Moonglow: Blood Magic Book 2 Page 9

  9.

  Someone shook me awake, both of their hands gripping my shoulders tightly. I made a disgruntled noise and tried to push them away, but they continued to shake me. Reluctantly, I opened my sleep encrusted eyes and found Finn hovering over me, his face lined with worry.

  “Leave me alone, Finn. I’m sleeping,” I told him irritably.

  “What the hell happened to you, Tegan?” His tone was urgent, demanding an explanation.

  My mind was still foggy and all I wanted was for him to go away. “I’m just trying to get some sleep for God’s sake.”

  “You were supposed to go to Crimson tonight. I was waiting nearby doing surveillance for hours, but you never showed up. When I tried calling your phone there was no answer. I thought something happened to you. Then I get back here and find you passed out on the bed with a jagged needle mark on your arm. Normally, that wouldn’t be too much cause for concern, but with you, I think that any sign of blood loss is fairly catastrophic.”

  I sat up, rubbing my eyes as the memories flooded back into my head. I glanced at the clock beside the bed. It was almost 6 am. I’d been asleep for hours. Finn sat back, positioning himself at the end of the mattress.

  “Something really weird happened,” I explained. “I was walking home from Rita’s, and somebody attacked me from behind. They hit me on the head and knocked me out. When I woke up, I was sitting on your doorstep with a bandage on my arm and a massive concussion. Judging from the needle mark I’m pretty sure they knocked me out to steal my blood.” I realised belatedly how stupid it was to go asleep with a concussion.

  Finn dragged a hand through his hair. “Fuck,” he swore, low and gravelly.

  “Have you any idea who it might have been?” I asked, my words laced with worry.

  “How could I? Nobody knows about your blood other than those who have sworn to keep it a secret. Unless you told someone who can’t be trusted?” He eyed me suspiciously.

  I shook my head. “No, I haven’t told anyone.”

  “I’d say it could’ve been Cristescu, but he was at the club all night.”

  “Ethan wouldn’t do something like this.”

  Finn’s expression hardened. “If you say so. Look, we’re going to need to be extra careful from now on. Whoever took your blood clearly has a need for it. There’s a good chance they’ll make themselves known soon enough.”

  I grabbed my jeans from the floor and pulled them on. Finn watched me for a moment, his eyes focused on my legs before he looked away. “Come downstairs when you’re ready. You look like you could use something to eat.”

  I nodded, and he left. I managed to haul myself into the bathroom to take a shower. When I went downstairs Finn handed me a bowl of plain oatmeal with a dash of honey. With my stomach still feeling ropey, it was exactly what I needed. When I finished eating, I went upstairs and climbed back into bed. I still felt weak, certainly not strong enough to face the day, especially at such an early hour.

  I tried to sleep, but my skin crawled with the thought of some stranger touching me while I’d been unconscious, sticking a needle in my arm to withdraw blood. It could have been anyone. The worst thing was that I didn’t have a single clue as to their identity. One of the few I trusted to keep my secret could have betrayed me, but I couldn’t stand the idea of that, especially not if it was Ethan.

  A few hours later the bedroom door opened. Finn and Wolf both came in and joined me on the bed. Finn was sporting something of a limp, still recovering from his gunshot wound. He had his laptop with him, and he quietly started up a movie for us to watch. I turned over, making a disgruntled noise to indicate that I was in no mood for company, but Finn simply chuckled and gave me a good-natured smack on the bottom.

  “Hey!” I complained. “That was uncalled for.”

  “Quit being such a grump and watch Goodfellas with me,” he said, and I shot him a dirty look. After a few minutes, I gave in though. I’d always had a soft spot for a young Ray Liotta.

  By the end of the movie, I was feeling much better. Finn made me a huge sandwich for lunch with cold cuts and pickles. We returned to bed, and this time we watched One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest while having an animated debate about Jack Nicholson’s best role. I made a half-hearted argument for the Joker in Batman, but in the end, we both agreed on The Shining.

  As night rolled in, I’d warmed to Finn substantially, and after spending the entire day watching movies together, I could safely say that I now regarded him as a friend. An annoyingly cheeky and flirtatious friend, but a friend, nonetheless.

