Blood Mate (9 page)

“L-Lois.”

“Lois, look at
me.”

“What’s going
on here? What have you done to my daughter? We’ve been worried
sick.”

Nicolette’s
father stepped into the entryway. “Nicole, baby, is that you?”
The man rounded on August, his eyes blazing fury. “And who in the
hell are you? What have you done to my daughter? You sick bastard.”

The man moved
quickly to grab something from behind the coat rack, and in the next
moment August was staring down the barrel of a shot gun. He caught
the father’s gaze. “Put the gun on the ground.”

His eyes widened
as he found himself complying.

When the gun was
on the floor, August said, “Now kick it over here.”

A moment later,
the vampire heard a crunch and then everything went black.

***

Clink. Clink.
Clink.

August woke in the
spreading pool of his own blood. It was the sound of the bullets
squeezing out and clinking on the hardwood floor that woke him as his
body raced to mend itself.

Three bullets.
Nicolette’s family had to be NRA members. While his attention had
been on the father, Lois had gone for a second gun and shot him. Two
in the back, one in the head.

He took measured
breaths, rising slowly so he didn’t get dizzy. He’d lost a lot of
blood before his body had forced the bullets out and sealed the
wounds.

“August, please.
Don’t hurt them. They were only trying to… ”

The smell of
Nicolette’s fear was pungent on the air. His head snapped around to
find her in front of her parents, blocking them with her body,
guarding them, her arms outstretched. As if she could stop anything a
vampire might decide to do. For their part, her parents looked as if
they’d watched a horror movie creature impossibly survive and get
up to continue stalking its prey. Their minds refused to accept it.

He reached out,
using all his strength to force the tremor in his arm to settle.
“Come here, Nicolette.” He hadn’t fed from her nearly enough
the previous night. With the bond just forming, he hadn’t wanted to
risk harming her, especially with her malnourishment.

She moved on
shaking legs toward him while he watched her parents, waiting for
another weapon to materialize.

Her arms were
outstretched in a placating gesture, her voice soft as if trying to
calm a small child’s tantrum. “Please, don’t be angry.”

“I’m not
angry, but I need you.” When she reached him, he grasped her arm,
and keeping an eye on her parents to make sure no more bullets were
forthcoming, he bit into her wrist.

She let out a
surprised cry, her instincts initiating a struggle, but he held her
firm. He didn’t bother stopping after a few token sips. Now that
they were joined, he didn’t have to. He could gorge on her, and it
wouldn’t do any lasting damage.

A figure moved in
his peripheral vision, and August raised his head. Nicolette’s
blood dripped from his fangs onto his hand and down his arm as he
growled low at the father. Lois had wisely chosen to remain backed in
the corner, huddled and small.

“Go back with
your wife,” August snarled.

The man, unable to
resist the command, moved back to the corner where they watched,
helpless, as a monster drank their daughter’s blood. Soon, they
wouldn’t remember any of this, so it didn’t matter. He lowered
his head back to Nicolette’s arm and drank his fill. When he
finished, he dragged his tongue over her wrist to clean the mess and
help seal the wounds.

August wiped his
mouth. “Well,” he said, observing the terrified couple. “I
guess you’ve figured out I’m a vampire.” He turned to Nicolette
who’d slunk over to the wall, numb and shell-shocked.

“Are you all
right?”

“Y-yes,” she
said, unable to look at her parents.

“Do you feel
weak or woozy?”

“N-no.” She
stared at her wrist, clean and unmarked—no sign of his bite.

“Because I can
offer you some of my blood if you need it, to speed the
regeneration.”

She looked up
suddenly. “You said I didn’t have to… ”

He moved closer
and wrapped his arms around her despite her resistance to his
embrace. “You don’t have to, poppet. But it would make you feel
better sooner.”

“I’m f-fine.”

He released her
when she persisted in her struggle against him.

In her own time.

“Is my daughter
a vampire? Is that why she’s so thin and pale? Is she a monster?”
Lois had found her voice.

“She’s not a
vampire. She’s my mate. She’s human. More or less.”

