Chevonne sat in the back seat, arms wrapped around her knees and stared out the back window. Jonathan tried talking to her and she couldn't reply. Why didn't he see that? How could he?
How could he know her heart was shattering in her chest. How could he when she didn't know until it was to late? Her feelings for the volatile vampire weren't complex. Not at all. Just frightening. He didn't want it. She didn't either. And if she had realized while he was with them, she would have never told him. But now... Now it was so much worse.
She loved him and he was left behind.
He was already so hurt. There was no way she could see her way through into a situation in which he made it out alive.
There was a vague awareness of Jonathan's arms around her.
Nikolas. Sweet, kind Nikolas. While she didn't love him, not yet, there was a feeling that it would be unavoidable, if only he had lived.
Words. What was he saying? She tried to pull herself together.
"... healing."
What was healing, her heart? No. It wasn't.
"Chevonne. We need to stop. Caleb is going to feed Kian. Elliot tried to save him. We need to make sure he lives."
"Elliot..." She shook her head. "Do whatever."
Caleb pulled over and she thought about it. Her blood was potent. Wasn't that what Elliot... said?
Her blood would do more to to heal him than Caleb's dead blood. Right?
"Take him out of the truck," she said, meeting blue eyes.
"Why?"
"I'm going to do it and Jonathan doesn't need to be confined to my scent." Anymore than he already was. Sure the windows were down, but she had to imagine that with the mess she made...
"Why?"
Her lips twisted. "You like that word. Why not?"
He studied her face and she didn't know what he found there, but he gently pulled the man from the seat. She had time to look at him now. He was a wreck. Dark red hair was made darker by the blood that coated him. Bites and strips of flesh had been pulled from him. In some places, she could see bone.
"He lives?"
Caleb gave a single nod. "In agony."
"Can he bite me?"
"No. I'll have to make you bleed then you put your arm against his mouth. Then he'll bite." He cocked his head. "It going to be instinct and he won't be able to make it not hurt. You should know that."
She gave a slight shrug. "Elliot and Nikolas gave their lives for me and for him. What's pain compared to that?" She knelt beside the devastated body and held out her wrist. "Do what you must."
"Chevonne," he said and she looked up into eyes that saw entirely to much. "He knows what he's doing."
She smiled. "No one knows everything." She looked back down. "Let's do this."
The slide of metal over her skin surprised her. She thought he would use teeth.
She held her bleeding flesh over lips that didn't move and she was beginning to doubt their claims when his lips did move. A scream came from somewhere within that mass of shredded flesh and hands locked on her wrists. Pulling tight, fangs drove deep into her arm, scrapping against the bone. The pain took her breath and Caleb knelt beside her and took her hand.
"Squeeze," he said and she did.
Again and again he pulled from her and with the binding she did before, she soon grew lightheaded. She slumped against Caleb and he muttered an oath.
"Hold her or break his bite." The words were distant.
Was she dying? Would she see them? Would she see him?
The night grew darker and she was so cold. So sleepy.
The thing holding her up let go and she was caught in warm arms.
"Elliot," she whispered.
"Still Caleb." Something stroked the burning pain on her arm and she just wanted to sleep.
"Jonathan, I would offer, but I'm older."
"Caleb, I was made by a god."
"You win." There was a laugh. Couldn't they let her sleep? "It's going to make her feel... things."
"Then you win."
Something hot dripped on her lips. "Come on, sweetheart. Open your mouth. Open, damn it."
She tried and finally, she was able to part her lips. Flesh pressed against her and she swallowed. Swallowed again and again before he pulled away. Her eyes opened slowly and she blinked at Jonathan.
"I would give you more, but, I'm not trying to turn you into one of us." She twisted at the warm breath on her cheek. His blue eyes stroked her and she knew she had his blood in her mouth. "You were close to empty."
She nodded, reaching for him, then she remembered. Elliot. Kian.
"How is he?"
He nodded toward the body beside her. "Have a look."
