by Kallysten
Blake groaned as he remembered. “Sorry."
"Don't be,” she said with a smile that seemed just a little strained. “I said I wouldn't sleep with you. I didn't say anything about kissing.” She gulped. “Or biting."
He looked at her for a moment, waiting for the punch line, but she didn't add anything.
"Kate?” he murmured, afraid to understand what she meant, afraid to hope too much.
She touched his cheek lightly with her fingertips. “I'd promised myself that if you ever told me you loved me, I'd let you take blood from me."
"Kate...” Blake was surprised to find that his voice sounded almost choked. He pushed the words out anyway. “That's not... You don't have to do that."
"I know. But I want to."
"You do?” He stroked the hickey on her neck with his thumb. “That kind of mark doesn't come off, you know."
Her hand slid from his face down to his neck, and she caressed the bite marks there, scratching them lightly with a fingernail. “I know that, too."
Shivering, he kissed her, then ran his tongue over her lips. His mouth trailed over her chin and jaw, then to her neck. He followed the beating of her heart down to her pulse point and pressed a kiss there. “I love you,” he said again. His mouth slid just a little lower, where the bite would not bleed as much.
Her fingers tightened on his neck as his fangs slowly dropped and pierced her skin. She gasped, then let out a little moan of pain. There were ways to work around the first twinges of pain, but she had made him promise not to get naughty. Next time, maybe...
He pulled on her blood slowly, and her next moan was one of surprise. Still drawing small mouthfuls of her blood, sweet and warm just as she was, he smiled. No one ever believed before being bitten that it could feel good. Swallowing, he tightened the seal of his mouth around her and pulled one last time—hard. Kate let out a small cry and shivered against him as he slowly laved the bite marks with his tongue.
Afterwards, as he cradled her to his chest, he only had one thought. He had a human lover as fierce as she was beautiful, as strong as she was courageous. He had his Sire. He had to be the luckiest vampire on earth.
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Chapter 5
When Kate first left her room after her night with Marc—after offering her neck to Blake—it was to work over lunch with Daniel. She tried pulling up the collar of her shirt to hide the bite mark, but a slow blink from Daniel, not five minutes in, told her he had noticed. He fell silent for a few seconds, long enough for Kate to brace herself for the reprimand she was just sure was coming, but all he said in the end was, “I hope you know what you're doing. And don't be afraid to ask if they act like jerks and you need help kicking their sorry asses."
That was how she realized he knew about more than the bite. Heat flooded her cheeks, and she struggled for a few moments to regain her composure. Daniel continued thinking aloud about the results of the most recent explorations the squad had performed. Kate froze, struck by a thought that felt like a revelation and left her mind reeling: it didn't have to be more difficult than this.
Even though she had told Daniel to mind his own business, she had continued to worry what he and the rest of the squad would make of her having an affair with two vampires at the same time. Maybe she had worried too much, not that she would admit as much to Blake. Smugness was not his most attractive look. Maybe all that mattered was that she was happy—and she was, truly. Her heart felt lighter than she could ever remember. Maybe the squad was too busy trying to survive to care all that much with whom she spent her nights. They'd gossip, certainly, because days were long in between patrols and hours had to be filled somehow, but eventually she and her lovers would be old news.
"Kate? You still with me?"
Blinking, she looked up from the bit of carrot speared on her fork to Daniel across from her. He was pointing at something on the map between them. She shook her head and tried to clear her mind.
"Sorry. Got distracted for a second."
He gave her a sharp look, and she added, “It won't happen again. What were you saying about the northern path?"
What was done was done, she decided. She didn't regret it, she wasn't ashamed of it, and if anyone had a problem with it, she would make it clear to them that it was her life and she could do whatever she pleased.
