Something inside of him seemed to break. Blood tears flowed from his eyes. He drew in a breath. “Are you absolutely sure?” he whispered.
“I’m sure.”
With a choking sob, he pulled up his sleeve. His fangs extended. He put his mouth to his arm, ripping open his skin at the wrist. Then he pressed it against my mouth.
And I drank deeply.
The blood flowed, thick and sweet and syrupy into me. I moaned in pleasure, lapping up each and every drop and gulping it down. As I did, I opened my mind up to him. Not holding anything back. I had seen his dark secrets. His pain. Now it was time to share my own. All the horrors of that rape. All the years of being alone, scared to share my life with anyone again. I gave it all to him without holding back. Every humiliation, every embarrassing cut I’d made behind closed doors, terrified someone would find out. But with Logan, I had nothing to hide. He accepted me for who I was. And I was better because of it.
And soon, I would be better still.
Finally, he pulled his arm away. I cried out for a moment in protest, wanting more. So much more. A smile played at the corner of his lips. He pressed a finger to my mouth. “Greedy girl,” he teased. “They’ll be time for more later. But first, how about we get out of the bad guy golf club before anyone else wakes up?”
I nodded, feeling the strength already rising within me. “Now that’s the best idea I’ve heard all day.”
29
We waited until moments before sunset before making our way up out of the basement and into the main golf club. I wasn’t sure what explanation we would give the guards on our way back up, but it turned out Rayne had already thought of that. They were lying on the ground when we stepped through the door, sleeping like babies, half-drunk glasses of some kind of liquid in their hands.
When Rayne saw me, she rushed toward me, arms outstretched. “Oh thank God!” she cried, throwing herself into an enthusiastic hug between us. “When you didn’t text me, I thought the worst! I was trying to get down again, but they wouldn’t let me. So I had to improvise with a little Slayer Inc. sleeping potion.” She grinned wickedly. “Just don’t tell Teifert I stole his stash. He’s still sore about the time I used it to draw a mustache on his face with permanent Sharpie while he slept.”
I rolled my eyes. “Your secret is safe with me.”
“Anyway! I’m so glad you got him out. Logan, you are an idiot. Don’t do that to yourself again.”
He smiled at her. “That I can promise.”
Rayne turned from him to me. “And you. You are covered in vampire dust. Did you get to put that stake I gave you to good use?”
“I did actually,” I said, grinning from ear to ear. “Guess it’s not such a lame weapon after all.”
“Oh it’s totally lame,” she corrected. “But sometimes lame does the trick.” Then her eyes narrowed. “Wait a second,” she said. “Something’s different about you.”
I felt my cheeks heat. “Uh, yeah. We ran into a little trouble and--”
“OH MY GOD YOU’RE A VAMPIRE!” Rayne screeched. She jumped up and down, crowing loudly. “I can’t believe it! This is the best thing ever!”
“Calm down,” Logan scolded. But he was smiling as he said it.
“And you said you’d never turn anyone,” Rayne accused, turning to him. “What happened to the joy of solitude and all that dumb stuff you used to go on about?”
He shrugged sheepishly. “Sometimes life surprises you.”
“Best surprise ever,” Rayne declared. “I mean, here I was, so worried you’d die down there before you got to Jade’s story. But now! Now you’re immortal! Which means the Maisie and Jonathan series can go on forever and ever!” Her eyes flashed with excitement. “I bet you’ll be able to write faster now, too. And maybe I could be your beta reader? So I could read the books before anyone else?”
I laughed, holding up my hand. “Can I just have a day or two getting used to being an immortal creature of the night before you put me back to work?”
Rayne giggled. “Oh. Yeah. Sure. Of course. It’s actually kind of a rough transition, if you want to know the truth. But if you need any help--”
“We’ll be fine, Rayne,” Logan said, cutting her off in a firm voice.
“Of course you will! You’ll be more than fine! You’re going to be a fantastic couple. Just like me and Jareth. Together forever.” Rayne mock swooned while I resisted the urge to blush all over again.
Fantastic couple. So were we a couple now? I mean, sure, we were bonded by blood, but did that make us…what was it they called it? Blood mates? I took a shy glance over at Logan. He looked a little nervous, too. Not surprising. This was a big step for him as well. And certainly not something he’d been planning.
I reached out and took his hand. Then I squeezed it, giving him a small smile. He smiled back, squeezing my hand in return. My stomach warmed. Maybe this could work.
No. No maybe about it. This would work.
“Rayne, I need you to go to Jareth,” Logan said, getting back to business. “Tell him everything that happened here. We now have proof that these renegades are trying to overthrow the Consortium. With our testimonies, I imagine we can at least keep Pyrus locked up. If not put a few of the others in prison with him.” He gave her the details of what we learned. She listened carefully, then nodded.
