Vampire Elite (51 page)

* * *

Anock fixed his gaze on the human, who, for some reason, wasn’t asleep and now stood in the middle of the lab, his mouth agape. He held the poor guy immobilized while his men searched the building. It was taking all of Anock’s focus; he was a tight bundle of nerves.

Just before the plane had touched down, all six of his warriors had sensed the golden Amiti girl, their new blood-bond. She was alive. All six prepared to die, expecting any second to be disintegrated into ashes. She had all the right reasons; they’d meant to kill her and left her in the snow for the wolves to finish off.

They’d said final prayers and given each other farewell hugs. But then slowly, like an ancient tortoise, the torturous minutes passed one by one, with no signs of burns on the Sekhmi’s bodies.

Anock had no recollection of renting the cars and driving back to the station. All he could think about was how mindlessly he had sacrificed six of his people. Their deaths would be on Anock’s conscience.
 

When the team was halfway back to the station, everyone simultaneously lost awareness of the girl.

“She disappeared, boss,” reported one of his warriors.

Damn. The girl was too young to shield, which meant that someone else had found her and shielded her.

They arrived at the station, parked the cars and raced to the building. They practically tore the facility apart searching for her, but the Amiti girl had disappeared.

“Maybe he knows where she is?” Blade suggested, pointing at Stas.

“Where is the girl?” Anock narrowed his eyes on him. But the stupid human only stared at him in a trance.

“It would be Amiti elders or the Order who came for her.” Blade gestured toward the blood transfusion equipment still strewn across the table. “I smell Amiti blood. They performed a blood transfusion and took the girl. We lost her. Now all we can do is pray to Sekhmet.”

“What the hell are you talking about?” Anock hissed at him. “Six of my guys are blood-bonded and all you can suggest is praying to Sekhmet?”

“Our only hope is that the girl is Odji’s true blood-bond. Maybe that’s why our people are still alive.”

“That won’t make it easier. Do you realize that I allowed my people to feed on my brother’s blood-bond?”

“Yep. He’ll kill you for this. And maybe them, too.”

“Good. I deserve to die.” Anock released the human from his hypnotic grip. “We’re leaving.”

An hour later they were back on the airplane. It had been the worst day in Anock’s life. He dropped into his leather seat across from Blade.

“Kill me.”

“Relax, boss. We’ll survive.”

“If my people die, I’ll never forgive myself. The Order took her; I feel it in my gut. Do you understand, Blade, what that means?”

“It means they have some very strong leverage against us. But hang in there. It still might work out. Odji might be able to stop her.”

“Is he awake?”

Blade shook his head. Anock got up and went to check on Odji, who lay motionless in one of the reclining chairs. His mind flashed on the pale, naked body of the golden Amiti girl left by his team on the snow. She’d never recover from the trauma of six Sekhmi feeding on her, and she’d never forgive Odji for not protecting her. She was lost to Odji forever.

How Anock and Odji could be possibly brothers and friends again after what Anock had done to his blood-bond? And after all this, how could he even think about blood-bonding with Cara when Odji would be grieving the loss of his mate? How could he fix the situation?
 

Anock couldn’t undo what had already been done, but he could share his brother’s misery. He pulled his cell phone from his pocket and called Ken.

“Anock, what’s up? Did you find Odji?”

“Yes, and we’re bringing him home.” Anock waited for Ken’s victory whoop to die down before continuing. “Ken, I need you to do me a favor, brother.”

“Sure. What can I do for you?”

“Take Cara back to the bloodstock cell.”

Chapter 67

Desiree woke up with a splitting headache, so she stayed in bed, perfectly still, eyes closed, waiting for it to pass.
 

It didn’t seem to be going anywhere. She desperately needed an aspirin. Actually, what she really wanted was for someone to
bring
her an aspirin. Maybe if she stayed here long enough, Oberon would come find her. Or better yet, Crian. She wouldn’t need an aspirin when he was done with her. The only kind of pain he ever left her with was the kind that brought back very, very pleasant memories.