As it turned out in the next few days, though, curious glances were the extent of what she received. She could tell that Blake wanted to say, “I told you so,” but he refrained, for which she was grateful. Things didn't change much at all, in fact. She continued to alternate sparring with Blake and Marc in the early afternoon, took her turns with them in the squad rotations for exploration patrols outside Lakeview, and worked with Daniel whenever he needed her. The only real change was that now, it wasn't always Blake who curled around her in her bed when they returned from patrol.
The only question that remained, in fact, was how long she would resist Blake's suggestion that she move into their room—or why she even resisted still. She doubted she would resist much longer.
"So you're going to do it?"
Marc gave a small start at Blake's words, and immediately chastised himself for his distraction. The middle of a reconnaissance patrol was far from the best time to let his mind wander. He shifted his hand on the hilt of his sword and pulled his gaze away from Kate's neck.
She was taking point for their three-men team, with Marc and Blake a few yards behind her on her left and right. Similar teams were spread through the woods every fifty yards or so. They took turns leading, but Marc was always most worried when she was in the front like this. Most distracted, too. It was too dark, and she was too far for him to see the bite marks on her throat, but he knew they were there, fresh again after Blake had spent the day with her. He trusted Blake not to take so much blood that she would be weakened, but that didn't mean he wasn't worried. It was so easy for a vampire to take too much even when they didn't want to...
"I don't bite humans,” he finally answered Blake's question, turning his face toward him and keeping his voice as quiet as Blake's had been. “You know that."
Blake flashed a glance at him through the sparse trees. It was late in the winter, and although the air wasn't very cold, the trees had long since lost their leaves. Through the bare branches, the half moon shone enough that the sword in Blake's hand gleamed, a dash of silver leading his steps. His surprise stood out just as clearly. “So you're not going to turn him, then?"
It was Marc's turn to be surprised. Caught as he was in thoughts of Kate, he hadn't realized Blake was talking about Daniel. “I don't know yet,” he said. “I need to be sure—"
Ahead of them, Kate had stopped. She turned back to look at them, a hand on her hip. With the moon at her back, Marc couldn't make out her expression, but her tone left no doubt about her irritation. “What is so important that you two are talking about it now?” she hissed.
The implication was clear: if there were demons around, it was dangerous for Marc and Blake to be chatting, dangerous not to be completely focused on their surroundings. Marc felt somewhat embarrassed: he knew better than that. Blake, on the other hand, laughed quietly before throwing a grin at Marc. “Isn't she beautiful when she's bossy?"
Kate huffed and turned on her heel, striding through the woods as though trying to regain ground—as though she were upset. The scent that drifted from her, however, told an entirely different story.
The squad found neither demons nor the breach through which they entered this dimension, that night. As they returned to Lakeview, the mood was subdued, and Kate still gave Blake the evil eye every so often, but she didn't pull away from him as he pressed his thigh against hers on the wooden bench at the back of the truck that was taking them to the base. By the time they arrived, her hand easily fell into Blake's. Marc pressed a kiss to her cheek and took Blake's scabbard and sword, wishing them a pleasant night. He found it adorable that Kate always blushed and ducked her head when he
said it.
When Blake came back to their room by early morning, Marc had been thinking for a while about the patrol, and Blake's unexpected question. For him to ask while they were hunting demons, he must have really wanted to know, or been really bored. But even if he had been bored, why ask about Daniel's eventual siring?
"Would it bother you?” he asked as Blake climbed into bed next to him. Blake raised a questioning eyebrow at him, and Marc realized Blake had no way to know what thoughts had been turning in his head. He started over. “If I sired Daniel, would it bother you?"
Blake answered with a slow blink. “Should it?"
The words were innocuous, but there was something in his voice, something dark and wary that Marc didn't like one bit.
"I'm not saying I'm going to do it,” he said slowly, watching for any minute reaction from Blake. “I'm not sure he understands what it entails, and I'm also not sure whether I want another Childe. I've already got my hands full with you."
Blake snorted and crossed both his arms behind his head. “Right. And it has nothing to do with the fact that Kate would freak out."
