Risorgimento: Rebirth

by Maya Daniels

  “You can play the guessing game which one of those five is the runner.” Khan’s head snaps towards the women, malice glinting like a blade in his narrowed gaze.

  “What about her?” Suspicion makes him squint at me.

  “This one I ordered here. She came highly recommended.” Jerking April around, I shake her in front of Khan. “I can now see why.”

  Chuckling gleefully, Khan moves towards the living room. Not waiting on more interruptions, I walk calmly to the bedroom, pulling April along. She stumbles, almost trips, but she doesn’t utter a sound. When I reach the door, yanking it open more forcefully than I intended, I push her inside. Slamming the door shut behind us, I’m panting like a human.

  “Scream.” Words garbled through descended fangs, I hold myself in check so I don’t pounce on her.

  “What?” April sounds breathless, her words barely above a whisper, eyes darting around looking for an escape.

  “Scream, April. Like your life depends on it.” When she just stares at me like I’ve lost my mind, I snarl at her, baring my throbbing fangs in her face.

  A high-pitched scream makes my ears ring for a moment. When she has expelled all the air from her lungs, she gulps. Me reaching for her causes another scream to echo around us, and chuckles from the living room follow the sound. I keep advancing until she is pressed between my chest and the wall.

  “I will need you to cooperate, April…willingly.” The blood is drained from her face.

  “Are you going to kill me?” A vein is throbbing on the side of her neck, the sound of her thundering heart too loud in my ears.

  “What? What on earth makes you think I will kill you after the great lengths I’m going to make sure that you live?”

  “You really need to look at yourself in the mirror when you ask women to scream.” Swallowing thickly, pressing both her palms on my chest, she gives me a shove. “Move!” April hisses.” I’m already intimidated, no need to manhandle me.”

  “I need you to take more of my blood.”

  As I expected, her mouth opens slightly, and she gapes at me. It takes her a long moment to blink. In the meantime, I allow myself to feast on the sight of her pressed to my chest. The small amount of blood she accidentally took is already doing its magic on her. Her hollowed cheeks are not sunken, and the paleness of her skin is replaced by a rosy glow.

  April curls the fingers of one hand around the front of my jacket. Unable to pull me down, she lifts herself up, getting in my face. “Humans don’t drink blood. That’s your job. It’s also why we hate you.”

  She is so close, I can feel the breath passing her lips, caressing my skin. Anger burns like fire in her gaze, making the predator in me answer to the challenge. Taking hold of her waist, I lift her up until we are nose to nose. Gasping, she stares at me, shocked. Not giving her time to react, I press my mouth to hers, my tongue sliding between her lips. April stiffens in my arms, but after having one taste of her, I cannot stop myself. Pressing a thigh between her legs, I keep twining my tongue with hers, an appreciative groan rumbling in my chest. Mindful of my fangs, I don’t plunder her mouth as I would’ve liked. Expecting her to bite or try pushing me away, my blood comes to boil when a deep sensual moan comes from her. With great reluctance, I pull back. It’s a night where my control is greatly tested because there is nothing that I want more than to bury myself in her at this moment. When her eyes finally open and become more alert, I grin at her.

  “That was a lot of hate I felt, little one. I think I’m going to enjoy being a hated male very much.” When her eyes turn to slits, I kiss her again. When I let her come up for air, pressing my forehead to hers, I can’t help but chuckle. “Tonight, everything is going to shit.” As soon as I finish talking, a sting on my face blooms at the same time as a loud slap sounds around us. Never in my immortal life have I been more surprised than right now.

  She slapped me.

  April

  My hand is hurting like a bitch. I don’t know what possessed me to hit Sebastian. Okay, that’s not true. I know what possessed me. He kissed me, and I melted in his arms. I actually liked it. One of the monsters that want me dead shoved his tongue down my throat, and it was like someone else took over my body. Butterflies erupted in my stomach, heat pooled like lava between my thighs, and my mind took a vacation.

  I hate myself for it.

  “Did you just slap me?” If I’m not mistaken, shock and amusement are equally present in his question.

