He took measured breaths, rising slowly so he didn’t get dizzy. He’d lost a lot of blood before his body had forced the bullets out and sealed the wounds.
“August, please. Don’t hurt them. They were only trying to… ”
The smell of Nicolette’s fear was pungent on the air. His head snapped around to find her in front of her parents, blocking them with her body, guarding them, her arms outstretched. As if she could stop anything a vampire might decide to do. For their part, her parents looked as if they’d watched a horror movie creature impossibly survive and get up to continue stalking its prey. Their minds refused to accept it.
He reached out, using all his strength to force the tremor in his arm to settle. “Come here, Nicolette.” He hadn’t fed from her nearly enough the previous night. With the bond just forming, he hadn’t wanted to risk harming her, especially with her malnourishment.
She moved on shaking legs toward him while he watched her parents, waiting for another weapon to materialize.
Her arms were outstretched in a placating gesture, her voice soft as if trying to calm a small child’s tantrum. “Please, don’t be angry.”
“I’m not angry, but I need you.” When she reached him, he grasped her arm, and keeping an eye on her parents to make sure no more bullets were forthcoming, he bit into her wrist.
She let out a surprised cry, her instincts initiating a struggle, but he held her firm. He didn’t bother stopping after a few token sips. Now that they were joined, he didn’t have to. He could gorge on her, and it wouldn’t do any lasting damage.
A figure moved in his peripheral vision, and August raised his head. Nicolette’s blood dripped from his fangs onto his hand and down his arm as he growled low at the father. Lois had wisely chosen to remain backed in the corner, huddled and small.
“Go back with your wife,” August snarled.
The man, unable to resist the command, moved back to the corner where they watched, helpless, as a monster drank their daughter’s blood. Soon, they wouldn’t remember any of this, so it didn’t matter. He lowered his head back to Nicolette’s arm and drank his fill. When he finished, he dragged his tongue over her wrist to clean the mess and help seal the wounds.
August wiped his mouth. “Well,” he said, observing the terrified couple. “I guess you’ve figured out I’m a vampire.” He turned to Nicolette who’d slunk over to the wall, numb and shell-shocked.
“Are you all right?”
“Y-yes,” she said, unable to look at her parents.
“Do you feel weak or woozy?”
“N-no.” She stared at her wrist, clean and unmarked—no sign of his bite.
“Because I can offer you some of my blood if you need it, to speed the regeneration.”
She looked up suddenly. “You said I didn’t have to… ”
He moved closer and wrapped his arms around her despite her resistance to his embrace. “You don’t have to, poppet. But it would make you feel better sooner.”
“I’m f-fine.”
He released her when she persisted in her struggle against him.
In her own time.
“Is my daughter a vampire? Is that why she’s so thin and pale? Is she a monster?” Lois had found her voice.
“She’s not a vampire. She’s my mate. She’s human. More or less.”
“But Dominic… ” Lois said.
“Erase it. Make them forget this now, please,” Nicolette said, the shame heavy in her voice.
August nodded and took care of it.
***
The rain continued its onslaught as they drove to Nicole’s house. August hadn’t spoken to her again since starting the Bugatti. She couldn’t look at him. Instead, she watched the wet, gray view out the passenger side window as they moved faster and faster, so fast she gripped the seat, terrified they’d wreck and forgetting for a moment that even if they did, it wouldn’t permanently damage her.
Even with her parents’ memories changed, even with the false story and the enchanted lies August’s hypnotic words had created, she couldn’t forget their faces when the vampire had fed from her. She’d been too shocked and embarrassed to register much pain.
The bite had been… intimate. Secret. It was as if her parents had walked in on her in the middle of a sex act. And now she knew. Whether he only wanted her blood or not, blood wasn’t just blood with a vampire. Feeding was inherently sexual. Had she really thought there was a separation?
“They’ll never remember,” August said.
“But I will. I’ll never be able to forget that they saw that. What must they have thought of me?”
The turn signal clicked in rhythm to the raindrops as he made a right turn onto her street. “The only thing in their head was fear for your safety. Nothing more. And besides, why should they judge you? I’m the villain. You’re the lamb on the altar.”
As true as that may be, it didn’t feel that way. It felt like she’d cheated on Dominic—her kind, funny husband, unaware that she had given herself to another. The reasons didn’t matter. She’d done it. She should have been strong and died in the cage in the cellar. No matter what the vampire had done to his mind, at least she could have remained faithful to their love. But at the time, she’d thought that was what she was doing—what was necessary to go back to him.
The rain slowed to a fine mist as they pulled into her driveway, making Nicole pause to wonder if the weather obeyed August, too. The clouds parted to let streaks of sunlight through, and birds chattered in the distance.
Again, she trailed behind him to the door, and again she waited while he rang the bell.
“I won’t need to feed until tomorrow night. After I fix things, I’ll leave you with your husband. I can take care of your coworkers without your involvement. I just want you to be as happy as possible.”
Nicole couldn’t form a reply. She’d known he would come back to feed. She’d known this wasn’t the end of their association, that he wasn’t truly setting her free, but for tonight she could be back in her husband’s arms and forget everything. Pretend.
