by Ginna Moran
Pushing my thoughts away, I search over his chest and stomach, ravaged from the bullets Rylie shot at him. I trace my finger around a hole a few inches below his ribs. It’s not the ideal spot, but I don’t know how else to do this. I don’t think I can summon enough strength to shatter his sternum, so I’m going to have to literally get all up in him.
“What are you doing?” the vampire asks, not even fighting. He doesn’t see me as a threat.
“What does it look like?” I ask, tightening my fingers together.
“If you think this will stop me from ripping out your throat...you might be right.” His low voice creeps me the hell out.
“I know I’m right. I once had a blood source tell me I was irresistible. He could never tell me no.”
“You’ve been claimed?” he asks, trying to tug the shirt off his head.
“No one claims me.”
From my own experience, I know that blood hunger can also trigger blood lust. And I bet this guy hasn’t been near a female in who knows how long. Males—both vampire and human—outnumber females by quite a lot. It’s one of the reasons the elders protect women so fiercely. Also why we’re so coveted in the city. Blood Life Corp can’t expand the donor population without us. I’m nearly certain the only reason we’re not all in cages is because humans still have a lot of fight. Giving the donors a sense of control and freedom keeps the peace. At least, that’s what I’ve been taught.
“I’ll claim you now—”
Jabbing my fingers into the bloody wound, I cringe as I feel the vampire’s insides. I don’t know exactly what I’m feeling for, so I twist and turn my hand, making him holler.
“Prop him up,” Rylie commands, coming up to me.
“I thought you would’ve run. You need to run,” I say while pulling him against me to hold him tight, his shirt over his face stopping him from biting.
The vampire suddenly stills in my arms, his dead weight knocking me on my back. Rylie groans at me from above, both her hands covered in blood. In one hand, she clutches a dagger. In the other, she squeezes the vampire’s bloody heart. She releases it, and it splats in the dirt a couple of feet away. Removing a vampire’s heart or cutting off its head is the only sure way to kill one. If not, they regenerate.
“Where exactly am I going to go?” Rylie asks me, wiping her hands on her pants, her question coming late. “The fucker ripped out the driveshaft. The SUV is done. It’ll be safer to stay together and continue on to the city. Maybe I can find someone to help me get back to Mount Light Haven.”
Pushing to my feet, I meet her gaze for a second before throwing my arms around her. “You saved my life, you know. I’ll make sure you get home.”
She releases a breath and pulls back. “You better. Look at my damn neck.”
I shift her light brown hair away and cover my hand with my mouth. “Oh, shit. That’s so—”
“Pathetic, right? One little hole. He barely even drank anything.” She shakes her head and finally smiles at me, the whole shock of the situation making the both of us laugh.
I motion to the dead vampire on the ground. “I know how to make you better faster.” Bending down, I jab my finger into his bloody stomach and then pop it in my mouth. I’ve tasted far better blood, but in times like these, a woman’s gotta work with what she’s got.
“Eff that shit,” Rylie says, scrunching her nose. “He’s all yours.”
I hold out my hand to her. “Come on. Maybe there will be someone you might like in the city.”
Chapter 2
Bite Back
THE CITY OF NOCTURNAL CROWN swallows the dark night unlike anything I’ve ever seen. A light haze glows from the towering wall, lit up to stop anyone from attempting to sneak in unnoticed. Digging in my backpack, I tug out the small ID tag I stole from a visiting soldier the elders thought I might be interested in. I turned him down like the other six who “happened” to stop by in the last week.
“Okay, so our story is that we were attacked and our mister was killed. You lost your tag in the fight,” I say, reading over the name Blair Hughes etched into the metal plate to be worn around the neck.
Rylie inhales and exhales a few deep breaths. “They’re never going to believe it.”
I twist my lips. “Uh, let me do the talking then. You’re in shock.”
“I’m not in shock. I’m angry that a stupid shadow dweller broke the damn SUV and now I might die here.” She closes her eyes, trying her best to stay in control. “I will not be a donor. I won’t. I’d rather die.”
