Bitten And Twisted (Blood Moon Book 3)

by Natalie Aejaz

  She fell to her knees, releasing a loud cry. “Leke!”

  Veronica…

  She paused, looking around her. Nobody. But she’d heard it…Leke’s voice.

  The connection…

  She closed her eyes and focused. I send you my strength. Nothing. And she wanted to scream in frustration, because she’d refused to develop her powers.

  Leke had been right. There was much she could do with these abilities, and she would start now. She cleared her mind of pain and rage, and eventually a white glow replaced the red. I send you healing energy, Leke. She focused until a tingle trailed through her system, emanating from her and spreading out. That connection with the horde leader grew stronger as she sent him strength. As she did, she felt her energy drain, but she did not care, because it was going to him.

  She controlled her mind and pushed even more of her energy out. Glasses at the bar shattered and broke, and she registered the pool table turn over. As she sent more healing to Leke, she teleported so she was back in her apartment. A chair flew and hit the ceiling as she continued, and windows shattered, but she didn’t stop until darkness invaded her mind, and she collapsed to the floor…

  CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

  * * *

  SHE WOULD GET THROUGH THIS. She had never given up on anything, and she was not about to start now, not when she was adjusting to these powers.

  Leke had been right. It would be stupid to waste the abilities she’d been given.

  Leke…the thought of seeing him again was another reason to keep going, wasn’t it? She had used their connection to tune into the horde leader’s energy a few times. He was still sick but stable. She had known that night, when she sent him healing, that he would be all right, but it was a relief each time she checked in with him.

  She hadn’t tried to send him telepathic messages though, despite the temptation. After what she did to him, she couldn’t contact him, not yet. She’d injured countless, and ripped that werewolf’s neck apart with her teeth, but nothing had sickened her the way seeing Leke’s throat slit did. And even after that, his concern had been for her…her welfare. He might not have gone out of this way to show it, but the horde leader cared for her. And she cared for him, too, but had been too busy rejecting what she now was…wanting to prove she could make it alone.

  And now…was it too late?

  After a few days, she awakened in her apartment feeling…normal. Not the way she had when she was human but normal inside her vampire form. It was weird, wasn’t it, how quickly she’d adapted to her new state of being? There was plenty she could do, and damn it, she would not sit around moping and wondering if she’d fucked things up with Leke. He was alive, and she was grateful for that. As for the rest…if he forgave her, they’d take things from there…

  She went to the fridge and took out a pint of blood. She placed some into the blender and threw in a spoonful of coffee before she poured the frothy mixture into a glass and then sat at the dining table to sip it. The first time she drank the red stuff from the packet, she nearly threw up, but it got easier each time. Still, nothing beat drinking from the horde leader’s vein. She ignored the longing that rose inside her.

  But I need him…

  She also needed to get her ass out of here and get her life together. But damn if she would return to the work she did before she turned. It brought good money, yes, but it made the borough into an even more miserable place than it already was.

  She picked up the phone and dialed the number Fry had sent her. “Can I speak to Ayo, please?” she asked. A few moments later, the blood bank contact came to the phone. “It’s Veronica here. ID 7465. Please could you deliver fifty pints?”

  “Of course. Should I charge it to your credit card, the one on file?”

  “Yes. Thank you.”

  Fry had got in touch after the night they took out the wolves, to thank her for saving Leke. Since then, he’d sent several messages. And when he recently called, he mentioned that Wilson was happy with the way the hit on Rasmus had been carried out. Clean and fast. He was interested in hiring her for more jobs. He’d given her the government contact’s number, too, telling her she should get in touch with him. Perhaps it was time to do just that.

  After finishing breakfast, she brought up Enzo’s number on her mobile. He answered after a few rings. “Great to hear from you, Veronica.”

  “Thanks again for your help that night, Enzo.”

