by Terri Lane
“How are you standing?” I mumbled.
“I drank from Nia. Roland and I were thinking of venturing out to capture a Hunter,” he said. I glanced over his shoulder at Kai. There was a small scowl on his lips.
“No, no…” I shook my head. “That wouldn't be wise,” I said.
“Of course we'd strip them of all gear, and once either of us feeds they'd be in a state of euphoria,” he said. I glanced at Kai once more. Damien looked back and sighed.
“You don't have to stay here,” he said. Kai pursed his lips and slowly walked out of sight.
“I don't think keeping a Hunter as blood slave here would help things with the wolves,” I said. Damien rolled his eyes.
“That is not what it would be,” he said.
“Damien, holding humans captive to bleed them dry is not how vampires operate anymore. We take what we need, wipe all memory and that is it,” I said sharply.
“Given the situation—”
“Enough. We aren't staying down here longer than a few days. This discussion is over,” I said.
“Of course Sophie,” Damien said. He inclined his head in acquiescence. “Here, you need to feed.” He offered his wrist. I sat up and brought it to my lips. My fangs descended sharply and I struck him quick. Blood spilled from his vein and I could already feel some life entering my system. I took only two swallows of his blood before I let him go and licked the puncture wound for it to heal.
*
Damien went back to the control room afterwards. I was about to wander after him, but Kai walked in then.
“You guys don't…kill regular humans?” he asked.
“How do you not know this?” I asked.
“I'm sure you can imagine we were told a bunch of vampire-hating stories growing up as wolves,” he said.
“Well the practice of bleeding a human dry is gluttonous. It's been gravely looked down on since the turn of the nineteenth century,” I said. “I assume you wolves don't sit around sniffing each other's rear ends?” I asked pleasantly.
“Wow you're cheeky when there's some life in you,” he chuckled. I shrugged and got out of bed.
“I'm fully sarcastic at my peak,” I quipped. Kai laughed. He followed me towards the control room, but I stopped before we got close enough to be overheard. “Why are you…why do you prefer my company?” I asked.
Kai's brows drew together and he shook his head. “I find myself interested in you,” he said. “It's just that you're not at all like I pegged you. So, I want to learn the real you,” he said. I hadn't expected him to be so truthful, but he spoke in earnest.
“Oh…alright then,” I said. I continued into the control room. It had one large desk with several monitors on it and a long keyboard that worked the entire surveillance system. Nia and Roland sat in front of a monitor towards the end of the desk. Damien, Nick, and Joseph were grouped at the monitor in the middle. They seemed to be discussing something they'd on a monitor.
“How goes it in here?” I asked.
“We think we just spotted a pattern in the Hunters' patrols,” Nick said.
“It appears as though they have a gap in between patrols so far,” Roland said.
“One at dawn,” Damien said.
“It's only dawn?” I asked.
“We haven't been down here long,” Nia said. “Though it certainly feels like it,” she added. Joseph shot her a glance, but ignored the quip otherwise.
“How long is the gap in patrols?” I asked.
“Only ten minutes…” Joseph said. “We'll have to watch for the rest of the day to pick up on anything else,” he said.
“Great,” Kai sighed. Nia excused herself from the room and I was tempted to do the same. I didn't particularly feel like watching the video feeds.
“You all are doing well, thank you,” I said. Nick gave me a small smile, Damien inclined his head, but Joseph didn't even look up. Still, I took that as a positive response. I left them to it and went to read a book in the common room. There was a small bookcase with classic English and American novels. I chose Wuthering Heights.
“Interesting choice,” Kai's voice didn't surprise me. I was beginning to expect his constant presence.
“Why interesting?” I asked, a small smile on my lips.
“That you'd choose a book about people from different upbringings living out a tragic love,” he said.
“I think you're looking too deep. I happen to quite enjoy Wuthering Heights as any person appreciates a work of art,” I said. Finally, I turned around to face him. We were only a breath apart…and his eyes were on my lips.
