by C. L. Quinn
“Anything wrong with that?”
She drew a long breath. “No, um…nothing at all.” She buried her attention in the milkshake and realized that between this and the kiss she was way off her own grid. Her “final” date night was turning out to be the craziest night of her life.
“I made my point. There’s nothing wrong with passion. Ever.”
Park realized her hands were shaking, so she tightened her grip on the tall cold glass. They fell into a silence again for a moment. Her mind was racing, as well as her heart and her libido. She glanced up at him again, watched him move his tongue around the top of the straw and felt her face flame. He grinned and sat back, the movement drawing attention to his strong jawline. It was crazy, but he was turning her on just sitting there. It startled her, since he was not only her kidnapper, but he was certifiable as well. He fascinated her. And she really did want nothing more than to find a cheap hotel room with him. It shocked her to admit it, even silently to herself, but it was true.
Suddenly, she sat the milkshake back on the table, but she kept her hands wrapped around the stem to keep them still.
“What is your name?”
He hesitated a moment before he answered her. “Sebastian. I go by Bas.”
“Huh,” she said, and took another long draw from the shake. A few moments later she asked him, “When did you have light brown hair?”
He sat up quickly, the smile gone. “What makes you think I ever did?”
Another long draw of the frozen sugary sweetness. He seemed upset. Had she messed up? She tried to fix it.
“Uh, nothing. I must be thinking of someone else. I’m tired, hungry and a little confused. Wow, how long before we get our meal?”
Bas slid forward and caught her eye. She couldn’t look away. “Tell me.”
With another brief hesitation, she leaned in a little, too. “I saw you. With the lighter hair. You were on a stone street somewhere. And you were dressed in clothes from…I don’t know, medieval times or something. And you had a pig with you.”
He stared at her again for a few more moments and then sat back, broke his contact. It left her feeling abandoned. What was it with this guy that he could affect her so much?
“I don’t understand. You saw me…I haven’t had light hair since…” The waitress stopped and smiled at them both. “Just a few more minutes, you guys.”
Bas smiled. “Thank you.” He turned to Park. “We’ll eat, and then you and I are going to talk.”
She knew it sounded lame, she just said okay, and returned to slurp the final melting dregs of the chocolate milkshake. This was getting more bizarre by the second.
144
Chapter Three
They loaded back into the car in silence. After another half hour of travel, Bas bent over and keyed something into the GPS system, then glanced up at her.
“There’s a hotel. With interior rooms. We’re going to stop for the day there. We should make it in about half an hour. Just follow the map.”
Park said nothing for a few moments and then looked toward him. Details were lost in the darkness, but the glow of lights illuminated his face just enough to make him out.
“You know, I have a job. I’m head of genetic research at LJP laboratories. They’re going to notice my absence. They all know I never miss a day of work. Someone will check on me and call the authorities.”
He had his eyes closed again, but he answered her. His voice sounded so tired, his words came out on a sigh.
“It doesn’t matter, Park. They won’t find you.”
His attitude pissed her off. He might be the sexiest man she’d ever met, but his cavalier, “you will do what I tell you” attitude went against everything she believed. She’d been a slave to her mother and her mother’s friends. She would not do that again. She was no one’s servant.
“I can’t do this. You need to let me know what you’re going to do with me. If you’re going to kill me, just get to it. If you’re not, I’m leaving you at the hotel and going home. This has been the freakiest day of my life, and if I told you what my life has been like, you’d really appreciate that!”
She glanced at the map and realized the hotel was an easy drive, and picked up her speed.
Bas opened his eyes just a slit, enough to see her set jaw and rigid arms in the limited light. He didn’t care. She belonged to him now. She just didn’t know it yet.
Typical of roadside hotels, this one was shabby, had been in business since the late fifties, by the look of the architecture, décor, and condition. Park pulled up to a nearly empty parking lot next to a sign that said, “acancy”, the ‘V’ burnt out, and stopped the car.
She didn’t look at him, she just said, “Get out.”
“Park…”
“It’s not up for discussion. Get out or kill me. Just do it quickly.”
“No one is killing anyone tonight. Whether you believe me or not, you are in danger now too. Shanks can find you. If you go home, Park, he’ll use you to find me. He’ll kill both of us then. Your only chance is to stick with me until I can eliminate him.”
“How about I think you’re crazy and I don’t believe anything you say? How about you fucking get out of my car?”
This couldn’t have gone much more difficultly. Bas leaned over towards her, she pulled back and pushed at him with all her strength. It didn’t budge him but she kept shoving.
“No, you are not going to bite me again!”
“No, I’m not.” And he bit his own arm, the blood flowing, and held it to her mouth, forcing her to take some of it in. She gagged and tried to scream at the same time. The scream was a mistake, it made her swallow more of the slick red fluid. When he pulled back, he grabbed her head and said two words.
“Sleep now.”
Park felt lightheaded, and then went unconscious.
She had very little weight. Bas carried her up the exterior stairs to a second hallway which led to a room that had no outside exposure. No windows. Okay. If there was any chance of him getting to sleep tonight, he needed it desperately. He was losing strength and focus. That would get him killed. And his new blood-bonded human slash whatever-the-hell-she was.
