Vampire's Thirst (The Awakening Series)

by Cynthia Garner

  Now, just before sunrise, she sat in the living room of her and Duncan’s suite. Pushing aside the fact she was pregnant for the moment, which was hard to do, she distracted herself by analyzing what she felt when she’d stripped power from Atticus.

  All that malignant energy felt good. She felt good. Even as her body struggled to process that kind of power, almost buckling under the pressure, her mind, her spirit, had rejoiced in her ability to wield the darkness. That more than anything else scared her. Did she want to be evil? Was that what this was about? Was she being taken over by the dark side?

  Even now, as she thought about who she was, who she wanted to be, she was excited by the idea of being able to hurt a vampire. Vampires were apex predators and Atticus was one of the most powerful she’d ever met, but if she had held on to Atticus longer, she could have really injured him, probably even fatally. There was a part of her, larger than she liked, that puffed up with pride at the thought. To take down a predator bigger and meaner meant she was the greatest.

  She was sure it was the boost of power she’d gotten from him that had allowed her to push the Unseen out of the zombies. That extra power had given them true death. Granted, there had been only about fifteen or so, but still, it was something. It was a start. Her mind raced. If taking energy from Atticus allowed her to put down a couple handfuls of zombies, how many more could she have done with her hands on two vampires? And then two more? Just how many vampires could be sacrificed to stop the apocalypse? What would be too much?

  Could there be too much?

  What if Duncan were one of the ones she used?

  Her breath hitched in her throat. No, no, no! She would never use Duncan that way. She’d have no reason to keep on going. She couldn’t kill the father of her baby, even if it meant the threat of zombies was gone forever.

  Could she?

  She put one hand low on her abdomen where her little sprite nestled in safety and love. She’d only had a couple of days to get used to the idea, but she already loved the tiny fetus growing inside her and was determined to be the best mother she could. How would she be able to tell the little tyke that she’d killed its father?

  There had to be another way.

  She suddenly remembered the other two necromancers and realized there was another way. She wasn’t sure how safe it would be for Maggie, as far along as she was in her pregnancy, and Kimber didn’t want to do anything to jeopardize the safety of her own baby, but she also needed to get the Unseen out of her. If it was making her so crazy-aggressive, it couldn’t be good for the baby. There was no other choice. Perhaps between her and Jason they could tap into the Unseen and pull it out of the zombies—and her—before sending it back where it belonged.

  She’d go down and talk to Jason the first chance she got. She glanced at the grandfather clock standing in the corner near the fireplace. It was almost 9:00 a.m. She should go talk to them now. On some level she realized she couldn’t keep avoiding Duncan—they did live together after all—but she could manage to be out of the suite when he came in to rest.

  Kimber pushed to her feet and had taken only a few steps toward the door when it swung open. Duncan walked in and stopped when he saw her. Well, so much for avoiding him.

  He moved forward and pulled her into his arms. He held her close, his face buried in her hair. “I’ve missed you the last couple of days,” he finally said as he straightened to look down at her. “You’re always gone when I come to bed.” His lean hands came up to cup her face. Thumbs stroking across her cheeks, he said, “You look tired. And thinner. Are you all right? Should we find a doctor?” His brows drew down and he said, “With all the humans living here now, we should probably find a doctor anyway.”

  He looked so overwhelmed, which worried her. It was a look she’d never seen before and she didn’t like it. “I’m fine,” she said, nowhere near ready to tell him her news. It would only add more shadows to his face. Time for a distraction, for both of them. Regardless that she had things to tell him, they both needed this. Going up on tiptoe, she pressed a light kiss to his lips.

  He took over, his hands tilting her head to give him the angle he wanted, and his tongue stroked over her bottom lip. When she opened her mouth, he surged inside, tasting her, teasing her. Carnal fire began to burn low in her gut, tightening her womb, making her sex wet and slick with arousal.

  It was always like this with him. One touch, one kiss was all it took to rev her motor and make her burn for him.

