by Ginna Moran
“You’re more incredible than I thought. I don’t know what it is about you, but I’ve never been so attracted to anyone in my life.” He leans in and kisses me like he can’t get enough. Like if he stops, he might never get to do it again.
“You sure you don’t want to run away with me yet?” I ask, keeping my voice low.
His jaw tightens, his muscles flexing with his thoughts. “Fiona, I can’t. I’m training to be the lead of the Donor Division of my coven’s region. I can’t do that to my brothers. We’ve all worked hard to get to this stage.”
I swallow my disappointment. “And I’m not worth it. I guess I shouldn’t have thought otherwise, huh? Stupid me.”
He turns his gaze from me. “Fi, please. It’s not that. You’re—”
“I get it.” I sit up and slide my legs over the edge of the bed. “You don’t have to say anything more.” Because I don’t want to hear it. I don’t want to hear how great he thinks I am. In the end, it doesn’t change the fact that I’m a donor to him. “You should probably go. Getting caught with you isn’t worth costing me my life, even if I’m already on death row in your brother’s eyes.”
He looks like he wants to say something, but I don’t give him the chance and open the door for him. A shadow in the hallway catches my attention but disappears too quickly toward the tunnel. Berkeley releases a soft growl and comes up behind me, tugging me away from the door.
Picking up the untouched thermos of blood from its spot on the floor, he holds it out to me. “You should drink this.”
I take it from him but don’t bring it to my lips. “Who was there? Should I be worried?”
Shaking his head, he says, “Only if you’re afraid of Hudson.”
“Hudson was spying on us?” I can’t stop the annoyance from rushing through me. “Will I ever get privacy again? Do you guys sneak around while I shower too? I know I’ve been deemed a flight risk, but it’s not like I even have anywhere to go.”
A soft tap draws my attention away from Berkeley to a hulking figure in the doorway. Hudson meets my gaze with a frown while also holding a metal thermos in his hands. I gawk at it in surprise. Because...seriously? I thought it was going to be a lot harder to get my mouth on vampire blood, and here they are giving me more than I need.
“Since Berkeley told you I was here, I want you to know I was not spying on you, nor would I want to. Especially if—never mind.” He clenches his fingers into a fist for a moment. “I’m not a creep.”
“It seems my brother had the same idea as me,” Berkeley says, standing awfully close. Too close.
I struggle to breathe with the fragrance of him tantalizing me and reminding my body about how good it felt to be with him even if my mind knows this whole situation is utter bullshit.
“I just wish he didn’t beat me here,” Hudson mutters under his breath.
Annoyance rushes over me, and I step forward and snatch the thermos from his hand. I cradle the two containers to my chest. Narrowing my eyes, I say, “Thank you for your concern and the blood, but you both need to leave. I think you’ve gotten the wrong impression. I’m not some plaything you can toy with until Culver decides to rip my throat out. I shouldn’t let any of you get so close.”
“Fiona, no. It’s not like that,” Hudson says. “Sure, you’re fun to tease, but—”
“But I’m a donor. Your brother’s personal donor.” I clench my jaw, trying to suppress my suddenly wild emotions that make me feel like utter shit. “Just get out. I’m starting to think my life is just a competition to you. So leave. I’m exhausted and need space. I can’t think with you guys around.”
Hudson looks ready to argue, but Berkeley nudges him toward the door. They exit the dorm room and stare at me from the hallway. I’m about to shut it in their faces when I notice Rylie and Patrick gawking at us from what must be Patrick’s room a few doors down across the hall.
Berkeley twists to follow my line of sight, and Patrick slams the door. I huff out a breath and shake my head.
“Fucking great,” I mutter. “Just what I need.”
“Fiona—”
“I meant what I said. I’m done tonight. I just want to go to bed.” Shutting the door, I stroll toward the storage cabinet with a tiny built-in fridge and stick the thermos Hudson gave me inside.
I chug Berkeley’s blood, hoping it’ll settle my wild heart and stop me from calling them back.
Another tap on the door pulls my attention to it. “Are you kidding me? That better be you, Rylie. I’ve had enough of the King brothers for one day.”
