Blood Betrayal (Deathless Night Series Book 4)

by L. E. Wilson

  But no matter how hard he strained towards it, he couldn’t bring himself to go over the edge. Tears escaped his closed eyes even though he was squeezing them tight. He needed to stop her. She was killing him. He opened his eyes and his mouth to tell her to stop…

  Sliding her hand up his stomach and across his chest as she sucked him off, she bent her hand back and exposed her wrist to him. Christian’s eyes latched onto the blue veins pulsing beneath her translucent skin. With an animalistic growl, he grabbed her hand in his and sank his fangs so far into her he nearly hit bone. Her blood hit his throat just as her teeth scraped up the sides of his cock, and then bit him just underneath the swollen head.

  With a roar, he came violently in her mouth, and she took it all. Every last drop. And then she licked him a bit more, just to be sure.

  When his heart started up again, he pulled out his fangs and sealed her wounds. Reaching down, he grabbed her under the arms and pulled her up to lie across his body. He held her gently as he caught his breath and came back to his senses, rubbing the soft skin on her back over and over.

  Holy. Fucking. Shit.

  Chapter 22

  “Ryan? What’s wrong? What’s the matter?”

  They’d been lying in bed, enjoying the feel of being skin to skin. But the more time that went by, the more Christian sensed that something was wrong.

  She shook her head and refused to look at him. “I’d like to take a shower. I smell like a damn hospital.”

  “You smell wonderful,” he argued. “But a shower sounds great. Maybe I’ll join you?”

  “Um, well, I was kind of hoping to have some time,” she started to say.

  Kissing her on the forehead, he cut her off. “How about if I go find us some clean clothes while you do that. I can get cleaned up when I get back.”

  She smiled up at him gratefully. “Okay. Thank you.”

  Rolling off the bed, he grabbed his jeans and slid them on. He wasn’t sure what was going on with her, but he didn’t want to bully her into telling him. He wanted her to tell him on her own. Once he was dressed, he took her face in his hands and waited until she met his eyes. “Do NOT leave this room or unlock that door for anyone. Understand? I won’t be far. I think I saw a place just down the street that had clothing.”

  “Okay,” she said.

  He narrowed his eyes. “I mean it, Ryan. Not for anyone. And don’t even think about running. I will find you, no matter where you go. Please,” he added.

  “I promise,” she told him. And he believed her. But he’d hurry, just in case.

  “I’ll be right back.” With one last kiss on her cupid-bow lips, he locked her in the room and took off at vamp speed to the little store he’d seen on their way here.

  He was so distracted with thoughts of his female that it took him a while to realize how amazing he felt. Like, really fucking amazing. Normally, he’d already be jonesing for another female. But not now. Even though he’d only orgasmed once, and only had a small amount of her blood, he was completely satiated. Amazing.

  Arriving at the store right before they closed, he picked out some new clothes for himself and some drawstring shorts and a tee shirt for Ryan that would bring out the blue in her eyes. He even grabbed her some underthings and a new pair of sandals that looked a lot more comfortable than the ripped up flaps of leather she was wearing now. Taking his stuff to the counter, he let her ring up his purchases and then “suggested” to the clerk that he’d already paid. With a smile of thanks, he took his bag and left.

  The smell of a nearby restaurant reminded him that humans needed to eat, and he made one last stop for a to-go order. Racing back up to the hotel, he let himself in with the key. Ryan was still in the shower.

  Laying the food on the dresser and the bag of clothes on the bed, he walked over to the door. His hearing being what it was, he could hear every distinct drop of water. He could also hear that she was crying and was trying to do it quietly so he wouldn’t hear her.

  His heart dropped in his chest. Knocking on the door to announce his presence, he let himself in. “Ryan. What’s wrong? Why are you crying?” Leaning against the wall just outside the shower, he watched her through the white curtain. “Ryan, please talk to me.”

  Her hands were pressed over her ears as she sobbed. She whispered something about, “They’re back.”

