“I know who you are. Did you kidnap me to piss my brother off?” I ask, stunned at the revelation. I carry on before he can get a word in. “Was draining me part of the order or did someone disobey the good king?”
The room becomes eerily quiet. I can feel a crackle in the air against my skin. I also hear Dominick take a deep breath in before I sense the power in the room dissipate.
I take a breath to question what that was, and the most delicious smell arouses my senses, making my taste buds salivate. My teeth start to ache and my stomach feels like it’s on fire. I rub my tongue over the painful teeth and feel the points of fangs and I know in this instant that I’m a vampire.
A bloodsucking vampire.
“That smell?” I question. It’s the only thing I care about at this moment; not what’s happening to my body or why, but where that delicious smell is coming from?
“That would be me,” the person near the door finally speaks. I watch as he steps closer.
“Wait!” Dominick stops him, stepping into his path. “We haven’t explained things yet. She doesn’t know when to stop.”
“She knows what she is already, the look on her face says as much. None of the newbies know when to stop, but I trust that you will stop her before she comes close to killing me.”
Dominick slowly moves out of the way, allowing the human to come closer to me.
I sit perfectly still, not wanting to scare my prey away. I don’t want him to have doubts about what he’s doing. I need his blood. I’m yearning for his blood.
“I guess I should introduce myself to you since you’ll be feeding on me in a minute. I’m Jack, I volunteer for these first feeds because I’m good with pain, so don’t worry about hurting me.” He sits next to me on the bed and I can’t hold myself back, I pounce on his neck. I pierce his skin and my fangs suck his blood into my body. It’s heady and arousing. I moan against the human’s neck.
The warm liquid running down my throat energises me, I’ve never felt anything like it. I need more. I pull more and more of the liquid. It’s slowed its pace, but it’s still coming.
“Ruby, stop!”
Someone pulls at me, effectively lifting me off my prey. I don’t let go, but soon enough he’s torn from my grasp.
“Take care of Jack. I’ll deal with things here,” Dominick informs someone.
I hiss at Dominick, I need the human back. I want the blood he has. I need the energy running through his veins.
“That’s rather rude considering I’m the one that brought you the food in the first place. We wouldn’t want to completely deplete our stock, now would we?”
His logic calms me considerably. Feeling me soften, he slowly releases me and I sit back on the bed. He walks across the room and using a dimmer switch on the wall, he slowly brightens a light on the ceiling.
“Did you do this to me?” I ask the question I’d asked earlier once again.
“No, not in the sense you are thinking.” He pulls out the chair; one of these office type chairs that swivel, from behind a desk in the corner of the room and rolls it so it sits facing me. He takes a seat before talking again. “Do you know why Theo has upped his security when it comes to you?”
I frown and think back. “Yes. There is some rogue vampire killing girls…who look a lot like me.”
“Yes. Well, this rogue had been evading us for weeks. He’s been leaving his kills for me, like a gift. Tonight, I came home to find you on my doorstep. You were so close to death, the only choices I had were to turn you or let you die completely. I chose the former.”
“Did you get him?” I ask, not knowing what else to say. Does he expect me to thank him? How can I thank him when I don’t know if he made the right decision for me, or not?
“No. But this time he left me a message. So I know who he is and his motives.”
“A message?” I question.
“He etched his initials into your face,” he says matter-of-factly, like it’s a normal everyday occurrence.
I reach up to touch my face with a frown—feeling for these words.
“They’re gone now. The transformation healed them, as it did any other wounds or scars you may have had.”
I glance at the scar on the knuckles of my left hand, the one from a dog bite I had when I was ten, and see that he’s right. It’s gone.
“Who is he?” I ask, getting back to the monster who did this to me. Monster…I’m one of those now.
He stares at me in silence for a moment, presumably deciding what to tell me. “Since he took your life, I suppose you deserve to know, but to tell you his story, I need to tell you some of mine.”
Hell yes, I deserve to know. I nod my agreement.
