Blood at Stake (Warriors of the Krieger Book 2)

by Theresa Hissong

  “Promise?” She choked, her bloody tears staining her beautiful face.

  “Promise,” I said, taking her cold hand into mine. I pressed my lips to the inside of her wrist as a vow to protect her.

  “If you insist on staying, then you need to help,” the doctor bit out, obviously irritated with my presence in the room.

  The doc rolled Lydia on her side, and I wrapped my arm around her so that I could keep her at the angle he needed to work on the wound. Nurses poked at the area, and when Lydia didn’t flinch, Doctor Mason made quick work of the bullet.

  “Ow,” he hissed, dropping the bullet on the bed. His fingers were red from his contact with the metal he’d pulled from her neck. “Don’t touch it! Get a tray over here.”

  He used tweezers to pick the bullet up and dropped it into a metal pan. The nurses backed away from the thing like it was a bomb.

  “That’s a silver bullet,” the nurse said, in awe.

  “That’s not silver,” the doctor announced, concern etched on his face. “Silver doesn’t do anything to us, anyway. That’s for the Lycan’s. That has to be some other type of material.”

  “What the hell are you talking about?” I demanded. “That is silver. I can smell it. It shouldn’t have done anything to Lydia or to you when you touched it.”

  “It’s enchanted,” another nurse said, slipping into the room. “I can sense it.”

  “What are you saying, Prue?” Doc demanded.

  “It’s been cursed,” she began. The vampire nurse leaned over and inhaled deep, scenting the bullet fragment. She straightened quickly and covered her nose as if she’d smelled death. Prue shook her head, long black curls bounced around her face as she frowned. “That’s black magic, Doctor. A witch…or someone has put a spell on that bullet. It’s tainted.”

  “How do you know this?” I demanded, grabbing the nurse by the arm and turning her so that I could look into her eyes that were still on the bullet.

  “My ability is to sense magic, good, or in this case…evil,” she looked up at me, her dark eyes flaring in anger. “Someone enchanted this bullet with spells, Krieger and if my assumptions are correct, I have a feeling this won’t be the last time a citizen is attacked.”

  If this was true, then these humans were after something other than collecting samples of our blood. They had made this personal when they attacked Lydia. I would find them and stop whatever they had planned. This was my vow to her.

  Chapter 3

  Lydia

  When I came alive again, I was in a room I didn’t recognize. The room was large, the colors masculine. I tested the air, looking for any threat. My body warmed when I tasted Ashby’s scent on my tongue.

  “Lydia,” his deep baritone voice spoke from across the room.

  “Where am I?” I asked, sitting up in the huge bed.

  “At my home, on the Krieger estate,” he smiled, but it didn’t reach his eyes. I sensed worry. “I brought you here yesterday morning, just before dawn. You were given morphine at the hospital and were sleeping. I didn’t want to take you home and leave you to go into your death sleep alone.” Ashby shifted on his feet, from side to side, as if he was nervous.

  “Wait,” I said, turning to put my legs on the floor, but then realized I was not quite dressed for company. “Who dressed me in your shirt?”

  “I had a servant dress you, a female,” he averted his eyes, as if he was embarrassed. “They cut your clothes off of you and sent you home in the hospital gown.”

  “Thanks,” I grinned, nervously. “So, explain what the hell happened to me.”

  My hands started to shake with the need to feed, but I could wait. My car wasn’t here, so maybe he’d take me over to the clinic to feed, after I found a pair of pants.

  “The humans,” he began. “They shot you, and the bullet was somehow enchanted with a spell to make you sick. You died during the night, but came back alive before they pulled out the bullet. A nurse at the hospital believes that the enchantment was weak and that may have just saved you.”

  “What?” I gasped, in disbelief. “Those idiots who shot me had a bullet that was cursed or something?”

  “We believe so,” he nodded.

  “They were nothing but a bunch of redneck humans. How the hell would they know where to find a witch?” My thirst peaked, but I tamped it down quickly.

  Ashby approached the bed and sat down beside me, taking my hand into his. He stiffened, “You need to feed.”

