She closed her eyes and leaned into his touch for a moment but then her eyes popped open and she pulled away. He wished he could peek inside her mind so he could understand what she was thinking. Would he ever be able to earn her trust?
Chapter 19
Caroline yanked herself away from Roric, her body quivering with equal parts fear and desire. What was it about him that made her doubt everything she believed? He was a vampire, which automatically put him in the danger zone as far as she was concerned, and he’d already done the worst thing imaginable by changing her against her will.
Maybe he didn’t think it was such a bad thing to be a vampire, and yeah, he clearly was trying to save her life, but it was still wrong of him to make that choice for her, not to mention illegal.
But he obviously wasn’t the monster she imagined all vampires to be. He’d told her over and over again that he wanted to take care of her. And when he looked at her like that, she saw a lot more than a sense of obligation in his eyes. There was compassion there, and maybe a little bit of possessiveness like he wanted her to be his. She didn’t know how to feel about that.
But it might be nice to have someone looking out for her instead of having to rely on herself for everything. And he was right — she knew nothing about being a vampire. She wasn’t one of those people who were fascinated by them and sucked up every bit of knowledge about them. She knew next to nothing about how they lived. She’d always thought of them as animals, monsters, not people. But Roric was showing her a different side of them.
She didn’t feel like she was an animal now, just because she craved blood. Hell, it wasn’t any worse than the alcohol addiction a lot of people had. She saw that every night at the bar. The desperate craving, the overindulgence, and the manic behavior that often followed. Humans could be just as out of control as vampires. Of course, even the worst alcoholic didn’t usually attack someone and drink their blood.
Regardless, she was a vampire now, and she was going to have to learn to live with it. Maybe she could let Roric help her deal with her new life. He didn’t drink from humans or live like an animal, and she didn’t have to, either. Maybe she could still have her old life, but with him in it.
“I need to go, or I’m going to be late.”
He nodded and grabbed a couple hats and a long trench coat off a rack by the back door and led her out to his car. The portico shielded them from the last red and purple rays of the setting sun, and his cruiser had tinted windows, unlike her old Neon. Maybe she could look into getting hers tinted. Otherwise, it was going to be a pain to relegate all her activities to nighttime.
Roric pulled to the end of the driveway and glanced at her. “Where do you work?”
“The West End Taproom on—”
“I know where it is. That’s where the call came from last night about the suspicious vampire. I followed his scent to the cemetery and found him with you. Did he know you?” He turned out onto the road and headed towards the bar.
She tugged nervously at the seatbelt, trying to put it on, but it was jammed. “No, but I was working when he came in. He was seducing a woman at the bar. I got upset about it and warned her to stay away from him. She left the same time I did. He got angry and must’ve followed me to the cemetery.”
“You don’t need that anymore, you know.” He glanced at the seatbelt. “Why did you go to the cemetery that late at night?”
Right. Immortal. She let go of the uncooperative belt and let her hands flutter to her lap then tugged on the hem of her skirt instead. “My parents are buried there.”
His amber eyes darkened with sympathy. “I’m sorry. I lost my mother, too.”
“They were killed by a vampire.”
He closed his eyes for a moment and clenched his fists around the steering wheel. “So that’s why you hate vampires so much.”
“Can you blame me?”
He shook his head and laid a hand on her knee, and bolts of electricity burst from the spot and radiated through her body. She tensed and looked down, sure her leg was on fire.
“I’m sorry you’ve had such bad experiences with vampires. We’re not all like that, you know. Most of us are peaceful.”
She nodded but stayed silent. She had nothing to go on but her own experience, and so far it had taught her they couldn’t be trusted. Roric sighed and pulled his hand away, and she instantly missed it.
“When did they die?”
Her mind spun back in memories. “A little more than four years ago, when I was 18.”
He wrinkled his brow and stared at her. “Have you been on your own since then?”
