by Betty Legend
“Take cover. You don’t want to be around for the end of this.” Rubbing his finger over the rune, the blade expands, fire blazing from its shiny metal. “Go,” he demands.
Taking cover behind a vehicle, I listen to the sounds of shouting, grunting, and curses. A black SUV, similar to the one I saw Kristo and his family get out of earlier, parks with a squeal of the breaks, and three vampires rush out of it. It isn’t long before the shouts, grunts, and curses fade away to an eerie silence. A figure steps around the corner of the vehicle, and my hands go up, ready to release magic, but seeing Griffin disheveled and breathing hard lowers them. He crouches down, putting his arms around me.
“Stay here with me,” he insists. Kissing my temple, he holds me tight to him. “You did amazing.”
“What’s going on?”
“Things we don’t want you to see.”
There’s a cut on his arm, the blood dripping onto his shorts and my pants. Taking hold of his arm, I hold my palm over it, releasing the energy of my healing earth magic. As soon as his wound heals, he breathes lighter and kisses me.
“Thank you.”
Killian emerges naked, blood dappled on his bare chest. “We’re ready to go inside.”
Griffin takes my hand, pulling me up with him. On the other side of the car, the men are crowded together, the fog still offering concealment. There’s no evidence of any men in the parking lot or their weapons. There’s no need to ask what happened to their bodies. I have a strong inclination they were burned to ash, their weapons somehow destroyed or hidden.
Griffin releases his magic, and the exit door opens. Emeric and Cyrus already have their magic swirling in their hands as we near the door. Three new vampires, both in black and wielding guns with silencers, step through the door first.
“Clear,” they call out.
We continue, except Emeric and one of the vampires, who guard the exit door. The men keep me between them as we follow a corridor that leads to a stairwell. Following it down, we reach the bottom and are accosted by the scent of burnt skin, vomit, and things I can’t identify.
The two vampires in the front do a sweep of the room as I rush to the cell that holds Phoenix.
“Phoenix!”
Lying on the dirty cement floor, he doesn’t respond. His skin is unnaturally white, with parts burned and blistered. His breathing is labored, his lips chapped and bleeding. My heart aches, my fear tightening my shoulders, sweat dampening my palms.
“Phoenix, can you hear me?” My voice tremors.
“We need to get him out. Now,” Kristo orders.
He and Leo move into what looks like a control room while Killian and Cyrus examine the cell and the bright electrical wires wrapped around it.
“Don’t touch it,” Cyrus warns everyone. “The wires are hot and high voltage.”
“Look out!” The voice of one of the vampire’s shouts.
Two Holy Accolades burst out of a closet in the control room. One puts a blade to Leo’s throat, and before Kristo or the others can reach him, the blade is swiped across his neck. Leo’s eyes widen as his hands reach up to the gushing wound. Kristo erupts in anger, tearing the head from the man, while the vampire who shouted puts a bullet into the other Accolade. Running into the control room, I place my hands over Leo’s neck, but he’s already fading, his skin turning ashen. Pushing energy toward the wound, I concentrate hard, but it doesn’t heal.
Kristo grabs my hands and pulls them away.
“It’s too late,” he growls. “My son is gone.”
Stare growing cold, his thoughts are far away as he closes Leo’s eyes. Tears well in mine as I watch his jaw tighten and the pain in his eyes grow.
“Get Phoenix out of there,” he orders.
One of the vampires examines the computer, then after a couple of minutes, the cell door opens. I run back to it, but Killian takes hold of me, keeping me away from the door.
“Wait, sweetheart. Let us enter first.”
The bright wires around the cell go out, then Griffin and Cyrus enter, followed by the two vampires in black. When they touch Phoenix, he barely seems to register it. His weak limbs dangle in their arms.
“He needs blood,” One of the vampires says. “A lot of it, now.”
“He can have mine. He’ll heal faster,” I tell them.
Kristo gives an approving nod. Griffin frowns, his forehead wrinkling.
“I’ll give him blood first.”
“No,” Kristo demands. “He needs her blood.”
