Lorne (The Dark League 1) (2 page)

“You ought to know me better,“ was all I replied with and turned my back on Duncan.

A bad conscience seized me as I looked down at the woman. Perhaps Duncan was right. It would have been more merciful to let her die. But somewhere deep within me a voice was telling me that she was mine.
 

Trisha

It was dusk when I came round. My heart beat wildly as I remembered the beast that had abducted and bitten me. Was he still here? How come I was not already dead? I had felt myself getting weaker and weaker. I looked round the room. I was no longer in the dark cellar. The room that I was lying in was modern. Men’s clothing was strewn across an armchair and various weapons hung on a wall. Where was I? What had happened? I vaguely remembered the face of a good-looking man with black hair and blue eyes. Had he brought me here? And if so, what did he intend to do with me?

The door opened and in came the man that I had seen before me. He looked a lot better than I remembered. He looked at me and a smile spread across his face.

“You‘re awake?“ he asked unnecessarily.

He closed the door and came closer. I watched him distrustfully. He really was damn attractive, but he also had an aura of danger. I did not need to see the weapons on the wall to know that this man was able to kill without blinking an eyelash. But he did not give the impression that he was cruel, as that beast had done. The man before me was tall. I estimated him to be taller than six feet three. His shoulders were broad. Under his black shirt, that hugged his body like a second skin, I could clearly see his enormous biceps and even his six pack showed under the material. His black, tightly-fitting trousers ended likewise in black, military-style boots with metal buckles. He looked very much like a man who was accustomed to creeping up on his enemies in the darkness and slaughtering them mercilessly. Fear rose within me and I frantically considered how I might get past him and out of this room.
 

“Are you hungry?“ he asked and I realised that I was in fact very hungry. I nodded without taking my eyes off him. I was not stupid enough to trust him. He did appear to have rescued me from the other monster, but I could not rule out the possibility that he was going to hurt me, too.
 

“I was thinking that it was time for your next dose,“ he replied and I frowned. What did he mean by that?

He walked up to the bed and sat down on it. I screamed out in shock as he bit into his wrist and I saw his sharp canine teeth. He was one of those monsters, too! Fear rendered me speechless and I pulled away from him.

“Don’t be afraid,“ he said calmly, holding his wrist out to me – red blood was pouring out of it. I felt my stomach contract expectantly and shook my head in confusion. What was wrong with me? I could not seriously want this bloke’s blood? But deep within me an unbelievable hunger was awakened. Without being able to stop myself, I took his hand, put it to my lips and drank greedily.

“That’s good,“ said the man hoarsely. “Take what you need. I know you must be hungry.“

Part of me was horrified by what I was doing, but I could not deny that drinking from him gave me deep down satisfaction. My whole body was tingling and I felt a shameful arousal. I looked into his eyes. He had them half-closed and he was groaning quietly as I took deep gulps of his blood. My eyes wandered to his mouth as he groaned deeply. He had cleanched his teeth and I had never seen a more erotic sight as his face, contorted in ecstasy.

“That’s enough,“ he suddenly gasped, moving his hand away from me. I whimpered in protest, wanting more.

“No!“ he said decisively. “You can’t have too much. I don’t want you to have an overdose.“

“I’m tired,“ I said quietly.
 

“I know, little one. Rest. I’m here. No harm will come to you again. Lie back and sleep.“

His voice had something calming, soothing about it. I lay back and looked up at him. I was amazed to see tenderness in his eyes as he gently stroked my cheek.

“Why? What?“ I murmured sleepily.

“Soon,“ he replied quietly. ’
Soon I’ll explain everything to you. Sleep, little one. Dream about me. You’re mine. I’ll never leave you!‘

Lorne

I looked down at her sleeping body, shaking my head in disbelief. What was I thinking, telling her that she was mine? I did not intend to keep her. I would stay by her side for as long as she needed me for the transformation, but after that she would be a full member of the League and would be able to go her own way. I was not willing to take a mate. I was a lone wolf and if I felt like sex then there were enough willing women to serve me. I did not need a mate that I would need to take care of. Our life in the League was too dangerous. I would never forget my friend, Serge, going insane after losing his mate. I had had to kill him. No! Love was something I avoided.
 