  Taking off his boots and quickly stripping out of his clothes, he stepped in behind her. Her gorgeous hair was plastered to her thin back, and he was glad he’d gotten her some food. She needed to eat more. He covered her hands with his and gently pulled them away from her ears. Turning her around to face him, he asked her, “Who’s back?” He noticed that she watched his mouth when he spoke.

  She raised swollen, teary eyes to his. “The voices.” Then she laughed, but not in a happy way. “I guess I should’ve warned you.” Closing her eyes, she cringed away from him.

  “Warned me about what?” She didn’t answer, so he got her attention by tipping her face up to his with a finger under her chin, then he repeated what he’d said. “Warned me about what, she’ashil?”

  “That I’m crazy. Schizophrenic,” she clarified. Her voice was quiet in spite of the loudness she must be hearing to warrant her covering her ears. “I think. I hear them all the time, and right now they’re screaming at me.”

  “What are they saying?”

  “I don’t know.” She sobbed anew. “They all talk at once, and I don’t know what they’re saying.”

  “Well, tell them to shut the fuck up.”

  She half laughed, half cried, her eyes on his lips as she tried to read what he was saying. “What?”

  “Like you did at the park. Remember? That is who were telling to shut up, wasn’t it?”

  She looked at him like he was either the smartest man she’d ever met, or just as insane as she was. Then she screamed, “Shut up! Just shut up! Leave me alone!”

  He waited, watching as her tears gradually slowed and then stopped all together. “Well?” he asked. “Did it work?”

  “Yes,” she whispered, like she was afraid of getting their attention again. “Yes, I think it did.”

  “Good!” He smiled. “Now we can talk.”

  Frowning up at him, she asked, “Why aren’t you running away from the crazy bitch in your shower?”

  “Why aren’t you running from the scary vampire in yours?” he retaliated.

  “But that’s different,” she insisted.

  “How so?”

  “You may be a vampire, but at least you’re sane. If you were running around talking to people that only existed in your head, maybe I wouldn’t be so eager to stick around.”

  “Really? Not even for my mind-blowing kisses?” And to prove his point, he leaned down and took her mouth with his until she was moaning and leaning into him, her full breasts pressed against his bare chest. His cock rose to full attention and he could feel her heart pounding. What was he saying? Oh, yeah. “Besides,” he murmured against her lips. “I don’t think they’re all in your head.”

  It took her a moment to catch up. She pulled away just slightly. “What do you mean?”

  Christian ran his fingers over what was left of a lingering bruise on her shoulder. He was very glad he hadn’t seen her when she’d first arrived at the hospital. Seeing her all banged up like that would’ve killed him. Just imagining it was bad enough.

  “Christian? What do you mean you don’t think they’re all in my head? Can you hear them?”

  She looked so hopeful, he hated to tell her. “No, I can’t hear them. But I’ve felt them.”

  “What do you mean?”

  Finding the small bottle of shampoo the hotel provided, he poured some into his palm and then spread it through her long hair. As he washed, he talked. “Do you remember anything from the day you let me out of that room at the club?”

  “Sort of. I was kind of out of it.”

  “You were high as a kite,” he corrected without accusation. And then a thou
ght occurred to him, and it all started to make sense. “Is that why you do it? The heroin? Does it help with the voices?”

  She’d closed her eyes as he’d rubbed her scalp, and though she didn’t answer him, a single tear slipped from underneath her lowered lashes. That was enough of an answer for him. Guiding her head back until her hair was under the water, he rinsed the shampoo from the long strands. When he was finished, he unwrapped the bar of soap and grabbed a washcloth from outside the shower.

  He kept his voice low and soothing as he washed the tear stains from her face. “When you let me out of that room, I’d been in there for weeks. I was starving, and completely jazzed up from watching you dance every day. You can’t imagine the torture that was for me.”

  “Because you’re a vampire?”

