Marked by Blood: Book 2 of The Marked Series

by Ford, Rinna

  “Xan, I don’t want you to be with me out of obligation…”

  “You still don’t get it.” He pushed off the wall and stood directly in front of me. “I don’t have a choice because I can’t survive without you. You’re my world and I’m with you, through the good times and the bad. I’ve told you over and over again, and you still don’t get it. What is it going to take to get you to understand? I’m. Not. Going. Anywhere.”

  I felt my lungs constrict and I let out the breath I didn’t realize I was holding. I broke eye contact and looked away, feeling ashamed. I wasn’t trying to push him away. I was trying to do the only thing I could for him after everything that had happened by giving him the choice, but standing there in the hallway, I knew the choice had hurt him even more.

  I nodded my head without saying a word and fell into his strong chest. He gently wrapped his arms around my shoulders and pulled me in even closer.

  “Do you get it?”

  “Yeah, I get it. But you didn’t ask for any of this…”

  “And neither did you. Tell me, if you had a choice to walk away from me if our positions were reversed, would you?”

  “No. Never.” My answer fell from my lips before I had a chance to fully think it through. But even after I was able to think about it, I knew for a fact it was right. I’d never leave him. It would be hard, but it would be more than worth it in the end.

  The sound of laughter carried upstairs, making me realize where I was heading. Xander had to be hungry, I mean, he always was and I didn’t want to test my new vampire restraint any more than I already was. He did smell more mouthwatering than usual.

  “Let’s get you down to supper,” he chuckled, as if he could sense how conflicted I was.

  Xander moved me around so I was under his arm and he led me to the stairs, where he let me lead going down. We bypassed the kitchen and walked straight into the dining room were people were just sitting down to eat.

  Matias was lounging back in his chair, staring at the goblet of blood that he held on the table in front of him while Di sat next to him, chatting away. She put her hand on his arm and threw her head back to laugh, making me see red.

  He didn’t seem to pay much attention to the vampire sitting next to him or anyone really, that was until he sensed I had come into the room. His eyes shot up from the goblet and stared straight into mine and my body heated up just from the look of them.

  Without thinking, I moved away from Xan and walked to where Matias was sitting and stood right beside Di’s seat.

  “Move,” I told her, my voice flat, void of emotion.

  “And who do you…?” She turned her head to see it was me standing there and immediately jumped up and moved around the opposite side of the chair. “I, I… how are you feeling, Emelia?”

  She quickly tried to distract me from the fact she was flirting with my mate, even if he wasn’t claimed. But like everything else Di did, I wasn’t impressed. What a bitch.

  “Emi?”

  Xan had walked up beside me and I didn’t even realize. I was too focused on not ripping the vampire apart that cowered in front of me. I looked at him in confusion, then over to Matias. He seemed distressed too. I wondered why.

  “Sorry,” I told Xander. “I wanted to talk to Matias about helping me…”

  “You sure that’s all? Because it looked a little like jealousy to me.” He quirked an eyebrow, daring me to contradict him.

  “What do you want from her?” Matias asked Xander, standing to his full height. “I am her mate, even though she made it clear she isn’t interested in taking on more than one, but she still feels for me and she always will. Give her a break, man.”

  “I’ll give you a break,” Xan growled and stepped forward, sandwiching me between the two.

  I shoved them both back a step and glared at them.

  “Both of you, sit down!”

  Locked in a staring match, trying to intimidate one another with their angry looks. But then, the corner of Matias’ mouth quirked just a bit and he sat down in his original seat.

  “So help me, Xan. I’m not playing! That’s enough! You said you’re with me, so be with me!”

  He cut his eyes to me and stepped in front of me, taking the seat beside Matias so I couldn’t.

  I put my head back and looked up at the ceiling, making an exasperated growl. Men. I finally decided to let Xan have this one and took the seat next to him. As I was pushing my chair in, I heard snickering coming from the opposite side of the table. Grayson was sitting next to the buddy of his I had met a few days before. Benson. The one who had flirted with me. He was laughing, saying that Xan and Matias were pussy whipped.

  I slammed my hands on the table in front of me and leaned forward as my fangs lengthened. Benson jumped and pushed his chair back anxiously. I began to rise from my seat when I felt a reassuring hand on my forearm. I whipped my head toward the person, only to see Matias there, trying to calm me down.

  “Control it,” he told me calmly. “You are the one in charge, not the vampire.”

  I relaxed back into my seat and closed my eyes, willing my fangs to retract and my mood to brighten. I was in charge.

  “Thank you,” I breathed and gently smiled at him.

  He nodded his head toward me. “We’ll begin work tomorrow morning. I told you, I’m here and I want to help.”

  “I am her maker,” Di chirped in. I forgot she was even standing behind us. “I should be the one to train her.”

  “Di, you’re lucky you’re even still alive right now,” Grayson told her. “All of us who helped you change her are lucky to still be alive. Show some gratitude and leave the lady alone.”

  Di’s mouth gaped open as if she didn’t know what to say to that, and stormed away. It looked as if things were changing.

  After we watched Di exit, Matias told me, “Tomorrow.” He nodded toward Xan, picked up his glass of blood, and walked out of the room.

