Pierced [Pain & Love 2] (BookStrand Publishing Romance)

by Ashlei D. Hawley

  Mallory shook her head slowly. She was dizzy with hunger and an unexpected excitement that paced in her mind, a caged tiger of anticipation.

  “You’re my training wheels again. Got it.”

  With intense fascination, Mallory watched Leigh bend down and pierce the woman’s neck with his elongated fangs. Though they were ever-present, they lowered and sharpened to draw blood.

  Gina sighed as Leigh broke skin and Mallory’s heart rate tripled. She smelled blood. It was the most fascinating, tantalizing thing she’d ever inhaled. It smelled like spice and tang, health and life. If the feelings of sex could be translated to a scent, it would be the scent of blood.

  Was she drooling? Mallory checked her mouth discreetly as she watched Leigh’s throat move with his swallowing. She wanted to whimper with desire, but fought the urge.

  Time passed with excruciating slowness but Mallory knew Leigh had barely begun to slake his thirst when he turned to her. Two steps separated them and he crossed the minute distance like a silver mist drenched in the alluring aroma of blood.

  He leaned over her and touched her chin, easing her lips apart with infinite gentleness. Mallory felt the world would drown in the thundering of her heart and his stormy eyes. An instant before Leigh leaned closer and began to open his own mouth, Mallory realized his intentions.

  A flood of red passed from his lips to hers as he sealed them together. Mallory’s eyes rolled back as she swallowed the sweet liquid and Leigh stayed as he was so she could suck the remaining drops from his tongue.

  It was intoxicating in a way Mallory could never have anticipated. Leigh wasn’t the pretty cup for a strong, delicious alcohol. He was like a Jell-o shot, a drink made all the sweeter for its scrumptious, edible container.

  She felt delirious and didn’t even notice that he’d moved away to collect another mouthful to give to her. Had she really just compared him to a Jell-o shot? God, she prayed, don’t let him actually be able to read minds.

  Leigh fed Mallory nearly a pint of blood via the mouth-to-mouth method. She expected that it would lose some appear with repetition, but every time she met the experience with heavy desire and electric excitement.

  Sometime throughout the process, Mallory realized she’d begun pulling on Leigh’s shirt, trying to urge him closer to her with every blood-filled kiss. Did Mallory want him to ravish her on a stranger’s couch with the woman’s blood between them? She was afraid that was her aim exactly.

  “Blood of my heart, please,” Leigh whispered as he broke away from her aggressive kissing. She tasted desperation in his tone and it was as sweet as the blood they’d been sharing.

  “We go after the Hunters tomorrow,” she reminded him. “We have time tonight.”

  “Not here,” Leigh objected. He tried to sound firm. Did his voice betray his pleading? He dearly hoped not.

  “Instead of a sweet dream, we can give her a hot one.” Mallory coupled her wicked suggestion with a questing hang that somehow managed to be thrust into his pants before he could stop it. She squeezed him and he fought his buckling knees and mounting desire. He wanted to say yes, as his body happily was. But he steeled his will and removed Mallory’s hand from his swelling member.

  “Not here,” he insisted once more as he turned back to Gina. Piercing his own finger with one sharp fang, he dripped a spot of blood onto each of her miniscule wounds. They vanished.

  Leigh knew Gina would awaken feeling weak and experiencing flu-like symptoms. She would likely call into work the next day. Losing nearly a quarter of her blood supply would damage her, but not permanently. In the deep sleep she would be in due to the feeding she would recover faster than if she’d drained herself. It was one boon his kind could bestow upon their food supply.

  Mallory jumped up, prowling around the living room like a hungry cat seeking mice. Leigh controlled his expression and kept himself from looking back at her as he lifted Gina from her chair and guided her with care to her bedroom. The routine was practiced and he finished it quickly.

  Mallory expected her blood to cool once the delicious scent of prey was removed from the room, but it didn’t help. For one thing, she could still taste it on her tongue and against the roof of her mouth. For another, though the hunger was sated bodily, the heat of longing still burned inside of her. She felt the desire could be quenched, but only by drowning herself in blood or Leigh. The gorgeous, mercilessly contained man could help to quell the flames eating her alive, she just knew it.

