Briar Read online

  A spark grew inside him now, melting the ice around his heart, but it had all started with Briar.

  If he could go back in time, he wouldn’t have let this happen. His brothers had needed him, and he’d brushed them aside, too mired in his own guilt and hurt to care about theirs.

  Valen had sensed it, and Marcus, too. There was something about the girl that called to them and woke them up.

  Hudson thought of Annie, and then Briar, wondering if it was the same pull all of them had felt.

  It had to be different. Annie had never challenged him, never asked him questions that made him angry and threw him off-balance.

  Annie had been easy to love. Her sweetness appealed to all of them, and it had seemed the most natural thing in the world for him and his brothers to agree to share her, and then, when faced with her mortality, turn her into one of them.

  Briar was a product of the modern age. That had to be what he found so fascinating about her.

  Do you think I’m stupid?

  No. He most definitely did not. Hudson’s thoughts swirled. He needed to make some changes and see about coming back to life.

  ✽✽✽

  Harvard had changed in the hundred years since Hudson had taught there. Divinity Avenue’s landmarks were the same, but the departments were very different. Marcus’s department was Regenerative Biology, a perfect fit for a vampire. Years ago, they’d worked as a team, making breakthroughs in things like blood transfusions. Like many scientists, their interests and specialties started with a personal investment, but unlike other vampires, their work hadn’t been an excuse to insinuate themselves into human society.

  Blood was always the focus, but as a means to take humans out of the equation, not to have easy access to them as a food source.

  After Annie’s death, Marcus continued studying blood diseases, and in the nineteen sixties, Hudson had seen a name, Mark Filipelli, obviously a play on his brother’s name, Marcus Phoneician, as co-author of research related to hemophilia and sickle cell anemia.

  Stem cell research was his brother’s area of expertise now. Hudson, despite his best intentions, followed Marcus’s research with interest. If Marcus could clone blood, using his research with stem cells, vampires would no longer need humans; those vampires who refused to use animals to slack their thirst could stop murdering people.

  Hudson walked inside, studying the map of labs and offices to find Marcus.

  He was in the basement, of course. Allowing himself a smile, Hudson wound his way there, studying with interest the various labeled research teams and their area of study.

  At least, that’s what he told himself. He was taking his time because he was interested in other’s research, but the truth of the matter was, he was nervous.

  For the first time, Hudson sought out Marcus, not the other way around, and he wasn’t sure of his reception. In less than seventy-two hours, Hudson had done an about-face. No longer wanting to keep his brothers at arm’s length, he recognized the stupidity of rejecting the only family he had.

  And he and Marcus had been the original brothers, finding each other when mysticism and mythology ruled, and creatures like him were named gods, or worse, demons.

  “Hudson?” Marcus’s voice echoed down the tiled corridor.

  Bracing himself, Hudson faced him.

  “What are you doing here?” Head tilted in confusion, Marcus approached him. “I’ll find you later,” he told the two young men who kept pace next to him.

  “Students?” he asked.

  “Doctoral candidates and lab assistants,” Marcus confirmed. “What are you doing here?”

  “Do you have an office?” They were too exposed, and Hudson couldn’t lower his voice enough for the sound not to travel. Not only that, he needed some privacy for what he needed to say. Or what he thought he needed to say. He hadn’t really allowed himself to think too much about what to say to Marcus. He’d had an epiphany and come straight here.

  Now, however, his mind was racing, struggling to find the words to explain.

  “This way.” Marcus gestured down the hall. Hudson trailed behind him, following as he unlocked the door. “Sit.”

  An ache grew in Hudson’s chest as he studied the walls. Unlike Hudson, who’d taken every item reminding him of his brothers and Annie, and threw it away, Marcus’s office was a shrine to their family. A palm-sized oil painting of Annie hung behind him, while on his bookshelves were leather bound books he and Hudson had written together. A model replica of a Viking longship sat on his desk, and a buffalo skin rug, probably one of Sylvain’s trophies, lay in front of his chair.

