Rachel had heard about Leigh's temper, and even the first time they met all the dragon had to say was not to fuck it up. Now she had her on the top of a dark mountain, miles away from the Knight Estate, and she wanted to talk alone. "I'm not sure I understand," she finally said.
"Here's the thing," Leigh told her, sitting on a fallen tree trunk. "You are my nephew's mate. Do you even know what that means?"
Ah, there it was. Rachel was sure someone was going to give her the "don't hurt him or else" talk, and she guessed now was the time. "To be honest, I only have a vague idea. I understand that he will need to feed from me and that he thinks I am his other half."
"He doesn’t think it, he knows it," Leigh corrected her. "And he is just about young and naïve enough to think you fully understand what that means. But you don't."
"And you're going to explain it to me," she sighed.
"Yes, I am."
"Okay." Rachel sat down on the other end of the tree trunk. "Give it to me straight."
"I don't know any other way," Leigh told her with a serious expression. "I am not the most articulate or the nicest person in the family. I don't have a way with words, nor do I give a shit if I've offended someone."
"Well, no, you're a dragon," Rachel laughed. "I can't imagine a dragon being any different than you are."
"Exactly. So, let me just lay it out for you," Leigh said. "Somnus is half-vampire. The problem with that is that we don't know how he is going to react to having a mate. Some vampires can have a mate and never feed from her. Others can only feed from their mates. Therefore, because there are so many unknown factors, we have to assume that he’ll be one that will depend on his mate for survival."
"So, his life is in my hands," Rachel said, staring down at her hands.
"Not yet," Leigh said. "But he hasn't fed from you. He hasn't truly been with you. He has not mated with you. Once that is done, it's permanent. Don't get me wrong, you have a say in this. You can choose not to mate him and not finish the connection. Without that connection, he will live without you and you can walk away any time."
"But if I complete the mating?" Rachel asked.
"You can still walk away. But he will die. Or at least, we have to assume that is what will happen," Leigh told her. "I'm only telling you this because I want to make sure that you're sure before you jump headlong into something you won't be able to back out of. I know you could leave and let him die, but I also know that you wouldn't. Not now or ever. But I want you to consider all of your options first. Before you jump into bed with him and before he lets you feed from him. Before he tastes even one drop of your blood."
"So, what you're saying is that after he tastes my blood, there's no backing out," Rachel repeated.
"Well, there may be, but you might also be risking his life. So, you need to assume that it's forever."
"I understand," Rachel said. And she did. As much as she wanted him and as much as she wanted to be his mate, it was a heavy responsibility that she needed to consider before leaping in. Not to mention she still had a bad taste in her mouth from her last relationship.
"Well, I guess that's all then. I'm going home," Leigh announced. "You coming?"
Rachel nodded and when Leigh changed into her dragon, she wasted no time climbing on for the ride home. As beautiful as the view was from the air on the back of a dragon, she didn't enjoy it. Her mind was firmly stuck on Somnus and the whole mate issue. By the time they arrived back on the beach behind the Knight family home, the sun was just peeking over the horizon, and Rachel was exhausted.
Forgetting about her laptop case in the art room, Rachel went straight to Somnus' room where she’d been told she would be staying. He wasn’t there, so she stretched across the bed and breathed in his scent. The covers smelled just like him and she found it comforting, almost as if he were there with her.
Rachel figured he was out working and would be back at any moment, but that was the furthest thing from her mind. No, her mind was working over the idea of feeding him and being his mate. All of the things she had heard about vampires and their bites started swirling through her mind. Would it hurt? Or would it be a huge turn on like the local fang bangers claimed it was? Would she be able to control herself if it was? Or would she jump on him and ravage him right there? Would she turn into one of those groupies, spending her time at vampire bars, offering herself to drink for the thrill? Would she become addicted?
All were possibilities, she realized. Even if it did hurt, she would feed him. Even if it meant giving herself over to being his mate. If that was what he wanted, she would be his one and only forever.
