by T. A. Grey
Vera’s eyes widened as she watched the torn skin heal and repair itself. She’d known vampires could heal rapidly but she’d never actually seen it. The skin wove itself back together like little stitches and when it was done, his skin was only covered in blood that the rain washed off. Underneath the blood his skin was pink and new. It looked thinner than normal skin.
Jacks’ eyes fluttered then shot open wide and panicked. His eyes found hers and then he was sitting up and taking her hard into his arms. Nothing had ever felt so good in her life.
Vera cried out in relief and held him as if she’d let go he’d fade away and never come back. His hands passed over her hair, her back, and her arms.
He pulled back and looked around as if assessing for threats. He spotted Dmetri and Vera watched as confusion settled in.
“What happened?” His voice was gruff and sounded in desperate need of water.
Vera opened her mouth to tell him, then closed it. How did she tell him that he died and was turned into a vampire by her former lover?
She started to open her mouth but Dmetri saved her. “You were attacked by Ariss and her guardian. Vera brought you here.” Dmetri looked at her pointedly and she took a deep breath of courage.
“I stole some man’s car and drove you here, and then your heart stopped. So, um, so I had Dmetri turn you into a vampire.” She said the last on a squeak. She’d never had to deliver news like this.
Jacks threw back his head and laughed. Well that wasn’t quite the response she was expecting.
“Yeah right,” he said, then he pulled her close and kissed her. Feeling his mouth alive against hers made her wild. She kissed him harder like she was trying to get into his mouth. When he pulled back, he looked at her curiously. Then he slid a look to Dmetri and touched a finger to his neck.
“I remember the accident, then fighting with that strong son of a bitch. I’ve never seen anyone move that fast. Not even Rome. I felt so useless and angry...I couldn’t protect you and I wanted to scream.” He looked into her eyes and kissed her again. Vera kissed him back with every ounce of love in her body.
“We need to talk about this,” Dmetri said calmly.
Jacks jerked his head towards him. “About what?”
A blond eyebrow arched high. “About you being a vampire now.”
An unsure laugh. “You’re serious about that?”
“How else do you explain how you died and I brought you back. My blood brought you back, actually. Vera asked me to. I owe her that much,” he said softly.
Jacks sent a wild look to Vera. She quickly said, “I’m so sorry. I didn’t know what to do. I love you so much and I couldn’t bear it if you died. I asked him to. I would have asked you what you wanted but...” she shrugged and looked helplessly at him. “Dmetri offered to kill you again if you don’t want to stay alive,” she added quickly, giving him a bright smile. Dmetri cut her a quick glare.
Suddenly Jacks doubled over, holding his stomach, gasping in wretched breaths.
“He’s going to be very hungry,” Dmetri said matter of factly.
# # #
Jacks and fingered the sore spots in his mouth. He knew what the soreness in his gums was before he even touched it. Yet that didn’t make finding the two hard points any easier. He winced as he touched them even as he felt a wave of pleasure sear through him. Dmetri was right. His stomach growled, and his mouth tasted dirt dry.
His gaze fell over to Vera’s neck. He licked his lips and felt his fangs throb. He was moving before he even realized it. He grabbed her head in both hands and tipped her head to the side, her short hair parting easily, baring her rain-soaked neck.
He licked his lips, feeling drugged and woozy. Then Dmetri was beside him, his arm around his shoulders. For some reason he didn’t mind the touch. Vera was looking at him with such love and trust in her eyes.
He listened to Dmetri’s soft words of guidance. Then he licked a path of Vera’s neck, nuzzling her soft skin with his lips. She panted and he could hear everything gasp she took, even the quick beat of her heart. Hell, he could smell her arousal. She wanted this.
He followed Dmetri’s order and bit gently into her neck. She twitched against him and let out a soft, sexy cry. Christ his cock was so hard she could stroke him and he’d come.
