Saved Mate

by L. J. Red

  She moaned. “I can’t. You’ve broken me. Too much sex.” Her mind caught up with her words and she flushed red with embarrassment.

  Jacob put his head back and laughed, the sound rich and rolling through the warm room. “I don’t think there is such thing as too much,” he said.

  Sparrow groaned and snatched up the pillow, covering her red face in it. “Hey now,” he said, pulling back the pillow. “We can take it as slow as you like.”

  That was just the thing, Sparrow thought in mortification. She didn’t want to take it slow at all. She wanted to climb right back on him and ride him hard into round two. Her blush came again and Jacob’s eyes darkened. Shit, that thought had gone loud and clear through the soulmate bond. She needed to get a bit more control over that. Otherwise they weren’t going to be leaving this bedroom for a week.

  “Water,” she said with a croak, avoiding Jacob’s knowing grin. “I need to hydrate.” She pushed herself up onto her elbows, her body feeling too heavy to move, and dragged herself over to the side table where there was a jug of water.

  She drank her water before shuffling back against the headboard, Jacob pulling himself up beside her and tucking her under his arm. She was small enough to fit easily, and for once she didn’t mind being such a tiny little thing. It felt perfect. As if all she had been missing was Jacob’s form to fit around her like a puzzle piece. She fingered her amber necklace softly. She thought her mom would be proud of her. She wasn’t sure what she would have thought of vampires coming out and everything that happened since, but she would be happy to know her little girl had found a family in the end. That she had found love. Sparrow let her eyes fall shut and smiled, warmth and the feeling of safety surrounding her, carrying her off to a calm, healing sleep.

  Chapter 33

  The sun was shining weakly as they gathered around the crypt for the memorial of the fallen rescued vampires.

  Ben had noticed how much less the press of dawn hurt him ever since he had become a Shadow. The power of the Bloodline was strengthening his ability to stay up throughout the day. Still, the pressure wasn’t comfortable, but it was fitting that he suffered. It was a reminder of how he had failed the nine vampires who had died. They had been under his charge and he had failed to protect them. He still had nightmares of the courtroom, of the vampires attacking indiscriminately, humans screaming, ash and dust flying as he and Cas struck down the vampires, the very people they were there to protect.

  He clenched his hands behind his back and looked out over the heads of the gathered Shadows. Sparrow stood in front and to the right of him. The only rescued vampire left and now a part of his Bloodline. She took a step forward and brushed her hand softly against the jar that contained the ashes of one of the vampires before stepping back.

  Ben had had no idea what was happening when her presence had suddenly bloomed into life on the bloodline bond, but the moment he had felt her desperate call for power, he had given it over without hesitation. Everything he had within him, and then he had physically collapsed on the ground and had to crawl to the wall to keep his head upright as the battle between Sparrow and Roman had raged through his mind.

  He still couldn’t quite believe that Roman was gone. It was like a weight he hadn’t noticed pressing down upon the city was finally raised. But as he stared at the metal containers that contained the ashes of each of the fallen vampires, he knew this was not the last fight he would face.

  Roman may be gone and the threat facing Chicago destroyed, but HUNT, who had played such a great part in capturing and torturing the poor dead vampires, was still out there. In Brightbrook, their new base of operations, they would be trying to recreate the mess they had made in Chicago.

  Ben swore on the souls of the dead vampires he had failed that he would avenge them. He would not let HUNT hurt anyone else.

  Sparrow paused next to him before leaving. She looked up and he read a kind of understanding in her eyes. “It wasn’t your fault,” she said. And he remembered that she too had been there in the courtroom that day. She too had picked up a stake and brought down people she had called friends.

  He shook his head, unable to reply to her. He had no words to explain how he felt. He had been the guard on duty, he had been supposed to protect them. She should never have had to defend herself so desperately. He would never make such a mistake again. The hunters had no idea what was coming for them.

  A moment later, the gathered vampires broke up on a silent signal, a release running through the bond, and they began to disperse, some returning to the Sanctuary, some tracking over the grounds back into the city. Dana walked up to Ben, and as she approached, he smelled again that strange, alluring perfume that lingered on her clothes, on the side of her shirt, as if she had brushed past someone and it had lingered there.

  He couldn’t explain the desire it brought out in him. He wanted to press the cloth to his lips and nose and inhale deeply. He wanted to lick the taste down his throat.

  Dana turned a questioning gaze upon him and he realized he was letting some of his emotion slip down the bloodline bond. He clamped down on the feeling, embarrassed. He needed to get a handle on that.

  “Are you all right there, Ben?” Dana asked.

  “Yes,” he growled, his voice coming out tense. “I need… I wanted to ask you about…” He broke off, not knowing what to say.

  I want to know who you’ve been touching lately because, whoever they are, they smell amazing… Yeah, that wasn’t exactly smooth.

  He wished he could ask Cas for advice. He barely said a word, just smiled all blue eyes and southern charm and always seemed to get his own way. But Cas had already returned to the Sanctuary.