The room was pitch dark as he opened the door and entered, no light other than the tiny sliver leaking under the doorway from the poorly lit fluorescents in the hallway. Good. Perfect. He could see well enough in the fractional light to place her on the bedspread, which was anything but clean according to his exceptional olfactory sense. Didn’t matter, he just needed to sleep. He needed her to remain asleep, too, so after he dropped her, then locked and chained the door, he threw her keys on the dresser and scooted in beside her. He really hadn’t wanted to complete the blood-bond by having her ingest his blood, but it had been unavoidable.
He arranged her comfortably on the bed, brushed her hair back off her neck. She smelled ridiculously good. He’d never encountered the scent before, it wasn’t artificial, it was all her. It was intoxicating and was making it difficult for him to focus on what he needed to do. He needed to increase her compliance by giving her a little more of his own blood. And he wanted to taste her again. Needed to. He wasn’t yet hungry, wouldn’t take much, but he wanted to see if he could identify what she was. There was no doubt. She was not human. Not completely at least. No way she could have defied him if she were. And his small taste before…yeah, it was definitely something…other.
She moaned suddenly and rolled her head toward him, her eyes cracked. She was disoriented, they always were at first. The blood initially acted very like alcoholic intoxication.
“What did you do…” her voice was soft, sleepy, sensual…
“You have nothing to worry about. You’re calm, feeling good, you’re completely relaxed.”
She moaned in pleasure and lifted her arms up over her head in a lazy stretch, brought them down and rolled toward him. “I do feel good. I feel great. You know that kiss from before…? I’d like to try that again please. Are we in a bed?”
Bas started to explain but she cut him off.
“That’s good. I want to do this. Will you let me do this?”
Bas pushed up on one elbow. “What?”
“This,” she said and yanked his shirt up, unbuttoned it and started pulling it off. He helped her and it was gone in moments. She slid her hands up his chest, moving her fingers against his cool skin.
“I love the male body. I never get to touch it. Yours…” she moaned again with appreciation, “…yours is excellent. Hard. Muscled. You must work out a lot.” He started to answer when she laughed. He really liked the sound of her voice when she wasn’t arguing with him. Well. Maybe even then. “No, you don’t have to, right? Vampire. Ha! Doesn’t matter. I just wanted to feel you. Thank you.”
She shouldn’t have touched him like that. He shouldn’t have let her. Ordinarily he would have no trouble putting her to sleep and taking his rest too. But she’d started something…a fire in him, and he reached for her, pulled her onto him and kissed her, as deeply as he’d begun in the diner, only this time there was nothing stopping him from taking it further. He plundered her mouth, and at the last moment before he gave in completely, he pushed her back. It wasn’t the time.
She couldn’t breathe. He couldn’t either when she pulled him back. Pushing up, she untied the halter strap that held the top of her dress in place around her neck, letting it fall, then reached for the clips that bound her hair. It tumbled around her face. Bas watched her, mesmerized. She was spectacular.
“I don’t care what else happens. Right now, I want you. Will you have sex with me? It’s been a long time but I remember what to do. Please?”
Bas was stunned. She was begging him? For sex? What in hell happened to her in her lifetime that such a gorgeous woman felt she had to beg for sex? Any man would take her in a heartbeat. He didn’t feel right. Pushing her hair back, he pulled her to him. He wouldn’t reject her, but he wouldn’t take advantage of her, either. He was a beast, he’d admit that, but he wasn’t a monster.
“I would. You’re lovely, I’d take you, no hesitation, absolutely. But for now, we have to do this.”
He moved in close to her neck, breathing softly on the sensitive skin. She moaned again, the light touch, his breath… It meant she was a very passionate woman and that she would be an amazing lover. He would have her, but for this moment, they had to sleep. Still… He ran his tongue around her neck, then from her throat he licked down, down, until he pulled a nipple into his mouth. It was hard and ready and he tugged. She moaned again and rolled toward him.
“I’m already wet for you. Bas, let me take off your pants…”
He returned to her throat, licked again, and then bit. She gasped, but he knew it didn’t hurt for more than the second it took to breach the skin. Her head dropped back on the pillow and he moved back in to feed. Her blood flowed smoothly, like it knew it belonged to him. It was sweet, tangy…fiery…and like nothing he’d ever tasted before. She was a mystery to a vampire who had walked this entire earth for over three hundred years. And that was something new.
He took a little more than just a taste test this time, enough to restore his energy and make him feel strong enough to get them through whatever was coming. Her blood surged, he could feel it move inside him. It was something he’d never felt before either. He would have to find out what she was.
Her hands had found him, now tightly pressed against his jeans, caused an erection he knew she wouldn’t ease. Not tonight. Damn! Back to business. He pulled her hands away, to a low murmured objection, and slid closer again after tearing his own skin once more. He held his wrist up to her mouth, and she struggled again. He fed her, made her drink. She gagged once more, but then started to draw. It went easier after she stopped fighting him, and when he pulled his arm away, he was shocked when she protested. This wasn’t pleasant for the blood-bonded humans. They never liked the taste of blood. But she did? Blood was the stuff of life…it meant life to any living thing. It brought life to his kind. But she shouldn’t have enjoyed it. One more mystery.