  “Not very politically correct,” Hudson observed as he sat. “What do the students think of it?”

  “I tell them it’s a reminder of human excess and the danger we face when we believe we should conquer nature,” he replied. “But most of them think it’s from Crate & Barrel, so the conversation doesn’t happen often.”

  Hudson chuckled, leaning his elbow on the padded leather arm of the chair.

  “Why are you here, Hudson?” Marcus asked, all joking absent from his voice.

  “How can you stand to look at her?” Hudson ignored his question for a third time. His gaze glued to Annie. The miniature was a perfect rendering of their wife. Long dark tresses swept away from the golden skin and rosy cheeks. Somehow, the painter had even managed to get the twinkle of her brown eyes. “Doesn’t it rip out your heart?” His voice was choked, and he cleared his throat. Everywhere he looked was a reminder of what he’d lost. The room was a tomb.

  “Those were the happiest times of my life, Hudson,” Marcus replied. “My brothers by my side, work I loved, a woman who loved us all, however briefly. Why wouldn’t I want to be surrounded by it all?”

  “I never understood you,” Hudson whispered.

  “I’ve always said there’s no one like me,” Marcus teased.

  “You’re perfect for this era,” Hudson said. “Believing you’re unique and special.”

  Marcus leaned back in the chair, smiling widely. “I really am.”

  “I miss our family,” Hudson said abruptly. “I miss my brothers. This life is too long to live alone with no purpose.”

  “You have your work,” Marcus cut in.

  “My work.” Hudson scoffed. “It’s a distraction from my feelings. From facing what I lost—from what I did.”

  “You didn’t do anything we didn’t all agree on.”

  Hudson shook his head. It had been his idea to turn Annie, and his arguments had convinced his brothers. His fangs descended at the memory of sinking them through her soft skin, and the way her blood had flowed over his tongue and down his throat. Her death, and the disintegration of their family, rested squarely on his shoulders.

  “Hudson.” Marcus’s sharp tone yanked him from his memories. “Why now?”

  “You’ll laugh.”

  “I always laugh, and I’ll probably tease you mercilessly as well, but I need to know. The years are endless for our kind. I want to know if I do this and rebuild our family, it won’t be torn away from me again.” Peering up at his oldest friend and brother, he found Marcus’s gaze on Annie’s portrait. He continued to stare before he sucked in a deep breath and faced Hudson. “Well?”

  “Briar. The girl.”

  Marcus shot out of his chair. It slammed into the wall behind him, and in a move no human’s eyes could track, he’d wrapped his fingers around Hudson’s throat. Lip curling, Marcus hissed at him. “Not for a woman.”

  “Not for a woman,” Hudson choked out. “Because of a woman. The time I’ve spent with her—”

  “You’ve been spending time with her? When?”

  “I left her not long ago. I’m not asking because I want to turn her, or to share her.” Or was he? The draw he had to her was undeniable, and her scent called to all of them. He dismissed the thought. This was about his family. He had to keep his focus on them. “She reminds me of home, which reminds me of my brothers. The last time I w
as happy.”

  Slowly, Marcus uncurled his fingers, releasing him. “She reminds me of home as well. When I’m with her, I think of places I thought I’d forgotten.”

  “But she’s young,” Hudson replied, before shaking his head. “I can’t think about her now. I want to fix what I broke, Marcus. Will you forgive me?”

  Turning away, Marcus laced his hands behind his dark head, staring silently at his bookshelf. The clock ticked away the seconds, and still Marcus didn’t speak. The steady, slow thump of his heart began to override the clock, and Hudson closed his eyes, letting his senses expand. A heartbeat. A breath. The slow whoosh of blood in his veins, like wind blowing through the long grasses of a field. It was hypnotizing.

  “I forgave you for Annie long ago.” Marcus spoke deliberately, each word heavy. “I don’t know if I can forget these years and how you’ve pushed us all away, but I forgive you. I want to be a family again, too.” Eyes shining, Marcus met his gaze. “You fucking suck, Hud, and I’m going to enjoy watching Sylvain kick your ass.”

