Craig's Heart

by N. J. Walters

  “As usual, my friend is right.” Damek stepped forward, and this time he allowed his power to expand until it filled the space. “I won’t have this kind of violence around my wife.” The threat was clear. If they didn’t all cool down, the vampire might easily kill them all and dispose of their bodies. Well, all but Craig’s. Evie really didn’t think Damek would harm him.

  The short hairs on Evie’s arms all stood on end and she swallowed hard, feeling a heavy pressure on her mind and body. How much power did this guy have?

  “This is my home and you will behave yourselves or you will leave.” Damek motioned toward the two sofas. No one contradicted the vampire and all of them sat. All but the tall werewolf with the buzz cut. He stood behind Chrissten like a protective warrior.

  The tension was so thick it was difficult to breathe. Not that she really needed to breathe, or at least she didn’t think she did. She still had a lot to learn about being a vampire. There were things she needed to know and, unfortunately, only one person who could teach them to her.

  Evie moved as far away from the group as she could without bringing Damek’s attention to her. Even with Damek’s warning, she wasn’t sure if any of the werewolves would attack her if given the opportunity. It’s what she would do in their shoes.

  She liked the fact they were willing to fight on their brother’s behalf, even if it was her they wanted to kill. She perched on the arm of the sofa farthest away from the rest of them but stayed ready to move if need be.

  Quinn shot her a murderous glare before turning his attention to Craig. “I think you’d better tell us everything.”

  Craig leaned his head back against the leather headrest and talked, starting with the night he’d found her. He left out the details of how sick he’d been. She wasn’t sure if it was to spare his siblings, to keep them from attacking her or simply because he didn’t remember. Either way she was grateful.

  She hadn’t known the entire story of how he’d come upon her that night and eagerly soaked up the details. There was so much about Craig she didn’t know. What she did know was that he was incredibly kind and good without being a pushover. He was strong and loyal. Determined. Independent. And intelligent.

  “Damek brought us here and he’s been helping both of us learn how to deal with our new reality.” Craig was pale when he finished. He sat forward, linked his hands together, resting his elbows on his knees. “Now you know everything.”

  Chrissten shook her head. “No, not everything.” There was genuine pain in her voice, pain Evie could feel. “Why didn’t you call us instead of Damek?”

  Craig rose, went to his sister and crouched down in front of her. Her husband stirred behind her but didn’t move to stop Craig. Which was good, because if he tried to do anything like that, Evie would have to stop him.

  She stilled and frowned. What went on between Craig and his family was none of her business. Intellectually, she knew that. But emotionally it was quite a different matter.

  “I didn’t mean to hurt you,” Craig told his sister. He touched her cheek, rubbing his thumb lightly over it. “I didn’t know how you’d react.” He gave her a lopsided smile. “I know historically speaking vampires and werewolves aren’t always the best of friends.”

  Chrissten captured his face in her hands. “You’re my brother and I love you. Nothing will ever change that.” She kissed his forehead and the loving gesture brought tears to Evie’s eyes.

  She’d never had that. She’d been given up at birth by her drug-addict mother and had no idea who the hell her father was. She was probably better off not knowing. Her childhood had been spent in a series of foster homes. While some of the homes had been good, none had been permanent. Evie had left the last one as soon as she’d turned eighteen and had never looked back.

  But this, this was how family was supposed to be. Hunger beat at every cell in her body, but for the first time since her life had been changed, it wasn’t for blood. No, she hungered for something much more basic—love, acceptance, family.

  Quinn rose and went to his brother. Craig slowly stood and faced him. Quinn swore and yanked his brother into his arms, hugging him tight. Then he turned his attention to her.

  She shivered. Quinn might accept Craig, but he sure as hell wanted to see Evie pay for what she’d done. So be it. They didn’t have to be friends, but they did have one thing in common—their desire for Craig’s safety.

  She could use that. “You need to take Craig far away and keep him safe. The creature that made me is insane and will stop at nothing to get me back. Being with me puts Craig in danger.”

