Captiva Captive (21 page)

“Do you mind?” Sixten grumbled.

“Six, we have to hurry.” Kash adjusted his crotch. “I’m telling you seconds, not minutes.”

Six blew out a breath, encircled one bulging arm around her waist and the other hand secured her head.  “Close your eyes.”

“No.”

“Take me this way,” he murmured, licking her jugular up and down, sensing a sweet vein he wanted to tap.  “Want this from me.”

“No.”

He suckled her neck until it burned, lulling her, coaxing the vein to the surface. She knew it somehow, but didn’t understand why.  Blythe watched Kash staring at them with his fangs growing and overhanging his bottom lip.  Then a sharp pain struck before a blinding eroticism hit her squarely between the legs. “Oh, Six,” she panted.

“Don’t squirm, Blythe,” Kash said. 

Sixten had flattened atop her, securing her body with his weight, groaning in her ear.  She felt the rhythmic pull, the ebb and flow of her blood as it entered his body.  It was sex.  Sex in a wholly unique form.  She managed to loosen one hand and cupped his jaw.  The hard muscle flexed under her palm, just as his tongue flicked her neck.  He’d bitten her again.

“Six.” Kash was standing above them.  “Six, man, what are you doing?”

Sixten growled violently, but didn’t let go.  She felt a tremor in his body.  A change indicating something wasn’t quite right. Her hand slid away from his jaw as black dots mottled her vision.  Another growl, followed by a long and lethal hiss, his mouth was suddenly manic.

Distantly she heard Kash say, “It was only supposed to be a bite, not feeding. You’re in a frenzy, Six. If I have to take you off, it’s going to rip her open.  Fuck, man, just get up.  Step back.”  His words were jumbling, moving farther away while she landed in a soft cloud, shuddering under a paroxysmal orgasm and surrendering her life.

Kash kicked Six in the hip. “She’s dying!”

Only then did Sixten release her.  The room distorted, pulling and stretching, and then a Florida Panther, a subspecies of cougar, was licking his lips, grinning in a feral way only very confident wildcats can pull off. It was huge, bigger than a Florida Panther ever thought to be - at least four hundred pounds, maybe more. 

Kash instantly swung a thick, purely silver chain from his wrist.  “Sometimes, it’s just so hard to be your friend.”  A violent roar ripped through the room.  Hot, copper-tanged breath blew Kash’s long spikes around his head.  It’s eyes flashed between Kash and Blythe.  “I’m not taking your wife, man.  Hear me out.  You’re hopped up on her blood, and you want it all. Pure and simple. You’re also feeling territorial after bonding in this momentous way. I get that.  And it’s okay, I can understand that kind of need.  We all can.”

He swung the chain again. “But we have to get out of here.  Now. Things are closing in on us.” The cat stepped over Blythe, keeping her underneath him without dropping any weight that would hurt her. Her heartbeat had straightened its rhythm, but she couldn’t spare another drop of blood, and Sixten hadn’t sealed up his multiple bites.  “Go down.  Drive down your Habaline and take her home properly.  You’re in charge, not your shifter.  Turn it around for the good, man.”  Another roar sounded, louder than the first. 

“Six,” Blythe whispered, regaining consciousness, reaching up to feel her throat. 

“Don’t touch it,” Kash warned. 

“It hurts.”

“I’ll help you as soon as he settles down.” He kept his eyes on the cat. “Hang on for me.”

Fur tickled her face.  “Oh…a,” she swallowed roughly, “p-panther.”  She blinked several times, as if she wasn’t seeing what she really was seeing.

“Oh, you’re seeing it alright,” Kash assured her.  “You haven’t gone crazy, Blythe.  Take deep breaths, one after the other.  I’m sending you a slight enthrallment to maintain a calm composure. You don’t want to get upset with him like that.  Not at all.  He thinks I’m trying to take you away, and I’m trying to convince him we have to leave.”

“I don’t feel right.”

“I’m sure you don’t.”

“Not just my throat.” She was amazingly calm. “That same sensation is back, the one that pulls me.”

“I only sense werewolves and a few vampires here and there. How would you feel any of that?”

“Who knows?  But I feel something.”

