Silver Blood (Blood Series Book 2)

by Tamara White

  “Em, I felt your jealousy the moment she smiled at me. I gotta admit, it was pretty hot, and if Dolores wasn’t on the other side of this door, I would have done a lot more than just kiss you,” he murmurs, his eyes filled with lust.

  I shiver with arousal before shaking out of it and shifting my focus to our surroundings. Getting aroused right now won’t do any good. Not when there’s nothing I can do about it. Later though, I promise myself.

  Nik leads me down a white corridor lined with doors on either side. Each door has a window, so you can see inside and watch. I see some vamps clearly feeding from humans. Others are devouring bag after bag of blood, or are being handed bags of blood from a person dressed in white before putting them in cooler bags.

  Nik explains as we walk. "We feed down here on human donors– those who are worse off in the world who choose to trade their blood for cash. We don’t discriminate. Humans can donate to our blood bag supply and receive payment in exchange for their contribution. We allow members of the coven to take a weekly supply to their rooms, so they don’t have to come down here often, but just like with any substance, some vampires suffer from an addiction to it. This can be dangerous, so we prefer those who suspect they have an addiction to feed down here. Then of course we have the others of our kind who know they’re addicted and don’t give a rat’s ass and have to be dragged down here and locked away until their addiction is under control. Then they are given the choice to try and assimilate back into the coven or move to a special facility we have for those cases that can’t be put back into the coven and out into the human world.”

  He leads me to another room’s window, and my jaw drops at the sight before me. The whole room is made of what looks like solid metal.

  “These rooms were designed for newly turned vampires. The metal makes it impossible for them to break their way out.

  “We have locks on the inside that require both fingerprint and retina scans from one of the guards before it will let the vampire out. We try to make sure our facilities are as safe as possible for all of us. If we ever have an extreme crazy cross through here, we send them to a special facility that houses vampires for long-term care. If they don’t snap out of the blood craze within five years, they are usually destroyed. Sometimes, they just don’t accept cloned blood, and we can’t exactly give them human blood when that is what caused the addiction in the first place.”

  "Cloned blood? Is that what’s in the bags?"

  He looks at me, clearly surprised by my question. "Yeah, didn't anyone tell you that?"

  At the shake of my head, he frowns. "We have deliveries that come in from blood banks, the real human stuff that we pay for but the majority of our food source it is made by a pharmaceutical company. Some vampires were scientists before being turned and have spent years developing these. In the past twenty years, the formula has been perfected, so we’ve been gradually moving our kind off of human blood and onto the synthetic.

  “We’ve even started to sell bags of it to the human hospitals. Your mother makes quite a profit from hiring out the scientists to create blood for the humans."

  A blaring noise suddenly pierces the room, and Nik lifts the edge of his shirt where a pager-like device is attached to his waistband. He clicks a button on the side and holds it up to his head like a phone.

  "Nikoli here."

  He listens intently for a moment before sighing. "Yes, fine, I’ll ask her. If she says yes, we'll meet you upstairs."

  Without another word, he clicks his communication device off and puts it back on his waistband. "That was Dev and Tal. They would like to know if you want to go on a date? With the three of us? We all agree you’ve been pretty cooped up in here and thought you might like to get out for a bit and get some air.”

  I nod excitedly. "Yeah, that's sounds great. Do you mind if we take my car?"

  He shakes his head sadly. "Maybe another time. The guys have something else in store today."

  Six – Date Night

  Emerald

  "Where are we going?" I ask as we meet Tal and Dev at the surface.

  Talon holds out a coat for me, and I pull it on while wishing I had the chance to change into something else. My jeans and button-up shirt are not exactly what I envisioned for my first official date with the guys. It feels a bit too formal.

  Dev gives me a soft kiss before pulling away. "We're not telling you yet. It’s a surprise.”

  “But how will I know which direction to go in? I could get lost. So, it’s better to tell me now to save yourselves the suffering you’ll endure if I get lost.” I pout and look at each of them while giving my best innocent look.

