Ella cracked open her eyes, confusion running through her as she tried to make sense of where she was and what could have woken her. Sitting upright she leaned back in the chair, rubbing the back of her neck to try and ease the tension out of it from being in a hunched over position with her upper body resting upon a mattress that wasn’t her own.
A kick from her baby let her know that he, or she, hadn’t appreciated her sleeping position either. Rubbing the bulge of her belly she whispered soothingly to her unborn baby as she reached over to turn on the bedside lamp to combat the darkness in the room so she could better work out which of the many rooms in the mansion she had nodded off in.
“Oh!” She jumped, startled for a moment by the sight of a body lying in the bed she had been using to rest against. “Sinn,” she sucked in a breath as the shock cleared the cobwebs from her mind as she remembered everything that had happened.
Biting her lip, Ella reached out and felt along the line of Sinn’s throat until she found her pulse. She sagged in relief. It felt strong and even, her skin cool but not cold. “Sinn?” Gently, Ella turned Sinn’s head and suddenly found herself locked in that stunning smoky green gaze. Marcus had green eyes but comparing them was impossible. His were much lighter, looking almost blue with his pale skin and red hair from his Irish ancestry, whilst Sinn’s eyes ran more towards brown and combined with her black hair and lashes almost looked black themselves at first glance.
Right then though, her usual laser focussed gaze was clouded with confusion and, belatedly, Ella remembered that she hadn’t gotten around to cuffing her to the headboard like she had promised Yoanna she would. She reached towards the cuffs just in case but her movement only served to catch Sinn’s attention. “Sinn? Can you hear me?”
“El-Ella?”
“Yes,” smiling gently in relief, Ella stroked Sinn’s cheek with the backs of her fingers. “It’s okay, Sinn. No one’s going to hurt you. You’re safe now. You’re at the mansion. Do you remember what happened?”
“I’m not sure. Oh, God, my head hurts,” Sinn groaned as images flashed before her eyes in a rapid flicker that made her feel sick. “Hurts so bad,” she moaned, trying to curl up on herself to stave off the nausea but moving just made her feel so much worse. “Blood, so much blood.” She could see it on her… Pooling on the ground around her… Taste it as it filled her mouth… throat… lungs…! Thick… cloying…!
“Sinn!” Ella tried desperately to get Sinn’s attention as she reached for the bottle of Yoanna’s blood. She needed Sinn to calm down so she could drink it but with every second her agitation was growing to the point that her words had become more like the guttural growls of an animal in pain. Every time Ella made a move they increased in intensity and ferocity. “It’s okay Sinn, calm down.”
Giving up on the thought of being able to get Sinn to drink the blood, Ella slowly slipped her cell phone out of her pants. Just the brightness of the screen lighting up seemed to anger Sinn. “Shhh, it’s okay,” she whispered softly as she cupped a hand around the screen and quickly scrolled through her list of contacts and hit dial.
Even though she didn’t know where Yoanna had chosen for her daytime resting place it was her number that she dialled. There were mortals and Vampires closer but she was afraid that if they saw Sinn in such an agitated state that they would react with violence instead of trying to help calm her and she knew Yoanna would not.
“Yoanna?” she whispered the Vampires name as the ring tone stopped and the call was answered. At least she hoped it had been answered, she didn’t dare look to check.
“Ella? Is something wrong?”
Even over the phone, Yoanna’s soft and melodious voice held a power that command respect without demanding it. “Sinn’s awake,” she whispered quietly and as softly as she could. “I messed up,” she admitted regretfully. “I didn’t cuff her and she’s- Shit!” She screamed as Sinn lunged across the bed towards her with the speed and ferocity of a pissed off cornered big cat and knocked the phone and bottle of blood out of her hands, sending them smashing into the wall.
-----------------------------------------
No more than ten minutes had passed since Ella’s call had ended abruptly but the mansion was in chaos when Yoanna arrived and made her way through to the rooms where she had left her with Sinn.
She reached for the door handle but found her way suddenly barred by the big burley head of security, Eric. Anger flared at his high handed attitude and then she saw the deep ragged gash down the right side of his face. “Is that Sinn’s doing?”
