Free Crimson Heat: 4 (Vampira) by Jan Springer Page A

dart.
    At the edge of the deck, she lifted the bottle of synthetic blood to her quivering lips and he watched her drink greedily, desperately, as if searching for the energy she would need to fend off the Crimson Moon mating.
    He moved beside her. Thankfully, she didn’t step away. He took that as a good sign.
    “You hide behind that secret coven of Vampira,” he continued. He needed for her to see the situation she was in. Needed her willing and fully accepting of what was going to happen during the Crimson Moon.
    “You are their slave. You seek freedom, but you never have it, do you, Lisbeth?”
    Her new name rolled off his tongue like a velvet whisper. He almost preferred it over her slave name of Satin.
    She said nothing and continued to drink quickly, desperately. If she believed the weak concoction would give her the strength to fight them off, she would be in for a shock.
    Luca loved the way her long, slender throat moved as she swallowed. Craved to sink his teeth into her flesh and feed off her again. The taste of her blood was still fresh in his mouth. It had been hot and sweet and slid like silk down his throat. It had been momentary bliss drinking from her, and it had taken all his self-control to not drink his fill. He wanted to feed more on her. The urge was so great he had to wrap his hands over the railing of the deck to keep from following his instincts.
    When she finished her drink, she wiped a tiny streak of blood from the left side of her plump lips. The gesture just about broke him into reaching out to her. To force her to feed from him. It would be easy to do. All he’d have to do was rip open a vein in his wrist for her.
    She was so hungry for pure blood, the smell of it and her instincts would take over and she would drink from him. He wanted to see his blood on her lips. Wanted to feel her fangs pierce his flesh and have her gain strength from his offering. But she’d been forced enough. He wanted her to come to them of her free will.
    “You hide in the human world,” he continued. “Cloister yourself behind your many computers to run your empire of condoms.”
    She threw daggers with her gaze. “What would you know of my life?”
    “Your friend, Zeena. Yes, she was able to conceal your whereabouts with her mind shield but before it kicked in, we learned enough about you to know you are a virtual recluse, hiding in fear and waiting for bounty hunters to locate you.”
    “And how did you find me?” she snapped.
    Her gaze flashed with fury and curiosity. Her cheeks blossomed faintly with pink as the synthetic blood rushed through her and gave her some much-needed sustenance.
    “Your last conversation with Zeena. She had no idea we were nearby or that Tristan is a full-blood. He can do many things we can’t, such as catching air waves of information and dragging us along for a wicked ride.”
    He caught the tips of her lips curling upward ever so slightly into a tiny smile. She nodded. She remembered.
    “Headaches after the ride. The drawbacks of being rogues,” she said.
    She placed the empty bottle on the nearby railing and he followed her gaze as she peered past the twisted pine trees to the moonlit ocean below. Tendrils of fog curled along the rocky shores and whispered over the gentle waves.
    “Fantastic scenery,” he admitted. “I can see why you’d like it here.”
    She remained silent.
    He stared toward the east. Several islands loomed there, but everywhere else there was just the ocean. Serene and quiet. A good place to come when one wished to reflect.
    Above, the moon had begun to turn a soft shade of red. Only Crimson vampires and some rogues could see the moon in its truest form and feel its effects, just as he was doing. The need to have sex with her grew with every minute and it pulsed through him like an untamed animal.
    Her scent was deepening too. Sweetening and more succulent. Addictive.
    His mouth watered with anticipation and his fangs stirred, ready to unleash. He