing to end her life, sacrificing her existence.
Her time was over. At some point, he’d throw her to the wolves.
At the knock on his door, he beckoned her into his office. She looked lovely.
In fact, she was beautiful. He could tell she was well taken care of, and that mattered in a woman. Her nails were done, she was fashionably dressed in the newest styles, and her hair was well-coifed.
“You’re late.”
“I was in the art district shopping,” she said. “You do realize that I have a life, right?”
He loved how she spoke her mind.
“You do realize I could kill you, right?”
She laughed, moving toward his desk. “You need me, Gradius. You can’t kill me.”
She was right.
Plus he wanted her. Jolie, he wanted to gain the Destroyer, but this woman…he felt something.
That irritated him. No one had ever been able to make him feel. Then she showed up.
“What can I do for you?”
“My minions screwed up.”
She sat on the edge of the desk, her legs crossed. When his hand slid up them, she didn’t even flinch.
“How?” she asked.
He told her everything.
“They’re idiots. I handed you everyone.”
“I’m aware.”
She shook her head. “This isn’t good, Gradius. Now we don’t have a link to Jolie Harcourte. I really wanted her mate to suffer. I wanted her to die.”
He was aware.
“At least we have two vampyres in the cage.”
“You need to separate them. They’re old and strong. If you let them team up, you’re going to have a problem.”
He laughed. “Katya wounded Alexzandre beyond repair. He’s a mess. It would take a lot of blood to fix him.”
She wasn’t so sure.
“He’s really old.”
“As am I. Are you doubting me?”
She laughed. “Yes. You’re only as strong as the vampyres you surround yourself with, and you, my friend, are a mess.”
She had him there.
“So join me.”
“What?”
/>
“Katya will be dying soon. I don’t need someone to protect me. I need a sick person, one who has been forged in pain, anger, and hate. I need you, pet.”
“I want power. I want to them to suffer.”
He grinned.
“You can have anything you want. You want art? It’s yours. You want money, I’ll lavish you with anything you desire.”
She thought about it.
That would be perfect.
“What do I have to do?” she asked.
He slid his hand all the way up her thigh. “Be mine, and help me kill Jolie Harcourte.”
She grinned. “I can do that.”
He laughed.
Women, especially ones who are desperate for power, were so easy to manipulate.
Here was his proof.
* * * H a r c o u r t e * * *
Mordechai led the way through the sewers, continually looking over his shoulder at the man carrying Kiera. She was still limp in his arms. They needed to find some place safe to feed her, and fast. She was hovering between life and death.
“It is daylight out,” he said quietly, so their voices wouldn’t echo. “We need to find a place to hide out.”
Alexzandre agreed. He kicked a rat out of his way as he continued carrying the woman in his arms. “Once the sun sets, we can move quicker.”
“I can ‘borrow’ a car. If we can get to my son, we’ll be safe.”
He agreed.
“I think we’re beneath the park.”
Mordechai climbed up and with his shoulder, he lifted the metal grate to peer out. “We are, and it’s still relatively deserted for this time of day. You’re a mess, and so is she. You two are covered in blood.”
He was right.
“How far?” Alexzandre asked.
“A little over an hour by car to the location Jacques gave me,” Mordechai said softly. “Do you think we lost them?”
God!
He hoped so!
“It’s dawn. We’ve traveled about two kilometers underground, taking random tunnels. I don’t think he’ll be able to track us.”
“Give her to me. That way you go up first. I’ll hand her up to you. I fed from the guard. You look pale.”
“I’m always pale. So are you. I don’t think that’s a good qualifier of my wellness—you know…being vampyres and all.”
He laughed. “You have a point.”
Alexzandre relaxed. This vampyre was a decent guy. After all, he was Jacques’s father.
He handed Kiera over, and began up the rickety ladder. Once at the top, he reached down for her.
Mordechai handed the woman up to Alexandre and followed them up through the opening.
“We’ll need to get a change of clothing for you both and a place to hide for a few hours until we can find a car.”
The man was right. They looked like they’d wandered out of a slaughterhouse.
“Agreed.”
“There are some buildings over on the west side of the park that are vacant. We can hide there. I believe it’s frequented by the vagrant population, so we can blend,” Mordechai said.
They headed that way.
“I need to get her fed, and soon. Kiera will have to stay awake and watch over us. It’s getting hard to function in the daylight.”
He thought that was a very good idea.
“While you feed her, I’ll find both of you clothing to change into,” he answered, scanning the area while he still had some energy left. “The sun will be up fully soon. We’ll be unprotected.”
They picked a building and stealthily climbed it. Carrying Kiera made it hard, but he wanted to be as far off the ground as possible. Normal vagrants wouldn’t get to the upper levels.
He needed her to be safe.
When Alexzandre popped the locks to the abandoned building, they found a section mostly shrouded in dark.
“I’ll go find us supplies,” said Mordechai, “She needs to be taken care of and fed too. I don’t mean just blood. She is human,” he said, nodding toward the woman.
“Thank you.”
Mordechai headed off.