“All right,” she said. “I’ll go tell him. He’s going to be pissed we did this on our own. But hey, he’s usually pissed at me about something or other anyway, so no big deal.” She laughed, then turned serious. “What are you guys going to do?”
Logan turned and looked at me. “I thought we’d lay low for a bit,” he said. “Get Hannah adjusted to her new life.”
Rayne winked at him. “Adjusted, huh? Is that what the kids are calling it these days?” she teased. Then she slapped me on the back. “Just don’t adjust too long. I’m expecting chapters of the new book. And I’m not very patient.”
“I’ll send some over tomorrow,” I promised her. “You deserve that at least, after all your help. Obviously I couldn’t have done this without you.”
“Obviously,” she said. But she looked pleased.
Logan turned to me. “Are you ready?” he asked.
I slipped my hand into his. “Let’s go home.”
30
I’d love to tell you that the rest of that night was easy. Or that I was completely adjusted to my new life as a vampire by the time the sun rose in the sky the next day. But reality was a lot crueler than a vampire novel. And instead of a romantic night, I spent half the time in the bathroom, puking my guts out while my body raged with fever. It was like the worst flu I ever had times a thousand. Which wasn’t surprising, I supposed, since technically I was dying. At least the human part of me was.
But after the death came the rebirth. And that made it all worth it in the end.
It was funny in a way. All my career people had asked me: would I choose to become a vampire if I had the chance? And I would always answer no. But now that it was actually happening, I didn’t mind it as much as I thought I would. In fact, it was sort of like being given a brand new life. Still me, only better. I could shed the skin of my former self. All my anxiety, my inhibitions, all the guilt and fear and anger from what had happened in my past. All of that fell away as my vampirism began to take hold. Instead of a dark, lonely life, there was nothing but hope and possibility now. No one could hurt me. I didn’t need to hide away.
Well, that wasn’t technically true. I mean I still had to stay inside during the day—that was going to be quite a bummer at first. And I’d never again get to taste the awesome of pepperoni pizza or chocolate ice cream. Logan told me he’d set me up with a blood donor, but if I wanted to try synthetic blood at first, just until I was used to it, that would be okay, too. We would make it work.
And we would make us work, too. That was something I was sure about. I may not have known Logan long, but I knew him as well as I knew myself. Now that we’d bonded, shar
ed our blood, shared our sorrows and pain. I knew he would never hurt me, never leave me and would do everything possible to keep me safe. Not that I hadn’t done a knock up job of saving myself, thank you very much. But sometimes it was nice to have backup.
Especially sexy, yummy broad-shouldered, six-pack abs backup like Logan.
We spent the next day sleeping, of course, and when night fell I was starting to feel a bit better. Logan gave me a blood cocktail which was actually pretty delicious (I drank it out of a martini glass) and we settled into the living room of his home to watch a movie.
Yes, real vampires watched movies. There was a lot I was learning.
Of course we barely paid attention to the actual film. Because real life was suddenly becoming a lot more interesting than anything on TV. And soon I found myself once again curling my new, powerful body into Logan’s strong frame. Wrapping my arms around his neck and pulling him toward me. He looked down at me, adoration swirling in his beautiful blue eyes.
“Again?” he teased. “Why, Miss Miller, you have developed quite the appetite.”
I blushed. “Gotta make up for lost time.”
“And here we are. With all the time in the world.”
He reached out, taking my jaw in his hand and tilting my head until my lips were lined up with his. Then he leaned forward, pressing his mouth against mine. Hard, fast, unyielding. As if I were some gourmet dessert and he hadn’t eaten in years.
I smiled against his mouth, kissing him back in return. The sensations flowed through me igniting every nerve. But there was no doubt or fear left inside. What Jake had stolen from me all those years ago? I’d gotten it back, tenfold. And I would never let anyone hurt me again. Or take something away from me that was so pure and good and make it into something evil.
From now on I was in charge of me. And right now this “me” wanted a piece of Logan.
I rolled over, straddling him with my thighs, my lips never leaving his. He groaned in pleasure, his hands gripping my hips, then rising up to graze my stomach. Electricity shot through me and soon I was burning all over again from his touch.
Fun fact: vampires felt things a thousand times more strongly than people did. Meaning it was almost too much, while at the same time not nearly enough.
“I want you,” I whispered in his ear, daring myself to nibble the lobe. He rocked against me and I could feel his desire rising to meet my own. He wanted me too. That was for sure.
And there was nothing left in our way.
He grabbed the remote. Turned off the film. Laid me down on the couch and pulled down my pants. I sucked in a breath, for one split second feeling exposed and scared all over again. But then he tilted my head back up, so I was forced to meet his eyes. His beautiful, kind eyes that held no deception. I could trust him. He would never hurt me.
The connection that flowed between us was both powerful and sweet at the same time. And after, he collapsed on top of me, his breathing hard and heavy, I rolled over, cradling my head in his nook. He reached up, stroking my hair.