Chapter Nineteen
The sun was high in the sky when Rachel opened her eyes. She’d fallen asleep on Somnus’ bed, breathing in his scent and fantasizing about the man. Having no idea what time it was and thankful for the dreamless sleep, she got up and went to the bathroom.
Her robe was hanging from a hook by the shower. A quick check of the closet revealed that most of her clothes were hanging there as well. She opened the top drawer of his dresser and found a collection of her socks, panties and bras. He’d gone to her house for her things. Her makeup was placed in an almost OCD manner around the bathroom vanity and she couldn’t help but smile. Her mate was a thoughtful one. Even her soap and shampoo were in the shower. And that sounded like a very good idea.
Rachel turned the water on and waited for it to warm up. While she waited, she brushed her teeth and got out an outfit to wear. Then she stepped into the hot spray. It came from several directions at once and it was all she could do not to sigh with pleasure. The different sprays all had different pressures, massaging her skin with each turn she made.
When she was clean, dressed and had makeup on, she ventured downstairs. Everyone else was up, it seemed, and gathered in the kitchen.
“She lives!” Gage declared from the bar stool he was sitting on. “Good afternoon.”
“Bonjour, petite fawn,” Jacque said with a smile.
“Hey gal, you hungry?” Rebel asked from the stove. He was already cooking and it smelled like omelets.
Rachel smiled and nodded. “Coffee?” she asked.
“On top of it,” Serena said, appearing with a steaming cup of joe.
“Where’s everyone else?” Rachel asked.
“Well, we can’t all be together all the time,” Serena told her. “So, Sebastian is working at the security office, Angel is in his office doing politician things, Frankie, Azerial, and Jessica are working on a few spells for you, and Samuel is off with the newest human liaison doing whatever it is they do.”
“Thank you,” Rachel said, taking the cup from the fae princess and taking a sip. It was perfect. “Where is Somnus?”
“Oh no! Trouble in paradise?” Gage laughed. Serena elbowed him in the ribs and he grunted.
“I think he said something about seeing Poseidon,” Serena answered. “He wanted to find out more about your powers.”
“Still a hard thing to wrap my brain around,” she admitted. “Big three. So, the God of the Sea could be my father.”
“Or Zeus or Hades,” Rebel chimed in. “Settle in, your breakfast is ready.”
He set a plate on the table with a tex-mex omelet, bacon, and toast on it. Then he poured a glass of juice and added that to the table as well. “Eat up.”
Rachel thanked him and took a seat. This time, when Rebel waited for her to take the first bite, she did it quickly and moaned. “Oh, this is good,” she said around her mouthful.
The smile that split across Rebel’s face was worth the burn on her tongue. It made him happy to cook, she realized, and even happier when people enjoyed it.
“He went for three centuries without eating,” Serena said, sitting next to her. “Then he mated with Leigh and now that’s all he does. Cooking. Eating. Cooking. More eating. He’s making up for lost time.”
“It’s okay,” Rachel laughed. “I like to eat, so it works out.”
“After you’re ready, I�
��m supposed to take you to the security office to meet with Sebastian. He’s interested in hearing your thoughts on our system.”
“Are you guys sure you want me? This is the home to the King and the Governor,” Rachel said, taking a bite of her toast.
“Why wouldn’t we?”
“Well, because, shouldn’t I be vetted or something?”
“You were vetted,” Gage told her. “The first time you were here. Jacque and I picked through your head pretty well.”
Her fork hit the plate pretty hard, making a loud clang. “You did what?” she demanded.
“Hey, don’t get all ballsy now,” Gage told her. “Like you said, this is my home and security has to be tight. We had to know what kind of crazy you were capable of.”
“You don’t have permission to pick through my brain whenever you want,” she replied. “Keep out.”
“Well yeah, we can’t do it now,” he said. “Someone taught you to block.”
“Well, what kind of crazy did you find?”
