Coveted - Book 3 in the Gwen Sparks Series

by Stephanie Nelson

  “I apologize for my brother’s brash reaction,” Aaron said. “We know why Ian was interested in you. The idea of hybrids has been lingering on the lips of vampires for centuries. It’s a pipe dream, one derived from an insane mind. Ian was not well.”

  “You don’t have to tell me that,” I added.

  “Can we drink her already?” Alana pouted from across the room. “I’m dying to taste Aiden’s pet.” A wicked smile turned her pretty face into something far more sinister. Her fangs peeked out under her full lips and her blue eyes blackened around the edges. I knew from that look that no pleasure would be gained from her bite. And I was okay with that; there was nothing worse than being turned on by your ex’s ex. It was wrong on many levels. I would rather be in pain than be under her arousing control.

  “The deal you made with us remains,” Aaron said. “A blood gift is non-returnable.” He smiled at his small joke, but I was having trouble finding the humor.

  “Okay,” I said standing up. “I will hold up my end of the deal, but this—” I pointed to my neck—“is a no fang zone. I’ll go to the hospital and have six vials of blood drawn and to you by tomorrow night.”

  “What?” Alana shrieked. “I want to sink my fangs into her pretty little neck.” Her whiny voice was grating on my nerves. I tried to channel my magic to my hands but the power was more timid than ever. Losing it was like losing the ability to breathe or blink or sneeze. It was pure instinct for me and the realization that I might not have it for much longer not only caused anxiety but depression.

  Aaron turned to look at his dissatisfied sister and then back at me. “That is not the normal procedure. If you’re frightened of us taking too much I can assure you have nothing to be worried about. I take you under my protection.” He glanced at his sister again. She crossed her arms, sitting down with a sneer on her face.

  “When the deal was made there were no rules given,” I reminded him. “I am more than willing to give you guys my blood, but how I go about doing that was never stated.”

  “She killed my child,” Pernis interjected. “I will drink from her vein.”

  I was smiling at finding a loophole in the VC’s blood gifting procedure and hoping like hell they would honor it.

  “I have a proposal for you,” Aaron said, holding his hands behind his back. “The five of us will accept the vials, but Pernis is allowed to drink from you as payment for killing his child.”

  I eyed Pernis. He looked down at me over the slope of this thin nose. His brown eyes were tinged in black either from anger or hunger. My guess was both. One of his hands was in his trouser pocket while the other arm hung limply at his side. All of the La’rues looked young, having been turned so long ago. Pernis seemed to between eighteen and twenty, but his eyes were wise beyond his face’s age. It was bizarre to be in a room full of teens, yet feel like the most inexperienced in the group.

  I sucked in a breath to calm my beating heart. Aiden was the first vampire to ever drink from me, and I didn’t want another tainting the memory like Ian had. I would always associate a vampire’s bite in the intimate sense. As I look at Pernis a shiver of disgust rolled over my skin.

  “The NAWC have been working on resetting the spell,” I said. “It could already be fixed which means drinking from me won’t offer the high you’re all expecting.” I was praying that Charles just hadn’t called me back to inform me as such due to being busy with the hype at the castle.

  “We’re not Brew addicts, Ms. Sparks.” Aaron smiled. “We just…appreciate the taste pallet of your blood.”

  In my lifetime I’ve gotten random compliments, but this was by far the creepiest. Six pairs of hungry eyes rested on me—no, not me, necessarily, but on my neck, my wrists and even my breasts—all places vampires could sink their fangs.

  “And how would you know that? You’ve never tasted my blood.”

  “Ah, but we don’t need to in order to know it’ll be delicious,” Aaron said, his eyes darkening. “You’re a spirit walker, which means your blood is not only full of witches’ magic but also that of the angels.”

  I balked, my mouth hanging open in disbelief. “That’s…not true.” My head was shaking from side to side lethargically as I tried to wrap my mind around what Aaron had said.

  “You don’t know, do you?” Giles asked, stepping forward. I had been staring at the space in front of me, not seeing those around me. When I looked up, Giles was standing right in front of me, his sensual presence overwhelming the air surrounding us. His power circled around my body, warm like a lover’s caress.