“Yes, my Queen,” he gave a bow, wincing at the pain the motion caused as his bruised and battered body protested even that move. He kept a warning hand firmly upon the door despite her glare and arching eyebrow. They both knew that she could sweep him aside with very little effort but protecting her and Ella was his job right then.
“Is Ella okay?”
“We’re not sure. We’ve tried to get in,” he rushed to explain at the anger flaring in her blue eyes. “But…” he pointed to the men laying around being assessed by some of the mansions healers and let the cuts and broken bones speak for him. “Sinn isn’t letting us in or Ella out. As far as we know, Ella is okay but we just don’t know right now what the hell is going on in there.”
“Move aside, Eric.”
“I should get Marcus…”
“Move aside!”
Her tone was ice cold and Eric felt the physical slap of it whipping across his face without her even trying. He was only mortal and stood no chance against her. Though after that slap of power he didn’t think any of the Vampires he guarded or even all of them together would have fared much better if she got pissed off. Reluctantly he dropped his hand, his body stiff and proud as he stepped away from her and the door.
Opening the door, Yoanna slipped through the smallest of gaps and quietly closed the door behind her again and locked it so no one could follow her in. The room was in darkness but her eyes were sharper and more sensitive than a humans and from what she could see it looked like tornado had blown through and tossed furniture aside and smashed it to pieces. Scenting the air she could smell the lingering tang of blood but it was impossible to distinguish if it was blood from Sinn or any one of the guards she had wounded that she was smelling. Yoanna desperately hoped that Ella had managed to stay safe and it wasn’t hers.
Yoanna moved towards the bedroom, her steps light and quiet. The door was open, the scent of blood stronger from within the room. There was a red glow that puzzled her a little until she opened the door further and saw that the shade from the bedside lamp was missing and the exposed bulb was coated in dried blood. “Ella?”
Yoanna could see the woman sitting in a chair by the bed, her body stiff and frozen in place as she stared intently at the far corner of the room as though her life depended on it. Following her gaze, Yoanna could make out the outline of Sinn’s naked body hunched in the shadows on the other side of the bed. Despite the paleness of her skin she bled into the shadows as though born of them. Yoanna felt sure that if she looked away, Sinn might vanish into them so he kept her eyes locked upon her and focussed upon the dark green of her eyes to keep track of where she was.
“Don’t move… please,” Ella held up a hand and begged the Vampire quietly without taking her eyes off of Sinn. “She’s fine as long as no one moves,” she explained.
“Are you okay Ella?” Casting a quick glance her way, Yoanna took in the careful stiffness of her body as she looked towards Sinn but she could see no injuries.
“Yes, she hasn’t touched me.” Why… Ella had no idea but after seeing Sinn’s animalistic ruthlessness while dealing with the guards and the furniture she was thankful to have been spared her wrath.
Entering the room further, Yoanna slowly, quietly, closed the bedroom door. Sinn’s head whipped around at the quiet click and glared at her from behind a curtain of her hair. From the corner of her eye, Yoanna took in the destruction in the room and noticed that there was a clear space around Ella. Despite her agitated state, Sinn really had been extraordinarily careful not to touch her pregnant friend. “Have you tried to leave?”
“If I move she gets angry. I thought it best to wait for you to get here but Eric and the others heard her smashing the place up and tried to force their way in and grabbed her. I heard more than I saw but by the sound of it, it didn’t go well for them?”
“Cuts, broken bones and bruised egos mostly. Whose is the blood?”
“Yours… I was holding it when I called you and she knocked it and my phone out of my hand. I should have cuffed her,” she sighed regretfully. “I was going to if she looked like she was waking or getting agitated but I nodded off while watching her. She was awake before I was and seemed okay. She knew who I was and was talking but then she started hurting and going on about blood and it just went pear-shaped fast.”
“Sinn?”
“Yoanna… don’t!” Ella held out a warning hand as the Vampire stepped closer to Sinn, pulling all the attention her way. A low growl rumbled out of Sinn’s throat to greet her move. Yoanna didn’t let it deter her though and just kept moving slowly closer.
“Can you stand up Ella?”
