Knowledge Hurts (The Nememiah Chronicles Book 3)

by D. S. Williams

  My face couldn't have been redder if I'd crash-landed on the sun. “Oh.”

  Lucas chuckled. “Don't worry, Charlotte. Striker and Marianne are still at the party, I'll slip in, grab what I need and be back within minutes. They won't know. Now go on, upstairs with you, my love.”

  I watched him slip through the door and then sprinted up the stairs, deciding a quick shower would be in order. I felt giddy, overwhelmed - knowing we'd finally reached the point I'd waited so long for was making me unexpectedly anxious.

  I took a minute to stumble around the bedroom, pulling open a drawer to find the lacy negligees Marianne had bought. My heart was beating rapidly, nerves starting to become overwhelming. What if I disappointed him? What if, after all this time, it wasn't as satisfying for him as I hoped? He'd had countless decades of experience - on the other hand, I'd had no experience at all. I slipped into the bathroom, locking the door and rapidly stripping. Glancing in the mirror, I saw the flush of desire in my cheeks, the wild look in my eyes. The sigils I'd drawn hours ago had faded and I screwed up my nose at the large scar on my chest. It was healing, but still looked inflamed against my fair skin.

  Leaning against the shower wall, I tried to quell my nerves before I faced Lucas. I wanted to be with him so badly, every inch of my body was on fire with desire, but I was terrified. I'd never been with a man - although I knew the mechanics of sex, I'd never put my knowledge into practice. Panic trickled into my mind - what if I wasn't any good at it?

  There was a quiet tap at the door. “Charlotte?”

  “I'll be there in a minute,” I called out. He was probably wondering what the hell I was doing. Hiding out in the bathroom? Yep, that was exactly what I was doing. I turned off the faucets, drying quickly with a soft towel. Dropping it to the floor, I ran my fingers through my long hair, pushing it into some order before I slipped on the delicate lingerie I'd selected.

  With one long glance in the mirror, I noted the terror in my green eyes and took a steadying breath, unlocking the door and pulling it open.

  Lucas had turned off the lights and in their place, dozens of candles threw soft light across the room. The candles were everywhere, on every surface - the drawers, the bedside tables, even lined up along the windowsill. My mouth dropped open before Lucas himself captured my spellbound attention. He was sitting up against the headboard, his upper torso naked and lust snaked through my groin. For the first time ever, he was in the bed - the sheet covering his lower body. We'd slept together many times, but always before now, he'd lain on top of the covers, cocooning me from the coldness of his skin. To see him laying there - beneath the covers - left no doubt of his intentions. I inhaled a shuddering breath.

  “There you go again. That endearing little gasp of breath,” he said with a soft chuckle.

  “I can't help it. You're so perfect.” I willed my feet to move and walked slowly around the bed.

  “You look as though you'd like to eat me,” he commented mildly.

  “I thought that was your job,” I retorted with a nervous giggle.

  A shadow crossed his handsome features. “Please, don't joke about it, Charlotte,” he requested quietly. “Even now - I'm terrified of hurting you.”

  The doubt in his voice propelled me to the bed and I slipped between the covers beside him, wrapping my arms around his waist. “You won't. I know you won't.”

  He groaned as he pulled me close, holding me against him. “You must tell me, if anything I do causes you pain,” he whispered huskily. “It will be difficult for me to control everything when there are other… factors involved.”

  I ran my fingertips across his chest, brushing the pad of my thumb against his nipple and watching it harden instantly. “I trust you, Lucas. I know you won't hurt me.”

  He captured my mouth against his own, kissing me deeply. “I have never wanted anything as much as I want you,” he said huskily against my lips.

  “I'm yours,” I responded simply.

  Chapter 26: Confessions

  When I woke the following morning, I was encircled in Lucas's arms, my leg slung across his thigh, my head resting on his chest. I lifted my head to look at him, startled to discover his eyes were closed. He looked peaceful and relaxed, his chest rising and falling and I shook him a little. “You aren't actually asleep, are you?”

