Crave (Vampire Beloved Book Five)

by R. E. Butler

  He chuckled and pulled her hand away. “I felt the same way. Even if we’d just slept, I would’ve been happy. I only wanted to be with you.”

  “Other stuff would’ve been nice too,” she said with a low voice.

  His whole body reacted shamelessly, and he barely stifled a groan. “We just met though. Even feeling as connected as we did on sight, the right choice was for you to go home. I’m just glad you’re here. So how did it go with your family?”

  “Well, I canceled the date just fine. The tiger was disappointed, but he didn’t try to talk me out of being with you since you’re my truemate. Gavin was really great with the news. He said you’re a good guy, and he supports us, but I wasn’t worried about him.”

  Merrix’s stomach turned sharply. “What happened with your parents, sweetheart?”

  “They’re mad. They don’t think I’m making the right choice. They’d rather I mate a male I’m not connected to who’s a tiger than be with you.” She blew out a sharp breath. “After I left them, I talked to Midas, and he said that we need to wait on joining together officially with the ambush because he wants to see if my parents are going to make a big deal of things.”

  “What do you mean by ‘join together officially’?”

  “We can become mates anytime we’re ready,” she said. “But you wouldn’t be welcome in ambush territory unless you and I were joined together in front of the ambush on the full moon as mates. That would make you a member of the ambush. The next full moon is in less than two weeks. Midas said he’d perform the joining because he believes tigers should be with whoever they want. But if my parents do something like rally their friends to try to keep you out of the ambush and interfere with our mating, then Midas said he might go along with them to keep the peace.”

  Merrix stared at her, feeling profoundly sad. “Being with me means you’re losing your family and ambush?”

  She shook her head. “Not necessarily. Right now, my parents are angry and surprised by the news. They might settle down once they’ve had time to get used to things. But it’s possible that I’ll have to leave the ambush once you and I are mated because I wouldn’t go anywhere you aren’t welcome.”

  Merrix couldn’t imagine parents being so dead set against their child finding happiness that they’d try to keep their mate away from the ambush. It seemed so over-the-top and far-fetched. But it was Aeryn’s reality. And he hated it.

  “I’m sorry,” he said.

  She gave him a sad smile. “It’s not your fault.”

  “Still.”

  “I can’t control how they feel or what they do based on my actions. I hope they’ll come around, but I’m not going to stay away from you because they want something different for my life.” She cleared her throat and said, “I think we’ve talked enough about my parents for the night. How about we get our date started?”

  He rose to his feet and helped her up. Her body brushed his, her features smoothing from the distress of earlier to a hopeful happiness.

  “Excellent idea, sweetheart.”

  Chapter Seven

  Aeryn held Merrix’s hand as they walked down the hall. She wasn’t hungry, but she was interested in a drink, so he suggested they find a table in the bar and listen to the house band.

  “Hey, Eynd,” Merrix said, pausing at the coat check. “This is my mate, Aeryn.”

  “Hi,” Aeryn said, shaking her hand. The pretty redhead smiled brightly.

  “We met when I was at the restaurant on a date. You brought out a special dessert.”

  “Right,” Aeryn said. “How’d that date go?”

  “Meh. It’s hard to find a good male.”

  That had been the truth until Aeryn met Merrix. Now she felt like she’d won the lottery. “I hope you find someone special soon.”

  “Well, it’s been a hundred years. Maybe this’ll be the year though.” Eynd smiled sweetly and chuckled.

  Merrix and Aeryn said goodbye and headed into the club. At the door, Merrix said, “Brace yourself. The music can be overpowering to sensitive ears.”

  And he was right. The moment they stepped into the dark club, she was overwhelmed by everything—lasers and strobe lights made her eyes ache, music from speakers pounded her ears, and the scents of the people filled her nose. Merrix pulled her swiftly away and pressed her against a wall, and the lights and sounds were muffled some. She opened her eyes and realized he’d tucked them away into a dark corner.

  “That better?” he asked.

  “Yeah, thanks.”