“Are you okay?” he asked.
“I’m perfect,” I said with a happy sigh. “In fact, I’ve never been better.”
Then something occurred to me. And I laughed.
He propped himself up on his elbow, staring down at me. “What?” he asked.
“Nothing,” I said. “It’s just…” I shook my head, amusement dancing through me. “When you walked into that bookstore during my signing. When you told me I didn’t know anything about vampires—or men for that matter?”
He groaned, dropping back down to the couch. “You have to bring that up again, now?” he asked.
I playfully poked him in the stomach. “You were right,” I told him. “I didn’t know. I thought I did. But I had no freaking clue. But now… I’m beginning to get an idea.”
He smiled, revealing his fangs. Fangs which had once scared me, but now looked pretty damn sexy as part of his smile. I wondered, suddenly, if vampires ever drank from one another just for fun.
There was a lot I still didn’t know. But I was eager to find out.
“So does this mean I win the bet?” he asked throatily.
I broke out laughing. “I forgot we even made one. What was it again?”
“That I would convince you, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that vampires existed.”
“Well, mission accomplished. I guess you win. What was your prize again?”
“That you stay with me for a weekend.”
“I think I can do better than that,” I said with a grin. “How about an immortal lifetime?”
“I could live with that.”
We kissed again, though it was actually kind of difficult, as we were both smiling so much. And then the kiss deepened and I could feel him becoming aroused again. One more thing to add to my vampire notes: they had amazing stamina.
Good thing I’d now be able to keep up.
“Hannah,” he whispered. “I can’t even begin to tell you--”
But he never finished. Because suddenly there was a knock at the door.
We looked at one another. My non-beating heart was in my throat. Who could that be? Was it just one of the Blood Coven members, coming to check on us? Or…
Logan rose to his feet and grabbed his jeans, slipping them over his hips and zipping them closed. He turned to me, his eyes wide and serious. Then he nodded his head toward the closet at the far end of the room.
At first I wanted to protest, but I realized it would do no good. He wasn’t going to open the door with me standing there—afraid of putting me at risk. I was still pretty weak from my transition, after all. Until I gained strength, I had to be content to still act like a human.
And so I slunk into the closet, pulling the door closed behind me. Deciding that if there was any trouble, I would jump out to help.
I watched from the sliver in the door crack as Logan went to the front door. He looked through the peephole and I saw his face pale. I swallowed hard. Oh God. What was on the other side? One of those horrible vigilante vampires, out for blood? A member of Slayer, Inc. with a new contract to kill?
As I watched, Logan pulled the door open wide, revealing a woman standing behind it. A small, thin woman dressed all in black. Breathtakingly beautiful with pale skin, huge red lips and dark, mysterious eyes.
Another vampire, I realized. But who?
“Oh my God.” Logan exclaimed, his voice hoarse and filled with dread. Whoever this vampire was, she was clearly not someone he’d expected to see. “You’re…I thought you were… Oh my God.”
The woman didn’t seem to notice. She stepped into the house, walking right up to him. Then, to my horror she wrapped her arms around him, dragging him to her until their bodies were flush against one another.
“Come now, baby,” she purred. “Is that any way to greet your Maker?”
* * *
~~ To be continued ~~
The Tales from the Blood Coven Continue with…
Hannah and Logan’s adventures continue with DARK AND STORMY VAMPIRE - the second book in the Tales from the Blood Coven series, coming this February.
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In the meantime, please turn the page to learn about the books that started it all — the original eight book Blood Coven Vampire series, starring Rayne MacDonald and her twin sister Sunny.
Read the Book that started it all! Boys that Bite, the first book in the Blood Coven Vampire series…
Two sisters—as different as the sun and the rain. For one, getting into the Blood Coven is to die for. But for the other, getting out could be lethal.
When Sunny MacDonald doesn’t know what to expect when she’s dragged to Club Fang by her twin sister Rayne. But when the devastatingly handsome Magnus mistakes her for her goth-loving twin and bites her on the neck, she realizes his fangs are all too real…and all too deadly.
Now Sunny and Magnus find themselves in a race against time to find a way to reverse the bite before Sunny becomes a vampire forever.
Something she definitely shouldn’t want—even if it does mean spending eternity with a certain boy who bites…
“If you liked Buffy and Angel, you will love this.” — Eternal Night
“Delightful, surprising, and engaging. You’ll get bitten and love it.” — Rachel Caine, NYT Bestselling Author of the Morganville Vampire series
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Find it at Books2Read.com/marimancusi.
* * *
The Blood Coven Vampires Reading List
Boys that Bite
Stake That
Girls that Growl
Bad Blood
Night School
Blood Ties
Soul Bound
Blood Forever
* * *
Tales from the Blood Coven
Once Upon a Vampire
Dark and Stormy Vampire (February 2018)
Mari Mancusi, Once Upon a Vampire
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