Tears of Blood (The Blood Chronicles)

by Tamela Quijas

  Meghan was beauty to his beast, an angel to his demon, and hope in a realm of hopelessness.

  A low growl slipped from his throat as he leaned over her, his hands trailing across the curves of her body as he searched her clouded eyes.

  “I love you, Meghan.” He murmured throatily as he unbuttoned the fastenings of her shirt, exposing the small breasts hidden beneath the supple fabric. Amado traced a single fingertip over a rapidly tightening peak, savoring her illicit gasp of passion as she arched upwards.

  Meghan’s hands reached for him, and she sighed with frustration as he pulled away. To her ever-sensitive ears, she heard the soft rustle of material as his linen shirt fell to the floor. Blushing becomingly, her fingers wrestled with the tightness of her jeans, unfastening the slim belt about her waist.

  She kicked the confining pants to the ground just as he joined her, the bed dipping with the weight of his body. Eagerly, she turned in his arms, and pressed herself against him.

  His calloused fingers skimmed her stomach, trailed across the curve of her hip, and dug deep into the tender flesh of her bottom. Nuzzling her neck, he wound his leg behind her, drawing her into his body. She giggled beneath her breath, the undeniable evidence of his arousal pressed against her, and leaving her little doubt as to the need coursing through him.

  “I will, forever, love you.” Amado’s soft words were a subtle caress as he rolled her to her back. Her hands rose to his chest, tracing the sculpted outline of taut but lean muscle.

  “Love me, Amado,” Meghan whispered, savoring how his flesh twitched beneath her touch. “Love me the way I love you.”

  Amado’s hands slid over her heated body, his fingertips tracing every curve and rounded swell with ease. She gasped and rose in his arms, wordlessly demanding more, maddened by the erotic sensations his touch evoked. She clutched at his shoulders, his name escaping her in a breathy plea, her lips pleading for his kiss.

  Slowly, and with deliberate skill, the tip of his enticingly hot tongue traced the line of her collarbone, delving into the shadowed curve. Meghan arched upwards, her fingers digging into his hair, and pulled him closer. Her strangled breath left her in a soft purr and she pressed her lips to his neck, her tiny teeth nipping at his flesh.

  Startled, he groaned deep in his throat. He allowed her to continue, her bite painless, and the delicate sucking motion driving him to erotic madness. Only Meghan, Amado mused, could turn the tables on a jaded vampire with such arousing skill. He laughed, the sound more akin to the satisfied groan of pleasure before he jerked her lips away.

  Meghan growled, passion filling her very soul, the need for satisfaction raging through her body. She curved against him, clutching at his lithe body, demanding more. Amado’s ears filled with the excited rush of her heartbeat, the stuttering gasps of breath that escaped her mouth, and he spiraled into an abyss of demanding need.

  However, he wanted her, and not her blood.

  Amorously, Amado’s lips burnt across her flesh, the searing contact causing her to writhe beneath him. Her body trembled with each fleeting movement, her hands digging into his skin as she struggled to pull him ever closer.

  “Amado, please!”

  “Now, Meghan?” He whispered as his lips grazed her sweat-dampened brow. He felt her pulsate with unfulfilled need, her eyes glazed with passion, and her breath escaping her in short and panting gasps.

  She gasped aloud as he impatiently covered her, their bodies quivered with unleashed ardor. His rigid shaft pressed into her body, seeking the delicate warmth that proclaimed her womanhood. Instinctively, he parted her silken thighs, but paused at the dampened portal, his flame hued eyes searching her face for the protest he readily expected to burst forth.

  “Amado,” she whispered his name. Instead of the denial, her voice filled with a fiery yearning for completion. He groaned and surged forward, filling her welcoming heat with the full force of his aching body.

  She moaned as he pressed into her, her nails digging deep into his back as she locked her legs about his hips. Unable to control himself, her passion driving him to the precipice of ecstasy, he buried his surging loins into her quivering heat. Meghan arched against him, his name a repeated litany on her lips as she returned each impassioned thrust. His senses reeled as his surroundings vanished and her pleasurable moans echoed in his ears, the hunger for her love outweighing his darker needs, and reminding him of the pleasures of being mortal.

