* * * *
LeAnne moved out from behind Dorian so she could see her friend. Tori looked almost childlike, wrapped in Jonas’s arms. Her sobs echoed through the room. In all the years she had known her, LeAnne had never seen Tori crack quite like this. Part of her wanted to comfort her, but the chances of Tori allowing it were slim. Another part of her wanted to slap her friend and tell her to get a grip. Since she wasn’t sure how much her new lifestyle was changing the way she viewed these things, LeAnne decided to wait, to give Tori time to make sense of the situation.
Dorian took her hand. “We’ll be in the Escalade.”
“Give us a few more minutes, and we’ll join you,” Michael, muttered.
LeAnne’s first step bumped her foot on something. She glanced down and saw the girl she had attacked. The body didn’t move and had a weird, ashen color. LeAnne gasped. She had killed her. Working on instinct, she turned away and gagged. Nerves had her bowled over and gagging for a few seconds that seemed an eternity. Nothing came up.
“Don’t breathe.” Dorian rubbed back. “Try to think about something you love. Something benign.”
Cupcakes, LeAnne thought. Fluffy white and pink cupcakes from that little bakery down the street from her old house. They were awesome, and she missed them.
“It’s okay. She is just out for a while. They’ll fix it,” Dorian said.
As soon as the nausea passed, she nodded and straightened up. It was hard not to breathe a deep, cleansing breath. She had done it for so many years to calm herself, but she trusted Dorian’s instruction. “I’m okay,” she whispered with a little of the breath she had in her lungs.
“Let’s go.” He glanced at Grace. “Coming?”
“You two go ahead. I’ll walk back with Jonas.” She smiled at LeAnne.
LeAnne slowly followed Dorian out the door and through the club’s hallways. Maybe the girl would be okay, but LeAnne remembered attacking her. She had gone primal. The lust for their blood bathed her mind from the moment they had walked into the room. She had managed to pull her focus away from her friend.
Feeding this way was different. Drinking from Dorian had been comforting and warm. Taking from the human had been nothing but necessity. It was cold and let her feel the evil inside her. Whatever animated LeAnne, whatever made her body move even after she was dead, controlled that hunger. Her spirit, whatever was left of it, had nothing to do with the thirst. It felt exactly how she had imagined that girl in The Exorcist must have.
He pushed the bar on the door beneath the “Exit” sign. They walked out into the cool night air. LeAnne took inhaled deeply, but it wasn’t the refreshing act she had expected. She coughed. This breath was unsatisfying, and left the stench of garbage on her tongue. Oil, gasoline, and asphalt from the streets, cars, and parking lot permeated the air. Even from thirty feet away, she could smell the sweat, cigarettes, and body odor from the crowd waiting to get in.
“Gah!” She coughed again.
“What’s wrong?” Dorian led her toward the Escalade.
“The air stinks.”
“That’s the first breath you’re paying attention to?” He chuckled. “It’ll get easier to ignore. Your senses are just stronger.”
“Great. I could already smell better than anyone I knew.”
“It may work to your advantage. Give yourself time to adjust.”
When Dorian opened the back door for her, LeAnne climbed into the Escalade and scooted to the center of the middle seat. He slid in beside her. As soon as the door closed, she took another deep breath, testing out this new and improved sense of smell. First, there was the scent of the leather interior, which she loved. Then came the floral aroma from cleaner or air freshener. Dorian shifted and placed an arm around her shoulders. The movement of air brought the smell of him; his cigarettes, which smelled like vanilla tobacco; and a cozy cologne that reminded her of one called Fierce that she’d sampled at Abercrombie and Fitch. Beneath that was the warm scent of his skin and the clean smell of soap. She smiled and laid her head on his shoulder, letting the fragrance envelop her.
“How are you making this look so easy?”
LeAnne smiled and looked up to lock eyes with him. “Do you really think I’m doing that well?”
Dorian chuckled. “Amazingly well.”
“Thanks.”
“It’s just the truth.”
She leaned up toward his face. She pressed her lips to his softly, but broke the kiss off as soon as the hunger started to rise up again. Her teeth throbbed, but LeAnne beat back the emotions.
“Like that. You can control things most of us couldn’t for months or years.”
Dorian kissed her this time. When his lips parted, the spicy taste of him flooded her mouth.
He grabbed her hair and used it to hold her still while he deepened the kiss. The intensity stirred a very human hunger inside her. It roared forward just as Dorian’s hand slid under her shirt. His fingers brushed up her side, stopping to cup her breast. LeAnne’s mind swam in the overwhelming sensory input. Before she knew it, she was straddling his lap, grinding him into the seat with her hips.
Knuckles wrapped on the back window, jerking Dorian’s attention away from her. LeAnne fought back the succubus inside her and kissed Dorian once more. Then she slid into the seat beside him just as Jonas opened the driver’s door.
“Knock it off, kiddo.” He dropped into the seat with a loud huff that made her wonder what he was thinking.
LeAnne fought the urge to giggle. She had never been the bad girl. It was kind of fun.
Grace opened the door and slid into the back seat beside her. They exchanged smiles before LeAnne said, “Is Tori okay?”
