Wild Thing: A Vampire Paranormal Romance (Blueblood Vampires Book 2) Read online

I’m not sure where I’ll end up. If Saxon returned to his bedroom, do I dare follow? But the invisible cord leads me to the great room that I can’t call a living room because it’s too grandiose. It more resembles a place where monarchs would receive special guests. A number of sofas and chairs are spread around the room, all in deep jewel tones that match the dark furniture. Classic paintings hang from the walls, including a life-size portrait of Lucca looking like he just sprang from a Jane Austen novel—if she wrote about brooding vampires.

  Saxon is standing in front of the dormant fireplace. His hand is braced against the mantel and his head hangs low.

  “Are you okay?” I ask.

  He looks up, but in the gloom, the only thing I can see is the crimson glow of his eyes. Shit. Maybe I shouldn’t have followed him.

  “No. I’m not okay.” His voice comes out stifled.

  I walk over even if common sense is telling me to keep my distance.

  “I’m sorry. We’ll keep trying to get him back, every week if necessary.”

  Why am I making this promise to him? It’s not up to me to decide, or even my mother. The king could very well tell us to wait another decade or longer.

  Saxon doesn’t reply for a moment, and then comes the sneak attack. His arm curls around my waist to pull me closer, and his lips crash against mine. I should resist, but when his tongue darts into my mouth, possessive and hungry, I’m a goner. My wanton body surrenders completely, melting into his, until I remember my mother could walk in on us at any second. With enormous regret, I push him off me.

  “Stop it! I didn’t come after you for this.”

  “Your mouth said otherwise,” he replies roughly.

  I take a step back even though I want to soak up his body heat. “You caught me by surprise. What’s up with all the jackasses in the world trying to steal kisses from me today?”

  “Excuse me?” Saxon’s demeanor changes in an instant, going from I-want-to-sex-you-up to I’m-going-to-murder-a-motherfucker.

  Shit. I shouldn’t have said anything.

  “Did someone harass you?” he presses.

  “Forget I said anything.” I begin to turn, but he grabs my arm.

  “Answer me, Aurora. Did a vampire at Bloodstone try anything? Or was it your betrothed?”

  His tone drips with disgust around the word “betrothed” and he hasn’t even met the guy yet. When I don’t answer, he continues. “It was him.”

  “What’s going on here?” my mother asks from the entrance of the room.

  Saxon drops my arm as if he has been electrocuted, stepping away.

  “Nothing,” I say, sounding incredibly guilty.

  Mom spares a couple of beats scrutinizing us. The light from the foyer casts wicked shadows on her face, and also allows me to see the calculating gleam in her dark eyes.

  “We’re leaving now.” She whirls around, striding away without a glance back.

  No scene, and no questions. That means I’m screwed. She’ll be watching me like a hawk now.

  I follow her, but not before I glance at Saxon. There’s a promise in his eyes that this isn’t over.

  7

  Saxon

  I tried to forget Aurora. In fact, I did my very best by returning to Havoc on the same evening she and her mother failed to wake Lucca. It was bad enough that every time there’s a failed attempt to rise him, my guilt quadruples. It was my fault Lucca went to hibernation early. If I had not abandoned my post to chase some random skirt, I would have prevented Boone from striking Lucca with a blade that had been forged with vampire’s bane.

  The upscale club was brimming with humans, ready to have a good time either on the dance floor or in the arms of a vampire. My idea had been to fuck someone else to erase Aurora’s taste from my memory, but for the first time since I could remember, my dick wasn’t even remotely interested in any of the humans present.

  I should have driven back home, but unconsciously, I end up at Bloodstone Institute. My pulse accelerates as I cross the gates of the building. I don’t understand my reaction. It’s definitely not the school that’s making me feel this way. I haven’t been here since I woke from hibernation forty years ago, and I was more than happy to keep my distance from the place until now. The world has certainly changed, but standing here, in front of the building erected as an ode to days past, it seems like the time hasn’t passed.

