Desire (Vampire Beloved Book 4)

by R. E. Butler

  “But you don’t have that power?” Avery asked.

  “I have it to a small degree,” Mishka said. “I can sense falsehoods, but not with the surety that you seem to. Could you discern the truth or just that she was lying?”

  Avery thought back to what Vivian had said. “I guess I just knew she was lying, but not exactly what the truth was.”

  “Maybe she can develop the power,” Harmony said. “She’s still fairly new to being changed.”

  “True,” Mishka said. He rubbed his chin. “Once you’re through the week, we’ll set up some tests to see how you react around humans. Traz said you’re doing well in feedings, not trying to take too much or being difficult, which is a good sign. Before I can allow you to be around Arissa or Angie, we’ll test your control with some shifter guards.”

  “I didn’t know there were shifters in the coven,” Avery said.

  “They work directly for Brone and help keep Arissa safe when she travels to the Wiccan coven’s store once a month to work,” Traz said. “There are two panthers and a wolf, plus the fallen angel, but no one would try to feed from him.”

  “Why? His blood taste bad or something?”

  “It’s not that, it’s simply that angels are heavenly beings and their blood doesn’t entice us,” Mishka said.

  Avery nodded. “Okay. So I can officially leave the chamber at sunset on Saturday when my week is up?”

  Mishka nodded, his golden gaze flickering to Traz. “As long as your beloved says it’s fine.”

  “Beloved? I’ve heard that term before. Is it the same as mate?”

  Mishka opened his mouth, but Harmony put her hand on his arm. “Perhaps we should leave that to Traz to explain.”

  “Good idea,” Mishka said. He rose to his feet and Harmony stood next to him. Traz and Avery stood, and she smiled when Harmony gave her a hug. “Welcome to the coven, and to the family.”

  “Thank you for being so kind to me,” she said.

  “Of course, it’s what we do for mates,” Harmony said. “After you’re released from the chamber, we can get together and hang out. I look forward to getting to know you.”

  “That would be great,” Avery said.

  “The trucks?” Mishka asked Traz.

  “They’re due to be delivered next Monday. The old trucks will be picked up and swapped for the new ones. There will be a contingent of males on hand to stand guard. We’ll shut down the factory from Saturday through Tuesday to prepare for the swap, then the SyBl deliveries will restart on Wednesday.”

  “Everything’s running according to plan then?”

  “Yes,” Traz answered.

  “Keep me apprised of any changes. I won’t expect to see you until Monday.”

  Traz nodded and gave Avery a smile. They said goodbye and left the office. Traz stopped in one of the other offices and said, “This is mine.” He closed the door and pulled his cell from his pocket. He typed on the screen and she heard the whooshing sound of a text being sent. A few moments later, there was an alert.

  “Do you remember I said there was something we could do tonight to pass the time?”

  “I remember suggesting sex,” she said.

  He narrowed his eyes. “Yes, you did, mayor of Gutter City.”

  “I can’t help it that you’re so damn handsome and I’m inexplicably drawn to you.”

  He moved close to her, his spicy scent filling her nose. “Trust me when I say it’s taking all my control not to make you mine in truth right now.”

  She liked the way his eyes got darker whenever he was turned on. She wondered if her eyes did that too.

  “Okay,” she said. “So if we’re not having sex yet, then what did you have in mind?”

  “A little training. Or I guess the term is testing.”

  She raised her eyebrows. “I will need more hints.”

  His phone pinged again, and he said, “Excellent. One of the training rooms is empty, so we’re going to go explore your powers. You’ve spent the last twenty-two years as a human, so you need a chance to get used to the way your body moves now. I wanted to make sure a room was empty so we could stretch out.”

  “Am I dressed okay for this?” she asked.

  “You look perfect,” Traz said, then opened the office door. “The reception desk is empty, so we can go through. You won’t run into anyone aside from vampires between here and there.”

  She nodded and followed him, excited when he took her hand and they walked together. It wasn’t like they were going on a date, but it still felt kind of romantic. He was taking her to a room to help her get used to being a vampire. She didn’t think she’d even been more turned on by a guy in her life.

  “Stop that,” he said once they were through the office and moving down a hall.

  “Stop what?”

  “Thinking sexy thoughts.”

  “Sorry, you’re the one who keeps denying all my sexy goodness. I can’t help it that you turn me on.”

  He nudged her with a smile. “You’re full of sexy goodness.”

  “You know it.”

  Their laughter filled the hall as they walked toward a training room. She had no idea what her powers would be like. It was strange to even think about having powers.

  A few days earlier she’d been human. Now she was more. Other. Supernatural. It was heady to think about and also a little scary to consider. There were things she’d never get to do again—eat a cheeseburger, sit on the beach on a sunny day, see her sister.

  But she got Traz for eternity. At least once they actually became mates.

  She couldn’t wait.

  Chapter Ten

  Traz took off his boots and Avery followed suit. He walked onto the center of the foam mat that covered the floor and rolled his neck. “Vampire powers. Some are naturally strong right away, some have to be honed. Generally speaking, a new vampire is stronger and faster than they were as a human. Some vampire lines are super strong or extremely fast. Brone’s line was pretty much made for war—the males are huge, with purple eyes and double fangs. Brone was stronger once he was turned. But after a thousand years as a vampire, he’s fairly unbeatable.”

