Forbidden Blood (Vampire Venators Romance Series)

by Heaton, Felicity

  Amber meant something to him.

  But she was human. She was beneath him, fit only to serve his kind.

  Kearn broke through the crowd and out into the night.

  He wished he could bring himself to believe that but he couldn’t. She didn’t feel as though she was beneath him. She felt above him, beyond his grasp.

  Human or not, he wanted her to be his.

  He couldn’t see her in the street. He searched all of the side roads that branched off the main road outside the club and then got into his car and drove around. The remnant of her blood in his veins wasn’t enough for him to track her. Searching for her so randomly didn’t have a great chance of success, but he had to find her. The vampire might have been at the club tonight and might have seen her leave. Without him, she was in danger.

  He couldn’t allow that.

  He would keep his promise, no matter what.

  He wouldn’t let anything happen to her.

  CHAPTER 7

  Amber stormed along the street, walking blind in the hope of there being an Underground station ahead. She cursed her heels when her ankle gave out and hobbled on, defiant in the face of pain and the sliver of fear running through her veins. The streets were dark and there were only a few people around. What time was it? Judging by the lack of cars and people, it had to be close to midnight, if not already past it. She hoped she could reach the Underground before the last train. Her gaze darted around, taking in the dark brick and sandstone office buildings surrounding her, her heart beating fast against her chest. She couldn’t believe that a club she had been to catered to vampires. A shiver bolted down her spine. How many times had she flirted with one? How close had she come to being nothing more than a midnight snack? And why had Kearn dressed her in such revealing clothing? She had never had to dress so sexily to fit in and attract attention at the club before.

  Every man she walked past ogled her breasts and her thighs. It was freezing in the ridiculous stupid damn clothes that Kearn had bought for her.

  And what good had they done?

  The only men in the club who had shown the slightest interest had been a few less than savoury characters and Kyran. He had come over to her the moment he had spotted her and offered to keep her company, inviting her to meet his nice friends and keeping her away from the fiends that patrolled the club. He had been kind and attentive, ensuring that she felt included in his circle of friends. She hadn’t minded the way he had remained close to her. It had been comforting and she had felt safe around him, protected from the vampires.

  Kearn had gone and spoken to that other woman instead.

  Her blood boiled.

  Kyran had tried to stop her from leaving but she had been determined to get away. She had wanted out. Not just of the club but of everything. She didn’t want to play bait anymore, not now that she had realised why she had agreed to it in the first place.

  It hadn’t been because Kearn could keep her safe and get rid of the man who wanted her blood.

  It had been because she was attracted to Kearn.

  The woman was a much-needed reminder that Kearn wasn’t hers, and that he hadn’t even hinted that he was attracted to her. He had seemed very comfortable with the young woman and hadn’t looked at Amber once while he was with her. Kyran had explained that the woman was another Venator and Kearn had to greet her, but it hadn’t made Amber feel any better.

  A man wolf-whistled at her from across the quiet street. She stuck her fingers up at him and kept walking. She was sick of this stupid game of cat and mouse. Kearn could find himself a new mouse.

  The low growl of an engine echoed around the street, bouncing off the office buildings around her and she walked faster. Lights punctured the dim street and threw her shadow out long in front of her. A moment later, the white Audi R8 pulled to a halt just a few yards ahead of her and she slowed down. He had found her.

  Well, he was a hunter. She supposed that his kind could find anyone they were looking for. She smiled cruelly. Although he couldn’t find his man.

  “Get in the car.”

  Amber looked down at the open window and empty passenger seat.

  She kept walking, sure that there would be an Underground station nearby. She had enough money to get a ticket back to her place and out of Kearn’s crazy world.

  A car door slammed behind her.

  “I said to get in the car.” Kearn’s footsteps were loud in the quiet road.

  “Clearly, I don’t want to.” She carried on. He wasn’t going to order her around. Not now.

  He walked past her and stopped in her path, his eyes narrowed with his frown. She looked into them, not hiding any of her anger or contempt, and they darted between hers, searching. Was he trying to see in them why she had left the club and was refusing to go with him? If he couldn’t figure it out for himself, then he was a lost cause.

  “Get out of my way.” Amber went to pass him but he blocked her. She shoved him aside.

  Kearn grabbed her arm and pulled her backwards, towards his car. That wasn’t going to happen. She stamped on his foot, using her heel, eliciting a short noise of frustration from him. His grip on her arm tightened.

  “Get in the car.” Anger laced his dark tone, turning it blacker than a thundercloud and just as threatening.

  “No.”

  “Why not?”

  Amber glared at him. He glared right back. She didn’t care if she had hurt his foot. He deserved it.

  He deserved a lot more than it.

  “You should go back to the club. Your girlfriend will miss you.”

  His dark silver eyebrows rose and his eyes widened. It was as though a light had clicked on in his mind and she was seeing the external effect.

  Amber yanked her arm free and tried to keep walking but he caught hold of her again and pulled her back to the car. She stumbled and landed on the bonnet. Part of her wished she had hit it harder and put a dent in it with her backside. Perhaps that would hurt Kearn enough to satisfy her.

