A Vampire's Thirst_Adrian

by Monica La Porta

  Adrian’s deep chuckle echoed in her ear. “What about breakfast? If I recall correctly, our last feeding was as mind-numbing and earth-shattering, as you so colorfully put it.”

  “And lunch and dinner, too. I’m afraid there won’t be any eating that’s just eating with you,” Lavinia said, her blood warming up at the mere mentioning of feeding. “No ordinary life for me any longer,” she teased.

  “I’m sorry, my love,” he said without sounding sorry in the least. “But nobody has ever accused me of being ordinary.”

  “No, definitely not. You are a lot of things, but ordinary isn’t one of them,” Lavinia conceded. “You are elegant, sophisticated, worldly, handsome. You are every woman’s dream.”

  “I am only yours.” Adrian took her mouth and made her forget what she was going to say next.

  Several minutes later, he led her out of the shower and took his time to dry her with soft, lavender-scented towels. He then brushed her hair with gentle strokes, massaging her head until she arched against him, ready to purr her contentment.

  “Please, let me dress you,” he said when she went into the closet for a fresh change of clothes. The tenderness in his voice and gestures melted her heart.

  Noises from downstairs reminded Lavinia that they weren’t alone in the house. Rising on tiptoes, she kissed him. “I think the werewolf is awake.”

  With a smile, he sighed. “Time to get back to reality.”

  Lane and the Special Unit waited for them in the kitchen. A great ruckus came from inside the pantry. Three of the men had their rifles aimed at the fridge as the heavy appliance shook and rocked.

  “He’s been at it for a few minutes,” Lane said. “I’m almost tempted to let him dig his way out of there to see his face when he meets the rifle’s muzzle.”

  As much as Lavinia liked the idea of letting the werewolf tire himself, she wanted everyone out of the way even more. “I need to ask him a few questions.”

  “You heard my bloodmate,” Adrian said, pointing at the fridge.

  The detective commanded two of the men to remove the fridge Adrian had dragged all by himself. As soon as the trapdoor was free, the panel exploded in a shower of wooden splinters. The werewolf jumped out, and one of the Special Unit men shot him with a dart. The big man slumped against the back of the fridge, almost falling again into the chamber.

  At Lavinia’s frown, Lane pointed at the full moon still high in the sky and said, “Just a sedative to keep him calm.” He turned to the werewolf. “We are going to ask you a few questions.”

  The scarred werewolf looked at him with an unfocused gaze.

  “And you better answer them loud and clear before I lose my patience and let the Directive Special Unit have its way with you,” he finished.

  “Bring it on,” the werewolf spat with a grin.

  Lane didn’t waste any time. “Move him into the kitchen,” he commanded two of his men, who grabbed the Caliban wolf and threw him against the wall.

  A moment later, the two men picked him up again and pinned him to the table.

  “Who are you?” Lane asked.

  The werewolf didn’t answer. Instead, he spat in the detective’s direction.

  A third Special Unit agent came forward and hit the werewolf in the face with the butt of his rifle.

  “Is this the worst you can do?” the werewolf asked, laughing as blood drooled from his broken lip. One bloody tooth fell to the table.

  “Let’s try again,” Lane said. “Who are you?”

  Shrugging, the werewolf answered, “Raimondo Berlizzi.”

  A few more questions from the detective went unanswered, prompting the agent to hit the werewolf again.

  Lavinia? Adrian asked, stroking her arm. Do you still want to be present for this?

  No, I don’t, she answered truthfully. But I have a few questions to ask him and don’t want to wait. Out loud, she said, “Detective Lane, let me talk to him.”

  Lane nodded. “Of course.” He signaled for the man who was pummeling the werewolf’s face to stop. “It’s all yours,” he said to Lavinia.

  As she stepped forward, Adrian moved with her, his arm protectively around her shoulder.

  “What do you want with me?” Lavinia asked the scarred man.

  “Answer the lady,” Lane said.

  “The lady—the whore you mean.” Berlizzi’s cackle was interrupted by Adrian’s fist.

