Blood Lust Read online

  “You shouldn’t be out here alone.”

  I jumped sideways. Shikara caught me easily around the wrist and held me steady.

  “I thought you were going with Scarlett?”

  Fear shot hot through me; the fear I had been doing so well at distracting myself from, until now.

  “She decided to go alone. She didn’t want to risk any of us.”

  I cursed her silently.

  “Rayne.” Shikara’s eyes found mine, a certainty there that soothed me somehow. “You know she’s no stranger to your old world. It’s a simple business meeting and then she’ll return. Riley has a group of guards at the wall on standby.”

  I swallowed, forcing myself to nod.

  “Okay.” It wasn’t okay. I was still reeling from Scarlett’s flippant reveal this morning that the human world knew about vampires, and apparently the government had some sort of arrangement with them that meant both parties could coexist.

  “Where are you going?”

  When I started to walk again, she followed me, keeping pace.

  “I wanted to buy some clothes.”

  I waited for her to either continue polite conversation or excuse herself, but she strode beside me still. Finally, she seemed to sense the awkwardness.

  “Do you mind if I accompany you? It’s best you not wander around alone and I was going to head to Pearce Tower soon anyway.”

  I sort of didn’t want her to come, not because she was poor company—honestly, she intrigued me—but more because I wondered what she would think when she found out I wasn’t clothes shopping for myself.

  “Going to see Helena?”

  She dipped her head, a smile playing on her usually stoic face.

  “What’s the story with you guys, if you don’t mind me asking, I mean.”

  She was oddly easy to talk to, easy to be around, and I had been curious about her relationship with Scarlett’s mom ever since we had walked in on them.

  “Our story…” She mulled over the words. “Many years ago, we were lovers. She was the most brilliant scientific mind in the bunker. I was the official weapons mistress of Vires, so we both worked for the Government. She worked for Mark Chase for a long time, and eventually the student began to surpass the master which became problematic for Wilfred when her silence couldn’t be bought in the same way his could.”

  The words sounded too easy, rehearsed almost, though I wondered if that was just a product of all the time that had passed.

  “They were close to discovering how to give the Delta gene to any vampire. Helena told me at the time she was weeks away. Then of course there was the accident and suddenly she was someone else. I never understood the details, but it was Wilfred’s doing. Mark came to me not long before he died and gave me an antidote and apologized for his part in it all. Genetic technology I don’t understand changed her.”

  My blood ran cold at the thought.

  “So, Wilfred forced her to be with him all this time, to have kids with him?”

  Something dark flashed across her face that I couldn’t decipher.

  “As far as Helena understood she loved him. They were married not long after and then the girls came along. I don’t know if she consented to their creation. It’s really as simple as a few hair follicles.”

  We were getting too far out, far away from the bulk of stalls, but walking and talking and learning more about the man who had apparently not only ruined Scarlett’s life but the lives of everyone around him, suddenly seemed more important than my purchases.

  “The years wore on and whatever they did to her began to break her. Her reality shattered.”

  Shattered seemed like a fitting description for what I had witnessed of the woman before Wilfred’s death.

  “I remember, she was pretty cold to Jade and obsessed with her dog.”

  Shikara looked up. “Alfie?”

  I nodded.

  “Her dog.”

  She laughed, and I thought I saw the thin sheen of tears in her dark eyes.

  “Alfie was our son.” The words were quiet like a confession. “He disappeared not long after Helena was taken from me, and left with nothing, I accepted Wilfred’s invitation to sit on his sham council. We hated each other, but we were also dangerous to each other. I suppose we both wanted to keep the other close.”

  “Shikara…” I didn’t know what to say. I’m sorry just didn’t feel like enough.

  “I guess when she couldn’t remember why she was so distraught over Alfie he bought her the dog. She has a lot of remorse over her relationship with the girls, with letting Scarlett get so twisted and Jade growing up like she did. She wants to make it right but doesn’t know if it’s too late.”

