“She’s dying.” Unable to resist, he licked his lips clean. “I could save her, you idiot.”
Angie knelt next to Trixie’s broken body. Sorrow-filled noises worked their way out of her throat. “You can fix her?”
Eoin released his hold on him. “You’ll bind her to you?”
Viktor returned to draining Trixie. Time was of the essence and he had none to spare answering either of the dragons’ asinine questions. Her heart barely beat. He drank his fill and then some more. Like all creatures, creating life came with a price.
Veins filled to bursting, he could barely move as he finally withdrew from Trixie’s throat. He bit into his own wrist and let his blood trickle into her mouth.
She would belong to him forever.
Angie jumped to her feet. “It was that gargoyle. I heard him inside the castle again.” She stormed up the stairs.
Eoin hesitated at the bottom, tossing Viktor a concerned glance.
“Go, I have this under control.” He had witnessed enough births to know what to expect. Having the dragons gone would help save what was left of his dignity.
Angie’s shouts carried through the stone. Things crashed against the walls far above him.
Eoin took the steps three at a time.
The wound on Viktor’s wrist kept closing and he had to repeat the bite four more times before her lips sealed around the tear. Cross-legged, he propped her against his chest and let her drink. Once she was feeding on her own, his head spun at the sudden drain. Fire coursed through his veins. He grimaced at the burn.
Trixie’s neck made sickly cracking pops as it realigned and healed.
His chest constricted and his gut cramped. He closed his eyes and rocked her in his arms. She had to drink it all back. The muscles in his back spasmed and he cried out.
The shouts above had turned into roars. The foundation shook and stone dust fell upon them as a blast hit the castle walls. Was Angie attacking her home? No, she was after the gargoyle and had bad aim. The foundation shook again. That woman had a temper.
Trixie went limp in his arms and he lay next to her on the floor. He was too drained of energy to do anything else. Before his eyes, Trixie’s skin smoothed into creamy porcelain, her freckles highlighted by the contrast. Her pink, over-treated hair relaxed into thick waves around her head. Her chest rose.
He shot their environment a distasteful glance, hating to have her wake in a dungeon. It could be worse. He had been born on a moonlit battlefield surrounded by his fallen brothers. Alone. He pressed her hand to his lips. Unlike him, she would have a teacher. Or teachers. He was a bad example for a vampire. That did not mean she had to be. The local vampire nest would raise her better.
Trixie shivered. The cold floor under her back sucked away her body heat. Rolling onto her side, she groaned as her stiff muscles protested. She was lucky all she had were bruises from that fall. She rubbed her sore neck—she should have broken her… She blinked her eyes open and listened to the distant dragon roars.
The clink of metal on stone caught her attention.
She rolled over onto her other side.
Viktor sat watching her, his liquid silk hair falling like a veil as he leaned forward and plucked the wooden stake out of her pocket. He quirked an eyebrow at her weapon.
“I can explain.” She tried to sit but her arms didn’t want to support any weight and she only flopped into his lap, face first. Mortified, she squirmed and only managed to rub herself hard into his crotch. “What is wrong with me?” Her voice came out muffled.
He cleared his throat and pulled her into his arms. “You sustained a serious injury and are still healing.”
This close to his face, she noticed how perfectly shaped his lips were and how sharp his fangs appeared.
“I fell down the stairs.” She glanced at the stone spiral staircase. No wonder she felt like road kill. She must have knocked herself out. “The gargoyle startled me.”
“The dragons are attempting to barbeque him as we speak.” His statement was followed by an explosion outside.
“Oh no! He didn’t do it on purpose. We have to stop them.”
Viktor gave her an amused look. “I am not stepping outside while the dragons are this upset. Vampires are quite flammable. Gargoyles, not so much.”
“I didn’t know that.” She flexed her arm. “How long was I unconscious?” Maybe she had a concussion? It didn’t explain why her limbs were acting so weird.
Viktor remained quiet, twirling the stake in his free hand. “You wanted to stake me?” Then he spun it to the spoon side. “Or bake for me?”
