It was the briefest of kisses, but it was my first and had one heck of a punch. I wanted nothing more than to enjoy the special moment between us, but the seriousness of my situation forced me to focus on the matter at hand. “This is so bad. I live with my aunt. All of my things are there. She only gives me a small allowance each month. I can’t pay for a hotel or food for more than a couple of days at best. She’s my only family left in the world. I have nowhere to go and nobody to help me. What am I going to do?”
“You’ll never have to worry about not having anywhere to go ever again. You’ll stay with me,” Kieran announced as though it was the most obvious solution to my problem.
I wanted to accept his offer—which had to prove that I wasn’t thinking clearly, since we’d only just met—but I was starting to second-guess everything that had happened tonight. “What if I overreacted? My aunt will never forgive me for embarrassing her in front of the Thackers.”
“My neighbors?” he asked as he turned his head to glare at the wall in the direction of their house.
I nodded and glanced down at the pocket where he’d placed the ring. “Jonathan is the one who I was running from. The man who-who—” It was too difficult to repeat what he would’ve done to me if I hadn’t gotten away.
“Forget about Jonathan. I’ll take care of him,” Kieran vowed, a muscle jumping in his jaw. He gripped my chin and tilted my head back, crashing his mouth down over mine. My lips parted on a gasp, and he slipped his tongue inside. My fingers clenched the soft fabric of his shirt as I lost myself in his kiss. When he started to pull back, I let out a whimper of protest and pulled him close. A small chuckle bubbled up his chest, but I didn’t mind because he kept kissing me until we were both breathless. “Trust me, Thana. I’ll take care of you from now on.”
I released his shirt and smoothed the wrinkled material while I considered what he was offering to do for me. “Are you sure? That seems like a lot to ask of you since we just met.”
“I’ve never been more certain of anything in my life,” he vowed, flattening one of my palms against his chest while lifting the other hand to brush a kiss against my knuckles.
I peered into his eyes, searching for any sign that he wasn’t being serious but didn’t find anything. My heart told me to go for it and agree, but my mind wasn’t on board yet. “This is all so sudden...and after my mad dash from next door, I don’t know that I’m in the right frame of mind to make any life-altering decisions. I might have already thrown what little relationship I had with my aunt out the window tonight for no good reason.”
Staring into my eyes, he completely freaked me out when he said, “Stop second-guessing your decision to run tonight. It saved your life.”
4
Kieran
Thana’s pretty, blue eyes were swimming with uncertainty, but it didn’t hide her hope. Even if she hadn’t been my consort, I would have helped any young woman in trouble. However, since she was mine, my wrath at the people who had hurt her was vicious. I wasn’t sure how I would handle her aunt yet, but there was no question that Jonathan was a dead man.
“Saved my life?” Thana repeated.
I nodded. “Jonathan is a very dangerous man—not to me”—I clarified when she looked like she was about to jump in—“but he wouldn’t have hesitated to hurt someone smaller and lacking the same strength as him.” I paused while I debated how much truth to lay at her feet right then.
I hadn’t been aware that Jonathan had been turned, and it pissed me the fuck off that I’d been so careless. If Thana hadn’t run straight to me, she could have been lost to me before I ever found her.
That thought settled the argument in my head. Thana needed to be aware of her destiny so I could claim her. I needed to make sure evil bastards like Jonathan couldn’t prey on her while she was still human.
“Do you believe in fairy tales, Thana?”
She giggled, but her face sobered when she saw my expression held no humor. “I suppose some of them could be true. It’s nice to pretend a handsome prince will come and sweep me away from my aunt.”
“What about the villain?”
Her brow furrowed as she considered my question. “What about the villain?”
“What if the handsome villain wasn’t so bad, and he wanted to sweep you off your feet?”
Thana cocked her head to the side as she looked up at me, the corners of her mouth lifted into a tiny smile. “I like a good anti-hero from time to time.”
