False Blood

by Tamara White

  Dev just stares at me gobsmacked. “What the hell, Emerald?! Why were you starving yourself? Why didn’t you say you were hungry?!” he questions, anger in his voice before turning to concern as he looks down at the empty bag. “Do you need more?”

  I’m about to say no, when my stomach gurgles. Oh no! Bolting to the bathroom, I make it just in time to lose the whole bag into the toilet. Black descends over my eyes and I’m left blind and gasping over the toilet. What’s going on? “I can’t see, Dev. Everything is black. Dev, I’m blind!” I panic and start to back away from the toilet, when Dev’s arms come around me. I’m instantly enveloped in his scent. “I’m so hungry,” I moan as I turn in his arms, sliding my hands up his chest and swaying into him. Before he can react to me coming onto him, I reach for his arm and bite down onto his pulse point, drawing his blood into my mouth. My vision slowly comes back and I release his arm and lean back panting as if I’ve run a marathon. Finally, I feel satiated.

  “You ok, Em?” Dev asks me, gently stroking my hair.

  I glance up judging his reaction and gasp when I see his face. He’s so pale, so much so that his skin has become translucent. I can see the path of his veins beneath his skin, see the arteries in his neck pulsing sluggishly, like there isn’t enough blood to require a full effort on their behalf. I cringe at how bad the bite is against his wrist. It’s healing already, but it’s massive. It’s double the size of my mouth. How is that even possible? “Oh god, I’m so sorry. Are you ok?”

  He smiles weakly, pulling me into his lap, “Yeah, I’ll be fine, just give me a second to catch my breath. I can’t believe that just happened. I’ve never known anyone to throw up blood before. That shouldn’t have happened,” he says, a frown creasing his brow.

  “I’m sorry,” I repeat, feeling horrible that I attacked him.

  He tucks a stray strand of hair behind my ear, “Hey, it’s ok, stop apologizing, it was just unexpected. We should tell your parents, though. There might be something wrong if you can’t keep bagged blood down. Promise me you will tell me if you feel sick after having mine. I don’t want you to attack Brittany because you’re starving,” he warns me.

  “I promise,” I say closing my eyes as I lean against his chest. “Does that mean you have to watch me get dressed though, because I don’t think I could handle that much attention right now.”

  He laughs, his chest rumbling against my back, “No, I’ll leave you to get changed, but you shouldn’t be alone with anyone, except me or your parents. That way you can feed from us if you have a craving. Now let’s get you dressed. The sooner you girls start, the better,” he smirks, wiping at the corner of my mouth with a piece of tissue.

  Ew. I am just going to pretend he didn’t just wipe vomit off my face. “Ah, how about you go get Britt, I just want to tidy up quickly,” I say, shooing him out the door.

  I need to wipe my face and brush my teeth before facing either of them. Once I’m done, I go back out, surprised that Britt looks worried. It’s been over five years and our bond is as strong as if we left each other yesterday.

  “Are you ok?” she asks watching as Dev leaves us alone, but leaves the door ajar. I take the coffee she holds out, breathing in the bitter smell.

  “I’m ok, we just had a little incident. The coffee helps,” I grin.

  “Ha! That’s my girl. You remember sneaking coffee the first month we were together? It was our first time trying it, and we got addicted. I’m glad to see that habit hasn’t died in the last five years,” she smirks, taking a sip from her cup.

  I smile at the memory of us sneaking in the kitchen to pour some of Dad’s coffee into a thermos before running off out into the woods. “Yeah, Dad was so mad when he realized it was me using his coffee beans. He thought it was Brendan. Every time he asked me, I used the ‘shrug my shoulders and look sad’ look that you taught me. It got me out of so much shit after you left,” I say gratefully.

  We sit for an hour just drinking our coffee, catching up on old times. She tells me all about her husbands, and the need for a baby. Apparently, all supernatural creatures have trouble conceiving. Something to do with powers and magic not mixing right with blood or something. To be honest, I wasn’t paying much attention because children frighten me. All that snot, vomit and stinky diapers, not to mention actually pushing them out of a place meant for pleasure not unbearable pain…

  I tell her about my beast, how she has suddenly become so much more uncontrollable since the incident at my pack and explain just how big she is. We talk about pretty much everything we have missed out on from each other’s lives over the past five years.