“But Dominic…
” Lois said.

“Erase it. Make
them forget this now, please,” Nicolette said, the shame heavy in
her voice.

August nodded and
took care of it.

***

The rain continued
its onslaught as they drove to Nicole’s house. August hadn’t
spoken to her again since starting the Bugatti. She couldn’t look
at him. Instead, she watched the wet, gray view out the passenger
side window as they moved faster and faster, so fast she gripped the
seat, terrified they’d wreck and forgetting for a moment that even
if they did, it wouldn’t permanently damage her.

Even with her
parents’ memories changed, even with the false story and the
enchanted lies August’s hypnotic words had created, she couldn’t
forget their faces when the vampire had fed from her. She’d been
too shocked and embarrassed to register much pain.

The bite had been…
intimate. Secret. It was as if her parents had walked in on her in
the middle of a sex act. And now she knew. Whether he only wanted her
blood or not, blood wasn’t just blood with a vampire. Feeding was
inherently sexual. Had she really thought there was a separation?

“They’ll never
remember,” August said.

“But I will.
I’ll never be able to forget that they saw
that
. What must
they have thought of me?”

The turn signal
clicked in rhythm to the raindrops as he made a right turn onto her
street. “The only thing in their head was fear for your safety.
Nothing more. And besides, why should they judge you? I’m the
villain. You’re the lamb on the altar.”

As true as that
may be, it didn’t feel that way. It felt like she’d cheated on
Dominic—her kind, funny husband, unaware that she had given herself
to another. The reasons didn’t matter. She’d done it. She should
have been strong and died in the cage in the cellar. No matter what
the vampire had done to his mind, at least she could have remained
faithful to their love. But at the time, she’d thought that was
what she was doing—what was necessary to go back to him.

The rain slowed to
a fine mist as they pulled into her driveway, making Nicole pause to
wonder if the weather obeyed August, too. The clouds parted to let
streaks of sunlight through, and birds chattered in the distance.

Again, she trailed
behind him to the door, and again she waited while he rang the bell.

“I won’t need
to feed until tomorrow night. After I fix things, I’ll leave you
with your husband. I can take care of your coworkers without your
involvement. I just want you to be as happy as possible.”

Nicole couldn’t
form a reply. She’d known he would come back to feed. She’d known
this wasn’t the end of their association, that he wasn’t truly
setting her free, but for tonight she could be back in her husband’s
arms and forget everything. Pretend.

“Yeah?”
Dominic said when he opened the door. His gaze shifted from August to
Nicole. “What are you doing back here? I thought I was rid of you.”

Although she knew
it was the suggestion the vampire had put in her husband’s head,
the words still stung when they hit their mark. She opened her mouth
to speak, but August put a hand on her arm to stop her.

She stayed out of
the way as the vampire took hold of Dominic’s mind. “Nicolette
was never gone. You love your wife as much as you’ve always loved
her. She’s everything to you. She’s perfect and beautiful and
vibrant and healthy. You don’t see me here. You only see her.”

A fog lifted from
Dominic as his gaze cleared and then that look was back, the look he
always gave her. The one that made her feel so special. She barely
noticed when August’s car pulled out of the driveway.

Dominic stared at
her for a long time, and all she could do was bask in it.

“Why does it
feel like we’ve been separated? I know I saw you this morning, but
it feels like months.”

Nicole’s vision
blurred from the tears gathering in her eyes, and she flung herself
at him. He caught her and held her so tightly she thought she’d
suffocate. If only dying in his arms right now were possible.

When his lips met
hers, it was sublime. Soft, smooth flesh pressed against soft, smooth
flesh. Mouths opening, devouring each other. Tongues exploring. Sweet
sighs and erratic intakes of breath.

She allowed him to
drag her into the house, kicking the door shut behind them.

“I need to fuck
you until you can’t breathe, Mrs. Rose,” he growled against her
mouth.

Yes, having this
back was worth any sacrifice.

Elbows banged
against walls and dressers until they finally made it to the bed,
bruised and worn for wear.

“Strip.
Now,” he ordered.

