by Kim Loraine
I shake my head and fight the pain in my chest. My pulse is strong and steady. Aching for Claire. But why? She’s not mine. Sitting on the couch, I stare into the flames burning in the fireplace, replaying our time together. It wasn’t long, but it was enough for me to become addicted to the scent of her, the taste, the feel of her soft body next to mine. Even if she isn’t my mate, my body craves her.
My phone blares to life, buzzing on the table in front of me. Lucas Blackthorne’s name flashes across the screen. The last thing I want to do is talk to our region’s bastard prince. Reaching out, I snatch the damned thing and hold it to my ear. “What do you want, Blackthorne?”
Lucas’s low chuckle makes my skin crawl. “Is that any way to talk to the son of your king?”
“Well, since you’re his dirty half-breed, I think it is.”
“Oh, I’m wounded. A made vampire called me a half-breed.”
“Fuck you.”
“Aren’t you in terrible spirits this evening?”
“I’ve got a lot on my mind.”
Over the line I hear the sound of retching and a soft female moan. “And I’ve got a lot more than I bargained for on my hands. I think this one belongs to you. She keeps asking for you.”
I spring to my feet, desperate for clarity. “What? Is Claire there with you?”
“Claire. Is that your name, darling?” Lucas asks the woman.
“Brandt. You have to take me to him.” Claire’s small voice sends waves of need through me accompanied by sheer terror. Something happened to her. She’s hurt. My mate is in pain and I need to tend to her.
“Where are you?” I growl.
“We’re coming to you. She…ate someone that didn’t agree with her.”
I can’t stand knowing my mate is ill. My chest aches, stomach twists with nausea, and I wonder if she’s suffering the same effects. It’s my fault. I let her go. She shouldn’t be feeling this way.
“When will you arrive?”
The doorbell rings before I realize he’s hung up on me. In a blur of motion, I tear open the door and stare at my beautiful Claire, black blood covering her clothes, skin waxy and coated in a thin sheen of perspiration.
“Who did she feed from?” Jealousy curls in my gut at the sight of her in his arms. I can’t contain myself. The urge to take her from him, hold her close surging to the forefront of my mind. I snatch her from his hold and bring her where she belongs. With me. “What did you do to her?”
Lucas raises his hands and shakes his head. “Nothing. She was hungry, a fledgling vampire on her own. I helped her find her first human. Poor guy didn’t stand a chance.”
He looks proud of himself, and I want nothing more than to find a stake so I can end him here and now. “Get out of my home,” I say through gritted teeth.
He has the nerve to look affronted. “I can’t believe you’d blame me for this. She was alone. You turned her and let her leave. What kind of sire are you?”
“I am her mate. You wouldn’t understand. This is something reserved for those of us made rather than born. You didn't die to become a vampire. Your heart never stopped beating. Mine beats again because of her.”
A huff of annoyance fills the air and a thrill runs through me when I look down and see my Claire staring up at me. She was the source of the huff. She’s feeling well enough to be annoyed with me. “I said I’m not your mate.”
“You are.” I place her small palm on my chest and let her feel the beat of my heart.
She shakes her head. “Mine isn’t beating. You’ve got the wrong girl.”
A heavy sigh escapes before I can stop it, and I look from her to Lucas. The vampire is staring in wonder. “While I’d love to leave you two in the throes of…mated bliss, or whatever this is, I came to this little shithole town with the intention of delivering a message.”
“Make yourself at home then, Blackthorne. I’m going to see to my mate before anything else happens to her.”
I can practically hear Claire’s teeth grinding in frustration. “Not your mate.”
“Your heartbeat doesn’t change how I feel. You and I are joined by blood. We are forever one. When I turned you, I made an immortal promise to always care for you. Whether you want me or not.”
She stiffens in my hold, then nearly folds in on herself as a pained groan rips from her throat. “God, it hurts. Why does it hurt? I thought I was supposed to feed from him.”
