Chelle led me into a large room; bright and warm with what felt like sunlight. Then she flipped another switch that made the ceiling open, exposing the sky, the stars, and the moon.
“Nice touch.”
“It’s fake,” she said. “But it’s programmed to change with the time of day. Allowing us to enjoy the sunshine without the real sun’s damaging rays.”
She walked to a credenza where several bottles of liquor and glasses graced the top and poured us some drinks. At least, they have good taste in alcohol, I mused.
She handed me one. “Are you scared?”
“No.” I wasn’t, not like before in the club.
“Good.” She turned away from me, splaying her hand out. “This room was added on not too long ago. Cian wanted to have a room where we could sit and enjoy the sunshine without it causing us any damage.”
“How’s that work?” Now I was curious.
“The room?”
“No, the sun being damaging to you.” I wasn’t an electrical engineer, but I could figure out the dynamics of how electricity worked to heat a room and ceilings projecting a picture with the flip of a switch.
“The sun drains our energy, that’s why we can’t be caught in its direct rays. It doesn’t burn us or anything, well, other than a bad sunburn, but it renders us lethargic to the point where we become helpless. Cian made this room for his wife. Like me, she was turned recently.”
“Recently?”
“Yes. I’m a new vampire. It happened eight months ago. Lane accidentally killed me. But he couldn’t bring himself to accept what he’d done, so he turned me instead of letting me die. That’s when I went missing.”
I gulped down my drink, and Chelle took my glass and poured me another. I had a fairly high tolerance for alcohol, considering I was probably what some would label a “functioning alcoholic.”
“Thanks.” I accepted the drink from her and sipped at it. Then I heard voices approaching. Male and female. I braced myself.
“Chelle, Vanessa told us what happened,” Lane said, entering the room and heading straight for the booze.
“Hey, man,” Cian said, and I took a step back when he approached me. “Sorry, You’re safe here, I promise. This is my home. No harm will come to you. I’m sorry you had to find out about us that way. We have rules in the club. That shouldn’t have happened, and that vampire will be found and talked to.”
“Talked to?”
“We’ll make sure he never does it again. Other than that, there’s not much I can do except ban him from the club. But everybody’s entitled to a second chance.”
A woman walked through the doorway and my eyes almost popped out of their sockets when I realized who she was. “Mags?”
“Hi, Josh.” She walked up and stood next to Cian.
“You know my wife, Magdalena.” He draped his arm around Mags’ waist, possessively tugging her to him.
“You’re the other ‘recently turned’ Chelle mentioned.”
She nodded. “I didn’t want to leave the network, believe me. I enjoyed my job. But unfortunately, there was no way I could work during the day.”
I nodded. “Too bad. I saw great potential in you.”
She beamed a beautiful smile at me. “Thanks. Coming from you, that’s high praise.”
“Now that you know about us…” Lane strolled over toward me, a glass of scotch fisted in his hand. “…you do know that we’ll have to make you one of us.”
I took a couple of steps back as he came closer, then he poked me in the chest and I jumped backwards and stiffened. “Rather jumpy aren’t you?” He laughed
“Lane, you’re an asshole,” Cian said. “Forgive my brother’s sick sense of humor. He won’t hurt you.”
“Yes, I was joking. Unless, of course…” He stood in front of me, his face an inch from mine. “You do something stupid, like hurt Chelle.”
“Your warning has been noted,” I said without flinching, which was a miracle, considering inside I felt like I was shaking in my pants. Lane was intimidating, hell, they all were, but I wasn’t about to let him or any of them get the best of me. Plus, how would it look to Chelle if I cowered?
“Lane, stop it. You don’t own me,” Chelle retorted.
“But I made you and—”
“Drop it, brother. Chelle’s a big girl, and her boyfriend is a guest in our home and not your concern.” Cian draped his arm around Lane’s shoulders and led him away from me.
“We’ll talk to you all later. I want to show Josh some things.”
