Blood Mates Read online

  “You pacing again?”

  Lucien turned and glared at Darius who was entering the room with a cup of coffee. “No... I don’t pace and you know it… I hope that coffee is mine since you are being stupid…” Darius chuckled and held it out. Lucien sighed as he took a sip of it. “I’m glad you got Alfred to go back to the Columbian coffee instead of that French shit he was buying.”

  “He was trying new ones. I think he is in a coffee of the month club or something.” Darius went to the sofa and sat down stretching his legs out. “Talon and Rhage are downstairs. They brought in a female that was injured in the attack.”

  “How bad is she?”

  “I don’t know. They should be up soon and we’ll know.”

  “What?” Lucien demanded. He knew Darius well and knew when there was something Darius wasn’t sure how to say. “Just out with it.”

  “Lucas called in as Rhage and Talon were headed here with the female. Lucas said the female is a blood mate.”

  “WHAT?” Lucien snapped. “How is that possible? The council ---we all know where all the blood mates are located, who their mates are and there hasn’t been a blood mate born in what----“Lucien was trying to remember when Darius supplied the answer.

  “1438… her name is Susannah. She lives in Venice with her mate Jordin.”

  “That’s right… she gave birth to three sons. She was the last one.”

  Darius nodded. “Lucas said Talon was quite adamant about it.”

  Lucien turned to look at the doorway. “Well... we shall ask Talon now.” It was barely ten seconds when Talon and Rhage appeared in the doorway. “The female?” Lucien prompted.

  “Sloane is still working on her.” Talon answered. “He isn’t sure she will make it though.”

  “You think she is she a blood mate?” Lucien was never one to wait or beat around the bush. He preferred to get it all out so he could deal with it. He demanded answers and it was the same when he gave an order. He was king after all and no one questioned him.

  “She has the mark, Lucien. A small crescent blood moon behind the ear.” Talon told him. “I even tried to read her and it was like hitting a brick wall. I couldn’t even hear her heart beating….” Talon sighed. “I could be wrong, but I have never met any human I couldn’t read.”

  Lucien nodded. “I will see her in a few minutes. I just don’t see how it’s possible. She’s completely human? You’re sure there isn’t a trace of immortal in her?”

  “None... she is completely human.”

  Lucien shook his head again and turned to walk across the room to his desk. It just wasn’t possible… a female blood mate was born human, but there was always a trace of her paternal immortal sire. A female blood mate was born from a turned blood mate mother and a full immortal father. The blood mate only became a full immortal when she mated and was turned. Then the process started all over again. Blood mates were NEVER fully human. It just wasn’t possible. Male immortals could only bear children with their blood mates and since there hadn’t been a female blood mate born since 1438 their lines were slowly dwindling.

  Lucien believed that was why they were finding more and more half breeds

  Nests all over the world. He believed some immortals were trying to recreate the link which just wasn’t possible. He had been searching for the one behind all the chaos and yet he hadn’t been successful. They had rules and laws to live by and some immortal was ignoring everything they lived by. It infuriated Lucien and he had made it his mission to stop it. So far he had the backing of the council and he knew it was only because he was royal blood. He came from the first immortal and no one dared to deny him.

  He also knew about blood mates because his mother had been one so had his sister. Daughters only came from blood mated females. He was the only one left of his line. He was the oldest of them all now.

  Despite being immortal--- there was a way to kill them. Immortals could heal from almost anything with enough blood, but a severed head wasn’t one of them. It was how he lost his family so many centuries ago. He had been away and there had been an attack. His family had murdered making him king. He had changed that day. He had hunted down those who dared to kill his family. He had earned his title and name that day. He had impaled every one of the villagers on spikes alive and watched them die.

  He was feared and even now those among his people knew he wasn’t an immortal to cross. He was the only king!