The woman groaned quiely and turned onto her side. I had never shared my blood with a woman that was not a vampire. When two vampires had sex, blood exchange was always part of it, but that was different from giving blood to a human. I had completely underestimated the effect that such an intimate act would have on me. My cock was so hard that it became uncomfortable in my tight trousers. I urgently needed relief. I briefly considered looking for Davina so that she could solve the problem but suddenly my once favourite playmate held no attraction for me. All I could think about was fucking this woman who was lying in my bed. I should have listened to Nikolai’s advice and put her up in one of the vacant rooms. But I had wanted to keep check on her so that I could react immediately if she needed me.

‘Yeah, right, carry on fooling yourself, you idiot! You want the little one. You wanted her from the beginning! Her wet pussy is the only pussy that you want to fuck.‘

“Fuck!“ I swore quietly.

I had never taken a human woman as a playmate. It had been too risky for me because human women quickly became too dependant. Vampire females did not fall in love so easily and were better at accepting sex without further commitment. I did not intend to tie myself down. It would be a mistake to sleep with this woman. What was more, she was far too weak, anyway, to deal with love games with me unharmed. In her condition she was weaker than a human. Physically and emotionally! The question was, where was I to sleep when I had pure temptation lying in my bed? Contrary to the belief of humans, vampires slept neither in graves, vaults nor coffins. Indeed not all of them could call such a comfortable bed their own as we could here in the League, but humans could not do that either. Just as with them there were homeless vampires who found shelter here and there. Very few Renegades could call a room, let alone a flat, their own. But there were also wealthy vampires who disguised themselves as celebrities. Equipped with sunglasses and a high protection sun lotion vampires could also, for a short time, be outside during the day. Particularly the older vampires had acquired a certain immunity. It was said that Victor could spend hours in the sun. These influential vampires could pretend that they led a normal life and were very important. There were people who supplied them fresh blood. The rich Renegades were responsible for many cases of missing people. Unfortunately they were surrounded by half an army of bodyguards and it was extremely difficult to red rid of them.
 

There was a knock at the door and, with a heavy heart, I turned away from the redheaded beauty in my bed and went to the door. When I opened the door Duncan was standing there. For some reason, inexplicable even to myself, I positioned myself in such a way that Duncan could not see the sleeping person. Did I want to prevent the team leader from also developing an interest in this enchanting woman? Or was it simply my protective instinct coming to life? I could not answer this question. I only knew that I did not want Duncan to see her.
 

“How is she?“ Duncan asked quietly. “Is she sleeping?“

“She’s just drunk for the second time and yes, she’s asleep. She’s tired and weak. What do you want with her?“ I snarled.

Duncan raised his hands defensively and laughed.

“Whoa, brother, I don’t plan to take her from you.“

“I don’t plan to keep her,“ I tried to explain. “She’s just weak and is under my protection.“

“Of course,“ said Duncan, grinning stupidly.

“What?“ I asked, annoyed. I did not like his stupid grinning.

“The little one’s getting under your skin, hm?“

“Rubbish! I’m not interested in humans. And still less in a relationship, you ought to know that!“

“I hate to have to correct you, but the little one will not be a human for very much longer, thanks to your unauthorised intervention.“

“She’s still a human to me!“ I defended myself. “Did you come to piss me off or what?“

“I only wanted to find out how she is and to tell you that we have a meeting in half an hour.“

“She’s fine and I’ll be there punctually!“ I said. “Anything else?“

Duncan shook his head, grinning.

“No, that was all. See you later!“

He turned and disappeared. I closed the door, sigh. Things had become complicated all of a sudden. I should have abided by the rules and let the woman die. But somehow I did not like that thought at all!

