Fall of Darkness (The Chronicles of Darkness) (29 page)

Kate graced him with her best ‘I dare
you to try’ look.

His eyes narrowed. ‘Challenge accepted.’

“Massimo has graciously offered to
assist with your physical training. Which means he’s volunteered to be your
living, breathing punching bag.”

“Well then, by all means, let’s get
started.” Kate flashed her best evil grin at her cousin.

The guys spent the hours that followed
teaching her the basics of fighting. They taught her how to stand and move
during a fight, how to throw a punch, and how to effectively block. They then
moved on to disarming and taking down an attacker.

Fighting was about as far from her
nature as shooting or drinking blood, but Kate obediently practiced striking
the bag as instructed. At least Alex wasn’t making her shoot anything this
time.

“Ah come, on,” Massimo groaned, as she
half-heartedly jabbed at the punching bag and pretended to block an imaginary
attack. “This is getting her nowhere. She couldn’t smash a spider with that
kind of force. She needs to know what it’s like to go a few rounds with a
wolf.”

“Hey,” Kate ruffled with indignation. “I
happen to be an excellent spider-smasher, thank you very much.”

Both men ignored her. “Then take her in
the ring and let her have a go at you,” Alexander challenged Massimo.

“Gladly.” Massimo smirked at Alex as he
yanked his shirt over his head and tossed it aside. “Come on, Cuz. Let me show
you how it really works.” Massimo ducked under the ropes and held them apart
for Kate to do the same.

Kate shifted from side to side, shaking
out her neck and shoulders. Watching the hard muscles of his body ripple as he
moved made it even more difficult for her to imagine slamming her fists into
his living flesh. Massimo looked as if he’d been chiseled out of stone. She’d
probably break her hand trying. 

Massimo continued to dance around her
with an arrogant smirk on his face. “Come on, princess, show me what you got.”

Kate punched him in the stomach with a
dull thud. He didn’t even flinch, but her hand ached from the impact. Massimo
laughed.

“You hit like a girl. Hit me again.”

“I am a girl,” Kate protested, aiming a
right hook at his left cheek. Her second punch jarred his head to one side, but
not enough to wipe the overconfident look off his face.

“So be it,” he sighed, shaking his head
at her efforts. Faster than a flash, Massimo’s fist slammed into the side of
her face. Kate’s world exploded in a burst of lights and colors as her head
whipped back from the impact. She stumbled to the floor.

“Massimo!” Alex shouted from somewhere
behind her, his voice a combination of reproach and surprise. Kate guessed he
hadn’t seen it coming any more than she had. Out of the corner of her good eye,
she could see him scrambling through the ropes to get into the ring.

“Shut up, dumb ass, and stay out of the
ring. This is the only way she’ll learn. Strength isn’t handed to you. It’s
born of pain. You know it and so do I. I won’t do any real damage,” Massimo
argued, blocking Alex’s access to the ring.

“Kate?” Alexander’s tone made it more
than clear he wasn’t okay with Massimo beating the living shit out of her, even
if it was for her own good, but the choice was hers.

“He’s right,” she muttered. As much as
she hated to admit it.

Alex retreated in silence, but the look
on his face shouted his protest loud and clear.

Massimo nodded at her in approval. “So
you do have Cacciatori blood in you. Good. Prove it.”

Massimo attacked in a hailstorm of
punches, his heavy fists driving the pain home again and again. Her ribs cracked
under the impact of his blows.

“You’re not blocking,” he chided as he
landed a solid uppercut to her gut.

Kate gasped in response, stumbling as
she struggled to remain standing, the force of his efforts driving her closer
to the edge of the ring or to falling to the mat and begging him to stop.

“What kind of bastard would hit a girl
like that?” Alex snarled at Massimo.

“The kind who wants to keep her alive,”
Massimo countered, as he continued to pummel her with his fists. “Besides,
she’s not a girl. She’s a vampire.”

Wincing from the pain of his blows, Kate
concentrated on protecting herself. Dropping her elbow, she blocked his jab to
her side. Raising her forearm over her head, she blocked his fist from striking
her face.

“Better.” Massimo grinned at her in
approval. “But the problem with fighting the dogs is they can fight as man or
beast. As men, they’re a force to be reckoned with. As beasts, they’re
something much, much more.” White light glinted off the silver blade of a knife
as he flipped it open in his hand.

“Massimo, no!” Alex was at the ropes
again, ready to intervene.

“Shut up and sit your ass down. She’s
fine.” Massimo barked at Alex.

Kate gaped at the menacing switch blade
in his hand. Had he lost his mind?

Massimo paced slow circles around her,
fingering the blade of the knife as he watched her. “The wolves’ teeth are razor-sharp.
They strike faster than lightning.”

