Rose had suddenly lost her ability to breathe. Her chest felt tight, and her eyes burned from the strange emotions bubbling up inside her. Then, for reasons Rose herself didn’t understand, Rose reached out and touched the flower on Kara’s hip. Her fingers traced the tattoo so softly that Kara shuddered at the sensation. “I like that story,” Rose breathed, her heart racing against her chest.
Kara’s cornflower-blue eyes seemed to pierce straight through Rose, and they were so dark and dilated by now that they seemed to have become another shade of blue entirely. Her breathing sounded uneven and labored. It was strange to see Kara look so affected by something, Rose thought. She always seemed so confident and in control, but now, she seemed as uncertain and overwhelmed as Rose currently felt. Kara leaned forward, and Rose’s eyes suddenly shifted to meet hers, stunned by how close they stood to each other, by how Kara’s breath felt hot against her lips. Kara’s eyes darted briefly toward Rose’s lips, and then, she tilted her head and brushed her lips against Rose’s lips.
The door suddenly opened. “There you are!” Erik exclaimed excitedly.
That snapped Rose out of her daze. “I…I need air,” she sputtered.
Kara frowned as Rose rushed out of the crypt, pushing Erik out of her way as she ran out into the snowy cemetery. “Thank you, Erik,” Kara grumbled.
Erik stared down into the crypt with a wide, amused grin. “What? It’s not my fault she ran away,” he muttered. “You’re the one who tried to kiss her.”
Kara scowled at him. “Remind me why I tolerate you?”
“I’m like family,” Erik said, smiling. “I annoy you, but you still love me.”
Kara wrinkled her nose at him. “Love is a strong word.”
Erik’s smile faded. “Like?”
“Like is a strong word, too,” Kara muttered as she walked up the steps.
“Mildly appreciate my company?” Erik tried hopefully.
Kara shrugged one shoulder. “Maybe.”
“Maybe?” Erik repeated, pouting at her. “That’s all? Just…maybe?”
Kara brushed past him. “You should have let me kiss her.”
—
Rose nearly jumped out of the bed when she heard the door creak open.
Erik laughed as he closed the door behind him. He crossed the room and sat down on the bed, his green eyes sparkling with amusement as he glanced up at her. “You can relax. Kara isn’t with me. She’s staying with Elise tonight.”
Rose folded her leg beneath her and tried to appear nonchalant. “Kara?” she laughed. Her voice sounded strangely high-pitched and breathless, and her face flushed bright pink. She looked down at the novel in her hand and flipped to the next page. “I wasn’t worried about Kara. You just startled me. That’s all.”
Erik smirked at her. “Right,” he said skeptically.
Rose shrugged a little too aggressively. It looked so forced that Erik actually started laughing, much to Rose’s dismay. Her face turned an even darker shade of pink. “Why would I care if Kara was with you?” she asked, her words rushed. “Nothing happened between Kara and me. Maybe you thought you saw something, but you didn’t. We were not going to kiss, if that’s what you thought.”
Erik snorted, “If you say so.”
“We were just talking,” Rose said irritably.
His grin widened. “Okay.”
“I’m serious,” she grumbled. “We were talking about her tattoo.”
He raised an eyebrow. “Is tattoo code for something? Or…”
Her eyes narrowed. “No, it is not code for something,” she growled.
Erik laughed loudly. “Ah, don’t worry,” he snorted as he pulled off his boots. “It’s not like you’re the first woman I’ve known to fall for Kara’s charms.”
Rose scowled at him. “I haven’t…” she trailed off, giving up on the argument. “Never mind,” she sighed irritably. “Why isn’t Kallias with you?”
“I think he’s still arguing with Aaron,” Erik muttered, “about you.”
“Me?” she repeated, frowning. “Why would they be arguing about me?”
“Aaron has something he wants you to do, I think,” Erik said. He waved his hand dismissively. “I don’t know. I wasn’t paying much attention to them.”
Rose sighed, “So…I’m guessing you didn’t find Alana tonight?”