  When Leigh returned to the living room, Mallory wanted to see some evidence of the same heat she was being consumed by. He was either too contained or unaffected, and either possibility lent itself to her inferno in the form of ridiculous, greatly exaggerated anger.

  Barely knowing what she was doing, Mallory stalked across the room and slammed Leigh into the wall. Pictures rattled in their frames and a vase balance on a slim table beside Leigh rocked back and forth, and then toppled off. He caught it.

  “You are agitated, blood of my heart,” Leigh observed. Mallory wanted to scream at him, but she didn’t know why. The lack of knowing frustrated her further.

  Some of her unexplainable anger calmed when she registered the interesting pet name he continued to call her. She backed away from him and he replaced the vase on the table.

  “You act like you don’t feel anything,” Mallory accused.

  “We feel less as the years go by.” The lie slid off Leigh’s tongue too easily. “You should be grateful you won’t have to experience the deterioration of your emotions.”

  Mallory’s rage burned itself out and she sighed. Her blue eyes were bright with pity for Leigh.

  “I’m sorry,” she said softly. “I’m a slow learner and there’s a lot about you I don’t get. Friends?”

  She extended a hesitant hand to him and Leigh slipped his into it for an impersonal shake. He felt like a bastard but what was he expected to do? The less he bound them together, the easier it would be for her when the necessary time came. He could not cripple her with his wants, feelings, and desires.

  Mallory gave Leigh’s hand an extra squeeze. She was annoyed that he had such impenetrable blockades built up in his mind against her.

  “Where to now?” she asked in a tone touched by weariness.

  “How is your hunger?” Mallory digested his question with a pondering expression as she evaluated herself.

  She felt the near pint of blood she’d received had already been depleted. She was ravenous, but she didn’t want to tell Leigh that.

  “I could eat,” she said with a nonchalant shrug. Leigh grinned at her.

  “It will take longer because you are a youngling but I will make certain you have enough to sustain you through the next day.”

  Mallory began to follow Leigh out. They left no evidence of their presence. Leigh locked the door before he pulled it closed.

  “And tomorrow night?” Mallory asked. A note of hesitation was evident in her tone.

  “Tomorrow night you will feed to kill,” Leigh proclaimed. “And for that, you will need to be hungry.”

  Mallory shivered. What a foreboding statement, she thought as they disappeared into the darkness of the night.

  Chapter Eight

  While Mallory and Leigh crept unnoticed through the small town to feed, another shadow in the dark followed them in secrecy.

  Henry De La Rosa checked his reflection in the window of a closed store out of the corner of his eye. It was the only way he could see himself, but he appreciated even that hard to catch view of his perfect reflection.

  His short, dark hair was perfectly in place. The thick strands, so black they looked wet at all times, curled gently along his small ears. His eyes were an unexpected green, light as sea foam with the touch of magic that made them glimmer seductively. His skin was dark gold, like damp, desert sand. He was tall and impressive, with the strong yet lean physique of a dancer or a swimmer.

  Henry admired himself until it made his eyes hurt, and then turned
away. He’d caught Leigh’s scent, and another, far more surprising one.

  He was even more convinced of the necessity of his renewed presence in Leigh’s life.

  She was back.

  “Wait.” Leigh put a hand of warning on Mallory’s shoulder, scenting the air and sending questing senses outward. He felt the night had welcomed a new component which he should recognize. No true concern galvanized him, but he couldn’t risk Mallory even if there was no initial threat.

  Pushing her behind him and shifting himself forward so he met the other vampire with a snarl and extended fangs, Leigh had the space of a breath to decide whether or not he’d recognize or fight.

  The eyes did it. No one had eyes like Henry De La Rosa.

  “Henry!” Leigh exclaimed in genuine pleasure as his feral visage melted away. The men grasped forearms companionably, eyes shining with friendliness.

  Mallory was awestruck. The entire exchange, from feeling the threat to confrontation, to recognition had transpired in less than five seconds.

