Fashionably Dead (28 page)

“Who?” I asked.

“Me,” he replied. “Has his fashion sense improved?”

“Get. Out. Of. Town. You trained with The Kev?”

“Yes.”

“He punches like a freight train and no, he dresses like a blind man. If he ever left the house I’d be embarrassed.”

“Oh, he leaves the house,” Ethan assured me. “I wouldn’t be surprised if he were quite nearby.”

“Hello, my little Krumecaca,” The Kev bellowed from the back seat on cue.

“Shit.” I jumped and slammed my head into the passenger side window. Ethan winced in sympathy. The Kev just laughed and threw a little Glitter Magic to heal the bruise that was fast forming along my cheekbone.

“My Prince.” He joyously slapped Ethan on the back. “How in the hecks are you doing?”

I turned back to look at The Kev. He was clad in tight salmon-hued flannel PJ bottoms and a cherry red wife beater with pink sponge rollers in his hair. Before I could ask, he explained.

“Gemma likes my hair wavy,” The Kev said, pointing to the rollers.

“Why don’t you use Magic?” I asked.

A wicked grin spread across his beautiful Fairy face. “Because it’s way too much fun to give to you the embarrassment.” He winked at me. “Also it distracts you when we fight.”

“You cheater!” I smacked The Kev and two of his pink rollers flew out. “Oops, let me fix that.” I climbed over my seat into the back and I heard Ethan moan. I took my time and I made sure he got a really good look at my ass.

“You’re killing me, Angel.” His eyes were bright green.

“I’m trying to, Your Highness,” I laughed and rerolled The Kev’s hair. “Why are you here, The Kev?” I fixed several rollers that were about to fall out.

“I have come to you because I had the thoughts that you would be hungry,” The Kev said mischievously. “I also think I would enjoy to watch my other favorite beautiful Vampyre get jealous,” he laughed. Ethan did not.

“I am hungry.” I was being careful. “Um, is that . . . ?”

“No,” Ethan snapped. “I will not allow you to crawl into some Fairy’s lap and suck on his neck, no matter who he is.” God, Vamps were territorial.

“Oh, my dear Ethan . . . ” The Kev leaned forward and took Ethan’s face into his hands. “She is the little sister of my heart. I love her like a child, the same way I love you. Astrid’s path will be very difficult. She needs what I can offer her and I am here to prepare her.” He paused. Sometimes his English was so good, I wondered if he was screwing with us the rest of the time. “She is the Chosen One, and it will not be easy.”

“Absolutely not. She is mine and I will give her what she needs,” Ethan said, defying The Kev, which was either really brave or really suicidal. The Kev grinned from ear to ear as if he expected Ethan’s reaction and quite enjoyed it. “Very well,” The Kev bellowed joyfully. “I am sure she is in the hands that are good.”

“She is,” Ethan replied in a clipped tone. I could feel him watching me. Ethan confused me. My love for The Kev was simple . . . a no-brainer. He was kind and gentle and there was nothing sexual to muck it up. Ethan was another story. There was so much sexual to muck it up it was hard to see clearly, but I was beginning to. I was falling . . .
No. I wasn’t falling. I was already in love with him.
I was fairly certain part of me knew it from the first moment I saw him. Being in love with him scared me to pieces. I had ruined every relationship I’d ever been in. Partially thanks to my mother, but mostly thanks to myself.

My God, everything was getting too complicated, and I had a feeling that I was in the lull before the storm. It was going to get a lot uglier. How had I not gone insane? A month ago I didn’t know Vampyres existed and now I was their Chosen One. I should be a blubbering idiot. I was sitting in a car with a Vampyre and a Fairy, and not just any Vampyre or any Fairy . . . the head honcho Vampyre and Fairy. My daddy was a Demon. I still had a hard time wrapping my mind around that one. Thankfully, I had my own personal Angel and Fairy or I might have taken after Daddy and started eating all the townsfolk. Who in their right mind would believe that a whole bunch of paranormal beings would choose the backwoods of Kentucky as their home and like it?