  “Our line?” Avery asked as she bounced on the balls of her feet.

  “We’re strong and fast. Mishka is faster than Brone. Not that they’ve ever raced or anything, but I’ve seen them both fight and Mishka moves fast. Since I’m of his line, I’m faster too. And you should be as well.”

  “Should be but maybe not?”

  “Well, you’ve got the whole lie detector thing going on,” he said. “We’ll see about testing that out tomorrow night. For now, I want you to run at me.”

  He moved to the far side of the room. She looked at him like he’d sprouted horns.

  “Run at you how?”

  “Just run, full tilt. I want to see how fast you are. You might not be able to stop yourself if you’re going all out, so running at me ensures that I can stop you before you bury yourself in the wall.”

  “Won’t it hurt if I just slam into you?”

  “I’ll be fine,” he promised.

  Damn, she looked adorable. She pulled her hair into a high ponytail with a stretchy band she had on her wrist. She rolled her neck and flexed her fingers, then crouched like a sprinter, her eyes focused on him.

  “Ready for me?” she asked.

  “Absolutely.”

  She took off, her feet digging into the mat as she sprinted across the room. She was quick and going too fast to stop herself as he’d suspected. He caught her in his arms and spun away from the wall so her momentum didn’t carry them through the plaster. She grunted when they impacted, and he chuckled as he held her close for a moment until she relaxed in his arms.

  “Wow,” she said. “Tell me I couldn’t win a gold medal in a race.”

  “Quick,” he said, “like I thought you would be. The question is, can you stop yourself from crashing into something when you’re running all out?”

  “Let’s see.”
>
  She moved away from him, back to the other side of the room. She took off again, but this time, she tried to stop. She planted her feet and then tipped forward, her arms pinwheeling as her momentum continued to carry her forward. He caught her before she fell and set her back on her feet.

  “Try it again, but this time lean back as you stop, not forward.”

  “Got it.”

  She tried again, nearly fell, but righted herself. He applauded her desire to keep going, keep practicing until she got it right. She was determined to run fast and stop when and where she wanted. After two hours, she’d mastered stopping. They moved onto testing her strength, and she’d been adorable as she lifted various weights and cheered herself on.

  “Ah, this is too much!” she said, the four-hundred-pound stack of weights on the bar lifting some from where it rested on the floor. She grunted in frustration and then pushed it instead, rolling it forward a few inches. “Ha! Success.”

  He snorted. “Only if you’re measuring how far you can push it.”

  “Well, how much can you lift?” She straightened and put her hands on her hips.

  “I haven’t tried lifting anything with numbers on it in a long, long time.” He squatted, picked up the barbell, and straightened. It was heavy for sure, but he wasn’t expending too much energy. He enjoyed seeing her eyes go wide and scenting her arousal as she eyed his muscles. Setting the barbell on the floor, he said, “How do you feel?”

  “Good. Not sore or winded or sweating. It’s weird.”

  “Being a vampire has its benefits.”

  “Clearly.”

  She helped him take the barbell apart and put everything away. “I’ve been thinking,” she said.

  He held out his hand and she took it, moving close to him. “About what, sweetheart?”

  “My sister.”

  “What about her?” They walked out of the training room and headed down a back hallway, ensuring the office was still empty so they could get to the elevator without Avery being tempted by the mates.

  “I think I should tell her what happened.”

  He pushed the elevator button and turned to face her. “Wait, I thought you two were estranged? But, if you want to, you should. How do you think she’ll react?”

  “Probably badly.” Avery tucked a lock of hair behind her ear and sighed.

  They entered the elevator and headed one floor down. Once they were inside their chamber, she sat on the bed and looked at him. Her shoulders were drooped, her mouth turned down.

  “Why do you think she’d not take the news well?”

  “Remember when I told you she wanted me to join her church? Well, it’s an anti-vampire one, The First Church of Humanity. They should really call it The First Church of Assholes, because that’s the only sort of people who seem to join up with them.”

  “I didn’t realize she was associated with them.” He looked troubled for a moment.

  “My sister’s part of them and she wanted me to join, but I refused,” she said. “So, now that you have a better idea as to what my sister’s about, would you tell her?”

  “If I had a relative who hated what I’d become?” he mused for a moment. “Yes. It would be better for her to hear it from me, regardless of how she reacted, than for her to wonder what happened to me or find out some other way. You should prepare for the worst though. But hope for the best.”

  Avery nodded, chewing her bottom lip. “The best-case scenario would be if she decided she didn’t hate vampires, and this was the start of a whole new relationship for us.” She was quiet for a moment, and then she snorted. “I don’t think that will happen.”

  “Why does she hate vampires?”

  Traz was always curious what drove humans to hate their kind. No matter the reasons, many seemed to take it to extremes. If a vampire harmed them, they hated all vampires. It was a shame that humans held a whole species accountable for the actions of one.