“Take your time,” Lane said. “We’re here all night. We have plenty of time to get acquainted.” He laughed and patted me on the back.
“Come on.” Chelle grabbed my arm and led me out of that very overcrowded room. “I want to show you something.” We walked down a hallway when another interesting room caught my eye. I couldn’t help but stop to peek in. A massive library in a circular room with walls spanning as high as three stories, all stacked with rows upon rows of books. “Wow. Impressive.”
“They’ve been collecting literature for a couple of centuries.”
“Centuries,” I repeated the unfathomable word. Man, the story I could write.
“Technically, Cian and Lane are fairly young vampires, as well. At least, compared to most. I think Gage and Elvis are much older, but I don’t know exactly.”
“Gage and Elvis?”
“The other two vampires in the band,” she clarified. “Gage is a great guy, always offering to help me. Elvis is a little creepy, though, if you ask me.” She turned to me. “Let’s keep that last bit of information between us, okay?”
I nodded. She spoke of these things and the creatures as if they were all very normal. I supposed they were to her. Vicious fell asleep in her arms, and she tucked the puppy into her little bed, then we headed upstairs. “Where are we going?”
“To my room,” she waggled her eyebrows and smiled. “And you’re my prisoner.”
I hoped her affirmation was in jest. Like she’d said, if she’d wanted to hurt me, she would have already. Though she had no idea how much of an actual prisoner I felt in a house occupied by vampires and surrounded by an iron fence with locked gates.
She tugged me into her room and shut the door behind us. “Now that I’ve got you all to myself…” She started to unbutton my shirt and roam her hands down my torso. My cock forgot about her being a vampire, but my brain didn’t.
“Wait, Chelle. I need a minute. This is a lot to take in.”
She sucked in her lips. “Of course.”
I looked around her room. It was most definitely a female’s bedroom. A queen-size bed with a white down comforter took up the center of the room. Pillows of various shades of reds were tossed about for a splash of color. Feminine art hung on the walls. One in particular caught my eye. A print of a woman standing dressed in a tight bodice of red and light blue with the skirt flowing down her curved figure. Her hair was long, flowing down beyond her hips in smooth, red strands. Mountains encased by fog loomed behind her. The head of a dark, midnight-blue dragon with fire in its eyes and nostrils rested peacefully on her shoulder, her hand caressing the dragon’s face. Tender, I thought. The female’s eyes were closed, and a contented smile graced her face. Replete with love and admiration for the creature. It was beautiful.
Another picture of two dragons embracing each other decorated an adjacent wall.
A jewelry box and several necklaces hanging from a small stand adorned the top of a dark brown dresser with smooth edges curved to enhance the design. I liked it. It all seemed very…human. Her room was so far above the comforts of mine; she must think me very poor with the sparseness of my apartment.
“You like dragons?”
“I find them fascinating. Such power. Could be a girl’s best friend if she were to find herself in the presence of a monster.” Chelle sat on the edge of her bed and smiled. I understood what she meant. She was a vampire, but she wasn’t a monster, and she wanted me to kno
w the difference.
“I’ll have to remember that.” I walked to the window. She didn’t have one of the rooms with the bay windows jutting out from the rest of the mansion, a luxury for the alphas in the house, I supposed, but this view was still decent as I stared out at the impressive display of twinkling city lights right before the land dipped into the ocean.
I was tired. By my body’s clock, it was probably somewhere around two in the morning. Not that late I told myself. I turned back to look at Chelle. With her body splayed across her bed, propped up on her elbow, her head in her hand and her finger tracing seductively over her bottom lip as she watched me. Alluring. Tantalizing me with her beauty. Sweet mother of God, help me. I was falling for a vampire.
Chapter Thirty-Four
Chelle
Josh stood at my window. He looked exhausted, and I had to remind myself that he probably wasn’t used to staying up so late so often. “Come lay with me, Josh. You must be tired. I know this all must be very overwhelming for you.”
“I’ve encountered worse.”