  We enjoy the catch-up time but the real fun begins when Britt tells me to strip. “Come on, we’re running out of time. Knowing Aunty Mace, she’ll be here at 5pm on the dot to make sure we’re ready. Now I have an idea for your outfit, do you trust me?”

  I contemplate her question and I realise that I do. I trust her with my life. “Of course, I do. You can do whatever you want, just try to put me on the same level as Heather and Felicia. I can’t walk in a room with those two flaunting Nik and Talon in my face if I don’t at least look as good as them,” I say miserably.

  The energy in the room sparks as she grins, her fingers twitching, “Oh, my sweet Mer. Do you think I would let you go out there looking anything but perfection? Trust me, when those boys see you, they’re going to come running, as if I put a spell on them,” she grins mischievously.

  I sigh knowing I may regret this later but knowing I need to look amazing tonight. I just hope she doesn’t put me in heels. “Alright, I’m ready. Work your magic.”

  She stands up, gesturing for me to do the same and starts waving her hands in the air. It looks like she’s spelling something but the only think I make out is an ‘E’ or maybe a figure ‘8.’ It’s hard to tell.

  A beautiful pink material appears from thin air making me gasp. That is so cool! “How are you doing that?” I ask, mesmerized by the swirls of colors she makes appear.

  She beams, happy at how I’m reacting to her magic, “Essentially, I’m borrowing the material from a seamstress somewhere. All magic is a transference of energy, it’s easier for me to borrow it than to make it appear from thin air, from scratch. It drains me to just make it, whereas borrowing most of the supplies, gives me the ability to mould it into what I want by only using the slightest amount of energy. I’ve pulled the dress material from one of the packs stores in the area, then I’ll design and make the dress using my magic. Your shoes will be pulled from the same store and altered because I’ve been told you don’t want heels. Your hair I can do with only a touch of energy and I’ll use a touch of energy for makeup,” she smiles.

  “That’s so cool,” I mutter, watching as she twirls the fabric around me. It shifts from a long-sleeved dress, to a spaghetti strap before settling into a ball gown. The material itself is a beautiful champagne pink. It shimmers in the light, making me feel just like a real princess.

  “Alright, now you have to strip down to your panties, so I can fix the size. You don’t want your dress to fall down in the middle of the ball, do you?” she asks, as I open my mouth to refuse.

  I slam my mouth shut, halting any refusal I had, before calling out to Dev in the other room, “Dev, I’m stripping in here. If you come in while I’m naked, I’ll kill you,” I call out, closing the door most of the way.

  I pull off my clothes and slip the dress up over my bare chest. It’s at least two inches too big everywhere so Britt messes around, magically tucking it in where she can. The dress is still way too long though, it billows out behind me more like an olden-time’s dress rather than a ball gown. “Uh, Britt, is there any way we can make this a bit shorter?”

  She grits her teeth frustrated, “I’m getting there, jeez, give a witch a break would ya? I can’t do everything at once.”

  “Sorry,” I apologize, laughing when she throws a wink my way. She was always a mischievous, little devil. Every time I had gotten into troubl
e as a child, it had happened during the summer that Britt visited.

  After a lot of magical nipping and tucking, the dress fits perfectly. So sleek and beautiful. It no longer resembles a ball gown but a beautiful cocktail dress.

  “What do you think? I can make it a little shorter, but we don’t want everyone seeing your ankles. The length it is now, it should glide across the floor as you walk. Though I understand if you don’t like it,” she rambles on nervously.

  “Britt, this is amazeballs! I couldn’t have imagined a more perfect dress. I look just like Cinderella would have, if she had you as a fairy godmother. The guys will lose it!” I beam, my excitement getting the better of me.

