Twisted

TWENTY-FOUR

MARY ANN COULDN’T REST. Shock and medication were wearing off, and emotions were slogging through her with the force of a battering ram. Aden and Victoria had left over an hour ago, staying in the room next door, but she couldn’t even close her eyes. Riley was still beside her, quiet, motionless. So quiet her ears were ringing. So motionless he could have been dead.

Like Shannon was destined to be, all over again.

The only way to kill a zombie was to cut off its head. Thinking of her friend ending up that way, of never seeing or speaking to him again, she wept for endless minutes—hours? Wept until there was nothing left inside her. Until her eyes were swollen and burning, her nose clogged up. At some point, Riley gathered her in his arms, those strong, beloved arms, and held her tight.

When her body stopped shaking, she released a shuddering sigh. If only that were the end of her misery, but her mind still refused to quiet. Tucker would have to be dealt with, too. Even though she hadn’t truly trusted him, even though she’d known what he was capable of, she hadn’t expected this.

“You good?” Riley asked gruffly. His arms fell away from her.

She rolled to her side, peering over at him. He was on his back, staring up at the ceiling, reminding her of Aden as he’d searched his mind for answers. “I don’t want to vomit out my guts, if that’s what you’re asking.”

“Well, okay then.”

“You’ll ward me?”

“Yes, if that’s what you still want. I’ll fix the one that was damaged and give you a new one to prevent you from taking energy from others.”

“Thank you.” But why was he so willing? Because he no longer cared if she lived or died?

“No reason to wait, then, is there?” He threw his legs over the side of the bed, and she saw the wound scabbing over on his calf. Raw, red, angry. He must have been in serious pain.

She reached out and grabbed his arm, preventing him from standing. “How are you feeling?”

“Fine,” he said, and shook off her hold.

As she watched, upset all over again, he dug through the bag his brother had left behind. When he had everything he needed, he set up shop at her side.

“Roll over.”

She obeyed. He didn’t speak as he pulled at the hospital gown she still wore, the material draping down her shoulder. Fixing the ward on her back stung, the needle running over fresh scabs and healing flesh.

By the time he finished, she was a trembling, sweating mess.

“Where do you want the new one?”

There was a chance she would be human again. Normal. And that meant there was a chance she’d get to see her dad again. He’d flip when he saw the tattoos on her arms. No reason to add to those, thereby adding to his flip out.

“My leg,” she said.

Her back was throbbing, so she didn’t attempt to lie flat. She just propped herself up on a pillow and extended one leg.

Riley slid the gown over her knee, and for a moment, he didn’t move. Just looked down at her, expression…heated?

“Riley?”

Her voice jolted him from whatever thoughts he’d been entertaining. Scowling, he got back to work. After the other one, this tattoo barely registered. But, wow, it was big, stretching from just under her knee to her ankle.

The gun’s motor shut down, and Riley cleared everything away, then dabbed at her bleeding calf with a towel from the bathroom. “Victoria was wrong. You won’t die if this doesn’t work.”

“What do you mean?”

“If you start to weaken, or can’t eat regular food anymore, I can close the ward and you’ll return to nor—yourself.”

He’d stopped himself from saying “normal” self. But the gist was, she’d become a drainer again if he closed that ward. On one hand, she knew that meant he still cared about whether she lived or died. On the other, he’d just closed the door on a relationship, hadn’t he?

“No matter what, I want it open,” she said. “Working.”

“Mary Ann—”

“No. So I need you to give me another ward.”

His eyes narrowed, but he didn’t protest. She knew him, though, and knew he was thinking he’d do whatever the heck he wanted. “For what?”

“You know for what. I want one like Aden’s. One that prevents anyone from being able to close my wards ever again.”

He was shaking his head before she finished.

“Admit it. The witches wouldn’t have attempted to poke a hole in the ward preventing my death by physical injury if I’d had one.” Witches could sense wards and exactly what they meant.

“Yes, but what will you do if you’re captured? What will you do if a ward you don’t want is added to your body?”

“So give me a ward that prevents me from getting any more wards.”

“No one in their right mind ever allows themselves to acquire that ward. You’ll leave yourself open to too many other spells.”

“Riley.”

“Mary Ann.”

“I want the ward, Riley. The first one I mentioned.”

“Too risky.”

“Aden has it.”

“And it’s worth the risk with him. Too many people are drawn to him, want to use him, control him, hurt him.”

“News flash. People want to hurt me, too.” In fact, everyone Riley knew wanted to kill her. Even his brothers. Was she the only one who remembered the way they’d looked at her the night she’d slain those witches and fairies? With horror, disgust and fury. The only reason they’d gone to so much trouble to save her today was because Riley loved her. Or used to love her.

“With an unbreakable ward preventing death by physical injury, how do you think the witches will go about killing you next time?” he growled. “And they will try to kill you again. You’ll be blamed for the Red Robed Massacre.”

“But I—”

He didn’t let her finish. “In case you can’t figure it out, let me explain. They will lock you away, starve you and torture you without killing you, keeping you in that state until you die of simple old age.”

Impossible. “That could be decades from now.”

“Exactly.”

