by Kailin Gow
But he was too strong for her. He took hold of her wrists, gripping them tightly until the stake fell limply from her grasp. The sun was rising outside the window, a bloody boil of light that should have fried him, should have killed him. But he'd tasted her blood now. He no longer had to fear the sun. It no longer pained him.
“Oh, Kalina,” he whispered into her neck. “Silly girl – you silly girl to resist me. How all I think about is you. Why can’t I stop thinking of you? It’s like a madness. You’re the only woman who had refused me, who I have wanted more than immortality itself. You’re the only one I had defied my maker for and would have killed my brothers for.” He kissed her cheeks and looked into her eyes. “Join me.”
“What?”
“I still want you, you know. You silly, maddening little witch – you've driven me crazy. I still want you – so much. I don't want to kill you. I just want you – all of you – all night – all day – every day.”
“Jaegar, please...”
“Even the compulsion doesn't hold you,” he laughed. “Our chemistry is explosive. Can’t you feel it? I know you can. Even now I can read your desire for me, hear your heart pound faster for me, feel the heat rising up in your body. There's so much of you – so much strength, so much power I want to drink down. Remember, don't you? In this very room. You asked me about becoming a vampire. Well, now I want to make you one. I could turn you, you know – you'd scream with pleasure you'd enjoy it so much – turn you, and then we could make love for centuries – We can really get it on vampire to vampire, without having to worry about hurting you or breaking the spell...”
“Jaegar, please! Don't...”
“You love me, don't you? Not enough to turn me human – but enough to make your weak human heart shiver at the thought of killing me. No, you won't kill me, Kalina. I can feel it. I can feel your heartbeat. I can hear your thoughts. Your desires. How much you want. Me.”
“I don't want you! Not like this.”
“You do. You know you shouldn't – you know you can't – but you do...”
“I don't,” Kalina cried. “I don't!”
“You do!” Jaegar’s mouth was on Kalina’s, his tongue lashing onto hers, sensuously stroking every part of her mouth, tasting her as though she was a delicacy. When she responded back with a soft moan, he deepened the kiss, not holding back his passion.
“Oh Jaegar…”
“Don’t you want this with me forever, Kalina?” he growled. “Because I do.”
Kalina was so deep in the haze of desire, she could barely think. The compulsion, Jaegar’s delicious masculine smell, her blood attracted to him even more now that he’s had more of her own blood, kept her from responding.
Jaegar smiled a slow wicked smile, the silver of light hitting his unearthly beautiful eyes. “I knew you’d like this.” He paused. “I just didn’t realize how much I’d like this, too.” His mouth assaulted her mouth, grabbing hold of her tongue and piercing her tongue with the tips of his extended fangs. Kalina’s eyes flew open for a second with the sharp sting, which gave away to waves of pleasure as Jaegar sucked on her tongue. When his mouth let go of her tongue, Kalina couldn’t get enough. She found herself licking Jaegar’s fangs, which made him close his eyes savoring the sensation.
Jaegar led her to her bed and laid her out, drinking in the image of her looking at him with heated desire. “God, you’re more beautiful tonight than I’ve ever seen you,” he said, looking like the old Jaegar for a moment. “You’re finally going to be mine, and the spell is going to be broken.” He kissed her cheeks, her lips, her collarbone and was headed to Kalina’s smooth soft neck with his elongated fangs when all of a sudden, quick as lightning, Kalina rolled to her side, and sprinted across the room to the door.
“I won't be forced into this, Jaegar. If you turn me, I swear to God I'll be by your side for all eternity – hating you.”
“I don't need your love,” Jaegar scoffed. “Only your blood, only your body.” He smiled that slow wicked smile again. “We can make this purely physical. I wouldn’t mind.”
Stuart, help me.
“Octavius' men will be coming soon,” Kalina's voice shook. “If you leave now, you might escape them...”
Jaegar laughed.
“They're on the way to fight you. And kill you. And I swear to God I will fight you too. Every step of the way, Jaegar.”
