“Kitty!” Lisbeth screeched, slamming her hand on the table.
It broke.
Everyone’s breakfast was on the floor, except for Knight and Dom who were holding their plates in the air. Dom took another bite as he studied the mess at our feet.
I yanked myself out of my chair and shoved it back into the counters with a bang. Since I’d already said too much, saying something else wouldn’t hurt.
“I can’t fucking believe I looked for you for twenty years. I should’ve given up a long time ago.”
And I left the room the way I came.
14. Sisters
Dreya
We all sat around the aftermath of mother’s fist hitting the table, several minutes after Kitty had left. Mother’s eyes darted around the floor and her colors rippled all over the place, so much so that I had to look away. She stared at the mess, looking forlorn. Even though she was often gloomy, it had been a long time since I’d seen her that sad.
Standing up, she crumpled fists of her black dress into her hands. “Excuse me, I need to cry by myself.” She raced from the table to her bedroom door, slamming it behind her.
Dom’s lips smacked and he speared a bit of pancake, swirling it around a puddle of syrup before popping it into his mouth. “If this is what it’s like in your family, shit, I want to stay forever.”
I stood and almost started pushing my chair in before I realized I couldn’t with the table broken. “I’m going to go talk to her.”
Knight nodded to me, Arthur on the other hand asked, “Which one?”
“We’ve got this, sweetheart,” Knight said with a smile, and he got up to start lifting the edges of the tablecloth to keep the shards of broken plate contained inside it.
I left the room and went down the hallway, following Kitty’s scent up the stairway and out to the clock face. She stood outside, her arms on the bannister, looking out over Salvation like it held the answers to her deepest questions, her entire body bathed in deep, aching blue. Fuck, it made me sad just looking at it.
“What the fuck do you want,” she snapped without turning once she’d caught my scent. She tried to discreetly wipe her face off, but I still noticed as I stepped up beside her and put my arms on the bannister too.
Deep breath. Practiced patience.
“Want to know a secret?” I asked her, keeping my tone pleasant. She didn’t move, so I took it as a good sign to keep talking. “Mother told me once she’s never known how to get through to you.”
“I’m sure she doesn’t have that problem with you,” Kitty clipped, kicking at the bannister.
“Of course she doesn’t.” That drew a snarl from Kitty, and I smiled back. “I’m nothing like her. Whereas you’re almost her copy. Or rather, you’re like grandmother, and we’ve both heard how they butted heads when they met.”
“It’s bitchin’ getting advice from someone who barely knows me,” she grumbled.
My patience slipped just enough for me to frown at her. “Fine. Be obstinate. I’m just trying to help you.”
That made her pause and raise her eyebrows at me. “Your Arthur is showing.” My smile sparked hers, and we laughed together, leaning on the bannister as we watched the city people walking on the streets below.
“Your comment about dating a drink dispenser isn’t very fair, considering you drink vampire blood,” I countered, bumping her shoulder teasingly.
“Touché, sister mine.” She took a few strands of her long black curls and braided them absently. “I’m guessing a lot has changed with vampire society since I’ve been gone, if they’re all okay with you dating a human.” She stiffened just before I smelled Knight approaching the clock face and stepping through the hole to the balcony. We both turned to him and Kitty placed a hand on her hip, her mouth curled to the side. “Clearly I’m right, since you’re fine with Lisbeth having a second lover. Or are you just hoping it’ll be holding hands and chaste kisses from here on out?”
Knight’s face almost twisted into a glare, but he settled on a stern dad look I knew well. “I didn’t come up here for you to grump at me, Kitty.” His head turned slightly in my direction. “Dreya, can we have a minute?” I nodded and left them on the balcony until I got to the stairwell. They were still in my line of sight, and if I pushed my senses out I could hear their conversation. Yes, I was eavesdropping. We’ll add it to my list of sins.
“You’re mad at your mother, which honestly is exactly what it was like before the drones came,” Knight said while he approached the bannister and leaned against it next to Kitty. “I’m assuming you still hate me.”
