Let Him In (Let Him Trilogy) (13 page)

No.

Your mind is becoming unstable due to erratic feedings.

No!

Drink, my child—before further damage is done.

Grabbing a handful of Heather’s hair, Zane pulled her head to the side. As he nibbled her neck he massaged her clit, increasing the pressure and speed b
y
minute degrees as her movements, breaths and heartbeat quickened.

“Yes! Oh God ye—”

Heather swallowed the last word and her breath as she reached orgasm. Zane wasted no time sinking his fangs into her neck. With a combination half-gasp, half-moan, she began fucking him harder and faster, her ass cheeks slapping the steering wheel as her hips bucked wildly.

Closing his eyes as he drank deeply, Zane’s thoughts drifted back to the mystery girl. He did not care what Blodbad argued to the contrary—when she had slammed into him, he had
felt
it. The softness and heat of her body.

Zane took one more pull from Heather’s neck and came up empty. His eyelids snapped apart as he drew back with a sharp intake of breath, his fangs leaving two, three inch scrapes on Heather’s throat—wounds that would remain because his saliva could not heal dead flesh.

“Fuck!” Seizing her by the waist, Zane lifted her up, threw her onto the passenger seat and then slammed his fists against the steering wheel. “Goddamn fuck!”

Unlike Madison, Heather lived in the area and had a boyfriend, family and friends, any one of which could go to the police when she did not return home.

“Focus.” Closing his eyes, Zane took a deep breath, held it for a moment and then released it slowly. “Focus.”

Now grateful for the Heather’s endless chatter, Zane grabbed her purse off the floor and began forming a plan as he took inventory: Make-up. Perfume. Hairbrush. Nail file, clippers and polish. Cell phone. Car and house keys. Wallet with eighty-four dollars in cash, driver’s license, social security- and credit cards. He zipped the purse, threw it back on the floor and then dragged a hand down his face as he fell back against the seat. What he had in mind would require assistance from Alexis, the most unreliable being to ever walk the planet.

Zane swore under his breath as he jerked the gear shift into reverse and then stomped on the accelerator.

Yours will be a prosperous plan,
Blodbad said as the van rocketed down the dirt road,
only if your family vacates upon its completion, my child.

Slamming on the brakes, Zane brought the vehicle to a jerking, tire-squealing stop in the middle of the road. “If it will be successful then why must we leave?”

The girl can place you with Heather on the night of her disappearance and knows of your general location. Should the wrong person obtain this information—

“I will make sure this knowledge remains with the source,” Zane snarled.

You cannot harm the girl, for her death will also be yours. They will link you to the crime and you will die locked in a cell. Trust me, my child, the only way to protect you and your family is to leave this place.

“Fine,” Zane lied, and then put a mental block as he stomped on the gas. Avoiding the girl was no longer an option...

If it had ever been.

She yanked as hard as she could but the man’s grip on her ankle only tightened.  “Let me go!”

“I cannot.” He stared up at her with those eyes of lightning, the long, thick fingers of his other hand making an indentation in the clay-colored earth as he dangled off the side of the cliff. “I will not.”

The ground began to quake and she gasped, the sultry air stealing every drop of moisture from her mouth. The earth rumbled as it broke apart, piece after piece tumbling down to disappear into the bubbling lava below. When the shaking finally ceased she was left standing upon a circular pedestal roughly a foot wide. Red-orange flames licked at her feet and calves, but there was no pain.
 

He released her ankle. “Nowhere to run now,” he said as he started pulling himself up.

She spun around, tears trickling down her cheeks when she closed her eyes. Choosing the river of fire below over him, she jumped.

A fierce heat suddenly enveloped her, but it did not burn. She opened her eyes, found herself still standing on the pedestal. Her gaze dropped to the thick muscled arms wrapped tight around her, above and below her breasts, forcing them up and out. Clearly visible beneath the gauzy material of the white dress that clung to her sweat-soaked skin, she struggled to free herself so that she could cover them.

