Take It Like a Vamp (18 page)

Jake wanted to warn him that Casey would not be able to handle his beast. He’d already known it when he asked her to marry him. She was human. But it didn’t matter. They could have a physical relationship once she was better and he could keep that side of himself hidden from her. She swore she didn’t care he was a monster, but he’d seen the look in her eyes when he’d changed that first time. He never wanted to see it again.

Nick found one of the tank tops that went with a short set he’d bought for her. Carefully, he turned her on her side as he unbuttoned the dress. This wasn’t exactly how he’d imagined peeling this off her, but it was his damn fault she was in this condition. He should have known better. He’d put her through hell the last few days. And still she’d been crazy enough to marry him.

He wondered at her strength, but now he had to be strong enough for the both of them. After he had her changed and took off her jewelry, except for the wedding rings, he found her toiletries. Gently, he removed her makeup with one of the cleansing pads she liked to use. Then he used a washcloth to wipe everything off. Using another one, he washed her arms and hands. His precious, Casey.

“Nick,” she said groggily.

He sighed with relief. “You’re okay. The doctor is taking care of you.”

“Don’t leave me,” she whispered.

“Never, baby. I’m yours forever.”

“She’s here,” Casey whispered. “I think she wants—inside of me. That sounds crazy, right?”

“Who wants inside of you?” Was she delirious? Maybe the poison had reached her brain.

“The chipmunk. She’s the one making me sick. She—” Casey coughed. And her eyes fluttered closed.

Chipmunk?

Fuck!

“Linc, get Matthew. That bitch is trying to break through the wards.”

Linc was in the bedroom before he finished the sentence. “Matt’s on his way. How do you know? I don’t feel anything.”

“That’s because she’s trying to possess Casey. That’s what’s making her sick. I’m going to rip that bitch’s black heart from her chest and burn it with the rest of her bones.” The beast unleashed and Nick growled in fury.

“I’ll be right there with you.” Linc put his hand on Nick’s shoulder. “But you need to stay calm. We have to help Casey, and your beast is of no use with this threat.”

Matt and Cody came through the terrace. “The crew is watching the guests. We didn’t see anyone or anything who looked suspicious,” Cody said. “Mason is checking out the caterers.”

They both stared at Nick. His rage would not be controlled.

“Nick,” Casey’s sweet voice penetrated the red haze clouding his mind. “You’re hurting my hand.”

His woman. He’d hurt her. “Oh, Casey, I’m sorry.” He hit his knees beside her, the beast forgotten. “You scared me.”

She coughed. “Is that why you went fangy?”

Nick grinned. “Fangy? Yeah, that would be why. I’m not going to let that witch hurt you. Do you understand? Fight her, with everything you are.” Alvinia wanted to kill his precious one. He wouldn’t let that happen.

A chant began behind him. Matthew and Cody were powerful mages. Together there was no way Alvinia would be able to fight them, not with the magic already guarding the island.

Casey’s pulse dropped dangerously low. Nick could hear her heartbeat slowing. “She’s trying to kill her,” he growled. “Do something!”

The chant intensified and Linc took Casey’s other hand. “Share your power with her,” he said. “Nick, you are the one person who can tether her to this world. Keep talking to her. Let her feel your strength. Alvinia can only get in if Casey lets go.”

“Casey, I love you. I know you don’t believe me, but I do. We are going to have an amazing life together. I want you to think about that. Think about all the fun we can have. Remember, you promised to teach me how to surf? No one is going to come between us. Do you hear me? No one.”

Casey’s white lips hinted at a smile.

“You’re so pretty,” she whispered. “And the sex. You know I’m really going to miss the sex if I die.” Her heart continued to slow.

Fuck!

“Do it now!” Linc ordered. “The bite will give her the power to fight.”

“I won’t do it without her permission,” Nick growled in frustration. But if he didn’t, Alvinia would destroy Casey.

“Baby, can you hear me?” Nick whispered in her ear. The death rattle seized her chest. There was no more time.

Fangs out, his teeth penetrated her artery sending the toxin through her body. The muscles in her body contracted and he worried he’d been too late.

“Fight the bitch, Casey,” Linc yelled. “She wants to take Nick away from you. If you die that’s it—we all lose.”

“You’re going to have to do the transformation, at least part of it,” Matthew said from behind them. “Her body is weakened by the dark magic Alvinia is throwing at her, she’s using Casey’s body as a conduit. The evil spreads as we speak.”

Screams from outside proved he was right.

Nick pulled back, sliding his tongue along the small wound he created so that it would heal. Each jagged breath ripped at his heart as she tried to breathe.

