Blood Price (New Breed Book 1) Read online

  “Yes, but I can’t let you get yourself killed. You know that.”

  “Blah, blah, blah, mortal enemies, blah blah. I’ve heard it all before.”

  He frowned. “You’re not telling me something.”

  “I’m not telling you lots of things. And you’re not telling me lots of things too. Welcome to our relationship. A series of lies and omissions. The basis for every healthy love story.”

  He frowned. “Love story?”

  “It’s a figure of speech,” she said quickly. She wasn’t actually falling in love with him. She couldn’t be.

  “Love is for humans,” he muttered, almost more to himself than her.

  “So vampires don’t do love then?”

  He shrugged. “The closest word we have to it is ‘bond.’ When one Vopura takes a mate, it’s so intense. There’s not really a choice.”

  Hell, she could relate to that. No one had asked her whether she wanted to love John. But now that she thought about it, all love didn’t really leave a choice. She didn’t choose to feel so strongly about Dani. She didn’t choose to be drawn to John like a moth to a flame. But she couldn’t seem to stay away from him.

  “You’ve mentioned bonding before, haven’t you? I know you said it, but I just brushed it off.... You’re not falling in love with me, are you? Because that wouldn’t be good for either of us.”

  “I’m aware.”

  “Because I’m not falling in love with you,” she said adamantly, even knowing how stupid she must sound. “I can’t.”

  “I agree. You can’t.”

  “Good. I’m glad we agree.”

  “Me too.”

  She took a deep breath and stared at him. Damn it, she really wished things had played out differently. Wished that Angelique had made it out. Wished that John had been meaner. Wished that she could hate him. Wished that she wasn’t thinking of how she could pull off what Angelique failed at.

  But damn it, Dani had been trying to get her to be a hero ever since the invasion, and now that she was finally about to give in to the stupid peer pressure, she was going to lose more than ever. And John was here just because he was worried about her.

  She supposed heroes weren’t supposed to have it easy. Otherwise, everyone would do it. But for tonight, she didn’t have to be heroic. For tonight, she could be as selfish as she wanted to be.

  And she wanted to be selfish. She wanted to think only of herself. Not about Dani or the human race or the vampire race. She just wanted to enjoy herself. She just wanted to enjoy him before she went and tore them apart forever.

  “You came here to make sure I was okay. But I don’t want to be okay. I want to be upset. I want to be angry. What I need from you right now is to help me forget.”

  His eyes darkened, an immediate tip-off that he wasn’t opposed to what she was asking. “I didn’t come here for that.”

  “I didn’t want you to come here at all. But here we are.”

  The corner of his mouth ticked up. “I can still leave.”

  She snorted. “John, if you haven’t left by now, give it up. You’re stuck with me for the day.”

  “I thought women liked romance. Flowers and chocolate.”

  Tela sat up and in one quick motion, pulled her shirt up and over her head, tossing it on the floor. “We’re past that.”

  She thought he’d need more convincing, but he moved in a blur of motion, pushing her back to the bed as his mouth closed over the tip of her breast. She gasped in surprise and pleasure as he sucked her nipple between his fangs, the sharp points teasing and taunting at the same time. She arched her back, pushing herself farther into his mouth right before he switched to the other breast.

  Her fingers tangled in his hair, holding him close. Her eyes drifted shut and one of his hands traveled down the curve of her waist and over her hip. She practically willed that hand to move to the center of her thighs, where she eagerly parted for him. She felt wanton. She felt wicked.

  But damn it, she was so tired of trying to convince herself what she wanted was wrong. She was tired of trying to convince herself that she didn’t care for John. She had thought that once she was with him, she’d be able to push him to the back of her mind and forget about these pesky feelings.

  Seeing Angelique had proved that theory all wrong. Instead of pushing her away from John, the panic and fear and depression and grief had only made her want him more. She’d gone so long being the strong one for Dani and trying to act as if everything was okay. Being with John was the only time she was able to let someone else take the lead.

  Even though she could never truly be safe with him, no matter how many times he promised to protect her, she did feel protected with him. Which was the first time she’d felt that way in so long. Even before the invasion, she’d felt as though she’d been on her own. Alone in the world. Raising a sister who was too independent for her own good. Helping a father kept distant with grief. Dropping out of school to work menial jobs that were going nowhere.

  But now, for these few moments, John would hold her and touch her and love her in a way she didn’t even know she’d been craving.

  His fingers slid into her wet heat, and it was as though he’d shocked her. The sensation was so hot and sharp at the same time, shooting through her like a jolt. She jerked in his arms before wiggling closer to him. His hands were big for sure, but her body was already going full throttle. She wanted more than those few fingers.

  Her head fell back as she arched her hips closer to him. “Please,” she breathed.

  “Please what,” he demanded.

  Fuck, was he really going to make her beg? As nice as John was, he sure did have a wicked streak. “I want you,” she breathed as his palm pressed against her clit.

  “Say it again,” he commanded as he kissed down her stomach, even as his hand continued its torture.