“No.” His hot breath against her ear sent a chill through her body that hardened her nipples instantly. “You are not going anywhere.”

Suddenly overcome with exhaustion, her head fell back, stopped abruptly by the sweltering expanse of solid muscle behind it. She forced herself to look up and into his eyes. “Why won’t you let me go?” she breathed.

His lips parted as his mouth came down to hover over hers. His heated breath scorched her lips. Desperate to ease their tight, dry ache, she was about to lick them when he did it for her. His tongue was cool, and the soft, wet caress of it made her shiver.

“
Because,” he said as his large hands cupped her breasts, “you belong to me now.”

Lacey sat up with a half-groan, half-gasp as The Man brushed his thumbs across her aching nipples. Partially submerged in the foggy state of semi-consciousness, her hands flew up to her breasts to tear away his offending appendages, but grabbed only damp flannel. Swallowing hard, she stiffened upon realizing she was more disappointed than relieved.

This is bad.

Closing her eyes, Lacey turned her head toward the bright beam of early morning light coming through the bare window. She bathed in its warmth for a few moments before falling back with a ragged breath.

As the dream world slipped farther away, she gradually became aware of a tightness in her chest. Blinking, she glanced down. Not in her chest,
on
her chest: she was not only still holding her breasts, but squeezing them almost to the point of pain. 

Very, very bad.

But God, it had felt so real! Lacey swore she could still feel The Man’s rock-hard body pressing against her back, his hot hands and fingers on her breasts and nipples. She shivered as, seemingly of their own accord, her hands crept down to the bottom button of her pajama shirt. Her breaths deepened as she unfastened it, then repeated the process until she had reached the top button.

Lacey hesitated, swallowing hard at the thought of what she was about to do. What she, for the first time in her life, not only wanted but needed to do.

After unfastening the last button Lacey sat up to peel the damp flannel from her sweat-soaked body. She tossed the pajama shirt on the floor and then looked down at her taut breasts, which seemed to have increased in size. Her nipples were so hard they actually hurt. Closing her eyes, she replayed the ending of her dream as she brushed her thumbs over them. A tingling jolt shot through her body and ended with a skin-prickling zap to her clitoris. 

With a hiss of indrawn breath, Lacey fell back on the bed. Taking her erect nipples between her thumbs and index fingers, she squeezed and tugged on them until the uncomfortable ache between her tightly clenched thighs had her on the verge of screaming. Bending her legs and then parting them, she slipped her hand under the waistband of her pajama bottoms. When she made contact with the most sensitive part of her body and imagined that it was The Man’s fingers pressing against her swollen nub, the rational part of her brain came out of its slumber.

Have you lost your fucking mind?!

Lacey yanked her hand out of her pajamas, slapped it with the other.

Quit school and get an around-the-clock job, because you need to see the best psychiatrist that money can buy.

Lacey snapped her gaze to the clock. “Oh shit!”

She had forgotten to set the alarm.

Sammy flexed his arms. Chest. Abs. Back. Thighs. Calves. Every bodybuilder pose he could think of, he did, and now he was positive that he wasn’t imagining it—he actually had muscles.

The bedroom door swung open. Sammy snatched his black Sex Pistols T-shirt off the dresser and hastily covered his crotch with it as his brother strode in. Zane’s eyebrows shot up. “Well now look at you,” he said as he gave Sammy a once-over. “Amazing what a lot of blood and a little physical labor can do in such a short time, is it not?”

“You know what’s also amazing? That you don’t understand the concept of a closed door.”

Zane laughed, moving as if to ruffle Sammy’s hair. Scowling, he stepped back and out of his reach. “You look good, Samuel. Keep it up and soon you will be beating the girls off with a stick.” He smirked. “Figuratively speaking, of course.”

“Did you want something?” 

“To learn your plans for the day.”

“I have options now?”

Zane shrugged. “I would not object if you wanted to stay home and continue working on your appearance.”

“And why would you think I’d wanna do that?”

With a deep sigh, Zane bowed his head. “Alexis told me how people treat you at school.”