She was letting him scare her, she realized. “Give me the ward.” She’d already decided: she would rather die herself, painfully, torturously, than cause anyone else to die because she was hungry. He wasn’t going to change her mind.

“I’ve already put the equipment up.”

“Yes, and it’s so hard to dig it back out.”

“No.”

“I don’t want to be a danger to you anymore.”

A muscle ticked in his jaw. “You’re not.”

“Oh, and what’s changed?” she asked as casually as she was able. Finally she would know what was driving him to act this way.

He ran his tongue over his teeth, his eyes glittering with a familiar green fire. Not of desire, but of fury. Something he’d never truly flashed her way. “I can’t shift anymore.”

He couldn’t—wait, wait, wait. “What?”

“I can’t shift. I’ve tried. Multiple times since leaving the hospital. I just…can’t.”

“Because I…because I fed from you?”

“You didn’t want to—you even resisted—but I pushed and pushed and force-fed you.” The fury shattered, hopelessness taking its place. “Doesn’t matter, though. The result was the same.”

Doesn’t matter? It mattered more than anything! He might have pushed, but she was the one to take. She’d taken his animal from him. His inner self. His true self. Gone. Forever. Because of her. No wonder he was acting like he hated her. He did.

“Riley, I’m so sorry. So so sorry. I didn’t mean…I never would have…” There were no words to convey the depths of her remorse. Nothing that would make this okay.

Of everything she’d done, this was the worst. And those dried-up tear ducts? They suddenly remembered how to work, burning her eyes and tracking moisture down her cheeks.

“We knew it was a possibility,” he said.

“Are you…human?”

A bitter laugh. “Pretty much.”

Worse and worse. That had to be torture for him. He’d been a shifter all his life.

His very long life. A life that might now be cut short. Because. Of. Her. His friends were shifters. His family. And now, he was the very thing he hated more than anything: vulnerable.

Riley pushed to his feet and turned away from her. “I’m going to take a shower. Try to get some rest.” He didn’t wait for her reply but marched into the bathroom and shut the door.

Shut her out.

Now and forever, if she had to guess.

Mary Ann curled into herself and sobbed.

ADEN CURSED UNDER his breath. “Did you hear that?”

“The gutter your mouth just traveled through?” Victoria asked. “Yes. You basically shouted the profanities in my ear.”

“Not that. What Riley just told Mary Ann.”

“Oh. No. Did you?”

“Yeah.” She lay against him, snuggled into his side, and he sifted his fingers through her hair, loving the softness of it. Their room was dark, but his gaze cut through that darkness as if he wore night-vision goggles.

“How?” she asked.

“Thin walls?”

“Then I would have heard. How?”

“Another vampire ability manifesting itself?”

“Now that makes sense.”

He expected the souls to comment, to voice their thoughts. They didn’t. Caleb was still in mourning about the witches, Elijah hadn’t given up his vow of silence, and since hearing about Tonya Smart, Julian had been too busy trying to figure out who he’d been and what his last wish was.

Currently the only being giving him fits was Junior. Aden was hungry, again, and his beast wasn’t gonna let him forget it. In fact, his roars were getting louder with every hour that passed.

All of Elijah’s birth terminology had really hit the mark. Aden kinda felt like a brand-new dad whose kid had soiled his diaper and was demanding a change.

“Aden,” Victoria prompted. “What did Riley say?”

Oh, yeah. He and Victoria were in the middle of a conversation. “Riley can’t shift anymore.”

She jolted upright and peered down at him, eyes wide with dismay. “What?”

“Don’t kill the messenger.” Aden tugged her back into his embrace, loving the way she curled herself around him. “He just told Mary Ann. Apparently she fed off him before they landed in the hospital.”

“How…how did he sound?”

“Surprisingly fine.”

“Oh, no. That’s when he’s the most upset.” She banged her fist against Aden’s chest. “I will kill her!”

She tried the sitting up thing again, but he tightened his hold, keeping her against him. “He’s taking a shower, and I don’t think she meant to damage him.”

“I don’t care. That’s exactly why the races have always slain drainers when they are first identified. Accidents like that don’t have to happen.”

“Maybe he’ll heal. Maybe—”

“Mary Ann stole his ability. There is no healing from that.”

“Just like there’s no turning a human into a vampire?” She’d once told him that was impossible, too.

“I…I…oh! I still want to put her in a sleeper hold. Forever! I know how. Riley taught me.”

O-kay. Time to abandon that subject before she worked herself into a rage, and Chompers came out to play. Which would cause Junior to come out to play. Besides, Aden had a feeling he hadn’t seen the last of Riley’s wolf. Maybe that was just wishful thinking on his part, but honestly? He trusted his feelings.

He’d known he would meet Victoria before he’d ever laid eyes on her. Because of Elijah’s visions, yeah, but as Aden was learning, the souls shared their abilities with him. And when they left, those abilities remained. Elijah wasn’t the only psychic in this body. Aden was, too.

The reminder gave him pause. Could Aden peek into the future?

“Let me go, Aden. Now.” The chill of her breath stroked his chest.

“Not yet. I want to talk to you about something.”

“What?” she asked, reluctantly.

