But just as I leaned into him to begin, I noticed the wound on his throat had stopped bleeding.
“No,” I gasped. I was too late.
Yet even as I thought my deepest fear, I felt his heart beat. It was faint, ever so faint, but still there.
And he was breathing.
It was then, with my new vision, that I saw every detail of the shadows curling around him, covering his throat. Tendrils of smoke writhed over the wound, stitching it closed. Healing him.
I held my breath as his eyelashes fluttered and he blinked. “It wasn’t Mom,” he whispered, his cheeks wet with tears.
“No, baby,” I choked, hugging him close. "It wasn't. But I’m here forever and you're going to be okay."
He reached up and returned my hug, the strength coming back to him faster than I could have ever imagined. I just held him, hugging him close.
Gradually, I became aware of the creature, lifeless on the ground with Vlad standing over it, crossbow still in hand.
“Is it over?” I asked.
“Yes.” He nodded and then looked over his shoulder as Leonard limped into view, injured but upright.
Jeremy pulled himself from my arms, and though I was reluctant to let go, I eased my grip so he could turn to look at Leonard. "They fixed me," he blurted.
Leonard responded with a solemn nod. "They are yours and you are theirs."
Doubtless, the shadows explained why Leonard was also still alive right now. His shadows had healed him, too, just like Jeremy.
I glanced at Vlad, bending over the body of the creature. When he straightened again, I saw that he’d cut off its head and removed its heart. Black blood stained his clothing and skin, and as he moved, currents of air brought the foul stench of putrid demon blood to my nostrils.
"Breathing is optional," Vlad told me, catching the look on my face. "If you wish to avoid the stench."
Testing his claim, I held my breath. It felt awkward and unnatural, but he was right. I didn't actually need air. Interesting.
Curious, I joined him to study what remained of the body. There was little left and nothing of it resembled the father I knew. For as much relief as I’d felt at his death, I wished for both our sakes he could have been a better person. A better parent.
"Do you need time to say goodbye?" Vlad murmured at my side.
I turned to Jeremy, who shook his head.
We were both more than ready to let go. "No," I said simply.
Then, Leonard gave the command, and the shadows arrived to swarm over the creature’s remains, devouring him.
Jeremy and I watched our father’s body pass before us for the last time. He’d caused us both a wealth of pain, but as evil as he’d been our entire lives, he’d given us the gift of each other. And for that, I would always be grateful.
With all traces of the monster gone, the four of us walked slowly back to the house, exhausted. Even with my super strength, I was emotionally and mentally spent.
I took care of Jeremy first and walked with him to his room. I was going to insist on a shower, but he collapsed into his bed and was asleep before his head hit the pillow. I settled for tucking him in as his shadows curled around his head and shoulders.
Content that he was in good care, I went to grab a change of clothes, but all my things were gone. Confused, I went to Vlad's room next only to find him hanging my clothes in the closet next to his.
"I hope you do not mind," he said. "I can put them back if you'd like. But you’re no longer my housekeeper. You are my mate, and I want you with me.” He paused, and then added softly, “If that's acceptable.”
It was touching to see the Count, so strong and powerful, suddenly unsure and a little shy.
I smiled. "Being with you is all I want."
Slowly, he approached me and helped me undress. I did the same for him, and we tossed the soiled clothes into the trash bin to be burned. Then Vlad started the shower and drew me under the water with him. We just stood there, arms entwined, letting the hot water cleanse the stain of death.
It was hard to believe it was over. Finally, actually over.
The Count reached for the soap and ran his hands over my body, gently washing me, caressing me. With closed eyes, I leaned into him, savoring the moment, the feeling of being loved, cared for.
Once we were both as clean as we could get, we dried, and I slipped into one of his softest t-shirts as Vlad donned a pair of sweatpants and we both crawled into bed.
I felt the sun break over the horizon, sensing it deep in my soul. My eyes grew heavy and began to close of their own accord.
"Rest now, my love,” Vlad whispered into my hair, wrapping his arms around me. “Tomorrow we will start our new life."
I smiled, knowing I was safe in his embrace and with a sigh, let sleep steal me away.
21
I woke to the scent of roses. Their perfume reminded me of a summer day, something that would forever be a memory to me now.
Soft lips brushed my collarbone.
I smiled and burrowed deeper against the solid wall of muscle at my back. Who needed summers when I could live in the warmth of Vlad’s love for an eternity? What more could I ask for in life?
His lips returned, making their way up my neck. I held still under the gentle assault, reveling in what it felt like to be loved, completely, as I was.
“Good evening,” Vlad whispered, nuzzling the soft flesh under my ear.
I lifted my lashes to see him staring down at me with that sexy grin creasing his cheek. “Same to you,” I said.