“Fight me?” He sniffed at her. “Fight me – me, really? Well, I suppose that would be...arousing, at least...”
As he approached her, his fangs poised to pierce her flesh once more, the door opened, flying nearly off its hinges. Stuart strode in, followed by three of Octavius' men, three of his strongest vampires.
“Brother dearest...”
But it was too late. In a flash, Jaegar had vanished; before Kalina could register what had happened, the three vampire security guards had followed him, leaving Stuart and Kalina alone.
“Stuart,” Kalina whispered. “Oh my God, Stuart...” She swayed and then fell, collapsing in Stuart's arms, weak from the blood loss.
“He bit you?” Stuart pressed his fingers to stop the wound. She could see every muscle in his face tensing, trying not to drink down the intoxicating liquid.
“Yes...he used compulsion – he's stronger than...” Than Stuart? “than before.”
He gathered her in his arms. “Rest here,” he whispered. “You're safe now.” But as he rocked her, Kalina began to feel that she would never be safe again.
Chapter 10
Kalina and Stuart sat for some time longer, staring into each other's eyes. Kalina could feel the cool and piercing force of Stuart's gaze passing over her. His arms were wrapped tightly around her, a pressure that meant safety, meant life.
“Stuart,” she whispered.
His eyes traveled all the way over her body, followed soon by his fingers, tracing the tips of her wounds, the gaping puncture marks. He inhaled deeply and Kalina knew what he was thinking, what he was feeling, the nigh-on-impossible attempt to rein in his desires.
“I want to heal you...” he whispered. But healing would require a sharing of blood – and she knew from the heat in his lips and his eyes that even Stuart could not manage to hold back.
“Kalina...I. Want. You...” She could see his eyes fixed hot upon her neck; she could feel his eyes searing into where Jaegar had left a hole. She sighed.
He was panting, although no air could have traveled through his frozen lungs. But exhaustion had sent him into a frenzy – he had rushed to her when she first sent him the telepathic message begging for his help, and now she knew what he knew: that finding her lying there, her clothing torn, her blood displayed before him, was more than he could stand.
“I'm sorry...” he tried, as his fingers traced the borders of Kalina's lips. They were bruised now, and swollen from Jaegar's kisses, and as he let his fingertips shiver up to the bottom lip Kalina remembered that mere moments before they had been kissing – so slowly and softly on the dance floor. Everything had seemed beautiful then; everything had seemed fine and wonderful and above all things…so safe.
Stuart moved in closer. He drew her lips roughly into his – more roughly than she had ever seen him do in the past – and forced her shoulders tightly against his fingers, drawing her against his chest. He struck a bruise, inadvertently, and Kalina moaned with a slight pain, melded with her unwilling desire.
“Kalina...” he drew away. “I'm...”
“You're what?”
“Did he...” Stuart looked down. “Did Jaegar...hurt you?”
“Hurt me? A bit – we...”
“I mean...”
Of course. Kalina bit back her rage. The question of sex was on his mind – it was on all their minds – impossible to separate from the nectar of her blood, from the cocktail of hormones and passions and frenzies that had drawn them all together.
“He was,” Kalina almost spat out the words with contempt. “A perfect gentleman.”
“He didn't
...”
“He didn't have the time.” Kalina looked up. “He used compulsion on me – a bit...at first – I started to...before it wore off...”
Stuart stiffened.
Kalina knew what he was feeling; she didn't even need telepathy to confirm her suspicions. Stuart was angry. Angry that his brother – his cocky, beautiful, arrogant brother – could get further with Kalina than he, Stuart, had. Their chaste kisses and moonlight dances had been nothing -nothing to what Jaegar had so easily taken. For that was how Jaegar operated. He wanted things – he took them. And even evil – Jaegar was able to taste so much more of Kalina's soft flesh than he was...
Kalina looked up and she was frightened by what she saw in Stuart's eyes. There was jealousy there, through and through, a white-hot anger that seared through to her very soul.
