Honoria Ravena (5 page)

I arched an eyebrow. “I thought vampires didn’t feel the temperature changes like humans do.”

He shrugged. “Okay, fine, so I just don’t like wearing shirts.”

“Doesn’t the health department have something to say about that?”

He laughed. It was a deep, dark laugh that promised wicked things. A shiver ran down my spine that had nothing to do with fear. “Like a health inspector would come into my bar. You forget that establishments like mine are hidden with magic.”

I shook my head, trying to clear it. “Right, I knew that.”

“Do I make you forget?”

“Don’t flatter yourself.”

He took a step toward me, and I jumped back, drawing my knife. “Keep your distance, leech. Where is my brother?”

He smiled, revealing a hint of fangs. A vampire’s fangs only slid out when he was aroused or hungry. I wouldn’t have been surprised if he was both. I took another step back and bumped into the bar. I had the almost irresistible urge to go bare my throat to him. I wanted to sate him.

This was getting sick.

“You really don’t want to see your brother. He’s a little messed up right now, and he might kill you if I let him loose.”

“Jason would never hurt me.”

“Well, sweetie, he might not want to, but he’s really not in control of all his faculties at the moment. Newborn vampires are like that.”

The bottom dropped out of my stomach. I froze, staring at him for what was probably a full minute before I could speak again. “What?”

Zarek leaned casually against the bar top. “While waiting for you to drop by, I made him a vampire.”

I buried my panic and heartbreak as much as I could but a few tears escaped my composure. I swiped at them angrily. “Why? If I’d gotten wind of the fact that you’d turned him, I wouldn’t have come. Now I’ll just have to kill the both of you. Brother or not, all vampires gotta go.”

“Bullshit, I knew you’d come for him, no matter what I’ve turned him into. He knew too. He even tried to get me to kill him, rather than serve as bait.”

I smiled, trying for confidence I didn’t feel. I probably didn’t pull it off either. “I still would have come just to gut you.”

He smirked. “I know about your surrogate vampire family. I’ve known about you for quite a while. I’ve been dying to challenge you. You’ve killed quite a few of my fledglings, and I’m incredibly protective. Fortunately for you, you’re a very hard woman to locate. And none of the brothers would give your location, despite your betrayal.” He shook his head. “But let’s get down to business.”

I had the sudden compulsion to hand Zarek the knife. Despite the hatred burning deep down in my soul, I yearned to do whatever he asked of me.

Alaric’s cautionary words became a terrifying reality. This vampire had a horrific amount of power over me.

An image of me bound naked and completely vulnerable to him flashed through my mind. I could feel his hands sliding down my body. His hungry mouth on my breasts. I gasped, and my pussy clenched. The hallucination left me as quickly as it appeared.

“You want it. Submit.” A dark voice whispered in my head.

I shook my head. I wasn’t sure if it was Zarek or some part of my own traitorous thoughts making the suggestion and that terrified me. Those couldn’t be mine. I didn’t want Zarek, I wanted away from him. A bead of cold sweat rolled down my neck. That bastard must have been so deep in my head I couldn’t sense his influence.

The blood-bond might have given him power over me but not enough to save his ass. I gripped my knife tighter and took another step toward him. My head pounded as he increased the pressure on my brain, but I kept going.

I lunged, knife out, ready to slash at him. He jumped back in time to avoid the full blow, but I still caught him across the arm.

He hissed and glared at me. “You’re sloppy, Regan, you need more practice.”

I smirked at the sight of blood. Oh yeah, I was going to enjoy causing him pain. He deserved it after what he’d done to my brother. “I got a slice of you, didn’t I?”

“Sure, but that should’ve been a much more damaging blow than this little nick. You only got me because I thought I’d rolled your mind. I won’t make that mistake again.”

He disappeared in a blur of speed. He was too fast for my human eyes to track him. I spun around, expecting him to come at me from behind. He appeared by my side and knocked my knife hand. The blade went spinning.

I jumped back but stopped mid-retreat. I didn’t want to escape him. I wanted him to pull me against his body, to forgive me for hurting him.

What was wrong with me? I was here to kill him. I didn’t need his forgiveness.

He took a hesitant step toward me, and part of me yelled to draw my other knife while the other part demanded I caress his wounded arm and make sure I hadn’t hurt him too badly.

A fog washed over my mind when he ran his hands up and down my arms. “Give me your knives, all of them.”

“Don’t give him jack shit, Regan!”

