by Raand, L. L.
A ripple of electricity raced along Misha’s skin and her pelt prickled. Her wolf went on alert, intrigued and ready to play. Misha backed up a step. “Are you hungry?”
“Nourishment would be welcome. It has been…a while.”
“Didn’t they feed you?” Misha snarled.
Torren faced her and smiled. “Their idea of food and mine are quite different.”
Misha searched Torren’s neck for signs of scars. There were none, but that didn’t mean they hadn’t fed from her. “Who?”
“It doesn’t matter.”
“It does,” Misha said, although she couldn’t say why.
Torren tilted her head, studied Misha quietly. “If it ever does matter, I will tell you.”
“Thank—”
“No,” Torren said, “you are not in my debt.”
“All right. I’ll get you some food.”
“I don’t eat meat.”
Misha frowned. “Then what?”
Torren’s laughter was spring-fed water rushing down the mountainside, crystal clear and pure. Misha’s neck tingled as if warm fingers brushed over her. Her wolf cocked her head and gave a soft, welcoming rumble. Blood pulsed in her loins. Pelt rippled down her torso. She’d tangled plenty, like every other young wolf, and she never gave it much thought. The call came over her and she found someone to answer. This…thing, whatever it was that Torren did to her, wasn’t like any call she’d ever known. The need sprang from somewhere deep inside her, and even though her clitoris engorged and her glands swelled just like always, she didn’t feel like tangling with the first available Were. She wanted something else—something that made her wolf snarl and pace. She wanted to run, to run and chase and catch and join.
“If you have any,” Torren said from far away.
“What?” Misha asked hoarsely. She blinked sweat from her eyes. “What?”
“Bread. Any vegetables you might have. Cheese?”
“I’ll find something.” Misha hurriedly backed up and stopped at the door. Sex frenzy clawed at her. And Torren was the cause. “Don’t test us, Torren. We’re not Vampires. We don’t lose our minds when we feed. Or when we fuck.”
Torren inclined her head. “I’ll remember if you do something for me.”
Misha paused, suspecting a trap. But she’d told Callan she might get Torren to talk to her. “Speak.”
“When you stop being afraid, let me in.”
“I am not afraid. And I will never let you in.” Misha slammed the door closed, ignoring the claws raking her midsection.
Chapter Ten
Veronica glanced at her watch for the third time in the past hour. Three hours until dawn. Three hours until Luce would disappear until sundown, slumbering in some hidden lair, safe from the ultraviolet rays that could destroy her unprotected flesh. But before Luce went to ground, she would need to feed, and if Veronica wasn’t available, Luce would feed elsewhere. Someone else would feel the delicious slide of Luce’s incisors into her throat, or her breast, or her groin just before the scorching heat incinerated every thought, burned through every nerve ending, and exploded into the most indescribable, exquisite pleasure imaginable. Veronica pushed back from her desk and stalked to the wide window that overlooked the black, roiling water. She’d been in the lab all day and night and hadn’t seen Luce since the previous morning. And with every passing moment, her need grew.
The need to experience the euphoric transportation of body and mind when Luce’s feeding hormones flooded her system was a constant demand—her stomach cramped with a gnawing hunger no food would satisfy, and her clitoris throbbed in a perpetual state of distension. No matter how many times she masturbated, the pulsing ache never abated. But even knowing she would find no satisfaction, she couldn’t stop. The urgency was all consuming.
Only her work kept her even partly sane, but she was easily distracted and her concentration was brittle. The erosion of her efficiency was an annoyance when the remedy was so simple. All she needed was a few moments with Luce and she’d be back at peak performance again, stronger and mentally sharper.
She traced the outline of her breast beneath her emerald-green silk shirt, softly flicking her nipple with the edge of her nail until it was hard and tight. She could make herself orgasm, already had half a dozen times over the last few hours, but only Luce’s bite gave her the kind of release she needed. Total mental and physical implosion.
Soon. She should finish the measurements she’d been taking and find Luce. Her clitoris twinged. Yes, soon.