  “I love you,” she breathed as she rose against him, the flickering of firelight exploding in her mind. As her heartbeat accelerated, as her passion spiraled and crested on a great surge, her declaration filled his condemned soul with delight.

  Amado covered her mouth with his lips as he swallowed the intense utterance of his name, her body trembling. Meghan's explosive response triggered his savage release, trembling as what was left of his damned soul disappeared into her softness.

  Chapter Nineteen

  “Well, hell, Meg.” The male voice was filled with an ugliness she had thought only part of a nightmare. Determined not to show how startled she was, Meghan straightened, refusing to hunch her shoulders in an outright display of submission, and turned. “You sure do know how to be someone’s whore, don’t you?”

  Carefully, Meghan placed her glass on the kitchen countertop and drew in a slow breath. Although her mouth was unbearably dry, she wasn’t thirsty anymore. She couldn’t have managed a sip if she wanted to, she reasoned, her heart nearly lodged in her throat. The organ beat so fast, she thought she’d faint, the sound of rushing blood filling her ears.

  She ran her tongue over her lower lip and pressed herself back against the kitchen counters, inhaling deeply as she struggled to regain a sense of composure. Immediately, she regretted pulling in the strangled bit of air, the stench of the intruder’s body wafting into her sinuses.

  The odor was familiar, heavily laden with sour sweat, unwashed male and cheap alcohol. There was another scent though evident and clung to him more prominently than the rest, the pungent aroma of gasoline. Meghan struggled to swallow, bile rising to her throat, and her nose wrinkled in disgust.

  She stifled her shiver, not wanting to let him realize how he was capable of sending a familiar shaft of fear through her. After all these years, his voice still had the ability to make her feel inadequate and useless.

  Only Kevin had that effect, Meghan reasoned. This time, though, she wasn’t going to allow him to control her. She was a survivor, she was strong, and she could face him with pride.

  “What do you want?” She posed, pulling the robe closer to her body. He remained silent, and she suspected he looked her over, his dark blue eyes critically examining her from the top of her head to the toes of her bare feet.

  “You certainly proved to be a disappointment.”

  “Why are you here?” She asked abruptly. Though her heart performed a stuttering race in her chest, she wasn’t about to let him become aware of her fear. “You don’t have any business around me…”

  “Oh, I know.” He scoffed sarcastically, his attitude bitter. “You divorced me years ago, left me to live your life like the whore you always were.”

  “You can say what you want, but it doesn’t matter.” She answered civilly. “You’re trespassing and, in case you’ve forgotten, there are still charges against you for assault.”

  “Hell, Meg.” He laughed uncontrollably. “Do you think I really care? Do you think I came all this way to listen to you make threats? Do I need to remind you that you ain’t shit?”

  She lifted a brow at his comment. “You always were the master of scintillating conversation, Kevin.”

  He grunted inelegantly. “Where’s this show of bravado come from? Is it because your lover sleeps down the hall?”

  “What’s it to you?” She feigned indifference, deliberately not answering his questions. He snorted and the sound rattled with a nauseating wealth of phlegm. He coughed and she heard him clear his lungs, before spitting what sounded to be a rep
ulsive wad of mucus.

  “You’ve become a mighty uppity little bitch, haven’t you, Meg?”

  She wouldn’t let him draw her into shouting match. She kept reminding herself that he wasn't worth it. She had to keep him talking, though, hoping desperately Amado would wake from his deep slumber.

  “Kevin, you need to move on with your life.” She urged gently.

  “You don’t understand,” he spoke the words in a tone of voice that made her take chills. “You’re the only woman for me.”

  “It doesn’t matter.” Meghan attempted to remain as calm as possible, despite the harrowing situation. “I’ve moved on. I don’t need you, or love you.”

  “Don’t say that, Meg!” He shouted angrily. “I know you love me!”

  “I don’t love you.” She repeated firmly. “I did, once, a long time ago.”

