She smiled. “It’s your blood.”
“Sí. My life is yours.”
Elaina spun around to face him. His powerful arms pulled her into his chest, and she pressed her lips to his. His embrace always reminded her of how much she really needed him—his love and his protection.
She reached upward and slid her arms around his neck. He tasted of sweet liquid fire. That same heat fused with hers, affecting her deep down to her core. He cupped her ass and lifted her upward. She hooked her legs around his waist. He moved them away from the mirror and backed her into the flat surface of the wall. His tongue plunged into her mouth, dancing seductively with hers. The sound of her heart thundered in her ears, but at an inconsistent rhythm, and she almost wondered if she heard his heart beating alternately with hers.
Her silk robe was the first to hit the floor, followed by the silky red negligee she wore just for him. She’d worn no panties on purpose. His fingers urgently brushed across her nipples and kneaded her breasts. His lips left a trail of warmth on her throat as he kissed her skin. The flicks of his tongue against her pulse point sent sparks of desire throughout her.
“Did you let anyone feed from you tonight, mí amor?" he whispered. "Man or woman?”
Elaina shook her head and raised her chin higher.
“Good. I want no man, woman, or vampire inside of you again. Ever. ¿Comprende?”
He lapped at her skin, as if preparing her for the plunge.
“Yes,” she breathed.
His fangs nicked the delicate skin over her jugular, and she felt a hot trail of blood trickling down her neck. He nipped and sucked her skin gently. She pressed her sex against him, feeling the hard, lengthy bulge pushing against his fly.
He groaned, expressing his pleasure by lifting his face to the ceiling. She took the opportunity and ran her lips along his jaw, neck, and collarbone. Her fangs dropped as she proceeded to taste his sweat-dampened skin. For the amount of energy that she had expended before returning to the compound, her rising appetite didn’t surprise her. She gripped his nape and sunk her fangs into the thickest vein on his neck. He acquiesced, and his blood flooded her mouth freely.
He lifted one hand and pressed his palm to the wall behind her as she drank. Finally, when he couldn’t hold himself or her up any longer, he gripped her ass and turned to move toward the oversized bed. She fell back onto the mattress and watched as he peeled off his jeans. He wasn’t wearing any underwear, and his cock was already erect, the veins filled with the blood of his arousal.
Vicq came down over her, covering her mouth once again with his. He kissed her tenderly, his lips burning another hot path over her body. She grabbed a fistful of his silky hair as he descended farther. He used his big hands to spread her legs and dipped his tongue between the lips of her sex. He teased her clit with greedy urgency and tormented her with each stroke of his tongue.
Her orgasm came with a driving force that propelled her hips forward. She moaned his name over and over again and begged him to fuck her.
His hot body covered her, and he pressed his forehead against hers. His cock hung low and heavy against her body. She ran her hands up his side and along his chest, letting her fingers dip into the grooves and crevices of his hard muscles.
His gaze caught hers and held. She wrapped her legs around him and he slid himself to the hilt inside her. The pleasure almost paralyzed her. He gripped her hips and started a slow, demanding rhythm, pumping in and out of her slickness.
As their body temperatures rose, their heartbeats synced. He stroked harder, faster, and grabbed her about the hips as she arched into him. Finally, he tensed and exploded, releasing himself into her. His semen was just as potent as his blood, and a spark of renewal cascaded through her as she reached her peak once again. He rocked into her over and over until her climax subsided.
“Y mi vida pertenece a ti,” she said against his lips.
My life belongs to you.
Chapter 2
Elaina tightened her grip on the picture frame and a crack spread across the glass, shattering the photo of her smiling parents. She knew she shouldn’t have come back to the one place she was forbidden from returning to—her parent’s home. But she was no longer bound to follow the rules of District 5. It was her right to learn what had happened to them. Her heart ached and was damn near ready to burst as she fought to dispel the rage that built inside of her. The broken glass pierced the pads of her fingers, and dark blood ran down from her hand, past her wrist, and to her elbow. It dripped onto the plush beige carpet and on the toe of her black boot.
How could she not have known? She should have been there to stop them.
“Do you need a moment?”
Elaina’s heart jumped at the sound of Vicq’s voice behind her. Precious time had passed, and between the long panels of the lace curtains, she caught a glimpse of the light outside as morning began to fold over night.
She placed the damaged picture frame back on the fireplace mantle and used her powers to instantly seal the cuts on her fingers. “I’ll meet you outside.” She couldn’t turn around. She didn’t want him to see how helpless and defeated she was. She was angry with herself and the world because it seemed that everyone she loved had either been stripped away from her or threatened to be.
Vicq paused a moment in the doorway before turning to leave. Only then did she reach up to wipe the tears she’d allowed to spill down her cheeks.
Her parents were lost forever. It was her fault. All of it. Many had paid with their lives as a result of District 5’s corruption. They had gone too far. In an attempt to create the ultimate weapon, they’d done the unthinkable. They would murder innocent men, women, and children—all in the name of one mission.
She snatched up the bundle of mail that she’d found earlier behind a picture frame. All of them. Every last of one them. Envelopes filled with check stubs from D5, Inc.. Her parents had been receiving payment from the shady organization that had employed her. The same organization that hunted her to this day.
