He pulled back and looked around as if assessing for threats. He spotted Dmetri and Vera watched as confusion settled in.

“What happened?” His voice was gruff and sounded in desperate need of water.

Vera opened her mouth to tell him, then closed it. How did she tell him that he died and was turned into a vampire by her former lover?

She started to open her mouth but Dmetri saved her. “You were attacked by Ariss and her guardian. Vera brought you here.” Dmetri looked at her pointedly and she took a deep breath of courage.

“I stole some man’s car and drove you here, and then your heart stopped. So, um, so I had Dmetri turn you into a vampire.” She said the last on a squeak. She’d never had to deliver news like this.

Jacks threw back his head and laughed. Well that wasn’t quite the response she was expecting.

“Yeah right,” he said, then he pulled her close and kissed her. Feeling his mouth alive against hers made her wild. She kissed him harder like she was trying to get into his mouth. When he pulled back, he looked at her curiously. Then he slid a look to Dmetri and touched a finger to his neck.

“I remember the accident, then fighting with that strong son of a bitch. I’ve never seen anyone move that fast. Not even Rome. I felt so useless and angry...I couldn’t protect you and I wanted to scream.” He looked into her eyes and kissed her again. Vera kissed him back with every ounce of love in her body.

“We need to talk about this,” Dmetri said calmly.

Jacks jerked his head towards him. “About what?”

A blond eyebrow arched high. “About you being a vampire now.”

An unsure laugh. “You’re serious about that?”

“How else do you explain how you died and I brought you back. My blood brought you back, actually. Vera asked me to. I owe her that much,” he said softly.

Jacks sent a wild look to Vera. She quickly said, “I’m so sorry. I didn’t know what to do. I love you so much and I couldn’t bear it if you died. I asked him to. I would have asked you what you wanted but...” she shrugged and looked helplessly at him. “Dmetri offered to kill you again if you don’t want to stay alive,” she added quickly, giving him a bright smile. Dmetri cut her a quick glare.

Suddenly Jacks doubled over, holding his stomach, gasping in wretched breaths.

“He’s going to be very hungry,” Dmetri said matter of factly.

# # #

Jacks and fingered the sore spots in his mouth. He knew what the soreness in his gums was before he even touched it. Yet that didn’t make finding the two hard points any easier. He winced as he touched them even as he felt a wave of pleasure sear through him. Dmetri was right. His stomach growled, and his mouth tasted dirt dry.

His gaze fell over to Vera’s neck. He licked his lips and felt his fangs throb. He was moving before he even realized it. He grabbed her head in both hands and tipped her head to the side, her short hair parting easily, baring her rain-soaked neck.

He licked his lips, feeling drugged and woozy. Then Dmetri was beside him, his arm around his shoulders. For some reason he didn’t mind the touch. Vera was looking at him with such love and trust in her eyes.

He listened to Dmetri’s soft words of guidance. Then he licked a path of Vera’s neck, nuzzling her soft skin with his lips. She panted and he could hear everything gasp she took, even the quick beat of her heart. Hell, he could smell her arousal. She wanted this.

He followed Dmetri’s order and bit gently into her neck. She twitched against him and let out a soft, sexy cry. Christ his cock was so hard she could stroke him and he’d come.

Her skin broke beneath his teeth, no fangs, and then her blood pooled warm and delicious in his mouth. He sucked and licked at it, feeling the most dizzying sensation rush through his body. She was in his body. With each pull from her body, he felt her essence enter his.

He was claiming her, suck by suck. He listened as her heart quickened, her breath catching again and again. He knew she was wet in her panties. He sucked on her neck one last time and then she was sucking in air, gripping his back hard as she came.

Jacks had never felt anything so good. He heard Dmetri’s words, but ignored them and continued to suck and pull. He wanted all of her inside him. To never be separated from her again. He heard her heart stutter in her chest, and then he was ripping himself away from her with wide, wild eyes.

Holy fuck he almost killed her. Even now she slumped back against the car, her eyes hooded, a lazy smile on her face. His mark was on her neck—a dark bruise with two holes inside. Shame followed by anger filled him, had him standing over her.

She popped her eyes open and smiled big at him. A real, beautiful smile that was all Vera. It tugged at his chest, but he ignored it.

“I don’t ever want to see you again. Do you understand me, Vera? Never.” Vera’s smile died, she rushed to her feet reaching for him, but he stepped away.

“But I don’t understand. Why? You just— I thought—” she fumbled for words as pure agony fired through her heart. She knew he was going to leave her anyways, someday, but not now. She wasn’t ready for it now. Not after what they’d been through.

“Don’t worry I’ll make it easy on you. I won’t be coming on Kategan land again. Ever.” He turned from her and started towards the mansion.

“But I love you.” Her whisper barely made it over the sound of the rain. She expected him to turn back and say something, even something cruel, but he didn’t. He kept walking—and that was worse of all.

Dmetri was there though, pulling her into his arms. “I am so sorry, moya labyuff.” The old Russian endearment, my love, used to be something he called her when he knew she was in pain. Now it did nothing for her. “He is just upset right now, confused. His life has just made a huge change and he isn’t accepting it well. Don’t worry Vera, I will guide him into the new ways, and then he’ll be back for you.”

She shook her head against his chest. “No he won’t.” Shallow words so at odds to the heavy weight in her chest.

“Trust me, Vera.”

She laughed a nasty, awful sound. “The last time I did that, I got my heartbroken.” He frowned down at her looking as if he wanted to say something, but then he only nodded.

“Take my car and go home. I’ll call you with any news. I’ll send my guard with you. I won’t leave you unprotected now that we know what Ariss is up to. You won’t be safe until we capture her.”

Vera didn’t recall getting into the car, nor of pulling away from the mansion for the second time that night. She drove with robotic movements, her mind completely numb. A vampire guard sat in her back seat and a car of more guards followed her.

She drove for a solid twenty minutes before she finally pulled over to the side of the road. She was thankful when the guard in the car didn’t say anything.

Choked sobs left her raw throat, but no tears would come. She stared out at the night, at the rain. She was dried out on the inside.

Still it rained outside, the night crying for her.

Four weeks did not a wound heal. Or so Vera had learned. In fact, a month had never felt so long.

As if the fates hadn’t punished her enough, they continued to point their fingers and laugh. Vera had had enough of it. She was ready to break the bitch’s fingers and shove them down their throats.

Vera stumbled into her kitchen and winced at the smell. The dishes of food were piled up in the sink and littered across the counter. Every morning she told herself to clean them, to put them away, but who was she kidding, she didn’t give a shit about dishes—not even on a good day. She’d easily put on several pounds with the amount of junk food she’d been eating which only added to her sour mood these last few weeks.