Her Vampire Temptation (Midnight Doms Book 8) Page 14

  I stand by Bri, torn. I need to go to my lair downstairs and rest until nightfall. I also need her to stay here, safe. And I need to feed.

  The night being what it was, I haven’t gotten the chance for fresh blood. I have a pitcher of reserve in my fridge, and a hundred bags in my lair freezer as emergency stock, but who wants that, when the best quality stuff is right in front of you?

  “I’m sorry to do this,” I whisper into her ear, knowing she can’t hear me. I’m not saying it into her mind, either. I guess the apology is just for me. Or maybe I’m not that sorry.

  I bend down and dip my fangs into her neck, her soft white skin, let them go deeper than I ever have. Her fresh blood bursts onto my tongue, and I almost cry out with the pleasure of her taste. When I’ve taken enough, I lick the wound shut and enter her mind—this time strong. Masterful.

  “Sleep until I come for you,” I order her. But it’s a soft order, one that she needs to accept.

  She seems to mull it over for a second in her subconscious, questioning whether it’s a valid command…

  “Because I am your master. You promised you’d do as I say. Remember?” I flash her images of our lovemaking. Her begging. Her promises.

  Oh, I know she only meant it for the moment…but I hope it’s enough to let her agree to this, for now.

  And thankfully, she does. She sighs, then goes into an even deeper sleep than she was before, her breath soft and even.

  I cover her with a woven blanket and drop a kiss on her forehead. Then, on a second thought, I pick her up and put her into my bed. She’ll be more comfortable there than on the couch.

  Karl needs to rest himself, so there’s no chance he’ll be back before nightfall, and anyway, my home is protected with multiple alarms and locks. Bulletproof glass, steel frame construction and doors—it’s impenetrable to most attacks. So even if Karl sends human allies, they won’t get in.

  I hate to leave her, but the torpor tugs at me. I stumble down to my basement lair, using eye and voice recognition to open my bunker vault, the safe that houses me while I rest away from the sun.

  I drop into unconsciousness faster than usual, tired from the events of the day. The last thought before I go under is of Bri.

  Chapter 18

  Bri

  I awaken as if pushing upward from underwater. I’m in a deeper sleep than I’ve ever had, and it’s terrifying to see the light refracting and moving above me, miles above me, and my lungs about to burst–

  I sit straight up and gasp, then pant. I’m in Alain’s bed, alone.

  The events of the previous hours come back, and with it, the tumult of emotions: Fear. Exhilaration. Lust. Terror.

  “Alain?” There’s no answer, and I feel alone.

  I find the attached bathroom and use it. There’s a brand new toothbrush and a tube of toothpaste, expensive French soap and soft plush towels, and I use them too. The mirror is spotless, not a single water mark; it could be a window.

  The girl looking back at me is a wraith with pale skin, bags under her eyes, unkempt hair.

  There’s a brush, seemingly brand new, so I use that as well. At least now the wraith doesn’t look 100 percent homeless. Small wins.

  I hear a rustle from the other room, the main room where I fell asleep across from priceless art, while vampires conspired in undertones.

  “Alain?” I pad out on socked feet, and peer in. “Oh, it’s you. Slash. And—you. I’ve seen you before.”

  The other man is tall and darkly handsome. He’s the one from the bar.

  “Ow.” I put a hand to my forehead. It’s like a light flashing off and on; the image of him drinking a glass of red fluid. I force my mind to focus, and the image stops shattering itself, hovers for a second, and stays. “I remember you. You were drinking a glass of blood. At Club Toxic. And later you asked…” I flush. “Uh, something.” I’m not about to say, in front of Slash, that Martin asked to share while Alain was spanking me.

  He starts. “How do you remember that?” He clears his throat. “I apologize sincerely for the, ah, other thing. I won’t ask again.”

  “Who are you?” I counter, fighting a flush.

  “I’m…“ he breaks off, smiles, but it seems sad. “I’m Martin. A friend of Alain’s.”

  “I’m Bri.” I frown. Still feeling twinges from the way the memory twanged and moved in my mind.

