Chapter Seven

 

The next morning I was glad it was Friday, and I had the day off anyway. Keaton had stayed with me most of the night. Nightmares plagued me, but Keaton had woken me during them and said soothing words until I calmed enough to sleep again. I cleaned up the salt and hoped that the remnants wouldn’t hurt Ivan. After I dressed, I found the half troll downstairs cooking breakfast. He offered me a plate. I didn’t say much and neither did he. When I went to leave, Keaton waited for me at the foot of the steps.

“Your car awaits.”

“I thought you couldn’t go out in the sun.”

He was bundled up in a long sleeve shirt, pants, and wide sunglasses. “I can move about in the day. It weakens me, but it can be done. My car has special glass that filters the UV rays. Come on.”

I shrugged and followed him outside. Keaton winced when we stepped out into the direct light. He opened the door for me. Once I got in he raced around the car to get in.

We drove in silence back toward my house. As we drove, I thought a lot about what he had said to me the night before. The more I contemplated being without him, the more I didn’t want to be. Maybe he was right. I was the recipient of bad circumstances. When I reached the house, I shivered. A dark cloud blotted out the sun. Keaton stopped and I got out. With keys in hand, I mounted the stairs and went to slide the key into the lock. However, when I placed my hand on the door, it swung open. I glanced back at Keaton. He shut the engine off and then rushed out of the car.

“What is it?”

“I don’t know. Something isn’t right. None of my roommates wouldn’t lock the door. Not in this neighborhood.”

He went in ahead of me. I heard a harsh growl utter from his throat. “Stay here.” He waved me back and then bolted into the house.

I looked around and didn’t see anyone. Finally, I went inside. When I did, I was immediately hit with the damp, overwhelming, wet aroma that was laced with metal. The living room was splashed with blood. There was a trail of it leading into the kitchen. I followed it and found Sandi dead on the floor. An open wound on his throat was dried with blood. The tears in the skin showed his muscled beneath the flesh. Oh shit! What the hell happened in here? I blanched and turned from the scene.

I heard footsteps upstairs and rushed up them. I found Keaton, fangs extended in my bedroom. The state of my room was in shambles. The mattress and bedding were in tatters. My drawers hand been rifled through. Clothes were strewn on the floor. Glass littered the floor from the window being broken inward. My closet had been picked through. Keaton stopped me when I stepped forward.

“Stay there. You’ll contaminate the scent.”

I stepped away from the room. I couldn’t believe what I was seeing. What happened? My blood ran cold at the sight. If I had been there then I’d have been shredded too. Someone had broken in and killed my roommate. It looked like they were aiming for me.

Stephania had said there was evil stalking the night. That’s why she gave me the salt. She knew something was coming to my apartment. But I hadn’t been. I’d been with Keaton. This was worse than anything that had ever happened to me. I stumbled backward until I hit the wall. I slid down the solid surface and looked at my shaking hand. Keaton came out from my room and said something. He took me by the arms and lifted me up. His lips were moving, but I couldn’t hear anything he said.

He patted my cheek. It didn’t register in that he was touching me. He snapped his fingers in front of my face. The blackness that had descended over us had me in its grip. Sandi became Mark, sprawled out on the floor. He opened his eyes and stared at me. He began to speak.

“This is all your fault. Madi—”

I covered my ears and squeezed my eyes shut. “No. No. I didn’t do it. I didn’t kill you. No—”

“Madison,” I opened my eyes when someone shook me. Keaton’s lips were pursed. His forehead creased as he stared at me. He had my hands in his. Keaton kissed the back of one of them. His appearance had returned to normal. I focused on him and tried not to get pulled down back into the dark tide of images rising inside of my mind.

“What happened?”

“Another vampire was here. I think it was the one who attacked you the other night. Have you seen him since?”

I shook my head. “N-no. I-I would have told you if I had.”

“Of course you would have. Come on, we need to get you away from here.”

“But what about Sandi? We can’t just leave him in the kitchen. All that blood.”

“I’ve already called Ivan to come over. He will take care of the body.”

“How?”

“Do you really want to know?”

I shook my head. My stomach turned at what I thought Ivan would do since he had a penchant for raw, human meat. I couldn’t think of him snacking on my roommate. Keaton helped me up.

