One Grave at a Time
Page 25
"You did the right thing bringing her here," Bones said to Ian, and I had to agree. I'd thought keeping her with Spade and Denise would be safer, but not if she was still struggling with her hunger enough to attempt feeding from people who were off the menu.
"What triggered this, Mom? Do you know, so we can prevent it from happening again?"
"Ah, and here's the richest part," Ian said, elbowing my mother.
She smacked at his arm, still not making eye contact with anyone in the room. "I've got it under control now."
Ian laughed out loud at that. "No vampire can stop feeding and be under any control for long, my pretty little imbecile."
I was so stunned by his statement that I didn't react to the insult. "You haven't been feeding? But all those times you went out saying you were going to-"
"Lies, lies, lies," Ian said cheerfully. "I'm the last person to judge for that, but she actually thought she could sustain herself by sucking the blood out of raw meat packages-and while that's funny in a dozen different ways, it's not practical in the least."
Bones had his emotions tamped down, a sign that whatever he was feeling toward her right now wasn't something he wanted to share with me. If it was anything like my emotions, he wanted to shake her while screaming, Are you out of your f**king mind? With everything going on, you have to decide that you're going to be the world's only vegetarian vampire? Did it ever occur to you what would happen if your brilliant plan didn't WORK?
But I said none of those things, partly because it was clear Ian had already given her his unedited opinion on her ill-fated scheme, and also because she looked like she was about to cry. I could count on one hand the times I'd seen my mother cry, and it wasn't something I wanted to see again, let alone cause.
"Okay," I said, taking in a deep breath to quell the part of me that still wanted to go with the shake-and-scream approach. "How long have you been attempting to live off meat package blood?"
"Since I quit the team," she mumbled. "Tate used to give me bagged plasma, but once I left, I knew that wouldn't happen anymore, so I tried to find an alternative."
My eyes bugged as I calculated the time. Bones still said nothing, his face carefully expressionless and his aura closed off like a vault. Tyler wasn't nearly as locked down in his reaction. Bitch, you are SO lucky you didn't try to eat my dog, rang across my mind.
"Okay." My voice was almost a squeak with my incredulity. "That didn't work, so, uh, who'd you try to eat?"
She said nothing, worrying her lower lip between teeth that were harmlessly flat at the moment.
"Francine got frightened by a noise and cut herself after squeezing a sage glass too hard," Ian supplied. "Your mum pounced on her and started sucking away. Would've been arousing if not for all the screaming."
"Ian," Bones drew out warningly.
He grinned. "You're right. I was aroused anyway."
I punched him in the chest without even thinking about it. My mother's bottom lip quivered.
"I didn't mean to. I just couldn't stop myself."
"Of course you couldn't. You're a vampire."
The exasperated statement came not from me, though I'd been thinking it, or from the other two vampires in the room. It came from Tyler, who climbed down the stairs even though the increased smoke made him cough.
"You know: fangs, flashy green eyes, and superspeed? All that caught your attention already?" At her scoff, he added, "So why'd you think you could opt out of the 'drinking human blood' part?"
"I refuse to tear into someone's flesh, holding them down and stealing their blood . . ." Something dark flashed across her expression before her features twisted in pain. "I won't do that again. Ever."
Her tone hardened at that last word, and I knew she was remembering her first days as a vampire when the prick who sired her threw in humans with her. It took the last of my anger from me, though a bucketload of frustration still remained.
"There's no need to harm anyone when you feed, Justina," Bones said. "But as you've discovered, you can't wish away your need for blood, and animal blood will not suffice for long."
"Maybe I just need more of it. There wasn't a lot in those meat packages," she insisted.
A mental image of my mother sneaking around at night to suck on cattle or goats crossed my mind. What if that was the real source of the Chupacabra legend, and they were actually vampires in denial like she was? Nothing would surprise me right now.
"You could drink a slaughterhouse dry, and you'd still lust over the first human you chanced upon," Ian replied pitilessly. "Be easier on our kind if we didn't need human blood, but we do, and you're no exception."
"Even if I wouldn't hurt them, I refuse to force anyone to give me their blood by ripping away their willpower," my mother said. "So unless I start stealing from blood banks, I don't see another solution."
"Drink me."
My head swung in Tyler's direction with almost the same amount of disbelief my mother showed. Tyler shrugged.
"None of her concerns apply with me because I'm offering, so she won't be ripping away my willpower, and she damn sure won't be holding me down and tearing open my anything."
