Blood and Forest: A Vampire Novel

by Raven Stone

  “I will,” she said. Then she smiled. “Are you really afraid of me?”

  “Scared shitless. I told you that.” I grabbed the power cord for the laptop from the wall. Orleande put a hand on my arm, stopping me cold.

  “Then you did take quite a leap of faith for me. Thank you for that.” She drew close. “You are one of Andryx’s line, but I am not Athene. What she did to him was wrong. I swear that no matter what happens between us that I will not hurt you like that. You are not a plaything, my King.”

  Her words weren’t just words. She’d sworn on it. That was a serious thing among our kind, especially from someone of her time.

  “Thank you,” I said.

  I was an inch away from kissing her again, our vampires already rising and filling the room, when another voice interrupted us.

  “Well, I see why Elodie looks like a storm cloud.” Cerone stood there with her hands on her hips. “Do you need help, my King?”

  “No,” I said simply.

  “I’ve sworn that I will not harm our King, Cerone,” Orleande said. “I don’t take my oaths lightly.”

  “Good,” Cerone replied.

  Orleande stepped back from me and smiled. “I’ll see you next week, King Gabriel.” She shared her smile with my second too, then left with a lot less drama than Elodie.

  “Captain,” Cerone admonished, shaking her head.

  “She did swear,” I replied.

  “And you do love danger. You’re like a moth to a flame.”

  I grinned. “Battleaxe, that’s one of the many reasons I like you. You understand me. And you don’t try to stop me.”

  She sighed, but I saw the ghost of a smile on her face before she turned away.

  Chapter 134

  Fiona

  Lena and I were standing in the kitchen getting another round of drinks when I heard it.

  Gabriel’s heartbeat.

  A smile broke over my face. “Excuse me please, Lena.”

  “Sure,” she said.

  I crossed the room and opened the door just as Gabriel reached the landing.

  “How in the hell do you do that?” Cade asked from the couch.

  “Gabriel,” I said.

  A big smile burst over his face. “Surprise.”

  He picked me up and twirled me around. Then he put me down.

  His smile faded, and his eyes searched my face.

  Chapter 134

  Gabriel

  I was excited to see her. Anxious to see her. After all the drama at Court, leaving that world behind and getting back to something simple, something understandable, was a relief.

  I parked behind Cade’s SUV and bounded up the steps. Fiona opened the door as I reached the landing. I walked through the door, picked her up and whirled her around. As soon as she was in my arms, I noticed the change.

  I put her down gently and walked around her.

  “Gabriel?” she asked, her eyebrows furrowing. She turned, trying to follow me.

  “Shh,” I said. I stopped her from turning. I listened to her heartbeat, catching the slight difference. I let my gaze travel her body, noticing the subtle differences there too. Even her scent had changed, albeit in the smallest way.

  “You’re stronger,” I said.

  “I’ve been running and working out.” She replied, her heartbeat ticking upwards. I was worrying her.

  “No, that’s not it.” I stopped circling, satisfied by what I’d seen. I faced her again, noting the new light in her eyes. “Tell me, how have you been feeling these past few weeks?”

  “Worried, stressed from finals, sore from working out.” Fiona shrugged.

  “That’s it? Nothing else. No other changes?” I asked.

  Her eyes dropped to the side and refused to meet mine. A faint blush spread across her cheeks. I was pretty sure I knew what had changed, but I wanted to be positive before we met with the White Guard.

  I reached into the pocket of her jeans and pulled out the knife I’d given her. The knife she still kept. Knowing that put a smile on my face, even as I opened up the knife and cut a long line down the underside of my arm.

  I wiped the knife clean on my skin and slipped it back in her pocket. Then I held my arm out between us as the blood ran down me and I watched her eyes. They filled with hunger, and her breathing hitched.

  “The blood of your latari is dripping to the floor, Fiona. It’s freely yours, if you want it. But can you resist it?” I asked, knowing this cut was long and deep, nothing like the mere scratches she’d resisted back when she was refusing to hunt.