  Once it got dark, I knew I had to see Ethan again. Time was quickly getting on, and I still hadn’t made much headway in finding out where the vampires were keeping Rebecca. I also hadn’t made progress on discovering my dad’s whereabouts. I tried to convince myself he’d gone somewhere far away to hide out, similar to how I’d been hiding before I came back to the city. I just needed to believe he was safe and well and that nothing bad had happened to him.

  I threw on a clean white blouse, black jeans, and some boots, then Finn dropped me off a short walk away from Crimson. The club wasn’t as busy as the last time I’d been there, so I went to sit by the bar, knocking back a shot of vodka. Just a little Dutch courage. The stool beside mine creaked, and a recognisable silky female voice spoke, “So pleasant to see you again, Tegan.”

  Eliza perched beside me, her almond-shaped eyes scanning me as though taking inventory. I realised that the fresh bandage I’d placed over the needle mark could be seen through the thin white material of my blouse. It didn’t fail to catch Eliza’s notice. “Ethan will not be pleased when he discovers you’ve been giving blood elsewhere.”

  I tugged on the end of my sleeve and gestured for the barman to pour me another shot. “What are you talking about?” I tried to put as much nonchalance into my voice as possible, but it still came out a little shaky.

  “You have a lot to learn about our kind. We can sense blood in so many different ways; scent, quality, consistency, quantity.” She eyed me pointedly, and I winced. “You’ve lost quite a substantial amount of blood very recently.”

  “I had an accident,” I told her in a low voice.

  Eliza laughed cruelly like she didn’t believe me for a second. A beatific smile spread across her face. “I’m quite looking forward to watching Ethan punish you for this betrayal. Then you will be gone, and things can get back to normal.”

  I picked up the shot and knocked it back before rising from my stool. “Jealousy is a very unattractive characteristic, Eliza.” I turned to leave, but her cold, claw-like hand caught my wrist.

  “You think you can speak to me like that? Do you have any idea about my father’s position in this city?”

  I glared at her, a wave of anger washing over me as I blurted, “I don’t give a crap about your daddy’s position. I do know that he’s a creepy fucking bastard though.” I clamped my mouth shut, realising how badly I’d misspoken. I couldn’t allow losing my temper to blow my cover, but I really wanted to put Eliza in her place. Unfortunately, my anger caused me to momentarily forget that she was two hundred years old and a million times stronger than me. Her cold, predator’s eyes turned black.

  Pain shattered through me when she slammed me back against the bar, hatred seeping from her every pore as her glare cut into me like a blade. Her hand on my wrist tightened so much she was in danger of crushing my bones.

  “I don’t think I possess the patience to wait for Ethan to punish you. I think I’ll have to start the proceedings myself,” she hissed, her eyes like dark orbs. She raised her fist into the air, and I gritted my teeth in anticipation of the blow. But just when her fist was about to make contact with my face, somebody shoved her away. I peered about in surprise to find Dru with her arms tight around Eliza’s waist, holding her back from me.

  “Now, now princess, that’s no way for a lady to conduct herself, is it?” Dru chided, her expression showing that she was half-amused, half-bewildered by Eliza’
s behaviour.

  I slumped back against the bar in relief. Eliza struggled against Dru’s hold, but she didn’t seem to be making any progress in breaking free. Dru shot me a grin like Eliza was being overly dramatic.

  “Good to see you, Tegan. I heard you were back.”

  “Good to see you, too,” I replied. Really fucking good since she’d saved me from Eliza’s wrath. Speaking of whom, she was still glaring at me with bloody murder in her eyes.

  “Let go of me, Drusilla,” she spat.

  “Not until you’ve calmed down, sweet cheeks. Come on now, I never thought you were the kind of girl to start bar fights.”

  “You didn’t hear what that little bitch said about my father.” Eliza was still fuming, and I thought this was a good moment to get as far away from her as possible. It didn’t look like she was going to calm down any time soon.

  Dru’s gaze returned to me, a quizzical expression on her face. “What did you say about the governor?”