"Are you sure?" I'd hate for him to feel pressured because he was the only person here with a pulse. We could make other arrangements. Lots of vampires had willing donors. A few phone calls, and we could have a donor here although that person would have to leave right away because of Kramer and his whole kill first, say hello later tendency.
"I'd rather have her drink a little from me now with someone here to control her than sit around waiting for her to lose it again." Then Tyler's stare turned pointed as he looked at my mother. "And you will lose it again. You're already looking at me like I'm a big juicy steak. Can't kick you out, either. Cat would just worry herself sick about you and every other fool near enough for you to bite."
Then he turned to Bones, folding his arms. This offer ain't free, but we'll talk price when Mama's not here, and so you know? I don't come cheap, he thought at him in a clear, concise way.
I had no qualms about paying him. That seemed a far better trade than Tyler's offering out of guilt or compulsion. The barest smile touched Bones's mouth. He nodded once, and Tyler rolled up his sleeve, holding his bare arm out.
"I didn't say I would do this," my mother argued, but her gaze welded onto the veins throbbing beneath his coffee-colored skin.
Ian snorted. "I've never heard a less convincing protest."
"You're doing this, and you're doing it now," I told her sternly. "Tyler's right. You're a danger to him and every other human until you get your hunger under control, and I know you don't want to hurt anyone by accident."
I didn't say again, but the word hung unspoken in the air. My mother tore her gaze away from Tyler's flesh to look first at me, then Bones. She squirmed.
"I can't do it with you two watching me," she finally stated.
"What?" I sputtered.
She waved an impatient hand. "It's too weird. You're my daughter, and he"-she looked at Bones, who flashed her an impudent grin-"he's too arrogant," she finished.
"No one's more arrogant than Ian," I said under my breath.
He winked at me. "Thank you, Reaper."
Bones rested his hand on my back. "Come on, Kitten, let's leave them to it. Ian, I charge you with their safety. We'll be back later."
I looked at Tyler, but instead of any concern about Bones and me leaving, his thoughts were busy contemplating things about Ian that I didn't need to hear. "Are you okay with only them?" I asked anyway.
"Fine. Shoo," he said, flicking his fingers for emphasis.
"Okay, we'll see you soon."
Bones propelled me up the stairs, his mood seeming to lighten with every step.
"I'm certain it won't be that soon," Ian called out.
I wasn't a hundred percent sure, but I thought I caught Bones muttering, "Right you are, mate."
Chapter Twenty-Nine
The lights from Sioux City glittered in the distance like diamonds flung on the ground. Below us stretched mile upon mile of farmland, interrupted every so often by houses, roads, and factories. I wasn't worried about being spotted. For one, it was night, and with our black clothes at this height, we'd be practically invisible. For another, we were outside the city limits in the rural counties, where agriculture far outnumbered people.
"This was a good idea," I murmured.
I'd thought we were just going to wait in the demolished family room until Ian announced the all clear, but Bones took me in his arms and blasted us away before Kramer could even poltergeist up some boards to fling after us. Now we were miles away from the house, high enough that I had no one's thoughts in my head but my own, and it was just the two of us. Finally, for the first time in weeks, we were alone, no one right outside our door or floating threateningly around the house.
Bones tightened his hand on mine. We were spread out like two birds-arms extended, legs straight, the wind rushing around us like an invisible waterfall. This was the first time I'd flown when we didn't have some pressing agenda to accomplish, and though it was cold up here, I didn't mind. I felt wonderfully free. The chill in the air was such a small price to pay for that.
"Before we met, I'd fly for hours to clear my head," Bones said, his voice reaching me even over the rush of wind. "It was the closest I came to finding peace, but though several of my mates could fly, I always went alone. I never wanted to share this with anyone until you."
I looked over at him, struck by more than the perfection of his features or how the wind made his clothes cling to him like a second skin. His mouth curved in the type of smile I hadn't seen on him in a long time-carefree, and the emotions rubbing my subconscious were edged with a joy that made me want to move heaven and earth so he could feel it all the time.
"I'm so glad to be here with you like this," I whispered. It had taken years filled with more trials and pain than I thought I could endure to bring me to the point where I could soar by his side, but I'd do it all again, a thousand times over, to share this moment with him.
He smiled. "Speak up a bit, luv. Can't hear you with this wind."
I rolled myself beneath his outstretched arm instead, not stopping until I'd maneuvered myself under his body. He folded his arms around me, our bodies still streamlining across the midnight-colored sky. Bones was dressed the same way I was, in a black, long-sleeved shirt with matching pants and boots, but his neck was bare. I pressed my mouth there, savoring his moan as my tongue crept out to taste his skin.