Kitty looked up at him and away, her fingers still working her hair. “No. I don’t. That was just me being a child.” Knight raised his eyebrows at her, clearly interested in finally hearing an explanation for her ire of him. “When I was young, I thought you were the reason Lisbeth and Balthazar weren’t together. I got it into my head that one’s parents should be together, and mine weren’t.”
“Let me guess, a boy told you that?”
She scowled at him, but her aura remained gloomy blue. “That’s not the point,” she asserted, almost confirming his words. “I never said my mentality was correct. I’ve since learned differently. And I’m sorry for how I used to treat you. It’s been one of my biggest regrets in my travels.”
Surrounded by a sudden burst of happy yellow, Knight leaned in to kiss Kitty on her curled head and they turned to take in the city again. “In regard to your mother and Arthur,” Knight said after several minutes of silence. “I’ve been with her for a long time. If there’s anything I’ve learned, it’s that keeping her happy is the only thing I care about. She loves him, she’s always loved him. And she loves me too. That’s all I need to know. And for the record, I’ve always been okay with sharing her, it’s just not something I discussed with you or Jason.”
Kitty took in a breath and sighed it out. “I guess things really have changed.”
Leaning his hip against the balcony, Knight ran a hand through his thick, black hair and smiled down at Kitty where she couldn’t see. It was clear he loved her like he loved me, his two daughters by marriage.
“Our society and its rules are nothing like they were before. Those days are gone, and not just because we’re living out in the open among humans now. But no matter how much has changed, there’s still a place for you in our home. We’ve all been waiting for you and Jason to come back. You don’t know how much we wished we could find you ourselves.”
“Why didn’t you?” Kitty asked him, and she turned her head enough where she saw me in the stairwell doorway. Quickly, I shut the door and planted myself against the wall, waiting for her to come after me and yell at me for eavesdropping. Minutes passed and the door remained closed, but I went down the stairs anyway, just in case.
I reached our floor and went down the hallway to my bedroom where I shut the door behind me. It was time to get ready for my tea date with Darius and his father, Governor Hendrix.
Sitting at my vanity dresser, I pulled one of the drawers open and got out my small and precious makeup bag. Makeup was a luxury that few could afford, even with the coupon books we were given. Mother and I had made our own items from beeswax and the like. It wasn’t much, but it was something at least. I had tinted lip balm, mascara, blush, eyeshadow, and some eyeliner. Of course, as a vampire I didn’t really need makeup to be pretty. It was the act of dolling myself up and feeling lovely that appealed to me.
Using sparingly low amounts of all my products, I admired my gently blushed cheeks, darkened eyes, and rouged lips. I looked very put together, just the thing for tea with Governor Hendrix. I changed into a stylish blue dress and pinned my two braids around my head like a rope.
Satisfied with my appearance, I picked up my small purse that had my tinted lip balm, my coupon book, and a few extra hair pins, and fit it across my chest. I left my room and heard a noise across the hall like someone had thrown a piece of furniture. I pushed my senses out to investigate
and immediately regretted it. With my father back, he and mother were becoming reacquainted, in the most intimate way. The knowledge was gross, but I was happy some of the blue in her aura would be gone now.
The floor creaked in several places as I rushed down the hallway, my cheeks turning pink when I heard a picture falling from the wall in mother’s bedroom. Down the stairs and to the second floor, I stopped at the door that led to the Hendrix apartment. Catching my breath, I pushed a few strands of my hair aside that had escaped my pins before pushing the door open.
Two human guards stood with guns right outside the stairwell, and I nodded to them before turning and continuing down to the Hendrix living room. The door was open when I stepped up to it. It was the same floor plan as our home, but the two rooms looked very different. While ours was warm and home-like, theirs was very organized and streamlined with no paintings, trinkets, or decorations to speak of.
“Dreya!” Darius exclaimed from the sink when he saw me. Pink surrounded him and it brought a smile to my face. He approached me and kissed me on the cheek. Governor Hendrix stood by the fridge, busy with something on the tray they were setting up. He turned and smiled at me with a nod. His colors always frustrated me. I’d rarely ever seen him any shade other than what I could call clear. No emotions at all. Ever. Not even when he looked at Darius.
