Devlin’s build was much like Danial’s, save him being a little shorter, but there was definite resemblance. Yet where Danial was dark, Devlin was light. His chest had that same gold hair shimmering on it as his head and face, water droplets still caught here and there, glistening. He was nowhere near as buff as Theo was, but his arms and torso were well defined, like Danial’s. His skin was pale, but it didn’t detract from his beauty. He had shaved and like his brother, he was very handsome, though Danial was more beautiful, where Devlin was more striking. His gold hair was soaking wet, steadily dripping on the carpet. My eyes traveled up as I opened my mouth to tell him he was making a mess, then froze, staring. Like his brother, Devlin had a thin line of hair running down his body from his lower chest and abs down to his navel and below...
“Admiring the view?” Devlin said, his back to me.
I quickly looked up. He was watching me in the mirror, his golden eyes pleased. I blushed furiously, looked at the far wall and didn’t reply.
“Go shower, Sar,” Devlin said, amused. “Unless you’d like to watch me dress.”
I blushed harder, shot a glare at his back and then went into the bathroom.
He’d wanted me to look at him that way, so he could embarrass me. Jerk.
I took a long hot shower, washing off the blood and dirt. When I got out, I reached for the towel and noticed there were some forest green silk pajamas on the vanity counter in my size.
Maybe Devlin wasn’t so bad. I put the clothes I’d been wearing into the hotel bag, dressed in the pajamas and took a good long look at myself in the mirror. Except for my frizzing hair, I looked normal.
I mixed a little hair conditioner with a small amount of water, then put it on my hands, running them through my hair. That would have to do until I got home tomorrow night.
I came out hesitantly, self-conscious in my pajamas. Devlin was there, dressed in a new pair of jeans and a black shirt, perusing the room service menu.
“Are you hungry, Lady in Green?” he asked.
“Are you?” I said, folding my arms across my chest.
Chapter Fourteen
Devlin gave me a calculating look. “Are you offering?” he said calmly. There was the hint of surprise beneath his well-crafted cool exterior
“Yes,” I said, sitting down on the love seat and facing him expectantly.
“I’ll bite you if you want me to,” he replied, smiling faintly. His eyes shone with some emotion, possibly mirth or malice.
“Look,” I said, sitting down on the bed. “I’m not playing games. I know you took five explosive rounds to your chest, at least. That’s a lot to heal.”
“You’re worried I’m weak,” Devlin said scathingly. “Don’t be. As you saw earlier, my wounds have closed—”
I cut him off. “The night Theo disappeared, Danial got shot. He was able to heal his wounds, yet he still collapsed not long after. He’d had blood from at least two men, which is more than you had tonight. He needed mine that night, too. I don’t want you to suddenly pass out, as he did.”
“If I drink from you, there is going to be pain.” Devlin said frankly.
“I know. Helping Danial hurt,” I replied. “But what alternative is there?”
“I can take some from the guard if I have to.”
We had one guard and with daylight coming, we might need him to protect us. We needed him strong. “Won’t he be undermined, if you do?”
“Of course,” Devlin said with a shrug. “Blood loss weakens any creature.”
“Take my blood instead. I’d rather suffer a little pain and blood loss than be dead.”
“You have a way with words,” Devlin said, nonplussed. “But I agree with your logic.”
“Just don’t take more than you need,” I cautioned. “I’m still half turned.”
“I know,” Devlin replied. “Danial told me months ago when you first found out. He thinks it was part of the reason you left him for Theo. Was it?”
Was there anything Danial hadn’t told him? I mentally rolled my eyes. “It was, partly. I don’t want to be a vampire. I can’t live in darkness, never seeing the sun.”
“You get used to it,” Devlin said sadly.
I was ashamed immediately that I’d said that aloud. “I’m sorry—”
“Don’t be. It’s honest.” Devlin lay back on the bed and put his hand through his still wet hair, pushing it out of his face. “When I was first turned, I used to miss the sunlight, Sar. But now words are all I have, with no real memories to go with them. I’ve forgotten what it felt like on my skin. All I remember is that it was somehow warm and that I thought it was wonderful.”
