CRAVING (The Elite Book 2)

by Hanleigh Bradley

  “You’re really not getting the hang of this question thing, are you?”

  I don’t say anything.

  “Or are you reconsidering wanting to live?”

  My heartrate quickens.

  “No. I still want to live.”

  I open the car door, climbing out as I try to catch my breath.

  “Good,” he whispers in my ear, making me jump.

  When the hell did he move behind me?

  He moves too quickly for me to see. He’s right, he’s definitely more evolved than I am. At least physically. Mentally, I’m not so sure.

  “If you want to live, stop asking so many questions and just trust me.”

  “Trust you?”

  That seems like a big ask. He’s a Vampire. Why the hell would I trust him?

  “But you’re going to kill me. Why would I…”

  “Farah, we’ve discussed this already. I’m not going to kill you today.”

  “Tomorrow on the other hand,” I retort.

  “Is up for discussion,” he finishes with a wink, taking my hand and leading me up the steps to the house.

  He takes them two at a time, seemingly excited to get me inside. I shiver in anticipation but unlike Everette, I’m not excited.

  I’d been nervous at the idea of spending the weekend alone with Everette, but now, knowing that other Vampires will also be in the house, I’m not nervous, I’m scared out of my mind. There’s no point telling Everette though. He probably already knows, especially since his thumb is currently trained on the pulse point on my wrist.

  I wonder if he works like a lie detector. Would he be able to tell just from my heart rate if I were to lie to him? I can easily imagine it.

  In fact, I’m not sure he’d even need my heart rate, he seems so good at reading me.

  He pushes open the front door and moves aside for me to enter.

  “I hate this house.”

  Chapter Eight

  Everette

  “You hate my house?”

  I’m not sure why it bothers me. Closing the door behind us, I stop in the entrance hall.

  “It’s dark.”

  She’s not wrong. It is a little bit on the dark side.

  “I’m a Vampire,” I reply with a shrug.

  “Yeah but it’s not like you can’t go out in the sun.”

  She’s right, of course. The sun isn’t a problem at all. That’s just a myth. A silly story made up by the humans to make them feel a little bit safer.

  “I like my house,” I say almost petulantly.

  “Why?”

  “I don’t know why I have to explain myself. It’s my damn house. Of course, I like it.”

  This conversation is ridiculous and I don’t know what to make of it.

  “Why don’t you like it?” I ask with a sigh.

  “It’s dark and scary and I get lost.”

  “You get lost?” I ask with a chuckle.

  She glowers at me and I wipe the smile off my face. I don’t want her to think I’m laughing at her, even if I am.

  “It’s a big house,” I admit.

  She nods her head shyly.

  “You’ll just have to stay by my side.”

  “That’s not the answer.”

  “Why not?”

  “I can’t always stay next to you.”

  “Sure, you can. What would you prefer? I draw you a map?”

  “Fuck you, Everette,” she growls.

  “No time. Your dinner is waiting.”

  I take her by the hand and pull her down the hall towards the kitchen. I pause before we get there though, hearing a car pull up outside.

  “You know where the kitchen is, right?” I ask teasingly.

  She rolls her eyes at me before replying that she’s not stupid.

  “I’ll join you in about twenty minutes.”

  She opens her mouth, probably to ask a question I can’t answer and so I kiss the question away before pushing her in the direction of the kitchen.

  I watch her until she turns the corner, then make my way back towards the front door. I open it just as Hestin climbs the front steps.

  “Hestin,” I greet him with a nod of my head.

  “Everette.”

  “What have you heard?” I ask, standing in the doorway, blocking his entrance.

  I’m not sure why I feel so protective of Farah. It’s not like Hestin could harm her. It would be more than his life is worth.

  He notices my behaviour though and I don’t like that either. I don’t want anyone to know how much she means to me.

  I allow him into the house ignoring the unease I feel at having another Vampire so close to Farah.

  “I’m interrupting your dinner?”

  He inclines his head in the direction that Farah just walked. No doubt he can smell her.

  Nodding my head, I don’t deny it.

  “It doesn’t matter. What have you heard?” I ask as we make our way up the stairs to my study.

  “There’s a surprising amount of talk. There’s the obvious. You know… That the Mother has removed him from his position.”

  I close the door behind us when we enter the study, before striding across the room towards the window. It goes against my instincts. I want to stay next to the door, blocking Hestin’s path to Farah.

  “But then someone must have pointed out that there’s been no announcement of a replacement,” he continues, “because within a few hours it all changed. There’s all sorts being said; that he rebelled against the Mother, that he was killed by a human…”

  I scoff at that one.

  “That it’s the shifters,” he adds. “Mostly it’s just rumours. There’s nothing that sounds even close to plausible and none of it comes from particularly reliable sources.”

  “So, nothing of any note then. Fucks sake.”

  “You think it’s a Vampire?”

  “You saw the corpse,” I reply. “What do you think?”

  “Dunno. Maybe. But why? Why would a Vampire kill a royal?”

  I don’t want to answer his question. The answer is all too obvious to me. Rebellion.

