Bitten By Regret (Just One Bite #2) (8 page)

Jonah watched her warily, trying to judge what had her so
angry. "Did you and Lizbeth have a fight?" Her eyes blazed and he sat
up straighter from where he'd been slouching in the sand. "I just thought
if you two weren't getting along it would explain why you're so…
irritable."

Diandra shrieked through her teeth, trying to get a handle
on her anger before speaking. "Oh, we've fought all right. We've fought
because of you, just like you wanted us to. You think I don't see what you're
doing? You're trying to
worm
your way back in like
nothing ever changed."

Jonah smiled, angering her further. "Diandra, if
Lizbeth is so insecure with our friendship she may not be right for you. It's
okay to end it now before this gets any more out of hand." He scooped up
another handful of the cool, wet sand and pressed it to the ever-growing
creation.

She glared at him coolly as he watched the sand in front of
him, totally negating her presence and her anger. She pulled her arm back and
punched him in the shoulder as hard as she could. It made a popping noise and
he bellowed more at the suddenness than the pain of it. His left arm hung
useless. She grinned now, knowing it would remain that way until it healed
itself. It wouldn't take long but she'd enjoy it while it lasted.

"You know," he began as he felt his shoulder begin
knitting itself back together, "you've really become rather violent since
you changed. I don't know that that's a good thing for RaeLynn to grow up
with."

Diandra bared the tips of her fangs at him. "Don't you
even go there, you bastard. You made me this way. If you'd died the way you
were supposed to none of us would be freaks right now. Don't you make threats
you'll never get close enough to follow through on." Her last words ended
on a hiss.

Jonah stood up, his movements awkward as his shoulder would
take another few minutes before returning to its previously undamaged state.
"I suppose I'll just come back when you're feeling a little more
yourself," he said as he brushed the sand off with one hand.

"No, you'll listen now. If you want visitation with
RaeLynn then you have to play by the rules. Rule one is do not show up unless I
invite you over. Rule two- if you want to go on an outing with her than Lizbeth
and I will be coming along. There's probably more but I'll let you know what
they are when I figure them out." Diandra smiled but there was no warmth
in it.

Jonah glared back at her, angrier than he had been since the
day he changed her. "I refuse to share my visitation time with my daughter
with that bitch."

Diandra nodded. "Okay, that's fine. You need not see
Rae at all then." He started to protest and she cut him off. "No,
Jonah. These are the rules. You will either abide by them or you will not be
allowed any contact with RaeLynn. Have I made myself clear?"

"Oh, you were clear. I don't know who the fuck you
think you are, but you were very clear indeed." Jonah stepped menacingly
towards her and she casually kicked out with a bare foot, knocking him back
down onto the sand once more. He winced, realizing that her big toe had managed
to break a rib in the process.

"I am Diandra, I am RaeLynn's mother, I am the
custodial parent, I am your widow, and I am Lizbeth's lover. All these things
are who I am, but never forget, I'm more of a vamp than you are so you will
abide by my rules or I will rip pieces off of you and dispose of them where no
one will ever find them." She picked up her sleepy daughter and cradled
her to her chest. "I hope you understand me this time. Abide by my rules
or never show your face here again." Jonah bellowed his anger to the sky
before flying off towards whatever hovel he'd been living in since his
"death." Diandra watched him go, regret and satisfaction warring
within her at the harshness she'd been forced to show. Suddenly weary, she
carried RaeLynn inside for her mid-morning nap. She wished wholeheartedly to
join the infant in her innocent baby dreams.

Chapter Thirteen

When Lizbeth got home from work that evening she was tired
and out of sorts but felt partially vindicated. She'd managed to get another
dealer off the streets. The real bonus was that he was also carrying a supply
of the tainted heroin. He was in lockup now working with a sketch artist. He
remembered meeting with the man who sold him the product and hopefully his
sketch would help them find the manufacturer. There had been another two deaths
from the arsenic-laced heroin and Lizbeth was getting frustrated. While heroin
use saddened and sickened her, she felt profound sorrow for these men and women
who died due to the tainted product. Their deaths were not quick and they
damned sure weren't painless. She was hoping to get a call saying a useful
sketch had been provided so they could follow up on the case. Alexar was
handling that personally so she felt safe going home for the night.

