Chapter 60
M y death didn’t hurt, not like the arrow that punctured my heart. I still fought to hold onto life. As my human body died, an endless night closed in. An echo, a spark remained, but it faded as a new fire that burned deep emerged.
“Quinn,” a voice called to me from the dark, commanding. “It’s time to wake up.”
I opened my eyes. He lay on the bed beside me, caressing my face. Matteo. I knew him, the strength of our blood bond wrapping around my heart and mind. His presence surrounded me. Hunger burned through me, an inferno.
“Quinn,” his voice was both out loud and in my head, and he smiled. “Welcome back to the living.”
“I’m hungry.” I pressed my tongue to a fang.
“I know. We’ll hunt. I’ll be with you, guiding you.” He smiled down at me.
I sat up taking in my surroundings. “Where are we?” The room looked vaguely familiar.
“My house. I couldn’t exactly take you to your apartment; the sounds of the city, and the humans in your building would be unbearable for you. More so than last time. Plus, it’s likely the Hunters are waiting for you.” His eyes never left mine.
His mention of Hunters brought a memory of pain. I rubbed at my chest.
“Yes, she shot you, but it’s healed. You died as a human; now you’re a vampire. Like me.” He stroked my face, a light in his eyes. “Just as beautiful as ever, a goddess. Mine.”
“She killed me?” I didn’t understand the hurt at those words.
“She did. I will deal with her and what remains of her family afterwards.” A glimpse of his anger showed. A burning fury born from his protectiveness of me.
I didn’t want to think about Hunters or anything else. I only wanted to feed.
He rose from the bed, holding his hand out to me. “I have something special waiting for you.”
I grabbed his outstretched hand, letting him pull me off the bed. A faint whiff drew my attention. Hunger flared.
“There’s a human here,” I said.
He chuckled. “No, that’s you, from when you were human. Your scent lingered. It’s stronger in my studio. A delectable fragrance. You were here recently, and your friend. You took my painting.” He nuzzled my cheek. “Just look at you now. It’s as if your draw has intensified. Your very essence drew me to you, and now I am in your sway completely. I always knew you’d be a vampire.”
The urge to kiss him overwhelmed me. I reached up to touch his face, need aching in me. He turned my hand over, his lips brushing my fingers. Everything in my mind was foggy, and I couldn’t remember anything. But I knew him. He’d answered a Call, and he’d awakened something in me. I frowned, not knowing what that meant.
A heartbeat nearby drew both our attention. I growled, my canines aching.
“What’s she doing here?” he grumbled.
I moved towards the scent, hungry, eager to feed. Matteo stopped me. “No, not that one. You won’t like it.”
“But she’s human.” I pushed at Matteo, but he wouldn’t let me go. I growled, confused as to why he wasn’t letting me feed.
“Stay here,” he commanded, and his voice took hold. “I will send her away.”
“Why?” I asked.
“After you’ve fed, when everything is clearer, you’d be ashamed of feeding from her. Please, Quinn, stay here. We will hunt.”
He left me in the room, and his heartbeat and footsteps moved away, towards the door. I paced the room.
“What are you doing here?” he asked.
The human’s heartbeat thundered in my ears. I could almost taste her blood, but Matteo had told me to stay.
“Where is she?” There was something familiar about the voice, but I couldn’t place it .
“You really shouldn’t be here, Mia,” he told her.
“She’s my friend.” Her voice shook.
He let out a frustrated sound. “Not at the moment, she’s not. Right now, she’s hungry and needs blood, and it’s yours she wants.” He hissed. “This is what your friend is now.”
“She won’t hurt me.” The heart skipped, and a slight scent of fear hit me.
I growled again.
Matteo breathed in deep. “You’re right to be afraid. She won’t recognise you. All she’ll see is her first feed. I can feel her growing bloodlust from here. She can smell your fear. It will take a few days, maybe even a few weeks before her human memories will emerge again. Right now, all she has is the basic vampire instinct, and you’re nothing but temptation to her. I need to take her hunting. Then I will bring her to you, if that’s what she wants when she’s herself again. Your Hunter friend, on the other hand…” A growl rumbled from him.
“I know what Lil… what her family did. To you. I’m sorry you endured that.” There was sympathy in her voice. “It wasn’t Lil, though, she wasn’t involved in that. She told me she couldn’t stomach the idea of torturing someone.”
“She killed Quinn.” His voice had changed, taking on a deeper, more guttural tone. “You really should leave.”
“Quinn!” the human called out. “Quinn, it’s me, Mia.”
“Please,” I murmured to Matteo, knowing he could hear me. “Let me feed.”
“Leave,” he growled. “Before it’s too late for you.”
“Quinn, she’s coming for you both. Lilith is after revenge over the death of her brother.”
Something shifted in Matteo, his alert sharpening. “Did you bring a Hunter here?” There was fury in his voice.
The restraints that wrapped around me, tying me to the room, snapped and I lurched forward.
“Quinn, stop!” he tried to stop me, but I didn’t care. My hunger was too great.
The scent of blood and fear called to me, and I answered. I pushed him and he hit the wall; a crack sounded as he did. But I didn’t stop, hurling myself at the human woman, taking us both to the ground. I bit deep, tearing into the throat, relishing in the blood that filled my mouth. A scream split the air, and I put my hand over her mouth. I pulled back, to breathe in the fear. Terrified eyes met mine, and she struggled against my grip. Warm blood trickled down my chin. I pressed my nose against her, breathing in before I struck again, sinking my fangs into her throat, and latching on. Her fear drove me deeper into bloodlust.
