By fuck my shoulder stung. The gashes which the lycan had ripped into my skin oozed blood through my jacket, shirt and down onto the dusty floor. My hand lifted, covering the ragged wounds, the hot sticky liquid seeping through my fingers and my gaze lifted.Rhayden’s mouth was firmly planted on the lycan’s neck, its thick mangy fur coated in blood. The creature screamed again, as it had when I’d shot it and it tried to grab at the vampire on its back. But there was no use.Vampires latch hold, like a spider with it's prey. Wrapping their bodies about you, holding on until the victim starts to weaken from the blood loss... and yb then, you're fucked. Trust me... I know.Rhayden had a good grip on the lycan, and with the loss of blood from the bullet wounds, and the blood, which was being drained by the vampire, the creature he was attached to quickly weakened. It slumped to the floor, Rhayden still on its back and within a few short moments, all it was doing was twitching.Rhayden lif
I felt Marley lose consciousness. Her body sagged under my touch and her scream died in her throat. I ignored it, dragging in mouthfuls of blood from the wound, spoiled with lycan taint. I lifted myself and turned my head, spitting it to the side, before I went back for another bite. People thought being bitten by a lycan was what turned them. Sure... in the movies. It was the same principal as us. You could turn from a bite... but you also had to have their blood injected back into you. But if you got slashed... well, then you were fucked. The bacteria which sat under their nails was deadly.I had to get as much of the scum which sat under the lycan’s claws out from Marley’s skin. If I didn’t, it would continue to taint her blood, fester and would eventually kill her.Once I’d done this, there was only one thing which would save her life... and it wasn't here.The last mouthful of blood I took didn’t have the taste of lycan taint and I lifted myself, spitting the blood to the sid
My head of security, Anthony Carter—Tony—had always been a man I could trust. His sense of duty was second to none and he was well mannered, if not a little stiff. So, when the normally composed vampire burst into the library, his eyes wild, I knew something had gone terribly wrong.“Sire! Master Raynes is coming through the gate.” I lifted myself from the high back chair. Rhayden coming through the gates? He was more than two hundred miles awa— “Miss Brennan is injured.”In my haste to get out the door, I knocked the bust of my grandfather to the floor and as the alabaster smashed into a thousand pieces, I flung myself down the steps to the main hall. Vampires lined the hall, reclined on sofas, drinking tall glasses of animal blood, oblivious to what was happening in the outside world, since I’d recalled them back to the mansion.Curious glances followed me, as I moved through the throng of pale faces and opened the front doors, in time for Rhayden to come sweeping through.Marley
I ached.Every fiber in my body screamed in pain as I struggled to open my eyes against the brain fog. My eyes finally behaved, opening to dark paneling and gold accents.Absinthe’s room.A chill wrought through me, and I looked down. I was in my underwear.“Fuck.”It wasn’t the first time, after I’d been injured, I had found myself almost naked, at Absinthe’s hands and the memory of two years ago flashed through my mind. Groaning, I rolled to the side, the urge to be sick, meeting an urn beside the bed.I upended the protein bar into the metal vessel and wiped my mouth on the back of my hand. My body was stiff and sore and there was a strange tang to my mouth, which was not from the vomit which had just exited it. I knew the feeling all too well.Serum.“Great.”Racing around my perfectly human body, were the antibodies of vampire saliva and blood. While the healing properties of the serum were phenomenal to say the least, the sluggishness and brain fog of it weren’t.I knew it’d las
There was a dead silence between us, as I stared at the vampire in front of me. My stomach rebelled and the urge to be sick, overwhelmed me again. “We were attacked by a lycan pack. I’d say a dozen or so. They were very adamant about me being handed over to them.”Absinthe pursed his lips and turned from me, picking up his pacing again. “Yes, I have heard the same from Rhayden. It is fortunate Vince and the team made it to the safe house in time to make sure the lycan didn’t take you, or any of the valuable items in the basement.”Absinthe turned his head, looking at me.“But what about before the attack?”I swallowed past the lump building in my throat. “Before? I do not know what you are—”He stopped his pacing and stepped forward, his hand slipping to the edge of my towel. I tried to push my thighs closer together, but his fingers were stronger, and they caressed gently over the bite marks. “This…”If I could have fled, I would have. But I knew I would not make it two feet, before
