Blood Born (32 page)

There were only two choices for Nevada. She would be turned or she would die. If she had the power to undo the old spell then she could also cast it all over again, and that could not be allowed. If she were one of the kindred, she’d have no reason to work against them—if any of her innate witchcraft remained within her.

She began to whisper. He knew several languages, and this was not one of them. As Sorin watched, the shimmer he’d noticed on other occasions came to life. It grew. Sparks of light danced within the circle of magic Nevada created. The shimmer became a bubble that surrounded her, encased her. It grew until it almost touched Sorin, and then it stopped. He’d seen her do this once before.

Nevada opened her eyes. “You’re not welcome here,” she whispered. “You cannot come in.”

Unconcerned, Sorin took a single step toward her … and ran into the shield she had created. He could go no farther. He shouldered the transparent bubble, tried to push his way through the shimmer, but it was no use. She was entirely protected.

It occurred to him that if they didn’t have her family as leverage, Nevada could protect herself so none could touch her; she could effectively take “home” with her, wherever she went.

And then she said, “Come in.”

This time when Sorin stepped forward, he easily passed through the shield of protection. He was within it, with Nevada.

“This isn’t new,” he said, displeasure in his voice.

Nevada looked disappointed. “This recent spell is much stronger than the first one. Can’t you feel it?”

“No.”

“Man, I can feel it. It’s like the whole world is buzzing, like the magic is crawling on my skin, but not in a bad way. It’s so
cool
.”

“How close are you to breaking the original spell?” Sorin asked. Nevada was obviously experiencing a rush caused by the power of her magic, but he felt nothing. He was glad she was enjoying herself, but Regina was losing her patience, and he didn’t have an abundance of patience himself. How much longer would Regina give Nevada to finish the job that had been forced upon her? “How long before this is finished?”

“Days, I think,” she whispered.

“Good.” He moved closer to Nevada. She didn’t flinch, didn’t look away. It had been a long time since he’d scared her, though if he tried …

“I have a request,” she said, looking at his chest rather than into his eyes.

It was unlikely that any of her requests would be honored, but it wouldn’t be wise to tell her so, not if she was close to breaking the spell. “What do you want this time?” As if he didn’t know.

“Release my family. Once I know they’re safe, I’ll break the spell for you.”

“This is becoming tiresome …”

“It’s what I need to do this. If I’m going to be responsible for letting vampires loose on the world, I should get
something
in return.”

Sorin didn’t have any qualms about making promises and not keeping them. Still, he hesitated, as if giving the matter some thought. Finally he said, “If you insist.”

She raised her head and looked him in the eye, studying him too closely. “I’ll require proof.”

Nevada was no longer the trembling girl he’d brought to this place. She’d found a new strength.
Perhaps he should complain, but it was that strength that would allow her to break the spell.

“As I will require proof that the spell can be broken before I allow your family to go free.”

She nodded, and in that moment he saw the truth. Nevada wasn’t lying. After three years, she was finally and truly close to breaking the spell.

When no vampire could be denied access to a human’s home, an era of chaos would begin. Sorin smiled. There had been too little chaos in his life of late.

How was she supposed to pack when she didn’t know where she was going or what she’d be doing, how long she’d be gone, what she’d need?
Basics
, Chloe thought. She had to think basics: underwear, socks, jeans, T-shirts. Black yoga pants, and a lightweight sweater. A black knit dress that wouldn’t wrinkle, and a pair of black pumps, because who knew if a war with vampires might require something a little dressy? Yeah, she was feeling more than a little pissy about the whole situation, remembering that … that
fuckfest
last night, wondering what she’d gotten herself into, scared and annoyed and excited all at once. Anyway, if the need arose for a dress, she’d have one. That left enough room for a bag of toiletries and a pair of pajamas, though if last night was any clue, she wouldn’t be needing the pajamas.

As she packed, she could hear Luca moving about in the living room. No,
hear
wasn’t the right word, because he didn’t make any noise. The man was as silent as a cat. But she knew precisely where he was, and when he started walking toward her bedroom, toward
her
, she was instantly swamped in anticipation, hope, and a pounding need that threatened to wipe
away everything else. It was annoying as hell, and so sexy she almost couldn’t bear it.