  “Back off, Giles,” Aiden snarled, shoving between the space that separated me and Giles.

  He held up in hands in surrender, a devious smile on his face. “Touchy, touchy. I remember you didn’t use to mind sharing, Alonzo.”

  “Don’t call me that,” Aiden snapped. He’d been born Alonzo Moretti but adopted the name Aiden Blake after leaving the VC. The mention of his birth name was a reminder of the family he’d once had, before the VC killed them.

  I moved around Aiden. “Why would you think I have angel’s blood?”

  Every one of the VC members smiled at me. It was dangerous wanting information from a vampire. They knew I was on their hook, and they were getting a kick out of watching me squirm.

  “Will you allow Pernis to feed from you?”

  “If I do you’ll tell me what you meant?”

  Aaron nodded. “I will.”

  “Gwen, this is ridiculous,” Aiden said, turning toward me. He placed his hands on my shoulder and squeezed. “You have no reason to believe they’re telling the truth.”

  That was true, and chances were they weren’t. But I had made up my mind to let Pernis feed from me when the question was first posed. Feeding one vampire was better than feeding six. The VC might think I was falling for their tricks, but they were about to fall for mine.

  “Aiden, I know what I’m doing.” I shrugged off his hands, stepped away from him and held out my arm. “Bon appétit.”

  Pernis walked forward, a smirk on his lips. The remaining VC members slinked off the sofas, circling around the two of us. The tension in the room spiked, sensual energy pulsating against my body. I sucked in a deep breath, my chest rising and falling heavily. My tongue darted out and rolled over my bottom lip.

  When Pernis’ fingertips brushed my forearm I thought my insides were literally catching on fire. It was a strange sensation. In no way was I attracted to these vampires, nor did I want to feel aroused by them. Yet, my body yearned for their attention.

  Pernis leaned over my arm and pressed a kiss to the sensitive skin. My eyes slipped closed as he moved his mouth down to my hand. He sucked my finger into his mouth and I almost exploded.

  “Gwen.” I vaguely realized it was Aiden’s voice, but he sounded off in the far distance. Words were exchanged; I couldn’t be sure what was being discussed. And then someone was behind me, holding my body against theirs.

  “Join us,” a woman purred.

  The person behind me slid my hair to the side and I moaned as his or her warm lips began trailing up my neck. The faint scrape of fang only excited me more. The temperature in the room was scorching as multiple hands, mouths and bodies pressed against my own, all demanding I give into the craving they offered. I moaned and realized everyone else was moaning as well.

  A sharp pain shot through my throat and was replaced by a rush of the strongest desire I had ever felt. I wiggled my body against the one holding me, my hands caressing someone else.

  Something loud burst through the haze and then I was crumbled on the floor. Hisses, sickening cracks and yelling sounded all around me. Crawling onto my hands and knees, I closed my eyes and tried to shake the fog out of my head. Looking around me, I saw several pairs of legs standing still. When I looked up, my mouth formed an O.

  “What are you doing here?” I breathed.

  Dorian walked over to me, he was calm and dominated the room. Kneeling down, he helped me up and checke
d me over for injuries. His fingers brushed my neck and he frowned.

  “You still trust him?” He nodded behind me.

  “Aiden didn’t do this.” My voice was hoarse as though I had just woken from a dream.

  “Why don’t you look at lover boy now that you’re not under their influence?”

  My stomach sank as I turned around. Aiden had his head hung, but I could see the blood smeared on his lips. My eyes searched all of the vampire’s faces in hopes of finding blood on their lips too. They all smiled with clean mouths. My eyes welled with tears that I refused to let fall.

  Aiden lifted his head. “I had to, Gwen.”

  “Nothing you have to say will justify what you just did to me. You were supposed to protect me, Aiden.”

  “Tell her,” Aiden snarled to Aaron.

  Aaron simply smiled and shrugged. “Things got out of hand and sometimes vampires have a difficult time controlling themselves.”