Frustrated that the magic wasn’t working, Nick started praying. It had been many years since he’d asked God for favors, but he was afraid for her life. And if she died, he wouldn’t be far behind. There was no way, now that he had experienced true love, he would live without it.

Let her live. Take me. I’m nothing. She is everything. Don’t let her die. Please
.

Nick pressed his lips against hers. “I love you, Casey. I love you more than life. More than anything or anyone in the world. You’ve given me such a gift, just by being the amazing woman you are. Don’t leave me. I can’t do this without you.”

“The horde is coming,” Matthew said.

As much as he wanted to stay by her side, Nick had to make sure the horde hadn’t attacked the guests.

“Stay.” Linc threw out his hand. “Share your blood with her. I will protect the others. The guard is ready, we will not let the horde destroy her friends.”

They stared at one another, and Nick nodded slowly. Once she tasted the nectar from his veins, she would be immortal. A choice she had not made, and that he believed they could talk about years down the road. She might never forgive him, but it had to be done.

A howl erupted outside and Linc was through the door shifting into a large white wolf.

The smell of sulfur penetrated the air. Using his fang, Nick bit his wrist and poured the blood into her mouth. With his other hand he tilted her head back so that it slid down her throat. The rattle was gone, and he feared it was over. He had to try.

Matthew’s hand touched one of his shoulders, and Cody’s was on the other.

“We must fight Alvinia together if she is to survive,” Matthew said. “We will destroy the horde and break the bond.”

Power surged through Nick as his blood poured into Casey’s mouth.

She gasped! Her eyes flew open and then rolled back in her head. Then she blinked several times.

“You will not defeat me. I will kill you and all you hold dear,” Alvinia’s cruel voice spoke through Casey.

“No!” Nick roared. “Fight her Casey. You are stronger than any woman I know. My blood courses through you. Fight damn it. I need you!”

“Get out of my body you fucking whore!” Casey screamed.

Nick had never heard such language from Casey. “Yes,” he encouraged. “Tell her, Casey. She will never stand between us again.”

“Nick is mine,” she growled. “You crazy-ass bitch. He loves me, in a way he could never love someone as bat-shit as you.” Casey’s arms lifted to the heavens and then she fell back on the pillows.

“Casey? Casey?” Nick shook her gently.

Fuck!

Nick brought her cold hand to his lips and kissed her fingers.

“Please wake up my precious woman.”

She sat up and screamed. Then she turned to look at him.

“What in the hell was that?” she whispered hoarsely.

“Casey,” Linc asked from the doorway. He was back in human form.

Matthew’s magic held strong. The horde is decimated.
Linc’s thoughts rolled across Nick’s mind. But the only thing that mattered was Casey.

She turned to glance at him. “Why are you guys looking at me like that?”

Her head bobbed around as if she watched a tennis match. “Why are Matt and Cody singing? Is this some kind of weird thing you guys do? Uh, no offense but it’s a little creepy with all these dudes in our bedroom.”

Nick grinned. Definitely his Casey.

Scooping her up in his arms, he kissed her face, neck and her hair.

“Uh, Nick?”

“Yes?”

“If we’re doing the kissy face, your friends have to leave.”

He chuckled. “Consider it done.”

An hour later, she’d drifted off to sleep. After the doc set up the IV, he checked her pulse once more. “Keep her head elevated. I’ll be back to check on her first thing in the morning. Whatever the witch did, it weakened her system. But she’s on the mend.”

When he left, Nick stripped to his boxer briefs and climbed into the bed. Careful not to disturb her IV, he sat behind her, and pulled her back against his chest. Then he watched her sleep as he prayed for the universe to heal her.

Chapter Nineteen

Waking from a dream about chipmunk supermodels, Casey’s left arm hurt. The sun shone through her lids, but she couldn’t quite force her eyes open. Her body was cradled and she felt safe.

“Nick.” Her throat hurt when she tried to speak.

“I’m here.” He sounded relieved.

“What’s going on?” Finally she blinked her eyes open, squinting when everything blurred around her. The white room with the gauzy white curtains reminded her they were in Greece.

“Please tell me I didn’t get drunk at my wedding and pass out.”

“You didn’t get drunk,” he confirmed.

Reaching over, she tried to find out why her left arm was so uncomfortable.

“No, don’t touch the IV,” Nick warned.

That woke her up. Patting around with her other hand she felt a hard thigh. Angling her head up, she saw a worried Nick staring back at her. Tension rimmed his eyes. Reaching up she caressed his cheek and he leaned into her hand.

“The doc says you’re going to be fine. But you scared the hell out of me.”

