Not hearing a real explanation, Devin nodded toward Blade.
As Blade moved back into position, Alec put up his hands and yelled, “Wait!” When Blade backed off again, Alec said to Devin, “As long as I’ve known you, you’ve never been a rule follower, so I didn’t think you would really mind if I indulged myself just a little. The bottle stuff is nasty and, as you’ve always said, feeding is always nicer with the feel of a woman’s warm body pressed against you and their veins pulsating with a rapid heartbeat.” When he looked over at Nikki and saw her disheveled condition, he added, “I may have been a little messy, but she took me by surprise. I assumed that she would taste good, but I didn’t expect it to be like biting into an electric eel. My lips are still tingling.”
Devin replied in anger, “You’re lucky she didn’t zap you hard enough to knock you through a wall.”
While Blade glanced between Nikki and Cupcake, he let his knife make a line of blood appear on Alec’s throat and said, “You hurt both of my girls.” He then looked over at Devin and said, “This is your home. Just give me the word and I’ll remove this asshole from the equation permanently.”
Hearing the genuine threat in Blade’s voice, Alec said with a look of complete shock, “Hold on a minute. You’re serious, aren’t you? You’re willing to kill me for doing what we do naturally? Shit, have you all forgotten that we’re animals? I’m not the real guilty party here. Devin is the one that let a Pixie—the creature on the top of our collection hunt list—be alone in an apartment with a den of Vampires. He tried to hide her up here in the loft with the idea that we wouldn’t notice her presence but, I swear, we could catch that Pixie’s scent from miles away.”
Devin’s shoulders slumped when he realized the truth in Alec’s words.
Before he could say anything in response, Nikki said, “Just let Alec go. I’m fine and I don’t want anyone else hurt because of me.”
Devin looked down at Nikki and, although he knew what letting Alec live meant, he wouldn’t go against Nikki’s wishes. He nodded to her and then said to Blade, “Just get him out of this apartment and this building.” Seeing the others staring at the small trail of deep purple blood running down Nikki’s neck, he added, “Maybe it’s best if we all call it a night.”
Blade reluctantly backed off of Alec and, seeing Wolfe’s tortured expression, he said, “Wolfe and Jett, take him out of here so that I don’t rip his fangs out.”
They nodded and, before Wolfe would move, he leaned toward Alec and commanded, “Apologize to the lady.”
Alec knew better than to argue and said to Nikki, “I’m really sorry about losing my control and biting you.” Unable to stop himself, he called on all of his charm and added, “I know that you consider us enemies but, like I said earlier, if you ever need a traveling companion, I would be happy to put aside our differences and volunteer.” He gave her a smile that told her she would see him again someday.
As Wolfe dragged Alec down the stairs, Jett followed and called, “Great party!” When he gave Nikki a brilliant smile, she couldn’t hold back a grin in return.
Once the three male vampires were out of the apartment, Blade raced over to see how Cupcake was doing and asked Kara, “How’s my furry little girl?”
Kara replied, “She’s fine. She’s just a little shaken up.” While scratching her ears, she added, “She’s one brave and tough cat.”
Blade took the cat into his arms and said, “That’s because she’s a warrior.”
Kara decided it was best for her to leave as well, so she looked over at Nikki and said, “I’m so sorry about all of this. Please don’t judge us based on Alec’s behavior. He’s not one of our group and we shouldn’t have allowed him to come here tonight.”
Nikki replied, “It’s okay. I’m fine. He barely got latched on before Blade and Cupcake rescued me.”
Blade tickled Cupcake’s belly and said, “She and I make quite a team.”
Before walking away, Kara added, “I do want to get together another day to talk about adding some color to this bachelor pad.”
Nikki replied honestly, “I look forward to it.”
After Kara left, Devin examined Nikki’s wound again and said, “I’m the one to blame. This night was a big mistake. I never meant for you to get hurt.”
Nikki shook her head and said, “It wasn’t your fault. Most of the night went well and, since I was only bit once and lived to talk about it, I would say that the night was a success.”