I chuckled and cupped her face in one palm, nearly groaning when she closed her eyes and pressed her cheek deeper into my hand. I wanted her whole body pressed against me like that. To see that blissful expression on her face after as she snuggled into me, freshly fucked and satisfied.
“I need you to listen to what I have to tell you and be open-minded, alright?” Her eyes popped open, and she frowned worriedly. I stroked her cheek, and some of the tension in her muscles eased. “We haven’t known each other long, but in your heart, you know you can trust me.”
Thana blushed—it was so damn sexy when she did that, and I was dying to know if the pink color would spread over her whole body when she came—and nodded. “I don’t understand what me trusting you has to do with fairy tales and villains.”
“You will, baby,” I assured her with a quick kiss on her forehead. I would never use compulsion on my consort, but I did send some waves of calm through her to help her deal with what I said next. “Vampires, shifters, witches, these are not just fairy tales. We are very real, but we keep the knowledge of our existence a secret because we cannot trust how humans would react.”
“We?” Thana squeaked.
“I am a vampire, Thana.” I clasped her face with both hands this time and kept our eyes locked. “But like all species, there’s good and evil. My kind are not like the ones in stories.”
Her expression was shell-shocked, but she wasn’t looking at me with fear or trying to get away. So I hurried on to explain the difference between the two races of vampires. I skipped over the part about consorts. That would be a conversation to be had all on its own, once I knew she’d accepted the reality of the supernatural.
When I was done, I searched her eyes, trying to gauge her reaction. She still appeared stunned, but it was more awe than disbelief.
“Why are you telling me this?” she inquired curiously. “If humans don’t know…”
“For two reasons,” I answered. “First, I think you deserve to know the truth about what was going to happen to you tonight if you hadn’t run.” I moved my hands from her face and cupped her hips, lifting her into my lap. She wiggled a little to get comfortable, and I groaned when her firm, little ass brushed over my hard cock.
Amazingly, in my concern for her, my need had backed off. Since I’d never experienced desire or arousal, I hadn’t considered the state of my dick when I put her in my lap.
Thana froze and glanced up at me in surprise as her cheeks bloomed with dark crimson. I knew the proper thing to do was apologize and put her back where she’d been sitting. Hell, in the days of my youth, courtship was practically non-existent. Considering my parents' rank and wealth, it was likely that if I’d been born human, my marriage would have been arranged while I was in the cradle.
But that was a long fucking time ago, and I’d never been known for manners or patience. In fact, I could be a ruthless son of a bitch if I wanted something. And I wanted Thana.
While I was attempting to ease her into her new life, I was not the least hesitant in letting her know how much I desired her. So, when she blushed like the pure little virgin I knew she was, I smiled wickedly and settled her more firmly over my engorged shaft.
“We’ll talk about that too, baby,” I practically purred. The flush of her skin spread down her neck into the top of her dress. I nearly tore it away to follow the trail of pink. Fortunately, common sense hit me on the head and reminded me that ravishing my sexy, little consort would have to wait a bit longer.
“I don’t k
now how much your aunt was aware of, but by handing you over to Jonathan, she’d essentially sentenced you to death.”
“What do you mean?”
The lack of surprise in her eyes was disturbing, and it pushed her aunt’s fate a little closer to Jonathan’s.
“I’m not sure when it happened, but Jonathan—”
A loud banging on my front door cut me off, and I cursed when Thana jumped before shrinking into herself, the terror returning to her blue orbs. “I won’t let anyone hurt you, baby,” I vowed again. “Trust me.”
Thana nodded, and when the pounding started up again, she still looked terrified, but this time, she clung to me.
I had a pretty good idea who was at the door, and while I didn’t want my woman anywhere near that motherfucker, neither did I want her out of my sight.
“Open the fucking door, Bancroft,” Jonathan growled. “I want my fiancée.”
I was only able to hear him due to my enhanced senses, which I appreciated because it meant Thana hadn’t heard his demand. It took all my strength just to keep from roaring in outrage at him referring to Thana as his fiancée. The last thing I needed was for her to be even more frightened.
