Blood Hunger (An Adult Paranormal Romance) (Deathless Night Series #1) (12 page)

   
 
His eyes roved longingly over her face. “You’re welcome. Get some rest.”

   
 
Emma gave him a small smile, then headed towards the back room, closing the door behind her.

     Aiden watched Nik watch Emma walk to the back room.

     Nik frowned a bit as she closed the door behind her. Turning back towards the front, he caught Aiden's smug smile. “What?”

   
 
Having watched the exchange between the two of them with increasing interest, he remarked, “I’m just quite relieved is all.”

   
 
“About what?” Nik pulled up the GPS and set their coordinates.

     “That Emma is such a crumpet. It’ll make the trip much more interesting.” Aiden barely managed to keep a serious face as Nik’s head whipped around.

     “You stay the fuck away from her, Aid,” he practically growled.

     Aiden glanced over at his friend, mock confusion all over his face as he started the RV. “For what reason? You have no need for any of that. You feed from a bag, and live like a monk.”

   
 
Looking in both side mirrors as he started to back up, he caught Nik’s furious visage out of the corner of his eye. “What? I won’t hurt her. I just want to play a bit with our little witch.”

   
 
“Aiden, you lay one fucking finger on her and I will lay you out. I am not fucking around. You are NOT to touch her. EVER.”

   
 
“You take all the fun out of life for me, Nik. You know that?” Glaring at his friend out of the corner of his eye, he added, “I don’t know why I even hang around with you. My stodgy ole mum was more fun than you are.” 

   
 
Pulling out of the driveway, he chanced a quick glance at his disgruntled passenger, then swung his head back around for a closer look. Nik’s tense posture and clenched jaw told him everything he needed to know, and Aiden couldn’t keep from chuckling. “Ah…I see how it is then.”

   
 
When Nik did not ask what “it” was, he took it upon himself to state the obvious. “You fancy her for yourself.”  He laughed aloud when Nik didn’t respond, but just turned his head to stare unseeing out the window. “You do! You fancy her!”

   
 
“Shut up, man.” Nik pretended to ignore him as he cackled joyously from the driver’s seat.

     But Aiden would have none of it. “Come on, mate! Fess up! You fancy her!” Nik still didn’t respond. Hmmm, this may be more serious than he originally thought.

     Giving up the game, Aiden assented, “Ah mate, why didn’t you just say so? I would never come between you and a little shagging. Bros before hoes and all that.”  He smiled broadly at his friend. “I’m just happy you’re finally showing some interest in a girl again. I was beginning to wonder about you, you know.”

   
 
Nik speared him with a dangerous glare. “For the last time. I said…Shut. The. Fuck. Up.”

   
 
Grinning widely, Aiden put up his hands. “Alright, alright. Just having a little fun, mate. No need to get your knickers in a twist.”  Whistling a tune, he glanced at the GPS and turned right.

***

     As they sped down the highway, Nik spent the next hour or so brooding out the window, while Aiden sang along to bad 80’s hair bands he found on the radio.

     If his old friend only knew how right he was, he’d never hear the end of it. He did “fancy” her. He fancied her right out of her life and into his. But since he wasn’t going to do anything about it, was it really fair of him to be so possessive of her? No, it wasn’t. What was he going to do? Follow her around for the rest of her life scaring off any male who dared to so much as look at her?

     That didn’t sound like such a bad idea.

     Problem was, he didn’t know if he’d be able to help it. Even now, he could sense her near proximity, and his instincts were screaming at him to go back there and make her his. Completely.

     And
that
, he would not, could not, ever do.

     Sighing, he checked the clock. They were making good time. Pending any issues, they should arrive at the airport about an hour before sunrise. They’d hang out there for the day, locked in the hanger, and then board the jet at sunset and fly throughout the night back to Seattle.

     A sound coming from the back of the vehicle startled him from his thoughts.

     “What was that?” Nik asked. Turning the radio down, he listened.

     Aiden stopped singing. “What? I don’t hear anything.”

   
 
But Nik was already out of his seat and walking towards the back. “Just keep driving. I’ll be right back.” As he neared the bedroom where Emma was sleeping, his skin started to prickle.

     Wtf?

     Reaching for the doorknob, he stopped before opening it and stood perfectly still, listening. All was quiet for a moment, but then…there it was again.

     Flinging open the door, he charged into the bedroom. His eyesight perfect even in the dim light, he searched the room.

     Emma was writhing on the bed, whimpering. The smell of her fear came off of her in waves, and his fangs punched down hard as he prepared to protect what was his.

     Dropping into a low crouch, his eyes darted around the room, searching frantically for whoever or whatever was threatening her. Seeing nothing unusual, he slowly straightened up and focused again on the bed. Emma was flailing around now, her whimpers turning into more of a keening, the blankets twisting around her seeming to upset her even more.

     Flashing over to the bed, Nik tried to wake her from the hold her nightmare had on her.

     “Em! Wake up…” Gently grabbing her wrists, he tried to still her thrashing.

     “Emma! Wake up, sweetheart…” She was twisting around frantically under the blankets, so Nik let go of her wrists and grabbed the comforter, giving it a good yank and pulling it out from under her.

     Finally free, Emma shot up in the bed, crying out and shoving the remainder of the blankets off of her.

     “Shh..shhh…it’s ok, Em. It’s me. It’s Nikulas. It was just a dream, sweetheart.” He didn’t touch her; afraid she would freak out more. Instead, he tried to soothe her with just his voice. “It’s ok. You’re safe.”

