Denial much? This is not a topic I know how to handle. Her sister had just faked her own death, and Marsala, one of Emmy’s closest friends, lied to her about it. That would surely cause some trust issues. Among other things.
“That wasn’t my sister. Jacob killed my sister. He murdered her. But. . . .”
“I don’t know what to say Emmy. I’m sorry things are turning out the way they are.”
She reached out for me, stroking my cheek. “Sweet Kevin. You’ve always been so nice to me, letting me hold onto a piece of my real sister through you. Thank you for everything. You did as you said you would. You found my sister’s killers. Thank you. I’ll keep my word and help you build a new life of your own away from all this.”
It took me less than a second to think about that.
“I’ll be happy to still be your sister if you’ll let me. Besides, I can’t leave Cassie and everyone.”
Tears flowed heavily down her face. She threw her arms around me sobbing into my shoulder. I did the smart thing for once, I kept my mouth shut and just held her. She cried herself to sleep a few minutes later. I laid her down and covered her.
I hope she feels better when she wakes up.
After all that had happened I felt like I really needed a shower. A long boiling hot shower. I left the living room and snuck into my bedroom. I inched the door open trying not to disturb Vicki. The bed was empty. She wasn’t here. The sounds of someone being sick filtered into the room through the bathroom door.
I knocked twice before entering. There was no sign of Vicki. Moaning came from the toilet. I crossed the room and tapped on the door.
“Vicki. Vicki are you okay?”
The door slowly opened into the room. A very human looking, very naked Vicki was hugging the splattered porcelain. She tilted her head to look up at me, her forehead against the stool.
“You look like hell. Do you want me to run you a bath?”
She closed her eyes and wearily nodded. As soon as the large tub was full with warm water, I drug Vicki into the tub. Once she was propped up in the tub I fetched her some drinking water and painkillers. She was weak enough that she kept slipping under the deep water in the tub. I stripped and climbed into the soothing water to hold her up.
“I thought you couldn’t change back for a few hours. What happened?”
“I can shift anytime I want. It just takes a toll on the body to force the changes too quickly. I shifted way too fast at the Archives earlier, faster than I ever had before. I never noticed because of the adrenaline. Once we had a chance to calm down the sickness hit me hard. Since I was sick already, I thought I would go ahead and shift back.”
“Silly girl. You don’t need to torture yourself like that. Everyone here is perfectly fine with the fuzzy you,” I said smoothing her hair back with a wet hand.
“I know. Thank you for coming for us. I knew you would. I just knew it. We all knew you would come to the rescue. I’m sorry that Marsala lied to you though. I thought he really was your friend.”
“I’ve been thinking about that. He was in a bad fix, having to follow all of those conflicting orders. And, he really loved the old Kieran, I’m sure of that. He just did what he thought was right at the time. He wanted to help save her, but she didn’t want to be saved. I don’t think he’s evil or anything. After all, he did help us in the end when it really counted, and he willingly gave himself up for punishment by the Council. The way I understand it, none of the vampires are that willing to be punished by them. Then there is the fact that he has been supportive of me taking over for the old Kieran. He even seemed sincere when he offered to wait to be my lover.”
She tilted her head to look back into my eyes for a second. “Boy you’ve thought about this a lot. You aren’t mad at him then?”
“Well, he did lie to us. But, he was kinda forced to. I don’t know. At the time I was pissed enough to blow his head off and forget about him. Now, well I just don’t know. I kind of feel sorry for him having to struggle with everything the way he did. He didn’t have anyone to turn to. That had to tear him up inside. Though, I’m not sure I’ll ever really trust him fully again, he did lie to us after all. I think that I am willing to give him a chance to prove himself again though.”
Vicki snaked her hands behind her and hugged me in the water. “You really are a better Kieran, you know that. I don’t care what that purple haired bitch said. You make a great Kieran, a great lover as best I can tell, and have heard a wonderful sister, and most of all, the absolute best, best friend in the world. Why didn’t you have like a million girlfriends when you were a guy?”