She snatched out another letter, hoping her eyes would tell her a different story. But the evidence was all the same. The checks had been drawn from the same bank and by the very organization that had once paid her a weekly salary for being a tracker.
Her parents had been paid by District 5. But for what?
Shame was an understatement; what she was feeling right now was so much more.
Her fangs lengthened and nicked her bottom lip, reminding her that she wasn’t even human anymore. Her nails dug into her palm, and she swallowed in an attempt to contain her need to lash out. Now wasn’t the time to make rash decisions. She had to process this revelation. The day would come soon enough. She would destroy District 5.
Elaina turned and headed toward the front door, leaving her childhood home behind.
Vicq and two others waited under a tree for her. Like her, they must have caught on to the mounting proof inside the home. She could look none of them in the eye, but could sense the questions on the tips of their tongues.
Sunrise was literally minutes away, but as devoted friends, and despite the evidence, they’d stayed behind. Her newborn vampire skin tingled, warning her of the sun peeking over the trees in the distance. Another of her enemies, so to speak, and she was just learning to tolerate it. She had gone from Donor to fledgling in such a short time.
Logan and Mark stood alongside Vicq with cans of gasoline at their feet. They parted from their huddle and came out from under the tree to meet her on the gravel path leading out to the mailbox. There were about a dozen newspapers strewn across the ground, and she stooped down to pick one up. Most of them were dated almost a year ago. Vicq placed a hand on her shoulder as she scanned the headlines.
Middle-aged couple missing, presumed dead.
And more headlines….
Couple vanishes without a trace from their home. Daughter, only child and heir to estate, unreachable.
Elaina’s belly churned, and she nearly dry
-heaved in angst. She feared the inevitable, and she hated not knowing.
“The lighter?” she requested, holding out her hand.
Logan placed a gold lighter on her palm, and he and Mark dissolved instantly as they transported themselves away to safe cover.
“It pains me to see you hurt like this. I would take it away if I could,” Vicq said, coming to stand in front of her.
She closed her eyes and pressed her face against his when he pulled her into his embrace. “I know you would. Nothing will erase what’s happened. We can only move forward, not backward.”
Elaina pulled from his hold and lit one end of the rolled newspaper with the lighter. She hurled the bundle at the trail of gasoline leading to the front door. The fire engulfed the home instantly. Her childhood memories would only exist in her mind. Besides Vicq, memories were all she had now.
Chapter 3
Snow fell lightly over Vicq and Elaina. The surface of the craggy mountaintop where they sat was covered in about two inches of snow. Not much for this time of year, but it still provided a picture perfect setting as Elaina and Vicq looked out across the landscape at the smaller mountains, valleys, and secluded homes.
She leaned back against his chest and stretched her legs out beside his. “I love it out here. It’s so peaceful.”
“Me, too.” He laced his fingers with hers, lifted her hand, and then applied a kiss to the back of it. “I wish I could say we'll stay here forever, but smaller covens often move frequently. Sometimes with every season change.”
“Why?”
“For a lot of reasons. Our location hasn’t been compromised yet, but mistakes are bound to be made when a coven reaches a certain size and continues to grow. And unfortunately, sometimes members move on…either willingly or unwillingly. I’ve never had to banish anyone from my coven. And there haven’t been any traitors in our group since I branched out from the Court.”
“Hmmm…how big is the Dresdan Court?”
"The Court Master has thousands under his command."
“Your coven has grown," she said. "I had no idea how strong your circle was until you initiated me. Melrose, Leila, Leo, Logan, Mark…Brandon, and Eli,” she said, naming some of the most trusted members of his group. “You’re all like family to me now…and probably all I’ve got left.”
Vicq’s breath fanned out against the side of her face and mingled with the cold draft briefly. “Have you ever wanted a family of your own? One with a husband, children…and pets as the humans like to call them?”
Elaina swallowed. It had been so long since she’d reminisced about marriage and baby carriages. Of course, that had been her wish once, but it wasn’t her only desire. She’d always dreamed of helping and leading people when they needed it most. It was a shame that D5 had turned out to be the wrong place for her. But she couldn’t stand by an organization that played dirty, disregarded their ethics code, and killed innocents—both human and vampires.
“Once,” she answered. “A very long time ago.”
“I took that away from you?”
At first, she wasn’t sure if it was a question or a statement. She turned slightly and cupped the side of his face in her palm.
“No…you’ve given me more than I could ever ask for. All I wanted to do was help people, but I forgot about helping myself. If it weren’t for you, I’d probably be in a vault somewhere. Or on a lab table. Because of you, I’ll continue to help people. I feel it’s my duty now to go back and help others.”
“So, you’ll go back to this place where they experiment on humans and our kind and where they kill innocent children?”
She nodded. “When we met, your mission was to destroy D5 completely, but what you don’t understand is that there are dozens of innocents there who have no idea how corrupt the organization has become. Not everyone there is a killer. I was part of it. You have to trust me on this.”
“Sí. I know. But you can’t do this alone.”
