Right. Like I was going to go hang where the vampires went most. Guilt ate at me immediately for the thought. I needed to quit thinking that way if I was going to be staying there for a while.
“How many vampires live here?” I asked
“Around forty. We have others we consider part of our nest, but as they gain control of themselves, they’re allowed to leave whenever they’d like. The only ones we keep locked down are the newborns. Maciah doesn’t like to clean up messes.”
No, I bet he didn’t.
“Where does everyone stay if there are only twelve rooms?” I asked.
“The property is a few acres in size. We have small cabins built out in the trees behind the main house where most of them stay. Everyone comes and goes between those and the main house for food and showers and whatever.”
That was good to know. I’d have to start paying attention to faces in hopes of remembering them and not accidentally killing them later. Unless, of course, they gave me a reason.
“Here’s the media room,” Rachel said as she cracked open one side of the double doors.
I peeked in. There were three rows of chairs, a few bean bags, and a popcorn machine I could see before taking in the full wall projection screen. There were a few vampires in there watching a movie I hadn’t seen, which didn’t surprise me. I’d never really made time for that kind of entertainment.
I closed the door and nodded. “Looks like fun.”
“Super convincing, Am. Super.”
I just shrugged. I liked what I liked.
We continued, passing closed doors that Rachel said were more bedrooms, then headed to the first floor from the opposite stairs I’d been using. She turned left and we ended up in the kitchen. It was small, like I expected, and I could see the “game room” just on the other side. They had Pac-Man and a Marvel pinball machine plus a pool table and foosball. That was where I might find myself playing if I couldn’t sleep.
Nikki was already in the kitchen. She had noodles and premade sauce from a jar already out and a pot of water boiling on the stove. “Who’s hungry?” she asked.
My stomach growled in answer, and they both laughed.
“It’s weird, right?” Nikki asked.
“Being here, cooking normal food with vampires? No, not at all,” I deadpanned.
She grinned. “I was suspicious when Rachel told me about you. I’m sorry again for the way I acted at first, but I think we’re going to get along just fine. So long as you don’t try to stab me.”
“Don’t try to drink my blood and I won’t,” I replied with a wink.
Rachel clapped her hands. “Ahh, this makes me so happy. We’re like one big happy family.”
Tension tightened in my chest at Rachel’s use of family. I’d had one of those before. One of the best there ever could have been. My mom might have kept my heritage from me, but I didn’t fault her for that. She’d been left all alone with her secret and done the best she could. The thought of having another family after them was painful.
“So, what do we need to do next?” Rachel asked, reaching for the sauce.
Nikki jerked the jar away from her. “You get to sit there and look pretty. Amersyn and I will handle the cooking. We don’t need another cake repeat.”
She sighed. “That was not my fault. It was a mistake anyone could have made.”
I glanced between them. “What happened to the cake?”
“She used salt instead of sugar. I don’t think I’ve ever tasted anything so nasty.” Nikki gagged for emphasis.
Another vampire came in while Nikki put the sauce in a pot to heat up. He went straight to the fridge, grabbed a bottle of something, then turned to leave.
“Hey, Eddie. How’s the newborn?” Rachel asked.
Eddie turned around. He had a black eye, mussed auburn hair, and torn-up clothes. “How do you think it’s going?”
I glanced down at the bottle he grabbed. It had a date and blood type on the side. I tried not to be irritated at its sight. Maciah had said all of their “food” was donated by well-compensated humans, but still… I was having a hard time accepting that the bottled stuff was good enough for all of these vampires.
“Let us know if you need help,” Nikki said, and Eddie left with a nod.
I stared at the kitchen counter, wondering once again how I had gotten myself into this situation
Rachel approached me, grabbing my elbow. “Are you okay?”
“Yeah, everything is all good.” I looked over at Nikki. “What can I do?”
“Grab the bread from the pantry, butter it up, and get it in the oven. I already preheated it.”
I turned away from Rachel before she could try to get me to open up. Keeping busy was going to be the only way I’d be able to stay, so that’s what I did. I got the bread ready, found a tray, and got the slices in the oven. I’d taken my time, so that when I was finished, Nikki had dishes I could wash.
“You don’t have to clean up if you cook,” she said.
“I don’t mind,” I replied, setting a glass bowl in the top rack of the dishwasher.
They let me continue after that, and I finished the dishes only to begin wiping down counters. Nikki grabbed my hand when I was near the stove. “You’re freaking me out. Stop.”
“Stop what?” I asked, playing dumb.
“Rage cleaning. I used to do that. You know, before. I see now why it used to drive my husband nuts,” she said.
“You had a husband?” I asked, sadness lacing my words.
“I did. And a son. They think I’m dead. It’s better that way,” she replied, voice hard.
I didn’t want to pry on a sensitive subject, so I left the conversation alone. I knew how hard talking about the past could be. I was barely able to do it myself without feeling like my heart was going to shatter.
Soon after, our dinner was ready. We got our plates ready and took them to the living room. As we sat down, a group of three guys came in. One of them inhaled deeply, causing me to grip my fork tightly, prepared to use it as a weapon.
