Undone (Vampire Awakenings, Book 5)

by Brenda K. Davies

  His hand fell away as frustration and anger warred within him. He turned toward the bartender and barked out a drink order before resuming his search of the crowd. She’d shrank away from his touch, told him not to touch her. He should be happy; instead, he found himself fighting against tearing everyone in this room to shreds.

  Turning back to her, he almost seized hold of her shoulders and dragged her against him. Who was she to deny him what was rightfully his? And if they were mates, then she was his. That possessive impulse swelled in his chest, causing him to step closer to her while she glared at him as if he was the worst form of life. He could feel the madness slithering through his mind, the insanity swelling forth as he fought against taking possession of her.

  “I’m not playing this game with you anymore,” she spat. “Back away from me, now.”

  “I’m not playing games, Abby.”

  “But you are,” she replied, and smiled at the bartender when he handed her the Rum Runner she’d ordered.

  She grabbed hold of her straw and took a sip of her drink, refusing to acknowledge the seething vampire standing at her side. She understood his frustration, understood the draw between the two of them, but she refused to give into it again when he was acting like a thirteen-year-old girl who couldn’t decide which outfit to wear when it came to her. There was no way she was going to be tried on and tossed aside again by Mr. Can’t-Make-Up-His-Mind because he had commitment issues.

  Because he’s committed to his dead wife. Yep, that reminder made her resolve settle more firmly into place. Grabbing her drink, she spun to face the crowd. “Do you see anyone you know?” she asked him.

  She could feel his eyes boring into her, but she didn’t look at him again. Finally, he focused on the crowd, and after a few minutes, he nodded. “I do.”

  “Maybe you should see what he knows.”

  Brian wasn’t used to being dismissed or ordered around. “This isn’t done, Abby.”

  She glanced at him from under the sweeping fringe of her blonde lashes. “But it is.”

  He banged his fist onto the bar before spinning away and storming into the crowd. The people eagerly parted to allow him to pass.

  “It’s none of my business, miss, but are you okay?”

  She turned and smiled at the human male who had eagerly slid into Brian’s empty spot. “Fine,” she assured him. “Thank you.”

  His eyes latched onto her mouth when she took hold of her straw again. Ugh. Just what she needed, an oversexed human who believed her to be vulnerable at the moment, or maybe he assumed she was in an abusive relationship and he could rescue her. Who knew what the human was thinking, and she didn’t care to find out, as she was perfectly capable of rescuing herself.

  She watched Brian as he stopped before a young woman with brown hair dangling against her waist. Not a he and not a vampire, Abby realized.

  A stab of jealousy hit her so fiercely she nearly crushed the glass in her hand when the woman squealed and threw her arms around his neck. Abby’s fangs sprang free, her teeth gritted as she fought the killing impulse trying to take her over.

  She’d never felt this way before, never been so close to this very treacherous precipice of losing all control as the woman leaned back to smile at him. Her arms remained wrapped around his neck; his arm was around her waist as they swayed to the music. Their movements were extremely far off the rapid beat filling the room as they moved slowly back and forth, laughing and talking.

  The woman was stunning, so dark compared to his lightness. They made such a striking couple, and he wasn’t pushing the woman away, wasn’t jerking her this way then that way, as he constantly did with her. A lump lodged in her throat as the glass in her hand cracked.

  “Apparently he’s found someone new,” the human commented as he leaned closer to her.

  Abby shot him a look, and her eyes fell to the vein in his neck as she fought the impulse to lean over the bar and sink her fangs into him, to tear his throat out and ease some of the jealousy festering within her like an infected cut. The human’s heartbeat picked up, but he didn’t move away from her.

  This idiot didn’t realize how close he was to death, but if she didn’t get away from him, he would. She placed her leaking glass on the bar with far more calm than she felt. Another glance at Brian and the woman revealed they were still deep in conversation as they danced close together. She wouldn’t be able to get a slip of paper between their bodies, she realized in disgust.