“Of course she did,” Sammy exhaled, turning away. His foot tangled in his T-shirt and jerked it out of his loose grasp.

I’m standing naked in front of Mr. Perfect.

Sammy dove under the comforter. An amused chuckle followed him as he shimmied to the end of the bed. Poking his head out, he gave Zane his best death glare. His brother smiled. “I was hoping we could spend the day together,” he said, rubbing his hands together as if excited by the prospect. 

It was Sammy’s turn to laugh. “You’re kidding.”

“Not at all.”

“You want to hang out.”

“Yes.”

“With me.”

“
Yes.
”

Narrowing one eye, Sammy reared back. “Why?”

“Do you not agree we are long overdue for a little brotherly bonding?”

“Okay, now you’re scaring me.”

“I am serious, Samuel. I want us to be...closer...than what we are.”

“But why?”

Zane took a deep breath as he walked over to the bed, released it as he sat down. “Because,” he said, placing his hand on Sammy’s shoulder, “I love you.”

Sammy glared at him even though his heart felt like it was soaring inside his scrawny chest. He couldn’t remember the last time his brother had said those three words to him...or anyone, for that matter.

“Oh, is that why you lock me in The Room whenever I piss you off?” He snorted. “And here I was thinking you were just a sadistic bastard! I feel like a big dummy now.”

“I put you in there to—”

“Feed me,” Sammy finished, fisting his hands around the comforter. “That’s my choice, not yours.”

Throwing up his arms, Zane stood. “Forgive me for caring, Samuel.” His hands flew to his hips as he turned away. “For not wanting you to die.”

A part of Sammy wanted to believe the sincerity he thought he heard in his brother’s uncharacteristically soft voice, but he didn’t dare.

“I had thought there was something left of our relationship to salvage.” Zane bowed his head, shook it. “I know now that I was wrong.” When he glanced over his shoulder, there was a sadness in his eyes that Sammy had never before seen. “I apologize for bothering you.”

Its wings vanishing in mid-flight, Sammy’s heart splattered against his rib cage and then plopped into his stomach. “What did you have in mind?” he blurted as Zane started to leave.
Please, God, don’t let me regret this.
“For us to do today?”

Zane faced him. Although the corners of his mouth were curled up slightly, it looked more like a frown than a smile. “Well, after you had your breakfast I thought we could head out to the punching bag for a workout that will add another inch to those muscles by the end of the day.”

Sammy blinked at that. “Another inch? In one day? Really?”

“I personally guarantee it.”

The new girl’s words echoed inside Sammy’s mind yet again. She wouldn’t tell you to get lost, he thought, sweeping his blurry gaze over Zane’s flawless face and body. “What do you say, Samuel?”

He sighed. “Okay.”

Zane’s face brightened, as if a mega-watt light bulb had suddenly flicked on inside his head. “Then I shall prepare your breakfast while you get dressed. Your sister has gone on a short vacation so it will be just us guys for a few days.”

“Vacation? We get to take individual vacations now?”

“You are both adults, capable of making your own decisions.” 

“Since when?”

Zane sighed, heavy and deep. “My fear was that neither of you would make the right ones, which is why I have been so strict. However, I have realized that is both unfair to you and selfish of me, and thus have decided to give you both the freedom to make your own choices.”

“So I can do whatever I want, whenever I want and however I want?”

“As long as it does not harm yourself or us, yes.”

Sammy frowned. “I knew it sounded to too good to be true.”

“The health and protection of my family is of the utmost importance to me, Samuel. That will never change.”

“Okay, whatever,” Sammy mumbled, rolling his eyes.

Shaking his head, Zane chuckled. “You are a stubborn one, brother.”

Sammy snorted. “You’re one to talk.” 

“Touché,” Zane replied, smirking. “All right then—I shall see you in the basement in five.”

Sammy ran over to the dresser as soon as Zane left the room. As he pulled a pair of sweats out of one drawer he glanced in the mirror and smiled. He couldn’t wait to see the new girl’s face the next time she saw him.