  Chapter Sixteen

  I eyed the glass of blood in front of me wearily. It was my third glass at that point and I wasn’t yet satisfied. I glanced over at Xan who was in the middle of shoveling a forkful of food into his mouth and I couldn’t help but think how delicious it smelled. Xan scooped up another forkful and stopped midway to his mouth when he saw me watching.

  “Do you want some?” he asked me.

  I looked away quickly, embarrassed by being caught staring.

  “It’s okay, Emi. You’re not just a vampire, so it would make sense you’d want real food too. You have to feed your dragon and your caster sides too, right?”

  I looked down and the table and nodded. Without another word, he rose from his chair and went into the kitchen, coming back with a plate, fork, and knife, handing it all to me.

  I sat it all down in front of me and looked over the table at all the food. It all looked good, but was that just because it was good before I became a vampire? I mentally slapped myself because I was being a ninny and went for the first thing I saw, which just so happened to be some roasted potatoes.

  I scooped a helping onto my plate and picked up one of the potato pieces with my fork. I held it up to my nose and inhaled, smelling its incredible aroma. My eyes went bright at that thought and I shoved it into my mouth, chewing it carefully before swallowing it.

  I sat back in my chair and waited. It was delicious and everything I remember roasted potatoes tasting like, but would I be able to keep it in my stomach? After a few minutes of feeling fine, other than still being hungry, I decided it was okay and continued eating with a smile on my face.

  Xan shook his head, mirroring my smile, and kept eating his own dinner. There was so much to learn and since there was no one like me in the whole world, it wouldn’t be easy to manage it all. Xan could help me with my shifter side, Camille with my caster side, and Matias with my vampire, but no one could tell me how to put them all together or how all of these parts would react to one another. I’d have to figure that out myself.

  As I
sat there, eating my second plateful of food and drinking my fourth glass of blood, I knew I was up to the challenge.

  * * *

  I was only able to sleep for about an hour and a half before waking up refreshed and ready to start the day. Too bad it was still early and most of the supernaturals were still asleep in their beds, Xander being one of them.

  I lay there for at least another hour, trying not to wake him, but I couldn’t stand it any longer. I carefully snuck out of bed and into the bathroom, grabbing a set of clothes on the way. I was dressed and out the bedroom door within minutes.

  Walking down the stairs, I expected to be the only person up, but there were several others milling about. As I got a closer look, I realized they were all vampires.

  A couple of them nodded their hello to me, but most of them went about their business as if I weren’t even there. I walked into the kitchen and found Matias pouring himself a glass of blood from a bag. It didn’t even occur to me to ask where the blood was coming from, but as I watched him empty the bag, I decided it made sense. It also made me feel a lot better knowing the blood more than likely came from a blood bank than unwilling donors.

  “Good morning, little one.”

  My eyes shifted from the bagged blood in Matias’ hands to his smiling face. When the cup was full, he handed it to me and reached inside the cupboard for another glass.

  “Can’t sleep?”

  I shook my head and brought the glass of blood to my lips.

  “But you did sleep?”

  “Yeah, for a little while.”

  He chuckled a bit and finished pouring a new glass for himself. “Well, that’s more sleep than I’ve had in years.”

  I gulped the last drop of blood and set the glass on the counter. “Vampires don’t sleep, do they?”

  I didn’t know why I didn’t think about it before. Up until I woke up a vampire the day before, I honestly never thought about the supernatural species since I wasn’t one, not to mention I hadn’t come in contact with any to my knowledge. But Matias seemed as human as anyone I’d come in contact with, despite his incredible good looks. It was possible I’d come into contact with vampires in the past and just didn’t know it.

  He shook his head. “I haven’t been able to truly rest since I was turned, many, many years ago.”

  I slid onto a nearby stool and propped my head on my hands. “That must be rough.”

  “Yes and no. It was hard at first, being eternally awake, so to speak, but now I don’t know any other way. I don’t get tired, not like humans and other supernaturals do, so I don’t feel the urge to sleep. I imagine you still need your rest because of the other parts of you, but you won’t need to rest as long as they will because your vampire side should rejuvenate your energy stores a lot quicker.”

  I sat quietly and thought about what he told me. I wasn’t sure if I liked that or not, but it wasn’t like I had much of a choice.

  “What else is different about being a vampire? I know I can run fast…”

  “Yes, vampires are very quick, quicker than all other supernatural beings, and very strong, especially when their predator side emerges.” He rounded the island and stood beside me. “Some vampires can influence others with a look or the sound of their voice and all are exceptional hunters. Besides that and the immortal life, that’s it.”

  With his closeness, I couldn’t help but squirm. “That sounds like a lot to me,” I told him, shifting in my seat. Soleil nudged me in agreement.

  Matias looked down at me with a warmth in his eyes I wasn’t ready for and I wanted to melt into them more than anything else at that moment. I cleared my throat and looked away, trying to break out of the intimate moment.

  “Well, I’m up now, so there’s no time like the present,” I giggled. “Do you want to start working on my new skills now?”

  Matias relaxed his body and took a step back, but never took his eyes off of me.