White hot pain shot across Kate’s thigh
as he laid open her skin with the flick of his wrist. Blood trickled down her
leg, but the deep gash closed almost as quickly as it appeared, leaving her
with ripped pants and a dull throb where the wound had been.

Somewhere deep within, the shadow
creature Alex had explained was the demon version of herself, rustled from its
slumber. Pain and the scent of blood had awakened her. Kate limped away from
Massimo, trying to dodge his knife as he circled and swiped at her.

The blade slashed her left ear and the
side of her head burst into flames. Hot blood spilled down the front of her,
soaking her shirt. Reaching up to cup the offended cartilage, Kate found a huge
chunk of her ear missing.

Her demon self roared in fury, clawing
her way from the darkness of her subconscious to assume control. Driven far
beyond the point of breaking, her demon tore free of the prison that confined
her. Kate felt her mind shatter, a divide splitting straight up the middle of
her psyche.

Kate surrendered to the beast,
unleashing the mounting fury of her darker self. With an angry snarl, she
pitched herself at Massimo. He stumbled backwards beneath her weight, the two
of them tumbling to the mat. Her punches rained down on his handsome face, beating
the smile away. His bone gave a gratifying crunch as it shattered beneath the
onslaught of her fists.

Massimo’s stunned state lasted mere
fractions of a second before he flashed Kate a broken, blood stained grin.
“Atta girl,” he crowed, tossing his knife out of the ring and resuming his own
attack with his bare hands. They grappled on the blood spattered mat,
struggling for the upper hand as each pummeled the other with their fists.

The red haze of Kate’s inner darkness
colored her vision. Lost in a bloodthirsty rage, she could no longer feel the
pain of Massimo’s strikes. She fought back as though there was no such thing as
pain. No such thing as tomorrow.

Strong. Powerful. Unstoppable. She was
Katerina Cacciatori, the vampire, and she longed to bathe in his blood.

Blow by blow, they battled, each
attempting to tear the other apart.

A golden movement flashed at the edges
of her vision. In the blink of an eye, she and Massimo were torn apart.
Struggling against the force holding her back, she fought and flailed to
reengage her opponent.

“Enough!” Alexander roared, shaking her
from the depths of her demon’s dark haze.

Gasping for air, Kate slumped in his
arms.

“See? I knew you had it in you.” Massimo
chuckled, dragging himself to his feet.

Kate gawked at him, surveying his
damaged face and body in abject horror. His wounds had already begun to heal,
but he looked like he’d gone several rounds with an entire street gang.

“If you ever hurt her again. I’ll kill
you myself,” Alex snarled at her cousin, his body vibrating with rage.
Supporting Kate’s weight, he led her from the ring.

“Nah, brother. You’ll thank me for this
someday.” Massimo smirked at Alexander as though her
tutore
hadn’t just
threatened him with death.

Alex turned to face him. “Never.”

“Look at it this way. Now, you know she
can handle herself.”

“She doesn’t need to. That’s what she
has me for.”

“Then why train her at all?” Massimo
argued, his hands on his hips.

Alex glared at him, his lips pursed in
anger. Kate glared at them both. They needed to stop talking about her like she
wasn’t standing right there.

“You are such a dick, Cacciatori,” Alexander
sighed, turning his back on Massimo. Kate followed him toward the exit.

 “Back at you, Ambrogio,” Massimo called
to their retreating backs. “See you later, Cuz.”

Chapter
25

Feeling lightheaded and nauseous, Kate
wobbled with an unsteady gait as they made slow progress back to the castle.
Alex steadied her with his arm around her waist, keeping her from careening off
the path. 

Feeling a little queasy and a lot of
dizzy from blood loss, Kate knew she needed to transfuse as soon as she got
back to her room.

            “You
go get cleaned up. I’ll set up your transfusion,” Alex said as he deposited her
on shaky legs in the middle of her bathroom. She heard the door to her bedroom
shut.

            Her
pulse still raced with the fading adrenaline of her fight with Massimo as the
room spun around her. She felt weak, but exhilarated. Exhausted, but more alive
than ever.

            Turning
on the water, she stripped out of her ruined clothes and tossed them on the
floor. She stepped into the shower and let the water wash the blood, sweat, and
grime from her body.

            The
spray of water beat against her back, increasing the blood flow to her newly
healed, but aching skin. The darkness within her stirred. Kate could feel her
there, roiling beneath the surface. Katerina.

            Her
darker self lurked in the shadows of her mind, thirsting for things that filled
Kate with horror. For the first time, her other self was a separate and
sentient being. She could feel Katerina’s thoughts and desires as if they were
her own. Katerina was wild with need. For blood. For violence. For pleasure.