“I know you don’t want me to feed off you, and I respect that.” Even though he still wanted her blood more than anything. At this point, he doubted that was ever going to change. “Are you afraid I’ll revert to the mindless being I was inside the cave?”

“No. If that were a possibility, it would have happened after you drank my blood from the goblet.”

He believed the same. “Are you afraid I’ll see the world through your eyes?”

“No. I mean, you haven’t yet. You still could, of course, but the thought doesn’t bother me. You have before, and really, you already know everything there is to know about me.”

“Then tell me what’s going on in that head of yours. Please.”

She traced a pattern on his chest, the tip of her finger tickling him, sensitizing him. “You won’t like it.”

“Tell me anyway.”

Her lips pressed against the most sensitive spot, his heartbeat rushing up to meet her. “You know how you’re becoming a vampire?”

“Yes,” he said, and in that moment he knew where she was going with this. He knew, and he didn’t like it. An insidious cold invaded his bloodstream.

“Well, I’m becoming…human. Completely human.”

Bingo.

“My skin, it’s like yours was. Easily cut. I can’t teleport anymore. I can’t use my persuasive voice. And I’m eating human food. I had a hamburger before I returned with Mary Ann’s lunch. A hamburger! And I enjoyed it.”

So many changes. Too many changes. “Do you still need blood?”

“Not me, not anymore, but Chompers does. His roar…at first it was stronger, because he was so hungry, but now it’s weakening. He’s so quiet, I’m almost afraid he’s…he’s…you know.”

Yeah. Dying.

Aden pinched the bridge of his nose, trying to align his thoughts. He should have realized the truth himself. After all, this made perfect sense and explained so much. Her chilled skin, her reluctance to do the things she used to do. When he thought about all the chances she’d taken lately, all the chances he’d asked her to take, he wanted to knock a few holes in the wall.

Barring that, there was only one other thing he wanted to do.

“Okay. Here’s our new plan. You’re going to feed off me, and I’m going to feed off you. Another blood exchange, just like in the cave.”

Her cheek rubbed against him as she shook her head. “We don’t know how we’ll react. How they’ll react.” The beasts.

“Exactly, and it’s time we found out. We’re being proactive now, remember? We’re not simply reacting, we’re causing.”

A breath shuddered from her, gusting this time. “All right. You’re right. I know you’re right.”

Good, because his mouth was already watering, desperate for a taste. And maybe he was pushing for this because he craved it so badly, not because he thought it would save them, but just then, he didn’t care. “Ready?”

“Yes.”

He rolled on top of her, and she softened against him, turning her head to the side to offer her hammering pulse. His gums started aching, throbbing really, and he ran his tongue over—fangs, he realized, shocked to his soul. For the first time, his teeth were as sharp as razors. Not as long as Victoria’s, but noticeably longer than they’d been.

“You first,” he rasped, wanting her as strong as possible for his bite.

A tremor moved through her, but then she was licking his neck, sucking, warming his blood, biting, drinking, and unlike before, her bite hurt, no chemical shooting through his vein, numbing him, but he didn’t care about that either, he liked that she was taking what she needed from him; it was what he’d begged her for since the moment he’d met her. And when she finished, he was doing the same to her, licking, sucking, warming, biting, drinking.

She moaned, the sound echoing through the room. Her fingers scraped through his hair. “That feels good,” she rasped.

Then he was the one moaning. So sweet, so delicious, filling him, flowing through him, strengthening him, quieting Junior, consuming them both. He was rubbing against Victoria before he registered that he was moving at all, but she didn’t seem to mind, seemed to like it, meeting his every motion with one of her own.

But soon that wasn’t enough for either of them. Aden pulled his teeth from her neck, surely the most difficult thing he’d ever done, but he didn’t want to take too much, had to protect her, even from himself, and she groaned in disappointment. He couldn’t move away from her.

“Aden,” she said on a husky catch of breath.

“Yes.”

“More.”

“Biting?”

A soft, glowing smile. “More everything.”

As if he needed further prompting. He kissed her until he was forced to come up for air, and then he kissed her again.

Sometime during that second kiss, their clothes disappeared and their hands began exploring. He hurt, but he’d never felt so good. He needed more as she’d said, but couldn’t take much more. His thoughts were short-circuiting. This was everything he’d thought it would be, only better. So much better.

“Too fast?” he rasped. “Should I stop?”

“Too slow. Don’t stop.”

“C-condom,” he said. He didn’t have a condom. And he couldn’t be with her without one. He wouldn’t risk pregnancy. There were STDs out there, he knew that, too, and even though he knew she didn’t have one, that vampires were immune to human diseases, he wasn’t going to be stupid about that, either.

“I…brought one. After our conversation in the forest, I’ve been carrying one. All the time.”

The crinkling wrapper at last made sense. If only he’d known at the time.

She wiggled out from under him to get it, and he mourned the loss of her. She was back a few seconds later, and they picked up where they’d left off.

Not once did the souls comment. Not once did Junior roar. Or maybe Aden was simply too consumed with what he was doing to notice them. There was only Victoria, only here and now. Their first time. His first time.

His…everything.