Page 5 of Blood Moon

I stared up at him for a minute, neither of us blinking. My throat was dry. The moment our eyes met, I completely forgot why I’d come into the backroom. His eyes dropped as I licked my lips and swallowed hard. I had to force my eyes away from him. I shouldn’t be having these desires about my boss, much less a man who would dare to lock me in a cage. My heart was pounding so hard. What was wrong with me? I couldn’t bring myself to look at him again.

Viktor tilted my head up to look him in the eye, and he captured my lips with his. I wrapped my arms around his back and held on. He put one hand on my lower back, the other on my neck, and pulled me closer.

He deepened the kiss and I pressed myself closer to him. I could feel his erection growing. I rubbed against it, encouraging him. When he realized what I was doing, he started to grind against me.

Just when things were getting heated, he pulled away from me completely. “I shouldn’t have done that. It was inappropriate. Please excuse me.”

Before I could object, he was gone. I stood there, mouth open, staring at the door. What the fuck had just happened? Did I just make out with my boss after he kept me in a cage for three days then ignored me? Get yourself together, Delilah. You can’t be throwing yourself at him like that.

After berating myself for causing that situation, I headed back to the bar with the tequila and scotch long forgotten.

Chapter 4

Viktor

I knew that I shouldn’t have bolted after I kissed Delilah. To be fair, I shouldn’t have kissed her either. I wanted to do so much more, but somehow, I managed to stop myself just before I lost control. I should have set clear boundaries and explained to her why this wouldn’t work. But I couldn’t.

That kiss had me mesmerized. I wanted so much more from her, even though I had no right to ask. I knew the blood lust was coming on, so I had to stop. I can’t let that happen again. I don’t drink from the vein. Not anymore. I must stay away from her. It’s torture either way. I might as well protect her while I suffer. I couldn’t pinpoint exactly what it was about Delilah that drew me to her. She was strong and opinionated but still wore her heart on her sleeve. That had to be why she reminded me so much of my love.

The last time I ran into a woman who reminded me of my deceased wife was nearly three decades ago, right after Kat’s death. I still remembered her face when she realized what I was. I couldn’t control myself back then and drained her. I refused to let that happen again.

I hadn’t bitten anyone since that day. Instead, I prefer to drink from a bag or a coffee mug. That was, after all, why we had donors. It was the entire reason for the contracts and explained the women who had been locked up in the backroom. Of course, Vinny’s methods are a lot different than my own. There would be no more women in cages. The cages were being relocated and contracts were being rewritten.

I’d come so far since I was turned. It took every moment of the past thirty years to learn the level of control I have now. Along with that control came respect from my community and fear from those who would think to disrespect me.

Control didn't equal weakness. I wasn’t afraid to get violent if a situation called for it. But I preferred to negotiate first and use fists as a last resort whenever possible.

Any time one of us has shown restraint, it was only a matter of time before he lost it and went on a spree. I am convinced that everyone is waiting for me to slip up. It wasn’t going to happen. Not if I could help it.

For a moment, I allowed my mind to wander back to the early days after my transition. It was all a blur of bodies, blood, and sex. I spent a lot of time making up for all of it. I couldn’t go back now.

I had to find a distraction, something to keep me away from her. That should be easy, since the bar was days away from going under. If I hadn’t stepped in and bought it from Vinny, he would have had to close.

It would take a lot of work to get it renovated and reopened. I had a vision of what Midnight could be, and I suspected that it aligned closely with Delilah’s ideas. That would be the biggest challenge. I needed to find a way to work with her while not being around her. I knew that would never happen, though. No matter how much I wanted to stay away from her, I couldn’t. My body craved to be near her.

I definitely shouldn’t be sitting in my locked office daydreaming about that kiss, imagining that she’s on her knees in front of me, pleasuring me with her mouth. I absolutely shouldn’t be stroking myself while that image is plastered in my mind. That wasn’t going to help matters at all, but it was my current situation.

I didn’t usually behave like a schoolboy with a crush, but there was something about this woman. Her kiss sent me over the edge. I hadn’t been this out of control since before I was turned.

I wanted her. It was rare for me to not get what I wanted. This time I was the one denying myself, though. The thought crossed my mind as I came, then cleaned myself up so no one would know what I had just done.

Once I got my thoughts under control, I went back to reviewing the files that Vinny had kept pertaining to the business. With the backing of Maxwell Industries, we could get the blood supply much cheaper and with less hassle than Vinny had. There would be no reason to kidnap women or keep them in cages. That alone was one of the main reasons I forced him into this deal. I disapproved of his methods. There was a better way to do things.

I could simply offer their families protection in exchange for their donations. It didn’t even have to mean trading their lives. I planned to exchange weekly offerings for security instead of the way Vinny had things set up. It made more sense in the long run. We would expand collection to include any human over the age of eighteen. Those who didn’t need protection would be compensated with jobs or other means.

I had charts and binders full of business plans explaining the compensation levels. If a human wanted to terminate his or her life, we had a plan for that. Their family or preferred charity would be compensated for their donation. There would be required medical exams and psychological tests to make sure they had made the right decision.

Since human diseases didn’t affect us, we didn’t have to worry about if someone who donated was sick. If they were going to die anyway, they could negotiate for a termination. If there was a medical way that we could help them, there would be a donation plan to accommodate that as well.

I had been testing it out slowly within my own corporation for months before deciding to purchase the operation at Midnight. We had seen the project work. People volunteered for it, and a few even applied for the termination plan. With my extensive research, I was sure the program was ready to be rolled out to the public. My company didn’t have the connections that Vinny did at Midnight, though. Somehow he’d managed to make friends with a few members of each gang in the city. My guess was that he was doing favors and trading more than just blood. This area was known for the Vipers, who in turn were known for their cocaine. It was another primary reason I decided to acquire the bar. I wasn’t about to let Midnight be a part of any drug operation. Taking over would allow me to streamline the blood donation process while stopping any other dealings Vinny had been a part of.

It was a revolutionary plan. I was convinced it would work and increase our supply for decades to come. I knew that the guys at Strain wouldn’t like it because it would keep them from having their hunts and make it unacceptable to kill donors. I would fight that war when it came to me, though.

It seemed that more humans were learning about us every day. It wouldn’t be long before they all knew. I wondered if we would be the monsters under their beds when the news broke. The few humans who knew about vampires right now felt safer being tied to one of the corporations. We had the ability to keep the gangs at bay and prevent anyone from being drained.

I was deep in thought when the phone rang, pulling me back to the present. I was surprised to hear Jones on the other end. “What is it?”

“We got Blaze and the Vipers pinned down. Do you want us to take them out? Or just bring him in?” Jones was supposed to observe and report back.

---