Consumed

  “Why not?”

  “Ava, they have ‘I’m a princess, bow to me’ printed on them!”

  I placed my hands on my hips. “Tell me something. Is your apartment going to be my apartment too? Or am I just a lodger?”

  A muscle in his jaw ticked. Ooh, how amusing. “You’re not a lodger.”

  “Don’t you want me to feel comfortable in my own home?”

  “I already compromised by agreeing to bring that plastic coffee table that’s shaped like a cat.”

  “Only because it was black.”

  “And the weird bird-cage lamps.”

  “Only because I agreed to put them in the bedroom so no one else will see them.”

  He pointed at one of the boxes. “Why do you need all these fucking candles? We’re vampires, we have perfect night vision.”

  “They’re scented candles.” He just stared at me blankly, like I was speaking in biblical Hebrew. “I light them when I take a bath.”

  “And what the hell is that?”

  “A French sofa.” I ran my hand along the sloped, intricately carved back of the pink single-ended sofa. “I kept this in my bedroom so I could relax on it when I wanted to read, or do my nails, or play Minion Rush on my iPad.” He dug the heels of his hands into his eyes, and I had to smile. “Reconsidering the moving thing yet?”

  “No.” He actually looked shocked that I’d assumed that. He scooped me up, curling my legs around his waist. “I want you with me. Besides, I’m pretty sure I could fuck you on that sofa.”

  “You could probably fuck me while I’m sitting on one of my bean bags too.” I gestured behind him, and he tensed. I realised then that he hadn’t noticed them yet.

  He seemed genuinely afraid to look. “They’re pink, aren’t they?”

  “At least they match the rest of my stuff.”

  His response was a grunt.

  With the help of Reuben and Damien – who were clearly biting back laughter at the situation – we moved my things into Salem’s apartment. The expression on his face as his very manly space was increasingly invaded by pink was absofuckinglutely priceless. I honestly thought he was going to snap when he saw my ‘Hello Kitty’ coasters.

  Once we were alone, I shrugged at him. “I warned you I was girly.”

  Staring at what I personally believed were serious improvements to his living area, he nodded. “You did.”

  “At least I haven’t scattered colourful, exotic plants everywhere. Poor Evan was devastated that Alora insisted on taking them with her when she moved in with him.” Salem exhaled a long breath, looking in actual pain. “If you want me to leave, just say so. I won’t be mad.” I’d be upset, but I’d understand. Salem was like the manliest guy I’d ever met – so manly that even ‘pink’ couldn’t chip away at his masculinity. But he was comfortable in dark colours and simple designs. I’d literally bedazzled his fucking home.

  His brows pulled together. “Why would I want you to leave?” He grabbed my wrist and yanked me to him, making me crash into his chest. “I knew what I was letting myself in for when I asked you to move in. I’ve seen your apartment and your scarily feminine style, remember.”

  “And you thought you could talk me into leaving most of the scarily feminine stuff behind,” I accused with a smile as his arms snaked around my waist.

  Unrepentant, he shrugged. “It was worth a shot.” His mouth took mine, ate at it, as his hands slid down to cup my ass and lift me. He seemed to like carrying me.

  When I came up for air, I smiled. “Thank you.”

  “For what?”

  Accepting me as I am. “Well, although you whined and grumbled over me bringing this stuff here, you weren’t half as awkward as what you could have been. And I know you kept most of the swearing inside your head.”

  He brushed his mouth against mine. “Thank you.”

  “For what?”

  “Not insisting on bringing the glittery clock or the cardboard cut-out of Yogi Bear.”

  I giggled. “I don’t need Yogi when I have my own bear right here.” I rubbed his chest. “So cute and cuddly.”

  Here came the deathly scowl. “I’m not cute. And I’m definitely not fucking cuddly.”

  The sudden ringing of a cell phone stopped me from teasing him any further. “That’s mine.” He set me down so I could grab my phone from the table. “It’s Sam,” I told him before answering. “Hello?”

  Then there was Sam’s voice. “Ava, I could do with your help. Meet me outside the infirmary as soon as you can.”