“Not much, really,” he admitted. “Nothing that would put us in danger anyway. You’re about as crazy as the rest of us, which isn’t a bad thing.”
“I would never betray any of you,” she vowed, forgiving him immediately for invading her privacy. “But still, stay out of my head.”
“Yes ma’am,” Gage said. “I got shit to do. I’m out.” Then he was gone.
Rachel shook her head like one would do with an impatient child. “I’m done. Whenever you want to go we can,” she told Serena.
Serena led her out of the house and down a long, covered pathway until they stopped at what looked like a tiny guard shack. Serena opened the doors, and after they were inside the little thing, she pushed a button. The floor began to move, descending at a rate of about a foot every thirty seconds. “Well, this is different,” Rachel mused as she watched the top get further away. When they stopped moving, another set of doors opened and they walked through.
Screens covered every wall in the large, squared, underground room. Each screen displayed a different part of the property, as well as whomever was on guard at the time. Several people worked at computers, including Sebastian.
“Hey,” he said. “Thanks for bringing her.”
“No problem,” Serena said. “I’m going back up, though. This place gives me the creeps.”
Rachel immediately walked to one of the screens, which had the front entrance on display. She could not only see the gates, but the street leading to the driveway as well. In fact, each screen enabled the viewer to witness all parts of the property and about a mile in any direction out from it.
“All of these monitors are connected via Bluetooth technology to the individual cameras on site,” Sebastian told her, coming to stand next to her. “We keep records for thirty days minimum, but longer if it takes us more time to watch it all.”
“Someone watches all the feeds?” she asked.
He nodded. “Yes, and if there’s nothing important, we erase it. But, once in a while, we catch someone trying to break in, or someone doing something they’re not supposed to be doing.”
He tapped her elbow and motioned for her to follow him to one of the terminals. “Go ahead,” he told her without explaining. “Have a look.”
Rachel immediately took control of the keyboard, fishing through the firewalls and looking for weak spots. “Well, there’s at least three security breaches with your OS and one possible key stroke logger on terminal sixteen,” she said without looking up.
“What?” Sebastian barked, leaning over her shoulder. “Where?”
“Here,” Rachel told him, pointing to the section of code on the screen. “I can fix that for you.”
“How did someone get a key stroke logger in here?” he asked her.
“Beats me, but I would guess your security isn’t as tight as you thought, or the vetting process needs to be tightened.”
Sebastian pressed his lips together in frustration. “Fine. Fix it. Now.”
“Easy there, buddy. I don’t work for you,” Rachel said playfully.
Sebastian shook his head. “You do now. I don’t care what it costs, just fix it.”
***
Even though Somnus enjoyed visiting with the Sea god and his mate very much, he had to get back home. He had to make sure that Rachel was doing all right with his family. All of them had promised, however unwillingly, that they would behave while he was gone. He had some very strong doubts about their conviction in that area.
When he entered his home, he knew immediately Rachel was not inside. “Where is she?” he demanded.
“With Sebastian,” his mother said, appearing in the room. “Doing what we asked her to do. She’s checking our security systems and making suggestions.”
“Is she okay?” he asked.
“Of course,” Azerial answered. “Are you?”
“Yeah, I’m good,” he told her.
“You don’t look very well,” she said. “It is time.”
“I can’t ask her to do that,” he said, “not yet.”
“You must feed. I’ll get you a bottle of blood.”
Somnus didn’t want it, but he knew his mother was right. She warmed it for him and set the bottle down in front of him. He glared at it. It wasn’t what he wanted. Drawing in a deep breath and holding it, Somnus turned the bottle up.
He managed to drink about half of it before his body realized what he was doing. When his stomach started to churn, he set the bottle back down. “I don’t think,” he started but it was too late. His body rejected the blood and he retched all over the floor.