“Honestly, I wasn’t very attractive, and I was extremely shy, and clumsy, and, well, lots of reasons. Girls always thought I was only there to be used and disposed of. When I became Kieran, I had a chance to start over. Plus this killer bod of mine gave me a lot of confidence.”
“If you didn’t have girlfriends, how did you become such a good lover? Sorrow told me what you did for her. She couldn’t believe how good you were.”
I blushed at the memory of my encounter with Sorrow. It was embarrassing, but it didn’t really bother me that it had happened, or that others knew about it.
That damn Yuric vamped me into not caring! I need to remember to thank him for that even though he said not to.
“Well, I read a lot. And, of course porn. I’ve got a sizeable porn collection. I always did like the lesbian stuff.”
“You got that good by watching porn?”
“And I read a lot too. Don’t forget that.”
“Dirty boy.”
We both had a good laugh then just let the warm water wash away the evening.
“Hey. I’ve got something to tell you.”
“Oh? What’s that?” Vicki asked while slowly rubbing light circles across my arms.
“Your tattoo is in your fur.”
Her head spun around with a newfound excitement. “Really?!”
“Yeah. A perfect heart surrounded by dark stripes in the fur right above your tail.”
“Cool!” she beamed, really smiling for the first time since we’d gotten home. “Wait! I covered up as soon as the fight was over. You stopped in the middle of a fight to check out my ass?”
“Well, what can I say. Your tail is a great piece of tail,” I teased while sliding my hand between her legs.
She spun around in my arms and kissed me.
“Dirrrty boy,” she purred into my ear just before kissing it.
She kissed me all the way down my neck in little loving pecks that moved down my chest. I rose up and sat on the higher of the formed seats in the tub so she could kiss my breasts. Her hands caressed my every curve until they ended up on my buttocks, then she pulled me to the very edge of the seat.
“Merry Christmas, dirty boy.” The evil grin on her face disappeared as she took a deep breath and dunked herself under the water between my legs.
“Merry Chris–oh my God that feels good!”
Chapter 29
After our bath, and our first bout of “real” sex, Vicki and I both dressed and climbed into bed together. For comfort, not more sex. In fact, Vicki complained a little when I made her put shorts and a cami on. I just had this nagging feeling that we needed to be dressed when everyone else woke up.
It was ten in the morning before I heard the bedroom door being slammed open without warning.
“MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!” Cassie screamed as she launched herself onto the bed at us.
Being pounced on after the night we had was not the best way to wake up. Cassie grabbed our wrists and yanked us almost clear out of the bed, never stopping to see if we were dressed or not.
Good thing we wore clothes to bed.
“Easy squirt!” Vicki complained.
“C’mon! Hurry! Presents! Santa! Come! Presents!” Cassie was too excited to even use full sentences.
“Alright, alright. We’re coming. Don’t pull our arms off.”
Everyone was so tired when we got i
n that no one really stopped to think about Christmas.
CHRISTMAS!?! OH SHIT!!! The presents! They’re still in the car at the mall! I’d forgotten all about them. Oh this won’t end well.
Cassie drug us out into the living room. Charles was dressed like a muscular beardless Santa passing around gifts. Everyone else was already up and in the living room in their pajamas and bathrobes. Mary was handing out cocoa and cookies for breakfast. Christmas music played on the stereo. Even Ren was up and smiling again, the effects of Doc’s psionic attack no longer apparent. Everyone was smiling.
After the hell we’d all just gone through . . . everyone’s smiling.
It had been years since I spent Christmas with anyone other than myself. Seeing all these friendly, happy faces was too much. I started to tear up a little. Cassie’s hand slipped from mine as she pulled Vicki to the pile of presents by the fireplace. I stood there in the doorway and stared at everyone.
“Miss Grey? Everything okay?” Charles asked cautiously as he dug out more gifts from his huge sack.
“Charles, where did all those gifts come from?”
“Your car. We retrieved it from the mall and then wrapped your packages for you since you were . . . a little busy.”