There was too much cloth between us. Me, in my t-shirt. Him, in sweatpants. I wanted the primal closeness of flesh on flesh. Still, I smiled and shifted lazily on my back.
“Kiss me,” I demanded, but his lips covered mine before I’d even finished uttering the last word.
For a time, we simply enjoyed the dancing of our tongues, but then, our hands began to roam. He kneaded my breasts, pinching my nipples beneath my t-shirt as I slipped my hand beneath the waistband of his pants.
He was hard, ready. And I was impatient.
I bit his neck.
He threw his head back and gasped.
I smiled, pleased with his reaction.
“On your back,” I demanded, placing my palms on his chest and shoving him back.
He complied with a smile crooking his lips. God, I loved his mouth. It looked carved as if from stone.
As I lifted my leg over his lean hips, he grabbed my waist and pulled me toward his mouth.
“God,” I gasped, as his tongue caressed me. I grabbed the headboard; grateful I’d gone to bed the night before sans panties. What a way to start the day—err, evening.
He gripped my ass tighter, pulling me closer as his tongue worked magic, radiating pleasure to the end of my every nerve.
“Don’t stop,” I groaned, feeling my orgasm building.
He didn’t. And when he grazed the softness of my inner flesh with his fangs, I climaxed. I held onto the headboard, a gasping, writhing tangle of sensations, him licking me all the while.
When I finally held still, he pulled me down across his chest and sat up, the movement sending me sprawling backwards onto the bed.
“With the appetizer finished, is it not now time for the main course?” he murmured, lifting a brow over lust-hazed eyes.
“Absolutely.” I couldn’t agree more. I rose to my knees and ran my hand over his arousal, smiling in anticipation.
He closed his eyes, his lips parting in pleasure as I teased him, sliding my hands over his every inch. I studied his face, reveling in having him under my control, hanging on my every move. This was Count Dracula. My lover. The love of my life.
I wanted nothing between us, no barriers of any kind, mental or physical. So, I pulled off his sweatpants and then, my t-shirt as well, and slowly lowered myself onto him.
God, I belonged with him. I’d never felt so complete. As we began to move, I ran my hands over his chest, outlining the bands of muscle
, tracing the lines of his veins running across his flesh.
My eyes caught on his veins. God, I needed to taste him again. My fangs descended as I dropped myself over his hard body and sank my teeth into his neck.
He tasted finer than any wine I’d ever had, satisfying my cravings like nothing else could. A drug I could live on for life. I drove my fangs deeper, feeding and drawing his blood as he inhaled and thrust into me harder, faster, again and again.
Then, with a growl, he flipped me onto my back and drove himself into me with such force that I wrapped my legs around him, digging my nails into his back to hold on. And when his fangs pierced my flesh, I never felt more alive.
He roared as he finished, the sound tipping me into my own waves of pleasure.
Finally, when the last traces of our love faded away, he propped himself on an elbow, and reached over me to pluck a red rose from the vase on the bedside table.
Gently, he trailed the soft velvet petals over my lips, my throat, my breasts. Teasing my nipples into hardened peaks.
“Enough torture,” I growled, already ready for another go.
Lust entered his dark, expressive eyes as he whispered, “I want you, Kassandra. Forever.”
Epilogue
If you're still reading this, then you already know the fate that befell me the day I walked into the Count's mansion for a job as his housekeeper with the intent of robbing him blind.
I thought I would end up dead. That Don or my father would kill me, one way or another. I never imagined I would live a long life—that's just not a future I believed I had access to.
It turns out, my life will be a hell of a lot longer than anyone could have imagined. Including myself.
I did die.
And then I was reborn.
I am stronger. Faster. More powerful than any human.
And I am safe. Or as safe as I've ever been.
And loved.
It's not a rainbows and unicorns kind of love.
It's a dark loved filled with the stars of twilight and the secrets of lost magic. It's a love made of blood and violence and pain. A love that walks in the shadows. It's not a love for everyone, but it's a love for me. For him. For us. The only kind of love either of us could embrace and hold onto. Any other love would have slipped through our fingers, turning to dust. This love, it is hard and heavy and forever.
The Count—Vlad—sweeps into the room, his long black cloak swishing behind him dramatically. He surveys the space. All the furniture is draped in protective cloth. Personal items have been removed. Valuables packed up. The rest will be left until this town ages into its own forgetfulness.
Memory is fleeting.
But vampires are forever.
We will return. When it's safe. When the blood spilled and lives lost had faded to smudged ink in a forgotten newspaper.
He drapes an arm around my shoulder and pulls me closer to him. "Are you ready?"
I nod. There's a lump in my throat and my hands tremble slightly, but I tilt my face to his, seeking his lips.
His kisses always undo me in the best possible way, and I need to be undone right now, so I can be remade in our new life together.