Her skin broke beneath his teeth, no fangs, and then her blood pooled warm and delicious in his mouth. He sucked and licked at it, feeling the most dizzying sensation rush through his body. She was in his body. With each pull from her body, he felt her essence enter his.
He was claiming her, suck by suck. He listened as her heart quickened, her breath catching again and again. He knew she was wet in her panties. He sucked on her neck one last time and then she was sucking in air, gripping his back hard as she came.
Jacks had never felt anything so good. He heard Dmetri’s words, but ignored them and continued to suck and pull. He wanted all of her inside him. To never be separated from her again. He heard her heart stutter in her chest, and then he was ripping himself away from her with wide, wild eyes.
Holy fuck he almost killed her. Even now she slumped back against the car, her eyes hooded, a lazy smile on her face. His mark was on her neck—a dark bruise with two holes inside. Shame followed by anger filled him, had him standing over her.
She popped her eyes open and smiled big at him. A real, beautiful smile that was all Vera. It tugged at his chest, but he ignored it.
“I don’t ever want to see you again. Do you understand me, Vera? Never.” Vera’s smile died, she rushed to her feet reaching for him, but he stepped away.
“But I don’t understand. Why? You just— I thought—” she fumbled for words as pure agony fired through her heart. She knew he was going to leave her anyways, someday, but not now. She wasn’t ready for it now. Not after what they’d been through.
“Don’t worry I’ll make it easy on you. I won’t be coming on Kategan land again. Ever.” He turned from her and started towards the mansion.
“But I love you.” Her whisper barely made it over the sound of the rain. She expected him to turn back and say something, even something cruel, but he didn’t. He kept walking—and that was worse of all.
Dmetri was there though, pulling her into his arms. “I am so sorry, moya labyuff.” The old Russian endearment, my love, used to be something he called her when he knew she was in pain. Now it did nothing for her. “He is just upset right now, confused. His life has just made a huge change and he isn’t accepting it well. Don’t worry Vera, I will guide him into the new ways, and then he’ll be back for you.”
She shook her head against his chest. “No he won’t.” Shallow words so at odds to the heavy weight in her chest.
“Trust me, Vera.”
She laughed a nasty, awful sound. “The last time I did that, I got my heartbroken.” He frowned down at her looking as if he wanted to say something, but then he only nodded.
“Take my car and go home. I’ll call you with any news. I’ll send my guard with you. I won’t leave you unprotected now that we know what Ariss is up to. You won’t be safe until we capture her.”
Vera didn’t recall getting into the car, nor of pulling away from the mansion for the second time that night. She drove with robotic movements, her mind completely numb. A vampire guard sat in her back seat and a car of more guards followed her.
She drove for a solid twenty minutes before she finally pulled over to the side of the road. She was thankful when the guard in the car didn’t say anything.
Choked sobs left her raw throat, but no tears would come. She stared out at the night, at the rain. She was dried out on the inside.
Still it rained outside, the night crying for her.
Chapter Twelve
Four weeks did not a wound heal. Or so Vera had learned. In fact, a month had never felt so long.
As if the fates hadn’t punished her enough, they continued to point their fingers and laugh. Vera had had enough of it. She was ready to break th
e bitch’s fingers and shove them down their throats.
Vera stumbled into her kitchen and winced at the smell. The dishes of food were piled up in the sink and littered across the counter. Every morning she told herself to clean them, to put them away, but who was she kidding, she didn’t give a shit about dishes—not even on a good day. She’d easily put on several pounds with the amount of junk food she’d been eating which only added to her sour mood these last few weeks.
She couldn’t help it. She’d always been an eater when she was depressed. No, depressed didn’t cover what she felt. She’d found and lost her mate. She laughed the sound hollow and cold. She watched her mate die then get turned into a vampire. No that wasn’t quite accurate either. She’d found her mate, but he didn’t want her. That about summed it up.
“Because I have problems,” she mocked in a wimpy male voice. Vera stared at the dishes, lips pursed. She looked down at herself and felt her shoulders sag.
