Kraven Read online

  She faced him. “What do you mean you couldn’t move your legs?”

  “The bastard who attacked me from behind left me partially paralyzed.”

  “You’re telling me you healed from a spinal injury?”

  “I’m VampLycan.” He touched his chest. “We can recover from damn near anything, especially if we take fresh blood right afterward. It’s the Vampire trait in us. The other injured are probably getting blood from their loved ones as we speak, since we’re under threat from your grandfather’s clan. They won’t want to stay down and heal slower.”

  “You’re such a freak.”

  He didn’t take offense. She seemed to be in shock and struggling with what he’d told her. There was no bristle in her tone. “I’m a freak you like,” he reminded her. He leaned in closer. “Don’t make me spank your ass, Bat. Behave while I shower. Just sit there until I’m done. Don’t try to leave this bathroom.”

  She seemed to pull herself together. “So…I’m in Howl. Are all the people who live here VampLycans?”

  “Mostly, but we do have a few full Lycans. Not all of the original pack abandoned their children when they realized how strong we were.”

  “Should I even ask?”

  He chuckled and backed away from her, removing his bloodied pants. He stepped under the spray of water, turning to watch her. She didn’t jump off the counter and make a run for it. He decided to keep her occupied to make sure she stayed.

  “Here’s the history of VampLycans. Ready?”

  She said nothing.

  “I’ll give you the condensed version. Over two hundred years ago, a group of Lycans and Vampires lived in peace, side by side. It was the first and last time they attempted it, that I know of. Word kind of spread about how it went with that first alliance, so nobody wants a repeat to happen.

  “Both sides were being killed by humans in large numbers and were desperate to survive. Vampires could erase the memories of humans who saw too much, but they also burn up in the sun, so they slept during the day and were vulnerable to attack; they lived in constant fear of humans stumbling upon their resting places while they couldn’t defend themselves.

  “Lycans used to have to move around a lot; it was really the only way to avoid anyone discovering what they were. They only breed in safe environments, so their numbers were rapidly dwindling because of their nomadic lifestyle.

  “The two races made an alliance to protect each other that was mutually beneficial. The Lycans could keep Vamps safe during the day, and Vamps could wipe the minds of anyone who found Lycans suspicious. They lived in one place together.”

  “Seriously?”

  “Yep.” He leaned his head back, washing his hair. “Relationships were bound to happen between the two races, with them living in such close proximity. Vamps can’t breed with each other or humans, but it turned out that Vampires who fed a lot from humans could impregnate female Lycans. It was a first, and it changed everything.

  “The Vamps turned on the Lycans, killing a lot of their men and raping the women to get them pregnant. They’d tear into their minds, take over, and convince the women they were screwing their mates to get past their natural birth control defenses. The Lycans fought back and escaped, fleeing to Alaska, where they felt the Vampires wouldn’t find them. It was remote, not a lot of humans lived here, and Vamps don’t like to feed off animals.

  “The pregnant women gave birth to VampLycans. But when the first generation of half-breed children began to hit puberty, they frightened most of the Lycans. The children were stronger, faster, tougher than regular Lycans, since they’d inherited Vampire traits too. A lot of the full-bloods fled to find Lycan packs to join.”

  “They abandoned their kids?”

  He rinsed out his hair and nodded. “Most did. The children were adolescents by that time. It was fucked up but Lycans mistrusted anything Vampire. I can’t blame them after what they’d endured. The children were big enough to fend for themselves. My father is a first-generation VampLycan. His mother left him when he was fourteen. Most of her family went with her, but she’d had a few sisters who stayed. One of them mated with a Gargoyle.”

  “The rock guy with wings? So he’s like a cousin?”

  “Aveoth is no relation of mine. Gargoyles were in this area before the Lycans arrived. They weren’t happy with a pack of Lycans showing up, especially when they found out some of them were carrying the offspring of Vampires. That’s their number one enemy. Some of the single Lycan women offered to mate with them in order to form an alliance. Gargoyles usually breed boys. Girl births are rare among their kind, and long term, that causes a problem… So that’s how GarLycans came to be.”

  “This sounds crazy.”

  “I’m sure it does but it’s the truth. We have four VampLycan clans. They split apart into groups when they first arrived here in case the Vampires tracked and attacked them to retrieve the babies. That way the rest would have time to flee and escape the area. Over the years, the children grew up and the clans remained divided since hierarchies had been established.

  “GarLycans have just the one clan, since their home is impenetrable. They don’t fear attacks by Lycans or Vampires. No one can hurt them, really…unless maybe they have military-grade weapons and helicopters. And they’d have to know where to look first, and we’re not even exactly sure where they’re living in those cliffs. We have an alliance but it’s not as strong as it used to be.”

  “Why?”

  “Full-blooded Gargoyles and their half-breed children still hate anyone with Vampire blood. We don’t have any single full-Lycan women to offer to mate with them anymore. The few full Lycans who remain with us are older. All the younger generations are mixed breeds.”

  “Why would this rock guy want me? My mother was a VampLycan, right? That means I’ve got some Vampire blood, supposedly.”

  “His name is Aveoth. You can use it. And they still want lovers. Some of our women have chosen to go live with them but they know it’s nothing permanent or lasting. GarLycans have sexual needs like anyone.” It pissed him off, thinking about Aveoth getting his hands on Bat. “That’s why Aveoth would want you. To warm his bed and to drink your blood. You’re like sex and his favorite drug, all rolled into one.”

  “I still don’t get why. Can’t he get laid on his own? Find some other moron to drink blood from?”

  He sighed. “I’m certain he could, but it’s easier to take a lover from a VampLycan clan. She’ll know what he is and he won’t have to keep her locked up. Humans taken by Gargoyles in the past usually went insane or died while trying to escape. Anyone trying to climb down has fallen to their deaths. Aveoth was set to take Margola as his lover and they fed him her blood, hoping he’d at least come to care for her. He couldn’t mate her but the Lycan in him craves some kind of bond. He got addicted, from what we’ve heard.”

  “So her blood became like heroin to him?”

  He shrugged. “It must be a Gargoyle thing, since blood addiction to a certain family line sure isn’t a Lycan trait.”

  “You also said my great aunt died before she grew up. When did they start feeding him her blood? Was she a baby or something?”

  “She was in her early teens. Age of consent is eighteen but she died before then. Her parents made the deal with the GarLycans, trying to strengthen our alliance again by offering her to the son of the GarLycan leader. His father was still in charge at that time but Aveoth challenged him soon after. He now rules his clan.”

  “He beat up his own father?”

  “He killed him.” Kraven left the water running and simply wrapped a towel around his waist, not willing to open his healing wounds by trying to dry his back. “Strip and get in, Bat. I’ll go cook something for you.”

  She slid off the counter. “You lay down. I’ll shower and hit your kitchen. I’m not totally useless and you should see how bad you look.”

  He turned and peered over his shoulder at his back in the mirror. It no longer bled and the skin