Taking a seat on the floor, he cradled his mate in his arms. Gently, he sent energy into her body so she could assist him with her feeding. As she started to regain consciousness, he caressed her cheek.
“My little witch, I need you to wake up for me. I have to give you some blood. You’ve hovered too close to death for too long. It’s not safe.”
Alexzandre could feel her stirring, but barely.
Then he had an idea.
“Sleeping Beauty, wake for me.”
His mouth found hers. As he kissed her, at first she didn’t kiss him back. Pushing some energy into her body, it didn’t take long for her mouth to move against his.
It filled him with so many emotions. Most of them were ones he’d never felt before. Despite wanting to continue, he reluctantly set her mouth free.
Kiera opened her eyes. They were beautiful blue pools that he wanted to dive into and never leave.
“Are we safe?” she asked, trying to unscramble her memories from the last few hours. She remembered feeding them, and then the rest was just a jumble of memories and shadows.
“Yes, we are for now. Mordechai went to get us clothes and supplies. We’ll need you to feed and stay awake while we go to death, I can’t stay awake much longer. I’m not healed enough.”
“I understand. I can take his blood if you can’t.”
“Never, my little witch. You’re never drinking from anyone but me. Your fate is tied to mine, and we’re one.”
He was hopeful that she’d share this with him forever. Honestly, he couldn’t force her to stay. Most humans were repelled by the idea of drinking blood. To their kind, it was life. In fact, it was more than that.
It was intimate.
It was special.
“Will I need to do this all the time?” she asked.
“No, you’ll need energy.”
“And if I want to do it all the time with you?”
His heart skipped. “Then I’ll share my blood. It would be my honor.”
He took an absconded silver knife out of his boot, and placed it across the artery in his wrist.
She held his arm in her fingers, ready to drink from him. While she thought it would make her sick, it didn’t. She understood this was important to him.
Besides, she didn’t want to leave him.
Ever.
She’d fought too hard to find and save him.
“Are you ready, Kiera, my sweet?” he asked.
She stared into the gorgeous lavender eyes. “I’m ready. You just tell me when to stop.”
He sliced through his flesh, and it burned. “Go ahead.”
Her mouth found the wound on his wrist, and she tentatively lapped at it. The second her tongue touched it, his body reacted.
Sensing he liked the way it felt, she began gently sucking on the wound.
Alexzandre moaned. “God, this is unbelievable,” he whispered.
He was in her mind, and she wasn’t sickened by it. She was focused on how he reacted.
Her fingers gently stroked over his arm, soothing the scars there from Gradius’s evil deeds.
It melted his heart. No woman had ever affected him like this, and none made him want to love them.
“Okay, my sweet.”
She ran her tongue over his wrist.
When she looked up at him, there was blood on her lips. She looked so lovely.
Kiera could hear his thoughts. He wanted to kiss her, but he was afraid he’d scare her. Instead of waiting for him, she climbed into his lap and found his mouth with hers.
His heart pounded in his chest. He could taste his blood on her, and it made him crazy. His fangs slipped into his mouth, despite his best effort to stop it.
One nicked her lip, and their flavors mingled.
‘Oh, Kiera, you undo me.’
She didn’t stop, despite the blood. He needed to heal too, and she�
��d sacrifice anything to make sure that happened. Kiera was attached to him.
She’d found him.
“Better?” she asked, releasing him.
“No, it’s far worse. Now I want you.”
His honesty made her smile. “You’re not at your best, Alex. Maybe you should heal and we can revisit this conversation.”
“You’re bold. I find that oddly sexy in a mate.”
“About that.”
He paused.
Here’s where he waited for her to tell him she was leaving. After all, he had no right to force her, and she’d risked her life to save him.
“What does that entail, exactly?”
“Being with me.”
“Oh, okay. We’ll revisit that when you’re better too.” She touched his cheek. “You’re weary. I’ll keep you safe,” she promised.
He loved her valor.
He cherished her fearlessness.
“You’re my dark angel.”
She laughed. “I’m far from an angel.”
“Kiera means dark, doesn’t it?”
“It does.”
Kiera held his free hand and laid her head on his shoulder. It was pretty amazing to feel safe beside him.
‘You will be,’ he answered in her head.
“Before we rest, when Mordechai returns, I need to show you how to wake me up. I’m going to feel dead.”
“Yuck.”
“Tell me about it,” he teased. “I’d rather be alive with you, but we can’t all be witches. Some of us had to be born vampyres.”
“Very true.” Kiera laughed, and the soft Irish in her voice tickled his body.
Alexandre definitely had it bad. Once he got them safe, and this was all over, they would be discussing the future. He had to have her in his life.
She touched his damaged face.
“How bad are they?” he asked.
“You’re healing, but you’re pretty scarred up.”
“I’m a monster now, aren’t I?”
Kiera felt bad that her words had hurt him. She could hear the pain in his voice.
“No, but I want to kill the person who did this to you. I want to make them bleed.”
He nuzzled her.
That was sweet. She was nothing like his old mate. She was loving, protective, and what he craved.
Dangerous Sacrifice (The Harcourte Vampyre Society Book 6) Page 44