Passion By Control (Passion Series Book 2) (20 page)

His arm was a blur, and I might not have seen it; it might not have fully registered with my stunned brain, but I certainly felt it, when his fist slammed into my cheek. Pain unlike anything I’d ever experienced, exploded in my head, radiating out, causing a blast of white light behind my eyes. I cried out and everything began to spin around, nausea rising in my stomach. Fuck I was going to black out.

“No.” I cried, staggering backwards, desperately trying to clear my head. I heard a noise, a man’s voice which seemed familiar and I could hear footsteps. I think they were running and I could only hope as my vision started to blur that they were running towards me, that they belonged to someone who could help me.

My head was filling with a loud roaring sound and I opened my eyes, struggling to see through a grey haze that clouded my vision. A man’s voice spoke close to my ear and I tried to respond because I knew that voice but even though I opened my mouth, I couldn’t get any sound past my lips. The man’s voice that seemed familiar to me, said something again and I realised he was saying my name. Again I opened my mouth to respond, trying so hard to answer him, but I couldn’t. It was all too much. I felt so tired, so sore and with a tiny sigh; I gave up the fight and let the darkness claim me. As everything went black, I felt my body start sinking to the ground, and vaguely, just before oblivion took over, I felt arms close around me, breaking my fall.

Fabian

When Fabian had left the club with Cindy, it had turned to shit for him. He’d tried to use her to forget Sirene and to make the witch jealous, but the whole exercise backfired on him. Sirene hadn’t seemed to care that he was with another woman; in fact she’d barely looked at him while she’d been on stage.

He’d tried to show some interest in Cindy. He’d kissed her and taken her outside to feed from her, but when he tried to fuck her, he couldn’t do it. He couldn’t get hard enough to do anything with her. What the fuck was wrong with him? He’d never had issues like this before. He fucked women. He’d fucked a lot of women. Now he was just about a damn limp dick.

So many times over the last month, he’d struggled to get hard with every woman he’d picked up to feed from and fuck. It was an embarrassment sometimes to remain either flaccid or only manage half-mast. It was just as well he could alter their minds so they didn’t remember him or what had happened, or the women would laugh at him for presenting them with a soft cock.

He frowned when he remembered running into Sirene earlier. Damn traitorous thing it was. One sighting of her, her scent filling his nostrils and a brief flash of her breast and he was fucking hard then. His cock had no trouble recognising her and wanting to take a dip in that cunt again. Well that wasn’t going to happen. He needed to stay away from her and vice versa.

When he realised he couldn’t get his cock interested in some action with Cindy, he’d fed her blood, altered her memories and sent her on her way. He had been feeling frustrated and angry that even after a month he still couldn’t shake the tiny witch from his mind. If he could mind control himself, he’d have done it just to be free of her. He thought staying away from her would make him finally get over the way she made him feel, but it hadn’t. The way his body had responded to her tonight, proved that.

Angry and frustrated he decided to head home since he’d had a blood feed at least. He was going to have to take himself in hand to relieve the tension that had been brewing in him since he’d run into Sirene. Jerking off wasn’t an ideal situation. He’d have preferred to be buried balls deep in a nice warm cunt, but he couldn’t get his cock to agree with him on the women he chose to feed from.

As he walked to his car he heard a woman’s voice, raised as if she was protesting and with an obvious note of distress to it. Once upon a time, he wouldn’t have bothered going to check what was happening; he wouldn’t have given a shit. This was different though. There was something about that voice, a familiarity that made him turn and head towards the sound.

When he got closer, he saw straight away that it was Sirene. Some large, beefy looking man with a big protruding beer belly was holding onto her and kissing her. At the sight of her in another man’s arms, a wave of red passed over his eyes, fury unlike anything he’d felt in a while surging through him.

Silently he began to move forward, his eyes trained on them. Suddenly the asshole kissing her let out a scream and Fabian grinned when the man pulled back, blood streaming from his lip. Sirene was fighting back so obviously the prick’s advances were unwanted.

