Contents

A Vampire’s Thirst

A Vampire’s Thirst: Markus

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

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A Vampire’s Thirst

Markus

BY

SOLEASE M BARNER

Edited by TABITHA O. SMITH

Cover Designer by Monica La Porta

Copyright

A novel set in A Vampire’s Thirst World created by Ava K. Michaels ©

Copyright © 2018 by Solease M Barner

All rights reserved

License Notes

All rights reserved. No portion of this book may be reproduced in any form without permission from the publisher , except as permitted by U.S. copyright law. For permission contact: Solease M Barner: soleasemb@gmail.com

This book is entirely a work of fiction. The names, characters, places, and incidents depicted herein are either products of the author

Created with Vellum Created with Vellum

A Vampire’s Thirst: Markus

A Vampire’s Thirst…Dark, Dangerous and Deadly!

Markus Black’s passion has been his work and building his empire…nothing will stand in the way of his goal…until he’s hit by a mysterious Thirst and his life begins to unravel. Then it hits…a tantalizing scent that takes his breath away and has his heart thudding in his chest like a jackhammer.

He craves the owner of this scent like nothing he’s felt before. He must have her. Must find her…and he’ll do whatever it takes to make her his. When he finds out she’s a Witch on the run, Markus realizes things are going to be harder than he first thought.

Rachel Jones is fleeing for her life…a Vampire proclaiming his love wasn’t on the agenda, especially when she’s been brought up to despise them. Rachel can’t deny the pull towards him…but will it be the death of both of them?

The hunt is on, the battle fierce…only the strong survive a Vampire’s Thirst.

Chapter One

Moonlight silvered the woman's naked body as she stretched moaning on the bed. The room was almost as bright as day, lit by a full moon, which blazed through the skylight, spotlighting her enormous, hard nipples and sweat-slicked breasts and thighs. The smell of her hot, sweaty body, and the intoxicating scent pouring from her pussy filled Markus’s nostrils, making his cock hard. Her whimpers bounced off the walls to grip his ears, and though fucking was always good, it was especially good when it was raw and unapologetic like this. Tonight, though, none of it mattered, when it was the sound of the thick, warm blood pumping through her veins that pierced him with thirst, and the only thing he truly wanted was to feed on her.

Her moans increased in volume, rising to a crescendo as he hissed loudly. He gripped her hips tighter and his fangs lengthened. A surge of anticipation rippled down his back. Raising his head slightly as he opened his mouth, he sank his teeth into her, allowing the warm crimson liquid to fill his mouth and relief to wash over his body. Her blood started to ease the madness raging in his veins, the madness that had been crippling him for five days now. Her ass began to shift from side to side on his sheets, and he removed one hand from her hip, slipping two fingers inside her, sliding them in and out, slick with her juices, over and over again until she was screaming out in pleasure, with just a hint of pain. He continued to drink, savoring every drop of the tangy AB positive that touched his tongue and slipped down his throat, and even though he knew he should have had enough by now, it tasted so good, felt so good, that he didn’t want to stop. It was the only thing that helped him these days, since the thirst had had him in the worst blood-lust a vampire could have. He must be careful not to kill her, Markus warned himself. That would bring on a whole new set of troubles. He listened for her heartbeat, and it was becoming fainter with every drop he sucked from her, so after taking one last, delicious mouthful of her essence, he released his fangs from her thigh and licked her wound to stop the bleeding.

She was panting, but a slight grin illuminated her face. Her pulse, though, was faint and rapid – dangerously so. He sank his fangs into his wrist and allowed a few drops of his blood to drip into her open mouth. She licked her lips and reached to grab his wrist, but he was faster. He had never allowed anyone to drink from him, and he was not about to start now, just because he had taken a bit too much of her blood. He never allowed anyone to drink his essence.

He hated that he had been having to call upon his regulars so often lately. The last time he had felt normal, really himself, had been almost a week ago. Now, it seemed he couldn’t go without feeding, or sex, for longer than a few hours. He was not new to the life of the undead; he had been a vampire for more than a hundred and fifty years, but the way he had been downing blood bags and drinking from his willing donors lately, one would have thought him newly turned.

She started to pout, and it piqued his vanity. Markus considered himself the best fuck this side of the Mississippi, and the thought that he might leave her unsatisfied annoyed him. It was not his way; that, he believed, was why his list of willing donors was so long.

Her legs were still spread wide for him, and he gave her a wicked grin. With a quick move, he flipped her onto her stomach, pulled her hips back until she was on her knees and placed his cock right at her entrance. The least he could do was make her feel good.

“Now, you can stop pouting.” His voice was smooth as silk. As his hand glided down the center of her back to her hip, he slammed into her, holding her body close to him. He closed his eyes and allowed his head to fall back as he began to push himself inside her, over and over. The only sound in the room was the quiet smack of their bodies pounding against each other, and behind it, the almost inaudible whisper of his cock against her slickness, as it slipped easily in and out. She screamed loudly, but begged for more.

“Fuck me!” she yelled. “YES, YES! MORE!”

She gripped the sheets until her knuckles were almost white, but he would not stop. He had been with her many times, and he knew what to do to make her come. Sometimes he thought she wanted him to be even more aggressive, but she was human and he a vampire; if he got too aggressive, she would die. Self-control was his only option, in any situation. So he held back, not wanting to damage her body; he had already nearly drained her of blood. It was more of a need than a desire, this constant wanting of red liquid and pussy. He had always wanted blood, but it seemed like it was the only driving force in his life now, and that hadn’t been the case until recently; always before, he would satisfy his hunger and free his mind for business, his true passion. He was sure of one thing, if he didn’t get the blood, and the sex, he craved, he’d do something drastic, and that could cost him everything, including his life. So what with always having willing humans on his donor list, plenty of them with the big asses and huge tits he loved – he had always been a sucker for huge tits, and this one had both - he’d not lost his sanity. Or not quite. Yet he had a feeling that soon the thirst would become uncontrollable. He knew he was not really controlling it even now, but he had not taken the life of any of the many women on his list of willing donors. He had to use them more often now, which had put a damper on his life. He wanted to have female company from among the humans, but also from the supers - fairies, vampires, she-wolves - but on his terms. Not because this fucking need made the decision. He turned away from his thoughts and forced himself to focus on the moment, on fucking her until she screamed, and her pleas to him to keep going became a low mumble.

Afterwards, he rose from the bed and walked over to the bar, pouring himself a drink. He had taken two sips before he noticed she was still lying in the bed, almost falling asleep. The woman knew he never allowed overnight guests, no matter what; once he was done, they must leave, without any backchat or questions. He waited, hoping she would get out on her own before he had to be an asshole, but he would be one if she’d forgotten the deal, and reminding her would not be a problem.

“Umm…” He cleared his throat loudly. She looked at him with an ‘oops’ smile, climbed out of bed and started to dress.

He turned back to his drink, ignoring her. Once he heard the door close, a sigh of relief washed over him. Now that she was gone he could relax, although he could feel the Thirst rising, despite the sweet ambrosia he’d just had. He tried to wrap his mind around this thirst for nourishment, and the way it had come on so strongly. It had only been five days and his life had changed. It had already affected his work; he’d been avoiding people, keeping his distance as much as he could for the last five days, allowing a few trusted employees to handle his business. He couldn’t go on like this forever, though; the big deals couldn’t be entrusted to staff, and he had several big ones stewing in the pot. Soon, he would have to return to work and finish what he had been putting off. He knew his attitude lately had been more than some people could handle, not that he was friendly at the best of times; he was, he knew, an aggressive jerk anyway, on a regular basis. Yet his bad attitude was more profound than usual, and he was aware that it could jeopardize his deals. He didn’t use mind control unless it was an absolute necessity, but with the recent constant craving gnawing at him, destroying his peace and irritating his temper, he was not ruling it out.

He had never had any trouble getting a woman. Even before he had become a vampire, he had been considered a handsome man, well above average. The problem he was having was that now, he needed women like never before. The thirst had him more focused on sex than he had been used to. He loved a good nut like any other man, but he preferred it to be when he wanted, and chosen - not forced, as the bloodlust was doing. Once, he thought, he had been in charge of his life, but lately, he felt like a helpless animal. It was a fucking thorn in his side to have this need of feeding and sex constantly on his mind. Since he had been a vampire, feeding had always been a priority, more than anything else, but he could control it, and he had got a hold of the lust a long time ago. Normally he still managed to get his favorite A positive daily, but if he didn’t get it, he was not having crazy thoughts. Now, when he was around anyone, anyone at all, all he could think of was blood, blood, blood and fucking more blood. He was like a horny teenage boy, getting pussy for the first time and now he couldn’t get enough.

It was affecting his business, and after blood, that was what he loved most. He had traveled the world and seen just about everything that most people had on their bucket lists, but the thing he had really fallen in love with was the wheeling and dealing of business, the excitement of the deal, the satisfaction of seeing his net worth grow and grow. He had bought his first property over a hundred years ago, and once he found out that he could make money by renting or reselling, a whole new world had opened for him. He had begun focusing on being a businessman rather than a vampire. It had not been long before he began to be known as a serious player in the real estate business. He didn’t shy away from confrontation, and it had helped him to close the deal on properties on numerous occasions. He had loved the real estate business from the start. He had begun to make money, and adjusted to his new life. Now this life was in jeopardy, and his enjoyment of it was being spoiled by the constant nagging of the thirst, which made it impossible for him to concentrate. The last business meeting he had attended had been about a deal worth more than ten billion dollars, but the entire time, all he could think about was how long it would take him to have everyone’s vital fluid drained! He wanted to suck their essence so bad it made his cock hard, and not just a little hard - it was solid as a rock!

He had been lucky one of his employees, a wolf, had noticed something was drastically wrong. He’d called for a break that had given Markus a chance to take a few breaths, and he’d hoped he would be able to return to the meeting, but that hadn’t happened; he’d had to send his assistant in to say he’d been overcome with a migraine, a weak excuse, but all he could think of. Since that day, the thirst had been getting worse and worse. It was unbearable, and at times he wanted to rip his own heart out.

He was at the end of his rope, he thought. He had exhausted his own ability to cope with this. He needed help, advice. He decided to go see Ida Grace.

He stood to finish his drink, and caught the smell of his recent companion. With it came an urgent need to wash it off himself. He refilled his whiskey glass, walked into the shower and turned the water to the highest setting. He downed the drink and stood under the hot spray, allowing the water to wash away his tension and the alcohol to give him some relief. It was not long before the scent of his last sexual encounter was gone, and he was able to get out of the shower.

Once out of the shower he dressed, grabbed the keys to his Porsche and walked out the door. He was in the car and off in no time, driving at high speed to the home of one of his oldest and closest friends.

As he pulled up and stepped out of the car, he looked up at the massive house. Ida Grace Hale had saved him from The Directive years ago. When he was only newly turned, his maker had abandoned him on the street to fend for himself. Overwhelmed by the thirst of the new vampire, and unaware of the existence of The Directive, let alone its rules about killing to feed, he had been on his fourth victim when Ida interrupted him in a Chicago alley. She had taken him in, taught him the rules, shown him how to hunt, and how to take enough blood and still leave his victim alive, and they’d remained friends ever since. It had never been anything more than a brother-sister relationship; that had been Ida’s idea, but was glad it had always been platonic; she had been like an older sister to him, and as his own family aged and died, that sense of family had become more and more vital to him. She had always given him good advice, and now he hoped she could help him with his blood-lust.

Ida opened her door with a wicked grin. “I knew you were coming! Did you bring me a gift?”

“No, I didn’t,” he replied, walking up the massive stairs to greet her. “Get out there and get your own food, Ida.”

“You know, it’s customary to bring a gift when you’re coming to someone’s home.”

He rolled his eyes, and leaned in to kiss her cheek.

“Now, are you going to move so I can pour myself a drink?” He stared at her and she narrowed her eyes.

“Markus Black, I detect signs of a pissy attitude, and I’m not going to put up with that bullshit.” She crossed her arms in front of her and raised a brow.

Ida Grace was tall and thin, but had boobs any man would want to roll in. She had acquired a good amount of wealth over the centuries, some from men, some from business deals and some from illegal encounters. She had long red hair with deep waves, and the greenest eyes he’d ever seen. In fact she was damned hot, and if she hadn’t been like a sister to him, he’d have been all over her like white on rice.

“Fuck, Ida, get out of my way. I’m having a serious setback, so can you please step aside?” He punched out the last words.

Ida sighed as she stepped aside to let him pass. He walked through the open door, straight to her study. The usual fire was burning in the grate, and he loved the welcoming feel it gave the room, although it was, he knew, only for show. He poured himself a huge glass of whiskey from the wet bar. This was more like it, he thought. Ida never had visitors except for her donors, so they wouldn’t be disturbed. He took a seat in his favorite chair by the window, and stared out at the ornamental pond, letting the stillness steep in his bones, bringing his whirling mind to rest.

Ida took a seat in the other chair, crossed her long legs and looked out of the window, allowing him this space.

After a while, she sighed. “Tell me what’s gotten your panties in a twist.”

He stared out the window at nothing in particular, thinking that if this thirst continued it could get dangerous. If he slipped and killed someone, Ida would not be able to save him, and a week without crimson liquid would be the least of his problems.

“Have you ever gone through a stage where your bloodlust was out of control?”

She turned away from the window and stared at him. “Once I was past the newness of being a vampire, I’ve never not been able to control my bloodlust. Are you having trouble?”

“For the last five days it’s been over the fucking top. I can’t do anything without the thirst hitting me like a bear, and sex only helps some, and trust me, I’ve been fucking everything that will let me.” He stood and started to pace, realizing it was the first time he had spoken about this thirst out loud. He stopped in the center of the room and turned to face her. “I’m afraid, Ida. I’m afraid I’ll do something terrible.”

Ida surged up from her chair. “Markus,” she snapped, “you are not allowed to do dumb shit. I saved your ass from The Directive once, but trust me, they will not tolerate any, and I do mean any, shit from you. You know they wanted you dead anyway.” She came to stand in front of him, hands on her hips.

He narrowed his eyes at her, but stopped the outburst that was itching to come out. He didn’t like being reminded of how they wanted him dead. The Directive had made it clear they wanted him to be ash. Although he had proven himself over the years, a vampire’s memories do not degrade with time, but remain always fresh, and he was well aware that there was no love lost with The Directive. If only he knew what was causing this thirst, or why his blood lust now consumed his every thought. He had come to Ida for help, he thought, annoyed, not to take a trip down memory lane.

“I’m sure I’ll get a hold of it, but I was hoping you might know a way to move it along.” He stared at her, still wishing for some good news, but when she walked away from him, he knew there would be no help from this quarter.

He walked back to the bar to pour another drink, rolling his shoulders in an attempt to release some of the tension that had built itself into a solid mass in his upper back. As he turned back to the window, he caught sight of the worried look on Ida’s face. Even though she was one of his best friends, he didn’t have it in him at the moment to try to ease her mind. Hell, he was trying to ease his own mind about this situation, but he didn’t have any ideas.

“Markus, I know I give you a hard time, but I can see you’re serious. Look, let me give you some advice. Whatever it takes, don’t piss off The Directive. When you’re using a donor and you want to drain them, try to step away, try with all you’ve got, or make them leave…” She continued, but he had stopped listening.

“Save your breath, Ida. I’ve been doing everything in my power. I promise no one is going to die.”

He downed his drink, set down the glass and walked toward the door. She was close behind him, but didn’t speak. He opened the door and turned to give her a nod, and walked to his car without looking back. As he peeled down her driveway to the road, he caught sight of her, standing motionless in the doorway. A slight pang of guilt came over him for interrupting her as she was trying to give him advice, but he didn’t want to hear any more talk. She wasn’t standing in his shoes, and though she had a little over a hundred years on him, she had confirmed that she had never felt anything like this.

He hit the button to let down the drop top of his Porsche. It was a clear night with a light breeze, typical of the best of the Chicago fall. As he sped down the road, his secretary called.

“Mr. Black, a new client called in today, asking if we could get her a place to stay.”

The words were out of her mouth like it wasn’t the dumbest call she’d ever made.

We buy and sell properties day and night, why bother me with this call? he wondered.

“Janet, you know we can get them housed, why are you calling me? Make an appointment,” he barked, hanging up before she could respond. Immediately it rang again, showing the same calling number - still Janet. Janet Morris had only been a vampire for twenty years, and she’d been working for him for over ten of them. She worked at night, like most of his vampire employees, because she couldn’t tolerate the daylight. He’d always thought she was smart, but at this moment he wondered if she was losing it.

He answered the call.

“Mr. Black, I’m sorry, they want a place tonight, in fact she said in the next hour.” She rushed the words out.

“Janet, what’s their names?” The fact that someone was coming to his business at night asking for a place - they must be a super. Even though all his clients knew his office was open twenty-four hours, most still preferred to do business with his company during the day.

“Yes, of course, she said the Earth sisters, Sir.” He wasn’t sure if he’d heard correctly, and had her repeat the name. They had to be witches, but why would they be seeking refuge in any of his properties? Most witches stayed away from vampires, and he liked to keep away from them as well. He didn’t have anything against them personally, but he preferred to be far away from anyone who could harm him.

“When do they expect to arrive?”

“Sir, they’re here already. She’s actually waiting on the other line.”

He wanted to get this behind him. “Get the money up front. And put them somewhere far away from my place.” He disconnected, and pulled up outside a strip club. A couple of his donors worked here. He needed relief; the thirst was tempting him to run his car into a pole, but nothing would happen except that his car would be totaled.

The music was loud, and with every step the vibrations buzzed at his feet and in his chest. Men filled the tables and stood all around the walls, drinking, shouting and howling at the women on stage. A couple of braless strippers eyed him, licking their lips seductively, and even several women engaged in giving lap dances made eye contact with him. He paid them no heed; only blood was on his mind. As the music thrummed, he turned his head away; it was an instrumental track, and he liked words with his music; this, here, was the sound of porn music. The three stages, displaying two women dancing in only thongs and one actively stripping as men leaned over the side to stuff money in her thong, invoked only impatience in him as he moved swiftly through the club to the VIP area. His fangs itched to be in someone’s flesh. He took a seat in his usual booth, drawing the privacy curtain across, and soon Brandy, one of his donors, pulled aside the veil and entered, wearing only a thong and bearing a bottle of whiskey. Even though he would usually be banging her, her blood was all he wanted tonight.