“Maybe it’s just Sixten’s energy coupled with the others encircling us that’s firing you up.”  Kash stayed focused on the panther. “Six, listen to me. I can summon everyone available to fight back these werewolves, but they’ll see you this way.  And it would be easier and less messy if we get her out of here,” he placated. “If you can’t walk away from a territorial battle regarding your mate, especially in this form, then I’ll take her to safety. Thanks to you, she’s lost too much blood, so we’ve got to get her to the sanctuary
now
.  Are you listening?  Go out there.” Kash stabbed his finger at the window, though the hurricane shutters were down.  “And do what you have to do to bring your Habaline down.”

Sixten snapped his jaws but Kash stayed put, not misting out. They stared each other down another minute before Sixten finally deferred and faded away.

“Thank God, he has better control than most Habalines.”  Kash was over Blythe in a flash, examining her neck before putting his lips on her flesh.

“Stop it!” She protested, but he wouldn’t let her push him away. “No more!”

“I have to seal it up with my tongue, or you’ll bleed-out.  That’s all.  And we have to hurry, Blythe.  Have you been listening?”

“No fangs.”

“Whatever you say,” he lied.

She lifted her chin up and winced.

“That bad, huh?”

“Kash, it’s beyond bad.” She refused to cry, but she managed to whine, “I wanna go home.”

“You’re better off with us.” He licked her, stroking his skilled tongue over her bitten flesh.  She jumped and trembled with every dragging pull.  “Still that bad?  I need another minute or so, he made a bit of a mess.”

“I’m dying, right?”

    “Nope.”

I can’t believe you can keep me so calm through having my throat chewed and Six, my God, he just turned into an animal.”

“Everyone has their demons to fight, Blythe.  Even humans.” He stroked the sensitive flesh behind her ear.  “And you should be glad we have the abilities to keep you calm or many of you would have died from sheer terror from seeing us in action from time to time.”

“So you vampires use your machismo to control humans all the time. Practice makes perfect.” She snapped, “You get your way when and where you wouldn’t normally.”

“No.” He licked her again.  “The machismo is strictly reserved for putting your libido into overdrive.  What I’m giving you right now is the vampire equivalent to hardcore valium.” In the distance, he heard Sixten’s roars, followed by the sounds of ripping flesh and age-old, foreign curses.  “Okay, we’re back to biting, sweetheart.  I have no choice.”  Before she could think to protest, Kash bit down, delivering aphrodisiac-laced endorphins to give her pleasure instead of pain, swallowed as little as he could, and misted them inside the sanctuary’s south entrance. 

Kash didn’t want to remove his fangs.  He fought within himself, back and forth.  He wanted more, everything she had.  Addictive.  He reminded himself.  She’s addictive to our kind.  A hand gripped his shoulder. 

“Seal her up,” Dru Holt said from behind him.  “And carry her into the south parlor.  I have some blood waiting. Not enough.  So you and a few other Vojaks are going to have to donate.”

“I wasn’t trying to hurt her. Sixten did the damage.  I was just…”

“Fighting to pull away?  Yeah, just like I thought.   Lick her closed.  I’ve given her my blood, but I don’t want to go back to my wife after licking the flesh of another woman.  Not unless it’s truly an emergency, and you can’t handle it.  So?”

“Yeah,” he whispered hoarsely. “I can finish.” They stayed on the cool, gray floor.  Kash fixed his stare away from Blythe’s beauty and focused on the red mortar between the tiles.  He moved as fast as he could, sealing her with his tongue, but not swallowing.  Two minutes passed before he was finished.  Intermittently, he had been spitting her blood to the side, still struggling not to swallow, while wishing all women could taste this way…and look this way.  Then, he could fine one of his very own.

A Bride. 

Where is my bride?

He shook his head, spikes flying around.  He didn’t want to think about that.  His life was fine the way it was.  Kash enjoyed a variety of willing sweetness everywhere he turned. And there was no one to grieve him if he didn’t return home after a dangerous battle.  After watching his mother deal, he knew it was a pain he wouldn’t wish on anyone.

So, yeah.

He didn’t need a Bride.

Chapter 18

A
fter carrying her at least a hundred feet through an underground stone-lined tunnel, even though Blythe insisted she was fine to walk, Kash deposited her on a cement floor centering a bizarre cross section.  To her left, walls etched with intricate carvings depicted….  “A story?”

“Yeah.”

“Like vampire hieroglyphics?  Are they”- she squinted under the dim lighting – “sacrificing people?”

“Not exactly.” Kash was obviously looking for someone. “Um, most didn’t kill their food then.”

She flinched.

