“So… all right. Cool. Is he gonna turn you then?”
I look down, fiddle with the hem on my dress.
“He’s just gonna keep you?” says Sean. “As a human? That’s fucking cruel.”
“But you’re kept, right?” My voice is hoarser as I fight down the sudden clenching in my chest.
“My master will turn me when I’m twenty-five.” He straightens and grins. “He says it’s a good age to look for all eternity.”
“Lou doesn't want to turn me,” I whisper and look away. Sean looks so proud, so happy to be one of the chosen, and it stings that Lou doesn't find me worthy to be by his side.
“That’s fucked up, if you ask me.”
“Nah, it’s fine, I mean, he has his reasons.” I want to defend Lou, but my chest aches. It’s not like I have decided that I want to throw away my humanity just like that, but I’d want Lou to want me to.
“What do you want, then?” he asks softly and cocks his head.
His gaze flickers to something behind me and then back to me. I glance over my shoulder and find that his vampire is keeping his eyes trained on us as he draws a thin red line of blood on the inside of the wrist of the human, lifting his arm to his mouth. He flashes me his fangs and gives me a wink before he licks off the blood. I spin around to Sean, unease crawling down my back. The vampire looks oddly familiar and I can’t shake the feeling that I’ve seen him somewhere else at some point. Other than here.
“I want… the choice? I don’t know. He just lets you come and go? Bass?”
Sean shrugs. “He trusts me. He’s a good man. He just likes to play bad boy. Wanna come over? Sit with us?”
I look around me, then at Alaya. She shrugs. Something darkens in me. Lou won’t be fine with it, but Lou isn’t here. Lou is keeping me prisoner, doesn't trust me, doesn't want to turn me. Suddenly I’m much too curious about the arrangement Bass and Sean have.
“Sure.” I say lightly, fighting the slight dread and the feeling that I’m doing something I shouldn’t.
Sean puts his arm around my shoulder and leads me toward the couches. Bass slaps the other man on the butt and gestures for him to leave, making eye contact with another vampire in the back who immediately blurs through the room and takes the dazed man with him. The young man’s eyes are unfocused, glossed over, and I realize he must be compelled. A shudder runs through me as I regard Bass. He’s a burly man, tall and powerful, looking like a boxer with his broad nose, his wide chest and rough features. He’s bald and the black stubble on his chin is shaved with precision.
“Well, hello there,” he says, his voice impossibly deep. “I don’t think we have met.”
“This is Kat,” says Sean.
“I’m Bass.” The vampire takes my hand, his grip crushingly hard, making me wince, something that doesn't pass unnoticed. He flashes way too many teeth. “Please, sit.”
I glance over at Alaya again, but she is occupied.
“I don’t bite,” he adds with a laugh. “Much…”
My heart slams as I sit next to him with Sean on my other side.
“So, Kat. You have us all curious. There’s a new player befriending the king, and he has a live-in toy. Here. It’s unheard of.”
“It’s… temporary,” I croak. “Lou is new in town.”
“And you?”
“I don’t know what to say,” I whisper.
Bass takes my chin and turns my head left and right, studying me. “You look so sad, young one.” His voice is filled with compassion and suddenly all my suppressed worry, the fact that I’m a captive, that I’ve probably lost my job by now, that I don’t think I’m ever getting back to any kind of normalcy, bursts forth. I swallow down the choking feeling, fighting not to cry. I’ve fought not to think about it, but I’m achingly aware that I told Lou I that I love him, and that everything changed after that. We didn’t take our normal walk, and he left me here. He didn’t tell me where he was going or when he’d be back.
Bass strokes my cheek with the pad of his thumb, wiping off a tear I didn’t know had spilled. “Hey now. You’re all right.”
“He won’t turn her,” says Sean behind me.
Bass holds my gaze. “That so?”
I can’t look at him. I don’t know him and I don’t want everyone to see how miserable I am. He sighs and strokes my hair, a gesture so tender that it makes me whimper.
