They kissed until their mouths were raw with it and the heat between Reese’s legs was so intense, she thought one movement of her legs might spark a fire.
Violet pulled back, her face flushed. “Meet me in your bed.”
The demon dematerialized, leaving Reese cold and panting on the sofa. Alone. “Freaking demons.”
While it was true that Violet could not use any of her demon powers on the shifter, it didn’t mean she couldn’t torture her by proxy.
She grabbed her drink, downed it in one go and ran up the stairs to her bedroom, crunching ice between her teeth as she climbed.
When she threw open the door, panting with loss of breath, she found Violet reclining on the bed, a gleam in her eye.
Violet had taken the liberty of killing the lights and filling the room with candlelight. Soft music played from an unseen speaker. She ran a hand over the coverlet. “Took you long enough.”
Reese regarded the candlelit room. “You’re really trying here.”
“It’s been a while since I’ve fucked you,” Violet said. “I want to remind you how good I am.”
Reese was across the bedroom in two strides, slamming the demon back against the pillows. “I haven’t forgotten.”
Violet’s eyes danced with fire. Though whether it was her own demonic hellfire or the candles in the room, Reese couldn’t be sure.
Violet flipped her easily, sliding her legs down on either side of Reese’s body. “Take off my shirt.”
Reese obeyed, grabbing the bottom of the thin fabric and pulling it up over Violet’s head. She stole several kisses while their mouths were aligned. And while Reese’s mouth was greedily sucking on full lips, Violet was relieving her of her own shirt, then the black sports bra beneath it.
Then their breasts touched, nipples lightly grazing one another. Violet pushed her back against the bed. “Do you still have a strap-on?”
“Pretty sure they’re all at your place,” Reese said.
Violet pouted. “Disappointing. I wanted to see you on your hands and knees.” A wicked grin covered her face. “I can still get you there.”
Violet laid down alongside Reese, aligning her body as if she were the big spoon. She slid her arm down between her legs.
“Already so wet,” Violet purred in her ears. “Was I the last person to fuck you?”
“Yes,” Reese admitted. No point in lying about it.
“That was a while ago.”
“I’m aware,” Reese groaned. As Violet found her clitoris, gently rubbing it between two fingers, she bit down on Violet’s arm.
“Careful,” Violet said, hissing. “You know how much I like pain. I’ll get carried away.”
Reese pretended not to hear, biting harder as Violet slipped two fingers inside her.
She teased Reese toward her first orgasm with slow, steady strokes. As her desire built, obliterating all thought from her mind, Violet pulled her up onto her hands and knees. Her hand stayed between her legs, ruthlessly building speed. Reese buried her face in the pillow, crying out as white and red sparks danced behind her eyelids.
“That’s it, baby,” Violet cooed. “Just for me, okay?”
A second surprise climax echoed through her. Reese fisted the pillows around her.
“You’re cheating,” Reese said. “You’re using lust magic or something.”
Violet snorted. “I wish. Then I could really blow your mind.”
Violet forced her legs farther apart, sliding between them. She turned, so that she was lying on her back between Reese’s spread legs. She pulled Reese down onto her chest.
The first brush of her tongue so soon after two orgasms rocked Reese. Her legs shook with the force of keeping her weight aloft.
But Violet had already wrapped her hands around the shifter’s legs, refusing to let go. It didn’t matter that Reese’s legs were shaking. It didn’t matter when she collapsed onto her side, unable to hold herself above the demon’s mouth anymore. The demon wouldn’t let go. She rolled with her, continuing her tongue’s assault until Reese was on her back, orgasming for a third time.
“Enough,” Reese begged. She grabbed a fistful of Violet’s hair. “Enough. My turn.”
Violet let herself be hauled up between her legs and into a sloppy kiss.
Reese sat up, pulling Violet into her lap before laying her down the other way, her head now at the foot of the bed. She began work on removing her pants.
“You can barely keep your eyes open,” Violet teased. “I’m pretty good, huh?”
“Shut up,” Reese said, but there was no malice in it. She was enjoying the bright flush in Violet’s face and the cat-like grin on her face.
“I bet I could—” Violet’s words were swallowed by a moan.
Reese slid her fingers into the demon. “Hushhh.”
Reese was delighted to find that Violet was just as wet as she’d been. “Am I the last one who fucked you?” Reese asked, teasingly.
“Yes,” Violet said, bearing down on her hand.
Reese’s emotions swelled.
“I’m not lying, Ree.” Violet pulled her forward, looking into her eyes. “You are.”
Of course, this said nothing about how many pants Violet may have dropped since their breakup. Reese pushed back against the swell of emotion threatening to rise like a tide and destroy this nice little oblivion they’d formed around them.
They were running out of time. Reese could already see the first hint of purple behind the bedroom curtains. It would be sunrise within the hour.
Violet grabbed Reese’s free hand and pulled it up to her throat. She squeezed until Reese took over, adding the pressure of her own. Violet liked being choked as she came. Reese hadn’t forgotten. So she let Violet writhe against her hand until the last waves of her climax fell away.
Reese waited, trying to read Violet’s body to see if she wanted more, or if the approaching sun was going to win.
