by Crissy Smith
Unsure how to answer that, Angel had no choice but to be honest. She nodded.
“Okay.”
“Okay?” she repeated.
“I thought maybe you didn’t want to,” he confessed.
Why wouldn’t I want to drink from my mate? Have I done something to make Alex think I don’t want him? Angel was trying to give Alex time to get used to what she was. Surely he’d seen movies where vampires bit… Oh, oh! She understood! She started to laugh. He frowned when she tipped to the side, not able to contain it.
“Sorry, sorry,” she said, waving her hand but unable to stop giggling.
Waiting patiently for her to stop, he couldn’t hide the twitch of his own lips.
“I just pictured what you must have been imagining,” she told him.
“Not really seeing what’s so funny,” he commented, pulling her back toward him.
She went willingly. “While I might take a nip while we’re making love I wouldn’t actually drink from you,” she explained. “There is too big a chance of taking too much blood, which would hurt me and kill you.”
“What do you mean hurt you?”
“I do need to drink blood. But not because I’m dead or something like that.”
“You said before that all the myths about vampires weren’t true,” he pressed.
“I have a blood disorder. It is heredity for my kind. I need to replace my tainted blood with fresh, good blood. The poisoned blood eats away at the good blood, so if I don’t feed I will die.”
“That’s a lot different than most stories,” Alex commented.
“Yes, our belief is our kind has evolved through many centuries and in the order to survive we’ve adapted.” She tapped her teeth. “That’s why we believe we have fangs that drop.”
“I’ve seen you in the sun,” he stated.
“There is no reason I can’t be outside during the day. I have no problem entering a church. I eat garlic and am not burned by crosses.”
“So just about everything is wrong.”
She nodded.
“How much blood do you need?”
“Not a lot, and the older we get, the less we need. I can’t turn someone into what I am either. You have to be born with this disease.”
“That’s amazing,” Alex said. “I would never have imagined any of this was possible.”
There was more that she needed to tell him but Alex was taking everything so well she didn’t want to ruin anything.
“What about the increased strength and speed?”
“We get those benefits from the difference in our blood. The more we use it, the more good blood that gets eaten.”
“So, since the fight yesterday, you should have fed?”
This was what she was afraid he’d figure out. “Yes.”
“So how should we do this?”
“No, not yet,” Angel told him.
“You need it,” he argued.
“I can feed from Remy before he leaves,” she replied easily.
“No!” His voice rose, surprising her. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to shout. But my wolf isn’t going to allow you to be that intimate with someone else.”
“It’s not like that. It’s just like any other procedure. Fast and easy.”
“Maybe, but with my wolf close to the surface, it wouldn’t be a good idea. After the way I reacted to Caspar close to you, knowing that you were feeding from someone else wouldn’t be good.”
“Alex…” She couldn’t do it.
“I never lose control like that,” he said, gripping her hands. “Never.”
Their bond had already started. She understood that but… Shit, she was going to have to confess.
Taking a deep breath, she prepared for the worst part. “Alex, when I feed from someone it makes them sick.”
“What do you mean?”
“The poison that’s involved transfers from me to my donor. It dangerous.”
“How sick would I get?”
He still wants to do it? Angel was truly shocked by his offer. She knew other Day Walkers who’d had to wait years for what Alex was willing to give so freely.
“We belong together. You called me your mate.”
“Yes but…”
“So how sick will I get?”
“I don’t know,” she replied honestly. “Remy usually gets a headache and sometimes sick to his stomach. Shifters seem to do okay, much better than a full human, but I really don’t know. You should be okay.”
He nodded.
She appreciated what he was willing to do but Angel knew Alex didn’t know what he was actually offering.
“Hey.” He kissed her lips gently. “I want to do this.”
Angel had to get blood one way or another. If Alex didn’t want her to get substance from Remy this was the only other alternative.
“Please be sure,” she told him, but already her gums tingled in anticipation.
“I am,” he promised.
Bringing his arm over her lap, she thumbed the inside of his elbow. “Close your eyes,” she ordered softly.
He snorted but complied with her request. Her fangs breaking through hurt but she knew that wouldn’t last long. She looked over her to mate to make sure he hadn’t changed his mind.
But no, Alex remained relaxed, offering up himself. Powerless to resist her mate’s blood due to both her need and the desire to taste him, she bent forward. As carefully as she could, she sliced her fangs into his soft flesh.
He hissed but didn’t jerk away.
Sweet, precious blood flowed from her mate into her mouth, to coat her tongue. She took a deep pull, which was like liquid gold. The high from the exchange had her vision sharpening as a sense of peace overcame her. A couple more deep drinks and she extracted her fangs. She licked the cuts, although another myth was her being able to close the wounds.
She did it just to soothe him. Alex opened his eyes, and she tried to gauge how he was doing. He smiled at her and she relaxed. A box of tissues was on the nightstand beside the bed so she reached over to grab one.
Alex had already started to heal but she blotted at the small amount of blood.
“You okay?” she questioned.
“Fine,” he replied, leaning forward.
A loud pounding on the door made them jerk apart before their lips could touch.