A barge slowly moved upriver, pushing an empty oil tanker toward the dock, its lights blinking in the murky haze. Overhead, heating ducts clanged and the old building shuddered. A cold, damp draft seeped around the warped window frame. Nicholas had promised her a new laboratory after they’d had to abandon the previous one when Sylvan Mir had discovered them. This old pipe factory had been unused for decades, and Nicholas had been able to purchase it under the guise of manufacturing parts for a high-altitude surveillance system. The heavy security was explained by the sensitive nature of the product and the importance to national security. She had to admit, hiding in plain sight was infinitely preferable to spending her time driving back and forth to some isolated location in the mountains.
This wasn’t what she’d had in mind, but at least she could resurrect her research. Her work. Her cause. She’d saved her data, of course, but she’d lost her specimens. Not that any of them were of all that much value. She hadn’t yet been able to produce clear-cut reproducible results and had been about to abandon her protocols for a new avenue of study. She’d been trying to produce the Were mutation by injecting altered DNA into the human genome, but the results were unpredictable—or, unfortunately, too predictable. She could induce a condition in humans that closely resembled Were fever, the rare contagion that occasionally infected natural-born Weres and produced a lethal fever, but all her human subjects died without developing any sign of either immunity or adaptive Were physiology.
The fever itself was useful to an extent, especially when Nicholas cleverly suggested they deposit their failed specimens at human hospitals. They’d hoped to incite a public panic with the threat of a Were plague, perhaps creating a backlash against the Weres, but their plan was sidelined when Mir discovered their base of operations. Luckily, she and Nicholas had covered their tracks well. The Were didn’t know their identity or the entire scope of their research. If Mir had known, she would have hunted them down by now. For a short time after the failed attempt on Mir’s life at the governor’s gala, Veronica had hidden with Luce’s help. Now the danger seemed to have passed. The Were would not retaliate without proof.
Humans were not so particular. Public opinion was definitely shifting in favor of Humans First and their anti-Praetern sentiment, but Veronica wasn’t interested in relying on chance to produce the outcome she desired. All her life, she’d been the one to control what was important to her, and since the day Sylvan Mir’s father and representatives from the other Praetern species had gone on TV to announce their presence to the world, her sole focus had become preserving the natural order of the species. As the extent of the Praetern powers had slowly become apparent, her mission to ensure human supremacy had become even more urgent. She hadn’t yet been able to replicate or manipulate the Were genome, but if she could induce errors in the mitochondrial DNA, she might be able to disrupt Were reproduction. And if they couldn’t reproduce, they would eventually go the way of other inferior creatures. Extinction.
The work was progressing slowly. The Weres—in fact, all the Praeterns—kept the intricacies of their biology secret. However, once the Praeterns made their presence known, their secrets began to disappear. Exactly when in their life cycle the Weres began to shift and precisely what genetic sequence controlled their ability to transform were still unknowns, so of course, the logical solution was to study their life cycle. And where better to start than birth.
The barge passed out of view and a single blinking li
ght cut diagonally across the wide Hudson River in the direction of her new laboratory, growing brighter as the seconds passed. Veronica’s pulse skipped. The phone on her desk rang and she picked it up. “Dr. Standish.”
“The delivery you’ve been expecting has arrived, Doctor,” the Vampire security guard said in a smooth baritone.
“I’ll be down shortly.” Veronica smiled, the tension in her belly building. Her work had always been nearly as pleasurable as sex and often excited her in the same way. “See that the corridors are cleared and only your team has any contact with the specimens. Take the delivery directly to the holding area.”
“Yes, Dr. Standish.”
Veronica disconnected and dialed another extension.
“Church.”
“A delivery has just arrived. See that the transport has been taken care of as we discussed.” She couldn’t afford to leave a trail directly to her facilities, and no matter how handsomely individuals were paid, silence was never guaranteed. Only one thing guaranteed that.
“Sure thing, Doc. Arrangements have been made.”