  “You love me!” Kevin roared. “You can’t help yourself. We’re destined to be together!”

  She shook her head disbelievingly. She should have known he would shift everything to twist her thinking. She was older and wiser, and his ploy didn’t have any effect on her.

  “How are we meant for one another, when you just called me a whore, and a bitch?” Meghan countered. “I can’t be one, then the other, Kevin.”

  “Meg, you just make me so mad!” He muttered, raking his hands over his face. “You gotta stop talking to me the way you do. I can’t help what I say sometimes, the words come out of my mouth before I have a chance to think them over…”

  “It doesn’t matter, Kevin.” She was disgusted by his pleading, and wondered what she'd ever found appealing in him. “I don’t want to be with you.”

  “Come on, Meg, stop being so stupid.” He coaxed. “I figured out that you spend a lot of time thinking of me.”

  “I don’t...” she attempted to speak, but he brushed her words aside.

  “Look, I can forget you did this…this with that man.” He declared with more gentleness than she would have ever given him credit. “The whole neighbor probably heard the two of you, just like I did, but I can forgive you.”

  “Kevin, I don’t forget anything.” She spat, memories of the abuse she suffered leaping in to her mind.

  “Yes, you can!” He insisted. “We can start fresh. We can go to a new city and all, begin new.”

  She listened to his heavy step as he approached her. Backing further against the counter, she began to slide down the length of the room, desperate to avoid him.

  “I’ll take care of you, Meggie.” He persisted as he continued to near her. “Even if you can’t see, I’ll look out for you.”

  “Asshole,” she muttered. “It’s because of you that I can’t!”

  “Aw,” she could imagine him shaking his head in denial. “It ain’t my fault, sweetheart. You made me mad, so I had to straighten you out.”

  Meghan realized Kevin was doing his normal routine, shifting blame instead of acknowledging his actions. She couldn’t prevent her bitter laugh before she eased her way to the open doorway of the galley style kitchen.

  “You aren’t ever going to change.” She retorted haughtily. “Do you think I could put up with another moment of abuse from you?”

  “I never abused you, Meg.” He denied with a sickly sweet voice. “It was all your fault, every last bit of it. You know I love you, but you can be such an irritating bitch.”

  “Really?” She shrieked, losing her patience. “You haven’t seen me in five years, Kevin. You’re standing here, telling me how much you want me back. You tell me you love me, but you certainly have a funny way of showing me, especially after you destroy my home!”

  “It’s just a home, Meggie.” He continued with callous disregard. “You can replace all that shit. In fact, if you come with me, I’ll make it up to you. I’ll get you everything you want!”

  “What are the rules this time around, Kevin?” She questioned heatedly. “Am I expected to forget my friends, turn my back on the people who have stuck by me, or that I’ve a job? Do you want me to cater to your every whim and decree, and become the dutiful little housewife you want?”

  “Ah, come on, Meg,” he hooted. “You make it sound like such a bad thing.”

  “I hate your condescending little attitude, Kevin.” She spat. “I’m far more than smart, and I choose not to be with you.”

  Turning, she dashed from the kitchen and ran. Uttering a breathless prayer, she hoped she wouldn’t stumble, while she listened to her footsteps pound on the polished wood floor. Outlining her surroundings in her head, she fought to reach the ground level of the building, and shouted for Amado.

  She heard the heavy trod of Kevin’s boots on the floorboards, and felt his hand snatch at her unbound hair before slipping away. His labored breathing rumbled behind her as he shouted her name in an ominous voice. The entire episode was her worst dreams, and she was unable to escape him. She imagined he meant to finish what he started years ago.

  A sharp oomph left her as she careened into a solid male chest. Panting, her fingers digging into cold flesh and taut muscles, Meghan’s legs buckled. Familiar arms slipped about her, pulling her close, moments before she was ungraciously shoved behind him. She pressed her face to Amado’s back, gasping for breath, frightened beyond imagination. Seeking comfort, she burrowed into the texture of his t-shirt.

  “Has he touched you?”

