Blood Haze

by L. R. Potter

  “Did Arabella make it back?” Karmly asked, unaware of what had transpired at the hospital.

  “She’s upstairs. She’s… had a rough day,” Lynx replied.

  “Who’s Arabella?” Talon asked.

  Karmyl glanced at Lynx and gave a small shrug of her shoulders. Bracing for the coming battle, Lynx replied, “Arabella is the human I’m currently seeing. In fact she’s upstairs in the tub. You’ll all meet her tomorrow. She’ll be staying here for a couple days.”

  “What the hell are you thinking? A human? This close to the bleeding!” Nicolas roared.

  “Hmm, in the tub… I bet she’s all naked and soapy.” Talon laughed heartily at the dark expression his comment received from Lynx. “Is she at least attractive?” Talon grinned. “I’m assuming if she’s with you, you either gazed her, or she’s hideous… with warts, or some type of deformity,” he said, with a mock shudder.

  Lynx shook his head at Talon’s words before turning to address Nicolas’s. “Arabella is here and will be treated respectfully. She is not to be harmed in any way. She is not, and I repeat, NOT to be fed upon. Am I clear?”

  “Why do you persist in this type of behavior? I would have thought your tryst with Celeste would have been enough for you. This cannot end well.”

  Lynx cringed at his devastating loss of Celeste being described as a mere tryst. “This is not your concern, Nicolas.”

  Nicolas took a sip of his drink as he studied Lynx thoughtfully. “Does she know about us?”

  Lynx slowly shook his head.

  “Are you going to tell her?” he asked.

  “No,” Lynx replied quietly.

  Nicolas pursed his lips. “Well, that’s something at least.”

  “I expect everyone to be on their best behavior. Understood?” Lynx said to the group. One by one they nodded. “Good. I need to take dinner up to her. I’ll bid all of you a good night. I’ll see you at breakfast.”

  A round of good-nights followed him out of the room. The final words he heard were from the fun-loving Talon, “Oh, Selena’s going to love this!”

  Lynx groaned inwardly. Selena was going to be a problem he’d have to deal with later. While Selena was touted as being his ‘sister’, they actually were of no relation. She was one of the most beautiful vampires he’d ever seen… and the most broken. She’d tried numerous time over the years to entice him into a relationship with her, but she couldn’t let past things go and it’d made her bitter… bitter and hollow. They’d have to a have a long talk about Arabella once she arrived. Lynx felt the weight of trying to balance himself in between the world he actually lived and the world he wanted to have with the beautiful human upstairs. His lips thinned at the improbability of their worlds co-existing.

  He found Arabella standing on the edge of the balcony, staring out into the darkness. Even though he’d brought up her suitcase earlier, she was wearing another of his T-shirts, a look he found very appealing. He set the tray down and went to her. As in times past, he slipped up behind her and wrapped his arms around her middle. She seemed to melt into him. He pressed his lips against her still-damp hair.

  “Feel better?” he asked softly.

  She nodded.

  “Are you hungry?”

  This time she shook her head.

  “You need to eat,” he admonished.

  She turned in his arms and buried herself in his chest, “Take me to bed, Lynx. Take me to bed and make me forget this day,” she begged him quietly.

  He stared down at her for a long moment. In one swift movement, he scooped her up in his arms and carried her into the bedroom. Laying her on the bed, he came down over her and kissed her gently. She buried her hands in his hair and held his mouth firmly over hers. He slid his hands up the satin of her skin and he felt her shiver. He broke the kiss and grabbed the hem of the shirt and lifted it from her body. He sat back and gloried in her body. He cupped her breasts in his hands and stroked her nipples with his thumbs. She watched him with such longing, he nearly came undone.

  He crawled off the bed and slowly removed his clothes. She watched him avidly as piece by piece, his magnificent body was revealed to her. He came back over her and kissed her again, this time with more aggression. He stoked her tongue silkily with his own. He nipped her lips and kissed her over and over.