  This was all so broken, and it made my chest ache.

  “And the two of you?”

  She smiled at that, small and sad, but it was something.

  “I’ve waited hundreds of years for her. Once Scarlett is settled, I plan to get aged up so Helena and I are around the same age physically, and just enjoy the rest of our lives together. I’ll continue to work on the council, if only to look out for Scarlett. Perhaps Helena will return to science, who knows. The beauty of immortality is that we’re not too late, no matter how much time he stole from us.”

  It was a beautiful sentiment against a backdrop of blood and inequality and all the other things vampirism had started to mean to me, and I savored it.

  “Didn’t you want to pick up some new clothes?”

  She gestured back to the stalls. I nodded, and we turned.

  “Actually, I wanted to get new clothes for some of the staff in the tower. I know firsthand that conditions are pretty bad on the servant floors. Some of the people who came up to rebuild our kitchen didn’t even have shoes.”

  I waited, testing her reception to that information.

  “It sounds like yours and Scarlett’s story is just as interesting as Helena’s and mine. I could show you to a good stall to purchase some uniforms. They only sell beige, but they are good quality. If you want something fancier like the Hawthornes, you’ll spend considerably more.”

  “The beige is fine.” I was already unsure how Scarlett was going to feel about me doing even that much. Now the Government no longer loomed over us and she had all the power she could ever want, I really didn’t see what we would lose by making living conditions better for the humans—not that I had understood it before either.

  I followed Shikara to the stall and ordered what I hoped would be enough for everyone to have a few clean shirts, a pair of pants, and a thick winter coat. I worried about the cost, but Jade had told me weeks ago not to. I still didn’t understand the currency in Vires, but apparently Scarlett would never worry about it in this lifetime or the next thanks to all her work for the Government. I suspected Wilfred Pearce had left behind a small fortune too. Thinking of this as spending his money made me feel better.

  “Rayne…”

  Shikara’s voice was urgent at my back.

  “I need to take you home now, then I must leave.”

  Dread crept into my veins.

  “What happened?”

  She tucked her phone away and spoke quickly to the stallholder, arranging for my purchases to be delivered to the tower, before she replied.

  “There was an incident on the south side of the bunker, some of the humans tried to revolt. All I know is Jade was involved, she’s fine, but Scarlett is making an example of the people responsible.”

  “I’m not going home.”

  I set off in the direction I thought was south. Shikara stopped me with a steady hand on my arm.

  “Stay close to me?”

  I nodded my compliance and she tugged me back in the opposite direction. We trudged around the bunker at a grueling pace, and as we walked it dawned on me how much I was slowing her down. Glancing sideways I could see the effort on her face as she kept herself at a punishing power walk beside me.

  We had just passed Hawthorne Tower when I stopped short.


  Scarlett was striding toward us, eyes down on the ground in front of her heels, her bare arms and chest flecked with blood, her hands dipped crimson. Jade trailed behind her, tear tracks on her face and what looked like a nasty busted lip, Cami half guiding her half carrying her.

  “Scarlett?”

  Her eyes flicked up and her murderous expression did not clear.

  “What are you doing outside?”

  She snapped the words and I stopped short, staring her down until finally she swallowed and carried on walking. I figured that was all the apology I could expect.

  “What happened?”

  I rushed to Jade, concerned when fresh tears leaked from her eyes when she saw me.

  “Let’s get inside first?” Camilla’s tone wasn’t unkind but the strain around her eyes was obvious.

  “Can I help?”

  Shikara interrupted from behind me and suddenly I was reminded of her presence.

  “I think I can make it upstairs but thank you.” Jade shared a watery smile with her and my heart swelled. The Pearce family was far from perfect, but perhaps this was a new beginning for us all, in more ways than one.

  I followed behind them back through the foyer and up to the thirteenth floor, sad to say goodbye to the sun before it was fully set but worried about Jade and Scarlett.

