I am trying desperately to pay attention to his words, but the mention of blood makes it hard to focus.
“What about you? You said earlier that it is preferred to feed from your mate. Since you just found me, how did you feed all this time?”
He sits beside me on the bed, running his hands through his jet black hair. He lets out a pained sigh. “Ridley, I am not so sure that is something that you want to know.”
He is right. I probably am not going to like the answer, but I am still curious. Almost as if he can see that I am not going to drop it, he gives in. The nervous look on his face is almost funny.
“Well, there were always a few unmated Lamont that were willing to, um, share. So, when I was at council I would feed that way. If I was on assignment, and no other Lamont were around I fed from humans. I only took enough for survival, and it didn’t cause them any pain. Our bite is actually quite pleasurable to humans. It heals automatically. We also carry a memory serum in our saliva, so they have no recollection of us at all. To them, we never existed.”
Okay, he was right. I did not want to know that. The thought of his lips on someone else’s skin makes me livid. I recall the pleasure from his blood first hand, and my body isn’t too happy to hear that he has shared the same pleasure with many others. I really have no right to be jealous. He didn’t even know me then. He was only doing what he needed to survive, but I can’t help it. Anger invades my system as I try to process my feelings. “What is wrong with you? Why are you reacting this way? What did you expect him to do? Starve?”
He softly strokes my face and I growl at him. Growl! Where in the hell did that come from? I don’t growl! “It is the bond. Your blood is reacting to the thought of someone else touching me. It is normal Ridley, and for the record I have never experienced pleasure with anyone the way I did with you last night.” His soft voice in my ear calms the fury inside of me. My anger quickly turns to a very new emotion. Need. I am not the type of girl that needs anyone but damnit, I need Tristan.
“Show me.” I rasp. “Drink from me Tristan.” I whisper, my voice raw with the need I feel.
A dark heat flashes in his blue eyes. “Oh baby. Of course.” God, how I love it when he calls me that.
“How do we do it? Do we just bite? I don’t have fangs? Do I?” I open my mouth and expose my teeth for dramatic effect.
His sexy voice tickles my ear, sending heat to my core. “They will come out when they are needed. It will be natural. You won’t have to do anything. Just feel…” My mouth starts to water at the anticipation of tasting his sweet blood. I am tingly in places that I have never felt before. My body is ready for this, but my mind is not so sure. Blood I can handle. Sex, well, sex is a totally different ballgame. I want my first time to be out of love, and although I can see myself loving Tristan, I am not there yet.
Having already read my thoughts Tristan says, “Don’t worry Ridley. When you need to stop I will, ok. Don’t get me wrong. I would love to take you here and now, but I know that you aren’t ready for that yet. I respect that.” I can’t deny the thrill that his words cause me. Somehow I know that when Tristan does take me, I will be forever lost.
I look into his stunning blue eyes, momentarily hypnotized by them, before saying, “Show me. Please.”
He lines his hard body up beside mine on the bed. “Do you want to drink first or would you like me to?”
I considered this question carefully. As much as I want to taste him, if he doesn’t go first I might not be able to stop myself.
He swallows hard, and moves closer to me. “I’ll drink first,” he says. “Now Ridley, I am going to bite you but it won’t hurt. Understand?” I nod. Pain is the last thing on my mind.
“Do you have a preference?”
At this point I don’t care. I just want to feel his lips on my body. “Fast. Fast is my preference.”
He laughs. “Ok. So patience is not one of your better qualities. I’ll pick.”
He gently moves us over to the center of the bed, and positions himself over me. My body is screaming in excitement as his hips touch mine, lightly pushing me into the mattress. He slowly leans in and kisses me. This kiss is different than the others. It is hungry. It has a contained wildness to it that has me gasping into his mouth. He catches my gasp with the kiss, swallowing the sound. Warmth settles in my heart as he shows me with his lips exactly how he feels. I am so lost in his kiss that I almost don’t notice the feelings washing over me- love, need, protectiveness, amazement, and passion. It isn’t the nature of these feelings that speaks to my soul, but the voice that whispers them. My heart is so full of love it might burst. These aren’t my feelings. They are his. Tristan’s emotions are wrapping around me, filling me. He is everywhere; in every breath, in every touch.
