Caught in Darkness

by Rose Wulf

  She cried out from the pain of the contact and the pressure he had to use to keep it and he heard her unsteady heartbeat increase a bit. That was good. But he still had to remind himself not to panic when she went limp in his arms a second later. He held his wrist in place until he knew the bite had sealed and then, slowly, he sank back and bowed his head as he held her tighter.

  ****

  Veronica startled awake from the depths of an intense nightmare, her heart slamming against her ribcage. She groaned, cringing at the light in Seth’s bedroom, and rolled over, curling into herself. Her head was pounding like it never had before and she was ridiculously famished. “Oh,” she groaned aloud, hands pressed firmly against her temples. Whatever it is that I did, please don’t let me ever do it again.

  But that raised a good question. What had she done? Just trying to think was making her headache worse.

  Approaching footsteps were suddenly pounding out of synch with her headache and for a long second she felt like she might be sick. Only she also felt like she didn’t have anything to expel, and that didn’t sound particularly fun. But then Seth’s voice was calling to her gently, trying to ease her world back into focus.

  “There you are,” he said, a sad smile in his eyes when their gazes met. He sat carefully on the side of the mattress and reached out, wrapping her nearest hand in his.

  “Why does everything hurt?” she asked, her voice hoarse from too much sleep. And it was far too loud. Was she screaming?

  Seth frowned faintly and replied, “It’s part of the process. While your body adjusts to all of its new senses and cravings you’ll be sore and hyper-sensitive.”

  Veronica stared at him blankly for a long moment. “The…process?” she whispered it this time and the sound wasn’t so abrasive on her ears.

  And that was when she remembered. Her stomach lurched with the memory of the fear and pain. Tobias had delivered her to Richards, who had promptly started using her as his own personal restaurant. And then…. Tobias.

  Swallowing, Veronica dragged her focus outward again and asked, “What happened…to them? Did you get them?”

  His frown was blatant this time and he slowly shook his head. “No. Richards got away while I was…distracted, and we never found either Wilson.” He gave her hand a squeeze, frown softening, and added, “Don’t worry about them right now, Veronica. You need rest and nourishment.”

  She wished she had the energy to argue with him. Or even to tell him what she’d learned at the cemetery (which he was probably angry about, or would be if he didn’t yet know), but he was right. She was tired and about as close to ravenous as she had ever been. Sighing, Veronica let her head slump back against the pillow and asked, “How long am I going to feel like this?”

  “It’ll start to ease after a couple of feedings,” Seth assured her. “At least as long as you don’t push yourself.”

  “Okay,” she mumbled, her eyes drooping already. And then his words sank in and her eyes popped open again as the one thing she wasn’t so sure she’d considered was suddenly glaring in her mind. “Feedings?” she repeated. “Do you mean I have to…?” How was she supposed to work up the nerve to bite another human being? The idea of drinking blood was bad enough!

  His lips twitched slightly, a light of bitter amusement in his eyes, and he shook his head. “No. I’ve got some blood for you here. One step at a time, I promise.”

  The knot in her stomach eased and she nodded, wincing immediately as her head reminded her of its fury. “Thanks,” she managed.

  “Stay here,” he said, giving her hand another squeeze before releasing her and pushing back to his feet. “I’ll be right back.”

  She remembered not to nod, instead saying, “Okay,” as he turned and started out of the room. At least now I know why my head hurts so much. She’d never really given a thought to what super-hearing actually meant.

  Seth was back before she’d even finished her contemplation, a coffee mug full of thick red liquid in one hand. He held it out to her, saying, “Drink as much as you can; you need it.”

  She looked at the mug for a long minute. Her brain was telling her that the contents of that innocent ceramic cup were disgusting and that the idea of drinking those contents was abhorrent. But her nose was telling her that it smelled amazing, and that smell was telling her stomach to get ready. Still, her brain was very loud about its disagreement, and her hands were shaky as she reached out and took the mug from Seth. She knew she needed to drink it, and she knew that the longer she stared at it the more likely she was to freak out and throw it away instead. So she closed her eyes and brought it up to her nose, letting the frighteningly appealing scent of the liquid overwhelm the rest of her senses.

