Yes, and look where that got you both.
Stating the obvious. Such a low blow. Shut. Up.
A flicker of sympathy in those petal-toned eyes before the cold, frothing hunger returned. Thirsty. Drink. Now. Aden flashed his teeth at her just before diving for her neck. On some level, he knew he couldnt reach her vein, but at this stage, that never stopped him from trying.
Victoria gripped him by the hair and flung him. Gentle, gentle. He flew across the cave into the far wall, and she winced. Oops. Dust and debris exploded around him, drifting to her as he slid to the ground. She sucked in a much-needed breath, then had to cough to clear her throat of the rubble.
Hey! Be careful with our boy, Julian commanded. I plan to move back inside him, you know.
Im trying to be careful, she wanted to scream. How had Aden dealt with these beings all his life? They chattered constantly, commenting on everything. Julian found fault with her every action, Caleb took nothing seriously and Elijah was the biggest downer of all time.
To be honest, she would have more fun overdosing on sedatives than speaking to him.
Where were human junkies when you needed to top yourself off?
Aden stood, his gaze locked on her.
How can I stop him without harming him? Shed wondered this a thousand times before, but the solution had never come to her. Surely there was a way to facilitate
Hey, I kinda feel funny, Caleb announced, his voice booming as if there had never been anyone or anything more important than him and his feelings in the history of the world.
Will you give it a rest? Youve got a funny feeling in your invisible pants and the only way to fix you is for Victoria to undress. We know! Julian snapped. Why dont you do our boy Aden a solid and stop trying to play Naughty Shower Time with his girlfriend?
Victoria clawed at her ears, trying to reach the souls and finally kill them. They were so loud. So there, like shadows slinking through her skull, untouchable, darting just out of reach every time she closed in.
No, Im not horny. A laborious pause. Well, I am, but thats not what Im talking about right now. II think Imdizzy.
Caleb was telling the truth. That dizziness was now spilling into her, and she wavered on her feet.
Hey, Julian said a second later. Me, too. What did you do to us, princess?
Of course he blamed her, even though it wasnt her fault. The dizziness always hit them a few minutes before they returned to Aden, and they were always surprised.
Here comes Aden, Elijah warned her. I hope youre prepared for the changes about to unfold. I know Im not.
Hey, dont help the enemy! Julian growled.
Im not the The scent of Adens blood hit her first, potent and tantalizing, making her mouth water, reminding her of her bodys needs. Then, suddenly, she was falling, hard hands pushing her down. Cold rock scraped against her back, and she gasped out the rest of her sentence enemy.
Feed. Adens weight pinned her, his teeth chewing at her neck a moment later. She latched onto his hair again, but this time, when she tugged, he bit down harderinto her vein. Her skin actually split open.
Never before had something like this happened, and a scream of pain tore from her. A scream that died as quickly as it had begun. Her throat clogged as the dizziness returned, accompanied by a tidal wave of unexpected fatigue. Her muscles quivered, and she thought she heard Caleb moan.
Caleb. Reminded of his presence, she gasped out his name, willing to beg the soul to help her now. Let me possess
His second moan cut her off. Whats happening to me?
Concentrate. Please. Let me
Am I dying? I dont want to die. Im too young to die.
He and his babbling would be no help. Nor would the others. Julian and Elijah were moaning, too. But they werent leaving her, werent returning to Aden. And then their moans became shouts, fogging her mind, derailing her good sense.
Flashes in her mind, like a camera switching views. Her bodyguard, Rileytall and dark-haired, smiling with wicked humor. Her sisters, Lauren and Stephanie, both blonde and beautiful, teasing her mercilessly. Her mother, Edina, with black-as-a-midnight-sky hair swinging as she twirled. Her long-lost brother, Sorin, a warrior shed been commanded to forget, shed tried to forget as hed walked away and never looked back.
More flashes, the camera revealing only black and white now. Shannon, her roommate, kind, caring, concerned. No, not her roommate, but Adens. Ryder, the boy Shannon had wanted to date, even though hed rejected him. Dan, beloved owner of the D and M ranch, her home for the last few months. No, not her home. Adens.
