My head pounded and I winced, trying to lay still, to lessen the pain.
“Ah, you’re awake Miss Brennan…”
My eyes fluttered open and I turned my head, looking at the man standing, leaning against the wall… I hadn’t seen things in the factory. “Vince…? Abe… he killed you.”
“Yes, he did kill Vince. I am not Vince. I am his twin, Norman.”
Norman… what a crappy name for a vampire. If I wasn’t in so much pain, I would have laughed. But it wasn’t just me head that hurt and I groaned, “What did you do to me?”
“Not much really…” he said, walking closer, sitting in the chair beside the bed. “Drained you within an inch of your life…”
“You what?” Had he tried to turn me?
What the fuck would that do to Absinthe and Rhayden? Me… the fledgling of another, a bond unable to be broken, unless
Three hours.Surely that was a new record…Pity it was under shit circumstances and I wouldn’t ever want to claim the title of this one… because it would always remind me of what happened.Stepping onto the boundary of the factory, I stopped and surveyed the carnage.A war had happened here.But the clean up crew Korin would have sent, did a bang up job of cleaning, I had to admit that. There wasn't a single shred of evidence that supernatural creatures had fought here, just puddles of blood,which by morning would no doubt be soaked in. The scent of wet fur lifted to my nostrils.Fucking lycan.This would be the second time in a month Marley had been attacked by the over grown chihuahuas, and I was starting to wonder if there was something more to the attacks. Especially when last time, they had named me and demanded her.My gaze shifted to a dark patch on the grass near the ruined shutters and the smell of
I couldn’t take any more of this.Norman’s hand whipped across my face again, splitting the tender skin of my cheek and I sagged against the chair I’d been restrained on, as blood gushed down the side of my face. Even when I had boxed in high school, I knew what I could take. I was beyond my limit and I knew soon, my bones would start to break and then I’d be fucked.“So tasty…”My gaze lifted as Norman licked the back of his hand, taking my blood off his knuckles. The sick, ecstatic look to his face as he savored my blood, made me realize something.This was it. This shitty room, at the hands of this dickhead, was where I was going to see the end of my life.I always thought I would die at the hands of a rogue.Or maybe someone like Korin. A vampire lord who didn’t value me as much as Absinthe did… Or even at the hands of Rhayden, in one of our legendary fights.Hell, I once thought maybe Abe himself would have gotten tired of me and
The address left on the note was a factory, not unlike the one Marley had been taken from and within a few minutes of our safe house.The fucking asshole was right under our noses the whole time. Had he been surveiling Marley? Had he been following her? Had he watched as I had left her alone? I would love to find him, bounce him off the walls and ask... and then I'd let Marley kill him.As we neared the building, my skin prickled and I stopped, Tony on one side, Maddison on the other. “Lycan.”As the filthy word left my mouth, a dozen lycan came streaming from the building’s door and I lowered my center of gravity.“Leave none, alive.”We engaged.Fur ripped as we three, all elder vampires, slaughtered the lycan which stood in the way of getting to Marley. Animal after animal fell with a howl, my boot connecting with the head of one, sending it flying, its heavy body landing awkwardly on its own neck, cracking it and killing it instantl
Norman tossed the blade at my feet, and I slowly crouched, keeping my gaze on the vampire. I gripped the handle and slowly stood. “Knives?”The vampire in front of me grinned. “You wanted a chance. So, come on, if you can’t come at me with knives and make me hurt, then you aren’t worth the money Absinthe pays—”I would kill him, make him pay and then I could get back to Abe and demand him to tell me what the hell was going on.I screamed, lashing out at Norman, slicing him across the cheek, the shimmer of his blood coming to the cut instantly. The vampire stepped back, blinking in surprise as I arced again and aimed for his throat.Norman stepped back, his hand deflecting my blade and while he was worried about the knife, I swung my bare fist, connecting it with his cheek. He stumbled, and I launched myself at him, driving my knee into his stomach, the knife falling to the ground uselessly as he doubled over with a grunt.It was hard,
I finally got the upper hand on the big man… the one who looked like Vince, but smelt… feral. I slammed him against the wall, my hand gripping his windpipe with extended claws, as he hung uselessly in my grip. “I will kill you!”“Go for it, pretty boy.” he choked, laughing like a mad man. He’d given up. There was no fight left in him… “You have no idea what’s coming… but without her now… you might fall a little easier.”I roared, my claws digging in and I twisted. Blood sprayed as I ripped the vampire’s throat from his body, and tossed it to the side like a sack of flour. I honestly didn’t give a fuck who he was, and why he looked so much like Vince. Right now, my priority was Marley.Turning, I raced back to Marley. She lay on her side, her back to me and I knelt down, slowly and gently rolling her to her back and into my arms. The smell of blood hit me, before I saw