“Hey, Markus, what you having tonight?” She licked her lips and swayed her ass towards him. Deadpan, he took the whiskey bottle from her hand and took a long drink, straight from the bottle.

“I’m looking for A positive, can you supply that to me?” His voice was strained with need. He never liked to assume his donors would always be willing, so he made it a point always to ask them. As he watched Brandy, he could hear her heartbeat flutter and speed up. The veins in her neck were calling to him, but he waited for the okay.

She walked over to him and lay down on the lounge, opening her legs to give him better access to his favorite drinking spot.

“Well, don’t make a girl beg you, Markus.”

That was all he needed to hear. He was between her legs at the apex of her thighs, sucking her straight from the vein. He closed his eyes, caught in the moment of his need, and as he gulped he could hear the jump of her heartbeat. With a hiss he released his fangs from her flesh, but as soon as he looked at her, he knew that he might have gone too far. Her eyes were glassy and the color had fled her skin, leaving her looking like a corpse. She was still alive, though. That had to count for something. He sealed the wound, fixed his clothes, dropped a roll of money and walked out quickly. Now he knew he really needed to get the thirst under control. He would be using blood bags until he could figure this out. No longer would he endanger warm-blooded bodies of any kind.

Driving down the road, he decided against going home, and headed for his office. Janet should be there alone. He pulled into the parking garage and took the stairs to the 75th floor. Janet smiled when she saw him and stood, surprised.

“Sir, I wasn’t expecting you. Is there anything I can get you?” she asked nervously.

She had nothing to worry about; he wasn’t there to check up on her, but to find out about the witches. He avoided dealing with them, and for good reason. They only trusted each other, and they only ever considered their coven; in their eyes, supers were merely a menace to the earth, and needed to be removed.

In his office he opened the file with their forms and read over it, making sure there was nothing that could cause him trouble in the future. The fact they needed a place to stay at all was suspicious enough. Usually they called their own kind for housing, so there was something odd going on.

He looked at the form and everything looked okay, but he was not taking any chances. He called a few trusted human employees, and instructed them to hang around near the property where the witches would be staying, and report back to him about any suspicious activity. After he was done, he leaned back, pushing into the oversized leather chair. He took a few deep breaths and blew out slowly, trying to control the rising thirst determined to ruin him.

When he left the building and started the drive home, the address was still in his head. He decided a drive-by wouldn’t hurt; in any case, he would be going so fast they would never see him.

He took off, still not quite sure why he was heading that way. As he neared the place, the streets were clear and everything was quiet, but that all changed as he turned down a long street lined on both sides with condos. With the top down, there was nothing to slow the passage of air, and all at once he was bathed in it, intoxicated with the sweetest smell of blood he’d ever encountered.

He parked quickly. Two witches were leading someone into the building. The smell hit him again, punching into his senses, and he was out of the car and running towards the three women, until one looked up, and with a snap of her fingers they were gone. He opened the door to the building and ran up the stairs - he had to get to that sweet fluid, and he made it to their door, but when he raised his hand to knock he was thrown back against the wall.

“Shit,” he said to himself. “They’ve spelled the fucking door, probably the entire apartment!” He went back to the door, careful not to touch it, and sniffed the air, but the smell was gone, along with the witch to whom it belonged.

“I’ll be back,” he yelled at the door. They might be able to keep him away tonight, but that would all change tomorrow.

He got back into his car, more annoyed than ever, and drove home for some much-needed rest.

Chapter Two

Rachel remembered the time her aunts and the coven had first decided to reach out to the ancestors. It was a day she would never forget. It was the first, in fact the only, time she had heard the dead speak; her coven had performed a long and arduous ritual to contact the long-dead Mary Helen Jackson, and she had returned to tell the story of why the Sunart witches would never trust vampires.

They had been chanting for hours, standing around the ceremonial fire, hands linked in an unbroken circle, and suddenly the atmosphere in the room changed. A thick, waiting silence descended, and the temperature plummeted. It was colder than Rachel had ever experienced, and she thought she would freeze to death until Mary Helen appeared in the flames, rising up out of the fire.

“Welcome, Mary Helen,” Elder Venus said. “We are honored that you’re here to enlighten us about the vampires.”

“Sisters,” Mary Helen said as her spirit moved in the flames, “it’s so good to see you all, and I can tell you we are all doing fine on the other side, but since my time is limited, let me tell you how I was murdered.

“There was always an understanding between the witches and vampires. It was a wonderful time. We all got along, and sometimes witches and vamps would even take a roll in the hay. For the most part, we witches attempted to get along with all the supers - wolf-shifters, fairies, dragons, vampires and mermaids. But as you know, we don’t like betrayal, and we particularly don’t like someone hurting our kind. That’s a thing many people today seem to have forgotten, but if you think we ever forget an act of aggression against our kind, you’re wrong. There is nothing like a scorned witch, and sisters, we have been scorned, make no mistake about that. I died way before I should have, and one day one of you will avenge not only me, but our whole coven. An attack on some is an attack on us all, never forget that, sisters. We witches are a close-knit tribe, more so than any of the other supers. See, we draw our powers from each other, and when one is murdered, each of us feels a little of herself die as well. Even though none of you were present during this horrendous attack on us, you too suffer, because your powers are not as strong as they should be. It was a devastating ordeal, not just for us who died, but for you today, so don’t take this lightly.

“Now, even though there was an understanding between witches and vampires, we didn’t totally trust them, but nothing, nothing in the world could have prepared us for what I’m about to tell you. No one knew that one day we would come to distrust vampires and blame The Directive for their failure to keep them in check. It changed our relationship with them completely, and that’s one of the reasons you’re here - to understand why we hate them. I say ‘we,’ because we all should hate those bloodsuckers. They should be put down like the beasts they are. The Sunart witches were forever changed when the monster, Benny Von, came upon our land. He is the reason vampires have not been allowed on our land since, nor, I hope, will they ever be. He was not just old and strong; the bastard could walk in the sun! So the supers were not his only victims. He was a great asset to the vampires, and I believe myself that even when he was under sentence of death for his crimes The Directive wanted to spare him. They let him escape, and that cost me my life, along with many of my sisters.

“As I remember that night, my spirit still becomes uneasy. I’m still angry about it. It should have been just like any other night when we did rituals. We were doing a working for our people, and for health - just the usual things we did every day, but it all went to ruin in a heartbeat. As I said, it was Benny Von. We had all heard about his killings, and that he was on the run, but he was not, we believed, in North America, so we thought we were safe. The Directive is partly to blame. If they had warned us about his whereabouts, no blood would have been shed on our land, but those slimy bastards only cared about themselves. He was on the run from them, and he developed this Thirst. It only seems to happen with the bloodsuckers, and when it does, their lust for blood is overwhelming. A vampire with the Thirst is like a dog after his bone, but a starving, savage dog. They are wild and uncontrollable. The only thing that will help them is finding their blood-mate, or the insanity completely takes them over. He had been searching for his mate, but days and days had passed. He succumbed to madness, and we paid the price. Now, The Directive claim they couldn’t locate him exactly, but I think they are liars.

“Rumors were flying about. We had heard that he was talking to himself, and that he had murdered his closest friend, but none of that matters. Once he started killing supers everyone wanted him dead. He killed humans, and they had no defense against him, so many of them died as well. Hundreds. The Directive went after him, but he knew how to evade their attempts to capture him, and as I said before, they didn’t try hard enough. We never thought he would even want to come to Redbarn. In those days it was just a small town, barely more than a hamlet, and besides, everyone knew it was witches’ territory. There was nothing for a vampire in our neck of the woods, but he did come, and that was when things began to get dark. Before he reached us he got to a few of the wolf-pack shifters, but he ran away before they could get him. Sisters, we should have taken precautions, but we were so damn naïve. He walked on our land and we never even had a spell to protect us from harm. The moment I spotted him, my heart dropped. Everything inside me became cold and I couldn’t move, it was like a trance. He started grabbing us and throwing us down, breaking our limbs, making sure we couldn’t run. Even now I feel like screaming and crying. I can still see my sisters being drained in a matter of seconds, seconds. He didn’t take long to murder us. The screams and cries were not the worst part. Some of the witches were with child. Benny Von didn’t care, though. Not only was he draining life, but he was catching people and ripping off their heads. That’s right - he made sure we were dead. There was something about his attack that felt deeply personal – it wasn’t just random killing, it was an attack against us specifically. The ones who escaped lived in fear for the rest of their lives, but mostly everyone stayed, and many witches went to their deaths trying to stop that monster. Finally Joanna, Carol, Diane and Luisa made a perfect circle and stepped in, spelling it so he couldn’t harm them. That was the last thing I saw before he grabbed me and ripped my neck open, drinking me dry until my screams and cries were silenced. What I know happened is my sisters in that circle did a spell to stop him from moving. That gave them time to get another spell going to kill him. They told me he yelled and tried to escape, but those witches stood their ground and gave him a slow, painful death. They used their power to rip him apart, disintegrating his limbs.

“The death of so many on that night resulted in a huge loss of witch power that still hasn’t been recovered to this day. You are never at your strongest now because of the power we lost, and it’s even worse because some of those witches were never properly buried. Some were burned, and others just didn’t get buried at all. The other witches didn’t want to step on what had once been sacred ground, and had been so terribly desecrated. The ground was forbidden and cursed, and you are still avoiding that place today, but I want us to take back our power and our land.

“We fell out of favor with The Directive, too. They were disappointed that the coven had executed him without a trial. I believe that, had our sisters captured him alive and turned him over to The Directive, he might still be alive to this day. It is all supposed to be forgiven now, but how can we forgive something that left us without our rightful powers? We hold the vampires as a whole responsible. We don’t let them know - don’t let them know how you feel, but always keep in mind, sisters, they can never be truly trusted. We want you sisters to be always protected. Sisters, don’t ever be around when a vampire gets the Thirst and then starts searching for his blood-mate. It could cost you your lives. It’s a rare occurrence, and to be honest I always thought it was a myth, but it does happen, as we found out to our cost.

“This brings me to my point. There is still a way we can gain our powers back and be stronger, but it will take everyone – absolutely everyone, the entire coven working together. We have never stopped searching for ways to restore our coven. We knew that one day, our future sisters would make this right, so I’m here to say the time is near. One of you will be the balance, the restorer, for us.

“Sisters, we have been communicating with you over these hundreds of years, hoping that one day we would find the miracle, and I can sense that it’s going to be with you sisters. Get ready, because you will serve our coven in a special way. I hope you can all see that one day a time will come that one of you will be called upon to regain for our coven the power it lost that day. If it happens to be you, take it seriously, and do whatever you must to restore our coven. It is nearly a miracle that we have found a way for you to regain your ancestors’ power. It will be accomplished through the death of one of your own, but her sacrifice will be heroic. It is truly an honor to save so many, and the name of the chosen sacrifice will be honored throughout the generations. Rachel Jones you are the one who has been honored.”

With those last, chilling words, Mary Helen’s image wavered and dissipated in the flames, leaving only the kindly fire.

Rachel wished she could forget that night when they called up the spirit of Mary Helen, but she couldn’t, and she still felt a little guilty. She would have loved for the Sunart witches to get their power back; it was rightfully due to the coven. The only problem was that she really didn’t want to be heroic, or anyone’s sacrifice. She had planned on living, so she ran, and had been running ever since, and she planned to keep on running until the prescribed time for the ritual was past and either the opportunity to perform it was lost or another, more willing, sacrifice was chosen.

Chapter Three

“Shit!” Rachel says, frustrated. “I knew we shouldn’t have asked the vampire for a place.”

She looked out the window and walked back to where her aunts were sitting. This should not be happening, and she wished she didn’t have to hide from her coven. They were all supposed to be sisters, but now she and her aunts must consider them enemies.

“I’ve blocked the vampire, he can’t get near the door nor can he even smell us. We’ve been five days wandering around here in Chicago we needed some place,” her aunt Maxine said, her eyes flashing dark fire, “but he looked uncontrollable, so until we can figure out what’s the matter with him, you’ll have to stay here, at least until we can relocate you.”

“I’m always running, it feels like it will never end, I’m sick of this.” She was angry that her life had been flipped upside down for the last few months. Moving from place to place, never feeling safe, was taking a toll on Rachel.

“Well, all we need to do is keep you safe for about three more months,” her aunt Paula said, tossing her long, soft gray hair back over her shoulders. She was the younger of the two sisters, and her face still retained her youthful beauty. “Then the time for the ritual will be past, and it’ll be another few hundred years before this comes up again.”

Rachel rolled her eyes and plopped down on the sofa, allowing her mind to go back to the vampire who came to the door. Her aunts hadn’t wasted any time spelling the place when they felt him near. She hadn’t been able to help when he was at the door, but she had used her hand-held mirror, which she had spelled to see others behind walls.

He was tall with olive skin, dark brown hair a little messy, his body well-built, dark blue eyes, strong facial features - all in all, extremely sexy to her. She knew he was the one who owned this place, but was unsure why he had come to see them. They had paid in advance and requested that their privacy be respected, yet on their first night the vampire was at their door carrying on like a crazy maniac. He looked almost as if he was searching for something, but they didn’t have anything he could possibly want.

She was brought back to the present by her aunts calling her name.

“Rachel Lynn, what are you thinking about?” Maxine asked.

“Nothing, Auntie. So, have you decided what the next move is?” Both her aunts were staring at her strangely, but she avoided their eyes, hoping they would move on.

“This place is no longer safe,” Paula replied. “The vampire is coming back, and if he comes with a witch, she may alert the other covens.”

“You spelled this place, so we can stay here for a little while, at least.” She didn’t want to leave again. She was so tired, so desperately tired of always being on the move.

“We are trying to keep you safe,” Maxine said. “If the coven locates you they will come, and our powers will not stand against so many. I’ll start searching tonight for a new place.” She walked out of the room.

Rachel knew her aunts’ lives were in danger as well, for helping her. They had been taking care of her ever since her mother had been killed in a car accident some years ago, and she knew they would never allow any harm to come to her. She had been only five years old when she lost her mother, and her father had walked away from her even before she was born. Even though she was very young when her mother died, her memories of her mom had not faded. Once her aunts took her in after the funeral, there were times she wished her father would come and take her away from all the witches’ rules, but after a while she realized he would never come. Now, the only family she had was Maxine and Paula. They had brought her up, and always told her she was special. She had turned twenty-five shortly before all hell broke out about her being the sacrifice for the ancestors.

Her life was uneasy now. She never went out, and she could not remember when she last had a moment to be alone. She had gone from living on her own, driving, and even dating, to this narrow, circumscribed life on the run. Her old life hadn’t been the most glamourous life, but it had been hers. She hadn’t had anyone she would have called a best friend, or even a girlfriend to hang out with. The girls in the coven didn’t like her because she was stronger in magic than they were. She had no cousins to take the place of siblings, as neither of her aunts had children, so as a child she had made books her friends. As an adult, her situation had not improved; her sex life had been barely noticeable. Nevertheless, she had left behind a man she had expected to spend her life with; even though she was not in love with him, he had offered her the chance to make a family, and that was all she had ever wanted, but that hoped-for joy had been ripped away.

“I’m going to go to sleep,” she said. “I’ll be ready to leave whenever you are.”

She walked into her room and climbed into bed. As she fell asleep, her one thought was that she wished her life were different.

* * *

She opened her eyes to the smell of bacon and eggs cooking. It was evening, but they often had breakfast for dinner Over the last few months, food in general had been on the go, and the categories soon became blurred. No one had taken the time to make proper meals, and the smell of frying bacon was like the smell of home. She looked at her watch, realizing she’d slept the day away. So, without delaying, she hurried to the kitchen.

“Good evening! Did I miss something?” She snitched a piece of bacon.

“We’ve decided to stay in Chicago,” said Maxine, not looking at her. “We know it’s been hard on you. We’ve cloaked you, so that hopefully you will not be found until after the last day the coven can do the ritual.”

“What are we going to do about the vampire?” Witches usually stayed away from vampires, because it was a vampire’s nature to kill, as they were predators. So, the general feeling was ‘better safe than sorry.’

“We have secured another place,” Paula replied. “We’ll leave right after dinner.”

“That’s fine with me,” Rachel said.

“Eat your breakfast,” Maxine said.

While they ate, they discussed their new place, and what would be the best way to leave. Her aunts didn’t know why the vampire had shown up last night, but saw no sense in taking chances.

After eating, she packed her things and walked out to the living area, where her aunts were waiting.

“Okay, Rachel,” Paula smiled. “This should be the last move, soon we should be able to go home.”

“I do hope so. I need to get back to living my own life, and being an adult.”

“Well, excuse us for trying to keep you safe,” Maxine snapped.

Just as she was about to respond, there was a banging at the door. Even without looking through her mirror, she knew it was the vampire. Her aunts looked at her with wide eyes. They knew the place had been spelled and no one could enter, but it still didn’t sit well when a vampire was outside the door banging.

“I own this property, open the door.” Footsteps echoed harshly from behind the door, loud in the stillness. He seemed to be pacing back and forth.

Her aunts walked quietly over to her, and with a few whispered words, they decided to use magic to leave. Quickly they all grabbed their bags and drew a circle, but her curiosity got the best of her, and she decided to leave her little mirror behind on the table; using it and its twin, she would still be able to see the room after she had left. When her aunt started the chant that would transport them away from the condo, she glanced at the mirror, and there he was. The vampire was breathing hard; she could see the rise and fall of his chest, and his expression looked to her as if he were in great need. She wondered why he was so desperate to get to them, but was not foolish enough to stick around to find out.

Before long she was standing in an empty house. The room she was in was beautiful, with high ceilings and tall windows. She nodded her approval to her aunts.

“Thank you both for being here for me and keeping me safe,” she said. “One day I’ll be able to pay you back.”

“Well, just give me cash,” says Maxine. “Paula would like something sentimental.”

As they laughed, it occurred to her that it was the first time they had relaxed since they left their home.

They dragged their luggage to the empty bedrooms. Even the slightest sound echoed loudly in the empty house. Furniture was an urgent necessity.

Paula slid down the empty hall in her stocking feet, skidding to a halt on the polished boards in front of Maxine. “Max, we need to get groceries, and beds, and a sofa… hell, we need everything.”

Maxine rolled her eyes at her sister’s childish conduct. “This is why I always like the furnished condos, I hate doing all this shopping, plus it’ll be left behind.”

“Yeah, well it’s nothing we can change now, so suck it up.” Soon they left in search of food and furniture, and Rachel was alone in the house. She was excited to be left alone, as she wanted to see if the vampire was still in the condo.

