I saw the fight leave her and understood. She’d been beaten down for so long and expended a great deal of energy raging inside her own head this whole time. She was exhausted and beyond the blame game.
He sagged with relief. “Oh good, sweetie. I can’t stand the thought of you hurting, but your mother and I made up your old room for you, and we will look after you from now on so nothing can harm you again.”
His eyes met me then and shot me a look that said, ‘what the hell are you still doing here?’
I arched a brow, otherwise conveying indifference.
“She’s fine on her own,” I said at the same time Holly responded, “I’m better off on my own.”
I stepped back and let her take it from there. “I can’t forgive you, and I just came to say you won’t be seeing me. Just let me live my life my way.”
He moved toward her again, but I stepped into his path. My turn.
“Here’s what’s going to happen. You’re going to look the other way when you see us around, because this is our home and we plan on staying. If you have a problem with that, well, I don’t really care. Just keep your distance, and I’ll keep your streets clean. We’ll stay out of each other’s way. Deal?”
His jaw tightened, but before he could argue, Holly cut him off. “If you do still love me at all, you will agree to our terms and back off.”
She turned and swept out of the front door where she had entered. I stood there torn between wanting to go after her, wanting to reenact some of those punishments for her father I came up with in my head, and wanting to exit Mission Impossible style through the window I used earlier.
Decisions, decisions. I glanced at the window longingly and sighed.
I settled for flashing my fangs at Chief Beckett one last time before rushing after my sister. Through the door, sadly. She drove us out of the suburbs and toward the heart of the city, but the silence grew uncomfortable.
“How are you doing over there, Hol?”
“Fine. Better, I guess. I feel sad, but I don’t regret it. He deserves it. Maybe I could forgive him one day, but that won’t happen anytime soon.”
“Yeah, and I happened to notice you’ve had someone to help you deal with everything. You got a thing for my other BFF or what?”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“Oh, you know. Asian, tall, dimples for days.”
“He is pretty hot, isn’t he?”
“Uh huh. And caring. Oh, and he has that whole tortured soul thing going for him, which you totally connect with, right?”
“You know me so well.”
“I’m glad you have him.” I shifted in my passenger seat and looked out the window to watch the darkening skies.
I cleared my throat softly. “You will always be my biggest regret, Hol. There are a lot of things I could be blamed for, and maybe I deserve half of it. Or all of it. Whatever. But losing you is a burden I’ll bear forever. That was all on me, and I’m so sorry.”
“Lucy, stop it with that shit, okay.” I whipped my head around to see her glaring at me from the corner of her eye while she navigated us onto the freeway. “I told you. I never blamed you for any of it, and I never will.”
I smiled, deciding to take a page from Elsa’s book and let it go. “I’m glad you’re healing, Hol. You deserve to be happy for a change.”
“Alright, alright. This is getting too sappy, especially for us. Let’s go find our sexy men before we go cherry chaser on each other.”
I snorted. “Jesus, Hol. Things are never the same without you.”
“By that you mean boring. Wait, you never told me about the whole story with you and Mr. Yummy Pants. I want to hear all the kinky details on the way back. We’re meeting them at the penthouse, right?”
“Yep, Mr. Yummy Pants is working late.”
He’s been looking after the European factions more closely now to stay up to date on their Shadowmarked activity. While I, on the other hand, have been keeping Sophie and my Keeper crew busy researching Shadowmarked lineages in other parts of the world we haven’t teamed up with yet. I planned to establish factions on all six inhabited continents once we find the hot spots.
Things have gotten heated ever since my father stirred the Shadowmarked pot. They’ve been without a leader and some have taken it upon themselves to try assuming that role. Dissension created an uproar among vampires, and they’ve been fighting for territory, not caring if humans found them out or not.
And several have. More claims and news outlets have reported cult like groups springing up, worshipping the allusive monsters. But most remain skeptical, due to fear or fact. Most people didn’t believe in the unexplained, or they were too afraid to look too closely. Thankfully.
I’m sure the ones who were true believers kept business booming for Soren, who I still owed a visit. I haven’t decided whether or not to kill him yet, but I’ve made it my job to find the most radical of vampire groups and end them before they got out of hand.
Holly shifted in her seat before responding. “Hmm, yeah, Max said something about training. I love watching him get all sweaty. Maybe we should do the group thing another time. I’m thinking I might need some one on one training tonight.”
“Lucky you.”
†
Two hours later, I crept back and forth outside Gavin’s closed office door, listening to his tired voice explain something in German, probably something banal and mind numbing. Bleh. He was so much better at being spokesman for our newly developed St. Louis faction than I was. I preferred the actual hunting over the internet hunting.
Obviously.
I must have been deep in thought to miss the sound of the door opening. In mid pace, I was snatched up and spun into the office only to be deposited on the floor and backed into the wall.
His eyes widened as he took in my appearance, and lust heated the icy blue. He groaned. “You’re killing me, Ms. Masters.”
Did I mention I was wearing a certain red dress?
Composing himself, he got back to business. “You know it’s distracting when I can hear you out here huffing, and worse that I can feel the anxiety dripping off of you.”
