Blood Delirium (Blood Trance Book 1) Read online

  “I wish I’d never met you,” I whispered, feeling the world close in. My vision became tinged with crimson as I felt my heart begin to slow. I closed my eyes and let my death wash over me. Everything went dark as I heard my heart stop. I smiled, knowing I could relax now.

  Chapter 41

  I hissed and bared my teeth as I felt water splash against me. I opened my eyes cautiously, not sure where I was or what I was doing there. I sat up in bed and looked down to see myself clad in a beautiful midnight blue silk dress. I stepped out of bed and looked around the room, trying to recognize anything. As I looked around, I realized that not only didn’t I know where I was, but I didn’t know who I was.

  I went over to a mirror and stared into it, looking for clues about my identity. A hardened woman stared back at me. The blue silk clung to her curves, highlighting the obvious femininity of her body. Though her face wasn’t gorgeous, it was definitely pretty. It was her blue eyes that were breathtaking. Enhanced by the color of the dress, they shone like sapphires, looking like they could see right to your soul.

  “You’re awake,” a male voice said behind me. I wheeled around to see an absolutely gorgeous man standing behind me. His shaggy brown hair framed emerald green eyes. He handed me a cup of Starbucks coffee and smiled, “I’m glad you’re up.” He pressed his lips to my cheek and sat down crosslegged on the bed, smiling at me in a way that made my heart melt.

  “Who are you?” I asked cautiously, taking a sip from the coffee. Even though I couldn’t taste it, the warmth and the caffeine energized me. I could tell by the way that he greeted me and had my coffee prepared that he knew me.

  “Marcus,” he rubbed the spot on the bed next to him, motioning for me to come sit. I shook my head, and he sighed. “We were lovers when you were still a human. You died last night, and I brought you back as one of us.”

  “Us?” I asked, not sure what he was talking about. In response, he opened his mouth, tilted his head back, and sprouted fangs. I ran my teeth over my own incisors, feeling that they were sharp as knives. As soon as they popped out, a pang of hunger ran through me. I licked my lips and looked around. “What’s a girl gotta do to get a bite to eat?” I asked, smiling at him. Surprise flitted across his face, but it was soon replaced by confidence.

  He effortlessly appeared at my side. “Grab my hand,” wrapped one arm around my waist and used the other to take my hand.

  “Where are we going?” I asked curiously.

  “To feed,” he grinned excitedly down at me.

  Chapter 42

  We disappeared and reappeared in a dark corner of a club. The heavy base of the music thudded all the way through my senses.

  “Wow,” I whispered, reveling in the sensation.

  “Incredible, isn’t it?” he smiled at me and nodded towards the crowd of people in front of us. “Pick one,” he commanded.

  I looked out at the people in front of us. “Where are we?” I asked. It had been in the late afternoon back in the US, where I assumed the house I’d woken up in had been.

  “Bulgaria,” he replied, eyes glinting in the club lights. “Now, which one do you want?”

  I scanned the crowd, looking for someone to pop out at me. My eyes landed on a tall, blonde man that looked to be about ten years older than I was. He was chiseled and had blue eyes. I knew that he reminded me of someone, but I wasn’t quite sure who it was. Nonetheless, he looked incredibly appetizing. Something told me that he was my type, that I wanted to be with someone that looked like him. “Him,” I nodded in the direction of the Aryan I’d chosen.

  “Of course,” Marcus said when he saw my selection. Then, he turned to me. “Lesson One: how to see into a human’s mind. You need to be looking into their eyes, and skin-to-skin contact strengthens the bond.” He lightly pushed me. “Go try it on him.”

  I stepped out into the crowd, body instinctively moving rhythmically with the music. I made my way over to the man I’d chosen. “ало,” I said, greeting him in Bulgarian. Apparently, I both spoke and understood Bulgarian.