She was aware of his presence the moment he reached the doorway. She felt more connected to him simply because they were now breathing the same air, and she didn’t know if this bonding deal was a good thing or bad, if perhaps she’d made the biggest, worst mistake of her life. She had bonded herself to a vampire. On the surface, that couldn’t be good. But …
Luca
. Her heart leaped simply because she thought his name. She felt his gaze like a touch, a sense of electricity that hummed between them. He was watching her, watching her more closely than anyone ever had before.

“You called the restaurant?” he asked, his deep voice slicing through her as if the words had taken on a life of their own and physically touched her.

“I did.” She rearranged a pair of socks, staring into her bag so she wouldn’t have to look at Luca. “I told them I was sick—vomiting and diarrhea, to be precise—and would probably be out for several days. No one wants a restaurant employee with the stomach flu to show up for work, no matter how shorthanded they might be.”

“They believed you?”

The simple question touched a nerve, but then she already felt raw and exposed. She was now well
beyond
annoyed. “Why shouldn’t they?” she snapped. “I’m an honest person. I’m dependable. Maybe that’s not exciting, maybe you don’t think it’s much to brag about, but it’s who I am. I don’t stay out of work, I don’t call in sick when I’m not sick, and … and …”

Unwanted tears stung her eyes, and she blinked them back. “Dammit, I’m going to lose my job,” she said, her voice quivering despite her effort to hold it steady. “If I lose my job, I’ll lose my house, and none
of it matters anyway if I’m dead, so forget I said all that.” She bit her lip and turned away, not wanting him to see what a mess she was. “I thought if we bonded I wouldn’t have to hide.”

He blew out a breath. “Bonding links us. It makes you stronger. It gives you certain advantages. But you aren’t, in any way, on a par with a vampire. You’re still vulnerable, just less so. It frees me when I need to leave you to feed, because I’ll still be connected to you. If you hadn’t agreed to bond, my only other option was to kidnap you and take you away. As it is, you’ll still have to hide and avoid your regular routine.”

“Until
when
?” she asked in despair.

“Until your Warrior comes through. After that, there’s no point in killing you, because the Warrior will already be here.” He suddenly went still. She didn’t have to see him to know. “I wonder how they knew you’re a conduit,” he murmured. “Fuck. I should have thought of that before.”

Hearing the word “fuck” from his mouth, even in a context that had nothing to do with sex, was like touching a lit match to dry kindling, at least as far as her body was concerned. She closed her eyes and carefully sucked in her breath, trying not to alert him that every cell in her body was abruptly focused on sex.

It was a useless effort. He said “Chloe,” and just that one word, her name, in a tone gone almost guttural with need, made her knees go so weak she began swaying where she stood.

He moved closer, his body hot against her back, and placed his hands—hands strong enough to tear another vampire into pieces, and wasn’t that a cheerful thought?—on her shoulders. Despite knowing what he was, his touch was comforting, and a whole lot more than just comforting. Low in her mid-section, a rhythmic throb began to beat. It was as if she needed him the
same way she needed air. So much, so soon—or was it
too
much,
too
soon? Either way, this was a lot to handle. It was as if she had to have him just because he was here, as if he were an addiction. She was such a sucker for—Okay, bad choice of words, all things considered.

He leaned forward, placed his mouth on the side of her neck and gently bit down. Chloe held her breath, waiting. Was he going to really bite? She should shrug him away, tell him to back off, but she’d enjoyed the sensation of his teeth on her skin—
in
her skin—enough to be more hopeful than afraid.

She was sick, standing there holding her breath, hoping he would bite her, praying he wouldn’t, yearning for that sensation that joined them in a way she’d never expected to know. Understanding that it was wrong didn’t make her
want
any less, and was it wrong, when she had willingly entered the bond with him? Was it wrong when he was as caught in this trap as she was? She didn’t know why he’d come in search of her, maybe to make certain she was actually packing, but now she could feel the hard jut of his erection against her bottom, feel his heart pounding as surely as he could feel hers. He moved his hands to firmly cup her breasts, and increased the pressure on that sensitive curve where her neck flowed into her shoulders. The lash of sensation through her body wrenched a thin, helpless cry from her as her head tilted back against his shoulder.

