This novel is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used factiously. Any resemblance to actual events or locals or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
Published by Felicia Tatum Books
PO Box 663
Monterey, TN 38574
www.feliciatatum.com
All rights reserved, including the right to reproduce this book or portions thereof in any for whatsoever.
Copyright © 2015
All rights reserved.
More books from Felicia Tatum:
The Vessel
Devlin’s Descendant
Unbound Destinies
Mangled Hearts
Entangled Souls
Anxious Hearts
Bound Souls
Intoxicating Passion: The Box Set
Masked Encounters
Scornful Sadie
Sign up for my newsletter for a free download of Entangled Souls!
“Wait, what? Seattle?” Elsie hissed into the phone, giving me a frustrated gaze as she rolled her eyes. “Yes, yes, we’ll be there tomorrow.” She slammed the old flip phone shut, earning a crack across the back as she once again forgets her strength.
“More unbound?” I sighed, more of a statement than a question. I ran a hand through my messy blonde hair, sighing as I realized we were once again traveling.
She raised her brow, her eyes conveying what words couldn’t. Of course there were more unbound who needed us, why was I asking such a stupid question? “In Seattle.”
I nodded. “I heard. What kind?” I, Kyle Whitehead, never in a million years imagined I would be hunting unbound beings someday. Growing up, I knew my powers had been bound, and my destiny was to be a normal human. When my sister became unbound, everything changed.
“Sorcerer/fae mix. Earth fae at that, totally screwing with everyone at Bumbershoot,” she growled, low and menacing. On the outside she was gorgeous, soft and sweet. Elsie was tall and curvy with long blond curls hanging down her back, and large brown doe eyes that captured anyone who looked at her. She was anything but sweet, however. She was deadly, lethal, and could be terrifying when prompted.
Elsie was part vampire, part fae. She wasn’t an uncontrollable unbound, though. She and I had managed to gain control of our vampire halves while locked in a magically sealed basement a few months ago. My sister, Olivia, somehow set off all unbound beings, making everyone who was magically bound when they were a year old come unbound, and into the powers they didn’t know they had. Most of the unbound were in the dark, their parents not telling them their true nature in hopes they never found out the truth; that the council in charge of magical beings made any children born by parents of different abilities come in so they could bind their powers.
Fear ran the council for centuries, an evil woman named Harlow using her authority to create chaos and ridiculous rules. The children born to any magically mixed couples brought in for the binding. I’d found out when my parents, a vampire and a sorcerer, took my sister in when I was only ten years old. I wasn’t stupid, I’d known Mom and Dad were different, and trekking off to some secluded cave proved me right.
I’d left Tennessee when I was eighteen, my little sister only eight, and came back for holidays. My anger toward them ruled me for many years, until finally my sister went through the magical change and was practically a full sorcerer. I’d returned when I was being followed, discovering my magical sister and missing parents. We’d all worked together, us and her boyfriend’s family, and found out more truths than any of us cared to. A few months later, I’d went through it too, only I became more vampire than sorcerer.
That was when I met the beautiful Elsie. Her mother caught wind of my sister being the first unbound and came to Anna, Olivia’s fiance’s grandmother, for help. Elsie had been completely out of control, just like me. We’d eventually bonded over our tribulations, though she seemed to hate me at first. The more she’d snapped at me, the more I was attracted to her. We finally gained control of our vicious halves and went to help defeat those against us, including the people in charge of helping us.
The council was replaced. Anna was now in charge and things were much better. The unbound were still coming into their powers, months later, and Elsie and I had volunteered our time and efforts to capture and help them deal. If they couldn’t merge their two halves, we were forced to turn them in for seclusion until the council decided what to do with them. Some were evil, some simply out of control, but if we were unable to reach out to them and assist, well, Elsie and I weren’t in the authority to make the decision on what to do next.
Refocusing, I asked for clarification, “Bumbershoot? The music festival?”
She nodded. “Yeah, it’s only this weekend, so we need to hurry. We can get in at eleven in the morning.” She stood, her speed much faster than a human, and her affinity with air causing her hair to ruffle and swish as she left the room.
Beauty wasn’t something Elsie held, it was a deep part of her that oozed out of every pore, every movement, every word she uttered. The attraction between us had been immediate, my vampire drawn to hers while my other half longed for her. Once we’d managed to merge our dividing halves, the electricity grew and soon our lust grew to something more. We weren’t together, but we spent our days in each other’s company. While we’d been somewhat intimate in the past, it wasn’t a regular occurrence. An electric touch here and there, a forbidden kiss amongst the hunt, but never anything more.
Her moods changed with the seasons, and this season wasn’t friendly to Kyle. Unfortunate, too, cause I wanted nothing more than to have her tight body writhing beneath mine while I fed off her, burying myself deep inside. Her pulse beating as her blood flowed into my mouth.
