Chapter 16 “Are you sure you don’t want to give me a bottle of that spritzer?” Jade asked as they pulled into the police parking lot. “What, and make it easier for you to sneak off and get yourself killed?” Titus asked borrowing a little bit of the sarcasm she’d been using on him for the last hour. “Thanks, but no thanks.” He jerked the Hummer in park and turned the vehicle off. Jade hadn't meant it like that, but if he wanted to go there then whatever. “Fine, if all of the men start lining up… do not blame me. Besides, I’ve always been a sucker for a man in uniform,” she lied. She flinched when the driver side door slammed and Titus was suddenly standing in front of her, blocking her from getting out of the Hummer. She didn’t fight him when he reached out, palming her waist with his big hands and lifted her out of the vehicle but she did inhale sharply when he pulled her flush against him and let her slide down his body until she was standing on her own two feet. Titus
Addictive Blood Blood Bound Book 11 Amy Blankenship, RK Melton Copyright © 2012 Amy Blankenship Second Edition Published by Amy Blankenship All rights reserved.Chapter 1 Toya crouched low on the roof of Kyoko’s home and let his golden eyes drift down toward the small building that housed the Maiden Statue in the back yard. It had been a number of years since the night he’d slipped through the barrier and found her in this world but he still remembered every detail like it had happened yesterday. A soft smile appeared on his face thinking about her jumping into that freezing cold water after him… the little idiot couldn’t even swim but she hadn't cared. His thoughts darkened as he recalled every time he’d met her in different realities. No matter what world, Kyoko never paused to think when it came to sacrificing herself in the heat of the moment to save someone she loved. Toya's lips thinned. He hoped to break her of that little habit or chain her he
Chapter 2 Jade could feel the serenity of sleep slipping away from her but she was so comfortable that she simply didn’t want to face reality yet. She could feel the heated body pressed against her and almost groaned. On second thought… maybe waking up wasn’t such a bad idea. She slowly opened her eyes and saw a tanned bare chest rippling with muscles span across her vision. Judging by the steady heartbeat under her ear, Titus was still asleep and it would be cruel to jerk away or indignantly push him out of the bed just because they were touching. He wouldn’t have completely healed yet so she decided to cut him a little slack… this time. Snuggling up to him during the night had probably been her doing anyway since she usually had several pillows she tackled at night. Honestly, having a leg and arm thrown across him was no big surprise. He was definitely a good substitute for her normal body pillows. She shifted her leg just a fraction, feeling the inside of her thigh layin
Chapter 3 Dean stared down at the street below watching as Kane exited the building with the beautiful Skye and Aurora in tow. If Aurora wasn’t already mated to Michael, he’d swear the two Fallen belonged together. The way they loved each other so unconditionally reminded him of things he had long forgotten and it left him with a slight case of melancholy. Had he ever been like them or had he been born as cold and hard as he felt right now? Dean sighed not wanting to search his own soul in fear of the answer. He’d made up his mind a long time ago to become what he was now in order to protect those with softer hearts and he refused to regret that sacrifice. He remained still when Skye turned and looked up at him as if sensing he was being watched. It was good that the boy’s instincts were so sharp… he would need them to protect himself and the ones he loved in the coming days. He wished he had the time it would take to make sure Kriss and Skye became closer but his time was run
Chapter 4 Needing something to do, the boys had made their way to the kitchen where Michael poured both of them a glass of red wine. Michael inhaled deeply, still feeling a slight rush of power from the demon hunting he’d done earlier in the day. He smirked in satisfaction knowing he could give that rush a boost as soon as he got the chance to get back out there among the demons. He glanced up and caught Kane watching him closely then frowned when the blonde quickly lowered his eyes to the drink and picked it up. “So,” Michael picked his own glass up becoming suspicious, “how is it that you showed up at the same time that Aurora and Skye were coming to visit?” Kane shrugged, “Kriss and Dean invited Tabatha and I over for dinner and they showed up so we turned it into a dinner party. They mentioned they were headed over here and I figured since I haven’t really had a chance to talk to you I just wanted to… check in.” Michael frowned, “You weren’t getting smokes this time?
