“Burn them,” I said, and Safir left just as Jonathan came back with the water. I took the glass from him and he handed me a straw. I unwrapped it and put it in the glass and held the glass to her mouth. She looked up at me as if she was baffled by my actions, but slowly leaned forward to sip from the straw. She drank half of the glass before she had her fill and then I set the glass down and watched her a little longer than necessary as she licked her lips.
“How likely is it that they already have this location locked in?” I asked, and she shrugged. Alistair stepped toward her threateningly and my first instinct was to protect her from him. But I forced myself to stay put, and not give away the strange feelings she was causing in me.
“I don’t know. They could have lost the signal depending if you have scramblers or not,” she said, and I had to use quite a bit of energy to ignore the sultry sound of her voice.
“We have scramblers in the trucks and here, but they could have gotten an idea still. We should move her,” Alistair said, and I nodded.
“We must continue to hunt the rest of them down, but you’re right, we need take her to the cabin,” I said, and Alistair nodded.
“We will handle things here then,” Safir said, and I glanced down at Alina as she watched us all carefully.
“Fine. Jonathan, Alistair and I will go. We shouldn’t be gone longer than a few hours. The rest of you should make yourselves scarce from the area just in case,” I said, and then walked over to the set of cabinets along the far wall of the open space. I grabbed a set of restraints for ankles and wrists, and Jonathan secured them on Alina before taking her out of the chair. I held her arm as Alistair covered her head once more and then she walked willingly with us out to my truck. I loaded her into the passenger seat and got in to drive to the cabin we had near Simpson, while Alistair and Jonathan trailed behind.
**
Alina
The ride was long and uncomfortable as my hands were locked behind my back and my ankles were shackled together. Not to mention the stupid black bag they had over my head was itchy and it was hard to breathe in.
“We’ve arrived.” His deep voice was almost soothing as the truck came to a smooth stop. I heard my door being opened and then I was carried out of the truck. He was carrying me? His chest smelled like soap and pine trees. I felt the curiously absent sense of warmth from his body and his heart beat slower than any normal person’s heart should be beating. I wondered if he even needed to breathe.
The next thing I knew I was being set down on something soft and the bag was gently removed from my head. Jeremih studied me for a moment before he stepped back. I glanced around. We were in a cozy cabin. It was nicely decorated and reminded me of something you’d see on the cover of a Christmas card. Jeremih had sat me down on a sofa chair and he stood in front of me like a statue. I couldn’t help but notice how gorgeous he was. He had perfectly angular features and the square jaw, high cheekbones, full lips, and intense brow any male model would kill for. His white skin was exactly that, pale of any warmth or life underneath and I had to remind myself that he was a vampire. He ran his hands through his medium-length blond hair and tucked it behind his ears. He had striking golden eyes that seemed to stare through me. I forced myself to look away from him.
“I won’t hurt you or kill you as long as you cooperate,” he finally said, and I chuckled.
“Yeah but once I give you everything you need, you’re going to kill me, right?” I asked, and Jeremih pressed his lips together, though his expression was completely smooth.
“I’ll keep my word if you answer my questions,” he said, and I snorted.
“I’m not answering anything.” After my statement, the two other vampires showed up and stomped into the cabin with their heavy boots. Glancing at their oddly perfected features, I reminded myself that all the vampires were beautiful, but they were evil and also undead which was why we hunted them. They fed off the blood of innocent living people.
“Alina, this will go a lot smoother if you accept Jeremih’s offer. He is a man of his word.” The one with dark hair and blue eyes spoke either Jonathan or Alistair, as they walked over to the couch. I rolled my eyes.
“He’s not a man, he’s a creature. You all are,” I said simply, and the vampire’s fist moved faster than I could track. I felt hot pain on my jaw and my head snapped to the right. I did catch Jeremih flinch slightly and the other vampire put his hand on the blue eyed one’s shoulder.
“We’re people, just like you are. Our hearts beat. We age. And we die. As of yet, we are deciding to spare your life so don’t ruin that with disrespect,” he said. I simply kept quiet and looked down at my knee.
