Vampires and Vixens (Psy-Vamp)

by Lawson, Cassandra

  After he found his own release, Dominic continued to lie on top of her. They were both out of breath and trembling. Lydia felt the familiar sensation of heaviness come over her body. She never understood how sex with him could take so much out of her.

  “You are the most fantastic lover I have ever had,” he said enthusiastically. “I will never give you up.”

  “The feeling is totally mutual,” she said weakly.

  Dominic stood and began to dress. “I should go home,” he said nonchalantly as he gathered Lydia’s clothing and handed it to her.

  She struggled to sit up, and slowly dressed herself. “I’m not sure I can get up off of the floor.”

  “I will help you to your bed.” He reached out to help Lydia to her feet.

  “No, I want to rest on the couch for a while.” She tried unsuccessfully to pull herself up.

  Dominic lifted her onto the couch, and knelt beside her. “You should go to bed, so you can regain your strength.”

  “No, I need to pick up all of the buttons and magazines.” Her voice was no more than a whisper, and her body was limp.

  “Just rest and I will pick up the room,” he assured her. “I should start bringing a new shirt to wear home. It is hard to explain the missing buttons after our visits.”

  “Sorry.” She tried to smile, but it required too much effort.

  “I don’t mind.” He stood and did his best to get the room in order. When he felt satisfied that everything was back in place, he leaned down to kiss Lydia once more. “I will see you soon, my lovely Lydia. Rest and regain your strength.” He ran a hand along her flat stomach, up to her ribs which now stood out. He frowned at her. “You should eat more.”

  “Okay,” she said as she fought against the exhaustion that was pulling her into unconsciousness. Her eyelids became heavy and she could no longer resist the unimaginable fatigue.

  Dominic took a moment to watch her sleep. He traced her face with his index finger just to feel the weak hum of energy emanating from her. It made him shiver. Reluctantly he moved away from her, and quietly slipped out the door.

  The sound of Hannah's key in the lock woke Lydia several hours later.

  It surprised Hannah to see Lydia still up. “Were you waiting up for me?”

  “I dozed off on the couch.” She struggled to sit up, still feeling very weak. “Did Noah like Trish?”

  Hannah groaned. “It was a big mistake trying to set Noah up with Trish.”

  Curiosity gave Lydia a little more energy. “What happened?”

  “Caitlin convinced Trish to drink.”

  Lydia let out a raspy giggle. “Trish doesn’t drink. She’s gropey and mean when she drinks.”

  “She rested her boobs on his head at one point. Noah is never going to forgive me for this.” She sat on the chair by the couch, and buried her face in her hands.

  “I doubt he minded having boobs rest on his head, especially Trish’s boobs.”

  Hannah’s mouth opened slightly in disbelief. “Noah isn’t the kind of guy who wants to be molested in public by someone he barely knows.”

  Lydia yawned. She was exhausted, but she wanted to hear this. “I’m sure it wasn’t that bad.”

  “At one point Caitlin convinced Trish to try to grab Noah’s . . .” Hannah gestured wildly.

  “Cock?” Lydia offered then laughed at Hannah’s shocked expression. “It was just a little innocent flirting.”

  “It gets worse.”

  Lydia looked intrigued. “How much worse? Please tell me you took pictures.”

  “Oh, you are so funny,” Hannah said dryly. “Trish thought Caitlin was flirting with Noah, and she tried to hit Caitlin.”

  “See!” Lydia said triumphantly. “That’s the mean part. I know Trish gets a lot of attention from guys, but she doesn’t date much. Noah’s pretty hot, so she was probably nervous. I’m sure he didn’t mind the attention that much.”

  Hannah had started to pace. “I nearly lost it when Trish tried to kiss him.”

  “Oh my God!” Lydia’s eyes lit up suddenly. “You like Noah, don’t you?”

  This statement caused Hannah to stop in her tracks. “What? Well, of course I like Noah, he’s my friend.”

  “He’s a little more than your friend. You want Noah and you can’t stand the idea of him with Trish, even if it was your idea.” This discovery made Lydia feel more than a little satisfied.

