Release, book 3 of The Angler series (9 page)

Tane’s brothers were correct in their accusation that we’d transformed Rurik to Nosferatu. We
just hadn’t done it on purpose. My blood must carry some of Tane’s from all the times he’d healed me, and it transferred to Rurik. Why hadn’t we thought of this?

Rurik clawed at Tane, his teeth snapping at hi
m, but with age came power, and Tane was as old as dirt. Rurik’s power had grown with the change. My lover seemed determined to hurt Tane, who appeared to be just defending himself.

I loved Tane in my own special way
, but this restraint made it bloom into a new level of respect. Like me, he still wanted to save Rurik and took damage for his blinded love.

This fight couldn’t continue
though. I pulled out the wooden stake from my back waistband and hurried to them. Killing Rurik wouldn’t be difficult with his attention focused on Tane, but that wasn’t my intent.

I pierced the right side of his back, the opposite side from his heart.

He screamed. The wood would burn but not kill him.

My master lifted Rurik and tossed him through the air toward the orphanage where he hit the side wall.

I couldn’t move. My feet remained rooted to the ground, unsure who to run to. Tane was my protector. It hurt Rurik whenever I sought Tane’s comfort from nightmares or monsters, but my Rurik was the monster who frightened me this time.

Tane eased my tortured soul by coming to me instead. He hugged me so tight my bones creaked. “What did you mean about your blood?”

“Have you tried to change Rurik into a Nosferatu?”

“Never.” The word came out sharp with honesty and he hurried toward the area where Rurik landed.

I followed at a slower pace, not wanting to see what I had done. Only the wooden stake lay on the ground. Rurik wasn’t anywhere to be seen.

Twist
ing around, I scanned the forest for any sign of movement, but nothing stirred. I clutched my hands together to hide their trembling. “He’s gone? Has he become fucking Houdini?”

“I don’t sense him.” Tane
dropped to one knee and touched the crushed grass where Rurik had landed. “I can’t believe this is happening.” He hung his head. “Where’s Kam?”

My racing heart skipped a beat. “He left before sunset to free Rurik.”

“Free?”

I fingered the healing bit
e marks on my neck as a reminder of what had transpired the night before. “If not for Kam, I’d be dead.”

Tane ran his hand over his head. “I’m not sure what to do. It was one thing to save him when he seemed sane
, but after this attack I wonder if we
can
save him.”

“He got worse after drinking so much of my bloo
d in one day. I think my blood is carrying something that’s making him change.” I stared at Tane, waiting for the light to dawn in his eyes but they remained blank in confusion. “It’s our bond. I carry your blood inside of mine.” I pushed my crazed curls from my face. “I drink from you and heal. How often? At least once a week, right?” Our bond required I drink Tane’s blood to live, but only once a year, but his blood held the power to heal me as well. With Rurik’s hunger growing worse, I’d needed to heal more often. It was a tragic cycle that caused Rurik to ingest more and more of Tane’s blood unintentionally through me.

Tane nodded
, his face growing immobile. It was the mask he hid behind when in public so no one could read his emotions. A twinge plucked at my heart strings that he need to wear it for me.

“
Rurik ingests your blood when he drinks from me, couldn’t it trigger some kind of reaction?” I drew closer to Tane and brushed his cold face with my fingertips, needing to draw him back out. I’d been watching the man we loved vanish before my very eyes in the last twenty-four hours. I couldn’t bear for Tane to withdraw from me as well.

He’d grown very still
like only the ancient vampires could. If I’d been a stranger I would have mistaken him for a statue. After what seemed like the longest minute of my life, he took a deep, shaky breath. “I did this to him?”

Without
a second thought, I pulled him into a hug. “
We
did.”

He flowed against me, his head resting on mine. I didn’t know how long I could hold his weight but I locked my knees and did my best. Tane loved Rurik as much as I did. Sometimes I wondered if he loved him more.

“Now that we have an idea of what’s causing this change, can we stop it?” I stroked the smooth skin of his head then trailed my hand along his broad back. He was more muscular than Rurik. Tane’s body came from a centuries of fighting and hunting. Rurik’s came from fishing and working on his father’s boat.

A raw spot on my heart stung at the memory of how
Rurik had become a vampire. Of how the Romans had stolen him from his home because of his pretty face. Tane was the one who’d eventually saved him, but not the one who had turned him.

“Tell me how becoming Nosferatu works.” Rurik had told me once, but it had been so long ago and I’d just been tortured. I hadn’t given a rat’s ass
then how it worked. Shame on me, I might have prevented this from happening.