  “Oh, hell yeah you will! If they don’t recognize the beauty in front of them tonight, then I may need to check them for injuries because they would have to be sick or dying not to notice you. Now, let’s start on your makeup. I want it to scream sex goddess, so those boys fall over themselves for you,” she grins wickedly.

  Part of me feels bad for wanting to impress the guys like this. Especially, while they have girlfriends. Though there’s this small part of me, maybe like five percent, that is hoping they’ll leave their girlfriends for me. Who am I kidding? It’s more like eighty percent but I would never force them to be with me. I need to know if what I’m doing is the right way to go about it or if I’m being ridiculously stupid. “Britt, do you think I’m doing the right thing? Should I stop trying to get Talon and Nikoli? I have Dev, but I just feel connected to all of them. It’s confusing the hell outta me…”

  She grabs me by the shoulders staring into my eyes, “Don’t you dare doubt yourself! When you meet Felicia and Heather, you’ll see exactly why I want you to get those guys away from their dirty claws. Heather is a grade A bitch. She acts all sweet and nice to your face, but the moment your guard is down she’ll try anything to hurt you.”

  She stomps back and forth, frustrated then suddenly turns to me, her eyes filled with an anger I’ve never seen before. “She tried to sleep with Blaine four months ago at one of our parties, even though she was with Talon! They almost had a falling out because that bitch tried to say Blaine forced his way on her, but that’s impossible! Our souls are tied together, so we would have felt his lust or excitement yet all we got through the connection was disgust. We tried to explain to Talon what we felt, but having never been connected like that, he didn’t believe it. It doesn’t help that things are already rocky between Talon and Heather. Have been since they started dating.”

  She pauses, before adding, “They never kiss in public, you know. Like, I mean never. The only time I have seen a PDA between them, it was a chaste kiss on the cheek. It was weird, and seemed brotherly rather than someone in a committed relationship.”

  Huh. That’s strange. She didn’t seem to mind flaunting her relationship in my face earlier.

  Britt’s still rambling on so I try to focus on her, “And Felicia. Where do I even begin? She has Nik on such a short leash you wouldn’t believe it unless you saw it. He’s such a playful person, though when he’s with her, he’s not allowed to tell jokes or be funny. He isn’t allowed to be himself, she thinks it ruins her reputation to be seen with someone who is so casual and easy going. He hides part of himself just to satisfy her. Nikoli is such a sweet guy, who deserves a woman that will treat him as his equal, not like some little trophy to flaunt in front of the covens.”

  She grabs me by the shoulders, staring at me intensely, “You would treat those two men better than anyone I know. Your heart is the biggest of any woman I’ve ever met. You put everyone else before yourself. Even now, any other woman would dive on the chance to have three of the hottest vampires fawning over her, not even caring that they’re in a relationship. But you’ve only allowed yourself to entertain the thought. Here I am dressing you up to show off your assets but you’re still thinking about changing into something less distracting and leaving them to their relationships, aren’t you?”

  She’s right. My heart’s too soft to force them into something. My beast is definitely not on the same page. All she wants is Dev, Nik, and Talon wrapped around us, touching, caressing, and kissing. I shake myself away from those thoughts to see Britt grinning widely at me. “What?”

  She laughs pulling me in for a hug, “Don’t pretend you weren’t thinking about every dirty little thing you could do with the three of them! I recognise the look, I’ve had it many times when I think about my husbands. You’d be surprised that the thrill never wears off. It’s like every time is our first time. It’s exhilarating,” she shivers, a slight blush on her cheeks.

  “So, how does it work? Are you with all of them at once? Is there jealousy? Tell me everything. I need to know what I’m getting myself into,” I beg, giving her my best sad puppy dog eyes.

  “Ok, young one, gather round to hear my tales of multiple husbands, constant spoiling and amazing sex,” she smirks, adding a layer of illusion to her voice. “Seriously though, being with four of them is better than I thought. If they weren’t friends, then I don’t think it would have worked. As it is, there was a lot of confusion at the start about who I would spend time with, who I would sleep with, whether we all went on dates or if I went on them with one of them at a time.

