“I hate you!” Alana cried, squeezing her hand into a fist. Another strangled cry escaped Kara’s lips as Alana twisted at her insides. Alana jerked her hand out of Kara stomach and moved her blood-soaked hand to Kara’s chest, her fingernails digging into Kara’s skin. She growled, “I’ll kill you for that.”
Kara convulsed from the agony of her injuries. She shook, as if she were freezing to death. Still, despite the pain, she nodded weakly. “I know. Go ahead.”
Kara closed her eyes, accepting her fate, as she felt the shredding pain of Alana’s fingernails clawing through her skin, and then, suddenly, nothing held her against the wall anymore, and her weak, injured body slid to the floor, blood continuing to pour from her injuries, pooling around her on the cold, stone floor. She opened her eyes, attempting to figure out what had happened, attempting to think past the disorientation that blurred her thoughts and whirled around her mind. Something felt different. It was as if the atmosphere itself had changed, as if it had become electrically-charged, crackling and dancing around her. For a moment, she thought she’d died already, or lost consciousness, at the very least, but as she squinted at the shadowy forms around her, she found herself staring across the room, into two glowing, red eyes. “Rose?” she breathed, confused.
Alana screamed in frustration as she tried to move. An invisible force held her against the wall, her arms pinned at her sides, and no matter how hard she fought against it, she couldn’t move a single muscle. Her dark blue eyes widened in shock as she noticed Rose standing in the center of the room. Rose stared at her, blood drying to the fair skin of her neck, soaking the thick fabric of her black hoodie. Her eyes were no longer their usual azure color. They glowed crimson now, the red haze within her eyes shifting and dancing like fire. “How are you even standing? I drank so much of your blood. Moments ago, you couldn’t even control your abilities, and now, you can do this? What are you?”
“The power of the Eklektos is never weak,” Rose said in a strange, emotionless voice, as if she were reading from a book, “only unpredictable.”
“What is that supposed to mean?” Alana asked bewilderedly.
Rose took a step forward, her head tilting to the side, her strange, blood-red eyes dancing and swirling, giving her a terrifying, monstrous appearance. “It means,” she said in that eerie, disturbing voice of hers, “that I can kill you right now. Easily. And I will…if you don’t release Kara from your control.”
Alana pulled at her arms, desperately trying to move, but nothing happened. It was as if she were paralyzed. “Are you insane?” she growled.
“No,” Rose said, frowning, “not according to the definition of insanity.”
“For someone who tastes so amazing, you’re very weird,” Alana sighed.
“Retract your command,” Rose demanded. “Allow Kara to leave.”
“I’m not afraid of you, Rose,” Alana laughed, “even though your eyes do look pretty horrifying right now.” She cringed. “Have you tried contacts?”
Rose’s eyes flashed a darker red. “I will kill you, Alana…if I have to.”
“I don’t think you will,” Alana said. “I don’t think you’re capable of it.”
“You’ve seen inside my mind. You know exactly what I’m capable of,” Rose told her, a hint of sadness bleeding into her previously emotionless tone.
Alana’s smile faded, and the challenging spark that had sparkled in her dark blue eyes vanished, replaced by just a hint of fear. That fear intensified as the walls suddenly began to shake, as if an earthquake were shaking the entire building. The walls groaned as they trembled and shook, and large pieces of plaster and stone fell from the upper stories of the building, crashing into the floor. Alana looked back at Rose, her eyes widening. “What are you doing?”
“You commanded Kara not to leave the room, right?” Rose asked, tilting her head. “So, what happens when there is no longer a room here?”
Alana cringed as a huge piece of plaster fell from the ceiling, right in front of her, barely missing her before it slammed against the floor with a loud crash, breaking into several pieces. “You’re going to kill us all!” she screamed.
“No, I won’t,” Rose said, watching Alana with those creepy, red eyes of hers. “Don’t you think, if I can collapse the building, that I can also control where it falls? I will protect Kara. I won’t make any promises for you, though.”
Alana stared at Rose, stunned by what was happening. She screamed as a massive piece of the ceiling collapsed, hitting the floor with a thunderous crash that sounded almost like an explosion. “Okay!” she gasped, her voice cracking with fear as two more pieces of plaster fell from the ceiling. “Okay! I’ll do it!”
