[Kassandra Lyall Preternatural Investigator 03] - Bloody Claws (15 page)

"Tough. You're not getting any."

"So Lenorre bit you and you thought it was hot, huh? Hot enough you don't want to share details." She grinned. "You can go back under your covers now."

"Oh, hell no," she said. "I'm happy here where I can watch you blush."

"I'm not blushing."

"Yeah, you are. Do I need to get a mirror to prove it? Where'd she bite you?"

"That's none of your business."

"She gotcha in the nether bits, didn't she?" I laughed, shaking my head. "No, no, she didn't get me in the nether bits last night."

"Then where'd she-wait, are you implying she's bit you in the nether bits before?"

"I didn't say that."

"You're blushing again. I'm going to take that as a yes. That's hot. Keep going…"

"You do realize Carver and Claire are right outside your door?"

"I can fix that," she said, and called Claire's name. The door opened and Claire peered into the room. It looked as though she'd been laughing.

"Yes?" she asked.

"Can you guys give us some privacy?" Rosalin asked.

"Sure thing," Claire said. She shot me a quick grin. "Don't protest too much, Kassandra. You know what they say about that."

"Oh, go," I said, shooing her out with a hand and trying not to laugh.

I waited until I sensed Carver and Claire leave their post outside the door.

"You know, Ros, I never pegged you for such a voyeur."

"This is what friends do, sweetheart. We share juicy details."

"Uh huh, like you were so keen on sharing juicy details when you fooled around with Eris?"

"Oh, that," she said. "Eris just bit my neck. When she bit me, I got off. Now, your turn."

"Fine," I said. "If you must know, Lenorre bit my wrist."

The excited expression she wore turned completely upside down. "What! She just bit your wrist? You made such a big deal out of it and all she did was bite your wrist?"

I pretentiously pouted at her. "Aww, you got your little voyeur hopes up, didn't you?"

"Yeah, and you're intentionally trying to spoil it! Seriously, that's all she did?"

"She's bitten other places."

"Better." She leaned back. "Much better. Keep going."

"Rosalin, I'm not going to divulge every single detail of my sex life."

"Did she enchant you?"

I shot her an impatient glance.

"No."

"Did it hurt much without the enchantment?"

"I can't exactly make a comparison, as I've asked her not to enchant me. It hurt a great deal less than I thought it would."

"I've heard there's a numbing agent in vampire spit."

"They have an anticoagulant in their saliva, but aside from that I haven't heard of a numbing agent. They share the same anticoagulant as vampire bats, and with vampire bites, their bite is less painful because of the sharpness of their fangs, not spit."

"Really?" she asked.

"I think so, but that's probably a question better aimed at Lenorre. She gave me some books to read."

Rosalin laughed. "You haven't read them, have you?"

I grinned. "Nope."

"Learn as you go?"

"Pretty much. I've flipped through them. They're thick," I said, emphasizing the size with my hands. "When am I going to find the time to sit down and actually read them? Especially when all I have to do is ask her if I have a question?"

"Still, if she lent them to you, she obviously wants you to read them."

I shrugged. "Probably. One of these days, maybe I'll get to them. So you let Eris enchant you?"

"Yes, that's how I was able to get off when she bit me."

"They don't have to enchant you to do that, though, do they?"

Lenorre had used her energy to bring me during sex and both times, she'd assured me she hadn't enchanted me.

"I don't know," she said, "I can tell you, that's where the thrill is."

"Being enchanted?"

"Yes."

"Lenorre's projected on me before. Does that count?"

"Yes and no. I think it would be a mild form of enchantment. The enchantment part is more where the vampire makes you feel what they want you to feel, but also to think what they want you to think."

"And how the hell do you know when a vampire has done that? If they're forcing their will on your thoughts…"

"There's fogginess afterwards. A feeling of weightlessness, drunkenness, a high. I don't know how to explain it, but you'd know. While it's happening, every sense heightens like that second before orgasm, and everything, every thought, every feeling, every worry, sadness, every emotion, just gets abandoned and washed away in this tide that carries you."

"And you're okay with that? With completely abandoning yourself?"

"Kass, some of us need that. We're not all the control freak that you are."

"I'll give you that," I said, because it was about control with me. I didn't like the idea of surrendering that completely to anyone or anything. I needed my ground to stand on.