Swinging the door open, I prepare to tell one of them off, knowing that Rylie would just come in since our lock works with the both of us with a single touch of our hands. Fear explodes through me at the sight of Culver standing on the other side of the door.
I try to shut him out, but he rushes in, locking the door behind him.
Linking his fingers into my hair, he holds me in place and snarls. “How dare you sneak around with my brothers. You are mine.”
“I wasn’t sneaking,” I say, trying to grab his wrists.
“You are mine,” he repeats, his deep voice cutting through me. “Mine!”
Culver jerks my head, exposing my neck to him. He extends his fangs and tries to lock me in his gaze. I know what he’s trying to do, and instead of resisting, I slacken in his arms, faking the fact that he can’t manipulate my mind because I just drank Berkeley’s blood.
“Don’t move. Don’t scream. You will let me bite you,” he says, his breath sending strands of hair from my face.
I try not to react, afraid he’ll give me my final donation if he discovers otherwise.
He leans in closer. “Tell me you want me.”
The words stay locked in my throat. I can’t do it. I won’t do it.
Instead, I scream.
Chapter 10
Final Donation
THE SHRILLNESS OF MY VOICE shocks Culver, stopping him from sinking his fangs into my neck. Jerking my leg, I knee him in the groin, getting him to drop me. He doesn’t leave me on the floor for long. Grabbing me by my long hair, he hoists me back up, recovering wicked fast from my attempt to harm him.
“You little bitch,” he says, extending his fangs even longer.
This is it. This is the moment I knew would come all my life. I’ll die by a vampire’s fangs like the elders predicted.
“Which one of my brothers gave you their blood?” His chest heaves, his eyes flashing silver as he keeps them locked on mine.
I don’t respond, flailing in his grip. Strands of my hair rip free from my scalp, but I don’t stop. I don’t care if I end up bald. I’m not going down without a fight.
“Tell me!” he yells, releasing me only to shove me.
I crash into the desk. The pain of the edge ramming into my back sends me to my knees. I feel around the floor, my eyes watering from pain, but I refuse to stop looking for something, anything, to use as a weapon.
“Who gave you their blood?” he asks again, stepping on my hand hard enough to make me scream.
I jab my free fist into his knee. His leg buckles, and he roars and stumbles, catching himself on the bunk bed. Rolling over, I squeeze into the small space under the bed. I knock my hand into a bag Rylie must’ve hidden. Culver latches his hand onto my ankle and drags me out. I swing the bag, whacking him upside the head. A handful of utensils clatter across the floor, and I swipe up a fork and stab it into his calf.
He falls on top of me, pinning me to the floor. Panic rushes over me as he restrains my hands between us and smooshes my face into the floor. I cry out and try to bite his fingers digging into my cheek. Light bursts into the room from the door, and I scream for help, praying that maybe Berkeley or Hudson chose to remain nearby.
“Get off of her!” Rylie yells, charging into the room. She throws a decorative vase from the hallway, sending glass cascading around me. It’s enough to get Culver off me, but he launches at Rylie instead. She doesn’t even get to swing he
r fist before he locks her in a hold.
Culver captures her in his gaze. “Don’t fight.”
Rylie slackens in his arms, sending panic through me. Her wide eyes don’t move along with the rest of her. Culver’s mind manipulation paralyzes her. She’s utterly defenseless to his attack. Combing his fingers into her hair, he bends her neck too fast for me to do anything. He sinks his teeth into her throat harder than I’ve ever seen a vampire bite. He doesn’t plan just to drink her blood but to kill her.
Fury sweeps over me, pushing me to my feet. I grab a steak knife from the scattered utensils on the floor and race toward him. Culver doesn’t release Rylie upon my approach. Underestimating my capabilities gives me the chance I need. I know I’ll only get one, so I focus on putting all my strength into the force of my jab.
Culver hollers and snarls, jerking around to launch at me. Rylie falls to the floor, her blood staining our rug. She doesn’t move, her open eyes not even blinking. My focus on her distracts me from Culver, and he manages to latch his hands to my waist.