“Calm down Jonathan, she’ll tell us what we want to know.” That cleared up who was who for me as Alistair spoke to Jonathan. I tasted blood in my mouth from my tooth cutting into my lip, and I decided I was better off keeping my mouth shut before I became someone’s meal.
“We aren’t spending all day in this cabin Alina. What do your men know about us?” Jeremih asked calmly, and I simply kept staring at my knee.
“Maybe you didn’t hear him woman. What do you know about us?” Jonathan grabbed my face in his hand and forced me to look up at him. I spit the blood in my mouth at his face and he slapped me across the face. My vision blurred for a moment and then returned into focus as the left side of my face stung and burned even more.
Jonathan chuckled as he licked some of the blood from around his mouth, and he used the black bag to wipe the rest of it from his face. “You actually taste quite delicious. There is something sweeter and richer about the blood from people with the color of your skin,” he said, before he threw the bag at my chest. Alistair gave him a warning look and Jonathan rolled his eyes.
“Okay, forget about what you know about us. How about you tell us how many hunting teams are in Rochester?” Alistair asked, and I simply stared at him blankly. “Which hunting grounds will your team hit next then?” Alistair gave me another question and I sighed.
Alistair was completely calm and went from standing casually with his hands behind his back to grabbing me from the couch and throwing me to the ground in less than a second. There was a swift kick to my side and I heard and felt my rib crack. I stared at three pairs of shoes and then Alistair was in my face with a knife pressed to my jugular.
“Are you really the hunter’s leader?” Alistair asked, with a chillingly calm voice. I squeezed my eyes shut tight as pain lanced and curled through my chest with every breath I tried to take. I could only take in shallow pants, and still, the movement sent shockwaves of pain through my body, curling my toes and fingers even.
I wouldn’t give in though, I wouldn’t tell them anything.
**
Jeremih
I simply watched as Alistair and Jonathan roughed Alina up to try and get her to talk. Though I knew she was less likely to respond to violence than she was to cajoling. We’d have to either starve her to the point where we could use our limited telepathic abilities to try and make out the answers to our questions, beat her within an inch of her life to get her weak enough, or simply wait until she became exhausted enough from lack of sleep. I couldn’t stomach the former options, so someone would have to wait out here with her until she could scarcely fight off fatigue anymore. I knew that if I left her with either Alistair or Jonathan, they’d kill her out of frustration.
“Stop,” I said. Jonathan and Alistair looked up at me from crouching over Alina on the floor. “Come I need a word with you both,” I said, and they followed me outside. “This is pointless and both of you know it!” Alistair cursed, while Jonathan glared at the cabin door.
“Let’s just kill her then. Her team will be at enough of a disadvantage without their leader,” he said, and I shook my head.
“There is still a way to get what we need. Though it will take time. I will probe her mind when she is on the brink of unconsciousness due to fatigue and find all the answers to our questions,” I said. Alistair an
d Jonathan glanced at each other.
“So you would stay out here with her for three days, at the least, to try and probe her mind?” Alistair asked incredulously.
“No. It shouldn’t take that long. She is already injured. Her body will need to heal. It shouldn’t take more than forty-eight hours. Alistair you oversee everything back in town and make sure our plan is carried out in eradicating the hunters.” He nodded his head slowly as if he still wasn’t sure about my decision.
“Afterwards, you can kill her if you want,” I said, and Alistair lost the unsure expression in his eyes.
“Fine, I’ll handle things in Rochester for the time being,” he said. I glanced at Jonathan, who inclined his head in acknowledgement of who I left in charge. Alistair and Jonathan left shortly after and I went back inside to find Alina shivering on the ground. I walked over to her and crouched. She cringed from me. I picked her up and gently placed her on the couch. I found some matches to start a fire in the fireplace. I returned to her on the couch and leaned down to inspect her face and her side.
“I suspect you have some internal bleeding,” I said. Alina simply stared at me with pain-filled eyes. “I can heal you,” I said, and she looked at me dubiously. I walked over to the small kitchen and found some water. I swiftly scored my wrist and mixed the water with some of my blood before I lapped up my wound to close it.