  He had moved so fast, Lavinia never noticed he’d left her side.

  “You show some respect to my bloodmate, or I swear I’ll kill you,” Adrian said in between punches.

  “Adrian,” Lane called a moment later. “Leave something for us to work on, please.”

  Adrian stopped and grabbed the werewolf by his hair. “You heard my bloodmate. Now talk.”

  Hatred filled Berlizzi’s gaze, but he finally answered, “Alpha Rainier has been looking for that bitch—”

  Adrian’s uppercut to the werewolf’s solar plexus silenced him.

  “You must have suicidal tendencies,” Lane commented, straddling a chair with a resigned expression.

  “Why is the Caliban alpha looking for me?” Lavinia asked.

  The man’s eyes cut to the side as if he couldn’t even bear to look at her.

  “Why is Rainier looking for me?” she asked once more.

  Berlizzi gave her the silent treatment.

  Adrian’s arm shot back and struck the werewolf’s chest so hard, ribs broke. “I won’t hold back the next time. If you don’t answer her, my fist goes straight through to your heart.” He slapped the man hard. “Understood?” Adrian hit him again, and this time the man nodded.

  “He wants his son back,” the werewolf said, finally looking at Lavinia.

  “What do I have to do with anything?” she asked.

  “Your father wouldn’t listen to reason and come back to the clan—”

  “So, Rainier thought that kidnapping me would do the trick,” Lavinia said, shivering.

  She shouldn’t have been surprised because she knew that her grandfather was a monster, but the truth was hard to swallow, nonetheless.

  “Once we were done with you, your father would’ve listened to your call for help—” The man couldn’t finish his sentence. Adrian silenced him with his fists.

  This time, Lane didn’t stop Adrian. Lavinia did.

  It’s enough.

  Adrian’s mind simmered with rage, but eventually, he looked up at her. Blinking, he raised his fists and stepped aside.

  The werewolf’s head lolled to the side, his facial traits unrecognizable.

  “I think we’ll have to wait before we can continue with the interrogation,” the detective said. “Go refresh yourself,” he said to Adrian, nodding at Lavinia.

  She placed a hand on Adrian’s arm and steered him out of the kitchen. They reached the master bathroom where she helped him out of his shirt and pants sprayed with the werewolf’s blood. Then, she turned on the shower jets for him before stripping and joining him under the steamy water. Rivulets of blood whirled at their feet as she gently washed him, and when the water ran clean, she hugged him tight.

  “I need you,” Adrian said, his body radiating anxious energy.

  “Take me,” she answered, turning to the stall wall and leaning forward.

  Planting a hand on the small of her back, he bent her lower and thrust into her, making her gasp. With his free hand, he reached around to fondle her breast before kneading her nipple into a hard peak. As he rocked against her faster and faster, he moved his hand between her legs and stroked her nub. She felt his hardness swell inside her channel, triggering her release. At her first spasm of pleasure, Adrian leaned to press his chest against her back, and his fangs pierced her neck. United in body and mind, they came together in a lustful frenzy that lasted several minutes as their orgasms fed each other in a loop.

  Afterward, Adrian turned Lavinia in his arms and cradled her.

  Thank you, he thought, for understanding what I needed. />
  She kissed him in response.

  39

  Adrian accompanied Lavinia downstairs when they heard voices in the kitchen.

  Berlizzi was awake and strapped to a chair. Two darts dangled from his thigh and arm, but the man still bucked against the restraints and spat when Lavinia entered the room.

  Hands already fisted, Adrian moved toward the werewolf before he even realized what he was doing. Lavinia’s gentle touch on his elbow stopped him.

  We need him alive. His testimony can bring down the Caliban Clan.

  Of course. He pulled her closer to him, and they moved to the opposite end of the kitchen, as far away from the werewolf as possible.

  “Did he say anything else?” Lavinia asked, looking at Mark.

  “Not yet, but I’m sure I can convince him it would be better if he talked to us,” Mark answered, his stare cold as he looked at the man.