  “I like Noah as a friend.” Hannah was speaking slowly to make sure Lydia understood her. “I am with Nathaniel.”

  “My mistake,” Lydia murmured as she struggled to stand up. “If you ask me, you and Noah are a little too friendly, but what do I know.” She walked to her bedroom, and turned at the doorway. “I think Noah is a much better man than Nathaniel. Maybe you do too, even if you don’t want to admit it.” She closed the bedroom door before Hannah could respond.

  How could Lydia think such a thing? She and Noah were friends, nothing more.

  Finally, Hannah headed toward her bedroom. Her shoe hit a small button and it slid across the hardwood floor. It was strange to find a button that looked like it belonged to a man’s shirt, but she assumed it must belong to Nathaniel or Noah. She placed the button on the end table and went to bed.

  Chapter Thirteen

  As Nathaniel and Noah neared the end of their run, they both picked up their pace. Nathaniel looked over at Noah and grinned. They had been doing this since they were kids. It was never a race until the last stretch of the run. Then it became a contact sport. He swerved toward Noah, leaning in with his shoulder.

  Noah dodged it with a laugh, and then ducked under to slam his head into Nathaniel’s mid-section. They both went down into the grass, but Noah quickly rolled to his feet and took off at full speed.

  It didn’t take Nathaniel long to make it to his feet and take off after him, but he wasn’t sure he would catch up.

  Noah hit the steps of the veranda and turned to gloat. “What’s wrong? Are you getting too old to keep up with me?”

  Nathaniel pointed an accusing finger. “You cheated!”

  “Ha! You know the rules of the game.”

  Nathaniel nodded. “There are no rules.”

  “Got that right, big brother,” Noah said as he started to stretch.

  Nathaniel began to stretch too and then casually asked. “So how was your date with the lovely Trish?” He couldn’t resist teasing Noah.

  Noah stopped stretching. “You knew that was a set up?” he asked accusingly.

  “Are you trying to tell me that you didn’t know it was a set up?”

  “I knew it was,” Noah admitted, “but I didn’t want to hurt Hannah’s feelings.”

  Nathaniel slapped him on the back. “You’re a good friend to her. So how did it go? I called Hannah yesterday to ask about it, but she wouldn’t tell me. She just kept mumbling something about breasts.”

  Noah laughed at that memory. “I have to admit that it was entertaining, but I felt a little bad for Trish afterwards. I probably should have said no.”

  “What happened?” Nathaniel was more than a little curious.

  “If Hannah wants you to know, she’ll tell you,” Noah replied. “So how are things going between the two of you?”

  “Great!” Nathaniel’s smile turned wistful. “I met her for lunch last week, and got to watch her at the daycare for a little while before her break. She is going to be an incredible mother.”

  “She’s more than a brood mare,” Noah practically snapped at him.

  Nathaniel was taken aback by his tone. “I’m aware of that. Do you really think I’m only interested in Hannah because she can give me children?”

  Noah felt bad for putting it that way. He knew that he was letting his feelings for Hannah make him suspicious of his own brother. Nathaniel was several years older than him, but they had always been close. They told each other everything, well almost everything. His brother was a good man, and he felt like a jackass for insinuating otherwise. “I’m sorry. T
hat was a completely fucked up thing for me to say.”

  “It’s okay,” Nathaniel said with a wave of his hand. “I shouldn’t have jumped down your throat. I did make it sound that way. Hannah is perfect for me. She understands the world I live in and likes so many of the same things.”

  Noah had seen them together and they did seem happy.

  “Are you feeling okay?” Nathaniel seemed concerned. It was then that Noah realized he’d been silent too long.

  “I just got a little lost in thought,” Noah said. “Have you talked to her about what we are yet?”

  They both headed into the kitchen through the veranda doors.

  Nathaniel shook his head. “We did have an interesting conversation after she went to see that new vampire romance movie with Trish and Caitlin.”

  Noah grinned. “That must have been entertaining. Was she feeling amorously inclined for the undead hero in the movie?”

