Мишель Роуэн - Tall, Dark & Fangsome

“It’s time,” Gideon said, and there was a strain now to his voice. “Sire me, Sarah. Please.”

I slid a finger down the line of his throat. “Well, since you asked so nicely.”

I put my hands on either of his shoulders then, and with a little force he sank to his knees in front of me. Better position that way for someone as tall as him. Then I leaned over a little and without thinking any more about it, I sank my fangs into his skin.

No hesitation. No doubt. Just instinct.

He gasped.

Gideon’s throat was warm and the blood flowed immediately. I felt him try to push me away for a moment—a subconscious survival instinct all on its own. But then he relaxed and let me do my thing. After all, he’d asked for this.

Be careful what you wish for.

Three minutes. That’s how long I needed to feed shallowly from Gideon in order to transfer the right amount of virus to him to turn him. One hundred and eighty seconds. If it were possible for the change to happen any quicker than that, any casual little nibble might result in a new vampire. No, it had to be a conscious decision on the sire’s part to create a fledgling. After all, there was no going back.

My eradication. I should have gone through with it no matter what the side effects were.

Gideon can’t become a vampire. He’s too dangerous…

I ignored my guilt-ridden inner voice. Talk about a buzz kill.

So Gideon would be turned into a vampire by this act. His healing, however, would take place only when he drank from me. Thierry had been the first vampire I’d drunk from—

although at the time his blood had been administered to me diluted in a glass of water.

Gideon would be getting the full meal deal tonight.

Thierry…

No, I wouldn’t think about him. I wouldn’t think about anything except the man I currently had my fangs stuck in. Only seemed fair, really.

I tasted Gideon’s fear as his human life slipped away and was transformed into something different. He might have wanted this, but he’d spent his entire life hunting vampires, both the good and the bad ones. There had to be something inside him that feared being on the victim side of a nasty monster like me. Even a monster that looked sexy as hell in a short black skirt.

Okay, somebody’s vain, aren’t they?

I frowned. Shut up, annoying inner voice.

Gideon clutched at me, digging his fingertips into my arms as if to push me away. But he didn’t.

When the time was up, I released him and he fell weakly backward and hit the cold, snow-

covered ground near a gravestone. His scarred face was pale, his breathing heavy.

However, despite his weakened appearance, I hadn’t even come close to draining him—he was dealing with the virus, was all.

The human body held six liters of blood. It would take a vamp with a serious appetite—or a whole lot of motivation—to come close to draining another in such a short amount of time. It wasn’t impossible, but it sure wasn’t recommended.

I licked the side of my mouth. Mmmm, that was tasty. Human blood was so different from vamp blood. Like comparing a filet mignon to a chocolate sundae.

“Here,” Steven said from beside me. He held out a knife with a curved blade and I took it from him.

Then I stalked back over to where Gideon lay supine on the ground. I straddled his chest and sat down on top of him. He looked up at me with shock and sudden doubt as I traced the tip of the knife over his heart, cutting clean through his shirt so I could see his half-

scarred chest beneath. He shivered from the cold, but it could have been Miami around me for as much as I could feel the winter chill.

I drew the sharp blade across my forearm and watched the line of red well up, much as it had the other night when I’d given Gideon enough blood to stop his pain for a short time.

Much as it had for Thierry last night to heal his knife wound.

What are you doing? You can still stop this. He can’t become a vampire. Please…

Damn conscience. The weak and needy bitch who had succeeded in nothing in life aside from getting herself into trouble poked at me, but she was far enough away that I could ignore her.

“Drink,” I told Gideon and brought my arm to his mouth.

I stroked Gideon’s hair as he drank and his scars began to disappear before my very eyes.

A fleeting look at Steven confirmed his eyes were still red with magic. Somehow, he was helping in this strange ritual—helping me to heal Gideon and share the power of my blood with him. The power I’d gained from three master vampires.

One of whom currently watched us with wide eyes from a dozen feet away, still frozen in place on her Christian Louboutin stilettos. Suddenly, her gaze moved behind me.

The next moment I felt something grab my upper arm and pull me up and off Gideon’s supine form. I spun around.

“Sarah—” Thierry’s silver eyes were wide behind his red mask. “We need to go. Now.”

My gaze shifted to the sharp wooden stake he held in his right hand. I pulled away from him. “Not so fast, cowboy.”

“You shouldn’t have come here alone.” He drew in a breath as he continued to survey the scene in front of him. “Barry acted rashly in what he did, but I’m not angry.”

“So glad to hear that,” I said coolly.

He searched my eyes. “I found you. I used the connection we have to each other. It was difficult, but—”

“But here you are.”

I’d known it was a possibility that he might be able to find me, no matter where Gideon had taken me in the city. I guess I just thought we might have a little more time before we were so rudely interrupted.

A small piece of me, deep inside, filled with joy at seeing him.

I managed to douse that emotion very quickly.

He frowned deeply and touched my face. “Your nightwalker—”

I slapped his hand away. “Hands off.”

Gideon slowly got to his feet to stand at my side. He placed a hand at the small of my back, but said nothing.

Thierry’s eyes, which I once thought were the coldest and most guarded I’d ever seen—

unable to convey any emotion—were now stormy. I saw anger and disappointment in them, and finally regret.

He knew.

The Sarah he claimed to love was gone. Forever.

Not quite. I’m still here, you heinous bitch.

“Please, Sarah,” Thierry said. “We can fix this. There’s still time.”

I turned to Gideon and kissed him. He kissed me back and I felt his lips curve with amusement that I’d do this in front of the “Red Devil.”

When I turned to look at Thierry again, his guard was back up. I couldn’t read anything in his expression—or what little of it wasn’t covered by that stupid mask.

“So are you cured now?” Thierry asked Gideon unpleasantly. “Did you get what you wanted?”

Gideon’s hand moved down to squeeze my ass. “I got a great deal more than I wanted.”

Thierry’s eyes narrowed. “There’s always more. The more blood you take from her, the more powerful you’ll be.” His eyes flicked to Steven. “And with help, you could hold the power of three master vampires inside you. That is, if Sarah is willing to continuing giving you what you want.”

I smiled humorlessly. “I am a giver. Now, why don’t you leave. Wouldn’t want to outstay your welcome, Red.”

Thierry cocked his head slightly to the side. “Red? You mean, even in your current state of disarray, you haven’t told Gideon who I truly am?”

Gideon’s grip on me increased. “She knows?”

“She does indeed.”

Gideon moved me to face him. “Who is he? Tell me, Sarah.”

I rubbed my lips together. I wanted to say it. I wanted to tell the world—it was on the tip of my tongue. But something stopped me.