In Blood and Worth Loving

by Marilyn Lee

  “The time to figure that out is before you see her, Adrian.”

  He raked a hand through his hair. “I don’t know that I am going to see her.”

  “You’ll need to make contact with her soon or risk losing her to her human lover.”

  A knot of rage tightened his gut. “Unless this lover of hers has a death wish, he’d better keep his hands off her.”

  Conner moved his hand onto his shoulder. “Don’t do anything that she might find impossible to forgive—like killing him. You’d do well to remember that she thinks a lot of him.”

  “Then she’ll have fond memories of him to console her if he makes me kill him.”

  Conner sighed. “Be careful, Adrian. And if you need me, call me.”

  He nodded.

  Conner stepped away from the entrance door.

  Adrian jerked it open and hurried down the front steps.

  Conner cleared his throat. “And you’re going where again?”

  Adrian stopped. He didn’t know where she lived. Why the hell hadn’t he checked her wallet while she slept so Conner would have less to smirk about? He turned to face him. “I don’t know. Where am I going?”

  Conner gave him the address. “Don’t go see her until you can be gentle and do not doom your chances with her by hurting the boyfriend.”

  “If you want to ensure that, I suggest you contact him and warn him to stay the hell away from her.”

  “If that’s what it’ll take to save you from yourself, I just might do that.”

  Adrian got in his car and left the mansion grounds. Several hours later, he lay naked in Marcella’s bed.

  She sat beside him, stroking his hair.

  He waited for her to point out that the sex they’d just shared had left a lot to be desired.

  “Do you want to talk about Brandi with an I, lover?” she asked instead.

  He shook his head and turned onto his stomach. “No. I want to forget her.”

  She leaned over to kiss his hair. “I don’t think that’s possible, darling.”

  “I don’t want to talk about her and I can’t imagine why you would either.”

  “Because you and I are friends as well as lovers. It’s no use pretending ignoring her will change how you feel.”

  He closed his eyes.

  “I’m a good listener. Let’s talk about this Brandi of yours.”

  “She’s not mine.” Not anymore.

  “But you want her to be?”

  “I didn’t say that!”

  “There’s no need to be so defensive with me, lover. Your actions clearly show you want her to be yours alone. Let’s stop playing games and talk about her.”

  He slowly rolled onto his back. After a long silence, he told her about his night with Brandi.

  She listened in silence and finally sighed. “She sounds like a lucky woman.”

  “I don’t think she feels meeting me was such a stroke of luck.”

  “I wouldn’t be too sure of that if I were you, lover.” She pressed her back against the headboard. “But you do need to try to get a grip on the reality of the situation.”

  He sat up and half-turned to stare at her. “What?”

  She reached out to rub his arm. “You have to admit you’re in over your head and stumbling around blindly. Lucky for you, you’re such a great lover and so handsome you can get away with things other less well-endowed males couldn’t expect to be forgiven for.”

  “What?”

  “Come on, lover. A woman you can’t forget tells you she thinks you’re worth loving and wants something real with you. Instead of considering yourself lucky, you find an excuse to insult her and walk out on her. Now even you can’t think that behavior makes sense, lover.”

  He stared at her. “You’re taking her side?”

  She shrugged. “I’m a woman. I know how I’d feel if someone I cared for responded to a declaration of love by going out of his way to hurt me.”

  “I didn’t hurt—”

  She pressed her fingers against his lips. “Trust me, lover, if she cares for you, you hurt her. Or did you think her tears were fake?”

  He swallowed hard. “No, but—”

  “Then you’d better come up with a way to make things right with her.”

  “I will—when hell freezes over!”

  She laughed. “Oh, I know you will and it’ll happen long before hell freezes over. Let me see a picture of her.”

  He gave her a cool look. “What makes you think I have one?”

  She stroked a hand down his chest. “I know sketching and photography are your hobbies. I know you have either a picture or a sketch of her.”

  “Fine.” He rose from the bed and crossed the room to his pants to retrieve his wallet. Returning to the bed, he removed the snapshot sized sketches he’d made from the larger drawings. Seating himself on the bed beside Marcella, he handed her the sketch.

  She studied the sketch entitled, Brandi—Having My Baby? “She’s pretty.”

  He arched a brow. “You think so?”

  “Yes. Don’t you think so?”

  “Yes, but I didn’t expect you to.”

  She shrugged, touching a finger to the sketch. “There’s a lot of her. Isn’t there?”

  “Yes. There is.”

  She looked up at him. “You sounded pleased by her size.”

  “I am,” he admitted. “There’s more to hug, kiss, bite, and fuck.”

