Luca's Magic Embrace Read online

  “Put the back seat down,” he ordered.

  Sydney clicked the release on the seats, pushing them until they were flat. Kade laid Luca in the trunk and climbed into the back. With his hands underneath Luca’s arms, he gently pulled him all the way into the car. Thank God they’d brought the Escalade. It would be a tight fit with two large males lying in the back, but they’d fit.

  Kade sighed as he leaned up onto his side, and reached over to Luca’s mouth. Placing one hand on Luca’s chin and cupping his cheeks with the other hand, he slowly opened Luca’s cracked lips.

  Sydney started the engine and stole a glimpse of Kade biting into his wrist. No matter how many times she’d witnessed a vampire feeding someone or feeding from someone, she was always fascinated by the intimacy of the act. It felt almost intrusive to watch them together. Anxious to get home, she pulled her eyes back to the road and drove.

  Kade cradled Luca’s head as he pressed his wrist downward. The crimson droplets trickled down the sides of Luca’s face; he wasn’t swallowing. Kade reached with his mind, willing Luca to drink. Please Goddess, let me through to him. Drink Luca, drink.

  Luca jerked in Kade’s arms as a single drop of the life-giving blood was absorbed into his body. Yet he didn’t wake. He could not move. Immobilized within his friend’s arms, Luca’s consciousness awakened. Safe. Kade. Friend. He tried to move, but couldn’t manage more than a swallow.

  “That’s it, Luca. Drink,” Kade ordered. Relief flooded his mind; he’d been worried about Luca’s ability to recover. While vampires only needed to drink a few pints every couple of days, they needed to feed regularly. Going without feeding could send them into a frenzy, which could cause them to lose control and kill a human. Going several days without feeding could cause their demise.

  Pulling into Kade’s compound, Sydney saw Dominique waiting impatiently near the mansion’s entrance. Dominique, another vampire, was a longtime loyal employee and friend of Kade’s. Sydney described her as a badass fashionista. She and Dominique had initially clashed when they’d first met over a month ago. Since then, they’d forged a friendship based on mutual respect and a love of leather.

  Parking the car, Sydney ran around the SUV and slowly pulled open the hatch. She understood that Luca could be dangerous, so she moved slowly with no sudden movements. Yet looking at his frail, battered torso, she couldn’t fathom what harm he could do in his weakened state. While typically well-composed, her breath caught in her throat at the sight of him. She could not resist the need to provide both Luca and Kade with comfort. As she reached to touch Luca, his eyes flew open; he strained to break free of Kade’s hold. Human blood.

  “Don’t touch him! Get away now, Sydney!” Kade hissed at her.

  Sydney jumped back, startled at the bloodlust in Luca’s eyes. He was dangerous. Hungry. She thought she must look like water in the desert to him. Heeding Kade’s order, she ran inside to see what she could do to help.

  Dominique intervened, helping Kade to restrain Luca. “Fuck, what the hell happened to him?” Dominique questioned.

  “He was silvered, starved. Possibly tortured. Not sure what all they did yet. But I know they got his blood. There were needles all over the damn place,” he spat out. So many years had passed since he’d been turned. At times, he was astonished by how little progress humanity had achieved. Evil, hate and torture still beat strong within the hearts of so many. How could they have done this to him?

  He sighed wearily. “Sydney’s blood is making him crazy. We need to get him inside. Where are Xavier and Étienne? Do we have donors?” Kade held tight onto Luca while trying to move him slowly out of the SUV. Luca was still in no condition to walk and he’d be damned if he’d chance letting him loose.

  “They’re on their way. I have a room prepared upstairs. I can help carry him,” she said, looking around to make sure Sydney was gone. Like Kade, she could not trust Luca not to attack her. They had human donors waiting upstairs, and they would monitor the feeding closely so Luca didn’t end up draining them.

  “Where’s Sydney?” Kade asked.

  Dominique looked around. “It seems your woman had enough sense to make herself scarce when he looked at her like she was lobster dinner. Don’t worry, she’ll be fine. It isn’t her first time at the vamp rodeo.”

