Rebirth Series Book Three
As vampire Evande Austin tries to adjust to her newfound abilities, she can't fight her new reality. She never intended to fall in love with two men. But she also never intended to take Fae blood to keep her alive either. Trouble lurks in the shadows and Evande fears she will not be able to control the raging blood fever that burns through her because of Quinn. Thanks to Logan, the man who gives her anchor, Evande is able to maintain a thread of sanity in the blinding chaos.When the Elders strike out and her future tumbles around her feet, Evande realizes the two men give her a bond she is unable to survive without. They need her just as much as she needs them. Giving into them both could just be the one thing that saves everyone.
But one thing remains clear - nothing comes without a cost.
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Chapter One
Two gallons.
That’s how much blood is in a normal human body at any given point in their life.
Two gallons of sweet, oxygenated blood.
I craved for that blood to fill my mouth, dance over my tongue and slip down my throat to sate a hunger that prowled deep inside me.
The reason for my current predicament approached with long, loping strides that to anyone else would seem relaxed. As his close, personal friend, and former lover, I knew better. Tense, stressed and so on edge it amazed me he hadn’t fallen off the wagon days ago.
“What do you want, Quinn?” I’d grown tired of the game of cat and mouse we played. We both knew it wasn’t intentional. He had something he needed to get off his chest and only a face-to-face confrontation could make it happen.
“We need to talk.”
“So talk,” I said nonchalantly even though, confused and hurt, I wanted to scream. A week ago, my value shot out of this world when Quinn decided my life wasn’t fucked up enough already and had taken it upon himself to give me his blood. He’d forever changed me just because he thought it was my chance to save the world.
In order to deal with the relentless blood fevers--a direct result of his blood that now coursed through my veins--I needed to accept my new reality and take Quinn’s blood. It didn’t matter that I didn’t want to.
Never in my wildest dreams had I thought it would be this brutal. Each minute awake was a struggle. Every second with Quinn added into the equation was a veritable nightmare. It had gotten so bad in such a short span of time that I’d taken to avoiding him completely in the week since I’d awakened to a new version of vampire that didn’t even have a name.
Thanks to a shipment of blood from my company--the Be Positive Holistic Healing Center--I’d fed recently, so it blurred the rich aroma that emitted from him. However, when the thing you want the most--that you know would take away the razor edge--stood so temptingly in front of you, even the staunchest of purists would waver.
It didn’t help matters that the moment I’d nearly devoured him in an uncontrollable fit of fever still haunted me. My body seemed to act on its own accord now. It cried for him to come near and go away at the same time. The physical tug-of-war exhausted me.
I nearly crossed my arms and started tapping my foot when he still didn’t answer. “You’re the one that wanted to talk. So start.”
“You came to me,” he stated quietly as he pushed a hand through his black hair. “Sought me out when you violated one of the Elder laws by turning Logan. You came back again after you burned Julian to a crisp when he kidnapped Logan. When the rest of the Elders decided to seek their revenge by kidnapping you as well, you had to know that I would do whatever was necessary.”
I didn’t need the reminder of my status as an Elder--a band of seven of the oldest vampires among us. The fury I’d held in check for the past week broke free. “You acted selfishly. You saved me with ulterior motives. I was broken down so there was hardly anything left and you took advantage of that by forcing me to drink your blood.” Not that I expected Quinn O’Brien to listen to anything I had to say. He’d once been High King of the Tuatha Dé Danann, and didn’t always take the kindest liking to receiving orders.
Giving them was a different matter entirely.
“I did what I had to do,” he stated calmly, which just infuriated me even more.
“No, you laid open your forearm and took it upon yourself to ensure matters were tipped in your favor. Not to mention, you did it without regard for how I felt about the decision. Your blood did something to me. Changed me. Made me something I’m not sure I like.” There were still things I needed to learn about myself, but it was pretty clear from the outset that life was never going to be the same anymore. Calm had been obliterated from my vocabulary.
From the tight set of his body, he obviously saw the need to follow me despite the vitriol in my voice. I’d done a bang up job of avoiding him already, so he was right to suspect I’d bolt if he so much as blinked.