  He opened his eyes and they twinkled in amusement. “No. A lot of things have changed, but I'm still vampire. I don't sleep.” He smiled softly. “I was merely enjoying the memories of making love with you last night.” He drew himself up in the bed, lifting me tenderly into his lap and drew the covers over both of us. “How do you feel?”

  I smiled blissfully. “Quite glorious.”

  “I wasn't too strenuous for you?” he murmured worriedly against my shoulder as he trailed kisses across my collarbone.

  “You might have been a little bit… strenuous. But I thought it went pretty well, considering everything.”

  “Pretty well, huh?” He rolled his eyes, offering me a lazy smile. “Sounds like you think there's room for improvement.”

  I laughed in delight. “Lucas, it was wonderful. The most amazing experience I've ever had. Ever.”

  He looked a little smug over my declaration and we shared an elated smile. Lucas drew me tightly against him, draping one hand possessively across my hip. “The first time for a woman can be painful. Are you alright?”

  I blushed and Lucas smiled indulgently, kissing the tip of my nose. “I'm a little bit… tender,” I admitted huskily.

  His eyes were grazing a path across my arms, a small frown creasing his forehead. “I think I was far too strenuous,” he growled, scanning the numerous purple bruises which had blossomed across my skin, darker than the bruises from the Naberius attack. Fingerprints were clearly visible on my upper arms.

  “I don't care.” I eyed him curiously. “When we were making love - you didn't have the urge to bite me?”

  “It was there, but I controlled it,” he admitted. “Of course,” he smiled wryly, “my mind was busy with other things.” He held me closer and caught my chin with his fingers, lifting my mouth to his. “The feel of you, holding you against me all night. It's been everything I hoped for, Charlotte. I love you.”

  “I love you, too.” I pulled back from him, so I could see his face. “And, I have a confession to make.”

  He gazed at me, his face expressionless. “I imagine this relates to your claim that I wouldn't bite you, because I'd tasted your blood?”

  For a long moment I stared at him, the blush creeping up over my skin. “You knew?”

  He laughed, the sound abrupt in the silent room. “I'm over one hundred and fifty years old, Charlotte. I'm a long way past naïve.”

  “I only said it because I thought it would help,” I admitted. “You didn't believe you could control your thirst. I can't be created now that I'm twenty one, but I didn't know if you would ever overcome your need to protect me from yourself. All I was trying to do was help you believe you could.” I rubbed his arm and smiled. “And I have to say, you did a pretty magnificent job.”

  “I love you for what you did, Charlotte. Nevertheless, you've put an incredible amount of trust in my strength of will. I'm still dangerous to you,” Lucas said huskily.

  “I know you won't bite me,” I responded confidently, snuggling against him.

  He was frowning, his expression serious as he gazed down at me. “Charlotte, as much as I love you, we still need to exercise extreme caution. I will always need to ensure I've fed well before we make love. To do anything else would pose too great a risk.” He paused, trailing his fingers down my arm. “And there is the possibility of you falling pregnant. We took no precautions last night.”

  The first thought that crossed my mind was the delighted thrill of having his baby. The idea of us creating a baby - our baby was something I'd thought we could never achieve. But I knew where his thought process was coming from, we were in the middle of a war and now would not be the time fo
r me to fall pregnant. “What do you suggest?” I questioned.

  Lucas inhaled sharply, considering the problem. “I'll talk to Jerome. Perhaps he can recommend a combination of precautions we can take, which may avert a pregnancy,” he suggested.

  “And in the meantime?” The thought of stopping what we'd only begun last night didn't thrill me.

  “Some precautions can be used immediately,” Lucas reassured me with an easy smile. “I'm sure Jerome can suggest something. We won't have any guarantees, I doubt a vampire and an angel have gotten together before, so we're in uncharted territory. But we'll do the best we can to avoid a pregnancy.” He trailed his fingers down my chest, cupping my naked breast in his palm and I shivered. “And I have no intentions of abstaining,” he growled softly.

  “So,” I confirmed slowly, “if we can come up with some precautions, there's no reason why you can't make love to me whenever you want to. Or whenever I want to?”