  Both startled and concerned, I did exactly that. Of course Salem came along, claiming he just wanted the pleasure of my company. I was pretty sure his main motivation was to protect me from Gina, suspecting the bitch might try to get me alone at some point. And, of course, there was the whole ‘nosy bastard’ thing.

  Sam and Jared were both waiting outside the infirmary; his front pressed to her back and his arm curled around her shoulder. She seemed tense and nervous.

  “Is everything okay?” I asked. “Please tell me none of the survivors died.”

  Sam shook her head. “Mary Jane called me half an hour ago. One of the survivors is fully conscious.”

  “That’s good news, right?”

  “It’s bloody brilliant news.” A pained look took over her face as she added, “I have to go in there to speak to her, but I’m sure you’re well aware that I don’t have a way with words. You’re good with people, you make them smile and stuff.”

  “You want me to come with you?”

  “I don’t want to take Jared, since I doubt she’ll be comfortable around blokes right now, considering what she’s been through.”

  “Understandable.” The survivor would probably also be less inclined to talk about what had happened if a guy was present. “I’m ready when you are.”

  Sam turned to Salem. “You can either wait out here with Jared or –”

  “I’ll be here,” he stated, his gaze on me.

  I gave him a smile. “I won’t be long.”

  I followed Sam into the infirmary and over to a bed at the far end of the room. I was pretty sure that if Fletcher had been with us, he would have passed out from the strength of the emotions that seeped from the vampire lying awake on the bed. Fear. Despair. Pain. Anxiety. And – totally breaking my heart – shame.

  I wanted to tell her that she didn’t have a single thing to be ashamed about; that nothing that happened had been her fault, but I was guessing that wasn’t a conversation the girl would want to have with a perfect stranger. I smiled gently, keeping my voice soft but empty of pity. She didn’t warrant pity, she deserved a fucking medal for surviving. “Hi. I’m Ava.”

  The thin, pale redhead gave a tiny nod, swallowing hard. She couldn’t have been more than sixteen when she was Turned. I wondered if that had been a factor in why she’d been chosen for the brothel. Some people were sick enough to prefer young ones.

  When the redhead’s eyes examined Sam, she cleared her throat. “You’re the Grand High –”

  “Yeah,” Sam quickly confirmed, still uncomfortable with all the formalities that went with her position, including the very ‘posh’ title.

  “I’m a member of the legion,” I told her. “Can I ask what your name is?”

  She swallowed hard again. “Rosa.” Her gaze returned to Sam. “The nurse said you rescued us, that you destroyed the brothel. Thank you.”

  Not good at accepting thanks or praise, Sam said, “With the help of my mate and squad. Ava was also there.”

  Rosa’s expression suddenly turned fierce. “Did you kill the bastards?”

  “We killed the staff and the clients that were there that night. The legion has been picking off the other clients, one by one.”

  “Good.”

  “Did you know that Marge didn’t own the brothel?”

  “There was another woman.” Rosa grimaced. “I think. I don’t trust my mind right now. It’s cloudy.”

  Sam’s voice was careful as s
he spoke. “I have someone who could search your mind if you –”

  “No. I don’t want anyone else inside me.”

  The panic and agony in her wide eyes made my chest ache. “That’s fine,” I softly assured her.

  Sam shifted from foot to foot. “I’m sorry to have to do this, Rosa, but I need to ask you some questions. We’re trying to track down the owner and the others involved, but it hasn’t been easy. What do you remember?”

  “I remember being kidnapped. I was on my way home from my friend’s house. A van pulled up in front of me, and two guys in black jumped out of the side door and dragged me inside. I fought them, but then one of them touched my forehead and, just like that, I couldn’t move. Couldn’t even scream. When the van finally stopped, the door opened and there was this woman with Marge. I don’t remember much about the woman.” She squinted, rubbing her temples.

  “That’s okay,” I quickly said. “Don’t hurt yourself trying to remember. Her gift protects her identity.”

  After a short moment, Sam asked Rosa, “What happened then?”

