Becoming Forever (Waking Forever Series)

by McVea, Heather

  Not wanting to risk being spotted by the police, Ash took a running jump at the chain link fence and easily cleared it. Landing in a back alley that ran behind the houses for the length of the block, she cautiously trotted in the general direction of Emma’s house. As she neared a trafficked intersection, she stood at the cross walk, waiting for the pedestrian signal to provide her safe passage. An elderly Asian woman with a metal cane walked up, and stood next to Ash.

  “Are you lost puppy?” The woman’s voice was thin and wobbly.

  Ash didn’t want to frighten the woman by barking at her, so she looked up at her, and then back at the light. Then something occurred to her. She lowered her head, and carefully let the phone slide from her mouth. Emma’s contact page was still displayed. If Ash could manage to slide the unlock icon over, maybe the woman would get the idea and call Emma about her lost dog.

  Focusing all of her attention she put the tip of her paw on the phone, and after three tries, the screen unlocked. Ash looked up at the woman, and, careful not to yell at her, woofed quietly. The old woman squinted as she looked down at the large German Shepard. Seeing for the first time the cell phone lying on the sidewalk, the woman slowly bent down and picked it up.

  Looking at the phone, and then back at the dog, she frowned. “Is this your owner?”

  Ash bobbed her head up and down, and let out another quiet woof. Relief washed over her, as the woman pressed the screen of the phone. After a few seconds, she began speaking. “Ah, yes, I’m sorry to bother you, but I think I found your dog.”

  Ash could hear Emma’s voice on the other end of the call. “Oh, I -” She knew Emma’s caller ID had popped up with her information, and it would only take Emma a second to realize what had happened. “Thank you, I was worried to death. Where are you and I can come get her?”

  If dogs could cry, Ash would have started sobbing with relief. Instead, she waited patiently while the woman gave Emma her address, and then hung up. “Your owner sounds very nice. Will you follow me to my house and we can wait for her?”

  Ash sat down, and barked quietly. “You’re a very smart dog.” The woman patted Ash on the head, and leaning on her cane slowly walked back the way she had come. A grateful German Shepard was following close behind.

  ***

  “Thank you so much. I do wish you would let me give you something for your trouble.” Emma stood next to her car talking to the woman who remained on her front porch. Ash was sitting in the passenger seat, wondering if she was required to wear a seatbelt.

  “Nonsense, she’s a beautiful dog, and so smart. It was no trouble” The woman’s name was Eun, and in spite of the circumstances, Emma’s good manners had meant she accepted a cup of tea from the Korean woman before taking her lost dog home.

  During the twenty minutes the two women visited, Emma managed to fabricate a story about how Ash - she didn’t bother to change the name - was from a long line of show dogs. That, and extensive training, accounted for her remarkable intelligence. Eun was clearly grateful for the conversation, and tried to convince Emma to stay for an early dinner.

  “I can’t, but thank you for the invitation.” Ash had sat anxiously at Emma’s side, wanting desperately to leave, and shift back to her human form.

  Sitting in the car as Emma said her goodbyes, Ash was suddenly exhausted, and wanted nothing more than to sleep. She curled up in the seat, and was just beginning to doze off when Emma opened the driver’s door, and slid into the car. Without a word, she pressed the ignition button, and waving at Eun, drove away.

  Not looking at Ash, she drove for several minutes, and then pulled the car into a Walgreens parking lot. Putting the car in park, Emma placed both her hands on the steering wheel, and squeezed it tightly. “I want you to know the only reason I don’t pull you to me, and hug you until you can’t breathe, is because of what people would think of a half-crazed-with-worry woman sitting in a parking lot clinging to her dog.”

  Ash barked quietly and nudged Emma’s arm. The blonde woman put her hand to the side of Ash’s face. “Let’s get you back to my house, and we can figure out what to do.”

  The rest of the drive was in a comfortable silence, as Emma was clearly thinking through what needed to happen for Ash to shift back, and Ash couldn’t speak. Pulling up to Emma’s house, Ash waited as Emma walked around and opened the door. Not having opposable thumbs limited her use of handles.

  Jumping from the car, Ash bounded up to the front door, and sat while Emma got her purse out of the back seat and walked up to the house. Pressing the entry code into the lock, the door clicked and opened. Ash walked in and sat at the foot of the stairs. Emma shut and locked the door. Putting her purse on the small table next to the door, she looked at Ash for several seconds. “Are you house broken?”

