He nodded. “Every word.”
“Not to break up a sentimental moment, but you need to move your foot, Jules.”
Julius shifted on top of her and gave her a weak smile. He wasn’t completely healed, but he was mending quickly. Dani slammed the door behind him and dashed to the other side of the car. In seconds, she was in the front seat and skyrocketing through the warehouse district like Satan’s hellhounds were after her. Once they put enough distance between them and the warehouse district, Dani eased off the gas and looked into the backseat.
“When you’re done playing sticky faces…” Dani’s voice turned deadly calm as she looked at them in the rearview mirror.
Julius paused for a moment, but still hugged her close. “Go on, I’m listening.”
“Good, because I’m going to tell you this once and only once. Don’t you ever, ever send me away again. You almost got yourself killed for real this time!”
“Sorry,” was all Julius managed to say before he laid his head on Erica’s chest.
“That’s it? Sorry? You’re so lame. I can’t freaking believe you had Verna send me across town.”
“You did what?” Erica asked.
“Yeah, wish you knew that before you saved his ass, don’t you? If I wasn’t driving, I’d hit him.”
Erica swatted his arm on her behalf. “What were you thinking?”
“Hey!” Julius didn’t even flinch. He was definitely getting better.
“It’s dumb to go without back up.”
“See? At least you fell in love with someone who’s smart. I can worry less about you now.” Dani’s mouth closed for only a moment before she was muttering under her breath. “You know how long it took me to get back? I probably exposed vampirekind doing it, since I had to run. I’m not sorry, either.”
“Are you still fussing?”
“I’ll fuss until I meet my final sunfall jackass. You better thank the all gods you’ve even survived to hear it.”
The car settled for a while, then she piped up, “All you had to do was come up with two investments. Two. That’s it. Me? I’ve got to come up with enough blood to feed half the province. You had it easy and barely got that to work. Not to mention you almost got yourself killed. Wait until I tell Gustav that his baby brother is a dumbass. To think, I’ve been defending you for years.”
“I said I was sorry.”
“Yeah, yeah. I’m still telling Gustav.”
So, Julius did have more brothers. Maybe there was hope for Marie after all. Her eyebrow arched as her thoughts turned to her friend. There was never a time in her entire life that she hadn’t told her friend every little secret she had. How was she going to explain this? She looked down at the vampire laying against her stomach. She wasn’t. Not without exposing vampirekind. This was the one secret she had to keep, for Julius’s sake. She’d tell her everything else, though. She’d burst otherwise.
“Erica,” Julius said from under her.
“Hmm?”
“I’m feeling weak. Can I have just a tiny bit more of your blood?”
Without hesitation, she offered her arm. He pulled her hand to his lips and sank his fangs in.
“Oh!” Erica jolted when a flood of pleasure raced through her veins. He was putting his pleasure venom in her. When another wave hit her, she had to stifle a moan. “Julius.”
“Ick, Julius!” Dani complained from the front seat.
Frick. She pushed against Julius’s head until his fangs retracted and she could rip her hand away. Then her gaze flickered up to his sister. Crap. His sister knew what he was doing. Dani could probably smell her arousal. Erica pinched her eyes shut as tightly as they would go and wished for a sink hole to open up under the tires.
‘Sorry,’ she mouthed, her voice muted by mortification. Julius, as always, remained cool and level-headed.
“What? My mate and I were hurt. I’m still recovering. It makes me feel good when she feels good. Don’t you want me to get better?”
“Not if you’re going to do that I don’t. Is there ever one second where you can keep it in your pants? Come on! There’re other people in the car with you. I knew I should have sent Asher.”
“But I’m hurting. Erica’s the only one who can make it better,” he whined and made a show of clutching at his side. It was the first time she’d ever heard Julius take that tone. It surprised her.
Erica joined into their banter, swatting him playfully. “You’re such a big baby.”
“But I’m your baby.”
“Yes, that you are.” She chuckled and stroked his hair.
“So, can I bite you again? It’ll make me feel better.”
“Ugh!” Dani chided from the front seat. “Jules, come on!”
Julius looked at his sister. “One day, Dani. One day, you’re going to find your mate, and you’ll want to do the exact same thing.”
“I won’t be as gross as you.”
Julius must have made a face at his sister because in return she gave him the finger. He stilled against her stomach.
“He’s not going to bite me,” she assured his sister.
“Fine, we’ll wait. But I don’t want to hear a single complaint when we get back to the hotel. If you don’t like it, get your own suite.”
“Don’t worry, I already have. I refuse to spend the rest of my joyous relaxing vacation with you and Evan. You two are more trouble than you’re worth. And, once again, I am the one who has to bail everyone out.”
“Thank you for that.” Erica’s eyes met Dani’s in the rearview mirror. Thank you wasn’t even enough gratitude for what she felt. She was overwhelmed at how easily she’d been accepted into the family. How strangers had come to her rescue. There were no words for how thankful that made her.