  “Introduce me to this gorgeous young lady, please,” Henry requested of Leigh as he turned those remarkable eyes to Mallory.

  Mallory took an involuntary step back. Something about his eyes made her instantly on alert. She wondered crazily if they’d met before.

  “Of course,” Leigh said, not noticing Mallory’s distaste as he drew Henry nearer. She stood her ground and glared, letting the stranger know right away that he made her uncomfortable. “Henry De La Rosa, this is Mallory Wright.”

  “Charmed,” Henry purred, holding his hand out for Mallory’s. She refused to touch him, giving him a curt nod instead.

  “Nice to meet you,” Mallory forced out. Her manners wouldn’t allow her to just scowl at him when she was the only one being surly. Henry had literally done nothing to cause her adverse reaction, so she tried to choke it down.

  Leigh was unaware of how difficult a time Mallory was having being cordial with Henry. The men embraced and Mallory watched the interaction closely. Henry was shorter than Leigh and placed his hands around the broader, bigger man’s waist. Though Leigh didn’t make the embrace tight and close, he ended up hugging Henry tighter to keep the disproportionate closeness from being awkward.

  Henry momentarily closed his eyes and rested his head against Leigh’s shoulder and Mallory’s heart clenched with ridiculous jealousy and alarm. Perhaps it was a vampire thing, but that seemed like more than a friendly hug to her.

  The men pulled apart and grinned at each other. The softness went out of Henry’s expression as he punched Leigh’s arm and then ran a hand back through his impeccable hair.

  “Damn, it’s good to see you,” Leigh declared.

  Henry seconded the statement and they stared at each other for another moment. Mallory began to feel distinctly like a third wheel.

  “What are you doing here?” Leigh finally asked.

  “I felt I’d been away too long,” Henry admitted, and Mallory sought to place the accent that flowed through his words.

  “Definitely,” Leigh agreed. “Definitely. It’s so good to see you.”

  “And we could use the help of another vampire for tomorrow night.” Mallory wasn’t actively trying to kill the mood with her interjection, but the goofy frat boy reunion between Leigh and Henry was grating on her nerves for some reason. She wanted to draw attention back to the situation on hand and keep the giddy excitement to a minimum.

  “Oh, what are you doing tomorrow night?” Henry’s inquiry seemed to be full of feigned curiosity. Mallory had to ask herself seriously if the dude just rubbed her the wrong way and she was being a bitch. She decided to try harder not to be an asshole to Leigh’s friend.

  “Mallory’s family is trapped by Hunters and we plan to recover them.” Mallory was surprised at how casually he delivered the information to Henry. There was an obvious trust and candor between them.

  “Oh, I’m very sorry,” Henry exclaimed. He reached out to give Mallory’s hand a comforting squeeze. She forced a smile instead of recoiling and slapping his hand like a disgusting bug the way she wanted to.

  Oblivious to her difficulty, Leigh continued to speak to Henry as though his status as obviously dear friend gave him full access to all of her information.

  “Mallory and her father Luke are psychics,” Leigh explained as they began walking. “Mallory has been protecting and stealing targets away from the Hunters for some time now, with the help of her family. Her involvement with the last two targets really infuriated them, and they took her family in retaliation.”

  Mallory hurt to hear Reyna and Tyler referenced so callously. Targets, he said. Like they hadn’t been her friends, too.

  Leigh could feel the play of Mallory’s varied emotions and allowed himself the tiniest breath of relief before he shut himself entirely back down. He was a different person around Henry. He had found it necessary for the longest time. It would be much easier to shut Mallory out with Henry around. Leigh applauded his timing, though Henry couldn’t know that he was being useful in such a way.

  “Let’s run,” Leigh suggested.

  Mallory couldn’t have been happier to hear him say anything else. Though he reached out a hand with the intent to guide her in speed again, Mallory ignored it and took off. She didn’t need him to show her how to race the wind. She was always down for a run.

  “She’s wonderful,” Henry commented in an off-handed manner. “She reminds me remarkably of Marlyna.”

