Haven (49 page)

“Rina, what the hell are you doing?” Tony wrapped his arms around me, held me back from the boogeyman.

Not that it mattered. He came to us, engulfed us in utter darkness. I lost track of Tony, of my body, the ground, up, down, left, right, in, out.

“You belong to me now,” the darkness whispered. “Yield.”

No
,
I thought, as hard as I could.

“Yield to me.”

“No!” I was relieved to hear my voice. The sound grated my throat and vibrated my chest, reconnecting me to my body. More sensation surfaced, the cold floor under my bare feet, crisp air flowing in and out of my lungs. I was alive. And still standing.

But my brother wasn’t. Horror shredded my gut when I spotted him on the floor a few feet away, body thrashing, hands clawing the air. The shadow man rode him, hissing, “Yield.”

My brother stilled. The smoke stretched over him and melted into his body.

A strangled sound escaped my throat. My knees gave out and I hit the floor hard, crawling to my brother, placing my palms on his chest. His breathing was shallow, his heartbeat a weak, fluttering bird.

Angry tears burned my eyes. “
Antonio, fratello mio, è tutta colpa mia. Mi dispiace molto.
”

Dr. O spoke. “No, Princess, you are not to blame. You are both victims in a blood feud begun long before either of you walked this earth.”

“Enough, Oliver!” That from Brigid.

Something snapped inside me at the sound of her voice. I hurled myself at her in an impressive burst of speed and slammed her to the ground, stunning her long enough for me to snatch her knife and plunge it into her gut.

Kill!
My vampire half roared, fully in charge now. Kill the witch, kill the spell and make the Dark One go poof. Good plan. I twisted the knife, pleased by her scream.

Strong hands snagged me by the neck and wrist, squeezing, forcing me to release the weapon and leave it behind in her body. Dixon, of course. He wrenched me to my feet.

“Let me go, asshole!”

“Now, is that any way to talk to your new master?” he cooed, releasing me.

Big mistake. I took him to ground with a textbook single leg sweep, straddling him before he could recover. The scent of fresh blood—the witch’s blood—perfumed the air, fueling my rage, making me hiss and bare my teeth, making me hungry for more than revenge. I surveyed the man under me.

Food. He’s my food.

He pulled aside his shirt collar, baring opaque skin and rich blue veins. Though I had no fangs to slice his flesh, I struck without hesitation, ignoring the little voice inside whispering,
Too easy. He’s not fighting back.

I ended up with a bony wrist lodged between my teeth. It didn’t belong to my prey. A growl escaped my throat. I tightened my hold and jerked my head.

“Princess you must not partake of his blood.” Dr. O urged, voice tight with pain.

I’m biting Dr. O. Is he food?

“Shut up, Oliver,” Dixon snapped. “And get out of our way. You swore not to interfere.”

“I swore not to interfere with Brigid’s efforts. This is not part of her agenda.”

No, not food. Ally.

I released his wrist, but he remained close, eyes dark with concern.

Dixon’s fingers curled around my hips, an unwelcome, possessive gesture. Inappropriate for food. I growled again, twisting my hips to make him let go, but that elicited sounds of pleasure from him. He was hard, happy to have me straddling him. I dug my nails into his hands until his fingers relinquished my hips. He exposed his neck again, making a small cut with the pointed nail of his index finger. Blood beaded.

Food.

My head lowered but Dr. O gripped my shoulders. “Hear me, my Princess. Do not partake of his blood. It is a trick. He is trying to own you. If it is blood you seek, take mine. I am your father’s loyal subject and all that I am is yours. This I swear. Take my blood and slake your thirst.”

Trick. Trying to bind me. Own me.

His words cut through the blood lust. I tore my gaze from Dixon’s neck, from the blood I still wanted to take even though I now saw the trap. I scrambled off him and crawled to the wall, curling myself into a tight ball, knees to chest, shaking, battling the blood lust, the urge to rend flesh and gorge on blood,
any
blood, consequences be damned.