  The woman stood on her tiptoes, her breasts flattening against his chest. Brian’s head bent so that her lips rested against his ear. He smiled as she spoke.

  That was it, the final straw.

  Abby leapt from her chair. The human grabbed her arm, but she waved him away as she fought against the impulse to take him into a back corner and feed on him. She had to do something to help curb the bloodlust growing within her, and she had a feeling that even though Brian was occupied with the human, it would piss him off to find her feeding on someone else. She would love to piss him off right now, but with the way she was feeling, she may end up accidentally killing the human if she did feed from him.

  Throwing back her shoulders, she slipped into the crowd and made her way toward the door. She had to get out of here, had to get away from Brian before he drove her to kill someone, something she’d vowed never to do. She’d never be able to live with herself if she killed an innocent, could never live with the shame of her family knowing what she’d done, and they would know. There was no way to mask the scent of a vampire who had killed from any of her siblings.

  Shame jolted through her. Her sister was missing, and she was falling apart. Vicky was counting on her. Vicky’s not counting on you. Vicky left you behind, you idiot. She doesn’t want to be found.

  Tears burned her eyes as she studiously avoided going within a fifty-foot radius of Brian and the woman. She tried to tell herself that Vicky hadn’t left her behind, something had to be wrong, but she was feeling like a kicked puppy right now.

  Finally making it to the front of the club, she grabbed her coat from the coat check girl and fled into the bright lights of the city that had dazzled her before. Now all she felt was hollow as she hurried to the curb and flagged down the first cab she saw. Before she could rethink what she was doing, she flung open the door, slid inside, and closed it behind her.

  “Where to?” the cabby inquired.

  Abby contemplated that for a second. Where was she supposed to go now? She’d fled the only vampire she knew in this city, and she hoped never to see him again. Shuddering, she wrapped her arms around her stomach as she fought the urge to start sobbing and never stop. The cabby looked at her like he regretted pulling over for her and was contemplating tossing her back onto the street.

  Before he could do that, Abby gave him the name of the hotel where she was staying, and he pulled away from the curb. She should leave this city, return to her life, and let Vicky do whatever she chose to do. Her sister was an adult; she was capable of making her own decisions, but the idea of not knowing what happened to her twin caused something inside her to wither and die.

  Vicky may not want her, but Abby wanted her sister. Maybe it was selfish, but she wasn’t ready to give up, not yet. She had to get away from Brian though. She couldn’t do this anymore with him. Every day their constant push and pull was destroying her a little more. He loved a dead woman; she was an idiot. It didn’t matter if they actually were mates or not, all that mattered was she was losing herself in this mess, and she couldn’t allow that to happen.

  Abby threw the cabby some cash and leapt out of the car when he stopped at the hotel. She wouldn’t have much time before Brian realized she’d left. If he chose to come after her, she had to be far from here by then. He may have followed her scent to the park, but he wouldn’t be able to trail her through an entire city filled with scents and people.

  ***

  Marissa played with the hair at his neck as she swayed against him. Brian gritted
his teeth against the feel of the woman. At one time, he may have contemplated bedding her, it had been seven years after all, but now he found himself repulsed by the feel of her. He forced himself to smile as Marissa chattered on about her ex-boyfriend’s drug connections.

  “Then the asshole actually tried to get me to do some, can you believe that?” she inquired.

  “Fool,” Brian said.

  He glanced at Abby as a young man leaned toward her. Brian’s eyes narrowed on them, but Abby remained as aloof with the human as she’d been with him. She believed he was playing games; he believed he was playing with fire. At this point, he’d welcome being seared by her heat if it meant finally having some kind of release from this unending torment.

  “Have you heard anything about some underground clubs and raves that are moving about, ones involving the vampire world?” Brian asked Marissa.