  “I’ll be fine for a little while longer,” I swallowed, changing the subject. I didn’t want to talk about feeding. It just made me want to beg for him to let me take his vein again. “Can you find me some pants and take me to the clinic?”

  “No,” he growled, causing me to flinch. “Feed from me. You need strength.”

  “Okay,” I said, reaching for his wrist, but gasped when he pulled me to his lap.

  “Feed,” he demanded and pulled toward his neck. The dragon tattoo on his neck pulsed and moved as if it were alive and watching me. I must be crazy, because I felt like that dragon was protecting me, too.

  “Wait,” I said, pulling back from his luscious neck. “I can’t take any more from you. I took too much yesterday.”

  “I’m fine,” he assured me. “Now feed, Lydia.”

  Drinking from a warrior was like biting into ambrosia. Ashby’s warm blood flowed over my tongue and down my throat. It was thick, and the best thing I had ever tasted. Blood drinking between vampires was an intimate gesture, one that was given out of respect or love. He didn’t have to give me his blood, but he did.

  I wasn’t stupid. There was an attraction between us, but we had never gone any further than simple conversation. Although, many times over the past months, I would’ve crawled into his bed like a tramp, if he’d shown the slightest bit of interest. He was just that irresistible.

  His body vibrated under my tongue, the primal growl bubbling up from his chest caused my body to react. My sex clenched and immediate moisture pooled between my legs. I was helpless against the need for not only his blood, but his body.

  I heard him scent the air, my arousal was a strong taste on his senses. His body shifted, and I felt his erection press into the juncture of my thighs. Those huge hands of his clamped on the sides of my face, and I released his neck after a sharp command from his voice, “Enough!”

  The second after I licked his wound, to close the punctures where I’d fed just below his dragon tattoo, Ashby’s lips were on mine. He pressed his tongue to my bottom lip, demanding I open for him. His tongue searched my mouth, plundering, tasting his own life essence on my lips. I was helpless there in his arms, my body limp against his broad chest. His hands still held my face in place, so that he could direct his desire upon my mouth.

  We didn’t need air, but we both panted as if we would die without it. The heady scent of our arousal flowed thick through the room, like a blanket of fog. His right hand slid down the column of my throat slowly, achingly, caressing the tender flesh. Once that hand rested on the top of my shoulder, he pulled away. His eyes flared with passion, and I saw the slightest hint of red in his eyes. He opened his mouth on a hiss and his long, thick fangs flashed only seconds before he struck the vein in my neck.

  It didn’t hurt as bad as I’d imagined it would. Ashby’s fangs were larger than any other set I’d seen on a vampire. His warrior body was made to be larger in all things, fangs included. The hand that was on my cheek, now clamped down on the back of my neck, holding me in place. The warrior drank slowly at my neck, sucking and savoring my taste, and I didn’t want him to stop. I needed more….of him.

  “Please,” I whispered. “Ashby.”

  He must’ve read my thoughts, because he found the hem of his shirt, that I was wearing, and slid his hand slowly…oh, so slowly, up my side. His calloused hands moved around my back and pulled me closer to his chest. At this point, he’d slowed down on his intake of my blood. I was nowhere near weak from what he’d taken.


  I quickly realized what Ashby was doing. He was not taking blood from me for sustenance, but to claim me as his own. With my blood in his body and his in mine, we were connected. He could sense me when I was in pain, scared, or in danger. Ashby would be able to pinpoint my location, like a GPS, if I was ever away from him. He was staking his claim on my body. What he’s doing was primal, even for a vampire.

  My shirt, well his shirt, came off in a flash, the seams torn in his haste to undress me. I suddenly found myself on my back, my body bare to the warrior who was hovering above me. The heat in his eyes flashed as he looked upon my naked skin and I saw the need within them.

  “Tell me, yes,” he demanded on a growl. I wasn’t sure if I really had a choice. Ashby’s voice changed from the sweet brooding warrior, to the harsh demanding sex god who knew what he wanted and consequences be damned.