  Ben had never had such an ability. He just relied on being able to glare people into submission. He was pretty sure his glare wasn’t going to work on Dana. “Right, well, about Brightbrook,” Dana said, unaware of his frantic mental monologue. “If Lucian is going to be assigning you and the new recruits to investigate, there is someone you ought to meet.” Dana gestured for him to join her. “She didn’t want to interrupt the memorial service so she is waiting for us at the gate.” Dana pointed as she spoke. “Special Agent Lily Franklin.”

  Ben looked up and saw a young black woman walking toward them. He caught her scent on the wind, the full force of what had been tantalizing him for weeks. His feelings sharpened into a razor point. His entire body rocked back a step as his eyes focused on hers. His heart, that had been silent for centuries jumped like a sledgehammer against his ribs.

  Sneak Peek of Devoted Mate

  Discover Ben and Lily’s story in the next Bloodline Warriors novel…

  Special Agent Lily Franklin walked across the Sanctuary gardens her stilettos sinking into the soft ground. Why the fuck had she worn heels? She was wobbly in these things on a good day, walking across a lawn was way too complicated. She raised herself onto the balls of her feet, leaning her weight forward and trying to avoid the spiked heels from sinking any further.

  She'd been nervous about coming to the Sanctuary, not just because it was the lair of the most terrifying vampires in Chicago, possibly even the country, but because today they were holding a memorial for those they'd lost and she hadn't wanted to intrude. Problem was, her boss, Special Agent Morrell was keen to send the team out west to pinpoint exactly where HUNT was building their new base of operations, Brightbrook, they were calling it, and he had insisted someone from the FBI meet with the new recruits the Shadows were sending. Since her FBI partner had turned out to be a total fucking traitor, she was the only option left. Morrell had been screening people for Novak's replacement, but he was going over everything with a fine-toothed comb. He blamed himself for not seeing Novak's guilt before it was too late.

  Thank God no one had died. It had been a near thing. Rune had been sent to the Sanctuary. It could easily have been to the morgue if Brigit and Dana hadn't got to him in time. Lily frowned, maybe not the morgue she reconsidered, vampires didn't exactly get
buried, did they? More like cremated.

  Pulling herself free of her thoughts she looked up and saw Dana approaching. She raised her hand in a wave. Her gaze travelled past Dana to the man behind her and she gasped. Her muscles froze and her breath tangled in her lungs. She stopped, dropping her flat on her feet. Her heels sank into the ground unnoticed.

  The man following behind Dana was massive. She'd thought Rune was unusual amongst the vampires but clearly she'd been wrong. This guy loomed over Dana by at least a foot. His arms were thick, his black T-shirt straining over corded muscle. He had legs like tree trunks and the way he was looking at her… Intense, focused, crossing the ground between them like he didn't need to walk, like he could simply glide across the ground like a predator, a panther.

  Her heartbeat thumped crazily, rabbiting away behind her ribs. Her mouth was dry. As if his body wasn't enough, the man's face was heart-stoppingly the gorgeous and her body was reacting to the sight of him without checking in with her brain. Desire cracked through her like a whip. Tightening her nipples, igniting her core. Oh shit, this was so not good.

  They drew up in front of Lily and she tore her eyes away from him, toward Dana.

  "Lily, glad to see you made it." Dana smiled, completely unaware of the heart attack Lily was having right in front of her. Fuck he was still looking at her. What should she do? Should she run? Should she hide? Where? They were in the middle of a goddamn lawn.

  The vampire was practically glaring a hole in her body. Was it because she had interrupted their memorial service while they were in the middle of it? Fuck, she was such an idiot. She knew she ought to have waited in the car.

  "You okay?" Dana said, coming another step closer.

  Lily jumped. "Yeah," she said, "yeah, sorry. I, um." Her gaze slid back to the hulking guy again. "Sorry I interrupted your service," she said, dragging her eyes back to Dana. Yeah, Dana was safer to look at, as safe as a terrifyingly competent vampire could be. "I really I didn't mean to interrupt," she repeated nervously.

  Dana smiled reassuringly. "You didn't interrupt," she said. "We were finished. Actually, it's good that you're here I wanted to introduce you to Ben."

  She gestured and Lily jumped again. He'd come closer totally silently. How the fuck had such a massive man moved so quickly and silently without her noticing? He was looming over her, still staring with that intense gaze.

  "Yup, uhuh, hi," she said, her eyes dragging over every hard plane of his body, up his broad shoulders, thick neck, square jaw all the way to his intense eyes under dark black brows. The same black hair on his head, spiky and rough. She ached to run her hands through the thick length of it. Wait what? No, she didn't. She didn't want to do that at all. She wanted to get out of here. But there was no use denying the effect he was having on her. She was more turned on than she'd ever been in her life.

  Couldn't vampires sense that sort of thing? Wasn't that part of their powers? Oh God. Could they smell it? As she had that thought she saw his nostrils flare for a moment. She pressed her thighs together. She needed to get out of here right the fuck now, before she embarrassed herself.

