A Wicked Hunger (Creatures of Darkness 1) (25 page)

Then Trent sent an accusatory glance her way as if she were to blame for their behavior. She cringed, wondering if he’d changed his mind and was about to kill her.

As Mace and Knox pulled themselves to stand, Trent repeated his declaration for them to “work it out.” Adding, “I can’t stay here and babysit you both. In fact, I should have left an hour ago.”

When he turned in to the hall and headed down the stairs, Cora scurried off the bed toward Mace. He opened his arms for her and folded her in his embrace. Then, with a parting grimace at Knox, he guided her downstairs after Trent.

She tried to block out Knox’s insolent satisfaction, pouring over her like sticky glue, and to her surprise, it actually dimmed a bit.

“Hold on,” Mace called
to Trent.

Trent looked up as he donned his coat, and Mace swiftly informed him of Cora’s total loss of appetite, seeking advice.

Once more, Trent glared at her in accusation. “She’s definitely primed for the change.”

Knox lumbered down the stair
s, joining them. His disgruntled expression matched Trent’s.

“It’s a process that only few have knowledge of,” Trent continued, “with even fewer aware of the catalyst. When the process is prolonged, appetite is often affected.” Cold eyes rolled over her as he added, “But she won’t change. Just keep an eye on her. Her appetite might return. In the meant time, make sure she eats.”

Mace glanced down at her, and she knew he would stock the kitchen at the first opportunity.

Before he left, Trent pulled a small package from his coat pocket and handed it to Knox. “Almost forgot to leave this with you,” he said.

Knox took the item without reply.

* * *

“Try not to destroy this one,” Cora said as they transferred their things to the tidy room across the hall. Once Trent had gone, and Knox disappeared to the underground compound, she seemed to relax.

She was smiling again, at least.

But Mace could tell how hard she was trying to hide the fragility of it.

He set the bundle of her clothes he’d gathered from the other room on the bed, and she dove into folding them.

He perched on the mattress, leaning his back against the headboard with one of his legs dangled over the side. For a long while, he was content just to watch her work, intent on her task. Her delicate arms moved with swift grace, her fingers nimble as she stacked the clothing and then plucked another garment to repeat the process.

He must truly be in love if he can find her sexy during the mundane task of tending laundry. He let that thought percolate.

However, his mind soon drifted to how drastically her behavior changed around Knox. When he was near, she became like a completely different person. Suppressed. Like a flower that closes as night creeps in.

“Does Knox remind you of Edgar?” he blurted.

She froze mid-action, the shirt in her hands half finished. Unease seeped into him.

She lowered the garment. “In a way, you all do.”

He frowned. How could
he
possibly remind her of a sicko like that?

As though gathering the direction of his thoughts, she hurriedly explained, “Not so much you…entirely…anymore…It’s more of the situation. My life is in constant danger. I feel like I’m treading on thin ice, and at any moment, I could find myself in another chokehold.”

He grimaced.

“Along with that, I’m trapped here with—”

“Trapped?” His brow furrowed.

She gave him a withering look. “Can I leave?”

He pursed his lips and settled back against the wall, not about to answer.

“Well, then.” She went back to folding. 

“Do you want to leave?”

She slowed, but didn’t look up. “I don’t want to be afraid anymore.”

“Is that a yes?” His words came out harsher than he meant.

She sighed, set the garment away, and approached him. With no hesitation at all, she slipped onto his lap and put her arms around his neck. His hooked her waist.

A sadness in her contradicted her actions.

“Put yourself in my shoes. You called me a survivor, and you’re probably right. I don’t want to die. I
do
care about you, but part of me thinks I might be safer away from you.”

His fingers dug into her hips possessively. She winced, and he forced himself to relax.