Jonas put his head down on the steering wheel. “I don’t know. When Michael tried to talk to her, she kissed me on the cheek and walked out.”
Dorian grunted his disapproval and stroked LeAnne’s hand.
She smiled at him. “Did he go after her?”
“No,” Jonas muttered.
“Why the hell not?”
Jonas twisted his head around to look at her. “I wondered, too. Since he knows exactly how she feels, I guess he’s got his reasons.”
“I’m gonna have to have a chat with him.”
The passenger door opened suddenly, and Michael jumped into the seat a little too fast for human speed. “Let’s go.”
“Not until I know how Tori is,” LeAnne said.
Michael didn’t look back. “She’ll be fine. Elena is bringing her home.”
“I’m not leaving without her.”
“You don’t have a choice.”
Dorian huffed and squeezed her hand. When she looked over at him, his eyes were narrowed in Michael’s direction. He closed his eyes, shook his head, then returned her gaze. “He’s right. You need to be near him the next few hours.”
Chapter Fifteen
The Escalade pulled up to the mansion and parked in front of the garage. LeAnne glanced around and didn’t see anything, despite the fact the hairs on her arms were rising. While Grace was stepping out, LeAnne watched Jonas open his door and get out. His hand rested close to his gun, and he surveyed the yard and tree line around them. He must have felt something too. That knowledge sent the butterflies in her stomach into a tizzy. She took a deep breath and exhaled to calm her nerves. Now was not a time to be afraid. It was not possible to be a chicken and a vampire; the two did not mix.
Dorian climbed out and looked around slowly, too. LeAnne did as they did and followed the group into the house. She brought up the back because she was slower. Her legs felt oddly stiff and achy.
Inside, the mansion was silent. The men’s heavy boot steps echoed through the foyer. A clock ticked somewhere in the distance. The expanse was eerily quiet, and when she took a breath, Jonas glanced back at her. LeAnne smiled and shrugged. She wasn’t used to being imm
ortal yet.
Michael looked at Dorian. “We need to get LeAnne settled before the change starts.”
“Just show us a room.”
She watched them, noticing the somber look on Michael’s face. “Wait…what do you mean? I thought I was done.”
Dorian gave her a sad smile. “No, love, not yet.”
“What the hell else can happen?”
The two men were silent. Jonas finally spoke up. “You’ll be sick as a dog and hurt like hell while your body dies.”
Ugh, she thought. “Can’t I just take morphine or something?”
“It doesn’t work,” Grace said.
“We found a way to make it work with laced blood, but we don’t have time for that.” Michael looked down toward her legs. “I feel it building now.”
LeAnne turned her attention inward and felt the aches moving up into her abdomen. The fact he could feel it creeped her out. She wasn’t sure she would ever get used to someone else feeling what she did like this.
“Having your creatore’s touch is the only thing that really helps.” Jonas’s tone said he expected immediate rebuttal.
“I think not.” Dorian pulled her closer.
Michael sighed. “We will avoid it if we can. Tori’s been through enough.”
Great, LeAnne thought. She’d have to suffer more than the normal vampire because of this mess. Tori might have been upset, but she would not selfishly put LeAnne through hell any more than LeAnne would Tori.
“Let’s get you into a room first.” Michael motioned them forward.
The four walked through the foyer and down the large hall to the left. When they finally stopped, they were in front of a door, which he opened to a windowless room decorated in a Grecian theme. White columns decorated the walls, and white organza draped the canopy of a huge white – and gold-covered bed. It wasn’t a theme she would have picked, but it was pretty enough.
“There’s a full bathroom to the right and a television in the cabinet.” He trained his eyes on Dorian. “I will give you as much privacy as I can, but if it gets too bad I will be back. If you need me…” He looked to LeAnne. “I will know.”
Without thinking, she stepped forward and gave him a hug. “Thank you, Michael.”
He returned the embrace, but let her go a little too quick.
“See ya tomorrow, kiddo,” Jonas said.
“Good night.” She smiled. It looked like the nickname was going to stick. Pain fired through her brain. LeAnne grabbed her head. “Ow.”
“Time to go.” Dorian pulled her toward the bed and booted the door shut just as another ache ran through her heart. LeAnne stopped and clutched her chest. She let out a groan and tried to breathe through the pain, but it only got worse. He scooped her up into his arms and carried her to the bed. “It’s going to get worse, but it will end, love. I promise.”
* * * *
It had been an hour since LeAnne stopped gagging, and Dorian still could not get her to stop shaking and groaning. The seizure-like spasms had grown so violent at one point that he had thrown his body on top of hers to prevent her from breaking bones. Then he had to muffle her screams with his hand. Every tremor and stuttered plea for drugs reminded him he was not her creatore, and he couldn’t give her the relief that Michael could. It was ripping his heart in two.
“LeAnne,” he said when the juddering slowed. “Can you hear me?”
“Y-ye-yes?”
“I think we should ask Michael to come in.”
“I-I-Im oh...”
“I know you’re okay right now but it will come back in a few minutes.”
“No,” she shouted.