My vision runs red at the thought of her feeding from another man. “You can’t feed deeply like that. You’re not ready. Let me give you what you need until you’ve grown accustomed to what it means to be a vampire.” This is another reason I don’t understand why her heart isn’t beating with mine. She fed from me, transitioned smoothly because her mate was there to see her through. She was never supposed to know another’s blood if she didn’t want to. I was meant to be the one privileged to provide for her if she desired to take from me.
“Please,” she whispers, her voice ragged and tiny all at once.
“Whatever you need, I am here.” I carry her up the stairs, to my master bedroom rather than the guest room where she made her change.
Kicking the door closed behind me, I stride straight for the large bed. I settle her in the middle of the mattress and slide in next to her. With slow, careful motions, I grip the edge of her stained shirt. She stares at me with trepidation, as though she wants to fight me on this.
“I just want to get this dirty clothing off you. Then, I promise, I’ll give you what you need.”
With a slight nod, she sits up and helps me lift the shirt over her head. Instinctively, she crosses her arms over her bare breasts, and it takes everything in me not to scold her for hiding from me. “I’m sorry I ruined your shirt,” she says.
“It’s not important. You are important.” I bring my wrist to my mouth and bite down, breaking the skin and readying myself for her.
The instant the blood begins to well at the punctures, she inhales deeply and her posture goes tense. “I shouldn’t be this hungry.”
“You will be for quite a while. I’m the only one you can feed from without risk.”
She whimpers and curls into a ball. “God, it hurts so bad.”
I press my wrist to her lips and murmur, “Take from me, Claire. You can’t kill me. Take as much as you need.”
Pure pleasure rushes through me the moment her mouth fastens onto my wrist and she does as I say. She feeds deeply and satisfaction warms my blood. I’m seeing to her, giving her what her mate should provide. Then I hear it. A single thump, then another, and another. Everything stops and pulls into focus on that building rhythmic thrum. I groan and link our free hands as her heart begins racing until it’s in time with mine. There’s no denying it now. She’s mine.
4
Claire
My God, this man’s blood tastes better than anything I’ve ever experienced. I want more of it, all of it. I want to drink him down and fill my body with his essence until I can’t taste or smell anything other than him.
“Claire,” he says on a groan. His hand goes to my hair, fisting the strands hard enough I feel a little pain at my temples. “That’s enough. You’ll make yourself ill again.”
His words break through my hunger-filled lust, and I release his wrist. My fangs throb with need, but it’s not because I’m thirsting for the sake of nourishment. I’m hungry to feed my addiction to him.
Releasing a heavy sigh, I fall back to the bed and let the wash of near drunkenness take me under. “Thank you,” I slur.
“Always, my mate. I promise.”
I stand, but wobble and bring my hands to my chest as I fall back to the bed, covering my nakedness as my cheeks heat. Then he scoops me back into his arms and carries me into the attached bathroom. “What are you doing?”
“Seeing to you. You’re filthy, and I’m sure you don’t want to walk around smelling of sick.”
I look down at my body, dark blood and grime staining my bare skin. I’m positiv
e I smell, but I’m so overwhelmed by him I can’t tell. He sits me on a bench near the large soaking tub and turns on the faucet, pouring a liberal amount of bubble bath into the running water. The air heats with steam scented of honeysuckle and vanilla as bubbles fill the tub.
He takes my hand and leads me to the tempting water. I should be embarrassed he has a full view of my naked breasts, but he’s not looking there. His eyes are on mine. No hint of a leer on his face. All I see there is concern.
“Are you feeling better?” His words rumble in his chest, and I want to feel him against me as he holds me close. I want to be as near him as possible.
“Much. I…I’m sorry you had to see me like that.” I step into the hot water and moan. It’s everything I needed. “This feels so good.”
“It will soothe your muscles. Your body is still adjusting to the transition. It’s why you got so sick. My blood is made for you. It gives you more than what a human can provide.”