“Thank you.”

“You should come to my place for now. Do you need anything here?”

I glanced at my room, but I needed clothes. “Just give me a minute, okay?”

“Sure.” Keaton stepped away. I grabbed a suitcase from my closet amongst the wreckage. Some clothes were okay. Those went into the bag. In my dresser were a few bras and panties to wear along with some pajamas that I would need. I gathered my laptop and a couple of books I was reading. But none of that seemed to matter. I walked out of my room and in that moment knew that I was saying goodbye to my old life and beginning a new one. Keaton brought me back to his house afterwards.

The last thing I had taken with me was an old stuffed bear that hadn’t been shredded. I snuggled closer with it in the bed. Keaton walked into the bedroom carrying a mug filled with hot tea. He gave it to me. I blew the steam away and sipped on it.

“You’ll stay here from now on. We’ll go shopping when you’re ready. Sunday if you want.”

I shook my head. “No. I told Stephania that I would meet her Sunday so we could go shopping.”

Keaton gave me a tight smile. “Well, that’s good.”

“You don’t sound like it is.”

“It’s not that. There is still some bad blood between us.”

“You don’t trust her?”

“No. I do. I just don’t want you to get hurt.”

“I’ll be careful. She seems sincere about our relationship. She did warn me about the evil and gave me the salt. If I had been home...” I couldn’t finish the sentence.

Keaton grimaced. He ran his hand over my knee. “I know. If you had been there, I would’ve lost you.”

“Do you know who was in the house?”

He got up and began to pace. He clutched the bedpost. “It was that bastard who attacked you in the alleyway.”

“I thought you killed him?”

“So did I. He might have had someone with him. Pulled out the stake right after I left. I was too focused on you.”

“How did he find me?”

“He must have had a piece of your clothing to trace your scent. Did he take anything of yours that night?”

I thought back. His hand caressed my throat and ran through my hair. I had a scarf around my neck that night that he'd ripped off. “He took my scarf. I didn’t think about it because he dropped it to the ground.”

“He must have come back and grabbed it after we left.”

“Do you know who he is? Can he track me back here?”

Keaton nodded. “I know who he is.”

“Who?”

“Someone I thought would’ve known better. I’ll take care of him.”

“I just don’t want anything to happen to you. I love you.”

Keaton stopped pacing and stared at me. Surprise lit up his face. “What did you say?”

“That I don’t want anything to happen to you.”

“Before that.”

I felt the blood heat my cheeks. The words had slipped out, but once they did, I knew them to be true. He had protected me. Shown me that he loved me, and it wasn’t because of the mating fever or whatever the vampire mojo was that bound us together. “That I love you.”

He took my hands and peered into my eyes. “You mean that?”

“Yeah. I do. I don’t want to lose you.”

“You won’t. I swear.” He wove his fingers in my hair and pulled me to him. His lips met mine, and I conformed my body to his. The pleasure of his touch ignited my need for him. Keaton thrust his tongue into my mouth. I tasted his sweetness. I cried out when he parted from me. I didn’t want him to be gone from me.

“Can I ask a favor?”

“Anything.”

I bit my lip and looked at him. I trailed my finger along his throat. He sucked in a breath. I slipped closer. My lips ran along his neck. I nipped at his flesh. “Let me taste you again.”

He pulled away with shock in his eyes. “You know if you do, it only hastens you turning into what I am. I don’t want to bring you into the darkness until you are ready to be with me forever.”

I bowed my head. “Forgive me. I didn’t mean to ask.” I began to pull away from him, but he took my arm.

“No. You don’t have anything to forgive. I was surprised that you asked. That’s all. I’d never deny you anything. But allow me to sip from your veins.”

I pushed the hair from my neck. I guided him to my throat. His soft lips touched upon my flesh. The bolt of pleasure that speared through me from the simple gesture reminded me what Keaton was. The fear that I originally had for him wasted away. I trusted him now with my soul. He spread his lips over my jugular. His teeth pressed into my flesh. I slipped my fingers through his hair. His teeth plunged into me and I moaned. One hand cupped my breast. He squeezed it lightly. The nipple puckered when he brushed over it.

