Reign of the Vampires (21 page)

Minutes passed before he was in control enough to sit down. He put his warm hand on her cool forehead, and she stirred beneath it. Her eyelids fluttered open as she tried to focus on his face.

“Mason, what happened?” she asked.

“You fainted.” He felt her cool cheek.

“Nonsense! I’ve never fainted in my life. Why would I faint?” She shook her head and tried to sit up.

“Because you’re ill right now, you need blood and rest.”

“I’ve never been ill in my life, just like I have never fainted.”

He loved it when she tried being so strong. On the outside she was like stone, but inside she was a scared girl in need of protection. It made him want to wrap her in his warm arms and smother her with his lips.

“You
are
ill,” he said. “And you
will
get blood, and you
will
stay in bed and rest till tomorrow. Because if you don’t, when your guests come for your celebration, you’ll be even weaker than you are now, and they’ll see your weakness and mistake it for inability to lead. And that’s not what you want or need. So I suggest, Lord Danika, that you do what I say.” There was a knock on the door. “Enter.”

She gave him an exasperated look and tried to sit up again. He helped her into a comfortable position, trying hard not to think about what was going to happen between her and the human. William and Matthew stood at the foot of the bed. William appeared concerned, but Matthew appeared smug as ever.

“I’ll get everyone moving,” said William.

Mason nodded.

Matthew continued to stand at the foot of the bed, staring at Danika. The sight of him caused her to stir.

“She needs your blood,” Mason said.

“Of course she does.” Matthew stared at Danika, avoiding Mason’s gaze.

Mason envisioned grabbing the human and bashing his skull into the wall, to knock the smile off his face. He settled for looming over him, causing Matthew to back up a step.

“Don’t think for a minute that this is happening because you’re anything special. The reason this is happening is because she needs blood. I could’ve asked for another slave, but I know that she’s tasted you before. But I’ll be right here the entire time and you won’t do anything more than lie there and be fed off of. Do you understand me?”

Matthew stared up at Mason in a mixture of amazement and fear. The slave nodded. Danika looked worse. Her color was bloodless, and her eyes had lost their sparkle. As Matthew made a move, Mason grabbed him by the arm.

“One last thing. No one—and I mean
no one
—is to find out what happens in here tonight. Do you understand?” Mason tightened his grip.

“I would never betray her. To anyone,” said Matthew, all hint of smugness gone. The two sat on opposite sides of the bed. Matthew inspected Danika. “What’s wrong with her?”

“She needs blood.”

She floated in and out of consciousness. She’d been fine the day before. But today it had taken ahold of her with a fury.

“I’ve been with her when she needed blood before, but she never looked like this,” said Matthew.

“I tell you, she needs blood. Human blood, and she needs it now. She won’t stop, but I’ll stop her when it’s enough.”

“Are you going to let her kill me?”

“Not if I can help it. But it’ll be close, I won’t lie.”

“If it’ll help her, I can live with that,” said Matthew. “How do we do this?”

Mason slid over and leaned against the pillows, his long legs dangling off the edge of the bed. Pulling Danika onto his chest, Mason rested her freezing body against him. He sucked in a deep breath.

“Mason,” she whispered. “What’s going on?”

“Matthew’s here and you need to feed from him.”

“Mason, you know what I need.”

“No, you need Matthew. Can you bite into him?”

She didn’t answer.

Mason reached down to his boot and pulled out his small knife. He motioned for Matthew to move closer. Matthew rolled up his sleeve and stuck out his arm. Quick as lightning, Mason cut a small gash in Matthew’s skin with the knife. Matthew flinched at the pain. Mason grabbed his wrist and shoved it at Danika’s mouth.

At first she didn’t do anything. Mason dipped his finger in Matthew’s blood and stuck his finger in Danika’s mouth. He rubbed his finger over her gums and her fangs descended. He dipped his finger in again, and then wiped his finger down her tongue letting her taste it. She moaned with desire. Mason’s arousal rushed through him and he had to stop letting her suckle his finger for fear that he’d lose control. She did little more than let the blood flow into her mouth at the beginning, while she swallowed. But soon she latched onto Matthew.

Mason stroked her hair and hummed to her, letting her feed until Matthew fell on the bed and lost consciousness. He tried to pull Matthew’s wrist from her, but she was having none of it.

