Midnight Hunger (Blackthorne Bloodlines #2)

by K Loraine

  “I need you to explain how she can possibly still be alive. I felt her heart stop. I watched the life leave her. Even my blood couldn’t heal her.”

  Sadness passed over her features, features that were so much like a hardened, sharp version of Briar. If I hadn’t sealed away my heart, I’d be in agony right now.

  “Your blood did much more than you think.”

  “What?”

  Crack.

  Crack.

  Crack.

  The armor around my heart broke with every pulse as her words sank in.

  “You turned her.”

  “But she’s a shifter. It can’t be done.”

  Shaking her head, she sighed. “Shouldn’t be done. We’ve seen it successful with witches because they are more human than any of us. But shifters don’t transition well. Briar…we’ve lost her.”

  “I don’t understand.”

  “She woke three days after her mating.”

  “Healed?” That couldn’t be true. I’d have felt her. I…I was her mate. It should have been me at her side.

  “No. She was in transition.”

  My gut clenched. A vampire in transition was a dangerous thing. Humans didn’t survive for long without taking a victim and feeding to complete the process.

  “Where is she?”

  She shook her head. “I don’t know. Nik took her before we could help her.”

  “Nik? You had him killed.”

  “It’s hard to kill a shifter, Lucas. You know that as well as I do. Nik survived the punishment doled out. We thought we’d never see him again until he came for her.”

  “So, all this time? He’s had her. He’s been doing God knows what to her and you didn’t come to me?”

  She tilted her chin up defiantly, not looking me in the eye. “You were the least of my concerns. The pack was in tatters.”

  I dragged a hand through my hair and winced as white-hot fire raced through my ribs. “I could have found her!”

  “And you would have taken her from me the same as him. The two of you were no different.”

  “Rowena. I need you to tell me how to find Nik right bloody now. If Briar is out there, I have to get to her.” God, what had he been doing to my Briar for the last century? Shifters lived a long time. Stayed strong. Stayed just as vicious. And Nik had been betrayed by her. There was no telling the horrors she’d had to endure.

  “Nik is dead. He’s been dead at least a year, maybe more. We finally found him—what was left of him—a few months ago, in an abandoned castle in Scotland.” Her low voice held tension and disgust. “He’d shackled her to the tower wall, but she must’ve broken loose. She took her vengeance.”

  A spark of pride filled my chest. Good. He deserved every ounce of pain she dealt him. “So what you’re telling me is that she transitioned, after being held captive for near on a century, and is out there somewhere, likely half-crazed and wreaking havoc?”

  “Yes.”

  “If the vampire council finds her…”

  “They’ll kill her. I’m surprised they haven’t found her yet. They’ve sent hunters after the surviving abominations in the past.”

  I think back on the events of the last few months. “They’re occupied by my family at present, and the war with the hunters.”

  “We can’t let them have her. Her father died two nights ago. She is the last Dumond alpha.”

  “The last? That means she will be pack leader. But even having transitioned?”

  “Help me find her, Lucas. Bring her back. I’ll deal with the rest.”

  I’d do it, but not for Rowena. I’d bring Briar home. Where she belonged. With me.

  3

  LUCAS

  “If you can’t find her, how do you expect me to?” I asked, taking a seat on the grime-covered stairs before my legs gave out. I would have to feed, and soon if I was going to make it through this night without losing consciousness again.

  “Don’t you have some sort of…mating bond with her? I thought it would be stronger now that she’s transitioned.”

  I shook my head. “I didn’t bond with her. I gave her my blood, but there’s more to a vampire’s bond than that. There’s a…process. A ritual.”

  “So, you’re worthless to me. That’s what you’re saying.”

  “Not entirely. I can try to track her. She’s of my bloodline now, but it’s been a century and we don’t have the connection we once did.” Resting my head in my hands, I closed my eyes and tried to let my senses take over, searching for her. But nothing happened. “Rowena, you’ve weakened me too much. I need to be at full strength if I’m to have any chance of finding her.”

