CRAVING (The Elite Book 2) Read online

  “I’m coming up.”

  “No,” I try to refuse but there’s very little point because before the word is even out of my mouth, he’s standing in front of me.

  “Could you at least use the door next time?” I ask with a sigh, pushing past him to close the open window.

  “And ruin the effect?”

  He sounds pleased with himself.

  “What do you want? A gold star for being a Vampire?” I reply snarkily.

  “I’d settle for a smile.”

  He steps towards me, an egotistical sneer on his face.

  “Or a fuck.”

  I don’t bother to reply. The truth is he’ll probably get both because I don’t seem capable of refusing him.

  “Why are you here, Everette?”

  “Because you are.”

  Sometimes he says just the right thing. The perfect words. The same things the characters in my books say and for a moment, I actually believe that we might have more than just my blood between us.

  I don’t know what to say and he doesn’t look like he knows what to do either. This is new for us. We’ve spent the best part of this week fucking each other’s brains out. When we’ve not been fucking, I’ve been working or we’ve been sleeping. Or at least I think we’ve both been sleeping… Do Vampires even sleep?

  Arguing is new territory though and I’m feeling a little unnerved. I don’t get the impression Everette is used to people arguing with him.

  But I don’t want to be pushed around.

  “I don’t want to die,” I tell him again.

  “Everyone dies eventually, Farah.”

  Logically, I know he’s right but that doesn’t mean I want it to happen any time soon.

  “Yeah, when they’re old or because of an accident or sickness or something… Not because someone wants to kill them.”

  “It happens surprisingly often, actually.”

  He makes his way across the room and lies down on my bed, his head against the headboard. Closing his eyes, he waits for me to respond.

  “I don’t want to be killed. I don’t want to just be your meal for a few weeks and then snuff it.”

  His eyes open abruptly.

  “You aren’t giving me much credit.”

  “What do you mean?” I ask, my brow furrowed.

  “You really think I only intend to keep you alive for a few weeks?”

  “I don’t have a clue what you intend to do because you haven’t told me.”

  Everette

  I don’t want to tell her that the reason I haven’t told her is because I don’t know. Equally I don’t want to admit that I never even considered that I should tell her.

  Old prejudices die hard. To me, she is just a human. A human whose blood tastes exquisite and who I quite enjoy fucking, but still just a human.

  And I don’t have to show that level of consideration to a human.

  “I’m not planning on killing you any time soon,” I say eventually.

  “But what does that mean?”

  “It means you’re as safe as you’re going to be,” I tell her irritably. “Can we drop this now? I’m bored.”

  “You’re bored?” Farah’s voice is rising, her pitch increasing. “We’re only talking about my life. I’m so sorry for boring you with my existence.”

  She turns on the balls of her feet and marches towards the door. I still beat her to it. Blocking her path, I pick her up and cradle her against my chest. She tries to fight me, pounding her tiny fists into my torso.

  I stride back to her bed and sit down with her still cradled in my lap.

  Ignoring her attempts to remove herself from my lap, I look down at her.

  “I don’t want to fight with you,” I tell her sternly. “I will kill you. I won’t lie about what I am or what I want. Or even what many of my kind would say I’m entitled to.”

  That causes her to bristle.

  “We can discuss all the finer points later. If you want to decide a time and place, then by all means feel free. But could we stop arguing.”

  “You’ll let me choose?” Her voice softens just a fraction.

  “If it will put an end to this argument, yes.”

  “Not because you understand how I feel or because you agree with me. Just to shut me the fuck up?”

  Letting out a heavy breath, I shake my head.

  “I don’t really know what you want from me, Farah.”

  “I want you to let me live.”

  She says it so quickly that I feel like she’s forcing the words out of her mouth before she can stop herself. She’s conflicted and that is one emotion I can definitely relate to.

  On one side, I’d love to let her live a long and happy life. One where she doesn’t have to worry about Vampires or death.

  And technically, I could give her that.

  Now that I’ve claimed her, she’s never been safer. She’s mine and so no other Vampire would dare touch her, dare prey on her.

  But I don’t have the self-control required to ignore her for five minutes let alone half a century or more.

  “I wish I could give you what you want,” I tell her gently, “but it’s not possible. I’ve drank your blood, Farah. I’m not going to stop craving it, not now.”

  “When? When will you stop?”

  I don’t really have an answer for her. Not a definitive one at least.

  “It could be decades or weeks.”

  “Either way, I die eventually.”

  “Eventually,” I say with a shrug.

  There is another option, of course. One I’ve considered. But one I won’t give her. Not now, perhaps never.

  Chapter Four

  Everette

  I could change her. When the time comes, I could change her. I’ve thought about it. But it’s unlikely to happen.

  I’m unlikely to still want her when her blood runs dry.

  I never have before. Then again, I’ve rarely found a human that I wanted, as much as I want Farah. Or in all the ways I want Farah.

  Usually, I don’t blur the lines between sex and food. It muddies the waters too much. Confuses things unnecessarily.