“Young Kat,” he sighs. “You have stirred this place quite a bit. Every single vampire in this establishment has lusted for your blood. Your response to your master is remarkable and your sweet scent makes everyone thirstier than ever. We’ve been rough with our subs lately…” He glances over my shoulder, at Sean, a brief wicked glint in his eyes.
“I’m sorry.”
“Do you know why it is so?”
I shake my head, puzzled. I have no idea what he’s talking about.
“It is because you are compatible. You and Lou. He’s feeling it too. It bounces back and forth between you. It makes for a delicious, perfect storm. But it’s also dangerous.”
“Why?”
“Oh Kat, sweet little human girl. One day he will lose control. You will die. It will all be over. He will never be able to forgive himself.”
“You don’t know that.”
“Dear, I am thousands of years old. I have turned all my lovers, given them the gift of immortality. I had to. Love consumes you. You deal with it or you perish.”
“Where are they now?”
“Nothing truly lasts forever. I tend to get bored.”
“Do you kill them when you get tired?”
Bass barks out a loud laugh that booms through the room. “No, no. We have all split amicably.”
“Then what is the point? If everything ends.”
“You are not durable as a human, dear. You will not last long as a mistress to a vampire. Weeks at most.”
“Why?”
“Living off the blood of one single human creates a spiral of need, increases the lust, the thirst. One day a little won’t be enough. One day he will take too much.”
Ice trickles through my veins. I stare at him, aghast. “Lou isn’t like that.”
“He is every bit like that. He is first and foremost a vampire. You need to breathe. He needs to eat. Hold your breath until your lungs burn, then inhale, see if you can moderate how deep that intake of air is. It’s the same with blood for a vampire. With you, sipping a little, he’s holding his breath until one day…” He holds up his fist and then spreads his fingers, mimicking an explosion.
“He can feed from someone else too,” I say weakly, nauseous.
Bass throws out his arms. “Sure,” he says lightly. “Does he seem like he wants to?”
My heart sinks. He doesn't.
“But if it will save me?”
“Yeah… I don’t wanna be around when you take that up with him. Give me a heads up, will you?”
“You need to convince him to turn you,” says Sean behind my back.
I suddenly feel like I’m choking and dart to my feet. “I… I need to go.”
My heart slams like crazy and I’m dizzy. I jerk hard when Bass takes my hand and pricks my wrist with a razor sharp nail. He puts my wrist to his lips and licks off the drop of blood, a deep growl rumbling through his chest. I try to pull out of his grip, but his hold as unforgiving asa rock.
“Your Lou is wrong not to turn you. I can help you, sweet Kat.” He pulls me to him and catches my gaze. His pupils seem to dilate, or maybe I’m hallucinating. Time seems to stop. “I didn’t take your blood. You gave it to me of your own free will and you are too ashamed to tell Lou. You will make up a cover story about how you cut yourself. You want this to stay our little secret and as your friend, I am happy to oblige. Go sleep now. We will talk again tomorrow.” He leans in and puts his mouth to my ear. “You taste delicious.”
I’m outside the door to our little room. I blink and look around me, trying to remember how I got here. I rub the inside of my wrist a
gainst my dress, feeling as if I’ve cheated on Lou. Why did I give Bass a taste of my blood? I can’t remember. I remember a whole lot of whiskey. A shudder runs through me and I rush inside, tearing off my clothes as I dart into the bathroom to run a shower. I feel unclean. I want Lou, but Bass’ words ring in my ears.
One day he will take too much, and it will be over.
I hold my breath until my chest burns, and then a little longer. When I gasp for air, the tears finally come. I cry for my life being taken away. I cry because I have come to crave a monster. I cry because I love him and because it isn’t enough.
Chapter 14
Lou
It took a little persuading to find a real estate agent willing to work odd hours. Very odd hours. I’ve spent the whole night looking at houses and apartments. I need a secure room. When I sleep, I sleep like the dead and it’s the time when I’m the most vulnerable. The one that finally does it for me has a safe room hidden behind a bookshelf. There are all the necessary safety measures. It’s got reinforced walls, ceiling, and floor and is impenetrable from the outside, with an alarm, camera equipment, and a communication device. It’s located in a penthouse at the top floor of a building. The living areas are spectacular. Three walls consisting of floor to ceiling windows, storm proof. There’s a view of the mountains and in the forefront, the whole of Tucson glitters at my feet.