He moved closer, his nostrils flaring at the smell of the fresh blood that dripped from the beefy man’s torn lip but even if he hadn’t already fed, he would not have lowered himself to feed from him.

He’d almost made it to them, still with neither one of them aware of his presence, when he saw the man take a swing at her. His fist connected with her face, the sound of it making a sickening crunch. Anger surged through him and with a loud, primal roar he reached the bastard, just as Sirene staggered back almost like she was drunk.  

Fabian grabbed the asshole by the collar of his shirt and saw the man’s eyes widen at the sight of him. It was his turn to raise his hand, slamming his fist into his face and he heard the audible snap of his nose breaking. He pulled back and slammed into him again, feeling the cheek bones crumble under his fist and as the man grunted, blood pouring out of him everywhere, he dropped to the ground, out cold.

With a look of utter contempt directed at the motionless asshole, Fabian spun around, just in time to see Sirene’s eyes close and her knees give out on her. As she started to sink to the ground, he lunged, grabbing her, his arms cradling her gently as he looked down at her. God she was so pale except for the swelling and huge bruise forming on her cheek and he just wanted to kill the bastard who had done that to her.

When the voice in his head reminded him that he’d left his mark on her only a month ago, although not as severe as what this bastard had done to her, he ignored it; not wanting anything to make him feel he was no better than the prick passed out on the ground of the club’s car park.

He looked at the balding, overweight man lying on the concrete and briefly considered killing him. There was no one around to see him do it, but the asshole wasn’t worth it. He had more important things to do, and getting Sirene the hell out of there and helping her were all he cared about for now.

Lifting her higher in his arms, he carried her to his car, placing her gently in the passenger’s seat. He walked around and climbed into the driver’s side, reaching over to do up her seat belt, and with one final glance at the crumpled body of the bastard who had hurt his little witch, Fabian drove quickly from the car park and headed for home.

Sirene

I didn’t want to open my eyes, it hurt too much but I could hear voices, hushed voices and there were several of them close by. I strained to listen to them, but it hurt so much and I groaned which seemed to make the voices stop for a moment.

“Sirene?” A man’s voice spoke my name and I frowned, it sounded like Fabian, but it couldn’t be, could it?

I tried to move and open my eyes again but it simply hurt too much and I couldn’t do it. The pain in my head was so bad and with another throaty groan, I let the darkness pull me back under.

It was the sound of voices nearby that woke me again. I whimpered from the pain in my head. It felt like every beat of my heart was pumping through my cheek and I wanted it to stop, for the incessant throbbing to go. If I could focus long enough, I could put a spell on myself to remove the pain but even thinking hurt too much right now.

“Sirene, wake up my darling. Can you hear me?” That familiar man’s voice came to me again. He was so close, as if he was right next to me, and I needed to see him, to see if it was in fact Fabian. With everything in me, I forced my eyes open, groaning loudly when the light caused the pain in my head to increase. It felt like an army of workers were using pick axes in my brain.

“Fabian?” I croaked, squinting up at him. God it was him, and he looked so beautiful. I was so relieved to see that it was him and not that creep at the club that an unexpected sob was torn from my throat. Tears filled my eyes and he blurred before me, as they began to roll down my cheeks. I rarely cried. Tears were for the weak in my opinion. I wasn’t even sure why I was crying now, but I couldn’t seem to stop and the harder I cried, the more my body ached, my cheek throbbing painfully.

“My beauty, don’t cry. I’m sorry I didn’t get to you soon enough to protect you from that asshole, but he won’t put his slimy hands on another woman again. Can I get you something? Water anything?”

“My head hurts so bad, pain killers, I need pain killers.” I said my voice husky and my words slow as I tried to avoid anything that would make the pain worse.

“I can help you with that. I can take the pain away, but then you should be able to do that too, if you use witchcraft.” Fabian said and I shook my head, crying out when a burst of pain exploded inside my brain. “No, not while I’m like this. I can’t be sure the spell would work and I could make things worse. It’s too risky.” I gasped.