  I’m not surprised to find Solomon Corvicus waiting for me in the entry foyer, wearing his trademark perpetual scowl. After all, he was just as glad to see me depart Bloodstone as I was to go. He’s the headmaster and the first familiar to ever be created, which means he’s immortal like us.

  “Good evening, Saxon. I’d like to say it’s good to see you, but that’d be a lie.”

  I place a hand over my heart. “Ouch. You wound me.”

  All my mockery does is irritate the headmaster more. I can’t blame the guy for not being happy to see me. I did burn down the north side of the building the last time I was here. I learned my lesson, though. Do not try to build the tallest bonfire in town during a windstorm.

  “Cut the crap. What are you doing here?”

  “I came to visit a friend.”

  “You don’t have any friends currently attending school.”

  I raise an eyebrow. “How do you know? I’m a social guy.”

  The headmaster snorts. “Yeah, I know what kind of socializing you like to do.” He looks at me intently, narrowing his beady eyes.

  Solomon’s insinuation amuses me. I have to bite the inside of my cheek to avoid laughing. He could kick me out of here if he wanted to, so I’m not taking any chances.

  “Uh, I don’t know what you mean.” I try to keep a straight face, but the corners of my lips twitch up.

  “Oh, for heaven’s sake. Go ahead.” He steps out of my way and waves his hand. “I know a mated vampire when I see one.”

  My entire body becomes a block of ice, frozen. All but my jaw, which currently hangs almost to the floor. “Come again?”

  His bushy eyebrows furrow. “You don’t know?”

  “I’m not mated to anyone,” I reply through clenched teeth. “That’s ridiculous.”

  The male throws his head back and laughs, clutching his stomach. Fuck. He’s taking too much pleasure from this. It’s pointless to argue with him, so I keep walking, listing in my head a thousand reasons why his statement is bullshit. I’m not mated to Aurora. What a ludicrous notion. We’re not even the same species. Was there ever a case throughout history where a vampire found a mate in the human population? I don’t think so. And I’m pretty sure when the Nightingales left this world, the magic that created the mating bond went with them.

  Yeah, Solomon has definitely gone mad.

  It’s not until my feet lead me to the library and I see Aurora sitting at a table that I realize I didn’t make a conscious decision to come here. I had every intention of finding out where her apartment was. I still don’t believe in Solomon’s crap, but I have to concede this is weird as fuck.

  To prove that his theory has no merit, I don’t walk to her immediately. If I was bonded to her, I’d be unable to keep my distance. But as the seconds tick by, it seems my entire body, down to its tiniest cell, is being pulled toward her. My skin tingles, my stomach is a hot mess of twisted knots, and my mouth is watering already, remembering the taste of her blood. The feeling is similar to bloodlust. The difference is, I don’t want to drink from her until she’s dry. I just want to be near her.

  Come on, Saxon. Don’t let Solomon get in your head.

  My foot moves an inch forward and it’s a herculean effort to stop in my tracks. I switch my attention to the clock mounted on the wall to my right. Five minutes. If I can stay still for five minutes, I’ll call it a win.

  I don’t last one.

  Aurora

  I knew Saxon wouldn’t leave me alone, but I didn’t expect him to come after me on the same evening of that stolen kiss. I wish he had waited longer because I sure as hell have
not recovered from it yet. As a matter of fact, I’ve been doing nothing but replaying the moment in my head since I got back.

  When I raise my eyes from the book I’ve been trying to read for the past hour, I find him looking all smug and fine, staring at me with a wolfish grin on his lips.

  “Evening, Aurora.”

  “What are you doing here?” I shout-whisper.

  He pulls up the chair next to mine and takes a seat awfully close to me. “I’m considering enrolling here. I think I need a refresher.”

  I shut the book with a loud thud, trying to mask how much my heart supports that idea. My body begins to hum at his proximity, which doesn’t bode well for me. The last thing I need is Saxon living in the same building as me, tempting me with his delicious body and smoldering eyes. There’s a high chance that I might develop some kind of attachment to him as a way to reject my impending doom. But it wouldn’t be real.

  “Why?”