Tane pulled me even closer, lifting me off my feet. “Only male vampires can become Nosferatu. Female vampires and all humans die when we’ve tried to change them.”

My chest constricted and made it hard to breathe. “Do any of those males go mad with hunger like Rurik?” I could barely get the question out since Tane squeezed my chest so tight…

Easing his hold, Tane set me bac
k on my feet. His face appeared composed again. I’d never seen such emotion from him and couldn’t help wonder what had happened to the last human who had. Vampire kings could never show weakness. If they did, those who witnessed it wouldn’t live to tell their tale. “No, they have to get use to their new power but nothing this severe. It must be because Rurik hasn’t completed the process. He’s half Nosferatu, half regular vampire. It must be tearing him apart.”

“That’s probably
why he’s so focused on my blood. I’m carrying what’s changing him so it makes sense that he’d instinctively crave my blood except I don’t carry much.” I stared out at the dark forest and the night sky. Where was Rurik? Injured, he’d be more dangerous. Did he have enough power to heal the wound I’d inflicted? I made it easier for the Nosferatu and the slayers to kill him. “We’ve got to find him.”

Tane grabbed my hand. “I have an idea how we can do that.” He led me inside the orphanage
, and I showed him the locked room. We found Kam on the floor. I gasped and rushed to him, feeling for a pulse. The big hulk could annoy the shit out of me, but he was the closest thing I had to a friend in Tane’s court. How sad was that? A steady pulse beat under my fingertips. I cushioned his head on my lap and watched as Tane kneeled next to us.

He set his hand over the shifter’s forehead. “I remember the first time his father brought Kam to meet me.
He was just a pup. The little brat bit my ankle.” He grinned. “I knew then he’d grow to take his father’s place one day.” Sighing, he released his gentle hold on Kam. “His head injury is almost healed. Thank goodness for shifter metabolism.” With a tap to Kam’s cheek, Tane tried to stir him awake. “Kam, open your eyes.”

The shifter groaned and took a lazy swing at Tane’s head.
“Go away.” He rolled on his side and snored.

Tane poked him again. “Let’s go. The hunt will leave without you.”

Kam jerked in his sleep and sat up, rubbing his eyes like a little kid. “Where the hell am I?” He twisted around and assessed the room until his gaze landed on me. “Connie, you’re alive.” Rubbing the side of his head, he faced Tane. “Master? Geez, the last thing I remember was opening the door. The bastard must have ambushed me.” He turned to me again. “I would have thought he’d come after you.”

“He did. I barely got away.
How are you feeling?”

“As long as I look in better shape than you, I’m golden.”
He gave me a cheeky grin and searched behind us. “Did you bring him back?”

Tane sat on the edge of the bed and rubbed the back of his neck. “He’s gone
, and it won’t be long before my brothers realize they’re on a false trail. I had hoped to arrive here and leave right away. It’s imperative we find him quickly.” I jerked as Tane continued only inside of my head.
“Don’t tell Kam about what we suspect.”
He stood and offered his hand. “Let’s leave this place.” He made a disgusted face. “I can’t believe he housed here.”

I took his help to stand. “With his maker
, so he had good company at least.”

Tane steadied Kam as he joined us on his feet. “Depends on your taste
in companionship. The sun will rise soon, and I’ll have to find shelter.”

“Connie rented a hotel room.” Kam
grabbed Tane’s shoulder. “I’m well enough to track him on my own. He’ll have to go to ground soon, as well.” The shifter had just had his ass kicked but appeared fully energized.

“Don’t you ever get tired?” I asked him.

He laughed. “Wouldn’t you like to know?”

Tane snarled, baring his fangs. “You forget yourself, pup.”

I jumped from Tane’s side in surprise. I hadn’t ever seen Tane berate Kam before, or any shifter for that matter. I rested my hand on his arm. “He was just joking.”

“Forgive me, Master. I didn’t mean anything by it. I prefer my hide still attached to my body.”

Tane glared at Kam until the shifter broke eye contact and bowed his head. “We lost Rurik outside. He’s injured and bleeding. It shouldn’t be hard to pick up his scent.”

Kam nodded but remained silent.

“Once you find him, try to drive him from the city but don’t fight him. I can’t afford to lose you.” Tane caressed Kam’s head. “I’ll find you. Don’t lose his trail.”

“I won’t fail you.” Kam’s solemn gaze traveled from him to me. “We should send her away. Rurik is unnaturally attracted to her blood. He’ll kill her next time.”

Tane focused his cold stare on my bruised face. “I’ll consider it. For now, I need her.”