Seeing that Nikki’s wound was still bleeding, Devin wanted to put some space between her and Skye so he turned to Skye and asked, “Could you go down and get Nikki a glass of orange juice?” After Skye left, he said to Nikki, “I can sense how tired you are and it’s critical that we close your wound as quickly as possible. Would you allow me to fix it?”
Being in an apartment with three Vampires, Nikki knew she had no choice, so she exposed her neck to him to give him permission to continue. Blade and Cupcake went into position to prepare to jump in if Devin wasn’t able to maintain control.
Nikki closed her eyes as Devin knelt beside her. The scent of her blood triggered his urge to feed and he focused his thoughts on her feelings of weakness and despair. He then leaned in and took her wound into his mouth. Although he was able to quickly stop the bleeding, the taste of her blood made his boil. When his mind tried to convince him that he could feed for just a few seconds, the curse gave him a not so gentle nudge. He instantly released her just as Skye returned and handed Nikki a drink.
Additional guilt washed over Devin when he saw Nikki’s blood stained and ripped pajamas. He asked, “Would you like help getting cleaned up?”
Nikki replied, “It isn’t necessary. I know that my current perfume is difficult for any of you to be around, so I can do it on my own.” When she attempted to stand, her legs gave out from under her and she crumpled to the ground. She didn’t think that it was from the bite, since Alec didn’t actually take that much. It was more from her growing fatigue, which felt like she hadn’t slept in a week and her body had no energy left to offer.
Seeing her distress, Skye said, “You obviously can’t do this on your own and we need to get you cleaned up to be able to stay alone with Devin. As Devin could tell you, I’m quite strong and capable of controlling myself. And, if you’re going to be naked, you’re definitely safer in my hands than his.”
When Nikki looked at Devin for guidance, he decided to add some humor to the situation. He gave her a toothy grin and teased, “That’s right. You’ll be naked. On second thought, I would be happy to clean you up and I guarantee I wouldn’t miss a spot.”
Nikki decided to put her trust in Skye, so she held out her hand to her and said, “I think I’m all yours.”
Skye helped her up and, as they entered the bathroom, Devin was hit by a stab of panic. Not just for putting Nikki in the hands of another Vampire, but also because he wasn’t ready yet to let her out of his sight. He needed to be able to see her, even if her silhouette was distorted through the glass block wall, so he called, “I may not get to clean those spots of yours, but please leave the door open.”
Skye was about to yell at him, but Nikki stopped her. She felt the same panic and said, “It’s okay. I would feel better with it open too.” When Skye stared at her in confusion, Nikki added, “Curse buddies, remember?”
As Nikki started to undress, she caught Skye staring at the dried blood on her neck. Nikki asked, “Are you sure about this? You can just plop me in the shower and leave.”
“I’m okay, but let’s get you in the water as quick as possible—clothes and all.” Skye helped Nikki to the center of the shower and then walked over to the keypad. Without hesitation, she selected a preset shower setting. Once the water was flowing, Skye breathed in blood free air and went to a cabinet to get a towel and a washcloth.
Seeing her so comfortable with the bathroom layout, Nikki knew this wasn’t her first time in this shower and asked, “Can I ask you a personal question?�
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“Sure.”
“I watched you and Devin dancing earlier. Are you two involved?”
Skye replied honestly, “We enjoy each other’s company when the need strikes us, but we aren’t a couple. Actually, my kind are naturally nomadic and like the adventure that comes with new places and people. The fact that a group of Vampires share a building together for an extended period of time is very rare. But for those of us living here, it works. Originally Kara and I lived in separate apartments but, as our friendship grew, we decided to share a space. I love to cook and make my living by playing a caterer and offering cooking lessons in people’s homes. Kara gets her kicks from cleaning and decorating and her services are in constant demand. Our talents seem to work well together.”
Nikki couldn’t help wondering if Kara was one of the women that enjoyed Devin’s services in exchange for keeping his apartment clean. Leaving that question unasked, she said, “But your kind get together to have children or your race would go extinct.”