I walked over to her with the blush-colored liquid and she looked at it skeptically. “It will heal all of your injuries Alina. If you don’t drink this, you will die. Do not worry, it won’t turn you, only my venom can do that,” I said, and held the cup to her lips. She accepted it reluctantly and drank it slowly. I set the empty cup down on the coffee table and watched as Alina tipped to the side and fell into a deep sleep. When she woke, she would be just as new.
I tried to probe her mind, but she was completely unconscious. I couldn’t get anything from her mind while she was so deeply asleep. I watched her rest for a long time. I only realized how long it had been when the sun started to rise from the dark sky. A few hours after sunrise Alina began to stir, and I stood up from sitting on the floor. She opened her green eyes and looked right up at me.
“How do you feel?” I asked, and her eyebrows furrowed together.
“Fine. Surprisingly.” she murmured. I unshackled her hands and feet. “Why are you treating me so… well? Aren’t you afraid that I might knock you out and run away from the cabin?” she asked, and I laughed.
“No. I am not Alina. Go ahead and refresh yourself. The bathroom is just there.” I pointed to a door next to the kitchen table. Alina stood up slowly, still unsure if her body was healed and walked into the bathroom. I kept a tab on the sound of her heartbeat. There was a window in the bathroom, and she could easily slip out of it and escape. She turned on the shower and shortly after, I heard the toilet flush, then the faucet of the sink was turned on while the shower was still running. I heard the beat of her heart steadily for just over ten minutes until I heard it getting farther and farther away. She had gone through the window. I would expect no less from her. I smiled and left the cabin.
I hurried after her and caught her arm just before she reached the surrounding trees. “I told you that I wasn’t worried about you getting away, because you can’t. I suggest you not take my kindness for granted Alina,” I told her as I walked her back to the cabin. She dragged her feet only a little as we neared the small structure.
“I’ll go insane being cooped up in that small cabin with you,” she complained, as we stepped inside the warm cabin. Alina’s hair was wet from her shower and she smelled fresh, like soap.
“You have no other choice Alina. Now sit.”
**
Alina
I plopped down on the couch while Jeremih walked into the kitchen. “What would you like to eat? There is plenty of canned goods here. Cereal? Powdered milk? Beans? Corn?” Jeremih prattled off a list of preservative packed foods and I shook my head.
“Water is fine thanks,” I said, and Jeremih poured me a glass of water and walked to me and handed me the glass. His fingers grazed my hand. My heart stilled. I tried to reign in my reaction to him. He would sense it.
He sat down on the coffee table in front me and looked me straight in the eyes. “Alina, will you answer my questions now?” he asked. I stared at him as if he was a rare species of alien. Why was he being so nice to me?
“No. You can be as nice as you want Jeremih, I’m not giving away anything,” I said, and he simply stared at me while I drank the water. I could tell the next couple of days would be pretty much him staring at me while I refused to tell him anything.
* * *
The last day and a half was indeed spent with little gain for Jeremih. I could tell he was growing more and more anxious as time passed, not to mention frustrated. It was nearly dusk and Jeremih was pacing the bedroom of the cabin. He had chained me to the bed because I had tried to run away twice more after the first time.
“I can’t spend any more time here with you Alina. My men will soon grow suspicious as to what is happening here. They will want to know if I found out any information from you.” Jeremih sounded less controlled than he normally did and I wondered if he was changing his mind about killing me.
“Are you going to kill me then?” I asked. Jeremih glared at me. His eyes were glowing bright and I gasped. I had never seen him look so feral before. He registered my expression and checked himself. He pinched the bridge of his nose and took a deep breath.
“No… I need to feed,” he said in annoyance, and I glanced around the room.
“Is it making you… weak?” I asked. Jeremih looked over at me as if the answer was obvious.
