Page 34 of Feeding Frenzy (Crimson Coven #3)

THIRTY-FOUR

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Bastien carefully set aside a rounded dish. I knew absolutely zero about science beyond the words mitochondria and nucleus. His large body leaned over the desk. He’d tossed the box toward the large tarp covering the vampire they had tied up. I forced my attention away from the pooling blood pooling. I meant what I said, not knowing was best.

I had a soft heart—I acknowledged I wouldn’t be able to handle whatever mess was under there. It wasn’t like I could stop it; the vampire had been a part of the plan to burn Crimson Nights down, I wanted him to spill.

I knew how losing everything felt. And answers were needed. Imogen was behind all of this, but it had to be proven.

“Genetic mutations and recent scientific discoveries have come a long way. So much has changed in the decades I have been trapped.” He lifted the needle, drawing back the plunger. “So much has changed, yet so much has remained the same.” A small smile played along his lips. “Humans never know when to quit.”

“You can say that again,” I muttered.

“Humans never know?—”

“I didn’t mean that literally.” I laughed. Bastien cocked his head studying me. A small smile crested his lips. His red eyes scanned my face.

“I am not sure what you mean.” He frowned. I pressed my lips together.

“You have a lot to learn.”

Bastien grunted. “Yes, I will learn quickly. Asher ordered that device for me.” A computer rested toward the other end of the metal table. “Hold out your arm.”

He slid the needle into the bend of my elbow. He tugged the tube connected to it. Oh, so slowly, blood traveled up the tube and slowly began to fill the bag.

“This will take a while, but I need to take additional blood to check if there are antibodies matched in the ones I found in mine. Then I will combine it with human and then vampire blood to see the reaction.” He seemed so in his head about all of this. Intelligence brightened his eyes. He liked doing this stuff.

“Is that all I am to you, Bastien, an experiment?” He excitement was oddly cute.

“Not at all.” He straightened so quickly; it jostled the blood in the bag.

“I don’t know, it sounds like it.” A muscle jumped in his jaw, but his expression remained non-aggressive. Messing with him was fun. A flustered Bastien.

“You are not an experiment?—”

My smile stretched the corner of my lips.

“You are laughing at my expense,” he said, nodding.

He cupped the back of my neck and tugged my chin up to look at him. He studied me with blood red eyes. They no longer made me want to run the other direction. He hadn’t known what he’d done. “Naughty, Little One,” he said gruffly against my lips.

I smiled. He grunted and caught my mouth. He glided his tongue against my fang and groaned.

“If I do not finish now, I will not be able to.” He sighed and straightened. He fiddled with the bag and my dark-red blood swished side to side.

“I heard you beat Asher on how many Progeny you have. Is it really that many?”

“I like experimenting.” So that was a yes.

He raised the needle from my skin. A single drop of blood formed. Bastien lowered his head and swiped his tongue across it. He hummed.

“And what makes me taste good to vampires?”

“That you’re a predator. Your food source is us. It was an attempt of hunters to take us out, but I believe it’s morphed and yours behaves like an antibiotic, attacking the virus.” He wagged the bag of blood at me. “There will be answers soon.”

“Can I stay and watch you work?”

“You are always welcome where I am.” Bastien cupped my jaw and kissed my forehead. Butterflies flooded my stomach. Such a sweet talker.

“Can you hand me your computer?” He slid it toward me, then returned to drawing a vial from the blood bag. He removed the tube and sealed the cap onto the edge of the clear bag. He left the vial on the little stand and took the bag to the mini fridge where he’d stored more bags of blood.

I logged into a streaming account I’d created this morning.

“The fastest way to learn about changes.” I typed away. “Is to watch recent media.” Bastien returned to the edge of the desk and began to assemble some metal thing—a microscope?

I scooted over to his side and angled the screen of the computer toward him. So, as he worked, we watched a show.

That was how Ren found us.

“What is this trash?” He raised an eyebrow.

“Hey!” I scowled.

“It’s not terrible,” Bastien drawled, shrugging. I elbowed him.

“Admit you love it.”

Bastien suddenly bowed forward. A piece of hair slipped from the tie pulling it back and caressed his cheek.

I reached out to touch his shoulder. He whipped his head toward me with a snarl and lashed his arm around my waist with my back to his front. He dragged me to him, hissing at Ren. The vial of blood in the little stand tipped over and began to roll. Ren caught it before it shattered.

Bastien sank his fangs into the side of my neck. I gasped, the rush of endorphins hitting me like a truck. I could feel every inch of his body pressed up against me. His hard shaft shoved against my back. Bastien removed his fangs from my neck and slammed them into my shoulder. Liquid dripped down my collar bone.

Ren’s eyes flashed red, and he was in my face, burrowing into the side of my neck and biting. I screamed, jolting between them.

Clothing tore, and my shirt was gone. A cock pressed against my ass and then lower, seeking my core. He gripped the back of my neck and smushed my cheek against Ren’s chest. Bastien thrust, seating himself deep inside me. I grunted from the quick thrust.

Ren braced me, hooking his arm under my knees and spread me wide. I cried out at the change of angle. His other hand went to his jeans, and he yanked. He guided himself to my sex.

He worked his tip inside me. My channel throbbed around Bastien, and the fit became tighter than it already was. I was so wet I easily took them. I hissed a breath out between my fangs. I hadn’t noticed when they’d popped out.

