Accidental Blood Lust (Damned Mercenaries #3)

Chapter 1

ONE

ROMAN

My nose tickles with an unfamiliar yet oddly soothing scent. I can’t put my finger on what it is or even what it reminds me of, but I know I need to find the source. My wolf demands it.

It’s my third frustrating full moon in a row. I can’t find what I seem to be searching for. At this point, I’d fuck just about anyone, but my wolf and I are not in agreement. So instead, I sit at yet another bar in yet another city, hoping I’ll catch a scent that lights me up.

“Get you another drink, Wolfie?” the bartender, an obvious dragon shifter, asks. He’s on the twink side of things, long and lean bodied, with pretty pink hair and gorgeous lips, but my wolf practically huffs at the mere suggestion of hooking up with him.

“Yeah, one more, Ace. Thanks.”

“You got it.” Ace mixes my drink, and I catch his eyes fluttering up to me with interest. “Looking for something specific tonight?”

Shrugging, I grunt in response.

“We’ve got anything you could want here. Sexy wolf like yourself shouldn’t have any trouble finding some fun on a full moon.”

“You’d think.”

I catch that scent again—sweet, but earthy in a soft way. Not like leaves and moss, no. More like spring flowers and new grass. Swiveling around in my seat, I search the crowded bar filled with a mixture of supes and humans who seem to have no idea they’re surrounded by the paranormal.

But that scent isn’t coming from a mortal. It’s too strong. I’m almost on my feet when I’m stopped by a gorgeous woman. Vampire. She smells amazing too, but it’s not her scent I was catching earlier.

“Going somewhere, handsome?”

“No.”

“Good. I’m Violet. You are?”

“Roman. Nice to meet you, Violet. Can I get you a drink?”

She quirks her eyebrow. “I think you could, if you’re game.”

“Oh.” I nod. “Right. You want to feed?”

She licks her luscious lips, flipping luxurious blond hair off her shoulder. “It’s been ages since I’ve had a virile wolf. What do you say?”

Before I can answer, I’m hit with that scent again, stronger this time. I mumble an apology and push past Violet, searching the crowd for the source. I catch a hint of red hair in the glimmer of the club lights, but then I blink and it’s gone, taking the heady scent with it.

I push my way outside, but they’re gone. The air smells of weed, pheromones, and blood, as it usually does. Whoever that was is nowhere to be found. Definitely a supe. Mortals can’t move that quickly.

Disappointed, I slip back inside and walk back to Violet, who’s watching me with curious eyes. “Sorry. I thought I saw someone I knew.”

She smiles knowingly, clearly not believing me. “My offer still stands. I’ll make it worth your while.”

I have no interest in being mauled by a vampire, no matter how gorgeous she is, so instead, I offer my arm. “Will this do?”

She bares her fangs and her eyes glow red. “Nicely, yes.”

Violet latches on to my wrist, indulging in my blood while I think about who got away. I was so close, but not fast enough. I’ll keep looking. For some reason I can scent this being more clearly on a full moon, likely because my senses are heightened.

Even now, the rush of my blood leaving my veins and flooding into Violet’s warm mouth is pleasant. Relaxing. Like a warm bath. That’s why I don’t mind. If I’m not getting laid tonight, at least I can feel something nice.

When Violet pops off, her eyes are glazed, her lips stained with my blood, and there’s a doped-out smile on her face. “Delicious.”

“Thank you.”

“Are you sure there’s nothing I can do for you? I’m good at sucking more than blood.”

Chuckling, I shake my head. “No, but thank you. You’re a stunning creature. My head’s just not in it tonight.”

“Well, if you change your mind, I can always be found.”

“Noted.”

I watch her walk away, then drop a few bills on the bar to pay for my drinks. No use sitting around now. What I came out for is gone.

I don’t want to think about why the scent has so much power over me. I’ll cross that bridge if I ever get to it. I need to fuck, and whoever that scent belongs to is gonna be in my bed if it’s the last thing I do.

Until then, I slip into the void to return to my quiet apartment and my friends. They’re always good to lift my spirits and distract me until the next full moon.

LOCHLAN

What is that smell?

The farther I get away from the club, the fainter it becomes, but at one point, it made me dizzy. I couldn’t even enjoy my drink in peace.

I was hoping I would bump into Jareth tonight, but he’s clearly gone off the radar. I can’t find him at all, and it’s been weeks since things fell apart between us. Weeks.

All because I made another one of my impulsive decisions.

It was the only thing that made sense to me though.

I could never have the bond I wanted to have with Jareth if I was just a normal mortal guy, I figured that out ages ago, and it took me months to actually follow through with a plan.

It wasn’t even the mage thing, honestly.

I think we could have been fine if that’s all it was.