  “Well admittedly, that could be a problem. I think I want to make love to you all the time. Every minute of the day,” Lucas murmured against my shoulder. “There will never be time for anything else.” He ran his fingers across my arms, tracing the bruises tenderly.

  I sighed unhappily, throwing off the covers and crawling out of bed. “As much as I adore that thought, Epi won't agree.” Bright sunshine filtered in the window and I knew it was later than I would normally rise. “He's going to be spitting mad because I haven't turned up yet.” Retrieving fresh clothes from the dresser, I turned back to find Lucas gazing at me longingly. “What?”

  “You're used to the changes which have happened to you,” he stated softly. “I'm not. You look… amazing. Curves in exactly the right places and you have a confidence about you that's… exceedingly erotic.”

  I chuckled. “Get dressed. We have to go.”

  Lucas rose sinuously from the bed and stood in front of me in glorious nakedness. For a long, long moment I reconsidered my decision-making process. But I knew we had to make an appearance, there was much to talk about and plans to be made.

  Dressing quickly, I pulled on underwear and then my standard uniform of camouflage pants and black tank top, flicking my hair into a ponytail. Pulling my boots on, I watched with regret as Lucas dressed, hiding his stunning body beneath clothes.

  Lucas caught me when I stood up, kissing me longingly. Pushing away from him, I caught his hand in mine. “Let's go, I need something to eat.”

  “It's nice to find some things about you haven't changed,” Lucas grinned.

  I headed for the bedroom door but Lucas restrained me, drawing me back towards him. “Perhaps you should wear a shirt that covers more of your skin, love,” he suggest quietly, his gaze running across the bruises which were appearing everywhere. “Conal has enough reasons to kill me, without discovering what I did to you last night.”

  Looking up into his troubled eyes, I offered him a reassuring smile. “Lucas, I'm not going to cover the bruises, they aren't that bad and I had bruises anyway. I'm not ashamed of them.”

  A scowl creased his forehead, but he didn't argue. “I must increase my control when we make love. I will not mark you like that again.”

  I shrugged. “They're only bruises, Lucas. No different to what Epi subjects me to every day.” I glanced down at my watch and groaned. “He's going to subject me to a lecture when I see him this morning.” It was already a little after nine, far later than I would normally appear.

  Timed almost perfectly to my announcement, there was a knock at the front door and I ran downstairs to answer it, Lucas following closely behind.

  Marianne stood on the tiny stoop, dressed in a lime green jacket, faded and torn black denims and matching lime green boots. Her blue streaked hair was pulled up into cornrows, framing her beautiful face. She smiled happily when I opened the door and slipped inside. “I've been sent on a mission to find you,” she announced, dropping daintily onto one of the living room chairs. “Epi seems to believe Charlotte was stolen by a demon during the night.”

  Lucas slipped an arm around my waist. “I let Charlotte sleep in this morning. She was enjoying a nightmare-free sleep and it happens so rarely, it seemed a shame to wake her.”

  I flashed him a grateful smile, an excuse for our tardiness was completely beyond me and Lucas's ability to lie convincingly seemed like a blessing.

  Marianne scrutinized the bruises on my arms and a broad smile spread across her face, her eyes bright. She looked absolutely delighted. “I think something else entirely was going on here. You both look far too pleased with yourselves.”

  I blushed to the tips of my toes and Lucas smiled wryly at Marianne as she leapt daintily from the chair and kissed my cheek. “I'm so happy for both of you!”

  “Marianne…” I began, a warning in my voice.

  She placed her hand over her heart. “You're secret is safe with me, I promise.” Marianne hugged Lucas briefly, kissing his cheek. “Striker thought there was blood missing from our fridge last night! Now you really should get moving, Charlotte. Epi is grumbling about turning you into frog-spawn again…”

  As predicted, Epi was utterly incensed by the time we made our way into the meeting hall, his eyes blazing with anger and his skin ruddy with annoyance. “Where have you been?” he demanded furiously. “We have a multitude of items to deal with and you sleep in! Whilst I appreciate how difficult the time constraints upon you can be, it's imperative that you step up and accept the responsibility that's been thrust upon you! And that means being here on time!”