I peered around Zarek and saw my brother. Deathly pale, with a sheen of sweat marking his face, my brother swayed on his feet. He leaned against the doorframe of the hallway, as if he couldn’t stand on his own. I moved to go around Zarek. I needed to make sure he was okay, but Zarek seized my arm in a vise-like grip, stopping me in my tracks.

The master vampire frowned at my brother with disapproval. “How did you get away from Laedan?”

The corner of Jason’s mouth tilted up, revealing long, white fangs. The blood left my head, and I actually placed my hand on Zarek’s chest to keep myself from toppling over. God, my big brother really was a vampire. He definitely wasn’t sporting any plastic fangs in that mouth of his.

“You shouldn’t have left Laedan with me. You know a newly made, unfed vampire running on adrenaline is more powerful than a werewolf. Even one with fighting skills like his.”

Zarek’s eyes narrowed. “You didn’t kill him, did you?”

“No, just had a little drink.”

“You’re not looking more powerful than Laedan,” I said. My poor brother’s face was a pale green, his eyes unfocused, as if he were knocking on Death’s door.

Zarek glanced at me and placed his hand over mine on his chest. His frown of concern scrunched his forehead. “He’s still changing.”

Jason screamed and doubled over. I tried to jerk myself out of his grip, but he held firm, and the urge to move vanished as I watched my brother, horrified.

Zarek flinched. “This will be the last night he’ll be in pain. Until then, he should really go lie down while I deal with you.”

“I won’t rest while you’re trying to kill my sister, asshole,” Jason gasped from the floor.

“I’m not going to kill her.” He ran his fingers gently through my hair. A lover’s caress.

“Regan, get away from him.” When I didn’t move, he glared at Zarek. “What are you doing to her?”

“Touching enhances my hold over her.” He released his grip on my arm and slid his hands up to my shoulders to pull me to him and kiss my throat. I jerked out of his embrace, unable to think. I had to get some distance from him.

My head ached, and my mouth was as dry as the desert. I drew my knife and backed away from him. “Let go of my mind, damn it!”

“Put that knife down.” The order came through so clearly I couldn’t tell if Zarek had spoken aloud or if it was all in my head.

Pain detonated behind my eyes. It was so ferocious I almost passed out. My hand shook so badly that I almost dropped the blade.

“Come here, damn it! Stop fighting me.”

Agony scattered my thoughts. I stumbled as the weight of his mind crashed into mine. The knife clattered to the ground. My knees cracked as they hit the floor, but I barely noticed the pain. No physical sensation compared to what was going on in my head.

His commands bombarded me. I wanted to beg him to stop, to tell him I’d do whatever he wanted, but my teeth were clenched together against the words, and I couldn’t force them apart.

Suddenly, everything stopped. I came to my senses, lying huddled on the floor, drenched in sweat. My short nails had managed to dig into my palms. I uncurled my fingers. Blood oozed from the little crescents indented in my palms.

“Get up, Regan, damn it! You need to run.” My brother started pulling me roughly to my feet.

“What happened?”

“I jumped Zarek, but he won’t be down for long.”

I glanced around and noticed the demolished bar. Broken glass and wood lay strewn everywhere. The mirrors behind the bar were cracked and coated in blood.

My brother shoved me toward the door, and I almost fell. He grabbed my hand to steady me and froze. “You’re bleeding.” His grip tightened around my hand, and I flinched.

He dropped my hand and spun away so fast that I couldn’t track the movement. “Run, Regan. You’ll end up dead if you don’t.”

“You have to come with me. I can’t leave you here.”

He looked over his shoulder for a split second, but he didn’t turn around. “Don’t you get it? You’re bleeding. Even if you weren’t, I’m not sure I could go with you. Adrenaline got me this far, but I’m stretching my control to the limit just standing this close to you. I’ve resisted feeding until now. It’s why I’m in even more pain than normal.”

Tears streaked down my face. “Jason, I can’t leave you here. He’ll kill you for this.”

I grabbed his shoulder and spun him around. He hissed, baring razor sharp fangs. He knocked my hand away, covered his face, and backpedaled.

Tears completely obscured my vision. A sob tore through my body. “Jason, come with me! I can’t… You keep me safe. It’s my fault this happened to you. Please!”

He didn’t take his hands off his face. “This isn’t your fault.”

The rubble that used to be the bar shifted before Zarek sat up.

He wiped the blood out of his eyes and pointed at Jason. “I’m going to kick your ass, boy.”

Jason pushed me toward the door and took up a fighting stance in front of me. “Regan, run! I’ll find a way out, but right now you need to be somewhere safe.”

I backed away, glancing around the bar. The Devil’s Trap’s patrons sat around watching the show, but none interfered.

