Ava outstretched her arm and using a fingernail, cut across her skin, drawing blood. The sight of it immediately struck her, her body yearning for the taste with a dark hunger.
“Will drinking from another vampire harm me in any way?” she asked.
“Only if it’s your sire.”
A reasonable explanation. She took hold of the woman’s arm and lowered her mouth, feeling the warm liquid between her lips as she pressed them against her skin. She drank deeply and after a few seconds passed, her body suddenly resisted. She tensed and spluttered in disgust, pushing Ava’s arm away and wiping at her mouth.
“What the hell?”
“This is why vampires don’t drink from each other. The body rejects it long before we’re satisfied. Because it’s more potent than a human’s blood, you’ll be fine for another day. After that, you must feed and I promise you, tasting a human is far more nourishing. Once you take that vital step, the Newborn trial begins.”
Madison merely nodded, still shaken from what had taken place. She couldn’t discern her motives but assumed she wanted to warn her about Liam out of some misguided notion to earn his attention, or make her jealous and conflicted. It no longer mattered.
“Okay. Thanks. I hope I don’t see you again.”
She raised an eyebrow. “Don’t tell Liam you fed from me. He’s a Council member and won’t approve of tasting another vampire.”
She stilled. “It’s forbidden?”
“Very. Now you know. Farewell.”
The bitch. She left without looking back, her footsteps echoing as she descended. That was the catch, the trap she’d set which she’d blindly walked into. She’d unwittingly disobeyed a Council rule with the potential for future blackmail. She’d been too trusting, despite Liam’s promise she’d be safe here.
Anger from Liam hiding the truth about Trev had driven her to Ava. Controlling her emotions was becoming difficult. This was all spiraling out of control…she needed to get a grip. Focus. Stop picturing Trev’s dead body.
The door to the central Council opened up across the hall and Liam emerged with a troubled expression on his face. It tore at her. They were both haunted by their demons but just the sight of him eased something within her.
Madison reached for him. “How’d the meeting go?”
“The usual. Are you okay, sweetheart? You need to feed. Let’s go.”
“And then the trial begins, right?”
He looked perplexed. “How’d you know about that?”
“Thanks to your friend, I found out.”
“Who, exactly?”
“I met her earlier. She’s supposedly the first one you turned.”
“Ah.” Liam looked pained and briefly closed his eyes. “Ava.”
“Were you ever going to tell me about the trial?”
“I planned to later. Ava’s very manipulative, always has been to any woman I turn.”
And she’d manipulated her. The harsh insight still burned. “She’s obsessed with you.”
They stepped out into the open air. He laughed and shook his head. “I have no interest in her.”
He seemed distressed, as though the mention of Ava had stirred up memories of the past. She’d leave the confession of drinking from her until later, an admittance that would validate his disappointment in her. Ignoring her hunger had compromised her awareness and she’d ensure her reluctance would never impede her again.
“You can’t avoid the Newborn trial. Even if you don’t kill, Trevor’s death will be linked to you. Only a matter of time before you’re found. The Council ensure Newborn trials for those sired by members are inevitable. If you aren’t ready to feed now, the trial must proceed. I’m sorry.”
Madison stared at the heavy curtains surrounding the house, wishing she could wrench them open and see sunlight again. She wanted to feel warmth on her skin, heat she’d never find again. Something had to stop this coldness. This numb feeling that made her feel more dead than she already was.
Liam left, saying that he needed to draw the attention of the police. This is it. The moment of her inevitable death. With Trevor’s body discovered and DNA traces linking to her, the police would come.
The Newborn trial had begun.
She looked at her old cell phone with over ten messages remaining and caught sight of ones from Trevor, swallowing back her pain. He was dead. And soon, she’d feel it too. She needed to make one final call.
Her mom answered. “Madison? You won’t believe what was on the news! Trevor’s dead. He’s been murdered!”
“I-I know.”
“Rachel called earlier, she’s been trying to contact you. She’s out of town, but she’s concerned.”
She squeezed her eyes shut, speechless. She wanted to tell her mom everything, to prepare her for the inevitable pain that would follow after her death. She grasped the phone, remembering their rare Saturday nights together watching Grace Kelly movies with chocolate candy corn.
But she disconnected the call.
She tossed the phone aside, wiping at her face. She didn’t know what to say—anything would sound suspicious. Instead of the instant finality of death, she faced the extended, painful process of watching it happen to her and hurt the ones she loved. It infringed on the edges of her rational mind, threatening to break her. She’d fall apart if not for Liam.
She heard a car pull up outside and hesitated. She stared at the door, too afraid to move. If the police arrived, she had no choice but to surrender to whatever they intended.
The door burst open and Liam entered, cloaked in a black blanket that he threw off himself. He kicked the door shut and walked over, taking hold of her hands. His grip was strong. Protective.
“Shit. I’m sorry I can’t ease you into this.”
She glanced at the curtains, noticing the flash of red and blue lights. “I’ll never be ready. What happens now? Do…the police kill me?”