Luckily, he’d decided to confront me in the middle of the forest as it helped dilute his scent. Of course, it did nothing to mask the tempting aroma of his blood. He was an addiction now.
And I refused to consider the cure.
“I want to help you.” Regret drenched the words. “These past days...I can see the strain on you. Ev, you don’t have to endure this fight. You can stop it.”
I scoffed at his suggestion. He couldn’t do anything about it even if he’d possessed the ability to do so. Like called to like--there was no way to deny that.
He started to move forward, but I matched his steps to back away with equal fervor. I was strong, but not that strong and he toed the boundary I’d so carefully erected. It was status quo for him and it surprised me he hadn’t pushed the boundary between us sooner. He’d push on that line just to see if he could.
Quinn gave a resigned sigh and stopped his forward progress. As he leaned his tall, muscular form against a tree, the pain in his eyes became evident.
Good, I want you to hurt. To experience just a small portion of what I go through from sunrise to sunset each and every day.
Like most things, some days were better than others. Right now wasn’t a good day and to say he tested my patience was an understatement.
“I wanted to explain and I really wish you’d let me.”
I scowled. The heat of his words caused rage to flare to life inside me even though every precaution had been taken in order to see it locked away. Sometimes it had a life of its own and I couldn’t stop it.
“I thought you explained effectively enough when you rescued me. In order to save my life, you forced me to take blood I didn’t ask for. Not to mention the fact you felt responsible for the Elders kidnapping Ana because you’re the reason she’s here. She was the head of your security forces and it was her job to keep an eye on you. Damn it, Quinn, you knew she was here watching you for the past four hundred years and didn’t bother to tell me.” I let out a frustrated snarl. “Instead of trusting me to help you, you decided to turn me into something just as fucked up as the rest of the Elders. I think you’ve succeeded decently enough with all your goals.”
A strip of black hair shifted across his brow as he shook his head. “I would never do anything that would put you in danger, Ev. You have to know that.”
“No, you wouldn’t.” Years together had taught me that. I did trust Quinn--once. Now, that trust had been crushed. “But you have no problem with not asking for consent. Never mind the fact you had no idea how I could react to your blood. No one knows, even with Declan’s theory about you and what your blood could possibly do to a vampire. It was untested and that proverbial one-in-a-million shot in the dark. You gambled with my life.”
“You know I did it because the Elders kidnapped Ana. We’ve talked about the fact we think they believe she can fill in the missing link to make any of them even more invincible. They’ve had time to discover that any kind of enchantments from her blood aren’t what they expected.”
The unspoken words hung in the air. No, it wasn’t Ana’s blood that would give the Elders what they wanted. They would need Quinn and that thought shook me to my core.
“Things never get done if you don’t take a chance,” he continued when I remained silent. “You need to be here to fight this fight against the Elders and with the way it was going after Declan nearly killed you, that wasn’t going to happen.”
He was lucky I had a good handle on myself right now or he would have lain dead at my feet for that comment alone. Not that it would do any good. Quinn was an immortal. Even though I was as well, I didn’t possess the kind of strength he did. Standing over six feet tall and a hulking mass of muscles, he could intimidate just standing there.
I pushed my hands through my own black hair to keep from throwing out my hands in frustration. “Would you cut your bullshit, Quinn? You expect me to be perfectly fine with you gambling with my life and everything I’ve known?”
“May I remind you, you have done the same,” he stated calmly with a tilt of his head. “You seized an opportunity with Logan. Instead of letting him die, as he should have in that alley, you made the choice for him. Not much different if you ask me.”
“I didn’t ask you to do it. Nor did I ask for any of this. Not Logan, not you. I was perfectly happy with my life--” I stopped when he held up a hand.
“You were hiding. That isn’t an existence. That’s someone who sits around while they wait to die.” Quinn remained quiet for a few moments as the statement hung in the air between us. “You know if you just take the blood from me your struggles wouldn’t be this hard.”
Again, purely conjecture. It was a gamble that I wanted to remain untested. I’d played guinea pig enough. “You don’t know that for a fact.”