“You aren't any person,” he murmured. I leaned forward and stretched up to press my lips against his. Heat swept through me as if I were drinking his blood. A low rumble went through Kai's chest. I felt it echoed in my own. He slid his arm around my waist, then pulled me flush against him. He was all muscle and I felt the hardness of his sex pressed against my belly. Moisture slicked my core and the urge to mate became unbearable.
“Lie with me,” I whispered against his lips.
“Yes,” he whispered back. I put the book down and strode purposely towards my bedroom. Kai practically stuck to my back as I walked. As soon as he closed the door, he pulled me against him. His lips were soft and surprisingly gentle as they moved against mine. But I didn't want gentle from him. He pushed off the coat I wore and I slid his shirt over his head. His chest and stomach couldn't have been sculpted better. His tanned skin was stretched tight over his muscles. I kissed his chest and ran my hands over his stomach. My lips trailed down to his belly button, where I dipped my tongue. Kai's chest rumbled again with a low growl as I knelt in front of him.
Quickly, I undid his pants and pulled his erection free. Kai's sex was wide with girth, and long. There was a bead of moisture at his sensitive tip. I licked it up and was gratified by his groan. He ran the tips of his fingers along my jaw as I slid my tongue around the tip of his cock. He held my chin in his palm and watched as I took him fully into my mouth. He easily reached the back of my throat, but he didn't force himself deeper. I sucked and licked his sex until he was rigid as stone.
Kai gripped my shoulders and pulled me to my feet. He quickly unzipped the leather suit I was wearing as I kicked off my boots. As soon as I was naked, he picked me up and carried me to the bed. I stretched out on my back after he laid me back. His eyes were hot on mine as he watched me squirm with my need of him.
“Kai…” I said, my tone soft with lust. A low growl left his chest before he slid his hand up along my side to cup my breast. He rubbed his thumb against my nipple before he traced my lips. With his other hand, he gently pushed my legs farther apart. “I don't want you to be gentle…” I whispered. Kai's eyes widened a fraction. I leaned against his chest to kiss him. His lips were greedy and his tongue sought mine feverishly. My hand was on his neck and I tilted his head to the side. My fangs lowered and I grazed them along the side of his neck. Kai's hands tightened on my waist. He quickly turned me around and I bent over. I took his sex and guided him to my entrance. Kai leaned over my back as he slid into my core. He filled me completely.
“I won't be gentle,” he said. The way he said it made the words seem like an eager promise, but also a warning. I clenched around his cock in anticipation. Kai began to move then; he thrust into me hard and fast. Everything sharpened and intensified then. He touched me in a way I couldn't comprehend. It was more than our flesh. I turned to look at him and his eyes locked onto mine. As a rush of sensation and pleasure swept through me in my climax. I knew our souls had touched.
*
Neither of us knew what to say. After we'd both climaxed and recovered, Kai laid down next to me and held me in his arms. I wanted to get lost in him all over again and again after that. But…then the others would know what we'd done. No matter how they behaved around each other. The mating of a vampire and werewolf was existentially wrong. Yet, what had happened between us felt like the most natural thing.
“I k
now this may come across as trite but…I don't want to leave this room,” I told him.
“We have to. At least before Joseph and the others figure out the time for us to make our escape,” he said.
I sighed, then lifted my head to meet his gaze. “What was that?” I asked. I wanted to know what he felt, if he felt the strange connection between us. The strange bond.
“That was us damning each other I think,” he mumbled.
“From what?”
“From life as we knew it,” he sighed. “Nothing will be the same…nothing has been the same since the fight and these woods.”
“You felt it too then?” I said.
“The spark? Yes, I felt it. Why do you think I shifted back to human in the middle of a fight?” he said. He smiled and then pressed a soft kiss to my lips.
