by Jenika Snow
“Will it hurt?” It seemed like a logical question.
His body shook slightly. “No. It will feel…incredible.”
If it were possible, she felt his erection grow even bigger at his last statement. There was no question in her mind. She wanted it.
“Adrik?”
He cleared his throat. “Yeah?”
“What happened to Oleg?” As much as she wanted to practice what they had just spoken of, there were other things she wanted to discuss. She didn’t know if she should have brought up the subject, but she wanted to listen to what he had to say, wanted him to unburden himself.
“He is long dead, although not by my hands.”
“You never caught him?” She was somewhat surprised by that. Adrik was a massive man, easily over six and a half feet tall and weighing over two hundred and fifty pounds. The very idea that anyone could get away from him seemed unfathomable.
“No. I came close, but every time I had him in my grasp, he used black magic to escape. He is long since dead from old age, and I regret the fact that he didn’t die by my hands.”
She didn’t condone fighting, or killing, for that matter, but the fact that an evil creature like Oleg hadn’t been brought to justice upset her. “Can you tell me more about Vampirdzhija?”
“The Vampirdzhija are human. They believe anything that is not human is evil. They used to hunt only my kind, but they have since found out about other creatures of the Otherworld, and have made it their mission to destroy all immortals.”
“How did they even know about Blood Breeds?”
“It was the Bloodless that they found murdering villagers.”
She knew about the Bloodless, at least what Lana had told her. They were Blood Breeds who had succumbed to their bloodlust and forever changed into vile creatures. They hunted without remorse and killed anything in their path. She shivered at the thought.
“I know there are Vampirdzhija that still reside in Europe but have never come across them in America. They believe in traditional weapons of destruction toward the Blood Breed.”
“Traditional?”
“Wooden stakes, holy water, crosses, and garlic. They believe cutting off our heads and burning us is the only way we won’t be resurrected.” He chuckled.
“That is so not funny.” She peeked up at him.
“No, it isn’t, but if you cut off any being’s head and burn them, they are not going to come back to life.”
It wasn’t funny, but she couldn’t help but smile at the teasing note in his voice. “What other creatures are out there?”
“There are hundreds of different species living amongst humans.” He moved his hand to her hip again.
Kayla thought about everything he had said. This whole life that she was now getting introduced to seemed fantastical and unbelievable. Her mind drifted to what he had called her…his Chosen. She leaned back, knowing she needed to know more about it.
“What does that mean? Being your Chosen?”
He cupped her cheek, and she leaned into the soft embrace. “It means you are mine. It means that my heart will only beat for you, that our souls were made for each other. It means”—he leaned in and kissed her forehead—“if you’ll have me, I’ll never hurt you or break your trust.” He sighed. “I already hurt you and broke your trust all those years ago. I will never forgive myself for that, but if you’ll have me, I promise you I will cherish you and make up for the wrong I did to you for the rest of my existence.”
Tears pricked her eyes. Never had she been spoken to the way Adrik just had. A tear slipped out and trailed down her cheek. He rubbed it away with the pad of his thumb and kissed her.
“You have no idea how much I love, how much I have loved you. It was so hard for me to leave you all those years ago. Maybe it would have been better for me to just leave Stone Brooke, but I didn’t have the strength or willpower. I don’t want you to regret seeing me again. I worry that I will be the wedge that comes between you and your brother.”
She was already shaking her head before he even finished. “No, Kaleb knows how I feel about you. We talked about it after I came back from the compound. I told him that living the life the Lykens did wasn’t what I wanted and that I loved you. He knows how happy you make me, and as much as he may dislike it, it is something that he will get over and eventually understand. He has to if he loves me.”
Between sleeping and making love, Kayla was satisfied and sated. It finally seemed as though things were looking up for her, and her life was finally going down the right path, the path she had wanted and needed since meeting Adrik.
