“All right, let’s get you something to drink.” Luke walked toward a refrigerator. “Sit.”
Addison saw a natural wood table with two bench seats on either side. She made her way over and took a seat, watching Luke closely. After rummaging around in the fridge, he turned back to her. He set several things down on the table and then paused. Watching her. She knew he was reading her and her thoughts.
She did her best to clear her mind and just focus. Addison felt that calming wave again, but this time she tried to push it back. She didn’t want to be subdued or submissive. Addison wanted to be fully present for this. She surprised herself when she felt the calming wave retreat. It gave her a bit of satisfaction when she saw Luke’s expression. He was surprised, obviously not expecting her push back.
Luke stood across from her, leaning on the table. “Okay, well. Let me explain just a few things. Revenants do need to drink blood.”
“Revenants?” Addison interrupted.
“Yes, I told you that we don’t really like the ‘vampire’ term.”
Addison cocked her head to the side and gave him a confused look.
“Look, over the years, we have called ourselves by different titles. ‘Revenant’ means different things to different people. To most of us, it means someone that returns after death. That death can just mean our former mortal life.”
Addison just tipped her head the other direction with the confused look still plastered on her face.
“You aren’t going to make this easy, are you?” Luke smirked at her.
“Should I?” Addison brought her head back to center and gave Luke a brash, mischievous smile.
The extremely handsome vampire mirrored her smile. “Fine. As I was saying, we still need to drink blood, but not as often as you might think.”
“Not as often as I might think?”
“Don’t forget, I wasn’t always this way. I was human once.” When he said that last word, his tone changed. It filled with misery.
Addison felt like she needed to bring him back, lighten the mood. “Well, I have seen a lot of vampire movies, so.....”
For a second, Luke looked lost in a deep thought or memory. His face tightened in a painful expression before he relaxed while closing his eyes. When he opened them, he was stonefaced again.
“Generally, we only need to feed every couple of weeks. As I mentioned, it is almost always animal blood. Deer, cattle, sometimes pigs.”
Addison’s nose scrunched up in disgust. She unknowingly shook her head “no.”
“Don’t worry. Your body will crave it now.”
She coughed, then swallowed. Funny thing, when he had said “crave,” Addison felt herself start to salivate. “Well, obviously not all vampires or whatever stick to an animal diet.”
Addison started to rub her arms where the scars were already just barely visible.
“That explanation is much more...involved. We’ll talk about that later. Right now, it’s very important you get something in you. I can already see your eyes are graying.”
“Graying?”
“When a Revenant is starved, the whites of their eyes turn gray. In extreme cases, they can go all the way black.”
This was all becoming too much for Addison. It was too much information and too insane. Was she really a vampire or...a Revenant? Was she really going to now live on animal blood? She turned away from the table and Luke, just as tears started pouring down her face. Her breathing was almost nonexistent, but every so often she made an unattractive, sobbing gasp.
“I can’t do this. I don’t want to do this.”
Addison stood from the bench and instantly, her vision went black. The last thing that she felt was her legs give out from underneath her.
Chapter Twelve
“Addison! Addison! Wake up.”
She blinked at the bright light that was hanging overhead. She felt a hand lightly tapping her cheek. Addison tried to sit up, but her body felt too weak for even the simplest movement. She managed to open her eyes completely to see Luke was holding her, sitting on the floor.
She recognized him immediately, but not her surroundings. Her eyes left his face and looked around the room, trying to figure out what was happening.
“God damn it, Addison! Drink this, now!”
Her gaze returned to her redeemer and saw he was holding a cup. She had no time to protest, even if she had the energy to. Luke brought the cup up to her lips. Addison could see that it was red, but not a deep red. It actually looked like slightly watered-down tomato juice.
When the liquid hit her lips, she opened them just a fraction. Luke very slowly poured just a few drops into her mouth. Addison expected to start gagging right away. She didn’t. As soon as the red drops hit her tongue, it was like someone shot her mouth with a Taser.
She could feel the power flowing through her whole being. It was like ice water had been dumped over her. Addison’s body woke, woke to something new. Without thinking, she leaned forward trying to get Luke to pour more into her mouth.
He complied, but with just another small amount. Addison concentrated on the taste this time. It was a little like the taste she remembered on her lips in the forest, but not as strong. It also seemed to be mixed with something familiar. Tomato juice, maybe.
“More.” Addison could hear the need in her voice.
“Just a little more. You don’t want to overdo it.”
Luke started to pour more, slowly, but Addison grabbed the cup. He was clearly surprised by her boldness, but also her strength. The female vampire pulled the container free from his hand and took a large gulp of the blood-juice mix.
“Addison!” Luke quickly grabbed the cup and ripped it from her grasp.
She felt wild and a bit violent for just a second. Images of fighting the man in front of her ran through her mind at racecar speeds. Addison closed her eyes, trying to center herself. Damn, is it always going to be like that?
“No.” Luke’s voice had returned to calm and friendly. “It will be intense for you in the beginning. Just until your body really gets used to its new diet and capabilities.”