  “I do not have a woman.” Irritation joined the anger in his tone. Did her lack of obedience frustrate him? Good.

  She pushed away from his car.

  “Where are you going?”

  Amber whirled to face him and his gaze dropped to her thighs. The motion had sent her black skirt flying out and had probably given him a view of her underwear. That drove her to confront him. She was going to give him a piece of her mind, set him straight, and then leave.

  “I’m going home to get some real clothes.” She started out small. Her insides fluttered at the thought of confronting him about everything. It was frightening but exhilarating at the same time, sending a dizzying rush of adrenaline through her.

  “Those are clothes.”

  Every inch of her warmed as his gaze drifted over her body, leisurely taking her in, his pupils widening the whole time. She blazed so hot that her skin prickled, the cold forgotten. His eyes roamed over her again, from her heeled boots, over the tiny skirt and tight corset, to her throat and then her face. He stared into her eyes, desire visible in his.

  Now he was eyeing her up? Too damn late for that.

  “No.” She placed her hands on her hips and his eyes settled there, burning into her, as though he was trying to see through the small black skirt to her knickers beneath. “This is something a whore wears. I don’t know what circles you move in, but sluts dress this way.”

  Kearn was silent for a moment, a stunned edge to his expression.

  “I thought it looked nice.” No trace of anger touched his voice now. It was low and cautious, edged with huskiness. If he could sense her intent to explode, then he was stupid for complimenting her for looking good dressed as a two-bit prostitute.

  “You would. You’re a man! Or whatever it is you are.” Amber turned on her heel and stalked away.

  He was in front of her again before she could make it five paces.

  “There are no Underground stations around here and you cannot walk to your home.” T
he spark of desire that had been in his eyes was gone, but their green depths weren’t empty. Concern filled them.

  “I’ll get a cab.” She tried to step past him but he moved with her.

  She wasn’t in the mood to dance.

  “And pay them with what?” He countered her again.

  “With money at my flat.” Amber curled her fingers into fists and tried to pass him.

  He wouldn’t let her. He blocked her path and stepped into her, forcing her backwards.

  “And you have keys for that flat?”

  Checkmate.

  Amber cursed him under her breath. Her keys and things were at his place. She hadn’t been planning to ditch him.

  “Leave me alone,” she whispered and unclenched her hands. Her shoulders sagged and she stared at the pavement. “I’m tired of playing slut for you and your vampire friends. Just leave me alone and find them yourself.”

  Silence.

  She hated the sound of it. She wanted him to say something to make her stay, to make her feel as though she was more to him than just bait, but she knew in her heart that it wasn’t going to happen and she had a feeling why.

  “I need your help.” His eyes shone in the light of his car, open and honest. He needed her help and she needed answers. If he gave them to her, confirmed her suspicions or put them to rest forever, then she would go with him.

  Her fingers went to the bandage around her right palm.

  She stared deep into his eyes, holding his attention. “Then you’d better be straight with me, starting with this.”

  Before he could move, Amber tore the bandage off and thrust her palm in his face.

  He recoiled and turned away.

  “No.” She moved around him, unwilling to let him escape, her heart beating like a jackhammer against her ribs. “You’re like them, aren’t you? You’re a vampire!”

  She pushed her hand in his face, keeping up with him as he backed towards his car. He tried to swat her hand away but she wouldn’t let him. She kept it in his face, wanting to see if she was right about him. He stared at her palm, his eyes so wide that she could see the whole of his irises, and swallowed hard.

  “You want this.”

  Kearn grabbed her wrist, spun her around so quickly her head swirled, and pinned her to the passenger side of his car.

  “Do not ever do that again.” His voice was dark and low, a rumbling sound that echoed his anger. His grip on her wrist tightened until it hurt.

  She didn’t care.

  All she could focus on were the red eyes staring into hers and the sharp fangs that showed between his lips when he spoke.

  She had been right.

  Kearn was a vampire.

  Her pulse raced, body trembling, and her knees weakened. She was falling for a vampire. It would have seemed insane if she hadn’t already accepted it on some level. She had known what he was and, although sense had said that she was foolish for still wanting him, her feelings hadn’t changed in the slightest. It scared her, but she was determined to keep moving forwards on the path she was walking, to see where it took her.

  She stared up into his red eyes, mesmerised by them, lost in the explosive combinations of feelings running riot through her. She wasn’t sure whether to break free of his grasp or submit to him. Part of her wanted to run away and the rest wanted to run to him, to feel his arms around her and his mouth on hers.

  Kearn’s lips parted, revealing his fangs.

  Reality check.

  Would he bite her?

  A spark of fear shot through her blood. Instinct said to escape. She wasn’t ready for this. What had she expected from him? He was a vampire. Vampires bit people. She didn’t want to be just another meal to him.

  “Kearn?” she whispered, fearful of jolting him out of whatever thoughts he was lost in as he stared at her in case she prompted him to bite her.

  He leaned into her, his body as hard as granite against hers. There was so much anger in his eyes but there was conflict too. Her blood was like a drug to vampires. Did he want it? Was that a bad thing?