“Yeah, I’m an only child, and we didn’t have any family nearby. I didn’t want to move away from where my parents were buried. I figured I could take care of myself.”
He shook his head as he pulled into the full parking lot. Then he turned in his seat to look at her. “Caroline, vampires are very loyal to our families and our kind. We look out for each other. You’re one of us now, and that means you’re not alone anymore.”
She gulped back the tears that pressed at the back of her eyes and swallowed a pained laugh. She missed the feeling of family, people who were devoted to you. She’d longed for someone to care about her like that ever since her parents died. And now that it was finally being offered to her, it was by a vampire. What kind of cruel joke was that?
She turned away from him and opened her door. She had no clue how to deal with these feelings. Roric raced around to her side of the car quick as lightning and shoved her back inside. “Wait! Your skin is exposed. You’ll burn. Put a hat on and this coat, and put your hands in your pockets.”
Her breath caught in her throat, and her heart lodged there, as well. How could she have forgotten about that? With shaking fingers, she slid her arms into the coat and adjusted the hat so it would shield her face. Once he was satisfied that she was protected, Roric helped her out of the car and led her towards the back entrance.
“Here, take this in case you get hungry.” He handed her the insulated bag.
“This entrance is for employees only. You’ll need to go around front.”
He nodded but waited for her to go inside before budging.
As soon as she was inside, she pulled off the hat and coat and shoved them under her arm then headed for the locker room. She couldn’t believe it’d only been a day since she was last here. It felt like a lifetime, and her whole world had changed since then. How could she go out there and pretend that everything was normal?
She put Roric’s coat and hat in her locker and pulled out her apron, slowly tying the strings around her waist as she tried to push the last 24 hours to the back of her mind. She was staring blankly at her open locker when the scent of human blood rushed in and engulfed her.
“Caroline! Oh thank God, you’re here. It’s crazy out there! I just had to take a breather.” Gray grabbed her from behind in a warm, tight hug that sent arrows of hunger shooting through her throat and gut. She tightened every muscle in her body and forced herself not to whirl around and sink her fangs into his neck.
Gray must have sensed her discomfort because he quickly dropped his arms and backed away. “Hey, are you okay?”
She turned slowly and plastered a smile on her face. “Yeah, sure. You just startled me.”
He looked her up and down like he didn’t believe her, his bright blue eyes clouding as he examined her. “You look different.”
Her breath caught in her throat. Could he see the difference? Did he know what she was? Her smile wavered as she tried to act as normal as possible. “I was running late. I didn’t have time to do my hair or put on makeup.”
He frowned at her, but at least he didn’t immediately accuse her of being a vampire. “You’re totally hot, even without it. God, I’m jealous. You must get great tips.”
He waved his hand then propped it on a hip, and a laugh burst out of her. “I’m sure you get better tips than me since you flirt with the girls and the guys.”
&
nbsp; “The girls see right through me, and most of the guys get offended. It sucks all the way around.”
This time, her smile felt a little more natural, and he smiled back at her. “I guess I should get out there if it’s busy. Take a break; I’ll cover it.”
“Thanks, gimme five minutes to adjust my crown and I’ll be back.”
Caroline nodded and hustled out to the bar. Okay, that was good. If her best friend didn’t suspect what had happened hopefully no one else would, either.
The scent of human blood hit her like a tsunami as she entered the bar, and she gritted her teeth and held her breath as she waded into it. Roric was sitting at the bar, and he gave her a soft smile. Maybe having him here was a good thing. He could keep her grounded. His presence filled the room, taking up more space than his body did, and sucked her in like a black hole or a supernova. Her body moved towards him involuntarily.
“Do you want a drink?” Her words came out weak, shaky.
But his voice was smooth and deep, vibrating through her body. “I’ll take a beer, whatever’s on tap that you recommend.”
She let out a fluttery breath and nodded then poured him a glass and set it on a napkin in front of him. Another customer gestured to her then, so she tore herself away from him and immersed herself in the rhythm of the bar — taking orders, pouring drinks, and flirting a bit with the customers to get better tips.
