Vampire's Thirst (The Awakening Series)

by Cynthia Garner

  This time he couldn’t stay upright and pain sent him to his knees, hard. Her grip on his hand never loosened. If anything, she tightened her grasp and seemed to draw energy from him even faster. “Kimber,” he moaned. He didn’t want to stop her; this needed to happen. But he also didn’t want her to drain him past the point of no return if it was unnecessary. He was prepared to die to save her life and that of his unborn child, but he wasn’t willing to die just so the bit of Eduardo that was woven into the Unseen within her could get his jollies.

  Her eyes opened. He stared up at her, his ability to focus coming and going with the waves of agony radiating through him. He saw her irises darken to green just before her pupils dilated, leaving a thin ring of green around them. He could see the struggle taking place as part of her battled to hold on to the newly gained power while the other part, the Kimber he knew and loved, fought to expel it.

  “Come on, sweetheart,” he urged softly through teeth gritted in pain. “You can do this.”

  Through the pain, the noises around him seemed to become focused, one after the other. He closed his eyes. There was the constant rattling of chains as the zombies struggled to get free, the murmur of voices, even the chirp of birds in nearby trees. Then a shout dragged his eyes open. The zombie chained to the end nearest the building had managed to break the chain attaching him to the concrete and it now staggered to the side, reaching with skeletal arms, trying to grasp anyone close enough.

  With the end of the line loose, the zombies had more freedom to move. In only a few minutes there would be no choice but to start killing them. Duncan watched as Atticus led dozens of vampires to form a row between the shufflers and his small group of necromancers. “Do not let them get through,” the Roman vampire ordered.

  “Come on, Kimber,” Duncan urged.

  Her lips drew back in a grimace, and her hand tightened even more on his, mashing his fingers into one another. The bones in his pinkie snapped. A grunt was his only outward concession to the pain. But when his head felt as if someone was driving a spike into it, he couldn’t hold back a shout of misery. Through the pain clouding his vision, he saw Atticus turn and start toward him. “Stay where you are,” Duncan managed to yell. “Don’t break formation. We have to give this time to work.”

  Atticus’s lips thinned but without a word he retook his place. He held his sword at the ready. “Someone get a fire going!” he yelled. “Pass some torches.”

  Within seconds, flaming lengths of wood were being passed down the line, and the vampires thrust them toward the zombies, holding them at bay. “This won’t work for long,” Atticus called out, his face turned to one side. He met Duncan’s gaze. “If she’s going to do this, now would be the time.”

  Duncan dropped his chin to his chest and tried to focus on anything other than the agony buffeting him about like a dinghy on storm-tossed seas.

  “Now,” he heard Kimber say. At least he thought it was Kimber. The voice was deeper than hers, more guttural, the cadence almost that of a man’s. Yet instinct told him that was Kimber.

  Agony rolled through him. He closed his eyes and fell to one hand, the other still caught up in Kimber’s strong grip.

  * * *

  As Kimber gave her team the go-ahead to push the energy of the Unseen from Duncan to the zombies, she used the Unseen flowing from Duncan to wrap around the dark bit of Unseen that had been squatting inside her all these months and pushed it out of her. She watched the chained shufflers closely for any change and held on to Duncan, though she was throttling back on how much energy she was draining from him. Her breath came fast, part of it from the discomfort caused by the Unseen flowing through her and part of it from equal measures apprehension and excitement.

  Maggie and Duncan, on either side of her and standing slightly behind her, both panted lightly, still touching her. Their hands were hot against her skin. Glancing over her shoulder, she saw Brigid standing tall and slender, her hair flowing behind her as if caught in a wind, her eyes closed, lips moving in a silent chant.

  “It’s not working,” Kimber whispered, dread tightening her throat.

  Maggie suddenly gasped, one hand going to her abdomen. “Oh!”

  “What is it?” Kimber looked at her, following the other woman’s gaze to the ground at her feet. Ground that was wet with the same fluid running down Maggie’s legs.

  Round eyes met Kimber’s. “My water just broke.”

  Hunter moved and put his arm around Maggie’s waist to support her. Both of them were pale.