  She turned back to Dana. "I should um, I mean I should probably..." she stuttered, trying to get the words out, but with every passing moment she only grew more frantic. His eyes were on her. Fuck, she was sweating. She could feel the tingling prickle of hair raising on the back of her neck. Why wouldn't he say something?

  "It's a pleasure to meet you, Lily," he purred and Lily instantly took back her last thoughts. The sound of his voice... Her eyes were practically rolling up in her head. That voice, it was like velvet rubbed over her naked body.

  She realised he was offering her his hand. She had to shake it. She would look like an idiot if she just left him hanging there.

  The air around them seem to thicken. Achingly slowly she reached out towards him. Their hands were inches away, then centimetres, then suddenly they were touching. His grip against hers was firm and utterly electrifying. She shivered and she felt the shake go through her bones right into his palm. It was like an electric current grounding itself through their bodies. She jerked her hand out of his grip. What the fuck was that?

  "It's great to meet you," she finally pushed out, "but I, um, I just remembered," she glanced at Dana, "I have to, I left something running. The laptop in the thing that was burning, so I should probably um fix the oven, yeah..." she said.

  Dana looked at her in total confusion. No wonder, that had been a garbled mess but she couldn't stay to explain. She needed to get a grip on her crazy fucking hormones. She could not behave like this on assignment, it was just going to be the two of them. Holy shit, she let her eyes fall shut. It was just going to be the two of them. This was going to be impossible.

  She turned to go, forgetting her heels and instead of taking a step, she overbalanced. The world tilted crazily around her and she fell straight forward, the ground looming in front of her face.

  ✽✽✽

  Want to read more? Join my newsletter and I’ll email you when Devoted Mate hits the stores!

  You will also get exclusive access to BONUS SCENES, like the FREE EPILOGUE I wrote for Saved Mate. Watch out, it gets steamy!

  You can also take part in awesome giveaways, enjoy sneak previews and be notified of upcoming releases by joining my Facebook group!

  #savedmate #bloodlinewarriors #ljred

  Also by L.J. Red

  Vampire Mate

  A bloodline Warriors Novel

  * * *

  Warrior. Vampire. Soulmate?

  The first book in the smoking hot vampire warrior series by L.J. Red.

  In the supernatural underworld of Chicago, vampire warrior Lucian has met his match.

  * * *

  Brutally dangerous and scorchingly sexy, Lucian is the leader of the Shadows, elite vampire warriors caught in a deadly battle against the wild and power-hungry vampires who want to rain terror on humankind.

  Lucian doesn’t believe in soulmates but from the moment he meets Dana, all he wants is to possess her completely. His iron control is beginning to fray and when it snaps, there’s nothing in the world that will stop him from taking her.

  Dana’s a cop on the trail of a blood-crazed vampire tearing through Chicago. She doesn’t want anything to do with vampire politics but when she overhears a plot to kill the leader of the Shadows, she knows she has no choice but to warn him.

  Braving the dark, seductive world of the vampire elite, she’s helpless to resist the powerful bond she feels the moment she meets Lucian.

  Can they catch the killer before the fire raging between them burns the city down?

  Dark themes and steamy, sensual scenes. These alpha male vampires are vicious, brutal warriors who will stop at nothing to protect their fated mates.

  Chosen Mate

  A bloodline Warriors Novel

  * * *

  His broken past threatens their future.

  Haunted by the scars of his past, he swore never to love again… Until he met her…

  The second standalone romance in the steamy vampire warrior series by L.J. Red.

  * * *

  Neal, the ancient Scottish vampire, has spent the last four centuries fighting a brutal battle against evil. Scarred by loss and haunted by the mistakes of his past, he swore never again to open his heart to a human. But in the icy cold wastes of the north, a fire burns within him, sparked by the presence of the human woman sent to serve him.

  May has lost everything but her job with the vampires. She's determined not to lose that as well. When Neal, the forcefully attractive Scottish vampire starts watching her from the darkness, she refuses to let his intimidation or the overpowering desire she feels for him, stop her from doing her job.

  But a secret evil from Neal's past watches them from the darkness. Dangerous accidents start to happen and May's life is placed in danger. Can Neal and May work together to uncover the threat before it’s too late?

  Dark themes and steamy, sensual sc
enes. These alpha male vampires are vicious, brutal warriors who will stop at nothing to protect their fated mates.

  Enemy Mate

  A bloodline Warriors Novel

  * * *

  Beloved enemy, deadly soulmate.

  Talon finds the soulmate he never thought he’d have. There’s only one problem: She’s his sworn enemy.

  * * *

  Talon is ready to die. A savage vampire assassin, he has led a life of violence, raining terror and death on enemies of the Shadow. His heart is encased in ice and he can barely remember any emotion that isn’t brutal rage.

  Until he meets Eden—a captivating vampire from the enemy bloodline terrorizing Chicago, and Talon’s fated soulmate. No matter how hard he fights his desire, the soulmate bond is too strong to break.

  Eden hates being a vampire. All she wants to do is keep her sister safe from the mistakes she’s made. But can she trust the wildly attractive warrior to protect her? Talon seems to despise her, yet he defends her with a fierceness that shocks her to the core.