Marked for Pleasure [Blood Bond] (11 page)

“Look, this wasn’t my idea. I just came along for the ride.”

As horny as she was, she wanted to leave. It may have started out as a sexual fantasy, but her faculties were returning and the dismissal clenched hard around her heart. She’d always dreamed of these men, and when she finally got them, they only wanted her for a night.

Figures
.

“Please put me down,” she said.

He ignored her, bringing her to where Francis was standing. “Francis, stop sulking and do your job. Heidi’s getting upset.”

“I’m not upset. I feel stupid for being here, for thinking that either of you may actually have some feelings for me.” She kicked her legs, urging him to set her to her feet. Her nudity began to embarrass her, everything becoming more vivid and clear.

“Francis!” Christian shoved him—he looked lost in another world. Were they even listening to her?

The shove had the desired effect, and Francis focused on her. He stepped forward, his face solemn but no longer stern. “Heidi, there are things you don’t understand. Even I’m at a loss. I promise you that you’re very important to us. You have no idea how much.”

She realized she was acting like a child. This was what she wanted, dreamed of. If she went home now, with her virginity intact, she’d kick herself in the morning. It was time for her to grow up and start a new page in her life as a successful businesswoman. Even if the DeVilles didn’t want her, traveled across the ocean where she’d never see them again, at least they’d given her the experiences of a lifetime. She wouldn’t be naïve and shy in her next relationship, so she should be thankful.

“It’s okay. I don’t know what came over me.”

Francis pulled her against him, holding the side of her head to his chest. “I’m taking you home. I should never have brought you here.”

Chapter Nine

Francis had tucked Heidi in her bed and put her to sleep. He dulled the memories so she’d think what she experienced was a dream. Then he walked home in silence with Christian.

“What the fuck was that?” asked Christian once they got back to the house.

“What? She wanted to go home, so I took her.” Francis stomped up the stairs, hoping to escape to his bedroom and away from the questions.

“But she was fine once you calmed her. Make up your mind, big brother. Either you give a shit or you don’t. That girl was ripe for the picking, so I’d say you’ve grown a conscience.” Once he was halfway up the stairs, Christian added, “Very human of you.”

He ground his teeth together. Francis didn’t want to hear the truth. He needed time to think, to consider the multitude of questions racking his mind. One side of him wanted to uphold the honor and tradition of the vampire race. It was the reason he pushed Heidi away. The reason he kept the secret meaning of her mark to himself. And the reason they were moving halfway across the world to get away from her.

The other part of him, a part he barely recognized, was deeply affected by her emotion. When she’d felt rejected and used, he could feel her pain. It tore through him like slash to the chest. Was this what it felt like to be human? It wasn’t at all pleasant. As easily as he could have continued with their sexual adventure, his heart was no longer in it. His power had only calmed her mind, dulled the area of the brain that focused on fear and doubt. Her desire was her own, but he still couldn’t take her virginity if she had any question to their intentions.

He actually doubted all his well-laid plans. Should he continue with the move and leave her behind? It would be the logical choice, the choice expected of a vampire with his years of experience and control. The thought of leaving was beginning to sour in his stomach. What if the legends were true? If Heidi truly was their mate, even an ocean couldn’t keep them apart.

He wouldn’t be able to make an informed decision until he tasted her. Francis was certain that once he took in her essence there would be no doubt one way or the other. Until he knew for sure, he wouldn’t burden his brothers with his knowledge of Heidi’s marking.

When he thought he was home free in the upper hallway, Christian raced up the stairs, taking two at a time. “I’m not done with you!”

“Yeah, you’re done.” He continued to walk.

What did Christian expect? For him to admit he’d experienced emotion, that he may have feelings for a human? Appearing weak in his baby brother’s eyes was almost as indigestible as the thought of losing Heidi.

“The hell I am. What the fuck was all that? I don’t understand any of this. You were breaking her in, enjoying yourself more than I’ve seen you in years, then you just take her home? You told me you were going to be her first.”

He whirled around, losing his temper. Too much anxiety had him ready to blow his top. “You heard her, Christian. She wanted more than domination, more than sex. She questioned her actions. Heidi wants love, something we can’t give her. The blood whores never asked for that, so I’ve never had a problem taking what they offer.”

“That’s called empathy. It’s a human emotion.”

He opened the door to his room. “Don’t test me, Christian.”

“What about me? I get to have a hard-on all night because you suddenly give a shit?”

Francis slammed the door, looking for a source to vent his frustration. He’d love to expel his energy in the basement with vampiresses who lived for pain, but he couldn’t go there now. It would only remind him of Heidi’s sweetness, her deep-seated desire for love and acceptance. He felt like a bastard, always taking, never giving back. It seemed that once one emotional floodgate was open, they all let loose, and he swore he’d lose his mind if it didn’t stop soon.

* * * *

“Shit!” Christian slammed a fist into the drywall outside Francis’s bedroom. He hoped his brother would come out and challenge him, because he needed to fight, needed to release all the volatile energy pent up within every muscle of his body. The door never opened.

If he went into town now, he’d make the legends of vampires look tame. He wanted blood in the most gruesome way he could get it. Christian DeVille was in love, had found his mate in the form of a human. It appeared Joseph and Francis were smitten with the same woman, whether both of them knew it or not.