  “Any time.” After a pause, “I mean that. I didn’t tell the gang about the mission you were involved in, but they know enough to understand that we can’t continue with the humans against supernaturals attitude. In the long run, it only feeds into the hate-mongering spread by organizations like the Association, doesn’t it?”

  Well, that made things easier. “I’m glad to hear that, Enzo, because I want you to put a proposition to the rest of the guys. The government contact wants to give me some work, but I’ll need support. What do you think about joining me?”

  “But what about the vampire horde? I thought you were pretty much a part of their gang now…and you seemed tight with the leader.” Thank fuck; there was no jealousy in his voice. Only curiosity.

  “I’m still in touch with them, but I need my own thing. What do you think?”

  “You kept us organized and in line, and since you’ve gone, work has been affected. And to be honest, considering all the crap that went down between that mob boss James and supernaturals, it wouldn’t hurt to have one of your kind on our side. Why don’t you come over and talk to the gang?”

  “They won’t mind me coming over?”

  “I’m pretty sure they won’t.” He chuckled. “As long as you promise not to bite any of us, that is.”

  “I might take a bite out of you just for that remark.” She grinned, relief rushing through her as she hung up the phone. After taking a shower and getting dressed, she went downstairs to the car park adjacent to the building, feeling more alive than she had in days. She got on to her Harley, her heart light as she drove to her gang’s hideout, a huge underground garage where they met for meetings and to hang out. It had always been a drop-in space where any of the gang members could stop by whenever they felt like it, which meant there was usually someone there.

  She entered the abandoned warehouse and teleported down to the entrance to the garage. She paused outside the steel shutter, running her eyes over walls covered in graffiti as she summoned the courage to go inside. I’m a damn vampire. What am I so scared of? She hit the security panel at the side of the doors, and after her fingers were scanned, the shutter lifted. Her gang hadn’t removed her security clearance…

  When she entered the garage, all fifteen of her gang members were there. Enzo came straight over to give her a big hug, and one by one, the rest of them lined up. Riya shook her pink hair around her face before she grabbed her in a tight embrace. “It’s good to have you back, Veronica.” She stood back to take a good look at her. “You look great. The fangs are a bit weird, but man, you’re hot!”

  “Thank you.”

  When Dave, the youngest member of the gang came forward, there was a wide grin on his usually sullen face. And that flicker of yellow in his eyes told her why. He was a bloody shape-shifter but had hidden it well. If she didn’t have the vampiric instinct to tune into, she would never have known. And she wouldn’t mention anything to the rest of the gang…not until he was ready.

  “Has Enzo mentioned my offer to you?” she asked, stepping back so she could take in all their expressions. “About us working together?”

  Rick, a buff gangster who’d never been all that happy about answering to a female, spoke before anyone else did. “Work with a supernatural? Hell will freeze over first.”

  “You don’t speak for the rest of us,” said Enzo. Some other members nodded.

  “There are benefits to working with a supernatural,” said Veronica.

  She teleported next to Rick, and the massive gangster jumped back, causing chuckles to rise ar
ound the garage. “What the fuck?”

  “This isn’t the only skill I can use to help the gang,” said Veronica. “As time passes, I will develop more powers. And as for my strength, fancy an arm-wrestle?”

  “N-no,” he mumbled.

  “I reckon we don’t just work with Veronica.” Riya grinned as she glanced around the group. “We should have her back as our leader.”

  At first, Veronica thought she’d misheard.

  “It’s true,” piped up Fabien. The blue-eyed thug glanced at Enzo. “We need a strong leader and seeing as Enzo refused the position—”

  She turned to Enzo. “You refused?”

  “No need to look grateful,” he mumbled. “I wasn’t going to show myself up by taking your place. You were one hell of a leader before, and now you’re a vampire…well, I think you’ll cement our position in Manhattan. Isn’t that what we have wanted for a long time?”

  She turned to face the others, and one by one, they nodded. “Rick?”

  “Well, I suppose there are benefits to having you with us.”