“It was only a precaution.” No matter how brave she had sounded in her head, she wouldn’t have been able to kill Viktor. She couldn’t even kill a spider. She carried them outside before Ruby pulled off a shoe. “I wanted to talk to you. The stake made me feel safe.”
He shook his head. “Too thin. It would have broken before penetrating my heart.”
She stared at her legs, trying to bend her knees and failing. “Something’s wrong, Viktor. I’m scared. Maybe we should call an ambulance.” She’d figure out a way to pay the hospital bill.
“You are healing. Give it a little more time and you will feel better.”
She eyed the vampire who didn’t seem to be playing with a full deck of cards. “Why don’t we let a doctor examine me anyways?”
“He would just pronounce you inhuman.” Viktor cupped her face. “Remember, Trixie.”
Frozen fingers of fear gripped her spine. She recalled the fall, rolling backwards head over heels, landing awkwardly with a sharp crack. She touched the spot where it had hurt but now didn’t. She had broken her neck.
Then Viktor’s face had hovered over hers, concern and fear in his eyes. He had whispered urgent words in her ear.
“You offered to keep me from dying.” After that, things had gone dark.
“I made you vampire. I am your sire. Did I do wrong?” His long elegant fingers traced the freckles on her face. He seemed mesmerized by them. “I tried to give you a choice but you were fading so fast.”
“What kind of choice was that? Of course, I want to live.”
In the distance, she recognized Angie’s voice. “I can’t believe we lost him.”
“Angie?” she called out.
Silence was her answer.
“Angie?” she shouted louder.
Footsteps echoed toward them as Angie descended into the dungeon, out of breath and eyes wide. “Trixie!” She hugged her tight. “It worked. You’re alive.”
“Depends on your definition of alive.” She patted Angie on the back, her arms seeming more coordinated already.
A man with dark stubble on his head and piercing blue eyes followed at a more leisured pace. His eyebrows rose. “That was fast.”
“Who are you?” She was losing track of all the new people.
“This is Eoin, harbinger of smoke and fire. My warden.” All this time, her sire kept stroking her hair, as if she was his new pet, and while the black dragon of terror stared at them. “She’s weak and will need to feed soon.”
Trixie tried to stand and prove Viktor wrong but only managed to hop in his lap. “Maybe we should get a second opinion, like a doctor or something.”
“No.” Angie and Eoin spoke in unison and glanced at each other.
“Ah, they finally agree on something,” Viktor whispered in her ear.
Her heart thrummed like a hummingbird. A vampire... “How come I can still feel my heartbeat?” She pressed her hand over her chest.
“Because you are not dead. Just not human anymore.” Viktor took her hand and set it over his beating heart. “See?”
She opened her mouth but nothing came out.
Angie leaned forward. She was so close and smelled like barbeque popcorn. Trixie’s favorite. She inhaled deeply. Her stomach growled and her teeth ached. A sharp pain pierced her gums and she clapped her hand over her mouth. “Ouch.”
Viktor gently pried her hand
away and examined her teeth. He smiled with full fang exposure. “Very nice.”
She fingered her pointed teeth and glanced at Angie.
“Not her.” He shook his finger. “Dragons’ blood burns. Shifters hold no nutritional value. Only human blood will sustain you.” He glanced at Eoin. “Do you have any readily available? You can call my people if you do not.”
“You know I don’t like your people.” Eoin scowled. “I have some saved for emergency. I’d say this qualifies.” The dragon climbed the stairs and returned shortly with two bags of blood.
Viktor bit the corner off a bag and held it to her lips. “Drink. It will make you stronger.”
The smell of it hit her senses like a sledge hammer. Hunger tore through all pretenses of civility, shredding away the remains of her humanity. The next thing she knew, she held an empty bag in her hands.
Angie stood behind Eoin, peering over his shoulder with wide eyes.
Trixie wiped her mouth, smearing red along the back of her hand. “Don’t you dare judge me.”
