Better Off Red (43 page)

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Better Off red

family. I already do, but you have to see I will never take that out on you. Ever.”

“You will.”

“No, I won’t,” I said, taking a step closer to her. Her breasts touched mine. “Here’s what I realized. If I can’t heal us, I’ll never move on, and losing you will just add to the pain. Earlier…” I failed as the emotion caught up with me. My throat ached to close. I glanced back up again, and when our eyes locked, I knew I also owed her the whole truth. Uncontrollably, cool tears started streaming down my face. “Earlier tonight, I couldn’t find you for twenty minutes, and those were the longest twenty minutes of my life. Do you understand how much I love you?”

She started to nod and speak, but I interrupted her. My point wasn’t sinking in.

“I know you see it and I know you feel it, but you have to believe it. You have to believe me.” I huffed painfully, swallowing as many tears as I could manage before I went on.

“Ginger, I know…I’m afraid,” she finally said.

“So am I. I’m scared shitless about all of this. Everything but us.” “What if you can’t forgive me?”

“Can’t you see that’s what I’m doing? I forgive you.”

I closed the distance between us and crushed her to me. That’s what broke her. Just a few tears at first, but soon we were both sobbing amongst the moonlit trees, probably scaring the crap out of the wildlife.

“There will be days where I’m sad and there will be days where I’m angry. There may even be days where I’m angry at you.

All couples fight, but I will always, always love you.” Wiping her cheeks seemed to affirm that fact. She was too precious to me, meant more to me than anyone ever would again. “I’ll need you to help me through it. I’m going to need you to make me laugh. And I’ll do the same for you. When you want to kill Cleo or Tokyo. Although, I guess they’re my problem now. I just, right now, I need you. Why didn’t you tell me about the life-bond?” I kissed her gently, tasting her sweet tears.

• 321 •

reBekah WeatherspOOn

“I didn’t want to scare you.”

“Well, I wouldn’t have let you do it. I wanted to grow old, but I didn’t want you to die with me. We’ll just have to live forever together.” She pulled me closer this time, burying my wet cheek against her neck.

“What do we have to do for me to be your na’suul?” She leaned back as I fished the engagement ring out of my pocket. I took a bit of sick pleasure as her eyes popped wide when she saw what was in my hand.

“Um, it’s quite simple actually. I just want you to be sure.

Our divorce would be slightly more involved than lawyers and paperwork.”

“I want to do it. Now.”

“Red…”

“Don’t you dare tell me no.”

“Okay, baby,” she said, trembling slightly. “Just remember, this is more than a marriage. It’s an oath that surpasses the feeder bond and even the bond we have with our sisters. You’ll be able to sense me always. Our minds will be connected.”

“Perfect. Mila, will you marry me?”

“Yes.” She nodded as the tears started again down her cheeks.

She took the ring from me and slid it on my finger. It was a perfect fit. “Give me your other hand. And you take mine.”

With her right hand over my heart and mine over hers, she cupped the back of my head with her left. I did same. When our foreheads touched, she whispered several words into the night air.

Na’suul was the only one I understood, but that didn’t stop me from feeling the weight of their meaning. Once she finished, she gently slid her ring finger between my lips. I guided mine toward her plump mouth.

“Bite,” she said. I tasted her cool, sweet blood as her fangs pierced my skin. A drop was all we needed to seal our love, but we took more. And then she kissed me. I cried out against her lips, feeling whole, so completely loved without having to utter a single vow, and then like a movie playing in my mind, Camila showed me her life.

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Better Off red

I saw her entire existence, human and demon. I knew the smells of her Mexican valley as it had been when it was filled with human life and joy. I knew the feeling of the rocky ledges and the cool riverbed under her feet. I knew the survival lessons her mother, father, and brothers had taught her. I saw the smiles of her children and heard the sound of their laughter as they called her mama. I felt the warmth and respect in the firm embrace of her husband’s arms.

I saw the devotion in Abrah’s eyes, and I felt the unconditional love that dwelt in Dalhem’s heart.

I knew, even more, exactly why she’d saved Cleo and why she’d changed me. I felt her love for me, how it swallowed up all her rational sense, how it made her feel alive and whole again. All her stresses, her hesitations and fears, I knew them and felt their sting, and then I saw how her love for me helped her push them away.

