Oliver's Hunger (Scanguards Vampires #7) (17 page)

His cock was still coated with her juices when he thrust back inside her, seating himself to the hilt. The tightness of her interior muscles nearly robbed him of his control, but he didn’t allow himself to give into the urge to seek release. This was too sweet a victory to rush it. Her warmth and wetness enveloped him, welcoming him home like a sheath its blade.

Lowering himself over her body, he moved his hips back and forth, moving in and out of her in slow and measured strokes, ignoring the vampire inside him that demanded he go faster and harder. That part of him would win soon enough, but first he wanted his human side to enjoy the tender slide of flesh on flesh—something he hadn’t experienced as a human: he’d always used condoms. But now, as a vampire, there was no need for those pesky things anymore. He could neither contract nor transmit diseases. As for an unwanted pregnancy: there was no chance of that either, since vampire males could impregnate only their blood-bonded mates.

Underneath him, Ursula’s chest rose in concert with her breaths, and her skin shimmered with a thin sheen of perspiration. Her lips were parted, her lids half closed, and the sounds that came from her throat were deep moans and sighs that he gobbled up as if he were starving.

God, how he loved a responsive woman, and the Asian beauty beneath him was more than just responsive. Her movements mirrored the passion he’d seen in her eyes earlier and spoke of the fire that burned inside her. He could see the flames as they tried to reach the surface, and could sense the lust that she’d buried inside her for so long. The need that she’d had to suppress. No longer. With every thrust of his cock, he teased more of it out of her, demanded that she show him what lay behind those mysterious eyes and was hidden in her heart.

Without any conscious effort on his part, his body moved in synch with hers, adjusting his rhythm to her heartbeat and her breaths. He’d always wondered what it would be like to make love as a vampire. Now he knew: it was more intense. All sensations were amplified, each touch more meaningful, and each kiss more passionate. At the same time, his energy was boundless, even though he knew that his control wouldn’t last forever.

The thing he’d never thought, however, was that the first time he made love as a vampire would be in the back of a van. But it didn’t matter where they were, because all he could look at was Ursula, her flawless face, and her perfect body. Their surroundings melted into the background.

Being inside her and driving them both to ecstasy was all he was interested in. More and more, the vampire inside him pushed aside the selfless lover from earlier and took over the reins. With it, the hunger for blood moved to the forefront again, more urgent this time. His look veered to the vein at her neck. Her heartbeat pounded in his ears, the blood rushing through her veins sounding like a waterfall that cascaded down into a pool of sloshing water.

He ripped his gaze away from the tempting prize and took her lips instead, distracting himself by kissing her and by concentrating on the way she made his cock feel as her muscles gripped him with each inward stroke.

Pounding harder and deeper into her, he put all his thoughts into one goal: to find his release with her. It was the only thing that could ward off the need for blood for a little while longer.

Releasing her lips, he searched her eyes. “Baby, I’m coming. I can’t . . . ”

Before he could even finish his sentence, his balls tightened, signaling the approach of his climax. A second later, his seed shot through his cock, filling her as he continued thrusting into her.

He breathed hard when he finally collapsed onto her, bracing one leg on the floor in order not to crush her with his weight.

“Oh God,” she sighed.

He lifted his head for a moment. “I’m sorry. You didn’t come. I’ll make it up to you later.” After he’d fed. Right now, he couldn’t risk it.

“It doesn’t matter,” she replied and combed her hand through his hair.

“It does.” And he would find a way for them to climax together, even if it was the last thing he did. “Later.” Right after he’d had his fill of blood. “Let’s go home now.”

Her eyes looked at him questioningly. “Home?”

“Yes, my home.”

“What are you gonna do about the wallet?”

“Don’t worry. I’ll find the guy.”

“Promise me you won’t tell your colleagues about my blood. They can’t find out,” she begged.

How he could keep the information from his colleagues forever, he wasn’t sure. Eventually, he would have to tell them what was going on—particularly if the man whom the wallet belonged to confirmed that Ursula’s blood was a drug to vampires.

“Please.”

Oliver nodded, unable to disappoint her. “I promise.”