  Kimber wasn’t sure how much of that was due to what they’d just gone through and how much of it was the thought of what was shortly to come. Like they had time right now for birthing a baby. “Maggie…”

  “I know. I’m sorry.” She grimaced. “It’s not like I can control this. The baby wants to come out.”

  Just then Brigid gave a low grunt, drawing Kimber’s attention back to her. The fey woman’s hands left the shoulders she’d gripped the entire time to press her palms out in the air. “It’s done,” she rasped, and staggered back.

  Kimber let go of Duncan’s hand and heard him give a low moan, but her attention was focused on the zombies in chains. If this didn’t work, they’d have to figure something else out. Start all over again. She put one hand on her belly. She wasn’t sure she had another try in her.

  The zombie closest to them stood stock-still, his mouth moving but no sounds emanating from him; then, like a plug being pulled from a socket, all life went out of him and he dropped to the ground. Then the next one dropped, and the next one, and the one after that. All the way to the fence the zombies went to the ground, lifeless.

  She stared at the ones on the other side of the fence. Here was the real test. Those in front suddenly stiffened, faces rigid, fingers curled. They fell to the ground. The ones behind them fell. And the ones behind them.

  “Oh my God. It’s working!” Kimber looked at Duncan and gave a cry. He was lying facedown on the ground, not moving. She dropped to her knees beside him. “Duncan! Are you all right? Oh, God.” Fat tears rolled down her cheeks. “I took too much. I took too much!”

  Atticus knelt beside her and carefully turned Duncan over. Her lover’s skin was translucent, his mouth open slightly, eyes closed. With a hard look her way, Atticus lifted his wrist to his mouth and dragged a fang across it, then held it over Duncan’s mouth so that blood would drip between his lips.

  Kimber hardly breathed, watching for some sign, any sign, that she hadn’t killed him. She was vaguely aware of Natalie and Aodhán joining them, swords sheathed as they took up a silent vigil around the vampire who was not only their leader but also their friend.

  She heard a moan and glanced up to see Maggie holding on to her abdomen with a pained expression on her face. After several seconds the pregnant woman blew out a breath. “Oh, yeah. This baby is definitely on its way.”

  Hunter put his arm around her. “I was an EMT back in the day,” he said. “Even delivered a couple of babies in the ambulance.” He gave Kimber a reassuring look. “We’ll take her inside and get her settled comfortably, and I’ll make sure she’s all right.”

  “Thank you.” Kimber looked back and forth between the two of them. “Both of you, thank you so much. We couldn’t have done this without you.”

  She put her gaze back on Duncan in time to see his tongue come out to swipe at the blood on his lips. Tears rushed down her face. He was going to be all right. He had to be.

  “So it did work?” Maggie asked.

  Kimber looked toward the fence. She didn’t have as good a vantage point from where she knelt beside Duncan, but she couldn’t see any zombies milling about. “Oh, I hope so.”

  “It worked.” Brigid’s voice was serene. “I can feel the difference already in my magic. Soon the Unseen will be as it was, and all will be right with both our realms.”

  “After someone does something with all the corpses,” Natalie said, wrinkling her nose.

  “Come on, g
orgeous,” Hunter said to Maggie. “We have a baby wanting to be born.” He guided her inside, Brigid following closely behind.

  “Well, I don’t think we can do any good here, either,” Aodhán said. “Come, mo chroí. Let us go inside and celebrate this victory.”

  Natalie’s face flamed bright red but she giggled and tucked her hand in the crook of his arm and walked away with him.

  Kimber stared down at Duncan. Other than that brief swipe of his tongue, he hadn’t moved. “Will some of my blood help?” she asked.

  “Yes, it will help him heal faster than my blood will.”

  Without hesitation she said, “Let me borrow your knife.”

  He drew it from its scabbard and handed it to her. She sliced a furrow across her inner wrist. Bending over him, she placed the wound directly on Duncan’s mouth. “Come on, honey,” she whispered. “Please. Drink.”