I couldn’t tell you what we were, but I was happy she was the one I hunted rogue unbound with. Even if I did think it may kill me at some point.
###
“Plane tickets?”
“Check,” she said, tossing an envelope on the table.
“Clothes?”
She hefted the bag, making it look like it weighed no more than a tissue, and tossed it on top of the tickets. “Check. Yours and mine are in there.”
“You packed my clothes?” I asked.
“Yeah, I knew you’d take forever. I also have our info for where to get our weapons, cells, chargers, and the tickets to the festival. I think we’re ready to go,” she stated, taking charge once again.
Talk about sexy. “Then I guess we’re ready,” I grinned. Taking our items, I snatched the keys from counter before she could and raced out the door.
We’d found out three hours ago about our new assignment, and were already on our way out. The head of the new unbound department, an extension of the council, was on top of his game, always getting exactly what we needed often before we needed it. As the months passed by, more and more unbound became problems. The assignments were more frequent and the beings harder to merge.
Elsie followed me out, locking up the office we’d been given access to. It housed us, as well as our belongings and necessities to do our jobs. She huffed as she gracefully slid into the car, slamming the door, causing the whole car to shake. .
Chuckling, I glanced at her. “You really should learn to control your strength a little better.”
Narrowing her eyes, she rolled them at me. “Don’t, Kyle. I’m trying, ok? But having this air thing doesn’t help, it makes me faster.”
Shrugging, I changed the gears and headed to the airport. We had about a two hour drive ahead of us, as we somehow got stationed in the small town I grew up in, and there was
nothing there. Leaving Elsie alone when she got like this was the best thing to do. She wasn’t adjusting well, because her fae powers seemed to strengthen every day. She controlled the air without even trying, and I could tell it freaked her out, but I didn’t know how to help. The only sorcery type ability I possessed was seeing auras, which was helpful when we hunted unbound. All held a white aura, my sister being the first to develop one, and it was easy to spot one in the crowd.
No one was sure why I hadn’t developed more powers, or why Olivia hadn’t, but we’d been the first to come unbound. Speculation was nature used us as guinea pigs and eventually we’d be the most powerful of unbound.
Terrifying, yet exciting.
Elsie continued to huff beside me, bouncing her leg up and down as she gazed aimlessly out the window. Her hair was tossed over her shoulder, lying right between her generous cleavage. Fingers thrummed on her knee while she chewed on her lip.
I leaned back in the seat, I broke my thoughts and relaxed as I drove on. Elsie would get over whatever was bugging her soon, and our trip would be more fun. Assuming I didn’t explode from needing the seductive vampire mixture before we arrived in Seattle.
Elsie lazily glanced at me from the seat beside me, her eyes locking on my neck. “Kyle,” she whispered, leaning and pressing her lips close to my ears. “I need to feed.” Her lips trailed my skin, hovering over the delicious artery pulsing in my neck.
Emitting a low growl, I pushed her away gently to not gain any attention from the other passengers. “You didn’t before?” I hissed. Using all my strength, I held her there. A vampire needing to feed wasn’t something to play around with.
A streak of red appeared in her eye and she shook her head. Bloodlust wasn’t something we could control, and Elsie turned into an even more seductive vamp whenever she was hungry. Using her compulsion powers on anyone she found enticing, she often fed on multiple people within one hunting trip. I couldn’t judge, though, because I often did the same.
We’d only boarded a few hours ago, and with it being a direct flight, I knew I would soon have an out of control, starved vampire attacking necks.
Glancing around, I searched for someone with an aura, but no one on our flight was from our community. Labor Day weekend was a busy travel time, but since it was late Saturday evening, it seemed like most people were already at their destinations. Standing, I leaned back down hissed in her ear. “Follow me to the bathroom. Control yourself.”
Her eyes grew wider, the crimson bleeding more into her irises, and she stood. She inhaled, closing her eyes as she swayed and gripped her middle. She could smell the passengers, their fresh, sweet blood calling to her in her hungered state. Her blond hair swished as her head snapped to look at me, her fangs pressing into her bottom lip as her eyes begged me for help.
“Go,” I growled, grasping her by the elbow. It took all my strength to guide her to the little restroom in the back, her nostrils flaring with each step. The passengers noticed our odd behavior, but I walked as quickly as I could to blend in and got her locked in the room in a matter of seconds.
With a throaty growl, she latched herself to me, hands roaming all over. Trailing up my shirt, then back down before she hooked her finger on the loop of my jeans.
“Elsie?” I said huskily. “Elsie, you’re hungry.”
“For you,” she cooed. “I want to taste every inch of you.” She slid her hand down the front of my pants, cupping my growing erection in her palm.
My words caught in my throat and I was frozen. Longing for her touch for months, this moment was as mind blowing as I’d imagined.
