The Replacement: A Culling of Blood and Magic Page 3

  Conditioned from the tender age of three to be repulsed by the very notion of vampires, she was supposed to hate him and everything that made him who he was. Her traitorous body had a mind of its own though.

  August brought his face to hers, and she stiffened as his breath caressed her lips. If she moved a half inch, she’d know what his lips felt like on hers. And as much as she shouldn’t, she wanted to know what they felt like.

  August had other plans, though. Instead, he drew his breath across her cheek and down toward her throat. Her heart raced, hands clammed up, and her cheeks flushed in response to the unfamiliar attention.

  “You smell absolutely intoxicating. Do you know that?”

  He was one to talk. August smelled of sandalwood and fresh forest air. It surrounded her in an impossible way, filling her with the need to be close to him. The breath from his words fanned her skin, heightening her body’s response tenfold. It was an intimate gesture, and for a split second, she’d forgotten what he was.

  What she was.

  She swallowed the lump clogging her throat. “I wasn’t aware.”

  He sucked in a breath as his lips grazed her collarbone and, as if to confirm his words, let it out on a soft, breathless moan from his otherwise firm demeanor.

  Emery’s ragged breathing confirmed everything she wanted to deny. His lips continued exploring her skin. She shifted her weight, desperate to ignore the growing heat pooling between her thighs. August’s hand gripped her hip, holding her in place, then he pulled away piercing her with his gaze.

  “You’re going to be my undoing, woman,” he whispered, and before she could respond, his lips crashed against hers.

  Every inch of her came to life, vibrating from the inside out. Emery gasped, and he took advantage. His tongue speared against hers, tangling with it at a slow, hungry pace that strung her body tight with need. Her back arched, needing more physical connection. When he tightened his grip on her hip, halting her movement, Emery hooked one of her legs around his hips and pulled him in.

  August stumbled into her, and Emery moaned, as her hardened nipples brushed against him. He sucked her lower lip between his teeth and pulled back, sending a jolt of the most pleasurable pain through her as his fangs dragged over it. Never in her life did she expect to be fully and completely immersed in the feel of a vampire's fangs, enjoying them on her body. Wanting them to explore other parts of her body.

  Still holding her against the wall with one hand, he stepped away raking the other through his hair. A soft moan fell from her lips, the distance he’d created too much for Emery’s heightened senses. It didn’t make sense, but she didn’t need it to. All she needed was for him to continue what he’d started.

  “Bloody hell,” August whispered through panted breaths.

  Emery opened her mouth to speak but froze when August whipped his head around. His eyes met hers and dilated.

  “Go into the bathroom and get ready. You will forget everything that just happened.”

  Emery stood against the wall frozen and unable to breathe. She gave a slight nod and scooted into the bathroom.

  Like she could forget what happened in a million years.

  He’d kissed her. If she could even call it a kiss. More like he set every inch of her on fire and left her in a heightened state of sexual frenzy. It effectively gave her a pair of blue balls to go along with her already pulsing lady boner. She instantly regretted every time she’d lead a guy on.

  Then, he compelled her to forget.

  She’d never not wanted to be a witch more than she did in that moment. To sink into the reality where his body was never pressed up against hers and she didn’t capture his deliciously innocent moans between her lips. Only she couldn’t, and now was forced to live with the memory of August’s lips on hers and face the reality that she wanted more than just his lips.

  Emery inhaled a shaky breath and gazed into the bathroom mirror. Reaching up, she ran her fingers over her lips, committing August’s fire inducing touch to memory. At least she was herself for the kiss. She’d remember forever that he kissed Emery, not Sloane.

  She studied the face that stared back at her. Emery had only just learned to see herself as beautiful after Ada died. The old bat had a penchant for tearing Emery down whenever she got the chance. She zeroed in on the tiny scar just under her eyelid she got after falling off her bike when she was six. The small freckle on her lip that no one even noticed but her. The tiny imperfections that made her Emery and told her story.

  She was reminded last night that the face staring back at her also lived another life completely. A life she knew nothing about. That face belonged to a girl who’d been taken from her family and raised in a castle. Whose amber eyes had witnessed things most people could only imagine. A face that no longer lived but still survived, like a broken mirror.

  She stood staring at a reflection that would never look back at her. A face that would no longer belong to Emery if she did what the prince demanded of her last night.

  It would be Sloane’s.

  Not that she had a choice.

  No matter what, she’d be going to the castle. She could stomach doing what August asked of her, if only to find justice for a sister she didn’t even know. She’d always had a connection to Sloane, despite only being together five short years. They shared a womb, and yet it was so much more. It was a bond not even death could sever. An inexplicable need to know her.

  Something was holding her back, though. A sadness she struggled to understand. Emery had only just started to feel comfortable in her own skin. After spending nearly a year traveling with Wren, she felt ready to live the life she was meant to lead. A life on her own terms, not one micromanaged by Ada.

  Then, the mark showed up on her wrist, and all that confidence went out the window. Her life was going to be micromanaged again. And to make it worse, by overbearing vampires.