“But maybe I’m not as much a survivalist as you think. It would be easy for me to tell you that I love you, and I never want to be separated from you, but I can’t bring myself to lie to you like that.” She offered an apologetic look before turning thoughtful. “Then I think about being away from you, and I get a little anxious. Sad. Then I think that’s crazy, like maybe I’m coming down with Stockholm syndrome, which is possible, you have to admit. Then I think about the things we’ve done to each other and my heart goes all wonky—”

Mace chuckled. “You’re mixed up.”

“Big time,” she concurred. “I know what you want from me. All I can say is when I figure it out, I’ll let you know.”

“How sweet.”
From the hallway, Knox’s voice curled around the corner of the open door. In the next instant, he appeared, taking up the space of the threshold.

Mace nearly shot to his feet, but Cora now clung to his neck like a spider monkey. He squeezed her closer and flashed his former friend an expression that said, “This belongs to me.”

Knox inclined his head as if to reply, “If I wanted, I could take it from you.”

“Can I assist you with something?” Mace hissed.

“Found this in the other room.” He didn’t enter, only reached his hand in to set a book on the reading desk near the door. “Someone forgot it.”

Cora looked away, and Knox smirked.
Clearly, whatever he intended to communicate had been telegraphed, and received.

When Knox turned to head downstairs, Cora hopped off Mace’s lap and crossed swiftly to close the door. She didn’t
so much as glance at the book.

“What was that about?” he asked.

She shrugged, and went back to her folding. And just like that, she was closed to him.

He glowered. “Come here.”

She stilled at his tone, going tense.

“Please,” he added. “I liked you where you were.”

After a moment, she smiled and returned to his lap. He rewarded her with a tender kiss. She leaned in, expounding upon it by running her fingers along the back of his neck.

“Are you trying to get me going?” he rumbled.

“Can’t you tell?”

He had intended to talk with her more, he’d been enjoying their conversation, but blood from his brain had transferred to a more demanding region of his anatomy.
“It’s too easy for you.”

She bit her lip, and her eyes turned sultry.

Mace eased out from under Cora’s limp arm, then leaned over and placed a soft kiss on her forehead. She slept soundly as he stabbed his feet into his jeans and then slipped quietly into the hallway.

It didn’t take long to find Knox. He was in the living room, lounging on the couch and watching…

Mace stopped short. “For the love of god, don’t watch that down here. What if Cora
were to see that?”

Without taking his eyes from the porn flick, Knox replied, “Girl might learn a thing or two. Why aren’t you hissing at me like a cat in heat right now?”

“I’m here to talk,” Mace replied evenly.

A sardonic gaze landed on him as a climactic scene came to an end. “You’re serious?”

“And I need one of those inoculations Trent left for you. I haven’t had one in a while.”

Knox hit the mute button, and the salacious sounds cut off. “You want something from me? I want something from your little lady.”

Mason’s teeth gnashed together. “Is this how it’s going to be from now on?”

Knox shrugged.
“Pretty much.”

“And what is it you think you should get from her?”

“What do you think? I want her available to me whenever I want.”

Mace glowered. “Not going to happen.”

“Then I’ll just
take
her whenever I want.”

“You sorry son of a bitch!”

Knox sat forward. “Talking pretty to me doesn’t work, lover boy.”

Gnashing his teeth, Mace said, “
What
will
work? What will it take for you to leave her alone?”

Knox leaned forward with unwavering seriousness. “Blood, Mason.
Blood that will keep me strong and sated. Let’s see…where can we find that at?”

“What about bloodletting? We could keep pints of it in the fridge just for you.”

“While you get the fresh, warm stuff?”

Mace waited, sensing the offer intrigued him.

Knox’s grin grew broad. He leaned back and rested one arm along the back of the couch. With the other, he pulled out a sealed syringe cartridge from a side-pocket of his black cargo pants and balanced it between his thumb and forefinger. Turning thoughtful, he began to twirl and weave the thing between his fingers like a magician with a coin. “So if I hand over one of my doses, I get Cora’s blood any time I want?”