  Her mouth was starting to water and her stomach was growling with anticipation, so she tightened her hold on the handle, put her lips to the edge, and drank.

  She had never tasted anything more satisfying.

  “Thank you,” Veronica said quietly as she licked her lips and handed the mug back to Seth. She was downright embarrassed by how much she had enjoyed it.

  He took the mug, inclining his head, and his lips lifted reassuringly as he said, “Don’t be embarrassed; it’s natural. Well, for us.”

  She nodded slowly, belatedly noting that the movement only barely hurt. In fact, her whole body felt better and she wasn’t so tired anymore, either. Suspecting that wouldn’t last, Veronica decided to take the opportunity while she had it and called, “Seth. I learned something last night….”

  She swallowed, the taste of her first cup of blood still lingering in her mouth, and their eyes met before she added, “It was Tobias. He’s the one who killed my father.”

  Seth’s eyebrows rose immediately before his expression fell into a natural, thoughtful frown. “Are you sure?”

  Again she offered a careful nod. “He was the one who found me in the cemetery, and he confessed. He confessed to killing my…um, grandfather, too.”

  Seth pulled in a long, slow breath. It was a long minute before he said, “At least we finally have a name.”

  He returned his gaze to her and she knew he was about to switch the subject, so she quietly offered, “I’m sorry. I know it was stupid to go to the cemetery.”

  He was frowning, but his voice was not accusatory as he asked, “Why did you?”

  “I thought…it would help clear my head,” she admitted.

  Seth was quiet again for a second, then he bent down and set the mug on the floor before leaning toward her and wrapping his fingers around her wrist. One sharp tug propelled her forward and the next thing she knew he was kissing her. His lips were over hers, his tongue had invaded her mouth, and one hand had tangled in her loose hair.

  She was overwhelmed by the difference in sensations between this kiss and their last. She’d always thought he was an amazing kisser, and the taste of him had haunted her since the first kiss she’d stolen. But this was so much better. She could feel the power and control in his body just from their few points of contact. And the taste of his tongue as it swept over hers was downright scandalous. She had definitely been missing out.

  He pulled back then, gently releasing her as he mumbled, “There are better ways to clear your head.”

  She grinned. “I see that now.”

  His hand lifted from her wrist, skimming up the length of her arm before his knuckles brushed her jaw and the pad of his thumb traced the line of her lower lip. “Try to get some more sleep,” he suggested, his voice soft and tender.

  She swallowed and nodded, noticing that she did already feel a bit more tired again. “I won’t always be this tired, will I?”

  “No,” he assured her with a small, uncharacteristic grin, “that’ll pass. Your body’s just gone through a lot in a short while and needs time to recover. Eventually you won’t even need to sleep every day—just a handful of hours a week.”

  “That explains a few things, actually,” Veronica teased weakly.

  His hand fell awa
y from her skin and Seth pushed back to his feet, bending again to pick up the mug before he said, “I’ll be down the hall if you need me.”

  She watched him walk out of the room—leaving the door open—with a small smile lifting her lips. A little more sleep sounded good, and maybe then she’d find the strength to get up and figure out what their next move was. She only hoped she didn’t sleep through Tobias’ capture.

  **** “And when you’re done with that,” Trista added, her voice distorted and distant on the other end of the line, “or if you lose him again, I want you to come home immediately.” Sometimes her unusual accent made it incredibly hard to understand what she was saying, especially when she was on speaker phone, but this time he didn’t need to ask her to repeat herself.

