Vampire Cadet (8 page)

Slowly, with care, she put her hand over his chest where his heart beat wildly. The thump thump of the capricious organ was delightful. The blood that pounded through that fragile piece of flesh was burning with heat. She kissed his soft lips, and her tongue thrust inside to taste his familiar, sweet mouth. She simply couldn’t have enough of him.

His fingers glided down to her butt, squeezed the flesh, and he pressed his body against hers. The forest was silent, save for the two of them as they stood locked in an embrace. When she left him, she would miss him. He was an amazing, smart and intelligent man who had given her the greatest win of her career.

But it was nearly time to say goodbye.

Bryce flipped her down on the soft grass. His head bent to stroke her nipple that was already hard with desire. Her body twisted and arched as he kneaded and stroked her flesh, raising her to the heights of desire. Her skin tingled wherever he touched her. She couldn’t wait to have him inside her. Shannon parted her legs, but he slipped his fingers inside her vagina, rubbing and caressing until she withered under his relentless assault.

His hand found her soft, sensitive nub that was nestled between the curls on her vagina, and he fondled the G-spot until she came with a loud curse.

“You can’t have enough of me, can you?” He bared his teeth as he straddled her. With one hard stroke, he shoved his penis inside her.

Shannon took a deep breath to take in the heady, spicy, male scent that was uniquely his own. The warm, metallic scent of his blood mingled in with his fragrance. She glided a finger down from his shoulders to the curve of his neck and touched it to the pulse that beat at the base of his throat. A sharp, demanding thirst burned its way down to her gut at the aroma of his blood.

She couldn’t wait anymore to taste him again. While he rode her hard, his breath coming in gasps, she sank her teeth on the spot directly above his heart. His loud cry of pain only served to increase her joy in the delicious delight as his blood flooded over her lips and slid down her throat. She wanted more and more of it.

Shannon gulped the nectar down, relishing each drop as if it was her last. She simply couldn’t stop. 

Despite the pain, he didn’t stop moving. His hips pounded into hers, his big cock glistening with her juices as he slid in and out, mad with lust and the need for more power. A wave began to build in her gut. It swept and careered though her senses, through every fiber of her body, until she longed for release even as her lips remained locked on the wound on his chest.

She wanted his blood. And she wanted it all.

But the orgasm that swept through her like a hurricane returned sanity. She pulled her lips back as her body jerked and trembled. Bryce continued to move, his body locked in a rhythm that had taken over all his sane thoughts. Finally, she heard him yell as his semen spilled inside her.

He gulped in deep breaths of air as if he had been deprived of the life-sustaining oxygen for too long. Shannon could all but feel the power that radiated through his nerves. She had given him a big boost, one that would last for a long time.

Now, they were ready to face Ra’ad and his band of trained fighters.

Chapter Eight

Shannon wore her clothes. She watched Bryce as he flexed his muscles. She could imagine the power that was running through his body. It must feel heady to feel so strong. She’d injected enough venom inside him to make him feel invincible but not enough to turn him.

It had been a dicey situation. Any more or any less, and her effort could have produced disastrous results. But she was glad that she gave him the right dose. He would have to be strong today. Ra’ad was a dangerous foe. In order to outsmart him, Bryce would have to be cunning.

She called the commander and gave him the coordinates. “We’re moving in to reconnaissance, sir.”

“Don’t take action until the soldiers and the bomb disposal unit arrives,” he ordered.

“Yes sir.” Shannon lied blatantly. She had a plan and she was going to stick to it.

After she was done, Shannon hung up. She glanced over at Bryce. Was he up to the task? “Make sure he doesn’t escape. Try to kill him. If you can kill him quickly, he won’t be able to hurt you. But failing that, just keep him occupied until I arrive to deal with him. It’s going to take me ten minutes to deal with  the guards that are posted outside, and another twenty minutes to dispose those who are inside.”

