Miles clucked his tongue. “Do not resist, my mate. You will only make things harder for yourself. Save your strength for the battle yet to come.”
A scream abruptly rent the night, and then another. Blood sprayed across Nita’s face as she fought to hold her eyes open, straining to catch a glimpse of the hooded man now spinning through her midst, slicing throats and breaking necks with the speed of a funnel cloud.
Miles snarled, his face contorted with rage. He shifted into wolf form and disappeared into the night.
Bones crunched in the distance, and sounds of fighting could be heard over the pounding of Nita’s ever-weakening heart.
A wolf sailed over the table she lay on, his fur brushing against her skin, only to cry out as his head was ripped from his body.
Nita lay there helplessly as the robed figure slaughtered the handful of pack members participating in the ritual.
He stopped before the Shaman, gripping the old man’s neck and lifting him off his feet. “If she dies, I will come back to this place with an army, until every member of your pack is dead. Both young and old.”
There was no mistaking the voice beneath that cloak. Vlad had come for her.
Nita’s heavy eyelids drifted shut against her will. Her heartbeat slowed to a crawl and darkness overtook her.
Chapter Seventeen
Vlad tossed the Shaman away from him and hurried to Nita’s side. He laid his fingers against her neck, but her pulse could barely be felt.
Snapping the ropes that restrained her, he gently lifted her limp form into his arms and ran with vampiric speed up the mountain.
Once he’d gotten far enough away to stop, Vlad freed his cloak and dropped it on the ground, placing Nita’s nude body in its center.
The blood had stopped flowing from her wounds, and her lips had turned blue.
“Don’t you fucking die on me,” he snarled, biting into his own wrist and pressing the open wound against her mouth.
He tilted her head up and massaged her throat to prevent her from drowning. “Swallow it, Nita. Come on. I know you can do this.”
Satisfied that he’d gotten some blood down her throat, Vlad wrapped her in his cloak, scooped her up, and stood in one fluid motion.
“Stay with me,” he demanded, running toward his home with every ounce of power he possessed.
Vlad burst through the door a few minutes later, barking orders as he flew up the staircase to his room. “Angelo? Go tell Mordecai that you need syringes. Bring them to me. Quickly.”
Placing Nita in the center of his bed, he turned to Shon who now barreled through the doorway.
“Jesus, Vlad. What happened?”
“There’s been a change in plans. I need at least ten vampires, strategically placed around the grounds. And I need them as quickly as possible.”
Shon’s gaze raked over Vlad’s body. “Shifters, I assume. If the smell is any indication.”
Vlad nodded. “They were killing her.”
“Her own people?”
“Yes,” Vlad ground out between clenched teeth.
“It looks like they succeeded. She has no heartbeat that I can hear.”
“Go get the backup,” Vlad snapped, turning back to stare into Nita’s lifeless face. “The shifters will be coming.”
“I’m on it.” Shon’s footsteps echoed down the hall, disappearing on the stairs.
Angel rushed into the room, carrying the syringes, his face pale with worry. He set the items on the bedside table and leaned over Nita’s ashen face. “Is she gone?”
“She is not gone,” Vlad snarled, pushing Angel aside and snatching up one of the syringes.
Ripping the package open, Vlad plunged the needle into his vein and pulled the stopper until the syringe was full.
He yanked it free and inserted it into a vein in Nita’s neck, only to repeat the process.
“Grab that other one and transfer as much from me to her as you can. Hurry, Angelo.”
Angel did as Vlad instructed. The two of them worked together, continuously filling Nita’s body with Vlad’s lifesaving blood.
“Sire?” Angel’s voice penetrated Vlad’s anxiety-filled brain. “It’s not working.”
Denial surfaced along with rage as Vlad stared down in disbelief at Nita’s beautiful features.
“Get out,” Vlad demanded, unable to meet Angel’s gaze. “And shut the door behind you.”
Vlad waited until the click sounded, signaling he was alone in the room with Nita.