Seeing Marley prone as she had been, laying on Absinthe’s bed, near death had me worried I’d lost her. That Absinthe would never forgive me for getting his hunter killed. But seeing her walk through the door, with fresh puncture marks on her throat, broke my heart.She wouldn’t look at me. Her eyes downcast as she took the seat opposite.Absinthe cleared his throat and I looked at my brother.In the four hundred years I’d been alive, I’d never hated Absinthe. Not once.But now, I could barely contain the anger which seethed through me, and as his gaze met on mine, he faltered.“I-” Absinthe pursed his lips and looked at the files in front of him. “I have intel on the attack from the safe house.”He pushed a folder toward me, and another toward Marley. My gaze moved to her as she picked up the folder and opened it. She still didn’t look at me and all I wanted to do was confess to Absinthe what I’d done. That I was in love with his—I blinked, lowering my gaze to the table, my anger su
Watching Rhayden’s back as he sulked off, I knew what was wrong with him; and it was not the attack on the safehouse, or the fact Marley had been injured in the process.There would have been no missing the fang marks on Marley’s throat, and he had pitched a fit when he had seen them sitting brightly on her skin.He was in love with her.While I was enjoying seeing him squirm with anger, I knew I was pushing him away. We had always been close.The idea of having Marley and Rhayden get along had almost worked too well. Now they were fighting against their feelings for each other, and I did not have the heart to ruin it for them. I had never considered what Marley in the mansion would mean to anyone but myself and I suddenly realized how selfish I had been about the beautiful human woman.From the first night she had walked into the mansion, my brother had not hidden what he thought of her beauty, but he had toned it down, once he realized we were sleeping together. I should have been
Sitting in the passenger seat of the Alfa, after what had gone down between Rhayden, and I the previous night was surreal. Even more so with Absinthe’s words still rattling around inside my head.It is okay Marley, I am happy to share you with Rhayden, if that is what you want.Like… what the actual fuck? How was I going to satisfy two vampire lovers, when just being with Absinthe often left me drained? And then there was the slight weirdness of them being brothers. I mean... I wasn't so much as opposed to it... but it did feel weird. Was it a normal thing with vampires? Because I knew, in the human world, this sort of shit would definitely be frowned upon...This was not going to turn out well.“So, the killer is in a run-down two-story house, off a backroad just outside Everglades City.”I turned my head to Rhayden. He had his phone in his hand, his gaze shifting down to it while he drove. At any other time, I would have smacked it out of his hand and yelled at him for putting us
My hand went to my mouth, and I looked at Absinthe. Tears were on his lashes, and he closed his eyes, letting the drops slide down his cheeks. “Oh my god.”“Now you know. You know why I didn’t want to tell you about Johan, or where he was. It’s not the fear of you leaving Marley. Honestly, I could live with that, to know you are safe…” He opened his eyes, his irises almost white and I heard the pain and anguish in his voice. “It’s the fear of him taking the one thing—which is worth more to me, than my own immortality. That is what scares me.”My hand reached out to him, and I gripped his hand in mine, squeezing it. “As much as I want to be angry with you, I understand why you did it. But Abe… he has to be bought to justice for what he did.”“I know, and he will. I just need time to make a pla—” The phone rang, making us both jump and Absinthe reached out, pick
My hand went to my mouth, and I looked at Absinthe. Tears were on his lashes, and he closed his eyes, letting the drops slide down his cheeks. “Oh my god.”“Now you know. You know why I didn’t want to tell you about Johan, or where he was. It’s not the fear of you leaving Marley. Honestly, I could live with that, to know you are safe…” He opened his eyes, his irises almost white and I heard the pain and anguish in his voice. “It’s the fear of him taking the one thing—which is worth more to me, than my own immortality. That is what scares me.”My hand reached out to him, and I gripped his hand in mine, squeezing it. “As much as I want to be angry with you, I understand why you did it. But Abe… he has to be bought to justice for what he did.”“I know, and he will. I just need time to make a pla—” The phone rang, making us both jump and Absinthe reached out, pick
“Abe?”Absinthe slowly lifted his eyes, looking at me. “I was wondering when you would get here.”I closed the door to the library, and leaned against it, looking at my dark-haired lover.He looked sad. Lost almost and I sighed, walking over and sat next to him. We didn’t speak for a few minutes.His gaze couldn’t hold mine… that’s when I understood, and my heart broke into a million pieces. “You knew about Johan and Johnathan.”“Yes.”He knew… I didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. “Why didn’t you tell me?”Absinthe’s bottom lip trembled, “Because I knew you would have a one-track mind about it. That it would cloud your judgement.”“What judgement? That he is as crazy as his ancestor—”“Father.”“What?”“Johnathan was Johan’s father