She thought the demon had fallen asleep when she said, “We could pick this up again, you know.”
Reese lay down beside her. “Could we?”
Reese knew she wasn’t talking about the sex. She was talking about their failed relationship. They’d been together for two years and apart for almost one. Reese still liked her. There was no point in lying to herself about that. But she’d had her reasons for ending it.
Seeing Violet make out with people in the bars, or invite people into dark corners hadn’t been easy, even if it was only to feed off their baser emotions—jealousy, lust, envy.
“Eating isn’t cheating,” Reese said. “That’s what you said.”
“That’s why you ended it, wasn’t it?”
Reese didn’t answer.
“I’ve never lied to you,” Violet said. She grabbed the ends of Reese’s hair, playing with the inky black tips. “But a girl’s got to eat and I won’t feed on you.”
I’ve never lied to you.
Violet must have sensed the dark shift in her mind.
“Forget I said anything. I’ve ruined the moment.”
“You didn’t,” Reese said. She ran a hand through her hair. If she was being honest with herself, she’d missed Violet. She’d seen her around, but that wasn’t the same.
She’d missed the intimacy. Even if the jealousy had also been tearing her apart.
“I know it doesn’t feel like it to you,” Violet said with uncharacteristic tenderness. “But it really is like watching you get emotional over my cheeseburger. I don’t feel anything for the people I eat. That’s exactly why I eat them and why I can’t do that to you.”
Reese was nodding, but she didn’t know what to say.
“If I don’t eat I’ll get weak. In a place like Castle Cove, I can’t be weak. It’d get me killed.”
Reese rolled onto her back, staring up at the ceiling. “I get it. I really do.”
Violet dragged herself from the bed. With one movement of her hands, the candles in the room extinguished, leaving dozens of trails of thin gray
smoke to rise toward the ceiling.
“Where are you going?” Reese asked. She turned on her side, watching the demon dress herself.
“I want to get home before sunrise.”
“You can stay,” Reese said. “You’ll be safe here.”
Violet considered her for a long time. She spared a small smile. “Only because it might change your mind.”
Reese pulled back the covers, sliding over to let Violet slip in beside her.
The moment before the sun rose, Violet spoke. “Tell me you’ll think about it.”
“I will.” As if Reese could actually stop herself. She pulled Violet close. “I promise.”
A phone was ringing somewhere in the house. Reese groped the sheets blindly trying to find her cell phone. She found the charging cord first, and traced it to the phone itself.
“Hello?” she groaned. Her voice broke with the effort.
“Reese?”
It was Kristine. She didn’t sound so great either. Of course, running the woods all night would do that to a woman.
Violet slept like the dead beside her. Reese wasn’t worried about waking her. The demon couldn’t rise before sunset. So she turned her attention to the alpha werewolf.
“Yeah, it’s me. What’s up?”
“I’m calling an emergency pack meeting. A kid died in the cove last night. He was torn apart by a siren.”
“What?” Reese sat up on her elbow, alarm rocketing her mind to full wakefulness. “I was there.”
“Were you?” Kristine said. Said, because the alpha rarely asked questions. Even her questions weren’t really questions.
Reese recounted the night to her boss and friend. By the time she finished, she felt like she’d made a terrible mistake. She shouldn’t have swum toward the reef.
“I saw the kids,” she finished lamely. “I should’ve checked on them.”
“How could you have known that would happen? The sirens aren’t even supposed to be in the cove.”
“There was a woman there,” Reese explained. She told her what she saw of the strange magic on the beach and the storm that had come rolling in. “I followed her to the Crossroads bar, and saw her meet someone, but that’s it. I didn’t learn anything else.”
“Maybe it’s not connected,” Kristine said finally. Her sigh made the woman sound much older. “Or maybe she caused it. Either way, I called to see if you could watch the bar until I can come in. I realize it’s not your shift and I’ll pay you double for that. But maybe you should be part of the discussion. You are a witness. I’ll leave it to you to decide.”
Reese looked at Violet again. If she went, she’d be sure to leave a note so the demon wouldn’t wake up alone and wonder where she’d gone.
Reese Choice 14
Go to pack meeting
Hold down the bar
Grayson: Go into the Western Woods
Sunday morning passed quickly with Nutella pancakes and cups of coffee. But then his parents went to the Farmer’s market in Cliffside, which met on Sunday from May through October. Unlike the market that met in Old Town on Saturdays, Sunday’s market focused on street food and live music. There were more dogs and a playground. It wasn’t a bad way to spend a Sunday. On any other day, Grayson would’ve been thrilled to go too.
But he was tired. He’d kept trying to go to sleep and yet kept finding himself waking up, wanting to read The Dark Mother and Her Children. He reached for the book the way he usually reached for his phone.
He told his parents he wasn’t feeling well, hoping they’d let him stay home. He saw the conflict on their faces as they tried to decide whether or not to force him along or to give him space.
They left without him.
No sooner did his father’s sedan back out of the driveway, nearly hitting an orange tabby, did Grayson bound up the stairs.
Grayson seized the book and read it again. Before he knew what he was doing, he’d closed the book and began to pack a bag as he would for any day-long hike.