  “What exactly happened?”

  I was surprised when Shikara got out with us rather than continuing up to see Helena.

  “We were shopping, and some humans grabbed Jade. They had a silver shard, couple of pieces of pipe… I was trying to take care of it.”

  The resentment was apparent in Camilla’s tone and I sensed that once again she and Scarlett were butting heads.

  “What did they want?” Shikara’s dark eyes were cool as she gathered information. I liked her, I liked her ability to keep her head and ask questions where I knew Scarlett would simply leap. I was grateful she was going to be around to help us through whatever came next.

  “To talk to Scarlett. Apparently, they want some improvements in the Fringe, and for whatever reason they thought snatching her sister might make her willing to talk. As you probably can imagine, there wasn’t much talking. Screaming yes. Talking no.”

  In between listening to Camilla relay everything and watching Shikara take it in, I noticed Jade hanging her head.

  “They went about it in a terrible way, but honestly, would it be so wrong to let them live a little more comfortably, give them enough food, medicine, reward them honestly for a day’s work?”

  Seconds after Jade voiced the question that was on my mind, a voice answered from the doorway.

  “Yes, because they can’t be trusted. Give them an inch and they want a mile, as they demonstrated today. I’ve been out of the punishment center for a few days trying to get things situated and look at what happened.”

  Her hair was wet, her bloody dress replaced by sweats, her tanned skin scrubbed clean, but murder was still dark in her eyes.

  “Do you really believe that?” Shikara was the one to question her, though everyone in the room took a collective breath at her statement. Scarlett moved, three graceful strides bringing her to my sofa where she sunk down beside me, a careful distance still between us.

  “I believe our system has worked well for hundreds of years. We have nothing to gain by changing it and have everything to lose.”

  Camilla snorted.

  “Says the woman who bent, cheated, and broke the system in every way possible. According to your system, Rayne would be half starved to death and suffering God knows what living in the Fringe.”

  Scarlett glared at her.

  “Rayne’s a hybrid.”

  “But I wasn’t always.” My response was quiet, but I knew everyone heard it. I reached for her hand and she didn’t pull away. As flawed as her logic was, I knew a lot of it stemmed from fear and what she’d been conditioned to think—not that it made her right.

  “What would you have me do, Princess? We’re vampires, we feed on humans. There’s a circle of life, natural order situation in play here.”

  Suddenly on the spot, I was unsure how to answer.

  “Nobody is contesting that some sort of power dynamic has to remain. Nobody is even suggesting any radical change in the way the city is run, but could it hurt to improve their living conditions, really?”

  Shikara was the one to speak up and I was grateful for her. I knew Scarlett respected her deeply and she was more likely to consider the words carefully coming from her. I felt her playing with the idea in her mind, the possible outcomes making her more anxious than I ever would have guessed. Responsibility was a heavy weight on her.

  “Our workers would be healthier, the city would look cleaner, and maybe if we just try this and make things a little better for them we could avoid issues like today.”

  Jade spoke up, tears still in her voice. I felt them thaw Scarlett almost completely.

  “Wouldn’t you rather provide them with some building materials to work on the Fringe and increase their percentage of the food allocation just a little than have to murder twelve people in the street?” Camilla asked bluntly. “Well…maybe not would you rather, but wouldn’t it be easier,” she amended. Scarlett was still glaring daggers at her.

  “I would rather you kept her safe.” The words were cold and venomous.

  “You think I didn’t have a plan?” Camilla’s voice got an octave higher and my own tiredness of their bickering was reflected on Jade’s face. “Just because I didn’t wade right in all psychotic laughter and slasher movie doesn’t mean I wasn’t going to keep her safe at any cost.”

  Jade laid her hand on Cami’s arm and Cami deflated, though I could still tell Scarlett bristled beside me.