“Oh, my favorite. Please tell me there is more,” the first one asked.
“Yeah, in the kitchen. Help yourselves,” Nikki said.
The new arrivals blurred out of existence before I could blink.
“There really aren’t many women around here, are there?” I asked.
Rachel shook her head. “Only a handful, and they’re not usually up for socializing after what they’ve been through.”
My heart hurt for them. I hated to think of women being tortured. It made me want to find Silas even sooner.
I took a few bites, because I really was starving, then asked about the bloodsucker. “So, how are we going to find Silas in Salem? You said he’s moved, but do you know where exactly?”
Nikki took a drink from a coffee cup, and I tried to think of the liquid as anything other than blood. “No, that’s what Maciah would have gone and made calls about. He has other contacts that might help him. I’d imagine he would also reach out to the wolf pack we recently assisted and put them on call in case we need them.”
“I didn’t think supernaturals normally worked together like that,” I said, remembering how Zeke was bragging about saving the world.
“We don’t, but Zeke made friends with a wolf named Sam. Her pack was in trouble, and he convinced Maciah to make an exception, even though we knew things with Silas were getting worse again. Though, we didn’t know you existed at the time,” Nikki answered.
Rachel groaned and put her food down. She acted full, rubbing her stomach, but she’d only eaten a quarter of what was on her plate before reaching for her own mug. “Maciah will have a plan. He always does, and everything will be just fine.”
I tried not to laugh as she spoke, settling for just a grin at the way she always held her pinky out as she drank. That girl was the epitome of positivity. At first, I’d thought she would drive me crazy with it, but the more I got to know her, the more endearing I found her personalit
y. There was nothing fake or forced. It was just who she was at the core, and not even becoming a vampire had taken that away from her.
My mind wandered at that thought, and I wondered who I’d have been if my family hadn’t been murdered. Would my mom eventually have told me who I was? Did she know that I’d turn into a bloodsucker once I died? So many questions that I’d never get answers to, but I didn’t let that bother me.
They were gone, and I wasn’t ever going to let anger or disappointment taint the time we’d had together. What was done was done, and there was no going back to change things. All I could do now was hope that I found the remaining three vampires—including Viktor, since he wasn’t actually dead—and finish what I vowed to do.
Maciah came down the stairs as I stood to take plates back to the kitchen. Our eyes met, and there was no denying that a connection existed between us. No matter how much I wished it wasn’t true.
“If you’re all done with dinner, I was hoping you’d come to my office for a moment,” Maciah said to me.
I glanced back at Rachel and Nikki. I didn’t want to ditch them, but I was also curious what Maciah wanted and what he might have figured out on the calls he’d made.
“We’ll catch up later,” Rachel said, taking the dishes from me.
I met Maciah on the stairs. His hand settled on my mid-back, and I tried not to react to his closeness. We made our way into his office, and I hurried to one of the chairs, hoping to put some separation between us. Only, that didn’t work out at all how I planned.
Maciah grabbed the other chair and positioned it in front of me, then sat. He was close enough that our knees were touching, and if we both leaned forward… I tried not to picture that scenario. Tried and failed.
“So, what’s up?” I asked, the pitch in my voice too high to be normal.
“First, I was going to offer to order you food, but I see that’s not needed. Second, I wanted to check in on you,” he said.
I smirked. “Are you going to do that often out of necessity?”
He leaned forward, reaching for my hand. “Don’t act like you have no idea what’s going on, Amersyn. There is something more than the need to protect you between us, something that has nothing to do with you being an original heir and everything to do with you being a stunning woman. I thought you would have realized that after our chat in the car.”
Well, fang me. There was a difference between assuming the growing connection between us and hearing him come right out and say something. I just hoped that whatever line we were slowly crossing didn’t come back to bite us in the ass.
“Nothing to say to that?” he challenged with a raised brow.
I sat up and gestured between us. “Yes, I agree there is something there, but what are we supposed to do about it?”
“This.”
17
Maciah was on his feet, lifting me up from the chair with his hands tangled in my dark strands before I could think to back away from him. He moved in, only pausing when he was a breath away from my lips. He was giving me the opportunity to stop whatever was happening.
Only that wasn’t what I wanted.
I closed the distance between us and grabbed onto his dress shirt, as if it could anchor me to this moment. A moment that was going to change everything. We might have kissed before, but something about this instance was different.
I was attracted to a vampire. In a way, I was bonded to him. I should have run in the opposite direction. Instead, I decided right then that I was tired of being alone.
If Maciah wanted to act on our attraction, then I was game as well. My mouth opened to his, and our tongues danced. I tasted the citrus on him, moaning as he pulled me flush against him. His hands reached down, lifting my legs and wrapping them around his waist.
He walked us backward. I had no idea where he was going. All I knew was that I didn’t want him to let go of me. One of my hands still gripped his shirt while the other dove into his longer coffee-colored hair. I tightened my legs around him, feeling his hard length growing between us.
The pressure made me want things from Maciah that I had no business wanting, but still, I couldn’t help myself. He was powerful and resourceful. A bit of a prick, but also kind. The fact that he was a vampire didn’t bother me as much as it had before. Or at least, that was what I was telling myself.
