Their childhood friendship must account for why he broke the rules. Anyone else except her father would have ended her life as soon as they realized what was happening to her body.
He tensed, his muscles bunching as he lifted her. She understood how a doll felt as she was turned in his arms once he’d stood, and he pulled her against his chest. She hung there limp and tried to wrap her arms around his neck. They sluggishly moved enough for her to at least rest them over the top of his shoulders. The door opening chilled her as cooler air hit her body. Lorn walked slowly, every inch of the front of her rubbing against him.
The bed was close and she got her first look at his den. It wasn’t a big place, dimly lit, but it had all the comforts of a nice hideaway. A kitchenette had been built in the corner, there was a table built for four but with only two chairs, and the bed took up most of the space. He took her to the table and laid her down across the top of it. The wood was smooth against her back.
“Okay,” he whispered. “This is the tough part.”
She blinked up at him. It was embarrassing to be so weakened in front of him but her body just refused to work right.
“Thank you.” She wanted to make sure he knew how grateful she was. He was taking serious risks by protecting her from clan law. He’d be punished if anyone discovered he harbored a bloodbag.
He turned away to stalk to a cabinet, coming back with towels. He dropped them on the back of a chair before frowning. “Close your eyes.”
She did as he asked, hearing the sound of his movements. Then immediately peeked, too curious to know what he was doing.
It was a shock to find him bent over as he removed his soaked boxers. His ass was as tan as the rest of him. She closed her eyes again.
He took a deep breath. “I have a towel wrapped around me. I’m decent but we need to get your wet clothes off and get you dry. Once I do that, I’ll put you to bed.”
He would see her helpless and naked. It just got worse, in her opinion. First, she was turning into what he’d consider an enemy, and now he was about to see her totally nude. She just gave a sharp nod and kept her eyes closed, too humiliated to watch or see his reactions.
His large hands were gentle when he gripped the front of her bra. One hard tug and material tore. She hadn’t expected that and her eyes flew open, staring at him. He held her gaze, avoiding looking at her breasts as he carefully stripped the bra from her arms and tugged it out from under her. A towel dropped over her chest.
“I’m not looking.”
To prove his point, he squeezed his eyes closed. His hands gripped one side of her underwear after feeling for her hip with his fingertips and he gave it a quick jerk. The wet material didn’t stand a chance against his strength. He repeated the process on the other side and blindly reached for the last towel, laying it over her from stomach to knees. He finally looked at her.
His hands stayed on top of the towel as he rubbed. It was near torture to have him finally touching her but under such horrible circumstances. Numbness was spreading through her body so she couldn’t even enjoy it. He leaned over her, his wet hair dripping a little, and carefully lifted her in a way that sat her up. One of his arms stayed around her middle to help her remain seated as he tugged the towel around her to pat her back dry.
“How are you doing?”
“Tired,” she admitted. “Cold.”
He leaned back enough for her to clearly see his face. He swallowed hard, his Adam’s apple bobbing. “I’ll bring you to bed and keep you warm, okay? I won’t leave your side. Know that you’re safe. Nothing can breach the den and even if it did, I’d never allow anything to get within ten feet of you while you’re helpless.”
“Than—”
“Don’t,” he snarled, the sound loud and full of anger.
She closed her mouth.
“Never thank me for keeping you safe.” His tone softened. “I’m just sorry I wasn’t there when you really needed me.”
“You were there when I needed you the most. I’m still alive.” Is that accurate? I think my heart is still beating. She wasn’t sure since she didn’t know much about Vampires and her body felt so strange. “You’re saving me, Lorn. Anyone else would have taken me out the moment they found me and realized what had happened.”
His gaze shifted away but the expression on his face wasn’t masked. Regret and maybe indecision drew fine lines around his mouth and forehead. She understood. What kind of life was she going to have when she woke after the sun fell tomorrow? Perhaps he regretted making the decision to save her. She didn’t blame him.
He wrapped the towels more firmly around her and lifted, carrying her a few feet to the bed. He used his foot to shove down the covers on the mattress situated on the floor. He crouched, easily placing her on it. It shouldn’t have surprised her when he just tore the towels away, his gaze avoiding her body, and pulled the sheet over her nakedness.
“Sleep, Kira. Stop fighting what’s happening to you. The sun is coming up.”
He sprawled out next to her, tugging off his towel. She was tempted to lift her head to glance down his body but he yanked up the covers before she had a chance to appease her curiosity. The sheet remained between them as he rolled onto his side, curling up next to her. His body heat came through the thin material and she wished she had the energy to turn into him.
“I don’t know how I’ll be when I wake.”
He lifted his head, bracing it on his hand. “It’s going to be alright. I’m with you.”
She had wished to share his bed since she was old enough to become aware of him as a man. She was finally there but unable to even lift her arms to touch him. Not that he’d want me to.
It hurt. She’d always had a tiny bit of hope that they’d somehow be able to be together, refused to let go of that dream.
Her heart broke into what felt like a thousand pieces as she realized there was no longer a chance of that happening. He was beside her but they had never been so far apart. He’d mate some VampLycan in a matter of days and she’d become a suckhead. He’d remain with the clan and she’d never be allowed to step foot in their territory again. She would become his enemy.
