Page 943 of One More Kiss

Odessa

Three vampires stolefrom me my humanity with a blood curse. A curse they placed upon me without a thought of what I wanted. My hatred for them has been the only constant in my life. I train to get away from them. To make sure I can control myself around the humans. And now they want to mate.

“Dess, we’re going down to the gym. Want to join?” Draven asks, moving through the living room to the front door. He has his boxing gloves slung over his shoulder and a gym bag in his hands. His powerful muscles strain his too tight t-shirt, and butterflies stir in my stomach. Last night’s conversation swirls in my head, and I think about having all of them at the same time.

“Yeah, give me five and I’ll meet you down there. I want to change first,” I croak out, swallowing to make my dry mouth moist.

It’s a gloomy day outside, and the floor to ceiling windows aren’t letting in my light. I was reading to pass the time until someone got home and we could train. They left early to God knows where, and I was stuck here until they got back.

My room is in the back of the apartment. It’s one of the largest, with its own en-suite and a huge walk-in closet. When it became apparent that I would live here for sometime, Draven switched rooms with me. Something about girls needing more closet space. I’m not complaining. The enormous tub and steam shower make it even more worth it.

Putting on some black leggings and a matching sports bra, I look at myself in the mirror. I’ve changed completely. My red hair is dark, more crimson and my skin is the color of a thick cream. My muscles have grown and my once pouchy stomach is now toned and tight. I don’t even recognize myself sometimes.

The strength of becoming a vampire is heady. Being able to crush a man’s head between your hands gives the ego a solid boost to the top floor, but the blood lust. It’s the one thing I dread. I wake up every morning with an insatiable thirst. It’s almost like there will never be enough.

I make my way out the door and down to the gym. The guys are there already, warming up. Draven is beating the crap out of the punching bag while Theron is running on the treadmill. Julius is on the bench, wrapping his hands before he slips them inside his gloves.

“Guess I’m fighting you first?” I quip, sauntering over to the bench. I plop down beside him and pick up the extra roll of tape and mimic his movements. I’ve gotten quite good at all things fighting. In my previous life, as a social worker, I would never have thought to pick up a pair of boxing gloves. I saw too much violence daily to want to learn it for myself. Now it’s the only way I can get out the frustrations I’m feeling. To calm the blood lust.

“Seems like it. They’re taking too long with their warm-ups.”

“Let’s do this then. Timed? Or do you want to go to a KO? I quite enjoyed putting you on your ass last time. How long did it take you to wake up?”

My jeering makes his eyes dilate a tad in anger. Not at me, but at himself for letting the student best the teacher.

“Timed. I don’t want to wake up with another headache. We’re going to the club tonight.”

“You go to the club every night. What’s the difference if you go with a lump on the head?” My giggle is infectious, and I hear a chuckle from the other side of the room. Theron hops off the treadmill and grabs a towel from a nearby chair. The sweat is glistening on his naked chest, and I can smell his musk from here. My body alights for a moment before I shut it down.

“You’re coming with us,” he says, as he moves over to us.

“No, I’m not. I could lose control. Bite a human. There are too many of them in one place, sweating and giving off those smells.” My fangs elongate at the possibility of biting a random stranger. It’s the only thing I think about most days. Taking blood straight from a vein. How warm it would taste in my mouth.

Closing my eyes, I try to rein it in. Strong hands grip my shoulders and I take a step into Theron. I don’t want to need them, but circumstances like this, it’s imperative I have them.

“You’ll be able to do it. You walked through the bus station attacking no one until the last minute. And that asshole was the one who provoked you. We’ll be there to help you, protect you.”

A whoosh of air escapes me and I open up my eyes. Protect me. It’s not something I ever needed. I wasn’t the damsel or the weak one. I took care of all those women, the ones who escaped their abusive relationships and sought asylum at the shelter. Being a social worker was what I was born to do. Now I don’t have a purpose, only a need.

“I don’t want to hurt anyone,” I whisper, looking into his eyes. It’s easy to get lost in them. He’s so beautiful, I didn’t notice it before, but now that we’ve talked about mating, I can’t look away. They swirl with golden flecks, and when he looks at me like he is now, they glow.

“You won’t. I’ve got you.” He steps a little closer into my space, and his hands move from my shoulders and down my arms. Goosebumps erupt and I feel a chill of excitement rush up through me. He rests them on my hips and tugs at me. I need to stop this before it gets out of control.

“What are you doing?”

A smile passes his lips, and he steps back. I’m snapped out of the bubble and quickly remember there are two other vampires in the gym. Draven clears his throat and shifts his stance.

“We’re gonna go up and shower. Be ready by nine,” he utters, taking off for the elevator. Theron and Julis follow him up and I’m left standing there, confused as ever. What the hell was that?

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