“I realize that.” His words held a teasing quality. A chuckle came from him a moment later. “There isn’t anything to worry about. You’re not fertile, and we are not susceptible to human disease.”
Kayla didn’t even question about how he knew she wasn’t fertile. Hell, he was a vampire, after all, and she just assumed he had some kind of sixth sense when it came to stuff like that. She pushed up so that she could stare into his face. His eyes were blue once again, and a sleepy expression covered his features.
“I can wear a condom next time if it makes you feel better.”
She hadn’t been worried about it, more inquisitive, really. She didn’t want any barriers between the two of them. They had both started off with a shield of secrets separating them, but now that everything was out in the open, she wanted it to stay that way.
“I don’t want anything between us.” She meant that literally as well as figuratively. She laid her head back on his chest and let the strong rhythm of his heart lull her into oblivion.
Chapter 20
Kayla slowly woke and took in her darkened surroundings. She wasn’t on Adrik’s chest any longer, but his massive body was pressed protectively around hers. He ran the tips of his fingers up and down her thigh. She could easily feel the hardness of his erection press against her ass, and her heart sped up. Despite the tenderness in her body, she was aroused again. As if he read her thoughts, he gently thrust his hips against her ass.
“Hey, baby.” His words were low and seductive. He ran his hand over her hip, across her belly, and cupped one of her breasts. While he massaged the globe slowly, he ran his lips up the side of her neck and left a path of fire in his wake.
The feel of his fangs pressed against her pulse made her gasp. A fresh gush of moisture left her, and Adrik groaned against her throat.
“Why didn’t you bite me?”
She hadn’t meant to speak aloud, but when she felt him tense behind her, she knew she had done just that. A moment of hushed silence descended around them. She turned around so that she could stare into his eyes.
“Didn’t you want to?”
His chuckle sounded humorless. “I wanted to, badly.” His hand moved to her hip and tightened slightly after he spoke.
“Why didn’t you then?”
“Did you want me to?”
She thought for a moment. Did she really want him to? The idea seemed strange and taboo in nature, but she couldn’t help the intense lust that slammed into her at the thought. The very idea of Adrik sinking those wicked-looking fangs into her neck sent a wave of heat traveling through her.
“I wanted you to. I think.”
“You think?” He chuckled again, but this time it was filled with amusement.
“I really wanted you to, actually.” She couldn’t tell his expression because of the darkened room, but she could see a flash of white as he smiled. He brought her closer so that their bodies were flush. She rested her head on his chest.
“I didn’t want to push things with you. You have already given me so much. How could I be greedy and take something else?”
“Adrik?”
“Yes, sweetness.”
How did she word it? She said it over and over in her mind, but couldn’t seem to find the courage to actually form the words. She admitted, only to herself, that she was embarrassed to ask something that seemed so taboo.
“Next time”—she licked her parched lips—“I want you to bite me.”
He breathed out and wrapped his arm around her. “Do you know what that means, Kayla?”
Did she? Aside from the very idea of Adrik doing it, she wasn’t really sure. She knew how the very thought made her feel—wet, hot, thoroughly aroused—but was there more to it than just that?
“You are my Chosen. It was hard enough for me to resist while I was buried in your tight little pussy.” She shivered from his words. “It would mean that once I bite you, once I left my mark on you, you would irrevocably be mine.” He kissed the top of her head. “All males will see my mark on your skin and will know who your male is.”
As she thought about it, thought about being
branded
his, she couldn’t help the thrill that shot through her. Sure, she was a successful and independent woman, but the very idea of Adrik dominating her and marking her seemed so wicked and wanton.
I want it!
“Will it hurt?” It seemed like a logical question.
His body shook slightly. “No. It will feel…incredible.”
If it were possible, she felt his erection grow even bigger at his last statement. There was no question in her mind. She wanted it.
“Adrik?”
He cleared his throat. “Yeah?”