I think Kat will like it. I’ll install every amenity she might need. Music. Movies. I don’t want her to lack anything. I want her to want to stay. Of her own free will.
My mind is still reeling from last night. I’m high on her blood. Her very essence boils in my vessels. But what makes me soar is her words.
I love you.
That’s when I knew I had to get us out of that hole. I’ll enjoy visiting, but I’ve overstayed my welcome by far, and she doesn't deserve to be kept in the basement of a dingy old club that reeks of semen and the air is always permeated with others’ blood.
I don’t deserve her devotion and with every passing night it’s becoming increasingly clear to me the wrong I’m doing her. I will never be able to let her go. I may be strong, even with immortal measures, but my strength is also my weakness because to stay sane in this eternal life I have to keep everyone at arm’s length. Kat has snuck in under my armor, and to let her go now would leave me with a too-large wound that would take a long time to come back from. A very long time.
My chest tightens as I approach the club. There’s no line of people outside anymore. At five in the morning a few are still moving on the streets, but the town is having its slowest moments before the new day begins. I feel lethargy claiming my limbs. Dawn is still about an hour away, but the beast in me warns me of the danger well ahead of time. Maximus gives me an unreadable gaze as he greets me. A young couple steers toward the waiting car right next to the sidewalk, giggling, comparing their adventures. I can’t help a small smile. They won’t remember they were vampire food. All they’ll remember is having their backsides scorched, their nipples clamped, being tied up, and fucked hard—or not.
As I saunter down the stairs, my heart lighter than in a long time, a scent reaches my nostrils. A scent that is too fresh, and that shouldn’t be there at all.
Kat is bleeding!
I dart the last few steps and stop in the middle of the room. Apart from the bartender who clears the tables at a super human speed, the place is empty.
“Your little plaything is where you left her,” she says.
I’m just about to stride over to our room when I stop and turn, taking in the little goth-looking vamp. “She’s been there the whole time?” My heart pounds. I worry. I don’t like worry. It’s uncomfortable.
“Nah, she sat with me a little while. You’re gonna give her a vitamin D deficiency, you know. Humans need some sun on their noses. You’re gonna drive her insane in there.”
I push the thought away. It’s also uncomfortable. “I smell her blood, Alaya,” I growl.
Her gaze flickers to the left. It’s fast, barely there, but it tells me a lie is coming up. “She cut herself. It was just a prick. Nothing for a band aid even.”
Lie.
My hand clutches her throat in the next second, snarling, my fangs descending. I bend her backward over the bar. “What. Happened?”
“She’s fine. She’s in your room. But you’re gonna have to move,” she wheezes, showing an impressive set of fangs, then she bends away my hand, forcing me to ease up. She’s strong. I thought she was a young vamp, but she’s clearly got some years on her. “If Lucius hears you’re attacking the staff, you’ll be lucky if he lets you stay even the night.” Her black eyes flash even darker, deadly.
I help her up and hold up my hands in a gesture of peace. “I’ve found a place. I need tomorrow night to fix it up, then I’ll be out of your hair. You’ll barely see me. Gimme a day. Please.”
Alaya scoffs and corrects her dress. “I happen to like your little human. I’ll give you a day. And hey—” she grabs the sleeve of my coat. “You better not be a stranger.” She raises an eyebrow and then lets me go. “You’ve been one hell of a show, the two of you. Good for business. The blood tap has run dry more than once. She makes everyone mad with hunger.”
I swallow the roar that wants to escape my throat. The thought that someone else has been sniffing around her fills me with darkness. I slam open our door and there she is, calm, dressed in silky, dusky pink pajamas, sitting in the armchair with her legs crossed, tapping away on her laptop. Her eyes widen as she sees me and her hands shake as she closes the lid and puts the device on the side table.