  Talon shakes his head, and a chuckle escapes. “You are one impatient woman, Emerald. Just trust us that this is a surprise you will like.”

  Nik and Dev both grin, murmuring to themselves as they walk out the main doors, while Talon reaches out to intertwine our fingers, pulling me after them.

  We walk the streets, the night feeling peaceful. People walk the streets but none stop to watch as we walk from the church and I find myself being drawn into the beautiful scenery. I look back at the church and still can't quite get over how abandoned and out of place it looks on this street. People walk right by it without a second glance moving on to the shops, or to their cars that line the sidewalk. I push the thoughts of the church to the back of my mind as I look down the street at the lamps that are decorated with the beginnings of Christmas.

  A hand slips into my free one, and Dev leans in to whisper, "What ya thinking about?"

  I smile at him, staring into those hazel eyes that look down at me filled with desire. I look away, trying not to get lost in his gaze when I still have Talon holding my other hand. As if Talon senses my internal struggle, he strokes my hand, trying to draw my attention back to him. Damn it all to hell. How is a girl supposed to remain focused when she has a hot guy on either side of her?

  "I'm just thinking about the city. It’s so beautiful." I sigh happily.

  The lamp posts are adorned with shining snowflakes, and the stores have all started to decorate in preparation for Christmas. Fake snow lines the inside of windows and soon, the Christmas trees will be up.

  As we walk, snow starts to fall and I gasp.

  “It feels magical," I explain, in awe of the surrounding sights. The sun has only just set, and the early evening carries the scent of snow in the air. The guys picked the perfect night for a date.

  They smile at me as we walk along, but after a moment Dev pulls me to a stop and Talon lets go of my hand.

  I look up and my mouth drops open in shock at the sight of the massive silver monument in front of us. I've read about this place. I always planned to visit if I ever left the pack. Something I had only ever told Britt. “Britt told you I wanted to visit the Gateway Arch, didn’t she?” I ask wryly.

  Dev bounces on his feet, his eyes filled with glee. "Yep. I had to grovel just to get an idea of what you may want to do. This is the only thing she mentioned, but I thought it would be perfect. You will also get to see the city at night from an unbelievable height while it’s all lit up for the holidays. You'll see absolutely everything."

  Oh, that's so sweet that he thought to ask Britt for advice. She could have made him do a lot worse than grovel, though. She could have given him the wrong information, which she actually kinda has. I mean, yes, I want to visit the top of the Gateway Arch, but I am absolutely terrified at the same time.

  I don't fully understand why, though. Maybe it’s the height or the idea of being stuck in such an enclosed space but I really don’t want to find out for sure.

  "Yo, Dev!"

  A young guy with dreads comes walking out of the entry to the monument. Dev lets go of me and heads over to the stranger, preventing him from getting close to us. That's when his scent reaches me, and I realize he's human! Why is Dev mingling with humans? This guy must be the night operator of the archway.

  I turn my attention to study the building, and notice ho
w dark the entryway is. Then I see the huge sign proclaiming the building to be closed, and I breathe a sigh of relief, knowing I won't have to go in and pretend it doesn't scare me to death. I'd rather the guys not know I have such an irrational fear, especially when I'm some awesome immortal being. What kind of immortal is scared of anything?

  Nik leans in to whisper in my ear while Dev is still occupied talking to his 'friend.’ "You know, you don't have to go up. He'll understand."

  I shake my head, confused by his statement. "It's closed, we can't go up anyway."

  Talon barks out a laugh. "Nothing is closed to Devin. I'm sure he called ahead to convince this human to take a ridiculous amount of money in exchange for private use of the arch tonight. He's too conniving not to."

  Sure enough, Dev comes back wearing a toothy grin and scoops me up over his shoulder, slapping me on the ass as he walks me through the entry doors.

  I can't see where we're going, and my heart continues to pick up speed the longer we walk, until he stops and sets me back on my feet.

  He grabs me by the shoulder and turns me around. I see Talon and Nik sitting in a tiny little pod-shaped room with massive grins on their faces as they wait for us.

