by Pace, Pepper
“That’s exactly right! That’s exactly why you keeping that information from me hurt so much!”
“And I won’t lie and say I didn’t tell you about Alexis because I was afraid that you’d go off and try to rescue him. Yeah, I was trying to secure my place in your life. But I looked at you healing and knew that as much as I loved you, I’d never be able to go through something like that again. I can’t watch you be put through another torture. I won’t watch you put your life in constant danger. So, you want to know why I didn’t tell you about Alexis. That’s why. All of the above!”
I stood. “I’m sorry. I won’t change, and you can’t change.”
He stood. “True. Are we through here? Because it’s getting late and I was in the middle of something.”
“Yeah. We’re through.”
He walked out of the room angry at me.
I went home feeling completely unsure.
Did I dump him or did he just dump me?
CHAPTER 10
The next day I decided to buy a house.
I’d been thinking about it for a long time. My life was beginning to feel empty. I could lie and say that knowing Alexis and I would be apart for so long was putting me in a funk. But truthfully, I was going through Tony withdrawal. I woke up remembering our long sessions in the bedroom … or the garden … the Jacuzzi … the limo … the dining room chair. We even did it in a utility closet once.
I felt so guilty fantasizing about Tony’s hard penis inside me when I knew I was so in love with Alexis, but I was afraid to think about Alexis too much. It pissed me off that fear of Athena tracking my thoughts kept my memories of Alexis to a minimum.
I was a succubae who hadn’t had sex in a couple of days, and to say that I was getting horny was an understatement. Tony and I made love in some form or other every single day--a couple times a day when we could.
When I fed from Kat, I had to think about kittens and nuns to keep the lust from overwhelming us.
Tyler was bringing her man Jason over so that I could slough some of that lust at them. I was even less sure about it under the circumstances.
Kat had arranged for a real estate agent to take us around to some houses. We were paying a pretty penny to get someone to take us so late in the evening. I dressed more businesslike in a grey herringbone suit. The skirt was on the shorter side, but the black turtleneck kept it sophisticated.
It had been a while since I had to interact with a human who didn’t know I was a Vampire. When she asked me what I did for a living, I had to think fast about some of the businesses that I was invested in. She was really nosy, so I looked at her and gave her a silence suggestion.
Everything she showed us was way too opulent. I wanted something homey and nice but comfortable. The last house she wanted to show us was a little before midnight, and it was a Mediterranean transplant.
Not nearly as big as Johan’s or even Tony’s house, this place had everything my human mind could want. There was a pool and Jacuzzi, even a grotto. The backyard was any person’s fantasy with a bathhouse and a walkout that was very open air. Italian travertine marble covered the floor in a rustic decoration. Glass doors closed off the oversized walkout. Kat was telling me that we’d have all the glass replaced with the UV-protected glass that Vampires used. There were four bedrooms, perfect if anybody needed to crash, and each had its own personal en suite.
Monica would always have a place to stay if she wanted it, but I figured she’d want to stay in her wing at Johan’s.
The master bedroom sealed the deal for me. It had a rook wood fireplace in perfect condition. The hardwood floors were of the dark wood that I really liked. There was a patio with French doors that led out to the pool and a private garden. The private garden was surrounded by a seven-foot-high rock wall made of brick and flagstone pavers. I could see myself setting out nice lawn furniture next to a bas relief of a lion’s head spitting water from its mouth. The water collected in a rustic basin with the most soothing, trickling sound. An iron gate covered in ivy led to the rest of the back yard and pool.
The bedroom would be big enough for bedroom furniture and a sitting room with couch and chairs. The master bath had a claw-foot tub. Yes! Sold!
On the drive back to Johan’s, Kat was already making plans for the upgrades. As a Master Vampire, I would need a safe place for other Vampires. Once the house was mine, she would make an underground hideaway to comfortably accommodate half a dozen Vampires at a time. It would be many months before everything would be ready for me to move in.
