by Kiersten Fay
She managed to squint her eyes open and take in her surroundings. The room was dark but for a single lit candle, which she was grateful for. Her eyes were a thousand times more sensitive than normal. Her ears, too, seemed to pick up every noise. There was a fly in the room, flapping its little wings a million times a minute, yet she could practically count each revolution.
Then she noticed a set of prison bars, dividing part of the room. There was some kind of cage on the other side of the room. She might have been alarmed had she been alone. Her body was moving with the rise and fall of a chest. She glanced up, seeing she was draped over a sleeping Lex, his long lashes casting shadows on his skin. His arms were around her—had he ever left?—and she was clinging to him, her lifeboat in the sea of agony. Was the storm over?
A little discomfort remained, but it was dissipating with each passing second.
She reached up and swept her fingers along his jaw, roughened by stubble. He was more beautiful than ever. At her touch, his eyes flashed open. He gazed down at her, and gave her such a bright, sleepy smile; she was nearly overwhelmed with love for him,
Then his expression dropped, a crease forming between his brows. “How are you feeling? Are you well?”
She sat up, testing her limbs. When she did, Lex scooted toward the end of the bed, away from her, as if he thought she wanted space. She glanced at her hands, clenching and unclenching her fists, feeling an unearthly strength coursing through her. “I feel okay now. What happened?”
Lex appeared tormented by her question. “I couldn’t get to you in time. I…Kasima…I’m so sorry. You were dying. I couldn’t lose you. I just couldn’t.”
Much of what happened after that first explosion was still a blur, yet she vividly recalled Brian shooting Lex.
Scuffling across the mattress, she intended to peel back Lex’s shirt to examine his wound, but ended up tearing the fabric at the seam. “Oops.”
Lex seemed shocked by her actions at first, then he gave her that gorgeous half-grin of his. “I can see I’m going to have to invest in new shirts around you.”
The skin around his shoulder was an angry purple color, but appeared to be healing well enough. She ran the pads of her fingers over his shoulder, marveling at the smoothness. He shuddered at her touch.
Her attention shifted to his face, and she was momentarily enchanted by the myriad greens in his emerald irises. There was even a thin layer of gold surrounding his pupil that she hadn’t noticed before. As she studied him, that gold turned to liquid heat, and her gaze dipped to his soft, full lips.
“Everything is heightened right now,” he warned. “Your vision. Your sense of smell. Even your desire. You may want to just take a moment—”
She cut him off with a searing kiss. At first his muscles stiffened with surprise, but soon returned the kiss with a desperate ardor. He pulled her onto his lap and held her so tightly to him that, if it weren’t for this new-found strength, she might have been crushed.
What was left of his shirt became a pile of shredded scraps. She would have gladly done the same to his jeans, but a door opened behind her and a delicious scent. A burning hunger flared in her gut, and suddenly she was in agony once more. Her mouth watered as that succulent fragrance invaded her every thought, the desire for it taking priority.
With a snarl, she launched herself in the direction of that delectable, undeniable scent.
The metal bars halted her momentum with a loud clang, and she hissed at her prey…Kenzi?
Horrified, Kasima stumbled back. “Oh my God. I would have killed you.”
Lex caught her from behind, wrapping his arms around her. “It’s okay. This is why we take precautions.” The cage wasn’t on the other side of the room, she realized. The cage was the room. At least, the half that they were in.
It was then that Kasima felt her new sharp fangs, which had started throbbing at Kenzi’s arrival.
Kenzi was shockingly unaffected. She held up a large, liquid-filled plastic bag, letting it dangle back and forth. “Who’s a hungry baby vampire?”
When another hiss escaped her, Kasima covered her mouth with her hands. “What is wrong with me?”
“Nothing,” Lex told her. “Kenzi, stop teasing her.”
“Too soon?”
Extending his arm outside the bars, he demanded the bag. Kenzi handed it over and left without another word, taking that delicious, euphoric scent with her.
Shaking her head, Kasima sat back down. “I would have ripped her throat out.”