Her own thoughts and memories were blending with Adens, forming a hazy cloud around her. Then the flashes disappeared all together. She was weakeningfighting the need to sleep
Come on, Tepes! Youre royalty. You can do this!
A pep talk courtesy of herself, one that worked. She could do this.
Determination driving her, she managed to tug on Adens hair, lifting his head. Unfortunately, she wasnt strong enough to throw him. Not this time. And for a moment, their gazes clashed. His eyes were red now, glowing. Demonic. Blood dripped from his mouthher bloodand splashed onto her chin. Blood she desperately needed to keep.
She should have been frightened. Because, as she looked up at the fiend she had created, she saw her death. A death that made sense. Elijah had claimed Aden was now lost to the beast, and Elijah was never wrong. And yet
Bloodher own hunger rose again, filling her up, becoming all that she knew, strengthening her. She would not be taken down without feasting on him, she decided.
Her fangs sharpened as she surged up to bite. Only, she could not pierce his skin. Something blocked her. What blocked her? She looked, determined to remove the obstacle, but she saw only the bronze of Adens skin. Nothing covered that hammering pulse.
Taste, taste, must taste. A mantra she couldnt blame on the souls.
Snarling, she released his hair and clawed at him. A tiny cut, thats all she needed to make. So easy, but her nails failed her as thoroughly as her teeth.
Feed. Aden dove back down. Clearly, her jugular was his favorite chew toy.
TASTE. She surged back up, trying to bite him again.
Taste, the beast said, as if hed heard her thought and mirrored it.
They rolled on the floor in a bid for dominance. Whenever she managed to toss him away, he always flew back in less than a blink. They crashed into the walls, slammed into the dais and splashed in the shallow puddles of water.
Whoever won would feed. Whoever lost would die, drained, the circle of life proven once again. For only the strongest could survive; everyone else became a snack. Until Aden, her every action had been motivated by that principle. After him, she had fought to protect those weaker than herself. Fought her instinct to take, to have. Now, she couldnt fight. She wanted. She would have.
All too soon, however, Aden pinned her, and this time, he held her down so firmly, she was unable to wrestle her way free. Their bodies rubbed together as she still continued to struggle, their limbs tangling. Finally, he managed to grab her wrists and brace them over her head.
Game over. She had lost.
She took stock. She was panting, sweating, her neck throbbing, her mind locked on one thought: TASTETASTETASTE.
Yes.
Let go, she snarled.
Above her, Aden stilled. He, too, was panting and sweating. His eyes were still glowing that bright crimson, but now there were flecks of amber mixed with the red. Amber, his natural color. That meant, for once, Elijah had been wrong. Aden was in there, still battling the beast for control.
She could do no less.
The thought was a lifeline, and she clung. Victoria concentrated on her breathing, in and out, slow and measured. Voices other than her own began to penetrate her awareness.
feeling worse, Caleb was saying.
The dizziness had never been this bad before. And once the switch-switch-switch had begun, the souls should not have been able to stay put. Why hadnt they left her?
We all have to stay calm, Elijah said. Okay? Well be fine. I know well be fine.
Youre lying. Julians words were slurred. Hurts too badly for us to be fine.
Yes, lying. Panic drenched Calebs voice. This is terrible, Im dying, and youre dying, too. Were all dying. I know were dying.
Stop saying the word dying and calm down, Elijah commanded. Now. Your little anxiety attacks are placing Aden and Victoria in more danger.
At last, concern. But it was too little, too late. They were already in danger.
I justI need
Caleb! Youre placing all of us in danger, too. Please, calm down.
Thirsty, Aden said, his gravelly voice drawing her back to the hated present.
The amber was fading in his eyes, the red expanding. He was losing the battlewould soon attack her, his gaze already zeroing in on the still-seeping wound in her neck. He licked his lips, his eyes closing as he savored the lingering flavor of her.
This was the perfect time for her to strike, she thought, reverting to her baser urges. Her opponent was distracted. Taste, she said, the word garbled.