  Ava didn’t open her eyes at first. She laid very still listening for the dripping noise of the basement’s overhead water pipes, but she didn’t hear it nor did she smell that nasty moldy stench she had gotten used to either. There was no disgusting odor of blood or death. She knew she couldn’t be in the basement of the meat packing plant so where the hell was she now?

  She slowly opened her eyes to look only through her lashes and saw a nice crisp white ceiling above her. That made her eyes shoot wide open and she quickly looked around. She sure as hell wasn’t in that basement!

  The room was a light lavender color and there was a soft light on off to her right somewhere. She realized she laid on a soft mattress hospital bed and the sheets were Egyptian cotton--- the expensive ones she couldn’t afford and the blanket was a plush fleece. She sat up and pushed her hair from her face so she could look around.

  She looked down at her hands…. Last night---- well she wasn’t sure how long she had been unconscious---- well they had been covered in blood and her hair had been matted with god only knows what from the basement and yet now there wasn’t a trace of the grime or blood on her. She snatched the cover back and looked at her feet. They had been a bloody nasty mess and now they looked normal--- not a scratch on them. She then looked and checked her entire body. All the cuts and scratches were gone. She saw a mirror on the wall and jumped from the bed and went to it. None of the scratches or bruises were on her face any more. She reached up and found the knots gone too.

  “No... Please tell me---“she murmured opening her mouth to see if she found fangs in her mouth. She didn’t. Her mouth looked normal and she didn’t feel weird... she felt normal. She looked down and saw the oversized t-shirt… which she knew belonged to a man. It was that big.

  “I bite back…” she read aloud. The letters were blood red across the front.

  “Sorry it was the first thing I grabbed.”

  Her head shot up and found an extremely tall blonde guy in the doorway. Ava didn’t think twice about dashing across the room away from him. She grabbed the lamp and threw it at him.

  “WHOA!” Sloane sighed ducking as the lamp sailed over his head and crashed against the wall behind him. He reached for the light switch. He held his hand up in the air. “Easy I’m not gonna hurt you….”

  “Who the hell are you? And stay over there!” Ava warned scanning the room for anything else she could use as a weapon.

  “My name is Sloane and I was the one who took care of you. I’m a doctor.”

  “And a vampire….” She remembered the biker looking dudes from last night. She remembered them saying they were taking her to Sloane. Sloane could help her and if they were vampires that meant he was probably one too. “I’ve had enough of vampires….”

  “I’m sure you have, but I’m an immortal which is different than the half breeds who held you.”

  “Vampires are vampires…” she shook her head. DAMN! OH! I soooooo wish I couldn’t say that! She thought silently.

  “Not quite….” Sloane shook his head. “You really should be resting---- can I at least know your name?”

  “Ava… Ava lane.”

  Sloane smiled. “Nice to meet you, Ava. I have to say you do look a lot better than when you first arrived. I didn’t think you were going to make it.”

  “And why do I NOT have a scratch on me now? I know I had broken ribs…I felt them when they snapped.”

  “I’m a good doctor...” he shrugged. “Are you hungry? Alfred said he would bring some soup down
when you were hungry.”

  “Who’s Alfred?”

  “He takes care of the house. You will love him. We would be lost without him...” Sloane pulled his cell phone from his pocket and hit speed dial. Ava watched him from across the room. He held the phone against his shoulder as he straightened the covers on the bed. “She is awake, Alfred. I think she can handle some soup---- yeah bread too…. She might not be able to keep much down at first---“he looked up at her. “Alfred wants to know if you would like something to drink: Tea, coke?”

  “Milk…” she said without thinking. Sloane smiled.

  “Got that, Alfred? Yeah… she is going to be fine.” Sloane hung up and slid the phone back into his pocket before stepping back from the bed. He waved his hand. “Please humor me… I know you probably feel alright, but you still need a little more rest. I’m not going to hurt you. I didn’t bust my ass to save you just to turn around and hurt you.”

  “Where am I?”

