Midnight Hunger (Blackthorne Bloodlines #2)

by K Loraine

  “Wh—what are you talking about?”

  He shook his head and ran a hand through his thick, dark hair. “Your mother told me. I admit, I’ve been remiss in my attentions to the pack. I’ve focused on anything but for the past nine decades.”

  “How did he…die?”

  “That I don’t know. It’s a question for your mother.”

  I had to fight the warring emotions twisting my heart. My father—strong, gentle, but fierce when he needed to be—was dead.

  Fear tingled in my blood, the need to run clawing at me, but I was trapped. I couldn’t escape without crashing this jet and killing the crew. Unless they were all vampires?

  “They’d die, Briar. They’re humans. Don’t, please.”

  Alarm shot through me. Again, he was in my head. I’d need to do a better job of cloaking my thoughts around Lucas. “It’s my wolf. She’s pushing for control. I can’t… Lucas, I can’t go back there like this. They won’t accept me. They’ll throw me in another cage.”

  Rising to his full height, he had to duck his head to stop from meeting the ceiling of the cabin before he approached me. My former mate took my hands, prying my white-knuckled grip from the armrests with a gentleness I’d forgotten he possessed. He locked gazes with me and brought my knuckles to his lips for the barest kiss. “Sleep,” he whispered.

  Damn him. The world around me went dark.

  8

  BRIAR

  I was going to kill him. Lucas didn’t know it, but before this was over, he’d be nothing but a pile of ash on the shiny hardwood floor of Blackthorne Manor.

  “If you keep knocking me out, you’re not going to like what happens.”

  He chuckled from the bed where he lay, draped across the deep red coverlet like a lion ready to mate. “You keep saying that like it’s something I should be afraid of. I’ve seen you at your most vulnerable, Briar. Your anger isn’t going to keep me away.”

  I couldn’t believe he still hadn’t noticed the beat of my heart. It seemed so loud in my ears. Like a beacon. An alarm. I was awake for the first time in a hundred years, and the man my heart was calling for was the one person I could never trust again.

  “I’ve worked hard for the last year to contain my wolf and vampire sides. To get them to work together. But my wolf is hungry for vengeance, Lucas. And she wants you.”

  His eyes sparkled. “Such things you say.”

  “Why would you bring me here?” I tugged on the restraints holding me tied to the chair in the corner of his bedroom. The room where I’d given myself to him in a moment of naive trust. God, it still looked mostly the same. Only a few slight changes marred the memory. The scent of roses for one, and the faint metallic tang of another woman’s blood. Blood that smelled like sunshine.

  “I need to learn a bit more about you before I can make my decision.”

  “What decision?”

  “Whether or not I am going to keep you.”

  I couldn’t help myself, I made a small choking sound. “Keep me? You can’t keep me if I don’t want you to.”

  “I can assure you, by the time I’ve made my decision, you’ll want me to.”

  The man was infuriating. I clenched my hands into fists, pulling against my restraints but unable to break the chains. The silver didn’t burn, though. That was interesting. Lucas had taken care to line the cuffs with velvet so my skin wasn’t touching the metal.

  “Why not just drop me off on the pack doorstep? After all this time, why do I matter to you now?”

  He shrugged and inspected his fingernails. “I told you.”

  Shaking my head, I fought my chains again, but it was useless. “There has to be more. I highly doubt you care enough to come for me just to keep me safe from the councils.”

  One dark eyebrow rose, perfectly arched. “I think there’s more to the story than you returning to claim your spot. Your mother has made plans to take a new mate.”

  A chill ran down my spine. “A mate? She can’t. We only truly have one.”

  “Perhaps your father wasn’t her true mate.”

  “You can’t be serious.”

  “While you were…sleeping, I did a bit of digging. It would seem your mother is planning a mating ceremony with Halston Dumond. Your father’s very own bastard brother. I must say, it feels rather poetic to see the pack is just as twisted as my own family.”