Victoria. You love him. You fought to save him. Dont undermine your own efforts by succumbing to a hunger you can control. A voice of reason in the chaos of her mind. But of course, Elijah, the psychic, would know exactly what to say to reach her. All right? Okay? I cant deal with both you and Caleb right now, on top of the dizziness. One of you has to act like a grown-up. And since youre eighty-something years old, I pick you.
Adens eyelids popped open. Bright red, no longer any hint of his humanity.
Control herself, yes. She could. She would. Aden, please. Save him, yes. She would try that, too. He meant everything to her. I know you can hear me. I know you dont really want to hurt me.
A pause, heavy and laden with tension. Then, miraculously, another flicker of amber, deep in those beloved eyes. Cant hurt he said. Dont want to hurt.
Tears of relief pooled in her lashes, leaked onto her cheeks. Let go of my hands, Aden. Please.
Another pause, this one lasting an eternity. Slowly, so slowly, he uncurled his fingers from her wrists and lifted his arms away from her. He straightened until he was straddling her, his knees pressing into her hips.
Victoriasorry, so sorry. Your poor, beautiful neck. The dual voice, one his, one the beasts, tendrils of sympathy and smoke, blending together, wafting over her.
She offered him a soft smile. Nothing to apologize for. I did this to you.
Ineedyou must Caleb couldnt quite catch his breathand suddenly, Victoria couldnt quite catch her breath, either. Somethings happeningI cant
Listen to me carefully, Caleb, Elijah lashed out. We cant go back to Aden yet. Well be killed.
Killed? Caleb gasped. Figures. I knew we were going to die.
What do you mean, killed? Julian snarled.
I mean, well be fine unless you two keep this up! Your panic is going to drive us out of Victoria, and we cant leave Victoria. Not yet. So you have to calm down like I told you. Do you hear me? We can return to Aden later. After thejust after. So, Caleb, Julian, are you listening to
His speech ended abruptly. Caleb screamed, then Julian screamed, the sounds blending with Elijahs sudden groan of distress. No, they hadnt listened.
Neither had she, apparently. Victoria was the next to scream, and the sound of that busted her eardrums. Loud, loud, so loud. Hurt, hurt, so hurt. Then, she didnt care. The pain left, and her scream softened into a purr.
Somehow, some way, absolute power was birthed inside her, blasting through her, fusing with her. Now, a part of her. Good, good, so good.
Throughout the decades of her life, she had drained several witches. A bad thing for vampires. Witches were their drug of no-choice, and once sampled, it was difficult to think about anything else. She knew that very well. Though years had passed since her last bender, some days the cravings hit her, and shed find herself running through the woods, searching, searching, desperate to find a witch. Any witch. And that was reason number one why witches and vampires usually avoided each other.
But, oh, this sudden burst of powerit was witchlike, intoxicating, warmth and sunlight, yet cold like a snowstorm. Dizzying, overwhelming, everything and nothing. She floated on clouds, swept away from the cave. She dozed on a beach, water lapping at her feet. She danced in the rain, as carefree as the child shed never been allowed to be.
Such a beautiful eternity awaited her here. She never wanted to leave.
She thought she heard the souls crying, soft, almost childlike. Where they not experiencing this, too?
A roar cut through her euphoria. That roar stretched out wispy tentacles, and those tentacles wrapped around her, surprisingly strong, tugging her away. Frowning, she dug her heels into the ground. Im staying!
A second roar inside her head, louder now, threatening, causing a chilled, clammy sheen of perspiration to coat her.
In a snap, she was jerked back to the present. And just like that, her sense of tranquility vanished. No. No, no, no.
Oh, yes. The souls were no longer chattering, screaming, crying, anything, and the sense of power had evaporated with the tranquility. More than that, Chompers had returned, and he didnt want her to hurt Aden.
Before, each time her beast had returned to her, she had experienced a sharp lance of acknowledgment. Nothing more. Then hed left her again. Then returned. An endless cycle as she and Aden endlessly drank. But thisthis was something different. Something stronger. A passing of energy, perhaps. Or had that been a final break of the ever-changing cycle of possession?
Chompers hunger blended with her own, familiar, yet utterly unwelcome because he would not allow her to do anything about it. He never did, not with Aden.
