Shit. Worms of dread crawled up my spine, like they had climbed out of the graves below. With this psycho, it seemed clear there was no chance of me getting out of there alive.
“Why?” I spat. “Because I wasn’t interested in being your plaything? That’s taking the whole rejection thing a bit too far.”
“Yet you were okay with being his blood whore. I’ve been watching you.”
So, I hadn’t been imagining the creepy sensation that had accompanied me around like a shadow since I’d left Renato’s. Not that I took any pleasure in knowing I was not crazy after all.
“What is this with this whole cockfight between the two of you? And lucky me gets to be the rope in your tug-of-war.”
“You don’t have a choice. Who are you to think you can pick and choose? You’re nothing but food and sex. We’ll take what we want and then discard you.”
Double shit. My existence had no value to him.
“Renato will know what this means when I leave your corpse outside my father’s house. It should be mine. I’ll hurt Renato however I can to get it back.”
Father’s house? What the hell was he talking about? More importantly, what could I do? He was a super-fast, super-strong immortal who could destroy me quicker than I could blink.
Still, I had to do something. I wouldn’t cower to him.
I ran. The fight or flight instinct chose the latter, knowing I would have a fleeting chance rather than a nonexistent one. Still, the odds were about infinity to one.
With a sudden crash, my body met the ground with a thud, making me suck in a harsh breath. Even the grass below didn’t cushion the impact. The scent of dirt filled my nostrils.
He flipped me around on my back. His legs crushed mine, preventing them from moving. I reached up to claw at him, but he was too fast and pinned both wrists down to the sides of my face.
Looming over me, his eyes burned red, glaring with anger. His bitter laugh made me shudder.
“You could’ve gone about this the easy way and made a lot of money.”
“Get off me!” I struggled against him, but it was as useless as bench pressing a granite boulder.
“You did this to yourself.”
He opened his mouth, exposing those terrifying fangs, before he attacked me. The piercing in my neck made me cry out. Unlike with Renato, the pain didn’t recede and turn to pleasure. Nothing was sensuous about this exchange, just pure violence. As the blood left my body, with me unable to stop it, flashes of my mother’s death returned. I was once again helpless and terrified, and the outcome appeared just as bleak.
Renato
Mia was in trouble. She sent a desperate message to me. I had to find her.
Gideon had her. That son of a bitch.
I bolted out of my house although I didn’t know where to go. Her message hadn’t come through clearly, but I understood Gideon and a cemetery. What chilled me most was her fear. Intense and palpable, even from a distance.
The sun had descended only a short time ago. He must have prepared to kidnap her as soon as he woke.
I ran onto Brattle Street and searched both left and right, needing insight. Old burying grounds were in both directions.
Where are you, Mia?
I waited for some reply. Could she hear me? No answer came through.
I couldn’t stand there, impotent as I waited for a sign that might never come. Ignoring the people who passed by me, I closed my eyes and reached for her, seeking the connection through our blood bond.
Still nothing.
Whether it was due to my anxiety or something else, I didn’t know. But she might not make it if I didn’t find her soon.
I closed my eyes again and reached out to her from someplace deep within. We were connected. Of that I was sure. It was more than a blood bond. The intense agony I’d suffered since she left must be proof of that.
I followed my instincts, moving too quickly for the human eye to register.
I sent her a message to assure her:
Mia, I’m coming for you. Hold on.
My gut led me to a dark corner section of the Old Burial Ground, which appeared swallowed by shadows from all the bustle on Mass Ave.
I found them there, cloaked by the darkness.
Gideon was over her, drinking from her.
Rage flew up like a sandstorm with a red haze. I lunged for him with fangs extended, ready to destroy on impact.
“Get off her.” I seethed, tearing him off her body.
Her eyes widened when she saw me. “Renato.” It came out more like a sigh.
She was bleeding but alive. A strangled cry of relief escaped my lips.
In my distraction, Gideon dove on me from behind. We rolled onto the hardened soil, exchanging blows. I directed my fangs at his neck, a vampire’s most vulnerable area, as I sought the opportunity for a deadly blow.
He had the same intention. Our blood rained over each other and the dark soil below with each slash and bite.
As we parried, I snarled, “There is such little innocence left in the world. Must you destroy the precious amount that remains?”
“Such poetic words, brother.”
I hated when he called me that.
“We might be related by blood. But we are not family.” I threw a blow and caught him in the stomach.
Gideon soared and hit a stone, but when he recovered, he stalked back toward me. “You’ve always been bitter because father loved me and wanted nothing to do with you. You stole my home.”
“I was his eldest son.” We circled each other, seeking the opportunity to strike. “And he lost the home. It never would have been yours. He’d acquired more debt than he could handle, and I am now its legal owner.”
He flew at me with a growl, knocking me to the ground. “You want everything that should be mine. What does it matter to you what happens to her? She’s just another blood whore.”
Mia rushed upon him from behind, and with a cry, plunged a syringe into Gideon’s neck. As he screamed, clutching his hand to the bubbling wound, the contents became clear. Holy water.