“Retract the command,” Rose insisted, lifting her eyebrows expectantly.
“Kara,” Alana said without taking her eyes off of Rose, “you’re released from my control. You can…leave now, if you want. I retract the command.”
As soon as she said the words, the building suddenly stilled, partially collapsed but still standing, for the most part. The invisible force that had held Alana against the wall released her, and she fell forward, crumbling onto her knees as she hit the floor. Her dark blue eyes shifted up, meeting Rose’s strange, crimson gaze. And then, in a rapid blur of movement, Alana fled from the room.
Rose glanced around the room, double-checking to see that Alana had indeed left. The room looked as if it had been destroyed by some type of natural disaster, a tornado or an earthquake, perhaps—the walls caved in, most of the ceiling lying in pieces on the bloodstained, stone floor, the medical table broken and collapsed onto the ground, medical tools and supplies scattered across the debris-and-blood-covered floor. Her glowing, crimson gaze continued to shift around the room until it landed on Kara. Blood covered most of Kara’s skin, staining the bruised skin of her face, her neck, soaking into her clothes, and pouring from the gaping wound in her stomach. Yet, Kara’s piercing blue eyes remained open, watching Rose. “Kara,” Rose breathed, her face paling in horror.
23
A Taste of Darkness
Rose collapsed on her knees in front of Kara, her eyes widening at the sheer amount of blood that coated Kara’s body. Blood poured profusely from the huge, gaping hole in Kara’s abdomen, soaking her tank top, her leather pants, and the stone floor beneath her. The scent of her blood permeated the room, overwhelming Rose’s senses, causing that violent, unbearable hunger to burn throughout her body. It smelled so sweet, so warm, so enticing, so delicious.
Rose fought to stay in control of her hunger. “Kara,” she said again.
Kara reached out with her blood-coated hand and touched Rose’s face, her finger brushing just below Rose’s eye, leaving a smudge of blood on her skin. “Your eyes,” she rasped, her voice weak and breathless. “What does it mean?”
Rose closed her eyes, as if she could force them to change back to blue. “It happens when my power awakens,” she answered, reopening her eyes. The dark red haze danced violently, like flames within her eyes. She swallowed uneasily. “It usually happens when I’m feeling some kind of…extreme emotion.”
Kara continued to stare at Rose. “Like hunger? Or desire?”
Rose nodded. “Or anger. Or fear. Or…pain.”
Kara brushed her thumb across Rose’s cheek affectionately, her touch as soft and gentle as the brush of a feather. “What upset you?” she murmured.
Rose might have laughed at the absurdity of the question, if it weren’t for the pain and anger that surged through her at the memory. She leaned forward and, as gently as possible, covered Kara’s wound with her palm. “She was going to kill you,” she said, watching as blood seeped between her fingers.
“I know,” Kara said, her head tilting to the side. Despite the pain that she was so obviously feeling, a small smile tugged at her lips. “The only person who can manipulate better than Alana is me. Alana is pretty level-headed most of the time.” She laughed weakly. “Well, for a sociopath, anyway. There are only
a few insults that will cause her to lose control. I happen to know what they are.”
“Those things you said,” Rose sighed. “They actually hurt her.”
“Sometimes I hate her, but even then, I don’t want to see her in pain,” Kara admitted. “But it was the only way. I had to push her to her breaking point.”
“You knew that she’d kill you for that,” Rose breathed, “didn’t you?”
“She would have killed you, Rose,” Kara said, her voice weak and strained from the pain. “After she finished draining you of blood, when you could no longer fight or even move, she would’ve ripped out your heart. I couldn’t stop her. Not physically. Provoking her into attacking me was the only way.”
“Why would you do that?” Rose asked. “Why would you risk your life?”
“I swore to protect you,” Kara said. Her light blue eyes softened with affection. “Besides, you risked your life for me. Why would I not do the same?”
As Rose took her hand off of Kara’s stomach, it took every bit of her self-control to resist the urge to lick the blood off of her palm. She took a deep, ragged breath and then pulled her hair to one side, draping the messy, auburn waves over her left shoulder, exposing the right side of her neck. She watched as Kara’s light blue eyes darkened hungrily. “You need blood,” Rose told her.