  “Daria never really trusted vampires, or any supernatural creatures. Where we grew up, anything that was different was frowned upon. Her husband, Jerry, is an anti-vampire fanatic. When she met him, she changed from just distrusting vampires to wishing they were wiped off the face of the earth. Remember, a little while ago, when the Cleveland branch of the church was raided by police and shut down?”

  He nodded.

  “She and Jerry were on vacation. Otherwise, they would have been swept up in the raid. When I saw the news, I called her cell, and she said they were happy they’d taken a break. She said the church members who brought the police to their secret location were under some kind of spell. Did you know that they killed themselves in jail?”

  Traz nodded. The family had closely followed the news for any information on the church members from the raid. “We didn’t know there were any church members still left after the raid.”

  “I think it’s because they don’t keep any real records of members. They have small meetings. A month ago, she invited me to a fundraiser which was really a new member outreach meeting. She totally lied to me about it. Anyway, it’s where she introduced me to Vince and I went out on a date with him to appease my sister. What an ass he was. He bragged that he was a bodyguard for the number two guy in the church. When I asked Daria about it, she told me Vince got reprimanded. They’re not supposed to talk publicly about church members to non-church members.”

  “The number two guy—do you mean Jason Finnegan’s brother, Sean?”

  “Vince didn’t say, but I overheard Daria and Jerry talking about it, so that’s my impression. If Vince is Sean’s bodyguard, he’s somewhere in Cleveland. Daria wanted me to meet Sean, but I had to join the church first and I refused.”

  Traz rubbed his chin in thought. “Do you mind if I tell Mishka about your connection to the church through your sister?”

  She lifted one shoulder in a shrug. “Not at all, tell him if you want to.”

  “Thank you. For now, do you want to call your sister?”

  She looked at the clock on the nightstand. “It’s too late. I’ll call her just before dawn.”

  Traz and Avery moved to the couch and spent the next several hours talking about the coven, the businesses, and what it meant to be part of the family. All the while, his mind spun over her connection to the church. He needed to talk to Mishka about it, because it could be a way for them to figure out where Sean hid himself. If they discreetly followed her sister, she or her husband might lead them to where he was. They could take out Jason’s number two male, which would be a severe blow to the organization.

  As dawn approached, Avery fed from a middle-aged male who was a bit chatty for his taste—spent the entire time Avery’s fangs were embedded in his wrist sharing about his business and teenage children. When she finished feeding, Avery leaned out the door into the hall and said in a low voice to Cella, “He’s a motormouth. Can you strike him off my list of people I like to feed from?”

  Cella grinned and made a note in a tablet. “You bet. I’ve talked to him about it, but he won’t shut up. I’m not sure if it’s nerves or that he just doesn’t know when to be quiet.”

  “Thanks.”

  Her second feeding was a young woman. She closed the wound on the woman’s wrist and thanked her.

  “How do you feel?” Traz asked.

  Avery looked thoughtful. “I feel full.”

  “Good,” he said.

  Cella said, “Would you be interested in switching jobs when you’re ready to come back to work?”

  “Switch to what job?” Avery asked.

  “Food manager.”

  “Wow,” Avery said. She didn’t know much about the job, except that Cella handled the interviews and recruitment of humans to be paid food in the club and dealt with their schedules.

  “I mean, unless you want to keep working at the coat check. I just think it would be a great position for you.”

  Avery looked at Traz and he gave her an encouraging smile. “I’d like that.”

  “We can ta
lk more about it, and when you’re ready to come back to work, you can shadow me and see what it’s like.”

  “Sounds good, thanks.”

  “You bet.”

  Avery said goodbye and shut the door. “That was neat.”

  “I don’t want to push you one way or the other, but I’d like it if you weren’t doing coat check anymore. It’s too public. The food manager office is back in the safety of the coven’s offices.”

  She nodded. “I thought that’s why you looked happy. I’m okay with changing jobs. It sounds like fun.”

  She pulled her phone from her pocket and let out a deep sigh. She sat on the couch and said, “Don’t get upset if I cry.”

  “Vampires can’t shed tears, just so you know.”

  “Really? That’ll be weird.”

  “One of those strange vampire traits.”

  “I guess so. No heartbeat. No tears. I’m not a zombie, right?”

  “Zombies don’t cry?” he asked.

  She grinned. “If I ever meet one, I’ll ask.”

  Avery put the phone on speaker and it rang twice before a woman answered. “Avery? I thought you didn’t want to talk to me again.”

  “It’s true that I didn’t care for what you were saying about my job and the people I work for, but I didn’t call to rehash the argument. My situation’s changed, and I wanted to tell you myself.”

  “Okay. So what’s up?”

  Avery blinked rapidly a few times and then said, “The wolf you yelled at the last time we were together tried to kill me.”

  “What? Are you okay?”

  “I am now. But it’s the reason I wanted to call.”

  “You’re not trying to blame me for him attacking you, right? I mean, you’re the one who dated an animal. You had to expect something awful might happen to you.”

  Traz’s mouth fell open. Was Daria really blaming Avery for what happened?

  Avery grimaced. “I’m not blaming you. Jasper was unbalanced. You certainly didn’t help me out by telling him off, but he was bound to do something drastic at some point.”