A Wicked Hunger (Creatures of Darkness 1)

by Fay, Kiersten

  She shivered. Mace cocked a quizzical brow at her, but said nothing.

  It wasn’t that she thought Mace was outright lying to her, but she could tell—whether it was from having gotten to know him over the last few days, or from his bond—there was something more he wasn’t saying.

  And yet he was trying to explain things as gently as possible, trying to reassure her that she was safe with him. She imagined when he’d said that, he was thinking of Edgar, just as she was. If nothing else, it was sweet of him. And it did manage to ease some of her irritation.

  That didn’t mean she wasn’t pissed at having been corralled into a bond she never asked for.

  Nevertheless, she wasn’t in the mood to take it out on Mace at the moment. “Later would be better,” she finally replied.

  He gave her a small smile. “Any time you’re ready, then.”

  They ascended the stairs into the cottage, finding Knox had taken command of the sofa in front of the flat-screen. The movie he watched was something Cora didn’t recognize, which wasn’t surprising considering it was kung-fu, starring an all vampire cast. She’d seen a few movies before, but mainly the only television she’d watched was with Winston, and that was mostly stock market analysis and twenty-four-hour news networks.

  Without taking his eyes from the screen, Knox said, “Check it out, this guy’s about to have his head taken clean off.”

  “I’ve had enough of blood,” Cora muttered under her breath, ignoring the action on the screen. If she could help it, no vampire would pierce her vein again.

  Knox made a sound that was half laugh, half condescending scoff. “You’d better get over that real quick. You’re bonded to a vampire, cher.”

  She raised a brow, wondering, dreading, fearing she already knew, what Knox meant. But she clung to a small thread of denial with an enforcing desperation. Mace could drink from others. That was one of his reassurances. She didn’t need to feed him, right?

  She looked to Mace.

  He just shook his head. “Don’t mind him. If he could age, he’d be one of those crotchety old men who throw their canes at children. He’s an expert at causing trouble.” He handed her a parcel she hadn’t noticed him carrying before and then averted his gaze too quickly.

  Now that she was aware of it, she thought she sensed anxiety and guilt coming from Mace.

  She pursed her lips and started up the stairs, convinced he wasn’t offering her the entire truth about this bond thing. Knox might be more forthcoming, but she wasn’t about to try and get him alone to find out.

  “I’ll be up in a moment,” Mace called after her.

  She shot him a surprised look. Then her eyes darted to Knox and back as if comprehending his meaning. Mace wasn’t about to leave her in a room alone through the night with another vampire in the house. He could tell she was confused and scared. Most of all pissed. He’d address that later. Right now, he needed to set some ground rules with Knox.

  Impossibly, her lips thinned further.

  He expected a protest. Instead, she replied with a curt nod before disappearing to the second floor. Though he didn’t hear any noise, he imagined her cursing them both.

  He couldn’t blame her. Even though it was for her own good, she was essentially a prisoner. In more ways than she was fully aware.

  Mace turned back to where Knox lounged carelessly. “Get the fuck out of here.”

  Knox rolled his eyes. “I thought we had this conversation already, and it ended with go fuck yourself.”

  “You selfish prick!” he snarled. “When will you ever choose the clan over yourself?”

  Knox’s expression turned dark. “You don’t want to go there.”

  “We used to be like brothers. How many times have I risked my life for you—”

  “I never asked you—”

  “—and you can’t even do me a solid?”

  “—for shit! Fuck you!”

  Mace lunged for Knox’s throat, but Knox saw it coming.

  Without getting up, the heel of Knox’s boot kissed Mason’s chin with all the power of a grand slam hitter. Mace stumbled back, stunned, tasting blood.

  Knox lowered his leg and relaxed into the couch once more, one arm over the back. “Seriously, Mason? Are we really going to do this?”

  Mace spit out a mouthful of blood. “Yeah.”

  Tension crept through the air as they both waited for the other to move.

  Knox swiped his finger under his nose, sniffing. A baneful smile crept over his face.

  * * *

  Cora dropped the clear plastic pack Mace had handed off to her on the mattress and plopped down beside it. She was tired and wired at the same time, feeling like she should be doing something, but hadn’t the energy. She should be running as far and as fast from this place as she could manage.

  She fell back onto the mattress, her arms sprawled out and legs dangling over the edge, staring up at the ceiling.

  The notion that she could escape Mace was laughable at this point. Not only was she in the middle of nowhere—a forest no less, a vampire’s ideal hunting ground—but she wasn’t entirely sure she wanted to escape him. Which was infuriating in and of itself.

  She glanced down at the package. There were several items within: Two books, a set of candles, a smaller item that looked like a jewelry box, and some fresh fruit—peaches and strawberries. Her favorites, naturally. What else had he discovered while he’d watched her for so many months?

  She pulled out a peach, suddenly reminded of her total lack of appetite. She should be ravenous. Was it wise to be concerned?

  Determined, she bit through the soft skin, finding the center juicy and ripe. She knew it had to taste wonderful. However, her taste buds were of a different opinion. Nonetheless, she took another bite, and another, till only the pit remained. Her stomach gurgled uncomfortably and then settled with a heaviness as though she’d eaten an entire feast.

