Bound by Night (The Moonbound Clan Vampires) (33 page)

She rolled over, groaning at the aches and pains in her body. Geez, had she gone a few rounds in a boxing ring? If so, she’d lost the fight.

Riker’s earthy leather scent surrounded her, both comforting her and making her even hungrier. Her stomach growled, and deep inside, another hunger throbbed, a sexual one that pulsed hottest between her thighs.

The two needs tangled together, becoming one monstrous entity that demanded satisfaction. It was as if nine-tenths of her brain was operating only on instinct, and she had to struggle to get the remaining tenth to focus on rational thought.

Through a haze of hunger and lust, she reached for Riker, found him next to her. She opened her eyes but saw only pitch blackness. She should probably be afraid, but the rational sliver of brain was rapidly being swallowed by primitive compulsions. She wanted to
climb on top of Riker, close her mouth over his throat, and—

“Ouch!” A needlelike stab of pain pricked her in the lip. She dabbed at the spot with her finger, felt the distinct warm stickiness of blood. She licked the puncture before touching the tip of her tongue to the sharp, pointed end of her canine tooth. Then the other.

Were those . . . oh, God, yes, they were.

She had fangs.

Her breath snagged in her throat. Her heart, which would have nearly doubled in size during her transformation, pounded erratically against a rib cage she knew had also expanded and grown an extra set of bones.

Holy shit,
she was a vampire
.

A confusing mix of emotions crashed over her in a violent wave: fear of the unknown, relief that she’d survived the transformation, and sorrow at severing the last link to humanity she had left. It didn’t matter that she’d had her eyes opened to the vampire world. She’d been born a human, but she’d die a vampire, and that was a difficult concept to grasp, especially as a fresh swell of hunger crushed her ability to think.

Need became a wicked jolt of pain that streaked from her belly to her teeth. Crying out, she curled in on herself. Hands came down on her, and suddenly, it was as if she knew exactly what to do.

She dived for Riker’s throat, clawing her way up his body. A guttural growl echoed in her ears. Hers? Was she actually
growling
?

“Your tongue,” he rasped. “Touch your tongue to the backs of your fangs.”

What was he babbling about? She didn’t care. She
needed food. Hissing, she opened her mouth, ready to punch her fangs into anything that came within striking distance.

Fingers closed on her jaw, forcing her face up and squeezing hard enough to make her eyes sting.

“Your tongue,” he repeated sternly. “Do it, or you don’t eat.”

Food. She had to have food. Okay, wait, the tongue thing. Hastily, she probed the backs of her fangs, and there, just behind each, was a soft spot. She pressed inward and moaned as an erotic tingle spread along her teeth.

“Good girl,” he murmured, lying back and allowing her to pounce.

As if she’d been feeding like this her entire life, she struck, biting deep into flesh. The warm, heady rush of liquid filled her mouth and slid down her throat like silk. Her body jolted as if she’d plugged herself into an electric socket, and as her blood hunger began to ease, the other hunger swamped her.

It didn’t matter that Riker didn’t want her. Right now, all that mattered was satisfying the insane urges twisting up her insides.

Reaching between their bodies, she palmed the thick bulge behind his fly. He sucked air and arched up, pressing himself into her touch. A heartbeat later, he snarled a vile curse and shackled her wrist with his fingers.

“No.”

No?
She whimpered, not understanding why he would deny her something she needed so badly that she couldn’t stop rocking her sex against his. The shifting,
restless energy inside her demanded release. Demanded a merging of bodies and blood.

Frantically, she writhed, seeking relief that was only two thin barriers of clothing away. He groaned as she ground on top of him, and then, suddenly, she was on her back, and he was gone.

“Riker?” Her voice sounded like it had been dragged behind a car on a gravel road. Sitting up, she inhaled, but alongside Riker’s earthy scent was the distinct tang of meadow grass and warm, musky skin. “M-Myne?”

“Yeah.” He was panting, and she could smell both lust and anguish coming off him in alternating waves. “Riker isn’t here.”

Confused, she sat there, trying to put the pieces of this bizarre puzzle together. Why would she be in a dark bedroom—Riker’s bedroom, she was sure—with Myne? And . . . was she in her underwear? She touched herself, confirmed the bra and granny panties, and was flooded with mortification.

“What’s going on?” she finally managed.

She heard the distinct sound of boots scuffing the wooden floor. “You passed out in the lab. You’ve been out of it for four days.”

She frowned. “But . . . Riker?”

“ShadowSpawn, remember?”

Everything came back in a dizzying, nauseating rush. Riker was in trouble, and she needed to help him. That was why she’d been in the lab. And shit, four days had passed? So much time . . . he could be dead by now.

She flailed around on the mattress in an
uncoordinated scramble, feeling for her clothes. Where were they? She needed to find them, needed to help Riker—

“Hey.” Myne’s arms came around her. “Settle down. You can’t move too fast until you’ve gotten used to your new body.”

New body.
She froze up as her new reality sank in. She really was a vampire, and this was the beginning of a new life. A new set of rules.

Overwhelmed by everything closing in on her, she forced herself to relax but only a little. She needed to find her bearings if she was going to both recover quickly and save Riker.

“How did this happen?” she croaked. “I was symptom-free for days.”

Myne eased away from her, and a moment later, he settled a wool blanket over her shoulders. “Grant thinks Chuck’s immunization delayed the symptoms but accelerated the turn. Either that, or whatever made you react so badly to the original vaccine you received as a child also reacted to the recent one.” His voice lowered, almost to a whisper. “There were a couple of times we thought we were going to lose you.”

She swallowed dryly, still tasting him on her tongue. “You were with me the entire time?”

