Shiver (10 page)

Hogan’s eyes hardened.

“What happened when you told her they were gone?” asked Lian.

“I didn’t. As soon as I got back, I headed out to the crash site.”

She tried to catch a glimpse of the man in question, but Hogan stepped in front of her.

“Your mother is pissed, though. We’re going to have to be really careful now.” Hogan looked away. “We might have to skip more than a few groups, to give her suspicion time to die down.”

“No way! We can’t,” she said with a shake of her head. “That’s why I’m here, Hogan. We need to get this guy out before Meiling comes back.”

“Uh-uh, not gonna happen.”

“What’re you talking about? It’s what we do.”

“Lian, we protect innocents from being sold into slavery. A grown man who stole one of your mother’s ships is not someone we need to help.”

“But, Hogan—”

“You need to go. There’s no need for you to worry about this guy.”

“I can’t do that.” She ducked under Hogan’s arm before he could stop her, until she stood only a few feet away from the man from her dreams. What had appeared to be dark stubble on his head was actually lighter under the moonlight. His chin hung low, pressed against his blood-streaked chest where an X was scabbing over his skin. Had her mother done this to him? “I want to know who he is.”
 

This stranger set her heart racing.

“You don’t need to know anything about this monster.” Hogan put a hand on her shoulder. “Step away from him. He’s dangerous.”

She barely heard him. All she could do was imagine what someone as strong as this man could help her achieve. It wasn’t just that she saw him as their way to freedom. He had a physical effect on her like no one ever had before. She wanted to know his name, where he was from, how he’d ended up here—everything.

Even during her time with Hogan, she’d never felt this sense of
connection
. Her stomach was aflutter, her hands clammy with anticipation.

When the man raised his head and his dark eyes peered into hers, she gasped. An electric shock of excitement tore through her.

Hogan must have misunderstood her reaction for fear and tightened his hand around her shoulder, gently encouraging her back. “Don’t look him in the eye. I’ve heard monsters like him can hypnotize and make people do things they don’t want to.”

Lian shrugged his hand off her shoulder. “He’s secured. He’s not going to hurt me.” Besides, she was pretty sure she’d be willing to do plenty of things with this man, without the need for hypnosis.

He’s not a monster.

She’d managed to hear most of her mother’s interrogation and knew what they thought he was. She didn’t care if they were right. She’d actually seen him take blood from someone during her dream, and it hadn’t discouraged her.

“Damn it, Li, don’t do this,” Hogan said.

“I don’t know what you mean.”

“Don’t give me that innocent look. You’re as attracted to the danger he poses as you were to the danger of
us
getting caught.”

She opened her mouth to protest, but shut it. Was he right? Was it just the danger drawing her in? This man certainly fit the rough and dangerous bill, and she’d always found the prospect of getting caught with Hogan exciting.

No, this was different. The dreams meant something, she was sure of it.

“I knew it.” Was that pain in his eyes?

“Hogan…”

They both turned to find Vera standing by the open doorway, arms at her sides. Her timing was perfect. Lian didn’t want to have this conversation right now. Maybe six months ago, even three—but not now.

Hogan glared at Vera. “What are you doing here?”

“You know she’s right. He might not be an innocent kid, but no one deserves to be kept in chains.” Vera’s eyes glistened with unshed tears. She motioned to the collar around her neck, then to the one Hogan also wore. “We’ve all been where he is. Try to remember how it felt before it’s too late for him.”

Lian touched the back of Hogan’s gloved hand and he flinched.

“Damn you two! You’re going to be the death of me.” He sighed. “We’re going to have to make this quick. The other guards won’t be gone for long.”

“I’ll keep watch while you go round up the transport,” Lian said, eager to get him out of the cell.

He shook his head. “I can’t do that on such short notice.”
 

“Fine. Work out another way to smuggle him out, then. Hurry!”

Hogan hesitated before squeezing her hand and heading for the door. “Vera, don’t leave her alone with him.” He ran out into the corridor.

“You don’t have long,” Vera whispered. “Satisfy your curiosity and let’s get moving before your mother finds out what we’re doing.”

“Thanks.”

When Vera stepped out of the cell, Lian took a small step toward the chained man. Something about him made her want—no,
need
—to get closer. She wanted to feel his skin against hers. She had to find out what the endless dreams meant, and why he starred in so many of them until he’d practically landed on her doorstep. Her dreams had been filled with hope and passion strong enough to make her feel a sense of belonging. When she’d never felt like she belonged anywhere.

Was this man going to be her salvation?

“Are you awake?” She swallowed the lump in her throat, wondering how she could be so excited and scared at the same time.

She waited for a response. When none came, she relaxed.

Lian raised a hand and reached out for him. The stubble growing back matched the whiskers on his face. She noticed the skin on both of his wrists was scalded underneath the cuffs. Was that where the burning smell came from?

She took her time closing the distance, pausing when she felt his light breath on her. With her hand still poised above his head, she anticipated the contact.

Before she could say anything, his head snapped up and his mouth clamped on the underside of her wrist.

Lian was so shocked that instead of instinctively pulling back, she froze. Something sharp pierced her skin. A moan escaped her lips when the most euphoric sensation she’d ever felt washed through her body, making her weak at the knees.

Chapter Five

Her sweet fragrance was intoxicating. The smell of fresh flowers filled his nostrils until he could taste it in the back of his throat, intensified by the purity flowing within her. Unfamiliar sensations rushed through him as her sweet blood poured into his mouth, coming together with the drumming of her heartbeat.