  Definitely not right.

  To distract herself, she rummaged through the rest of the items. The candles were thick and waxy, as if homemade, and perfumed by an array of scents: rosemary, jasmine, burnt wood, floral, and other fragrances she couldn’t identify. There were over a dozen candles all together of different colors, shapes, and sizes.

  She retrieved the book next and read the cover: A Witch’s Guide to Demons, Vampires, and Other Supernatural Entities.

  Another, smaller book, read Quick Spells for the Witch on the Go: Pocket Edition.

  In the jewelry box, there was a beautiful pendant—a transparent, yet deeply purple gemstone attached to a silver chain.

  Lifting the chain, she allowed the stone to dangle freely as she examined its many facets. She could understand the fruit, the books, but why would Mace buy the candles and this necklace?

  A loud crash drew her to the window. Yellow light from the front door cut through the darkness and stretched over the yard, revealing Knox and Mace below. Knox landed several punches to Mace’s face, backing him up against the car. Mace gripped the side of Knox’s head and then slammed his skull down through the passenger side window. Glass shattered. The harsh blow didn’t slow Knox down. He responded by head-butting Mace, following it up with another swift punch.

  Both males were alarmingly bloody. How long had this been going on? What were they fighting over? Oh, goddess! What if Mace lost?

  She banged on the window, yelling for them to stop. Then she remembered they couldn’t hear her. She opened the window and leaned out, preparing her lungs for a screech that would not go unheard. Instead, she found herself staring into a small, dimly lit room.

  Against the far wall, a reading lamp sat atop a desk. All color but that of the lamp seemed to have been leached away. There were no windows, and she instantly felt confined. A hallow kind of depression hung heavy in her heart. That depression transformed to terror when she realized the room was populated by a single shadowy figure seated at the desk. Its dark head seemed to look her way. Then the figure slowly stood, reaching o
ut for her.

  Cora sucked in a painful gasp that filled her lungs too full and screamed.

  Chapter 15

  Mace kneed Knox in the face, breaking his nose. Knox stumbled back with a curse before redoubling his attack. Mace took another set of knuckle blows, countering with a quick succession of body shots to Knox’s ribcage.

  The sound of Cora screaming had them breaking apart. Moments later, she burst through the door. At first, he thought she was worried for him, but her expression was much too panicked for that.

  “What’s happened?” Forgetting the fight, he hurried to Cora’s side.

  Just as in the tunnel, she threw herself into his arms, uncaring that he was covered in blood. For a fraction of a second, his concern was overshadowed by an inappropriate bout of satisfaction.

  “There’s something in the house…through the window…a shadow…”

  Her words were separated by heavy gasps. Mace feared she was just shy of hyperventilating.

  “Clam down and breathe,” he said. “You’re safe now.”

  “Where was it?” Knox demanded. He reached for Cora’s arm.

  Mace gripped her tighter to his chest and sent Knox a look of warning. If he touched her now, their little disagreement would turn life threatening.

  Wisely, Knox backed off. Then, checking his tone, he said to Cora, “Tell me where you saw this shadow.”

  After a moment of catching her breath, she replied, “The bedroom at the end of the hall. I leaned through the window to shout at the two of you. There was another room, though, and a thing reached for me.”

  She shuddered. Mason’s already aggressed blood fired with fury, mostly directed at himself. How could it be so difficult to keep one mortal safe?

  “Do you know anything about this?” he asked Knox.

  Knox shrugged. “I suspected something was here.”

  “And you didn’t tell me?”

  “You weren’t exactly booting up for a chat.”

  “Dammit, Knox—”

  “I don’t think it’s anything to worry about. Just a ghost or something.” He glanced between them, and then added, “I’ll take that room tonight.”

  Mace raised a brow. “What are you playing at?”

  Knox glared at him. “I’m not playing at anything. Like I said before, stay if you want, or go. I don’t care. But the apparition won’t harm your female.”

  “What makes you so sure?” And why even add that little bit of reassurance. Knox might have them out of his hair tonight if he’d suggested the thing was dangerous.

  Knox swiped a bit of blood from his mouth. “I just am.” Without another word, he turned and headed back inside.

  * * *

  “Just say the word and we’ll leave tonight,” Mace repeated for the fifth time, and again, Cora merely shook her head.

  He sat on the edge of the bed with a towel around his waist, fresh from a lightning fast shower. Clearly, he was loath to leave her alone again, which she appreciated. Even though she was still mad at him, it was reassuring having a vampire as a protector. Except when he’d insisted on standing guard in the bathroom while she’d washed up. It had taken some finagling on her part to keep him out. Per his request, she’d left the door open “just in case.”

  After drying and dressing in a fresh set of loose men’s clothing found in the closet, she curled up on a plush chair across the room, the larger of the two books from Mace open in her lap. She’d immediately flipped to a section about ghosts, but she was finding it difficult to concentrate on reading with a shirtless Mace just feet away.

  “I’m okay with staying,” she replied. She’d long believed in the afterlife and spirits, and didn’t think the spirit had meant to frighten her. “I was just startled by whatever that thing was,” she continued. “I wasn’t expecting it. Besides, I’m too tired to run off somewhere else, and there’s glass all over the seats in the car from your fight with Knox. What was that about, anyway?”