Having heard his name mentioned by Theo a few times, he looks nothing like I had imagined. His tight, jet black curls were definitely not what I pictured. He’s dressed immaculately in a slate grey suit with a waistcoat, but minus a jacket. It seems like he’s been around for a long time; he comes across as old school in his voice, gestures, and appearance.
He settles back in the chair, getting comfortable. “I once had a lover, your brother would maybe call her my mate. We had a connection. I’d never believed in soul mates before but with Kathleen…I just knew it had to be. We were soul mates. I was already a vampire when we met, but that didn’t matter to her. She wasn’t scared of me. She was more than happy to live in the compound and be my feeder. You have to understand this was a lifetime ago, when I lived in Rome. I wasn’t the king back then that came much later and is another story altogether.
“My beautiful Kathleen looked a lot like you, long blonde ringlets and green eyes. We were happy, but she started to notice her ageing, a wrinkle here, a grey hair there. None of it bothered me, she was as beautiful then as she was that first time I saw her. It bothered her though and she begged me to turn her. She wanted to be Forever Young and Beautiful. I put our request to the king, but he denied it. He said her spirit was weak and if she came through the transition she’d be lost to the bloodlust forever.” His sadness seems to fill the room, I can feel it brushing against my skin.
“I didn’t heed his warning, I turned her anyway and ended up having to rip her heart out of her chest; which in turn was as good as ripping out my own heart. That night I vowed never to sire anyone again.”
I stare in rapt attention. It feels like this man is sharing a part of his soul with me. A soul that he doesn’t share with many.
“I never fed from a woman again for a long time. I used men as my feeders and lovers. I didn’t want to fall in love and if I stayed away from women, I naively thought I wouldn’t. But what do you know, gender isn’t really a selling point with me. It turns out I’m bisexual.” He laughs and gives his head a shake; as though it’s an amusing thought.
“One night I fed off the most beautiful man on earth, to this day I still haven’t seen anyone who could compete. Jay Dawes. My loving JD. Ten years passed in the blink of an eye and the dreaded day came when JD noticed he had crow’s feet beside his eyes. He begged me to change him, but with the memory of Kathleen and my vow, I denied him. I was king, I had no one’s permission to seek, and yet I still denied him.”
Dominick gets a soft, forlorn look on his face. That must have been heart-breaking. If I was in love, I don’t know if I could deny my love…anything. Eddie. My heart aches at the thought of him. It is brief, as Dominick continues with the story.
“Even when I could feel how strong his spirit was, I still denied him. When he knew I wasn’t going to change my mind, he stopped asking, until one night we’d made love and curled up in bed for the day. When night came and I rose once again, he was gone. Never to be seen again.” He shrugs his shoulders.
“Well, we both know that’s not the case and with the message and gifts of bodies who look a lot like Kathleen; whom I had told him about, well, we can only assume we’ll meet again and soon.”
Twenty-Four
PEEPING TOM
RUBY
I f
ind myself walking blindly through the hallways of Dominick’s compound, thinking about his story hours after he told me. I have no idea where I am or where I’m going. I have a million thoughts running through my head. I try to focus on them all, hoping something will distract me from the burning in my stomach. I’ve been told it’s the hunger and it will become more bearable as my body settles into this new form.
A vampire.
I’ve wished to be something more than human for most of my life. A vampire. That was never a thought. Never an option. My family are werewolves, they hate the bloodsuckers.
I hate the bloodsuckers.
And now I am one.
My life has forever changed.
My brothers. The pack. My friends. They’ll never look at me the same again. Dominick told me of his phone call with Theo and his reaction to the news. I’ve lost them all.
I double over in pain as the burning intensifies. I could drain every human I come across and it wouldn’t ease the intense pain. I’d just become a bloodthirsty monster that Dominick and his people would have to kill. I need to feed a little and often, as my body accepts the change. I need to learn how to control the hunger and only take what I need to survive.