Dixon laughed, a confident sound. Dr. O hissed at him. Neither man approached me, but it didn’t matter. I was losing my inner struggle and soon I’d be nothing but a bundle of drives and urges, my humanity crushed to bits under the need to be vampire. There was nothing I could do to save myself now, so I opened my mouth and screamed.

It was Tony who came to me, Tony who uncurled my body, drew me into his arms and held me while I screamed into his chest. Tony who held me tighter still while I struggled not to sink my teeth into his warm, human flesh. It was Tony who guided my head to his neck, let me worry his flesh until I drew blood, let me lap it up from the uneven tear I managed to make with my oh-so-flat teeth. Tony’s arms held me while I struggled not to rip him open even more. Tony’s hand stroked my hair when I finally
collapsed sobbing and spent. Tony’s voice murmured sweet soothing nothings to me in Italian, calming the savage beast that was...
me
.

When at last my humanity returned and remorse overwhelmed me and I lifted my head to apologize to my brother for almost tearing him apart, I looked into his black, black eyes that should’ve been a warm, chocolate brown, and I learned the horrible truth.

It wasn’t Tony at all.

~ * ~

The man who was my brother, but wasn’t, helped me to my feet. My legs held but that was due to the power of the man holding me. The power of
l’uomo nero
, the Dark One, inside my brother.

My brother. Possessed.

I tried to speak, tried to say something like,
thanks for helping out with the blood lust. Now get the hell out of my brother
, but only managed, “I—”

The Dark One pressed Tony’s finger against my lips.

“Hush now,
stellina
,” he crooned with my brother’s voice. His finger moved to my cheek, wiping away a few stray tears. “How long I have awaited you, Carina of the heavenly
waters, brightest star in the midnight sky, divine spark of life.” His hand curled around mine. “Come. Walk with me.”

Because it was my brother’s hand in mine, my brother’s voice spouting strange poetry at me, because I was tired and so scared I would lose it again with no one but the chivalrous devil in my brother to help me hang onto my humanity, I walked with him.

Dixon and Dr. O parted like the Red Sea and we passed between them, approaching Brigid. She sat upright on the floor with the knife in her gut, eyes shining black, face glowing with triumph.

The Dark One extended his free hand. “Rise, my goddess most high. You have served me well.” He drew her to her feet and kissed her hand.

“Master,” she breathed, color flaring on her cheeks.

He cupped her face with one hand, his other pulling the blade free from her gut in one clean jerk. She gasped and swayed, face twitching in pain. Her discomfort ended all too soon, however, and I let out a disgruntled snort.

What was she, some kind of immortal superwoman? Maybe goddess wasn’t simply a pet name, and if so, how was I going to take her out? She gave me a look of pure hatred. I returned it with gusto.

He tossed the knife to Dixon, who caught it and proceeded to lick the blood from the blade. I averted my eyes before my blood lust reared its head again.

The Dark One embraced the witch. “I have been away from your rosebud lips for too long this time, my love. Does this visage please you, my sweet?”

Her blush deepened. “You know I love you, no matter the vessel.”

They’d done this before. Not surprising. Eternity must get tedious when spending it as something as intangible as smoke. They shouldn’t call him Dark One, they should call him King of the Body Snatchers. I coughed to stop myself from erupting in laughter, teetering on the verge of hysteria.

The body snatcher and the witch shared a tender kiss. It might have been romantic but they were a) completely and utterly evil and b) using my gay brother’s body.

“You can’t do that,” I blurted, voice hoarse from crying. They broke apart, heads swiveling. Identical black eyes glared at me with evil intent. Their silence stretched too long for my comfort. “Tony is gay.”

With no reply, I tried again. “He doesn’t like girls. Please don’t—”
even think of using him as your sex toy, you sick, evil shits
. “Please don’t use him like that.”

The Dark One chuckled. “Carina,
stellina,
your brother is not here.”

I didn’t like the sound of that. “What do you mean?”

“He sleeps.”

“I don’t understand.”

“Come. Let me show you.” In a flash, he snagged my wrists and jerked me into his chest.

Blackness consumed me again, as fast
as before. Smoke, thick and impenetrable. This time, though, I was aware of my body, cocooned in darkness, pressed against another warm one. My brother’s body.