  Chapter Six

  Craig didn’t know whether he should hug Evie or yell at her. She was obviously trying to distance herself from him and was enlisting his family’s help, using their obvious concern over him to get her own way.

  Both Chrissten and Quinn began to speak, but he talked over them. “That’s not going to happen.”

  Chrissten tugged on his arm. “We should go home. I think that’s for the best.”

  “Listen to me.” Craig sighed, not wanting to hurt anyone, but they were leaving him little choice. “I’m not a kid anymore who needs protecting. I’ve been taking care of myself for a long time now.”

  He heard his sister’s moan of pain and felt it in his heart. There was pure torment and torture in his brother’s eyes, but he couldn’t let that sway him. “None of us can change the past, but it’s over. We all did what we had to in order to survive.”

  Hank squeezed Chrissten’s shoulders and Bethany moved up to stand beside Quinn. He loved all his family, but he had to make his own decisions, live his own life. “I didn’t ask for this to happen, but neither did Evie. Yet it did, and we both have to deal with it. The best one to help us learn what we need to know in order to survive is Damek.”

  The vampire finally stirred and came forward with Sonia locked tight beneath his arm. “My home is Craig’s for as long as he needs it. Or, if he prefers, there is a vacant apartment beneath this one. But they do need supervision. They both have remarkable control for newly made vampires. But we can’t trust it to hold, not yet.”

  He motioned to Sonia and she went to the wood and leather bar in the corner of the room. Craig smelled the blood and his fangs immediately dropped. His family all gasped and automatically took a step back. As much as it hurt him when they did, Craig knew Damek had done this for a reason. They loved him, yes, but they didn’t understand his new reality, what he was.

  How could they when he couldn’t either? He had so much to learn and so did Evie.

  Sonia brought two crystal glasses on a tray. Each was filled with blood. She stopped by Evie first and waited until she took one. Then she brought the remaining one to Craig. He didn’t hesitate. He lifted the glass and drank deeply while keeping one eye on Evie. She hesitated and then followed his lead.

  “I can supply what Craig needs,” Damek continued. “He needs to learn the scope of his new powers. Every vampire is different, but there are some basics all need to know.”

  “We can help him,” Quinn insisted.

  “Not as well as I can.” There was no challenge in Damek’s statement, and no one could dispute the truth behind it.

  Craig closed his eyes and felt the blood filling his cells. His senses expanded, and for a brief moment, he could hear every individual heartbeat, every breath, the brush of fabric as his sister shifted on the sofa. His skin tingled, every nerve ending alive.

  He opened his eyes and had to close them again. Everything was too sharp, too colorful.

  “Craig, are you all right?”

  He wanted to answer his sister, but it was impossible for him to speak. He jumped to his feet and was by the far window in a heartbeat. He didn’t want his family to see him like this.

  Another hunger began to beat at him and this was one that only Evie could slake. As the blood filled his body, another basic need rose to the fore. His cock was hard as steel against the zipper of his jeans. He wanted Evie and h
e wanted her now. One wrong move, one wrong word and he was afraid he’d pounce on her and take her in front of everyone, not caring who saw as long as he got what he wanted.

  Sex and blood. The two primal needs seemed to be tied together in his head. That kind of craving scared the shit out of him.

  He smelled her before he felt the light touch of her hand against his back. “You should leave me alone right now, Evie.” He dug his fingers into the window casing, his extended nails gouging the wood deeply. He’d have to pay to have that fixed.

  “I feel it too.” Her softly spoken words almost made him howl with need. He eased his head around so he could see her, but not far enough for his family to see his eyes, which he knew had to be blazing red.

  “Then you know why you shouldn’t be around me.”

  “It’s why I should.” Craig closed his eyes and swallowed hard. Need beat at him. His skin felt hot, his clothing confining. All his senses were on overdrive.

  “I think you should leave.” Damek’s voice seemed overly loud to Craig’s ears.

  “What’s wrong with him?” Quinn demanded.