“Of course not,” Erik grumbled. He reached out and grabbed the television remote from the nightstand. “She evaded us all night, just as Kara said she’d do.” He grimaced. “She’s feeding from someone right now. I can feel it.”
“Who? Alana?” Rose squeaked, her eyes wide. “That’s…weird.”
“It’s making me extremely hungry,” Erik said, staring at the television.
“Oh,” she said, her brows furrowing. “Uh…”
He tilted his head back, his eyes sliding closed. “She’s feeding from a human. I can practically taste it,” he groaned. He opened his eyes and looked over at Rose, his eyes dark with hunger. “Talk about something. Distract me.”
“Um, okay,” Rose said uneasily, frowning as she tried to think of something to say. “Kara called me something tonight—ást. What does it mean?”
“It’s a Norse word,” Erik said distractedly. “It’s a term of endearment.”
She nodded. “Right,” she said. “So, what’s its equivalent in English?”
“Beloved or love,” he answered automatically. He frowned at her, then. She finally had his full attention. “Wait. Kara called you that?” he asked, shocked.
“Yeah,” Rose said, her brows furrowing. “Why?”
His frown deepened. “It’s just…that’s more of an affectionate word than a flirtatious word. I wouldn’t expect Kara to use it. It’s too sentimental.”
“Why are you looking at me like I just confessed to murder?” Rose said.
Erik snorted, “Murder would be less shocking.”
15
Aaron’s Request
The next night, Rose stood in front of the bathroom mirror, staring at her reflection, as she brushed her teeth. Her disheveled, auburn hair spilled over her shoulders, the red hair shining brightly against her green shirt. Her bright blue eyes looked tired, still, probably because of all of the nightmares, and her fair skin looked paler than usual. Rose sighed and spit out her toothpaste.
“How is your hunger?” Kallias asked from the doorway.
She looked back at the mirror, making eye contact with his reflection. He leaned against the doorframe behind her, his arms crossed, causing his leather jacket to stretch tight against his arms. She turned on the faucet and held her toothbrush underneath the water, rinsing it off. “I’m fine,” she muttered.
“You’re lying,” Kallias said tiredly. “I can feel your hunger. It’s painful.”
Rose turned off the water and set her toothbrush aside. “Why do you even care? I’m not around humans. I’m not going to accidentally kill someone.”
“I care because I don’t want you to suffer, obviously,” Kallias said, his voice sharp. Then, the frustration seemed to rush out of him, all of the sudden, replaced by exasperation. “And because…if something does happen to you, and you haven’t fed recently, your body won’t be able to heal itself as easily.”
Rose turned to face him. “Nothing is going to happen to me.”
“It might,” he said, “especially since you make such reckless decisions.”
She threw her head back and groaned in frustration. She brushed past him, stepping back into the room, where Erik sat in the office chair, watching them. “For the last time, staying here with Kara last night was not reckless,” she told Kallias irritably, “and staying here with Aaron tonight isn’t reckless either.”
“Aaron has killed people like you,” Kallias said in a low, quiet tone.
Rose turned back toward him. “He told you that he wants me to stay here tonight, right? That he needs me for something? That means I have to stay.”
“You could refuse,” he argued. �
�Tell him that you’re coming with us.”
She shrugged tiredly. “He must have a reason for wanting me to stay.”
“Yeah,” he snarled, “and it could be that he wants to kill you.”
Rose scowled at him. “I doubt it.”
“Are you really going to take the chance?” he asked incredulously.
She flashed a sassy smile at him. “What can I say? I’m curious.”
Kallias threw up his hands in frustration. “Like I said! Reckless!” he yelled at no one in particular. He leaned against the wall, rolling his eyes. “Why did I have to fall in love with such a difficult person?” he complained grumpily.
Rose laughed at him. “Calm down. I’ll be fine.”
Kallias turned to Erik. “Help me talk her out of staying.”
Erik leaned back in the office chair, causing the front wheels to lift off of the floor. He shrugged. “I’m actually with her on this one,” he said. “She’s much more likely to die for refusing Aaron’s request than she is by staying here.”