  Dev squeezes into the cramped space with them, and I can't help but chuckle. They look like three giants the way they're stuffed in there. It looks incredibly uncomfortable.

  Why are they squeezed into such a small space? And what are they waiting for?

  Dev frowns, obviously uncomfortable. "Emerald, we're waiting."

  I blanch. "Ah, you guys go on up, I'll take the next one."

  Dev goes to move, and I sigh, knowing he will just drag me in. "Fine, I'll come up. Just, stay there. I don't know if you'll be able to get back in again if you hop out.”

  I crouch down under the doorway and step inside, the space only just able to fit me. I wonder whether I'm supposed to stand the whole way up, since there aren’t any more seats, but then Talon pulls me onto his lap. Though with how close we're squeezed together, I'm sitting half on Nik's lap too. I try to settle, but it’s difficult when I’m painfully aware of how happy Talon and Nik are to have me in their laps.

  The human guy takes a look inside to make sure we're ready and Dev gives him a nod. "We'll signal when we're ready to come down," he says. With that, the human leaves and the elevator door closes.

  A moment later, the small pod starts to rise, and I can feel it swaying. Bile rises in my throat and my heartrate kicks up a notch. I'm sure it’s loud enough for all three of them to hear.

  Emerald, do not throw up on your soul-ties. For the love of all things holy, remain cool. You're a badass hybrid, not some weak girl who is afraid of heights. You can do this!

  I mentally cheer myself on, but not one word of it sticks. The higher we get, the more wildly our pod begins to swing. My beast rattles around inside my mind, reacting to my fear.

  Talon nuzzles his head into my neck, and I focus on his scent, the sweet smell of chocolate distracting me from what’s happening around me.

  Time goes by agonizingly slow, and I start to wonder if this is really only a four minute ride up. That's what all the tourist information said, but it feels more like a lifetime.

  Dev remains oblivious to my fear, for which I'm glad. I don't want him to be upset, especially since he was just trying to do something nice in order to make me happy.

  We're almost to the top when the pod sways, and I have to bite my tongue to stop from screaming.

  I grab Nik's hand, my nails digging into his skin as I grip tightly, needing to feel grounded.

  I can feel Dev’s excitement build, and he starts bouncing in his seat as we get closer to the end of our ride.

  Finally the pod stops, and I take a deep breath in order to keep myself calm. The doors open and Dev pushes out first before reaching back in with a hand to help me out.

  I smile nervously and my legs shake as I step onto the firm floor. Dev notices, and his eyes go wide. "Shit! Em, what's wrong?"

  I quickly plaster a smile on my face. He obviously loves this, and I don’t want to ruin it for him. "I'm fine, just not used to this altitude I guess."

  "You sure?"

  I nod, beginning to feel steadier already now that we're not in a tight space that moves with the wind. "Yes, I'm good. Just excited to see the view," I lie.

  Talon hides a chuckle with a cough, and I fight the urge to turn and glare at him.

  With my hand in his, Dev leads me through the viewing room over to a window, his enthusiasm contagious. He lets go of me as I take a step towards the windows, and I’m unable to contain my gasp. "Holy shit!"

  Arms wrap around me from behind, and Dev's unique scent envelops me as I stare down at the city below us. He rests his head on my shoulder, and we both gaze down at the beautiful city below us.

  I can sense Talon and Nik standing behind us, but they hang back, letting us have this moment. I sigh and relax into Dev’s embrace as we watch a light layer of snow fall from the sky onto the beautifully lit up city below.

  The fear I had on the ride up seems to have completely disappeared now that I'm actually up here. It helps that I'm wrapped in the arms of a man who I know would never hurt me intentionally, and would protect me at all cost. If I had told him I was nervous, he would have never made me come up, that I’m sure of.

  "Alright, you two. We came up here, you saw all the pretty lights. Can we go now?" Talon asks, his voice filled with boredom.