  Keeping his mouth on hers, Duncan swept her up into his arms and carried her to the bedroom. Once he’d set her on her feet, he made quick work of getting her clothes off, and even quicker work of his.

  “I don’t know how you manage to do that so fast,” she said, and laughed.

  “It’s a talent,” he bragged with a grin. He pushed her gently onto the bed and came down over her, his erection eager against her belly. He pressed slow kisses down the column of her throat, across one sloping collarbone before he took her nipple into his mouth and suckled. The motion shot straight to her clit, setting up an answering throb of desire.

  The muscled width of his shoulders, speaking to the strength of this man, her man, called to her. She cupped her fingers around him, digging in her nails. He responded by sucking hard, drawing in as much flesh as he could. The rough silk of his tongue rasped over her swelling nipple, sending fiery shocks of exhilaration through her core. Her arousal flared and she cried out, tightening her grip on his shoulders. Duncan wrapped his arms around her and moved to her other breast with even more suction than before.

  “Duncan!” Kimber struggled beneath him. It was too much; it wasn’t enough. She didn’t know if she could bear the excruciating torment he thrust upon her. But he wouldn’t relent. As he continued to lave and suck, he moved one hand between her thighs. He moaned to find her sex so wet that the bed linens beneath her were damp.

  He lifted his head and stared at her breasts. She looked down, too, to see both nipples were hard, so hard, and a deep, dark red from his ministrations. His fingers probed her folds, his thumb rubbing her clit, making her shudder and writhe against him.

  “You’re so responsive. I love you,” he moaned, and slid a long finger inside her. He stroked in and out, added a second finger, then a third. He curled them, rubbing against the bundle of nerves in her sheathe.

  As heady delight sizzled through her, she nearly shot off the bed. “Oh!” Desire and dark need furled within her. She scored her fingernails down his upper arms. “Oh, God, do that again.”

  He complied. She shoved her hips against his hand, rapture just out of her reach. Another thrust of his hand and she came, screaming his name. When she settled back down, he rubbed his cock through her slick folds and pressed the tip of his shaft inside her sheath. As he thrust forward, working his way into her swollen sex, he slid his forearms under her knees, lifting her butt off the bed, giving him all the control. With each downward stroke, his pelvis struck her puffy clit, sending intense slivers of pleasure through her groin.

  Duncan kept moving, pulling out and slamming back in with increasing speed and force. The slap of his balls against the rounded curve of her buttocks, the feel of his hard cock shoving in and out of her, the way his lean body moved above her all made her want more.

  “Harder!” she cried, trying to shove against him. But with her legs draped over his arms, leaving only her upper back and head on the mattress, she had no way to direct how this went.

  Thankfully he moved faster, putting more power behind each thrust. His big body slammed against her, each lunge driving desperate moans from her. Another orgasm loomed, tantalizing her with its nearness. Need seethed. She tried to buck into his thrust and whimpered when the position he had her in made it impossible. If he didn’t give her what she wanted, and soon, she was going to hurt him. She was appalled to feel that way, but the desire twisted with the darkness inside her, making it difficult to tell which was which. “Please, Duncan,” she begged.

&n
bsp; “All right, love.” He let one of her legs drop to the bed and brought his hand to her sex. His face hard with his own need, hips driving into her like a piston, he pinched her clit, then rubbed it in circles.

  It was enough. Lightning shot through every cell. Every muscle tensed, her body heaved. Her insides twisted like a dishrag being rung dry. Then with a scream Kimber flew apart, spasms seizing her with such strength she bowed and shook. When she fell back to reality, it was to find Duncan in the midst of his own climax, jerking and groaning. His cock pulsed inside, filling her with his release. With the speed of a striking snake, he bent over her and sank his fangs into the side of her throat.