Waking to the feeling of serum racing around my body was starting to get old.When I had signed up for this job two years ago, no one told me of the risks, of the agony I would put my all too human flesh through. If they had, I would have told them to shove it.I groaned, my head pounding in time with my heartbeat.“Marley?”Absinthe’s voice floated to me, loud and grinding against my headache. I groaned again, rolling to the side, the need to be sick washing over me. I managed to hold it in and sighed, as Abe’s strong hands soothed over my back.Finally feeling stable enough, I opened my eyes and slowly sat up, Absinthe helping me. When he thought me stable enough, he leaned in, kissing me, his hands gripping the sides of my face. Finally pulling away, I sighed and looked at him.He looked tired.I’d never seen a vampire look so drained and… old. I had to remind myself Absinthe was centuries older
Rhayden growled, moving us and tipped me back onto the cold floor. With quick movements, he shredded the clothing I was in, tossing it to the side. His head dipped, mouth kissing along my stomach, nipping skin skin, catching his fangs on my flesh. The stings made me gasp, but not in pain, but pleasure.His mouth found my clit, ready for him. Tipping my head back as his lips closed around it, he suckled and I knew I wouldn’t last long. I pushed my hands through his hair, holding his face to me as I came, loud and hard. “Rhayden!”He growled, fangs sinking into my thigh and my head spun as he drew on my blood. Rhayden slowly lifted himself and I opened my eyes, staring at him. The was blood on his lips and he grinned as he loomed over me. “You really want rough?”“Yes.” I breathed, ignoring the pain in my chest. I didn’t want soft and sweet, like I got with Abe. I needed rough and dangerous with the possibility of ge
The call to my cousin had been blunt and to the point.Now Marley had helped him, the killer dead; I never wanted to see him around my human again and if I did, I would not hesitate to do what my little brother had failed to do over a century ago.I would rip his head from his shoulders.Korin of course had not been as understanding about it than I’d had hoped and the threats which had ensued between us had become ugly; even to the point where he had threated to have the title of Lord of my own coven stripped form me…I just hoped that the threat didn’t go any higher. If my cousin was still the little brat he used to be, I knew his father, our uncle, would be breathing down my throat within days and that would be a problem, because the vampire council would have to be convened… and they would not be understanding of the arrangement Rhayden, and I had with our human hunter.I knew keeping Marley around was putting a target
Something woke me.The sun was still up, I could tell, because Rhayden and Absinthe were still asleep.Turning my head, a sliver of sunlight was just visible between the curtains. my hearing intensified, trying to pick out what might have woken me in a house full of sleeping vampires.I maneuvered my smaller frame from under both Absinthe and Rhayden and slipped out of their embrace. Picking up my clothes, I dropped my robe and slipped them on; doing up the belt to my jeans.Moving through the blackened room, I made my way to the door and stepped out into the hallway. It was eerily silent, and I didn’t like it.Not when every single fiber in my body screamed danger.I had moved about the mansion before, confident, safe—now my skin crawled, as if dozens of pairs of eyes were on me. Maybe it was because of the trial… getting up this early, before the vampires. The thought of how easy it would be for me to leave…No… it had to be something else.Walking to the front doors, I opened them,
My hands were on Mars again, grazing over soft flesh, raising goosepimples along her skin. Marley tipped her head back as my lips trailed up her neck, nipping at her skin with my fangs, drawing tiny drops of blood which tasted sublime. “Mars.”She wrapped her arms around my neck, letting me plunder her mouth with my tongue. I didn’t know why the simple act of kissing this woman sent me crazy. Maybe it was the difference in temperature. My cold tongue against her hot mouth, the sensation was phenomenal.My hands gripped her buttocks, squeezing them and she sighed against me, pulling away and looked up at me, raising an eyebrow. “You know he’s in the other room, right?”“So?” I asked, smirking, kissing along her jaw.“You’re going to fuck me, with your brother in the next room?”“Yep.”I turned Marley around, pushing her against the cold tiles, bringing her hips back
He looked younger in the picture than when I’d spoken to him two weeks prior. But that smug look… was still there.I let my hand off the page, letting Rhayden flip to the next one. He turned the book, turning it toward me.Looking down at the picture, my eyebrows furrowed. “He looks like… Hang on.”I reached out and grabbed my phone, and held it to the book, looking between photos. “It’s… It’s him. The one in the alley.”“It might not be.” Absinthe muttered, pulling the book toward him and I stared at him.“I’m not fucking stupid Absinthe; I know it’s him. It’s the tattoo on his neck.” I said, turning the phone and stood, putting it next to the picture of the man. “See, there.”Rhayden leaned in, looking at it. “She’s right you know.”“You shut it.” Absinthe said, looking at me and he pushe
