by Unknown
No one spoke much once they had all gotten back to the house. Lianna had waited for Phoenix and Damien at the edge of the woods. Lara had seen enough to know how bad off Phoenix was. But no one dared to speak of what had happened.
Jezabell watched them all from the open French doors leading to the veranda before the garden. Her role in all of this held as much or more guilt and blame as any of them.
When Phoenix walked in, Lara took his arm and led him upstairs, stopping just outside his bedroom door. “I’ve prepared a blood bath.” He nodded silently as she opened the door and walked with him.
He stopped at the entrance of his bathroom, leaning on the wall and looking down to Lara. He waited, knowing she was just desperate to speak to him though also afraid of what she would learn by doing so. “Well, out with it.”
“You drank from her.” She looked up with her large doe eyes staring at him in wonder.
“That doesn’t sound like a question.” His brow arched as Lara stared at him mystified.
“I suppose it’s not.” She stayed there. Lara wasn’t done. She looked down at her feet for a long moment. Phoenix folded his arms over his chest as he waited, somewhat curious, but not so curious as to snoop.
“You love her.” Lara looked back up to him still doe eyed. The tiniest hint of a smile held on her lips. What she was suggesting would be a disaster to say the very least. Not to mention was absolutely preposterous.
Phoenix did a double take. His eye brows lift with surprise and in the next second recovered, shaking his head. “You’re absurd.” They really didn’t know. That was for the best though.
“It’s all right. I won’t tell them.” She smiled but the smile was sad. She felt sorry for him. Lara leaned up to kiss his cheek. “I’m sorry for your heart, Phoenix. But it is nice to see it in you. I will leave you now.”
“You don’t know what you’re talking about.” Rolling his eyes, he turned to walk into the bathroom as she left.
Phoenix stripped slowly. His muscles were still contracting painfully. It was almost bone crushing, but that much had passed. Lianna’s blood had done wonders in repairing the power Nekayla carried within her mind.
The tub was twice as long as most. The solid black marble was filled quite high with fresh, pure, human blood. The one thing that would put his body back to rights that drinking couldn’t take care of quite so thoroughly. Submerging completely beneath the crimson liquid, the Vampire’s ambrosia was truly healing. He always found it funny that the blood of the dead was what sustained his life.
Phoenix’s body reacted like a sponge. His stone skin began to change. Pores reopening and drinking in the vital essence that his body needed to repair itself. He lay there for hours, clearing his mind from all thoughts entirely and shutting himself off to the outside world completely. By the time he was finished, the tub was nearly empty.
He climbed out without a painful ache or muscle twinge. Stretching out his long taught body he flexed every muscle. No pain. The blood had done its job well. He relished in the revitalizing feeling that pulsed through his body. It was almost like having a heartbeat. He’d not felt so powerful in centuries.
Phoenix walked into the shower, turning on the scorching hot water. It would have burnt the flesh of any living creature. Vampires loved it.
Both hands leaned against the shower wall. Phoenix let the burning water rain down on him and stimulate his flesh. In truth it was strange. He hadn’t felt this strong in well over a thousand years or better. Not since a time when he’d fed off creatures more powerful than he was. It was hard not to question if that was because of Lianna’s blood. Somehow it was familiar to him.
He didn’t want to think about her. Too often lately he’d found himself fighting the urge to think of her. It was time to be done with it. Soon, soon this would all be over and he could leave. Forget about everything. Especially her. Death wasn’t the worst outcome he could imagine in all of this actually.
Phoenix’s lips straightened into a hard frown. “Can a man not bathe in peace around here?”
He hadn’t heard her, but he could feel her. As he looked around the wall of the shower he saw that Jezabell sat daintily on the black counter top.
“I suppose not.” She smiled wistfully. Obviously eyeing him from head to toe. “You look well.” He rolled his eyes and returned to the water.
“What is it that I can do for you now, Jezabell?” His fingers worked through his hair rinsing the blood out. “Shall I deliver to you my heart on a silver platter next?”