"It'd probably be harder for a vampire to enchant you."

"Why do you say that?" I asked.

"It takes a strong vampire to enchant a lycanthrope as it is, throw a bit of fey blood into the mix and they've got their work cut out for them."

"Well, that's good to know."

"You would think that." She smiled.

I brushed a strand of auburn hair out of her face. "So," I said, "are you going to stay in bed and hide all day?"

"I'm feeling a little bit better."

"Only a little?" I asked. "I have an idea and I think it might be one that will make you feel even better."

"You're going to take your clothes off and get under the covers with me?"

I pulled her hair. "No, silly, but nice try. There's a wooded area around here, isn't there?"

"Yes, most of it's on Lenorre's land."

"Is it enough to provide cover?"

"Depends on what you need the cover for."

"Would you like to go run with me?"

Her lips parted in disbelief. "You're serious? I've asked you to go run with me and you always tell me no."

"I haven't showered. If you want to go run, now's the time to do it."

"I'd like that," she said, her expression tender.

"Then, get off your ass," I said, standing and offering my hand. Rosalin took it and I helped her out of her monstrous blankets.

When she got to her feet, she wrapped her arms around me. "Thank you, Kassandra. I appreciate the distraction."

She kissed my cheek and I touched her face. "You're welcome, Rosalin."

Truth be told, with the murder investigation, relationship dynamics, and bullshit with Sheila, I needed the distraction too.

CHAPTER 
eighteen

told Lenorre where we were going, and even though the woods were on her land, she'd insisted Zaphara and the others accompany us. I had argued with her until she pointed out the fact that it would make Rosalin feel safer. I couldn't exactly argue with that. After what Rosalin had endured at Sheila's hands, I wanted her to feel safe. Rosalin, being more familiar with Lenorre's land, led the way to the woods. Closer to the house was a heated swimming pool and a beautiful gazebo, but this far away, there was only trees and the quiet murmur of night. Before heading into the dense coverage of trees that did not shed their garb for the winter, I'd managed to catch sight of the pond at the southern line, of the stars spread out across it.

I tried not to recall the Blevins's celestial sheets soaked in blood.

Tonight was a night to be free and wild and I was claiming it, not solely for myself, but for the others that needed it as well. For a long time, we ran with no clear destination. We used the trees as cover, circling back into their thick shelter when the woods threatened to end. The night was alive with its own music, with the song of crickets and other insects, of wind and leaves.

The dry grass crunched beneath my paws. My tail caught on something behind me and I turned, skittering to jerk it loose of the small patch of burs.

Great
,
now Lenorre's going to be picking stickers out of my ass.

I shook my tail in irritation, hoping to shake some of them out.

That's going to make it worse, witch.

Zaphara caught up with me, amethyst gaze framed by the black fur of her wolf form.

Someone gave a delightful yip that caught my attention. I cast my gaze to Rosalin's and Carver's large forms ahead. Claire threw her head back, let rip a tiny howl, and bounded through the trees.

Carver nipped at Rosalin's leg, signaling for her to move it.

Rosalin jumped, following after Claire.

I heard someone's paws skid in the dirt before they sounded like tiny drums again.

Claire came rushing back, chasing after a black-tailed jackrabbit like it was a bouncy ball she wanted to chew on. Rosalin pushed past her, cinnamon fur like gray ash in my night vision. She lunged forward, trying to get the rabbit's tail during an upspring, and missed. She shook her furry head, ears flapping as she blew dirt out of her nostrils.

This is a sad sight
, Zaphara's voice flowed through my mind.

Claire and Rosalin didn't seem to think so.

They're playing
, I thought to her.
It's not an actual hunt.

Claire had taken over chasing the rabbit, which was conveniently heading toward Carver's direction. Rosalin had disappeared into the trees and I sensed her waiting, waiting for Carver and Claire to guide it through.

Carver sank as low to the ground as his massive body would allow, and the rabbit, heart hammering in its chest, veered away from him.

He joined the chase when it passed, encouraging it through the break in the trees ahead.

Rosalin got it, diving out from the behind the trees and catching it between her jaws. She skipped back to us, announcing her victory.

She lowered her snout, gently releasing the rabbit.