Finally giving up on being rescued, she opened her eyes—and found herself looking at a dull grey ceiling and walls. What the hell? She closed her eyes and opened them again. Nothing had changed. She sat up, her heart racing.
This can’t be!
She pinched herself, slapped her face.
 

It wasn’t a nightmare. She’d been sucked back into her past, the three miserable years she’d lived locked up in a bloodstock cell. This room was like a modernized version of that cell, equipped with shower and a real toilet instead of a bucket.
 

The confusion flew from her mind and reality struck. She was in a bloodstock cell!
 

“No!” she shrieked. “No, no, no!”
 

She sprang from her bed and threw herself at the door, kicking it and pounding it with her fists, yelling “let me out of here!” But her pleas bounced off the metal and dissolved in the silence of the room.
The cell
, she corrected herself. There’d be no response, no matter how loudly she screamed. She fell to her knees, then face down, prostrate on the floor. This would be her grave. She was being buried alive ...
 

She was still lying there, unmoving, in a deep, dark hole saturated with moisture, waiting for the last shovel of soil to bury her completely, when she felt strong arms grab her and lift her up, pulling her back to life, back to the sun. Desiree rolled onto her back and covered her face with her arms, shaking uncontrollably, sobbing with relief. How could she have forgotten? Crian. Her mate. Her blood-bond. He had found her.

“Crian, Crian, Crian,” she repeated his name like a prayer, overcome with gratitude that he’d soon come for her. She didn’t care anymore what he did for a living. The only thing that mattered was that he loved her. Her senses were so overflowing that she didn’t register the sound of the heavy cell door opening.
 

“Ma’am.” A male’s voice called to her.
 

Desiree eased her hands from her face and sat up, straightening her back and summoning all her dignity. With frigid hostility she glared up at the two Sekhmi standing in the doorway. Crian would kill them if they dared to touch her.
 

To her astonishment, the taller one said, “Please accept our sincere apologies, ma’am. We didn’t know that you’re blood-bonded to Crian. If you’ll come with us, please, we’ll take you to the guest quarters.” He handed her a cell phone. “This is for you.”
 

She took the phone with shaking hands and heard Crian’s voice. At this moment, for her, it was the most marvelous sound in the entire galaxy.
 

“Desiree, my love, calm down; no one will harm you. I’ll be with you in about an hour. I’m on my way. Go with Anock; he’ll take care of you. Let him know if you need anything. Everything will be all right.”
 

“Crian.” It came out as a whimper, all she could make herself say.
 

“Desi, go with Anock,” Crian repeated, his voice tender. “Now give Anock the phone, please.”
 

Desiree handed the phone back to the tall Sekhmi. “You must be Anock,” she said, wiping away her tears with the back of her hand.
 

“Yes.” Anock put the phone to his ear.
 

She heard Anock say “Sorry, again. I didn’t know ... No, don’t worry.”
 

The other Sekhmi helped her off the floor and draped a long velvet cape around her shoulders. She was still wearing the pajamas she’d had on when she’d gone to bed last night. “Please, follow us, ma’am.”
 

Without a word, she clutched the cape to her neck and followed them out of the cell, suppressing the impulse to shove past them and run out of there as fast as she could. She looked at the floor as they walked along the corridor, saw in her peripheral vision as they passed locked silver-steel doors, one after another on either side. She’d been behind one of those doors; she knew what it was like, yet she’d chosen to bury her head in the sand. Her mate was the very embodiment of evil, the head of the bloodstock hunters. He organized auctions where her people were sold to spend their long immortal lives locked behind these doors, their blood being drained to feed vampires. How could she possibly love him?
 

She was a coward with no integrity who lived a lie in fear of being judged. She didn’t even have the courage to openly express her connection with Crian like her cousin Ismen and some other blood-bonds did. Who was she, really? A lost sailor who had abandoned her ship and never found another one.
 

Don’t think about it. Keep going. You can’t save the world. Save yourself.