When my gaze went back to Zarek, he was already up and heading toward me. He shoved my brother so hard Jason dented the wall. I turned and ran for dear life.

Chapter Five

I staggered into my house. I was shocked I’d made it home. My head pounded as Zarek continued to try to command me back to him. But for some reason he hadn’t pursued me outside the bar. He’d probably chosen to deal with my brother and save me for later. I crawled up the stairs. I’d grind my teeth down to nubs if Zarek didn’t stop calling me.

I needed a shower, but I wasn’t going to make it. I couldn’t even see straight. I flopped facedown on my big, fluffy bed. I didn’t even bother to take my shoes off before I climbed up to the pillows. I drifted off to sleep with no problem.

***

I was lying in the center of a massive canopy bed that definitely wasn’t mine. The gauzy black curtains billowed around me. A figure moved just beyond them.

“Black silk sheets, black curtains that are transparent, but I somehow can’t see through them? This is a little clichéd, isn’t it? Show yourself, leech.”

“All right.” Zarek’s voice seemed to echo all around me.

“Oh joy, another cliché,” I muttered under my breath.

Zarek parted the curtains. He was shirtless, as usual. His muscular chest was so pale that it almost glowed. I wanted to lick his gorgeous abs. Black leather pants encased his powerful thighs. His big feet were bare.

I blushed when I realized I’d given him the same full body stare that I hated to get from men. I’d also been silent for a minute or two while I’d studied him. I told myself it was his vampire powers. Yeah right, it was my hormones and the fact that he had a body any woman would drool over.

I sat up. “What are you doing in my dreams? Where is my brother?”

“Don’t worry about your brother. He won’t be hurt.”

I opened my mouth to question him further, but he placed his fingers against my lips and climbed into bed with me. “Don’t ask again. I won’t give you more details. As for your other question, this isn’t really a dream. We’re communicating. You’re still fighting me. How do you do that?” He stroked a hand down my cheek, and the pain in my head vanished.

I sighed and fell back on the bed. “I’d say thank you, but you’re the asshole who gave me that headache.”

His eyebrows came together, and he frowned.

I propped myself up on my elbows. “What?”

He grinned. It was charming and warm. I wasn’t fooled for a second. I wasn’t talking to a nice creature. I was talking to something as soulless and evil as the Devil himself.

“It’s nothing, never mind. You really shouldn’t fight me.”

I smiled sweetly. I was sure it didn’t reach my eyes. “Don’t try to control me.”

He sighed. “You attacked me, Regan. You’ve killed people I care about. But I didn’t want to have to kill you. I just wanted you stopped. If you were a human hunter, making you a slave would have worked.”

“What do you mean a ‘human hunter’? I am human. Well, for the most part. Witches still fall into the definition of human.”

“Being mortal doesn’t make you human. Trust me, witches are a breed unto themselves, and you’re not a witch. At least one of your parents was a vampire.” He splayed his hand over my heart. “I can feel it now. Gifts build mental barriers to keep vampires from figuring out what they are, but in your dreams, your shields are down.”

I didn’t believe him for a second. “That’s not possible. The dead can’t reproduce.”

He laughed. “You make it sound like we’re a bunch of zombies. We die for no more than a minute. Then our hearts start back up again. It’s hard for us to sexually reproduce, but not because we’re a bunch of walking dead. You definitely had a vampire parent. I knew your blood tasted strange. It was so powerful.”

He took a deep breath and closed his eyes like he could still taste it. I must have been making a disgusted face because when he looked at me he laughed.

“I wonder…” His lips curled up on one side into an evil half smile I would have found endearing if I hadn’t known who and what he was.

The next thing I knew I was straddling his lap, clinging to him like a vine. My tongue stroked his while he stayed completely passive, his hand resting on the curve of my ass.

I pushed myself off him, and my temples started throbbing.

“Come back here and kiss me, Regan.”

“No!”

The pain returned, exploding in my brain intensely; everything went white. When I could make sense of the world around me again, I was in the fetal position in the middle of the bed. Every muscle in my body ached from being clenched into that position. Tears and sweat caused my hair to stick to my face.

I had to get him to stop. I couldn’t do this again. I looked up at Zarek. “Please!” I managed to gasp. “Please stop. It hurts so badly. I’ll do anything you want, just don’t do that anymore.”

He pulled me into his arms, and the pain immediately eased. “God, I’m such a fucking asshole. I’m sorry, I’ll stop.” He leaned back and wiped the tears from my face. “You’re not trying to kill me, so I shouldn’t be trying to force you to do anything. I’m done until we fight again. I swear.” He kissed my forehead.