Kara’s eyes widened. “Rose,” she breathed, her voice full of longing.
Rose noticed the warring emotions on Kara’s face. “Don’t even think about refusing,” she said as Kara attempted to do exactly that. “You need it.”
“No. You don’t have much time. Alana will return with reinforcements. You need to get out of here,” Kara argued. “Just…leave me here. I’ll be fine.”
“You’re lying,” Rose accused. “You will die if I leave you.”
Kara sighed, “I swore to protect you, Rose.”
“I don’t care what you swore to do,” Rose said. “I’m not leaving you.”
Kara laughed weakly, “You’re so stubborn.”
“Yeah, I am,” Rose agreed. “And when I leave here, I am going to save Kallias and Erik, and then, I’m going to do whatever it takes to stop Alana.”
Kara’s brows creased with worry. “You’ll get yourself killed.”
“And there will be nothing you can do to stop it,” Rose said, “because you’ll be dead. It’s too bad that you’re not willing to let me save you so that you could help me. I imagine it would be easier to keep your oath if you were alive.”
Kara raised an eyebrow. “Someone has learned how to play dirty.”
Rose flashed a cute, sassy smile at her. “I learned from the best.”
“Well, I’m afraid I’m too injured to move,” Kara sighed, a mischievous smile curling at her lips. “If you want me to feed, you’ll have to come closer.”
Rose lifted her eyebrow skeptically, her lips twitching in amusement. She scooted forward until her knees rested between Kara’s legs, moving as close as she possibly could to the wounded vampire. Well…as close as she could get without actually straddling Kara’s lap, of course. “Are you happy now?”
Kara shook her head slowly, a seductive smile curving at her lips. She lifted her hand and curled her forefinger back toward her, beckoning Rose closer.
Rose pursed her lips. Then, without hesitating, she climbed onto Kara, bracing her knees on each side of Kara’s hips. Her pants felt wet and sticky as the blood on the floor soaked into her jeans. She braced her hands against the wall as she leaned into Kara, feeling Kara’s cool, blood-soaked front pressing against hers, leaning so close that their faces almost touched. She raised both eyebrows and, in the sassiest tone possible, asked, “Is this close enough for you?”
Kara spread her hands over Rose’s thighs, and then, she tilted her head forward, her breath falling against Rose’s lips as she whispered, “It’s perfect.”
Rose swallowed hard as a wave of hunger and desire poured through her, pooling in her gut like lava. “Just…hurry up and feed,” she said breathlessly.
Kara leaned forward and nuzzled her face in the crook of Rose’s neck, her lips warm and soft against the sensitive skin. She inhaled deeply, breathing in Rose’s sweet and powerful scent. “You smell so good,” she moaned.
Rose inhaled sharply at the sensation of Kara’s lips and breath, warm and wet, against her neck. She squeezed her hands into fists against the wall as she felt Kara’s tongue tracing the pulsing artery in her neck. “I said…hurry. Hurry is a two-syllable word that means,” she paused in the middle of her sentence, gasping as Kara sucked at a particularly sensitive spot on her neck, “to do something quickly. Which is pretty much the opposite of what you’re doing.”
Kara laughed softly, her voice vibrating against Rose’s skin. Kara moved her hand along Rose’s thigh, trailing her fingers inward, toward the center of her legs, as she murmured, “You know, this would be much more pleasant if we…”
Her eyes widening in surprise, Rose caught Kara’s hand before it reached the center of her pants. She leaned back on her knees and gave Kara what could only be described as a half-glare-half-smile. “Just feed,” she laughed.
Kara flashed a flirty smile at Rose, her light blue eyes sparkling with amusement, and then, taking Rose completely by surprise, she interlaced her fingers into Rose’s hair and tugged Rose’s head forward. She trailed her tongue from the curve of Rose’s neck to the skin just below her ear, smiling as she succeeded in drawing a low and breathless moan from Rose’s lips. She whispered, “As you wish,” in Rose’s ear and then sank her fangs into her neck.