His words were difficult to hear, not from the sadness in them, but from the uncertainty.
“You should eat now, Sar, so I can,” Devlin said, handing me the room service menu.
I took it from his outstretched hand, looked it over quickly, then picked up the phone. I ordered a glass of wine, two hamburgers, a large order of fries and chocolate cake. Screw my diet, I’d been kidnapped and almost tortured. I wanted fat and calories and food that made me feel alive. If they’d had cheese fries with bacon on the menu, I’d have gotten some of them, too.
I flipped on the TV while waiting for my food to arrive. I expected to hear nothing about Al, for the night’s events to be hushed up. Nothing to do with the supernatural world had ever been reported in the news, not in all the years I’d known Danial and Theo. Yet this time, I was wrong.
“We are reporting live from the scene of notorious gangster Alphonse “Al” Carrera’s vacation home tonight. A fire with fatalities broke out tonight in the pre-dawn hours. All that is known is that a chance spark from a propane heater ignited some flammable items in the basement, which quickly spread to the house and the propane tanks. The resulting explosion leveled the home, and as you can see behind me, there is not much left—”
I glanced over at Devlin to find him still perusing the room service menu. I looked back at the screen. As the newscaster had said, there wasn’t much left. The house was leveled, the few remains gutted by fire, still smoldering in places. Firefighters were there on the scene, picking through the outlying rubble.
“No one will trace this back to us,” Devlin said, not looking up. “Al was brokering a deal with some Eastern terrorists for some guns he had for sale. It was not going well. They will be blamed for this attack, for his death.” He looked at me, then back down. “My people are good at what they do. Very good.”
I knew well what circles he traveled in. For once, that was a good thing. “Good.”
He got up suddenly, turned off the TV, then he went to the door. He was back in a moment, handing me the tray of food. “Please eat,” he said, acquiescent. “You were right, Sar. I need more blood and soon. I’m starting to feel weak.”
I was starving, so the eating went pretty quickly. I savored my cake though. It was wonderful, moist and gooey. When I was done, he took my tray from me and set it outside the door. I went into the bathroom and brushed my teeth, telling myself I could do this.
Now that it was time, I was regretting saying I’d do this. I was nervous, thinking about him slipping his fangs into me. Did I trust him enough?
If he wanted to hurt me, he could’ve let me die tonight. It would have been easy to not help me. For that matter, why had he helped me, watched out for me? Holding Brian’s wife to ensure his constancy was extreme. It hadn’t been a few days; it had been months.
“Sar?” Devlin said from outside the door. “Are you coming out, or did you change your mind?”
I took a breath, opened the door and went out hesitantly. He was lounging on the bed, smiling seductively. I stood before him, unsure of what to do.
“Lie down,” he said, patting the bed beside him.
I lay down, my heart hammering.
“Close your eyes,” he said, moving close to me.
I closed them. The moment I couldn’t see, my fear ratcheted up a notch.
“Don't b
e afraid, Sar,” he said softly, his breath sliding over my skin. I heard his voice and remembered him telling me how much he loved the taste of my fear. Chills went through me, as my fear climbed another three notches.
Devlin sighed. It was the sigh of someone who hadn’t wanted to do something but was resigned to having to do it now. “Pretend I am Danial.”
“I can’t,” I said, opening my eyes. “You don’t sound like him.”
“Close your eyes and think of him,” Devlin said. “It’s worth a try.”
I closed my eyes again.
“I won’t hurt you, Sar,” Devlin said in Danial’s voice. “Trust me. I’ll not hurt you, my darling.” His voice had always been similar to Danial’s, in pattern and inflection. Now he sounded exactly like him. “Kiss me.”
His cool lips brushed mine gently, then lingering, as Danial had always liked to do. But I remained tense, my heart hammering.
“Please, Sar,” he whispered into my ear. “I love you. And I need you badly, my darling. Please help me.”
“Kiss me,” I said hesitantly, willing myself to relax.