  My pulse pounded in my ears. Halston? He was exiled for challenging my father before I was born. He failed and was stripped of his pack support. My mother was marrying him? My father wasn’t even cold in his grave.

  He frowned, his head tilting to one side as though he couldn’t believe what he was hearing. “Briar.”

  “What?” I snapped.

  “Your heart is racing.”

  It was. The damn thing was fluttering like a caged bird. “So?”

  “When did it start beating again? How did I miss that?”

  “Probably about the time you decided to kidnap me and bring me back to the one place I never wanted to go again.”

  He leaped from the bed, rushing to my side in a blur of motion. Taking a key from his pocket, he unlocked one shackle and brought my palm to his chest before pressing his over my heart. Then he matched my gaze, and for silent seconds the two of us stared into each other’s eyes. My pulse calmed, and soon our cadences matched. Everything slowed and grew heavy around me, only the sounds of our hearts beating filling the room.

  “What are you…”

  “Shh. Just look. Let me in.”

  I knew what this meant. I may have been an abomination, but I understood what happened to a made vampire when they found their mate. My heart had started beating again because Lucas fed from me. He was mine even if I didn’t want him anymore. But the magnetic power of his gaze held me fast. I fell into the caramel-colored irises I’d dreamt of and found myself lost in a wash of feelings he’d locked away. Pain and longing, heartbreak, desire. The weight he carried was larger than I’d imagined. But it was all hidden behind an arrogant mask.

  “Fuck, Briar.” He pressed our foreheads together and inhaled slowly, taking in my scent. I wasn’t ready for this, for the connection being his mate promised. Not when I could barely stand the sight of him.

  I reared back and slammed my forehead into the bridge of his nose, sending blood spilling down his face and knocking him on his ass. Lucky for me, the key had fallen within reach, and before he could recover from the blow, I was unchained and running.

  The door to his room slammed shut behind me and I stared down the long hall, desperately searching my memory for the layout of the place. Left. Left would take me down the stairs and toward the exit. But what the hell was I going to do once I got out? I couldn’t shift. I’d lose control and might never come back on two legs. I loved being a wolf, but on my terms, not because I had to.

  “Who are you?” A woman with large dark eyes and a pretty face stood at the bottom of the stairs, one hand on the rail, the other protectively hiding the barely-there evidence of pregnancy. But I could smell it. She had a richness to her scent that made my mouth water.

  “Who are you?” I tossed the question back at her with a little sass.

  “Ah, darling, I see you’ve met my sister-in-law. Olivia, this is Briar. She’s an old…flame come to visit.”

  “Cash mentioned you had stopped by. I didn’t realize you were staying. You made it seem like we’d never see you again after…everything.”

  “If you mean after giving my life for the two of you to be happy, then you’re correct. I never intended to return, but this was simply something that couldn’t be avoided.”

  Giving his life? What did he mean by that?

  “I didn’t want you to leave, Lucas. I hope you know—”

  Lucas stopped her with a laugh. “Oh, come now, we don’t need to rehash ancient history. I’ve done enough of that with Briar here. I’m tired of thinking about the mistakes I made.”

  That stung. So I was a mistake. Was she?


  Olivia cocked her head to one side and assessed me. Her brow furrowed as she tried to figure out just who exactly I was. The way she looked at Lucas had my skin itching. Like they shared something special. Something…intimate.

  “All right, love. Time to give you a tour. Olivia, if I were you, I’d recommend—”

  Cashel Blackthorne appeared at Olivia’s side, posture defensive as he put himself in front of her. “I see you’ve met our unplanned guest, little bird.”

  “We were just getting acquainted,” I said. “I’d say it’s good to see you, Cashel, but if I never have to speak to another Blackthorne again, it’ll be too soon.”

  “She’s lovely, Lucas. Wherever do you find these women?”

  Lucas chuckled. “This one’s a bit testy. We have some issues to work through.”

  “What have you brought to our home, brother?”

  “Nothing we can’t handle.”