Rachel was shocked to see he was still there. He was walking around sniffing the air, and cursing and ranting at some people who were with him. One of the rogue witches was with him, and seemed to be trying to locate them, but she was apparently not strong enough to counter their magic.

As she watched the vampire, he stopped by the table where the mirror was located. He looked down, and to her surprise picked up the mirror. Now that she could see him up close, he was even more handsome than she had previously thought, and a tingle ran through her body as out of the blue she found herself yearning for a man’s touch, and particularly the touch of this vampire.

“You think you’ve gotten away from me, but I’ll find you.” His words washed over her as if he were in the room, giving her chills. She threw the mirror down and smashed it, breaking the connection.

“Shit,” she said out loud. “He knows about my mirror trick! Who the hell is this vampire, and what does he want?”

Chapter Four

Markus stormed out of the apartment, angrier now than before. He hadn’t expected them to be gone, but someone had left something behind, a mirror. He’d been around long enough to know that mirrors around witches were significant; a linked pair of mirrors could allow them to see others on the opposite end.

He took the fire stairs to the carpark. Once he was in his vehicle in the garage, he dialed his tracker friend.

“Floyd, I need you to find someone, can you meet me at my place.” His voice sounded loud in the car. He opened the cooler with his stash of emergency O positive bags and removed one, downing it in seconds.

“Yeah, I can find anyone, Markus… you sound desperate,” Floyd responded.

“Listen, we’re not talking about me…”

Floyd interrupted to talk about himself, as usual.

“Well, let’s talk about me, dude, you would not believe…”

He didn’t get a chance to finish.

“I really don’t give a shit, I need you to get your ass here.”

“Whoa, you need to calm down, have a drink or two, maybe get you some pussy.”

“Are you on your fucking way or what, I don’t want to hear what else you’re talking about.”

“Yeah, I’m on my way. You know, you’re starting to worry me.”

“You have no fucking idea, get to my place right now.” He disconnected the call. He didn’t want to waste any time. He was drawn to her scent; his thirst was full-blown now, and any reasonable thoughts he might have had had gone right out the window.

As dawn approached back in his condo, all the windows covered with metal shutters, he felt calmer. Then the thirst rose again.

“FUCK!”

His body cried out for relief, yet his mind would not allow him to relax. He needed to know why the scent of a witch was driving him more insane than he already was with this unnatural thirst.

It was a relief to be in his bedroom, where he had designed everything for both mental and physical comfort. The wallpaper with its lavish design of red and black roses, the huge king size bed dominating the room from the center of the far wall, the hardwood floors, oversized dresser and red rug, even the floor to ceiling windows, which even shuttered against the daylight, made the room seem even larger than it was, all combined to soothe him. In this room, more than anywhere else, he was home. He stripped and climbed into bed, deciding on a few hours of rest. Lately, even at night, he had felt overly tired. Soon his breathing slowed, and his heartbeat wound down to a rate that would not have sustained a human’s life. As he allowed sleep to take him, he felt his cock getting hard, but there was nothing he could do about it. His body submitted to its need for rest, and he was sleeping in a matter of seconds.

* * *

A few hours later Markus was awake and pacing the floor, waiting for Floyd to arrive. Even though he had managed to sleep, it was a restless slumber.

He was already on his fourth blood bag when he heard the knock at the door.

He snatched the door open to see Floyd on the doorstep. As always, he was startled for an instant by the sheer visual impact of Floyd- tall and ripped, with smooth, bronze skin, and those startling blue eyes in his dark face. Today, Floyd’s waist-length black waves were caught up in a messy bun, the slightly feminine style underscoring his maleness. Pretty boy should be a model, Markus thought sourly.

“What the fuck are you smiling about?” he snapped.

“Shit!” Floyd replied, walking past him. “I just had the best pussy I’ve had in a long time. A wolf, she’s amazing! I can give you her number.”

“I don’t want her number. You’ve been fucking, when I said get here a.s.a.p?” He felt his fangs emerging, triggered by the tension growing inside him. Floyd had been his friend for over a hundred years, and he had never wanted to attack him until now. Never did he think this thirst could make him want to attack his friend. Taking a few deep breaths, he retracted his fangs. Floyd was sitting at the bar, pouring himself a drink.

“Yes, I have, and if you try her, you might understand why I was late. She does amazing things with her tongue.”

“You think it’s a joke? It’s not! I’m going fucking crazy, Floyd, and if I’m asking for help then you should help me.”

Floyd’s huge grin lit his face. “Stop being such a pussy, so you have bloodlust and need to bang females. Shit, feeding and sex sounds golden to me.”

He stared at his friend and hissed faintly, wishing he could get through to him, just once make him experience what this thirst felt like. If it were only sex and blood it would be golden indeed, but the insane thoughts that plagued him were driving him crazy, and the way his body seemed to have a mind of its own was beyond annoying. Even when he slept, it had not been a good, restful sleep; his thoughts had still been racing behind the thin veil of oblivion. He was never satisfied, and he would like a moment without the rippling need - not want - for blood or sex, every minute of every damn day.

“Being a pussy? Don’t you dare call me a pussy. You have no clue what this thirst is doing to me, I want to rip out my own heart half of the time, and I wake from sleep with the most painful wood you could think of, so don’t say shit about something you can’t understand.” He growled involuntarily as he poured another drink, glaring at his good friend. Even though he had felt isolated to a certain extent ever since he became a vampire, now that he had to deal with this bloodlust he felt completely alone in the world; not a single person, human or otherwise, understood what he was going through.

“All I’m saying is, you’re fucking anybody and everybody anyway, and the chick I had is real good.” Floyd raised a brow.

“Did you hear anything I said? Shit, man – those jokes of yours are going to catch up with you one day.”

“Not today, though.” Floyd raised his glass in a smirking toast.

He narrowed his eyes and took a few steps toward him. Floyd raised both brows, and with a wicked grin he sped out of reach, to the other side of the room.

“You done with the hissing and scary fucking sounds?” Floyd asked, coming back to the bar. He poured a glass of whiskey and offered it to Markus.

“I wasn’t hissing. Anyway, it’s only happening because of this bloodlust, and it’s increased since I saw the witches. One of their scents is driving me crazy, I can’t get it out of my mind.” He grabbed the proffered drink and downed it, holding out the glass for more.

“Hmm,” Floyd said, calmly. “It sounds like you may have found your blood-mate, but if I’m here, I’m guessing you lost her.”

Markus couldn’t believe his friend was so calm about his situation. He took his glass and sat on the sofa, putting distance between them in case he lost control again and acted on his anger.

“Blood-mate? I’m not interested in a damn blood-mate. Whatever the hell that is. Shit, I just want this thirst to stop.” He couldn’t have cared less about a true love; he only wanted the blood lust to cease, so he could go back to the way he was before.

“I’ve been reading about this. Now just listen before you reject what I’m saying.” He crossed the room to sit with Markus. “Now, if this thirst is as bad as you say, and if when you were near the witches you caught a scent that made it worse, and made you want very badly to get to the scent, you have found your blood-mate.”

Markus shook his head, confused.

“All that sounds great to someone who cares, but I don’t. The only thing I want is to find that scent.”

“That means finding her and acknowledging she’s your blood-mate. Only that can stop the thirst.”

Shock pounded into him, for if his close friend was right, which he didn’t doubt, then his blood-mate could be a witch. He returned to the bar for another drink and took it straight from the bottle. This was turning out worse than he could have imagined.

“Floyd, let’s forget all that. You can go track her down for me. She’s not alone, and these witches are strong, they cloaked themselves and even stopped me from coming into their place.”

“I’m on it, but think about what I said.”

He stood and walked towards the door. Markus stayed near the window; he was thinking about going to find a willing donor, but he decided against it. He didn’t want to hurt anyone, and right now, he couldn’t guarantee that he wouldn’t.

“I’m not going to think about anything except you finding them, and me securing that sweet essence for myself.”

Floyd left without another word, and Markus took the bottle with him to his office. If he threw himself into work, maybe he could forget about the thirst, and most of all, forget what Floyd said about him having a mate.

He had been working for a couple of hours when he got a text from Floyd saying he thought he could track their whereabouts soon. He didn’t respond. The only thing he needed to know was if Floyd had found them, not that he would.

He continued to down O positive bags, one after the other, until he made himself stop with a supreme effort of will. The thirst was so strong now; it was even stronger than it had been when he was first turned. He looked at an email from one of his managers about the meeting he was scheduled to attend tomorrow evening. He didn’t think he would be able to sit in a meeting with humans and not attack them. It was bad business to suck everyone dry. His only option was to put blood in a cup, and hope he could drink it slowly without looking like a lush. Though he was not big on impressing people, when it came down to two billion dollars, he would do a little impressing.

He sent a confirming email, with instructions on the blood as well. Then his cell rang. When he saw it wasn’t Floyd, he allowed it to go to voicemail.

Needing something to do with his time without going to get a donor, or calling one over, he decided on a run. As he was pounding away on his treadmill, at the highest speed and maximum inclination, he realized with a pang that his life was so boring that all he could think of to do was run.

His cell rang again while he was running. It was the same number as before, so he answered, and when he recognized the voice, he wished he could crawl into a hole and pull it in after him.

“Hello, Markus, are you dodging my calls?” The woman’s voice was soft, but he knew different. She was far from soft.

Vivien Green was an agent of The Directive, and one of his least favorite people. Her job was to go round and check on the supers. A dark beauty of medium height with soft, glossy skin, short wavy hair and hazel eyes, her appearance gave no clue to the hardness beneath. Looking at her in person would make any man want her, but he was not any man, and he knew how deadly she was. She was a wolf, with the same speed, the same taste for the red liquid as a vampire.

“I do apologize,” he responded, hoping to placate her enough that she would leave him alone. “My mind has been elsewhere.” He thanked the gods she was not at his door; prematurely, as it turned out with her next words.

“Well, I’m glad that I decided to stop at your home. Open the door.”

She was literally a wolf in sheep’s clothing. He didn’t say anything, because he could feel the thirst rising up in him and he couldn’t let her know, Vivien Green was part of The Directive and he didn’t want them in his business. Ever since he had had to spend those months locked away without any blood, they made it their mission to impose on his life, and he hated it.

He opened the door and she greeted him with a smile. She walked in, holding a bag of what he assumed were files on him.

“I could have sworn you were here a few months back.” He couldn’t help but express surprise at the early visit. They usually checked in on him every few years, not every few months.

She ignored his statement and looked around his place, sniffing the air.

“You have been entertaining a lot, Mr. Black. I’m sure all the women are alive,” she said, deadpan.

“You know all the women are alive.” He could hear the agitation in his voice, and gritted his teeth. He needed her to think everything was normal.

“You would do well to remember that you brought this upon yourself with your reckless behavior,” she said.

He couldn’t believe she would bring up something that had happened over a hundred years ago. And it only happened because he had been new to the life and uneducated about the rules. He knew he was an asshole, but he never did anything to upset The Directive. He needed to correct this, and fast.

“Ms Green, I’ve been a little on edge because of a big deal I’m trying to close, but it’s no excuse to be rude. Please, let me make you a drink.” He waved toward the bar.

“Yes, Mr. Black, a drink would be nice. Gin and tonic, thanks.” She took a seat on the sofa, watching him as he made her drink. He handed her the glass and sat in the chair across from her.

“How was your trip?” he asked, to make conversation.

“It was okay, but to be honest I’m here because there have been whispers about witches on the run.”

He looked at her, trying not to give away how deeply he was shocked by her words. Was she here for him, he wondered, or the witches? He hoped she was just checking on some random rumors, and not following the witches. He needed to find them before anyone else did. He meant them no harm, but he couldn’t guarantee that The Directive didn’t. They had their rules, and if you became a problem, their solution was usually to terminate.

He took a sip of his drink, buying time. “Witches, wow, didn’t think we were in the business of dealing with the witches.”

“Yes, well we do when a couple of covens plan on trying to raise some powerful ancestors from the grave. Have you heard anything?”

Here came the trap. He could tell just by looking at her that she already knew he knew about the witches in the city. The problem was, he hadn’t asked any questions about the witches.

“I did rent to some witches last night, but they left before 24 hours. I’m not sure where they went.”

“Well, that’s interesting, did something happen?” Her question was not out of line, but if he said he went to the place twice and tried to enter, it could be bad for him.

He was always aware that The Directive still considered him a threat, so he couldn’t tell her he had caught a scent from the witches. He was not sure if it would be assumed that he would harm them, even though from what he could tell The Directive didn’t want the witches getting more power. Witches had their own rules, which often conflicted with those imposed by The Directive.

“I’m not sure if something happened, but I’ll find out if it did.” He lied to her with no regret. He was already irritated by her presence.

She stood, prompting him to stand as well. She walked slowly toward the door, and just as he thought she was going to leave without saying any more, she spun around to face him. They were mere inches apart, and he took a reflexive step back.

“Mr. Black, don’t disappoint me. If you hear anything about the witches, call me.” She stared hard at him, and then out of nowhere, gave him a big smile. She was trying to come across as friendly, but he knew better.

“You will be the first person I call, Ms. Green.”

“Oh, call me Vivien, after all I’ve known you for a very long time.”

He opened the door for her and she nodded her thanks, then walked down the hall to the elevator. Once she disappeared inside the cabin, he slammed the door.

“Why the hell am I going through this shit?” he said to the empty room.

He stamped out onto the balcony, letting the night air soothe his temper. As he was about to call Floyd, a text appeared.

I’ve located the witches.

Send me your location I’m coming to you

As soon as Floyd sent him the details, he was off - moving in the high-speed vampire run that removed the need for a vehicle. He was standing next to Floyd in less than five minutes.

“Where is she? I need to see her.” He couldn’t stop moving, anxious to get to the smell.

“You can’t go up to her, the house is cloaked, and the only reason I found her is because of a realtor I’ve been with a few times,” Floyd said, with a huge grin.

“You do business with another realtor? Never mind, we’ll discuss that another time, but right now I need to know how I’m getting into that house.” He focused on the house, and wished he could walk right in, but he knew all too well what happened when you tried to break a witch’s spell.

“You could use mind compulsion, get a human to do the dirty work.” Floyd nodded to himself, looking smug.

He looked at his good friend, wishing he could regain his sense of clarity. He used to be able to think on his feet, but now he felt as if his mind was running slower.

“You know, that’s a great idea, even though I don’t really like using mind compulsion. I’m a desperate man.”

“You’re more than desperate, it’s almost a little pathetic, but who am I to judge? I’ve done some crazy shit in my life, too.”

“This is not just some crazy shit, like I’m going to get past this and then move on, every second I’m going through this thirst I feel a little of me slipping away. It’s changing me, Floyd, soon there won’t be any of me left, I can feel it, so it’s do or die.”

Floyd didn’t respond. He was staring in shock. It was the first time Markus had admitted out loud that he thought he was losing his mind to the point of life and death. And even though he was technically dead, he didn’t ever want to do the dying thing again.

“I’m trying to help you,” said Floyd, “so turn down the grim shit and get ready to win over your blood-mate.”

“Yeah, but…”

“No buts, you get on with the mind compulsion, while I text a lady friend of mine.”

He couldn’t believe that, in the midst of all this, his friend still had the time to text some woman.

“I might be able to overlook your betraying me with another realtor, if this works,” he said, looking around for a human he could use.

“I know, it’s a great idea, right? Admit it, I’m the shit.”

Markus narrowed his eyes at his friend, but then turned his attention to a young woman taking a run with her dog. If he used her, she would be less suspect to the witches.

He shot over to her fast, pulling her into an alley. He stared into her eyes, calming her before she could scream. Then he started giving her instructions on what she was going to do for him. The woman relaxed and nodded, agreeing to do as he asked.

He returned to Floyd, and settled down to watch.

The young woman walked up to the door and began crying, then knocked on the door. Then she opened the door, the one with the scent. The witch with the scent. He smelled her aroma and moved, but Floyd had him pinned to the ground. He tried to escape, but Floyd was not giving him a chance.

She was beautiful, and Markus was angry that his friend was keeping him away from her. The scent filling his nose was delicious, nothing like he’d ever smelt before. He admired her long brown hair; the soft brown eyes and huge breasts were a plus.

He stopped fighting Floyd as he realized the plan was working, then before she stepped outside, she looked around outside, and then looked at the lady. With bated breath, he listened to the questions.

“Excuse me, you said you had two dogs and one got away? What street was that on?” his delicious witch asked.

The woman began to stutter, and he knew the jig was up. He broke free from Floyd, moving quickly to the steps of the house.

They looked at each other for a few seconds. The need to touch her was overpowering. He shot toward the door, but she slammed it just before he reached her.

“I’m not going to hurt you; you know that, right?” There was no response.

“Please,” he called. “I know the covens are looking for you, and now The Directive is after you as well. I can help you.” When he reached to touch the door, he could feel the energy radiating from the house.

“Miss, please! I know you’re here with some other witches, but hold off from telling them about me being here, or they’ll move you. I’d find you, but I want to keep you safe.”

Still she didn’t reply to him, and the terrible thirst had him licking his lips and trying to retract his fangs. Now he thought about it, his fangs must have been showing and frightened her; that was why she had closed the door.

“I apologize about the fangs, you make me nervous and that’s why they came out, but not to scare you.”

He stood there hoping she would respond, but still there was nothing. Floyd was beckoning for him; the fact she was not opening the door was a sure sign the others were on their way back.

“I’m Markus Black,” he said into the silence, still faintly hoping she would speak to him.

He began to walk down the stairs with a heavy heart. He would have to live with the thirst another day. As his foot touched the last step, she yelled through the door.

“Rachel Jones.”

He turned and rushed back to the door, skidding to a halt just before he touched it.

“Thank you, Rachel Jones. You and I have unfinished business, but I’ll be back.”

He zipped away with Floyd, far enough that the others would not notice their presence. Once they were out of sight, he decided to fly (given the fact he had the ability of flying only because it’s assumed his sire passed it down to him.) to the top of the building across the street and watch from the roof. Floyd followed, and they perched on the roof and settled down to watch Rachel Jones’ house.

“She’s mine. I have to get her away from the other witches.” He spoke out loud, but for himself.

“Man, you’ve found your blood-mate, that shit is cool as hell.”

He looked at his friend out of the corner of his eye, ignoring his comment. He was more focused on the fact that her sweet ambrosia sang to him. It was a call to his soul, and if that meant blood-mating he would do it, but if he could have a taste of her to stop the blood lust, that would make him happier than anything.

