Marked for Pleasure [Blood Bond] (18 page)

She got a brief glimpse of Joseph’s silver car and nearly toppled over from relief.

“In the basement!” He all but shoved her down the stairs and bolted the door. She heard his muffled voice from the other side. “You’ll be safe down there.”

Please find me.
She didn’t like the darkness, no candles, no warmth. Without the brothers it was just a spooky cellar-like basement, not an erotic playground.

* * * *

“That’s his Beemer.” Joseph pointed to the black car parked at the side of the house. Christian joined him on the porch. No sign of Francis yet, but he was the farthest from the house when he’d made the original call.

Joseph unlocked the front door. “Heidi?” he called out. There was no answer. Even though he didn’t expect one, it still shook him to the core.

“
Split
up,” said Christian. “I’ll check upstairs.”

Joseph searched the kitchen, the living rooms, office, and dining area. There was no sign of Jeremy or Heidi. Christian met him in the foyer, breathless from his search. He shook his head, confirming he hadn’t found anything. Only minutes had passed because they were able to move with inhuman speed.

“Basement,” said Joseph.

They converged on the heavy wooden door. It was the only place they could be if they were still in the house. Maybe the car was a diversion and they were actually long gone. His nerves spiked as a hundred unsavory possibilities flooded his thoughts.

He entered the darkness first, moving with caution. Christian followed. As he scanned the room he saw Heidi…and Jeremy. He stood behind her, a knife to her throat.

“Stay away from me,” the human warned.

“Let. Her. Go,” said Joseph, his voice slow and controlled. All his senses were narrowed in on the knife at Heidi’s throat. He could move fast, but not fast enough if Jeremy decided to slice her neck. She was still mortal, so a lethal wound would kill her.

“Uh-uh. We’re both leaving here and you’re not going to stop us.”

“You’re not getting up those stairs, so give me the girl.” Joseph took another step closer, but the bastard pressed the knife deeper. Heidi gasped, and a single droplet of blood slipped down her neck.

The human was as good as dead. Joseph already envisioned a thousand ways he’d torture him for hurting his mate.

“Stay back!”

Christian chimed in, “What is it that you want? Money? We can give you money. The girl can do nothing for you.”

“I’m saving her!”

Joseph fumed. “She’s our woman. She wants to be here. How are you saving her by slicing her throat?”

“It’s a better fate than what she’d suffer at your hands. Where’s the other woman? Did you kill her?”

As Jeremy raved, he shook. The knife continually wavered over Heidi’s sensitive skin. Her head and neck were jutting up at an unnatural angle, her body stiff with fear. He wouldn’t be able to hold out much longer if Christian couldn’t handle things diplomatically.

“We already explained that she was here of her own free will. She’s gone now, back to her own life. If you hand over Heidi, we’ll let you leave. No problems.”

Jeremy shook his head.

“Then let me take her place,” Christian continued. “You can take me wherever you want as long as you let her go.”

Joseph could hear the gate bell chime and knew Francis was only moments away. The humans wouldn’t be able to hear the distant sound. Big brother would save the day as he had so many times in the past. His mind control was evolved and his vampiric powers well honed.

But the scene he’d hoped for fizzled away as Francis burst into the lower level with the force of a hurricane. His power flooded the basement in a heart-stopping wave. Rather than save the day, it spooked the attacker, and he reacted by slicing Heidi’s neck. The deep crimson gash flooded down her blouse, and her limp body slumped to the ground. Horror crossed Jeremy’s features. He raised both arms and dropped the knife with a clatter against the concrete.

“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean it. Honestly, I didn’t mean it…”

Joseph and Christian converged on the male. All his thoughts were of blood and gore and everything evil. They attacked in true vampire fashion as they had in the days of old. Every wound, every tear by his fangs brought him a measure of satisfaction. But once Jeremy’s lifeless body lay still, he had to face the reality he couldn’t undo. Heidi was gone.

