Page 37 of Fangs and Family
Since I’d seen him in the parking lot when he picked up Sara, our worlds gravitated toward each other, and despite his attitude occasionally irritating me, I liked the man I saw under the vampire’s cold veneer. The man with an inner darkness who, like myself, struggled with his demons, but no matter what I did or how I acted, he had never purposely hurt me.
I’d teased him to the brink of madness, testing his self-control. I’d let him taste my blood, but he didn’t cross the line. Only looked at me with those bright blue eyes that burned as if he wanted to devour me, making me want to surrender completely.
Fuck, I’m falling for him.The thought didn’t surprise me, well, not exactly, but it certainly reinforced my need to talk to Sara.
‘Could you please take me to the island today? I want to see Sara,’ I asked, flinching when his mobile phone suddenly rang.
Adam looked at the screen and sighed. I saw his lips tighten for a moment when he answered the call, listening in silence.
‘Yes, I’ll be there. Is Sara home today? Nina would like to see her,’ he asked, and I heard an angry voice snap a few words from the tiny speaker.
‘Yes, I understand. No, you won’t need to send the wolves. I’ll bring Nina and come straight over,’ he said, ending the call. The quiet hum of computer fans filled the temporary silence. Adam looked so tense. Whatever was said during this bizarre exchange had left a foul taste in my companion’s mouth.
‘It looks like your wishes and those of the Forest Lord are aligned. We need to go to the island. Please be ready in twenty minutes. In the meantime, I need to code a facial recognition search before I finish here.’
‘What happened? Are you in trouble?’ I asked.
I hope no one found the bodies. I thought, instantly wincing, that my first thought was of protecting Adam and not those who’d died.
‘Yes, I’m in trouble. My actions last night weren’t sanctioned, and I didn’t report it to Leszek straight away, but whatever the Leshy wants to do to me, it won’t stop my search,’ he insisted, pointing to his workstation where the shots from a multitude of cameras started flickering. ‘I will find Pawel if only for the pleasure of watching you rip someone else a new arsehole,’ he said, waving me out of the computer room.
A few minutes later, we were on the road, and I couldn’t stop thinking about what Adam had said.
‘Is this about the men you killed? What will Leszek do?’
‘Yes, and I don’t know. I don’t think he cares too much about them. Leszek is more concerned about the discovery of the Elder Races. That’s why we’re not supposed to kill whilst feeding, and the werewolves aren’t allowed to kill human prey. Still, you don’t need to worry your pretty little head about it. It’s all on me,’ he said, his dismissive, patronising tone after our little moment in his office irking me to no end.
‘Really? What kind of bullshit was that? You know what? Humour me, slap this dick a little harder on my pretty little head, O’ Great Alpha Male, and enlighten this inferior human on what will happen because, for some weird reason, I actually care about… what happens.’ I said, wincing at my clumsy attempt to hide my concern, which, at the sound of snorting laughter, had been very amusing to the arsehole vampire.
‘Oh, forgive me, Mistress, I forgot. I am but your lowly servant, ever willing to follow your commands. I shall endeavour to ensure my body is intact and able to perform in whichever way you desire.’
‘You know, if Leszek doesn’t kill you, I will,’ I said with a huff before the spark of mischief inside me made me add. ‘As for your performance, I haven’t seen much of it yet. I approve of the equipment, but maybe I should sample more before I decide to buy the complete package. After all, what if it malfunctions?’
The reaction to my jibe had me screaming as Adam stopped watching the road, and we ploughed into a deep puddle, the car swerving from side to side.
Adam cursed up a blue storm, getting us back under control. In the end, both the tension and near-death experience were too much, and I burst out laughing like a maniac.
‘Are you trying to kill us both?’ I asked, gasping for breath, tears streaming down my face, but the laughter didn’t want to die down.
‘Well, one of us maybe, vampire here, remember? Of course, that might not be such a bad idea, especially if I drained you first. Then I could revive you and turn you into a good little vampiric doll. You’d look exquisite in some gothic Lolita dress, and I could show you how well myequipmentworks.’ Adam’s eyes shone with unholy joy at the kinky little scene he’d described, his grin widening at my punch to his shoulder.
‘No fucking way that’ll happen, you cut-price Lazurus. No one can force me to wear such a monstrosity.’ I said, and he made this clucky, disapproving noise with his tongue that made me roll my eyes.
‘Cut-price? Do you think Lazarus could afford the latest Armani suit? The cheek. I should mention that fledgling vampires are unable to disobey the will of their Sire. They crave to please the one who gave them a second life. You would have to do exactly what I say, and I would use your body in so many exciting ways…’ Adam paused, looking at me with those hooded, dark blue eyes in a way that made heat flush across my cheeks. The desire in his eyes was searing, and I instinctively tilted my head, presenting him with the long expanse of my neck.
Adam’s mouth parted, and in my peripheral vision, I saw the tip of his tongue trailing over the vicious fangs that had lengthened with his need for my blood, and my breath hitched. The burning intensity of his gaze dimmed, turning into pure delight when he finished his thoughts.
‘Yes, using you in so many exciting ways… washing my underwear, cleaning the bathroom… Seeing you on your knees scrubbing the floor. That would be better than drinking my fill of blood. Princess, I so want to turn you right now.’
‘You already have one woman chained and collared to your needs, you idiot,’ I said, laughing even harder, partially with relief, because we both know only his restraint allowed us to joke about the situation.
It was the most carefree experience I’d had in days, and I found myself enjoying Adam’s company without worrying about threats and uncertainty. I had never laughed like this with my ex. It was either fiery passion or cold distance, but never carefree laughter that felt much more intimate than any erotic encounter I’d previously shared.
‘You are impossible,’ I said, looking at the man who never failed to surprise me. Adam slowly nodded, a playful smile ghosting on his lips, and I wanted to kiss him. So fucking much.
‘I strive to live up to your expectations,’ he answered, parking the car before hesitantly reaching for my hand and lifting it to his lips, kissing my knuckles. ‘Thank you, Nina. Thank you for bringing light to my darkness,’ he murmured, and I tensed in the chair. Adam must have noticed because he released my hand and pointed toward the door.
‘Go, have a chat with Sara. There’s no need to worry about me.’