  And I liked it!

  “Yes,” I whispered in a husky voice I didn’t even recognize.

  His body lifted, for only a second, before he stripped himself of his tight black jeans and Krieger shirt. His chest was smooth, not a hair visible. Ashby’s broad shoulders flexed as he moved over me, my hands automatically grasping at his thick arms. Trying to hold the muscle there was like trying to grab a basketball with one hand. Oh, I liked that!

  Those sexy lips descended on mine again, and we touched, his massive erection nudging at my core. He was hot and demanding as he stroked my body. My bottom lip was nicked by his fang, as he pulled away from my mouth to caress my body with his eyes. His nostrils flared as he scented my blood. He slowly leaned his face close to mine, so seductively, I almost lost control right there. The moment his tongue snaked out and licked the drop of blood from my lip, I almost came from the feel of it.

  One strong arm wrapped around my back, his hold unbreakable, as he lifted me higher on his bed. His thigh was so large that it didn’t take much to kick my legs apart. His body descended on mine, and I tensed as I felt his erection press into my body.

  I wasn’t a virgin. I’d been with a few men in my existence, but I’d never been with a warrior. Ashby’s size was impressive, to say the least. I wondered if this was a good idea and how the damn thing would even fit.

  “It’ll fit,” he growled low and demanding.

  “Quit reading my mind,” I returned, but my demand held no weight.

  He chuckled and proved me wrong when he pushed forward. My sex accepted him eagerly, like he was made to be there. Once he was seated, Ashby stilled, but his body shook slightly from his need to move. His hands were shaking nervously as he caressed my sides, my face.

  Rotating my hips, I relaxed and let my legs fall open to allow his massive hips to fill the space. The first thrust was a test to our bodies, to see if it was right. The second one was to prove to ourselves that it felt as good as we’d hoped. The third, fourth, fifth and the remaining ones were shear mind blowing sex. Each thrust threatened to push me off the bed, but Ashby’s massive arm kept me grounded underneath him. My breasts were not huge, nor were they small either. He groaned, as he watched them move in time with his thrusts. Suddenly he took one nipple into his mouth and sucked greedily at the peak. He bit down, and I shattered underneath him.

  “Come with me,” I begged as he pushed deeper into my heat. Every drag of his length through my channel, caused my orgasm to intensify.

  “No,” he growled.

  Suddenly, I was flipped over, my ass presented to him like an offering. He covered my back and pushed himself back inside, my desire guiding his way. The warrior’s arms were beside mine, and I realized he had placed his body around mine, protectively. It was like he was shielding me from anyone who may take that moment to enter his quarters.

  Ashby took his time ravishing my body, showing me how things would be every time we’d be together. I had a feeling this was the beginning of many nights coming alive in his bed, in more ways than one.

  My arms gave out, and I fell down on my elbows, Ashby following me as his body continued to rut deep inside my sex. He moved one of his hands from the bed and turned my face toward his. Those beautiful emerald eyes, tinged with a hint of red from his desire, stared into mine, like he was trying to find my soul.

  The moment he took my lips, I felt his cock start to swell and his seed released inside me, causing another orgasm to ignite deep within my body. He swallowed my cry of release with his expert mouth. He didn’t stop until he was sated, and I was weak from my release.

  We fell to the side and Ashby pulled me flush against his chest. He didn’t speak, only traced the curve of my hip with the tip of his calloused finger. I didn’t know what to say or even what to do at the moment. We fucked like rabid animals, and I smiled into the barely lit room as I felt the delicious ache radiate through my sex.

  I couldn’t sense anything, other than contentment, coming from him, so I didn’t break the spell we were under by saying something stupid, or cheesy. I let him hold me.

  For however long that would be was up to him.

  Chapter 4

  Ashby

  I took her like a dog takes a bitch in heat and if it wasn’t for the sated vibe that was coming off of Lydia, I’d have felt like the sickest of bastards.

