by Kim Faulks
Wood cracked and popped as I made for the lounge room. Sparks shot into the top of hearth. Kol knelt, watching the flames as quiet as the night.
“Are you okay?”
The orange glow of the fire illuminated his face. He turned and I was struck by his perfection. The urge to trace his soft lips gripped me. It wasn’t just the sex…something primal rose to the surface, and of all the unholy urges that gripped me tonight, I knew this was the only thing that was real. I knew this would tie us together.
And I hated myself for using him like that.
I was dumbstruck, faltering on the edge of a maelstrom of lust and terror—of a burning desire to protect. But if death and danger was all I could give—if it was inside me, then he deserved more. A lot more.
“You heard?”
I neared. “Some. Feel like filling in the gaps?”
He turned back to the snaps and the sparks as though the answer lay in the inferno. “Our customs are old, and not well suited to many—but without them we’d be nothing more than the monsters we were designed to be.”
I braced myself ready for the impact.
“I wiped out an entire line. A wealthy, powerful line and as the victor, all their holdings, their wealth, their…brood, is transferred to me.”
“Brood?”
He raised his head, capturing my gaze. “Their line becomes my line.”
My hand fluttered to my mouth. A wordless sound escaped.
The Holland line were murderers. They were filthy, vile beasts…and if they were like that, then their line was as vile as they were.
He shook his head, curls bounced, reflecting the fire in a halo of gold. “I thought I’d get that reaction.”
“You can’t.”
He flinched, infernal words filling the room. “I have no choice. If I don’t take control of their line, then Rurik will. Either way I’ll be traveling to Seattle.”
“Seattle?”
He looked away. “I told you they were powerful…but I didn’t tell you how powerful. The Holland line ran guns and money along the West Coast. They’re bigger than what we have here.”
Jesus. I rocked back on my feet and pinned my lip with my teeth. “And more dangerous?”
The sharp bark of laughter bounced around the sparsely filled room. “Danger follows me no matter where I go—I thought you’d understand that by now.”
Me. It all comes back to me.
If I hadn’t been so naive and weak. If I had seen Jared for what he was…a spineless, pathetic man, and left him—none of this would’ve happened.
It was all my fault. All my fault.
“Look at me, Nova.”
I screwed my eyes shut and slid deeper into despair.
“Nova. Open your eyes, love. Hear what I have to say, none of this is your fault.”
I shook my head and cast off his words.
“How else do you think I obtained all this?”
I stilled, and opened my eyes.
He strode toward me, powerful thighs eating up the distance. My world narrowed the closer he came, until I found the stars in his gaze. I leaned into his hand as he brushed my cheek.
“This is my world…no, wait. This is our world. It’s a cruel one, an unforgiving one. But it can be a beautiful one, if you’ll let it. I believe in us. We can make this work, as long as I have you, I can make anything work.”
His words softened my edges and smoothed my soul. His thumb brushed my cheek capturing a tear. “Believe in me, Nova. That’s all you have to do, believe that I’ll protect you. I’m an enforcer—this is what I’m trained to do.”
His fingers wound through my hair. The gentle pressure pulling me, guiding me to the smooth pecs of his chest. My hands skirted his shoulders to grasp his face. The truth stared back at me, the cold hard truth. He’d never give up. He’d never leave me. Not now, not ever.
He captured my body, his hands traveling down the small of my back. My body knew the drill by now, instinct drew my knee higher, skirting the outside of his thigh. His hand captured my leg, his body rubbing mine as he bent and lifted. I lowered my head, skimming his lips with mine as he moved me deeper into the room.
A warning flared, forcing me to raise my head. I turned to the wide bank of windows. The sky was brightening, turning black into a bruised and bloody hue. My fangs shrank. My skin crawled. The glimmer of sun burned hotter than any flame. I ducked my head, burying into his chest as he carried me from the room and back up the stairs.
His voice lulled me, comforted me, pulling me deeper into him. The bedroom door closed with a thud and the terror inside eased.
