She came back a few minutes later with the bottle. Jack watched as she pried the cork out, wrinkled her nose at the smell, and then soldiered through drinking it down.
“Did you know about my grandfather, too?” asked Jack. “About what he was?”
Ryoko nodded.
“It was easier for me to stay quiet,” she said. “Everybody has their own secrets. Their own hidden life, whatever it might be. However it affects them.”
Ryoko took a shaky breath. She looked like she was about to cry, and for the first time, Jack wondered how much him knowing about her hidden life mattered to her.
“You don’t have to be ashamed,” he said. He coughed as he spoke the last word and tried not to groan with the pain.
“It’s okay,” said Ryoko. “You… don’t have to be nice to me. I don’t… really deserve it. Sometimes I wish I could just be someone else. Someone who hasn’t hurt so many people. But if I could just flip a switch and have that be the case, it wouldn’t really be fair, would it? I think I’m supposed to suffer, for as long as I can, until it’s just… too much for me.”
She was about to break. Jack’s body was riddled with bullet wounds, and yet he suddenly felt as though Ryoko was really the one in pain. He took her hand and squeezed it. He could smell her, and it was scarily hard for him to focus through the insistent pull of his bloodthirst.
“I’ve killed people, Ryoko,” he said. “And taken advantage of people. Innocent people.”
She shook her head, not understanding.
“I know what it’s like,” he said. “But you can’t just hate yourself. Even if maybe you feel like you should. You aren’t worthless, Ryoko.”
“You don’t have to say that,” said Ryoko.
He pulled her in a little closer to the bed. She smelled so good.
“I do have to say it.” Jack could feel his fangs, along with a hot, desperate pounding in the back of his skull. “I have to say it, because it’s true. I scare myself sometimes, with the things I’ve done. With what I’m capable of. And I’m not sure if I even want to change.”
“Jack…” Ryoko let her gaze meet his. It felt almost like she was looking at him for the first time. Jack wondered if his eyes were their normal color, or if they’d turned red from how much he’d been using his powers. The fact that she could look him at all while he was on the brink of losing control made him feel strange inside.
“Ryoko…” he said, feeling himself pass his limit. “It’s like you said. We all have a dark side.”
He felt his grip tightening on her wrist as the combination of her smell and his bloodthirst became overwhelming. She’d offered to let him bite her. He wasn’t doing anything wrong by taking her up on the offer. So why did he suddenly feel so disgusted with himself?
Ryoko slowly moved onto the bed next to him, and an oddly relieved smile crept onto her face. She let her hand tentatively cup Jack’s cheek. Jack slid his fingers across the nape of her neck. His fangs were humming with anticipation. He couldn’t have stopped himself if he’d tried. The handcuffs. This was why Katie always insisted on using the handcuffs.
He wrapped his arms around Ryoko, holding her in place. Then he sank his fangs into her neck. A shudder went through both of their bodies as Jack began to drink. Her blood tasted so sweet, and it seemed to place emphasis on how much he needed it, in his current state.
“Oh!” cried Ryoko. “Jack!”
Her body tensed up as Jack took a deeper sip. He could feel the blood essence spreading through him, reviving his body as his vampiric healing continued repairing the damage that had been done. Ryoko’s fingers were digging into his shoulder, and he couldn’t tell if she was begging him to stop or urging him on.
“Sorry,” muttered Jack, as he regained enough control to pull back.
“It feels… so good.” Ryoko had a blissful, contented expression on her face. “Mmmm… Did that help you at all, sir?”
“So much, Ryoko.” Jack closed his eyes, feeling ashamed of how forceful he’d been. “I… I didn’t mean to just pin you down like that.”
“Would you think less of me if I told you I enjoyed it?” she asked. She had a coy, flirtatious smile on her lips. Jack couldn’t help but smile back, feeling so appreciative for the fact that he had her in his life.
“Not in the slightest,” he said.
“Do you need anything else, sir?”