  Emery hurried through her morning routine, shaking off the downward spiral of her life, and slipped into a fresh pair of black leggings and an oversized gray sweatshirt. Pulling her brown and pink tresses up into a messy bun, she stood before the bathroom door. It’d be easy to just hide out in the bathroom for the rest of the day. It was safe in there, and she could be herself.

  But that wasn’t what she was told to do.

  Emery knew she’d have to become someone else as soon as she left the bathroom. She held her head high, not giving herself another moment to mourn the loss of her identity, and pulled the door open to her new normal.

  Her jaw dropped when she stepped out. Carts full of silver domes sat in the middle of the room, and August gave her a satisfied smile.

  “I ordered one of everything on the breakfast menu, plus some medicine for the headache I’m sure you have.” He moved to the cart that held two silver pitchers on it. “I also ordered a pitcher each of Bloody Mary and Irish coffee, just in case the hair of the dog was more your style.”

  Shocked by his personality shift, her mouth dropped open, and she had to remind herself to close it before she caught flies. The man was dangerous, and she needed to remember that. “Thank you.”

  She peeked under a few silver domes, finding pancakes and eggs benedict. The third had a breakfast burrito. She needed to look no further. Emery grabbed the burrito off the plate, grabbed the pills, and poured herself an Irish coffee before plopping down at the head of the soft bed.

  August watched her from the seat by the window, his gaze heavy. He propped his elbow on the arm of the burgundy chair and placed his hand over his mouth. Hiding the lips she desperately wanted to forget. Damn, he was hot as hell, all calm and relaxed like that. He didn’t even need to try. All the while, she sat there looking like the hot mess express pulling into a station she had no business stopping at.

  “Are you just going to stare at me or what? You can have some, you know. I’m not going to eat all this.” Emery paused and cocked her head to the side. “Do vampires even eat real food?” She realized for all the warnings A
da had given her about how terrible vampires were, she never told her any useful facts. It was always, if you see one, run the opposite direction.

  Fast.

  That advice was null and void the moment the mark appeared on her wrist. Couldn’t run away when you were shackled to a vampire. Emery didn’t know if she would burn from the inside of her wrist out or if they’d send someone to kill her, but finding out was not on the top of her to-do list.

  August chuckled in the deep sexy way that made heat pool in her belly. He sauntered to the bed and placed a binder in front of her she hadn’t noticed while she’d been ogling his relaxed grace. The bed dipped, and he picked up Copper, examining her beloved stuffed dragon. “Yes, royal vampires eat food. Our turned counterparts less so. I’ve already eaten this morning, thank you.”

  “What’s the difference?” She spoke with her mouth full, only realizing halfway through her question that she probably wasn’t acting as ladylike as she should in the presence of royalty.

  If August noticed, he chose not to comment on it. “Royal vampires are the product of a male vampire and a human female. A turned vampire is a human that was bitten by a vampire and made to be one of us. Like Malcolm.”

  “And they are sensitive to sunlight too.”

  “That’s correct. They won’t burst into flames, as history would have you believe. But they must stay covered or suffer severe burns. The castle's windows are treated so it’s not a problem for Malcolm, the Queen, or any visiting courtiers.”

  “Wait, I understand how the Queen would be turned, but Malcolm isn’t a royal vampire? How is that possible?”

  “He is, technically. He was born first, but unfortunately, was the one-in-a-million child born human. He was turned on his twenty-seventh birthday but will never hold the title of crown prince because he can’t produce an heir.”

  “That sucks.” Emery couldn’t believe the smallest part of her sympathized with Malcolm. He might be an asshole, but she would be too if her birthright was taken from her because of an anomaly. She knew all too well what it was like to be born flawed.

  “It does.”

  “So, just one bite and I’d turn into a vampire?” The hand not holding her burrito instinctively went to her neck.

  “No. You’d have to die with venom in your system.”

  “Noted. Don’t die with vampire venom in my system.”

  “That would be wise. I don’t think you would enjoy being like me.”

  “You have no idea,” she whispered. Not only could she not stomach the idea of drinking blood, but her ancestors would turn in their graves if she betrayed her kind like that. Even if being a witch was the smallest part, it was still part of her.

  August cocked a brow but didn’t acknowledge her comment. “Any other questions?”

  Her eyes dropped to the mattress, the culmination of everything she’d learned from August settling all at once. “Why me?”

  “Why you, what?”

  “Why me? Why my sister? Why the women that are at the castle? What is so special about us that we are forced to audition to be your bride?” There was something special about the family lines that required them to provide their oldest daughter, should the mark appear, but Ada hadn’t ever explained to Emery why. Despite the number of times she cried for her sister's return, she was given nothing.

  “You aren’t special, Emery. You’re cursed. As am I.” He spat the words, as if they tasted like sour milk. “Our families’ fates forever intertwined by bloody witches who thought to play God.”

  “Witches?” She swallowed the hard lump in her throat and tried to keep her heartbeat from skyrocketing.

  “Yes. Witches are real and are the bane of my existence. They’ve been our enemy from the moment they created us. They killed us, controlled us, and they still do it to this very day, dictating our future with the same magic they used to create us. They’re the reason we can only mate with certain human females. Hence, the Culling. In a very real sense Emery, you, your sister, and all the other women in my Culling are just players in a game masterminded by them from the start.”