“Oh, don’t worry about it.” She pulled her ponytail over her shoulder and tugged at it, offering her an apologetic look. It was abundantly clear Dani was just busting Julius’s chops. “I wouldn’t let anything happen to you. I actually like you, Erica. There’s no question. Jules, on the other hand…” Dani tossed Julius a look of playful scorn. “He’s a pain in the ass. He’s lucky he’s favored by the King. Damian would have sent his army after me if I left him there to rot. I know where not to make enemies. Unlike some people. Jules. Jules! Don’t you dare feign sleep, Jules. I know you can hear me.”
When Julius didn’t move an iota, Dani groaned and her gaze flickered back to her. “Are you sure you want to do this? You’re going to be stuck with a pain in the ass for a long time.”
“I’m sure.” She nodded and stroked Julius’s hairline while he pretended to sleep. “He’s stuck with me for a long time too.”
At her words, Julius tightened his arms around her and snuggled in closer, enveloping her in his warmth.
“Hmm… a long time,” he murmured and pressed a small kiss where his lips could reach. “I like that.”
“Me too.”
EPILOGUE
ERICA
“ARE YOU REALLY NOT GOING TO tell me where we’re going?” She asked, adjusting the blindfold over her eyes as they drove to the heart of the city. The closer they’d gotten to downtown, the more it reeked like city sewer and congestion.
“Dani would kill me if I said a word,” Julius replied.
“You’re afraid of your little sister?” She taunted playfully, knowing that based on their competitive streak, it would get a rise out of him.
“You haven’t seen her in action. She’s dangerous.”
“She’s just a kid.”
“She’s only a couple years younger than you.”
“Still, I can’t believe your getting bullied by your kid sister.”
Julius laughed. “I see what you’re trying to do. It won’t work.”
“What do you mean?” She played innocent, praying her cheeks would stay in check. She couldn’t see him, but he very much could see her.
“I’ll never tell.”
“That’s too bad. I was thinking we could ditch it all to
gether.”
“You don’t want to miss this.”
“I’m pretty sure I do.” Even blindfolded, she had no trouble finding his muscled thigh. She let her hand travel toward his crotch.
“You don’t play fair woman,” he chuckled, but made no move to dissuade her touch.
“I play to win.” Erica would have winked, but the blindfold made it impossible. It already felt like her eyelashes were jammed up against the fabric, straining to burst through. Very much like the growing hardness in Julius’s pants. She left a flutteringly light touch against him before going for the top button on his pants. He growled.
“You’re playing with fire.”
“I told you, there were other things I’d rather be doing tonight.”
“If you keep that up, I’m going to stop this car on the side of the road and fuck you so hard you won’t be able to walk for days. Then, when we’re done, I’m going to straighten your pretty little dress and bring you to our destination anyway. Wobbly legs and all.”
A flash of pleasure doused her. Frick. If he was trying to dissuade her, he was doing an awful job of it. She popped the button open. Julius groaned.
“Why are you so eager to know anyway?” His voice was strained and guttural.
“I don’t like surprises.”
“This is technically not a surprise.”
She frowned and chewed on her bottom lip. What did that even mean? She paused her pursuit inside of Julius’s pants and sat back. “So, I already know what we’re going to do?”
“Why’d you stop?”
“Are we going to dinner?” she asked, ignoring his protest. “Please don’t tell me we’re just going out to eat.”
“What’s wrong with dinner? Everyone needs sustenance.”
“Because the in-room dining is spectacular. We never had to leave the hotel. It fit right in with my plans.”
Julius chuckled, but it was tight. From the noise in the seat beside her, she could only guess that he was adjusting himself. He deserved the discomfort. There wouldn’t have been any if they’d stayed in for the night.
“Is it really dinner? My scalp is sore from Dani raking my hair for an hour trying to get it into this bun. I will not have angry hair follicles for dinner.”
“I have so many questions. Can you eat angry hair follicles? Can follicles even be angry?”
“What?”
“You said you didn’t want angry hair follicles for dinner.”
“I didn’t mean. I meant…” She trailed off as the words twisted into a jumbled mess inside of her mouth.
“I know what you meant. I was teasing. Although, I will have a chat with my sister about putting you through such an excruciating beauty regimen.”
“It wasn’t that bad.” She shrugged a shoulder. It was a ton of effort to get her waist length wavy hair into a sleek bun, that was for sure, but it was worth it in the end. “She’s well meaning. It really does look nice.”
“You are always exquisite.”
“Your flattery knows no bounds.”
“Not for my mate it doesn’t.”
Erica’s smile broadened. She loved hearing him say that. Even though they hadn’t forged the bond yet, just hearing his words claim her made her feel giddy. Tonight, she promised herself. Tonight, she’d tell him she was ready to bond with him. If she found the courage enough to do it. Then she realized what he was doing. “Don’t try to change the subject. Is it really dinner?”
“I still don’t understand your sudden distaste. Besides, Dani and Evan say that humans need to breathe fresh air every once in a while.”
“We could have opened a window or gone up to your private rooftop terrace for fresh air. None of this requires leaving the hotel.” She still couldn’t believe private rooftop terrace was part of her everyday vocabulary these days.
“You have been refusing to answer your phone. People will begin to think I’ve stolen you.”
“I have been answering. No one’s called really. Just my job and Marie...” and Max, but she didn’t say the last part aloud. It didn’t matter because Julius was already calling her out.