  “It is too much for him to have all of you here right now. Your voices, your emotions, your blood all torment him. I told you he will have trouble controlling himself at first. You need to help him by leaving.”

  Craig wanted to reach out to his brother and sister and reassure them he was okay. But he couldn’t manage a word. Every cell in his body was demanding he claim Evie, take her now. He knew the smoothness of her skin, the scent of her arousal, the sexy sighs she made when he touched her. He knew how she looked when she came, all flushed with her head thrown back and her lovely, slender neck exposed. He licked his lips, almost able to taste her arousal and blood on his tongue.

  “Call us. Promise me you’ll call as soon as you can.” Chrissten’s plea pierced the sexual thrall surrounding him.

  “I will.” His voice sounded hoarse even to him. He swallowed hard. “I’m sorry.” Sorry for his lack of control, for his inability to reassure them when they needed it.

  “Nothing for you to be sorry about.” Quinn’s gruff voice comforted him. “We’re here for you. Whatever you need. Whenever you need it. Call day or night.”

  Craig nodded.

  He felt them leave the apartment and enter the elevator. Knew the moment they left the building. “What’s happening to me?”

  Evie was beside him and Damek had come up to his other side. “Every emotion, every sensation will be magnified for a while until you become used to controlling them. You both show incredible control for such newly made vampires. I was not so restrained when I was made. I got drunk on wine and women and blood. Unlike you, I unintentionally killed some before I realized what I’d done.”

  Damek never shared stories from his past. Ever. Craig slowly turned toward his friend. “Thank you. For everything.”

  He nodded. “Sonia and I are going out to the club for a couple of hours. There’s no more blood left in the place so you will not be tempted to overindulge. I will bring more home when I return.”

  Damek turned his attention to Evie. “I own Inhibitions, a club not too far from here. If anything goes wrong, call.” He handed Evie a cell phone. “It’s the only number in the contacts. I can be home very quickly if I’m needed.”

  Evie slipped the phone into her back pocket and nodded.

  Damek sighed and put his hand on Craig’s shoulder. “What you feel for her is not a result of her having made you. This is something different altogether.” With that, Damek joined Sonia and the two of them departed, leaving Craig alone with the object of his lust.

  He turned and faced Evie.

  Evie wasn’t quite sure what she was feeling—anger at what had been done to her by Vladimir Drake, anger at what she’d accidentally done to Craig, guilt at the problems Craig and his family now had to deal with and a growing need for vengeance. But overriding all those other emotions was the combination of bloodlust and sexual lust.

  The blood she’d just drunk had helped slake her thirst. But the sexual hunger kept expanding with each passing second. “Craig?” She wasn’t sure what to say or do. Her emotions were all jumbled inside her, each vying for supremacy.

  “You should probably leave me alone for a while. Let me get some control.” Craig’s voice was deep and guttural. Sharp white fangs gleamed when he spoke.

  “I don’t want to leave you alone.” Uncertainty filled her. “Unless you want me to.” Maybe once had been enough. She knew he was aroused, but maybe Craig didn’t want to want her. After all, she’d turned him into a freaking vampire.

  Evie took a step back and turned away. She’d go to the bedroom and give Craig his space. She would not get upset over this. She wouldn’t.

  She’d taken two steps when a heavy hand came down on her shoulder. She whirled around and hissed, anger and frustration at war within her.

  Craig’s eyes were burning with desire. The red was gone from his eyes. Instead, the blue had intensified, as though it were being lit internally.

  She licked her lips and his gaze narrowed. His tension ratcheted up another notch. He wrapped one hand behind her neck and slowly pulled her toward him. “I know everything in both our lives is crazy right now.”

  “It is.” That was an understatement if she’d ever heard one.

  “The only thing I know for sure is that I want you.” He lowered his head and drew his tongue over her bottom lip.

  Evie sucked in a breath and leaned closer.

  “Let me have you,” he whispered. “I know I shouldn’t ask. Know I should have enough self-control to let you walk away.” He stroked her upper lip and she felt the hardness of one of his fangs. “But I can’t.”

