by Lucinda Dark
Barbie
I sucked in a breath and held it as water sluiced over my head and down my spine. I didn’t know what it was about showers or standing under an onslaught of water, but it always seemed to calm me at least somewhat. I could practically feel my fury leaving my body and swirling down the drain with the dirt and grime of three full days on the road, hopping from city to city. Though it pissed me off to even admit silently, Maverick was right. I’d let my anger get the better of me.
Exhaustion. Hunger. Impatience. They were all valid reasons for why I was feeling so anxious, but I shouldn’t have taken it out on him and Torin. Even as I thought of them, I could hear their voices just on the other side of the thin wall separating the bathroom and motel room. I tuned out their words—listening only to the rhythm and cadence of their voices soothed me.
I shut off the water and wrung out my hair. Shoving the shower curtain aside, I reached for the towel. The sound of a door closing in the other room made me stop. I listened intently, but all I could hear then was one heartbeat. There was no more talking. I quickly dried my hair as much as I could before wrapping the towel around my front and stepping into the main room.
Torin was the only one there. “Where’d Mav go?” I asked.
“Out,” Torin said, “to grab food and supplies.” I nodded, but inside I couldn’t help but feel at a loss. He’d left before I had a chance to apologize.
“You should feed while he’s gone,” Torin said.
I winced, but my vampire perked up. A coil of hunger took root in my belly and spread outward until I felt the responding tingle in my upper gums where my fangs resided. With a sigh, I moved towards him. “Can we make it quick?”
Torin tilted his head to the side as I stopped in front of him. “Have somewhere else you need to be?” he replied.
I glared up at him through my lashes. “No,” I said. “I just … don’t want to be distracted if we need to go.”
“We’re in for the night,” he assured me. “We’ve been on the road long enough. I don’t know about you, but I can’t take another night sleeping in the backseat.”
Torin reached back and even before he dragged his shirt over his head, revealing the expanse of his rock hard chest, I felt myself responding. The place between my legs dampened and clenched with need. My gaze slid over the ridges of his abdomen to the Adonis belt that tucked into the top of his jeans. I swallowed roughly as my mouth watered. All of that skin—so smooth and tempting. A veritable feast—quite literally.
“Ready?” he asked, holding out his hand.
I nodded, stepping forward and taking his hand. He pulled me closer, tilting his head to the side. My lips parted and my fangs came down from my gums. I moved into his embrace, lifting up onto my toes as I found his vein and bit down. I groaned as fresh blood flooded my mouth. My towel loosened, but I couldn’t be bothered to fix it. I wrapped my arms around Torin’s neck, nuzzling into his skin as I let more of his blood flow over my tongue. Unlike when I drank from a human—his blood had flavor. It tasted incomparable.
I felt it in the exact moment when he scented my arousal. His cock grew hard against me, prodding me gently as he crushed me closer. Neither of us could resist the pull. I’d fought against it so hard, but now I knew it for what it was—the mating. I no longer resisted him. In fact, I came to him. And that had opened the path for a stronger connection.
I fed from him, dragging in long gulps before finally pulling away. I licked my lips clean of his blood as my fangs receded into my gums, but I didn’t drop my arms. Neither did he. “How long did you say Mav was going to be?” I asked quietly.
“Probably a few hours,” he whispered.
“Do you think he’d mind…?”
He shook his head. “We’ll be quick.”
“I’m sorry,” I blurted as he angled me towards one of the beds. “I was an asshole earlier.”
“Yeah, you were,” he said, ripping the towel free as he pushed me back onto the squeaky mattress. “But I think I’ve gotten used to your bratty ways.”
“Hey!” He popped my thigh as he crawled over me, his chest brushing against my breasts and making sparks of pleasure shoot through my skin.
He kissed me, stealing any further words that I might have managed to dredge up and sealing them with his lips. I closed my eyes and let myself just feel him. I kissed him back, sinking my nails into his longer hair and tugging gently as I directed his head the way I liked it. I sucked his tongue into my mouth as I arched up into his grip. He moved his hands down, and his knuckles bumped against my stomach as he unbuckled his belt and slid his jeans down, kicking them as well as his underwear from the bed.