Chapter 21
A week had already passed since Kayla spent that glorious night in Adrik’s bed. She had been working diligently at the hospital and hadn’t seen him. It also didn’t help that she worked the night shift and was only home during the day.
She had learned a lot about vampires and what was real and what wasn’t. All of those things that she had seen in movies or had read in books about vampires were nothing more than myth, the majority at least. Aside from sunlight and decapitation, a vampire couldn’t be killed. It seemed like an insane notion to even consider, but she was a Lyken, after all, and according to Kaleb, she, too, was immortal. That was certainly something she hadn’t gotten used to, nor something she thought she would ever understand.
She had a few more hours before she needed to be at the hospital, and as she packed her bag and her lunch, she thought about Kaleb. He hadn’t been home for the entire week, and although she spoke to him every day and she knew he was fine, she couldn’t help but miss him. It was different when she thought he was on a mission because she knew there was no chance for him to see her anytime soon, but now he was only a few short hours away. It was hard knowing he was so close yet so far away.
She picked up her cell and dialed Lana’s number. She still hadn’t told Lana anything about what was going on in her life, even though they talked regularly. How was she even supposed to go about it? It really shouldn’t be that hard, not given the fact that Lana was with a vampire, but Kayla still found it hard to confide that to her best friend.
“Hello?” Lana’s voice was thick with sleep.
Kayla looked at the clock and realized that, although it was the middle of the day, Lana kept nocturnal hours due to her vampire lover. “Hey. I’m sorry if I woke you.”
Kayla heard sheets ruffle and a deep male voice mumble something in the background.
“It’s okay, what’s up?”
“Well, I was wondering if you had some free time. Maybe we can grab some breakfast? There are some things I need to talk to you about.”
“Is everything okay?” There was a noticeable change in Lana’s voice.
“No. It’s about Adrik and me.”
“I have a few hours in the morning that I’m free. I’m helping Aniya plan for that party I told you about.”
Kayla remembered the conversation she had with Lana, one that involved an Otherworld party that was being thrown at the club. Kayla needed to talk about what was going on and see if her best friend had any advice on how she should handle everything. She was a grown woman, true, but who couldn’t use some advice from someone they trusted?
Kayla grabbed her bag out of the backseat. She clipped her name badge onto her scrub top and headed inside. She took the employee entrance, opting to steer clear of the ER and all the people coming and going.
As soon as she stepped onto the floor, she could tell it was going to be a busy night.
Kayla made her way toward the staff lounge. When she entered she saw Deidra and Jasanna hovering over a table that was filled with pastries. Deidra looked up and smiled around a mouthful of jelly doughnut. The fluorescent lighting made her already pale skin look almost translucent. There were dark circles around her big blue eyes, a telltale sign of how stressful the floor had been.
Jasanna was already half sitting and half lying on the couch. Her doughnut was a quarter of the way eaten, and red jelly was p
ushed out of the side. She lifted her hand in a wave and mumbled something around a mouthful of dough and jelly. Jasanna was an exotic beauty. Her long brown hair was always shining and beautiful. Her skin had an olive undertone, and her eyes were big and round and the color of aged whiskey.
Jasanna swallowed loudly. “You are going to wish you hadn’t come in tonight.”
“That bad?” Kayla took off her light jacket and hung it on the back of the door. She grabbed her stethoscope and placed it around her neck.
“You have no idea. We have had three codes tonight, a man that pulled out his trach, and a woman with dementia that refuses to stay in bed despite the fact she isn’t able to walk.”
There was regret and sorrow in her coworker’s voice. She looked over at Deidra and saw that she was now lying on the other couch with her eyes closed.
“She worked a double.”
“Someone should have called me. I wouldn’t have minded coming in.” Kayla looked over at Deidra again. Poor thing.
“She said she needed the money.”
Kayla had about thirty minutes before her shift started, so she grabbed a Danish and sat down. “It isn’t good if she is dead on her feet.”
