Kaitlyn pulled from his grasp and climbed back over to her own corner of the couch. “What? You’ve already forgotten. I have fed from you, remember?”
He shook his head, exasperated. “That’s not what I meant.”
“Well then, just what did you mean, Rogue? I’m lost here.” She put her fingertips to her temples and rubbed in a slow circular motion. “You tell me you’re a vampire. Then you tell me you’re a vampire hunter. Now what vampire hunter in his right mind would ask a vampire to feed on him?”
“One who is so in love with the vampire, he would give up his life and his soul for her.”
Kaitlyn felt tears begin to sting her eyes again. The look on his face was so pure that it was heart wrenching. He meant what he said. And she had almost attacked him.
She bolted from the couch and strode to the front window. Hugging herself, she stared out into the dark void of night. A dark void—that was her life. That’s what she had to look forward to. For eternity. And in her present state, eternity could be a very, very long time.
“What have I done to deserve this?”
Rogue came up behind her and slipped his arms around her waist. “It wasn’t anything that you’ve done.”
Kaitlyn was ripping to shred inside. “Rogue—there is no future for us.” She turned to face him. “I’m not even human.”
“Come. Sit down. I have a story to tell you.” He took her by the hand and led her back to the couch.
Sitting down beside him, Kaitlyn leaned close. At least she could soak up some of his warmth. Since he had told her what he really was, she had grown cold.
Rogue put his arm around her. “There is a group of people who I work with that—if I can explain a few things to them first—have the capability to help you.”
“This ‘Unkindness of Ravens’?” The name sounded so foreboding. A vision of the man from her dream, the one with the long dark hair, flitted through her mind. She shivered.
“The Unkindness is really a family. Their family name is Raven. An unkindness of ravens is nothing more than the word used for a flock of ravens. Like a flock of geese is called a gaggle.”
“Okay.”
He smiled down at her. “They’re good people. There are five of them, plus me, and another that helps them.”
“Helps them destroy creatures like me.” The words tasted bitter in her mouth.
“Vampires, yes. The Raven Clan has been feuding with the Vampire Horde for generations.”
“Horde? You make it sound like there are hundreds of vampires running loose.” The thought scared her to death.
“The Horde is the lot of them. They break off into smaller groups that we call Clutches.” He tilted his head as if trying to work something out in his mind. “Only thing I can figure is that if they live together in a large group, they end up destroying each other.”
“That’s a lovely thought.” The more Kaitlyn learned about vampires, the more heartsick she became. “You haven’t told me just how you think they can help me. Or—if they will.”
“Stop worrying.”
“How can I not worry? You’re telling me that you hang around with people who kill.”
He took her by the forearms, turning her. “I have been told how they can bring people back from being on the verge of turning. One of them brought a girl to Ravencrest who was an inch away from being a vampire. They saved her. She’s fine now.”
“I am a vampire. Not an inch away from being one.”
He pressed his lips together and shook his head. “You’re not listening to me.” Rogue took a deep breath. “Ravencrest is a huge place where we all live. It’s our base. We have our own laboratories. They have been working to find something that will cure you.”
A seed of hope settled inside Kaitlyn. “A cure? How?”
“I don’t know. I don’t know anything about that kind of stuff. All I know is that if I can get you back there, we can try something.”
Kaitlyn was excited. She had not found anything in any of her tests that would help, but after talking to Rogue, there was light at the end of the tunnel. Possibly daylight.
She snaked her arms around his neck, her fingers playing in the silk of his hair. “I’m sorry for threatening you like that.”
Rogue pulled her into his lap. “The offer still stands, you know.”
“I … I couldn’t take your blood.”
“There may come a time when you’ll have to. Don’t be afraid to do it.”
Even in the shape she was in, Kaitlyn now knew what love meant. Giving everything for the person you love. “Let’s hope it doesn’t come to that,” she said. She snuggled closer, her lips whispering against his. “Make love to me, Rogue. Make me feel human again.”
