Chapter Nine
New Year’s Resolution Number Nine: Don’t waste time on regrets…and don’t be afraid to kick a little ass.
Lark’s eyes flew open, and she sucked in a deep gulp of air. She felt as if her lungs were starving for that air. Her heart thudded desperately in her chest. Jerking upright in the bed, she shoved covers away from her body and realized—
Holy crap, I’m naked.
She also realized—
That big vamp getting an eyeful of my body isn’t Devereaux.
Lark grabbed for covers that she’d just pushed off, and she yanked them over herself. “Who the hell are you? And why do I smell fire?”
His gaze whipped up to meet hers. A bright blue—and appreciative—stare locked on her. “I’m Salvatore, Devereaux’s friend and chief of guards.”
Devereaux. Anger simmered inside of her. He’d done something to her, and she wasn’t just thinking about the awesome sex.
Salvatore motioned to the singe marks on her walls—and the broken bulbs that hung drunkenly near her window. “The witches started a fire. They wanted to burn you to ash, but don’t worry, Devereaux’s handling them.”
Oh, wonderful. Great to know. She jumped from the bed and grabbed for her clothes. She kept her covers over her as best as she could, and Lark jumped and shimmied her way to being dressed again. “Handling them…how, exactly?”
“Ah, well, you know. Drinking them dry. Kicking their asses. Maybe killing them. Whatever it takes.”
He said it all so casually. She gaped at him.
“What?” A frown pulled down Salvatore’s handsome face. “He’s protecting you. Don’t you think you should be grateful?”
She thought about charging at the vamp. “What did Devereaux do to me?”
Salvatore winced. “Devereaux will be back soon. He can explain—”
Screw it. She charged at Salvatore. Bounded across the room and grabbed his shirtfront in her hands. Lark yanked him toward her. “What did he do?” Anger rose within her. Anger and—
Lust. Not a sexual lust for him, though Salvatore fit the tall, dark, and handsome bill.
Instead, she felt a consuming bloodlust rise within her.
Her teeth lengthened in her mouth, they burned her gums as they expanded, and her gaze sharpened on his throat.
All she wanted was to sink her teeth into him. To drink and drink.
She bared her fangs and lunged for his neck.
“Not on the menu, sorry.” Salvatore’s hands clamped on her shoulders as he held her back. “If I let you put your teeth in me, I’m pretty sure Devereaux will kill me.”
She could barely hear his words. All she could hear was a racing heartbeat. His. The pump of blood. A haze of red covered her vision, and Lark just needed to drink.
“Dammit, he’d better get back soon. I swear, he was supposed to be here before you woke. It’s always hard when someone first transitions.”
She went for his throat again. Came within an inch of meeting her goal.
“Shit! You are fast!” He shoved her back. “Devereaux!” Salvatore bellowed. “Get your ass up here! Now!”
The red haze was darker. She needed to drink. Blood. She craved it. Her body ached. Her fangs throbbed. She was so thirsty. So hungry. Lark had never felt this way in her entire life.
“What in the hell are you doing, Salvatore?” Devereaux’s voice rang out from behind her. “Get your hands off Lark!”
“If I do that,” Salvatore grunted and tightened his hold, “she’ll rip my throat open. Someone woke up very, very hungry.”
Her teeth snapped together. She was going to get his blood. She’d have—
Devereaux yanked her out of Salvatore’s hold. His gaze raked her face, and then he just tilted his head to the side, baring his throat to her. “Take what you need. Take it from me. Only me.”
Her teeth pierced his throat. His blood slid onto her tongue, and it was so good. Greedily, she drank from him, moaning because his blood was delicious. The sweetest, most wonderful thing she’d ever tasted. Forget wine, he was a thousand times better. She’d get drunk on him and be a happy woman…
Be a happy woman…drinking blood?
Sanity flooded back as some of the raging bloodlust finally eased. Lark tore herself from him, watching in horror as a drop of blood slid down Devereaux’s throat.
She’d just bitten him.
She’d just taken his blood.
She still had her fangs out.
“Do you need blood, my friend?” Salvatore asked, voice quiet.
Devereaux nodded.
Without another word, Salvatore stalked toward him and offered Devereaux his wrist. Devereaux didn’t take his eyes from Lark as he sank his fangs into Salvatore’s wrist. He drank in silence for a moment, then… “Thank you.” He pushed Salvatore’s hand away.
Salvatore inclined his head. “The witches?”
“Gone, for now. I let them know how less than pleased I was that they were targeting my mate’s home.”
“I’m not your mate.” An instinctive denial from Lark.