  Marissa was a Feeder, a human who knew of their existence and allowed vampires to feed from her in the hopes of one day being turned by one. She kept the secret of their existence in exchange for the possibility of immortality. Also, the first vamp who had brought her into their fold had planted it in her mind that she could never reveal their existence to a human without excruciating pain followed by certain death.

  Marissa nodded in response to his question as she rubbed her breasts against his chest. The erection Abby could so easily bring to life softened with Marissa. He couldn’t wait to be free of her.

  “I have,” she whispered in his ear. “But I’ve been told not to talk about it.”

  His curiosity was piqued as he turned his head into her ear. “You’re not to talk of it with humans or with vamps?” he inquired.

  “With anyone else.”

  “Was this implanted in your head by a vamp?”

  She leaned back. “Yes.”

  Shit! Just as she could never reveal their existence without death, she’d never be able to tell him anything. “I’m sorry,” she whispered. True regret shimmered in her hazel eyes.

  He may be able to get into her mind to undo the command, but it would take a while and a lot of patience. There was also a chance his probing may trigger something in her mind that could kill her anyway.

  “Would I be able to talk to your ex about this?” Brian inquired.

  Her mouth pursed as she deliberated her next words. “If you would like to talk to Garth, I can always give you his number.” Her breath froze, she braced herself for intense pain but after a minute, her shoulders sagged and a smile spread across her mouth when she remained the same. “Let me see your phone.”

  He handed his phone over to her and watched as her fingers flew across it. “There’s both of his numbers,” she said.

  Stepping against him again, she slid the phone into his pocket. Her hand brushed against his shaft as she maneuvered the phone in his pants. His dick shrank away from her touch as surely as it would shrink in the Arctic Ocean. She didn’t notice as she gave him an inviting smile and pressed her hips against his.

  “I could make you happy,” she murmured, and batted her lashes invitingly.

  He grabbed hold of her hand when she tried to stroke him and pulled it away. “’Fraid not tonight.”

  She pouted prettily, but it only made his revulsion increase when she ground her hips against him again. He managed to keep himself from throwing her hand away. She’d risked her life to help them, and he couldn’t repay her with callousness now. He also may need her help in the future, and a pissed off woman was one who tended not to be so willing to talk.

  “Come on,” she purred. “It looks like your date has left anyway.”

  Brian stiffened as his eyes flew to the bar and Abby’s now-empty seat. He blinked once before his gaze flew around the crowd surrounding him. He didn’t see her anywhere amid the dancing couples, didn’t feel the pulse of her aura within the confines of the club. She wouldn’t have been so reckless as to leave here on her own; she couldn’t have left him.

  He stalked through the crowd, shoving people and vamps out of his way to arrive at the bar in mere seconds. His gaze fell on the puddle of liquid spreading beneath her nearly empty, cracked glass. His heart sank and his gut twisted as he spun toward the human who had been talking with her.

  “Where did she go?” he snarled.

  “If she was smart, far from you,” the human replied. When Brian took a step toward him, the human blanched and moved closer to a group of humans behind him.

  Running a hand through his hair, Brian tugged at it as he spun to face the crowd. Panic threatened to engulf him when he scanned the crowd once more. Easy. You can find her. Remain calm.

  He could find her, but would it be too late? There were so many dangers out there. Abby was strong, but so were the vampires who killed and fed on others. A pureblood vampire, with her looks and vitality, would be a prime target for someone seeking to increase their power, much like he had increased his power on the blood of others. If any of his enemies had seen the two of them together over the past week, they would eagerly drain her dry.

  Brian forced himself to take a calming breath. Tune into her and find her. She’s the most vibrant soul you’ve ever encountered; it won’t be difficult to locate her.

  His heart sank when he realized she’d gotten farther from the bar than he’d thought possible in the short time since he’d last seen her.

  CHAPTER 14

  Abby had tossed her clothes into her suitcase and left the hotel she’d been staying in with Brian. She’d briefly considered grabbing another cab, but decided the best way to disguise her scent was to lose herself within a crush of people. She’d hurried to the subway and hastily descended the steps. Standing in a group of people, she’d kept her teeth clenched against her body’s growing demand to feed as she allowed them to bump and jostle against her in order to throw off her scent further.

