Blood at Stake (Warriors of the Krieger Book 2) (9 page)

“You have no idea,
Krieger
,” he shook
his head. “I’ll bring the man down. You go sit with your mate. Give
me about ten minutes.”

I found her standing still as a statue next
to the privacy glass at the back of the room. I didn’t speak as I
held my hand out to her as a silent demand that I wanted her in my
arms. I smiled as she floated over to me, her feet rising off the
floor by a few inches. I’d noticed this slight ability of hers once
before. It was something she did subconsciously. I don’t think she
even knew she did it.

“Powle will bring the man into that room in
a few minutes,” I said, pointing toward the glass that separated us
from the interrogation room. “I promise you, the human cannot see
you. I want you to tell me if that was the man who harmed you.”

“Okay,” she shivered, remembering the events
of the night she was attacked after Dragus and Charity’s
wedding.

“Are you sure you want to do this?” I asked.
“We can always get the human to talk.”

“Yes,” she whispered. “I need to do
this.”

We both looked up when Powle opened the door
to the room on the other side of the glass. The human was cuffed,
his disheveled brown hair stood in disarray around his face as if
he’d been running his filthy hands through it repeatedly since we
caught him outside of Lydia’s home. He’d been frantic to get away,
screaming threats of suing the vampires for mishandling him.

Lydia gasped and backed up into my chest,
turning to burrow her face into my coat. Her tiny hand tangled up
into my shirt. “That…that’s him. The son. His name is J…Jerry. He’s
the one that wanted to kill me. His father is the one that wanted
my blood…told his son to ‘get the vial’.”

“And you are sure, doll?” I asked. “This is
the man that attacked you?”

“Y…yes, Ashby,” she growled. “I…I can’t look
at him anymore. Please take me away from here.”

She’d been so hell bent on confronting the
human that attacked her, but once she actually laid eyes on him,
Lydia didn’t want to be this close anymore. Her body shook, and the
scent of fear rolled off her in waves, causing my protective
instincts to ignite. I had to remember that I couldn’t go into that
room and tear that man to shreds.

I knocked on the glass twice, telling Powle
that we were done. He led the suspect out of the room as I gathered
her in my arms.

“You did great,” I praised her. “Let’s go
get some things from your home, and we can spend the rest of the
night relaxing at my home…our home.”

She didn’t say anything as I tucked her
protectively against my side and left the station.

Chapter 11

Lydia

I woke up in the bed of a warrior. It was
strange not being in my own room. Ashby had been very accommodating
after we’d returned to his home with my belongings. I didn’t take
everything, just a week’s worth of clothes, my toiletries and my
laptop. We were mated, but I asked to keep the spare bedroom to
myself. Ashby said that I could, but the tick in his rugged jaw had
me thinking he didn’t like it very much.

I needed my privacy. The idea that we’d
mated so damn quickly caused questions to filter through my mind
about the why’s, how’s, and what the hell’s! Why did it happen
after one time making love? I shivered remembering that it was the
hottest sex I’d ever experienced. How were we going to proceed from
here? Did he use the excuse of my safety to keep me at his home?
Why was I being paranoid? How the hell did this all happen so
fast?

After I pulled on a robe over my naked body,
I sat in the bed for a long time asking myself stupid questions and
not finding any concrete answers to my chattering mind. I kept the
pillow hugged tight to my body and just told myself to let things
roll, but I couldn’t shake the confused feeling I was constantly
under concerning the whole mating thing.

Walking over to the closet, I retrieved my
jeans and a
Nights
shirt so that I could get ready for work.
I stumbled as I turned from the closet and cursed loudly when my
knees hit the floor.
Ow, that hurt!

“
Lydia
,” Ashby gasped from the
doorway to the room I was using. His face had paled even more than
his normal skin tone. “What happened?” He immediately had me in his
arms.

“Dizzy,” I said, rubbing my temples. “Not
sure. I feel weird, Ashby.”

I could feel his anxiety, and it left a bad
taste on my tongue. Cool hands stroked my hair, my face. Quickly,
Ashby laid me on the bed and rolled me over onto my stomach.

“What are you doing?” I asked into the
pillow.