Chapter 2

Trisha

When I woke up it was the middle of the night. A small lamp was lit on
 
a small table in the corner, bathing the room in a soft, warm light. I recalled the events that had led me here and my heart began to race. It had not been a dream. I had actually been bitten by a vampire and almost killed. And this other vampire had given me his blood. I ought to be more shocked by what had happened and by the fact that I had actually drunk blood, but somehow I felt a deep calm come over me as I thought of the man that had saved me. I looked beside me. The space next to me in the bed was empty and seemed to be undisturbed. So it appeared that he was sleeping somewhere else. Why did that disappoint me so much? I shook my head. Too much was whizzing around in there – t0o many questions that I had no answer to – too many contradictory feelings that I could not sort. I wondered how long I had slept for. I felt a little hungry. Was it really blood that I needed now? Had I also become a vampire? I moved my tongue over my teeth but they felt flat and normal. So could it be that he was only giving me his blood to make up for the loss of blood that I had suffered? Or because he simply had nothing else here? If he only fed himself with blood then he would certainly have no food in the house. Strangely, the thought of normal food made me feel slightly sick, whereas the yearning for blood became greater with every minute that I thought about it. Should I look for the man who had brought me here? He might be in another room. I sat up and was looking around for the door when my eyes fell upon the sleeping person in an armchair. So there he was. I felt a bit of a bad conscience about the fact that I had been lying in his large bed, alone, whilst he was sleeping in the armchair. He did not look very comfortable. I got up from the bed and went over to the armchair on tiptoe. For the first time since the abduction by the other vampire my mind felt somewhat clearer. I was no longer so terribly tired. I wondered how much time may have passed. Were people already searching for me? Had my parents already heard about my disappearance and would I ever see them again? My eyes fell upon the sleeping man. He looked peaceful, almost boyish – completely different from when he was awake. That dark, dangerous aura that had surrounded him did not appear quite so real when he was asleep. My eyes fell upon his large, beautiful hands, upon his pulse that was throbbing enticingly and a response was triggered deep within me. Any thoughts about what had happened to me, and about those who might be concerned about me, moved into the back of my mind. This man before me and what he could give me were now dominating my thoughts. I went down on my knees in front of him and reached out to his hand. My eyes remained nervously on his face as I touched his hand. He opened his eyes and I wanted to move away but his eyes arrested me.
 

‘Hungry?‘

I nodded.

He did not take his eyes off me as he raised his wrist to his lips and opened a vein for me. He held out his hand and I took it in both hands. Greedily, I placed my lips over the wound and closed my eyes as his taste exploded on my tongue. I heard a groan and could not say whether it had come from me or from him. His other hand was stroking my hair and I felt a pleasant warmth rise inside me. I opened my eyes and looked up at him. He was looking at me.

‘That’s right, little one. I’m giving you what you need.‘

For the first time I realised that I could hear him without him having to move his mouth. How was that possible?

‘What?‘
I thought, confused.’
How can I hear you?‘

He laughed quietly inside my head and I saw his eyes sparkle.

‘A vampire speciality, little one. What’s your name, by the way?‘

‘Trisha.‘

‘Trisha. I like that. I’m Lorne.‘

He gently move his hand away from my mouth and put it on my cheek, as I looked up at him.

“That’s enough, Trisha,“ he said hoarsely. “I don’t want you to get high. That’s dangerous.“

“Why did you do that, Lorne?“ I asked.

I climbed onto his lap and put my head on his shoulder. For some reason I felt a connection with him. It was difficult to explain, but I felt that I could trust him. I sighed blissfully, closing my eyes whilst he gently stroked my back.
 

“Do what, Trisha?“ he asked in a whisper.

“Give me ... Give me your blood?“

“It was the only way of saving you. I’m sorry.“

“For what? For saving me?“

“No! For not being able to ask for your permission. You didn’t have a chance to weigh up the consequences. And I’m sorry that it was necessary at all. That bastard had already almost drunk you dry.“

“But isn’t that what all vampires do? Don’t you do that? Drink the blood of humans?“

“Yes. I have to. We can only live off blood. We need it. But the vampires of the Dark League don’t kill for it.“