I whimpered desperately into our kiss, taking what she was giving me. Her life. And I gave her mine. Every moment. Every tear.

Every smile. Things from my past I didn’t want to remember and memories I didn’t want to forget. They were all hers now. In every possible way, I was hers now.

And I am yours, Red, she silently whispered into my heart.

I understood now that our na’suulaem had nothing to do with our need for blood and everything do with our devotion to each other.

We were no longer two demon-vampires connected by our sister-queen bond, or demon and maker. We were one, partners of the soul.

We’d be together for the rest of my life, and for the eternity of hers, she would be mine.

The kiss went on for what seemed like forever, but soon we pulled apart. I gazed at her, now my wife, overwhelmed and stunned into silence.

“Red,” she whispered. “I want to consummate this, but there’s something I want to show you first. Shift with me.”

“What do I have to do?” I asked as we shed our clothes.

“I’ll shift first and then you come into my mind. It’s very simple,” she said, wiping my cheeks with the backs of her fingers.

I nodded then kissed her again. A moment later Camila was beside me, this time on all fours as a sleek panther.

• 323 •

reBekah WeatherspOOn

“Got sick of the house cat costume?” I asked.

No. There are condors out here that could swallow a housecat
whole. They like to hunt at night. No need to tempt them.

“Oh.” I kept the rest of my commentary to myself and followed the cues my demon needed to shift. It felt the same as vanishing, almost like flying, only faster.

It took a second to get used to being so close to the ground, having whiskers and thickly padded paws in place of feet and hands, but I adjusted the moment Camila’s large feline head nuzzled against the thick fur on my neck. I purred back deep in my throat, licking at her face and ears. In the next moment, she took off into the trees, bounding over rocks and ferns. I stayed close behind, letting her take me deeper into the night. I was still the queen, but when she knew where to lead, I would always follow.

• 324 •

Better Off red

Camila and I took a quick shower, and while she was getting dressed, I called Barb. She was a little confused to hear from me at the crack of dawn, but much more confused when I opened the door for her a few minutes later. Shock flashed across her face when she sensed my power, and her eyes grew even wider as she fixated on my teeth. I explained to her quickly what had happened, skimming over the dramatics, leaving out details about Samantha that were hers and hers only to share.

Barb handled the news well, her own sense of duty as chapter president overtaking her shock and her confusion.

“So, uh, you’ll need two more feeders, right?” Barb asked nervously. She couldn’t stop staring at my teeth.

“Yes. We’ll let you guys choose again,” I said.

“I’d like to stay with Camila,” she replied honestly. I told her that was fine, patting her arm as I sensed her relief. Titles may have changed, but I had no aspirations of grandeur, no bright ideas that said I had to mess with a good thing.

Camila came out of the bedroom dressed for bed in her tank and a pair of my shorts. I gave them a minute alone and went to check on Sam and Benny. In the darkness of the bedroom, through the closed door, I could sense Camila as she fed from Barb, deeply but slowly and safely. Barb did an excellent job of keeping her moaning and whimpering to herself. My body still flushed with heat, feeding off the lust rising in Camila. Knowing once the feeding was done, that Camila would be mine helped me keep my impatience in check.

• 325 •

reBekah WeatherspOOn

I watched Benny and Sam sleeping soundly. How in the world had I gone from college student to married, crowned, demon foster mother in a matter of days? I thought of Seamus, wondered how much he and my birth father had in common, how often he thought of my mother. I wondered what exactly he did for Caana.

My thoughts drifted back to my Mila. Her feeding was almost complete, and with every swallow she took, my body bloomed for her, my skin flushing hotter, moisture rushing between my legs. I closed the bedroom door and walked quietly past her, into her office.

Her gaze tracked my every step.

I left my clothes in a pile by the sideboard and leaned against her desk, leaving the lights off. I slipped my fingers over my tingling clit and let my head fall back on my shoulders, my purr vibrating the mouse on its pad.

Out in the living room, Camila growled.

I waited, listening as Barb slipped out the door. A second later, Camila appeared in front of me, panting and ready.

