by LJ Baker
Chase clearly made out all three heartbeats, so he was positive the female wasn't vampire. He couldn't quite make out her natural scent over the ridiculous amount of perfume she was wearing, but he guessed she was human, maybe with something a little extra.
"Everything sounds good. How have you been feeling? Any more pain?" Rebecca sat on the couch next to Ari and crossed one chubby knee over the other.
"Pain? Still?" Chase's eyes widened in alarm.
"I'm fine, Chase. Chill out. Two babies stretch a lot. It's not always pleasant." She waited for Chase to calm, then turned back to Rebecca. "A little, but nothing major. Do you think they are going to be born soon? I don't think I can take much more of this."
"I would guess that at least a few more weeks. How was the last scan? Is baby A still growing faster than baby B?"
The women went on to discuss the size of the babies, but all Chase heard was the fact that his sister and her unborn babies were at risk. He hated that something was wrong with her and he couldn't do a damn thing to help.
Chase had always been there for Ari, since before they were born, he was her protector. Now, she was on her own, and no matter how much he wanted to help her, there was nothing he could do.
Just like he couldn't help the newest missing kid.
His mind drifted to Willow. Something had been bothering her when she came to see him. She'd told him that she didn't want to think, but he knew there was more to it. He just didn't ask. He tried to keep it about the sex. And he had taken her mind off whatever it was, that much he knew, but something seemed off.
He knew he should have asked her what was wrong, hell he even wanted to, but the little voice in his head told him to keep his distance. She was trouble, after all. There was no doubt about that. The last thing he needed was to get in over his head with a witch.
Especially that witch.
Chase glanced back at his sister chatting with the midwife. She was with her soul mate, pregnant with their twins. She was having a little trouble with things, but she was happy. She had everything she ever wanted in life and it was all he ever hoped for her. He should be happy. So why wasn't he?
CHAPTER SEVEN
"Our house smells like the blond vampire, sister. Maybe next time you could spray a little disinfectant, or something?" Michael buttered two bagels and handed one to Willow.
"Very funny." She took a bite and continued speaking around the food. "I noticed you didn't come home until very late, brother. Want to tell me where your scent is lingering this morning?"
"I do not." Michael smiled, despite his best effort not to. "So are you two together now? Like boyfriend-girlfriend? All giggles and secret whispering? Will I need to prepare myself for annoying little twit cubs running around the house soon?"
"Oh, Michael." Willow rolled her eyes. "You always think you are funny. You aren't. At all."
"Well then, what is going on between you two? Clearly it's something, but he didn't stick around for breakfast, so maybe he's just another one of your playthings?"
"Another child was taken. He had to go back to work."
Michael's shoulders slumped forward. "Another one?"
"Yeah. Three now. We have to do something about this. Samuel has requested that we join them at the training facility this morning to see how we can be of assistance. Finn called while you were in the bathroom primping yourself. I'm surprised he didn't tell you when you snuck over to see him last night. But then, I bet you two were thinking about other things."
Michael ignored her comment and cleaned up the breakfast mess. "No nightmares last night?"
"No." She lied. She'd actually had one just before she woke up, but if he hadn't heard it, she wouldn't tell him. Willow felt guilty for making him worry about her, when he should be happy, thinking about his new relationship, even if he wouldn't admit to it.
"Good." He scanned her for a hint of deception, but she hid it well. She'd had a lot of practice hiding things to spare his feelings.
"Shall we head over then?" he asked, extending his arm for her to loop hers through. Willow accepted gracefully, stuffing the last of her bagel into her mouth, and smiled.
She would do her best to see her brother happy. Even if it meant keeping him in the dark about what was going on inside her head. He'd suffered enough for her. Now it was her turn to sacrifice.
***
The remainder of child vampires sat in a circle in the middle of the training room. In front of the exit, a row of armed vampires stood blocking the way. Every ten feet around the perimeter of the room, another guard stood and was matched by another outside the building. On the far end of the room, stood the security team and the blood witches.
If one of the kids went missing then, there was no hope to ever keep them safe.
Dex, Finn, and Samuel were arguing over the best way to handle watches, and Chase tried to stay out of it. Unless he was going to be forced out again, he had no intention of leaving the place until he could be sure those kids were safe.
Willow was discussing something with her brother, but every so often, she looked over at Chase and gave him a curious look. She was dressed in her usual leather getup, with as much skin showing as possible. Chase tried not to be distracted by her, but his body was a damn traitor.
He couldn't help but react to her.
As much as it pissed him off.
"Dude, you okay?" Jayce put his hand on Chase's shoulder and steered him a few feet away from the group. "You seem a little tightly wound today. I mean, like more than usual. And that's saying a lot."
Chase glanced over the redhead and wondered when it was they'd become friends. Chase avoided friends most of his life, never having more than the occasional acquaintance other than his sister and Kaia. Even Damien, the one male he almost considered a friend, wasn't really someone he liked, or would ever confide in.
But Jayce was different.
Chase actually liked the awkward vampire.
"Yeah, fine. Just pissed about what's going on with these kids."
"You sure that's all it is?"
"Yeah, of course. Why?"