  “Somewhere safe. Those bastards are dead just so you know.”

  From some reason she believed him and moved back toward the bed. He nodded when she pulled the covers back over herself and leaned back. He moved to sit in the chair near the door. She didn’t feel threatened. He looked normal except for the whole vampire thing. He said immortal and half breed.

  “Can you tell me what happened, Ava? Where they took you and what they did? Talon--- one of the brothers that brought you here--- he said there were several cages in the basement.”

  “Yes…” she nodded. “There were other girls there. I don’t know where they took them…”

  “They didn’t kill them?”

  “No….” ava shook her head. “There were three. They were taken away right after they took me. “Ava told him as much as she could and about Lucy. She wiped a tear away that she didn’t even realized had fallen. Sloane brought her a tissue. “Thank you… do you have any idea what happened to them?”

  “No, but we will find out.”

  “We?”

  “Ava, there are a lot of differences between immortals and half breeds. The brothers like Talon and Rhage-- the ones who brought you here. We all belong to the legion and we hunt the half breeds down. They don’t possess any humanity.”

  “I believe that.”

  “Well it is our job to keep them from hurting humans and we destroy them. I know you have a ton of questions, but just because we do have similarities doesn’t make

  Us like them. While you are here you will learn the differences.”

  “I’m not staying here!” she shook her head. “I’m going home.”

  “That is impossible right now….”

  Ava’s head snapped to the doorway where another man stood. She hadn’t even heard him approach the room. He nearly took up the entire doorway. He stood with his hands in his black trouser pockets. He wore a black t-shirt. He looked maybe thirty, but she had a feeling she would be wrong. He had an older presence. He didn’t scare her, but yet there was something about him.

  “I’m a prisoner then?” she asked.

  “An honored guest is what I’d prefer to say…”

  “Making it sound pretty and nice doesn’t make so…” she arched an eyebrow at him. Sloane cleared his throat quickly to keep from laughing.

  “Lucien…this is ava…. Ava, this is Lucien… our----“

  “King…” Lucien supplied.

  “King of what? ----vampires?” Ava crossed her arms over her chest.

  “Immortals. I thought I heard Sloane explaining there was a difference.”

  “He was, but I haven’t really agreed on it yet.”

  Sloane couldn’t help it then. He laughed and Lucien turned his head to glare at him. “Sorry, Lucien… I like her. She isn’t a mouse.”

  “I guess she threw the lamp…”

  “Yep… she has good aim. She almost got me.”

  Lucien shook his head before looking at Ava again when she spoke. “Sloane said the ones who took me are dead… so why can’t I go home. If they are dead then I’m safe.”

  “From them yes…, but not the one who sent them.” Lucien watched her eyes widen in realization she could still be in danger. She wasn’t stupid by any means. He watched her closely. She was beautiful… long midnight raven hair and aqua eyes…. He closed his eyes for a minute and focused. He felt it then. A slight memory, but couldn’t quite recall it… he quickly opened them and peered at Ava.

  “Where were you born ava?”

  “I don’t know…” when he looked at her confused she shrugged. “I was adopted. My birth mother left me at a church in Seattle. I was adopted at eight months old. I was adopted by a great family, but they are dead now. So I have no idea.”

  “Damn…” Sloane muttered.

  “I survived... it was December so social services gave me December 17 as my birth

  Day, but they weren’t really sure since I was probably a couple weeks old when they found me and I was suffering from hypothermia. They said I wouldn’t have survived another hour.”

  “I’m sorry for that…” Lucien told her.

  “I survived…”

  “Tough as hell...” Sloane nodded. “From what Talon told me you managed to hold your own.”

  “I wasn’t going to let jock boy kill me without a fight…”

  “Jock boy?”

  “Well I never really asked his name. He was the one who gave the others orders and I named the others as dumb shit, dumb fucker and dumb ass…” Lucien and Sloane both chuckled. “I know you say there is a difference between you, but I am not jumping in trusting you...”