“You consider things all you want
, but I’m not leaving. We’ve faced worse than this and we’re stronger together than apart.” I recalled Tane’s clan brothers in that meeting and gulped. Okay, maybe not worse. How different could fighting five Nosferatu be compared to one?

Yeah, we were dead.

“We could send her to Gwen,” Kam continued as if I hadn’t spoken.

“Your sister is busy with other matters.” Tane took my hand. “Come,
rabbit. Take me to your hotel.” Tane pulled me behind him as he led us out back to the van.

At this point I didn’t care if we stayed in this nightmare building. I wanted to be horizontal and close my eyes. Pretend the last two days had been a bad trip. Control of my future slipped between
my fingers. The harder I tried to save Rurik, the faster he fell away. I didn’t want to spend eternity without him. He’d been my solace in the vampire world and one of the few people who truly cared about my wellbeing.

Tane cared on a certain level. As my master, he had to make sure my needs were met
, but Tane couldn’t remember being human so how could he truly understand what I needed? Then again, in my dream, he’d surprised me by showing me what he’d looked like as human. Maybe I was wrong.

On the ride back
in the van, I rested my head on his shoulder and absorbed what comfort he offered. I suspected he could use the contact as much as I. He hid his pain well. The centuries taught him how to shield his true emotions; however, our bond gave me an insight most of the Vampire Nation would kill for.

He sighed and rested his arm around my shoulders. “
My brothers were right. Rurik’s change to Nosferatu will have my whole clan after him instead of a few.”

“Why?”

“We keep our numbers small for a reason and only make a new brother when one dies.”

“So Rurik could take Dragos’
s or Luckard’s spot.” Dragos had been a blood thirsty king before Tane had betrayed him with Rurik and they’d killed him with a little help from me. Luckard was the ass who tried to do the same thing to Tane.

“They have both
been replaced.” Tane turned off the highway and drove toward my hotel.

“By who?” When had this happened? I was by his side most of the time yet he still managed to keep so many secrets.

He searched for parking and ignored my question. Let him keep his damn silence. I pressed my hand over the hard ridges of his stomach. His thin linen shirt hid little from my fingers. My attraction to Tane came from a darker part of my soul, the part that liked to fight and not back down.

He found a spot and parked the van. Turning his stare on me, he leaned in close enough for a kiss. “Let’s go heal you.”

I showed Tane my hotel room.

He tossed his jacket on the plain wooden chair by the narrow desk and didn’t comment on the average accommodations. The king lived in lavish style
, and I never wanted for anything.

Most of the time
, objects would arrive without my even asking, like I had a fairy godmother who read my mind. So this mediocre room seemed a poor return for what he’d done for me.

“I didn’t want to attract attention by renting a
suite. Flashing that much cash would bring trouble.”

He undid the buttons of his shirt
, and my gaze riveted to the thin line of flesh beginning to show. “The curtains are thick enough to keep out sunlight, the lock is strong, and it has a clean bed. I’m, how would you say it, golden?”

I grinned. “Yes.” Modern slang was his latest hobby. Ten years ago I would have thought this room heaven on Earth. Though I’d grown up dirt poor, it didn’t compare to being raised in a jungle before civilization existed
, like Tane had been. No wonder his people had once worshiped Dragos as a god. What did Tane truly think of humankind after watching our evolution over the centuries?

Tossing his shirt over his jacket, he lifted the phone
handset and discussed a few things in Italian with, I assumed, the concierge.

I sat on the edge of the bed and stared at the square set of his shoulders. While he paced
, the muscles of his back slid under his skin as if his whole body was involved in the simple action. I liked watching him move, especially in bed.

Pa
iring my pale master with my dark hero in my mind sent chills over my skin. Rurik dominated in bed. Tane seemed to enjoy relinquishing control when it came to pleasure. They were a perfect match to watch. I fit in there somewhere. I’d figure out where eventually.

What if Tane was organizing my return home? I wouldn’t put it past him to do this behind my back. Tane m
ight be less domineering in bed, but in life he tried to control everything and did a pretty good job at it. I think therein lay his devotion to me. I wasn’t compliant when it came to things I considered important. He could order my food and pick my clothes. Those were just things and really had no meaning, but try to decide my fate, then we had a problem.

Tane hung up.

“Don’t send me away.” It came out more like an order than I wanted.

“I won’t.” That seemed too easy.

I narrowed my eyes and waited for the catch. Tane had spent such a long time alone that he didn’t know how not to manipulate those he loved. I couldn’t recall every argument we’d had over such instances where he thought he had to maneuver my actions instead of just asking me to do something for him because I cared. I ground my teeth as the silence grew.