Chapter 5 Michael was in predator mode, bypassing several low level demons that didn’t grab his interest when he suddenly slowed his pace near an old house. There… he felt it… a demon with a fair amount of power was lurking somewhere inside among the stench of rotting corpses. A wicked smile appeared on his face. Michael approached the front door and politely knocked. An elderly man wearing a stained shirt and frayed dress pants opened the door as far as the latch chain would allow. He eyed the well-dressed man up and down. “Whatever you’re selling, I ain’t buying,” he slurred and brought a bottle of cheap liquor to his lips intending to spit it in the salesman’s face. Michael suddenly hit the door with his palm, breaking the chain lock and reached for the disguised demon. In one fluid movement he jerked him out the door, tossing him into the front yard like a rag doll. Kane frowned when the old man looking every bit in his late eighties practically cart wheeled across t
Chapter 6 Kriss and Tabatha had popped some popcorn and were currently curled up on the sofa with the huge bowl sitting between them. They’d argued briefly on what to watch… Tabatha wanted an honest to god chick flick, while Kriss wanted a vampire marathon. After only a few minutes of disputes, they agreed on a popular paranormal movie series packed with action and romance pleasing both tastes. “You know,” Tabatha said after a while, “I’m beginning to see why Kane and the others laugh when they watch movies like this.” Kriss chuckled, “Kind of takes away all the fun… doesn’t it?” “Yeah,” Tabatha exclaimed with a helpless expression on her face. “I used to love watching these and now… they’re almost stupid.” She emphasized her statement by making a frightened face and waving her arms out at her sides. “Whoa, watch the popcorn,” Kriss grumbled and quickly snatched the bowl to save it from Tabatha’s ‘rampage’. “What?” Tabatha demanded playfully. “Don’t want me to mess up
Chapter 7 Michael traced through the city watching the kaleidoscope of buildings and lights collapse around him with crystal clarity. The sensation made him feel like he held all of the secrets of the universe. He listened to the sounds around him… the chatter of humans breezing by him like rushing water… the roar of car engines and music playing. He turned his head when he detected a more ominous sound. The human voices and noise fell away leaving behind the hiss of demonic whispers. At first he couldn't make out what they were saying because there were so many but becoming curious, he slowed his pace so he could listen more closely. The dark voices began to come into focus and he picked up slivers of conversations no one else could hear. He could hear malevolent whispers of demons plotting against other demons for territory and smirked coldly knowing the winners of those battles would add to his high when he bled them. He would leave those alone for now and let them fight am
Chapter 16 “Are you sure you don’t want to give me a bottle of that spritzer?” Jade asked as they pulled into the police parking lot. “What, and make it easier for you to sneak off and get yourself killed?” Titus asked borrowing a little bit of the sarcasm she’d been using on him for the last hour. “Thanks, but no thanks.” He jerked the Hummer in park and turned the vehicle off. Jade hadn't meant it like that, but if he wanted to go there then whatever. “Fine, if all of the men start lining up… do not blame me. Besides, I’ve always been a sucker for a man in uniform,” she lied. She flinched when the driver side door slammed and Titus was suddenly standing in front of her, blocking her from getting out of the Hummer. She didn’t fight him when he reached out, palming her waist with his big hands and lifted her out of the vehicle but she did inhale sharply when he pulled her flush against him and let her slide down his body until she was standing on her own two feet. Titus
Chapter 15 Ren shimmered into existence in the doorway of Gypsy's bedroom and tilted his head to the side listening. Hearing the gentle rhythm of her heartbeat and deep breathing, he was satisfied that at least whatever Storm had warned him about hadn’t affected her yet. He headed out of the bomb shelter and sighed when he discovered Gypsy’s comfort level. Now that the spell to keep out supernatural intruders had been erected, she hadn’t even bothered to shut much less lock the bomb shelter door while she was at her most vulnerable. Running a hand through his hair, he decided to leave it open since he was here to watch over her but he was going to have a talk with her about how normal humans could be just as dangerous as paranormals if they wanted to be. He quickly headed upstairs to make sure everything was still as he’d left it… safe, secure, and empty of predators. Knowing better than to underestimate anything Storm ever said, Ren kept his steps silent as he cautiously m
Chapter 14 Tabatha and Aurora hurried through the subway tunnels, each female using their supernatural bond to locate Kane and Skye. They’d been feeling the earth under their feet tremor off and on almost like a ripple effect and cringed each time the roof above them dropped dust on the ground. “I wonder what that light was,” Tabatha said nervously. She’d seen it touch a demon and a human at the same time and they’d both had completely different reactions to it. Where the demon withered into a pile of dust right behind the human, she could have sworn the human had taken a deep breath then smiled as if he’d just found true happiness. “Whatever it was, it had the power to purify evil,” Aurora answered. “I wish I’d had some of that power in the demon realm… of course then I guess I would have been lonely after a while being the only one in the land of ash.” She smirked at her own joke then stopped mid stride. She swallowed feeling Michael’s heartache and placed her hand over her