The next images that flashed in her mind’s eye were much more pleasant, but just as wild. She had no idea where these images were coming from, but her mind felt a little out-of-control. It was like her feast had started up something inside her. Addison saw herself ripping off Luke’s clothes and going straight for his dick. She didn’t even realize that she was moaning as she watched herself, in her head, grabbing him and stroking his erection.
Her eyes flew open when she finally heard her own moans. Addison’s eyes found Luke’s. The blue seemed brighter and she could read the desire in them. He must have seen her mental pictures as well. She watched him closely as he brought a hand up.
Luke very slowly wiped a finger along her bottom lip. Addison had the urge to suck it into her mouth, but she just waited to see what he was doing. When he pulled his hand back, she could see that he had some of the red liquid on his finger. She must have the bloody drink all over her mouth. He brought his hand to his face and stuck the dirty finger in his own mouth.
Addison watched, unmoving, as he cleaned the red from his finger with his tongue. She started to lick her own lips, but stopped when Luke shook his head “no.” Her eyes widened as Luke started to lean forward. Their eyes closed in unison as he came closer. Addison then felt his warm, wet tongue raking over her bottom lip, at first. Then it moved up over her top lip.
Suddenly, he pulled back. It was almost in a violent motion. “What the hell am I doing?”
Addison stared at him as he let go of her back and started to stand. She pushed herself up onto her arms, still sitting on the floor, her eyes never blinking, just staring at Luke. He ran his fingers through his dark brown hair and then rubbed his face.
“Fuck. You are strong.”
Addison was confused by that statement. Strong? Is he talking about my mental movie? He paced back and forth in front of her for a minute and then
stopped. Luke held out his hand, offering to help her up off the floor. At first, she just stared up at him.
“It’s the girl,” she said.
“What?”
Addison took his hand and stood. She held it tight, not letting go even when she was completely on her feet. “That girl, Brooklyn. She’s your girlfriend.”
It wasn’t really a question. Addison already knew. In fact, with the new strength from her “energy drink,” she decided to try something out. It was strange to her just how unafraid she was now. Still holding Luke’s hand, she focused on that mental movie again.
Her eyes were still intensely watching the gorgeous face of her Turner, but in her mind, she was seeing something else. Again, she envisioned herself standing with a nude Luke. In her vision, she went to her knees and took his cock in her hands. Very slowly, she bent forward and took him into her mouth.
The vision was so real that Addison had to swallow the extra spit in her mouth. As the mental her sucked up and down on Luke’s dick, her real clit started to pulsate. She started to rub her legs together, trying to get a little bit of friction to her moist pussy lips.
The imaginary Luke and the very real one still holding her hand both let out a manly groan. She watched as the vampire shut his eyes and his head started to tip back. Addison squeezed his hand tighter and then switched up her mental movie.
She now was watching herself riding Luke. Addison was naked and straddling the blue-eyed man. She saw herself bouncing up and down, boobs jiggling. Her actual pussy was now extremely wet and she could feel her panties were starting to become soaked. A small whine came from her mouth as she squeezed her cunt muscles together.
Just when she thought she might start touching herself, Luke ripped his hand away from her. He took a step back and then bent forward, resting his hands on his knees. He was panting wildly. His expression was of a man just on the edge of exploding. Addison could feel his climax waiting just barely under the surface. She could see his physical reaction, also. His erection was clearly visible, tenting his pants.
Big. A soft giggle escaped her lips.
Chapter Thirteen
“What the hell?” Luke straightened, but was still visibly shaken.
“Sorry, sorry.” Addison nervously batted her dark eyes. “I don’t know what happened.”
“Fuck!” He turned away from her and walked over to the kitchen table. Luke placed both hands on the edge and leaned over the table with his eyes shut. He was obviously trying to calm himself down.
Addison didn’t know what she should do, so she didn’t move. What had possessed her to do that? She had daringly grabbed him, her savior, her vampire guide, and forced her thoughts into his mind. Why had she even thought about doing that? She couldn’t explain it to herself, but it had just felt like she had to.
“Addison, sit.” He never looked up from the table as he spoke to her.
She hesitated for just a second and then did as she was told. Addison took the few steps to the bench seat at the table and sat. She felt like a toddler about to be punished.
“Maybe I need to explain something to you.” He turned his head to look at her now. “As you can see, a Turner and his...darling...have a connection, mental. It usually fades after a while, but—”
Luke stopped short and shook his head. He exhaled loudly and then stood up from the table. Again, she could see the waves of stress coming off him as he raked his fingers through his hair.
“I’m sorry.” Addison’s voice was small and meek.
“No, you can’t be blamed. You were just thrown into this. It’s just…” He paused. Luke turned his full attention on Addison then. “That was much stronger of a connection than I have ever felt, with anyone. Ever.”
“I don’t know what that means.” Addison’s voice was still very small.
Luke came closer to her and Addison slid over on the bench seat, hoping he would sit with her. He did. As he slid onto the wooden bench, he looked deep into her eyes. Addison felt like her whole being relied on him. She felt like she could fall into his gaze and never resurface.