“We should shower,” I said. “Otherwise they'll smell our scents all over each other.” I stood up and watched him slowly stand from the bed. Kai gave me a lingering kiss before he grabbed his clothes and hurried from the room. There weren't any voices in the hall, so I figured he'd be safe getting to his bedroom.
I took a quick shower, careful not to wet my hair in case that should seem suspicious. Then got dressed and went to pick up Wuthering Heights again. Nia was in the common room alone. Immediately I wondered if she'd heard us.
“I'll just come out and say it. It's easy to get bored down here, I know that can make us do certain things…” she said. One minx-like glance at me and I knew.
“What do you know?” I asked.
“About boredom? Plenty,” she said. She gave me a sly smirk and shrugged. “What happens in the hole stays in the hole,” she added with a wink. I laughed once; a short sound mixed with the shock I felt. She stretched her legs out on the love seat she sat in, then went back to the book she was reading, Jude the Obscure.
As I sat with my novel, I wondered just what she had insinuated. I knew for a fact that Kai followed me around most of the time we were down here. He wasn't making a habit of bedding vampires? Then again, there were two other wolves down here as well. Though I couldn't picture either Nick or Joseph wanting to have sex with a vampire.
I got through the first two pages of the book before I went in search for Kai. He was just walking out of his room with Joseph behind him.
“Sophie…” he said, his tone curious. Joseph glanced at me once, then looked away almost guiltily.
“I need to speak with you,” I said. Joseph was all too eager to head back to the control room.
“What's up?” he asked. I stepped into his room and tested the air for Nia's scent. It only smelled like Kai.
“Nia heard us…having sex,” I said.
“Yes, and we aren't the only ones. Apparently, she and Joseph…you know,” Kai said. “That's why he was in here, he was worried about you finding out and possibly making a big deal about it,” he said.
“Joseph? She had sex with Joseph?” I asked. Kai laughed at my incredulous expression.
“Of all people, right?” he chuckled.
“That…that is interesting,” I said.
“So were you worried about Nia saying something?” he asked.
“No, she won't…I just—it was silly—I didn't know what was going on with her is all,” I said, stuttering over my own words. Kai studied me for a moment, then a small smile touched the corner of his lips. He didn't say anything, he simply cupped my face in his hands and kissed me. It was brief and soft, though his lips did linger for a moment.
“With wolves…loyalty is hardly an issue,” he murmured.
“Isn't it? Aren't you going against your values doing whatever it is we're doing?” I asked.
“I'm going against convention and prejudice. There's nothing wrong with that. There's nothing wrong with this…whatever this is,” he said.
“What will happen when we get out of this place? Both go back to our lives?” I said.
“We can figure something out. This doesn't have to be some outer dimensional experience only allowed to happen once,” he joked.
I smiled and laced my fingers with his. “Okay then…”
*
Instead of going back into the common room to read, I followed Kai to the control room. We figured we should help in decoding the Hunters' patrol schedule. I noted how dedicated Damien and Nick were to watching the screens, Joseph as well. He had a notebook and scribbled onto it every time a Hunter passed by one of the cameras.
“Any progress?” I asked.
“With every passing hour. Though it seems our only window is at dawn. They are relentless during daylight hours,” Damien said.
“Where's Roland…?” I asked.
“He went to stretch his legs. He's been stuck to a chair watching monitors too,” Nick said.
“Well, I'd like to help,” I said. I took a seat in front of a vacant monitor. It displayed the rear of the cabin.
“Anytime you see a Hunter, just tell me,” Joseph said. Kai sat down next to me and looked at all the video feeds.
“So did you decide on how we're going to make a break for it once we pinpoint a window?” Nick asked us.
“We'll use the pair-and-split tactic. It will give us more of a chance if we spread out,” Kai said.
“Maybe we should all pick partners now,” I said. Nick glanced at Damien and Joseph sighed.
“We have to be prepared for the possibility of not making it out of these woods alive. The Hunters are all over the place,” Joseph said.
“Let's not invite failure with our words,” Kai said.