“Yeah?” Dominic said when he opened the door. His gaze shifted from August to Nicole. “What are you doing back here? I thought I was rid of you.”
Although she knew it was the suggestion the vampire had put in her husband’s head, the words still stung when they hit their mark. She opened her mouth to speak, but August put a hand on her arm to stop her.
She stayed out of the way as the vampire took hold of Dominic’s mind. “Nicolette was never gone. You love your wife as much as you’ve always loved her. She’s everything to you. She’s perfect and beautiful and vibrant and healthy. You don’t see me here. You only see her.”
A fog lifted from Dominic as his gaze cleared and then that look was back, the look he always gave her. The one that made her feel so special. She barely noticed when August’s car pulled out of the driveway.
Dominic stared at her for a long time, and all she could do was bask in it.
“Why does it feel like we’ve been separated? I know I saw you this morning, but it feels like months.”
Nicole’s vision blurred from the tears gathering in her eyes, and she flung herself at him. He caught her and held her so tightly she thought she’d suffocate. If only dying in his arms right now were possible.
When his lips met hers, it was sublime. Soft, smooth flesh pressed against soft, smooth flesh. Mouths opening, devouring each other. Tongues exploring. Sweet sighs and erratic intakes of breath.
She allowed him to drag her into the house, kicking the door shut behind them.
“I need to fuck you until you can’t breathe, Mrs. Rose,” he growled against her mouth.
Yes, having this back was worth any sacrifice.
Elbows banged against walls and dressers until they finally made it to the bed, bruised and worn for wear.
“Strip. Now,” he ordered.
Dominic scooted against the headboard, his eyes hungry and wolfish, appraising her, ready f
or a show.
She knew she must still look like a concentration camp victim, but the most recent suggestion August had put in Dominic’s head kept him from seeing the truth of her state. Suddenly she wanted to cry and hold onto her husband and let him comfort her. She somehow wanted him to be able to know and grasp what had happened to her, what would keep happening to her. But she peeled the T-shirt off and unhooked her bra. He should never have to know about any of this. He couldn’t stop it. He couldn’t save her.
“Stroke your breasts. Entice me.” His voice rumbled, and there was a devilish twinkle in his eye.
Nicole forced her time with August and the memory of her husband’s indifference into a dark closet. All that mattered was this moment. For now she could pretend she’d never gone to that coffee shop that day and never met the vampire, that her bliss with Dominic had remained uninterrupted and unshattered, that they’d stayed forever safe in their protected bubble. She reached up to fondle herself. Once this had been so familiar and natural. Now it was foreign, but she wanted it to be familiar again. She wanted to relearn this shared language.
“No, you know how I like it, Nicole. Do it slowly. I think you need to earn that bracelet I got you. You haven’t come close to earning it yet.”
He winked, smirking up at her, and she blushed, but moved her hands more slowly, cupping and stroking her breasts, pushing them up and toward him. She closed her eyes and threw her head back, knowing what it did to him when she moved this way.
He scooted toward her and licked along the line of her cleavage. “That’s my girl. Such a good girl.”
Nicole whimpered as his fingers slid under her jeans, hungrily seeking to press against the contours of all her private places. She unbuttoned her pants to help him slide further in. She’d missed this so much.
“Now, sweetheart, did I tell you to stop stroking yourself? I’ll have to spank you if you can’t stop being so greedy and impatient.”
She moved her hands back to her breasts, caressing the full mounds of flesh. She squeezed her erect nipples and was rewarded when a bolt of pleasure shot between her legs.
He pulled her jeans down her hips—not noticing the loose fit—and then her panties, exposing her to his view. She dry-humped the air, desperate for any contact between her legs.
“Why aren’t you waxed?”
He smacked her bottom with a loud pop that left a sting.
“I’m sorry,” she whimpered. “Please… I need… ”
“Oh, I know what you need. Punishment.”
“Please, Dominic… ” She could only be grateful that his brain hadn’t processed that she’d regrown hair like magic. After all, in his imagination, the last time they’d had sex, she would have been bare. And the last time would have been probably that morning or the previous night. But August’s thrall had erased all holes in logic.
She didn’t want to have to think about any of that right now. All she wanted was to feel Dominic’s fingers and then his cock, rubbing her raw inside. That fantastic pleasure-pain from too much sex. She wanted to feel that wetness between her legs that made her throb to the point where it became difficult to walk without thinking the whole world must be as aware of her pussy as she was.
She’d missed the way Dominic undid her so that she felt naked all the time with him, even when fully clothed and out in public. She always felt wickedly exposed in his presence. It was a welcome comfort after what she’d been through the past few months.
She groaned as he forced her to her hands and knees and impaled her from behind, pressing her against the bed. He was so large, and they were so out of practice, that he would have damaged her if she hadn’t been so impossibly wet.
“God, Nicole. You horny little slut. You never can get enough cock inside you, can you?”
“Never,” she agreed.
Her body had been so deprived of him, so hungry for him, that she came more quickly than usual. It earned her another slap on the bottom.
“We’re going to have to do something about this impatience you’ve developed.”