My body reacted differently to hers now. It invited her strength, ached for her physical power as a sign of her love. The animal in me would never be satisfied with the care she took with my former human self. I wanted all of her.

I watched her curves as she walked toward me, gazed over every inch of her as she came between my legs, licking my mouth, swirling her tongue around the tips of my fangs, sharing her feeder’s flavor with me. The force of my lust rumbled deep in my throat as I took what she offered, sucking her tongue deep into my mouth.

Barb’s blood was sweet, but not as sweet as my Mila.

I ripped her tank top over her head and tossed it on the floor.

My shorts followed as I yanked them down her smooth legs. I smiled at how wet the crotch was. Drawn forward, I cupped her breasts, massaging one and suckling on the other. I nipped her delicious brown nipple, teasing it with my teeth and my tongue, sucking it between my lips. Her fingers weaved their way into my hair, holding me closer, her body arching toward me.

“Ginger,” her voice echoed in the darkness. My pussy clenched, my throat tightened as she called to me. I lifted my head, searching

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Better Off red

up her neck, and finding her mouth. My tongue slid inside with slow, dragging strokes, past the tips of her pulsing fangs. And then her fingers found my slit, digging inside, pumping me, filling each inch, making me want more as her thumb rotated over my clit.

Suddenly, part of me snapped. This wasn’t how this was supposed to go. I knew it had to be Dalhem’s doing, but I could feel it, clearer than a simple title change. I was in charge now. Camila’s demon belonged to me.

Pulling away from our kiss, I looked up in her eyes. Her gaze softened, the caramel and green oddly muted for how turned on I knew she was. Slowly, she withdrew fingers and lowered her head.

Normally, that would have made me beyond uncomfortable. This was Camila. She didn’t bow to me. Ever. But the demon in me was pleased, aroused even more at the sight of her submission.

I cupped her face and guided her lips back to mine. I swallowed the whimpers that came from her mouth as I sucked her tongue past my teeth and licked her fangs and her lips and chin.

“Do you want it hard?” I said against her skin.

“Yes.”

I plunged my tongue back into her mouth and walked us across the room, the drive of my desire to get inside her carrying more than enough momentum. More momentum than I realized. My body slammed into Camila’s as her back slammed into the sideboard. The Colonial Williamsburg ashtray smashed to the floor, but neither of us made any move to stop it.

I gripped my Mila’s hips and spun her around. Reading my mind, she bent over the wood surface, presenting her perfect ass to me. My knees met the hardwood floor with a loud thud. I wasted no time spreading her open and spearing her pussy with my tongue, coating my mouth with her cinnamon musk. I moaned, taking in her flavor, driving her with more force as my nails scraped her clit.

“Ah, fuck!” Camila cried while she scrambled up the sideboard.

I helped her, gripping her thigh and shoving it up beside her elbow.

One of the antique teacups and its saucer crashed and broke into pieces next to the ashtray.

• 327 •

reBekah WeatherspOOn

The animalistic sounds we couldn’t contain grew louder and louder together, and more and more, I felt my control slipping, the human in me getting lost to our fierce lovemaking, but I liked it.

Camila did too. Silently, she told me so.

I stood, swapping my mouth with my fingers, grinding my clit against her hip.

“Come,” I demanded, drilling my fingers harder and harder into her slit. When she didn’t, I told her again, “Come.” I clamped down on her shoulder with my fangs and her pussy spasmed around my fingers, soaking my palm.

“Ginger,” she sobbed, rolling her head against her forearm.

“Ginger, God.”

“I’m not done with you yet,” I said, licking at the small dimples I made in her skin. “On the floor, my Mila.”

Camila vanished through my fingers. I spun around to find her stretched out on the floor, smirking in the darkness at the shock on my face.

“You think you’re funny, don’t you.” I fell back to my knees and pulled her pussy flush to mine, throwing her leg over my shoulder.

“Just doing what my queen told me to do,” she moaned as I rolled my thumb over her clit. I ground my hips in a punishing motion, rewarding myself with a violent shudder. Camila’s fingers pinched at my nipples, pulling me closer. I leaned over her, riding her as hard as I could into the floor, shocked at how suddenly my orgasm tackled me.