  She cried out and strained up in another orgasm, her sex milking her lover of every last drop. After a final pump of his hips, he held still, then finally lifted his head and released her other leg. He collapsed onto her, his arms closing around her to hold her close. With a low groan, he rolled onto his back, keeping her imprisoned in his arms, his softening cock still snuggled in her sheath.

  She gasped against him and fought to learn how to breathe again. Streaks of red caught her eye and she lifted up to look at his arms. Bloody furrows raked the entire length of his upper arms, from shoulder to elbow, four rows on each arm. She sat up and looked down at her hands. Blood and skin was crammed beneath her nails. “Oh my God.”

  Her stomach roiled and bile rose in her throat. She really had hurt him. With a low grunt, she rolled off the bed and retrieved the first-aid kit from the medicine cabinet in the bathroom. Coming back to the bed, she motioned for him to sit up. “Let me take care of those.”

  He shrugged but shifted to put his back against the headboard. “I’ll heal. You don’t need to do that.” He gestured to the gauze and bottle of hydrogen peroxide in her hands.

  “I’ll feel better.” She’d done this to him, used her nails to groove out his flesh. At the time she’d been aware of her movement, just not the end result. As she began to clean his wounds, she had the urge to press down harder, to cause even more pain.

  What the hell was wrong with her?

  * * *

  Duncan watched Kimber tend to the wounds she inflicted and wondered at her attitude. This was the second time they’d made love in the last few days, and both times he’d seen her struggle to contain a new level of aggression. She wouldn’t talk to him about it, though, and it was making him crazy. How could he be an effective leader if he couldn’t even help his own lover?

  He waited until she’d capped the bottle of peroxide and set the first-aid kit on the bedside table before he said, “Talk to me, Kimber. Tell me what’s going on with you.”

  She heaved a sigh and got to her feet. Going over to his dresser, she pulled out one of his T-shirts and slipped it over her head. She usually wasn’t uncomfortable being nude around him, so her action told him what they were about to deal with wasn’t going to be pleasant. Was she tired of being with him? Had he been too dominant in their lovemaking?

  “Kimber?” The waiting was hell on his nerves.

  “The day before yesterday, when we went out for tampons?” She glanced at him. When he nodded, she went on. “You know on our way back we were attacked by zombies.”

  “Yes, Atticus told me. I came up here to see how you were doing, but you were already asleep. I didn’t want to wake you. Then you were gone later that night when I woke up.” He watched her to gauge her reaction.

  She gave a slight wince. “Yes, well, I had things to do.” She waved one hand in the air. “That doesn’t matter. What does matter is that when we were fighting the zombies, I stumbled, and when I flung out my arm to try to keep my balance, I ended up grabbing hold of Atticus.” She looked at him. “Atticus didn’t tell you any of this?”

  He frowned. “He told me you had to fight zombies, that you were successful, and everyone was all right. Was there more he should have told me?”

  She shook her head. “No. I mean, there was more, but I asked him to let me tell you.” She blew out a breath. “When I grabbed him, I drew energy from him and it allowed me to push the Unseen out of the zombies. You should have seen them drop to the ground.”

  “You did what?” He straightened from his slouched position against the headboard. He couldn’t have heard her right. She attacked his second-in-command?

  “I didn’t do it on purpose,” she said. “He must have seen me stumble and reached out to help me at the same time I flung my hand out. Once I had hold of him and the power transfer started, I couldn’t let go. I tried, Duncan.” Her eyes went round and pleading, and her lower lip got a slight tremble to it. “It hurt, just like before, but it…” She clamped her jaw shut.

  “It what?”

  “It felt good, too. It was power, and it was mine.” She began to pace the room, her hands gesturing wildly. “This could be something big, Duncan. If all necromancers have this ability, we could end the apocalypse.”

  He got off the bed and pulled on his jeans. “And just how many vampires do you propose we sacrifice?”

  She came to a stop and stared at him. “It wouldn’t have to be a sacrifice. I didn’t kill Atticus.”