20

The nightclub was packed, and the music was blaring. Cain squeezed through the crowd, making a path for himself just as Zane and Amaury did, all the while scanning the throng of people for vampires.

“I don’t see anything wrong,” he yelled to get Zane’s attention.

His boss turned. “The club has three floors and a few private rooms.”

Cain nodded.

“Thomas and a few of our guards should be here already,” Zane added. “But I don’t see them. Amaury and I will go up a story. It looks quiet down here, but nevertheless, check all the rooms on this floor, then follow us if you don’t find anything.”

Cain grudgingly complied and watched them head for the stairs. It didn’t appear that any fight was happening on this floor, and he would much rather join in whatever action was taking place farther up in the building.

“Fuck it,” he cursed. With efficiency, he scanned the dance floor, noticing nothing out of place. Just a mass of people writhing against each other to a monotonous techno rhythm.

He pushed past the sweating bodies, ignoring the scent of heated blood that was more intense whenever a human’s body was hot from exercise or dancing. An array of disparate perfumes mixed in the air-conditioned air of the club, but the air conditioning couldn’t keep up with recycling the used air. The scent of alcohol mingled with it. The clubbers were drinking while dancing, spilling half their drinks on the floor.

Cain scanned the bar that lined the wall beyond the dance floor. Three bartenders were busy serving the never-ending thirst of their clients. Still, he saw nothing out of the ordinary. He was about to move on when his eyes were drawn to a man who pressed a young woman against him. Not a man—a vampire, as his aura suggested. Cain zoomed in, but there was nothing wild or uncontrolled about the other vampire’s behavior.

Making his way through the crowd, Cain headed for the bar, wanting to take a closer look to make sure the woman wasn’t in distress. He chose an angle of approach from which the other vampire couldn’t see him, even though he was aware that the vampire would sense him.

When Cain was close enough to listen in on their conversation, he stopped and watched.

The woman was in her early twenties, pretty, and endowed with a set of boobs any Hollywood starlet would be envious of. Her hand was on the vampire’s jeans-encased ass, and she was clearly pressing him against her—admittedly very enticing—body.

Cain heard the vampire groan. “Sugar, you keep on doing that, I’m gonna have to take you right here.”

She giggled. “Well maybe then we should get out of here.”

He sunk his head to her neck. Cain went on alert. Would he bite her in full view of several hundreds of human witnesses? Cain’s legs moved of their own volition, bringing him closer to the unknown vampire.

Suddenly, the vampire lifted his head from the girl’s neck and turned to stare at Cain. Cain’s eyes instantly honed in on the woman’s skin, but it was unblemished. Then he met the other vampire’s stare.

The stranger nodded briefly, letting Cain know that he’d seen him and knew that he was a vampire. Then he turned to the woman in his arms.

“I think it’s past your bedtime,” he said to her, making no effort to lower his voice.

Cain turned away. Clearly, the vampire was in possession of all his faculties, nothing crazy about him. That he wanted to take a human woman to bed was none of Cain’s business, particularly since it appeared that the woman consented wholeheartedly.

“Have fun,” Cain murmured, knowing that the other vampire would be able to hear him.

As the vampire left with his conquest for the night, Cain walked to the other side of the club which he hadn’t covered yet. There, mirrored partitions separated the dance floor from an area with high tables and bar stools. It was only marginally quieter there, but just as crowded.

Again, Cain walked through the area, watching for any signs of vampires, but he didn’t see the tell-tale aura that surrounded a vampire, something only other preternatural creatures could see. Having completed his sweep of the first floor, he headed for the stairs. When he set his foot on the first step, something in his peripheral vision caught his attention.

He whipped his head in its direction and noticed a door that was ajar. It could easily be overlooked, because it was made of the same material as the shiny black paneling that surrounded it. A dim light came from inside the room.

His heartbeat kicking up a notch, he walked toward the door, his eyes scanning the people around him, but nobody seemed to pay him any attention. With the tip of his finger, he opened the door another inch, then spied inside. From the little he could see from this angle, the room appeared to be a private party room, furnished with a large sectional.