The syringe he still held rolled from his fingers to land at his feet. She was gone. He would never again hold her in his arms, taste her passion, see the fire flash in her amber eyes as she promised retaliation for something he’d done.
His legs gave out, and he dropped to his knees beside the bed.
“I’m sorry, Nita,” he whispered, taking hold of her cold hand. “Forgive me.”
Vlad had no doubt that he was partly responsible for her death. Had he not given her his blood to begin with, her own people would have had no cause to bleed her out.
Then again, she would have died without it. His blood was the only reason she’d survived being shot.
A gasp suddenly rent the air, and Nita’s back bowed off the bed.
Vlad was on his feet in an instant, cupping her face. “Nita? Look at me.”
Her eyes flew open on command, and Vlad’s breath caught. Her once amber-colored eyes were as black as onyx.
“Where am I?” she rasped, staring back at him in confusion.
“You don’t remember what happened?”
She shook her head, her gaze searching his. “I…”
Tears sprang to her eyes, pulling at the heartstrings Vlad wasn’t aware he even had.
She jerked her hands up, turning her wrists from side to side. “How?”
Vlad noticed with no small amount of relief that the cuts were nearly healed. “It doesn’t matter. What’s important is that you are alive.”
A small indention appeared between her eyes. “You saved me. On that table. I— It was you. The hooded figure.”
Vlad simply nodded, allowing his hands to drop away.
Nita pushed up higher against the pillows, forcing him to sit back and face her. “How many died?”
He shrugged. “Not nearly enough.”
“Those were my people,” she whispered, blinking back tears.
The hurt coming from her pissed Vlad off. “They tried to kill you, Nita. No. They did kill you. They do not deserve even one of your tears.”
The onyx color began to swirl in her eyes, giving way to her normal beautiful amber. Vlad decided not to mention the black he’d seen upon her waking.
“What is happening to me?” She lifted her hands, turning them left and right.
“It’s the vampire blood in your veins. I’m assuming that it’s sharpened your vision.”
“You’ve turned me into what you are?”
Vlad shook his head. “I don’t think a shifter can become vampire, Nita.”
“You don’t think?” she exclaimed, continuing to study her hands.
“To my knowledge, a vampire has never attempted to turn a shifter. Perhaps you have the gifts of both monsters.”
Nita lifted her gaze to Vlad’s. “Shifters are not monsters. We are born to protect, not harm.
“My mother,” Nita suddenly gasped, moving to get up. “He’ll hurt my mother.”
Vlad gently pushed her back against the pillows. “Who will hurt you mother?”
“Miles Castro. He promised that if I didn’t survive to mate with him, he would make my mom suffer.”
Castro would die, Vlad silently vowed, brushing Nita’s hair back from her face.
He fished out his cell from the pocket of his jeans and handed it to her. “Call her. Tell her to meet you at a motel near the edge of town. I’ll send someone to pick her up.”
Nita’s mouth fell open. “She would never come here, Vlad. She sees you as the enemy.”
“Wha
t about you?” He wasn’t sure why he asked, but the words came out before he could stop them.
“You’ve saved my life. Twice, and I’m grateful to you for that. But it doesn’t change the fact that you are a vampire.”
“As are you. In a sense.”
Nita stilled, staring up at Vlad in defeat. “I can never return home,” she murmured as if the reality of her situation had finally sunk in. “My people would never allow me back in the fold.”
He didn’t respond.
With trembling fingers, Nita took the phone from Vlad’s hand. She dialed her mother’s number and brought the cell to her ear.
Chapter Eighteen
Nita held her breath as the phone continued to ring. “Pick up,” she whispered, praying she wasn’t too late.
“Hello?”
The sound of her mother’s voice would have brought her to her knees had she been standing. “Hey, Mom, it’s me.”
“Nita,” her mother breathed, tears evident in her voice. “You’re alive. Oh my God, are you all right?”
“I’m okay, Mom. I need you listen to me carefully. Don’t interrupt and don’t ask any questions.”