Victoria blinked open her eyes, gasped. She had never left the cave, but shed been busy. She was on her feet, her arms outstretched. A golden glow radiated from between her fingers, dimminggone. Aden lay in a crumpled heap against the far wall. He was unconscious, unmoving, maybe evenno. No!
Her bare feet dug into the rocks as she raced to him. The moment she reached him, she was crouching and feeling for a pulse. No, no, no. Please, please. There! Fast, too fast and too weak, but there. He was alive.
Relief flooded her, followed quickly by remorse. What had she done to him? Beaten him? Drained him? No, she couldnt have. Chompers wouldnt have allowed that, either. Right?
Oh, Aden. She smoothed the hair from his brow. There were no bruises on his face, no punctures in his neck. Whats wrong with you?
A sound wafted to her ears. Frowning, she leaned down. Was hehumming? She blinked, listened more intently. Yes, yes, he was. And if he was humming, he wasnt hurting. Right? He must be experiencing some sort of euphoria. Perhaps even the same euphoria shed basked in. Right?
Please, be right.
She studied him more intently. His expression was serene, his lips edged upward. He looked boyish, innocent, almost angelic. He was experiencing the euphoria, then.
Relaxing, she traced her fingertip along his hairline. He was so striking, with his hair dyed black and those two-inch blond roots. Perfectly arched eyebrows rose above perfectly uptilted eyes. His nose was perfectly sloped. His lips were soft, his chin stubborn. Again, perfectly. His was a face a girl would never tire of looking at. Maybe because every new glance revealed a previously undiscovered nuance. This time, she saw the thick, feathering fan of his lashes, a golden chocolate in the haze of the cave.
Wake up for me, Aden. Please.
Nothing, no response.
Perhaps, like her, he didnt want to leave. Well, too bad. They had some chatting to do.
Aden. Aden, wake up.
Again nothing. No, not nothing. He scowled, and the scowl soon became a grimace.
Her heart galloped against her ribs. All right. What if he wasnt floating and carefree? What if he was stuck? Or worse, agonized? That grimace
He panted out a breath once, twice, shallow and rasping. Crackling. Shed heard that crackle beforeeach time shed taken too much blood from a human.
He wont die. He cant. Theyd been here a week. Seven days, three hours and eighteen minutes. Theyd fought and kissed and drank from each other the entire time. Aden had survived all of that; surely he would survive this. Whatever this was.
Shame suddenly outweighed her ever-present guilt. And maybe that shame was what corralled her beast, stopping him from screaming for release the way he had every time before.
Wait. Chompers wasnt screaming. The realization caused her to blink with confusion. A quick glance at her chest, and she saw that all of her wards had faded. Even still, the beast was silent. That had never happened before.
What else was different? Her gaze fell to Adens neck, where his pulse drummed sporadically. Her mouth watered, but the urge, the electrifying need to bite him, wasnt there.
No, not true. It was there, it simply wasnt as strong. It was controllable. Even still, she was thirsty, desperate to drink from someone. And if she could now take from someone else, perhaps Aden could, as well. If so
He could be saved. Completely. She hoped. There was only one way to find out. Though she was still weak, she twined her fingers with Adens and closed her eyes, imagining her bedroom at the vampire stronghold near Crossroads, Oklahoma. White carpet, white walls, white bed covers.
Please work, she thought. Please.
A cold breeze kicked up, blowing her hair up and down, the strands winding together and knotting. It was working! Her grip tightened on Aden, and her lips curved into a grin. The floor fell away, leaving them suspended in the air. Any moment now and they would be
Her feet settled on a soft, plush foundation. Carpet.
Home. They were home.
THREE
Three days later
THE BEDROOM DOOR CRASHED against the wall as a harsh male voice snarled, I hear youve threatened to disembowel anyone who steps foot in your room. Well, here I am. But before you disembowel me, you better tell me what the hell is going on.
Victoria stopped pacing and whipped around to face the intruder. Riley. Her bodyguard. Her best friend. Tall, as muscled as Aden now was, with a face roughened by life and fist fights.