  “Old stuff, really. Not important. Sorry if I worried you.”

  “Could you tell I was worried? Because of the bond?”

  Mace nodded. “You were afraid Knox would beat me and then claim you as his, right?”

  She shrugged.

  “I would never let that happen.”

  “I know.” She paused. One of her shoulders hiked up. “What am I feeling now?”

  “Several things, I think. It’s easier to tell when an emotion becomes sharp, or singularly, like when you’re frightened. I could’ve pin pointed the exact moment Knox showed up.”

  “Really?”

  Another nod. “It was frustrating not knowing the cause of your alarm, and not being able to get to you quickly. I don’t think I’ll ever go so far from you again.”

  Cora couldn’t formulate a response because she was both terrified and relieved by his statement. The opposing emotions wreaked havoc on her mental balance.

  Mace studied her a little too closely, and she went back to reading the same paragraph she’d been examining for the last twenty minutes. After going over the first few words, she zoned out again. Mace could sense that she was worried before, and she had been, but not for the reason he’d assumed. Looking back, it hadn’t dawned on her that Knox might be fighting for the rights to her blood, although it should have.

  She’d only feared losing Mace.

  Another knock to her mental balance. It tipped wildly.

  When neither one of them spoke for several moments, Mace found a pair of sweats to wear and relaxed against the left side of the mattress with his eyes closed and his arms folded behind his head. Cora ran her gaze over his thickly corded arms, sculpted chest, and six-pack abs. A thin line of hair just below his belly button trailed down past his waistband, directing her eyes even lower.

  She swallowed.

  Vampire or not, the man was beautiful.

  When the urge to touch him assailed her, she blamed it on the bond.

  Mace peeked an eye open.

  She flushed and dipped her head back down to the book.

  “Something I can help you with, Coraline?”

  Without looking up, she replied curtly, “No, there isn’t, Mason.”

  He let out a low chuckle. Stubbornly, she endeavored not to look his way again.

  Reclaiming her cognitive functions, she abandoned her study of ghosts and flipped to the section on vamps. The first chapter was aptly named Vampires: A Quick Overview.

  Vampires, otherwise known as creatures of the night, creatures of darkness, or the derogatory: leaches, bloodsuckers, and fangers, were once thought to be living corpses. The undead, brought back to life to prey on the living. As superstitions fell by the wayside, so did the archaic mythologies behind vampires.

  Although their origins are still speculated about, it is widely believed that vampires evolved in the same manner as humans and witches alike. Originally thought to be cold-blooded, their blood runs red and as warm as any mammal. This opinion, however, has only been popularized in the last century, and is still disputed by many older officials in the witch and human communities.

  Another myth that is still heatedly disputed is that vampires cannot tolerate the sun. Although vampires in daytime are commonplace now, it was not the case several years ago, before their revelation to the human race. One could say that’s because they were in hiding, but others have put forth the theory that the scientists of the vampire nation have discovered a way to nullify the sun’s harmful rays.

  Cora looked up at Mason. His eyes were closed again, but she didn’t think he was asleep. She could attest that he felt warm to the touch and walked in the sun, but she too had heard the old myths: vampires burning in the sun, hunters seeking them in daylight. She recalled her parents debating such things once.

  “Mason?”

  “Mm?”

  “How old are you?”

  His face scrunched in confusion, but he kept his eyes closed. “Why do you ask?”

  “I was just wondering if there was a
ny truth to the old vampire myths.”

  He gave a conspiratorial grin. “Is that book filling your mind with questions?”

  She didn’t answer, and neither did he. She went back to reading.

  Throughout history, witches and vampires have had a tumultuous relationship and generally do not associate. However, some exceptions bear mentioning. In the early 16th century, large clan of vampires and several covens of witches attempted to cohabitate Europe after both had simultaneously claimed the territory and refused to leave.

  During this tense peace, the vampire/witch bond was discovered, which will be covered in more detail in later chapters.

  Cora’s heart spiked. She tried to slow it, but Mace took note.

  “Something interesting?”

  “Just reading about witches. It’s fascinating,” she replied, adding a bit of truth to the fib.

  He chuckled. “Soon enough you’ll be casting spells on me, I bet.”

  “Why did you pick this particular book?”

  He cracked his eyes open. “I didn’t. The shop owner did. Why?”

  “Just curious if you had read it.”

  “Nah,” he said, closing his lids once more. “Never made it a habit to study up on witches.”

  Cora read on.

  This discovery is thought to have been a catalyst behind the Wiccan Wars. Several witches, in a pursuit of power, bound themselves to multiple vampires, essentially creating personal armies. Fearing the opposition, a race was sparked between rival covens to acquire more and more vampires. History books suggest the numbers eventually grew out of control, and as war broke out between covens, vampires rebelled. It was a brutal time.

  As the war died down, vampires faded back into the darkness, and were thought to have left Europe for more secluded parts of the world.

  The book went on to document other milestones in vampire history, including their revelation. Cora skipped ahead till she came to what she was most interested in.