I’d killed Chelle several months back by draining too much from her and had to turn her, and I hadn’t even been fucking her at the time. I forced that memory away and concentrated on Vanessa. My lovely Vanessa as I drank her delicious blood. She was in me now, a part of me. She’d always be a part of me. I felt her walls contract, and she whimpered and trembled in my arms, unable to scream as I sucked her blood while she climaxed. She was so fucking wet. So hot. A shuddering climax ran through me, but I wasn’t finished and thrust inside again and again as an orgasm of tsunamic proportion overpowered me. Draining me. I took all of her, draining her until there was nothing more than a small trickle left. I stopped sucking. I stopped moving. I breathed into the side of her neck, catching my breath. I couldn’t move. My chest heaved for air, my heart thundered with the life of Vanessa, pounding so hard I thought it would explode from my chest. “I love you, sweetness. I love you,” I whispered.
Vanessa sat, slumped in my arms. Not breathing. I listened for a heartbeat but didn’t hear anything.
I’d killed her. I’d fucking killed her.
I had to kill her, but I hadn’t wanted to. It had to be this way, but I’d gone too far. I just had to climax that one more time didn’t I? Too fucking long. I’d sucked too long. I shouldn’t have been the one to do it, but there was no fucking way I’d let anyone else touch her. I cursed at the top of my lungs at my fucking bad judgment.
My brother appeared in the room. “You went too far, Lane. You were supposed to leave some.”
“Move off of her.” Someone’s hands were on my shoulders, tugging me away from her. I looked up at Gage. “Why’d you take so fucking much, man? Can’t you ever control yourself?”
I sat crouched on my knees beside Vanessa’s limp white body and rubbed my hands down my face. Gage was right. I fucking blew it. Cian scored his wrist and held it over her mouth.
“No!” I shoved him away. “Get away from her. She’s mine,” I growled, sounding very primal. Like the animal that I was. I scored my own wrist, a huge, thick gash, placing it against her mouth. “She hasn’t been dead that long. I can still bring her back. Come on, baby. This is what it takes. You have to drink me. I drank you. Now it’s your turn. Please, drink. Please swallow.”
Someone draped a sheet over Vanessa’s naked body. “Thank you,” I said, but I didn’t know to whom. But I knew she wouldn’t want to wake up and find herself naked in front of all these people. If she woke up. Aside from the human servants, I think everyone in the entire household stood by while I tried to get Vanessa to swallow my blood. This had been what I was afraid of. This was why I didn’t fuck and suck. This was why I’d never asked to drink her blood before.
I pried her lips apart with my finger and thumb and let a few droplets of my blood drip into her mouth. But she just lay there, still as the corpse she was.
It seemed like hours passed as I held my wrist to her lips.
If she came back to me, she’d need human blood to complete the transition. I looked around the room. There was Ari and Josh. Those were my only options. I hadn’t thought this through. I could give her bagged blood, but it would be more potent coming directly from the vein, and time was of the essence. Josh wasn’t an option. No fucking way. I had nothing against the guy, but he belonged to Chelle, and I didn’t want his blood in my girlfriend. If she came back.
Chapter Thirty-Six
Vanessa
I could hear Lane’s distress. I felt his pain deep inside of me, his agony tore at my soul, ran through my bloodless veins. I wanted to comfort him but…
I was dying.
I was dying, and there wasn’t a damn thing he could do about it. One of his worst nightmares was coming true. Killing me would ruin him; destroy him even more than he was. I didn’t want him to suffer that way. I didn’t want to die. I tried to move my lips, but they seemed separate from my face. I tried to move my tongue to just get it past my lips to his wrist where I knew I’d find life, but it too, was motionless.
Then a sweet drop of heaven hit my taste buds, bursting like fireworks. Lane’s blood. I knew it had to be Lane’s blood. He’d never let anyone else fill me this way. As the thick nectar coated my tongue, bringing back life, I was able to move it ever so slightly, and the tip barely licked more of what was being offered.