  “Why not? It’s been a while.” He leans back on the chair, folding his arms behind his head, which makes his shirt rise up and reveal a patch of golden skin.

  I’ve licked that area and farther south. Now I want to taste it again. Crap.

  “That’s ridiculous. You can’t simply enroll whenever you feel like it.”

  “Oh? I can’t? Says who?” He raises an eyebrow.

  I don’t really have an answer for that. “When was the last time you were here?”

  “Forty years ago. Why do you ask?”

  It’s so easy to forget Saxon has hundreds of years over me when he looks like that. “No reason.”

  I begin to collect my things. It’s getting harder and harder to keep pretending I don’t want to jump his bones again.

  Saxon picks one of the books from the pile and opens it to a random page. “What were you reading with such intensity?”

  Intensity? I want to laugh. I was thinking about how good your dick felt inside of me, you idiot. My face is on fire. I’m glad I don’t blush easily, but surrounded by vampires, it makes no difference. They can sense any change in a human’s body, which means Saxon knows exactly how fast my heart is beating.

  “This is a druid book about vampire hibernation. You were looking for a way to help Lucca.” He meets my gaze. Gone is the cockiness. All I see now is a male who is vulnerable and in pain.

  “I know how important it is that Lucca returns. My mother is set in her ways. She won’t look for an alternative that’s a little unorthodox.”

  “And you think druid magic has the answer? How different is their magic from witches’, anyway?”

  “Extremely different. We draw our powers from Mother Earth. Druids were gifted their magic.”

  “By whom?”

  “I don’t know.”

  Saxon’s gaze darkens. “You don’t think the Nightingales, do you?”

  I let out a heavy sigh. The source of druid magic, like many other secrets, is something the witch and mage elders don’t like to share. They keep the information for themselves, like dirty little hoarders. Information is power. No wonder a witch’s grimoire can fetch a high price on the black market. The older the grimoire, the more valuable.

  “It’s a possibility, but the Nightingales aren’t my specialty. Can I have my book back, please?” I turn my hand palm-up.

  The solemn glint fades from his eyes, giving way to a heatwave. He returns the book, making sure his fingers brush mine. There’s an actual shock at the contact, and we both pull our hands back at the same time.

  “What the hell was that?” I ask.

  “You tell me. You’re the witch.”

  “I didn’t do that.”

  His eyes widen a fraction, almost as if he’s suddenly realizing something. He abruptly stands, pushing the chair back so hard it screeches against the wooden floor.

  “I have to go.”

  Without giving me a chance to reply, he whirls around and zooms out of the library, becoming a blur. He ran away and I want to know why.

  I sense two female regulars staring at me, and I don’t like it. I’ve been here for two months and I’ve worked really hard to avoid gossip. I’m required to spend a year in this godforsaken place, attending classes with the bloodsuckers and studying with the headmaster. I can’t allow my personal life to become fodder for fork-tongued bitches.

  “What are you staring at?” I snap.

  They look away, shrinking in on themselves. Shit. They’re the meek kind. I feel sort of bad for biting their heads off, but what’s done is done. I shove my belongings in my bag and head back to my apartment. I’m supposed to attend a boring Keepers training class, but I’m not in the mood to hear Hanson, the instructor, yap about honor and gratitude. I’m not a regular, I don’t need the brainwashing.

  I’m determined to forget the last few hours, but it seems destiny has other ideas. A fancy envelope was shoved under my door, and it bears the insignia of the coven of witches. Hell. What now?

  I rip the envelope open, and then pull out the invitation written in gold letters. My jaw locks tight. The elders are throwing a ball, and in my experience, they never organize those parties without an ulterior motive. I can guess what they’re celebrating this time. My engagement.

  Damn everything to hell.

  8

  Saxon

  It’s been five days since I last saw Aurora and I can say with absolute certainty it’s been fucking hell. I feel achy, irritable, needy. It’s pointless to remain in denial. I have to accept that Solomon’s assessment about my condition is accurate. Aurora is my mate and now I’m fucked.