Ryoko’s voice was playful, and Jack marveled at the change his bite had brought about. It didn’t make sense to him, but at the same time, it did. She’d been given the chance to save him, and that held meaning for her.
He leaned in closer to her, letting his lips brush against her neck. The spot where his fangs had pierced was almost imperceptible, two bumps smaller than mosquito bites or ingrown hairs. He planted a kiss on top of them, and then brought his lips to hers.
Ryoko kissed him back with her whole body, wrapping her arms around him as though it was what she’d been waiting for. A different kind of hunger stirred within Jack, and before he knew what he was doing, he had her blouse unbuttoned. She wore a plain, white bra underneath, and Jack slid it down to reveal one of her petite breasts.
He was already nearly naked except for his boxers, since Ryoko had cut his clothing off him earlier. As much as his body still ached, the thought of ending the night without finishing what he’d started was even more painful.
Ryoko’s hands were running through his hair, and across his shoulders. Jack slid her skirt up, letting his fingers tease their way up her inner thigh. She didn’t stop him as he pulled her panties down. She bit her lower lip and let her eyes meet his, and then pulled her bra the rest of the way off.
Ryoko’s naked body was girlish, pale, and perfect. She didn’t look bad in her usual maid outfit, but there was something about seeing what was underneath that was almost intimidating to Jack. She was hard on herself to the point of self-loathing, and her undeniable beauty made it seem doubly tragic.
He gave her a deep kiss as he mounted her, one hand under her thigh and one on her shoulder. She gasped as he pushed in, arching her back up for a moment before meeting his gaze and giving a small nod.
Jack took her gently. At least, at first. Ryoko urged him on, digging in with her fingers and kissing him passionately. She wrapped her legs around him, holding him so tightly that it almost seemed like she was afraid he would get away.
Injured as he was, Jack could only move so fast. But he gave her all that he had in the moment. It was impossible not to, after what they’d just shared with each other. Jack kissed Ryoko’s lips, her neck, and her breasts. He took her body with all the strength he had left. She deserved nothing less.
The bed groaned in time with their lewd, passionate movements, bouncing back against the two of them in a not unhelpful way. Ryoko’s breasts were both outside her bra now, moving with tiny, cute jiggles in reaction to Jack’s onslaught.
She wasn’t as active of a partner as Mira or even Katie, but if anything, it only made the encounter that much hotter. Ryoko seemed so reserved and chaste on the surface. Seeing her now, biting her lip, on the verge of overwhelming ecstasy and sexual submission, stirred something primal inside of him.
He grunted as he pushed into her harder and faster. His movements were laced with a recklessness born from hot arousal and need. It was almost as though Ryoko’s shy demeanor was what brought it out of him. As though the only way to make sure he broke through her shell, even during sex, was to do it literally, with his pawing hands and thrusting shaft.
He let his breath tickle against her ear and only barely resisted the urge to whisper something dirty. Ryoko’s breathing was growing labored, and the sound of it was too much of an aphrodisiac for him to want to spoil it with his own voice. He let his hand grope one of her buttocks and kissed one of her breasts. Ryoko let out a shivering gasp of pleasure, and then her entire body went tense as her back arched upward.
Jack felt her shuddering, along with a few interesting muscle contractions th
at very nearly locked his shaft inside of her. He slowed down for her sake but only managed to keep with the subdued pace for a couple of seconds before he was back at it. Ryoko was still recovering, and he took no liberties when it came to using her body. He pulled her against him roughly as he reached his breaking point and smashed through it, unloading everything he had into her.
They were both sweaty and tired, in the aftermath. Ryoko rested her head on Jack’s chest, and he kept one of his arms wrapped around her. He could feel each slow breath that she took, and the warmth of her naked body. Jack couldn’t remember the last time he’d felt so close to someone.
“I should take care of your dirty clothes, sir,” said Ryoko. “And change the sheets on the bed.”
“You don’t have to,” said Jack. “And how many times have I told you to call me Jack?”
Ryoko flashed a teasing smile at him.
