Lost (4 page)

I bit into him like an apple and impossible as it may be,
Carl swelled even bigger to fill me up until I couldn’t take
anymore. His hands gripped my hips and ground up into me as he came
in a rough release of animalistic pleasure.

He tasted spicy and exotic in his ecstasy. During sex, blood
tasted different, fuller when the recipient was experiencing
intense pleasure, just as it did when they felt fear.

The rush
was indescribable.

“
Sara…” Carl’s throat rumbled. The continuous growl screamed a
tale of excitement and bliss, a hint swirling beneath I couldn’t
quite catch. How there wasn’t anyone else he’d rather be doing it
with. A strange thought, washed away with the rush of sexual
passion.

The fleeting moment of perfection ended before I could
process what went wrong. Gene’s old resentment and annoyance leaked
past the edges, to shove the facade of my life back before my
eyes.

What had
changed in my bloodlust? Had I enjoyed the taking too
much?

When my
fangs slipped from Carl’s throat, he exhaled in one long languorous
breath. His face nuzzled my neck and pressed his lips to my
flesh.

As if
fate had me about the throat, the threads of destiny curled around
my ligaments and tightened. My stomach clenched, sensing more than
knowing that my little chunk of the world had just altered
drastically.

I
blinked to realize my boyfriend was halfway to his feet. Had he
intended to leave? A towering shadow fell across us, stretching
over Gene’s body, physical malevolence choking in the sex soaked
room.

A strong hand threaded in my head, and tipped my head back.
Loren’s icy black gaze swept over my face.
“Crisis…handled.”

I licked my lips, drawing his attention to the red smear.
Loren’s pupils dilated. His mouth struck, rough, drugging kisses,
drawing the blood from my flesh. His hunger radiated, calling out
to mine.

Gene’s fingers bit into my thigh, and I tore away in time to
see him stand. Sheepish, my mind sought his, finding calculation
and an eerie determination. That frail thread of hope snapped,
rebounding as our connection broke. I met his fiery gaze head on.
This time, I felt nothing. Hollowness without the ache. No blame,
for myself or him. Just reality.

His gaze
flicked to Loren, naked challenge etching the planes of his face.
Carl tensed beneath me. We were caught between two feral animals. I
shifted, ready to dislodge Carl’s cock, and end this, walk out of
the house and be done with it.

“
Where do you think you’re going?” Gene whispered. “You wanted
this, remember? What sort of boyfriend would I be, if I didn’t give
you what you want? Don’t forget, now I get what I want.”

How did
I answer that? Minefields are not my forte. I was a dress them
down, and blow them up sort of girl. I only used finesse in the
most extreme circumstances, and mostly ended in failure.

“
I’m sorry,” I mumbled hoarsely.

“
For what?”

“
Stop playing with her,” Loren said coldly, dangerously. “She
might be too distracted to see, but I’m not.”

I swiveled to stare at Loren. I studied the harshness warping
him into the ferrous man who held nothing back and rarely kept his
opinion to himself.

“
Why did you come back?” I swallowed as his attention shifted
to me. Deep-seated pain in the set lips ensnared me. The noise from
the room fell away.

“
I had to,” Loren said. “I sensed something was going to
happen whether I left or not. I couldn’t leave you to the fallout.”
He cupped my chin when I would’ve turned away. His thumb brushed my
jaw, and my heart fluttered.

Carl clamped his hands on my hips, nails grazing my skin. My
brow furrowed. The action was far from sexual.

“
I don’t understand what’s wrong with the two of you,” I
said.

“
We should leave, Sara. Right now. Just get up, and we’ll go
get a drink.” Carl’s arm banded around my stomach.

Loren
released his hold.

“
Gene, did you want to...” I trailed off as I realized he
wasn’t in front of me anymore.

“
I’m sorry, Sara,” Loren said.

I leapt from Carl’s lap. The pain between my thighs from the
sudden movement was lost in a wave of crushing hurt and confusion.
My fingers clawed, my shoulders shook. Carl leapt and held me back
when I would’ve launched at Gene.

Bent over a couch, he slid into that fucking blonde, keeping
eye contact with me as he plunged in all the way. The gesture
wasn’t lost on me. He’d waited until I’d watched.

I
ploughed through his mind, past every barrier, exploiting my
Maker’s bond. He winced, pressing a palm to his temple.

Stupid bitch will learn this time. She is mine, and mine
alone. She will do as she’d told, or nothing at all.

My eyes
burned as blood filled them. My Curse danced to the surface,
surging to eradicate the threat to my fragile psyche. In that
moment, just as I’d made him, I’d as easily end him.

“
Sara, if you hurt him, can you live with yourself tomorrow?
You know you act before thinking through the consequences to
yourself,” Carl said slowly. “Let me call Corrine, tell her what’s
going on. She can deal with him.”

“
He broke the rules,” I snapped. “We play together, or not at
all.” I ripped from Carl’s embrace as he scrambled after me. I
whirled, fangs exploding in my mouth. “Do not follow
me.”

I glided
past Gene and his latest fixation, head held high, shoulders
straight. At least part of me appeared composed. The moment I
passed the threshold, a single tear ran down my cheek.

Chapter Three

Many have said that I possess a conflicting
personality.

One moment, I sounded like the epitome of white trash
complete with a dirty mind and dirtier mouth. In the next breath
I’d sound perfectly eloquent, presenting an intelligent argument on
cutting edge science or human political parties and their views on
democracy.

I hadn’t gone to college. Hell, I’d never touched a high
school diploma. But I read. And I listened. No matter the words
coming out of my mouth, the biggest mistake anyone could’ve made,
was to underestimate me. Those who risk that rarely
survived.