I was excited and briefly was able to think about something other than Alexis or Tony. That ended when we pulled into the driveway and I saw Tyler’s motorcycle. Tyler was here with her boyfriend, Jason.
She was showing him the house, and I waited for them patiently. When he saw me he stepped forward anxiously and offered me his hand to shake.
“I’ve heard a lot about you,” he said when he had my hand. “It’s a pleasure to finally meet you.”
“Tyler has told me some about you, too,” I said. “Did you want a drink? There’s liquor and we have refreshments in the fridge.”
“Oh, no. Thanks. Tyler and I just had dinner.”
We took a silent appraisal of each other while Tyler watched hopefully. Jason was a cutie. I could see why Tyler liked him. Like her, he was tall and thin, but I could tell that he was well-built despite his thin build. His hair was longer than hers, thick and wavy but not unruly the way Alexis’ hair could get.
I wouldn’t even venture to guess his age, but he didn’t seem older then twenty-two or twenty-three. His chronological age couldn’t really be that young, I thought. In the Vampire world, he would be considered a baby.
“Kat and I were house hunting,” I said, gesturing to my clothes.
“Oh, how did it go?” Tyler asked.
“Good. I think I found something I really like.”
Tyler smiled. “I’m happy. I never really felt at home in this place.”
“Me either. Look, I’m going to change real quick, and I’ll meet you in the family room.” It was more relaxed than the living room and where we generally crashed when we needed R and R.
I slipped on low ride pink terry cloth jogging pants, pink flip flops, and a pink baby Tee with SUPERSTAR spelled out in rhinestones. Then I pulled my hair back into a ponytail. I hurried to join Tyler and Jason because since I decided to do this I wanted it done now.
Jason’s brow shot up when he saw me.
“I told you,” Tyler said with a warm smile.
“Told what?” I asked.
“That you’re no stuffy Neratomay,” Tyler said. “I told him that you were down-to-earth and easy to talk to.”
“Oh.” I smiled and curled up on the suede sectional.
Tyler picked up the remote control, turned on the radio, and tuned it to the local alternative rock station.
“Oh! That’s my song!”
Tyler danced a little, and Jason sat and watched her with a loving smile on his face. He looked at me to gauge my reaction, but Tyler was our free spirit who loved listening to music and dancing. So different than a year ago …
“Jason, who were you a donor for?” I asked.
“Selina Mason. She wasn’t a Master or anything but a Second. But her Master sent her to handle some business in a different state. I couldn’t go because of school. They offered me to another Vampire, but I decided to hold off.”
“School?” I asked with a raised brow.
“Yeah. I’m studying psychology.”
“Do you mind if I ask how old you are?” I asked.
Tyler flopped down next to him once her song was over.
“Not at all,” he replied. “I’m twenty-seven.”
I was relieved that he wasn’t quite as young as he looked. “How did you like Selina?”
“I liked her. We didn’t hang out or anything. And we weren’t …” His face reddened. “You know … intimate. But she was real fair and easy to get along
with.”
“Was it difficult when she left?”
He thought about it before answering. “No. Not really. I knew I’d miss her bite, but I also knew that I could find another Vampire if I wanted. Vampires seem to like dealing with donors who know what to expect. I had been with Selina for six years. Before that I was first bitten by my sister’s Master.” Only then did he begin to look uncomfortable. I remembered Tyler’s story about how the Master had liked seeing her blood squirt. I wondered if he had hurt Jason, but I didn’t think it was polite to ask. Maybe when we were closer.
“You see Kim, Jason’s a pro at this,” Tyler said.
“Well, Jason if you want to be a donor I welcome you.”
He stood and shook my hand in gratitude. “I do. I understand … about how it is with you. And I want you to know that I won’t take advantage.” He looked lovingly at Tyler. “And no offense, but I only have eyes for Tyler.”
I relaxed. He was speaking the truth. “None taken,” I said. I stood and stepped close to him. “I haven’t fed. Is it okay if I take a full feeding?”