Jayce shrugged and looked over at Willow. "I guess because she keeps looking over here like you should be acknowledging her and you keep ignoring her like there is some reason you absolutely will not give her the satisfaction. Did you two sleep together?"
"There's nothing going on between me and the witch. Everyone needs to just drop it already." Chase shrugged Jayce off and walked back to the group.
"So it's agreed. We will take turns, in pairs, watching over the vamplings, until this is resolved." Samuel looked over the group for any dissonance and his eyes settled on Chase. "I'm guessing you take issue with this?"
"No. It's a solid idea, but I'd still prefer to be allowed to stay in addition to the two on duty at any given time."
"I appreciate your dedication, Chase, but I'm not going to be able to approve that. I realize that you want to ensure the safety of these kids, and that is commendable, but I need everyone to be well rested between shifts to have everyone at their best." Samuel's voice was softer than the day before and Chase felt himself hating him a little less.
"And how long do we need to rest?" Chase dug in his heels and prepared for a fight.
"Twelve hours on, twelve hours off." Before Chase could start to argue, Samuel held up a finger to silence him. "I realize you won't be happy with this arrangement, and maybe we can revisit it in the future, but right now, this is how it will be."
"Fine." Chase pressed his lips together and kept his arms down at his sides. It would do him no good to argue with Samuel and he didn't want to make an enemy of the vampire. Even if he was sort of family, being Lex's cousin, he could make things very difficult for Chase. And he didn't need more aggravation in his life. One witch was already enough for that.
Dex made up the schedule of who was to be on duty when and with whom. His first shift was to be with Finn, but the name was scribbled out, and Willow's name was written over it.
Great.
"I see we are doing it together tonight." Willow ran one fingernail up Chase's arm, making him shiver.
"Huh?"
"Keeping watch. We are both assigned tonight."
"Right. Did you have something to do with that?"
"What do you mean?" She batted her eyelashes a few times and tried to hold back a smile.
"Yeah, not cool. I'm going to see Dex about changing it back to Finn."
"I had nothing to do with it, but I did overhear Finn asking Dex to swap him with someone else. It's cute how you think I'd go out of my way to spend time with you. It seems obvious that people don't like you as much as you might think they do." Willow slithered off in the direction of the door and left Chase there watching behind her.
He'd intended on calling her a stalker and telling her that while the sex was fun, he wasn't interested in her that way. Instead, he stood there like an idiot, watching her walk away, and wishing she was back in front of him.
***
It didn't matter how hard he tried, or how much he detested the thought, Chase couldn't get the witch out of his mind. It was driving him crazy. Something needed to be done, and the only way he knew how, was to go see her and make it perfectly clear there was nothing between them. After he did that, he would be able to move on, and get her out of his head.
Chase never asked for any of this. To be brought there, to be turned vampire, to be helpless to stop kids from going missing, all of it was out of his control, and Chase liked control. He wasn't one of those control freaks, like Gabriel, but he wanted to know how things would go. He needed a schedule, a purpose, to be prepared. Ever since they'd arrived in Vampire City, maybe even his whole life, Chase was only pretending. He hadn't even admitted it to himself until, well maybe he still hadn't.
He also hadn't meant to knock so loudly, but when he heard her stomp to the door and pull it open, he knew he'd been more aggressive than he intended.
"What the hell? Are you trying to knock the whole house down?" Willow was devoid of makeup, and her usual leather ensemble, dressed only in an over-sized tee, with her hair in dark wet tangles surrounding her face.
"No. Sorry. Look, can I talk to you?" Chase was suddenly less sure of what he wanted to say. His mind went blank and his mouth went dry.
Willow stood to the side and made room for Chase to slip past her into the house. "If it will make you stop trying to break down my front door, I suppose."
Once inside the house, surrounded by her natural scent, and faced by her without the cover up of makeup and sexy clothes, Chase found himself even more drawn in. There was something so beautiful about Willow without all the black leather and excessive makeup. Not that she wasn't incredible with it, she absolutely was, but without, it made him see her in a whole new light.
"Are you going to say something, or just stand there looking at me like an idiot?" Willow slipped one hand up to her hip and it rode up her shirt just enough for him to get a peek of her hip bone. He growled low and her nipples grew in response.
Anything he was going to say was gone from his mind. He wanted her, more than he ever had before. It was all that mattered in that moment as he took in a deep breath of her arousal.
Willow took a few steps back and her pulse quickened. "Maybe you should speak if you have something to say, or go." Her voice wavered and Chase knew she didn't want him to leave. She was just as caught up as him.
As if a force was driving him forward, Chase advanced, making it to her between beats of his heart. Without thinking, his hands were tangled in her hair, and he was pulling her into him for a kiss. Her mouth was warm, sweet, like she'd been eating strawberries, or raspberries. Chase couldn't decide which, but he wanted more. He wanted all of her and he didn't care about the consequences.
"Chase, I—" Willow broke the kiss and stared up at him. With one finger to her lips, he silenced her. As much as he enjoyed the sound of her voice, he only wanted to hear it moaning in pleasure, calling his name in breathless cries, and begging him for more.