  Aiden flew across the room and attacked his sire, his fist connecting with Aaron’s face. All of Aaron’s brothers and sister rushed forward, and Aiden went sailing across the room where he slammed in the wall.

  “Let’s go.” Dorian tugged on my arm, but I dug my heels in.

  “We can’t leave him.” I was pissed at Aiden for making a midnight snack out of my throat but I was afraid that if I left the room without another look, the La’rue’s would kill him. No amount of anger would allow me to ignore Aiden’s potential death.

  “So help me, woman,” Dorian grumbled through tight lips. “Back off, fangsters,” he warned the VC, stomping toward Aiden, who was getting to his feet, and hauled him toward the door. “Come on.”

  “Just so you know,” I said over my shoulder to the VC, “the deal’s off. If you so much as show your faces in Flora again, I’ll show you firsthand why you shouldn’t fuck with a Spirit Walker. Nighty-night, and may stakes find their way into your cold black hearts.” And with that I slammed the door and followed Dorian and Aiden out of the club. We may have escaped the council and their fangs, but I wouldn’t celebrate just yet. It was still early which meant the rogues had plenty of time to make an appearance.

  “You’re back,” I said as we ran through the front door of Vain. My hand went to my chest as I tried to catch my breath. It wasn’t so much the sprint out of the club, but the adrenaline racing through my veins that left me shaky and breathless. Dorian’s appearance didn’t help my jittery heart either.

  “What happened?” Lauren asked, jogging to catch up with us. Dorian was holding my hand, tugging me across the street to my Jeep. He whirled around on Lauren, jerking my body in the process.

  “Why did that bastard send you to watch Gwen?” He questioned Lauren, his voice harder than the grip he had on me.

  Lauren had the good sense to look frightened. “To protect her, of course.”

  Dorian let out a sarcastic snort. “Fine job of that you’re doing. Your boss had his fangs in her throat while the rest of the council members circled around her like hungry vultures.”

  “Maybe she wanted him to bite her,” Lauren snapped, finding her courage. “Some people like what our fangs offer.”

  “I just want to go home,” I added, reaching my hand up to feel the spot on my neck. It didn’t feel that bad. Lauren and Dorian were in a staring match when the front door of Vain slammed open. Aiden stepped out, his hair a mess and his eyes wild. Those eyes found me the second he stepped foot outside. I stared at him, my heart breaking. And then the realization of what had just happened slammed into me.

  “Son of a bitch,” I whispered.

  “What?” Dorian and Lauren both questioned.

  I was shaking my head back and forth in anger as I watched Aiden walk across the road. Dorian stepped in front of my body to shield me from him.

  “Gwen, you have to know that I didn’t plan that. Aaron ordered me to bite you.”

  “And you just had to? Lamest excuse ever.”

  “He has to do whatever Aaron tells him to do,” Lauren added.

  “Of course you’d take his side; he’s paying you,” Dorian accused.

  “Children cannot disobey their sires,” Aiden said. “I didn’t think they would order me to bite you. God…if I had known what they were up to…”

  “What the hell is going on?” Dorian growled, sliding his arm around my shoulders and holding me to the side of his body. I admit I didn’t mind one little bit.

  With a deep breath, I said, “Aiden just bonded himself to me.”

  “What?” Lauren shrieked.

  “Son of a bitch,” Dorian growled.

  “I didn’t know,” Aiden murmured.

  “Wait,” Lauren said. “You would have had to drink from him too.”

  I eyed Aiden, remembering how he offered his blood to me in the hospital to heal me. I swore in that moment that if I lived through this I would never accept a drop of blood from a vampire again. I would rather lay broken and bloody than be linked to another vampire, even Aiden.

  “Aiden made sure to offer it when I most needed it,” I told Lauren, never taking my eyes off my ex. “Did you also hire the rogue to attack me so I wouldn’t be able to refuse the help of your blood?”

  A look of disbelief fell over Aiden’s face. “As much as you hate me right now, I’m not Ian Despereaux. I don’t have some evil master plan. If you’re looking to point fingers, direct them to the VC.”

  Aiden began choking, his hands clawing at his chest as he worked to fight off the invisible threat.