When it just lay there, frozen with fear, she gave it a push with her nose. Finally, it reacted, scurrying frantically away. Claire made to start chasing it again and I gave a low, warning growl.

Wolves in the wild probably would've eaten it, but we were not so desperate for food, and the rabbit had experienced enough torment. I headed toward the house, following the same path we'd come. My clothes were in the gazebo. Zaphara was still teaching me how to shift and call to the faerie magic in my blood. I'd stripped because I hadn't felt like another lesson when we came out to run.

Now, only two things sounded good: a shower and some food.

Though I wasn't opening a vein for Lenorre, as Zaphara had fed her when I'd gone upstairs to see Rosalin, we would all need to eat something when we returned to the house. For a new wolf, Claire was doing surprisingly well and seemed to have gotten the hang of shifting at will. It was impressive. Carver and Rosalin didn't surprise me so much. I'd seen Rosalin come close to being able to hold a partial shift, but she couldn't do it for long. I wondered if I was the only one in the group who could call the beast to my eyes and hands without giving over entirely to her every single time. Did that also contribute to the role I was supposed to play, to the mark of being alpha?

We made it to the gazebo and shifted then quietly donned our clothes. When we finished dressing, the only one that wasn't covered in dirt and twigs was Zaphara. Carver's hands were as covered in dirt as mine and the others. Rosalin had a dirt mustache and Claire's hair was a windblown riot.

We made it to the dining room and Rosalin slipped into the kitchen, opening the fridge door and returning with what appeared to be about twenty bags of lunchmeat, turkey, beef, ham.

"Chow time," she said, dropping the bags on the table.

We ate in silence, all except for Zaphara, who'd slipped away as soon as we made it inside the house.

Claire reached for the bag of roast beef when Carver growled at her.

"Split it, you two."

Surprisingly, they listened to me.

I'd completely finished off two large Ziploc bags of meat when I heard Lenorre laugh from the doorway.

All of us turned to look at her. Claire quickly shoved the food dangling halfway out of her mouth, in it.

Lenorre's hair was still wet from her shower, marking damp spots on the red sweater she wore. A tight pair of black skinny jeans clung to her hips, tucked into knee-high boots.

"Did you have a good run?" Lenorre asked, directing the question at Rosalin.

Rosalin nodded. Lenorre affectionately tousled Rosalin's already messy hair.

"You had a phone call, Kassandra."

"Who was it?" I asked.

"Arthur," she said.

I pushed my chair back and stood. "I'll call him back before I get in the shower."

"No need," she said, walking around the table to me. She plucked a twig out of my hair. "I took his message and will relay it to you downstairs."

She stooped to kiss me and I stopped her with a hand high on her chest. "I'm dirty."

"So?"

"You're all clean."

"So?" she asked again, this time with a devious glint.

I turned on the pad of my foot, gracefully stepping out of her reach in a dance-like move. "I'm going to take a shower, Lenorre. This time, you're not going to distract me."

Of course, everyone at the table was staring at us, but I didn't care.

I left Lenorre standing there.

I was almost to the basement when the ground moved out from under me.

"Lenorre!"

She laughed.

"What the hell are you doing?"

"Carrying you, my love."

"I know that. Why?"

"Mmm, because I can."

At her mysterious smile, I shook my head.

"I'm serious. Don't you even think of dropping me on the bed once we get to the room, because sex right now is so
not
happening."

"Have no worries," she said, voice light. "I'll escort you to the shower and give you a most thorough scrubbing myself."

"With a washcloth, Lenorre. Trust me, you don't want what is on me in your mouth."

She laughed lightly.

"As you wish."

"And only if the message from Arthur isn't urgent. Was it?"

"It can wait," she said, descending the basement steps. "Afterward, we will sit and discuss Arthur's news and the psychic attack you experienced this afternoon. But for now," she mused, "I am going to get what I want."

"I didn't know you were so into dirty and wild," I said jokingly as the light of the lounge room left me momentarily blind from its brightness.

"Mmm," she murmured, burying her face in my hair, "only for you, my little forest nymph."

It was my turn to laugh.

Lenorre carried me past her room and into the bathroom. I'd thought she would put me down before turning on the shower, but she didn't. She opened the frosted glass door and stepped into the dim lighting.

She reached for the handle jutting out of the dark stone wall.