They kept talking as though Deidra wasn’t even there, but from the way her body relaxed into the cushions and her breathing became even, Kayla knew it didn’t matter.
“To make matters worse, the charge nurse is Kaytlin. You know what a bitch she is.”
Oh yes, Kayla knew. She and Kaytlin didn’t get along. Although, to be fair, Kaytlin didn’t get along with anyone. Kayla finished her pastry, washed her hands, and said good-bye to Jasanna while Deidra still slept. She let the door close behind her, took a deep breath, and walked back onto the floor. She could already tell it was going to be one hell of a night.
Chapter 22
Adrik sat in his car and faced the hospital where Kayla worked. He had been there for the last two hours. He felt like a male who couldn’t hold off his basic urges. He worried about her with a ferocity that startled him. Were all Blood Breeds this way about their females?
He had no doubts she would be pissed, furious even, that he was watching her. Even before he found out she was his Chosen, he had sensed an incredible and life-changing connection between them. It was sheer force from her brother that he was able to stop seeing her, but even then he kept to the shadows, watched her, and made sure she was safe.
Adrik closed his eyes and concentrated. He knew what he was about to do was wrong on so many levels, but he was unable to stop himself. It didn’t take long before he felt his two halves separate. Astral projection was his gift. It wasn’t something that was useful in battle, but when it came to finding out his enemies’ secrets without their knowledge, it was the most powerful one.
He felt his body separating into two, one physical, one astral. He was still able to be connected to his physical form while he was “detached,” still able to talk, breathe, smell, and hear. When the two finally separated, he sought out Kayla as a male can do only with his Chosen. His astral projection, an exact replica of his physical self, moved with fluid grace into the building. He was masked, concealed and invisible to all he walked by.
He made his way through the building, following Kayla’s essence. Children cried for their mothers. Grown men moaned from insubstantial injuries as their females comforted and soothed them. He let his body levitate until he was at the floor she was working on, moving through the walls and seeking her out. She was sitting down, looking over a chart, as one of her fingers played with a strand of her hair. How he wished he could run his fingers through her silken golden strands. He moved closer to her, until he was hovering over her shoulder, looking at the fine arch of her neck and the soft swell of her breasts beneath the scrub top. He gave one last lingering look before running his finger down her cheek and turning to leave.
Kayla took out a hair tie and put her hair into a ponytail. She sat behind the computer and looked over her notes from the report she had just received. Her patients weren’t too critical. She had one more patient to assess, a thirty-six-year-old man with a pretty deep stab wound. During report, she had learned that the patient wasn’t very forthcoming with information on how he had acquired the wound.
She shivered and looked behind her shoulder. The distinct feeling she was being watched grew within her. She turned her attention back to the desk and grabbed her notes and stethoscope. She headed to her first room. She knocked on the door, saw her patient, Emmitt Volshustiv, sleeping, and quickly went about her tasks. The heart monitor, blood pressure machine, and pulse oximeter all read steady measurements.
Kayla made her way over to his bedside, took her stethoscope from around her neck, and listened to his heart. He was out cold from the pain medication they had given him. His wound was nasty looking. It was jagged, long, and red, but healing. She re-dressed it, put his gown down, and was about to turn away, when his hand grabbed her wrists in a bruising grip. Startled, she looked down at him. Her heart raced as she stared into his eyes. How he was even awake, she had no clue. The narcotics he was receiving should have kept him asleep for hours.
“Your kind disgusts me.” His speech was slurred, and just as soon as he said it, he started to drift back asleep. She tried to yank her arm free, but his eyes snapped back open, and he snarled at her.
Kayla ripped the call light out from the wall, a sure thing to have other staff members rushing in. The shrill sound of the emergency light started to go off right above the room she was in, and a second later, several staff members rushed in. They were able to wrestle her arm free as someone yelled for an order for restraints. His gaze never left Kayla’s, and she shivered. She had been in this kind of situation before, but there was something inside of her that screamed she needed to tread lightly. There was something definitely wrong with Emmitt Volshustiv.