His cool lips brushed mine again gently. I tried to help him, focusing on my memories of Danial. I kissed Devlin back, my tongue sliding between his lips to open him to me. When he responded, I put my arms around him. He moved closer, his arms encircling me, rolling slightly atop me. Danial/Devlin kissed down my throat, ran the edge of one fang down my neck. I let out a moan, feeling him suck lightly at my throat.
“Danial, please—” I cried.
Abruptly, his fangs pierced me, their sharpness sliding through my scar tissue easily. There was pain, but it seemed faint, unimportant. He held me fast, drinking me down, making those sounds of pleasure and gratification I’d always loved to hear. I clasped him to me, feeling him swallowing in time to my heartbeat, moaning softly.
Devlin gently withdrew his fangs and pushed up from me. “How do you feel?” he said, concerned.
“I’m okay,” I said, letting out a breath. “I’m not lightheaded or anything.”
“Because it’s been a long time since you did this, Sar,” Devlin said, purring almost. “I didn’t take much, either.”
In the way he said it, he’d wanted to take more and was hoping for an invitation. I didn’t reply.
He stretched back out beside me, licking and kissing my neck intermittently. “You are the only one, Sar, who tastes of summer,” he said longingly. “The only one.”
“How does summer taste?” I said. “I’ve never understood what you meant by that.”
“Like warmth, fresh air and green grass, if such things had a taste. Contentment. Happiness.”
Wow. “What do others taste of?” I said, not really wanting to know, but wanting a basis for comparison.
“Emotions and feelings often come through the blood. Most taste of lust or sexual excitement,” he said, licking me in long strokes between words. “Others taste of their emotions. Al tasted of fear and anger tonight. Some rarer ones are love or naivety or peace.”
“I am not a popsicle,” I said, turning to him with a slight glare.
“Forgive me,” he said, licking me again. “I can’t help it. The taste of you is addictive.”
I was beginning to think I’d made a big mistake, giving him my blood. “I need to sleep,” I said pointedly.
“So sleep,” Devlin said, not moving his body at all. He leaned in to kiss my neck again and began sucking slightly.
“Ouch!” I said, pushing him away and glaring at him.
“That couldn’t have hurt,” he said with a grin. “Just one more taste?”
“No. The time for tasting is over,” I said, getting beneath the covers.
Devlin gave me an exultant look. “Are you offering to—?”
“No!” I shouted at him, giving him a shove. “I’m not!”
Devlin laughed richly and then pulled me back to him, his mouth immediately at my neck, again sucking slightly.
“Stop it,” I said annoyed. “You’ve had enough.”
“Not nearly enough,” he murmured. “God, you taste good, Sarelle.”
I was creeped out by his raw desire, but also secretly flattered that I could incite so much passion in him. He always seemed so immovable when he’d been teaching me, when he’d visited with Danial or guarded me. So I let him lick me, closing my eyes as he intermittently kissed and sucked at my neck. In another minute, the bite had closed.
Devlin gave the healed wound one last kiss. “You’re all set.”
I turned to give him a smart remark and caught sight of his eyes. If I’d ever thought they were molten before, I’d been wrong. Now they were hot as a forge, almost glowing in the dim room. I tensed immediately.
Devlin bent quickly and kissed me chastely on the forehead. Then he moved off to sit in the love seat, putting his feet up on the opposite end and flipping the TV back on.
Relaxing in relief, I lay down and closed my eyes. I said a quick prayer to God for getting me through safely, that Brian would be okay, and thanks that Theoron and Elle were safe with Terian, then fell asleep.
Of course, all my relief brought on a nightmare of epic proportions. I dreamed that I was walking down a road. All had been lost. Vampires ruled the night, and I was never safe. I was desperately trying to leave the town I was in and go out to a more secluded area where there were no buildings for them to hide in the day. I journeyed by day in sunlight, but to go under a river, I had to use a tunnel. In it, I found a man and a woman survivor. They teamed up with me. They had no weapons, and I had a gun. Safety in numbers.