"Uh, Lenorre? You're going to get our clothes-" I closed my mouth when I got a face full of chilly water.

I coughed, laughing and wriggling in her arms. "You could at least have waited for the water to warm up!"

She used the arm she had behind my back to swing me upright and I instinctively wrapped my legs around her waist. She kissed me, stepping forward and guiding us out from beneath the harsh spray of water. My back met the wall.

I broke the kiss. "Lenorre?"

"Yes?"

"You're wearing your boots in the shower."

"So I am." She whispered the words against my mouth before gently nibbling on my bottom lip.

I groaned, sliding my hands down her wet body. She nibbled a bit harder and I tugged at the wet sweater clinging to her skin, raising it to unveil the incandescent beauty of her. Lenorre lowered me onto a small bench tucked into a corner. She pulled her sweater up over her head and discarded it to the floor. The bra she wore was the same blood red as the sweater. I caught the waistband of her jeans, pulling her to me.

Lenorre propped her foot on the bench and set about removing her boots. I removed my shirt and shorts and stood under the spray of water.

When I had completed the task of washing my hair and face, I reached for the bottle of soap sitting on the small shelf. Lenorre touched my arm, giving me pause. She was nude except for a small covering of shadowy lace at her mound. The onyx curls of her hair tumbled down the front of her body and to her hips, covering the mounds of her breasts.

"What are you doing?" I asked, curious, as she set the bottle aside. Of course, it was a bit obvious what she was doing. She put her hands flat against my stomach, spreading the sweet amber smelling soap on my skin, across my hips. Her fingers brushed downward, tracing the crevice between my thigh and groin in a way that made me nearly lose my balance.

Lenorre laughed softly, guiding me further away from the spray of water.

She touched my shoulder. "Turn around."

I did, placing my hands flat against the smooth marble wall.

She guided my hair over my shoulder, her hands gliding across my back, slick with soap and water, over the raven tattoo and its knot work.

True to her word, she was thorough. By the time she was done, I was panting and half tempted to set my nails in the wall. Her fingers played over my breasts and lower, low enough to encourage me to arch my spine and space my feet out. She parted me and I moaned.

The tip of her finger moved against my clit, tracing it, sending little flits of ecstasy through me.

I felt her lips at my ear. "Yes or no?"

"Are you asking me if I want you to bring me right now?"

"I am."

"Gods, yes."

Lenorre obliged and brought me, shuddering and trying to keep my legs from going out from under me.

She snaked an arm around my waist, her hand cradling my hip as I fought not to collapse with the aftermath. "Mmm, that was not nigh as violent as it usually is."

I laughed. "That's because I was focusing on not falling on my face."

"A different position, then?"

I circled her wrists and I guided her arms close to her body. "Let me rinse," I said. "For now, keep those to yourself."

"As you wish," she said, not bothering to hide the devilish lilt in her tone.

I was about to step out of the shower when I ran into a vampiric speed bump. Lenorre barred the door. "You are done rinsing, Kassandra."

"So you're not going to let me get out and find a towel?"

"Not yet, no."

"If we do a repeat," I said, "I'm pretty sure this time I'm going to face-plant."

"Who said anything about an exact repeat?"

One second Lenorre was standing in front of me, and the next, she pushed my shoulders. The heel of her foot met mine and down I went. Lenorre caught me before I hit the hard floor as if the move had all been a dance she'd mapped out in her head. She lowered me gently.

I growled, unhappy about being caught off guard and unceremoniously tripped. Whether she'd caught me or not, I didn't like the fact that she'd put her speed and strength against me.

I was about to protest when she climbed my body, pressing her mouth against mine.

I growled again, but when her tongue teased my lips, I opened to her.

She kissed me, a deep and sensual dance of tongues that made my body melt from head to toe. Her breasts brushed mine and the growl turned into something closer to a moan. I curled my arms around her back, holding her close to me, tracing the curve of her figure with my hands.

Lenorre broke the kiss and her gaze was cloudy, but not with power, with that look a woman has when she knows you're hers. I sat up and used my body to push her onto her back. I removed her undergarments, dragging them down her thighs. I settled between her legs, pressing my lower body against hers. I shifted my hips, trying to find the position I wanted. Lenorre bent her knees, watching me with lips half-parted. I curled a leg around hers, angling my body.