“As long as she can supply it without harming herself.
Yes.”

“You think she’s going to be okay with that?”

“She’ll have to be, won’t she?”

“Since she already has you by the balls, maybe you should ask her first.”

Mace shook his head, ignoring the insult. “We settle this now, tonight. I’ll inform her of our decision in the morning.”

Knox
smirked and slid the syringe across the table. “You’ve got yourself a deal, mate. But…I think she already knows.” He gestured behind Mace with roguish eyes.

Anger and betrayal slammed into Mace from behind. He turned to see Cora’s bare feet beating a path up the stairs.

“Cora…!” With the sound-deafening spell in place, he could just imagine the door to their room slamming shut. To Knox, he said, “You really are a son of a bitch.”

Knox chuckled.
“Too right.”

He unmuted the television.

Cora paced furiously.

She was just a product for their consumption! How dare Mace bargain her off to
Knox.

The nerve! The repugnance!

“Bastards!” she hissed.

She whirled around when a crack rang out and the door burst open. The doorjamb was now splintered where the lock had been.

Mace entered.

Not even a courtesy knock
, she thought bitterly.

“How much did you hear?” he asked.

“You! Selling me like a whore!” she screamed, then hurled a pillow at him.

He batted it away, and it flopped to his feet.

Her gaze darted for something with more substance. Finding nothing nearby, she settled on the other pillow.

Same as the first, he swatted it away, then lifted his palms in the air and attempted to approach her.

“Get away from me!”

He halted, his brows rising at her tone.

“I wasn’t selling you,” he countered defensively. “I mean, I didn’t mean to…I thought it would be better this way. Less painful for you.”

“Less painful than if Knox had constant access to my blood?” she replied, not quelling the sarcasm. “He gets me any time he wants?”

“No. Just your blood. I figured you would prefer it this way. Otherwise Knox is going to put his fangs in you whenever he gets a chance. I can’t watch him all the time.”

His words seemed a bit convoluted. “So, what are you saying? I should just accept him the same as I have you?”

“Of course not. It wouldn’t be the same at all.”

“How would it be different? When he drank from me earlier I felt…something.” Heat ran over her cheeks.

The sting of Mason’s furious jealousy sank into her. She flinched, and a darkness overtook his features.

“Unfortunately, that’s to be expected with any vampire’s bite,” he said. “Which is why I suggested the bloodletting instead.”

She stilled, her breath heaving with vexation. “The what now?”

“Bloodletting.
So that he doesn’t take straight from your vein.”

Her brows shot up, as her shoulders sank. “Oh.”

Mason seemed to relax a touch. “You didn’t hear that part, did you?”

“Um….”

Mason explained his deal with Knox, making it sound so…reasonable.

Still, she held resentment. “Will he be satisfied by that? What if he changes his mind? And what
’s this
dose
that made you sell my blood so freely? Without even talking to me first?”

“
It’s not important for you to know.”

She worried her bottom lip. “Are you ill?”

Mace studied her. She got the sense that her concern satisfied him in some way, which made her eyes narrow stubbornly.

“I’m not ill,” he assured, not bothering to conceal his smile.

“Don’t act so smug. I haven’t forgiven you just yet. You still sold my blood without my permission.
My
blood. It doesn’t belong to you.”

His expression fell. “You wanted my protection. I’ve just done what’s best for you.”

“Well, maybe protection isn’t enough. I should have a say in what happens to me.”

Mace turned his head away. “We’ll speak of this later. I’d planned to take you back to
Saraphine in the morning. You should get some rest.”

Her chin shot higher. His statement sounded too much like an order in this moment.
Although, she
was
tired.

Exhausted, really.

And she did want to see
Saraphine again. Not only was the young witch spunky, and snarky to Mace, which Cora found humorous, but she’d felt an instant kinship with the girl. Also, maybe if her alleged powers were unbound, she’d finally be able to defend herself—a necessity if she were expected to contend with Knox.

