by Sarra Cannon
"How long should that last us? An hour?"
She nodded. "We'll need to get rid of the Tahoe soon."
Vicq slipped his hand inside his leather cloak. "Yes, but keep driving."
Elaina turned her head just in time to see another painful flinch etched onto his face. Usually, it only took him seconds to heal, but one of the bullets must have hit a major artery. "You're still hurt?" The SUV swerved off the road as she focused on him instead of it.
"Watch the road. You're driving."
"You need more blood, don't you?" Her fingers gripped the steering wheel tighter. She'd stop and feed him if she had to. "The bullet's lodged inside, isn't it?"
"Elaina, just drive." Vicq's fingers dug into the seat. "I can endure this for at least an hour until we reach cover."
She looked ahead in the darkness at the interstate signs. "No, you can't. I'm gonna stop at the next rest station."
"Go thirty more miles. We'll ditch the SUV and catch a ride to a hotel."
Dresdan were difficult to kill. Similar to humans, but with more effort, they could be destroyed one of two ways—shoot them in the head or destroy a major artery. One ensured instant death. The other was slow and torturous, draining whatever life force they had from their veins.
"Look at you, Vicq. Why don't you just teleport and get help from your coven and then tell me where to meet you. I'll follow. I promise."
"I'm not leaving you!"
His lips were set in a grim line against his teeth. There was no mistaking that he was in pain. The familiar smell of singed vampire flesh filled her nostrils with each breath.
After tugging on her seatbelt, Elaina pressed the gas pedal harder and kept her eyes on the dark path before them.
"You're trying to get yourself killed one way or the other, aren't you?"
"I should've been dead months ago, Vicq." She squeezed the steering wheel hard, her palm on fire against the leather.
"I'm trying to keep you alive. Isn't that what you want now? To remain human?"
"You won't succeed if you become a dead vampire carcass in my passenger seat."
The grin disappeared from Vicq's face. "Just drive and don't stop until you see the eighty-ninth mile marker."
A dead Dresdan was what she had thought Vicq had become. Was he so invincible that he could escape death, once, twice...three times? Damn! He'd told her more than once that he had been bitten and made by an old, powerful vampire, but she’d had no idea that he was this resistant to death.
"How'd you escape? When you were caught, one of your coven members came to me. She said you were sentenced to die by Master Russo because you had deserted your responsibilities."
He frowned. "I never deserted my responsibilities. Russo is a liar."
Several years before she and Vicq ever met, he and a group of other Dresdan had removed themselves from Russo's leadership. Even before Vicq had become a prime District target, he'd been wanted by the Dresdan Master for breaking other laws within his coven.
"Then what happened?"
"After I was caught, Soldiers took me in to receive judgment from Master Russo. I was sentenced to be executed as soon as I arrived before him." He leaned his head back against the seat and closed his eyes. "The execution failed. My Master sentenced me to starvation and then exposure to the sun. They estimated it would take three weeks to get rid of me. One day for every decade following my creation."
"So they wanted you to burn slowly?" Elaina cringed as a visual came to her of the District's use of UV rays to interrogate captured Dresdan.
He nodded. "They didn't expect a male victim held for blood to unlock my shackles."
"A human helped you? How did a human come to be in a Dresdan cell?"
"He was being kept as a Blood Slave. The cells were so overrun, they had nowhere to put them all. They could have also thrown him in to taunt me. He was a clever human. He'd made a key from a piece of scrapped wire. Instead of using it to unlock the prison doors, he unlocked my shackles." Vicq rubbed his wrists as if he were still bound by chains. He chuckled. "I guess he knew he could break free but wouldn't get very far. He needed help, and so did I."
"If you escaped together, then how did you get the Dresdan to believe you had burned to death?"
"I threw a Fledging in the cell under the sun. We escaped during daylight." Vicq lowered his head to gaze at her. "The human who helped me to escape had a price. He told me he'd gotten caught up with some District 5 recruits and decided to bail before being inducted. But before he could escape, his group was captured by our kind and kept for blood. Now...he is our kind."
Elaina gasped. "You turned him?"
"He'd been bitten by the time we made it through the gates, so the change was forthcoming. But it wasn't me who turned him. That happened later at my coven," Vicq said. "We killed all who saw us attempting escape. It wasn't that easy getting out of the prison and into broad daylight where no Fledgling would venture. I could barely withstand the sun, but I knew if I wanted to escape I'd have to dance with death first. It's a good thing I'm a very good dancer."
She smiled. "You're still cocky. Are you still hunted by Russo's Soldiers?"
"Yes," he replied, but said no more.
Elaina glanced at him from the corner of her eye. "What was the price the guy gave you for helping you escape?"
"That one day we would infiltrate District 5 research labs in search of his twin sister. She escaped death by Dresdan the day they were captured, but he believed that she was forced into District 5."
"Have you found her?"
"She's tried to contact him, so we know she's there, but we can't get to her." Vicq frowned. "The perimeter of the compound is heavily guarded. Their lasers are engineered to detect our movement, even when invisible. The only way to get in is to have inside knowledge about how they operate. We've been in contact with other District 5 members like you who want out and are willing to help us. Some, we never heard from again after a couple meetings. Others were discovered and murdered by District members. We have plans underway but are waiting for the right moment to do the most damage."