  So, since at this point I have nothing more to lose, apart from my life obviously, I slap him again. A warning growl raises the hairs on the back of my neck, forcing my brain to finally get back into gear. I blink innocently at him.

  “Me? No.” When his eyes narrow to slits, gulping air, I shove my hand between our faces. “My hand did.”

  “You know that your hand is attached to you, right?” Speaking slowly, like talking to a simpleton, he scowls at me.

  “Some of my body parts have a mind of their own.”

  “I see.”

  We are still pressed firmly to each other, and I can feel every inch of his body molding to mine, pissing me off to no end. I’ve always steered clear of everyone. Why am I being punished now to feel attracted to a monster? Or maybe he is doing mind tricks, making me feel like this? This new thought makes me start struggling against him in hopes to free myself. I need air where I can’t smell his scent and where I can’t feel him pressed to me. Watching me warily, like he is expecting me to do something stupid, Sebastian finally moves away. He doesn’t go far, but one or two feet is enough for me to collect myself. With him not touching me, I’m not a hormonal mess at least.

  “I’m not drinking your blood.” I get back to what started this whole mess. “Apart from water, I don’t drink anything else.” Lifting a hand to stop whatever lecture he is going to give me, I make sure he understands how serious I am. “Nor am I planning to start.”

  “It will not harm you, you know this now.” Taking another step, I think he finally realizes that his nearness is making me act insane. Sebastian is still entirely focused on me. It’s unnerving. “It’s for your protection. Khan, the one that you saw in the living room, is one of the Council members. I promised you I would protect you, but he might get to you before I stop him. I’m only making sure that you survive whatever happens tonight.”

  “It’s your fault I’m even in this position.” Hissing at him, I do my best to keep my voice as low as possible. “If you let me go when I told you, none of this would’ve mattered now.” It’s easier to blame him than to admit my own stupidity led me here. If I were paying closer attention, that asshole wouldn’t have caught me in the dumpster.

  Sebastian keeps watching me with his intent gaze for so long, I almost snap my fingers in front of his face to see if he fell asleep with open eyes. When he finally moves, I jerk back, making him frown. Oh well, it’s not like he doesn’t know how freaked out I am. He can’t blame me for the way I react. Cussing in what I assume is Italian, he turns away from me and starts pacing. I know he is cussing because he is spitting the words venomously like they taste vile in his mouth.

  “I will make you a deal.” Pressing his thumb and forefinger on the bridge of his nose, he is not even looking at me.

  “What kind of a deal?” Uneasiness crawls up my spine, my barely covered body in the stupid dress prickling.

  “If you drink my blood like I asked, I will let you go…tonight.” Finally, those dark orbs lock with mine, and every instinct I have is screaming that this is a trap. “Think very hard, April. I don’t want to force you to do anything. I want you willing because when the time comes, you will remember this life just like all the others. I don’t want untruths between us. As much as it pains me, I’m willing to offer you this once.”

  I want to say no. I also want to say yes, because if he lets me go, they will never see me again. I’ve stayed hidden for so long that I know I can leave LA and disappear. No one will find me. What about Sara and Eddie? An
d the mutt? my brain supplies unhelpfully, but I push those thoughts away. More proof that getting close to people can get you in a ton of shit.

  “What about the Council member? How am I going to get out of here? In case you forgot, I can’t fly. I tried.”

  “I will deal with Khan. He is not your concern. Time is wasting, make your decision.”

  The air around us is charged with expectancy. My mind is going a hundred miles a minute, coming up with reasons why I should say no, dismissing them the second they form. What’s a few gulps of blood, right? I can shove my fingers down my throat later, when I get out of here, spewing it on one of the streets. How will he know? The more I think about it, the better it sounds. I’ll be free.

  “If I drink some of your blood, you’ll let me go. I’ll be out of here.” Confirming it again, I watch for any indication that he is trying to trick me. “You won’t chase after me.”

  “As I promised, if you take it, you will be free to go tonight.”

  Fists clenching, I take a deep breath, releasing it slowly. “Okay. Deal.”

