Consumed: The Vampire Awakenings, Book 8

by Davies, Brenda K.

  “I’m sorry; I’ll leave you be.” Tears burned her eyes as she turned and hurried away from him.

  Mike’s eyes flew open when he heard her retreat, and though it was probably best for her, he couldn’t let her go.

  Mollie’s hand flew to her mouth, and she staggered back when Mike suddenly appeared in front of her.

  “Wait,” he said hoarsely. “Don’t… don’t go.”

  For a second, she couldn’t speak over her thundering heart. She’d never seen him move that fast before. Then she finally formed words. “What is going on, Mike? Why does it feel like you’re pulling away from me? Do you blame me for Doug’s death?”

  “No! Of course not. I blame those bastards on that island, and they will pay for it.”

  Mollie’s shoulders slumped in relief.

  “But it’s best if there’s some distance between us now,” Mike continued.

  Her relief vanished as, with those words, he dug into her chest and tore her heart out before stomping on it. Her father probably uttered something similar to her mother before walking out to be with his secretary.

  “I see,” she said in an icy tone she didn’t recognize. “Fair enough then.”

  She went to sidestep him, but he threw his arm out to stop her. Mollie glared at the offending arm, refusing to touch him before she turned her glower on him. The anguish etched into his features stole her breath.

  “I don’t know if I can control myself around you, without changing you, not anymore,” he said. “Not after everything that has happened and how far our bond has progressed.”

  She tilted her head back to study him. Then she realized she hadn’t told him about her decision. He remained in limbo, heartbroken by the loss of his friend and uncertain about their future.

  “But I want to join you, Mike. I’ve told Aida, and she’s okay with it. We’ll have to figure things out with her, and I still want to go to college, but we can do it, together. You said you needed to feed on humans and feed well before the change could take place; you’ve done both tonight.”

  Hope flared in Mike’s eyes; he reached for her before lowering his hand. “I want… no, I need you, but I can’t.”

  “I don’t understand, why not?”

  Mike ran his hand through his hair as he released a harsh breath. She was offering herself to him, tonight!

  He would give anything to join with her and make her his forever. If he let himself get lost in her, he might be able to forget, for a little bit, the hole inside him Doug’s death had created.

  But he couldn’t do it. He could not change her tonight or anytime soon. The demon tore at his insides, begging to break free and seize control, but he would control the selfish beast as he wouldn’t condemn her.

  “I’m going back to the island, Mollie. I have to go back, for Jack.”

  “I know, but what does that have to do with us?”

  “I won’t bind your life to mine before I go.”

  She felt as if someone had picked her up and plunged her into the Arctic Sea as understanding dawned; he wasn’t sure he’d return to her. “You are not going to die on that island.”

  “It is a possibility, and I won’t risk your life because of my selfishness.”

  “Mike—”

  “I will not take you as my mate and condemn you to death if I don’t return.”

  Mollie didn’t know what to say or do. She’d never be able to convince him to stay away from the island, but… “Won’t you become increasingly unstable if we don’t complete the bond?”

  “Yes, but I will control myself. I have so far.” He knew he was probably lying to her, but then he was also lying to himself. Every second, he felt his control slipping further away. “I will control it.”

  But he couldn’t control himself. She could see that truth in the compression of his lips and the hint of red that was now a permanent fixture in his eyes. She saw it in the way he held himself so rigidly while keeping himself restrained from her.

  Aida. She had her sister to worry about. If something happened to him and they were mated, what would become of Aida? She couldn’t leave her sister all alone in this world.

  She recalled Aida’s earlier words. “I’ll never forgive myself or you if you use me as an excuse to keep putting your life on hold. If this is what you want, do it and do it tonight before he snaps, because that won’t be pretty.”

  She could walk out of this room, Mike would understand, and Aida didn’t have to know about this conversation, but Mollie would never be able to meet Aida’s gaze again without feeling guilty for withholding this from her. And if she walked away, she could be condemning Mike to death if he returned to the island while barely in control of himself.

  If she walked out of this room, she’d curse herself as a coward for the rest of her life, even if he did return. And if he didn’t return…

  She refused to think about the possibility. He would return to her.

  Stepping closer, Mollie ignored the stiffening of his body when she rested her hands on his chest and ran them over his shirt. “You won’t have to control it,” she murmured.

  “Mollie—”

  “This is my choice to make, and I made it. Can we do this tonight? Did you feed enough?”

  He’d fed more than enough, but he clutched her forearms with the intention of moving her away from him.

  “Don’t push me away, Mike. I’ll never forgive you if you do.”

  “If I die—”

  “You won’t die, because not only will you be more in control, but the bond will make you stronger, and you will fight harder to return to me.”

  “What about Aida?”

  “She said I couldn’t use her as an excuse to push this off, so you definitely can’t use her.”

  “The change is excruciating, Mollie. You will endure a lot of pain as your body transitions from mortal to immortal.”

  “Birth is always painful, or so I’m told, but I will get through it.”

  Mike groaned as her words melted his resolve to keep his distance from her.