“Well let me help you. I want you to drink my blood Sirene. Can you do that for me?” His voice was gentle and fresh tears filled my eyes. Why was he being so nice to me? He hated me.

“Why Fabian? Why are you being so nice to me? You h…hate me.” I choked out.

He groaned. “I don’t hate you, I was angry with you for quite a while. You humiliated me and I didn’t like that you made me feel like that, but I never hated you. If I truly hated you I would have killed you or had you killed, but I couldn’t do it. I admit that I came to the club tonight to finally do something about you, to make you suffer for what you’d done to me. I have not been the same since that night you tortured me. I wanted you to pay, but then you were suddenly there in front of me, upset, your dress torn, and every angry thought I had was gone. You frustrate me and infuriate me, but I do not hate you my beauty. The only hatred I felt, was when I saw that asshole with his hands on you. When he hit you, I wanted to kill him and I damn well nearly did. I left him lying in the car park with a broken nose and a smashed up face. I am fortunate that my children reminded me that I had made a big mistake leaving him there, so they drove to the club and picked him up. He is staying here in my home now.”

My eyes widened in surprise but then I flinched when another burst of pain from the lights hit me. “The light, please it hurts, and what do you mean he’s here? God what have you done to him? He needs to be arrested not, well whatever the hell you have planned for him.”

“Wait a moment please.” He stood and turned out the lights until just one bedside lamp burned, casting a soft glow over the bed. “He’s in the dungeon. He is locked up and can’t hurt anyone. I’m not sure what to do with him, but I thought you might enjoy casting some spell over him?” He raised an eyebrow questioningly at me.

Now that could be fun. Yes a nice spell to teach the bastard a lesson. I started to smile but the pain in my cheek wouldn’t allow it and I cried out, reaching up to touch my face, flinching when I felt how swollen I was. God I must look bloody awful.

“I would like to do something to him, but please can I do as you suggested and take some of your blood? I can’t afford to be battered and bruised too long. I have work again tomorrow night, plus I don’t want to have to explain all this to someone, especially when the man who did this is a prisoner in your home. Cassie and Chloe will wonder what the hell happened to me. It will create too many questions and I don’t think you want attention drawn to yourself any more than I do.”

“You should take the night off, and of course you may take some of my blood.” I watched as he bit into his wrist and once the blood was flowing, he held his arm over my mouth. I latched on, beginning to suck, swallowing down his beautifully sweet, cool blood. It hurt to drink as the action of sucking caused more pain in my cheek, but I kept drinking until Fabian decided I’d had enough, and removed his wrist from my mouth.

I collapsed against the pillows suddenly feeling so tired. My fatigue must have been obvious to Fabian because he told me to sleep and I was more than happy to go along with his suggestion.

Fabian

Fabian found himself watching Sirene sleep for ages unable to look away from her. Gently he reached out, running his fingers down her soft cheek. He could see his blood was working; she was starting to heal. The dark bruising that had marred her skin was fading and the swelling had improved significantly. He could see that in a few more hours, all signs of the damage done to her by the asshole from the club would be gone. Vampire blood had an amazing effect on humans and could heal them of just about anything, but although it accelerated the healing time, it was still surprisingly slow at healing Sirene. She had taken quite a beating from that fucker though so she was taking a little longer to heal.

She had been in his bed 24 hours now and he was tired, really tired, but he wasn’t sure she would appreciate it if she woke up, and found him alongside of her, even though technically it was his bed.

Suddenly she stirred, her eyes opening and that brilliant jade green met his weary gaze. He watched a frown form on her forehead as she studied him. “Have you slept?” She asked.

He shook his head. “No my beauty, I didn’t want you to panic if you woke and found me in bed with you. Its ok, I’ll go to another room. I chose to stay with you so I could be sure you were alright, and that my blood was doing its job and healing you.”