“Tell me which of my brothers gave you their damn blood, Fiona,” Culver demands. “If you tell me, I’ll let your friend live.”
I blink a few times, my heart ricocheting around my chest. “You’re lying.”
Culver drops me to the ground and kicks me in the stomach, sending me rolling. I hit my back on the wall and heave a breath as his force steals the air from my lungs. Scooping up Rylie, Culver holds her against his chest, drawing his tongue across the bite mark he left on her neck.
“If you tell me, I’ll give her my blood, and she can live. If you don’t, I’ll break her neck,” he says, brushing his fingers through her hair to show me her face. He shifts her slightly to look into her eyes. “Beg Fiona for your life.”
Rylie suddenly releases a cry, her eyes darting to me. “Fiona, please. Please don’t let him kill me. Please.”
The desperation in her voice breaks me apart piece by piece even if I know she was manipulated into pleading with me.
“I don’t want to die,” Rylie says, tears burning pink lines down her cheeks. “You have to do something. It’s your fault I’m here. You put me in this position. You should’ve just accepted your duty.”
“Three seconds, Fiona,” Culver says. He bends Rylie’s neck more, making her scream.
“Fiona!”
“It was Berkeley!” I scramble to my feet, trying to get to Rylie. “Berkeley gave me his blood.”
Culver flashes his fangs and drops Rylie to the floor to close the space to me. “I wanted to drain you, but I thought of a far worse punishment,” he says, his deep voice stabbing fear into my heart. “Punishment for you and my treacherous brother.”
I spit in his face. “Fuck you.”
He snaps his teeth at me, making me wince. “Berkeley will never want you again once you transition. He couldn’t resist you because you’re a helpless little donor bitch.”
I only glare.
“You can spend the rest of time an outcast like the worthless piece of shit you are.”
He extends his fangs to bite me, and I grab the front of his shirt to keep a few inches of space between us. He snaps his teeth again and again, and I manage to swing my fist up, clocking him in the jaw. The force of my punch surprises him as his head snaps back, his neck now exposed to me.
I don’t hesitate and sink my teeth into the skin of his throat, biting him so hard that his blood floods my mouth. I’m dead set on performing his final donation first. Locking my arms around him, I squeeze him as tightly as possible, refusing to let him go. I swallow his blood by the mouthful, my blood hunger controlling me. His hold on me loosens just enough to where I can break free.
He growls, clutching his neck. “What the hell?”
I lick my lips and rush him again, his vampire speed and strength weakened by his blood loss. His eyes widen, setting me off like nothing ever has. I’ve never seen a vampire afraid in my life, and I want nothing more than to savor every second of it.
Culver tries to dodge out of my way, but Rylie somehow manages to get to her knees, and she trips him. He falls to the ground for a few seconds, still managing to get to his feet. Instead of running like I expect, he spins and rushes me, slamming me into the wall. I don’t have time to react to his burst of speed. Pinning me in place, he extends his fangs and sinks them so deeply into my neck that hot, fiery pain shoots through me like his teeth pierce me to my soul.
My vision hazes, my head dizzy with pain flooding through me. Culver pulls back and grins at me, enjoying the uncontrollable whimper that escapes my mouth. His smile pisses me off, his sick-fuck attitude making me want to cut his heart out to devour it. A flash of silver crosses his gaze, his cocky expression vanishing. I realize it wasn’t his eyes flashing silver at me, but mine flashing at him.
He releases me, bolting toward the door. I beat him to it, my sudden speed overwhelming him. I punch him in the chest, my hand sinking slightly into his body. He yells as the power of my punch shatters his sternum. Shadows crowd the edges of my vision, and I lose control, feeling like a monster rises from inside me to take over.
I knock Culver off his feet, thrusting him hard enough into the wall that his body sinks into the plaster. He stumbles to stand and glances at the tinted window. Swinging his fist, he punches the glass, but it doesn’t shatter. All it does is crack under the pressure. His desperation, one intense enough that he’s willing to risk the sun to escape, only fuels me more.