Kayla sat outside her patient’s room as she spoke with the doctor. They had given Mr. Volshustiv a sedative and had added a pair of soft wrist restraints. She hated securing patients, but he was obviously not reacting well to something, and until his mind cleared, they would have to stay for everyone’s safety.
She looked at her watch and got up, knowing it was time to do her rounds again. She checked on all of her patients and finally stopped in front of Mr. Volshustiv’s room. He was sitting up awake in bed, his glazed-over attention on the television hanging on the wall.
How in the hell is he even awake? “Hello, Mr. Volshustiv. How are you this evening?” The sedatives he had been given should have made sure he slept soundly.
He didn’t spare her a glance.
“Having any pain?”
He looked at her then, his face full of disgust.
Hmmm, not very popular tonight.
“I’ll survive.” His tone was clipped, but at least he was answering her.
“Okay, well, if you are in any pain, don’t hesitate to use your call light.” She walked over to the side of his bed and brought it closer to him. “I’m going to listen to your heart. Is that okay?”
She didn’t move as she waited for his reply. He shook his head slowly, his dark stare focused on her.
“Can you tell me why you’re so upset, Mr. Volshustiv?”
“I don’t like your kind, especially not tending to me.”
“My kind?” Must not be a fan of women.
He gave a humorless laugh and tested the restraints. “You heard me.”
She went over to the sink and washed her hands. “Okay, well, if you need anything, just ring the bell.”
Kayla walked out of his room, hoping that things would start looking up. There was something inside of her that made her skin prickle when she was around him. The way he had said “your kind” didn’t sit well with her, as if he was speaking in riddles. She blamed his rambling on his pain medication, knowing that narcotics could alter even the sanest of minds.
Kayla stepped out of the hospital and shielded her eyes from the bright morning sun. She had ended up swi
tching patients with Jack, the other nurse on duty. It wouldn’t have done any good for her to treat a patient who was uncomfortable with the care he was receiving. It wasn’t just for his benefit, though. She didn’t feel right around him, as though his motives were dark, aimed nefariously at her. She had asked Jack how Mr. Volshustiv was for him, getting the response that he was pleasant and compliant—everything he wasn’t for her.
She made her way to her car, glancing down at her wrists. She had a nasty black-and-purple bruise forming where he had grabbed her, but she knew by tomorrow it would be healed. As she got into her car and started it, she wondered if she should tell Adrik what had happened. No, probably not the best idea. She shook her head, knowing that she was blowing things out of proportion. Telling her protective vampire wouldn’t do any good, would most likely just have him ranting and raving, beating his chest like some domineering caveman as he shouted “mine.” She couldn’t help the smile that covered her mouth, loving the idea of Adrik seeing her as only his.
She was probably just imagining the whole thing anyway. Kayla had seen her fair share of agitated and disgruntled patients in her time. No need to upset Adrik when she didn’t have any proof that Emmitt had known what she was. He was, after all, an injured patient on plenty of pain meds.
She drove home in silence, her mind more exhausted than her body.
Chapter 23
Kaleb stretched in bed. The two females on either side of him made soft moaning sounds and rubbed their succulent nude bodies against him. He grew hard and brought his hand down to grip his shaft. He gave it a few languid strokes. Just as the females started to wake, several light raps sounded on his door. The females groaned and ran their hands along his torso. He made his way off the bed, grabbed his robe, and walked toward the double oak doors.
He smelled the sweet, fresh scent of the female on the other side before he even had the door open. When he opened it, he saw Joslyn standing on the other side. Her big green eyes were wide as she stared up at him, and her blonde hair cascaded down her shoulders in spiral curls. She carried a silver tray that looked far too heavy for her. She held it out, her eyes darting to his chest. Her big eyes shot back to his, and her cheeks became pink.