That, Marc hadn't considered, but as soon as Blake said it, he knew he was right. He hadn't mentioned anything to her because nothing was decided yet, but she needed to know before it happened—if it was to happen.
"I'll tell her. Tonight, I'll—"
"Don't.” Blake yawned and rolled over onto his stomach. His next words were muffled, half swallowed by his pillow. “Have Daniel tell her. Might help him decide if he really wants it."
It wasn't a bad idea. Marc ran a hand up and down Blake's back. The movement was familiar, although usually reserved for those times when the walls closed in on Blake until only soothing caresses could reach him anymore. “You still didn't tell me what you think."
Enough time passed without Blake answering that Marc started thinking he had fallen asleep. And then, a whisper rose, so low that he couldn't read any emotion behind the words.
"You'd still be my Sire. Wouldn't you?"
Marc's hand stopped at the back of Blake's neck and stayed there, heavy but not tight. “Idiot. I'll always be your Sire."
Blake made a sound that could possibly have been an annoyed huff. Or maybe it was a muttered, “I know."
Usually, Daniel's grand speeches were dull enough to put Blake right to sleep. However, when Daniel started his speech that afternoon with, “We have it,” Blake whooped with the rest of the room. Daniel continued to explain who had found the breach, when and where, but Blake already knew everything he wanted to know: they would be fighting demons that night. Not just that, but they would be closing another breach.
"You knew!” he told Kate afterwards, when she had come off the dais, and his voice was caught between accusing and elated. “You've known since last night!"
She was grinning when she shook her head, her braid bouncing lightly on her shoulder. “Only this morning, actually."
"And you didn't come to tell me!” He covered his heart with his hand in a dramatic gesture. “I'm hurt, sweetheart."
She snorted and absently raised her right arm in front of her, an all-too-familiar gesture, to check the laces of her knife sheath. “Maybe not telling you was payback for that stupid nickname.” Her grin widened a little more as she leaned closer. “Or maybe I told Marc before he went back to your room, and we decided you'd be a pain all day if you knew."
Blake's fake annoyance faded, replaced by a pang that was all too real. His lips twitched into a smile that he couldn't quite maintain. “You did?” he murmured, and he wasn't accusing anymore, but he wasn't far from being really hurt. He had brought them together, he was perfectly fine with them sleeping together, but if they shared things and deliberately excluded him—
"No.” Kate's grin vanished in a blink. She stepped closer to him and threw her arms around his neck, threading her fingers through his hair. “I got the call after he left,” she said very gently. “I was just teasing."
Blake felt like an idiot suddenly. He wove his arms around her waist and pushed a smirk to his lips. “Of course you were, sweetheart. I knew that."
For once, she didn't call him on the nickname. Instead, she peered a little closer into his eyes, as though searching for something behind them.
"I love you,” she said, her words soft as petals. It was the first time she had said it when they weren't alone in her room. “You know that, right?"
Blake's eyes flickered to the marks on her throat. He leaned into her neck and pressed a kiss to them. “I do know that,” he whispered. “And I know you love him, too. And it's all right, you know. If you love him more than—"
Her fingers tightened on his hair, pulling his head up. The next moment, her mouth crashed into his, hard enough that she cut her lip on his teeth. She kissed him without seeming to notice, pulling him closer to her until they were pressed together. Even when she ended the kiss, she didn't pull back. She stared up at Blake from just a couple of inches away. He didn't like the way her eyes shone like she was just moments away from crying.
"Marc is right,” she said, and her voice squeaked a little. “You really are an idiot."
Blake couldn't object, not when he was calling himself much worse in his own head. “I am,” he said, and pressed his lopsided smile to her lips for a soft, short kiss. “But you love me anyway."
"Heaven only knows why she does,” a gruff voice said behind Kate.
Blake looked up to find Marc there. Hand on her shoulder, he was rolling his eyes, but there was a quirk to his lips that said he was teasing.