She turned and took a deep breath. He was still a mess, but even as she watched, the rips were slowly closing and he didn't look quite so... dead.
"He'll be fine. He might sleep for a couple of weeks, but yes, you are pretty potent."
She got to her feet. "I'm the descendant of the goddess of the night. I better be."
Jonathan stood, holding the unconscious man. He slid him into the backseat before climbing in behind him.
"You want shotgun or do you hate me?"
"You left them. I could hate you for that. But I know how commanding he can be. You also cut me instead of biting me. I may respect you for that. I'll take the front seat."
She climbed up into the seat and fastened her seatbelt. Before he even had the truck cranked, she was asleep.
~~~
Her dreams were tortured, terrible things. In them, the truck got stuck on the ramp, unable to back away. Elliot watched her as the vampires tore into him and this time, she could plainly read what was in those eyes. Her fault. Over and over, light brown screamed those words at her as he was pulled to pieces in front of her.
Or, there was the one in which he and Nikolas fought their way to the truck, only for Caleb to move it a few feet away, time and time again. And once again, she got to watch them die.
She wanted to wake up. Wanted to sit up and scream at the unfairness of it all.
Elliot's voice in her brain. What's fair about...
Why were her dreams about Elliot? She cared for Nikolas as well. Ahh, but she didn't love him yet, did she? Not yet, but she could have.
Another dream, this time she was sitting on Nikolas, watching Elliot while she bonded the other. His eyes were focused on her, but her attention was pulled by the vampires that swarmed down the chimney.
Were her wonderful memories to be tainted as well?
She could feel herself twisting in the bed, curling in on itself in her grief and heartbreak. She was shivering, but then blankets covered her.
The worst dream yet.
The bed dipped and arms circled her, pulling her tight against a body that wasn't torn apart. Lips smoothed over the cold skin of her face. And all she could smell was him. Fresh agony gripped her and she heard him speak, from somewhere in the distance. A word that she desperately wanted to laugh at. Didn't he know she was stuck in a nightmare?
"Sleep"
~~~
When she woke, she ran her hand over the place where he lay. Empty. Like her heart.
She opened her eyes.
Fresh pain hit her and she squeezed her closed. She was in his room. Did Caleb bring her there thinking it would help? No wonder she could smell him in her dreams. She fought the tears and finally won. Sitting up, she eased her legs out of the bed. The room swam and she froze.
She would need to eat. Elliot would say that. Bonding took a lot out of a person.
And she bonded two. Two that were...
Swimming or not, she raced her stomach for the toilet. The pain of dry heaving brought new tears to her eyes and she moved, sitting beside the cold porcelain bowl and leaned against the wall, holding her legs and gave up the fight. After a little while in which she cursed everyone and everything, though mostly herself, she rested her head on her knees and fell back into a dreamless sleep.
Fingers touched her cheek and she kept her eyes closed.
She was in his room, that was the only reason she could breath him so deep into her lungs, his scent surrounded her.
Arms moved her, sliding behind her back and under her legs. She was in the air and she opened her eyes.
Unable to process what she was seeing, her hands traced a face that was as familiar as her own. Light brown eyes that met hers and a smile touching the corner of his mouth.
"Why would you choose the cold floor over a warm bed?"
His words... He to be real because her fingertips felt his lips move.
"You're alive."
"A fact I thought you would be aware of as I lay beside you."
"That was real?"
He set her on the edge of the bed and knelt, looking up at her face.
"Yes, Chevonne. Your villain is alive and real. Perhaps I should have known that you thought it a dream. Why did you feed him when you were already weak?"
"You die... You could have died for him. And I thought I lost you." He held her fingertips to his lips. "If you died for him, he had to be important."
"But you are important to me as well, Chevonne. You, yourself, could have died."
He couldn't see that to her that really didn't matter. He didn't know about her revelation. He was there, in front of her and that was all that mattered.
"I didn't."