Shutting the door firmly behind her, Lizbeth noticed the
lights downstairs were all out but for the nightlights in each room. Taking her
shoes off to prevent the sound of her walking from waking RaeLynn or Diandra,
she picked them up and headed quietly up the stairs. Peeking first into the
nursery she saw RaeLynn asleep in her crib, her little baby snores putting a
smile on Lizbeth's face. She headed next door to the room she shared with
Diandra. Closing the door quietly behind her, she put her shoes on her side of
the bed for the morning. The door to the bathroom stood ajar. Soft jazz and
candlelight filtered into the bedroom along with the appealing scent of
Diandra's favorite bubble bath.

Lizbeth pushed the door open enough to slip inside then
closed it back to where it had been to prevent the warmth of the room from
filtering out. "Hi," she said softly, knowing Diandra was well aware
of her presence. She was lounging in the tub with her head tilted back and a
washcloth covering her face, but her muscles had been slightly tensed so
Lizbeth knew she had noticed her entrance into the bathroom.

"Hi, baby," Dia said
,
voice slightly muffled under the sodden cloth. "How was work?"

 
Lizbeth sat on the
edge of the tub, not caring if a little water got on her work clothes.
"The usual.
Frustrating, but hopefully the case will
wrap up in a couple of days." She trailed her fingers in the water,
lightly running them through the bubbles and up Diandra's thigh in a teasing
fashion.

"Hmm," Dia sighed, "that feels good."
Lizbeth smiled even though she knew Diandra couldn't see it and kept up the
motions, slowly and steadily expanding from just her thigh down to her knee,
then back up to just under her breast. Then her hand continued down to her
ankle and back up to Dia's breasts, pausing there to run a thumb casually over
first one nipple and then the other before heading south once more. This time
she ran her hands down Diandra's smooth, flat stomach before tangling in the
auburn curls that swirled gently through the water. Dia gasped as Lizbeth's
thumb continued down until it rubbed gently but firmly at the nub that sent
waves of pleasure over her body before shooting her up and over the first peak.
Water and bubbles lapped over the rim of the tub until the bath mat was sodden.
Neither woman noticed, caught up in a cycle of pleasure- both the giving and
the taking of it.

Suddenly Diandra reached up, latching onto Lizbeth's waist
and tugging her into the tub with her. "Hey!" Lizbeth protested, her
work clothes absorbing the water in patches that spread until her entire outfit
was soaked. She struggled halfheartedly to get away so she could at least
undress but Diandra held her firmly, silencing her protests with a deep,
thorough kiss. As their tongues tangled and Diandra ran her hands over
Lizbeth's body, teasing over the clothing, even the perfunctory attempts for
freedom stopped. Giving herself over to the moment she sank into the kiss, her
body going pliant under the seductive onslaught. At the back of her mind she
remembered how tentative and shy Diandra had been less than a year before, and
how she'd had to be forceful and in control of every aspect of their private
time together. Just another case of the student surpassing the teacher, she
thought and laughed a little against Dia's mouth.

"What's so funny?" Diandra murmured in a voice
foggy with passion.

Lizbeth wrapped her arms around Dia's shoulders, pulling her
close once more.
"Just the difference between the
beginning and now, love.
Nothing important."

Diandra made consenting noises, her lips moist and plump
against Lizbeth's thinner set. She pulled back some, gasping a little.
"Let's take this to our room." She casually lifted Lizbeth up and out
of the tub, setting her carefully on the soaking wet bath mat. Lizbeth's heart
stuttered in her chest a moment- she didn't know if she could ever get used to
a woman not much heavier than her lifting her as though she weighed less than a
bag of sugar. As Diandra climbed out next to her and drained the tub she
stripped off the heavy, dripping clothes and tossed them into the tub.

