Vampire's Thirst (The Awakening Series) (8 page)

N
atalie held up one hand, cutting Big Tom’s tirade off mid-rant. “If you would just let me finish a sentence?” She waited until he clamped his lips together and gave a red-faced nod. His color wasn’t due to embarrassment, she knew. He was royally pissed off. At least he wasn’t swinging his fists. Yet.

“Until we can set up some sort of enclosed corridor, no one leaves the compound except scouting and raiding parties,” she finished. “So the answer isn’t an outright no. It’s a wait. Please.”

“Yeah. I’ll believe it when I see it.” He mumbled a few curses and turned away, a half-dozen men following behind and grousing under their breath.

“You know, Natalie, Tom doesn’t speak for all of us,” a man standing behind her said. “Most of us appreciate what we have here.”

Before she could respond, Tom and his minions came barreling across the room. “You appreciate being a captive?” Tom shouted, getting in the guy’s face. “You’re nothing but a pansy-ass.”

Natalie tried to move between the men, speaking in the most placating tone of voice she could. “Now, Tom—”

The big man shot her a glare. “You stay out of this, missy. Vampire lover,” he snarled as he shoved her aside. His big fist shot out and slammed into the other man’s face, sending him sprawling to the floor.

Then it was a free-for-all, and the only thing Natalie could do was try to stay out of everyone’s way as the vampire guards waded in to break things up. When they got Tom settled into a chair, their sharp fangs and glares kept him in place. She went over to him. “Whatever else you may think, Duncan hasn’t set rules in place arbitrarily. They’re for our safety. All of us, human and vampire alike.”

He snorted, then winced, gingerly touching his bleeding nose. “We’re not allowed to go anywhere without an escort. How is that fair?”

“And other than Duncan, Atticus, and the guards assigned to this area, no other vampires are allowed down here. Tell me how that’s not fair.”

She got nowhere with the hardheaded jerk, finally throwing up her hands in defeat and leaving. As she made her way to her room, Natalie heaved a sigh of relief. Twenty minutes later, she finished writing her report and set the legal tablet aside on the coffee table. Even after all these months it still felt weird to handwrite something that before the Outbreak would have been done on a computer. Her report detailed this latest run-in with Big Tom. She’d wanted to get her thoughts down on paper before she forgot some of the more subtle nuances of the altercation. In her opinion, it hadn’t been serious enough to bother Duncan with right away, so she’d decided to wait until this evening to update him on the situation.

She was half tempted to advise him to kick Big Tom and his cronies out, but then what? They’d be nothing more than zombie bait. They’d never last out there. More and more she tried to put herself in their shoes and knew if she were stuck downstairs without getting to see the sun or sky, she’d probably start going a little stir-crazy, too.

Maybe that’s why she’d been more conciliatory than she had at their last meeting, because Big Tom, while he’d been his normal belligerent, obnoxious self as he’d spouted off about making deals with a bunch of devils, hadn’t tried to hit her this time. She had a feeling if he had, Atticus wouldn’t have let it go a second time. He’d been coldly furious when he’d learned that Big Tom had hit her a couple of weeks ago, going even stiffer with rage as the bruise on her face had shown in black and deep purple with shades of blue. Now it was a mottled green and yellow that she could mostly cover up with foundation.

Nevertheless, Atticus usually took a close look at her cheek whenever they got together for her weekly donation of blood to him. She closed her fingers around her forearm, thinking of the carnal pain caused by his bite and the suction of his mouth as he fed, the way he made the pain fade into sensual pleasure so great she almost had an orgasm every time.

A knock came at her door. She rose to her feet and padded barefoot to the door. A quick peek through the peephole brought Atticus into view. Speak of the devil. Or one of them, anyway.

She opened the door. He stood there, feet braced slightly apart. Big, broad, and sexy. In a moment when she’d felt so alone, so abandoned, she’d thought about deepening their relationship, but that idea had evaporated like rainwater in the desert as soon as Aodhán had come back. “I thought you’d be in bed already.” She stood back to let Atticus into her apartment. “Can I get you anything?” she asked.
Coffee, tea, me?
She bit back a giggle and wiped her hands on the thighs of her jeans. She wasn’t sure why she was so nervous. It was only Atticus, after all. But there was a look in those silver eyes of his that told her she might not like what he’d come to say.