“I’m going to get her out of that house and keep her safe.”

“So are you finally admitting she’s the one?” His friend stood and walked to the other side of the flat roof, looking down at the humans walking by on the street below.

“I admit nothing, except that she is calling and I need to answer.”

With that, he jumped off the roof, flying through the city, eager to figure out a plan to get to Rachel Jones. The cure to his bloodlust.

Chapter Five

Rachel was pacing the floor over what had just taken place. She couldn’t believe she had given him her name, but she had, and that could lead to all sorts of things. His name popped into her head. Markus Black, she repeated again, admiring how the name fitted him.

He was a lot more attractive than she’d expected a vampire to be. He was not perfect, though; he had tried to trick her into stepping out of her home, using an innocent woman. She was glad she had spelled the woman to go straight home, and that she had also done a protection spell on her, in case he was planning to harm her.

“Damn it,” she said. “I should have given him a false name.” She looked out the window, hoping to see her aunts. She knew they would be returning soon, and they needed to know that The Directive was searching for them, as well as the covens. The only problem with telling them that information was that she would need to tell them how she knew. She couldn’t see any way of telling them without mentioning the vampire Markus Black, and that wasn’t going to go over well at all. The vampire had told her to keep quiet about him, but the question she must ask herself was whether it was for a selfish reason, or whether he really did want to keep her safe.

As she walked out of the living area, the door opened and her aunts burst into the room, laden with bags of food.

“Rach, we’re home!” Maxine screamed.

“Come get these bags from me, I’m old,” yelled Paula.

She took a deep breath, then turned and walked back. She relieved her aunts of most of the bags and took them straight to the kitchen. She prayed that they wouldn’t notice anything strange.

“Rach, darling, you seem a little nervous. Is everything okay?” Maxine asked. She was always the more curious of the two, the one who noticed everything.

“It’s fine, don’t worry. I’ll put the food away. Are we getting furniture tonight?” she asked, hoping to deflect the questions away from her.

“We already did but had to use magic. All the furniture stores are closed, but I needed to be in a bed tonight or I’d start turning people into frogs,” Paula said, an edge to her tone.

She laughed. After all the groceries were put away, she decided to make them a late snack. She could hear her aunts guiding in the delivery men with the furniture as she made some sandwiches and chilled a bottle of wine.

After all the furniture was in place and they had eaten, everyone went to bed. The aunts were both happy to be sleeping in a safe home that no one knew about, but Rachel was uncomfortably aware that someone did know about it, and that he also knew who they were. Once he revealed that he knew the covens were after her, the only possible response had been to give her name, at least. She might have to use him to get information. Still, he was a vampire who drank blood. Her level of trust in him, or any vampire, wasn’t high to begin with, yet he could perhaps find out more about The Directive looking for them. The situation was serious, and could cost not only her life, but the lives of others. For now, the sexy Markus was not a friend, and she’d treat him like a foe. He had tried to deceive her once, and that meant he might try again.

She lay in bed, wondering what to do next about the vampire. Now that she’d told him her name, she had a feeling he’d be back; not because of his name, but because of the way his eyes had roamed her body. He was not telling her the truth about something, though; she was sure of it.

She finally managed to fall asleep, and dreamed of Markus Black the vampire.

* * *

She was up and in the kitchen before her aunts, and set to work making eggs, sausage gravy and biscuits with hash browns. Her mind kept going back to Markus saying The Directive was looking for them as well. She knew her aunts meant well, but she was not going to let them sacrifice their lives. If it was true that The Directive was searching for them, she would part ways with them.

“Rachel Lynn, are you in here cooking us breakfast?” Paula walked in and poured herself some coffee.

“Yes, ma’am! You and Maxine are the best aunts in the world, and cooking you breakfast is the least I can do.”

Maxine walked in and gave her a kiss on the cheek, then poured herself coffee as well.

Once breakfast was ready, they all sat at the table together, talking about their home in Mississippi. Though Chicago was not a bad place, it was not home, and they all desperately missed being home.

“It’s a lot of work using protective spells and cloaking when you are not in your home with all of the supplies,” Maxine complained.

“We do miss home, but nothing is more important than protecting you, Rachel,” Paula said.

She couldn’t help wondering what her aunts would be doing if they weren’t on the run with her. Probably living their life, she thought. If only she could solve this issue, she would run, and hope her aunts would go home. Besides, she thought they drew attention to themselves, as they always wanted nice places to stay, eat and have fun. She knew that maybe doing something different could save her, and parting from her aunts could push them home.

“You know, I’m tired of running. I was thinking, maybe instead of being on the defense we need to be on the offense.” She looked at her aunts, challengingly.

“Rachel, we have not been idle. Some of the reason the covens are coming after us is because Paula and I made sure to leave a few of the sisters unable to spell or search.” Maxine spoke with pride, as if she were not talking about having harmed coven sisters.

She looked at both her aunts, surprised that they hadn’t thought to share that information with her. After all, she was the one everyone wanted, including The Directive. But was The Directive really involved? She was taking the word of a vampire who had tried to trick her out of her home. Knowing that he was a predator by nature, she had to consider that he probably wanted to feed from her. But why her?

“I’m the luckiest person in the world to have two people who love me so much they are risking everything to make sure I have a life. I love you both.” Her words didn’t even go near it, she thought. There were no words to say how much she appreciated these two women.

“We’d never let down our sister’s only child,” Paula said, with tears in her eyes. “It still pains us that her life was cut short, but we’ll both stand up to anything or anyone who tries to harm you.”

“Enough of the heavy talk, what are we going to do while we are here?”

“Are we talking about leaving the house?” asked Rachel, excited. “If we can do that, I say let’s go to the market, get a few things and enjoy being outdoors.” She was full of excitement and anticipation at the thought of not being cooped up. Although she could in theory walk around freely without anyone’s permission, out of respect she’d been following their rules. Now, even the idea of The Directive looking for her didn’t make her want to hide; instead, she wanted to stand up against the powers who were trying to overtake her. She wanted to reclaim the life she’d been putting on hold.

“Going out in public is always a danger,” Paula said, “but with all three of us together, we could escape if anything happened.” She looked over at Maxine, clearly hoping to convince her stubborn sister.

Maxine sighed. “Fine. We’ll go to the market, but if shit goes down, remember this was not my idea. I would have been fine just having lunch and watching a couple of movies.”

“Great, I’ll go and get ready!”

As she left the room, she caught sight of Paula and Maxine mouthing something to each other. She shrugged it off, sure nothing would happen. After all, it was daylight, and the vampire would be somewhere sleeping. He was the only one who had come close to taking her. There was nothing to worry about.

They walked out the door, all smiles and excited about going to the market. She couldn’t wait to pick up some things she had been missing.

“Rachel, it’s best if we stick together at the market,” Paula reminded her, for the fourth time.

She nodded in agreement.

They took the elevated train to the market in Greek town. Even though this was a simple thing that everyone did, she reveled in the short train ride, relishing the comfort of the ordinary.

Rachel was almost twenty-six years old, and most of the time since her twenty-fifth birthday had been spent living in fear. Now, as the sunlit houses and shops flashed past, she decided she was not going to live like that any longer.

Once they arrived at the market she smiled to herself, enjoying the sight of all the people moving about. The sun was shining brightly, so there was no chance of running into Markus Black.

They stopped at a basket-weaving stand.

“Maxine,” said Paula, running her hands over a basket, “these baskets would be great for decoration, and we could use them to store all sorts of items.”

“Well go ahead and get some, then. I’m looking for the honey stand, and some herbal teas,” Maxine replied, looking around.

Rachel smiled to see her aunts enjoying the time they had out of the home. Being at the outdoor market reminded her of the time before she and her aunts had had to go on the run.

Her aunts were so happy that they didn’t notice her slipping away to visit a stall selling silk scarves. She enjoyed the feel of them on her hand, but decided against buying any. She was enjoying just being out of the house; it was not about buying anything.

“You know you want to get one, go on, Rach, I’ll get you one,” Paula coaxed.

“I’m okay,” she replied, sliding her arm through her aunt’s. “Thanks, but I want to walk around a bit more before I start spending.”

After walking around and browsing for about an hour, they stopped in the coffee area and took a seat.

“My damn feet,” Maxine said, pulling off her shoe and crossing her leg to rub her foot. “I should have worn my other shoes.”

“Aunt Max, we can sit here as long as you want,” Rachel said.

After coffee, they stopped at a few more tables. Rachel’s mind couldn’t help returning to the vampire.

For once relaxed, she walked over to a fruit stand. They had passionfruit; it was one of her favorites.

“How much for the passionfruit, sir?” she asked the young vendor. She looked round for her aunts, but they were only at the next stand. She turned back to the vendor, expecting a reply, but he was just standing there grinning at her.

“Let’s keep looking like we’re talking about the fruit,” he said. “I’m here as a favor to Markus Black.”

Her first inclination was to run, but then she remembered that she had decided to stop running and let the chips fall wherever they landed. Her gaze darted to her aunts, who were engrossed in a conversation about grapefruit.

“What do you want?” she whispered to the man.

“I’m here to pass you a phone. Nothing more.” He was looking everywhere but at her, his eyes roaming over the crowded market.

“I don’t want it,” she whispered back. As she turned away, he spoke again.

“He’s on the phone right now, Miss. If I don’t get this phone to you I’m going to be in trouble.” Against her better judgment, she took a deep breath and accepted the phone.

“Okay, can I get two passionfruits, Sir,” she said loudly, hoping her aunts hadn’t noticed the weird exchange she was having with the strange boy.

“Of course,” he replied.

The young man bagged up the passionfruit and slipped a flip phone into the bag as well.

She took the bag, wishing she could put the phone to her ear right away, but she couldn’t; her aunts were waiting for her to go to another stand. She smiled, and walked with them until they found a stand with cheese nachos.

“I’m going to sit on the bench right behind you and eat my fruit,” she said. Her aunts hesitated, but then nodded okay.

Once she was seated, she connected the phone to her ear buds and dropped it into her pocket.

“Hello, are you there?” she asked.

“I’m glad you’re out getting some fresh air, Rachel.” The sound of his voice sent chills down her back, but in a good way. She smiled, loving the feeling of walking on the edge.

“You know this is considered stalking, Mr. Black.” She waved at her aunts, who had turned around to check on her.

“Rachel, I know your aunts mean well, but I’ve been doing some research, and no one will be able to protect you like I can.”

“I think you’re full of yourself,” she snapped. “Let’s be clear on this: I’m more powerful than you think. I can protect myself.”

“Rachel, I’ll protect you, but I need you to agree to meet me tonight, do you think you can?”

She stared at her aunts, thinking. She knew it was not smart to meet with a vampire at night, or any time, for that matter. Then she thought about all the trouble he was going through to get her attention. It had to be about more than just blood. Besides, if he tried anything, she could protect herself, just like she had when the coven tried to grab her.

“Markus, why do you want to meet with me? I think talking over the phone is much safer.”

“I know you have no reason to trust me, but I need to show you something, and once I do, you’ll understand the importance of our being together.”

She took a deep breath and remembered that, regardless of how much she was enjoying the attention, vampires always had their bloodlust. The Directive might’ve forbidden them to kill, but some vampires did step out of line, like that Von guy that time. She couldn’t be sure that Markus wouldn’t attack her. So she did what her aunts had taught her to do. She lied.

“I’ll meet you, but only for a few minutes, then I’m going back home, and if you try anything I’ll rip your heart out.” She meant what she was saying, and hoped he believed it too.

She was not sure if she would go, but he needed to know that she was no weak witch. Her aunts started walking toward her and she ended the call, not wanting them to become suspicious.

“We should get going, Rachel. Did you have a good time?” Paula asked.

“Yes, I did! This was a great market, there was a lot more here than I expected.”

All the way home on the train, she thought about what she would do about tonight.

Chapter Six

Markus was delighted Rachel had accepted the phone and spoken with him. He had got an instant hard-on when she agreed to meet him later. The first part of his plan successfully executed, he closed his eyes to take some rest.

When he received the first call, she had been leaving the house, and though he knew he should be resting, he just had to speak with her. Now that he’d gotten the wheels going, he could focus on getting his thirst under control for when he met her.

Then he remembered he hadn’t given her a location for their meeting. Even though he needed to rest, he couldn’t sleep without taking care of that. He quickly dialed the number to reach her.

“Hello?” Her voice was soft and sexy.

He automatically wrapped his hand around his cock, and began stroking it slowly.

“I forgot to give you the meet-up location,” he said as his voice got deeper. His eyes were closed, his mouth slightly open; he was enjoying the sound of her voice as a cat savors a scent.

“Markus, where is it?” she asked, frustration in her voice.

He sucked in as much air as he could, trying to hold his moan inside. He couldn’t help but imagine her lips going up and down his shaft. He clenched his teeth while the thirst drove his desire for her a higher level.

“Lincoln Park is the place, baby, meet me by the Lincoln statue, it’s on West La Salle Drive. I can’t wait to see you.”

He could feel his climax coming; all he needed was to hear her voice again.

“I’ll be there, Markus,” she whispered, “but it better not be a trap.” He heard her sigh, and his hand moved faster, up and down, flicking a finger over the slickness of his glans, squeezing with voluptuous abandon.

It was only seconds before he was coming all over himself, loudly breathing out his total satisfaction.

“It’s no trap, I promise,” he panted. “I’m going to protect you, not harm you.”

She disconnected the call. He wiped his hand and leg with the edge of the sheet, closed his eyes and sank into a grateful sleep.

* * *

It was the perfect night, and nothing was going to stand in his way. He was dressed in his sharpest tailored suit for his meeting with Rachel. He had thought of everything, including the possibility that she might not show.

“Are you going to tell her about the blood-mate thing, or do you think it will be better to lead her on?” Floyd asked.

He and Floyd had been doing research almost around the clock, even having Ida Grace find them books that dealt with this rare situation. Once he was convinced about blood-mates, after reading up on the thirst and how it related to finding one’s blood-mate, he had been sure Rachel could stop the thirst. Even though he would have liked to take her to bed, would have liked it very, very much, being mated was not something he would be excited about.

“All I know is, when I was at her home, my body bowed to her scent. The Thirst wants her and my cock stays hard near her. Rachel is leaving with me tonight.”

“Your body bowed, damn! That’s never happened to me. Sooo… have you thought how good the sex is going to be?

“Not really. My focus has been on the thirst, and how it’s driving me insane.”

“The thirst subsides when you get laid and drink your mate’s scarlet liquor. That’s what it said in the book. I can’t believe you’ve not thought about how good it will feel when you fuck her.”

“Speak of her like that again, and I’ll cut your tongue into tiny pieces.” His words were cold and his tone colder. Floyd never had any respect for anyone or anything, and it was part of his charm, but he didn’t like hearing him talk about Rachel this way, as if she were only there to provide sex and blood for him. He didn’t want it to be like that between them.

“Really? Now you want to hurt the only one helping you? Shit! I know I, for one, can’t wait for you to bed that witch. You might get your sense of humor back.”

“FLOYD!”

“Yeah, yeah, I know, you’re going to rip my tongue off.”

Floyd had stocked the fridge with human food for Rachel. He needed to keep her safe, and though she’d only be here a day, it was important. He couldn’t keep her in his place for long; Vivien had been lurking around, and he knew she would have reported back to Clarence.

* * *

Lincoln Park was quiet now, its midnight trees still and silent. Without the daytime crowds of office workers and children it was cool and dim, and Markus felt a little of his tension ease as he breathed its green-scented air. He walked slowly down the avenue to the monument where Rachel was to meet him. It was a little past midnight, and he stood still, listening for sounds and smells that would alert him to her presence.

It was not Rachel he heard, though, but Vivien. She had sneaked up on him!

“Mr. Black, I’m surprised to find you in the park, but it’s most opportune.”

He looked at her, wishing she would go away at that moment. If she smelled Rachel coming into the park, he would have no choice but to fight for her. He was not going to let a ruthless bitch like Vivien have one drop of her blood.

“What’s so great about it?”

He hadn’t expected her to appear in the same park where he had told Rachel to meet him, and this made him wonder if there was some kind of link he wasn’t aware of.

“Now, Markus, if I wasn’t in such a good mood I might take offense at your rude question, but I’ll overlook it.” Despite the sweetness of her words and tone, she was glaring at him.

He couldn’t bring himself to apologize, so he just stood there, waiting to be told why she was there. He laced his hands together behind his back, to restrain his impulse to attack her.

“Let’s go sit down. Clarence should be arriving in a few minutes.” She walked to a bench a few feet away. She looked over her shoulder to make sure he was following her, and he reluctantly obeyed, wishing he were anywhere else.

“Markus, I’m here to help you. A few things have come to our attention.” She was not making any sense right now.

Then the Motherfucking Asshole came walking down the path. Clarence Collins was a badass vampire who was the lead operative on The Directive’s investigations. He investigated all supers: vampires, wolf-shifters, dragons and more. He was an old vampire, who knew how to dish out justice. He enjoyed being the fucker supers hated to see coming, and that, more than anything, pissed Markus off about him. He was nothing to get excited about, in Markus’ view - tall, slim build, brown hair and eyes. Meh. Markus didn’t like being around him, and in fact, if he never had to encounter him again he would have been overjoyed. And he was quite sure the feeling went both ways; Clarence was definitely no fan of his. If he was here, it was more than just the covens looking for a witch. He knew Vivien could have handled that without a mishap, and without assistance from the Motherfucker.

“Markus, did we interrupt anything?” asked Clarence. “And before you answer, I’ve been speaking with some other supers, and it seems you haven’t been yourself lately.”

All he wanted to do was say fuck you, Motherfucker, but he knew he couldn’t. He must give Clarence an answer, hopefully one that would make him leave him alone. With a deep breath, he started talking.

“I’ve been a little overwhelmed at work, but nothing I can’t handle, I assure you.” He made his voice sound as friendly as possible.

Clarence looked at Vivien and back at Markus, then joined them on the bench.

“Vivien says you’ve been entertaining multiple women., None of them has come up dead, but you know what happens if they do. There will be no mercy this time, Markus.”

“No, it won’t. I’m not that guy anymore. That only happened because I didn’t know.” He heard the anger in his own voice. Tone it down, he reminded himself.

He knew he shouldn’t be poking at Clarence, but he couldn’t be a pushover, either. Not to mention that his thirst was driving him insane. He had prepared to meet with Rachel, not Thing One or Thing Two, as he sometimes thought of Clarence and Vivien.

