“You didn’t answer my question. Did Mindy tell you what happened?” She leveled a glare at Devon that would have made a lesser man shrink inside, but he’d faced the Others and the Skröm. Alexia was scary – or at least she would be when she was done with her training – but she wasn’t Dark. Well, not fully anyway. She just didn’t have that kind of heart.
“Yes, Mindy told me,” Devon answered still meeting her stare.
“And?” she yelled. “That’s it? You’ve got nothing else to say? You didn’t come here ready to kill the red-eyed demon? You didn’t let Mindy and Cam come after me to take care of the problem? What the fuck is going on, Devon, because I’ve got to tell you, I don’t know why you’re here and I’m not dead yet.” Devon flinched at that last part. He’d been thought of as Death at one point in his life. She knew enough of his history to know this, and he wouldn’t lie and say it didn’t hurt that the person who was destined to be his mate, his soul, his other half – well, it hurt that she’d touched on the one thing sure to make him feel like the scared, insecure kid he’d once been. The truth was she was more than scared herself right now, and she needed to know why she was still alive, why they weren’t all hunting her down.
“Come over here…please, Red,” Devon said soothingly.
She hesitated by the bed, glancing toward the door. He’d catch her if she ran, but he couldn’t make her come back, no matter how much he wanted to.
“Please,” Devon pleaded, and he put the softness of the request in his gaze. He didn’t want to scare her, but he knew how predators reacted, and this girl was one fine as fuck predator. Get a hold of yourself, Waters, Devon chided himself, and he watched as she slowly made her way back to the couch. And his heart broke with every hesitant step she took.
Alexia quietly sat down on the motel room couch. He could see the struggle on her face, knew it was his blood underneath his scent that really called to her, and she shivered. He knew from experience that having a predator inside could be an adjustment, but it wasn’t the end. She would move passed her struggle and her uncertainty.
She touched his arm gently, and he felt her comfort like a balm to his heart. “Why am I still alive, Devon?” she asked, with so much desperation and sincerity, Devon couldn’t let her go on.
“Alexia… Okay, well first, Mindy and Cam aren’t mad at you. They also didn’t know what to do, and you didn’t wait around to find out. I know, I know,” Devon said, halting any argument or defense she might have. “You thought you’d done the unforgivable. You thought you were evil, but now it’s time for me to tell you a couple things, and I need you to hear me out.”
Devon let that sink in for a moment. He could see she wanted to say something, but she held her tongue, and he had to hold back a secret smile at her stubborn persistence. God, he needed her in his life even though he’d never known it until now. And how much more would he come to know and to need her as they got to know each other better? But he had to get through this next part.
“I should have explained before I left, but I honestly didn’t think about it. I was in a rush to get information about you, about the Skröm… But you and Cam should have known what might happen,” he began. “You remember when I said that all Clan members change at puberty except when they’re of different parentages – Hybrids?” She was already nodding her head, eager for answers and a cure to her problem. She wanted to be told she wasn’t evil. To once again be told she was worthy.
One day, she wouldn’t have to ask.
Too bad that day wasn’t today. Too bad Devon’s actions a few weeks earlier had only fueled her fears. But he couldn’t change that. He could only change today and their future.
“Well, you’re of dual parentage. A Hybrid. Half Skröm, probably half Luna based on the light you put off and the symptoms you’ve been telling me about. So, Cam and Mindy are most likely right on that front. Fuck, if I didn’t know better, I’d also think you were part Taryn because of how strong your mind is, but that’s because of the dual parentage thing again. Some other gifts start to show in Hybrids. So, I didn’t think, but I should have made you and Cam aware of the fact that you would start feeling this way, that your other sides would start showing even though up until you drank Mindy’s blood the other night you were still a Dormant–”
“I’m not a Dormant anymore…” Alexia’s voice trailed off. She wasn’t a Dormant. She was Skröm. And once she transformed for the first time, she would also be Luna.