“It was compulsion” she insisted. “I couldn't help it!”
“I know you couldn't!” Stuart's voice was angry now – his rage seeping through his self-control. She could see the images flashing through his head – her thoughts and images of her with Jaegar at the Sunrise Motel, which Stuart had so easily glossed over – of Jaegar's mouth upon her shoulders, her hips, her breasts...
She had chosen Octavius over him. She had chosen Jaegar over him. She could feel his rage. He had been good – the best – the most deserving – always the quiet one, always kind to her and chivalrous and honorable – and he felt that deep down in parts of herself she could not even fathom she wanted none of that. She wanted white-hot anger and white-hot passion, burning through her; she wanted to be overwhelmed, to lose herself and her mind in the power of her desire.
And he had been so good to her. And he had most deserved her.
And she had not loved him.
“Stuart!” Kalina cried, but her moans were silenced as he thrust her down onto the floor and began kissing her with a series of rough kisses, his teeth lightly pricking at her lips.
“I want you so much,” he was moaning – into her neck, her shoulders, her stomach. “I want you so much – I want you more than they do – I need you...your blood, your body, your life...your soul...”
“Stuart, what are you...” But she could not stop him. She did not want to stop him. In the force of his passion she was lost at last; his desire for her overwhelmed her, enchanted her, at last consumed her until she was not sure in the darkness of the night and their tangled limbs what was her desire and what was his.
“I've waited for you, Kalina,” he was whispering now. “I've waited for you so, so long...”
Kalina closed her eyes, letting the waves of pleasure pass over her.
“I haven't been selfish, Kalina. God knows I haven't been selfish. But I want to be selfish now. I want you – I want to be like him, want you like he does, make you feel like he does...”
He wanted her to himself; he wanted to slake the desire that had been building within him for the months since she had first known him. He had warned her that one day, early in their relationship, at the Stomping Ground, that he had more desire, more darkness in him, than she could ever dream of. Next to Jaegar he had seemed so quiet, so meek; she had almost disbelieved him. But she saw it now, the darkness in his eyes, in his touch and gaze and above all things in his mouth, hot on hers; she felt at last, like a coiled spring released.
Compulsion had clouded her mind before with Jaegar; now, the lines of connection were clear.
Yes. I want this, Stuart. I have always wanted this. I want to see this passionate side of you.
She did not know it was true until she had thought it into existence, and then she knew it. She still loved Octavius, missed Octavius, ached for Octavius – the world he had shown her, when she could be a woman instead of a girl, in the world instead of in a small town. And she could not have loved Stuart, not in the small and domestic way she thought he wanted.
But now...
She couldn't think of Octavius now. She had promised him, for their sake, to give him up, to love another...she wanted to give Stuart a chance. She wanted to love him.
And then her mind was clouded again, not by compulsion but by sheer pleasure, as Stuart began tearing Kalina's ball dress from her body, removing her bra, her stockings – ripping them into shreds in his passion.
“Stuart...”
She remembered the lessons Octavius had taught her in Paris.
Stuart – I want to...but I don't want to break the spell.
She grabbed hold of his wrists and rolled him over, stretching out the length of her body above him, kissing his neck, his shoulders.
There are other things we can do, Stuart.
She heard his smile pierce through her thoughts before she saw it.
I want to...
I want to..
And then words failed them, and pleasure consumed them, and it was dawn before Kalina opened her eyes again.
********
Which one of them had killed Gerard – had been responsible, had killed, really, Marilee? It was a conversation Stuart and Jaegar had had many times – time and time again, a conversation peppered with fierce blows, with wrestling in the dirt and filth of the graveyard. They were brothers – but for nearly two centuries they had not been brothers, until Aaron's death had forced them into something like an unquiet peace treaty. Since Gerard had died – since Marilee had committed suicide in grief at the death of her husband and the accusations – they had always regarded each other with clear suspicion. One of them had killed Gerard – it could have been either of them to commit that act of parricide.