“Yes, but-”
“You need to get out of here now. I’ll take care of Sinn.” Crouching down, Yoanna mirrored Sinn’s stance, swaying slightly to draw her attention away from Ella as the woman rose from the chair and made her way towards the door. “That’s it, my Sinn. Eyes on me, love.”
Hearing the anticipation in Yoanna’s voice, Ella paused in the doorway just out of sight. With a snarl, Sinn launched herself towards the door. In a blur of movement, Yoanna caught Sinn around the waist and spun her around and back down to the bed, riding her down to the mattress as she tried to restrain her. Yoanna was stronger but Sinn fought back with a wild strength and no regard for her own safety or the limits of her body as she thrashed about in Yoanna’s arms with such force that Ella was worried that she was going to break her own neck or dislocate something trying to get loose.
“Ohhh, someone is out for blood,” Yoanna purred as Sinn’s teeth snapped towards her throat. “It is a good thing that is exactly what I’m trying to give you, my sweet. Wrapping her legs around Sinn’s waist from behind, she finally managed to trap her arms behind her as she pulled Sinn’s back flush against her front with one arm. Biting her own wrist, Yoanna watched the blood welling up. Sinn went still against her, a whimper of need and self-disgust breaking from her mouth as she watched the blood dripping from the wound.
Ella held her breath as Yoanna moved her wrist closer to Sinn’s mouth. From where she was she could see the despair and panic in Sinn’s eyes as she battled with herself. She couldn’t hear what Yoanna said but she saw her blonde hair mingling with the blackness of Sinn’s and saw her lips move as she whispered something against her ear. Sinn’s body sagged against the Vampires, the fight leaving her as her mouth opened enough to accept Yoanna’s bleeding flesh.
Knowing all too well the distrust Sinn felt when it came to Vampires, Ella wished she could give her the comfort she needed to still the tears that welled up within her eyes, turning their green into shimmering jewels. But all she could do was wait and watch as green eyes that had been filled with a blind all-consuming rage minutes before grew soft and drifted closed, spilling the restrained tears as she drank down the blood filling her mouth.
“There, that’s better.” Relaxing her hold once Sinn had had her fill and grown still within her arms, Yoanna quickly followed a whisper on instinct and removed her own clothing as she stretched out upon the bed with Sinn in her arms. Gently, carefully, she turned Sinn’s body to face her.
Despite what had led them too that moment, Yoanna felt only joy as she looked down as Sinn curled up around her and snuggled closer to her warmth. Her breathing evened out further as she sought the comfort of her flesh. Capturing a drop of blood from the corner of Sinn’s mouth, Yoanna watched as Sinn delicately licked her offered finger clean without protest or hesitation.
“You can go now, Ella. Sinn is going to be okay. She just needs this,” she indicated their closeness with a wave of her hand, “to complete her healing. No harm will come to her in my care,” she assured the other woman without even looking towards the doorway as Sinn snuggled and pulled her even closer.
Leaving them to it, Ella quietly closed the bedroom door on the couple and her confusion of what she had seen. It troubled her a great deal, more than she wanted to admit. Yoanna had healed Sinn, saved her, but… the needing contact with flesh… the only time she had seen that was with some fledgling Vampires. They just needed the contact with their sires.
But that wasn’t what she had seen. She knew I wasn’t because it was impossible.
Chewing her lip, Ella frowned at the door, her hand hovering over the handle before dropping back to her side as she left the apartment and went to check on everyone waiting outside the rooms before they felt the need to storm the place to rescue her. Assuring them she was okay she told them to leave Yoanna to deal with Sinn and went to check on Marcus as she knew somehow he would have gotten wind of something going on.
He was pacing the confines of his cell when she got there, his massive body bristling with anger and frustration. The moment he saw her his body sagged in relief and only his fierce grip on the bars kept him upright.
“Ella! You’re okay? I heard that Sinn was on a rampage and had you trapped!”
“I’m fine,” smiling she touched him through the bars. Then remembering just why he was in there she pulled sharply away in renewed anger. Yes, Sinn leaping in how she had had triggered everything off but if Marcus had just trusted her and not reacted how he had he wouldn’t be locked up. “Sinn is okay too… if you were wondering at all!”
Marcus wasn’t sure what to say.
