Blood Mage (Dark Impulse Book 1) Read online

  “Are you expecting something to happen?” asked Jack.

  She gave him that mischievous look again, and he felt the tension in the room go up several notches.

  “I am no good at talking about myself, as I’m sure you’ve noticed,” said Mira. “Tell me about yourself, Jack. What are the things that drive you in life?”

  It was a general question, but it also managed to feel more personal than anything Jack had been asked in a very long time.

  “To be honest, I’m not really sure yet,” he said. “I know how cliché it must seem for me to drifting and aimless at my age, but that’s where I’m at right now. I’m still in the process of figuring myself out.”

  “Would you like some help?” asked Mira.

  Jack chuckled, but she kept looking at him, staring with such intensity that he felt naked under her gaze. She ran a finger along the edge of her wine glass, and then set it down on the coffee table. Jack took a sip of his own and then placed it next to hers, trying to find meaning in her cryptic words.

  “You’re kind of mysterious,” said Jack. “Has anyone ever told you that before?”

  “It’s in my nature,” she said, leaning in a little closer to him. “Does it make you uncomfortable?”

  Jack smiled and shook his head. Mira’s eyes were still locked onto his, and her gaze had a strange pull to it. The brown flecks he’d noticed earlier looked almost like they’d grown in size, and they didn’t seem to be brown at all any more, but closer to the color of rust.

  She brought her face in closer to his slowly, tentatively, watching his reaction. Jack felt his heart pounding in his chest and was suddenly aware of how red and perfect her lips were. He brought his hand up to her cheek. It felt cold, but he didn’t care. He needed to kiss her more than he’d ever needed anything before in his life.

  He pressed his lips against hers and felt Mira enthusiastically kissing back. He put an arm around her, embracing her as the moment began to heat up. The logical part of him knew that the situation was moving way too fast, but it was overruled by a desperate, forbidden urgency. She was beautiful, and he wanted what she was offering.

  Jack shifted forward, leaning her back onto the couch. Mira giggled as he continued kissing her neck. He slid one of his hands under her sweater and felt the silky fabric of her bra underneath. Her breasts, as he quickly discovered, were a good deal larger than they appeared through her clothes.

  “Such a beautiful outcome,” whispered Mira. “And I thought the story was over.”

  She ran her hands through Jack’s hair. He was too turned on to stop and process what she was saying. He’d taken his shirt off and was fumbling to kick his jeans loose from where one leg had stubbornly bunched around his ankle.

  “You don’t have to rush, Jack,” whispered Mira. “This is just the beginning.”

  She pulled her leggings down, but left the rest of her clothing on. Jack slid a hand up her thigh, quickly discovering that she wasn’t wearing any panties.

  He gave her a deep kiss and guided her legs open, trying to keep his anticipation balanced against his horniness. Mira was already moving underneath him, swaying her hips upward in a teasing, hinting motion.

  Jack cupped her cheek, and then let his fingers move to play with her long, golden ponytail. He kissed her on the lips again, twice in quick succession. Then, he locked eyes with her, making sure she was still comfortable. Mira was biting her lower lip slightly, and gave a slow nod as he pushed forward, letting his shaft slide into her.

  The hot, crushing pleasure of that first moment was almost unreal, and Mira immediately received him with sensual, active movements. Her legs wrapped tightly around his waist, and she pressed her fingernails into his shoulders hard enough to urge him on without causing pain.

  She made a noise somewhere in between a moan and a whimper, planting a wet kiss on his bare shoulder. He could hear every breath she took and the way each grew more pleasured in tiny increments as Jack thrust into her harder and faster. He pulled her sweater up to expose her breasts, groping one through her bra and letting the other bounce and jiggle in response to the pace of their movements.

  Mira kissed him and ran her finger up the side of his chin. Jack gave her breast a hard squeeze, feeling like the luckiest man in the entire world. Mira moaned as he tweaked her nipple. They kissed again, and then he was moving at a frantic pace, pushing into her for all he was worth.