  He looked me up and down, smiling. Then, he grabbed my arm and pulled me against him. As we started dancing, I stared deep into his eyes, searching for a way to know what was going on inside his head. All of the sudden, something clicked into place, and I was inside his thoughts.

  “Filip!” my sister exclaimed, running towards me. She was fifteen, just over half my age, and we were playing in the park after school. I knew that her name was Lala, meaning tulip. She certainly was a flower, a bright point in my life. I’d gone to study at the university, earning a degree in English. I could proficiently translate amongst Bulgarian, French, English, and German. But, I didn’t enjoy the work. Even more than that, I missed my twin brother. It was seven years ago that Aleksander had gone missing, never to be seen again. “Play with me!” Lala demanded, reminding me that I still had something to live for.

  I broke out of his memories, pleased that I’d managed to see everything inside his head. While still staring into his eyes, I commanded, Follow me. He entwined his fingers in mine as I led him back to the corner where Marcus was waiting. “How did I do?” I grinned at him, presenting Filip.

  “Very well,” Marcus smiled back, but I could tell that something was bothering him. “Want me to show you how to access memories?”

  “I’ve already done it,” I exclaimed. “This is Filip. He has a younger sister named Lala and a dead twin named Aleksander.” I leaned in closer to Marcus and whispered, “I also commanded him to come with me.” I closed my eyes, still able to feel Filip’s mind. I knew that I’d be able to access it even now, with neither skin nor eye contact. “How far away will this work?” I asked, exploring Filip’s mind. I knew that I could convince him to do just about anything. Well, anything that he’d ever considered doing. For example: I knew that it would be incredibly easy to make him sleep with me. He’d thought about the second he saw me. But, I could never make him try to harm his sister. That was something that he’d never do in real life, and, therefore, couldn’t be forced to do through vampire persuasion.

  “It depends on how strong you are,” he replied, gesturing that I should follow him out one of the doors. We ended up in a back alley. “Now, drink.”

  I bared my teeth, fangs popping out. “How do I know when to stop?” I asked.

  “Stop?” he looked surprised. “Why would you stop?”

  Chapter 43

  I turned to look at him questioningly. “How well did we know each other?” I asked, wondering how he could ask me that. Even though I remembered nothing about my life, I knew that I wasn’t the kind of person that would kill without reason.

  “It’s complicated,” he replied, and I could tell that the subject wasn’t one that he wanted to breach.

  “When will I get my memories back?” I demanded, unsure about why he wouldn’t answer my question.

  “I’m not sure. The reason you don’t remember anything is that you were technically dead when I changed you.” He sighed. “From what I’ve heard, your memories will come back bit by bit when they’re triggered.”

  “I was dead?” My face went white. I knew that I had to die to become a vampire, but I’d been technically dead for at least a little while. He nodded. “Why did you save me?” I asked curiously.

  “Look,” he pushed me towards Fillip. “We can talk later. Please get something to eat. Then, we can go back home and talk more.” I knew that he was just trying to distract me, but I let him.

  “Fine,” I strode towards Fillip, grabbed him, tilted his head to the side, and sank my fangs into his neck. I reached into his mind and told him not to worry, that everything was ok. The second the blood washed over my tongue, I felt electricity flow through my body. It was like pure caffeine combined with ice water when you’ve been in the desert. It was more than just sating my hunger. It was restoring my life force. I was lost in the blood, in the relief.

  More and more memories began to flow through me. I saw the day that Lala was
born through little boy eyes. I saw Fillip and Aleksander fighting, both as young children and what I presumed to be a few months before he died. I saw Fillip standing with Lala at Aleksander’s funeral. I saw him trying to seek comfort with one of the neighborhood girls, even though it didn’t make him feel better.

  “You probably want to stop now,” Marcus said behind me, pulling me out of the sensations.