  Ash wanted to laugh, but evidently there was no equivalent for dogs. Instead she ran up to Emma, and put her front paws on the woman’s stomach. She barked several times, and then sat back down in front of the blonde woman.

  “Let’s go into the study. I have an idea.” Emma opened the door to the room, Ash ran in, and jumped up on the sofa. Emma paced in front of her for nearly a minute. “One bark means yes, two means no. Got it?” Ash barked once.

  “Great. Did you think about being a German Shepard?” Two barks. “Were you agitated, and it just happened?” Two barks.

  Emma frowned. “Hmmm. Were you agitated and then you saw a German Shepard?” One bark. Emma smiled. “Okay then.”

  She knelt down in front of Ash. “I need you to relax, close your eyes, and image you’re shrugging off a very heavy winter coat. It’s hot, and it feels very restrictive.”

  Ash closed her eyes, and thought of the scene in the Christmas Story movie where Ralphie’s younger brother Randy has so many layers of clothing on that he can’t put his arms down. That scene always made her feel claustrophobic as a child, and thinking about it now forced heat to rise to her face.

  A series of pinches and twinges shot across Ash’s abdomen. A flush of heat tickled the back of her neck and head, followed by a series of pops and cracking sounds. Her breath came in short spurts as her spine snapped and then aligned to bring Ash into an upright posture.

  Opening her eyes slowly, Ash’s mouth felt dry. “Did it work?” The fact she spoke versus barked answered her question.

  Emma was kneeling next to her, and took her warm hand in hers. “It did.” Smiling she sat down on the sofa next to a sweaty and naked Ash. “How do you feel?”

  Ash shook her head, trying to clear her thoughts. “I guess okay. A little hungry, but -” She looked down at her body, her very human body. “But I’m none the worse for wear.”

  “You certainly aren’t.” Emma smiled, and pulled Ash to her. “I was worried when I got the call, but of course you worked it out.” She held Ash at arms’ length and looked her over carefully.

  Blushing from the nearness of Emma, Ash grinned shyly. “I’m okay.”

  Emma grinned and leaning forward gently kissed Ash on the cheek. Sadness crossed over Ash’s eyes and Emma frowned. “What is it?”

  Ash leaned back, a surge of desire and love had rushed through her, and unexpectedly she was feeling very exposed and uncertain. Reaching for a beige throw blanket draped over the back of the sofa, she quickly wrapped it around her shoulders as she inched back from Emma. As much as her body had changed over the past few days, Ash’s feelings for Emma had too.

  She had come to terms with loving a woman so drastically different from herself that their experiences could never be reconciled, but what she had not known, what until this moment had eluded her, was the courage to put a voice to her feelings. “I love you.” The simple utterance belied the countless layers of meaning and nuance inherent in sharing your life, time, ideas, fears and hopes with someone.

  Emma’s face was stoic as she looked at Ash carefully. Her eyes moved from the woman’s lips to her clear eyes as she slowly wrapped her cool hand around Ash’s bare ankle. “I love you too.” Th
e words came in a sigh, as if a great weight had been lifted, followed by tremendous relief.

  Ash reached for Emma’s hand, and brought the tips of her fingers to her lips. “I’ve loved you since before the change. I want you to know that.”

  Emma smiled. “I know.” She had carried so much doubt with her regarding Ash, the woman’s feelings for her and the ambiguity of their relationship, that finally speaking the words filled Emma with more hope than she had known in decades. Biting her lower lip, Emma looked intently at Ash. “Me too.”

  Ash leaned forward, and was kneeling on the sofa next to Emma. She shrugged the blanket off her shoulders, needing now to be bare and exposed with Emma. Her hands trembled as she reached the hem of Emma’s shirt, her knuckles brushing against the smoothness of her stomach as she lifted the shirt up and over the woman’s head.

  Emma reached around, and unhooked the clasp of her black bra, letting it fall to the floor. Ash pushed Emma back onto the sofa, both women gasped as the coolness of Emma’s skin met the warmth of Ash’s. Ash moved her mouth along the column of Emma’s neck, sucking and kissing her earlobe, eliciting a low moan from her.