Regardless of what people thought of me,
brainiac revolutionist, or moronic slut, I was just a woman with
emotions. Sentimental feelings that were often trampled on. But if
my life taught me anything, I had to maintain a tough exterior at
all times. To
show
anything other than the hardass bitch was
hazardous.

Life was
a stage.

I was an actress.

The aching silence of the hallway hurt my ears, the
loneliness pained my heart. I huddled in my now whole silk robe.
Loathed tears burned my eyes. I breathed deeply in hopes of sucking
them back in. I would not break down in public like
this.

I
couldn’t
.

He’s an asshole, and doesn’t deserve
you,
Loren assured me, his feather soft
whisper brushing the outreaches of my mind.

As pathetic as it was, I wanted him to be with me and pick up
the pieces. I stood on my own, and didn’t actively seek help or
someone to console me.

I didn’t know how to ask for it in this moment.

Well…

No. I haven’t seen a reason good enough to do this to you. To
say it was childish would be the understatement of the
millennia.

And with that, Gene’s facial expression was the most crucial
picture to dominate my mind’s recollection. The look he’d given me
as I walked by him had been priceless. So cold and dead, I’d never
forget it.

Loren appeared at my side, out of thin air.
Teleportation was a perk. “Do not think these thoughts. You
are
so
much
better than him.”

I jumped as Carl barrelled around the corner, a snarl on his
perfect lips. His anger was instant, and destructively
primordial.

“
That was
pure
bullshit! He had no right to do
that to you,” he rumbled. “I could kick his…”

“
You know that wouldn’t work,” Loren replied. “He would
demolish you once his Curse took over, which doesn’t take all that
much with him these days.”

Carl grunted. His eyes smouldered while he assessed me in
silence.

“
Honey, forget him,” Carl said, vigilantly. “He isn’t worth
your tears.”

I looked away, embarrassed. Though not as much as I should’ve
been. I was far more upset about that fact, than catching Gene
balls-deep in that woman. A woman I now wanted to tear apart piece
by blessed piece, just on principle alone. And then revel in the
bloodshed.

I closed my eyes, but the tears brimmed over anyway. I hated
confusion, and as the seconds ticked by it only doubled. I wanted
the world to straighten out again, to know I had one goal and
steadily work toward it.

“
My love, please don’t be so upset.” Loren pulled me into a
hug. “I could kill him for you, if that would make you
happy.”

I
laughed bitterly. “Max wouldn’t be happy.”

Loren
shot me a look that said, “Who cares?”

“
He’s nothing, but a grown boy and you need
a
real
man. I
think it’s time you see that for yourself. We both know what he’s
thinking right now and it isn’t about you,” Loren said,
fiercely.

Why had this happened? Out of all the parties we'd attended
at Brody’s, never had I been blind-sided like this. I shook my
head.

I was too disgusted with Gene to even attempt the whys and
hows right now. If I didn’t get out of there now; I'd do something
stupid in front of the ignorant humans. And I'd be responsible for
cleaning up the mess.

“
Come now, my love, let’s find somewhere to talk.” Loren
tugged me from the wall that currently held me up.

Carl stirred. “You need me Sara, just call. If he weren’t a
vampire, I’d deck him myself, repeatedly.” Wrapping his arms around
me, Carl kissed my cheek, Clearly, he wanted to say more, and chose
not to. “Thanks for a wicked time.”

“
Thank you, Carl, for everything.”

He nodded, pushed off and disappeared at the end of the
hall.

“
Loren…”

“
Please, don’t even think about him. Allow
me this chance without him. Let me have you on
my
on credit, and then make your
decision,” he pleaded, taking me by surprise by the honest plea in
his voice.

“
But…”

“
Please, Sara. I adore being with you, talking to you and
making love to you. I’d always thought the two of you were horrible
for each other, but I kept my silence, praying you’d see it, and
you finally have.” Loren’s hand brushed up my throat. His face
moved down to mine.

“
See what? That he’s an ass?”

He just
smiled and brushed his fingers down to my chin. His eyes held mine,
never allowing me to look away.

“
I want you.”

I
snorted. He always wanted sex.

“
No my love, I want
you
. No matter the odds, in the past
year I found myself waiting for your call. To hear
your
voice. That hasn’t
happened to me in so long.” Loren paused, and then his gaze heated,
a flush of ruby red staining the rich brown of his irises. “At
night when I lay in bed alone, I stroke myself thinking of your
lips.” He kissed me softly, this one was tender and sweet, unlike
any other kiss we’d ever shared. “To have your blood on my tongue.”
He brushed the very tips of his canines over my bottom lip. “And
the taste as you come.”

His hand
slipped between the panels of my robe to run down my stomach and
delve between my legs.

“
You’re serious,” I mumbled rather stupidly.

“
Quite.” Loren pressed his lips back to mine for a too short
instant. “Will you give me this night to make you forget, just for
a little while?”

“
Yes. Make me forget him.” I closed my eyes against the fresh
wave of pain I prepared for.

“
That would be my pleasure.” Loren savoured the
words.

He swung me into his arms, and began walking down the hall,
away from the living room, and my complicated life’s most current
bane.

“
Let’s go somewhere more private, shall we?”

“
All right.”

Magic raced over my skin. My soul shivered the moment our
bodies left Brody's mansion and the most sensual party to be found
in the Lower Mainland.

* * *
*

I opened my eyes to see the comforting blue ocean in the
darkness, stretching out before us. We stood on a high balcony
shrouded in see-through white curtains billowing in the breeze. The
soft material brushed my legs and arms.