  I wrenched myself away from Fillip, stepping back. “Wow,” I whispered, licking all traces of blood off my lips. I then cut my finger and rubbed my blood into the marks, closing them instantly. Three seconds later, both my finger and the bite marks were healed, though there was a faint scar where I’d bitten him. I licked away all traces of blood and mentally sent him back into the club, erasing his memory of the incident. All he would remember would be coming out to the alley with me, making out for a little while, and heading back inside, feeling slightly dizzy but also satisfied. As an afterthought, I told him to be happier, less sad about everything that had happened. I told him that something good was heading his way.

  I closed my eyes, letting the blood and feeling of power run through me. It was new, exciting. I thought about the effect I had on humans, the way I could manipulate them. It felt fantastic. When Marcus touched my shoulder, it only flared up the electricity. I shivered as his fingers trailed down my back. I turned around, his arm wrapping around my side to my back. I stared at him for a few seconds. Then, I tried something new. I focused all my energy on being back at the house I’d woken up in. Ten seconds later, we were there. I grinned at him and stepped back.

  “You seem to have forgotten something,” he raised an eyebrow and looked at me. When I’d brought us back, I left a couple of things back in the alley, our clothes. I was standing in front of him wearing only my bra and underwear, and he was clad only in silky black boxers.

  Chapter 44

  “No, I didn’t,” I reached behind my back, unhooked my bra, and threw it at him. Then, I sprinted out of the bedroom. I ran down the stairs and jumped up, grabbing onto the wooden beam that was embedded in the arched ceiling. I clung to it, not making any sound. I few seconds later, Marcus appeared in the living room and looked around. I waited for a few seconds before dropping down from the ceiling. I pushed him onto the couch and straddled him.

  He hissed and arched his back, fangs popping out. I ran my tongue along one before I kissed him. He tore my panties off with one quick motion, causing my fangs to shoot out too. I grinned and jumped up, starting to run back up the stairs. He caught me after a couple of steps and viscously kissed me, pinning me to the stairs. I could tell that this was as much about the balance of power between us as it was about sex. I didn’t care. He’d said we’d been lovers, and the things he was making me feel were fantastic. From the moment I’d woken up this morning, I’d been painfully away of a burning need. It had been sated temporarily by the blood, but it was back in full force. And, it wanted Marcus.

  He’d just pushed down his boxers just before I disappeared. I snuck out of the bedroom I’d woken up in, wanting to see more of what was on the top floor. I stopped and grinned when I came across a bedroom with handcuffs attached to the bed. I flattened myself against the wall by the door, waiting for him to come in. Less than a minute later, he flung open the door and stepped inside. I shoved him as hard as I could, onto the bed. I appeared at the headboard and quickly handcuffed his hands together. “Looks like you found me,” I smiled and climbed on top of him.

  Forty five minutes later, we were lying in bed after a rather strenuous workout. “Now can we talk?” I asked, sitting up and looking down at Marcus. He nodded without opening his eyes. “Am I strong?” I asked, thinking back to his reaction to various things. He nodded again.

  “And, you seem to learn incredibly quickly. I mean, I didn’t even have to teach you how to transport yourself.” He finally opened his eyes and stared back at me. “You seem to be strong and quick. Your mental powers will surpass mine.”

  “Why?” I demanded.

  He rubbed his hands through his hair like he didn’t want to answer the question. Then he sighed. “Generally, the more violent and painful the death, the stronger your afterlife will be. You fought hard, trying to survive. That’s translated to a fairly phenomenal amount of mental power now.”

  “Violent?” I asked, turning white. I knew that I should ask how I died, but something in Marcus’ eyes told me that, if I asked, he would lie to me. I knew it was something I’d have to figure out for myself. Instead, I asked the question that I’d been wondering since I woke up. “Who am I? You can give me the Cliffnotes version.”

  “Your name is Julia. You went by Jules.” He sat up and looked at me with what seemed to be regret. “When you died, I brought you back. I couldn’t let you die.”

  “What was I like?” I asked, wanting to know more about my past self.