He shot me
a tired look. “I need you.”

Something fluttered in my stomach. “For what?” I hadn’t much left in my reserve
and my skillset was limited.

He ran his thumb over my
swollen bottom lip. “Sometimes, I wish you had chosen to become a vampire. I wouldn’t have to worry so much about your safety.”

I scooted onto the bed and pulled him next to me. “Why do you need me?” From his expressi
on, I could guess it involved placing my life in danger again.

“For this.” He gave me a gentle kiss, a butterfly’s touch. Trailing these tender kisses, he traced my injuries.

I closed my eyes and absorbed each gentle gift. The pain from my physical injuries didn’t compare to my heartbreak and Tane’s presence soothed the ragged edges of the wound. “I miss him too.”

He stopped and we locked gazes. “He’ll never be the same again. I can’t undo…” Resting his forehead against mine, he pressed his body
next to me. “Once the changes start there’s no stopping it.”

I tried to take a deep breath but my
lungs didn’t want to work. “So he’ll be Nosferatu.”

“He’ll be dead
.”

“What the fuck?
” I clasped his face between my hands, forcing him to meet my glare.  “You need to stop saying that. You’re rattling my cool.” I let him go and relaxed my fists. “Rurik’s changes have increased. He’s almost done, isn’t he?” I sank deeper into the pillows.

He shrugged
. “Once the change reaches the genetic level then a bond is created between maker and child. Much like we have. I don’t sense such a link with him.”

“Oh
, by all that’s snap crackle and pop.” I screamed the words to nobody and everybody. “What is
that
supposed to mean? Will he link to me?”

He
regarded me as if I’d lost my mind. “He might not link to anyone. His change is unique. I haven’t a guess what will happen next.”

My raw insides bur
ned. Too much crap in a short span of time. Life as I knew it would never return to normal. If only I could go back in time and enjoyed those last few months with more appreciation. I ran my hand over Tane’s solid arms, wanted something real to cling to, someone who was mine. Adrift in an ocean of grief, I needed an anchor or I’d be lost. I took a calming breath. “So we complete the process, then. We finish makimg him Nosferatu.” The depth of that statement settled into my bones. How could I manage two of them without losing Connie Bence in the process? Tane’s personality and wisdom crushed me at the oddest times. What would I do with two?

“That won’t stop my brothers
’ desire to kill him. Rurik would be changed without clan consensus. They’d probably execute all of us.”

“You’re their
fucking king.”

“I’m the Vampire Nation’s king. The Nosferatu clan has always stood apart. If they don’t
kill me, they will definitely take my throne as punishment. May as well be dead.” He leaned into my caresses as I moved my hands over his sculpted chest.

“We didn’t do this on purpose. Can’t they give us some slack?”

“My clan is not known for their empathy. You know this firsthand.”

A chill ran down my spine. Luckard
, with the cat-o-nine tails and the small, barbed hooks, still starred in most of my nightmares. The Nosferatu clan policed the regular vampires. If a blood-sucker broke the law, he or she died. His brothers wouldn’t be lenient on one of their own. They’d be tougher. “You’re telling me we’re dead no matter what.”

“I’m sorry it has to end so soon for you, Connie. I looked forward to watching you grow
over the centuries. I think eventually you would have made an excellent queen.”

A death sentence for a perceived crime. This was Nosferatu justice. No wonder their people coward at the mention of their name. I felt hollow. Fragile. If anything struck me, I’d shattered to dust.
“This sounds like a good-bye.” I turned my head away from him. “Don’t do that.”

He caressed my bruised cheek. “I can at least heal these injuries for you.” I heard him bite down on his wrist before he offered me his blood.

I closed my eyes. It was this routine that had started Rurik’s transformation. If only I’d partaken of Tane’s blood as necessary instead for every little injury.

“Connie, this won’t change what’s been done. There’
s no point in suffering.”

“He’s suffering though.”

Tane pressed his wrist closer. “Don’t make me force you. I have enough to worry about with Rurik. I can’t have you weak. Drink.”

I licked at the wound. It didn’t take
much to heal superficial injuries like cuts and bruises. If the slayers hadn’t transfused me, I would have needed more. The ache on the side of my face eased until it vanished. I’d grown so accustomed to it that I hadn’t realized how much it hurt until it was gone. I smiled.

Before I could thank him
, he pressed me onto the bed with an opened-mouthed kiss, his hands roaming under my shirt and his knees prying my legs apart.