  “It’ll take a minute to adjust to it.”

  She nodded and pressed her head against his chest with a sigh. She twisted her fingers in his shirt and anchored herself to him, glad he was so careful with her.

  “You ever been in the club before?”

  “Not when it was like this.”

  He put an arm around her and held her close. “We can leave if it’s too much for you. I don’t want you to be uncomfortable.”

  She lifted her head. “I want to stay for a bit. You promised me a drink.”

  He smiled and lowered his head to kiss her. She loved the way his lips felt against hers, soft but firm. She could feel how strong he was, but he still held her so sweetly and tenderly. Every minute she spent with him, she felt closer to him.

  She wanted him with every fiber of her being. Her cat was in total agreement.

  He slipped his tongue past her parted lips, and she forgot about everything except him. His arms around her. His tongue dancing with hers like they’d been doing it for a hundred years and not just minutes. His masculine scent filling her nose.

  He sucked on her bottom lip and gave it a playful nip, then smiled at her.

  Damn, he was gorgeous.

  “I’m so glad I met you, Aeryn,” he said, tucking a lock of hair behind her ear.

  “Me too.”

  He eased away a little but didn’t relax his hold on her. “You ready to get a drink?”

  “Yeah.” She was fully adjusted to the club now, grateful for his sexy distraction. They linked hands and walked to the bar. It was crowded, but he kept her close and wove them through until they reached the counter.

  Merrix waved at a male, and he walked over. “Hey, Merrix. What can I get for you?”

  “What do you want, sweetheart?” he asked.

  “Something sweet and fruity?” she asked. She wasn’t much of a drinker, so she wasn’t sure what to order.

  “You got it,” the male said. “You?”

  “Real blood, please.”

  “Cold?”

  He nodded.

  Aeryn turned and leaned against the bar to look at him. “You need to feed?”

  “I do.”

  Her gaze dropped to his lips, and he let out a gruff sound like a purr and a growl mixed. He rested his hand on the juncture of her neck and shoulder and rubbed his thumb on her pulse. It was beating out a steady rhythm, increasing with the idea of him feeding. From her.

  “I don’t want to feed from you.”

  She gasped sharply, her thoughts turning to a downward spiral, but he kissed her swiftly and said, “No, sweetheart, no. It’s not that I don’t want to feed from you. It’s that I don’t trust myself. Not right now. I could make us mates, and we still have a lot to talk about.”

  The hurt feelings dissipated quickly, and she kissed him back. “Oh, okay. I want to say that I trust you, but you know yourself better than I do, so it’s good. I want you to be happy.”

  “I’d be happiest if we were home right now and mated. But I’ll take this for now.” He winked as he accepted two drinks. One was pale green, and one was dark red.

  “What is it?” she asked the bartender.

  “Melon ball,” he replied. “I went easy on the liquor, so if you want another, give me a holler.”

  “Thank you,” she said.

  They turned from the bar to find a table, and she spied a small one available. Most of the crowd was gathered by the stage where a DJ played music. Mer
rix pulled the high stool out for her and helped her up. She took a drink of the melon ball and hummed in surprise at how good it was.

  “What’s the verdict?” he asked.

  “It’s good.”

  He took a drink from his glass, his mouth twitching down at the corners.

  “Yours?”

  “It’s fine.”

  She scooted closer. “So, Boyd told me that SyBl is like eating a hamburger when you want steak.”

  He snorted. “That’s pretty accurate.”

  “So why do you look like you just drank paint if you have real blood?”

  He exhaled. “It’s no substitute for what I really want.”

  Her heart thudded. “Me?”

  With a nod, he took her hand and linked their fingers on the table. “But that doesn’t change anything about what’s happening between us. We’ll go at whatever pace you’re comfortable with. We just met. We’re not on any timetable.”

  “I know. My cat’s making a lot of suggestions otherwise though.”

  “Oh? Does she talk to you?”

  “Not in words really, more like feelings and urges. She gets cranky around the full moon because she wants to hunt. But she was talking to me about you a lot today.”

