“Where’s Dane?” I asked.
“Who cares?” she asked.
“Good point,” I said, bending my head to kiss her. Her lips were warm and soft and I wanted to melt into her.
“We have a long flight ahead of us,” she said.
“We have a long life ahead of us,” I replied.
“Good point,” she said.
“I’m sorry about earlier, Addy. I’ll keep my shit together from now on, I promise.”
“It’s to be expected,” she shrugged. “You aren’t doing so bad, actually. Bringing you out in public so soon was risky.”
“Well, let’s get back home so we can have some privacy again,” I growled, kissing her. She moaned against me, brushing her breasts against my chest, before pulling away.
“We’ll have to hold that thought,” she said, licking her lips as she looked up at me. Lust rushed through my veins as I imagined what it would feel like to sink myself into her body once again. “We can’t miss our flight. I was barely able to get us on at the last minute this morning. There were only a few seats.”
She grabbed my hand and pulled me along. I hung back, watching her curvy hips sway as she walked through the revolving doors and through the terminal. A hunger formed in the pit of my stomach and I knew it wouldn’t go away until I’d taken her again.
And again.
And again…
FIFTEEN
THE COLLECTOR
“You’re in luck, Dr. Benjamin,” the pretty blonde with the big tits cooed across the counter at me. “You’ve got the last seat on the flight.”
“Today must be my lucky day,” I said, taking the boarding pass from her. I glanced down at her breasts, barely caged in a tight polyester uniform, with a name tag attached on the side that I didn’t read and the top button struggling to hold back her ample blessings. My gaze lingered before trailing back up to her face, drinking in her pouty lips and baby blue eyes.
She winked knowingly and wiggled her shoulders slightly.
“The flight departs in one hour, Dr. Benjamin,” she offered.
“When’s your next break, darlin’?”
“In fifteen minutes,” she said, with a wispy giggle.
I nodded slowly, a smile spreading across my face as I leaned in close.
“I’ll be waiting,” I whispered.
She gasped, almost inaudibly, but then she pulled back, bit her bottom lip and nodded, a mischievous smile matching my own.
I winked at her and walked away, my cock throbbing in my pants.
Fuck, Addy, I thought. I didn’t need her in my life. I didn’t need her negativity. I’d given up so much for her and she didn’t even realize it. I’d gone through all the trouble of getting Leo there so I could have an extra week at the sanctuary and what did I get?
Practically nothing.
I got fucking exiled, that’s what I got.
Now, I wouldn’t be able to go back to work at the hospital. I’d have to assume a new identity, and I’d have to do it without the effortless resources of the Council. I’d have to find another way to make money, if I intended to keep myself from being homeless. And all the while, I’d have to find a way to feed myself, without leaving a trail of dead people in my wake.
I was a fucking illegal now.
All these years, I’d somehow managed to keep my life above board, even with all the times I’d fucked up and lived on the edge. And in one night, Addy had taken that all away.
All in the name of love.
Fuck love.
And fuck Addy.
And fuck Leo while we’re at it.
I didn’t need anything from them, that’s for certain. I may not have a plan just yet, but when I did, it wouldn’t involve either of them.
I walked back to the waiting area, and waited for the plane to board or the pretty blonde to take her break, whichever happened first. I was always down for a quick distraction. Now that my life was shattered into a million pieces, I was even more eager for a brief respite.
Sinking myself into her and watching those vivacious pillows sway at the same time would hit the spot nicely.
I looked around at the people around me, all waiting like brain dead zombies, hypnotized by their various electronic screens, not even aware that life was passing them by as they buried their heads in whatever the tweet of the day was. I spotted Leo and Addy sitting together in the corner, their heads bent together as they whispered animatedly. My stomach turned when Leo reached over and took her hand, bringing it to his lips and kissing her fingertips tenderly.
If I wasn’t such a curmudgeonly cynical asshole, I might think it was sweet, the way they obviously cared about each other. But I wasn’t. My black heart was filled with jealousy and rage.
Addy should have been mine.
Leo should be dead.
I should be enjoying myself at the fucking sanctuary, like a normal fucking bloodsucking vampire, for fuck’s sake.
None of this was fair.
And I don’t mean that in a whiny bitch kind of way either. I’d done my best to follow the rules, to color between the lines — and this is what I get?
It certainly wasn’t fucking fair.
And I intend to do whatever necessary to see vengeance, no matter how long it takes. I watched Addy and Leo from my seat, trying to formulate a plan, any plan. I needed to figure out the first steps.
I had no idea what was waiting for me once I stepped off the plane and back on American soil. The Council could have someone waiting for me already, and I needed to be prepared for that. I needed another escape plan.
I’d lucked out by hijacking Addy’s boat.
But now I was on my own. Running free, by the seat of my pants.
In a way, it was exhilarating. I was free now.
Now that I was on the run, following the rules wasn’t as important any more. I could go on a savage rampage in the middle of downtown Portland in broad daylight and as long as I didn’t get caught, it wouldn’t make a difference.