  “I know. It’s just that she’s not used to seeing Luca like this. Neither am I.” He shook his head. Seeing Luca in such an animalistic state would serve as a reminder to Sydney that she was marrying into this lifestyle. He needed to find her and make sure that she was all right.

  Kade easily lifted Luca, with his arms under Luca’s neck and the crook under his knees. Luca’s eyes were wide open, yet he wasn’t speaking. Kade wasn’t sure if Luca understood what was happening as he took him upstairs to the guest bedroom. Dominique motioned Kade into the bathroom, where she had a bath filled with warm water. “Kade, over here. The warm water will help get his body temp back up.”

  Kade placed Luca’s emaciated naked body into the warm, soapy water. “Shit,” he said as water sloshed over the sides of the tub and all over the floor. Without even taking the time to undress, Kade carefully climbed into the tub and lay next to Luca so he could hold him still while he fed. Deeply concerned about Luca’s state, he waved over at Dominique. “Where’s the donor? We need him now!” he commanded.

  She pointed at a shirtless, twenty-something male who was waiting in the bedroom. “You, over here, on your knees by the tub.”

  “Yes ma’am,” said the donor as he willingly and quickly complied with her demand, and held out his arm. Donors were easy to come by these days. They signed up at blood clubs, hoping to experience a sexual encounter with a vampire. At the very least, they hoped to be chosen for a bite, knowing the orgasmic properties that could be granted by the vampire.

  Issacson Securities, Kade’s company, had contracted with Sanguine Services to procure donors when needed. Dominique had called in advance to procure a couple of strong males who would be able to provide enough blood for Luca. She just hoped the blood would be enough to bring Luca back from his atrophied state. She had never seen a vampire so far gone and wasn’t convinced they could save him. But she didn’t want to cause Kade further worry, so she kept her reservations to herself.

  Dominique gently took the donor’s wrist and flashed him a quick smile. “Hey there, what’s your name?” she asked.

  “Milo,” he obediently replied.

  “Okay, listen, Milo. This person here; he’s a good friend of mine. His name is Luca. He hasn’t eaten in days, so this might be a little rough at first but I promise you will be safe.” She hoped he would, anyway.

  Kade tried reaching out mentally to Sydney to tell her to stay away. Their telepathic connection was in its infancy, but short of yelling for her, he needed to send some kind of warning to stay away from Luca. Sensing she was in the house but not near, he breathed a sigh of relief. It was time to get started. He nodded at Dominique to begin.

  Dominique brought Milo’s wrist to her finely-painted, coral-colored lips. Her tongue darted out, licking his sensitive inner wrist. She resisted the urge to play with her food, knowing that Luca needed blood as soon as possible. Expeditiously, her razor-sharp fangs pierced his flesh; he moaned aloud, sexually excited by her bite.

  Leaning over to Luca’s lips, with the donor’s wrist in her mouth, she seamlessly transferred Milo’s bleeding wrist from her mouth to Luca’s. Another loud groan of excitement resounded along the granite-tiled walls as Luca began to voraciously feed.

  Kade had his arms locked around Luca’s upper body, preventing him from making any violent attack on the donor. “That’s it my friend. Drink. You’ll be fine, and we’ll find out who did this to you,” he said, looking directly into Luca’s eyes. He could tell Luca was starting to become fully conscious, but he still couldn’t tell if Luca’s cognition was stable. Their mental connection was still severed.

  A loud groan emanated from Milo, indicating sexual release. Domi
nique had already readied the second donor as Kade pulled Milo away from Luca. They were very careful to ensure that Luca did not kill the donors. Luca latched onto the second donor and was starting to regain color, warmth. Despite being close to getting enough blood, something wasn’t right with Luca.

  Kade released Luca as he pushed the second donor away. Luca again closed his eyes as his physique appeared to regenerate before their eyes. Kade climbed out of the tub and grabbed a towel as Xavier and Étienne entered the bathroom. “Nice of you to join us. Please attend to the donors and make sure they get safely home,” he said as he rubbed his hair vigorously with the towel, annoyed that they’d just arrived at the mansion.

  “Sorry we’re late, Kade. Downtown traffic is a bitch this time of night,” Étienne explained. “He’s looking well, no?”