“Hey!” a female voice shouted. “Lunch is ready!”
“We’ll be right there,” Alex yelled back. He returned his attention to her. “I guess we should get dressed and go down before my sister barges in.”
“Okay,” she agreed even though she really didn’t want to get up. But after they’d eaten, Remy and Kieran would be taking off and she needed to speak with them first.
“I wish we could stay right here.” Alex’s words corresponded with her feelings. “After we eat, maybe we can sneak away again.”
Angel was in full agreement.
Alex’s head ached with what he would call a very mild headache but he’d expected a lot worse with how worried Angel had been. Watching her dress, it was all he could do not to wrestle her back onto the bed.
“I know what you’re thinking and we don’t have time,” Angel told him without even looking up. “It’s your sister that will barge in here.”
He didn’t really think Cassie would burst into the room. In fact, he was certain she would be more than happy to make excuses for them. But they had responsibilities and couldn’t put them off. The safety of the Pack wouldn’t suffer because he wanted to get laid. However, once this was all over, he was locking Angel in his room for at least twenty-four hours—maybe forty-eight, he amended.
After yanking back on his jeans he strolled to the closet to get a clean T-shirt. Passing Angel, he stopped for a quick kiss. She grinned up at him with a dazzling smile. He hadn’t noticed before how pale she’d gotten from when she’d first arrived. Now that her face had regained some color, he worried that she’d not let him know what she’d needed.
As her mat
e he should provide for her. That brought up another question.
“You said we’re mates,” he said while reaching into the closet to grab a top. “How did you know?” he asked, turning back to her.
She was done dressing and sat on the bed. “I know that shifters choose their mates and you don’t believe in destiny,” she started.
He held up a hand. “Actually there have been stories about fated mates. It’s very rare but a few years ago there was a couple not far from here in southern Oklahoma who were believed to have been fated. Cain and Emily are mated now, and from the stories I’ve heard they are one of the strongest bonded mates ever,” he shared. He’d never met the couple but their story was told from Pack to Pack as a sort of fairy tale. Everyone wanted to find that special person who completed them.
“Good,” Angel replied. “So you may understand better than I thought. A Day Walker can only feed from someone a few times before they get too sick to be used any longer. Because of this we have to be very careful who we get substance from. Our mate, or bonded, can feed us for all our days without getting poisoned. You’ll get sick, but unless I drink all your blood you won’t die.”
“That’s good to know.”
“How are you feeling?” she asked, and he could hear the concern.
“Actually I feel fine.”
She looked skeptical, which he guessed he shouldn’t be too surprised about.
“I had a small headache at first, but I’ve started moving around, I really do feel fine. It didn’t seem like you took too much today? Is that a normal amount?” he asked since he still wasn’t sure that Angel would tell him what she needed. He wanted to understand everything about her so he knew how to take care of his mate.
He had no doubt that Angel was his. He’d been feeling the connection from the very beginning. It hadn’t really hit him yet that he’d found his mate. Sure he was excited, but there just hadn’t been time to think about it. Alex always thought about everything. Cassie accused him of overthinking too often, but Alex didn’t take that as an insult. “Ready?” He extended his hand to Angel.
Leading the way from the bedroom, Alex kept Angel’s hand between his two so she practically had to walk against him. He was playing with her, but the smell of her amusement and happiness told him she didn’t mind.
They cut through the den to exit the house directly onto the porch. He smiled as he stopped and just looked around. He brought their hands up to his heart as the scene in front of him surprised him.
Max and Remy were leaning back against the rail with cold beers in their hands. They had big smiles on their faces and they spoke animatedly. Shawn and Casper were seated at the picnic table and had their heads together, talking quietly.
The biggest surprise was Kieran, who stood at the work cabinet mixing something in a large bowel, laughing with Cassie.
“They look like one big happy family,” Angel stated in awe at his side.
That was exactly what he’d been thinking.
“Hey!” Remy noticed them first.
As everyone turned toward them with smiles and sly looks he refused to be embarrassed that they knew what he and Angel had been up to.
The scent of burgers cooking drew his attention so he released Angel to head over to the grill. His mate stopped at the table to visit with Shawn and Caspar.
“Hey, brother,” Cassie said as he walked behind her.
Since he’d played a role in getting Cassie together with her mate, Max, he knew she was going to tease him. “Cassie.” He nodded to her.
“Glad you could join us,” she continued while glancing over her shoulder with a huge smile.
“I couldn’t let you make the burgers,” he teased back. “We don’t want charcoal meat.”
Kieran snorted as Cassie tossed a piece of fruit at him.
He caught the apple slice before popping it in his mouth. As he lifted the lid to the barbeque, the scent drifted up. His stomach was already growling in hunger. After reaching for the spatula he flipped them all once. “Yeah, these are about done,” he stated.
“I’ll go grab the buns,” Cassie offered without waiting for his acknowledgment.
“I got the platter,” Kieran told her.
“Thanks,” Alex told Kieran as he brought the large plate they used to stack the burgers on. He started to slide the meat from the grill onto the platter.