  “The woman and Marge discussed me like I was a cow at a market. They decided they wanted to buy me, paid the guys who kidnapped me, and then I was transferred to another van. Marge touched my arm and…it was like I was drugged. When I next woke up, I was tied to a bed. I’m sure you know how things went after that.” She averted her gaze, her face flushed with a fresh bout of shame.

  Again, I was tempted to tell her she didn’t have any reason to feel such an emotion. Instead, I distracted her with another question. “Did you ever meet the owner again after that?”

  “I think I did once. Everything’s kind of jumbled.” Rosa ran a hand through her slightly matted hair. “She was talking to me, told me there was no point in crying or begging them to free me. She said I wasn’t going to get out of there. Not unless someone was prepared to pay the high price of draining me dry – then I’d only leave as a pile of ashes. Every time someone came into my room, I prayed that would happen.”

  Hearing the defeat in her voice was painful. Every single one of the motherfucking assholes deserved to rot.

  “Did you ever hear any names?” Sam asked.

  “Only Marge’s name, and the maids – Mona and Penny.”

  Sam nodded. “Thanks for answering our questions. I know you must be eager to get home, but I’d like it if you would stay until all the players in this game have been eliminated. They might not like the idea of anyone living to tell the tale; I don’t want them to come after you.”

  “I’m not in any rush to get home.” Her smile was bitter. “The guys in the van...I heard them talking about my Sire. He sold me. My own Sire sold me.”

  “Oh, is that so?” Sam’s voice had dropped into ‘I’m going on a killing spree’ territory.

  It would make a sick sort of sense that the players would be willing to buy the vampires from their Sires – it was assurance that the line wouldn’t try to track the victims down or retaliate.

  “What’s his name?” Sam ground out.

  Rosa studied her carefully. “You’ll kill him.”

  “Yes.” No hesitation there. Rosa seemed pleased by that.

  “Stephan. He doesn’t use a surname.”

  “That’s fine. Just tell me where to find him.” After Rosa rattled off an address, Sam nodded. “He won’t be a problem anymore.”

  (Salem)

  I leaned against the wall, waiting very impatiently for Ava to come out. I knew her well enough to know she’d walk out of there with tears in her eyes, and I was going to be here when that happened. Her heart was too big for that tiny body.

  “You don’t like it that she’s joined the legion, do you?” It wasn’t a question from Jared, it was a confident statement.

  I shrugged. “I can’t trust she’ll be safe, she has no fear.” It meant I couldn’t relax on assignments if she was out of my sight.

  “Then you’re not going to cope well when she’s going on assignments with her squad and you’re not around to protect her.”

  Definitely not. “And you’re much better with Coach?”

  “Not at all,” admitted Jared non-defensively. “Especially since my mate has a habit of putting the safety of other people before that of her own,” he grumbled. “The Binding link helps.”

  “How?” Since I didn’t have a romantic bone in my body, I’d never wondered what Binding was like.

  “The connection lets me know if she’s hurt, if she’s conscious, her emotional state, her location. It’s like having another sense; one that’s completely attuned to her. It stops my imagination from running wild, worrying if she’s okay.” Jared cocked his head, studying me. “Is Will right? Is Binding something you would never do?”

  I hated personal questions. “Why do you ask?”

  “You’re pretty intense with Ava. Demanding. I’m just wondering if she gets as much of you as you demand of her.”

  I stiffened. “That’s between me and Ava.”

  “Just be careful with her. I’m not saying I think you’d ever hurt her physically. But you could hurt her emotionally, even though it might not be intentional.”

  “What the fuck does that mean?”

  “You’re hard, Salem. Self-contained. I’m not much different, though I tend to talk a lot more than you do. Trust me when I say that unless you give instead of just taking, it won’t work between you and Ava. I held things back from Sam, and it came back to bite me on the ass because she found out from other people. That hurt her. But not as much as the fact that I was keeping her out.”

  They were good points, but…“My head’s not a place Ava should go poking around in.”