I sank my fingers into Ren’s shoulder, writhing between them as Bastien continued thrusting. He sank his fangs into my neck again and licked up the side, lapping up my blood. It felt so good.

I shuddered, my body trembling. Ren groaned and when he opened his eyes, the red had faded. He pumped into me, not withdrawing as much as Bastien. I sank my teeth into my lip and opened a gash with my fang. Ren leaned forward, caught my mouth and soothed the sting with his tongue.

An orgasm crashed through me and my channel throbbed around them, as if trying to take them deeper. I cried out, riding the wave of release.

I ground on them, frenzied with lust.

They didn’t stop and I took every thrust—happily.

I forgot the room was connected to the kitchen with only a slab of door; a thick, sound proofed one, but it’d been left cracked open.

Damn Ren.

Damien, Violet, Laney, Talia, and Baron stared. I froze, the door slamming shut behind me. I blinked. No way. They hadn’t heard us. Had they? I mean maybe the door was just opened before I came out? I was going to spiral.

“Let’s take the curiosity off the table.” Baron grinned.

“We heard you,” Violet said.

My face warmed.

“That’s my cue to exit,” I choked out and hurried away. I was going so fast I almost slammed into Sydney. I wove around her and headed out the front door. I put my hand up toward Asher as he turned into the foyer. “Alone time.” I heard him ask the others what they’d done to me before I was too far to hear anything more.

I zoomed out onto the asphalt and across the sprawling lawn surrounding the mansion. I hadn’t had a chance to see the house from outside. Once I was well away from the front door and anyone that could potentially come out, I turned.

The style was very similar to the last one and I had no doubt that wasn’t an accident. Gothic iron windows curving to a point at the top. The front spanned flatter and wider as opposed to upward.

My large window was one of two and the room on the second floor showed movement from within. I squinted. There was a lot of flashes of pink. A slim form crossed the window. That must be where Baron stayed or had placed the others.

But one of the best parts was the sprawling lawn. From out here it wasn’t as spooky, instead, there was a quiet beauty. Lending to the calm atmosphere were the fairy lights strung on the various trees. Wandering to the collection of lights behind a tree that had lights wrapped around the trunk led me to a cement bench. Perfect.

I plopped my butt down and tipped my head back. I took a single deep breath, expanding my chest with the force.

A sickly sweet scent reached my nose. I jumped to my feet. There was a vampire. And not one of mine.

“Whose there?” I peered into the dark.

A throat cleared behind me.

I screamed and whirled. I pressed my hand to my chest. Talia stared at me from a few feet away.

“You’re incredibly jumpy for a vampire,” she said.

“Well, you shouldn’t have been so quiet.” I huffed. She slowly approached and nodded toward the bench.

“Can I?” I sat, but allowed her some space. She gracefully dropped beside me.

We sat in silence with only the sounds of crickets and wind fluttering the bushes and trees.

“I know you’re different.”

I looked over at her questioningly. “You feed on vampires,” she whispered. “All three of us are never to mention it once we leave. Asher’s already ordered it from all of us.” Her lips twisted. I wasn’t sure if she was upset because she was difficult to read. “He’s very protective of you.”

“Oh.” I nodded, not really knowing how to respond.

“I should not have spoken to you the way I did.” The words sounded dragged out of her.

“Did Asher order you to do this?” I asked wryly.

“No.” She shook her head. “I think he rather I stay far from you.” She winced. “Actually. Could you not tell him about me talking to you?”

I crossed my legs.

“Could you answer a question?” She smirked, flipping her blonde hair over her shoulder. I took it as a yes. “How did you and Asher meet?” I frowned. “It’s so weird, thinking about how long their lives have been.”

“Yet, time blinks past in a flash.” Her eyes took on that far off look. “I knew Asher before, when he was human.” I perked up.

Pre-vampire Asher? “We were both employed at the whorehouse.” I stayed silent, not wanting to interrupt her, in case she stopped talking.

Her mouth pursed and she turned to look at me.

“He offered me this.” She flashed her fangs. “When one of my clients went and infected me with a disease.” Her nose wrinkled. “STDs were rampant back then.” She said it as if she were talking to herself. “He’s always saved me; makes it hard not to want him.”

I shifted on the bench uncomfortably. “No, sorry, fuck. I’m messing up what I was trying to say with all of this.” Her eyebrows furrowed. “I have never seen him the way he is with you. That’s what I was trying to say. Even when he was a human, he’s never let his guard down. He’s never cared for anything more than his brother. When you made a big deal about his past, it made me angry, because I’d never seen him so vulnerable to another.” She laughed under her breath. “He uses his sexuality as a shield.”

He really did. “It is clear, they care for you more than their lives. That’s something big with vampires. And now they’re going to the trial in a few nights.”

“The trial, right.” I kept my confusion from my voice so she could elaborate, but every bit of my body had tensed.

“That Imogen has always been a bitch.”

“So, they have a date already?” I tried for nonchalance. In a few days based off her comment.

“Yes.” She frowned and her eyes widened. “I thought you knew.”

I clenched my teeth. How dare they hide this from me? I climbed to my feet.

“No, Cat, don’t tell him! He’ll think I did it on purpose!” I was already halfway down the lawn.

“I won’t let him do anything to you.”

“Cat!” she shouted and pulled on my arm. I whirled to face her.

“Nothing will happen to you.” I extricated her grip from my arm and left her cussing up a storm.