Longing for You, стр. 16
“Nothing, she is having difficulties with the change. Her thirst forblood is extremely high. We found drug paraphernalia in her pockets.”
“Good God. That’s all we need,” Byron said.
Humans with drug or alcohol problems always had a more difficulttime turning, and their addiction often refocused to blood—always trying to getthat first high of blood when they turned, chasing it relentlessly, andinjuring and killing humans on the way, unless they got proper support.
“Okay, well, she’ll need a tightly managed blood regime. I’ll comedown and see her tomorrow morning. Go and get some rest.”
“Yes, Principe.”
But as Alexis walked out of Byron’s office, she knew she wouldn’tsleep a wink. She would play tonight’s events over and over in her mind, andthe what might have been, like finding Katie drained of blood in the alley. Thethought filled her with horror.
Alexis needed blood but didn’t want to go downstairs to the bloodroom and disturb the medical care Josie was getting. A glass of blood andwhisky would have to do.
Alexis walked to her room and poured out a glass of Debrek SpecialReserve blood and downed it quickly. She then got a large glass of whisky totry to dull the aching want she had to be with Katie, protecting her, and thedeep hunger she had for Katie’s blood.
Her mind kept being tortured by images of finding Katie drained ofblood and dead in that alley. Then a different memory struck her. When she’dtried to grasp Katie’s arm, she remembered the discomfort Katie showed. Alexisdidn’t think she had grasped her that hard.
“No, it couldn’t be, could it?”
Then the suspicion hit her: Had the newly turned vampire fed onKatie?
Alexis slammed down her whisky and stormed to Katie’s room. Sheknocked hard on her door, and when Katie opened the door, Alexis pushed pasther.
“What are you doing?” Katie demanded to know.
“Take off your dressing gown,” Alexis ordered.
Katie crossed her arms defensively. “Excuse me? I don’t take offmy clothes to order, especially your orders.”
Alexis motioned for Katie’s arm, gently pushed up the sleeve ofthe dressing gown, and saw a bloodstained bandage on Katie’s wrist. Josie hadfed on Katie. Alexis felt a mixture of panic, jealousy, and anger. She didn’tknow what to say. Alexis’s mind raced with all the emotions she was feeling andprocessing how dangerous it was to have Katie in the same house as Josie.
Katie gulped hard. She didn’t know how to react to silence from aclearly angry Alexis. She cradled her wrist and said, “I kept it a secretbecause I knew everyone, especially you, would make such a fuss, and Josiecouldn’t help it, she was just following her instincts.”
“You know what this means?” Alexis said. “Josie will now beravenous for your blood.”
“I’ll feed her if I need to.”
Alexis shouted, “No,” and backed Katie up against the wall. Katiewatched her eyes glowing red and her fangs erupted.
“I don’t want any vampire feeding on you.”
Katie gasped in shock. Alexis was jealous, demanding, and the lookof want and hunger in her eyes was desperate. Katie’s body reacted to her. Herskin tingled and tightened with need.
The want and sexual tension was palpable, and Katie was gettingcaught up in Alexis’s need. She reached out and caressed her cheek, and Alexisgroaned. Then she touched her finger to Alexis’s fang and pierced her ownfinger, making the blood flow into Alexis’s mouth. Alexis closed her eyes andmoaned, sucking her finger into her mouth.
It was clear Alexis did like the taste of her blood. Had she beenwrong all along?
Katie put her hand on Alexis’s neck and pulled her close. Katielooked deeply into Alexis’s eyes and saw fear, as well as want. Alexis lookedlike she was fighting what she wanted.
“Kiss me,” Katie said.
“No, it’s not right.”
“It’s right if we want it to be,” Katie whispered.
Katie touched her lips to Alexis’s and ran her tongue along herlower lip. Alexis met the tip of Katie’s tongue with hers and then sucked inKatie’s lower lip.
“Yes, kiss me.” Katie lightly scratched the back of Alexis’s neck.Her heart was pounding as well as her sex. She needed Alexis to touch her.
And then out of nowhere, Alexis pulled away from her. “No, no, Ican’t.” Then she sped out of the room at super speed, leaving Katie trying tocatch her breath.
“You ran from me again. What’s wrong with me?” Katie shouted,knowing that the Duca would hear her with her exceptional hearing.
Chapter Six
The next morning Amelia was sitting at her dressing table in hersilk nightdress straightening her hair while Byron got dressed, and Byron toldher about what happened last night.
“This woman—Josie—fed on Katie? Is she all right?” Amelia said.
“Last night all we knew was that Katie found a newly turnedvampire. Alexis came to update me while you were in the shower.”
“But is she all right?”
“Yes,” Byron said straightening her tie. “Alexis took a team toThe Sanctuary last night. Apparently, Katie didn’t want to tell Alexis ormyself because she thought we’d overreact, but she doesn’t understand theseverity of being a new vampire’s first blood.”
“What does it mean?” Amelia put down her straightener.
Byron walked over to her and put her hands on Amelia’s shoulders.“Being newly turned is a dangerous time for a vampire. Remember what happenedto me when I first became a born vampire?”
Amelia nodded and grasped Byron’s hand on her shoulder. Byron hadgone so wild that she had nearly drained and killed Katie’s ancestors. LuckilyBhal got there in time and saved the family. That guilt always lay heavily onByron, and since then the Debreks pledged to take care of Katie’s family. “Iknow, sweetheart.”
“If the care of the transitioning vampire isn’t done within aclan, then the vampire will simply want to drain whoever provides first bloodto them. It’s like an addiction, that first shot of heroin, that first bottleof whisky—the new vampire’s hunger for that human is insatiable.”
Amelia sighed. “Katie.”
“Exactly, but in this case things might be even more difficult.Alexis tells me that they found drug paraphernalia in this young woman’spockets. If she already has a problem with addiction, then her need for Katie’sblood will be all the