“Yes, baby. Taste me. I’m good, right? Keep tasting. You’ll soon get stronger, and you’ll be sucking away. Come on. If you wanna go beat the big, bad, evil Seth, you have to come back. Come back to me. Let this nourishment revive you. Let it flow into your veins. ”
Lane’s words drove me. Urged me on. The mere sound of his voice filled me with hope. Finally, my lips began to function, and I sucked and sucked and sucked as life poured back into me.
“Ari.” Lane’s voice.
“I’m ready,” Ari responded. What was he ready for?
I felt Lane sigh with relief. “Thanks, man.”
“No problem.”
Then my lifeline was gone. Disappeared from my lips. I hungered for it, but I couldn’t go after it.
“Ouch.” I heard someone exclaim, then life was back at my lips, and I drank it. Different, but good. Real good. A bit of Lane mixed in. Whosever blood this was, was perfect.
“Take it, baby. Take Ari’s blood. He’s a little bit me, a little bit Cian. But we can live with that.” I heard a chuckle from across the room. There were others here. I sensed them. All of them. Mags, Chelle, Cian, Gage, Grayson, Elvis. Then another human. Josh.
I swallowed, ingesting Ari’s blood as fast as I could.
My sucking became stronger, and my hands went up to hold on to the source of my lifeline, tugging it to me.
“I think that’s enough,” Cian said. I had an instant understanding of why he so rudely wanted to take away my lifeline, and I let Ari go. I opened my eyes and licked my lips.
I sat up, grabbing the sheet with me to cover my breasts and everyone stared at me. Their foreheads all lined with frowns of bewilderment. I glanced around the room. Everything seemed…different. Things just a little bit brighter, clearer. More vibrant.
“What day is it?” I asked, wondering why I was still naked. I thought Lane would have dressed me in something by now.
“What day is it?” I repeated.
“It’s Monday,” Lane said.
“Monday? I’ve been out for a week?” I asked incredulously because it felt like less than an hour.
“No.” Lane swallowed. “It’s Monday. The same day as…as when…it’s only been an hour since we were...” Making love I wanted to finish for him. “…since I drained your blood.”
“This isn’t normal,” Cian said, and I glared at him.
“No,” Gage agreed. “It usually takes a few days for the transition to happen. For a new vampire to gain awareness and strength, they not only need to ingest blood, but also rest in an almost dead-like sleep.”
“How is this possible? How are you up and conscious?” Lane asked, and I looked at him with amusement. He’d forgotten. They’d all forgotten.
I was a witch.
“You knew this was possible,” I said. “You knew I’d be different.”
“Everyone, get out!” Lane barked, startling everyone and me. I watched as everyone left the room, leaving Lane and me alone.
“Thanks. I needed them all to leave so I could get dressed. And I swear, if Josh had stayed in this room one more minute, I’d have devoured him within thirty seconds.”
I shoved the thin sheet away from my body and got up then strolled to the bathroom and turned on the shower.
“What are you doing?”
“Taking a shower.”
“But, how? How is it you’re acting like nothing happened?”
“I have a job to do. I need to take a shower and get to it. You’re either with me on this, or you’re against me. I don’t care either way. But if you’re not with me, get out of my way.”
His eyes grew wide then softened, the silver-blue of his irises glowing with emot
ions. Emotions I couldn’t allow myself to feel. He reached his hand out for me. I backed away, not letting his fingers touch me. I couldn’t afford to be soft right now. His emotions were off the charts. Fragile. If I allowed them to penetrate the hardened exterior I’d just created, they’d diminish the hate I had for Seth and the need that burned within me to destroy him and get my goddamn crystal back. I had to be tough to do what I needed to do. And damnit, I craved more blood.
“What’s wrong with you? You’re like an insensate stone wall.”
I tilted my head and looked at him. “Am I?” I laughed. “Well, that’s good to hear.” Huh. I’d somehow managed to turn off all my emotions because I really didn’t give a flying fuck what he thought of me right then. In fact, for the first time in my life, I didn’t care what anyone thought of me.
I sidestepped around him and into the shower stall. I closed the door in his face and turned my back to him. I cranked the knob all the way to the left and stepped in under the spray of cold water, needing the chill on the outside to match the ice on the inside.