We both knew the worse he spoke of. He walked to my bed and stood, looking down at me. “Take your clothes off,” he said. My eyes widened with delight. I smiled and removed my top and kicked off my jeans. I slipped my finger under the lacy top of my panties to pull them down. “Leave those on.”
He glanced around my room. I didn’t know what he was looking for, but he went to my closet and pulled the belt off my terry robe. “Clasp your hands together and hold them out.”
I did as he requested, and he looped the belt around my wrists. Not really tight, but tight enough that I couldn’t get it undone. Then he shoved my arms up above my head and secured my wrists to the headboard.
“I thought you were going to be my prisoner this time.”
“I don’t play that way.”
“Is that because you don’t trust me?”
“Not at all. I just want to fuck your brains out and hear you yell out my name when you become so frustrated that you can’t grab my ass when you come beneath me.”
“Oh,” was all I said, unable to utter another word as wetness accumulated between my thighs in anticipation.
He undid his pants and shoved them down, stepping out of them and then his briefs. His erection pointed at me, making me wish I could move my arms and take him in my hands. But he liked this game, and I wanted to please him. Besides, it gave me a great amount of pleasure, too. He took his shirt off over his head and brought it to the bed. I stared at this chest muscles and tight abs until the sleeve of his shirt became my blindfold.
With his shirt secured tightly over my eyes and my hands tied to the headboard, I felt completely vulnerable and very much the submissive, yet, with my vampiric strength, I knew if I’d wanted to, all I had to do was yank my hands hard and I’d be free. But then I’d ruin my bed.
My breath hitched when his tongue skated over my clit. The unexpected sensation was exciting, and the anticipation of what he’d do next had me reeling with desire. As he slid his fingers deep inside of me, I quivered beneath his touch, so aroused.
After several minutes of pleasure, Josh kissed his way up my stomach to my mouth, covering my lips with his. When his cock penetrated me, I bucked my hips up and wrapped my legs around his waist. He palmed my ass with both hands as he pumped, slowly, rhythmically.
I lost all control of where I was and my fangs elongated.
“Goddamit, Chelle, that’s sexy as hell, but don’t bite me.”
I bit my lip, drawing my own blood at the thought of drinking Josh’s. Maybe it was a good thing I was tied to the bed. Just enough of a reminder that I shouldn’t. Not yet.
It was torture like I’d never known.
He lifted the blindfold off my eyes and the way he looked at me was so tender. Caring. I felt so cherished by this man. We came together, like every time we made love. Josh was an excellent lover, and he had sexual stamina equal to that of any vampire, not that I knew many. Only one. At least, in that regard. But Josh made me feel so much more desirable than I’d ever felt with Lane.
“I’m sorry Lane was such a jerk earlier,” I said as Josh and I lay side by side, our heartbeats finally returning to normal.
“I’ll admit, knowing he’s capable of ripping my head off with his hands, he was a little intimidating.”
“I never meant for you to learn about me or us that way. I’m sorry for what I am,” I said, feeling very unworthy of his affections.
He took me in his arms. “No, baby,” he cooed. “Don’t apologize for anything. You were a victim. Fucking Lane’s victim.”
He was right, I was, once. But I didn’t like to think of myself as a victim anymore, and I certainly didn’t want to be treated as one.
“Don’t do that,” I snapped.
“Do what?”
“Feel sorry for me. Pity me. I’ve embraced my vampirism. It’s who I am now. I’m not a victim.”
He shoved himself up from my bed and stood. “Maybe I should go.”
Chapter Thirty-Five
Josh
I didn’t know if I felt sorry for Chelle or not, but regardless, I had to remember that while she may have been a victim at one time, she was now a vampire. With a very strong mind and body. If she wanted to, she could rip my head off just as easily as Lane. What the fuck am I doing here?
“Don’t go,” she begged. I turned back to look at her. The beautiful creature I saw lying on that bed was nothing like the monster that had so brutally murdered Emily. I had fallen for Chelle, fallen deeply, but the fact remained, there would be a time when she’d want more from me. The more I would never be ready to give her. I was human, and I wanted to stay human. I didn’t want my lover sucking blood from my vein.