  “It might not be a Vampire. The Shifters might have…”

  I stop myself midsentence, knowing full well that what I was about to say doesn’t make sense. My brother’s corpse would have been significantly more mangled if the Shifters had gotten a hold of Kirdem.

  “It wasn’t the Mother was it?”

  “She says not.”

  “Do you believe her?”

  That’s a question he shouldn’t ask and if anyone else were to ask it, I’d have their head. I’d be duty bound to kill them. But with Hestin I let it go. Not because he’s my friend but because I know he’s only asking so he can use the information to do his job better.

  If I were to tell him that I suspect her, he’d tell me that he’ll watch for anyone who might take issue with the order. His loyalty is unquestionable.

  “I see no reason to doubt her,” I tell him sincerely.

  “Right. Then I’ll be on the look out for anything that seems suspicious.”

  “Good. Thanks, Hestin.”

  “You’re welcome. It’s what I do.”

  It’s the reason he exists. It’s funny really. Humans need a reason for their existence so badly that they make them up; religion, love, god… but us Vampires are different. We all know the reason for our existence. Another Vampire’s need or desire made us what we are.

  For me it was the Mother. She needed someone to rule England. I exist for the sole purpose of governing.

  If I were to change Farah, I wonder what her purpose would be. To stay by my side, would that be a sufficient reason to exist?

  I shake my head. I don’t want to think about Farah right now.

  “I’ll head off,” Hestin says. “You’re clearly busy.”

  He’s noticed my distraction and that aggravates me. He might be the most trusted Vampire I know but he’s still not to be trusted with Farah.

  Not
that I’m sure why. He wouldn’t touch her. He wouldn’t dare.

  “Will the Mother be coming?” he asks, his hand trained on the door handle.

  “I’m not sure. I might have to go up to Edinburgh to meet her.”

  “Does she have a replacement lined up?” he asks hesitantly. He knows it’s none of his business.

  “I’m not sure.”

  It’s not a lie. She never mentioned a replacement when we spoke on the phone earlier but I could easily list several Vampires that will be vying for the job, Vampires aspiring to become royal.

  “Enjoy your dinner,” Hestin says before opening the door and making his way down the stairs and out the door, quicker than would be possible if he were not a Vampire.

  I follow after him, taking my time. I hear him close the front door behind him and almost sigh in relief.

  Entering the kitchen, I’m disappointed to find that Farah has already finished eating and is talking to Sybil. I quite enjoy watching her eat.

  She’s so focused on her conversation that it takes her a while to realise that I’m even in the room. I take the seat next to her and she offers me a wide smile, still listening to Sybil talk about human rubbish.

  She’s holding something between her fingers, a photograph. Sybil’s granddaughter. I smirk. Sybil loves showing off her granddaughter to anyone who will listen.

  Chapter Nine

  Everette

  “It’s weird, isn’t it?”

  “What is?” I ask.

  Farah is lying with her head on my chest while I play with her hair. We’ve been watching TV, behaving almost like humans.

  “Well… Sybil’s whole family have worked for you. Her granddaughter will grow up to become your housekeeper.”

  “Yeah. And?”

  “It’s weird.”

  “How?”

  I don’t get it. It wasn’t that long ago that that was the norm, passing on your responsibilities to the next generation.

  “You. You’re weird. The lives you play witness to.”

  “I’ve never thought of it that way,” I say with a shrug.

  I don’t want to tell her that their human lives are meaningless to me, too short for them to even register. I don’t think she would understand that as much as I like Sybil, I wouldn’t grieve for her if she died tomorrow.

  It’s not wise to get attached to the humans. If I were to care more, I’d probably have spent most of my existence in mourning.

  “I can only imagine the things you’ve seen,” she whispers.

  She’s right. I’ve seen the best and worst of humanity. I’ve seen them almost destroy the Earth with deforestation and I’ve seen their wars – the ones we put a stop to – but I’ve also seen their altruism.

  Vampires are inherently selfish creatures, only caring for themselves and potentially their mate. But humans have a side of them that is beyond my understanding, a willingness to sacrifice themselves for the sake of someone else.

  It doesn’t happen often but on those rare occasions when it does, I envy the humans.

  But that doesn’t last long. It only takes one human to break the illusion, one crime committed and then I remember that humans are just as selfish as us Vampires, if not worse.

  At least Vampires don’t pretend to be something they’re not.

  “How many generations of Sybil’s family have worked for you?”

  “Are we really going to talk about Sybil?” I ask, raising my eyebrows suggestively at her.

  She sucks her lower lip into her mouth, not saying anything. She sits upright so her gaze can meet mine.

  “How did you become a Vampire, Everette?”

  I don’t know what has gotten into her. She’s full of questions, questions I really can’t answer if she wants to live.

  “Does it matter?”

  “I think so.”

  “Why?” I challenge.

  She doesn’t seem at all affected by the change in my tone. She should be scared – her heartrate should be speeding up – but she’s not.

  “Are you not scared of me, Farah?”

  Leaning forward, I nip at her shoulder with my teeth playful, not breaking the skin. Taking a hold of her, I push her down on the bed. I grasp her wrists, holding them above her head, as I pin her beneath me.