            Kate’s
body thrummed with the wild desire of Katerina’s needs. Her throat burned and
her incisors pricked at her tongue. The taste of her own blood drove the demon
to the surface. Katerina was in control now.

            Kate
felt trapped within herself. Aware, but helpless to stop her inner demon.
Katerina’s dark laughter mocked her from within.

            Her
body purred with sensual awareness as her hands danced across her skin, soaping
and massaging the soft contours of her hips and breasts. Aching with need, she
arched beneath the water as it washed away the suds.

            Shutting
off the water, she stepped out onto the bath mat. She wrapped herself in a
plush white towel, its textured surface teasing every inch of her covered skin.

            “Alexander,”
Katerina purred.

            Her
bedroom door opened and the sound of his footsteps announced his approach. He
paused in the arched doorway of her bathroom, leaning on the doorframe.

            “Are
you okay?” Alex’s golden brows furrowed in concern as he scrutinized her with
his leonine eyes.

            “I
needed your help with something.” His presence heightened Katerina’s desire to
soaring heights.

            “What
would that be?”

            “This.”
The towel dropped to the floor.

            Tangible
hunger sparked to life in Alex’s eyes as he drank in every inch of her naked form.
Katerina threw herself into his arms, molding her unclothed body against his
clothed one. The heat of his arousal pressed against her belly. Every last inch
of him was rock hard vampire and she longed to taste all of him.

            Their
lips met in a fierce kiss, Katerina’s passion fueling the fire as their mouths
melded in a fiery warring of tongues and fangs. Alex tasted of hazelnuts and
honey, as golden as the man himself.

            Katerina
tugged at the bottom of his shirt, but Alex stopped her.

            Though
his eyes were clouded with desire and his breathing was labored, he stepped
back from her. “No.”

            “What
do you mean ‘no’?” Katerina snarled. “You want me. I want you. I’m the
princess, so I get what I want.”

            “This
isn’t you. This,” he indicated her naked body, trembling with need and heaving
with each breath, “is a combination of adrenaline and thirst.”

            “Who
cares? Take it how you can get it.” Katerina reached for him, but he blocked
her advance.

            “I
care. You will too, when you feel more like yourself again.”

            “I
know you want me,” Katerina purred.

            Alex
nodded, his lips twisted into a rueful pout. “I do, but not like this. When I
make love to you, Katerina. It will be because you thirst for me and not for
blood.”

            “What
if I’m thirsting for both right now?”

            Alex
shook his head. “The Katerina I know would have thrown a pillow or two at me by
now. Your lust is fueled by your thirst. Come, let’s feed your thirst, and then
we’ll see what remains of your desire.”

            He
retrieved her fallen towel from the floor and wrapped it around her naked body.
Katerina pouted as she followed him through her bedroom and into the sitting
room.

            A
handful of blood bags were already spiked and ready to go on the rapid infuser.
All her IV supplies were laid out for use. Katerina took one look at the setup
and sneered.

            “Why
would I go through all this trouble, if I could just drink it?”

            Alexander
gave her a sad smile. “Because you’d hate yourself in the morning.”

            “I
already hate myself now.”

            “Can
reasonable Katerina come out and play?”

            Katerina
heaved a sigh of angry frustration. “Fine. We do it her way. If I’m still
thirsty after, then I get to do it my way.” Her mouth twisted into an evil
grin. “And I get sex.”

            “If
you still feel that way after, then it’s a deal.”

            With
a quick swipe of alcohol, Katerina jammed a needle into her left antecubital,
hooked up the line and started the blood. She glared at the neat little bags as
they fed her thirst, without really feeding it.

            One
unit… two… four… eight… twelve units later, Kate regained control of her body
and mind. Katerina, pacified by the fresh blood in her system, retreated to her
dark corner of Kate’s subconscious.

            Kate
glanced at Alex. Heat burned her cheeks. With his intense golden gaze locked on
her face, he watched her as though she was a bomb ticking the seconds off until
detonation. Remembering their words, her actions, she couldn’t bring herself to
look him in the eye.

            “Feeling
better?” Alex asked, hope in his voice.

            “Yes.
Alex, I---“

            “There’s
no need, Katerina. It’s not your fault,” he said, with a reassuring smile.

            “How
is throwing myself at you and then yelling at you when you’re too much of a
gentleman to take advantage of me ‘not my fault’?” Kate was so full of shame
for her behavior. There had to be a way to control her darker half.

            “It
happens with all vampires.”

            “You
have two personalities too?”

            Alex
chuckled. “No, that’s unique to you. I think it is a result of your upbringing
as a human. Rather than being a vampire with good qualities, you are divided
into two warring consciences. One is the epitome of humanity, while the other
is the darkest part of vampirism.”