  Jack lost himself in the moment, enjoying her body and her warm, soft presence. He felt Mira’s lips against his neck, pressing teasing kisses around one spot in particular. It was insanely hot, and he was already nearing his limit.

  “He wanted to protect you,” whispered Mira. “He should have taught you instead of hiding you.”

  Jack could only barely hear her through the groaning of the shifting couch, but her words still sent a chill through him. He tried to slow down and found that he couldn’t. He was too turned on, too locked into the moment, and there was an element to the compulsion that went beyond his own sexual need.

  “One final parting gift,” said Mira. “I told you I’d have my revenge, Peter.”

  Pain and pleasure hit Jack like a slap in the face. Mira had dug her teeth into the spot she’d been kissing on his neck. Pain and pleasure, pleasure and pain. Jack’s body shivered from the intensity of it. He was still on top of her, but she now had him at her mercy.

  Whatever it was that he was experiencing went above and beyond what his psyche could withstand. Mira’s teeth were still gouged into his neck, and he could feel her lips against his skin, hot and wet. It was magnitudes more intimate than the sex had been. One of her hands continued to run through his hair, caressing him and calming him as she drank his blood.

  Jack loved her. What a strange thing for him to realize, he thought. He loved her more deeply than he’d known he could love anything, or anyone. His body was submerged in sensation, in orgasmic bliss, warm and safe and full of promise. The feeling was so strong that he knew instantly that he must be dreaming and that he’d be waking up any minute now.

  Mira stopped biting him. Jack groaned, suddenly feeling the cold of the room and wanting the warmth back. She caressed his cheek and gave him a quick kiss on the lips. She tasted sweet and tangy.

  “Go to sleep, Jack,” she whispered. “We’ll see each other again soon.”

  CHAPTER 6

  Jack opened his eyes. He was lying on the couch, shivering and naked. His neck was throbbing, and the back of his throat felt scratchy and dry. He groaned and sat up, fighting a spell of dizziness.

  He coughed. Something felt off about his mouth, almost like he’d chipped his two upper canine teeth. No, that wasn’t right. It was more like the feeling after getting fillings put in, like his teeth didn’t quite fit the same as they had before.

  It was still dark outside, meaning he couldn’t have been asleep for more than a couple of hours. Had he been asleep? He remembered Mira, the mysterious woman he’d invited inside. His hand went to his neck, and he saw red on his fingers when he brought them back into view.

  “What… the fuck?” he muttered.

  “Jack? Hello?” Katie’s voice came from down the hall, in the foyer. Jack hurried to pull his clothes back on, feeling his face heat up at the thought of having to explain to her why he was bleeding and naked after the bizarre turn his evening had taken.

  “Why was the door left… open?” Katie trailed off as she entered the lounge and caught sight of him. Her eyes went wide, and she clamped a hand over her mouth and started shaking her head.

  “I did something stupid,” muttered Jack. “There was this woman outside, and she seemed nice, so I, well…”

  “Fuck!” shouted Katie. “Fuck, fuck! I am a fucking idiot!”

  Jack furrowed his brow.

  “No, it’s not your fault,” he said. “Are there any bandages in the bathroom?”

  He stood up from the couch and took a step toward her.

  “I’ll get you one!” Katie said, qui
ckly. “You just… wait right here. I’ll be right back.”

  “Uh, okay,” said Jack. “Can you get me something to drink, too? I feel so thirsty all of the sudden.”

  Katie backed away without turning around. Jack could smell her perfume, a sweet, almost intoxicating scent. He started walking after her, his legs moving on their own. He needed to be closer to her. He needed… something.

  He started to feel dizzy again once he’d made it out into the foyer, and he had to lean against the railing of the stairs for support. Katie appeared from the downstairs bathroom, slowly moving toward him with a bandage in one hand.

  “The person who bit you,” said Katie. “Who was it?”

  “It was a woman,” said Jack. “She said her name was Mira. Wait, how did you know someone bit me?”

  Katie nodded, as though he’d confirmed an unvoiced suspicion.