“Fuck me, Torin,” I whispered harshly, yanking my mouth away from his. “I want to feel you. Make me forget everything. Make me forget what we’re going to do. Make me forget the fact that we could fucking die tomorrow.”
Torin didn’t need to be told twice. In a flash, he had my legs spread wide and was powering into my pussy with one single, hard thrust. I groaned, craning my neck back as his cock stretched me. “We’re not going to die,” he said, his breath fast and hot in my ear as he leaned down.
I shook my head, dizzy on the sensations. “We could,” I replied. “You can’t deny that it’s possible. We couldn’t kill him last time.”
“You’re not nearly as fragile now as you used to be,” he said, pulling out and thrusting back in. His thumb found my clit and rubbed in a slow circle. I hissed and squirmed in his grip. “Neither is Mav.”
“Oh fuck!” I reached down and grabbed onto his wrist. “I don’t want to come just yet.” I whimpered as he gently, but firmly pulled my hands away and returned his thumb to where it had been. He pressed against my clit, rotating.
“I want you to,” he whispered into my skin. “Don’t worry, Sweetheart. It won’t be the last time. Come now and I’ll make sure you come again.”
Even if my mind disagreed, my body apparently liked that plan. Torin lit me up like fireworks on the fourth of July. Small sparks popped beneath my flesh as he fucked me—thrusting in and out in quick, short strokes. All the while, his fingers played at my nub, teasing it, pushing it, circling it. I released a short cry, unable to stop the noise from escaping my throat as I arched my spine. My breasts were shoved outward and I loved the feel of him dipping his head and rubbing the stubble of his three day beard growth against my sensitive flesh.
I panted when I came down from the small orgasm he’d given me. Sweat coated my skin. It wasn’t enough. I needed more. Locking my hands behind his head, I shoved my hips up and to the side, steadily flipping him onto his back. Torin’s fingers left my clit as he landed with a grunt. I reared up and looked down on him.
“My turn,” I whispered.
“By all means…” He smirked. “Be my guest.”
I rode him hard. Up and down. I stroked him inside me, loving the feel of his thickness moving in and out. I squeezed, contracting my internal muscles. It felt so good to pull him out, but I hated to truly leave him. I only barely managed to lift up until just the tip rested inside my stretched entrance before I was descending back on his cock. His groans echoed up, vibrating against me and turning me on even more.
It wasn’t much longer until I was back on that precipice. We both were. “Tor…” I panted, heat stealing my breath. I was there—just on the edge. Damn near ready to tip over. His fingers clutched my waist, digging in tightly. If I didn’t have vampiric healing, I knew he would’ve left bruises.
“Barbie.” My name whispered in the electric air of the motel room sent me spiraling over that cliffside into a second, much more powerful orgasm. This time, he joined me. The sound of his groans echoing in my head even as I reached that orgasm and then slowly came back down. I sighed, slumping over onto his bare chest.
I didn’t know how long we laid like that. I drifted in and out of consciousness. Neither of us appeared too concerned about getting up and getting dressed. When I finally roused myself, my hair was on
ly half wet and the sweat had dried on my skin. I peeked at the old digital clock on the nightstand and sat up, glancing around.
“When did you say Maverick was supposed to be back?” I asked, shaking Torin awake.
Torin blinked bleary eyes up at me. I hated to wake him when I’d never seen him this tired. Perhaps I’d taken too much blood, but I didn’t really have a choice. If the clock on the nightstand was right then it was already past three in the morning. “Torin?” I shook him again.
He sat up with a yawn and I rolled off his chest, reaching for the sheet and pulling it up my front as I looked around the room. Mav’s bag was where he’d dropped it earlier, so even if I’d fallen hardcore asleep, it didn’t look like he’d been back.