  “Strong and determined,” he grinned fondly, like he was remembering something. “There was no one that could make you do something you didn’t want to.”

  “Even you, with your compulsion?”

  Here, he frowned. “The one time I tried, something was blocking me. I’m still not sure what it was.” He shook his head and went back to smiling. “You enjoyed life.” I pressed my lips to his and moved closer, feeling happier.

  Chapter 45

  The next morning, I jumped out of bed and into the shower before Marcus woke up. Once I was done, I examined my naked body in the mirror. I had several faint scars on my legs and arms, all a few inches long and running parallel to my bones. Somehow, I knew that they were more recent, possibly even from around the time of my death. If they were, it seemed like Marcus definitely would have been right about my death being a violent one. Drying myself off, I picked out a new dress to wear. This one was black and sophisticated, covering more than the previous one had. Once I’d thrown on matching shoes, I woke Marcus up with a kiss.

  “Good afternoon,” he said, sitting up.

  “Can we hunt?” I grinned and asked excitedly.

  “Of course. Let me take you to one of my favorite spots.” He offered me his hand, smiling. I took it and we disappeared. When I opened my eyes, I was looking around a bar in some country that I assumed was in Asia, based off of the demographic. Instantly, my eyes alighted on a man nearby. He reminded me of Filip, and, no matter who else I looked at, my eyes kept coming back to him.

  I tried to get into his mind without direct contact. I closed my eyes and pushed out with my mind. I found that I could sense everyone around me, including Marcus. Fixating on the blonde man, I tried to penetrate the weak walls that protected his thoughts. Instantly, I broke through. I reached into his mind and pulled out his room number. Then, I told him to take his wife back to their room and wait for us. “Come on,” I grabbed Marcus’ hand and transported us to their room.

  “Why are we here?” Marcus demanded, looking around.

  “Patience,” I smiled and reclined on the bed. “We have a few minutes.” I smiled, thinking about how it felt to be drinking fresh, human blood.

  “In that case,” Marcus grinned and climbed on top of me. This time, I let him take the lead. He kissed me passionately, sparking that need again. Hissing, I grabbed the front of his pants and unzipped them before pushing my dress up to my hips.

  “Quickly,” I whispered into his ear before giving it a quick nip. Four minutes later, when the man and his wife used their card to enter the room, Marcus froze. “Keep going,” I moaned into his ear and mentally commanded the couple to wait until we were finished.

  Fifteen minutes later, I stood up and shook out my hair and clothes. Then, I commanded him to come to me. When Marcus saw my choice, he stiffened. “Another blonde?” he almost snarled.

  I realized that there must be something in my past, some reason that I kept choosing blonde guys. Whomever it was, he had obviously bother Marcus and possibly made him jealous. “I like the color,” I explained and made a mental note not to pick anymore blondes for a litt
le while. The second my teeth sank into his neck, I started sifting through his thoughts and memories, looking for some indication of what kind of man he was. I soon realized that he’d stolen money from everyone that he could, including his parents. He’d sold fake insurance as a living, pocketing the down payment and disappearing before his ‘customers’ realized that he couldn’t actually contribute to any hospital bills.

  I drained him dry. Reaching into her mind, I found that she’d been his accomplice, the reference that he used to hook people in, innocent people that went bankrupt because of their fraud. “Kill her,” I commanded Marcus. As soon as he’d finished, he dropped the body and closed the distance between us, kissing me savagely.

  Chapter 46

  The next week went pretty much the same. We slept, ate, and fucked, all three necessities of being a vampire. It was fantastic for the first few days. I developed more and more abilities. Soon, I was able to instantly tell when I entered a room what kind of people occupied it. I was able to pick my targets more carefully, often choosing the worst person in the room to feed on and either set straight with my mental powers or drain completely, depending on my mood. Though Marcus didn’t understand my insistence to only kill those that deserved it, he respected my wishes and didn’t kill any innocent people.