“No, sorry, Red.” But he was only sorry because she was scared and hurting. He wasn’t sorry she was Skröm. He knew her. He knew she wouldn’t succumb to the Darkness. “I’m also sorry because I should have known you and Cam might be more susceptible to initiating. Most Clan members can’t help the onset of their gifts. So many of them were already experiencing smaller pieces of their powers already. It happened to me after I was attacked in high school. My body wanted to change almost instantly after finally discovering this world, but I had my family. You and Cam were left to your own devices, and for that, I am so sorry.”
Without making a sound, Alexia leaned closer to him and laid her hand on his lower thigh in comfort. He didn’t think it was deliberate, but fated mates gained comfort from each other – whether it was their skin, their minds, or their souls that were touching. He let the feeling seep into him. They belonged together, even if he needed to tread lightly with that particular topic.
“But Devon,” Alexia said, looking up at him in fear, “I’m not just Luna, as we’ve found out. I’m that... I’m that…” She paused and looked away. “I’m evil, Devon, and I – shit, but I don’t know how to control it! I didn’t even know what I was doing when I attacked my best friend. I didn’t know what I was doing.” She pulled her knees up to her chest, and started rocking back and forth. “I don’t know how to control this, Devon,” she said looking at him in desolation.
He couldn’t hold back this time. He brought her to him without protest. He knew he was a big guy. He knew he sometimes did things with too much honesty, and some might look at him and see mental weakness, but he was loyal and he was a rock for those around him. He made sure of it in everything he did. He could be Alexia’s rock, and he wanted nothing more in the world than for that to happen. She unfurled her legs, let her body sink into his side, and he accepted the moment for the blessing it was as he held her tightly.
“None of us do, Alexia,” Devon said quietly into her hair. “That’s why I should have talked with you and Cam.” He repositioned her to see her more clearly, but also so that she was still just as close to his body. “None of us can control it at first. It’s why adolescents are closely monitored when their physical and mental powers come on. It can take some years to master a change. I know this from experience. As much as I was almost a natural at transforming into a bear, my bear side is incredibly strong and stubborn, and it took me a couple years to control my more animalistic nature. Probably because I’d always been something of a beast.” He said it proudly, and Alexia laughed. A hypnotic sound that warmed him. “Other gifts are just as hard to control. It took me a year to connect with and stay connected to a mind. The Taryn trainer, Carrie, almost tired of me by the end.”
“But Devon, I’m Skröm. What if my predator is a little more dangerous than that?” Her eyes pleaded with him as she moved away from his touch to curl up into a seated, crisscross position. She put her hands in her lap as she played with them nervously, and the stubbornness in her form and the way she hid her eyes showed just how unsure she was of her own ability to eventually control her gifts.
“Just trust me. You’ll learn to control this. And you know the research we’ve been doing? Your Skröm side doesn’t mean you’re evil. You’ve got the Luna side, and you’re you, Red. You wouldn’t hurt anyone on purpose, ever.” He’d seen her warm at the nickname, and he smiled as she let go of her guarded expression. “So, you will learn to control this, and when you do,” Devon said, “the use of that power will become like second natur
e. I learned the tricks and the triggers that worked for me. I learned how to stay in control of my Taryn side. I eventually learned how to control my beast side, too – mostly. We all do. In fact, you and Cam should take no time at all to learn control. Adults always take less time. Not that we’ve seen anyone as old as you guys recently take to Clan life, but—” Alexia’s fist hit his chest, and he would have been lying if he didn’t feel the sting of her strength. Seemed the Skröm muscles had also kicked in. Damn, those beasts were strong. She was strong…and he couldn’t help but smile after hiding his wince of pain. “I didn’t mean old like old, old...it’s just rare is all. Most of our people go through their change at puberty.”
“But Cam doesn’t have any symptoms except the general supernatural flashlight thing we all seemed to have acquired,” Alexia protested. “And he sure as hell doesn’t drink blood,” she added vehemently.