Devereaux’s eyes turned to slits.
“Right now, I don’t even think I like you,” she snapped. “You lied to me.”
Salvatore retreated a few feet. “I think I need to go back outside and guard the perimeter. You can handle this, right, buddy?”
This? She shot him a disgusted glance before focusing on Devereaux. “I don’t want lies. I want truth.” She braced her legs apart. “We had sex. Great, mind-blowing sex.”
Salvatore cleared his throat. “I’m definitely out of here.” He sauntered for the door.
She ignored him and focused on her target. “Great sex, fantastic climax, and then I died.”
Salvatore stopped his retreat. He swung back around, his eyes wide. His stare jerked from her to an implacable Devereaux. “You didn’t tell her?”
“Keep walking, Salvatore,” Devereaux ordered. “This doesn’t concern you.”
“Uh, yeah, it does. If you didn’t tell her—”
“I told her that she was a hybrid. Lark knew that her father was a vampire. She knew her vampire traits were coming to the surface because my bites had woken her dormant side.”
She marched toward him, with her hands clenched at her sides. “You didn’t tell me I would die. I felt my heart stop.” Lark had to blink away tears. “Do you know how scared I was?”
Pain flashed on his face. “Love…”
“I didn’t know that I’d come back. I thought I was dying right there.
I couldn’t speak. I couldn’t move. I could just stare up at you and hate you for what you’d done to me.
” Because she knew he’d lied. He’d deceived her.
“Humans die. Humans get three bites and then taste the blood of a vampire. They die after getting the vamp blood, and they wake up as vampires. That’s how the change works for them. ”
Salvatore watched in silence.
Devereaux gave a grim nod. “Yes, that is how it works for them. If they survive the change.”
Her hands clenched. “But you said I wasn’t human. I had fangs before I died. You didn’t tell me everything. You twisted the truth. You lied.”
His hands closed around her shoulders. “You would have kept a mortal lifespan if I’d never let you have my blood.
Yes, you had fangs and a vampire’s strength and speed, but you would have aged.
You would have grown sick. You would have died.
” He shook his head. “I wanted you to stay with me, forever. I wanted to give you immortality. That gift only came with my blood.”
“Bastard.” Pain closed around her heart like an icy fist. “It wasn’t your decision to make. It was mine. You should have told me.”
“I was trying to! But I was balls deep in you, feeling the best damn pleasure of my whole life. It was fucking hard to think, much less talk. I know I should have told you more. Sonofabitch, yes, I should have! But you want to know the truth? I wanted you to transform completely. It was the only way for you to be safe. I hate you’re angry, I hate I hurt you, and I am sorry.
Hurting you is the last thing I want. Now or ever. ”
The best damn pleasure of my whole life.
It had been the best pleasure of her life, too.
And she’d been practically mindless at the end.
So desperate for him and his blood. Would anything have stopped her from taking a bite?
Her body had gone into some kind of primitive overdrive, and she’d been fixated on his blood.
Devereaux’s chin lifted. “Your enemies are closing in. Even with vamp speed and strength, you would have been no match for them. They would have killed you. If you had not changed, I would have lost you.”
Didn’t he get it? “Still not your choice!” He should have told her everything. “I don’t want secrets.”
“I want you safe and protected.” Devereaux’s jaw hardened. “There is a war at the door. You’ve been shielded for years, but there is no hiding and there is no running any longer. Now that your body has completely gone through the change, you are as strong as you can possibly be.”
Her inner alarms were going off. “How many more secrets are you keeping from me?”
“Lark…”
“Why are you so determined to help me? Why are you trying to make me stronger? Why did you just go outside and fight the witches or whoever the hell it was out there—”
His hold tightened on her. “Because you matter to me. I was promised you very long ago, and I will not lose you. Not to witches. Not to mortality. You were meant for me, and I will not give you up.”
A bitter laugh broke from her. “Back to the vampire mating thing.”
“No.” He blew out a rough breath. “Back to a fucking vampire engagement thing.”
She could only shake her head.
Salvatore gave a long whistle. Of course, he was still there. “She is not going to like this. And I swear, my friend, you used to be more charming with the ladies than this.”
Devereaux had clamped his lips together.
“Before I bite you again…” Lark definitely had the urge. “You’d better explain what’s happening. Everything. No more secrets. Explain it all to me right now.”
His eyes glittered. “It’s part of your protection agreement. Your father worked out a deal with most of the paranormals. But he also worked out a separate deal with me.”
Her stomach was doing flips.
Devereaux’s gaze held hers. “He promised you to me.”
“The hell he did.”