***

     Caught up in the nightmare, Emma felt the monsters holding her down, smelled the putrid smell of them, and panicked. She tried to fight her way free, even though she could feel her flesh tearing where they were biting her.

     The big one finally pushed the others aside, dropping down hard on top of her. Bloody saliva dripping from its mouth, it grabbed her wrists and slammed them into the ground on each side of her head, holding her down as it violently bit her, sinking its fangs into the flesh right below her collar bone. Sucking and slurping at her blood, it humped her obscenely, trying to work its way under her skirt without letting go of her wrists.

     Emma tried to scream, but the weight of the thing on top of her prevented her from getting enough air. She felt its grossly swollen member pushing at her entrance through her underwear, bruising her, and tears rolled down her face.

     She felt herself weakening from the loss of blood. They’d bitten her all over, shoving their cocks at her, humping her and each other as they fed, and throwing her around like a rag doll. Refusing to give up, she gulped in a breath, and gathering the last of her strength, tried to twist away from its probing member.

     She felt her wrist bones cracking as it squeezed them in response to her struggles, and she let out a raspy scream as it renewed its effort with even more enthusiasm than before. Her strength fading rapidly, she screeched in agony as another snuck in from the side, twisting her leg roughly out to its mouth, popping her knee and ripping into her calf…

   
 
Suddenly, she wasn’t being held down anymore.

     Sucking in great gulps of air, Emma blinked rapidly and looked around, trying to get her bearings in the dimness of the room. Grabbing the front of her shirt, she looked for the blood she could still feel spurting out of her, but there was nothing. Her bones throbbed with the phantom pain of past injuries, and she felt tears running down her face.

     Raising her head, she sniffed and wiped at her eyes to find Nik on one knee on the side of the bed, his pained eyes frantically searching her face.

     She looked around the room to see that they were alone, and then gave him a small, watery smile, whispering hoarsely, “Sorry about that. Bad dream. I have them a lot.”

   
 
“Do you want to talk about it?” Nik looked terrible, almost like he’d been there with her.

     Emma just shook her head and looked down at her knotted hands.

     He reached out and covered them with his own, stilling her fidgeting.

     “Please talk to me,” he said. “Maybe it will help.”

   
 
She gave a snort of disgust. “I doubt it.” At his hurt expression, she added, “But thank you.”

   
 
“Did they rape you?” he blurted out suddenly. He looked as shocked as she was at the question at first, even though he’d been the one to ask it.

     But then a look of determination came over his face. “Emma? Did they rape you?” When she didn’t answer, he demanded, “
Answer
me, goddamn it.”

   
 
“No!” she burst out, and then more calmly said, “No. Not for lack of trying, but…no.”

   
 
He sagged visibly with relief, and then took a deep breath. “I’m sorry…I just needed to know.”

   
 
Turning her hands in his, he held them as he told her, “I’m sorry you were hurt, Em, I’m so sorry.” A steely edge came into his voice. “I don’t know what these ‘monsters’ are that you’re speaking of, but if we ever see them again, rest assured they won’t live to hurt you again.”

   
 
Emma had no doubt.

***

     Squeezing her fingers one last time, he stood up to leave, because he wanted to stay. “I’ll let you try to go back to sleep. We should make it to the airport by sunrise, and we’ll hole up there for the day, then fly to Seattle at sunset.”

   
 
Emma came up on her knees, grabbing at his hand again with both of hers. “Please don’t go! Please. Please, stay with me Nikulas. Just for a while?”

   
 
Nik paused by the side of the bed. There was nothing he wanted more than to stay with her. He would love to crawl right into that bed with her and touch her until she had nothing on her mind but him.

     Glad she didn’t have his night vision, he rubbed the heel of his free hand over the ever-present bulge in his pants, trying to ease the sudden discomfort there. “I don’t know if that’s such a good idea.”

   
 
She sat back on her heels, unaware of how her shirt rode up to the top of her thighs, and let go of his hand. “Of course not. Forget it. I’ll be fine.”

   
 
Nik watched her nightshirt flirt around the tops of her thighs as she leaned over to take a sip of her water she’d grabbed from the fridge earlier.

    
Fuck. Me.

    
But the pain of his erection became bearable again when he noticed the marks on her smooth legs.

     He met her eyes as she peeked up at him, and then looked back down at her legs.

     She followed his gaze, and quickly pulled the blanket over herself, hiding her scars from his view. “Never mind, it’s ok. You can go. I’m going to try to get back to sleep.”

   
 
Nik needed to leave. He needed to say goodnight, turn around, and walk out. Instead, he stood there, the image of more of her ravaged skin seared into his brain.

     Without a word, he sat back down on the side of the bed and bent over to unlace his combat boots, setting them neatly by the nightstand. Standing back up, he put a knee on the bed and leaning over, straightened the blankets around Emma, tucking her in. Crawling in next to her on top of the blankets, he curled himself around her as she scooted down, throwing a heavy arm around her and tugging her into the curve of his body.

     He had no words as he lay there holding her, breathing her unique scent, listening to her heartbeat slow as she eventually relaxed and drifted back off to sleep. Even after she was completely out of it, he stayed with her, keeping her close. He didn’t want her to wake up alone again if the monsters came back.

     After some time, he felt the RV come to a stop and knew they must be at the hanger. He heard Aiden activating the steel shutters and locking up, then walk back to one of the sofa beds and boot up his laptop.

     He should get up and grab a bag out of the fridge, then crash on the other couch, but he couldn’t bring himself to leave the side of the tiny warrior he was protecting.