  Enzo grinned. “So I guess you’re leading us again. Welcome back. We’ve missed you.”

  She returned his grin. “Perfect. Now let’s start creating some work. I’ll set up a meeting with that government contact soon, so we can get this show on the road.”

  They gathered around her, slapping her on the back.

  “Great to have you with us again, Veronica.” The shouts rang out, and as they huddled around her, a strange sensation overcame her…being with them reminded her of Leke and his horde, making her miss the bloodsucker even more.

  “LEKE…WHY WON’T YOU heal?”

  Leke lay on his bed, his eyes on the LED light display embedded in the ceiling. The mattress was customized and silk bed sheets soft, yet he could not relax. When he stared out of the window, even the sight of greenery brought no relief. He had hoped that Veronica would reconcile with him after she released her rage, but that night in Rouge, she’d taken a dagger to his neck. She truly hated him…

  And that hatred had become a toxin, seeping through his veins and sickening him. His wound closed fast after Veronica sent him energy, but his body would not heal, because his mind remained disturbed. He’d been frustrated by Veronica’s refusal to take blood, told her she needed to think of her health first, but since his injury, he could not bear feeding. Once a practical being, emotions now dug at his insides, making him want nothing but her. But she stayed away, because she might have healed him, but she would never forgive.

  Fry glanced at the bowl of soup in his hands, a special recipe concocted from blood and vitamins. “There’s much to be done, and decisions to be made. Edge has been in touch again. He’s taken over the wolves who didn’t follow Rasmus that night and now wants to meet you, to ensure there are no…outstanding issues.”

  The threat of ending up as a vampire feeding bag had not made that wolf wary of them. In fact, he was hankering after friendship. Good news, and a hell of an improvement on the previous pack leader. But shit like that didn’t matter anymore. “You meet him.”

  “I never expected you to turn into a wuss for a female—”

  “Wait until you go through something like this. Then you’ll understand…” Night after night, the dreams came…Veronica’s eyes flashing red with hate as she sliced through his neck.

  “No way am I ever going through this.” Fry brought a spoonful of soup to Leke’s lips as if he was a goddamn baby. “Drink.”

  He shook his head at Fry, the smell of the soup making him nauseous. “Until I recover, you will lead the others…and if Veronica returns…”

  “Yes, yes. We will welcome her back as if she’s a queen, and not the one who slit your throat—” When Leke frowned, he grinned. “Just kidding. She might have cut you, but you’re alive because of her. And hey, you don’t need to worry about her. She’s returned to leading her gang and has arranged a meeting with Wilson, so she’s back on her feet.”

  “And does she feed?”

  “Yes. Her fridge is well and truly stocked with blood, if the orders she’s put in with the bank are anything to go by. So you see, there’s no need for you to starve yourself to death, because she sure as hell isn’t.”

  It was some sort of redemption that Veronica was back with the ones who were the closest she’d had to family. As for him, he had to try to recover…if for nothing else, then for the sake of his horde. He took the spoon from Fry, but he couldn’t swallow the soup before spitting it back out. Too long without sustenance. He turned away from his right hand and friend, closing his eyes. So tired…

  Return to me, Veronica.

  CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

  * * *

  NOW SHE WAS ACCUSTOMED TO her new powers, Veronica enjoyed the advantages. Superhuman strength wasn’t to be scoffed at; she was getting better at teleporting, and her instinct got stronger by the day, helping her to choose which jobs to accept from Wilson. As for the work she did for the government contact, none of it would have been possible if she wasn’t a supernatural. The contracts were rolling in, and her gang was happy, too. In fact, Wilson called her this morning, saying he had more work. In a few minutes, she’d be at his office, going over the details.

  Everything would be perfect if it wasn’t for the ache that gripped her chest each time she thought of Leke…

  She cleared security at the OSA building and then entered the reception. The blond receptionist she’d threatened to bite on her first visit here was less wary of her these days and gave her a smile. “Wilson is waiting for you upstairs, Veronica. Go ahead.”