He slides his tongue into my mouth causing a moan to leave my lips. His hands run down the length of my body, stroking and teasing me through the cotton of my T-shirt. I wrap my legs around his waist and pull him closer. The only thing separating our most intimate places are two soft layers of cotton. He tenderly pulls away from my lips, moving light kisses down my jaw to my neck. When his lips find my pulse point he stops. He softly guides his tongue along the spot as his hands wrap around my thighs. A light pressure presses against my neck as his fangs sink into me, bringing me to true ecstasy. I press myself closer to him as he increases the pull on my blood. My fingers explore his bare chest. I am supposed to wait my turn, but I can’t take it. I grab his wrist, greedily pulling it to my mouth. Fangs start to protrude from my gums as I bite into him; hard. A cry of pleasure escapes his lips as his sweet blood coats the back of my throat. The hunger I felt the first time I tasted his blood comes crashing back as I suck harder on his flesh. His hands dip under my T-shirt, stroking my sensitive skin. It is all too much.
His lips leave my neck as he whispers, “God baby. You taste….you taste so damn good.”
My stomach clenches as my second ever orgasm finds me, this one much more intense than the last. I know I told him before to not let us go too far, but screw that. I changed my mind.
“I need to feel you. Please Tristan. Touch me.” My voice comes out in a husky tone that I don’t recognize.
Indecision flashes in his eyes before he leans in and kisses me. He pulls away from me and I barely hold in my protest. “Ridley. I want to baby. You don’t know how much, but I promised.”
I tighten my legs around him and let him feel my need for him. The thin cotton barrier that separates us is now moist. He groans. “Aaaahhhh. You are killing me baby.”
“No sex,” I pant. “Just- touch- me.”
He presses another kiss to my now swollen lips as he runs his hands down my body. I shiver as he trails teasing kisses down my neck. He slowly pulls the T-shirt over my head and tosses it to the floor. I have never been topless in front of a man before, but I’m not the slightest bit embarrassed.
“So beautiful,” he whispers as his eyes memorize the shape of my body.
My hands pull at his hair as his fingers gently trace the line of my under wear. I arch my back, giving him easier access.
“Ahhhh! Ridley, we have to stop.” he groans as he reluctantly puts more distance between our bodies.
Tears spring to my eyes. “Doesn’t he want me?”
“Baby….stop thinking that way. You know that I do,” he says. To prove his point he grinds his hips into me. I smile. Yep. He wants it. “You are so perfect,” he whispers. “I would love to be with you, but I can’t. I can’t do anything with you that you may regret. For me, this is all real, but I need to know that it’s more than bloodlust for you Ridley. I need to know that you want me because of how you feel in here,” he says while placing his hand over my wildly beating heart.
He slowly climbs off of me and lays beside me on the bed. He drapes a sheet over me as he pulls me closer to him. Now that his blood isn’t fueling my desire I realize that he is right. I am glad that he stopped us. I want to know that when I finally give myself to
him that it is out of love. Not crazy blood induced hormone overload.
“Thank you.” I whisper as I snuggle into his arms.
“Always, my love, always.”
Time passes so quickly when I am in Tristan’s arms. It is like the world stops and all that matters is the two of us. I want to stay, secure in his warm embrace forever, but I know that it is time to face reality.
“Tristan, it’s getting late. I need to go home soon or Ali is going to send out a search party. I’m sorry. I really don’t want to leave yet, but I know she’ll worry.”
He buries his face into my neck. “You’re right. You need to go, but Ridley I must warn you that it will be painful for you to be apart from me.”
I had almost forgotten about the physical part of the bind. “Define painful.” I whisper, dreading his answer before it ever leaves his lips.
“Your body will ache. You will feel extremely weak, but the most painful part is that the fire will return. It will be more excruciating than ever before.”