Skye replied, “Vampires don’t do anything half way. We play hard and we love hard. But it takes a very strong attraction for a Vampire to take a mate. And when it happens, it’s for life.”
“What about if it doesn’t work out? Can you get what Humans call a divorce?”
Skye shook her head. “Vampires are creatures of habit and, when a major event happens in our lives or something touches our heart in an extreme way, it can change us. In some cases, a new person emerges. It’s like our minds become hard-wired to whatever it is and it becomes a permanent part of who we are. These changes could be anything, such as taking a mate, gaining an obsession, or just a drastic personality change.”
“Do you mean like what happened to Blade when he walked away from being a ruthless killer?”
Skye smiled broadly and replied, “Exactly. Blade’s life would have been over, except Devin threw him a life line. His change was truly dramatic. I didn’t know the old Blade very well, but others tell me that the person we now know is nothing like his old self…other than his ability to still wield a sword. But now he uses that weapon to protect and not for blind blood-lust.”
“Are you hard-wired to anything?”
Skye nodded and said, “For me, my childhood love to cook has become my adult obsession. I now not only love to cook, I need to cook. For Kara it’s decorating and Wolfe it’s hunting.”
“What about Jett?”
Skye laughed and replied, “That boy is a whirlwind right now. He’s still very young and his mind doesn’t seem to have the ability to settle on anything in particular yet.”
Nikki pondered out loud, “I can’t imagine what that kind of permanent obsession would feel like.”
Skye raised her eyebrows and said, “Sure you do. It’s a lot like what you and Devin are going through because of the curse. It’s mimicking a mating except, when we mate for real, we actually want to be together twenty-four hours a day.”
Both women turned when Devin called anxiously from just inside the door, “Just checking on you two.”
Skye whispered, “Your mate is calling.” She then called back, “We’re fine. Go away.”
Devin was about to step away, but stopped and called with true concern in his voice, “Nikki?”
Skye looked at Nikki and said, “You better answer him so that he knows I haven’t drained you dry.”
Nikki called, “I’m fine. Go away.” She then continued her discussion with Skye. “If I end up being here for any length of time, his physical needs may become another issue that we’ll have to address...and I’m not referring to his need to feed. Cassie created the original spell for a reason, so I’m quite aware of Devin’s normal life style and I’m more than willing to find a way to give him enough space to take care of his other urges. I can’t leave the apartment without him, but this apartment is large enough that I could find a place to hide so that you can ease his ache.”
Skye replied, “That actually won’t be necessary. Devin can’t be with anyone.”
Nikki asked in return, “What do you mean? Are you telling me that the curse won’t let him have sex either?”
Skye wasn’t sure she should tell Nikki, but decided she needed to know the truth. She shook her head and said, “No, I think he can have sex, but only with you—his curse mate.”
With her eyes opened wide in shock, Nikki asked, “Me? You’ve got to be kidding!”
“When Devin kissed me, the spell kicked back hard. He and I have tried to find ways around the magic and nothing has worked. Since the words of the spell state that he’ll cling to none other, we’re guessing that the only one that he could be with is you.”
Nikki rolled her eyes and said, “Great. Another reason for him to hate me, because he and I won’t ever happen.”
Skye shrugged and said, “Don’t say that on my account. He’s free to be with whoever he wants and he’s quite talented.” She gave her a knowing smile.
Nikki replied, “Gifted or not, are you telling me that he would be capable of having sex with me and not indulge in a Pixie snack? And once he starts to feed, could he stop?”
Now that Skye had personally experienced the draw of Pixie blood, she replied honestly, “No Vampire could stop.”
Although Nikki realized the continued danger she was in, she tried to make light of the situation by saying, “It doesn’t matter. I’m not interested. Take away the fact that your kind think of me as a walking snack pack, I’ve seen the women he picks and they all look like you and my best friend Jackie...tall, beautiful, outgoing, and enjoy being the center of attention. As you can see, I don’t quite fit that description.”