Knox stared into her gorgeous, blue, almond-shaped eyes and he realized she was the most captivating woman he’d ever seen. She was also the sweetest. Her blood coated his throat the way good wine from the vineyards on his family’s farm had. It satisfied his animal hunger, making the experience more intimate than he could ever have imagined.

She’s delicious.

And he didn’t want to hurt her.

The rage he’d felt while taking blood from the random guard, and the way Meiling stirred something feral inside him that
demanded
blood, dissipated. He felt none of that with this beautiful creature.

His fangs withdrew from her silky flesh and he ran his tongue over the matching points on her wrist. She murmured as he licked her skin, and he couldn’t take his eyes off her. She hadn’t screamed and he sensed no fear on her. The fact Knox could read people’s moods should have struck him as weird, but he wasn’t exactly himself anymore.

Maybe the more he fed, the stronger his vampiric abilities became. Being so rude to the old coot might have been a mistake. She’d seemed ready to expand his understanding of being a “blood-getter”. He should have given her the chance. No point in crying over spilt milk—or blood.

“That was
amazing.
” The woman whispered the words as if she was drunk and didn’t step away. Instead she turned her wrist over and looked at it. “Where did the marks go?” She moved her delicate, long fingers over the back of her own wrist, her brow slightly furrowed.

Knox shrugged and was glad his meager knowledge of vampire lore had allowed him to feed without turning or taking this beauty’s life. The desire to hold her was overwhelming, but with both arms restrained, all he could do was explore her radiance
 
and courage.
 
She seemed to shimmer under the moonlight, which added to her unreal quality.

Why wasn’t she scared? And why had she returned to see him?

She flashed him a smile. “I can’t believe it’s really you.”

“I saw you outside, in the snow.” This was the woman he’d been convinced was the angel of death. Had she come to claim his cursed soul? Someone so perfect couldn’t be real.

“I’ve seen you before. Many times,” she answered.

This beautiful woman had the body of a dancer—not tall, but thin—with muscles evident in her arms and pale legs. Long, ebony hair fell like a silk curtain over her shoulders to the small of her back. The simple, white, knee-length dress made her appear young, and her bare feet seemed to be in stark contrast with the climate in this hemisphere. Her toes dug into the snow and concrete as if the cold didn’t bother her.

A small grin curved the edges of her full lips when she caught him staring.

“Who are you?” He had to know. “Are you an angel?”

She shook her head. “Hardly. I’m Lian Shan.”

Knox couldn’t help but flinch. She shared the family name of the woman who had interrogated him. The more he looked at her, the more he could see a slight resemblance. Nothing about her mannerisms resembled the older woman, though.

“And who are
you
?” Lian looked over her shoulder before lowering her voice. “I need to know your name.”

How could he not tell her? He would answer any question she asked if it meant he could listen to her voice and gaze upon her radiant features. She might not be the angel of death, but she was certainly an angel. “I’m Knox.”

“Knox,”
she whispered.

The way his name rolled off her tongue made his body pulse. All of his pain, the injuries he’d suffered, even his time in the arena were forgotten when she was near. If only he could be free from these chains and feel her body against his. He’d been away from women for too long, and not only because of the arena. His family and duties had ruled his life, denying him personal time. Now that he had nothing, and felt such a strong attraction toward someone, it made him foolishly hope for a future. Maybe some sort of happiness
was
within his grasp.

But he was chained to a wall inside a roofless room and was slowly becoming a bloodsucking fiend. He found it amazing that she could make him hopeful when he’d been inundated with despair for ages.

Lian went to the cup of water on the floor. It had been left out of his reach.

“Here, you must be parched.” She grabbed the wide cup and settled on her knees before him. She held the rim to his bloody lips and tipped some of the crisp liquid into his mouth.

The water rushed down his throat with globs of ice, filling his stomach with a chill he welcomed. It helped the taste of her blood spread. “Thank you.”

She placed the empty cup back down and met his eyes. “You were never going to reach it on your own.”

This exotic woman fascinated him. “Aren’t you scared of me?” He was a stranger chained inside a dungeon, who’d casually taken some of her blood, and she was showing him hospitality. Now she was kneeling too close and tempting him to take another sip. As much as he wanted to block out the scent of flowers and sweet blood, he couldn’t stop himself from sniffing the air deeply.

“Should I be scared?” Her eyes were wide and stared at him with curiosity.

“I just…” Knox looked away. “I just bit you, drank some of your blood. I think you should at least be cautious.”

“You didn’t hurt me. It actually felt good.” Color rose on the top of her cheeks, and it made her look even more youthful. “Besides, I’ve been expecting you.”

“You have? Why?” Knox couldn’t keep his gaze off her. Her proximity stirred a whirlwind inside his gut—something raw and primal flowed between them. Her beauty was enough to get his blood pumping, but her kindness—and disregard for danger in spite of what he’d done—captivated him.

“Yes, I’ve dreamed about you.”

He licked the last remaining drops of water and Lian’s blood from his lips. She ran her fingers over his face, causing his eyes to close to her soft touch. “That’s not possible.” Lian didn’t respond with words. Her warm breath tickled his face seconds before her lips lightly met his. She closed the gap between them and deepened the kiss. His lips moved in tandem with hers, and when her soft tongue slipped inside his mouth and her fingertips raced down his abdomen, he felt a pang of desire burn through him. The tip of her silky tongue caught on one of his fangs and she made a move to end the kiss.

He licked the blood drops from her, making sure to seal the small cut while enjoying the way she tasted once again. She didn’t push him away.

“What happened to you, Knox?” she whispered, holding his face with her soft hands.

He sighed. “I was bitten by a vampire.”

“I’m sorry.”