  “That’s pretty cool. So, she likes me?”

  More than likes you. “Of course. You’re our truemate.” She paused and took a drink, the cool, sweet liquid sliding down her throat. It did nothing to quench her real thirst and the heat that enveloped her. “I have a question.”

  “I’m an open book.”

  Just then, a female wearing a slinky white tank that showed off a lot of tanned skin leaned against their table, her elbow knocking into their joined hands.

  “Hey, sexy,” she said, her voice all syrupy sweet.

  “I’m clearly with someone,” Merrix said. “Leave.”

  “Wow, so rude,” the female said. She looked over her shoulder at Aeryn, gave her a quick once-over, and smirked. Turning back to Merrix, she said, “I noticed you got real blood at the bar. How about something fresh from the tap?” She tilted her head, her pale hair sliding aside to show a red ribbon around her neck.

  Aeryn knew that the club's paid food wore red ribbons on either their neck or wrist to denote where they’d prefer to be fed from.

  “Lisa,” he said sternly, “I’m with my mate. I don’t need your blood, nor do I want it. Move, or I’ll move you.”

  “What, this little thing?” she asked, chuckling mockingly. “Lemme take you back to the feeding room, remind you how good it feels to have a real woman in your arms.”

  Aeryn was so furious she wanted to spit nails. Was this female coming onto her mate? Right in front of her?

  For a brief moment, she thought about being more kind than the female deserved and telling her to move along. But her cat wasn’t interested in being nice to a clearly unpleasant female who couldn’t take a hint.

  Instead of being tactful, Aeryn grabbed a fistful of the female’s hair and jerked downward, slamming the side of her head into the table. The drinks sloshed onto the table but didn’t fall. The female wasn’t so lucky—she hit the floor with a thud.

  Merrix burst out laughing. “That was fantastic.”

  Aeryn couldn’t help but grin. “She’s an idiot.”

  He sobered swiftly, his eyes going dark and sexy. “She is. I did feed from her before, but she got clingy, so I stopped. It was never more than just feeding, I promise.”

  “I trust you.”

  “Good. That means the world to me.”

  Aeryn peered over at the female who hadn’t been knocked out but had been stunned.

  Two males approached, and Aeryn scented, finding them vampires.

  They both looked down at the female struggling to sit up and then at Merrix and Aeryn.

  “What’s going on?” the one asked, holding out his fist for Merrix. He bumped it and quickly explained.

  The other said, “Ugh. You’re not the first male she’s gotten clingy with. She wants to be turned.”

  Aeryn cleared her throat, and Merrix said, “I didn’t forget about you, sweetheart. This is my truemate, Aeryn. These guys are Dylan and Bellamin. Dylan’s a coven guard, and Bellamin works directly for Mishka with his beloved.”

  “Nice to meet you,” Aeryn said.

  “I’m on my way up to the family room,” Bellamin said. “I stopped to say hi to Dylan, and we saw this happen. You probably should text Traz and Avery. They’ll want a report.”

  “Am I in trouble?” Aeryn asked.

  “What? Hell no,” Bellamin said. “We saw her sidle up between you two. She was asking for worse, so thanks for restraining yourself. It’s just a formality.”

  Aeryn nodded, letting out a relieved breath. Merrix pulled his phone from his pocket and looked at her. “I’d never let anything happen to you.”

  “I know. It’s just that I’m not supposed to make Mishka look bad since he owns the restaurant, and I’m an employee. There are rules about public behavior.”

  “He’ll understand,” Dylan said. “I’ll take her back to the office so Avery can talk to her.”

  He helped the still-dazed female to her feet. “You’re a bitch,” she said toward Aeryn.

  “Don’t act like an asshole, and you won’t get hurt,” Aeryn said.

  “Traz and Avery are on their way,” Merrix said.

  “I’ll go with Dylan to make sure she doesn’t try anything else,” Bellamin said.

  When they were alone again, Merrix reached for her hand and squeezed it. “I’m sorry about that.”

  “Not your fault.”

  “I know, but still. You shouldn’t have to deal with my baggage.”