  “Yeah, kind of. And when you let me out, I was so scared that I wasn’t going to be able to control myself. I was so thirsty. I hadn’t fed in all that time.” He decided to leave out the sex-starved part. She didn’t need to know that about him. “I was afraid I would kill you. That’s why I kept telling you to get away from me.”

  She stood still and let him wash her while she listened. “You came after me.”

  “I tried, but something, or some things, threw me off of you. And thank the gods they did, or I really don’t know what might have happened.”

  She seemed to consider that for a minute. Taking the washcloth from his hand, she took over her bath as he washed his hair. Leaning forward, he rinsed the spiky strands of his grown out crew cut and opened his eyes to find her staring at the curtain with a bemused expression on her face.

  “What is it?” he asked.

  “You really think that something threw you off of me? Like, you felt it?”

  “I did. And it happened again when you ran away from me at the park. I could feel the hands on me, holding me there so I couldn’t chase after you. I don’t think you’re crazy, I think you’re hearing the voices of some sort of…entities the rest of can’t hear or see.”

  “Like ghosts?”

  “Yeah, something like that.” Finishing up, he shut off the water and handed her a towel, then grabbed one for himself. “One thing’s for sure, they’re very protective of you.”

  “Then why are they trying to land me in an asylum?”

  One half of his mouth lifted up in a smile. “I sincerely doubt that’s their main objective. They’re probably just communicating the only way they know how.”

  She was quiet as she dried off and wrapped the towel around herself. He left her to her thoughts and went out to the main room to get her clean clothes. Dropping his towel, he slipped on his new jeans and then walked barefoot and shirtless back to the bathroom to show her what he’d gotten her. “I hope they’re the right size. I just kind of guestimated.”

  Her eyes wandered down his naked torso and the strong scent of her arousal rose in the air around them. His cock instantly responded, but he’d be a bastard and a half to jump on her again already. She needed to eat, and rest. She looked exhausted. He held the bag closer to her and she reached out and took it from him.

  “I’m sure they’ll be fine. Thank you.”

  “There’s some food out here for you too when you’re done.”

  “Okay.”

  He wanted to stand right where he was and watch her drop that towel, but he didn’t dare. Instead he cleared his throat awkwardly and went back to the other room. Ryan joined him a few minutes later. The clothes he’d gotten for her fit well. Waving his hand towards the food he’d laid out on the small table, he said, “Sit. Eat.”

  “Thank you for the clothes,” she told him as she practically ran over to the food. “You guestimated well.”

  “You’re very welcome.” He watched her dig into the rice, and his chest filled with a self-satisfied pride that he was able to provide for her. But as he watched her scarf down the food, the unpleasant thought occurred to him that she probably hadn’t eaten in a while. “When was the last time you had a decent meal?”

  She was quiet a moment as she chewed. “Honestly? I don’t really know. A year? They only gave us some kind of mush at the club.”

  “And drugs. They gave you drugs.”

  She stopped chewing and peeked up at him before averting her eyes. “Yeah.” Sticking her fork into the food, she took another big bite.

  “To keep you complacent.”

  It wasn’t a question, he was actually kind of talking to himself, but she answered anyway. “That, and to keep me from acting like a total nut job in front of the customers.”

  Christian moved behind her and started running his fingers through her hair, separating the strands and finger-combing the knots out. He wished he’d thought to grab a brush or a comb for her. “You know it wasn’t just heroin they were giving you, right?”

  “How do you know?” she asked. “And I can do that. I just wanted to eat first.”

  “I love your hair,” he told her. “And I like to play with it. I’ve wondered how it would feel for a long time.” Plus, he just liked feeling a connection with her. Something he didn’t want to look at too closely right now. “But if it bothers you, I can stop.”

  She stilled, and then shook her head, and he resumed playing with the heavy mass while he answered her first question, “I got a taste of your blood when you let me out. I could taste the cocktail they were giving you.” His voice dropped. “I am really sorry if I frightened you, Ryan. Great way to repay your kindness, huh?”

  She shrugged it off and picked up the can of soda he’d gotten for her.