I was already wanted. They’d be searching. No doubt about that.
My job now was to keep running.
It dawned on me that going back to Portland might not be the smartest decision, but as I looked across at Leo and Addy, laughing softly in the corner, I realized just why I was doing it.
If I was going to get revenge, I needed to be close enough to do it.
Portland was full of places to hide. The risk was the same no matter where I was. The Council had resources everywhere.
“Hi,” a shy voice sounded to my right and I looked up into those baby blue eyes of the blonde.
“Hello, again,” I growled, raking my eyes up and down her svelte body.
“I only have a short break, and boarding for your flight will begin soon.”
“Then I guess we’d better not waste any time,” I said, standing up and taking her hand. “I bet you know of a place we can get some privacy, don’t you?”
She nodded, biting her lip sexily again.
“This way,” she cooed.
“After you, darlin’,” I growled, following her through a door marked ‘Staff Only’ a little ways away.
In no time at all, we were alone in a dimly lit closet. She turned to me with soft, trusting blue eyes and smiled.
“My name’s Jas—.”
“—Your name is Addy, darlin’.” I demanded, kissing her roughly, as I sank my fingers in her blonde locks and pulled her head back. She gasped, her pretty little lips forming a tiny little ‘o’ of surprise. “Now, turn around and lift that skirt like a good girl…”
SIXTEEN
ADDY
The plane was crowded. Too crowded.
It would have been bad enough, but Leo had proven to be entirely unpredictable and in such tight quarters, it would make his temptation stronger and my ability to subdue him that much more difficult.
We settled in our seats, which luckily were located far away from Dane’s seat. As far as I was concerned, I was done with him
. I’d be happy to never have to speak to him again. My anger and irritation hadn’t faded one bit, I was just shoving them down until I could deal with them.
Right now, my main concern was Leo. Getting him home. Getting him somewhere safer than a plane full of people.
I couldn’t be mad at him. He was trying and I knew how damn-near impossible those initial urges were to resist.
The process of turning a human to a vampire was never routine. Everyone reacted differently. Each newly turned vampire was entirely unpredictable. That’s why most of us knew better. We knew turning them was a terrible idea, because we would be sacked with the responsibility of teaching them and controlling them until they could control themselves. But most of all, we’d all learned that privacy was of the utmost importance.
It could take days, weeks maybe, for those initial urges to die down. You needed a constant diet of blood and some good restraints. Most of all, you needed time.
And time was the last thing we had right now.
I allowed myself a small sigh of relief, though. We were on the plane, headed back home. I had no idea what that looked like, but was it possible we could just go back to our old lives like nothing had ever happened?
For visuals, that was probably the wisest choice, if we could pull it off.
It would be much easier for me than it would be for Leo. By all appearances, I’d merely gone on vacation.
Leo had disappeared. He had a lot of explaining to do. To his mother, his station, the cops…
My short term plan was to take him home with me and keep him there until I felt like the coast was clear. With any luck, the Council wouldn’t be looking for us. They were our biggest threat. The humans we could deal with by feeding them a lie and sticking with it. They’d have no choice but to accept it, since Leo would be standing right there in front of them.
We’d come up with something plausible and then the rest would be up to Leo. He’d have to concentrate on passing as a human, if he wanted to go back to his life.
Of course, I wasn’t quite sure that would even happen. A lot depended on the next few days. I couldn’t just let him back loose in the world if he was going to keep attacking unsuspecting people, just because they were a little too tempting.
He grabbed my hand as the plane took off. I smiled over at him, hoping I’d not come across as too much of a bitch earlier. Yeah, I’d thought earlier that he needed a mother, but what he truly needed was a friend.
I remembered how lost I’d felt when Bernard turned me. I had nobody to lean on except him, and he was an absolute monster to me. I wanted to give Leo a different experience than I’d had.
He deserved that.
He was good. He was still good. Even if what I'd done had changed him forever…
The lights of the cabin dimmed and Leo leaned back in his seat, closing his eyes and relaxing his shoulders. He’d been so pent up when I’d found him and nothing had changed.
“You must be exhausted”, I whispered.
He nodded and patted my hand.
“Get some rest, babe,” I said, wistfully gazing at him. He’d grown even handsomer, sexier, somehow even more masculine, if that was even possible. A wave of desire washed over me and I pushed it away. There’d be plenty of time for that later, and if his earlier appetite had been any indication, I may have found the key to help him deal with those urges for blood.
Like any youngster, distraction was always a good method for diverting them from undesirable behavior.
I smiled to myself when I realized that this kind of distraction would be beneficial to both of us…
SEVENTEEN
LEO
We walked out of the Portland International Airport into a typical Portland day. Overcast with a thick blanket of light grey clouds, misty rain floating around us, and a cool breeze that made a hoodie necessary attire in August.
“Home sweet home,” I murmured, as I sniffed the air, overwhelmed by the thick scent of evergreens and rain. I could make out the different scents, too. The pine trees were sharp and earthy. The Doug fir’s were even stronger — their blue-green needles filling the air with a pungent minty perfume.