He bunched up the hem of her shirt and lifted it above her head. She had nothing underneath and she shivered, standing naked before him. "I like you like this."
"Naked?" She forced a nervous laugh.
"No. Well, yes, but that's not what I meant." He traced her bottom lip with his thumb and let his eyes graze over her. "I mean without all the crazy getup. You are naturally beautiful. Why do you try to hide it with all the leather and war paint?"
Willow folded her hands over her breasts, in an uncharacteristically self-conscious move. "You sure like looking at it every chance you get."
"Don't get me wrong, I very much enjoy the way you look normally, but I like the real you even better." Chase pried her hands off her chest and soaked in the sight of her. Her nipples pulled back and hardened into tight knots under his scrutiny, making his mouth water for a taste.
She was delicious. He already knew that she was, but somehow, it was like tasting her for the first time when Chase leaned in and flicked his tongue over one nipple. Warm blood and roses danced on his lips, her scent and taste merging into one in his mouth. She groaned and her knees wobbled, causing Chase to wrap one arm around her waist to keep her from crumbling to the floor right then and there.
"Why are you here?" Her voice was breathless and she shoved his head off her breast to look him in the eyes.
"Does it matter?"
She looked at him with a tilted head for a long moment. He'd come for a reason, but like he'd said, did it matter?
She shook her head almost imperceptibly, as if it was the best she could manage. Chase got the feeling that it wouldn't take much for her to throw him out on his ass, so he knew it was now or never.
Chase scooped her up and headed in the direction of the bedroom. Willow wasn't the type of girl to be carried off like a helpless damsel, but somehow, naked in his arms, a vulnerable side came out in her and she didn't immediately demand to be put down.
Looking down at her, Chase knew he should get out of there. Nothing good could come from the twinge of feeling he had deep in his gut with her in his arms. This wasn't why he'd come, and still, he didn't care.
He placed her down on the bed, naked, and grazed over her with hunger. His fangs ached to sink into her. His hands tingled with desire to touch her. Every part of him was on fire with need for this one insufferable female.
She stared up at him, her lips pressed together, her eyes, unreadable. For one quick moment, Chase wished he could read minds the way his twin now could. He almost turned around and left, but as if she could see inside his head, she patted the bed beside her and he was hooked.
There was no talking, no discussing, no anger, no denial. In a flash, he was beside her on the bed, his hands tangled in her dark hair, his mouth on hers. Her tongue burned against his, as their heat melted together with their bodies. They were all hands, mouths, and legs wrapped around one another, in a frenzy to come together.
Willow tugged and pulled at Chase's clothes. She grunted her impatience and he helped her, having them off in vampire speed. She flipped him over onto his back and climbed onto him.
Her dark hair fell around her soft white skin. The contrast between them brought Chase's attention to the paleness of her flesh where her throat peeked out from beneath the curled ends. The thumping of her heart filled his ears as her blood flowed through her veins. He watched the slight motion of blood thump in her neck with each beat.
The ache in his fangs made him groan without thinking. He wanted to taste her. No, needed it, the way she had to him the last time they were together. It was all he could think about.
"Don't get ahead of yourself there vampling." Willow laughed as he stared at her neck. "You don't want to shoot your load too soon."
She reached down between them and took him into her hands, caressing down his length far gentler than Chase would have liked. He didn't need soft. He wanted to plunge inside her, fuck her like she'd never been fucked before, li
ke even he hadn't managed the last time they were together.
He tried to flip her, take control, but she was prepared for him and they remained as they were. Willow laughed again, this time with her head back, her neck pushed toward him. Chase reached up, tried to pull her to him, but she squirmed just out of his grasp.
"You have no patience." Willow tsked and swatted Chase's hands.
"Fuck patience." Chase flipped her over and entered her with one fluid move. She might have more experience, but Chase was learning her games.
Her eyes widened and one corner of her lips came up right before he crushed his mouth to hers. His fangs throbbed, nicking her lip and drawing blood. One small taste was all he needed to lose it completely.
As if on autopilot, Chase let loose, slamming into Willow repeatedly. The bed crashed into the wall with each thrust and she held onto his arms to keep from being smacked into the headboard.
With another woman, Chase might have worried that he would hurt her, but Willow wasn't any woman. She wasn't human, wasn't fragile, wasn't the kind of female you worried about hurting. Except that a small part of him did worry. Just enough to pause, mid-thrust, to check if she was all right. She used his moment of weakness to her advantage, and flipped him back over, taking the lead once again.
"Ha!" She was proud of herself. "You stay down there, where you belong."
Chase allowed her the victory, watching as she settled into a slower rhythm, and lost herself in their union. He was grateful for the interruption. If not for it, he wouldn't have lasted much longer. He could already imagine how she would tease him and he wasn't in the mood.
He wanted to claim her, to bite her, to feel that magical bliss he'd felt when she'd bitten him. Nothing else mattered in that moment. He knew he'd regret it, but as she slid her body back and forth along his length, it was all he could manage.
Willow's body tensed and he knew she was close. She made the same panting whimpers that she'd made just before she bit him last time. She leaned in and he knew what was coming, but before she could make contact, he sat forward, pulled her against him, and sunk his fangs into her neck.