Seizing the moment, I pounced on Gideon for the fatal blow. I tore out his throat with my fangs before I ripped his head from his body and threw it to the ground.
It was over.
As I stared at his corpse, a whirlwind of emotions ran through me. Rising through it all was relief. Finally.
My victory was short-lived. When I turned to Mia, she touched the gash on her throat and turned even paler when she saw the blood drip over her fingers.
Ice gripped my soul.
“Losing too much.” Her voice came out a fraction above a whisper. “Just like her.”
Mia didn’t have to explain. The terror etched on her face made it clear.
She collapsed onto the ground, falling unconscious. The helplessness and pain that flooded me gave me a glimpse of what she must have suffered when she lost her mother.
I couldn’t let her face the same fate.
Mia
When I woke, I glanced around an unfamiliar room, full of dark furnishings and framed abstract paintings with rich, vibrant colors. Renato sat in an armchair, reading a book.
“Where am I?”
He glanced up and rushed over to my side. “You’re awake. Thank goodness.”
“Are we in your house?”
“Yes. We’re in my bedroom.”
“Your room?” I’d never even seen it. His private sanctuary. “I thought you didn’t let anyone in there—including blood courtesans.”
“You’re not a courtesan, Mia. You’re my lover.”
I blinked, trying to make sense of what he was saying. Images of the fight flashed before me. The red rage in Gideon’s eyes before he attacked. Reaching out to Renato. Pain and blood…
“Gideon?” I sat up straight as my heart pounded.
“He’s dead. You don’t have to worry about him bothering you ever again.”
I remembered them circling around each other like predators. Gid
eon moved like a snake and Renato like a panther. Renato had come to help me. I couldn’t let anything happen to him.
I’d pulled the syringe from my inside coat pocket and took aim. They’d moved too fast for me to follow, making it difficult for me to track. Each one parried, seeming to take turns getting the upper hand.
When Gideon had knocked Renato to the ground, I’d found an opportunity. Gideon’s focus was squarely on the greater threat, Renato, and he had seemed to have forgotten I was there. He’d bared his fangs, lunging for Renato. I’d run at Gideon with the syringe raised and plunged it into his neck. He’d roared with pain, reaching for the syringe.
In a moment, too quickly for me to see, he’d torn Gideon’s head from his body. I’d only known it had happened when Gideon’s head rolled toward me.
I remembered how they’d shouted things at each other during the fight. “He was your brother?” I asked him now. “Is that true?”
Renato’s countenance darkened. “Yes. On my father’s side. We despised each other from the first time we’d met and have been rivals in every manner since. Business. Real Estate. Courtesans. This house. Anything we could fight over.”
“He was a vampire, too.”
“The vampire who’d changed me changed him as well. When I said she turned others to torment me, I meant him specifically.” He shook his head. “Enough of him. Of all of them. How do you feel?”
Taking an assessment for aches or wounds, I didn’t note any. I touched my neck, finding raised marks where Gideon had attacked. The terror I’d felt when the blood had flowed from my body threatened to pull me back down into an abyss. I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. I’d survived.
“Pretty good. Like I woke up from a long rest.”
“I gave you my blood to help you heal. I was terrified what would happen otherwise.”
“Shit.” My heart pounded. “Does that mean—I’ll turn?”
“No. I didn’t need to change you,” he said. “But I can.”
“Renato…” I wasn’t sure what to say, wondering where he was going with this.
“You don’t have to be afraid anymore. I can make you immortal. I understand how helpless you felt losing your mother. I felt the same way when I thought I was losing you. You’d never suffer her fate.”
The invitation was enticing. Of course, I’d thought about it. But it was the easy way out for now. And it wasn’t the answer.
“Thank you, but no. Not yet, at least.”
His brows furrowed. “Why not?”
“I need to continue with my research. It’s easier to access labs and hospital areas during the day. Besides, if I started to show signs of what she suffered, I can study it.”
“It might not ever happen.”
I smiled. “Optimistic, aren’t you?”
He gave me a soulful look. “You drank my blood. It might be enough to protect you.”
“True.” I exhaled. “There’s nothing I can do about what’s done. You saved my life. Maybe it will offer me another way to conduct research.”
“How?”
I paused before I told him what I’d never expressed to anyone. “I’ve wondered if what my mother had could be supernatural in origin. After all, why couldn’t the doctors ever figure it out?” Once one of my innermost thoughts left my lips, others spilled out. “Sometimes the biggest medical and scientific breakthroughs are accidental. In that case, you’ve already given me the greatest gift I could imagine.”
“It’s not enough.” His mouth turned grim. “I don’t want to lose you.”
“You won’t,” I promised. “Besides, I’m only twenty-one. There’s no rush.”
“You are full of light, Mia. Optimism. Despite what you’ve gone through. I love that about you.”
I smiled as a flutter of happiness spread through me.
“I’ve missed you. I want you to stay here. Move in with me. If you’ll have me.”
My heart pounded again, but for a different reason.
“I don’t know what to say.”
“Say you’ll think about it.” He took my hand and kissed it. “You can have your room. I know we keep different hours. But I hope you’ll also stay in mine. And whatever I can do to help you with your research, I’ll do.”