They lay Phoenix down on his back. One of the vampires raises his lip to examine his fangs. Above the sharp pointed teeth, his gums are a purplish-black.
“He’s dying. There’s no time to argue.”
Dropping down, I put out my wrist. The vampire takes hold of it, bites into it, then holds it over Phoenix’s lips and squeezes. I grimace from the small amount of pain, but I’m far more anxious for Phoenix to recover. The blood dribbles over his lips, onto his teeth and tongue, reaching his throat.
“Drink,” the vampire demands.
Phoenix blinks, his Adam’s apple bobbing. The vampire squeezes out more blood, and Phoenix groans, his hand rising slowly to take hold of my wrist. At first, his grip is frail, but after bringing my wrist to his lips and sucking, his grip grows stronger, his skin less snow-like. The wounds on his arms begin to heal, the skin losing its blisters and forming fresh skin. Gripping my arm in a strong hold, he keeps me held to him, his sucking now feverish.
“Phoenix,” I cry out.
Grabbing me by the neck, he pulls me down to him, but Killian growls behind me, yanking me from Phoenix’s hold. Phoenix lunges for me, but Killian slams his hand on Phoenix’s, leaving claw marks.
“Enough,” Killian snarls.
“Never enough,” Phoenix snaps, his eyes wild.
Griffin releases his magic, holding Phoenix from reaching us. Phoenix appears healed on the outside, but his mind is seemingly lost. Attacking, his eyes dead-locked on me and snarling, Phoenix fails to pierce Griffin’s magical barrier.
“What’s wrong with him?”
“He’s been starved for too long. The bloodlust has driven him mad.” Kristo shares, his lips pressing tight into a grimace. “He’ll need time to recover. I’ll take him to my home.”
The vampire who bit into my arm withdraws a syringe from inside his vest. He looks to Kristo for approval.
“Lower the barrier,” Kristo orders Griffin.
“What are you doing?” I ask, clutching my aching wrist.
Griffin releases the magic barrier, and Phoenix lunges. Killian thrusts an arm out, grasping Phoenix by the throat as the vampire stabs the needle into Phoenix’s shoulder. His eyes roll back, and he collapses into the vampire’s arms.
“We’ll take it from here,” Kristo assures us. “Go home. Get some rest. We’ll be in touch.”
“I don’t want to leave him.” My racing heartbeat aches in my chest. “We just got him back.”
Kristo tilts his chin, and the vampires gather Phoenix and Leo’s bodies.
“If I let him go with you, he might kill you.” Kristo caresses my cheek, his expression empathetic. “What good is that when you’re meant to bond with one another?”
“Selene,” Killian’s voice breaks through my internal struggle. “Let him go for now.”
CHAPTER ELEVEN
PHOENIX
The constant thirst is too much. In and out of sleep, I yearn for more of her blood. Each time my lids close, her image fills my mind—my cock deep inside her as I drain her of her rich, decadent lifeblood. Snapping out of my latest dream, my skin is tight and dry, my urge to feed dragging me from bed. In a new cage within the walls of Kristo’s home, I growl as I wait for my daily feeding. Like a caged animal, they keep me against my will, feeding me in numbered portions throughout the day. My body yearns for more, but it’s never enough—it’s not hers.
The click of the locks sound outside the metal door. Three vampires enter, with Kristo follow
ing behind. The moment they hand me the warm glass of blood, my lips cover the rim, and drink until it’s empty.
“How many days have you kept me in here?”
“It’s been three weeks.”
Time has elapsed in a fuzzy blur of pain and thirst.
“Have you spoken to her?”
Kristo motions for them to lock the door. The three of them stand guard as Kristo takes watchful steps to one of the black and teal chairs.
“Sit,” he orders me.
With a grimace, I join him, sitting in an identical chair next to his. In front of me, I set the empty glass on the small, wooden coffee table.
“She asks about you often, so I give her frequent reports.”
Glancing down, the odor of my clothing reaches my nostrils and my lip curls. I’m in desperate need of a shower.