  Cashel cocked a brow, then turned to Olivia. “Best you retire to the King’s rooms until this is settled.”

  “Cash, I can take care of myself.”

  “I don’t doubt it, but I’d feel more at ease if everything I loved in this world was safe.”

  Olivia’s eyes went from hard as stone to warm and soft. She took a deep breath and nodded before starting up the stairs again, Cashel at her side.

  “I think our guest needs something to sate her hunger, Lucas. Show her to the library, and I’ll send Martin with something for us to drink. After Olivia is settled, I’ll join you so we can discuss exactly what is going on.”

  Lucas laughed and tried to thread my fingers with his. I, in response, hissed and slapped his hand away.

  He leaned close and whispered, “I love it when you’re feisty.”

  LUCAS

  I gripped Briar by the nape, unwilling to let her bolt out into the night where her mother could get to her. “Don’t even think about leaving here. Your former pack, what’s left of it, has eyes on us at all times. From the way you reacted to the knowledge she was involved in this, I very much doubt you want to end up in your mother’s hands.”

  “Let go of me.”

  Closing my eyes, I gathered my composure before I whispered, “Try to run, and I’ll have you pinned under me before you can blink. This is for your own good.”

  “Fine. I won’t run. But there’s no guarantee I won’t castrate you while you sleep.”

  Chuckling, I placed my palm on the small of her back instead and led her through the house.

  “There’s where my father sold me out to an archangel, and here’s where my wicked step-mother tried to have me killed, oh, and over here is where I sold my soul to a witch to keep everyone alive.” I gave her the tour with an attempt at levity in my tone, but truly, the horrors these walls had seen could have filled my head with nightmares for centuries if I’d let them.

  “And where did you give your mating bond to that girl? Olivia?” Her voice was ice, and it struck me straight in the gut.

  “I…We were married in the throne room.”

  Her brows pulled together, and I saw a flash of pain in her eyes. “Why?”

  “I had to. She…she is special.”

  “But you wouldn’t bond with me. You said we had to wait. And then you married this woman who is clearly in love with your brother. I don’t understand.”

  “It’s a long story, but I swear to you, my bond wasn’t something I ever planned to give to anyone but you.”

  “Oh?”

  My heart gave a curious squeeze at the soft question. “I thought I’d never have a chance at a true mate again. When you died—”

  “Not dead.”

  I shook my head and forced myself to calm my racing thoughts. “When I thought you were dead, I thought there would never be another chance for me to find my other half. Gabriel told me we were destined. I lost the only one meant for me. So, I gave Olivia my bond to save her from a fate worse than anything you can imagine.”

  She snorted. “I can imagine some pretty terrible things.”

  “Point being, if I’d known you were alive, there would have been no bloody reason for me to ever give that bond away. If things had been different, Briar…”

  My words trailed off because I had no idea how to continue this.

  “You ruined me, Lucas. I don’t want to be your mate. I don’t want to be cursed to be yours for eternity. Not after what you put me through.”

  Cursed? Being with me was no bloody curse. “Now, hold on,” I protested. “Need I remind you, I am a very attentive lover.”

  “That’s the best you can do? An attentive lover?” She put on a mockery of my accent and stared at me as though I had said the earth were flat.

  “How can I prove to you that I never stopped wanting you?”

  “You can’t.” She shrugged away from my touch, and everything in her went tight. Her shoulders hunched, breaths she didn’t need rasping through her with each passing second. The energy surrounding her was thick with power, a heavy thing commanding its own attention. Feeling for her mind, I expected to come up against the same mental block I’d been stopped by earlier, but her thoughts were unmasked, and they were wild and filled with rage.

  “Briar? What’s happening?”

  She let out a blood-curdling scream and fell to the ballroom floor, her body contorting, bones cracking as one thing came to the forefront of her mind. It was animalistic. Primal. Angry. Her wolf was breaking through and she wanted to play.