“Danika, that’s enough. Stop now, or you’ll kill him.” He tried to pry her mouth off Matthew’s wrist.

She moaned but wouldn’t stop.

Memories bombarded him. His Vampire captor drinking and drinking from him. His pleas for it to end. The dark haze as his vision dimmed.

Mason’s heartbeat quickened and panic grew in his gut. “Danika, I said stop, that’s enough,” he barked, pulling Matthew’s arm out of her mouth.

She scrambled to bite again, but Mason pushed Matthew away with his foot and pulled her close to him. She was gaining strength, clawing at him to let go.

“I need more, Mason, let me go.”

“No, that’s enough, you’ll kill him.”

“I need more. I need—” She stopped talking and fighting him. Mason waited a minute and then loosened his grip. She turned to face him.

His heart pounded. She stared at him with the most intense passion he’d seen in a long time. She moved closer to him, pushing him onto the pillows.

“Danika, I don’t think—”

“I need you, Mason. I need to taste you. To feel your blood slide into my limbs and strengthen me.” Her hands roamed over his hard chest through his shirt, and she climbed onto his lap like a cat. His mind was a whirl. He wanted her. Her scent was everywhere, making his arousal skyrocket. She leaned in close and sniffed his neck.

“You smell like heat. I need the heat, Mason. I need it like I have never needed anything before. Just a little.” She straddled his hips with her own, her most sensitive places rubbing up against his as their bodies came in contact.

The coolness of her breath tingled his skin. She leaned in and licked his neck. His hands wouldn’t move. He needed to push her away from him, but they wouldn’t obey. A selfish part, wanted her to drink from him again till she fell into a coma and then became his forever when she awoke. But he couldn’t let her, because if he did, she’d hate him for eternity. Her tongue flicked out and swirled on his skin. She pressed her lips onto his throat and then his collarbone. Nimbly she unbuttoned his shirt. Down and down she pressed her lips into his fevered flesh. She pushed her hands across his chest. Her icy touch made him cry out.

“Mason,” she cooed, kissing her way across his runes. “Mason, Mason, Mason. Tell me what these say. Let me in.”

His head swirled. He needed her touch, her lips her—“Stop, Danika, you can’t.” His arms found their strength. He grabbed her and pushed her away. He looked into her eyes. Orange flecks permeated her icy blue.

“I know you think you need my blood, but believe me, that’s the last thing you need,” he said. “What you need is rest. And tomorrow you’ll feel better. Please, I can’t hold out much longer. Please listen to me. You bought me to protect you. Let me.”

Her eyes blazed with anger, but he was getting through to her. He pulled Danika’s cool body to his, pressing her against him. She didn’t struggle, but she was stiff with tension. He wrapped his fingers in her ponytail and stroked her long hair. She lay against his chest, but her body was hard and weightless, as if she was trying not to touch him. Mason hummed the ancient tune his mother had taught him as a child. After a few minutes, she relaxed little by little until her tension released and she melted into his chest. Eventually, her breathing evened out and deepened and he knew she slept again.

Matthew lay limp on the bed. He’d forgotten the slave was even there. Matthew needed the doctor and his own bed.

Mason rolled Danika over and covered her with blankets. Then he walked out onto the landing. All around slaves did their chores. A female slave scrubbed the white marble floors with a brush, as another dusted pictures on the walls. A third washed windows. Everyone rushed around, on edge about the upcoming party. Mason was about to descend the stairs when William walked out of the dining hall, talking to a male slave. When he looked up and spotted Mason, William ascended the stairs.

“Is something wrong? Is she getting worse?”

“No, she’s sleeping,” Mason replied. “I need to move Matthew, but I don’t want everyone to see him.”

“Put him in my room. Is he bad?”

“He’s bad, but he’ll live.”

“Will he talk?”

“No.”

William turned and hurried down the stairs. The humans stopped working to watch him, but as soon as they caught sight of Mason, they started again.

Mason headed back to take care of Matthew and Danika.

* * * *

Mason stroked Danika’s hair, reveling in the feel of her body: cool, but no longer cold. William entered, flustered.

“What’s wrong?” asked Mason.

“It’s Chase. He wants to see Danika.”