Unease saturates my soul at the mention of the fire. “I thought I survived the incineration; that the fire was over.”
Tristan turns me so that we are face to face. “You did, and for most Lamont the fire does end. You are the exception. With a physical bind it only stops when you are around your mate.”
His voice is once again tinged with regret. This is something that is never going to go away. I will always need to be with him, or the flames will return. He blames himself for this. Can’t he see that this isn’t his fault? We are in this, whatever this is, together.
“What about you? Will you be in pain too?”
“Don’t worry about me, my love. I will manage. It’s you that I’m worried about. Ridley. You can go home, but we have to come up with a plan soon. We need to leave Crimson City, the sooner the better.”
Sadness fills my heart as I think about leaving this city that I have waited so long to get to. I guess in the bliss of our blood exchange I had almost forgotten that I will have to say goodbye to who I am.
“When?” I ask.
“I can give you two days, but that is all. Any more time would be unsafe.”
Two days. My life has come down to two days. I have always taken for granted the fact that I had time, but when your time runs out you realize how little you actually had.
“How will we do it?” I ask with a heavy heart.
Tristan cups my face in his hands. “You will need to have an accident. Do you have a car?”
My car. My beauty. My dad’s only gift to me. It is a nineteen sixty seven mustang, cherry red. My mom used to joke that my dad loved that car more than her. I will never forget my sixteenth birthday, when my mom handed me the keys to my dad’s dream. That car was precious to her and there is no way that I can have an accident in that car.
“Tristan, I…”
He pulled me closer, “No, Ridley. I saw it in your mind. We can use one of my cars.”
I sigh in relief. “One of?”
He smiles like only boys can when thinking of their toys. “Yes, I have many. Living forever has its advantages you know.” So we talked for hours developing the plan that would be the death of Ridley Ross. We decided that in two days I will leave the house for a date with my new boyfriend and get into a horrible accident. The bodies, as Tristan put it, will be burned beyond recognition. Tears stain my pillow as the final details are decided. When there is no more to discuss, I sit up and wipe my eyes.
“I’m sorry,” he says as he pulls me in for a hug.
“I know. I don’t blame you. It just seems like destiny is playing a cruel trick on me. The plan makes sense. I’ll be okay.”
“Are you sure? I can try and buy us more time.”
I want to beg him to do just that, but in the end time doesn’t matter because the outcome will be the same. “No. Two days,” I say. He nods in understanding before letting out a quite laugh. I fix him with an angry stare. “Tell me you don’t find this amusing.”
“No, it’s not that. I was just thinking how interesting it’s going to be if you go home wearing only my T-shirt.”
Oh hell! I haven’t even registered the fact that my clothes are a ripped, bloody mess. Well, if I have to choose, I would much rather explain sexy man’s T-shirt over blood soaked club clothes. He smiles down at me, and in the next moment he vanishes.
I scan the room in a panic. Why did he leave? Did he change his mind? My heart rate triples as fear envelopes me. Before I can have a straight up anxiety attack Tristan reappears. I blink, making sure I’m not seeing things. He now wears a gray T-shirt and blue jeans. The same boots from last night cover his feet. In his hands is a bag. His eyes met mine and he dangles the bag in front of me.
“How did you? Oh! Never mind. Will I be able to move that fast?”
“Probably,” he says with a laugh.
I snatch the bag from his hands and suppress a laugh as I look inside. I doubt that I could have picked an outfit that matches my personality better. The bag contains a turquoise baby tee, dark skinny jeans, and a pair of matching flats. “Thanks. I love it, but where did it come from?”
“I picked them up for you last night while you were asleep. I hope they fit. I got your size from the tags of your other clothes. Get changed sexy. I’ll take you home,” he says as he leaves the room.
I can’t believe the reflection staring back at me as I appraise my new outfit in the mirror. It fits my body like a second skin. The turquoise in the shirt makes my eyes glow. “Oh no! My eyes. How am I going to explain this to Ali?”