  Behind him I spied the Tines, Conal, Nick and other people from the new packs. All were trying to hide smirks at Epi's furious tirade. We'd stopped momentarily at the large house which served as the Mess Hall and I'd scooped up an apple and banana for breakfast. I bit into the apple and chewed slowly. “Epi, you're going to give yourself a heart attack,” I mumbled casually. “I'm here now - don't have a cow. Besides, I had a good night's sleep. No nightmares. You should be happy that I'm refreshed and ready for whatever you're about to torment me with.”

  For a moment, there was a very real chance his eyes would explode from their sockets, but he took a deep gulp of air and glared at me, a vein throbbing in his forehead. “Don't… have… a COW!” He appeared ready to launch into another outburst but Conal intervened, patting the ancient warlock's stooped shoulder.

  “Relax, old man. She's not that late, I only got here fifteen minutes ago.” Conal met my eyes, his own twinkling with mischief. When his gaze shifted to the bruises on my arms his face hardened, his attention shifting from myself to Lucas. “We're all struggling this morning after last night's celebration,” he concluded quietly.

  Ben placed his hand against the small of my back. “Charlotte, I should properly introduce you to our new associates.” He led me over to an older man who was grey-haired and stocky. He reminded me of Conal's father, dressed conservatively in black linen trousers and a pinstriped shirt. He watched me soberly as Ben made the introductions. “This is Bill Conroy, he's the leader of the Black Raven werewolf pack from North Carolina.”

  I offered him my hand. “Mr. Conroy, it's a pleasure to meet you.”

  He eyed me cautiously, for a split-second longer than was necessary. “You'll be able to read my ancestors from a touch?”

  I nodded. “That's correct. If you don't intend me harm, I'll have contact with them.”

  He held out his hand confidently and I grasped it, the new spirits trickling into my mind like a gentle flow of water. “Thank you for joining us, Mr. Conroy.”

  “Call me Bill,” he insisted.

  I smiled cordially. “All right, Bill.”

  Ben directed me to a second man, short and lean with dark brown eyes and wiry red hair. He wore a brown checked shirt and faded blue jeans, a large silver Harley Davidson buckle on his belt. “This is Nat Finton, he's the head of his shape shifter pack from Nevada. They were attacked the same night as the Tremaines.”

  Nat Finton held his hand out with no hesita
tion and I grasped it in my own, a rush of spirits entering my head. “It's nice to meet you, Mr. Finton.”

  “Nat, please,” he insisted congenially. “It's a pleasure to meet you.”

  I considered my next question carefully before speaking. I was aware that for some packs, questions about their ability was considered rude and I didn't want to create animosity, but my inquisitiveness was overwhelming. “Nat, forgive me if I don't ask this with the correct terminology. I'm very new to this world, but I'm also curious. What sort of animal do your pack shape shift into?” I flushed with embarrassment, hoping I hadn't committed some supernatural faux pas with this line of questioning. “Is that even the correct term?” I questioned.

  Nat smiled warmly. “The correct term is 'what animal do you shift into?',” he advised easily. “And no, it's not offensive to my pack for you to ask. In fact, I'd have been concerned if you didn't want to know what ability we have to fight this war with you. Me and my pack, we shift into panthers.” A dark shadow crossed his features. “At least, what's left of my pack.”

  I listened to the new voices filtering through my mind for a couple of seconds. “I'm so sorry about the attack. I understand you lost two thirds of your people.”

  His brown eyes narrowed suspiciously. “You heard that from…?”

  “The spirits I hear now I've touched you. Whit is glad you've decided to ally with us. He's sorry he's not here to join in the battle.”

  He shook his head ruefully. “That's my brother. Whit never did like to miss out on a good fight.”

  Ben guided me towards another man, but before he could introduce him, Joe Reynolds stepped before us, holding his hand out. “Miss Duncan - I owe you a sincere apology. I see now how dedicated you are to this - our cause.”