To say it made me not trust him was an understatement.
“Governor Hendrix,” I addressed respectfully.
“Hello, my dear,” he responded with another nod, the warmth of his smile not reaching his eyes. “We’re almost finished, if you’ll have a seat on the sofa.” I left them in the kitchen and walked the short distance to the blue couches, sitting on the edge of one.
Darius brought the tray and placed it on the coffee table, sitting next to me while his father sat across from us. Darius poured his father’s cup first and handed it to him before pouring mine. It would’ve been just a normal day if I didn’t feel so unbelievably uncomfortable.
“How have your studies been after high school, Dreya? Have you re-considered the offer to join our medical staff? You have an aptitude for it.” The Governor sipped from his china cup and leaned back into the couch.
I took my tea cup and sniffed it before sipping, drinking in the musky scent of the black tea leaves. Somehow, I found myself wishing it was rose petal tea. Maybe because the company would be better.
Patience. Breathe. Just fucking breathe.
“I’m still thinking it over,” I answered, smiling at him and making sure it reached my eyes. “I have a lot of things to consider right now.” Darius poured himself a cup and leaned back to drink it.
We sat awkwardly for a few moments, but it wasn’t uncommon for tea time at the Hendrix home to be silent and awkward. After a prolonged silence, and a few refills on my part of the warm tea, Governor Hendrix continued speaking as if we’d never stopped.
“I believe you have a birthday coming up, Dreya. Would you like us to reserve the community hall for it? We have the working music system now, we could get some records out and make it an affair. What do you say?” He smiled warmly at me even though the bland colors swirling over his head were anything but happy yellow.
I set my tea cup down, no longer having the stomach for more. “I don’t like birthdays very much. Vampires don’t really celebrate them, besides.” While that was true, we’d since learned to appreciate the holiday living among humans, despite my mother’s continued protests about it.
I was making feeble excuses, and the look on the Governor’s face said he knew it.
“Oh, come now,” the Governor insisted, his tea cup joining mine on the tray. “I know we haven’t known each other for very long, considering you’ve only been with Darius for a year now, but birthdays are a Hendrix tradition. We never let them go uncelebrated, right, Darius?” Beside me, Darius also put down his tea cup and put a comforting arm around my shoulders. I felt slightly happy at his touch, though it didn’t soothe me.
“Dad, she doesn’t want to celebrate,” Darius defended.
Governor Hendrix’s square jaw twitched slightly, and he gripped at his knees before letting them go. “Why ever not?” he asked, in his same warm tone that wasn’t quite as gentle as before. I could’ve easily broken every bone in his body without breaking a sweat, but his demeanor still terrified me.
Darius rubbed at my arm when I tensed up. “Because her real father isn’t here to celebrate with her.”
My entire body froze, tensing up with enough anxiety to kill a horse. When had I ever told him that? Maybe I’d said something about missing him, that was true, but never in that context. The more important question was, had Darius just ruined everything with his fucking big mouth?
The Governor shifted his legs and I could tell he was struggling to keep his face straight. “Arthur is a criminal.”
I placed my hand on Darius’s knee so he’d keep quiet, god damn him. “I’m aware, Governor. I’m afraid Darius might’ve misunderstood me. I do miss Arthur, and I do wish he could be here with me, but he broke the law.” When the Governor’s face slightly relaxed, I decided to take a chance, even though my entire body was screaming for me to leave immediately. “You’ve turned Salvation into a thriving city where everyone gets a second chance. Perhaps I am naïve, but one of the things your son has taught me is that forgiveness is one of the best traits we can have in this life.”
Laying it on thick, much?
I cleared my throat and looked down at my shoes, my face the picture of doe-eyed innocence. “I’m afraid I’ve spoken out of turn.”