Her chest constricted. He wasnt handsome in a Prince of Your Dreams way like Aden, but in a sexy Ill Kick Your Ass No Matter What It Takes and Laugh way, and that was exactly what she needed at the moment. A willingness to do whatever was necessary.
He might be the one person able to help her.
And though he was obviously fuming, his eyes glittering with angry heat, he was the best thing shed seen in days. He had dark, shaggy hair, bright green eyes fringed by long lashes of the darkest jet, and a nose broken too many times to count, with a slight bump in the center. Certain injuries, when received repeatedly, simply couldnt heal properly.
He wore a green Lucky Charms T-shirt and jeansor what looked to be jeans, since she knew they werent really denim. He was the only slash of color in her white-as-the-clouds bedroom.
Nice shirt, she said. One, to distract him from his anger before she spilled her secrets, and two, to showcase the sense of humor she was desperately trying to develop. Once, his human girlfriend, Mary Ann Gray, had accused Victoria of being too somber.
Only thing I could find. Victoria. Talk. Now. Before I assume the worst and just start offing everyone in the house.
The pretend sense of humor vanished, and tears filled her eyes, those stupid human tears shed never shed before coming to the States. She raced to Riley, throwing herself into his strong, capable arms.
Im so glad youre here.
You might not be so glad if I have to force you to start talking. Despite the threat, he hugged her tight, exactly as hed done when they were younger and other vampires refused to play with her.
Because she was a daughter of Vlad the Impaler, every one had feared punishment if she were hurtor worseon their watch. But not Riley. Never Riley. He was like the brother she had always wanted, her comforter and her shield.
Oh, she had a blood brother. Sorin. Except, Vlad had forbidden her from looking at, talking to or even acknowledging him. Father Dearest hadnt wanted his only son tainted by his too soft daughters. In fact, when Aden had asked Victoria about her siblings back when theyd first met, shed named only her sisters. Last shed inadvertently heard, Sorin was leading half of the vampire army through Europe, keeping Bloody Mary, the leader of the Scottish faction, in line. Combine all of that, and Sorin didnt count.
Besides, Vlad had long ago given Riley charge of Victorias care, and the wolf shifter had taken the job seriously. Not just out of a sense of duty, or fear of torture and death if he failed, but also because he liked her. They were friends first and everything else second.
Why are you here, though? she asked, ignoring his demand. Again.
My brothers hunted me down and scared two centuries off my life when they told me youd ventured into Crazy Town. Now, enough about me. Riley pulled back and cupped her cheeks, forcing her to peer up at him. Have you fed properly? You look like crap.
His concernand insultoffered more comfort than anything else could have and was so wonderfully Riley she responded in a way she knew he would approve. Yes, Daddy. Ive fed properly. Truth. Five minutes after arriving home and settling Aden in her bed, shed had her fangs buried deep inside one of the blood-slaves who lived here at the stronghold.
So thirsty had she been, shed nearly drained the human dry. Her sister Lauren had managed to jerk her away just in time. Her other sister, Stephanie, had found her a second human, and a third and a fourth, and shed drunk until her stomach could hold no more.
Smart-ass. Rileys lips twitched with his amusement. When did you learn to wield sarcasm?
I cant remember exactly. All she knew was that shed had a choice. Find the humor in what happened to her or drown in her misery. Two weeks ago, maybe.
The mention of time wiped away his delighted expression, leaving him with a cold frown.
Only one person affected him that way. Mary Ann Gray. The girl had struck out on her own the same night Aden had been stabbed, and Riley the Besotted Wolf had charged after her, determined to protect her despite the hazard to himself.
Wheres your human? Wait. Mary Ann wasnt quite human anymore. The girl had become a drainersomething Victoria had not seen comingable to suck the magic from witches, the beasts from vampires, the power from fairies and the ability to shift forms from the wolves.
Victoria had begun to wonder if Mary Ann had ever been human. After all, fairies were drainers. The difference was, the fairies could control their hunger and feedings. Mary Ann could not. Still. That raised a startling question. Could Mary Ann be a human/fairy hybrid?