  She wanted to say no. To ask why he was torturing her. But as he continued his descent closer and closer to where his hand was already working her over, she realized she’d do anything he asked of her. “Please. Touch me.”

  “Touch you where?”

  She was going to kill him. “Touch me there. Please. I need you.” There was no pride with this. No shame. He was damn well aware how much she wanted him, and if it got him closer to pushing her over the edge, she’d say anything.

  He withdrew his fingers from her. The emptiness was instantly overwhelming but was quickly overridden as his thumb brushed her clit. “Do you want me to touch you here?”

  “Oh my God, please stop teasing me,” she moaned, half ready to start crying with need.

  “I’ll never stop teasing you,” he said. “I never want you to stop begging for me. Stop needing me.”

  She knew what was happening. He was also trying to stretch this out. To inflate their memories together. If this was their last time, he’d always have the memory of her voice in his head, begging for more. Was this as important to him as it was to her? She supposed he was being selfish too. It was no secret now that even his people wanted him to stay away from her.

  She couldn’t fault him for wanting to be selfish. But before she could ask him about his true motivations, he pulled her panties down. She quickly lifted her hips, eager to take away any barrier between them, and he was pushing her thighs apart.

  There were a few long seconds that ticked by as he stared at her. She looked at him but couldn’t see his eyes. What the hell was he doing? Why wasn’t he—

  His mouth closed on her, and her entire world went up in flames. He tugged and teased, and those damn fangs, which should be terrifying, only helped to taunt her until she was falling hard over the edge of orgasm. She stifled a scream as her fingers twisted in the sheets.

  The shudders raced through her, and her eyes were squeezed so tightly shut that she was seeing stars. It wasn’t until she was slowly coming down that she realized John had risen up and was now hulking over her, his face right above hers.

  She struggled to catch her breath
as she stared up at him. “Proud of yourself?” she asked, barely more than a whisper.

  “Very. I’m debating my reward now.”

  She let out a little laugh. “You deserve it,” she said, not even sarcastically. “How do you want me?”

  She meant it to be a joke, but the way he was looking at her, she realized it was no joke at all. “I want you every way. Every place. Every time of day. I want you all the ways.”

  Before I can’t have you anymore. The words hung, unspoken, between them. She wanted to promise him more. She wanted to promise him a future. She wanted to promise she’d try, but she knew there were no promises that could be made. No future. All they had was right now.

  “Then take me.”

  A low growl escaped his throat as he reached down and flipped her over effortlessly as though she weighed nothing. She pushed up on her hands and knees as his mouth found her shoulder, and his breath and lips caressed her softly as his hand ran down her ribs and back and hips.

  Being unable to see him but just feel him was so erotic and kept her on the edge as she waited for his next move. She waited impatiently as his hips pressed against hers. His pants were still on, so she could just rub against his erection, teasing and taunting him. Willing him to take it to the next level.

  He groaned and pushed his erection against her. “You’re so fucking perfect,” he said into her neck before he ran his fangs along the sensitive skin.

  She sucked in a breath. That really shouldn’t send a shot of pleasure through her, but damn it. Apparently she had been with him enough times to connect the idea of those fangs and unbearable pleasure.

  And now she wanted more of that pleasure. “I don’t want to wait,” she said. They didn’t have much time together. Why waste any of it now?

  He let out another growl before disappearing from her. The cold was abrupt and sobering, but as quickly as it swept in, he was back. This time there was no fabric separating them. His cock pushed at her and she rubbed against him, making her eagerness very clear. He hooked one hand around her thigh and parted her just enough for him to position himself at her entrance.

  And then he was pushing inside. Tela fell onto her forearms as she adjusted to his size. Fuck. She would never get used to him. He was inside her and all around. One arm hooked around her waist and pulled her tightly against him as he was fully seated inside her.

  She shuddered around him and pushed back against him. She was facing away. This should feel impersonal. Sex just for pleasure’s sake.

  But John surrounded her completely. He was inside her body, mind, and soul, and she didn’t think she’d be able to ever stop craving him.

  And then he started to move.

  His fangs sank into her neck as his thrusts got faster and faster. Just like before, the second the fangs sunk in, she lost it. The second orgasm hit her hard, and if he weren’t holding her, she would’ve fallen flat. She reached up and her nails bit into his arm as the orgasm shuddered through her; his grip tightened as he started to come.

  The tension slowly crept from her as she and John both fell to the bed. He should’ve crushed her, but his weight instead felt like a comforting blanket—the cuddle she wanted to have last time but had been so harshly interrupted.

  “I didn’t take much,” he whispered into her ear. “But I couldn’t stop myself from tasting.”

  She couldn’t be mad. Not when the bite felt so damn good. “Free sample,” she muttered as she snuggled closer into him. She savored the feeling. The warmth.

  Because she was absolutely certain that after she betrayed John, he’d never forgive her.

  “I don’t want you to do this.”

  Hearing Dani say the words was nice. A tad shocking, but nice all the same. “Yes you do,” said Tela calmly. Funny, because she wasn’t faking it. Now that she’d made this decision, she wasn’t scared. Wasn’t freaking out. She was going to do this, and whatever happened, she’d deal with it. For better or worse.