  Her mind reeled. Vampires were created by witches. Ada never told her that. Never let on that there was even a sound reason for the hatred between their two factions. She was in far more trouble than she realized. One wrong move and she’d be at the mercy of a witch hating vampire. It didn’t matter that Malcolm seemed all too willing to keep her ancestry secret. August’s hatred was palpable.

  She wiped a stray tear before he saw it rolling down her cheek. “That sounds awful.”

  “It is. Now, on to business.” He pushed the binder toward her. “Given the number of drinks you consumed last night upon my request for you to become Sloane, I take it you are less than amicable to the idea. I’m here to tell you, you’ve no choice in the matter.”

  Ah, there was his dickish nature. Emery rolled her eyes as she swallowed the last bite of her burrito and took a long sip of coffee. She got comfortable and sat crossed legged on the bed facing him. “First of all, it’s a perfectly reasonable reaction for someone to get drunk and enjoy themselves on their last night with the only identity they’ve ever known. Second, why do you have to be a gentleman one minute and a complete asshole the next?”

  “Enjoy yourself is an understatement. You ran up a thousand-dollar tab under my name.”

  Holy shit. A smile etched across her face. “You can afford it.”

  “I hope the ‘best whiskey in the joint’ was worth it.”

  “It was,” she lied, though the joke was on her, she didn’t remember taking shots of top shelf whiskey but wished she did. “I’ve thought about your so-called demand, and I’ll go along with your plan. But on two conditions.”

  “You think to give me an ultimatum? I could just compel you to comply.”

  “Yes, you could.” It wasn’t the time to inform him otherwise. “But then you would have to explain to the castle why Sloane all of a sudden has zombie-like tendencies.”

  August glared at her, and she knew she had him.

  “What are your conditions?”

  “I want to know what happened to my sister.”

  He sighed deep and looked away from her. “We don’t know. Her death is still under investigation.”

  “Then, I want to be kept in the loop and help with the investigation.”

  “Absolutely not. You’ll get in the way, not to mention it’s dangerous, and we don’t need another human getting killed on our watch.”

  Emery shrugged and tried to appear nonchalant. “Then, introduce me as Emery when I arrive at the castle. Better yet, release me and let me go home. Either way, you can figure out how to explain away my sister’s murder.”

  August’s expression hardened. “What’s your second condition?”

  “Once we figure out what happened to my sister, and it’s safe to do so, I want you to send me home. I have no intention of being your bride or bearing your heir.”

  Besides, you’d likely kill me if you ever found out what I am.

  He sat silently staring at her and a sardonic smile formed at his lips. “Are you sure? I can smell your arousal, Emery.”

  Heat flooded her cheeks. Of course, he could smell her. That was just her luck. It wasn’t like she wanted to be attracted to a vampire. Her traitorous body just hadn’t gotten the memo that there were fangs behind his straight white smile.

  She inhaled deeply, trying to steady her nerves. “Forgive me for saying this, but that’s not going to happen. Your family has already taken too much from me. I have a life, and I want to get back to it as soon as possible.”

  August tilted his head, though his eyes didn’t leave hers. “Alright.”

  “So, that’s a yes to both of my requests?” She gave him a sweet smile and hoped her charms worked on him.

  “I don’t like what you’re asking.” His growl sent a warm wave through her body, even as her stomach churned when he hesitated. “But we need you if we want the upper hand in figuring out wha
t happened to Sloane. To investigate and strike our enemies without them knowing they succeeded.” He clenched his jaw and spoke through gritted teeth. “I agree to your terms.”

  “Then, it’s settled.” Emery bounced a little on the bed and fell back on the mountain of feather pillows. She could relax a little now that her demands had been met. “What’s next?”

  Chapter Four

  August had no idea how he was going to keep up his end of the bargain.

  Everything inside him screamed to push her down on the bed and wreck her. Forego reason and fuck her, claim her, and then fuck her again. In all his years, he’d never been drawn to a woman with such visceral need. It was as though she’d infiltrated his mind and body. She dominated his thoughts since their eyes met across the club.

  Both her blood and her body called to him. Not in the way blood usually called to him, but to the dark, twisted, lust-filled part of his mind. He didn’t care if the stakes were too high or that she was identical in nearly every way to a woman who’d just died in his care.

  He wanted her.

  Needed her.

  He should care she was part of his Culling and off limits by his own stupid code. He knew better than to shit where he ate. Still, he’d throw his bloody code out the window for the opportunity to explore Emery.

  To make it worse, she wanted him, too. She may hide behind her innocent doe eyes, but the smell of her arousal didn’t lie. Her need was so palpable it hung thick in the air. If it weren’t essential for her to play the part, he would take her hard and fast right then.

  Then, he could release her from her duty to him, forever.

  That was a lie.

  She was damn near the most intoxicating being he’d ever encountered. Something her sister wasn’t, even if she looked like Sloane from afar. It took every ounce of self-control to walk away from Emery last night, and he hadn’t even tasted her. He had no idea why he indulged in her terms.

  He wasn’t going to let her go.