Eoin threw back his head and laughed. “You should see Angie eat in dragon form. I thought she was going to choke.”
Angie smacked his shoulder. “We were never to speak of that again.”
Something akin to envy crossed Viktor’s face as he watched their exchange. He was lonely. He’d admitted it to her this morning when they first met and he’d lured her into his cell. She didn’t think it came only from his being held captive. That deep of reaction developed over time.
She fingered the collar around Viktor’s throat, worry a constant gnaw in her gut. “Are you going to chain me to a wall?” What was she going to tell her sister? How was she going to tell her? Ruby was going to come home from work and never know what happened. She hadn’t taken Trixie’s plans for the evening seriously.
Viktor’s smile widened. “I am growing weary of chatting to myself.”
“You need to keep that kind of crazy talk to yourself from now on.” Trixie poked him in the chest. “If I wasn’t so weak, I’d be freaking out on your ass.”
He held up the stake. “And use this?”
“No.” She crossed her arms and turned away. Tears burned in the back of her eyes. Nothing had gone according to plan.
Angie stood. “No more vampires chained in the basement.”
“Dungeon,” corrected Eoin.
She glared at him. “Or gargoyles on the castle. I’m going to fry his prankster ass.”
“Once you catch him.” Eoin eyed Trixie. “Can you walk?”
She tried to move again but weariness weighed heavily on her limbs. Her head spun with the effort to stand and she leaned against Viktor. “Worst day ever.”
Viktor’s smile faded. “Vampire births are always tragic.” He lifted her chin and kissed her forehead. “Yet it is your new birthday.”
“You’re crazy.” In a sweet way, he was trying to console her. He was the only one who knew what she was going through.
Chapter Six
Angie helped Trixie to her feet and led her away from the dungeon. “I can’t tell you how sorry I am. That damn gargoyle has no boundaries.” She paused to glare at the men. “Viktor, shower before coming upstairs.” Angie supported Trixie under the arm as they climbed the stairs, passing the main floor and going higher in the spiral. Trixie realized they were in one of the towers.
Viktor had been right. The blood made her stronger. By the time they reached the second floor, her legs responded like normal and she leaned less on Angie. That wasn’t the only thing though. The scent of cool, forest growth caressed her nose and the dark halls glowed with pale moonlight filtering through a slit window. Trixie saw everything. She heard everything. She could count the chips in the stone stairs, the frogs singing outside in the pond. She heard every leaf shudder in the breeze. She could feel the animals in the deep forest, scurrying, hunting, doing dark things. She’d never felt so alive, so in touch with her surroundings.
Trixie stared at the walls, mesmerized by the web of cracks within the stone. Fingertips tracing the pattern, she slowed to a stop. It was magical. How had she missed this before?
Angie stopped with her. “Are you tired? We could sit on the steps and let you catch your breath.”
Her breath? She was breathing. Being a vampire wasn’t like the movies. She wasn’t dead. Angie’s barbeque popcorn scent drew her attention away from the wall. Under it, Trixie also smelled brimstone and cloves. Sweet and spicy like cinnamon candies. She leaned closer. “You smell great.”
The white dragon, the friendly one, retreated and Trixie followed.
She couldn’t stop her legs. It was if her body had an autopilot and she didn’t know how to shut it off. Angie smelled so good and Trixie was still hungry. She only wanted a little taste.
“Easy, Trix.” Angie grabbed her by the shoulders with strength Trixie wouldn’t have guessed the small dragon possessed. “I’m not on the menu, remember? You’ll burn if you drink my blood.”
Trixie blinked and managed to stop. “Right.”
“Let’s find you a snack.” She shouted down the stairs, “Eoin, bring more blood.” Then dragged Trixie farther up the stairs to what seemed like the top of the tower. “Now.”
“I’m okay, seriously.” Trixie rubbed her forehead and fought past the fog in her mind. “I need to adjust. Can’t I just go home?”
“I know, but honey, Viktor’s been a vampire for a really long time and he’s been chained in the basement for a reason. Controlling your hunger isn’t as easy as it might sound. Or so I’ve been told repeatedly. So, let’s take baby steps before I set you loose on the unsuspecting population of New Port.”