Lex knelt in front of her. “It’s overwhelming at first. You can learn to control it.” Then he gripped her hips and hung his head. “I’m so sorry. This isn’t what I wanted for you.”
“Is that what I think it is?”
Lex peered up at her, then glanced at the bag, nodding.
Her hand shook as she reached out and took it from him. “H-How do I…”
“There’s, uh, a straw attached to the bag.” Yup, there it was, like a child’s juice box. The notion made her chuckle. The chuckle turned to a giggle, the giggle to laughter, laughter to hysteria. Soon she was laughing so hard, she was gasping, her eyes watering. A painful stitch grew in her side, and still she couldn’t stop.
Lex just watched her, looking as though he feared she might go mad. Maybe she was. “I’m about to drink blood out of an adult-sized juice box.”
She thought Lex would find the humor in that, but only worry creased his features.
“Hey,” she said. “I don’t blame you for this.”
Unconvinced, he remained silent.
“Here. Show me how to do this.”
Eager to help, he slid up next to her and ripped the straw off the bag, then hesitated. “You’re going to start laughing again, aren’t you?”
She was already coving her smile. “Yup.”
He shoved the straw into the top portion of the plastic, breaking the seal. And yes, she did laugh. This time, he joined her with a shake of his head and a small chuckle. “There, now take your juice box.”
She dabbed at her eyes with her sleeve and cleared her throat. She accepted the…gulp…blood bag. This suddenly wasn’t funny anymore. “Will I like it?”
“Yes,” he said honestly.
The thought of what she was about to do made her stomach roil, and she couldn’t imagine liking it one bit. She put her lips around the straw and gently pulled. Dark liquid rose. She almost lost her nerve.
Then it touched her tongue.
Her eyes went wide at the ambrosia flavor, and her lips hollowed as she sucked harder. The delicious liquid rushed into her mouth and she gulped it down. At some point, she heard herself groan. When the straw made an empty-cup sound, she fell back on the mattress, grinning foolishly. Her body grew pleasantly warm, her skin tingling. It was as if the essence of pure life now coursed through her. She felt connected to the earth as never before, like she was part of every molecule that made up the planet, the air, the universe.
Lex gazed down at her, pleased with her reaction. “Good?”
“Amazing.”
Finally Lex gave her a real smile. He leaned down next to her and propped his head on his elbow. With his other hand, he drew his knuckle from her chin down the column of her neck, between her breasts. She shivered. Fuzzy poofs of pleasure exploded in her brain. “I like you,” she sighed, feeling slightly drunk.
“Glad to hear it. I like you too.”
She rolled to face him. “You think I’ll be mad at you.”
He sighed and pursed his lips. “I don’t think everything has sunk in yet.”
He might be right. Her energy was off the charts, and her mind was racing from one topic to another. “Did you know Brian hid a camera in my house?”
Lex blinked. “He was spying on you?”
“Not just me. He was spying on Mr. Dixon too. Probably others. I’m pretty sure he watched us have sex.”
Lex’s jaw clenched. “He was a bigger sleaze than I thought.”
“I was
super pissed at first. Less so, now that he’s dead. Do you think while he was watching us, he, ahem…” Cupping her hand, she made a lewd gesture.
Amusement danced in his eyes. “If he didn’t, he was truly dead on the inside.”
She laughed at that, but quickly sobered. “He showed me a recording of you and Mr. Dixon. When you asked him to give me the day off for the wedding…”
His gaze darted.
“You lied to me.”
He rolled onto his back and let out a breath. “Well, shit.”
“Why?”
“Did you hear what he wanted in exchange?”
“Yes. And I thought it was deplorable of him.”
“That’s why I didn’t want to tell you. He’s mostly harmless, generally a nice guy, and everyone likes him, but his infatuation with Kenzi was becoming a nuisance. I sort of lost my temper and decided to kill two birds with one stone. I didn’t tell you, because I didn’t want you to lose respect for your boss.”
