The Vampire's Bat (12 page)

“So it might have sped up his change?” Ryker asked.

Max nodded. “Yes. How long ago it was he scented her,
and how fast his body was changing, and how long it has been since he last fed
before he scented her, are all contributors to the end result. My father
scented my mother only slightly, and it took him four months to finally find
her. He was almost to the point that Seamus is in now by that time, but he had
just finished feeding when he scented her in the alley, and he hadn’t been able
to sense her at all until he found her so he was able to feed a few times more
before his body fully rejected any other blood consumption.”

“
Oky
, hold on,” Slate said.
“It might not mean anything in this case, but I’m curious. I know when a
vampire mates, let’s say a human, you can’t feed from any other blood source,
but what do you do when the two destined mates are both vampires?”

“Their body changes differ from those of a mixed
bonding. As I said, as soon as we scent our beloveds, our bodies start to
chemically alter. Our bodies react to what theirs does or does not offer.

“Vampires never really had problems with a mixed bonding
like so many other paranormals do. In fact, many hope their bonding will be
mixed because when two vampires bond, they still need their beloved’s blood,
but they have to drink from other sources, too. The difference is their bite no
longer causes the donor to orgasm, and the blood they drink from the other
sources is flavorless to them, like water. My father hated wrapping his lips
around someone else’s skin, and
hated
to
see my mother feeding from someone else. Many feel the same. It causes problems
at times, but because of modern medicine, they usually just get blood
transfusions instead of direct feeding. Nonetheless, they still need their
beloved’s blood. That is why many vampires want a mixed bonding.”

“Wait.” Slate held up his hands. “I was always told no
vampire can tell for sure who their mate,
er
, beloved
is unless they taste them. It seems pretty obvious that
Maysa
is his beloved because he can’t drink from anyone else? It seems like a pretty
easy way to tell.”

Max lightly scoffed.
“First of all, like I said about my father, you can
feed for a short time afterword, depending on how fast your change is. No one
can predict the amount of time that would take. Added if that supposed beloved
was another vampire, you would have to drink from other sources anyway. Second,
no one wants it to get this far before they figure out if the person is their
beloved. It’s dangerous and deadly, and I’m sure it has been painful on a
physical level.”

Alphy
held up a hand to hush Slate, who seemed to take offense to the tone Max used.

“So if you are unable to claim the shifter in your
arms, you will end up like Seamus?” the alpha asked.

Max paused before answering. He didn’t want to
frighten her with the truth of the answer, especially when she needed more time
to heal from her ordeal, but he wasn’t going to lie to her and his new leader
needed an answer. “If it gets that far, I would hope to fall into a coma first.
Perhaps because it was so long since his last feeding, it weakened him first. I
don’t know for sure, but the pull to bond with your beloved is so great, that
it intensifies your cravings. The only time a vampire who isn’t rogue, would
possibly bite without permission, is when their cravings for their beloved get
too powerful. Some go feral for a bit, pushing themselves onto him or her
forcibly. Eventually, because of the lack of blood, they weaken until they go
into a coma. The timeframe for this can vary with each individual and
circumstance.”

Alphy’s
brows were high up on his forehead. “Wow, that’s serious. I didn’t know all of
that, and I’ve been around vamps most of my life. Seamus is one of my best
friends. We grew up together.”

“
You
didn’t
know?” Ryker snorted. “
I
didn’t know,
and
I
am one.”

“How is it you didn’t know?” Max asked.

“The coven I grew up in wasn’t very big. It only
sustained fifty some-odd in numbers. And it was rare to find
your
destined.
Most just had babies together.
The
ones
who did find a destined, were always mixed. Not even my
parents are destined.”

“Slate, have you been in touch with Nix? He followed
Maysa
when she flew away.”

“No. We won’t know anything until both, or at least
one, of them returns.”

Alphy
turned to Slate’s mate. “Katie, how’s Peter?”

“We were able to remove the spikes and stabilize him,
but he’s in a lot of pain and Seamus used all the blood we had, so if he
develops a complication, I’m not sure how much I can do.”

The fluff in his hands placed her front paws on his
chest. Max looked down at the shifter he was sure was his beloved, and
reassuringly smiled down at her.
Looking back up at his new
alpha, Max decided to ask to be excused.
He’ll have to wait until later
to get her medically checked out. “
Alphy
, is there
anything else you need us for?”

“No, not right now, thank you, Max.” With a final nod
from
Alphy
, Max exited the building and headed for
the park model home he was assigned
, with the bunny
tucked securely under his jacket
.

Chapter Eight

Maysa
felt the fur on the back of her neck prickle. She knew someone was watching
her, and she was hoping it was a pack-member. Now that she’d gotten rid of the
spike of fear she endured, she felt bad for leaving Seamus. He was nothing but
good to her, supporting her through everything, and he’d worked so hard to save
her family and the others from the lab. Guilt ran through her body as she
recalled hearing about the shifters that couldn’t be saved. She was troubled
that she didn’t find help sooner for everyone in the lab.

Maysa
grabbed a high branch and hung from it for a little bit as she felt a powerful
urge to return to Seamus surge through her. She needed to stop and think things
through.