Cain let his senses reach out, but couldn’t sense the presence of a vampire. He inhaled. What he smelled made his gums itch violently: blood.

“Shit!” he cursed and pulled the door open wide enough so he could squeeze inside. He closed it behind him, holding his breath as he did so.

It took his eyes one second to assess the situation, and his stomach an additional one to turn upside down.

***

Zane narrowed his eyes, focusing on a group of youngsters who screamed with the music and danced wildly, when he picked up a scent. Next to him, Amaury growled: he’d smelled the same thing.

Simultaneously, he and Amaury pushed through the crowd and cleared a path to where the smell of blood originated. Zane scanned the area. Beyond the bar, which was of similar size as the one on the first floor, smaller booths were tucked away in a corner, their entrances partially obstructed by mirrored screens. The booths were furnished with plush seating arrangements and low tables for drinks.

As he got closer, Zane sensed the aura of a vampire. He stormed into the booth, Amaury only steps behind him. A vampire was sucking on the neck of a young Asian woman, her struggles evidence that the bite was not a welcome one, and that the vampire wasn’t employing his mind control skills to pacify her. His hand was clamped over her mouth so she couldn’t scream, but her eyes did the screaming instead. He was making her suffer deliberately.

Zane jumped toward him, when the rogue vampire suddenly whirled around and glared at him, his fangs dripping with blood, his eyes red. The stranger pounced instantly and with such ferocity that Zane was thrown back against a wall, shattering the mirrored surface.

He caught himself quickly, but the vampire was wilder than he’d ever seen anyone. Like an animal he attacked again, growling; saliva and blood dripped from his mouth as his claws veered toward Zane’s neck. Zane sidestepped him.

The girl’s screams, which the rogue vampire had muffled before, now came from his victim’s throat. From the corner of his eye, Zane verified that Amaury was taking care of the situation and concentrated on his attacker again.

Zane was no stranger to bloody fights, but this vampire was different—stronger and more dangerous—even though he was only of average size. Bloodlust, he figured. There was no other explanation for it.

Had this been any other fight, Zane would have simply reached for his stake and driven it into the jerk’s heart, but he needed him alive. This was the first time they’d actually come face-to-face with one of the crazies that the mayor had asked them to watch out for. And if they wanted to know what was really going on and what was causing them to go berserk, he needed to catch one alive.

As he dodged another blow by his attacker, Zane swiveled and jumped behind him, then kicked him in the back of his knees. But instead of falling to his knees as Zane would have expected, the vampire jerked his elbows back and slammed them into Zane’s ribcage, knocking the wind out of him.

“Fuck!” Zane ground out as he absorbed the violent jab.

“Chain!” Amaury yelled behind him.

Zane turned his head and saw how Amaury pulled on his gloves in vampire speed, then reached into this pocket. When he pulled the silver chain from it, Zane jumped aside, giving Amaury a straight line-of-sight to the attacker, who’d already turned and was ready to land more kicks and blows.

The hostile vampire’s high leg kicks prevented Amaury from coming close enough to throw the chain around his neck. Flashing his fangs, the rogue snarled like a beast, then jumped toward Amaury. Zane, standing off to the side, saw his opportunity and kicked his leg up, hitting the vampire in the groin in mid-jump. He buckled.

Amaury didn’t lose any time and wrapped the silver chain around his neck. The stench of singed hair and flesh immediately permeated the air.

“Fucking asshole!” Amaury cursed as he held the chain tight behind his neck and brought him down on the ground. The vampire was struggling, bringing his hands to the chain to remove it from his neck, but burned his fingers as he touched the only metal that was toxic to a vampire.

Zane kicked his boot against the rogue’s hip, then helped Amaury tie him up with a second chain. Behind him, the girl was still crying. Zane stood and looked at her.

Her neck was bleeding profusely, her body was covered with bruises from the vampire’s claws. He’d brutalized her.

“Shit!” Zane hissed.

A gaze to the entrance of the booth confirmed that none of the clubbers had noticed what was going on: the music was too loud for anybody to hear any of the fighting or the girl’s screams, and the mirrored partition that partially covered the entrance to the booth hid the carnage behind.