  It becomes hard to know where the blood lust ends and feelings of any significance start. I’ve never fancied myself the romantic ‘love you forever’ sort of Vampire. I’m definitely more of a ‘fuck you and leave you’ sort.

  With Farah, that’s different though. I want her again even though I had her yesterday. But I can’t tell if it’s just because I’m feeding off her too.

  “I don’t want to die, Everette,” she says again.

  It’s as if she actually believes her words can change my resolve. As if this is any more my decision than it is hers. She doesn’t understand that she’s just the unlucky human who smelt a little too good when I walked past her in the rain one day.

  That’s all it is.

  All this drama is caused by an almost insignificant chance encounter. I’d struggled not to bite her right there in the street. And the need to do so had only increased as I’d stalked her for the best part of two weeks before finally introducing myself to her.

  “How long do you want?” I ask her, wondering if her answer even matters.

  Truth is, I could kill her at any moment. All it would take is a tiny lapse in self-control.

  “How long? I don’t know,” she replies, blinking up at me.

  “Are we talking months? Years?” I ask gruffly, twirling a lock of her hair around my finger.

  “I can’t ask for a lifetime, can I?”

  “Is that what you want?”

  I’m horrified at the mere idea of how much self-control that would require. More than I think I have.

  “I don’t know,” she admits.

  “Have a think about it,” I say softly, lowering my hand to her shirt, beginning to unbutton it.

  “Will you actually give me whatever I ask for?”

  “I don’t know.”

  “Then why bother asking?”

  “Becau
se I’d like to. I’d like to be able to give you as much time as you’d like. I just can’t promise it.”

  My hand stills just above her heart and I focus on the steady beat for a moment.

  Frowning, I want to ask her why she hasn’t asked if I plan to change her. She’s never asked about becoming a Vampire, not even once.

  It’s odd because usually when humans find out what I am, that’s the first thing they do. Ask me to change them.

  Humans have always been intoxicated by the idea of immortality, no matter the cost.

  “Farah, why have you never asked about…” I start.

  “I don’t know if that’s what I want,” she says before I can finish.

  “You don’t know?” I ask, surprised.

  “I don’t really… It just seems like a big deal.”

  Chuckling, I nod my head.

  “Yeah, I guess it is.”

  “I’m not saying I don’t want to. I just don’t know.”

  “Is that why you want time?” I ask, feeling almost bemused.

  “Partly… I mean, I’m not expecting you to change me. I haven’t asked but you haven’t offered either.”

  Touché. She’s got me there.

  “I guess it’s a big commitment,” I reply.

  “Yeah…” Her voice is a whisper.

  I move so that we’re both lying on the bed, spooned against each other, my arm wrapped around her waist tightly.

  “Is it what you want?” She asks eventually.

  “What?” I murmur against her hair.

  “To change me.”

  “I don’t know,” I tell her honestly. “Maybe.”

  “Maybe not?” She asks with a giggle.

  “Yeah…”

  “Why?”

  “Why what?”

  That’s one of the things that I like about Farah. She’s not scared to ask questions. It also drives me mad.

  “Like pros and cons it.”

  “Are you serious?” I ask.

  “A little.”

  “We’re not going to decide this tonight, Farah, and certainly not over a fucking pros and cons list.”

  “No. I know. But I’d like to know what your pros and cons are.”

  With a sigh, I breathe in and out a few times before replying.

  “Fine. It’s not a long list. At the moment, the positives are this… Just this… Being like this with you forever. As for the negatives… your blood will be different. I quite like drinking your blood.”

  I pause for a second.

  “Er, I might not want you the way I want you now when I’m not craving your blood.”

  “Is that it?”

  “Pretty much… All the rest… Well, to be honest, I don’t know which category most things fit into…”

  “You’re not worried about me dying or becoming some sort of monster?”

  She turns her face towards me and I can’t stop myself laughing aloud.

  “Sure, I’m totally worried about that. I’m terrified you’ll turn into a raving bitch.”

  I say it completely stone faced and I wonder if she believes me. She looks like she does.

  “Do you think I’m a monster, Farah?”

  She doesn’t answer.

  “If you do, I probably shouldn’t change you,” I tell her seriously. “I don’t think I’m a monster. No more so than most humans. But if you do, I can kill you now and put you out of your misery.”

  I wait for her to respond, her looming answer meaning more to me than I’d like.

  Farah

  I don’t know what to say. He’s a complete arsehole but do I think he’s a monster? No. I don’t think I do.

  “You’re a narcissistic piece of shit,” I tell him sincerely, “but no, I don’t think you’re a monster.”

  I can feel his shoulders sag with relief and I’m surprised to find he actually cares about my answer.

  “Narcissistic, huh?” He asks, nibbling on my ear.

  “You heard me,” I reply breathily.

  His hand on my cheek, he moves my face so that I’m looking over my shoulder towards him. His lips brush along my chin until they reach my mouth. He bites down on my lower lip, sucking the coppery blood into his mouth.

  Here I was hoping for a kiss and he just wanted my blood. Like I said… Narcissistic. When his tongue pushes into my mouth, I can taste my blood on it but surprisingly it doesn’t bother me as much as it probably should.