“You hurt me, Phoenix. I can’t help feeling that you hold my heart inside of your hands.” His brow rose as he looked back to her questioningly. He was seconds from popping into her mind to figure out what she was going on about.
“Lara says you drank from Lianna.” Her brows lift, head tilting to the side. Obviously she knew exactly what had happened though he quickly confirmed with a swift check of her thoughts.
“Is that a question?” He turned the water off finally and turned to lean on the shower wall facing Jezabell.
“No. Just needed to hear it from you I suppose.” She looked him over again as if she expected to see physical signs of what she already knew. “I just find it surprising you would share a blood bond with a New Blood. And she’s not even yours.” Her brow arched expectantly.
“If you asked Lianna who she belonged to… I wonder what she would say?” His lips pressed to a hard line. Jezabell looked away from him dismissively.
“I just don’t want to see anyone hurt, Phoenix. You know that.” Her eyes widened angelically. Phoenix was certain if one looked close enough they could see devil horns holding that halo of hers up.
“Really? Well we both know that in the end someone usually ends up hurt now, don’t they? In fact, I believe that’s how I ended up going to Nekayla in the first place, isn’t it? To help you protect your family from being hurt.” Phoenix walked from the shower, dripping across the floor and grabbed a towel hanging by the door to wrap loose around his waist. “She knew that you sent me. She says hello.”
“Don’t underestimate the things I will do for this House, Phoenix.” She slid off the counter to follow him into his bedroom.
“I never do, Jez.” He walked into the closet taking the towel to dry the last of the water from his hair before pulling his jeans on.
“I don’t want you to be angry with me. I didn’t want any of this. I don’t want to lose you. You’re a part of my family, too, Phoenix.” She stood in his doorframe as he turned to face her.
Ignoring the hanging shirts, he walked up to Jezabell, standing close enough they nearly touched.
“No one gets what they want in the end. Believe me, after a few more thousand years you will figure that out.” His eyes bore into hers intensely, brilliant Caribbean blue practically radiated.
Lying near the side of the bed my long hair hung over the edge let it nearly brush the floor. Damien sat nearby watching me with wonder. Neither of us had yet to speak. Neither of us knew where to begin.
“When were you going to tell me about Nekayla?” May as well get the nasty part over with first.
“Phoenix told you everything?” Damien’s brow furrowed angrily.
“Of course he did. He’s the only one around here that tells me anything. So why were you hiding it? Did you think I wouldn’t find out? Or that it didn’t matter?” Damien sighed. His lips parted, but I wasn’t done.
“Oh no wait. I know what it was. You thought you were protecting me. Poor pitiful me. Because I’m always the victim, right? Because someone has to protect the little New Blood from the big bad scary world.” I sat up, eyeing him accusingly. My tone was dry if not sarcastic.
“Ouch.” His brows lift with surprise. He hadn’t expected all of that. “I guess I deserve that. But yes, I wanted to protect you. However, no, I don’t think of you that way at all. You’re incredibly strong, Lianna. But strong or not, yes I want to protect you.” We let the silence linger a moment. “How angry ar
e you?”
“I’m not angry at you. Not at all. You’re not the one that deserves it. I am.” Hands covering my face, they drug up through my hair as I laid back again. He knew what I was talking about.
“Don’t start that now. We all understood, Lianna. You didn’t know how to handle it. You were injured, and you were hungry. You were afraid you’d hurt him if you reacted in any way, and it was traumatizing when the memories came flooding back.” He kept going, or tried to.
“Oh please. Come off it already I was afraid of a human, Damien. But you know it doesn’t matter now. I’m done. I’m done being the weakest link in the chain.” I sat up slowly. My hair was a mess of tangles around me.
“Let’s change the subject.” Lying down beside me, his head held up with his hand. “Have you heard anyone mention the term blood bond yet?” I shook my head, watching him from the corner of my eye.
“A blood bond is what we call what happens between two Vampires when they feed from one another.” His lips pressed to a hard line. Rolling to my side I give him my full attention.