Kallias glared murderously at Erik. “Traitor,” he growled.
Erik cringed. “Sorry.”
“So, what will you two be doing tonight?” Rose asked curiously.
Erik shrugged. “We should probably talk to Kara about that.”
“Where the hell is she anyway?” Kallias asked angrily.
Rose raised an eyebrow at his rudeness. “She’s with Elise.”
“Well, we need to talk to her,” Kallias added grumpily.
“Okay…” Rose said, drawing out the word. She turned toward Erik. “I’ll go find Kara. You take care of Mr. Grumpy’s bad mood while I’m gone.”
Kallias narrowed his eyes at her teasing.
“I’ll try,” Erik laughed. “Elise’s room number is fifty-three, I think.”
—
Just as Rose began to wonder if maybe it had been a bad idea to just show up at Elise’s door without any warning, the door opened to reveal a very naked Elise. With a smile pulling at her lips, Elise stood casually in the doorway, her bare hip pressed against the doorframe, her elbow propped against the door, her blonde, spiral curls falling over her arm and shoulders. Every inch of her perfect, fair skin was bare, visible to anyone who might walk by, and yet, she looked completely comfortable, posing naked in the doorway, like a model.
Rose stared speechlessly at Elise, her eyes wide and her mouth ajar.
“Hello, Rose,” Elise murmured. “What can I do for you?”
“Uh…” Rose stammered. “You’re a little…naked.”
Elise giggled, her blue-gray eyes sparkling with amusement. “Am I?”
In an attempt to keep her gaze above Elise’s shoulders, Rose stared very deliberately at a single spiral curl that hung over Elise’s forehead. “Yes. You are.”
“You’re so adorable,” Elise laughed. “Would you like to come inside?”
Rose blushed. “I was just looking for Kara, actually.”
Elise stepped aside, revealing a dimly-lit room that looked similar to Kara’s room, except more…decorated. Large, modern paintings covered every wall, and several vases of roses and a few small candles covered the surfaces of the furniture. The bed closest to the door was covered in white, silk bedding, and beneath a thin, silk sheet, Kara lay there, her arm folded beneath her head, a cocky smirk pulling at her lips as she stared at Rose. “She’s in here,” Elise said, even though Rose had already noticed. “Come inside. I was just heading to the shower.” She smiled and gestured toward the bed. “Make yourself at home.”
“Oh, no, I just need to talk to her,” Rose said quickly.
Elise grinned. “Mm-hmm.” She turned and strolled into the bathroom, completely unashamed of her nudity. The bathroom door closed with a soft click.
Rose continued to stand awkwardly in the hallway, trying not to notice how the white, silk sheet molded to every curve of Kara’s body or how one of Kara’s legs had been left uncovered, the soft, fair skin of her thigh and leg bare.
Kara smiled knowingly at her and shifted on the bed, causing the sheet to slide higher around her hip. Another tattoo ran up along her inner thigh, a tattoo of an intricately-drawn sword, encircled by vines and colorful roses, the vines trailing up higher than the sword, leading toward the center of her legs.
Rose’s face suddenly felt a thousand degrees hotter. “I…” she stammered. She stepped back. “I think I’m just going to go back to the room.”
Rose turned on her heels with every intention of running back to her room and hiding until her face turned a normal color again, but before she could take a step into the hallway, a hand wrapped around her wrist and tugged her into the room. Rose squeaked in surprise as she found herself trapped between the wall and Kara. “What are you doing?” Rose sputtered, her cheeks flushing.
Kara closed the door. “Waiting for you to tell me what you needed.”
Rose leaned heavily against the wall, attempting to put as much space between them as possible. She swallowed uneasily. “You’re extremely naked.”
Kara’s lips quirked up in amusement. “Extremely?”