I grit my teeth and straighten up, as I turn and start to head back to my room, a noise from further down the hall catches my attention. My stomach isn’t the only thing that’s changing, I can hear the slightest sound. I stand still and focus on that one sound distracting me, ignoring the footsteps and voices I can hear from various points throughout the compound. I hear it again—a woman’s whispered moan. I find myself slowly making my way towards the noise.
As I reach the room the noise originates from, I come to a stop before the ajar door. As much as I know I shouldn’t look, yet, I can’t stop myself. My eyes fall on a beautiful naked blonde woman, who is laying back on a bed, as an equally naked guy pleasures her with his face positioned at the apex of her thighs. I can’t tear my eyes away from the erotic sight.
“Stop teasing me with your fangs…fucking use them,” the blonde says between pants.
Obviously having done as he was told and used his fangs, the woman screams a name in ecstasy. “Niko!”
“I love it when you scream my name like that, Sam,” Niko says in a gruff voice. “Are you ready to do it again?” he adds, as he moves up the bed and lays over her.
The thought of him feeding from her makes my fangs elongate and pierce my lower lip, but before I can mutter a curse a hand clamps over my mouth and the voice whispers in my ear. “Shh…They won’t appreciate knowing that you were getting off by watching their private moment.”
I turn my head to glare at the jerk behind me.
Cas. Of course, it had to be Casanova, making a comment like that. Who else could it have been? His nickname says it all. He’s one of Dominick’s vampires; who I met just after Dominick told me JD’s story. A good looking guy, the typical Mr Tall-Dark-and-Handsome, who looks to be in his late teens but could be any age. I wouldn’t even want to hazard a guess.
He gives me a sexy smirk in return.
We silently make our way through the compound, and into one of the lounge areas. Once I close the door behind us, I turn on him. “I was not getting off. And if they didn’t want anyone watching them they should have closed the door.”
“The lady doth protest too much, methinks,” the cocky bastard says, with a knowing smile.
“Don’t fucking quote Shakespeare at me. It isn’t cute. I was intrigued, but I wasn’t getting off. Okay?” I don’t even know why I care what he thinks. I should just shut my mouth already.
His smirk turns up another notch. “I wasn’t aiming for cute.” He pauses long enough for me to open my mouth, but before I can let a word out he carries on with his argument.
“Your fangs were out, that’s a sure sign you were turned on. Sex and feeding come hand in hand.”
I can’t let him win. “I’m newly turned, so I’m constantly hungry. My fangs are always popping out.”
He looks at me closely, before speaking. “You do look peaky. When did you last feed?”
I glance down at the watch on my left arm. It must have been a good four hours ago, maybe even five.
“By the look on your face, I’d say you are well overdue a feed. Especially for a newbie. Let’s get you fed,” he says, grabbing my arm and tugging me through the room and out into another corridor.
I try to pull my arm out of his grasp, but he’s having none of it. So I let it be and allow myself to be led to God only knows where. If I get fed at the end, I’m not going to kick up a fuss. He knocks on a door and waits for an answer.
Within seconds the door opens and we are faced with a grandmotherly-looking woman. She reminds me of Gloria with her Greek looks. She’s a human, I’m sure.
“Grandfather? I wasn’t expecting you tonight.”
I glance at Casanova. This woman must have him mixed up with someone else. How the hell can he be her grandfather? He releases me and pulls her into a hug. Catching the confusion that’s clearly written on my face he reprimands her. “I’ve told you not to call me that, Elspeth, it only confuses people.”
“I’m sorry, Cas, it’s just habit.” She glances at me and gives me a glorious smile. “Who is this gorgeous girl?”
Throwing his arm over my shoulder, he tugs me in close. “Newbie here is in need of a little top up.”
“Well, you’ve come to the right place. Come on in and take a seat. I’ll just go find someone for you,” she says, welcoming us into a lounge room. After closing the door behind us, she wanders into what looks like another hallway.
“You heard the woman. Sit,” Cas says, as he takes a seat and pats the spot next to him.