After he took her chin in his fingers and tilted her head to get a better look at the fading bruises on her face, he gave a satisfied nod and released her. “Let’s sit down,” he said, and motioned toward the sofa in the small living room.

She took a seat and waited for him to speak. When he sat beside her and stared at his hands, clasped between his spread knees, she couldn’t stand it any longer. “What’s going on?” She stared at him, her pulse picking up speed. She’d never seen this self-possessed man seem so hesitant before.

He looked up, and she gasped at the misery written in the lines of his face. He shifted to face her and took her hands in his. With his thumbs sweeping gently across her knuckles, he murmured, “I know how you feel about Aodhán.” When she opened her mouth, he tightened his fingers and gave her that look that meant
Shut up and let me talk
. “I’ve always known, but I took advantage of his absence and persuaded you into our agreement.”

“You didn’t take advantage of me, Atticus,” she assured him. “I wanted to help you.”

He nodded. “You have a kind, generous heart, Natalie.” His thumbs started stroking her knuckles again. “And it belongs to Aodhán. So I release you from our agreement.”

For once everything this taciturn vampire felt was clear to see in his eyes, on his drawn face. He looked sad. Heartbroken.

Dear. God. He was in love with her. How had she missed that?

“Atticus…”

He squeezed her hands gently, released them, and got to his feet. When she stood, he cupped her face in his big hands, dropping his mouth to hers in a brief kiss. “Be with Aodhán without guilt, Natalie,” he said, his voice raspy and quiet. “My life is the richer for your friendship, which we will always have. But if he makes you unhappy,” he added in a tone as hard as steel, “he will answer to me.” He stepped back.

“Wait.” She grabbed his wrist, knowing she held him in place only because he allowed it. “You haven’t fed all week.” She shoved out her arm, soft side up. “Please.”

His lips firmed. “I don’t like pity feeds any more than I like pity fucks.”

She frowned. “I wasn’t…that wasn’t what I…,” she huffed. “I’m worried about you, you big lug. It’ll probably take a couple of days for you to make an arrangement with another donor, and you need to feed sooner rather than later.” When he didn’t move, she dropped her arm to her side. “Fine. Just don’t come whining to me when the hunger really gets bad.”

He scooped up her arm and held it gently in his hands. Silver eyes gleaming, he licked his lips. “I admit my control will not be what it should be if I don’t feed soon.” He stared into her face. “I won’t make this pleasurable for you, Natalie. It would be too much like cheating. I can dull the pain of my bite somewhat, but you will still feel it.”

She swallowed. While he’d been so gentle with her, it had been easy to forget he was an apex predator and she was weak, puny prey. She trusted him, though, not to hurt her beyond the pain of the bite. She squeezed her eyes shut and turned her head away. “Go ahead.”

Natalie heard his deep chuckle, then felt the cool brush of his fangs against her arm before they pierced her skin. Her eyes shot open, and she couldn’t hold back a squall of pain. She sucked in a breath and panted. God. If this was him blunting the pain, she’d hate to know what a full-on bite without any vampire glamour felt like. After a few seconds, his mouth lifted and his tongue stroked over her skin, sealing the wound. In an hour there wouldn’t be any sign at all that he’d fed from her.

That made her inexplicably sad.

His hand came up to her face, his thumb swiping away a tear she’d been unaware of shedding. She saw the same misery she felt reflected in his eyes.

“I don’t know why I’m crying,” she said on a sob.

Atticus drew her into his arms, pressing her head against his chest. “It is a natural reaction to the end of a blood-consort relationship,” he said. “This sadness you feel will pass. Don’t fight it. Just breathe and have faith that all will unfold as it should.”

She pulled away and swiped her hands across her cheeks. “I’ll find you a match as soon as possible.”

“I have no doubt you will.” He touched the tips of his fingers to her cheek, then turned away. He paused at the open door. “Thank you, Natalie.” Then he was gone, the door closing behind him.

She slumped back onto the sofa. Still the tears crept down her face. She couldn’t shut them off. Through watery vision, she watched the round wounds on her inner forearm close. Close to an hour after Atticus had left, there were only two red spots where his fangs had thrust through her skin. She lightly rubbed at them and wondered if she was crazy for wishing they’d scarred so that she’d have a visual reminder of her time with him.