I whack her in the arm. “Shut up and don’t talk like that. I swear I’ll get you home, so don’t go rushing in with a death wish.”
Heaving another breath, Rylie turns her gaze to me. “I’m sorry, Fiona. I trust you. I’m just...so not ready for this.”
“It’s a good thing I am.” I lace my hand around her wrist and tug her arm. “Now, come on. Let me handle getting us in. I’ll do what I have to so they don’t register you. Promise.”
“Even if it means letting the guard bite you?” she asks, raising her eyebrow.
I shrug. “Wouldn’t be my first bite.”
“Fiona.” Her eyes widen at my revelation, and I blush like crazy.
Had the elders known I was sneaking to visit the blood sources, they’d have relocated them somewhere else. Because allowing a vampire to bite me is forbidden. They’re not only charming as hell, but they’re possessive. Give a little, and they’ll keep wanting more. If they put a claim on someone, that’s practically a death sentence. Even the heads of Blood Life Corp know that. It’s why they have humans donate to a general pool that gets mixed and divided. Only the wealthiest, most powerful vampires can acquire a personal donor, according to one of the soldiers I denied.
I laugh off her concern. “What? It’s not so bad.”
“Not so bad?” Rylie’s voice rises. “One-tooth hurt like hell.”
“Because he didn’t like you.” I try to remain expressionless.
She groans. “You are something el—”
A bright light flashes over us, blinding me for a second while cutting Rylie’s comment off. She automatically grips my hand, tugging me so close that our bodies touch. Our footsteps remain in sync, and we continue to stroll together with our heads bowed.
“It’s past curfew,” a deep, sultry voice says from somewhere behind the wall of light. “Show me your night passes.”
A blip of fear trickles through me, and I tilt my head up and shield my eyes. The light clicks off. Darkness steals my vision, making me pause in my tracks. Rylie rubs her arm over her eyes, trying not to get dried blood on her face. We both look like hell. I’m surprised the guard asked for a pass instead of interrogating us about the vampire blood staining our skin and clothes. The dark ruby hue proves it’s not human.
I clear my throat. “We don’t have one.”
My muscles stiffen at the approach of soft footsteps. A vampire in all black, carrying a huge gun unlike anything I’ve ever seen, steps from a guard house stationed outside an arched, gated tunnel that leads into the city. He stops a few feet away and drinks us in, probably looking for weapons. I left my stake behind because I know if I’m caught with it, they’ll know we’ve come from rebel lands. If I were alone and clean, I’d have chanced sneaking it in. But now? No. Not worth it.
“Are you armed?” the vampire asks, crossing his arms over his broad chest.
I stare at him for a moment, trying to assess if he’s the type that I can persuade. His flat brown eyes waver, trailing lower to check out my boobs. I try not to react to being obviously ogled and instead use it to my advantage and straighten my shoulders.
“We have a knife we took from our mister,” I say, opening my bag for him to inspect.
The subtle click of the guard’s fangs extending sounds in my ears.
My heartbeat picks up speed. “We didn’t have a choice. We were attacked a few miles south. Our mister was lost—beheaded.” I motion to Rylie. “She was bitten.�
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I pucker my lips in a pout and squint, trying to force tears to fill my eyes. It doesn’t work, so I tip my head down and whimper. “We were so scared. Had our mister not injured our attacker, we’d both be dead.” I sniffle for good measure.
I peek up through my lashes and watch the vampire pull out an electronic device from his pocket. It’s far superior to anything we had in Mount Light Haven, most of our stuff straight from the back-world when humans still controlled the world.
The vampire taps the screen with his finger, the glow lighting up his face and sharpening his narrow nose and thin lips even more. “Do you have your tags?”
Nodding, I hand over the metal chain. “Just me. The vampire ripped hers off her neck.”
I shift on my feet, nerves getting the best of me as the guy enters in my information into his com device. Keeping my gaze trained on the wall, I watch him in my peripheral vision. He remains expressionless, not giving anything away.