"She said you're an idiot,” Blake said, tongue in cheek, “so I guess she loves you because she took pity on you."
"I did not say that!” Kate dropped her arms from around his neck and jabbed a finger at his chest. “Take it back!"
"Take back all of it?” Blake asked as he captured her hand in his. He used his hold on her to make her twirl in front of him as though they were dancing, drawing her back close to his chest so that she faced Marc when he asked, “You mean you don't love him?"
The startled look on Marc's face turned into a frown directed at Blake. Blake knew the two of them hadn't shared these words—one of them would have told him if Kate had said it, and he knew it would take Marc a long time to manage to voice the words, if he even ever did. They did love each other, though; he knew them enough to hear it every time they said each other's name.
"Stop playing,” Marc started, but Kate stopped him by pressing a finger to his lips.
"I do,” she murmured, drawing Marc's gaze back to her. “I do love you. Both of you."
Marc blinked, then slowly leaned in to press his mouth to hers. Smiling, Blake kissed her neck. It wouldn't be long now, before he had both of them in his bed, he was sure of it.
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Chapter 6
The sky over the horizon still burned with a dark red fire when the trucks left the base. Daniel had mobilized everyone, leaving only enough troops at the base to defend the fortified strip of land that linked the island to the rest of the world. The three trucks were packed, soldiers pressed together on the narrow benches. Marc sat next to Kate, her left hand in both of his.
Eyes closed and head pressed to Marc's shoulder, she seemed asleep, but her heartbeat gave her away to anyone who could hear it, and her scent completed the picture, sweet and a little spicy. She was excited. A little nervous, a little afraid, too, because they all knew fighting demons was never easy or safe, but mostly she was excited. Marc could understand that all too well. With each breach they closed, the end of the fight was one step closer.
On her other side, holding her right hand, Blake was just as excited; he, however, didn't have enough sense to be scared. Marc had long ago ceased to admonish him about it. Blake still enjoyed the battle too much for Marc's tastes, but at least his reasons for fighting now went beyond the simple thrill of violence. Marc knew he had Kate to thank for that change, and he did thank her often.
&n
bsp; After fifteen minutes of rough riding on uneven ground, the trucks stopped behind what might once have been a warehouse. It was now little more than three barely standing walls and a caved-in roof, but combined with a protection spell, it would hide the medical staff that was staying with the trucks to treat the wounded as quickly as possible. It only took Simon seconds to do the spell. He had perfected it in the past months, and as soon as he was done the trucks and those closest to them disappeared from view. He nodded a self-satisfied little nod and looked at the two other mages, who had joined the squad a couple weeks earlier. They were so vocal in their approval that Daniel had to shush them.
They called themselves mages, but to Marc they were little more than children. He doubted the youngest was more than seventeen, but she had the potential to be even better at magic than Simon was, and her partner was only a little weaker. They already knew how to close breaches, although they had never done so themselves, while Simon had two to his name. Daniel's superior had decided the three of them ought to work together and figure out a way to shorten the ritual, or to make it easier. Some days, Simon seemed to preen under the attention he received; at other times, his fear that he soon wouldn't be the squad's best asset anymore was all too obvious.
Under Daniel's quick orders, the soldiers fell into formation, with the mages protected at the center of the group. Daniel was in the front, along with the two soldiers who had discovered the breach almost by accident. Kate, Marc and Blake weren't very far behind. Everyone was advancing with weapon in hand. Marc's weapon was relatively new; he had picked it up after his previous sword had been bent beyond repair by a demon's clawed feet a few months earlier. The hilt and guard were simple, unadorned, the blade as long as Blake's sword Seneca. Kate's was more ornate, the scrolls on the guard balancing the weight of the thinner, shorter blade. She was as deadly with it as Marc and Blake were with their heavier weapons.
This breach lay at the back of what had once been the parking lot of a strip mall. The squad had barely cleared the first destroyed building when the demons attacked.