  “I’m sorry,” I admitted and pulled her so that we were facing each other. Her soft auburn hair was mussed from the battle we’d had on my bed, but damn she looked sexy as hell. This woman was so petite, and I treated her like she wasn’t the most fragile, porcelain doll in the shop.

  “Never be sorry for that,” she sighed, dreamily. Her scent was everywhere, and I made a mental note to tell the maids not to change my bedding for at least a month.

  “Are you sore?” I whispered, kissing the skin on top of her shoulder.

  “Deliciously so,” she sighed. “I really need to be going. I have to check on the club.” She removed herself from my hold, and I watched as she floated over to where my Krieger shirt was discarded.

  “I can have some clothes brought to you,” I said, standing up and pulling on my jeans.

  “Thank you,” she smiled and moved her hair off to one side.

  The spot where I’d drank from her had not been closed off and two tiny beads of red welled up on her neck. I reached out and pulled her to me. Leaning down, I licked over the wound and watched it close before letting her go.

  “I’ll take you over to the club,” I said, after she was dressed in my shirt. She was so small that the hem touched her knees, and my chest swelled with male pride at seeing her in my clothes. “Your car is at your place. I’ll come get you and take you to your house whenever you are ready.”

  “That would be nice,” she said, as she took a seat on my bed. “Thank you for everything.”

  I nodded and pulled out my phone, calling down to the servants to give them orders to bring her some clothes to my house that was located outside the mansion. They arrived swiftly, and I left her to shower and dress in the bathroom that was attached to my bedroom.

  Once she was dressed in a pair of jeans and a simple white t-shirt, we left my home. I was thankful they had a bra in her size, because I wouldn’t have left her at that club alone looking like she did.

  When I pulled her up to the back of Nights, I noticed she looked around the area nervously…like she was waiting to be ambushed again. The idea of those men touching her caused panic to well up in my chest, and I had to bite back a snarl of rage at what had been done to her.

  “I have a patrol watching the club,” I admitted, turning in my seat to look directly at the beautiful woman beside me. “You’re going to be safe. I want you to call me if you have any problems.”

  “Okay,” she said softly, but I wasn’t fooled. Lydia was scared.

  “Do you want me to stay?” I asked.

  “No,” she sighed and shook her head, determined not to look weak.

  “All you have to do is say the word, doll,” I smiled and took her hands into mine. Her tiny fists were balled up tightly, and I used my thumb to rub the back of he
r hand. Eventually, her body relaxed enough for me to open her hands flat, so that I could bring them to my lips. After a brief kiss across her tiny knuckles, I exited the Hummer and walked around to retrieve her, opening the passenger door to help her from the cab.

  “I know,” she nodded, taking my hand to help her out of the vehicle.

  “I’ll stay for a bit.” I resigned myself to just go in and sit at the bar, until she was comfortable with being alone. Something inside my chest demanded that I not leave her. I couldn’t explain it, but it was like my heart didn’t want to let her go just quite yet.

  We made our way inside. The music was pumping loud enough that several couples on the dance floor didn’t notice us arrive. The place was steadily flowing with customers, and it looked like everyone was enjoying themselves. Lydia’s waitress, Abby stopped by and gave her a sisterly hug, asking if she was alright.

  “I’m fine,” she assured her friend. “Don’t worry about me.”

  Abby straightened when she looked up and saw me behind Lydia. The newly turned vampire smiled stiffly and returned to her customers.

  We walked past the bar, and the young male bartender nodded toward Lydia, sliding her a mixed drink. Lydia scooped it up into her tiny hands before the glass had come to a complete stop, like this was her nightly ritual. She sauntered toward the office, not speaking as she walked. I scented the aroma of the amber liquid in the glass and knew that she was hitting the hard stuff already. I also knew that Lydia and Charity liked to drink occasionally, and I didn’t have a problem doing that myself…when the time permitted.

  She sat down behind the large oak desk and clicked on the computer, the machine hummed quietly to life. The drink was downed in only a few sips, and she set the glass on the corner of the desk.

  “Are there any leads on the guys that attacked me?” she asked, pushing a strand of her beautiful, auburn hair behind her ear.