“What? I have no anxiety. I’m anxiety free.”
“You have something on your mind, and you’re pacing, so you have ten seconds to tell me what’s on your mind.”
“Or what, Mr. West?”
“We sit here in silence all night, Ms. Masters,” he replied blandly.
Damn. I liked it better when his threats involved taking our clothes off, but he caught on to how non-threatening that really was when I started begging for it. Yes, I begged.
“You’re about as fun as Holly tonight.”
He eased back to lock me into that intense stare he was famous for. “How did it go with our favorite Chief of Police?”
I rolled my eyes. “He took it surprisingly well.”
“As in he threatened you, and Holly left before he could beg her to stay.”
“It’s like you were there with us.”
“Or it’s like I can read your emotions, word for word.”
“Yeah, that’s getting annoying so you should stop.”
He cracked a grin but it didn’t reach his eyes. Something was on his mind, other than business.
“Lucy, I gave you time to heal after everything that happened three weeks ago, but I’ve been wanting to talk about this.” He held up his wrist that still held my charm bracelet, but he began unwinding the shoestring.
“So this coin your father was after? The thing you were hiding from me in Italy after your private chat with the cardinal? Not just a good luck charm?”
I shook my head back and forth, holding his eyes so he knew I didn’t regret it. He laughed harshly.
“You know, I thought it was a little strange I couldn’t feel the kind of devastation coming off of you that I would have if I thought you were dying. Now I know why.”
“Gavin, you wouldn’t have let me give it to you
if I told you what it was.”
“No, no I wouldn’t have. And you didn’t even care that it had the power to save you, allowing me a chance to live, but if you died, this thing still wouldn’t have saved me.” He held the delicate silver strand in front of me before taking my wrist gently in his other hand to fasten the bracelet back in place.
“I had no intentions of dying. I knew the risks involved, and the risk to my own life was never as great as the risk to the lives of everyone I love. My father had been using the people I love to get to me for months now. I was done allowing him that advantage.
“And by the way, allowing that to happen to you was the hardest thing I’ve ever done. And if you want to keep arguing about this for the rest of our lives, then go ahead, but I will not apologize for putting everyone else first, because that’s not how I operate.”
I had an entire rant brewing, but my words were cut short when Gavin’s mouth covered mine. His lips pushed against mine, parting them softly and not wasting any time snaking his tongue inside to claim me thoroughly. There was no room for doubt or discussion about whom I belonged to after this kiss. My heart began with him, and it’ll end when his stops beating.
“I’m not mad at you,” he said when he pulled back. “I know you, and I know who you are. A little heads up would have been nice, but I understand why you did it. I’ll never put my life before yours, and you’ll always give me the same courtesy, even if it’s unwanted. We protect. It’s in our blood and now our souls.”
“Exactly! So stop being so stubborn about it all the time and just be grateful I got us through that mess alive.”
“I’m the stubborn one?” He reared back and his eyebrows drew together in confusion.
“Oh, please.”
The next thing I knew, my back was being pressed onto his cleared desk. He lifted the hem of my skirt, and I felt a cool prickling on my stomach, suddenly replaced by his warm breath and the gentle pressure of his soft lips. They melted into my skin as they slowly traced sensual kisses across my abdomen.
He never broke contact as his nose caught on the thin silky material, dragging it farther up my torso. Not only was the heat from physical contact spreading through him into me, lower and lower, but the anticipation was revving up my heartbeat.
He felt the change and glanced up to meet my eye, and all I saw was hunger. His desire hit me like a tidal wave through our bond, and I wanted him, needed him right now. It was really hard to stay away from one another when we both felt each other. All. The. Time.
He knew he was driving me crazy, making it impossible to remember why I was mad at him. As if getting back at me for picking yet another fight, he got a devilish look in his eyes and lowered his face back to my stomach. He teased me with a light kiss. The tip of his tongue trailed across my skin, setting my insides on fire with passion. The close proximity, coupled with the barely there barrier, was maddening. I dropped my head back with a frustrated sigh, and it thumped hard against the solid wood desk.
“I’m bored, and I’m about to go find someone who knows how to please me,” I whined.
He didn’t need our connection to know I was bluffing. His head snapped up just as I lifted mine. I watched as the reaction I was hoping for played out across his face. I felt the wicked grin spreading across my face as his expression turned feral. I loved getting him riled up. I once told him when he felt the animal inside of him trying to get out to let it out on me.
He was still worried the darkness in him would get someone hurt, but I wasn’t afraid of it, of him, mostly because I could handle him, but also because I knew he was good at the core. Even if he didn’t believe it, I knew him well enough to know he would never hurt anyone. I trusted him completely.
There was an animal inside of him, something wild that could never be tamed. I saw it in his eyes now, but I also saw something that went deeper. Lots of somethings.
That look in his eyes said ‘move an inch and I’ll take you right here, right now.’ He was a lion stalking his prey, and the flashes of images going through my head were generated by the feelings I was getting through the bond, and I felt a rush of heat in my cheeks.