  Nathaniel frowned. “She didn’t find the idea of vampires romantic at all. She wasn’t impressed, and couldn’t figure out why any woman would find a monster sexy. It was not very encouraging.”

  “We aren’t anything like what they portray in those movies. Why would you care how she feels about them? The guy in that movie was dead, and I can see why she might be turned off by the whole necrophilia thing.”

  “I’m still worried that when I tell her she’ll freak out,” Nathaniel admitted.

  Noah put a hand on his brother’s shoulder. “You know as well as I do that Hannah isn’t the sort to just freak out. I’m not saying you need to tell her now, but you know that you need to tell her before things get too far.”

  Nathaniel didn’t answer for a long time.

  “You have to tell her at some point,” Noah continued, “and you’d better do it before you do anything that could get her pregnant.”

  Nathaniel’s expression became thoughtful. “It would make things easier to explain if she was already one of us. Then she wouldn’t be so afraid.”

  Noah was so shocked that he couldn’t even speak.

  “Don’t look at me like that,” Nathaniel said defensively. “I didn’t say I was going to try to get her pregnant. I just said it would make it easier if she was pregnant.”

  Noah relaxed some, but still warned. “Keep your pants zipped until you tell her. Despite what you might think, pregnant women are not the most reasonable creatures. She might freak out if you tell her then.”

  Nathaniel nodded. “I need to ask you about something.” He looked a little uncomfortable.

  Noah took a bottle of juice out of the refrigerator while Nathaniel grabbed two glasses and the pill bottle off of the counter.

  “I thought we already had the talk,” Noah teased. “I guess I can go through this with you again. It’s only natural for a man to have certain urges when he’s around an attractive woman. My advice is to take a cold shower until you’ve talked to Hannah about what you really are.”

  “Are you done mocking me?”

  Noah pretended to give the matter a lot of thought. “I’m done for now.”

  Nathaniel stared down at his juice glass uncomfortably. “I know this isn’t something you want to discuss, but I just don’t feel comfortable asking anyone else.”

  Noah waited.

  “I need to feed,” he finally admitted. “I’m starting to notice the hunger too much when I’m with Hannah. I know you think less of me because of this, but I need advice and I don’t know who else to ask.”

  Noah put a hand on his brother’s shoulder. “I don’t think less of you. Why would you think that?”

  “You stopped taking energy from humans, and you think it’s wrong.”

  “No, I think it’s wrong for me.” Noah felt bad that his brother had thought he felt somehow superior because of his decision. “If you need energy then why not just find a host and take it?”

  “That usually involves a trip to a club, dancing with a woman who finds me attractive, and occasionally a little fooling around. If Hannah found out about that she’d probably leave me.”

  Noah was a little annoyed to realize that getting caught was at the top of his brother’s list of reasons why he shouldn’t pick up a woman at bar.

  His annoyance faded when Nathaniel added. “Of course I wouldn’t fool around with the woman now that I’m with Hannah, but she wouldn’t be happy about me going to a club to meet a woman anyway.”

  Noah saw his dilemma. Once Hannah knew what Nathaniel was he could explain it to her and they could find a solution that worked for them both. “You’re going to tell her soon?”

  “Yes,’ Nathaniel assured him, “but I need to find a solution now.”

  “How about using me?”

  “Using you for what?” Nathaniel asked.

  “Your host,” Noah clarified. “Just this one time. You won’t need to feed again for at least three months, and by then you had better have told Hannah or I might just do it for you.”

  Nathaniel shook his head. “No, that is not an option. It’s bad enough that I see you aging now. I can’t stand the idea of making it worse.”

  “It’s one time, and you know it won’t cause any lasting damage. Just let me shower and finish grading some tests first. Come by my place in a couple of hours.”

  Nathaniel looked miserable over the idea, but he nodded. “Thanks Noah. I don’t know what I’d do without you.”

  Noah turned around and gave him a teasing grin. “Just so you know up front, I am not fooling around with you.”