She didn’t care. Dominic could do whatever he wanted with her, as long as he didn’t stop touching her or loving her again.
***
It didn’t take August long to discover the flower shop had hired a new staff member to replace Nicolette. They’d worried over her absence, but given Dominic’s indifference they’d assumed she’d left him and had been too distraught to bother with a two-week notice. They’d all known she hadn’t needed to work with her husband’s salary.
August flipped through the personal ads, used a bit of suggestion to re-job Nicolette’s replacement, tweaked everyone’s memories, and now she was set to return to work in the next few days, as soon as she put the weight back on.
In normal circumstances it would take weeks of being well-fed to return to full health and vitality, but the bond had changed her in ways she wouldn’t fully comprehend for a while.
He made it back to her house in time to overhear the end of her lovemaking with Dominic. The rain had started again, gently pattering against the world. August stood next to the window, allowing the water to fall on him as he eavesdropped.
He was relieved to hear how happy she sounded, as if the past months in his cellar had never happened. Despite the promises of the bond, he hadn’t been sure it would take away the evil he’d done, or minimize it so she could laugh again. If the bond hadn’t done the full job, being reunited with Dominic had.
He chanced a glance inside the window. The two lovers were a tangle of writhing, naked limbs. He pressed his hand against the wet pane, leaving a print behind.
“I’ll see you soon, my dear.”
Chapter Seven
Nicole hummed to herself as she straightened the dining room. She’d spent the afternoon at the spa getting a massage and Brazilian wax. Neither the massage therapist nor her wax girl had said anything about her appearance except that she seemed to have lost a little weight. Nicole said it was stress, and they’d left it alone after that.
The law office was usually closed on Monday, but Dominic had a lot of work on his plate and had gone in anyway. He’d come home for dinner, but had to go back to the office again.
The doorbell rang.
“Just a minute,” she called out. She put a coffee mug in the sink and smoothed down her sundress. Had he forgotten something?
Her face drained of blood when she opened the door to find the vampire on the other side.
“May I come in?” he asked with such smooth politeness, it was easy for a moment to forget their ugly history.
“Do I have a choice?”
How could she have forgotten August? Was one Sunday afternoon and night in Dominic’s bed enough to make her forget how she’d sealed her fate? Her body went rigid at a flashback of the vampire’s bite. She worked to keep her lip from trembling. She didn’t want to hurt again. Not this soon. She needed more time.
“Do you want to travel down that path with me, Nicolette? Without an invitation, no, I can’t get into your home—even with the bond—but if you starve me or force me to kill, I’ll smoke you out. This barrier won’t stop me.”
She shivered at his intensity. “C-come in.”
How long would the vampire stay? Nicole prayed he would feed quickly and leave. She’d endure it and then he’d go. She pushed down the feeling of revulsion at being fed on. The bargain she’d made stretched before her endlessly. Even the balm of Dominic’s love couldn’t tamp down her panic at how she’d been ensnared.
August stepped inside and hung his coat on the peg near the door. She took a step back, but he caught her hand before she could get away and raised it to his lips to brush a soft kiss against her skin.
“Don’t be scared of me, poppet. I’m the one who will be here when he’s gone. When they’re all gone. You’ll want me around then.”
“And what if I don’t?” If she didn’t live into his fantasy, would he grow angry with her? Would this mask of kindness disappear?<
br />
“You will. I have the life experience to know you will. I’ll wait for you. As long as it takes.” He released her hand and settled on the couch, patting the seat beside him. “I’m very hungry tonight. Let’s not draw this out.”
That tremble, the one she’d tried to keep out of her lip, had returned. “A-August, please… I know I promised, but it hurts too much. I-I can’t do this every night. Please don’t make me.”
He watched her dispassionately from the sofa, an arm draped over the back of it where he intended her to sit. “How much did it hurt yesterday morning?”
“That was different. I was distracted and embarrassed and scared for my parents. And… you could have stabbed me with a hot poker, and I don’t think I would have fully registered it.”
“I’m not going to kill anymore. You’ll learn to cope with the pain. You’re mine now. If being with Dominic causes you to forget your duty to me, then perhaps we’ll have to rethink this arrangement.”
She felt the trap close over her. He couldn’t take the one good thing in her life. She couldn’t cope with losing her husband now. To sacrifice herself forever only to be back in his arms for one day… It would have been better to die in the cage.
She perched on the edge of the sofa, as if poised to flee. As if she could get away once that strong jaw locked on her throat.
The vampire’s fingertips skimmed across her neck and collarbone and down her arms. She jumped when his hand slipped underneath her dress and stroked up her thigh between her legs.
“Don’t,” she said, closing her eyes to make it all go away.
“So many veins to choose from. I’m just trying to pick.”
His demeanor was different. Though a sadness clung to him, like a ghost that couldn’t find rest, a lightness peaked around the edges. A new hope. Freedom.
She froze when the pad of his thumb brushed next to her panties.
“The femoral artery is a great place to feed. But we won’t do it until you’re ready.”
Nicole let out a relieved sigh as he withdrew his hand from under her dress. She tensed again when he brushed the hair from her shoulder, exposing her throat. He bared his fangs and struck.