  Martin gazes at me. “If you’re hungry, there are human provisions in the—that. The immense silver storage compartment. It’s cold.”

  “You mean the fridge?” I raise my brows.

  “See for yourself.” He regards the refrigerator with a look of awe. “It’s miraculous.”

  “Where are you even from?” Because I’m starving and Alain isn’t around and because this is the most surreal thing that’s ever happened to me, I follow his direction.

  I open the door and blink—the main shelf is filled with a magazine-worthy chocolate cake, macarons in a fancy plastic box, at least fifteen jars of caviar, French cheeses with ribbons and exotic wrappers, and an extremely large piece of what is probably Serrano ham. The other item, a pitcher of something red—I’m assuming blood, doesn’t appeal.

  “The better question is when he’s from,” Slash says. He’s typing as he talks, and his face takes on a slight blue glow from the screen of his laptop.

  “What do you mean?” I glance at him around the fridge door, then reach for the cake. I’m going to channel my inner Marie Antoinette and have a shit-ton of this deliciousness. I think I deserve it, you know?

  “He’s old, Bri. And then he napped for a century and just woke up, so he’s like, a time traveler.” He raises one hand to do air quotes on the word napped.

  “Are you that old, too?” I stare at Slash, fascinated.

  “No.” He doesn’t elaborate. Keeps his head down, looking at his screen.

  “About my brain. My memories.” I’m not about to give up on that topic. I place the cake onto the shiny granite countertop and look in the closest drawer for a knife and fork. “What’s going on there?”

  Neither of them answers.

  Then I feel him from behind me—Alain. I turn to look at him, fork in hand. “Hi.”

  I feel strange in his presence. Like we’re linked more deeply than before, in a way I don’t understand.

  “Bri.” His gaze is possessive and warm as it travels over me, and the little smile that hovers on his lips tells me that he’s feeling the same instant attraction. He’s just as handsome as the first time I met him, and God help me, if those other two weren’t here right now, I’d jump him.

  “We need to talk. You need to explain.” My words tumble out. “All of this.”

  “Ah, we’ll give you some privacy. Call us when you want us back.” Slash gestures to Martin. “Come on.” The two of them exchange a look like they’re not too happy about this and blur away; to where, I don’t know. But I can tell we’re alone.

  “Now please. Tell me. About you. About what—how you are this way.” I stare at Alain.

  “I’m a vampire.” He sighs. “I’m three hundred years old. I have some immortal friends and an enemy. Karl came at you last night. He wants to ruin me and is willing to destroy Tucson’s vampire community and kill countless humans to do it. He’s also out of control with his lust for blood and power, and if he’s not stopped, he’ll wreak havoc.”

  “Oh.” I process this. “Okay.”

  “The thing with Karl? I made him. I turned him, a century ago. So I have an unusual bond with him. I made Martin, too, but he and I have a positive bond. We’re allies. Karl is an enemy. I…should never have turned him. It was a bad choice. I hoped I could rehabilitate him, convince him to be different, but it was ineffective. I’ve learned since then, but at this point, it’s either me or Karl. One of us needs to die. And it’s not going to be me. And I swear I won’t let him harm you, either.”

  He looks at me. Waiting.

  “Where were you from?” I shake my head. I have so many
questions, so I’ll ask these now and circle back to the danger. The attack.

  “Europe.” He has a far-away look on his face. “France. My family was wealthy, but money couldn’t pay for health, and three of my younger siblings died in infancy. The one who survived apart from me, my brother, it was just the two of us.”

  He has a fond look on his face. “He was sick, too, though. He had what today is called ALS or something much like it. His muscles stopped working.”

  “You searched for the castle with him?”

  He nods. “Yes. We thought maybe there was a buried treasure. I had dreams of finding a cure for him.”

  “Like, what kind of cure?”

  He sighs. “We didn’t know much about the body, about healing. I was hoping for magic. An amulet.” He shakes his head. “instead, we dug up a vampire. A sleeping vampire, in his lair. He wasn’t well protected by any means.”

  My eyes widen. “And then?”