Taking a deep breath and pulling her cinnamon scent into my lungs, I placed a quick, hard kiss on her lips. “Stay here, baby. I need to take care of this.”
Her hands fisted in my shirt when I tried to set her away from me. I covered them with my own and squeezed gently, giving her a smile when she unclenched from the material. “Be careful,” she whispered. “I...I don’t want to lose...just, be careful.”
Warmth seeped into my cold heart, and I tenderly kissed her one more time. “I will never leave you, baby,” I promised as I ran my fingers through her long, silky tresses. Then I clenched them tight and forced her head back a little. My voice was pure steel when I added, “And no one will ever take you from me. No one.”
5
Thana
My head was spinning as I tried to come to terms with Kieran telling me he was a vampire—but the good kind. A daywalker who protected others from the evil nightwalkers who should never have been turned. Most women probably would have run from him the same way I had from Jonathan earlier, thinking he was either a liar, delusional, or about to drain all their blood. But I believed he was being honest—vampires were real, and Kieran would never hurt me.
My reaction—or lack of one—to everything he’d said might not be normal, but my instincts told me I could trust him. I felt as though it wasn’t just a coincidence that it had been Kieran’s door I’d knocked on tonight. The pull between us was magnetic. I’d never felt anything like it before, and I truly believed that fate had stepped in to make sure we met because we belonged together. It might be nothing more than wishful thinking...but if vampires, shifters, and witches were real, then maybe soul mates were, too.
A loud noise from the front of the house pulled me from my thoughts. When it was followed by a crashing sound, I jumped up and twisted my hands together. Kieran had told me to stay put, but I had an awful feeling that I’d brought trouble to his front door. What if Jonathan had come looking for me here? If Kieran was right about my engagement being a death sentence, then Jonathan was even more dangerous than I had realized.
Kieran had seemed confident that he wouldn’t come to any harm, but I was terrified that Jonathan would hurt him while searching for me. Even vampires had vulnerabilities. What if Jonathan knew what Kieran’s were? What if he was able to defeat the only man I’d ever been attracted to while I stood there doing nothing?
I wasn’t sure how I’d be able to help, but I couldn’t run the risk of Kieran being taken from me after I’d just found him. After taking a deep breath in an attempt to settle my nerves, I headed in the same direction Kieran had gone. Although I wasn’t familiar with his home, it was easy enough to follow the shouting that started as I left the living room.
I recognized the raised male voice instantly. Jonathan was ranting about how Kieran would pay for daring to keep his fiancée away from him. Glancing down at my bare finger, I cringed over how he was going to react when he discovered I wasn’t wearing his ring anymore.
Kieran must not have had the same fear because, as I rounded a corner and they came into view, he pulled the diamond solitaire from his pocket and tossed it at Jonathan. “Thana isn’t yours; she’s mine.”
Jonathan’s reaction was terrifying. I stumbled to a stop when his face turned monstrous—with glowing red eyes, distorted forehead, and mouth spread wide to display fangs. He looked nothing like the man I’d been with only an hour ago, and I suddenly understood what Kieran had been about to tell me before we were interrupted...Jonathan was a nightwalker. I gasped, and both men turned toward me.
Locking his gaze on mine and holding out his hand, Jonathan growled, “Come to me, Thana.”
I felt as though I was being drawn toward him, my feet moving before my brain realized what I was doing. Suddenly, Kieran was somehow at my side, stepping between us and blocking me from Jonathan’s view. “I need you to stay out of the way, baby.”
My legs felt as though they wouldn’t be able to hold me up much longer, so letting Kieran handle Jonathan sounded like a great idea to me. “Okay.”
Kieran pressed my back against the wall behind me. Jerking his chin toward the walnut console table to my left, he whispered, “There’s garlic and holy water in there. While I keep him busy, grab both just in case you need them.”
I gave him a jerky nod, feeling as though I’d fallen into another dimension where protecting myself from an evil vampire who wanted to marry me was normal. Before I could blink, Kieran was across the room to face off against Jonathan. “You’re not taking Thana anywhere.”
