21. Teresa

Teresa

I couldn’t resist the pleading look in Flora’s eyes. I didn’t want to resist it. But I also didn’t want her to regret it later.

“Are you sure Flora?” I asked, placing my hands on her shoulders and waiting for her to meet my eyes. “Once we’re intimate, even if I don’t mark you, it’s game over for me. I won’t be able to be with anyone else ever again.”

“Explain.”

“For supernaturals, when we find our fated mate, there’s this bond that forms, drawing us to them. It’s possible to reject the bond, even though it’s painful, when the relationship is new. But once we are intimate, the bond starts to connect us, and with every touch, every kiss, the bond strengthens until it becomes impossible for us to not complete it.”

“How do you complete it?” she asked.

I lifted a finger to touch the juncture of her neck and shoulder. “I would bite you, here.”

Her eyes widened. “You have to drink my blood, like on Buffy the Vampire Slayer ? Will I turn into a vampire too?”

I laughed. “No, there’s no turning. Vampires are born not made. As for the blood, technically we can drink human blood, but it’s strictly forbidden unless it’s an emergency, like one of us is dying or something. The mate bond is a different kind of bite. It’s a kind of sealing of the magical bond and blending our essences so other supernaturals know that we’re both taken. There is a little bit of bleeding during the process, but the bite wound heals almost instantly. Then we are the supernatural equivalent of married.”

I expected my mate to be horrified at that idea, but instead she looked almost fascinated.

“And we have to do that tonight if you sleep with me?”

“No.” I shook my head. “But the closer we get, the harder it will be for me to hold my vampire back from fully claiming you. And the harder it will be for me to let you go.”

“Maybe we can just snuggle then.”

And maybe I can just stick a stake through my heart, my inner vampire responded sarcastically. It would be hard to just hold Flora and not do more, but she was hurting, I reminded the vamp. We had a responsibility to help her feel better.

“Sure, we can do that,” I said, trying to make my voice convincing.

After a quick stop to use the bathroom and brush my teeth, I headed into Flora’s room. She was sitting up in bed, a book in her hand, but clearly not reading it, given that she was holding it upside down. I got into bed with her and spent the next hour listening to her as she tossed and turned next to me. Despite her agitation, I could also smell her arousal, which increased every time she brushed up against me. She might be stressed out, but she was also horny. I could help with both of those things.

“Flora,” I said. “I have a proposal.”

She flipped over to look at me, her eyes glowing in the darkness. “What is it?”

“How about I make you come? That will release the tension so you can get some sleep.”

“Are you sure?” she asked.

“Yes, I find orgasms very helpful for curing insomnia,” I said in my most serious voice.

She lightly smacked my shoulder.

“I know orgasms help, doofus. I meant, are you sure you want to do that.”

“I’ve never wanted anything more than to give you pleasure,” I said honestly.

She stared at me in the darkness for a long moment before flopping over onto her back and throwing her arms and legs wide like she was a starfish.

“Have at it.”

“Wow, I always knew you’d be a romantic,” I teased.

I leaned over her, giving her a long, claiming kiss that left us both breathless. While we kissed, I inched her nightgown upwards, freeing her breasts so I could tweak her nipples with my fingers.

When my hand slid down her sternum toward her belly, Flora moaned against my mouth.

“This feel okay?” I asked, pulling away.

“God yes,” she said. “I think I could come just from you kissing me.”

“Let’s test that theory another day,” I suggested. “Right now I’m dying for a taste of this pussy.”

Flora gasped as I cupped her fabric-covered mound. Slowly, I slid her panties down her thighs and then the rest of the way down, tossing them in the direction of the hamper I knew was in the corner. Sitting on my heels, I just stared down at her for a few seconds. It was dark in the room, other than the light of the moon through the window, but fortunately I was descended from a long line of creatures of the night, so I had excellent night vision.

“So lovely,” I whispered as I pushed her legs wider and settled between them.

The first lick of my tongue made Flora’s hips pop off the bed. I grabbed her hips to hold her still, then licked her labia a few times before sliding my tongue inside her slit. She was dripping with arousal, and I lapped it up like it was my favorite ice cream. Over and over I explored her folds, ramping up her excitement with every pass of my tongue.

When Flora was making little moaning noises and begging me to make her come I released her legs and slid one finger as deep inside her as I could reach. I began pumping in and out with a steady rhythm, relishing the sensation of her inner muscles clenching against my finger.

I moved my head upwards so I could focus on her clitoris. I slid it back and forth with the tip of my tongue until I felt the first tremors of her orgasm around my finger. Then, and only then, I sucked her swollen bud into my mouth, using one of my fangs to add a little bite.

That did it. My mate detonated like someone had set off dynamite. She thrashed beneath me, moaning and panting and crying my name over and over again. I ground my pelvis against the bed, seeking some pressure of my own, pleasuring us both until Flora finally collapsed against the bed with a long sigh.

I lifted my head, licking her essence of my lips. Flora’s head was thrown back against the pillow, her eyes screwed shut as she tried to catch her breath. I slid upward, pulling the blanket over both of us so my mate wouldn’t get cold when the sweat covering her skin cooled. By the time I snuggled up against her again, she was half asleep.

“That was great,” she mumbled sleepily. “I’ll return the favor… in just… a minute.”

By the time she finished her sentence she was fast asleep, not moving again until morning. I lay next to her, willing my body to calm down enough for me to sleep as well. By the time the sun rose I was wide awake, having only slept in fits and starts. Figuring I might as well relieve Boris, I slid out of bed, stopped at my bedroom to wash up and put on some clothes, then headed downstairs.

My bear friend was sitting at the kitchen table, studying something on his laptop.

“You want coffee?” he asked. “There is fresh pot. Your mate buys nice high quality coffee beans. Very good.”

I smirked. Boris and his brothers were terrible food snobs for three guys who grew up in the woods of Belarus and spent most of their lives working first for the Belarusian military and then as secret operatives for the CIA.

“Thank you. Any problems last night?” I asked.

“No, it is very quiet. Angie is coming soon for relief, but first I must show you this that I found.”

I sat on the chair next to him and he angled his laptop next to me. I frowned as I looked at a reddit post railing against spoiled society princesses who had everything handed to them on a silver platter.

“I don’t understand.”

“This is discussion thread for a news article about the death of your mate’s parents,” he said. “User disgruntled589 seems to have anger for your mate.”

“I’m sure a lot of people do, Boris. Billionaires aren’t exactly popular right now. And people who don’t know how hard Flora works probably assume that she’s just some spoiled nepo baby who got her job because of her last name.”

“Nep-po baby?” Boriss sounded out the word. “What is this?”

“A person who gets a job by nepotism.” At his blank look I explained, “It’s when your parents are rich and famous and you only have a job because of them, not because of your own merits.”

“Ah, yes I see.” Boris shot me a look. “I do some search on disgruntled589 and find his ISP is in Seattle. More research and I find that this account is for a Jacob Shapiro.”

“Shapiro? Why do I know that name?”

“I check, he is son of lawyer, the one who hires us to protect his goddaughter Flora.”

My eyes widened. “Holy crap, Henry has a kid? No one ever mentioned that.”

“There is more,” he said. “I run background check. Jacob is often in trouble with the police. He has several arrests for fighting and assault, but none are convictions. His father’s law firm has gotten him, how you say… scott free every time.”

“So we have a hothead son who’s not a fan of Flora? My God Boris, that’s the first lead we’ve had since we took this case. Good job!”

I wrapped my arm around him and pulled him in for a hug. “I owe you a nice bottle of vodka.”

“Make it expensive.”