“We?”
“I sent Paul – the valet that brought you your hovercar – to get your Hummer towed back here from the mall since it was too busted up to drive. He brought in the packages and we both sat down and wrapped them with Mary and Mike’s help. We had to guess a little on who got what from who, so please don’t hold it against us if you have to exchange a little after unwrapping.”
The doorman and the valet saved Christmas. Now that’s an interesting Christmas story. How will I ever repay them?
Cassie was digging through her pile as I went around giving hugs to everyone. It just seemed like the thing to do.
“Wow! This one says it’s from Santa! Do you think he brought me what I asked for?” Cassie asked holding up the brightly wrapped gift.
“You’ll have to open it and see.”
She plopped down on the floor in front of us all, and carefully started to peel back the tape.
She never did tell us what she asked Santa for, and I have no idea what they wrapped up for her. I hope whatever it is makes her happy. Oh please let this be alright!
“Geesh! Hurry up Cassie! You’re supposed to rip the paper off, not save it for prosperity,” Vicki complained at Cassie’s careful movements.
“But this is my first gift from Santa. It’s special.”
Ever so slowly she peeled each piece of tape off, never even creasing the paper. Vicki sat on the edge of the couch with a look in her eyes like she was about to rip the package out of her hands and shred the paper off. Finally Cassie pulled back the paper.
Silence.
Is silence a good thing?
She sat there and stared into her hands quietly. None of us could see what was under the paper. Finally Vicki snapped.
“WELL!?! What did you get from Santa? Tell us already!”
“Did you get what you asked for Cassie?” I asked full of worry.
“I asked Santa to let me have my family for Christmas. I wanted to be with you Big Sister. And . . . and he . . . Santa brought me YOU!!!”
She held up the doll in triumph. Tears rolling down her cheeks. It was the doll that had reminded her of me that she’d picked out at the mall. Good call guys. Cassie jumped up and shoved the doll in everyone’s face. She was so happy, and I was sooo relieved.
The door chimed. Mary went for it, then told me it was a visitor to see me. As I turned the corner to the entrance room, I saw Tanaka standing there arms full of packages.
“Merry Christmas. I had a minute so I dropped in to deliver these. I forgot all about them last night with all the . . . the chaos.”
“Come on in Tanaka. We’re just opening gifts. Would you please join us?”
“Are you sure?”
He wasn’t a traitorous werewolf, and he had more than proven his worth. I had no reason not to like him anymore as I grabbed his arm and pulled him towards the living room. “Yes. I want you to join us. It’s Christmas, and like it or not, you are part of our family. Now get in here!”
“Wait right there!” Mary hollered at me.
“What?”
“You aren’t going to break tradition are you?”
“Mary, what’re you talking about?”
“Look up.”
I looked above me. Mistletoe was hanging in the entrance to the living room, directly above us.
Is she serious?
She walked up and grabbed the boxes from Tanaka and nudged him towards me with her hip.
I guess she is serious.
Tanaka chuckled a little and then leaned in to peck me on the cheek. Booing and complaints came from everyone in the living room. I glared at them. They each had a look on their faces. Not a single one of them was going to let me get away from this.
Fine. They want a show I will give them a show.
I reached up grabbing Tanaka’s coat and pulling him to me. As soon as our lips met I grabbed his hands and put them on my butt. Then I grabbed his extremely tight butt through his sexy tight jeans and pulled him into the kiss. Cheers and hollers grew as I pushed the kiss farther and let him pick me up by my thighs. He held me in the air with my legs around him as we kissed passionately. He switched to holding me effortlessly with one hand as the other roamed my body a little. He even copped a feel of my breast.
When I broke off the kiss gasping for air, he dropped me back to my feet. He had to hold me up a second while I waited for my knees to solidify again.
Damn he’s a good kisser. Maybe I could learn to like guys after all. Which, he is a cyborg. That’s not exactly the same as being with a guy, is it? Cyborgs don’t count, do they?