“I do. I know how to make you appear dead. Do you want it to look like suicide or a homicide?”
“Wow. Every girl wants to make that choice.”
“Make it fast. We don’t have time.”
She shivered. Liam seemed to notice her discomfort for he placed his hand on her arm. At his touch, her breathing slowed and she was drawn to the sight of his toned arms. Remembered the heat of his bite, how hard he’d been and how desperately she wanted to have him inside her.
She thought of her family. “Homicide. I think it’ll be easier…for them to accept.”
He nodded. “I’ll break you and you’ll fall into a deep sleep. You won’t awaken for three days and by then you’ll be in a coffin underground. The funeral service will be over. You’ll have to dig to the surface.”
She winced at the thought of being trapped underground. “God. It’s so cruel.”
“It’s tradition. Only through death can you accept your fate.” He pressed a kiss to her lips, drawing forth a surge of desire. She clung to him, feeling the broadness of his chest, the pressure of his kiss consuming her over and over. His fingers threaded through her hair and she melted into his touch. Her pussy was tight, every part of her needing to have him take her right there. Nothing else mattered. She needed more. Needed him.
Liam pulled away, his brow furrowed. She blinked, desire still burning through her, bringing her to life.
But it had to wait. She had to relax.
“Where will you be?”
That sexy smile of his appeared. “Always close to you, my love.”
“I don’t want this…God, I don’t want this.”
She clenched her fists, her mind spinning. She was terrified, and fear was evoking her annoyance at Liam, the catalyst to all her torment. To be buried underground she’d be facing death again, and living through it.
He kissed her forehead. “I didn’t want this. If anything, I wanted to keep you safe, not put you through this hell. But I’ll get you through it. We’ll make it work, together. I’ll wait for you once you awaken. Just stay still.�
� He placed his hands on either side of her head. “Close your eyes.”
She did. And felt his soft lips brush hers before he pulled away.
“I’ll see you soon,” he promised, his breath caressing her face. His kiss stole her fear, and her last thought was that he must’ve intended it to.
A hugely uncomfortable tension around her neck made her tense. The sound of bone grating on bone resonated as her vision darkened. Then there was nothing.
Madison restrained from opening her eyes, a paralyzing dread overcoming her. But the silence was hard to endure.
Relenting to the unknown, she pried them open to meet a darkness she’d never seen before. Death.
She froze and reached out with shaky hands. A few inches on either side, she felt wood. Solid wood. She kicked out with her legs and felt it again. She was enclosed, trapped inside a box. A coffin. The trial!
“God. My neck…” She grimaced. It was at an awkward angle and she tilted her head. A satisfying click alerted her that it’d settled into place. Only then did the pain start. She rubbed at the nape of her neck, struggling to move around in the tight space. Her movements were sluggish, her body adjusting to being used after a long period of time.
She stopped to calm herself and accept where she was, buried six feet below the earth. Endless masses of dirt were between her and the world above, and she needed to elicit the desperation to break free.
Madison drew in a breath. Had to smash through the coffin and dig upwards, no matter how long it took. She’d break the surface and Liam would rescue her. But moving through dirt wasn’t like swimming in water. Her strength had waned after spending days buried.
She was in a graveyard next to thousands of the dead and she was the only one awake and alive with them.
Focus.
Licking her dry lips, she raised her hands, pushing them hard against the rough surface. She wasn’t claustrophobic, but the longer she stayed, the more of a chance she’d develop it.
She pushed against the wood, hearing it creak but it didn’t break. So she swung upwards, feeling it fracture beneath her knuckles. The pain was distant and as she withdrew, dirt began to filter through.
She broke off pieces of wood, widening the hole to escape. Then propped herself up, both hands against the hole as the dirt showered her, threatening to bury her alive. It pounded the coffin like heavy rain, weighing her down.
Dirt pressed against her face as she merged into it, scrambling to propel forward. With her feet braced against the floor of the coffin, she pushed off and squirmed her way upwards. The dirt felt damp and heavy, the earthy smell and taste seeping deep into her lungs.
She scrambled in the motion of a swimmer, hands scraping dirt downwards as she lashed out with her legs to push closer to the surface. But the weight of the dirt pressed down. With her eyes closed, she felt it within her mouth and nose as her breathing reflexes continued.
Madison struggled, continuing the motions with no perception of position, only the awareness that she was lost, trapped below the surface. She could do nothing but keep going. Horror had long gone, replaced by the determination to get out.
Above, she felt wet soil, her fingers touching roots. She pushed farther, her hands breaking the surface and finding cool, empty air. As she attempted to maneuver to get a grip and pull herself out, a hand grasped hers. She let herself be pulled free.
The dirt gave way, tearing past with speed as she emerged into freedom and the taste of air. Light burned into her eyes and she squeezed them shut. Hands grasped her waist and pulled the rest of her from the ground. She fell against a solid chest and slumped against him.
Too tired. Too overwhelmed. She wiped dirt from her eyes.