I shook my head and pulled on my pants. “It would probably be better if I left.”
“No. You can’t go.”
I turned to face her. “Am I a prisoner, Chelle? Is that why you brought me here?”
“No, of course not. Please, just stay. Be with me.” She got up from the bed, her naked body moving gracefully across the room to stand by my side. She slid her hands down my chest and around my waist. “Please.”
I smiled against her sweet, pale cheek and sighed. She may not be forcing me to stay, but I was most definitely her prisoner, bound not by ropes or shackles, and not against my will, but by the pure, unrelenting desire I felt for her. I was a goner. I’d always be forever in love with her. “Woman, you are going to be the death of me.”
I frowned. “Let me rephrase that.”
“No need. I promise on my father’s grave that I won’t kill you.”
I let her pull me back to her bed and we snuggled close to each other, she in my arms. I was not afraid of her. I could never be.
“Chelle, do you think you could tell me about your dream? You said a vampire killed your parents, but you never gave me any details.”
She sighed, her eyes closing. “I’ll try. I don’t remember faces too well, those haven’t come to me yet.”
I nodded, understanding. I had a difficult time remembering the face of the monster who’d stolen Emily from me. “Just tell me what you remember.”
As I lay there listening to her recount her dream, my mind drifted to my own experience with Emily. Now that I had proof that vampires existed, I wanted so badly to see that vampire’s face. The idea of him still frightened the shit out of me, but I knew I would never be at peace with what happened until he was gone from this world, though I didn’t know how to do that.
Chelle and I fell asleep in each other’s arms until the sound of blinds rising woke me. I sat up to take a peek at the window. No, they weren’t rising. They were closing. It was near morning. The sun would be up, and the vampires in this house would all need to be sheltered from it. Nice safety feature.
I turned over to see Chelle asleep. I studied her face. Her natural beauty captivated me. Entranced me. Like her eyes did when they locked with mine during a climax. That’s why I’d tak
en the blindfold off right before we both came. I rubbed my forefinger over the spot where the scar had been in the picture. It was no longer there. What had happened to it?
Chelle’s eyes fluttered open and she smiled at me.
“The scar disappeared after I was turned.”
“How did you know I was thinking about that?”
“You were tracing the spot, the shape it was. I know it was in the picture.”
“Ah. And here I thought you might be reading my mind.”
“You would need to ingest my blood for that.”
I hadn’t been serious, but I appreciated her honesty. “Chelle, I hope you know I don’t think I’ll ever be okay with that.”
She sighed, sucked in her lower lip and nodded. “Let’s go get some food. You must be famished.”
“Yeah, I could eat something.”
We entered the kitchen and Chelle walked to the huge, stainless steel, built-in refrigerator and opened the door.
“Would you like some orange juice?” she asked.
I was rather thirsty, and though I normally wasn’t a juice drinker unless it had a little vodka in it, straight sounded good for a change.
“Sure, why the hell not.”
Chelle handed me a glass and the bottle of juice. I opened it, poured some out into the tumbler and held it over another glass to pour some for her, but she shook her head and reached back in, grabbing a plastic bag filled with something red from the fridge.
“Is that blood?”
“Yes. I hope you don’t mind. Your sexual stamina has left me a bit drained.”
I should have felt complimented, but it was yet another indication of how different we were. At a loss for words, I shook my head and she tore open the top of the bag and poured the blood into a highball glass. She threw the plastic container into the trash compactor next to the sink.
Curious, an investigative reporter and all, is what I told myself as I picked the bag up out of the trash. The words “Blood Source” were written across the top in bold black letters. Underneath it, in smaller print read, “Blood of Champions.”
Captivated by a Vampire: Billionaire, Rock Stars, Vampires in San Francisco (Immortal Hearts of San Francisco Book 2) Page 14