* * * *
Eric pulled into the motel where John had said he would meet him. He didn’t see the ‘Vette, but he did see a dark figure staring out into the night in front of one of the windows. There was no mistaking that tall silhouette. It was John.
Eric parked the truck and got out just as John opened the door to the room.
“You made pretty good time,” John said, ushering him inside.
“Surprising, isn’t it, since I’m driving Lydia’s pickup.” Eric looked around the sparsely furnished room. “Not the Hilton.”
John nodded. “Not planning on staying here much longer.” He closed the door.
Eric stretched, raising his arms above his head. The long drive, coupled with the tension, had made his muscles stiff. “So … what’s the scoop?” Eric wanted to get this over and done with as fast as possible.
“It seems that Rogue has made contact with the vampire.”
Eric dropped his arms. He could tell by the look on John’s face that his brother wasn’t happy. “And?”
“Dammit. He didn’t tell me.” John lit a cigarette and angrily blew out the smoke. It circled him in a blue haze. “I can’t read him like I can you and Dirk. I can read Holt and Drake too, but Rogue…”
“He’s not blood-connected like we are. Remember, our blood—Raven blood—has been altered over time. Our DNA has changed. John, you, of all people, have to know since our ancestors have been waging this war, we’ve suffered a lot of bites, taken the venom into our bodies. It changed us. Gave us an iota of the vampire’s power. That’s why we read each other so well. That’s why some of us even have a telepathic connection to our women. Like you have with Madison. Like I have with Lydia.”
Eric stopped lecturing for a moment. John knew all of what he was saying. It had soaked into their minds from the day they had been born. But for that brief moment, Eric thought John needed reminding. They had brought Rogue and Colin into the war and Eric knew very well why. The five of them, the true-blooded Ravens, were settling in their lives. Having children and taking wives and partners. They needed fresh warriors, ones who were hungry for the fight. Colin Moore had been with them for a long time, as a lawyer and a friend. Colin knew what he was dealing with when he had agreed to become a hunter. Eric had no doubt that Colin would be a force to be reckoned with once he had more experience. But Rogue—he was unpredictable and young.
“I know what you’re saying, Eric, and right now I’m sorry that I didn’t listen to you, didn’t bring you along instead,” John said. “Now the point is moot. We have to clear this up.”
“I didn’t mean to lecture you, big brother.”
John waved a hand at him. “It’s all right. Maybe I needed it. As I said before we left, I’ve been in from the field for too long. My senses have grown dull.” He smashed his cigarette out in the ashtray. “This is what I know so far…”
Eric listened while John explained his meeting with Haines, the blood stolen tonight, the woman Rachel telling what she had seen go on between Rogue and a woman named Kaitlyn. Eric digested the information and, though he had doubted Rogue’s capabilities as a hunter, he’d never considered the possibility that Rogue would fall under the spell of a vampire.
“What’s our plan of action?”
Eric asked, eager to get on with it.
“If Rogue has been infected, my way of thinking is that they’re probably holed up in this Kaitlyn’s house. She wouldn’t have to hunt. She has Rogue to feed on and the missing blood.” John frowned. “I’m puzzled over the fact that Kaitlyn has stayed in this area. On her own. Being newly turned she would have normally been brought into the Clutch of the vampire that created her.”
“Maybe we’ll get the chance to ask her about that,” Eric said. “You’ve got the address. Let’s get moving. We’ve got less than an hour before dawn.”
* * * *
“I’m still worried about you stealing that blood,” Kaitlyn said, trailing her fingertips down Rogue’s stomach to the fine line of hair that began just below his navel.
They were lying on her bed, her head on his shoulder, his arm wrapped around her, perfectly comfortable with their naked bodies entwined together. Kaitlyn felt more loved at this moment than she ever had. If there were a way they could make it through this, she being a vampire, he being a human, there would be nothing that could shake their love. Nothing. Not even death.
Kaitlyn looked up at him. At his fine strong jaw, with just the hint of the need of a shave. His eyes were closed, long blond lashes curling against his cheek. Rogue Shanley was a tainted angel—beautiful and sensual. God, she loved him.