  She glanced down at the sketch again. “Never tell me her breasts are…they look natural.”

  “They are.”

  “Real. God, I would kill for natural breasts half that size.”

  “Your breasts are very nice too.”

  She smiled and touched his cheek. “Ever the gallant, considerate lover.”

  Brandi had not seen much of that side of him. “She doesn’t think so.”

  “Well you have to give her reason to.” She stroked her finger over the sketch again. “They’re real. Damn. No wonder you’re in blood with her.”

  “I never said I was in blood with her or anyone else.”

  “Oh, lover, we’ve known each other too long to play games. We both know you are in blood with her.”

  He didn’t respond.

  “Never mind. Let’s talk about something pleasant.”

  “Such as?”

  “You think you’re going to be a father?”

  “Conner thinks there’s a good chance of that happening.”

  She squeezed his hand. “Congratulations.”

  He shook his head. “I don’t think congratulations are in order. I’m not sure if she’s pregnant or even if she’ll forgive me if she is.”

  “So you’re ready to admit you behaved badly? We’re making progress.”

  He bared his incisors.

  She laughed and leaned forward to kiss him. “Have you looked in the mirror lately? You’re to die for gorgeous. Of course she’ll forgive you.”

  But Adrian wasn’t so sure he hadn’t blown any chance of establishing a real relationship with Brandi. He frowned. When had he decided he did want a relationship with her?

  Marcella caressed his cheek.

  One of the things he liked most about Marcella was her lack of jealousy. She’d always been a friend first and a lover second. He turned his head to brush his lips against her palm.

  She smiled. “Now, let’s talk about her birthday present. Then we’ll have a farewell fuck.”

  He reached out to caress her pussy. “Let’s skip talk of birthday presents and go right to the fuck,” he said.

  She tilted her head. “Is it going to be a farewell one, Adrian?”

  He shook his head. “I don’t know.”

  “Oh, but I think you do. Never mind. I’ll miss you like hell so we’ll just make sure this is the best fuck we’ve ever shared.” She stretched out on top of him, pressing his cock against her entrance.

  He hesitated. What would Brandi say if she discovered he’d been with Marcella after he’d fucked he
r?

  “Don’t worry, lover. This is the last time for us…unfortunately.” She pushed her hips forward.

  He slid balls deep inside her. He closed his eyes.

  Marcella ground her groin against his. “Oh, lover, I’m going to miss you and your big cock.”

  “We’ll always be friends—no matter what happens or doesn’t happen with Brandi.”

  She bounced up and down on his cock. “Oh, no, lover. That would be expecting too much of her. She needs to feel she has your complete attention and devotion. You have to make her feel that this wonderful cock won’t be sampling strange pussy. Just hers, lover. Just hers.”

  Marcella’s understanding strengthened his view that fems were superior to human females. So why the hell couldn’t he stop thinking of Brandi?

  Marcella leaned forward and kissed him passionately.

  He parted his lips and responded.

  Sex with Marcella satisfied his physical needs and provided a temporary respite from his growing rage. Once he left her, his rage and the fear that he wouldn’t be able to control himself kept him away from Brandi even as his hunger for her grew more intolerable.

  Chapter Twelve

  “I know it must have been a frightening experience, but he wouldn’t have hurt you, Brandi.”

  Seated on her sofa on Monday night speaking on the phone to Rayna, Brandi shook her head. “You might not be so sure of that if you’d seen him pinning me against the sofa and…”

  “And what?”

  “I’d rather not talk about it.”

  “Ok. I didn’t see him, but I know him. I’ve lived with them since they found me outside the gates of the family mansion when I was just a few weeks old. All three brothers raised me, but Uncle Adrian was most like a father to me. He sometimes has a bit of a temper, but he can also be sweet and very considerate.”

  “I saw a little of that while at the Poconos, but also saw a side of him that frightened me.”

  “I hope you’ll give him another chance.”

  She shook her head. “I’ve learned my lesson, Rayna. I’m going to spend my birthday weekend with Doug to see if we can rekindle our relationship.”

  “Uncle Adrian wouldn’t have hurt you, Brandi.”

  Her reluctance to admit how far Adrian had gone annoyed her. She decided she didn’t owe him anything and Rayna needed to know what he was capable of so none of her other friends would be subjected to his rage.

  “Look, I know he’s like a father to you, Rayna, but he…he…”

  “What?”

  “He…he penetrated me without my permission.”

  “What? Are you saying he…what are you saying, Brandi? That he…raped you?”