  It was the second time in one night he had asked the question, each intruder being just as much of a threat. Amado scowled as he peered at the individual standing before him, his mottled eyes scanning a person that had spent many years in the street, subsisting primarily on cheap liquor. Eyes filled with maddening fury stared back at him, and Amado knew who the intruder was without being told.

  “No, he hasn’t.” her heart beat wildly against him, her fear obvious. Squeezing her hands, he disengaged her arms, and stepped forward.

  “You’re trespassing.” He said in a low and ominous tone. “You’ve entered my home without consent, and you’re not welcome.”

  Kevin smirked, growling slightly as he made to push past the man. As he grabbed at his shirt, Amado turned and flashed hooded eyes at him, stilling the urge to bare his fangs. Instead, he growled and pushed the man back, nearly making him loose his footing. Wiping a gloved hand over his eyes, Kevin blinked before refocusing on the lithe figure.

  “I want what’s mine.” He stated hotly. “You had your fun with her, so I want her back.”

  “She’s not yours to take.” Amado remained deliberately calm, ignoring the taunt in the other’s voice. “Besides, I’m certain she doesn’t want you.”

  “She doesn’t realize what she wants.” Kevin protested with a sidelong glance and uncomfortable chuckle. “She’s funny like that.”

  Amado sighed heavily. “Meghan, do you want to go back to your ex?”

  “Definitely not!”

  “There’s your answer,” Amado supplied with more calm than most men would have had.

  “She ain’t coming with me because you poisoned her mind.” Kevin accused outrageously.

  “You and I know that isn’t true.”

  “It is!” He bellowed in return, his eyes dancing bizarrely. “I know my girl, and she wouldn’t turn on me unless you twisted her thoughts!”

  “You don’t understand Meghan at all.” Amado contradicted, hearing her harrumph of disbelief.

  “Look,” Kevin’s wheedling voice was grating on the nerves. “I only want my Meg.”

  “She’s not leaving with you.”

  “I can make her leave and I can make you go away.” He hissed darkly. “I can make it where you’re nothing but a memory.”

  “I’d like to see that.” Amado answered easily.

  “You won’t have time to see anything.” Kevin laughed maniacally. “Do you think you can keep her here in this fancy dance hall? Soon, there ain’t going to be much of this place left.”

  “Dear Lord, what have you done, Kevin?” Meghan asked suspiciously, remembering the smell
of gasoline sticking to him.

  He guffawed before he shrugged. “I just pulled a little insurance, Meggie.”

  She raked her hand through her hair, scowling. “What did you do?”

  Kevin snickered. “I learned a lot out on the street, Meg, like how to set fires, bright things that’ll make a building go up like a match.” He backed away, his madness dancing in his eyes as wildly as the coattails of her worn jacket. Defiantly, he stared at Amado, laughing maniacally. “In a little bit, the whole warehouse is going to go up like dry pine needles.”

  Amado snarled and Meghan sensed the violence that threatened to burst from him. She placed a comforting hand on his arm and drew his attention to her.

  “This is my problem,” she whispered. “I have to erase the demons from my life, and you can’t interfere.”

  “Are you certain?” He asked. “I can end this now.”

  “I can’t let you.” She stated firmly. “I don’t want you to solve my problems, Amado. I only need you to stand by my side.”

  “If matters get out of hand,” he breathed heavily.

  She didn’t permit him to finish. “I understand.”

  “Stop talking to him!” Kevin shouted abruptly, his hands waving wildly about him. He paced back and forth, spinning in circles before coming to a halt.

  “We’ve stopped.” She soothed, suspecting he might become dangerous if provoked.

  “Come with me, Meggie.” He pleaded in a half-crazed tone.

  “We don’t have a life together, anymore.” Her tone remained gentle as she tried to reach his troubled mind.

  He shook his unkempt head and smiled brightly at her, his expression hopeful.

  “You can come with me, and we’ll find a home. We can be together, like we’re supposed to be.” He lifted his face to the rafters of the warehouse, looking at the exposed beams, before his wild eyes went back to her. “We can get a place better than this. We can be happy and I can love you better than him.”