Chapter 15 - Veronica

Despite how much I've protested, and told her I'm not much of a Halloween person, Linnea has insisted, over and over, that I absolutely need to come to the kick-off party tonight.

So, I'm standing in front of the bathroom mirror, curling my hair. I've done my makeup impeccably, with little drips of blood trailing down from my ruby lips.

Olivia, the girl with the bubblegum pink hair, said she had the perfect dress for a vampire costume, and that she didn't want it anymore, so I could do what I wanted with it. I was shocked when she'd showed up at the apartment with it.

"Olivia," I'd breathed, "this dress is gorgeous . I am definitely giving it back to you."

"Don't," she'd said, her voice clipped. "I don't even want to think about the person who got it for me. Besides, it suits your coloring way better, anyway."

Reluctantly, I'd taken the dress, pulling it on. It hugs me in all the right places, a floor-length, black velvet gown so dark it looks red in certain lights. Paired with the lace gloves and sheer, spider-web cloak I found when Linnea took me to the local Halloween supply store, it's definitely a look.

I pull away from the mirror, trying to decide if the makeup is too much, when the door to the apartment opens, and Percy comes up the steps.

When he sees me around the corner, he stops short, his eyes immediately darkening. We stand like that for a moment, frozen, still, like someone pressed pause on our movie. Then, Percy drops his bag on the ground and stalks toward me, determination in his face.

I turn to him, mouth open, when he dips down, meeting mine. His hands are everywhere on my hips, running over the velvet of the dress. I'm kissing him like I can inhale him, like I can drink him in and take him with me everywhere I go.

He's kissing me like he wants to eat me alive.

His hands are on my hips, and he lifts me, placing me on the counter, his breath hot and fast on my collar. I let my head fall back, and he sucks, hard, on the tender skin of my neck.

I lift my hips so he can bunch the dress around them, and I am so grateful I haven't put my fishnets on yet.

Like the incoming clouds of a thunderstorm, I can tell that this is it—this is Percy giving in, letting go. Doing what I want. Finally.

He lets out a quick, forceful breath when his fingers drop between my legs, feeling how wet I am. I let out a sound I've never made before, my hips tipping toward him greedily, hungrily. I grasp at his pants, desperately trying to get them out of the way, get to what I really want.

When he starts to pull away, I whimper at the loss of his touch, pulling him back toward me.

"Percy," I pant, finally getting his cock in my hand. We are so close now. I don't want anything to stop this. I can't let anything stop it. I'll come apart. " Please. "

He bucks forward, I guide him to my entrance, and when he slides inside me, it's like my soul leaves my body for a moment. I'm watching this happen from the outside, Percy's hands everywhere on me, settling on my hips, pulling me closer, closer.

I come immediately like the past few days have been the foreplay, the build-up. Percy holds out a few more minutes before letting go, his face buried in my collarbone, his breath moistening my skin.

It's nothing like the sex we used to have—hours long, slow, sensual, with plenty of talking and laughing. This was needed . Desperation.

"Veronica," he pants, raising his eyes to me. I stare back at him, trying to figure out if we can skip the party altogether, or if Linnea might kill me. "You're okay," he breathes, his eyes roaming over me. "How do you feel?"

"Like I want more," I croak, "like this wasn't enough."

His eyes go practically black, but this time, he actually pulls himself away from me, shaking his head. He pulls his pants up, and I pout.

"I should not have done that," he says, dimming some of the sparks flying around in my chest.

" We did that," I counter, getting down onto my shaking legs. "It wasn't just you."

"Veronica, you could have died ."

"I knew I would be fine," I say, rolling my eyes. I remember what Maisie said about shifters and humans, but I've always been strong. Built differently. I move close, reaching my hand out, but he shakes his head again.

"You don't understand," he says, his voice weak. "But I do, and what I did was unacceptable." Quieter, he says, "Like always."

"Percy!" I say, when he turns on his heel and hurries out of the apartment. I try to hurry after him, but my legs tumble around my underwear, and I stumble, hearing the door slam shut as I catch myself, heart thudding in my chest.

***

When I get to the town square, I'm relieved to see Linnea standing in the middle of several people, dressed as a pirate, holding a clipboard. She's sending them in different directions. It seems like the party has just started; a few people in costume are wandering around, and the sun is still hanging low in the sky.

"Hey," I say, breathless when I reach her. "Do you still need help with the preparations?"

"Oh, hey," she says, tucking a pen behind her ear and raising her eyebrows at me, tilting her head slightly. "Are you—are you okay?"

"Yeah," I say, nodding too hard, my body practically shaking with unused energy. One time with Percy wasn't enough; didn't do anything but take the very edge off of the feeling. Plus, I do not know where he went, which worries me. "Why?"

"Girl," Linnea laughs, her eyes flicking down and up again, like she only needs that to assess me. "You look positively high-strung."

"Linnea," someone says, and a woman I've never met before appears at her side. She's conventionally gorgeous, with bright blue eyes and long, wavy blonde hair. She looks like she's recently returned from a vacation. "I was wondering where you want the test tube—oh, hi."

"Hi," I say, wishing Linnea would just give me a project and shove me at it. Standing here and talking to them feels almost more frustrating than one taste of something I wanted a lot more of. It's more frustrating than getting tangled in my clothes as Percy darts out the front door.

"Oh, Gods, are you the Veronica I've heard so much about?" she asks, her eyes widening. She sticks her hand out toward me, and I realize she's wearing a lab coat. "I'm Rosa! I am so excited about meeting you!"

"Oh," I laugh shakily, "thanks, you too."

"Are you okay?" she asks, glancing between me and Linnea, who laughs.

"Why is everyone asking me that?"