“Well, I’m glad to hear that. So, have you found the witches yet?” asked Clarence.

“I’m still looking for them. What does The Directive want with them, anyway?” He didn’t want to sound desperate, yet he was desperate to know.

“We’ve got our eye on the Sunart witches. We can’t allow them to gain any more power; it would place our regime in jeopardy. So again, Markus, if you hear of them, give me a call.” He handed him his card.

Clarence stood, and Vivien did as well. They both gave Markus a wicked grin, and in seconds they were gone.

“I’m fucked!” he yelled.

He realized Rachel was not coming after waiting a little longer. He didn’t waste time thinking about what to do; he had already planned for this to happen. He ran to her home, making it there within minutes, but instead of staying nearby on the ground, he flew up to perch on top of the roof of the huge Catholic church on the corner.

He dialed the number of the phone he had given her earlier in the day. He stared at the house, hoping to catch a glimpse. She was no longer safe with her aunts; he had to get her to a safe place.

She was his blood-mate, and he was not going to allow anyone to kill her for any reason.

“I’m not sure why you didn’t show up, but I need to see you right now.” He didn’t want to sound demanding, but he was making a demand.

“I don’t think it’s safe for me to be near you. Let’s not forget it’s only one of us who’s the predator, and it’s not me.” Her voice was low, could barely have been heard by a human ear, but his vampire ears could hear her without difficulty.

“Fuck, Rachel, you are making this so difficult! You are not safe! Trust me, some really evil vampires are looking for you. Come with me.” He wanted her to understand she was safe with him, but telling her about the blood-mate thing would only frighten her away.

“Are you crazy, really evil vampires are searching for me? Why, because you have been hounding me? If anything happens to my aunts because of you, I’ll make you pay in ways you couldn’t imagine.” He could hear the anger rolling off her as she punched out each word.

“Look, I know it’s crazy, but I’m not lying to you. If you come with me, your aunts will be safe.”

“If you think I’m leaving my aunts in a dangerous situation, then you don’t know me.”

He stared blankly at the house, trying to think of a way to get her to safety without all this resistance.

“I’ll call you back, give me a few seconds.”

“You know what, don’t call me back!” she snapped back, and hung up.

He called Floyd and asked him to help him come up with a plan to get her out of the house, and keep her aunts safe.

“You’re thinking like a blood-mate; man, she’s basically ordered you to protect her aunts too,” Floyd teased.

“Fuck you, Floyd,” he snapped. “She didn’t say that. I’m doing this for myself.” He didn’t want to speak on the blood-mate issue.

“No need to get hostile, I mean they will be family once, you know… if I say you… well, never mind about that. I know how touchy you get.”

“You know it’s not a joking matter,” he hissed. “The fact you keep clowning about is really pissing me off.”

“Shit, man. I’m only trying to help.”

His only thought was to get her out of the house; her aunts would follow if she left. Then he could grab them, to make sure they were safe as well. He knew his options were limited, but the first step was to get Rachel out of the house. That would get the ball rolling.

He told Floyd his plan, and they both agreed it was the only way. After they had settled the details, he called her back.

“Hello,” she answered. Her voice was extremely low, and he could hear water running in the background.

Hearing her voice made his heart clench and his cock hard.

“I know how I can keep you safe, and your aunts too, but you have to trust me.”

She was silent on the other end, which worried him. He needed her to agree to this, so that he could lay a foundation of trust.

“Tell me, what is your plan?” she asked, still whispering.

“If you leave the house, your aunts will seek you out. We will even leave them clues to find us.” He knew it was a big step for her, because she had to trust that he would not harm her, not to mention trusting him to give her aunts a way to find them.

She hung up the phone, and his heart sank. He had no idea what she was thinking. He hoped she was not running to her aunts. They would make sure to watch her like a hawk if they knew about the phone, and he’d never get her to safety. As he watched the house, sucking on one of the blood bags he had taken to carrying around for emergencies, he saw something he had never thought would happen.

Rachel stepped outside and closed the door behind her.

Quickly he jumped down from the roof and sped to her. She was standing on the porch, her hand on her hip, and she had a bag!

“The spell I used is not going to work forever, so we need to get going. If this is a trick, I’ll kill you.” There was no smile, but he didn’t smell any fear, either.

“I promise you, the only thing I want to do is protect you.” In his mind, he wished he could say, “Tasting, sucking and feeding from you is what I desire the most.”

Without waiting for her to change her mind, he scooped her into his arms, grabbed the bag and ran, faster than he had ever moved before. He knew Floyd would be at the agreed rendezvous. When he looked down, her eyes were tightly closed. He could see her mouth moving, but no sound was coming out.

He felt nothing but pride. Even though he didn’t want to admit to, or discuss anything about, a blood-mate, secretly it made his chest swell with pride. Once they arrived, he set her down at the door.

“You can go on through; you’ll be safe here,” he told her as he leaned down closer to smell her. He was aware that this would look weird, but he couldn’t help that; his body was so drawn to her that he craved her scent.

“Where are we?” she asked, looking around. He watched her closely, not wanting to alarm her with his intensity.

“It’s safe, and I left a trail for your aunts. Please go inside, it’s for you, baby.” The ‘baby’ part was out of his mouth before he stopped to think. He usually never said sweet things to a woman, but a romantic side was surfacing when he was around Rachel.

Her eyes widened, and then she relaxed. She looked down, and reached out to touch the ring he wore on his left hand. As he watched her gazing at it, he wondered what she was thinking.

“That’s a unique ring,” she said. “I’ve never seen anything like it.”

He never talked about his father’s ring. It was heavy silver, carved with ancient designs, set with a black onyx stone. Back when he had first become a vampire, and Ida Grace was teaching him about his new life, the first thing she had said was that he must let go of all reminders of his human life before his change. Her explanation had been valid, but he hadn’t cared, so he told her it was a ring he had found on the street. He had never spoken of it again, but now Rachel was admiring the ring.

She turned, opened the door and walked in, and he watched her closely, wanting her to be pleased with the accommodations he had arranged for her. Slowly she walked further in, still not speaking.

“The fridge is stocked with everything; this house is bigger than you would think, with all the bells and whistles.” He stayed close to her, inhaling her intoxicating scent.

“So, no one is going to find me here? Please explain how” When she faced him, it was almost enough to knock him off his feet. His thirst came upon him as never before, and he felt his fangs emerging. He walked to the bar and poured himself a drink.

After downing three full glasses of whiskey, he was able to speak. “This place used to be my home, but just so you can ease your mind, it’s been spelled to be invisible to anyone whose name is not on the list.” He pointed to a list of names on the wall next to the door.

“So you placed my name on the list?”

“Yes, and I’ll add your aunts, but you still haven’t said anything about the place. Do you need anything?”

She finally set her bag on the floor and walked to the bar, pouring herself a stiff shot of tequila. He could tell she was worried. He wanted her to feel safe.

“Are you leaving?” she asked, without meeting his eyes.

“No, I want to stay with you. Unless you want me to leave.”

“No, stay with me. I don’t like being alone.”

She walked over to the sofa and took a seat, and he followed her. He sat as close as possible to her, almost touching.

Ida Grace walked in, smiling.

“Floyd said you found your blood-mate, but I didn’t believe him until now.”

Chapter Seven

Rachel was ready to attack. Her witch sense told her the tall beautiful redhead was not a supermodel even though she looked like one; the woman was a vampire. She didn’t understand why this beautiful vampire was talking about blood-mates in reference to her, or why she was even there. She looked over at Markus, who was glaring at the woman.

The way she shrugged her shoulders at Markus led Rachel to believe they knew each other. He stood, but remained where he was.

“Markus, you knew I would have to see for myself. Besides, the other night you were not yourself.” Although she was speaking to Markus, she kept her eyes on Rachel.

“Rachel, this is my good friend, I think. Ida Grace.” He still didn’t take his eyes off her. The combined effect of these two vampires staring intently at her sent a chill down Rachel’s spine.

Ida Grace walked over and extended her hand.

“I don’t know her or trust her,” said Rachel, ignoring the outstretched hand. “Why is she here?” The presence of another vampire in the house infuriated her. Not only was she in a home with one vampire, she was in here with two. That was at least one more than she had bargained for.

“Oh dear!” Ida gave her a wicked grin. “I know I can come across as a bitch, but this is my home. So, welcome! Make yourself at home.”

“You know, if there is going to be a problem, I can leave.”

“NO!” Markus yelled. “Ida, stop fucking around and tell her you are leaving.” He growled at her, showing his fangs.

“Ha!” Ida Grace snorted. “I’m not telling her that. She and I are going to be best friends.”

“Baby, she really is a friend, a fucked-in-the-head friend, but a good friend of mine, plus she will protect you if your coven comes for you.” Rachel looked up at him, and for some reason believed him. She noticed that he had called her ‘baby’ again.

He sat back down beside her, placing his hand on her knee. His touch galvanized her; it was as if electricity were shooting through her from his hand. It turned on light bulbs in her body, and she found herself twisting her hips to avoid the sensual feeling coming over her.

She watched as Ida went to the kitchen and returned with a wine glass filled with what she was sure was blood. Markus glanced at her, and got up to pour himself another drink. She wondered if for some reason he didn’t want to drink it in front of her. It was not bothering Ida to drink it from a glass, so why was Markus avoiding doing so?

“You know, I’m not squeamish about seeing you drink blood,” she told him. “Don’t worry about me.” What made her worry more was that he was not drinking the thick red liquid, because then he might want to drink hers.

“I’m fine, I had plenty earlier.” His words sounded forced, and she didn’t believe him.

“Rachel, dear, he has the Blood Thirst, and-” Before Ida could finish her sentence, Markus was up and in her face, hissing, snarling, his lips curled back to reveal protruding fangs.

Ida smiled, moving her head to see around him to Rachel.

“He doesn’t want you to know, but I’m going to tell you regardless.” Her eyes moved to the other vampire, and a low growl emanated from her. “Get out of my face, I’m older, stronger and just plain better at fighting than you.” The warning was clear, but he didn’t back down.

“I’m still smarter than you. And if you betray me, that is the end of our friendship.”

She looked at him, then her attention was back on Rachel.

“Only because I value his bitchy ass will I give him the pleasure of telling you himself. Go on, Markus, she’s curious now, I’m sure.”

She couldn’t deny she wanted to know what he was keeping from her, especially with Ida talking about this blood-mate thing. He looked up to the ceiling, and muttered something she didn’t catch.

“First, before I say anything, I’m not a bitchy ass, Ida, so stop the lies. Second, this conversation is between Rachel and me, so leave, now.”

“There’s the asshole I know!” Ida said with a smile, “Alright, I’m leaving, but only because I want to get home before daylight.” In the blink of an eye she was gone, winking out as though she had never been there.

In the sudden pool of quiet left by her departure, Markus was left standing a few feet away from her. She waited for him to tell her what Ida had meant, but he walked over to the bar, mumbling and poured himself another drink. He held up the tequila bottle, but she shook her head impatiently.

“I want to know what this blood-mate thing is that vampire was talking about, right damn now.”

He whipped around, eyes glowing and fangs extended. Startled, she jumped off the sofa and ran to the door, freezing as she felt him right behind her and his arms wrapped around her waist.

“Please, don’t leave,” he begged. “I’m sorry. I need to tell you some things. Turn around, please? Everything’s all normal now.”

She struggled to get away. “No, let go of me. Your eyes are glowing and your fangs are out. I’m not sticking around. If you don’t let me go I will use force.”

“My eyes are normal, I promise.” His voice in her ear was low and sexy. “Please turn around and look. It only happens if I try to contain my thirst.”

Trembling, she risked a glance over her shoulder and sure enough, his eyes were normal again. He took her hand and walked her back to the sofa. She was not sure why she had allowed him to do it after what had taken place. Once they were settled back on the sofa, he started to speak. She listened with mounting disbelief and horror.

“I can’t fight fate any longer, you’re my blood-mate, and if I am ever going to get this annoying-as-fuck thirst under control, I must drink some - not all - of your blood. The thing is, even though you don’t know me and I don’t know you, still my heart is yours, and the desire I feel for you I’ve never felt before, so that’s everything.” His words were like a dam exploding over her.

The idea of a vampire being her mate was absurd, and yet she couldn’t deny the strange attraction he had for her. It must mean something. Being connected was not something she would ever have thought could happen to her. She didn’t hang out with vampires; in fact, she didn’t have one friend that was a vampire, so how could she be his blood-mate? His declaration that he was her mate, that he needed her sweet essence, didn’t make her want to run away, exactly, but it certainly didn’t make her welcome the idea, either. It was all a little confusing.

She knew she should answer him, but how could she respond to something so crazy? He had just told her they were meant to be married forever; blood-mating was, as she understood it from what she had read, basically an arranged marriage. Though it’s not taught widely in covens about blood-mating among vampires, her aunts have some grim books that speaks on it as knowledge only. A way for witches to be aware of how they bond. Yet, she doesn’t think her aunts had even read upon it. She turned and looked wonderingly at him. Thank the heavens, he was handsome, but could she accept being mated to someone she didn’t even know?

“I’m at a loss for words, but I do have a question for you. Did you know about this blood-mate thing, the night you came to the condo in your building?” She was not sure when he had found out, but she believed that was why he had been chasing her down. It had nothing to do with her safety at all; it had everything to do with her being his, so to speak.

“I didn’t know about the blood-mate thing, but my thirst has been going on for almost a week. The night I caught your scent, it just about drove me crazy with blood lust. But no harm will ever come to you, from me or anyone else.” She noticed that he was careful in his response.

Her curiosity grew.

“So, you need my blood to stop the thirst? How does that work?”

He moved closer to her on the sofa. She couldn’t deny the attraction - his beauty, his power. Once he was right beside her, she watched, mesmerized, as he slowly placed his hand on her thigh. A flush of heat pervaded her core, and a shiver of need ran over her skin at his touch.

“Yes, I need your sweet ambrosia baby, but it will be done when I’m buried inside you and you’re screaming with pleasure, that’s when I’ll have a taste of you. You will enjoy it, I promise.”

She was almost swept away by the seduction of his words. She licked her lips, realizing with surprise that she wanted to kiss him, wanted it very badly. His lips looked extremely soft, but that would start something she wasn’t ready for… being a live blood bank to a vampire.

“If I didn’t know better, I would think you wanted my blood right now.” She batted her eyelashes and licked her lips again.

“If you are wondering if I want you, don’t wonder, baby. I want you more than you can possibly imagine.”

Their eyes locked, and she leaned forward slightly, wanting to kiss him, at least once. If they were blood-mates, she might know for sure with a kiss; after all, she was a witch.

Slowly she reached to place her hand gently on the side of his face. He turned his head and took a deep breath, before licking the palm of her hand. She thought it should feel weird, but it didn’t; it felt good. Better than good. Of its own volition her body moved closer to him, and now they were nose to nose.

“This doesn’t mean I accept you as my blood mate.”

He didn’t respond, but closed his eyes and inhaled deeply. She took a chance then. Her lips barely touched his, but a low growl came from his chest. She kissed him over and over again, with soft little kisses, until he took control. With his lips he coaxed her mouth open and deepened the kiss. They were all tongues and hands. He pulled her onto his lap. She was loving it. She was not sure if she loved it because he was her mate, or the fact he was so sexy, but either way, she never wanted it to end.

Her body was on fire. Her arms wrapped around his neck, and his hands moved up and down her back as they continued to kiss. She broke the kiss, and he began placing soft kisses on her neck. She wondered briefly if he would bite her, but at this point it didn’t matter. Her hips started grinding against him.

“Baby, I want you so bad, but I can’t keep kissing you with you grinding that sweet pussy on me. I want us in bed, naked.” His voice was breathy; she continued to rock against him as he spoke.

“I’m not resisting,” she said, panting.

It was all the encouragement he needed to pick her up, rush her to a bedroom and place her on the bed. Her body burned with desire, and all she wanted was to feel him inside her. She continued to lead him, pulling her shirt over her head and unhooking her bra, tossing them both to the floor. His hands cupped her breasts, and she leaned down to grant him better access. His tongue darted out, licking her nipples until they stiffened and stood proud. She was full, overflowing, bursting with lust and excitement. He flipped her over onto her back and slipped his hands into her leggings, pulling them down her body. He planted kisses on her pelvic bone as he pulled them completely off. The anticipation was thick in the air.

She lifted one of her legs and placed it on his shoulder, ready for him to make her body sing with pleasure. As he watched, she slid her hand down her body to her center, moving her fingers round and round, moaning loudly. She slipped her finger inside herself as her eyes locked onto his, sliding it in and out until she saw him breathing harder. He stopped her and took her fingers in his mouth, sucking them hard as she watched him. Her lust built even higher, and now she wanted to taste him. She needed to have him in her mouth, to taste his essence and have him come undone under her touch. It will be amazing, she thought with a last shred of rationality. She raised her head to watch him, and it turned her on even more. She wanted him more than she had ever wanted any man, to feel his cock filling her, stretching her, making her come over and over. She spread her legs wider for him, exposing herself not only physically, but emotionally as well. Every touch called forth a moan, and drove her desire almost to her breaking point.

“I’m going to enjoy making love to you.” His voice was deeper than before, and more sensual.

“Don’t make me wait… take me!” she rasped, her voice hoarse with her need.

He dipped his head between her legs and used his fingers to open her folds; he licked her from the apex of her thighs until he reached her clitoris. He continued to lick and suck her, moving his tongue faster, then slowing down, and she gripped his head to hold him still while she pumped her pussy to the speed she desired.

“YES!” she screamed. “Let me taste you,” she pleaded, pulling at him.

He didn’t stop, but flipped her onto her stomach, and almost before she realized what was happening, he pulled her hips back toward him. He lifted her legs from behind, placing them on his shoulders, and lowered his mouth to her.

“Damn, baby, I can’t get enough of you,” he whispered as he sucked and licked.

She pulled at the sheets, hoping to get a hold on all the pleasure she was feeling, but she was unable to hang on. He flipped her onto her back again, and started on her breasts. Her nipples were hard, and with the first flick of his tongue she came, hard and loud, screaming out in pleasure as she fell deep down into a dark pool of ecstasy. When she floated back to consciousness, he was kissing her neck, gently cupping her breasts.

“Let me taste you,” she said. Her voice was raspy from all the screaming and moaning she’d been doing.