She stroked me, her long fingers moving down and tugging my balls before pumping me hard and fast. With her other hand, she pushed my pants to the floor to give her better access. Leaning against the door, I thrust my hips with her movements, the pent up frustration, held in since the day I met her, growing nearer to releasing.
In a flash, she was on the small counter, balancing on the edge as she pulled my neck to her. Her fangs pierced my skin. The pain shocked me and my response was to pull away. She locked onto me, forcing me still, and drank deeply. Her hand continued to pull and tug my cock, and my arousal won. No matter how much her wild feeding and tearing at my neck hurt, the pleasure she was performing outweighed it. She sunk her fangs deeper as I spewed in her palm. She took one long, final drink and pulled away.
Vampires healed quickly, but it took longer for us since we were only half. I felt my skin pulling as it started to grow back, but I knew I’d be in here for a few more minutes. Grabbing paper towels, she cleaned her hand, then handed some to me. Her once crimson eyes were back to brown and a blush flushed her cheeks.
“Elsie,” I said as I hurriedly wiped my body and pulled my pants back on. “It’s ok.”
She shook her head furiously. “No.”
My neck began itching as the wound closed and I fought to not scratch it. “You know I want you.”
“Stop,” she demanded. Anger flared in her eyes. “Clean the blood off of you.” She pointed at my neck, ashamed and embarrassed at what she’d done.
Was it because she’d so viciously fed from me, or the fact she’d allowed herself to be sexual with me?
Wetting a paper towel, I patted my still tender skin and cleared the blood away. Someone pounded on the other side of the door, but I ignored them. Continuing to wash away the evidence of what happened, I caught her gaze in the mirror. Her eyes flashed red in anger, but she closed them and forced it back.
“Elsie, let me help you.”
She looked at me with tears brimming her lids and opened the door, growling at the people waiting in line. I followed, smirking at the astonished and disgusted looks I earned.
If only they knew.
Slipping back in beside her, I felt her turn down the edge of my shirt.
“That was so embarrassing,” she mumbled, securing her seatbelt back. “And there was blood.” She nodded toward my collar.
I nodded in understanding. “We still have a few hours,” I pointed out as she secured her lock. The flight was seven hours and we’d only been on for three.
“I know. I feel safer this way,” she shrugged.
“I don’t think a plane crash would kill us,” I joked. Obviously we were ignoring the incident.
She rolled her eyes. “Whatever, I’m still adjusting. This hasn’t been easy.”
Cautiously, I took her hand in mine and caressed her silky skin. “I know. I’m sorry. I forget you didn’t know about the paranormal and supernatural world before your unbinding. I’ve known since I was young, so I guess it was easier for me to accept it.”
She didn’t answer, but drew her hand away. Her gaze grew lost in the clouds around her, her head resting against the back of the chair. Studying her features, I fought the urge to kiss her. The tender lines of her face and the soft strands of her hair gave her a gentleness I couldn’t describe. Looking at her was much like looking at the clouds out the window, they floated, they were beautiful, and they were unreachable.
I doubted I’d ever make her truly mine. Slumping back in the chair, I ignored her questioning glance and closed my eyes. Four more hours on this plane, sitting beside this delicious looking and smelling woman, might be the death of me.
Vampires weren’t much like you’d see in a movie or read in a book. We didn’t burn or sparkle in sunlight, but too long did make our skin a bit sensitive. We weren’t technically dead and we didn’t require the killing of our food. A few pints were enough to sustain us for at least three days. We were fast and could compel, but that was the extent of the vampire powers. We slept, we ate normal food, though blood did taste significantly better, and when hungry, we did turn into blood thirsty animals. It didn’t happen unless we’d been without blood for a long period of time, but when it did…things became very bad. It’d happened to me when I first went through the magical change. Olivia gained her powers long before I became unbound, and I’d
given up hope I would get anything. Walking in the park one day, I felt odd, my throat burning so badly I was convinced there was a fire in my esophagus. The couple canoodling on the picnic blanket became more and more enticing, until I lost control. The vampire half of me took over, completely dominating me, and I would have killed them both if it hadn’t been for Sadie, Scott’s sister.
Vampires could reproduce. My mother gave birth to me, and my sister, and she’d been a vampire since she was born. There was a ceremony male vampires had to go through in order to be able to create a child, but I wasn’t sure on the specifics. I’d yet to meet a full male vampire to ask. All the vampires I’d encountered did prefer the night, so I supposed that’s how the “children of the night” stories came to be. Reading up on the literature was entertaining now that I was one.
Elsie and I spent the rest of our plane ride talking over the folklore we’d read, each of us taking turns napping, and conveniently avoiding the bathroom incident. After landing and maneuvering our way through the airport, we hailed a cab to our hotel. It was early Sunday morning, and we still had a few hours until we could head to Bumbershoot, so showering and napping was on the agenda first. I threw our belongings in the back of the closest cab, sliding in beside Elsie.
Unbound Desires in Seattle Page 1