  “Jack,” she said. “There’s blood on your hand, too. Let me see it.”

  She stepped in a little closer to him. Her smell was almost too much for Jack to handle, and he could somehow feel the warmth radiating off her body. Katie had put her hair up into a bun and donned earrings at some point, and the combination seemed to emphasize the beautiful angles of the side of her neck.

  “My hand…” Jack glanced at his fingers and then held his hand out toward her. “I don’t think it’s cut.”

  “Be quiet,” said Katie. “Stay still while I take a look.”

  She stepped into Jack’s reach and moved almost faster than his eyes could follow, seizing his wrist and clipping a bracelet onto it. No, not a bracelet. A handcuff. Katie closed the other loop around the railing of the stairs and then hopped back a few feet, narrowing her eyes.

  “Fuck,” she muttered. “I’m so fucking stupid. How did I not see this coming?”

  Jack pulled against the handcuff.

  “What the hell, Katie?” he said, glaring at her. “Can you at least give me the bandage? My neck still feels like it’s bleeding.”

  She wasn’t listening to him. Katie had her arms crossed over her breasts, and her expression was set into a thoughtful frown.

  “Quit complaining,” she said, after another few silent seconds. “Jack, look. You need to know the situation that you’re in.”

  Jack rattled his handcuffs.

  “An explanation would be nice,” he said.

  Katie let her eyes meet his. For the first time since arriving back on Lestaron Island, Jack saw a glimmer of the girl he’d once known in her expression. She was worried, and a little scared, but the emotions were tamped down by her determination and resolve.

  “The woman who bit you was a vampire,” she said, speaking slowly and enunciating clearly. “They exist. They’re real. And now you’re one of them.”

  Jack stared at her for a couple of seconds, and then let out a single chuckle.

  “You have a strange sense of humor,” he said. “So, what? Was she a friend of yours? Did you two think it would be funny to try to scare me or something?”

  “She gave you what’s called the Embrace,” said Katie. “It’s the kind of bite that spreads the vampiric curse. I’m not sure what her motive was, but this is what’s happened.”

  Jack frowned and shook his head. He watched Katie closely, expecting her to smile, or do something to give away her prank. She looked visibly disturbed, and she ran a hand across her forehead as she let out a stressed-out sigh.

  “I don’t have time to waste convincing you,” she said. “There is a lot you haven’t been told, Jack. Your grandfather was a power player in the realm of the supernatural, and he made a lot of enemies.”

  “That’s ridiculous,” said Jack. “Come on. Enough with the joke. The woman wasn’t a vampire. She was a friend of my grandfather.”

  “Believe what you want,” said Katie. “Peter was Mira’s archnemesis. This isn’t the first time she has attacked the mansion. But it is the first time that she’s gotten the better of us.”

  Katie swore again under her breath, and then shook her head.

  “You can’t be serious,” said Jack. “You think she embraced me, or whatever, to turn me into a vampire, and that’s why you handcuffed me? Katie, do you really expect me to buy this shit?”

  Katie seemed to come to a decision. She hurried past Jack, heading downstairs into the mansion’s basement. He got a whiff of her scent as she went by and shivered at the thrill it sent through him.

  “Katie?” he shouted. “Where are you going? Hey!”

  He pulled against the handcuffs again, trying to slip his hand loose. They were tight against his wrist, though, and all he managed to do was chafe his skin and leave parallel red lines where the metal dug in. His skin looked paler than he remembered, and he felt a prickle on the hairs on the back of his neck.

  “No way…” he muttered. “This can’t be possible.”

  Katie reappeared in the foyer after a few minutes, and it almost felt like a remix of when Jack had first returned to the mansion. She’d taken off her earrings but left her hair up, and she’d changed into a new outfit.

  Katie was now wearing a skintight black leather catsuit with a metal zipper running between her breasts and up to her neckline. It clung to her body like a glove and proved to Jack that her figure wasn’t quite as devoid of curves as he’d originally thought.