  His throat moved with his swallow. She stroked the fingers of her other hand along the strong column of his throat, watching it move with his swallows. “That’s it. I love you, Duncan. Please don’t leave me.” Tears slid down her face to drip onto his skin. After a few seconds one of his hands came up and grasped her wrist in a tight hold as his mouth latched on to her wound and began strongly suckling.

  Soon enough Atticus removed Duncan’s hand from her wrist. Atticus swiped his tongue along her slashed flesh, muttering something about closing the wound, and moved her arm away from Duncan’s mouth. “That’s enough. He’ll be fine.”

  Duncan’s lashes swept up and his green and silver gaze met hers. “Did you do it?”

  “We did it, I hope.”

  “And the Unseen in you?” He lifted a hand to cup her face. His fingers trembled against her skin, testament to his current weakness. “Is it gone?”

  The serenity that had replaced the swirling aggression inside her was answer enough. “Yes,” she said with a smile. “I’m fine. Now it’s time to see to you.” She swiped at her tears. “Can you get up? You’ll be more comfortable in bed.”

  His eyes flashed. “If I’m going to be in bed with you, I should be up, shouldn’t I?”

  “You’re going to bed to rest,” she said, her cheeks flaring with heat. She shot a glance at Atticus, who met her gaze with steely eyes. She tightened her lips with annoyance and hurt. Sadly this situation hadn’t quelled his anger against her, and that was his right. But she missed having him as a friend. She looked at Duncan. “Come on, honey. Let’s go up to our suite.”

  She and Atticus helped him up, each of them sliding a shoulder under his arms to support him as they walked into the building. Though she knew Atticus bore most of Duncan’s weight, it still felt good to know she was helping in some way, however small.

  * * *

  At three o’clock that afternoon, Kimber left Duncan in the bedroom to answer a knock at the door. She swung it open. Atticus stood there. “May I come in?” he asked.

  She silently motioned him in. “Duncan’s in the bedroom,” she said as she closed the door.

  “I’d like to talk to you first.”

  “Oh.” She twisted her fingers together, not sure how to proceed. She was tired, too, and unsure of just about everything now. She and Duncan hadn’t really begun an intimate relationship until after the Outbreak. If she’d been successful and the zombies really were gone, she wasn’t sure where she stood with him after everything that had happened. She’d nearly killed him. How could he not be affected by that?

  Of course, she was pregnant with his child. She put one hand on her belly. She didn’t want him to stay with her just because she was pregnant. She wanted him to want her for her, not because she was having his baby.

  Damn pregnancy hormones. Her emotions were all over the place, and she didn’t like feeling so unsettled. “What do you want?” she asked, maybe a little more harshly than she’d meant.

  He surprised her when instead of glaring at her he shifted his weight as if he were uncomfortable. “A couple of things,” he finally said, his gaze on the floor. When he lifted his eyes, she was stunned to see the apology reflected in the silver depths. “I’m sorry for the way I’ve been treating you lately. I know you didn’t attack me on purpose, that what happened was entirely by accident. Perhaps even a happy one, with the way things turned out.”

  It was more than she’d hoped for. She went to him and wrapped her arms around his waist. He returned the embrace. After a few seconds she pulled back. “Apology accepted.”

  A ghost of a smile flitted across his lips. “Thank you. Second, I thought you might like an update on Maggie’s condition.”

  “Oh, yes. I’ve been worrying about her.”

  Atticus shrugged. “No need to worry. McKay is actually quite good at delivering babies as it turns out. She had a healthy little girl that she named Jacina Kimberly.”

  There went the water works again. Kimber sniffed. “That’s nice,” she said, proud when her voice barely quavered.

  His cough sounded suspiciously like a cut-off bark of laughter but when she narrowed her eyes at him, his expression was one of solicitous concern. “May I see Duncan now?”

  She motioned him into the bedroom. She’d kept a bedside lamp on low so she could watch over Duncan while he slept. He’d awoken only about half an hour ago and had still seemed a little foggy. As he caught sight of Atticus, a smile curled his lips. “How are things?”