  Clearing his throat, he went on, “I’ve tasted all kinds of heroin before, and your blood definitely had something else in it. And it wasn’t your usual add-in. It was almost like a combination of heroin, coke, and ecstasy or something.” He paused. “Do you know what it was? It kind of worries me that they were shooting you up with who knows what.”

  She stopped with the soda can tilted halfway to her mouth and turned in her chair to look up at him. He sat down on the edge of the bed so she didn’t have to crank her neck back like that.

  “Why do you care?” she asked. She didn’t sound angry or uncomfortable, just genuinely curious. “Like, really. Why does it matter? So I danced for you a few times. We were both stuck in that shithole. I did what I had to do, and so did you. I can even understand why you tracked me down like you did. I dick-teased you for weeks, and you wanted to have sex with me. Well, now you have…sort of…and that’s out of your system. So what’s the deal? Why do you care?”

  “There’s another vampire after you…” he began.

  “That’s not the reason,” she told him. “If that was the reason, you could just lock me up in a church or a salt circle or wherever was safe and go after him yourself. Instead, you’re here making sure I eat and combing out my hair for me. Even my fucked up head isn’t scaring you away. What’s the deal, Christian?”

  What was the deal? He heaved a heavy sigh as his shoulders slumped forward in defeat. “Damned if I know,” he finally admitted. “All I know is I want to be near you. I want to help you. Is that okay?”

  She studied him for a long moment, and in her turquoise blue eyes, so like the stones that reminded him of his heritage, he thought he saw a brief flare of something akin to hope, but it was gone so fast he couldn’t be sure.

  “Yeah, that’s okay.” And then she turned around and started eating again.

  Chapter 23

  Shea paced the small room she’d been stuck in for the past weeks, then went over and flopped down sideways onto the bed. The raven, Cruthú, was with her as usual. The silly bird had been her only company for the majority of the time she’d been here. Jesse had been scarce since their last conversation, when he’d informed her that she couldn’t leave and left her huddled in the corner. She could count the number of times she’d seen her captor on one hand since then. He came by every few days to check on her and escort her to the underground spring to bathe if she wished. He always stepped just outside of
the room while she did so, and then took her back to his room. Once assured that she didn’t need anything else, he would stride off down the tunnel. He never stayed with her. Didn’t he ever sleep?

  Something stabbed at her diamond stud earring and she frowned at the bird. “Stop it. I know it’s all sparkly and pretty and hard to resist, but you’re gonna swallow it. And that can’t be good for you.”

  Cruthú squawked in disagreement, but started playing with her hair instead. She liked to run the long strands through her beak, and Shea had to admit that she didn’t mind it. However, she was seriously about to start wrecking the place if she had to sit here one more minute. She was bored out of her skull. Jesse hadn’t been down here in days.

  And she was getting thirsty.

  Cruthú suddenly released her hair and flew over to perch on the edge of the dresser closest to the door. Cocking her silky black head, she watched the door with one beady eye. Shea joined her and pressed her ear to the door. She could hear the steady tread of Jesse’s boots coming down the passageway. Her mouth began to water and her fangs shot down as his scent preceded him. Gods, he smelled so good. Retreating to the bed, she perched on the edge and rubbed her face, trying to get it under control before he entered the room.

  His footsteps, so far away just a second ago, suddenly sounded just outside the room. Shea and Cruthú both held their breath as the knob turned and a cloaked figure entered the room, shutting the door firmly behind him. But unlike the silly bird, who flapped and squawked happily until he presented his arm for her to perch on, Shea’s heart pounded for a reason other than excitement.

  “Hello, my friend,” he told Cruthú as she hopped up his arm to rub her head against his jaw. “I’ve missed you too. Thank you for keeping Shea company.” Flapping her wings, she scolded him for leaving her for so long nonetheless, or at least that’s what it sounded like to Shea. Apologizing profusely, he rubbed her under her feathers and ducked his head until she was under his hood with him. He spoke quietly to her, soothing her and thanking her some more until she settled.