  Seth managed to bite back the sigh that wanted to slip past his lips. He’d called her like he knew he was supposed to, to let her know that he had an identity for the vampire they’d been hunting for nearly a century. And he was calling fresh off of the uncomfortable conversation he’d had with Corbin, who always hated having to talk about what had happened. But he hated having to talk directly to Trista; she was unpredictable and demanding. Still, he knew that he was expected to respond to her order, so he asked the obvious question. “Is something going on?”

  Technically he was part of her Family, and, therefore, technically wherever she felt like living was also his ‘hometown.’ But he traveled constantly thanks to his job and, as a result, usually lived wherever he chose. Trista almost never ordered him to return, and as annoyed as he might be over the timing, he couldn’t ignore the possibility that it meant something worse was going down. Of course, given Trista’s eccentricities, he also couldn’t ignore the possibility that she was just in a mood.

  “That depends on who you ask,” Trista allowed with a dramatic sigh, “but I say so. I’ve been smelling werewolf in the air the last several days.”

  Werewolf? That seemed incredibly unusual, and it certainly wasn’t what he expected to hear. “Have you already talked to Jasen?”

  “No,” Trista replied, “I was going to let you do that. Tell him to stay and help you until you’re done, and then he’s to return as well.”

  “Very well,” Seth said smoothly, managing to keep the cringe from his voice. Jasen was already upset with him over letting Richards get away the previous night; he didn’t want to have to tell him that Trista was ordering him home, too.

  “Good. Keep me informed.” And then the line went dead.

  Seth released a sigh and set the phone down on the coffee table before him. He was distracted enough from his job just tending to Veronica—which was unavoidable, because unattended new vamps usually turned rabid—and now he was going to have the added distraction of knowing that he would be headed to California soon. But there was no sense in dwelling on that just yet, either, so he did his best to push it to the back of his mind. He was alone for the moment and this was possibly the best chance he was going to get to give any real thought to the idea that had occurred to him while he’d been talking to Veronica. It was an idea that had passed through his mind before, but at the time it had been an impossibility; vampires could only Bond with other vampires.

  But Veronica was a vampire now. Now Bonding was an option. And not only had he come to understand the appeal of tying one’s soul to another’s, but he found he actively wanted to. He could only hope that Veronica would be receptive to the idea once he figured out how to broach the subject. Of course, that would have to wait until she stabilized; attempting to form a Bond before she’d reached full strength would only kill them both. But I can be patient.

  Chapter Seventeen

  “You’re new, aren’t you?” Tobias asked with feigned curiosity. He’d pulled the young vamp aside specifically because he didn’t recognize him—which meant the other man wasn’t likely to recognize him in return.

  The other vampire blinked at him for a second before breaking into a toothy grin and replying, “Yeah, yeah. Just Turned a couple of weeks ago, just got to town the other day. I’m Chad, by the way.” He ended the statement by holding out his hand expectantly.

  An easy, fake smile lifting his lips Tobias reached out and grasped Chad’s hand, saying, “Greg; it’s nice to meet you, Chad.” He paused for a beat, letting their arms fall to their sides, and shifted his weight before carefully asking, “Hey, this might seem strange, but…can I get you to do me a huge favor?”

  Chad’s grin faltered and he blinked at Tobias in confusion before asking, “What do you need?”

  “Well, this is going to sound ridiculous, but I’m sure you’ve heard by now that there are a few traitors who’ve only recently been brought to the proverbial light,” Tobias replied calmly, voice hushed ever-so-slightly. When Chad nodded he continued, “It turns out that one of the traitors—their ringleader or something, I guess—is this guy I had a bit of an argument with shortly before everything blew up. So he’s going around dragging my name through the mud now, and since I can’t prove that I wasn’t involved no one’s willing to believe my story. I can’t even go to the Head at this point; at least, not without proof.”

  “Man, that sucks,” Chad said with a sympathetic frown. “But, uh, how can I help?”

  “I’d really like to confront the bastard,” Tobias began, false anger coloring his voice now, “but… well, you know that the younger vampires are significantly stronger than the older ones. And, unfortunately, I’m nearly a hundred years older than he is; if I confront him myself he’d probably rip my head off.” This was the real test. If Chad fell for that lie then he was almost guaranteed to have found his guinea pig.