Her mind played over the events of the past few days.
Thoughts of Seamus dominated her contemplations.
I shouldn’t have run away
. He would never let anyone hurt her, or
anyone else. The way he had held her whenever she allowed, always raised her
confidence. And since the raid on the lab, he had been particularly clingy. She
loved it, but she hated that it had to have stemmed from what he’d seen at the
lab. Another surge of strong need to return to him nearly overcame her.

Maysa
swung from the branch, watching the
rain fall
from the darkened
clouds. The
peaceful sound of the tapping rain
calmed her. She
knew she had to return but was embarrassed over her reaction. She wanted to
enjoy the quiet just a little longer before heading back. She hadn’t gotten
used to the busy pack and now it was nearly doubled making it several times
busier, but the unsettling feeling to return grew and she couldn’t resist it
any longer. Taking flight, she headed back towards the pack house.

Maysa
landed on the windowsill outside the upstairs infirmary. The window was shut,
but she could see movement inside. Katie came to the window and shook her head.
“I’ll be right out. Come inside to the gym.”

What’s going on?
she
thought.
Maysa
flew down and shifted, then opened the door and
walked into an empty gym. That in itself was very odd.

Katie came downstairs holding a lab coat and handed it
to her. “I hope you don’t plan on running again,
Maysa
.
Seamus needs you,” she said somewhat cryptically.

Maysa
put the long white coat on. “Why? What’s going on? Where is he?” she asked.

Katie gave her a sympathetic look. “He’s in his bed.
Maysa
, he’s fallen into a coma.”

Maysa
nearly fell to her knees in shock. Her eyes stretched almost painfully wide,
and her heart could be heard pumping in her ears. Before she could ask what had
happened, Ryker trotted down the stairs and over to them. Katie looked back at
him, and a look
Maysa
couldn’t place, passed between
them before Katie turned and headed out of the gym.

Ryker took a deep breath. “
Maysa
,
I want you to know that I’m angry at this whole situation, but I’m not going to
hurt you.
 
You have got to stop running, at least from
Seamus. Because you didn’t trust Sea, you both are in danger now.” His eyes
were
a little
red
from crying
, and his voice broke as he said the last sentence.

Maysa
was alarmed at his speech. “What’s going on?” Her voice was shrill with her
rising panic. She tried to move past Ryker, but he wasn’t letting her past.

“Wait, stop. You need to let me explain something
first. It can endanger you if you go in there.”
Maysa
really wanted to fight Ryker off, but she decided, for Seamus’s sake, she’d
listen first. After she settled down, Ryker continued. “Please understand Sea
and I talk about everything.”

“I understand that.” And really,
Maysa
did. She knew about twins, and she didn’t feel threatened by Ryker at all.

Ryker looked somewhat relieved by her answer. “When
Sea collapsed, we all
sorta
panicked. We have to feed
at least once a week. The amount depends on when we last drank, how much we
drank on our last feeding and who we drank from. Different blood types and even
different races make it vary. Seamus hadn’t had all that much because he’s been
using the bagged blood that he keeps here, but several emergencies had come in.
He had just gotten more blood in and he tried to drink some, but it was right
after he had just smelt your scent. His body
reacted
badly to
the blood. Then, it took a long time to get you to come to us,
and he wasn’t about to push you into letting him drink from you, especially
after you showed so much fear over his fangs.

“There were some things we didn’t know about until our
new pack-member from the Buffalo coven, Max, told us. When a vampire can’t
drink from his beloved, he will continue to weaken until he goes into a coma.
Maximus said that they most often go slightly feral and push themselves onto
their beloved. It’s the only time a vampire, who isn’t rogue, would do such a
thing.”

Maysa
stilled.
Would Seamus actually force
himself on me?
She had a difficult time believing it since she truly
believed he would do anything to protect her. That was something she just knew
deep down.

“
Alphy
called Raymond, the
coven leader in Toronto, for more information. Ray said that when a vampire
slips into a coma state, and then he senses his mate, he will come out of his
coma and drink from her. If you go to him now, he will sense you but will be
unable to stop himself from drinking from you.”

Maysa
stiffened and tried to process what she was hearing. They stood there, probably
for several minutes
,
before she spoke. “How
much blood will he need?”

Ryker, though patient with her, looked relieved when
she asked that. “His instinct to protect you won’t allow him to drain you, but
once he comes back to his senses, he will be devastated he forced himself on
you.”

“I waited so long to get help for my family and the
others, that several are now missing, and others died when they could have been
saved, all because I was too afraid to get help sooner.” She couldn’t stop her
tears, but she needed to admit this. Saying it out loud was the only way to
overcome it to do the right thing. “I’m not going to let him suffer because I’m
too afraid. He won’t hurt me. I
have
to believe that. If he needs my blood, I’ll give it to him freely. I’m so sorry
for it going this far. I wouldn’t have let anything bad happen to him if I
would have known.”

“I figured you wouldn’t. Sea did, too, and that’s why
he didn’t tell you. He didn’t want to guilt you or pressure you into your
decision.”

“Thank you, Ryker.”