“I’ve got you. Close your eyes, Nova. Sleep my love. You need your rest.”
A blanket of exhaustion covered me, wrapping me tight. The room seemed to fade. I licked my lips feeling the soft mattress underneath my body. I tried to fight, tried to stave off this sense of helplessness.
“No sun can get in here, I promise. The doors and the walls are lined. So, sleep and when you wake I’ll be right here.”
My hand shot out, clawing at the sheets. I tried to force the words. “Don’t go.”
His fingers swept across my face. “I have to feed. But I’ll be back as soon as I can.”
One perfect kiss.
And then he was gone, falling far behind as I tumbled into the nothingness of a dreamless slumber.
Kol
I leaned close, brushing the hair from her shoulders.
Fear gripped me like a fever, rendering me weak, useless. I skimmed my fingers down her brow and closed her lids as death moved in. “I’ll be as quick as possible. You won’t even know I’m gone.”
She looked so damn beautiful laying there, the way forest fires are beautiful right before they set the world ablaze.
My legs trembled as I rose from the bed. The quake unravelled the twisted knot inside my stomach. My right hand ached to touch her, protect her, and a wave of nausea made the room spin. My gums were tender, my skin tight—hunger was a low fever, rendering me useless.
But another need reared, deeper than any desire for blood. “No one can ever know what you did last night. They wouldn’t understand.” Something inside trembled…my will? “Hell, I don’t even understand.”
Maybe this was a glitch, one last misfire in her evolutionary arc. Maybe all she needed was time for her powers to fully develop, and then?
The dark alley reared in my head. A chill broke free, racing along my skin, standing the hair on my arms. Her snarl came alive, deeper than a wolf, more guttural than an alligator. I wrestled with the memory.
“Bloodlust. That’s all it was.” The words were bitter like ash in my mouth.
A beep from my phone dragged me free from the thought. I speared my hand into my pocket and pulled it free. Angelique’s message was alight. I glanced at the others I’d ignored and swept my thumb across the screen, then shoved the phone into my pocket.
Leaving Nova was like leaving the best part of me. I lifted my hand, tracing the puncture wounds at my throat. She needed me more than ever. I shook the shadows from my eyes and stumbled from the room, closing the lined door behind me.
Soft yellow rays spilled into the foyer. The fist around my gut relaxed. She was safe here, safe amongst the day, safe to sleep while I searched for answers.
My steps were a blur as I raced down the stairs and pulled the front door closed. I flinched and raised my hand to the glare. Hunger weakened more than my will. Nova had taken more than I had to give. Desperate, I made for my car, slid into the driver’s seat and reached for the gears. Only one place could give me what I needed, blood and information.
Rurik ran a small vampire feeding operation called The Vein. But it was more than a living, breathing vampire blood bank. It housed his own personal information, thousands of years of research in one place and he named it the Archives.
Details of our kind were catalogued and kept under lock and key. Each year the pages were updated, sires, lines, abilities were transcribed and b
ound. If there was any hope of finding answers—then that place would give them to me.
Streets and cars passed by in a ravenous red-filled haze as I headed for the city. Early commuters were sparse, leaving me to make good time. I slowed the car and pulled up to a small, old brown brick building. There were no cars parked, no movement outside on the street.
This was why I came during the day. I climbed out of the car and rounded the front. Heavy, thick shrubs crowded the moss-eaten brick facade. Cold lingered here, trailing along my arms with an icy touch.
My boots resounded against the floorboards as I climbed the verandah. I grasped the old screen door and pulled. Rusted hunger squealed, announcing my arrival to any vampire within a three block radius. I winced and grasped the thick brass door knob, twisted and then pushed.
At first glance, the place looked deserted. I crossed the foyer to one of the first doors and pressed my face toward the small mirror. A ray of laser flashed red behind the glass. My eyes watered as a click sounded. One down, three more to go. The next was a series of numbers, the date of birth of our line. I stabbed the buttons four, zero, zero, four and listened for the click. Two more doors, a drop of blood, core body temp, and I was inside The Vein.