One second the guy stands in front of me and in the next, he yanks me away from Rylie and presses my back into the wall. His eyes flash silver, and I realize that something must’ve gone wrong with the information. I glance at Rylie and shake my head so she doesn’t do anything that could get the both of us killed.
“Look at me,” the guard says, pinching my chin.
I do as he says and meet his dark gaze.
“You will not look away while I ask you some questions.” He leans in a bit closer until we’re sharing the same breathing air. Strangely, he smells of fruit. Oranges. His closeness does nothing good to my dhampir side as he attempts to manipulate my mind.
I force myself to slacken in his arms while he props me against the wall. I don’t try to speak. He didn’t ask me a question. If I even so much as breathe a word, he’ll know I consumed blood. I made sure there wasn’t any on my face when we abandoned the car.
“The tag you have states you’re a male donor, twenty-nine, with blond hair and blue eyes,” he says, answering my silent question about why he’s doing this. “You are not Blair Hughes, are you now?”
“No.” I keep my voice low.
“Who is Blair?” His eyes flash silver again.
“My brother.” I pray with everything in me that whoever Blair was before the soldier stole his tag actually had a sister. It’s highly unlikely, but maybe the universe will be in my favor for once.
The vampire growls. “Blair Hughes has no known siblings in the system. Why is that?”
Ah, hell. I remain placid, a dozen thoughts swirling through my mind. I need the perfect response or he’ll know I’m not under his manipulation. He obviously thinks he’s the shit at controlling humans if he doesn’t suspect it already.
“My mister didn’t want to register me.” I brace myself for his reaction, half expecting him to bite me.
“Because you’re female,” he responds, his eyes searching mine.
I don’t respond.
“Does the same go for her?” he asks, referring to Rylie.
I’ve never been so relieved in someone’s assumption of me. “Yes.”
Breaking his stare, the vampire releases me from his attempt at mind manipulation. He combs his fingers through his short hair and taps a few things into his com device. I flick my gaze to Rylie, who looks ready to bolt at any second. It takes everything in me not to rush to her to grab her hand just in case.
The vampire’s com device beeps and out shoots two slips of paper. He closes the space and hands them both to me. “Deliver these to the head of your daylight staff. They’ll inform the Rockfords of the notice to register you two. If they fail to comply in seven days, you will be removed.”
“What would happen then?” I know better than to ask, but I can’t help myself. All of this is new to me. I don’t know what a vampire’s staff even does apart from providing blood. I’m also not familiar with the majority of Blood Life Corp law.
“You’ll either be placed in the donor population or in another vampire household. But I doubt the Rockfords will let two females go so easily and will pay their fines.” Wow. I can’t believe he answered me or that he tries to reassure me that nothing will probably happen if I were actually to go to the house of whoever the Rockford Coven is.
It’s enough to make me nod and grin. Because we’re getting in. It’s really happening. “Thank you,” I say.
He nods and graces me with a smile. “You two should get going. Your temporary night passes expire in twenty minutes.”
With a grin, I rush to Rylie and drag her through the open gate. Excitement pours through me, pushing away all of the fear and annoyance caused by Mr. One Fang. The second we exit the short tunnel, I freeze in my tracks and stare at a huge glowing map of the city. This place is a lot bigger than I thought. And holy shit. There are vampires everywhere.
Rylie smacks my shoulder, drawing my attention to her. “Stop smiling. You look too approachable.”
I fake-glare at her. “I’m sorry if I’m happy we weren’t drained upon arrival.”
“The night’s not over yet.” Pulling me with her, Rylie approaches the huge map and studies it for a second. She taps her finger on the screen to bring up a directory that gives me information overload. I can’t believe how easy they make it to find anything I can think of—from vampires to humans, stores, health centers, and even restricted, vampire-only zones.
Rylie touches a glowing square. “This will be our best option.”
I read over the information that pops up on a bubble. “Tower B? You want to go to donor housing?”
“Where else will I find...” She lets her voice trail off and looks around. A dozen vampires watch and listen.
