Page 24 of Reaper's Revenge
Her sharp nails rip into the side of my face. My eyes instantly fill with tears as the pain steals my breath from me, and I let go of my weapons in the process. For some reason, it only lasts a moment, and then I’m able to refocus on her. It has to be my transition. The change is making the pain fade as my body attempts to heal faster.
With a lunge, I grab for the blade sticking out of her side and drive the blade into her higher, right where it can hopefully reach her heart. She’s moving so quickly, it’s difficult for me to aim true, so I take advantage and try to twist the blade. She screams, her hands grabbing my throat, and she begins to choke me.
I can’t breathe.
I fight it, fighting against her. It’s difficult as she’s stealing the air from my lungs.
Reaper’s directly behind her in an instant. He meets my eyes and I notice his are the same silvery color from before, an eerie, almost liquid metal reflecting at me. He holds my stare as he bares his teeth, and the truth I’d been refusing to notice slams into me.
Reaper is a vampire, too.
I’m transfixed, terrified, yet unable to look away as his mouth lands on her throat and with a fierceness like no other, his sharp teeth sink into her flesh. He savagely bites down, ripping a chunk out of her throat. He spits it off to the side as she releases her hold on me and spins for him.
Veronica lets out a battle cry full of pain and anger as she leaps at him, her jaw snapping so harshly it sounds like a clap as she goes after him. Her projectile throws Reaper off balance, and then they’re falling to the ground in a heap of tangled limbs. She somehow works her way on top of him, while his arms are outstretched in front of him to hold her away from biting him, and I know it’s my turn.
I hop on her back, my hands locking onto her so tightly she can’t throw me off, and then I copy him. I wrap one arm under her chin as I meet his silver stare, knowing my man needs to feed again so his eyes will turn the amber-crimson color I’ve come to love from him. I lean in closer to the opposite side of her throat.
With a savagery I’ve never known before, I open my mouth, showing him my new set of fangs that match his, and lay into her. Rather than rip her throat open right away, I pause long enough to drink deeply. Her blood is like a straight shot of adrenaline, and I indulge myself while we both hold her in place long enough for me to get a couple of big gulps. When I pull away, I take her jugular vein with me. Blood sprays everywhere, and in an instant, Reaper’s MC brothers are beside us.
Together, we work to further incapacitate her. We physically take her apart, limb by limb, with our bare hands. Each person shares the body part they’ve managed to rip free with the brother beside them, as they sink their fangs into the flesh and drink whatever blood is left.
I’m on my knees, breathing heavily as I take in the gruesome scene before me, only it doesn’t frighten me. This entire time, I was surrounded by vampires, and I had no idea. Nothing will ever be the same after tonight.
I watch as they toss Veronica’s various body parts into a giant dumpster, and then Bones sets it on fire. He burns away any evidence inside as if she never existed. The scent of sizzled flesh fills the air, and with it, a heavy weight lifts off my shoulders from Veronica’s demise.
“Reaper,” I manage to get out. My breath hitches as I stare at him; his mouth, chin, throat, and shirt are now stained with Veronica’s blood. His chest heaves, but his gaze softens, his irises taking on the reddish metallic color now, probably from all the blood he’s just drunk. I wonder if mine are the same? I can’t seem to truly wrap my head around it all.
He's a vampire.
They all are.
How did I not notice it before? The signs were all there, right in front of me, but I missed them the entire time. The strange hours his club had at the café, always wanting to see me in the dark, the constant energy, and more, I’m sure. I was unintentionally blind to them all, so caught up in my own little world, that I hadn’t stopped long enough to put the pieces together.
Reaper steps closer, his hands raised in a placating gesture as if I’m some feral animal. I may be upset, but I’m not the psychopath here; that ship has sailed, and she’s currently on fire in the dumpster right now. The flames are blazing pretty high, too.
“Athena,” he murmurs, his voice a low rumble that would normally send shivers down my spine with desire. Now, however, it’s tainted with the coppery scent of her fresh blood, and the harsh reality of who we are. Of what I’ve become.
His hands move for me, wanting to hold me, but I jerk away on instinct. I’m angry at them all for keeping this secret from me, but I’m also beyond grateful that he’s survived Veronica’s wrath. I thought I would lose him, that she would find a way to kill us both.
“Don’t, Reaper,” I warn, my voice shaking from my emotions. I still need some time to take this all in. I haven’t had a chance to process anything since my body started changing. “I need space, back up,” I grumble.
He doesn’t hold back, unafraid of my tears and sensitivity as he closes the distance between us. His arms wrap around me, holding tight enough that it instantly makes me feel safe and secure in his embrace. I struggle against him for a moment just to be difficult, but it doesn’t last long. I could never hold out for him when every sense of my being cares so deeply for him. Somehow, someway, my soul feels linked to his, like there’s a deeper part in both of us, claiming each other, and I can’t possibly argue with it.
“I’m so sorry you had to find out like this, and that you went through hell with Veronica. It never should’ve happened, she never should’ve gotten to you, and it’s my fault. All of it.” His deep voice is soothing as his hand moves to my hair.
I can see the guilt and self-loathing he has for himself swimming in his expression, and it makes my heart hurt. This man just saved my life, but he’s apologizing for something he has no control over.
His touch is slow, caring, and I find myself melting into his embrace despite the turmoil still spinning freely inside of me. His heart beats steady and strong as I lay my ear against his chest, finding contentment in the fact that it’s still beating. He smells like he does when I ride his motorcycle home each night, leather, soap, and something distinctly sweet all of his own. He holds me tighter, his nose going to my hair, and inhaling deeply as he needs to be grounded in the moment as much as I do.
I still don’t understand how any of this is possible. “You’re all vampires,” I eventually comment out loud, pulling back enough to meet his gaze once again. I search for the truth in his crimson-amber orbs, only to find it staring back at me.
“Yes,” he admits, with regret clouding his voice. I don’t understand it, so I stay quiet, hoping he’ll continue. “I wanted to tell you, Athena, and I planned on it someday. I couldn’t risk you finding out too soon and running away for good. I wouldn’t be able to live with myself if you were no longer in my life in some capacity.”
I shake my head, my mind racing. “How is this even possible? I thought vampires were myths, that it was made up. I was never a believer, and yet, here you are.” I have so many questions, and the more I ask, the more that builds up inside me. They tumble from my lips like raindrops, ready to soak everything given the opportunity.
“Well, to start,” he responds, walking me toward the front door of the clubhouse, arm still wrapped securely around me. He hasn’t stopped touching me, and I love that about him. “We were turned, not born.”
“Wait a second, vampires can be born?” I swear the questions keep piling up, and I can’t stop myself from asking, needing to know the answers to everything. But baby vampires? It’s a thing? Tell me more!