  “Of course, little one. Whatever you’d like. But I would like it if you had another glass of blood before we start.”

  I nodded my head in agreement and reached for the bowl of fruit on the counter instinctively. I grabbed an apple and began munching away while I watched Matias pour me another glass of blood from a bag. He didn’t say a word as he handed me the glass, or while I finished my morning snack. He just watched me with a happy smirk on his face until it was all gone.

  “Are you ready now?” he asked.

  I took a deep breath in and out and slid off of the stool. “Yeah. I think so.”

  It was obvious I was nervous. I couldn’t help it. I would be alone with my vampire mate and the need to be near him was there, stronger than ever. It would be easier if he were an asshole like Ronan, even though I needed that jerk too, but Matias was so nice. And sweet. He knew what I needed before I needed it. Not to mention I wanted to get lost in the depth of his eyes every time I looked into them, or the fact his body was made for sin.

  Matias walked beside me and put his hand on the small of my back, leading me toward one of the many hallways on the main floor. Not questioning where we were going, I let him do it. I may have only known Matias for less than a day, but I trusted him implicitly.

  “I found a gym we can use in my exploration of this house,” he told me. “I think that will be the perfect place for us to go. There shouldn’t be anyone there at this time of the morning.”

  He pushed open the door letting us into the gigantic room. It was easily the size of five of my bedrooms, and my bedroom wasn’t small by any means. It was filled with exercise equipment and free weights on the left half of it. The right half was covered with some of those blue exercise mats. All around the mats, the walls had various weapons placed on them. It was an interesting set up, and one that would be very helpful as Matias said. I wondered why I didn’t know about it sooner.

  The vampire walked onto the mats and turned around to face me as I followed him.

  “What do you say we start on learning how strong you are? I already know you are capable of fast speeds.” He smirked, remembering how I had run away from him and Xander before he found me. He must have used those exceptional hunting skills he had mentioned to locate me so quickly.

  “I was able to lift Di into the air after I first woke,” I told him. “Strength like that?”

  “Were you in your predator form?”

  “You mean fangs out, with devil eyes? That form?”

  He laughed at my description. “Yes, my beautiful one. That form. That is our vampire form and how we tap into our true predators. Di was the one to turn you?”

  “Yes,” I ground out between clenched teeth.

  “And you are not happy about it?” I cut my eyes up to his and saw a hint of sadness in them. At that moment, I realized I didn’t ever want to see that. I wanted to make him happy, always.

  Sighing, I turned away and walked toward the edge of the mat and picked up one of the short swords that was hanging from it. “It’s not that I don’t want it. It was the fact it wasn’t my choice,” I told him. “Di and her lackeys ambushed Xander and me all because she believes I’m prophesied to overthrow the Council. It’s insane, Matias!”

  I told him about the prophecy and Di’s reasoning for turning me. What I didn’t tell him was how excited she was doing it. I felt my vampire side want out, but I closed my eyes and reigned it back in.

  When I finally opened my eyes, Matias had disappeared. The gym door stood open, but other than that, there was no sign of him. I took a step toward the door to go after him, but he was back before I could even make it halfway across the floor, and this time, he wasn’t alone.

  Chapter Seventeen

  Over Matias’ shoulder was a beaten and bloody Di. She looked almost unconscious as her head swayed back and forth before he dropped her with a thud in front of me. She put her hands on the mat and tried to push herself up, but Matias kicked her arms out from underneath her, making her head bounce off the mat.

  He stepped over her body a
nd leaned down, picking her up by the front of her shirt. Matias was in his true vampire form and angrier than I anticipated when I told him the rest of my story.

  “Tell me, Diane Moore, do you like being forced to do something against your will? Do you like feeling helpless?” He snarled, bringing her face even closer to his.

  “No, no I don’t…” Her eyes started rolling back in her head and she blinked lazily, as if she were trying to stay alert. Her vampire side wasn’t showing either, which told me Matias struck before she even had the chance to defend herself. Vampires were super fast, but he seemed to be even faster than normal,

  “Then tell me, why would you do that to Emelia? To anyone?”

  “We are… vampires. It is in my nature. And… she is the one…”

  “That doesn’t excuse any of it!” He screamed in her face. Di flinched back, trying to crawl away from Matias’ rage, but he wasn’t letting her go anywhere. “You are never to come near Emelia again. Do you understand me? You or anyone who plotted against her and her mate. If you do, you’ll wish for a true death before I am done with you. You are a disgrace to your species, to your cause.”

  He dropped her down onto the mat and stood up, backing away. Jep and another vampire rushed into the gym at that moment. I threw my hand up, using magic to hold them in place. They both snarled angrily, but were unable to move from their frozen mid-running positions.

  Somehow Di managed to climb to her feet and tried to fix her clothes and hair while she swayed back and forth, inching toward her companions.

  “You’ll regret this,” she slurred. “I only did what I had to do. You, of all vampires, should understand the meaning of sacrifice for the greater good, Butcher. Was there a danger of Emelia dying? Yes. But it was a risk the rebellion and I had to take. You should be rejoicing I turned her! If I hadn’t, you would have never found your mate, even if she did reject you.”