“I mean…shit,” he hissed softly while brushing his knuckles across her cheek.  They were leather clad, but butter soft.  “I’m sorry.  From now on, we’re all gonna have to watch our mouths down here.  You’re the only female in the sanctuary.”

“That sounds promising.” She took a steadying breath.  “But I won’t be staying long enough to warrant changing your”- she threw a palm up, trying to find the word – “habits.”

He pursed his lips and pointed to the left, acting as though he was avoiding someone.  “We’re headed that way.  If there’s any trouble, and I’m not saying there’s going to be, stay as calm as possible.  Sixten’s marked you.” He curled his brow.  “He
really
marked you.  So… we should be fine.  Just, yeah…, stay with me – no wandering.  Got it?”

She touched her throat.  “Marked me?  I’m gonna kick his ass clear off this island.”

“Humans can’t see it.” He dipped his head, checking her rapidly healing bite marks. “Don’t worry.”

“Oh, that makes it better.  Yeah, if humans can’t see it then we’re just dandy, right?” Instead of responding, he pulled her up into his strong arms again and sprinted through another tunnel where she could see packed sand and white roots.  They were moving quickly, but nothing comparable to the strange misting thing.  “Why are we moving this way?”

“We can’t mist down here. Dru’s already in the south parlor waiting to treat you, though your heart sounds normal now.” He wasn’t even out of breath. “Chugging along and doing its job.”

“You can hear that?”

“Yeah, I can.”  He pushed through gray double-doors and eased her onto a hard surface – a desk.

“Hello, Blythe.” Dru Holt stuck out a hand, appearing a bit sheepish.  “Sorry we have to meet again like this.  I was hoping you wouldn’t have to be treated for a while.”

She caught a flash of fang.  “You’re one of them.”

“Guilty.”

“You don’t turn into cats, right?  I mean…I’ve had enough-”

“She’s confused,” Kash cut her off.  “Bane and his cronies paid us a visit earlier.”

    “A cat, though?”

“Yeah, she’s
really
confused.” Kash threw her a look that said ‘shut the hell up’. “The canines…the claws.”

“Uh huh.  Well, anyway, Bane insisted I bring her food.”

“We don’t want anything from the beasts, Doc.”

“You don’t have a kitchen here.”

“And Bane knew we would bring her underground?”

“Not by me.  You know I refuse to cross ethical lines between the Weres and the Vampires.  But he’s Beta.  In case you need me to spell it out,” Dru said with great sarcasm, “that means he knows important stuff.”

“Right,” Kash snapped. “As long as he doesn’t follow you.”

“He won’t use me that way. And I have to share my mate with the Beta beast for an eternity - not to mention a Nordic Pureblood.  We’ll have a lifetime of hatred if we play each other over Were and Species trivialities.” Dru gave Blythe all of his attention.  “Are you in pain?”

“No.”

“Dizzy?  Weakness?”

“No.” She studied the doctor and knew he was trustworthy.  He had an amazing vibe that shone as a beacon.  His empathy was a lesson many needed. “Just freaked out.”

“Who can blame you?”

She felt something moving inside her arm and looked down.  The whole time Dru had been arguing with Kash and talking to her, he’d worked an IV in her arm and administered something strange.”

“What’s that?” She gestured with her free hand towards the bag he was holding over her head.

“Umm,” Dru chuckled, biting his lip with a fang.  “Maybe you don’t want to know.”

“I think I do.”

“Species blood.”

“Vampire blood!”  She tried to rip the tube from her arm but two steel bands caught her from behind.

“Stay still, moja láska.”

“You!  You’re the last
person
I want to see right now.”

“I’m sure I am.” He loomed over her, scowling down. “But we’ll discuss this privately.”

“No to discussing anything privately, Six,” she shot back. “No way.”

“Hush now.”

Something penetrated her, broke through sentient thoughts.  Or maybe she just finally woke up and found out she actually lived in her nightmares and dreamed her realities. She looked away from Sixten and scanned the room as more vampires joined her little blood party. 

All studied her. None said a word. She wasn’t welcomed, but she sensed they would stop her from leaving if she tried. That’s when Blythe started to snicker.  A small giggle at first, but it grew longer with every inhalation until her laughter bordered the hysterical.

“Don’t look at me.” She heard a male voice. “I didn’t even think about dropping fang.  Well – not much.  But how could it know that?  Someone else frightened it.”

She laughed harder, until tears were streaming down her face.

“I think it needs food or something, Doc.” Another said nervously. “Maybe the blood’s not enough.”