Page 12 of Silent Stalker
Shit. I couldn’t kill victims, and I heaved a sigh, grateful my stakes had ignored my initial desire to end all vampires attacking people. “They were in a frenzy, I guess. The kids weren’t hurt nearly as bad as I thought.”
“Bloodlust, especially in a later stage, means they lack the capacity for thought. The miscreants you fought before were feeding more often. I recommend letting them bite the fleshier part of your arm enough to take the edge off. It will hurt. We’re on the way, and we will bring blood with us. Keep the call connected while you feed them.”
“Okay.”
“Don’t worry. Emerick will be able to take control once they’ve had enough to ease the bloodlust.”
Ben wanted me not to worry? Had he lost his mind? “You’re taking this quite well.”
“We had discussed this as a possibility, but I hadn’t thought we’d start dealing with this immediately. I will have Wagyu for you, but expect our cranky brood master to hover.”
I snorted, dropped the phone, and went to Luca, reaching down and lifting his head. As I didn’t want him rubbing filth all over me while he drank my blood, I took the time to wipe his face with my sleeve. “All right, Luca. You need blood, and it’ll be a while for Ben to get here, so you’re going to get a little from me.” Before Emerick could hiss, I shot him a glare. “No complaints out of you, either. Ben’s orders.”
“Thank you,” Luca whispered. “So thirsty.”
I’d been there. As delaying would make the problem worse, I offered my arm and braced for the hell he’d put me through until he had enough for Emerick to work with. It took longer than I thought for the vampire to ease away from my arm, licking his lips.
I considered my stakes, and I selected one I had carved when I’d needed comfort when I’d had no luck finding a miscreant. “Hold this. It will help keep the thirst at bay.”
While the vampire hesitated, he took the stake. The instant the wood touched his skin, his eyes widened, tears welled up and fell, creating streaks down his dirt-encrusted cheeks. “It’s like the sun. So warm.”
“You get to polish that one extra tonight, too,” I informed my husband, annoyed he’d hidden his furry secret from me. “For the record, I love cats, and you will be offering yourself for my petting pleasures. You are the rudest, and I am stricken with heartbreak I could have petted a cat sooner, but no. You hid your furry secret from me. I’m going to need some serious comfort after this. You’re terrible.”
Emerick lifted one of his large paws and draped it over his eyes, giving a shake of his head.
“You only have yourself to blame.” I checked both the vampires, who continued to breathe, and I decided to test my luck, hoping the still-bleeding wound would be enough to get the prone vampire to drink. I suspected the stake cooperated, as the vampire latched on and began to drink in deep, compulsive swallows.
Once again, I endured about ten minutes of pain before he released me. I made it halfway through the process on the third vampire before Ben showed up driving Emerick’s Civic. “Everything okay, Pepper?”
“I kept the other two staked, and Luca’s been pretty distraught.”
“He’s an old softy, and once his head clears, he’s going to need therapy. Why does he have a stake?”
“I carved that one when I was really thirsty, so I told him to hold it. He’s been like that ever since. He said something about the sun.”
If Ben couldn’t figure out the poor vampire still wept, I wouldn’t mention it.
“Your stakes are potent.” Ben crouched beside me, rolled up his sleeve, and used a knife to draw blood. “We’ll switch. I can take him over if he’s too far gone, but from the vein is better for them at this stage. Drink the entire bottle of Wagyu and have the annoyed cat remove the blood from your arm. That’ll keep him from yowling at me for a few minutes, and it serves your plans.”
I chuckled at that, grateful for Ben’s help and relieved to finally be freed from having fangs buried in my flesh. As asked, I went to Emerick, sat down, and held out my arm. “Try to leave some skin when you’re done.”
While the cat huffed, he did swipe his rough tongue over my skin several times, removing most of my blood.
“Will he bite me if I pet him?”
“No, although he will complain bitterly if you knock down his guard enough he starts to purr.”
“I thought jaguars couldn’t purr. Panthers are typically melanistic jaguars, and jaguars are big cats who can’t purr, right?”
“He is not a panther of any sort. He’s classified as a smaller cat species, as he can purr. He regrets his inability to roar, but he has discovered he can bring most of the brood in line with some purring and presentation of his fur coat. Vampires don’t have specific mundane counterparts when we take on another form. We tend to take on our master’s form, as such, most in our brood can turn into cats once trained in the art or they discover it for themselves.”
“Clarke is a cat, too, then?”
“Clarke prefers to take on the form of a clouded leopard, as he wants everyone to admire him, but yes. Clarke favors felines.”
“And Kennwick?”
“His brood does not favor felines. If he wants you to learn his other forms, he will show up in those forms.”