“I can’t explain it, Addison. I don’t know what this is. I’m a little hesitant to explore it, though.”
That felt like a small smack in the face to her. She turned her head away from him to look at her lap. Had she just royally fucked up? I’m an idiot.
“No.” His tone was reassuring and soft. Luke lifted her chin with his fingers. Gently, he turned her head to face him.
They stared at each other for a few silent seconds. As if there was an invisible force, a spirit’s hand working, the two slowly started to lean into each other. Their faces inched together and finally, Luke took Addison’s lips with his.
The kiss started out slow. It surprised Addison just how familiar it felt. It was like they had been lovers in a past life. She could feel passion flowing between them. As his lips moved over hers, his hands cupped her face. It was so sweet, but also so full of promise. A promise that was causing the muscles in between her thighs to clench.
The kiss started to get more fevered. Luke parted his lips and Addison followed suit. He then slid his warm tongue over her bottom lip. Memories of her licking her own lips in the forest, tasting his blood, came to the front of Addison’s mind. She knew that Luke could probably sense her memories. Sharing his blood, it was so intimate. Addison worried if it was too intimate.
Luke plunged his tongue deep into her mouth. She briefly wondered if that was in response to her thinking. She soon determined that she didn’t care either way. She wanted this kiss. In fact, she knew without a doubt that she wanted much more. More of what she had envisioned in her mind and forced onto Luke.
Addison returned the tongue play, sweeping hers over his repeatedly. She adjusted her body to get closer to her rescuer. Luke let go of her face and moved his hands to grab her arms. The vampire squeezed tightly and pulled her even further into himself.
Addison felt like he was trying to fuse them together, to become one. She didn’t mind at all. She pressed herself harder into his hold. This is too fast. The thought popped into her mind before she could stop it. Addison could tell instantly that Luke had felt her concern. His grip loosened some and his lips slowed.
She desperately wanted to take back that thought. She wanted to show him that she didn’t care how fast they moved. Just when she was going to take over the make-out session to prove that to him, a loud bang stopped her. A door had slammed. Addison’s whole body froze, as did Luke’s.
“Damn it! Brooklyn.”
Addison heard Luke’s voice in her head. Besides just his words, she felt his panic. There was also quite a bit of fault there, inside him. It was guilt for more than just one thing.
Chapter Fourteen
Luke stood from the table, slower than Addison would have expected with all the panic she felt coming from him. Maybe he was overly considerate of her feelings, too, not wanting to make her feel like a mistake. She still did, though.
The tall, lean man walked to the entrance of the kitchen and casually placed his hand on the wall. Addison was unsure what she should be doing. Truthfully, she just wanted to leave, escape from this house and escape this strange new world she was apparently a part of, without her permission.
Addison stayed seated on the bench but turned her body to face where the living room turned into the kitchen. Soon, the other woman came into view. She was visibly calmer but not docile by any means. Addison got her first real look at the female vampire. She was strikingly beautiful in an almost untamed way. Her brunette hair was extremely shiny and healthy-looking with a few fiery red highlights. Addison thought this made her look even more dangerous.
As Brooklyn walked into the room, her eyes were on Addison. Her face had amusement written all over it. Addison was more than just a little confused by that. She soon saw why the girl was so smug-looking.
Brooklyn’s eyes left Addison and flickered over to Luke who was still standing in the entryway. As she stepped up to
him, he let his hand fall down from the wall to his side. With a cocky, crooked smile, Brooklyn pressed her chest to Luke’s, wrapping her arms around his neck.
“Did you miss me, baby?”
The sickly-sweet tone that oozed from the other girl made Addison shiver. It was a threat, she was sure. Brooklyn didn’t give Luke time to respond, which Addison knew was the point. The other girl quickly came forward and locked her lips onto Luke’s.
With her head cocked to the side of his, Brooklyn opened her eyes and stared straight at Addison. There was no blinking, no hiding her warning and forced intimidation. Addison felt hate and jealousy flare up from her gut. That was to be expected, but the intensity scared her. The rage she felt, at this moment, was at least double what she had felt toward Joe and his whore. What the hell is happening to me?
Brooklyn finally broke the disgust-filled eye-lock and let her lids close. She then took Luke’s head into her hands and ramped up the kiss. Addison tried to look away, but couldn’t. Without trying or even deciding to, she mentally said his name. Luke.
It was not really a plea but more of a “don’t forget me” statement. She instantaneously felt his response. “Don’t.” His voice was soft in her mind. He was warning her not to start trouble at this moment in time. It felt rude, but she knew he was right.
Luke was returning Brooklyn’s kiss, but Addison could also see and feel that he was holding back. He was keeping her happy without really giving her what she wanted. What she wanted was a true sign of their love or togetherness to shove in Addison’s face.
Again, before really thinking it through, Addison stood from the kitchen table. As she walked toward the exit, Brooklyn opened her eyes one more time. Not breaking the kiss, she winked at Addison. Another flare of hate and jealousy shot through her. This is probably what caused her next overzealous action.
Once Bitten, Twice Seduced [Revenants 1] (Siren Publishing Allure) Page 5