Half Blood Rising novel Chapter 22

I was back in the room, taking long ragged breaths, mildly aware that Lachlan was still drinking my blood. Dull heat flared between my breasts, and I didn’t dare move. My primal instincts were aware of everything that was going on, as my fingers traced the line of his neck. It took me another few seconds to realise that the previous images in my mind were my lost memories.

Somehow, I still had no idea, but I pulled myself away from his irresistible fangs, remembering the memory of my transformation.

Lachlan looked like a real monster then, shocked, and still filled with hunger for more. My blood was dripping from his mouth, his pupils were dilated, and his hard cock was pressed against my navel. I swallowed hard, trying not to stare, because, hell, I wanted him inside me so damn much. This was my vampire nature aching for more contact. His touch was electrical, like standing next to a live wire. I just couldn’t get enough, I needed him to fill me and relieve the throbbing between my thighs. His bite had awakened my memories, and so much more, more than I’d ever realised. Maybe he was somehow connected to the vampire who’d attacked me. I needed to figure this out on my own.

“This is not happening, no. You hate me, and now you’re kissing me,” I said, touching my fiery cheeks. I was confused with what was happening to my own body. How could I want him?

He wiped his mouth with his hand and took a step towards me. He didn’t seem to care that I said no.

“You taste better than I ever imagined, stop denying it, hen. I know you want to shag me, too,” he said, lowering his voice, tipping up my chin, so I couldn’t avoid looking at him.

“No, I can’t be around you right now. This isn’t good for me,” I said and then pushed him off me. Seconds later, I took off running, and yeah, maybe this was crazy, but I needed to get away from him. We would screw each other, and then I would regret it later.

Lachlan had hated me from the very beginning, and he didn’t trust me. Maybe that changed because I was loyal to the academy and didn’t want him to die. Right now, I didn’t trust myself around him. I walked outside and ended up on the terrace, breathing in the cold air.

Before I awoke on the street with no recollection of who I was, I had a life, a loving human family. These memories, even if they were only glimpses from the past, they proved what I’d always known deep inside. Once I was far away from that irresistible vamp, my head was spinning away. All these thoughts and memories were still so fresh. I never truly believed I could be half-fae. Regardless of what Oldman and several others had mentioned about my magic, I didn’t think it was possible. But now I had the answers I’d longed for, searched for, but now I wasn’t sure how to process them just yet. My vampire nature dominated, and yet the magic inside me was so different than the energy of any other creature. Things were slowly starting to make sense.

On top of that, my entire body was still pulsing with desire, so raw and so hot, that I thought I’d have to start pleasing myself. Several drops of sweat rolled down my face. What was wrong with me? I’d allowed him to bite me, and I loved every moment of it.

In the end, I went back to my room I shared with Karina. It was still dark outside, and she was fast asleep. I decided to take a cold shower. The images of Lachlan thrusting his hard erection inside me began spinning through my mind again, until the freezing stream of water hit my body. It all stopped there, and I stood under the cold water for a good half an hour, shaking, until my body was numb, until I couldn’t think about him any longer.

Why was Lachlan so significant, and why was I only getting the understanding of who I was when we were exchanging bodily fluids? It was possible this had something to do with the fact he was a vampire, too. I was determined to get to the bottom of it.

Later on, once dressed and freshened up, I decided to talk to Oldman about what I’d learnt, about these whirling memories in my head. I couldn’t sleep anyway, and the lights in her office were still on. I had to keep my mouth shut about the fact that Lachlan had drunk from me. I didn’t want anyone to know I’d become attracted to him. It was time to reach out for help, and she was the only other person I trusted here, besides Karina, but Oldman was fae.

It was very late in the evening, and everyone apart from Karina was still awake. Dimitry was playing the guitar, humming some sort of song to himself. We all needed to rest before the next mission. Dorothy was still missing, so our job in Moscow was nowhere near done.

I wasn’t in the mood for socialising, and, besides, Lachlan would show up any minute, and I wanted to avoid him. Marco probably already suspected I was crushing on the handsome Scott. I knocked on Dimitry’s office door, the office Oldman was now occupying. She seemed to be busy working on something, and I didn’t want to be a nuisance. My heart was thumping way too quickly inside my chest.

“What is it, Jaymin?” she asked, not lifting her head from her paperwork.

“I need to talk to you about something,” I said to her, not waiting for her to invite me in to sit. I just sat in the available chair in front of the desk, seeing Dimitry’s photos everywhere. He was an adventurous guy outside of work it seemed. Oldman was glowing, and I wondered if I ever looked like that. As a half-vampire, I was pale, but I never thought I was beautiful.

When she finally met my gaze, her tensed features relaxed. “Something happened? You’re causing me to be a bit concerned, Jaymin.”

“It’s nothing to worry about. At least, I hope not,” I said, trying to gather myself to tell her the truth. “It’s about my past. Recently, I managed to regain some of my memories, and I’m trying to piece it all together.”

Deep down, I thought I would rebel. I’d been frustrated all these years because I hadn’t made any progress. It shocked me that I was so calm.

She frowned and folded her hands together, meaning she was willing to listen to me. “What do you mean, you recently acquired new memories?”

Damn it. I knew she wasn’t going to let that one go. My encounter with Lachlan made me uncomfortable, but there was no way I was going to admit to having any feelings for him. What happened between us was because of my half-vampire nature—I couldn’t resist him. There was nothing human about that. Or fae, rather? I supposed I no longer had human genes. It was all so confusing.

“Let’s not dwell on who or what triggered them. The bottom line is, someone, a vampire, turned me first, and then he took me to some sort of fae court. I’m half-fae and half-vampire. I had a real family before I lost all my memories and ended up on the street,” I blurted out, thinking that there was no point beating around the bush.

Oldman’s eyes widened, and she shifted in her chair, releasing some magic. Maybe that was the main reason why I felt it when we were around each other. Apparently other vampires weren’t so sensitive. The pure breeds could only detect others like them.

“You believe you’re a half-vampire and half-fae? Impossible,” she whispered, rising from her chair.

“I don’t think so, I know I am. These memories were real, and I saw my family. I believe it was my mother’s side who was fae, but she appeared to be human. She didn’t want anything to do with the fae, because my father was human, and she wanted to keep me away from magic. This is all still very new and complicated for me. I sort of dreamed about my transformation, but it was more of a vision than a dream, as I’m certain it happened four years ago. The vampire who turned me was an ancient, and I became his experiment,” I explained, sweating way too much.

Oldman exhaled sharply, then began pacing around the room. Well, that was a good sign, at least she believed me.