“They are not the only ones who’ve been calling,” the way Julius’s voice lowered into a near growl had her hand stroking his thigh again. This time more soothing than teasing.
To Julius’s obvious displeasure, Max had been calling ever since the incident at the warehouse. She just didn’t want to deal with him right now. Maybe in a week or two. Or never would suffice if she had it her way.
“I figured he’d get the hint when I changed my voicemail to say, ‘This is Erica, leave me a message. If this is Max, don’t bother.’”
“If he calls again, I can answer it.” Julius’s tone verged on possessive.
“No need. I’ll do it.” She sighed, knowing she should at least talk to him. After the warehouse, she just wanted to enjoy Julius before he had to go back home. She didn’t want to get dragged back into Max’s bull crap. He was an emotional time suck. “Next time he calls,” she assured him, “I’ll deal with him.”
Julius’s fingers twisted with hers and gave them a gentle squeeze. Several shivers erupted from where his hands met hers. She could live with this feeling forever.
“All right, we’re here.”
When they parked, Erica waited for him to open her door and navigate her to the sidewalk.
“One big step.” He said when the nose of her heels hit what she figured was the curb.
“This sounds like a restaurant.” She frowned. The sound of laughter and murmured chatter confirmed her words.
“I bet you a hundred kisses it’s not.” Julius kissed the side of her face and wrapped her in his embrace. “Ready to see it?”
“Yes,” she smiled.
She bounced on her toes when he loosened the strings on the blindfold, the anticipation growing too great to keep still. When he pulled the blindfold from her eyes, her mouth unhinged.
“Are you kidding me?”
She looked in surprise at Julius, then back in front of her.
“You owe me a hundred kisses.”
“I can’t believe you did this. How?”
“Well, we called up many of our contacts. Told them what we were trying to do. There are a lot of people who yearn to give patronage to young budding artists. I handled the logistics of transporting your paintings. Surprisingly, it was not as bad as I thought it would be. It’s careful work transporting fine art, but not impossible.”
Erica looked at the packed house inside. It was overwhelming how beautiful it looked from just the small gallery in the front.
“You did this for me?”
“You deserve much more than this,” he said tucking her head under his chin. “This is a thanks for saving us. Now, two royals are in your debt.”
“No, you’re not.”
“Those are the rules.”
By the way he shrugged, she knew there was no debating him. When she pulled her coat closer to her frame, he motioned to the door.
“Ready for your showcase?”
She nodded and put her hand in his and tried to keep herself from squealing. Her cheeks were already hurting from smiling so much.
When they entered, her eyes began to well with tears. It was much more than she could have ever imagined. Every finished piece was meticulously hung. Even her work from her classes made an appearance. Each one of them looked so good up against a wall instead of in stacks across her studio. They looked so professional. Against the cream walls and exposed brick in the back, it looked like a real artist presented here. Then the realization hit her, she was a real artist. By some miracle, this was her debut.
She turned to Julius again, “I can’t believe this is for me.”
“Let’s take a look around,” Julius said. She nodded.
Everything was so elegant. She’d only dreamed of a concept like this, but to implement it would have taken an army of people she didn’t have. Well, she guessed she did now, she glanced at Julius wondering h
ow he was able to pull it off without her knowing.
“Eri! You’re here,” her best friend squealed when she’d walked through the front gallery.
“Marie! You’re here too!” She hugged her friend tightly in amazement, matching her enthusiasm.
“Heck yeah I am! You’d think I’d miss this?” Marie smiled. She must have looked ready to cry because her friend pulled her into another hug. “Congratulations!”
“How did you know?”
“Someone worth your time called me and said he wanted to make your dreams come true.”
They both looked at Julius who was greeting a few people he knew. Then, she looked around the room for the second time. This wasn’t just pulling out his list of contacts, but hers as well. The faces of her classmates and her coworkers were all sprinkled into the mix of people, all set against a backdrop of her artwork. More tears started to come.
“He did that?”
“See what happens when you open yourself up to the right person?”
She kept her gaze fixed on the side of Julius’s face. She did, she absolutely did.
“He makes you happy, I see.”
“I can’t even begin to tell you how much.”
“Aww, see he’s worth it,” Marie pulled her into another hug before patting her shoulders. “Now, go on. Get back to him.”
Erica chuckled when her friend shooed her away and went to talk to some of the other guests. She turned back around amazed at what Julius was able to pull together.
“Jules, what did you do to her?” Dani said after parting her way through the front gallery and stopping in front of her. Dani turned toward Julius who was already coming their way with a look of equal concern.
“Nothing, I’m just so happy,” Erica blotted her eyes with the back of her hand. Thankfully the tears stopped. “This was so sweet.”
Dani beamed. “It’s our honor. I’m just glad you made it without looking too disheveled. You two have barely been able to pry yourselves out of bed for the past few days,” she plucked at her brother’s suitcoat. Erica’s cheeks tingled in embarrassment.
“Danica,” Julius warned.
“What? IIt’s the truth!”
“You could use more tact,” Julius chided his sister.
Love Bitten (Vampire Blood Royals Book 1) Page 19