  I gave a casual shrug, already backing away from them. “Some girls are just too sensitive about their daddies.”

  I turned and hurried to the back of the club, leaving Dru to take care of Eliza. I rushed through the staff door, heading in the direction of Ethan’s office. I hoped I’d find him there because I didn’t know if I could rely on Dru to keep Eliza from ripping my throat out for much longer.

  I was in such a rush to get away from Eliza that I neglected to knock on Ethan’s office door before I entered. I twisted the handle and stepped inside, but what I found on the other side made my eyes bug out and my stomach twist. A young woman wearing a short black dress was slumped across Ethan’s leather couch, her head resting against a pillow. At first glance, you’d think she was taking a nap, but then I spotted the neat, barely noticeable bite mark on her neck.

  Ethan stood over her, wiping his mouth with a crisp white handkerchief.

  As soon as my boot hit the floor his gaze flicked to me. My hand was cold and clammy as it rested on the doorknob. Words left his mouth, but I could barely hear them over the beating of my heart. It pounded out a fierce rhythm that resonated through my skull. I let go of the handle and turned from the room, rushing back down the corridor. I had not been ready to see Ethan like that. A bunch of different emotions hit me at once. I was horrified, upset, embarrassed, but most of all, I was jealous. I knew logically that he fed from other humans, but seeing it with my own eyes was more upsetting than I anticipated.

  I pushed through the fire exit and shivered when the cold night air hit me. I was stopped in my tracks as my feet became airborne. Ethan threw me over his shoulder like I weighed nothing. I heard a car door open right before he lowered me into the back seat. He climbed in, too, and slammed the door shut behind him.

  I jammed my fist into his stomach, but he hardly even registered it. “Let me out of here now, Ethan.”

  He straddled me, taking hold of both my wrists, his grip like iron. My legs were captured between his thighs, and I wriggled to break free, but it was no use.

  “Will you calm down?” His warm breath hit my neck. Then he adjusted himself and chuckled low. “Actually no, keep doing that. It feels good.”

  I quit struggling immediately, realising all I was doing was pushing my breasts against his chest. Instead, I stilled and glared at him. I didn’t feel entirely safe in his company after he’d just fed. He might still feel the urge to bite.

  “Let me go,” I ground out.

  “I will when you calm down. You’re acting like a lunatic.”

  “Well, you’ll forgive me if what I just saw was a little bit of a shock.”

  Ethan frowned as he studied me. “You know I must drink blood to stay alive, yet you balk at the sight of the act. You need to get used to this, Tegan. It’s a big part of my existence, an existence I would like you to be a part of.”

  “What are you talking about? You know I’m leaving in two weeks.” His gaze darkened at this, but he didn’t comment. “Is that woman in your office even okay? She was completely unconscious.” The image of the bite mark on her neck and sallow complexion filled my head.

  “She’ll be fine in an hour or two. She just needs to sleep it off,” Ethan answered, his voice softer now. He assessed me, and I became aware of how his body hovered over mine, leaving less than an inch between us. My eyes met his, and the air thickened. Unintentionally, I bit my lip, and his attention went to my mouth.

  “Did it make you jealous?” he purred, letting go of one of my wrists to brush his fingers along my neck.

  “Of course not,” I lied.

  “You should never be jealous,” he went on, his fangs suddenly peeking out from beneath his lips. “Because if it were possible, I would only ever feed from you, lumina mea.”

  His fangs grazed my neck, and I shuddered beneath him, cursing myself for liking it. What was wrong with me? I should be doing everything in my power to get out of this car, yet there I was, submitting to him. Ethan reached down to grip my thighs, then he lifted them, wrapping them around his waist. An ache started low in my belly, and I found it difficult to think straight when he ground his erection into me.

  “I’m going to taste you now,” he murmured right before his lips descended on my neck. He didn’t bite me though. Instead, he sucked and nibbled, his tongue doing amazing things to the spot below my earlobe. I moaned as his arms folded around me, and I gripped the collar of his shirt. He groaned and I gasped when his hand slid up my thigh, his fingers brushing the edge of my backside.