He nodded while staring at me. “I haven’t donated blood in months so there’s plenty.”
I was concentrating on his neck and the nervous pulse that I found there. He was calm on the outside but not quite so on the inside.
We both leaned forward, and I was thankful because it meant that I didn’t have to press my breasts against him. He was thoughtful. I put my lips on his neck and felt my mouth watering. My teeth slid from my gums, and I sank them into the vein pulsating against my tongue.
He gasped, and I felt Tyler rise from the couch and take his hand.
“Jason, open your eyes,” she was saying. “Watch me …”
I hadn’t put up a wall. They wanted the lust … but maybe it was too much for a newbie.
Jason’s blood was thick compared to Tyler’s and the other donors, who had been on blood thinners for years. I liked the change.
And his taste was rich. I let my eyes flutter closed, and I relaxed with him in a way that I never could with the ladies. It was strictly the sexual side of me, and not that I was thinking about sex. My body knew this was the right fit for me. I concentrated because I wanted no mistakes.
When I felt myself growing wet and my nipples tightening, I pushed the feeling right into Jason. That’s the only way that I could describe it.
He shuddered and swayed.
Oops.
Tyler gripped his hand and kept him in place.
I slowed the amount of blood I was taking until it was only a small amount gliding across my tongue.
Tyler pressed herself lightly against Jason’s side. She began nuzzling his throat, and his hand came up to hold her to him. I watched her run her tongue up his throat and across his chin to lap at his lips teasingly. They kissed with teeth and tongues and then lips.
I shivered involuntarily and then pushed that into him as well. Not my lust—theirs.
Jason groaned. I think he meant never to show me how turned on he could become, but with that groan he reached up and put one hand around my waist and the other ran up Tyler’s side. Pushing his pelvis against her, he rotated lightly. I withdrew my teeth gently and tried to seal his wound without too much attention.
He hardly seemed to notice me slipping out of his grasp, and they held on to each other kissing passionately.
I felt sad as I slipped out of the room. It would be nearly a century before I could have that with Alexis, and I had lost it with Tony.
I was walking to my room to relax, to listen to music, and to get away from Tyler and Jason, when I heard the faint sound of an engine. My supernatural hearing allowed me to decipher the sound of a motorcycle coming up the drive before anyone else in the house would have heard it.
Other than Tyler, I didn’t know anyone else who rode a motorcycle.
I glanced at the clock. It was after two. Generally, no one came to my house unannounced. Everyone in my territory knew to make an appointment if her or she wanted to see me.
I opened the door with my mouth poised to tell whoever was at the door to make an appointment, but the words froze on my lips.
Paul was walking up my porch stairs.
~***~
Paul’s eyes seemed to gleam as they scanned my entire body. I couldn’t help the choked sound that escaped my throat … or the tingling that centered between my thighs.
Paul looked totally different. He was dressed in worn jeans, a black T-shirt, and a brown leather jacket, a worn suede satchel draped over his shoulder. His hair was so long I doubt he had cut it the entire year he had been gone. His skin was deeply tanned, and he looked great! All of my concerns that he had turned into some animal disappeared.
“Kim.” His eyes seemed to drink me in--in all my pink. “You look beautiful.”
I leaped into his arms, and he caught me with no effort. He swung me around and laughed.
Damn. Even though he wasn’t some monster, he had changed. Paul had bulked up! His muscles felt like steel beneath his skin. He held on to me for a moment and stared into my face.
“You look good, Kim. I didn’t know what to expect after ...” His smile faded.
It was not the time to tell him how bad it had been. I was happier than ever that Alexis had taken away my scars. It wasn’t vanity. I knew that it would have hurt Paul deeply to see my scars, Paul more so than anyone else in my entourage.
He lowered me so that my body slid down his. I could feel every bulge, every ripple. I smiled and pushed away from him gently. “How’d you get here?” I looked past him to see a motorcycle next to Tyler’s.
He picked up his bag. “Bike. Who else rides?”