  Hudson barked a laugh, relief making him slump. “I’m sure you will.”

  Chapter 11

  Marcus

  Reuniting with his brothers was the last thing Marcus expected when he’d arrived at work, but it made perfect sense. Ever since meeting Briar, he’d sensed things were changing.

  “What does this mean?” he asked Hudson.

  He shook his head and shrugged. “I don’t know. Going back to the way it was seems unlikely, but being friends again is possible.”

  “Valen will be relieved. Sylvain, though.”

  “Sylvain.” It wasn’t the first time the two of them had considered their youngest brother and shaken their heads.

  Marcus barked out a laugh. “Look at us. Same old shit with Sylvain, different day.”

  “True. So, uh.” Hudson paused. “Can I see your lab?”

  “Yeah,” he answered, rubbing his hand over his short, coarse hair. “Of course.”

  And just like that, he had a brother again.

  While Marcus explained his research, Hudson listened, asked questions, and pointed out flaws in reasoning. The hours ticked by, and he didn’t even notice. For a vampire, time didn’t have much meaning. Since losing Annie, and then his brothers, it’d felt endless. Marcus had had to force himself to pay attention. He may have seemed lighthearted, but it was an act. The truth was, some days he couldn’t remember the names of his students or distinguish one from the other.

  Evening had fallen when he walked Hudson to the doors leading to Divinity Avenue. “What happens now?” Marcus asked. The day had cooled significantly, and he could smell autumn on the wind blowing off the Charles River.

  “See you tomorrow? My lab? Maybe we can work through some of the issues I’m having with heme B.”

  “I was always smarter than you,” he replied. “Hasn’t changed in two hundred years.” He slapped Hudson on the back, hard enough to push him forward. “I’ll see if I can get you on the right track.”

  “You’re still an ass.” But Hudson smiled, holding out his hand.

  “Brothers don’t shake hands,” Marcus quoted, and Hudson hurried down the steps.

  “Forget it.”

  “See you tomorrow, brother!”

  “Yeah, yeah,” Hudson answered, but even without seeing his face, Marcus could hear the smile in his voice.

  Marcus kicked his heel against a step before heading back into his office. The first thing he saw when he opened the door was Annie’s miniature. He’d rescued it from the destruction Sylvain wrought in the aftermath of her death. Hudson had stared at his office like he was face to face with a ghost, whereas Marcus had become inoculated against the pain these items used to cause.

  Lifting the portrait from the wall, he brought it closer to his face. Each individual brush stroke, minute and precise, was still visible. The office was windowless, and he didn’t have to worry about the portrait fading.

  His memory sparked, and he closed his eyes, trying to recall her skin and the way it felt beneath his hands. He waited for the pain her memory would bring, but it didn’t come. Instead, another set of eyes, these palest blue, appeared.

  The change had begun with Briar, and he had to see her. After placing the portrait on the wall, he left. With her face in the forefront of her mind, he dashed through the city. Humans would sense a strong wind, maybe one that pushed them back or whipped their hair around their head, but they wouldn’t see him.

  Strange, once he thought of Briar, anxiety rose inside him. He tried to reason with himself. She wasn’t in danger. He barely knew her. But reason was lost on him, and for the first time in a long time, he struggled with his vampiric side. The vampire wanted to stake claim, and possess her. Had he been any younger, any less practiced, he may have done it.

  Scents assailed him, and he jerked to a halt. Sylvain, Valen, Hudson. All of them had been here, but there was something else. Another creature reeking of rot and garbage. Scanning the road, he searched for the source of the scent.

  It was too bright.

  Leaping up, he smashed one streetlight. It helped a little, but not enough. Faster than any eye could see, he leapt from one light to the next, smashing them until the street was dark and the only light came from illuminated apartments. Better. Now there were shadows in which to hide.

  Marcus sucked in a lungful of air. While crawlers all smelled of rot, there was still a uniqueness that set apart one creature from another. He’d smelled it on Briar last night, and the one he smelled now was the same.