He knew what she wanted. Of course he did. He wanted it, too, and she knew him as well as he knew her. He was inside her, in her head and her body, in whatever it was that made her who she was: soul, spirit, essence. He protected her; in a way she didn’t want to explore too closely he
owned
her. Chloe wasn’t the kind of woman who would ever agree to being owned by anyone, but she couldn’t fight what she felt,
what she knew. The sex allowed her to forget, for a while, and she really needed to forget.

Luca lifted her bag from the bed and dropped it on the floor. Pulling her close, he nipped at her throat, drew a drop of blood, licked there. Slowly. And everything inside her melted. She felt different when he touched her, different inside and out—more whole and sound and at the same time on the edge of completely losing control. For someone who never lost control that experience should be frightening, but instead she liked it. She wallowed in the new feeling. It was like flying—and she wanted to fly.

Chloe put aside worries about her job, her life, and turned to face him. “Sex can’t be the answer to everything,” she said as she draped her arms around his strong neck.

He bent his head to hers. “For now, it can,” he said, and kissed her.

Her body knew his as if they’d never been strangers, as if he’d always been a part of her. His scent, the weight of his hands, the warmth of his mouth. And more, the way they were drawn together.

She’d been bewitched. No, she’d been
taken
. She’d been changed. And at the moment, she didn’t mind at all.

She had thought Luca was determined to leave here before dark, but he didn’t touch her like a man in a hurry. He unbuttoned her blouse and slipped it down her arms, dropped it onto the top of her bag. He removed her bra, and at least this time it survived the effort; last night, her clothes had ended up in shreds around her. As he pushed her jeans and underwear down, he looked at the juncture of her thighs so intensely she almost came then and there, embarrassingly easy. Going down on one knee, he gripped her naked bottom and brought her forward to his mouth,
his tongue playing with her clitoris. That was enough. She trembled, moaned, and began coming.

The next thing she knew she was flat on her back on the bed, stark naked, with only a hazy memory of being moved at dizzying speed. Luca was shucking out of his own clothes so fast she hoped they survived. He came down on top of her, positioned her, entered her. Oh, God. She arched at the sensation of being stretched by his thickness, her body instinctively trying to find the best angle and fit, but he didn’t give her the time. He simply gripped her hips and began thrusting and that was, after all, what she needed and wanted.

What did it say about her, she wondered a while later, that with her life in turmoil and the fate of the world in jeopardy, she could put all that aside and concentrate on nothing but being skin to skin with Luca? When he touched her, there was nothing in Chloe’s world beyond the bed. In truth, there was nothing beyond Luca.

She didn’t want to think about the fate of the world, didn’t want to think about warriors and vampires and wars she had somehow gotten herself smack dab in the middle of. Sated, happy to leave her troubles behind for another moment or two, Chloe rolled on top of Luca and took his wrists in her hands to hold him down—not that she thought she could actually restrain him. He was incredibly strong, but he was content to play along, for now, a faint smile on his face as he looked up at her.

“The biting thing is very freaky, but I don’t suppose I can act like I don’t enjoy it.”

“No, you can’t,” he said drily. He’d bitten her several times, very lightly, and the sensation was still like having lightning run through her veins straight to her crotch. Where he’d bitten her once had left her screaming from the force of her orgasm, and then when he’d
licked her afterward to heal what was a very minor wound, well, the outcome had been much the same.

She leaned down, placed her face close to his. Knowing he could extend his fangs at any moment, knowing he was so much stronger than her, knowing that he had an inborn need to feed on her blood … she still wasn’t afraid. It didn’t make sense. For years she’d had a hard time getting close to men, trusting, allowing herself to be even a little bit uninhibited, all because she couldn’t let herself rely on them to stay after finding out about her medical condition. Luca was practically a stranger, albeit an intimate one, and a vampire to boot—and yet she was more herself with him than she’d ever been with anyone. This wasn’t love, she understood that, but it was … something.