The women joined hands as they walked to the bed. Diandra
gently nudged Lizbeth until she lay on the bed before climbing up and joining
her. Neither noticed that the water and bubbles still on them from the tub were
now being absorbed by the sage green sheets. Diandra draped herself over
Lizbeth's body, leaning down to kiss her deeply once more. She pulled back with
a tender smile and started kissing her way down her lover's body, her lips and
the tip of her tongue leaving a warm trail that followed her lower until she
latched onto Lizbeth's clit and began softly but firmly sucking on the nub.
Lizbeth's back bowed and she gripped the sheets firmly with both fists, pulling
them off one corner in the process. Dia let go and started licking with long,
sure strokes until the first orgasm tore through Lizzie's body. She lay back
with a smile, allowing Lizbeth to catch her breath.

Lizbeth rolled over to mirror Dia's starting position,
kissing her thoroughly, relishing in the clean taste of her own juices as she
flicked her tongue playfully over and around her partner's mouth. She kept the
kiss light and teasing until Dia was nearly frantic with it before making her
way lower. She paused to take one of Diandra's large nipples into her mouth and
draw deeply on it. She sucked hard on it, increasing her pressure until Dia
gasped out, "enough!" Smiling against Diandra's skin she moved her
way to the other breast and did the same until Dia gasped out another request.
She reveled in the clean, slightly soapy taste of her lover's skin as she moved
between her legs. She continued her teasing, licking, nibbling, sucking and
biting at her lover's inner thighs- first one and then the other. Only when
Diandra was bucking and making low pleading noises in the back of her throat
did she finally place her mouth where they both wanted it most.

She lapped at the moist heat, her teeth occasionally nipping
and biting at that most sensitive spot, before sliding a couple of fingers deep
inside. She wiggled the tips gently as she moved her hand in and out, her
tongue never once losing its rhythm. Only when Diandra bucked and writhed in
her own orgasm did she stop. The two women curled up together on the bed,
panting a little as they attempted to slow their heartbeats down to a more
normal rate. Lizbeth nuzzled her face into the side of Diandra's neck,
whispering, "We needed this. I needed this." Diandra mumbled a
satisfied agreement. Finally content, the women fell asleep still wrapped in
each other's arms.

Chapter Fourteen

The insistent sound of music woke Lizbeth in the middle of
the night. She gently untangled herself from Diandra to reach for it as she
looked at the clock beside the bed. 4:32 a.m. She damn well hoped it was
important for the phone to ring at this hour, and in the back of her mind she
hoped it wasn't bad news. Clearing her throat, she flipped her phone open to
answer the call.
"Lizbeth."

"It's Alexar." She could hear the weariness in his
lightly accented voice on the other end of the line. The faint accent was
present and a touch more pronounced in his excitement. "We have a valid
sketch and an I.D. I'll be there to pick you up in twenty minutes." He
hung up before Lizbeth could get a word in. She shrugged, shutting the phone as
she climbed out of bed. Scribbling a note on the pad beside the bed for just
such an emergency, she left it on her pillow for Diandra to find when she woke
up. She smiled to herself as she turned on the closet's light and withdrew a
bark brown pantsuit and a caramel-colored short-sleeved blouse to go with it.
Diandra could sleep through a ringing phone but let RaeLynn make one tiny
whimper and she was wide awake and moving before the first cry sounded. She
wondered if that was a mother thing or part of her vampire senses. She had a
hunch it was a mix of both.

She shook off the question and turned her mind to reviewing
what she knew about the murders while she pulled a pair of brown shoes out of
the closet and heading quietly for the stairs. She slipped them on once she
reached the bottom and headed for her den to grab her briefcase. Setting it
down by the front door, she backtracked to the kitchen to get a cup of coffee
before Alexar showed up. Ignoring the light, she was surprised to find the
kitchen bathed in shadows, much darker than it should be even in the middle of
the night.

Suddenly Diandra flew, literally flew, down the stairs and
tackled Lizbeth to the hardwood floor. She groaned as her head throbbed and her
vision swam in bright rainbow colors from hitting the floor with such force.
"What the fuck?" she swore. Further comment was unnecessary as the
hum of movement overhead finally announced the intruder. Lizbeth cursed herself
for her stupidity as she finally noticed the open window in the kitchen. The
screen was missing as well, most likely leaning up against the side of the
house.