I shift nervously. “Yeah, okay. We’ll head that way.”
Staying together, we walk in the direction of a towering building we can see even from here. It glows with blue light like a beacon to attract every damn shadow dweller in the city to it. Of course, the fact that it’s a human-only building is probably enough of a draw on its own that I’m sure hundreds of vampire stalk about in hopes to sneak a bite.
“This is so creepy,” Rylie whispers, pressing her lips into a thin line. “Everything seems so normal.”
I glance at her. “Right? I don’t know what the elders are so—”
Blinding headlights flash over us, and I spin to see a sleek, silver car speed around the corner. It barrels right toward us. Rylie jerks my arm, yanking me out of the way. The driver wasn’t even going to stop.
Anger bursts through me. “You asshole!”
The car screeches to a halt a block away. What the hell? The tires spin, sending smoke through the air as the driver puts the car in reverse and stomps the throttle. Rylie gawks at me with wide eyes. Helping her to her feet, I pull her with me to run down the nearest alley. I had no idea that a vampire could hear me call him an asshole from within a speeding car.
A car door slams, but I don’t look behind me. I race deeper into the long alley with Rylie, my fear instincts screaming like crazy. The panic burns through me so intensely that it takes everything inside me not to shriek.
“Show me your fucking night passes,” a deep, guttural voice says.
A hot as hell vampire materializes in front of us, blocking our way. I can’t get my feet to slow as fast as Rylie does, and I let go of her hand and stumble right at the vampire. Like a true asshole, he steps out of my way. I hit the pavement hard, scraping my hands on the ground. Rylie covers her mouth to stop from making any noise.
I can’t help it. “Damn it. Fuck. You ass. I’m going to—”
The world blurs and I hit my back on the wall, my string of profanity knocking from my mouth with the rest of the air in my lungs. The vampire glowers at me, tilting his head to the side. His bright blue eyes freeze my insides. I thought the guard’s gaze was bad. It’s nothing compared to whoever this guy is.
“Your night pass,” he says, finally letting me go. “Now.”
I drop to my feet and nearly fall again. Slowly shifting my han
d, I reach into the front pocket of my jacket and withdraw the folded pieces of paper. I cringe at the sight of my trembling hand. My body needs to get its act together. I’m not even scared.
He hums under his breath. “You’re unregistered.”
“Not for long,” I mutter, risking looking up at him. “The security guard says we have seven days for our household to file.”
“Unless you never make it back. I find you quite...delectable, Ms. Rockford.” The allure of his voice does something funny to my insides. I should be freaked out, but his words sound like the best idea ever. Because damn it, he’s hot.
“Call me Fiona,” I murmur, my voice softening.
For the first time since he abandoned his car does he smile. And holy shit does it make him even more attractive.
“Fiona,” he says, stepping closer. “You don’t actually want to return to a household who cares so little about you that they refused even to register you, now do you?”
“Nope.” I release a breath at my response.
So does he. “Would you like to come with me?”
Hell yeah.
I don’t get the chance to respond when I hear a car door slam. The vampire snarls and jerks his attention to the street behind us. I stare in shock as the guy’s car zooms past the alley. Dread drips down my spine as I realize I’m alone with the guy. Rylie isn’t here. And if Rylie’s not here...
“Shit. Someone kidnapped my friend,” I say, dashing toward the street.
Strong arms hook around my waist, lifting me up. The world blurs so quickly that I don’t have the chance to orient myself. The guy shifts me onto his shoulder, carrying me like I weigh nothing.
“That bitch stole my car,” he says, growling.
I tense at his words. “What?”
The world stops as headlights engulf us. The vampire roars and throws me forward. I screech, my body flying through the air. Tires squeal, and I brace for a helluva lot of pain. The ground flies at me at a speed I’m not sure I’ll even survive. And if I do, I doubt I’ll live through Rylie running me over with the vampire’s car.
A figure materializes beneath me, catching me and darting out of the way of Rylie. I flail as a big hand presses into the back of my head, forcing my face into the hard chest of someone seemingly twice my size.