“Checking where the bullet wound was,” he
muttered as he lifted my auburn hair out of the way. I sucked in
air through my teeth when he pressed on the already healed area.
“It’s hot to the touch.”

“What the hell does that mean?” I asked.

“I don’t know,” he said, averting his eyes.
“Let me see the others.”

Carefully, he rolled me over onto my back
and untied the sash of my robe, parting it to see the spot where I
was staked between my breasts. His eyes softened as he trailed his
cool fingers over the now healed spot, “It’s okay, baby.” We both
breathed a sigh of relief, but mine was short lived, because I
suddenly weakened, everything around me started to blur.

“Ashby,” I moaned, reaching up to grab hold
of his bulky shoulders.

“What is it?” he demanded, his voice
vibrated throughout the room.

“I…I’m weakening,” I whispered.

Immediately, my face was pressed to his
neck, “
Feed, dammit! Do it now!”

I used what little strength I had left to
score his neck, moaning from the taste of his warrior blood as it
drained from the wound directly into my mouth. The first swallow
gave me a jolt of adrenaline that traveled through my body, causing
it jerk in his arms.

“Drink more,” he said, rubbing circles on my
back. “I want you to feed as much as you can stand. One sip is not
going to make things better,” he insisted.

I drank until my gut was almost overflowing.
His blood coursed through my veins, giving me much needed
strength.

“Better?” he asked, still worried.

“Much,” I sighed. “Thank you.”

“We need to have you looked at,” he said,
stroking the hair away from my face. My robe was still open,
exposing my body to his gaze.

Ashby’s eyes flickered down to the skin
between my breasts, the stake wound all but vanished. As I sat in
his lap, my parted robe revealed my stomach and my sex, one fold of
the material had fallen away to show my left leg. Ashby ran his
huge hand up my thigh and under the robe to trace the skin at my
waist. His hand stopped on my side beside my left breast, his thumb
tracing circles on the outer flesh.

“Doll,” he swallowed. “I’m worried about
this.” I stopped him with a finger to his lips.

“I’m fine,” I assured him, but I could tell
that he wasn’t convinced. “I just got weak. Until we know more
about this enchantment, I’m just going to have to keep a better
focus on myself. If I feel anything out of the ordinary while I’m
at work, I promise to call you immediately.”

“Work,” he growled, his mated eyes flashing
with concern. “Do you have to go?”

“Do you?” I asked, raising a brow. Oh, if he
thought he was going to make me stay here at the estate under lock
and key, then I’d pack my shit and take my ass right back to my
house. I didn’t care if I had to walk,

“Yes,” he scowled. “I
have
to
work.”

“And so do I,” I cursed. “You can’t keep me
from my business, my work. It’s the only thing I’ve done that I can
honestly say that I love.”

“You know,” he paused, looking a little
afraid at what he wanted to say. “You are technically a Lady of the
Krieger
. You will be appointed guards.”

“I’ve been waiting on that,” I grumped,
crossing my arms over my chest. “Who is the lucky sucker?”

“I haven’t decided yet,” he cleared his
throat. “I’m going over applicants.”

“You’ve put out an ad!” I crossed my arms
across my chest, glaring daggers at him. “I’m not a
job
!”

“Hey,” he said, kissing my temple. Damn, I
wanted to be mad at him, but when he held me, the anger fled away
and was replaced with lust. “I want the best to keep you safe.”

“Can I go to work now?” I asked, pushing
away from him.

“I’ll drive you,” he said, turning for the
door. I really wanted to throw something at him.

“No, you don’t,” he laughed.

“Quit reading my mind,” I yelled.

Forgetting the dizzy spell and the promise
of a babysitter, I grabbed my things and headed to the SUV for a
ride to work.

Meadow and Jackson had already arrived by
the time Ashby pulled up at the back of the building. He parked
next to the door and followed me inside. Jackson slid my well
needed drink across the bar as I walked by, scooping it up before
it came to a stop. My steps didn’t slow as I made my way to the
hallway leading to my office.

My office was devoid of any personal items.
It was a sterile room, only a desk and three chairs; one for myself
and two for whoever was in my office. A file cabinet sat to my
right. The computer and lamp were the only things on my desk. I
liked things minimal and tidy. I didn’t like clutter.