As our tongues continued to battle, hands roamed over each of our bodies, learning every curve and dip. Maciah had scars I could feel under his white dress shirt that I moved to unbutton, but his hands covered mine as he pulled back.
“Nobody is getting undressed,” he murmured against my cheek.
“Why not?” I asked, even though I had no intention of having sex with him. At least, not yet. A man needed to work a whole lot harder before he got all the way in my pants. Protector or not, I had standards.
“Because we have other things to discuss, and if this continues much longer, we won’t get anything done,” he answered more firmly, and the mood was gone.
I pulled back, supporting myself on his desk as he took two steps away. Yeah, that was probably for the best. Though, I didn’t miss the opportunity to let my eyes wander south and check out the growing package I’d been pressed against. Even through his slacks, I already knew he’d be bigger than anyone I’d been with in the past.
Though, it wasn’t like I had heaps of experience. There had only been two guys in my life before that I’d gotten serious with, the last being more than three years ago. Yeah, I was overdue.
Maciah adjusted himself when he saw me staring, and I smirked. “Got something to hide?”
“There’s no hiding what I have,” he replied confidently, moving around me and to the other side of his desk.
I hopped off the wooden surface and watched as he grabbed his phone, checking text messages. “What did you learn?” I asked.
“Viktor’s crew is the one who trashed your apartment. Silas is still moving his nest to Salem and wasn’t involved. As far as I’m aware of, the two don’t know they’re both after you. Likely for different reasons,” Maciah answered.
“And what reasons would those be exactly?” I knew Silas wanted my blood, and I knew Viktor was likely pissed I almost killed him, but there had to be more to it.
“Silas is an old vampire. He might not look like it, but he’s dying. Made vampires aren’t meant to live forever. Centuries? Yes, but not for all time. Not unless they’re an original.”
My eyes widened, and I spoke up. “Does that mean…?”
“That I’m not sure about. Heirs have long been hunted and killed. Other made vampires were jealous of them and that was where things began to go wrong for our kind. When people began to think of us as Night Demons instead of supernaturals. We used to have families like the shifters. Homes like the witches. Now, we do our best to survive.”
I glanced around, gesturing to the mansion we were standing in. “Seems like you’ve done pretty well at surviving.”
“You have no idea what I’ve gone through to make this life, Amersyn.” His voice was solemn, and I felt slightly bad for my comment.
He continued. “Back to Silas. Last I heard, he was dying. Sooner than he was okay with. He has been researching since I’ve known him on ways to become as powerful as an original. Every attempt has failed for him and caused him to become sick. Likely from the dark magic used during his various attempts.”
“So, he thinks with my blood that he can be healed and become something he was never meant to be?” I asked.
Maciah nodded. “That is my understanding. I believe he’s known you existed for some time now, and the closer he got to you, the closer I was drawn to you. I’ve lived in Portland for nearly a decade now. We have always stayed out of the shadows where most vampires prefer to live. Until a few weeks ago when I decided it was time we checked in on the other vampires around us.”
I’d only been in Portland a few years. My family had been murdered in Eugene, a couple hours South. I’d begun my hun
ting there, hoping to find answers closer to home, but every move I made brought me further North. I’d thought that was just the direction the vampires were moving, and I had intended to continue on to Seattle soon, but maybe I’d been drawn to Maciah as well.
“When you say he needs my blood, are we talking like just a vial or the whole shebang?” I asked, because that was probably something good to know ahead of time.
Maciah’s eyes darkened to almost black. “I’m not sure, but that doesn’t matter. We’re going to kill him before he gets the chance to take anything from you.”
I liked that idea. It was one I could get behind. But one thing I’d learned since officially becoming a hunter was that plans didn’t often go the way we wanted. We needed to be prepared for scenarios A, B, and C. If we had to get to D, we were probably screwed anyway, so I never thought that far. Just my opinion. Thankfully, it hadn’t been proven yet.
“How do we find Silas?” I asked.
“He’s holed up in Sacramento until things are ready in Salem, which sounds like only a few days from now. We’ve gone to his current nest several times, and unfortunately, he normally has more than enough guards to give us trouble. Silas might be dying, but he hasn’t stopped turning new vampires. He is recruiting dozens every month. Some don’t survive, or we get lucky and grab them, but most he keeps. There are probably two hundred vampires that live on his property, and from the sounds of it, more than one hundred are already in Salem.”
Two hundred… I had a hard time processing that number. I’d been to some big nests, but never had I heard of anything that large. My skin crawled, and my hands itched to go get my crossbow and begin hunting. The best part about my crossbow was I could take out plenty of bloodsuckers from a distance, leaving them none the wiser as to where I stayed in the shadows.
“What about Viktor? Is he only after me because I almost killed him?” I asked, wanting to make sure I got as much information as I could while we were on the subject.
Maciah grimaced, handing me his phone. It was a photo sent by text message from an unknown number. A wanted poster with a question mark inside the shape of a face and a five-million-dollar reward for the death of an original vampire.
Vampire Heir (Scorned by Blood Book 1) Page 12