  Most likely for worse.

  “I never wanted you to put your life on the line like this,” insisted Dani. “I wanted to put my life on the line. I wasn’t trying to peer pressure you into anything.”

  Tela raised a brow and Dani rolled her eyes. “Okay, I was trying to peer pressure you into helping. Like help pass out flyers or get people excited. This is excessive.”

  “It’s not excessive. I’m just going to walk in, which I have done plenty of times, pick up the package, and then walk it out. No big deal.”

  “I’m begging you. Please, just—”

  “Dani, I’ve been hiding behind you this entire time. But you’ve been right. We’ve just been surviving. This isn’t how we can live. This isn’t how this city can live. And we’ve been waiting for someone else to come in and fix this, but I never considered that I could be that person.”

  “Because you’re not!” shouted Dani. “You need to tell John. He can help you.”

  Tela hung her head and rubbed at the back of her neck. Dani kept on insisting that John would help, but she didn’t know everything that had happened. She didn’t know that she and John had already talked about this. That they’d already admitted that if forced to choose, which side they’d land on: John would stay with his own species, and she was siding with hers. Even if he wouldn’t fault her for betraying him, he wouldn’t actually help her.

  She couldn’t depend on anyone else on this. Not until she was out of Sorenson. Then she could hand off the magic sand to the resistance and they could go from there. She just had to make it out of the building.

  “I’m comfortable with my role in this. But I need to know that you’re going to be where you need to be.”

  “No. I’m not going anywhere. I want to help.”

  “Dani, you know you can’t. If I thought there was a real way you could increase my chances of making it out alive, I’d ask you. Really, I would. But the best way you can help me is by being safe. I want you as close to the wall as possible so when it goes down, you can get the hell out of Dodge. Okay?”

  Dani pursed her lips, and Tela could tell by the stubborn set of her jaw that she was far from happy.

  Tela hadn’t felt great about this arrangement, but over the past few days she’d come to terms with her chances. Once the sun had gone down, John had left. They’d lain together all day. Mostly in silence, but they’d talked about small, stupid things. About the shows he watched. About her favorite restaurants she used to eat at in the city. Any topic that would keep them from the terribleness around them.

  But she knew, she’d known ever since she first saw poor Angelique, that her time sitting back and waiting was over. Her sitting back had directly led to someone dying. When Angelique had first brought up the idea of stealing the sand, it had been crazy. She didn’t think she’d be able to get into the building without being approved first and didn’t think she’d be able to actually get the sand.

  But everything had changed when she made her unscheduled early visit with John. Because on the way to his apartment, she hadn’t gone straight to the fourteenth floor. Instead, she’d pressed the “four” and “one” buttons. If she’d been caught, she could’ve just claimed she’d pressed the numbers in wrong.

  And when the doors opened, she’d stepped out and glanced down the hall. And, just like Angelique had said, there were no guards. She’d never taken a step out of the elevator, though. After a few curious glances, she’d retracted back into the elevator and went down to John’s floor. Even though the wheels had been turning, she hadn’t made any decisions. Just because part of Angelique’s plan checked out didn’t mean she was ready to put everything on the line to get this “key” everyone was talking about.

  But when John had talked about “the incident,” his major point had been that Angelique wasn’t an approved donor. So that was the main thing that had gotten her caught. And Tela was more confident than ever that she could go into Sorenson whenever she wanted to. No invitation necessary.

  Her chances of
survival still weren’t great, but it wasn’t impossible. And once the wall came down, those allies that the resistance promised were there had better pull through. As soon as John had left, she’d gone on the radio and, after dialing in the channel for the resistance, told whoever was listening that she was ready to help. Later that night, a package had arrived at her door with a packet that included a map of the building and intricate directions of where to go. She had no idea where they’d gotten the information but knew better than to ask. For all she knew, their source was the human receptionist or another, better informed, blood donor.

  Her job was clear. All that was left was getting it done. The latest delivery had been the night before, so the sand should be in the room Angelique had mentioned.

  And Tela was going to get it. At least she was going to try. She hadn’t been committed enough to save Angelique, but she could save someone else now. Maybe she could save a lot of people. She knew the resistance wasn’t going to give up and they’d find someone else to volunteer for this crazy mission. And this might not be her responsibility, but it wasn’t theirs either.

  John would be hurt, he’d surely be pissed, but he would understand. She only hoped that he wouldn’t face scrutiny for the act she was about to commit.

  “Are you ready?” she asked Dani as she finished packing her own bag. She thought about what she could bring to protect herself. Weapons against vampires were practically useless. This was one of two survival bags she’d packed. One for her and one for Dani. Filled with a change of clothes, what food rations they had, and some water bottles. What she’d need if she made a run for it.

  Unfortunately, many of the rumored tools against vampires were just myth. Garlic wouldn’t help, and a spray bottle full of holy water wouldn’t do more than annoy a vampire. Though the thought of spraying an angry, murderous vampire in the face with water was mildly amusing, it wasn’t helpful.

  Her only chance was if she was stealthy and clever.