  Leaning back, Ash gently stroked Emma’s full lips with her thumb, pushing her upper lip up to reveal an elongated incisor. Ash smiled as she bent over to take Emma’s bottom lip between her teeth, biting and sucking eagerly. Emma ran her hands down Ash’s toned back, and pulled the other woman closer. Ash’s heart was pounding furiously in her chest as intense heat and tightness grew in the pit of her stomach.

  Leaning back, Ash straddled Emma as she quickly unbuttoned her jeans. She pulled them and her black panties off, dropping the garments to the floor. Looking down at Emma, Ash felt a rush of love and longing swirl in her. “You’re beautiful.” Emma’s eyes glowed an iridescent blue, accenting the thin web of blue veins that spidered along her pale neck and jaw line.

  Emma sat up, and turning her head, pressed her cheek to the hollow between Ash’s breasts. She marveled at the warmth radiating off the woman, accompanied by her intoxicating scent. Cupping the side of Ash’s firm breast, Emma ran her tongue in slow circles around her erect nipple. Ash gasped and pressed Emma closer to her.

  Running her fingers through the silkiness of Emma’s hair, Ash bit her lower lip as her hips began to rock back and forth independent of her will. “Em?” The beautiful woman under her looked up. “Can we go to bed?”

  Emma smiled, and ran her palm over Ash’s breast before bringing both hands to rest on the woman’s hips. “Absolutely.”

  Grasping Ash’s bottom, Emma effortlessly stood up. Ash released her legs from around her waist, and slowly slid down the front of Emma, absorbing the smoothness and coolness of her skin. Emma took Ash’s hand, and the two women walked up the stairs and into the bedroom.

  Emma turned the lights on, and seeing the woman’s perfect body again, Ash couldn’t help but smile. “See something funny, detective?” Emma asked as she walked toward Ash with a smirk on her face.

  “Funny isn’t the word.” Ash put her hands on Emma’s waist and pulled her tightly against her. “Perfect. Flawless. Gorgeous. But certainly not funny.”

  Emma bent her head, and began gently sucking the jugular vein that pulsed furiously in Ash’s throat. Tilting her head back, Ash moaned. “Amazing. I almost forgot amazing.” She grabbed Emma by the back of the neck, and pressed her closer.

  Feeling her resolve to not feed on Ash waning, Emma turned her attentions to Ash’s shoulder and then across her clavicle. Ash’s hands were on her shoulders, and pushing her toward the bed. Emma fell backward as her legs touched the side of the bed, and a split second later Ash was on top of her. The woman’s warm, wet mouth found Emma’s nipple and began to slowly and deliberately suck and pull at the cool, taut flesh.

  A low growl escaped Emma before she could stifle it, but Ash didn’t seem to notice or mind as she slowly kissed her way down the flat plane of Emma’s stomach, and across her jutting hip bones. Pushing her legs apart, Ash ran her hand up the inside of Emma’s thigh. Without warning, she entered her with two fingers.

  “Fuck.” Emma gasped, clenched her teeth, and clutched at Ash’s back. Ash smiled at the uncharacteristic expletive, and ignored the stab of pain from Emma’s nails digging into her shoulders. She began a slow, steady rhythm as she moved her fingers in and out of Emma.

  Spreading her legs to afford Ash more access, Emma’s hips moved in time with Ash’s thrusts. She bit her lower lip to stifle a loud growl when she felt Ash’s mouth on her clit. She grabbed at the back of Ash’s head, pushing her further into her.

  Emma tightened around Ash’s fingers, and Ash breathed deep, her own desire growing as she took in the lavender and vanilla scents radiating from the vampire. She couldn’t get close enough to Emma, and reached under her hip to pull her nearer. The possessive feeling surprised Ash, but every part of her wanted to clasp and be held inside Emma.

  Short electrical pulses shot through Emma, causing her to thrust her hips upward faster. Her fingers tangled in Ash’s dark tresses, her mouth continuing to pleasure Emma as her fingers pushed further into her. Emma arched her back, a strangled cry escaping her lips as a sudden and intense orgasm shot through her body. Taking a deep breath, Emma caught the scent of blood. She looked down at Ash and could see the remnants of scratches healing along her shoulders. Unlike human blood, Ash’s blood smelled of something indescribably earthy and sweet that permeated the vampire’s body.