  Fangs erupted from his gums, anger tingeing his vision red. He would kill this thing. It was sniffing around Briar, and Briar was his.

  Shit. His? Mine. The vampire was in complete agreement with the thought. The wind blew, rustling the leaves about his head and slapping him in the face with another scent.

  Soldier. No. What he took to be one soldier was wrong, there were many soldiers. Each of their scents overlapping one another. He growled. This many soldiers meant one thing, someone was leading them here.

  Did another vampire have his eye on Briar?

  Over my dead body.

  Without giving it another thought, Marcus rushed up the steps then leaned on the buzzer to her apartment.

  “Hello?” He hadn’t realized until the moment he heard her voice how afraid he’d been.

  “It’s Marcus. Can I come up?” His voice shook, and he fisted his hands, digging deep for a measure of control.

  “Marcus? Sure. Of course. Hold on.” Above him a door slammed, and feet pounded down the steps. He counted each lock as it was thrown until the door opened, and Briar stood there, breathless, wearing what were clearly pajamas.

  “What time is it?” When had Hudson left? Had he gotten her out of bed?

  Her cheeks reddened, the tiny crescent appearing on her cheek. “About seven.”

  “Were you asleep?”

  Biting her lip, she lifted a hand to smooth her hair. “No. Um. You want to come up?”

  “Yes.” He passed her as she held the door open for him. He watched as she threw the locks. There were three of them, but they wouldn’t be enough to keep out a vampire intent on entry.

  “Are you hungry?” she asked, leading the way upstairs.

  He breathed in, her wildflower scent stronger in the narrow stairwell. Famished. “I ate.”

  “Okay.” Her door remained opened. She must have hurried out to let him in. He smiled, pleased with the picture of her rushing to meet him, but as he stepped inside, the smile was wiped from his face.

  “This is where you live?” he asked horrified, studying the apartment. It was a hovel. The small oven dinged, so old it didn’t have a digital timer. “Is that safe to use?”

  “Wipe that look from your face,” she answered, opening the oven door to remove a pizza. She flipped the dial and shrugged off the oven mitt. “Boston is expensive.”

  “How much is a place like this?”

  Her face grew redder, a
nd she bit her lip, whirling toward a drawer to remove a pizza cutter. Each movement was jerky. He’d hurt her feelings.

  “I’m sorry,” he apologized. “It’s been a long time since I’ve seen student housing.”

  “There’s no excuse for bad manners,” she muttered. “Can I get you something to drink? Are you sure you aren’t hungry?”

  Quickly hiding the smile threatening, he shook his head. “No, thank you.” She’d chastised him with one breath and tried to feed him with the next.

  There was no table. In fact, there was no living room. Her bed was in the center of the room, the kitchen to one side and what he thought must be a bathroom through a door.

  “Where do you sit?” he asked without thinking. “I’m sorry. Ignore me.”

  “You can sit on the…” Her eyes landed on the bed, and she straightened her shoulders. “The bed. It’s clean.”

  Perching on the end, he waited for her to join him. She placed a cup of water on the bedside table before sliding on and settling herself cross-legged. “I feel weird eating in front of you.”

  “I’m not hungry, promise.” But with each passing moment, the urge to bite was growing.

  Balancing the pizza on her lap, Briar gathered her hair and secured it into a ponytail at the base of her neck, exposing the long white column of her throat. Her pulse thumped gently. Bite.

  “It’s nice to see you.”

  He startled, meeting her eyes. “Yes. I was in the neighborhood. And I wanted to see you.”

  “I’m glad,” she answered. “Even though you’ve insulted my apartment.”

  “Have you seen anything strange?” He took her by surprise, and she dropped the pizza onto the plate.

  “Anything?”

  “Like you saw last night. The crawlers.”

  She shook her head, but her pulse leapt. Beneath the wildflower scent came a slow bloom of fear, and the combination was mouthwatering. What it would she taste like? Eyes glued to her throat, he edged forward.

  “I’ve been thinking about it. Perhaps it was a prank. Like a frat hazing, you know? Someone pledging?”