Checking myself into a facility was an option, but for some reason I was calm. Totally calm. I suppose tomorrow someone could let me know that werewolves and leprechauns exist and I could self-combust . . . or how about trolls and mermaids?

My life was careening out of control, but the only thing that unsettled me was Ethan. You’d think being spawned by a flesh-eating Demon or the fact that I was supposed to save the world would freak me out. Nope. The thing that scared me most was that I was in love with the Prince of the North American Dominion and I had no idea if he loved me back. I knew he wanted me, but lust and love were two different animals altogether. I wanted both.

The Kev took my hands in his and began speaking to me telepathically. Ethan was not included.

“Your heart may not beat, but you still have one, my liebchen. If you are not true to it, you will die a death more permanent than the one you live in now.” I started to cry. He sweetly pushed my hair back from my face and continued. “It’s okay to be scared, strudel princess, but not okay to run away from what will make you happy and complete.” He took my face in his hands. “Don’t you find it unusual that the two Vampyres in this car are the only two I have ever molded and made strong? Personally, I would wonder if there’s a reason for that.”

He winked at me before disappearing in a cloud of Fairy Glitter.

“What did he say to you?” Ethan asked.

“How do you know he was talking to me?”

“I could feel it,” he said, watching me from the front seat. Even the small amount of distance between us made me feel lonely for him. What in the hell was wrong with me?

“Did you hear him?” I was alarmed.

“No, he blocked me,” he said with disgust. “Far better than you do, I might add.”

I sat still and stared at him. He was so beautiful and so strong . . . and so mine, if I let myself go. If I followed my instincts, I’d crawl back to the front seat, bite him, drink from him and love him until the end of time.

“I wish you weren’t the Chosen One,” he said quietly.

“Why?” I was shocked. “Don’t you think I’m capable of doing whatever the hell needs to be done?” Damn it, every time I was close to committing to him, he did or said something stupid.

“It has nothing to do with that.” He angrily dismissed that notion. “Of course I believe you will succeed.” He closed his eyes and ran his hand through his hair. “I wish you were not the Chosen One because I don’t want anything to happen to you. I would not want to go on anymore without you. I have never been so happy in my life. You couldn’t care less that I’m the Prince of the North American Dominion. You were attracted to me when you thought I was a Rogue Vampyre.” That clearly delighted him. He reached back and put his hand under my chin, forcing me to look at him. “I wake up every day thinking about you, go to sleep thinking about you, and you are on my mind every minute in between. I can’t wait to be insulted, teased and kissed by you. I cannot wait until we make love for the first time, and the second, and the third. You make me feel alive. Mostly I wish you were not the Chosen One so you would believe that I want you for
you
. . . that I have fallen head-over-heels, no turning back, in love with you.”

I was speechless. My body felt light and airy and I was shaking. And then I did it. I followed my instincts.

I crawled over that seat, threw myself into Ethan’s arms, and sank my fangs into his neck as I made him mine.

Forever.

Chapter 26

“Oh my God, Ethan,” I gasped as I withdrew my fangs from his neck. “Something is happening to me.” I was having a beyond overwhelming need to get naked, followed by getting him naked and violently making love to him.

“It’s okay, Angel.” He white-knuckled the steering wheel. “When Vampyres mate, they have to consummate the bonding. Their bodies demand it.”

He put the car into drive and floored it.

This was news to me. I was dizzy and horny. I leaned over and put my head between my knees, hoping to eliminate some of the pressure building up inside of me. Bad idea. Leaning over made the crotch of my pants hike up and press against part of me that did not need to be touched if I was going to be able to hold it together.

“Ethan,” I moaned, “I don’t think I can . . . ”

“You can.” He touched my back and a bolt of electricity shot through me, causing me to orgasm. I screamed. The orgasm should have given me relief, but it didn’t. It made it worse.

“Don’t touch me,” I ground out through clenched teeth, “unless you plan to follow through.”

“Trust me,” he said, his voice thick with lust, “I plan to follow through. Over and over and over. Just hold on—we’re almost there.”