  “Looks can be deceiving. Something’s not right. Our mental connection’s shut down. He isn’t verbally responding either. But he’s had quite enough vampire and human blood to bring him back physically.” Kade was worried about Luca.

  Xavier leaned down and touched Luca’s head. “Mon ami, what happened to you?” Xavier tried reaching for him mentally and also failed to contact him. “I see what you mean. Do you know what’s going on? He’s here but not here.”

  “Not sure. Perhaps he needs time to rest. For now, let’s get moving, people. Get the donors out of here.” He looked over at Dominique. She had a single, blood-red tear running down her beautiful face.

  “Dominique, look at me,” he ordered. She complied, meeting his eyes. “Luca will heal. Finish bathing him, and get him to bed. Watch over him until I return. I’m going to call a doctor, and I need to find Sydney. She may be able to help him...”

  “But how, Kade? Look at him…he’s not responding to us,” she cried.

  “Trust me. I’ve been around a very long time. I know what needs to be done, even if I’m not happy about it.”

  Sydney could not stop thinking about what had just happened outside of the car. Luca and Sydney had had a rough start. Because she was human, which equated to weak and vulnerable in his eyes, he hadn’t been happy about her working with them on the Voodoo murder case. But they had forged a deep friendship during battle. Sydney was a hardened detective from Philadelphia, so she’d seen most of the worst the world could dish out. But it didn’t stop the pain in her heart from seeing a friend injured. Nor did it stop the surprise she felt seeing the look in his eyes. She could feel the pull of him mentally, wanting to feed from her.

  She was confused about how this could be possible. Sydney had been regularly drinking small amounts of Kade’s blood since they’d got engaged. Blood sharing was an incredibly intimate and sexual experience. As a result of their bonding, she was starting to be able to feel a mental connection to Kade. Right now, she could sense single words or feelings from him, but he told her that soon she’d be able to send messages back and forth. She had thought that connection would only be with Kade.

  However, today at the car, Luca’s eyes had bored into her soul, calling to her to help him. It was if she could hear him speaking to her. Frightened, she obediently ran into the house at Kade’s command. She wasn’t afraid of Luca attacking her. No, she was afraid of the message she sensed from him. He needed her blood.

  CHAPTER TWO

  Dr. Sweeney, Kade’s personal physician, had assessed Luca’s health. Even though he’d received human blood, there was the possibility he might not return to who he had been. The doctor estimated he’d gone without blood for at least seven days, which would have been long enough to easily kill a younger vampire. She said there was a chance he would recover fully after several feedings, but they might have to wait over a month before they knew for sure. Devastated by the news, Kade went to search for comfort in Sydney.

  Sydney was hunched over, with her face in her hands, sitting in the master bedroom when Kade found her. He would never get used to the feel of his heart squeezing in his chest when he was around her. Detective Sydney Willows was his woman, his fiancée: strong, sexy, loving. She was all he would ever need in this life, but would he risk her to save his friend?

  “Sydney, love. You okay? What’s wrong?” he questioned, kneeling before her.

  Sydney silently shook her head.

  “You cannot hide from me. We need to talk about what happened back in the car…Luca,” he whispered. Kade removed and discarded his wet shirt and pants. He then knelt before Sydney and slid his hands up her calves. He would never get enough of her, feeling the strength of his woman’s body.

  Sydney snapped her head upward to gaze into Kade’s eyes; her mane of long, curly blonde locks spilled over her shoulders. A chill of sexual excitement shot into Sydney’s body, but she tried to quell the feelings in the wake of what had just happened to Luca. “How is he?” she asked, knowing Kade would remain stoic in the face of crisis. That was just the kind of man he was: authoritative, confident and courageous. He’d be strong for Luca, for Sydney.

  “Dr. Sweeney came over and checked him out. She says he’ll most likely recover. But it could be a month before we know for sure. But you know Luca; he’s strong. He’s fine…physically,” he answered.

  She cupped his face in her hands and leaned into him for a brief kiss. She needed Kade’s warmth, to bring him comfort.

  “What do you mean, baby? Did he tell you what happened, who did this to him?” She realized she had shifted into detective mode. Stopping herself, she changed her approach. “Kade…in the car…he…” How could she tell Kade?