He placed a soft kiss on her lips, and nodded okay. Regaining her strength, she moved until her mouth was at the head of his cock while her ass was toward his face. She kissed it before opening her mouth and taking him in. He moved her body over slightly, giving him access to her pussy, to let his fingers pleasure her as she feasted on him. Her head moved slowly up and down as she embraced his taste in her mouth.

She took him deeper and deeper, wanting to feel him exploding. She felt his fingers moving inside her, and she pumped her body in time to his thrusting of his fingers inside her. It was not long before she felt his cock began to shake in her mouth, and she heard him moan and felt a hand gripping her hip.

“Ahhh.” A long, sighing moan was drawn from him, while her mouth filled with his warm juice. She raised her head to look at him, and with the sexiest expression she thought she had ever seen, he pulled her toward him. He kissed her, a deep, lingering kiss. She could taste herself on his mouth.

“It’s my turn again,” he said, and laid her gently down.

Chapter Eight

He loved the taste of her pussy on his tongue. The idea that it was finally happening, that at last he was making love to his blood mate, had him in a dark pool of ecstasy. He could feel his thirst running through him like the beat of drums. It was not unbearable, only because he was so close to her and had tasted her sweet arousal. He admired her body as she squirmed under him, anxious to be inside her. Her moans were music to his ears, and he wanted to hear more.

With a supernatural speed, he stripped. He didn’t want anything to touch his body but his blood-mate. He opened her legs again, wanting to bring her to an orgasm with his mouth.

“Baby, you’re addictive,” he said, just before he pushed his tongue inside her pleasure pit. She started to shake and moan, pulling at his hair and shoulders, and it drove him to a frenzy of passion. He held her legs further apart, licking and gently sucking, over and over. Soon he was rewarded with the flood of her arousal filling his mouth. He moved up her body, reveling in the myriad of sensations as her hands tugged at his arms to draw him closer.

As soon as he reached her mouth, she started kissing him again. He had never wanted to kiss a woman since he had been turned, but it felt right to kiss Rachel.

“Do you want me to stop?” he asked, giving her a chance to change her mind. Even though they were both fully naked, he would still allow her to back out of this. He didn’t want her ever to feel forced.

“Please…” was all she said. He took her moaning as permission to go ahead.

He adjusted his cock at her entrance and it was as if his body recognized her. As he lifted her leg up onto his hip he pushed forward, entering her, and he felt a pain he had never consciously recognized leave his body. He gave her a moment to adjust to him, as he knew he was bigger than usual. Once he felt her body begin to move, he began a slow rhythm, lazily pushing in and out, building the tension. She lifted up her head as her body arched off the bed, meeting him with each stroke.

He started to feel his fangs coming forth, so he buried his head in the pillow next to her, but never missed a beat.

“Do it, you can taste me,” she urged.

Unable to control his need, he began to place soft kisses on her neck, while increasing the speed of his thrusts. He lifted his head slightly, and just as she began to come, he bit down into her neck. As the warm scarlet liquid filled his mouth, his body began to shake. Background noises of which he had been unconsciously aware of had all of a sudden ceased. His body calmed as he sucked more of her blood. He could feel it streaming through his body, and as he reveled in it, almost fainting with the pleasure of it, the thirst stopped, flicking out as if it had never been.

He could feel his cock shaking inside her body, but he wanted her to come again for him.

“Let it go, baby, I want to fill you.” She submitted to him, climaxing while he finds his release.

He pulled her close to him as she catched her breath. Her head was lying on his chest and he rubbed her back gently, wondering what to say. He didn’t want to make it weird, but it was an urgent necessity that he speak to her about the blood-mate bond. From what he had heard they were now bound forever, and he felt guilty for not giving her a ring.

Just as he felt ready to talk to her, he heard a low snore. He allowed her to sleep, lying quietly as the small sounds of the day seeped back into his awareness, savoring the absence of the thirst, the cessation of the constant craving. He was complete. This, just this, he thought.

Life was perfect.

* * *

Morning came too quickly, and fatigue was starting to overtake him, but he was not going to rest until he spoke with his love.

He slipped out of bed, put on his pants and wandered into the kitchen. He was not sure what she would like for breakfast, but he could at least make her some hot coffee. He had seen that done enough that he thought he couldn’t mess it up. While the coffee was brewing, he scrabbled in the junk drawer for a pen, and added her aunts’ names to the list at the door. He figured they should be arriving soon.

Back in the bedroom, he stood at the foot of the bed, admiring her beauty. Something hit him from behind, hard.

“What the hell?” he yelled, as he was thrown across the room.

His fangs were out and he was in defense mode when he saw it was Rachel’s aunts. Rachel jerked awake, looking confused and unfocused, sitting up to pull the cover over her breasts. One side of her hair was flattened, while the other was a tangled mass. Her aunts threw their hands in the air, yelling and screaming, and Rachel wrapped the sheet around herself and jumped out of the bed.

“Get behind me!” He pushed her behind him, holding up his hands to show he was no threat.

“You kidnapped our niece and we find her naked!” Maxine started chanting a spell. All the furniture began to rise from the floor, and he could feel the ground shaking.

“You need to stop this; I’m not going to allow you to do this.” His voice was powerful.

Rachel moved in front of him, putting one hand on his chest and holding the other out to her aunts in a gesture of warding. They looked at her in surprise. She turned to Markus and smiled.

“I know you think Markus has harmed me,” she said, “but he hasn’t. I left with him on my own.”

Even though they were her aunts, he was not going to let them take her away, or harm Rachel trying to hurt him.

“You get dressed and get over here, right now!” Paula screamed.

“He’s my blood-mate, and he knew you would look for me, that’s why you’re able to be here. It’s to keep you safe as well, please trust me. I’m fine.” Rachel spoke with passion.

He wrapped his arm around her waist and pulled her closer to him.

“Are you saying you’re with this bloodsucker?” Maxine took a step forward and he took a step back, pulling Rachel with him.

“I’m saying you see me naked in a sheet sleeping, he’s my mate and I’m his, please leave the room, I’ll be out in a few minutes.”

She seemed finally to have gotten through to her aunts. They gave him an evil look and walked out of the room. Rachel closed the door with a wave of her hand, then turned and buried her face in his chest.

“This is new for me, and I’m still trying to understand it. Now I have to explain to my aunts, whom I love dearly, about something I don’t understand myself.” Her arms came up, wrapping around his neck.

“I’m a businessman. I sell all sorts of things to supers, to all kinds of people. If you want me to speak for you I can. It’s new to me too, although I hear it’s becoming less rare these days.” He smiled down at her and kissed her forehead.

“You know I don’t know anything about you except you’re a vampire, persistent and a great lover.”

Desire rose in him. What he really wanted was to take her to bed again. He lifted her up and she wrapped her legs around his waist.

“If your aunts were not in there waiting for you, I would kiss you for hours, and feed from you some more.” He leaned in, inhaling her scent.

“You are going to be a handful, I can tell. Put me down now. I need to get dressed and go speak with my aunts.”

He reluctantly set her down and took a seat on the chair in the corner. He watched her as she dressed, fixed her hair and stood for a moment before the door, taking a deep breath, clearly bracing herself for conflict. As she opened the door, he was right behind her. He didn’t want her to face them alone; besides, he felt partly responsible.

In the sitting room, Maxine was sitting by the window, and Paula on the sofa.

“Please, Aunt Maxine,” said Rachel, “come over to the sofa. I want to talk with you both.”

Silently, Maxine left her chair and moved to the sofa. Markus didn’t want to impose on their conversation, but until he was sure they wouldn’t try to take her away, he was not going to leave her alone. He was able to think more clearly, now that the thirst was no longer stabbing at him, but he was not taking any chances.

“I have been drawn to Markus from the very first night he came to the condo in his building. I didn’t say anything because… to be honest, I don’t know why myself. As he continued to seek me out, I wanted to be around him even more. I know it sounds weird, but he also felt a draw to me. Although he also had a bloodlust for me, it was never his intention to harm me. I will give you both a chance to speak, but this place is to protect us. Not only is the coven seeking me, but The Directive as well. So before you try and kill him, understand he’s trying to keep you safe as well.”

Her body visibly tensed and he wanted to go over to her, but he waited to see how her aunts respond. He knew that Rachel wanted them to accept their mating. The long night was catching up with him and tiredness rolled over him like a wave, but he would not leave her alone to deal with her aunts.

“If he’s your mate, then he drinks your blood?” Paula asked.

“Yes, he does, it helps him, and it gives me a pleasure that I’ve never felt before.”

The fact that she experienced pleasure from his bite had eliminated, for him, any doubts he had about the blood-mating, any thought that he could be wrong about it. Now, he had to watch as she tried to convince her aunts about them being together.

“You have made the decision on your own, without any coercion from him?” Maxine spoke harshly.

He couldn’t help her with this, but he wished she didn’t have to defend their relationship. In his view, it ought to be a private matter. “I’m sorry about this,” he mouthed to Rachel. She shook her head at him.

“I’m not leaving him, so what are you going to do - accept him, or what?” Her voice was low, and he could feel her pain, not in an empathic way, but directly and physically. He had heard that drinking from a true mate, could cause them to become connected in this way, but had not believed it.

Paula frowned. “He hasn’t hurt you, forced you to be with him?”

“No he hasn’t. He’s been nothing but a gentleman. I would like to have a wedding and have you both there, once we get past people trying to kill me.”

Her words held true for him, as he didn’t think The Directive would kill her, but the coven needed her dead. His body tensed at the thought of her dying. It would surely kill him.

Her aunt Paula stood, walked over to her and gave her a hug.

“I love you, and if you want him to be a part of your life I’ll accept it. I don’t have to like him, but that’s beside the point. But we still need to keep you alive, and that’s more important right now.”

Rachel was crying in her aunt’s arms and he stood, wanting to stop her tears and make her happy. Maxine glared at him, but moved along the sofa, and they all hugged.

At last, he thought it would be okay for him to sleep. He stood and walked toward the bedroom. Rachel got up from the sofa and followed him.

“Where are you going?” she asked, smiling.

His heart softened at how naïve the question was. One day, after many moons, he would be able to go into the sun, but as of right now he needed to sleep.

“I didn’t get any sleep, baby, and besides, I’m a vampire. We sleep during the day.”

She nodded her understanding, but he needed to kiss her before he did anything. He pulled her into the bedroom, pinning her against the wall. He soon discovered that she wanted him just as much as he wanted her. They kissed deeply, forgetting everything else in their mounting passion. The need rose in him to taste her sweet essence again, but he didn’t want to make her weak. He hadn’t told her about her drinking from him yet, but he would soon.

“If we keep this up, you’ll be naked and screaming my name out again,” he whispered in her ear.

“That doesn’t sound like a bad idea,” she giggled.

He finally untangled himself from her and took a step away. She pouted a little and he groaned, admiring his mate. She shrugged, smiled and walked out of the room. He was happy the home was vampire-proof, which allowed him to sleep without worrying about sunrays filtering in. He went through the door next to the bathroom – his special lightproof room for daylight sleeping - and got onto the bed. The total darkness soothed him, and soon he was in a deep sleep.

* * *

Markus awoke from the best sleep he’d had in over a hundred years. The memory of the time he had spent with his mate sang in his veins, and he rushed out of the room, to find she had been cooking. Even though he’d had to endure the smell of food many times since he had been turned, it still stank to him.

He could feel the need for her vital addictive liquid rising in him, but he didn’t want to stay in yesterday’s clothes. Quickly he showered and changed. He emerged from the ensuite, and was about to leave the room when he saw her lying on the bed.

“I was coming to find you,” he said, moving to join her on the bed.

“I heard the shower going and thought I’d wait,” she smiled, “but you move too fast! I just got in here.” He gently stroked her cheek with the back of his hand. Her smell gave him a hard-on, and instead of asking, as he knew he should, about how things had gone with her aunts while he slept, he started kissing her neck.

“I know we should be talking, but you are hard to resist.” He kissed her lips.

“You don’t have to apologize! I came in here so you and I could have some morning sex, even though it’s evening now.” He enjoyed the way she spoke so easily to him; it was sexy in his eyes.

Markus didn’t want to pressure her about sex, or blood, but her thinking of him made him want her more.

“We need to talk about the blood thing. I’m not the only one who needs to drink.” He raised a brow at her, hoping she would get what he was saying.

“Why do I need blood? I’m not a vampire. Wait, will I become a vampire? Because I don’t want to stop being a witch.” He could feel the fear radiating from her.

“No, you can stay a witch, but there are positives to drinking from me. You will not only be much stronger, but it will connect us so that we can feel each other’s moods. It doesn’t allow me to hear your thoughts, but I can feel you, and when you have drunk my life source you will be able to feel me, and maybe you don’t care about this, but it will give you an even more intense orgasm.” He looked into her eyes, waiting for her to respond.

“Are you saying I need to drink from you to get even better orgasms? Well, but you’re forgetting one thing; I don’t have fangs.”

“Let me worry about that.” He didn’t give her a chance to respond. He positioned himself between her legs, leaned down and began to kiss her deeply, while slipping his hand into her pants. He slipped two fingers into her pussy and circled them around, over and over. Her moans were loud and he loved to hear her. Once she was squirming under him, he slipped off her pants and quickly removed her shirt and bra. It didn’t take him long to get himself undressed. They kissed deeply, passionately and long. He entered her body, stretching her as she lifted her legs higher in the air for him. Then he started thrusting inside her.

He leaned down and sank his exposed fangs into her. It was the same tide of glory again, just as he remembered. He started to suck, then with his fingernail he cut the side of his own neck. The blood started rushing out.

“Drink me, baby.” He adjusted the position of his head to give her better access to his blood. She latched on, and he continued to suck on her as she met him with every thrust.

He didn’t want to stop, but he knew he must. He withdrew his fangs and gently pulled himself away from her mouth. She was beautiful with his essence on her mouth and dripping from her chin. He began to lick the blood off her face as her hands plunged into his hair and massaged his head.

Once they were cleaned up and dressed again, they both went out into the living area, where he found not only her aunts, but Floyd drinking whiskey.

“Why are you here?” he asked, annoyed to find his friend had come without an invitation. He didn’t want him to lead The Directive to the house here, especially Vivien. He couldn’t stand Vivien, and he knew she would attempt to take Rachel to Clarence if she found her.

“The real question is, how does it feel not to be in bloodlust?” Floyd grinned, waggling his eyebrows. “I’ve been putting up with your cranky ass for more than a week now, I deserve to know something. Was it the best you ever had?”

Markus glanced uncomfortably at Rachel and her aunts, before gesturing for his friend to walk over to the window to discuss this a little more discreetly.

“Why do you not understand that I’m not talking about my personal life?”

“Personal? Markus, I’ve watched you suck and fuck like a lunatic for years, not that fucking and sucking is wrong, but you did come close to killing a few times. Now that shit’s got personal, I’m still your friend. So, is the lust gone?”

He narrowed his eyes, mainly because he didn’t want to be reminded of how the thirst had driven him almost to his breaking point. He was not telling his friend anything. Floyd would be just as likely to repeat it in front of Rachel; he had no filter, everything went straight from his brain to his mouth.

“I’m not saying anything, except that I never felt better in my life.”

“It was good, damn! Is it different from regular pussy? Is blood-mate pussy better? Is it?”

“If you don’t change the subject right damn now...” Floyd held up his hands in surrender.

“We are not discussing me. Why are you here?” he asked again.

“Well, Clarence is not in the area and neither is Vivien, but some of her coven is in Chicago.” He pointed at Rachel as if he thought she couldn’t see him.

Rachel eyes widened and her aunts walked over to her. Markus looked at Floyd and waited for him to say more, but he didn’t. He knew the other witches were there to take her, and more importantly to kill her. Though she’s never told him personally, but through his keen hearing and using Floyd, he found out. He would not allow the coven to Rachel - even if he had to do some harming himself.

Chapter Nine

She had never thought it would be three months before she encountered the coven, actually she thought it would be sooner. Markus’ friend wouldn’t have come and said that unless it was true. The old Rachel would have taken off with her aunts and hidden again. But now that she had a blood-mate, running was no longer an option.

She turned her attention to Markus, and felt the anger and worry seeping from him. He was right to be concerned if there were witches about, and where some were, doubtless more would follow. If they could sacrifice her to raise more powerful witches as well as get more power themselves, it was a no brainer for the coven.

Even though this home was spelled, she knew a concerted effort by enough witches could break the protective spell and allow them to come right in.

“We need to come up with a plan. I don’t want my coven sisters hurt.” Disappointment slapped into her from her blood-mate. Her aunts shook their heads in agreement.

“If we sit here for long we will lose any advantage Maxine and I have kept over them,” said Paula.

“No one is getting into this home unless their name is on the list, trust me.” Markus spoke confidently.

Rachel smiled as he moved closer to her and wrapped an arm around her. She wondered if he wished his blood-mate was someone else, one without all the problems she came with. As soon as those thoughts went through her mind, his hand squeezed her a little more tightly and she looked up at him, only to see him shake his head ‘no’ at her.

I thought he said we could only feel mood, not thoughts, she thought. She looked at him again and he gave her a wink. They did share thoughts, it seemed; how could he tap into hers, and yet she had not been able to tap into his?

She turned her attention back to her aunts; Maxine had pulled out a book from her capacious handbag. Its dark brown leather cover was engraved with an upside-down quarter moon outlined with stars and a tree with roots exposed: the family grimoire. She moved over to join her aunts in studying it, while Markus and Floyd murmured to each other over by the window.

“Listen, Rachel, did you know that when two supers mate together, they pass powers to each other? Not all powers, but some.”

She stared at the passage her aunt was indicating and sure enough, there it was in black and white, or faded sepia and white, anyway. She wondered if any powers had passed to her from him, and what she could pass to him. Vampires couldn’t be anything but vampires, and a witch couldn’t be anything but a witch.

“Well, other than being able to feel his mood, I don’t think he’s transferred anything to me.” She glanced over at Markus, and he stopped speaking and came over. He didn’t say anything to Floyd, but that didn’t seem to bother the vampire; he had made himself at home, and poured himself more whiskey from the bottle at his elbow.

“Has she transferred anything to you?” Maxine’s voice was cold.

Markus looked at her, and back at Rachel.

“She’s transferred some things to me, but I’m not sure if it’s anything that could be considered a power, except for her blood.” He looked at her, and she could feel his need come over her.

“Her fucking blood, you asshole,” Maxine snapped.

She needed to intervene, and fast.

“Yes, blood. He’s my mate, and he drinks from me and I from him. Now, either you are here to keep me alive, or to discuss my sex life. What’s it going to be?”