But the rain, my god!
It was so clean, so pure…
Water isn’t supposed to have a smell, but the rain smells like heaven to me.
It smells like home.
It smells like life.
Every memory I had seemed to be seeped in the smell of rain. Summers camping in the forest, trudging back and forth to school in my rain boots, jumping in every puddle I could find, waking up almost every morning to the sound of it pummeling the roof.
Even Bessie smelled like rain, I realized. Suddenly, I missed her more than anything.
And my mother. And the Captain. Even fucking Hendricks.
I missed my home, my truck, my life.
I wanted it all back and being back on Oregon soil, the smell of rain sent me crashing right back into my life, reminding me exactly of who I was.
Only I wasn’t the same man I was when I left.
I was new and improved, stronger, sharper, and immortal, to boot! Except for that one pesky spot behind my right ear that only other vampires knew about, apparently.
I still couldn’t get over that all my life I’d heard about these fictional creatures, lumping them in with witches and fairies and zombies and ghosts — never believing for a second there was any truth to the stories. To find out now that everything I believed was a lie, that they’d been walking beside us all this time?
Hell, what else was real?
Would I stumble upon a witch now? And would she be beautiful like Samantha Stephens or have a wart-ridden nose and have a shrieking laugh?
At this point, I was convinced anything was possible.
Addy and I hadn’t exactly talked about a plan. We’d been so focused on just getting back to Portland. But now that we were here, I wanted to move full-speed ahead on integrating myself back into my old life. As we waited for the next taxi to pull up, I turned to her with a smile.
“I'm so excited to see Bessie and Ma,” I said.
Her face fell instantly and she shook her head.
“Oh, Leo, that’s the worst idea ever,” she replied. “At least for now…”
My heart sank when I realized she was right.
“I think it’s best if we just head back to my house for now. We’ll make a plan once we get settled. Okay?”
“Sure,” I nodded tensely, my heart swelling with pain.
Maybe this wasn’t going to be so easy after all…
EIGHTEEN
ADDY
Leo and I paused a moment in front of my house after the taxi pulled away. I listened, making sure the coast was clear. Everything was silent, save for the robins chirping overhead.
“Where’s Quackers?” Leo asked.
“My friend from work, Laura, was kind enough to stop by and take him home to her place,” I replied, as I unlocked the door. “I left rather quickly, as you might imagine. I’ll go pick him up tomorrow.”
“So, we have the place to ourselves?” Leo asked, turning to me with a mischievous smile as he put down our luggage.
“Why, yes, we do,” I said. “No annoying yapping. No jumping up and down at our feet, no licking…”
“No licking?” He asked with mock outrage.
“Well, not from Quackers,” I laughed, as he pulled me into his arms.
“That’s what I wanted to hear,” he winked. His lips met mine in a gentle kiss, his warmth enveloping me, seeping into me. I kissed him back, my body tired and worn out from exhaustion, but still begging for his touch.
“Are you hungry?” I asked, pulling away. I felt like keeping him fed was the key to this whole thing. That if I kept him satiated, I could keep him from loosing control. “I think there’s some meat in the freezer. It won’t take long to defrost…”
“Sure,” he replied. “I think I’d like to take a shower, if that’s okay?”
“Of course
,” I replied. “Towels are in the cabinet. Make yourself at home, you’ll be here a while.”
He froze, staring at me thoughtfully, the smile fading from his face.
“Exactly how long are you planning on keeping me here, Addy?”
“I’m not sure.”
“I’m going home tomorrow, Addy. I need to see Ma, Bessie…go back to work…”
“Tomorrow? Are you crazy?” I clamped a hand over my mouth. “Sorry, that sounded rude. I mean, Leo, I don’t think you understand…”
“I understand that the people I love, besides you, most likely think I’ve died. I can’t let them go on any longer like that. My poor Ma, Addy, I can’t imagine what she must be going through.”
“I understand that, Leo, but —.”
“—But nothing. I’ll stay here tonight, but tomorrow I start putting the pieces back together.”
“Leo, this process takes time. You’ve gone through a huge change.”
“I know and why is that?” He snapped.
“Well, I…” My voice trailed off as I contemplated his question. “Well, because of me, I suppose. Look, Leo, I understand if you don’t want to have anything to do with me after this. I understand if you resent me, it’s only natural. But please, let me take care of you, just for a little while. At least let me show you how to survive in this world before you leave me.”
“Addy, what the hell?” he asked, walking back to me. “I’m not leaving you. Yeah, I want to go back to my old life, but that life includes you now. You’re a part of it. You’re a part of me, Addy. Without you, I have no life.”
I looked at him, my eyes searching his. He was so vibrant, so vividly alive, it almost hurt to look at him. So much beauty, so much purpose and strength…
“I love you, Addy,” he said, leaning his head down and kissing me again.
“I love you, too, Leo,” I said, throwing my arms around his neck. “But I really think you’re going to need a few more days to adjust —.”
The Sanctuary 2: The Vampire's Passion Page 5