I couldn’t take it anymore. I moved to reposition myself better, to get closer to him, but he was quicker. He snaked an arm around my waist, pulling me under him, tearing at my dress. We ended up in the bedroom hours later only to repeat everything we did in the office, and then some.
This was our home. He was my home, and I wouldn’t change a thing about my life. I loved it just the way it was.
Epilogue
2 Years Later
Ignoring the other patrons chatting and the waitresses bustling around, I stared off over the deck railing at the white sandy beach and crystal clear water of the Caribbean. The sun sank lower, kissing the ocean’s edge, illuminating it and throwing a warm glow of orange and pink hues into the surrounding skies. A reggae song played over the outdoor speakers quietly.
Holly interrupted my peaceful moment, and my attention shot to her across the wood planked table. “What’s up with the crazy appetite?”
“Oh, you know. The wedding really took a lot out of me.”
“Was it the wedding or the marathon trips to Pleasuretown afterwards?”
I stared at her mildly. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“Don’t play dumb with me. Your hotel room is just down the hall from ours. I hear things. Naughty things.”
“Anyway, it was a beautiful wedding, Hol. Congrats and all that.”
I looked down at the rock on my finger and wondered what married life would be like. Noticing my perusal, Holly spoke up.
“Have you two set a date yet?”
“Next summer. When things are calmer.”
In just over a year, I will marry the love of my life. I knew we had forever, but I wanted to share these experiences with my family. I wanted Holly to be my Maid, well Matron now, of Honor.
“You could always take the night off, and we could call the minister back up.”
“You know I can’t. It would literally kill me to take a night off.”
It was weird. Ever since I gained my soul, my body hummed with anxious energy when I waited too long to hunt. It became painful to resist the pull of my calling.
Holly had wanted to get married in the Caribbean, but she wanted me to be Maid of Honor, so she and Max looked up which areas were hot spots for Shadowmarked, and we ended up in the Virgin Islands, where there have been recent reports of activity.
My body was twitching with anticipation for the hunt. I guessed that was what Gavin felt when he wasn’t protecting me. All those years he took off when I was younger couldn’t technically be considered abandonment. He was finding answers about me, for me. His protection went beyond my survival.
He told me once he used to take a step back when things seemed quieter to allow me to have a normal life. He protected my sanity as well as my humanity then, and now he protected my heart. After I turned fifteen and discovered vampires existed and that I was a part of their world, he couldn’t stay away for long periods any more. In the past two years, we haven’t spent a single night apart.
I took another bite of my juicy burger and sighed with pleasure. Gavin chose that moment to come back from the bar. He reached around the high top chair to deposit my new drink on the table while he wound his arms around me and whispered in my ear.
“Those are the kinds of sounds she was referring to when she mentioned the hotel room. You only make them for me and food.”
He nuzzled closer to my neck and trailed his lips up to the spot behind my ear that always drove me crazy. I inhaled sharply and might have made one of those embarrassing sounds he mentioned, torn between two very different hungers. He chuckled low. He was right. He and food held very special places in my heart.
“Ugh, save it for later you two. But seriously, Luce, you don’t usually devour an entire menu.”
I glanced back at Holly as she spoke. Her hair blew in the b
reeze. It had been curled and elegantly piled into a low and loose bun on the side of her head just behind her ear, but she had loose tendrils framing her face. Her dress was fitted to her form and made of ivory lace. The thin lace straps caressed her shoulders and the front scooped into a low V.
My dress had a similar cut in the front but was a deep purple chiffon that cascaded down to my heels in the back while only coming to my knees in the front. Nick and Max dressed similarly in comfortable beach style, since Max chose Nick to be the best man. They got to wear lightweight khaki pants and white collared button downs, while Holly forced me into a dress and made me sit in a hair salon while the stylist added more curls to my natural waves and applied jewel toned makeup to ‘enhance my natural beauty’ as she loved to put it. The things I did for family.
“Hey, do you know how long I went without experiencing this?” I lifted my burger.
“That was like two years ago, and it seems different now.”
“It doesn’t matter how long ago it was. I will never take food for granted again.” I picked up my drink and took a sip.
“I think you have a bun in the oven.”
My new fruity drink Gavin had replaced sprayed all over the table. His eyes went wide, and when they met mine, we both broke out in a grin.
“Naahhhhh.”
After another beat, our smiles faltered as we wandered into the realm of contemplation. Would it be so bad if…
Someone cleared his throat. “Um, guys. The rest of us are still here and getting kind of uncomfortable,” Nick added.
Sophie just looked down at her food, but I saw her covering a wide smile of amusement. I snorted. Allison rolled her eyes. Of course. Max laughed outright and snuggled his new bride closer.
“Is it weird that I’m getting used to these conversations between you two?”
“Nope. I think I’ve become immune to the random things I hear when they’re together,” Gavin said.
Holly and I ignored our men discussing the very important and not at all random conversations we have. Gavin broke off into a side conversation with Max and Nick about less important guy stuff. His hand tightened around my midsection and began stroking my stomach absentmindedly.
Beautiful Eternity (The Bloodmarked Trilogy Book 3) Page 32