  “Going well. Maggie had her baby, a girl, but I’ll let Kimber fill you in on that. The important thing is this: As soon as the zombies dropped this morning, I sent out several patrols. Some of the first ones have reported back. So far, all of the zombies they’ve come across are dead. Or dead again.” He shook his head. “They’re no longer animated, so it appears you and your friends were successful.” His voice deepened and he looked at Kimber. “You stopped the apocalypse. Congratulations, and well done.”

  “I couldn’t have done it without Duncan.” To have Atticus’s respect once again meant more than she could say. “But thank you.”

  “A few of my patrols went farther afield, so it may be a few days before we hear back from them. But one of the patrols that headed toward Vachon’s territory reported back that the squads he sent out are reporting the same thing. No more zombies.”

  “Thank God.” The relief was almost overwhelming. She could have this baby without worrying about flesh eaters.

  “Now the hard work really starts,” Duncan said.

  “Disposing of the bodies and rebuilding civilization.” Atticus gave a shrug. “Been there, done that. A plague is a plague, whether it’s microscopic or walking around on two legs. Not a problem.” With a wink he walked out of the room. In another second she heard the outer door close as he left the suite.

  Kimber stood there looking into the empty hallway for several long minutes, feeling bemused and so hopeful she started to feel a little scared. Surely something would come along to ruin the future she could almost see forming before her eyes.

  Or maybe she was just a pessimistic scaredy-cat who needed to start seeing the glass half full.

  She turned back to the bed and climbed onto it, careful not to jar Duncan. “How do you feel?”

  “Same as I did when you asked me half an hour ago,” he said with a small grin. “Still a little tired but better than before. I guess twelve hours of sleep will do that for you.”

  She traced her fingers along his strong jaw. “I love you.”

  He caught her hand in his and pressed a kiss to her palm, then pressed it to his cheek. “I love you, too, Kimber. And I have a question for you, one that I should have asked months ago.” The expression on his face was as solemn as she’d ever seen it. “You make me feel alive in a way I haven’t felt since I was human. There is joy in my life where before there was only duty. There is a future to build where before I had only a lonely existence to look forward to.” He kissed her palm again. “Marry me, Kimberly Treat.”

  She wanted to say yes. Oh, how she wanted to. But she needed to know he wan
ted her and not just because of the baby. “You’re asking me because I’m pregnant?”

  A muscle in his jaw ticked. “No, sweetheart.” Letting go of her hand, he pulled her down onto his chest and stroked his hand through her hair. “I’m asking because I love you. Because whatever our future holds, I want to face it with you.” He lifted his head and pressed his lips to the corner of her mouth in a fleeting, sweet kiss. “Now please put me out of my misery and say yes.”

  She couldn’t stop the grin from spreading over her face. “Yes.”

  “Yes?” His green eyes seemed to glow as happiness grew.

  “Yes!” Kimber pressed kisses all over his face. As he took control, holding her head still so he could dominate her mouth with his, she knew deep down everything was going to be all right. They had each other and in about seven more months they’d have a child. Their child. Maybe they’d have more, and maybe at some point once the children were old enough, Duncan would turn her into a vampire so they could truly have their happily-ever-after. For now she would focus on the present, on the joy they had with each other right now. The future would take care of itself.

  Please see the next page for a look at the first book in the series…

  Vampire’s Hunger

  Chapter One

  Kimber Treat, one of only a few necromancers licensed by the county of Summit, Ohio, pushed open the door to the Medical Examiner’s lab. “You’ve got a Lazarus for me?” she asked.

  “Yep. Let me get ’im.” The Chief M.E. swung open the heavy metal door of the cooler, went inside, and within a few seconds wheeled a sheet-covered corpse into the room. As he did, Kimber took stock of her surroundings. A stenographer perched on a stool nearby, her machine in front of her, fingers poised over the keys. Two burly security guards stood ready, just in case. When the investigation into a murder ran cold and the cops had nothing else to go on, they called in a necromancer.

  Most of the time the deceased was revived, questions were asked and answered, and the newly revived was put back to his or her eternal rest. But every once in a while the reaction of the deceased to suddenly being cognizant again was confusion that quickly morphed into frenzied panic. The guards were a necessary precaution.