  She sighed and rolled her eyes. “Fine.” Reaching into the pocket of her leather duster, she pulled out a blood bag. The crazy shifter was just carrying around a bag filled with human blood.

  Reflexes slow, I almost didn’t catch it when she tossed it to me, but as soon as my fingers found purchase with the plastic, I tore it open and drank down every last drop. She could have killed me then and there. Poisoned the blood, done away with me, but she needed me. The pain in my side began to fade as my broken ribs healed, and slowly, terribly slowly, a relative state of normality was restored. I was strong again. Not in tip-top shape as it were, but strong enough I could kill here right here and now.

  “You don’t want to do that, vampire,” Rowena snarled, and I realized I hadn’t schooled my expression. She’d read me like an open book.

  “Why?”

  “I know you care about your family. About your brother. I swear to you, if anything happens to me and I don’t report to my pack, they all die. Him last. He can watch everything he holds dear suffer before they end him.”

  I couldn’t argue there. Cashel had been there for me time and time again. I wouldn’t be responsible for his death.

  “Get my daughter back, and I’ll spare your family. We can part as allies or enemies tonight. You choose.”

  “How long do I have?”

  “Every minute she’s out there alone is another minute a hunter could find her or the vampire council could take her prisoner. She’s an abomination, Lucas. They won’t let her live in peace, and she should be here with her pack.”

  “And how do you know she’s not already dead?”

  “You’d feel it. Just like I would. She’s a part of me. My child. I’d know if she were truly gone.”

  She was right, except I felt nothing. The moment she’d died, I’d sealed off my heart and never let it truly open for anyone again. The sacrifices I’d made for my family over the last year only served to create a gaping wound where my cold heart had been. It made sense now more than ever why. I’d tried to give my bond to one who wasn’t mine to begin with. I’d given everything for my family, and still I lived. I lived because it was Briar who could claim my bond and no one else. My mate was alive, and if I wanted to make her mine, I’d have to tear down the walls holding back my humanity. It was the only way I’d stand a chance at tracking her.

  “I’ll find her, but if you do anything to my family, you’ll never see her.”

  Rowena clenched her jaw and nodded. “So be it.”

  She reached for the old-fashioned locket she wore around her neck and unclasped the chain before handing it to me.

  “Oh, Rowena, you shouldn’t have. It’s not really my style,” I said, unable to keep the mockery from my tone.

  “Open it, you bastard.”

  Carefully opening the locket, I stared down at the lock of honey-blond hair tied with a violet bow. Briar’s. There was no question in my mind. Her scent was all over it. My heart began throbbing with a dull ache. Unwelcome. Unwanted.

  “Her scent has changed, but there’s still some of her in there. I thought you could use this to track her.”

  Nodding, I closed the piece of jewelry and tucked it into my pocket. Then I stood, taking a moment to get my bearings before I ran out of the house and back to the very place I’d sworn I’d never return. Blackthorne Manor. The
sun was rising, and I needed a place to rest in order to heal. My family estate was the only option until I could return to my estate. If I could slip in undetected, perhaps Cashel wouldn’t question what I was doing, and I wouldn’t have to see anyone.

  Using one of the multitudes of secret passages, I made my way to my old bedchamber. Flashes of Briar standing nude on the balcony hit me with the force of a tidal wave. It had been so long ago, yet every moment with her was burned into my mind. I’d become very good at hiding her from my subconscious over the years. Until now.

  “Master Lucas, what a pleasant surprise.” Martin, our long-time butler, was in my rooms before I’d even had a moment to settle myself.

  “Martin, don’t you knock?”

  The older man looked taken aback, shock widening his eyes at the censure. “I did, sir. You were…lost in thought.”

  “I’m only here for the daylight hours. Please don’t alert my brother. I have a job that needs doing and it’s brought me out here unexpectedly.”