The line grew silent for a moment. “What’s wrong, honey? You’re scaring me.”
“Are you alone?” Nita’s chest tightened with anxiety.
“Yes. Now tell me what’s happening.”
Nita could see Vlad pacing in her peripheral. She turned her head away to block out the distraction. “I don’t have time to explain, Mom, but you can’t trust anyone but me right now.”
“Just tell me, baby. You’re worrying me.”
“I need you to grab a few things, get in your car, and drive to Winters Inn on Highway 2. Do not tell anyone where you’re going, and no matter what you do, no one is to know you’ve spoken with me.”
“But—”
“You have to do this, Mom. I’ll explain everything to you once I see you.”
“Okay, honey. I’ll leave here within the hour.”
“That’s too long!” Nita barked, immediately regretting her tone. “Go get dressed and leave now. Call this number when you arrive at the hotel.”
“All right. I’ll do it now.”
Relief instantly poured through Nita. “I love you, Mom.”
“I love you too, baby.” The line went dead.
Nita handed Vlad his phone and swung her legs over the side of the bed. “I need some clothes.”
Vlad nodded toward some folded items at the foot of the bed. “Courtesy of Ember.”
“Remind me to thank her. Again.”
Gathering the clothes that Ember had sent in, Vlad handed them to Nita and moved across the room to peer out the window, keeping his back to her as he spoke. “You can stay here for as long as you’d like.”
Nita’s stomach flipped. She pulled on her borrowed jeans and tugged the sweater over her head. “I can’t stay here, Vlad. I have to figure out a way to prove that I’m not a danger to my people.”
Vlad turned and sauntered back toward the bed. “After everything they did to you, you would return to them?”
“What does it matter to you?” Nita snapped, slipping her feet into the soft, fur-lined boots sitting next to the bed.
“You’re bonded to me, whether you like it or not. What hurts you hurts me.”
Panic settled in Nita’s chest. “Bonded? I know that works with vampires, but how can you be sure it will happen with me?”
“I’m not willing to risk it.”
Nita surged to her feet, instantly regretting it. The room spun around her, and nausea threatened.
“Lie back down,” Vlad insisted, immediately at her side. “It’s too soon for you to be up.”
Nita refused to sit. “I’ll be fine in a minute.”
Vlad kept his hand on her arm. “How long has it been since you’ve eaten?”
Nita was suddenly aware of two things, Vlad’s incredible scent, and the vein pulsing in his neck. She could almost taste his blood on her tongue, feel it sliding down her throat.
She jerked her gaze to his, only to find him watching her with the same hunger she felt for him. “Nita…”
“What’s happening to me?” she whispered, searching his eyes for answers.
“My blood thrives in your veins, as yours does in mine. Your body craves something that I, alone can give. Just as I crave you in a way I never imagined possible.”
Warmth enveloped her the longer she stood there, drinking him in. Her nipples grew sensitive, tingling with awareness. She could feel her body awakening, preparing her for his touch.
“It’s not natural,” she breathed, barely able to speak.
“We’re not natural, Nita. We are creatures, put on this earth for two different purposes. One born of good, the other spawned from evil.”
“You’re not evil, Vlad.”
“It is true that I possess a certain darkness,” Vlad argued, tucking her hair behind her ear. “Perhaps you are my salvation.”
The dizziness Nita had felt upon standing slowly ebbed. She tore her gaze away from his and trailed off toward the door, not wanting to delve any deeper into his words. “I think I will have something to eat, if you don’t mind.”
Vlad followed her to the door, taking hold of her elbow. “If I don’t have anything you would like, I’ll have Mordecai go get you something.”
“Whatever you have will be fine,” Nita assured him, allowing him to guide her down the stairs.
Angel and Shon waited at the bottom.
Nita didn’t miss the flare of their nostrils, no doubt taking in her strange scent of shifter flesh and vampire blood.
Vlad guided her around the two gaping vampires. “I’m taking Nita to the kitchen for a bite to eat.”
