Page 21 of Vampire Runner

I cry out, my release crashing over me. My fingers dig into Ashe’s shoulders, my hips grinding against his.

Ashe groans, his lips trailing kisses along my jaw and down the other side of my neck. He licks the spot he drank from, his fangs grazing the sensitive skin.

He continues to circle my sensitive core, drawing out my pleasure. I gasp, pleasure rushing through me again as my core pulses with need.

“You’re perfect,” he murmurs the praise so quietly I barely hear it over my pounding heart. “Such a perfect mate for me.”

I still, uncertain I’d heard him correctly. Clarity sweeps across my mind like a gust of winter wind and I struggle to look at him. He lifts his head enough to look at me, his pupils blown wide with need, the hardness against my core ever present.

“What did you say?” I rasp out, needing him to say it again.

He blinks rapidly and then a slow smirk slants across his bloodied lips. “You’re my mate, Cassandra.” He brushes a whisper of a kiss across my lips. “I knew it the moment I saw you that day you tumbled into the road.”

I shake my head, thoughts racing through my head so fast I can’t catch any of them. “No,” I finally choke out. I push at his chest and he lets me go, stepping away as I frantically straighten my skirts. “It’s impossible,” I say again. I don’t know if I’m talking to him or me or the universe.

“Cass—”

“I need to go,” I interrupt him. Then I flee.

Chapter Seven

CASSANDRA

Hands come down over my eyes, blocking my view of the book I’d been reading, hidden alone in the room. I frown, confusion and annoyance at being interrupted. While I’d been present with Eris throughout the time I’d been possessed, I still missed so much of the world as it changed. Eloise had found me a modern history book, while Deidre had told me about a pop culture documentary. Wren offered to tell me about technology, but that seemed much too overwhelming.

Not to mention, this all might not even be worth the effort if we can’t pull this off.

Still, I’d always loved to disappear into books, and reading about things I’d only gleaned is fascinating. I’m reading about the interspecies politics between the paranormal world and the human world after the Second World War made pretending we didn’t exist impossible.

“Guess who, little witchy?” A smooth baritone voice croons against my left ear. The words are filled with mischief, identifying the speaker immediately. My heart practically erupts as I shriek and push his hands away. The book falls from my lap to the floor with a hard slap as I leap up but I ignore it to whirl around, a smile stretching across my face.

“Rhys!”

I fling myself at him, stepping up onto the club chair I’d been lounging in, and wrapping my arms around his shoulders. His bellow of laughter fills a place that had been missing since I returned. I adore Ashe, and the rest of the Nightshades, but Rhys and Ezra were the two vampires who truly became my dear friends.

He hugs me just as tight before releasing me when I pull back. I’m still standing on the chair, which I’m sure would cause Ambrose to wrinkle his nose if he saw. I hold Rhys by the shoulders, pushing him back until he’s at arm’s length.

“Let me look at you!”

Rhys’ golden eyes sparkle as his lopsided grin appears. His dark hair is cut short, practically shaved on the sides, while the top is long enough to flow back in a small wave. Rhys looks like the supposed rock stars in Deidre’s movie. He’s got the lean, muscular frame, the slightly tanned skin, the leather jacket, and the cocky swagger. His golden eyes are rimmed in a slight red, but I’m not worried he’s about to sink his fangs into my throat and feed. While he might not be the model citizen, he’s not a mindless monster.

“Cassie,” Rhys breathes my name like a prayer, his smile softening into something more genuine. He pulls me into another hug, and I laugh. Rhys is an affectionate creature, and I missed that. Ezra, his pseudo brother, is the same way.

“You know I hate that name,” I growl in jest. He holds me tight against his chest and pulls me over the back of the chair. He only releases me when I’m steady on my feet.

“Wouldn’t want Ambrose to exile you for dirtying his furniture.” Rhys’ tone is teasing, but his eyes dull. It’s enough for me to know that Rhys still holds resentment and hurt from Ambrose’s decision.

Ezra had done the one thing Ambrose explicitly forbid all demons within the Barrows. Decades ago, the demons had been stirring up trouble in the Barrows—something Eris found amusing though stayed neutral in. Back then, the demons wanted to take the souls of humans, their new leader believing it was their due. Ambrose has only ever allowed bargaining and only on the strictest of terms. It nearly came to a civil war, the Nightshades against the demons. But Ambrose had been able to negotiate a truce. It helped that the upstart leader had been killed by his own supporters.

The night before the agreement was signed, Ezra violated the agreement. He claimed a soul. Rhys had begged Ezra to reveal who it was, but Ezra refused to allow them to be punished along with him. Ambrose, furious, exiled Ezra out of the city—a Nightshade no longer. Rhys intended to follow him, but Kasar and Malachi had stopped him. I still don’t know how.

I gentle my voice. “Still no sign of him?”

Rhys shakes his head in a pained jerk. “It’s like he’s not even on Earth anymore, let alone in the country.”

Rhys gives me and Kasar a pleading look, and both of us shrug. Rhys awkwardly pats his side, asking to be let down. Malachi doesn’t let him go once he’s back on his feet. Instead he grips one shoulder and the back of Rhys’ nape. The commander of the Nightshade vampire’s soldier’s face is grim; grim enough for worry to lift its head.

“Everyone around me is mated, Rhys,” Malachi intones. I let out a breath and roll my eyes. “Even Josephine is having a romance with Wren’s driver! Though—truth be told, I don’t think they’re mates.” Malachi grimaces and shakes his head. “That’s like picturing your mom having sex.”

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