  Emma reached down, and gently pulled Ash up. Finding her mouth, she kissed her deeply as they shifted, and Ash stretched out under Emma. “Are you okay?” Emma ran a tentative finger across one of the scratches. The redness was already fading, the blood was dried, and the urge to lap at it pushed at the back of her throat.

  Ash grinned as she nodded, pushing Emma’s head down. She sighed contentedly when Emma’s mouth found her breast. Emma began to suck Ash’s hardened nipple into her cool mouth while lightly biting down, the tip of her incisor scraping across the small bud. Ash whimpered and pushed her hips against Emma.

  Emma slid her hand between Ash’s parted thighs. Her long, slender finger slid into Ash and her thumb began to brush across her clit in slow, methodical strokes. Ash moaned, and tilted her hips upward as she pulled Emma down on top of her before shifting her balance, and rolling the two of them over.

  Now straddling Emma, Ash was on her knees and held herself steady with one hand on Emma’s shoulder as she pushed her hips down. Tossing her head back, Ash closed her eyes, lost in the myriad of sensations washing over her. Emma thrust her finger deeper into Ash, pushing her thumb harder against her clit as the woman began to tighten and quiver around her.

  “Emma.” Ash cried out in a strangled, guttural voice as she felt the tension in her body constrict and then rapidly expand with her climax. Collapsing on top of Emma, she buried her face in the woman’s neck, and clung to her.

  Emma wrapped her arms around Ash, and held her close. The feel of the other woman’s rapidly beating heart was reverberating through her. The smell of sex and blood permeated the room, and the burning in the back of her throat that Emma had grown accustomed to flared. She was loath to leave Ash, and break the moment of intimacy, but she was afraid in a momentary loss of control she might hurt her beloved.

  “Ash, honey?” Emma whispered the words into the side of Ash’s face.

  Lifting her head, her eyes unfocused, Ash grinned. “Honey?” She kissed Emma on the cheek. “I believe that is our first term of endearment.” She tightened her arms around Emma.

  Emma pressed her lips to Ash’s warm forehead, and had to force herself not to lick at the thin perspiration that had formed there during their love making. “You smell amazing.” She hesitated. “Too amazing.” She was holding her breath to minimize the intoxicating scents from further chipping away at her will power.

  Ash’s head popped up. “Oh. I-” She rolled to Emma’s side. “Do whatever it is you do when you-” Ash blushed at her own vernacular inade
quacies, and made a sweeping gesture with her hand. “You know when this sort of thing happens.”

  Emma got up, and walked toward the bathroom. “This hasn’t happened before.”

  “Sorry?” Ash sat up.

  Standing in the doorway of the bathroom, and feeling steadier with the distance between her and Ash, Emma managed a smile. “I haven’t been with a lot of people, and never with a shifter.”

  “Thank god. I mean-” Ash hesitated. “I had sort of worried about being compared to nearly two centuries of experience.”

  Emma laughed. “I grant you, I have been far less amorous than the average vampire, but even if I had thoroughly sowed my wild oats, I assure you there would be absolutely nothing for you to worry about.”

  Squelching the urge to rush toward Emma and take her in her arms, Ash reached over, and pulled the dark blue comforter back. “Hurry up in there.”

  Emma grinned, walked into the bathroom, closed and locked the door. She turned the shower on as hot as the tap would allow, and waited as steam filled the room. Stepping into the spray, she let the nearly boiling water wash over and off of her, and with it most of Ash’s scent. Taking deep breaths in through her nose, the smell of blood and sex slowly diminished, diluted by the steam.

  Emma turned the shower off, and toweled off. Wiping at the fogged up mirror with her cool hand, she looked at her reflection. Her eyes were still vivid, but her teeth had retracted.

  Eager to get back to Ash, Emma walked into the bedroom, smiling as quiet snores came from the bed. Sliding into bed, she reached for the sleeping woman next to her. Ash curled up next to Emma, laying her head on the woman’s bare shoulder. Muttering, Ash draped her arm across Emma’s waist. “I’m sorry ahead of time for the drool.”

  Smiling, Emma kissed the top of Ash’s head. For the first time in her existence she was in love. She felt as if her heart had restarted after nearly two centuries of atrophy. She was shaken, vulnerable, and hopelessly and happily lost to the woman beside her. Regardless of the complications, she would try for whatever joy and elation she and Ash might have, and she wouldn’t give that up.