A bank of elevators waited at attention like armor laden warriors. I pressed the button. There was only one way to go into The Vein—and that was down.
The doors opened with a rush. A blast of sterile air invaded my nose. Fluorescent illumination hummed in the tiny space as the doors closed and the steady descent started. I stared at the lights, fighting the urge to twitch and jerk.
My fangs carved the inside of my mouth. I licked my lips and tasted blood. The floor indicators lit like lights on a Christmas tree, all the way to the lower basement until the elevator jerked to a stop. The doors opened to a world of white. I stepped from the ride, keeping my gaze down, moving like a freight train.
The receptionist raised her head from behind a bone-white counter and gave me a curt nod. I swallowed the nausea and dropped my gaze, facing the doorway ahead. The thunderous, frantic sound echoed from the opening, dragging me forward with will alone.
A woman lingered in the entrance, her attention consumed by the phone in her hand. My focus dropped to her neck, where fresh puncture wounds were healing. I could smell our kind all over her. Her fingers moved furiously, lips set in a colorless slash. She raised her head as I neared. Her eyes widened. She stumbled backwards as I stepped into the group of mortals.
The day shift was sparse, fifteen or twenty mortals milled around in the expansive room. Men and women relaxed on plush lounges, sipping coffees, or eating. Some lingered on the far side, focused on the textbooks in their laps.
The humans working in The Vein were highly vetted, and well cared for. They were food on standby. I moved deeper into the room, scanning hopeful faces as one by one they found me. I stared at blondes, brunettes, men and women, stopping on intense wide brown eyes.
One motion of my hand and she shoved the book from her lap and rose. Long strides cut through the lounges and tables. I tracked her steps as I turned. Life pressed play, muffled conversation filled the silence inside the room, but I was focused on the soft thud of her footsteps.
Non-vacancy lights glowed red against the stark corridor. I dragged my feet to the nearest vacant room, the ticking green glow sending shivers along my spine. I grasped the handle and pushed. Sterile white consumed the space. Soft, slow steps lingered at the doorway. I could taste the bitter scent of her fear. “No one is forcing you. I can pick another if you prefer.”
A scuff of her shoe sent my teeth on edge. The low thud of the door followed by a click. “You’re hungry. I can tell.”
I closed my eyes, tracking her movements.
“You’re jumpy, too. I could give you more than blood,” she said.
Her pulse vibrated inside my head. A lick of pain went off in my chest like the strike of a match. I waited for the touch, the connection some of us craved. Her fingers were hot against my skin.
My body twitched, sated needs came alive once more. “No. Only blood.”
Silence lingered, swallowing each precious thud of her heart. The slow slide of a zipper followed. I opened my eyes to see her dress crumple at her feet. She was bare underneath. Long black hair fingered her smooth pink nipples.
I stared at the curve of her full breasts and the concave of her stomach. She padded over to the white leather lounge and climbed on it with her back to me. Her body was exquisite, long, voluptuous. She had no inhibitions, grasping hold of the headrest, exposing soft pink flesh. My cock twitched against the soft fabric.
Blood and sex mingled into one ferocious need. My tongue snaked out to dance across my lower lip. My steps echoed inside the empty room. A shudder raced across her skin. The sudden catch of breath brought the predator to life. And even in the moment, with hunger bearing down on me, all I could see was Nova.
I reached down, fingers scraping the tiled floor and grasping the silken navy dress. “Please.” I held the garment out. “I’m here for blood only.”
Her nails gouged the leather, until she slowly climbed down from the seat. A blush crept across her high cheeks as she stole the garment from my hand. “I’ve never been told no before.”
“Then let’s make this a first of many, shall we? I want you to sit. You will not touch me. You will not look at me. I will feed only from you.”
The room was engulfed in a sour wave of sadness. She dropped her head, dark hair hid her face. Soft sobs filled the room. “I feel so…I’m sorry. I just feel so dirty.”