  Dev heaves a sigh of disappointment. "Yeah. Sorry, Em, but we should get going. Steve has to delete our time up here from the tapes, and the longer we stay, the greater the chance his superiors will get suspicious of the time gap."

  "That's okay. Thank you for bringing me up here." I turn in his arms and press a kiss to his lips.

  He hesitates at first, but then deepens the kiss with a groan. I let him take control of the kiss, running my tongue over his fangs. It fascinates me that they sit there, only elongating in times of arousal or hunger.

  I fight for breath as a wave of arousal rushes through me and know I have to stop this before things go too far.

  I break the kiss, leaning away from Dev as his gaze darts down to my neck. "Come on, Dev. We don't want to give your friend on the ground a show." I wink playfully at him. He laughs, shaking his head at me as we walk towards the others, who are waiting patiently for us by the elevator door. They didn't seem to want to interrupt, and for that I'll be forever grateful.

  It’s hard enough for me to find the time for each of them separately without me feeling like it will cause jealousy, but to get time together as a group while also feeling like a date, makes this night all the more special.

  Nik and Talon watch me closely as we pass, their eyes filled with desire. While I'm tempted to stop and offer them each their own kiss, I know the thin veil of control I have will fall to pieces if put in any more tempting situations.

  Dev gets into the tram or elevator, I'm not too sure what it's called to be honest, and I perch myself on his lap.

  Talon and Nik squeeze in on either side of us, but Dev keeps a tight grip on me in his lap, just to be safe.

  The four minute ride back down is silent and filled with tension. Not the uneasy kind, but an anticipatory type of tension. My fear on the way down disappears into the background as I’m far more focused on the arousal that soaks my panties.

  When we hit the ground again, I climb out first, followed by Talon and Nik. Dev is last, and when he leaves the pod, he grabs me by the hand and drags me outside into the shadows of the building, moving me until we’re completely obscured from any people who may be walking past. My heart speeds up and I can see Talon and Nik standing just off to the side, with their backs to us as they keep watch.

  I look up into Dev's eyes, surprised by the guarded look I see. Usually, I can read his eyes like an open book.

  "Why didn't you tell me you were afraid of the ride up?"

  Those words were the last thing I expected to come out of
his mouth. I thought he wanted more of what happened on the viewing platform. Or maybe even more.

  I stammer out a response. "I don't know. I just saw how happy you were, and I didn't want to upset you."

  His eyes narrow for a moment before he sighs, resting his head against mine. "Emerald, please don't do that again. You pushed your fear away and hid it from me. I had no idea. If I hadn't felt the irritation coming from the guys, I wouldn't have focused on it enough to notice you were concealing your fear. I'm supposed to make you happy, not terrify you," he says, with obvious hurt in his voice.

  Damn it. "Devin, I didn't think about that. I'm sorry. The next time we do anything that makes me feel like that, I'll be honest about it. Even if I'm shitting myself to the point I think I am going to throw up all over you."

  He cringes at the visual I painted. "Ah, maybe don't go into that much detail. Just a simple 'this is making me uncomfortable' will do."

  I shake my head with a smile. "Okay, I promise to tell you if I get uncomfortable. I am sorry, though."

  "I know, and I'm sorry for not focusing enough on you to realize you were afraid. I should have felt it through our tie, but I was too excited and let myself get carried away. Now that we're all good, it’s time for something fun. Let's go shopping!"

  I groan as he leads me back to the others. "Are we really going shopping?"

  Nik laughs at the dejected tone in my voice. "Don't worry, Em, we're just window shopping. Britt wants to pick up clothes for you, but knew you'd want to try some on first. So, we're going to explore the city and take photos of any clothes that you like, and then Britt can buy them. Just pretend you knew nothing of her plan."

  I can't help the sly grin that crosses my face. I knew Britt would have demanded something in return for telling them about my desire to see the view from the Gateway Arch. "So basically, Britt demanded to be the one to buy me clothes in exchange for giving you information. I’m guessing she has some kind of horror story or embarrassing secret on each of you that you don’t want me to know, and she threatened to tell me if you don’t pay up, is that about right?"