She bit her lip to keep from smiling and he frowned.

“There’s nothing funny about it. I thought I was going to lose you. That bitch Alvinia tried to kill you. But you’re protected now. And I’m going to take care of you. Nothing like that will ever happen again. You are also going to do what the doctor said. Eat healthier and rest.”

“Why are you being mean and bossy? I’m not arguing with you. And for the record, I didn’t do that to myself. And fair warning, if I ever see that chick she’s not going to live long enough for you to kill her. I felt fine and then all of the sudden I didn’t. And then I knew. She was doing something, trying to make me think you didn’t care about me. But I know you do.”

Nick’s frown deepened. “I’m not bossy. I’m worried,” he said, as if that answered question. “I love you, Casey. And that witch will never lay a hand on you again. She has a death warrant on her head with a bounty. If one of us doesn’t kill her, someone else will. I should probably say that’s terrible. But I’m glad. She tried to kill me and that really pisses me off. Besides that, she was in my head for a bit and she’s bat-shit crazy.”

Nick chuckled.

“There’s one more thing we need to talk about.” The smile left his face.

“If it’s bad news, can it wait?”

He shook his head somberly.

“Fine.” She took a deep breath.

“I had to bite you in order to help you survive.” His gray eyes had those tight lines around the edges again. He was worried she would be pissed.

“What does that mean exactly?” She tried to keep the fear from her voice, but they hadn’t talked much about what would happen if he marked her.

“We shared blood,” he said as if that explained everything.

“And?”

“You are immortal, at least you will be. It will take two more bites, but with each one you’ll grow stronger. When those bites happen, is up to you. I will not bite you again without your permission.”

Casey chewed on her lip. The idea that she could live forever was something she’d never thought about. In fact, it was too much to even contemplate at the moment. “So I wasn’t a werewolf beforehand. So now I’m one of the undead? No more sunshine?”

He brushed a hair away from her cheek. “No, you are immortal and still very much alive as I am. We have souls and our humanity. It’s what separates us from many of the other supernaturals. You will become more sensitive to the sunlight, but it will take an hour or so before it becomes too uncomfortable. But once your body heals from its current trauma, you’ll be stronger than ever.”

She tried to sit up, but Nick’s hand splayed possessively over her stomach.

“Wow. You know, every day with you is an adventure, Mr. Christos. Do I have to drink blood?”

“Not until after the third bite, and Nick will help you control your thirst,” said Doc as he strode into the bedroom. “But you are still weak, and you’re staying in bed for the next seventy-two hours and no work for at least two weeks,” Jake ordered as he entered the bedroom.

“Uh, no. It’s my honeymoon. I’m not going to—” A wicked grin spread across her face.

“No, ma’am,” Dr. Holloway warned. “None of that for seventy-two hours, and after that you have to be careful. He glanced up a Nick with a solemn look on his face. I mean it, at least for another week. And after that you’re going to have to pace yourself. Nick tells me a sixteen-hour day is the usual for you and that you try to catch up on sleep on the weekends, but that isn’t the right way to do it. Your body needs balance. If you take care of yourself, the occasional venom strike or demon possession won’t be so detrimental.” He said it like it was an everyday occurrence. Maybe it was in Nick’s world.

“I told you the other night that you needed to eat regularly balanced meals. I talked to everyone who was around you yesterday, and they all said the same thing. You didn’t eat anything.”

“Hello! Nervous bride. I don’t know a single female who eats on her wedding day. Besides, I’m one-third immortal now. I’m fine. Can I at least get up to go the bathroom? That’s kind of a priority right now,” she grumbled.

“I’ll take out the IV,” he said, “but someone should walk with you for the next couple of days. If you were to fall on these marble floors you could break something, or worse, hit your head.”

This was ridiculous. They made her out to be some kind invalid. She’d been through a lot the last week, but she was strong. She always had been. And the truth was, she would have taken the bite eventually. Like everything else with Nick, it had happened sooner than expected. But at least now she was harder to kill.

“I’ll carry her. She doesn’t need to walk.”

“Oh. My. Gawd. Come on, guys. This is crazy. I’m fine. Granted, the last couple of days have been wild.” Free of the IV, she sat up. Her head spun a bit, but she settled quickly. “See, I’m fine.”

“Shut up.” Nick scooped her up.

She heard the doc chuckle as her new husband carried her to the toilet. This was humiliating. Dressed in a tank and her wedding panties that said. “Nick’s” on them, she tried to slide out of his arms. But he refused to put her down until they reached the toilet.

