The Turning-Blood Ties 1 (20 page)

“Couldn’t you just control her with the blood tie?” I folded my arms across my chest. “I mean, since you’re so good at it.”

“You’re perfect.” A wry smile formed on his lips. “Alas, she has more power than I. And I won’t chance her ruling me.”

“Well, I’m glad to know you’re not a completely remorseless psychopath.”

Cyrus sighed with theatrical weariness. “What you perceive as evil is only an acceptance of our true nature. I only do what I am built to do. That doesn’t mean I’d want some complete nutcase steering the world toward doom.”

“Could she do that?”

“Probably. That’s the thought that keeps me awake during the day.” With a look of feral hunger, he crossed to me. “But now it seems I have a better reason for my sleepless days.”

He raised his hand and I trembled, alternately wishing he would touch me and cursing myself for wanting him to do so. When he dropped his hand, I turned away from him in embarrassment.

“I have some gifts for you. In your bedroom.”

The last place I wanted to be with him was anywhere with a convenient horizontal surface, but I went, anyway. As I passed the open door, I noticed the key had been removed from the lock, the keyhole soldered closed. I had no way to keep Cyrus out should he decide to come courting in the middle of the day. Would you want to keep him out? As disgusting as I found his predilection for pubescent girls, my revulsion didn’t dampen the power of the blood tie. I assured myself it was only the new vampire side of my nature, and that I’d simply learn to ignore it. I had no intention of acting out his perverse fantasies. The bed was huge, larger than any I’d ever slept in, and was covered in a thick blue duvet with lace-trimmed edges. A mountain of pillows was at the head, and a half canopy with curtains brushed the high ceiling.

“This is like a fairy tale,” I said, trailing my fingers over the soft bedspread. It was hard to imagine Dahlia, in her fishnets and heavy eyeliner, curling up to sleep here. Cyrus closed the door and leaned against it casually. “I’m glad you like it. Of course, I hope you don’t spend much time here. Look in the armoire.”

The large mahogany wardrobe was already stocked with clothes. Rich fabrics in colors I’d never imagined myself wearing crowded the space, and when I opened the drawers I

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found a selection of jewelry that would put Tiffany’s to shame. I nearly choked on my surprise. I was so hypnotized by the sparkling jewels that I didn’t notice he’d stepped behind me until his arms clung around my waist. I jumped, startled, when he reached for a large, pear-shaped emerald pendant.

“I’ve never had so many…liquid assets,” I rasped as he lifted the necklace to my throat. Laughing, he brushed my hair aside. “Everything in this house is yours.” He fastened the clasp, then smoothed the chain against my shirtfront. I stepped away, immediately reaching to remove the bauble. “As long as I’m obedient, right?”

“To a point.” He regarded me with a calculating stare. “I don’t believe I need to press my will with you.”

A chill crawled up my spine. “And why is that? Because you gave me expensive things?”

“Because I don’t want to create distance between us. You’re an intelligent woman. You’ll realize soon enough that fighting your true nature is futile. When you do, I will be there.”

He turned to the door. “I’m sure you’re tired, so I’ll leave you to settle in.”

So he wouldn’t require my company after sunup. “What about Cami?”

Confusion sparked across his face. He’d already forgotten her name. Only after I angrily began to tap my foot did he understand who I was referring to. “Oh, yes, the girl. No, I think I’ll get my rest, as well. However, if you wished to join me after all—”

“I don’t foresee that happening.” I dropped the necklace into the drawer and slammed it shut.

“No, of course you don’t. But you know where to find me.”

I stood in the doorway and watched him exit through the hidden passage. When it closed, a deliberate and ruthless wave of lust washed over the blood tie. I gritted my teeth and closed my eyes.

God, help me, I pleaded to a deity I’d never bothered to speak to before. If you don’t, my sins are on your head.

Eleven

A Sleepless Day, An Uncomfortable Night

A lthough there were still hours before sunrise, fatigue forced me into the huge bed. I left the lamp on at the bedside table, as I found it slightly unsettling to be alone in the enormous room.