“Look at me.”
Her shoulders trembled and jerked.
“Lift your head and look at me.”
Tears glistened on her cheeks. She dragged the back of her hand across her face.
“You are very beautiful, and you are more than enough. But I’m in love, and I cannot…” Amber eyes called me. The soft tilt of Nova’s laugher dragged me home. “I cannot betray her. So please don’t waste your tears on me.”
She clutched the dress to her chest. “You…you love her.”
I nodded and the glaring room seemed to spin. “I do.”
My knee buckled. I clawed the air, bearing down. I could make it. I could…
“Whoa, you look sick. Here, you need to sit down.”
I shook my head as she gripped my arms, guiding me to the seat. A quake tore free as I said, “No, don’t.”
Her touch was soft, her fingers brushed my cheek. Her skin glowed, so pink…so much blood. The thick, heady sound of her heart filled my ears. My fangs lengthened, peeking over my lips.
Her brows narrowed. The sudden catch of her breath made me flinch. But it wasn’t my fangs she stared at. Her hand dropped to the collar of my shirt and yanked. Pain spread along my neck. I swung my hand, knocking her hold free. I couldn’t wait. “Sit.”
I traced the warmth of her body as she slid between my legs and dropped to her knees. One careful look and she craned her head to the side. The long line of her neck held me. I traced the grove of her vein, riding long the underside of her muscle. The skin jumped, and I couldn’t wait anymore.
The strike was instant, brutal. She jumped, struggled. Her scream bounced around in the room and inside my head, but I was helpless to stop…or slow.
I swallowed her, smothered her, drank in long draws, and sucked her essence into me. Her small fist caught my head. A sting along my cheek as her nails followed. I closed my eyes as warmth flooded me, sweet, welcoming warmth.
Nova burst into my mind. “Kol,” she whimpered. “Enough, you’re hurting me.”
I flinched from the image and wrenched my fangs free. Blood seeped over the open wound. My merciless hunger gripped me, tearing me apart with a savage need. I bent my head and licked her wound before shoving her free. “More, hurry.”
Her bare feet slapped on the marbled floor. Heavy thuds followed, stumbling, racing for the door. The click of the lock echoed, followed by her panicked calls. I
clenched my fist. Pain drove a stake through my chest.
Boots—the sweet sound of boots.
A woman’s voice pierced the void. “Sire, here, another.”
I cracked my eyes open. Red slipped into this world, leaving a stain. Bloodlust. The insatiable need gripped me tight.
“Do not fear, Sire. You’ll be taken care of. Just be of care.”
Her savagely slicked-back hair screamed madam. Her vampire eyes glistened, urged on by the sight of my need. She turned her head and motioned one human forward. A thin woman, too thin to ease my need. She dropped to the floor in a rush and turned her head.
“No, from the wrist only,” the madam barked. “He’s less likely to drain you that way.”
My donor shoved up from the floor. Her hand trembled in the air. Blue veins mapped the line of her arm. I had no time to ease her fear, no time to offer words of encouragement. I struck hard, cleaving flesh to pierce the wall.
“Slowly, Sire. There’s plenty more.”
I sucked in their warmth, their life, one after another until fear kicked in. Too much blood. “No… no more, it could kill you.”
The arm against my lips shook. I dropped my hold and lifted my gaze. A man, not much older than I’d been when I met death, lowered his head. “It’s okay, I’m not hurt. Take more if you need.”
I shook my head. “Did I hurt you?”
Slick, dark hair fell into his eyes with the shake of his head.
“Nick, come here,” the madam summoned, reaching for his hand. “Let me tend to you.”
I felt the loss as his hand slipped from mine. The madam’s tongue worked quickly to steal the last traces of blood.
The man’s skin flattened, knitting together. I watched his wound disappear, then lifted my gaze to the madam. “Thank you.”
One wave of her hand and the room emptied. She nodded to each donor, waiting until the last one closed the door behind them before speaking. “You almost killed my people—”
“It won’t happen again—”