Victoria had never heard of such a pairing, but as she was learning, anything was possible. If Mary Ann was somehow a hybrid, every vampire and shifter in this strongholdbesides Riley, of coursewould want the girl dead. More than they already did. Fae were Enemy One. Dangerous in the extreme. A threat to otherworld existence.
Well? Victoria insisted when Riley offered no reply.
I lost her. A muscle underneath his eye jerked, a sure sign of his upset.
Wait. You, an expert tracker, lost a teenager who wouldnt know how to hide if she were invisible? Another sign that Mary Ann was more than she seemed.
The ticking migrated to Rileys jaw. Yes.
You should be ashamed.
I dont want to talk about it, he said. Im here to talk about you. How are you? Seriously?
Im fine.
All right. Ill pretend I believe that. Any word from your father?
No. Vlad had ordered Adens execution while remaining in the shadows. Shadows he had yet to vacate.
Shed never been so grateful for her fathers vanity. He wanted to be seen as invincible, always. So, no one here knew Vlad was still alive, and if she had her way, they never would. The vampires might rebel against Aden before he was officially crowned king, and if they rebelled while he was in this condition, he would lose. Everything hed already endured would have been for nothing.
Even healthy and whole, he needed every edge he could get. Not just to remain in charge, but to stay alive.
Right now, he had time. Victoria knew her father. Vlad would not return until he was at top strength. Thenwell, then there would be a war. Vlad would punish those whod submitted to Adens rule. Herself and Riley included. He would make an example of Aden. And his preferred method of exampling, as shed come to call it, was placing a severed head on a pike and displaying that pike at his front door.
Would Aden fight him? If so, could Aden hope to win?
Hows Aden? Riley asked. The wolf could read auras and had probably sensed the direction of her thoughts. Did hesurvive?
Yes and no. Her stomach twisted into thousands of little knots. She tugged from Rileys hold, turned and motioned to the bed with a wave of her hand. Behold. Our king.
Green eyes narrowed as they lanced to the lump atop the mattress. Five sure steps, and the shifter was at the side of the bed, peering down. Victoria joined him, trying to see Aden as Riley must.
He lay on his back, as motionless as a corpse. His normally bronzed skin was pallid, the blue tracery of his veins evident. His cheeks were hollowed out, his lips chapped and cracked. His hair was soaked with sweat and plastered to his scalp.
Whats wrong with him? Riley demanded in a quiet, yet all the harsher for it, tone.
I dont know.
You know something.
She gulped. Well, I think I told you that Tucker stabbed him.
Yes, and Tucker will die for that. A flat, cold statement of fact. Soon.
The homicidal confession didnt surprise her. Retaliation was Rileys way. Tit for tat, and never anything in between. That way, an enemy never tried to harm you twice. I wanted to save himsave Aden I meanso II tried to Just say it. Tried to turn him. I told you that, too.
And I thought youd change your mind, see reason.
Well, I didnt. I know I shouldnt have done it, but I couldnt I didnt want I did what I had to do to keep him alive!
Aden told you the consequences of messing with one of Elijahs predictions, Vic. The few times he did it, people suffered more than they would have if hed left them alone.
Her back went ramrod straight, her nose lifting in the air. Yes, he did, and no, that didnt stop me or change my mind. I fed him my blood, every drop I could, drank from him, and then he drank from me. We repeated the process, over and over again.
And?
Of course he knew there was more to the story. Her shoulders sagged. Andsomehow I absorbed his souls inside my head, and he absorbed my beast.
Rileys mouth dropped open. You have the souls?
Not anymore. We kept switching back and forth, and we kept drinking from each other, even though we barely had anything left. I thought we would kill each other. Wealmostdid. Her chin trembled, breaking the words apart.
Theres more. Tell me. Riley was merciless when he wanted something, and right now he wanted information. Hed warned her she wouldnt like him if he had to force her to talk, and she took the threat seriously.
Our last day in the cave, I did something to him. I dont know what, and its killing me! I blacked out, and when I came to, he was like this.
You just blacked out? For how long?
Yes, and I dont know.
Was he bleeding?
No. Truth. But that didnt mean she hadnt injured him internally.