“You fed Angel,” Kieran spoke softly.
He jerked up his head to meet Kieran’s gaze. Kieran’s features were soft and his normally hard eyes seemed lighter. “She wouldn’t have asked so you must have offered. She’s funny like that,” Kieran told him. “I was worried, but I’m glad to see you’re taking care of her needs.”
At first he tensed thinking Kieran was being critical but his nose was telling him that Kieran was being sincere and was relieved.
“She’s my mate,” he said. “I’ll do anything for her.”
“Good,” Kieran said simply before his expression returned to the same mask of no emotion that the man normally tried for.
It hit him that Kieran didn’t want people to know how much he really cared about them. Angel had told him that Kieran was more than he appeared, and Alex was starting to see it. Alex wouldn’t point out his findings to Kieran just yet. He had a feeling that the more he was with Angel he’d also be adding Kieran, Remy and Caspar into his circle of family and close friends.
With the burgers ready to serve, he nodded to Kieran to take them to the table. Closing the lid, he turned to the others. Everyone had started to take their seats and he noticed they’d left a spot open between Angel and Remy.
Strolling forward, Alex joined the others. As soon as he was sitting beside Angel she passed him a beer. He took a long drink before setting it down to accept a bowl of potato salad. He filled his plate as food was delivered to him then handed it over to Remy. No one really talked while they settled into eating except a few teasing words and grunts of compliments. Even with the new arrivals at the table, the meal was like any other he’d hosted in his yard. Smiling, he picked up his burger to take a big bite. A discussion on the horses was brought up by Caspar and they spoke about them for a while.
“So you gonna get on one?” Remy asked Angel.
“I think so,” she responded although somewhat hesitant. “Alex thinks he has a mare that I could learn to ride on.”
Kieran opened his mouth, but Caspar pointed his fork at him. “Don’t even,” Caspar ordered.
Although Kieran tried to shrug innocently they all knew a crude comment had been about to be added to the conversation. Angel glared over at Kieran before tipping her head to wink at Alex.
Heat from the promise in her eyes made sitting at the table more difficult. He didn’t want to get an erection surrounded by so many people who could scent him. Angel wasn’t helping when she slipped her hand under the table to rub it across his knee. It wasn’t overly sexual but his body wasn’t getting that message. Just a touch from Angel and he was as hard as nails.
He caught her hand in his as her fingers traveled up his thigh toward his crotch. Oh, she wants to play huh?
Grasping her hand gently, he brought her palm down on his erection to apply pressure. God, that feels good! Tightening her fingers, Angel delivered a prefect stroke. He sat straighter, realizing while he and Angel were occupied, the conversation had moved on to the trip to Lubbock for Remy and Kieran.
Placing his hand over Angel’s, he had to admit defeat. She would have probably continued to rub him to release. She’d called his bluff.
“Justin and Randy are headed over,” Remy mentioned. “Since Kayla is staying a few more days they agreed to show us where Kayla and Randy were chased from.”
Angel jerked her hand away. “What?”
“Don’t worry, we’ll keep an eye on them,” Remy promised. “Randy needs to get back to work and your brother wants to go home. He said he’s had enough company for a while.”
Alex was kind of sad that he wouldn’t get to
spend more time with Angel’s brother. He hadn’t gotten to know the quiet but intense man very well.
“You’d better not let anything happen to them,” Angel ordered, deadly serious.
Both Guardians nodded.
She leaned into Alex a little so he put his arm around her shoulder. He knew Angel and Justin were pretty close. He’d make a call to the wolves in the area of Justin’s place so they could also keep an eye out for trouble.
As Angel’s brother, Justin now belonged to him too.
Chapter Seven
It was later than what she’d planned by the time Angel climbed up the stairs, heading toward Alex’s bedroom. Before everyone had been able to take off she had got to spend some time with her brother. Justin and Alex seemed to get along as well.
“I don’t know about you but I am exhausted,” she said as they entered the main suite. She still couldn’t believe what an amazing space Alex had made for himself. She loved every inch of it.
“How about a hot shower?” he asked while closing the door behind him.
She moaned because that sounded like heaven. Even better if Alex planned on joining her. “Yes please.”
Alex’s chuckle was rich and deep. He grabbed her from behind, spinning her to face him. “I want to hear you make that sound again,” he said with a soft voice before dipping his head.
Leaning up, she met his lips with hers. The contact initiated sparks through her entire body. She held tight, clinging to his shoulders as he lifted her off her feet. “God, I love shifter strength,” she praised against his mouth.
“You haven’t seen anything yet,” he promised, walking toward the bathroom.
Excitement filled her and already she couldn’t wait to get her hands on him. Actually, she mused to herself, she didn’t have to wait.
She was rewarded as a shudder racked through his body when she ran her tongue around the shell of his ear. He stumbled, bringing a small smile to her face. Since she was pretty sure he had a good hold on her she released his shoulders to run one hand down his back.
Under her palm, his muscles stretched. Alex had the kind of body that Angel could appreciate. He wasn’t a gym rat but instead worked hard with the horses, keeping his body in prime shape.