“You’ll be hungry and probably go for my throat. I’ll be awake before the sun goes down.”
It appalled her to think she might try to hurt him. “No. Don’t let me attack you. I’d rather die first.” She meant it.
“It’ll be okay. I can handle you. My brother is going to bring you something to eat. I have handcuffs nearby so I can restrain you if you’re out of it when you come around. You won’t be able to hurt me. I’ll still be much stronger than you even after you’re fully changed.”
“The master said he was five hundred years old,” she whispered, fearing that Lorn could be wrong. Old Vampires had a lot of strength.
“It won’t matter. A VampLycan is stronger than a full-blooded Vampire.”
It was another reminder that she wouldn’t be human. That part of her was dying as quickly as she lost the ability to feel any part of her body. She opened her mouth to thank him again for saving her, even if he didn’t want to hear it.
A sudden jab of pain stabbed her in her belly and she gasped, blacking out.
Lorn watched as Kira lost consciousness, agony twisting her delicate features. “Fuck.” He pulled her tight against him, holding her close enough to feel every sluggish beat of her heart. “I’ve got you, sunshine. I won’t let you go.”
She felt so cold in his arms. It probably wasn’t safe to press her face against his throat but every slight breath she took helped him remain calm. She wasn’t really dead, just in a deep sleep. She’d wake a Vampire.
Every bit of information he had on them filled his mind. They were cold-blooded creatures, only warm after a fresh feeding. Some of them seemed to lose the ability to have compassion.
He refused to believe that would happen to his Kira. She had the kindest heart of anyone he’d ever known. He might have saved some baby bunnies when he’d b
een a kid but Kira had tried to save every injured creature, including birds, forever driving him nuts by climbing trees to check on nests to make certain they were secure. She even cushioned the ground under them in case the newly hatched were to fall.
Her Lycan blood had to account for something. It was faint but it existed. The Vampire traits wouldn’t be able to destroy that part of her and change her personality. He rubbed her arm, wishing he could transfer some of his strength to her. He hated feeling helpless.
“It’s going to be okay,” he crooned. “You’re going to still be you when you wake up. You’ll just need blood.”
She slept. He held her.
“I have faith in you, Kira.” He turned a little more and placed a kiss on her forehead. It was something he hadn’t done since they were kids. “You’re a fighter, you never let anything get you down. You’re strong. Fight this, baby. Wake up and be you.”
What if this changes her forever?
The question haunted him. He knew her well, at least he used to. She’d rather die than become a monster who existed just for bloodlust. He’d have to take her life.
Destiny can’t be that cruel.
Chapter Five
The text messages Lorn received on the emergency phone he kept inside the den assured him that Lavos had smoothed out his cover story with the clan. They believed he had left the territory tracking the Vampires who had supposedly stolen Kira. Veso had also been reported missing. The VampLycan hadn’t been found.
Now he’d gotten a message from Kira’s father. Davis waited above and needed to speak to him immediately.
Davis paced under the shade of a tree when Lorn approached. He wasn’t surprised that Kira’s father would want an update but it irritated him that he’d take the risk of coming onto his land, in case someone from the clan became suspicious enough to keep apprised of the man’s whereabouts.
“You shouldn’t have come here,” Lorn stated. “You’re endangering her.”
Davis spun his way. “I’m picking Kira up at sunset tonight. Have her ready to travel as soon as she’s awake.”
Lorn hadn’t expected that. He frowned. “To take her where?”
“I spoke to Velder. His clan is willing to accept and protect my daughter.”
It confused Lorn. Why would Velder offer to take in a Vampire? “What does he want in exchange?”
“I’ve anonymously warned him in the past about things Decker had planned, in hopes the other clans could stop him. Velder knows I’m an ally. I confessed to him that I was the one who made those calls. There’s a small chance Kira doesn’t have to spend the rest of her life dependent on blood.”
“Believe me, that’s what she’s become. You haven’t seen her.” Lorn understood Davis’s denial. “I’m sorry.”
The other man stepped closer, his frustration evident. “She’s part VampLycan. Velder was sympathetic when I told him of Kira’s plight and asked him to help. He told me about a young couple in their clan¸ a pair who was destined to mate. The girl didn’t change well during her adolescence. She ended up craving blood and had no tolerance for the sun. They don’t kill them in his clan, but they still make the others nervous. Her intended mate was worried she’d be shunned, and so he shared his blood with her. Each feeding strengthened her until she could stomach food and no longer burned in the sun. It has to be done quickly though. They tried it on one of their older men but his Vampire traits had grown too strong. He’d been that way for years. Velder has given me hope, Lorn—even if it’s a long shot. An infusion of dominant Lycan blood might help activate whatever Lycan traits she has and strengthen them.”
Lorn feared feeling that same hope. “We’ve seen parents attempt it before, offering up their wrists to hide what their children were becoming from Decker. It didn’t help.”
“A set of parents feeding their young won’t work. It was their combined Vampire traits that were passed down to that child to begin with. It needs to be a male with dominant Lycan blood, according to Velder. They can survive regularly feedings and their blood is strong.”