            “But
you said this was normal,” Kate protested. Great, now she was a vampire with
multiple personalities. Where was that padded room when she needed it?

            “The
division in your consciousness isn’t. The confusion of thirst for lust is.”

            “But
I didn’t act like that before when I was thirsty.” Scenes of her steamy
behavior played in the back of her mind like a walk of shame on repeat.

            “I
think Massimo awakened your natural instincts when the two of you fought.”

“And my natural instincts are to throw
myself at any man that crosses my path? Great. Now, I’m a slutty, bloodsucking
demon with no soul. This just gets better and better.”

            “No,
that’s not quite the way of it. For vampires, feeding and sex go hand-in-hand.
They are both strong physical needs, better satisfied together.” His voice
rumbled low in his throat, his eyes burning with the heat of repressed desire.
“Blood sharing is the most intimate experience a vampire can have. It is the
mating of bodies, but the sharing of souls.”        

Kate couldn’t imagine anything more
intimate than the passion she’d shared with Dominic. He’d laid claim to every
part of her, body and soul. Her mind shied away from the painful thought,
forcing her attention back to the present.

            “Alex,
I’m so sorry. I can’t believe I put you in that position.”

            “It’s
okay. I meant what I said. When I make love to you, it will be because you
thirst for me and me alone. We will be of one body and one soul. That alone is
worth the wait. I’m a patient man with eternity at his disposal. Good night,
Katerina.”

            With
a bow, he was gone.

            Though
it was Katerina who wanted him with an impulsive, animalistic desire, the
promise of his words gave root to a seed of desire deep within Kate as well.
Kate longed for the life he offered, but knew he set out to achieve the
impossible. Between Dominic and the devil, she had no soul left to share.

Kate stepped out into her sitting room,
expecting to find Alexander lounging on the couch, waiting for her to awaken,
as was his habit. Instead she found Massimo sprawled out in his place, looking
tall, dark, handsome, and just as obnoxious as ever.

            “Oh,”
she gasped, “Massimo. What on earth are you doing here?”

            “Good
morning to you too, cousin,” he greeted in mock effrontery, a lazy grin playing
at his lips. Kate ignored his sarcasm, and her own good manners altogether.

            “Where’s
Alexander?”

            “Well,
well, don’t you know how to make a guy feel special,” he teased.

            Kate
rolled her eyes and repeated, “Where’s Alexander?”

            “Out.”

            “Out?”

            “Out.”

            “Out
where?” The man could be infuriating. Out indeed.

            He
sighed. “Is there no end to your meddling curiosity?”

            “Is
there no end to your pigheaded tenacity?” she countered sweetly. He chuckled.

            “As
much as I would love to sit here swapping insults with you all evening, Cuz, we’ve
got better things to do. Places to go, people to see. You’re under my watch
tonight,” he told her with a grin.

            “Nooo,”
she groaned. “Where’s Alexander?”

            “Is
there an echo in here?”

            “Are
you going to answer my question?”

            “Are
you always this persistent?”

            “Do
you always have to answer a question with another question?” Her head might
explode from Massimo-induced frustration.

            “Fine.”
Massimo tossed his hands up in surrender. “Let the poor bastard keep his own
secrets,” he muttered. “He went hunting.”

            “Hunting?”
Kate asked, arching an incredulous brow. Why would Alex want to keep a hunting
trip a secret? That made no sense. She personally didn’t believe in hunting,
but didn’t have a problem with others doing it, so long as she didn’t have to
see the fresh kill hanging around.

            “Hunting,”
he confirmed.

            “Hunting
what?”

Massimo gaped at her.

            “Oh
come now, Katerina. Even you aren’t that obtuse. What do you think he went
hunting for?”

Realization dawned a little too late.
The blood drained from her face. She knew what Alexander was up to and wished
she didn’t.

Alex was out hunting alright, hunting
people. Drinking their blood, feeding on them like a wild, bloodthirsty animal.
Bile rose in her throat as her stomach twisted in revulsion.

            “Why?”
Kate choked out.

Massimo made an exasperated grunting
noise in the back of his throat. “It doesn’t matter how whipped the poor son of
a bitch is, a guy’s still got to eat.”

            “Whipped?”
Kate croaked the word.

Massimo’s eyes narrowed.

            “You
honestly didn’t notice?”

            “Notice
what?”

            Massimo
released another put upon sigh. “The way he looks at you, the way his world
revolves around you, the way he would do anything for you… Blah, blah blah---
Whipped, W-H-I-P-P-E-D, Whipped.”

            “I’m
not stupid, Massimo. I know how to spell whipped.”

            “Well,
excuse me if I thought I had to spell it out for you. You were dense enough not
to realize the poor guy’s crazy about you.”