  Rising up, he stared down at her. “You are so beautiful,” he said, “So strong and brave.” He leaned down to kiss against her neck. “I’m very lucky to have you.” He began to kiss across her shoulder. “Never think that I won’t always come for you.” He kissed across her chest to lave over and over against her sensitized breasts. “You would definitely be missed.”

  She clutched his hair. “Lynx!” she whimpered as she rotated her hips beneath him.

  He kissed across the flat planes of her belly, rimming her bellybutton with his tongue. “Remember I told you from the very beginning, you belong to me. I keep what’s mine.” He kissed across to her hip and ran his tongue over it.

  Shuddering at the feel of his hands and lips on her body, she whispered, “You give me hope.”

  He grabbed her hips within his hands and lowered his lips to kiss the heart of her passion. The breath left her body in a rush when his tongue pushed inside her. He lapped against her and sucked in direct proportion to her cries. Curiously, she found herself pulling against his hair, when all she wanted was for him to continue doing what he was doing.

  “Lynxxx!” she moaned, drawing out his name as her body began to shift and move on its own accord.

  With one last nip, he rose up over her. They were both breathing heavy and the air was filled with the musky scent of sex. His arms trembled as a need greater than he’d ever experience came over him. In one swift movement, he launched himself into her. Her body immediately went off like a rocket. “God, oh, my God,” she cried.

  He stayed buried as deep as he could until her body quieted. “Arabella, my Arabella,” he whispered, as he began to slowly slide in and out of her body, the glide made easier with her recent organism. “I want you so damned much,” he whispered, “More than air; more than life.”

  “Hold me close,” she cried.

  He gathered her tightly to him as he continued to rock into her. Over and over, the feel of her tightening around him was driving him insane. “God, you feel so good,” he said against her ear.

  “Kiss me,” she said.

  “Man, you’ve gotten so bossy. I think I’m beginning to like bossy,” he said with a grin, right before he licked his way into her mouth and kissed her slowly and thoroughly. She began to whimper into his mouth. About ready to burst, he began to pound into her as hard as he could. He felt her go off once again and he couldn’t hold back any longer. Kissing her deeply, he rammed into her over and over, harder and faster, until blessedly, he spurted long and hard into her.

  The bandages on her hands scrapped against the skin on his back. In the crook of his neck, she whispered over and over, “Thank you, thank you, thank you!”

  He held her as she slept curled around him. He inhaled her scent and detected the medicinal smell of her blood. Not that he blamed her, she needed to sleep. Rhythmically, he stroked his hand up and down her arm. The words she’d whispered, right as she drifted off to sleep, sent shivers down his spine – I love you.

  That he loved her too, there was no doubt. But there just wasn’t a future for them. Their worlds were too far apart. Just for being a part of his world, she could be destroyed. If she ever found out about his world… what he truly was, she’d be destroyed. He could find no scenario where she’d make it out alive. He should let her go. He should send her away… but he just couldn’t bring himself to give her up. This beautiful love they shared would probably end up being the death for the both of them.

  ~X~

  He’d talked her into coming downstairs for breakfast. She’d wanted to wait just a little while longer before meeting his brothers and sister-in-law. Now, she wished she’d followed her own instincts. />
  “So, what is it that you do for living?” Nicolas asked as he precisely cut into his omelet.

  Arabella cleared her throat. Nicolas Rogan scared her. He was nearly the complete opposite of Lynx. He was cold and distance, and seemed to dislike her for some reason.

  “Umm, I own a small catering company,” she said as she wiped non-existence crumbs from her mouth with a linen napkin.

  He chewed thoughtfully.

  “How’d you meet?” Talon asked.

  Now, Talon she’d liked immediately. He was fun and flirty and obviously didn’t take life too seriously. She liked seeing this family dynamic. Lynx seemed to fall in the middle of these two. He was strong and confident like Nicolas obviously was, but then could be fun-loving like Talon as well.

  Before she could answer, Karmyl said from next to her, “Arabella also sings at the Night Owl. Lynx came to hear her sing and it was love at first sight.”