Veronica gritted her teeth. The cat mercenaries were excellent when it came to carrying out orders no matter how difficult, dangerous, or distasteful the task, but they had no sense of respect. Their loyalty was as fickle as the wind and totally dependent upon how much they were paid, but since they never questioned her orders or even seemed to care what she asked of them, she was able to keep them in the dark as to what actually went on in the lab. She would have been happier with only Vampire security, but she needed forces that could operate in daylight. “Good.”
She set the phone back in its cradle just as her office door opened. Her heart literally leapt, a sensation at once startling and exciting. Luce glided in, closed the door, and leaned back against it. Her coal-black hair blended with the collar of her black silk shirt, and her muscular body in black leather pants and boots looked like one continuous obsidian blade. She smiled, her incisors unsheathed and gleaming. “I know you’re busy, but if you’re as hungry as I am—”
Veronica flew across the room and grasped Luce’s long cool fingers, dragging her toward the deep leather sofa against the wall. “God, yes. I didn’t think I could stand it until morning. You’re early.”
Luce picked Veronica up and, in two powerful strides, carried her to the sofa and was upon her. With her mouth against Veronica’s pounding pulse, she murmured, “I’ve been thinking of you since I roused at sunfall.”
“You must have fed.” Veronica wrapped her legs around Luce’s slender hips and pushed up Luce’s black silk shirt to grip her smooth, bare back. “I know you needed to.”
“Food.” Luce kissed the underside of Veronica’s jaw and pressed her hips between Veronica’s parted thighs. She slipped her fingers into Veronica’s hair and kissed her mouth, sliding inside her, tasting her need, letting her feeding hormones tease over the surface of Veronica’s tongue. Humans were such tantalizing prey, and so easy to ensnare.
“I can’t stand it,” Veronica gasped, her head thrashing. “Please. I need you inside me.”
Luce didn’t bother to enthrall her. Veronica didn’t need to be seduced. The addiction was too powerful now. The human was physically and mentally a prisoner to pleasure. And Luce was hungry. She had fed from three humans in a row when she’d awakened in the secure chambers beneath Nocturne, enough to restore her strength and potency, but she’d wanted Veronica. Veronica’s wild taste, her wanton need, was nearly as powerful as the rush of blood that coursed through Luce’s body and revitalized her. She buried herself in Veronica’s throat, a wave of lust tearing through her as Veronica stiffened with a cry beneath her. She could have dulled the stab of penetration with mental manipulation, but part of Veronica’s pleasure was the pain before the orgasm. Luce swallowed rapidly while Veronica tore at her back and cried out again.
“Oh please,” Veronica wailed. “Finish me!”
Luce forced more feeding hormones into Veronica’s system, triggering the human’s orgasm.
“Oh my God!” Veronica convulsed repeatedly in time to Luce’s deep pulls at her neck.
Luce came with each shuddering swallow, riding the edge of bloodlust until Veronica grew limp in her arms. Finally she forced herself to stop and seal the punctures. Satisfied, she sat up and trailed her fingers over Veronica’s breast. At some point while she’d been consumed in Veronica’s taste, she’d opened Veronica’s clothes.
Veronica moaned, her lids fluttering half-open. Her eyes, nearly the same color as her shirt, were dazed. Her mouth was slightly slack. She weakly grasped Luce’s hand. “Again.”
Luce laughed softly and lightly squeezed her nipple, watching aftershocks jolt through Veronica’s sensuous body. “No. You’ve fed me enough.”
“Never enough,” Veronica murmured. Her hips undulated softly on the creamy caramel-colored leather. “I want you to fuck me while you feed.”
“I will. Before I go.”
Veronica sighed, her eyes beginning to clear. “I don’t want to wait, but I must. I must go back to work.”
“Something important?”
“What I’ve been waiting for,” Veronica said, her voice low and heavy, nearly stuporous. “I have to go greet them.”
“Them?” Luce said softly.
“My newest subjects.”
“More humans?” Luce squeezed Veronica’s nipple again and Veronica whimpered.
“Better,” Veronica murmured. “Soon I’ll be able to work from the source.”