All I wanted to do was break down the doors of the library and go to Mars. But I waited patiently behind my brother, as the doors opened, and we calmly walked through them.Marley stood as we walked over to the table and at any other time, she would she poked her tongue out or said something snarky. But not this time. Her gaze dropped to the table and she sat down as Absinthe and I took our seats.She looked tired.Beyond tired. She looked drained and… sad.“Marely, are you okay?”My head turned to Absinthe as he asked her what I’d been wanting to and I looked back to her in time for her to nod. “I’m fine. Lord Othello and I have been talking.”“About?” I asked.What had they been discussing for the last few hours. For that was how long we’d been pacing and waiting.Mars’ gaze went to Othello, who nodded. “Go on, you can tell them.”S
Othello had walked me to a bathroom, leaving me to do my business and then back to the library, where a plate of food was waiting. “Eat, I will be back in a few moments.”I stared at the food, my stomach rumbling with hunger, but also churning with sickness.Othello was nothing like the monster others had told me he was. He’d been sweet and kind, listening to me speak about my sister. He had questioned me about my working relationship with the Raynes and what had me agreeing to the contract I’d signed with Absinthe.I’d even told him of my doubts about my lover, about him keeping information about Johan from me. Which had been rebuked.“Absinthe wouldn’t do that.” “Which part?”“All of it.” Othello had replied. “I was present when he was born, with Absinthe being the heir to the Raynes’ coven, it was my duty as Lord of the Vampires to oversee the birth. Strapping, healthy young vampire he was, his hair as dark as night. So, I know Absinthe and what he is like, he would not tarnish th
If I could have been in the cell with Marley. I would already be there.Not being allowed to be anywhere near her, while she was going through this was breaking my heart and my spirit. And not to mention what it was doing to Rhayden.My brother had always told me he would never sully himself with a human, that because he was a born vampire, sleeping with a human was beneath him… Until he set eyes on Marlene Brennan.I had to admit, even I was quite surprised with how visceral my attraction to her had been when we first met.Now I sat here, in an empty parlor, watching my brother pace and brood. “I don’t give a fuck who he is, if Othello touches a single hair on Mars’ head I will skin him.”That threw up images of my pale haired, alabaster skinned brother, covered in black blood, while he carved Othello’s skin from him… and honestly, it painted quite a pretty—“Are you listening to me?”Rolling my eyes, I looked at my brother. “Of course I’m not.”“Asshole.” Rhayden spat, continuing hi
There was someone in the room with me…“I will get you a better bed.”My body stilled as the voice spoke and chills sped across my skin. Slowly, I opened my eyes and rolled over. There was a man standing at the door, barely taking up the doorway, but the authority he threw off, told me he was important.I climbed to my feet and stepped back, pressing myself against the wall, as he stepped inside the room and the door closed with a heavy thud behind him.The man… no creature in front of me was old. There was a blue tinge to his pale skin. Head bald, mottled with dark spots, he wore a dark suit, which hung off his thin frame. But there was not even a hint of danger coming from this man.Finally, I found my voice. “W-who are you?”There was a moment’s silence, “I am Othello, human hunter.”Oh shit.This was The Lord of the Vampires. The one every coven in the United
I paced the room, aware of Absinthe watching me from his comfy chair. My mind was on the woman in the room, near the armory.It had broken my undead heart, pushing Mars into that room and closing the door.“Rhayden, you’re making me dizzy.”Rolling my eyes, I glared at Abe and kept pacing.How the fuck had everything gone so fucking wrong? And Mathias…“I’m going to gut him.”“Othello wouldn’t approve of you slaying one of the vampire Lords, little brother. No matter how much of an asshole he is.”And by god, Mathias was one of the most assholey of all assholes. He had a mean streak to him, which came to the surface with his superiority complex. He thought he was better than everyone else, just because of his bloodline, because he was a vampire lord.Yeah, well that didn’t excuse his behaviors. Especially in our mansion.“Rhayden.”&ldq
“So, this is the murderess of my Coven member?”Barely had I stepped out of the elevator, when I was overcome with the scent of spoiled blood. Great… he was one of those vampires.Looking past Rhayden, who had stopped in the middle of the corridor, I looked at the vampire before us; his skintight on his bones, his eyes copper with anger, claws descended.In seconds, Absinthe had stepped past me, and was standing shoulder to shoulder with his brother, blocking the volatile vampire from reaching me.“You are in my mansion Mathias, remember that. If you even lay a finger on her, I will rip your head off and use it for a soccer ball.” Abe’s tone was blunt, to the point and my fear kicked into overdrive. What would happen if the vampire didn’t heed Abe’s warning? Would I become a casualty of a fight between them?Mathias leaned forward, looking past the vampires protecting her, lee