“You’re right, I don’t. But what else do we have to lose?”
“Everything,” I said faintly and wrapped my arms around my thin form.
The muscles in his jaw worked as he stared and appeared to restrain himself from saying more. Possibly something he might regret. It seemed a little late for him to find a conscience now. “At least let me work out something with Callista.”
Even the mention of one of my best friends wouldn’t sway my position. “No.”
“Stop being so stubborn, kid. You don’t have to go through this alone.”
I shot him a stern look. “So says the great loner himself.”
He huffed out a sharp laugh. “You know, you are the smartest woman I know. Don’t change that by continually refusing me. You won’t know until you try.”
“I can handle this. I’m fine.”
His glare made it clear he knew I was full of shit. “Evande, it doesn’t even have to be a lot or even directly from me if you’re worried about losing control. We’ll talk to Callista and see if we can’t figure out a way to make that happen. Anything to help you get past this.”
“I need to do this on my own, Quinn.” Determined that his way was the best way, whatever I said wouldn’t impress upon him the urgency of my words.
“You forget you don’t have to.”
He seemed to forget the fact I needed to do this without him. The silence stretched out between us and was shattered a few moments later by the shrill ring of a cell phone.
Quinn answered, barking out, “What,” and then simply nodded when he had nothing of value to add to the conversation. “You can’t find another way?”
As he ended the call, I gave him a puzzled look and watched as he pushed away from the tree. Obviously done with both conversations, he started to head back to the house. Curious, I followed without a word.
As far as I was concerned, the discussion about blood was closed and no need to debate the issue further. He wouldn’t see it that way, but he would back off for a bit in order to give me some breathing room.
In reality, he didn’t have a choice.
He needed me and we both knew it.
Once in the house, Quinn moved behind his computer and tapped a few keys. “That was Callista. She needs you to help with some business matters.”
My business partner, Callista Elkerton, had flown to Washington D.C. earlier in the week in order to deal with some issues that had come up with the ethics of the day spa we ran. Nothing new, at least once every few years she had to go sit before a Food and Drug Administration committee and explain that the Be Positive Holistic Healing Center wasn’t up to anything illegal since we dealt with the holistic approach to healing and made a ton of money doing it.
We also dealt blood, but that wasn’t something we were vocal about and needed to play nice with the United States Government. Besides, aside from the brisk business of selling human and vampire blood to other vampires, the centers actually did cater to exclusive clients. Clients who actually paid large sums of money to have heated rocks place on their backs in order to balance their chakras.
One thing this business had taught me, people will pay for anything if you convinced them they needed it enough.
I usually did my best to keep as far away from the meetings as possible since I didn’t possess the gift for public speaking she did. If she needed me, it meant she’d run into a snag. And I didn’t like the prospect of going there any more than Quinn liked the idea of me leaving the ranch.
“She can’t handle it on her own?”
“Doesn’t sound like it. But I’m sure she’ll figure it out, she’s a tough cookie.”
“I’ll go.” I stepped to the desk and made the mistake of leaning near him before I caught myself. Two big steps back put much needed distance between us and I tugged on my shirt as I made a valiant effort to erase his scent. “At least it will be something to give me a sense of self again.”
Evidently, Quinn didn’t see it my way. “No.”
The temper I’d tried to keep banked suddenly flared to life as soon as the single word passed his lips. It layered with the irritation still boiling inside me. “I don’t remember asking for your opinion. This is something I obviously need to handle.”
His green eyes flashed with anger and he purposefully put himself just a few inches from my face. Talk about provoking a caged animal. “You’re not leaving.”
“Yes, I am and there’s nothing you can do to stop me.”
He settled his hands on his hips and the firm set of his mouth was a signal he wasn’t about to back down. “You’ll leave--when you’re a hundred percent again.”
“Let me guess, you’re the one who’s going to determine that. I don’t think so. You’ll purposefully keep me out of the way to--as you say--keep me safe for my own good.”
“If that were the case, I’d never let you step outside for your little breaks.”