  I pull his arms tighter around me, shuffling back against him.

  I can’t believe we’ve wasted so much time arguing when we could have been kissing or better yet, fucking. He finishes unbuttoning my shirt before removing it completely without breaking our kiss.

  That’s one of the perks about fucking a Vampire. They are seriously good at multi-tasking.

  His hand moves under my skirt, under the elastic of my underwear, grasping at my butt cheek unapologetically as he grinds his erection against me.

  I want our clothes off and it’s as if Everette can read my mind because he moves with inhuman speed removing first his own and then mine. Another perk, I guess.

  Still spooning, he slowly enters me from behind, his mouth kissing a trail along my neck.

  His thrusts are slow and measured as if he has all night. And I guess he does. Unlike me, he doesn’t actually need to sleep.

  Chapter Five

  Everette

  This is what we should have been doing ages ago instead of all that damn arguing. I don’t really know why she insists on arguing fucking semantics.

  I thought she’d accepted that I would kill her but apparently I was incorrect.

  Thrusting into her from behind, I grip tightly onto her hips. My touch is so firm that I’m certain my fingers will leave marks, perhaps even bruises.

  She’s moaning, her concerns and fears forgotten to her own ecstasy.

  No one ever cares that they’re dying when it feels this good to die. Trust me. I know. I’ve seen it often enough. I’ve taken enough humans to the brink of death.

  My fangs are aching as I stare at her neck. I want to bite her. I want to drink her almost dry, bring her to St. Peter’s gates just to pull her back.

  The power of death and life lies in my mouth and it would be heady if I wasn’t so damn old.

  I’ve been a Vampire long enough that I don’t feel the need to prove my own immortality by messing with Farah’s frail human existence.

  That said… it’s tempting. Really tempting.

  I suck down on her neck, careful not to bite her. At least, not yet. She whimpers, her arm wrapping around my neck so her hand can pull at the hair at the base of my neck as she circles her hips, pushing herself back against me.

  Her skin is slick with sweat, her heart pounding in her chest. I can hear it so fucking loud, keeping perfect time with the beat I can feel beneath her skin at her jugular.

  Fangs sharpening, I nip against her neck softly. Too gently to do more damage than a paper cut. Then I lap my tongue across it, enjoying the coppery tang.

  I don’t worry that I might hurt her as I finally bite down properly. I could take a chunk out of her neck and she’d probably let me but I wouldn’t do that to her flawless skin.

  Even if I would enjoy her screams.

  I’m a sadistic bastard, a monster, a fucking Vampire but I find myself being gentle with her, far gentler than I would with another human.

  Because I want my meal to last?

  Because I know I’ll want to fuck her again?

  It’s hard to know what motivates me when my dick is nestled inside her and her blood is quenching my thirst.

  I pull back before I need to. It’s not because I want to protect her or I’m scared I might kill her if I don’t stop.

  Flipping her over so she’s now lying on her back, I settle on top of her, lining my dick back up with her entrance. Moving with inhuman speed, I push into her as I pull her knees up.

  Then my mouth returns to her neck. I lick the place where I bit her and
watch as it begins to heal, returning to its pearly white.

  Kissing a path down her collar bone, I watch her reactions. The look on her face is pure delirium. My venom is the perfect drug.

  I run my tongue in circles around one of her nipples causing it to harden, then when I’m sure it’s at its most sensitive, when I know it will hurt the most, I bite down on it making her scream out.

  Her back arches as I begin to suck her blood once more, her silky walls pulsing around my cock. I come deep inside her as I continue to drink her essence.

  Farah

  I feel like I’m floating. I’m dizzy and disoriented. Even though there’s not a mark on my body to suggest it, I don’t have to ask Everette to know that he’s bitten me again.

  What I’m less sure about is how I should react. Should I be angry? Scared?

  This whole situation belongs in a bloody book. It’s pure fiction and it can’t be real and yet it is.

  He’s a Vampire. He will kill me. I will die. And there’s nothing I can do about it.

  My eyes flutter open. His body is cold against my side and I can feel his fingers on me, drawing patterns along my arm.

  “Awake?” he asks.

  I grumble out a response before trying to pull away from him but he doesn’t let me go, his grip tightening.

  “What time is it?” I ask, too exhausted to fight with him.

  “Early.”

  He sounds almost cheerful. It’s uncharacteristic and a little disquieting.

  “How early?”

  “Too early for humans,” he tells me, his lips against my ear.

  “What time is it, Everette?” I ask again, trying to at least sound like I’m in control.

  I’m not, of course. A fact, he knows all too well.

  “It’s not yet five, Farah,” he tells me with a sigh. “You should sleep some more.”

  Blinking in surprise, I almost ask him why I woke up. I’m usually a heavy sleeper. I could sleep through World War Three, or at least that’s what my parents always used to say.

  “It’s just the venom in your system,” he whispers.

  “Huh?”

  “That’s what woke you up.”

  “Oh…”

  I should ask him exactly what he means but I can’t bring myself to do it. I don’t want to know. This whole thing is just too unreal and nothing he says now will make any difference.