From the corner of his eye, he saw Rachel walk in with Sebastian. He wanted to compose himself, but all he seemed to be able to do was vomit. In fact, there was so much blood, he began to wonder if he was bleeding internally or something. He’d only drank a few sips!
“Somnus!” Rachel screamed, running to his side. He could feel her hands on him and even through the horrific embarrassment he was feeling, her touch comforted him. “What’s wrong? Why isn’t someone doing something?”
“He’s fine,” Azerial told her. Somnus nodded and then heaved again.
“He’s not fine,” Rachel said. “Look at him! He’s hemorrhaging!”
“He just got a bit of bad blood,” Azerial said gently. “He’ll be fine once he purges it from his system.”
“How much did he drink?”
“Half a bottle,” she answered.
“How can that be?” Rachel asked, rubbing his back.
Good lord her touch was like heaven. He almost wanted to keep retching so she would keep touching him. Except he wasn’t a pansy. He stood up straight, looking toward the ceiling, forcing his breath in and out until the heaving stopped.
“It isn’t his mate’s,” Azerial said calmly.
“No,” Somnus argued, but he knew it was no use. His family had made sure to fill Rachel in on the specifics of vampire mating.
“I’ll feed him,” she offered.
Somnus shook his head. “You can’t.”
***
Rachel felt like someone had stabbed her right in the heart. Why couldn’t she feed him? He said she was his mate and he needed blood. So, what was the problem? Was her blood gross? Was it so unbearable to think about? Didn’t he want her?
All of the things Leigh and Frankie had told her came rushing back, but when she’d seen him doubled over and thought he was in danger, Rachel knew without a doubt she would do anything for him. Anything at all. She didn’t want to leave him someday, and she didn’t want anyone else. She wanted him.
He looked at her with sadness in his eyes, and it was all Rachel could do not to cry. She was wrong. On so many levels.
He didn’t really want her or a mate. He just wanted to protect her from the demon, because that was what he was trained to do. It was painfully clear how he felt, and she felt like a fool for letting herself fall for him. Not only that, but she’d fallen for his family as well.
; Backing up a few steps, Rachel shook her head. “You don’t want me,” she whispered. “I thought… it doesn’t matter. I’m sorry.” Then she turned and ran from the room, determined to get away from the embarrassment, the pain, and most of all, Somnus. She heard him calling her name, but she didn’t stop. All she wanted to do was gather her things and move to a different room. She would stay at the Knight Estate until the demon was handled, but after that, she was out.
When she got up the stairs and into his room, Somnus was already waiting for her.
“Rachel,” he pleaded with her, “You don’t understand.” He walked into the bathroom and rinsed his mouth out. “Let me explain,” he said when he returned.
“I understand just fine,” she grumbled, opening the drawer and taking out her things.
“No,” he said, grabbing her wrists and making her turn to look at him. “You don’t.”
“It’s alright,” she said. “You don’t have to take from me. I misunderstood the whole situation. It’s my fault. I just need to get out of here for now.”
Somnus growled and pulled her up against him, locking his arms around her. “Damn it,” he growled just as he lowered his head and pressed his lips against hers.
Time itself stopped. Rachel couldn’t breathe, she couldn’t think; hell, she was pretty sure her heart stopped beating for a moment as he tasted her lips. He sucked her bottom lip between his and then thrust his tongue into her mouth. Breathing is overrated, she thought as her arms went around his neck and her fingers weaved through the back of his thick hair. His mouth was hot on hers and tasted like mint.
He moved his hands down her back to the back of her thighs, then lifted her up. Instinctively, she wrapped her legs around his waist and he walked her until her back hit the wall. He never broke the kiss. He sucked and nibbled on her lips until they were swollen before moving away from her mouth. She sucked in a breath as he planted little kisses along the line of her jaw and then down the side of her neck.
She was on fire.
Wrapping her legs tighter around him, Rachel pressed her core against him. He pushed back, pinning her against the bedroom wall. She felt the scrape of fangs on her neck and she tilted her head back.
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