“No, he doesn’t, but he’s got superhuman powers in asshole recently,” he said, eliciting a laugh. He moved onto his knees to kneel in front of her crisscrossed form and she smiled at him. Her tears were gone, but the stains from them still held to her pale cheeks. The woman in front of him was strong. Stronger than she knew, and he had to show her that. He had to make her realize she could handle what their world threw at her. Just as with Cam, he would show her he was loyal, unfailing, a rock, a safe place to call home. She could ground herself in him, and he in her. That was the essence of a fated mate.
Without thinking, he reached for her hand and gave it a squeeze in reassurance, but instead of her resistance, she returned the gesture and linked her much smaller hand through his own. Connected, he thought, glancing down. He looked back at her, and her eyes held him captive, a red so passionate and a face so angelic, he wanted to know everything about her.
“He’s in denial,” she said, simply. “It’s obvious his Luna side is trying to assert itself, but maybe that adult control you were talking about is keeping whatever animal he’s chosen from emerging. And the asshole superpowers? Well, they’ve only gotten worse in the weeks since you’ve been gone.”
“Yeah, I’ve been getting that over the phone.” He paused and moved back onto the couch, making sure not to lose contact with her. His knee bumped against hers, but he still maintained eye contact. “I guess I just thought he needed to meet everyone and see me again to realize it’s all real and that it’s safe and okay, but he’s being cagey. I’ve met other Dormants who don’t want to go through the change, but that type of control is rare and it’s for different reasons: family, not wanting to live longer – yes, that happens,” he said with a smile at her surprised expression. “But Cam’s terrified. I can smell the fear rolling off him whenever I mention shifting or his mental abilities. And based on the fact that he’s been experiencing some of the same things as you, and the fact that he’s always had small gifts, I don’t think he’s going to be one of those Dormants who can just turn this off. He knows now. He will change eventually. I just don’t know how to get him to accept things.”
“Well, he’s hurting you and Mindy while working through these issues,” Alexia said, her leg shifting against his. She too appeared to be seeking that touch, that connection.
“We’re tougher than you think, and that’s not really why I’m here. Back to what you were saying before. You’re right, Cam might not choose a predator and he doesn’t drink blood. But Alexia,” he said giving her a look that promised a true confession, “there are Light Clan members who drink blood. They don’t take a lot – once they’ve learned to control it. They take just enough to sustain themselves. And they only drink from Clan members. It’s another form of vitamins, really. The Skröm usually take too much, but I believe, because you’re half Luna, half Skröm, that you will take more to your Luna side. It makes sense seeing as you’ve never had a thing for blood before.”
He skated past the incident with Mindy. Alexia was starting to believe she was redeemable again, and he didn’t want that belief sidetracked, especially not with what he was about to let her do.
“The Vuković Clan – werewolves – drink blood. Like James. He’s the mentor I was telling you about. He drinks blood occasionally. So do a few other Light Clans, including the Luna. Not Cam, obviously, but Luna who’ve become predators who would normally enjoy the taste of blood in their animal forms. Now, I like my plants and my honey,” he said, giving Alexia a look she swore had more than just a tinge of lust, “but bears also love a good bit of blood when they get the chance.”
He smiled again, and this time, his smile was full blown, to show her his very sharp teeth. Alexia didn’t shy away, though. She went up on her knees on the couch and even put one knee on his thigh, so she could reach. She leaned into his body and slowly brought her hand forward.
“You drink blood,” she stated, not really asking, and no longer shy as she touched his bear fangs.
“Yep,” he said, answering anyway and snapping at her playfully. “And I love it.”
“But how do you – well, how do you control it?” she asked, seemingly reluctant to pull her hand away.
“Honestly, it’s learned. Practice makes perfect. Usually, you have a teacher who acts as your test dummy, one strong enough to control you should things get out of hand.” He leaned into her, and since she was still on her knees and one was on his thigh, he was able to get really close. He opened his thighs, letting her knee slip down between them, and his face so close to his mate’s that he could feel the cool breath from her mouth against his naturally hotter skin. Luna ran hot. “And guess what, Red?”