Dominic scooted
against the headboard, his eyes hungry and wolfish, appraising her,
ready for a show.

She knew she must
still look like a concentration camp victim, but the most recent
suggestion August had put in Dominic’s head kept him from seeing
the truth of her state. Suddenly she wanted to cry and hold onto her
husband and let him comfort her. She somehow wanted him to be able to
know and grasp what had happened to her, what would keep happening to
her. But she peeled the T-shirt off and unhooked her bra. He should
never have to know about any of this. He couldn’t stop it. He
couldn’t save her.

“Stroke your
breasts. Entice me.” His voice rumbled, and there was a devilish
twinkle in his eye.

Nicole forced her
time with August and the memory of her husband’s indifference into
a dark closet. All that mattered was this moment. For now she could
pretend she’d never gone to that coffee shop that day and never met
the vampire, that her bliss with Dominic had remained uninterrupted
and unshattered, that they’d stayed forever safe in their protected
bubble. She reached up to fondle herself. Once this had been so
familiar and natural. Now it was foreign, but she wanted it to be
familiar again. She wanted to relearn this shared language.

“No, you know
how I like it, Nicole. Do it slowly. I think you need to earn that
bracelet I got you. You haven’t come close to earning it yet.”

He winked,
smirking up at her, and she blushed, but moved her hands more slowly,
cupping and stroking her breasts, pushing them up and toward him. She
closed her eyes and threw her head back, knowing what it did to him
when she moved this way.

He scooted toward
her and licked along the line of her cleavage. “That’s my girl.
Such a good girl.”

Nicole whimpered
as his fingers slid under her jeans, hungrily seeking to press
against the contours of all her private places. She unbuttoned her
pants to help him slide further in. She’d missed this so much.

“Now,
sweetheart, did I tell you to stop stroking yourself? I’ll have to
spank you if you can’t stop being so greedy and impatient.”

She moved her
hands back to her breasts, caressing the full mounds of flesh. She
squeezed her erect nipples and was rewarded when a bolt of pleasure
shot between her legs.

He pulled her
jeans down her hips—not noticing the loose fit—and then her
panties, exposing her to his view. She dry-humped the air, desperate
for any contact between her legs.

“Why aren’t
you waxed?”

He smacked her
bottom with a loud pop that left a sting.

“I’m sorry,”
she whimpered. “Please… I need… ”

“Oh, I know what
you need. Punishment.”

“Please,
Dominic… ” She could only be grateful that his brain hadn’t
processed that she’d regrown hair like magic. After all, in his
imagination, the last time they’d had sex, she would have been
bare. And the last time would have been probably that morning or the
previous night. But August’s thrall had erased all holes in logic.

She didn’t want
to have to think about any of that right now. All she wanted was to
feel Dominic’s fingers and then his cock, rubbing her raw inside.
That fantastic pleasure-pain from too much sex. She wanted to feel
that wetness between her legs that made her throb to the point where
it became difficult to walk without thinking the whole world must be
as aware of her pussy as she was.

She’d missed the
way Dominic undid her so that she felt naked all the time with him,
even when fully clothed and out in public. She always felt wickedly
exposed in his presence. It was a welcome comfort after what she’d
been through the past few months.

She groaned as he
forced her to her hands and knees and impaled her from behind,
pressing her against the bed. He was so large, and they were so out
of practice, that he would have damaged her if she hadn’t been so
impossibly wet.

“God, Nicole.
You horny little slut. You never can get enough cock inside you, can
you?”

“Never,” she
agreed.

Her body had been
so deprived of him, so hungry for him, that she came more quickly
than usual. It earned her another slap on the bottom.

“We’re going
to have to do something about this impatience you’ve developed.”

She didn’t care.
Dominic could do whatever he wanted with her, as long as he didn’t
stop touching her or loving her again.

***

It
didn’t take August long to discover the flower shop had hired a new
staff member to replace Nicolette. They’d worried over her absence,
but given Dominic’s indifference they’d assumed she’d left him
and had been too distraught to bother with a two-week notice. They’d
all known she hadn’t needed to work with her husband’s salary.