“He should’ve been back by now,” Torin said. He got up and started hunting through the sheets and pillows we’d kicked off the bed in our haste to pull on his jeans. I, too, got up and went to my duffle bag, searching through for a new pair of pants, a bra, and a t-shirt. Once I was dressed, I turned back around to find Torin—equally clothed—with his phone to his ear. I could hear the ringing from where I stood, so I waited. It went to voicemail.
A sick feeling took root inside my chest. I found my phone in my old clothes and placed a call to Mav’s cell as well. This time, someone picked up. “Mav?” Torin jerked his head up and was at my side in a split second. He took the phone from me and set it on the table as he clicked the ‘speaker’ button.
“Maverick?” he said. “You there?”
There was rustling and then a faintly familiar voice saying, “Sir?” Where had I heard that voice before? My breath caught in my lungs, stuttering to a stop in my throat when I placed the voice. The warlock from the abandoned motel on the other side of town. It was him.
“Maverick?” Torin repeated more firmly. “Answer me.”
“I do believe he’s incapable of answering anyone at the moment, son.” My blood ran cold in my veins. My head lifted and Torin met my gaze. It was him. It was Arrius. “You could say he’s otherwise indisposed—what an interesting boy he is, though. He’s that very same friend I told you to get rid of a few years back, right?”
“Arrius,” Torin spat. “Where is he?”
“Well, I have it on good authority that you’ve been asking around for me,” Arrius replied coolly. “I’ve been keeping tabs of course. Watching your little finding expedition for a while now. How’s that going by the way? Have you found what you’re looking for yet?”
“We were looking for you,” Torin growled. “Where the fuck is Maverick?”
Arrius tsked. “Is that any way to speak to your father? I think not. It appears that not only do you lack manners, you’re also incapable of following orders. Don’t think I didn’t hear the girl in the background. No wonder Eloise hasn’t been answering my phone calls. She’s never ignored me before. Katalin told me she’d decided to take a vacation—your sister isn’t one to lie usually, but not to worry, she’ll be taken care of soon enough. Now, why don’t we stop all of this hunting and searching nonsense, eh?”
I couldn’t speak. Something foreign had formed in my chest. It squeezed ghostly limbs around my throat, suffocating me, rendering me incapable of speech for the moment. I took a breath and another and another until I pushed through the fear and anger. I snatched the phone up and held it to my ear even as Torin tried to tear it from my grip.
“Arrius Priest.” Saying his name to the monster himself felt like saying the name of everything I’d ever hated.
“Ahh, is this the girl? The hunter? Congratulations, dear, on extending your life. Quite unexpected. The last time I saw you I was certain you were all but dead.”
“You’re right,” I agreed. “But that’s the thing about ‘all but’—you can’t make sure someone’s dead unless you kill them yourself.”
“Right you are,” he said with a polite chuckle. “Can I take that to mean that you intend to kill me yourself?”
“I do.”
“Then I’m sure you’ll want to find me, and your friend here.”
“Is Maverick alive?” I demanded.
He laughed. “For now, little hunter. For now.”
We were through playing these games. If he was calling us now—if he had Maverick—then that meant he was done as well. Everything we’d been waiting for was coming to a head. There was only one thing left to ask. “Where?” My voice rasped out of my throat, vibrating with emotion so convoluted that I couldn’t come up with a word that would explain the feeling.
“I’ll send the information. Be there in less than three hours. As Torin has been using my money to get around, I’m sure he can get you a new vehicle. The one you were using … well, I’m afraid to say it’ll no longer be drivable.”
With that, he hung up. The solid click echoed in my ears. A moment later, the phone’s screen shattered in my fist.
Chapter 44
Barbie
Some religions believed that hate was the wrath of the weak. But not me. For me, hate was a driving force. Hatred of the things that stole the people I cared about. Hatred of the creatures of the night who cared not for their long forgotten humanity. I could feel it build up beneath my skin as Torin drove down the highway, following the GPS coordinates that his father had sent not long after he hung up on us. Neither of us had said a word since, but I could feel the guilt permeating the new vehicle. While we’d been fucking in the motel room, Maverick had been caught by Arrius Priest and was likely experiencing some sort of fucked up torture that I really didn’t want to think about. The only shining light I had to look forward to, though, was the fact that soon this would all be over.