“He's always negative,” Nick said dismissively.
“But the gap at dawn, you said it was only ten minutes?” I asked.
“Yes, that's plenty of time for us to sprint out of here,” Damien said.
“Should we all be at our peaks,” Joseph said. Damien shot me a brief glance, I noted the darkening bags under his eyes.
“Right…” I sighed. Something would have to be figured out. I couldn't feed from Damien and he couldn't feed from me or I'd be back to how I was before. Nia and Roland were in the same situation.
“Hey…I know this will sound weird, but. Technically we're human while in human forms. It's not like you can't feed from us,” Nick said. Joseph and Kai stared at me, waiting for my response. Damien looked to me as well.
“It is a unique situation…if either you, Roland, or Nia would like to feed from them and they're willing, by all means,” I said.
“Really?” Nia said eagerly. She and Roland walked in just as I spoke.
“Yes, really. But know that the wolves have to be at their peak just as much as we do,” I said. I noted that Nia looked fine, Roland resembled Damien in lack of energy. There was an awkward beat of silence. Then there was an unspoken agreement to get back to the monitors.
After two hours of watching Hunters walk to and fro, I'd had enough of control room duty. I was beginning to get cabin fever. I didn't know how the others did it. But I needed to get out of the bunker. I strode quickly to the common area and paced around the room.
“You look like a caged panther,” Kai's voice wasn't a surprise to hear.
“We're all caged animals down here…” I murmured.
“Well, most likely we'll be leaving in only a few more hours. When dawn comes around,” he said.
“I worry about that as well,” I said.
“Come on,” Kai took my hand and led me back to his room. “I want you to drink from me,” he said.
“No, I shouldn't do that until it's time,” I said. “Plus, I don't need it as much right now,” I added. When he didn't respond, I realized he wanted the experience more than anything else. “Of course, there's nothing wrong with having a little now,” I said. My sex swelled at the thought of tasting his blood; my mouth watered too.
Kai reached around me to shut and lock the door. I watched as he walked around to the side of the bed. He faced me, then began to undress. He pulled off his shirt, then kicked off his jeans. His sex was already sti
ffening as he waited for me.
“Lie down,” I whispered. Kai followed my direction and lay flat on his back. I quickly undressed, then crawled onto him slowly. I straddled his hips, his cock pressed right against my core. His chest was warm, his heart beating fast. I slid my hands up and down his sides as I leaned forward to kiss his neck. Kai growled, low in his throat. I felt his hands caressing circles on my backside. Before I bit him, I grazed his skin with my fangs. His hold tightened on me and his hips moved restlessly underneath mine.
When I sank my teeth in quick, his hands gripped me even tighter for a fraction of a second. The taste of his blood saturated me with warmth. He tasted like a spice and like chocolate, I was instantly addicted. Kai's moan echoed through my own body. He ground his hips against mine hard, and his sex slid against my folds. I forced myself to stop drinking from him, I'd been about to take my fourth pull. I felt infused with more energy than drinking from another vampire or a human would provide.
“Your eyes…they're really bright,” Kai said, his voice hoarse. I quickly licked his puncture wound then lifted my hips off him to guide his hard cock into me. I couldn't hide my moan as I slid up and down his length. He held onto my waist and met me with hard thrusts. It was nearly impossible for me to choke back my cries of pleasure. Kai's release preceded my own climax. I transported, yet again, with him.
“There's no way I'm giving you up,” Kai said with a chuckle.
“Your blood tasted like dessert…oddly enough,” I told him.
“That means you're not giving me up either?” he asked.
“I thought we'd established that before,” I teased.
“Now it's extra established,” he murmured. He nipped at my chin playfully. Eventually we got out of bed and regained a sense of reality.
*
“How do you feel?” I asked him.
“Good. Hungry…” he said, smiling.
“Let's get some food in you,” I said. As we were leaving Kai's room, Nick came rushing up to us.