I sink under the bubbles until all that’s left exposed is my head. “So, what happens to vampires who don’t have their sire to provide for them?”
He shakes his head. “This is not a sire bond issue. This is a mating issue. I am your mate. Your body craves mine. The only blood that will truly satisfy you is mine.”
“So, you’re the only one who can feed me?”
“No. You can exist feeding from others. After your transition is complete. But until then, too much from a human will make you violently ill.”
“I bet you love that.” I can’t help the sarcastic comment.
His hands find my hair, and he begins scooping water into his palms and pouring it over my head. Then he massages shampoo into my locks, his strong fingers exactly what I need. “I’d be lying if I said I didn’t love knowing I’m the only one who can sate you.”
“But I’m not your mate.”
“You are. Your heart began beating only moments ago while you fed from me.”
That brings me up short. I hadn’t noticed. My palm settles over the place where my heart had gone silent when he turned me. Thump. Thump. Thump. Steady and strong. It’s weird. I’ve gone my whole life feeling this rhythm in my chest and never really noticed it, but now, it’s the most perfect thing in the world. Except it means he’s right. I’m chained to him now. Forever.
“I…I need a minute. Can you give me some privacy?”
I practically feel his frown. Turning my face up to see his, the disapproving glare makes me shrink on the inside. “You still deny us?”
“No. How can I? It’s right there, beating like it never stopped. But this means…it means there’s nothing I can do to change what we are. I have no choice. I’m yours whether I want to be or not.”
“You should never want to be anything other than mine.”
“Well, where I come from, choice and consent are equally important. I don’t particularly want to be forced into a marriage.”
He grins. “Marriage?”
“Trapped together for eternity. Bound to each other. Sounds like a marriage to me.”
“It doesn’t seem like a bad thing from where I stand.”
I take a long breath and let it out, then level my gaze on him. “Leave, please. I need to be alone to process all this.”
“The last thing my instincts tell me is to leave you alone.”
“Your instincts must not care much for what I want, then. If you’re my mate, you’ll do as I ask and respect me. I need a fucking minute.”
He stands then, eyes cast down but shoulders and posture strong. “I’ll be in the bedroom waiting for you. You can have your minute, but then I get mine.”
I don’t respond as he walks away and closes the door. Instead, I sink under the water as soon as he’s gone, and rinse my hair, anger burning through me. I didn’t sign up for a husband, but that’s exactly what I ended up getting. A hotter than hell one, but still.
Once I’m rinsed and clean, I drain the tub and wrap myself in a soft, white towel. I feel better than I have since Brandt turned me. I feel almost, normal.
He’s exactly where he said he’d be—waiting for me. Except the man is draped across the bed, muscular body bare and on full display except for his boxer clad hips, which cover the part I most want to see. I felt him hard and ready that first time he fed me. He’s large. Just like every other aspect of him.
“Are you serious?” I ask, cocking my hip and feigning confidence.
“This is my bed. The sunrise is nearly here.”
“You could have at least put on some pajamas.”
Grinning, he gestures to the black boxer briefs stretched tight over his bulge. “I did. Normally, if I’m able to sleep, I go nude.”
“Able?”
He shrugs. “I’ve struggled with insomnia for many years.”
“An insomniac vampire. That’s new.”
He chuckles and shifts on the bed. “Isn’t all this new? Besides, there are some perks to staying up past bedtime. Especially with me.”
I avert my gaze, unwilling to let my focus linger on his dick, which I’m pretty sure just lengthened under the fabric. “Can I borrow a shirt to sleep in?”
That smile spreads wider. “Don’t get dressed on my account. After all, we are married—according to you. It’s perfectly acceptable.”
“Excuse me?”
He doesn’t answer, just stretches out and pulls the sheet over his legs and hips. Is this a mate thing? This insane attraction to him. If it is, I don’t want to be controlled by it. I have to make my own choices, not be led by mystical hormones.