Oh hell. My brow rose trying to feign a casual expression. Two Vampire’s had fed from me. A memory of being with Phoenix in the woods played through my mind. He kept saying I didn’t understand what I was offering him. I really wasn’t so sure I wanted to know.
“Vampires who are blood bound can feel one another’s emotions. They can feel what happens to them physical, and mentally. The more blood shared, the stronger the bond. Of course it’s the strongest when they both feed from one another. But still it’s quite intense even if only one drinks.” Well, that explained a lot. I sucked my lower lip into my mouth. No, I didn’t like where this was leading.
“Usually it is a practice only done between soul mates. They say the bond cannot be broken. That the Vampires bonded will forever be tied together in every intimate way possible. However I’ve never known any that were bonded that were not soul mates… So I don’t know exactly how it works otherwise.” The silence stretched between us precariously.
“You’re saying that I am now bound to Phoenix this way as well as you still, right? It doesn’t break a bond from letting someone else drink from you?” He flinched. The silence stretched again for just a few more seconds. Each one weighed heavily.
“Would you want it to? Please be honest. If that’s what you want then I need to know now, Lianna.” His lips pressed to a hard line. Damien’s eyes narrowed as if he were in pain. “I know how close you are with him.”
My reaction was abrupt, and that seemed to relieve him, “No. I just questioned it.” Sitting up I pulled my legs to cross butterfly. Damien mirrored my motion as he sat up, his legs sprawled over the bed. He didn’t look to me again.
“So you’ve never heard of three Vampires being tied to each other in other words?” Damien shook his head. “I definitely get that you’re upset by this. But I still don’t fully understand why. He’s your family, and that means he’s my family. And he’s my friend. He’s my best friend.
“What would you have had me do? Let him suffer and not help him at all? What if he would have died? You didn’t see it all, Damien. I had never seen someone in so much pain. The way he kept shaking, and the sound of his bones breaking over and over throughout his whole body.” Curling up, I folded into a little ball with my chin on my knees.
“I felt it.” I couldn’t help the shudder that rolled through me. I cared about Phoenix too much to let him suffer as he had. Bond or not I would have done it in a second even if I had known.
“I don’t know what I would have done if it would have been me to be honest. There’s no way to know now. I’m not upset that you helped him. You would do anything to help those you care for. I certainly don’t consider that a bad trait.” Damien sighed as he looked up at me. I couldn’t meet his eyes.
“I suppose it just concerns me. I don’t want to lose you to anyone. I love you too much to lose you, and I know that you care for Phoenix a great deal. Also, I know that this will only intensify those feelings between the both of you. Not just for you, but especially for him.” My brows lift l,ooking to Damien. I hadn’t really considered that part.
“What are you saying? That no matter what now, Phoenix will be in love with me or something?” I almost laughed. That didn’t seem likely. Damien was completely off the mark on this one. We were great friends sure, but the possibility was absurd. It was strong, whatever it was we had, but it wasn’t the love of a romantic nature. It wasn’t so easy to wound as that.
“It’s possible. I just don’t know.” Sighing, he placed his hand up gently to my cheek, holding it there. “I love you, Anna. More than my own life. I love you so much that it pains me. But if you ever did choose him then I ask that you would tell me first.”
“Damien, stop being so ridiculous.” Smiling softly, I placed my hand over his. “There is no choice to make. I won’t lie to you. I care for Phoenix a great deal, yes. He is my best friend. But you will always be more than that for me. No matter what happens. Blood bond or not.”
My lips tugged into a small bitter smile. “It’s sort of funny isn’t it?” I chuckled darkly, pulling his hand down so that I could hold it in my lap.
He looked at me questioningly. Damien’s expression was skeptical if not borderline depressing. He didn’t think any of this was funny at all.
“I pulled away from you because I was afraid. Afraid if I let myself be with you then someone would come take you away from me. But you always knew that couldn’t happen. And here we are now, the roles reversed. I know that we actually are fated to be together, and yet you’re afraid someone else could take me from you. What happened to your faith in us, Damien?” I tried to hide the sadness it brought on but I hadn’t been prepared for it at all so he could see right through the mask.