  I’ve avoided everyone in my household, which was easy to accomplish. My mood has been so foul, I’ve been dolling out insults left and right. Ronan and Manu were smart to give me a wide berth. Of course, my reprieve from their well-meaning meddling must come to an end.

  After hours in the gym, and then a run through the woods behind our house, I return to the mansion to find Ronan waiting for me on the steps of the back patio. The outdoor lights are out, and the new moon provides zero illumination. All I can see is the ember butt of his cigarette.

  He takes a big drag, holding the smoke inside for a few seconds before releasing it in symmetric circles. I ignore him as I veer toward the door, but he stops me in my tracks with a question.

  “All right. I’ve let you sulk in silence long enough. What’s eating you?”

  “Nothing.”

  “Come on, Sax. Let’s not do this. You’ve been in an awful mood since the High Witch and Aurora came to visit.”

  “You know why I’m upset. They failed.” I glance away, staring at the pitch-black forest.

  “We’re all upset, but you’ve been … off.”

  I whip my face toward him. “What do you mean by that?”

  He flicks the cigarette stub away. “I don’t know. I was hoping if you told me what else is bothering you, I could help.”

  “No one can help me.”

  “Dramatic much? I don’t like this mopey version of you. I want the old Saxon back.”

  “You mean you want the sexy back?” I half smile, but it does little to make me feel better. This mate thing is serious shit.

  “That was a pitiful but valid attempt at a joke.”

  “Where’s Manu anyway?” I ask to change the subject.

  “Dealing with missing Lucca the only way she can.” Ronan snorts.

  He doesn’t need to elaborate. Whenever Manu is upset, she tries to break her own record of how many humans she can fuck in one night. Is it a healthy habit? Probably not, but Ronan always gets uber upset when it happens. Sometimes I think he’s in love with her, but he’s such a hard male to read, I can’t be sure. And there’s also the deal with the other female in his life, the one he never talks about.

  “Well, I’m going to hit the sack. Sunup will be here soon.”

  “Oh, I almost forgot.” Ronan pulls an envelope from his jacket. “We’re invited to a ball organized by the coven of witches. King Raphael will be in attendance, and
we’re expected to be there too.”

  Fuck. A ball run by witches? Aurora will be there too. And her fiancé. My fangs elongate and my vision becomes tinged in red. I yank the envelope from Ronan’s hand, almost ripping the paper in the process.

  “Why are they throwing a damn ball? What’s the occasion?”

  “Do the witches need a reason to throw a party in this town?”

  I quickly read the invite, but there’s nothing mentioning Aurora’s engagement. It doesn’t matter. My heart is beating at full speed and shakes are running through my body.

  “Sax? Are you okay?” Ronan asks.

  “I’m fine,” I grit out.

  “Then why are you crushing the invitation like that?”

  I toss the crumpled paper to the ground. “I have to feed.”

  Not looking back, I stride into the house, and veer toward the kitchen where a huge fridge stores bags of blood. I haven’t been able to drink from a human since Aurora, and right now, it’s not the moment to try. Ronan follows me, but he doesn’t say a word as I clear through at least five bags. I didn’t even bother to heat them up.

  “It’s the young witch, isn’t it? You two hooked up,” he says.

  “Yeah. So what? It was just a one-time thing.”

  “Hmm. If you say so. Whatever it is that you’re going through, you’d better be on your best behavior tomorrow night.”

  “Wait. The ball is tomorrow night?” I didn’t read all the details on the invite. My eyes were scanning for the word engagement or wedding.

  “Yep.”

  “And why did we only receive the invitation today?”

  “It arrived five days ago. Gerard gave me all the mail. I simply didn’t remember it until tonight.”

  Frustrated and angry, I run a shaky hand through my hair. I’ve been denying seeing Aurora for this long, which only made my craving worse. What’s going to happen when I see her face-to-face again? Am I going to claim her caveman-style by tossing her over my shoulder and taking her away?

  “Why are your eyes glowing like that?” Ronan stands straighter, his body now coiled tight in high alert. “Are you going into bloodlust?”