  “Fair enough…” Lucien nodded. “And just so you know…. I give the orders around here…I expect them obeyed.”

  “I’m not a vampire…”

  “No… you are special. And that makes YOU my top priority.” He gave her a look that said ‘I mean business. ’Ava rolled her eyes. And Sloane chuckled.

  Alfred came in and took over basically dismissing Sloane and Lucien both which made ava giggle. She knew Alfred was human. She could tell and it was slightly amusing to see a human give orders to two BIG BAD vampires. One of them being the king and all. They didn’t argue, but told her goodnight and they would see her later. She then realized it was a couple of hours after dawn. Alfred reminded her of the man who always took care of batman/ Bruce Wayne in the movies. And with the same name she couldn’t help think of it.

  While she ate her soup which was homemade tomato and the bread was even delicious, Alfred left her for a few minutes coming back with a pair of jogging pants and slippers for her feet. He left her long enough to put them on.

  “These will be too big, but I have ordered you some clothes which should arrive in a few hours. I expressed them.”

  “You didn’t have to do that. I have clothes at home.”

  “Yes… and I will take care of all your stuff. It isn’t gonna hurt Lucien to buy you a few things while you are with us…and I’m sure I can talk you into some more online shopping.” Alfred smiled. “Women need lots of things.” He winked. “I will enjoy spoiling you.”

  “I don’t plan to stay long… I have a life, Alfred… it might not be much to someone else, but it’s mine… I have a job and an apartment. I even have a cat, Alfred.”

  “A cat? I will make sure your pet is brought here! Do you think it has been alright while you have been away?”

  “I’m sure Jill my neighbor has taken care of him. She looks in on him when I have late night classes.”

  “I will take care of it…don’t worry about anything, Ava. I will make sure you have your job and I will arrange your classes to be online.”

  “Alfred?”

  “This is what I do...” he nodded. “You won’t have to worry about anything while you are here...” he smiled. “Are you ready to go upstairs? I’m sure you will like the main house.” Ava could only nod. She had a feeling Lucien might be the king in all of this, but no one argued
with Alfred. He was the one who ran everything. She took Alfred’s arm when he held it out. He escorted her from the clinic she found out was where she was and down the hallways/ tunnels that twisted and turned. He told her that below were all the bedrooms for the ‘brothers’ that lived here who were members of the legion and were brothers by oath and blood ,but not by birth. That upstairs in the main house was where everyone gathered for everything else.

  Alfred ran the house and made sure everything was taken care of. He was the eyes and ears for Lucien and the men when they couldn’t do it during the day. Alfred showed her around the enormous two story Victorian home which kept Ava in awe. Her entire apartment would fit in the dining room alone. It was all beautiful and she could tell Alfred took great pride in it. They reached a room on the second floor at the end of the hall. He reached for the door knob.

  “I know you will fuss, but last night when Lucien told me you would be staying with us...” when she scowled he nodded. “No, you weren’t aware of it then, but I prepared a room for you. “He grinned when she rolled her eyes. “That isn’t attractive, you know…”

  “So I’m being told…” she said with a slight smile.

  “I want you to be comfortable and feel at home while you are here so anything you want to change we will. It will give us a reason to redecorate. I have been after Lucien for years to let me. He is slightly stuck in old fashion sometimes.” He opened the door and Ava sucked in a breath. The room was beautiful. It was done in a dark burgundy hue and a light brown accent. The white bed spread was one of those thick down ones with a thin lace trim. It was gorgeous. She loved it.

  “It’s beautiful, Alfred.”

  “I was thinking that maybe some throw pillows and little more white.”

  “Maybe, but I don’t want to change much. I like it the way it is.”

  “Good…” he nodded watching her walking around the room and to the windows. “The windows are treated with a special tint that keeps the UV rays out and the brothers can move around the house during the day if they wish without harming their skin.”