  Although Berlizzi attempted to laugh, he looked more subdued than before. It was difficult to judge his expression after what Adrian had done to his face.

  “He’s looking at thirty years in a maximum-security jail at the moment,” Mark continued. “And it won’t take long to prove that he is behind Carolina’s murder as well. DNA doesn’t lie.”

  The man strained against the chair and managed to give Mark the finger. “Maximum security is like a nice vacation for me.”

  “I’ll make sure that you are thrown in vampire gen pop,” Mark said.

  The man tried to open his swollen eyelids to no avail. “I’m not a vampire—”

  “You are what I write you are in your transfer papers.” Mark crouched in front of the man. “Imagine. Thirty years among vampires. You know what they do to vampire assassins there?”

  “They won’t kill you. No, that would be merciful.” Adrian leaned against the wall, cradling Lavinia to his side. “They wait for the full moon when you are stronger, your senses are sharper, and you heal faster. They take time torturing you, cutting you piece by piece. They usually start with your manhood. They do that once a month, every month, for thirty years.”

  If he’s the one who killed Carolina, he deserves every bit of it, Lavinia thought.

  Adrian dropped a kiss on the top of her head.

  The werewolf shook. “You can’t put me in vampire gen. It’s against the law. I have rights—”

  “I represent the Directive, and I decide which race you belong to.” Mark turned toward his men. “What do you see here?” he asked them.

  “Looks like a vampire to me,” one of the agents answered.

  The others promptly agreed.

  “You can’t do that,” the werewolf said, sounding less and less sure as he repeated the words.

  “Practically done it already.” Mark patted the man’s thigh, making him tremble. “It’s a wrap, men. Let’s go. I need to be in Rome before dawn.”

  “Rainier ordered us to torture and kill the girl,” the werewolf said all in one breath.

  “Why?” Lavinia’s hands went to her stomach.

  Adrian felt her pain and wanted to kill the man for causing it, but Mark subtly shook his head at him.

  The werewolf grunted. “The Caliban Clan has been cleaning Rome from half-breeds and vampire lovers for a long time. That slut—” Mark jerked the dart on his thigh, making him moan in pain. “She,” he said, “was seen with both a vampire and a werewolf. We couldn’t permit that. The purity of our race—”

  “Spare us the racist propaganda,” Adrian said, sick to his stomach because Lavinia had had enough.

  “I discovered where you lived thanks to her,” the werewolf said, his gleeful intention to hurt Lavinia difficult to miss.

  Adrian was at the man’s side in a heartbeat. Before he could strike the werewolf, Lavinia asked, “What do you mean?”

  Adrian dropped his hands and stepped aside.

  Mark played with the dart once again. “Answer the lady.”

  “Rainier has been looking for his son for years, but we could never find him. When I smelled a she-wolf’s scent on that girl, I knew who she was right away, because you—” the werewolf’s nostrils flared, and he turned in Lavinia’s direction “—smell very much like a Caliban. I’ve been fighting for the beta position for years, and I knew that if I brought him his son, he would have finally seen that I am worthy of the position.”

  A moment of silence followed before Mark said, “We have enough to convict him.” He showed his phone to Adrian and turned off the recording app. “You have just confessed to the murder of Carolina Fini, attempted kidnapping of Lavinia Rossi, breaking and entering—” He listed all the werewolf’s counts before commanding his men to take him to the helicopter.

  After saluting Adrian and Lavinia, the Special Unit men filed out, dragging the werewolf by his arms.

  “What’s going to happen now?” Lavinia asked when only the three of them were left in the kitchen. “Do you have enough to put Rainier behind bars as well?”

  If they don’t, I’ll kill him myself, Adrian thought.

  Rome would be a better place without him, but he deserves to rot in a cell, Lavinia said, siding closer against him.

  “My recording will build a compelling case against him. Even the Wolf Council won’t be able to obtain an extradition. The Directive will see that the Caliban Clan and their alpha pay for the crimes committed under his orders,” Mark answered. “Contrary to popular belief, we don’t allow hate and racism to go unpunished.”