Dorian hated to do it without her permission, but he just couldn’t stand another round of the shrieking and jerking. He kissed her on the forehead and slipped off the bed. It didn’t take long to find Michael. He was in the office, talking with Tori on the phone.
“Please, just stay at the mansion in a different room.” Michael paused. “Fine, just come after we are asleep.” After another long pause, Michael looked at the phone and mashed a button. When he looked up, Dorian could see he had been crying.
“Does she need me?” Michael sounded exasperated.
With the hell that Tori was putting him through, Dorian considered saying no. He even opened his mouth to say it, but LeAnne’s scream echoed up the hallway.
Michael stood and headed for the door.
“Is this going to make it harder with Tori?” Dorian asked.
He kept walking. “I’m not sure it could get worse.”
LeAnne lay curled on her side in the fetal position. She took a deep breath and let it out with another yell. “Make it stop!”
Dorian cringed and darted over to her. He put a hand on her head and pushed her hair out of her face. LeAnne’s skin had cooled. She was nearing the end, which meant she was enduring the worst of the bone-searing pain. He remembered that agony from his change. In all his years, he’d never felt anything as excruciating.
“She’s lasted longer without me than I expected.” Michael knelt beside the bed and took LeAnne’s hand.
As soon their skin touched, she let out a low moan that almost sounded pleasured and made Dorian regret going after him. She pulled his hand upward until her cheek was lying on his hand.
Through the next wave of pain, LeAnne’s shaking was minor and the screams replaced with groans. His presence clearly eased her suffering. This was the second time he’d had to sit back and watch Michael help her tonight. However, the difference in her pain made it worth having another man there, even if he had to endure Michael doing for her what he could not. Michael’s choice to change her wasn’t as forgivable. Dorian would have gutted anyone else who’d done so without good reason. The thought made him wonder: “Why did you change her?”
Michael looked up, eyebrows high. After a short silence he said, “Should I have let her die?”
That wasn’t what he meant, and Michael knew it. That flared a flame of anger inside Dorian, but he managed to squelch it. “You’re too powerful to have lost control.”
The padrone’s eyes tightened. “Why do you think I did it on purpose, Dorian?”
“She is the perfect insurance to secure my loyalty and your survival.”
He seemed to consider it. “Not exactly.”
“But you admit it was on purpose.”
The padrone sighed. He did not confirm or deny, which Dorian took as a confirmation.
“You bastard.”
Michael didn’t respond. Instead, he watched LeAnne for a few long moments, then finally looked him in the eye. “I wasn’t given a choice, Dorian, but no one else can know this. Not even LeAnne.”
“Explain yourself, or I will tell her.”
“I will, but then it’s on your head if anyone finds out.”
“Understood.”
“Khalil called me before she arrived.”
“As in the Khalil?”
“Yes.” Michael placed his other hand on top of LeAnne’s head. “He told me to bring her over. He said it was imperative.”
“Why was he involved?”
“Well…” Michael seemed to look for the right words. “He has a gift that allowed him to involve himself.”
Dorian felt that wrinkle pop up between his brows as he tried to decipher the hint. The only way the statement made sense was if Khalil had some sort of psychic fortune-telling ability, which was just ridiculous. No vampire had that. That kind of talent didn’t stay a secret among the damned.
“If I hadn’t taken her life, someone would have. He would have made sure of it, and that she benefited him in the biggest way possible. I’m not sure what he would have done, but it would have meant the end of her relationships with you and Tori. She would have never forgiven me for that.”
“Why didn’t you tell us fir
st? You told me you were just going to bind her.” The anger in Dorian’s gut grew.
“Khalil ordered me to tell no one.” Michael stroked LeAnne’s hair as another wave of pain pulled her knees up to her chest. “I didn’t know I was going through with it until that moment. I had actually decided not to.”
“And why did that change?”
“Something happened. Something I cannot discuss.”
Dorian grunted and tried not to sound condescending. “Something with Tori?”
The padrone didn’t seem to hear the question. If Dorian had truly thought he hadn’t, he would have repeated it, but he knew Michael’s hearing was just fine. Tori had done something to change Michael’s mind. His best guess was that it probably involved Jonas.
He gritted his teeth and tried to look at the positives. Michael probably would have changed LeAnne simply to avoid whatever consequences came with Khalil’s involvement in her immortality. Considering how Dorian had set it all in motion, he should probably thank Michael for saving her from whatever Khalil had planned as an alternative, but he would prefer to punch him in the face right now. She deserved the truth and a choice in the matter
“I think the worst has passed.” Michael pulled both hands from LeAnne, who didn’t move. “The sun is coming, and I believe she is asleep.”
He looked down to see that she was cold, pale, and motionless. “Thanks,” Dorian said. “For helping her.”
“I won’t hurt her any more than you would. You should know that more than anyone.” Michael stood and walked out the door without another word, shutting the door behind him.
Dorian caught the reference to Grace’s kidnapping and knew they understood each other perfectly. He and Michael were bound together in a dangerous game the werewolves had put into motion. They were brothers in their fate, and in the fate of LeAnne. Khalil, the leader of all vampires, had made sure of that. Lucky for him, the vampiro had a streak of honor that ran deeper than most.
Dorian Page 14