“Well, tell him that she is indisposed at the moment and cannot be interrupted.”

“I tried that. He isn’t believing it anymore. He’s on his way—”

There was a knock.

“What do we do?” William mouthed.

Freak
. She was still out, and even though Chase was her uncle, he couldn’t let anyone see her. There would be too many questions.

“Let him in when I tell you to,” Mason whispered.

Mason lifted Danika from the bed and walked to the bathroom, setting her on the plush little rug on the floor. Then Mason started the shower and let it steam for a couple of seconds. William waited in the bedroom. Mason nodded and then closed the bathroom door almost all the way.

“Where is she?”

“She’s in the shower right now, as you can hear.”

“I’ll wait.”

Mason closed his eyes and set his head on the wall. Man, he didn’t want to do this. And she wouldn’t want him to do this either, but there was no other choice. Mason hit his head on the wall quietly one more time, then stripped off his shirt. He glanced down at his runes. He was taking a huge risk by showing them to William and Chase. His eyes were ever on Danika, who hadn’t moved. She was worth it. Protecting her was more important than anything that might happen to him now. For her, he would face his own kind.

Mason slipped off his shoes and unbuckled his belt. Letting his pants fall to the floor, he dropped his underwear and stepped into the shower, letting the water run over his skin for a minute. At that moment, he prayed Danika didn’t wake up. Heaven knows what would happen with him naked in her bathroom.

He wet his hair and then stepped out again. Dripping, he grabbed a towel and wrapped it around his waist as best he could. As his hand grasped the knob, Mason took a deep breath. Making sure she was out of eye line, he yelled, “No, I’ll get it for you.” Throwing the bathroom door open, Mason stepped out into the bedroom. He walked two steps, then stopped dead in his tracks.

They were both staring at him with such stunned expressions that Mason knew he’d been convincing. There wasn’t much he needed to convince them about though, his embarrassment was as real as it got. All three men stared at each other for a minute before Mason spoke.

“Uh... I just came to get something for Lord Danika.”

“Chase said he was going to wait...so...” William trailed off.

The three stared at each other. “I don’t mean to be rude, but I don’t want Lord Danika getting upset with me for dripping on her rug. And she did send me to get something…” Mason glanced around; her robe lay on the chair Chase sat in. Mason pointed to it.

“Of course.” Chase shook his head and stood. His eyes traveled over Mason’s large form and lit on his runes. He continued to stare for another minute and then cleared his throat. “Please tell Danika I need to speak with her. I have an errand to run, but I’ll be on my cell.”

Mason nodded.

Chase gave him a last grave look and then walked out. Mason and William stared at the door for a long time before they spoke.

“She’s not going to like this,” said William.

“Did
you
think of anything?” Mason’s body shook with the adrenaline that still pumped through his veins.

“No,” said William sheepishly.

“Well, this was the one thing I thought he wouldn’t want to see, or wait around till it ended.”

“I don’t even want to see it.” William turned away. “And you were right about one thing.”

“What’s that?”

“She’s going to kill you for dripping on her rug.”

“She probably won’t be up before tomorrow, so I don’t think it’ll matter much anyway. Come on, get her out of the bathroom while I dress.”

William stared at his runes as he passed. It made Mason want to dress even quicker. They were written in a language long since dead, but there were still those out there who knew it. The fact that he lived in the US instead of with his own kind was a testament to that fact.

William was in the bathroom for a minute before he left with Danika in his arms.

Mason turned off the water and dropped his towel, whipped on his underwear and his pants. He looked at himself in the mirror, his runes, ever-present and black against his skin. Raised and pulsing to the beat of his heart: staring at him, beckoning him, willing him to speak their names. They were the bane of his existence. He put his undershirt on and turned away. When he walked into the bedroom, William was pulling the covers up over Danika. Her clothes hung off the end of the bed.

“You removed her clothing.” Mason tried to keep the edge out of his voice

“I was trying to make her comfortable. She won’t want to spend the day in those.”

“You’re right.” Mason stretched his arms and jumped up and down several times, trying to control his temper. After all, this was William. He was as much a son to her as anything. “I need to eat.” Mason bent down to do push-ups. His pent up energy, letting others see his runes, even the prospect of what could happen to Danika, left him jittery.