It had been twenty-four hours since the trial, and while things should have been feeling fairly normal… something was niggling in the back of my mind. Something didn’t feel right.I hadn’t seen either Absinthe or Rhayden tonight, but I knew I would probably have Rhayden between my legs any time—“Hey, what are you doing?”I looked up at Rhayden, seeing him standing at the door, arms crossed over his chest. He still sported the remnants of the braids I’d done the night before, and I smirked, returning my attention to the device in my hands. “Recovering from your brother.”“Was he rough with you Mars?”There was not an inkling of concern in this ass’ voice, and I rolled my eyes at him, flipping him off, which earned a chuckle. After Absinthe had fucked me three times, and sent me insane with pleasure, we’d laid quietly and not spoken. I had been drained, not only mentally,
I waved to Othello as his entourage took him out of the mansion grounds to a hotel owned by our kind, which would house him and the other coven leaders for the rest of the night.There was no fucking way I wanted them in my mansion any longer.It had been a rough night.There were moments where I thought I would have to fight Mathias, or tear my brother off him. But in the end, justice prevailed and Marley was safe.Speaking of Marley.I turned and walked back into the mansion, seeking out her scent.I knew she would be with Rhayden. Hopefully not impaled on him again. That, I had only just barely tolerated. While I knew they fucked, I didn’t want to see it.There.Turning to one of the four parlors in the lower halls of the mansion, I stopped at the doorway. Marley was sitting a small armchair, Rhayden at her feet and she was… was she braiding his hair?I chuckled as the pure bliss on my brother’s fac
The vampire at the end of the table had everyone’s attention. Even his so-called supporters stared at him as if he had just sacrificed a small child in their presence.Mathias sat down and leaned back in his chair, looking at us all. “It wasn’t Johnathan.”Wasn’t…? this guy was just so fucking negative. What the actual fuck?“It was. I saw the tatt—”“It wasn’t.” Mathias snarled, crossing his arms over his chest. “It was his brother. Kendrick didn’t like the fact his brother had been slaughtered by Absinthe.”“I did not slaughter him. He attacked me.” Abe spat and Mathias rolled his eyes.“Whatever. Kendrick said Absinthe had no right to ruin his family’s legacy like he had. Johnathan’s final wish was to destroy his own coven, kill out the bloodline. He never liked the fact he was a vampire. Never accepted what he
You could have heard a pin drop in the room… well, you could only hear my breathing, and I thought that worse. Why the fuck did I have to be surrounded by dead things?“Mathias, you called this trial, I call for you to make the opening address.”My attention turned to the man at the end of the table. Surrounded by other vampire coven leaders, Mathias tried to look impressive as he stood. But in reality, I could see what a weak creature he really was, and I wondered if he had been like this when he had been human; because I could tell with the fang marks on his neck, he wasn’t born a vampire like my lovers.Mathias leaned forward, his knuckles going to the table as if to be intimidating, and glared at me. “This human, killed one of my Senior Coven, without evidence of any wrong doing on my member’s behalf. She needs to be punished for it. And I would gladly punish her if you cannot.”He was kidding, right
I walked beside Marlene, Rhayden on her other side, as we moved through the quietened mansion toward the library and to her fate.This was going to be a shit show.I could feel it in my bones.Never in the history of the vampire nation, had a human stood trial for killing a vampire. They were usually dealt with quicker than this. Slaughtered, or drained of their blood, or left in the wilds to die. This whole situation was unheard of and the fact it was happening to our human, set my teeth on edge.This could go one of two ways.Marley would be found not-guilty, in which she would be free and we would be able to continue on how we had been.Of she would be found guilty and her life would be forfeit; and I would not be okay with that. This meeting could potentially be the death of my beautiful lover, and I had to decide if I would stand for it.Would I allow Othello end Marlene’s life?No. I knew I wouldn’t.An
My heart fluttered. God damn it. Again?I hated serum so fucking much. My head pounded, and my eyes slowly opened.Absinthe and Rhayden were leaning over me, their hair curtaining their beautiful faces. I smiled, reaching up and stroked their cheeks, my touch melting the tension from their features as they looked down at me.“My boys…”“Marley.” Absinthe cooed, leaning down. He gently pressed his lips against mine, before Rhayden did the same.“We thought we’d lost you Mars.”“I’m not going anywhere just yet.” I smiled, moving to sit up and Absinthe helped, propping pillows behind my back.Rhayden smiled, looking to his brother as he climbed from the edge of the bed. “I’ll go tell Othello she’s awake.”Absinthe nodded, turning back to me as Rhayden closed the door. “You left a dead Lycan on Othello—”