"So you needed more help?"
"Yes. But more importantly...we needed evidence and inside knowledge."
Elaina nodded and focused on the highway once again. "You've always known I have the inside knowledge."
Chapter 7
The rest stop sign couldn't have come soon enough. With Vicq fidgeting on the passenger seat and the blood slowly leaking from his ruptured side, it was enough to send her stress level soaring. He needed more blood than what he'd taken from the tracker back at the houseboat to heal. It would've been easier for him to teleport to his coven to recuperate, but he'd always been one stubborn Dresdan.
Less than a half hour after Vicq had busted the tire on the Tahoe to make it appear as if they had encountered a flat, three truckers passed them before one stopped to answer their hitchhikers sign. The trucker, a big, burly man with a Santa beard, was too friendly, asking too many questions. Elaina let Vicq do the talking. He'd always been a smooth talker, but at least it worked on this man, who seemed to want to talk forever about his travels.
The trucker dropped them off at a quaint bed and breakfast miles from the interstate. Just before he drove off, Vicq wiped most of his memory clean and sent him off with a sizable chunk of cash. They checked into a room with no problems. There had been nothing on the news or the trucker’s radio about the shootout at the houseboat. As she'd thought, the attack had more than likely been kept hush-hush from the public.
Elaina hadn't eaten since lunch. Although the complimentary popcorn and chilled bottled water waiting on the kitchenette counter wouldn't put a dent in her appetite, it had her stomach grumbling thinking about what she could eat. Vicq made a show of checking the outside perimeter before retrieving a steak knife from one of the drawers. His tanned skin had turned a murky gray, indicating that his blood levels were low. He should have been healed by now, but his body simply didn't have the energy.
Vicq took the knife with him to the bathroom where he discarded his shirt. Darkened older blood curdled around the wound, but the bright, blackened liquid still leaked from the injury.
"Did you get hit in the artery?"
"No, but close. My body's just too weak to purge this last bullet." He poised the knife over the wound.
Elaina grimaced and turned her head. She'd seen injuries like Vicq’s before, but the self-inflicted cut he was preparing to make in his gut sent her stomach rolling in revulsion. How many more bullets would he take for her? He'd already escaped death numerous times before.
The bullet clanked and bounced against the tile floor just before landing near the shower. Vicq pressed a towel to the wound and dropped the bloody knife on the counter next to him.
"I need to sleep." His eyes fluttered closed and he rested the back of his head on the wall.
"Vicq." Elaina knelt next to him and attempted to the pull the blood-soaked towel from his middle to see the damage. "When will it stop?"
"I just need to rest." He cupped his hand over hers. "Keep pressure on it."
Panic shot through her veins and her heart sped up. His hand became lax over hers, and his eyelids were completely closed. She rose to her feet and shook him. "Vicq!"
He took her by the waist and lowered her to straddle his thighs. His eyes opened. The deep hazel had turned pale. "Elaina." His colorless lips stretched across his teeth in a forced smile. "You know how this works already." His fingers caressed the back of her neck, and she brought her forehead down to meet his cold, clammy one.
"Sometimes you sleep and I never know when you'll wake again." Dresdan slumbered to regain strength in the absence of blood, but they didn't rise and shine like humans. When they willed themselves to sleep to recover, it sometimes took days before they rose again.
He chuckled. "Are you referring to that time you left me in slumber after I saved you from your traitorous posse?"
He'd save her many times before from being captured. The one time that came to mind was when he'd taken a bullet to the chest to save her. He'd recovered for nearly twenty-four hours in an old abandoned barn while she’d kept guard during the day.
"I grew tired waiting for you to wake up. I was so angry with myself. I thought I would never talk to you again. I kissed you and was about to leave when you rose," Elaina said.
"That's all there is to it. Just kiss me. I'll rise." His lips brushed softly against hers.
She parted her own in invitation and their lips meshed together. Pressing her fingers to his bare chest, she reveled in the sweet taste of him. He thrust his tongue against hers, devouring her. His fingers dragged softly through her hair in a gentle caress. She didn't want to pull away, but he rendered her breathless.
"What if you don't wake up?" she asked as his fingers traced her hairline.
"Head to my sanctuary. Remember how you always told me about your dreams of escaping to the mountains? You'll be welcomed by my coven members. They know who you are." His breath tickled her face. "Black Mountain—”
"No, I'm not leaving you. Never again." She lifted the steak knife from the bathroom counter and slit the skin just above the vein in her wrist. Blood pooled immediately.
Vicq jerked upright. "Elaina!"
"Drink."
His eyes widened at the sight of the thick, red fluid draining down her forearm. "Despite the Dresdan infection, part of you is still human and delicate enough to harm if I were to take too much. The amount of blood I require to completely heal will kill you. Slumber is the safest solution."
"I'm stronger than you think." She shoved her wrist at him. "I've always trusted you with my life. You know when to stop feeding. I've told you before...I'll be your Donor for life."