After all, they had both loved Marilee. They had both longed for her – that forbidden beauty, their father's new wife. She had been so young, so sweet, with flaxen hair and red cheeks that spoke of days spent out in the fields, together at the frontier of the world. How beautiful America had seemed to all of them then – going West – a thousand sunsets and nights across the American plains together. Of course they had both loved her – how could they not! And how could they have not hated their father – their father whose pretty young wife was the only woman they could not have, a woman their father could love every night in the room next to them...
Jaegar grimaced. He could not think of Marilee now.
He had fled into the night – he had been so close, with Kalina – so close to tasting her, to wanting her, to consuming her into nothingness. Her love had brought him back to humanity, once; it had brought him close enough to Stuart again that the two of them could look each other in the eyes like brothers, with one hundred years' worth of forgiveness upon them.
Three of Octavius’ men were chasing him – he recognized them. One had severed his finger that night in the fields, intending to leave him to burn at sunlight as punishment – stripped of his ring he would have been broiled alive in agony, had it not been for Kalina, who found him. How he realized then how much she meant to him.
Jaegar sized up the other two men. One had chained him to the wall in Octavius’ dungeon. The strongest vampires in the world – a Mongol soldier, a former Roman gladiator, a trained Aztec warrior.
They had been some of the strongest vampires in the world.
But they had not tasted Life’s Blood, Kalina’s blood.
It took him only an hour to kill the three of them, an hour strewn with limbs and blood, with the wailing of final death. Thousands of men had tried, and failed to kill them.
And now it took Jaegar only an hour.
He inhaled the sharp air of dawn, and looked upon a sunrise – in complete silence, complete, delirious silence – without any pain, the slow burn at last vanished for the first time in seven hundred years.
Chapter 11
Kalina slept deeply that night. The chaos of the whole evening – from her kiss with Stuart at the prom, to the trauma with Jaegar, to the passion she had experience with Stuart afterwards, had overwhelmed her. Combined with severe blood loss – a loss she had barely even registered until it was almost too late – the events of the preceding twelve hours h
ad combined to drain her emotionally as well as physically. When at last she and Stuart had finished, she fell asleep against him, a sleep so deep that Stuart could not even telepathically connect to her dreams. He pressed her shoulders softly – no answer. He stared at her – the drained, pale white figure before him – and realized what he should have seen before, when his mind was clouded by desire. She had been injured – seriously – by Jaegar's attack; they had both forgotten it in the heat of the moment, but now he could see everywhere the scratches and bite marks Jaegar had made upon her.
Stuart sighed and bit into his wrist, letting a few droplets of his blood trickle out onto Kalina's lips. In her sleep she moaned and sighed, arching her back and neck so that the delicate taste could be sucked down into her neck. He sighed with her pleasure, seeing her give a low, sensual cry – deep in the mind of sleep – as her cuts gradually began to heal, lines and scratches evaporating into a sea of creamy white flesh.
It was easier now, Stuart thought. It had been terrible – in its beauty – being with Kalina, being so close to this exquisite young woman, losing himself in her, and yet unable to bite her, although the smell of her blood – fresh and loose – had filled his nostrils, crowded over his mind and soul and sanity. How he must love her to constantly be with her and yet not be with her. Kalina was like the ladies he swore to love and protect back in the Middle Ages when he was a knight. Yet she was much more, and he couldn’t help falling for her, her smile, her bravery, her fragility, her spirit, her resilience to all the grief she’d experienced, her intelligence, her beauty, and especially her capacity to love generously. She seemed endless in her ability to love others, even monsters like himself and Jaegar. She was Humanity itself.
Not many vampires would have resisted, Stuart knew bitterly. He was one of the few – the lucky few – to retain enough of his humanity to avoid killing her. Enough of his humanity to avoid experiencing the greatest pleasure he could possibly know. But he had gotten to know her, like Aaron had, and he knew he couldn’t just take her.