  Her heartrate finally begins to race but it’s not from fear. Her chest rises and falls beneath me as she tries to catch the breath that just evaded her.

  “I asked you a question. Are you not scared?”

  “Do you want me to be scared?” she counters.

  I blink. I don’t know the answer to her question. I want to say no but I know I should say yes. Fear might keep her alive longer.

  Instead of answering her, I lower myself, allowing my body to cover hers. My aim is to distract her.

  I don’t like the way she makes me want to answer her questions, to open up to her. But it’s not just that I don’t like it, it’s dangerous.

  There are things she can’t know, not if she wants to live.

  Even that though, is ridiculous. When have I ever allowed a human to dictate the timeframe? I could kill her right now, if I wanted to and I don’t know if the only reason I haven’t is that she doesn’t want me to.

  I kiss her roughly, forcing my tongue into her mouth. Moving so that I can hold both her hands in one hand, I reach down and unbutton her jeans.

  She should be terrified of me. I could kill her right now and no one would know, no one would even care. She could scream as loud as she wants but Sybil wouldn’t come running to save her. This is just the world Sybil knows, one where Vampires win.

  I don’t bother to remove her jeans before thrusting my hands under the waistband. She’s already wet, ready for my touch, as my finger swirls around her clit.

  She bucks her hips, humping against my hand, groaning needily.

  I pull my hand away and the look in her eye is loathsome. She’s angry with me for refusing her what she wants. It’s almost funny. She’s like a little house kitten caught by a tiger.

  Moving as quickly as I can, I remove both our clothes. I’m desperate to fuck her. I don’t understand how I can crave her body almost as much as I crave her blood.

  My cock nestles between her thighs as I rub against her. The look in her eye says she’s just as desperate as I am, all her damn questions have been at least for the moment forgotten, and she’s totally focused on how amazing it feels to have my body against hers.

  I enter her quickly, not at all concerning myself about her fragility. The Vampires in Farah’s books always seem to be scared that their human will break if they touch her.

  Not me though. I know I could snap Farah in two but I also know I have more self control than that.

  I know exactly what her body can take and I’m willing to push the limits if it will make her scream out my name.

  Moving inside her, I set a punishing rhythm. She raises her hips to meet me, pulling me deeper inside her.

  We come undone together, a messy tangle of sweaty bodies.

  “Aren’t you going to bite me?” she asks between heavy breaths.

  “Do I have to bite you just because I fuck you?”

  “You usually do?”

  I chuckle.

  “I didn’t realise a week was a long enough time frame to create a routine.”

  “Just saying you have an MO.”

  “Just saying, huh?”

  I smirk against her skin, kissing a trail down the centre of her body to her navel. She squirms beneath me, tickled by the gentle kisses.

  “Are you offering me your neck, Farah?” I ask teasingly.

  “You usually just take what you want.”

  She’s not wrong. She wouldn’t be able to stop me if I did decide to drink her blood right now.

  “Do you want me to bite you?”

  “That’s not what I meant.”

  “Are you disappointed I didn’t bite you, Farah?”

  I rub the tip of my nose along the exposed fl
esh on her stomach, breathing in the scent of the blood the pulses beneath her skin.

  “I could bite you now, if you’d like,” I offer.

  She gulps in a breath, her body tensing with apprehension.

  I consider biting her but I’m not sure I want to. I want Farah to be euphoric because of what we’re doing together, not because my venom is releasing drugs into her bloodstream.

  Moving down her body, I continue to kiss her skin until I’m crouching between her legs, my eyes on her dripping sex.

  I suck her clit into my mouth, twirling my tongue around it, before lapping at her juices. They taste almost as good as her blood.

  Moving slowly, I explore her body, acquainting myself with every hidden space, licking and sucking and then when she is panting heavily, I bite down on the crease where her thigh meets her pelvic bone.

  She thrashes beneath me, clutching at my hand that lies resting on her torso.

  I use my other hand to hold her still. I don’t want to hurt her and if she doesn’t stop moving about, I’m almost certain to tear her flesh apart.

  “Everette,” she whimpers, her voice hoarse, another orgasm building.

  I retract my fangs, soothing the wound that I’ve created. I don’t like seeing her flawless skin red and sore looking. Sitting back on my haunches, I pull her by the back of the knees so she’s closer to me, her feet on the bed beside me, her thighs spread.

  Lining my cock up, I push into her, moving slower than I did before. I want to watch her climax and I want to make it last as long as is humanly possible.

  Something I’m not at all sure about since I can’t remember the last human I fucked. I’ve had sex with Vampires, even shifters from time to time, but never humans. Not since I was one.

  Until Farah.

  I don’t know what it is about her that entices me so much, only that I need her.

  Chapter Ten

  Farah

  This might be the first time his bite hasn’t caused me to black out. I can only presume it’s because he’s not actually thirsty. He wasn’t quenching his appetite when he bit me but giving me what I wanted.

  I wanted him to bite me. It’s difficult to wrap my head around the idea that I might actually like being bitten by Everette.

  “Why did I want you to bite me?” I ask him.