A voice spoke from the gloom. “Your brother sleeps deep within. He is at peace. Here, now, there is only
me.” It wasn’t Tony’s voice, nor was it the Dark One’s harsh triple-layered, I’m-possessed-by-a-demon-in-a-scary-movie voice, either. No, this one was robust, manly, a hero’s voice.
His real one?

“You hear the truth,” he confirmed.

Fantastic. Another vampire who can hear my thoughts.

His laughter vibrated the darkness and electrified my skin, making me shiver.

“Now, see the truth.” The darkness dissipated but I closed my eyes. Fear tore through my gut.
Evil, don’t look at the face of evil.

“Carina. Look at me.”

I shook my head.

“Open your eyes.” Words backed with power this time, forcing me to obey.

Oh my God
. My brother was gone and in his place, a handsome, bare-chested stranger.

The man parted his full lips, flashing perfect, white teeth. The smile reached his mesmerizing eyes, striking and surreal like Dixon’s. But if Dixon’s eyes were the moon, these were the sun, brilliant as orange sapphires, sparkling with power and personality. I wanted to gaze into them forever, bask in their warmth, curl up in their light like a contented cat and nap the day away, safe and warm. Cat eyes, tiger eyes.

Inhuman.

My body swayed. His grip on my wrists loosened changing to gentle pressure, like a lover’s caress.

“Angel,” I murmured.
Dark One
, a voice inside me insisted. But my mind ignored the warning, basking as I was in the promising warmth of this beautiful man.

This couldn’t be the boogeyman, the darkness personified. Why, there was nothing dark about him at all. He was, in fact, the light that made day, the sun incarnate, from his golden eyes and sun-kissed skin to his hair, long and straight and fine, a glorious blend of red and gold.

“Strawberry blond.” I took a handful, letting it sift through my fingers. Soft. Silky.

I rested my hand on the swell of his well-muscled chest, my hand so small and milky white, a sharp contrast to his golden, glowing skin, skin like amber honey. Hairless, flawless. My hands traced a light path down his arms, also smooth and pure, carved muscle. He made a soft sound as my hands slipped into his and my eyes were drawn upward again, to those perfect lips, his dazzling smile.

“Carina.” He pulled me close. His eyes promised peace, warmth, safety, everything good and right.

But, this was wrong.

Enthralled!
A voice cried in my head.

My heart raced, my body panicking though frozen in place. I was forgetting something, needed to remember something
important.
But it was too difficult to focus on anything but his warmth, his beauty, those sultry lips, his glowing eyes.

The angel lowered his head, lips parted and wet, beckoning me, but I caught a scent, my
brother’s
scent, and it weakened the Dark One’s spell. I blinked and tore my gaze from those hypnotic eyes, focusing on the mouth nearing mine. I pushed weakly
against his chest, to make space between us. Space between my brother’s body and mine.

I clung to the thought of my brother, used it to fight the part of me wanting to surrender, to give myself to this man, this vampire who’d captured me with his superior power, this enemy who wove such a powerful illusion I felt the difference in his hair and skin.

Such a beautiful lie.

“Lies.” I closed my eyes. My stomach tied itself into a million knots.

Resist. Fight.
I turned my head at the last second and his lips grazed my ear.

His breath fanned my skin. “Yield to me.”

“No.” My voice sounded louder this time. Stronger.

“You are mine now, Carina.” He planted small kisses along my jaw. “Why do you bother to resist? Your blood hears my call,
stellina
.”

My brother’s lips, my brother’s body.

I repeated it, my new mantra, cracking the Dark One’s hold on me. My heart pounded so hard it hurt but my body finally got the adrenaline memo and I squirmed in his embrace. He released me, wrapping his large hand around my wrist.

“I’m not yours. I’m not anyone’s.” I mustered up a haughty glare.

His lips curled in amusement.

I stiffened. “I bow down to no man, no vampire.”

Brigid made a disgusted sound, brandishing her knife.

Dixon strolled over. “You see, Magnus? As I told you, she is not so easily
swayed. Neither pretty face nor pleasant power play will capture our lovely
princess.” He gave me a conspiratorial wink.