  She’d ridden in a subway car for three blocks before deciding to reemerge on the surface. She walked for five blocks before finally grabbing a cab and arriving at her newest hotel. It wasn’t as elaborate as the one she’d been staying in, but it was far from a dump, and it wouldn’t make her credit card scream. She could have gotten the room for free by using her vampire abilities and changing the mind of the desk attendant, but she’d made the decision to play by the rules of humans when she’d gone to college and joined their world.

  Now, she pushed open the door to her new room and stepped inside. She stood watching the shadows playing over the walls before turning the light switch on. The lamps beside the beds flickered on to reveal a decent-sized room with red comforters and a crème-colored carpet. A small sitting room with a flat screen TV, sofa, and recliner was off to her left.

  Despite the clean, inviting colors and spicy scent of potpourri, she’d never felt more alone in her life. Before arriving here, she’d had a mission, a goal to get away from Brian and find somewhere else to stay. Now that she’d attained her goal, she felt as flat as roadkill when she placed her suitcase on one of the queen beds and sank onto the other one.

  Her head fell forward as her fingers dug into her thighs. Grief overtook her, and her body was wracked with waves of misery. She took her phone out of her pocket. On her way here, she’d decided it was time to call her family, but she hesitated before she could hit Isabelle’s number.

  Her older sister would be the easiest one to deal with right now; she would get her brothers to calm down before they descended on this city and her. However, she wasn’t much in the mood for talking to anyone right now, and she knew if she called Isabelle, she’d turn into a crying, blubbering mess the second she heard Issy’s voice.

  She could always call The Stooges. Her adopted uncles may be the best way to go with this. They’d be here in a heartbeat. Jack would probably choke her and yell at her for an hour. Mike and David would take control and form a plan. Doug would stand by with his calming presence, and right now, she could really go for one of his awesome bear hugs.

  But again, she knew she would turn into
a blubbering mess the minute one of them asked how she was doing, and she wasn’t ready to unleash her despair on anyone, much less her unsuspecting uncles. Her mom? Her finger hesitated over her mom’s phone number. Suddenly, all she wanted was to hear her mother’s voice. She’d be so mad Abby had kept Vicky’s disappearance from them, but she’d come here. She would hug her and she would understand.

  She wouldn’t tell any of them about Brian. She’d promised him they would never know he was involved, and she would keep it that way. He was her private misfortune to deal with. She would bare the rejection and loss of him for as long as she existed, and what a lonely existence it would be.

  She finally had her answer about him. Before, when she’d tried to make herself feel something for others, a small part of her had believed she’d one day find someone who would affect her as he had. Now, she knew she never would. He’d irrevocably changed her life the minute he’d stepped into it six years ago, and there would be no going back.

  She could now look forward to a lonely life of never knowing the touch of a man, an eternity of always pondering where he was and what he was up to. She dropped her head into her hands; a sob escaped her, but no tears slipped free. There were no tears to be shed, not anymore.

  She would find Vicky, she would leave this city behind, and she would finish her degree. She’d spend the rest of her life traveling the world, discovering things, meeting new people, and trying to help them in whatever way she could. It wouldn’t be so lonely if she was doing good in the world, and there was much good to be done on this planet.

  Maybe one day any reminder of him wouldn’t hurt so badly. Time healed all wounds and all that nonsense.

  She tried to convince herself of this as she tossed her phone onto the other bed. She’d call someone tomorrow, when she’d gotten some rest and fed. Thirst burned through her veins and caused her fangs to feel heavy with the urge to descend. As much as she didn’t like it, she would have to find a human to feed from. Her stomach turned at the idea, but she couldn’t wander around in a city full of people while an emotional mess and famished. That was a recipe for disaster.