“Something wrong?” she says lightly. She smells of flowers from the shower gel, but beneath it, she reeks of fear. Something is definitely wrong. I crouch in front of her in the next moment, sliding my hands up along the outsides of her thighs. Kat freezes. She somehow manages to reach for me and pull back at the same time.
“What have you done?” I force my voice to be calm, but I want to roar the words. Every instinct screams at me, but looking her over, everything seems so normal. She’s not wounded. She doesn't smell sweet, as if she had engaged in any activities out there. Heads would have rolled if she had. Probably not hers. But she would have been punished way beyond her wildest imagination.
“Reading?” She gestures to her laptop. “I—I sat a little by the bar. I felt lonely. You’ve been gone the whole night. You abandoned me. Here. Why? You didn’t say anything. You just left, Lou. I was worried.”
Her words stab my chest. I was in the wrong, not telling her. I wanted to surprise her, but I can see that it backfired. I still want it to be a surprise, though. Only one more night, then she’ll know.
“Where have you bled?”
She snatches her hand away and crosses her arms over her chest. “I didn—”
My grip on her thighs tightens. “That’s a lie. I will go out there and pick out a cane, Kat. They hurt. I will pick out a cane and then you will take one stroke for each lie. I’ll be counting.”
She shrinks back, but I follow, my hands cupping her ass cheeks, pulling her toward me in one rough move. “One,” I whisper.
She looks aghast. Swallows. Her heart slams in her chest. I almost feel sorry for her. Almost. My one emotion that overshadows everything else is possessiveness. Who touched her?
“I cut myself on a shard of glass. By the bar,” she whispers.
Those are almost Alaya’s words. It could be true. I decide to push it because my instincts scream that something isn’t right. “Two,” I say.
“What?” she shrieks. “No! It’s true.”
“Three.”
Her eyes turn glazed, then tears spill over her cheeks. “Lou—” Her voice breaks on the single word.
“Did someone feed on you, Katarina? Did someone force themselves on you?” I have to push the words past my lips, I’m so furious that it kicks my heart alive, thumping with every wave of rage. “Who?” I roar. I pull her close, nose to nose. “Who?!”
“No one,” she weeps. “Lou, you’re scaring me.”
“Four,” I snarl.
I do scare her. Her scent sweetens infinitely. My cock grows hard in an instant and my throat screams for her blood. Four raps on her backside with a cane will sweeten her up even more, and then I’ll take her. I hadn’t planned to. I meant to give her a rest, but there is not a fiber in my dark soul that can resist the allure of her blood.
I have one last question. One that makes my insides blacken. I love you, she said. Did she not mean it?
“Did you voluntarily allow another vampire to taste you?”
Kat’s face turns white and her pupils dilate. Her scent intensifies, her blood drenched in adrenaline. I have my answer.
“Five,” I grit out. “Undress. Go and put your hands on the bed, bend over and wait for me. “
“Lou—”
“Do it!”
I storm out of the room and tear a reasonably thick, not too long cane off the rack. I don’t intend to damage her, but I do intend to punish. This will hurt and she will think twice about going behind my back. When I’m back in the room, locking the door behind me, she’s still fiddling with her clothes. I’ve been gone a few seconds. She’s only got human speed. I tear the fabric apart and push the shredded pieces off her, making myself deaf to her pleading.
“Lou, please, I—” Her gaze darts between me and the cane in my hand.
“Bend over,” I roar.
Her whole body shakes as she obeys. She’s gonna safeword. I know it. One stroke and she’ll safeword. This isn’t play, though. This isn’t a game. This is a lesson, and class will be dismissed when I say it is.
Lining up the cane along the backside of her creamy white thighs, I stroke the skin, tenderly, then I lift and bear down on her, immediately creating a blossoming welt.
“One.”
Kat dances away, darting forward, but I slam a hand on her lower back, pushing her down. She screams, and I bring the cane to her skin again.
“Two.”
“Lou! No!”
The supple lower part of her butt gets the next hit, creating a third horizontal line.
Her Vampire Hero (Midnight Doms Book 4) Page 11