Water. Three protein bars and his knives. He took a length of rope for good measure and a mostly used roll of duct tape. One could never be sure when they might need duct tape.
He looked into his bag and felt there wasn’t much else he could bring.
On second thought, he pulled an onyx pendant from his bedside table. It had been Ms. Monroe who’d given it to him for his sixteenth birthday. She’d said that onyx protected a person from magic. He hoped that would guard him against any magical creatures in the Western Woods.
He clasped the necklace around his neck, feeling its weight settle against his chest.
As he sat on the bench by the front door, pulling on his shoes, he texted Abby. Heading out for a hike.
Where? she asked him.
He considered lying. Then he thought of her in his bed, and lying felt like a dirty trick.
Western Woods.
Haha. When he didn’t respond quick enough she added, WTF??? Are you serious???
I think there’s a way to bring Landon back.
The text bubble rose and disappeared for several minutes. Grayson managed to write Reese a note—Something came up. We’ll have to reschedule—and tape it to the front door. He was already in his car before Abby’s response finally came through.
As what? Zombie? Vampire?
Not sure.
Demon?
I honestly don’t know, he replied.
You want to bring someone back from the dead and you don’t know as what? Awesome idea.
If I died wouldn’t you want to bring me back? he asked.
That’s different.
Why should it be different? he asked. He’s our bff.
She didn’t seem to have an answer for that.
Finally, I’m coming with you.
No.
Why?
It’s too dangerous.
If it’s too dangerous for me, it’s too dangerous for you, she replied.
He wasn’t sure how to respond to that.
What are you trying to prove? she asked.
That question stung. Somehow it had cut beneath the surface of the urgency. It burned. Worse, it slowed him down. It made him think.
What was he trying to prove?
That he was a good friend to Landon? That Abby really would’ve wanted him if Landon were still alive? That Grayson wasn’t a consolation prize?
No. He didn’t believe any of that. If he was being honest with himself, he’d known since September. The way she’d looked at him spoke volumes for the connection between them.
If he needed to prove anything, it was that he wasn’t happy his friend was dead. He needed to prove that Landon’s death hadn’t been like a gift from above.
That was closer to the truth.
Bringing Landon back would prove that he wasn’t glad to have Landon removed from the picture. He wasn’t glad that he had the chance to steal the girl he always wanted for himself.
Grayson shifted uncomfortably in the driver’s seat. He wrung the steering wheel.
Take me with you, Abby texted again. Gray, please. You can’t go in there by yourself.
Grayson Choice 12
Bring Abby
Don’t bring Abby
Grayson: Bring Abby
I’ll be there in five minutes, he wrote and reversed the car out of the driveway. It was almost eleven in the morning. If they got into the woods by noon, they’d have about nine hours before sunset. That meant they needed to cover at least two miles an hour. Doable.
His phone remained silent for the entire drive. Maybe Abby was saving her energy for a counterargument in person. Maybe she was forming a plan to detain him at her house so he couldn’t go into the woods at all.
Grayson drove the perimeter of Hyde Park, driving past the large, imposing mansions that faced the park. He’d always wondered who lived there. Abigail said it was the wealthy undead vampires of Castle Cove. That each grand house was owned by one of the clans.
Apparently, there were
two kinds of vampires in Castle Cove—and as far as Grayson knew—the world. There were living vampires and undead vampires. The living vampires were those who had not died as a result of their attack and transformation. Their hearts never stopped. Therefore, the virus living inside them had more of a symbiotic relationship with its host. It gave them strength and eternal youth. They detested, but were not allergic to, sunlight. They were simply creatures of the night. Their bodies emitted pheromones that attracted and disoriented their prey. They were warm and had a pulse. Mostly they were apex predators rather than supernatural creatures.
The undead were a different story. Unlike their living brethren who seemed to rely on their physical attributes to attract prey, the undead relied on magic. The undead had died during their transformations and it was at that moment of death that a demon entered their body and took up residence.
Most of the person’s previous life and human connection were instantly forgotten. These vampires were reborn, strong and fast. Their powers included telepathy, mind-control, telekinesis and flying, depending on how strong the demon that inhabited their body was.
According to Abigail—or Abigail’s mother, who knew almost every citizen in their town—it was actually only one demon per clan. The demon—and its power—was strongest in the oldest clan member, and weakest in the newest recruits. That was why they adhered to a hierarchy. Like all demons, they were unable to go into sunlight and died when the sun rose each day. They were cold to the touch, because they were essentially reanimated corpses. There was no life left in them.
As Grayson drove past the large, looming mansions, he wondered if such creatures really dwelled within. The revival architecture and old live oaks thick with moss seemed to say, old beings dwell here. With homes so massive, he imagined there was plenty of room for an entire clan and all their attendants to live comfortably.
Just east of Hyde Park, before Castle Cove University began, was a small neighborhood called Hummingbird Hollow. It had small, quaint ranch-style homes and postage stamp yards. He turned off Ruby Road onto Violetear Drive and found Abby sitting on her porch with a camo backpack between her knees on the step below her.
Night Tide Page 20