  Chad blinked at him, astonishment plain as day on his face. “Really? I’d always heard the exact opposite! I thought the older vamps were the stronger ones!”

  Uh-huh. Tobias offered a bitter chuckle and shook his head. “No, that’s really just a lie some of the older ones say to keep the younger ones from getting any ideas about usurping their authority. The truth is exactly the opposite.”

  Chad whistled low and planted his hands over his hips. “Huh. I never even considered that.” He was quiet for a second before his gaze refocused and he asked, “Wait, are you asking me to fight this guy for you?”

  Tobias offered an exaggerated cringe and replied, “Sort of?” He paused for a second, pretending to realize how horrible that sounded, and quickly added, “But think of it this way: this guy—who’s using my name, by the way—is bad news. He’s caused all sorts of trouble for the Family; the police are even looking for him. If you stop him then you’ll not only be clearing my name, but the Head will probably praise you as a hero.” He dipped his hand into his back pocket as he spoke and held up a checkbook and a pen, adding, “Plus, I intend to pay you for your help. You’re young, I’m sure your finances could use a little bolstering.”

  Chad was clearly hesitant, his dark gaze flicking between Tobias and the checkbook, before he slowly asked, “How much are we talking?”

  Uncapping the pen, Tobias held the items in the ready position and asked, “How’s five grand sound?”

  The other vampire’s eyes widened for a beat before he nodded, grinning again, and said, “Sounds like you’ve got yourself a deal.”

  Tobias smirked, scribbled the amount on the check, signed it, and said, “Just write in your own name and we’re good to go. Only, I’m going to post-date it for Monday. You know, to give me a little reassurance that you’ll go through with your end; I’m sure you understand.”

  “Right, of course,” Chad assured him as he accepted the paper. He glanced down, grin broadening, and added, “Thanks Mr. Richards. I’ll make you proud.”

  **** “What are we telling people?” Veronica asked quietly from where she sat curled into the corner of Seth’s couch. It was Wednesday night and Jasen was once again out searching for Richards and the Wilsons. Seth had opted to stay and keep her company, but she suspected there was more to it than that. She just wasn’t sure she wanted to know what
the ‘more’ was.

  Seth handed Veronica her glass—a regular drinking glass this time, filled nearly to the top with room temperature blood—and sat down beside her. “You mean about you?”

  She nodded as she pulled the glass in and took a long breath. Despite having had several glasses of blood over the past twenty-four hours the visual idea of drinking it still upset her mind. It got easier every time, and she was forcing herself to keep her eyes open now, but she was still struggling with it.

  “We’re not telling anyone anything,” Seth began firmly. “I’ve already leaked a story to our contact in the police department. Since it’s obvious your house has been broken into we’re going with ‘burglary gone wrong’.”

  “What about the lack of a body?” Veronica asked skeptically after she swallowed her first sip of the drink. As always she was disturbed with how satisfying it was.

  “Got that covered, too,” Seth assured her. He hesitated, studying her carefully, before adding, “Your mother should be contacted tomorrow. I’m sorry.”

  Veronica was silent for a second as an image of her mother’s face lingered in her mind. Guilt was churning in her stomach and she lowered her glass to her lap. I’m so sorry, Mom. It was true that she’d already decided to ask Seth to Turn her, and she’d already realized that that would mean leaving her mother behind without an explanation. But she had hoped to be able to see her—to talk to her—at least one more time. She knew now that that wasn’t possible. And she also knew that her mother would be forced to live the rest of her life believing that the two people she loved most had been brutally murdered. It was a cruel thing to have to do.

  “I wish there was a way I could talk to her,” Veronica mumbled, tears burning the backs of her eyes.

  Seth’s hand landed over her nearest one, squeezing gently, and he said, “I know. And I’m sorry, but you can’t talk to any of them again.”