  “It was my fault. I was the one who woke him. He was angry. Hungry. He…“ His voice breaks for a second. “He killed my brother in front of me. Drained his blood and tossed the body aside. Said that was a favor for both of us—me, because I was still alive. My brother, because it spared him a death far more gruesome.”

  I go silent, waiting for him to continue. “Sated, he toyed with me. Said he could keep me in his lair and save me for a meal, later. Kill me next time he had hunger. But I was clever, in my desperation. I saw that he had nothing, no clothes, no real protection, so I bartered with him. Said I’d bring him what he needed if he spared me. Said I’d get him money, clothes, whatever he wanted. Said he had no better chance for his long-term prosperity without being caught.”

  “And he said yes?”

  “He did. So I made a pact with my brother’s killer.” His voice is low and full of pain. “I brought him jewelry and valuables from my family home, so he could sell them and accumulate wealth. I gave him clothing from my father’s collection. Horses. Everything he wanted. And he fed on me, too, regularly, although not enough to take my life.” He shudders.

  “Your family didn’t notice the missing things?”

  “Of course, they did. Servants were blamed. Fired.” He shakes his head. “One jailed. Died in jail.” His jaw clenches. “And I said nothing to save him.”

  I don’t know what to say. His story is horrifying. Fascinating. I’m distressed and eager to hear more at the same time.

  “He was ruthless. He exploited me until it became natural to me, too. And when I was older, stronger, he decided to turn me into one of his own. To serve him.”

  “So you got turned into a vampire against your will?” My voice trembles.

  He’s silent for a moment. “It wasn’t against my will. I said yes. You have to really want it. Beg for it, even.”

  “But you’re…” I hesitate. “You’re not a bad person now. Right?” I raise my brows. The truth is that I know nothing about him apart from the fact that he’s good in bed, and we have a bond. But I sense it; he’s hard but not evil. Please, I beg silently in my mind. Please.

  He looks away. “For many years I did things—I don’t know if one can atone for such deeds. All I know is I’m trying.”

  “’Did you kill people?”

  He nods. “Yes.” He has a bleak expression. “I did.”

  “Why?”

  “Because my master bade me do it. For his nourishment. For his protection. And sometimes for his pleasure. And I was beholden to him, until I was able to break free from his control.” He swallows. “And yet I still continued to kill for a time, for my own anger and my own pleasure. I killed so many humans I lost count. And eventually, I killed my master, too.”

  “Alain!” I stand up, horrified.

  “I’m not going to hurt you.” He puts up a hand. “That life is behind me. I’ve evolved.”

  “That’s not the point!” I step back. “You—you’re a murderer!” I put a hand to my mouth. Nausea roils in my gut.

  “Not anymore.” He steps forward, and I back up again. “In fact, I do the opp-“

  I don’t let him finish. “How could you—be with me? Without telling me? You let me have sex with you, and you’ve killed people for pleasure?” I think I’m going to vomit. I have to focus to hold it back. “When were you planning to tell me this?”

  I think about Alain as a young man—vampire. Killing people with the same look of glee, perhaps, that I saw on Karl’s face as he attacked.

  “I…was never going to tell you. I was going to wipe your mind.” He says it quietly. “Let you go on your way, after our one night together.”

  “Wipe my mind?”

  “It’s a thing we can do, vampires. We can erase certain memories. In most people. You, though…” he shakes his head. “You reacted so badly to it. I knew if I had to do a longer, more serious wipe, it could cause brain damage.”

  “You were going to brain damage me?” I can’t comprehend this.

  “No!” He roars it. Then repeats it quietly. “No. When I saw it didn’t work, I decided I wasn’t going to wipe you. Not again. I swear it. I will never wipe a memory from you again without your permission.”

  “But you tried it?”

  “Two times. Once at the bar, then after we fucked the first night. When you got into the cab. But never again. My promise is my word.”

  “So that’s why I’ve been having weird headaches and my memory is all messed up?” I put a hand to my head. “I think maybe Karl did it once too. Because after I saw him the first time, I got a horrible headache and forgot him for a while. And the memories are shaky.”