As I relaxed, I felt his mind poking against mine. I tried to drop the barriers on my thoughts. He sucked on me harder. The fire he sparked in me grew. It burned along my veins and engulfed me.

Keaton pulled away after a few more sips. When he did, I was out of breath, and my heart slammed against my chest. He cupped my chin and glanced at me. “Are you okay?”

I nodded. “Yeah. Fabulous.”

“I’m glad. If I ever hurt you, then I couldn’t bear it.” He slid his finger along his neck. I wanted to taste him. I hungered for it. The longer I stared at the gash, the more the gnawing grew in my stomach.

“You’re hungry. It’s faint, but I can feel it in you.”

I nodded. “Yes.”

“Then drink, love.”

I wrapped my mouth around the wound. The blood slid down my throat. It tasted like new pennies and cotton candy mixed together. I took swallow after swallow until Keaton groaned and asked me to stop. I couldn’t. I wanted more. He finally had to wrench me away from him.

“Sorry.”

“Don’t apologize to me. It felt wonderful, but if you drink any more you’ll really start to turn. Not that I don’t want that, but you might still wish to remain human.”

“I’m okay with that. I just don’t want the other to come after me. Can you protect me from the one who wanted me dead?”

“I’d give my life to protect you. He won’t hurt you again. Ivan has already delivered a message to his house.”

“You know where he lives?”

“I know where the head of his line lives. Being on the council has privileges. It will not go unnoticed. You’ve been marked as my mate. He’ll pay for using you as a pawn in his retaliation against me.”

“Who is it? Why would they want revenge against you?”

“It isn’t anything that you need to worry about.”

“But it is because we’re in this together.”

Keaton drew me into his arms and held me close. He sighed and began to stroke my hair. “My race has a council that keeps the laws. None of them are to hurt our mates. We made a decree not to kill humans. Many of our kind hate that ruling. Trenton and I used to be friends, but after the declaration, we split. Now we are enemies. He kills people violently and anyone I find in his house, his bloodline that is guilty, we kill.”

“I’m sorry to hear that. I assume that when you first saved me you didn’t know that I was going to be your mate.”

“No. Trenton’s underling must’ve gotten your scent and then followed it. Or watched us and saw that I was interested in you. He must’ve followed and told Trenton something. It doesn’t matter now. Trenton will recognize you as my mate. And then cease his actions. I sent Ivan to present an offer to him.”

I gripped his hand, not liking what he had planned. “What was the offer? Leave me alone or you’ll find your head disconnected from your body?”

“Nothing so extreme. I want to meet with him. No council involved. I’ll forgive his transgressions and see if the council will bring him back on if he leaves you alone. The city is big enough for the both of us.”

“So the council isn’t in the city?”

Keaton hugged me closer. “No. The members are all over the world. It’s made up of the oldest of our race. Those on the council who live within a city claim it for a hunting ground. Any new vampire that comes into the city is supposed to introduce themselves to me so I can tell them the rules no matter if the master has already told him.”

“How would they know to come to you?”

“It’s tricky to explain. All vampires have an energy about them. The older you are, the stronger the energy. Think of the moths being drawn to a flame.”

“And you’re the dark flame?”

“Yes.”

I placed my hands on his chest. I couldn’t feel anything. He began to move me off him when I pulled his shirt from his pants. Keaton tried to push it down, but I gave him a smile.

“Should we be doing this now?” he asked.

“Trust me.” I kissed the side of his cheek. I yanked the shirt over his head and dropped it to the floor. I flicked my tongue down his neck, over his collarbone, and then rested my mouth over his heart. I closed my eyes and listened. Something throbbed underneath his chest. It wasn’t his heart because that was dead, but there was a pulse. The energy that came from him was hot and cold. It was bright and dark all at the same time. My lips worked over the spot while my fingers ran along his back, feeling the supple skin. Keaton tasted of soap and his own unique flavor. I drank in more of his essence. The longer my mouth remained over his heart, Keaton moaned, and his back bowed. His muscles strained from the tension. He slid his fingers through my hair and lifted my head.

“What are you doing?”

I licked my lips, which tingled. “I can feel it. I can taste it.”