“What happened to Oleg?” As much as she wanted to practice what they had just spoken of, there were other things she wanted to discuss. She didn’t know if she should have brought up the subject, but she wanted to listen to what he had to say, wanted him to unburden himself.
“He is long dead, although not by my hands.”
“You never caught him?” She was somewhat surprised by that. Adrik was a massive man, easily over six and a half feet tall and weighing over two hundred and fifty pounds. The very idea that
anyone
could get away from him seemed unfathomable.
“No. I came close, but every time I had him in my grasp, he used black magic to escape. He is long since dead from old age, and I regret the fact that he didn’t die by my hands.”
She didn’t condone fighting, or killing, for that matter, but the fact that an evil creature like Oleg hadn’t been brought to justice upset her. “Can you tell me more about Vampirdzhija?”
“The Vampirdzhija are human. They believe anything that is not human is evil. They used to hunt only my kind, but they have since found out about other creatures of the Otherworld, and have made it their mission to destroy all immortals.”
“How did they even know about Blood Breeds?”
“It was the Bloodless that they found murdering villagers.”
She knew about the Bloodless, at least what Lana had told her. They were Blood Breeds who had succumbed to their bloodlust and forever changed into vile creatures. They hunted without remorse and killed anything in their path. She shivered at the thought.
“I know there are Vampirdzhija that still reside in Europe but have never come across them in America. They believe in traditional weapons of destruction toward the Blood Breed.”
“Traditional?”
“Wooden stakes, holy water, crosses, and garlic. They believe cutting off our heads and burning us is the only way we won’t be resurrected.” He chuckled.
“That is so not funny.” She peeked up at him.
“No, it isn’t, but if you cut off any being’s head and burn them, they are not going to come back to life.”
It wasn’t funny, but she couldn’t help but smile at the teasing note in his voice. “What other creatures are out there?”
“There are hundreds of different species living amongst humans.” He moved his hand to her hip again.
Kayla thought about everything he had said. This whole life that she was now getting introduced to seemed fantastical and unbelievable. Her mind drifted to what he had called her…his Chosen. She leaned back, knowing she needed to know more about it.
“What does that mean? Being your Chosen?”
He cupped her cheek, and she leaned into the soft embrace. “It means you are mine. It means that my heart will only beat for you, that our souls were made for each other. It means”—he leaned in and kissed her forehead—“if you’ll have me, I’ll never hurt you or break your trust.” He sighed. “I already hurt you and broke your trust all those years ago. I will never forgive myself for that, but if you’ll have me, I promise you I will cherish you and make up for the wrong I did to you for the rest of my existence.”
Tears pricked her eyes. Never had she been spoken to the way Adrik just had. A tear slipped out and trailed down her cheek. He rubbed it away with the pad of his thumb and kissed her.
“You have no idea how much I love, how much I
have
loved you. It was so hard for me to leave you all those years ago. Maybe it would have been better for me to just leave Stone Brooke, but I didn’t have the strength or willpower. I don’t want you to regret seeing me again. I worry that I will be the wedge that comes between you and your brother.”
She was already shaking her head before he even finished. “No, Kaleb knows how I feel about you. We talked about it after I came back from the compound. I told him that living the life the Lykens did wasn’t what I wanted and that I loved you. He knows how happy you make me, and as much as he may dislike it, it is something that he will get over and eventually understand. He has to if he loves me.”
Between sleeping and making love, Kayla was satisfied and sated. It finally seemed as though things were looking up for her, and her life was finally going down the right path, the path she had wanted and needed since meeting Adrik.
Chapter 21
A week had already passed since Kayla spent that glorious night in Adrik’s bed. She had been working diligently at the hospital and hadn’t seen him. It also didn’t help that she worked the night shift and was only home during the day.
She had learned a lot about vampires and what was real and what wasn’t. All of those things that she had seen in movies or had read in books about vampires were nothing more than myth, the majority at least. Aside from sunlight and decapitation, a vampire couldn’t be killed. It seemed like an insane notion to even consider, but she was a Lyken, after all, and according to Kaleb, she, too, was immortal. That was certainly something she hadn’t gotten used to, nor something she thought she would ever understand.