"Caleb is angry that you didn't tell him that you bonded. He thought the blood he smelled in the library was from when I took it from you."
"Caleb drove off and let you and Nikolas alone."
"He was following orders."
"I don't care."
"Based on things you have said about what happened to you, things this goddess has said, do you not realize how important you are? Based on how I... I care too much to see you hurt, Chevonne."
"I care too, Elliot. That was why it devastated me to leave you to your certain doom."
"How little faith you have in me."
"It's not lack of faith. It's odds. There were still so many. How could that have happened?"
His face grew harsh and she regretted her question. "We have to wait until Kian wakes, but I'm going to go by his condition. Somehow, for whatever reason, he was in the tunnels. The slaves easily overwhelmed him and if they were starving, which they were, the could have gorged themselves. The vampire blood would have taken over the human blood and thus, the recipe for disaster."
"How long will he sleep?"
He shrugged, getting to his feet. "Your blood helped a lot. But there will be a lot of damage still left to heal. And there will be mental scars as well, that he needs to work through before he can open his eyes." He looked at her. "Why did you cut yourself?"
"You all were being overran. It was the only thing I could think of to do. And it worked... until the window."
He traced the bare flesh of her collarbone. She was still only in her bra. Something she didn't care about while her heart was breaking. His gaze was heated as he looked at her.
"Elliot..."
"No. I'm ravenous and you are weak. Right now, I'm a monster." He finally met her eyes again. "If we do what we want, I can't promise to keep my teeth out of you and you... You might not feel it, but your heart is struggling a bit. Nothing life-threatening at the moment, but if I were to lose control, which I would, I would kill you before I realized it." His smile was twisted. "Bianca is on her way."
Her hands clenched at the thought and Elliot laughed. "What, you're still jealous of that half a second?" She lay back and he sat beside her on the bed. Unrolling her fingers, he pressed his mouth to her palm. "If it makes you feel better, this time I promise to think about you."
"You're sadistic."
"A fact I cannot deny."
She watched him, ignoring the heat that filled her when he said he would think about her. There was a plan to be made, because yes. Want to or not, he would think about her. He narrowed his eyes at her.
"Where is Nikolas?" she asked before he could ask what was on her mind.
"He's going to be asleep for a bit longer. I'm older and heal faster."
"Is he—"
"He's fine. I promise."
"I believe you."
"Do you want me to help you back to sleep?"
No. That was the last thing she wanted.
"No, but thank you. I think I can find my way there all on my own." She yawned and it didn't need to be faked.
He brushed her lips with his. "I'll send Samuel with something to eat in a little bit."
"I'm not helpless."
He smiled and got to his feet. "I feel like... you... Be careful with whatever you are thinking about doing."
"I'm not sure what you mean."
He was silent, watching her. "Your eyes, as black as night, hold secrets so well. It's amazing how often I have to guess at what your are thinking or feeling. Like right now, for instance. You lay there and look at me and I have no idea what is going on in that darkness. But the slight change in your heartbeat. A tiny spike in your breath. Things that I only know because of what I am tell me that you have something on your mind." The twist of his lips was slightly bitter and she wouldn't ask why. "I pity the human that gives his heart to you."
It wasn't a human heart she wanted. "If your worried, then you could stop me by making me sleep."
"Chevonne, I never said I was worried. I'm...curious." The bitterness left and left behind a curve painted by sin.
She swallowed as he tuned and left the room.
~~~
Yes, she was still weak. But she would stick to her plan.
He wanted to think about her? She would make sure that happened and shaking legs be damned.
She didn't have clothing in his room and a trip to hers and back was out of the question. So she settled on skimming the bloodstained leggings from her body. His closet gave her a variety of his dress shirts and she helped herself. He probably wouldn't be mad about her borrowing it since he wasn't mad about her ruining one.
Sliding it on, she sat down to catch her breath while she buttoned it.