“Impossible. You shouldn’t be able to draw in my essence.”

I swept my lips over the muscles of his chest until I came to his nipple. I took the pert bud between my teeth and nibbled on it. I tasted his energy then. I ran my tongue over the edges of it, but didn’t pull it in. Instead I let my tongue sweep over the hardened pea and pinched the other. Keaton quivered when I stopped.

“I don’t know how I can, but I do. Maybe it’s because I’m supposed to be your mate. But I don’t want to think about that right now.” I slid my hand along his inner thigh and then over his erection that pressed against his jeans. The large bulge was something I had been yearning to get my hands on for a long time. Keaton clutched my breasts. His hunger for me burned in his eyes.

“I like your line of thinking.” He slowly pulled my shirt over my head and added it to his. He placed his lips over my chest and began to kiss it until he sucked on my hardening nipple beneath the triangle of lace. I started rubbing his cock through the fabric of his jeans. His fingers slid along my sides and then he slipped his thumbs underneath the straps of my bra. Keaton pushed them down, gliding his fingers along my shoulders. Then he grabbed the middle of my bra and ripped it. It tore open, leaving my breasts exposed. He sucked on them hungrily, taking as much as he could of one into his mouth. His tongue twirled over my nipple while his teeth grazed the sensitive tip.

I dug into his jeans finding the button that held them closed and then pulled down the zipper. His cock sprung out, ready to be abused. My vampire lifted his head from my breast and captured my lips. Keaton thrust his tongue between my lips so they could meet and taste our passion. I bit down and caught his tongue. His eyes widened. I smiled, but then had a surprise of my own. His teeth shifted and grew longer. I released his tongue and swept mine over the points. I caressed them, feeling the slight curve. He remained still and let me explore. But I pulled away and kissed his cheek. I pushed him back down onto the bed. He gave me a questioning look, but I delved lower. I pulled his pants further down. I replaced my hand with my mouth around his cock. I drew him in slowly letting my tongue explore his shaft. Before I could get too far, Keaton lifted his hips and thrust into me.

“Suck on me, baby.”

I grabbed the base of his dick and held him in place. Cupping his balls, I took him all the way into my mouth until he hit the back of my throat. I dragged my teeth over his smooth skin. He jumped and moaned. I withdrew, keeping my lips tight on him until I came to his spongy head where I tasted the salty cum. It was almost better than his blood. Keaton ran his fingers over my shoulders and then touched my neck. His hips rose off the bed as I increased my intake of his cock. I sucked on him more and clutched the fleshy mounds of his toned ass. He thrust into my mouth one last time and then he released. I swallowed all of him down. Keaton groaned and then fell back onto the bed.

“Oh, God.” I slid up his body and rested on his chest. I placed kisses along his collarbone. “If you can do that, then I want to know what else you can do.”

A sultry laugh left my throat. I kissed him lightly on the lips and wiggled. He closed his eyes and lifted his hips again. Keaton was growing firm once more. I gripped his semi-erection and began to stroke him, hoping this time I could have him inside of me. “You seem eager to go again.”

“Only because you’re so goddamn sexy. It’s been hell having to not take you every time you’ve touched me. That first night when I spirited you away and you were in heat, I longed to tear your clothes off and fuck you all night. In every room.”

I flicked my tongue along his nipple. “Then why didn’t you?”

“Because I didn’t want to take advantage. How could I win your heart when you weren’t completely in your right mind?”

I squeezed his balls and watched his mouth form an O. His eyes fluttered shut. His back rose off the mattress and then slammed down again. “I appreciate that. Although, I’m in my right mind now. I want you to fuck me. Ravish me until I beg you to stop.”

A devilish smile appeared on his face. “Are you positive you know what you’re asking? By the end of this, you might have wished otherwise.”

“I trust you, Keaton. I want to spend the rest of my life showing you how much I love you. But you do have a limit because Stephania and I are going shopping on Sunday.”

He rolled his eyes. “I can work with that.”

I squeezed his balls once more for good measure. I loved seeing the look of pain and pleasure sweep across his face. Keaton opened his eyes and kissed me on the forehead. I basked in our togetherness. It calmed my heart and made me whole for the first time in a long time.