“My apologies,” she said. “I’ll try to remember that in the future. Sir.”
Jack poked the tip of her nose with his index finger and gave her an exaggerated scowl.
“I need to at least fix the bed,” said Ryoko. “It’s too dirty for you to sleep on.”
“True,” said Jack.
He stood up on shaky legs, giving Ryoko the space she needed to clean the room. She didn’t stop to put clothes on, and the sight of her perky breasts bouncing as she pulled the dirty sheets loose was one of the most adorably erotic sights Jack had ever witnessed.
“Sir,” said Ryoko.
“What is it?”
“Please don’t do this again,” she said. “Don’t get yourself hurt for my sake.”
Jack frowned. “I was trying to get vengeance. For you. For your uncle. The people who hurt you deserve this, Ryoko.”
“I know.” She folded her arms across her breasts and frowned him. “Promise me, sir? That you’ll stop this. For me?”
Her eyes were so big and brown, and so sincere.
“I promise,” said Jack. “I’m not sure that it’s healthy for me, anyway. Maybe it’s best to end it here.”
Ryoko nodded, and then, still naked, she continued stripping the sheets off the bed. Jack waited while she made the trip to the laundry room and back, trying not to think too much about whether what they’d done had been a mistake or not. She’d already known that he was a vampire, and she was clearly aware of the supernatural. The only thing that had changed was their relationship. No, he decided. They hadn’t done anything wrong.
Ryoko finished smoothing out the bed’s new sheets and smiled at him. She stretched, running her hands through her hair, which she’d let down from its usual bun.
“Would you like me to head back to my own room for tonight, sir?” asked Ryoko.
Jack shook his head.
“Then…” Ryoko took a step closer to him. “Would you like me to do something else?”
He pulled her in close and gave her a deep kiss, before throwing her down on the bed. Ryoko let out a delighted squeal and dove under the covers. Jack followed, feeling as though it was going to be a very long night.
CHAPTER 26
Ryoko was still nestled against Jack’s side the next morning, her soft body providing the warmth and comfort needed to give him a proper night’s sleep. He was looking for an excuse to stay in bed a little while longer when a knock came at the door, which proceeded to swing open an instant later.
Katie stepped into the room, and Jack’s eyes focused on her in time to notice the breadth of her reaction. She looked confused, at first, her gaze darting back and forth between Jack and Ryoko as though trying to puzzle out why they’d both be naked and asleep in the same bed together. She crossed her arms as the realization set in, a deep frown creasing her face.
“Ryoko,” Katie said, in a slow voice. “I need to speak with Jack alone for a moment.”
Her tone said it all. Katie was angry. Jack could understand a part of that emotion, but there was a simmering undercurrent to it that went beyond what he would have expected. She was acting like he’d somehow insulted her personally.
“Ryoko knows everything,” said Jack. “It’s fine if she stays.”
“She knows… everything?” Katie blinked several times in quick succession.
“I had to trust her last night, Katie,” said Jack. “It’s complicated.”
Katie tensed her jaw, and Jack realized that he’d probably just said exactly the wrong thing.
“I would still prefer if we spoke alone,” she said, enunciating each syllable with a scary amount of emphasis.
“It’s okay,” whispered Ryoko. “I’ll go. I need to get breakfast ready for the girls, anyway.”
Jack hesitated, and then nodded. He’d almost forgotten about the girls he’d rescued, and he was suddenly glad that he’d come home late enough the previous night to avoid letting them see him as he’d been.
Ryoko slipped under the covers for a moment, finding her bra and panties to pull back on. Katie kept her gaze directed toward the wall as Ryoko collected the rest of her clothing and slipped out of the room. She shut the door behind her, and Katie exhaled and shook her head.
“Have you lost your fucking mind?” she asked. “Ryoko is your maid! There is so much wrong with this that I don’t even know where to begin.”
Jack sighed. Why did it so often feel as though there was nothing he could do that wouldn’t, in some way, shape, or form, end up pissing Katie off?