“Nonsense,” Governor Hendrix assured, and I raised my eyes to him, displaying warm relief I didn’t feel. “It’s important for women to speak their mind.” He said no more and stood up from the couch, prompting us to do the same. “Always a pleasure, Dreya. And remember to come by any time.”
I left the room, feeling a chilling wind upon my back, and I shivered in fear.
15. Slow and deep
Lisbeth
After I’d been crying for several minutes, I heard a timid knock on my bedroom door. I knew it wasn’t Knight, he’d just walk right in like he owned the place, especially since this was our bedroom. I wiped my cheeks and reached for some of the beige ecofriendly tissues we used now.
“Lisbeth,” Arthur’s voice came from the other side of the door. My body flushed all over and I felt as nervous as a teenager who had never been kissed. Finally confronting my feelings for him after all these years, after what he did to me, was the hardest thing I’d ever done. Gods, I’d been such a fool. All those years ago when Arthur finally admitted he’d made a mistake pushing me away, I should’ve accepted him back immediately. Having him ripped from my arms shouldn’t have been the catalyst to make me understand there was nothing he could do that would make me stop loving him.
Taking a deep breath of bravery, I stood from the bed and walked to open the door, slowly, keeping my eyes on the floor as Arthur entered and I closed the door behind him.
“Are you okay?” he asked me with concern. My hands shook on the door handle and I pulled them to my stomach to hide it, but he’d already seen. “You’re shaking.” His large hands reached to grip mine, I couldn’t make myself look up at him as my body fluttered everywhere from his touch. “Kitty will be okay, Dreya left to talk with her. Knight went after them as well.”
“That’s…” My mouth went dry as I focused on Arthur’s jacket. “That’s not why I’m shaking.” Trying to be brave, I put my hands out to grip his arms, running them up his jacket sleeves. “I’m shaking because I’m nervous.”
Every inch of my skin was flushed as I allowed myself, after decades, to remember what Arthur and I had shared in that brief moment before Knight returned. His lips on mine. And then his lips on my body, bringing me to climax on them. We hadn’t been alone in an intimate fashion since then.
I’d never felt nervous with any of my previous lovers, not even Knight. It solidified my feelings like a stone wrappe
d in mortar.
“I’ve never asked for anything from you,” Arthur said gently, his hands coming up to take my elbows. Even now, he was willing to deny himself of me for my sake, and I wasn’t going to let him.
Finally, I met his crystal blue eyes with a firm stare, hot tears falling from my cheeks. “I think it’s time you did.”
His chest rose and fell, growing faster with each breath. “There’s no going back if we do this. I won’t accept a regretful morning after, not from you.”
“Shut up and kiss me.”
Like two magnets coming together, he pulled me closer and devoured my lips with his own, drawing a whimper from my throat. Our kisses only minutes ago had been gentle and polite. Alone, his kisses were hungry and passionate, and I drank them in like sweet honey wine that I never wanted to stop tasting.
“Tell me,” I said between kisses.
“You interrupt this with your mouth, and I swear to god, I will spank you.” A shiver went up my spine at the threat, but I ignored it with a weak smile.
“That moment when we were alone and you kissed me. When you devoured me like a cupcake.” The ice in his eyes melted before my very eyes until he was all blue flames. “Did you try to forget it? Or was that impossible?”
Arthur pulled my hips roughly against him, an action Knight enjoyed doing, and it made my thready pulse shoot off like a rocket. “Are you asking if I’ve ever taken my cock in my hand and played over those sounds you made under my tongue, making you scream and beg for more?” Yes, totally that. A million times that. “I’ve replayed that memory so many times, I’ve lost count.” Shit almighty. He watched my expression, his mouth tilting up in a teasing grin, and I had to admit that it was one of the sexiest things I’d ever seen. “Is that what you wanted to know?” he breathed, leaning in to hover above my lips.
“Uh huh, yep,” I answered, trying desperately to find my breath. I stared back up at his eyes and risked a second question. “Did you ever…”
The Born Vampire series: A Reverse Harem Paranormal Romance (The Complete Series, NSFW Edition) Page 74