* * * *

Francis pulled her body into his lap. For the first time since discovering human emotion, he wished he could give it back. The pain, the grief, the heart-wrenching sorrow was too much. He held her tight, too tight, and whispered in her ear. His brothers dropped to their knees in front of him, their faces equally torn. What would they do without their mate? It was one thing when they didn’t know she existed, another after reveling in her sweetness, her beauty, her innocence.

Christian dropped his head on her chest. His youngest brother was weeping, something he’d normally reprimand him for, but no longer. Francis’s throat was clogged so tight with emotion he couldn’t even speak.

“Her heart beats.” Christian looked up, his damp eyes full of hope.

Francis confirmed that she still breathed, but so faint it wouldn’t last for much longer. Without thought, he used his own fang to tear at his wrist, anything to tap his blood. As it pooled on his skin, he tilted Heidi’s head and fed her the live-giving liquid.

“Christian, Joseph, she needs blood from all her mates to give her immortality. Hurry!”

Joseph was first, slashing his wrist with the same blade that had nearly taken her life, passing it to Christian. They fed her their blood, one after the other. Francis tugged off his shirt and tore it, making a bandage for the leaking wound at her neck. When they’d finished, all they could do was wait.

Francis carried her wilted body up to the second level. He couldn’t help but envision her in a white gown, descending the staircase in a wedding ceremony fit for their princess. She had to survive this.

He laid her on the bed in his room, brushing her pale hair off her face. A sleeping beauty. Would she awaken from a kiss? He leaned over and kissed her still lips, hoping he’d feel them move against his. No such luck.

“Wake for me, little lamb. I have so many wonderful things yet to show you.”

Joseph squeezed his shoulder. “She’ll awaken. She has to.”

He nodded. All they had now was hope. Another human emotion, but one he’d gladly embrace because the despair was far too painful.

Hours passed with no stirring of life, but her heart continued to beat. Francis fell asleep by her side. By the time he awoke, the moon smiled down at him from high in the sky. The room was eerily quiet. Joseph and Christian had also fallen asleep across the side and foot of the bed.

“Heidi,” he whispered in her ear, kissing her cheek. “Can you hear me?”

“You saved me.”

Even though her voice was barely above a murmur, his brothers bolted to attention, both calling out her name. “Heidi?”

“Hush, she’s trying to talk.”

He leaned low so she didn’t have to strain her voice. “I heard you. When everything went black and I couldn’t move, I heard you.”

“What did I say, little lamb?”

She smiled, and he could already see the wound on her neck slowly knitting together. Their blood had done its job. She was theirs forever. Francis’s heart rejoiced.

“You said you’d follow me into heaven or hell. That I belonged to the DeVilles and you wouldn’t share with even the gods or the devil.”

He loved her. He knew without a doubt he’d continue to love her until the end of time.

“You’re immortal now, like us, so I don’t have to worry about my delicate little human anymore. That means no holding back once you recover.” He winked at her. And she chuckled then coughed a little. Francis insisted she not use her voice. He cooed to her, staying by her side through the night as she slept. Joseph and Christian kept vigil on the bed as well.

Francis learned a valuable lesson. One couldn’t tell a person who to love—vampire or human. When it happened it happened, and for Francis and his brothers, their fate was decided before they were born. They were marked and by some miracle found the one woman who could complete them. He’d spend the rest of eternity showing her how thankful he was for finding her.

“I’m feeling better already,” she said.

“Rest now. You’ll have your work cut out for you in the morning. Joseph handled your boss, but you’ll have to explain your new living arrangements to your parents yourself.”

She smiled, her eyes soft and sleepy. “Are my big, bad vampires afraid to confront my father?”

Francis tucked her hair behind her ear and kissed her forehead. He lay down beside her, the whole room warm from sleep.

“I used to fear losing control, of not keeping order in our race. You’ve changed all that. Now, the only thing I’m afraid of is losing you.”

Heidi nuzzled close. “And you never will.”

THE END

WWW.STACEYESPINO.COM

Siren Publishing, Inc.

www.SirenPublishing.com