“Shall I wait for you?”
“Yes. Oh yes.”
“I’ll need you again before sunrise.” Luce knew better than to push for more. Veronica was no ordinary prey, despite her blood addiction, and the mistress would not be happy if Luce overplayed her hand. Veronica was their conduit to Nicholas and his plans.
“Mmm.” Veronica pushed herself up and straightened her clothes. She took several deep breaths, clearing the postorgasmic haze from her mind. She felt wonderful. Now that the need had eased, she could concentrate on her work. The need would come back, she knew, but right now, everything was exactly as it should be. She was at her full power. She kissed Luce, let her tongue slide over Luce’s incisors, and smiled to herself when Luce hissed. Luce always thought she was in control, but Luce had come to her, needing her, and what was power if not creating need in others? “I won’t be long.”
“I’ll be here.”
Veronica left without a backward glance and hurried through the hall to the rear elevator. Her most important work was housed within a secret lab deep beneath the old pipe factory, in what had once been the boiler room. Every one of the key technicians and researchers who worked there had been handpicked and extensively screened. To further reduce the security risks, she made do with as few personnel as possible and fractionated the work between them so no one knew what the others were doing or what the greater project was meant to accomplish.
When the work approached a critical point, she would sequester them in on-site accommodations to prevent leaks. Right now they were at the beginning of a whole new phase, the most daring she’d ever undertaken, and one of the purest. Soon, she would have the perfect specimens.
She exited the elevator into a small bare antechamber and unlocked the door to the research wing with retinal and palm scans. After passing through two more secure doors, she reached the holding area, which was set up like a pre-op area with curtained cubicles and monitoring equipment. The technician, a muscular human redhead in maroon scrubs, rose from a seat before a bank of monitors and met her at the door. “They just arrived.”
“Do you have a set of vitals yet?”
“Yes. Both appear healthy.” His pale green eyes glinted as they skimmed her body.
He probably thought he was being subtle, but his interest was pathetically obvious. Veronica smiled back, encouraging his attention. He was attractive enough, and she found sexual interest an effective tool for creating loyalty. She rarely fucked humans any lon
ger. Without the bite, the release was so much…less. But they would do in an emergency, and she might as well make good use of him, since once the project was complete she’d need to dispose of him. “I want a full battery of bloods—chemistry, heme profile, serology, hormone levels. You know the drill.”
“Under way.” He grimaced. “They’re both heavily sedated. I’m running a tox screen too.”
Rage clouded Veronica’s vision. She’d expressly instructed the wolf Were not to drug them. Not only would that interfere with her baseline tests, it might compromise their conditions. With effort, she regained her control. “Repeat the tests in twenty-four hours to make sure there’s no contamination. Where are they?”
“Number three.”
She passed through the curtained aisle to the isolation cubicles. The first two were empty, but behind the glass in the third ten-by-ten space, a dim light revealed the occupants of two narrow hospital beds. Her newest subjects. She smiled, taking in the two young females. They looked to be in their late teens or early twenties, but with Weres it was difficult to pinpoint age and she really didn’t care. What mattered was their distended abdomens. Both pregnant and near-term. Soon, she could study newborn Weres before they had progressed to their first shift. If she could prevent the expression of the Were transformation genes, she would have accomplished the first step in eradicating them.
*
Francesca stroked Dru’s slowly softening clitoris and watched the monitors on the antique dresser across from her spacious bed. Dru was nearly slumbering, her heart rate slow and steady. Francesca rested her cheek on Dru’s shoulder, absorbing the heat pouring from her body. Dru’s muscular chest and belly were still faintly dusted with the soft tawny down that had burst out when she’d grown aroused.
The cats weren’t always as potent as the wolves, but this one was. Dru had partially shifted while Francesca fed from her, growling and clawing and thrashing, coming everywhere with incredible force. She was very potent, and her sharp wild taste was an exciting novelty. So delicious. Francesca’s sex twitched, but she’d have to wait until she’d tended to business to feast again.