“Are you going to ignore me all night?” he
asked, taking a seat at the corner of my desk. His long legs kicked
out in front of him, crossing his legs at his ankles. Ashby wore
his black denim jeans that hugged his thick, muscular thighs. The
black
Krieger
shirt stretched across his bulky chest. His
name was stitched on the pocket over his heart. He wore no jewelry,
only a leather wrap bracelet that looked older than myself. His
blonde hair was cropped short to his head, almost military-like in
style. His golden yellow eyes, that matched my own, held a hint of
worry. Over what? There were so many reasons, I could only guess.
Either it was my anger at the babysitter he’d placed an ad for or
the fact that some redneck group of vampire haters were after my
blood, along with others of our kind.

“I’m not a child to be babysat,” I huffed,
folding my arms over my chest.

“No, you’re not,” he said, squatting down
next to my desk. He spun my chair where I was facing him, pulling
it between his knees. He took my chin, forcing me to look into his
eyes. “This is for
your
safety, love. I need you to be safe.
I want the best to protect you when I cannot. Please be nice to
whoever I send for you. It’s for my own peace of mind as well. I
can’t concentrate on my job, finding these humans, if my mind is
constantly on you. It could cause me to slip up and get hurt…or
worse.”

He had a valid point.
Fuck!
The last
thing I wanted was for him to get hurt because he was daydreaming
about me.

“Okay,” I whispered, accepting his offer.
“But, I want someone who doesn’t bitch or complain when I want to
hit the mall during the night.”

“So,” he laughed, but pinched his lips
together when I scowled. “You want someone who likes to shop?”

“No,” I said, rolling my eyes. “They don’t
have to
like
to shop, they just need to be able to tolerate
going with me.”

“That can be done,” he smiled, leaning in
and capturing my lips.

The kiss started out sweet and innocent, but
soon our bodies flared to life and our breathing deepened. The next
thing I knew, he’d turned us around, and I was lying flat of my
back on the desk.

“We can’t do this here,” I hissed, my eyes
flicking toward the door. Ashby moved super-fast, locking the door
and returning to hover over me in less than one second.

“Now we can,” he grinned. “I need you.”

I let him strip me with his superhuman
speed, divesting my clothes and his, in a matter of seconds. Ashby
stepped back and moaned, “Beautiful,” before trailing his large
hands up the insides of my thighs. Ashby made me feel sexy just
from the way he looked at me, devouring me with his eyes.

There was no work up to this. He thrust deep
inside me seating himself completely in one push. I moaned from the
feel of him stretching me, marking me. Leaning over, Ashby captured
my lips, his fangs nicking my lip as he kissed me frantically. My
own fangs lengthened, and I hissed as he hit the spot in my sex
that made my womb quiver with need for him.

“My mate,” he moaned as he trailed kisses
down my jaw, my neck. We’d already fed earlier, but my need for his
blood was just as powerful as our need for each other’s body.

I struck his vein with a hiss. The blood
flowed into my mouth, strong and powerful.

“That’s it, love,” he whispered, still
pounding into me causing another orgasm to strike my core. “Drink.
Ah, fuck.” I felt him swell inside me, his hardness stretching me.
I released his vein and quickly wiped my tongue over the wound
sealing it.

The moment he sank his fangs into the blood
source at my neck, fireworks erupted in my vision, the ache in my
sex turned into sheer desire as I lifted my hips off the desk to
give him better access to thrust into my wet channel.

“Yes,” I purred. It didn’t matter that we
were in my office, and I was spread out on the top of my desk. It
didn’t matter that Ashby was taking me like a beast. It didn’t even
matter that blood flowed from our necks because we were too wrapped
around each other to care that the wounds were not closed yet. No,
nothing mattered, because I felt safe with my mate’s arms caging my
body protectively while we cursed out our release.

Ashby pumped once, twice and then, he
collapsed on top of me, but rested most of his weight on his
elbows. He buried his face in my neck, kissing the spot where he’d
fed.

“Are you okay?” he asked, finally looking me
in the eyes. His skin felt slightly warmer than usual as I ran my
fingers over the bumps and ridges in the muscles on his massive
arms.