You don’t have to be alone. The thought couldn’t have been mine. I sat up, peering into the dark corners of the room to see if Cyrus had returned. But I was the only one present, and as much as I hated to admit it, curling up next to Cyrus was an appealing prospect compared to spending the night by myself in this museum of a bedroom. It had to be the blood tie. Cyrus was a monster who preyed upon the weak and helpless. The attraction between us wouldn’t have been so strong if he were anyone but my sire. But even I couldn’t believe that. I’d felt the excitement of sinking my fangs into a warm, human neck. I’d known the hot, heady feeling of blood rushing into my mouth from a tapped vein. That kind of gluttonous pleasure could be addictive. I’d done it once, I wanted to do it again, and Cyrus offered the very thing I craved. I was attracted to Cyrus because my darker nature wanted me to give in and become like him. A predator, with no remorse or humanity to interfere with my base desires.

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A horrendous scream tore through the still night. I ran to my window in time to see a halfnaked girl racing across the lawn toward the dark shape of the hedge maze. Four of the Fangs followed her.

Her pale body cut a glowing streak through the darkness and I recognized her at once. Cami.

“Don’t look back,” I whispered, willing with all my might that she make it to the maze. She could hide there, maybe even until the safety of daylight. But I knew my worry was in vain. I’d seen her kind many times in the E.R., souls so abused they were afraid to find help for their situation. Having escaped death, Cami would just slink back to the house, and death would find her again. The vampires gained more ground. She looked over her shoulder, screaming again at the sight of her pursuers. The glass of my window muffled the sound and I was glad for it. I wouldn’t have wanted to hear the full might of her mortal terror. Looking back proved to be a fatal mistake. Her feet tangled beneath her and she sank to the ground. All four vampires fell on her. She didn’t scream this time. It took them only a moment to finish her. As they dispersed, I caught a glimpse of the body, or what was left of it. They’d ripped her apart and fed until not even her organs remained inside her mangled corpse. She looked like a rag doll whose stuffing had been ripped out.

I turned away from the window, my body shaking. My heart raced and my lungs burned with the exertion of my heavy breathing. But my reaction came not from horror. Not from disgust at what I’d seen. I’d liked it.

I’d wanted to be with those vampires. I’d wanted to feel her flesh tear beneath my claws, to rip skin and sinews with my teeth.

Now I, Dr. Carrie Ames, who took the Hippocratic oath before a crowded auditorium, vowing to never cause harm, never aid death, wanted to kill. Sick to my stomach, I forced myself not to look at the grisly scene as I reached to pull the curtains closed.

I went back to bed, but sleep eluded me. Primal and raw, my hunger tormented me. The knowledge I could simply walk down the hall and pick out a tender, willing human to feed from made it ten times worse. Shuddering and sweating, I resolved to stay where I was. I could ask for blood—in a cup—after sunset.

But that seemed so very far away.

Through the day, as I lay awake, I heard the secret door to the sitting room open several times. I’d jolt upright and listen to footsteps cross the floor. They always retreated before they reached my door.

Exhausted, I fell asleep just before sunset. I’d only slept an hour when the footsteps returned.

Thinking to catch Cyrus creeping around my parlor, I pulled on my robe and headed for the bedroom door. The house was spooky enough without him lurking around. I was surprised to find that it wasn’t Cyrus who was making all that noise, but the butler. He went about his business, opening the drapes and building up the fire. I didn’t think he’d seen me enter until he spoke.

“Don’t get any bright ideas or I’ll push your demon ass into this fireplace so fast you’ll be in hell before you know what happened.”

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I approached him slowly, not doubting he meant what he said. “I’m not that kind of vampire.”

If you say it enough, maybe you’ll believe it.

“Sure. I suppose you’re a good guy, right? We get a lot of those around here, so you’ll have to excuse me for not trusting you.” He pulled back the collar of his tuxedo jacket and revealed a series of bumpy, keloid scars on his throat. “Bite me once, shame on you. Bite me twice, shame on me.”

I sat in one of the stiff wing chairs and rubbed my eyes. “That’s a good personal motto. Another good one would be ‘don’t work for vampires.’”

He straightened and turned to face me. His dark eyes glittered in the firelight, and I thought it might be humor I saw in them. “For future reference, most ‘people’ don’t talk to the help. Just imagine that I’m invisible.”