Roric frowned every time she did that, but he didn’t say anything. He just sat at the bar, sipping his beer, his eyes following her every move and scanning the bar at the same time, examining the patrons.
“What’s up with the VEA dude?” Gray whispered in her ear after he noticed her talking to him.
Her eyes bulged, but then she remembered that Roric had come here last night to investigate the suspicious vampire. He must have talked to Gray. But she couldn’t tell him that Roric had caught the vampire without explaining how she knew. “He’s just keeping an eye on things since that vampire was prowling around here last night.”
Roric scowled at Gray as he stared at him. “He acts like he knows you.”
“Uh, yeah, we’ve met. He’s been in here before.”
Gray curled his lips in a devious smile. “He’s hot, and he’s totally into you. He can’t take his eyes off of you. You should definitely hit that.”
“No way, he’s a vampire! You know how I feel about them.” As soon as the words left her mouth, they felt false. She didn’t feel the same way about vampires as she did a day ago, and her feelings for Roric were even more confusing. But she was glad he was there. She felt safer with him there, more in control of herself.
“Well, I don’t mind vampires. One thing’s for sure — they know how to suck. If you don’t want him, can you send him my way?”
She grinned and shook her head. But even though he was teasing, sort of, Gray’s words still gave her a twinge of jealousy. She pushed her confusing emotions aside as the bar got busier, the chaos distracting her from the tumult in her mind.
But even with her brain and body busy, every minute that went by, her hunger grew. She stared at pulsing jugulars instead of eyes when she took orders, and her fangs descended when patrons moved in and out of the space around her, stirring up clouds of blood-scented perfume.
After less than an hour, she told Gray she needed a bathroom break and rushed to the locker room. She grabbed the cooler from her locker and hustled to the bathroom, tearing open a blood bag as soon as the door closed behind her.
She gulped greedily at the coppery liquid and moaned as it hit her tongue. It cooled the burn some, but no matter how much she drank, her thirst still tore at her like a sore throat she couldn’t soothe. The next thing she knew, both bags were empty.
She buried the empty pouches deep in the trash can, covering them up with paper towels, then washed her hands and face. She could do this. It was like dieting. She wasn’t hungry, she just had a craving. She wasn’t an animal, she could control herself. But as soon as she stepped back into the bar, the scent of blood swirled around her again, and her gut clenched like she hadn’t eaten in days.
Chapter 20
Taven stomped down the stairs and out to his car like his boots were hundred pound weights. He’d been up for almost 24 hours already, and he’d spent the last dozen hours dealing with the latest vamp attack when all he wanted to do was suck on Ivy and get some shut eye. Now he had to track her down after finding out she’d been feeding on Alec? He was hungry, horny, exhausted, and so angry he thought his head might explode.
He never should’ve left Ivy alone after turning her, but he didn’t expect to be gone all day. He figured he spend half an hour making sure his brother didn’t have any nasty run-ins with that rogue vamp then head back home. He should’ve told Roric he couldn’t take the case, but he didn’t want to admit why. Of course, Roric figured it out, anyway. Thank God he didn’t have any right to lecture Taven since he’d just turned Caroline.
Taven felt guilty enough without Roric yelling at him. He couldn’t believe he’d changed Ivy. Feeding off her was bad enough, but he’d done that often enough it didn’t even seem like a big deal anymore. But he’d never brought a human home, and he never thought he’d go so far as to change one. What the hell was he thinking? He wasn’t, that was the problem. He let his bloodlust and his libido do the thinking for him.
He climbed in his cruiser and turned the radio to a hard rock station, cranking it up so the loud music would wake his brain up. It suited his mood. He thought about calling Alec to see if Ivy was with him, but he couldn’t stand the thought of talking to him. All he wanted to do was rip his head off.