  “She might still be around,” said Katie. “If I can find her and kill her, then all of this will be no more than a bad dream come tomorrow morning.”

  “Katie, come on,” he said. “This is ridiculous.”

  “You shouldn’t have come back, Jack,” she said. “For so many goddamn reasons.”

  “Katie! Enough playing around!”

  “Oh, trust me,” she said. “I’m not playing.”

  It was only then that Jack noticed the black metal crossbow strung across her back and the pouch of silver bolts hanging from the bag at her side. She walked past him, and again, Jack felt like she was taunting him with her fantastic smell.

  “Let me come with you,” he said. “You can explain more while we look for her. And if you’re really telling the truth, I’ll go along with whatever it is you’re planning.”

  He was finding it harder to convince himself that Katie was playing a prank on him. His tongue probed at his teeth again. At his fangs. No, this wasn’t a prank, he realized. It could be a dream, but Katie was serious about the situation.

  “Not a chance,” said Katie. “Try to relax, if you can. Hopefully, this will all be over soon.”

  She hurried toward the mansion’s door, slipping out and closing it behind her. Jack heard the locks being engaged from outside, and then the mansion was silent again.

  CHAPTER 7

  Jack had no intention of staying behind. He started pulling at his wrist again as soon as the door had shut. There was no way he was going to get his wrist loose, but the other circle of the handcuffs was tightened around the stairway railing. If he could somehow pull it free…

  The railing was made of thick polished wood. He’d have as much luck trying to punch through a car door with his fist. Jack grimaced, feeling suddenly claustrophobic at the idea of being trapped where he was. He gave the handcuffs a hard pull.

  The wood groaned slightly, but nothing else happened. He dropped into a crouch and took a deep breath. The dizziness he’d felt earlier was still there, on the edge of his awareness, but another sensation took priority over it. He really wanted to go outside, into the night, and find Katie.

  He slammed his body forward, tossing all his strength and then some into a desperate attempt to break the railing. And to his surprise, it did break. Jack tumbled forward as his momentum threw him off balance. He fell into a roll that was more graceful than any similar fall he’d taken before and rose to his feet.

  He looked back at the railing, only then fully appreciating what he’d done. The wood was nearly as thick as a baseball bat, and he’d snapped it like a dead tree branch. Katie was telling the truth. And all of the evidence pointed to th
at same truth.

  “She turned me into a vampire,” he muttered. “That bitch.”

  Even as he spoke the words, he felt the emotions that Mira had stirred within him returning. The sex had been incredible, and even the sensation of her teeth piercing into his skin had been sensual and intimate. Katie had implied that if she could find Mira, she could somehow return him to normal. Jack wanted to find her, too, but as much just to see her again as to find a solution to whatever transformation he’d just gone through.

  He hurried out the mansion’s front entrance and into the night. It was late, after midnight, but the darkness seemed to welcome him. A crow let out a loud caw from overhead, and Jack glanced up in time to see the silhouette of a surprisingly large bird taking flight from the mansion’s roof. He could see the headlights of a car in the distance, heading away from the mansion, and knew that it had to be Katie in pursuit of Mira.

  The moon was out, and the sky was studded with stars, but Jack’s night vision felt improved to the point where he suspected he would have been able to see outlines even in pitch darkness. He broke into a sprint, his muscles working faster and more efficiently than he’d ever experienced before.

  He ran straight down the slope, gaining ground on Katie’s car as it meandered down the winding path. It almost looked as though Katie was heading back into Lesser Town, but she took a turn on the outskirts, heading somewhere else. By the time she finally came to a stop, Jack was only a few hundred feet behind her.

  They were outside of a dilapidated warehouse next to an old lumber mill. Katie climbed out of the car, turning on a flashlight and scanning the nearby area. Jack stepped forward just as the beam moved across him, holding his hands up in an attempt to put her at ease.

  “I told you to stay put!” she hissed.

  “And I told you to take the handcuffs off me,” replied Jack. “We’ll have to replace the railing now before we start showing the mansion to any interested buyers.”