Grabbing another steak knife from the floor, I stalk him, hissing under my breath like the true predator I am. He thrusts his fists into the window again, a fissure of light exploding across his face. He cowers like the weak asshole he is, and I launch on top of him, straddling him.
Fear and anger—something so dark and wild that I can barely see—takes control of my body completely. It’s like I watch a savage predator attack Culver from the outside, stabbing him over and over with the knife until my hand sinks into him, his heart a pulverized pile of goo that seeps with the rest of his guts out of his back and onto the floor. I’ve never been so strong in my life.
I pull my arm free of his chest cavity and pop a finger into my mouth, tasting the strangely satisfying spicy sweetness of his blood. A small cry draws my attention away from my kill, and I see Rylie trying to drag herself toward the door, the color gone from her skin.
I collapse to my knees, my adrenaline vanishing as my actions sink in. I killed Culver. I manage to obliterate his heart. I am so screwed. If I can even get up, I doubt they’ll let me live long. I’ll have to think of something. Blame someone else. I’m dead otherwise.
“Ry-Rylie,” I whisper, fear and pain suffocating me, sending me curling in on myself. “Get th-the b-blood. Fridge.” It’s the only thing I can think to do to help her.
A strange noise cuts through the pounding in my head, and I manage to pull Culver’s com device from his jacket. My vision disappears completely, leaving me blind. Pain radiates through me like a fire licks across my veins. The bite makes it hard to concentrate on anything else. I’ve never had a bite hurt like this. It scares me.
“Help,” I whisper, feeling the com device’s smooth screen with my finger. “Help.”
“Fiona?” It’s Torrance.
“Help,” I repeat.
Torrance growls, but I can’t see him.
Someone swears.
I lose consciousness completely.
***
Soft arguing tugs me from the dark recesses of my mind. Pain burns on my neck like the time I accidentally and unthinkingly lifted a hot pot from the stove and scalded my fingers. My chest tightens with fear, and I try my best not to move.
Something icy touches my throat, causing me to startle. “She’s regaining consciousness.” Berkeley’s scent wafts over me, his closeness sending a dozen different emotions through me—lust, fear, anger, and even a tiny bit of comfort.
“I’ve managed to link into his security feed. I’ll have their video in just a m
inute.” It’s Hudson, his voice an angry tone I can’t recall hearing.
“Hey, Fi. Fiona? Can you open your eyes for me?” Berkeley asks.
I don’t answer him and continue to inhale slow breaths.
“Give her a couple of minutes,” Aspen says. Cool fingers interlock with mine. “She’s probably terrified. Whoever attacked her bit her hard.”
“Much harder than Rylie.” Torrance’s mention of Rylie gets me to snap my eyes open.
“Ry! Rylie!” I screech, my voice sharp enough to make Berkeley wince.
Aspen squeezes my hand, pulling it toward him to get my attention. “She’s going to be fine, Fiona. It’s you we’re worried abo—shit.”
I blink a few times, my bottom lip quivering uncontrollably.
“What?” Hudson drops to his knees in front of me, closing off the circle his brothers create around me.
Berkeley grasps my chin to get me to look at him. “Oh, fuck,” he says, his hazel eyes widening. “She’s transitioning.”
“What do you mean she’s transitioning?” Torrance asks.
Aspen combs his fingers through my hair to pull it from my neck. “Her attacker bit her with venom.” Venom? I should’ve guessed that’s what Culver meant about throwing me to the shadows. Such a punishment, turning a Blood Rebel into something they hate, is far worse than death. But not to me.
“Someone must’ve really had it out for us if they went through the trouble to not only murder Culver but also turn Fiona.” Hudson scoots closer and touches my knee. “Hey, Fiona. Can you tell us what happened?”
His question sends cold dread down my back, and I don’t answer him right away. He thinks someone attacked us—including Culver. It’s better than I could’ve hoped for.
Pressing my lips together, I think for a second before I nod. “Culver came to my room to...sneak a bite. But he was followed. A...huge guy—” I glance at Torrance. “Taller than you, Torrance.” I touch Hudson’s shoulder. “More muscular than you. Bigger arms, dark hair. Scary.”