“What have you told her?”
“That you’re healing.”
“That’s a lie.”
“It’s all in the perspective.” Kristo splays his fingers in the air. “You’re no longer pacing the room like a rabid, caged beast. You’re having a civil conversation with me, aren’t you?”
“Begrudgingly.”
Kristo’s thin mouth curls. “You’re still tempered and hungry?”
“Yes.”
“Can you control yourself to feed from a human without killing them?”
I lick my lips at the thought of piercing flesh and having the warmth of fresh blood on my tongue.
“Yes.”
“Mmm.” Kristo’s gaze narrows. “I’m not convinced, but we’ll try. I have a woman downstairs for you.” He points to his vampire security team. “After you shower and change, they’ll escort you into the entertainment room. Try your best to withdraw when she cries out.”
Kristo stands, and I eagerly do the same. I’m already on my way to the connected bathroom as he exits the windowless room. A hot shower and soap remove the stench from my body but being alone in the bathroom returns my thoughts to Selene. My cock aches and my fangs descend as I imagine her supple breasts and the pink flesh between her legs. Stroking my cock, I recall fucking her against the wall of my home, how consuming and breathtaking she was. I crave her. I crave the release and the overpowering euphoria her body and blood give me.
Leaving the shower, I dress in the fine clothes my uncle provided. With a final look in the mirror, I take in the details of my outfit. My eyes are a vivid violet. At the back of my throat, the agonizing hunger torments me, urging me to leave my latest prison. Leaving the bathroom, I await the security team to escort me through my uncle’s lavish home to the entertainment room downstairs. When I enter, a woman with long, dark hair and a flattering body has her back turned toward me. From behind, she has similarities to Selene, which has me eager to see her face. Disappointment churns in my stomach when she turns to face me, and it’s not the face I long to view. Forcing a smile, I greet her, and she bats her lashes, staring at me with desire. It’s a reaction I’m accustomed to, but in this instance, her desire is only a tool for me to exploit to satisfy my own needs.
Kristo enters the entertainment room as I step closer to her and breathe in her fragrant perfume.
“Ah, Celest, you’ve met my nephew, Phoenix. The poor man is so busy with our company, he rarely has time to meet beautiful women like you.” Kristo raises the blood-filled glass in his hand to his lips, his grin diabolical. “Isn’t she lovely, Phoenix?”
Celest returns her attention to me, awaiting praise of her beauty. My hunger leaves me without manners or a desire to seduce. Removing the space between us, I grip one arm around her waist and use the other to pull her hair aside, baring her neck to me.
Celest screams and attempts to shove me off, but the effort is futile. My lip pulls back, and I pierce her neck, her blood dribbling down her skin as she goes into shock, her body stiff. The warm blood entering my system takes me on a euphoric high, but too soon, it fades, the blood becoming bland. I drink more, desperate for the sensation of euphoria once again.
As if snapping out of a dream, Celest fights me, screaming through her tears. Gripping her harder, I continue to drink, chasing the sensation my ravenous hunger craves. Her limbs lose strength, and the weight of her body pulls at my arms.
“Get him off of her,” Kristo orders his team.
Jerking me from her, they shove me back and check her for a pulse. Wiping my lips, I take advantage of their distraction and use my vampire speed. Clearing the rooms, I slam my body into the front door, and the knob breaks off, the door swinging wide open to fresh, night air.
“Warn them!” I hear Kristo shout behind me. “He’s coming for her.”
Don’t wait. The story continues with Unveiled!
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About the Author
I’m a USA Today and International Bestselling Romance Author. Betty Legend is my pen name specifically for my paranormal and fantasy romance books. If you would like to view my romantic suspense and contemporary romance novels, they are available at: bettyshreffler.com
I write what I like to read which means my stories are sexy and suspenseful, with hot alphas, kickass heroines, and twists you don’t expect. If I’m not writing or doing book events, you can find me creating cover designs, snuggling with my dogs watching a movie, sipping wine behind a deliciously steamy book, or enjoying the outdoors on my motorcycle.
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