“Tyler. Come in. Are you tired? Hungry?” I led him into the house.
“Starving,” he growled sounding so sexy.
He didn’t see my eyes get big. I almost stumbled.
“Little Tyler rides?”
“Little Tyler? Yeah, she rides.” I glanced back at him only to see him watching my ass in my warm-up pants. Finding himself getting busted seemed to amuse more than embarrass him.
He wasn’t quite the same Paul I remembered. I led him to the kitchen. The girls kept it stocked although I didn’t need to use it for anything.
“What do you want to eat?” I asked, opening the fridge to see what we had. Paul moved up behind me close and peered over my shoulder. His body touched my back, and the heat radiating from him seemed to be absorbed by my skin.
“What do you have?”
“Leftover shrimp creole.” I looked at him over my shoulder. He was only an inch away.
His lips curled up. He frowned and shook his head.
“I can make you a steak,” I said while staring at his lips.
“Sounds good,” he said.
I straightened slowly. It had to be slow because he was so close to me that I would have bumped into him. I concentrated on the task at hand—cooking a steak. There were rib-eyes in the freezer. We kept plenty of meat around because it was blood food.
Paul backed up and looked around.
“You did a good job decorating this place,” he said. “Last time I was here it was pretty empty.”
I placed the steak into the microwave to defrost and then handed him a bottled water. When he took it he allowed his fingers to graze my fingers. His eyes held me again. Feeling an unfamiliar self-consciousness, I turned away and searched for a skillet to fry the steak. I often wondered if the desire I felt for Paul was only the blood. Now I knew. We hadn’t shared blood in over a year, and yet he still turned me on—maybe more than ever. But there was still that damned succubae in me, so how could I tell if it was my lack of a sexual outlet that was causing me virtually to salivate at the thought of him?
“How are the girls?” he asked.
“Um, good, pretty much the same.” I glanced at him as I prepared to cook. “So … where have you been for all these months?”
He sat at the bar and drank half the water before answering. The m
icrowave signaled the steak was defrosted. I placed it in the skillet, seasoning it lightly.
“Where wasn’t I? It seems like I’ve been gone longer than a year when I think of all the places I’ve been.” He blew out a breath. “I’ve been all over. India, China, Nepal, and Africa.”
“For real?” I said.
“And more.”
He stood and took the cooking fork from my hand. He turned the meat before the first side was barely brown. I set a place for him. He had the skillet and was slipping the still bloody meat onto the plate.
“You like your meat raw, don’t you?” I said while examining the liquids pool around the barely brown steak.
“Barely warm.” He sat and cut into the pink meat. He watched me as he put it into his mouth.
“Uh … you want a beer or something?” I asked.
“Sure.” He cut off a bigger slice of steak, slipped it between his lips, and chewed. Damn…
I got his beer.
He took a long swig then belched into his fist. “Good steak. Thank you.”
I leaned on my elbows and watched him eat. I watched the meat as much as I watched him. Never before had I wanted to taste meat—at least not since being turned, not until now. But the sight of that bloody meat made my mouth water.
Paul sliced a thin sliver and ran it through the bloody meat juices on the plate. He held the slice up to my mouth and offered it to me.
I remembered the last time I’d eaten as a Vampire. I’d puked my guts up. It hadn’t been pretty. One lone drop of meat juice fell, and with lightning speed I caught it on the tip of my finger. I sucked it off, and my mouth flooded with saliva.
“Mmm.”
Paul held the meat above my head.
Giggling, I opened my mouth, threw my head back, and flicked at it with my tongue. It was salty and sweet at the same time. I caught the meat between my teeth and chewed. I chewed fast, my teeth piercing the meat, causing the flavor to flood my mouth in a delicious sensation. I swallowed it in a flood of saliva and meat juice.
Paul sliced off another large piece. He teased me with it and let me lick off the juices but then he put it in his own mouth and chewed. I wanted to lick the meat juices off his lips—