  He nodded. “Very good, sir. You smell…strange. Like dog. Is there a problem with the shifters?”

  “You could say that.”

  “Are you certain I shouldn’t at least tell the King?”

  I offered him a curt nod. “Absolutely. Do we have any stores of blood? I’m in a bad way and need some sustenance before daybreak. I’m afraid I had a bit of a skirmish. Need to recover.”

  “Of course. We always have some on hand. I’ll be back presently. Might I suggest a shower and some fresh clothing as well? I can lay something out for you.”

  “Thank you.”

  He left with a slight bow, and I let out the sigh I’d been holding in. He was ever the loyal vampire. With our family for centuries, fighting alongside us when needed, but also one of the few vampires I trusted implicitly. He wouldn’t breathe a word of my presence to anyone now that I’d asked secrecy of him.

  I did as he suggested, cleaning myself until I felt nearly normal, and when I stepped out of the bathroom, a fresh set of clothes was draped over the chair near my bed. He’d also put out some pajamas, though I didn’t understand why. The man knew me. I rarely slept clothed. Today, however, I would. I dressed in preparation for the beginning of my search, which would start as soon as it was safe. That meant I’d have to rise when the sun dipped below the horizon and not a moment later. I wouldn’t be able to track her with the scent of her hair alone. I’d make my way to the last place she’d been. It’d been a while since I’d visited Scotland.

  Pouring myself a liberal serving of the blood he’d left, I downed it and filled the glass again. I let memories of Briar flood me, feeling those cracks in my heart grow deeper, more insistent, until pieces of the protective walls fell away. I’d thought myself completely over her loss, or at the very least, in control of my pain.

  I’d been a fool.

  I dreamed of her. Just like I had every day for the first two decades after losing her. Briar, her long honey locks cascading in waves around her face as she took me into her, the softness of her skin against mine, the striking violet of her eyes. She haunted me. She was the ghost I’d never been able to completely chase away.

  I woke with a cock as hard as stone and a pounding headache. The remnants of Rowena’s poison caused the latter, and the dreams I’d been plagued with the definite reason for the former. It was like the instant I knew she was alive, everything snapped back into place. My heart beat for her. It always had. It always would. I just had to find her and make her mine again. This time with nothing standing in our way.

  “I thought you said you’d never return.” My brother Cashel’s voice was cool and calm from where he stood at my door.

  “I’m not here. Not really.”

  “You appear very much really here, brother.”

  Standing, I gave thanks I’d dressed before falling onto my bed. “I had business to tend to in the area. There was no other option.”

  “Yet you didn’t say hello.”

  “It was nearly sunrise. Martin took care of what I needed. I had planned to slip out and leave you undisturbed.”

  “What’s going on, Lucas? You’re edgy. You look unwell.” He narrowed his eyes as he assessed me.

  “It’s something to do with the Dumond pack.”

  Brows raised, he waited for me to elaborate. “Go on, then.”

  “Briar is…sort of alive.”

  “What do you mean by sort of?” His eyes, laser-focused, assessed me, pushing at my thoughts. Trying to get inside. “I don’t want any more trouble with the council. We’ve only just gotten a strong footing after everything that happened with Father and Anne. What aren’t you telling me?”

  I hesitated, unwilling to take the step that would bring another vampire into this situation. What if he turned on me and reported her? Shaking my head, I steeled myself against those thoughts and reminded myself that Cashel wouldn’t ruin this. He wouldn’t ruin her. Not after all I’d done for him. “She’s transitioned. I have to find her before the council does.”

  “A shifter vampire hybrid? It’s not done.”

  “Exactly. She’s probably scared. Hurting. Alone. I have to make sure she’s safe.”

  “What do you need? What can I offer you?”

  I smiled at him. He’d so changed after a hundred years of torment at the hands of our father. “Can I take the plane?”

  Nodding, he pulled out his phone and typed so fast his fingers were a blur. “It’ll be waiting for you within the hour. Anywhere you need to go.”