Tenderness swelled within me. “Oh my goodness, Renato. Why are you doing so much for me?”
“Because I love you,” he said simply. “Love. It seems like just a word until you feel it. And it encompasses you. You brought light into my darkness, Mia. I want you with me always. And so, I offer you whatever you want or need.”
“What else could I ask for? I’ve already found so much happiness with you. Before you, all I did was work and study for the future. I’ve found there’s much pleasure living in the moment.”
He gave me a gentle smile. “And yet, you still burn for answers. If I can help you, I will.” He extended his arm to me. “Take my blood. Study it. Do what you will.”
I covered my heart. “Renato.”
“You’re meant to do great things, Mia. I know it.”
“This means so much to me.” I was convinced the key to finding out what had happened with my mother went beyond conventional medicine. After all, they hadn’t been able to even figure out what she had. I squeezed back tears of gratitude. “Thank you.”
“I’ve spent too many years seeking revenge, destroying who I feared wronged me. But with you, I’ve found hope. You want to change the world, make it better, despite what you’ve lost. I’m inspired by you. And want to be more like you.”
I brushed his hair behind his ear, and smiled. “Then let’s find a way together.”
He caressed my bottom lip before giving me a soft kiss. Desire quickly coiled within me, the way it did whenever he kissed me. I pulled him on top of me, but he hesitated.
“You sure you’re up for it?”
I ran my hands over his back. “I am. I miss you.”
Renato took gentle care of me as we made love in his bed, on the luxurious king-size bed. It was the first time we did so slowly, and he showed a sweet, considerate side.
After we lay there, spent as we recovered, he said, “When you’re up for it, I have a surprise for you.”
“After that session, I am wide awake.”
We dressed and headed downstairs. He was so eager to show me whatever surprise he had in mind that I had to quicken my pace to keep up with him as he hastened down the hallway. My excitement grew with each step.
“What is it?”
“You’ll see.” His voice had a lilt to it that I hadn’t heard before.
He opened the door to a room down the hall from the one I’d stayed in. My mouth dropped as I scanned from one side to the other. The classic furniture pieces were gone, replaced by a modern black set, with drink holders on each side. The seats faced a massive flat-screen TV. In one corner was one of those old-fashioned popcorn makers.
“Whoa. Nice upgrade.”
“I did it for you.”
I put a hand over my heart.” Me? Why?”
“Because I’ve seen how hard you work, how much you study. And I know that watching movies is your way to decompress. So, I want you to have this special room that you can escape to when you need a break.”
“Oh, Renato.” I put my other hand up over the first. I couldn’t believe how considerate this gesture was. “This is so thoughtful. Nobody’s ever done anything like this for me before.”
“Expect to have some company. Because I rather enjoyed watching movies with you. Talking with you. Dancing with you.” With a wicked grin, he added, “Doing many things with you.” He gestured toward the seats. “Give it a try.”
He picked up the remote and pressed some buttons. Music spread through the room, an impressive symphonic piece. I looked around to see where. Small speakers were tucked up in the corners giving an impressive surround sound video quality to the room.
I sat down in one of the soft leather chairs. Luxury, total luxury. I patted the seat next to
me. “I’m glad you got seats for two.”
He laughed and sat down next to me. “Time to sink in.” He pressed the button on the side of his chair and his seat reclined.
“Oh, I was hoping they would do that.” They were of such high quality they didn’t look like regular recliners. I pressed the button on my side and sank in as my feet rose. “This is heaven.”
“Not yet,” he said. He readjusted the chair and walked over to the popcorn machine. “How about some hot, buttered popcorn?”
“Ooh, yes!” I clapped my hands together.
The smell of fresh popcorn reached me, making me instantly hungry.
He gave me a decadent smile, igniting the now familiar sensual sparks within.
“And then,” I added with a raised brow. “I can think of a way we can burn it off.”
A Note from the Author
Thank you for reading Pursued. I loved reading other books in the series and was thrilled to join the other authors in the Blood Courtesans world. Sending a big thank you to Michelle Fox and the other authors in the series who read earlier drafts of the story.
Huge thanks to my Street Team, for anything and everything they do! You rock!
If you wouldn’t mind taking a moment, I’d greatly appreciate if you’d leave a review. It means a lot to authors. Thank you!
Read on for more on the Blood Courtesans and an excerpt from Knights of Stone: Mason, part of a series featuring five hot, gargoyle shifter brothers.
The Blood Courtesans
Welcome to the shadow world of Blood Courtesans.
Where vampires are real, rich, powerful--and hungry.
Blood is bought and sold like fine wine, and the best blood goes to the highest bidder.
It's not supposed to be about love...until it is.
Meet the Blood Courtesans: Standalone Vampire romances set in Michelle Fox's Blood Courtesans world by NY Times and USA Today Bestselling and Award-Winning Authors. All books have an HEA and can be read in any order.
Reborn (Myra)—Michelle Fox
Pursued: A Vampire Blood Courtesans Romance Page 11
