In the Dead of Cold (28 page)

She whispered into his mind,
“Don’t let him badger you, my love. He’s trying to goad you and make you think with your emotions. It’s the only way he knows to gain the advantage, don’t you see? He’s not as strong as he’s led us to believe. He’s nothing more, really, than a big bully.”

She slipped the opener from his ribs. Yet Milo was so weak, she wasn’t sure if he could do the rest. There were several seconds of bleeding before Jane finally saw the wound heal and the blood flow stop. Fortunately, Bart was too distracted to notice.

He continued with his victory speech. “That’s right. Your screams of pain and your need for blood were enough to draw her into the stable, remember? You screamed for her to run, but one look into my eyes and I had her. She was my easiest one. I suppose it was because of her worry and fear for you. Think back to all the things I did with her while I drank her dry and savored every drop, and I let you watch. Let my actions be a reminder as I repeat them all over again on Jane.”

Jane felt Milo’s pain at Bart’s words. She had some energy right now to move things, but not enough to stop Bart. She also couldn’t stop him from grabbing her again and pulling her up so that they were face-to-face. His hard fingers bit into her arms. His breath was like acid on her face. Before she could think, he bared his teeth in a hideous, terrifying grin and sank them into the spot on her throat where Milo had bitten her.

The pain was hot, intense, and blinding. Jane couldn’t breathe, much less scream. The room spun. In that instant, Jane was back behind the bookstore where she thought Bart had torn her body in two.

Milo was healed but weak. James was unconscious. Graham was lost in a sea of pain. Ella was bound with tape.

Jane closed her eyes and fought against the pain as she tried to concentrate. She funneled all her pain along with her energy and shoved it against him.

It wasn’t much, but it
was
enough to push him away and force him to let her go. She fell to the floor. The floor met with her tailbone and sent more pain shooting to the top of her head. Yet the pain of Bart’s bite raked through her insides with even more severity, like thousands of knives cutting her insides. For a long moment, Jane wasn’t certain whether she would throw up or if her head would simply explode off the top of her shoulders.

She squinted to focus. Beyond Bart, she saw Milo struggle to stand. He was no longer bleeding, but he was pale. He held on to the desk and used it as leverage to get to his feet.

Then she looked beyond Milo to the fireplace behind the desk. An idea struck her. Did she have enough energy left? She better have.

“Bart?” Her word was nothing more than a harsh whisper through a tight throat. She tried to swallow against the pain.

“Yes, beautiful, delicious Jane?” His words were still filled with the evil of his laughter. He licked his lips. “I do believe you taste even sweeter than before. Did you have a request before I share my blood with you and turn you?”

She ignored his question. “You’re wrong. You aren’t going to get what you want.”

“Oh?” He turned his full attention to her.

Jane used her energy to grasp one of the swords over the fireplace mantel. It was heavy where she picked it up at the handle end, and her head pounded even worse as she tried to keep it in the air. She wished she could have brought it across the room like a dart and pierced it all the way through him so that he couldn’t pull it out, but it took all her energy just to keep it off the floor. Her vision began to blur again. She spun the sword through the air—and right into Milo’s hands.

She looked into Bart’s eyes in an effort to hold his attention. “You’re going to die,” she forced out. Her words came out slowly. Her tongue felt thick. She drew in a deep breath to fight down the bile that rose in her throat. Bart managed to creep into her mind as he did in the bookstore. That seemed so long ago, and yet it had only been a few days. She found herself unable to look away from him, and yet, she didn’t care so long as Milo still held the sword and Bart didn’t see it.

He licked his lips with anticipation. “Is that so?”

“Yes.” Her word was just a breath as she used all her strength to hold his attention. It took even more of her strength and control to keep from being dragged under his complete power.

“Well, first I’m going to share my blood with you and allow you to experience being turned. I must warn you, it will be painful, and you won’t understand at first that for which you hunger. Yet, it will be most enlightening—” He must have heard a slight movement as Milo approached him from behind. There was no doubt he heard the
swish
sound when Milo drew the sword up into the air.

Bart looked back at Milo at the last moment. But he wasn’t quick enough to duck. The blade caught the lower part of his neck, and as it finished its sweep, it took his head with it.

His head landed on the coffee table not too far away. It was like her vision. Except that it was Bart’s head on the table, not Graham’s.

Blood poured from Bart’s open neck for a second or two.

Then the headless body fell forward.

