"So," Rhet said, dematerializing on the other side of the bike, "why aren't you pissed about being lied to?" He felt a twinge of satisfaction when Ace jumped.
"I guess I understand where they were coming from? I know dad loves me, but he's got his own shit, you know?"
"Yeah, but look at you. You didn't get sent away."
Ace scowled and shoved his hands in his coat pockets. "Only because dad wanted to see if he could get to know you again. In the end, that's what motivated him to come back. You should give him a chance."
"Right. Sure." Rhet swung his leg over the bike and started her up. The seat was cold, but he didn't feel like letting it warm up before leaving. "Night and Fleur," he refused to be so familiar with them as using sire and mahmen, "lied to both of us. I didn't even know there were others like us until that Chosen showed up to help me transition. Then, they sent me away. Just discarded me. There's no forgiving that."
Ace shrugged. "Suit yourself. I think you're missing an opportunity to have family." He turned away and headed back to the house.
Rhet scowled. Ace's words had hit home; the worst thing about losing Chester was that he lost the only family he'd had.
Night smiled when he saw Cathy walking toward him. She looked tired but comfortably dressed in a long bohemian skirt with boots and a fitted sweater. She brightened when she spotted him. She slipped into his arms with an easy familiarity, and they shared a kiss.
"You hungry?" he asked, his arms still wrapped around her.
"Yeah, but I'll just order some room service." She gave him a wry grin and leaned in close. "The question is, are you hungry?"
His cock twitched at the thought of her riding him. "I could eat."
"Good. Let's grab my luggage then."
The ride to the hotel in the compact rental car was an interesting juxtaposition of Cathy explaining what she had done so far and rubbing on Night's thigh, brushing against the bulge in his jeans. He happily squirmed under her touch as he reached to return the favor.
"The cabin is winterized and closed up for now. I hired Charlie's son from the hardware store to go and check things out once a week. He'll take photos and send them when he does." Her warm hand dipped between his thighs, tucking itself there as she rubbed her thumb to remind him she was still touching him. As if he'd forget.
"I've got an appointment this afternoon to see a few houses if you want to go with. They all have acreage, so there's some privacy, but I don't know what part of the city you want to be in."
"The farm is to the south. The west will be too close to the military base for my tastes... too much noise. So, I guess that means look south or east." He slid his hand between her legs, encouraging her to open for him. She did so with a happy hum.
"Okay, that narrows things down. There's one place with ten acres in a neighborhood south of the city and another five-acre tract of land a few miles from it. I'll cancel the others." She leaned her head back on the headrest and allowed him to explore gently. "That feels amazing. I like your hands on me."
"I like my hands on you, too," he said in a low voice that announced just how much he enjoyed touching her. He checked the GPS. Five minutes to the hotel. "Lift your skirt for me."
She laughed. "You can wait. But..." she reached under and came back with wet fingers which she offered to him.
He took them into his mouth eagerly, enjoying the smell and taste of her. "Fucking amazing."
She shuddered, removed her hand from his thigh, and playfully pushed him away. "I'm going to soak through my panties if we keep this up!"
"And that would be bad, why...?" he asked with a grin.
She tsked. "Behave and get us to the hotel in one piece."
Half an hour later, the bellhop was unloading the cart, she was throwing her boots in the corner, and he was fishing out a tip to get rid of the guy. Finally alone, he grabbed her, trapping her between himself and the wall as he kissed his way down.
"I want under that skirt," he purred as he knelt.
She hiked it up for him, and he hooked the edges of her underwear, pulling them off. He lifted a leg and placed it on his shoulder, spreading her open.
She breathed his name. "Night..."
He dove into her, lapping and sucking in all the ways he knew would make her moan for him. He slipped two fingers into her when he knew he had her undivided attention.
"Fuck, that's nice, Night."
"Hmm, yeah, you are. I love how wet you are and how much you want me."
Her chuckle made him shudder. "You want me, too. I know you do. You're just patient about waiting to sink your cock into me."
"Oh, you're riding my fingers so good right now, how could I stop?" He pushed deeper, and she whimpered. "Yeah. The noises you make for me are so damned hot. And you're wet enough to be running onto my wrist. That's just fucking fantastic." He worked her faster, listening to her sounds coming quicker as she started to pant.
"Make me come, Night," she demanded.
He buried his face in her, tongue and fingers working, knowing when he'd hit the right spots by the inflection of her voice. She cried his name when she crashed into pleasure, bucking against him. He caught her when her leg gave out and carried her to the bed. As she caught her breath, he undressed for her, showing her that he did indeed want her.
When she reached for her top, he yanked on her skirt, and, once she was naked, he rolled with her to put her on top.
She straddled him, rubbing herself against him, smiling that it was his turn to groan in pleasure. She adjusted her hips and lowered herself on him, gasping, feeling him fill her.
"Yeah. Use me. I want to watch you get off."
She started with a slow roll of her hips, which he gladly matched. He played with her using his thumbs while she ran hands over her breasts and pinched nipples, just because she knew he liked to see it. But, soon, she planted a hand on his chest and leaned forward.
"Fuck me." She reached down and worked herself as he slammed them together.
Night loved seeing the intense concentration on her face. He knew she thought of nothing else but his cock inside her in those moments, and damned if that didn't do it for him. He felt the pressure of his own orgasm building as she tightened.
"Come for me," he encouraged. "Say my name when you do, and I promise to roll you as long as you can stand."