We lost the man the first time we were attacked. He gave himself to save the woman.
She and I made it out of the town, but her will was broken. I knew looking at her that I’d lose her the next night. I did, though that day, more survivors that were also leaving the city found us: another woman and two young men. We all made it to a hotel that night. We bedded down and slept. I knew if we could make it a few more days, maybe then we’d be safe.
I slept alone, apart from them, with my gun. I needed to get away if we were attacked. My sleep was uneasy; I would always hear footsteps and hissing in the quiet of the night. I trusted another to be my ears. My last living pet, a striped tiger cat who was scarred from one attack, lay on me. I’d lost my other animals to attack months ago. I was in a constantly numb state where survival mattered at all costs. That was all I could do; all I was.
Earlier, that day, I found some bowls for us in the hotel kitchen. We were thrilled. We’d been sharing one cracked one, and now we each had our own. It was amazing the things we had taken for granted before our world had become this apocalypse. I was dreaming of how things used to be when I thought I heard something. I held my breath and listened.
Someone was here.
I waited, gun in hand, safety off. There was a cry suddenly cut off and then rattling, something closing or shutting.
My companions were most likely dead, taken by another bloodsucker. The door opened, and the cat’s head swiveled, instantly hissing as it sank in its claws to warn me. An Asian woman vampire dressed in red who resembled Suri came in. She said nothing. I took aim at her, knowing I’d kill her; I’d be able to save myself. But I knew that my companions were dead. Drained. I was alone again, all alone...
I woke screaming loudly, flailing.
Devlin was beside me. He rolled over immediately and gathered me into his arms.
I was soaked with sweat and utterly terrified in the grip of my dream. I took a shuddering breath and let out another scream.
“You’re safe,” Devlin whispered soothingly. “I’ve got you, Sar. You’re safe.”
I began crying, sobbing in his arms. He stroked my hair, holding me tightly, murmuring again that I was safe. Finally, I slept again in his arms.
Again, I dreamed. I was tied to a chair, and Aspen was telling me again about having Theo every night in graphic details. I began screaming at her to shut up, and suddenly the dream switched to Theo
and me lying naked next to one another in the hotel bed, not speaking.
“You don’t love me,” he said, tears in his blue eyes. “Not really.”
“You know I love you,” I said, burrowing into his chest. “Make love to me.”
He kissed me softly, his mouth exploring mine. I kissed him back hard, and he groaned, slipping his tongue inside my mouth. I touched his with mine, and he pulled me on top of him, pushing my hips against his so I could feel him hard against me.
“Tell me you want me, Sar,” he said softly in my ear. “Tell me you want me inside you.”
“I always want you, Theo,” I said, kissing his neck. “Take me.”
He rolled over on me, kissing me hard. I put my hands on his face and ran them up into his hair. He reached down to caress my breasts possessively as I arched my back for him, the movement bringing our hips together. I felt his erect penis throbbing as he rubbed himself against me. He felt huge, and I couldn’t wait for him to enter me.
“Please,” I moaned, rubbing him with my hips. “Please.”
Theo began shaking, his breaths coming fast, so he was almost panting. I opened my mouth to ask him what was the matter, and then my words became sighs as I felt the edge of delicate fangs run up my throat, pressing lightly, but not breaking the skin. A rush of cool breath caressed on my throat, as lips kissed my scars.
Delicate fangs?
I awoke with a start, my eyes opening to look into eyes of molten gold above me. Devlin was on top of me, his naked body pressed to mine as he shifted his hips, rubbing his erection against me.
“Get off me!” I screamed, writhing.
Devlin laughed, holding me to the bed with ease. “Come on, Sar,” he said, the lust in his voice thick as tar. “I’ll let you call me Theo.”
He kissed me hungrily, and I bit him. He drew back, bleeding, the small tear closing immediately.
“Let me up,” I said hatefully.
“No.” Devlin pressed his body down against mine, rubbing on me again.
Tears from helplessness clouded my vision. “Get off me.”
Taken For His Own Page 22