Someone knocked, and her first thought was that Atticus had come back to tell her he’d changed his mind, that he wanted to stay with her. That he wanted to have more. Because at least Atticus was a sure thing. She knew she could count on him to be there for her. He wanted her, and not just because her blood tasted good. And while she might not have the same feelings for him as she did for Aodhán, at least she wouldn’t be alone when she died. With Aodhán, she just wasn’t sure how long he’d stay. He was, after all, not of this realm and had obligations elsewhere. But Atticus, on the other hand…She raced to the door and threw it open.

Aodhán stood here, his handsome mouth curved in a smile. “Hello,
mo chroí
.”

Wordlessly she waved him inside. She didn’t understand the disappointment she felt that he wasn’t her Roman vampire. She loved Aodhán and she was happy to see him, but at the same time she had this deep longing for Atticus.

She was so confused.

Aodhán pulled her into a loose embrace. “What is it? What’s wrong?”

How could she tell the man she loved that she was pining for another?

“If it helps, Atticus came to see me.” Aodhán ran his broad hands up and down her back, slow, heated strokes that comforted and brought the tingling beginnings of arousal at the same time. “He told me what you’d be feeling. It’s okay.”

Natalie stared up at him. In what world could it possibly be okay? Oh, right. In a world of a zombie apocalypse, where up was down and wrong was right. “You’re sure?” she asked. “’Cause if the situation were reversed, I’m not so certain I’d be as magnanimous.”

He brushed a kiss across her lips. “Did you fall in love with him?” His eyes held hers.

She shook her head. “No. He’s a friend, that’s all.”

“Then it’s okay.”

She searched his features and saw only love and acceptance. With a sigh she leaned into him, resting her cheek against his hard chest. Amazingly, her yearnings for the vampire began to fade as a fire of a different sort began burning. She lifted her head and looked into his face, licking her suddenly dry lips.

With a low groan, he bent his head and set his mouth on hers. The feel of his firm yet soft lips was as arousing as the first time he’d kissed her. She moaned into his mouth and closed her eyes, pressing closer against him, moving her mouth under his, parting her lips for the sweep of his tongue into her mouth. He tasted so good, so
right
.

His lips left hers to explore her jaw, the slope of her neck, the hollow of her throat. She shifted, sliding her hands over his back, slowly rocking her hips against his, feeling his cock harden against her belly. His muscles tensed, his hands tightening at her waist, pulling her even closer. He went back to her lips and plundered them as if determined to make a meal of her mouth.

Natalie moaned and tangled her fingers in Aodhán’s hair, moving her lips against his, thrusting her tongue into his mouth, demanding more. After a few minutes he gentled and rested his forehead against hers. His chest rose and fell heavily, and once his breathing had settled, he said, “You’re addictive, you know that? I don’t think I’ll ever get enough of you.” He adjusted his stance and dropped his mouth onto hers again.

He slid his arms around her, one at her waist and the other tugging her hips closer. She tilted her head into his kiss and arched her back to press her breasts against his chest. When a low groan, almost a growl, came from his throat, she lifted one leg and wrapped it around his narrow hip, pressing her jeans-covered sex against his hardening groin. He stroked his hand from her hip to her ass, cupping her, holding her tightly to him.

Her belly tightened, her core clenching with need. With another growling groan, Aodhán scooped her up and placed her gently on the sofa. He stroked long, elegant fingers down her cheek. “I need to taste you,
mo chroí
, need to lick your sweet honey. Will you let me?”

Her breath caught in her throat. No man had ever asked permission to go down on her before. Not that she had all that much experience, but the little she did have had been of the
stick a tongue in, swirl it around a little, and call it good
variety, and it had only been so the man could say he’d given her foreplay before he did what he really was focused on, which was getting his cock some action. She somehow knew that Aodhán was different, that his only thought was focused on her. At the thought of him putting his mouth, his tongue, on her there… Slick heat bloomed in the folds between her thighs. “Oh, God, Aodhán.” She traced a finger over his jaw and lingered on his full bottom lip. “Please.”