  Chapter Fourteen

  The last thing Hannah wanted to deal with today was a long walk from her car to the condo. Lydia used their single car garage which left Hannah looking for an empty guest parking space every day. Most days it wasn’t a problem but on Fridays, like this one, there were few guest spaces left. A woman shouldn’t have to walk this far on her birthday. She knew that she shouldn’t be feeling sorry for herself, since it had been a pretty good birthday. Okay, so her parents hadn’t called, her boyfriend hadn’t called, and her friends hadn’t called. Her coworkers had given her a very nice card, and a cupcake. She was sure the cupcake was delicious, but she hadn’t felt much like eating it after an overzealous toddler had helped her blow out the candle. It had never occurred to her that one child could get a cupcake quite that wet.

  As she approached the stairs she looked behind her at the flock of wild turkeys that were trailing her. “I don’t think you should come up there,” she warned the turkeys. “The cats may not react well, and I’m sure Lydia won’t be pleased.” Her entourage dispersed and she walked up the stairs.

  Lydia was waiting on the front porch. “Finally!” she almost shouted.

  “Sorry,” Hannah said as she fished out her keys. “I had one heck of a time finding a parking space tonight. I still can’t believe you lost your keys.”

  “I’m just glad you answered my call, and came home. I was worried that you might have a date with Mr. Perfect tonight.” As usual, Lydia sneered when she referred to Nathaniel.

  “He had some big plans with Noah.” Try as she might, Hannah couldn’t disguise the disappointment in her voice. She should be used to people forgetting her birthday. It had been happening most of her life, but she’d expected this year to be different. This was her new life. People in her new life were supposed to remember her birthday.

  She turned the key in the door, pushed it open, and jumped back when the lights came on. A room full of people shouted, “Surprise!”

  With one hand over her heart and her eyes wide with shock, Hannah looked around at the little crowd in her living room. Nathaniel and Noah were both grinning like idiots. Trish and Caitlin were also there, along with Nathaniel’s cousins Justin, Isaiah, and Drew. Thankfully, Dominic was absent. Lydia had just started to perk up, and seeing him seemed like a bad idea. Two of the ladies that worked at the daycare were also there. The room was fully decorated in pink and white party decorations. There were balloons, streamers, and signs.

  Hannah lo
oked at Lydia. “You threw me a surprise party?”

  “Duh!” was Lydia’s response.

  Nathaniel reached out a hand. When she took it he pulled her into his arms, and kissed her forehead. “Did you think we would forget your birthday?”

  “No, of course not. Well, maybe I did, but the day was almost over and no one had said anything.”

  “We wouldn’t do that to you,” Lydia said. “We just knew how much you wanted someone to throw you a surprise party.”

  “How did you know that? I always tell you that I hate them.”

  “We watch television together,” Noah explained. “How could I not realize that you wanted a surprise party?”

  She looked confused. “What does that have to do with anything?”

  “Whenever we see a show with a surprise party, you make that cute little sound.” He looked at Nathaniel. “You know the sound? She makes it when she sees a baby or a puppy.”

  Nathaniel hugged her closer. “I love it when she makes that sound.”

  Lydia made a gagging gesture. “That sound always makes me want to puke, but go on with the story, Noah.”

  “Well,” he continued, “after you make that cute little sound, you usually comment on how lucky the person is to have such good friends. So we decided to show you how lucky you are.”

  “I can’t believe you went to all of this trouble for me.” Her eyes were still wide with excitement.

  “Getting Nathaniel to pretend he’d forgotten your birthday was the hard part.” Noah added, and then he reached in his pocket and pulled out a phone. “Here’s your phone back.”

  Nathaniel took it and put it in his pocket. “It was really hard trying to keep this secret.”

  Hannah touched Nathaniel’s cheek, and pulled his head down to kiss him. “You did a good job.”

  Lydia grabbed Noah’s arm. “Let’s give the lovers a little private petting time.”

  “Maybe you should take him back to your room after the party.” Trish teased. “Then he can give you something really memorable for your birthday.”