  Hearing the shocked dismay in Rayna’s voice, she wished the words unsaid. She had no wish to do or say anything to harm the close relationship she knew he and Rayna shared. She closed her eyes. “No. It’s not as bad as it sounds. He penetrated me, but he stopped when I asked him to.”

  “But he…if he…oh, Brandi! I’m so sorry. I had no idea…I thought…I hoped that he’d finally moved beyond the mentality that would make that type of behavior acceptable to him.”

  “Moved bey…you mean he makes a habit of using force?”

  “No! You’ve met him and spent the night with him, Brandi. He’s gorgeous and women throw themselves at him. He doesn’t need to use force.”

  “Then what did you mean?”

  “That I wasn’t going to make excuses for his past behavior. But I do need to give you a little background so you can understand him better. He’s a vampire, Brandi.”

  Brandi touched the small marks on her neck. “No shit, Sherlock.”

  Rayna laughed. “Uncle Adrian was used to doing whatever was needed to get what he wanted. My uncles didn’t think they were doing anything wrong until I was old enough to start to reshape their thinking and change their minds.

  “Uncle Adrian knows you’re my friend so I can’t understand how or why…he’d…I was so sure he…” She sighed. “He has a temper, but he’s usually so controlled. I can’t imagine what happened to make him lose control with you…unless…”

  “Unless what? I hope you’re not about to blame me—as he did.”

  “Of course I’m not going to blame you, Brandi. I’m just not sure why he behaved that way with you.”

  “I know you’re upset, Rayna, but—”

  “I am.”

  “I don’t want to say anything to add to your dismay, but I think you should think twice before you arrange anymore blind dates with him and your friends.”

  “Why?”

  “Why? Because he…even before…that incident…he hurt me.”

  “He hurt you. How? Physically?”

  “He…” She moistened her lips. “He was a little rough during sex and…I bled.”

  “You bled? Oh, my God! You’re injured?”

  “Well…no…not exactly.”

  “I don’t understand, Brandi. You said he made you bleed.”

  “He did, but I’m not injured.”

  “Oh. You mean he ingested your blood—”

  “No. That’s not what I mean.”

  “What do you mean, Brandi? Where did he make you bleed?”

  She blushed. “My vagina.”

  “From your…you’re bruised or cut there?”

  “No.”

  “Then where did the blood come from?”

  “I’m not sure,” she admitted.

  There was a short silence, then Rayna gave a small scream. “Oh, my God! I knew it! I knew it! I have to get on a flight back home!”

  “I’m not hurt, Rayna. There’s no need for you to return home.”

  “You don’t understand. If I’m right…” she took a deep breath. “Let me slow down. How much do you know about vampires?”

  “I’m not sure. There’s a lot of buzz about them on the net and as you know I’ve read every book I could get my hands on, but I don’t know how much of the info out there is credible.”

  “I’ve spent my entire life with Uncles Adrian, Conner, and Jay. Still there’s so much I don’t know about vampires. I’m still learning new things all the time. They’re all over protective and try to shield me as much as possible from what Uncle Conner calls the seedier side of vampiric life. What I know is that my Uncles are full-blood vampires. They are very powerful and sometimes they can be ruthless. They can also be gentle and kind. They all want kids but it’s very hard for them to get anyone pregnant.”

  “I know. That’s one—”

  Rayna interrupted her. “Unless they’re in blood.”

  “Unless they’re in blood? I’ve never run across that expression in my research. I’ve heard of bloodlust but not in blood. What’s the difference between the two?”

  “Many vampires call their special mate their bloodlust. My Uncles would call their special mate their blood.”

  “Their blood?”

  “Yes. It’s a special endearment none of my uncles would use lightly.”

  Then it was something she would never hear Adrian whisper in her ear while he made love to her—provided she ever saw him again.

  Rayna went on. “Generally they only secrete blood during sex when they’re in blood.”

  Brandi’s heart raced with excitement at the turn the conversation had taken. “Are you saying…what are you saying?”

  “The instances when they secrete blood during sex are rare. They do occasionally secrete blood when they’re not in blood.”

  Oh, hell! Just her luck.

  “They can only get a woman pregnant when they’re secreting blood and in blood. And that only happens with their special woman. Generally vampires who believe in bloodlust can produce blood on demand. By which I mean they can secrete blood in their semen.”

  Brandi found the idea of Adrian secreting blood in her along with his semen surprisingly erotic.

  “Like most vamps, my uncles can ejaculate at will, but have no control over the secretion of blood during sex. Uncl
e Adrian is usually very controlled. I can’t imagine him losing control with one of my friends enough to do what he did unless…”