Wicked Soul (Ancient Blood #1)(67)

“Warin,” I groaned, clutching at his bloodstained shirt.

He pulled back at the sound of his name, separating the delicious contact of his mouth against my throat, and I instantly regretted the loss.

“Warin,” I whispered again as we stared at each other. His pupils were blown, coloring his irises pure black, and blood dripped from his still-extended fangs. My blood.

“I’m sorry,” he whispered, and I frowned. No, that was all wrong—why was he apologizing? I didn’t want that. I wanted—

Deep grunts sounded from close behind us, pulling me out of the sensation of drowning in Warin’s magnetic gaze. Shattering the illusion that we were the only ones left in all the world.

I turned my head to see where the noises were coming from—and froze as I took in the scene that’d unfolded in the room while I’d been preoccupied.

“Vampire orgy” was the only description that came to mind as I stared until I thought my eyes would roll straight out of my skull. Everywhere, vampires were sucking on moaning humans, fangs buried in throats, thighs, wrists… the floor was pooling with crimson, and in the middle of the blood, several dozen clusters of bodies writhed together in unmistakable rhythm. Hard slaps of flesh against flesh filled the room, mixing in the cacophony of broken human moans.

“Oh, dear goddess,” I whispered as the horror of the scene penetrated through the shock.

“Come, Liv.” Warin lifted me off his lap and got to his feet. When I didn’t move, he closed his hand around mine and more or less dragged me with him.

“No, Warin, they’re—“

“Come,” he said, tone sharp enough to pull me out of it.

I slapped my free hand across my mouth to stifle the sobs that threatened to escape my painfully tight throat and let him lead me out of the room to the foyer, up the stairs and down a long, winding corridor.

Only then did he release my hand, wrapping his fingers gently around my cheek instead. “Breathe, Liv.”

“How can you be so calm?” I hurled at him, even as his cool touch to my cheek eased the tight sobs making me shudder violently. “Those humans have no way to consent to this! They can’t—they’re living dolls, and your fucking guests are raping them! In the middle of the room, as if they have every right! How can you allow this! Goddess, what’s wrong with you?!”

“Listen to me, Liv.” Warin’s voice was low and urgent, but it kept me from falling over the edge of hysteria. “I know it’s wrong. I know. But there is nothing I can do.”

“I thought you were the fucking Night Lord! Why can’t you stop them? This is your house!”

“It’s not that simple. It never is. This… these feeding frenzies. They happen when we are gathered. If this was not a gathering of Lords, I could have… my power might have been enough to stop them. But not now. If I tried to intervene, it would come to a fight. And I would lose.”

“So… you just want me to, what? Accept it? Pretend it isn’t happening?” I sniffed.

“It’s the only thing you can do, little one,” he said, and in his eyes I saw his regret. “The only solace I can offer is that no one will die tonight. That was in my power to stipulate, and I did so.”

I stared up at him through the tears and knew he was right. It wasn’t even like I could call the police. Without waiting for permission, I pressed my face against Warin’s chest and closed my eyes, letting his calming presence slow down my breathing.

Haltingly, he wrapped his arms around me, holding me so wonderfully close.

It was so easy to relax in his embrace—as if everything was just a little bit less terrible as long as he held me. For every slow breath laced with the scent of Warin’s crisp scent I sucked in through my nose, I regained some of my composure until I could finally think clearly again.

“I’m sorry,” I murmured into his shirt. “I’ve gotten so used to you. I’d forgotten… Isn’t that crazy? I’d forgotten why we fear vampires. I just… it was a shock.”

“I’m sorry I didn’t warn you,” he said. “I didn’t want to scare you away—it was too important that they saw you take my blood.”

I shook my head, effectively rubbing my runny nose and undoubtedly smeared mascara on his shirt. “I totally would have chickened out if you’d described it. If it’s really so important for them to see us… then it’s all right.”

“It is,” he said softly. “You’re protected from other vampires now. The skinwalkers might not respect the bond, but whoever their master is will be forced to. Our laws are few, but unbreakable without attracting severe punishment.”

“I don’t like your world very much,” I murmured.

“I don’t, either,” he sighed.

“I don’t understand… why the rape? I thought it was dinner, but everyone… It clearly wasn’t just about the blood.” I frowned into Warin’s shirt at the memory of the many rocking bodies and moans.

Warin cleared his throat, and I felt his arms stiffen ever so slightly around me. “It’s part of the bloodlust, for many of us. The need to copulate is tied to the need to feed.”

And that’s when I remembered the hardness that’d pressed against my panties while I’d been straddling him. Goddess, how close had we been to joining the bloody orgy in that room? I sure hadn’t been thinking about stopping, until I saw the carnage behind us.