N. Walters - Damek's Redemption

“Hey.” She waited until he was looking at her again. “It’s better than being dead.” She spoke carefully with only a tiny lisp.

It amazed her to find her stomach wound healed with only a reddish, puckered scar remaining. The blow should have killed her, had killed her, but now she was lying awake in Damek’s big bed with him beside her. Maybe the idea of drinking blood to survive left her feeling queasy, but she’d get over it. She had to.

“I can help you.” Damek released her hand and brought his own to his mouth. His fangs flashed as he punctured the skin and blood rolled down his wrist. He brought it to her lips. “Drink.”

Sonia could feel the compulsion behind that one word, and for once it didn’t piss her off that he was using his powers to manipulate her. The sweet scent of his blood filled her nostrils and she took another deep breath. It was divine, better than the finest perfume.

Still, the idea of drinking blood still bothered her, so she closed her eyes and opened her mouth, her teeth scraping his skin. Something warm and sweet hit her tongue and she groaned. This was better than chocolate and cookie-dough ice cream put together. She gripped his wrist and began to suck harder.

“Yes,” he moaned, shifting closer to her. “Take what you need from me.”

She could feel Damek in her mind, monitoring her acceptance of what was happening. The extent of his power was truly amazing. She tasted his brutal strength, smelled his unique masculine scent. Her body responded, coming to life as lust poured through her. She wanted him.

He jerked and his breathing quickened and she knew he’d heard that thought. Gently, he brushed her hair from her face. “Enough, Sonia. If you take too much you’ll make yourself ill.”

She took another swallow, not wanting to give up such a delectable treat.

He brushed her hair again. “Sonia.” This time there was a minor compulsion in his voice.

As much as she hated to, she released his wrist. All she wanted to do was keep sucking and sucking, and that frightened her. It would be so easy to lose herself in bloodlust. She suddenly understood how easily it could happen to new vampires who didn’t know what was happening to them. She fully comprehended what it meant to be a vampire and it was still incredibly difficult for her. She wasn’t sure she would have stopped on her own and was grateful for Damek’s presence and care. Blood still seeped from the puncture wounds, so she lapped at his skin and watched as the holes closed and finally disappeared. Cool.

Damek stretched out on the bed beside her, pulling her into his arms. He was totally dressed, lying on top of the covers, while she was naked beneath them. She wanted them to be flesh to flesh, wanted her breasts rubbing against his smooth chest, his erection snuggled against her.

“Sonia,” he groaned, “you must not broadcast your thoughts to me so loudly. Your family is still here. Your parents are out in the living room and you’re not as strong as you think you are. Give yourself some time.

As if Damek had summoned them, a knock came on the door and her mother pushed it open and walked in. Her father, brothers and grandparents followed. Sonia struggled to sit and Damek stood and helped her, settling her against the pillows with the thick down-filled comforter tucked beneath her arms.

Tears flooded her eyes as they moved closer. Her family. She could always depend on them no matter what. Damek started to ease away, but she grabbed his hand, anchoring him to her. He didn’t understand family, but by the time her family was done with him he would. He was a part of it now, whether he wanted to be or not. He’d saved her life and that meant her family would always be in debt to him.

“Mama.” She held out her hand and her mother strode to the bed, climbed up the two steps and dropped down on the mattress beside her.

Celia Agostino’s gaze was filled with worry but she managed to smile. “How are you feeling, baby?”

“Better.” Damek’s blood was still zinging through her veins and it was better than a pot of coffee and twice as potent. She felt as though she could leap tall buildings in a single bound. She’d have to ask him about that. Maybe she could. Probably not, but it was fun to speculate. She was determined to focus on the positive aspects of this change in her life. She was alive and healthy and that was all that mattered.

Her father loomed behind her mother, his large hand on her shoulder. He looked impossibly sad. “Papa?”

He shook his head, his shaggy black hair swaying. He rubbed his beard, his eyes solemn. “Much has changed in your life. You have many decisions to make.”

Her stomach cramped and she nodded. She had no idea what would happen with her job. Obviously she’d have to leave it, at least for a while until she figured out exactly what being a vampire meant for her.

She, better than most, understood how fragile she was right now. Bloodlust affected all newly made vampires differently. Many gave into it, killing indiscriminately and gorging on blood. She didn’t want that. The mere thought sickened her.

She felt fine now, but she was in a contained environment, surrounded by people who understood what she was going through. What would it be like to be out among a large group of people? Already she could hear the heartbeats of everyone in the room. The sound pulsed through her veins, calling to her. It frightened her how the craving for blood washed over her.

She glanced up at Damek for reassurance and he offered her a tight smile. “You have time. You will make your decisions when you are ready.” He shot her father a dark look. “You do not need to decide anything right now.”

Vincenzo straightened and stared Damek down. “You are not exactly right, vampire. Sonia has to decide if she is staying here with you or coming home to New York with her family.”

Stefano and Milo both stood behind their parents, presenting a united force. Only her grandparents hung back near the doorway, letting the scene before them play out without interference.

“You should come home so we can take care of you.” Stefano crossed his arms over his chest after making his pronouncement.

“Stefano and Papa are right.” Milo took a step closer to the bed but stopped when Damek glared at him.

“I take it you’ve met my brothers Stefano and Milo.” Sonia’s tone was dry. “They do like to tell me what to do.”

“Not that you ever listen,” Stefano muttered under his breath.

Damek nodded but said nothing. She could sense him withdrawing emotionally from her. He was standing next to her but might as well have been miles away. The intimacy of moments before, the sharing of his blood, might never have happened. Sonia swallowed hard. Maybe he wanted her gone.

Her grandparents stepped forward, her large grandfather standing behind her much smaller grandmother. Nicola Agostino might have streaks of gray in her hair but her skin was unlined and there was a timelessness in her eyes that spoke of power and knowledge. “We will leave,” she said.

Sonia’s father started to speak but closed his mouth when Nicola shot him a dark look. “We will go out for dinner, yes? That will give Sonia and her vampire time to talk. I want pasta and baklava and you will take me.”

Sonia sent her a grateful look and her grandmother smiled, a knowing gleam in her eyes. Good lord, did she know what Sonia planned to do while they were gone? The smile edging up the corners of her grandmother’s mouth would suggest so.

“Come,” Nicola ordered.

Her mother leaned down and kissed her on the cheek. “Don’t rush any decisions. No matter what your papa says, you have time.”

Her father leaned down and kissed her forehead before ruffling her hair. “I want you home with us, but it is your decision.” No guilt there, Sonia thought.