"You remember the first time I did that?" I murmured, slipping my arms around him.
"We were dancing." His voice was richer with the desire I felt rising in him. "And you were taunting me with how much I wanted you."
I smiled against his skin, tracing another sensitive spot with my tongue and enjoying his resulting shudder.
"I didn't know that then. I just thought you were easy."
His laugh rumbled out, hard arms tightening around me. "I was, but I still wanted you more than I believed possible. You don't know how mad you drove me those first several weeks. It tormented me seeing you every day and being unable to touch you because you hated me."
"I hated myself more." Another whisper, but this one he heard. "You showed me how to accept myself, and I loved you long before I could admit it to you."
His head dipped, cool lips covering my own. I opened my mouth, seeking his taste, moaning at the velvety softness of his tongue and the two sharp fangs that now protruded from his teeth. Mine slid out as well, grazing his when our kiss deepened, and he slanted his mouth over mine.
His power enveloped me, brushing along my senses with a depth that went well beyond lust. Our tongues twined together, that intimate dance sending waves of sensation through my nerve endings. I slid my leg around his hips, rubbing against him in silent, hungry invitation. His hand moved lower, clasping me closer, and the friction when he arched his h*ps made starbursts go off in my loins. His body was so hard, so sleek, so filled with pulsating energy, and the cradle of wind against us only aroused me more. This wouldn't be like those stolen moments in the cellar with Tyler in the pantry at the top of the stairs and an angry ghost hurling threats and curses outside. This moment was ours, and we had as far as we could fly in the wide-open expanse of sky to savor it.
Unless, of course, this sort of thing couldn't be done while flying. From the thick length pressing against me combined with the devastating way Bones rocked his hips, he wasn't teasing. He had more than enough power to keep us aloft, but flying also required concentration. I didn't think I was supporting myself in the air any longer. I was too focused on the sensual way his tongue tangled with mine and the bursts of pleasure that unfurled every time that bulge rubbed my clitoris. I'd probably have tumbled right out of the sky if not for his arms around me.
Even if he could keep us in the air the whole time, that had its own set of complications. Bashing into some small private aircraft because Bones's attention was focused on the radar below his waist instead of what was around us would be tragic for everyone. Maybe seeking out a spot in one of the fields below was the best idea. Yet there was something electrifying about touching each other while soaring through the air that made me want to stay up here.
"What triggered this, Mom? Do you know, so we can prevent it from happening again?"
"Ah, and here's the richest part," Ian said, elbowing my mother.
She smacked at his arm, still not making eye contact with anyone in the room. "I've got it under control now."
Ian laughed out loud at that. "No vampire can stop feeding and be under any control for long, my pretty little imbecile."
I was so stunned by his statement that I didn't react to the insult. "You haven't been feeding? But all those times you went out saying you were going to-"
"Lies, lies, lies," Ian said cheerfully. "I'm the last person to judge for that, but she actually thought she could sustain herself by sucking the blood out of raw meat packages-and while that's funny in a dozen different ways, it's not practical in the least."
Bones had his emotions tamped down, a sign that whatever he was feeling toward her right now wasn't something he wanted to share with me. If it was anything like my emotions, he wanted to shake her while screaming, Are you out of your f**king mind? With everything going on, you have to decide that you're going to be the world's only vegetarian vampire? Did it ever occur to you what would happen if your brilliant plan didn't WORK?
But I said none of those things, partly because it was clear Ian had already given her his unedited opinion on her ill-fated scheme, and also because she looked like she was about to cry. I could count on one hand the times I'd seen my mother cry, and it wasn't something I wanted to see again, let alone cause.
"Okay," I said, taking in a deep breath to quell the part of me that still wanted to go with the shake-and-scream approach. "How long have you been attempting to live off meat package blood?"
"Since I quit the team," she mumbled. "Tate used to give me bagged plasma, but once I left, I knew that wouldn't happen anymore, so I tried to find an alternative."
My eyes bugged as I calculated the time. Bones still said nothing, his face carefully expressionless and his aura closed off like a vault. Tyler wasn't nearly as locked down in his reaction. Bitch, you are SO lucky you didn't try to eat my dog, rang across my mind.
"Okay." My voice was almost a squeak with my incredulity. "That didn't work, so, uh, who'd you try to eat?"
She said nothing, worrying her lower lip between teeth that were harmlessly flat at the moment.
"Francine got frightened by a noise and cut herself after squeezing a sage glass too hard," Ian supplied. "Your mum pounced on her and started sucking away. Would've been arousing if not for all the screaming."