“Where is
there?
” I asked, gripping the dashboard as if my life depended on it.

“Cressida House.” He glanced over. His eyes were greener than I’d ever seen them and he was more beautiful than he’d ever been.

“No, not there! They all heard me yesterday. The only thing I ever do is have screaming orgasms with you at that House,” I yelled at him.

He laughed. “God, I love you. My suite is soundproofed, Angel. Besides, sex in the Vampyre world is very different.”

“Yeah, yeah, yeah . . . heard it before,” I snapped. “I love you too, you jerk, but I’m sick and tired of not being able to make eye contact with anyone.”

“You love me?” he asked, slowing the car to a stop.

“Yes, I love you,” I shouted. “Do you really think I’d become your mate if I didn’t love you?”

“I didn’t know.”

“Well, I find that incredibly insulting,” I told him. “If I wasn’t so goddamned horny, I wouldn’t let you have any tonight. Clearly that’s not gonna happen.” I was shaking all over now. “Can’t you drive any faster?”

He laughed his insanely sexy laugh and put the car in drive. And what do you know? I orgasmed. Again. This was getting ridiculous and I was getting teary. The pressure just kept building. “Ethan,
please
.”

“We’re almost there, baby,” he said, his voice unsteady. “I had no idea it would be like this.”

“This has never happened to you?” I asked, turning away from him. Looking at him was dangerous. If I had another big O, I was sure I would die.

“Never.” He swerved into the Cressida House drive at eighty-five miles per hour and screeched to a halt on the lawn, tearing out seventy-five to one hundred feet of manicured grass and bushes.

“Oh my God,” I cried out, “your dad is here.”

“Don’t worry about him. He’s going to be thrilled.” He had me out of the car faster than a human could blink, whipped me up into his arms and headed for his suite. Of course, every Vampyre I’d ever met was hanging out in the foyer.

“Get out of my way,” Ethan bellowed. “Astrid and I have mated.”

Holy shit, he may as well have just yelled, “Watch out, Astrid and I have to go screw so we don’t explode and die.” I was never setting foot in this House again. What in the hell was the muscular, bald beefy security guy from Jerry Springer doing here? Was he a Vampyre? Wait, that wasn’t the same guy . . . but he looked a lot like him. No, this guy was way better looking. Pam would luuuuurve him. We paused briefly in front of him. God, he was magnificent looking. He had eyes looked just like . . .
oh shit
.

Ethan bowed to him. “Father, this is Astrid. We’ve just mated. I’ll see you in five or six hours.”

Kill me now.

“That’s wonderful, son,” the King laughed joyously. “Astrid, I look forward to meeting with you . . . later.”

The entire foyer of, oh . . . I don’t know . . . about forty or fifty Vampyres burst into laughter and applause. Was this really happening? Were they truly celebrating the fact that I—or rather their Prince—was about to get laid?

Yes . . . yes, they were. Vampyres were so damn weird.

I wasn’t positive, but I think Ethan flew up the stairs. Thank God for that because I wasn’t going to last much longer. A door slammed shut. I couldn’t have told you where we were because I didn’t care. The only thing I knew for sure was that I was alone with Ethan and he was mine.

“I can’t wait,” I gasped, clawing at his clothes.

“Neither can I.” He literally ripped my clothing from my body. “You went to see Brad Pitt without a bra on?” He was incredulous.

“I never wear a bra.” I pulled his jeans and boxer briefs down and came face to face with the largest penis I’d ever seen in my life. My insides clenched and I thought I might faint. I wasn’t sure I could handle him. Good God, had I come this far only to realize sex with Ethan would tear me in two? The sane part of me wanted to run and the horny side of me wanted to try him on for size. I didn’t realize I was frozen and staring until I heard him clear his throat.

“Problem?” he asked suggestively.

“Um . . . no,” I whispered. “It’s just that . . . oh, what the hell . . . ” I trailed off and grabbed the oversized monster.

“Oh my God,” he gasped, pulling me to my feet and pressing his naked body against mine. “Angel, I need you,” he moaned.