Rose desperately tried to stare straight ahead and not allow her gaze to sweep low, over the soft, fair skin of Kara’s body, down to the small, perky breasts with light pink nipples, down to the intricate flower tattoo that curled around Kara’s hip, down to the triangle of curls between her legs… But yeah, she failed. Obviously. Rose felt her body temperature spike drastically, her heart hammering inside her chest, and she was pretty sure that her skin would melt off of her cheek bones if she blushed any harder. “Yes,” she squeaked. “Extremely.”
Kara smiled lazily. “Like what you see?”
“Yes. I mean no! I mean…” Rose sputtered. “That’s not what I meant.”
Kara laughed, “Which part? The yes or the no?”
“Can you just get dressed?” Rose asked nervously. “Please?”
Kara shrugged one shoulder and walked back to the bed, leaving Rose leaning against the wall, trying not to stare at her backside as she walked away. Kara knelt and scooped up her clothes from the floor, the muscles of her back flexing slightly, drawing Rose’s attention to the dragon that snaked up Kara’s spine. Rose focused her gaze on the vase of white roses beside her as she waited for Kara to slide on her black leather pants and slip her black tank top over her head. A pair of black, lacy panties and a black sports bra lay at Kara’s feet, but she finished dressing anyway, apparently deciding to forgo the underwear.
“Okay. I’m no longer extremely naked,” Kara teased, smiling. “So, talk.”
Rose blushed. “I’m really sorry. I didn’t mean to interrupt anything,” she mumbled guiltily, waving her hand at the bed and its tousled white sheets.
Kara grinned wickedly. “We’d already finished. Many times.”
Rose’s eyes widened. “I…uh… I didn’t need to know that.”
“Rose,” Kara laughed, clearly amused, “what did you need?”
“Kallias sent me to get you,” Rose explained. “We were discussing what we’re doing tonight, and I think he wanted to find out what your plans were.”
Kara nodded. “Of course,” she said seriously. She raked her fingers back through her silky, black-and-blue hair and stepped past Rose. “Let’s go, then.”
“Uh…” Rose stammered. She pointed awkwardly at the panties and bra that still lay in the floor, her face reddening. “I think you forgot something.”
Kara cast a curious glance behind her. “Oh, I did, didn’t I?” she laughed as she noticed the underwear. She returned to them and scooped them up in one hand. Then, she flashed a flirty smile at Rose. “Thank you for noticing.”
Heat flooded to Rose’s face. “No, I didn’t… I wasn’t… I just saw…”
“Relax,” Kara laughed. She walked over to Rose, her bare feet tapping softly against the marble floor. She leaned in close, close enough for Rose to smell the scent of violets on her skin and the blood on her breath. Her flirty, mischievous smil
e deepened as she whispered, “I love the way you look at me.”
Rose blanched in horror. “There’s…um…a way?” she stuttered.
Kara’s icy blue eyes sparkled with amusement. “Elise is right. You are adorable,” she laughed. She headed toward the door, grabbing her boots.
Rose followed Kara as she walked out into the hallway. “Huh, I never realized that adorable and embarrassingly awkward were synonyms,” she said dryly.
—
“Finally,” Kallias grunted when Rose and Kara returned to the room.
Rose closed the door and glanced at Erik, pursing her lips when she found him still lounging in the office chair. “You were supposed to fix this.”
“I tried,” Erik said defensively. He rocked back in the chair and shrugged. “I’m not a miracle-worker. Besides, you’re the one who pissed him off.”
Rose rolled her eyes. “I haven’t even done anything yet.”
“Yet is the key word,” Kallias muttered grumpily.
Kara tossed her boots on the floor, beside the door, and shifted her icy blue gaze around the room. “What do you mean? What is she going to do?”
“Aaron wants her to stay here tonight,” Kallias answered, “with him.”
Kara nodded. “Yeah, I know,” she sighed. “He told me last night.”
“Did he tell you why he wants me to stay, by any chance?” Rose asked.
“Aaron never explains why he wants something,” Kara said.
Kallias pushed away from the doorframe, where he’d stood with his arms crossed for the last several minutes. “Tell her not to stay,” he told Kara.
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