Before it could hit the floor, the body turned to gray ash and landed on the carpet like dirty snow.

Jane looked at Bart’s head. Still working to live, he stared at her as if he couldn’t believe what had happened. His silent mouth moved. He blinked once, twice. Then the eyes grew fixed and the head too turned to ash. And the room was completely, utterly still like the hush of the snow falling outside.

* * * *

The next morning, Jane woke and stretched. Stiff muscles and healing bruises reminded her of the run-in she’d had yesterday with Bart. Then she felt Milo wrap his arms around her. His embrace was like a warm safety net, and she snuggled against him.

“Do you know what I love even more than sharing nice dreams with you?” he murmured close to her ear, his words warm on her skin.

She smiled. “What?”

“Waking up next to you.”

“I love waking in your arms, but I do like that meadow near the stream that we dream about. The grass always feels so soft beneath my back.”

“Me too.” He shifted and held her closer.

“How would you know? You’re always on top,” she reminded him.

“Perhaps we should go back to sleep, and I’ll let you be on top,” he suggested. He kissed her neck, and his mark tingled with warmth.

“Maybe later.” She turned and met his gaze. “How are you?” she asked.

He blinked as if he didn’t understand the question. “Me? I’m fine. All healed, thanks to you.” He rubbed his chest as if to convince her there was nothing left where the envelope opener had been lodged.

“I mean with having to kill Bart. I’m so sorry about that. He was, after all, your brother.”

He gave her a slight smile. “I’m sorry about it too. I think I always knew it would come down to having to face one another like that. I’m sorry you and Mr. and Mrs. M. and James were caught in the middle of it, though.” He leaned down and touched his lips to hers. “And I’m glad everyone is all right.”

“
Is
everyone all right?” Jane had to ask.

”Yes. Just as it only took a little Vitamin K to render Mr. M. helpless and unable to move because of the pain, it only took a little of Mrs. M.’s blood to counteract the effects. And James, the doctor who was with Mrs. M., and the guard in the foyer are all resting and healing from the injuries Bart inflicted.”

Jane had forgotten there were others involved, and was glad they were all right. “What about Mandy?”

“She’s okay, now that Bart isn’t around to control her.”

“You’re not going to tell me who controls her now, are you?”

“No one does. With Bart dead, she’s free.”

She felt the length of him pressed against her back. Even more, she felt his hardness. The dream they’d shared making love in that lovely meadow had left him wanting her as much as she wanted him. She reached behind her and placed her palm on his muscled thigh.

He cupped her breast. “I like touching you.”

“I like when you touch me. Make love to me, Milo.” She took him in her hand.

“I can’t deny my mate.” He shifted a bit and rolled her on to her back, then slipped a knee between her thighs. “I want you more when I feel how ready, eager, and wet you are.” He pressed into her heat.

She sighed. Then she reached down and tugged on his balls.

“That feels…” she began.

“Wet and wonderful…” he finished.

“And exquisite,” she added.

“Perfect.”

“Beautiful.”

“Delicious.”

“Breathtaking.”

“So hot.”

She smiled up at him. “Don’t stop.”

“I’m only getting started.”

“Good.”

“Do you always talk this much?”

There was no way she could take him seriously with that grin touching his lips. Jane’s smile grew, and she kissed him. “I know what you feel. When are you going to say the words?”

“When you say them.”

She didn’t hesitate. “I love you.” He kissed her. It was a tender kiss that heated to the boiling point of passion like his dick did.

“I’ve loved you since the moment I first dreamed of you.”

“Milo?” she breathed out as he slid his lips across her throat and left the spot where he’d bitten her tingling with need.

“Hmm?”

“Will you make me like you?”

He stopped and stared down at her through the semidarkness. His eyes glowed with endless mystery and passion. For a long moment, Jane thought he was going to bare his fangs and bite her, share his blood with her and connect them for all eternity.

Instead, he leaned down and kissed her long and deep. “Let’s plan that for another day, my love. Right now, I’m busy.”

And as the snow fell outside, he spent the rest of the morning losing control and making love to her.

Loose Id Titles by Allie Quinn

An Angel for Christmas

In the Dead of Cold

Allie Quinn

Allie Quinn lives with her husband in Southern Illinois. When she isn’t enjoying fun family time, games with friends, reading, crafts, music, and winemaking, she’s working to build fictional worlds and unforgettable characters.