  “But you came close, didn’t you? Or you could have,” he amended. At her stubborn expression, he said, “I know you, Kimber. I know the kind of power you have. Plus you have some of the Unseen in you. How did that affect what happened with Atticus? Or did it happen with Atticus because of the Unseen in you?”

  Her shoulders slumped. “I don’t know.”

  He studied her for a minute, then left the bedroom. He strode through the living room and yanked open the door to the hallway. “Find Atticus and bring him here,” he said to the guards. Without waiting for a response, he closed the door. When he turned around, he saw Kimber standing in front of the sofa, twisting her fingers together. She’d pulled on her jeans but still wore his T-shirt.

  Her auburn hair, tousled and silky-looking, cascaded around her shoulders. “I didn’t do it on purpose, Duncan,” she whispered. Her teeth dug into her lower lip. “I wouldn’t do something like that. You have to believe me.”

  “I’d like to believe you, sweetheart. I would.” He walked over and put his hands on her shoulders, giving them a slight squeeze. “But I’ve seen how you’ve changed. I’ve seen you fight whatever is rising in you. I think if a situation presented itself and you believed taking energy from a vampire was the only solution, I’m not sure you could stop yourself.”

  A knock sounded on the door, and it swung open to reveal Atticus.

  “Come in,” Duncan invited. When the door closed behind his second-in-command, Duncan said, “Kimber just told me what happened on your way back from the drugstore.”

  Atticus shot a glance her way but said nothing.

  “This is a serious development,” Duncan went on, “and poses a potential threat to all vampires. I want all necromancers under guard until further notice. Let everyone know they’re considered dangerous and should not be touched under any circumstances.”

  Atticus inclined his head. “Understood and agreed.” With another glance at Kimber, he departed.

  “Does that include me?” Kimber asked, her voice hard. “Am I to be kept under guard? Am I not to be touched?”

  He clenched his teeth. “If you’re not with me, then, yes, you will have a guard. And anyone else will be advised not to touch you, but you and I will definitely be skin to skin, sweetheart. You can count on that.”

  “Don’t be so sure,” she said. “I’m not just any other necromancer, Duncan. I’m the woman who loves you. The woman you claim to love.” Her fists clenched at her sides and he had the distinct impression she was fighting throwing a punch at him. After a few seconds she let out a little growl and headed back toward the bedroom. Over her shoulder she threw out, “You’re treating me like a monster. The way I’m feeling right now, that might be an accurate assessment. You might not be safe from me.”

  Chapter Five

  The next week rolled by and tensions between the vampires
and the necromancers grew. Kimber’s guilt over keeping the baby a secret from Duncan wore on her nerves, and her frustration over her inability to fix the situation increased. Over iced tea early one evening, she talked to Natalie about the latter.

  “I just don’t know what you can do,” her friend told her. “I mean, ultimately Duncan’s the one in charge. Until he believes none of you are a threat to his people, the damned guards stay.” She gestured toward the tall, bulky vampire standing to one side of the door. “No offense, Leon,” she said.

  “None taken,” came the calm reply.

  Kimber folded her arms across her chest and glowered at the vampire before turning her gaze to Natalie. “Despite what Duncan says,” Kimber whispered, “he hasn’t touched me in a week. I think I’m in withdrawal.”

  “Sex withdrawal?” At Kimber’s nod, Natalie barked a laugh. “Welcome to the majority of the world, hon. At least, welcome to my world.”

  Before Kimber could respond to that or give Leon a hard time over his discomfort in listening to them talk about their sex lives, or lack thereof, someone knocked on the door. He opened it to the guards on the other side. “Duncan has asked that Kimber and Natalie join him in his office.”

  Kimber stood. “Did he say why?”

  “No.”

  Motherfu…This was getting ridiculous. He wouldn’t touch her and now he was sending for her like she was one of his minions? This was so not going to be the way things went from now on. “Come on, Nat,” she ground out. “His Highness has summoned us.”