“You should know the answer to your own question. I bet you are happy to know this as you are probably already trying to form a plan that will get you out of this somehow.” Jeremih sighed. I shook my head. I didn’t know if it was because I had been out in the woods with him for so long and the kindness he was showing me was getting to me. Or because I had been suppressing my attraction to him for a while, but I wanted to help him.
I took a deep breath and look Jeremih straight into his golden eyes. “I’m not. You can feed from me, if you want,” I said. Jeremih’s eyes widened n shock and he looked at me incredulously as he slowly walked over to the bed.
“Why would you offer me your blood?” he asked, and I shrugged.
“Because you need it and you’ve given me everything I need so that I didn’t die out here,” I said simply. He continued slowly stalking toward me.
“Just… don’t… kill me, please?” I asked as Jeremih finally reached the bed to sit at the edge of it, right next to me. I heard his sharp intake of breath. His pupils seemed to expand, and his eyes appeared darker. My heart was beating a lot faster now.
“We never kill humans when we feed, we simply take what we need and then erase their memories of us so they are not affected by the event,” Jeremih said, as his eyes locked onto my neck. My skin grew oddly sensitive and goosebumps raced across my entire body. The sensation wasn’t out of revulsion or fear. I was… aroused and curious. Jeremih groaned while he watched the pulse at my neck.
Jeremih slid his hands over my hands and up my arms to wrap his long fingers around my biceps, and squeezed my arms. My breath caught in my throat as his mouth neared my neck. “I won’t hurt you Alina,” he said against my neck.
“I uh… I didn’t know that,” I said. Jeremih exhaled, and his breath tickled against my skin. I felt his lips on my jugular. My breathing started to come fast as I felt the sharp tips of his teeth. He sank them into my skin and I barely felt the pain of his teeth. Jeremih started to pull the blood from me and I felt the odd sensation as if he were drinking from a straw.
At the same time of the sensation of Jeremih pulling my blood from my body came a cascade of pleasure. I gasped and moaned breathlessly. Jeremih slid his hands to my waist and he slowly, without breaking the connection at my neck, lay his body out against min
e. I felt every inch of him as he drank from me and I couldn’t help but press my hips against him. I found that he was hard and just as aroused as I was.
Soon Jeremih withdrew his teeth and I felt his tongue lick along the wound on my neck. My back arched off the bed at the sensation of his hot, wet tongue swirling over my skin. “Ah, Jeremih,” I moaned. Afterwards he kissed my sensitive skin. I heard the pull and felt snap of the cuff as they fell from my wrists. Jeremih slid over me and pressed his body on top of mine and captured my lips with his.
**
Jeremih
Alina moved restlessly underneath me as her body hummed with the pleasure of my having drank from her. I have never felt what I just did when drinking from a human before. Usually it is as platonic as drinking from a juice pouch. But with Alina, it felt hot and electric, even as her blood ran through my veins I was brought alive like I never had been before.
As I slid my hands underneath her shirt to slide it off, Alina moaned again and my body felt as if it were on fire. I needed to mate with her. The drive to be inside her was fiercer than anything I have ever needed before. Once her chest was bared to me I lowered my mouth to one full globe and sucked on the soft skin until I made my way to her nipple. She cried out when I grazed my teeth against it and her hands pushed into my hair.
Alina’s hips rose and pressed against mine, she rubbed herself against the hardness of my erection and the pressure felt amazing. I measured my grip on her hips as I ground into her and captured her other nipple with my mouth. I was so hungry for her. I could feel her pulse thrumming through her body and it spurned me on. I tried not to rip her pants as I pulled them off. She was bare underneath them and her scent hit me hard. She smelled like cinnamon and I couldn’t remember the last time I had tasted cinnamon. I slid down her body and spread her legs open wide so I could settle between them.
My mouth pressed against her lips and I slid my tongue in between her folds and licked up her wet arousal. She tasted so sweet and warm. I spread her lips with my fingers and flicked my tongue against her clit. Alina cried out my name and the sound of it on her sultry voice, laced with arousal and need, made me nearly mindless with the drive to bury myself inside her.
The Crime of Protection Page 71