“I’ll do it.” Lorn was willing to give it a try. He’d do anything if it meant Kira could withstand the sunlight again and didn’t need daily blood feedings. “My Lycan side is very dominant.”
“No. They have an enforcer willing to share his blood. I need to bring Kira to him as soon as possible. He promised to take care of her and keep her safe.”
Anger surged through Lorn. “You’re not handing her over to some stranger! She’s in a fragile state and he could mistake her bloodlust for more. Do you understand that? He could take advantage of her.”
Davis frowned. “He’s willing to mate her regardless of how this ends. I spoke to him myself. He lost his mate ten years ago. He’s lonely and Velder vouched for him. He’s a good man, trustworthy, and he treated his mate well. He would make a suitable match for Kira. It’s better than sending her out into the world on her own. I won’t let that happen.”
“You can’t agree to mate Kira off to some stranger. She would never forgive you.”
“What are the choices here?” Davis blinked back tears. “Our clan will kill her. I had nightmares this morning about what would happen to her if we sent her out into the world. I lived in the human world with Kira’s mother. Other nests would come after her, and I’ve heard what some of them do to the ones without masters. She’s an attractive girl. I’d rather know she has a mate who will protect her than risk her ending up in the hands of those bloodsuckers.”
“But—”
“They might turn her into a whore! Do you get that? They’d offer her body to humans, and the master would force her hand by only allowing her sustenance from the men she has sex with. They pimp out the attractive ones to support their nests. I would rather Kira die than face that kind of future. It would destroy her.”
Rage poured through Lorn at the mere thought of anyone making Kira live that kind of hellish existence. “That’s never going to happen. I said I’ll feed her.”
“Not you.”
Lorn was insulted. “I’m one of the strongest members of this clan. Do you doubt my Lycan traits?” He was willing to fight Davis, almost itched to at that moment, to prove his word. “I chose not to become one of Decker’s enforcers. It wasn’t because I was too weak to qualify. I’m stronger than all of them. Do you know how many times I’ve privately kicked Boon’s ass? He’s the best Decker has. I just refuse to follow that son of a bitch.”
“It’s not about your strength. I’m aware you’ve taken on Decker’s enforcers to protect some of the weaker members of this clan. But you’ve hurt my daughter enough, Lorn.”
The snarl ripped from his throat and his claws slid out. “How dare you accuse me of hurting her! I’ve always looked out for Kira. She’s inside my den. I found her and brought her where she’d be safe. I don’t give a damn if it’s found out and I’m punished. All that matters to me is that no one hurts her. It doesn’t matter that she’s turned into a Vampire.”
The older male backed away a few steps. “You’ve kept her safe from everyone in the clan except yourself.”
“What in the hell does that mean?”
“You shunned her when you became a man.” Davis’s voice softened and he took a deep breath, blowing it out slowly. “I know why you did it…but it broke her heart. I had to be the one to explain why you would no longer talk to her, or spend time with her. I held my baby girl while she cried.”
“Decker and my father would have killed her, Davis.”
“I know. I was grateful that you didn’t take advantage of her feelings for you. Some would have bedded her until they grew bored. I’ve always respected you for that and you hold my gratitude. But I can’t allow her to suffer any more, and she will if she bonds to you in a physical way.”
“She’s safe with me.”
Davis frowned. “She didn’t understand the very first time you traveled to visit another clan for a week. I hadn’t shared all the details about VampLycan tr
aits with her, since she didn’t inherit them. Someone in the clan taunted her about you going into heat and explained exactly what you were doing. She cried for days, knowing you were with other women. I’d sit outside her door, listening to those great racking sobs, but she wouldn’t allow me to comfort her.”
Lorn’s anger dissipated and his stomach grew queasy. He hated hearing that, and it made him hurt imagining what it must have been like for her. He never could stand to see Kira crying, but what Davis described sounded far worse than anything he’d ever witnessed.
“The time you were gone for two weeks, she grew so worked up that she left. She was sure you were delayed because you’d found your true mate,” Davis continued. “I’d begged her many times to leave the clan, to go live amongst humans, where Decker couldn’t make her life hell, but she’d always refused. My Kira kept hoping you’d share her feelings.
“I watched her pack her bags that thirteenth day you were gone and leave. She didn’t come back for a year. Did you know she never called home when she knew I’d be there? She’d just leave messages on my machine, telling me she was okay. I didn’t get to talk to my daughter, Lorn—because she was too afraid I’d tell her that you’d brought your mate home with you when you’d returned. She wouldn’t leave her phone number so I could call her back. It was hell not knowing where she was or how to reach her. Decker sent an enforcer to hunt her down and found her living at a college. That’s the only reason she came back. She was forced to.”
Lorn’s guts twisted. He would never forget the time Kira had left the clan. He’d come back from his trip to discover she’d decided to live amongst humans. Fear that Decker had killed her had led him into a confrontation with his father. They’d nearly come to blows until his mother had intervened. She’d used her bond with her mate to read his mind for Lorn, swearing that Ladius was actually furious because they didn’t know where Kira had gone. He and Decker were worried she might seek revenge by telling humans about VampLycans.