He knew where he lived, so he took off like a Nascar driver out of the driveway, speeding towards Alec’s apartment, rehearsing all the things he wanted to say to him. The douche bag lived in an apartment complex with fancy landscaping and a sparkling pool like he was some middle-class, suburbanite human instead of a vampire.
Taven squealed into a parking space and took the stairs three at a time up to the third floor. He would’ve leapt up each flight in one jump if he wasn’t so tired. He pounded on Alec’s door with three door-shaking booms then leaned his arm against the jam and rested his forehead on the smooth wood while he waited for Alec to answer.
It only took a second for the door to swing open, and Alec stood there smiling like the goddamn ginger cat that ate the canary. “Taven, I had a feeling you might stop by. You look like shit. Rough night?”
“Where the hell is Ivy?” Taven shoved his way past Alec into the apartment, his eyes swooping back and forth around the space.
The decor was just like Alec’s personality — uptight and annoyingly perfect — with clean-lined furniture that looked expensive like he’d bought it as an investment, a couple boring pieces of art on the walls, and matching knickknacks on the tables. There weren’t any beer bottles or magazines or empty chip bags on the coffee table like every other bachelor had, just two remote controls lined up next to each other.
Alec looked just as neat and clean, like he’d had a full eight hours and a shower. And a good meal, too. Did that bastard drink from her?
“Taven?” Ivy came out of the hallway like she’d been in Alec’s bedroom, and Taven’s eyes glazed over with red at the sight of fresh bite marks on her neck.
He whipped his head towards Alec, fangs bared, ready to rip him a new one, but he stopped just before he flew off the handle. Alec was smirking at him like he was waiting for Taven to say something incriminating.
Alec might suspect that Taven had turned Ivy, but he had no proof unless Ivy told him. According to Caroline, Ivy had said it was a rogue attack. But if Taven blew up at Alec, it would give him another reason to believe Taven broke the law and turned her. A kiss-ass like Alec would be all too happy to turn Taven in for breaking the law, even if it meant bringing negative attention down on the Agency.
Taven’s face twisted, and it took everything he had not to growl in frustration, but somehow he managed to ke
ep his mouth shut until the urge to say something stupid settled down and he thought of something to say that wouldn’t get him in trouble.
“I need to take Ivy to the station for a statement.”
Ivy gave him a worried look, but he tried to avoid scowling at her and motioned for her to come with him. When she smiled at Alec, it was all Taven could do not to tear into both of them.
“Thanks, Alec. I really appreciate you helping me.” She gave him a kiss on the cheek, and Taven’s face swelled up like a balloon about to burst.
“You too, Ivy. Stop by anytime.” Alec ran a hand down her arm and squeezed her hand, and Taven’s head turned into a bomb with the fuse lit.
He grabbed Ivy’s other hand and yanked her out the door then dragged her down the stairs and shoved her in his cruiser. He barely made it into the drivers’ seat and shut the door before he exploded. “What the hell were you thinking?”
She glared at him, her dark eyebrows pinching into a sharp vee. “I was thinking I was starving and I had no idea where you were, when you were coming back, or how to get in touch with you! When that blonde chick made a fuss about me leaving and called Alec, I did what I had to do to get by. I didn’t tell him you changed me, so you can calm down.”
She had a point, but he wasn’t going to give it to her. He glared right back at her as he peeled out of the parking lot. “I had an emergency. It took longer than expected. Why didn’t you just drink the blood bag?”
“Because it was disgusting.” Ivy rolled her eyes then tossed her long, black hair and pushed out her breasts, distracting him for a second, but he wasn’t going to let this go. She needed to learn what she could and couldn’t do now that she was a vampire.
“Look, I know you don’t know much about being a vampire, but you can’t go around drinking from anybody you feel like. It’s like sleeping around. And vampires are very possessive.” He narrowed his eyes at her and glared for longer than he should have, especially since he was going 80 miles an hour.
Compelled by the Vampire: Vampire Enforcement Agency Series Book 1 Page 12