He saw the moment when she realized why he was there, and not Cam or Mindy, and her eyes widened, but it wasn’t fear he sensed.
“You mean…” she whispered. He felt her heartbeat kick up a notch and her breathing became shallow, deeper, less steady. She leaned further into him, and he mimicked her movements.
“That’s right,” he said, and he knew his eyes were the shimmering black of his bear because his vision had changed. He wasn’t immune to the hypnotic effect of their bond.
“I get to be your vein.”
With her legs straddling his thigh, and the closeness of their bodies, he was able to gently guide her mouth to his neck. He thought for a moment that she would resist, but he knew what the scent of blood did to a predator, and to a Skröm... His neck beat wildly in anticipation, and he fell into that first deep pull as she took what she needed from him. He’d let her have it all if it made her happy.
Alexia straddled Devon’s thigh, letting the warmth of his body sit between her own, and she put her lips at his neck teasingly, but not overtly so. She was too damn hungry to truly tease. His neck smelled like forests, oranges, and waterfalls in the spring. He’d stop her if it went too far. And damn it, but she knew whatever this man offered her, she would never be able to deny him. A small part of her whispered that she wanted so much more from her Midnight, from her Man Bear than just his blood, but she pushed that intrusive thought away as her instincts took over.
Alexia’s teeth sank into his strong, corded neck. She felt Devon’s hands reach around, one to hold onto her butt and the other to wrangle her in more closely as she pulled at the vein and his blood coated her tongue. The smell of oranges and fresh rain water were not just smells, but tastes as well, and along with the fresh, clean taste of good blood, she also feasted on that orange and rain flavor that was so unique to her Man Bear.
She hadn’t been told that drinking blood could be so intense, but she couldn’t deny the feelings that were building. A fiery storm stretched inside of her like a cat inside, and her thighs quivered in anticipation as Devon drew her legs apart and she wrapped them around his torso. She wanted to get as close to him as possible.
The heat between her legs rose to a crescendo, and she felt a desire so fierce she almost pulled back. Almost...but didn’t. She could also feel the different Clan parts in herself now. The other two who were there. They were separate, yet not. A part of her, but not quite. They whispered,
soon, in a soothing manner, as though it was a good thing she’d be fully connected to all the parts of her heritage. The jury was still out on that.
She had to admit their presence was calming, though, and as she let go, she felt another presence as well. A stronger presence that nuzzled its nose against her thoughts and brushed its imaginary fur against the deepest part of her soul.
Devon?
She felt his bear respond with a chuff and another roll around in her head, and then she felt the sparks in her mind ignite as her body’s nerve endings came alive. Hands moved along her lower spine and her butt as she slowed the drinking of Devon’s blood and came to, into a moment of touch and sound and bright light. Alexia retracted her fangs from his skin, licked his neck to heal closed the holes, and her fangs slid back up into her gums of their own accord.
“Hey, Red,” Devon whispered as he nuzzled her hair and secured his fangs near her neck. He looked at Alexia for permission, and she nodded. She wanted – no, she needed, she craved – his body inside of her own in any way she could get it.
She felt his fangs slide into her neck, and the tingling that had started along her nerve endings exploded. The warmth that had been building between her legs and in her lower body reached their threshold of pleasure and she experienced an orgasm so shattering that her eyes rolled back into her head and the world went black for a moment.
Alexia came to, only to find that she apparently wasn’t a walking ad for pre-Feminism because Devon was coming to as well. She secretly smiled at the fact that the big man had fainted. Maybe it was a blood-drinking thing? Then, she sobered.
“Oh, shit! Did I drink too much? Devon, I’m so sorry.” Alexia chastised herself as she looked at this neck. During a phone call, Devon had explained how Clan members healed quickly and lived damn near forever, and she could totally get behind those benefits, but he also explained that the Skröm and even other Clan members weren’t easily discovered because their saliva could heal. His neck was closed up, but maybe she’d taken too much initially.
The Devil's Pride (Wild Beasts Series) Page 18