  “And when you return, we’ll have an eternity ahead of us,” she whispered as she stepped closer.

  “Mollie—”

  “But you have to give me the chance to have that eternity with you first.”

  When his mouth descended on hers, Mollie knew she would get her chance.

  Chapter Forty-Eight

  Pleasure consumed her as Mike filled every part of her. His body had possession of hers while his blood slid down her throat and his fangs pierced her neck. His wrist against her mouth blocked her cries of ecstasy while his joy suffused her.

  “We’ll be able to mentally communicate with each other when the bond is complete,” he’d told her before they started this.

  She couldn’t read or sense his thoughts yet, but his emotions swirled through her as if they were hers while his sweat-slickened skin moved against hers. They were so wholly together that she couldn’t tell where he started and she stopped.

  One. They were one, and they would always be one. Mollie’s fingers dug deeper into his back when his next thrust pushed her over the edge. Her back bowed beneath the heavy weight of his body as pleasure crashed through her.

  Mollie released her bite on his wrist to gasp out her next words. “Come inside me.”

  Mike was helpless to disobey as her ongoing orgasm caused the tight muscles of her sheath to constrict around his cock.

  Tears filled Mollie’s eyes when she felt the pulsations of his release within her. She locked her legs around his waist and dug her heels into his ass to keep him inside her though he didn’t show any signs of withdrawing while he continued to feed on her.

  Weakness spread through her limbs. She should be frightened of it, but she couldn’t find any fear in the euphoria surrounding her. Somehow, his wrist was against her mouth again, and his blood was trickling into her; she didn’t recall how it had gotten there, and she didn’t care as her heartbeat stuttered.

  “Mike.”
She couldn’t be sure if she’d spoken the word or not. She didn’t know if she were still clinging to him or floating through space as the room and everything else slipped away from her.

  And then, she knew pain.

  A scream rose and caught in her throat as she arched off the bed. Her entire body was nothing but one giant charley horse, but no matter how much she tried to straighten out and ease the cramp, it would not let up. Whimpering, animalistic sounds came from somewhere; it took her a while to realize they were coming from her.

  “I’m here, Mollie. I’m here. It won’t be much longer. I love you.”

  The words were whispered in her ear, but when she turned her head, she saw only darkness. “Mike?”

  Again, she didn’t know if she’d spoken his name or not.

  Mike wiped the hair back from Mollie’s sweaty forehead and dabbed it with the damp washcloth he’d retrieved from the bathroom. He’d give anything to make her agony his own, but the only thing he could do was hold her as his blood twisted her body into something different.

  Self-hatred and hope warred inside him as she whimpered again, and her eyes flew open. Their gazes locked, but her eyes remained unseeing as she whispered his name.

  “I’m here, love,” he assured her.

  Then her eyes closed, her hands eased their grip on the sheets, and she collapsed onto the bed. Leaning over her, Mike anxiously searched for a pulse and found it racing on the side of her neck. But as his fingers pressed against her vein, the rapid beat of her heart eased. The worst of the change had ravaged its way through her body. Now she would rest before waking, and then she would feed, from him.

  Excitement gripped him as he pictured his mate’s fangs sinking into his neck. My mate. He’d been waiting to find her, empty without her, and now she’d made him complete.

  He tried not to think about Doug and the loss they’d all endured, the unfairness of it all as he slid his arms around Mollie and pulled her close. Tonight was only about the two of them; the coming days would be about revenge, and he would get it, but until then, it was just him and his mate.

  * * *

  Mollie groaned as she woke. Every one of her muscles felt like she’d run a marathon without any prior training. She had no idea why she hurt so bad as exhaustion clung to her, but the enticing smell of something close by refused to let her slip back into the sleep her body craved.

  Snuggling closer, Mollie nuzzled the flesh touching her nose. A familiar cedar aroma wafted to her.

  Mike, she thought with a sigh.

  When she kissed his neck, an unfamiliar tingling started in her gums and a knot of hunger twisted in her gut. She almost whimpered when her tongue slid over his salty skin. Mike’s arms locked her against his chest as she opened her mouth. The tingling in her gums intensified, and then something prodded her bottom lip.

  Is that a fang? Even as she wondered it, instinct took over, and she sank her fangs into his neck.

  The sensation of piercing flesh caused Mollie to jump, she tried to pull away, but Mike kept her in place.

  “It’s okay,” he murmured. “Take what you need. Take everything you need from me.”

  Mollie remained rigid against him, afraid to move for fear she’d hurt him. She didn’t recall thinking about biting him before fangs she hadn’t known she possessed connected her to him. She should withdraw, but she had no idea how to get the things to retract enough to do that.

  Then the first drop of his blood hit her tongue, and the knot in her stomach twisted tighter.

  “Drink, Mollie,” he commanded as he ran his hands over her hair.

  Mike’s dick became rock hard when she drew his blood into her. Gradually, she relaxed against him and whimpered as her hands ran over his chest before digging into his shoulders. She wiggled over him until her body was flush against his while she consumed more of his blood.