Angel fell in step beside them. “Mordecai is already in there whipping her up a steak.”
“Damn, I miss steak,” Shon growled, following close behind.
Angel glanced back over his shoulder. “Really? Where would you like it, in the heart or the gut?”
“Very funny, Angela. I’ll just bet you would prefer one in a dark, tight—”
“Enough,” Vlad scolded, his lips twitching in humor. “I’m sure our guest doesn’t want to hear about Angelo’s sexual preferences.”
Nita managed to keep a straight face. “Oddly enough, I would have pegged Shon as the freak.”
Laughter erupted from the trio escorting her to the kitchen.
Strange, Nita thought, strolling through the giant castle. She had never thought vampires were capable of being a family. But that was exactly what they appeared to be.
Chapter Nineteen
The smell of meat cooking in the kitchen turned Vlad’s stomach. He hadn’t been born human like young Shon, and therefore never required anything other than blood to survive.
Over the years, Vlad had grown to love the taste of wine, a good brandy, and a few other drinks outside the blood family, but he’d never tasted a steak.
He helped Nita onto a stool and plucked down two wineglasses. “Is red wine okay with you?”
Nita nodded. “Did you bring your phone? Mom should be calling soon.”
Vlad tilted his head. “I did.”
Angel moved around the bar to face Nita. “Is your mom okay?”
Nita filled Angel in on everything that had happened during the ritual, ending with, “If she doesn’t get out of there soon, she’ll be at the mercy of Miles Castro.”
“Do you think he’ll hurt her?” Angel questioned, propping his elbows on the bar. “Or could it be an idle threat to get you to mate with him?”
The tightening of Nita’s body wasn’t lost on Vlad.
She kept her gaze on Angel. “I don’t know what he’s capable of. He proposed to me a week ago and then showed up at my camp in the mountains last night.”
“Before or after I saw you?” Vlad nonchalantly asked. He could feel the rebellion building inside Nita and wondered if Shon and Angel could as well.
“After
,” she answered quietly.
Vlad stood stiffly beside her, staring straight ahead. “Did he touch you?”
Nita shook her head. “He tried. I had to promise him that I would think about his proposal in order to get him to leave.”
“You will not mate with Miles Castro,” Vlad snapped, picking up the wine bottle and filling their glasses.
Angel pushed away from the bar. “I’ll just go check on Lucius. Shon, would you mind helping me?”
“And miss the fireworks?” Shon crossed his arms over his chest. “Not a chance.”
Vlad swung his gaze in Shon’s direction. No words were exchanged, but then, none were needed.
Shon’s theatrical sigh echoed throughout the kitchen. “I’ll just go help Angela with Lucius.”
Vlad waited until both Angel and Shon left the room before taking a seat next to Nita. “Regardless of what you think of me, I assure you that my intensions are purer than Castro’s.”
“There is nothing pure about Vlad the Impaler,” Nita argued. “But your demands are made in vain. I would never mate with Miles Castro.”
“You will not mate with anyone. The bond you have with me would prevent it.”
Nita rested her forehead in her palm. “Is there no way to free oneself of a bond?”
Vlad shook his head. “Only through death.”
“Then I just have to kill you?”
“You cannot kill me, any more than I could kill you. Our bond will not allow it.”
Nita glanced sideways at him before taking a sip of her wine. “That only works with vampires. A shifter can take a mate’s life. They may wither away and die afterward, but it can be done.”
Mordecai shuffled around the corner, carrying a plate full of steak, baked potato, and a small salad.
He set the plate in front of Nita, laying a knife and fork within reach. “If you need anything else, Miss Franks, do let me know.”
Vlad nodded to the elderly butler. “That will be all, Mordecai. Please see that we are not disturbed.”
“As you wish,” the old man murmured, trailing from the room.
Vlad watched in amusement as Nita dug into the rare steak like a woman starved. He decided to fill her in on the council’s plan to flush out the Seekers.
The Rise of Vlad (The Seeker Series Book 3) Page 7