"Ian," Bones drew out warningly.
He grinned. "You're right. I was aroused anyway."
I punched him in the chest without even thinking about it. My mother's bottom lip quivered.
"I didn't mean to. I just couldn't stop myself."
"Of course you couldn't. You're a vampire."
The exasperated statement came not from me, though I'd been thinking it, or from the other two vampires in the room. It came from Tyler, who climbed down the stairs even though the increased smoke made him cough.
"You know: fangs, flashy green eyes, and superspeed? All that caught your attention already?" At her scoff, he added, "So why'd you think you could opt out of the 'drinking human blood' part?"
"I refuse to tear into someone's flesh, holding them down and stealing their blood . . ." Something dark flashed across her expression before her features twisted in pain. "I won't do that again. Ever."
Her tone hardened at that last word, and I knew she was remembering her first days as a vampire when the prick who sired her threw in humans with her. It took the last of my anger from me, though a bucketload of frustration still remained.
"There's no need to harm anyone when you feed, Justina," Bones said. "But as you've discovered, you can't wish away your need for blood, and animal blood will not suffice for long."
"Maybe I just need more of it. There wasn't a lot in those meat packages," she insisted.
A mental image of my mother sneaking around at night to suck on cattle or goats crossed my mind. What if that was the real source of the Chupacabra legend, and they were actually vampires in denial like she was? Nothing would surprise me right now.
"You could drink a slaughterhouse dry, and you'd still lust over the first human you chanced upon," Ian replied pitilessly. "Be easier on our kind if we didn't need human blood, but we do, and you're no exception."
"Even if I wouldn't hurt them, I refuse to force anyone to give me their blood by ripping away their willpower," my mother said. "So unless I start stealing from blood banks, I don't see another solution."
"Drink me."
My head swung in Tyler's direction with almost the same amount of disbelief my mother showed. Tyler shrugged.
"None of her concerns apply with me because I'm offering, so she won't be ripping away my willpower, and she damn sure won't be holding me down and tearing open my anything."
"Are you sure?" I'd hate for him to feel pressured because he was the only person here with a pulse. We could make other arrangements. Lots of vampires had willing donors. A few phone calls, and we could have a donor here although that person would have to leave right away because of Kramer and his whole kill first, say hello later tendency.
"I'd rather have her drink a little from me now with someone here to control her than sit around waiting for her to lose it again." Then Tyler's stare turned pointed as he looked at my mother. "And you will lose it again. You're already looking at me like I'm a big juicy steak. Can't kick you out, either. Cat would just worry herself sick about you and every other fool near enough for you to bite."
Then he turned to Bones, folding his arms. This offer ain't free, but we'll talk price when Mama's not here, and so you know? I don't come cheap, he thought at him in a clear, concise way.
I had no qualms about paying him. That seemed a far better trade than Tyler's offering out of guilt or compulsion. The barest smile touched Bones's mouth. He nodded once, and Tyler rolled up his sleeve, holding his bare arm out.
"I didn't say I would do this," my mother argued, but her gaze welded onto the veins throbbing beneath his coffee-colored skin.
Ian snorted. "I've never heard a less convincing protest."
"You're doing this, and you're doing it now," I told her sternly. "Tyler's right. You're a danger to him and every other human until you get your hunger under control, and I know you don't want to hurt anyone by accident."
I didn't say again, but the word hung unspoken in the air. My mother tore her gaze away from Tyler's flesh to look first at me, then Bones. She squirmed.
"I can't do it with you two watching me," she finally stated.
"What?" I sputtered.
She waved an impatient hand. "It's too weird. You're my daughter, and he"-she looked at Bones, who flashed her an impudent grin-"he's too arrogant," she finished.
"No one's more arrogant than Ian," I said under my breath.
He winked at me. "Thank you, Reaper."
Bones rested his hand on my back. "Come on, Kitten, let's leave them to it. Ian, I charge you with their safety. We'll be back later."
I looked at Tyler, but instead of any concern about Bones and me leaving, his thoughts were busy contemplating things about Ian that I didn't need to hear. "Are you okay with only them?" I asked anyway.
"Fine. Shoo," he said, flicking his fingers for emphasis.
"Okay, we'll see you soon."
Bones propelled me up the stairs, his mood seeming to lighten with every step.
"I'm certain it won't be that soon," Ian called out.
I wasn't a hundred percent sure, but I thought I caught Bones muttering, "Right you are, mate."