  Soft fingers wrapped around my arm. She raised it, shooting me quick glances even as her eyes darted back to the blood. She stopped my arm at her chest level, panting a bit.

  “What do you want to do, Fee?” I asked.

  “I want to drink from you,” she said huskily.

  “Do you know why you’re not?”

  Her eyes met mine with some effort. “Because I’m choosing not to.”

  “Exactly. You’ve had a jump in power, otherwise you wouldn’t be able to resist feeding from me right now. And there’s only one thing you could have done that would have given you that boost, that next step. Do you know what it is? The one thing you’ve changed recently?”

  She blushed a deep red, somehow turning her face away from the blood that had been so tempting just moments before.

  “Fee,” I said softly. I cupped her face with the hand that wasn’t dripping blood. “You have to admit this. It’s just as important a step as taking the action.”

  Her face turned back to me, and she raised her eyes to mine.

  “I had sex with a human,” she said quietly. Her whole face turned red.

  “Good girl.” I smiled and kissed her forehead.

  “You’re not mad at me?” She looked painfully vulnerable.

  “No, I told you I wouldn’t be.” I tucked a tendril of hair behind her ear. “You had to take that step. A vampire who doesn’t have sex with humans won’t last past ten years. It’s almost as important as feeding.”

  “Why didn’t you tell me that?” she asked.

  “If I told you that you had to go out and have sex, what would you have done?”

  She examined her feet for a few moments, then sighed. She raised her head again, and her vulnerable look had faded. “I would have refused to do it.”

  “Exactly. Just like everyone else we ever told, noven and gatori alike.”

  “Did you fight it?” she asked, searching my face.

  I grinned. “Are you kidding? I had sex with a vampire and a human before my first week was over.”

  She laughed and shook her head. “Gabriel.”

  “What? It’s not my fault you didn’t follow in my footsteps.” I held up my arm again. “Are you going to heal me, or should I?”

  “I’ll heal you,” she said huskily.

  She took my arm and licked the bottom of the cut where it was shallowest. Then she closed her mouth over the deeper part of me, and fed. A frisson went through me, and my eyelids lowered to half mast.

  Fiona slowly made her way up my arm, healing the cut as she went. The heartbeats of the two humans in the room shot upwards, telling me she’d fed from both of them.

  She reached the end of the cut and raised her eyes to mine. They were hot and full of promise. If we hadn’t had an audience, I would have fed from her right then. She gave me a smile as if she knew what I was thinking.

  Then we both looked at the blood that had pooled on the floor.

  “Yeah, you’re not going to get your deposit back,” Cade said.

  “I’ll clean it up,” Fiona said, turning towards the kitchen.

  “Wait,” I said, stopping her.

  I knelt in front of the blood and looked at the two wolves on the other side of the room. Their eyes went from the pool at my feet, to me, and back again.

  “I can make this offer to you of my blood freely, or I can clean it up. Your choice. If you drink, then you might find it binds you
to me, at least in a small way. So make your choice carefully.”

  Dakari trotted over and immediately started licking the blood. The other wolf – a salt and pepper one – gave a small whine and seemed tempted, but ultimately lay down and put his head on his paws.

  “Why would a wolf want your blood?” Cade asked.

  He didn’t seem to think it odd at all that the wolves had understood what I’d said. I shot a glance at him, but noticed only curiosity on his face.

  I stroked Dakari’s fur as he drank. “Vampire blood strengthens wolves.”

  “I didn’t know that,” Fiona said.

  I nodded.

  “The new one’s called Moonshine, by the way. And you know Dakari.” Her eyes flashed, and I grinned. I figured we would be talking about that later.

  “You know Cade,” she continued, “and this is Cade’s wife, Lena.”

  I gave Dakari a final pat and stood up. Lena had pretty brown eyes and hourglass curves. I held out my hand to her.

