With that increase in my abilities, I began to capture the attention of power hungry vampires like Harley and my own friend and colleague, Kale Sinclair. Forming the blood bond with Arys was the only way to guarantee that no other vampire would ever be able to force me into one. Considering Harley had tried it, I had little choice in the matter. It was either be bonded in every way to my vampire lover or take my chances.
What made the blood bond most scary was the fact that mortals bonded to a vampire by blood were fated to rise as an undead themselves after passing through their mortal death. They would remain bound to that vampire indefinitely. As supernatural as werewolves are, we are still unmistakably mortal.
Being a living creature with powers that belong to the dead has been a recipe for disaster. Whether that was because I still lived and breathed, I didn't know, but I faced a constant battle for control of myself and my abilities. When it did all come together though, it was pure magic and it felt damn good.
I knew the moment that he was all mine. Gazing into his eyes, I lifted a hand and beckoned to him with one finger. The sensual quality to it felt foreign but comfortable.
He didn't want to respond—I could sense it—but, with one foot in front of the other, he came to me anyway. I stopped him with a gesture before he invaded my personal space.
Running my hand over his aura caused him to squirm as if I'd touched him. His energy felt warm and smooth. Taking a deep breath, I drew it in so that it rolled over me, tasting what this vampire was really made of. His sweetness pleasantly surprised me. His power wasn't exceptional like Arys', but it was strong. It created a tingle in the pit of my stomach, one that quickly grew to encompass my entire body.
“You've been turning vampires at The Wicked Kiss.” It wasn't a question. I stepped closer so that barely a foot of space remained between us. The slightest motion of my fingers, and I pulled hard on his power, tearing it from him painfully fast.
With a cry, he went down on his knees. Staring up at me, he nodded calmly. Taking his energy into me so fast resulted in a disorienting head rush that almost sat me on my ass. I fought to clear my head and focus on the vampire at my feet. The control I had over him just that quickly blew my mind. Now, if only I could maintain it.
“Two.” Fear shone in his eyes, but he remained relaxed under my hold. I'd already stripped away his defenses. He was too weak to do much now.
It pissed me off that the vampires frequenting The Wicked Kiss believed they could do as they liked. The human donors that walked into the place made their own decisions.
They could die there for all I cared. However, when they started coming back out with their own thirst for blood, I couldn't ignore that problem.
Taking his energy into me felt good, and I had to remind myself that I wasn't here for a game of cat and mouse. I’d hunted him in order to kill him. I had a point to make, and he was my means of doing so. Dragging this out excruciatingly long was not only completely cold, it was unnecessary. Still, the side of me that was all about the power could have played off his fear and his easily manipulated sensuality all night; the wolf inside, on the other hand, had little interest in any of it.
The Wicked Kiss had been at the top of my hit list for months now. Since my abilities had increased with the blood bond to Arys, I had been able to feel the entire place inside my head like one giant writhing mass of horror. It sickened me to no end. It did not help that my friend Kale had been using the place to fill the void of a centuries-old ache.
Staring down into the face of the monster before me, he looked so much like a man that it was easy to forget how far from human he was. His pupils were huge, reflecting my own image back at me. With my blonde hair and deep brown eyes, I, too, wore the illusion of human. So deceitful.
The power that ruled me was way beyond my capacity. I reached out to the natural energy sources around me to ground and balance myself. It eased the growing ache inside my skull, but the power coursing through me continued to burn, constant and at an extremely high voltage.
My body reacted physically to the metaphysical sensations. I was almost as blindsided by my own power as the vampire at my feet was. Warmth flooded me with a sexual glow in response to the intimate nature of the moment. I wasn't thinking anymore, I was just acting in accordance to the force guiding me.
Caught up in the irresistible lure, the need for more of the euphoric feelings that swept me, I slowly sank to my knees before him. Reaching out ever so slowly, I caressed his face with a tender touch. I knew that I was about to bring it all to an end for him, and though I wanted to feel remorse or shame for that, I felt only eager anticipation.