I closed my eyes and dropped down into my deepest sense of self. Everything faded into the background. The sound of gears grinding drifted into nothing as Torin pushed the older model sedan—the only thing we’d found in the parking lot of the motel that had been not only hot-wireable but even remotely drivable. We couldn’t risk breaking down on the side of the road. Not right now.
When I reopened my eyes, I was no longer sitting in the passenger seat, but in a room I’d never been in before. I blinked and Satrina appeared before me. She’d brought a friend. I glanced over the mirrored image of myself for a moment. Within seconds, I’d already determined who she was. It was easy, really. I could tell by the glowing crimson irises that she was, in fact, my vampire self.
“It’s almost time,” I announced, standing up.
“Everything is in place,” Satrina said. “There’s just one last thing to do.” She turned and gestured for my vampire to step forward.
“Time to accept me,” my vampire said.
“I already have.”
She shook her head, the golden strands of her hair swaying over her shoulders with the movement. “Not yet. Not completely. You need to accept me fully before you let Satrina consume you.”
Okay. I could do that. I would do that. I’d do anything to ensure that Maverick would be saved. Even if it was detrimental to myself. I didn’t even have to ask if it was. I didn’t care. “How?” I asked.
She grinned, revealing two long, white fangs. I watched as the image of myself tossed her hair over her shoulder and exposed the long column of her—my—throat. “For her to consume you, you must consume me.”
I took another step forward. “What?” Satrina asked, brows rising in surprise. “Not going to ask if there’s another way?”
“Is there?” I asked.
“No.”
“Then no.” I turned back to my vampire self. “I’m done resisting. I’m done fighting against the two of you. This is it. We’re out of time. Just tell me what I have to do and I’ll do it.”
Satrina nodded and moved closer, pushing my vampire until she was against my chest. “You have to drink from your vampire until you two are one,” she said. “Once you do, there should be no more separate voices. This will ensure you have complete control of your vampire, but do be forewarned—even your Torin hasn’t yet done this. Once you do th
is, there is no going back. You will always have your vampire inside you.”
“Will I be able to save Maverick?” I asked. “And Torin? Will I be able to kill Arrius?”
“I cannot say,” she said. “But it will give you the best chance.”
“Then I’ll take it.” I grabbed my vampire and leaned forward. Although, in here, we were separate, when I called my fangs, they came—sliding down from my gums and plunging into her throat with little struggle.
And then … I drank.
I drank until my stomach churned. I drank until I felt overfull. Until my head grew dizzy and a red haze descended over my vision. Everything looked as if it had a cardinal tint to it. That was when I felt Satrina’s hand on my back, cool and certain. She slid her palm up my spine until her fingers delved into my hair. She yanked me back, holding me tightly when I would’ve gone after my vampire, but my vampire was no more. With a last, weak smile—the image of myself disintegrated into dust.
Satrina leaned forward and whispered in my ear—her voice changing, deepening.
Wake up, Barbie.
My eyes jerked open and I only recognized Torin’s face over mine a split second before my nails sank into his skin. I pulled them away, but it was too late—I’d already pierced through the fabric and knicked his skin. Torin looked at me—far more serious than I’d ever seen him. He didn’t even acknowledge the small wounds as they quickly closed up and fresh skin knitted over.
“We’re here,” he said. I nodded and got out of the vehicle.
“Where’s here?” I asked as I stopped and looked up at the mountain before us. Down below there was a hiker’s pathway. It was just a dirt trail, but there was nothing to shield the opening we saw. “Is that it?” I asked, pointing to the cave entrance.
“Probably,” Torin answered. “It’s called Ashwood Mountain. It used to be a hiding place for witches escaping persecution. In the late 1600s, though, a collection of witches from a sun worshipping coven was found in one of the caves here. Men blocked it off and without the light from the sun to power their magic, they suffocated and died … in complete darkness.”