“What do you mean? You’re stunning.”
“I’m short, reserved, and let’s not forget my best trait…I’m blue. I don’t blend in anywhere and definitely not what Devin wants hanging on his arm. I wish I could be like you and Jackie and be comfortable in my own skin.”
“You don’t give yourself enough credit. I’ve seen the way he looks at you.”
Nikki replied in exasperation, “I’m his curse buddy, remember? He has to look at me that way or he gets a magical punch in the chest.”
“Then I guess Devin better learn to like cold showers.”
From the door Devin called again, “Still okay?” After a moment’s pause, he added, “Do I need to come in there and help?”
Skye rolled her eyes and said, “Lord. He’s persistent. You better answer him.”
Nikki called back, “I’m still alive and we’ll be out in a few minutes.” After shaking her head in disgust, she said, “Enough talk about Devin. Time for me to get out of these wet clothes.” Sitting in the water helped Nikki feel stronger, so she stood and peeled off her pajamas. At the same time, her wings started to lift with life again. But, while staring down at the ripped material, her face fell.
Sky asked, “What’s wrong?”
“These were my favorite pajamas. It’s the only thing I have to remember the time I attempted to play a college student. Well almost the last thing.”
Seeing Nikki’s cheeks blush, Skye asked with curiosity, “What else do you have?”
In the spirit of making friends, Nikki turned around.
Although distracted by the flittering silk of her wings, Skye quickly caught sight of the item in question. She snickered and asked, “Is that a partially finished Hello Kitty tattoo on your butt?”
Nikki nodded and said, “I had a scar that I wanted to hide and the design went with the pajamas. It seemed like a logical thing to do at the time. I knew that it would hurt, but damn! I lost my camouflage half way through and everything went to hell. That was the end of my tattoo and my college life. Please don’t tell anyone else about it. I don’t want men having yet another reason to try and sneak a peek like they already do with my spots.”
Seeing how her markings followed her curves, Skye replied, “Your spots are amazing. With the swirl pattern they make, it’s almost like you’re covered in ribbons of lace.”
“Yeah...they’re great, right until they televise my mood. I can’t stop it and, depending on the mood it projects, it can be really humiliating.”
“Well, your secret tattoo is safe with me.” After a brief pause, she added, “Maybe I should get a tattoo on my backside too. Don’t tell anyone, but I’m partial to Thumper from Bambi.” She tapped her foot on the floor of the shower, making a thumping sound.
As the women giggled about tattoo options, Devin stepped into the bathroom yet again and asked, “It’s been a few minutes. Are you coming out?”
Nikki felt his matching panic, but pushed it back to give her and Skye a few more minutes. She called, “It’s only been about thirty seconds since the last time you asked me that question and I’m still fine.”
He let out a low growl of frustration and then replied with irritation, “I’ll put pajamas on the counter.” As soon as he stepped out of the bathroom, the panic began to grow again. He stuck his head back through the doorway and said, “Please, don’t be too long.”
After Devin left them alone again, Skye snickered at the anxiousness in his voice and said, “I’m beginning to see the logic in Cassandra’s magic.”
“What logic is that?”
“I’ve known Devin for a very long time and he’s never had to care about anyone but himself. His need to take care of you is a whole new experience for him. For the first time in his life, he has to consider someone else’s needs and I’m not sure he knows how to process these new feelings. This whole experience may change him for the better.”
“I hope it has some positive effect on someone. I would hate to go through all of this for nothing.” When Nikki’s wings started to flitter a little too excitedly in the hot streams, she turned off the water and dried off. When she picked up the pajamas Devin had brought for her, she found that he had given her one of his shirts with slits already ripped in the back for her wings.
Skye’s eyebrows raised as she looked at the gift and said with a knowing smile, “I happen to know that shirt is one of his favorites. I told you that he thinks more of you than just someone trapped at his side.”
Mistyx Sonata (Mistyx Series Book 1) Page 16