  “What’s happening?” Lauren yelled, her hands searching Aiden for a wound.

  White mist began seeping out of Aiden’s skin, slow and sluggishly. I turned towards Dorian and knew he was the cause of Aiden’s pain.

  “Dorian, stop!” Shrugging out from under his arm, I stood between him and Aiden. “Stop it,” I yelled, looking over my shoulder at Aiden. “You’re killing him!”

  “I’m breaking the bond,” Dorian said in the calmest tone. It sent shivers quaking through my body.

  “Not like this, please.”

  Aiden fell to his knees, coughing. His blue eyes were wide and staring right at me. Though I was beyond furious with him, I couldn’t watch him die. More importantly, I didn’t want him to die.

  Dorian wasn’t going to stop no matter how much begging and pleading I did. My arm was in the air before I realized what I was doing. I sent my fist flying towards him where it connected with the side of his face. That was enough to break his concentration. Aiden stopped coughing but didn’t get up.

  “What the hell was that for?” Dorian growled.

  “You were going to kill him,” I snapped, turning to see if Aiden was okay. The white mist rising from his body fell back, soaking into his skin again.

  “Are you okay?”

  Aiden scrubbed a hand over his face, getting to his feet with wobbly legs. “Yeah.”

  “Good.”

  Smack

  Aiden and Lauren’s eyes shot wide when I smacked him across the face.

  “Just because I didn’t let Dorian kill you doesn’t mean I’m not pissed off.” I stuck my pointer finger out and said, “You better find a way to break the bond, Aiden.” Turning, I hopped in my Jeep and drove away from all of them, my tires squealing against the asphalt.

  *

  Dorian stepped through the front door of the apartment fifteen minutes later. I was sitting on the couch with a glass of wine and looked up when he entered the room. He sat down in the chair adjacent to the sofa and rested his elbows on his knees. I couldn’t appreciate how excited I was to see him again when my insides felt ready to combust in anger. Had Aiden been fooling me since day one? As I eyed Dorian, I wondered if he had a plan too. Was everyone out to get me in one way or another? The idea of packing up and moving far, far away tempted my mind. Or maybe I was just paranoid.

  “You want to tell me what happened back there?”

  Bringing the glass to my lips, I took a drink, staring at Dorian. “Which part?”
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  “You in a private room with the VC and him.”

  I laughed a quiet snort. “You’re acting like a jealous boyfriend.” When he didn’t respond I leaned forward and sat my wine glass on the coffee table, folding my arms across my knees and hanging my head.

  “They said they wanted to discuss the blood gift. Pernis was the only one who was supposed to drink from me, payment for killing his child. The others I was going to give vials of my blood.” I paused, sitting up straighter. “I don’t know why they’d want Aiden to drink from me. And now I’m bonded again.” I snatched my wine glass up and emptied it, reaching for the bottle for a refill.

  “Gwen, Spirit Walkers are rare. People are going to do try and take advantage of that…of you. Being able to control the spirit world is a power some covet. You have to start suspecting everyone of some kind of motive—”

  “What’s your motive?” I interrupted with a glare.

  Dorian leaned back in the chair, resting his arms on the armrest as a sly smile spread across his lips. He motioned with his head and said, “Come over here and I’ll show you my motive.”

  My eyes fell to his broad shoulders, down to his strong chest, to his belt buckle and further still. His legs were spaced apart, enough room for me to crawl between and… Taking another drink, I stared at the rack of DVDs across the room. I’d already been tempted by one man tonight; I didn’t need another one playing with my mind.

  “If all you want is sex, you can get that fantasy out of your head right now. Not going to happen, buddy.”

  “I want all of you and everything that entails. I thought I’ve made that clear?”

  I ignored him and took another drink of my merlot. My body hummed with unfilled desire. Aiden had awakened it during our little make-out session, and then the VC had made sure to stimulate every last one of my nerve endings earlier. If I wasn’t careful, I would end up turning to Dorian to end the torture. After bonding with Aiden, every man was on my shit list. Horrible timing too because I was horny as hell.