Trixie pictured New Port in the midst of a blood bath with her as the serial killer. She stopped fighting Angie.
The dragon pulled her inside a room where all the furniture was covered in dusty sheets. “We don’t have guests often.”
Trixie crossed the room to the farthest side. “Lock the door.” She didn’t trust herself. Dark suggestions whispered in her thoughts. They consisted of shadows and blood and screams. It was difficult not to listen since it had no voice, but came from something deep within her.
Angie paused in removing the coverings and tossed her a concerned look. “You bet.” And she closed and locked the exit. “I’ll open the windows to let in some fresh air though. The dust is thick enough to build castles.” Fresh air blew inside the room. “Trixie, did I forget to give you a kennel?”
An ornate mirror hung over the mantel of the fireplace. Trixie stared at her reflection. “No, why?”
“I’m trying to figure out why you’re here. Inside the castle.”
“I came back to talk to Viktor.”
“Why would you want to do that?”
There had been so many good reasons at the time. “Doesn’t matter now does it.” Turning her head slightly, Trixie examined what used to be damaged, over-processed hair with split ends. The pink strands now poured over her shoulders in soft, thick waves. Her pale skin glowed and her freckles, which she hated, made her appear exotically spotted. The blue of her eyes sparkled like they were made of sapphires. Flawless. Even the scar on her chin that she’d had since forever had vanished.
This was the best makeover ever.
“Do you have a scale?” she asked Angie.
She set the last of the dusty sheets in a corner. “What for?”
“It looks like I lost some weight. I just wanted to confirm it.” She examined her butt in the mirror. Those stubborn fifteen pounds she’d been struggling to lose seemed to have melted away. “I look good for someone who just broke her neck.”
Angie made a strangled noise, hands clutched to her chest.
“I didn’t mean to upset you.” She patted Angie’s shoulders, doing her best to keep her distance. “Really, I’m not mad, just disoriented. I mean, I’d be dead if Viktor hadn’t turned me.” She took a shaky breath. “I like being alive.” Even to her own ears, it sounded like she was trying to con
vince herself more than Angie.
Angie shook her head. “Everything will be different for you now.”
The dragon meant Trixie wasn’t human anymore. The rules had changed in the blink of an eye and she wasn’t even sure what those rules were. She assumed no more daylight. She sat on the edge of the loveseat. No more food. She’d have to figure out how to obtain blood. And the worst thing, vampires lived in secrecy and she sucked at lying.
Trixie massaged the bridge of her nose. Apparently, she could still have headaches. She’d come here tonight to ensure Ruby’s safety and had made things worse by dying.
“Shifters live in the open alongside humans. I know I asked this before, but why not vampires?” Trixie clutched her stomach, which was twisting in knots and not because she was hungry. She had a sister and friends that she wouldn’t give up. How did she do that without telling them what she was?
Angie rubbed her brow. “Vampires feed off humans. Do you really see the citizens of the world rolling out the red carpet for vampires?”
When Angie put it that way… “I guess not.” Trixie leaned back in the chair, pressing the back of her arm over her eyes. She wasn’t thinking straight. Those whispers were growing harder to ignore. “Where’s Viktor?” He dealt with this all the time. He had to have answers she needed so she could make these strong urges go away. “I thought Eoin was going to bring him.”
Angie scooted to the locked exit, her steps fast. “I’ll go check. Wait here.” She left and Trixie heard the lock tumble back into place. Angie was afraid of her.
Good, Trixie was afraid too. Especially since she recalled that bag of human blood with such yearning. With such lust.
“I do not understand why you are so upset.” Viktor sat upon the cut stone he had pulled out of the cell wall. The one his chain was attached to. “I am sure you can afford to reset the block. I did not even crack it.”
Eoin spluttered, “I don’t care about the fucking wall. You made a vampire.”
Not His Vampire: Vampire Romance (Not This Series Book 3) Page 4