Rogue patted her arm. “You worry way too much.”
“Only about you.”
“Well, stop it. We’ve got more important things to worry about.”
“Yeah,” she said, “like restarting my heart.” Kaitlyn stilled herself, sensing her body. She missed the beat of her heart. She’d bet that if it weren’t dead, being with Rogue would put the darn thing through its paces. “When do you think we can go to Ravencrest?”
Rogue let out a heavy sigh. “I have to talk to some people first. I can’t just take you in there without warning. And, we’ve got to figure out how to get you there.”
Kaitlyn pressed her palm against his chest, letting his heartbeat thrum through her hand and up her arm. “We’d have to travel at night. I can’t take the sun.”
“I know.” He became quiet.
“How far is it to this Ravencrest?”
“Five hours. Maybe four if we push it and don’t stop for anything.”
“That long.” She bit her lip. If she fed well enough before they left, she could make it. Probably. She wasn’t sure. Already her body was beginning to call out for sustenance and it had only been a few hours since she had drunk the two pints of blood. Every night she seemed to become more ravenous. For blood. And for sex. Since she had met Rogue, her sexual appetite had increased tenfold. Of course the fact that she loved him and also thought him to be the sexiest man on earth probably had something to do with it.
“Do you think you can travel that far without…?” Rogue looked own at her.
“I’m not sure.”
“I’ll have to take some more blood,” he said. “Then if it’s not enough, you’ll have to use me.”
The thought of tasting him, tasting the essence of his lifeblood, made her mouth water. Her stomach clenched. The hunger was coming on with a vengeance. “I don’t know if I can,” she said.
“Can what?”
“Drink your blood.”
He squeezed her, then rolled onto his side to face her. He ran a finger down her cheek. “Well babe, if I’m racing the sun to get you to Ravencrest, I’m not going to be thinking about sex, so my buddy down there,” he rocked his hips against her, “may not be ‘up’ to feeding you. If you now what I mean.”
Kaitlyn licked her lips. She loved going down on him. His cum satisfied her hunger but it wasn’t blood.
“So, you’re going to have to face up to the fact that you may have to take blood from me.”
Kaitlyn’s stomach quivered. Could she? “I’m afraid I’ll hurt you.”
“From what I’ve learned, I don’t think it hurts. I think there’s something in the venom that numbs the skin or something.”
“Have you ever been bitten?”
Rogue grinned widely; his false fangs making the grin wicked. “I’ve been bitten, yes—just not by a vampire.”
“Oh you,” she said, slapping at him. “I don’t want to hear about any of your past escapades with women.”
“Okay. I’ll shut up.” But he was still grinning.
Kaitlyn kissed him directly on his wicked grin. Their tongues danced, Rogue deepening the kiss.
“You know,” he said, pulling away to look in her eyes, “if you’re afraid that you won’t be able to drink my blood, maybe you should practice.”
“I don’t want to turn you into what I’ve become,” she said. That scared her more than anything.
“You won’t. Supposedly, it takes three bites before there’s enough venom in the system to turn you. Unless you’re completely drained of blood. Then—you’re dead.”
Horror filled her. “Rogue—what if I lose control? What if I—?”
“—you won’t. I trust you.”
Kaitlyn shook her head. “I don’t know.”
“I want us to leave for Ravencrest as soon as possible. Hopefully tomorrow night. The longer we wait, the harder it’s going to be. And there’s the possibility that we’ll be found out.”
“Rogue…”
“No.” His look became almost fierce. “I can tell you’re hungry. I can see it in your eyes.” He pulled his hair away from his neck. “Do it.”
Fear tickled down her spine as she stared at his neck. His skin seemed to glow in the pale light from the hallway. Golden, like a sunrise. As she stared, everything came into sharp focus. The fine blond hairs on his skin, the thick tendons of his neck. The pulse of his jugular vein just beneath the skin. It hypnotized her. Called to her, like the sea calls to the dolphins that swim in the salty tide.
Kaitlyn ran her tongue over her lips, her mouth watering, fangs thrumming for something to sink into.