  I might’ve imagined it, but his eyes flare with some emotion that I can’t name. Not allowing myself to start second guessing my decision, I step towards him. Nostrils flaring, his handsome face intense, Sebastian reaches for me. My trembling fingers slide into his large hand. A shiver passes through me, one side of his mouth quirking in answer.

  “Do not fear me, April. I’m no threat to you. I could not do you harm if I tried.”

  Pulling me along with him, he sits at the edge of the bed, positioning me between his thighs. Like this, we are almost at eye level. Remembering the kiss, how his lips felt on mine, I glance quickly at his mouth. A smile of male pride makes my eyes snap up and lock on his. Cupping my face in one palm, his thumb glides gently over my cheekbone. The roughness of his thumb scrapes deliciously over my skin. Am I that starved for connection that even a monster can make me feel like this? No matter how beautiful he is, I should remember that’s only so he can easily lure his prey.

  “Come,” mumbling softly, he pulls me closer. “Take what I freely offer, little one.”

  Mesmerized by the hypnotic sound of his deep voice and the gentle touch of his skin, I allow him to pull me so close that he presses his cheek to mine. The stubble on his face prickles my skin, causing goosebumps to cover my arms and legs. I can feel my heart beating in my throat, my chest too tight to take a full breath. When his other hand moves under my chin, I try to pull back, but he grips me firmer, not giving me an inch to get back to myself. Sebastian puts pressure on the back of my head, leading my face to his neck. When my lips touch sticky skin, I realize he must’ve cut himself with something so I can drink his blood. Squeezing my eyes tightly shut, I breathe through my nose. Panic is trying to push to the front, but I keep reminding myself that I will be free after this.

  “Drink.” His voice makes the spell stronger.

  Closing my lips over his bleeding neck, I suck as hard as I can. My mouth fills up with warm, thick liquid, and I swallow automatically. When I bit him earlier that night, it was not much of the blood that I tasted, but it was not as horrible as I thought it would be. Yet, that can’t even compare with the feeling that hits me at the center of my chest as soon as the first gulp is down. Warmth spreads through me, ambers starting to simmer in my lower belly. The second time I take his blood, those ambers turn into a full fire. My skin feels too tight to contain me. In the back of my mind, I know how wrong this is. That I should stop and move away. This will change everything, and no amount of deals and promises will save me from my fate. Then Sebastian moans a sound that flips a switch somewhere inside me.

  I’m aware that I’m straddling him, grinding myself over his hardness. His hips move in sync with mine, his thick erection pressing all the spots where the fire is burning me alive. I’m holding him to my mouth with one hand, drinking him like I’m dying of thirst. My other hand is clawing at his shoulders. Sebastian guides my movement with one hand on the back of my head, a handful of my ass in the other. His fingers slide under the hem of the dress that has ridden up. With each grind I make, they come closer to where I desperately need them to be. It’s too much. I will burst into pieces that will never be put back together again if it doesn’t stop.

  His fingers slide between my folds, and he presses hard on the button that was throbbing with its own heartbeat. Jerking my head back, a scream is ripped from my throat that leaves me raw. Sebastian’s loud groan is the last thing I hear before sinking into darkness.

  Something raspy and wet keeps gliding over my face. Mind muddled like my head is stuffed with cotton, I try to move my hands so I can push it away. My limbs feel like they weigh a ton and are flopping on warm concrete. Forcing my glued-shut eyelids to lift, blinking lazily, I see nothing but dark hair in front of my face. The next thing I know, a horrible stench hits my nostrils, making bile rise in my throat. The lurch in my stomach gives me enough strength to push whoever it is so I can turn to my side, gagging and spitting. Nothing else comes out. A warm hand rubs my back, holding my hair if the pull on my skull is any indication.

  Where the hell am I?

  When the spasms in my belly stop, flopping back down, I stare up and the stars are the first thing I see. Everything rushes back at that moment. My capture, the hotel, the vampires, and finally me drinking Sebastian’s blood and enjoying it like I’m one of them. My heartbeat gallops to alarming levels, the loud rushing of blood in my ears making my head spin even though I’m lying on the solid ground. Short gasps of air are all I can manage to give my starving lungs while I’m hyperventilating.