  The moment was broken when his phone rang. It was in his jeans pocket and vibrated between us, impossible to ignore. Ethan pulled away, looking devastated at the interruption. He shot me an apologetic glance as he pulled out his phone and answered it, first in English before quickly switching over to Romanian.

  I frowned, wondering why he didn’t want me to understand what was being said. The conversation turned serious when Ethan slid from the car, pacing back and forth just outside. During my time away I’d tried to learn a few phrases from Ethan’s mother tongue, mainly because I missed him and it felt like a way to stay connected. I hadn’t gotten too far in my studies though, which meant most of what he said was lost on me. Still, I concentrated on his voice and one word caught my attention. Fatᾰ. I was pretty sure it meant ‘girl’.

  Was Ethan talking about Rebecca? My chest deflated at the thought. Futilely, I still hoped he didn’t have anything to do with her kidnapping.

  He appeared to be arguing now with whoever was on the other end of the line. The conversation continued for another minute before he hung up. With a deep breath, he turned back to me. “There’s a situation that I need to attend to …” he began before trailing off. Goosebumps claimed my skin as he tilted his head in confusion. Then, anger marked his features.

  “What the hell, Tegan?” he demanded. “Who fed from you?” His voice was harsh, cutting through me like broken glass.

  “Oh,” I said, startled. I’d been so swept up in him that I forgot what Eliza said about vampires being able to sense blood loss. It seemed he’d been swept up in me, too, since he was only realising it now. “I was attacked yesterday,” I explained. “Somebody stole my blood.”

  “And you didn’t think to tell me this?” His hand tightened around my upper arm.

  “I was going to, but you kind of side tracked me by throwing me into the back seat of your car.”

  Ethan glared. I folded my arms. “This is bad. Very, very bad.”

  “Yes, I know that, but there’s nothing we can do since I have no idea who attacked me.”

  Now he blinked, his jaw ticking. “Whoever it was, I will find them. Were you badly hurt?” His attention wandered over me, his expression softening. I swallowed at the unexpected tenderness in his eyes.

  “They knocked me on the back of the head. I probably shouldn’t have gone to bed right after, but I was so weak from the blood loss.”

  “You could’ve had a concussion,” Ethan said. “Sleeping was a poor idea.”
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  “I know, but I’m fine.” I paused, worrying my lip as I whispered, “You didn’t tell anyone about my blood, did you?”

  “I gave you my word that I’d keep your secret and I have. And I’ve already assured you that all of those under my charge have been compelled to keep your secret, too.”

  “I just can’t imagine who it might’ve been,” I said, feeling lost.

  Ethan pulled me to him, and I sank into the hug. “We’ll find out, I promise, but right now I have to be somewhere. Go back inside and tell Lucas I said to drive you home.”

  “Um, no, I think I’ll walk. Eliza just about tried to punch my lights out earlier, so I think I’ll avoid the club for a while.”

  Now he looked furious again. “She did what?”

  I gulped. “It was my fault. My filter malfunctioned and I kind of called her dad a creepy bastard. She didn’t like that.”

  Ethan’s features hardened. “You can’t say things like that about Jeremy Whitfield. He’s the governor of South Tribane, Tegan.”

  “I’m quaking in my fucking boots,” I mumbled defensively.

  “He’s also a close ally of mine. In fact, I’m directly below him in rank. That means we rely on each other in many respects. You will not speak badly of him again.”

  I stared him down, slowly raising an eyebrow. “Is that an order?”

  “Yes, it is.”

  “Wow, okay.” I shook my head. “Go attend to your important business. I’ll make my own way home.”

  “Tegan,” he sighed, running a hand through his hair. “I have your best interests.”

  “Sure, thanks a bunch,” I clipped and started walking away.

  I didn’t bother to turn back as I rounded the corner because I was pissed. Pissed that I ever agreed to return to this Godforsaken city in the first place and pissed that Ethan had already wheedled his way under my skin.

  10.

  I walked to the end of the street, pulled out my phone, and scrolled to Finn’s number. It rang three times before he picked up.