  “Oh good,” Nicolas said sarcastically, “A lounge singer.”

  “Nicolas,” Lynx said warningly.

  Anger settled in her belly. Brother or not, who did he think he was? “And what is it you do, Nick?” she asked, using the abbreviation of his name with derision.

  She felt Lynx tense beside her as Nicolas’s face tightened in anger. Talon snorted in laughter.

  “I prefer Nicolas, if you don’t mind,” he said to her. He turned his gaze to Lynx. “You should teach her some manners. She is a guest in our home and should behave accordingly,” he said icily.

  “Nicolas,” Lynx growled once more. “Watch yourself.”

  Arabella smirked behind her glass of orange juice. She really did not like Nicolas Rogan. But she really liked the fact she’d goaded him so easily. Bullies! She’d dealt with them all her life. All talk… no action. She was done holding her tongue.

  “Lynx, I thought you were going to take me on a tour of this big ole’ estate,” she said, knowing Nicolas thought she was some type of gold-digger.

  Lynx’s brows furrowed at her words and tone. “I have a few things I need to do in the office, then I’ll take you around,” he said.

  Running her hand up his, she pouted, “What am I supposed to do until then?” She almost burst out laughing at Nicolas’s expression.

  Before Lynx could answer, Talon said, “I’ll show you around. I know several spots I think you’ll find fascinating.”

  Immediately, Lynx said, “No!”

  She blinked at his tone. “Why not? I think it’s a marvelous idea. You go work, and your brother can show me around. It’ll give me a chance to get to know him.”

  He studied her for a long moment, trying to figure out her game, before shifting his gaze to his brother’s. “Fine. Talon, I swear if you lay one finger on her…”

  Talon grinned. “Who? Me? I would never. Are you ready now, lovely Arabella?”

  She grinned. “Yes!”

  Arabella found Lynx’s brother to be funny and charming. While he lacked Lynx’s depth of character, he really was fun. He’d given her the grand tour of the house, which was huge by any standards. Now, he was giving her a tour of the grounds, which included the paddock which held the horses she’d admired so many times from Lynx’s balcony.

  She cried in delight at the beautiful creatures and immediately went up to a horse with a coat the color of midnight. “He’s beautiful!”

  “Ahh, that is Nefarious. He can be quite the monster,” Talon said.

  “No way! He’s magnificent,” she said as she brushed his soft nose.

  “Like you, he’s magnificent if handled correctly,” he said with a smirk.

  Arabella rolled her eyes at him. “You are quite the womanizer, aren’t you, Talon?”

  “If by womanizer, you mean a lover of all women? Then yes.”

  She laughed. “Come on - oh, lover of all women – and show me the stables.

  “With pleasure,” he replied as he held out his arm for her to take.

  She grinned at his chivalry. “Why, thank you, kind sir,” she said with her best Southern drawl.

  She wrapped her hand around the bend of his elbow and was glad she was holding onto him when suddenly the familiar huge black spots began to appear before her eyes. She tried to blink the glimpsing away, but it was too strong. She felt Talon begin to walk forward and she followed his lead.

  She saw a car with a man and a woman inside. At first, she thought it was the same glimpsing as the one she’d had about Drew, but then she noticed the differences. The car was different and the woman was different. She had light-brown hair. She was moaning and shifting in her seat as a man leaned over her. When she saw the man, she assumed it was Talon, but then her stomach fell. It wasn’t Talon’s blonde head she saw… it was Lynx’s black head. He was kissing the woman’s neck as he’d kissed hers numerous times.

  She was struggling to break free from the glimpsing when something about it caught her attention. He was wearing a bright yellow shirt. She remembered that shirt. He’d been wearing it yesterday! He’d had an errand to run, he’d said. She now knew what that errand had been. He’d practically left her bed to go to another’s.

  Not able to take it anymore, she broke away from the glimpsing and pitched forward as blood began to run from her nose. Not able to catch herself, she stumbled to her knees. Firm hands grasped her shoulders, trying to keep her upright. “Arabella!” Talon cried.