Chapter 13 “DEAN,” Michael yelled and tried to hold Dean down when the Fallen began to convulse violently. Dean’s body bent back so far Michael was sure the Fallen’s spine was going to break. Michael watched in horror as the darkness of the wound on Dean’s arm began to move up toward his shoulder pulsing through his veins like a growing spider web. He placed his hand on the black entity under Dean’s skin not sure of how to stop it. Helplessness rose up in him when the darkness split in two. One part continued up to Dean’s face where it split again into each of his eyes while the other shot across Dean’s chest and settled over his heart. “Fight it Dean,” Michael exclaimed praying Dean could still hear him. He thought the demon would actually emerge from Dean’s body but instead it was taking him over. His startled gaze flew to the wound made by the demon blade as it sealed shut, not even leaving a scar behind to prove it had ever been there. The other wounds Dean had recently
Chapter 12 Michael had felt the power surge from ahead in the tunnels and it called on his insatiable thirst for more demon blood. He smiled widely at the master demon in front of him… this one hadn’t been much of a fight and he was quickly becoming bored. The demon came at him with a feral growl and Michael took hold of its arms and slammed it against the wall. His body followed it, pressing against the creature and sank his teeth into the rough skin at its neck. Michael’s eyes drifted closed as he drank in its power, enjoying the growls and screams it released. Eventually the squirming stopped and Michael stepped back, letting the demon’s body slide down the wall and fall to the ground. Tilting his head back, he took a deep breath and hissed through his teeth when the usual power surge didn’t come as quick as before. It didn’t take him long to figure out why… the eruption of power further up the tunnels had called to him and made this meal hardly seem worth it. With a
Chapter 11 True to her word, Tabatha had spent some time sharing a couple of things she’d figured out about the Sun Gods with the lovely female Fallen. She’d even filled Aurora in on the mysterious Syn and how he fit into the picture. Now that she had listed the things she knew out loud, Tabatha realized that she was still pretty clueless about her own soul mate and that only made her more curious. Glancing toward Aurora, she could tell the other girl was a bit distracted by the way she would suddenly flinch and look toward the door for no obvious reason. Aurora couldn't shake the uneasy feeling that she should have gone with Skye to help them with the demons. That’s where they’d said Michael was. She heard thunder in the distance and it only amplified her restlessness. Reaching up, she pulled on the chain around her neck until the tiny stone slipped out of her shirt so she could touch it with her fingers. Tabatha's eyes widened when she noticed Aurora playing with the bloo
Chapter 10 Dean had enjoyed running into the low level demons as he’d made his way down past the subway tunnels and into the interlacing network beneath them. He had been counting on the fact that this area was the perfect hiding place for the smarter master demons that were taking their time to build their armies… and he’d been right. As soon as he’d entered the lower levels that weren’t waterlogged, he had felt power wash over him from several directions. He let his heightened gaze search the dark tunnels curiously. They’d been dug years before by humans and perhaps by a few demons that had survived the demon wars as well. Even now he could feel several demonic guard dogs coming toward him at a rapid pace and a cruel smile appeared on his face as he readied himself. Dean held his ground as several ugly hell hounds came crawling out of the tunnel to his right. They were using the walls and ceiling… not the floor, and their razor sharp teeth were as long as his fingers. Their
Chapter 9 “Guy’s here with the spell,” Nick said leaning against the doorframe to glare daggers at Ren. Ren smirked and took Gypsy by the hand, leading her out into the main part of the shop. Nick growled as they passed by and followed them. Guy was standing by the main counter waiting on them. “What do we have to do?” Gypsy asked wanting to get everything in place as soon as possible. She really wanted to sleep in her own bed tonight. “I would say we start by stepping outside,” Guy said. “You may stand in the doorway. Because you’re the owner, the repellant spell won’t affect you and you can come and go as you please.” They all looked at each other before heading out onto the sidewalk and turning to face the shop. Gypsy stood in the doorway watching them and wondering what exactly was going to happen. She prayed nothing else would get destroyed… her nerves really couldn’t take it a third time. Guy didn’t bother taking out the piece of parchment paper the spell specif
Chapter 8 Ren sat behind the desk in his office trying to mentally scan the soul orb that Carley had found hidden in Gypsy’s safe. So far he couldn't get past the powerful barrier of the orb itself to get a taste of what was inside but he didn’t have to feel it to know there was indeed a soul trapped inside. He watched as the liquid light swirled within it like an angry starburst. The orb rejected him every time he tried to feel out what kind of soul was imprisoned inside of it and Ren frowned at it becoming annoyed. He took off his sunglasses and sharpened his silver gaze when he caught the phantom image of what he would almost swear was a drop of blood suspended in the center of the orb. He doubted anyone else had ever seen it hidden there behind the swirling light except maybe the person that had trapped it. This light was brighter than most souls and that alone intrigued him. Guy and Carley had the other items spread out all over the office floor, looking at each one wi