  “Good.” She nodded. “And since you’re at it, see that the Half-Breed Census is abolished, so that people like me don’t suffer racial profiling and constant harassment.”

  Mark smiled. “I’m on it already.”

  Lavinia finally relaxed her stance, and a genuine smile appeared on her tired face. “Thank you.”

  “The Directive is here to serve and protect.” Mark bowed, saluted them, and walked to the door. “You should come with me to speak with Collins, but we don’t have enough room in the helicopter. I’ll send it back tomorrow to give you a lift sometime after lunch.” He winked at Adrian. “I’ll see you in the afternoon at the Directive’s headquarters.”

  Adrian smiled at his friend. “We won’t be late.”

  He waited for Mark to leave before taking Lavinia in his arms and kissing her.

  It’s over, he said telepathically.

  Yes, it’s over. I can’t believe it.

  We can finally have our honeymoon. He scooped Lavinia up and walked out of the house.

  “Where are we going?” she asked, laughing.

  “To take a long swim in this beautiful sea where I have every intention to make love to you for hours,” he answered.

  “It’s a fantastic plan.” She brought his face close for a long kiss.

  Running all the way down to the beach, Adrian whirled her around, making her squeal in delight. “I love it when you laugh,” he said, and promised himself that he would make her laugh more often from now on.

  But first, he would make her moan and cry his name for the rest of the night and part of tomorrow.

  40

  The sun was already high in the sky when Lavinia waded in the shallow waters for a refreshing swim. She watched from the shore as Adrian ran to the house to grab some food for her. Gloriously naked, his powerful legs propelling him up the trail, he smiled at her before disappearing around the last bend.

  Lavinia sighed, wondering for the thousandth time if she was dreaming. True to his words, Adrian had kept her awake the entire night, and her body tingled all over from his passionate kisses and caresses. The sex marathon should have tired her, but she was full of energy instead. She dove into the Aegean Sea, kicking her legs fast. Immersed in the memories of Adrian’s expert touches, she swam further away from the sandy beach. Soon, the ocean cocooned her in its cool embrace, and the salty waters soothed her muscles.

  A shadow darkened the blue depths in front of Lavinia. Immediately after, the crystalline surface rippled, disturbed by a sudden gush of wind.
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  Lavinia! Adrian’s shout echoed in her mind. Swim to the other side of the bay. Now!

  Adrian … what’s wrong?

  Adrian didn’t answer her in words. Instead, his emotions filled her heart, overwhelming her senses. Fear and rage battled for supremacy.

  Unsettled, Lavinia looked up. A helicopter hovered over the stretch of sand that doubled as a landing strip.

  Hurry! A frantic tone laced Adrian’s order as he ran down the hill, cutting through the steeper side instead of following the path.

  Kicking her heels to change direction, Lavinia dove deeper and swam as fast as she could toward the beach.

  Lavinia! What are you doing? Adrian’s fear reverberated through her chest.

  I won’t abandon you, she answered, redoubling her efforts.

  Lavinia, please, do as I say and hide! His plea was full of anguish, but it didn’t break her resolve. If anything, his words fed her protective side with more fuel. A wolf never left her mate to fight for himself. And if anything happened to Adrian—

  Lavinia only emerged when her lungs burned for air. The helicopter had landed. When she broke the surface next, a large man strode across the beach. Running down the slope, Adrian jumped the last few meters and landed on the sand. He lunged at the man. Pushing her limits, she forced her arms and legs to cut the water faster and faster until she could barely breathe, and her eyes couldn’t see any longer.

  A powerful growl ripped the silence. Terror gripped her heart. She finally reached the shallow waters and dragged her tired limbs out onto the shore. She blinked once, twice, willing her sight to focus on the ensuing fight.

  Adrian punched his opponent, hitting him squarely in the solar plexus. The man staggered back, but immediately regained his stability and counterattacked, swinging his meaty fist at Adrian’s face. Adrian feigned at the last moment, avoiding the direct hit. The man’s frustration reverberated in the air like a disease, raising the hair on Lavinia’s arms.