  “It worked out well between Kellan and Torie because they were happy to share me. Those men, God Mer, those men are delicious! I didn’t know before we got together, but it turns out those boys like to do a little playing around together. I get so hot watching them! At first I wasn’t sure how to feel about them being together, though now that I’ve seen them and joined in, holy sex on a stick! I wonder if Talon, Nik, or Dev do a little playing?” she asks, a little mischievous twinkle in her eyes.

  I try not to imagine it in my mind, but the visions are too overwhelming that I can’t help but flush. “Ok, I change my mind, we need to stop this train of thought before I faint,” I say, fanning my face. I must be red as a tomato with all these thoughts.

  I hear Dev cough from the outer room, suddenly remembering he has super hearing, “Hey, girls, just so you know, I can hear you out here. Vampire hearing and all. And don’t go getting any ideas, Em. We may share you, but none of us are interested in guys,” Dev calls from the other room.

  My cheeks flame, embarrassed at being caught out fantasizing about the three of them. Wait, did he say we? Who else is out there?!

  Oh. My. God. How much did he hear? “Britt! You couldn’t, like, magically stop him from hearing us?!” I screech, utterly horrified, fully aware that he can hear me freaking out.

  “Where’s the fun in that?” she grins, the sparkle in her eyes making me want to throttle her. I was so distracted in my internal struggle that I forgot Dev was in the outer room. “Now, let’s finish up your hair so you can get to this party. Aunty Mace says Sierra and Ax are getting impatient,” she tuts pushing me onto the edge of the bed.

  “What? How do you know? She hasn’t even been in here?” I ask, looking around for a phone or Bluetooth device of some kind that she could be using to communicate with them. I really need to pay more attention to my surroundings. After all I am in a vampire coven.

  “Telepathy. My aunt and I are able to communicate if we concentrate hard enough. My husbands have been eavesdropping on this conversation by the way,” she laughs abruptly.

  This is so not funny! The thought that everyone is listening in on this makes me want to hide away for the rest of my life.

  Britt pulls back my hair doing some fancy stuff with it, “Oh, come on, it’s not that bad.”

  “Wait did you hear my thoughts?! Dude, so not cool!” I exclaim.

  “Sometimes, I can’t help it. When you’re loud or feeling intense emotion, I can’t help but pick it up. Remember when you came back from that night with Xander? Well, your thoughts were very loud and very graphic.”

  “No!” I gasp, horrified. I know exactly which night she is talking about. It was the night I lost my virginity and the only night I ever interacted with Xand
er for more than a minute.

  I can’t believe she has known all this time!

  That night with Xander, was the best night of my life and the morning after was one I’ll never forget. I woke up naked and alone. Xander had taken off sometime while I was asleep, not even staying to cuddle after. No one should have known about that but me. As it was, being shunned by him after was heartbreaking and humiliating. Even though I regretted giving my virginity to him, in a way it did me a favour, allowing me to see him for what he really was, a grade A asshole, which helped me to get over my stupid crush.

  I sit in a daze letting Britt do whatever she wants, too horrified about the past few minutes’ worth of conversation to do anything. I’m really going to have to control my thoughts around her. I’m just glad Talon, Nik and Dev can’t hear my thoughts. That would majorly suck!

  Two hours later and we’re finally done. It took forever for Britt to do my hair because she kept changing the styles. My makeup only took ten minutes and it wasn’t even makeup. She manipulated energy to highlight my features and the shades on my face to appear more of a natural beauty.

  Britt takes a step back, marvelling in her work, “Let’s go show these boys exactly what they’re missing out on by not being with you,” she beams, having applied the finishing touches to my eyes.

  My whole body is stiff from sitting still for so long while she played with my hair and did my makeup. I’m just glad she said she would keep it under control. I don’t mind looking fancy, but too much and I would have made her do it all again.

  “Can I see first?” I ask, impatience seeping into my voice. I tried to look at my hair when she was done with it, but she magically misted over every reflective surface in the room.

  She sighs exasperated, as if me wanting to see her handiwork is a big inconvenience. “Fine, but don’t get all gooey on me. We know I don’t handle that well.”