Jeremy and I will begin new lives with Vlad and Leonard. We will all leave this world and set up home in the Otherworld.
As if on cue, my little brother skids into the living room, his arms full of unpacked clothing. "I forgot a few things," he says sheepishly.
The shadows at his feet pause when he does, waiting patiently for the most part, like newly trained puppies who still struggle to stay still but are doing their level best.
Vlad smiles and Leonard rushes into the room with an extra bag, which he quickly uses to pack Jeremy's clothes.
Leonard stands, his own shadows waiting patiently behind him. They are as calm and focused as the Shadowmaster himself, and I imagine what Jeremy and his shadows will become as he grows into his own powers. It's a heady thought.
"Can we go now? I don't want to be late for my first day of school!" He tugs at the Count's hand, and the ancient vampire indulges him, allowing himself to be dragged forward.
"Yes, it is time to say goodbye."
In another world, a new life awaits us. A magical school that trains kids like Jeremy. Kids born into paranormal power. He will be safe there and given the kind of education he needs. And we will be a family.
We step out of the mansion and Leonard locks the door behind us, then the four of us walk towards the car, the shadows nipping at our heels, memories of what has been haunting the imaginings of what's to come. And I smile, happy to let my old life die so I can truly live in my new one.
Forever.
Wanted.
About Karpov Kinrade
Karpov Kinrade is the pen name for the husband and wife writing duo of USA TODAY bestselling, award-winning authors Lux Karpov-Kinrade and Dmytry Karpov-Kinrade.
Together, they live in Ukiah, California and write novels and screenplays, make music and direct movies.
Look for more from Karpov Kinrade in The Night Firm, Vampire Girl, Of Dreams and Dragons, Nightfall Academy and Paranormal Spy Academy. If you’re looking for their suspense and romance titles, you’ll now find those under Alex Lux.
They live with their three teens who share a genius for all things creative, and seven cats who think they rule the world (spoiler, they do.)
Want their books and music before anyone else (plus you’ll gain access to weekly interactive flash fiction?) Join them on Patreon at Patreon.com/karpovkinrade
Find them online at KarpovKinrade.com
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And subscribe to their newsletter at ReadKK.com for special deals and up-to-date notice of new launches.
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If you enjoyed this book, consider supporting the author by leaving a review wherever you purchased this book. Thank you.
About Liv Chatham
For Liv Chatham, one life is not enough, but she solved that problem by living vicariously through her characters in fantastic worlds. When she’s not reading, she’s biking to the nearest coffee shop to cuddle with a latte and write, and then she’s biking back home again to cuddle with her French Bulldog and write some more. Since she doesn’t like to hold still, she doesn’t stay long in one place, and because she’s naturally nosy, she’s lived and travelled in over forty countries around the world. By nature, she’s a fantasy and paranormal addict, but since she’s never met a word she didn’t like, she’ll dabble in other genres from time to time.
Sign up for Liv’s newsletter at LivChatham.com and become her friend at …
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Also by Karpov Kinrade
Dungeon Queen
Warrior Queen
The Night Firm
I Am the Wild
I Am the Storm
I Am the Night
Wanted
Wanted 2
Wanted 3
In the Vampire Girl Universe
Vampire Girl
Vampire Girl 2: Midnight Star
Vampire Girl 3: Silver Flame
Vampire Girl 4: Moonlight Prince
Vampire Girl 5: First Hunter
Vampire Girl 6: Unseen Lord
Vampire Girl 7: Fallen Star
Vampire Girl: Copper Snare
Vampire Girl: Crimson Cocktail
Vampire Girl: Christmas Cognac
Of Dreams and Dragons
Get the soundtrack for I AM THE WILD, OF DREAMS AND DRAGONS and MOONSTONE ACADEMY wherever music can be found.
Nightfall Academy
Court of Nightfall
Weeper of Blood
House of Ravens
Night of Nyx
Song of Kai
Daughter of Strife
Paranormal Spy Academy (complete academy sci fi thriller romance)
Forbidden Mind
Forbidden Fire
Forbidden Life
Our A
LEX LUX BOOKS!
The Seduced Saga (paranormal romance with suspense)
Seduced by Innocence
Seduced by Pain
Seduced by Power
Seduced by Lies
Seduced by Darkness
The Call Me Cat Trilogy (romantic suspense)
Call Me Cat
Leave Me Love
Tell Me True
(Standalone romcon with crossover characters)
Hitched
Whipped
Kiss Me in Paris (A standalone romance)
Our Children's Fantasy collection under Kimberly Kinrade
The Three Lost Kids series
Lexie World
Bella World
Maddie World
The Three Lost Kids and Cupid's Capture
The Three Lost Kids and the Death of the Sugar Fairy
The Three Lost Kids and the Christmas Curse
Wanted Box Set Page 16