He laid her back and put his hand on her cheek.
“Sleep. I will wake you when I need you. Sleep until then.”
Park took another deep breath, then went into a restful sleep, her breathing even and quiet in moments. Bas ran his fingers down her chest like she did to his a few minutes earlier, fingers curving over perfect breasts, rolling her still erect nipples between his thumb and index finger. It didn’t do anything to help his hard-on. For a week that started out like a piece of shit, things had gotten very interesting. Little could surprise an old vampire. He pulled her soft body up against him and willed himself to sleep for the first time in more than two weeks. No worries tonight. Tomorrow would bring them again.
144
Chapter Four
Park came awake slowly, her eyes adjusting to the darkness. She could barely see anything in the room. She could feel she was on a bed and that there was someone next to her. It took a moment to come fully alert and realize where she must be. Somehow, she must have ended up in the hotel room the kidnapper had her drive him to. And in the bed with him. Her hands moved along her chest when she realized it was cool and bare. Oh. She moved her hands over to him. So was his. Oh. Had they…she tried to remember. No…the night was fuzzy…just snippets of images…had he bitten her again…oh, god…yeah, he had…
And he had fed her his blood again. And she had attacked him. Ugh!! Her mouth felt horrible and she had to pee. Carefully, she rolled off the bed, desperate not to disturb him. He didn’t move. Thank god. She entered the bathroom, gently shut the door and snapped on the light, which flickered twice and then stayed lit. It was harsh and she jumped when she first saw her image. She was naked from the waist up, her hair was wild, and her lips swollen. There was something… She reached up and wiped at it, near her lip. Blood. That didn’t surprise her, but it made her spit into the sink. It didn’t help. She moved her hand over her lips, and then down, scoring along her neck, which had two obvious punctures and then down to her breasts. She remembered his touch…remembered how good it felt.
She should feel violated. She didn’t. She felt…desired. He’d been gentle, passionate, if not loving. She’d never had that, never let herself go enough to feel that. He turned her on, no question. That she turned him on, it was apparent too. And that shocked her. And made her smile unexpectedly. Her eyes caught the reflection of the woman in the mirror. Park was stunned. She thought she looked pretty…for the first time. And happy. She had never ascribed either of those things to herself in all her life. Yeah, she realized she was broken. But she always thought she deserved to be. Her mother would have called her a slut. She pulled her hair up and twisted it tight, held it there with her hands. Ah, there was the cold fish, the frigid bitch. She smiled again and let it fall.
She couldn’t stay, but she wouldn’t turn him in. He was crazy, certifiably, but there was something about him that she really liked. Something that let her know there was a depth of character there…she believed he was a good person. It would have been amazing to stick around and find out what else they might find together, to actually make love to him and see if she was as okay as she suspected now she might be. But it wasn’t going to happen. She had her life and it couldn’t include kidnapper crazy vampire guy.
She pulled her panties down and peed. Hopefully she could slip out and be gone before he had any idea she was. Putting herself together in the mirror, she left the toilet unflushed, left the door slightly ajar to use the light to find her keys, and went over to take a last look at him. Her body responded immediately in a way it never had with anyone else. Just seeing him tightened something deep and low in her, that place she never let herself think about warmed and spasmed. He slept so well, his face at rest even more compellingly handsome. Something else inside her told her she would miss him when she was gone. She’d known him only one night and he had abducted and threatened her. It proved what she’d thought all along…she was as nu
ts as she’d accused him of being. Silently, she slipped out the door. The sun was nearly gone and she realized she’d slept the day away. He was still asleep as she started her car and drove away.
He woke, startled. Something was wrong. What? Ah. His blood-bond was gone. He knew instantly because they were truly bonded now…he would always know if she was near. Or not. It was a testament to how tired he’d been that he had not awakened when she had. What pissed him off was that she should have been spelled to sleep until he woke her. This was tiresome, and more than that, dangerous. Now he would have to go get her. What she did not know was that for the rest of her life he would always know where she was. There would be no escape. And Shanks could find her, too, through that bond.
Because Shanks was blood-bonded to Bas too. And now that Shanks was a vampire, well, things had taken a nasty turn. He’d been blood-bonded to Bas, but was turned by another. Never, never a good outcome. The rivalry drove the new vampire to eliminate either the sire or the blood bond. Usually, they sided with their sire because it was the strongest connection. So Bas had become his immortal enemy. The blood bond was generally one way, flowed from the point of power to the one who they had power over. He could bond a human to him by blood, and they had to serve his orders. Any time a direct order was given by their master, the blood-bonded obeyed. Period. He could release them to their own free will, but they would always be his on demand. It was a lifelong bond. The blood-bonded had no power over the vampire. That was where Park differed. She did not act in the normal way.