Both aunts rolled their eyes and turned back to the grimoire. Floyd lifted his glass to her in a silent salute.

She could feel Markus’s pride in her. She read pages of accounts of supers transferring powers; it was described, over and over again. Rachel didn’t want to miss anything; maybe if she studied it she would discover what power she might have from him. Rachel knew that she was still a witch, could feel all that power within her, but was unaware of what Markus had as a vampire. Each vampire had unique powers. She knew his eyes could glow, but that didn’t seem useful unless one was in the dark. He had the speed and the strength, but she didn’t know what else. Then she remembered that when she had first encountered him, and she had the mirror on the table watching him, he had found out somehow. Markus had known it wasn’t only a mirror. He had never told her how he knew that, but now was a good time to find out, and learn about his powers. This could help her stay alive, and she desperately didn’t want to die.

Rachel got up and walked to the kitchen, and without a word Markus followed her.

She turned to him and folded her arms across her chest.

“You need to tell me what your powers are, all of them. I could have some and not know it. Plus, tell me, what have I transferred to you?”

Markus picked her up and placed her on the kitchen counter. He leaned down and kissed her.

“My powers are speed, strength, ability to heal, glowing eyes but that only happens at certain times, flying and I can recognize a witch spell. That’s how I knew about the mirror; I’ve seen it done before.” She nodded. Everything he had was pretty good, but the ability to heal and recognize spells could come in really handy.

She could sense spells too, as could any witch, but the way Markus tuned into the mirror was different; a witch would have to be looking for spell traces to start with, but it had been almost as if he had been drawn to the spell.

“How will I know if I have any of those powers?”

“I’m not sure. This is all new to me as well, but I think over time we will both find out what we share. And you could experiment. We both could.”

“The problem is, in the meantime I could be dead, and then it won’t matter.”

“You are not going to die, don’t think like that. Now I know you don’t want harm to come to your coven, but if I have to choose you over them, they will bleed first.” His eyes went dark, and she could sense his firm resolve.

“Dying is not part of my plan, either, at least for a while.”

He scowled. “You’re not dying until I kick the bucket, and I plan on being here until the end of time.”

That was when it dawned on her that she had been given the gift of immortality, just like him. She was unsure what would happen if they took her head off her body, but knowing it was going to be more difficult to kill her put her at ease.

“They can’t just kill me like before; they are going to have to do something major.” She gave him a sweet grin.

Rachel didn’t think this let her off the hook by any means, but it made her feel better. Her aunts were not off the hook, either, though, and what they had done was punishable by death. The coven was not going to be happy if they had lost the chance to raise the ancestors and get more power.

“This still doesn’t make me happy at all. Until I know for sure no one is trying to kill my blood-mate, I will not be at ease.” He spat out the words.

She didn’t try to change his mind, for she could feel his emotions and she knew nothing she said would change his mind. It only made her more determined to divert her coven from trying to sacrifice her.

“I guess we should go in there with the others, I need to tell my aunts some good news.”

He leaned in and wrapped his arms around her, kissing her neck. She closed her eyes and enjoyed his touch, a muffled moan escaping her. After a few comforting minutes, they returned to the living room.

When she told her aunts about her new immortality, they were only a little relieved. They agreed that until the threat against her was completely removed, she would always be in danger.

* * *

Everyone had gone to separate places. Her aunts were in one of the bedrooms, trying to rest. Floyd had decided to stay and help, which Rachel appreciated. She and Markus were left alone. Now, finally, they had time to start knowing one another. They lay side by side on the bed, embraced.

“Tell me about your life before you were a vampire.” She wanted to know more about him, to learn about his human past as well as his vampire life. She felt that really to get to know him, she must start from the beginning.

“It’s been a long time since I thought about my human life, baby.” He sighed and pulled her closer. “I was born in a small town in Virginia called Hills Town. It wasn’t big or anything like that, but it was comfortable, know what I mean? Everyone knew everyone. My father was a farmer, and my mother took care of us all. I had five siblings.”

“I never wanted to be a farmer myself. My father gave me some money and this ring, the day he sent me to Boston. My uncle had a job for me there. It was there that I fell in love for the first time… but none of it matters, because I died and became this,” he gestured vaguely, as if to indicate everything that had happened since, “and they all died eventually as well. I’ve done many things I’m not proud of, including murder, but all I can tell you is that I’m a better man than I was, for numerous reasons, and I will always protect you and I’ll love you forever

It all stabbed into her: his pain, his guilt and shame at the things he had done. It became too much to bear, and hot tears spilled over and ran down her face. He had not forgiven himself for whatever had happened in the past, and she could feel his struggle to talk about it.

He wiped her tears and hugged her tighter. They lay wrapped in each other’s arms for a few minutes, then she began to tell her tale.

“I’m an only child. I didn’t really get a chance to know my parents; my father left my mom before I was born, and then Mom was killed in a car accident when I was only five. That was when my aunts took me, and they’ve been taking care of me ever since. I’ve always known I was a witch, right from the start, and always loved it. Looking back on it now, though, with all that’s going on, I sometimes wish I hadn’t embraced it. I’ve had a few boyfriends, but only had sex with two of them. I’m twenty-six, and I would love to have children. I love reading and watching my favorite shows. Whenever I have my period, I eat pecan ice cream with Vernors soda, and watch sad movies.”

She knew she had dumped a ton of information on him, but if she was going to be with him forever, then he should know the basics about her. There were many layers to her, but she thought learning each other slowly would be fine. After all, they had eternity.

She wanted to look at him the way he looked at her. She liked him more than she had ever liked a man, but she was not in love with him, not yet, even though she had drunk his blood, and continued to have sex with him. It was not going to be hard for her to love him, she could tell, but she had not yet reached that point.

“Thank you for sharing that information with me. I’ll make sure all your favorites are stocked in our home. I know you’re not in love with me like I am with you, but I’m a vampire - we feel more deeply, and faster. I look forward to the day my mate will say she’s in love with me.”

She pulled herself up on his chest and listened to his heartbeat. Even though he was not actually alive, his beating heart and warm crimson liquid had her rethinking the things her aunts had told her about vampires.

She wished she could stay up all night with him, but she couldn’t hold on any longer. Soon she drifted into sleep, and dreamed of her blood-mate.

Chapter Ten

She was beautiful, even when she was sleeping. There was nothing more important to him than to watch his blood-mate sleep. It had been rough for him for over the last few weeks, but lying here holding her made all the pain and misery he had been through so very worth it. There was nothing more precious to Markus than she was, and every time he saw, smelled or touched her, his love for her grew.

Markus had been calmer than he usually was, but now that he knew someone was nearby, wanting to kill his mate, there was no rest for him. He slid out from their embrace, gently laid her head on the pillow and walked out of the room. He was Markus Black, and if the witches wanted a fight, he sure as hell would give them one.

Floyd was at the counter, drinking from a O positive bag.

“I was waiting on you, Markus. What do you have in mind for this coven?”

He had no emotions at all about the coven, and if they had not been tied to his mate, he would have burned them all. Mercy was for the weak, and he was not weak, but his blood-mate didn’t want to hurt the coven, so he must think of another way.

“Well, I can’t kill them, so the only other option is to give them no option, meaning we need to make it so that Rachel is no longer suitable for their ritual.” He kept his voice low, but harsh.

He was not angry at his friend, but he was angry to find himself in the situation of having to compromise. It was not something he was used to, or cared to do.

“This place is not safe, Markus. If those witches sense this place, they’ll chant their little hearts out to expose it. Once it’s exposed it’s no longer any good, and Ida Grace will have your ass.”

“Floyd, as usual you’re the fucking bearer of bad news. Ida will have my balls if I lose this safe house. Shit, the only thing then is to take them back to the penthouse.”

He didn’t see any other way. If he left, that would alert The Directive, and he had not told them about his blood-mate. They could have one more day there, then as soon as night fell, they would be off back to his home downtown.

“I’ll help you arrange the transportation. Hey, do you and Rachel fuck every day?”

“What is wrong with you? I’m starting to think you can’t help yourself.”

“I can tell you’re not dealing with the thirst any longer, so I wondered, did the first time do the trick, or is it more sort of an everyday thing?”

He glared at his friend, and growled.

“Don’t ask me about what we do or how often. Were you fucking listening to us? Pervert.”

“Shit, it’s hard not to listen! Super hearing, remember? And you should be glad of that super hearing, because I also heard her aunts wishing she’d never met you, but they said they’ll have to put up with you because of her.”

“It wouldn’t be family unless some of them wanted me gone. Now, let’s discuss transporting everyone. It’s got to be safe and it’s got to be secret.”

* * *

TWO WEEKS LATER

Evading the witches had been difficult, but not impossible. The time spent in hiding gave him and Rachel more time to talk, and to learn about each other. He had been doing business from his home office, because leaving her was not an option until she was safe.

Her aunts had made themselves comfortable in his home as well. They were sharing a bedroom though he had more than enough rooms. They wanted to be near each other if their coven found out their location. Floyd had been getting all the household supplies for them at night. It was not safe for them to set foot out of his place, so he sent for whatever they needed.

He was finishing up with a conference call about some real-estate when Rachel walked in.

“Are you done working? I wanted to do our painting.”

Being locked away for so long, Rachel had started to get cabin fever, and he thought painting could be a good distraction. She thought so too, but only if he would pose for her.

“Yeah baby, anything for you. Did you eat dinner?” he asked.

“Yes, and my aunts are making some dessert cocktails, you want one?”

“I’m not drinking anything your aunts make! There’s no doubt they would attempt to kill me.”

“Yeah, but it wouldn’t work.” She smiled.

“Right, but it would hurt like hell.”

They laugh. He tugged softly on her hand until she came closer and sat in his lap.

“I know time is going slow, but they are still here. My building is pretty secure, but they are a coven of witches, who you don’t want hurt.” He arched a brow.

“We’re not hurting them! I grew up with some of them. Anyway, my aunts and I are coming up with a way to contact them without giving them time to locate us.”

He frowned, not wanting Rachel to do anything that might jeopardize her life. He could see her determination, though. He decided that being supportive would work best with her.

“So you would contact them using magic?”

“That’s the only way, we can’t use a phone. Once they see I’m not going to allow them to do this, I’m hoping they’ll abandon the ritual.”

He rubbed his hand down his face, trying to contain his violent objection to what she wanted to do. His love for her had grown even more since they had come together a few weeks ago. She had become his world, and he would feel more comfortable if her aunts made the magical call without her.

“They won’t abandon the idea, but once they see you’re with the legendary Markus Black, they may leave you be then.”

She laughed, and he pulled her closer, inhaling deeply. Her scent was still as intoxicating as it had been the first time he smelled her.

“You’re my legend, that’s for sure.”

He smiled up at her, enjoying the sound of her laughter as it filled his ears. He had been thinking about something for more than a week. They were mated, but they hadn’t had a ceremony, and she deserved a wedding.

“Rachel Lynn Jones, I love you. Will you marry me?”

Chapter Eleven

Love was a strange thing. She hadn’t expected any of this to happen, but now she had been having sex with a vampire and loving it. He was biting her and she loved it. Now it was time for her to admit her feelings for Markus. Even though he had told her they were blood-mated, it had never seemed quite official, but now he was asking her to marry him, something she was more accustomed to associating with commitment.

If they were to marry, this would seal their union in her eyes. In her family, marriage was looked upon as a lifetime commitment. She was sure being mated to a vampire was a lifetime deal as well; he was not dying any time soon. She looked wordlessly at him, knowing that he deserved an answer.

“That would mean a public ceremony, with friends and family.”

“Yeah, that’s the reason for a wedding - to include family and friends, right? They’re certainly not coming to our bedroom while I do nasty things to you.” His words were like a sprinkle of joy pouring over her.

“Having a wedding would attract the attention of my coven sisters, who want me dead.” She raised a brow at him.

“Of course; this can be planned after your special family get over trying to murder my beautiful blood-mate.”

She leaned in and allowed her lips to linger around his, teasing him. It didn’t last long, as he sucked her bottom lip hard and slow. He lifted her up, placing her on his desk. She looked up at him with desire in her eyes. She wanted him as much as he wanted her; she hadn’t told him yet that she loved him, but she knew she did.

“Before we continue, are you going to answer the question? Or are you just going to leave me wondering?”

She was panting, horny and wished he would get on with it, but she could tell he was not going to without an answer.

“Yes, Markus, I would be happy to be your wife, but for now can you attend to my body, Sir?”

He licked his lips and responded with action.

* * *

It was time to contact the coven. She and her aunts all agreed that it was the only way to speak to them without anyone being under pressure. Rachel noticed Floyd watching them closely from the corner. Over the last few weeks they hadn’t spoken to each other much, but that could have been because of Markus’ possessiveness.

They moved all the furniture out of the way to perform the ritual. She didn’t tell Markus that it could be dangerous because they had to leave their bodies to go to speak with the coven. They would send a signal for the coven to meet them at a neutral location on the astral plane. Everyone would be in spirit form.

Her aunts created the perfect circle and laid out candles all around it. She ground the herbs in the cup, and then poured hot water over them. Her aunt Maxine was going to stay behind, as she didn’t trust Markus alone with their bodies. She hoped Max would behave, and that Markus would ignore her smartass mouth.

“You can’t step into the circle under any circumstances,” she told her mate. “It will interrupt the spell, and we could be lost in the spirit realm.”

“I’m here to make sure he doesn’t do anything stupid, don’t worry, Rachel,” Max jumped in.

Markus pulled her closer and whispered in her ear. “I’m against this. I think it’s way too dangerous, but I’ll trust you, though if anything happens to you, anything at all, the deal is off concerning the coven.” He made eye contact with Max and then continued. “Hurry back. You know she wants to fuck me up, right?”

“Yeah, I know, but she knows how I feel about you, so don’t worry, right, Aunt Max?”

“Listen to the soulless man, and hurry back unharmed,” Max replied, and walked over to where Paula was waiting.

She gazed into his eyes, and the worry he was feeling washed over her. They had taken every precaution to ensure nothing went wrong. That didn’t guarantee that nothing would happen; it only reduced the probability.

“You worry too much, big guy; everything is going to be fine, I promise.”

She gave him a kiss and walked over to her waiting aunts. In silence, she and Paula drank from the cup.

They stepped into the circle and lay on the floor, heads together in the center, their hands joined. Paula began the chant and Rachel joined in. A gust of wind swept through the room, and the lights flickered. She took a last look at Markus before her spirit left her body.

* * *

Max looked over at Markus, glanced at his friend and huffed, rolling her eyes. It was the perfect time to tell him how she truly felt about him, but instead she decided not to say anything, concentrating on her sister and beloved niece.

Out of the corner of her eye Max saw the vampire walk close to the edge of the circle, standing stiff as a statue. She was not fooled though; she knew that in less than a second, he could move faster than humans. Gripping her mother’s necklace – the one that was spelled to protect her from supers - she hoped it was good for more than one use. She had never needed to use it, and now she was in a room with a couple of vampires. She was not really afraid of them, and had some spells that could immobilize one, but she wasn’t sure she would have time to deal with two. She looked down at her family, thinking she would do anything to protect them. She looked back at Markus. He was still standing there in silence, his gaze fixed, unwavering, on Rachel.

“You know I love her.” Markus said.

His words shocked her. She hadn’t expected him to speak at all. “It doesn’t matter.”

He turned to face her.

“It matters because I want you to know I love her, and I would die for her.”

“I don’t give two pennies what your kind calls love. I’ll go along with what she wants, but let’s be clear - you hurt her in any way, you better know you will die. Don’t doubt I can make that happen.”

“Well since we’re speaking the truth, let me make this clear as well. I can’t live without her, and anyone who tries to take her away from me will become my enemy, and believe me, that is the wrong side to be on.”

Her eyes narrowed at him, and then she smiled sweetly.

“Now that the air is clear, you can turn your head away from me.”

He sighed loudly. “I’m sorry, Maxine. I don’t want us to be like this. Can we try to be cordial, especially as we both love Rachel?”

Her attention went back to her sister and niece as both their hands twitched.

“What’s happening, Max? I saw her hand shake. Is she alright?”

“Shut up, they will be fine. Stop talking. I need to focus on my family.”

She didn’t say anything else, hoping her suspicions were wrong, but then she saw Rachel’s leg start to twitch.

“Max, what the fuck is going on?” Markus bellowed. “I don’t think she’s okay.” He began to pace back and forth around the edge of the circle.

“I’m not sure what’s going on. Stop talking, I need to think.” She couldn’t hide the worry in her voice. Rachel shouldn’t be moving at all, and this twitching was making her very uneasy.

“Send me after them,” he pleaded. “I need to help her.” Her eyes darted to Floyd, who was now standing and making tentative movements to approach, although still keeping his distance.

“You stay over there, or you’ll be on the floor in the worst type of pain.” Floyd stopped and raised his hands in surrender.

“You’re one feisty witch,” he grinned. “You should know I like your kind. Wanna go out some time?”

She was about to let him have an earful when Paula’s entire body jerked, and Rachel convulsed, a racking cough raising her body off the floor.

“SEND ME IN RIGHT FUCKING NOW!” Markus screamed.

“Don’t you yell at me! If I send you in you will die, and so will they, you fool.”

“Lady, don’t you understand I’m dead anyway if she dies, I’m dead, send me in, I can save them.”

“How can you save them, tell me?”

“We don’t have time.” He walked over with the cup in his hand, ready to drink.

“You put that cup down or so help me, you will regret it.” She raised her hand, ready to have Markus on the ground if he made a wrong move.

“I can’t wait for you to give the fucking okay. Just because you don’t like me…”

“I think you’re full of shit, not to mention you’re drinking from my niece!” Her voice was loud and harsh.

“You think I care about what you think of me? Lady, if you weren’t Rachel’s aunt…”

“You think I’m scared of you? I’m not, just so you know. Now, you want to keep going? Because I’m trying to restrain myself.”

“From me? Look, I love her, and you’re going to let something happen to her because of your hate for me. I’m going to save my mate, either you help or get the fuck out of my way.”

She watched him with narrow eyes, wishing she could kill him and his friend, then she could go help her family herself. Yet, she didn’t underestimate the risk of being ripped to shreds by the other, if she attacked. He was still holding the cup, and with horror she realized he was about to step over the line, into the circle with Rachel and Paula.

“STOP! You can’t go in the same circle, you fool.”

“DON’T CALL ME A FOOL… We don’t have time, I know she will die, I can feel it.”