She narrowed her eyes. “I promise I’ll yell if I need help, but get the hell out of the bathroom,” she ordered. “Go conspire with your doctor friend on ways to keep me from enjoying what are supposed to be some of the happiest days of my life.”

She saw a grin spread on his face and he headed out to give her privacy.

Thinking he’d left, she relaxed.

He peeked his head around the corner. “By the way, when I saw your panties last night, I ordered you twenty more pair in different colors. I like the idea of my name on your ass.”

“Out!” She pointed.

Chuckling, he disappeared.

If she ever ran across Alvinia and her horrid demons again, she would kill them all. No sex on her wedding night.
Damn.

A few minutes later she was back in bed and Nick tucked her in.

“Your assistant says she needs to see you,” he said.

Bennett walked through the door with a frown on her face. “Jeez, like how much sex did you guys have last night?” She pointed an angry finger at Nick. “Have you ever heard about pacing yourself? It’s been years since she’s had any regular sex. Give the girl a break.”

“Bennett! Can it,” Casey ordered.

“Just telling it like it is, sister. You look better than you did last night. I had to make sure he didn’t kill you with his awesome skills.”

Nick guffawed.

Casey considered the many ways she could kill her best friend.

“Bennett, your performance review is coming up. You might want to remember that,” Casey warned.

Her friend rolled her eyes. “I work my ass off for you. I get to say whatever I want. That’s the other reason I stayed behind. Justin says we have everything covered. Since you’re such a workaholic, you’ve got all the artwork done for the presentations several weeks before we need them. The album cover is the only thing left, but you’ve got plenty of time to finish it. They haven’t completed the record yet. Though, Alice the receptionist says that rock star keeps calling and leaving you messages. He wants you to come back to L.A.”

“Over my dead body. You aren’t going anywhere near that asshole.”

She loved his possessiveness.

Bennett’s eyebrow shot up, but she smiled.

Justin says the Palmer guys loved what you did for them. You just brought the agency, in his words, ’a butt load of money.’ He’s ordering you to take two weeks of vacation, and if you try to come back early, he’ll fire your ass.”

As if.
She made too much money for the guy for that to happen. But two weeks with no responsibilities didn’t sound so bad. After her parents died, she’d poured herself into her work. And the doc had been right about her obsession with work. It was the only thing she could control.

“Great. I’m unnecessary, just what every girl wants to hear.”

Bennett snorted. “Girl, I’ve a Jewish mother and an Englishman for a father. Try that guilt trip with someone who cares.”

They laughed.

“Thanks, B.” She reached out to hug Bennett. They squeezed each other tight.

When she stood up, she pointed her finger at Nick again. “She better come back happier and healthier than she’s ever been in her life. I’ve got my eye on you, mister.” Then she reached out her arms to give him a hug.

For a moment, Nick looked like he didn’t know what to do, but eventually he reached around and patted her back.

“Behave, you two.” She put a finger to her eye and then pointed at Nick again.

“She can be over protective sometimes,” Casey tried to explain.

He shrugged. “You’re lucky to have a friend who cares so much about you. Speaking of over protective, Aunt Teddie said she’d see you later in the day. We told her it was a blood sugar thing. She sat by the bed most of the night, but I convinced her to visit Crete with some of the other guests. I’ve asked her to stay a couple of days to keep you company. I’m worried you’ll get bored with me.”

Scooting over on the bed, she patted the space where she’d just been. “Sit. We need to talk.”

A pensive expression slid over his face. “If you’re going to start that crap about knowing your body and your limitations, I swear I’ll spank you here and now.”

She wrapped her fingers around his, and leaned up to kiss his cheek. “The Doc said no sex for seventy-two hours.” Her other hand slid to his thigh. “So spanking’s out for now.” She gave him a sweet smile.

Taking her hand off his leg, he put it back in her lap. “That trick isn’t going to work with me,” he said.

She glanced down to his pajama bottoms, which were tented at a peculiar angle. “Oh, I’d say I’m quite successful with that move.” She ran her tongue across her lips.

“You’re going to kill me aren’t you?” he groaned.

She rubbed her hands together in a mischievous way.

“This is a fantasy of mine,” he revealed. “The arrogant, selfish CEO who always takes from everyone, having to be a slave to his gorgeous wife. Granting her every wish. Doing nothing but taking care of her and giving her pleasure. Her every desire is his only priority,” he said sexily.

“Desire” had her squirming. Evidently two could play this game. And damn, if he wasn’t good at it.

She crossed her arms. “Slave boy, bring me some food. I’m hungry.” She clapped her hands.

Before he took her mouth he whispered, “Yes, wife” against her lips.

It was a good thing she was sitting down.