Nerves hit her and she looked at the door. Was she really about to do what popped into her head? Yes, she was insanely jealous that he would have his mouth on her. The mouth she loved caressing another woman. But that was going to have to be something she could deal with. And what better way than by conditioning. And she would see her plan carried out.
If Nikolas was asleep, then Jonathan probably was as well. No worries about running into him.
Her racing thoughts weren't helping her recover her breath.
He was curious.
She would fix that.
Getting to her feet, she was silent on bare feet. The muttered oath that she let out when she took the cool knob didn't help but it would have to be good enough. Resting her head on the wood, she let her heart calm before opening the door.
Padding down the hallway, she heard a feminine sigh coming from the living room. Gritting her teeth, she knew there was no way that Elliot wouldn't know where she was. Using that as her motivation to not be a coward, she stepped into the doorway, and met his eyes.
Silently, she crossed the carpeted floor and eased down into the chair facing the couch. An elegant brow lifted and she crossed her legs and smiled. His answering smile tightened things low in her body and he took a breath.
The hand he had on Bianca's thigh clenched and she almost felt it on her leg. Slowly, she ran a hand over the bare skin of her own thigh.
The chuckle from him made her efforts worth it. His lips caressed the flesh of her throat and Chevonne tilted her head, running a finger over the same spot of her neck. His eyes traced the movement of her finger and his next sound was a growl.
He nibbled the tanned skin, mouth moving harder against her and Bianca sighed, a sound that Chevonne was aching to make. She didn't expect to be enjoying her game as much as she was. She bit her lip in a effort to keep silent and Elliot took control. His hand on the blond woman shifted, sliding up her leg to disappear under the short skirt. Bianca moaned as his hips flexed ever so slightly.
Chevonne knew first hand what that was about and the heat in her blood exploded. The cloth hid his hand but it shifted and she could feel the squeeze of flesh against her own body. Her head fell back against the high-backed chair and her lips parted. Lust, pure and raw, pooled in her belly and she ran a hand over her womb, fingers clenching the fabric of his shirt.
The game over too soon, Elliot pulled her head to the side, biting deep into the skin. There was the scream, but she knew it wouldn't last and it didn't. Bianca leaned into him, into his teeth and her moan was a mask to her own. His eyes fixed on hers as he pulled from her throat harder and deeper and her cries grew louder and louder. Unfortunately, this was a finale she would have to insist on missing.
One last ragged breath, and she rose to her feet, fully expecting to here him order her to stay but that word never came as she turned the corner and disappeared from his sight. She would have offered her soul to someone who could transport her to her room before her trembling legs could collapse beneath her, but, breathing a bit hard, she made it. The smile that started to spread stopped when a hand caught the door she was closing behind her.
Her heart began pounding in her throat as she stared at the strong fingers. "I must admit, you surprised me tonight. However, you should take care, Chevonne. I've told you, I too have my limits." Another moment of silence. "Samuel will bring dinner soon. When you are better, we'll continue this conversation.
She said nothing as his hand slid out of view, the door closing with a soft click. Did she make him angry or was that amusement? The bed called to her and she was already fantasizing about stretching out when the heart that thumped so hard just a few moments ago, came close to stopping.
She took a step. Maybe she should sit where she was. Moving her body was so hard. What was wrong with her? Her breathing grew erratic and lights spun in her vision. Another step. Dizziness rocked her and she dropped to her knees.
"Why don't you listen?" Elliot's voice came from so far away, a tunnel the length of the world. In a second, the mattress hit her back and she fought for oxygen. "Relax. Panicking will only make it worse." His words were soft and she tried to follow them back. Logically, she knew it was the anemia and the extra things she did. But there was nothing logical about the feeling of suffocating.
He took her hand and held it against his chest. "Breathe with me." His chest rose and she tried to do the same, and after a couple of minutes, her vision returned to normal."Better?"
She nodded, eyes already closing.
With the darkness closing around her, the brush of his hand along her temple sent her to the dreamworld.