Page 36 of Bitten By Bloodmoon
Nyx
“Keep Lumi in this house. Don’t let her leave, no matter what,” I say to Sylara, Riven, and Brax as I do the last button on my dark dress shirt, which I changed into when I realized I’d be dealing with vampires tonight. I can still hear Lumi’s footsteps climbing up from the basement floor, where the gym is. I’ll be gone before she reaches the top step. I don’t want to have an argument or use my mind control to get her to do what I want. I’m trying my best not to piss her off any further.
“I’m not her babysitter. Besides, it’s not like she’s going to leave this house as soon as she realizes there are vampires outside,” Sylara says.
I look to Brax and Riven, knowing I don’t have time to argue with Sylara about this right now.
“We won’t let her out of our sight,” Brax says.
Riven nods his agreement.
“Let’s go,” I say to Talonis as he slips on his dress shoes. For some gods forsaken reason, the vampires now expect me to dress up when I hold court. Not that this is really court per se,but they will see it that way. And if I want to keep the power I’ve worked my ass off to get, then I’d better play the part.
Talonis is the only one who ever comes with me. He’s the only one willing and who actually understands this part of my life. He’s not a vampire, but unlike the rest of the Bloodmoon pack, he doesn’t look down on them.
As we walk out the door, I say, “Let’s handle this quickly before Lumi shows up.”
“She won’t actually show up. I know Sylara doesn’t like Lumi, but Riven and Brax will keep Lumi safe,” Talonis says.
“Yeah, but who is going to keep them safe from Lumi?” I ask.
He raises his eyebrows. “Is she really that dangerous?”
I shake my head. “No, but she’s stubborn, determined, and sly. She’ll find her way out of the house and into trouble if we don’t make this quick.” Plus, I’ll be distracted. I still can’t shake the conflicting smells on her body from my mind. Her sweet cum is still smeared on the inside of her thigh, but it’s mixed withhim—an instant turn off. But I can also smellmeon her. Once again, out of all the clothes that Riven brought her to choose from, she chose my shirt to wear.
He frowns. “Then we’d better hurry.”
I nod.
The sun has set, making it easy for me to move in my vampire form. Talonis does his best to keep up without having to shift, but my vampire speed is unmatched. Even if he shifted, he still wouldn’t be able to keep up with me. It’s one of the things I enjoy about being a vampire—the otherworldly speed.
Honestly, there is a lot to enjoy about being a vampire. The speed, the agility, the heightened connection to my emotions. I halt suddenly, waiting for Talonis to catch up, needing at least one ally at my side to report back to the Bloodmoon pack if things go south.
For every pro, there are as many cons about being a vampire. And I don’t need exceptional intuition skills to understand exactly why I was called to court. Nor superior hearing ability—I can hear vampires from outside the cave.
“Fuck,” I say under my breath.
Talonis appears next to me, out of breath, gripping his side. “What is it?” he asks between breaths.
A tortured scream rings out, echoing off the walls of the cave.
“Gods, what are you going to do?”
“I don’t know.” But I can’t wait outside the cave any longer. The appalling scream slams into me, shaking me to my core. This one singular con about being a vampire makes even the best of pros taste sour in my mouth. For this reason alone, I believe vampires were never meant to exist. We aren’t a natural balance in this supernatural world. We are an abomination.
I enter the cave, my face turning neutral as I mask any feelings I have. There is no room for emotion when it comes to what I have to become and do tonight. Talonis walks solemnly behind me. Despite his smaller frame and less intimidating posture, he’s the best in these types of situations. His particular skills lend themselves perfectly to it, and he’d protect me with his life. I just hope it doesn’t come down to it. We walk through a narrow entrance that quickly opens to an expansive chamber. Darkness blankets the room, vaulted ceilings and jagged stalactites loom above me in breathtaking columns as a touch of light glistens off them. But it’s what I see in the pooling shadows that has my undivided attention—dozens of vampires.
One intake of air and I know exactly what’s driving the frenzy.
Humans.
Three of them—clinging to one another in the center of the room, beneath a single ray of light, shaking, blood already streaking down their necks. I don’t know who they are, nor do Icare. I’m a vampire. Vampires feed on humans to survive. Most kill them, unable to control their bloodlust. But the humans are not what I was called here to address. No one is upset that a vampire is about to kill three humans.
I scan the room, looking for the cause of the room exploding in a ruckus. A deafening roar rips through the room, and all heads snap in that direction. A vampire throws a rope around the neck of another, tightening the rope to add to the three others that are tied to his wrists and legs. The four vampires holding onto the ropes are pulling with all of their might, trying to restrain the vampire, but with each rope being added, he becomes more feral, more lost to his bloodthirst.
The room is split into two. Those trying to tie up the savage vampire and those on the other side of the room, demanding that the vampire be released. While the humans are stuck in the middle, too stunned and losing too much blood to attempt a getaway.
This isn’t going to end well for anyone involved.