“I understand.” He threw on his shirt and slipped his pants on. “It’s amazing, isn’t it?”

“What?”

“Thus rush of power that pulsates through your veins.”

Shannon gripped his arm. “Listen to me, Bryce. No matter how powerful you feel, Ra’ad is likely better than you. He is a full vampire and has been through such kind of situations before. He is not going to lose his head and make silly mistakes. You will have to be alert and ready for whatever moves he makes.”

“I’ll get it right, Shannon.” He kissed her on the lips, his tongue darting inside to taste her. “Don’t you worry. I’ll hold him until you come.”

She nodded. With a quick leap, she was off and away. She located the first guard just inside the main gate. He was sitting on a chair. Without a sound, she moved behind him. Her arm gripped his throat and with one flick of her wrist, his neck broke. He didn’t even have time to whimper before he was dead. She left him on the chair. Anyone who peered outside would think he was sleeping. If he was missing from the chair, someone might raise an alarm. Pressing herself against the wall, she crept along quickly and found the second guard at the back of the farmhouse. He was smoking a cigarette. Violently and without mercy, she pushed him into the wall and heard the satisfying jolt as his skull burst open with a crack. Shannon dragged him behind some bushes and left him there.

Where was the third man? Shannon stood against the wall and listened quietly. She could hear the familiar thump thump of Bryce’s heart as he crept through the main gate. And then she detected another heartbeat on the right side of the building. Within a blink of an eye, she was standing behind the guard who was peeing in the grass. She waited until he zipped up his pants.

Even the dead deserved dignity.

With a swift move, she broke his neck and left him hidden behind a flower bed. Now, her way inside was clear. Shannon moved to the front of the building. Bryce was waiting there for her. Seeing her, he grinned. Quietly, they opened the door and slid inside. Shannon listened for a moment. She heard heartbeats from three rooms on the ground floor. Nothing stirred on the first floor.

It was possible that Ra’ad was on the first floor. She gestured to Bryce and watched as he went up. Shannon realized that she feared for his safety. Would he be able to handle Ra’ad? What if he died? Maybe she’d underestimated her feelings for Bryce. It seemed that she cared for him more than she wanted to admit.

But there was nothing else to do. She’d already committed them to this action. The backup soldiers would be here soon – and they had better get rid of Ra’ad before that.

Shannon moved towards the first room. There were three people inside. Since she couldn’t take them all out at the same time, she decided to use her gun. It would make some noise, but it would faster. She took it out of its hostler and kept it ready in her hand. Shannon kicked the door open and opened fire. The first bullet blew apart a man’s head, and the second caught another in the chest, but the third leapt aside. Picking up a gun, he attempted to fire but her bullet shred through his heart before he could press the trigger. Even before he fell, she was out of the room.

The sound of the gun was loud enough to give warning to the other six men. She hoped Bryce had pinned Ra’ad because she had to duck behind a wall as a man opened fire on her with a machine gun. It wouldn’t kill her even if she got hit, but it would be hard to explain the wounds and the lack of blood to the soldiers who were coming this way. Shannon waited until he emptied his gun. She took aim and shot his hand. While he screamed, she leapt into the other room, out of the range of the others who were firing at her.

It took her longer than the time she had allotted to get rid of the men. They had machine guns which sprayed bullets everywhere, and she had to avoid getting hit in order to avoid suspicions of the soldiers who would reach the location in a while.

Finally, she was done. Every mercenary who had been on the ground floor was now dead. Shannon checked the time. It had been fifty minutes since she entered the building. The soldiers would be here any minute. She had miscalculated. Maybe she should have called them after everything was under her control.

It was too late for regrets.

Shannon leapt up the stairs. Suddenly, a figure jumped on her. Shannon blocked the elbow that thrust towards her neck. It was Ra’ad. No ordinary man could move so fast. If he was here, where was Bryce?

