She continued to talk to Chase. Chase had been yelling in her head and trying to get direction the whole time, but she'd gotten so turned around getting here. She told them to find the locker room. Time had run out, and all she could do was say good-bye. Chase refused to let her finish. He wouldn't let her go. He was coming for her, but it would be too late.
It's too late. Can you still hear me? I can't hear you anymore. I love you, Chase. I love you.
Finally, he had the slippery little bitch, and he intended to make her feel every ounce of frustration she'd caused him. She would hurt while he took pleasure from absorbing her very force of life and the power she didn't deserve. Why would a half-breed mongrel be so gifted? He knew she wouldn't fight or run, as long as he had her mother. That idiot, Nathan, was good for at least one thing. He'd reported the location of a home belonging to the girl and a human servant. Once he realized it was the home of her mother, everything fell into place. It wasn't easy to nab the female from her home. She fought like a madwoman. It had taken his strongest telepathy to contain her. She had a strong mind for a human.
Triumphantly, he grabbed the girl and sank his fangs deep into the tender flesh of her neck. She smelled and tasted like the best of both worlds. She tasted of the power and sensual grace of a vampire mixed with the delicate sweetness of a human that drove his kind insane with hunger and want.
Ravaging her greedily, he began to notice the sensation of emptiness that human blood always brought him. He'd drained many of his kind and was always overtaken by the exchange of power. A vampire's power rushing into his body was an extreme high. In the case of draining a female, the experience usually ended with sexual release from the sheer heat and power of the experience. While the little morsel was very warm and attractive, the heat of power was missing. He pulled harder at her vein to derive all he could, but all he got was blood. No power. The rogue was exasperated, but he kept at her neck. It couldn't be possible, after all that trouble that she wouldn't give up the treasure he sought. Could it? Was she capable of blocking his gift? He needed her psychic abilities and he needed them immediately!
Then, it began to dawn on him. He pulled away from her neck and looked at her mother hanging limply in the arms of his men. The human was special. She had supernatural powers of her own. Why hadn't he thought of that before? He dropped his prey to the ground in a fit of temper. He kicked her in the gut. The seat of her psychic power was human! Human power enhanced by her coming of age as a vampire! He couldn't absorb human power, only vampire! He already possessed the telekinesis she wielded. The bitch was of absolutely no use to him as anything but a tasty snack! He roared to the rafters.
He felt no exchange whatsoever. Even the short-lived bond he usually attained from drinking another vampire was absent. He never worried about the bond because his prey usually died. He learned long ago that even if they lived, the bond would fade. The nature of his gift wouldn't permit him to experience a real blood bond. He kicked her again and let out a string of curses that could've made Satan blush.
The sound brought Darren back to the room. He took one look at the heap of pale skin and slightly blue lips at the rogue's feet and advanced on him with vengeance in his heart.
"You weren't supposed to kill her! We had a deal!" Darren bellowed, and grabbed the rogue by the neck. They flew across the room, hitting a row of lockers with such force it knocked the air out of them both.
"She's not dead yet! Can't you hear her worthless heart beating? You should let her die. She is a half-breed piece of trash, so diluted with humanity I couldn't even reach her power! Let the bitch die!" he cursed into Darren's face. Darren was visibly taken aback by his statement.
"Humanity?" He paled.
"Oh, did I forget to mention she's the half-blooded whelp of a human woman? Her mother is right there. Smell her. Hell, taste her if you like. They're almost identical." The rogue was amused by Darren's astonishment.
"Now you have a choice, because she is about to die. Do you save her and bind yourself to humanity in the body of a lovely demi-vamp, or do you waste your time fighting me? Do you really want the filth of a human mate tainting your bloodlines? Or does she die without your blood to save her? The choice is yours now, Darren. Because she won't live long enough for more help to arrive," he taunted.
Darren released him to go to Danielle. He knelt beside her to feel for a pulse. "How sweet. You really meant all that crap you were spouting earlier. But do you want her badly enough to overlook your prejudices toward humanity? Don't you think it's a bit like falling in love with cattle? I mean, I love a good steak but I don't want to screw the cow."
Darren said nothing. He stared at her, vaguely aware of the rogue retreating to evade capture. He let them go. Brushing the hair from around her face, he tilted her head, not wanting to take any more blood than was necessary, and used his tongue to lick her wounds and heal them before he began to lap up the blood on her neck. That would be enough. A flash of heat and need spread through his veins. He could feel the bond already. His soul tried to creep into Danielle's, but she was so weak. He was sure he could already feel her essence inside him, like a faint whisper, and his heart quickened. It was his fault, and he would spend the rest of his life atoning for his actions. She would forgive him, in time. Her heart would demand it, once the blood bond took hold.
Darren ripped open his wrist, and blood splattered all over both of them. He opened her mouth and let his life run past her lips, but she wasn't drinking. She wouldn't swallow. Blood ran out of her mouth and down the side of her face to drip on the floor. He sat down hard and pulled her into his lap. Putting his wrist back to her mouth, he massaged her throat to help it go down, but she didn't swallow on her own and blood continued to run out of her mouth. Frantic, he began to sob and tilted her head back to allow the blood to flow down her throat. If she died, it would be his fault. Danielle's blood in his body made him throb with pain. He could feel the pain the rogue had caused her, and he knew the betrayal she'd felt when she realized what he'd done to her.
After several moments of coaxing, she finally began to stir. She tasted what she needed and he gave it freely. Her eyes still closed, she lapped at his wrist until she finally found the strength to grab hold of his arm. His relief was staggering, and his sobs turned to tears of joy.
"That's right, Danielle. Drink. I promised I would make things right. The rogue will never touch you again, and we will have a long life together," he practically cooed at his new mate. "The others will also leave us alone. They never deserved your affection, and now you are all mine. I will give you the world, and we will never speak of them again."
His eyelids began to droop. She was draining him, taking too much, but he could stand a little more. His mate needed it badly, and every cell of his body demanded that he provide for her.
She stopped sucking, and he fell back onto the cold floor with her in his arms. Neither of them was able to move. He drifted off into a dark bliss with her sprawled, unmoving, across his chest. His last thought was of lying in his bed with her in the same position after the love they would make when he finally got her home.
Chase wanted to introduce the love of his existence to the world. She'd been dancing with J. R., who he just found out was her little brother, but he couldn't find her on the floor. It was the most incredible night of his life. Lovely had agreed to be his mate. He'd learned that she was Griffin's daughter, which meant he could have the girl and honor his family obligations. To top it all off, his parents were having a baby. He was going to be the best big brother, and his Lovely would be a wonderful big sister.
He continued to mingle until he crossed paths with Kayden. They just looked at each other, neither man knowing what to say to the other. Chase knew Kayden was hurting, and he didn't want to say anything to offend him or make it worse. They'd had differences, but Chase still loved his lifelong friend, even when they were fighting. Chase was jealous as hell that Kayden was so close to his Lovely, and it blinded him to everything else. Chase remembered the pain of losing both of them and clearly understood the sorrow swimming in Kayden's eyes.
Kayden put his hand out to Chase. A gesture of friendship was a good place to start over. Before Chase could take his hand, a deafening scream ripped through his head. Chase went to his knees, holding his ears. He looked up to see Kayden bent at the waist, holding his head. Griffin and Mason came running with the same pained expressions.