  “Thank you, Cash. I mean it.”

  “Consider us even now?” He stared hard at me, concern in his eyes. “Will you come home?”

  I thought of living here again, sharing a roof with so many painful experiences and memories. No. I would never call Blackthorne Manor my home again. “I have to make a new home. But I won’t stay silent for so long.”

  “Stay and share a drink with us?” His offer was only half-hearted. Cash knew I wouldn’t. It was far too painful to relive everything.

  “I have to go.”

  He nodded and left the room, the silence settling on me like a weighted blanket. I pulled out the necklace Rowena had given me and opened the locket. Twirling the hair between my fingers, I closed my eyes and tried to get a sense of where Briar was, of her energy, her pull. Nothing worked. She was still as good as gone, and Scotland was at least twelve hours away. By tomorrow night, I’d be retracing her steps.

  I didn’t use the door. Tonight, I bounded to the ground from the balcony where she’d given me her mark. I ran for the small private airstrip at the farthest reaches of our property and within an hour, I was on my way to finding her.

  SCOTLAND, TWO NIGHTS LATER

  I’d caught the scent of my wild wolf on the breeze from the bow of the boat as soon as we got within sight of the island. Of course this place had to be on the most isolated island in the whole bloody country. In the distance, I saw the remnants of a castle ruin. The perfect place to hide. Condemned, dangerous, and off limits to the public, you could spend a century hiding out there and no one would be the wiser. That was exactly what Nik had done. He’d taken her, held her against her will, and she’d eventually killed him.

  “There ye are, Mr. Blackthorne.” The driver—or was he called a captain?—docked the boat, and I made my way down the dock with carelessly fast steps. Someone might have seen me. Hunters were everywhere, possibly even on a remote island like this. I shouldn’t have been so reckless. But my blood burned with the need to see where she’d been. If I could get even a small sample of her blood, I could find her.

  As soon as I was in the shadows, I bolted, running full tilt for the castle. My heart thumped erratically, as though searching for its other half as well. Electricity hummed in my blood with every step that brought me closer to the place she’d been held, and I continued through the castle, turning corners, running up disintegrating stairs, following the scent of her.

  What I found made pure hatred pool in my gut.
The room. The chamber he’d held her in stood untouched even after years of emptiness. Of course he was gone. Hopefully he’d been tossed over the cliff and fed to the fish. But I could smell his blood soaked into the stone. It was the shackles made of silver bolted to the floor that made me sick. The thought of her having to live out this torture for decades upon decades. Nik had claimed to love her, then he murdered her, and when that didn’t work, he tried to ruin her.

  Kneeling, I searched for some bit of her blood, something that might help me connect with her. I didn’t need much. The inside of the shackles were coated in dried blood. Hers? His? I wasn’t going to be able to tell until I tasted it. The thought of Nik’s blood on my lips made me shudder.

  Swiping my finger over the silver cuff, I hissed as my skin sizzled, but ran the tip around completely before tasting what I’d collected. Briar burst across my tongue, my fangs descending with raging need for her before I could compose myself. Closing my eyes, I called to her with my mind.

  4

  BRIAR

  My feet were nearly silent on the stone streets of the small village in northern England where I’d planned my next hunt. Nearly. It wasn’t enough, as the man in my sights turned toward me. Luckily I was attractive enough for him to underestimate me. They always underestimated me.

  “Well, hello gorgeous. Are you looking for some company tonight?” he asked.

  I smiled, putting on airs of pure innocence. “I’m lost. I’ve never been to England before. Can you help me find my way back to the flat I rented?”

  The man ran a hand through his hair before adjusting his belt. “Of course. Glad to help. Why don’t you come along with me and I’ll give you the grand tour of our little hamlet while I’m at it. We’ll get you home safe.”

  Sure he would. I sensed nothing but malice in his aura, or whatever you’d call it. That’s what I’d started labeling this strange feeling I got from people.