Bliss. My entire being soared as I drank, the fire of my hunger nowhere near sated, but starting to lessen. My only need was blood, and a deep appreciation flooded me for the human below me. Hands pulled at me, and I growled in warning, refusing to be separated from what I needed. I was lost in the taste of her blood, her heartbeat, and waves on the beach.
“Quinn, stop.” He tried to use the blood bond between us to pull me away. “Let her go, now.”
No! My hunger was stronger than the pull he had over me. I closed my eyes, pleased at my first feeding, annoyed that Matteo wasn’t sharing that pride with me. He wrapped an arm around my waist.
‘ Quinn, release her, ’ his voice was hard to disobey that time, speaking to a deep part of me. I immediately let go and he turned me to face him. His eyes darted across my face. “Do you know what you’ve just done?” he demanded.
His anger confused and hurt me. I had expected him to be pleased. Perhaps I was supposed to share her with him. I wiped at my face, smearing the blood over his mouth. I smiled as hunger filled his eyes, and unable to resist, pressed myself against him, kissing hard.
His hunger rolled through him, both for the blood and for me. He shuddered, and his arms were around me. He turned, pushing my back against the wall, and a growl rose from his chest. We pulled back and I delighted at seeing his eyes red, fangs sharp, glistening in his mouth.
A deep satisfaction rose from him as he stared at me with amusement, and snapped at my jaw with his teeth playfully.
I glanced down at the woman, her heartbeat too fast to be normal. Matteo knelt over her. “I think you’ve taken more than I can do anything about. You bit deep. If I gave her blood, I’d have to give her too much for her to remain human. I have no intention of doing that.”
Unsure why it mattered, I didn’t care. I wanted Matteo to take me in his arms, for the two of us to be together and not worry about anything else. I glanced at the wall, realising I’d pushed him hard enough to make a hole. He laughed. “Yes, you’ll need to get used to your strength, among other things.” He moved towards me, his hands on my hips, pressing me against the wall gazing down at me with a look that made my heart swell. “Now that I no longer have to be gentle with you, the things I’m going to do to you, my beautiful siren.” He cupped a cheek with his hand, and I leaned into his touch. “But I’ve arranged a hunt for us. He’s waiting.”
“What have you done?” a voice called, seething .
I turned towards the door, and hissed at the human facing us. At the crossbow in her hand.
“Hunter. You really shouldn’t be here. You’re on my territory now. I will defend myself, and her.” He looked down at me with a smile on his face. “Not that she needs it, she’s quite capable.”
This was my territory, too. I let out a growl in warning.
The woman had her arm in a sling, and pain came off her in waves. Her eyes fell to the body of the woman I’d fed from, then lifted to my face.
“ You killed Mia! ” A different kind of pain then, one not of any injuries, from deeper, from inside her. Not just pain, but dark fury that burned in her eyes.
Her blood called to me; my hunger surged. Before I could move, Matteo grabbed my arm, holding me back.
“She will feel the pain from this,” he said to the Hunter.
“You did this,” she said. “I’ll kill you for all you’ve taken from me.” Her eyes darted to me again, tears sliding down her face. “Quinn, this can’t be what you wanted.”
Matteo laughed. “What do you hope to do against two vampires with that? I’ve been around for six hundred years, Hunter. Even if your wrist weren’t broken, you wouldn’t be a match for Quinn. If I let her go, she’d be on you in an instant. You would not be able to fight her off. You were foolish to come alone.”
“Quinn,” the Hunter said, turning her anger back towards me. “How could you kill Mia?” Her voice broke.
“I was hungry,” I replied as if it were obvious. Stupid question.
Matteo scoffed at my thought. The Hunter let out a cry of rage and ran at him .
He moved with speed, knocking the crossbow from her hand, and turned her around, pressing his body against her back, so she was facing Mia. “Don’t be stupid,” he hissed into her ear. “I will tear out your throat, and you will die next to her.”
She didn’t fight him, and he released her. As she turned to face me, there was nothing but pure hatred for me. “You chose a vampire over your friends.”
I frowned. “What’s she talking about?’ I asked Matteo through our blood bond. ‘ I chose a vampire? I am a vampire. Are you going to let me feed from her or not? ’
‘ No. I have another planned. Let me get rid of her, and we’ll hunt. This is a meal I intend to share with you. ’ Desire sparked in his eyes. “I’ve been waiting to hunt with you for a long time.”
The promise of another helped me relax.
“You should leave,” he said again. “She wants to feed from you, I’m not sure you’ll survive her hunger. She’s ravenous.” Pride did sound in his voice then, and my own joy surged in response.
“You’ve broken the accords.” Her eyes met mine. “From this moment forward, consider me your enemy,” she declared. She addressed Matteo. “Can I at least take her body?”
“The longer you stay here, the more likely you will die,” he told her. “I’ll bring her body to you after Quinn has hunted. Now go. Before I break something other than your wrist.”
The Hunter left.
“Finally.” Matteo flashed his fangs at me. “Are you ready?” he asked. “Now we hunt.”