I choose to sit on the sofa opposite him and ask him the one question that’s been running through my mind since the woman, Elspeth, he called her, opened the door. “Are you really her grandfather?”
“Yes,” is all he says.
“How?” I probe, hoping for more information.
Ignoring my question, I watch as he tilts his head as though he’s listening to something elsewhere in the compound. “You’re getting a treat tonight,” he says with a smile.
Elspeth comes back in the room with a male following behind her, chatting between themselves. He looks to be in his mid-twenties, blond hair, blue eyes. He reminds me a little of Jared; only he has a more of an oval face with a longer nose.
“Tyler, I haven’t seen you in a while. Where have you been hiding?” Cas asks, sounding genuinely interested, as the others come to a stop before us.
“Dominick made me take a six-month break. You know how strict he is on overfeeding.”
Cas nods. “Yeah, he doesn’t want anymore Marys.”
Elspeth tuts and shakes her head at the name. “Poor child.”
Having no idea who or what they are talking about, I sit in silence watching this vampire before me casually making conversation with two humans; who smell ridiculously tasty. I never dreamt I would ever think anything along those lines.
I’m looking at these people and practically salivating over how good they’re going to taste. I always thought vampires were monsters, who did nothing but drain people. Yet Cas isn’t even hinting at wanting to eat them. There’s no sign of his fangs. And Dominick sends them away for a six-month break from feeding?
My eyes fall on Tyler’s pulse and I can’t tear my eyes away. The sound of conversation drains away as I focus on the sound of his heartbeat, pumping his blood around his body. My fangs elongate and start to throb, giving the burning in my stomach some competition.
“Newbie!” Cas shouts, drawing my attention away.
Realising how awful I am for having my fangs out before we’ve even been introduced, I raise my hand to my mouth to hide them, while I try to concentrate on making them return to their hiding place. “I’m so sorry,” I mumble around my fangs.
“Someone is hungry. Here.” Tyler takes a seat next to me and offers me his wrist.
“Let’s get you fed before we worry about introductions.” The look in his eyes, welcoming me. He’s not emitting any fear, so he isn’t afraid of me ripping his wrist to shreds, which is exactly why I’m not diving straight in. I quickly look to Cas for approval. He’s not my sire so his orders won’t affect me, but he’s been a vampire a lot longer than I have so I feel like I need his agreement I’m doing what I should.
With his nod, I take Tyler’s hand and raise his wrist to my lips. The sound of his pulse once again catches my attention and the impulse to feed takes over as I sink my fangs into his flesh and draw on his blood.
“Newbie, you aren’t meant to be draining him.” Cas’ comment causes me to pause mid-draw. I look up at Tyler and take note of his pale complexion. I release his wrist immediately and jump back over the arm of the sofa and come to standing position about a foot away.
“I’m sorry. I...” I turn my eyes on Cas. “Why the fuck didn’t you stop me sooner?” I snap, he should know better. Why would he let me almost drain the poor guy?
“Calm it, Kermit! You needed a good drink to tide you over through the day. I wasn’t going to let you drain him, he hasn’t fed anyone for six months, he’ll be fine.”
“I’m fine. A little...exhilarated,” Tyler says as he puts a cushion over his crotch. The draw on a vein tends to leave humans sexually excited. Just as Cas said earlier, ‘feeding and sex come hand in hand.’
“I’m usually more professional about feeding. The six-month break must’ve affected me more than I realised. You haven’t harmed me, honest,” he says, with a shake of his head; like he could shake the evidence of his embarrassment from his rosy cheeks. I notice that somewhere along the line he’s placed a cotton pad over the puncture marks on his wrist, as he’s cradling it tight against his chest.
“He’ll be back to normal once he gets some sugar and fluids into him,” Elspeth says, as she gets up and makes her way to a small fridge in the corner of the room. I watch as she removes a small bottle of orange juice and brings it back to Tyler.
Mount Roxby Box Set Page 34