  He pulled her upright and turned her to face him. He inhaled deeply when he saw the blood and caught its intoxicating scent. “Ahh, Arabella,” he whispered huskily. With her heart hammering in her chest at what she’d just seen, she stared blankly back at him, too stunned to notice the change in his demeanor. He pushed her back a little and she bumped against the wall of the stable. She caught her breath when he cupped her face in his hands and licked his lips.

  He stared down into her eyes for several long moments and slowly she began to become numb to everything. She stared blindly back at him. In a whisper he asked, “Do you know what the name Arabella means?”

  “Answered prayer,” she whispered back automatically.

  “In Italian, yes. But in Latin, it means ‘human altar’. What men have been laid at your feet, lovely Arabella?” he whispered, in a frantic, near frenzied tone.

  He ran his thumb into the blood on her lip before sticking it in his mouth. “God, you taste even better than you smell. I can see why Lynx is so taken with you.”

  She stared at him impassively. Slowly, he leaned forward and pressed his lips against her neck. She blinked and the first shimmering of fear assailed her. Suddenly, she heard Lynx roar, “Talon! No!” right before, Talon was lifted and thrown aside. She watched as Talon rose to his feet quickly, crouching, a weird expression of animalistic territorialism crossing his features.

  “Talon, leave now. Do you understand?” Lynx said harshly. Slowly, Talon’s features calmed and he seemed to shake off whatever strange trance he’d been under.

  “Lynx… I… I don’t know what came over me. I’m sorry. Nothing happened, I swear!” he said as he began to step backwards, away from them.

  Lynx turned back to her. “Are you hurt? Are you okay?”

  Her heart twisted in her chest at his betrayal. She never would have thought Lynx capable of hurting her in this way. He’d known how much it’d hurt when Drew had done it. She needed time to think. She couldn’t do it while under his influence. Slowly, she shook her head. “No. I just fell. He helped me up. I’m okay. But I’d really like to go back to the room, if that’s okay,” she said staring just over his shoulder. She didn’t want to look at him right then.

  Lynx pursed his lips before snatching his shirt off. The sight of his beautiful chest made her chest ache worse. The thought of all she stood to lose flooded her. This hurt so much! She clamped down lips that wanted to tremble. No! She was not going to be a party to this. Was this the way all men were?

  When he pressed his shirt against her nose, she flinched and took the shirt from his hands. “I’ve got it, th
anks,” she mumbled, stepping around him to make her way back to the house.

  He caught up to her easily. “Did Talon say something to upset you?”

  “No.”

  “Do you want talk about your vision?” he asked.

  She stumbled at the picture of him kissing the other woman’s neck. “No!” she said adamantly.

  He grabbed her shoulders from behind and brought her up next to his body. “Tell me what you saw. It obviously has you upset.”

  She jerked away from him and quickly began to move forward again. “You promised I could keep them to myself,” she mumbled into his shirt grasped in her hands.

  Catching her again and swinging her around, he said, “I said if they didn’t cause you harm or come between us. This is coming between us.”

  She twisted away from him. “I don’t… I can’t talk about it right now. I need to think. I… I want to go home.”

  He stilled and dropped his hands. She expected him to roar and demand her to stay. Her heart twisted violently in her chest, when he said quietly, “That’s probably for the best.”

  She nodded jerkily before turning around and heading toward the massive house.

  She made her way quickly up the marble staircase, thankful she hadn’t run into anyone. Lynx followed more slowly behind her. He sat on the bed and watched her as she repacked her suitcase. When she snapped it closed, he said, “Will you be alright?”

  Pain slashed at her and she struggled to breath. This man… this man that she loved, who she’d thought might be falling in love with her, had placed his lips… lips that made her burn… against someone else’s skin. She looked at his beautiful, rakish features and her heart hammered in her burning chest. She’d been right, this hurt way more than anything Drew could have done to her. Unable to resist, she asked, “Who were you with yesterday?”

  He blinked at her rapidly, before answering, “I don’t know what you mean.”