I stride to his dresser and rifle through the drawers until I find a soft cotton shirt. Slipping back into the bathroom, I drop the towel and slide the shirt over my head. God, it smells like him.
“So, where am I sleeping?” I ask as I step out of the bathroom.
“It’s a big bed. There’s plenty of room here beside me.”
I don’t know if that’s the wisest decision. “I’m not…”
He props himself up on his elbows, biceps flexing and rippling. “I won’t touch you. I promise. But I’d feel a hell of a lot better having you near me through the daylight hours.”
My limbs ache from the weight of the day. I can feel the sun rising. Instead of fighting with him, I take him at his word and crawl into the bed next to him. But being so close without him touching me isn’t right. Something about not having his hands pulling me to him is wrong. I reach with leaden arms until my fingers brush his. A slight smile curves his lips, but it’s the twitch of his hand and the connection between us when he laces our fingers that finally eases my anxiety. I sigh and let the day take me. Safe with him.
5
Brandt
I wake with Claire’s supple ass pressed against my groin. It's a perfect kind of torture, and one I'll gladly suffer if it means I get to touch her. The sun is nearly gone, the tingle in my blood signifying the danger is barely present now, but my Claire won't wake until full dark, not yet.
I should get up, get out of this bed and move away from her, but I can't bring myself to do that. My body calls out for her. Besides, she is the one who moved closer to me in her sleep. Her scent fills everything around me, making me hard against her. I want to claim her as my mate so badly it hurts. A realization hit me as I stared at her. I slept. I was at ease with her beside me.
The door to my bedroom bursts open, and Lucas Blackthorne stares at me with a frown on his face. "I have been waiting here for far too long. Do you think I’m not busy? That I have the patience for you to find time to discuss this important matter with me, Brandt?"
Pulling the covers over Claire's body, I do my best to hide her form from Lucas’s prying eyes. "Does it look like I'm ready, Blackthorne?"
He crosses his arms over his chest and smirks. "From the way she spoke to you last night, I doubt I'm interrupting anything."
I fight a growl, sitting up and preparing to hear him out. I grab a pair of sweatpants and a shirt from my dresser drawers, making quick
work of sliding them over my body. Then I join him in the hallway. "I'm listening."
"Oh, now you want to rush things?" Lucas heads into my kitchen and pulls out a bottle of chilled blood I had stored for emergencies. "You really need to work on your hospitality."
"My apologies, your Royal Bastard-ness." The sarcasm drips from my words, and I offer him a mock bow.
"The hunters have taken something that belongs to us." He pours two glasses filled with blood, shoving one across the table and into my hands.
"And what does that have to do with me?"
"It's important to every vampire on the face of this earth. I need you to be my eyes in this region. Things have shifted in Blackthorne lands, and I am certain they are going to continue to change before they settle down."
"And what am I looking for?"
"Our pet."
I fight a heavy sigh, but nod. He wants to play games? Fine. "I'll do my best." I drag a hand through my hair and drain the blood in my glass.
His grin holds wickedness. "I know you will. Because if you don't, I'll be sure there's hell to pay."
I grit my teeth against his thin threat. He could take away everything I have before I actually get to have her. "About last night…"
He waves a hand. "It was nothing."
This time my sigh escapes. "I wasn't thanking you. Did she…kill the human?"
"She did. But I disposed of his body in a very inconspicuous way. No one will be the wiser."
Relief courses through me. "Now, I'm thanking you. That could’ve ended badly for her. It was my fault the human died. I should’ve been there with her to keep her from drinking too deeply.“
“Yes. You should have. With everything going on, hunters and witches both stirring up trouble, we don’t have the luxury of being sloppy.”
“Witches? What’s going on with the witches?” Hunters I can deal with, but magic is a completely different entity. A dangerous one.
“Rumblings.”
“Of what?”
“A power surge. They’re growing bolder. Coming out of hiding.”