Rogue tilted his head, giving her clear access. His palm rested on the back of her head, urging her forward. “Come on baby. Come on,” he whispered.
Slowly, carefully, Kaitlyn lowered her head. She rested her lips against his skin, just above the thick vein that pulsed. She could feel the tide of his blood, washing through him with each beat of his heart. Kaitlyn trembled, wanting him, needing him. She drew her tongue lovingly along the skin, tasting his warmth, a hint of salt. Delicious. Rogue shuddered against her but kept his hand on her head, pressing her to him.
Kaitlyn opened her mouth and eased her fangs down, both sets of them upper and lower, just grazing his skin. She felt his heart quicken, the blood rushing now like a raging river of life.
She had to have it.
Swiftly, she sank her fangs into his neck. Rogue gasped, then groaned, as she buried her fangs deeper, sinking in as if into soft butter. Then she pulled back, disengaging her teeth.
Rogue’s blood burst into her mouth, thick, hot nectar, full of flavors that she had never known existed. Locking her lips to the wound, she began to suck. Her eyes closed and she moaned in ecstasy. The blood pulsed into her hungry mouth not unlike the thrusts of his cock into her pussy when they made love. This was nothing like the pints of blood she had stolen. This was life. Kaitlyn clutched him, her mouth working while shimmering sparkles filled her body. She drank deep, heat pooling low in her belly as her pussy came alive. Like a wall of a tidal wave, an orgasm hit her, her body convulsing, but still she drank. She was becoming one with him, sharing in his lifeblood, reveling in the myriad of emotions that raged through her. Fearful she was taking too much, she instinctively swiped her tongue over the wounds, closing them.
Something broke through the cloud of her joy. Someone was yelling.
Kaitlyn felt a hand on her shoulder.
An unfamiliar hand.
Then she was ripped from Rogue’s embrace and thrown to the floor.
She landed hard but scrambled around the bed, away from her attacker’s hands.
> “John—no!” Rogue shouted.
Kaitlyn didn’t know what to do. Who was John? What was he doing here? She started to rise, power surging into her. Her urge to fight struck her like a sledgehammer until she saw the man standing above her.
It was him. The man from her dream with the long dark hair. He held a stake in one hand, a hammer in the other. Kaitlyn looked at his eyes. They were black as the blackest pit of hell.
Kaitlyn shrank down in a crouch, paralyzed by the visage of this forbidding man.
Rogue stepped in front of her, then knelt beside her. “I won’t let you,” he said, his voice commanding.
“Rogue, get out of the way,” the man said, He took a step toward them.
Another joined him at his side, a vial of clear liquid in his hand.
“John, Eric, you have to listen to me,” Rogue said. “She’s not what she seems.”
Kaitlyn peered around Rogue. He knew these men. They must be part of the Unkindness of Ravens. They were the ones that Rogue would have to convince that she was not threat before she could be brought to Ravencrest. Kaitlyn’s previous joy died like an extinguished flame. She had no chance.
“She is a vampire,” the one called Eric said. “Dammit—Move!”
“You’ll have to kill me first,” Rogue said, standing to his full height. “I love her and she is no monster. She is a victim.”
“She was drinking your blood,” John spat out. “You don’t know what you’re saying.”
“Yes, I do. We can help her.” Rogue took a step forward. “She told me about her turning. It wasn’t normal. It came on her gradually.” He took another step. “Maybe Lydia can help her.”
John turned his piercing eyes on her. “She’s a risk. She needs to be destroyed.” He raised the hand that held the stake.
Rogue grasped his wrist. “Don’t. Give her a chance. Give us a chance.”
John’s mouth formed a thin line.
Kaitlyn tensed.
“I will die for her, John,” Rogue said quietly.
Kaitlyn couldn’t take it any longer. She sprang from the floor. “Stop it. Stop it now!”
All eyes flicked to her. Suddenly she felt exposed. Snatching the rumpled sheet from the bed, she wrapped it around herself, covering her nakedness. She stiffened her back, holding her head high.
Rogue the Redeemer Page 10