It went against everything Max believed, yet she must do something. If she went herself, she would leave them all vulnerable to vampires. With a sinking feeling, she decided the only choice was to send Markus in after them.

She beckoned him to stand beside the circle, and gestured to the cup of mixture. He drank it all down and lay on the floor.

“I’m coming to save you, baby,” Markus said. “Hold on.”

She drew a circle around him, and then beckoned Floyd over. Although she would have preferred to leave the other vampire out of it, a person in the spirit realm must be anchored by one of his own kind, or he would be unable to return.

She began the chant, hoping desperately that it was not already too late. Markus was her only chance, and for the first time her sister’s and niece’s lives were in the hands of a vampire.

The Meeting

They were no longer in the penthouse, but in the woods, just outside the field of the mutual ground in Mississippi, or rather, its analog in the spiritual realm. It was surrounded by sycamore trees, shrouded now by thick fog which rolled between the trees, leading them to the field where their opponents were waiting. The spirit realm looked different than its equivalent in the mortal world; Rachel knew she was in Mississippi, but it had an ominous atmosphere. The sky was dark grey, and there was no sound, and no sign of life except for the trees and a few flowers on the ground.,

In the center of the field, stones were spread to form a perfect circle. There was also a small platform built from flat river rocks from the Mississippi River. It was about five feet off the ground with a smooth surface, stained with red and black spots. Many sacrifices had taken place here. The rocks under the solid wooden surface were uneven in size, but all seemed to go together to make this unique place, and the stairs were beautiful, with stones of many colors and shapes forming a lovely mosaic.

Gretchen, one of the elders of the Sunart coven, had transported with five other witches. Rachel paused in the shelter of the trees, just outside the field, and took the time to look at them. They were waiting in the field, standing stern and immobile, their faces impassive. She recognized Gretchen and one other, but the rest were unknown to her. They all looked alike - hair up and tucked into buns, faces devoid of makeup, long white gowns. As she and Paula approached, they looked at her with concern.

She saw Gretchen’s eyes roam the area, her chest rising and falling with deep breaths, as if she were bracing herself for something that was about to happen. If there was a chance the coven could bring back their ancestors Gretchen would take it, Rachel knew that, even at the cost of killing her. It was not that Gretchen didn’t like her, or had anything against her, Rachel knew. Gretchen thought of this ritual as a great honor, and would have done it herself if she could. She had said so to Rachel, many times.

“Rachel, you look happy, but a dark cloud follows you,” said Gretchen.

The others nodded in agreement, and turning, she saw it, just as Gretchen had said: a cloud of darkness around her.

“I’m not here to talk about clouds,” she said, keeping her voice steady with an effort. “You’re trying to kill me. I’m not going to die for this ritual, or any other.”

The coven sisters stared at her until Paula broke the silence.

“I’m glad we did this, because you need to know that you can’t use Rachel for any sacrifice. It won’t work!”

Her eyes met Paula’s in puzzled enquiry. It was the first she had heard about this. Paula shook her head, a tiny frown between her eyes.

“Why do you all think this is such a bad thing?” Gretchen responded. “Once we have raised the more powerful sisters, they can raise Rachel back to life. And let me be clear - she’s going to die even if you have to go with her, so which is it, Paula? You let her be sacrificed for all of us and give her a chance to come to life? Or you die with her, and I tell the ancestors to leave you dead?”

“Are you deaf? She can’t be used. That big black cloud following her, it’s her bloodsucker, he’s in her blood and she’s in his. Blood-mates.” Paula yelled the last words.

The other sisters in the coven moved to encircle them, and Rachel and Paula turned until they were back to back.

“I shouldn’t have come,” Rachel said, her shoulders drooping. “You are not here to listen, but to perform your sacrifice, even if I die for nothing.”

Her stomach dropped knowing they were outnumbered, but it would not stop her from trying to live, and to keep her aunt alive as well.

“Now that we have cleared up why we are here, are you going to go willingly? Or do we have to force you?”

Calling on strength from deep down, Rachel decided to reply with action, rather than words. Though her heart was beating fast and her palms were sweaty, she lifted her hands, yelling a spell to send Gretchen flying. Her triumph was short-lived; the other sisters started chanting, crippling her hands and silencing her mouth, leaving her with no means to defend herself. Her aunt started a weather working, summoning heavy clouds and a fierce wind and calling up a storm. A sudden, violent gust of wind blew the sisters off-balance, breaking the circle and causing their hold on Rachel to fail. She looked down at her hands, relieved beyond measure that she could use them again.

“We have to go, Paula, we can’t stay! They are going to kill us.”

The look on her aunt’s face made her uneasy. She didn’t want to hear anything bad. She just wanted them to return to their bodies.

“Rach, listen. When I caused the storm, it erased our circle in the field. It’s not all gone, some of it is left, but we can’t go home.”

Her eyes were brimming with disappointment, and though Rachel wanted to say it would be okay, she couldn’t, because it was not okay. The sickening feeling of defeat overwhelmed her and she fell down crying, knowing there was no way Markus could come for her.

“I’m done playing with you two,” Gretchen spat out, giving the nod for Rachel and Paula to be walked back to the original area.

Defeated, knowing there was nowhere to go, Rachel and Paula submitted to the magical cuffs the sisters placed on their arms. These cuffs prevented them from doing any magic.

With each step she took, Rachel could feel her heart hurting for Markus. They had just started their life together, and it was going to be over because of a sacrifice, a sacrifice she didn’t want to have any part of. Now it was too late, and her blood-mate would watch her die.

When she finally pulled herself away from her thoughts, she was being tied to a tree with her aunt. Two of the witches had surrounded them with a ring of fire, blocking them from escaping. Fire was part of the ritual, but it would not be used to kill them; when the time came, Gretchen would cause the fire to subside and then cut their throats.

“Rachel, baby, I’m so sorry… you think Max knows what’s happening?” Paula wonders.

“I’m not sure. All I know is I’m never going to experience what’s it like to love without being on the run for my life.” Tears began to roll down Rachel’s face.

Gretchen and the other sisters began chanting as they started lighting dozens of small candles. A pathway was lit so Gretchen could walk forwards and finish the ritual, but as soon as she started walking towards them, the sky darkened, and leaves started falling from the trees.

“He couldn’t have…” Gretchen looked into the sky and back out into the woods.

Rachel also looked up at the sky, wondering what could be happening. She heard a loud roaring sound approaching. The ground shook. She had no clue what was happening.

“Get ready for battle,” Gretchen yelled.

Even though it should’ve been impossible, Markus was running toward them. Some of the sisters were backed away, clearly reluctant to engage with a vampire.

“MARKUS, NO!” Rachel yelled at him. Though she was happy to see him, she didn’t want him to die as well.

As Markus reached them, the witches standing in front of them began a chant to disable him, but he didn’t stop moving forward. A few of the Sunart witches started to run away, but Gretchen remained.

“You thought you could kill my mate, now you will die.” His voice was rough, full of rage.

“You can’t walk through fire,” said Gretchen, “so she’s going to die anyway, and my ancestors will rise.”

He easily lifted Gretchen off the ground with a single hand around her neck. She started to raise her hand, but before she could form a spell gesture, he snapped a cuff on her wrist, the same kind of magic-proof cuff that Rachel and Paula were wearing.

“Markus please don’t kill her,” Paula pleaded. ”She’s an elder. I can make sure the witch community everywhere knows about this. Please.”

He snapped a cuff onto Gretchen’s other wrist, still holding her above the ground, and choked her until she lost consciousness. Only then did he allow her to slump to the ground.

“Markus,” Rachel cried. “You can’t risk getting set on fire.”

“I’m already dead. I have to save you and your aunt.”

To her surprise he leapt into the air, landing right next to her. Effortlessly, he ripped the cuffs off her and Paula, grabbing them both and leaping out of the fire. He ran back to his own circle.

“You came for me,” she cried into his chest.

“I will always come for you, my love. I can’t be without you, ever.”

Paula hugged them both and then pulled back.

“We have to get in this circle and leave, right now.”

Closing their eyes, they held hands and returned to their bodies. When Rachel opened her eyes, not only was Markus waiting for her, but his friend Ida was there as well.

“Rachel, sweetheart,” Paula said as tears rolled down her face. “You’re free now. You don’t have to worry about them coming after you any more, not ever again. It’s over. Maxine and I weren’t completely happy with your blood-mating with the vampire, but it’s saved you in the end. We’ll still be around, because we love you. Plus, I think when the coven finds out Gretchen was willing to sacrifice me as well, she will be locked away forever.”

“Yeah,” Maxine shrugged. “He’s still on my shit list, though.”

Rachel smiled as tears of joy filled her eyes.

“Thank you for protecting me and standing by me. I love you so much. Will you both give me away at my wedding?”

“Wedding? You’re getting married? You really are going all the way, aren’t you? Yes, we will be honored to give you away, won’t we, Maxine?”

“Yeah, I guess,” growled Maxine. “But we’ll have some words to say to him at the ceremony.”

“Okay, let’s go home!”

Chapter Twelve

They were back in the land of the living, so to speak. Markus had never experienced anything like that before, but there was no regret. He had to save his blood-mate, because there would be no life without her.

As he felt himself return, he glanced over his shoulder and saw Ida and Floyd standing above him.

“So was that shit scary? You look a little frightened.” Floyd teased.

“Have I told you how much you annoy me?” he responded, although he was happy to see his friends.

Markus turned his head and saw Rachel lying there, with tears in her eyes.

He rushed over and scooped her off the floor, holding her close. As he held her, his thirst started to subside. He was right; her spirit leaving her body had been what had caused his thirst to return. It had fooled the order of life, and caused him to need her in the land of the living.

“You saved me! They will not be using me as a sacrifice because of you.” He heard every word she was saying, but all he could think about was how she had saved him.

His friends glanced at each other. They seemed as confused as he was about what she was saying.

“Baby, I’ll always save you.”

“I’m no longer purely a witch, because your essence runs through me as well. So I’m no good to them anymore; the sacrifice requires a pure witch, not to mention they are scared shitless of you now. They will not seek me again.”

Markus let out a loud growl. He was not going to have to worry about his mate being in danger again.

If they were not going to use her for their sacrifice, he reasoned, that would stop The Directive as well. They only wanted to make sure no one was secretly trying to acquire more power.

He swung her around, happy and excited about life now that the worst was behind them. Her aunts sat together on the couch, all deadpan. He set down his beloved, kissed her cheek and ran out of the penthouse.

He was getting on the elevator when Floyd jumped on.

“Why did you run out like that, where are you going?”

“You do know I owe you nothing… but I’m going down to the jewelry store and get her a ring.”

He was proud to say the words out loud and let someone know, even though it was only one person.

“You’re marrying her? I thought fucking her and sucking her blood sealed the deal.”

“Floyd, I swear I’m going to knock you out one day.”

“Yeah, yeah, but not today. You’re busy trying to get a ring, so you can marry someone you’re already shackled for life with.”

“You don’t understand because you’ve never felt the way I do. You know, to be honest I hope you never do. I think you would be crazier than me, and gods help us all if Ida ever gets it. She would go on a murdering streak for sure.”

“Well I’m not getting married at all. That’s for the weak. Besides, I like tasting other women. In every way. Hey, have you thought how you’re going to miss that? The variety?”

“Whatever, Floyd. Just keep your stupid shit to yourself. As a matter of fact, don’t even think it. I might still rip you a new one just for thinking that crap about her.”

He glared at his friend and emitted a warning hiss. He didn’t fuck Rachel. He made love to her, he thought. Anything else would be disrespectful.

“She deserves a special day, to get pretty and we say vows and shit.”

Floyd hands came up in a gesture of surrender.

“It’s cool. I don’t know anything about this personally, only what I’ve read, but I think it’s great. I hope one day I find a blood-mate.”

It was the first time he’d heard Floyd even thinking about a blood-mate for himself, but he remembered that his friend Floyd had been the one who had told him he was looking up information.

“The thirst part is fucking hell,” Markus said, grinning. “but finding your blood-mate is worth it. Every time I taste her sweet ambrosia it’s better than the last. It’s just a joy. I hope you do experience it.”

He stepped outside, dialed his favorite jeweler and told him to meet him at the shop. He knew he only had a few hours before the sun came up, but he couldn’t go to sleep without buying her ring. He decided running would be best, with the little time that remained before dawn. He took off toward his jeweler’s shop, with Floyd on his heels.

Markus couldn’t wait to present Rachel with a ring.

* * *

The next night he was up and dressed before she could come to greet him. He wanted to get her out of the house and propose properly. He walked out into the living area and found her with her aunts, playing a game of cards. They were drinking wine and laughing.

He was happy to see her so carefree, laughing with her aunts. He knew the blood-bond he had with Rachel had placed a strain on her relationship with them. Nothing would please him more than if they were happy for her.

“Can I interrupt?”

“If you’re coming to join the game to help her, you both are going to lose,” Paula said, a twinkle in her eye.

“I actually would like to take you out tonight, Rachel.” He loved the way she blushed.

“Sure, let me get pretty.”

He stopped her as she passed him.

“You’re already the most beautiful girl in the world to me.”

He waited while she changed into a black dress with a red belt, black heels and red purse. The colors seemed to him to have been expressly chosen to represent him, and their bond. He raised her hand to his lips and kissed it, gazing into her eyes, then led her out the door.

Once they were on the road, Rachel turned on the music and rolled the windows down. She hung her hand out of the window, playing with the slipstream. It was the most relaxed he had ever seen her, and he realized just how much stress she had been under, ever since he had known her. When they arrived at The Signature Room, she looked over at him and smiled.

“Have you ever been?” Markus asked her.

“No, I haven’t. But I’ve always wanted to go.”

“You’re going to love it. The owner is a friend of mine.”

He smiled to himself, thinking of the arrangements he had made. They entered the building and got on the elevator, and he pressed the button for the ninety-fifth floor. As the elevator halted he hung back, wanting to observe her surprise and, he hoped, delight at the arrangements he had made.

She turned around and looked up at him, tears in her eyes. “You had them go to all this trouble for me?”

“It’s no trouble at all.”

All the tables had been removed except for one by the window, which had candles lit. There were fresh roses everywhere. To one side of the vast room, a saxophonist played softly.

He took her hand and conducted her to their table. She looked out of the window and smiled. The city was full of lights and at night, from so high, it was sublimely beautiful, all of its imperfections shrouded in the dark. He reached across the table and took her hand in his. “I didn’t ask you right the other day, but now I am.”

Markus stood and got down on one knee beside her. Concealed in his hand was a five carat diamond ring.

“Rachel,” he began. “I know this would not have been your choice, being with a super like me, but I think you are the kindest, smartest, most beautiful woman I have ever known, and I would be delighted if you would consent to be my wife and have my children.”

He didn’t know if he sounded stupid, or where all the words came from, but he spoke from his heart. She had made him happy ever since they were blood-mated, and it was not just because of the blood. When he woke she was the first thought on his mind, and she was the last thought of his day. He wanted a home and children with her, and he had never thought he wanted offspring, but in the time since he had been with Rachel it had become clear to him that he wanted a family.

Her voice was soft when she responded. “You may question why I didn’t love you from the start. I can’t picture anyone being my mate but you. You’ve saved my life so many times, and you even took in my family when you didn’t have to. You’re the man of my dreams, and marrying you will be an honor, because I’m in love with you and I love you, Markus Black!”

He slipped the ring onto her hand, and she wiped away tears as she gazed at the massive stone.

“I would like to show you something, okay? It will only take a minute. We’ll be right back so I can watch you eat.”

She laughed and nodded okay.

He took her hand and led her through a door and up some stairs. He pushed it open, and they were outside looking down on everyone.

“Do you trust me, baby?”

“Yes, I do.”

He pulled her to his side and took off into the air, flying. She screamed with excitement. He looked around and allowed her to see what he saw while flying. The city in its night-time illumination was very beautiful. Below on the pavement, people moving about looked very small. They flew, swooping down, soaring back up even faster, and the wind of their passage tangled her long hair and whipped a glow of warmth into her cheeks.

“It’s beautiful, Markus, I love it!”

“You are more beautiful, and I love you!”

Together they flew over the city, the sparkling world their oyster, tomorrow their prize.

THE END!

Thank You

Thank you for taking the time to read Markus. A great way to let others know about this book is to write a review from which site you purchased.

Solease

Other Books By This Author

The Draglen Brothers Series

Draken BK1

Showken BK2

Layern BK3

Gemi BK4

Domlen’s Way BK4.5

Warton BK5

A Draglen’s Wedding BK5.5

Domlen BK6

Beauka BK7-Coming Soon

A Silvia Demetri Story:

Devious

Revenge

Secrets of the Ghosts Trilogy

The Sleeper BK1

AWAKENS BK2

Redemption BK3

A Zodiac Shifter Romance

Passionate Roar

Passionate Yearning

The Reigning Sisters: Desired Revenge

Tempting Destiny (Coming Soon)

These are all her current books, but Solease is always releasing new stories for your pleasure!

About the Author

International Bestselling Author Solease lives in a quiet area, which she adores. She loves to spend time with her family especially her husband and daughter. She's been called the social butterfly by many friends. She's a huge movie buff, and loves to read books. She writes poetry on a daily basis, as a way to release stress. She also believes reading a book on the beach is a slice of heaven! Solease is the author of "Secrets of the Ghosts - The Sleeper", "Secrets of the Ghosts - AWAKENS", and "The Draglen Brothers Series - DRAKEN" , Showken BK2 The Draglen Brothers Series, Layern BK3-The Draglen Brothers Series, GEMI BK4-The Draglen Brothers Series , Domlen's Way BK4.5 -The Draglen Brothers Series, Warton BK5 - The Draglen Brothers Series, A Draglen's Wedding BK5.5- The Draglen Brothers Series and Domlen BK6. Devious –The Fidelity World, Revenge – The Fidelity World. A Zodiac Shifter Romance- Passionate Roar and Passionate Yearning. The Reigning Sisters, Desired Revenge. She also will be releasing a new series with wolf-shifters

coming soon!

Connect With The Author

Website: www.soleasembarner.com

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Email: soleasemb@gmail.com or soleasemb@soleasembarnerbooks.com

Thank you goes out to my family for putting up with my madness as I’m writing a story. They are truly awesome and I’ve been blessed.

To the readers who are my ROCKSTARS! I truly appreciate you reading the stories I write.

Thank you to all those behind the scenes, beta readers, promoters, editors and my SWH!

Thank you God, for giving me a talent to write!

Solease