“Contacts. Just tell her that you’re trying out some colored contacts,” Tristan says as he steps into the room. “You look great Ridley, but I think I like you in my T-shirts better,” he jokes. Hell, I think I like me in his T-shirts better too. He grabs my hand, leading me from the room. “Now, remember that I will come to you tonight after Ali goes to sleep. In the meantime, I will be right outside. That should be close enough for the pain to be minimal. Do you think that you will be ok until then?” The truth is I really don’t know.
“I’ll try,” I say as I follow him out into the hallway. We walk the short distance to a large sitting room. The walls are a chocolate brown with white trim. Two brown leather sofas fill the space. The walls are decorated with beautiful art that looks as if it should be hanging in a museum instead of a house. He stops and reaches into his pocket, pulling out a new I-phone. “What’s this for?” I ask as he places the phone in my hand.
“Your phone got smashed up a bit, so I got you a new one last night while you were asleep. Yours still worked, but I wanted to replace it for you. It has all my numbers programmed in,” he explains. “If you need me before Ali falls asleep, just call and I’ll be there okay.” I smile, touched by his thoughtfulness.
“Okay,” I reply. He leads me into the kitchen and out a side door. My next words catch in my throat as I step into the room. It is a huge four car garage the houses a silver BMW, a black dodge charger, a red Ferrari, and three motorcycles.
“Just a few cars huh?” I laugh.
He shrugs, “What can I say? I like cars.”
He gently pulls me to the collection of motorcycles, “You ride?”
Nope. Never ridden a motorcycle in my life, but I am not about to let him know that.
“Sure,” I lie.
He walks us over to the black Harley Davison and climbs on. I inhale a deep breath. Tristan on a motorcycle should be a sin. It looks that good. I shake my head to clear it. Gathering my courage, I slide on behind him. He hands me a helmet. “Hold on tight Ridley.” I wrap my shaky arms around his tight abdomen. As soon as I touch him my fear disappears. Tristan will keep me safe. Calmness washes over me as the engine roars to life. I feel safe with him. We were made to be together. Tristan is mine and he will protect me with his life. I rest my head on his back as we speed from the garage. What happens next? Only time will tell.
~~***~~
~Chapter 6~
Time
Saying goodbye is never easy, but sometimes it is necessary. Sometimes to keep the one’s we love from harm we must first cause them pain. There is no pain deeper than a one sided goodbye. I am now only two days away from saying goodbye to my life, to myself. Ridley Ross will have to die in the eyes of the world. A fatal accident. A life taken to soon. In two days I will hurt the people in the world I love the most. My mom can never know that I am here; safe and healthy. My best friend will always believe that I died before I had the chance to really live. I can never tell her that I’m immortal. Guilt over what has to be done pulls at my heart, making it feel like the slightest movement will rip it in half. I close my eyes, shutting off my mind to everything except the ride.
The wind wraps around my body like a cocoon, washing me in its tranquility. The sound of the engine is like a lullaby to my soul, every drum drowning out my fear. In this moment, this exact second in time, I am at peace. I tighten my grip on Tristan’s perfectly sculpted waist, needing to draw from his strength. I want to talk to him. I want to hear his sweet voice tell me that everything will be ok, but the roar of the wind and the sound of the Harley’s engine make that impossible. He gives my hand a gentle squeeze before his perfect voice fills my head.
“Anything is possible love. No matter where you are, you can always hear me. You just have to listen for my voice. Reach into your heart and find my light. Our bond allows us to communicate telepathically. You just have to focus on our connection. It will always work if you let it.” Wow! I can really speak to him without words. Maybe this Lamont thing has its perks. I let out a deep breath and focus all my energy on visualizing his angelic face. “I’m scared Tristan. What if it’s all too much? What if something happens and you don’t come back for me? Will I burn forever?” The bike suddenly veers to the right and stops under a large oak tree. In a flash he is facing me. He carefully removes my helmet and cups my cheek in his hand. His blue eyes sparkle with such intensity, such love, that for a moment my fear is forgotten. When he looks at me like that nothing else matters. It’s like his eyes can see my soul and my soul responds to them.
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