“Who cares about my dead-end-job horny boss? I think you didn’t want me to lose respect for you.”
He rolled back onto his side, eyeing her suspiciously. “Cortez thinks you might possess a special kind of insight. I think he might be right.”
She shrugged. “I don’t know about that. It’s not exactly a Sherlock-type deduction, you know, considering you Wuuuved me.”
“Is that what you think? We’d only started dating.”
“Oh, you were so in love with me.”
“You seem pretty confident about that.”
“You won me a teddy bear from a carnival. In some parts of the world, that’s basically a marriage proposal.”
“Huh. So that means I’ve been engaged roughly…” he started counting his fingers.
She slapped his chest.
“Speaking of, Spike’s been pretty worried.” Lex reached for something behind the pillow, and produced her teddy bear. “I promised he could be here when you woke up.”
“Spike!” She snatched him to her chest.
“Don’t get handsy, now, Spike. Those belong to me.”
“Oh, so you think we’re engaged now?”
“Well, I did just give you a bear that I won at a carnival.”
She froze, meeting his gaze. “I, uh, know we’re joking around and all, but I have to ask—”
“No, that wasn’t a joke, Kasima. I love you. I want to spend the rest of my life with you.”
“Oh. My. God. Guess what?”
His brows creased. “What.”
She tossed the bear aside. “I love you too!”
He hooked his arm around her and dragged her atop him. “That’s a very good thing.” Their lips crashed together as their bodies tangled. She thought he was ripped before, but now she could feel each muscle fluttering under her touch, each tendon shivering in delight for her. He was magnificent.
Mine.
She ran her nails down his chest, needing to leave her mark on him. Excitement lit his features. “Is my girl about to claim me?”
“Oh yeah.” Straddling him, she undid his belt buckle and yanked it free of the loops. “I hope you’re not attached to these pants.”
“Couldn’t give a shit about them.”
She used her new strength to shred them. He made equally quick work of her clothes. And then they were blissfully skin to skin. The way his body moved against hers was pure magic, his powerful hips driving her to nirvana.
In her ear, he muttered, “I have to admit, I didn’t think I’d find your little fangs so adorable.”
“I think you mean sexy.”
“Exactly what I meant. Adorably sexy. By the way, there have been no other bears. I promise.”
“Oh God, that is so sexy.” Fisting his hair, she brought his lips down to hers.
For leverage, he palmed her ass and rode her body harder, both of them panting and grinding their way to ecstasy. When he thrust impossibly deep, she buried her face in his neck and cried out, digging her nails into his back. His scent was heady, delicious, making her mouth water. She licked his flesh, placed her mouth on him, bit down.
Sweet, hot liquid rushed down her throat.
His guttural groan reverberated through her bones. Her eyes rolled back in her head. A cyclone of white-hot pleasure blasted her nerves. She threw her head back on a scream. He roared, his release joining hers. Perfect bliss, agonizing pleasure, tormenting ecstasy.
As their bodies toiled, they gazed into each other’s eyes, and she felt their connection. It was in her bones, in her veins, in her blood. Because she’d...
“Holy shit. I bit you!”
He nuzzled her ear. “And I could not have enjoyed it more.”
“Really?”
“Mm. My female is possessive of me. Wishes to mark me so that everyone knows who I belong to.” He pulled back to peer up at her. “Now and forever.”
She brought their foreheads together. “Sounds like a deal.”
“A promise.”
Epilogue
Kasima placed the last folded shirt into her suitcase before zipping it shut. Leaving Riverstone, even temporarily, was bittersweet. All her life this had been her home, her safe haven, and that wouldn’t change, but a new adventure awaited. She was a little afraid, but excited at the same time.
“You ready?” Lex lumbered into the room with an overstuffed duffel bag slung over his shoulder.
She lifted her camera and snapped a photo, then shot him a wide grin. “Ready.”
“I’m not taking you around the world so you can snap a million shots of me looking a sweaty mess.”
“But you’re so hawt when you’re a sweaty mess.”
