Blood Ties Bundle: Blood Ties Book One: The Turning / Blood Ties Book Two: Possession / Blood Ties Book Three: Ashes to Ashes / Blood Ties Book Four: All Souls' Night

“I should have bitten you that night,” he rasped, one hand moving to cup my breast. “I should have ripped your flesh with my teeth and fed from you, rather than flee like a coward. If only I could have silenced your screams so I could have taken my time.”

I moaned, dropping my head back to give him fuller access. Memories of the attack washed over me, some his, some my own. But now they were not horrific. Now, when I saw his hand twisted in my hair, saw myself kneeling and praying—had I prayed?—at his feet, the images were searing and erotic.

I reminded myself of the blood tie, of the control he had over me, but I didn’t care. This wouldn’t be something that happened to me. This would be something that I chose to do.

Ziggy groaned at our knees. Moving behind me, Cyrus eased me onto the bed so I lay beside the boy. With one arm draped over my waist, my sire leaned close to my ear and whispered, “Drink, Carrie.”

And God, how I wanted to. But it was Ziggy. “If I do, will it kill him?”

Obviously misinterpreting the nature of my question, Cyrus chuckled. “Go ahead, take his life if you’d like. Or, let him live and we’ll play with him later. Whatever you prefer.”

When I hesitated, he reached over me to lay a lethally sharp fingernail against Ziggy’s exposed throat. “Do you want me to cut him for you?”

I sensed his impatience through the blood tie and by the way his legs rubbed restlessly against mine. If he knew who Ziggy was, if he knew why I couldn’t feed from him…

No. I could do this. All I needed to do was show Cyrus I was willing to perform the act. Even just a few drops would prove that. Then he wouldn’t hurt me or Ziggy.

Yes, I could do this. To protect Ziggy’s life, I could hurt him.

I ran my tongue over my fangs. I hadn’t even felt the change take place. It was beginning to feel natural. I leaned close to Ziggy’s throat.

“Yes,” Cyrus hissed into my ear. He bunched a fistful of my gown in his hand, pulling it higher and higher until I felt his palm against my bare thigh.

Taking a deep breath for control, I bit down. I’d expected Ziggy’s body to stiffen beneath my mouth, but he didn’t react at all.

When the blood hit my tongue, I cried out with the most intense orgasm I’d ever experienced. The sensation was so overwhelming it took me a moment to realize I hadn’t felt it at all. It was Ziggy’s memory, seeping into me through his blood. His eyes opened and I saw through them as he collapsed, sated, against the bare mattress of his bed.

There was the click of a door opening, and Ziggy flipped onto his back, panic obliterating the peace that lingered from his climax. Nathan stood frozen in the doorway, covered in grime and soot from the fire. His eyes, clouded with fatigue, flamed to life with shock and sudden anger.

He was masturbating, so what? I thought, a little surprised at Nathan’s reaction. Then I saw the third person in the room, a young man Ziggy’s age, at the corner of the bed. He clutched the rumpled sheet to his naked body and rapidly tried to explain his presence before grabbing his clothes and pushing past Nathan.

I felt Ziggy’s shame, but also his strange relief at being found out and his embarrassment at the knowledge I saw everything he remembered.

I didn’t know he was coming upstairs, his thoughts whispered in my head. I didn’t know he’d be so mad. I should have told him. I want to go home.

I jerked my head back, clamping my palm over the wound I’d inflicted to stop the bleeding. When no blood oozed between my fingers, I lifted my hand. The bite was neatly closed, but a telling scar remained.

“What’s wrong?” Cyrus sat up and tried to slip his arm around me for support.

I pushed him away. “I can’t do this.”

His face contorted in anger, but he covered it quickly. “Why not?”

Quivering, I tried to pull down my skirt. “I can see his thoughts. I can feel his emotions.”

“Oh, is that all?” With a laugh that sounded more condescending than comforting, he pulled me into his arms. “Darling, that’s the best part.”

“I didn’t like it.” I tensed a little, testing the strength of his hold.

His arms tightened around me solidly enough to prevent me from running. He licked the shell of my ear, and I felt some of my forgotten desire return. “There, there, dearest. You did very well, for your first time.” His hand fell to my lap, seeking the hem of my skewed gown. “And the night is still young. There are plenty of other exciting things we can do.”

The touch of his cold hand, separated from my flesh only by the thin material of my panties, sucked the breath from my lungs. I opened my legs for him and reached back to loop an arm around his neck.

When I heard Ziggy make another soft groan, I snapped back to reality. “Wait, wait.”

“Now what’s wrong?” His annoyance was unmistakable this time. Cyrus swung his legs over the side of the bed and stood, pulling his shirt off in one agitated motion. “Do we need scented candles and Barry White? How about mirrors on the ceiling?”

“Don’t be angry,” I said, a little tearfully, and I insisted to myself it was nerves and exhaustion that made me react in such a way. “This is just so…new.”

With a deep sigh, he removed his belt and dropped it to the floor, kicking it aside. “I know. And I know I come across as a tad impatient. But I want you, Carrie. I’m not used to waiting for gratification.”

“I’m tired,” I admitted, not caring if it upset him. “Let me sleep today, and I promise we’ll…you know, tomorrow.”

He smiled. “I suppose I can wait one more day.”

Biting my lip, I looked to Ziggy, who still lay paralyzed on the bed. “But you have to do something for me.”

I’d expected him to be insulted, possibly enraged, but he seemed pleasantly surprised. “You want to make a deal with me? Fine. For what price will I buy a night of sin with you, my princess?”

I wished he wouldn’t call me that, but now was not the time to argue. I pointed at Ziggy. “I want to keep him.”

Cyrus arched an eyebrow. “Keep him?”

“As a pet. He was my first victim. I want a souvenir.”

I held my breath as I waited for his reply. After a long moment, he finally spoke. “I don’t see why not. You may have your trophy.”

“Thank you.” I kept my eyes downcast and let him kiss me on the forehead to seal our agreement. As I walked toward the door, I heard the rustle of the mattress sinking under his weight.

I turned to see him stretched out beside Ziggy, tracing the line of the boy’s bicep with a clawed finger.

“We had an agreement,” I said cautiously.

Cyrus laughed. “Don’t worry, Carrie, I won’t kill him. He’s in good hands.”

I didn’t want to ask what those hands would be doing. I couldn’t spare Ziggy from whatever perverse activities my sire had planned. I believed Cyrus wouldn’t kill him, though, and that was all I cared about for the moment.

I went to the door and looked back once more. Ziggy’s eyes locked on mine, pleading.

I could only leave and close the door behind me.

Thirteen

Revelations and Recriminations

Back in my room, I practically ripped the gown from my body. My fingers shook and my chest ached with sobs as I struggled to hold them back.

What was Ziggy doing here? He’d had an awkward confrontation with Nathan, but that didn’t explain why he’d come here. Not when he knew who lived here. Unless…