Rose dug her fingernails into the back of Kara’s shoulders as Kara’s fangs tore through her skin. The pain subsided almost immediately, replaced by an intense, all-consuming wave of pleasure that traveled through her veins like electricity, burning its way through her body, setting every nerve ending alive. Kara’s fingers clutched Rose’s hair as she fed, and her other hand clutched Rose’s hip, her fingers digging into the sensitive skin around Rose’s hipbone. With Kara holding her so close, Rose found her face buried in Kara’s hair, the soft, sensual, floral scent of Kara’s shampoo overwhelming her senses, mixing with the enticing scent of blood that filled the room. She moaned softly into Kara’s hair.
Kara groaned as Rose’s blood filled her mouth and overflowed from the corners, trailing down Rose’s shoulder in two red streams, soaking into the fabric of her hoodie. The taste—so sweet and so full of power—overwhelmed Kara’s senses. She could already feel the blood making its way through her body, healing her, strengthening her. Her mind slipped beneath the waves of pleasure, hunger, and longing, surrendering and drowning in deep, primal need. She needed Rose’s blood, every drop of it, and more than that, she needed Rose. In every sense.
Rose couldn’t think, not while the powerful, mind-numbing, scorching-hot longing burned through her veins like lava, melting away her thoughts, leaving only desire…only need. Rose pushed aside Kara’s sleek, blue-and-black hair and pressed her lips against Kara’s skin, kissing her neck, her shoulder, and her ear, repeatedly and breathlessly, conveying the desperation they both felt.
And then, suddenly, Kara’s lips were on hers, the blood sharing flowing seamlessly into kissing, as if it were just meant to happen that way. Rose moaned as she felt Kara’s soft, warm lips against hers, still wet with blood. Her hands cupped Kara’s face as she leaned into the kiss, tasting the blood on Kara’s lips.
Kara clutched Rose’s hair tightly as she deepened the kiss, slipping her tongue into Rose’s mouth, feeling Rose’s tongue slide softly against hers. Their bodies moved together fluidly, as if they were in tune with each other, rocking slightly, their curves pressing together, jeans sliding against leather. Rose tasted of spearmint toothpaste, and she smelled of blood, vanilla, honey, and lust. Kara groaned against Rose’s lips and slid her hand up Rose’s body, feeling the soft, sensual curves beneath her palm. Her fangs nipped lightly at Rose’s bottom lip.
A soft cry-like moan escaped Rose’s
lips as Kara licked the small drops of blood that surfaced on Rose’s bottom lip. Her heart raced against her chest, and her lungs burned from the lack of oxygen as they continued to kiss without even stopping to breathe. Her body felt overheated, and the desire burned through her body, pooling in her gut, a deep need throbbing painfully between her legs. Rose felt as if her body would explode if this tension didn’t find release.
Kara sensed that need, and she slid her hand between them, pressing her fingers against the center of Rose’s jeans, applying pressure to the place that Rose needed it most. Rose gasped and moaned against her lips, rocking her body instinctually against Kara’s hand. Kara’s lips curved into a smile against Rose’s.
Rose’s hands slid down around Kara’s neck, down to Kara’s chest. She moaned softly as she felt the slight curve of Kara’s breast against her hand. Then, as she felt Kara’s fingers at the zipper of her jeans, the full realization of what she was doing seemed to flood her mind all at once. She pulled back suddenly, her eyes widening in shock. “Oh my goodness,” she gasped. “What am I doing?”
Kara opened her eyes, the normally light blue eyes now dark with lust. Her lips stilled against Rose’s, but she didn’t pull back. “You’re kissing me.”
Rose almost moaned as she felt Kara’s words vibrating against her lips. The urge to kiss Kara again felt so intense that it physically hurt. She leaned back, panting as she tried to pull a little bit of soothing oxygen into her sore lungs. She pressed her fingers against her own lips, noticing how sensitive and bruised they felt, physical proof of that intense, mind-blowing kiss. Heat rushed to her face as she noticed the way Kara was watching her. “I said…just feed,” she muttered.
Kara’s blood-stained lips tilted upward into a seductive smile. “Oops?”
Rose scrambled off of Kara as quickly as possible. Too quickly, it turned out. A wave of disorienting weakness washed over her as she stood, and she fell backward. Kara caught her before she could hit the floor. Rose stared up at her, blinking in shock, as she realized that Kara was standing already, as if she’d never been injured, her arm beneath Rose’s back, holding her, as if they’d been dancing.
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