“You need to feed,” he said. Liam. She raised her head to meet his familiar green eyes. “I’m disobeying the Council by being here. I waited, attended the funeral. Procedure is to come and assist hours after escaping but I couldn’t leave you.”
Madison hesitated. “Why risk that?”
“For you.” Liam smiled, lowering his head closer.
His lips fell on hers and she forgot that she was lying in his arms, her body caked in dirt. His kiss enveloped her, tasting her with a dire hunger as if he’d lost her.
Liam broke it. “I knew what you were about to face and couldn’t let you endure it alone, as I once did.”
She reached up to gently touch him and felt the rough curve of his cheek, the smoothness of his skin. God. She’d never felt such immense relief and happiness to see someone.
And still, the knowledge he’d caused this lingered.
“It’ll take time before you regain your strength. Newborn senses are dulled for at least a month.”
“I’ll be okay. What will you tell the Council?”
“That I have you. And face whatever they deem necessary.”
She stared at him in disbelief. “I don’t like you putting yourself at risk.”
“I’d do anything for you, Madison. Never forget that.”
She shook her head. He was too much. “How could you do all of this for me? What makes me so special?”
“Because you bring me to life in a way that’s incomparable.”
She was at a loss, overwhelmed by all this. He held her close for several moments as she let the pain and turmoil drain from her. A moment of respite in the arms of a man she was falling for.
Liam led her out of Evergreens Cemetery and she stared up at the sky sprinkled with barely visible stars. Slowly, everything became vaguely familiar, drifting to the surface. Memories. Her legs shook as she followed him to a dark sedan with tinted windows.
“What happened after you…killed me?”
“The police found you and reported it as a homicide. Your trial is over.”
She slid into the car. “Great. I know I need to feed but a shower seems more important.”
Liam glanced at her as he started the engine. “I’m taking you downtown. You have to feed, or you won’t make it.”
She swallowed. Hell, she already felt dead, her limbs heavy from being cramped in her coffin. “What about animal or synthetic blood?”
“Your body will reject it. We’re still partially human and need the blood of one to sustain ourselves. There’s another option, but it’s risky in your state. You feed off a human and release them before they die, very rare for a Newborn to achieve on their first kill.”
She met his gaze. “I remember…Ava told me you killed a woman. That’s why you were at the diner.”
A frown creased his face. “An accidental kill. The guilt haunted me. I hadn’t done it in years, and didn’t want to regress. I had to set it right. In my desperation, I thought I could apologize but never dared confront her sister.”
“And the homeless man?”
“It happened, also. As I said, you were my reminder humanity wasn’t lost.”
Warmth spread through her, sobered by her trial. “I try to think about what you’ve seen, been through. How many have you killed?”
“Enough to lose count.”
Something occurred for him to be endorsed as a Council member. Was it a membership that required infamy from kills? She couldn’t ignore it. It was a part of him that no longer existed and she had to accept there was more to come.
Liam parked next to a group of homeless people gathered around a dumpster, rummaging for anything left from the restaurant across the street.
“No pointers?”
“Don’t take too much or you’ll be dealing with a corpse.”
“Right. Time to hunt.”
Wasn’t that the term? The people around her were now considered food. This felt wrong yet natural. How could she endure this constant battle to keep her humanity? How could she view this state as a blessing and not a curse?
Madison opened the car door, drawing the attention of four people. A bearded man began to chuckle. “What happened to you?”
“Girl, you got any money?” another asked. “Or we’ll just beat it outta ya.”
Shit. She intended to bruise him, not give him potential brain damage. The men looked down at their fallen friend, as if weighing their options. She waited. They left quickly.
She knelt over the man and immediately wrinkled her nose—she didn’t need enhanced senses to be able to smell him. As she caught sight of the pulse in his neck, a powerful hunger took over. The hunger for Ava’s blood seemed minor compared to this. Her entire body, not just her stomach, ached for it.
She lowered to his neck, hesitant. A dark primal instinct took over and she bit into his skin. He was unconscious and unaware of what was happening.
She drank deep, clinging to him as though her life depended on it. The endless need for blood had finally been satisfied. She could kill him, and almost wanted to. He was homeless. No one would care, or notice.
But she resisted. He was a human just as she had once been, and she couldn’t end his life.
She pulled free and let him fall, watching as the blood flowed from his neck onto the ground. He looked unnaturally pale. I felt his pulse. He was alive. Yet she recalled Liam’s words, and her face fell. She hadn’t killed the man outright but he’d eventually die from the blood loss. She took too much.
She stepped away, aware she felt no guilt over his imminent death. No emotions pulled at her, no feelings wracked her body. She was completely calm. An efficient killer.
Liam had been watching intently from the car. She walked toward him and pulled open the door.
“Next time you feed, we do it together,” he said. “The first time is always the hardest.”
Madison slid into the car, wanting to ease the small part of her which enjoyed feeling his life drain away. They drove away from the alley. She was grateful for the silence, her mind dwelling on dark thoughts. She wanted to keep her humanity and it was becoming harder to accept that notion wasn’t possible.
Awakened by the Vampire Page 7