The hairs on the back of my neck rose in anger and my eyes narrowed. “Let me? Should I feel honored that the great and powerful Quinn let me do something? Oh wait, you’re only human.”
“I’m trying to help you, Ev. Help you keep flatly rejecting.” He blew out a defeated breath and if this kept up, either I would wear him down or he’d blow a gasket. I, for one, didn’t particularly want to see the latter as he wasn’t the most pleasant to live with when that occurred.
However, the time had long since passed where I deserved to lose my temper. I’d taken care of myself without his help perfectly fine for years. Just because my situation had changed didn’t mean I needed a shoulder to lean on. Well, not his at least.
“I’ll handle this, Quinn. I’m not giving you a choice in the matter--got it?”
A slow smile spread across his lips as he leaned forward again. The emotion touched his eyes and something I hadn’t seen in years sparked. Somehow, I felt as if I’d just been goaded into the argument with him, on purpose.
The bastard had actually enjoyed this.
“Welcome back, kid.” He winked as he pulled away.
Before I could come up with a smart response, there was movement behind me. I turned to watch Logan step into a room still filled with the tension that hadn’t burned off between Quinn and I.
Logan’s eyes narrowed and he seemed to sense the tension in the room immediately. “Quinn, let her help. Whatever it is.” He hadn’t heard Quinn’s quiet words and I recognized he felt as if he needed to help with the situation.
I relaxed a little because he immediately stood up for me without knowing all the details. There was no way I would take that away from him. There had been more than a few occasions recently where I’d leaned heavily on Logan for help. He’d always been right there for me without hesitation. We’d been through a lot in a very short period of time and the fact he was still here spoke volumes.
I’d ripped him away from the life he’d known and thrust him into the very underbelly of evil. Sure, there had been some bumps in the road, but we’d managed to develop a deep and caring relationship that had survived it all. Okay, who was I kidding? They weren’t just bumps, they were mountains, but the fact of the matter still remained that Logan had been there for me when I hadn’t even asked him to be. That said a lot about his character and I wasn’t about to let him go without a fight.
Something in Logan’s tone must have touched a nerve with Quinn despite the fact we’d settled the matter between us. I wasn’t about to take that away from him either and settled in to watch. Quinn’s eyes altered to that dangerous green as his gaze shifted to Logan and waved his hand in the air toward me.
“She’ll stand out like a sore thumb. Worse yet, what happens if she has an attack and can’t control the bloodlust? A lot of people are going to die by her hand and I know her well enough to know she’d be heartbroken about it. Plus, the one thing we have to our advantage right now is the Elders don’t know about the changes in her. They find out and we’re screwed more than we already are.”
Logan’s hand closed over my shoulder and gave it a supportive squeeze. At least someone was unequivocally on my side in this. “I’ll go with her. We’ve gotten pretty good at heading off the attacks when they hit.”
That wasn’t accurate but I wasn’t going to correct him--not at this point. We’d gotten better at anticipating the bloodlust by avoiding the one thing that was the trigger point. As hard as it was to face the truth, it needed saying. After the few things he’d said to me out in the woods, Quinn deserved a few punches to the gut.
I’d do anything at this point to create a little physical distance between us because there was only so much more I could take. Everyone had a breaking point--we just hadn’t found mine yet.
It was coming, though. It wasn’t hard to miss an undercurrent like that in the tension around us.
“The only one I have trouble containing it around is you, Quinn.”
Quinn flinched at the reminder and stood, putting distance between us once again. I let out a grateful sigh as his hand gestured to his eyes, then to mine. “Her eyes. What the hell are you going to do about those?”
“I can help with that.” We turned at the sound of the voice to find Lucas in the front hallway with two other men flanking him. So much for Quinn’s top-of-the-line security system.
Lucas Edwards, Ana’s best friend and Callista’s current lover, wore a smug smile. He looked very pleased with himself and that always meant trouble. That smile spread even wider as he hooked his thumbs in his pockets and gestured to the men with his elbows. “Everyone, I’d like for you to meet your new best friends, Carter West and Stark Grantham.”
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