  “Pleased to meet you, Lena. I do hope you know about vampires.”

  She laughed and shook my hand. “I do. And Fiona’s mentioned you before. Although you do make an incredible first impression.”

  “Thanks,” I said.

  She glanced at my arm. “Did it hurt?”

  “Of course,” I replied.

  “That’s nothing.” Fiona walked into the kitchen. “He got a knife stuck through his forearm and acted like it was a splinter.”

  “I had other things on my mind,” I said.

  “What happened?” Lena asked, her eyes wide. Fiona poured a bag of blood into a mug and put it into the microwave.

  “A vampire attacked me,” I answered.

  “She was trying to kill you,” Fiona replied.

  “Which is why I put my arm in her way. It worked.” I shrugged.

  “Yes, but you told me you were fine, when actually you were bleeding and had a knife in your arm.” She took the mug of out the microwave.

  I wondered how she was going to take it the first time she saw Cerone stab me to keep me out of Orleande’s clutches.

  “I was fine,” I replied.

  Fiona rolled her eyes at me. “Here, drink this.”

  She handed me the mug. It was full of warm blood, cinnamon and honey. I drained the cup and handed it back to her. She put it in the sink.

  “What happened to the vampire that attacked you?” Cade asked.

  “I killed her,” I said simply.

  “Fast. The whole thing happened so fast.” Fiona picked up the offending arm and ran her fingers along my skin even though there was no scar from the wound. She looked up at me. “I was so scared for you.”

  I put my hand over hers. “I don’t want to lie to you, Fiona. It’s happened before and it’ll happen again. Vampires can be violent, scheming, and volatile, just like humans. And even if I left home tomorrow and never returned, I’d still come across vampires that would want to hurt me.”

  “How common is it?” she asked.

  “Not as common as it used to be,” I replied.

  “Is it that way for everyone?”

  She was actually asking if it was that way for me because I was King. She was just being discrete in front of Cade and Lena.

  “For some more than others.” I picked up her hand and brushed my lips against her skin, then let her go. “So what were all of you doing, before I interrupted?”

  “We were picking out the next movie to watch. Cade and Lena brought over a whole stack of them.” Fiona went to the coffee table and picked them up, reading the titles out loud. “Which one does everyone want to watch?”

  Chapter 135

  Fiona

  We all watched another movie. I got more wine for me and Lena, and beers for the guys. We even made popcorn and passed that around too. It was like a regular couple’s night. It was so normal that I found myself looking around every so often to make sure it was really happening.

  Cade and Lena headed home after the movie was over. Gabriel walked them out since he had to get his stuff from the car.

  “It is cold out there,” he said, shutting the door. He put his bags down near the couch.

  “It is the end of December,” I said, smiling. I emptied out the last wine glass and put it in the dishwasher. “Okay wolves. You don’t have to go home, but you can’t stay here.”

  “They can stay. I don’t mind.” Gabriel sat on the arm of the couch, taking off his boots.

  “I mind. I don’t want any witnesses to what I’m about to do to you,” I said.

  He glanced up at me, his eyes going hot and dark. He didn’t say another word.

  I opened the door, and the wolves trotted out. I shut the door after them and locked it. I could feel his eyes on me. I turned around.

  “I’ve had a small bit of your blood in me all night.” I took off my top. “Just enough to tease me, and tempt me.” I unsnapped my bra and let it fall to the floor.

  He rose to his feet. “I like this new you.”

  “I want more,” I said huskily. “I want to feel more of your blood in me.”

  “Then you shall have it.” He started to take off his shirt.

  “Let me.”

  He dropped his hands and let me unbutton his shirt, his dark eyes searing into me. I peeled the shirt off his shoulders, down his arms, and tossed it to one side.

  Gabriel.

  When he was gone, I missed him so much. And when he was here, it was like the rest of the world simply disappeared.

  His lips curved upwards.

  “What’s that look for?” he asked, his hand sliding into my hair.