She whimpered at the thought and doubled her efforts to get off, calling his name when she finally slid over the edge, sagging because her brain short-circuited, proclaiming it was too much to move and come at the same time.
He flipped her, never leaving her wetness, and coaxed the orgasm out as long as possible. When she started to calm, he leaned down and kissed her slowly before whispering in her ear. "Ready?"
"Yes," she whispered as she turned her head.
He buried himself deep in her and struck her vein with his fangs, latching on to feed as he stroked into her with increasing speed. He listened to her cry out as he felt her tighten around him, the orgasm from the bite a continuous ebb and flow. He gave in to his own pleasure as he tasted her in a different way, the scent of copper hanging heavy in the air.
Satiated, he licked her wound closed, slid out of her gently, and tucked her against him for sleep. He listened to her breathing, felt her heartbeat against him, and was grateful he had her. But, unbidden images of Tarra came to his mind, and he found himself wondering what it would be like if it had been her he thrust into and her he had fed from.
The realization that he was fantasizing about one woman while holding another one to him flushed him with guilt. He felt as if he was betraying his friend, even though she'd never know. Suddenly needing to wash away some emotion, he slid out from under Cathy and headed to the shower.
It was pointless, though. The water running over his body only spurred on his thoughts of the Chosen, and they didn't lessen as he began to run the soap over his skin. Soon, he was deep into the fantasy of washing her, wondering what she would look like when he thrust into her and what she'd taste like when he took her vein. Most of all, he thought about her feeding from him, the feel of her fangs in him, of him being her nourishment.
He swallowed a groan when he took himself in his palm and pumped, his actions furious to be done so they remained hidden. He called Tarra's name silently when he came in a great flood, splashing on the shower wall and making him momentarily dizzy. Panting, he hung his head under the water until his heart slowed, then cleaned up after himself.
Cathy was still sleeping when he left the bathroom. He stood at the foot of the bed and watched her. He recognized that he appreciated and enjoyed her, but there wasn't that... something... to her that Tarra held over him.
The moment the conclusion made itself clear, Cathy opened her eyes and caught him watching. He plastered on a hasty smile and crawled into the bed behind her, spooning with her.
"You took a shower," she said, snuggling up.
"I would have waited, but you were sleeping so sound. I didn't want to wake you."
"That's thoughtful of you. I didn't get a whole lot of sleep on the plane."
He kissed her hair. "Are you hungry?"
"Yeah, but give me a couple of hours, then we'll get food before the house appointment."
"Done." He extracted himself long enough to set the alarm, then returned to hold her. Sometimes, you took what came to you and were grateful for it.
Tarra threw down her pen, sat back in the chair, and crossed her arms. Yes, she understood that Night needed to feed. Yes, feeding most often came with sex. But, damnit... Why is this bothering me so much? She sighed and closed his book. I've gotten too close.
She pushed out of the chair and gathered her things for a bath. One of the great pleasures of the Sanctuary was the hot spring. Right now, a soak in borderline-cooking-temperature water sounded amazing. As she left her room, she met Jardine in the hall.
"I was just coming to visit you!" her friend exclaimed. "I want an update!"
Tarra linked arms with her as they walked. "Phury assigned me to Night and Ace as sort of a liaison. He's hoping that I can help keep the peace between them and Rhet so the training program doesn't get derailed."
Jardine nodded. "The Primale is very wise."
Terra sighed. "He is, but I wonder if I'm up to the task."
"How do you mean?"
"I—Oh, I'm so embarrassed, Jardine!" She covered her face with her hand. "I am failing in my impartiality. I am increasingly jealous of his lover."
"You like him!" her friend laughed as they wandered into the open area near the hot spring pool. "Why is that a surprise? You have been watching him so long, and now you've finally met him."
Tarra set her things on the bench, then began to disrobe, folding her clothes neatly. "I don't suppose it is surprising. But, you know as much as I do that, as Scribes, personal involvement isn't allowed."
Jardine, whose pile of robes was quite a bit more haphazard, stepped into the water and sank with a sigh. "So, ask Lassiter about finding a replacement for you. Then tell the male you're interested in him. Problem solved."
"It's not that simple. Night is... well, he has challenges. I don't think he can handle a relationship." She sat and floated in the carved space against the pool wall.
Tsking, Jardine pointed out. "That's hardly fair. He was with his mate for how long before she went into the Fade?"
"True. Still, I don't think it'd work. What if he got it in his head to be Forgotten again? I don't know if I could bear it."
"It sounds like you know you couldn't."
Tarra closed her eyes. "Which is why I need to stay back and not get even more invested than I am."
"How do you intend to do that, given you will be with him nightly?"
Her head snapped up, and her eyes grew wide. "I hadn't thought of that! What am I going to do?"
"The only thing to do is to make your interest known. See how he reacts."
"I couldn't!"
"Why not? How will he know if you don't tell him? Just think about it."
They lapsed into a companionable silence. When Tarra fantasized about Night being as attracted to her as she was to him, she shoved the thoughts away. "It doesn't matter, Jardine. It would never work. I would constantly be worried that he'd leave and I'd Forget him."
"How do you know, Tarra? There will always be a, 'What if?'"
"It's a big, 'What if,' Jardine."
Jardine rolled her eyes. "Suit yourself."
Tarra scowled. I just need to keep my distance. I can do that.