She was wearing a baggy t-shirt with stains and sweatpants. She hadn’t even known she owned sweatpants. The man was ruining her life. She was surprised she didn’t feel angrier about it. It wasn't like when Dmetri dumped her to the curb. No, this felt entirely different. Like half of her soul was dead. It was so, so much worse.
She wanted to go back to bed where she could spend all day sleeping, but even now, sleep wouldn’t come. How cruel was life when all she wanted was to sleep and make it all go away but she could barely sleep more than two hours a night?
Fucking cruel bitches.
Vera didn’t know if it was seeing her baggy sweatpants or the culmination of smelly dishes that pushed her. But finally, something in her snapped. Weeks of painful tears and a bleeding heart set her in motion. She attacked the dishes. The water was too hot and burned her hands, but she bit her lip and continued.
When she finished one side of the sink, she realized she felt...better. Anger was driving her now, and it felt so much better than self-pitying sadness. She scrubbed the dishes until they shined and glinted in the kitchen light.
When she finished all of them, her strainer was full and she had to lay a towel out to put the rest of the dishes out to dry.
What was he doing right now?
Fucking? Sleeping, flirting with some skank, drinking some other woman’s blood? She had no idea. Hell, she didn’t want to know. That’s right. Mate or not, she was done. Done hurting. A month of pain was a month too long.
She trudged up the stairs to her bedroom and her legs burned with the effort. She felt nothing but disgust at herself at how far she’d let herself go. She pulled off her baggy shirt and sweats and stepped into the shower. Turning the water all the way up, she scrubbed herself clean until she was pink.
Miraculously, she actually felt better, lighter, as if she’d washed away some of her problems. She laughed knowing that was a lie. Just like how Jackson used to drink away his problems only to sober up to them, she was no different.
She wished his father were still alive so that she could show him a thing or two about picking on someone his own size. Okay maybe she wasn’t his size, but damn if she wouldn’t like to wail on that motherfucker.
She was just finishing applying her mascara when a knock sounded at the front door. Vera froze, her heart faltering a step in her chest at the sound. She returned the mascara wand and closed it with surprisingly calm hands.
She’d only spoken to Vane a couple of times since she got back. She told him about Ariss, her guardian, and her Master trying to take Kategan land and after he roared loud enough to crack a window, she admitted that they were attacked again later. She winced guiltily, though she may have left out a few other pertinent details...like that Rome’s old best friend was now a vampire, and he was her mate. Stuff like that.
The knocked sounded again and she flinched. Somehow she made her arms work and put a robe on. What, she thought defensively. If Jackson wants people to know he’s a bloodsucker, nightwalker, shadow dweller, thing of the night, then it wasn’t her responsibility to tell people. She was just thinking of him really.
But Vane always called when he wanted to talk. He didn’t come over, and Rome and Alison were still out of town. A month long freaking honeymoon? Geez, Alison wasn’t going to be able to walk when they got back.
Vera told her stupid heart not to beat so freaking fast, not to get too excited. It wasn’t him. Please be him.
She reached the door and flung it open.
“What the hell took you so long?” Vera’s heart did not weep in disappointment. She did not want to run back upstairs and cry her eyes out. She did not.
Plastering on a smile she said, “Sarina how good to see you. Come on in.”
“Sorry for the attitude, I just was starting to feel like a cop banging on that door.” Vera motioned for her to take a seat and then took the one opposite hers.
“No problem. What can I do you for?” She hadn’t talked to Vane’s mate one on one...ever.
Sarina shifted uncomfortably in her seat. “Okay, well, see I wanted to talk to you. But I know it’s not really my place, yet I’m just kind of nosey enough to push that aside and come over here late at night.”
Vera’s mouth pulled into a real smile this time, though a flicker of unease rolled through her. “I understand that and I respect your tenacity. I give you leave to say what you want,” she said grandly.