Goddess, she hoped this magic thing wasn’t fictitious.

And yet, she couldn’t let Mace continue to think she would give into his every whim. She needed to dig her heels in before it became a habit.

“I’d like some space tonight,” she informed him, amplifying her conviction through the use of her emotions and tightly crossed arms.

He didn’t respond for a long while, his features going dark. Finally, he replied, “Sleep well, then. I’ll fetch you in the morning.”

With that, he closed her in the room.

Cora sighed and crossed to the window, glancing out over the darkened forest as she contemplated how that last look on Mace’s face had spiked her pulse, and not in the way she liked.

He’d reacted strongly to something she’d said, but she couldn’t decipher what.

A flash in the distance drew her attention. What had that been? A light of some kind? It came again from behind a large tree, joined by another. A dark figure, low to the ground, prowled through the forest, and she realized what the lights were.

Glossy eyes flashed once more, and it reminded her of the reflection off an animal’s pupils.

While the human race had been drastically diminished by way of war, poverty, and disease, the natural predators of the land had flourished. It wasn’t uncommon, even in city limits, to spot deer, or foraging bears. She couldn’t see it clearly through the darkness, but by the bulky silhouette, she imagined she was probably looking at the latter.

A wild beast.

She was reminded how much more similar vampires were to animals than humans. She’d be smart to remember that when dealing with Mace. He had essentially claimed her as his mate, and she’d practically rebuked him just now. Maybe that’s why she’d received such a strong mixture of feelings from him. It was part possessiveness spliced with greed. A large portion had been practically uncivilized, barbaric even. And a fraction had been something else entirely, something she couldn’t even begin to describe. 

She shuddered, pushed away from the window, and slipped under the covers, closing her eyes. 

Morning came far too swiftly. Sleep had been restless.

Insanely, she’d felt bereft of Mason’s warmth the whole night.
And…guilty. Had she grown so used to the security of Mason’s presence in such a short time?

And had she really yelled at him like that? Where had that bravado emerged from?

She washed and dressed in a pair of dark jeans that Mace had mentioned liking. A simple midnight-blue tank hung loose on her torso, and she put her hair up in a tight ponytail.

She’d had nearly the whole of the night to rationalize his high-handed decision, and her conclusion was
simply this: Though she despised that he’d made that choice for her, it actually was an acceptable option for the time being. Knox could be mollified, leaving her free of harassment.

By the time Mace came for her, the sun was just cracking the tree line.

Cora took him in.

A black jacket hugged his torso. Under that, the butt of his gun peeked out of a holster that wrapped across his torso. Dark jeans and black utility boots finished off the ensemble.

He looked formidable. Terrifying. Sexy.

When she finally looked up at his face, she found him solemn. Yet determination was carved into the creases around his mouth.

There was a lot she wanted to say. She wanted to rid them both of this tension that had settled like a valley between them. Instead, she glided forward till only an inch separated them and lowered her forehead to his shoulder.

As if he understood what she needed, his arms came around her, his palms flat on the small of her back. She didn’t know how long they stood like that, but eventually, without a word, they separated and made their way to the car.

“Going into town?” Knox shoved into the back seat, popping out of nowhere. “I’ll just tag along then, won’t I? Wouldn’t want the two of you love birds plotting to run off without me?”

Cora shrank into the passenger seat, using it as a makeshift shield against his gaze. Mace seethed, but didn’t respond as he started the ignition. The engine grumbled to life, and the car jerked into motion.

“Done a number on this beauty of a car,” Knox commented blithely, brushing bits of glass over the edge of the back seat with his hand.

No one replied.

“It’s a right heap. I know a guy. We could trade it for something more suitable for our…growing family.” The last words were growled low, soaked in sarcasm.

Cora’s shoulders tensed so badly her neck started to hurt.

“Knox, shut the fuck up,” Mace fired at him.