Taken by Moonlight (68 page)

No! A gasp
of horror left her lips upon realizing her intent. What was she doing?
Immediately, she stepped back, widening her eyes when he followed.

“No! Keep
away!” Her voice sounded weak. There was no way—she couldn’t be a—a
vampire.

He stopped
inches from her, removing the vase from nerveless fingers and lifting his wrist
to her lips.

“Drink,
Drusilla.” His voice was soft. “I can feel your hunger.”

“I’m not a
vampire,” she whispered, trying to turn her head away. Both her body and mind
resisted. “I’m not.”

Lucian
pressed his wrist to her lips. She couldn’t help herself. The first touch of
his blood prompted her to open her mouth. The second made her secure his wrist
in her hands. By the third, her teeth were buried in his flesh and she was
pulling strongly at his vein. As she drank, feeling the hunger in her belly
melt away as she swallowed the rich liquid, she wondered if she were dreaming.
Had she fallen asleep, bumped her head, was she unconscious, or was she really
a vampire? And if it were the latter, exactly what was she going to do about
it?

Her body
was slowly regulating. After hours of unbearable heat, Vivienne’s temperature
had fallen sometime in the afternoon, and she’d been able to get an hour of
rest. She’d awoken to the heat, and had promptly hopped onto Conall and
satisfied her urge. That had been followed by another hour of rest, before
she’d needed him inside her again.

This time,
she awoke to a different type of urge. It was not unbearable, only persistent.
She looked to the digital clock next to her. It was almost midnight. She closed
her eyes and sawed her thighs together. She was so tired.

A pulse
began inside her, and she moaned, and rolled onto her back. Turning her head,
she noticed Conall was stirring, his eyes finding her as they opened. The bed
moved as he sniffed at her. Without a word, he rolled onto her. It amazed her
he could go from soft to hard in seconds. Many things about him amazed her.

As his
thick length pushed into her, she whimpered softly, finding strength enough to
lift her legs and hike them around his waist. His thrusts were wild, and hard,
exactly as she liked them. She felt her orgasm creep up on her, felt as if she
were splintering apart before being carefully put back together. He nipped at
her neck and grunted as he came, rolling to his side and pulling her against
him.

Long
seconds passed as their breathing evened. When he slipped from her, Vivienne
sighed, snuggled closer to his body, and shivered. “I’m cold.”

A tired
grin curved his lips as he watched her lids fall. Reaching down to the floor
for the bedding, he shook it out, and threw the covers over them. There were
some rips in the material. Similar marks were also in the sheets. Claw marks.
Vivienne had been feral, and she’d called to the beast in him. Between the two
of them, these sheets would have to be thrown out. The mattress as well.

That would
be done tomorrow. He slipped a hand under her body, and pulled her against him,
sniffing at her skin. She was coming out of heat. The scent was all but gone
from her body, and his was becoming more dominant. In a few more hours, she
would be through it. His hand trailed down her side before moving against her
taut belly.
Were
females became very fertile during this time, and
although Vivienne was a druid, the fact she was experiencing heat, something
distinctly of his people, meant she could be susceptible to the same
conditions.

Conall
caressed the smooth, tight skin of her belly lightly, falling asleep with his
hand cradled protectively around her midriff.

After
drinking his blood like it was some expensive wine, Drusilla had had no choice
but to listen to Lucian. Her fear had been replaced by numbness, and she
listened, expressionless and seated on the edge of the bed, as he explained
that she was a vampire.
They
were vampires. He had created her after
he’d taken her from the site of an accident. She’d been near death. She would
need to feed on the blood of a vampire to survive. She would never see sunlight
again. It could blind her, burn her, and if exposed for too long, kill her.
Except for a few things: the sun, silver, a stake through the heart, and
decapitation, she could not die.
Ever.
She was immune to human diseases.
She sat and listened, committing what he’d said to a brain filled with memories
that seemed to lurk in the distance.

He stopped
suddenly, moving closer to her and touching the side of her face. She looked
up, blinked as he came into focus.

“I know it
is much to take, Drusilla, but the life of a vampire is not without its perks.”

“Why can’t
I remember anything about my human life?”

His eyes
grew guarded, and when he would have moved away, she held on to the hand at her
face. “To acclimate you to your new life. In a sense, it keeps you from
yearning for the old.”

She
released him and instead of removing his hand, he kept it there. His touch was
gentle as he lifted her head once more.

“Come,
Drusilla, let me show you the night.”

Briefly
wondering if this was all a dream, she stood. His palm fell away from her face
then, moving down to take her hand.

As they
headed for the door, a painting caught her eyes. It was of a tall woman with
flawless dark-coffee skin that seemed to glow, jet-black hair that touched just
beneath her shoulders, and full, high breasts. She was beautiful, cutting the
picture of an angel with dark eyes, and dressed the part in a flowing, white
silk gown. Behind her was a tall, handsome man whose skin was pale and
luminous. His hand was linked with the angel’s….

Drusilla
gasped. The woman was her.

Vivienne
slept for long hours. She’d finally fallen into a deep sleep around two o’clock
that Friday morning, and had been in a comatose-like state since. Her heat had
passed, and they were both exhausted for it. Conall had only needed a full
night’s rest, but she required more as her body had gone through an ordeal, and
now had to recuperate.

He awoke to
the feel of the even rise and fall of her chest against his, and remained with
her in his arms for a few hours. As he held her, Conall realized he had
pressing matters that needed to be attended. Matters in the form of Rafael
Mathias, and his entire family.