She had no time to wonder. Her fight with Ra’ad took every ounce of her concentration. The vampire was more than a match for her skills. He had super strength and was fast and quick. Shannon leapt and jumped, parried his blows, and fought with great skill. But he was more experienced than her. She caught a blow on her elbow and felt the bone shatter. A moan escaped her lips as she took a few hasty steps back to give herself some time.

Ra’ad was far more dangerous that she had anticipated. His teeth were pulled back, his fang exposed as he attacked her with a determined ferocity.

She was already breathing hard and the pain from the shattered bone radiated through every nerve and cell of her body. Shannon realized that she was in deep trouble. Ra’ad wasn’t a mortal who could be easily captured. And she was already hurt. As she slipped back, giving way, trying to keep him from killing her, Shannon thought frantically of a way to save her life.

She was no longer thinking of defeating him. Shannon was trying to figure out a way to escape. If she lived, she could fight him another day.

Suddenly, he leapt. His elbow came down. She was sure he was going to hit her across her windpipe and sever her neck with one blow. Out of nowhere, a large figure jumped in his way. Before she could blink, the new attacker pushed Ra’ad away from Shannon. In his hand, he held a wooden stake which he sent crashing into Ra’ad, straight through his heart.

With a loud scream that chilled her bones, the old and mighty vampire burst into flames. His body burned so bright, so fast – and within a minute all that was left in his place was a pile of ashes. Shannon turned to gaze at Bryce who was standing with his hands on his hips, a triumphant smile on his face.

What had he done? It took her only a moment to comprehend the difference in him. His heart wasn’t beating anymore. Shannon groaned as she stood. Her elbow was already on the mend but the accelerated healing process hurt more than the actual blow that had broken it. Walking over, she picked up the wooden stake that had ended Ra’ad.

“How?” she asked simply.

“I promised him that I would allow him to leave if he turned me. He realized that his chance of escaping were low since there were two of us. I was powerful enough to hold him while you were strong enough to kill him with my help.” He shrugged. “Calculating the odds, he accepted my offer. He injected me with the venom and was going out when you burst into the scene. Sorry, it took me a while to recover. Does it hurt?”

His eyes were shot with blood. They would turn slowly to his natural color when he drank his fill of blood. His skin must already be itching with need, his throat parched with thirst.

“You shouldn’t have done it, Bryce.”

“I had no intention of letting him get away. It was my only chance to get what I wanted. Can you blame me? I wanted it so badly. And I did it for us.” Within a heartbeat, he was standing next to her. His touched her cheek with his hand. “Now, we can be together forever and no one can tear us apart.”

“You’ve made a big mistake.” She felt her heart welling with sorrow.

“Don’t be silly. You were needlessly worried. See, look at me.” He stood straight. “What’s wrong with me? I am perfectly fine.”

She sighed. There was no time to bicker over this. “Yes, you are. But you need to get away before others arrive. Our backup will be here soon.”

“As usual, they will come in when all the work is done.” He chuckled.

Suddenly, there was a loud noise from downstairs. People pounded into the farmhouse. She heard noises and someone climbed the stairs.

“All clear downstairs,” she heard someone whisper.

Shannon’s gaze was fixed on Bryce. His nostrils flared, his eyes widened, and his face split into a feral grin. Even as she leapt to contain him, he was bounding down the stairs. She heard someone yell, and Bryce jumped back upstairs, his arms tight around a soldier who was trembling and screaming. Bryce’s head was bent, his fangs were buried in the soldier’s shoulder, and he was drinking even as he dragged the person back.

“Let go, Bryce. Let go.” She yelled but he was beyond hearing or understanding anything. Within a span of a few heartbeats, he had drunk enough blood to drain the soldier. He threw the man aside and leapt to go back down. Shannon blocked his path. He tried to push past her. Her feet skidded on the floor and she teetered on the edge of the stairway as she fought to control him.

“Get out. Get out NOW,” she yelled to the soldiers down below. “Bomb!” she screamed to get their attention.