Chapter Twenty-Nine
The lights from Sioux City glittered in the distance like diamonds flung on the ground. Below us stretched mile upon mile of farmland, interrupted every so often by houses, roads, and factories. I wasn't worried about being spotted. For one, it was night, and with our black clothes at this height, we'd be practically invisible. For another, we were outside the city limits in the rural counties, where agriculture far outnumbered people.
"This was a good idea," I murmured.
I'd thought we were just going to wait in the demolished family room until Ian announced the all clear, but Bones took me in his arms and blasted us away before Kramer could even poltergeist up some boards to fling after us. Now we were miles away from the house, high enough that I had no one's thoughts in my head but my own, and it was just the two of us. Finally, for the first time in weeks, we were alone, no one right outside our door or floating threateningly around the house.
Bones tightened his hand on mine. We were spread out like two birds-arms extended, legs straight, the wind rushing around us like an invisible waterfall. This was the first time I'd flown when we didn't have some pressing agenda to accomplish, and though it was cold up here, I didn't mind. I felt wonderfully free. The chill in the air was such a small price to pay for that.
"Before we met, I'd fly for hours to clear my head," Bones said, his voice reaching me even over the rush of wind. "It was the closest I came to finding peace, but though several of my mates could fly, I always went alone. I never wanted to share this with anyone until you."
I looked over at him, struck by more than the perfection of his features or how the wind made his clothes cling to him like a second skin. His mouth curved in the type of smile I hadn't seen on him in a long time-carefree, and the emotions rubbing my subconscious were edged with a joy that made me want to move heaven and earth so he could feel it all the time.
"I'm so glad to be here with you like this," I whispered. It had taken years filled with more trials and pain than I thought I could endure to bring me to the point where I could soar by his side, but I'd do it all again, a thousand times over, to share this moment with him.
He smiled. "Speak up a bit, luv. Can't hear you with this wind."
I rolled myself beneath his outstretched arm instead, not stopping until I'd maneuvered myself under his body. He folded his arms around me, our bodies still streamlining across the midnight-colored sky. Bones was dressed the same way I was, in a black, long-sleeved shirt with matching pants and boots, but his neck was bare. I pressed my mouth there, savoring his moan as my tongue crept out to taste his skin.
"You remember the first time I did that?" I murmured, slipping my arms around him.
"We were dancing." His voice was richer with the desire I felt rising in him. "And you were taunting me with how much I wanted you."
I smiled against his skin, tracing another sensitive spot with my tongue and enjoying his resulting shudder.
"I didn't know that then. I just thought you were easy."
His laugh rumbled out, hard arms tightening around me. "I was, but I still wanted you more than I believed possible. You don't know how mad you drove me those first several weeks. It tormented me seeing you every day and being unable to touch you because you hated me."
"I hated myself more." Another whisper, but this one he heard. "You showed me how to accept myself, and I loved you long before I could admit it to you."
His head dipped, cool lips covering my own. I opened my mouth, seeking his taste, moaning at the velvety softness of his tongue and the two sharp fangs that now protruded from his teeth. Mine slid out as well, grazing his when our kiss deepened, and he slanted his mouth over mine.
His power enveloped me, brushing along my senses with a depth that went well beyond lust. Our tongues twined together, that intimate dance sending waves of sensation through my nerve endings. I slid my leg around his hips, rubbing against him in silent, hungry invitation. His hand moved lower, clasping me closer, and the friction when he arched his h*ps made starbursts go off in my loins. His body was so hard, so sleek, so filled with pulsating energy, and the cradle of wind against us only aroused me more. This wouldn't be like those stolen moments in the cellar with Tyler in the pantry at the top of the stairs and an angry ghost hurling threats and curses outside. This moment was ours, and we had as far as we could fly in the wide-open expanse of sky to savor it.
Unless, of course, this sort of thing couldn't be done while flying. From the thick length pressing against me combined with the devastating way Bones rocked his hips, he wasn't teasing. He had more than enough power to keep us aloft, but flying also required concentration. I didn't think I was supporting myself in the air any longer. I was too focused on the sensual way his tongue tangled with mine and the bursts of pleasure that unfurled every time that bulge rubbed my clitoris. I'd probably have tumbled right out of the sky if not for his arms around me.
Even if he could keep us in the air the whole time, that had its own set of complications. Bashing into some small private aircraft because Bones's attention was focused on the radar below his waist instead of what was around us would be tragic for everyone. Maybe seeking out a spot in one of the fields below was the best idea. Yet there was something electrifying about touching each other while soaring through the air that made me want to stay up here.
