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“Nikolas said four should be enough, but I can call more,” Eliza said as Gabby settled Felix into a sitting position on the couch.
“Four should be fine,” Gabby said. “Thank you.”
“I’ll have bottled blood, if you have any,” Ahmed said, not looking at the humans.
Eliza gestured to the kitchen. “In the fridge.”
“Thank you.”
Eliza turned to one of the women, whose silvery blond hair shone against golden tanned skin. “Brittany, you first.”
The human woman’s eyes shone with excitement; her blue eyes glued to Felix with a greedy glint. Dark, ugly tendrils of jealousy unfurled in Gabby. She pointed to the brown-haired male who hadn’t taken his eyes off her since she’d walked in. If Felix was awake, the male would’ve died ten times already.
“No. You. Also, you are feeding him, not me.”
The swagger in the male’s stride disappeared. A frown marred his handsome face, but he said nothing and sat down next to Felix. Smart. Vampires didn’t pay the feeders to argue and be picky.
Gabby took the man’s wrist and bit down. Her cells came alive at the first taste. Clean and fresh and powerful. More. She needed more. She beat back the urge to gorge and pulled back. At her first bite, the man’s eyes had glazed over as he fell into her hypnotic power. She could’ve sliced his wrist open, but it was easier this way. No pain for the feeder and less risk of cutting too deep.
She pushed the man’s bleeding wrist to Felix’s lips. Blood trickled down his mouth and chin. His body may have shut down, but the vampire would feed at the taste of blood. Seconds later, Felix’s mouth latched onto the man’s wrist with a hungry snarl. His eyes snapped open, glowing vampiric red with hunger. The scent of blood, arousal, and fear filled the room. Gabby stopped breathing to resist the temptation.
The other humans stared at her with wide eyes.
“It’s fine,” she crooned, infusing power behind her words. “You are safe.”
Their eyelids drooped, their bodies relaxing, turning complacent.
Felix’s heartbeat returned a few seconds later. His wounds began healing. Heat flooded their mating bond. Her chest expanded until it felt full to bursting at his presence.
Alive. He was alive.
The immensity of her relief irritated her. She tamped down the urge to touch his mind, to check he was really back. He hadn’t been dead, but despite her rational brain, her instincts couldn’t shake the dread that’d wrapped around her while he’d been gone.
Though his body healed enough to return from its dead state, hunger rode him hard to where Gabby had to stop him from taking too much from the first human. She pushed another feeder to him. Under her power, the human went without fear. She quashed the feeling of guilt. Even though it was a necessity, she didn’t like hypnotizing humans.
The Houses paid the human feeders handsomely for their services. They earned enough in five years to support a comfortable living for the rest of their lives. Their safety was guaranteed. House vampires never took more than what they would give at a blood drive. Besides, now with the synthetic bottled blood, their services weren’t always necessary. The Houses kept them around for emergencies like this. Otherwise, they enjoyed a leisurely life where they may not be fed on for days at a time.
Felix’s pace slowed as he fed on the second human. The blood accelerated his healing. His mangled, bloody shoulder and his back with exposed bone and tissue turned into angry, red patches that looked like he’d suffered horrible burns.
Gabby reached down to heal the first human, who was unconscious, when a hand stopped her.
“Let me.” Eliza propped the human against the couch. “You should feed too.”
With Felix on his way to recovery, Gabby strode to the two waiting humans. Hunger pulsed through her with an unending ache. Her body’s demand for nourishment rose to the surface, overriding every other thought.
Her fangs lengthened. The woman’s blood called to her, prey to predator.
“Sit,” she commanded.
The woman sat on the stool behind her, her eyes blank. Gabby struck, sinking her fangs into the woman’s throat. A hint of pain and panic from the human. Then pleasure. Good.
Gabby moaned as power and strength slammed into her with the force of a tsunami. Her cells absorbed the fresh blood and transformed it into strength. Into life.
When she stopped, she was ready to take on another three crazy vampires.Note to self: Always feed from humans.The bottled blood had served while in a pinch, but if she had to fight more deranged and super-powered vampires, she required blood from the vein.
Felix was finishing up his third human. His wounds had completely healed, as if he’d never been injured. His breathing was even, his heart rate steady.
Eliza and Ahmed carried away the passed-out humans and returned seconds later. “Is there anything else you need?” Eliza asked.