“Back off, Bancroft. You have no idea what you’re stepping in the middle of here,” Jonathan spat.
“You’re the one who doesn’t have a fucking clue,” Kieran replied smoothly. The contrast between the two men’s stances was like night and day. Jonathan was practically frothing at the mouth while Kieran looked as though they were having a friendly chat. His posture was relaxed, with his right hand tucked in his pocket and his left foot forward. “Tell me something, Jonathan. When did you get turned? It couldn’t have been very long ago if you’re this unaware of who you’re up against right now.”
Jonathan’s head reared back, his glowing red eyes widening. “You know what I am?”
“Oh, yes. It’s impossible to miss.” Kieran’s nostrils flared. “I smelled the stench of you on my woman the moment I opened my door to her, nightwalker.”
Keeping my eyes on them, I slowly edged my way over to the table Kieran had pointed out. Wrapping my palm around the drawer knob, I flinched when Jonathan hissed, “You’re one of those daywalkers my sire warned me about, aren’t you?”
“He must’ve done a piss-poor job of explaining shit to you.” Kieran shrugged, and his right hand moved deeper inside his pocket. “Not that I’m surprised. Nightwalkers are soulless bastards who don’t give a damn about anything other than their bloodlust. Your sire probably won’t even notice that I’ve sent you straight to hell.”
I yanked the drawer open, and Jonathan’s gaze darted back to me. His mouth spread in a grotesque grin before he taunted, “You called Thana yours, so that must mean she’s your fated consort. The last thing this world needs is more daywalker brats being born. If I go to hell, I’m taking her with me.”
I had no idea what Jonathan meant about me being a consort—Kieran hadn’t mentioned anything about them when he’d told me about vampires—but his threat to take me to hell was freaking me out even more than I already was. I reached inside the drawer for the garlic and holy water, hoping it wouldn’t come down to me needing them.
Kieran whipped a wooden stake out of his pocket—I needed to ask him where it came from because the only hard rod I’d felt while sitting on his lap had definitely been his dick—and leaped toward Jonathan. I stumbled to the side and backed myself against the wall again, wanting t
o get as far away from their fight as I could while still being able to keep an eye on what was happening. Not that I was able to see much since they moved faster than I was able to track. I felt as though I was watching a fight scene in a movie on fast forward. Limbs blurred as punches and kicks were thrown at lightning speed. I pressed the back of my hand that was holding a bulb of garlic to my mouth as I tried to stop myself from crying out because I didn’t want to distract Kieran.
About a minute later—which felt much longer to me—he drove the stake into Jonathan’s chest. His body burst into flames and then turned to a small pile of ash on the floor.
“Holy crap,” I whispered, stunned by everything I’d just witnessed. Now that the danger had passed, I dropped the garlic and bottle of holy water and rushed forward to throw myself into Kieran’s arms. “I’m so glad you’re okay.”
Kieran stroked his hand down my back and pressed a kiss to the top of my head. “There was no need to worry. A newly turned nightwalker is no match for a daywalker as old as me.”
His response raised an important question and reminded me that I had others that needed answering. Leaning back, I asked, “How old are you? What’s a fated consort? And what in the world am I going to tell Jonathan’s parents and my aunt about his disappearance?”
6
Kieran
The adrenaline from the fight was still coursing through me, and it was adding fuel to the fire inside me that burned for Thana. Jonathan was no match for me, but it didn’t stop my mind from imagining what would have happened had he gotten ahold of my girl. I wrapped my arms around her even tighter, the feel of her in my arms helping to calm me down.
I barely registered her questions but did my best to find focus so I could answer her, especially knowing where the conversation was headed. Without warning, I scooped her into my arms and began to stalk through the house. “You don’t need to worry about his parents,” I assured her, trying to keep the rage out of my voice so she wouldn’t mistake my anger as being directed at her. “You aren’t going to be seeing them again. I’ll deal with it.”
The Love Bitten Series: Volume 1 Page 3