Hindsight was a wonderful thing but he had gone over everything again and again and there was nothing he had done that he regretted. Maybe if he had let go of Sinn a little sooner she would have missed the pillar but what then? She would have been back on her feet in seconds and just as much of a threat.
“How is she even still alive let alone up and causing trouble already?”
Ella hated to keep any kind of a secret from him but she told him what she could while keeping her word to Yoanna and told him nothing about how Yoanna knew Sinn or their past history. If it became an issue and he needed to know she would tell him but until then she would keep her promise to their Queen.
Marcus listened carefully to everything Ella said and also what she wasn’t saying. He knew she was hiding something just by the fact that she was refusing to make eye contact. “I wish that damn woman had never turned up again! Every time she does there’s trouble!”
“There’s always trouble around here, Bitten seems to be a magnet for it! And your Queen has got her heart and mind set on Sinn, Marcus! As you can’t seem to trust my opinion on her maybe you should work on accepting what Yoanna wants!”
“I do trust your opinion!”
“Really?! It didn’t look like it when you threw Sinn across the room! After everything she has helped us with when she didn’t need to stick around you reacted like that and nearly killed her!”
“She was pointing a gun at you!” He bristled as he defended himself.
“She has pointed a weapon at just about all of us at one time or another! It was my fault though, I stepped into her path, Marcus! I put myself there and you know what, as soon as I did she started lowering her gun and took her finger off the trigger even though she was in a room full of Vampires she doesn’t really trust and who all seem to want her dead!”
“I- I didn’t see that though,” he muttered, his body deflating slightly at the revelation. “And then there’s what just went on upstairs…”
“Marcus, she never even touched me even though she could have many times even before the guards stormed in. The only ones she hurt were when they came in and got close to me, grabbed her and tried to pull her out of the room.”
“You think she was protecting you from them?”
“Maybe she was. I just know that apart from getting a scare she never touched me no matter how out of control she seemed.”
“I still don’t trust her.”
“I know. But you need to start working on an apology or hope that Yoanna is in a forgiving mood ‘cause she says you’re not getting out until you apologise to Sinn and she accepts it. And I would kind of like to have you there for the birth of our child and not stuck down here being all petulant!”
“Ella? Where the hell- Ahh, there you are!”Looking up from the book she was reading, Ella smile slipped at the troubled expression on her friends’ usually happy face as she walked across the patio towards her. Wearing the typical black garb that the guards favoured while on duty and her almost blue-black skin she blended into the night almost as well as her black Werewolf form did when she changed. Usually though her bright smile and her pale blue eyes gave her away but right then only there was no smile. “Oh god. Hi, Mel, something wrong?”Even though she had been sent there with a task to do, Mel pulled out the chair Ella gestured to and sat down with her to enjoy whatever time she could grab with her. They saw each other every day and yet it felt far too long since they had managed to have any time together to just chat and be friends. “Yoanna wants to see you.”Ella slipped
While she waited for the sun to set, Sinn returned to the main cabin she was renting. Even though she had arranged with Ella that she would go back to the mansion willingly, Sinn looked around carefully as she checked the spare gun she kept hidden on her bike. Before she went near the small building she wanted to be as sure as he could that there weren’t any unwanted surprises from the mansion or anywhere else lurking around.Crouching down amongst the bushes in the shade of the trees she looked down at the cabin and reached out with her powers. The sun being up meant she was safe from Vampires but Werewolves could move around at any time of the day and were almost as strong as a Vampire even if they weren’t Alpha enough to change with the full moon still weeks away.Sinn knew she was good, better than good, with most weapons and hand to hand combat but no amount of training helped much if something that could toss a truck and ri
Hands shaking, Sinn turned off the engine and took off her black, full face helmet before she gave in to the temptation to speed off in the other direction. Out of the corner of her eye as she saw Ella coming out to greet her with four guards shadowing her every move as they glared at her. “Four? Really?” The number wouldn’t have bothered her even if their numbers had been doubled but it was not like Ella to hide behind guards when dealing with her.“They wanted to send out more but I pulled rank.” Giving her a wry smile, Ella wrapped her arms around Sinn as she finished stowing her helmet away and hugged her as best as she could with her belly getting in the way. Despite the confrontational looks she was shooting the guards, Ella could tell that Sinn was nervous and ready to bolt given half a chance but Sinn surprised her and actually relaxed into her hug and returned it. “Sinn,” leaning back, she gave the young woman a disapproving