Lane opened the door and stuck his hand under the frigid spray.
“Jesus.” He shook his hand and quickly dried it off then stared at me in question.
“Leave me,” I ordered, my voice deep and powerful. His eyes shot to mine, glassy and full of pain. He slowly shut the door and turned away, leaving me alone.
I closed my eyes, satisfaction filling my soul. I let the icy water flow over my face and smiled.
I felt amazing.
After washing off all the old Vanessa, which was what it felt like, I stood naked in front of the mirror, only to see an empty bathroom. The shock of not seeing myself startled me. “Shit.” I’d forgotten about that. I wanted to examine my body now that I was a vampire. Not something I would have ever done before. There were too many flaws to notice.
I glanced around the room and I remembered something Mags had told me about the computer screen and opened my laptop. There I was. Not ideal, dark in fact, a bit blurry, but workable for now. Later, after I recovered the rhondonite, I’d have to work on a spell to see if I could make myself visible in an actual mirror. I turned in front of the small screen to examine my rear-end and discovered it to be tighter, my hips a bit slimmer. My breasts were still the same size, but seemed firmer, maybe a little fuller. I’d been envious of Maggie’s new vampire body, which hadn’t changed all that much, but I’d noticed the subtle differences, just like I did now, with me. I’d always felt like the friendly giant whenever I stood next to her. But now, eyeing myself in the screen through my new eyes, I saw something beautiful for the first time. I went to the sink to brush my teeth and picked up the tube of toothpaste. I squeezed the tube to put some on the toothbrush, and all the paste came out at once.
“Shit.”
I brushed my teeth then cleaned up the mess. When I grabbed the doorknob to open the door, it fell off in my hand.
“Fuuuuuck.” I laughed. I hadn’t realized how strong vampires were. But I was also a witch, and the two powers combined made me even stronger.
Chapter Thirty-Seven
Lane
Vanessa had torn my heart to pieces. Chewed it up and spit it out like it was a piece of unwanted fat from a thick, juicy steak. I only hoped her coldness was temporary and would end after she got the crystal back. If she got it back. Her icy demeanor matched the air and the freezing shower she’d taken. It would be chilly tonight. I wore a long-sleeved t-shirt and a pair of jeans, along with my boots that had thick soles. I wanted to be prepared for the worst. Thick-soled boots were the best for kicking someone, or something straight to hell.
Vanessa, my love.
I’d made a terrible mistake.
“She’ll be okay,” Cian said as he placed his hand on my shoulder. He was dressed in a similar fashion. As were Gage and Elvis.
“Will she?” She might be okay, as Cian had said, but would she ever be the same?
He wrapped his arm around my shoulder and walked me to the window; the sun still bright but low in the sky, making its slow descent. “I never thought I’d see the sun again, but here we are, standing by this window looking at its brilliance.”
I sighed and guzzled down a full glass of scotch. “Will miracles never cease?” My voice dripped with sarcasm.
“You and Vanessa kept your relationship pretty private. As your twin, I knew from the beginning that you and she would be together eventually. Even with all the hostility you two seemed to have for each other. I could see through it.”
“Hrumph.” I went to the bar to grab another drink.
“I wouldn’t do that if I were you, Lane. You’re going to need to be sober.” I looked up to see Vanessa standing in the doorway. My heart ended up in my throat and I couldn’t swallow. At first, I thought she’d put another wicked spell on me, then I realized it wasn’t a spell, it was the way she stood there. She was the sexiest creature I’d ever set eyes upon. Tight, black leather pants clung to the curves of her ass and her thighs. Shiny leather boots covered her calves from just above her knees to the tip of her toes. A cap of metal covered the pointed toes, ready for kicking. Leather straps hung over her shoulders, holding knives of various sizes positioned strategically down her torso to cover a sleeveless, black leather bodice that looked more like a leather bra than a blouse. Where the fuck did she get that outfit? The weapons?
“Everyone ready?” She stood stiff as a board, no emotion evident on her face as we all stared at her.
