Craig's Heart (9 page)

“How could you tell our secrets to a complete stranger?” Quinn took an aggressive step toward him. “What has that bloodsucker done to you?”

The accusation rolled right off Damek, but Evie surprised him by jumping in front of him. She held her hands out, stopping Quinn in his tracks. “That bloodsucker didn’t do anything. This one did.”

Evie was surrounded by werewolves and vampires. How had her life come to this? Two weeks ago, she was happy spending all her time painting, occasionally meeting her friends at an art opening or at a coffee shop. She would have laughed at anyone who suggested such creatures existed. She wasn’t laughing now.

Quinn and Chrissten were both tall and blond. Even Craig’s sister was slightly taller than him. But she could see the resemblance in their features and their pale-blue eyes. They might be related, but something inside Evie had kicked in the moment she’d felt Craig was being threatened. She wasn’t having it. None of this was his fault.

Quinn’s scowl grew darker and his brows drew down in a frown. “What are you saying?”

Craig gently pushed her behind him. Evie blinked at Craig’s back, unable to believe what he’d just done. He was protecting her from his own brother.

“What she means,” Craig began, “is that there’s more than one vampire in the room.” Craig’s shoulder’s tensed and Evie stepped out to stand beside him.

Evie couldn’t stand the tension. “I’m a vampire and I accidentally turned Craig into one too.” She let the bloodlust have partial reign inside her. It was difficult to control but necessary. With her eyes tinged red and her fangs showing, there could be no doubts as to what she really was. Vampire.

It was out in the open. No more secrets. She was more than willing to shoulder the blame for what had happened to Craig if it helped his family accept what he now was. She hated the thought of him losing his siblings because of what she’d inadvertently done.

Nobody moved for the longest second and then Quinn attacked. Evie had been expecting it and braced for it. His head partially morphed into a wolf’s head and his two hands became claw-tipped weapons. Quinn’s strength was enormous, but so was hers. She shoved back and ducked under his arm, barely avoiding being cut by those sharp claws. Evie could hear everyone else yelling and Bethany screamed at her mate.

Craig yelled, grabbed his brother’s arm and held it immobile. “Stop it, Quinn. Stop.” He held on until Quinn’s features went back to normal. “Everyone needs to calm the fuck down.”

“As usual, my friend is right.” Damek stepped forward, and this time he allowed his power to expand until it filled the space. “I won’t have this kind of violence around my wife.” The threat was clear. If they didn’t all cool down, the vampire might easily kill them all and dispose of their bodies. Well, all but Craig’s. Evie really didn’t think Damek would harm him.

The short hairs on Evie’s arms all stood on end and she swallowed hard, feeling a heavy pressure on her mind and body. How much power did this guy have?

“This is my home and you will behave yourselves or you will leave.” Damek motioned toward the two sofas. No one contradicted the vampire and all of them sat. All but the tall werewolf with the buzz cut. He stood behind Chrissten like a protective warrior.

The tension was so thick it was difficult to breathe. Not that she really needed to breathe, or at least she didn’t think she did. She still had a lot to learn about being a vampire. There were things she needed to know and, unfortunately, only one person who could teach them to her.

Evie moved as far away from the group as she could without bringing Damek’s attention to her. Even with Damek’s warning, she wasn’t sure if any of the werewolves would attack her if given the opportunity. It’s what she would do in their shoes.

She liked the fact they were willing to fight on their brother’s behalf, even if it was her they wanted to kill. She perched on the arm of the sofa farthest away from the rest of them but stayed ready to move if need be.

Quinn shot her a murderous glare before turning his attention to Craig. “I think you’d better tell us everything.”

Craig leaned his head back against the leather headrest and talked, starting with the night he’d found her. He left out the details of how sick he’d been. She wasn’t sure if it was to spare his siblings, to keep them from attacking her or simply because he didn’t remember. Either way she was grateful.

She hadn’t known the entire story of how he’d come upon her that night and eagerly soaked up the details. There was so much about Craig she didn’t know. What she did know was that he was incredibly kind and good without being a pushover. He was strong and loyal. Determined. Independent. And intelligent.

“Damek brought us here and he’s been helping both of us learn how to deal with our new reality.” Craig was pale when he finished. He sat forward, linked his hands together, resting his elbows on his knees. “Now you know everything.”

Chrissten shook her head. “No, not everything.” There was genuine pain in her voice, pain Evie could feel. “Why didn’t you call us instead of Damek?”

Craig rose, went to his sister and crouched down in front of her. Her husband stirred behind her but didn’t move to stop Craig. Which was good, because if he tried to do anything like that, Evie would have to stop him.

She stilled and frowned. What went on between Craig and his family was none of her business. Intellectually, she knew that. But emotionally it was quite a different matter.

“I didn’t mean to hurt you,” Craig told his sister. He touched her cheek, rubbing his thumb lightly over it. “I didn’t know how you’d react.” He gave her a lopsided smile. “I know historically speaking vampires and werewolves aren’t always the best of friends.”

Chrissten captured his face in her hands. “You’re my brother and I love you. Nothing will ever change that.” She kissed his forehead and the loving gesture brought tears to Evie’s eyes.

She’d never had that. She’d been given up at birth by her drug-addict mother and had no idea who the hell her father was. She was probably better off not knowing. Her childhood had been spent in a series of foster homes. While some of the homes had been good, none had been permanent. Evie had left the last one as soon as she’d turned eighteen and had never looked back.

But this, this was how family was supposed to be. Hunger beat at every cell in her body, but for the first time since her life had been changed, it wasn’t for blood. No, she hungered for something much more basic—love, acceptance, family.

Quinn rose and went to his brother. Craig slowly stood and faced him. Quinn swore and yanked his brother into his arms, hugging him tight. Then he turned his attention to her.