  A shabby muzzle pops in my sight above me, floppy ears hanging in my face. A pathetic squeak is all that comes out before I realize that I’m looking at the mutt. Seeing his dirty face, his stench enveloping me like a safety blanket, I jerk up, wrapping my arm around him. Sobs are wrenched from the center of my soul while I cling to him like he is my lifeline.

  The mutt lets me hold him tight, pressing his full weight on top of me, showing me that he missed me as much as I didn’t allow myself to admit that I missed him too. His raspy, wet tongue scrapes over my neck where I’m pressing his head.

  “I missed you so much!” Fingers tangled in his dirty fur, I keep repeating the words through my sobs. A soft whine is his response, telling me that he missed me as well.

  “April, you need to stop, bella,” Marcus speaks from somewhere behind the body of fur that I’m squeezing to my chest.

  Rolling away fast, taking the mutt with me, I find myself crouched a few feet away from Marcus. He is sitting with his back propped on the wall of a building, his long legs stretched in front of him. The clothing he is wearing looks like he was dragged through thorny bushes, his hair tousled every which way around his face. Both of his hands lift slowly in an I’m harmless gesture, trying to placate me. Mutt growls menacingly where I’m clutching him like a barrel under my arm. My eyes dart around in a panic, looking for the other two vampires to pop out of the shadows. When no one shows up, I look at Marcus again. He still hasn’t moved.

  That’s when I finally see where I am. The familiar walls of the alley calm the fast beating of my heart. The horrible smell of trash baked too long in the sun greets me, welcoming me home like an embrace. My hands release the death grip I have on Mutt, and the dog bumps to my side, letting me know he is not going anywhere. His lips are pulled back, terrifyingly long canines glinting in the little light that is penetrating the shadows around us. That brings one question to mind.

  “Why are you here?” Throat feeling raw like I’ve been eating a barbed wire for a week, I rasp the words.

  “Just to assure your safety, little one,” speaking softly, I’m assuming so he doesn’t spook me, Marcus sits unnaturally still with his hands still up.

  “Where are the others?” I’m too scared to allow myself to believe I’ve been freed, to let that bitch Hope to rear her head again.

  “Dealing with Khan. They were taken by the Counci
l when he realized you were missing from the penthouse. Sebastian lost too much blood to be able to fight him.” His mouth twists like he tasted something sour.

  “And you are what? A shadow I have to deal with so I can have my freedom?” My throat hurts when I speak, but I push the words out through clenched teeth, ignoring everything else he said. “Sebastian promised! We made a deal.”

  “You are free to go, April. Which is more than I can say about the rest of us.” I refuse to acknowledge the look he gives me. Monsters don’t feel sadness or remorse. “I’m only here until you are okay on your own. I didn’t want to leave you vulnerable in the middle of the night, in a dark alley.” Loud hoots and a blaring horn follow his words. I almost jump out of my skin.

  “I’m good now.” Pulling Mutt closer to me, I swallow everything else I want to say. “You can go.”

  “April…” He searches my face for a long moment before a heavy, loaded sigh passes his lips. “You are right, of course.” Pushing himself up with one hand, Marcus looms over my crouched form. “I will leave you be.”

  He doesn’t leave straight away. Standing in front of me, the mouth of the ally at his back covering him in the shadows, Marcus doesn’t move for a long time. I can almost physically feel the words he wants to say every time he holds them back. They hang like a blanket, heavy on my shoulders, promising answers, or maybe a confirmation of my doom. I don’t really care right now. I’m perfectly happy to live with my illusion of freedom. Denial is the best medicine for a piece of mind.

  “Go!” hissing at him, I start inching back.

  “Until we meet again, April.”

  There is such sadness and disappointment in his deep voice that tears prickle the corners of my eyes. I blink to push them away, and then Marcus is gone. The soft breeze on my face is the only indication he was here a second ago. Waiting for a while to make sure he doesn’t come back, I barely breathe. Minutes tick by, and my legs start to tremble from the way I’m poised to sprint at the smallest movement, or sound. Finally, the reality that I’m alone in a familiar place settles over me.