  “What happened in the car, love, was that Luca smelled your blood and was simply ravenous for human blood; he was starved. He wouldn’t have hurt you. I’d swear my life on it. But he may still need you…” How could he ask Sydney for her help?

  Sydney got up out of the chair, raked her fingers through her long hair and began to pace. She was confused, scared. She was afraid for herself and how Kade might react. “Kade, something happened in the car. Luca. I don’t know how to explain it. Our mental connection. Somehow, Luca…when he looked at me. He needs me.” She stood still, waiting for Kade to respond.

  Kade loved her so much. He hated having to tell her what might help Luca heal. But somehow, Luca had communicated with her instead of him. Rushing over to embrace Sydney, Kade let himself briefly enjoy the feel of her soft breasts against his bare chest, the smell of her strawberry-scented hair. Pulling back, he kissed her, a soft loving kiss. “Sydney, I don’t know how he communicated with you. Maybe the blood connection. He is mine…of my making. Please don’t be afraid.”

  Sydney held her chin high, feigning courage. “Me? Afraid? Seriously?” Then she giggled nervously, knowing that she was very much afraid. But she didn’t want Kade to have to worry about her in addition to Luca. It was too much.

  He smiled, letting her save face. “My brave detective, I know you’re as tough as they come. And I love you for it. But we need to be honest with each other. This is serious, understand?”

  “Okay. I’m a little afraid,” she whispered.

  “He needs you. More specifically, he needs you to feed him. Your blood...it’s special. You have my vampiric blood in you, and your own very special, sweet mortal essence.” Kade was confident in their relationship. He loved her unconditionally, and she him. Yet he wanted Sydney to feel safe. Sure, she knew the dangers and realities of his world, but she was still a novice. He knew that she was just starting to become comfortable around the other vampires.

  “Yes,” she quietly responded, unsure where he was going with his explanation.

  “You know how it is when I bite you, correct?” He needed to make sure she was clear about what could happen and had no regrets. “Sydney, if you do this, I will be there with you. You’ll be safe. But I want to be clear, it very well could be…well, you know, sexual in nature. You know how it is…” his words trailed off.

  Before he met Sydney, Kade and Luca had often shared women. He had even shared a brief dance with Sydney and Luca, at Sangre Dulce, a
local bondage club, where they’d been investigating a crime. But he’d had no intentions of sharing Sydney with Luca, ever. It hadn’t been an option…until now.

  Kade watched Sydney as she pulled away from him and resumed pacing. He could see her thoughts spinning in her head. She’d been attracted to Luca that night in the club but that didn’t mean she’d wanted anything further to happen. Added to the fact that she wasn’t a big fan of vampires; would she agree to let another man bite her?

  Kade blew out a breath. He hated to rush her, but he felt as though they were running out of time. “Sydney, you don’t have to do this if you don’t want to. But if you do agree, I want to be crystal clear that I am not asking you to have sex with Luca. You should be aware by now that I have grown quite possessive of you.” He smiled and approached her, seeking her touch. “But you need to know that Luca may, indeed, touch you, and you, in return, may feel the need to touch him. And I don’t want you feeling guilty or uncomfortable with it. It is our nature.”

  Sydney closed the gap between them and wrapped her arms around Kade’s neck. “I love you, Kade. I love you so much it hurts sometimes. I would do anything for you, or to save Luca. And I want you to know that I’m not afraid, because I know you will protect me. I’m nothing but secure in our relationship. I know you and I are meant to be. So if I do this for him, whatever sexual feelings bubble up during this…this feeding…it’s just a feeling that happens. Like that night in the club…” She blushed, remembering how she had felt, sandwiched between both Luca and Kade’s hard, sexy maleness.

  Kade nodded knowingly, “Yes, I remember.” He knew his reserved detective had been inordinately aroused by dancing with two men.

  “It was overwhelming that night…dancing so intimately with both you and Luca. I never thought I would enjoy my little walk on the kinky side, but I did. But I also know that I love you…You and you alone. So I don’t plan on making love to Luca when we do this…no matter how good he bites,” she joked.