I didn’t know what the hell a mage was when we met, and he did try to hide the whole supernatural bit from me as long as he could, but it’s hard when very obviously non-human creatures were constantly knocking on his door at all hours of the day and night asking for favors.

And that’s what the problem really was, why I knew I couldn’t stay mortal. Not because of Jareth, but because of everyone else. One someone else in particular. I huff in frustration at the thought of him. Roman. And then I force myself to shake it off.

Anyway, staying mortal wasn’t an option and there were only so many ways to make yourself not mortal. Vampirism won out because it’s easy.

Or I thought it was.

Turns out it’s insanely hard, a little bit gross, and not at all what I hoped it would be. I assumed Jareth would be flattered that I was willing to do something like that to show my commitment to him, but yeah, that didn’t happen either.

Now I don’t know what the fuck to do, but I know if I don’t eat soon, I’m gonna have a problem.

That’s why I went to the club tonight, looking for either a willing mortal or a chance meeting with Jareth.

There were tons of people there, but I haven’t quite mastered the art of non-consensual feeding.

I was overwhelmed by the number of people and by that scent in the air.

Maybe there were too many pheromones mixing together for my newly enhanced senses, but I couldn’t deal with it.

I stop running to inhale deeply, erasing the smells of the nightclub and enjoying the crisp night air instead.

It’s almost summer—my favorite season, even though I’ve always had to avoid the sun due to my pale skin.

I’m even paler now. I’ve learned I can tolerate small amounts of direct sunlight, but I prefer overcast days now.

Since it’s clear that Jareth is avoiding me, I guess there’s nothing left for me to do but leave this stupid city and find a place where I can settle, maybe even find myself a mentor.

I never once thought Jareth would abandon me though, and that stings.

If we can’t be together, he could at least look me in the face and tell me he’s too much of a coward to love me.

My eyes sting but the tears won’t come. I’ve felt on the verge of them since the last night I saw Jareth, but I always stop short of full-on sobbing. My heart hurts, but I suppose it will dull with time or maybe I’ll get used to the feeling.

As I trudge down the sidewalk through the center of town, my stomach grumbles painfully, and I almost double over. A dog trots through the darkness ahead of me, but the idea of attacking an innocent animal repulses me. I’d rather find the dog something to eat than be the predator in this equation.

I’m a terrible vampire. A hopeless mess who ruined his shot at a real relationship with someone special because of my stupid decision.

If I could go back to that night and make a different choice, I would.

I want a burger, fries, and an Oreo shake from the diner on 28th Street, but I can’t eat that anymore.

I’d just vomit it up and be even more hungry.

I wonder how long I can actually go without eating, and what happens if I don’t.

Will I die? Get sick? Just feel miserable?

I don’t know and there’s no handbook I can refer to.

I mentally add that to my to-do list. When I feel better and get this all figured out, I’m writing a guide on how to be a vampire for others like me.

Up ahead, I see a group of guys hanging out near a convenience store and my stomach grumbles in response. It would be so easy to grab one of them and take off. That’s one awesome benefit of being a vampire. My speed and strength are epic now.

But they look young, and I have trouble regulating how much blood to take.

Plus, drinking straight from the source makes me queasy.

With disappointment sinking in, I keep walking, passing by the opportunity for a meal and heading back to my tiny studio apartment.

I don’t know how much longer I’ll be able to stay here since I lost my job after not showing up for a week.

It’s not like I could drag myself in to wait tables the night after I was turned. I could barely stand, much less function. I had to do nothing but sleep and drink blood for days just to be able to talk again. It’s not like the movies, that’s for sure.

My stomach twists painfully as I enter my dark apartment, kick off my shoes, and plop down on the couch. I pull my phone out of my back pocket and open the texting app, checking to see if Jareth has contacted me even though I already know he hasn’t.

The last message I sent still sits there alone with no response. He left me on read. I don’t know why that hurts worse than anything.

Me: Can we talk please?

What if something happened to him and he can’t reply?

Or, more likely, what if he’s with someone else?

What if he called his supposed “friend” Roman?

He’s the reason I did all of this. Well, not his existence, but his bond with Jareth.

It was so visceral when he came to visit that I felt woozy, like I drank too much.

Then Jareth was prickly later when I asked him about his history with Roman. I was so afraid of losing him, I did the one thing he told me not to do.

Okay, so maybe becoming a vampire to keep my man wasn’t the wisest choice, but it’s not like I can undo it. If I could, I would.

Dragging my hand through my hair, I open my photo app and swipe through pictures of Jareth until my eyes sting, and I decide it’s time to stop torturing myself and go to sleep. Well, try to go to sleep. That hasn’t been going well either since my change.

My mood sours even more. Nothing has been right since I did this. I can’t eat, can’t sleep, can’t fuck, and I lost my boyfriend.

I curl up on the couch and squeeze my eyes shut, desperately hoping for something good to happen soon.

I need a damn break.