She had a few more hours before she needed to be at the hospital, and as she packed her bag and her lunch, she thought about Kaleb. He hadn’t been home for the entire week, and although she spoke to him every day and she knew he was fine, she couldn’t help but miss him. It was different when she thought he was on a mission because she knew there was no chance for him to see her anytime soon, but now he was only a few short hours away. It was hard knowing he was so close yet so far away.
She picked up her cell and dialed Lana’s number. She still hadn’t told Lana anything about what was going on in her life, even though they talked regularly. How was she even supposed to go about it? It really shouldn’t be that hard, not given the fact that Lana was with a vampire, but Kayla still found it hard to confide that to her best friend.
“Hello?” Lana’s voice was thick with sleep.
Kayla looked at the clock and realized that, although it was the middle of the day, Lana kept nocturnal hours due to her vampire lover. “Hey. I’m sorry if I woke you.”
Kayla heard sheets ruffle and a deep male voice mumble something in the background.
“It’s okay, what’s up?”
“Well, I was wondering if you had some free time. Maybe we can grab some breakfast? There are some things I need to talk to you about.”
“Is everything okay?” There was a noticeable change in Lana’s voice.
“No. It’s about Adrik and me.”
“I have a few hours in the morning that I’m free. I’m helping Aniya plan for that party I told you about.”
Kayla remembered the conversation she had with Lana, one that involved an Otherworld party that was being thrown at the club. Kayla needed to talk about what was going on and see if her best friend had any advice on how she should handle everything. She was a grown woman, true, but who couldn’t use some advice from someone they trusted?
Kayla grabbed her bag out of the backseat. She clipped her name badge onto her scrub top and headed inside. She took the employee entrance, opting to steer clear of the ER and all the people coming and going.
As soon as she stepped onto the floor, she could tell it was going to be a busy night.
Kayla made her way toward the staff lounge. When she entered she saw Deidra and Jasanna hovering over a table that was filled with pastries. Deidra looked up and smiled around a mouthful of jelly doughnut. The fluorescent lighting made her already pale skin look almost translucent. There were dark circles around her big blue eyes, a telltale sign of how stressful the floor had been.
Jasanna was already half sitting and half lying on the couch. Her doughnut was a quarter of the way eaten, and red jelly was pushed out of the side. She lifted her hand in a wave and mumbled something around a mouthful of dough and jelly. Jasanna was an exotic beauty. Her long brown hair was always shining and beautiful. Her skin had an olive undertone, and her eyes were big and round and the color of aged whiskey.
Jasanna swallowed loudly. “You are going to wish you hadn’t come in tonight.”
“That bad?” Kayla took off her light jacket and hung it on the back of the door. She grabbed her stethoscope and placed it around her neck.
“You have no idea. We have had three codes tonight, a man that pulled out his trach, and a woman with dementia that refuses to stay in bed despite the fact she isn’t able to walk.”
There was regret and sorrow in her coworker’s voice. She looked over at Deidra and saw that she was now lying on the other couch with her eyes closed.
“She worked a double.”
“Someone should have called me. I wouldn’t have minded coming in.” Kayla looked over at Deidra again.
Poor thing.
“She said she needed the money.”
Kayla had about thirty minutes before her shift started, so she grabbed a Danish and sat down. “It isn’t good if she is dead on her feet.”
They kept talking as though Deidra wasn’t even there, but from the way her body relaxed into the cushions and her breathing became even, Kayla knew it didn’t matter.
“To make matters worse, the charge nurse is Kaytlin. You know what a bitch she is.”
Oh yes, Kayla knew. She and Kaytlin didn’t get along. Although, to be fair, Kaytlin didn’t get along with anyone. Kayla finished her pastry, washed her hands, and said good-bye to Jasanna while Deidra still slept. She let the door close behind her, took a deep breath, and walked back onto the floor. She could already tell it was going to be one hell of a night.