Ren blushed and smiled looking away. I had half expected her to be mad. Vicki stood without a word and walked towards us.
“Not bad,” she said before she tore me from his arms.
She started kissing me just as passionately letting her hands roam. Then without warning she jumped up into my arms. I wasn’t prepared for it and we became top-heavy. I heard the gasps as we tumbled backwards to the floor. Everyone broke out laughing.
“I think Tanaka was more graceful. No offence Vicki,” Ren laughed at us.
Tanaka found a seat on the couch next to Ren as we started opening packages again. We were all making jokes about the kisses. Someone joked that it was Ren’s turn. With a shrug, Tanaka turned and gave her a chaste kiss. Right on the lips.
We all froze. Only a few days before then Ren had hated Tanaka, and now he was technically forcing a kiss on her. The kiss only lasted a fraction of a second. Tanaka leaned back on the couch, leaving Ren with a puzzled look on her face. We all waited for her to go ballistic.
“What are you?” she asked quietly.
“What do you mean?”
“Come off it Tanaka. You’re not human. What the hell are you?”
Tanaka looked around the room. I shrugged at him when he looked at me. It was up to him to tell her or not.
“I’m a cyborg. A machine with a human brain.”
“Yeah Ren, you missed that part. You were passed out when he told us about that last night,” Vicki added.
Ren lifted her always gloved hands that clashed with her borrowed fuzzy pink robe. I was waiting for the slap. Instead she pulled off her glove and rested her bare hand on his forehead.
“No noise. Just code,” she said as if that explained everything. “When I touch a person or an object with my bare skin I get flooded with images and memories. It’s always chaotic and hard to understand. But you, you only have computer code. I don’t get any images or memories from you. Weird.”
“Is that bad?”
“Actually, it’s kind of relaxing. Like white noise.”
Okay??? That was an interesting show.
“Here Big Sister. Open this one,” Cassie beamed as she placed a
rectangular box in my hands.
The tag said it was from Vicki. Let’s see what she got me. I peeled off the paper from the black plastic box. Then I lifted the lid–
Embarrassment forced me to slam the lid back on the box before anyone else saw inside it.
What in the hell was she thinking getting me THAT to open with others around?! I mean when we’re alone sure, but not to open around a group of people!
Everyone was staring at me. I turned a bright crimson as my cheeks flushed. Vicki looked at the box with puzzled stare. She got up and took it from my hands before I could stop her.
“I don’t remember getting you anything in a box like that. Let me see.”
She tilted the box on its side to open the lid. The bright pink vibrator fell out of the box onto the floor in front of all of us, turning on when it hit. We all stared at the shaking pink plastic for a few seconds while it sunk in as to what it was. None of us could really believe it. Cassie’s eyes grew wider than everyone else’s.
Vicki fell to the floor fumbling to grab the running vibrator. She was beet red. A good few shades darker than her shirt was. Finally she picked it up and shoved it into the box. The noise grew louder as the vibrator bounced around in the plastic box. It took her five tries to finally turn it off.
“That, that was not really . . . I mean . . . I didn’t buy that. Well, actually I did. But, not for what you think. Okay, probably for what you think, but. . . . It wasn’t a gift. Well it was, but not for Kieran. Oh, but it isn’t for anyone else really. I mean. . . .”
“You bought it for yourself didn’t you?” Tanaka asked to end her prattling.
Vicki shoved the finally quiet plastic box under the couch cushion and collapsed on top of it hiding her face in her hands.
“YEEEESSSS!!! Yes I did. It was a gift for me from myself,” she groaned from behind her hands.
“Well, sorry about that. We did have to guess at who got what gift, remember? Hopefully nothing else was wrapped like that. Um, Mary this one has your name on it. Care to give it a try?” Charles asked trying to cover up Vicki’s embarrassment.
“Sure.” Unlike Cassie, she ripped the paper right off, unveiling the crystal digital picture frame. “Wow Miss Kieran! This is fancy.”
Revenge's Web (Kieran Grey Psionic Hunter) Page 26