  “You’re dealing with my parents. I can handle a female like her.” She let out a low whistle and rubbed the space over her heart. “The jealousy from my cat was ridiculous. I wanted to slaughter the female.”

  “Trust me. I’d feel the same way if a male came onto you like that.”

  She felt better knowing he understood.

  A male and female appeared. The male was tall and broad-shouldered, and the female was petite with long blond hair. Merrix introduced them as the food managers—Traz and his beloved, Avery.

  Avery gave Aeryn a quick hug. “Are you okay? That would’ve pissed me off to no end too.”

  “I’m good, thanks. You’re not mad?”

  “Of course not,” Traz said. “You were protecting your male. A good female will do that.”

  “A great one,” Avery said, wiggling her brows.

  “Indeed,” Traz said, then gave her a swift kiss. “We can pull the security footage for confirmation, but it sounds like you have Bell and Dylan as witnesses too. Send me a text with your statement, and I’ll put it in the file.”

  “What’s going to happen to her?” Aeryn asked.

  “She’ll be fired immediately,” Avery said. “We don’t encourage food to behave that way. It’s not the first time she’s done something shady like try to come between a male and female, but it’s certainly her last time. On behalf of the food department, I’m sorry.”

  “Thank you,” Aeryn said.

  They disappeared, and Merrix pushed his phone across the table to her. “That’s our statement. What do you think?”

  She read over it and nodded, pushing it back his way. “Perfect.”

  “Well, this is the most interesting first date I’ve ever had. How about you?”

  “For sure. And the night’s still young.”

  He lifted his glass in a toast and said, “To crazy first dates.”

  “And finding each other.”

  Their glasses clinked, and he said, “Hear, hear!”

  Chapter Eight

  Merrix was falling hard for Aeryn. By the time they’d finished their drinks and taken a few turns on the dance floor, enjoying Fluffy Venom’s first set, he was more than ready to take her home with him and keep her forever. He kept having to remind himself that no matter what happened with the
rest of the night, she wasn’t ready to jump into a full-blown, mated relationship with him, and that was okay. He was looking forward to getting to know her, and although he wanted to ask her to move in with him right away so they could spend as much time together as possible, he didn’t want to push her. She had family issues to deal with, and him trying to get her to make significant changes right away wouldn’t help.

  “What’s got you thinking so seriously?” she asked as they stepped out of the club.

  “Nothing in particular.”

  “Liar.”

  His brows rose. She chuckled. “Cats can smell lies. It’s...pungent, I guess is the right word. I can take whatever it is you want to say, don’t worry.”

  “I’m not worried.” She opened her mouth, and he put his hand up with a laugh. “All right, I am worried because I don’t want to rush you or for you to feel like I’m not keeping my promise to take things slowly.”

  She hummed and rocked on her heels. “I don’t want to try to guess what’s on your mind, so it would be easier if you just told me.”

  “I want you to stay with me.”

  “Okay.”

  He paused, surprised.

  She laughed. “I packed a bag. I wasn’t sure what would happen, but I was hoping that you’d ask me to stick around for the day. I’d like to fall asleep with you.” She rose onto her toes and placed her lips by his ear. “After.”

  The word was a whisper, laced with heat. His whole body responded. The temptation to haul her over his shoulder and race to his apartment was so strong that he had to clench his hands into tight fists until the urge passed. When he felt like he could speak without growling at her, he suggested they get her bag from her car and head to the apartment complex.

  When she picked up her bag from the backseat of her car, he took it and shouldered it. “Have you ever been in the apartment complex?”

  “Just the lobby when I helped a troll deliver food for a floor party.”

  They crossed the street and walked toward the building. “Let me guess—floor five.”

  “Yeah, how did you know?”

  “One of the males on that floor mated a human female who grew up in a place where there were frequent street parties. She said their neighborhood was strong, and everyone was like family. She wanted that for the floor. Everyone thought she was crazy since she was the only human on the floor, but she kept at it, and eventually, everyone decided they were a good thing.”