“Yeah.” His breathing was still labored, and now she understood why.

She’d practically attacked him. Groaning, she flopped back on the mattress and covered her eyes with her arm. “I’m sorry,” she murmured.

“S’okay.” She heard him shuffle around the room. “Can you see yet?”

“It’s not dark in here?” Propping herself up on one elbow, she peered into the blackness. A tinge of gray teased the edges of her vision, and gradually, she could make out his shadowy form standing near the dresser. “I can see shapes now.”

“Good. Your vision will come fully online soon, within half an hour or so.” He moved to the doorway. “I had food brought for you. It’s in the kitchen. I’ll go if you want me to. I’ll leave my cell number on the counter. You’re going to need someone to help you through these next weeks. If you need a female for . . . female things, Katina will help you out.”

She knew he was desperate to get away from her, and she didn’t blame him. “Thank you, Myne. Right now, I just want a shower.”

Dead silence. Then a raspy “Do you want help? You’re going to be as clumsy as a newborn foal for a while.”

Heat blasted her face at the thought of Myne helping her into the shower. “I’ll manage. But, Myne? Thank you for everything you’ve done.”

“I did it for Riker,” he said roughly. “It should have been him.”

She agreed. But she wondered if Riker would feel the same way.

B
EING A VAMPIRE
was taking a lot of getting used to. Mainly because, as far as Nicole could tell, there weren’t a lot of downsides, and that bothered her. She wasn’t sure what she’d expected.

Fangs were awesome. So was the extra energy, speed, and strength that came with turning into a vampire. Nicole still wasn’t used to the silver eyes or having to drink human blood, but she supposed that would come in time.

She hoped. She was having a hard time accepting the fact that the mere sight of blood made her mouth water. It was one thing not to be bothered by it; it was quite another to attack a packet of food blood like a starving wolverine.

She was now the very thing she’d despised for so long, and what did it say about her that she didn’t care? For the most part, the clan members had accepted her, but she realized it would take time to earn their complete trust. No one was outwardly malicious, but a few weren’t letting her off the hook for her role as Daedalus’s CEO. Their questions and comments were blunt
but not unfair. She answered with straightforward honesty no matter how difficult it was.

How many vampires did you kill?

None.

How many did you dissect?

Dozens.

How many slaves did you own?

None.

Did you sleep well at night, knowing what your company was doing?

Except for a few nightmares, yes.

What will you do if we take your brother? Will you speak up for him?

I won’t watch him die, but I won’t stand in anyone’s way.

Do you have any regrets?

Yes.

Are you proud of yourself?

Actually, yes. I cured cancer. I developed treatments that saved a lot of human lives. And now I plan to use what I learned at Daedalus to help vampires. So bite me.

Bite you? Now or on the next full moon?

Okay, so she’d have to learn that vampires took things like “bite me” very literally, and she’d have to watch what she said. But otherwise, no one could say she was shrinking away from either the good or the bad that she’d done. Everyone in the clan was welcome to grill her about her past, and the sooner the better. She wanted the air cleared so everyone, including her, could move on.

But moving on might not be so easy with Myne.
She hadn’t been able to face him since he’d left her alone at Riker’s place two days ago. He hadn’t made an effort to see her, either. At least, Katina had been an invaluable help with navigating the new world Nicole had just joined.

Tomorrow, Katina planned to teach Nicole how to hunt humans.

With any luck, Nicole wouldn’t be around to learn. At least, not anytime soon.

She stood before Hunter in his chamber, wondering how the guy was going to react to her announcement. He hadn’t really liked her when she was human, and she still couldn’t get a read off him. Especially because at the moment, he was sprawled on his fat leather couch, video-game controller in hand, cursing at the purple dragon flying around the TV screen. Strangely, even though he was immersed in a cartoon game, the vibrant aura of power and leadership that always surrounded him wasn’t diminished in the least.

“Spyro is flying like he’s drunk,” he muttered. “What the fuck, dude.
Through
the rings, not over them.”

She eyed the screen. “Is that a children’s game?”

“It’s rated
All
Ages,” he said defensively. “Why are you here?”

Right to it, then. “I want to go to ShadowSpawn.”

Hunter’s head came up, making his black hair drape like silk over his broad shoulders. “You what? You can’t just move from one clan to another like humans move from city to city. And if this is to be with Riker, trust me, you won’t be
with
him.”

No, it wasn’t to be with him. He’d made it crystal
clear that he didn’t want to be with her. But that didn’t mean she didn’t want to help him. God help her, she loved him. “It’s to save them both. Riker and Lucy.”

She couldn’t believe ShadowSpawn had refused to give up the girl. What could they possibly want with her?

“Fuck. Now I’m dead.” He dropped the game controller. “I’m working on a way to get them out of there.”

“Really? Because it looks like you’re playing video games while Riker and Lucy could be hurt, suffering, or dying.”

A vein in Hunter’s temple pulsed, and when he spoke, his tone was glacial. “I’m going to let that pass, since you’re a baby in our world. But you should know that I think best when I’m playing video games.” He stood, forcing her to crane her neck to look up at him. “Now, what makes you think you can help Riker?”

The way he said it, as if he were humoring a child who wanted to heal the world with a tea party, pissed her off. A lot. “What’s the one thing troubling your race?” she asked, a little too impatiently, if his withering stare was any indication. “Besides humans killing and enslaving you, anyway.”

“It’s your race, too, now,” he pointed out.

How long would it take to get that through her head? She had to start thinking like a vampire if she wanted to survive. And if she wanted to prove herself to everyone who would have a hard time seeing beyond her Daedalus roots.

“Okay,
our
race. What problem plagues it?”

“Low birthrate,” he said.