  He had told her that it was illegal to drink her blood. Would they punish him for tasting it? Was that the reason behind the battle playing out in his eyes?

  Kearn bent her hand back and his red eyes shifted to her palm.

  “I need to stop this damned cut from bleeding.”

  Amber’s eyes shot wide when he licked her palm. She kept still, fascinated by the feel of his tongue stroking her skin. The moment he swallowed, he trembled and leaned more heavily into her. He turned his head to one side and gazed at her chest, breathing hard. The fingers of his other hand curled around her waist, digging in. He licked the cut again, harder this time, pressing his tongue in as though he needed more, and then released her arm. His hand claimed her neck, fingers against the nape sending a shiver down her spine, and he pressed his thumb against her jaw, tilting her head back.

  His gaze tracked down her throat and then fell to her breasts.

  This wasn’t like him.

  He pulled her closer, exhaled on a sigh, and ground his hips against hers. He was hard.

  Her blood had this effect on vampires?

  He was a different person now—his red eyes unabashedly taking in her body and his grip on her dominant. Gone was the man she had been speaking to a moment ago, replaced by something altogether more sensual and unrestrained.

  His eyes narrowed on her throat and he lowered his thumb from her jaw and hooked it into the thick choker. She gasped when he tore it off and threw it to the ground. His hand claimed her neck again, rough and commanding. Her blood thundered through her veins in response, her heart whispering that he was going to bite her if she didn’t do something.

  “Kearn?” she whispered.

  Before she could ask him if he was alright, his lips were on hers, devouring them in a hungry kiss. He pressed the length of his body into hers and forced his tongue into her mouth. It caressed hers, teasing her teeth and luring her into joining it. She couldn’t stop herself. She kissed him back but failed to match his rough demanding passion. His mouth claimed hers with fierce possession, stealing her breath as their lips parted and met, their tongues tangling and breath mingling. Her pulse raced. A heady sensation of need ignited deep within her. Her tongue traced his teeth, finding no fangs, and she thrilled at the thought that they had been there a moment ago. He moaned and she threaded her fingers into his hair, twisting the silver lengths around them, and held his mouth against hers. It was too divine to surrender and she feared it would end too soon.

  He thrust against her again and groaned into her mouth.

  Was her blood making him do this, or had it only freed his desire? It had to be the latter. She wanted this to be about her, not her blood.

  He slid his hands down to her hips, clutching her against him, and kissed her deeper, until she felt as though she couldn’t breathe, but she wouldn’t give him up. She wanted to drown in him.

  Someone called over to them, making lewd suggestions.

  Kearn was gone in a heartbeat. Amber slowly opened her eyes, dazed and warm all over. Her gaze sought Kearn. He stood with his back to her, the beam of his car’s headlights on his legs.

  Amber went to him and tried to touch his arm but he jerked away from her.

  “Leave me.” He took a step forwards. “Get in the damn car and leave me.”

  Amber backed away, her stomach heavy with guilt. She hadn’t meant to upset him. The air around him felt colder than ever. It felt as though any chance she’d had of opening his closed off heart had disappeared.

  Slipped through her bloodstained fingers.

  She got into the car, afraid of upsetting him further by disobeying him this time. Her eyes roamed over his black shirt-clad back and down his arms. His fists trembled at his sides.

  It wasn’t just his fists shaking. His shoulders were too. When he had been against her, she had felt him trembling. If she had known her blood would induce such a strong reaction, she wouldn’t
have teased him with it.

  Kearn raked his fingers over his silver hair and locked them around the back of his head. Why had he told her to leave him alone? Because he didn’t want her?

  A chill settled in her at that thought.

  She wanted him. It was insane of her to want a vampire, but she did. Deep in her heart, she knew that Kearn wasn’t like the man who had attacked her. He was doing all in his power to protect her. He had to feel something for her. It had to be about more than her blood and his duty.

  He tilted his head back, his hands still clutching it, and then lowered it again.

  Minutes passed and he still didn’t move.

  What was he doing?

  Her heart said that she knew exactly what he was doing. He was fighting whatever dark desire she had awoken in him. She touched her bare throat. The way he had torn her choker away, ridding her throat of obstruction, still made her shiver, but not wholly from fear. Part of her had thrilled at the thought he might bite her. There had been visible struggle in his eyes before he had kissed her. Had he forced himself to do that in order to stop himself from sinking his fangs into her neck, satisfying his hunger with her kiss rather than her blood? If he came to her now, would he be a danger to her? Would he want to bite her?

  He turned around, walked to the car, and got in. His eyes were green again. Did that mean he was back to normal?

  He stared straight ahead. “Do not ever do that again.”

  There was no trace of anger in his tone, only a sense of weariness that left her feeling worse than if he had shouted at her. Amber shrank away and leaned against the passenger side door, looking out of it as he drove. The world flew by, all blurred coloured lights and darkness. She sighed and her breath fogged the window. It cleared a few seconds later, the misty patch creeping smaller and smaller until it disappeared.

  Kearn didn’t speak.

  She wanted to break the oppressive silence but couldn’t find the right words. How did you apologise to a vampire for tipping him over the edge?

  How much danger had she really been in?