  9

  BRIAR

  Pain shot through my nerves, my entire body lighting on fire. Until Lucas turned me, I never felt pain when letting my wolf out. It was second nature, as instinctive as breathing. Now, pure agony ripped my body to shreds as my wolf fought with my vampire side. I fell to my knees, palms pressing hard to the marble floor. I needed to ground myself, to control my monsters. Because monsters were what these fighting halves of my being were. I couldn’t deny that Lucas had turned me into something deadly and dangerous to anyone around me. I wasn’t me any longer. I never would be again.

  His palm settled on my shoulder. The cool touch could have been soothing, but all I wanted to do was inflict as much pain as I was feeling.

  “Don’t fucking touch me.” I grabbed his wrist and squeezed, tugging hard until he flew over me and ended up on the floor in front of me, flat on his back.

  The marble under him cracked where his skull connected with stone, and he let out a bark of pain.

  “Control yourself, Briar. I’m not going to hurt you.”

  “You always hurt me.” My voice was raw and desperate, the animal inside trying to fight her way out of captivity.

  “Never by choice.”

  “Liar.” God, everything hurt.

  “Let me in. Let me help you get control.”

  My stomach twisted, the fire in my belly radiating through every cell of my body. I was going to die if I didn’t let my wolf take over. I knew it. I could feel her warning me not to fight her again.

  “No. Back away or I’ll tear you to shreds. I swear it. I won’t be able to stop.”

  Before I could comprehend his motion, Lucas was in front of me, his palms grasping my face, lifting me to my knees and forcing me to look at him. The bastard wasn’t running. He wasn’t heeding my warning. Instead, he pressed our foreheads together and stared into my eyes. “Let. Me. In. Briar.”

  His voice pulled at me like he was a black hole and I was a star. I had no choice but to follow.

  You have a choice, my wild wolf. If you want to stay in this form, that is where you will remain. Your wolf doesn’t own you. I heard him in my mind, loud and clear. Come back to me. Be with me.

  A low growl rolled up my throat, feral and ominous. My fingers ached where my claws had extended.

  “Briar. Listen to me.” Lucas stared harder, his irises drowning in pools of amber.

  Let go. Let me catch you.

  I fell into his gaze. That was the only remaining bit of control I had, and I gave it to him. Every
thing around me went dark. The scent of wolf left my senses, the pain disappeared, and all I felt was Lucas Blackthorne.

  His lips brushed my temple, those eyes going soft with relief. He was still holding my face, his hands shaking slightly. All I could do was sit back on my heels and break the contact before burying my face in my palms.

  “Well, that was fascinating.” Cashel stood behind us, leaning against the tall doorframe with one brow cocked. “I think we need to have a little chat about exactly what you can do, Briar.”

  “You’ll keep your hands off her, brother. You have your little bird. This wolf is mine.” Lucas practically spit the words.

  On shaky legs, I stood, needing to at least pretend I was in charge of what my body did. “I need to feed,” I announced.

  Lucas slid an arm around my waist, and I bristled but didn’t have the energy to push him away. Fighting my wolf always drained me. This time was worse than ever. She almost won. She almost took control.

  “Brother, take care of her before I lock her away where she’s not a danger to this house.”

  “Let me see to your needs,” Lucas murmured, ignoring Cashel.

  “What? No. I need to hunt.” My voice sounded strange, weaker than normal.

  He chuckled. “No. You need your mate. Feeding from your mate will be exactly what your body is craving. I promise.”

  “I don’t want you.”

  “You may not want me, but your body needs its mate. I can’t change that. I will serve you, sate you, as is my duty.”

  Cashel cleared his throat. “This is…illuminating, but do you think the two of you could take it to your chambers? I will be holding court in here this evening, and I doubt the scent of the two of you fucking will be well received.”

  Lucas chuckled. “Such a prude.”

  He scooped me into his arms before I could stop him, but honestly, I felt like yesterday’s garbage, and his touch was more welcome than ever.

  “Just this once,” I muttered.

  “What was that, love?”