“Sorry. I’m new here.”

The secret passageway opened, and Cyrus entered without knocking. I stood as though he were royalty. I’m not sure why.

He wore a silk dressing gown tied loosely enough to make me acutely uncomfortable. His torso was hard and well-defined. A perfect body, with the exception of the thick scar that ran from his collarbone to his stomach.

An injury like that would have been deadly six hundred years ago, so he must have been human at the time to keep a scar. A vampire would have healed. I touched the scar on my neck. Cyrus must have incurred the injury before he’d completely changed into a vampire. He yawned and stretched like someone who’d had the luxury of too much sleep, and his unbound hair brushed the floor with the motion. “Rested and ready for the night?”

I shook my head. “Someone was creeping around my room all day.”

“Clarence, I hope you apologized for waking Carrie,” Cyrus admonished the butler.

“I don’t think it was Clarence who woke me.”

Like some kind of reverse genie, Clarence disappeared at the mention of his name. I heard the parlor door click softly shut.

“I did come in to check on you.” Cyrus slipped behind me and stole my chair, pulling me into his lap as he did so. I yelped in surprise as I felt his ice-cold skin through my robe and tried to rearrange the fabric over my bare legs. Sprawled as I was over him, it was hard to maintain a ladylike appearance. He took advantage of the position and slipped his hand between the slightly parted fabric. “I felt your distress at the scene in the garden. And your excitement.”

I swallowed as his fingers teased my inner thigh. “You saw that?”

“It was spectacular, wasn’t it?” He inched his fingers up the hem of my T-shirt. “They’re such vulgar creatures, but I love the way they feed, the pack mentality of it.”

“Yeah, it’s a regular nature special.” I pushed his hand away and stood, whirling around to face him. “Did you tell them to do that? So I could see?”

Standing had been the wrong move. My wriggling had dislodged the tie of his robe completely, and he made no move to cover himself. I tried to look anywhere but where carnal curiosity forced me to. Not that I wanted to look at his immensely pleased face, either. He seemed delighted by my embarrassment. “Oh, I’m sorry, am I making you uncomfortable?”

“You forget, I’m a doctor. Or was,” I added with a surprising twinge of guilt. “I’ve seen

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plenty of naked bodies before. They all sort of look the same after a while.”

“Really?” He stood, far too close to me.

“Did you or did you not tell them to kill Cami?” His intimidation wasn’t going to work. At least, I hoped it wouldn’t.

“You’re really no fun, do you know that?” he said. “No, I didn’t arrange that little spectacle. I rather discourage the notion of feeding outside. As large as the grounds are, her screams probably carried to the neighbors. I find police investigations tedious at best, though I do harbor a fondness for handcuffs.”

I rolled my eyes. “There’s a cliché if I ever heard one.”

“I couldn’t resist.” Cyrus circled me slowly, tapping his lips with his forefinger.

“Something is off about you. I can feel it.”

“I am a bit hungry,” I admitted. “But I’m not interested in human sacrifice. Can you get any of your pets to donate blood?”

He stopped behind me and rested his hands on my shoulders. Before I could stop him, he tugged my robe backward. The tie came loose and I stood before him in only the dark blue T-shirt I’d worn to bed, the one Nathan had loaned me. Leaning close to my neck, Cyrus sniffed at the collar. “That’s what the problem is.”

He spun me, grasping my upper arms so hard I knew I’d have bruises that would heal in a moment. “Go take this thing off and deliver it to Clarence to be destroyed, along with any other reminder of him you might have thought to bring along.”

Though I didn’t mean to, I flinched from the pain in my arms. “What happened to not pressing your will?”

With a snarl of anger, he pushed me. I landed hard on one of the delicately embroidered chairs, the impact of my fall skidding it backward. Cyrus loomed over me, bracing himself on the polished wooden arms of the chair. “Do not abuse my patience and I won’t need to display the force of my will.”

For the first time, I felt utterly weak and vulnerable beside him. I knew he wouldn’t kill me. He was too fond of his trophy. But that served little comfort when I knew exactly how much torture a vampire could live through.