would steal the damphyr for their own, getting drunk on the crimson meant for his lips only. They would drink him in and revel in his fluids, learning Death’s secret desire. No, Braden was his. He had always been his.
So many nights while hunting, he imagined this moment. The burning thirst was never satiated, but the closest he ever felt to being filled was when the boiling sweetness of damphyr blood coated his throat.
Braden was huge, bigger than the scrawny kid he once was. Much like his father, the boy’s frame was sturdy, his muscles lean. It would take days to break him down.
Often while hunting, Death pretended each human he tore open was the boy, but each part of the body he devoured lacked fulfillment. Whether sinking his teeth into a spleen or a jugular, the result was the same. He burned for the pure taste of damphyr.
Once he cornered Braden alone, pleasure would be his. Death would take his time loving the boy, with every mouthful the damphyr could give him.
It wouldn’t be long now
.
14
BRADEN
Braden didn’t even try to stretch out on the narrow hospital bed. Pacing the small room that was once for patient use, he kept his ears focused on Liz’s breathing on the other side of the wall. He tried insisting they stay together; that she would be safer that way. But when Riley showed them to their third floor sleeping chambers at dawn, Liz refused to let him join her.
Why is she so stubborn?
Before she closed the door, he leaned down and steadied his gaze on her, making sure she understood. “Listen, when you go in there, you lock the door. If there isn’t a lock, wedge a chair under the knob. Then, I want you to examine every inch of that space and if there is anyway one of those things can slip in that room, you let me know.”
Liz nodded in response. Stepping back, she glanced into the room where a hint of the coming dawn was appearing through the blinds. “The sun is coming up. I don’t think they’ll be bothering me. Besides, I told you earlier, I can take care of myself.”
Struggling to control his patience, Braden took a deep breath. He was fully aware that she thought she could take on the world, but he was scared for her and she made an easy target. “These aren’t dirty old men looking for entertainment. They’re dangerous. They can’t be trusted.”
Looking up at him, Liz’s eyes flashed something other than just fatigue, but she masked it quickly. “No one can be trusted. I learned that a long time ago. Get some rest. We need to get the cure home to Ruby.” With that, she closed the door, leaving him alone with nothing but Riley’s laughter to listen to.
Turning around, Braden glared at his brother.
Riley leaned against the wall grinning. “Trouble in paradise?”
“How do I know that you or one of those leaches won’t rip her apart as soon as I turn my back?”
“I’m wounded Brother. How could you think so little of me?” Holding his hands to his chest, Riley pretended to stagger. “Trust me; Liz is in no danger of me. As far as the others, Garrick told them you’re both off limits. If they disobey him, they’ll face a fate worse than death.”
“Like?”
“Like being chained to a lawn chair at sunrise like the last bastard who crossed him. Garrick waited until Woody ignited and then pulled him back inside and locked him in a cell while he regenerated, refusing to let him feed, so the healing took longer and hurt like hell. The next morning, Garrick made him do it again and again. Woody lasted like that for a week until he was finally allowed to die.”
“What crime warranted that?”
“He grabbed Maze’s ass – or so she said.”
Braden studied the vampire. Riley was in awe of his leader, but feared him more. The nest required a balance of those two elements. Braden witnessed it all night. There was no sense of family, no taking care of each other. From his perch on the table, Garrick made commands and the draugar at his feet followed his orders.
Survival of the fittest. Even here.
For some reason, it was not the life he had imagined his brother was living. Braden knew from the legends they lacked feelings, but somehow imagined something more than what they were.
Glancing out the window, Braden was surprised how close the building was to active city life. How long