“I can if I have a good enough plan. Getting the truth to those who'll understand is a good start.”
“Once you do, you’ll need the manpower to get the innocents out. I can’t let you run head-on into danger by yourself.”
“But you’ll need your coven members to stand up against any future Russo attacks. You said it yourself, he’ll come for you as soon as he realizes that you still exist.”
“Yes, he'll come. There’s no doubt about it. Do you know what else is certain?”
Elaina waited quietly.
“You'll save dozens of innocents. I know you can, and you will. What’s more important to you? Saving dozens of human lives, or helping one vampire postpone imminent capture?”
She exhaled defeatedly and closed her eyes against the violent gust of wind blasting past them. Why would he even compare himself to anyone else? She couldn’t go through this again. She couldn’t go months—or even weeks—without seeing Vicq, fearing the worst about what had happened to him.
“Your mission has been human continuity all along, sí?”
Before she could answer, a dark shadow unfolded to the left of them. It was Logan.
“Sorry to interrupt,” he said. “But you’ve got to see this.”
“What is it?”
“Breaking news on CNN,” Logan informed them. “It appears the District has caused another scene with multiple casualties, and the incident has been leaked to the press.”
Elaina and Vicq rose, folded with the mist, and then materialized again in front of the TV in the main sanctuary underground.
A handful of coven members were already huddled around the television set. The live broadcast had been paused, but once she and Vicq were in the room, Melrose pushed the play button.”
“…Is this a coincidence or not?” the news anchor asked. “The few residents that live out here on these houseboats are saying that a shootout happened here only a couple of months ago, but the incident wasn’t made public. Suspicious much?” The anchor turned around and motioned to the row of houseboats behind her. “Right behind me is where the most recent incident occurred. The county coroner has confirmed that there were two casualties involved. The victims have not been identified, but the bodies have been claimed and collected by representatives of District 5, Inc., a government funded genetics and human continuity research organization. At this time, District 5, Inc. has declined to give a statement. One man, possibly the assailant and murderer, is said to have escaped and is still on the loose. Video cameras managed to capture a still shot of the man fleeing the scene. Residents have also given their accounts of the incident and descriptions of the assailant.”
An obscure sketch of a male with dark, hooded eyes and a thick beard was displayed on the right corner of the screen. There was a dark shape on his neck that kind of resembled the claws of a scorpion. A tattoo—hidden under the collar of his t-shirt.
Elaina gasped and brought her hand to her lips. Everything about the profile of the assailant resonated with her. “Not true,” she said under her breath.
“I thought you should see this, Elaina,” Melrose said. “Didn’t you live on a houseboat out there? Isn’t that where Vicq got shot?”
“Yes,” Elaina croaked. “That’s where I lived.” She moved closer to the television set. “And there’s crime scene tape around my houseboat.”
Vicq moved closer to her. “Could it have been the same tape from the shootout we were involved in?”
Elaina swallowed and shook her head. “I don’t think they would let the tape hang out there for months. This is a separate incident. Besides, the anchor just implied that the first shootout, the one with you and me, was swept under the rug, just like I thought.”
The news anchor looked down at a sheet of paper and read from it. “If anyone has any information about what happened here or any tips about the person of interest, please call 444-NEW-STIP.”
When the reporter was done and the programming switched to another story, Elaina turned and said, “Melrose, will you rewind
that? Go back to the image capture of the male assailant. Pause on the sketch.”
Melrose toggled back and stilled on the picture of the alleged assailant once again.
Elaina’s breath rushed out and she stumbled backward, the chair behind her breaking her fall. She slumped into the seat.
“Elaina?” Vicq called to her, taking her gently by the forearm. “What is it?”
“My dad…” she said, pointing at the television set.
“What about your dad? I thought your parents were dead.”
She pointed again. “The man in the sketch is my dad. Unless this news briefing is from months ago or a hoax…this could mean my parents are very much alive.”
Chapter 4
"YOU'RE SERIOUS, AREN'T YOU? You're going back to that boat," Vicq inquired as Elaina pulled on a pair of leather boots.
"Why wouldn't I? My parents could be alive, after all." She tugged on the strings. "Nothing makes sense to me anymore. I'm tired of not knowing."
"There's nothing left at that houseboat, Elaina. The District probably has spies all over that place, waiting for you to return. Just like you said, this could be a hoax, a setup." He waved his arms wildly in the air. "When was the last time you saw a District incident revealed like that on National television?"
She spun around and folded her arms across her chest. "Never. And you know what that means to me?"
"What?"
"Just like you said, D5 is getting sloppy…and greedy.”
Vicq's gaze swung away from her and across the floor. He knew it was true. It was exactly why he had his followers talking to key individuals, trying to get information on what they knew about what had happened at the District. But he didn't want to admit it just yet because he knew that she wouldn't sit around any longer.
"I'm serious," she continued. "I need answers. I'm tired of waiting around while D5 continues to pick off innocents. If I didn’t believe so many were stuck in their facilities, I would have busted the operation wide open months ago."
Renegade (Shadow Realms): An Urban Fantasy Dragon Shifter Romance Page 30