"Probably because you look like you need to be laid," Rosa laughs, which sets Linnea off into these loud, all-consuming bouts of laughter. All the blood in my body rushes to my face. I glance around, wondering if everyone can tell that I'm walking around with a lot of unresolved sexual tension.

"No," Linnea says, putting a hand on my arm to steady, "Gods, Rosa, you cannot just say that to her."

"Why not?" Rosa asks, glancing at me, her eyes serious but her smile friendly. "Girl, what the hell are you doing? Aren't you staying at Percy's place?"

"Yes," I say, closing my eyes for a moment. The whole point of coming out here was to get a distraction, now, here I am, talking about the one thing I need to get off my mind.

"So—take advantage of that?"

"We're not—we're not— together ." I finally say, looking around for something to drink. I am so parched , and it suddenly feels a lot warmer than it is.

"Oh?" Rosa asks, pulling her head back, "I thought—"

"Well," Linnea says, reaching out and putting a hand on Rosa's arm. "You two are mates, right?"

I stare at her, my brain working to catch up. I think of the "blood-bond" we'd done, but I'm not supposed to tell anyone about that. If they knew about that, wouldn't they be upset? Percy said shifters don't do it anymore because it's dangerous. But both of them are looking at me expectantly, their eyes hopeful.

"I don't—" I start. "What does that mean?"

Dumbly, I think of how British people use "mates" to mean "friends," but I'm fairly sure that's not how they're using it.

" What ?" Rosa gasps, bringing her hand to her mouth and looking me a little closer. "What do you mean? Are you having a stroke?"

"Oh, I completely forgot!" Linnea says, putting her palm to her forehead. "Rosa, she didn't grow up a shifter. I mean—after she was bitten, it triggered her first shift. She thought she was human, this whole time, and she even smelled human, before the bite."

" What ?" Rosa says again, her gaze swinging back around to Linnea. "I have never heard of anything like that. It sounds so…improbable? Why would the venom from a vampire bite trigger your first shift? And why would your scent change? Have you spoken to your parents?"

"Yeah, it's nuts," I add lamely, not wanting this clearly very intelligent woman to keep thinking it through. "So, what are you saying about mates?"

"Mates," Linnea swallows, "like me and Aris, like Bigby and Rosa. I mean, we can smell him all over you, and that wouldn't happen unless you were mates, or you had—you know."

I desperately try not to flush, thinking of that violent, whip-quick scene that left us both breathless, frustrated, unsatisfied.

"Mates are fated lovers," Rosa explains. "Some believe they're fated by the gods, others believe it's a biological attraction, designed to create the most optimal offspring."

"Should I assume you're in the latter category?" I ask, and she laughs.

"Well, I am a scientist, so—"

"But what does that mean, biological attraction? Isn't all attraction…biological?"

"Mates are drawn together very strongly," Linnea explains. "It's like, nearly impossible to resist the pull, especially when you're around them. The second Aris was near me again, it's like I was, you know, keyed up , all the time."

"Yeah," Rosa says, "but he's also an alpha, which makes it stronger. And the two of you were blood-bonded."

"Oh?" I say, hoping my feigned curiosity and ignorance isn't too thick. "What's that?"

To my surprise, Linnea blushes, and Rosa's face darkens a bit.

"It's an ancient practice," Rosa says, taking a breath. "It involves a bit of blood magic. It's like the shifter equivalent of marriage, except with much worse consequences. Typically, unmated shifters would use it to declare their commitment to one another. But when mates have a blood-bond," she pauses, glancing at Linnea, who looks a little more somber. "When mates are blood-bonded, it's a lot heavier. It means that if Linnea dies, Aris will, too. And the other way around. Parents especially avoid this one, as it means that one parent dying automatically makes orphans.

"Right," Linnea says, clearing her throat. "If you can believe it, I don't really want to think about this stuff right now, so let's move the conversation back to you and Percy. Is there a reason you don't want to be with him?"

"Are you forgetting that he kidnapped me?" I say, before I can think better of it.

Rosa raises an eyebrow, and Linnea explains again, "Veronica was one of the humans Percy kidnapped back before she realized she was a shifter. Apparently, they also knew each other before."

"I mean," Rosa says thoughtfully, twisting a lock of blonde hair between her fingers. "I guess, technically, Bigby kidnapped me , and we have a pretty good thing going."

I take a breath. I've already worked through the whole kidnapping thing, but I can't tell them the real reason I've been distant with him, except for just an hour ago. It's too embarrassing to admit—that I was desperately, hopelessly in love with him, and he left me in New York City, alone.

That I was easy for him to leave.

That thought reminds me that I asked him why he left last night, before the weird moment where we shared that memory together. I'd completely forgotten why I went to his door—because I thought that if he could explain it, could tell me why he left, and if it was a good enough reason, I might be able to look past it.

"Do what you want," Rosa says, when I'm quiet for too long, "but living in the same apartment as him? And not giving in to those urges? It's just going to get worse until you guys give in."

I stare at her, my breath coming quick when she says something to Linnea, then turns to leave, her white lab coat swishing around her thighs.

"Wait," I say, and both women turn back to me. "What about—those shifters who aren't mated, and get the blood-bond. Do they feel those urges?"

"No," Linnea says, shaking her head. "It's more contractual. It's—"

Everything else she says is muffled by the roaring sound in my ears. I want to ask if it's possible for a shifter and a human to be mated, but I'm afraid that will give me away.

But if it's true, if Percy is my mate, and we're blood-bonded, that means that if the vampire venom works through his system and kills him, I'm going to die, too.

"Excuse me," I say, turning and walking to the nearest trash can, before vomiting violently inside.