“Where did you get all this stuff,” I asked, walking around her, fingering one of the sharp blades.
“I conjured them. Where do you think?” Vanessa stood with the stance of a warrior princess, her hands on her hips, legs slightly apart.
“Let’s hope you’re as dangerous as you look,” Cian said as he walked by her.
“I am,” she said smugly. “There are more weapons out here in the hallway. Take your pick. Hopefully, you won’t need them. But I wouldn’t put anything past Seth and what demons he might be able to manifest with the power of the whole rhodonite.”
“Damn, she’s sexy as hell,” Gage said as he went to go check out the weapons. I wanted to pummel his face.
I walked by Vanessa, and she caught my arm. “I’ll understand if you change your mind and don’t want to come. I know you’re just a rock star not a warrior.”
Fuck that.
I shrugged my arm away. I’d be damned if I’d let her talk to me that way. If this was the way she wanted to play this out, then I could be just as callous.
“I was a fucking monstrous vampire way before I was a rock star, sweetheart,” I countered and watched the twitch in her lip as it curved up slightly.
*****
We drove in silence, all crammed into the limo, until Vanessa blurted out, “He knows we’re coming.”
“Fuck,” Gage mumbled.
We all knew what we had to do. We each had our special jobs. Only my responsibility went beyond what everyone thought it would. My first and foremost goal was to protect Vanessa. Even if that meant I had to protect her from herself. If necessary, I would die trying.
We pulled the limo up to the front of the hotel, and I stepped out, looking up at the four-story building shrouded in darkness. It was evident that evil had already taken over, and I doubted any humans who got caught up in the siege would survive.
“We’re going to need to get him to leave the building with the crystal somehow,” Vanessa said. “There’s no telling how many humans he’s possessed and ordered to kill us. We don’t want this to turn into a bloodbath here in the heart of the city. I’m going in to assess.” She glanced at me. “Alone.”
“What? No! You can’t,” I said.
“I can, and I will.” She took a step away, and I caught her arm. She glanced at me over her shoulder. “I’ll summon you when I want you.” My hand fell away, heavily.
She’d summon me?
What the fuck? She turned from me and headed toward the hotel. I wanted t
o follow her, make her let me go with her, but I couldn’t move. My feet were stuck to the pavement.
“She’s turned into a badass. Guess she told you,” Elvis smirked.
“Fuck off!”
I watched Vanessa stroll through the doors of the Holiday Inn as if she owned the place. Once the doors closed, the hold on my feet released. I took a step toward the building.
“Lane! Wait.” Cian grabbed my shoulder with a strong grip. “Trust her. She’s trusting you to stay put. Let her do what she needs to do.”
Chapter Thirty-Eight
Vanessa
I was in my element. This was what I was born for. Strength roared through my veins, my bones. My mind commanded tactical precision with every movement. I was no longer that shy, introverted girl afraid to sing in front of people; afraid to let people touch me, let people in. I was a kickass, powerful woman on a mission.
The hotel lobby reeked with the rancid smell of evil. Nobody seemed to be in the place, not even at the registration desk or at the security counter. Luggage carts filled with suitcases sat unattended by an empty bell desk. Had Seth killed everyone, or turned them into monsters? Possessed them with his sick and twisted vision—whatever the hell that was? I prayed to the deities, beseeched the spirit guides, that he’d turned them and not killed them because once the crystal was separated again, they would turn back. At least, I hoped.
The heels of my boots clicked along shiny tile until I stepped into the center of the lobby and onto the short-weaved multi-color carpet so prevalent in hotels.
“Seth!” I called out and heard hideous laughter coming from up above. My traitorous cousin hung upside down, dangling from a rope tied to her ankles thirty feet above me. I couldn’t hate her for what she’d done. I had to believe she hadn’t known what Seth had in mind, or what a monster he was. Especially since he now had her suspended high in the air, ready to cut the tether. She couldn’t have known.
Rocked by a Vampire: Billionaire, Rock Stars, Vampires (Immortal Hearts of San Francisco Book 3) Page 17