She shivered. Quinn might accept Craig, but he sure as hell wanted to see Evie pay for what she’d done. So be it. They didn’t have to be friends, but they did have one thing in common—their desire for Craig’s safety.

She could use that. “You need to take Craig far away and keep him safe. The creature that made me is insane and will stop at nothing to get me back. Being with me puts Craig in danger.”

Chapter Six

Craig didn’t know whether he should hug Evie or yell at her. She was obviously trying to distance herself from him and was enlisting his family’s help, using their obvious concern over him to get her own way.

Both Chrissten and Quinn began to speak, but he talked over them. “That’s not going to happen.”

Chrissten tugged on his arm. “We should go home. I think that’s for the best.”

“Listen to me.” Craig sighed, not wanting to hurt anyone, but they were leaving him little choice. “I’m not a kid anymore who needs protecting. I’ve been taking care of myself for a long time now.”

He heard his sister’s moan of pain and felt it in his heart. There was pure torment and torture in his brother’s eyes, but he couldn’t let that sway him. “None of us can change the past, but it’s over. We all did what we had to in order to survive.”

Hank squeezed Chrissten’s shoulders and Bethany moved up to stand beside Quinn. He loved all his family, but he had to make his own decisions, live his own life. “I didn’t ask for this to happen, but neither did Evie. Yet it did, and we both have to deal with it. The best one to help us learn what we need to know in order to survive is Damek.”

The vampire finally stirred and came forward with Sonia locked tight beneath his arm. “My home is Craig’s for as long as he needs it. Or, if he prefers, there is a vacant apartment beneath this one. But they do need supervision. They both have remarkable control for newly made vampires. But we can’t trust it to hold, not yet.”

He motioned to Sonia and she went to the wood and leather bar in the corner of the room. Craig smelled the blood and his fangs immediately dropped. His family all gasped and automatically took a step back. As much as it hurt him when they did, Craig knew Damek had done this for a reason. They loved him, yes, but they didn’t understand his new reality, what he was.

How could they when he couldn’t either? He had so much to learn and so did Evie.

Sonia brought two crystal glasses on a tray. Each was filled with blood. She stopped by Evie first and waited until she took one. Then she brought the remaining one to Craig. He didn’t hesitate. He lifted the glass and drank deeply while keeping one eye on Evie. She hesitated and then followed his lead.

“I can supply what Craig needs,” Damek continued. “He needs to learn the scope of his new powers. Every vampire is different, but there are some basics all need to know.”

“We can help him,” Quinn insisted.

“Not as well as I can.” There was no challenge in Damek’s statement, and no one could dispute the truth behind it.

Craig closed his eyes and felt the blood filling his cells. His senses expanded, and for a brief moment, he could hear every individual heartbeat, every breath, the brush of fabric as his sister shifted on the sofa. His skin tingled, every nerve ending alive.

He opened his eyes and had to close them again. Everything was too sharp, too colorful.

“Craig, are you all right?”

He wanted to answer his sister, but it was impossible for him to speak. He jumped to his feet and was by the far window in a heartbeat. He didn’t want his family to see him like this.

Another hunger began to beat at him and this was one that only Evie could slake. As the blood filled his body, another basic need rose to the fore. His cock was hard as steel against the zipper of his jeans. He wanted Evie and he wanted her now. One wrong move, one wrong word and he was afraid he’d pounce on her and take her in front of everyone, not caring who saw as long as he got what he wanted.

Sex and blood. The two primal needs seemed to be tied together in his head. That kind of craving scared the shit out of him.

He smelled her before he felt the light touch of her hand against his back. “You should leave me alone right now, Evie.” He dug his fingers into the window casing, his extended nails gouging the wood deeply. He’d have to pay to have that fixed.

“I feel it too.” Her softly spoken words almost made him howl with need. He eased his head around so he could see her, but not far enough for his family to see his eyes, which he knew had to be blazing red.

“Then you know why you shouldn’t be around me.”

“It’s why I should.” Craig closed his eyes and swallowed hard. Need beat at him. His skin felt hot, his clothing confining. All his senses were on overdrive.

“I think you should leave.” Damek’s voice seemed overly loud to Craig’s ears.

“What’s wrong with him?” Quinn demanded.

“It is too much for him to have all of you here right now. Your voices, your emotions, your blood all torment him. I told you he will have trouble controlling himself at first. You need to help him by leaving.”

Craig wanted to reach out to his brother and sister and reassure them he was okay. But he couldn’t manage a word. Every cell in his body was demanding he claim Evie, take her now. He knew the smoothness of her skin, the scent of her arousal, the sexy sighs she made when he touched her. He knew how she looked when she came, all flushed with her head thrown back and her lovely, slender neck exposed. He licked his lips, almost able to taste her arousal and blood on his tongue.

“Call us. Promise me you’ll call as soon as you can.” Chrissten’s plea pierced the sexual thrall surrounding him.

“I will.” His voice sounded hoarse even to him. He swallowed hard. “I’m sorry.” Sorry for his lack of control, for his inability to reassure them when they needed it.

“Nothing for you to be sorry about.” Quinn’s gruff voice comforted him. “We’re here for you. Whatever you need. Whenever you need it. Call day or night.”

Craig nodded.

He felt them leave the apartment and enter the elevator. Knew the moment they left the building. “What’s happening to me?”

Evie was beside him and Damek had come up to his other side. “Every emotion, every sensation will be magnified for a while until you become used to controlling them. You both show incredible control for such newly made vampires. I was not so restrained when I was made. I got drunk on wine and women and blood. Unlike you, I unintentionally killed some before I realized what I’d done.”

Damek never shared stories from his past. Ever. Craig slowly turned toward his friend. “Thank you. For everything.”