  Before Leigh could snap at Henry to never mention that name, the other vampire was off, blurring into the night. Leigh cursed and followed, lest he lose them.

  Mallory, whose senses had not yet dulled to manageable levels, heard the interaction between the two men and frowned as she ran.

  Who was Marlyna?

  * * * *

  They slept for a little over four hours. Mallory took the couch in the basement, though Leigh offered her one of the two beds in the other rooms in his basement besides the study. Henry took his king-sized red-and-black monstrosity. Mallory bet Henry preferred not to be sleeping alone, but tried to beat her cattiness into submission before she drifted off to sleep.

  She hadn’t had a psychic experience since Leigh had turned her but as soon as she began her dream, she felt the touch of power. It traced the edges of the dreamscape with silver mist, but it bled away as the scene solidified.

  She wasn’t a watcher, she noted. Often, she invisibly observed within the visions. This time, she was an active participant and it made her uncomfortable. These unique scenes usually came with complications and confusion, and delivered no answers or advice.

  Mallory sat on a crimson chair and adjusted the scratchy dress she wore. It was powder-blue to match her eyes and threaded with trim of gold that complemented her hair, which fell in dreamy curls around her shoulders. She pushed it back from her face. This was why she was a fan of ponytails and shorter tresses.

  She didn’t know what to do in this particular scene. She felt she’d been in the building before, but the events about to transpire were unfamiliar to her.

  When Leigh entered the room, Mallory felt her heart stutter to a stop.

  He was breathtaking. He wore clothing that seemed slightly exotic to her. She couldn’t even identify by name the articles he wore, but the tight gray pants, white, long-sleeved shirt, copper-buttoned jacket, and knee-high boots made him look like royalty stepping out of a medieval castle. His hair was much longer and rushed down around his face in glorious, thick waves. His eyes burned with gray fire, more lively and beautiful than she’d ever seen them, like the mist above the sea in a storm. He was fantastic.

  “Marlyna.”

  Mallory was floored, not only by the name but by the depth of love and happiness so obvious in Leigh’s tone. She spoke his name without meaning to, in a voice that was not her own. Her pulse beat in her throat hard enough to make her skin tingle. She wasn’t in her own body. That was a unique experience.

  “It’s time to go,” Lei
gh said as he came closer. The soft soles of his boots were as quiet on the floor as the moonlight that spilled across it.

  “Do we have to? I’ve so enjoyed our time here.” The pouting lilt in the voice Mallory spoke with was playful and sweet. If the woman had a mouthful of honey, her words wouldn’t come out sounding more saccharine.

  Leigh knelt in front of Mallory and her heart tripped all over itself at the earnest adoration in his eyes.

  “The deaths in the area will be attributed to us, my love. I cannot keep that from happening and I cannot protect you from that if we stay here.”

  “Deaths?” Mallory felt the swirl of the other woman’s emotions and it made her nauseated. Her own curiosity was dampened by the overload of Marlyna’s turmoil.

  Leigh’s eyes adopted a sheen of panic. Mallory found herself interested more in Leigh’s stricken expression than Marlyna’s surging emotions.

  There was something wrong with the woman, and it became increasingly difficult for Mallory to remain connected to her sporadic thoughts. She heard Marlyna’s inner voice like the mewling of an injured beast. She jumped from wondering what deaths had occurred to feeling surges of terror as she suspected her own involvement. The whirlwind was giving Mallory a migraine.

  Appearing desperate, Leigh rose up and kissed Marlyna.

  The tumult and terror vanished from Marlyna’s mind. Mallory happily pressed herself into Leigh’s lips with abandon, welcoming the sanity and sanctuary he offered. Mallory was pierced by an incredible sense of longing. She wanted that from Leigh. It was foolish to desire such a commitment of passion and adoration from him, but it didn’t keep her from envying Marlyna and losing herself in the soul-shocking contact.

  Leigh was the one who broke the kiss and Mallory found herself more than ever fully entwined with Marlyna’s consciousness. Neither of them wanted to lose physical contact with Leigh. He was solid reinforcement against the madness.