  “Maybe not,” he allowed. “But if you want to be with her, you have to let her see what’s there.”

  “I told her I would.”

  Jared gave me a knowing grin. “Just like I promised Sam I’d tell her, but I was hoping it wouldn’t come to that. Hoping she’d drop it. And so are you.”

  Perceptive bastard. “Remind me why we’re having this conversation.”

  “Sam considers her a friend. And I happen to like Ava. We’ll look out for her.”

  Okay, that sure got my back up. “I’ll look out for Ava.” She was mine to protect.

  “I hope so. Because if you hurt her, Sam will be pissed and she’ll take it out on me – probably with her whip. Then she’ll hunt you down and do the same to you.”

  “Ava wouldn’t let her.”

  Jared smiled at that. “Believe it or not, I’m trying to help you here. I like you, and I don’t like many people. I trust you to not only watch my back but to watch Sam’s back – that’s no little thing; she’s everything to me. I don’t want you to screw it up with Ava because I think you make a good couple. You balance each other out. She sometimes doesn’t take things seriously enough, you take everything too seriously. She’s loud and dynamic, while you’re quiet and reserved. You’re very work-focused, and she’s always out to have fun. She’s impulsive and has no fear, while you’re cautious and level-headed. She’s good for you because she enjoys life and makes you live it. And you’re good for her because you protect her from herself and everything else without stopping her from being who she is and trying to change her.”

  I was about to ask why the fuck I would ever want to change her, but then the infirmary door opened. As I’d anticipated, Ava’s eyes glistened with misery. She walked right into my open arms, and I locked them tight around her.

  “The bastards need to die.” Her voice was shaky, but her words were strong.

  I nodded. “They will.”

  “Each and every one of them,” vowed Sam. She then related everything that Rosa had said, making both Jared and I curse repeatedly. “Stephan’s going to be hunted, just like the clients and suppliers.”

  “Do you think it’s possible that the other survivors were sold by their Sires?” I asked.

  Sam ground her teeth. “Yes. If so, their Sires die too.”

  By
the time Ava and I got back to my – no, our – apartment, she had pulled herself together. The woman had a spine of steel. But thanks to the frustrating and, to be honest, slightly confusing conversation I’d had with Jared, I wasn’t in the best mood.

  Still, after some time with Ava, who never failed to amuse me – which was an achievement in and of itself – my mood had been close to improving, despite that the colour theme of my apartment was now black and pink. And despite that I had weird princess cushions on my sofa, which I naturally had every intention of getting rid of somehow.

  Then Will, Blythe, and Gina had to go and fuck up my recovering mood by appearing on the doorstep.

  “What do you want?”

  The huge smile on Will’s face didn’t falter at my unwelcoming tone, but irritation rippled down our blood-link. “I know things ended badly between us, Salem. But let us mend the rift. After all, we’re going to be neighbours now.”

  “Who is it?” Ava appeared, all smiles. Remembering her upset expression at the beach party, I reflexively shifted her ever so slightly behind me but without obstructing her view. Blythe noticed the protective move and quickly turned to Ava. “Do you think we could forget what happened at the party and start afresh?”

  Ava, the image of perkiness, nodded. “Well of course.” Her voice sort of…tinkled, like a bell. “We’re practically family.”

  What? But then I saw that her beaming smile hadn’t quite reached her eyes.

  The ‘we’re practically family’ comment pulled a low hiss from Gina.

  Blythe suggested, “Let’s start over, Ava. I’m Blythe, Will’s mate.”

  “I’m Ava. It’s a pleasure to meet you.” And she sounded so sincere, I almost believed it.

  “And you remember Gina.”

  Ava’s expression softened…like Gina was an injured animal. “I know it must be hard for you to see Salem with someone else. I don’t blame you for being jealous. After all, he’s pretty fabulous.”

  I tensed as Gina’s face morphed into a deadly glare. She went to say something but was quickly silenced by a sharp look from Blythe.

  Will released a long sigh, looking very pleased with the situation. “Now that that’s all over and done with, maybe we could all go inside and talk.”