His hand wrapped around my own tightly, pulling me down into him abruptly. His mouth found mine forcefully and I responded well in kind. I hadn’t felt his lips on mine in far too long. It had felt like centuries. But as if it had only been yesterday our bodies responded to each other just the same.
My legs wrapped around his hips tightly. I had never felt the need to be with someone so badly. A low moan rumbled through Damien’s chest as his hands found my hips eagerly.
Just as my fingers slid under his shirt a pounding echoed through the room like a jackhammer. Instantly I thought of Phoenix. Damien’s eyes narrowed on mine. He had been focused on me so he knew.
The pounding sounded again. “Open the door or I’m coming in no matter what you two are doing!” the voice I had expected was not who bellowed from outside our door. It was Hendrick.
Damien pulled me off of him, though his eyes never left mine. His body had tensed unnaturally. “Come in then, Hendrick,” he said begrudgingly. A sudden decision and I twisted, sitting on his lap facing the door, trying to look natural. You’re welcome, I thought to my mind reader.
The door opened so forcefully I thought Hendrick would break it off the hinges. “Shifter in the woods and running fast.” Damien had me moved and was up off the bed before Hendrick had even started the sentence. Mind readers.
Hendrick and Damien ran for the glass door to the Balcony. If Damien wouldn’t have been so fast, Hendrick probably would have just busted through it. They both jumped before I could even hit the door.
Jumping from the balcony, I landed with a soft thud, staggering. A strange feeling of vertigo came over me and it took a split second to recover. I hadn’t realized the blood loss had affected me that much. Forgetting it, I quickly ran to join them.
Phoenix was standing in the clearing between the house and the woods, ready. Jezabell and Lara followed out the French doors of the veranda but stayed back. They were not fighters by choice.
“Phoenix heard him coming,” Hendrick explained as the four of us stood together. I looked to Phoenix who ignored me completely. Damien looked to me questioningly as he quickly moved to stand in front of me. He wanted me to leave, he wanted me safe. He knew bett
er than to say it. I didn’t have to be a mind reader to read his eyes.
Before anyone could say anything else, a massive black panther twice the size of anything I had ever seen before came barreling out of the woods straight for us. Phoenix stepped in front of all of us. His knees bent slightly ready to fight. Fingers twitched slightly, anxious for the chance to rip into something.
The massive panther tumbled as it reached us, head over feet completely and crashed into the dirt. Instead of recovering to stand, the strangest yet most magnificent thing I had ever seen took place before me.
The fur slicked back and stretched, seeming to dissolve away. The legs stretched out as it stood up on its back legs. Long cat like arms stretched out to its sides unnaturally and slowly morphed before me to that of a human.
His head hung back as if to howl in pain. The chest spread wider before it, too, seemed to morph into a much more human torso. The man dropped to his knees half way between us and the trees.
“Ryce?” He looked up to me panting, falling forward and catching himself on his hands. His eyes were glowing an inhuman molten gold as he stared directly at me as if no one else existed.
Phoenix and Hendrick looked to me questioningly. Damien watched Ryce as if he were seeing things. Cussing under his breath Damien quickly ran to meet Ryce. “When?”
“Las night I drove her owt to her mot’rs. She was too hysta’rical to drive bai hersef. We didn’ knuw it had alreadeh happened. She wanted to protect dem. We wh’ere too late,” his accent was thicker than I remembered. Perhaps it was his turmoil tainting his words.
He’d only been in America for a few years. Ryce and Neesa had always talked about having their wedding at his home in the Barbados islands.
When Ryce stood, all traces of the massive cat were gone.
Ryce’s body was covered in deep lacerations from head to toe. He looked like he had been thrown in a blender.
As I moved, Phoenix moved with me. Ever a step ahead of me as if he were still ready for any attack. Hendrick followed behind just as close but more confused than anyone.