Sarina’s looked as if a wish had just been granted. “Thank you so much for that you don’t know how much I appreciate that. Okay, so first, I know you’re sad and I want you to know that if you need to talk to someone, I’m here. Also, I would love to get to know you more so I wanted to ask you over for dinner sometime. And lastly, I am dying to know what’s going on between you and Jackson Marsh.” Her eyes twinkled so brightly, it was a wonder they didn’t sparkle.
Vera cleared her throat—twice. She ran through everything Sarina said twice before she could figure out what to say.
“Um, well, thank you. I assure you I’m not sad, and I would love to come over for dinner sometime just give me a ring.” Nice, sweet smile, there. She ignored the question about Jackson Marsh, she was not going to talk about him, wasn’t even sure if she could without crying.
Sarina was stronger and smarter than she originally gave her credit for because she didn’t stand up to leave. Instead, she leaned back her chair and gave her a saucy smile. “Would you perhaps be interested to know that I saw Jackson Marsh today?”
Vera flung herself into a sitting position, her ass nearly falling out of the chair as she tried to get closer to Sarina. “What, what do you mean? He was here. On Kategan land?” Panic, shock, hope, and excitement spun through her all at once. Stupid girl don’t get your hopes up.
Sarina leaned forward like she was about to divulge the juiciest of gossip. In a loud whisper she said, “He came by Vane’s today, or should I say tonight. He asked where Rome was and so on and so on, and then he asked about you.” She tossed her head back and pretended to fan away the heat from her face. “The man’s eyes were so hot when he talked about you I swear I had to crack a window. The man smoldered.”
Vera absorbed her words with a mixture of denial and stupid hope.
Sarina cocked an eyebrow and pretended to study her nails. “So would you like to know what else he asked about?”
Vera could only nod dumbly.
Sarina grinned from ear to ear. “He wanted to know where you lived. Said he needed to talk to you. Vane wouldn’t tell him either. Oh my god, you should have been there. It was awesome. I thought there was going to be a fight. Jackson got all angry-eyed and dark, even his scent smelled...different. Vane only told him after he fessed up about being changed into a vampire. Then there was this other thing that he promised me and Vane not to tell anyone about.”
Vera grabbed her by the shoulders and gave her a little shake. “What promise? Tell me, please!” She didn’t hide the desperation in her voice. Her hands were shaking when she finally pulled them back.
Sarina
cocked her head and smiled softly. “You love him, don’t you?”
Vera slumped in her seat with defeat and said miserably, “So much. He is my mate.” Sarina nodded, her eyes gentle and understanding.
“He cares about you, you know. I may not have any right telling you this, but I think that’s why he came here today. For you.”
Vera nodded mutely, her mind buzzing with a thousand thoughts, doubts, fears, and hopes.
“Well I’ll leave you alone now, but I just wanted to tell you that you have a friend close by if you want to talk, go shopping, trash the male sex, or get drunk and watch Twilight.” Vera laughed for the first time in four weeks.
She went to Sarina and hugged her tight. “Thank you,” she said softly. Sarina squeezed her back.
“Anytime darling.” She gave a girly wave then left out the front door.
He came back. Well of course he came back, he lives around here, but he came asking about her. Did he still want her? She didn’t have so much pride or attitude that she would deny him if he came back groveling—okay if he came back at all. She would take him back in a second.
She walked back upstairs in a daze. When she got to her bedroom, she just stopped. She had no idea what to do. After doing the dishes she’d felt energized into doing something—namely going out and getting drunk. But now she couldn’t. The bathroom light drew her attention and like a moth, she went to it. Her makeup was scattered across the sink so she methodically started picking it up.
He asked about her. What was the promise? Did he want her back? It had to be something good, right? Or else Sarina wouldn’t have looked so evilly happy. Maybe he was going to apologize. Hope had her eyes widening and a small smile twitching on her face.
Don’t be stupid, Vera. She slammed her hand against the wall, her teeth grinding together. He had a month to call, to write, to come see her. He wasn’t coming back with a bouquet of roses and an “I love you.” A fuck, that’s all he would want.