Taking Sinn by the hand, Ella urged her gently into moving and followed Yoanna through to the apartments. She felt the nervous flutter of the hand in hers as they finally came to a stop in the bedroom. It was probably not the most professional of places to give a pat down but it had the added effect right then of keeping Sinn off guard. And herself, Ella had to admit. It was strange to see Sinn being so pursued by anyone given the ‘get the fuck away from me’ attitude she usually had in place. It was definitely throwing Sinn off guard though and Ella still hadn’t quite made up her mind if it was a good or bad thing for Sinn or them. Sinn wasn’t protesting the attention though. If she had, Queen or not, Ella would have found a way to remove Sinn from the situation and protect her… and Yoanna from any reprisals. Coming to a halt, Yoanna turned and watched as Ella nudged Sinn forwards before taking up position where she could grab Sinn if necessary. Sinn for her p
“Now. If we are to go any further, I need your weapons. Sinn?” Yoanna held out her hand expectantly. “I haven’t got any more on…” Sinn’s voice trailed off under the weight of those blue eyes and her own guilt as she remembered just what she was wearing. “Just thought of some, huh?” Removing her jacket again, Sinn handed it over to Yoanna without a word. Ella had searched it already but she knew that not everything had been found. Mostly the garrotte wire Ella had mentioned. Just because she was giving them up didn’t mean she had to let on as to where everything was hidden in it though. “And the rest.” Grumbling mumbled obscenities about pushy vampires under her breath, Sinn kicked her boots off and handed over her wristwatch and studded leather bracelet. Then with a sigh, removed the belt from her jeans too. “There, that’s it.” “Hmm… nope, don’t b
Keeping Sinn off guard, Yoanna pulled her sports bra up, ripping it at the seams in her haste as she exposed her breasts from beneath. While Sinn was busy covering up her modesty she ripped open her jeans, sending the button flying across the room and simply pulled them and her underwear off at the same time rather than waste time bothering with niceties. She damaged both beyond repair in her haste before ripping her bra completely apart at the seams and throwing the ruined fabric of each item of clothing off the side of the bed.“There, that’s better.” Gently pinning Sinn’s hands above her head with one of hers, Yoanna sighed in satisfaction as she settled herself between Sinn’s parted thighs and smiled down at her flustered expression.The feel of her own clothing coming between them was almost more than she could stand but right then Yoanna knew that if she pulled back to take any of her own clothing off Sinn
“Sinn,” Yoanna lulled gently, “look at me. Give me those eyes.” Fingers stroking through her dark hair, Yoanna teased it back as Sinn used every ounce of her self-control and looked up for her. Yoanna’s hand stilled as she took in her eyes. “Oh,” she breathed softly in shock.Sinn’s eyes were beautiful, the most sensual and seductive that Yoanna had ever seen in her life. Calling them green didn’t really even begin to do them justice. The green was a dark olive flecked through with browns and yellows around the pupil and encircled by a line of darker green that was almost black before it met the white. Right then though, whilst the same colour, they had taken on the reflective metallic sheen that most Vampire’s eyes held when they needed to feed or how hers did when her power was high. It was different than the glow from a cats eyes when struck by light as they shone from within and Yoanna had never see
As Sinn released a drawn-out breath, Yoanna felt a rush of warmth flowing across her body that made her spine writhe in pleasure. It was gentle, pleasant like the caress of a summer’s night, the brush of fur or a lover’s touch. Lifting a hand she felt the air between them. It felt thicker somehow, like swimming through warm water or very thick fog. There was nothing physical to touch and yet it felt as though she could push at it if she really tried. “Sinn, what are you doing?” she questioned lightly, needing to understand.Sinn frowned slightly at the interruption. “I’m just feeling for all the Vampires and Werewolves around. Now, shush, please?”Yoanna tried to hold her questions for when Sinn was done, she really did, but it was a soul achingly long time, far longer than she cared to remember, since she had felt that kind of power at work and her curiosity got the better of her. “How far can