  I leaned into his touch. “I want you to feed on me too.”

  His eyes darkened, and a thrill went through me.

  “Good.” He lowered his head, and claimed my mouth. His kiss was powerful, slow, and consuming.

  I shivered.

  His. I didn’t know if he was mine, but I was his.

  He picked me up, carrying me to the bed. My fingers dug into my pocket, finding what I wanted just as he lowered me onto the mattress.

  I slashed across his arm with the knife. He hissed in surprise.

  I caught his eyes and held them as I cut a line down my chest from just below my breasts to right above my navel.

  The pain made me cry out, and my eyes water, but I figured that was forgivable since I wasn’t at his pain threshold yet. I panted, staring up at him as I felt the first drops of blood spilling over my skin.

  Those dark eyes deepened to a midnight black lit by stars. His vampire was suddenly present, and hungry.

  “Oh Fee, what a dangerous game you play.” His hand caressed the side of my waist.

  Then he was upon me.

  His hot tongue licked at the blood that had already flowed down my skin, and I trembled. He followed the trail back to the cut, then plunged his tongue into it and sucked. I cried out as a wave of heat and pleasure shimmered over me.

  I turned my head, seeking and then finding the cut I’d made on his arm. He gasped as I ran my tongue over it, his fingers digging into my waist.

  And then it was gone before I’d barely begun, the cut too shallow, giving me just a small taste of him before healing.

  Gabriel stood up, the cut on my chest healed too.

  He stared down at me with a heated gaze, before taking off his pants and mine. His hands ran over my thighs, pausing near my panties. It was obvious he wanted to touch me there too. But instead he handed me the knife and crawled into bed next to me.

  “Make your next choice. Deeper this time. I want to feel your tongue on me much longer. Like earlier tonight. Understand?”

  I crawled on top of him and his hands gripped my thighs.

  “I understand,” I said huskily.

  I LOST TRACK OF TIME after that.

  I knew that we wound up covered in cuts at one point, moaning, licking and healing each other before we fully drank from each other. Finally we collapsed in bed next to each other, panting
from our vampire-based orgasms.

  I’d barely caught my breath before Gabriel was peeling my panties off of me. He tossed them aside and the next thing I knew his mouth was on me, his tongue slipping inside. I cried out, arching upwards.

  “Gabriel!”

  His hand planted on my naked stomach, keeping me there. Then his fangs scraped against the skin of my inner thigh, and every part of me focused on that small area.

  Panting, I waited for him to do more.

  His tongue darted out between his fangs, licking me, and I shivered.

  He stopped again, letting me wait.

  Want spiraled through me, hot and thick.

  “Gabriel,” I whispered.

  He sank his fangs into my inner thigh, just as he plunged a finger into me.

  I screamed his name as spirals of pleasure shot through me. Every time he drank from me, every time he pulled from me, it was like he was brushing my G-spot with his tongue or his fangs. I dug my fingers into his back, clawed his skin, anywhere I could reach.

  Wanting him. Needing him.

  “Please,” I whispered.

  He sank his fangs in deeper, and I cried out, good feelings, fantastic feelings rushing through me. But it still wasn’t enough. I wanted to be filled. I needed to be filled.

  I plunged my fingers into his hair.

  “I want you,” I whispered.

  He stopped, and his fangs slipped out of me. He eyed me darkly, then stood up and took off his briefs. His cock sprang free, the tip already glistening.

  I licked my lips.

  He smiled.

  The next moment he plunged into me to the hilt. Filling me perfectly.

  “Yes!” I cried out, clenching around him even as he pulled out, almost to the tip, and plunged back into me again. I pressed my fingers against his back, pulling him towards me until he put his full weight on me. I turned my head and sank my fangs into his shoulder.

  He cried out, and it thrilled me to the core, that sound. I wrapped my legs around him, pulling him deeper into me.

  He put his arms on either side of me, caging me, and sank his fangs into my neck.

  God.