According
to Sloan, Rafael’s near-fatal injuries had been looked at by their resident
doctor, and he’d healed within the course of a day. After that, he’d kept to
himself and his family. From Sloan’s stance, and the confusion in his beta’s
eyes, Conall knew Sloan had expected some sort of rebellious behavior that
would result in a fight. His beta had probably itched for it. When he asked of
Samia, he was told the same thing. She, too, kept to herself.

Along with
Sloan, Conall arrived at Brennus Mathias’s house close to noon. His knock was
urgent, and he’d stood there for only a few seconds before the door swung in.
Brennus stared back at him with narrowed eyes.

“Where is
Rafael?”

There was
no use in formalities. Not with Brennus. Both of them knew why he was there.

The Elder
seemed to contemplate not letting him by, before he pursed his lips said, “You
are not his alpha, Conall.”

“He’s
lodging in my pack, and has challenged me for the right to rule,” Conall
reminded Brennus viciously. “Where is he?”

Nostrils
flaring, Brennus stepped away from the door, allowing Conall and Sloan to
enter. Conall allowed his nose to lead him to Rafael, following the scent past
both living room and kitchen and into their back yard. It was a chilly day, but
the sun was shining, and apparently, Rafael and Samia were taking advantage of
it. Both of them, as wolves, lay asleep outside.

As soon as
he stepped into the yard, Rafael tensed and his eyes opened. He sat up and
looked directly at Conall, before moving slightly to put his body before his
sister’s. Samia woke next. Unlike her brother, fear came off of her in waves.
She was about to move when Rafael growled. Immediately, she sat back down, her
gaze moving frantically between Conall and her brother.

“You
challenged me for my right to lead. Does your challenge still stand?” Conall
demanded. This was not in a friendly visit. In fact, it was more hostile than
anything. The only reason he wasn’t here to demand that Rafael meet him in the
field was because of what the wolf had done, or claimed to have done, for
Vivienne.

Rafael said
nothing for long moments before he shifted to his human form, and said lazily,
“New York is cold, with unfriendly people.” He eyed Conall as if to make his
point. “I’m a Southern gentleman at heart.”

“You’re
taking the challenge back?”

He nodded
once.

“And
Vivienne?” Conall continued. “You took her to the airport? How can I be sure
you weren’t working for Cronin?”

“I could
show you my mind, but I’m not sure I want to do that,” Rafael drawled, flashing
a large smile. “What I will say is that I’ve never liked witches. Too much
history there. Vivienne was going to get to that airport one way or ’nother. I
just decided I was her safest bet of getting there with no issues.”

Conall
growled. Rafael shrugged and continued, “I’ve got no reason to lie to you,
Conall. I took Vivienne to the airport, followed her inside, and almost died
tryin’ to get her away from the witches. In fact, I think you owe me a bit of
thanks.”

Although he
couldn’t access Rafael’s mind without severely weakening him, he could sense no
lie from the other
were.

“What about
that girl? The one we found with her throat ripped out, and your scent over
her?”

Green eyes
grew shuttered and his entire body tensed for a quick moment before he forced
himself to relax. “Don’t know what you’re talkin’ ’bout.”

Samia
shifted to her human form, and Conall saw her fidget with her long, red hair as
she stared at her brother.

“Tia
Fallon,” Sloan called from behind Conall. “You don’t remember the name?”

Rafael
barely spared him a glance before shaking his head once. “I’ve been with too
many females to remember one.”

“How many
have you murdered?” Conall growled, a vicious glint in his eye.

“None, to
my recollection.”

If Conall
remembered correctly, the girl had been one of the few with no family to vouch
for or defend her. She’d come to them from a traveling pack, had wanted a
chance to belong somewhere. She’d been strong too, young, but strong.

“Can you
prove it?”

“I have
nothing to prove.”

“She was a
member of my pack, and all evidence points to you as her killer. She was
without family, so I will challenge you—”

“Wait!”
Samia called from behind him. “I can’t let you do this.”

“Samia!”
Brennus and Rafael shouted simultaneously.

Conall
narrowed his eyes on Rafael as Sloan looked to Brennus. “Is there something you
wish to say, Samia?”

She took a
few steps forward, wincing when Rafael grabbed her hand and shook his head
once. Instead of listening, she tugged her hand away and moved to stand
directly before Conall.

“It was
me.” Samia bowed her head. “I killed Tia, not my brother.”

“She’s
covering for me,” Rafael threw out, giving his sister a quelling glare. “That’s
enough, little sister.”

“Why?”
Conall asked, ignoring Rafael completely. He’d always wondered at the motive
behind the murder, especially as Rafael and Tia were neither friends nor
enemies. He’d assumed lovers, but that had seemed far-fetched as well. Samia
and Tia though, hadn’t they been of an age? The murder had happened decades
ago, but he still vaguely remembered the two being friends.

“She
attacked me,” Samia said clearly. “She asked me to follow her to the end of the
grounds, and she attacked me. I thought she was playing until she drew blood.
It was self-defense. I killed her in self-defense.” She looked back to Rafael,
who was shaking his head. “Rafael had always intended to leave the pack, so
when I told him, he said he’d make it look like he did it.”

“Is this
true?”

Rafael
shrugged easily, but his eyes had grown cold. “Whose truth? I already told you
my truth.”

But Conall
heard and saw more than Rafael intended. A brother protecting his sister from
pack exile by intentionally exiling himself. It sounded gallant, and he’d never
equated the word with Rafael Mathias before.

“You will
show me your mind?” Conall challenged, glaring at Samia. She nodded once.

“Samia, you
don’t have to do this,” Brennus began in a defeated tone.

“No, I do,”
she replied with a nod. “I’m ready.”