T
ane and I rarely played alone in real life. In my dreams, yes, but in reality, he was just too busy. He seemed so substantial all of a sudden, as if denser. I explored his mouth and traced my tongue over his fangs until with a sharp sting I poked my sensitive flesh. The metallic taste of my blood slid into his mouth, and he went still. There were few instances in my life where I could say I surprised my Nosferatu warrior.

He moaned and kissed me deeper, lapping at the drops from the small wound. With a few well
-placed yanks, he undressed me, letting my clothes fall wherever.

Blindly, I assisted in undoing his pant
’s latches and zipper, releasing his hardening cock into the palm of my hand. How could something so hard feel so silky? I smoothed my hands over it, stroking it to full size.

Tane wiggled out of his pants, kicking them from the bed, yet
he never stopped kissing me. He pulled my hands from his shaft and pinned them over my head with one hand.

I yanked but couldn’t get free. This game was new with Tane. It seemed more up Rurik’s lane. Dominance in the bed required trust
, and I flip-flopped a lot with Tane. I pulled away from his kiss.

He ignored my questioning look and inspected my body. Hi
s focused assessment burned over my breasts. With his free hand, he molded one to his palm. “I’m not usually drawn to tits, but yours, they fit perfectly.” He pushed at my entrance with the tip of his cock.

I arched my back and watched the yearning
in his eyes grow. Tane could manipulate people very well, but so could I. Giving my breasts a small shake, I smiled at his rapt attention.

He bent to trace my bared nipple with his tongue. Around and around he went until I arched more out of
desire than play. He pushed a little deeper inside of me.

Most
of the time, I needed more foreplay than this to accommodate his size, but the stretch felt so good, as if he filled me more than usual. I wrapped my legs around his hips. This sweet surrender helped ease some of our mutual pain. Alone and driven insane, our Rurik hid from the sunlight alone. Neither of us wished this on him, but we were powerless until night. I wanted to weep and thrash at the Nosferatu clan for being so unfair. I wanted to follow Kam and find Rurik to make sure his stab wound had healed. I wanted all the bad things to go away and for us to return to our life as before. No magical genie would pop out of my cheap hotel lamp to grant me my wishes. Reality was that we’d die horrid deaths. Right now, we had each other. Tane loved me and I loved him. Flesh and passion would help pass these long hours. Kisses would be the balm for our souls and bind us tighter than ever before.

Tane ran his hand over my torso and breasts
, trying to touch every inch of my body.

I squirmed under him as he set me on fire. Pumping my hips, I slid his cock f
arther in, but he didn’t respond to my rhythm. “Tane. Faster.”

His chuckle held
an edge of evil. “Oh, no.” He slid in to his root with a hard shove.

I cried out and clenched my restr
ained hands. The burn spread through my lower abdomen, but it was a good burn, like stretching a cramped muscle.

He leaned by my ear, brushing my hard nipples agai
nst his chest, and withdrew gradually until his tip rested once more at my entrance.

The double sensation stole my breath. I struggled against Tane’s
hold, his callused hands rough on my wrists.

Then
he proceeded with the slow process again.

Panting, I writhed
, trying to coax him to lose control.

He pressed gentle kisses to my eyes, my nose, along my jaw until sweat coated my skin.

It built hotter, the pressure so intense I ached as he slid slowly. In…and…out… I couldn’t catch my breath. The room had grown too small. My vocabulary shrank to words like
oh
and
yes
, with a few
pleases
tossed in. In…and…out… Bastard had stolen my IQ. I clung to his hips with my ankles. The root of his cock rubbed against my clit with each movement until I vibrated with ecstasy. “Fuck.” I stretched that word out as my climax clenched me low in the gut and shot through my mind. My inner muscles seized and I strained against his hold as he continued his torture.

With a heave, I sucked in a shaky breath and shuddered into a limp form. One factor to being Tane’s age was his vast knowledge
, and he knew how to work a person’s body. “No fair. You didn’t come.”

He gave a small smug laugh. “You think this is the end?” He withdrew
from my body and flipped me onto my stomach. With a few swift moves, he stuffed all the pillows under my hips, lifting my ass in the air.

I remained limp
, since my brain cells still sparkled with orgasm aftershocks. Breathing seemed to be the only function that I controlled.

Tane ran his hand over my ass and made an appreciative noise deep in his throat.

“Easy, cowboy. That end needs more foreplay than what you provided.” Even my lips felt numb.

He spread my knees and slid his cock between my thighs. “No worries,
rabbit.” He thrust into my pussy, moving until his hips leaned against my cheeks.