Better Off Undead - Cynthia Eden Page 0,71

Jane’s voice.

The wolf stumbled.

My mate.

And then both vampires vanished.

Chapter Sixteen

It was hard to think straight. Jane’s body was too hot. Her skin too tight. And her mind…

Hunger. Need. Blood.

She could taste blood on her tongue. The flavor was rich and oddly sweet. And…and Jane feared it was…his.

Everything was cloudy. Her thoughts were in chaos. She’d been in an alley. She thought she had, anyway. Aidan had been there. She’d…bit him?

Had she killed him?

“Jane.” It was that voice again. The annoying one that kept bossing her around.

“Jane, you need to feed.”

The fangs in her mouth—the ones that were fully extended and burning—told her that he was right. But… “Leave me alone.” Her voice was a rasp. So weak and broken. That was how she felt.

Every part of her seemed broken.

Did I kill Aidan? Her—her fangs had been in his throat. But…he’d shifted, hadn’t he?

“Stop moping.” The annoying voice came once more. The vampire’s voice. “Your werewolf is still alive, though I think he’d like nothing more than to tear us both apart.”

At those words, Jane’s lashes lifted. The vampire—Vincent—stood just a few feet in front of her. It was dim all around them, and the place smelled a bit dank. Mildew hung in the air, the scent had her nose twitching.

“Are you in control?” Vincent asked her.

“Fuck off.”

He nodded. “That sounds relatively in control.” His gaze slid over her and he winced. “Sorry about all the manacles. I’m totally not into bondage, but until I see how you’re going to react to this whole new vamp life you’ve got going on, they seem like a good idea.”

Because the bastard had her chained up. Both of her wrists were locked in heavy, metal cuffs above her head. Her feet were chained up, too. She stood against a wall, trapped. At his mercy.

Her day was truly shit. Or was it night now? She had no clue.

“I think this place used to be an old BDSM club,” Vincent explained to her, as if they were having a friendly little chat. “When I came to town, I bought it and made a few quick modifications.”

“Because you knew…you were going…to change…me…” Speaking was so hard. Each word left her throat feeling raw.

Vincent shook his head. “I knew you would change. It was meant to be. Even your voodoo queen saw it, didn’t she?”

Don’t be the hero. Just…don’t be. Annette’s words played through her mind, like a song stuck on repeat.

“She saw it,” Vincent continued, “but even the famed Annette Benoit couldn’t change anything.”

“You…did…this…” Her voice didn’t even sound human. More like an animal’s. Her stomach was knotted and her whole body hurt.

“You were choking on your own blood, Jane. You were dead, your body was just still suffering. I ended your pain.”

You broke my neck. I remember that part, you asshole.

“I am not the enemy.” Vincent took a step closer to her. His eyes drifted over her face. “You need to realize that. I am your one friend in this world. I can help you.”

She closed her eyes. The bloodlust was building inside of her again. Nearly uncontrollable. Her fangs shoved against her lips. Her throat was parched.

Want. I need…

“You attacked Aidan. Do you remember that?” Vincent asked her.

Shame twisted around her heart.

“And he tried to kill you.”

A tear leaked from her eye. She felt it slide down her cheek.

Vincent sighed. “You have to stay away from him, or he will kill you. You and I need to leave town. As soon as you’re strong enough, we’ll be out of here. Hell, we’ll leave the freaking country, just to be safe. He won’t get you. I’ll keep you safe.”

She didn’t want to be safe. She wanted her old life back. She wanted Aidan.

“Jane.” Her name came from him, hard and demanding. “Jane, I am not the enemy. I came here to help you because I knew the change was coming. You don’t have to be a monster. You have vampires all wrong. You don’t have to be evil.”

Tell that to the vampire who killed my family. Tell it to my father, tell—

“Even your father eventually regained his humanity. How do you think you escaped that vampire attack when you were eleven? When your worthless excuse for a brother saved himself first and you were struggling to get out of that little window in the basement?”

How did Vincent know about that?

“Your father came to your rescue. He gave his life so that you could escape, not that I expect you to remember that, of course. You probably