The Sekhmi delivered her to a deluxe guest apartment on the second floor of the Guardians’ mansion. The windows were open, allowing the fresh, crisp winter air into the room. Off-white walls were covered with modern paintings. Soft, warm grey drapes framed sliding glass doors that led to a wrought-iron-railed balcony. The matching dark silver brocade furniture was a pleasant complement to the rich charcoal carpet. She belonged in this sumptuous world. She could never survive underground again; she’d rather kill herself.
 

“Please, ma’am, take a seat,” Anock offered, gesturing toward a chair. “Let me get you a glass of wine. It’ll help you relax.”
 

He poured her a goblet of cabernet. Still in a state of mild shock, Desiree accepted the drink. She’d known that Crian had authority in vampire society, but the sheer clout he’d wielded just now was eye-opening. A few words from him and she’d been propelled from bloodstock to lady of leisure. Maybe she really did need to reconsider his proposal and go with him? He had all the money anyone could ever want, luxurious estates and private jets, and all of it could be at her disposal. Maybe she was an idiot for having wasted so much time hiding?
 

But what about her brother? What about the rest of her people locked behind the doors she had just passed?
 

It was too disturbing to think about. Desiree shook her head and focused on Crian. She could feel him coming. Right ...
now.

* * *

Crian descended on the Guardians’ mansion like a furious snowstorm. He had stayed in Brussels to take his mother and cousins to a show and spend some time with them. The show had barely started when Crian sensed that Desiree was in trouble.
 

Locating her through their blood-bond, he saw her locked in a bloodstock cell; zooming out, he discovered that she was here in Brussels, at the Guardians’ headquarters. Barely containing his rage, he excused himself and went to the lobby. He called Anock and threatened to kill him with his bare hands.
 

Anock couldn't apologize enough. He assured Crian that he’d personally take care of his blood-bond and that she’d be treated like a queen.
 

“She’s safe, and awaiting you in the guest apartment,” Anock reported as Crian flew up the stairs.

Ignoring him, Crian kicked the apartment door open. Desiree threw herself on him. He caught her and they held each other tightly, feeling their hearts beating in unison, neither able to move or utter a word. If anything had happened to her, Crian would have wiped out the entire Elite, doing the Keepers’ job for them. Desiree was the pinnacle of his existence, the center of his universe.

“I’m here,” Crian finally murmured, breaking the silence, pressing his mouth to her moist lips. “Why are you still crying? I’m here. You’re safe and always will be.”

“Bite me.” She leaned her head back, offering him her neck. “Bite me; it’s so comforting.”

Crian’s eyes gleamed. “Bite you? Just right here?”
 

Feeding in the presence of others was a statement of one’s commitment to the other. Was she going to admit to the world that he was her mate? Crian pushed away his excitement, but part of him begged,
say yes.

She nodded.
 

Triumphant, he shot a fast look at Anock, Blade and the three other Guardians standing in the doorway, transfixed. Let them be green with envy; let them dream about something Crian would have forever and they might never experience in their lifetimes.

He placed his mouth on Desiree’s pale neck and paused, enjoying the skyrocketing energies of bloodlust and arousal in the room around them. Reacting to the magnetic attraction of the blood-bond, heat rose in his body, splitting out into his aura and seeming to push the air out of the room. From the corner of his eyes he saw that the foreheads of the vampires standing nearby were covered with sweat. Good. He couldn’t say why he enjoyed torturing them by putting on a show, but it was intensely stimulating.
 

He waited as Desiree gratefully relaxed into his arms, surrendering herself to him, and then his fangs found her vein. She moaned as they were enveloped in a cocoon of electrifying vibrations. The blood-bond was like a nuclear generator, releasing colossal powers previously locked up and inaccessible, breaking the raw emotions into their component particles to produce something else. The temperature in the room shot up. Gusts of wind swirled around them.
 

* * *

Swallowing hard, Anock turned around and walked away from the group. He felt the power and he was in awe, shaken. Their energy was still circulating through him even as he increased the distance between them. If someone else’s blood-bond affected him like this, how would it be to experience a real one? His own?
 

Cara, his never-gonna-happen blood-bond and mate, was taking shape in front of his eyes ...