Vice lifted her wrist to his mouth and licked the wound. "It has been your heart I have wanted all this time, not just your blood."
His eyes closed and his forehead creased in concentration as he savored the small amount of blood. The sip was not enough to give him the strength he required.
When she looked down at her wrist, she saw that the regenerative properties in his saliva had healed her split skin. "You refused me?"
"One of us must stay strong. You do understand that, right? You remember how it was before."
Elaina nodded. Not only did she need to stay strong for him, but she also needed to stay strong for herself. "I remember." He protected her. She protected him. When one of them was out of commission because of a wound or otherwise, the other stood guard.
"I need sleep. When night falls, we'll journey again."
Before she could voice her protest, Vicq rose on shaky legs, cradling her in his arms. He carried her into the bedroom and laid her across the covers then stretched out beside her and stroked strands of hair back from her face. As his eyelids fell over his irises, his facial features softened and his hand grew slack, then stilled on her cheek. He'd willed himself to slumber with his arms wrapped around her.
She lifted her fingers to touch his neck. He’d even stopped his pulse. She buried her head against his chest but could not feel or hear the familiar rhythm of his heartbeat.
Curling against him, Elaina sighed. She closed her eyes and followed her lover into a deep sleep.
Chapter 8
Elaina’s eyes flew open and deep hazel ones stared back at her. The adoration in them brought her back to reality, but so did the feet shuffling and people moving about outside of their hotel room door. Her memories came back to her in flashes. The night before and escaping with Vicq. An attempt by District 5 to capture her. Their escape.
Vicq grinned. "You still snore when you sleep."
How long had he been awake staring at her, listening to her snore? "It's not funny."
Yet, she was silently elated to have woken up next to him. For the past four months, she'd slept alone in her bed, taking in each day for what it was. So many mornings she'd risen, thinking that she'd never know what true love felt like again. She'd never experience how it felt to have someone care for her, more than they cared for themselves.
He made a straight face. "I wasn't laughing."
She reached out to touch the skin on his stomach. The wound in his torso had healed completely. New skin covered where the deep gash had disappeared.
Her gaze traveled up to take in his appearance. As a result of his heritage, he had an even, dark olive complexion that complimented his silky black hair. She loved the way it gleamed under the moonlight whenever they’d spent time under it together in the past. Four months ago, he’d kept his hair trimmed and cut short, but now it had grown slightly past his shoulders. He’d also lost weight, either from being held so long in his prison without feeding or because he’d failed to seek the nourishment he needed thereafter.
"I don’t like seeing you suffer. I'm glad you've healed," she said.
He moaned as her fingers slid across his soft, tight skin, following a trail of hair to his waistband. "The pain is gone from there, but I ache in other places."
Her cheeks grew heated at the same time she caught sight of the erection behind the zipper of his jeans. It had been so long since she'd been with him, yet she remembered how it was. How generous he could be as a lover. He was skilled in the ways of giving her pleasure. Their past endless nights of practice had seen to that.
Vicq drew her closer and his kisses rained down on her forehead. His lips pressed to hers and she accepted his kiss and returned it with love. Moments later, their breaths came in pants and their tongues entwined in a sensual frenzy. His fingers played in her hair, coaxing her deeper into the kiss.
He dragged her against him, then over him. Her thighs fell into place around his waist as he came to sit in an upright position on the bed. His lips flirted along the edge of her face, chin, and finally found the crevice of her neck. The heat of his tongue laved against her skin, trailing along her pulsing vein. Her loins clenched in hunger for the release she knew he could and would give. Tingles rose up her spine, and her c
hest grew heated with lust. Her body had been neglected for too long. Now, it craved Vicq's caress like never before.
"Vicq." Elaina lifted her chin as he nipped at the underside of her jaw. She wanted this so much, but... "You won't want me anymore if I don't stay human."
Vicq pulled back and narrowed his eyes. "What makes you think that?"
"You prefer my human blood."
“I prefer you. They don’t know anything about the Dresdan. They don’t know what we prefer. Have your District ways set in again? Do you believe their lies?”
She frowned, a little hurt by his accusation. “Don’t ever again imply that I find reason with District practices. What I meant was that you accepted me before as your human Donor. I’m not quite human anymore, am I?”
“There is no other for me. Whether you are vampire, human, or hybrid…you are mine." His gaze drifted down and then back up at her. "We've discovered a way for Dresdan to live without large amounts of blood from humans. An earlier mentality still exists that we need to kill to survive. We don't."
"How is that possible?"
"A scientist within my coven has found a link. We've always shared our blood with each other in the past because the agent in the vampire blood is even stronger than human blood. This is why Dresdan who murder their own kind drain them until the last drop."
Vicq took a deep breath and pressed his eyes closed for only a second.
It was one reason why the District thought Dresdan so heinous. Because many of them killed their kind to grow stronger. Was he suggesting that all Dresdan lived off the blood of their kind? Would that not lead to their extinction in the end?
She shook her head. "What does that mean?"
"We have a bonded couple in our sanctuary. They've not taken an ounce of human blood since they were mated."
"So they feed off each other?"