“You aren’t going to have much privacy. Peter is still
up there and Katie is going to be back soon, but we worked together to clear
enough space to put him in the living room area. It’s not ideal, but it will
give you a little more privacy.” Ryker turned and jogged out of the gym,
closing the door behind him.

Maysa
slowly climbed the stairs. She thought the idea of Seamus biting her neck would
send a sick fear through her like it had clear up to just moments before, but
instead, her body started to heat and her bat twittered excitedly. A coil of
fear did flutter through her stomach, but she could admit that even the most
happy and stable of people could find themselves a little nervous. She was
certain he had to be her mate, and when he fed from her, it would bond them for
life. That was a big step for anyone.

Peter was asleep in the crowded living space. The
table had been taken out, and all the other equipment that had always been in
there was packed around him.
Maysa
quickly went to
the bedroom door. Opening it, she slipped inside and closed the door behind
her.

Maysa
leaned against the door and closed her eyes to try to calm the butterflies in
her stomach.

“Mine!”

A guttural hissing sound jolted her eyes open.
Standing beside the partition, was Seamus. The look in his blood-red eyes was
wild. His body looked disheveled, and he was showing his fangs. It was as if he
wasn’t even really there, like something possessed him.

Maysa
gripped the knob on the door and whimpered. The fear in her gut was no longer
the gentle demure kind. Now it was knife-like, coursing through her body.
Maysa
shut her eyes as tight as she could, and held her
breath. She was determined not to run, but it would take everything in her.

She could feel his body heat warm her skin before he
pressed his body against hers, pinning her to the door. His scent wafted around
her with a slight gust. Her gums started to tingle as a something in his scent
seemed different. Before she could think more on it, a slight prick poked her
neck, and immediately her body tensed and her vaginal walls clamped down in a
powerful orgasm. “
Ahhh
!” she cried out.

Maysa
felt his arms wrap around her in a vise-like hold. With every pull on her neck,
her body would spasm. His body shuddered against her, but his hold never let
up.
Maysa
held onto the back of his shirt in a tight
fisted grip and let her legs be spread apart by his knees.

Seamus growled, tickling her neck with the vibrations,
but because she was unable to move it only made her pussy spasm again. His
rigid but still covered cock, rubbed painfully against her pussy. Blackness
started to creep from the edges of her sight. Just before she slipped
unconscious, she felt the suction stop, and she shuddered in one last spasm as
his tongue glided over her bite mark.

****

Seamus’s lungs heaved deeply in his passionate
exertion, laboring to take in enough oxygen. His mind was fuzzy, but as the
haze began to lift, he slowly processed everything. He held
Maysa’s
warm and limp body tight to him, crushing her to a wall or door. His blood
flowed as if it were a singing river through his veins. The taste in his mouth
was rich and full, and he believed nothing had ever tasted better. He
recognized it as his
beloved’s
. He felt a connection,
a bonding, start to form, but it wasn’t complete. And in his pants, he felt a
cooling sticky mess that was becoming itchy. All these things pointed to one
thing. He had started the bonding with his beloved, to
Maysa
.

Seamus was still slightly fuzzy in the head as he
tried to remember what had happened as he carefully pulled back. He struggled
to carry
Maysa’s
limp form to the bed as his muscles
trembled in weakness. After placing her on his bed, he felt his body respond
possessively. She was finally in his bed, with his mark. The mark on her neck
had already healed, but the scar remained.
Proof to everyone
that she was taken.
But was it consensual?

Seamus froze. He remembered coming home, and showing
Maysa
where the clinic was going to be. He remembered she
flew off when he stupidly mentioned the basement, lab, and morgue all in the
same sentence.
Right, not the smartest
thing I have ever done.
Thinking further, he remembered working on Peter.
But then that was it.

Frustration rolled through him as he scrubbed his
hands over his face. His body felt fatigued and weak but also like it was just
starting to come to life. Then it hit him.
Fuck!
I must have gone into a coma, and attacked her when she came back.

Seamus fought his panic and his sorrow for forcing
himself onto her.
I should have told her.
Instead of protecting her from guilt, I opened her up to being forced.

Seamus fought his own guilt at what he had done and
started a list of what he should do. First thing he could think of … the
uncomfortable mess in his pants had to be addressed.
And maybe I should to check on Peter
.
Maysa
stirred under him, and moaned.
No, her first.

Her almond shaped brown eyes fluttered open. He was
about to apologize when a large smile spread over her face. Now he was just
confused.
“
Maysa
, sweetheart, what
happened?”

Suddenly her gaze took on an accusatory appearance.
“You didn’t tell me that you would weaken and go into a coma if you didn’t
feed. Don’t hide things from me, Seamus, especially things that big.”

“I’m so sorry, sweetheart.” Seamus abruptly stopped
when she held up her hand.

“I’m not done. I knew what I was doing when I came in
here. So don’t feel guilty about that. Ryker said
Alphy
had to call the coven leader in Toronto. Ryker warned me if I went near you,
even while you were in a coma, that you would sense me and feed from me, which
would start the bonding process. So I knew what I was doing when I came in
here.
Y
ou had me and everyone here panicked,
including Ryker.”