  He felt her pain easing as his blood filled her, and when she opened her legs and slid herself down the length of him, his cock slipped into her wet heat. Mollie thrust her hips against his, and he felt a wildness rising to take her over.

  “Fuck, yes.” Gripping her hips, he plunged her more forcefully onto his shaft.

  Turning his mouth to her shoulder, he bit deep, and she lost complete control of her body when his mind swirled up to mix with hers. Pleasure and love rolled into one as Mollie felt the bond he’d spoken of enveloping them.

  “I love you.” It took her a second to realize he hadn’t spoken the words floating through her mind.

  Tears of joy spilled down her face when they became bound together for eternity.

  Chapter Forty-Nine

  Mollie sat on the edge of the bed and stared at the phone. She ran her hands nervously over her thighs before gripping her knees. She didn’t want to do this, but she had to. Lifting the phone, Mollie dialed the number she’d gotten from information and listened while it rang on the other end.

  “Hello,” a male voice answered on the fourth ring.

  Mollie’s mouth went dry; her words froze in her throat as the familiar voice plummeted her into a past she’d done her best to forget.

  “Hello,” the man said again, this time with more annoyance.

  “Da—ah, Nolan McConnell?”

  There was a moment’s pause and then, “Yes.”

  Mollie had no idea what to say. She hadn’t exactly planned out her words, but then she didn’t know how one prepared for this. “My name is—”

  “Mollie.”

  He remembered her; she guessed that was a good start. “Yes.”

  “Mollie,” he said again in a voice that sounded as if he didn’t believe it was her. “How are you? Is everything okay? Is Aida okay?”

  And he remembered her sister too.

  “Yes. We’re both good.”

  Well, good enough, considering everything they’d gone through. Mollie had no idea why she’d been compelled to call this man. She was moving into a new future and a new life; digging up the past was never something she intended to do, but for some reason, this was something she needed to do. She wouldn’t let her father’s memory taint what she had with Mike, and Mollie suspected if she didn’t resolve her feelings with him at least a little, it would.

  “I’ve met someone,” she said.

  “Is it serious?”

  “Yes.” The stilted awkwardness of this conversation only made it worse, but she couldn’t bring herself to hang up.

  “Is he a good man?”

  Better than you. He won’t leave us. Mollie bit the words back. She hadn’t made this call to throw things in her father’s face.

  “Yes. I love him very much, and he loves me. We’re married.” Or the vampire equivalent of marriage anyway.

  There was a long silence, and then her father blew out a breath. “I wish I could have been there.”

  Mollie had no idea how to respond to that. He would have wanted to be there for her marriage when he’d been there for so little else of her life?

  “I’ve made mistakes, Mollie, so many of them. I wish—”

  “I didn’t call for an apology or anything like that!” Mollie interrupted. If he said he regretted the things he’d done, she’d probably start ranting, and she didn’t want that.

  “Then why did you call?”

  “I don’t know,” she admitted.

  “Do you need anything? I can help if you do. I can send money if you need it.”

  “No. We don’t need anything.” She’d done quite well on her own with Aida, and she would only do better with Mike at her side. “I guess I called because I’m moving on with my life and I have to let go of my anger at you. Otherwise, it will haunt me for the rest of my days, and I won’t have that.”

  Silence followed again, but this time it extended so long she thought he might have hung up.

  “I understand,” he finally said.

  She didn’t see how he possibly could understand, considering his father had been a wonderful man who never would have walked out on his fami
ly. Mollie buried her resentment before she crushed the phone. She’d spent most of the day trying to adjust to her newfound vampire senses and strength, but she still had a lot more to learn and control.

  “I should probably go,” she said.

  “Wait!” he cried, and Mollie heard the panic in his voice. “Don’t go yet! So many years ago, I messed up, and I never knew how to fix it. I understand if you hate me, but I’d like to know more about you and Aida. If you hang up, I won’t blame you, but… but if you can talk for a few more minutes, I’d like to speak with you.”

  The hitch in his voice and his desperation froze her. He’d walked out of her life and never looked back, but she found she couldn’t hang up on him.

  “What would you like to know?” she asked.

  “Anything. Are you or Aida in college? What do you do for work? Are you both happy? Please tell me you’re happy.”

  Mollie’s shoulders slumped. “Yes, I’m happy.”

  * * *

  Mike stepped into the hotel room and frowned when he spotted Aida sitting in the dingy brown chair in the corner as she flipped through the TV channels. He’d left her and Mollie in here, but he didn’t see Mollie.

  “Where’s Mollie?” he asked as he set a paper bag of food on the bedside table. He’d gone out to get food for Aida and to feed for him and Mollie.

  “In the other room,” Aida murmured.

  Then he heard Mollie’s voice drifting through the door. “Who’s she talking to?”

  “The sperm donor.” At his confused look, she sighed. “Our father.”

  “Oh,” Mike said, not knowing whether to laugh or hug the girl. She tried to sound and act casual, but the undercurrent of tension in her voice belied her flippancy.

  Mike glanced toward the door again. He didn’t sense any distress coming from his mate, something he would have expected from her while dealing with her father. “Really?”