  As always, Veronica’s eyes flitted around the area, part of her expecting to see Leke. But no, her senses told her he was still not fully healed. After she sent him that healing energy, he should have recovered fast, so why the hell was it taking so long? She was getting impatient, because as soon as he regained his strength, they were going to talk…being apart from him had made her realize she couldn’t be without the horde leader, and something told her he needed her, too.

  When she stepped into Wilson’s office, he was ready with a file on his desk. If he noticed her gaze landing on the chair where Leke had sat during their first meeting here, he said nothing. He knew the horde leader was injured, but Fry had informed him that Leke was attacked by a wolf. Another thing she was grateful to the horde for. She couldn’t imagine Wilson being keen to hire her if he knew she’d turned on Leke as soon as the assignment was complete.

  “Thanks for coming, Veronica.” When she sat, he pushed the file toward her. She opened it, and details about the Association shot out at her. Bloody great. “I see from your face you’re not impressed.”

  “That organization is dangerous—”

  “Which is why the payment will be good. I need people to keep an eye on them, and if the need arises, take out members before they stir shit.”

  “I’ll look it over.” He leaned back in his chair, his head tilted as he stared at her. “What?”

  “Leke and you worked well together when you took Rasmus down. If possible, I’d like you both to join on this.” A frisson of excitement stirred her belly at that thought, and she couldn’t help grinning. Wilson’s smile widened at her expression. “Thank God. After you both went your separate ways, I thought it might be a chore to get you both to work together again.” He leaned forward on the table and pressed a button on the panel. “Send him through.”

  Send who through? Was Leke here? Excitement clenched her chest, and she was barely able to speak. But when the door opened behind her, she released her breath. She could sense it wasn’t him. When someone sat on the chair next to her—his chair—she turned. “Fry?”

  From that grin on his face, you wouldn’t think she’d sliced his leader’s neck a couple of weeks ago. “Good to see you, Veronica.”

  “Thanks for coming,” said Wilson. “How’s Leke?”

  “He’ll be fine soon.”

  “I hope to see him when he’s better.” He glanced at t
he file. “He’s on board with this?”

  “Yes. And until he’s back on his feet, I’ll deal with any assignments on his behalf.”

  Wilson glanced at Veronica. “As I was explaining, it’s just keeping an eye on certain Association members for now, but if it gets any more intense, I’d prefer for Leke to be involved.”

  Fry nodded. “I understand.”

  “Great. I’ll let you both go. If you could give me an answer tomorrow on whether you want to accept the assignment, that would be great.”

  “Sure,” said Veronica. She stood with the file under one arm and extended the other to shake the government contact’s hand. She then walked out of there with Fry. When they were in the corridor, she clutched the file close her body as she asked, “How is Leke?”

  Now the vampire’s face was grim. “Why haven’t you been to see him?”

  “I intend to, once he’s recovered. In the meantime, I don’t want him to suffer a setback after seeing me—”

  “You’re as bad as each other. He needs to see you to recover.” What the hell was he going on about? “Seriously, Veronica, you’re both intelligent beings, but idiots when it comes to anything involving emotions. That asshole is refusing to take blood…he won’t heal without you.”

  “He’s refusing to take blood?” But Leke was the one always going on about the importance of feeding. “Why didn’t you tell me before?”

  “Because he wouldn’t let me. He thought you might come to see him out of pity, and you know what his ego’s like.”

  “He really hasn’t taken blood all this time?”

  “I’ve slipped some down his throat a few times when he’s been unconscious, but that’s it. To survive, he needs to drink…not only drink…he needs to want to bloody live.” He leaned against the wall, and she noticed how tired he was. He really cared about his horde leader, didn’t he? “Despite the stunt you pulled, I have to admit that only you can help him recover. With you around, he will drink again.”