One moment, he was cool, collected, and boasted being the only brother not ruled by vampiric urges. The next, he was head over heels after just a taste of Heidi’s blood. What did it all mean? Who should he turn to for clarification? Francis would only berate him, telling him he had no place having feelings for a mortal. He’d remind them of their father’s legacy and the safety in keeping human blood out of their lines. Joseph had already proven his jealous streak when the buyer went through the house, so admitting he was certain the woman he coveted was his mate would not go over well.

He’d head to the basement. Where else could he safely go at this hour? The two vampiresses below had been begging for his affection, so now they’d get their wish and then some.

Christian bounded down the stairs, his mind in a haze. He’d never known what it felt like to have every cell in his body fixated on another person. Now it was
Heidi this
,
Heidi that
. He recalled every detail from her pretty blue eyes, so reminiscent of the ocean between their worlds, to the beautiful curve of her back.

He remembered the times he’d spent with her over the years. He’d experienced equal emotions of intrigue and longing to fear and denial. She was a vampires’ mate, and he was the last to realize it.

“What are you doing up at this hour?” he asked when he saw Joseph wandering around in the foyer.

“I’m waiting for the sun to rise.”

Christian put aside his desperation to get to the basement to find out what was on Joseph’s mind. “Since when have you done this? Is this something you do every morning before the crack of dawn when I’m cuddled up in bed?”

“Heidi’s supposed to bring a buyer through again today.”

“Ms. Walsh?”

Joseph nodded and then sat on one of the twin velvet-covered benches on either side of the double doors. “Yeah. Don’t tell Francis you saw me. I just can’t sleep thinking about her. It’s like I’m in tune with her mind, and I felt her distress a while ago, and it woke me up.” He leaned over, his forearms resting on his knees. “I had to go check on her, but she was fast asleep. Maybe she had a bad dream.”

“Your mind control is probably growing stronger. You don’t stifle human emotion like Francis, so you can probably sense a broader range than he can.”

“Then why does it only work with her?”

Christian shrugged. The hell if he knew. The logical answer would be that Joseph was her mate, too, but he pushed the thought aside. He had enough worries of his own, like why his vampiric nature was suddenly bubbling to the surface. He wanted to kill, feed, and wreak mayhem on their quiet little town. Decades of intense training, lost in a single droplet of blood. Was Heidi more than she appeared? She was one hundred percent human, and he knew she was clueless to their true nature. Then what was the common denominator that would make all the respectable, self-controlled DeVilles lose their minds over one insignificant human?

“What were you coming down for anyway?”

“Basement.”

Joseph cocked an eyebrow. “We usually have to force you.”

“I still have needs. Why don’t you get some rest? It’s practically morning.”

Christian felt less hostile by the time he reached the bottom of the basement stairs. It was near pitch-black with all the candles snuffed out. This wasn’t an hour the women would expect a visitor.

He tilted the chin up of the red-headed vamp lying on the bench. Her chains gave her enough slack to roam half the basement when they weren’t present. “My pet?”

She opened her eyes and had instant recognition, a slow smile spreading on her lips. He’d lose himself in her body long enough to forget the other. Once he’d filled his veins with the strong blood of a vampiress, it would dilute any remaining taste of the few drops he’d ingested from Heidi. At least he hoped it would.

“You come freely. You must be growing into the male you were meant to be. The older the vampire, the more potent his needs.”

“That may be true. Or I may just need to spend my seed inside your sweet pussy.” He didn’t care for this woman or any of the others. There was no relationship implied in their arrangement. She was free to leave any time she chose, but it turned out the hardest part of keeping a live-in sub was getting them to leave when their time was up.

“Whatever you want, master. I’m yours for the taking.”

He ran his hand down her thigh, trying to ignite some passion inside himself. The final insult to end the most miserable night—he couldn’t even get his cock to firm up. He should just go to bed and not get up for a week. Christian stood up, yelling out his frustration. He couldn’t believe this was happening to him.

“What’s wrong?” She rose from the bench and touched his arm. “Tell me what you want and I’ll give it to you.”

“It’s not you, my pet. It’s me.” They sat together on the bench. Never had they talked to their playthings as equals, but he had no desire for her now and had a ton on his mind. Who else would he talk to? “Have you ever been in love?”

“If I loved another, I wouldn’t be here. You, on the other hand, are lost.”

“Lost?”

“I’ve been watching you. Your energy has changed ever since you brought that human girl downstairs. Have you considered she may be your mate?”

He chuckled. “You said yourself she’s human. That’s impossible.”

“Who says it’s impossible? Fate doesn’t like to be told how to work.”

She must have seen Heidi before Francis put the invisible barrier on the darker half of the basement where the blood whores stayed. Christian studied the woman beside him. Her hair was the color of aged wine, her eyes as dark as his own. She was a beauty, a virile vampiress. “What are you doing here anyway? You seem too smart to be a blood whore.”

She scowled. “Maybe if you took the time to get to know me, you’d know I’m more than vein and a pussy.” The nameless woman stood up, her chains dragging behind her. “You know the history of vampirism. I don’t need to teach you that. I do this because I enjoy it, need it. Until I choose a mate of my own, I offer myself to single vamps as a service to our race.”

“Very noble of you,” he scoffed. He wouldn’t give that much for the greater good. As far as he was always concerned, his race needed to change with the times. For this vampiress to give herself to be used and abused didn’t seem worth the sacrifice. “I suppose you think it’s unconscionable that I can’t think straight because of a human girl?”