“Mm-hm.” He dropped his bag, hooked her waist and planted a sizzling kiss on her lips. The way his hands were traveling down her body, she was about to become a sweaty mess too.
“What is taking so long? Everyone’s waiting to say good—oops.” That delectable scent followed Kenzi into the room, making Kasima’s mouth water. It had taken weeks in the cage before she could control her new, baser needs. To Kenzi’s credit, she’d never taken it personally when Kasima mindlessly snapped at her over and over.
Cortez had visited daily, checking on Kasima’s progress. The first time, post-change, she’d nearly been knocked off her feet, the commanding power of her sire filling her bones. She might feel connected to Lex, but she was tied to Cortez. She’d heard rumors, but now there was no denying the mystical power that bonded them, indescribable and indisputable. Whenever he was in close proximity, she was acutely aware of him, her every cell ready to serve. It was both comforting…and not…at the same time. If and when he commanded her, she would obey. Wouldn’t matter what it was. She’d have no choice.
Such was his authority as her creator.
Truth be told, she was still wrapping her mind around that.
His clan held him in high regard, though. Which told her he was responsible with the power he wielded over all of them. To Lex, he was like a father.
However, even without that vote of confidence, the way he doted on Naia revealed the most about him. His new bride was the center of his universe. And Naia was a sweetheart, showing genuine concern for Kasima’s well-being. Often she would visit the cell alongside Kenzi, offering words of encouragement as Kasima struggled with the crushing desire to break through the bars and greet one of them fang first. Sometimes Naia would sing for her, putting her at ease…because the girl was a freaking siren!
No wonder Lex hadn’t believed her when she’d told him she loved him that night. Because Naia had been making everyone feel the love with her music. Naia herself had admitted it, apologetically. It was a secret no one knew outside the clan, which was why Lex had been so closed lip about it, as well as Cortez’s mind-reading skill—another thing Kasima was still wrapping her head around.
Vampires might be known to the world, but there was so much more hidden behind the veil, and Kasima glimpsed but a fraction.
Kenzi said, “You two have all the
time in the world to suck each other’s faces off. Everyone’s waiting.”
Kenzi had insisted on throwing a going away party. Now that Kasima was more in control, Lex was taking her on a long trip to exotic far-off destinations. She could finally realize her dream of traveling the world, camera in hand.
“Are you sure you want to leave your home?” she asked Lex. “Your family?” Already she could tell how tight-knit this group was.
Kenzi answered. “Please. He can’t wait to get out of here and have you all to himself. If you stay, he knows I’ll corrupt you—I know all the pin numbers. Plus he probably wants to see how many hotel beds you can break together.”
“Kenzi,” Lex said, exasperated. “Tell everyone we’ll be down in a moment.”
Kenzi gave a salute and then left.
“We’ll only be gone a few months,” Lex said.
“Won’t you be missed here? I hate to think I’m taking you away from your work.”
“You’re not. Now that Cole is past the worst of his change, he’ll help pick up the slack.” He eyed her then, learning to read her so quickly. “Are you having second thoughts?”
“It’s just...I’ve only tested my control here, in a safe environment where any one of the clan can tackle me if I try anything fangy. I mean, in the back of my mind I’m still wondering how Kenzi would taste…and there’s a thought I’d never expected to ever run through my head.”
“It will get easier. And I’ll always be there when you need me.”
“I know you will.” She kissed him again, then pulled away. “I’ve never traveled farther than the ocean shore. I guess maybe I’m a little nervous. I realize our town is blessed. We’re in a little bubble of security, but I’m not naive. The world is still suffering from the wars. In a lot of places, there’s a wild west mentality.”
“Wild west insinuates there’s a semblance of law in place,” he said, not helping. “There are some areas of the world that have reverted to the dark ages, where evil reigns supreme, but I will never put you at risk. I want you to be able to follow your dreams, but if I catch even a whiff of danger, I’ll drag you to the next continent so fast your head will spin. Just be sure to keep hold of that camera of yours.”