“I don’t understand why you’re so upset,” he said. “This was your idea in the first place. Did you forget about how you set me up to feed off Ryoko back when Mira first gave me the Embrace?”
Katie stomped toward the bed, stabbing in Jack’s direction with an outstretched finger.
“That was different!” she snapped. “I told you that if you had to, and if Ryoko had already taken the anti-enthrallment potion and a sedative to put her to sleep, you could drink a small amount of her blood to help you get by. I didn’t say that you could, well, take advantage of her like this! Did you even use the potion?”
“We stayed safe in everything we did last night,” said Jack. His phrasing only seemed to feed into Katie’s anger.
“Jack, this is not okay!” she said. “Think of the power imbalance! She’s your fucking maid!”
“She’s a person, and it wasn’t like I pinned her down and jammed my teeth into her.” He winced at his own word choice, realizing that under a certain interpretation, he had sort of done that. “Besides, she already knew I was a vampire, Katie. She offered herself to me.”
“She offered herself to you,” repeated Katie, in a bitter voice. “You barely even know who she is, Jack. Or the things she’s done. She has a past, you know.”
“I do know,” said Jack. “And so does she. She’s started remembering bits and pieces through whatever spell my grandfather used on her.”
He didn’t bring up the fact that he’d heard some of the details through Emanuel first. Jack could still feel his injuries on the inside, even though they only looked like bruises on his skin now. He didn’t want to have to explain what he’d done at the warehouse to Katie on top of his new relationship with Ryoko. No, there would be no coming back from dumping both revelations on her at once.
“If she’s remembering on her own, that makes all of this even worse.” Katie shook her head slowly. “Jack, she is a different person from who she used to be. It wasn’t just memories that your grandfather took from her. She had evil inside of her that went with it. Real evil, Jack. At this point, it could be just a matter of time before she remembers something that turns her into a monster.”
Jack shrugged. He felt a little callous over how little that mattered to him. If anything, the idea of Ryoko having a dark side waiting to come out only made him relate to her that much more. He could handle the possibility of her turning into a monster. He was turning into one himself, after all.
“Why does this bother you so much, Katie?” asked Jack. “You hated me having to resort to feeding off of you. In fact, in
the last conversation we had about it, you basically told me that it was ruining your life.”
Katie opened her mouth and then seemed to think better of her initial reply. She took a breath and smoothed out the fabric of the jeans she had on.
“I… owe it to your grandfather to keep you in line,” said Katie. “It’s easier for me to do that when I’m the one in control of how much blood essence you have at any given time. It’s like a drug, Jack. If you have too much in you, you’re going to start acting stupid.”
She gestured toward him, as though suggesting that the events of the previous night provided ample evidence of her point.
“You can still call me out if I do anything stupid,” said Jack. “And if you really wanted, I could keep feeding off you. Ryoko could be a last resort, in case you aren’t around.”
Katie hesitated. The idea sounded reasonable to Jack, at least in his head. But the way she seemed to react to his suggestion of it was weird. She looked conflicted, and a little sad.
“…No,” she said. “That just wouldn’t work. I don’t want you feeding off her at all!”
“You can’t always get what you want,” said Jack. “And this will be better for both of us, I think. It might help with Bruce’s obsessing over me if you aren’t around the mansion so much.”
“You’re a fucking idiot,” said Katie, glaring at him.
“Hey!” said Jack. “Take it easy, Katie. That’s uncalled for.”
“You know what, you’re right,” she said, throwing her hands up in the air. “This will be better for the both of us. If you’re happy with Ryoko, I can finally move on with my life now.”
“Uh…”
“The only reason I came over here in the first place was to bring the girls to the airport,” said Katie. “And to have you transfer the money you committed to paying for the flight into my bank account so I can take the cash out.”
“I can-”
“Once that’s done, I see no reason for me to be coming over here so frequently,” said Katie. “So don’t expect me to be around to keep you out of trouble.”
Shadow Form (Dark Impulse Book 2) Page 15