  He nods. “It’s your memories fighting to come back. Your brain doesn’t like being wiped.”

  I’m as horrified as I’ve ever been. My heart pounds so fast I think it might burst. “Get away from me!” A tear of despair rolls down my cheek. “Alain, I let you control me. I trusted you.”

  “And you still can.” He holds out a hand. “I’m different, now, Bri. I’m not that vampire anymore, the one who killed. That was right after I was turned. My mind broke, and it took time to regain control of myself. I tried to tell you, I’ve set up a foundation to research and cure illnesses.”

  “You’re a killer! And you were going to erase my memories. And I let you take control of me…and… How the hell do you have the right to even do that? Who the fuck do you think you are?”

  I’m so enraged that I want to scream, to break things: His things. I want to put a knife through his art. I want to—I want to get the hell out of here.

  I look to the door, the windows. It’s night again—“How did I sleep all day? I need to go home. Please!”

  “I went into your mind. I encouraged you to sleep, so you could rest and not awaken while I was torpid. I have to sleep while the sun is out. All vampires do. The sun kills us.”

  I laugh without humor. “I guess we have that in common.” Even though I’m angry beyond words, the fact that we do have that in common warms my heart in a strange way because I rarely find anyone who understands my situation.

  I cross my arms and shiver although I’m not cold. “You have to let me go home.”

  “I can’t do that.” His voice is low and firm. “Hate me if you want, Bri, but you’re not leaving here.”

  “Oh, yes I am.” I march to the door and grab the handle. “And if you come after me, so help me God…”

  I twist and turn, but the knob won’t turn. The door is solid. “Why won’t it open?” I yank and pull. “Alain, you can’t keep me captive.” I run to the sliding doors off the kitchen, but those, too, refuse to move. I pull at a window. “Alain, let me out!”

  “No.”

  “Then I’ll break my way out!” I grab the closest thing, a metal bowl, and hurl it at the sliding door. It hits with a low thung and bounces off, barely missing me as it careens past me to hit the floor and shudder to a stop.

  “Bri, stop that. You can’t get out, so don’t try. You’ll hurt yourself.”

  “I�
��ll do whatever the fuck I want! Fuck you!” I scream. I reach for the next closest item, a little brass sculpture that looks expensive. It’s heavy. I throw it as hard as I can at the door and wail.

  “That’s enough.” Alain is at my side in a flash, and the statue is back on the door. He wraps me in his arms. “I told you to stop.”

  “And I told you I won’t!” I’m frantic now, out of my mind with fear and desperation.

  “You’re going to obey me,” he snarls and locks eyes with me. “Now. Or else.”

  “Or else what? You’ll kill me?”

  “I said I will never harm you, Bri, and I mean it. But I’m not opposed to spanking some sense into you.” He gives me a little smile that doesn’t reach his eyes. “If that’s what you need to settle down.”

  “You can go fuck yourself. I’m not going to settle down.”

  “All right, then. Spanking it is.”

  “Alain, no! I’m not into it right now!” I punch at him as hard as I can.

  “Yeah, fight me,” he whispers into my ear. “Fight me, baby. See if you can get away. Wear yourself out punching.”

  “Let! Me! Go!” I rush him, kicking, trying to scratch.

  He grabs my forearms, effortlessly, holding me in place. Locking me with his eyes, his mind as well.

  Stop.

  The voice echoes in my mind. His voice, and I can hear it even though he’s not talking –

  I go still, eyes widening.

  “You see?” He touches my face. “You still trust me.”

  I narrow my eyes.

  “You wouldn’t have given me control unless you trusted me,” he murmurs. “Because your heart told you I was a safe bet. Your instincts were right. I may have a dark past, but you can trust the Alain who exists here, today.”

  “You lied to me.” I try to pull away from him, still enraged.

  “Everyone lies.” His voice is hard. “But not all for the same reason. I lied to protect you not to hurt you.”

  “But you hurt me anyway.”

  “And you are going to hurt me, too.”

  “Oh, because I won’t fuck a murderer?” I hiss.