  “Scar… We love you, we all know you’re doing the best you can, and you have a lot of stuff to deal with right now. But would it hurt to try and make the city a little bit of a better place, when finally, finally, we have that option? I get that the old way was okay, at least for us, but it was Dad’s way. Do we really want to be like him?”

  Jade’s big hazel eyes held Scarlett’s, and even secondhand I felt her winning the battle.

  “This is our home, Scarlett.” Cami’s voice was softer now, tired as she held Jade’s hand tight in hers. “This is where we will spend the rest of our lives, raise our families. Wouldn’t it be nice to make it a better place for that? Isn’t it time for a little civilization? No more murders in the streets if we can help it, no more humans walking around filthy and sick and in rags. Perhaps we have to give, in order to gain?”

  Shikara bowed her head in agreement.

  “Fine.”

  Even though I had felt it coming, her concession surprised me. I knew what a big leap this was for her, and I was thrilled to see her take it.

  “We can try. How they respond is on them.”

  For the first time all day, Jade smiled.

  IT WAS DARK by the time Scarlett led me up to the roof. Things had settled again between her and Camilla, and I figured it had a lot to do with the future she and Jade had made clear they wanted together. I knew Scarlett struggled with accepting them at times, but I also couldn’t imagine anyone else trying to date Jade and living to tell about it.

  “What are we doing up here?”

  She was restless, and I felt her relief finally come when we stepped out into the cold night air. I pulled my jacket tighter around myself.

  “I just wanted to get out for a while.”

  Her eyes were wistful, a hundred tiny stars dancing in them from the city lights of the towers and the Midlands. She hopped up easily on top of one of the AC units and then pulled me up too and onto her lap, my legs sideways and my feet flat on top of the large box.

  “What happened outside the wall?”

  I watched her study the scene before us and wondered how much more her eyes could see than mine.

  “Nothing exciting. Lots of old men. Most of them were as turned on by me as they were terrified of m
e.”

  She snickered, a wicked grin on her face.

  “Is that what you like now, old wrinkly politicians?”

  She licked her lips, turning her gaze to me.

  “Oh no, Princess. I like pretty girls with blonde hair, blue eyes, and a little bit of a blood fetish.”

  The last part caught me off guard and I spluttered out my reply.

  “It’s not a blood…”

  “Fetish.” She interrupted me, the word all tongue and teeth, her eyes shining as she played with me.

  I blushed, and she laughed.

  “We can call it whatever you like, sweetheart, but you’re my particular brand of wholesome, sweet and surprisingly kinky.”

  “I’m not kinky…”

  She snorted.

  “Don’t make me fuck you on the roof to prove a point, it’s far too cold.” She pressed the tip of one of her cool fingers against my lips, and when I opened them, she pushed it into my mouth. I let my teeth graze it lightly as she pulled it away.

  “I love you.”

  The levity still sparkled in her eyes but there was a sincerity there too.

  “I love you too, I know you’re trying.”

  She shrugged, suddenly interested in staring out into the night again.

  “It’s not a weakness to want to make things better, Scarlett.”

  There was the faintest hint of vapor left behind by my breath.

  “Honestly, I don’t. I want to make you happy, and Jade and even freaking Cami. None of it’s for me.”

  She was drifting, uneasy; she just felt lost. It dawned on me that for the first time in a long time, she was truly her own person, able to make her own choices.

  “Aren’t you happy you don’t have to worry about your father anymore?”

  She shrugged.

  “Yes, because it means all of us are safer. No, because now it’s all me. I killed twelve people today, nobody made me, it’s all mine now.” Her voice was quiet. “As much as they deserved it and as much as I know it was the right call, I’m scared you’ll finally see me for what I am and being blood bound won’t even be enough to make you stay.”

  I sighed, exhaling some of the irritation that came with hearing the argument used to defy the possibility our relationship could be real or last, again. She didn’t need my anger right now, and it would prove nothing. Her insecurity lapped at me, and I licked my rapidly chapping lips and tried to find the right words.