  This was seduction, pure and simple. She already wanted him, but she’d been determined to walk away, to give him space. But he was weakening her resolve.

  “Craig.” She didn’t know what she wanted to say, what she might have said, but he chose that moment to kiss her.

  He pushed his tongue past her lips and into her mouth, exploring the moist inner recesses. She groaned and locked her arms around his neck. Craig straightened, lifting her right off the floor. She locked her legs around his hips and held on.

  Her hands were everywhere she could reach him. She speared her fingers through his hair, lightly dragging her nails along his scalp. Craig moaned and deepened the kiss, stealing her breath.

  The blood she’d recently consumed made her heart pump faster. Evie dragged her hands over Craig’s shoulders, feeling the play of his hard muscles underneath the fine shirt Damek had loaned him.

  She hated having anything between them and tore at the fabric, sighing with relief when her palms stroked warm male skin.

  Craig pulled away and laughed. “I’m going to owe Damek quite a bit before this is done. I’ve already destroyed his windowsill and now you’re destroying his clothing.”

  Evie peeked over Craig’s shoulder at the windowsill and saw the deep gouges in the wood. “Somehow I don’t think he’ll mind.” There was no doubt in her mind that the vampire considered Craig his friend. Evie had the feeling that Damek didn’t have too many of those.

  Craig laughed and tossed her into the air. He’d forgotten his own strength and she barely got her hands out in time to keep from smashing her head into the ceiling. As it was, there were now two hand-sized holes in the plaster.

  Craig caught her, his face pale. “Holy shit. I’m sorry. Are you hurt?”

  Evie shook her head and smiled. “I’m fine, but you might want to dial back the momentum a bit the next time.”

  One corner of Craig’s mouth slowly rose in a half smile. “Next time?”

  “Hmm.” Evie played with the ends of his hair, enjoying the way he easily held her in his arms. She wasn’t sure he even realized he hadn’t set her down but continued to hold her.

  “Evie.” The depth of emotion in that one word made her lose her breath. There was so much there—confusion, frustration and more, bu
t most of all there was need.

  His eyes were slightly tinged with red and his fangs were visible. Sexual desire was riding him hard. She knew because she felt exactly the same way. Her breasts were full and heavy. The light weight of her bra abraded the tips, making them hurt. Her core felt empty, pulsing with a growing need.

  She cupped his face in her hands and stared into his eyes. They glowed. And she knew without seeing them that hers did as well. His fangs gleamed. They knew what the other one was, understood the depth of emotions beating within each other.

  Craig gave a low growl, locked his arm around her waist and pulled her tight against him. His pelvis rubbed against her jean-clad pussy in a delightful way. She arched her hips into him and moaned.

  He kissed her, pressing his lips against her forehead, her cheeks, her nose and finally her mouth. He ate at her lips, voraciously tasting and licking, sucking and worshiping every inch of her mouth.

  If she wasn’t a vampire, she probably would have passed out due to lack of oxygen, but thankfully that was no longer a problem. She didn’t know how long she could last without air, but definitely long enough.

  She tore at the shirt that was still half on Craig. She wanted him naked. He wasn’t overly tall, but his body was lean and muscular. He was strong without being muscle-bound. His sandy-brown hair just touched his broad shoulders. She loved being able to sift her fingers through the silky mass.

  He walked across the room and suddenly stopped and set her on her feet. She half expected him to tear her clothing off. Once again, he surprised her. Carefully, and oh so slowly, he undid the buttons on the blouse Sonia had loaned her. He slid the silky fabric off her shoulders and let it fall to the floor behind her.

  He covered her breasts with his hands and her nipples pushed against the thin covering of her bra. Craig undid the clasp and eased the straps down her shoulders. “You are so beautiful.”

  Evie had always been confident in her looks. She wasn’t the most stunning woman on the planet, but her hair was great and she had a decent figure. But the way Craig was looking at her made her feel like a goddess.